“ do you at least have any idea how many initiatives and charities your company supports?” hyeon, unable to accept that he doesn’t know, asked, hiding her smile behind her right hand.

“ I don’t’ Jae responded, knowing there was no way he could pretend his way out of this. It was better to just be honest, as honest as possible.

“ To be honest, I don’t deal with that kind of stuff” he took a sip of his tea.

“ That kind of stuff?” She asked

“ you don’t care about the positive impact your money is making?” she asked, playfully crossing her arms, her smiling eyes and lips waiting for his response.

“ that’s not,” he started, but the words disappeared as he caught her grinning eyes waiting for his silly excuse, which he had none. There was no excuse for it; even if there was, he was too lost in her smiles to recall whatever it was. It was true. He was never interested in any of the work he did, but most of all he hated all the fake charity the company does to save face.

“ or is it that you don’t have the brain power to worry about the poor” she pointed at herself as both started smiling. Both knew what he thought of those less fortunate, with whom he never grew up interacting. Locked up in his mansion, he had always been surrounded by wealth and people who got paid thousands of thousands to keep him locked in. The relationship with hyeon was a life-shattering one not only because of the romance but because she had entirely shattered his rose-colored glasses and made him face so many things nobody ever dared to.

“ I mean, why should you? You have better things like buying islands to worry about” her smile turning to soft touches of laughter were too cute. His smiles were more of awe of how much she hasn’t changed. The woman who slapped him in his own office was still in there, ready to rechallenge him.

“ do you know you have an initiative that pays for thousands of mammograms and cancer surgery costs?” she asked about the most current initiative she finished shifting to the organization. Even to her, it was a shock when she got the boxes of files about the foundation that runs the cancer center the company funds.

“ You don’t, do you?” She asked as both started laughing. Jae’s head hanging low in embarrassment hid his laugh which she only saw when his right hand brushed his hair behind his ear.

“ What about the after-school programs?” she asked about the one charity she had attended so many events for when she worked for then back when. That was the most common one they used for publicity.

“I am gone save you time. I don't know about anything” he brushed his hair with both hands and sat up.

“We went to charity events for it, Jae!” she exclaimed as she placed her fork down and raised her hands in frustration.

“ I was there with you” she knew that didn’t change anything. he didn’t look like he knew about any of it.

“ How can you not know? You run the corporation?”

“That's not my Job.”

‘“what is actually your Job?’

“ making the shareholder's insane amount of profits.”

“That's all I am there for; everything else is not my job” he added.

“ and apparently that's all you care about?” her laughter returning to smile, she asked, sending her eyes to the food that was placed next to her salad.

“ You're already filthy rich, and all you care about is making rich people richer? this one both knew was a serious question designed to sting as it did.

“ What else should I care about?” he asked as his smiles faded.

“ you are one of the most powerful men in this country, Jae,” She said his name again as she raised her eyes. Nobody, there was nobody in the world that made him question why he does what he does or make him feel like about what he does like her. Not even her words were necessary, her eyes. Just her disappointed-looking eyes that question him were enough to make him feel it.

“I am not saying you should drop everything, but maybe you should worry a little bit about doing good” her smiles were as sharp as her words.

“I am not as cold-hearted as you make me out to be,” he protested hiding behind a smirk as he sent his eyes to the table.

“ You're not coldhearted. You’re just too wrapped up in your own orbit where the needs of others, especially those less fortunate than you don’t exist” she, thanks to the alcohol and the weird sense of ease their conversation created, spoke honestly.

“ I guess that's how your trauma works” she glanced up, hoping her honesty wasn’t taken as a mean attack and just an effort to have an honest conversation about why he doesn’t seem to care about all the good he could do if he cared even a little bit. She knew it was insane to ask somebody on the suicide watch list to care about anybody else but himself, but she knew she was allowed to question him for it.

“ How does your trauma work?” Jae didn’t need alcohol to attack back.

“forcing yourself to serve others until your whole life is wrapped up in solving other people's problems and you have no life of your own ” His eyes were more direct than his words as they focused on the shocked hyeon. His boldness. His honest boldness, was what had shocked hyeon more than how he clearly had figured her out. That was easy, especially for somebody who knows her as intimately as him. He didn’t look to shy away from stinging her a bit as his eyes were dead focused on her as she was processing what his words had caused.

“ Unlike you, my dark orbit is not something I can ignore. I sit right in the in middle of the darkness” another surprise started hyeon as she didn’t even know how to take the exposed truth he was casually sharing with her.

“ is it still ?” she couldn’t even finish her sentence as she placed her fork down and hid her lips behind the napkin. The demons he lived with, which she had never witnessed, but knew were beyond life-threatening. she had heard about his suicidal attempts since he was seven. The thick wall he had up blocked her from any of it. All hyeon had was hearsay and other people's words to understand the darkness Jae always speaks of which sometime she could visibly see on his face.

“ It's more manageable, actually,” he brushed his hair back, giving her access to his whole face. His eyes didn’t seem to lie to her as they attested that his answer was honest. she was also able to see the wall he had up and would not let her pass.

“ I have two therapists for it,” he added

“ the meds?” she asked, hoping to take the opportunity and ask about his meds which she has noticed weren’t taken after his meal today or even last time when she was in his office.

“ Does it matter?” he responded with a question, his eyes informing her she had reached the wall, and this was the end of how much he was going to let her see. Her eyes returned to her food as she started debating whether she should push back or not. But she had no right! She had no right to access that part of his life. It wasn't something she had access to even when she used to lay next to him. It was part of him, he always kept hidden from her. Especially from her. It was none of her business now. She didn’t care about this man considering what he did so why should she care about him now? Her mind trying to silence the emotions that started lurking underneath the surface started reasoning out why she shouldn't care about him at all. Wrapped In their own thoughts they needed the minutes of silence.

“ Why don’t you try therapy?” he asked bringing her attention back to him.

“ Our company offers it for managers,” he added, making sure she can’t use money as an excuse. Hyeon hesitated in her answer as she tried to read his eyes. She needs to know whether being honest can get her some honest responses to the questions she had for him or if she should keep the conversation light, surface level.

“ Would you be honest with me if I answer honestly?” she asked. Their eyes interlocked exchanging more words than their lips spoke out. It was his dark eyes that gave her the answer she needed as well convincing her that he was going to be honest.

“ huh,” she cleared as she placed the fork down and picked up her drink. She needs some alcohol. She brushed her non-existence hair behind her right ear, calming her nervous hands. He didn’t need to notice her hairbrush and nervous hands to know she was nervous. Her eyes told him so before she even started talking. Even when wrapped in his own fears and anxieties, he was able to notice how nervous she was getting.

“Maybe I am not ready to go to therapy and unleash all the pain buried inside. Maybe I won't be able to handle facing the truth like that. it will crash my whole world. I don't have the energy or willpower." She sighed

"am exhausted ” she added her right hand brushing her hair back again.

“Wouldn't it be useless to do it when am not ready?” she asked just trying to end the silence and get him to say something. His silence. His complete silence and zeroed focus on her while his eyes were reading her was too nerve-racking and starting to get under her skin. Not giving her what she was asking for, Jae sat in silence. He was too interested in figuring it out and accepting the fact that she was this nervous talking to him about it.

“ You go because you want to resolve it and you can handle it” she went on talking. Known to not stop talking when she was nervous, she was aiding jae in his quest to understand why and how she was this nervous about talking to him.

“ right?” after a long rant about why he goes to therapy she asked, picking up her glass and sipping all the alcohol that was left. The alcohol was definitely helping.

“ You think I go because I want to?” he broke the silence asking. He needs to keep her talking.

“ don’t you?”

“ you seem to like your therapist. You two are like friends” her awkward smile was directed at him then at the waiter she asked to bring her another drink. She needs more alcohol.

“ am sure it has helped” she added.

“I go because If I don’t, everything will end” Jae knowing that would get her to talk and keep the conversation going spoke. Who was leading who was becoming blurry as both were sharing their truth, hoping to get the other one to open up.

“ Like what?” she asked, focusing her eyes on his phone he flipped over. His anxious hands need something to play was, and his phone was easily accessible.

“ Like finding me dead on my bathroom floor” he silenced all her questions as he forced her to forget even how to breathe while she stared back at him in full shock.

“ it’s not a choice for me to not go” he added trying to avoid her shoked eyes. Maybe it was too much to be this honest with her. She was too much of an empath to deal with any kind of death, even one of someine she hates as much as him. Jae knew no matter how much she hated him, she was too nice to not be alarmed by what he said. Although it lasted seconds, it felt a bit good to see the worry in her eyes. He knew he was pathetic to be happy about seeing her worried about his ugly death. Beyond pathetic.

“ you are”

“ you’re” hyeon couldn’t and didn’t even know what she was going to say as she left the words hanging. Sacred, sad, anxious, surprised, fearful,..the emotions that passed her body were too much for her to process all at once before she could say anything she might regret.

“It's better now. The second therapist is doing wonders’” Jae added as instincitly he started cleaning the mess he created and try to ease her worry.

“ she is very unconventional, and it seems to work” he added as he galcned up at the drink the waiter placed next to hyeon.

“ Do you want to try something else”

“we have a great selection of drinks” the waiter got hyeon’s attention as she looked up at the man standing next to her.

“ ohhh” hyeon seemed intrigued

“ Maybe some wine” the man suggested

“ We have really good ones from France” he slowly brushed his hands against her shoulder.Although it was the third time this afternoon, it was the first time hyeon actually felt his skin on hers.

“ Oh yeah some wine will be nice” she tried to slowly move her shoulder away from his touch as she sent her eyes to Jae whose presence has been what alarmed her skin the moment the hand touched her. His dark eyes from her shoulder and the hand that softly landed on it went to her eyes before Jae glanced up at the bold waiter who was doing this in front of people, let alone him. The moment he caught her eyes, he had read how uncomfortable she was by what was happening. But he wasn’t too self-aware of himself or hyeon to know that it was his presnece that have made her so aware of even the slightest touch.

“ thank you” hyeon moved her shoulder all the way to the other side of the chair as the waiter noticing how her eyes were on the man turned to Jae, who with his dark and scary looking eyes was waiting for me.

“ and anything for you sir” the waiter quickly sent both his hands to his back and gave a slight bow. Jae didn’t respond, he needs a second to process what just happened.

“ I will get you your wine” the waiter gave them a bow, left the table, and started quickly running back. The slight look he tried to steal was caught by jae who was still looking at him.

“ It’s getting a bit chilly” Hyeon shaking her body brought jae’s attention back to the table, and back to her bare shoulders, she started brushing. The weird feeling the hand had left on her shoulder was even more tantalizing as Jae’s eyes returned to it.

“ I should put on my cardigon” she added trying to avoid his eyes and sending her hand to her bag.

“ Is it ?” jae asked knowing damn well she wasn’t putting on her cradigon because it was getting chilly. The honesty they have asked ofeach other was being challenged as he focused his eyes on hers. The fact that she was fine sitting like this in front of him but one touch from a stranger and she was ready to cover up was interesting as Jae made it apparent in his eyes that she couldn't escape without a good excuse. Unable to find an excuse she knew it was best to divert but her lips were too fast to spill out her words before she even assessed the diversion she came up with.

“ yes it is”

“ My cardigan is not even that tick, give me your jacket?” she asked, startling even herself as she glanced at the chair next to her and noticed her coat sitting underneath her bag. Thank to whoever was in heaven Jae can’t even see her bag let alone the coat that was seating underneath it. The deep relief she felt when she noticed he can’t see disappeared when she realized what she just asked him to do. There is a clear statement that gets made when girls wrap themselves up with a guy's jacket. It is a significant part of pop culture media for her not to be alarmed by what she had just asked. She didn’t need pop culture to remind her; her own personal experience of what she feels whenever she wears his cloth was enough.

“ I “ before she spoke any words to send back her ask, Jae took off his jacket and placed it her way. “ You're going to look like an idiot if you don't wear it” she screamed at herself as she tried to make herself accept that this was just a nice gesture. She was cold, he gave her his jacket to keep her warm. That was all. “ Just a nice gesture” she whispered to herself as she picked up the jacket and placed it over her shoulder, deciding not to fully wear it but have it be there.

“ feels warm” trying hard to play it causal she spoke glancing at jae adjusting his dark dress shirt. Althoug she was jabbering just to handle her nervous she was right, it did feel warm. The soft fabric underneath was what she attributed the calm it offered her as she took a deep breath and breathed in his perfume.

“ You know I have your hoodie from last time” she looked up as she perfectly adjusted his jacket over her shoulders.

“ I know’ Jae responded, behind the tea he was sipping. He was quickly able to hide how he was taken aback by how good she looked with his jacket on compared to her bare shoulder, which he was sure was the iest and deadliest weapon she had but wasn’t aware of.

“ It’s the black one” she added for a slight moment catching his awestruck eyes which were busy scanning how she was adjusting his jacket over her body.

“ Why do you wear so much black by the way?” she asked adjusting the collar and covering her neck. His lingering eyes were making her feel more than she was as they traced every inch of her ex