Luisa sat sullenly on the recliner in Seokjin's bedroom, watching him pack his suitcase. He glanced at her every few minutes but hesitated to speak to her because of her forlorn expression.

Just last week, he had explained to her that his family back in South Korea had found him a bride. He told Luisa that his family was very traditional—it was a wonder that they allowed him to study in the States—and such families hired matchmakers to pair up marriage candidates according to the families' criteria.

Luisa had been surprised to learn that Seokjin's family was quite well-off and expected their eldest son to marry advantageously. He had hoped they'd forgotten about that, but they hadn't. His intended bride, Lee Youngsoon, was chosen because of her family's status.

His cousin Taehyung had been dispatched to Dallas with a picture of the lucky bride and orders for Seokjin to return to Korea to plan the wedding. Luisa had seen the picture. Lee Youngsoon was quite the beauty.

"Youngsoon," Luisa mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Seokjin asked, looking up from his suitcase.

Luisa pouted. "Nothing."

With a deep sigh, he made his way to where she was sitting and knelt in front of her.

"Babe, I know you're angry, but—"

"I'm not," she insisted, even though her arms were crossed tightly.

He smiled. "Sweetheart, I already explained. There's no reason to be upset. I just have to go back home and tell my parents that I already have a girlfriend and I don't need them to set me up."

"They already did," Luisa whined, unable to help herself. "Taehyung said that you're supposed to go back to plan the wedding."

He stood up and pulled her up into his arms. "Lu," he whispered into her hair. "Do you think that after all these years of pining for you and chasing you and wanting you, I would give you up so easily? Do you think that about me?"

Luisa snuggled into him. "No, I guess not." She exhaled. "But you must understand that it feels unsettling to know that somewhere on the other side of the world, a beautiful girl is planning to marry you."

"Lu."

"She has seen your picture and has agreed to marry you," she continued. "She's probably picking out her dress as we speak. Not only that, but she has your parents' blessing because she is the one they picked for their son."

"But you're the one I love," he said softly.

"And they know nothing about me," she countered. She moved away from him. "So, how long will you be gone?"

He went back to his suitcase. "Uh, about two weeks, tops."

Luisa groaned and let herself fall onto his bed. "Two weeks. That's a long time, Jin. What if they change your mind? They're your parents. I wouldn't want you to quarrel with them over me. They'd hate me even more."

He chuckled. "Who said they hate you?"

She leaned up on her elbows. "The minute you tell them about me, they will hate me, don't you think? I'll be the shameless American who is stealing their son. I'm sure they will want you to stay in Korea. What if I never see you again?" With another groan, she fell back onto the mattress.

He lowered himself next to her, his body half on hers. "My dearest girl, I plan on seeing you for the rest of my life." He kissed her cheek. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

She squirmed out of his arms, and he sighed.

"Lu? What is really the matter?"

Luisa moved away from him and sat up on the bed. He reluctantly did the same.

"I don't know," she began. "I don't want to cause any more problems, but..."

"But?" Seokjin prompted her.

"But why is it that every time we are ready to be together, you..." she paused. "I guess...never mind." She tried to stand up, but he held her arm.

"Every time we might be ready to start something, you are the reason why it doesn't happen. I'm afraid we'll be torn apart again." She scrambled to her feet. "I'm sorry if that makes you feel bad, but it was on my mind."

He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees. "I know I want you to be honest, but that was a little...unfair, don't you think? I'm not deliberately sabotaging our relationship." He got to his feet and turned her to face him. "I know it seems that way from your end, but I'm not doing this on purpose. You must know that, babe. I wish it could be different. I wish we could go back to the very beginning." He gently grasped her chin and turned her face up to his.

"I wish we could go back to the very beginning," he continued. "And I swear I would not have left you that morning, no matter how much you wanted to kick me out of your room. I should've insisted. I should've hugged you and told you that I loved you. I should've never walked away."

A single tear fell down her cheek. "Jin."

"I walked away then," he whispered. "Nothing will induce me to walk away now. I've told you this already, but I will tell you again. I won't give you up so easily." He kissed her tenderly. "I will never give you up, Lu."

After a few more kisses, she smiled and even helped him finish packing.

"Jin, is this yours?" Luisa asked, holding a small bag. "Did you forget to pack it?"

Seokjin smiled. "That's yours. Look inside."

She reached inside the bag and pulled out a small box. She stared at the box and then stared at him.

He laughed. "Here." He took the box from her hand. "I should do this properly, shouldn't I?"

"What...?"

He knelt down, opened the box, and held it out to her.

"Oh...my God!" she gasped. Her eyes were riveted to the beautiful diamond solitaire on a dainty platinum band.

"Luisa Cruz, I know this is a bit unexpected and maybe a bit early," he began. "But I don't want to leave this country without knowing that you will be waiting for me at the end of this journey."

"But...but..." she took a deep breath, unable to speak.

He stood up. "Lu, I know we haven't really discussed it except for that one time when you drove me insane with love and lust," he paused when she scoffed and brought a hand to her face, "but would you do me the honor of thinking about one day marrying me?" He held out the ring to her. "Just think about it. Yes?"

Her smile was bright and warm, and she took the ring and slipped it onto her left ring finger. "Yes...yes! Of course!" She threw her arms around his neck. "I would very much love to think about marrying you. I love you!"

"I love you, Lu. I will never give you up," he repeated and kissed her. In a heartbeat, the kiss became passionate, and within minutes, their clothing lay strewn on the floor around them. They spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms, making love.