Shin Ah could still remember. 2 years ago, 2 days ago – everything haunted her. She rolled over, tossed and turned, until her back laid flat on her bed and her eyes stared straight towards the ceiling. 2 years with him felt only as if it were mere moments. 2 days without him felt like an eternity. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes, breathing roughly through her nose. The things Kim Sunggyu could do to her.

Shin Ah sobbed quietly and covered her eyes with her forearm. She bit her lower lip, trying to muffle the sounds. As if anyone would hear. Her mother was out, doing God only knows what with her friends, though it was already well past midnight.

Shin Ah shouldn’t be thinking about this. She shouldn’t be remembering. She shouldn’t be breaking her heart ten times over and over again.

When she calmed down again, she sighed. She was tired, exhausted. She was surprised she even had any more tears to shed after the night Sunggyu had gone to her apartment to tell her those three terrible words.

“Let’s break up.”

Shin Ah shivered at the thought. She could still hear his voice ringing in her head, taunting her with that sympathetic look on his face. She wondered when exactly she had gotten so weak. Before him, before Sunggyu, her heart was closed off to the world, long given up on the thought of love. And yet he had proved her wrong two days ago by breaking her so-called nonexistent heart with those curt words and pained eyes.

Sometimes, Shin Ah wondered if perhaps she hadn’t gone to that interview two years ago, then maybe she wouldn’t be so miserable. Shin Ah lifted her left hand, the moonlight escaping from her curtains catching the soft glow of silver in the dark. She smiled somberly and felt a tear leave the corner of her eyes.

Yes, perhaps she wouldn’t be so miserable. But maybe she wouldn’t have been so happy, either.

Shin Ah fell asleep to the thought of her first meeting with Kim Sunggyu.

.oOo.

She was knee-deep in debt. Shin Ah stared at her lap as she kept taking in breaths, it wasn’t her first job interview, but with all the rejections she had gotten before, it was enough to make her confidence falter. So far, she had applied and was rejected thrice, two of which were from low-paying jobs at restaurants, and the other a bartending trade. Though both the waitress jobs rejected her for her attitude, the bartending gig actually wanted to accept her, assured that her fierce personality would let her stay safe in the job. Jang Dongwoo was the club manager, and part owner being the son of said club chain, but he was also a friend of Shin Ah’s and would have been more than happy to help her out of her financial crisis. The only problem was her age.

Shin Ah wanted to yell profanities at him. She was only two years younger than him, and he was hardly past the legal age as well. Technically, she was only eighteen, but she was at the age where she could work. It was unfair.

She shook her head, no whining would change anything. The best thing she could hope for was that this last job wouldn’t be so mindful of her age. Dongwoo had suggested it personally, saying how the company’s hotel line was one of their club’s business partners, Kim Corporation. Shin Ah had honestly seen the ad post already and had submitted an application form long before, but unsurprisingly, it was only after Dongwoo promised to recommend her that she had gotten the call for an interview.

Shin Ah pursed her lips and laced her fingers together, counting mentally from one to ten to calm down her nerves. She kept fidgeting in her seat – sitting only a few meters from the CEO’s office made her just slightly bit nervous. Companies like that always made her sick – discriminating so blatantly against those who were in the lower part of society made her regret even thinking of applying. But she was in no position to be picky. It was a respectable job, and it provided enough for her to be able to pay the bills and the rent. There was no reason to complain at all.

“Did you hear? The chairman’s son is taking over…”

“That’s impossible. He’s my son’s age, isn’t he?”

A few women passed by, murmuring rumours here and there. Shin Ah tried not to mind, but it was practically in her nature to eavesdrop with such gossip. She grimaced at the thought; perhaps her mother was just too influential on her.

“So young and already taking over the family business; aigo, if only my son was that competent I would be such a happy mother.” Shin Ah heard one of the older women say. She looked up and stared at the two women who obviously worked for the firm, dressed in corporate attire similar to hers.

“It’s hard to believe he’s only 21 years old, don’t you agree Sunkyu?” one of the women commented offhandedly. The other lady nodded her head vigorously and added, “It’s only been a few months since he’s been filling the position of his father – now he’s already taking over. The boss must be very proud of him. I know I would be – oh! Speak of the devil...” both women stood straight and pasted on smiles as they bowed nearly 90 degrees at a young man. Shin Ah raised an eyebrow upon seeing the scene before her. She had never heard of elders bowing to the younger ones so politely.

“Sunggyu-ssi, good morning.” They said in unison, the young man they were addressing to barely paid any attention on them, but nodded in acknowledgment. He was staring off into space as another man, older and seemingly stricter, rambled on about hushed things. Shin Ah supposed those were confidential, but this man named Sunggyu didn’t seem too interested.

Shin Ah quietly observed from the sidelines, hands on top of her lap and back straight against the chair. The ignored workers exchanged looks before bowing and exiting the hall, chatting to themselves in hushed tones. The older man seemed to be getting irritated by Sunggyu’s lack of a reaction, narrowing his eyes as he continued to ramble on about today’s activities. Sunggyu himself though, was as indifferent as could be. He kept nodding absentmindedly, glancing at his watch every few seconds. Dongwoo had warned her about Sunggyu before – he was a brilliant man, Dongwoo had praised, but he never had the best reputation because of his attitude. Finally, Sunggyu raised a hand tiredly, and with a sigh, silenced the older man. “I have someone to interview.” He said, and without even looking at the older man. Sunggyu reached for the knob and opened the door. “They should be here, send them in whenever.”

Shin Ah continued to stare at Sunggyu’s back until it disappeared behind the door to his office. When the old man his heel, he sighed and bowed in apology towards Shin Ah. Obviously, the apology was in place of the arrogant Sunggyu. “I apologize. The young master isn’t usually this rude to those hoping for a job interview. He had a quarrel with one of his friends earlier.” He explained after a brief pause. “Please wait a few moments so that he can cool off, after which you are free to enter the office.”

Shin Ah nodded and stood up, smoothing down her skirt. Her nerves had numbed her tongue, making her unable to speak. She hoped it wouldn’t be the case when she was faced with the young boss. When the older man had passed by her, he gave her a sympathetic pat on her shoulder. “Good luck, young lady. We haven’t had any newcomers in a while, and we’re getting ridiculously short on staff.” He sighed, and Shin Ah, unable to respond properly, simply nodded in understanding. Sunggyu did look very strict, and Dongwoo had mentioned once or twice about his perfectionist and elitist tendencies.

 Whatever, she thought. Steeling her nerves, she rapped her knuckles against the wooden door. If she could go against her own mother, then who was a young man barely any older than her? Shin Ah heard a gruff ‘come in’ and opened the door without a moment’s hesitation.

She was greeted by the sight of the indifferent young man from earlier, staring unblinkingly at some papers he held which were undoubtedly her resume. Shin Ah released a breath before putting on a winning smile, one Dongwoo had taught to her once before. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her before bowing 90 degrees. She might not have had the best parents, but she was taught respect either way.

Sunggyu had barely spared her a glance, focusing completely on her papers. He yawned and propped up his elbow, his cheek resting against the back of his hand. “Get out of here. You’ll be wasting both your time and mine.” He said without even a slight bit of hesitation. Shin Ah stood rigid, unbelieving and wide eyed as she stared at Sunggyu. “Barely 18, almost no job experience at all, and you expect me to accept you into Kim Corporation just because Dongwoo recommended you? Get out.”

“Excuse me?” she scoffed, offended beyond belief. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. It wouldn’t do her any good to lose her cool at that moment. Shin Ah approached his table as calmly as she could. “There must be some mistake, sir. I do actually have job experiences and –”

“You’re looking to work at a hotel chain, and you think being a waitress for around 2 months will get you the job? Don’t make me laugh.” Sunggyu scoffed back at her, sitting straight and arranging her papers neatly. “Not even a high school graduate? It says here you dropped out, but my sources say you were kicked out – caused a fight and sent three girls to the hospital, where’s the hospitality found in that?”

“But sir, please reconsider! I –”

“Reconsider? What else is there?” Sunggyu cut her off impatiently. He stood up, and faced her. His eyes locked with hers and Shin Ah felt a chill run down her spine at the sheer coldness of his almost lifeless eyes. “You have no job experience. You’re not fit with practical duties. You do not have the academic qualifications to work in an office. And to top it all off, you’re too young to even be working at all.” He stared straight into her eyes before raising the papers he had been holding – Shin Ah’s resume. “What was Dongwoo thinking, I wonder? That idiot is perhaps just too nice for his own good, too nice to see what is  treasure and what is trash.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he tore her resume in half, before turning the strips of paper and repeating the process. Without even blinking at her, he crumpled the torn papers into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder, sitting back down in the process and grabbing a new set of papers from his pile. “Get out of here, kid.”

“You’re barely any older than I am and you’re the CEO!” She spat back, her anger getting the best of her. The last thing she wanted to hear was rejection – but even more so for the reason being her age. Shin Ah glared straight at Sunggyu, and when the older man refused to look up from his paperwork, she slammed her palm down his desk, catching his attention at the sound of the force almost immediately.

“ing hell, whoever said anything about Dongwoo anyway?” she continued, the anger fuelling her. “I applied for this position, not Dongwoo. I had given the form earlier in the year, without Dongwoo. And goodness gracious, he gets in one word for me and suddenly his reputation is on the line? Have you even seen my resume?” she scoffed and stood her full height, glaring down at Sunggyu’s sitting form.

“I dropped out. Out of my own ing will, I dropped out of school because of my job. Fine, so I did drop my academics, but I’m number ing one within my whole batch. I was untouchable in school, no one took my place.” Shin Ah was going slightly off topic now, but Sunggyu patiently kept quiet, lacing his fingers and settling his hands on his lap.

“And does this really have anything to do with my age? God, I’m 18. I am freaking legal. You and Dongwoo are the same – I thought it would be a little different – how you would reject me because you didn’t like my attitude during the interview, at the very least.” Shin Ah gave a quiet little scream, muffled by her own palm against her lips as she paced along the length of Sunggyu’s desk. “I am not a child! Why would you treat me like one? If someone like you is able to rise to mothering CEO level at the age of ing 21, then why can’t I start off as a ing desk clerk at the very least?”

Shin Ah kept rambling and Sunggyu kept listening. He noted she took a full thirteen minutes of his time, and it didn’t seem she was stopping any time. A smirk played on his lips whenever she wasn’t looking, and his poker face kept appearing whenever she caught his eye. Finally, she paused in front of him, the only thing separating the two of them being Sunggyu’s desk. Shin Ah was slightly out of breath, but still glaring heatedly, as if trying to burn a hole into Sunggyu’s head.

“Are you finished?” he suddenly asked, quite calm and cool as opposed to her state of distress. Shin Ah let out another muffled grunt and irritated beyond hell and back, rambled off again.

“Screw you!” was the only thing Shin Ah actually remembered from that time.

Sunggyu stared at her huffing form, meeting her eyes coolly with his own. “What did you say your name was?” he asked calmly.

“Bae Shin Ah.” She responded, glaring at the young CEO still. Her voice was cold and she was prepared to leave the moment he said his final words.

He repeated her name slowly, looking away from her. “Bae Shin Ah – betrayal? Then obviously a desk clerk position does not suit at all.” He said wistfully. At the comment, Shin Ah’s fist clenched and her jaw tightened. How she wanted to punch that pretty little face of his. “Obviously, I need to keep a close eye on you, kid.”

Shin Ah’s features softened, her glare now taking on a confused expression. What was he talking about?

“Well, Bae, what do you say about a secretarial position instead?”

Shin Ah stood rigid, as if entering the room all over again. Sunggyu’s lips twitched upwards, a crooked smile she thought she would never forget.  

“Well, Shin Ah-ssi?”

.oOo.

“Shin Ah, yah! You can’t sleep in the whole day!”

She heard a voice. It wasn’t his. It was familiar, but it wasn’t his. It was warm and comforting, but not like his.

Shin Ah opened her eyes slowly, squinting to adjust to the sudden sunlight inside her dark room. There was a young man in front of her, one she figured to be Dongwoo, who probably was the only one other than her mother, herself, and Sunggyu that had the key to her house. She sat up groggily, wondering what in the world Dongwoo was doing in her house so early in the morning.

“What?” she asked curtly. Shin Ah was never a morning person, and she remembered Sunggyu was the same. The two of them, she recalled, always had cranky fights whenever one would sleep over the other’s house. Dongwoo who was used to the snarky treatment from the younger girl, greeted her with a bright grin – which fell from his features immediately after seeing Shin Ah’s tear-stricken face.

“Y-yah! What are you doing crying in your sleep?” he asked urgently, sitting on the edge of her bed and shaking her shoulders lightly. Dongwoo frowned when she looked at him with curious eyes, touching her face and the edge of her eyes.

“I...” Her voice faded away, unable to provide a proper answer. Dongwoo caught the glint of silver reflecting off the sunlight from the cracks of her curtains. His face softened as he realized the situation at hand.

“Shin Ah-yah, please don’t hurt yourself like this. Don’t think about Sunggyu anymore.” And as if he had said the magic words, the dam broke and fresh tears kept spilling from her eyes. Shin Ah couldn’t say anything, did nothing but sob. She couldn’t control her cries, and Dongwoo, panicked, could only hold her tight against his chest, rubbing soothing circles against the fabric of her clothes.

A/N: omg why did this take so long?? I haven't updated since... July?? SERIOUSLY? OTL

oh man, I'm so sorry guys! ugh. OTL 
I promise more frequent updates from now on! ;____;

If you guys didn't get it, by the way, the middle part of this [ the one where all the text were italicized ] is Shin Ah's dream - a flashback of her first meeting with Sunggyu.

Comments are pure love~! <3