Sungho wasn’t wrong when he said it would be a long day.

Taeha decided she wanted to go tangerine picking with the family, and they were awoken bright and early to get dressed. Soojin never expected to do strangely normal activities with the Park family when she was hired as Sungho’s fiancée, but this assignment had taken so many turns since the beginning that she decided to just go with it. It was definitely different than the galas and society events she usually attended during work, but she didn’t hate it. It would hopefully give her more time to impress Taeha and get closer to Shuhua. Soojin really needed this assignment to go well, so pleasing Sungho was a priority, despite her growing dislike for the pretentious man.

The Park family had their own private tangerine grove, and Soojin held her hand in front of her eyes to block the bright autumn sunlight so she could see the orchard spread out in front of her. The beautiful orange color of the tangerines reflected off the frost on the ground and made a picturesque winter tableau.

Soojin thought about her plans for the day. Since this was the first time all four of them were gathered together in a more casual manner, she would really have play up her love for Sungho. Taeha’s eyes were sharp, and Shuhua seemed to be watching Soojin closely, even though she pretended not to be every time Soojin tried to meet her eyes.

They grabbed beautiful wicker baskets before making their way into the grove. Taeha was leading them, with Soojin and Sungho following behind hand-in-hand. Shuhua was lingering in the back, keeping her gaze on the couple’s intertwined hands.

“Have you ever gone fruit picking before, Soojin?” Taeha called back as she gracefully sidestepped a few rotten fruits.

“I’ve visited a few vineyards in Italy, but it was mostly to try the wine, not the grapes.” Soojin said with a chuckle.

“So you and Sungho share that in common?”

“Of course. Soojin and I have been planning our future vineyard together for a while now. She even has a few names picked out already for our vintage.”

If there was a competition for faking engagements, Soojin was sure they would take first place at this rate. Sungho was a natural performer unlike some of her more acting-challenged former clients. Taeha seemed fully convinced.

“That’s very exciting, dear. Having a partner support you in everything is a wonderful thing.” Taeha said as she picked a tangerine off the top branch.

Sungho brought their shared hands up to his face and laid a kiss on the back of Soojin’s hand.

“I’m just lucky to have found someone to share my passions with.”

Soojin noticed Shuhua’s expression change as Sungho’s words became sickly sweet, and she had to hold in her own laughter as the girl made a disgusted face. Luckily, no one else seemed to notice it. Sungho’s mushiness may not be enjoyed by the younger woman, but hopefully it was convincing her.

“Ah, young love…” Taeha said wistfully as she watched them.

Shuhua gagged silently again, and Soojin had to pretend to sneeze to hide her smile.

“You lovebirds can go back to the house after you and Shuhua fill your baskets to the brim. I have a lot of new recipes I’m dying to try.” Taeha announced.

Soojin had a feeling Sungho would rather have his foot run over by a car than collect tangerines with his family, but he smiled and nodded to his mother before pulling Soojin over to a nearby tree.

Shuhua began filling her basket quickly, obviously sharing the same feeling with her brother. The sooner she filled her basket, the sooner they could all go back to the house and she could hide in the boathouse alone.

Soojin went to collect some tangerines for her own basket and was soon surprised by Sungho dropping some of his own into it. She gave him a stern look, but he only smiled.

“Can’t I help my love fulfill her quota?”

“That’s just going to make my basket harder to carry back.” Soojin deadpanned.

“I’ll carry back both if I have to.”

“Will you?” She challenged.

“Only if you give me a kiss in return.”

Sungho smirked again before dropping more into her basket. If this was his way of flirting, then Soojin felt bad for the women who actually had to date him. Taeha was busy collecting fruit, but Soojin could see Shuhua watching them out of the corner of her eye. Sungho clearly noticed as well, which is the reason why he was still playing it up even though Taeha wasn’t in earshot. It was getting a bit frustrating to be watched so carefully by the younger woman. Soojin was beginning to feel annoyed.

Taeha soon moved closer to the tree that was across from the one that Sungho and Soojin were working on, and Soojin suddenly had an idea to get back at Shuhua. If the girl was desperate to prove that Soojin loved her brother, then Soojin would give her a show she wouldn’t forget.

Soojin plucked the prettiest looking tangerine from the tree Shuhua was standing in front of, catching the girl’s attention. She could feel her burning gaze as she began peeling the fruit.

Sungho was leaning over the baskets, so Soojin trailed her fingers down his arm to get his attention. He looked at her with a confused expression as she smiled sweetly at him. In her hands, she separated one piece of the tangerine, holding it in front of Sungho’s face.

“Here, honey.”

Soojin took the peeled fruit and placed it delicately against Sungho’s lips. He opened up his mouth and took the fruit, chewing as Soojin smiled at him. She kept her finger on his lips for a moment longer, making the whole exchange feel increasingly intimate.

“It’s almost as sweet as you, honey.”

Sungho said with a smirk after he finished eating, and Soojin could see Taeha smiling behind him. On the other hand, Shuhua was staring at them with an intense expression, like she just saw something she wasn’t supposed to, but couldn’t look away. Her expression–which Soojin expected to be more grossed out—looked almost… jealous. Soojin felt a strange wave of satisfaction in her stomach as Shuhua quickly averted her eyes. Shuhua was continuously unpredictable, and it made Soojin feel excited in a way she hasn’t felt in years. She would probably regret chasing this feeling, but Soojin wanted to know where it would lead.

“Sungho, I need your help to carry my basket back!” Taeha called out, and Sungho groaned as he made his way to his mother. So much for getting his help to carry her own, but Soojin didn’t mind him leaving either. She was quickly growing tired of his smile.

That left Soojin and Shuhua alone, picking fruit side by side in silence. Soojin didn’t mind the frequent silences they’ve had together. It was nice not to have to constantly live up to built-in expectations. It was her job—and she was great at it—but even she got tired from time to time. The girl was no longer sending her dirty looks, so maybe Soojin had finally shocked Shuhua enough to believe her.

Soojin was even beginning to enjoy her task as she picked the fruit. It was meditative, in a way, and gave her time to breath before she had to go back to Sungho’s side. Hopefully they didn’t need to ramp up their affection anymore, because Soojin wasn’t looking forward to any more displays of intimacy. She would rather spend time alone on the beach with a nice book.

Deep in her thoughts, Soojin mindlessly reached forward towards another fruit. It was a crucial mistake.

The fruit must have been overripe, because when she grabbed it with a firm grasp, it burst open, getting juice all over her expensive white sweater. When she tried to jump back, she tripped over the basket she had filled to the brim with fruit, spilling them all over the ground.

“Ah damn it—"

Breaking her previous silence, Shuhua suddenly let out a loud laugh as Soojin cursed and tried to brush the juice off of her clothes. Soojin had never heard Shuhua laugh before, and it was almost like a wolf’s howl. It was adorable, and Soojin fought hard to keep in her own laughter. She soon failed, and giggles escaped her as she took in the ridiculous situation.

“You’re surprisingly clumsy.” Shuhua said as she tried to get her laughter under control. Her voice was friendlier than ever before, but that was probably only because she was still laughing at Soojin’s misfortune.

“I’m not usually!” Soojin retorted.

“You almost fell on the beach yesterday, too.”

Soojin groaned in embarrassment. Maybe she was a bit clumsy. She leaned down again to pick up the fallen fruit, head down in shame.

“I’ll help you clean them up.” Shuhua said, surprisingly offering an olive branch. Soojin wouldn’t have expected that from a girl was glaring at her only ten minutes before.

“You don’t have to.”

“Taeha will kill us if she sees all her precious tangerines lying in the cold dirt. It’ll be better if I help.”

Soojin couldn’t argue with that logic, and scooted over so Shuhua could come beside her.

Shuhua crouched down next to Soojin, helping her gather all the tangerines that rolled out of the basket and putting them back. They worked fast, and Soojin was grateful for the help. She didn’t want to piss off Taeha after doing so well this morning.  

As they were finishing up, Soojin’s cheek started feeling hot, like someone was watching her closely, so she turned her head. Just as she thought, Shuhua was unabashedly staring at her once again. Her wide black eyes were focused on her, and Soojin felt her face turn red. Shuhua really was like a dog, Soojin thought, but maybe less like a wary guard-dog like she thought before, and more like an inquisitive puppy.

“Are those real tattoos on your back?” Shuhua wondered out loud. The question was so out of the blue that Soojin sputtered her response back.

“How did you know I had tattoos?”

Shuhua hummed like the answer was obvious

“I noticed them yesterday when we were walking back from the beach. Your night clothes were pretty see-through after the water got on them.”

Soojin felt more embarrassed than she had in a long time. Her tattoos were always well covered up while she was working, so Shuhua was the very first person to see them. She had even contemplated getting them removed to make work easier, but every time she was just about to make the laser appointment, something held her back. They were one of the only personal things Soojin had when she was working, and foolish part of her believed they kept her connected to her own self whenever she had to take on a new identity.

“I wasn’t exactly planning for my night clothes to get wet.” Soojin fired back. Shuhua only smiled at her response. Instead of a patronizing smile like Sungho’s, it looked like she was genuinely enjoying teasing Soojin. Maybe Soojin made a mistake by getting closer to the other girl if this was going to be the end result.

“They were pretty, from what I could see.”

“Um, thank you?”  Soojin didn’t know where this was leading.

“Did you know that Taeha hates tattoos? She never let me have one when I was growing up even though I always begged her. She said they make you look cheap.”

Soojin didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t exactly a threat, but Shuhua seemed like she was implying something else with her words.

“But don’t worry, I won’t tell her about your tattoos. She doesn’t need to know everything about you.”

On the surface, Shuhua was talking about the tattoos, but it was obvious from her emphasis that she was talking about her accusations towards Soojin as well.

Soojin decided to take her head on.

“So you aren’t going to tell Taeha I’m a liar and gold digger now?” Soojin asked her with an amused lilt in her voice, like the accusation was so absurd that it was funny.

“I’m still not sure, but if you really were a gold digger, I’m sure being stuck on family vacation with us is punishment enough.” Shuhua said with a laugh.

“It’s really not so bad so far.” Soojin said.

“Just wait until Sungho and Taeha start arguing. My dad and I used to escape to the beach whenever they started yelling at each other.”

“I’m sure Sungho is mature enough now not to pick a fight with his mother.”

“You probably know him better than I do now, but when we were kids, Sungho always knew how to start fights that only he could win.”

“Really?”

“I think he was always too scared to argue with my father, but everyone else was fair game. Teachers, instructors, nannies, and the rest.”

Sungho always knew how to start fights that only he could win. That seemed to line up well with the image Soojin was forming of Sungho in her mind. But instead of outright arguing like when he was a kid, however, it looked like Sungho had figured out a better method to win. She wondered if Taeha realized that too, or if she was blinded by mother’s love. Soojin wished she knew why exactly Sungho hired her to deceive his family, but it was still beyond her. In other cases, she would cut her losses and terminate the contract if she felt her client wasn’t being fully honest with her, but Soojin needed the money now more than ever before. She hated it, but she had bigger things to worry about in her life than Sungho’s truthfulness.

“Did he argue with you often?” Soojin asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

“Not really. I think I was too young for him to see me as a worthwhile opponent.” Shuhua stated plainly. She said it lightly, like it was an inside joke, but it didn’t seem like it was far from the truth.

“That sounds like him...”

“Do you two argue a lot?” Shuhua asked in return.

Soojin could say they never argue, but that probably sounded more suspicious than the alternative. Instead, she settled for the middle ground.

“We have our moments, but we usually try to make up before the end of the day. We always say sorry before we go to sleep.”

“He apologizes to you?” Shuhua said, curious expression on her face. Her reaction made it seem like Sungho had never apologized before in his life. Soojin wouldn’t be surprised if that was true.

“He’s… slowly getting better at it?”

Soojin laughed, and Shuhua soon joined her. Soojin was so glad to see Shuhua’s smile again. Who knew that the fastest ways to gaining Shuhua’s trust were making a fool out of herself and teasing her brother? Soojin would have to remember that for the future.

“Maybe he’s finally grown up.”

“Men never really grow up.” Soojin said before she even realized it.

Shuhua looked at her for a moment with another curious expression.

“I wouldn’t really know. The only guy I know well is my brother.”

“You don’t have a boyfriend?”

“No…”

Soojin was surprised. Shuhua was beautiful, rich, and well educated. In the circles Soojin worked in, those kinds of women always married quite early to equally rich men and soon had little rich children. Shuhua was so different from anyone Soojin had dealt with before; Soojin wondered how such a person could emerge from the circumstances that were forced onto her. She wanted to know more, but didn’t want to press her luck. The sun had reached its peak in the sky, and it was probably time to go home. Shuhua had noticed it as well and began getting ready to go.

“We should start heading back before Taeha comes and yells at us.”

Soojin nodded in agreement and went to go pick up her basket. It was heavier than she expected, and she was having a difficult time trying to pull the handle onto her shoulder. She wasn’t the strongest person, physically, and it was quite embarrassing. After a few moments of pitiful attempts, her basket suddenly felt light as a feather. She looked up, and saw Shuhua hauling it onto her free shoulder, carrying both baskets at the same time. She was deceptively strong.

“Oh… thank you.” Soojin said as she stood back up. The girl’s strength was impressive, and she looked pretty proud of it too.

“It’s nothing.” Shuhua said casually with a wave of her hand before turning around.

They walked side by side back to the car where Taeha and Sungho were waiting. Sungho was engrossed in whatever he was reading on his phone, while Taeha was organizing the fruit in the back of the car.

As Sungho grasped her arm with his own cold hand, Soojin foolishly wished Shuhua and her could have stayed longer out in the grove, just the two of them.  

Taeha had bought a boatload of fresh seafood for their dinner feast, and Soojin was shocked when she saw all the different dishes spread out onto the picnic tables by the beach. It must have cost hundreds of dollars, if not more. There were only four mouths to feed, but this spread could have easily fed fifteen or twenty.

As Soojin beheld the various dishes, Taeha walked up behind her, laying a hand on Soojin’s shoulder.

“I thought it would be nice to finally have a dinner to celebrate your engagement. I know it’s a little late, but some circumstances are unavoidable, unfortunately.”

‘Unavoidable circumstances’ was a strange way to frame an ex-husband’s death, but Soojin could see that Taeha was trying to make best of the situation. She wasn’t as cold as she tried to be.

“Thank you so much for this, eomeonim. I really appreciate everything you have done for us.”

“Don’t thank me, Soojin. You’re the one finally bringing happiness to my family after such a difficult year.” Taeha seemed genuinely grateful, and Soojin was once again thrown off by this enigmatic woman.

“Meeting Sungho was fate then, it seems.” Soojin said, repeating back Taeh