“We only part to meet again.”
— Anonymous

Go Chaeyoung stared at the man looking at her with a surprised expression mirroring the one currently painted on her face.

She had willingly agreed to take on this job at Hotel Rouge despite knowing it belonged to BYN Group, but she never expected for the GM of the highly frequented and demanding Lux Hotel to be the one leading the project she was assigned to.

The last time she saw the infamous Lothario Byun Baekhyun was the day she cursed him to the darkest and deepest pit of hell—the day she left the beautiful island of Bali with a guilty mind and a broken heart.

Since then, she had spent all her energy and time focusing on herself and her work, in a desperate attempt to bring back the carefree Go Chaeyoung that existed before the bastard imprinted himself into her life.

And she was doing great.

She had moved on.

She even assured herself and Ara she was doing well each time her best friend called to check on her.  

But once again, he appeared.

This man, who gave her the greatest pleasures in the world. The man who gave her the most memorable adventures. The one who fulfilled her needs and met her requirements. The one who stimulated her body and thoughts.

This man, who captured her heart without effort and destroyed it without care.

Yet strangely enough, all it took was one look to realize her constant claim of being okay was just all make-believe and wishful thinking.

All it took was one look to recall the burning hatred.

One look to remember the agonizing pain. 

And one look to bring back the sinful yearning.

She knew fate had a way of bringing people together, but this wasn’t a reunion to celebrate. And from the silent breaths and awkward looks, it was clear none of them expected the others to be there.

"Uh…" she heard the equally dumbstruck Junmyeon begin, but before he could formulate a complete sentence or even wrap his head around their current situation, a cheerful yet authoritative voice interrupted from behind.

"Perfect, everyone's here! Means we can get started right away," a man in his mid-fifties exclaimed as he approached the four silent individuals and ushered them into the conference room without reading the air.

"Well, I guess introductions are in order," he announced, taking the head seat while Junmyeon, Chaeyoung, Ara, and Baekhyun took the seats to left and right, respectively. "My name is Lee Sang Hun, Chief of Project Management for BYN Group," he continued then looked to Junmyeon before planting his tush on the cushioned chair.

With the man’s oblivious eyes pinned on him, a hesitant Junmyeon slowly rose to his feet. "Good morning. I'm Kim Junmyeon, senior landscape architect at GreenScapes," he began then shifted his gaze to his right and signaled for the next person to take their turn.

Chaeyoung released a quiet breath and got up in a similar fashion, her pupils trying their hardest to avoid catching even the slightest glimpse of Baekhyun. "I’m Go Chaeyoung, lead interior designer at Perfect Spaces,” she stated, her anxious eyes drifting to her best friend sitting rather calmly across from her.

Taking her turn, Ara summoned a light smile and stood up. "Good morning, my name is Seo Ara, director of catering at the Lux Hotel," she greeted amicably then directed her dark lenses to the final individual sitting silently to her right.

But unlike the four that came before him, Baekhyun remained still, his unreadable gaze fixed on the center line of the wide oak conference table.

A thick air of silence filled the large space as the others waited for him to take his turn, but when the reserved executive finally opened his mouth, the words that flowed out took the room by complete surprise.

“Terminate the contract. Effective immediately,” he instructed without a hint of hesitation, making the BYN Group’s chief of project management release a loud and sudden, “What?”

“What—what do you mean?” he asked, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. This was not the introduction any of them was expecting the Lux’s GM to make.

Breaking from the swerving lines on the light-colored wood, Baekhyun’s still illegible gaze briefly glanced at the troubled Chaeyoung before resting themselves on the confused Junmyeon. “Due to personal reasons, it’ll be beneficial for the parties involved, as well as for this hotel, if the partnerships are dissolved,” he explained, his tone even and professional.

“I’m sorry. I—I don’t—I don’t understand,” a stupefied Chief Lee struggled to reply. “What you’re asking for is not possible,” he added, hoping to reason with his infamously stubborn subordinate.

With a slow turn of the head, Baekhyun faced the owner of the voice that challenged his instruction. “All contracts can be broken,” he countered without the slightest change in his demeanor, “Their respective companies shouldn’t be exceptions.”

“You're right. However, it's still not an option,” his superior answered back. The man’s heart was now beating twice as fast as when he first walked in the room, but for the sake of the project, he was determined to stand his ground—no matter how petrifying his opponent was. “With the time constraints in place, we won’t be able to find a replacement for any of the positions. And I do understand personal issues are involved, but I'm certain you can set aside non-work-related matters. You are Byun Baekhyun after all,” he explained as convincingly as he could.

Baekhyun broke from his hopeful lenses and smirked at the man’s compliment. “I can and I am,” he confirmed before straightening the curve of his lips once more, “But that doesn’t mean I want to.”

The troubled chief’s defeated sigh echoed throughout the spacious room. He was confident those flattering words would’ve changed the stubborn executive’s mind, but Baekhyun was immovable. Changing tactics, he summoned ten year’s worth of courage, took the deepest breath could, and prepared himself for self-annihilation. “Well unfortunately, you’ll have to,” he began with a more authoritative tone, “You may be BYN Group’s future president, but right now, I still make the decisions. Architect Kim and Designer Go will continue with the contract, and I expect your full cooperation and assistance. That's a direct order.”

The already silenced room turned even quieter—so quiet that all could hear the loud thumping of Chief Lee’s heart.

With a bloodcurdling gaze, Baekhyun turned to the individual barely holding his ground. “Repeat that one more time,” he ordered, his chilling voice sending shivers down his superior’s back. The man’s title may be a few levels above his, but when it came down to it, he was undoubtedly the head honcho in the room.

As expected, the chief of project management quickly shrank in his seat. “What—what I meant was…” he struggled to explain, but the frost in the young heir’s unnerving lenses was just too difficult to overcome.

For the nth time, there was silence. The most uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing silence thus far. But to the three’s relief—Chaeyoung’s, Junmyeon’s, and especially Chief Lee’s, —the tense air settled rather quickly.

Baekhyun’s icy gaze melted the moment he felt Ara’s warm hand reach for his under the table. It was an innocent touch, a comforting sensation, that instantly brought him calm.

Briefly turning to his wife and meeting her pleading pupils, he released a soft sigh, nodded lightly, and eventually mumbled a quiet, “Fine.” It was the first—and perhaps, only time—he would ever concede in a conference room he’s used to commanding, but as his current motto goes, anything for Ara.

“Byun Baekhyun. General manager of The Lux Hotel,” he began as he rose to his feet and addressed the two individuals in front of him. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to this partnership, but I do hope we’ll work quickly and efficiently to get our respective projects completed as fast as possible,” he stated, making the other four stand up and drop to a respectable bow to show their compliance.

“Meet me at the lobby after you’re done,” he told Ara softly, who, in turn, summoned a gentle smile and silently nodded in response.

“And you, Chief Lee,” Baekhyun continued, his voice once again cold and intimidating. “I’ll see you at corporate,” he stated before making his way out.

|| …………… ||

“I think that should be enough to start with,” Junmyeon commented as he closed his café Moleskine notebook and tucked his pen away.

“Agreed,” Ara replied, her mind concentrated on jotting down her own notes, “I’ll go ahead and organize the list of items management requested to be included in the layout.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get started on concept designs,” her project partner added, scanning the vast perimeter one last time as he made his way beside her.

The two of them had just finished touring the empty grounds that would soon become Hotel Rouge’s garden venue—an outside area that would offer a scenic, but private space for all sorts of events. Junmyeon was in charge of the landscape while Ara took the lead on functionality and décor. For the last six-plus hours, both had remained professional, their attention laser focused solely on the task at hand—but now that the initial work was done, the silence from earlier started to slowly crept back in.

“So…how are you?” Ara started with a gentle smile, hoping to retain the amicable mood between them, “How’s your wife?”

“I’m doing well. She’s doing well. We’re both doing well,” Junmyeon answered with a similar expression.

Broadening the curve on her lips, his ex-fiancée turned to look at him. “And married life?” she asked casually.

“Hm,” he hummed then broke from her mesmeric gaze and set his own ahead. “We got off on a wrong start, but we’re taking it slow and learning more about each other every day,” he replied, knowing his response would trigger an unspoken curiosity.

Sure enough, Ara’s questioning eyes met his once more and locked onto it, leaving him no room to escape.

“Our wedding night didn’t exactly go as she hoped it would…It—it was difficult to…after…you know,” he explained followed by a brief chuckle, his cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment.

Realizing what he meant, Ara released a quiet “oh,” before freeing him from her lenses and diverting her widened pupils elsewhere. The pictures that her mother used to get under her skin didn’t tell the whole story. That night of their wedding, Junmyeon and his bride never consummated their marriage.

“How about you? How is it going with your search?” her ex-fiancé interrupted once the red tint on his face finally subsided.

An instant grin pulled on the corners of Ara’s lips as their success became front and center on her mind. “We found it,” she announced happily, “We found the will.”

“We?” Junmyeon inquired with a slight raise of a brow. Though ecstatic, his interest in her new allies dominated his wish to congratulate her on her achievement.

Ara’s smile softened at the thought of the two individuals who helped her accomplish a big chunk of her goal. “Baekhyun and I, along with his grandfather’s assistant Sehun,” she explained with a look of gratitude.

Junmyeon nodded lightly in response. Sehun was an unfamiliar name to him but the other—

“Baekhyun,” he repe