Eun Ae rolled around on the bed, trying to contain her emotions after the romantic evening she had spent with Myung Soo. She did not know what had gotten into him, but she appreciated the way he behaved as a boyfriend. She could not deny her feelings for him anymore. She did not know what to do though, he considered her as his closest friend so she was afraid that her newly found feelings might jeopardize their friendship. She consoled herself with the excuse that her interest in him was due to their special circumstances and would probably disappear along with their pretend relationship. That was she hoped for, otherwise...

Because she refused to think of the consequences of her one-sided love, she chose to distract herself with her phone, only to find that the photograph of Sung Gyu had been changed to Myung Soo's. Her heart skipped a beat for the umpteenth time that evening. It was at this moment that Myung Soo stepped out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants, his hair still wet from the shower. She blushed a deep shade of red at the sight of his bare chest.

He smirked knowingly : "like what you see ?"

He walked towards the bed where she was sitting. She routinely tucked her hair behind her ear, and his smirk turned into a sincere smile. He stood in front of her as she fought an internal battle to maintain her gaze at the level of his face.

"You're not gonna put on a shirt ?"

"No, it's too hot in here."

"Ah, is it ?"

"Don't you think so ?"

He was standing so close that her vision was blocked by his body. She looked to the side while rubbing her nape nervously, but he caught her chin to make her look up to him. He leaned closer until there were but a few inches between their faces. Her heart was racing.

"Isn't it hot in here ?" his breath grazed her lips as he spoke.

He leaned closer and she leaned further down on the bed to espace his seduction. His body almost hovered over hers, their legs touching and their lips drawing near, until he snatched the phone from her hand before falling on his back to lay on the bed comfortably, leaving her disappointed. Somehow, she wished that he would have let something happen between them. But his interest was elsewhere.

A charming smile appeared on his face, and he asked : "do you like your new wallpaper ?"

Confused by the change in his demeanor, Eun Ae asked herself whether she had imagined his sensual actions or they had actually taken place.

"So, do you like it ?"

She struggled to act as though she felt serene, "why'd you change it ?"

"Why'd you use the picture of another man ?"

"You know Sung Gyu Oppa is-" he pressed his finger on her lips to prevent her from saying more.

And warned her : "don't call him Oppa or I'll be jealous."

Eun Ae did not know if his seductive attempts were truthful, or if they were some sort of joke, but they made her lose her mind. She had never felt her heart pound like this before, hence she needed to get away from him if she wanted to keep her feelings a secret. She walked away from the bed, mumbling that she was going to take a shower, but froze in her steps when he asked if he could come along. She glared at him in spite of the sensation of tingles in her body, then, she escaped to the bathroom before he could more.

. . .

The next day, Eun Ae was unable to face Myung Soo after she had found herself awakening in his arms despite the barrier of pillows that she had arranged in the middle of the bed to separate their bodies. The fact that she had been the one to throw herself in his arms was even more embarrassing. And Myung Soo purposefully reminded her of that. He hinted that she had wanted to sleep against his bare chest but had not dared express her desire so she had waited until he was in a deep sleep to make a move. He made fun of her in this way throughout the morning.

Thankfully, the incident was forgotten upon the visit of the Jagalchi Market. She walked through every alleys excitedly, stunned by the variety of stalls and products. Myung Soo was not surprised to see her come to a standstill in front of an aquarium of king crabs because it was her favorite seafood. She stared at the crustaceans, thinking of the best ways to savor them, as he placed an order with the merchant. They followed him to a restaurant on the second floor, and chose a table in a corner of the room from where they could see the exterior through a giant window. A waiter handed them plastic aprons to protect their clothes from stains and Eun Ae wore it even though the crab had just been brought to the kitchen. She was excited to taste the quality of seafood in Busan. Myung Soo made sure to capture her excitement on camera as they kept themselves busy with a photoshoot session during the wait.

She looked happier than ever when a waiter finally brought over the dish. She wasted no time cracking the crab's legs to retrieve the meat while Myung Soo made fun of her facial expression : "you'd be great for an ad", he said. But she did not reply and ate a second piece of crab instead. They neglected the side dishes to eat as much crab as possible. They were still eating when a waiter brought over crab fried rice served in the crab's shell. Eun Ae clapped her hands joyfully whereas Myung Soo's mouth fell agape with shock. He advised her to eat slowly so as to appreciate this authentic experience of southern cuisine. In the end, they spent more than one hour in the restaurant.

As they walked unhurriedly down the street, they agreed on recommending the place to their viewers for its crab recipe was fabulous. They went to a bus stop, and from there, they rode to Songdo, the beach that Myung Soo wished to use as a background for their next broadcast. He liked Songdo more than Haeundae because there were many attractions, such as a cable car and a suspended bridge, at the sight of which Eun Ae gasped in admiration.

"This. Is. Amazing." she exclaimed when they reached the cliff where the bridge was separated into two parts. She walked to the edge to look over. Then, she turned to Myung Soo who was standing next to her, and with her eyes locked to his, she thanked him for the trip.

"Anything for my lady." was his reply.

Other people's laughter and lively conversations became background noises when they sat side by side to admire the sea. This time of healing was exactly what they needed after experiencing the turmoil of scandals.

Eventually, Eun Ae allowed herself to rest her head against his shoulder.

"This place is so beautiful." she whispered softly.

Her heart skipped a beat when he held her chin to make her look at him. Their eyes met and she knew that they were longing for the same thing, but they dared not make a movement. His palm traveled from her chin to the side of her neck and he caressed her earlobe with his thumb. For a brief second, she thought that he would lean forward to satisfy her desire for his lips. But he did not. She suspected that he was either unsure of his feelings or hers. They had never talked about love, nor had they considered the possibility of developing feelings for one another, so it felt unusual for them to behave in a romantic manner. But it did not matter to her. All that mattered was that she craved for his kiss. Despite that, she refused to let him know how much she needed his touch, and the chance was gone in a split second when he pressed his lips on her forehead before letting go of her and reaching for his phone in his pocket, ruining the romantic atmosphere in the process. In fact, he argued that they had to leave already if they wanted to get to the station on time for the train back to Seoul, leaving Eun Ae speechless and utterly disheartened.