The heavy rain had finally taken a break. It had been raining loudly and endlessly all day, but now that it was time to get off work, Sehun was grateful for the momentary pause. The clock on the wall reflected 7PM, which was the usual time he finished work. Working overtime was something he was used to and didn't bother him. There was nothing waiting for him at home anyhow. After turning off his computer and gathering the folders to one side of his desk, he walked towards the elevator.

When he scanned the floor nonchalantly, he caught sight of Jisoo inside Suho's office but no sign of Boss anywhere. He stopped and watched her for a moment. There was misery clear on her face. For some reason, it irked him to think about it.

Convinced that it was just mere curiosity, Sehun walked to Suho's office and knocked lightly.

The anticipation in Jisoo's eyes immediately dimmed when she opened the door. She kept her hand on the knob. "What do you want?"

He peeked inside. True enough, Suho wasn't there. "You still waiting for your boyfriend? It's past 7 you know."

"Thank you for that obvious statement." She pointed at the big clock positioned against the wall facing the door. Jisoo turned back and sent him a look. "Why are you still here?"

"I usually work this late." He could see the weariness in her eyes. "Junmyeon hasn't come back from a meeting yet or what?"

The warring feelings of embarrassment, anger, and fatigue fought inside her. Fatigue won. She sighed as she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. She had come in that day one hour early just to meet Suho, who actually hadn't been available because of a sudden meeting. Then lunch time came and he had excused himself again, apologizing for the extra pile of work that came into his hands. He then promised to make it up to her that night with dinner at his favourite restaurant.

Her work ended at 5. Since lunch, she didn't receive one call or message from him about the plan after work or even about another sudden meeting that seemed to trap him upstairs for two hours already. Jisoo was exhausted. Work had been hell, to say the least, having dealt with several uptight and rude people over the phone. To add to that, what she hated most in the world were broken promises. Suho had promised her frequently over the span of two weeks that they were going to do this, do that, whatever. But none of it had actually ever happened.

Dammit, where was the Suho she had admired? The Suho she had been with in jeju, who had showered her with sweetness and gentleness?

"He hasn't called," she admitted in defeat. "So I don't actually know if he's in a meeting right now." She then looked up at Sehun, waiting for a sarcastic remark. When she didn't get any, she let out a sad moan. "I must look pretty pitiful right now."

"You do." Looking at her now, he felt like thoroughly beating up the man.

Jisoo ran a hand through her hair and said helplessly, "I'm already so tired. Why doesn't he seem to realize how I feel?"

He watched her walk towards the couches by the elevator with her shoulders slumped. He'd seen her stressed out and pissed off before, but not defenseless. Thinking of a man being inconsiderate of his own girlfriend made him angry. To take someone you care for, for granted made no sense to him. Life was too frigging short for time to be wasted like that.

Sehun sat beside her on the maroon leather sofa then took out his iphone. "You hear about the free package deals they're giving out to people on the streets? I heard they just go up to you and offer you two plane tickets to Hawaii and they pay for everything. I mean, hotel, resort, whatever you want, and that includes all the meals, the spa, everything. For three days. Isn't that crazy?"

Though she couldn't understand why Sehun was still there, she was glad and relieved that she wasn't alone. She looked over at him with doubt. "What are you talking about?"

He shoved his phone at her face. "It's been on the news all week. They do a really big prank on you without you knowing it, then they offer you that deal. You haven't heard of it?"

"I haven't!" She grabbed the device from him and read through the blurb of news quickly. How was this even possible! Suddenly, as though the rest of the world had shut up for a second, all her exhaustion and frustration vanished from her body. She jumped up. "Oh my God, this is so exciting! How, how do they find you? How do they pick?"

This was exactly what she needed to get away from work completely. She needed to relax. It was perfect – spend some time at the beach, maybe take a nice swim in the beach, sit on the sand and drink a nice cool drink at the beach. A Hawaiian beach. She blinked rapidly, finding the image too bright. This was perfect!

Sehun, meanwhile, watched the transformation with amusement. One moment she looked like the saddest, most pitiful person on the planet and the next she was an overly cheerful and happy version of her normal self. Just as she began to wave her fists in the air, he stood and took the phone from her hand.

"Beats me. But…" He paused for dramatic effect. "I'm thinking of walking around aimlessly in Seoul tonight. Maybe if I look stupid and innocent enough, they might pick me." He flashed a cheeky grin as he walked to the elevators.

"Wait! I want that deal too. I'm going with you. They might give both of us the package deals, right?"

Sehun chuckled. "They might."

When the elevator bell dinged and the doors opened, Suho stared back at them, a pleasant smile on his face. Sehun's amusement fell. Jisoo's smile faded at once. The reminder was sudden and piercing.

"Jisoo, Sehun." Suho stepped out. "Have you been waiting long, Jisoo?"

How was she supposed to react to that? Was he really that dumb? Attempting to keep her temper in check, she said instead, "Suho. You had a meeting?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for the wait," he offered, reflecting sincerity in his eyes. "Let me just grab my things then we can go. Sehun, you worked hard today. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Jisoo turned away, her anger and embarrassing resurfacing once more. Sehun didn't have to see her expression to know it. He shook his head and said, "Sorry Boss. I have plans." With that, he walked into the elevator.

Jisoo looked up just in time to catch the smile of support on Sehun's face. Why did that one little expression ease her frustration? He'd stayed just a little bit more for her, made her forget her troubles, and in that short span of time, actually made her feel better.

How could he become so unexpectedly and ridiculously sweet at the times when she needed it the most? Sehun then wagged the phone side to side, reminding her of what they'd talked about earlier. She smiled in gratitude and brought her hand up to wave goodbye.

Suho then grabbed hold of her arm. She looked back at him, zeroing in on the remorseful expression on his face. This was strike two, wasn't it? Instead of fighting it, she let it go. She was worn out. "I'll wait here." Realizing he'd upset her, Suho squeezed her arm affectionately just before he walked back to his office.

When Jisoo watched him walk away, the familiar disappointment waved over her. It made no sense why someone as supposedly charming as Suho was, could be so disillusioning, while someone as cynical as Sehun was, could be so caring. Suho had already cancelled on several promised dates, and with that, her mind began entertaining the thought that Suho really wasn't the prince charming she'd expected all along.

As she turned back towards the elevator, Jisoo, for the first time, wished she was with Sehun instead.

...........

During dinner, Jisoo looked outside the window and noticed the rain starting up again. She bit back a sigh as she finished the last piece of her steak. Suho was pleasantly talking across from her, telling her his usual stories of work and other aspects of his life. In the beginning, she had been so caught up with it, full of curiosity for this man. It was funny how, as time went on, she realized he never really asked her anything about herself. Every conversation always seemed to end up about him.

She bit back a derisive laugh. Why was she becoming so pessimistic about him already? How can you think about giving up on him like this? She tried to shake off the thought. This was her prince; hadn't she thought that for the longest time?

"Jisoo?" Suho finally noticed her lack of response after going off on a monologue for five minutes. He took her hand in his. "Are you still angry?"

"Hmm?" She looked back at him and absently smiled. "No, I'm not. You apologized, so I forgave you." But she wondered if she even believed his sincerity anymore. "I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

"Yes, it has." Suho drank his wine, then leaned forward and pushed back a stray hair from Jisoo's face. "Again, I must apologize for the wait. The way work is going right now... I can't exactly leave the meeting early, as much as I'd like to. An executive chief oversees many things, after all."

"It's not that, Suho," she began, finding her frustration bubbling up. "I know you're busy. You're my boss, for goodness' sake." Her temper was a flaw she fully knew of herself, but usually, unless it was Sehun pushing her at her limit, she was good at keeping it in. Now she fought for control as she tugged her hand away from his. "It's just…don't make promises you can't keep. Okay? That's all."

After a moment of silence, Suho merely nodded and leaned back against his chair. The blank expression on his face told Jisoo she'd just embarrassed her boss, not her boyfriend. More bothered now for the lack of understanding on his part, Jisoo just looked away and bit back angry tears.

What happened to the perfect man she thought she knew for three long years? Why was Suho so completely different from what she'd imagined him to be? Couldn't he have at least been a bit kinder or caring, rather than just putting on a show with those roses and those sweet words in public?

Being his girlfriend now, it was a hard fact to face that Kim Junmyeon wasn't in any way, shape, or form, prince charming. At least, not the man behind those looks.

Then he took her hands and pressed a light kiss on the inside of her palm. And it was funny how these things he did never seemed to make her heart palpitate in excitement. It had always seemed forced on her part, even in the beginning.

"Forgive me, Jisoo. It was my fault entirely. I won't make promises I can't keep."

Because his eyes were full of remorse, she could only sigh, feeling herself waver. Three years had meant so much to her. He had become a fantasy in her mind, and that fantasy just didn't match with reality, and it was painful to accept that. But…his eyes. She cursed herself for having a heart that was just too infuriatingly soft.

"I know," she murmured. "It's partly my fault anyway." Because she expected too much. "Let's…do better next time." One more chance.

....................

Jisoo gra