Jamie slams Eunsuk's office door, reveling at the startled look on her brother's face. She scared him. Good. He really needs to be scared.

"What the-- Nuna, are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Eunsuk shrieks, a hand on his chest.

"You'd wish you'd have a heart attack, Eunsuk. Why didn't you tell me he works here?!" Jamie demanded.

"What? Who?!"

"Don't play dumb, Eunsuk! Him! Siwon! Why didn't you tell me he works here too?!"

Eunsuk lets out an exasperated sigh. "His family practically owns half of the company, nuna. Of course he works here. You should have expected that."

"You could have told me! If you did, I could have asked to be assigned somewhere else! You know how it is between the two of us!"

"Nuna, I know nothing about what's between the two of you because you didn't tell anyone about anything. You just packed up and left, send post cards, then told us you had children, and that you're working and travelling around the globe. Those are all I know, nuna, nothing about you and your husband-in-paper. So stop being so affected! Whatever it is between you two is already in the past!" the hurt and betrayal in Eunsuk's eyes is clear as daylight.

Jamie's heart aches for her brother. She knows what she did eleven years ago hurt too many people, and even if she apologizes a thousand times she'll never make up for it.

"I... I'm sorry, Eunsuk. You know I didn't mean to hurt anybody. I never meant to hurt our family."

Eunsuk softened, giving her an understanding look. "I know, nuna. We all know. And we knew that you had your reasons for leaving so suddenly so we forgave you a long time ago. It's just that... I don't understand why you get so affected this much. You and Siwon went your own ways years ago. He's not someone to hold a grudge, nuna. I'm pretty sure he had forgiven you by now."

Jamie shakes her head. "No... I haven't even forgiven myself. How much more could he?"

"Have you even talked?"

"No! I can't--... I don't know how to. I can't even find the courage to face him!"

"But you met at the airport! Han-sung-hyung told me you--"

"We did. And I didn't know what to do so I ran away." Jamie is near the point of pulling on her own hair. "And now he works here too. You didn't even tell me that we'd be working together at some point. How am I supposed to be a functional part of this company when he's around and I'm drowning in my guilt just knowing that he's sitting a few offices down from me?!"

"Nuna... relax." Eunsuk walked over to her and calmed her down. "Nuna, listen to me. Siwon, you know he's a good man. If you just, you know, talk to him, explain yourself, he'd understand."

"I can't talk talk him! Even just thinking about it makes me nauseous!"

"You know you have to sooner or later."

"I'm calling dad. I'm asking for a reassignment."

"Dad specifically said he wants you here."

"He knew Siwon works here."

"Exactly the reason why he wanted you to be in this branch."

"It's a punishment, isn't it?" Jamie could cry right then and there.

"Uh, more like our old man is doing some matchmaker's thingy." Eunsuk chuckles at the frustration in his sister's face. He hugs her reassuringly, "Don't worry, nuna. If I know Siwon-hyung right, which I'm pretty sure I do to some extent, I bet he'd forgive you if he hadn't already. Everything will work itself out."

"I hope so, Eunsuk. I hope so."

Well... Eunsuk didn't really have luck on bets.

For the first couple of weeks, Jamie managed to avoid directly having contact with Siwon. It was hard becasue their positions were the same, albeit in different departments, and each move one make needs to be considered by the other now and again. She managed to do her work without having anything to do with Siwon's department; but her luck could just go so far.

She knows that she would have to work with Siwon one way or another, but the month of avoiding anything to do with him was still a short time of preparation. And what she didn't expect more was the cold front Siwon had given her, even if it was indirect.

It started with small errors being pointed out with the papers she needed Siwon's approval with, since the two of them were practically running the company under Eunsuk who was chosen to be the president since Jamie was unavailable, and Siwon could not dedicate all of his time to the company as yet. Then it escalated to as much as rejection of proposals in which Jamie could not really understand the reasons of them being rejected in the first place.

What irks her more is that whenever she would directly consult Eunsuk, her brother would also see nothing wrong with her proposals. Only when it comes to Siwon would the thing be suddenly questionable.

The fifth proposal that her secretary handed back to her for revision and Jamie just couldn't take it anymore. She stormed into Siwon's office, halting before his door and plastering a cold look on her face, calming her rage down to an extent because she needs to be civilized, rational; there's nothing a good conversation can't solve, right?

She can practically hear Eunsuk scoffing and calling her a hypocrite, but this is work and her personal life has nothing to do with it. Talking to Siwon about work is an entirely different stroy from talking to him with the mess they had more than a decade ago. Besides, personal life needs to wait because she came back not to be haunted by the life she left behind, but to help out in the business as per her father's request.

Right now it's about work, the rejected proposals. She needs to know what was wrong with it this time, calmly and collectively.

She knocks after silencing Siwon's secretary with an icy smile. He answers for her to come in and she did, walking over to his desk.

He was bent over some paperwork, sleeves rolled to his elbows, his jacket at the back of his reclining chair. His hair is still short, cropped perfectly as always, gelled to perfection. She could see those thick brows furrowed on concentration at whatever he was reading, and oh, how he still look the same even after the years that have gone by.

"What is it, Chunhee?" he asked without even bothering to look up, thinking that it was his secretary; said woman was peering at the door nervously with Jamie's secretary.

"I need to know what's wrong with my proposal this time, Mr. Choi." Jamie asked, voice steely yet polite.

Siwon seemed surprised, suddenly looking up. But he kept his cool and empassive persona, something that Jamie had only seen a couple of times before. She had not been very fond of it back then, and she still isn't now.

"Your proposal?" Siwon asked, looking at the papers on Jamie's hand. "Well, first of all, it's impractical."

"What?"

"And don't you think that your target result is a little too over the top? If not impossible?"

"No!"

"Well, maybe you haven't read your own proposal. I suggest you review it once again and you would see what I mean." Siwon replies calmly even if Jamie was starting to get irked by his cold behavior.

No, she can't rise up to that bait, whatever it is that Siwon was luring her with.

"Why don't you... just tell me what's wrong, Mr. Choi."

"I just did."

"No... Siwon." she looks him in the eyes, finally. Maybe, she really need to talk to him like what Eunsuk had said. Maybe they needed some sort of closure, even if it's ten years too late. "Tell me... what's really wrong."

There's a hint of betrayal in Siwon's brown eyes, but what Jamie could see more is the confusion and the hurt. He has the same look as Eunsuk did when her brother had burst out on her and she prepares herself to get pumelled by questions she wouldn't know how to answer, to the accusations she would never know how to defend herself from.

"What's wrong? Nothing's wrong, Miss Song. Everything is absolutely perfect." Siwon replies, his eyes turning cold.

And Jamie just snapped. She can deal with the hurt Siwon, accept everything he throws at her. But never with a cold one. At least if he hates her, then it would mean that he cares enough to feel something for her, even if it's pure loathing.

"No, Choi Siwon! You're rejecting everything I ever do! That only means that there is something wrong! Or at least you think that there is! Don't give me that crap! If you hate me, then hate me! This company is not ours but our families' and you can't screw the lives of people who are busting their asses for this company just because you hate me! Work is work, Siwon. Don't make this personal--"

"Personal?" Siwon roared, standing up and nearly toppling his chair over, "You made everything personal when you married me! In case you have forgotten, we were married because of business! So don't play that personal card on me, Jamie!" he leaned over his desk so he was face to face with her, the rage in his eyes even more evident now because of the proximity, "Everything we have is all business, Jamie.

"Shut up! I loved you! And you know that!" Jamie also raised her voice. She may have screwed up, but Siwon can't honestly believe that everything that happened between them were all for their parents' whims. She believes that it was more than that, that along the way it had grown from that. She certainly didn't give up everything she held dear and broke her heart for a relationship she didn't believe that existed. Maybe it wasn't really love, but they were friends! Of that she's sure.

"I don't know, Jamie. I wasn't the one to walk out the door, was I? I wasn't the one who thought it wasn't enough! I wasn't the one who left! I wasn't the one who gave up!"

"I did it all for you!"

"Really now? So you broke my heart for my own sake? Thank you very much for telling me how much inadequate I was for you, Jamie! Thank you for walking out of my life and tearing my heart into million pieces that I was clueless how to put it back together!"

"You don't know what happened, Siwon! I made the best choice for both of us!"

"I don't really see how breaking me was the best choice, Jamie. I was a fool to think that you might actually be with me all the way. You left, Jamie. You left me."

Each of Siwon's words is like a dagger to Jamie's heart. She wants to tell him everything but she doesn't think it'll still make a difference. The damage had been done. She can't believe that this is where they had end up, hurting each other with words born out of heartbreak because of teh circumstance they were forced to go through.

Tears run down her face and she didn't know how to stop them. She didn't even know when she had started crying. She bit her lips in retaliation, she can't look weak in Siwon's eyes. She may be in tears but she can't back down. She had dug her own grave and Siwon hates her now, she might just as well live it.

"You may hate me, Siwon, and I will accept that. What I won't is you messing up working with me just because you hate me." she hissed, wiping her tears furiously wihtout breaking eye contact with Siwon who actually leaned back a little after realizing how close their faces were. "I may have messed up whatever we had back then, but I m not going mess up what my parents, and your parents, had spent their lives in. And that is this company."

"Don't you think it's a little too late now, Jamie? Don't you think everything, including our marriage, is messed up since that day you walked out on me? Our lives are messed up."

"The only thing I regret was keeping you in the dark of what's really happening back then, Siwon. But other than giving in and leaving you, I have never messed up this marriage."

Before Siwon could open his mouth to retaliate, the door creaked open, their secretaries being both long gone, realzing that the conversation was too personal for them to eavesdrop on unless they want to be unemplyed.

And in came Jesse's little face, peering in and grinning, "Mom! Your seretary told me you're here. Papa wants to have lunch. Shane's down at the lobby with him."

Jamie puts on her best smile, hoping that the tracks her tears have made wasn't visible, "Okay, honey. I'll come down in a few."

Jesse didn't miss the hoarseness on her voice, "Are you okay, mom? You sound funny."

"I'm fine. Just go. I'm talking about work here. Go on. Wait for me at the lobby with your sister."

The boy nods reluctantly, frowning. "Okay. Hurry up. Papa's hungry."

The moment Jesse had closed the door, the cold Siwon was back. It's unnerving how fast he had changed from the angry Siwon earlier, and somehow, it's even scarier.

"You know, I would have actually believed you when you said you never messed up this marriage. If you had asked, I could've gotten us a divorce despite our parent's disapproval."

"You know they wouldn't agree with that."

"And I don't really think they would agree for those kids to carry the Choi's name if they're some other man's children."

Now that... that is just something the Siwon Jamie knew would never say. Before she can even think about what she's doing, her palm connected with Siwon's cheek with a resounding crack.

"I knew you'd hate me, but I still chose to leave you because I wanted you to be happy. You knew me, we were friends. Do you really think I am that kind of person? I was married to you, Siwon. I loved you. Think about that before you think so low of me."

Something about Jamie's words had triggered something in Siwon. It's like a eureka moment, a moment that took a second too long for him to process that when he finally understood what it meant, Jamie was gone.

His knees felt weak and he sunk into his chair.

"Oh, God. What have I done?"

a/n: oh God... what have I done?

hehehe... next chap!!! it's a long one so even if I promise that this is supposed to be the last one, I just can't! But it's the last one, I PROMISE!!!