Oppa, I like you.

Her truthful words repeated themselves a thousand times in his mind. Consequently, he was unable to focus on the scene he should enact in front of the camera because all he thought of was her drunken confession.

He, who usually delivered a flawless performance within five takes, found himself smiling when he was supposed to act depressed, calling Eun Ae's name in place of the female character, and forgetting his lines. His attitude worried the director who walked straight to him after their long struggle to shoot the last scene of the schedule, he wondered if the lead actor had to deal with any problems that might distract him from his professional duties. Myung Soo considered lying for a second, but he came around and decided to indicate his wish to propose to his girlfriend as the reason for his faults. The director suppressed a giggle while touching the other man's shoulder as a sign of encouragement. He told the way in which he had proposed to his wife with a breakfast in bed in order to help him come up with ideas. But they could not talk longer because the director needed to attend a meeting with staff members whereas Myung Soo was already late for his appointment with Jun Seo. Indeed, he had contacted his friend earlier in the day because they had not seen each other in quite some time, they had decided to meet for dinner at a bar renowned for its fried chicken.

Jun Seo had already ordered two glasses of beer and three portions of chicken when Myung Soo reached the bar. The two friends made some small talk while they ate, and Myung Soo happened to mention the way he had saved Eun Ae from curious journalists the last time they had met. The latter took advantage of the topic to express his worries concerning her apperances in the media, specifically after he had come upon the live series. Jun Seo had put an end to his career because of a media issue, hence he was sensitive to the subject. Myung Soo tried to reassure him with the explanation that Eun Ae had chosen to help in spite of the repercussions. Moreover, there were less reporters around her now that they could refer to the videos in their articles. Whilst Jun Seo was pleased with these conditions, he made Myung Soo promise to protect Eun Ae during their dating period, and asked :

"How much longer will you be together ?"

"Well, actually..." Myung Soo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he answered the question : "forever, I hope."

"What ? Why ?"

"I'm gonna propose to her."

"What ?" Jun Seo's sudden exclamation caused a few people to turn their heads towards them. "What are you talking about ?" he asked again, in a quieter voice.

"I want to marry her."

"Is it a publicity campaign ?"

"No, I'm in love with her."

Myung Soo felt a tingle in his chest upon the mention of his love for Eun Ae. As for Jun Seo, he seemed genuinely surprised, he had not anticipated this development, but he could not stop smiling as he listened to the way Myung Soo had discovered his own feelings, or the way in which Eun Ae had confessed on the previous night. He believed that the idea of confessing through a marriage proposal was far-fetched, however, his warning was unheard.

Nevertheless, he felt amused that his school friends had figured out their mutual feelings thanks to the scandal. Myung Soo cringed upon hearing Sun Hee's name.

He said : "I heard she's leaving the industry."

"It's just a pause. She'll travel Europe for some time."

"Ah... Europe."

"Yeah, she'll visit Italy, Greece and France."

"Oh... France... how do you know about that ?" he laughed at the sight of Jun Seo's blushing face, and asked : "you guys made up ?"

"I don't know Hyung. She's hurt me a lot but we were happy together. I think our marriage deserves a second chance."

"I think so too."

Myung Soo sincerely hoped that his friends would resolve their issue because he did not want to see their marriage come to an end in this way. Many argued that cheating was a choice rather than a mistake, and although he had never been through that experience before, he considered forgiveness as one of the highest acts of love. The love between his friends was beautiful and real despite the fact that Sun Hee had committed a serious mishap, that was why he hoped that his friend could find it in his heart to forgive his wife. Humans were flawed creatures who could only be saved by love after all.

Both men talked more, until they finished their meals. Then, they bid farewell with a hug as they wished each other the best of luck in their relationships.

Afterwards, Myung Soo drove to Eun Ae's place, he planned to watch the broadcast of his interview with her in order to reveal his feelings and propose. The thought that they might share their first kiss on this very evening made him feel eager.

He checked the time after getting off the car. The interview was already available online, so he ran up the stairs and, as usual, he was welcomed by Eun Ae, except this time she was standing behind a closed door and did not open it when he knocked. It was only after he argued that he could see her through the frosted glass that she showed herself reluctantly. Their eyes met. He smiled brightly.

"What ? You don't wanna talk to a bastard ?"

Confusion was written all over her face as she stuttered : "it, it wasn't, a, dream."

"I'm your friend and you're my friend. You're not my darling, you're not my Oppa, you're a bastard."

He copied her behaviour playfully, and entered the house even if she had not invited him in.

He took off his shoes, walked to the couch and tapped the empty spot beside him, she approached him very slowly. He placed his phone in her hands once she was sitting down. She relaxed while watching the video of his latest interview, perhaps because anecdotes and compliments felt good to listen to. Meanwhile, Myung Soo became more and more agitated as the interview neared its end. His eyes were fixed on her. He hoped that she would smile, or hug him tightly, in acceptance of his feelings.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough."

The moment he had been waiting for came at last. He spread his arms, expecting to welcome her in a warm embrace, but she sat still. And when she looked at him, her eyes did not shine with happiness, she looked upset.

"What the hell does that mean ?"

Her voice was so cold that it caused shivers to run down his spine. He had not expected this reaction, and he did not know what to do.

"Why'd you say that ?"

"I-"

She refused to let him talk : "do you even realize what you did ? Soon enough ? Seriously ? What will people think ?"

"Eun Ae, I-"

"I was supposed to be your girlfriend, not your fiancée!"

"But-"

"What if our parents hear that ? What will we do ? We're not getting married, we can't!"

"Hey, listen to me." he shushed her with his finger and finally expressed himself in words : "I'm sorry. I should've told you about the interview. I should've given you time to prepare yourself. But I thought it'd be a nice surprise, that you'd be happy."

"Why would I be happy about this ?"

"Cause I wanna marry you."

Eun Ae was taken aback by his statement. Myung Soo, on the contrary, gained in confidence after revealing a truth dearest to his heart. He reached for her hands, and stared right into her eyes while repeating his words. However, she looked hesitant, frowing as she neither accepted nor denied his proposal, so he decided to encourage her with more words. He listed the positive impacts of their relationship on his life : she had saved his reputation, offered him new career opportunities, and helped him rise to fame. She had done so much for him that even the agency's CEO praised her in a special way.

After providing her with all the relevant reasons, he confessed : "and most importantly, I like you."

Myung Soo smiled proudly at his proposal, it sounded perfect to his ears for he had referred to the evolution of their relationship from a game of pretense to sincere love. Thanks to their roleplay, he had acknowledged the importance of her presence in his daily life. He liked that she was always by his side, comforting him when he was sad, or laughing with him when he was happy. He wanted to treat her lovingly because, in his eyes, she had become the most precious woman.

He looked at her shyly as he waited for her reaction, but he was far from imagining that she had not heard his last words. In fact, she had stopped listening at the mention of his employer.

"So, you need me ?" she asked, convinved that he proposed a marriage of convenience.

"I need you." he answered, smiling.

"There's no other choice ?" she insisted.

"I wanna marry you." he said with utmost honesty.

He interlocked their fingers to tighten his grip on her hands as a sign of encouragement. Then, he flashed her his most beautiful smile before bringing his head close to rest his forehead on hers. After a few seconds of silence, Eun Ae finally accepted his proposal in a whisper, so he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace as she buried her face in his chest to hide her light tears.