The room was dark, except for the light coming from the nightlight on the bedside table. The soft, yellowish light casted a warm glow on the sleeping beauty tucked underneath the sheets. There wear still tear streaks on her face; it hadn’t been that long since she fell asleep in my arms.

I could clearly see her from where I was across the room – sitting on the stool at the dressing table, fiddling with a business card in my hand as my mind wandered, pondering on my next step.

After a while, I moved towards the bed and carefully sat near the edge. My fingers automatically reached out to her blonde hair – gentle so as not to wake her up – and a soft sigh escaped my lips.

“I’m so sorry, Whee,” my voice was barely a whisper as I choked back a sob, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I plan to go ahead with the arranged marriage. But then I found out that you two had a thing and, and,” that sob finally escaped and a tear rolled down my cheek, “I don’t know what to do anymore, Whee…”

I felt a finger wipe away the tear and I looked down in shock – Jung Wheein was wide awake with a serious look in her eyes.

“Tell me what’s going on, Irene.”

“Y-You were awake?”

Wheein chuckled. “I’ve been awake since you left me cold in bed.”

Blood rushed to my face at her playful words. I smiled and lightly poked her cheek. “So you just laid there and let me pour my heart out?”

“It’s best to play dead and not interrupt,” her hands were warm as she cupped my face, “or I would never know what’s in my girlfriend’s head.”

Once again, a sob escaped me. “I’m so sorry, Whee…”

“No. Don’t apologize until you tell me what’s going on.”

I nodded. “Okay. That’s fair.”

She sat up and gave my mouth a light peck. “I’ll whip up coffee and tea. Then we can sit down and talk.”

“Jung Wheein, it’s three in the morning!”

She jumped out of bed and winked at me. “The best time to have a heart-to-heart talk, no?”

I smiled as I watched her leave the room, glad that she was her usual self even after hearing my weird confession and…

I frowned.

Is she really alright? After that break down?

It worried me that Wheein was just putting up a front, but I was more afraid that confronting her about it right now would just make her clam up and I didn’t want that.

I chose to let it be for now and focused on how I was supposed to tell Wheein that I was planning on breaking up with her and marry Moon Byulyi instead.

A week ago, I was approached by a woman wearing a cap, a mask and sunglasses. She didn’t look out of place in downtown Seoul that day – it was the height of tourism day and she was dressed just like every other tourist scattered around the area.

She slipped me a business card and said, “We know what he did to your family. Go to this address if you have any questions.”

The business card looked dubious, but there was an address written on the back – it was a location outside of Seoul, perfect for a secret meeting. But before I could question her further, the woman had disappeared into a nearby group of tourists.

Coincidentally, that was the week that I learned about Moon Enterprise’s investment in Bae Pharmaceuticals and the arranged marriage between me and Moon Byulyi.

The woman’s words intrigued me, so I did my own research. I found out that every company that Bae Pharmaceuticals had applied to for funding, had rejected them at the very first stage of application. That was when Moon Enterprise stepped in.

Everything about it was suspicious to me, but I was only a fashion journalist, so my access to more information was restricted. At the same time, I had also attracted unwanted attention from the CEO of Moon Enterprise himself.

“It’s better to keep your pretty nose where it belongs, Miss Bae,” the CEO said with a smile that didn’t reflect in his eyes, “or you’ll find it on the floor one of these days.”

My heart trembled with fear. It wasn’t hard to figure out that there was a threat behind those words, but I had a feeling that showing him that I was scared would be the last thing I should do.

So I clenched my teeth and smiled prettily. “What do you want from me, CEO Moon?”

“I want you to accept the marriage proposal. It’s for the sake of your family and,” the man’s smile finally reached his eyes, but it was an evil smile, “also for the sake of your pretty little girlfriend.”

I felt the heat rose to my face at the mention of Wheein. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on her!”

“I won’t have to…if you do as I say.”

My whole body was trembling with both anger and fear. “I…I need more time.”

“I don’t care what you do with your girlfriend, Miss Bae. I’ll give you a week and then you’re meeting my daughter. No excuses.”

It was an order. I never had a choice in the first place.

I had to at least tell Wheein about the blind date or she would be suspicious and put herself in danger. But I couldn’t tell her the whole truth; she would definitely stop me and put herself in danger. I also needed to put an act with my family because they would be wary if I readily agree to the proposal – especially my sister Jinyoung.

But finding out about Wheein and Moon Byulyi’s past, even a gist of it, was enough to put me in further turmoil. It would hurt Wheein either way – no matter what I chose.

With all of these in mind, I sat down to have tea at 3 am with my girlfriend.

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A/N: It took me a while to update because I've been looking for the right transition into the next part of this story. Hopefully, I can proceed smoothly after this ^^

Thank you for reading!