A/N: Dear readers, this is not yet Part 2; this is just a filler chapter to lay ground for what will happen in future chapters. Enjoy! ^^

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The rooftop garden was just as Wheein remembered it – fragrant and peaceful.

She sauntered into it and stood at the center before inhaling deeply with her eyes closed. She liked being up here – she was able to gather her thoughts and revive her spirits when everything became too much for her in the real world.

Unfortunately, it was now time to say goodbye to this little slice of heaven.

“I knew I would find you here.”

She opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, mouth curving into a soft smile. “Hey, Fany.”

Tiffany returned the smile as she walked over to Wheein. They stood in silence, side by side, admiring the clear blue sky and the thriving greens around them.

“This was where we first met,” Tiffany suddenly said, breaking the silence between them, “do you remember?”

“How could I forget?” Wheein replied, laughing quietly at the memory, “I was a complete mess that day.”

“After getting to know you, I still don’t understand it,” Tiffany turned to face Wheein, a serious look on her face, “why were you crying that day, Wheein-ah?”

Wheein looked away, her cheeks flushing pink. She debated whether she should share that embarrassing memory, but then again, this was Tiffany – the older woman had seen Wheein at her worst six months ago when Byul had disappeared.

Oh, what the hell.

Wheein took a deep breath and turned to face Tiffany. “It was just after I broke up with my ex,” she began, “we worked in the same department and after we broke up, he started saying things about me that weren’t true. I usually don’t care much about rumours, but I guess I was a little vulnerable that day and I ended up breaking down here.” She paused and gave Tiffany a rueful smile. “Since then, I vowed to never date a coworker again.”

Tiffany let out a small, bitter laugh. “I see,” she murmured. “So…I never had a chance from the start, huh?”

“I’m sorry,” Wheein mumbled as she lowered her gaze, feeling guilty, “b-but I really am glad that the CEO pulled me out of there and sent me to work for you.”

Tiffany bumped her shoulder against Wheein’s until the younger woman looked up at her. “I’m glad too,” she whispered, curved into a friendly grin, “best decision my father ever made.”

Wheein laughed at that and the guilt inside her slowly eased into relief.

She had had to keep a delicate balance between her and Tiffany for the past six months – she had struggled to not seek the warmth and security of Tiffany’s arms during nights when she would wake up with nightmares; she also struggled to distance herself from Tiffany because she didn’t want to break the older woman’s heart again. In the end she chose the middle path – she would confide in Tiffany while at the same time drawing a clear line between them.

A chuckling sound brought Wheein out of her thoughts and she smiled, thankful that Tiffany was being relaxed and understanding about everything. Her smile turned to a frown, however, when Tiffany suddenly faced her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You do know,” Tiffany drawled, leaning in close until their faces were only inches apart, “that you leaving the company means we’re no longer coworkers, right?”

Wheein quickly caught what Tiffany was implying and rolled her eyes. “I don’t like long distance relationships.”

“Considering how clingy you are, I would be surprised if you do,” the older woman teased.

Wheein blushed and playfully punched Tiffany’s arm. Tiffany threw her head back and laughed, enjoying the adorable pout decorating Wheein’s pink face.

“Come on,” she said when her laughter had subsided, “you’re missing your own farewell party.” She slung an arm around Wheein’s shoulder, steering her out of the garden and towards the exit. “By the way, just so that things don’t get weird between us, you have to call me ‘unnie’ from now on.”

Wheein giggled. “Sure, Fany-unnie~,” she said teasingly. “Whatever you say, Fany-unnie~.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes, but an affectionate smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

***

The atmosphere in the room was suffocating, to say the least, and the silence was deafening. Byul had been summoned to her father’s study an hour ago and she was slowly getting restless as she sat across the desk from her own father, waiting for him to tell her why she was called here.

Byul had the urge to scratch at the fading scar on her neck, but she quickly stopped herself; she didn’t want to show any sign of weakness in front of the CEO of Moon Enterprise. She forced the restlessness down and assumed her best poker face, patiently waiting for the older man to speak.

“It has been six months, Byulyi,” CEO Moon finally spoke, a tired sigh escaping his lips, “are you done sulking?”

Byul scowled. “I’m not sulking. I’m mourning.”

“For the past six months?”

“Yes.”

I have three things to mourn about, Dad, so of course it takes longer than usual!

Byul’s first mourning was for Aoi’s death – gunned down by her father’s men in cold blood and left for dead in the cemetery. Afterwards, CEO Moon had bribed the police, making sure that everything didn’t lead back to the Moon family. Her second mourning was for Wheein – she regretted her sudden departure and that they didn’t get to have a proper goodbye. Her third mourning was for her cousin Yongsun – the older woman was shot in the chest that night and Byul didn’t know if Yongsun was dead or alive because CEO Moon had kept her confined to the house and refused her access to the internet. To Byul, her mourning was completely justified and she refused to end it just because her father told her so.

“Moon Byulyi,” CEO Moon’s voice was quiet but stern, and Byul automatically straightened up in her seat, “you need to start learning the ropes and prepare to take over from me.”

Byul scoffed. “What happened to marrying me off to some guy and let him take over?”

“I change my mind.”

Byul raised an eyebrow in surprise. It was rare to hear the CEO admitting something like this so openly; he was as stubborn as her. But her surprise quickly turned into concern when she saw how visibly tired and old her father looked.

Byul leaned forward in her seat and clasped one hand over her father’s. “Dad, are you okay?” she asked softly.

CEO Moon sighed and smiled slightly. “I’m already old, Byulyi. I realize now that forcing you to marry a stranger is wrong,” he hesitated for a bit, a wary look in his eyes, “but does it really have to be a woman?”

Byul removed her hand and sat back in her chair, arms folded tightly across her chest. “Yes, Dad,” she answered in a quiet but firm voice, “because I can only love women.”

CEO Moon nodded, a resigned look on his face. “Alright, I understand,” he said. “Since marriage is off the table and you are my only heir, Byulyi, I have decided to name you the next CEO upon my retirement.”

Byul sighed and ran a hand through her hair, throwing her gaze around the room as she pondered on her next words. “Say that I refused,” she said cautiously, fixing her gaze on the bookcase to her far left, “what will happen?”

CEO Moon’s face changed. “I will have to arrange for the company to go public,” he said quietly.

Byul looked at her father, startled by the revelation. “What?”

“The board of directors is slowly losing confidence in our ability to maintain the yearly profits,” CEO Moon confessed, “and the projects we took on so far haven’t turned out as expected. So, unless I can present to the board a suitable heir to bring the profits back in, the company will have to go public.” CEO Moon leaned forward and stared straight into Byul’s eyes. “I really want to keep the company within the family, Byulyi,” he said, his voice pleading and sad.

Byul didn’t have anything against taking over the company, but she liked her independence while she was living away from her family – the freelance work she had also gave her the freedom and flexibility that working in a company couldn’t. On the other hand, she wasn’t the kind of person who would abandon her family in time of need.

“Before I agree to anything,” she began, giving her father a stern look, “tell me where is Aoi’s body and what happened to Yongsun-unnie.”

“Aoi's family had claimed her body and buried her in Japan. As for Yongsun,” CEO Moon let out a disappointed grunt, “I have sent her away from Korea. She disobeyed me and this is her punishment.”

Byul let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that Aoi had a proper burial and that, even if she was exiled, Yongsun was still alive; she couldn’t handle a second death on her conscience.

“How long will Yongsun-unnie be away?” Byul asked. “If you want me to take over, I need her back here. She’s the best and I want the best working for me.”

“I can’t argue with that,” CEO Moon grumbled, “but I know Yongsunie will only spoil you if she’s here, so you have to train without her. But I promise you that I will bring her back once your training is completed and you become CEO.”

Byul was skeptical about her father’s words, but she didn’t exactly have a lot of choices, considering her currently limited freedom. “Very well, Dad,” she said with a resigned sigh, “I accept.”

***

Yongsun stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Her face was pale from exhaustion and lack of sleep; her black hair had gotten longer in the past six months, now reaching her shoulder, and it was due for a trim soon. Then, her eyes travelled south to where a prominent circular scar was situated in between her s. She gingerly touched it, tracing the scar while slowly going to the center. She winced when her fingers grazed the healing skin, even though it shouldn’t have hurt anymore, and, unbidden, the events from six months ago replayed itself in her mind.

She had just pulled Byul out of harm’s way when she realized the men were aiming for Aoi. She had dashed towards Aoi, intending to pull her behind a cover, but Aoi had pushed her away instead, towards safety. Unfortunately, a stray bullet managed to hit Yongsun, right in the chest, grazing her heart, and she should have died that night – she was suffering from severe blood loss by the time she was taken to the hospital and Yongsun remembered thinking that she was relieved and happy to finally be joining her parents in the afterlife.

But, alas, she survived death and, while she was still recovering, her uncle had shipped her away, placing her in an American branch of the company. It was a constant struggle for her the moment she had stepped foot on this strange land – juggling work and recovery alone, but she persevered and thrived with her newfound independence, away from the Moon family.

But it hit Yongsun hard that she was actually in exile when the anniversary of her parents’ death came up a month ago and she wasn’t allowed to step foot in Korea for a memorial visit – she felt bitter, sad and enraged. She was lost and helpless that day; she had gone out and got herself drunk, despite knowing her low tolerance for alcohol, and ended up meeting a goddess.

A sudden knock on the bathroom door snapped Yongsun out of her thoughts.

“Solar-unnie, breakfast is ready~.”

Yongsun smiled to herself. “I’ll be right out.”

“Solar” was the nickname Yongsun had used when she first met the goddess. She didn’t think she would meet her again until a week ago – the goddess was looking for a room to rent and Yongsun had accidentally blurted out that she was renting. It wasn’t a complete lie – she had rooms to spare; she just didn’t need the money. But she doubted the goddess would have accepted if Yongsun said she could stay for free.

Yongsun quickly slipped on a fresh shirt over her night shorts before stepping out and heading straight for the dining room.

“Smells good,” she commented, taking a whiff of the delicious aroma as she sat down at the table, “what did you cook today, Hwasa?”

Hwasa gave her a bright smile and Yongsun was mesmerized. She was entranced with every delicate movement Hwasa made; the quiet yet expressive way she explains everything; the way she wore only light makeup in the morning; even the worn-out pajamas and the top-knot on top of Hwasa’s head looked adorable to Yongsun right now.

Yongsun only realized she had spaced out when Hwasa cleared , looking at her with concern. It seemed that Yongsun had completely missed everything that Hwasa had said and now she was expected to say something in response.

“I c-can’t wait to taste everything,” Yongsun said with extra enthusiasm, picking up her chopsticks and bowl of rice, “they all look delicious, Hwasa.”

Hwasa frowned briefly before giving Yongsun a shy grin. Then, she started piling Yongsun’s bowl with meat and vegetables and suddenly, their eyes met. Yongsun quickly looked away and stuffed herself with food, hiding the blush in her cheeks.

Goddess. I’m falling in love with a goddess.