Soonyoung knelt by Jihoon’s side as the smaller stared into space. “Jihoon, you are my boyfriend now. You do not have to worry or care about her. I’m loyal to you now.”

Jihoon sighed and pat Soonyoung, who was leaning his head against his side. Who was Jihoon to have a say anyway. “I’m not worried.” Jihoon bit his tongue before he could mutter out ‘I have no rights to anyway.’ “Now stop thinking and go back to work you big puppy.”

Soonyoung lit up at that label of endearment, pecking the smaller on the lips, catching him by surprise. Soonyoung literally skipped out, and back to his office.

~

That week had gone on smoothly. Soonyoung had not seen Hyeyoung again, and he had completed the proposals that was due the following week. Life was working out well for him, except for the fact that Jihoon was still busy with his own projects. Oh the pains of being Director. Hence, in order to kill time, Soonyoung decided to go for a nice evening run before dropping by Jihoon’s place to stay the weekend.

Soonyoung almost scoffed when he saw Hyeyoung standing outside his apartment when he got back from his run. He wiped his face as he approached his door. Hyeyoung who had been staring at her phone had been alerted when she heard footsteps. “Soonyoung! You’re home! I brought chicken feet!”

Soonyoung nonchalantly keyed in the code to his door, passing Hyeyoung without even sparing her a glance. “I don’t eat chicken feet.”

The girl pouted. “Nonsense. They were our favourite!”

“Not anymore.” Soonyoung was about to shut his door when Hyeyoung pushed her hand in between the gaps. The blonde had no choice but to stop his actions. He did not want to clean up a bloody floor if he  continued to push his door shut.

“We need to talk Soonyoung.” Hyeyoung voiced out as she pushed her way into Soonyoung’s apartment and planted herself on his couch.

Soonyoung could only sigh as he poured himself a glass of water. From what he remembered, Hyeyoung was stubborn as hell and maybe, this seven year hatred could come to an end. Maybe after hearing her explanations, Soonyoung would be able to breathe easy again, be able to love. He sat diagonal to Hyeyoung, watching, waiting for her to start. These past seven years did nothing to her beauty. Even after time, Hyeyoung still looked gorgeous and innocent. If only her core was not so rotten.

Hyeyoung and Soonyoung had remained silent for about twenty minutes. Soonyoung was not going to initiate the conversation, and Hyeyoung was probably still apprehensive as to where she should  start.

“Soonyoung, I never said it then and I know it could possibly be too late. But what you saw happening was a misunderstanding. That guy, he wanted to hurt you. I managed to convince him otherwise, on one condition.”

“And that condition was you?” Soonyoung frowned.

“Yes. Believe it or not, I really did love you.”

Soonyoung slammed his cup onto the table. “And why are you only telling me this now? I don’t even know the guy! What feud does he have against me that you had to heroically step in?”

Hyeyoung in a breath. “His dad worked for your dad’s company. His dad was retrenched. They were going through some difficult times then. He wanted to destroy the son of the man who ruined their lives. And as to why I did not say anything then,” Hyeyoung moved closer to Soonyoung and placed a hand on his. “I saw you break right before me. You hated me. And I thought, maybe you hating me would be more convincing. So the guy would not find out I was pretending to love him. If you hated me, it would make it easier for me to leave you.”

Soonyoung retracted his hand. His mind was assaulted with all this new information, and without him knowing, tears fell from his eyes. “This story of yours is incredibly hard to believe.” He was mad. For all he may know, Hyeyoung couuld be lying to him. He was fuming, even more so at himself. He was mad that he was believing her. Despite all these years of claiming that he hated her, maybe he hated the empty hole Hyeyoung left in his heart when she left instead. He hated the fact that there were so many things left unanswered between them. He hated that he wanted to forgive her.

The girl remained silent, watching the rage in Soonyoung's eyes change to something along the lines of sympathy? “I don’t expect you to. Many years have passed. You have changed, I have changed. I am no longer the little helpless girl I was back then. In case you did not know, I am now a world famous designer.” Hyeyoung tried to muster a big smile, trying desperately to stop the tears that were threatening to spill.

Soonyoung whispered out. “I know.” Even though Soonyoung hated Jung Hyeyoung, he could not deny that he had indeed at some point loved her to the ends of the world. He was willing to die for her. Caring and worrying for her had been a bad habit that he was not able to easily shake off.

Upon hearing Soonyoung’s reply, Hyeyoung’s heart leapt in joy. Soonyoung knew. He knew what she was doing. That could only mean that he still did care for her. She still had a chance. Jung Hyeyoung could still build a future with Kwon Soonyoung. She tried to hide a smile that was blooming on her face as stray tears trickled down her rosy cheeks. “Thank you Soonyoung. You must be tired after your run.  I’ll take my leave now. Maybe we could meet as friends the next time.”

Soonyoung could only nod as Hyeyoung made her way out of his apartment. The moment she left, he collapsed onto his couch, letting the walls he built come crashing down. He allowed himself to weep. All the tears that he refused to cry from seven years ago came rushing out now. It was like as if a dam was broken. Once the tears started, Soonyoung could not stop. He could only hiccup and choke back sobs as he brought his fist up to clutch at his chest. The questions he had for all this time was finally answered. The pain and betrayal he felt now seemed like a joke. Hyeyoung was just trying to protect him, and he repaid her love by throwing her out of his life. After the truth sunk in, Soonyoung felt the guilt. Hyeyoung was trying to keep him safe. And for seven years, he shut her out. Refused to forgive her. His past actions now seemed extremely silly.

Even after two hours of sobbing, Soonyoung still had to choke back the occasional whimpers. He did not take a shower. He did not even move from his position from his couch. His plans for the night were thrown out of the window. Jihoon could wait for another time. His mind thought back to Hyeyoung’s words. ‘Maybe we could meet as friends the next time.’ The blonde nodded to himself as he let sleep take him. He was utterly drained physically and emotionally. In the deep recesses of his mind, Soonyoung promised himself. We will meet again as friends.

~

When Jihoon saw Soonyoung in the lounge sipping on his coffee, he let out an audible gasp. The smaller quickly made his way towards the blonde and placed his thumb delicately on his face. He rubbed at the swollen eyebags under Soonyoung’s eyes. “What happened to you?”

Soonyoung leaned into Jihoon’s hand, purring quietly.

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not now babe.” Soonyoung breathed out.

Jihoon could only nod understandingly. Soonyoung would open to him when he was ready. “Okay. You know where to find me whenever you need to right?”

Soonyoung muttered a ‘yes’ as he pulled Jihoon into a hug. He buried his head into the crook of the smaller’s neck, thanking the heavens for giving him someone as perfect as Jihoon.

~

Hyeyoung entered the restaurant and immediately seated herself opposite the blonde. “I was so surprised you called me out today Soonyoung! What’s the occasion?”

Soonyoung smiled at her bubbly tone. “Nothing much. But I have thought about what you said. I wanted to meet you again, as friends.”

Hyeyoung lit up, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you so much Soonie.” She grabbed Soonyoung’s hands and clutched them to her chest. “You have no idea how much this means to me. We can start again from square one-“

Soonyoung withdrew his hands, and smiled politely. “Yeah. We can meet for meals and stuff. Besides, Jihoon is really busy now so he ain’t got time for me.”

Hyeyoung frowned. “Jihoon?”

Soonyoung sipped on his cola. “Yeap. My boyfriend. The guy you saw the other day in the office.”

“He is seriously your boyfriend? You don’t have to force yourself Soonyoung. You do not need another to replace me.”

Now it was Soonyoung’s turn to frown. “He is not your replacement. He is nobody’s replacement Hyeyoung. And as a friend, you don’t have much say as to who I date.”

Hyeyoung shot up from her seat abruptly and grabbed Soonyoung’s collar, bringing her face towards his for the second time. Hyeyoung kissed Soonyoung squarely on the lips and released him. The blonde plopped back into his seat, alarmed from the sudden manhandling.

“Jung Hyeyoung!”

“Soonyoung. I gave you up once. I cannot do that again.” Hyeyoung was frustrated. She could not believe that Soonyoung was telling her about his ‘boyfriend’. She did not agree to restart as friends for her to stand at the sidelines of Soonyoung’s life. She would be the main character, even if it kills her. Or him (Jihoon) for that matter. Hyeyoung stormed out of the restaurant, leaving the blonde in an empty booth.

~

Soonyoung sat in his office, head buried in his palms. He could not believe what just happened. He had literally just made up with Hyeyoung. He put aside his seven year hate with the intent of being friends with her again.  They were bestfriends after all. Why was it so difficult to return to the good old days? She did not seem all too jolly about just being friends. Soonyoung always put Hyeyoung’s feelings first. She was always his priority with regards to the decisions he made. But this cannot be the case anymore. Soonyoung had a new priority. He had Jihoon now.

“What’s bothering you now dip?” Seokmin commented as he walked in on an agonising Soonyoung, completely disregarding the boss-subordinate relationship in the office. They were bestfriends as of this moment.

Soonyoung smiled. “Are you psychic? You always seem to know when I need you.”

Seokmin chuckled, “My ‘save a damsel in distress’ instincts are always on point.”

“It’s Hyeyoung.” The blonde cut his bestfriend off before he could blabber. “She wants to get back together. I think.”

“You think? Since when were you chummy with Jung Hyeyoung?”

“She explained everything to me. Why she cheated, why she left. I thought we could be friends again.”

Seokmin let out a chagrined laugh. “And let me guess. Hyeyoung wanted otherwise. I told you this then, and now I am telling this to you again. Jung Hyeyoung is not as simple as she looks. She plays with people.”

The blonde could only sigh. “I know. I know. She said something like she was not going to give me up again. She- I don’t know man.”

Seokmin grunted. Soonyoung was being an idiot again, falling prey to Hyeyoung’s words. “Then what about Jihoon?”

“What? What about Jihoon?”

“Are you going to end you relationship with him?”

Soonyoung recoiled in his seat, bringing his fist against the table, “What the hell are you talking about Seok? Why would I ever end our relationship?”

A little startled by Soonyoung’s anger, he muttered, “You do remember that he is your pretend boyfriend right?”

Soonyoung deflated. Seokmin’s words struck hard like a knife through his heart. That fact had indeed slipped his mind.

~

“Seungcheol, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Jihoon was lying on the couch in Seungcheol’s office, head staring up to the ceiling. Seungcheol was sitting beside him, reading one of his files. It seemed pretty important, considering how Seungcheol did not drop the file despite the smaller barging into his office, even carrying it with him to the couch when he sat beside Jihoon.

“Think about what?” The older questioned half-heartedly.

“Soonyoung’s first love barged into my office to eat his face out right in front of me. Soonyoung claimed she is nothing but a past he wants to erase. But, I feel like it is more than that. Besides, she calls him ‘Soonie’. I think she wants to get back together with him.”

Seungcheol slipped his reading glasses off and laid his file down on his lap. “You are overthinking again. She is his ex-“

“First love.” Jihoon interrupted.

“Still an ex. But you want to know what I think? I have already told you to stop with the act. It cannot go on forever. You never know, but you could be the one standing in the way between them.”

Jihoon visibly gulped at the prospect that he was indeed the third wheel.

“I am not saying that you are Jihoonie. I just want you to be aware of the various possibilities.”

“Right. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

Seungcheol ran his fingers through Jihoon’s hair comfortingly. The smaller relaxed at the action, and he smiled ever so slightly, grateful for his bestfriend.

~

Soonyoung was busy typing away in his office, which was dark except for the lights emanating from his screen. Everyone else had left earlier, which was normal considering it was nearing midnight. Soonyoung was tying up some loose ends of one of his project when the silence was broken by the shrill sound of his ringtone. Without glancing at the caller ID, the male answered the call and held his phone between his ear and shoulder.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Mr Kwon! It has been a while now.”

Soonyoung paused his work and took his phone to look at the ID. He recognised the number. It has been a long while, but he had no idea as to why the man would contact him. There was no reason to.

“I shall take the silence as recognition Mr Kwon. What have you been up to lately?”

Soonyoung questioned. “The hell? Why are you contacting me? There must be a mistake.”

The man on the other line chuckled. “Are you playing dumb on purpose? Take a look at your email.”

Soonyoung's brain went into panic mode. He hurriedly opened his email account and clicked on the latest mail, entitled: Juicy. The photos were crystal clear, the sharpest quality. Hyeyoung was captured holding his hands as he was smiling gently. He almost looked like he was in love. Except that Soonyoung knew what he actually looked like when he was in love, and that was not the face. The next few photos were when Hyeyoung kissed him on the lips. All the photos were captured when they were in the restaurant. Soonyoung swore under his breath. Such situations were common and normally, Soonyoung would shrug it off. This time however, was different. The whole of South Korea thought that he was in a steady relationship, and this would mean he was cheating on Jihoon. But he did not care what South Korea thought of him. The bigger matter at hand was what Jihoon would think of him.

“What you saw is a misunderstanding. There is nothing between us.”

“Her lips on yours says otherwise.”

“You have also conveniently left out the part where I pulled my hands from hers, and also the part where she stormed out.”

“Oh Mr Kwon, South Korea isn’t interested in that. What they will be interested in is ‘Kwon the cheater! No surprise there!’ as the title of the next issue.”

Soonyoung felt the rage boil in him and the heat rise. His heart pounded and he was sure he would pop a vein. He roared, “Don’t you dare release that rubbish, or I swear to God. I will destroy you and everything you love.”

The voice quietened, Soonyoung’s threat was highly effective. Soonyoung was never that mad whenever he was faced with a scandal. The said male was never this aggressive.

“I would never cheat on Jihoon.” Soonyoung ended the call. He threw his phone against the wall in a fit of anger, watching it smash against the hard surface. He saw the phone shatter, saw it fall apart as it hit the ground.

It was ironic as that would literally be his heart if Jihoon were to find out. He imagined Jihoon’s face, imagined his expression if he were to find out about Hyeyoung wooing him again. His hands folded into a fist, resolve solidifying. He would never hurt Jihoon, he told himself. He made a silent promise to himself that he would protect Jihoon.

A/N: Hey! I decided to update again today!! Yay to productivity! Hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far. I don’t mean to sound demanding, but I would really love if you guys could give me some constructive feedback. I would like to know what you guys think of the story and how I can improve. Tbh, the more comments the more motivated I feel to write as it feels like people actually like my story and anticipate each update.

Hope my love for comments don’t put most of you off from reading. Thanks to all who comment regularly. I love you guys.

P.S: Title of chapter 17 was empty promises, for Jihoon. Now it is silent promises made by Soonyoung. HAHA see what i did there?!! (Sorry. i had to.)