“Blind date?” gary asked in disbelief.

“I’ve arranged it with my friend’s daughter. Wear nicely tomorrow,” suk jin said while reading a book.

“I am not going appa. I can arrange my love life myself,” gary said.

“You are going to arrange your love life with those cheap girls from the club? Quit your habit of clubbing and flirting with those cheap girls from the pub. You are in your 30s now. You should start a family and settle your life,” suk jin said sternly.

“I understand how much you want me to meet a good woman and start a family. But please appa, I don’t want to marry someone whom I don’t love. I promise I will bring a perfect girl to you.”

“I don’t want to hear any reasons from you. Just do what I say and don’t disappoint me. Now you can go back to your room,” suk jin said.

“But,” gary stopped saying any word and left his father’s room quietly.

Jihyo was now at the health club with her brother. Not because she was going to work out but because she went hoping to meet gary there. She had heard from her brother that he always meet with HaHa and gary whenever he goes to health club.

“HaHa-ya, are you alone today? Where is gary?” joong kook asked when he saw HaHa coming towards them.

“Gary hyung goes to blind date. He is not joining us today,” he said giving a quick glance at jihyo.

“Blind date?” jihyo thought to herself, “he confessed to me yesterday’s night and today he is going to blind date? What does it mean?”

“Jihyo ya……. , jihyo ya …..?” her brother shook her shoulder when he realized his sister was in her own thought. “What are you thinking?”

“Errrr…. Ani oppa, it’s just that I am not feeling well,” she answered with her mong face.

“Why? You were totally fine this morning,” her brother asked her worriedly.

“I think I ate too much this morning. I will be fine if I take a rest,” she said giving a smile to her brother.

In her head, she was really confused with what she heard now and what she heard last night. Confessed her last night and going to blind date this morning. Just thinking made her felt dizzy that she just went back home.

“Hyung how was your blind date?” haha run to the front door as soon as he saw gary stepped in.

“I didn’t go,” gary said making his way to the kitchen.

“What do you mean you didn’t go? Dad is going to get mad at you,” haha followed gary to the kitchen and he was being so inquisitive.

“No, he is not. I went to the company this morning. I persuaded him that I had someone whom I love and that she is not that type from the pub. I said that I had confessed to her but I had not got the answer yet. He even told me to wait patiently to her answer,” gary said and gulped down a glass of water.

“So you did not go to the blind date? And … about someone you had confessed. Is it … jihyo?” haha hesitated for a while and asked his brother. He had doubted that there might be something between his brother and jihyo. The sudden changed expression of jihyo when she heard gary went to blind date and now his brother spoke up there was a girl he confessed to. At last HaHa concluded that girl must be jihyo. Upon hearing this unexpected question from him, gary choked his drink.

“How did you know?” gary asked. “I met with joong kook hyung at the gym and I told him that you went on a blind date. The most important thing is that jihyo was also there. I could clearly see her changed expression,” haha said.

“Wait what? She was there? You told her, she heard that?”

“I didn’t tell her, I told to both of them.”

“What is the difference,” gary was panicked and started to dial jihyo’s number. Sweat started to gather over his forehead. He tried calling for several times but no answer. He tried his luck one more time and this time she picked up.

Jihyo wavered for minutes when she saw gary’s call on the phone screen. She had made up her mind not to pick up and reply gary’s call. She couldn’t decide herself whether she was being sulky or felt betrayed. But still her heart ignored all those thoughts and gave in to pick up gary’s call.

“Jihyo-a, I don’t know how to start. Actually, I didn’t go to blind date. I went to my dad’s office to convince him that I already had you. Don’t missunderstand me, please,” gary said.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden,” jihyo said in a low voice.

“I … I … thought you might misunderstand me as you heard that I went to blind date.”

“Yes I misunderstood you. I felt I was completely betrayed. I even thought of not seeing you again,” jihyo said.

“How could I do that to you. No no please don’t think of not seeing me again. You are my soul and I am dead without you jihyo-a.”

Jihyo giggled softly.

“Can I say this to you again?” gary asked.

“Say what again?” jihyo asked back.

“Can I say ‘I love you’ to you again?” he was being so cheeky that even I got goose bumps.

From the morning till night, her heart was filled with stones of sadness and betrayal and was heavy. But an explanation from gary had rescued her heart and had filled it with flower of love again.

The moment gary hanged up the phone, anther call reached. It was from miwoo.

“Oppa, I think you should come to the studio immediately. I can’t settle it by myself,” a sense of worry can be heard in her voice. Gary hurriedly left the house and drove off to his studio.

When he reached, there was gil sleeping soundly on the sofa with his back facing the ceiling and seemed like he was 200% drunk. There was also a girl in a short silk black dress sitting at the end of the sofa and miwoo standing in front of them looking tense.

“Ya, gil ya, what make you get drunk that much?” gary went near to sofa and patted his shoulder but all he heard were non-understandable mumbling from him. Gary took a glimpse at the lady who was sitting at the end of the sofa and looked on with indifference to gary.

“I supposed you brought him here. Thank you so much,” gary bowed 90 degree, “why…”

“Why I am not going back? Oh my God! He told me to go with him and he couldn’t even walk. So I brought him with taxi all the way up here. You are telling me to just go after saying a simple thank you? Does it make sense. I mean you paid money when the cab drives you to the place where you are going. Same! How can I go back without getting my money,” the lady glared at gary still chewing on her gum.

“I am sorry. Umm, how much …..,” gary said pulling out his wallet from his pocket. The lady then grabbed the wallet from him and took out as much money she wants. Gary was startled.

“I think that is enough,” she said and stood up. Gary accompanied her to the outside of the studio.

“Thank you again for bringing my friend back here,” gary bowed again.

“I like you man,” the lady said and pulled gary closer to her by grabbing his shirt collar with one hand and patted a kiss on his cheek. “Bye Bye, boy,” she waved at him giving a fly kiss to him and left. Gary quickly rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand wanting to erase that kiss.

“Aishhhhh….. what’s wrong with her,” he cursed.

Jihyo’s eyes changed into melancholic ones and after a few seconds, they got watery. Her hand that was holding the photos trembled. Her heart ached as if it was stabbed by a sharp knife.

30 minutes ago, Friday morning,

Jihyo was at dong wook’s place with a bag filled with boxes containing curry and kimchi in the left hand and another grocery bag in one hand.

Dong wook had moved into his new apartment. Since his dad had handed over the branches of the hotels he owned to his own son and was living aboard. Dong wook moved from their family house and bought a luxurious apartment as he was living alone. Knowing that he would be busy arranging the stuffs in his new place and would not have time to cook, jihyo packed some home cook food for her one and only best friend.

While they were chatting, jihyo opened up about gary’s confession to her. Asked what he thought of him and told that she also has feeling for him.

“I think you should think carefully. How much do you know about him?” dong wook asked.

“But he said…,” jihyo looked at him vacantly. It was then she realized that she needed to consider this fact.

“You are my best friend and I don’t want to see you hurt. I didn’t mean to show this to you since I don’t know there was a confession to you. Now that you had not given him answer, before you have fallen too deep to him, I adviced you to consider back after you had seen this,” he handed an envelope to her.

Jihyo took it and opened it. That was when her heart ached. These were photos of gary being kissed by a girl in front of his studio. Jihyo thought that girl was his girlfriend and she felt she was played. Tears blurred her vision and started to stream down her cheeks.

Dong wook got up from his seat and went to sit beside jihyo. He took her into his embrace.

“These were the photos taken last night. I know spying someone around is not good but I would rather be blamed than seeing you hurt. A man knows a man well that’s why I sent one of my staffs to send every information of him. I am sorry I didn’t know you would be hurt that much so I showed you the photos. Please forgive me,” dong wook said.

Jihyo sobbed quietly in his embrace. Later she free herself from him, hold back her tears and took a deep breath. “I will get going now.”

She walked towards the door and dong wook followed behind her. “It is okay. I will just go by myself,” she said and looked at him with a weak smile. “And thank you for caring about me. I would have never known if you didn’t show me that. I would have made a wrong choice,” she gave a last friendly goodbye hug and left.

Dong wook smirked satisfied as his evilness plan worked. “I ain’t that much step late. I still have a lot of chances waiting in front of me because her destiny is meant to be mine,” he mumbled to himself.

“Meet me at the café now.” this was the short message from jihyo to gary.

He was puzzled. Then a positive thought struck into his mind. “I suppose she is going to give me answer?”

At the café, they were sitting face to face with each other. Gary became worried when he saw jihyo’s stern face. Now his positive thought swept away like as if it was never returning back. Jihyo gave the envelope to him and he opened it. His mouth wide opened.

“Jihyo, how… how did you get these? Let let me explain this to you. It is not like what you think,” before he could finish jihyo cut in, “You are going to tell me to believe what you say and not to this? Stop playing with me. I am not your doll. You are trying to ride two boats at the same time? Does your girlfriend know about your two timing? Well of course she won’t. Treat her well and don’t ever contact me again,” jihyo said and immediately stood up from her seat.

“No jihyo-ah, she is not my girlfriend. She is ….,” gary lost words to explain to her.

“Let’s not meet again,” the last words from jihyo left gary with a broken heart. It was as if the good times having just begun were drawing to an end. No phone calls reached, no signs of her. Will he give up like this? No he won’t.

The next day at around 8pm, gary waited at the parking lots of jihyo’s company.

When jihyo was turning her car key, someone grabbed her wrist that she startled. She looked and there was gary.

“Let’s talk,” he said tightening his grip on her wrist.

“I have none so let go of me,” jihyo said sharply.

“But I have,” he said and pulled her towards his car and drove off to somewhere.