Dreams were deemed better than reality. At least that was how he saw it, for in his dreams he was the happiest. In his dreams, he was always with her. Sadly though, all good things must come to an end and his pain was inevitable since he'd go through the motions all over again every time he woke up.

The cold sheet surrounding him welcomed him to the birth of a new day. He was sick of it. Nothing could replace the warmth that she gave off, could compare to the warmth that emanated from her very existence.

He lay on the bed in silence and shut his eyes tight. He willed himself to fall asleep. It didn't work. 

"ing ," he cussed under his breath. He hated whenever this happened. It was a constant reminder of his stupidity, and he hated it. 

He sighed, trying his best to relax his body on the soft mattress beneath him. He opened his eyes slowly and just stayed there. He was trapped in time, with nothing to worry about and so he thought. He thought about all the good things since all the good things gave him the strength and inspiration to go on waiting for her, and to go on trying to get her back. It proved to him that his efforts were not in vain; everything he did had a reason and that reason was her. 

Yes she did drive him nuts. She drove him madly insane when they fought and fought but then something magical would spark in between their ferocity, and temper, which was enough to rival the insanity with something great.

They were mad for each other, it was obvious. He remembered one of their biggest fights. They were along the freeway that time. He didn't know why but when she asked for the car to pull over, he listened to her; he didn't actually think she'd walk out. But she did.

"Where are you going?!" he yelled after her as he got out the car himself. 

"Hey! Where are you going??" he asked her as he chased her down. He held her by the arms and stared her straight in the eye.

"Away from you, you ! Let go of me!" She yelled back and tried to rid herself of him. She was unsure now, she didn't know what to do. Were they breaking up? Were they not? She was being intimidated by her mother and the only thing she saw plausible now was out. 

"This is what we do. We fight and fight and fight, but we always make up! You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a , and I tell you when you're being a pain in the ! Now tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

"I don't want to talk to you." She told him begrudgingly.

"You either want to be with me or you don't. What do you want?" He asked her with a voice so solid, so firm, no one would believe that he was scared inside. Scared? Yes, he was afraid he'd lose her, that she'd say no.

"Nothing is easy, okay? Nobody said it was. But I want to be with you. And I can promise you that if you still want to be with me, it will all be worth it." He told her.

She started crying. He hated when she cried.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. 

She shook her head no.

"Tell me," he said.

"I love you," she said. He was stunned. She said it. She said yes. She'd stay.

He smiled. "What did you say?" He wanted to know for sure that his ears weren't deceiving him.

"I said I love you, you stupid jerk!" He trapped her in his embrace. Just this once he'd take her insults. He was more than ecstatic to know she did love him. In the midst of calling him names, he grabbed her face and brought his lips to hers catching her off guard. He didn't care that hundreds of passersby could be seeing them at this moment. What mattered the most was just him and her in their own little world.

"Let's not fight anymore. I'm sorry. I love you, Baby. I love you too." He kept repeating the words, murmuring them against her lips.

He shook his head as he left the world in his mind, ending the past memory he so loved repeating over and over again.

He liked the way he fell for her. He fell in love like he fell asleep, slowly and then all at once.

He'd do anything to get close to her again; this was no exaggeration.

He sighed. Today was another day and he hoped it would go well.

It was time to get to work.

---

Despite all the anger she's shown him, she couldn't bring herself to hate him, couldn't bring herself to not think about him the way she always did: as somebody she loved. She always will.

Waking up early wasn't a normal thing to do, but nothing could be done once she awoke. Tossing and turning underneath the sheets, she looked to her bedside table and saw the picture she had of her and Jiyong. They were at the beach that time, it was the first they went together. As she stared at it a few moments more, she was brought to another time, a time where the sun shone and even when it didn't, he made everything brighter for her.

"Do you think in another life I could have been a bird?" She asked him as they waded in the sea, knee-deep in salty water.

"What do you mean?" He asked her. She walked farther away from him, and he was left there admiring her from behind. Not only was she attractive, her personality was amazing too. One would be instantly drawn to her charisma.

"Like reincarnation," she said as she turned around to face him, a smile plastered widely on her face.

"I don't know," He told her. She was as bright as the sun, as bright as her name. Summer. She made him happy, made him believe that there was something actually worth living for; that life wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

"I think I could. Say I'm a bird," She said and put her arms above her head.

"No." He said, face void of anything.

She didn't like that he was so quiet right now. She wanted him to laugh and smile, and have a good time. It was the beach for crying out loud! So she thought something up. A mischievous look found its way on her face.

"Hey, don't do it." He raised his brows though when he noticed a change in her demeanor. He was still fully clothed, unlike her who was in proper swim wear, and he didn't want to get his clothes anymore wet than they already were.

"Say I'm a bird, Ji." She said and brought her arms down, then up again. She motioned them in such a way that resembled a bird's wings.

"Stop. Stop it now." He warned her but she paid no attention to that.

She let out a scream and ran to him, throwing her arms around him in the process and wrapping her legs around his waist. He almost doubled over as he caught her body, but then he laughed anyway. 'She really was something else,' he thought. How can all the good things he knew, be in one person? And all the bad things in life, he thought he embodied. How? How did he find someone like this? It was a mystery, he thought. But it wasn't one he wanted to solve. He just wanted to live in the now, be in the moment with her.

"You're not," he said. But he told her honestly. He was the skeptic, and she was the dreamer. She knew that, and maybe that's why they were together. They were a perfect match for each other, she liked to believe. She needed a little bit of reality, and he needed a little more imagination.

"Say it," she whispered in his ear. She trailed kisses playfully along his jaw.

He let out a small laugh and said "You're a bird."

She smiled. "Yeah," she said then nodded. She placed a chaste kiss on his lips, to which he was disappointed with. He wanted a long one; he pouted. She laughed and shook her head.

"Now say you're a bird too." She told him. Her face was a few mere millimeters away from his; they were forehead to forehead, nose to nose.

He thought for a while before he answered her with the sweetest response she could have ever thought to hear. "If you're a bird, I'm a bird." 

She left the memory as it was. Perfect. She hoped she could have spent an eternity with him, but she couldn't. Just as she thought that, she got a message. She put down the frame so the image could stare at her no more; it only made her nostalgic.

"Wake up. You'll be late for work." The text from Dongwoon said. She sighed. He was suddenly acting strange these days. He was more of a fiancé than a friend now. She wasn't sure if he was for real or just acting. At least one of them was enjoying, though.

She got up and headed to the bathroom. "It's another busy day," she told herself as she undressed to take a shower.

As the water ran down her back, more memories of them flooded her mind. Now all she was, was thankful. She was thankful for the little eternity she shared with Jiyong. She wouldn't trade them for anything.

---

She went to the office fully prepared to face today's work. She had to: meet with the law firm they were connected to, sign all the documents Eli left her with, come up with new projects, and the most difficult of all was stand tall and stay pretty for when Dongwoon arrived. Out of all the things, playing the happy fiance was the hardest to do.

She walked into the conference room where the senior partner of the law firm was waiting for her. She smiled at the man.

"Uncle," she said as the man stood up to greet her. Not only was he senior partner of the firm, he was also her dad's friend.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she answered him as honestly as she could.

"Mhmmm, that's not what your dad tells me." He said and gave her a look that showed he was letting on more than there was.

She sighed sarcastically. "Can we not talk about this here? I'd like to meet the prodigy you so highly talk about." She told him. He laughed.

"Ahh, you're as professional as your dad. Anyway, this guy has been with us for quite some time. Really good. He knows when to attack, and how to attack. He gets things done right all the time."

"And you think he can do what we're asking of you?" She asked him, trying her best to sound as mature as her parents were, but all her uncle did was laugh when she tried.

"He can do that, and more." He told her.

"Well then, send him in as soon as you can." She said.

"He's already here." Her uncle proudly stated.

She turned around and saw the man she least expected to see. She knew he was good but, she never knew he was associated with her uncle. This was crazy, she thought. Fate was playing with her, and today, Fate was ruthless.

This man, she thought. This man was the one they all highly spoke about? She couldn't believe it.

"Jiyong, have a seat." Her Uncle said and gestured at the one beside him.

She was stunned. She didn't know how to react. She looked to his face and saw he had a smug smirk on.

Did he know about this? She couldn't tell. He liked to exude confidence at the work place, and he liked to exude character whenever she was around. Whatever it was though, this was business and she couldn't let her petty, though painful, matters of the heart get to her.

"Jiyong, this is Summer. Summer, this is Kwon Jiyong. He's my associate." The uncle said as he introduced them to each other.

"This is Summer Park, daughter and heiress of Kanghan Industries. You'll be working together."

Jiyong smiled. "I've heard a lot about you, Miss Park." He said in a tone that almost sounded seductive.

"I hope they were all nice things." She said as politely as she could.

"I've heard a lot of things too," Uncle said as he looked back and forth between the two people, but he was as serious as ever.

"So you two best behave. Kanghan asked for the best, and I gave them the best. Jiyong, do not let the firm down. Both of you stick to your priorities. Understood?" 

She sighed, and he let out a short laugh to which her uncle smacked his head after. She observed the two men and realized that they looked comfortable with each other; like they were father and son. It was creepy, she thought but the effect soon faded when he said he had to leave them both to settle mergers and the like.

She was so expecting Jiyong to just leave after that, but he didn't. Instead, he looked at her with a brow quirked out. This shocked her. If anyone was to do any brow raising, it would be her.

He laughed, knowing she felt discomforted by him. He didn't want to make her feel awkward but he was running out of options. He needed to speak to her, and he'd grab at any opportunity to do so.

"Just one question," he asked.

"What is it?" she answered. She couldn't believe that she and her ex were going to work together. She was thinking about it so hard that one could practically hear the gears turning around in her head.

He smiled his famous 100-watt smile and said. "Where do I start, Boss?"

a/n

I'm back! I am officially free! <3 and I will be updating again! sooon :>