“Minho is taking some time off, he’s distressed,” Sunggyu stated placidly.

“Why? What happened to him?” Seujong inquired immediately, a worried look clouding her face.

“Nothing significant, he's just emotionally,” Sunggyu glanced at Myungsoo, “not fit. He'll be with us as soon as possible.”
The editors exchanged glances, most of them sporting confused expressions. Over the past few days, they had been bombarded with too much information not related to their work, so it was understandable for them to feel lost and curious. But now was not the time to speculate; with the Taiwan fashion week coming up, Myungsoo had to get his team together and away from any distractions.

“So we're not using Minho hyung’s stuff for Taiwan?” Neil asked dejectedly.

Sunggyu looked at Myungsoo in askance. He had made his decision already and even if their situation was desperate, he was not going to back down from it.

“No I've scrapped that project.”

There was a collective round of gasps around the table. It was very rare for a designer to have their projects cancelled, especially someone like Minho, who worked in close concert with the chief editor. Myungsoo couldn’t explain to the others what had prompted him to take this decision since it was, to a certain extent, personal. Besides, even if he allowed the executive editor to carry on with his fall line, he would have demanded Sungjong as his model. Only yesterday, he had demonstrated that he couldn’t be trusted with Sungjong.

“But then...Royals? They will definitely have an ace up their sleeves!” Mijoo interjected.

His team was very competitive, which was a good thing. This industry was cutthroat, so they always had to stay one step ahead. When Myungsoo had first gathered this team – younger in average than one would expect – people had expressed their doubts. But they had served him well through the years and while they were collecting expertise slowly, their youth and fresh way of thinking had given the magazine a vibrant edge.

However, at times of desperate needs, they looked up to him for a solution, and he had one ready for this occasion.

“We're going to reveal something from Jungyeol’s new winter collection,” he stated firmly. It wasn’t a situation where he could waver.

Jungyeol was one of their best designers and he already had some impressive works stacked up for the winter edition of their magazine. Using one of those would let people know that they had plenty of goodness where that came from early in the winter, creating a hype, and also impress the audience at Taiwan fashion week.

“They are just designs right now though, and we don't have time. We’re already busy with the other fittings and-”

Myungsoo stopped Himchan in mid-sentence. He looked at the concerned faces around the table. They were young and eager. They were good at their jobs but they needed a leader. Myungsoo had performed that job seamlessly over the past few years and he was not about to give up now. Even with one executive editor down, he knew they could do it.

“Mijoo you're in charge of Jungyeol’s piece. Go through his designs, find me the star of the show. Once I approve it, your job is to hurry it through production – top priority - get a model and go to fitting. Your responsibilities will be taken care of by Niel and Seujong.” He looked at the two of them, who nodded in perfect sync. He glanced back at Mijoo. “Your only task for the next few days is to get this one dress perfected in time for Taiwan, understood?”

Mijoo looked nervous but she nodded determinedly. She worked well under pressure and had an eye for details. He was confident in her abilities and his plan.

“Okay now, that’s done. Reports, please.”

Each of the editors came up with their own weekly reports. It helped Myungsoo to get the whole picture and decide where to make changes, if any was needed.

Woohyun’s typing was a bit distracting, but he knew Sungjong’s would have been even more so. Now that Sungjong had quit his job, it was up to Woohyun to fulfil his role as a secretary. However, Sungjong quitting and the Taiwan fashion week looming over them at the same time meant that he very rarely got to see the younger or talk to him. He had never realised how busy his job kept him before. Because before Sungjong, he hadn’t needed to divert his attention to anything else other than his work, but now, he wished he could spend more time with him.

At least we’re getting married soon, he thought happily. They were set to go on their honeymoon, to Taiwan, where he would be busy with his work for the first few days. The plan had been originally devised to keep him away from Jiyeon during the honeymoon but now that he was marrying Sungjong, it ended up backfiring. However, Sungjong had gracefully agreed to it, so he was relieved.

After the meeting was over, Sunggyu gave him a sign that he wanted to speak to him alone. Myungsoo instructed everyone else to leave.

When the room was empty apart from the two of them, Sunggyu said thoughtfully, “Minho will probably not be back in a while. He’s shattered.”

“I see,” Myungsoo commented. He didn’t know what to think about Minho – he hadn’t come across the type to be devastated by the loss of one of his crushes. “Does he have any family in Seoul to look after him?”

“An ex-boyfriend of his is looking after him. Park Hyungshik, I think he said.”

“Oh.” Myungsoo was close with Minho, but not enough to know about his family affairs. They did have a drink together now but it was all work-related. It wasn’t like how he was with Sungyyu.

“It seemed pretty serious, whatever Sungjong and Minho had between them,” Sunggyu pressed, giving him a pointed glance.

It was a bit disturbing; he had no idea how far ahead Minho and Sungjong’s relationship had progressed. But he remembered the party when Minho had tried to force himself on Sungjong – the younger had not liked it. If they really loved each other, why would Sungjong try to stop him or confess to him later on that he loved Myungsoo?

“No, it was one-sided,” he replied curtly.

“But this is Sungjong we’re talking about. You know very well how he had been during his University life.”

“He’s changed. And I’ll appreciate it if you don’t bring up the past anymore. We’re trying to make a future together, you understand right?”

His friend nodded, but looked dissatisfied. Sunggyu was probably worried for him but he couldn’t explain it to him how Sungjong had changed. Words couldn’t explain what their relationship was like now.

“Trust me, Sunggyu. I know what I’m doing,” he said, patting his friend on the arm.

“Has it ever occurred to you that he might be marrying you because of his debts?”

“Debts? What debts?”

Sunggyu’s lips curved into a pitiful smile.

“So he hasn’t even told you,” he sneered. “Sungjong has lots of student loans to repay, plus, he hasn’t been paying the rent for his apartment for three months now.” He sat back, in apparent satisfaction, perhaps believing that he had successfully defiled Sungjong’s image with this piece of information.

Myungsoo was startled – Sungjong had been struggling financially but he hadn’t informed him about it? He could have helped him in a second. What was the younger thinking, keeping these things from him?

Is he ashamed?

“I’ll take care of it,” he told Sunggyu firmly. The executive editor looked surprised by his reaction. “Everything will be fine, I promise. Get me Howon, will you? I need to talk to him.”

Howon bowed respectfully before dragging a chair and sitting down. They had been friends for quite a while now but Howon had always intrigued him. He was respectful, responsible, and smiled very little, kind of like how Myungsoo had been before. But he didn’t know much about his personal life. He had never mentioned a girlfriend or boyfriend and he had never been one for deep conversations. As a result, Myungsoo always felt that there was too much about his friend that he didn’t know.

Grinning at him, he said lightly, “You need to find me another assistant PA, Howon. Woohyun’s already struggling.”

Howon raised his well-defined eyebrows questioningly.

“Sungjong quit. He wanted me to tell you.”

“Is he alright?” Howon leaned forward, suddenly concerned.

“He’s fine. It’s just…you know, with us getting married soon, it’s better for him to be away from the office. With the gossips and all.”

His friend stared at him with unblinking eyes, as if judging the veracity of his words. It was a bit unnerving to be stared down by Howon, and Myungsoo wondered why the man showed so much concern when it came to Sungjong. He had mentioned before that he was a friend of Sungjong’s cousin – was that all?

Finally breaking eye contact, he said gravely, “I’m glad it's you he chose, not Minho. I don't trust Minho one bit.”

“Thanks, I'm flattered,” Myungsoo replied, surprised by the seriousness in Howon's voice. It was almost as if he had been worried about Sungjong making the wrong choice; which was strange, since he was not the type to meddle in someone else’s personal business. He was usually drawn, not affected by situations around him. It didn’t seem like it was negative attention, but he couldn’t think why he would be interested in him the first place.

“I don't understand, why do you care so much?” he finally asked, not being able to hold his curiosity down.

Howon looked straight at him, his expression blank. It took him some time to finally answer.

“Sungjong is my matter of interest,” he said clearly in an emotionless voice.

Myungsoo almost dropped his cup. That was the weirdest thing Howon had ever said and no matter how much he thought about it, he simply couldn’t understand the statement. He searched his face, perhaps for unrequited love, a flash of sadness, anything, but his poker face held.

“What do you mean?”

Howon’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he said, “Make him happy, alright?” With that he stood up, ready to leave. Myungsoo knew there was no point questioning him farther since he wouldn’t talk about it if he didn’t want to. He nodded his head to dismiss him.

The uneasiness Howon had put in him by speaking about Sungjong so familiarly dissipated soon. It didn’t matter if someone else was in love with Sungjong, because he knew the younger was in love with him. As long as they stayed true to each other, no one could come between them.

---

The sky was gloomy right from the morning. With any luck, it would start snowing soon.
Sungjong loved when it snowed. He didn’t know exactly why but he’d always craved the light purity of snowflakes. Watching snow fall softly, without any sound, helped to calm him down. It was the kind of thing he'd go and watch, dropping anything he was doing.

The world so wicked and the snow blessed the earth with its fragile beauty. The contrast between the hard, permanent earth to the soft ephemeral snow amazed him - kind of like his frail heart that hadn't been capable of loving fully in contrast to Myungsoo’s ever constant feelings.

The first snow of the season was always special, and he wished Myungsoo would be there when it happened this year. At Myungsoo’s thought, his mind lightened and a smile crept up to his lips. Like a reflex, his eyes dropped to the engagement ring on his finger.

It's true, it's not a dream.

Truth be told, he had never once thought about getting married. That fantasy never existed for him, not even when he had first fallen in love with Munsoo. So when it came to the actual thing, he had no expectations. It couldn't be that different from just dating Myungsoo...but even there, he was unsure what it entailed. All his relationships had been rocky - they started out fine, rode for a month or so, but then everything turned ugly. So he had no real expectations. But one thing was for sure, he knew it was going to be different this time.

His ex-boyfriends had been selfish but Myungsoo...sometimes, he worried that he didn’t love Myungsoo as much as the elder loved him. No, it wasn’t like he didn’t completely love Myungsoo; he did, he was fully committed to him, but it just felt like the elder’s heart was bigger, his love wider.

Myungsoo was a romantic at heart. From what he had said, he surmised that the elder associated lots of meaning to their wedding and even their engagement. He just hoped he could meet all his expectations. He was a bit rough around the edges and he hoped Myungsoo would be able to smoothen him out with his gentle touch.

Am I depending too much on him?

But Myungsoo gave him the kind of feeling that told him that it was okay to count on him. It was like he wanted to be responsible for him. That reminded him, he hadn’t talked to Myungsoo since the morning. He was probably at work, busy, or else he would have called him by now. He had quit his job only yesterday, after he and Myungsoo had come to the decision that it would be best for him to leave the office. The elder had mentioned something along the lines of being uneasy about paparazzi knowing where to find him. Even though he hadn’t elaborated, it was evident that he would be more relieved if he quit. He would miss Sungyeol, but they could still keep in touch.

It was a pity that he had to quit when Woohyun and Taemin were beginning to show the slightest signs of warming up to him, but every time he thought about Sunggyu and his malicious gaze, the idea that he had taken the right decision grew stronger. Besides, even though Minho had taken a few days off, he would eventually return and he didn’t know how to face him then.

To his relief, Myungsoo had promised to talk to Howon about it rather than have Sungjong post another resignation letter. He couldn’t face the man again, saying he was leaving. He had been really nice to him and he didn’t want to explain to him why he had to quit.

The urge to speak to Myungsoo was growing within him every minute. He looked around for his phone, hoping to leave him a message to call him when he wasn’t busy, when the doorbell rang. His heart lurched pleasantly – maybe Myungsoo was here to surprise him!

He skipped to the door and threw it open, ready to fling himself into Myunsoo’s welcoming arms.
However, his face fell when he saw the man waiting at the door. He quickly retreated his hands, wincing at having been in so close proximity with the man; the smell of cigarettes filled his nostrils. Backing away slowly with an awful sinking sensation in his stomach, he met the strangely gleaming eyes of Kim Sunggyu.

“Hardly what I would expect from an engaged man, but then again, it’s you. I know you want me, but you don’t have to be this obvious.” Sunggyu smirked, smoothening out the invisible creases of his impeccable suit.

His first instinct was to slam the door shut on the man’s face but he was too afraid to move. Sunggyu took the chance to cross over the threshold and show himself into the living room. Shutting the door, he followed him slowly, his mind in panic. He knew very well why Sunggyu was here and it was not to congratulate him.

“I have to give it to you Sungjong,” Sunggyu sneered the moment he entered the living room hesitantly. It was his house, so why was he feeling so little? Sunggyu’s voice was calm as usual and it scared him. It was the calm before the storm, he knew too well. He remembered the last time they had met. The blisters on his hands had disappeared but the memory hadn’t faded. Today, he wasn’t smoking but Sungjong was sure he was capable of anything.

“Here you are, living in this flat with 3 months’ rent due, student loans that would take ages to be repaid, but it’s all right because you scored a rich...husband,” he drawled, looking around the room with interest.

Gritting his teeth he kept quiet. If Sunggyu just wanted to insult him with words that was fine. He just wanted him to leave. But what he was uncomfortable about was how the man knew so much about his personal affairs. He hadn’t told anyone about his debts, not even Myungsoo – how could he have known?

“I like ambitious people, I really do. But then your ambition clashed with mine – that’s when I had to warn you.” He the spot, rounding on Sungjong, who was sweating profusely by now. He felt a blast of cold air hitting his face as Sunggyu’s eyes met his, his cold cruel eyes. There was not a hint of human in those eyes; they were set in stone.

“Do you know how hard it had been to get Myungsoo to marry Jiyeon at this critical time?”

He couldn’t stay quiet anymore. His curiosity spoke before his sense could catch up.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

‘To get Myungsoo to marry Jiyeon’ - rang in his ear. Why would he say that? Jiyeon had been Myungsoo’s girlfriend; of course he would want to marry her. So what did the executive editor mean when he said he was the one who had brought about the wedding?

Sunggyu made a face only. He wanted to press him, but he didn’t know how to. Every time the executive editor moved closer to him, he seemed to be paralysed with terror. But it bothered him, what he had said. The other day too he had been talking about his plans. It occurred to him that Sunggyu’s job might not only be to make decisions for Star Magazine. What this plan was and how Myungsoo’s wedding fitted into it, he had no idea but he realised that Sunggyu was a clever but crooked man with ulterior motives.

I have to be careful, he thought, trying to devise a plan to get rid of him.

An emotionless expression frozen on his face, he slowly circled around Sungjong, like he was hunting down his prey. Sungjong felt helpless in front of his piercing gaze. If it came to physical strength, he wouldn’t be able to take on the well-built man. But would he really attack him in his own house?

“I hate it when my plans don’t play out perfectly,” he said through gritted teeth, disgust etched on his face. “I really, really hate it. Minho has plenty of money, so do I.  Why did you have to go for Myungsoo?”

Sungjong swallowed. He had no idea how to answer, or whether to answer at all. How long would he be subjected to this uncomfortable situation?

“And you know what, I’d have given you a lot more freedom than that whiny baby ever will.”

The insult aimed at Myungsoo caused him to feel terrible anger at the man, more than when he had insulted him.

“You!” Sungjong scoffed, surprised by his own daring. “I’d never in my right mind choose you!”

Like lightning, Sunggyu’s hand struck his across his face, causing his cheek to sting. There was a look of complete hatred in his eyes as he held his shoulders and pushed him hard up against the wall. Sungjong felt his spine connect painfully with the wall, drawing a single cry from his mouth. Seething uncontrollably, Sunggyu stared down at him, throwing another square punch at his face.

“Is all this attitude because of your pretty face?” he demanded, his face dangerously close to his. “Or is it because you have a pretty body?”

A stabbing pain clawed at his jaw where he had been punched. He was screaming continuously in his head, praying so that the elder man would stop.

I need to get away from him, he thought frantically. The next moment, his grip on him loosened, causing him to make a beeline for the other side of the room. He searched for something, anything, to use as a weapon.  But before he could find a defensive stance, Sunggyu grabbed him by the hair and threw him to the ground, kicking him hard on the stomach.

Quickly dropping to his knees, he raised his fist and hit him again. Sungjong closed his eyes in pain but he could feel the hard knuckles make contact with his cheekbone. He could taste iron in his mouth as his entire body burned.  Either he was too exhausted to produce a scream or he knew it wouldn’t do him any good, so he simply lay limp on the ground, hoping the nightmare would be over soon. Why did every encounter with this man turn out to be a nightmare he didn’t wish to repeat? What had he ever done to him?

As if to answer his question, Sunggyu straddled his waist, his full weight pinning him down to the ground. With a vicious look in his eyes, he raised his hand once again and Sungjong closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. But instead of his fist, he felt his hand take a firm hold of his chin and the next moment, he felt a pair of lips crashing down on his own. He kissed him violently, there was nothing sweet or romantic about it. It was almost as if he was trying to cause him pain through the interaction of their lips. He felt his teeth scrape across his bottom lip, biting down hard enough to draw blood. His mouth moved furiously across his lips and down his jaw, changing from the violent kisses to forceful nibbles and bites on his skin.

This was the second time in two days he had been kissed against his will. Both of them had been actions of hatred and while he understood Minho, he had no idea what warranted such an action from Sunggyu. It didn’t make any sense and he was in too much pain to think of a reason. He just wanted it to be over, his body had no strength to resist him and he felt hot, angry tears burst out of his eyes.

Why is it always me?

“There is no one,” Sunggyu whispered on his skin, pausing mid-bite, “no one who angers me and arouses me as much as you do, and at the same time too.”

His words were like fire on his skin. The elder seemed to have calmed down a bit, his movements slower. Maybe he was a bit distracted.

I have to do something now.

Sunggyu threw his head back, appreciating the marks he had no doubt left on Sungjong’s throat.

“What is it about you, I wonder,” he muttered thoughtfully, furrowing his brows, as if he was trying to discern an answer in the marks he had left on Sungjong’s skin.

His head throbbed, his joints ached, and he was sure he was bleeding. He felt paralysed on his lower torso, where Sunggyu was sitting possessively. Everything was against him but he had to rack up his courage if he wanted to live – because surely, the executive editor was perfectly capable of murdering him.

“And here I thought I was straight.” Sunggyu chuckled to himself, lowering his head once more to resume his task.

“If you do this I’ll tell Myungsoo. I’ll-I’ll call the police.” He wished his voice didn't crack in the middle, making it sound like he was bluffing. He was not though; he had had enough. He just hoped it was enough to stop the horrible man.

“No, you're not,” Sunggyu said calmly, but at the same time, he backed away. Looking him straight in the eyes, he sneered, “You know why, because you're a coward. You used Minho as a shield all this time because you couldn't live with your mistakes and now you have wrecked someone's wedding. You're the lowest of the low.”

“I am not!” Sungjong wanted to protest, but how could he when it was true had wrecked a wedding. Even if everything else Sunggyu had accused him of weren't true, there was the fact that he had almost forced Myungsoo to get married to him. Suddenly, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He thought about Jiyeon again, even though he had promised not to.

If I were in her shoes right now, I’d go crazy.

All of a sudden, the tears in his eyes weren’t angry tears anymore, rather tears of apology. Sunggyu was right – he had destroyed something he had no right to destroy and he was shameless about it. He was so occupied in these thoughts that he didn’t even realise Sunggyu had gotten up, freeing him. He was straightening his tie and brushing his hair back with his fingers.

For what seemed like after five whole minutes, Sungjong sat up. He hadn’t noticed when his shirt had been ripped, baring his chest. He saw a few purple marks littered around his collarbone. Quickly, he did his buttons so that he didn’t have to see the hateful marks.

Sunggyu finally looked down at him, contempt etched in every line of his face.

“So I suppose we have a deal. You hold your tongue and I let you ruin someone else’s life.” He spoke the words nonchalantly, like it wasn’t a big deal, like he hadn’t just assaulted Sungjong in his own living room. It was disgusting and Sungjong felt pathetic, but he silently agreed.

He started walking towards the door, when he paused, mid-step.

“He'll regret it, Myungsoo will. He will regret even meeting you.” His voice was so firm that it sounded more like a prediction, not a speculation, like he knew for sure.

That scared Sungjong. It had been a constant worry for him ever since he had agreed to marry Myungsoo – what if he couldn’t be what Myungsoo wanted him to be? What if he disappointed him, again?

No, I can’t. I can’t do that to him again.

“I won't give him a reason to,” he whispered, praying at the same time that it would be the truth. He’d do everything in my power to not make Myungsoo regret his decision.