"The fears we don't face become our limits."
— Robin Sharma

It typically took more than a few words to make Byun Baekhyun happy—this near perfect man who already had it all—yet here he was, two weeks later, still summoning an ear-to-ear grin each time he remembered that a certain individual had permitted her heart to move on.

"Now that he's found a new happiness, I've allowed my heart to let him go," the jovial executive recited, causing a giddy snicker to escape him—an unintentional display of romantic excitement that halted the presentation he forgot he was listening in.

Feeling numerous sets of beady eyes quietly staring at him, including Ara's, Baekhyun cleared his throat. He then sat up on his chair and with a commanding voice, instructed the presenters to continue. For the rest of their meeting—despite finding it surprisingly difficult—he wore that icy, serious, and intimidating look his subordinates were most familiar with.

"So, what makes you this cheerful on such a wet and dreary Wednesday morning?" Ara asked teasingly as she and her husband exited the conference room together. Rain had been drowning the city for the past week, major stocks had been down, and their work pile only increased, never diminishing—therefore, whatever caused the man's optimism definitely piqued her interest.

"Oh, Director Seo, don't you know the sun is always shining?" Baekhyun countered with a childish grin, but his unimpressed wife simply stared and waited for a different, more convincing answer.  

Seeing her expression, he released a short yet charming laugh and met her curious gaze, his lips resting into a gentle smile. "You," was the response he wanted to give next.

Baekhyun subconsciously raised a hand to cup her cheek but caught himself just before a fingertip could brush her skin. He knew he wouldn't have been able to stop if he had.

Curling his fingers into a loose fist, he brought his arm down to his side and widened his captivating grin. "I'm just happy about the progress we've made," he replied instead.

Taken aback by his unexpected answer, Ara found herself replying with a soft, "Hm?" She had the urge to ask him to elaborate—to clarify if he meant progress in their agenda or progress in their relationship—but she couldn't form the right sentence to do so. All she was certain of, was that a growing portion of her heart hoped it was the latter.

"Hm?" Baekhyun answered back, pretending to ignore the sudden surprise that appeared on his wife's beautiful face. Her flushed expression told him she was curious about the meaning behind his words—a possible sign that she was finally taking an interest in him—but then again, with Ara being Ara, it was a longshot guess.

It doesn't matter. He countered just seconds later, reminding himself of what he had already set his mind to do. After everything she had been through and everything he had learned, he vowed to become a new source of happiness for her—in any way and every way he could.

"Not—nothing," Ara replied with a shake of the head. "I should go. I have a client meeting in ten," she added, pretending to look at the time before swiftly getting on her way without waiting for a response. There was a cloud of nervousness swirling about her, one she wasn't familiar with—or rather, one she hadn't felt in a long time—and she needed to make a quick escape to shoo away the feeling and calm the sudden thumping in her chest.

Another smile appeared on Baekhyun's lips as he watched his wife disappear around the corner. "See you later," he whispered to himself, unaware that all the happiness currently coursing through him would soon be rivaled by forgotten pain.

|| Later That Night: Byun/Seo Residence ||

"Well then, I'll submit everything to Prosecutor Kim so he can proceed with the investigation," Sehun announced as he gathered copies of all the evidence they had collected.

With her questioning lenses pointed at the young secretary, Ara tilted her head. "Prosecutor…Kim?" she asked. It was an individual she hadn't heard of before and it genuinely surprised her that a state attorney had already been assigned—but mostly, she was curious of the person who would be responsible for putting her mother behind bars.

"Prosecutor Kim Minseok of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, whom the chairman personally requested to handle this case," the young secretary answered with a telling tone.

"He was my senior in college and is currently one of the top district attorneys in the country," Baekhyun added as he sat back down on the long sofa after refilling his glass of Shiraz. "He's also the only person I know who's more meticulous and impassive than that one over there," he added, glancing at Sehun before switching his gaze to Ara with a confident smile, "With both of them together, this case is as good as won."

"Then I guess there's nothing to worry about," his wife stated as she set her playful lenses to the reserved assistant. "But…I don't think Sehun is as cold as you make him out to be—at least, not as much as before," she countered, a corner of her lips slowly arching upwards, "Word through the grapevine is that it's all thanks to a certain Secretary Kim?"

Satisfied with what she was insinuating, Baekhyun once again turned his attention to the suddenly flushed assistant and matched the teasing smirk on his wife's face. For once, it was nice to have her on his side.

Sehun felt his cheeks grow hot at the mention of Yura's name. It was then followed by his ears and everything else all within seconds—an unexplainable reaction even he was surprised by.

The internally flustered Secretary Oh avoided the couple's gazes and summoned as much concentration as he could to calm his beating-faster-than-normal heart. As happy as he was that the two were noticeably closer since their trip to Yangyang, he felt uneasy being the new target—especially when the charismatic Mrs. Byun was an expert in locking in on her prey with great precision. Just who Kim Yura was to him, was something he needed to figure out soon.

"Who would've thought our Secretary Kim would be the one to thaw your ice-cold heart," Baekhyun continued, his grin growing with every word.

There was an air of childish playfulness swirling about them, something the young assistant wished to prolong if he could, but an important bullet weighed heavily on his to-do-list. It was a topic he couldn't postpone any longer, and one he was certain would wipe the smile off their faces, especially Baekhyun's.

Clearing his throat, Sehun looked back at the married couple. "On a separate note," he began as he set his eyes on the unwary husband, "About tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Baekhyun repeated with a raised brow—one that gradually inched closer to the other as he realized what his grandfather's assistant was referring to. It had been a wild ride since Ara's arrival, and it had slipped his mind that time of the year had come again.

"Chairman Byun is asking if—" Sehun continued, but the grandson immediately cut him off.

By this time, Baekhyun's face had completely darkened. Every trace of smile, gone. The sparks in his eyes, nonexistent. All that was left, was a smog of anger and frustration devouring him from the inside.

"You're smart enough to know that my answer is the same as the years before," he interjected, his voice hard and cold, "I hope this will be the last time you ask."

Sehun bowed in apology without retort. Painted on Baekhyun's face was a fear-provoking expression even he knew not to cross. There were many things he could comfortably argue about with the stubborn executive, but this could never be one of them.

That was until—

"What's going on?" Ara interrupted, her beady eyes darting from one man to the other and back.

Ignoring his future employer's silent warning, Sehun turned to her, his lenses lined with curiosity. The enigma Seo Ara was a woman like no other, and he couldn't help but wonder: Just how far will he go for you?

"Mr. & Mrs. Byun's death anniversary is tomorrow and the chairman was wondering if their only son will be in attendance," he explained calmly despite Baekhyun's threatening aura casting a shadow over him.

Ara glanced at her husband for an answer, but he simply avoided her eyes. "Then in that case…I'll go," she declared with a smile.

Almost instantly, the man who didn't want to look at her met her calm lenses with his startled ones. "Why would you?" Baekhyun countered as he scooted forward on his seat.

His wife widened her grin then took a sip of her Chardonnay. "Why shouldn't I?" she replied casually.

Answered with silence, she broke from his gaze and instead, turned to the young secretary wearing a restricted smirk.

"Well, it's getting late. I should get going," Sehun announced as he gathered the folders of documents in his arms along with the rest of his things. "I'll send a car for you in the morning," he told Ara, who nodded in response and offered to walk him out.

Left alone with his brewing emotions, Baekhyun tried his hardest to calm his anxious mind. For the past twenty plus years, his refusal to attend his parents' death anniversary had always been the end of the conversation. There were no "why's", "what if's", nor "buts"—yet here he was, battling with this feeling that that was no longer the case, and that he needed to think of a way to get out of it.

"I'll tuck in for the night. Looks like I have an early day tomorrow," Ara stated as she passed by him after seeing their guest to the door. "Goodnight!"

With the sound of her voice ending his train of thoughts, Baekhyun sprang to his feet and chased after his wife, catching her just as she entered her bedroom.

Taking a step back to prevent himself from crossing the forbidden line, he released a tired sigh and briefly closed his eyes. "About tomorrow," he began hesitantly, "It's not that I—it's just that…I don't think—"

"Stop," Ara interrupted.

Her demeanor was calm, yet the aura emanating from her was that of a disappointed wife—an incontestable aura of discontent that yanked on his heartstrings.

"If your reason is work, I just hope you remember that an enterprise as stable as the Lux won't fall with its general manager's one day of absence," she continued, her tone still even, "But if it's something else…"

Ara took a brief pause and released a quiet breath. She then met her husband's eyes once more and summoned a soft smile. "Just like it's mine, it's your decision. Come with us if you'd like, or don't. Goodnight Baekhyun," she stated before closing her bedroom door.

|| Yongin, Gyeonggi Province ||

"Thank you for accompanying me, dear. It was such a nice change from it being just Secretary Oh and myself," Chairman Byun commented as the three of them headed back to the Bentley.

His son's and daughter-in-law's death anniversary ceremony lasted the usual two hours, but it seemed to have gone faster—and was definitely less melancholic—than the last 25 years.

"Not at all. Thank you for letting me come," Ara replied with a gentle smile.

The old man returned a similar expression then set his eyes ahead. "I was surprised to hear my grandson stepped foot in that place without having to be gagged and dragged by his ankles," he began, keeping their steady pace.

Unsure of what her in-law was referring to, Ara turned to the older Byun. "That place?" she asked with a questioning gaze.

BYN Group's chairman nodded in response. "That small town near Hajodae Beach in Yangyang," he answered while picturing the modest town in his head—a subconscious act that brought back the familiar tightness that used to grip his chest day in and day out. "It was the last place Baekhyun's parents visited before they died," he explained, his voice laced with sadness, lenses painted with grief.

Dumbstruck by the sudden revelation, Ara's mind briefly went blank before filling itself to the brim with guilt. Too focused on her own fears and finding the truth, she had failed to understand the meaning behind Baekhyun's words. To read between the lines. To address his discomfort, anger, and pessimism. She had failed to see how deep the hurt in his eyes stretched. But worst of all, she had failed to realize the pain he concealed rivaled her own.

"Learning that boy went there on his own accord actually gave me hope," the chairman added, pulling his granddaughter-in-law away from scavenging for all the other cues she had missed. He then released a heavy sigh and followed it with a dismal chuckle. "I really thought this year would be the year he ends his st