A/N: I can't believe it took a year-end fever to make me update ^^;

It's probably not as good as my usual stuff, but please enjoy!

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I was barely one month into the last half of my CEO training course when Father suddenly ordered me to go on a blind date.

I protested, of course, because I didn’t want to be set up with any man Father has in mind for me again; I told him that much before I started my training. But Father surprised me when he mentioned that my blind date would be a daughter from the Bae family; it was their eldest daughter to boot.

I knew the Bae family or more specifically, their youngest daughter Bae Jinyoung – we went to the same university and she was one year below me. However, the Bae’s eldest daughter was a complete mystery to me as well as the chaebol community. There were rumors circulating about her – which I figured were just speculations of the wicked and envious – that painted her as someone who is frivolous and irresponsible.

I did call up Jinyoung to ask about her older sister, but she merely said her sister was gorgeous and that she was extremely jealous of her for being set up with me.

For context, Jinyoung had a crush on me back in the day, but I turned her down because I could only see her as a cute hoobae. I hoped that her feelings had changed since then and that her expression of jealousy was just her way of jesting with me.

Nevertheless, after talking to Jinyoung and considering Father’s excellent taste in women (my mother was one of the most gorgeous women in her time after all), I was even more curious.

So, I did my own research on the Bae family – with the help of Jinyoung, of course.

Bae Pharmaceuticals is the leading name in the medical field, producing genius medical scientists and pharmacists as well as their own brand of medical drugs. Apparently, the company had a recent breakthrough in one of their experiments and sorely needed the funding to produce and market their new product. That was when Moon Enterprise stepped in and offered the funding they needed, in exchange for an alliance in the form of marriage between the Moon heiress and the Bae’s eldest daughter.

Jinyoung was already carrying the family’s legacy as one of the youngest medical scientists in South Korea; she was also heading her own research department. Jinyoung didn’t say much, but I assumed her older sister did not follow the same path and hence why she was offered up as my marriage partner instead of Jinyoung.

“But my unnie is already seeing someone else,” Jinyoung told me over the phone the night before my blind date with her sister, “it’s futile to even go on this blind date since she’s gonna reject you anyways, Unnie…”

“It’s fine, Jinyoung-ah,” I assured her, “we’ll think of something better than this old-fashioned arranged marriage for an alliance.”

Just like that, the day of the blind date dawned on us.

To be honest, I was uncharacteristically jittery the whole day…until she walked in.

Her dark hair was piled up on her head in an elegant bun and she was dressed in a fitting blue and white strapless dress that slightly sparkled under the restaurant’s warm, yellowish light, making her look like a goddess who had just stepped out of heaven to grace us mortals with her beauty and presence. Bae Joohyun was indeed the beauty Jinyoung and Father made her out to be…and more.

“I didn’t think you would dress up for me, Miss Bae,” I commented as I pulled out a chair for her, “you look really beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you, Miss Moon,” she replied with a small smile as she sat down, “please don’t make a mistake. I dressed up for appearances sake. Plus, my girlfriend helped me picked out this dress and she’ll be the one taking it off at the end of the day.”

I managed to keep myself from wincing. Even if this “date” was a complete farce, it still hurts to hear that.

“Your girlfriend is okay with you doing this?” I asked, unfazed as I took the seat opposite her.

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not surprised that I have a girlfriend?”

“Nope. Jinyoung told me about it already.”

I thought her eyes were already big, but they became even wider when she was surprised. “You know my sister?”

I chuckled. “You clearly need to talk to her more,” I said, amused by the myriad of expression playing across her beautiful features, “maybe then you would know that I’m just like you. I don’t want to go through with this arranged marriage either.”

“Oh,” she blinked, probably trying to process everything, “if it’s like that…”

“Feel free to leave if you want to, Miss Bae.”

She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. “No, I’ll stay. I don’t think it’s okay to have dinner on your own, Miss Moon.”

“What about your girlfriend?”

“We made plans to have coffee after this is done, so…”

“I see,” I gestured to the waiter to bring the menus, “then I thank you for accompanying me for dinner, Miss Bae.”

“Of course,” her smile was so sweet, but her eyes were sparkling mischievously, “and it’s free food after all.”

I laughed out loud, thinking that I was liking this Joohyun lady more and more.

We had a quiet conversation over dinner – mostly about Jinyoung and our old-fashioned parents. I had a feeling that we would end this “date” on a good note; we could even be friends later if we want to.

But I couldn’t help being curious about Joohyun’s relationship – how could anyone let a woman this gorgeous go on a blind date and not die with jealousy? That person must either be the biggest fool around or have the utmost faith in her girlfriend.

“So, Joohyun-ssi,” I started when the dessert plate had been taken away and all that was left were us, a bottle of red wine and two half-full wine glasses, “you still haven’t answered my question. Is your girlfriend really okay with you going on this date?”

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Not really…but I already told her I planned to sabotage this date and my parents’ plan, so she reluctantly agreed.”

“Ah, I see,” I sipped my wine thoughtfully and set the glass down, “I suppose we’ll part ways after we walk out of this restaurant?”

“That’s the general idea.”

“I was actually hoping we could be friends after this.”

“Ah, yes. Of course we can,” Joohyun smiled prettily over her wine glass, her eyes looking a little glassier than when she first started drinking, “I think Whee will be fine with it too…”

I frowned.

Who’s we? Is it her and her girlfriend? What a weird way to say it…

I watched as Joohyun drained the last of her wine and set the glass down. She was dangerously swaying from her seat and I figured it was time for us to leave.

I quickly gestured for the bill and when the waiter came with a silver tray containing the bill, I quickly pushed the half-emptied bottle of wine to him just as Joohyun was about to grab it for another re-fill.

“I think you’ve had enough, Joohyun-ssi,” I placed my black card on the tray and the waiter swiftly left with the bottle and the tray, “it’s time for us to go.”

Joohyun pouted, looking uncharacteristically adorable as she toyed with her empty glass. I chuckled, thinking that a drunken Joohyun was dangerous in more ways than one. A few moments later, the waiter came back with my card and started clearing out the table – the cue for me and Joohyun to make our move.

I helped Joohyun out of her seat, grabbed her stuff and mine, and guided her towards the restaurant’s front door. But the moment we stepped out, there was a cold wind blowing in our direction and Joohyun trembled against me. She wound her hands around my arm, trying to stay warm.

I chuckled and made a move to remove my blazer when I heard footsteps coming towards us…and then that voice – the voice I could not stop dreaming of – calling out a name that was not mine.

“Irene?”

Joohyun immediately perked up and turned to greet the person calling out to her, releasing her hold on my arm.

But I didn’t even pay attention because all of it was on the blond woman standing a foot away from me, looking surprised and confused as her eyes swerved between me and Joohyun.

“Whee,” Joohyun cried in delight as she stumbled into the woman’s arms, “you came for me~”

“Of course,” the woman replied, not taking her eyes off of me, “we promised to go for coffee, didn’t we?”

Ah.

The realization dawned on me and my heart felt like it was pierced by a million tiny needles. I suddenly felt nauseous seeing the two women in front of me, so I quickly looked away with only a single thought in my mind.

Oh, how fate have tricked us.