Afterwards, Jiyong tugged her along and rode the private elevator to the suite he had reserved as his office. It was spacious, decorated in royal blue and silver color. In the middle of the room was a no-nonsense black desk, arranged in a U position. She could practically see Jiyong sitting there, with the phone craned between his ear and shoulder while he was working on the computer. Besides the phones were two matte silver picture frames. Asking permission without words, she lifted her eyebrow. At Jiyong’s nod, she happily skipped toward the desk and leaned down to inspect the picture. One was of Yunho, Jiyong and Sandara on their graduation ceremony.

And the other one was of Jiyong and her, laughing together on the deck of a yacht.

“I want you to be my girl,” he suddenly whispered in her ears.

She leaped from her position -- as if she just got stung by a poisonous scorpion -- and scrambled away. Her face was white with pain and shock. She had never thought that Jiyong would ask her this kind of question. By asking her this, he showed her how serious he was with whatever he was feeling for her. Oh, God, how she yearned to say yes. How she wanted to run into his arms and be protected. But no, she couldn’t do that to Jiyong m. Not with Yunho had already been so close, breathing down her neck. If what Yunho claimed was true, then she only had two weeks left. It’d be better to make it a clean break, she thought, ignoring the slow agonizing rip she could feel in her own heart. Not able to say the word, she only shook her head in answer.

“Why not?” he demanded. “Give me one valid reason!”

“I…” she swallowed profusely and firmed her lips. “I don’t like you.”

Instead of the anger she had expected, Jiyong flashed her a grin. “Yes, you do,” he said confidently.

Taeyeon could feel irritation rose inside her and a frown settled on her forehead. “No, I don’t,” she said stubbornly, half to convince him and half to convince herself.

“So you always melted that way on whoever is kissing you? Even to a guy you don’t like?”

His tone was so full of disdain and insult that she blurted out without thinking. “Of course not! Do you think I’m so easy and cheap?” 

Only after seeing the grin on his face that she realized what he was doing. “Please don’t force me,” she said, twisting her fingers nervously.

“No valid reason, right? Then it is final,” he said cheerfully, with a broad grin on his face. 

But upon seeing the misery on her face, his grin faded away. He brought her closer to him and lifted her face up. “Taeyeon, I love you,” he said it so simply that she had no choice but to believe it.

Which she couldn’t afford to.

Squashing down the blooming feeling inside her heart, she shook her head again. “No, you don’t.” She said it firmly, giving him no window for an argument.

“Aww, don’t tell me what I’m feeling, Sweet. I know my own heart.” Jiyong’s breath tickled her ear, tempting her to give in. Enticing her to tell him everything and burrow in his safe embrace while he made everything right again.

Steeling her heart, she looked at Jiyong in the eye as she uttered the biggest lie in her life. 

“Then it’s me,” she forced the words out past the huge lump in . “I don’t love you.”

Quick as a snake, Jiyong immediately drew her into his arms. It seemed like he only waited for her to look up at him in surprise because the moment she did, her lips were captured completely by his.