I lazily hit the snooze button on my alarm clock, wishing I didn't have to wake up. I groaned, getting up from my bed. I scratched my head, still feeling very sleepy. I yawned, stretching my arms out, releasing the tension from my shoulders. I got off of my bed and walked out of my room. I headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. 

Once I was finished, I walked back inside my room and dressed up for the day. I chose to wear a simple flowy grey vneck and some black skinny jeans. I let my hair dry on its own, not wanting to straighten my hair today. I grabbed my phone from my desk and my backpack from the floor. I quickly grabbed a bag of chips from my counter and a bottle of water from the fridge and made my way to school. 

—

"Rin Ae!" I saw Mina waving her hand frantically at me. I shook my head, amused at my friends' craziness so early in the morning. 

"Good morning to you too Mina." I laughed. 

"Yah, you didn't tell me!" Mina pouted, punching me lightly on the arm.

"Tell you what?" 

"Simon! He's here!" 

My eyes grew wide. 

"H-how did you know?" 

"You know how girls get; when theres a new hot transfer, word spreads fast! And a few people saw you and him at the cafe! Spill. The. De. Tails. NOW." She grabbed my arm and pulled me to a nearby bench. 

"What's there to say?" 

She glared at me childishly. 

"Obviously you guys had a date!" 

"We didn't! He just asked if I wanted to grab coffee with him." 

"And? And?" Mina's face lit up.

"andhemighthaveaskedmeout." I coughed. "Yeah, we just chatted and he walked me home." 

"Please repeat that other sentence, SLOWLY." 

"I said he asked me out." I looked away, feeling my cheeks heat up. 

It was quiet for a few moments until Mina let out a high pitched squeal that shattered my ear drums and a few others walking by. I covered with my hand and looked around; a few people were staring at us with confused faces. 

"Sorry, sorry. Go on with your day." I apologized. 

I looked back at Mina who was smiling wide at me.

"YOU HAVE A DAAAAATE!!!" She clapped her hands. 

"Aish! I don't! I didn't answer him!" 

Mina dropped her arms and glared at me once more. 

"Yah! Why?!" She punched my arm, this time with force. 

"That hurt!" I whined, rubbing where she punched me. 

"Well you're stupid! How can you deny him?" 

"I didn't say I denied him; I only mentioned to you that I didn't give him an answer. I was caught off guard okay; Daniel showed up and I couldn't ans-" 

"Wait ... Daniel? As in Daniel Chae? Why the hell is that loser popping out of nowhere?" Mina fumed, crossing her arms.

I shrugged my shoulders, wondering the same thing. 

Why was he showing up frequently all of a sudden? It bothered and confused me at the same time. 

"Well, I don't care about him. All you need to do is focus your attention on Simon now, okay? Tell him that you accept his like and you guys can get together and eventually get married and-" 

"WHAT THE HECK MINA? I only met the guy a few days ago and you're talking about my marriage?! Psycho, my best friend is a freakin' psycho." I sighed, shaking my head. 

"You never know ~ I think he's the 'one' for you." She beamed, nodding her head. 

"You said that about Daniel..." 

She giggled and scratched the side of her head. 

"He uh ... doesn't count?" She let out a chuckle. 

"Okay, crazy. I dunno ... I guess, I just need to sort out my emotions. It hasn't been long since Daniel and I, uh, you know ... separated? If that's the correct term for it." I looked at my palms. 

"Like, I get it. I should get over him after the things he's done in the past. But I don't want to use Simon for that; he's too nice of a person and he deserves way better than that. Of course I think he's attractive and maybe I have a small bit of emotion towards him but ..." I sighed. 

Mina patted my shoulder and gave me an encouraging smile.

"I understand. I know I'm being pushy right now but its because I don't want you to be so hung up on Daniel. I've seen you down because of him and I don't want you to keep hurting because of him." 

I smiled, nodding my head. 

"Thanks Mina; you're an amazing friend, despite your craziness." 

She rolled her eyes and got up from the bench. 

"I don't know how we managed to make this morning such a sappy one but com'on, our class is about to start!" 

I got up from the bench and nodded my head, following her to our first class of the day. 

—

I felt a prescence behind me and I looked around, seeing Simon. He waved at me with a smile. 

"Hey." He greeted. 

"Hi." I replied as he sat down parallel from me.

I was reading a book at the quieter side of the college campus, taking my usual spot on the picnic tables they had. Typically no one passes by around here so I always hang out here. 

"How did you find me?" I asked. 

"A short birdy told me." He replied with an amused smirk on his face. 

I shook my head. 

"Mina." That girl won't stop, eh? I closed my book and put it down on the table. 

"Am I bothering you from your reading?" He asked, looking sorry. 

"Kinda, but I don't mind. It was getting boring." I replied.

His face looked relieved as he nodded his head. 

"So, whats up?" I asked him.

"Nothing much, just trying to win someones heart." I felt my cheeks heat up, I smiled at him. 

"Always a smooth talker, eh?"

"Is my charm working?" 

"Hah, no." I stuck my tongue at him. He pouted; ugh he's so cute! Why?

"So ... are you free tonight?" He asked. 

I bit my lip. "Uhm ... yeah ... Why?" 

He cleared his throat and nodded his head.

"I have to go to this dinner party my parents want me to go to and I don't have a date, so I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me?" 

"I don't know, I-I don't have any formal clothes or-" 

"No its fine! I got it covered. Well, your friend Mina has it covered." 

I raised my left eyebrow up. 

"Mina? She knows about this?" 

Simon smiled meekly and scratched the side of his head.

"I asked her for help."

"But if I do go with you, I wouldn't know anyone. And what if your parents ask questions about our relationship and-" 

"Don't worry about all of that. I'll be with you the whole time; I'm usually alone during these things anyways." 

"Then why can't you just go alone this time too?" 

"My mom said she'll pair me up with some girl if I arrive by myself." 

"So ... you're just using me?" I joked. 

"W-what? No! I'm not! I-I truly want you to come with me so my parents will stop trying to pair me up with other girls and I just don't wanna be bored all night and argh, I should have asked differently- Aish!" He cursed, looking flustered. 

I bit my lip, and smiled at him. He looked so cute all frustrated. 

"Hey, I was only teasing you." I laughed. "Sure, I'll accompany you." 

His eyes grew wide. 

"Really?" 

I nodded my head. 

"Great! Mina said to come over at her house around six and I'll pick you up at eight thirty." 

—

"Are you freakin' serious? I'm not wearing this!" I whined, pulling down the hem of the dress. 

"Rin Ae, this is the fifth dress you tried out, you have to choose!" 

"But it's too short!" 

"No, its perfect! You look amazing! It accenuates your legs nicely!" Mina urged. 

"I feel so !" I cried out, looking at myself in the mirror. 

Mina made me wear a beige colored dress that was up to my mid-thigh. It looked very simple yet classy at the same time. It had indention of buttons at the chest area and pleats at the bottom of the dress. She gave me a light blue blazer to wear over it incase I get cold and a small brown purse that matched the dress as well. For my shoes, I wore strappy heels. As for my hair, we kept it as its normal state and I wore minimal make up. (image) 

"You look amazing! Don't worry about it! I've been dying to make you wear these kinda clothes. I guess all I needed was a guy like Simon to take you out." 

I glared at her and sighed, looking at my reflection. I'll admit I don't look half bad. I guess I'm just not used to being all dressed up. 

Mina looked at her watch and squealed loudly. 

"He's gonna be here soon!" She grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out her room and into the living room. 

Mina kept fixing my bangs; unsure if I should have it tucked behind my ear or not. I glared at her as she continued to alternate between the two when the doorbell rang. She flinched, a large smile spreading across her face. 

"He's here!" She clapped, skipping to the door. 

I bit my lip, nervous and excited at the same time. Do I look decent enough? I thought. 

Mina opened the door and Simon entered the house. I was speechless. 

Of course Simon was attractive but him all dressed up made him even more handsome. (image)

He saw me standing next to the couch, his eyes growing wide. I felt my cheeks heat up instantly as I looked down at the floor. I heard his footsteps towards me and I saw his shiny black dress shoes in front of my feet. I felt his two fingers cup my chin, tilting my head upwards. 

"You look breathtaking." He smiled. 

I looked into his eyes and muttered a quiet thanks. I heard yet another high-pitched squeal to my right, I rolled my eyes and looked at Mina. 

"YOU GUYS LOOK SO AMAZING! WOW! CAN I TAKE A PICTURE?" Mina started to take out her iPhone. 

"No need for that! We're gonna be late!" I wanted to slap my forehead at my friends' craziness. 

I grabbed Simon's arm and pulled him with me to the door. 

"Make sure you take her home safely!" Mina yelled out loud as we walked towards his car. 

Simon opened the passengers door for me and I entered his car. I was about to reach for the seat belt when Simon already grabbed it before me. His face was inches away from mine, my heart beat fastened. He fastened the seat belt for me and gave me a sweet smile as he closed the door. I could feel my cheeks heat up; how many times has that happened since I met him? 

Seconds later, he entered the drivers seat and fastened his seat belt, turning on the engine. 

I looked out the window, looking up at the night sky. Simon the radio, faint English songs could be heard. 

"Don't be nervous." He said. 

I looked at him and nodded my head, smiling. 

"I'll try." I replied. 

"It's nothing big, trust me. Just a dinner party and I'll be there with you the whole time." 

"Promise?" I asked. 

He let out a chuckle and nodded. 

"Promise." 

"What if you break your promise?" 

"Then ..." The thought about it for a while. "... I'll do anything you want for a month." He offered. 

I smiled. 

"Deal." 

"Same goes for you." He said. 

I looked at him weirdly. 

"Why would I leave your side? I wouldn't know anyone there." I crossed my arms. 

"I think it should be fair that we both get the same consequences. If you leave my side, you have to do anything I want for a month as well." 

"Hey ... wait, wait, waaait. We have to make some rules for this. We can't make a bet without any rules." 

He smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. 

"Okay fine. What are these rules." 

"Rule Number One: 'Anything' can't be just 'anything'. It has to be PG." 

He looked at me and smiled slyly, his right eyebrow raising upward. 

"Didn't know you were the erted type Rin Ae." 

"I-I'm not! I'm just saying, we have to keep it PG! And me? erted? Psh, you're the one that might take advantage of this." 

He laughed nodding his head.

"Okay fine, whatever Rin Ae. I'll let you have that. But now I can make a rule as well." 

"Go ahead." 

"Hmm ... No matter what, regardless of time and place, the loser has to go wherever the winner is. For example, if the winner tells the loser to come over at two in the morning, the loser has to come over, no questions asked." 

I scrunched up my face and nodded. 

"Fine, but it has to be a legitimate reason." 

"Nope, you just have to go. That's the point." 

I groaned. 

"Fiiine." I pouted. 

"Oh, we're here." I looked outside the window and saw rows and rows of cars parked. Simon managed to park near the restaurant and we both got out of the car. It wasn't that chilly out yet so I still didn't wear my blazer on. 

Simon stood on my left and hooked his right arm with my left one. 

"Lets go." 

We both entered the building, everyone looked incredibly rich. The majority of the people around were older men and women and only a few people around my age. I held on Simon's arm tighter, suddenly nervous. Simon noticed my sudden tension; he smiled at me which relaxed me a bit. We stood in front of a table that had a couple sitting down. 

"Mom, Dad." Simon greeted the two. 

"You're late." Simon's father said. 

"Sit down, the both of you." Simon's mother gestured him and I to sit down. 

"What is your name, miss?" Simon's father asked me. 

Simon stiffened in his seat. 

"Dad." 

"I'm curious who she is. This is the first time you're bringing a girl here. Either you must really hate who we want to pair you up with or you really like her." He replied monotonously. 

"My name is Seo Rin Ae sir." I replied. 

"Seo? Your name sounds familiar, who is your father?" 

"Dad!" 

I smiled, placing my hand onto Simon's, reassuring him it's alright.

"I don't think you might have known my father, but my uncle owns Seo Corporation as well as BXS Entertainment." Simon's father widened.

"S-Seo Hyunwoo is your uncle?" He asked, still surprised. 

"Yes sir." 

Simon looked at me with a confused look while his mother stared at me with an expressionless face.

Simon's father cleared his throat. 

"Miss Seo, it's a pleasure to meet you." He leaned over, sticking his hand out. I stood up and shook his hand, bowing slightly.

—

"Well, Miss Heiress, isn't it funny how this never entered our conversations." Simon looked at me with a playful smirk, expecting my reply. 

I shrugged without a care but at the same time amused at how he used my own line at me.

"It's not like I spread it around that I'm related to my uncle. I'd like to keep my life free from complications, especially with what my family name brings." 

He nodded, understanding what I had meant. 

"Plus, no one really expects me to be related to my uncle. He's really young so they expect his only niece to be ten or younger." 

My uncle, Seo Hyunwoo is the youngest buisnessman ever, successfully running Seo Corporations on his own as well as being a CEO of BXS Entertainment at the age of twenty-eight. After my father had given up his position to Hyunwoo before he passed away from heart failure, my uncle just started BXS Entertainment. Many told him to give up on the entertainment business but he had the strongest passion in helping younger people achieve their dreams so he worked hard on both companies. 

At times, he rarely went home, and slept in one of his offices but his hard work paid off. BXS Entertainment is one of the most successful entertainment companies in all of Asia and he brought Seo Corporations from the grave, making it the fifth most successful family run corporation in South Korea. 

"So, what other things that I should know about you?" 

I smiled. 

"I can't think of anything at the moment." 

"You sure? You're not some kind of child prodigy or related to a queen?" 

I lightly punched his arm. "I'm just related to Seo Hyunwoo, that's all." 

He smiled, "I'll take your word for it." 

The two of us stood outside on the balcony on the second floor, looking up at the night sky. Before we got out, I wore my blazer due to the coldness of the wind. I was still cold considering I was wearing a dress. 

I then felt slight weight on my shoulders. I looked to my left and saw that Simon had taken off his jacket and placed it on me. 

"You might get cold." I said, concerned. I started to take off the jacket but he stopped me. 

"You need it more than I do." 

"T-thanks." 

"No problem." He answered, slipping both his hands into his pant pockets. 

We both looked back up at the sky in silence. It was the kind of silence that was comfortable, instead of being incredibly awkward. I looked to my side, where Simon was standing and smiled. He was still gazing upward, not noticing me staring at him. 

"Hey Simon." He looked to me and our eyes locked. 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm glad I went with you." 

He reached for my hand and squeezed it. 

"I'm glad you did too." 

—

Once it got too cold to stay outside, we both entered the restaurant, our hands still holding each others. I kept my smile to a minimum, hoping my cheeks weren't red or anything. We made it to the grand staircase, leading to the dining room of the restaurant. 

"Rin Ae?" I looked up and my smile instantly left my face. 

"Are you stalking me now or something?" I asked Daniel sarcastically.

Daniel was standing in front of me, wearing a smiliar suit to Simons. The only difference was that Daniel had a bowtie on instead of a tie. 

"No-I-I went with my parents." 

How could I forget? He came from a well off family, of course he'd attend these kind of things. 

"Well, wonderful. Tell your parents I said hi. Actually, no. Don't tell them you saw me." I said, moving out of his way so I could get down the stairs. 

"Wait- Rin Ae." He grabbed my wrist. 

"Can we talk?" He asked sincerely. 

I glared at him. 

"No." 

"Wait, Rin Ae, please?" 

"If I heard Rin Ae mention a few seconds before, her answer to your question was a flat out no." Simon stated.

I looked at him in surprise. 

"And who are you?" Daniel asked. 

Simon chuckled. 

"I guess you don't recognize me from the party." 

Daniel looked at Simon for a few seconds and he finally recognized him. 

"You're not involved in this." Daniel grabbed my wrist. 

"I'm with Rin Ae and therefore, I am very involved in this." Simon's hold on my hand tightened. 

The two had a staredown for a few moments when I decided to break the two up. 

"Okay, you both are making a scene. Fine, Daniel, I'll give you a few minutes of my time. But that's it. After this, don't show up in my life anymore." I let go of Simon's hand. 

"Just wait for me at your parents' table. I won't be long." I gave him an apologetic look. 

Daniel pulled me up the stairs and we both went out to the balcony. I was still wearing Simon's jacket so I wasn't as cold. Luckily, we were the only two outside. 

"Well? You have a few minutes. Speak now." I stated bluntly.

"Do you think we could start over?" He asked. 

"Are you seriously asking me that right now?" 

"We've known each other for a while now and I think its stupid if we throw all of that away after something as small as-" 

"-As cheating on your fiancee? You really think just because we're childhood friends that I can forgive you for breaking my heart like that? Really Daniel? I thought you knew me so well. I guess not considering you did get involved with someone else." 

"I know I ed up bad, okay? Call it a momentary lapse of judgement-" 

"If six weeks is considered a moment-" 

"I'm still in love with you Rin Ae. I honestly don't know why I did that. Maybe cause I was getting scared that I was gonna get married or that I don't know-I'm a stupid guy." 

"Yeah, you're denfinitely an idiot." 

"Please, you know me. You're the only one who knows me more than I know myself. Rarely do I mess up like this and you know my feelings for you." 

I scoffed. 

"I knew you Daniel. I KNEW you. After you broke my heart, you cease to exist in my life. You're my past, meaning someone irrelevant in my present and future." 

I walked away from him, swallowing the lump in my throat. I didn't feel the need to cry; I cried too many tears for him that I can't cry anymore. I walked down the stairs and saw that Simon was waiting at the bottom of the staircase.

He saw me and walked towards me. 

"Hey, you okay?" He asked. 

I nodded my head, giving him a small smile. 

"D-do you think we can go now?" I asked. 

He looked at his watched and nodded his head. 

"It's getting late anyways. I don't think my parents would mind if we left without a goodbye." He intertwined his fingers with mine as we walked out of the restaurant. 

—

The car ride was fairly quiet, minus the sounds from the radio. I looked out of the window, wishing I hadn't talked to Daniel. I let out a sigh, wishing I could be rid of him already. 

"We were engaged." I said outloud. 

I looked at Simon who was keeping his focus on the road, but he had an intense look on his face.

"We're childhood friends and our parents wanted us to get married. Once we were sixteen, we got engaged. They planned for us to get married when we were both twenty-two. Things were going well, I guess, or I'm just thinking they were great, I don't know. But-" I let out an laugh. 

"A month ago, I found out he had a girlfriend on the side. Not only that, they had been going out for six weeks already. Six weeks! Sure, it hadn't been that long but how the heck could I have been that dense to not notice!" 

I shook my head, laughing once more. 

"He broke my heart and now he has the decency to ask for a second chance? Heck no." I mumbled. 

I felt Simon's hand over mine. He intertwined his fingers with mine; I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Don't think about him any longer. The more you think about him, the more he stays in your head and heart. I've never had a relationship like that with someone before, but I think it's hard to get over something like that. It'll take time and you'll let go someday." 

"Simon-" 

"I'm trying to win your heart and by doing so, I'll help you heal it as well." 

I bit my lip, not wanting to cry. I didn't want to cry in front of Simon, especially right now.

We arrived in front of my apartment. Simon parked the car and turned off the engine. We both sat in silence for a while. 

"I don't want to use you as a rebound. You don't deserve that." 

"I won't be. You'll fall in love with me yourself." 

I smiled, at least I know Simon will always be Simon.

"Cocky are we?" 

"Always." He let out a toothy smile. 

I took off my seatbelt. 

"Well...goodnight. Thanks for driving me home." 

"No problem." He took off his seatbelt as well. He got out of the car and rushed to my side, opening the car door. 

"I can't let you walk by yourself, I'd be a bad date, wouldn't I?" 

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. 

We both walked to the front of my door. 

"Thanks again." I said, opening the door. 

He nodded his head. 

"No problem." 

Before I entered my apartment, I gave Simon a quick peck on the cheek and ran inside. 

"DRIVE SAFE!" I yelled, hoping he heard me. 

I could feel my heart beating against my chest frantically; I couldn't believe I did that! 

I smiled as my back was against the door.