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Crossroads and Resolutions

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Wonpil groaned slightly, massaging his temples to cure himself of the terrible headache he had. His eyes flittered over to the small picture frame on the corner of his desk and immediately the headache began to soothe slightly. He caressed the girl’s face in the picture, smiling as the nostalgic, happy memories flooded him.

He then looked at the younger version of himself. It was the time when they had first gotten married. His smile was much more genuine then than it was now, he noticed bitterly. Wonpil gently put the picture frame back on his desk and returned to the pile load of papers to be read and signed.

A knock on his door tore his attention away from the papers lying all over his desk. Wonpil let out a heavy sigh before taking off his glasses and placing them down near his computer.

“Come in.”

♫ 

Your soft voice rings in my ears
Whether my eyes are open or closed, I keep looking for you
My eyes meet yours as I’m in your warm embrace
Baby give me once more kiss, just one more kiss, whisper to me 

♫ 

Sana popped her head in with a big smile before pushing open the heavy doors to his office. Wonpil stiffened slightly at the sight of the younger girl before putting his poker face back on.

“Oppa! Today’s your birthday right?” She exclaimed with her huge smile. “I brought you a present!”

Sana held out the huge bag that she had been trying (and failing) to hide behind her back. “Tada!”

Wonpil shook his head slightly before fixing his cold eyes on her warm ones.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Sana’s smile faltered a bit but she quickly recovered. “But it’s a special day! You shouldn’t be cooped up here. I brought a cake too,” She said, taking the cake box out of the bag she brought. “We can eat this in your office if you want.”

Wonpil grit his teeth slightly at her persistence. “Sana, take the present and that cake back.”          

“But—“

Another knock on his door brought both their attention to Wonpil’s secretary who bowed at them both.

“Attorney Hyelim left this package for you and asked to have it delivered to your room,” The secretary said softly, placing the bag on his desk before exiting quietly. There was a small silence in the room. Wonpil reached for the bag when Sana snatched it out of his grasp and looked inside, her back to him.

“She even packs you seaweed soup?” Sana said in disbelief. Wonpil grabbed the bag out of her hands and took a quick look at the contents before placing it back on his desk.

Sana clutched the cake box in her arms tighter as she whipped around to face Wonpil.

“Why do you accept her gifts and not mine?!” Sana accused, her fingers shaking slightly. “Why can’t you accept my presents? Are they not enough for you?”

Wonpil stood from his desk so he stood face to face with her. He just noticed than how small she was compared to him. Her head only barely reached his shoulders.

“Go now, Sana.”

Sana juggled the cake box in her hand as he pushed her roughly towards the door. She tried to resist, while keeping the cake in tact.

“No! I don’t want to!” She resisted, pushing all her weight against him to push him back.

He grabbed her wrist and tugged her to the door, causing the cake in her arms to go crashing to the ground. Frosting and bread crumbs spilled out of the box onto his carpet and all they could do was stare.

Sana’s bottom lip quivered slightly, her arm going limp in his grasp. He released her and turned around.

“Just… go.”

With those two words, Sana fled from his office. Wonpil kneeled down and stared at the now ruined cake before shutting his eyes tight and clenching his fists.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, grabbing the napkins from his desk and cleaning the cake.

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Mindlessly, Wonpil twirled the gold band on his left ring finger around, admiring how the glimmer and sparkle had yet to fade even after several years. Sungjin had messaged the guys to come over since they hadn’t hung out in a while and Wonpil was waiting for what seemed like an eternity for someone to open the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open, catching Wonpil off guard and making him jump slightly. He looked up to see honey brown eyes staring back at him nervously.

“Oppa.” It was all she said but it was enough to break Wonpil out of his trance and his mouth fell into a thin line.

He nodded curtly towards her and pushed past her to enter the living room when Sana’s arm shot out, grabbing his wrist tightly. Wonpil pulled away almost immediately, the tingling feeling of her frail fingers burning his skin.

Sana’s eyes widened at his knee jerk reaction. “Um, can you wait here?”

She ran into her room and after a few moments, she came back out with a nervous expression on her face. She shyly pulled something out from behind her back.

“I never got to give this to you… For your birthday,” she mumbled, shoving a grey scarf into his hands. Wonpil just stared at the soft scarf before his eyes locked onto Sana’s fingers, which were littered with little cuts and band-aids.

A pang of guilt hit Wonpil when he recalled the cold way he’d treated her when she came to visit his office for his birthday.

“Thank you.”

♫ 

I smile at your smile
You make me forget all fear, you make me breath

♫ 

Sana jerked her head up and stared at Wonpil with wide eyes before a light blush painted her cheeks. It was crazy how those two simple words could have such an effect on the girl.

“Anything for you, oppa. You’re the guy I’ve liked for 12 years now,” Sana said boldly, smiling cutely at him.

Wonpil’s heart raced at her words and he looked away, clenching the scarf tighter in his hands. For some reason, his wedding ring seemed much heavier than usual in that moment. He never took the younger girl’s confessions seriously when they were little. She was always just ‘Sungjin’s little sister’ to him.

But gradually he began to notice her more and more as a woman than as a younger sister and that was something he couldn’t do. When Im Nayeon walked into his life though, he was a goner. No girls could even compete with Nayeon and even Sana had accepted that this woman had swept Wonpil off his feet.

Nayeon became a good unni to Sana just as Wonpil had been a good oppa to her.

Sana always wondered if Wonpil could see the hurt in her eyes when Nayeon and him came over to their house. The warm touches, the loving looks… all of it was like a stab to the gut to Sana but she had to hide her pain lest she ruin her relationship with Nayeon and Wonpil. Not to mention, her brother would hate her for trying to squeeze into a relationship where she wasn’t welcome.

When Nayeon died in a car crash four years ago, Wonpil was beyond shattered. He would barely speak to the guys and he had become something of a workaholic in the few months after Nayeon’s death. He lost so much weight that his cheeks began to sag inwards and his eyes had lost all its spark.

Sana had been devastated at Nayeon’s death as well and she had been in denial for a few weeks until Sungjin snapped her out of it with some tough love. Sana then showed the same tough love Sungjin had shown her, to Wonpil, who had shut her out completely at the time.

But if there was one thing about Sana that she never lost, it was her persistence. Wonpil should have known that she wouldn’t give up just because he threw some harsh words at her. She had been the one to chase after him for all those years despite all the times he shut her down.

Surely but slowly, Wonpil returned to how he used to be with the help and guidance of his friends but he always had a tint of sorrow hidden in his eyes.

“Wonpil, I didn’t hear you come through the door.”

Wonpil and Sana jumped apart and Sungjin stared at them strangely, a calculating look in his eyes.

“Was I interrupting…?” Sungjin asked, but it came out more like a forceful statement. His eyes flitted between his little sister, who was staring intently at the ground, and his best friend, who had a very good poker face on.

“No. Sana just opened the door for me,” Wonpil mumbled, throwing his shoes off and following after Sungjin to the living room.

Sana tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m going to get dinner ready. Have fun playing,” she said hastily before scurrying off to the kitchen.

Sungjin stared at her for a few moments before his eyes zoomed in to the grey scarf Wonpil had in his hands. Wonpil noticed Sungjin’s gaze too late and he grimaced, ready for the onslaught of interrogation questions that always seemed to follow when he was involved with Sana.

“I’ve never seen you wear that scarf before,” Sungjin commented lightly but Wonpil knew better. There was a low, underlying tone that just seemed to mock him by saying “lie to me if you can, but I know where you got it from.”

What was the point in lying when Sungjin could see right through him?

Wonpil laid the scarf down on the couch where he threw his coat. “It was a belated birthday gift.”

It was all he said but he didn’t need to say anymore. Sungjin had seen Sana sowing and knitting that scarf for nearly a month now. He shouldn’t have been surprised that she gave it to Wonpil but an unsettling feeling still climbed up in his chest.

“It can’t be her.”

Wonpil and Sungjin locked eyes tensely and Wonpil automatically touched his wedding ring, a habit he had developed over the years. His best friend noticed his habit and frowned.

The sentence was short and to the point. Sungjin was never one to beat around the bush. It was a trait Wonpil had appreciated in the past but he really hated right now.

“I know. I promise nothing will ever happen” His answer came out barely above a whisper but it seemed to satisfy Sungjin as the boy relaxed and a smile crept back on his face.

They exchanged a few more words, asking how the other had been doing and just catching up when the doorbell rang again. Sungjin rose from his spot on the couch and headed to the door to greet the other guys, while Wonpil slipped into the kitchen for a glass of water.

It might have been slightly creepy but Wonpil stood by the doorway of the kitchen and just stared as Sana flitted around the kitchen, busy preparing food for her brother and their guests.

He watched as the younger girl struggled to reach the plates on the top shelf. Sana let out a small yelp as the plates slipped from her grip and she shut her eyes tight, waiting for the impact of falling plates. Instead, she felt someone press their chest up against her back.

Sana peeled her eyes open slowly and her heart stopped. Wonpil was so close that she could feel his warm breath against her face. His chest was flush against her back and Sana didn’t need a mirror to know her face was probably bright red.

The girl’s obvious embarrassment was endearing to Wonpil and he took a step back, just enough to give her breathing space.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.

Sana gulped and took the plates from him, setting all but one down on the counter.

“Oppa,” she called softly and Wonpil stiffened.

Don’t call me like that…

It happened in a flash. Sana quickly leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss against Wonpil’s cheek before he could even protest.

“Sana—“

“Don’t,” she cut him off, looking down. “Just… let me have this moment, okay?”

♫ 

Even when you’re next to me, I miss you
My heart loves you more than I do, can you tell?
I want to spend more time with you
Baby give me one more day Just one more day, don’t let go of me
My eyes draw you out, my lips only call out to you, I only wait for you

♫ 

Words were lost on him and he watched the younger girl sadly. The sound of the door slamming shut startled Sana and the plate slipped from her fingers, crashing to the ground.

“What was that?” Sungjin asked, rushing to the kitchen with Jaehyung, Dowoon and Younghyun in tow.

“Nothing. I was just being a little clumsy,” Sana replied, bending down to pick up the shattered shards.

Sungjin noticed Wonpil hovering over Sana and he frowned deeply, while the rest of the boys exchanged uneasy glances.

“I’ll meet you in the living room. I’m getting some water,” Wonpil stated, noticing their heavy glances and Sungjin’s almost accusatory glare.

The boys left immediately, eager to escape the tense atmosphere but Sungjin hesitated just a moment longer before following the boys to the living room.

“Ow!”

Wonpil bent down next to Sana, who stared at her cut finger. It wasn’t deep but blood still trickled out and Wonpil gently grabbed her finger before on it to clean the wound much to Sana’s embarrassment.

What the hell am I doing? After what I just promised Sungjin…

“Be more careful,” Wonpil grumbled out before standing to get a cup of water.

Sana remained frozen on the ground, her entire body in a state of frenzy at what just happened. After gathering her senses, she quickly cleaned up the remains of the broken plate. She had to bite down on her lip to smiling.

She knew he had a soft spot for her.

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Sana sighed heavily, stirring the mango drink in her hand restlessly. She felt guilty for ruining Wonpil’s birthday but she couldn't help but feel a tad bit of anger at him. The door to the café jingled, indicated a customer had just entered.

“Wel—“ Her voice faltered a bit from her usual warm welcome to a cold, hard tone, “—come. What would you like to order?”

The girl in front of her smirked at her sudden change in attitude. “It isn’t nice to treat an elder with disrespect. Didn’t you learn any manners?”

Sana held in her urge to scowl. “Attorney Hyelim-sshi, I only treat those I respect with manners,” she said in fake enthusiasm.

Hyelim narrowed her eyes as she ordered her drinks. Two drinks, to be specific; one Mango Pineapple and another Strawberry Kiwi, which happened to be Wonpil's favorite flavor. Sana stared at her suspiciously for a while before her curiosity broke.

“Is Wonpil oppa coming here too?”

Hyelim rolled her eyes in disgust at Sana’s curiosity and didn’t bother to answer, which Sana took as a confirmation. She grabbed the tray of drinks and was about to leave when Sana grabbed her arm.

“I’ll bring your drinks to the table!”

Hyelim slapped her hand away from the tray. Sana gaped at her rudeness.

When Wonpil walked in, Mango Story café was dead quiet, which was unlike the warm café’s usual atmosphere. He glanced around and saw a crowd of people at the cashier. He pushed through the throng and was met by an unexpected sight.

Sana was drenched with the drink’s contents as the cup rolled idly on the floor.

“What the hell is going on?”

Sana and Hyelim both turned at Wonpil’s infuriated question. Sana’s eyes widened.

“Oppa… This girl,” Sana pointed at Hyelim, “Just hit my hand and poured her drinks on me!”

Hyelim scrunched her face up with sorrow. “I accidentally hit her hand while picking up the drinks and the drinks spilled on her. If she misunderstood, I’ll apologize again.”

Hyelim then turned to Sana and bowed her head slightly. “I’m sorry about the commotion and the misunderstanding.”

Sana’s jaw dropped at the two faced girl. “What is this lady saying? Ahjumma, you spilled those drinks on my on purpose!” She accused.

“Park Sana!” Wonpil shouted sternly, silencing the younger girl.

“Why are you taking her side?!” Sana yelled back.

“Stop acting like a child and blaming others.”

Sana looked as if she’d been slapped. Wonpil knew the thing she hated was being treated like a child. She especially hated it when he was the one treating her like a c