“Areum, lucky you! I heard that a director from C&R Entertainment specifically wanted you for his drama!” the stylist exclaimed as soon as she entered the waiting room.
“But what I’m really jealous of is that you’ll be costarring with Zen! I’ve had my eye on him for a while now!” She squealed. “Ah-wait! This means I’ll get to see him too, right?!” The stylist went on and on about how not only does he have a perfect face and body, but about how his works were quite amazing too. Areum could only let out a stifled smile in this situation. She neither wanted to take on this project, nor did she want to turn down something beneficial for both her and the company. In this case, she knew which route she had to take in order to satisfy the majority- even if it meant suffering for herself.

She knew that one day they’d probably run into one another again. She just never imagined that she’d have to work so closely beside him.
“Zen! Guess who you’ll be working with on your next project!” MC came running over with the script for his newest project. “You’ll be quite surprised! She’s one of the most popular idols at the moment—even women are falling for her.” She was waving the script around happily with a big smile spread across her face. Zen only looked up at her with a small interest. Perhaps she was more excited for this project than he was.
“Hmm? It doesn’t matter because no woman can compare to you, my love~ Even if I’m lovey dovey with her on screen, my world wouldn’t be whole without you, darling!” Zen said in a hum. He sent her a wink as pulled MC into his lap for a hug.
“Zen, stop. We’re in public!” MC said in a hush. He laughed at how cute she looked blushing. “How on earth did I get so lucky to end up with a cutie like you by my side?”
“Zen! Get ready to go up on stage, you’re on in five!” one of the crew members rushed in and right back out of the room.
“Let’s talk more about trustfund kid’s new project after the shoot, there better be no cats this time!” Zen placed a kiss on MC’s forehead before leaving to get into position.
“Well he’ll definitely be surprised when he meets her!” she smiled happily and looked through his script again. Being a fan of his costar, she becomes giddy reading their roles. “I can’t wait to meet her!”
“Welcome to the first script reading everyone! Besides our female lead, I’m glad everyone could make it on time. Due to schedule conflicts Han Areum will be arriving about half an hour late. If there are no objections, we will be extending the reading half an hour after the indicated time. We apologize for this inconvenience. Please use this time to review the script, and if there are any problems or questions with the script, please feel free to voice it to the director of this drama, Mr. Kim.” Jaehee stated. After all the actors and actresses began talking to one another, Zen moved across the room over to Jumin and Jaehee.

“What are you guys doing here? I didn’t think you would even pay any mind to this section of your company, Mr. Trustfund,” Zen said to Jumin.
“As the overall director of C&R, I must give attention to all aspects of my company. You wouldn’t understand my position even if I explained,” Jumin said with arms crossed across his chest.
“Why, you—” Zen growled. Why did Jumin always have to put himself on a higher pedestal? It frustrated Zen.
“Zen, calm down. Let’s not make a bad first impression on your co-stars,” MC said holding him back. He only gave Jumin a challenging glare before backing off, noticing that people were beginning to stare.
“Zen, I’ll be looking forward to how you perform on this project as well! As a fan, I do prefer your musicals better, however, I am very glad to see that you’ve accepted Mr. Han’s proposal for this role,” Jaehee eyes glistened as she talked to him about his work. Zen gave her a smile. “Thank you for always being so kind to me, Jaehee. To be honest, it’s all thanks to MC. I wouldn’t have accepted any of Jumin’s ridiculous requests if I didn’t have her by my side.” A loving gaze was exchanged between the two lovers, it was a sight that could cause anyone to turn away.
“My projects are not ridiculous requests, if you had any taste you would be able to understand,” Jumin scoffed.
Before Zen could make a comeback, all the attention in the room turned towards the sound of the opened doors. Areum walked in with her manager and she bowed in apology for being late. “I apologize for having everyone wait in my stead. I’ll try to be sure that this won’t happen again in the future! Once again, I am sorry for inconveniencing everyone.”
“Welcome, Ms. Han. Thank you for making it to the script reading, and earlier than you stated prior,” Jaehee said looking at her watch. “Please take your seat next to Zen,” Jaehee directed Areum over to her seat. “Okay, everyone! Please introduce yourselves and we shall begin the script reading!”

“… Areum!” Zen called out after the session ended. She froze as her name fell from his lips. Hesitantly, she turned around and forced a smile. It was bittersweet.
“Hyun…” The two stood in silence, quietly staring at one another before Areum brought herself to speak again. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?” She stared at him wide eyed as an ambiguous smile formed on her face. It almost hurt to be standing so close and having to hold back from him. She thought she was prepared to see him, but now that he was standing in front of her, she found herself unknowing how to react. What was their relationship now? Not once did they contact each other in the past three years. If she ran into his arms, would he accept her? At this point, she wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. She could only stand in front of him and pretend. There was nothing wrong; she was fine. He was nothing but a co-worker now. She couldn’t waver when he’d already moved on. He had a new person beside him. He didn’t have to say anything, she already knew.
“H-how have you been, Areum?” Zen stuttered. He wanted to reach out to her and hug her, but he could sense that she didn’t want to be there. Was it him? Was she still afraid of being with him? It has been so long, she seemed happy. Or was it only an act? Trying to release the tension he began to speak again. “I hear that you’ve become really popular recently! Congrats! You’ve achieved your dream of being an idol, right? I’ve been—”
“Ah, Hyun.. Sorry to cut you off but I have another schedule to attend, so I have to leave right now. We’ll have plenty of time to talk next time, alright?” Areum said and made a dash for it. She didn’t know where she was going but she ran. In that moment, anywhere would have been better than there.
“Oh, o-okay! I’ll see you at the first shoot then!” He yelled at her from behind, waving as if she’d look back and smile at him again. He watched as she disappeared from his sight before letting out all the pent up emotions in one big sigh.
“Out of the hundreds of idols and actresses who could’ve played this role, why did it have to be her?” he laughed at the world for being so cruel time after time. If it’s not this, it’s that. Why was there always constant pressure pushing him down?
“Zen! Is something wrong? You seemed a bit out of it at rehearsal…” MC asks after coming out from the mini-manager meeting. She could tell that something was off with him. He wasn’t as responsive as usual. “Don’t tell me… you’ve already fallen for Areum!” MC exclaims.
“No, no! It’s not that, I swear! MC, why didn’t you tell me who the main lead was ahead of time… I-I just… this is a complicated situation for me right now,” his shoulders drooped and he couldn’t bear to look MC in her eyes.
“I can’t believe you’ve already fallen for her. I’m heartbroken, Zen” MC said jokingly, expecting him to play back but, all he muttered out was a sorry.
“I need some time to think, MC. Could you just stay by my side tonight?” he grabbed her hand, holding her tightly next to him. She wanted to know what bothered him, but she knew she couldn’t ask. The look on his face was of fear and devastation. Seeing him in this state, she didn’t really want to know—no, she was afraid to know what truly bothered him. She knew that all she could do now was continue holding onto his hand and just waiting until he was ready to talk.
“Areum, come out. I’m in front of the restroom and there’s no one around now,” her manager said over the phone. She unlocked the stall she was hiding in and exited the restroom cautiously.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or are we playing the guessing game again?” her manager asked. She only smiled at him before walking towards the elevators. He let out a sigh and scratched his head in confusion about this whole situation. He knew he wouldn’t get answers even if he kept pushing so he only followed behind her in silence. Well, it’s not like it was in his contract to know every little detail about his clients anyway.
He noticed that she was shaking. Perhaps it was due to the cold weather, or maybe it was because she was biting back her tears so hard, her body shook from the pain. No one really needed to know the truth. She felt so cold then, it almost seemed as if the world would freeze that day. She was angry at herself. Angry that she was still a coward.
 

The sun may be shining, but it is still cold in the winter.