Jiyeon's surprised face was the one that welcomed her when she stepped inside the shop. Seungwan was nowhere to be seen. The girl asked her why she got back so early, it hadn't even been two hours since she dropped by there before going to her appointment. However, the look didn't stay for long. One time she was asking, the next time she was looking at the older woman with worry plastered all over her features.

"Eonni, you're so pale. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

She hadn't had the chance to take a look at herself after the short meeting in the restaurant with Yoo Ah In. Now that Jiyeon pointed it out, she realized that her hands and legs were shaking and the world around her wasn't staying still. It felt as if she was on a ship in the middle of the sea, and her ground was swaying.

"It's okay, I'm just a little bit tired."

She didn't lie, she noted mentally. She was indeed exhausted.

"Where's Seungwan?" she asked, changing the topic before Jiyeon pestered her with questions she didn't want to answer.

"Oh, she is helping Taehyung with the delivery just around here."

Chaewon nodded and scanned around the place. There was an unfinished bouquet on the table. She recognized the composition, white and pink roses.

"Mr. Park?"

"Yes, he said he would pick it up around three."

Jiyeon went back to the table and started working to finish the bouquet again.

"Eonni," the girl looked up in the middle of cutting the flower stem and leaves, "we can handle it here. Seungwan will be back in five minutes. So, you can go home and rest, you should."

For a while, Chaewon stood silenced in her place, thinking if she really looked that bad to the point of concerning Jiyeon. She did feel the need to rest though.

"I will," she finally said, "thank you, Jiyeon-ah."

She added a smile in the end of her sentence, if it could assure the younger girl that she didn't have to worry and she would be fine.

Chaewon bid Jiyeon goodbye, telling her to order something healthy for dinner. She grabbed her handbag and was ready to leave when she remembered something. She swallowed the lump in , suddenly feeling nervous.

"Jiyeon-ah, was there...anyone looking for me?"

Chaewon watched anxiously how the girl looked up, in her effort to recall if someone had asked her about Chaewon that day.

"Ah!" she muttered, and Chaewon felt like she was tiptoeing over an edge.

"Mrs. Kim came and asked why you were not here. She wants you to do something for her next monthly gathering. She said she will come again tomorrow."

It was hard to hide her disappointment as her lips drew into a thin straight line.

"Oh-okay. I'll get going now. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, Eonni, see you tomorrow. Have a good rest."

Was it empty words he said last night?

.

The waitress had served the dessert and his tally was right, they had been silent since the main course came. The woman had an annoyed look in her face while she played her fork on the sweet treat. Joongki continued to eat his portion, slowly, enjoying the fact that he didn't have to be the "bad guy" this time.

She finally let out a noisy breath, which Joongki was sure she did purposefully. Her fork made a clinking sound as it fell back on the plate.

"You're boring," she spoke spitefully, "and have no manner."

He raised his eyebrows at her. He knew what she meant by him being boring, but having no manner?

"I know you don't want to do this, but can't you be a bit considerate? When a girl keeps her silence, you should at least try to initiate the conversation!"

Joongki took a sip of the water inside his glass after registering her words. He didn't intent on answering her though.

"Whatever! I'm not interested in this either. Just so you don't misunderstood me, I came here because my mother threatened to cut her investment on my business. I was wondering why she was being so extra about this, I thought that you must be some great catch, but you don't even live up to half of my expectation. What is on my mother's mind, like seriously, an ordinary salary man? Just forget it! I hope we don't have to see each other again in the future."

She rose up from her seat, snatching her red clutch on the table. The look on her eyes was as if she was trying to throw hundreds of dagger to him. To see him staying still in his seat, angered her even more.

"Alright!" she ran a hand through her waist long brown hair, "this hurts my pride, but let me ask you one last thing."

He signaled her to go on.

"Why are you treating me like this? Is this because you find me not attractive or you already have someone?"

An amused smile appeared in his lips. So, it was the ultimate thing that bothered her. He took a look at the woman standing tall across him.

"You don't have to worry, Shin Sekyung-ssi, you will never run out of men lining up behind you," he admitted.

The date his mother had set up that day was tall and pretty, he was sure she would meet all the requirements to be a professional model. Her clothes screamed expensive price and up-to-date style, and she definitely knew how to doll up.

"But, I'm sorry to say this," he continued, "I've met someone you can't compete with."

It hurt her pride even more, but Shin Sekyung knew there was no use trying to fight with someone with that mindset.

"I see, you've been blinded."

She left the place waving one hand in the air.

.

There were times when she was afraid to be alone. Times when her mind wandered on its own, developing bad thoughts, remembering events from the past that she wished she could forget. It was her own mind, but often, it didn't listen to her. That was why she rarely took her share of two days off from the shop. Staying with the kids and all the works meant distraction.

However, she was aware of the importance of personal space. She needed the time alone, still, to clear her mind, to distance herself from other's voices and to find her own. She learnt that worrying never really got her anywhere, but it was not like she could shut it down completely. So, on the time she spent commuting from the shop to her flat, or the way around, she allowed her mind to wonder and wander wherever it wanted. Let it be anxiety. Let it be fear. Let it be unanswered questions.

She asked herself, how long had it been since that time? Five? Six years?

She had not forgotten it yet, though it didn't come to her mind as often as the first three years. It was still the worst nightmare in her life, just it was not really a nightmare. It happened, for real.

She was still young, struggling to adapt to the hard life of Seoul. It was also the time she just began to deal with the wound she carried since childhood. And it happened. And she was left with a new and fresh cut to deal with.

After two years of drowning herself in the pain, her former boss who took care of her like her own sister, insisted that she should see a professional and got a counseling. She refused to go at first, saying she couldn't afford such service, while the real reason was she was yet to be ready to face her mess. Until Minyoung came to her place one day, and forced her to look at what she had done to herself. The person who stared back at her in the mirror was someone unrecognizable.

Minyoung finally broke down in front of her, telling her to return her best friend to her. But, what knocked her sense was, for the first time in her life, she saw her mother cried. Her mother cried, not because of the man who used to beat them, but because of her. It made her realize, that no matter what happened between them in the past, her mother loved her still.

She went to a counselor, who told her that she needed to see a therapist. But for her, it meant more money and it also meant burdening her boss who insisted on paying for the counseling fee. After a few counseling sessions, she called it enough. From then on, she tried to show the people around her that she could live just fine.
.

Joongki fastened his pace in between the shelves. He had gone around the large store and still couldn't see her. Maybe he shouldn't listen to Seungwan's words and just drive straight to Hapjeong. What if the girl pulled a prank on him?

"You're late, Ahjussi," the girl had blabbered when he dropped by the flower shop. "According to Jiyeon, Chaewon Eonni just left around thirty minutes ago looking troubled and pale."

"Do you know where she's heading?"

"She should be on her way back home now, but who knows if she has another appointment."

"Alright. Thanks, Seungwan-ssi."

He was about to leave when the girl talked again.

"You can try the nearest supermarket around here."

"Why?"

"Just try, it's some habit she has. When something is bothering her, she goes shopping for too much food supplies and exhausts herself by cooking bunch of food that she would bring here the next day."

He thought Seungwan was telling him some nonsense, even more after he inspected almost every corner of the store and still didn't find her. He had never known or heard someone who would do something like that to relief or distract themselves from their problem. Yet, he went there, following the girl's suggestion. He was worried, dead worried.

And he didn't know why.

.

When she thought she could live just fine and her relationship with her mother started to get better, her mother came up with her ridiculous attempts to marry her off.

Right three years ago, one year after she opened her own shop. Her mother said the time had came for her to think about her future.

"You had struggled so much till now. I want you to be happy."

If her mother had any philosophy on happiness, it only led to one thing, money, and another, social status.

She couldn't blame her for that though. She understood where her mother came from, and why money was the most important thing for her in life. Although she didn't agree with the value, after that day when she watched her mother's tears spilled, she didn't have the heart to blatantly counter her mother.

So, whenever her mother found her a date, instead of rejecting her mother, she tried her own way to turn the man off. Even if it meant, parading her past wound.

Every man she had met before never knew about it beforehand. Their friendly faces would turn surprised after she told them. Slowly, on their own, they backed away, telling her she was a nice person but they didn't seem to match.

While her mother scolded her for doing that, got angry that she was ruining her own chance for a better life, she kept doing it over and over.

Until the man named Yoo Ah In appeared in front of her. A third generation conglomerate, from what her mother said, she questioned how such man came into her mother's radar. She didn't come from a wealthy family, nor did she had a good family background or education. In conclusion, her family was not the kind of people the conglomerates wanted to be associate with.

She had a bad feeling when her mother told her about him, but she never predicted the thing that came.

He was a third generation conglomerate, she reminded herself again, of course he would have all the information he wanted. Even about her past that only a few people knew about.

But, why, when he knew about it, he still wanted to proceed with the matchmaking? Why? It really didn't get to her.

.

Author's Note:

A short update. Hello, it's been long. There was work and stuffs I needed to deal with for the past weeks that I didn't have time to write, let alone sleep. I got back home around eleven at night and had to get ready at five in the morning. It was crazy and I was stressed out.

I'm really sorry for making you guys wait for a long time only to come back with a short update. There is no OTP moments on this update, but this is needed so you can understand Chaewon better.

At some point (later), you might find Chaewon's character as weak-hearted, so with this update, I hope you will not hate her when the time comes. She is vulnerable because she had a bad experience in the past, but she is actually strong because she manage to hold on despite everything. It was not easy for her, so if she cried a little bit too much, or if she makes a silly decision in the future, please do understand her.

I'll try to update the next part as soon as possible. I've started writing a part of it, so let's hope I have the energy to finish it quickly. See you soon.