A/n: This is not the continuation of the story, but rather, a side chapter that elaborates the past of Sunny and Sungmin –another OTP that I ruined in this fanfic. So the time occurrence of this chapter is prior (maybe 2-4 years prior) to the events in Chapter 1. This is Side Chapter 1, but the next side chapter won't be about Sunsun. Yes, I'll have some side chapter for future chapters.

Side Chapter 1

[Moonflower]

“What’s that?”

The 19-year-old Lee Soon Kyu averted her attention from the vines she was holding.  She straightened up her posture to look at the person who was approaching her. Her lips were pulled to form a big, bright smile once she realized who had just taken his time to greet her in her private garden. “Eunhyuk Oppa!” she exclaimed happily. For a moment, mirth was on her eyes, but soon, worry replaced the twinkle on her eyes. “Our date is not for another 3 hours, isn’t it? Or did I forget the time again?”

Eunhyuk laughed and he casually pocketed his hands in the pocket of his spring jacket. “No, you’re right. It’s not for another 3 hours, but I just decided to drop by earlier.”

“But I…” she trailed off as she gazed a cautious glance at the garden she was just treating.

“I know. Don’t worry,” assured Eunhyuk, nudging at the shovel laid on the ground. He was perfectly aware of his fiancee’s love for gardening, and he wouldn’t want to make her sacrifice her quality times with her loved flowers and garden. It was another quality of Sunny that he found to be adorable. The girl came from the wealthy Lee family (their family), and Sunny could almost be categorized as the typical heiress who did not want to fret on the…unpleasant things. But once she was absorbed in her hobby, even the usually well-groomed heiress wouldn’t care with the dirt and the stench of fertilizer that could make her look more like a farmer girl instead of a heiress from a billionaire family.

Again, Eunhyuk had never minded it at all. Smiling again, he then repeated his question, “So, what’s that? What flowers are you growing now?”

“It’s the moonflower. The ipomoea alba species. It’s related to morning glory, but this one only blooms at night. I’ve planted this since a month ago, but I’ve never seen the flower blooms,” she said with a disappointed pout.

“You’re usually good with gardening,” commented Eunhyuk, sympathizing with her dissatisfaction. “You can always make even the hardest flower blooms. I’m sure this one will be no different.”

Sunny glanced at the vines of her moonflower and nodded slowly. “I do hope so. It’ll certainly be the most beautiful one once it blooms. Perhaps my next favorite flower.”

“And what about my sunflower?” asked Eunhyuk hesitantly.

Sunny beamed again and held Eunhyuk’s hands firm in her smaller hands. “They will still remain my favorite too! They’re taller than me now, you know?”

A year prior, Eunhyuk had given seeds of sunflower to Sunny for their engagement prize. He realized that the value of such present was nothing on the first glance, but he knew that it was the way that he could show Sunny how he regarded her as. He didn’t want their relationship to be seen simply for its monetary value (after all, their engagement was what brought the breaking Lee family together again). He wanted Sunny to know that he did not become her fiancé because it would bring profit to Lee family empire. He wanted Sunny to know, by giving her the seeds of sunflower, that it was how he regarded Sunny as: the bright light that shone his dull and robotic life.

Despite her petite body and rather childish attitude, she was always going to be his savior, his sunshine, his little sunflower.

“Sunny,” he suddenly called out.

“Hm?”

He grinned sheepishly. “I love you.”

The tint of red around her cheeks soon became visible. They had been betrothed for a year, but that was the first time that Eunhyuk said the sacred word to her. Although he probably said it in the most unlikely situation, she couldn’t help but to feel the burst of giddiness from the inside of her body. Grinningly, she responded, “I know, Oppa…”

She ran as fast as her short legs could carry her with. The traffic had been awful, and she knew that if she had chosen to wait in the car, she would have been later than she already was –and that Yuri would probably be mad at her again. It didn’t help her current situation that she just happened to have such an overly punctual, overly perfectionist, overly moody best friend.

Her phone rang and Sunny knew who the caller would be. In hurry, she fished her cell phone from her jeans’ pocket and flipped the flip open to receive the call. “Yul, sorry I –“

“I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes, Sunny!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” she muttered with ragged breath (after all, she was still running). “The traffic is awful. But I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

“You know that I have the appointment with the designer at three PM, don’t you? He doesn’t like tardy people.”

“I know, and it’s still an hour and more, Yul,” reasoned Sunny. “Besides, the designer will surely wait for you,” she stated, knowing perfectly well that any designer would even pay to get the fashionable socialite Kwon Yuri wearing their design. Surely waiting for an hour or two would not be much of a job for them.

“That’s not the point. The point is –“

“Look, I have to go,” Sunny ended the call abruptly before Yuri could begin her series of ing. Oh, she cared about Yuri, she really did. Despite her bossy attitude, Yuri was one of the few people she found fun to be with who did not actually mind her rather childlike and spoiled attitude. Perhaps, in return for bearing with her childishness and annoyingness, Sunny also had to bear with Yuri’s bossy and impatient attitude. After all, that was what friendship was for, right? Accepting your friend for who they really were.

The thought about Yuri made her pay less attention to her surroundings. Someone bumped to her and she nearly stumbled backward. It was a young man who was probably only two or three years older than she was. And an impolite one, Sunny remarked, as he did not even stop to apologize or ask whether she was alright.

She scowled. “What a rude man,” she said as she dusted the dirt off her span skirt.

It was then that she realized her clutch bag was not within her possession.

Widening her eyes, she turned around, only to realize that the man bumping into her was running to the opposite direction –carrying the pink clutch that was hers just a moment ago.

In reflex, Sunny put all force to the muscles of her legs and began to chase the robber. let out a shrill shriek as she screamed, “Thief! Somebody! That person stole my bag!”

Her action managed to grab the attention of the passersby, as they almost harmoniously took a step aside, and opened the pathway for her to chase the thief. No one cared enough to help her, but everything happened so quick that Sunny couldn’t even curse at the apathy of the society in Seoul. She was busied to chase her thief, in her heels, span skirt, and everything just made it impossible for her to close the gaps between her and the thief.

“Damn you!” she yelled to the running figure. Another series of curses was about to escape her lips again, but before she managed to do so, another man stepped into the open pathway from the crowd and began to chase the thief.

Sunny could only stand dumbfounded as she watched the scene before her eyes. The new man was rather short, but somehow, he was very, very fast. He could catch up with the thief immediately. Sunny could only shriek in a girlish gasp when the man laid a powerful punch to the thief’s face and forcefully yanked her clutch from his grasp.

She was still too shocked with everything, that she let parted open in such an unladylike manner when the man who had rescued her bag bridged the distance to her.

With a careless gesture, the man then handed the clutch back to its owner. “Yours?”

His voice was tenor and soft, his frame was perhaps only a head or two taller than her (and she was considered to be very short for her age), and he had a rather baby face looking visage. Still, despite his rather soft feature, this man was the only one courageous (and mighty) enough to bring her clutch bag back.

The observation she was doing made her unable to promptly give a response to his inquiry. With irritation clearly shown on his face, he questioned back again, “Is it yours?”

Sunny blinked and it was only then that she stammered. “A-ah, yes! It’s mine.”

He shoved the clutch back to Sunny and without any word, he turned around to walk away.

It took Sunny a second of bewilderment, before her sense returned back to her. “W-wait, S-sir!” she called out.

The man, though begrudgingly, finally turned around.

Sunny plastered her usually bright smile. “Thank you for rescuing my bag! You are very brave, you know. I’m really –“

“Yeah, it’s okay,” he replied in short sentence as he turned around again, as if wanting to get out of the scene quickly.

But Sunny already tapped the man’s shoulders again. “A-allow me to thank you!”

“You already did.”

“N-no, it’s not proper enough,” she insisted, quite irritated with the fact that the man refused to look at her. Tapping his shoulders more fervently, she finally managed to make him look at her direction again.

He scowled and she beamed.

“What now?” he blurted impatiently.

Sunny opened her clutch and her fingers expertly counted the money she had inside. “How much?”

The man’s eyes widened. Sunny did not notice this, and she only took a handful of high-value money and gave it to the man.

He wrinkled his brows. “What’s…this?”

Sunny blinked quickly before she casually exclaimed, “Ah, it’s not enough? Sorry, sorry,” she muttered as she fished another handful of money and gave it back to the man. “Here you go! Thank you very much, Sir!” she exclaimed happily.

Her happy grin was returned with a deepening frown. “Are you mocking me?”

She looked genuinely puzzled. “Eh?”

The man snorted as he shook his head. “I don’t need your money. Take it back,” he said as he shoved the money back.

Sunny only stared at the money and little frown also began to form on her forehead. “B-but, it’s a token of my appreciation! You’ve saved me and this is my good faith gesture to return your kindness!” she insisted.

The man let out a dark chuckle upon hearing her statement. “Ah, a little rich brat here, aren’t you?”

“Excuse me?!” she demanded with a voice raising an octave.

“Look, Princess. Someone’s got to teach you that your money can’t buy anything and –“

“I’m not buying your kindness with this!” she persisted, not understanding his point. “My goodness! What an ungrateful guy you are! You should be thankful that I’m willing to donate my money for you!”

“Then save your donation to someone who really needs it,” he said. He pushed the money back to her again, but Sunny was still fuming with the insult that instead of taking the money back, she only stared in anger to the man who was just minutes prior being her savior.

Noting that the girl would not accept the money back, the man only huffed a tired sigh. “Fine. Have it your way,” he said coldly as he threw the money at her.

Throw. The money. At her.

Sunny could not do anything beside widening her eyes and letting her already gaping mouth opened longer. Her shoulders tensed in embarrassment, humiliation. Someone dared to throw money at her. Didn’t he knew who she was?! She was Lee Soon Kyu! Heiress of the renowned Lee family, daughter of a powerful man who held rein to Seoul’s economy.

“You’re an ungrateful, rude man! You are nothing! You –“ her curses were pointless, as the man already sneaked his way into the crowd.

And Sunny was left there alone to be the object of humiliation. The moneys were scattered everywhere around her feet couldn’t even buy her the dignity she had lost.

“Sunny… have pity on Eunhyuk Oppa, will you?”

“What?” the Lee heiress snapped back.

Yuri sighed as she massaged her temple. “You’ve been repeating the same story for three days. This is the fourth time I’ve been hearing the same story. I don’t know how much you’ve forced Eunhyuk Oppa to hear that story.”

Eunhyuk only laughed mildly. “It’s okay, Yul. It’s rare to see Sunny this enraged, so I don’t mind.”

Yuri only let out another long sigh as she crossed her arms before her chest. “You are too soft on her, Oppa.”

“But that guy is really, truly…argh!” Sunny clenched her fist in frustration. “I told Yoona about this, and she said that I was the wrong one. I can’t accept it! I’m the one being humiliated! He ing threw the money at me! Me!”

“Yes, we know that already,” commented Yuri lazily. She then gazed up at the waiter who brought their deserts. The waiter then placed the cup of ginger tea, raspberry parfait, and apple tea.

Upon looking at her favorite ice cream, Sunny’s annoyance mildly dissipated. She clapped eagerly at her big parfait and giddily took a spoonful of the ice cream and let the sweet coldness met her tongue. She exclaimed in her fabricated childlike voice, “So good!”

Yuri only stirred the apple tea without any interest while Eunhyuk laughed at Sunny’s antics.

“Yul, taste this! It’s so good! This café’s parfait is the best!”

“No, thank you. I’ve been gaining some weight lately,” Yuri stated.

“You’re no fun,” commented Sunny as she took another spoonful of ice cream. She then looked at Eunhyuk and pushed the glass of parfait closer to her fiancée. “Taste this, Oppa! It’s the best!”

“You can’t, Oppa. Remember what the doctor said,” commented Yuri.

Sunny blinked. “What doctor?”

Yuri looked at Sunny in a puzzled manner. “The doctor said that Eunhyuk Oppa should limit his sugar consumption. He has a diabetic tendency.”

Sunny glanced at Eunhyuk. “Really, Oppa? I didn’t know that…”

“You can have my ginger tea, if you want to,” offered Yuri as she pushed the cup of tea to Eunhyuk. “It’s low sugar.”

Eunhyuk, however, only cast an apologetic smile to Yuri, before he gazed fondly at Sunny. “I think a spoonful of ice cream won’t matter, Yul. But thank you for your attention,” he said as he took a spoonful of ice cream.

Sunny glanced in worry at Eunhyuk. “Is it okay?”

Eunhyuk smiled to assure his girlfriend. “It tastes really good.”

The warm ginger tea that Yuri actually ordered for Eunhyuk was left out to cool down.

Sunny didn’t suppose she would ever meet him again, but she was proven to be wrong.

“You…”

It was the man who had saved (humiliated) her a couple of weeks prior. She was queuing for the cashier at the bookstore (shopping for the manual to treat her moonflower that was yet to bloom) when she noticed the person in front of her.

The rude man only glanced briefly at her before he muttered the words she didn’t expect.

“Do I know you?”

Sunny gaped open in the surprise. At the back of her mind, she knew that this man had every reason not to be familiar with her. After all, they had only met once –but she supposed, it was not a forgettable first meeting. It was the first time she was treated that way anyway.

Hiding her (further) embarrassment, Sunny only muttered, “So you’ve treated a lot of people rudely that you don’t seem to remember one of the many people you’ve mistreated, huh?”

The man narrowed his eyes for a moment, before he then murmured, “Ah. You’re that shallow rich brat.”

“I’m not a shallow brat!” she protested.

“Whatever,” he said as he turned around again to move forward to the cashier.

She tried to hold her will to snap back. Taking a few calming breath, Sunny decided to better ignore this person. Passively, she only glanced as he laid the basket filled with books to the cashier –mildly surprised to the amount of reading he was buying. She glanced at the titles: Forensic Victimology by Brent E. Turvey, Comparative Study of European Continental and Anglo-Saxon Procedural Law, Shifting Responsibilities in Criminal Justice, and some other books whose titles were not visible.

She tried to mind her own business, she really did. But her curiosity got the best of her. “Wow, what are you? CIA?”

The man didn’t even glance back at her, but surprisingly, he responded to her queries. “CIA does not read this kind of book.”

“How would you know?”

“Never mind,” he said as he took his wallet from his pocket. His fingers tapped impatiently once the cashier discovered that there was an error with the cashier machine. He let out a more irritated sigh as the cashier couldn’t seem to handle the problem herself and had to leave the cashier desk to call for her supervisor. “What a nuisance,” he murmured to himself.

“You’re such a whiny person,” Sunny couldn’t help but to mutter the statement.