Ciao, Vincenzo

Version 1

A year had gone by since Hong Cha Young had last seen and heard from Vincenzo Cassano.

In that year, she couldn't help but immerse herself in all things Italian just to remember him. She thought of him as she sipped the espresso he loved to drink, trading her signature iced Americano for it when she missed him. As she took a bite of her pizza, she snickered to herself as she remembered how he spat it out and she wondered what authentic Italian pizza might taste like.

She even began attending events like these, a celebration of the friendship between Italy and Korea, in hopes that it might be an event that he had an excuse to attend.

She sighed now as she wandered through the art gallery listlessly. Being surrounded by art was tough, as she couldn't help but think of that magical night when she first felt his lips on hers. Her heart ached with longing as she thought of him and made her way through the crowd.

Suddenly, she stopped and blinked.

Did she miss him so much that she was starting to see things?

She thought she caught sight of him standing in the crowd. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she shut her eyes briefly, then opened them again.

This time, it seemed as though time slowed down and the crowd parted to reveal him standing there with a wine glass in his hand.

Vincenzo stared right at her, then he smirked as he tipped his wine glass toward her, just like he had done that night when he threw a party to save Geugma Plaza.

Cha Young made her way slowly to him, until finally she was standing right in front of him.

"Ciao, bella," he said softly, and she smiled because she understood what it meant.

Hello, beautiful.

She took a deep breath, then smiled as she replied haltingly, "Grazie, Signore Cassano."

His eyes lit up in surprise and he beamed at her. Then he tipped his head toward the exit and said, "Let's talk."

She followed him outside the gallery and breathed in the fresh air, shivering in the cool evening breeze. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, then he stood in front of her and gazed at her so intensely that he made her blush.

"I'm sorry it took me a while to fulfill my promise," he said.

She shook her head and smiled, "I'm sure you had a lot of things to take care of."

Vincenzo said nothing, so Cha Young tried to fill the silence by chattering on about how the retrial for Ms. Oh's case had gone, how Babel was now bankrupt, and how all of the tenants were doing.

"You should see everyone before you go. I'm sure they'll all be so happy to see you," she said, even as her heart felt heavy at the thought of him leaving again.

He shook his head, and she hit his shoulder playfully. "Oh c'mon, surely Mr. Mafia Lawyer isn't so heartless that he wouldn't even drop by to say hello to everyone before he leaves again."

"I'm not leaving."

Cha Young stopped and her smile slipped from her face as she stared at him. "What do you mean, you're not leaving?" she asked tentatively.

Vincenzo stepped closer to her. "I mean, I'm not leaving you again."

He was so close that she could smell his scent and she was feeling light-headed.

"That's not a good joke. Don't toy with me like that," she said shakily, and he shook his head.

"I mean it, Cha Young. That's why it took me so long to keep my promise, because I had to tie up all loose ends before I came home," Vincenzo said with a small smile, and Cha Young gasped as she realized what he had just said.

"Are you saying that your home is here? In Korea?" she asked disbelieving, and he nodded.

"Also, Vincenzo Cassano is dead. So you can all stop butchering my name," he said as he rolled his eyes, and she laughed. "So what do we call you now, Mr. Mafia Lawyer?"

"Everyone else can call me Park Joo-Hyeong," he said, then he dipped his head slowly to hers. "But I hope you'll call me Darling... Sweetie."

Cha Young closed her eyes as she felt Vincenzo's lips touch hers, and his kiss was even better than she had remembered it. He reached for her and pulled her close, deepening their kiss as she wound her arms around his neck. She felt a tear escape from her eye as she kissed him back with all the longing that was pent up in her heart, and she could tell by his kisses that he had missed her too.

After what seemed like an eternity, Cha Young and Vincenzo pulled apart breathlessly.

Cha Young looked up at him, her eyes shining with happy tears as she said, "Welcome home, Darling."