nianderson

All my love, for each passing day All my prayers, for every step of the way All my wishes, for the lessons you meet All my hopes, for the ventures you'll greet All my blessings, upon the grace with which You live life as it's meant to be lived Courage, honor, pride, and strength Ever your faithful companions May these dwell within you as you traverse The wondrous journey that unfolds Together with warmth, peace, happiness and love Now and forever more... Chang Wookie Oraboni, Sengil chukka hamnida!!!

PART 16 Anyeongasseyo! So, it’s Sunday and… Nia 1: French Open? Nia 2: There’s time left. Nia 1: Cricket World Cup? Nia 2: There’s time left. Nia 1: God bless the Southern Hemisphere. How am I supposed to while the rest of the blessed evening away? Nia 2: (Glances at the desolate skies through the window) Look up some picnic or beach pics online. Nia 1: (Winces and types in to search) Hey, what’s this?! Nia 2: What? JiJi thread….? (Reads and looks at Nia 1) No, don’t tell me… Nia 1: We never did write about it, did we? Nia 2: Uh-huh. Nia 1: We didn’t. Nia 2: Why does it feel like you’re about to…? Nia 1: C’mon! Somebody says they could use a little different perspective on that V-live. I have a little different perspective to share. Nia 2: (Flops down on the bed with a miserable sigh) And you’re about to share it NOW, right? Nia 1: Gee, you know me so well. (She rests her case as Nia 2’s howls echo in the room) @JJFirstMate, thank you for broaching the subject at the right time (for me). It’s always a pleasure to find reasons to go back again and again to the wealth that has kept adding to itself ever since I began sailing, and before I delve once again, I wished to speak on a few points I gleaned from your first post. Nam Ji Hyun: A Katherine Hepburn reincarnate: The strains of that celebrated legend’s personality can certainly be found in this young blossom too. While I wouldn’t dare to say that Ji Hyun’s panache has reached this magnificence without any effort at all, it has still come more naturally to her than a lot of people, a real whole lot of people, that I have ever seen. A goodish bit of that credit goes to the women in her life—each one of them a spirited, successful, kind and gorgeous goddess in her own right. Goddesses beget goddesses, after all. In one of my weirder moments, I have likened Hyunnie’s personality to ‘loam soil’. She ‘retains’ her own charisma without needing to outshine anybody else. She ‘allows’ another person’s charms to mesh with her own without feeling threatened by it. She can ‘drain’ what is irrelevant to her own well-being and that of her loved ones, can ‘receive’ the wisdom she wishes to glean from the world without foolish prejudices. Constant learning is her second nature because she knows that is how a mind is tilled for growth. She is ‘soft’ enough to know what needs to change and ‘tough’ enough to stand for what is good as it is. Perhaps, the best possible sign of how truly divine she is can be found right upon her face. The first thing I even recall about SP is her chin during the trailer. It is strong, formidable, well-defined… and yet, it starts right below her bottom lip with a softly-etched dimple, a sweetly tantalizing corner a lover would press kisses into. Such are her contrasts and semblances, each of which she straddles with so much grace it’s unearthly. And I keep falling, day after day… Ji Chang Wook fawning over the wrong girl: I can make allowances for poor phrasing. We cannot produce thoughts into perfectly corresponding words every single time. But if it is truly written the way you meant it, then I have to disagree. About the ‘wrong girl’. From all that I have seen so far, Kwon Nara-shi is an amiable, sweet and humble lady as an actress. She always has good things to say about Hyunnie and Wook, is conscientious, admits her mistakes and is not above learning from anybody who can help her with her work. She has admitted to a preference for Wook in the dating sense, and why not? If she wants to exhibit interests in someone she took a liking to, who she believes to be otherwise unattached, then she is jolly well free to do so. So is Wook in reciprocating if he wants to. The right girl for Wook is who he believes is right for him. Why I am here is because I believe Wook has given too much away with regards to why he believes Nam Ji Hyun is the right girl for him. One, because Wook is not a man who gives anything much away about his love-life and, if he is feeling compelled to do a bit of it now, then it is something important enough for him to declare. Two, because he believes in his bond with Hyunnie enough to reveal its importance this steadily. If he didn’t have enough faith, he wouldn’t have been so willing to put their association out there in public. Three, he has always believed love to be a flow of inevitable course in human life. Living as a human, it is difficult not to fall in love. We fall in love, we grow apart. We fall in love some more, we grow apart. A grand love is a destiny, but I don’t know if such a thing can happen in real life. There’s too much going on in my life right now. We can never seem to make time. I want to fall in a beautiful kind of love, but isn’t such a thing a fantasy? Love is something he likes, wonders about, craves and desires to experience. He is a man who professes to have done much for the women he has loved, cherished all the memories and respected the bonds he has had. But I believe, with Ji Hyun, it is the first time he has truly fought for love. Fought to win it, fought to hold it, fought to keep it alive. Fought enough to make the lady fight for it herself. With her, love is not something to simply experience and flow along the tide. With her, love is to possess, to belong, to mark as his own, to keep with all his trust and strength, to believe and make her believe that now that he has found her, he wants nothing else. With her, there’s no shuffling back and forth along the lines; it is a complete leap into what he has realized he was searching for all along. The list goes upto #101, but I’ll stop it at the fourth. Fawning. Yes, prime JiJi fawning. A whole lot of sincere, melting, devoted fawning. It is unfortunate indeed that @JJFirstMate had to make do with, in her own words, the highly entertaining, yet unfortunately less steamy version of the DCut (Unfortunate probably because the mate wasn’t able to grab the pre-order benefit in time, which is where the 24K magic is at, but yeah, I agree with the ‘comparatively less steam’ in the other discs; those were essentially centered on the cast ensemble) If the reasons above weren’t what I believe he believes, then we would never, I repeat NEVER, have seen him behaving like Hyunnie’ name had any business even prevailing on people’s minds during his army discharge, occurring two years after JiJi association should have already been done and dusted. That is a story in itself, and one of its many glorious beginnings started here: SP Vlive: The following material is gathered from the Vlive vid spanning 41:20 If the emcee choice is between the two main leads, Hyunnie hides awkwardness, nervousness and discomfort better, has a solid presence of mind (not that Wookie doesn’t, but he has a habit of trailing away without notice when Hyunnie’s around; I have the frickin’ receipts), can speak endlessly and make it worth your entire while, and let’s face it, looks unspeakably cute leading her age-wise sunbaes into the fun times. So yeah, here we go. 00:01-00:10: Already starts cozy. Hyunnie is not averse to touching him, Wook doesn’t mind her in his space. While showing off his name plate, he holds it on the other side, himself in proximity to the lady. It’s a very subtle cue, because if distance is what I wanted, I’d be stuffing the thing between me and the other person. 00:20-00:33: Same stance with the paper stack as well. Hyunnie keeps bouncing to and fro and no amount of jostling discourages the steady fine-suited pole. 00:39: Wook walks ahead of Hyunnie. Probably because she is gesturing him to. Or more likely because that is his usual. It’s actually what makes his behavior at 2017 Seoul Music Awards a little surprising where he walks her off the stage, because he ain’t the type to hand-hold, literally or figuratively. 00:51: Wook chuckles at the way Hyunnie ‘unfreezes’ Choi Tae Joon. It’s nothing that would occur to him, or to most of us, on the spot, but yeah, it’s cutely funny. 01:31: The trio reach Nara. Thereafter, believe me, for a long while Wook is not very interested in anything else—including either of the ladies—as much as he is in upping the heart count. He pulls the phone out of Nara’s hand. Heart. Heart. Heart. When others are speaking during the Vlive. More Heart. Heart. Heart. 02:12: Wook edges ahead of Nara this time. I’m just glad he didn’t use those gangster shoulders to make his point. 02:19: Nara is saying something and Wook responds with a halfway-shy grin. Why? Probably because he wants to….? The earth doesn’t quake, the sky doesn’t fall. 02:31: Wook pulls his chair closer to Hyunnie’s. On a rational front, for a better vantage point. Shippily speaking, when has Wook not wanted to sidle close to Hyunnie? Last time I checked, it was back in 2014 when he didn’t know her at all, she was still in her teens and they were on a public stage with him being worse with strangers than he is now. 02:37-02:59 When Wook sits close to you but does not want to get in your space nor want you in his, he angles his body towards you, knees inevitably closer to yours but upper body shifting farther away. The BTS of many of his dramas, IVs and such are out there for interested folks to help themselves with, so you’re welcome to corroborate or debunk the observation. According to my own personal scrutiny, this particular mannerism has definitely scored higher on the scale of average behavior and is therefore, one of his more obvious tells. Checking the mentioned time frame, you can tell already that neither him nor Hyunnie are going to twitch away if they accidentally touch. 03:27: Once the screen straightens itself, he rights the laptop and laughs at his own silliness, partly for requesting the viewers to turn their screens. He glances at Nara and gives the same half-shy chuckle he did earlier. Why? Probably because he wanted to…? Also, because she is right in his line of sight? The chuckle dies an empty death though, because nobody responds much. Following which, Nara and Tae Joon have the easiest angle to make eye contact with everyone on the table. As the host, Hyunnie engages everyone fairly equally and as required. As for Wook, yes, many of his comments are directly addressed to Nara and, sometimes bending over the table, to Tae Joon. Why the substantially less gazes at Hyunnie? Thanks to ‘peripheral vision’: an extremely important tool for lovers, athletes and kitchen raiders. When she is constantly a part of his vision, why would he want to keep twisting his neck her way? I mean, that was the question I wanted to ask him during the PressCon and the glorious mess that was the 30-odd seconds’ worth of Hanbam footage where the camera was almost tickling his nose hairs and he was far too gone making gooey eyes at Hyunnie. 06:14: The first richard simmons in the armor, so to speak. Have you ever seen Wook surrounded by more than one woman at once? Probably in a press conference, congratulatory event or such? The easiest ones to recall are Healer, K2 and Mr. Right conferences. He focuses on, compliments and engages with every present woman equally. It’s always ‘this-nim is very pretty, that sunbae-nim is very beautiful, this-nim suits her character very well, that sunbae-nim has incredible depth in acting.’ Here he is facing two beautiful ladies, three in the instances where Kim Ye Won steps in, and Wook’s initiatory or reactionary behavior have already begun to show divide lines. Shoulders bunched, he straightens and starts talking to Tae Joon but at 06:20, his fingers slightly tap Hyunnie’s wrist. 06:30: Hyunnie appears in the trailer. Wook, Tae Joon and Nara go ‘Woah’. 06:41: Game over. Yeah, game sooo over for the Wook-Nara ship, if there was one. Not even 10 minutes into the Vlive; he didn’t last even 10 minutes into this before making clear who his choice would be for a comfortably fun time. To be fair, if this was any other setting with a different cast, he might still nudge his co-star and ask her to do the steps. But the point is, it hasn’t happened YET. 11:32: Wook reads out ‘Nam Ji Hyun yeppuda’. The ship becomes one with the sea floor. It’s rude, pretty darn impolite, to compliment one lady and leave the other out. Surely that’s mentioned in the gentlemen’s etiquette book. It’s a curious time for Wook to be throwing this rule out of the window, not to mention, once again during the PressCon. You’d say, but he’s just reading a comment. Sure, but if he’s reading that particular comment out loud, doesn’t it also stand to reason that he agrees with it? 16:40: Hyunnie mentions her best feature. The twin bright eyes that are scheduled to drive Wook right out of his mind when he kisses her in a few weeks’ time. She starts describing them and he lasts 6 seconds, just 6 seconds, before he turns quick as a flash and proceeds to stare at the beauties. The sudden movement startles Hyunnie a bit and a microsecond is enough for her to decide that she cannot withstand his unwavering gaze. She simply looks over at Nara onnie, someone appreciates her dancing skills and pretty eyes without jolting her senses. As for nobody clapping after? Wook is still trying to take in everything she has said about her eyes, Tae Joon is immediately gestured by Hyunnie to start talking about himself and Nara doesn’t clap because even if it occurred to her, Tae Joon is already measuring Hyunnie’s face with his hand. It’s just how the conversation flows, and if there’s worry over how appreciative of Hyunnie’s features Wook is, then let it be known that he is more intimately acquainted with them that anybody else on the planet, no exceptions. Nobody need preach to him how fine Hyunnie looks when he has been there up, close and beyond personal. 29:47: But if there are people hell-bent on clamoring for solid evidence even after all this, Wook’s got them covered too. It’s a fine opportunity to stare at the girl while she is trying to figure out word-puzzles. Hyunnie’s pretty quick at such things though, so it doesn’t last long, but yup, the stare lasts the whole length from her casting the dice to her answer. Actually, this is one of those last few instances where it can still be said that JiJi are good colleagues. The stuff that follows this is insane beyond description, and if you don’t feel up to signing for it, go no further. Just look at me—a case beyond all possible help—and run as far and fast as you can before the lovey-dovey sneaks up and- Nia 2: Enough. Nia 1: What? Nia 2: Enough! Nia 1: Just one last line and- Nia 2: -and ENOUGH!!! Nia 1: Okaaaaay. You don’t have to scream so loud. Fine, we’ll just watch the French- Nia 2: It’s over. Nia 1: WHAT?!!!! Nia 2: Rafa won. It’s the only reason I haven’t killed you. Nia 1: Yay! Woo-ho-ho-ho. The King! The King! Nia 2: Yeah, the King we did not get to see because of your st- Nia 1: There’ll be reeeee-plaaaays! Woo-hoo! And cricket? Nia 2: That’s over too!! Nia 1: Alright, I’m sorry! I’ll just finish this last line and I promise I’ll- Nia 2: DO YOU WANT TO DIE???!!!

Happy birthday, Suspicious Partner! Wishing thee a toothsome two! How do I love thee? I couldn't count the ways, But if I had to, it'd be the JiJi way, Forever and ever and ever. Met one night... lasted a lifetime.

PART 15 From a cosmic perspective, the universe may or may not be sparing an afterthought to the tiny magnet-ball whizzing along minding its own business, but zooming in all the way through infinite space down to the east half of the said ball, quite a bit has been happening for the little souls to whom such concerns matter. Definitely moi, for one. History shall bear witness that Nia, circa 27th April 2019 AD, was found during the course of the entire day to have been frothing at the mouth and gibbering a rather questionable version of the good ol’ carol…. during Easter season. A stanza for the benefit of the curious: Good shippers all rejo-o-oice! With heart and soul and vo-o-ice! Listen now to what we say, News! News! Sergeant Wookie’s out today! Seas and ships before him bow, As he explodes love bombies now. Wookie’s out today-ay! Wookie’s out today! Not my proudest moment, I frankly admit, but that hardly mattered, for there was so much else to be gratified about. After 621 yards, honorably discharged Sergeant Ji Chang Wook returned to civilian life decorated with high achievement accolades. Starting from basic training, then through the ranks embodying the spirit of patriotic fervor as Dong Kyu, the whole course of his enlistment was a boundless service to his motherland, the best way he knew how to. What a son! What a man! He promised to do his best, and delivered in spades. As for me, I promised to wait patiently, wait trustingly, wait the best way I knew how to. Seems like I did a pretty good job of it myself, if the reward of the wait is any indication. As a shipper, I couldn’t have been more blessed than to have found JiJi. Their story might as well have been spun with fairy yarn for all the spectacular drama in it. Even the temporary separation brought its own charm and lessons for the couple and for their cheerleaders. I went in rest assured, as would anybody when bombarded with BTS Kiss MV at concerts, lovesick IVs, and promises to hypothetical yeojachingu. I stayed rest assured, as would anybody when buried in Director’s Cuts featuring the kind of osculation that’s guaranteed to render your spine to spaghetti and knees to jelly. Not to mention the staring, smiling, cuddling, caressing, petting, nuzzling, licking, biting, pulling, panting,…. um, well, the point I wished to make was that there was plenty of material and time gifted rather generously to stay comforted that JiJi had an association that was here to stay. Mushy factors aside, there was one pivotal argument that bought my faith unreservedly. Ji Chang Wook. More to the point, his belief, willingness, tenacity, determination, and the glorious point in his life when Nam Ji Hyun finally met him as his equal. He came to know her well during that time of his life when he was fully grown and capable of mastering the strings of attachment along with everything else he has and wants. Once he began to know her, he became determined to learn more. The more he learned, the more tenaciously he held onto everything that Hyunnie came to mean to him. The more she meant, the greater his willingness to be bound to her. The closer they bound, the deeper his belief grew- in his own constancy, in her inimitable strength, in their compelling destiny. And perhaps these realizations are all the more potent in the light of the fact that each stance is equally true from his lady’s perspective, for she, in her turn, always matched his steps unerringly. Nam Ji Hyun. The brilliant, charismatic, genuine and fascinating creature who basks in his adoration. And by whose virtue, I was able to finally see the beast that dwelt within her man’s heart. That which could feed its own wants unreservedly, fulfill hers immeasurably, possess while being possessed. That which could protect and keep to the end, destroy anything that dared threaten its own. I saw it in him, when he first kissed her. Then in numerous moments until the drama was over and the moment of reckoning was at hand. With an almost devious cunning and will, skillfully sheathed in affability, he drew the lines, made his mark, told the world. Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun. Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook. Thoughts of the entire world became speculations, rumors, probes, questions and curiosities, all closed in on JiJi, yet not one took form, not one touched them, especially her, not when he wills otherwise. I witnessed him take hits on himself, saw him bear the ones that were not even earmarked for him. I can testify that he emerged all the stronger out of them. He knows she can do likewise, without a doubt, but there won’t be any experiments on his watch. He hasn’t even let a shadow of a query fall upon them yet, where either of them has to answer for something that is nobody’s business but theirs alone. He enlisted making sure their bond stayed safe. He entrusted it to her protection with immense faith in their devotion to each other. He saw to it that the world acknowledged her association with him beyond their professional obligations, distancing it enough at the same time so all know they are not allowed in in any manner whatsoever, not even as a clickbait inquiry. Now, I come out of the wait more assured than ever. Mere weeks before his discharge, he picked up exactly where he left off. If not for Hyunnie and Aluu CEO-nim posting about the musical visit, I’d hazard a guess that the whole affair could have been well-shrouded. To the best of my knowledge, except for one solitary twitter post stating that the person spotted Hyunnie at the musical and a picture of Wook with a bunch of ladies, literally nothing emerged from that evening show. Thus it’s not much of a stretch to reason out that Hyunnie’s and CEO’s posts were deliberate. It’s still more probable that JiJi decided it so. Wook knows his comeback project discussions have become public even before his discharge… and wants those discussions to stay in the professional lane. People wanna talk about my future works, future co-stars, anticipation of all the different chemistries and such? Sure, let them, by all means… as long as they know it’s my work. Don’t confuse it with my personal life. That begins and ends with this lady. Pretty sure he got her the tickets. Pretty sure he had her chaperoned by their closest yet least controversial mutuals, both being CEOs of the salon. There was literally no hypothesis anybody could draw on seeing the two CEO onnies that would’ve negated, diminished or sidelined the fact that Hyunnie went to support Wookie (which might have been a different story had any other of their mutual acquaintances gone with her). Pretty sure he ensured that no one forgot he was in Hyunnie’s orbit as ever and he could do without another article about dating rumors with someone else, thank you very much. Hyunnie’s post not only became the last word in #armygirlfriendgoals, but also provided definite response material for Wook when he left the service and got the visitation question wherever he turned. Starting with this one: Vid credit to the owner and English translation credit to @riririru He had not even cleared the military base boundaries. Barely walked out, waved and greeted, said he wanted to eat a delicious meal and get back in shape and waited for the brief media Q&A with a smile. Mere seconds passed and not even a fractional measure of his boot-prints had imprinted upon the X spot before a Korean Merida shot the arrow many wanted to, but few dared. Reporter: Did Nam Ji Hyun-shi come to visit you? God bless her brave soul. She didn’t even ask how the past 20 odd months had been. The memory of the bomb was so fresh in the collective Korean minds that I could see in Ji Chang Wook’s eyes he was not really surprised. He knew it was coming, just not this soon. He had the answer ready, but hadn’t taken the time to phrase it and practice beforehand. Wook: Visit… I don’t think it can be considered as a visit, but we got to see each other briefly. She came to watch when I was doing the musical, we greeted each other that time. Point to Wook. Excellent strategy. All focus regarding visitation became centered on the one event that was public knowledge. The entire reference point of his answer was based on the musical meeting. If she has visited him in Cheorwon, it’s not for us to know. If he visited her during his off days, well, the reporter never asked him that, did she? I personally found his stance very confident with regards to ‘what’ he was prepared to say. The question was bound to pop up at a fanmeeting, Vlive, IV, magazine shoot, etc. He didn’t have time to polish it quite well though, but should someone ask him the same thing at a later date, we might get to see the refined version. Emcee: What did the other soldiers say about that? Wook: I didn’t tell them that I met her. In other words, it is nobody’s frickin’ business but ours what we do when we meet. Also, whether it’s his friends in Cheorwon or among the musical cast & crew, Wook doesn’t want other people’s words in his mouth regarding comments about him and Hyunnie in a merged context. Maybe in private, he may or may not speak to his trusted bunch about them as a pair, but the crowds on the other side of the line are not going to hear it from him, at least not now. That’s a dangerous venture because it would leave him out in the open as a target for more questions he does not want to answer now. Maybe his army buddies did speak to him about Hyunnie even if they didn’t meet her, but any loose threads would unravel his intentions to ‘say so far and no further.’ Emcee: Why? Why? Wook: Since the system only allowed the visitors to meet the person they wanted to meet. Which would’ve been rather convenient for JiJi in every sense, I have to admit. If they didn’t speak much to others about their meeting, they have to answer fewer questions and divulge even less. All things considered, the general consensus reasons out that such a visitors system prevails only in the actual camp—in this case Cheorwon—and it’s a very good probability, since Wook doesn’t want to touch the topic of a visit there with a ten-foot pole. Or maybe he wants us to discern such an implication without him having to spell it out and put himself on yet another spot. On the other hand, considering the occurrence on 12th April, I wouldn’t put it past Wook to have somehow managed to speak to Hyunnie alone before or after the musical. I mean, except for a handful of people, no one managed to interact with the cast on that singularly strange day. It’s JiJi after all, no wild is too wild for them. Emcee: What did you talk with her? Wook: I asked Ji Hyun to help me with the script, since she is very good at it. I remember asking her that. Emcee: Ah, for your next project? Wook: Yes, yes. On a side note, the lady reporter might as well have bought lottery tickets that day. All she had to do was nerve herself up for the first question and the rest of the info fell into her lap for free. The Emcee couldn’t have been more enthusiastic about having finally gotten Wook around that particular bend and finished the slew of questions with a tremendous climax that bears upon literally all of the questions and answers above this final one. They are all a ‘read-between-the-lines’ for this one, solitary response. We have never stopped talking, never stopped trusting, never stopped loving…. so much that she remains in me, and I in her. She is where I can be found, I where she can be. Recall the faith in Wook that I spoke of way above? The clever and dangerous beast that guards this bond beyond all earthly considerations? Those realizations stem from one source of testimony. It is that Ji Chang Wook always speaks about Nam Ji Hyun being present in his future. During the drama, he spoke of his need for her support during conscription. Now that his service is done, he openly declares her place in the next chapter of his life, one of her many roles being a sounding board for his professional decisions that are soon to follow, which imply that Wook has already denied any other links to himself before the journey has even resumed again. Wherever he is, he can see Hyunnie with him there…. and further too. He means to keep her, she means to stay and sooner or later, God willing, a future would arrive where the two forever become one.

PART 14 Nia 1: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Nia 2: O Lord! Nia 1: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Nia 2: Not again! It’s been more than a week now! Nia 1: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! SHE WENT TO HIS MUSICAL!!! Nia 2: More than a week ago! We squealed enough then, remember? Nia 1: A week ago, and you still haven’t forgiven me. It’s not like I- Nia 2: You almost got us booted out of the apartment! And we live alone. Nia 1: So it’s my fault Gertie doesn’t appreciate the frickin’ bomb- Nia 2: Yes. It’s called a bomb for a reason. Not everyone likes being lobbed with those. You nearly broke the bed and sent it down through her roof! Nia 1: What a night 'twas! (with a faraway look) I couldn’t find Fairy Godmum’s IG—she changed the name—and I went back to Hyunnie’s following list to check- Nia 2: I do NOT want to hear this again. Nia 1: -and I got the account and clicked and, the first thing I saw, O Lord, the first thing I saw- Nia 2: O boy… Nia 1: I mean, what the hell kind of coincidence is that? Out of the blue, I decided to check the account, and there it was! The latest post. Not even an hour old. I saw Hyunnie first, then the musical poster above her, then the whole picture, then ohmygawdohmygawdohmygawd- Nia 2: No. Don’t you- Nia 1: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Nia 2: I hate that! Can’t you use a different vowel to squeal? Nia 1: (dancing the Ji-Geu-Deok) I love you girl, and I was too happy to point it out when you did, but the vowel you used on seeing the pic sounded positively guttural at the time. Nia 2: (looking somewhat contrite) I- I’m not proud of it. But at least that had an expiry. You’ve been doing this wherever we go! Nia 1: I can’t help it! I mean, yes, we knew the moment he said her name on national television with that pouty face, and serenaded to the kiss BTS at his last concert, and spoke about keeping on loving a hypothetical girlfriend through the military service… Yeah, we knew this was something serious enough. The guy’s practical through and through and always said stuff like not wanting to make things hard for a girl when he’s away. And then all of a sudden, he was kinda almost asking for a commitment from that hypothetical someone. I mean, he was hoping that the girl he loves would wait, but it was also like he was sure enough of his place in her life that he knew he could ask her to do that. Nia 2: I’ve always thought so too- Nia 1: Why 'too' when there's just one of us? (snickers lamely) Nia 2: (with her own faraway look) It was as if he knew he loved her, knew she loved him too and thought himself well within his rights to ask of her constancy. The first time I heard him, the power of that implication was so absolute… almost as if he was sure of his own devotion to her, and prayed that distance would not diminish it. When he said that he would cherish that love as a good memory, even if her heart changed before his return… I dared not say it then- Nia 1: It felt a sure hope to me, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Nia 2: Exactly. When he said that, I couldn’t help thinking that maybe, just maybe, he was saying that so she does not feel any guilt. If she doesn’t love him anymore, he wouldn’t hold her against her will. But as long as she was his, he’d endure through time, distance and all else that fate brought, just so they could belong together. Nia 1: True that. He found juggling work and romance difficult enough, yet on the threshold of a huge milestone in his life, seemed willing to make the mother of all commitments. Army service is no joke in the relationship arena. Still there he was, promising before the world—to be hers, to be faithful and to keep a part of her with him forever, even if it was just a memory. Nia 2: The story just kept going from strength to strength thereafter. Nia 1: Or coincidence to coincidence. Her post on August 14th 2018, her birthday when she was largely missing and so was he. Nia 2: Yup. Out on a break and missing. Except for only solitary photo from his friend. Nia 1: And the weirdest out-of-the-blue video message to all soldiers during HDH commentary. Was there anything about the army in the acrostic poems Hyunnie and DO made? Which would certainly explain the line of thought. Otherwise, that was more out-of-the-place than the boom mic operator during JiJi’s laundry kisses. Nia 2: Don’t take me there. Nia 1: Aaaah… I know. (lightly slaps herself) But yeah, those were some very susanghe things. Nia 2: Some of the many. And just when the seas rolled drowsily, Hyunnie picked the ship up and plunked it right on top of a minefield. Nia 1: (reminiscences the musical visit post again) Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Nia 2: Shut it! Nia 1: You mean ‘Shut out’! Fairy Godmum knows. Nia 2: Fairy Godmum knows we know. Nia 1: Fairy Godmum knows we know she knows. C’mon, she posted a JiJi shipper’s chocolate bouquet and note, stuck JiJi’s pics in the same spot in the salon, and now takes along her baby girl to see the star boy’s musical. Nia 2: Their entire circle is genius. Nia 1: Must be all the fish they eat. Remember Jeeves? Nia 2: Must be. (starts ticking facts off her fingers) Wook’s been working with CEO Mi Young since eons now. Said CEO-nim knows he is being shipped mightily with Hyunnie. If Wook or Hyunnie didn’t want it, Mi Young-shi would hardly cosplay as a connecting dot between the two. To the best of my knowledge, she has not been clicked at any of the previous Shinheung musical shows. And the one time she does go, she takes Hyunnie. Credit duly given to the IG owner Nia 1: (lends her own fingers for the fact-checking) It’s only the two ALUU CEOs—Jung Mi Young and Kim Min Seon—and Hyunnie. Cannot see other members of Wook’s ALUU team, so they were either busy, went before and never posted on SNS, or went and posted something that escaped us so far, or… Nia 2: Or this was supposed to be a more-personal-than-usual support visit. Nia 1: Kekekekekeke! Hyunnie looks thoroughly out of place between the two ladies. In a professional capacity, they are the higher-ups carving out time together to support not only a beloved dongsaeng but also an important client. Even so, I can’t shake off the vibe that the two CEOs seem to be chaperoning their youngest sister on her date! Nia 2: Yeah. The small group, the people in it and their mutual association with Wook and Hyunnie even taken in separate contexts leave very little room for doubt that Hyunnie has long been acknowledged as a part of Wook’s circle, to an extent where the rest of the people in that circle not only do NOT deny any possible links between the two, but take a step further to voice their blessings openly. Nia 1: A hallmark, I remember, of SongSong’s courtship. Nia 2: A few similarities are definitely found here too. Nia 1: This is no VIP premiere with a long list of professional friends and acquaintance doing a collective 'Hwaiting'! When all is said and done, this is still a facet of his personal life as a soldier that the public is allowed into for the love of the country. How many co-stars and friends have we seen at the musical? That in itself should explain what he said long ago- his invitation was not merely for Hyunnie to visit him in the army. It was to be in his life beyond SP, beyond JiBong, beyond the temporary separation and upon the rest of the journey wherever it may lead. Nia 2: And Hyunnie wants to! I have not seen one reason, not one paltry reason, to believe that she thinks differently. Since before he even left, she has been as encouraging and supportive as she is now. She wants her 'Oraboni' to return safe and healthy. She wants him to know that the world can take a hint and she is just fine with that. That he is not alone in making claims and promises. That she is right there in his corner, as always. Nia 1: And that ‘Oraboni’? Aww, that ‘Oraboni’! She kills me every time she says that! Jaebal Hyunnie-ah, I wanna live long enough to see you walk down the aisle! Nia 2: (the thought renders her jelly-kneed, so she hurries and flops down on a seat before Nia 1 could point and poke fun) Um-hmm. Some ‘Oraboni’ that was. Equalled only by Wookie’s ‘Ji Hyun yangie’. Nia 1: They have more inside jokes than SP PD-nim had hives seeing their kisses. Nia 2: Like we didn’t? And don’t go there! Nia 1: But still, it’s thoroughly disconcerting when the two speak highly formal words while having gooey looks on their faces. Is that, like a… you know… a play- Nia 2: No! You are not taking me there! Nia 1: Jeez! It’s JiJi, it goes there more often than not. Nia 2: Gertie’s apartment is not the place for it to go there. Nia 1: Like she can hear us talking. 'Sall in the head, for God's sake! Nia 2: Maybe, but she can see the crazy faces. And one of your ‘Eeeeeeeeeees’ definitely came out. Why do you think she ran inside? Nia 1: She said she'd make juice. Nia 2: (raises an eyebrow) Like her life depended on it? Nia 1: Ah, I wondered why she closed the kitchen door behind her. Nia 2: The entire street parted like the Red Sea went we went out for a jog today! Nia 1: If they saw JiJi, they’d be no better. Or is that supposed to be ‘ no worse’? Anyways, you can't blame me when even Hyunnie likes all this shippy business. Nia 2: Uh-huh. Nia 1: She sees all those touchy and kissy JiJi videos- Nia 2: Who doesn't? Nia 1: She liked one too- Nia 2: Who didn't? Nia 1: Gertie. Nia 2: We are NOT siccing those on Gertie! She hasn't even made it past the Immaculate Conception! Nia 1: I'd say it's high time she at least joined the birds-and-bees circuit. Nia 2: Can we just give her the chocolates and go home, please?

Annyeongasseyo to all JiJi lovers! It is the time of the year again that reminds us to be thankful each day, each moment, for all the graces we receive. To love and be loved, to cherish and be cherished, to be content and share that contentment with all that we hold dear to ourselves... may that be our celebration, our song, our joy. I join in the multitude of prayers for JiJi- for their health and happiness, strength and smiles, love and friendship. May each day bring Wookie & Hyunnie fulfillment, wisdom, lessons and laughter that they hold close in a way only they can. May the hearts they have touched and inspired across the globe stay constant in their hopes and dreams. May Christmas last forever...

Heartiest congratulations to Ji Chang Wook on his 10th year in the industry!!! Everything about the image is raw- the set, the story, the scene about to play out, the make-up. Especially the make-up. A decade ago, Wook stood bathed in the afternoon sun and dared to play a card. He didn't think much about being an actor. It seemed like a cool thing to do and he liked doing it. There were apprehensions and fears, debts and doubts and dreams, so much to do, so much to be... But this look, this one look in his eyes, hasn't changed a bit over time- cagey yet warm, impish glints lending spark to deep pools of brown. There aren't many words to describe it, but over the past year, I saw it several times as I got to learn about all that he was, is and wishes to be. The heart, mind, soul, tears, smiles, struggles, reflections, sweat, prayers, fights, reconciliations, pains, joys and toils- everything that went into making 'the Ji Chang Wook' a face of Hallyu and, just as importantly, a beloved son, a dependable friend and a kind man remembered by all who come to know him. It has been a long way to this day, and yet not too long, for unto Wook, life is a constant present that unfolds with a peerless charm he is endlessly discovering. May it remain so, for he truly deserves it. Thank you Wookie for all the inspiration and joys. Let life conspire the choicest blessings and contentment for you and all that you love. May you ever grow and dream and live to the very best as you always have. Chukahamnida!