Haneul loved the week-end for two apparent reasons; one of them being that she could sleep till noon without being disturbed not even for a mere second (oh, how she treasured her precious sleeping hours) while the other was the fact that she didn’t have to be in the presence of her annoying boss, therefore, she didn’t have to put up with her constant nagging nor did she have to run around town trying to fetch her precious latte in time or else, as the horrible lady puts it, “All of her creative juices would go down the drain”.

If Haneul had known that her job would require her to run silly little errands around town to please a thirty year old woman who happened to be the Editor In Chief of Ethereal, one of South Korea’s top fashion magazines, she would have still accepted the offer. She would have. In a heartbeat.

After all, working in Ethereal had always been a dream of hers. And she was living the dream, wasn’t she? Sure, her position wasn’t the one she wanted. Truthfully speaking she barely had any say on what would go in the magazine. She wasn’t even allowed to join in on the meetings. She mostly had to fetch her boss’s coffee, lunch and sometimes dry-cleaning, pencil in the appointments she had to go to, etc. She was mostly her personal secretary. Or slave. Yes, slave would be the correct term.

It’s sad since Haneul has lots of potential. She didn’t graduate with flying colors for naught. She thought that being under the Editor in Chief would help her gain more experience. But her work had nothing to do with “Editing”. Nothing at all. Maybe she should just quit. She should, shouldn’t she? But her current job pays well. Really well. And it would be hard to find another job that would help her maintain the current lifestyle she was used to. And a part of her thinks (hopes) that her hard-work would eventually pay off and that she’d be able to rise up the ranks and occupy the position she had always dreamed of.

Right? Or is that wishful thinking on her part?

For now, she had to put up with the Dragon Lady’s (her boss’s nickname) various mood swings.

Haneul took a sip from her mug, letting the bitter taste infiltrate her senses fully awakening her from the after effects of her deep slumber.

She then glanced at the numerous letters that were sprawled on her coffee table.

“Bills, bills and more bills”

She sighed as she thoroughly inspected each and every envelope.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she came across an elegant looking one. It was decorated with a golden ribbon and the penmanship used was completely stylish and neat.

Figures, it was a wedding invitation after all.

Her little sister was finally getting married. She and her boyfriend have been dating for quite a while now so it didn’t come as a surprise to her for them to finally decide to tie the knot and settle down.

The brunette ran a hand through her long tresses.

She was happy for her sister. She was. She truly was.

But marriage, the idea of loving someone so wholeheartedly that you’re willing to spend the rest of your life with them has always been a sensitive topic for her.

Why?

Because she had been once in her sister’s shoes. She was once engaged to a man she loved more than life itself. A man who made her laugh and smile, who made her feel loved and cared about. A man who vowed to protect her with all his might, who promised to never hurt her or make her cry.

A man who was her everything, her all.

A man she willingly gave her heart to, not once thinking that he’d throw it away. That he’d brutally step on it, crushing it with his weight.

They were High School sweethearts. He was her knight in shining armor. She thought they were meant to be. That they would get married and lead a fulfilling happy life together, that their story would end with “and they lived happily ever after” as most fairytales do.

But she was too naïve to think that.

After all, life was no fairytale. There are no happy endings. Only sorrow and heartache await those who fall in love.

The odd thing is that she doesn’t even know what went wrong with them, what went astray.

Did he stop loving her?

Did he?

If he did, then why did he wait until the rehearsal dinner to drop the bomb?

Why did he wait until then to tell her that he wasn’t ready for such a commitment, that they’ve been together for so long and they needed some time apart?

Then and there, her heart shattered into millions of pieces. Her world stopped all together. The bright smile she wore immediately disappeared and was replaced with a deep frown. The only word that came out of her lips, as her tears cascaded freely down her rosy cheeks, was a simple “Why?”

A “Why” that remained unanswered till this day.

A year has passed since then. Since that awful day that rendered her into a crying mess. Her tears have dried since then but her heart hasn’t been fully mended. It hasn’t been completely healed. The scars he left were still fresh in her mind. And as much as she tried she could never forget the sweet taste of his lips, the melodious sound of his laughter and the gentleness of his touch. A tiny part of her still loved him; a piece of her broken heart still belonged to him.

And she believed it will always belong to him.

She’s pathetic isn’t she? Stupid even.

She should hate him. She should detest his whole being.

B