“HERE.”

Seulgi looked up at the guy who handed her a cup of vanilla latte. She hesitated to accept it but the guy insisted, saying that Jimin made it for her.

She was currently sitting by the pavement in front of the cafe and the said guy sat beside her. The beautiful-looking guy whom she first met at the crowd while watching Joohyun sing. The guy whose pictures were also on display in Joohyun’s house is finally face to face with her… again.

“Just let her calm down.” The guy with a deep voice started. “Sometimes it’s really hard to deal with her. It was how she was raised.”

Seulgi just looked at her cup of latte, her eyes were so troubled. “Please believe me… I really didn’t agree about the date. There was nothing I could do.”

“I believe you.” Hyejoon smiled at her. “If the Baeks are still in power I’d probably be in the same situation as you.”

“Thank you, Hyejoon-ssi…” Seulgi slouched lower as she felt the warmth of the warm drink. She then took a look at the guy who’s just sitting there with no coat at all. He was just wearing a thin, long-sleeved hoodie when it’s already chilly outside.

‘I guess it really is true that the cold doesn’t bother him. He is the true Elsa.’ Seulgi thought before Hyejoon caught her staring. The guy just smiled at him again. She didn’t know he’s this smiley.

“Seulgi-ssi,” the guy called, making her straighten her back in no time. “What do you like about Joohyun?”

Seulgi was taken aback. “W-Well—“

“Of course, I know she’s beautiful. She’s also skillful and really responsible but…” The guy took a deep breath. “She’s a bit difficult to understand, don’t you think?”

Seulgi fell silent and went to look blankly at her drink.

“I’ve heard the situation from Jimin-ssi. She also suggested that Joohyun should calm down but that girl lost her when she saw the photos.” Hyejoon stretched his legs forward as he leaned backwards. “And you know how an Ahn turns into a monster when they are jealous, right?”

Seulgi answered with a quick nod. “I know, I’ve seen her pull someone’s hair before. That’s why I was really nervous on my way back here.”

Hyejoon didn’t seem surprised after hearing what Joohyun did. He just chuckled and told Seulgi that the victim was lucky that Joohyun doesn’t have her resources or else she would have done something else.

“I am kind of aware of what’s happening between you and Joohyun. I have a hint of what kind of relationship you have reached. I have my own spy.” Hyejoon was obviously pertaining to Yerim since she is a trainee in their agency. He also knows about Yerim’s late brother since he was also from their agency.

Seulgi didn’t seem to mind since she knows she didn’t do anything wrong to Joohyun. She did some spying before anyway. Her crush on Joohyun grew so huge that she had skilled people investigate her because there was very limited information about Joohyun. But she didn’t use any of that information against Joohyun. Seulgi, herself, found the spying weird since that was the first time she got to admire someone. But getting to know about Joohyun a little bit more despite the method felt so special for her. She kept everything she found out to herself. She kept doing it… until she got caught…

And yes, it was Hyejoon who caught her and asked her to stop all the stalking before things got worse.

Seulgi believes that she could trust this one guy. She knew he could be trusted after knocking some sense on her. They are… similar in some ways in the first place.

And… just like what she found out during her stalking, this guy is Joohyun’s first love.

“I thought you already gave up on her.” Hyejoon continued talking. “You suddenly disappeared right after the accident. I thought that accident frightened you from getting involved with Joohyun.”

“Ah… That…” Seulgi smiled bitterly while clenching her heart. “I got busy on something else…”

“But you know about the accident, right?” Hyejoon followed up.

“I am… very much aware of it.” Seulgi sighed. “But it was recently that I found out that Sunbae was blamed for the accident.”

“I know…” Hyejoon took the cup from Seulgi and removed the cover before giving it back to her. He was clearly telling her to go ahead and drink. “My spy told me already.”

“Yerim-ssi…” Seulgi smiled at the thought of the younger girl before taking a sip of her latte.

Hyejoon let out a sigh of relief when he finally saw Seulgi drinking. “So, even after knowing the reason for the accident, you still won’t back out from Joohyun? I’m really curious what it is that keeps you going.”

“Well…” Seulgi turned to Hyejoon’s way but not directly looking at the guy’s face. “Should there be really a reason for love?”

Hyejoon’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Shouldn’t there be a reason for everything?”

“You might be right.” Seulgi pressed her lips together. “But there are times that I ask myself about it as well… Why do I like Joohyun-sunbae? Everytime I ask myself about it, the answer differs.”

“I’m all ears.” The guy looked up at the sky.

Seulgi took a deep breath before continuing, “At first, I thought I only liked Sunbae because she was a role model to me. She managed to pursue what she likes while still meeting the expectations of the people around her. She gets A+ in all of her subjects while managing to perform on small gigs and buskings. She was like someone I couldn’t be so I admired her a lot… But then… she suddenly quit singing.”

Seulgi took a sip of the hot drink. “I found out that she got out of their house and started living alone. She even started running the cafe that her father left her at a very young age. Did I still see her as a role model after she gave up being a singer? Of course, I stopped. But at that time, I found a new reason to adore her and that’s her sense of responsibility and independence.”

“And then, when I first met her in a school meeting, I noticed how she had very low confidence. So far from the epitome of confidence that I saw in that fateful festival. I admired her confidence before but now that it was nowhere to be seen, did it turn me off?”

Seulgi shook her head. “My feelings didn’t shake even one bit. I admired her even more. I didn’t feel like trying to give her confidence back but I wished I could be there beside her and tell her that everything is okay. Even if she doesn’t manage to get it back, I would still be here supporting her…”

The girl scratched the back of her head while forcing herself to smile. “I tried to hide my feelings until the very end but I couldn’t stop myself. I confessed to her but she took me as a joke. She thought I was only playing with her because of the weird reputation that got forced on my name. Yes, it frustrates me, but it made me more fired up to make her realise that my feelings for her are true.”

There goes that sad smile again. “So, when she told me that I can do whatever I want, I let myself off the leash. At that very moment, she became ‘freedom’ for me and I love her even more.”

Seulgi looked at the ground once more. “Freedom… Yeah… She was my freedom.”

Hyejoon looked at the girl through a side eye. He could feel what she was trying to say.

“I don’t actually feel that free… anymore. I mean, I understand the situation. There’s a curse and she won’t be able to call me her girlfriend or something… I am really happy that we get to spend moments like real couples even if we don’t have a label but…”

Seulgi let out a deep, deep sigh. “I know she got hurt and I am here to explain everything to her… She could’ve given me a chance to explain myself… at the very least.”

Hyejoon pushed himself forward, his palm a little red because of leaning. He completely understands Seulgi and gets where she’s coming from. He has known the girl even before her first appearance in Joohyun’s life. He once thought that she could be a threat but Seulgi proved that she was just admiring his cousin and wasn’t even planning to act upon her feelings for her in the first place. She even respected Joohyun’s romantic relationship. Seulgi was just simply in love with Joohyun… expecting nothing in return.

‘But I guess there’s really a limit to everything.’ Hyejoon thought to himself. ‘She’s obviously giving her best for things to work out between her and Joohyun,’

“But yeah,” There’s the sound of Seulgi’s annoying, robotic laughter again. “I just realised that when something disappears, I just find a new reason to like her. I don’t even force it to myself but it just comes in a snap. That’s why I think I don’t really have a definite reason for why I love her… I just… really love her. And right now, all I really want to do is to give her reassurance despite her pushing me away…”

“You’re down bad, Seulgi-ssi.” Hyejoon scoffed.

“I am!” Seulgi laughed before taking another sip.

“You sound like a Bae. Don’t tell me there’s actually Bae blood running in your veins.”

Seulgi stiffly shook her head. “Strangely, our clan never took anyone from the Baes. They are intimidated by how much they could offer love. The Kangs are very challenged by their way of romance and the Kangs hate that they can’t compete with it.”

“What?” The guy was dumbfounded with the reason. “You guys are really something. Thank goodness, my clan’s traditions end with me.”

Hyejoon placed his hand on Seulgi’s shoulder. “I hope that family tradition of yours end with you.”

“I hope so.” Seulgi sighed, her action didn’t match what she just said.

“Hmm… I won’t be shielding Joohyun anyway. I believe she’s aware of how big of a red flag she is. She blames it on her upbringing, that’s one of the reasons why she doesn’t go around proclaiming she’s from the Ahn clan. It’s a bit ridiculous when you think about it since Joohyun is basically raised like she’s the next clan head. Her mother was really something.”

Hyejoon nodded at his own statement. “The Ahns are a hopeless case just like the Kangs but I can slowly see change happening from within. The current Clan Head had a failed marriage which made him bow not to push the younger Ahns into a forced marriage. He even seemed like he’s much lenient to his daughter unlike the way he was raised up. I believe Joohyun is really doing her best as well too. The Bae blood runs in her veins anyway, I just hope it awakens in time.”

Seulgi knows that Hyejoon was trying to be comforting and she believed that he did help in uplifting her spirit even just a little. For someone who had endless attempts on giving up on life, she was amazed that Hyejoon could actually be supportive like this.

“I hope you find your peace.” Hyejoon said with a smile as he stood up. He stretched his hand to Seulgi, lending her help in standing up but the girl just smiled at him and stood by herself. “Phew~ That’s some Kang attitude you got there!”

Seulgi just smiled. “You’ve helped me more than enough. Since you’re basically Sunbae’s first love, I still consider you as a rival and it pains my Kang soul to receive help from one.”

“What the–Even though she’s a cousin that I can marry, I am in love with someone else.” Hyejoon just laughed. “Also, you’ve been receiving help from me since I discovered your stalking activities.”

“He-he… I was just acting.” Seulgi said while scratching her cheek.

“I already talked with Joohyun about this. I’m sure she was overtaken by jealousy but I know my cousin, Seulgi-ssi. Despite being jealous, she’s also dead worried about you. She’s probably regretting it now that she let the Ahn blood take over and told you not to come back.” Hyejoon pointed at the cafe, showing Seulgi how the lights are still on despite being past the closing time. “She can’t even send herself home even when she’s ‘angry’ at you.”

“Will it be fine to talk to her now?” Seulgi asked while eyeing the second floor.

“I believe it’ll be fine now.” Hyejoon gave her a soft push at the back. “I must go as well.”

“H-Hyejoon-ssi!” Seulgi stammered. “I-I am really glad that I am able to talk with you again like this! T-Thank you for surviving!”

The guy just looked innocently at the girl who was folded like a 90 degree ruler. He then realised what Seulgi was talking about and gave the girl a gentle pat on the head.

“It’s wonderful to be alive, right, Seulgi-ssi?”

Seulgi suddenly felt like crying. She tried to take a look at the face of the guy but he kept her head down until he turned his back on her.

“See you around, Seulgi-ssi.” The guy waved without turning back. “You’ve already managed to break her wall. You’re doing just fine!”

The girl watched him walk away as she slowly straightened her posture. “He’s basically telling me to not give up, right?”

“Unnie.”

Seulgi turned around and saw Jimin. She was the only one left among the part timers. She was the one who kept Joohyun’s company while Hyejoon and Seulgi were talking.

“Karina?”

The girl just smiled at her. “Joohyun-unnie is waiting for you upstairs.”

Seulgi’s face lit up at the news. She held Jimin by the hand and thanked her endlessly. The younger girl just laughed and assured her that she was just doing what’s best for them. She also apologised for the other girl’s behaviour, saying that they were all just surprised.

“I’ll go upstairs now!” Seulgi was already jogging in her place but when she was about to go, Jimin halted her for a moment by calling her name.

“Seulgi-unnie.”

“Yes, Karina?” Seulgi’s smile wasn’t faltering, she’s still jogging in her place.

“Thank you for giving me a nickname.” Jimin’s hold on the letters that Hyejoon gave her tightened. “Don’t you think it would be a nice stage name?”

“AGASSI… Please be aware that you have a meeting with your father tomorrow. I will pick you up before lunch.”

The butler was looking at Joy through the rear mirror. The girl was just staring blankly outside.

“Are you sure that he’s the one I will be meeting?” Joy asked in a bored tone.

The butler gave a respectful nod. “Yes. It is him for real this