It was another day in the office. Aeri was giving her full attention to the file Daehwi sent her on Seoul Fashion Week. She needed to check it before approving his work. Plus, she needed to email it to Jihoon though she was waiting for Jihoon’s respond on her previous email. Aeri allowed herself to sigh on that day when she received a call from her assistant. She pressed a button on the telephone and her assistant’s voice filled the room.

“Miss Aeri, Mr. Park’s assistant is here to deliver something for you.” Aeri closed her eyes at that. She was tired from reading and now she had to handle this. Nevertheless, she never made a reply that would upset anyone or make her assistant curious of her reaction.

“Bring it in.” She said and the call was disconnected. In less than one minute, a knock could be heard. Aeri was amazed at how fast her assistant moved in front of her door. She must be thrilled after she got to know that Jihoon sent something to her. Min Hyemi, her assistant entered the room with a giddy smile. Aeri moved her eyes from observing her expression to the paper bag in her hands.

“Oh my, Miss Aeri. You’re so lucky!” She squealed. Aeri expected that reaction since her assistant once claimed that she ‘ship’ both of them.

The paper bag was placed on her office table. Aeri glanced at the branded name on the paper bag. She shook her head as she could not believe that Jihoon spent that much money on her. She wanted to ignore the gift but Hyemi was standing in front her and she was waiting for her reaction upon the gift her fiancé got for her. Without any choice, she looked inside the paper bag to find a pale pink dress. Aeri wondered what was the occasion that he bought her the dress.

“It’s a dress.” She commented. Hyemi clapped her hand excitedly.

“Oh my! What it is for? Are you going to have a candle light dinner?” Aeri scoffed at that but Hyemi took it as if she was chuckling. Aeri shook her head and focused on her assistant.

“I don’t know about that but I know that you are not finish with your work yet, Min Hyemi.” She raised her eyebrows at Hyemi, making the girl gasped in panic. She started to realize that she was crossing the line with her boss.

“I’m sorry, Miss Aeri. I’ll take my leave.” She bowed and left the room afterward.

Aeri sighed as soon as the door was closed. Aeri was not always strict with Hyemi. Sometimes she would entertain her fangirling with hope that she would spread sweet nothing to everyone in the department so that everyone was convinced that their engagement was fine and romantic. But there would be days when she was tired and did not have the time and energy to do that so she had to use that tone on Hyemi. Aeri was about to lean her back on the chair when her phone rang. Another sigh came out of after she saw the caller. Nonetheless, she picked up the call.

“Have you received it?” A bright tone greeted her.

“What is this for?” Aeri wasted no time to ask. It was not the first time Jihoon sent something to her office. The first time he sent her a bouquet of pink roses and the last time he sent her a luxurious watch. Aeri hated to receive such gift because she thought it was such a waste of time and money, considering how their relationship actually worked.

“I heard your family is having a gathering today so I prepared a dress for you. Since I can’t join it, at least I sent something for you to use. Or maybe it could remind you of me.” Aeri cringed at the last sentence but she thanked him anyway. Even though she had not seen properly the dress he sent, she knew it fit her taste. Something Jihoon did that amazed Aeri would be his choice of gift. Aeri was always impressed by his choice but she never told him about that. It was enough to show that she loved the gift.

“Thank you. I’ll wear it tonight and tell grandma about it.” She replied.

“I hope you realize now that I am serious about our engagement and I am sincere on everything I did for you.” Jihoon uttered which made Aeri’s breath taken away. She hated it when he told him that because she felt bad, knowing that she would disappoint him at the end of the day. Plus, she did not feel the same for him.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t like me now. We will have time after we got married.” Jihoon continued.

Nowadays Aeri noticed that Jihoon loved to bring up about their wedding. Aeri wondered about the reason before and after realizing that their wedding would be held in less than one year, she finally understood. The man who was talking to her right now was so eager for the wedding. The thought added burden to Aeri.

“Thank you once again, Jihoon. I’m sorry but I got work to do and I have to finish it before the dinner. So…” Aeri dragged her speech, hoping that Jihoon catch the hint. To her relief, he understood what she meant.

“Oh right! I have gone through the list and has added my suggestion for it. I’ll email you soon.”

“Okay. I’ll wait for it. Thank you for the help.”

“You’re welcome. Bye, take care!”

“Take care too.” Aeri replied as a courtesy plus she was tired to drag the conversation further. However, she did not know Jihoon, who was at the end of the line, felt like his heart was about to jump at her reply.

It was a rare case to have Aeri replied ‘Take care too’. Now that he heard it from her, he could not ask for more. He held his feeling inside, did not want to lose his cool in front of her. So he ended his call quickly only to cheer an exciting ‘yes’ inside his office. Luckily his assistant was away, delivering the gift to Aeri. If he was caught, it would be a big embarrassment for him.

On the other hand, Aeri’s assistant, Hyemi walked out of Aeri’s office with a big smile. She was obviously unaffected by Aeri just now as she sat at her table and continued her work. Her fangirling mind was still wondering of the reason her CEO presented the dress to her boss. Was there any special occasion going on between them or it was just a romantic gesture by Jihoon to Aeri? Hyemi wanted to know that. She loved the couple a lot so she often wanted to know their progress and tell it to her friends who envied her for being Aeri’s assistant. To her, they were perfect for each other and she dreamed of attending their wedding which was set to hold in less than a year from now.

She anticipated the wedding the most. It was mentioned everywhere that it would be the wedding of the year. Hyemi imagined the wedding to be extravagant given that the two powerful companies and family were joined through the wedding. She sighed dreamingly at the thought, forgetting the document she needed to work on. A snap of fingers pulled her out of her thought and she found Jinyoung standing in front of her with his irritated face.

“What are you thinking of? I have been calling you for a few times.” Jinyoung asked. Hyemi smiled sheepishly because she was embarrassed for getting caught daydreaming by Jinyoung. She cleared and flashed him a bright smile to cover her embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I have been thinking of the gift Miss Aeri got from Mr. Park.” Jinyoung’s forehead wrinkled upon the fact.

“He was here?” Hyemi shook her head, denying it.

“Nah, his assistant came and drop it here. It’s a designer dress.” Hyemi whispered the last part, the habit she had when she was gossiping with her friends. Jinyoung grew irritated the more he heard about it. He felt small whenever he heard whatever Jihoon did for Aeri. Jinyoung knew Jihoon was rich. As a matter of fact, Jihoon owned the company he was working in. To know that another man was doing his best for the girl he liked made him doubt himself.

“Whatever. Tell Miss Aeri that I’m here to deliver her lunch.” Jinyoung told Hyemi. He wanted to stop the unwanted conversation they had.

“Alright.” Hyemi complied and pressed a button on the telephone right away.

“Miss Aeri, Jinyoung is here to send your lunch.” Aeri who was in deep reading of the document she was working on sighed internally.

She forgot that she ordered food from Daehwi. She did not wanted people to disturb her again but she could do nothing for this. If Daehwi knew about this, he would nag her and she wanted to avoid it with all her heart.

“Let him in.” Aeri answered and disconnected the line. Hyemi looked up to see Jinyoung who was facing the door.

The latter could not wait to enter the room and see the face he dreamed about every night. He was already smiling at the thought of getting to enter and see her face.

“Jinyoung, you can enter.” Jinyoung smiled upon the information. He instantly knocked the door and entered the room, leaving Hyemi who was surprised to see a change of expression from when he was talking with her to the one she saw before he entered the room. Her curiosity grew.

Inside the room, Jinyoung could see how busy and attentive Aeri was in doing her work. His heart soften at the sight. He could see that she was busy that day and that was the reason she did not go out to have lunch. Jinyoung did not like it. He often bugged Daehwi to ask her if she wanted to eat. He was glad Daehwi complied to his instruction and asked her as if it was his habit now.

Jinyoung dropped the paper bag which contained a bowl of Aeri’s favourite noodles which was jjampoong on the coffee table, knowing that the office table was crowded. Jinyoung was amazed that Aeri could stand eating the same eating every time she ordered from Daehwi. There was time where she ordered sushi or any meal with meat but Jinyoung knew Aeri ordered jjampoong most of the time. He was proud that he knew her favourite food. He wondered if Jihoon knew about it too.

Upon mentioning the name, Jinyoung was reminded of what Hyemi told him just now. He looked at Aeri’s side to see a big paper bag with a designer brand on it. By looking at the brand, Jinyoung knew how much the dress costs. However, he found satisfaction in him because the gift was left aside there as if it was not precious to Aeri. Aeri smiled when she saw Jinyoung’s figure approaching her table.

“I’m leaving the food there, Miss Aeri. Enjoy your lunch!” He greeted her and was replied with a sweet smile which was able to make he lost his marble.

“Thank you so much, Jinyoung.” Jinyoung swore his heart jumped at the mention of his name from . He wished he could hold his chest without making it obvious.

“It’s okay. As long as I can take care of you like this.”

“Pardon?” Aeri heard it clearly but she could not believe it was from Jinyoung. Jinyoung was surprised at her reaction only to realize what he wondered out loud just now. He was flustered for the first time in front of her.

“It’s nothing. I’ll take my leave now.” Jinyoung exclaimed before he bowed and dashed out of the room. He walked pass Hyemi who was waiting to see his expression when he walked out of the room. What Hyemi saw made her confused. Jinyoung was flabbergasted, from her observation. She wondered why. As for Jinyoung, he was walking quickly to the male toilet. Once he reached in front of the mirror by the sink, he palmed his face.

“Bae Jinyoung, what are you doing?” He hissed alone. He let out a heavy sigh as if it could help him to release the burden he chained his heart; his unrequited love. He never told people this but sometimes, he hated himself for being so hopeless.

The Kang family dinner started at 7 in the evening. Aeri left her office early to prepare for it. Even though she was a bit tired at the office, she could not help to feel excited at the thought of meeting someone at the dinner. The Kang family was done with their dinner. The elders were still sitting at the dining table to have a talk among them. Aeri assumed it was the time her grandmother wanted to spend with her children. So she and her cousin’s wife and children moved to sit at the living room. All her cousins were spending their time in the garden next to the living room, which was separated by a gated sliding door.

Aeri turned to her right when she felt a nudged on that side. Ahra was smiling at her. Aeri raised her eyebrows. She was curious on what the smile on her lips meant.

“I heard from Grandma that the dress you’re wearing is from Jihoon.” Aeri chuckled at that.

“Yes, it is.” Upon her answer, she heard Jiyeon awed in front of her.

“Omo! You’re so lucky, Aeri-ya. You look beautiful in that.” She commented cheerily. In Aeri’s eyes, Jiyeon had a motherly aura wherever she went. People would say it may be because she already had a child but Aeri knew her before she was married. It was the first impression Jiyeon gave her and now she was sending the vibe to her by the way she awed.

“Thank you.” Aeri smiled, her right palm went to her right cheek. It was a gesture she did when she was shy by a praise.

“Aigoo, if you want to smile brightly just do it. We know you love it. There’s no need to cover it in front of us. You’re going to get married soon after all.” This time, it was Harin’s voice. She was sitting beside her daughter who was sitting quietly beside her. Aeri was startled by her comment. She wondered if she did not smile enough to convince them that she was happy with their praises.

Ahra, Jiyeon and Harin were her cousins’ wife. They were like a sister figure to her because she was the only granddaughter in the family. She shared every story with them like how she shared her story with Nara but they did not know her dark side like Nara. They did not know that she did not have feeling for Jihoon. They always assumed she was in love with him because of everything both of them did as a cover to public such as holding hand, sending gifts and having meal together. Sometimes she felt bad because they were fooled by her.

Ahra was a wife to Seongwu. Among the three of them, Aeri was the closest to her. Ahra was not from a rich family. She was from a middle class family and she worked as a florist. According to Ahra, she met Seongwu when he came to her shop and that was the beginning of their love story. To tell the truth, Aeri could understand how Seongwu fell for her. Ahra was nice to everyone. She was soft-spoken and she was always smiling.

To Aeri, Ahra was at her most beautiful time when she smiled. She had a pair of smiling eyes, a pair of arched eyebrows, a slightly aquiline nose and a thin lips. Her double eyelid eyes were covered by her long eyelashes. Her black jet hair was on shoulder length and it was wavy at the end. Her skin was fair while her body was slender. In another word, Ahra had everything Aeri wanted to if she could have it.

As for Jiyeon, she was Jisung’s wife. They were married before Ahra was married to Seongwu, making them the first couple among her cousins. Jiyeon was a pretty woman but she was the opposite of Ahra. Her eyes were round, her eyebrows were curved on both side and her eyelashes were curved. Her nose was slightly aquiline and her lips were pointy. Aeri could tell that Jiyeon’s charming point on her face would be her puffy cheek. Jiyeon told her it was baby fat and she hated it but everybody knew how much Jisung loved it. Jiyeon was often teased for it. Not to forget for her curved body too.

Harin, Minhyun’s wife was the shortest between the three of them but was slightly higher than Aeri. Because of that, she had a petite figure. In term of appearance, her skin was a bit tanned. She had a pair of curved eyebrows and short eyelashes. She had the typical Asian woman eyes and an upturned nose which fits perfectly on her face. Her lips was bow-shaped and her hair was brown in colour. In simple word, Harin was oozing iness with her body features.

Harin was a daughter of another Hwang family who had a law firm. Harin was working in one too. She and Minhyun were in an arranged marriage. Aeri grimaced when she first heard it from Harin. Before she knew the truth, Aeri always thought that they were in love because she envied them so much. Harin claimed that they were indeed in love but it was all after they got married.

Aeri was relieved when she heard that. She was amazed because Harin managed to survive it and fell for Minhyun. Moreover, who could resist her cousin, Hwang Minhyun? He was a gentleman and soft-spoken. He took care of people around him that he was often mistaken. Aeri could not even count how many times she laughed just for hearing Minhyun’s stories on how he was approached by girls who thought he had feeling for them when he was only being nice.

Aeri shook her head while chuckling at the responses she received from the three of them on the topic that was started by Ahra. Ahra was poking her, Jiyeon continued awing while Harin laughed at the responses.

“It’s not like that.” She denied it but they did not believe her. Aeri let them be because she knew she could do nothing to stop the teasing around her. Plus, she could not get annoyed because the three of them were very dear to her and they were clueless of what was happening.

“I’m going to get the drinks. Do you want too?” Aeri stood up, ready to make way to the dining area but a voice beat her at it.

“I can help with that.” Aeri turned to look at a small figure who had been sitting quietly since the moment they settled down in the living room. Jinhee flashed a smile to Aeri. Aeri suddenly turned awkward. She was not close to Jinhee like how she was with Ahra, Jiyeon and Harin. She never really like Jinhee and she always thought whatever Jinhee did ticked her off. Nevertheless, Aeri did not want to act childishly. After all, she was her cousin, Sungwoon’s wife and she was the heiress of Aloquent, a big cosmetic company belongs to the Ahn family.

“Aunty Aeri!” Ahra’s only daughter, Daeun’s voice destroyed the awkwardness between Aeri and Jinhee. She silently thanked the little girl for saving her. She looked down to face the four years old girl.

“Yes, Daeun?”

“Play with me!” The little girl jumped excitedly. Aeri giggled at her cuteness. Daeun took after her mother’s fair skin and smiling eyes and her father’s lips. Her hair was braided into finnish plait, accompanied by a pink-coloured hairpin. Daeun was dressed in a white short gown. Aeri looked up to see Jinhee watching their interaction. She was reminded that Jinhee offered to get the drinks.

“Can you please help with the drinks?” Aeri had no choice but to ask for her help.

“Yes, of course. You can play with her.” Jinhee replied with a big smile, delighted that she was doing something. She was an introvert and did not know how to blend in with them. That was why she offered to help Aeri. They still treated her kindly despite her being quiet and she was grateful to them for that. Jinhee then made her way to the dining area and returned shortly.

Meanwhile Aeri was entertaining Daeun who wanted to have a roleplay, Aeri being the daughter and Daeun being the mother. They were later joined by Sungyeon, Jiyeon’s five years old daughter and Hyorin, Harin’s three years old daughter. Ahra, Jiyeon and Harin were talking among themselves until they laid their eyes on Aeri who was having fun while playing with her nieces.

“I think the girls like to play with younger people compared to us.” Ahra stated.

“I have a feeling Aeri would be a good mother in the future. Look at how she handled the girls. I still remember how she never leave Hyorin when she was a baby. Jihoon-goon is surely lucky to have her.” Aeri flinched a bit at the thought. Never in her imagination that she wanted to have a child with Jihoon. That thought never crossed her mind even though it was a given if she was going to marry an heir of a big company.

“Oh, stop it!” She responded with another light laugh. Ahra, Jiyeon and Harin were very much pleased with Aeri response while Jinhee smiled bitterly. It reminded her of something hurtful. Ahra noticed it. She felt bad at Jinhee instantly when she saw her expression upon the topic they were talking about.

“You too, Jinhee. I know you’re going to be a good mother in the future. The child would be very lucky to have such a kind mother.” She comforted her.

“I was about to say the same, Ahra. I pray that you’ll be bestowed a child in your family faster, Jinhee. If you want some tips you can ask us too.” Jiyeon told her. Jinhee nodded her head and thanked them. Jinhee and Sungwoon were married for four years but the marriage was not fruitful. As time goes on, it became questionable. Both of them were often pushed on that matter. It made Jinhee became scared to socialize with people. She had nothing to answer them so she would make sure to flash a bitter smile just like how she did in front of the ladies right now. Aeri smirked at that.