Always, as in... forever ?

Eun Ae shook her head in order to chase her thoughts away before turning her attention back to the dishes that she was washing vigorously. She had cleaned every corner of every room since she had woken up, and she was busying herself in the kitchen now. But the anti-stress method appeared to be useless since her mind continuously wandered back to the previous night.

She was too lost in her thoughts to hear the sound of footsteps, as a result, she dropped a tea cup in the sink when she felt two hands on her waist. She tried to catch it in its fall, in vain, and watched in horror as it shattered. Her index finger was hurt in the process. Myung Soo immediately grabbed her hand to blow on the tiny wound. She whined painfully, not because she was badly hurt, but because of the way he wrapped his lips around her digit. She retrieved her hand rapidly because his actions were highly disturbing. She watched him as he threw the cup away cautiously before going to the bathroom from where he returned with a first-aid kit. He led her to the living room and sat her down. Then, he held her hand to inspect the injury.

"It doesn't even hurt." she argued.

But he focused on the task regardless of her complaints. "It was bleeding."

"It wasn't."

"It was bleeding."

"It wasn't."

"I don't care. Let me take care of it." She did not argue further. There was no point in discussing with him as he was quite stubborn. He tended to her injury, and gazed into her eyes while saying : "I'm sorry for hurting you Yeobo."

"Ah, don't call me that." she managed to protest despite her surprise.

"Why ?"

Because it makes me love you more, was what she thought. "Because it's cheesy." was what she answered.

"But we're married."

"We're just pretend-"

She could not finish her sentence because of the ringtone coming from Myung Soo's phone. He fished the device from his pocket, picked up Dong Woo's call, and activated the speaker function so that he could continue caring for her.

However, he regretted his decision as soon as his friend spoke: "how was the night ? Did you use some of the tricks you've learned from your favorite adult videos ?"

Myung Soo and Eun Ae looked at each other nervously. It was not a secret to anyone that he enjoyed contents, but he had never addressed the topic with his female friend. Thus, the question perplexed them. Myung Soo cleared his throat, embarrassed, as Dong Woo responded with a laughter and Eun Ae fled to another room.

She hid inside the photo studio so that she would not have to hear the rest of the conversation. She took a deep breath to calm herself down but her heart beat erratically at the thought of her husband in his most intimate moments. She tried to forget the vision by turning her attention to the numerous photographs on the wall.

Myung Soo was such a talented photographer that he could have become a professional if he had not pursued his passion for singing. There were several photographs of sunsets, villages, mountains or other landscapes, and only one photograph of people. It depicted Infinite after the award ceremony where they had won for the first time. Eun Ae remembered that evening clearly. So much time had passed since then. Myung Soo had gained in confidence, skills and charisma. As for herself, she had realized her dream of owning a coffee shop, and additionally, she had found out that her soulmate had been with her all these years.

Her journey down memory lane was interrupted by an intrusion in the room. Myung Soo hugged her from behind for the second time that day and, once again, she reacted with a startle. He spoke near her ear but she could not grasp the meaning of his words for she felt unsettled by his proximity. Bothered by his sudden need for skinship, she asked : "why are you like this ?" She withdrew herself from his embrace to turn around and face him. She added : "don't be so kind to me, Oppa."

He seemed taken aback by her plea.

"Don't be romantic, please."

She felt her skin burn under his touch as he held both sides of her neck gently. He asked : "why ? Is there something wrong ?"

"I don't like it." she replied even if she felt the exact opposite. She loved his touch, his voice, his face, and every other little detail about him. But he had married her for professional motives. Hence, there were no reason for him to behave lovingly towards her, especially when his actions only served to make her fall deeper in love. His smile caused her heart to flutter, and she knew that he was aiming at her lips when he leaned closer and their noses touched. She had to stop him. She could not let him give sense to their fictional relationship, so her only option was to resort to hurtful words: "I don't wanna help you anymore, Oppa. I want this to end. I want us to end."

Her words had the intended effect on Myung Soo whose arms fell to his sides. There was a puzzled look on his face, his eyes widened with disbelief, his mouth opened and closed several times as if he was trying to speak. He wanted to question her unexpected desire, but the words never came out, and Eun Ae used that opportunity to rush out of the apartment.