People said that you should separate your feeling and professionalism. And that was true, I always do that not until I found my woman laying helplessly on the hospital bed. The woman that was also my company's rival. Sometimes, the world loves playing with human hearts. If there were a part of the world that promised someone there wouldn't be any pain or desperation in love life, I would definitely the first person who will be living there. Living with the woman I loved. 

'Tsk, My woman?'

Even the woman I loved, betrayed me. I puffed my cigarette with a smirk while the smoke filled the dark of my workroom. My hand busily moved the mouse on the pad while leaning my back against the chair comfortably. I pulled the cigarette with my left hand still trying to find the footage of that day. The day before I met her in a hospital. The woman that suddenly I felt familiar with.The woman who caught my interest in the hospital. Especially, she was expected to be close with Chaeyoon, my woman. 

'Funny, Jisung-ah!'

Puffing the last cigarette deeply, I pushed the cigarette on the ashtray. I clicked the newest footage and it started playing. Looking at the footage carefully, my eyes suddenly caught a part of a car being parked outside. My corner lips tugged into a smirk. The person who parked the car obviously knew that there were CCTVs in my house. Strangely, the car didn't budge even a second. The person inside the car also didn't get off and stay in the car for a long time not until Taemu's car was coming. The owner of the car suddenly made a move when Taemu opened the gate. I frowned my eyes to get a clearer view through the darkness. 

'A woman?'

I saw the woman was freezing when Taemu was busily opening the gate and coming back to drive the car. My eyes stuck at that woman until she fully showed herself. I glued my eyes to the monitor. The sudden appearance that I didn't know how to react when I never imagined she was there that night. That night that I was sure still in a big mess. I remembered the invoice and I would never do that crazy thing with a big amount of money if I wasn't that dead drunk.

Gluing to the monitor, I saw the commotion started to take control. I found myself dragging a woman from the car harshly. Doubting myself about the woman, I fell on the back chair while massaging my temples frustratedly. I was scared to see myself until I saw Chaeyoon was being dragged forcefully under my embrace to be the substitute of the woman I treated harshly before. And I forcefully kissed her until I locked her with me in the house. She was forced to maintain my drunken state and she didn't come out that fast from my house. 

Gulping my throat uneasily when I remembered dirt of blood on my bed after that. I looked at the footage for a long and I just watched Taemu and that woman whom I saw in the hospital still there waiting for Chaeyoon in worry. If I were them, I would also do the same. 

I bit my lower lip anticipating what would happen next while putting my elbows on the table and cupping my mouth in the hope I didn't do any mistakes. Frowning my eyes to the monitor and I tried to fast-forwarding the footage. Pausing to the part when Chaeyoon came out from my house, I clicked backward before I focused to watch the whole footage in more detail.

She was holding her stomach tightly while trying to go for help with her wobbly steps. Exhaling my breath in worry, I stared at Taemu and the woman were running to help her. Sighing in disbelief I closed the video and grabbed my hair tightly. 

"What have I done?" 

*****((()))*****

I looked at the appearance of my secretary who was standing in front of me. After fixing his glasses and tie, he greeted me with his warm smile acting like nothing happened which bothered me more. Clicking my pen on the table while moving the chair with my shoes, I hesitated in asking him about the incident that I just found out about last night. 

"What's wrong, Director-nim?" he asked and looked at his watch. "It's been five minutes and you don't say anything. It isn't like you, Director-nim..." he ended with a smile.

"Chaeyoon..." I finally said her name. Inhaling my breath deeply, I looked at him seriously. The footage itself should be treated seriously. The footage where was showing bad things that happened when I lost my consciousness. Clasping my hand together and pulling my chair closer to the table with me. "Did I do something wrong when you accompanied me?" I asked straightforwardly. The view of blood on my sheet and Chaeyoon holding her stomach in pain bothered me the whole night.

"Ah..." he nodded while fixing his glasses over again without answering my question. Waiting for his answer, I raised a brow curiously. "I am sorry, Director-nim. I shouldn't answer this. You can ask her yourself."

"Taemu-ya, Don't you know that she would never answer my question. Especially, after the..."

"Director-nim..." he cut my words gingerly. He roamed the room while biting his lip uneasily. "Doesn't it better if you ask her yourself, and fix the problem together?" He ended the question and suddenly bowed to me after seconds. "I am sorry, Director-nim. I am sorry..." 

"Taemu-ya! Companies aren't something to be played with!" I slammed my pen frustratedly before putting my fist on my forehead. There were different situations when you have a personal problem with your woman and the professional problem of the company with your woman. And you didn't even know how to fix them at the same time.

'! I can't even separate those problems!'

"I mean... I don't ask you to fix the problem about companies together, but..." I gazed at him curious with his next word. "I thought your relationship with Chaeyoon-ssi is actually on another level without you're realizing it," his weird sentences made me putting an interest in him. 

"What do you mean?" I looked at him who frowned his brows uncomfortably. 

"I mean, she was engaged to you. Director-nim..." his words confused me more. 

"Alright! I think you will not answer my question about that. I just need you to answer a question with yes or no," I sighed desperately also being puzzled by the problems I faced these days. Giving up on understanding it one by one, I was just trying to understand the fact that was just shown.

"Did I hurt her that night?" I uttered the question carefully. 

"Yes," his answer thorn my heart in an instant. 

*****((()))*****

I can't believe that I heard that my father suddenly called me in between my work time. It must be an important one. And there I was sitting in front of my father's chair in the living room. Breaking the ice, my father said a statement I never imagined before.

"Ask for a merge to Ridge as soon as possible!" he said dominantly on the main chair of the couch while puffing his cigar with his walking stick on another side. I twitched my brows hearing his wish. It was new. I never knew that Mount has an interest in Ridge.

"What do you mean?" 

"Why? You can't ask for a merge to Ridge because of that woman?" he chuckled while putting his cigar on the ashtray before leaning his back again to the couch. Questioning his sudden statement, I straightened my back in an alert. I tried hard not to smirk in disbelief by his out of nowhere wish. 

"That woman?" I glared at him while tightening my grips feeling hurt when he said that woman instead of Ha Chaeyoon. That was different when he called her sweetly with her name, but he drastically changed after knowing that Chaeyoon was spying on us. 

"Jisung-ah. As a director, what will you do when the secret of your company is being known by your rival? Either embracing your rival closer or attacking your rival until you become the winner," he stated heartlessly.

"Father..."

"Don't be whiny, Jisung-ah! You're the director. You should protect the company!" he added while moving the walking stick in the middle of his palms. 

"I just need time,"

"Why are you putting your feeling when she isn't at all?" his question twitched my heart in pain. 

"Father..." I gritted my teeth holding my anger when the fact of Chaeyoon not using her heart for me while doing her plan while I was the one who put myself wholeheartedly, was being spoken by your closest one.

"Wooden is taken over by Ridge. In this case, our company has lost one step than her. The only way is you should be a friend or you will be grounded if you are trying to attack them,"

"Not this time," 

"Do the same as she did, Jisung-ah!" he shouted in anger with his keen gaze. 

*****((()))*****

Playing with my cricket, I leaned myself on my car while putting a hand to my pocket. I sighed when I was peeking at the car window which showed a bucket of roses. Walking back and forth to approach her once again, I decided to think about meeting her once again. My guilty after Taemu said yes to my question, my worry to her, and my father's wish, mixed my feeling that day. Scratching my brow, I sighed in disbelief. For the past few days, I couldn't know what kind of feeling I have to make me come to the hospital. For the company needs, my guiltiness, or my pure feeling to her. 

'Pure?' I smirked.

I never thought that I would have a pure feeling toward women. Being a player for years who was playing women's hearts like trash and that was far from being pure. Turning on and off my cricket for I didn't know for how long, the corner of my eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar view that came out from the hospital with two people I knew. I straightened myself when I saw Taemu leading them to his car while the woman was helping Chaeyoon to enter Taemu's car. 

'Her home?'

Twitching my brows in curiousness, I was reminded by the times I never had her answer about her living place instead of she willingly came to my place since we first dated. They already entered the car and in no time I was already in my car trying to follow them from behind. 

------

As far as I followed them, I drove my car to the familiar road I often visited. And when they parked the car in the apartment basement. I realized that it was the apartment that was placed near the beach Chaeyoon and I have often visited.

'What a joke!'

I don't even imagine that this place was near her place. I laughed hardly to my stupidity. Hitting my steer while laughing hard, I blurt out to the world how stupid I was as a man. I laughed at my heart that was weighted from the facts until I let out my tear. 

"Chaeyoon-ah! How many facts that I don't know about you? Am I that capable to be yours?" I scrunched my face in pain while gripping the steer tightly like my heart which was suddenly being wrapped by something tight I never knew before.

*****((()))*****

The dark on the beach gulped me deeper. Pathetic. The word that could describe me. Being clueless with surroundings, being confident about things I shouldn't, and being stupid to not knowing anything about the one I loved when we were together. 

Only the moon and starlights shined their light to the dark sky. The view that somewhat relieving my guilty self. Sighing and feeling the breeze hours after knowing where she lived these times got me stuck in a daze. I walked on the beach slowly losing myself from exhaustion. 

Stopping my steps in front of the family restaurant that almost at its closing time. I opened the door slowly and I got to see the grandmother, the owner of the restaurant was cleaning the restaurant thoroughly. Approaching her, I snatched the cloth while taking a charge to clean the tables. 

"Young man! What brings you here?" she asked with her high tone being fascinated with my sudden appearance. I smiled still wiping the tables. 

"I am just passing by and I remember that I know a grandmother who cooks well here," I while winking my eyes to her.

"Do you want some meals before leaving?" she put her hand on my shoulder. 

"I am here. So, you should!"

"Alright! I will cook for you," she said while walking to the kitchen hurriedly. 

"Grandmother!" I shouted and she turned her back to me. Hesitating for a while, I threw myself back to the taste I missed the most. Hers. The one I missed and I paused for a while, "Can you cook me a Tofu stew like you made the last time I was here?" The taste that somewhat familiar to me which I couldn't even ask her again in the future.
 
------

She looked at me curiously while she was sitting in front of me after putting in a tray of tofu stew, a bowl of rice, and side dishes. Pulling out my smile I took a sip of the tofu stew she made politely. It was delicious but it was different. 

"Is it good, Young Man?" she asked in worry. 

"It is delicious, Grandmother!" I continued to take the meal slowly. 

"You never ordered Tofu stew before, Young man."

"No, I just want to taste the new menu of yours, Grandmother!" I tried to reassure her. Suddenly, I felt her uneasy move before looking at me seriously. 

"I don't put Tofu stew for my menu," I paused from her words. "She made it herself for you," I turned my face to her in confusion. 

"Pardon me, Grandmother?" I asked while my heart slowly wrenched again. 'Please, don't say that!'

"That day, she was the one who cooked for you. Do you still in a quarrel with her?" She added with a worried face. 

*****((()))*****

I grabbed a hand of her who just got off from Taemu's car that was just leaving. She almost screamed at first while I was pulling her hand harshly. Dragging to the quiet place, finally, she looked straight at me. 

"Who are you?" I asked without doubt. The woman that lingered to us these days.

"I am..." she diverted her gaze from me like a scaredy-cat. 

"WHO ARE YOU??"I screamed in frustration. 

"Mister, please..." she tried to free from my grab still gripping her groceries in both hands. 

"I PAID YOU!" I smirked while raising my brow and got her frozen look. "I paid you with a big amount which I would never do for women!"

"Jisung-ssi, Can you just let me free?"

"You also know my name already," I sighed in disbelief.

"What do you want? I would never flee from you."

"Flee? You don't have a right to flee from me," I roamed her from her face to the toe carefully while she was closing her eyes tightly trying to convince something. 

"Thank you for saving me from my Uncle. I would never do anything that would harm you if you also don't," 

"What? Do you bargain with me?"

"I know I can't pay back you with that big amount. But, I don't want to be harmed too. Please I will do anything for you but don't harm me!" She pleaded. 

"Where is she?" I asked lessening the grips on her. She gulped uneasily.

"She needs rest, Jisung-ssi!" 

"I don't ask that! Where is she?" I asked almost losing my patient. 

"She asks me to not let anyone meet her, these times," she said which made me grabbing her chin tightly and let her looked straight at me. 

"Does she pay you as much as I did?" I paused while looking at her bruises and scars that were shown on her opened skin. "Or should I bring you back to your uncle? It is an easy job for me. And I don't care about that money again." 

*****((()))*****

She stared at me with an empty look after letting the woman coming inside the apartment. She didn't ask or let out any words after watching me in front of the apartment that she was hiding those whole time. Looking at her pale face, her tiny body, and her weakened body made me want to embrace her. For a long time, we were standing without anyone letting out any sound. She was standing with her confusion, meanwhile, I was standing holding my anger. My anger for not knowing anything that was out of my sight. My anger for not knowing she was always beside me without I was realizing it. And my anger for hurting her subconsciously. 

"Finally, you found me..." she let out the word first with a faintly smile while looking down diverting her gaze from me. 

"Chaeyoon-ah..." 

"Jisung-ssi, I am sure that Hari-ssi had told you I need a rest," she stated weakly and hurt my heart. If she said those words herself, she really needed that.

"Did I hurt you that night?" I softened my voice to her while pulling out a strain of her hair.

"No, you didn't."

My heart suddenly scrunched as I saw her hand grabbing the door for a balance. She looked still unstable. Slowly, I moved forward. She didn't take a step back instead of tightening the grab on the door.

Shocked because of the short distance of us. She took a deep breath and made a step back. Her stumbling moves made me worrier. Within a second, I grab her waist for balance and her palms grabbed on my shoulders tightly. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I am fine..." she whispered while trying to push me away.

"Chaeyoon-ah!" I grabbed her hand which almost made her fall. I could feel her cold hands and cold sweat on her. Pulling her closer, her face looked at me. With only inches of our faces, I could see her better. Her gaze, her weak and trembling body tried to make her collapse. With that deep stare, my eyes tried to dig what she was thinking.

'I miss her.'

Watching her face turned away when I stared at her, my heart thorn into apart seeing her subtle moves on avoiding me. Feeling her boy weakened on my embrace, I picked her in a bridal style and brought her to her room. 

"Jisung-ssi, don't..." she said being scared that was sound like a whisper. 

"I won't do anything. You need a rest."

'At least I know where you are living now.'

-to be continued-

A/N:
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Byeol-nim ❤