Hae-kyung and Hwan-gun went over the guest list a few more times to make sure they had addressed everyone, they had been at it for a while and it was almost lunch time. She got up and stretched her arms above her head.

“I think we did well today, I’m just waiting on the finished copy of the ad to be sent over to me and we can go over it and see if we like the finished product. There’s not much we can change if it ends up not being the way we expected because we have to have something available for Saturday.” She explained while she pacing back and forth.

“Alright, I’m going to trust your judgment. Is there anything you want for lunch? I’m about to die from hunger and I imagine you must be feeling the same way.” He said.

Hae-kyung laughed. “Have you realized how much you like to buy me food?”

Hwan-gun’s heart skipped a beat when he heard her laughed, they had been working together every day since they shot the ad and he had heard her laugh so many times he thought he’d be used to it by now. “Is that right? I just like to eat and I thought everyone else did.”

“You’d be surprised at how much I love to eat in spite of the fact that I absolutely hate cooking.”

“I just realized, we never talked about your car after that time. Did you call your insurance company?” He asked.

“Oh, I decided to let that go. I figured since you’re such a nice person and the damage really wasn’t that big, it wasn’t a problem. I’ll probably get around to fixing the scratch some time.” She shrugged.

“Are you certain about that?” He asked again.

“Very. Now, about that lunch, I’m in the mood for some sushi.” She replied and they went to a sushi restaurant.

After they ordered their food, Hae-kyung started talking about work again and he sighed.

“Let’s enjoy lunch, we can talk about anything besides work for right now.” Hwan-gun smiled.

“Ah, okay. Do you have any siblings?” She asked.

“No, I’m an only child. My parents tried for so long to have children but my mother miscarried all her pregnancies. She finally got pregnant with me when she was 45 years old and my father was 52 years old.” He laughed in the middle of talking, “My mother said my father almost lost his mind when she was in labour. When I was born, my father took a whole month away from the company and watched me by himself, only giving me to my mother at feeding times.”

“Wow, you and your father must be really close.” She said.

“Oh yes, my father is my best friend. He’s very old now but he still likes to joke around with me whenever I go to visit him. He’s living in Japan right now, he retired from running the company and made his younger cousin in charge. What about you? What’s your family like?” He asked as he put a piece of sushi in his mouth.

Hae-kyung didn’t know how to begin talking about her family. She wondered if he would feel sorry for her or if he would even be able to understand her considering he grew up in such a happy and loving family. She felt a strange sense of comfort with him, her heart didn’t clench at the thought of her family, as painfully as it used to. She took a deep breath and figured it wouldn’t hurt to tell him since there was no chance of them meeting again once their business was over.

“My mother walked out on my family when I was 5 years old, I just woke up one morning and she was gone. My father and I lived together until he passed away when I was fifteen.” She said. She couldn’t tell him anything other than that, it hurt too much to think about.

“I’m sorry about your father. I didn’t mean to ask you such a painful question.” He said gently.

“It’s fine.” She replied. Her phone rang and she answered it, it was her friend Hye-soo. “Eo Hye-sooya.”

“Hae-kyungah.” Hye-soo said, sounding distraught.

“Ya, waegure? Kwaenchana?” Hae-kyung asked.

“Jin-young’s friend can’t come to the wedding, he was our only groomsman but his mother suddenly got hospitalized and he can’t come anymore. What are we going to do, the wedding is less than two weeks away?” She replied.

Hae-kyung breathed a sigh of relief and then yelled at her friend. “Ya! Do you know how surprised I was? I thought something terrible had happened. I can ask Joon to be your groomsman.”

“Jeongmal?! You think he’ll say yes?” Hye-soo asked excitedly.

“I’ll ask him, don’t worry about it. But, how does your groom-to-be have only one friend who can be his groomsman?” She asked incredulously.

“Look who’s talking, am I not the only friend you have? If you were going to get married, wouldn’t I be your only bridesmaid?” Hye-soo scoffed.

“Neo jinjja…just hang up.” Hae-kyung replied while rolling her eyes.

“You’ll ask Ki-joon, right?” Hye-soo asked and Hae-kyung could hear the smile in her friend’s voice.

“Sure.” She replied and hung up. She dropped her phone into her bag and noticed Hwan-gun staring at her with a raised eyebrow. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He replied and turned his attention back to his food.

Hae-kyung felt a little exposed, the way he had openly stared at her was not nothing. She felt a blush creep up her neck, what the hell was she imagining? It’s not like he thought she was interesting. He probably just wondered at how vulgar she was for yelling at the table. She turned her attention back to her food and they ate in silence. After lunch, they went back to the office and finished arranging the guest list and sending out invitations. Hae-kyung called her contacts at different media houses to remind them of the event on Saturday and with that, they were done working for the day. She left his office feeling different than when she went in.

Ah-reum rubbed the back of her neck and pinched the bridge of her nose, debugging this code was taking a lot longer that it should. She was tired and felt a headache coming on. One of her subordinates came up to her.

“Team leader, you’re still here? It’s already closing time.” The bespectacled man said.

“Oh I know; I just want to get done with this error then I’ll leave.” She replied.

“Is this for G-force gaming? Don’t we have some time before that is due?” He asked.

“Yes, but this bug is driving me insane. You know how I get when I have something to sink my teeth into.” She replied with a smile.

“Well, I have to go now, my wife is making dinner for my daughter’s birthday and if I miss it both of them will kill me. I will see you in the morning.” The man said and bowed before leaving.

Ah-reum glanced at her watch, it was a little after 6 o’clock. She sighed and heard her stomach grumble. She wondered if she should just ignore it and continue working but she realized she might as well leave, there was no way she was going to get it done giving how hungry and tired she was. She shut down her computer and left the building. When she got home, she took a shower and just as she stepped out, she heard someone punching in the password.

“Ah-reummie, are you in?” A woman’s voice called out.

“Aunty?” She said as her aunt turned the corner. She smiled a big smile as she felt the fatigue from the night melt away at the sight of her aunt. “Your mom-senses are amazing.”

“Did you miss me?” Her aunt asked as she wrapped her in a hug.

“I did. Hmm, something smells delicious.” She sniffed her aunt and her aunt presented the small cooler of food she brought along.

“Seonmul. You didn’t eat yet, right?” She asked, setting the table.

“Jung-hwassi, you know I love you right?” She sat and folded her legs on the chair.

“I know.” Her aunt replied.

“What are you doing here?” She asked as she ate.

“Keunyang, bogoshipeoso.” Her aunt replied. “How is Hwan-gun anyway? I still can’t believe you agreed to marry him.” She tsked.

“What’s wrong with him? He’s a good guy, caring, kind, and has a good heart. Besides, I’ve known him for so long anyway.” She shrugged.

“But you said he doesn’t make you flutter. You said you weren’t in love with him.” Her aunt said.

“Aren’t I too old for flutters? Isn’t that what only teenagers get?” She asked.

“What are you talking about? Even your mother still got flutters when she was with my brother until she died.” Jung-hwa said.

“Heol, did mom tell you that?”

“Of course, we weren’t best friends for nothing. She told me everything.” She smiled a sad smile as she reminisced about her friend. “Anyway, what are you going to do if you meet someone who makes you flutter after you get married?”

Ah-reum was quiet for a while as she remembered Ki-joon. She shook off the feeling. “Is feeling fluttered everything? It requires more than that to stay married to someone.”

“So, have you even kissed Hwan-gun yet?”

“Aunty!” She replied outraged.

“Ah, so you haven’t. Is it because you don’t find him attractive in that way? I said it the first time you told me about your engagement and I’m going to say it again, if you can’t imagine being intimate with him then you can’t marry him.”

It was finally Saturday evening and the guests were starting to arrive. Hae-kyung had decided to go to the hotel a little earlier to make sure everything was set up and ready to go. She checked and double checked the weather for that day. Since the forecast had promised clear skies, they had planned to have the event outside in the yard surrounded by the gazebos instead of the more formal ballroom. She made sure the menu was right and that the press was in their positions. The guests who had arrived were having their pictures taken and being interviewed. When she was sure everything was good, she went into one of the bathrooms to get changed into her outfit and do her make-up. She wore a powder blue Grecian dress and did her hair in a messy up-do style. She applied a soft red lipstick to complete her look and smiled at her reflection. As she stepped out of the bathroom, her cellphone rang.

“Eo Joonah.” She said when she answered.

“I’m going to be a few minutes later than I planned, the café is really packed and I can’t close at 9 o’clock like I expected.” He said apologetically.

“It’s fine, as long as you come it doesn’t matter when you do.” She replied.

“Oh okay. I promise I won’t ditch you.”

“I know; you’d be dead if you did.” She said and he laughed. She heard someone call for him on the other end of the line.

“I have to go; I’ll see you later. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She said and hung up.

She noticed the press was in a frenzy and she wondered who had arrived when she saw Hwan-gun step out of his car with Ah-reum. She felt her heart skip a couple of beats. She already knew he was handsome but she didn’t realize just how elegant and regal he looked. He looked like a man who commanded respect. She stood frozen in place as she watched him smile for the cameras, a great big smile that stretched his face and as he leaned in to hear something Ah-reum was whispering to him. He nodded and she smiled for the camera. Both of them waved and walked away from the press. Ah-reum noticed her and waved excitedly before unlinking her arm from his and hurrying toward her.

“You look beautiful.” Ah-reum said and hugged her.

“You look pretty stunning yourself.” Hae-kyung replied sincerely. Ah-reum was wearing a dark blue backless dress and had her hair in a French braid.

“Ah, you and Gun are matching.” She laughed as she pointed out his bow tie.

“Everything looks great here. I can’t believe this is finally happening. Thank you so much for your hard work.” Hwan-gun said with a smile.

Hae-kyung wanted him to stop smiling at her because she felt like her heart would burst from beating so much. “Well, since you’re here we can start. I’m going to show the ad first and you will say a few words after. I have directed the employees to show the guests around the hotel and its facilities.”

“Of course, I’m completely depending on you.” He replied.

Hae-kyung went to a part of the yard she had set up to screen the ad and as the ad played, Hwan-gun found himself staring at her. She looked so beautiful he couldn’t focus on the ad. He had wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked but he had thought it would be disrespectful while Ah-reum was standing right next to him. He was shaken out of his reverie when Ah-reum nudged him slightly.

“You need to give your speech.” She whispered.

He walked up to the small stage amid applause and stood in front of the microphone. “Thank you all for coming. Tonight was made possible by this amazing lady standing next to me. Lee Hae-kyungssi worked tirelessly in such a short time to pull off nothing short of a miracle. Thank you very much, Hae-kyungssi.” He said to her. “I hope you have a good time tonight and I hope you all come back as guests at the hotel.” He bowed to them before stepping off.

Everyone sat to eat and as they dined and talked, Hae-kyung’s phone rang.

“Eo Joonah. Wasseo? Eodiya?” She turned around to look for him and waved at him when she found him. He pulled her into a hug and Hwan-gun clenched his fist unconsciously.

Ah-reum was surprised to see him, she was even more surprised that she felt her heart fluttering. She wondered if this was what her aunt was talking about.

“It’s a good thing this place wasn’t too far away from the café. I can’t believe I’m wearing a suit because of you.” Ki-joon said and tugged at his tie.

Hae-kyung laughed. “I’m sorry for being rude, this is my little brother Han Ki-joon. Joonah, this is the owner of the hotel, CEO Seo Hwan-gun. You remember my friend Hong Ah-reum, right? She’s also his fiancée.” She said introducing them.

“Brother?” Hwan-gun said, mentally smacking himself for being ridiculously jealous of the man with her.

“It’s nice to meet you CEO Seo Hwan-gun, good to see you again Hong Ah-reumssi. Did you get home fine the other day?” He said as he took the sit next to his sister.

“Ah yes, thank you. Han Ki-joonssi and I met at the orphanage when I was volunteering.” Ah-reum explained.

“You went to visit mother and didn’t tell me?” Hae-kyung asked.

“I went from my father’s funeral. I just wanted to see her.” He replied.

“I thought you were an only child?” Hwan-gun said.

“I never mentioned if I had siblings or not. Ki-joon is my little brother although we’re not blood-related.” Hae-kyung answered.

“Ah that’s right. Hae-kyung and I grew up in the orphanage together. We became so close that we refused to be adopted separately. The mother superior didn’t know what to do with us so she let us stay and when we were old enough to move out, she asked us if we wanted to pay rent to continue living in the orphanage.” Ki-joon explained and Hae-kyung nodded in affirmation.

“Oh I remembered, Joonah, do you think you can be a groomsman at Hye-soo’s wedding?” Hae-kyung asked.

“Why? I don’t even know her husband-to-be.” He replied.

“For my sake?” She pleaded.

“When?” He asked.

“In ten days from today, in Ulsan.” She replied sheepishly.

“Are you crazy? I can’t close the café on the weekend.” Ki-joon said.

“So no?” She asked.

“Absolutely not. Not unless you can find me someone willing to work the weekend for me.” Ki-joon replied and Hae-kyung sighed.

“Hey Seo Hwan-gun!” Someone called out and they all turned to look for where the voice was coming from. A man who looked to be in his early forties approached them. As he approached, Hae-kyung felt her world come to a grinding halt. She knew that smile, that disgusting smile that haunted her dreams.  She would never forget and as he drew closer to their table, she remembered his smell. She felt bile rush to and willed her legs to function so she could run away from the table but she seemed to be frozen in place. She hoped that no one noticed how pale and sweaty she had become.

“Sunbae, so glad you could make it.” Hwan-gun said as he rose to his feet and shook hands with the man who had just arrived. “This is Song Min-jae, he was my senior in the university. This is my fiancée, Hong Ah-reum, the very talented Lee Hae-kyung and her brother Han Ki-joon.”

Min-jae turned his attention to Hae-kyung and smiled. “Lee Hae-kyung? Lee Hong-joo’s daughter Lee Hae-kyung? Wow, isn’t fate a strange thing?” He laughed.

Hae-kyung couldn’t say anything, she was feeling dizzy and nauseated by his presence. She wanted to escape but couldn’t.

“Hae-kyungah, are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Ah-reum said.

“I…I…” Hae-kyung started to say but she looked at Min-jae’s face and suddenly the world went dark as she slumped sideways into Ki-joon’s arms.

Author’s Note: Yeorobun, annyeonghasubnikka? I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to comment, subscribe, and upvote.