As soon as Ih Na arrived in her apartment, she placed her things on the couch, tied her hair and fetched herself some red wine. She knew she needed some time alone to really process what had just happened at the noraebang; Yeo Ri blaming her for her botched love life and most importantly, Rae Won admitting his true feelings for her. 

When Ih Na agreed to tag along, never in her wildest dreams did she ever think that this would happen. Had she known, she would've just called up Son Mi, so they could have dinner together.

But Ih Na couldn't go back in time now, and she simply had to accept the fact that what has happened, really happened. It wasn't a dream nor a hallucination, but a reality she couldn't escape. 

Taking a sip of her red wine, Ih Na pondered on what Rae Won had said earlier; that she didn't have to like him back, that simply allowing him to have those feelings for her was enough.

His selflessness may have been worthy of Ih Na's admiration, but she couldn't help but ask... why? Why did he like her? What did he see in her that made her worthy of his feelings? She was nothing but broken, a woman who had given so much of herself to someone who wasn't worthy, but here was Rae Won, a man who didn't care about how lowly she looked at herself, because he was there to listen to her, to care for her, and most of all, to assure her that, in time, everything was going to be alright. 

Ih Na knew her truth. She was never oblivious to it. She knew that she liked Rae Won back, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to admit it because she knew that it was far too early to get herself into something that was even close to a relationship. 

Ih Na might have fallen out of love in the last two years of her relationship with Yong Hwa, but she knew that there was still a lot to sort out emotionally before she could even commit to someone else... even if that person was as kind and as loving as Rae Won. 

Being in a relationship was a lot of work, and Ih Na knew that she had to fix herself first. She had to make herself whole again, before taking the plunge the second time around. Ih Na knew it was going to be difficult though, because she had gotten so used to being with Rae Won. Admittedly, she was at her happiest when she was with him.

In the two weeks that they had spent together, they laughed, had fun, shared so many stories of their life, that imagining the next two weeks, months and even years without him suddenly made Ih Na anxious... and lonely.

What was happening to her right now was more of a battle between her mind and her heart, and as she attempted to get some shut-eye after a long day, she could only hope that tomorrow, her last day as Rae Won's "assistant", would be a good one. 

The following day, Ih Na woke up a lot earlier than expected.

At around 7 in the morning, she was already brewing coffee and toasting some bread, repeating the mantra, "I will think positive today, I will be happy today". 

Ih Na had finally decided that she wasn't going to let her negative thoughts consume her and that this whole thing with Rae Won was going to be dealt with one day at a time. She enjoyed his company, yes. She liked him, yes. But she wasn't ready for a relationship yet, and that was something he needed to understand. If he didn't, well, it was going to be his problem and not hers. 

Ih Na wasn't going to be all sulky about this. She's definitely had enough of that from Yong Hwa. 

Just as she was about to take out the bread from the toaster, the doorbell suddenly rang. 

"Floral delivery!" 

"Jamkkanmanyo _{(Wait a minute)}!" Ih Na replied as placed the bread on a plate, washed her hands and went to get the door. 

As soon as she opened it, Ih Na was surprised to see a large bouquet of pink tulips right in front of her. 

"Joeum achimieyo, Soo Ih Na sshi _{(Good morning, Miss Soo Ih Na)}! You have a floral delivery from Pleasant Flowers." The delivery guy said as he gently handed Ih Na the bouquet. "Just sign right here for confirmation."

"O... neh, kamsahaeyo _{(Yes, thank you)}." Ih Na said as she accepted the flowers with confusion spread all over her face. "Um... may I ask who sent this?" She added, as soon as she was done signing the confirmation slip. 

"Oh, about that. The sender requested to be anonymous. Mianhaeyo _{(I'm sorry)}." The delivery guy said. 

"O, kuraeyo _{(Oh really)}? Gweanchanha _{(It's okay)}." Ih Na said. 

"We hope you enjoy your flowers. Kalkeyo _{(I'll go ahead)}." The delivery guy smiled and then he was off.

As Ih Na closed the door behind her, she couldn't help but think about the identity of the sender behind this beautiful bouquet. It couldn't be Yong Hwa because he wasn't the type of guy who would do these kind of things, and well, they have broken up, so the next one in line was... Rae Won. 

Just thinking about him being the one behind this little morning surprise made Ih Na smile. It might not have been confirmed yet, but it was possible, knowing him and his knight in shining armor personality. 

Ih Na couldn't wait to about this later. Indeed, it was going to be a great ice breaker. 

The hours flew by fast, and before they knew it, Ih Na and Rae Won were finally together at the Naksan Park. 

Ih Na never got to tease Rae Won about the bouquet that morning because he avoided meeting her eyes. He only talked to her when needed, seemingly cautious of his words and even his actions, to avoid any misunderstanding. 

The first few hours were bearable, but when Ih Na couldn't take it anymore, she decided to speak up.

"Are we going to keep being this way for the rest of the day?" She said. "I get that you're feeling a bit awkward towards me because of what happened last night, but I'm okay." She added.

Rae Won sighed in reply. 

"You do know that the last thing I want us to be is awkward right?" He began. "But after I brought you home last night, and pondered on the things I said, I knew that being awkward with each other was going to be inevitable, but still... I don't regret what I said last night because they were all true and even if I was given the chance to take it back, I wouldn't."

"Mianheyo, Ih Na ya _{(I'm sorry, Ih Na)}." Rae Won apologized. "I know you're going through a tough time right now, and I really shouldn't have burdened you even more with admitting my feelings, but I guess I was just put in a situation where I could no longer hide the truth, you know. I had to be honest, because you deserve my honesty... even if I'm just a stranger, even if I'm just a friend."

"Rae Won, if there's someone between the both of us who has to apologize, it's me. Not you." Ih Na uttered. "I shouldn't have ran away like that. I should have talked to you, I should have told you that I respect your feelings because I do. I really do." She added.

"It's just that... I'm not ready and it doesn't feel right. Well, not yet."

Rae Won already knew that this was going to happen, but Ih Na's "not yet" gave him the slighest bit of hope; that maybe she liked him back, but needed more time to process and deal with everything that was going on in her life. 

He asked no further questions, but simply gave her a faint smile to assure her that he respected her sentiments, and that he wasn't going to pressure her into something that would make her feel uncomfortable and destroy the bond that they had. 

"Arasoyo, ihaehaesseoyo _{(It's alright, I understand)}." Rae Won said. 

"Hajiman _(But)..." Ih Na replied. "I really want you to be a part of my life. I don't know if I'm being extremely selfish right now, but all I know is that... you make me happy and I don't want to lose you." She added. 

Rae Won was at a loss for words as Ih Na said this, but he knew and was a hundred percent sure that he was going to stay in her life for as long as she wanted. He really liked her that much. 

"Oh and by the way, thank you for the flowers. I guess you were really listening when I told you that they were my favorite." Ih Na smiled. 

Suddenly, Rae Won shot her with a look of confusion. 

"Pink tulips, yes, I remembered that, but..."

"You were the one who sent me flowers right? This morning?" Ih Na said, feeling just as confused as he did. 

"Aniyo _(no)" Rae Won answered truthfully. "Someone sent you flowers this morning?" He added, a hint of jealousy evident in his voice. 

"Neh_(yes), it was really weird and random, actually. But you know what, nevermind." Ih Na uttered. "Maybe someone from the office sent me flowers or some other friend who's trying to play jokes on me. Or you know what, it could even be my best friend, Son Mi. She likes doing weird and random stuff anyway." 

Feeling a bit competitive after what he had just heard, Rae Won held Ih Na's hand. 

"Mwohaneun geoya _{(What are you doing)}?" The latter wondered, taking a look at their intertwined hands then at Rae Won. 

"Kaja _{(Let's go)}, I'm getting you an even prettier bouquet." He answered, taking Ih Na with him as they ran to the nearest flower shop. 

Ih Na could only smile as they walked out of the flower shop with a mixed bouquet of pink tulips and sunflowers in hand. Rae Won got her sunflowers because they reminded him of her; bright and vibrant no matter what. 

As they took a quick stroll back to the Naksan Park, Ih Na and Rae Won exchanged shy glances and smiles. In this very moment, all they could think about was the fact that they were happy and that they were together.

"Thank you for the flowers." Ih Na said. "They're really pretty." 

"Indeed." Rae Won agreed. "Just like you."