Faithfully Yours

Chapter 1

"Ji-eun, I'm sorry, forgive me, please. I never should have listened to my parents. These past two years without you have been hell. I love you. Please tell me there's still a place for me in your heart."

"I-" The beautiful woman in the man's grasp smiles. "Jong Suk...there is no space in my heart left to give away because you are all that's in it. I love you too, I've missed you so much."

The camera zooms in on the couple. With tender reverence the male cups the women's face in his hands. He's not crying but his eyes are glassy, reflecting the seed of hope growing in the women's gaze. He's waited years for this and so has she. The love between them is palatable. In unison, they both lean forward lips connecting.

Going for the wide shoot the camera zooms out before panning to the left locating Felix. The host watches the couple awestruck by the intensity of the moment. He dabs his red eyes with a tissue before turning to face the lens.

"And that is another "Missed Connection Connected." Thank you for joining us tonight as we witnessed another couple be given a second chance at love. I hope our viewers have enjoyed this season as much as I have. A big thank you to our sponsors Moon & Son Cosmetics who made this all possible. I encourage all of our viewers to join us for season three in a couple of months where we have some big surprises in store for you as well as visits with our reunited couples from season one. I'm Lee Felix and it's been an honor being your host."

"CUT!"

At the shout from the director chaos ensues. Production assistants scramble, cameramen power down as hair and make-up staff rush to pack up their supplies. Felix turns back to the couple. They're only a hundred yards away but lost in their own world they might as well be on another planet. He watches Jong Suk tuck a stray hair behind Ji-eun's ear, smiling at the sweet blush that no amount of foundation can conceal. Their story is the perfect example of why he created the show to begin with.

Two years ago he never could have imagined that his brainchild "Missed Connection Connected" would go on to be one of South Korea's most popular reality television shows. The concept, born from a broken heart was meant to serve as an outlet for his past trauma. A gateway to healing. And now in its second season it had helped to reunite a dozen couples.

The premise was simple. A show focused on reconnecting broken relationships and giving partners a second chance at finding love. Some couples like Jong Suk and Ji-eun had been torn apart by families. The man's wealthy parents, staunchly against his relationship with the poor convenience store clerk had separated the couple years prior. And now thanks to the show, had found their way back together.

The show was selective. They had to be. The investigative costs and the resources poured into locating long-lost lovers were immense. Felix remembers the day he'd first interviewed Jong Suk. The businessman had spent twenty minutes of their thirty-minute time slot describing the way Ji-eun would dance, no music, just simple humming as she cooked them dinner. Afterward, Felix had cried in the bathroom knowing that if they could locate Ji-eun the couple's story would be perfect for the live season finale.

Others, like the elderly pair Benjamin Pierce and Lee Dae-Joon (season one's first couple), had been separated by circumstance. Pierce; an American soldier stationed in South Korea during the Seventies had been forced to leave Lee Dae-joon behind after receiving orders to return to America. Neither the USA nor South Korea had recognized gay marriage at the time and the two had lost contact. Over forty years later thanks to "Missed Connection Connected" the two had been reunited. It was that episode that had stolen the viewers of South Korea's hearts. The show and its host becoming overnight sensations.