*

Kim Family Residence

City of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province

Kim Taeyeon and Kwon Jiyong arrived in Jeonju separately. Jiyong was the first to come, and so he spent a few hours talking to Mama and Daddy Kim. The two elders were very fond of him. After lunch with the parents, Jiwoong and Hayeon came, and it became their turn to entertain Jiyong. Even the Kim children have grown close to him. When noon passed and Taeyeon still hasn't arrived, he began to fear that the woman would miss out on today's ceremony. After all, he himself missed many of their family luncheons and dinners.

But at four in the afternoon, Taeyeon finally arrived. Like Jiyong did last week, she just coolly acknowledged him in front of the Kim family. They joined Taeyeon's siblings and parents for a late afternoon tea, eating Mama Kim's rice cakes and baked goods.

But due to the absence of the Kwons and the Kim elders, there were fewer people around the table. And so, it became very obvious to the others that Kim Taeyeon and Kwon Jiyong weren't talking to each other.

“You two have been quiet,” observed Mama Kim, pouring their cups with more tea.

“Are you fighting?” asked Kim Jiwoong, Taeyeon’s elder brother. With a grin, he continued, “I noticed that Jiyong didn't feed you anything. He never fails to feed you something when we have meals together.”

Jiyong and Taeyeon stopped eating and both just bowed their heads. Neither said a word. There was no point lying about or denying their fight to the elders.

“Kids, what's wrong?” inquired Daddy Kwon, looking worried. “Your grandparents are arriving soon. You can't show them these unfriendly faces.”

Again, they stayed silent in response. Then, Jiyong realized he had to make the first move.

“Hon...”

“Don't talk to me,” Taeyeon immediately said. There was no way she would fake being civil to him.

“Kim Taeyeon!” called out Mama Kwon, surprised at her daughter's attitude.

“I refuse to talk to him until he apologizes for calling me names, or telling me insulting words.”

“I don't have anything to apologize for, because I did not call you names, and I did not insult you,” cried Jiyong in a forced calmness. He breathed in and out first. He tried to be calmer, holding his voice, as he didn't want to shout in front of Taeyeon's family.

“Don't put words in my mouth, Tae. Everything I told you were nothing but the truth, about my feelings, and about what you did.”

“How dare you?!” exclaimed Taeyeon, and she had a louder voice than intended. Because of Taeyeon's volume, Jiyong lost his cool too.

“You really disappointed me, and that's never going to change!”

“I don't care what you feel! For someone who's so righteous, you have no right to judge me–”

“Why are you two talking to each other like this? My goodness!” cried Mama Kim, holding her chest from shock. Her reaction put a stop to the couple's shouting match.

“The Ceremony of the Good News is happening tomorrow,” declared Daddy Kim in a loud and angry voice. “How can you treat each other with hostility? We can't present you to the elders and the villagers when you're fighting like this!”

Jiyong and Taeyeon were silenced, and later, both mumbled to the elders, “I'm sorry.”

Mama Kim explained, “It is important to announce the good news to our countrymen with clear hearts and good intentions. Resolve your issues before the council and the elders call for you. Do you understand?”

*

Highway 4

Town of Hongdae, Gyeonggi Province

Choi Seunghyun was cruising his low-key Hyundai sedan in the highway, Tiffany Hwang beside him. They have been silent since they left the party, and TOP could assume why. Being the shy person that he was, he didn't have the guts to approach first.

“So when exactly were you planning to tell me about being a playboy?” the very forward Tiffany asked.

“Soon... not now...” TOP answered honestly. That was a part of his life he didn't like talking about, mostly because it required revealing the most delicate parts of himself.

“How many women are we talking about?” Fany inquired.

TOP sighed and just replied, “Depends on the type of relationship you are referring to.”

His answer made Tiffany's stomach lurch. Nervously, she exclaimed, “Oh my god, you are not a hermit, are you? You lied to me!”

“I would never lie to you,” defended Seunghyun. “The part about not dating for almost six years, or for only having with two women during those years, was all true.”

“So what about when you were 23 or younger? I don't care about the type of relationship. Just how many, Choi Seunghyun?”

Fany watched the man drive in silence. For every minute that passed when he hasn't responded, her frustration increased. She was about to bug him again, but the man already talked.

“I had about fifteen flings, and four serious girlfriends.”

“Nineteen women?!” Stephanie Hwang cried out, her heart dropping. For some reasons, an intense kind of fear covered her. Suddenly, she became anxious. “So I'm the twentieth? Goodness gracious!”

“I had my first girl at 11. After that, I dated so much, and very, very, very childishly. I was 18 when I had my first serious relationship. I dated my serious girlfriends for at least a year each.”

Tiffany looked away, because she became rather livid. She felt ashamed of herself, and also to Seunghyun. All along, she acted like she was the high and mighty relationship master of them two. Only to find out Choi Seunghyun was a prolific playboy. She chuckled resentfully.

“Do you know you're only the third man in my life? I never dated childishly,” she shared, looking outside and staring at the street lamps that lit the night. “I didn't believe in nor had any time for puppy love, because I was so busy training. In fact, the only time I've ever fallen in love was with Khun.”

Then, she looked back at him. Still grinning with so much bitterness, she said, “What right do I have to carry this relationship? Clearly, you're the expert between the two of us.”

“Don't talk like that. Please don't misunderstand my past,” Seunghyun begged.

“Twenty women... unbelievable,” Fany commented, shaking her head and smirking even more. “And I was fully convinced you were that shy, and that you didn't know how to be a proper lover. I looked like a fool all this time, didn't I?”

“I told you it's not like that!” Seunghyun exclaimed.

“Then what is it like? Explain it to me so I understand!”

“I can't!”

“Then you're leaving me with no choice but to just assume the worst about your past!”

The two of them have raised their tones, and Seughyun hated talking like that. He took a step back and controlled his emotions. After deeply breathing, he lowered his voice.

“Then don't assume the worst. How about you just trust me? I didn't lie to you, Steph. I don't know how to date as a matured adult, and that's the truth.”

Tiffany refused to understand him, because the man was being extremely evasive. She looked away and replied, “Talk to me when you're ready to explain about your huge collection of women.”

“But I'm not ready to talk about it.”

“Then don't talk to me at all.”

“Steph...” he called out, finally parking his car in front of Fany's residence tower.

“I was cheated on repeatedly!” Fany cried out, tears in her eyes. “I've cried a lot, and I've been hurt a lot too, up to the point that I wanted to kill myself. I don't want to feel that same pain again, Seunghyun. I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore.”

She wiped her tears, unbuckled, and stepped out of his car.

“Thank you for the ride,” she said by the window, and she walked away, never looking back.

*

Handeu Village Garden Park

City of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province

When the afternoon tea ended, the elders sent Kim Taeyeon and Kwon Jiyong off. It was already six in the evening, and they were expected to talk to each other. However, Taeyeon just ran away, still upset at her fiancé to even talk to him, let alone look him in the face. It had been four days since they fought, and yet the man hasn't apologized.

He has nothing to apologize for? How about implying that I made you believe in an illusion? That I only lied about being pure? Ugggggggh, I won't ever forgive you!!!

As she was walking the quiet streets of her hometown, she cried. The sun set while she was in tears. The shouting match with Jiyong only made her more emotional. Fortunately, she found her favorite spot as a child, which was located three blocks away from their house.

Still crying, Taeyeon sat on one of the swings in the empty garden park. She watched some of the children playing in the middle playground. Some parents and neighbors were walking around the park. There were teenagers playing tennis and basketball in the courts. A bunch of elderlies were gathered in the benches and tables, talking, laughing, or playing chess. Every single person in the park were happy, except for the lone person riding in the swing.

Kim Taeyeon was crying, and she was tearing up and sobbing really badly.

“Stop crying now,” said a male voice that only made her even more upset. Even without checking, she knew that Kwon Jiyong just took the swing next to her. Either Hayeon or Jiwoong told the man where to find her.

“I hate you.”

“I know. I'm sorry,” Jiyong said.

Those words only made Taeyeon cry harder. She didn't expect him to be calm. Most of all, she didn't expect him to finally say the words she'd been waiting for. Damn right you should be sorry.

“Seriously, how hard is it to say I'm sorry? That's all I've been waiting for. Instead, you