The air smelt sweet. The sun felt warm. Even the trees along the roadside seemed to be blooming alluring flowers. It's either the world became a more beautiful place overnight, or she's just in a good mood.

As she entered the salon that afternoon, her steps were light and bouncy. One look at her and Mi Young unnie knew something was up. After a brief hug, she leaned back to peer at the younger woman, her eyes narrowing speculatively. "Something happened between you and Chang Wook." It wasn't even a question; she said it as a statement.

With a muted gasp, Ji-hyun's hand flew to her chest as she choked out, "What do you mean?"

She was met with raised eyebrows. "You guys aren't as discreet as you think." Unnie shot her a meaningful look as she pulled her into the chair. Her heart was still pounding at Unnie's relevation. The thought that they were going to be exposed to the public eye so early in the relationship made her heart sink.

Catching on to her anxiety, Unnie rubbed her arms assuringly. "I noticed because I know you guys so well. And that tension between you guys yesterday? It was so thick I thought I would choke."

That made her blush. Often, she would be so absorbed in him and his proximity, she forgot the world around them existed. That wasn't good. The frank observation from Unnie was a good wake-up call. They would have to be more careful going forward. Oppa would be fine. He's so good at playing the indifferent, professional actor Ji Chang Wook, he almost fooled her too. It's her she had to worry about. She made a silent vow to watch her actions and words in public and with the media.

"Anyway, I've always thought you guys are compatible. Don't you remember how I kept trying to get you to go out with him?"

"Did you?" That was news to Ji-hyun.

"Yes, I asked you what kind of guys you like, and you said someone who's childish but mature. And I said I know someone like that?"

Ji-Hyun barked out a laugh. "That was him? I thought you were just kidding." That got her an eye-roll from Unnie, who muttered something about how people should start trusting her matchmaking abilities.  

"So how did he say it?" Unnie asked conversationally, her experienced hands moving over Ji-hyun's tresses skillfully.

"Say what?"

"Say 'I like you'. How did he confess?"

Knowing she could trust her Unnie, she started recounting what happened the night before, starting from the wrap-up party in the restaurant. How he had ignored her, then she ignored him back, then they moved to the pub, and he ignored her and she ignored him again, before their charged moment in the dark corridors of the pub. Throughout her long rambling story, Unnie made encouraging noises, tsk-ing and shaking her head at Chang Wook's pig-headedness and mixed signals, then oohing and ahhing as the story progressed to their rendezvous at the cafe.

"Well, so I told him I like him as Ji Chang Wook, not Noh Ji Wook." She prattled on. She's unstoppable once she had started. "Then he said, 'how did you know?' So I said I haven't felt this way before, and he said he feels it too. Then..." she paused, her mind racing back to their exchange the night before. He had stepped towards her and caressed her face. Then he had asked if she's ok with him being older and entering the army soon. And...that was it.

Noticing her scrunched-up face, Unnie prompted her with a poke in the shoulder, "Why? What happened next?"

"No...nothing." She shook her head. "Then we got together!" She concluded with a grin, making sure to sound chirpy, like a woman giddy about her new relationship. But as she dwelled on their exchange last night, she couldn't help the nagging feeling that she's missing something. Something important.

+++

She gave very safe answers to the interviews. So much so she thought her understated answers didn't do justice to the intensity of their feelings for each other. But this is the media; they didn't need to know everything. The questions were also pretty similar, so she tried to change up her answers so the interviews didn't sound recycled. After 14 years in the industry, she would like