Anna woke up alone and wondered where Seokjin had gone. She sat up gingerly, still sore from last night's vigorous but entirely enjoyable bedtime activities. A smile split her face. She loved Seokjin so much that she was willing to do anything to make him happy. Then she remembered she was supposed to call Rebecca and Namjoon today to talk about the Steinberg movie.

She got out of bed and walked into the shower, thinking happily about her prospects. It hadn't been too long ago when she'd been dejected at having lost Jin and her career in one fell swoop. She was left feeling rudderless, not knowing where to go next. She went back to teaching, careful not to let anyone know what she'd been doing. She cut and dyed her hair. She went back to the most minimum of makeup on her face. She tried to be invisible. A few people recognized her, but she told them that her name was Anna Lane, and she was flattered they thought she looked like an actress. It had worked so far.

After her shower, she got dressed and picked up her phone. She smiled when she saw that she had a text message from Jin.

Taking care of a few things. See you tonight. Love u

Anna smiled as she sat down at the table to have her Zoom conference with Joon and Becky. They greeted her happily, asked her how she was doing. She noticed that Namjoon looked somber. If she knew him, it meant that something was weighing on his mind.

"All right, Joon. Tell me what's wrong," she said.

And what he told her after that left her stunned. She didn't recall ending the conference or anything else that Namjoon or Rebecca said. She sat perfectly still, her stare looking beyond her laptop screen, not registering anything.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed. She heard the front door open and shut without turning around to see that Jin had come home.

"Anna?" His voice was concerned. When she didn't reply, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Anna?"

She jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "Oh, my God, Jin!"

Seokjin smiled and hugged her back. "Baby, I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

She buried her face in his chest, and he heard her sobbing.

"Hey," he said softly and pulled back to look at her. "You're starting to worry me. What's wrong?" He would be livid if the movie had fallen through, not after he'd just told his agent Carmen that he'd work on the Norma movie so long as Anna got the Steinberg part. He would tell her eventually. He didn't want her to be upset that he'd sacrificed himself and his dignity for her. He would gladly do it again if it meant she was happy. He owed her much more than she'd ever know. As long as her career flourished, he didn't care about his. That was over for him.

"I know what you're doing," was all she said.

"What?"

"I know what you're doing," she repeated. She hugged him again. "I won't let you do it. You're not going to jump in with the sharks just so that I can star in some stupid movie. You're not going to do that." Her tears were soaking into his shirt. "I won't let you."

He moved her back to look into her face. "Annie, I don't want you to worry about that. It's nothing."

"It's something," she insisted.

"It's no big deal," he said and moved away from her, turning his face. "It's just some stupid movie about Norma. I'm not even coming out. I'm just, you know, consulting."

"Jin," she cried out, grabbing his arm. "Look at me. It's not nothing. You ran away last time things got out of control. You know it's going to happen again. Everyone will be horrible and say that you're just cashing in on her tragedy. They all think you caused it—we caused it. All the ugly rumors will start up again."

"It doesn't matter," he said, his voice a little gruffer than he intended. "You'll be in the biggest movie of your career. I'm happy for you. I'm sure things will die down after a while." He sighed and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

Anna followed him. "I don't want the movie. Not this way. I know everything. Namjoon told me."

"Oh, did he?" Jin cursed under his breath. He pulled out a chair and slumped down at the table.

She pushed a chair close to his and sat down. "Sweetie, listen to me. We've both been played. Steinberg doesn't really want me. He wants the media version of Annelise Kane, the sexy siren who drove you crazy with lust and Norma crazy with revenge. My part requires minimum acting and maximum skin. It's full of pointless love scenes. It's just a gimmick to capitalize on the scandal. Just like you consulting on that movie. I don't want any part of it, and I don't want you getting mixed up in all that again. They're just using us."

"Anna, the movie is going to be big box office regardless. You have to do it if you want to revive your career. You know that."

She shook her head. "No. Not that way. I wouldn't care if they were using me for publicity, but I won't let any of them use you and drag you through the mud for profit or scandal or whatever. You'll be ruining your career."

He smiled sadly. "Baby, I wish I could give you the world. My time is over, but you have so much potential. I really don't care about my career or awards or any other superficial thing. I only want you to be happy."

"If that's true, then don't do that movie. I don't want you to." She paused. "And I don't want the Steinberg movie. We just need each other to be happy. Please. Let's tell them all to go to hell. I only want you."

His vision blurred, and he realized that he was crying. He pulled her onto his lap and leaned his head on her shoulder. "I love you so much, Annie. I only ever want what's best for you. If you tell me that you don't want that movie or any movie, then I will support you. I will do only what you want. I want us to be happy together."

She kissed his forehead. "I want the same thing, sweetie. What will we do now?"

"What now? Well, I don't want to be Kim Seokjin, and I don't want you to be Annelise Kane," he replied haltingly. "I wish those people would disappear forever so that we can live our lives." He looked into her face and smiled. "I've gotten pretty good at photography, you know. And you're a wonderful teacher. We can just be Anna and Jin, a regular couple living somewhere far away from the spotlight. I'd like for us to be able to go out and look at the stars, the way we used to when we were younger. No crowds. No drama."

"I'd really like that," she whispered. "After everything we've gone through, that sounds like heaven."

They remained wrapped in each other's arms for a long while, hoping that their love would help them weather any storms they might face. But it wouldn't matter. Nothing would matter as long as they were together. Nothing would ever separate them again.

A/N: We're nearing the conclusion. I hoped that you have enjoyed this fan fiction. It was a departure from my previous Jin trilogy. It's been difficult keeping up my writing with school, work, and just life in general keeping me busy.

I appreciate those of you who have waited patiently for me to write this story. Thank you a million!