Blaring horns gain more clarity and she takes a peek towards the window only to be blinded by the blazing sun. From the warmth, she can tell it's already late in the morning.  Ugh, still too early . Ji Hyo stares blankly at the ceiling as she waits for her senses to come to life.

She only crawls out of her bed when she's calmed down enough to hear the clock ticking in her living room. It never fails to guilt trip out of sloth when she can feel her life draining away like that. Suddenly she feels something silky smooth under her right foot and she retracts in surprise. The still groggy woman looks down to find a semi-flattened bowtie and the night's memories all come flooding back to her, like a swarm of noisy locusts.

Her brows furrow as she slowly turns back to her bed, confused as to how she ended up there. She only remembers falling asleep in her closet, scoffing at her incredibly pitiful behavior. She never left it, never walked to her bed. Ji Hyo steps to gingerly turn the closet door knob. It's unlocked. Didn't she lock it as well? She carefully peers in to find her closet looking like...her closet. It looks perfectly normal, with her broom placed in its original position and all of her clothes hanging as she left it yesterday. She wasn't really sure what explained her apprehensive behavior. Did she expect to find another version of herself sleeping inside?

Her brain was already a mess from trying to rationalize last night's events and she didn't need to add sleepwalking to her troubles. She trudges back to pick up the bowtie and her eyes glaze over as she replays all the events of the past two nights (not that she could really remember much of the first). Her fist clenched around it. This tiny item had been the last, unsuspecting straw to break the camel's back, and she can feel her blood start to boil in frustration at Chang Joo.

And then she remembers the victim, Jong Kook. Well, she hopes that he really isn't a victim and she's just being paranoid. Ji Hyo reaches for her phone, scrolling through to find his name and presses "call". She watches the seconds tick on the screen as it dials his number. It's already at the third ring when she realizes with a gasp what impulse has led her to. Her thumb jabs in desperation at the red phone to end it. Her heart races as she hopes it disconnected successfully.    l'm not supposed to call him anymore. I'm not supposed to talk to him anymore. I'm trying to distance myself.

She relaxes slightly as the dial screen closes and returns to her home screen. Sitting down on her bed in defeat, the frazzled woman chews on her lip, wondering how she could figure out if he was even alive or not.    Calm down, Ji Hyo. He's not dead. At worst, he's “hurt”…the degree of which was “TBD”  She considered if she could get away with calling and then hanging up the first second she heard his voice. She just wanted to make sure he had a pulse. Or she could text him something like: “Wehaven'ttalkedoutsideoffilmingforareallylongtime, butjustrandomly, I wanted to see if your body is intact right now...?"

She sighs, conflicted, before pressing the Naver shortcut on her phone and entering his name. Good. No recent news. No news is good news.

But then her eyes catch sight of the images in the search feed. Some of his side profile, some of his chest, some of his arms. Her fingers dance across the screen, enlarging photos and looking for more, losing herself in her sea of eye candy. And suddenly she finds herself on a fan forum with a horribly photoshopped banner, a disguised hard slap of reality. Her eyes bulge and she rushes to close the window in embarrassment.  That was a long time ago, Ji Hyo. You're over that now.

Ji Hyo is now staring dazed at her home screen again, caught between stubborn worry and relief from obvious truth. She notices the alert on her text message icon, indicating an unread message and tenses.

It's from "BCJ", reading: "Ji Hyo, let's meet some time.”, time-stamped 2:03am. She must've missed it in her earlier frenzy, searching for signs of Jong Kook’s wellbeing. Just reading his name sends a red hot burst of fear and anger through her. Mostly anger, might she add. She’d like to think she’s not afraid of him. But she’s still too possessed with last night memories to respond. Ji Hyo turns off her screen and falls back onto her bed. She’ll deal with him later.

Her eyes find the familiar ceiling and her mind is off to the races once more.  What does the message mean? Are they breaking up?  Her heart quickens at the thought, but she's not sure what her reaction means.

Would he still sign her under his company? Would he still find her something in the US? There's a sinking disappointment as she entertains that reality. Despite being uncomfortable with traveling abroad for all this time, she also doesn't want to let it go. She hates herself for being greedy and wanting both worlds.

A call jerks her away from her thoughts. It’s Jong Kook.  . What do I do now? Her thumb hovers over the phone, wondering which direction of the phone to swipe – accept or decline? She stares at the blinking screen for a good five seconds, hoping for it to both switch voicemail and hold out for a few more seconds until she can make a decision.

There’s a tingle of excitement spreading through her as she chooses. He’s alright.  It didn’t even matter what the call was going to be about. She already found the answer. She slides her thumb to the right: accept . She’d give him a chance this time.

“Hello?”, her voice comes out unexpectedly weak.

“Ji Hyo, ya?”. It’s still just as warm as months before. As if she had never been a complete jerk to him.

“N-neh, oppa.”  Oppa . Her face grows warm. She loves the way it sounds off her lips. It feels foreign and familiar at the same time.

“Sorry I missed your call. Did you need something?”

“Uh n-n-no? I just uhhh buttdialed you. Sorry, oppa”, she blurted out.  That sounded convincing enough right?

“No problem. It happens.”

Silence. She could hear him breathing on the other end, waiting for her response.

Ji Hyo couldn’t think of anything else to say, without opening a floodgate of apologies, so she held out, hoping he’d slide in a generic comment to continue the conversation. She also just wants to hear his voice again. There is a slight deepness to it that envelops her like a soft blanket.

“Well, I hope you’re doing alright. It’s been a while, you know?”, he continued.

Her heart lurched.  It’s my fault that it’s been a while. Why do you act like it isn’t?

“Yeah, it has been.” She keeps it short and swallows in guilt.

“Let me know if you ever need anything. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” The words stab her like knives. They’re the exact opposite of what she has and exactly what she wants.

The clock ticks wildly in her ear as she tries to construct a normal response, knowing the window for a natural reply is quickly narrowing. She’d never want to rouse his suspicions. Jong Kook’s detective skills are not to be ignored.

“S-sure. I’ll let you know.” She scoffs inwardly at the incredible lie.

“Great, I’ll see you at filming, Ji Hyo. It was such a nice surprise talking to you again. I’ve missed you so much.”

Jong Kook surely didn’t mean to make Ji Hyo feel like . But he did.

- - -

"Ji Hyo?" her fiancé texts her again the next day. She doesn’t respond.

"Honey?" the following day.

Ji Hyo only responds two days later, having stepped away from it long enough such that seeing his name no longer sparks a whirlwind of emotions. She knows she’ll have to deal with him sooner or later.

They agree on lunch.

- - -

Ji Hyo buckles her seat belt, waiting to hear the ignition of Chang Joo’s car and for it to pull out of the restaurant parking lot. She watches him reach for the to-go kimbap and unwrap the plastic. He takes a big bite and chews intensely. The confused woman stares at him in expectation, eyes glancing over the dashboard for keys.

"Oppa, aren't we going anywhere?" She feels like an idiot, sitting there strapped in pristinely and trying to ignore her growling stomach, while he is already thoroughly munching away.

Chang Joo responds hastily, gifting her with a generous view of smushed kimbap. “No, we’re staying here. I don’t want to be photographed.” That was always his response to their very few public outings.

She softly nods and reaches over to unwrap her food. The normally ordinary plastic crinkling sounds like thunder within the car, as her fiancé is silent, busy with his food. Ji Hyo bites down on her rice roll cautiously, preparing for any questions he may have for her, since she’s trapped with him. Her mind works furiously to study his face and assess his mood.

Her fiancé, however, doesn’t speak a word to her, still engrossed in his food. Sometimes he looks up at her, which she catches from her peripherals, other times he stares out the window people-watching.

Ji Hyo is afraid that if she doesn’t say something first, he will bring up the fight, and she’s not ready to discuss it just yet.

“The food is good, right?”, she pipes up, grimacing inwardly at what is possibly her lamest attempt to date as an ice breaker.

He grunts in agreement. The temporary momentum dies off again and the sound of rustling of paper occupies the space between them.

Ji Hyo swallows hardly, not able to stand the tension much longer. She opens to start yet another one-liner when Chang Joo finally bursts her bubble. It was time to deal with the elephant.

“Have you ever cheated on me?” She feels him look over at her, and she avoids it by suddenly finding her food incredibly interesting. She’s afraid of those glaring, red eyes.

“No”, she barely croaks out. It comes out sounding like a lie. Ji Hyo hopes he doesn’t notice and that it doesn’t set him off. She tries to steady her breaths.

He takes it surprisingly well. There’s no off-handed comment from him in response.

“Look at me, Ji Hyo”, his voice is still conversational, but it sends her heart pounding in her ears.

She didn’t want a repeat of that night. When their eyes meet, he’s looking back at her plainly, but she sees a hungry monster beside her, waiting to rip her to shreds.

He holds her gaze. “Would you ever cheat on me?”, his eyes almost look sad as his brows furrow.

“No, of course not”, the actress replies, nearly instantly, thinking the response time would convince him of her honesty.

He continues to stare into her eyes. He’s trying to see if she’s lying. She knows it.

Ji Hyo bites her lower lip and challenges him with the same intensity. She wonders if he can see her doubt, see that if she could get away with it, she’d consider it from time to time, see that more than once she fantasized that it would be with Kim Jong Kook.

The stalemate lasts for a deafening five seconds. Her right first clenches as she braces herself for his call-out.

“Okay, I trust you”, he finally speaks, looking into her eyes. His tone is so gentle, it sounds ominous.

She manages a smile. It’s quiet once more.

His right hand reaches over for her left. His fingers slide over her palm as they wrap around its span. His hand feels clammy.

“I’m so lucky to have you”, he says, words soft like breaths.

Ji Hyo looks over in surprise, amazed at how quickly he’s seemingly forgiven her.

She realizes it’s her turn to respond, but can’t think of anything that wouldn’t betray her true feelings. She has too much self-respect to lie and say the same back, so she smiles and squeezes his hand in return.

He looks back at her warmly. There’s relief in his tired eyes.

Ji Hyo grows more comfortable and the tense atmosphere fizzles away. He’s not out to get her today; she’s not on trial.

The conversation veers off into casual territory as Chang Joo starts the car again to head back to Ji Hyo’s apartment.

As his attention is no longer devoted to her, she takes the opportunity to study his profile and replay his previous words and actions. She doesn’t buy a single second of his sincerity. Surely, this was all an act in some ploy of his. Her mind works furiously to detect any crack in his facade. There is absolutely no way he already put her alleged cheating behind him. He must be planning something. This must be to lower my guard. She’s not sorry for seeing him so negatively…well okay, maybe a little bit.

Ji Hyo’s flashback reaches the point where she promised she’d stayed faithful to him. She tries not to think about the gravity of its implications. She pretty much chained herself to him. The only way she could free herself would be to get a divorce, and she’s almost positive he wouldn’t agree to it. And if she brought it to court, there would be so much financial and reputational damage, she’s not even sure that it’s worth it. She’d also feel like such an opportunistic if she divorced him after all he did for her career. She’s at her peak now, in no small part to his efforts and support. Why does she keep agreeing to things without thinking it through? She always answers how she should be, not how she ought to be. She hates herself for—wait, divorce? To divorce means she has to be married first. She’s not even married yet. She stares down at her hands for confirmation. She’s only engaged. Why was she assuming she’s already bound to him?...

A/N: BCJ is either a jealous, manipulative business man or an apologetic, insecure fiance. Up to you to decide.

I'm sorry there's always so much Chang Joo in each chapter. I know you guys don't like him one bit and always waiting for SA. Stay tuned for the next chapter...