A/N Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first story. Thank you for those who commented and made me write on. I really appreciate you guys. <3 

Areum was amazed that she actually had a secret apartment. “It was your grandmothers.” Nam Se-hyun explained. He went over to a cabinet and brought out a small box. It was the kind you received gifts in but was filled with old photos. “Come here,” Se-hyun made them sit at the small dining table. “These are pictures of your grandmother. You showed them to me.”

“So we were close…” she frowned, “but I still don’t understand why we would meet here of all places?”

“Noona.” He took her hand, “You lost your memory, but not your sense. You know why we met here.” he maintained eye contact.

Areum pulled her hand away.

“You were planning to leave hyung.”  

Jungkook told her about the job in the Philippines, “but things are different now. I’m not planning to move.”

“But you were unhappy with hyung! You always knew he wanted to be with Eun-ji.” Se-hyun was exasperated, “I will help you. You don’t have to feel alone. It must be scary living with him.”

“Why would it be scary?” Areum pushed her chair back and stood. This was making her uncomfortable. Why was Nam Se-hyun being so insistent? Something in his eyes was urgent and it made her wary of him.

“Because noona, he was stalking you.”

“What? We were married. I’m afraid Nam Se-hyun that you have the wrong idea. Jungkook was not my stalker. He wanted to me to stay.”

“Exactly noona! Think about it. You were planning to leave him. You were going to walk out the door with all your inventions and work for some other lab. He wouldn’t allow it. You were the only reason Taeyang won all those contracts and hyung knew it. He knew he was nothing without you.”

Areum lifted her hand, telling him to stop talking. “Just wait a minute.” She was suspicious, “I don’t appreciate you bringing me here just so you can corner me.” She pulled her phone out of her bag and with trembling fingers dialled Jungkook.
“Don’t noona.” Se-hyun pleaded, “don’t bring him here. This place was sacred.” He stepped closer and she took a step back. Something flashed across her mind.

“Areum…” Jungkook spoke on the other end. She could hear the worry in his voice when she didn’t answer.

“I’m telling you the truth,” Se-hyun whispered.

Areum lifted the phone to her ear, “Sorry, I think I must have pocket dialled you.” She didn’t take her eyes off Se-hyun. He had his hands pressed in prayer mode, begging her not to tell Jungkook anything.

“Where are you?”

“I’m going to have dinner at the bistro across the street, so you don’t have to worry about me.” She smiled and rolled her eyes at Se-hyun like Jungkook was still talking and she was bored, “I think you’ve already been to the place. You really don’t have to come.” She paused, then, “I really do adore you Jeon Jungkook and I’m sorry for everything.” She hung up and stared at the man in front of her, “It was you.”

Se-hyun looked shocked, “What are you talking about?” he stepped closer.

“Don’t…” she warned with as much force as she could, “I know it was you.”

“Did you remember? Is it a miracle?”

“You were the one sending me those letters, I remember now. I remember how I’d be buying a cup of coffee and you’d suddenly be there, or I’d go to a restaurant with friends and you just happened to be there as well. Like today, you were following me.” She backed away.

“Do you realise what this means? It means you got your memory back.” He was genuinely thrilled.

“Yes. I have my memory back. I should probably thank you.” She moved back, trying to keep her movements natural, “Listen, there’s a great bistro across the street. I used to go there with my grandmother. Would you like to go with me? We could have some brown onion soup or…”

Se-hyun smiled, “I’m really happy you have your memory back noona, but we won’t be going to that bistro.”

“Oh? Aren’t you hungry?” she tried to figure out how she could get to the gloves. They were in her handbag, but she reached for them, he would get suspicious.

Se-hyun sighed, “drop the act. You’re trying to keep me calm but I’m always calm. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’m not worried.” She was too far from the front door. Damn it.

He motioned for her, “come on noona. I want to explain everything properly.”

She wanted to tell him to forget it because she already remembered but this could buy her some time. He asked her to sit at the table again.

“Alright, I’m listening.”

Se-hyun studied his hands that were palm up on the table, he clenched and unclenched them, “I first saw you at the engagement party. I was about to enter my final year of high school. I was a top student, swimming captain and very popular amongst my peers and everyone who met me.”

Areum raised unimpressed brows but she was impressed with how he told stories. He used the right words and his tone was level and comforting. Or maybe he was just trying to trick her into letting her guard down. It wasn’t going to happen! Now that she was seated, he couldn’t see her reaching into the bag for the gloves.

“It wasn’t just seeing you. There are pretty faces everywhere but you made an effort with me. You wanted the two sides of the family to get along and you always invited me to family events. When I was there, you always took the time to talk to me and make sure I always had a drink and you sat next to me at the big tables, so I wasn’t sitting beside some stranger.”

That was just good manners but Se-hyun read more into it. He thought she was trying to show him how much she liked him.

“That’s when it really began for us. I wasn’t interested in dating girls my age. I wanted you noona and I knew you felt the same way. You told me so when we had dinner…”

“You mean the day you found me already a couple of glasses down?”

“You were lonely eating by yourself