Over the years, Chaewon had let her self go wary of love. She was anxious and afraid. What if she let someone in and got abandoned again?

After having the chance to see Joongki for a few times, she knew she was attracted. It was not to the dashing physical appearance, but more of his personality and way of carrying himself. And to top it all, his way of treating her with care and more than sweet words.

Yet, she was still wary, and realizing her growing feelings made her even more restless. When he came to the store that Monday night, bringing dinner for her and everyone, she told herself she would make a line between them from tomorrow. Tuesday came by, yet she was not able to push him away. As an excuse, she reasoned that she had not pay him back for the things he had done for her. Maybe, she should postpone it to the next week, after the promised lunch.

And the day had came. She woke up a little bit dazed. For a long time, she just sat on her bed without doing anything. She tried to think but it was as if she couldn't grasp her brain function. She tried to assess her feelings, but failed as if it was not hers.

Maybe she was wretched. Maybe she was just confused. Or maybe, she might be in denial that she was both wretched and confused.

Joongki appeared on the shop a little before twelve donning a simple khaki pants and linen shirt. They departed with a cheery "Have a great date!" from Seungwan that made her cheeks turned red.

She whispered a soft apology for the girl's behavior, but regretted it as he replied her with a teasing smile, "She is right though, we are having a date, aren't we?"

He found her fanning her self awkwardly after that, avoiding his gaze along the way.

On the day before, Chaewon had asked him if he had any food allergies or certain food he couldn't eat.

"I ate everything well," he answered, but then burst smiling in embarrassment, "or, maybe not so much vegetable. I guess I haven't really grow up."

Turned out the reason behind her question was because she wanted to bring him to a restaurant not too far from Yeouido that was infamous for their seafood menu.

"Whenever spring comes, they always have stock of fresh octopus and crab," the woman had said.

Actually, he was never serious about asking her to treat him to lunch or dinner. He just wanted chances to see her, and of course he would pay, that was his belief about asking a girl out, never let her spend her money. However, when he visited her again on Thursday night, she carefully brought the issue out.

"Since I'm the one who asked you to spare your time for lunch on Saturday, I will be the one to pay. Is it okay if I pick the restaurant too?"

He was walking her to the bus stop when she threw the question. He had wanted to drive her home but she rejected it politely, telling him he should rest since he had spent his time in her shop right after he got off from work.

"Yes to the last one, I'll anticipate your choice of place, but not the first. I can't let you pay."

She turned to look at him with a serious look on her face. "It was not a question though. It was a statement. I want to pay so I will do. I know you didn't spend only a little amount for all the food you brought to the shop. You can do that, why can't I pay?"

It was the night when he found out for such a small and composed lady, she was quite bull-headed. No, actually, she could be really stubborn when she decided to.

"Alright, alright, you can pay," he finally gave in after a long quiet debate from her about men and their ego not acknowledging women for the money they earned on their own.

"Okay, I admit there is a part of it about me being a man, so I shouldn't let you pay, but it's not because of my ego. I think it is the right thing to do, and a way of being considerate towards someone I like," he explained.

"Letting me pay and not feeling indebted to you is another way of being considerate to me," she replied, still lost in their heated discussion that she failed to notice the tail end of his sentence.

It was settled then.

Though he saw her every night after his work hour was over (she tried to send him away almost half of the time for the reason that he must be tired and the kids' teasing had gotten really severe), he still found himself anticipating and guessing where she would brought them. Would it be near their area? Would it be far? Would it be an ordinary cafe or well-known western restaurant that was the talk of the town at the moment? Whichever she chose, he hoped it would be somewhere not too close so he could spend more time with her.

One time, he happened to see the advertisement of Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival and thought if the time allowed, he should take her there before the flowers stopped blooming. So, when she told him about the restaurant she had chosen and its location, you could imagine how surprised he got. Maybe the sky was helping them.

"Chaewon-ssi, can I ask you something sensitive? Did you ever worry about gaining weight?" He asked after all their order came. There were too many food in the table for just the two of them to eat.

"I did order too much, don't I?" she asked back, a sheepish smile on her lips, "but it's been a long time since I came here it would be a pity not to taste all these fine dishes. I guess we can put aside the thought of gaining weight and appreciate these pretty stuffs right now, right?"

He smiled affectionately upon hearing her answer.

"Chaewon-ssi," he called, "don't lose weight, just stay healthy."

It was past three in the afternoon when they finally left the restaurant after devouring all the food. They never stayed silent while they ate, talking to each other about things they liked and disliked or interesting thing they saw. They kept talking even after they had finished the food, until a bunch of people entered the restaurant and they had to leave because the available tables were insufficient.

"Hey, see, Yeouiseo-ro isn't too far from here. How about we drop by and enjoy some cherry blossoms sightseeing? I heard it should have been blooming by earlier this week," he suggested.

Her pupils grew wider out of the excitement. Oh, she must love cherry blossom, he noted.

"Sounds great!"

He was about to turn around and got his car, but she hold him back.

"Let's just walk there, it's not that far anyway?"

What she meant with 'not-that-far' turned out to be twenty five minutes of walk. He kept an amused smile in his lips that finally incited her.

"Why are looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

He shook his head. "I understand now why I never saw you wearing high heels."

Chaewon raised an eyebrow, "But you have only seen me in the shop or on my way to the shop, of course flat shoes and sandals are more comfortable to wear. I need to move lots and fast."

"So you do wear high heels?"

"Of course, I do."

"When you attend wedding or some party?"

"And night clubs."

His lips pursed a few centimeters, "you...like going to to night clubs?"

She sneered at him, "sometimes. Why? Do you perhaps hold any prejudice about a woman who enjoys night life?"

"No no! That's not what I meant," he denied quickly, "I thought you wouldn't like crowded and noisy place. Well, I saw you reading a poetry book on the train, so don't blame me if I hold some wrong perception of your image."

"Do share with me some of it," she urged.

He chuckled a bit. "I thought you would be like, drinking tea, but, no, your favorite is not tea, but coffee, a self-brewed on top of it, and you turned out to be more stubborn than I thought you would be."

It drew out a smile from her lips.

"So, after some of your predictions about me turned out to be wrong, are you disappointed?" She teased.

"Not at all, the fact is it draws me even more to you. You never failed to surprise me from time to time, and I don't mind it. I want to keep being surprised, I want to know more about you."

Chaewon cleared . The air around them got intense out of sudden, but somehow, she felt she liked what he just said.

"So, how did you start working in that field?"

Joongki knew she was trying to change the topic, but it was alright. He was glad she showed an interest in knowing him too.

"I used to like photography a lot and dreamed about being a professional photographer. But, as I grew older, I realized it would be hard to earn money with that profession, you don't only have to be really good at it but also have a distinct style. My family situation wasn't really great at that time, and it would be better if I could earn money faster. So, I threw that dream away and accepted the offer from my senior to join his company. It doesn't sound cool at all, does it?"

"Not at all, in fact, it's alright. I remember there are people going around talking about doing a meaningful job, but I think, it doesn't always have to start with something philosophical or great to make it meaningful. We can always find meaning in every little thing we do in life as long as we try to find it."

Joongki nodded, "I like that idea," he said, "how about you? Was your dream being a florist?"

"I'm not sure either. I have always liked flowers since I was a child and I found comfort in them. But I never really thought of being one until I had to be," she paused to laugh ironically. "When I finished high school, all I wanted was to be free on my own. So, I left Busan and came all the way up to Seoul. It was hard at first, I used to go around doing three part time jobs to cover up the living expenses, and then, I met my former boss, a kind lady who ran a flower shop. If not for her, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Chaewon had told herself to be cautious and to not reveal too much to him. But, at one point, she forgot about it, not realizing that she had talked about personal stuff she wouldn't share to just anyone. She was getting lost in their conversation, and Song Joongki had became someone that was too comfortable than she had planned he should be.

Yeouiseo-ro was packed with people who also came to see the cherry blossoms. Couples, friends and families gathered there, enjoying a spring picnic and some leisure time, or taking pictures. Joongki wasn't really sure when it was that he realized Chaewon always had somewhat tense atmosphere around her, for some reason. Like she wasn't letting herself to be completely true, like she was holding something back. But, that day, as she stood beside him watching the trees and people having a good time of their own, for the first time she looked totally relaxed, genuinely loosened up.

The wind blew hard, shedding the white and pinkish petals down from its branch. Her shoulder length hair was blown away too, covering her cheeks and nose. As the wind stopped, they were left with cherry blossoms petals perching on their hair and shoulders. A funny smile drew out on her lips as she turned side way and found a few pink petals were sitting on the top of his head.

Moon Chaewon was a pretty woman, of course he knew that already. But that image of her smiling that day with disheveled hair and a sprinkle of cherry blossom petals was imprinted on his mind for a long time. She looked really beautiful, and like a lightning, the thought just came to him; he wanted to see that smile for the rest of his life, and he wanted to be the reason behind that smile.

"Do you know how silly you look right now?" she asked. He was still looking stunned at her, but she thought it was because he was surprised at the sudden wind.

She stepped closer to him, intuitively reaching to sweep the petals off from his head and shoulders.

"There you go, you are clean now," she said.

Joongki finally snapped back to his sense. The smile was still there on her lips, and he smiled back.

"Look who's talking," he retorted.

He did the same for her, taking every bit of the cherry blossoms petals that were stuck in between her hair. Just, his fingers lingered longer, his movement was slow and soft. There was only two fists distance between them. One small step, and he could cover her body in a tight embrace. But he swallowed his guts back, knowing she wouldn't appreciate a public display of affection. And she had just started to open up to him, he knew the better not to ruin their future chance.

His patience got paid off later though. As they began to walk back to where he parked his car, a young guy was walking backward and knocked into her. She wobbled on her feet, a little bit more and she would fall with her on the ground, but he managed to catch her before it happened. He grabbed her right arm, the other hand reaching to hold her waist. One of the young guy's friends shouted, telling him what he had done. He turned around and immediately bowed to apologize to her. When she received his apology and bowed back, she absentmindedly grabbed Joongki's right hand with her left one, with the purpose of taking it off from her waist. But, that man didn't let go of it after that, grasping it tightly until they reached the car.

.

As the car drove slowly through the road back to her flat, the thought that was forgotten for a while returned to her head.

Oh, right, when this vehicle stops in front of my place later, it will mark the end of my time with him.

She had promised herself, she would told him that they couldn't see each other anymore. There wouldn't be any need for him to come and see her again.

Maybe he would think that she was overreacting. Maybe he would say that she had mistaken his intention, that he was just approaching her casually as a friend, so there was no need to draw a line. Maybe he would hate her. Or maybe she would regret it.

Whatever.

Whatever his reaction would be, it was better to do it now while it was still early. The further she postponed it, the further the possibility of herself getting hurt, or him getting hurt. She was so sure, there was no way a man like him could live with her. Or if he eventually was willing to, she had no heart to let him do it for her. He was really kind. If she could let herself being truthful, she would admit, he had made her happy for the short time they knew each other. So, for that, she wanted him to be happy. He deserved to be happy, and she was not the right person who would be able to complete his happiness.

Her lack of words and short replies didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked.

"No-no, I'm just...a little bit tired."

He believed what she said. She only took a half day off from the shop and helped there before they went on their date. There was no doubt, she must be exhausted.

"It will take another thirty minutes. Take some nap, I'll wake you up when we arrive."

She eventually ended up sleeping even though she told herself she would just close her eyes and pretended to be asleep so they didn't have to talk. But, it seems like her nerves and anxiousness were taking a toll on her.

Chaewon didn't know for how long she had been dozing off. When she gained her consciousness, the car had stopped and the engine was turned off. She opened her eyes, only to find him staring back at her. He was still in his seat, leaning forward with his cheek on the steering wheel.

There was a heat creeping up her cheeks and funny feeling shuffling inside her stomach as he smiled warmly upon her.

"H-how long have it been since we arrived?"

"Just a while ago," he answered softly.

"You should have woke me up," she protested, but he didn't say anything. He only smiled even wider.

All of sudden, Joongki's hand stretched out reaching to her head. She didn't have time to digest everything and when she realized what was happening, he was her hair, gently, just soft brushes as if he was afraid if he touched her more than that, she would break.

It was really a wrong move from him. If she was so determined to keep him away before, she wasn't sure anymore. Her inside was like a thunderstorm at the moment, her greed was building up.

I want to be with him, just for a little more while. I want to keep this warm feeling of being loved and cared by someone. Oh God, help me, this is so wrong when I know I will only hurt him later. 

"You slept like a baby," he whispered, "but did you have a nightmare? You were frowning earlier in your sleep."

His hand traveled down her forehead, her eyebrows repeatedly. He went on and caressed the lids of her eyes, but when his hand reached her nose, she caught it and stopped him. It was getting out of hands.

He got startled at her sudden movement, but proceeded to produce a small sound of chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away," he apologized.

Joongki retreated back to sit properly on his seat. A few moment passed as they sat there in silence, an awkward atmosphere between them.

Chaewon decided she couldn't stay any longer there and took her seat belt off. Joongki responded quickly by getting off the car and ran circling it to her side. He opened the door for her.

She walked following behind him closely, thinking what should she do now. Should she stick to her promise, or should she not?

"Moon Chaewon!"

But before she made up her mind, a man's voice cut her off. It was not a voice she was familiar with, but it seemed like she ever heard of it before.

Chaewon turned around on her feet, only to find a man with his neat suit standing there in front of luxurious car.

"What are you doing here?" he words came faster before anything.

Yoo Ah In stared at her with a smile that told her she wouldn't like whatever plan or thing he had in his mind.

"What do you mean? Of course to see my future wife."

Beside her, Joongki spared both of them a confusing look.

.

Author's note :

It was supposed to be longer but...heck, I was writing and had to restart my computer. I thought I had saved it, it was clearly saved, but when I opened it, some part I have written was lost. I have to rewrite everything and couldn't retrieve the original words I have thought before T.T

This is a sweet (kind of) chapter for you all who. This mainly is to show how Chaewon is being shaken by her own feelings. Overthinking Chaewon is actually able to enjoy herself when she is lost in the moment with Joongki, and if she is not so anxious about her past, she would admit it and stop denying that she wants to be with him.

But, this is not The Progress of Love where everything is sweet and there is no love rival. So, I give you the drama, here comes Yoo Ah In appearing in front of Joongki. I have to stop there and tease you about Joongki's reaction. What would his reaction be? I'll be anticipating your comments, thoughts, and feedback for this chapter.

Anyway, today Chaewon announced that she has joined Namoo Actors. Yeeaaayyy!!! I'm so glad she didn't join idol agencies like YG or SM C&C. Also, it's fortunate that she is not in KeyEast after seeing their line up of talents lately (this is just my personal preference, sorry if anyone is offended). I like Namoo Actors, few of my fave actors and actress are from Namoo Actors. They are also good in treating their actors/actresses (I once watched 1 Night 2 Days where the CEO was a guest for the episode, and he was really clumsy lol but affectionate towards the people in his agency). I hope they will be able to raise Chaewon well and bring her more good project offers. Okay, I guess I should stop my rant now. See you on the next update! ^^

PS : the other delusional reason that I am really happy she joined Namoo Actors and not Blossom Entertainment is because it means she is not in the same agency with Joongki and there will be possibilities of them reuniting in one drama >0< you know, it's rare for actors from the same agency to play in one drama as both lead roles LOL