Yoon was sitting on the bed until the dawning sun’s rays started seeping through the silky brown curtains into the room. And suddenly realizing that it was already morning, she got off the bed, and ran out of the room.

Maids were already cleaning the ground floor, and avoiding them, she ran up to the room on the second floor.

And he was still in the same room.

Sitting on the carpeted floor and head leaning on the sofa, he was fast asleep.

She went back to her room, hastily wiping away the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

She felt wronged. Wronged because she had to get married to this man not knowing his biggest flaws.

And heartbroken, because the Byun Baekhyun she had decided to fall for, was not the real Byun Baekhyun.

She got changed and went downstairs to the kitchen, to find the maids busy making breakfast. “Where’s Baekhyun?” she asked Shindong, and he answered with a smile plastered on his face, without batting an eye.

“Mr. Byun woke up early and said he had some office matters to take care of madam. He’s in his study now.”

“Shall I go call him for breakfast?” she asked, waiting for the next lie the butler would make up.

“No madam! I mean... Mr. Byun doesn’t like when anyone disturbs him during office work. He’ll be here soon, so please have breakfast until then.”

* * *

It was past eleven when Baekhyun came downstairs, dressed in a pristine white cotton shirt and grey trousers, looking unbelievably fresh for someone who had been totally wasted the night before. He muttered a good morning, coming very close to the girl who was going through a fashion magazine, surprising her by giving no sign of the alcohol he had taken.

Just how many times did he brush his teeth to get rid of all the reeking of alcohol?

She closed the magazine, and turned to him with her usual smile.

And he smiled back.

For some reason the smile broke her heart, even though she was already getting fed up by all the lies that were surrounding her.

“You don’t look so well Baekhyun-ssi, are you alright?” she asked, peering into his pale face as he stood in front of her at the living room couch. He shook his head, and sat beside her. “My head is aching. That’s why.”

She gave him a proud smile. “How about some refreshing soup? I prepared brunch for you.”

His eyes widened. “You made brunch? I mean can you cook?”

She smiled proudly in reply. “I used to love baking during junior high, and omma made all kinds of chefs teach me cookery. So yes, I’m a good cook now!”

He couldn’t hide the amusement in his smile, as he watched the girl run into the kitchen to arrange the table for him. And in a few minutes, he sat for the brunch, and she placed a bowl of bean sprout soup in front of him.

This is good for your hangover.

She thought in silence, the words she couldn’t say out loud. And puzzling the girl, he kept staring at the soup in silence, without even touching the spoon. The girl saw his lips pursing, and he slowly blinked, completely lost in thoughts.

“Baekhyun-ssi,”

He raised his head at once, and met her eyes.

For the briefest moment, she thought she saw an endless sorrow and regret in his eyes, but the next second, he was giving her his brightest smile.

The smile she fell for, at their very first meeting.

“I love bean sprout soup. Thanks.” He took the spoon with a grin, and took one spoonful into his mouth. “Woah...” his eyes widened at the taste, and he looked back at her. “You seriously are a great cook Yoon... Oh...can I just call you Yoon?”

“Call me whatever you want Baekhyun-ssi.”

* * *

The newlyweds sat on the same couch and watched afternoon dramas after the meal, not knowing what to do since there was nothing scheduled for either of them. Pretending to be engrossed in the drama, Yoon was stealing glances at the man sitting on the other end of the couch, who was aimlessly staring at the TV screen. A scene of a couple hugging each other lovingly, was displayed on the screen, and the hug initiated a kiss afterwards, and she didn’t even notice a blink from his eyes.

Newlyweds...we’re sitting next to each other and a steamy scene is starting on screen...but why isn’t he affected by it at all? I mean at least shouldn’t he feel slightly uncomfortable?

And Baekhyun finally did take his eyes off the screen, not showing any discomfort, but showing much disinterest in the romantic scene.

And he decided to take a sudden interest in the Chinese ceramic vase at a corner of the room.

“Baekhyun-ssi?”

“Hmm?”

He turned back to face her at once.

“Still have the headache?”

He nodded, brushing his non-waxed fluffy hair off his forehead. “It’ll go away Yoon.”

“Want me to massage your head?”

He smiled, and shook his head. “It’s alright... Thanks, by the way.”

He doesn’t want to get any closer to me.

“Want me to get some painkillers for you.”

“No Yoon, they won’t work. I’ve kinda grown resistant to them.”

How much did he have to get resistant to them? Or is it the effect of alcohol?”

* * *

Night took longer than she’d expected to arrive.

After a dinner which actually looked like a mini feast, Baekhyun excused himself from the table saying he’ll be doing some reading before going to bed. But before he could leave the dining room, Yoon stopped him with a question. “Baekhyun-ssi,”

He turned around, and the girl gave him the most enthusiastic look she could put on. “Can I take a look at your library?”

For the briefest second, Yoon saw Baekhyun flinch, and his eyes travelled slightly off hers to meet Shindong’s bewildered gaze. And he looked back at her, and pressed his lips with a slight smile.

“Sure. Let’s go to the second floor then.”

He led the way, leaving the girl all puzzled.

Second floor? Is there a library for real?

The second and uppermost floor of the mansion was larger than Yoon had registered in her mind from the night previous, since it was half in dark when she had come upstairs the night previous. They had stepped into a large hallway which was decorated with professionally selected Victorian style furniture and classy gothic ornaments. Just like the two lower floors, it screamed of the Byuns’ wealth, and so did the number of door those led to different rooms from the hallway.

“This way.”

Baekhyun started walking the opposite direction where she had done in search of him last night, and after passing four identical doors, he stopped at the fifth identical on, a polished dark mahogany door just like the previous four. Turning the dull gold door handle, he entered, closely followed by a curious Yoon.

And Yoon’s mouth fell open right after entering the room.

It was a circular room, the entirety of its walls were covered with curved book shelves that stood up to the ceiling, filled with books of every colour and size. Only a narrow space of a few feet’s width was void of book shelves because that was the one and only full length window to the room. In the middle of the room, was a small shiny wooden table, with two classically cushioned arm chairs, and two floor lamps stood beside each chair, with gold coloured shads to match the golden globe and penholder, and the chandelier hanging down from the wooden ceiling. “Oh my god…” Yoon muttered before she knew it. “This is so gorgeous.”

Baekhyun smiled in silence, and walked up to the nearest book shelf. He ran a slender finger through a several rows, grabbed out a several hard covered books and came back to the girl. “The ones I’ve finished recently. Not sure whether they’ll suit your tastes, but I recommend. Try them out.”

The Da Vinci Code

Brave New World

The Help

1984

All the King’s Men

Yoon raised her head from the piled of books that had landed on her hands, and blinked at him. “Anything more…um…lighter? I mean something like romance fiction?”

“I don’t read romance.” Baekhyun shook his head. “Neither do keep them in my library.” And he stayed silent for a moment, watching how Yoon had nodded casually and started flipping the pages of The Da Vinci Code. “But I can buy them for you. Tomorrow maybe? If you like to go book shopping.”

“Of course I do.” The girl grinned at him. “Then let’s go tomorrow Baekhyun-ssi. On book shopping.”

Maybe, just maybe we can drop by the hospital as well.

Baekhyun stared at her beaming face for a little longer, before coming up with a nod. “Okay then. Take your time going through the books. Who knows…you might even find something more interesting than romance!”

“Where are you going Baekhyun-ssi?”

He was by the door, his hand on the door handle, and he turned to answer Yoon.

“I’ll be in my study.”

And she saw his hand on the polished metal trembling.

As in visibly shaking.

They say alcoholics can’t stay past their re