Ciao, Vincenzo

Version 2

Cha Young let out a frustrated scream as she slammed down the screen of her laptop and buried her head in her hands.

A year had gone by, yet nothing had changed.

Yes, they had brought down Babel and the company was now bankrupt. But corruption was too deeply ingrained in Korea that other companies had gotten bolder and braver about their wrongdoings now that Babel was gone. Cha Young could smell shady deals from a mile away, and every day the news was filled with them.

Yes, the Intelligence Agency had the Guillotine File and was using it to slowly and steadily take down corrupt people in power. But evil was so good at changing faces, that fathers could go down for their sins but have their sons carry on their legacy instead. A younger generation of evil was being born and there was no updated Guillotine File for this new breed.

They lost Geugma Plaza to some idiot out there who had heard the rumor about gold buried in the plaza and had snuck inside in the middle of the night to drill into the basement. The drilling caused a mini-earthquake and the building nearly collapsed. It was a miracle that all the tenants had escaped unscathed. Still, the incident caused local officials to inspect the building, and they condemned it because of its weak structural integrity.

It was a good thing that Vincenzo had prepared for this and had bought the building for the tenants like he had always promised. He had left Cha Young with instructions to lease it out if nothing happened within a year, then use the proceeds as a savings fund for the tenants' needs. She helped them all move in immediately after the earthquake so they had shelter, and it wasn't long before they were all fully settled in their new home.

She looked at the tiny altar she made for her father and sighed. Only Jipuragi Law Firm did not reopen in the new plaza. She had given Mr. Nam a space there, but also gave him her blessing to pursue his passion for make-up and special effects. So he used the space as a make-up studio, although he wasn't always around since he would get called to movie sets on location.

"I'm sorry I can't be the monster you need me to be, Dad," she said as she remembered what he had said to Vincenzo. "I can't fight all of these monsters alone."

She was so tired of trying all by herself.

She needed Vincenzo.

She reached for the envelope that had arrived in the mail today. It was a postcard of an island, the same postcard that had been arriving in the mail for the past six months.

Each time, it held a different Italian phrase. Cha Young had decided it might be fun to learn a little Italian just so she could appreciate his words and read them properly.

She turned over the postcard now and slowly read the words out loud, "Ti voglio sempre al mio fianco."

I want you always by my side.

Then she pulled out the other thing inside the envelope. A one-way ticket to Malta. The flight left in a few hours.

Maybe it was time to stop trying, even if only for a while.

Hours later, Cha Young found herself alighting from the plane, only to be ushered to a smaller plane. She stared out the window as they flew over the water, and braced herself for a bumpy landing on a tiny island. A car was waiting right on the runway, and Cha Young sat back as they drove along the coast before entering a gate that led them straight into an Italian-style villa.

She stepped out of the car and made her way into the villa, her heart pounding as she thought of who was waiting for her inside.

Cha Young turned a corner and there he was, standing with his back to her as he looked out into the vast ocean. "How was your flight?" he asked as he turned around, and Cha Young's breath caught as she saw Vincenzo framed by the light.

She ran to him and hugged him tight around the waist, and she felt her tears stream down her cheeks when his arms wrapped around her and held her close.

"I missed you so much," she whispered brokenly, and he stroked her hair soothingly. "Thank you for coming to me," he said softly, kissing her ear gently.

Vincenzo rained kisses down her jawline and Cha Young tilted her head, until finally his lips captured hers in a kiss. They kissed passionately as all the months of longing for each other burst forth in that single kiss.

Finally, they broke apart, and Vincenzo wrapped an arm around Cha Young's shoulder as they both stared out into the view.

"Are you still with the Mafia?" Cha Young asked him softly. He nodded, "Yes. Someone had to lead the Cassano family. But like I told you before, it's just business. So I'm just a businessman."

The corner of her mouth lifted as she raised an eyebrow and said, "A businessman who doesn't get his hands dirty anymore?" He smirked at her and said, "What, and ruin my limited edition Borrelli suits? No way."

Then he tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes. "This businessman is free to do whatever he wants, wherever he wants," he said, and she looked at him questioningly.

"I've been in close contact with Mr. An about having dual citizenship so that if and when I enter Korea, it will be as Park Joo-hyeong. So I can be Vincenzo Cassano here or Park Joo-hyeong there."

Vincenzo tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "But the only thing that matters to me is you stay by my side wherever in the world I may go. I can't be without you anymore, Cha Young. I was so tired of being alone. I missed you every day."

Cha Young's eyes welled with tears as she said, "Then let's not be alone anymore." She took a deep breath then said haltingly, "Mi sei mancato, Vincenzo."

He could hardly contain his delight as he said, "I see someone's been learning Italian!"

She pushed his shoulder playfully, "How else could I read those cards you've been sending?"

Vincenzo laughed and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as Cha Young wrapped her arm around his back and together, they watched the sun set on their old lives.

Whether they would face the monsters in Korea or settle into an idyllic life in an Italian villa could wait. For now, it was enough to know that a new day would dawn for Vincenzo and Cha Young.