A/N: This isn't going to be a very interesting chapter. It's like a preparation of what's to come.

 

---

 

Am I supposed to stand outside my gate?

 

I finally made up my mind after standing outside my door for a few minutes. I opened the gate and locked it behind me.

 

I looked around the neighborhood and saw no signs of Sooyoung.

 

I checked my watch and saw that it was a little past 6PM.

 

She’s late.

 

A black sedan suddenly stopped in front of her. The driver’s car door opened to reveal a young man in a black suit. Most notable about his appearance was that he was particularly easy on the eyes.

 

He stood in front of me and smiled at me.

 

It was charmingly disarming to be honest.

 

“Are you Miss Jessica Jung?” he asked.

 

Taken aback, I looked cautiously at the man.

 

“I’m not suspicious. I assure you, Miss Jung. I was ordered to pick you up and take you somewhere.”

 

“Like saying that makes you any less suspicious,” I said.

 

I crossed my arms over my chest in a defiant stance.

 

He chuckled at what I said. He brought his hand to his pocket and took out his phone.

 

“She said you probably won’t believe me,” he said.

 

Tapping on his screen, a recording played through the speakers. I raised a brow at the familiar voice coming from the device.

 

“Sica, don’t fight him and just get in the car.”

 

The recording ended there.

 

That’s it?

 

The man moved to open the door to the back seat.

 

Jessica gave him one last wary look before finally stepping inside the car. The man then proceeded to sit in the driver’s seat and started the car.

 

“I’m Minho by the way,” he introduced as he started driving away from her house. “I’m a relative of Sooyoung noona.”

 

“Oh. And why would you come pick me up?” Jessica surmised.

 

Minho smiled at her through the rear view mirror.

 

“I was just told as I was ordered. I kinda owe noona a favor,” he explained. “She just told me to pick up someone named ‘Jessica Jung’.”

 

I hummed in reply.

 

We went silent after that.

 

After a few minutes of driving, Minho spoke once again.

 

“I don’t mean to pry but, are you and her…,” he tried to say. “It’s just, the way she told me to, I quote, ‘Take good care of her and don’t think too badly of her if she acts cold towards you. She’s actually really warm inside.’ It’s my first time hearing that tone of voice.”

 

I couldn’t help but blush at what he just told me. Hearing Sooyoung talk kindly about me to someone, her relative even, makes me feel warm inside.

 

I turned to face the window, wanting to hide the smile I knew was forming on my lips.

 

“I consider her my friend,” I replied. “And something more, I guess.”

 

“You guess?”

 

My lips quirked upwards as the sudden image of Sooyoung smiling and laughing at me came to mind.

 

“Definitely something more.”

 

I said the last part more softly but with more thought. I sneaked a glance at him and saw him grin at me through the rearview mirror.

 

---

 

I didn’t expect he’d drop me off in an...empty building? It was still under construction.

 

I tilted my head to the side questioningly.

 

“She told me to drop you here I swear,” he said.

 

And with that he bowed to me and quickly left me there.

 

Alone.

 

I was about to fish for my phone when something caught my eye. At the entrance, a note and flower were taped to the wall. After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to walk towards it.

 

It was a red tulip.

 

I grabbed the note and read it.

 

GO INSIDE. FOLLOW THE ARROWS.

 

I took a peek inside and, indeed, there were arrows pasted on the walls.

 

I sighed.

 

Here I go then.

 

I admit, I was scared walking into an empty building with barely any lights on. I followed the arrows which led me to an elevator. I hesitated to push the button, not really sure if it even worked.

 

I pushed the button and to my surprise, it actually opened.

 

Stepping inside, I saw another note.

 

TOP FLOOR.

 

I followed.

 

As I waited for the elevator to stop, I looked down on the tulip in my hand. I smiled adoringly at it.

 

I looked up once the elevator stopped.

 

I quickly stepped out and was met by a dimly illuminated path leading me to the center of the room. At the center was a couch covered with blankets and pillows. The floor was covered with a rug. I saw a picnic basket, a bottle of wine, and two wine glasses placed beside the couch.

 

As I approached the center, I was pulled back suddenly by an arm wrapping around my waist. Horrific thoughts suddenly came to mind. I was all alone in a building. I haven’t even told anyone where I was going. I was about to scream when I smelled a familiar scent.

 

“I’m concerned you would step inside here all alone,” she said closely to my ear.

 

“I saw your note,” I replied as calmly as I could.

 

“What if it wasn’t me? What if someone was just posing as me?” she asked. “No one will be able to hear you scream.”

 

“Oh? Then I guess there won’t be any problem then.”

 

“Wha-”

 

I hit her stomach with my elbow and turned around to face her with a death glare.

She was groaning in pain. Serves her right.

“Ow…”

“I could kill you here right now for pulling a stunt like that,” I said angrily. “I could have hi-”

 

I stopped mid-sentence once I saw her face. It was dark but the dim lighting was enough for me to see the bruise on the side of her face.

 

“What happened to your face?” I asked worriedly.

 

“I hoped you wouldn’t notice. I even purposely used these lights.”

 

“Of course I’d notice!”

 

I held her jaw and turned her face to the side to get a better view of the bruise. The bruise had turned bluish.

 

I tentatively touched it with my fingertips which caused her to wince slightly. I quickly withdrew my hand and apologized.

 

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal.”

 

“Who did this to you?”

 

“Sica, it’s oka-”

 

“It’s not okay! Someone hit you!”

 

“I just bumped into a pole. That’s all,” she said.

 

“Yah! Don’t lie to me!”

 

I saw her sigh as she bit on her bottom lip. She then held on to both my shoulders and gave a reassuring smile.

 

“I’m okay. That’s what matters,” she told me. “I’ll tell you later. Just not now. I don’t want to ruin our night, okay?”

 

I couldn’t get myself to argue with her by the way that she was looking at me.

 

“Okay,” I said reluctantly.

 

She beamed at me.

 

“Come on then. I haven’t had dinner yet so I’m really hungry.”

 

Of course. Food.

 

Rolling my eyes at her, I let her drag me towards the couch.

 

“I also brought movies we could watch,” she told me. “I’ll just set up the projector.”

 

I watched as she busied herself with the projector. She was being her usual self but seeing that bruise couldn’t help but bring out the protective side in me. Also, it annoyed me a great deal that she was obviously keeping something from me. I had doubts that she would really tell me.

 

Once she was finished, she sat on the floor and patted the space beside her, gesturing for me to sit. I dropped my bag on the couch and sat on the floor with her. I expected it to be hard but the rug was surprisingly effective as a cushion.

 

She pulled out wrapped food from the basket and offered me some utensils.

 

“Is it okay if we share a plate?” she asked.

 

“I don’t mind.”

 

She smiled at me and then continued to push on a remote which immediately started to play the movie. The movie projected on a plain white wall in front of us.

 

(A/N: I’ll give you free reign of imagining whatever movie you want them to watch together.)

 

“Did you cook this?” I asked as I greedily took bites.

 

“Yuri did,” she answered.

 

“Aah. I almost praised you,” I teased.

 

She pouted at me.

 

“Then I’ll cook next time then,” she said sulkily.

 

“Just stick to pancakes and let the professionals do it.”

 

She continued to pout at me.

 

I leaned in and kissed her pout away.

 

It did the job as I saw that all too familiar grin on her face the moment I pulled back. My eyes couldn’t help momentarily flicker to the bruise.

 

“I’ve got some wine. Do you want some?” she asked me, snapping my gaze back to her eyes.

 

“Yeah. Not too much though.”

 

She nodded as she grabbed the two wine glasses and bottle of wine. She poured wine in each of the glasses and handed me one.

 

The movie had become mere noise in the background as we chatted with each other instead. We’ve gotten up from the floor and sat comfortably on the couch. She had one arm propped on the back of the couch as she faced me, listening intently at what I was saying.

 

She told me how Sunny’s been nagging her on deadlines lately. It seems there have been more and more offers. From printing and publishing houses to product logos and illustrations.

 

In return, I told her about how I’m planning on expanding in the states. Opening a store in New York has been one of my dreams. I’ve been talking with the board, shareholders, and business and financial managers lately and it seems it will become a reality soon.

 

“That’s great! We should celebrate!”

 

“It’s still not a sure thing,” I said.

 

“Of course it is. There doesn’t seem to be any problems,” she argued.

 

“Not yet,” I supplied as I downed the rest of my drink.

 

“Don’t be so pessimistic. It’s going to happen. I’m sure of it.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because,” she reasoned. “I know how much effort you put in your work. And Tiffany works just as much.”

 

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

 

“For what?”

 

“For always being so supportive.”

 

“Of course. I’ll always be here to support you all the way.”

 

She poured some wine in my glass again.

 

“To your success,” she said, raising her glass towards me.

 

“Our success,” I corrected as I clinked our glasses together.

 

At some point, we’ve moved into a lying position. We were now watching our second movie. She was spooning me, intertwining our legs together. We faced the wall once again to continue watching the movie. Well I don’t know about her, but I wasn’t. I was more focused on the feeling of her fingers massaging my scalp and combing through my hair.

 

“Sica?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Were you okay with tonight?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, I didn’t bring you anywhere fancy. I just thought I’d rather do something more intimate.”

 

I sighed.

 

“I told you. Fancy or not, as long as I enjoy the company, anywhere is fine.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Why did you choose this place anyways?” I asked curiously.

 

“Oh. that’s because-”

 

Suddenly, loud booming sounds came from behind us.

 

“Is it already time?” Sooyoung said as she abruptly sat up, forcing me to get up as well.

 

I whined because I was already comfortable.

 

“C’mon, Sica. You’ll miss it,” she urged.

 

I trudged on my feet as I let her pull me towards the window. My eyes widened in awe at the fireworks display.

 

“This is why,” she murmured, looking as mesmerized as I was.

 

We watched the sky filled with an explosion of multi-colored lights. I reached for her hand, lightly squeezing it for good measure. She squeezed back.

 

“There’s a Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival) being held nearby. I thought it would be nice if we could watch the fireworks.”

 

(A/N: so last year, the lotus lantern festival was held april 28-30, 2017)

 

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

 

As I was busy gazing into the sky, my view suddenly got blocked.

 

Still holding my hand, Sooyoung had bent down closer, turning my head slightly so that she could kiss me. My eyes fluttered shut as I sighed into the kiss. I relished in the feeling of her soft lips moving against mine.

 

She pulled away.

 

I slowly opened my eyes.

 

The fireworks lit the room in flashes. It enabled me to see exactly just how she was looking at me.

 

Enamoured.

 

I looked at her the same way.

 

I tentatively touched the bruised patch of skin with my fingers. I could feel her jerk at my touch.

 

“Won’t you tell me?” I asked gently.

 

I watched her eyes close shut, releasing a soft sigh.

 

“Do I have to?”

 

I slightly raised my brow. I put on more pressure on the bruise with my fingers.

 

“Ow ow ow ow! Okay. I’ll tell you.”

 

She held my hand in place where it was and further leaned her face into my palm.

 

“I had an unexpected visitor earlier.”

 

---

 

I was startled from my work at the sound of a commotion outside my door. I could hear Sunny’s voice.

 

“Sir, you can’t just barge in here!” I heard her say loudly.

 

I watched with surprise as my door flung open with such force, I actually flinched at the sound of it hitting the wall.

 

I didn’t know that was even possible.

 

Seeing who it was, I took an inhale of breath and released it into a calm sigh. I greeted him with the most professional smile I could muster.

 

“How can I help you, sir?” I asked politely.

 

His brow twitched and his jaw clenched. He suddenly threw pictures on my desk.

 

“What is this?!”

 

I looked down.

 

It was pictures of us.

 

I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

 

“What seems to be the problem?”

 

“The problem?! The problem is that you’ve been...you’ve been ruining this family’s name!” he exclaimed.

 

He glared down at me with such disgust and contempt.

 

That made me stand up abruptly so that I could look at him eye to eye. He’s looked down on me for a large part of my life. I’ve already had enough of this. I wasn’t going to let him treat me like this again. I’ve decided to leave this part of my life in the past. Him barging in here was bringing bad memories back and I didn’t want that.

 

“I’m sorry, sir. If you don’t have anything business related to discuss with me, I’m afraid I can’t help you. Your intrusion has greatly disturbed my employees from their work. We’re busy as you see. And with that, I’d like to ask you to leave,” I told him while still keeping the smile on my face. “Please.”

 

I could see him grinding his teeth. He glanced back at the door and for sure, people were looking through the door of my office.

 

He turned to me.

 

“We are not finished talking. You hear me?” he said in a harsh tone.

 

“I’m sorry, sir. If it’s not business related, I’m afraid I can’t he-”

 

SLAP!

 

The sound echoed.

 

I could see in my peripheral how Sunny was holding a hand over as she looked at us with shock.

 

The pain I felt helped me get over the shock.

 

I returned my gaze to him.

 

I felt absolutely furious at this point.

 

How dare he?

 

“Leave,” I growled. “Get out. I SAID GET OUT.”

 

He glared at me one last time before finally storming out.

 

I could see the shock in all of my employees’ faces. I quickly went to close the door, leaving me and Sunny inside my office.

 

“Soo,” she said softly as she approached me.

 

She tried to touch my cheek but I swatted her hand away.

 

“Don’t.”

 

She clenched her fists at her sides.

 

“He can’t just do that to you. I don’t care if he’s your father. No parent should hit their child!”

 

I watched as she made several more outbursts. She then looked my way, and said, “I’ll go get you some ice.”

 

I strained to smile at her as the action hurt.

 

“Thanks.”

 

She left shortly.

 

I looked down at my table and browsed through the photographs.

 

I felt myself getting even madder.

 

I quickly threw them in the trash.

 

---

 

I heard her gasp.

 

“Soo, why would he...he…,” she couldn’t finish as she looked at me with such concern.

 

I sighed.

 

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I don’t want you to get all worried,” I said.

 

“Pabo! Of course I’ll get worried.”

 

I reached out and pulled her close to me, wrapping my arms around her back.

 

“I just wanted us to enjoy tonight.”

 

She hugged me closer as she placed her hands on my back, clutching on the fabric of my sweater.

 

I glanced out the window..

 

“We missed the fireworks,” I said.

 

“I don’t care,” she murmured.

 

“I should bring you home.”

 

She shook her head.

 

“Not yet. Can we...can we stay a little longer?”

 

I smiled as I kissed her on the forehead.

 

“We can stay as long as you want.”

 

We cuddled on the couch as we watched the rest of the movie. After it was finished, we reluctantly got up and cleaned up, placing our empty plates and utensils back in the basket.

 

I saw her looking at the other things.

 

“Don’t worry about the other things. Someone’s going to collect them tomorrow,” I explained.

 

“How did you get all of these here?”

 

“I hired some people.”

 

“And the building? Are we allowed to be here in the first place?”

 

I ruffled her hair a little.

 

“Don’t worry your pretty little head,” I said. “I got permission for us to be here.”

 

She seemed relieved hearing that.

 

We left the building and walked towards where I parked Sunny’s car (which I was able to borrow on the condition that Sunny gets a week off so she can catch up on her game). I opened the door for her and proceeded to place the basket on the back seat. I entered the driver’s seat and buckled up.

 

“Ready?” I asked.

 

She nodded at me.

 

I leaned in to kiss her briefly on the lips before finally starting the car and driving her home.

 

---

 

Unbeknownst to the two, a car was parked nearby. Through the car window, a pair of eyes scowled as they followed the two figures exiting the building.

 

He was clenching his fists until his knuckles turned pale.

 

“Let’s head back,” he ordered his driver.

 

His driver nodded and started the car.

 

He continued to glare at the two as they got in a car.

 

He cursed when he saw them kiss.