It was Thursday. The day everyone was at their limit, trying to get a grip of themselves to wait a little bit before the weekend. Ironically, everyone would be so energized on Friday as they were so thrilled to finish the day and head off with the weekend. However, that kind of spirit did not exist in Song Aeri’s mindset. She was always so eager and passionate to finish her job. She loved working in the office more than the total of her department staff added together if it could be counted. Thus, she had everyone in her department to push their limit too to give their best performance. With that, here we have Song Aeri in her office, passing the lunch time and was finishing her current project for the most popular fashion magazine, Ennoia.

Ennoia was owned by the famous and powerful Park family. It was founded by the grandfather of the current CEO, Park Jihoon who aimed to spread the current trend among fashion lovers, also to close the gap between the fashion lovers and their favourite fashion brands. For the last 20 years, Ennoia had seen its success owing to the uphill struggle by the two previous CEO and chief editor. Their versatility and marketing strategy was praised by the marketing expert, making them the most successful magazine company in history. Hence, it motivated Aeri to continue giving the company a title they deserved.

Since Ennoia was recognized nationwide, the company was aiming to get its recognition internationally. In conjunction of Fashion Week in Seoul, Ennoia was given the trust to be a part of the set up. As the creative director of Ennoia, Aeri was responsible to make sure everything was going smoothly so they would not disappoint the organizer in giving the best scoop. It was going to be held in one-month time but Aeri was so fired up to do the paperwork and some planning ahead, making her fashion editor, Lee Daehwi to stay and figure out the plan together with her.

“Don’t you think we should arranged them according to the best concept they have? It will surely help the readers to pick the correct brands for what style they are going for.” Aeri told Daehwi as they were going through the list of the fashion brands and designers that would be participating in the Fashion Week. As a fashion magazine, they had to give equal review and recommendation for the fashion lovers on the brands and designers when they were gathered together. It was done to maintain the connection they had built before. Just like butter and bread, fashion brands and fashion magazines need each other to ensure their quality as a trusted brand in fashion industry. Daehwi nodded his head in agreement, taking in account of what their purpose was.

“I agree. This is the simplest yet the most precise method to ease our readers.”

“So, I take it you have the confidence to choose and list them accordingly? You have a good fashion sense after all.” Aeri tilted her head. She smiled a little to look at Daehwi’s reaction. Daehwi immediately smiled with confident. He was the fashion director of Ennoia after all. They told him he was the best fashion director ever exist in Ennoia and he had pride on that. Plus, Aeri trusted him so he knew he had to give his best for this

“Sure. I’ll get back to you after I am done with the listing.” He told her as he wrote something on his notebook. Aeri smiled in satisfaction. They were now done with the third agenda of their meeting. She glanced at a list beside her on the thing that should be discussed with Daehwi. It was her habit to write it down before a meeting because she did not want to miss anything, and it will be troublesome to bother someone for an unsettled matter. As her eyes went down the list, she noticed there were two things that she needed to ask Daehwi.

“So which photographer are you going to bring along with you during the Fashion Week?” Aeri asked. Daehwi looked up upon that question. He already had a name in his head.

“I’ll bring Jinyoung. He’s good and I know you know it.” Daehwi answered. Aeri raised her eyebrows as she was impressed by his pick. Jinyoung has been working for them for almost two years and honestly, Aeri was never disappointed by his works. He was indeed a good photographer and knew what the company wanted from his works.

“Yes. Good choice. Oh! This is out of discussion, but I heard the promotion team chose Guanlin for our next cover. Which brand did you pick for him?” Aeri wondered out loud. Guanlin was a model, trained by Ennoia as they gave opportunity to those who are talented and dedicated in helping the company progressing towards the better. There was a huge competition among the models in the company, but the entire nation chose Guanlin as their pick. He was chosen as the most popular model last year and was awarded as the most photographed model in the same year. Now that the promotion team chose him for the next issue cover, she was wondering on which brand did Daehwi chose for the expensive model.

“I decided we go for The K’s. The best fashion brands and the best model. What a perfection! Plus, Kang Daniel just revealed his latest fashion line last week. It would be nice to cover it in the next issue.” Daehwi replied eagerly. Aeri was enthralled by her fashion director’s idea. Daehwi was indeed the best in planning and splendid ideas. She was glad she had him in her team rather than the promotion and marketing team.

“Excellent! Please update me more on that, also for the Fashion Week, okay? I guess we’re done for the day.” Aeri wrapped up the meeting, finally. Daehwi wanted to heave a sigh as he was relieved the meeting was over, but he held it in. It was not proper to do in front of Aeri who was a workaholic, from his view. He was hungry and was worried too of Jinyoung who probably was waiting for him in his office. They promised to have lunch together. Daehwi cleaned up the table and gathered his file, ready to leave the room. However, he noticed that Aeri was not making any move to take a break after meeting just now so he stopped.

“Boss, aren’t you going to have lunch? It’s 2.30 p.m. already.” Daehwi was concerned. Aeri turned her head towards Daehwi who was standing in front of her.

“I will. After I am done checking the plan we made just now.” She answered with a grin. Daehwi finally let out a sigh.

“Mr. CEO will definitely kill me if he knows about this.” Aeri chuckled at that.

“He knows but he pretended not to because I’m doing this for the company. Save it, Daehwi.” Daehwi shook his head at her stubbornness.

“Okay, fine. Hit me up if you need a take away. I’ll buy for you.”

“Oh! That sounds nice too. Tell me where you are going after this, okay?” Aeri was delighted by the idea. It was not always but there were times where Daehwi had to buy her lunch because of her workaholic nature. She was thankful every time he did that.

“Sure. I’ll take a leave now, boss.”

“Okay. Enjoy your lunch!” Aeri replied as her eyes landed on the screen in front of her when Daehwi walked out of the room. Daehwi met eyes with Aeri’s assistant when he walked pass the door. He smiled as a courtesy which she reflected it after that. His office was just two doors away from Aeri’s office, so it only took him a while to reach it. Upon opening the door, he saw Jinyoung who was sitting lazily on the couch while looking at his phone. Daehwi put down his file on the table and take a quick look at Jinyoung.

“You’re so patient today. I wonder what’s up.” He voiced out. Jinyoung, who was playing game on his phone let out a chuckle.

“You have a meeting with Miss Aeri. I don’t want to disturb you.” Daehwi rolled his eyes at that. As if he did not know the reason Jinyoung was being patient today. If only Daehwi was having a meeting with anyone other than Aeri and he was late for a meeting with Jinyoung, that latter will spam his phone with phone calls and messages. It was different when it came to Aeri though. He will make sure to behave because he did not want to give a bad impression to her and he did not want Daehwi to take the chance to talk bad about him in front of Aeri.

“You are so lovesick.” Daehwi said while putting his file at its place. He needed to make sure his office was clean and neat before leaving the office. Jinyoung put down his phone when he heard that. He was grinning like an idiot.

“Is she going to have her lunch today? Did you invite her?” Jinyoung asked. He completely knew about Aeri’s habit who always missed her lunch and worked overtime.

“I did but she wanted to finish her work, so I offered to buy her food.” Daehwi answered and made his way to Jinyoung as he was ready to go out for lunch. Jinyoung stood up excitedly. His face was shining brightly when Daehwi told him that.

“So, are we going to the Chinese restaurant to buy her favourite noodles?” Since Daehwi always had the role to buy Aeri’s lunch apart from her assistant, Jinyoung who was his best friend also knew what type of food was Aeri’s favourite. He would make sure to remember every food she preferred. Thus, because of that, it made Daehwi annoyed.

“Seriously, Bae Jinyoung? You’re so disgusting.” Daehwi made a face as he stepped out of his room. Jinyoung bumped his shoulder with Daehwi’s as a response to his remark.

Jinyoung did not mind when Daehwi told him that kind of thing. He was used to it but sometimes he wished Daehwi would understand his crush for Aeri. It was hard to make her noticed his presence hence he would always do his best in his work to grab her attention. To receive a praise from her was a delightful moment to him. His heart felt like it was going to explode when the praises came out from , a sweet voice complementing it. Daehwi told him to give up because the entire nation knew the reason already but Jinyoung thought it was hard. He fell too deep for her and did not wish to stop. Long story short, Jinyoung was a hopeless loverboy.

“Just tell me we’re going to that restaurant or not?” Daehwi sighed then nodded his head. He was so ready to see Jinyoung’s reaction which the latter jumped in excitement and bouncily walked toward the lift to head for their lunch. Daehwi shook his head and followed suit.

The Kang mansion was in silence. A low light was let to brighten the living room. A few maids were walking around, finishing their job before they permit theirselves to have a rest. It was already 9 o’clock at night. The maids were expected to finish their job at 10. Plus, the young miss of the house had not returned from her office. It was a must to wait for her in case she wanted to have a dinner although most of the maids knew it was rare for that to happened. As what the maids estimated, Aeri stepped into the enormous mansion, bushed.

She worked overtime that day and it was not something new to the household. She was greeted by a maid, as usual, who asked her if she wanted to eat dinner which as expected, she refused. Usually, when she was working too late, she decided to just buy herself a cup of chocolate drink on her way back. It was enough to make her full. The maid then left on her cue. Aeri supposed there was nothing important as the maid did not inform her anything regarding her grandmother so she made her way to her bedroom. The mansion she was living in had three floors and her room was located on the second floor. There was a lift provided in the mansion but she chose to climb the stair no matter how tiring it was for her. Upon reaching the first floor, she bumped into her cousin who was also living in the mansion, Kang Daniel.

“Oh? Working overtime again, Aeri?” He asked. Aeri nodded with a smile. She noticed that her cousin had just finished his bath by looking at his wet hair and a small towel on his wide shoulder. He was wearing a black wifebeater and a black knee-length short. It was a rare sight of Kang Daniel to her but she did not mind at all. She was sure Daniel did not bother about it either.

“You shouldn’t do that often. It’s dangerous nowadays for women to be outside at night.” He told her, concerned about her safety. They seldom met each other even though they were living in the same mansion hence it was not always she received an advice from him. Nevertheless, she appreciated his concern.

“I’m aware of that but don’t worry. I have my teammates with me all the time and they are quite protective over me.” Aeri said and allowed herself a chuckle. Daniel smiled along but he was still not convinced. He knew Aeri was not like most of the women. She hated to depend on people. However it does not give her the merit to expose herself to danger out there. He wanted to say that to Aeri but decided to keep it inside as he did not want to be seen as a nagging person. Plus, Aeri must be tired to listen to it.

Aeri knew that Daniel was not satisfied with her answer but she also knew that he would not speak further on that. Even though they were cousin, there was still a gap between Aeri and Daniel. It was perhaps because they were not cousin by blood. Aeri was an orphan, adopted by Kang Daniel’s grandmother, Chairwoman Kang Sera when she was a baby, making her the only heiress in Kang family as Chairwoman Kang had grandsons only. Aeri was raised and was given the best education. To repay the family kindness, she worked hard on her study, placing herself as the top art student in the most prestigous college in Korea. Her impressive talent and remarkable intelligence helped in landing herself a job in The K’s, a company belongs to the Kang family. After a few months, she was then recruited by Park family and that was how she was chosen as Creative Director of Ennoia.

The K’s was a fashion company owned by the Kang family. If someone were to compare between Kang and Park family, the Kang family was more powerful and influential in fashion industry. The company was founded by the late Chairman Kang and was currently under the power of Chairwoman Kang. As a fashion company, The K’s had created a lot of trendy fashion line, sweeping the whole country with its versatility. It was chosen as the most trusted and the most favourite local fashion brand for 15 years. Making its way to international stage, representing South Korea, The K’s now was standing along with other top fashion brand with over 200 stores worldwide. It was all thanks to Kang Daniel dedication towards The K’s as the Creative Director and the future CEO of the company.

“Oh yes! You do know about Ennoia collaboration with The K’s, right? We are going to use your latest fashion line as our cover story.” Aeri informed him on the matter she discussed with Daehwi earlier. It would be a good topic to be talked about with Daniel too.

“I heard about it. The model is Guanlin, right? You picked the right model. I’ve always imagined Guanlin to pull off my fashion line. Looks like my wish comes true.”

“Oh please. Why do you even wish for it when you can have it? You can tell me you want Guanlin to model for you and I’ll agree right away.” Daniel smiled sheepishly at Aeri’s remark. Of course he could have it if he wanted it. Every model in South Korea dreamed to be a model for The K’s. Every model who posed for The K’s would end up with good fortune. That was how magical The K’s was. However, Kang Daniel was meticulous in chosing his model. For now, he was satisfied with his choice of model and he admitted that he was eyeing for Guanlin to model for him. Even though he was model of the year, Guanlin had yet to pose for The K’s. Probably because Ennoia management was being careful because Park family and Kang family had an important connection.

“Really? Won’t your CEO say anything about it?” Daniel teased Aeri which she responded with a laugh.

“Now, who is the creative director? Me or him? And Daehwi is definitely going to be on my side for this.” She answered confidently. Daniel chuckled upon remembering Daehwi whom he met twice. He could not help but agree that Daehwi would definitely love the idea of having Guanlin to model for The K’s.

“That’s great. I’m looking forward to another collaboration then.”

“Sure. I can’t wait for it.”

“I think we should stop talking about work. You have to rest and I am supposed to go to the kitchen.”

“Oh my. You are right. I’m sorry for holding you back here.” Aeri apologized. She was embarrassed that her workaholic nature was coming out in front of Daniel.

“It’s okay. I love it that you are loving your job. Mr CEO is so lucky to have you.”

“Oh, can you stop?” Aeri pretended to be annoyed as Daniel mentioned about her CEO twice. It brought laughter to Daniel. Aeri forgot the fact that Daniel loved to laugh over simple thing such as his own jokes or prank.

“You know I’m kidding. Good night, Aeri.”

“Good night, oppa.” With that, both of them parted away. Aeri reached her room and immediately plopped on her bed. She took out her phone from her handbag and saw a notification from her KakaoTalk. Upon seeing who the sender was, her eyes shined brightly unlike when she reached home just now. She quickly tapped on the notification to open the text she received.

Dooly oppa:
My love Gongshil, have you reached home?
I’m worried.
Please reply me.

Aeri smiled widely. Her heart felt warm and her body felt light after reading the text. It always amazed her how love can do that to someone. She quickly typed in a response.

Gongshil:
Don’t worry, my love!
I’ve reached home around 10 minutes ago.
I was talking to Daniel oppa.

Dooly oppa:
Thank God you are fine.
Don’t make me worry again!
I can’t imagine if something happened to you.

Aeri raised her eyebrows as she was amused at how fast her Dooly oppa replied her text. She assumed that he must be worried about her so much that she felt sorry. However her heart blossomed when she read the last text. It made her happy that someone cared and loved her that much.

Gongshil:
I’m sorry, oppa. I’ll make sure to text you before and right after I reached home.
Oh! Also if I am going to work overtime.
To make up for this, let’s have a date!
I miss you so much.

Dooly oppa:
It’s okay. And yes, you should inform me.
Ahhh, guess this worry is worth it.
I miss you more.
Tell me when you are free, workaholic!

Aeri laughed at that. It was too bad that she was the one who was always with more work compared to him. He was always the waiting side when she wanted to have a date because Aeri was too busy. But she was grateful because he never complained. He was patient and considerate towards her.

Gongshil:
I’ll make sure to check my schedule.
Please remind me too kekekekeke

Dooly oppa:
Said the one who promised me a date

Gongshil:
I love you, oppa! I’m going to have a bath and sleep.
Good night!
Dream of me, okay?
Kiss kiss

Dooly oppa:
Look at this woman trying to get away.
I love you more!
Good night, baby. I’ll wait for you in my dream.
Kiss kiss
Take care

With that, Aeri exited the chatroom and landed on her back. It was not a long text but she was contented with it. She was not at the age to text for a long time with her loved one given that both of them had another commitment. Nevertheless she was thankful for every interaction they had because only with him, she was able to show her true self, someone whom people would never expect from Song Aeri. It was tiring to please people around her, to meet their expectation. She was expected to excel in every aspect which she knew she could never do it perfectly. However, she was able to let loose of herself from all expectation whenever she was with him.

He, who was together with her for a long time. He, who had seen her tears and struggle. He, who had shown her that every rose has its thorn. He, who changed her for the better. He, who saved her from being drown into the world of perfection. He, who was her flaws but at the same time was her strength. He, who was her reason to live and he, who was a secret.