The sound of Soeun's metal chopsticks could be heard falling to the ground as also fell open. 

"Are you going to accept the offer?" Somi asked as she re-read the message sent by Soeun's manager.

Soeun heard her sister but she couldn't respond or rather didn't know how to respond. 

Having met Jaerim a month prior to today, Soeun was still acknowledging the events of their last meeting and accepting that maybe this would be their relationship from now on: a friendly oppa-dongsaeng relationship. 

After the aftermath of facing rejection more than 2 years ago, Soeun had gotten over Jaerim and was happy that she could live her life without constantly thinking of his whereabouts, his feelings, his life, like an obsessive fangirl. She was happy that time had healed her heart.

"Time is pain," he told her once during filming. "That's why the more time we spend together, the harder it'll be to part." 

At that time, she thought he was having an emotional day, but months later, she found out for herself the truth behind those words. The beautiful memories with Jaerim, had become painful to look back on without crying. There were a lot of emotions that she had felt during those 9 months, and she knew that he had dealt with the same blossoming feelings of love and pain, perhaps even more than her. He had prepared himself beforehand in regards to their inevitalble divorce on the show, because he had made up his mind that they would not continue whereas she had been to oblivious to their virtual divorce, to her feelings and to the prospect that Jaerim would reject her, when she was sure he loved her.  

"Unnie, what should I text back to your manager?"

Soeun knew saying "Yes" meant she'd be opening up her heart to old wounds that she believed she had closed. No matter how convinced she was that she was over Jaerim, no matter how much believed that she would keep her feelings in check, doing a drama with him was going to be a risk. 

But Soeun liked challenges. In fact, she had more adrenaline pump through her blood than a guy when a challenge came up. 

"Tell him I'll come sign the papers today."

⊱✿ ✿⊰

She got a text from him the next day, telling her how excited he was that they were going to do another project together.

"Let's do well," he texted her.

She snorted at how nostalgic it felt to the first time they had met on September 11th, 2014. They had written 10 questions to each other, and right off the bat Jaerim had given her his phone number along with the message: "Can we do well?"

"Of course we will, oppa. Remember, that we are colours that match well with award-winning chemistry," Soeun replied. There was no lie there. They had won an award based on their sizzling chemistry and chemistry alone. After We Got Married ended, she expected PDs to  pair them up in a drama shortly after so she was suprised that it took this long for an offer to come. However, Soeun was glad that time had waited for her to heal.

Time was pain, but now time was on her side. 

"So we should aim on winning Best Couple this year too?" Jaerim suggested, amused by Soeun's replies. The few conversations they had in the past had always been friendly and healthy and he sometimes wished they could talk and talk, less about work and more about them. However, they had never gotten to that point, and he was too busy to think of anything else other than work. 

"Yes, let's win again. I've got to go now. See you at the script reading :)" Soeun lied. She had nowhere to go, but she felt this conversation was about to change directions and she didn't want to talk about anything else other than work right now. 

"Okay, Soeunnie. See you tomorrow."

Jaerim closed his phone and put it on the side table. One of his arms was shileding his eyes from the light streaming in through the curtains and the other fell off the side of the sofa. 

He missed Soeun. He missed her every single day. He had heard from around that Soeun had hardly gone out for the first six months after they parted on We Got Married. Jaerim knew he was to blame, Jaerim knew he had hurt her, but if Soeun only knew, that the person with the greatest pain was him. 

He had always been insecure about falling in love again, and had convinced himself that he would not make a good boyfriend when work was his first priority, but he knew that the one chance he had with a not-so-easy girl like Soeun, he had blown it. He had spent 9 months chasing her, and the moment she had come forward, he had scattered backwards. 

He wished she didn't hate him. He wished Soeun didn't suffer a lot. 

He wished she knew that if they had stayed together, he would have hurt her more. 

⊱✿ ✿⊰

Jaerim and Soeun were playing the lead roles for the romantic comedy drama, The fate of you & I.

Soeun was playing a post-grad business student, Lee Mihi, who was looking for a job and Jaerim was playing a rich chaebol, Park Insu, who hires Mihi to work in his company. Although strict and focused on only his company at first, after meeting Mihi, his heart slowly starts to open up to the beauty of life, including the beauty of falling in love. For the first time in his life, he really begins to chase something, or rather someone that was not automatically given to him because of his wealth and status. 

"I always play chaebols these days," Jaerim laughed, as he took a sip from his morning coffee. Seated by him, wrapped up in a pink blanket, was Soeun. The crisp winter air blew her long locks and consequently her teeth chattered. Jaerim noticed Soeun shivering and offered her his coffee which she willingly accepted. 

"Thanks," she said, her breath turning into a puff of white in front of her. She took a sip and Jaerim smiled gently at her and cutely patted her head. Sometimes she felt like a younger dongsaeng and he wanted to protect her and cherish her forever. She was a like a China Doll and he did not want anyone to get close enough to hurt her, to make her crack.

That day, filming lasted until 3am. Soeun found it to be very exhausting and was ready to drop on the floor but she managed to get through the day thanks to the uplifiting mood on the set, especially Jaerim's. When they had filmed We Got Married, she had always felt at ease even with the dozens of camera shoved into her personal bubble. His presence always filled her being with unimaginable comfort and peace of mind. Thanks to Jaerim, the filming went very smoothly and only when the director called it for the day, did Soeun start feeling the drowsiness in her eyes and the fatigue in her body. 

"See you tomorrow," he said as he pulled her close and caressed her head. 

Soeun nodded as they parted ways and watched him walk away with his manager.

She sighed.

Her resolve was already starting to falter.

⊱✿ ✿⊰

On the 12th day of filming, Soeun and Jaerim were hustled into thier prep rooms, discarded of all of their clothes, and were left only in swimwear.

"A pool party will be refreshing," the director announced. "So I decided to add this scene."

Jaerim had worked on body building in the past two years and it showed when he got blushes and whispers from the females on the set.

When Soeun came into his view, rather than impressing her, his mouth fell open as he watched her confidently stride to him in her red bikini. If he had ever said anything to defy the size of her chest, he felt teribbly ashamed and apologetic. Soeun was defenitely a very curvy woman.

The one moment Jaerim stopped ogling at her body and looked at her equally gorgeous face, he caught her staring at his own chest.

A very chiseled body was on full display in front of Soeun, and she wondered if this work of art even belonged to Song Jaerim. The last time she had witnessed him with a shirt off, he did not have any abs nor did he possess a firm chest. The director called Jaerim and he turned around, showing the smooth, tanned and broad back that Soeun always had a liking for. 

In that time, the second lead actor, Jung Daeho, also came out.  Daeho was playing Jaerim's rival in the drama, Kim Jae Hwa, equally as handsome, equally as rich, but someone who had his eyes on women more than work. Soeun's attention shifted to the other male actor and upon noticing this, Jaerim could not hide his jealousy. 

The director told them to play in the pool and so without any script, they did. At first, Soeun felt shy and stayed far away from Jaerim as she could but as some of the actors actually began enjoying the pool party to its full extent, Soeun found herself near Jaerim in seconds. Next thing she knew, she was sitting on his shoulders, his hands holding her legs, as they played pool volleyball with another actor and actress who had paired up to challenge the leads.

At one point, Daeho came near Soeun and began splashing her with water, which irked Jaerim more than he led to show. The competitive hormones rushed through him and he sneakily pulled Soeun to his side when Daeho was off guard. Soeun blushed when she realized Jaerim had positioned her arms around his torso, and his own hand was on her . The director watched the events unfold curiously. What was meant to be an improvised, unscripted pool party to increase viewer ratings, was turning into a battle for Kim Soeun.

She clapped her hands together.

"Okay, that should be enough footage. Oh Daeho-ssi and Soeun-ssi, before we wrap up, I have a request from you both."

Soeun slipped out of Jaerim's hold and walked up to the director. Jaerim watched in irritation as his drama's rival who was ironically turning out to be a rival in real life, stood a foot away from Soeun.

Jaerim watched Soeun carefully and noticed the nervosity in her face as the director turned her around to face Daeho and then moved out of the way. Jaerim gulped when the cameras started rolling. Daeho gently took Soeun's face in his hands. 

He leaned in and Jaerim looked away when Soeun's lips touched the other man's. 

⊱✿ ✿⊰

Jaerim found himself drinking at a bar that night. He didn't even know why he was so angry. Was it because the director had plotted the unscripted kiss, was it because he knew Daeho had most likely taken advantage of that scene as it was obvious he liked Soeun, or was it because he was selfishly unable to share Soeun even if she was acting. 

He was on his 2nd glass when a familiar figure plopped down next to him, ordered her drink, and looked at him.

"Why are you here?" he asked perplexed. 

"Same reason as you," she replied curtly, as she properly sat down on the chair, patting down her sweater neatly . 

Jaerim thought it was cute how Soeun was a big drinker, but always tried to be as prim & proper as she could. 

Four drinks later, Soeun was falling asleep, her hair messy, mumbling her problems and anxieties. 

Jaerim was amused as he was more sober compared to her. 

"It's not fair, " she complained, her eyes closed as she rested her head on the table. "I promised myself that I won't..." Soeun yawned, "I won't let this happen...but I'm already falling for him."

She sniffled in sadness, but her words caught Jaerim off guard. There was no doubt she was addressing Jaerim, although she was unaware of her words in her drunken state.  He shifted in his seat and tried lightly shaking Soeun. 

She was asleep.

Jaerim finished his drink, paid for them both and scooped up Soeun in his arms as he began to walk home.

⊱✿ ✿⊰

A/N: Hey :) So sorry for the delay. Next chapter will be up very quickly as I'm almost done writing it.  Happy reading :D