JiHyun was sitting nervously in a little area hidden away from the main part of the mall. The two men who had brought her here now stood near the door, seeming to be alert for any trouble.  

She had a fairly good suspicion she had been pulled aside because she had tried to force her way on stage. She wonders nervously if the police would be called and if so, would she be allowed a phone call? She grips the piece of paper with her Aunt's mobile number even tighter.

"Why am I here?" she asks, trying to hide the tremble in her voice.

"Someone wants to meet you," is the only reply she gets. 

Who would want to meet her? Nobody even knew her here. Unless... unless, was it Chang Wook-oppa? 

She looks up breathlessly when she hears the door open but the man who steps in is a stranger. He looks at her, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Nam Ji Hyun-shi, is that right?" He asks.

She looks at him with surprise. How did he know?

"I'm Kim Jae Chul, Ji Chang Wook's agency CEO."

JiHyun stands up and bows respectfully. The CEO dismisses the other two men and turns to look at her. He is dressed in an elegant navy suit, his hair tamed neatly in careful lines. The smile on his face was perfectly polite but still, she felt wary.

"Forgive me for asking the bodyguards to bring you here," he begins, "I recognized you from the pictures taken in Jeju and as you can see, things can be chaotic when we have these events. Chang Wook's fans can get rather.... boisterous. I didn't want you to get hurt."

He slides down in the seat across from her.

"Can we get you anything, coffee, tea?"

JiHyun declines politely, her eyes watching him warily.

"Well Nam Ji Hyun-shi, I'll be straightforward with you. You came as quite a surprise to us. Don't get me wrong, the agency has never forbidden Chang Wook from dating any woman in the past. But those paparazzi photos have become a bit of a problem."

JiHyun bows apologetically, "I'm sorry about that. It was all my fault. Chang Wook-oppa was helping me that day and I take full responsibility."

"Yes, well. I think we've handled the problem for now; but I don't think you understand how the industry works. Any more hint of a scandal and it can threaten everything that Chang Wook has built."

JiHyun looks up with alarm.

"Yes, if you had made it on stage, if you had forced some sort of declaration from him, the fans would have been in an uproar. The sponsor who hosted the event could have sued us. No amount of damage control would have been able to save the situation."

JiHyun's face drains. She had not been thinking at all. She had been so focused on her mission. What had seemed so brave before now felt short-sighted and foolhardy. How easily she could have destroyed Chang Wook-oppa’s career. And, what if- what if he had meant it when he said they were over and had not wanted her to come? She would have ruined everything for him.

“So you see," the CEO continues, "We have a dilemma. On one hand, Chang Wook has an envious path laid out for him: more projects, bigger opportunities in China and beyond. A rare and golden opportunity for any actor in South Korea and one he has worked hard for. He’s always been ambitious and hungry for bigger and better things. But now we have a wrinkle in the plans."

He looks at JiHyun pointedly, and she realizes with a sinking heart that she is that wrinkle. She is the one who would be holding Chang Wook-oppa back.

She looks down at her hands, only then realizing how tightly she had them clenched. She tries to relax them but her hands are shaking badly.

“Nam Ji Hyun-shi” the CEO suddenly stands up and comes around the table to stand next to her. Slowly he kneels down and bows his head humbly.

”Won’t you let him go, please?" he begs, his expression suddenly tired, "There is a lot you don’t understand. He still has to go to the military and his Omma, his team and this company all depend on him. For the sake of him and for the sake of the families who depend on him, please don’t make him choose. Please.... he is suffering so much.”

JiHyun’s heart clenches at that image. Had she done that to him? Was he, Chang Wook-oppa, suffering because of her? 
 

She looks down at the CEO, on his knees pleading with her and suddenly everything is too confusing. She doesn’t know what the right answer is. Coming here, everything had seemed straightforward. She had been so single-minded. They had love and it should be enough, shouldn’t it?
 

But thinking of themselves only, wasn't that too selfish?

What about the people around them; his Omma? What about the career he loved? If he threw it all away would he one day come to resent her? Was their one week a strong enough beginning for the rest of their lives? Or would they wake up one day and realize they had made a huge mistake?

She doesn’t know what to say; but she can’t stand to see the man before her kneeling so abjectly. So she bends down, willing him to stand.

Just then, the door bursts open and a furious voice interrupts them.

“What the HELL are you doing to her?” A figure rushes them, shoving the CEO hard aga