Only A Matter Of Time

Naro was in a state of being downhearted for the next few days. It was the comeback of the group and the team was very busy with all sorts of activities throughout the day. Naro had to force himself to be up for the work. However, Doan saw how depressed he was and found a break to pull him aside to ask: "Hyung, what's wrong with you these days? Why are you so dejected and upset? Did something happen?" Naro didn't want Doan to worry, so he hoped to put it off: "Nothing. I'm just too tired. I'll rest for a few days after this busy period then I’ll be fine."

Doan looked at Naro in silence for a while before saying: "We've been overloaded by work like this every time we come back, but you've never been as listless as you are this time. Is it something to do with Chloe?" Naro looked at Doan in surprise – this kid was just like Chloe, able to read people's minds. "Hyung, I know there's a special bonding between you and Chloe, I can feel it. Although I haven't spent much time with you two, every time you're together, the way you look at each other is different from that you look at other people. How shall I put it…… it is like no one else was there, as if there was a magnet connecting you two, and all you could see was each other. So I guess it's only something to do with Chloe that can make you so lost?"

Naro sighed: "You're right, she's the only one who can cause me so much anguish." "What happened on earth?" "I confessed my love to her the other day, and then she told me she had always been loving me too." "Wow, congratulations Hyung! Isn't that a good thing?" "But she told me about her past, and she also said that she was actually a cold and heartless person who only cared about very few people and things related to herself, but would leave others high and dry, so she and I are actually from different worlds and our personalities are very different, that I only fell for her on impulse without knowing her well. Doan, after hearing her history and the people she’s been living with for long, I am dazed and don’t know if she's still the same person I always thought she was and the Chloe that I am in love with."

Doan thought for a moment and said: "Hyung, although I don't know what Chloe told you about her past that made you have such suspicions, but let me ask you this instead - with all the time you spent with her, how does she make you feel?" "She ... always has the power to make me feel warm, carefree and calm. I know Jordan and the others find she has a sense of unapproachable authority, but I never feel that way. With her around, I just feel like I can be completely relaxed and no need to worry about anything, because I know she could understand my thoughts and could relate to my feelings." Naro’s tone became softer as he reflected on what he had experienced with Chloe.

Doan said: "Hyung, the most important thing is your own feeling. And I don't think Chloe is a cold and uncaring person. Although my contact with her is limited, but last time how she helped you to open my mind makes me believe she is an empathetic person and can easily feel for others. It showed me how she is able to put herself in other people's shoes and value their needs. Only an affectionate and kind person can do that, isn’t it? Also, didn't you tell me that Chloe went to visit your uncle a second time specifically to share her findings with him? If she was an apathetic person, why did she go to the trouble of doing so?"

Naro's heart suddenly brightened up: "You're right! No matter how Chloe talked about herself as being cold and heartless, it's her actions that can best represent what kind of person she is!" "Hyung, I don't know why Chloe would say that about herself, but a person's self-perception is often one-sided only. And no matter how she treats others, in the end it's how you yourself feel when you are with her that matters the most." "Thank you, Doan. I should trust my own feelings!"

The next day's schedule was not as full and Naro finished his work in the afternoon. As he was leaving the office, he ran into GV, who had just finished recording as well and was happy to see Naro, and asked if he could have coffee with her. Naro thought it rude to reject her so took her to the same coffee shop he usually went. 

After the two sat down and ordered their coffee, GV was excited to share her recent work with him. Naro was happy for her when he heard that her new album was going well, and kindly gave her encouragement and shared his advices. Suddenly GV took his hand, looked at him with her bright eyes and said: "Naro oppa, thank you for being so gentle and considerate to me all the time. I feel so comfortable and happy when being with you. Oppa, I really like you!"

Naro was surprised and didn't know how to respond for a moment. Feeling the warmth of GV's hand, his mind was only filled with the image of Chloe, the way she gently pressed his hand every time she comforted him, the deep, gentle look in her eyes, the electric feeling of excitement when he embraced her …… Naro felt a pang of pain in his heart - if he was to lose all these, what was the meaning of his so-called "simple and stable" life? 

Naro pulled his hand out and looked at GV apologetically: "GV, I'm sorry, you're a very good friend, but our relationship is just friends. I already have someone I love!" GV looked at Naro in surprise. Her eyes darkened: "Really? She's such a lucky girl!" "The lucky one is me. She has opened the door to a whole new world for me. Sorry GV, I have things to do. I must go now. Let’s catch up next time!" Naro couldn't wait to leave. He needed to see Chloe right away and tell her what he thought.

Naro got to Chloe's house and rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. He suddenly had a bad feeling that the house looked strangely so deserted and abandoned today. He tried to open the lock with the code, but it kept showing it was a wrong code. In a flash, a terrible thought crossed his mind -  had Chloe been transported to another time and space?! He panicked, remorse and despair flooding his mind. He knocked on the door frantically, for he did not know what else to do.

After a while, a middle-aged man walked over quickly and asked in surprise: "Who are you looking for, sir?" Naro said anxiously: "Chloe, the lady who lives here!" "Oh, Miss Chloe, she moved out a few days ago and said she was going back to England. I'm the landlord." Naro's heart settled a lot - she was still there!  "Did she leave any message for anyone?" "No, she just moved straight away." "I see. Thank you!"

Naro knew why she had to leave – she had decided for Naro to leave this relationship behind. But this time Naro would overturn her decision!

Naro pushed back all their schedules for the next few days, something unprecedented during the group's comeback. Their manager was furious, but Naro didn't waver. Doan texted him a kind message: "Don't worry, Hyung, we'll do your part in our comeback activities. You must find Chloe. We're waiting for our vibrant Naro Hyung to come back!"

Naro flew to the UK the next day and drove to Kellos House as soon as he landed. As the car pulled into the driveway beside the large lawn in front of the house, Naro looked at the gate of the mansion and had the feeling that it was like a lifetime had passed. He knew that from now on, his life was going to be completely different from before, but it was the life he wanted.

Naro got to the gate and immediately rang the doorbell. Once again he saw the coat of arms set at the top of the gate and this time he knew it was the crest of the Borgia family. The fact that he could be so inextricably associated with this notorious family from over five hundred years ago, made Naro feel that life was sometimes unbelievable!

After what seemed forever, the door was open. John appeared in the doorway, saying politely as always: "How can I help you Sir?" Naro said eagerly: "Hi John, it’s Naro. You must remember me. Can I see Chloe please? " "Sir, I remember you. But Milady is not here. " "Is she out? Can I wait for her? I have a very important matter!" "She has moved away, together with Sir Caesar and Lady Lucia. " "Where have they moved to? Please tell me where I can find her. I beg you!" "Sorry Sir, I can’t help you. Sir Caesar ordered me not to say anything to you, nor to let you get close to this house. So please leave now. "

Naro was in despair, but he refused to give up: "Please, John, I’ve got to find her! I need to tell her something. That’s important for both of us! " John was unmoved and continued to reply in that respectful but cold tone: "I am sorry Sir, but there’s nothing I can do. I must abide by the order of Sir Caesar. " Then he was about to close the door, when Emily peeked out from aside: "Oh, it’s Naro! So nice to see you again. Come in and let’s have tea!" John said unhappily: "Emily! What are you doing?!" "Nothing. I just want to catch up with an old friend." "You know you shouldn’t do that!" "Take it easy John. I know I also must abide by the order of Sir Caesar. I’ll just chit chat. I promise!" With that she pulled Naro inside. John looked at them angrily, but there was really nothing he could do about Emily.

Naro was once again in that familiar living room, but this time he was not able to go freely up to the second floor and find Chloe as he did before. Emily settled him on the large sofa and turned to make tea. Naro fidgeted and struggled about how he could find out about Chloe. Then Emily came over with the tea and sat down next to Naro.

Naro said thankfully: "Emily, thank you for letting me in. How are you doing?" "I am doing fine. How are you? It has been such a long time." "I am…… in a mess, as you probably can see now." "Yes, that’s obvious." "How’s Chloe? Is she ok?" Emily looked at Naro thoughtfully, paused for a while, then said: "She’s alright. Of course, I have to say she’s not herself since she came back home. She’s still very calm and behaves normally, but I can see the sadness in her eyes. And it’s because of you, am I right?" "…… I am sorry……" "Well, you should be, for yourself, not for her. She will pull herself together eventually. She always does. She’s a tough woman. What you should worry about is Caesar’s anger. He can be very horrific. It’s not a good idea for you to come here." "I don’t care about his anger. I don’t even care about Caesar himself. I just want to see Chloe, to tell her what I think, how I feel. I’ve got to do that, at any cost!" "Very well. I wish you good luck then. "

"But I need more than that!" Naro looked at Emily pleadingly: "Emily, please. Please tell me where she is!" "I truly don’t know. Caesar doesn’t need to inform us or anyone where they are going. He’s a powerful man. He can manage things anywhere in England without our help." Naro was overwhelmed by despair completely.

Looking at how helpless he was, Emily sighed and said: "But I have some guess……" Naro straightened up immediately: "I don’t think they would leave town, with all those machines and books and devices Caesar and Lucia are using for their research. Caesar wouldn’t think it worthwhile the hassle. He’d prefer using violence to solve your problem than spending those efforts to move far away. "

"In town…… do you have any idea exactly where?" "Nope. But I know a place Chloe’s very fond of and she used to go there every time she’s in town – it’s the Aldfield Park." "Thank you so much Emily. You saved my life!"

Naro arrived in town, dropped off his luggage at the hotel, enquired about the address and immediately made his way to Aldfield Park. The park was small but lush and green, surrounded by a turquoise lake with a few wild ducks and swans lazily swimming on it. This peaceful scene made Naro feel a sense of calm for the first time in days. He remembered how Chloe said she loved being surrounded by greenery and water, and this place was indeed perfect for her.

Naro walked round and round the park, but didn’t come across Chloe. On the second and third day he continued to wander the park in this way, but Chloe still did not appear. In the late afternoon, he sat on a bench by the lake, staring blankly at the shimmering water reflecting the westward setting sun. He would wait like this until he could see Chloe again.

That was when he heard an unfamiliar voice suddenly coming from beside him: "Are you Naro?" Naro looked up and saw a girl with long blonde hair and stunning hazel eyes standing next to him, asking him in standard Korean. Naro stood up in surprise: "Yes ... Do you know me?" The girl smiled and said: "Of course I know you. I'm Lucia."

Naro was overjoyed by running into Lucia like this, so that he could inquiry about Chloe. But a worry came into his mind immediately. He knew Lucia's relationship with Caesar, so not sure if Lucia was also hostile to him.

Lucia looked at Naro's unsettled expression and found it very amusing, so she laughed out loud: "Don't you worry, I'm not Caesar, I won't eat you." Hearing Lucia's joke, Naro relaxed a little and invited her to sit down with him.

Lucia said: "I didn’t expect you to find your way here." "Well, after Chloe left and cancelled her mobile number, I flew straight to the UK to find her. John blocked me out of your house and said you three had moved away. I didn’t know what to do... I ended up being lucky enough to know that Chloe loved coming to this park so I came here to wait for her. " "Emily told you that, didn't she?" Lucia looked at Naro with her cunning eyes that left him at a loss for words. All three of the siblings had an unfathomable look in their eyes, and Lucia's eyes, while not as stern as Caesar's, shared the same innate sense of authority like Chloe's that made people dare not blaspheme against.

Lucia didn't wait for Naro to answer before continuing: "It doesn't matter. I've changed my mind now. Letting you see Chloe isn't necessarily a bad thing. You know what, it was actually my idea to move out of that mansion while both Chloe and Caesar didn't think it necessary." Naro looked at her in surprise, but Lucia didn’t intend to pause: "Caesar was never one to run away from a problem. He said if you came to the door, he’d just beat you up and throw you out." Naro gave a wry smile, this was indeed very Cesare Borgia's style. "And Chloe doesn’t even think you'd come."

A sense of bitterness welled up in him: "Does she really have that little faith in me? " "It’s not that she has no faith in you, but that she has no faith in herself. Chloe never believes she could have a relationship, especially after the other person knows who she is. She doesn’t think anyone would love her so much that he would be willing to go through all this together with her. But don't get me wrong, she's never felt sorry for herself because of this. She doesn't think this is her own problem. She also doesn't care too much about things like romantic love, because she knows she has more important things to accomplish. But I knew she would be bound to be sad for a while, and if you came to us at this time and clashed with Caesar, it would only add to her troubles. So I insisted on moving elsewhere for a while, just in case, and I actually didn't expect you to come after us. "

Lucia looked at Naro with that stern eyes again: "It seems we were both wrong. You really have deep feelings for her." Naro nodded: "I truly really love her, and I want to be with her no matter long or short, no matter what I have to go through. I know you guys would hate me and I hate myself too! I know my hesitation has hurt her." "I don't hate you. It's normal to have moments of hesitation in a relationship. Caesar and I had a lot of struggle and wavering for our love at the beginning, because of who we are - do you know we are siblings?" "I know, I've read that history. I've always admired your courage and perseverance. I don't think love should be defined and limited by identity, age, gender or anything else." Lucia hadn't expected Naro to fully accept their relationship without the slightest sign of surprise, and from that moment she began to appreciate this man.

"I start to understand why Chloe likes you so much; you are indeed different from ordinary people, free from those worldly prejudice and malice. Now, I'm going to ask you this very seriously and you must answer me honestly - are you really ready to give up your life and your future for Chloe?" Naro didn't hesitate: "I'm willing to give up everything for her!"

Lucia was happy with Naro and asked him to come back next afternoon, telling him that Chloe was busy doing research with Caesar these days, but she would definitely show up in the next day.

Naro arrived at the park right after noon time. As he walked to the lake, he saw a familiar figure sitting on a bench. Chloe wore a white T-shirt and jeans, reading a book there. Naro's heart pounded as he slowly walked towards her. Chloe seemed to sense something and looked up. The moment she saw him, her eyes widened in surprise and she stood up, her book slipping to the ground.

Naro walked up to her and looked deeply into her eyes. The two just gazed at each other without saying anything. Then Naro took her hands and that familiar warm feeling came back. He said softly: "You said the other day that the last thing you wanted in the world was for me to regret my decision to be with you one day in the future. At that time I didn’t know whether I would regret it. Then I went to your house to look for you, but no one answered the door no matter how hard I knocked on it, and the code couldn’t open the lock. For a moment I thought you had been taken away by Time, and in that moment I truly felt the painful regret, and then I realized as long as I could be with you, even if it was just for a month, a week, or even just a few days, it would have been enough, but I didn't have that chance anymore, and my life had fallen into an abyss and would never be meaningful again. This kind of regret is what I fear the most, and the pain that I never want to go through again. So, I know very well that my love for you is not a fleeting whim. I don't care what kind of a person you think you are either. I love the Chloe who is there for me, who makes me feel the joy, trust and resonance from my heart, and the feeling of soul-mingling between us is true and real. I only believe and care about that feeling, anything else doesn’t matters. So, will you accept my love?"

Chloe's eyes once again radiated that unusual glow. She rested her forehead gently against his and smiled: "I could never reject your love."

Naro tilted his head and kissed her gently on the lips. Chloe immediately responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back deeply. Naro once again felt that electric sensation which quickly turned into a hot current that flowed into his chest. They kissed each other as if no one else was there, until they couldn’t breathe and broke apart gasping for air. Chloe leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed: "I’ve never experienced something so beautiful before!" He kissed her hair and whispered in her ear: "I’ll kiss you like this a hundred times every day! "

Chloe lifted her head and looked at Naro seriously: "But you need to promise me one thing first." Naro leaned on her forehead again: "You know it well, I could never refuse you anything!" "You must continue your job and not quit the group. I know how much those kids mean to you." Naro frowned: "But I've got to stay here with you to find a way to stop you from time traveling. I have to be with you every day. I don't want to waste another hour!"

"I think in order to find a way to stop time travel, we still need to go to Korea." "Really? Didn't the method you tried last time fail already?" "That method wasn’t right, but I think the key should still be in that Roman screen. We haven't figured out how this screen got to General Kim Yu-shin's house, and who that old friend of the late General's really was. I felt that the only way to know exactly what clues was  left by that Roman lady, is to find out the answers to all these questions. Therefore, further investigation must be done in Korea."

Naro gazed into Chloe's eyes: "So you planned to go back to Korea quietly, avoid me and do your own investigation?" Chloe shook her head: "I wasn't planning to go. Lucia would go instead. I told you I could never resist coming closer to you, so I had decided never to set foot in Korea again, otherwise I would be unable to control myself from getting to you. But the problem is solved now, we can go back to Korea together. You can continue your job and we can do the research together."

Naro hugged her happily: "So when shall we leave?" "You go back to the hotel and wait for me. I need to tell Caesar and Lucia first." "I'll go back with you to meet them." Chloe gave a worried look: "I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don't know how Caesar may react when seeing you." "Whatever his reaction will be, I can handle it. I'm taking his beloved sister and it's a bad manner not to greet him personally." Chloe laughed: "Sometimes you are so old-fashioned and also so cute!"

In the evening they came to a three-story condo building in town. As soon as Chloe opened the door they saw Caesar sitting on the back of the sofa facing the door. Chloe spoke first: "Caesar, I need to tell you something." "I know what you are going to say. Lucia already told me." Caesar stared at Naro with that killing look in his eyes but made no further move.

Lucia poked her head out: "Hey, you guys back. Dinner’s almost ready." Naro said: "Hi Caesar, Lucia. good to see you again! " Chloe went over and gave Caesar a hug to make him take his eyes off Naro. Caesar then said: "You can come in and join us for dinner, Naro." Naro was surprised. He was ready to face Caesar's challenges and even curses, but he didn't expect Caesar to just assume that majestic cold demeanor, which was already the best situation.

The four sat around the table to start dinner. Suddenly Caesar said: "Naro, you need to know this – I don’t like you, and I won’t. But I will respect you, for Chloe. " Naro answered: "Likewise. I don’t think I’d like your theory or whatever you are attempting to do. But I would respect you, also for Chloe. " He then offered his hand to Caesar. Caesar again fixed his cold eyes on Naro for a moment before shaking his hand and saying: "Fair enough. " Lucia laughed: "You boys got your game done? Let’s eat!"