Suzy watched every time his chest rose and she listened to every calm breath he made. She stared at the man sleeping beside her soundly and her fingers lightly traced the features of his face. The male scrunched up his nose when Suzy’s finger grazed on it, and she giggled as he snuggled up closer to her.

“You’re up so early, Su,” he whispered as he fluttered one of his eyes open and peeked at the girl who was staring at him.

“Good morning, Soo,” Suzy replied and beamed at him but the boy closed his eyes once more.

She giggled as she added, “We have to get up for work.”

“Five minutes,” he mumbled and Suzy watched as his adam’s apple rose and drop as he gulped and his lips fell slightly gaped as he fell into sleep once more.

She pressed her face onto his chest and inhaled his scent, as if trying to memorize every piece of him. She closed her eyes as she tried to sleep again because she too did not want this simple yet precious moment to end where the man she loves deeply lies perfectly beside her.

The man whom she loved all her life, but she can never claim as hers.

Both of them jerked as the barking of the dog woke them up. Myungsoo groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, before he yawned and tears formed on the corner of his eyes as he drowsily said,

“Good morning Damon.”

Suzy smiled as she lifted her head up and saw the puppy wagging its tail at them. It has always been near seven in the morning when their pet would bark continuously until either of them wakes up. They found it convenient because Damon had become an unexpected alarm clock.

She finally sat up and kissed his shoulder blade before letting her head rest on his arm. Myungsoo took a peek at her from his shoulder and both of them smiled sweetly at each other.

“Do you want to shower together?” Myungsoo grinned naughtily. “It’ll save time.”

Suzy let out a scoff as she answered, “How about you cook while I take a shower? That’ll save time too.”

Even before Myungsoo could answer, Suzy stood up and headed for the bathroom, shutting the door close before her. Myungsoo nodded as he said to himself, “Of course. That’s also an option.”

He groaned as he plopped himself back to the bed and shouted, “I still like my suggestion best!”

“Shut up and start cooking!” Suzy yelled from the bathroom and Myungsoo heard the faint rustling of water and he felt Damon biting his toe. He once again sat up as he spoke to the puppy,

“Are you hungry?”

Damon barked and wagged its tail more. Myungsoo grinned as he said, “I bet your owner is too, so let’s go prepare food.”

Suzy was fully dressed up as she grabbed the smaller towel to dry her hair when her eyes caught glimpse of a ring lying inside the cabinet in her bathroom. She grabbed it and just like every time, she had the urge to throw it away but she always told herself that she was mature enough to know that throwing away the ring wouldn’t change the fact that Myungsoo was already married.

Suzy was at her first year of high school when she first met Myungsoo who at that time was in his senior year. Being the eldest child, she craved for the love of an older brother, and her partner in photography contest, Myungsoo, was the one who gave her a taste of it. He took care of her in every way possible and the males in their school who were interested in Suzy did not even stand any chance as both spent most of their time together.

When Myungsoo graduated and both of them were still seeing each other frequently, somehow they knew that their love for each other grew more than that of the love of an older brother to a younger sister, or the love of a sunbae to a hoobae. It came to the point that both felt that it was beyond partnership and friendship- it was romance.

She was in her third year high school when they started dating. It was not easy; his parents did not approve of her because of the difference between their social status. She was the smart girl who had a family back in the province rooting for her to graduate and alleviate them from poverty. He was the son who was raised to take care of the family business. She still remembered how they both dreamed to be famous photographers but he studied Accountancy and Business Administration instead while she studied Economics. She still remembered how hard she worked for to get a scholarship in Myungsoo’s university and she succeeded in doing so. It had always been a tough road for their relationship but neither gave up.

When they were in college, they talked about the jobs they would have and the family they would build.  Suzy still remembered how Myungsoo insisted for them to have five children while she on the other hand, only wished for twins, one boy and one girl because she found bearing children difficult to handle. Myungsoo would surrender in the end when Suzy would talk about how men would never know how pregnancy is like. They would then talk about their dream wedding, and the conversation will go on as they planned for the future. However, both knew that not all plans become realities and they learned it the hard way when Myungsoo’s family went bankrupt and he was forced into an arranged marriage.

She still remembered how she cried in the rain when Myungsoo broke the news to her. She was sobbing continuously and she knew that Myungsoo was crying too but he promised her that he would never leave her. He promised her that he would not let their relationship go to waste and Suzy thought that he was lying until he proved otherwise.

It was a Sunday afternoon when Myungsoo held tight of Suzy’s hand as they went into the café. They headed to the table where a girl too familiar was already sitting. Suzy knew her as the girl who was at the same year with her but has the same course as Myungsoo’s. She was the girl whom Suzy always caught stealing glances at her boyfriend.

“This is Bae Suzy, my girlfriend,” Myungsoo introduced her, emphasizing his last word.

“Hi,” the girl replied with a sad smile and Suzy could only bow to her in reply.

“And this is Jung Soojung, my fiancée,” he turned to Suzy and stared at her with concern but Suzy gave him an assuring smile because she knew that if there was a broken heart between the three of them, it was not hers.

It was a Sunday afternoon when Myungsoo insisted that he could love no woman other than Suzy and he could never give Suzy to another man. He tried so hard to convince Soojung to break the engagement off, because it was the only way he could escape the already planned future his parents had prepared for him.

“But your family’s business would continue its downfall when you don’t marry me,” Soojung said.

“But I already told yo