Sungjong

Any words that tried to escape my mouth were immediately choked up in my throat. What was he even doing here? Was it not clear enough that he should vanish from my life? The mere presence of him in front of me just bothered me to no end. Sensing the awkwardness in the air, Sungyeol said, "So....do you guys know each other somehow?"

"Yes, we more than know each other well enough," Myungsoo replied, a devilish grin appearing on his face.

I shuddered at his smugness. "He means that we used to date back then," I said coldly. After a few more moments of awkwardness, I continued. "So you're telling me, that I have to work with Myungsoo for the rest of the project?" I nervously asked Sungyeol.

"That's correct. He's my close friend and the lead model, and you're the cute visual and the lead designer. Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but it's too late to go back on my decision." He gave me a cute pat on the cheek out of sympathy.

Myungsoo was totally not approving of that action.

It was actually quite common for him to feel jealousy during our long relationship. The moment some barista or waiter hit on me, his arm would spring out and around my waist, locking me into an iron grip. In fact, he did this so often that I felt like a child's toy that wasn't to be forgotten. The attention from him was nice, but not when it was in an overprotective manner. It was actually one of the pleasing benefits I got from breaking up with him. 

Now, was a different story. Maybe if he hadn't left me, then things would be alright. If he was still with me, I probably wouldn't have to almost sleep in the park in the rain. I could have a better life, and a better opportunity at pursuing my dream. And on top of all, I definitely wouldn't have a trail of guys after me.

After my thoughts were done processing, I came to a conclusion. Whatever happened through this adventure of lovers, I had to stay to what my heart wanted instead of just wishing for a long-lasting relationship. I should not get blinded by the promise of marriage, and must keep my senses alert of anything that is thrown at me. 

At that moment, Sungyeol's phone rang. He whipped it out to check the caller, and gave us a gesture suggesting that it was very important. He left the room, leaving me and Myungsoo alone together. Probably not a good idea.

"What's your problem?" I lashed out rather offensively.

"What? Are you asking why I'm here?" I nodded, a look of disgust clearly on my face.

"Once Sungyeol started oozing over who his new designer was, I knew I had to meet the little prince," he teased in reply. Myungsoo tried to pinch my cheeks, but I immediately elbowed his hands away from my face.

"Haven't you got a hint yet? I want absolutely nothing to do with you!" I spat out.

"Oh, but you have to deal with it. I know how much you need this job, and I know how much you like Sungyeol. You always talked about how amazingly attractive he was back when we were dating, and I always hated it." He seemed a bit angered, but otherwise his grin kept on spreading wider and wider. I wanted to make it disappear with my fist. 

However, everything he said was true, even though I hated it. I really did need this project in order to give a chance for a breakthrough in the fashion industry. I would just have to deal with possibly, the worst model that I have ever been assigned. No problem at all. Sure Myungsoo could be a big jerk sometimes, but he couldn't be that bad with me right?

Suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around my backside, and I was pulled right into Myungsoo. What's it with everyone and pulling me close to them?

"I missed this, you know?" he spoke. The words from his mouth flowed smoothly, and I did not want to hear them. 

"You're married, have you forgotten?" I scolded, keeping my eyes locked on the ground. I tried to avoid glancing at any of his facial features, as they brought back old memories that I did not want to be reminded of.

"You knew that I had to get married to a girl one day. If I didn't, my acting career could have gotten off to a really rough start." he reasoned

"Yeah, whatever. I'm sure you're happier with Doyeon anyway, so congrats on the marriage." I sarcastically retorted, feeling even bitterer than ever.

"No girl could ever beat you Sungjongie, and you know that," he cooed, moving his face closer to mine. Seeing where this was going, I brought up my hand to roughly shove his lips away before they made contact at all. I must have been getting used to this same cycle by now. 

"Don't even think about doing that until you understand what you put me through!" I yelled. "If you want me back at all, you would've tried hard to a long time ago." I saw a sad expression on his face, but I felt no guilt in it. If I was going to fall back into his arms, he'd have to compete with other people now.

Sungyeol finished his call and re-entered the room, still able to sense the tension. "Hey Myungsoo, we got to go back to filming our drama. They said that some of the scenes were ruined, so we have to redo them now." By instinct, I let out a huge sigh, relieved of the fact that Myungsoo wouldn't have to stay here any longer.

"Aww, I wanted to stay longer," Myungsoo whined. The nerve that he had to say that.

I merely groaned at his words, and turned to Sungyeol instead. "Bye Sungyeol!" I cheerfully said, liking him better than Myungsoo. Surprisingly, he pulled me into a tight hug and rested his head on my shoulder. The feeling sent butterflies into my stomach.

"Ah hyung! I know that I'm doing your project, but no need to be so excited over it." I felt almost crushed by the strong hug.

"I know, Sungjong. But I can't tell you how very, very grateful I am that you are doing this. From the moment that I laid my eyes on you, I knew that you would be the perfect fit for this. You're really amazing, you know that." Hearing the star's compliments, I blushed a deep shade of red. 

During this whole exchange, I could see Myungsoo fuming in the corner of my eyes. Sure it wasn't visible to Sungyeol, but after two years of experience, I could tell his signs of discomfort - tapping his foot quickly, taking in deep breaths through his nose, it was all too easy for me to notice. 

Seeing the jealousy that Myungsoo had gave me a nice idea to try out. I untangled myself from Sungyeol's grip and leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. If that wasn't enough to send Myungsoo over the edge, then I don't know what was. Suddenly, he took a red-faced Sungyeol by the arm and dragged him out of the office abruptly. I smirked at the scene that had just happened.

Even though I hated calling this a competition, it seemed very suiting to describe everything that was going on. There were rivalries between all the men that were chasing me, and the tensions were easily felt between them. My feelings for all of them were quite jumbled up in my head, as they could change any moment. For example, I might've still liked Myungsoo, and I might've hated him totally. Who knows? My heart would decide what's right for me in the end anyway.

The only factor bothering me was how I have the control over six hearts. I never liked hurting people who had done no wrong to me; all they had done was like me. But whether I liked it or not, I couldn't just live my life happily ever after with six men constantly fighting over me. No, five of their hearts will end up being crushed by me. But specifically for Myungsoo, he would have a rough time in this contest.

He may have won me over once, but he'll have to try hard if he wants to do it a second time.

~~~

An hour later, I was still working on Sungyeol's project while asking Kibum for advice. "Kibum, have you ever really liked one of the people that you've worked with?" It was an honest question.

"Well, one time I had a relationship with the old secretary, but it didn't last. If you're talking about now, then yes it is very true. Currently, my model and I kind