"You alright?" 

The dazed brunette looks up from her smartphone's screen, meeting a pair of warm hazel eyes midway. She heaves a small sigh, nodding her head in response to the onyx black haired girl's question. The onyz black haired girl slides into the seat beside the brunette on the couch. They were the only ones in the room which gave them some room to breathe after the flurry of hair and makeup staff had finished their work and left. 

"Jungeun." 

"Yeah?" 

"Care to share your thoughts with me?" 

Jungeun's shoulders slumps down as she averts Hana's concerned eyes. "It's nothing. I'm just nervous. What if they bombard us with questions about our engagement? Like how long have we been dating? How long have we known each other? I'm just worried that I'll mess up." 

Hana could hear the distress in Jungeun's voice as she reaches out to take Jungeun's hand, bringing it into her own. She shoots Jungeun a small yet comforting smile as Jungeun plays with Hana's fingers nervously.

"Jungie." Jungeun stops her actions when she hears Hana calling her nickname softly. "You won't mess up." 

"How do you know that?" 

"Because I know you." Hana's answer prompts Jungeun to tilt her head up to see Hana's soft grin. "I know you'll never allow something as trivial as reporters to scare you. Plus, I'll be right next to you at all times. Remember, you're Kim Jungeun, heiress to Kim Corporation and after this press conference, you'll be my fiancee and I'll be yours." 

Jungeun blushes when she hears the word 'fiancee'. She never expected to be engaged so soon and to her best friend/crush but the world was unpredictable and here she was, inside the Presidential Suite at the Royal Silla Hotel, waiting for a press conference that'll confirm their engagement to the world. The world works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?

"Okay." Jungeun mutters below her breath but Hana catches it, a smile blooms upon her face. 

"Also, have our friends been blowing up your phone? Because I'm pretty sure my phone has at least 200 messages, half of which belongs to Jiwoo and Sooyoung." Hana grabs her phone off the coffee table with one hand and waves it in the air, her other hand perch upon Jungeun's lap, holding her hand loosely. 

Jungeun's nerves cools down enough for her to crack a smile, "Yeah. Most of which belongs to Jiwoo and Sooyoung though I haven't open them. I can already tell that most of the texts are just Jiwoo screaming AAAAA and Sooyoung trying to calm her down." 

Hana bursts out laughing, "That sounds exactly like her!!" 

Jungeun joins in, unable to hold in her laughter - the whole room is soon filled with the harmony of their laughs. A knock on the door stops their laughter as Hana moves from her place beside Jungeun and walks toward the door. She opens the door and sees Joohyuk clad in a formal black tuxedo standing in front of her. 

Joohyuk bows politely, greeting Hana, "Jeonmunim. It's time." 

Hana nods as Jungeun appears beside her. The two leave the room and are lead down the hallway by Joohyuk. They hop into the elevator and made their way down to the conference hall on the 4th floor. As the metal doors opens with a clang, the three of them make their way out and continues their way to the hall. As the two stand outside the hall's doors, Jungeun feels the butterflies in her stomach returning, doubling in number as her heart races - was she ready? 

She feels a warm hand sliding into her own - looking down, she sees Hana's hand intertwine with her own. She peeks up and sees Hana's gaze on her - her eyes filled with affection and affirmation as if to say - I'm right here. 

Jungeun takes a deep breath, exhaling heavily as she turns her head - straightening her back, relaxing her shoulders and holding her head up high. Hana was right. Who was she? She was Kim Jungeun, heiress to Kim Corporations. She shouldn't fear anyone - people should fear her.

The doors open wide as flashs of light and dozens of camera shutters go off simultaneously. Jungeun's arm hand tightens around Hana's arm as they walk into the conference room side by side. They walk up the stairs onto the stage as they take their respective seats in front of the room of reporters.

Once they were settled, Hana sends Joohyuk a signal as he announces through the microphone. 

"Please settle down. The press conference is about to begin. A small reminder to all reporters that no personal questions are allowed to be asked. We will officially begin today's press conference." 

As soon as Joohyuk announces the start of the press conference, multiple hands shoot up and questions are thrown at them immediately. Hana silences them with a short wave of her hand. She then points out towards a female reporter in the middle row.

The reporter clears before asking, "Miss Park, how long has it been since you and Miss Kim have started dating?" 

"About a month or so."

Her answer generates a buzz amongst the reporters. The reporter nods before taking a seat. Hana then points out at another reporter who stands. 

"If you've only dated for a month, why have you decided to get engage so soon? Perhaps there is another reason?" 

"Jungeun and I have known each other longer than the period that we've been dating. There is only one very simple reason behind our engagement." Hana looks over to Jungeun and lets a smile slip. "Because I believe I've found the one." 

Jungeun bites her lip as she blushes at Hana's answer. She tries to cool herself down by convincing herself that Hana was merely acting for the reporters. It was failing miserably because Hana sounded so genuine with her answer. 

"How did you two meet? Who confessed first?" 

Hana smiles, recalling how she first met Jungeun. The mess that they were in high school. Looking at them now, she realises how far they've grown. 

"Jungeun and I met when we first started out in high school. We were enemies before we were friends." Hana recounts the past. "-and guess what, we didn't like each other because of a pack of bread." 

Hana could hear Jungeun's chuckles from her side as she mentions the reason why they disliked each other in the first place. "Long story short, it took a couple of months for us to finally let our pettiness go and become friends. Once we did, we found out we had a lot of things in common. We've been inseparable ever since. As for who confessed first-" Hana glances over to Jungeun before smirking, "-It was Jungeun." 

Jungeun lets out a small gasp. She shoots Hana a look of disbelief - they most certainly did not discuss this. Hana covers her laugh with a cough as she clears . The reporters stir as they were met with an unexpected answer. 

"Miss Kim, is that true?" 

"How did you confess, Miss Kim?" 

"How did you know that it was the right time?" 

Jungeun gapes, unable to answer the sudden bombardment of questions from the reporters. She silently curses at Hana in her head as she forces a fake smile and looks towards Hana with a 'You better solve this'. 

"Now, now, ladies and gentleman. Please calm down. I will answer on her behalf. Her confession, I'm pretty certain was unintentional. That night, we were on another of our impromptu outings - we stopped by the playground on the way to our university. I was talking about some girls in my course who had asked me out and somehow, Jungeun got the wrong idea and she mumbles through her entire confession." Hana laughs as she tries to make the story convincible. "To be honest, I think I've always had feelings for Jungeun - I just tried to ignore them because I didn't want to destroy whatever we had. I knew from the time my eyes would search for her in a crowd, when I started to pick up the littlest of things she would do, her likes and dislikes and the way my heart would beat faster each time she smiled." 

Hana's eyes locks upon Jungeun's. Time slows down and suddenly, everything in the background fades and there was just them. Despite coming up with the story together, hearing Hana recite it made everything feel so real - like they were real and for once, Jungeun wishes for it to be true. They break away from each other once they heard Joohyuk clearing his throat through the microphone.

The reporters appear to be convinced as they snap a couple more pictures and their fingers move across the keyboard of the laptop at lightning speed - capturing each of Hana's words. The press conference goes on for another half an hour with a couple standard questions as Jungeun and Hana takes turns to answer. Soon, the press conference ends as they stand up to leave. As they step off the stage, a loud questions halts both their steps. 

"There are rumors that this engagement is a mere hoax meant to fool the public! That you aren't in an actual relationship as you claim to be! How do you respond to these claims??" 

Hana feels Jungeun stiffen beside her as she whirls around to glare at the reporter. Once again, the room is lively with whispers and gossips thanks to the male reporters statement. Joohyuk whispers that he'll take care of the reporters and that they should leave but Hana stops him. She marches back onto stage and grabs the microphone, her eyes narrows upon the male reporter. 

"I say these claims are ridiculous and completely unfounded. Every question that we have answered today should be enough to debunk all these rumors. I hope that these rumors won't be spread around or else, I'm afraid there will be very dire consequences." Hana directs her final statement towards the male reporter who shivers in fear as Hana lowers the microphone onto the table and steps down the stage - circling one arm around Jungeun's waist as she guides Jungeun out of the conference hall. 

"Jungie, are you okay?" 

Hana's voice snaps Jungeun out of her trance.

Jungeun gives Hana a tight-lipped smile as she mumbles, "Yeah, I am."

Jungeun is pulled into a hug as Hana's arms wrap tightly around her waist. As Jungeun is about to question Hana's act, she stops when she hears Hana speak. 

"You did really well. I'm thankful that you agreed to do this, Jungie. I couldn't have done it without you and I know I haven't said this more but thank you for trusting me." 

Jungeun remains silent. What Hana didn't know was the reason Jungeun agreed was because of her own selfish wish. She wanted to pretend that Hana was hers even if it was just a lie - even if it was for a short period of time. It was all Jungeun's ever wanted since the day she found out that she's fallen for Hana. Jungeun slowly moves her arms up and reciprocates the hug, burying her face in the crook of Hana's neck. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks had gone by in a flash. News of their engagement already spreading far beyond Korea as the world began comparing their engagement to that of a royal engagement. With Hana and Jungeun - both whom were heiresses to some of the world's richest families getting together, the world was in a frenzy. The anticipation of their relationship has people in stitches. 

For Hana and Jungeun, their 'fake' engagement suddenly weren't all that fake anymore. Their dates became more frequent despite Hana's tight work schedule and Jungeun's strict studying routine. They went out whenever they were free and it became so natural for them to do so. They would go to malls to shop together. They visited zoos, aquarias and amusement parks (Jungeun never liked them but the twinkle in Hana's eyes was hard to resist). 

In between breaks, they would text each other - sometimes for hours and they would never notice the passing time. Hana finds herself happier each time she was with Jungeun - there was always a lot of laughs, teasing and fun whenever they were together - she's missed this feeling. Hana realised how much time she's missed with Jungeun because she would prioritize Heejin over everything and everyone. 

She felt stupid for allowing her relationship to ruin her friendship and she was adamant about fixing it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting in her massive office, Hana swivels her chair around as she types a reply to Jungeun's message - her eyes glued upon the screen of her Iphone, smiling at the photo that Jungeun had sent her. Too deep in her conversation with Jungeun, Hana didn't notice Joohyuk walking towards her.

He stands before her, watching as she giggles at her phone. Joohyuk most certainly wasn't blind - he could tell Hana was happier and the source of her happiness was Kim Jungeun - though she would never admit it, Joohyuk could tell that what Hana felt for Jungeun was far from mere friends.

He clears his throat as Hana finally registers Joohyuk's presence. 

"Oh, Nam Biso! Do you need something?" Hana questions. 

"Forgive my rudeness, Jeonmunim but I've noticed that you're livelier and happier these days. Everyone around us have noticed that you're happiest when you're around Miss Kim. I'm sorry if I overstep however, could it be you've fallen for Miss Kim, Jeonmunim?" Joohyuk asks politely. 

Hana fumbles as her eyes darts away from Joohyuk, laughing nervously as she dismisses Joohyuk's words. "Don't be ridiculous! Jungeun and I, we are just friends." 

Were they? Were they truly just friends? Joohyuk's words plants a seed of doubt in Hana's heart. She believes that it's because she and Jungeun have been friends for a long time - that's why Hana was more comfortable and open with Jungeun. However, she cannot deny the doubt and the million of what if's that fills her head and heart.

She admits that there were many instances when Jungeun would smile or laugh and her heart would beat faster, butterflies would fill her stomach and Hana's eyes would always unconsciously move down to her lips. She shakes it off and says it's because they were close but was that really all there was to it? 

Joohyuk could see the hint of hesitance written on Hana's face - a flicker of confusion washes over Hana. Hana's phone vibrates as Hana sees a message from Jungeun. Just like that all her thoughts fade away and Hana's only focus is Jungeun.

Jungeun: Aren't you busy? 

Jungeun: Shouldn't you be working? 

Hana: Multitasking is a thing, Jungie

Hana: Wbu? Shouldn't you be focusing in class? 

Jungeun: Professor's boring

Jungeun: Can't wait for lunch. I'm starving 

Not looking up from her phone, she opens to speak, "Joohyuk, is my lunch schedule free?" 

Joohyuk is surprised by Hana's sudden question as he quickly swipes open his tablet and checks. 

"Yes, you are free until 2pm today." 

Hana grins happily as she types a reply to Jungeun. 

Hana: How's lunch with me sound? 

Hana: We can always head to that sushi place you like

Jungeun: That sounds great 

Hana: I'll come pick you up from the university

Jungeun: Okay. I'll be waiting 

Jungeun: Professor's coming. Gtg!

Hana pouts as she drops her phone onto the table with an exasperated sigh. Joohyuk notices the dark cloud that appears above Hana's head. Resisting the urge to scoff, Joohyuk stands silently. 

Just friends, huh. You look like someone just stole your favourite toy.

"Jeonmunim? Will you heading out for lunch?" Joohyuk asks despite knowing the answer. 

Hana looks up, her entire demeanor shifting as she smiles at Joohyuk, "Yes. Also, please have a reservation made at Aoiri for two." 

Joohyuk bows, "I understand. Is there anything else?" 

"Nope," Hana says. "-Though, was there something you need? Am I missing any schedules?" 

"Oh, yes, I apologize for forgetting. Madam Park has requested that you bring Miss Kim for sunday brunch," Joohyuk says. 

"Well, I guess I can ask her during lunch later but why so sudden?" 

Joohyuk shakes his head, "I'm afraid Madam Park didn't provide an explanation, Jeonmunim. Should I call her secretary and ask?" 

Hana waves him off, "It's alright. I'll ask her myself tonight." 

Joohyuk nods. "If that's all, I'll leave now, Jeonmunim." 

He then turns on his heels and heads out. Hana checks her watch and sees that it's almost 12 noon. She knows Jungeun finishes her classes at half past 12 so she prepares to leave. She grabs her wallet and phone, not forgetting to grab her black coat off the coat stand as she heads out of the office. Joohyuk stands up from his cubicle, bowing. 

"I'll be out of the office till 2pm. Call me if there is anything" Hana says, sliding her trench coat on before walking away. 

She then heads out of the office, meeting the driver in the lobby as she tells him to take a break since she'll be driving herself. The driver nods as he hands her the keys to the Mercedes parked out front. She unlocks the car before sliding into the driver's seat and starting the engine. She shuts the door before shifting the gear into drive and stepping on the gas as she zooms off the property. The trip to her university didn't take long as she arrives on time with a couple of minutes to spare. 

She pulls up in front of the business block, turning the engine off before hopping out of the car. She leans against the side of the car as she patiently waits for Jungeun to come out. Students who noticed her made a fuss once they realised it was Hana - whipping out their phones to snap pictures of the Park heiress - she pays them no heed though. 

Once she spots a familiar brunette walking out of the building, the sides of her lips stretches into a happy smile. Jungeun spots Hana leaning against the Mercedes as she bids her coursemates Vivi and Haseul goodbye before running down the steps and into Hana's open arms. She pulls away first as she grins at Hana who returns with her own blinding smile. 

"Hey!" 

"Hi." 

They ignore the students who began whispering around them and taking photos as Hana opens the door for Jungeun. Once Jungeun slides into front seat, Hana closes the door, circling around the front of the car before opening the door of the driver's seat and gets in. She starts the engine and drives away from the compound. 

"How was classes?" Hana breaks the silence. 

"Boring. Honestly, I'm excited to graduate in a few weeks. Though I'll miss Jiwoo and Sooyoung and my coursemates. Maybe even our cafeteria's crappy food" Jungeun comments making Hana chuckle. 

"How about you?" 

"Usual. Paperwork, meetings and reports." 

"Hey, Jungie?" 

"Yeah?" 

"My grandmother's asking if you'd like to have Sunday brunch with the family at Park Manor." 

Jungeun doesn't take much time to reply. "Of course, I'd love too."

"Perfect! I'll let my grandmother know. You're going to love Sunday brunch. My grandmother makes the best pancakes and cakes. I'm sure you'll love it!" Hana says excitedly. 

Jungeun laughs happily at Hana's reaction. "I'm sure I will. You know how much I love sweet things." 

"Does that include me?" Hana asks teasingly. 

Jungeun pretends to think as she jokingly says, "You're not sweet. You're more salty and bitter." 

Hana gasps as she pretends to be hurt, "How could you! I will have you know that I am very sweet!" 

Jungeun bursts out laughing as Hana couldn't stop herself from laughing as well. Their laughs finally seize as Hana concentrates on driving while Jungeun makes herself comfortable - connecting her phone to the bluetooth as she plays a couple of songs. Jungeun belts out a couple of notes as Hana bobs her head to the music. 

Every time they stop at the traffic light, Hana would look over to passenger seat as she marvels at Jungeun's singing - she look so free and happy and it never fails to bring a smile to Hana's face. Spending time with Jungeun was so effortlessly easy - it was calming and stress-relieving. With Jungeun, Hana could be herself and let loose without feeling judged. As she watches Jungeun sing, the familiar feeling of butterflies arises once again. 

She averts her eyes, trying her best to concentrate on driving and not long after, they finally arrive at Aoiri. Hana pulls into the parking lot and parks in one of the empty spaces - turning her engine off as they made their way out of the car. Hana locks the car as they head into the restaurant. The manager of the place greets them with a bow.

"Welcome to Aoiri! Do you have a reservation?" the manager asks. 

"Yes, reservation under Park" Hana answers. 

The manager immediately perks up and says, "Of course, Miss Park. Please follow me." 

The manager leads them to a private spot towards the back. Hana and Jungeun takes their respective seats as the manager hands them the menu. They didn't take much time in deciding before letting the manager know. The manager bows once they were done as he disappears to deliver their orders to the kitchen. 

"Jiwoo's been asking for us to go on a double date." Jungeun opens the conversation as Hana carefully arranges their utensils. "I told her that you are busy with work and you might not have time for it." 

"I don't see why not. I haven't seen Jiwoo and Sooyoung in a while. It'll be nice to hang around those cheesy lovebirds again" Hana answers. 

"Really? You would want to go on a double date?" Jungeun questions. 

Hana looks up at Jungeun, tilting her head sideways, "Why wouldn't I? If it's going out with you, I'm always up for it." 

Hana doesn't realise the subtle pink blush on Jungeun's cheeks as she is distracted by the manager returning with their food. Hana thanks the manager before arranging the plates in front of them. She makes sure to feed Jungeun first as she scouts for Jungeun's reaction. A happy smile and nod later, Hana and Lip devours the food in front of them. 

Once they finish eating, Hana decides to take Jungeun home. Her classes for the day were done but Hana is expected at work. Hana pays for lunch and as they make their way out of the restaurant, they spot reporters from afar - snapping pictures of them with their large cameras. The reporters weren't really good at hiding anyways. The two of them already growing accustomed to the nosy reporters - they could already anticipate these pictures on the net by tonight. 

Hana and Jungeun hops into the car as Hana drives Jungeun back to her apartment. While they were in the car, Jungeun scrolls through her social media and to nobodies surprise, there were already pictures of Hana and her in front of Aiori spreading around. Jungeun knew their engagement had attracted the attention of every citizen domestically and internationally.

With each picture of them together, they became the talk of the town as people gusg over their relationship - commenting on how fitting they were and how adorable they were together. Not that Jungeun was keeping track of the comments, she most certainly didn't. (Of course, she did. How else would she have gotten her lockscreen photo?) Jungeun has also noticed comments on the way they would look at each other - heck, even their friends took note of it!

It made Jungeun's heart wrench because she doesn't know what to take of it. These days, she's not sure whether Hana was being real or just faking it for the reporters. Jungeun is pulled away from her thoughts when she feels the car coming to a stop. She notices that they were in front of her apartment's entrance as she unbuckles her seatbelt. 

"Well, as much as I'd like to ditch the rest of the day and stay with you, I'm not sure my employees will appreciate it" Hana jokes dryly. 

"Thanks for lunch and the ride home, Hana. Have a great day at work! Try not to miss me too much" Jungeun teases as she pokes Hana's cheek with her finger. 

One side of Hana's lips tug up into a half-smile as she grabs hold of Jungeun's finger, clutching it tightly, "I don't think that's possible. I'll always miss you." 

The sincerity in her voice makes Jungeun's heart flutter. Jungeun looks away instantly to hide her blushing face as she stutters out, "You...You'll be late! If you don't go soon." 

Hana lets go of Jungeun's finger before nodding, "Okay. Go on up. I'll text you later." 

Jungeun mutters a short, "Bye, Hana" before getting out of the car and walking into the building. She watches as Hana's car leaves her apartment building. Her hand moves to clutch her chest, her heart rate increasing when she recalls Hana's words. I don't think that's possible. I'll always miss you. 

Jungeun mumbles out a string of curses. Damn you, Park Hana! Jungeun hops into the elevator as the motors in her head begins to turn - her mind filled with thoughts of Hana. Hana doesn't just throw those kind of words around. She begins thinking of the couple weeks that they've been together and it all confuses her even more.

What were they now? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Jungeun appears in the lobby of Park Group's headquarters. She received a text from Hana this morning asking if she was free and could come to her office so here she was albeit a bit confused. The staff around recognises Jungeun as they stare at her curiously. From afar, she spots her saviour, Joohyuk walking towards her.

As usual, he politely bows and smiles. "Welcome, Miss Kim. Jeonmunim is already waiting for you in her office." 

Jungeun nods and follows behind him wordlessly as they walk past the automatic security gates and hops into an elevator. The elevator ascends as Jungeun taps her feet nervously, leaning against the metal railing. The elevator chimes a familiar tune as the doors open wide for Joohyuk and Jungeun to step through. 

Joohyuk leads Jungeun down the hallways as they finally arrive in front of the Chief Director's office. Joohyuk moves his hand up and knocks a few times before turning the knob, pushing the door open as he steps aside and allows Jungeun to enter first. As Jungeun steps into the room, she notices that nothing much has changed since the last time she was here except for the stacks of files atop Hana's desk. 

The said girl sits behind the stack of files, flipping through them as her eyes scans through them rapidly. 

"Jeonmunim, Miss Kim is here for you" Joohyuk announces. 

Hana peers up from the file as she pushes the round-rimmed glasses perch upon her nose up. A small, tired smile graces her face as she pushes her chair back and stands. 

"Thank you, Nam Biso. You may leave now." 

Joohyuk bows, retreating and closing the door on his way out. Hana gestures for Jungeun to take a seat as they occupy the couch opposite each other. 

"I hope your ride here was okay" Hana says. 

"It was alright" Jungeun replies. "Is everything alright, Hana? I was kinda surprise to receive your text this morning." 

Hana nods. "Yeah. I just thought it was the right time to let you know about the reason behind my sudden request." 

Jungeun is taken aback. She didn't expect this to happen so soon but she wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't curious because she was.

"Jungeun." 

Jungeun tilts her head up to look at Hana, "Yes?" 

"Before I tell you anything else, I just want to apologise."

Jungeun frowns. Was it that bad?

"You remember how my mother was sick years ago, don't you?" Hana questions. 

Jungeun nods wordlessly. Of course, she remembered. She was there when Hana broke down countless times, worried for her mother's fragile health. 

"The day my mother passed away-" Hana stopped, gritting her teeth. "-there was someone else there. She caused my mother distress and ran away without calling the doctors once she saw my mother struggling to breathe. Because of that woman, my mother passed on early when she could have held on much longer and that woman is Yun Gun Hae also known as, Mrs Jeon, Jeon Heejin's mother." 

Jungeun gapes in shock, unsure how to take the sudden information. Jeon Heejin's mother caused Hana's mother to pass on early? Why? What reason would she have to do that? 

"That vile woman told my mother that if Jeon Heejin and me continued to stay together, she would ruin my life. She knew that I cherished my mother more than anything in the world and if my mother had asked me, I wouldn't have denied her. My poor mother who was already too weak and sickly had to listen to that vile woman," Hana's voice cracks, she's upset and furious. Jungeun is quick as she leaves her couch and slides in beside Hana, holding her hands. 

"That's why I want revenge, Jungie. For my mother. For me. That woman cannot walk away and continue to live her life freely! Not after what she's done!" Hana growls angrily as she begins to shake. 

Jungeun pulls Hana into a hug, rubbing large circles around Hana's back as she shushes Hana, whispering comforting words into Hana's ear. Hana pulls away as she looks at Jungeun with guilt in her eyes. 

"I heard that she's planning a large scale project which involves Kim Corporation so I thought what better way to get my revenge than to have her lose her precious project. I know it was low of me to use you like this and I'm really sorry, Jungie. You don't deserve to be stuck in the middle of this. I'm such a terrible person." 

Hana buries her face in her hands as she cries. Jungeun feels like she should be angry - she should feel disgust and hurt yet she feels nothing. She isn't angry neither is she hurt nor disgusted. She's more angry and disgusted at the fact that Jeon Heejin's mother is the reason Hana's mother passed on early. 

"Park Hana. Look at me" Jungeun orders authoritatively. 

Hana pulls her hands away from her face and gulps down her nerves as she dares herself to look at Jungeun. She was terrified that Jungeun was going to hate her. That Jungeun was gonna to say she wants nothing to do with Hana anymore. She could bear anything but Jungeun leaving her would break Hana. Her eyes meet Jungeun's and Hana is surprised because there is no hint of anger written anywhere on Jungeun's face. 

"I'm not angry at you though I'm a little disappointed that you think so little of me. Your mother was important to me as well, Hana. She treated me like her own and I owe her a lot. If what you say is true, then, that woman doesn't deserve to live happily after what she's done. I will help you, Hana. No more secrets, okay?"

Hana couldn't help herself as she jumps into Jungeun's embrace, knocking her down onto the couch, burying her face into Jungeun's shoulder. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Jungie. You have no idea how scared I was that you would hate me. I could never go on if you decided to leave me." 

Jungeun pats Hana's back as she says, "I'm not leaving you that easily, dork." 

Hana pulls away as she hovers over Jungeun, smiling down at her. Hana doesn't know what comes over her as she leans down, pressing a kiss on Jungeun's forehead. She leans back as she holds her hand out to Jungeun who takes it and allows Hana to pull her back up to a sitting position.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since that day, their kisses became more frequent. Cheek, forehead and sometimes dangerously close to the lips. It was no longer a show for the press or their friends anymore but rather an act of affection. Now that everything was in the open for Jungeun and Hana, their relationship grew beyond regular friends.

They could tell that their relationship was shifting though they never expressed it. They weren't lovers but they weren't regular best friends either.

They were swimming in the middle of both - lingering there until one of them dares the other to cross over the line. 

When that will be is to be determined but the story to come is still far from completion. 

Just gonna drop this here, hehe. Please comment a lot and tell me what you think. Also, I didn't have time to prove read so I'm sorry in advance. Bye and thank you for reading  - Author, H.