“How dare you, Nana. How could you do this to me?” He said with utter bitterness on his strained voice. “I thought you were a friend!”

“Why are you putting this all on me Hong Jong Hyun?—” but before she could finish her argument, Jong Hyun cut her off. “Because you confirmed it! Christ, Nana. Why would you do that?” he said, his tone rising an octave.

With his tone, something inside Nana snapped and before she could even stop herself, the words came out like a firing machine gun. “You were the one who started treating me well—too well I should say. You were the one who asked me out that night, in case you don’t remember.” She finally blurted out after holding it in for so long.

Nana has been sitting on the black leather couch in Jong Hyun’s home for about one and a half hour listening mindlessly on his rants about the issue that went viral last night.

“So what if we went out that night? It wasn’t a date.”

His last words makes Nana flinch but Jong Hyun fails to notice as his attention was on the news ticker of the afternoon news that read: Hong Jong Hyun and After School Nana, reportedly dating.

She shifted her gaze to where Jong Hyun’s gaze were glued on and tried to suppress a victorious smug from emerging. After the headline had passed, he then faced her again, displeasure written all over his face.

“Well?” he demanded, his thick eyebrow furrowed in frustration.

Nana’s enjoying this. Her mischievous alter ego frenzied by the news when it broke. Not that this was a premeditated act of hers but because Jong Hyun finally saw her. She hated the fact that after being casted for We Got Married, he barely had the time to call her or meet up with her and whenever he does, all he talks about is Kim Ah Young.

“The news will die out sooner or later, okay? I’m pretty sure a new rumour will surface within a few days. Chill.”

“Chill? Nana what in the world are you talking about?! My career is at stake here not to mention my on-going work!”

To this, Nana has no answer. She remained quiet for a moment pondering on the right words to say. Her eyes wandered everywhere but avoided it to land on his intent gaze. Her hands were slightly shaking by his sudden outburst but she kept it inside her trench coat pocket, not wanting him to see her vulnerability.

But her silence only caused Jong Hyun’s rage to intensify.

Taking deep breaths, Jong Hyun was able to regain his composure and was able to end their conversation in two words before turning his back at her.

“You’re impossible.”

He collected his stuff and started toward the door. Just when he was about to reach for the knob, Nana heaved a long, deep sigh. For a second, he stopped moving but when he realized she wasn’t going to say anything more he turned the knob and opened the door wide.

Without looking at her, he said “Leave” to her coldly, enough for cold chills climb up her spine but she didn’t have to be told twice. She abruptly got to her feet and started at the door. As she approached her, Jong Hyun tilted his head to the side and pressed his back harder on the wall behind him to make sure he does not make any form of contact with her. Nana paused directly adjacent to him right before she took another step away from the threshold onto the corridor, they were incredibly close. Jong Hyun could faintly smell her shampoo from her long jet black hair, and she, in turn could see a few dust particles that have settled on his navy coloured pull over. “She isn’t worth the trouble, Jong oppa.” She said carefully before finally leaving. Hadn’t it been for their “friendship” or what’s left of it, he would’ve transformed to hulk right at that moment and punched her right in the gut.

“She has no right to use those words of endearment towards me. She sickens me. No woman other than Ah Young can call me Jong Oppa.”  He thought to himself while on his way to his car. His thoughts on the matter lasted for another fifteen good minutes before it dawned to him that today is another WGM filming day.

On his drive to MBC, all the frustration that he felt melted away at the thought of seeing Ah Young again but right after the comforting thought, the salacious gossip cannot just simply go unnoticed and that’s when he started wondering how he could at least alleviate the forthcoming awkwardness once they start filming.

He knew Ah Young more than any other guy in the entertainment industry and he knows very well that if there’s one thing that could lift Ah Young’s mood it’s definitely food and at that moment, he took a detour to the nearest food shop where he bought rice cakes, kimbap, sundae and jajangmyeon for everyone to share at the set.

When he finally arrived at the set, he started handing out the take out to each staff and as he did this for the next ten minutes his eyes secretly wandered around looking for Ah Young but she hasn’t arrived yet. With the idea of their PD-nim, they started filming him while he prepared their food while waiting for Ah Young. The staff left the house as soon as the cameras were on record and without further ado, he removed his coat and grabbed the plates from the cabinet with ease and placed them at the coffee table where they’ve shared numerous meals together.

Then there was a knock.

For a second, he froze and waited for someone to enter the door but no one came in.

“Is she playing tricks on me again?” he blurted playfully not aware of the ominous event that awaits him at the doorstep.

Before opening the door, he cautiously peeked outside but when he realized that Ah Young is out of sight he swung the door open wide and spotted the red envelope on the side. He groans at the envelope with furrowed eyebrows before muttering a bitter “not you again”. Reluctantly, he picked it up and brought it inside. The pristine white paper felt cold in his hands and as he carefully read the words written on it, his expression went from tender to rigid. He felt his knees go weak and well aware of the cameras that are rolling; he made it sure that he landed on the two-seater couch.

His grip on the paper tightened as his eyes read the words: “Your virtual marriage ends today.”

He has been an actor for five years, had starred in various dramas and movies but it wasn’t until today that he had a full grasp of how sad and heart-rending endings can be. To say that he is sad is an understatement, what he felt was something deeper, a far more melancholic emotion that he can’t seem to quantify with words at the moment.  He felt a cold breeze kiss his cheek and he shudders reflexively.

He checks the door and saw he had left it slightly ajar. He clicks his tongue before starting toward the door but before his long fingers reached the knob, the door flew open and there he stood frozen and saw Ah Young with much enthusiasm. Instinctively, he reached out for her for a hug and for a second, a smile almost blossomed on his thin lips but before it even showed, he saw a glimpse of remorse in her eyes and in that moment, a flash of certainty hits him.

She knows.

Indeed, Ah Young already knows about the news and that it’s their last day today.

Of course she knows. Who else would’ve persuaded the producer to cancel the show but her? As soon as the realization dawned upon him, his heart sank and a tear escaped as soon as he locked his arms around her.