"I love you Myung Soo." Sun Hee's gaze was fixed on him as she spoke.

She caressed his cheek softly with her hand. She looked beautiful, with her mesmerizing smile and her bright eyes, but Myung Soo was indifferent to her beauty. The confession made him feel deeply uncomfortable considering that he did not reciprocate her feelings. He reached for her shoulders, but before he could delicately push her away, a stranger approached them. He could not see the person properly due to the halo around her face. He decided that she was either an angel or a fairy.

"Kim Myung Soo is mine." her voice was as angelic as her looks. And, even if it sounded familiar, he could not guess the woman's identity.

"Who are you ?" he asked, in a daze. "How do you know my name ?"

She did not walk but rather flew close to him. He realized that her face looked somewhat familiar too. He had seen these delicate features and this smile before. It was a smile that made him feel good. It contended him.

"Don't worry Myung Soo, I'll be by your side. I'll protect you from Sun Hee, I'll protect you from everyone."

It was at the mention of Sun Hee's name that he noticed her disappearance. She had probably left while he had been absorded in contemplation. His gaze fell on the angel again, or, more precisely, on her lips. He stood still when she touched him. Her hands made their way to his cheeks as she brought her face close to his. His heart skipped a beat in anticipation. When their lips finally met in an innocent kiss, Myung Soo wrapped his arms around the fragile body and she gripped the back of his neck, allowing him to envelop her in his embrace. He longed for a passionate kiss but he did not want to scare the angel away. He was plesantly surprised when she opened slightly. He felt her tongue slipping in to dance with his, and he was delighted. He had never felt anything similar. It was as though he had lived for this moment. For this woman. He was willing to hold her in his arms forever. But the angel ended the kiss with a nibble on his lower lip and took a step back. Her smile faded. Her eyes were filled with sadness.

"I must go." she whispered while looking at him lovingly.

He grabbed her hand and begged her to stay, pleading continuously until her body vanished into thin air, leaving him heartbroken. Tears rolled down his cheeks at the thought that he did not know how to meet her again. He had not even asked her name.

Even if their meeting had not been longer than seconds, he felt that she was his one true love and that life had lost its meaning now that he had lost her. He rubbed his eyes in a futile attempt to stop his tears, but the environment around him had changed once he moved his hands away from his face. It took him a while to emerge from his dream. He took a deep breath, blinking as he tried to regain full consciousness. That was when he saw Eun Ae who was sleeping on the floor. The sight of her so peaceful made him grin. She was certainly having an amusing dream since she was smiling in her sleep. Her smile made him feel good. It contended him.

"Wait." he spoke aloud, "is it... is she... it's her. It's definitely her."

He stood up from the couch in a second, stunned by the resemblance between Eun Ae and the angel he had dreamed of. He headed to the bathroom and splashed water on his face in order to wake his senses up, then he tiptoed back to the living room. Upon observing his sleeping friend, he was forced to admit that she was the one he had dreamed about. And what a dream! He had kissed her passionately!

"I must be crazy!" he repeated to himself as he walked back and forth in the room.

The agitation caused Eun Ae to lose sleep. She looked at him through her barely open eyes and asked : "are you okay ?" She yawned, rubbed her eyes and wiped the corners of as he watched her every movement, until his gaze finally lay on her lips.

"Don't move!" he shouted.

Eun Ae stood in panic, petrified by the idea that there was an insect on her body, but Myung Soo felt too troubled to reassure her. He wondered whether her lips felt as soft as in his dream if he kissed them. A step forward was all it would take for him to satisfy his curiosity, a single step forward and he could...

"Yah! Say something..." Eun Ae said with a trembling voice.

He looked at her hesitantly. He read fear in her eyes, but all he cared for was her round lips, so he sputtered without a second thought : "you don't even look like an angel!" Then he ran to the bathroom where he locked himself in.

. . .

His irrational behavior earned him a couple of suspicious glances from Eun Ae throughout the rest of the day. It was enough of a relief that she did not ask about his reference to an angel. He was too embarrassed to acknowledge his indecent dream. Moreover, he could not accept the fact that she suddenly became a charming woman. Nothing had changed about her, yet he perceived her differently. His long time friend became a woman with attractive lips, a woman whom he wished to kiss whenever there was a smile on her face, and he did not know how to come to terms with this new perspective.

For the first time in a while, Myung Soo spent an entire day without a thought to the scandal. Unfortunately, he could not escape the painful reality. He was sitting on the terrace of the apartment, stargazing with Eun Ae, when he received a call from his manager. The man sounded anxious. In less than five minutes, he explained that Sun Hee had posted a letter on her social media profile, but its content was not helpful to the actor, so he requested Myung Soo to get familiar with it before their appointment on the next day. Therefore, Myung Soo logged into his account after hanging up the call. The post he was looking for had gone viral already.

My dear fans,

I would like to apologize for your worries. Rumors of a love affair have been circulating, hence I felt the need to address you this letter.

Firstly, I have to admit that I have been unfaithful to my husband. It is difficult for me to reveal the truth when I know that it will disappoint a lot of people, but I should be honest. The unfortunate event happened before my wedding. I was young and I was not in my right mind. Now that I am mature enough to learn from my mistake, I am trying to redeem myself, to myself, and to the beloved husband that I have hurt.

Secondly, the name of a dear friend has been mentioned in this scandal. Kim Myung Soo has always been a good friend of mine, and he will always be. I hope that the public and the media will not tarnish his name any further.

Thirdly, I ask journalists, entertainers, bloggers and other media professionals not to publish stories about my marriage because I do believe that my husband and I deserve to settle our matters privately.

My dear fans, I hope that you will accept this simple yet sincere apology.

Lee Sun Hee.

Eun Ae smiled approvingly at the letter. She was relieved now that Sun Hee had publicly addressed the issue, but Myung Soo did not share her feelings because the letter put him in a delicate position. The relationship between him and Sun Hee was clarified but not explained. His role in the affair remained ambiguous. He used his thumb to click on the comments section and the first message confirmed his doubts.

A dear friend ? More like a friend with benefits!

The next comment was :

So L and her weren't in love, it was just a one-night-stand. Aaah thrills, she slept with the handsome L~ so lucky~

"My career is over." he said, softly.

He turned his phone off before finishing his can of beer, suddenly feeling tired. He was not angry, nor scared, just tired. The one who was suppossed to save him from trouble had failed in her mission. If he spoke now, his belated reaction would be interpreted as a weak attempt at protecting his career and reputation. It seemed that this problem had no solution. The countless worries made him feel tired so he wished to forget about them all. He opened a second can of beer, in hope that alcohol would soothe his aching heart, but Eun Ae stopped him before he could drink.

"It's never too late, Oppa."

He turned his face to see her beautiful smile, and smiled in response. At least she was here, he thought. There was an angel by his side.

"How about a press conference ?"

"Do I just say 'I've never been in a relationship with Lee Sun Hee' ?" he asked sarcastically.

"How about asking her to publish something else ? To be more precise ?"

"Nah, it won't change a thing."

"Then..." she bit her lip as she thought, "we should think like drama writers." Her eyes widened with excitement when she shared her idea : "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!"

"What ?"

"That's the best plot ever!" she argued. "In dramas, the male lead hires a pretend girlfriend, right ? We should do the same. You're the male lead, an actor who needs to show the world he's a righteous man, not some jerk who'd sleep with his friend's wife. I'm the female lead, the beautiful and kind fake girlfriend." The more she talked, the wider she smiled. "Our story can be more realistic than those dramas because we've known each other for long. We could use our history. Like, we could say we've been dating since high school. We don't even need to sign an agreement! 'Cause, you know, someone always finds the contract papers in those dramas so we better not leave any traces. And-"

"Calm down." Myung Soo cut her off, his hands held her shoulders tightly as if it would enable him to control her emotions. "This is real life, not a drama." he indicated.

"And ?"

"And, we can't pretend to be together."

"Why not ?" she shrugged, "all we have to do is..."

And he listened carefully to her words. Her suggestion sounded interesting. They knew a lot of things about one another since they were close friends, therefore it would be easy for them to pretend to be a long-term couple. In addition, their numerous photographs and selfies could come in handy if the media or fans doubted their love. As for his inaction in regards to the scandal, it could be excused by the fact that his girlfriend, who did not belong to the entertainment industry, had been hesitant to make their relationship official.

Once she had listed all the arguments in favor of her idea, Myung Soo was determined to talk about it with his manager on their next meeting. Meanwhile, they toasted in honor of their collaboration and, as he thanked her for her guidance, his mind wandered back to the dream he had had earlier that day. At this moment, in his eyes, Eun Ae was a living angel.