It felt different.

He felt nothing whenever they kissed. Not a second that his heart skipped a beat whenever his lips on hers. He never felt the like to prolong the kiss as he never tasted the delicacy in her lips.

”I love you, Oppa.”

Whoever heard that heartfelt confession came from a beautiful young lady like Kim Jennie would get their heart moved, but him.

”It’s getting late. It would be better if you go home now.”

Seunghyun left the bungalow, headed out of the garden. He even didn’t bother taking back his suits which he lent to Jennie earlier. Jennie who looked her fiancé left that place even without a single look back, clenched the sleeve of the suits which still draped on her shoulder. It always ended like that, when she put her hope up then he will trampled on it without mercy.

Did she really mean nothing to him?

The sudden ring of her phone made her anger dissipated a bit. And when she saw the name of the caller ID, Jennie put a small smile on her lips.

”Let’s go clubbing tonight, Jen.”

”Just the two of us?” Jennie asked back as she started playing with the remained strawberry parfait in front of her.

”I’ve invited Chaeyoung, Suhyun, and the others. As usual, HIGHGROUND Club at 10. How?”

”Okay. Count me in.”

She put her phone inside her purse as the call ended. Her eyes then harbored on the ruined strawberry parfait. She sighed, realizing the fact that her relationship with Seunghyun haven’t changed even since the first time they met. She had done numerous things just to make him looked at her. To move his heart. But all of her effort became fruitless.

Actually, she has tired. Tired of being ignored by Seunghyun. Tired of getting Seunghyun’s cold gaze, his cold demeanor. Tired of getting his fake affection in front of her and his parents, their business partners, and people around them. Tired of... being nothing in his heart.

She wanted to give up, but she couldn’t.

She couldn’t, because she has fallen deep in love with him.

***

I have got home safely.

Seunghyun read the message for the third time since he got it the moment he stepped into his room. And just by reading that short message, he felt small happiness in his heart. That second too, he realized that he already missed the sender of that message. Without second thought, he immediately dialed her number.

Each ring accelerated his heartbeat, made him nervous for unknown reason. It was on the third ring that she took the call.

”Hello?”

”Uhm... hello. I’ve got your message.”

”I see.”

There was silence followed after her short reply. Leaned on his chair, Seunghyun looked at the small garden next to his room through the window glasses. He tried to find a thing to be talked with her, but found nothing.

”Gomawo.”

”Huh?” Seunghyun got confused by the sudden gratitude Chaerin gave just now. ”For what?”

”Uhm... not long ago, I have a talk with my family back in Paris. And finally, I made up with my sister. You know, we had a tiff right before I went to Seoul.”

A smile emerged on his lips. He didn’t expect to hear such a story, as he just thought that maybe the reason of Chaerin’s gloomy face earlier was because of her longing over her family back in Paris.

”And Eonnie mentioned you... uhm, you asked her to call me.”

Seunghyun can imagined her blushing face as she said those sentence. So beautiful.

”I’m glad to hear that.”

Another silence followed. He wanted to hear her voice. Again, again, and again. But, he had nothing in his mind to prolong the talk.

”Did something happen?”

Seunghyun froze for a moment once he heard that question. Did he look like an open book to her? Or... it was just her sharp intuition that made her spilled out that question? Whatever it was, he chose to not be bothered by it.

”What’s that make you think that something has happened to me?”

***

Chaerin put her knee closer to her chest, as she embraced her legs. She didn’t answer his latest question immediately, as she realized something from their short talk earlier.

He talked less than the last time they had a conversation, which was at the park earlier in the afternoon.

He chose to be silent in most times, as if told her that all he wanted to do is listening to her.

”Your silence told so much, Seungri-ssi.”

She heard an awkward chuckle from the other line.

”You sound like my mother, Chaerin-ssi.”

For the first time in that call, that both of them called each other’s name. Maybe it sound so formal, the way they addressed each other. But, for both Chaerin and Seunghyun, it gave them an indescribable feeling in their heart.

”Am I? Well, I have gotten told something like that countless times already. I’m sounded like an old lady.”

He laughed heartily. Oh, how the melody of his laughter made her heartbeat tripled each second she heard it. She wanted to hear it again, again, and again. It already made her addicted.

”Gomawo.” He said the same word she said before after his laughter died.

”Did you try to copy me, Seungri-ssi?”

”Of course not. I’m sincerely thank you. You know, my day... got ruined so badly by someone. And, to meet that person twice a day is really... give me headache. Meeting you and have an ice cream date earlier in the park, and this phone call, did ease my ruined mood. Once again, thank you.”

***

Did she put some kind of spell on him? He told her the thing which had bothered him with ease. It was like having talk with an old friend.

”I think... we’re even now.”

Seunghyun smiled a bit at her cheerful reply.

”Ah, it’s already late. I’m sorry, we should... end this call. I have something important to do tomorrow at my workplace, so...”

”Maybe we can continue at another time, Chaerin-ssi. You may take a rest now. Good night.”

”Good night.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Seunghyun looked at his phone for a moment after the call ended. Giving her a ‘good night’ as the closing of their call, he never imagined it before. As their last phone call ended rather awkward. Seunghyun smiled as he remembered that phone call.

But then, his smile disappeared once he remembered his father’s secretary’s words earlier.

”I won’t report the thing you did earlier at the park. But, I suggest you to end it before it got out of hand, Hyun. Moreover, it’s not only me who ordered to ‘watch over’ you. It just about time that Daepyonim will found it out.”

He let out a heavy sigh as he sent his blue look over the small garden next to his room. A sour smile on his lips when he realized that his situation was no different than that small garden. He remembered well, back in the past, that small garden filled with various colors of roses which became his brother’s possession – which he found it mysterious at some senses.

Even he’s not quite understand about flower language, or romantic things, whenever he saw that small garden, he could see endless happiness was coming from it. Not a day that he didn’t find his brother looked for the best blossom in the middle of the countless colorful petals in that small garden.

Then, it turned out to be an abandoned garden once his brother left that house. The fresh, colorful flowers wilted each day. The greeneries turned its color to brown, dry and withered, then laid on the ground.

The happiness he felt when he was together with the girl named Park Chaerin was alike that garden filled with various colorful roses. Even he’s just got familiar with that feeling for a short time, he didn’t want to let it go. He wanted to hold onto it for a long time.

Yet, someone whom used to be a close person to him, told him to end it before it got out of hand.

Seunghyun understood well what the meaning behind that sentence. He was expected to not repeat his brother’s mistake. He was expected to do his ‘role’ as the sole heir of Lee family rightfully.

He leaned on his chair, closed his eyes.

Did his brother feel the same burden as him back then?