Lee Ji Eun was exhausted with all the schedules and problems she has to face daily. Her schedule was growing longer and tighter day by day. She hasn’t even sleep for four days straight. It was exhausting her. Then, her boutique downtown was having a problem too, despite her brilliant assistant help. She had a lot in mind, yet her heart was in peace. Ever since that day, her days have been brighter and enjoyable. She would wake up feeling red, exchanging morning greetings with him, then straight to work.

For the past week after the incident, she hasn’t met him yet. In fact, they weren’t even dating, yet. She knew they needed to be careful and she understood. Maybe she was in a stable position but rumors can be deadly, especially to the rookies. They needed to wait. Still, it wasn’t that much different compared to the old days. It felt long-distanced but closer.

Yet she knew the good news would soon come to an end, when she found Chauffer Kim, her mother favorite assistant, standing by her front door. The black sedan was parked right by her front door. Jieun wasn’t very fond of him, despite the good deeds he had done, or rather it was her mom’s. Still, she didn’t like him. She doubted he liked her. They met more than ten times each month, back in Europe, but they never had a good conversation. She knew his presence wouldn’t be good.

“Ms. Lee!” Mrs. Kwon shrieked, seeing her exhausted face but then calmed herself down when Jieun forced a smile. “It’s… your mother again.” She whispered but loud enough for the three of them.

Jieun was not surprised at all. What else would it be? Her mother was persistent. In the last three months, she has received thirty phone calls and fifteen different offers, including tenth threads. She was bullet-proofed to it. Her mother was never understanding before, so what else should she expect? She settled down on the couch and flipped through the document Chauffer Kim handed to her. He was cold, as always, a man without words.

Chauffer Kim wasn’t you would like. Jieun tried to like him the best she could, but, in the end, it was impossible. The man was tall and big, at least twice her size. He was much taller and much bigger than her. He always wore a tuxedo, almost everywhere, and a pair of sunglasses. Jieun thought the man hated eye contact. He has a mysterious aura surrounding him and he never talked. He would left her questions unanswered. When she tried to make a conversation out of something, he’d ignored him. Everything he had done for her was things he did for her mom. He was one of her mother’s man after all. Jieun didn’t expect him to be any better than her mom.

“So… she wanted me to quit, yes?” Jieun shifted her gaze toward him, then sighed. She knew he would only ignore her. “Mrs. Kwon, the choices are?”

“Your mom,” she bit her lower lips and stared at the taller man, “wants you to quit or act in the drama she offered.”

“I’m not doing it,” She closed the documents and throws it on the table. A slapping sound could be heard and clearly, Lee Ji Eun was unhappy. “Tell my mom, I’m not doing it.” She stood up and run upstairs. It was three in the morning and she needed a good rest.

“But Ms. Lee!”

“Mrs. Kwon!” Jieun rebelled, running back to the table, as she took the document and stared at it. Then, she shifted her gaze toward the man and throws it at him. She was not happy at all. “Chauffer Kim, tell my mom I won’t be doing it. I’m not going to deal with anything she has.”

The man remained silent, while Jieun stormed upstairs. She was disappointed and unhappy. She was trying to be a good daughter, who tried to protect and fulfill her mother’s wishes but what her mom has asked for was impossible. Her mother tried to mingle with everything she does. She has had enough. For once, why couldn’t she let her be? Her mother never cared about her, so what with the suddenly intrusion? She hated this.

“Ms. Lee!” Mrs. Kwon knocked on her door. “If you think about this, don’t you think it’s the best offer? The drama will do nothing to harm you. I left the documents in here, okay?”

“I know this is too good to be true.” Jieun whispered. “Do you really come back for nothing, Jang Wooyoung?”

***

Jang Wooyoung was busy in Jieun’s work room with papers and documents all over the place. He was helping her with her boutique downtown and a bunch of office work. Perhaps he has stayed too long in Korea. He has to go back soon, or else the work would be too much for his assistant to handle. His phone hasn’t stopped ringing since morning and now it’s almost midnight. He was completely exhausted. Beside, Lee Ji Eun hasn’t come home for a week, which means he would have to deal with everything on his own.

He was curious though, why would Jieun’s mom asked him to go back to Korea and stayed as long as possible? In exchange, she was willing to support his company in financial terms and sponsored him in many events. Since then, his company sells has been increasing rapidly. Although it was good, still he felt guilty. Lee Ji Eun’s mom, Lee Ji Sook was not a kind woman. She was a woman full of plans and secret. He was afraid she might be planning something against her own child, something she has been doing for the past years. Jieun’s life has never been easy with Ji Sook controlling her around. Of course, it was a mother’s duty, wasn’t it? But why did it feel so wrong?

“Wooyoung, you are here!” Jieun sounded panic, when she found him in her working room. It was a mess but Wooyoung was too calm.

“Jieun, you’re back?” Wooyoung smiled and kissed her cheek. It was a friendly one, of course, or Myungsoo would haunt him down. The man has been over obsessive these days, especially when he couldn’t date her just yet. Jieun nodded in return.

“Don’t you have something to tell me?”

“Something to tell you?” Wooyoung raised an eyebrow and started to flip through the paper. Perhaps, he missed something. “Oh, about your boutique…. I think it will be good to….”

“Do you really have nothing to tell me?” Jieun whispered to herself, which made the man confused. He stared at her and she shook her head. She didn’t want him to know. “Do you really come back for nothing?”

“Jieun, did something happen?”

“Nothing happen.”

***

What was it that her mother wants? Every mother wanted the best for their children, either their son or daughter. Every mother loved their children. Every mother protected their children. Every mother was able to put their life on the line for their children. Jieun believed every mom would feel that way, that every mom was kind, that every mom was motherly. The same should go for her mom. So what was it that her mother wants?

Every single steps of her life, almost all of it, she spent it on her own. She was barely able to count to ten with her fingers, when her mother suddenly stepped out of her life and her father leave her behind. So what was the difference with being abandoned? Her mother hired a maid and sent her money, she sent her to school, and she helped her to become a designer. But was it what she really wants? Lee Ji Eun did not want money. Lee Ji Eun was okay if she didn’t become a designer. She would still be okay, if she couldn’t study at a good school. All she asked for was a mother love. Something she could never feel until today.

And on every single step where she tried hard not to tumble, her mother would mingle with her business. It was painful. What her mother asked for were things she did not wish to do. What her mother asked were things she decided on her own, without Jieun’s opinion being put in consideration. Jieun tried hard to understand what her mother’s wants and at times she would give up to her mother’s order. But what was it that her mother wants? Each time she fulfilled her mother’s wishes, it only hurt her even more. It never stopped, no matter how much she fulfilled them. She never cared; she never called, so why would she suddenly jump into her business? What she requests often hurt her.

She always wondered what her mother really wished for, but did her mother ever wonder what she wants? She took the trip to Paris, then London so she could see her mother and tried to work things out. Their relationship weren’t good; especially when they has not meet within the last fifteen or perhaps twenty years (she barely remembered anything about her mother). Even then, her mother refused to meet her, which hurt her even more. If she decided to fulfill another of her mother wishes, would mom finally stopped? She wanted this to stop, so she could stop hurting and stop hating her own mother.

She decided to take it, the offer. As Mrs. Kwon stated, it was the best offer so far, the only offer without thread. Aside from the latest, all of them would be followed with her mother’s budget cut for her, Pil Suk’s dropped out, her friends losing job, or her boutique being forcefully shut down. This offer was the simplest and less disadvantageous. Still, she was not comfortable. It was too plain for her mom to arrange. Her mom was a lot more… cunning. At least, the drama won’t hurt her or anybody else, except Kim Myungsoo who would go against it.

So, when her schedule finally ends on Sunday, she went to meet the INFINITE, early in the morning. It was four in the morning, when her schedules finally ended, and she decided to meet them. She knew it was either too early or too late; they would be completely exhausted, although Jieun doubted they would be resting. Being idols, rest was the last thing on their list. It was all singing, dancing, practicing, concerts, and schedules ahead.

And Kim Myungsoo had to plop out right in front of her, when she was thinking about what to say to him. He had this idiotic grin, despite his worn out body and droopy eyes. She forced a smile as he pulled her inside. The INFINITE were still up, watching some movies they immediately shut down when their eyes met. Sungjong grinned and hugged her while Hoya greeted her with some classy moves, which didn’t really work. Hoya was good at dancing, but his greeting was strange. So, she burst up laughing with the boys.

“So… what brings you here… when you need to sleep so badly?” Kim Myungsoo ran up to her and kissed her forehead. They both sat down next to each other with Jieun leaning against his chest. The other growled in disgust while Jieun turned red once again. Oh, Kim Myungsoo loves torturing her.

“I just want to tell you… I’m starring in a drama.” Jieun breathed in his scent. It was very comforting.

“You came all the way down here, risking your resting time, risking being exposed, risking everything just to tell me that? You could just text me or call me! You know I always text you and… sometimes call you. Or did you miss me?” He smirked and kissed her forehead again.

“I don’t,” she exclaimed, embarrassed. Slowly, she moved her position to a better one, snuggling closer to him, with him holding her tighter.

“And? You’re supposed to be excited, Jieun.” He was smiling, happy at her sudden presence. But as always, they knew each other too much. It didn’t take him long to know something was wrong. She simply shrugged while shutting both her eyes closed and took a deep breath. He knew she was troubled. “What’s wrong?” His eyes were full of concern.

“It’s a school life, musical drama… which is good because high school is good and I can sing more. But it’s romance. So there will be… romantic scenes… and my co-actor will be… Wooyoung.” She sighed and tugged him softly. “I know you don’t like it, but… Myung –“

“No, you’re not taking that role, Jieun.” He exclaimed and quickly stood up, causing her to stumble at the sudden lost of balance.

“Myungsoo… it’s my mom request. This is far the best she has offered me and –“

“Do you even know how Wooyoung feels about you? He likes you, Jieun! He likes you! How am I supposed to act knowing the two of you are going to act as lovers in a romance drama and I… What if he fell for you again? He still likes you! I mean…” He groaned, “Lee Ji Eun, you’re not taking that role!”

“Wooyoung is a childhood friends, Myungsoo. He won’t. I promised you, he won’t. He knew how I feel about you and he understands that. He knew how you feel about me. He knew how we feel about each other. He won’t be taking me away from you.”

“It’s a no!”

“Myungsoo… this can be my last chance to break free from my mom.”

“No, Jieun! No!”

“Myungsoo, it’s only Wooyoung!”

“It’s only Wooyoung?! That guy likes you, Jieun!”

“What are you, Myungsoo?! Why aren’t you trusting me?!”

“It’s as simple as a no! If you are coming to argue about this, then go home! Why are you even telling me these?!”

“Kim Myungsoo!” She raised her voice, which caused the seven boys to freeze. “Who are you to even control me? You’re not even my boyfriend! You have no rights to control me! You have no rights to decide what I will be doing! You have no rights to judge me! You are not my boyfriend!” She was angry. “I… I’m dead tired right now. Nothing is going the way I want them to be, but still I bring myself here, to told you I’m going to star in a drama with Wooyoung… and to explain everything to you so you can understand. I could have just act with him without talking to you! You are not my boyfriend, Myungsoo!”

When it was all silence, without Myungsoo barking back at her, she was already gasping. What she had done, bursting all her anger, almost took up all her energy. She could feel her temperature rising, then a sudden coldness rush through her. She inhaled deeply, and then exhaling loudly for couple of times. Then, she realized the silence was there for too long. She opened both her eyes to find seven pairs of eyes staring at her, wide and shocked. Myungsoo was staring at her with unreadable expression, but she could find pain hidden beneath them. What she had just said was insane. Oh, she shouldn’t have.

“Myungsoo…” She trailed but step back, she was afraid to approach him. It was her first time being so angry and upset over something. In fact, she was upset over everything and ended up bursting it all up, venting her anger at her loved ones. Did she lose her control? She did and it ended up badly. “I’m…. I’m… I’m sorry… I should just go home right now.” She quickly gathered her things and run to the door. “I’m really sorry.”

She closed it. 

Author Note

What am I even writing? I don't know anymore! -_- This is driving me insane. What should I do next? I have no idea. Last week fluff was enough to erase all the inspiration I had. But I think some of you like last week's fluff? I'll try providing much more... fluff? Read! Read! Comments are loved! Last week's respond was amazing! Thank you! Comments makes it less devastating to deal with writerblock.