Roses, hydrangeas and lilies. The bouquet was exclusively composed of white flowers because of its association with purity. A colour she had chosen as a reference to her innocence and cluelessness in terms of romance. She had dated two men in the past, and even though these relationships had forged her personality, they had lasted a short while because she had been unable to entrust her soul and body to either of those men. She had only experienced blossoming love. Her boyfriends had been cute, sweet, affectionate, and so she had loved, laughed, and gone on wonderful dates, but she had never been intimate with anyone. At 26, she was still a when most of her friends were married and a few had even become parents. She still did not know what love felt like. She ignored the pleasure a woman could find in a man's arms and she desperately wanted to meet the one who would introduce her to this whole new world. Yet it seemed that fate had decided otherwise. She was certain that she would not meet the love of her life anytime soon. Not because she was not pretty enough, nor was she busy with her career, but she was trapped in a tricky situation.

It had all started out of her good will towards the friend that had been by her side for as long as she could remember. Although she had always claimed that she could do anything for him, she had never given much thought to the depth of her promise and almost regretted it now. If only she had thought twice before offering her help. He had been so desperate, and she had felt the need to protect him, but the situation, as well as her feelings, had gotten out of control without her noticing. Having to lie to her parents was what she hated the most. Her mother had been so excited for the past months. The image of the woman's happy face haunted her every night. The nightmare had worsened a few hours earlier when her mother had handed her a bouquet with teary eyes. A bouquet of white flowers as a reminder of her inexperience, a bouquet of white flowers to match her wedding dress. Eun Ae could not believe that it was her reflection in the mirror. A hopeless romantic since her childhood, she had been looking for the perfect wedding dress since her teen years and the one that she wore was the most magnificent she had ever seen. Her eyes got teary as she stared at herself. The dress was a pure beauty so it would undoubtedly transform her into the most beautiful bride in her parents' eyes, however it would not have the same effect on her husband. She sighed for the umpteenth time at the thought of a loveless marriage.

She looked away from the mirror to refrain herself from crying as soon as she heard a faint knock. She would not allow her family to read through her for they needed to believe that today was the happiest day of her life. But it was not her mother who walked into the room. It was him. Her best friend. Her future husband, Kim Myung Soo.

He flashed her a smile while looking at her from head to toes. It took him a few steps to reach her side, and he cupped both of her cheeks to lift her face towards his. He lightly pecked her forehead, then he said :

"You look gorgeous jagiya."

She wanted to thank him but she could not utter a single word. It was as though her nervousness prevented her from doing anything. She felt so confused that she was unable to notice to subtle expression of guilt in his eyes. Myung Soo, on the other hand, could easily decipher her uneasiness. That was why he leaned closer, his hands around her waist, to whisper comforting words to her ear. She closed her eyes to better focus on his promise of a hopeful future. Everything seemed so easy from his perspective, almost as if the memories of the past months would be forgotten after the wedding. But it was impossible. She had developed feelings for him, hence the marriage made her feel hesitant, but she could not go back on her word because she was aware of the impact of her choices on her best friend's future. Besides, it had been her idea all along. The memories of that night were still fresh in her mind, she could picture herself sitting next to Myung Soo on a wooden bench on the terrace of his apartment, a can of beer in her hand, as they looked at the starry sky. They had been discussing a scandal in which he was involved. The situation had become a burden for him since he could not accept that the media manipulated his personal matters to destroy a career that he had built over the years. Thankfully, she had found the solution to his problems. She had been excited to share her brilliant idea with him, an idea that she had formulated as such :

"If you don't want your fans to think of you as a homewrecker, you should prove that you aren't interested in Sun Hee and the only way to do that is to introduce your girlfriend to the public. So... let me pretend to be your girlfriend!"

She had discarded the severity of dating scandals and measured the consequences of her proposal now that she was wearing a wedding dress. She had lost control over this game of pretence. In order to help her best friend, she was about to sacrifice herself by agreeing to a marriage of convenience and even though she felt reluctant, she had to support her friend until the end. 

She took a deep breath as she lifted her face up to stare into Myung Soo's eyes.

"Don't worry. Today's our wedding day, I want you to look your best on photographs. You should smile throughout the ceremony, okay ? Here you are... looking good..." she said while lifting the corners of his mouth with her fingers to bring a smile to his face. "let's get married now."

"You sure ?"

"I've never been so sure."

And his beautiful smile made it easier for her to convince herself that she spoke the truth. She was willing to do anything for Kim Myung Soo because they had always been good friends. He had never left her side and it was now her chance to reciprocate. Therefore, she tightened her grip on his hand, took the bouquet from the dressing table, and felt calmer upon seeing his smile deepen because she knew that she was doing the right thing. In fact, she could go to any lengths in the name of their friendship.