Jin Young signed her last document and passed it to her father who was waiting patiently in front of her, before quickly gave it to her secretary next to him.

“What is the point of me signing the papers; the project only can be executed with Ri In’s signature.” Leaning back in her seat, she whispered the question when the back figure of her secretary vanished at the entrance door.

“All documents need three of us signatures…”

“Ours are not valid without her, while hers solely can deny our signature.” She corrected her father while throwing her gaze to the slow-moving traffic.

Mr. Jang cleared his throat, “Don’t bring this up again, Jin Young…”

She shifted her attention to her father who was having a stern look on his face.”I didn’t run this company for so long, yet I could see the difference between me and her. Why is Ri In the real owner of this company, appa?”

He keeps silent for a second before turned his body around, get ready to leave the square.

 “Appa, I demand an explanation!”

“Keep the curiosity to yourself, Jang Jin Young… and keep this situation the way it is… it won’t bring you any good if you know more…” He replied in a dangerous hissing tone before leaving his angry daughter alone.

*****

Ri In stare at her bowl, she didn’t dare to lift up her head to look at the opposite girl who was staring at her when they are supposed to eat like the elders.

She was definitely shock to see Se Kyung standing in front of the door with her family, and it doubled when Mrs. Jung introduced Mrs. Shin as her only cousin, and Shin Se Kyung is her only daughter.

“Ri In, why are you not eating? You too, Se Kyung-ah…” Mrs. Jung asked the moment she noticed the awkward situation.

“I am going to eat, ahjumma… but I was shy to see Ri In-sshi wasn’t eating…”

Ri In could feel her breath leave her the moment Se Kyung mentioned her name.

“Ri In, are you not feeling well? Do you want to rest?”

Ri In quickly shook her head. “It is okay, umma…”

“By the way, ahjumma… you said Ri In-sshi was studying in Seoul University… which faculty?”

A soft clank was heard right after that, with all eyes were fixed on Ri In who looks so disturbed as she accidentally dropped her spoon that she grabbed earlier.

Mrs. Jung turned her face to look at her daughter in law, as she also didn’t know what course she was attending.

“Ri In?”

“P… Photography and Art Department…”

Yunho irked his eyebrows, he never knows she is a photography student

“Then you are Se Kyung’s sunbae…” All the attention later shifted to Mrs. Shin who was looking so excited to know they were attending the same course.

“Ne, umma… that’s why I think I saw Ri In-sshi before… but the faculty is so big with hundreds of student… I wasn’t sure that she is my sunbae or not…” She calmly replied before sipping her water.

“Then both of you can help each other next time.. Ri In wouldn’t mind to help her hoobaes…right Ri In?”

All of them resumed their eating when Mrs Shin suddenly starts a conversation again. “So, how does it feels to be married, Yunho-ah? Aigoo… I think Cassiopeia must be frustrated to know their oppa is already belongs to some other girl…” Yunho shuddered before choosing to look at Ri In’s direction, which what Mrs. Shin assumed as a loving gaze.

“Maybe there are also certain guys who feel sad with the marriage…”

“Is it?” Grandfather Jung asked from the head of the table. “Is my granddaughter in law having many men waiting for her?”

Se Kyung looks directly to Ri In who was already shaking in fear, faintly shook her head hoping she wouldn’t mention Jonghyun’s name.

“Ri In-sshi is very beautiful… she might have a lot of secret admire waiting around her…” She smiled to the excited audience, but only Ri In noticed how it was actually a smirk.

“You are right; child… my granddaughter in law is such a beautiful, which is why my grandson cannot resist her…”

“Ne, and I hope she would leave her unwanted fan boys to me…” The audiences laugh louder than before resuming their abandoned conversation earlier, not noticing the weird aura shared by the young females and Ri In feels like her fever is coming back, worse than before.

 

“So, Yunho-sshi is your husband?”

Both of them were left alone at the kitchen to wash the dirty plates, Ri In was insisting at first to escape from Se Kyung but she followed her to the kitchen, saying she wanted a bonding time with her sunbae.

“Ri In sunbae-nim…”

Ri In turned to look at Se Kyung, who already have her voice trembled. “So you left JongHyun for Yunho-sshi… you are so greedy for wanting a success man as your husband…”

“He is the man that I love, Se Kyung-ah… so please don’t let this secret revealed…”

Both women stare into each other’s eyes that already wet in tears, this unexpected meeting somehow pain their heart.

“You need to pay a price for this secret, sunbae-nim…” Se Kyung slowly spoke, a lone tear escaped her left eye.

“Stay away from JongHyun, as far as you can do…”

It hurts to choose between her life time best friend and her soon going to be divorced husband.

“Is that all?”

 

But everything is fine as long as it is for Yunho, and to leave JongHyun to Se Kyung is not a bad choice either…

 

“You are cruel, sunbae-nim… It is so easy for you to leave JongHyun for Yunho-sshi, I really hate you…”

 Se Kyung wipes clean her tears before walked out from the kitchen, Ri In was left with her last word continue ringing in her ears.

“The reason why I am not wanted because I am…cruel?” She asked herself, trying to hold the kitchen counter when she feels her vision turned blurry as her head spin, her body feels numb with an unknown ache.

“I am glad I finally know the reason…”

She finally let the darkness swept her when she collapsed on the kitchen floor, shutting her from the harsh reality of her love story.

 

*****

 

The Jung’s house falls into a chaos when Ji Hye founds Ri In unconscious body on the cold floor; her face was almost as white as the paper sheet with a burning skin. The family doctor arrived half an hour later, and the whole family was shocked learning her real condition.

“She is dehydrated, with her fever is up to 39 degree Celsius. She is supposedly to stay in the hospital or at least have a bed rest, not walking around with such a heat on her head.”

They all sit at the living room, grandfather Jung’s happy face was long replaced by a worried expression.

“Don’t you feel her temperature when she cooks with you just now?”

“I do, but she insisted to stay at the kitchen…” Mrs. Jung replied shortly, she is also worried with her condition.

“I’ll call her family, appa…”Mr. Jung said before left to his room to make a call to his in-law.

            Yunho just watched the scene in front him with a disturbed mind, he feels guilty for not taking care of her, or at least giving her the slightest attention she should received from him.

            And the worst part is he knows her bad condition since a week ago, but he didn’t do anything about it, at all.

            He feels shame to even call himself a guy at that moment.

            “Yunho?”

            He looked up to his grandfather who was staring at him with an unreadable gaze. “Are you listening?”

“What is it grandfather?”

“Please check on Ri In, it is almost two hours and she didn’t wake up yet.”

 

Yunho sits beside his sleeping wife, he placed the back of his hand to her forehead to check her temperature, and she is still burning like before. He stares at her sleeping face, her lips look extra red and dry, but other than that, she looks… beautiful.

He turned his gaze to somewhere else to distract the weird growing feeling, but he was pulled back when he heard a faint whisper from his wife direction.

“Ri In?”

He wipe the sweat that starts to form on her forehead, her lips quivered as he sense a subtle tremble coming from the thick comforter.

“Are you thirsty? Do you want to drink?” He asked.

“Cold… it is cold Butler Seo…”

He frowned to her whisper, wasn’t a sick child supposed to call her parents or siblings name, insist of a butler?

“Ri In…”

He stops when he saw a wet spot at the corner of her closed eyes, he raised his hand to wipe it away, but his movement was halted when she turned to her side, he shuddered when her hand find its way to his, linking their fingers together before she placed it under her right cheek.

The lone tear falls.

“Don’t go… please don’t let me go…”

 

Yunho keeps their position like that until he feels her clamps loosen before slowly pulled away. Tucking her neatly under the sheet, he walked back to the living room, only to find his family having an intense conversation.

“What kind of family is this? Not ever mind their daughter is sick?”

Yunho sat beside his father, who looks so angry with a form of redness spread on his cheek. “Appa, what’s wrong?”

“I call Ri In’s family just now to inform her situation, they need to know in case they cannot find her…” He paused.

“But the reply was so unexpected… Her father said Ri In is a grown up girl, she should know how to take care of herself,  while her sister said she need to be taught for not be to childish and depends on others… What kind of bull is that? I am restless whenever my child is not well, not minding whether it is you or Ji Hye, since kids until now.”

Mrs. Jung gently his shoulder trying to ease her angry husband, while Ji Hye who stands not so far from them looked at Yunho with disbelief in her eyes.

Yunho stole a glance to his grandfather, who was cracking his fingers, a gesture that only appears when he is thinking.

“I shouldn’t leave her…”

“Grandfather?” He called; he thought the old man said something.

“She never received proper care from the family, what we are expecting from Jang Ki Seuk?”

Yunho and his father look at each other, not really understand what he was mumbling about.

“Poor her… she doesn’t deserve this kind of life…”

Yunho walked to his grandfather and kneel down before him, slowly patting his knee. “Grandfather, what are you saying?”

Grandfather Jung turned his cloudy gaze to Yunho, as if he was replaying a memory in his mind.

“Give her the real happiness she should have, Yunho-ah… maybe you don’t remember, but you like her so much when you were kids…”

His eyebrows knitted together, he likes her since his childhood days?

“Grandfather, I didn’t get what you are saying…”

“The doll girl, don’t you remember?”

“Doll… girl?” He frowned, he does remember the nickname…

Yunho never likes to attend a formal event, people always stare at him as if he is so different from others. He dislike all the touches on his skin by the old females he met in such party, all envied and talked about his looks and beautiful skin, somehow he feels uncomfortable.

But that night, he feels glad he joins the night.

He noticed from a distance a very beautiful girl peeping between people, which he assumed to get a look of him. He stays close to the girl, whom he recognized as the birthday girl, because it is the only angle that allows him a better view of that girl.

He follows her when he saw her retreat figure, and there he saw clearly how beautiful she is, standing near the fountain illuminated by the moon light, for the first time in his thirteen years old, he saw something as beautiful as Ji Hye’s doll collection.

He braved himself to take steps towards her.

 “It is beautiful here… many stars on the sky…”

She keeps silent, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw how she stares at him.

 “You must feeling hot staying inside, isn’t? Same with me, I guess we both can’t stand a formal event…”

He turned his face to his side; start to wonder why that doll girl never replies any of his sentences. Their gaze locked together for a second, before he broke it first, he feels like his heart is bursting out looking the beauty’s eyes. “Are you mute or something?”

“No, I can speak…” She has a beautiful voice…

“But I was told not to speak with commoner…”

He don’t want to be a commoner to her…

 “My name is Jung Yunho… I am thirteen years old…” He is not this nervous when he go for the audition!

“So, can I call you oppa?”

His heart beamed in excitement.

“Young Miss, where have you been?”

The sound of shattering glass from the second floor diverts his attention from retrieve more memories. They rushed to Yunho’s room to find Ri In was squatting next to his bed, trying to pick up the broken glass.

“Unnie!” Ji Hye rushed to her, pulling her hand away.

“I am sorry for breaking it… I am thirsty…”

“You just can call us!” She exclaimed in worried, but her high tone was misinterpreted by Ri In.

Her body tense, she always afraid the sound of people arguing, and she immediately shivered the moment Ji Hye raised her voice. And the burning feeling lingering on her skin wasn’t helping.

“I am sorry… I am really sorry…”

Yunho strides to the girls, squatting next to his wife, he holds both of her shoulder before helping her to stand. “Nobody get angry with you just because you break the glass…”

She saw her side face, and her glistening eyes immediately caught his attention.

He quietly turned to his parents and grandfather who was standing behind them, mouthing them to let him take care of her, and asking Ji Hye the same.

Yunho carefully seated her at the side of the bed, before kneel down in front of her who was looking down to her lap, he tried to eased her fidgeting fingers.

And that time, he wasn’t even realizing how effortless his action was.

“Calm down… Are you still thirsty? Or hungry?”

Ri In weakly shook her head, before collect her hair long hair to the one side of her neck.

“It is getting late; I think I should go home…”

“It is not even dinner yet, and even if it is, this is your house too...”

She slowly lifted her gaze to find his, shiver immediately run along her spine once she succeeds doing it.

“This place is not mine after six months…” She reminds, he seems like forgetting their agreement.

They both keep their eyes on each other, and Yunho quickly learn that he did recognize those eyes, that beautiful expression.

He lowered his eyes, and later his eyes fixed on her necklace, he saw her wedding band hanging on it.

“Why are you not wearing it?” He asked, before his fingers reached the ring.

“Where is yours?”

Yunho stays frozen; he thinks he has mixed it with his groups accessories.

“Yunho-sshi… today is such a happy day, even though we are just acting like our marriage is okay, it is alright with me…”

It seems like she was mumbling rather than speaking. Tilting his head up, he saw her eyes is only half open.

“Just let me treasure your family for these six months before you take it away from me…”

 Yunho quickly caught her falling body, as she fainted again. Adjusting her on his bed, he quickly went under the covers before letting his arm as her pillow, pulling her inside his chest. Ji Hyun likes doing this when she had fever.

Closing his eyes, he tries to get back the disturbed memories before and without he even realized, his consciousness already left him.

 

Watching the short scene from the half closed door, Mr and Mrs Jung stops Grandfather Jung from walking back to his room, he gained back his smile through out the scene before him.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Jung hold his father’s hand. “Appa, regarding Yunho and Ri In’s past, we want an explanation…”

Sighing, Grandfather Jung knows sooner or later he needs to tell them full story of Jang Su Hyeon and Gil Ra Im. With a slight nod, three of them walked to his reading room, ready to hear the unexpected story kept by the old man for so many years.

*****

Hai~~

Long time no see…

Tomorrow is Eid on my country… do I have any readers who celebrate eid here?

Aigoo, I thought short holiday allows me to update, unfortunately no…

My uncle passed away few days ago, it is kind of sad to celebrate this year eid…

If anybody confused about the characters, Mr. Jang that always with Jin Young is Jang Ki Seuk…  I am in giving name… just be patient with me..

Happy reading girls!!

Comments n subscribers are so much loved!!! Silent readers, one comment wont hurt~~

p/s: dont double read, sorry for the major mistakes (i know u guys love me enough to forgive the minor one)

:)