Hong Ki’s arm was thrown over Shin Hye’s shoulder. She was supporting him to stand up while Geun Suk was clearing his things at the backseat of his car.

“Hyung! Hyung! You should be thankful I didn’t throw a fit when I learned all of you already knew Shin Hye’s back!” Hong Ki slurred his words. He was barely able to stand up by himself, much more walk properly.

“You’re talking too much, Hong Ki-yah.” Geun Suk spoke as he helped Shin Hye settle Hong Ki at the back of his car. Tolerance for alcohol isn’t one of Hong Ki’s strong traits.

As a hyung, it has always been Geun Suk’s responsibility to take care of Hong Ki when he gets drunk when they’re together. He took it upon himself to not drink too much when Hong Ki’s around. Someone needs to be sober between them. Besides he can’t risk having a hang over, especially if he has to operate someone the next day.

“Thank you for giving me a lift, oppa.” Shin Hye buckled her seatbelt and smiled at Geun Suk.

The others had already went on their separate ways after the party. It was Geun Suk who offered first to give Shin Hye a ride home. She declined at first, but he was insistent to see her safely home.

“Geun Suk hyung’s worried how everyone will react. Yong Hwa’s unsure what to do. Uee noona worries too much! What do you guys take me for? A kid who can’t undertsand?” Hong Ki was ranting the whole car ride. “Sure I was hurt when Shin Hye left… Everyone was...”

Geun Suk looked at Hong Ki disapprovingly through the car’s mirror. He had been going on and on about the same thing since the car started moving.

“…Shin Hye-yah! Shin Hye yah! You know I…” Hong Ki patted his chest. “I never gave up! I didn’t stop looking for you!” He wrapped his arms around the passenger seat, locking Shin Hye in a loose backhug. “I like yoooouuuuu…”

“Hong Ki-yah, i like you too.” Shin Hye patted his arm. “Now be a good man and sleep until we get to your house, okay?” It was like she was coaxing a child.

Hong Ki complied and it was quiet in the car again. Shin Hye turned her head to look at Hong Ki. She chuckled at the sight of him sleeping in the backseat.

“He’s a handful when drunk isn’t he?” Geun Suk glanced at Shin Hye with a smile. But he suddenly turned serious and looked deep in thought. “Your heart… Your heart condition, will you tell me about it?”

Shin Hye turned to him and gave him a tight lip smile. “It’s MVP… Just like my mother.”

***

Something was bothering SeoHyun, Yong Hwa could tell. She was quiet while driving. “Is something wrong?”

“Hmmm?”

“Is something wrong?” Yong Hwa repeated.

“I was just thinking, oppa.” She started. “Shin Hye unnie… How, I mean…” She was having a hard time phrasing her question without sounding like a suspicious girlfriend because she's not. She's just curious, that's all. “Shin Hye unnie, it seems like you have a long history… I mean just like Geun Suk oppa and the others. But... Hmmm... How did you two met?”

Yong Hwa wasn’t a bit surprised at her wanting to know about Shin Hye. Even before, he figured one of these days SeoHyun will ask about Shin Hye. He knows that she’s not blind to his awkwardness with Shin Hye.

“We met in high school. She... She worked for me then.” Yong Hwa started. There was a faraway look in his eyes as he continued. “In order to pay her father’s debt, she started working for me. You know… My grandmother has a lot of money and that made me have lots of money too.”

“What kind of work did she do?”

“Some errands. Sometimes she helps clean our house. Sometimes she would make me food. Some trivial things.” Yong Hwa turned pensive as he continued, "Sometimes... Sometimes were friends, sometimes we were not, sometimes… I don’t even know kind of friendship we had.”

That was the truth. His relationship with Shin Hye was an ambiguous one which frustrated him in the past. The way she treated him was different from Hong Ki whom she’s very comfortable with. And even though he was born a year before her, she doesn’t consider him as an oppa like Geun Suk. That always made him jealous back then. And it almost always causes a fight between him and Shin Hye.

SeoHyun seemed satisfied with his explanation because she never asked anything about him and Shin Hye the whole ride to her apartment.

***

It was the third time SeoHyun sighed, Jin Woon noticed. She looked distracted and deep in thought. It was not like her. She’s usually focused on work once she sits on her chair, but something’s off about her.

“If you sigh one more time, I won’t give you the photos from the charity event.” Jin Woon waved an envelope containing the photos infront of her and smiled.

SeoHyun snatched the envelope from Jin Woon looking irritated. She sighed again and stared at the envelope. And then sighed, again.

“Hey what’s wrong?” Jin Woon asked as he dragged a chair to sit next to her.

“Nothing. I’m just over thinking things, I think.”

“Then what are you over thinking about? What’s bothering you?”

SeoHyun sighed for the nth time and opened up about the things she noticed with Yong Hwa and her unnie. Even though Yong Hwa already told her about him and Shin Hye, she can’t help but feel there’s something more. What Yong Hwa said  were valid reasons for his awkwardness, still she feels that there’s a deeper reason. But she can’t bring herself to ask more.

“So you’re uneasy about their awkwardness? Isn’t that better than them being overly close?” Jin Woon was a little bit confused because usually a woman wouldn’t mind if her boyfriend’s awkward with another woman.

“I told I’m just over thinking things.”

“Do you want me to investigate?” Jin Woon asked. There was a glint of mischief in his eyes.

SeoHyun pushed Jin Woon away. “No! Now do your work.”

The chair Jin Woon was sitting slid away from SeoHyun when she pushed him. He stood up and ruffled her hair before walking away while chuckling.

***

SeoHyun might not have named names, but Jin Woon has a way of knowing things. It was a skill he learned while working alongside an investigative reporter after he graduated from college.

He stood outside the flower shop, eyeing the inside. Park Shin Hye. Park Shin Hye. Where did he hear that name before? He fixed his jacket before entering the shop.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” A woman with short hair immediately greeted him.

“Annyeonghaseyo.” Jin Woon greeted in return. He looked around the shop as if looking for someone.

“May I help you?” The woman asked with a friendly smile.

“It’s okay. I’m just looking around.”

Jin Woon was looking at the lilies, thinking that SeoHyun will like them when he heard a familiar voice. He turned around and saw the woman with Yong Hwa days ago. Recognition kicked in and now he understands why the name Park Shin Hye sounded so familiar.

“Jung Jin Woon-ssi?” Shin Hye called when she spotted him in front of the lilies. She was behind the counter looking at him with a pleasant smile.

Jin Woon awkwardly bowed. He was so confident and cool when he came inside the shop. Now that he’s face to face with the woman he came there for, he found himself tongue tied. And didn’t knew exactly how to proceed with his plan.

He absent-mindedly took a lily and walked towards the counter. “Uhmm.. Hi!” He smiled awkwardly.

“It’s really you.” Shin Hye gave him a welcoming smile. “Are you here to have coffee with me?” She teased referring to the coffee she offered him the first time they met.

Jin Woon just nodded without thinking. Wait, did he just agreed to have a date with her? But it’s just coffee, not a date, he rationalized. And he can learn a thing or two about her and Yong Hwa.

Shin Hye was quite surprised that Jin Woon actually took up her offer to have coffee. She was just teasing him. But since he already accepted, she can’t exactly backtrack her invitation. “Uhmm… So let’s have coffee!”

“Now? Well… Now is uhmmm… Ahhh…”

“Not a good time?”

“Ah.. Ye-Yeah.” Jin Woon stuttered.

“Well Jung Jin Woon-ssi, when do you want to have coffee?” Shin Hye leaned on the counter with her forearms plopped on top.

Jin Woon can’t help but notice how cute Shin Hye is. She was smiling at him sweetly and it was making him nervous. “Uhm… How… How about tom… tomorrow? Af-After work.”

“Well..." Shin Hye thought for a while, "Yeah, sure.”

“Well then…” Jin Woon awkwardly bowed and turned to the door’s direction when Shin Hye called his name.

“Aren’t you going to pay for that lily?” Shin Hye pointed at the lily in his hand.

“Ah!” Jin Woon looked mortified and he immediately paid for the flower. He was so embarrassed that he quickly went out the shop and mentally kicked himself. He doesn’t quite know what he’s gotten himself to.

“What are you thinking about?” Eun Jung asked Shin Hye who was staring at the door.

“I’m just wondering… Why did he suddenly appear and how did he know where to find me?”

***

The two hour meeting was mentally taxing. Jae Jung sunk in his office chair and closed his eyes. The economy’s not doing well and so is the company he works in. In the meeting they talked about laying off some people to cut the company’s expenditure. And just thinking about men and women who would be losing their job is already giving him a headache.

He picked a letter envelope that had been lying on his desk for days now. It was from the bank. He sighed knowing what to expect inside.

His wife spent too much money on bags again. They already talked about her costly lifestyle and spending habits. They agreed she’d limit her shopping spree and not spend too much money on unnecessary things. Well she did limit her shopping but not on the prices of the things she bought.

He loves his wife dearly. But she really doesn’t understand money’s worth and the importance of being practical. Her spoiled princess way was what attracted him in the first place. He finds that trait of hers cute. But now, it’s really causing him headache, especially when he reads their bank statements.

Jae Jung picked his mobile phone and dialed Uee’s number. “Honey, didn’t we talked about you not spending too much?” He closed his eyes as he listened to his wife. “I know. I know. But you bought five designer bags in one day. And you’ll only use those bags once and then store it away.” He took his glasses off and closed his eyes. His headache just got worse.

***

One of the perks being the grandson of HS Corporation was having an office overlooking the city. Yong Hwa just finished reviewing an important business proposal and he sure would like to take a breather. He stood from his chair and pulled the blinds up. It was already dark outside.

Just like the outside, his teenage years was a dark time. He was living a double life. He appears to be pleasant, but behind his friendly smile was another person completely opposite his easy going front. To most people, he was a good student, a good classmate and a good grandson. What most people don’t know is that, there’s a darkness slowly eating him up. He gambles with men twice his age, he drinks alcohol and smoke, he drives without a license and he had no qualms using money to get what he wanted. Only few people knew those sides of his. And it almost drove his grandmother crazy.

It took years of therapy for him to finally be at peace with himself and the things that had happened during that period in his life.

He sighed and sat on his chair to watch the city lights. It was also a night like this when he met Shin Hye.

He was standing outside the gambling house, waiting for a man named Park In Hwan. That man owed him loads of money. And that night, he was going to collect what that man owed him or else.

They met met at the gambling house. In Hwan got in trouble for gambling without money. He helped In Hwan because he felt sorry for the man’s daughter whom he kept mentioning, my poor daughter, my precious baby girl, my darling happiness.

But he just used his daughter. Still, Yong Hwa kept lending him money because it was fun to see that sorry excuse of a man dig his own grave. In Hwan's debt got so big that when his grandmother found out, her blood pressure got so high she was rushed to the hospital. 

“Appa! Let go! Appa!”

Yong Hwa heard a girl’s voice not so far from where he was standing. 

“Appa! I said let go!” The voice was getting nearer and Yong Hwa could see people’s silhouette getting near him. 

He was surprised to see In Hwan dragging a girl who looked the same age as him. What is this man up to, he asked himself.

In Hwan shoved the girl to Yong Hwa abruptly. Yong Hwa caught the girl, but she pushed him away. She looked delicate and frail, but she’s actually strong.

“Yo-young master!” In Hwan stuttered. He looked so out of it and he reeks alcohol. “You... You said I can use my daughter as a payment. You can... You can have her.”

Disgust was written all over Yong Hwa’s face. He wasn’t even serious when he told him that he can use his daughter to pay off his debts.

“Appa! What nonsense are you talking about? Are you crazy?” The girl shouted.

“She-she’s yours!”

That was the unfortunate circumstance that led Yong Hwa to meeting Shin Hye.

AN: Dundundunduuuunnnn.... So that's how they met.

Again, thank you guys for the comments. This is like a filler chapter. Kinda like an intro to the next chapter whose focus will be Uee and Jae Jung.