Yixing winced when the cold pack came in contact with the bruise on his waist. It had been three days but it was still a little painful to move his body. The guy he fought with three days ago must be one of Jongin's men, he believed. 

He initially planned to stay with Chanyeol and Suzy for a while then but thought better of it when he spotted someone suspicious lurking outside the bakery. The man pretended to walk away when Yixing exited the bakery and made an eye-contact with him. Yixing cautiously followed him to the back alley where he was suddenly attacked by the man. Luckily, he could overtake the man though the man managed to kick him on the waist and ran away at the last minute.

If it really were one of Jongin's men, Yixing knew he needed to warn Chanyeol. Jongin might have a new plan and they all need to be more prepared. Besides that, he needed to protect Suzy better.

Yixing sighed as he put away the cold pack and wore his dress shirt. Standing in front of the mirror, he buttoned up his shirt; his mind still trying to figure out who the man was. He turned around to get his black suit jacket on the bed just when his phone lit up with Suzy's name. Smiling, he swiped the screen to pick up the call.

"What's taking you so long?" Suzy immediately asked irritated. "I'm already in the car. Get here now, Zhang Yixing!"

The call ended without Yixing having the chance to say anything. He chuckled shaking his head. His smile remained when he put on his jacket. Out of the blue, Suzy's voice calling his real name rang in his mind. For some reason, hearing her call him that the past few days made his heart feel lighter. Maybe, they really were becoming friends.

The heart is weak.

Chanyeol was a proof of it. Yixing thought of it as an evidence of the heart's strength. To Suzy, however, it was an evidence of its weakness. In any case, for once, that belief had helped her gain an advantage. That was the only thing right about Yixing's words.

Suzy took up on the challenge given by her father. There was no way she would reject the offer! Chanyeol turned out to be pretty useful after all. He wasn't that bad of a card to use against her father. But Suzy reminded herself to be cautious still because her husband might be a card her father was playing too.

All matter of winning over her father aside, Chanyeol had been constantly tagging along during lunch whenever he had the chance. And she hated how every time he smiled her way for no reason; she was reminded of how he hugged her. She hated herself more for staying still back then. She asked herself why she didn't push him away and concluded that maybe it was because that was the first time in years after her mother's death that someone was hugging her so tight. Even after a week, the surreal feeling of being hugged again lingered in her.

That was what she hated most.

"So, everything going well with the project?" Sitting across her, Chanyeol asked as he cut his last bit of steak.

Suzy rolled her eyes then took a quick glance at the table next to theirs where Yixing and Hyejung were quietly eating. Chanyeol was supposed to have a meeting somewhere at this hour, she knew. But he was right in front of her instead. She guessed Hyejung might have told him she was going to eat here.

Glancing back at her husband, she answered, "Do you actually think I would disclose anything to my rival?"

Chanyeol snorted amused then nodded. "Good thinking."

"Tsk." Suzy finished her food and set down her fork and knife.

"By the way." Chanyeol paused to take a sip of his drink after taking his last bite. "Since we still have time, why don't we go look for a dress for you?"

"What for?" Suzy frowned.

"This Saturday's celebration for the company's anniversary of course!" Chanyeol grinned.

Dabbing the napkin to her lips, she paused before clicking her tongue. "No. I don't want to. It's not like I don't have any dress."

"I know but-" he sighed "- I want to be the one choosing your dress."

"You can just choose for me from my wardrobe then."

Chanyeol pursed his lips. "Why can't you let me do something for you?"

"Why do you keep on trying when I always say 'no'?" Suzy quirked a brow and didn't miss how his hands curled into fists on the table. With a shake of her head, she stood up from her seat. "You'll pay for the food right? I'll be going first then."

She casually walked away, turning her back on him. But the sound of a hand slapping the table startled and momentarily stopped her.

"Su!"

She just rolled her eyes and exited the restaurant.
 

Seeing how heads turned towards his seething friend, Yixing quickly stood up and stopped Chanyeol from chasing after Suzy. "Cool down first," he calmly told him. "You will only argue with her again if you don't calm yourself down. I'll go after her. Stay here. Trust me."

While Chanyeol was taking a deep breath, Yixing went after Suzy. She was stomping her way through the crowd of people outside when he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her to a stop.

"What?" She brusquely asked and glared at him.

"Were you planning to go back by foot?" He tilted his head to the side. 

Her furrowing brows eased as her eyes rounded by a fraction. She pursed her lips before finally nodding once. "Yes. What? You don't think I can walk back to the office?"

Yixing softly snorted. "No, I believe you. Go on then." He let go of her arm and gestured for her to go on.

Suzy tried to hide her surprise when she narrowed her eyes on him before turning and walking away. But after only a few steps, she halted and looked back at him. Yixing blinked at her and raised his brows when she made her way towards him again.

"Spill," she told him with a frown.

"Spill what?"

She rolled her eyes. "You came after me to defend your friend, didn't you? Just spill what you want to say." She crossed her arms and he smiled.

"Nah. I was just going to say that it's such a waste to pass on Chanyeol's offer to buy you a dress."

"I don't need anymore dress."

"But it's the least you can do for him after what he's done for you, don't you think? I mean you can run for the president position because of him." Yixing propped and elbow on his other folded arm and tapped his chin. "I reckon you can easily lose that chance now if he's upset."

"That would be such a kid of him if that happened." She clicked her tongue.

Yixing nodded. "You're right."

"I'm not going with him whatever you say." She straightened up and slightly raised her chin.

His following chuckles made her scowl. "I wasn't going to ask you to do that. I'm just stating my opinion." He shrugged. "Then-" he bowed "you can go on your way, Ma'am. I've said what I wanted to say." He heard her scoff before he straightened up again. 

"Suzy!" came Chanyeol's voice from behind him. The friend appeared beside him looking much calmer than before. He briefly glanced at Yixing before settling his eyes on his wife. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force you."

"You always say that," Suzy mumbled.

A sigh of defeat escaped Chanyeol's lips. "It's just that I-"

"I'll come with you," Suzy stated lazily with a heavy sigh.

"What?" Chanyeol asked in surprise.

Yixing stared at Suzy before smiling to himself. He knew what he said would get into her.

"To buy the dress, remember?" She quirked a brow. "Or do you want to go back to the office right away? I'm fine with that-"

"No!" Chanyeol quickly cut her off. A grin belatedly broke across his face.

"Tsk." Suzy clicked her tongue and shook her head before walking ahead.

When his friend looked back at him with blinking eyes as if asking what just happened, Yixing only smiled and shrugged.

Suzy bit down her lip feeling pain slowly creeping up from her soles to her legs. Chanyeol had been herding her here and there trying to find what he thought was the perfect dress. His obvious fondness of shopping surprised her, but it annoyed her more. Her feet were wearing out, but her pride didn't let her tell him or Yixing of the ache.

She had lost count of the dresses she had been trying on. She thought she was crazy for complying to her husband's want. Yet, Yixing's words made sense too. She could not afford having Chanyeol destroying her chance to be Silverline's President. Now trying another dress, she stepped out of the fitting room with a heavy breath.

"Does this still not look good to you?" She asked Chanyeol who waited outside.

Instead of another disapproval from him, she only got silence. Chanyeol just stood there looking at her with wide eyes and parted lips as if she were a ghost. Yixing and Hyejung behind him didn't look much different.

Suzy rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine! I'll go try the other one."

"No!" Chanyeol finally found his voice again. When she turned to him, he was smiling widely. "This is perfect!"

And instant surge of relied washed over her. But the relief was short-lived when he added, "Now, the shoes!"

"What?" Suzy scowled.

"Yeol, I think you should let her rest," Yixing patted his friend's shoulder.

"Ah! Right!" Chanyeol bit down his lips. "Sorry, Su. Are you tired?"

She wanted to scream 'yes' but held back. No, she wasn't going to look weak even in this case in front of her rival. He would start to look down on her in every other aspect if she did. She would look like daddy's weak little girl to him.

"No, I just have a call to take," she lied. "I'll change and take the call first. You can go look for the shoes for me," she suggested. "You can bring Hyejung with you too. She knows my shoe size."

"But I-"

"Or we can just go back to the office now which is really what we should have done since half an hour ago." She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side.

A sigh escaped Chanyeol's lips. "I'll choose the shoes for you."

Finally able to change back to her office attire, Suzy sighed in relief. When she stepped out of the fitting room, she saw Chanyeol already choosing shoes at the shoes section with Hyejung beside him. They look so good together; she wondered why he didn't choose to love Hyejung instead. It would have been so much easier for both of them if he did. She looked away and left the store finding an empty bench not far.

"Where the hell is he?" She wondered about Yixing as she stretched her legs a little. She itched to take off her heels, but it would be embarassing doing so in the mall. Her pride didn't let her do it.

"Here." A hand dangled a bottled water from over her head. Suzy looked up and was greeted by Yixing's smile. She silently took the bottle while he rounded the bench and knelt in front of her. "May I?" He asked out of the blue.

"May you what?"

He gently grabbed her ankle and took off her shoe.

"Ya!" Suzy's eyes grew round as she pulled back her foot. "What are you doing?"

His small smile made an appearance again. "No need to pretend anymore." He gently grabbed her foot for the second time. "I know your feet hurt." Suzy stared at him with blinking eyes while he took out a pack of bandaids from the plastic bag Suzy just realized he had with him.

"Chanyeol's too excited," he explained while sticking the bandage on the back of her ankle. "That's why he didn't realize you're hurting."

Suzy tensed when he lightly massaged her sole but tried not to pay too much attention to it. "You're always defending him." She crossed her arms. "Always on his side."

Yixing raised his gaze to her after putting on her shoe. "I'm on your side too." He smiled and she wished he would just stop doing that. Dropping down his gaze, he grabbed her other ankle. "I only wish for you both to be happy."

Happiness again. 

Like seeds planted on a soil, that particular idea of happiness had been growing in her mind lately. The thought started making her question of her happiness. Whether she was even happy. But still, the word felt so distant and unattainable to her.

"I don't want to make any ill wish," Yixing continued as he sticked another bandage, "but what if Chanyeol win over you and take over the position? What will you do after that?" 

Just the thought of it boiled Suzy's blood, but the question made her contemplate on the possibility. After taking up the challenge, she never thought of what to do if she failed despite all her hard works. There was even a possibility that her father never really intend to make her the president even if she proved herself to be better than Chanyeol. What would she do next if that were so? There was only one thing she could think of.

"I'll just kill myself then," Suzy answered nonchalantly with a shrug.

Hearing her answer, Yixing almost lost his grip on her shoe when he was about to put it on her again. And for a moment there, Suzy thought he had turned into a statue. With her foot and shoe still in his hands, his head was kept low and he didn't move. She would have thought he was dead if it weren't for the steady rise and fall of his shoulder that indicated he was still breathing. When he seemed to have finally regained consciousness again and put on her shoe, his eyes were still zeroed on her foot.

"Don't ever kill yourself," he spoke above a whisper. Suddenly lifting his head while setting her foot on the ground, he set his eyes on hers. "Don't. Ever.
Just don't." Yixing looked so serious; Suzy felt like she was talking to a stranger.

"But if you will ever want to do it-" He stood up from the ground; eyes never leaving hers "- make sure I won't know anything about it."

Suzy knitted her brows. His words bore a weight she felt familiar with. It was a weight of desolation. Of bitterness. Of loneliness. Of sorrow. It was a weight she had been carrying ever since her mother died. To think that someone as care-free and as gentle as Yixing seemingly carried the same kind of burden perplexed her. Looking into his eyes, she almost felt like she was looking at a mirror. Maybe Yixing had the same pain as hers. The pain of being left and abandoned.

They say the saddest people smile the brightest because they do not wish the pain they have endured on another soul. Maybe that was why he was always smiling. And if it were so, then that was what differentiated them from one another. While he were able to bandage his pain by caring for others, she had too less time to think about others- or even herself. Hurting the one who hurt her would get rid of her pain, she believed.

"Director Bae," Hyejung called as she came out of the store, snapping Suzy out of her train of thoughts. "Chan- I mean Mr. Park asks if you like this one." She presented a box of a pair of silver stilettos.

Suzy looked past Hyejung's shoulder and through the large window of the store. Chanyeol was looking their way from inside the store waiting for her approval of the shoes. Peeking up at Yixing then pulling her gaze back on the shoes inside the box, she thought of how ironic her situation was.

Even though she didn't like caring for other people's pain, to hurt the one who hurt her, she needed to bandage- or at least pretend to bandage- a scar she might have inflicted on someone else first.

"Yes. Tell him I like this."

Nodding with a grin, Hyejung went back inside the store. Suzy's eyes traveled back to her husband. With their eyes locked on each other, she curled a corner of her lips up and he sincerely smiled at her in return.

This was all just one big game anyway.