****

“Naeun?” asked Myungsoo as he looked around the apartment.

It seemed that Naeun had left earlier than him. He was confused because they both would make breakfast for each other. It seemed that Naeun left early and had made breakfast only for him. He gave a sigh and ate his breakfast alone. Looking at the time, he walked to his room and took his camera with him. Since Naeun wasn’t here, it was better to take pictures around New York City.

 Naeun was at her mother’s company, carrying her mask and Fall Equinox ball dress to her office. Her co-workers were looking at her weirdly because their CEO usually wouldn’t carry a fancy dress often. Her secretary helped her carry the dress to her office. When Naeun reach her office, she gave a sigh and sat at her desk.

“Miss Son, why were you carrying a dress here?” asked her secretary.

“Abeoji wanted me to go to that business party. I hear it was a masquerade.”

“Oh! That ball. .  .It’s a masquerade but why aren’t you preparing for it? Do you want me to call stylists to come here instead?” asked her secretary.

“What salon is close here? I’ll walk there right now,” asked Naeun.

The secretary didn’t protest on Naeun’s decisions as she gave her the address. Naeun took the address and walked to the salon. She asked if they could curl her front sides because her hair was naturally wavy. After a few minutes, she called her secretary and asked if she could bring the dress to the salon. She apologized for not doing this earlier.

At that time, Myungsoo was sitting on the park. He took pictures that resembled New York. He spotted a man proposing to his girlfriend and he gave a smile. Suddenly, he started to think about Naeun. He wondered if she wanted to marry him. It’s been seven years since they started dating and another six years since they had known each other. He wanted to know what type of ring Naeun wanted so he decided to call Chorong.

“Hello?” asked Chorong who picked up the phone.

“Hey, Cho. How are you and Woohyun?” asked Myungsoo.

“We’re fine. We’re here in New York because of some masquerade ball party that Woohyun was invited to.”

“Really? I’m going there too,” said Myungsoo.

“Ah, I’ll see you and Naeun then,” smiled Chorong.

“Actually, Naeun is-”

“NAM CHORONG, WHO IS THAT GUY THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO!?!” yelled Woohyun.

Woohyun was completely overprotective over his new wife. He didn’t like any guy talking to her. Even though Chorong is faithful to him, he couldn’t help but get worried. He was way more overly protective of Chorong than Myungsoo with Naeun.

“Yah! Nam Woohyun! Your best friend called me!” yelled Chorong.

“WHAT!?! HE IS CHEATING ON HIS GIRLFRIEND! Wait, until I- OW! Why did you hit me!?!” yelled Woohyun.

“Because you know Myungsoo is deeply in love with Naeun!”

“Then why would he call you!?! MYUNGSOO WHY ARE YOU CALLING MY- OW! Ronggie, stop hitting me,” whined Woohyun.

“You, Namgrease, L was about to ask me. . .” stated Chorong.

Myungsoo silently listened to the hilarious argument between the married couple. He knew that both of them loved each other. He was happy that they both got married to each other. When Woohyun had finally left Chorong alone, she wanted to see if Myungsoo was still on the phone.

“L, are you still there?” asked Chorong.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Sorry about that. . .Woohyun tends to do that a lot,” laughed Chorong.

“I understand, I tend to be overly protective of Naeun too.”

“That’s good. So what did you want to ask me?”

“I wanted to ask what type of diamond ring would Naeun like?”

“BWOH!?! YOU’RE PROPOSING TO NAEUN!?!?” yelled Chorong.

“Shh! Cho, keep it down before-” Myungsoo was interrupted by Woohyun.

“THAT’S MY MAN! MYUNGSOO IS FINALLY A MAN! GO AND ASK HER!” yelled Woohyun from the other room.

Myungsoo gave a sigh because this couple was hopeless. He was about to end the call but suddenly Chorong answered the question.

“I’ll send you a picture. Naeun and my Apink friends had gone to a jewelry shop. I took a picture of Naeun staring at a certain diamond ring. The thing about Naeun is that she doesn’t really look at accessories or jewelry. As long as you love her, she is willing to accept you,” said Chorong.

“Thanks, Chorong. See you and Woohyun later,” chuckled Myungsoo as he ended the call.

Later, he received a picture of Naeun staring at a ring and another picture of what the ring looked like. He realized that she was wearing a familiar outfit like it was her mother’s style. He realized this was a while ago. It was back when Naeun wasn’t into anything but studying. He walked toward the mall and looked for an expert.

“Excuse me, but is there any ring similar to this?” asked Myungsoo and showed a picture of the ring.

The expert showed Myungsoo to similar rings. He found a ring that stood out the most. It was identical to the ring that Naeun was looking at in the past. In person, he realized why Naeun would choose this ring. It may be plain but it shone brightly. It reminded him of Naeun as he gave a smile.

“I would like this one, please,” said Myungsoo.

When he got the ring in a box, he placed the box in his camera bag. He went back to the apartment and got ready for the party.

Naeun was finally done with her transformation from CEO to reliving her masquerade ball fantasy. The secretary smiled because her boss looked flawless. Naeun was embarrassed because she hadn’t worn a dress like this for a while now. She wanted to hide in a corner but she didn’t want her hair to get into a mess.

“Miss Son, do you have a date for this party?” asked the secretary.

“Aniyo, I don’t. I’m just going there for the sake of my father.”

“What about Myungsoo?” asked the secretary.

“He’s going to be there but I want I surprise him,” smiled Naeun.

The secretary smiled as she helped Naeun to the car. When she finally got into the car, Naeun held onto her mask. She couldn’t believe she was wearing the same thing she wore like 7 years ago.  When she got near the Plaza, she placed her mask on. Walking out of the car, she entered the party. It was beautiful but to keep a low profile, she decided to go by the food area.

Myungsoo walked in with his mask on. It was the same mask he wore when he went to the ball with Naeun. He wore a nice suit and looked for Woohyun and Chorong. He needed to ask Woohyun how he proposed to Chorong. He didn’t want to be fancy because he knew Naeun wouldn’t like things like that. She did appreciate them but he wanted it to be natural feel to her. As he walked down into the crowd, he spotted a girl wearing a nice sequenced dress. Suddenly, he was distracted by a guy who hugged him.

“Myungsoo!” yelled a familiar shrieking voice.

Myungsoo gave a smile because he knew it was his choding best friend, Sungyeol.

“Hey Yeol. Long time no see,” smiled Sungyeol.

“Yeah, you and Naeun came to Namjoo and my wedding but then you two left without going to the reception party. How rude,” whined Sungyeol.

“Sorry Sungyeol, Naeun and I still had one semester until we both graduated together,” said Myungsoo.

“Where is Naeun, L?” asked Namjoo as she looked around for Naeun.

“Ah, she didn’t come,” sighed Myungsoo.

“WHAT!?! How could she not have come? I know she was one of the first people invited along with you. That’s not possible,” said Sungyeol.

“She said she wasn’t invited but I knew she was. I went along with whatever she said. We all know how horrible she is at lying,” said Myungsoo.

“You didn’t go after her?” asked Sungyeol.

“Aniyo, why would I go after her if she woke up two hours earlier than me? I haven’t seen her the whole day.”

“Ah, she probably didn’t want to go then.”

“Probably. .  .”sighed Myungsoo.

“Aww, Namjoo don’t be sad. I’m sure Chorong, Eunji, Yookyung and Bomi are here,” said Sungyeol as he patted his wife’s head.

“Oppa, I have a feeling Hayoung won’t come because she is expected to have a child real soon, maybe even today. Sungjong took her to the hospital already,” said Namjoo.

Myungsoo smiled at Sungyeol and Namjoo. Their relationship wasn’t as crazy as Woorong. It was more of a soft and fluffy type of marriage.

“I’m going to eat. See you two later,” said Myungsoo as he walked toward the food area.

When he got there, he realized the girl wearing the sequenced dress was gone. He decided to stay by the food area, knowing she will come back. Suddenly, he received a hug and saw it was Bomi. Oh gawd. . .No. . .He stood like a tree and saw Dongwoo smiling at his girlfriend.

“Get. Off.” Muttered Myungsoo.

“Yah! I missed you and Naeun. Don’t say that!” said Bomi as she pulled back and stood next to Dongwoo.

“Hey Myungsoo! How’s your business life?” asked Dongwoo.

“Great, how is your love life?” asked Myung.

“Great, Bomi is amazing girl. I can’t believe I was oblivious to her feelings for so long,” smiled Dongwoo while looking at Bomi.

“Aigoo, Oppa~ Stop talking about that. I know I was the one who confessed but I couldn’t hide it anymore,” said Bomi as she shook her head.

“I know and I’m glad you confessed,” said Dongwoo as he gave one of his angelic smiles.

Myungsoo turned away from the couple because they were doing public display of affection. He looked around and saw the girl again. He followed her but again another obstacle had stopped him from reaching her. This time it was the Hoji couple, Eunji and Hoya.

“Hey, Myung! What’s up?” asked Eunji.

“ Nothing much, anyways if you could excuse me.”

“L! Bro! I haven’t see you for a while,” said Hoya as he gave him a punch on the arm.

“Hey, Hoya. Yeah, I haven’t seen you for a while too. I’ve been great. Just talking to Eunji. Congrats to your engagement. When are you guys getting married?” asked Myungsoo.

“A month from now,” said Hoya.

“Come to wedding with your future wife,” said Eunji as she winked to Myungsoo.

“I’ll talk to you guys later. I need to go,” said Myungsoo as he tried to follow where the girl went but she disappeared once again.

He gave a sigh and started to walk toward the tables. Suddenly, he met Woohyung and Chorong.

“L!” yelled Chorong as she hugged him.

“Hey, Cho and Woohyun,” said Myungsoo.

“You seem a little bothered,” said Woohyun as he sat next to Myungsoo.

Chorong sat next to Woohyun after pulling away from the hug.

“Do you ever feel like your memories haunt you?” asked Myungsoo.

“No, why do you feel that way?” asked Woohyun and Chorong, simultaneously.

“I keep seeing this girl wearing the same dress that Naeun wore during the Fall Equinox ball. It’s driving me crazy because I don’t know who she is but I definitely remembered that Naeun decided not to go to party.”

“Funny, I saw it too. I keep seeing her move a lot from one person to another person like she is looking for someone,” said Chorong.

“You saw her?” asked Myungsoo.

“Myungsoo, I think you need to hug her. That’s the only way on finding her identity,” said Chorong.

“Where do you think she is now?” asked Myungsoo.

“I saw her silhouette going to the balcony. I think you will find her there,” said Chorong.

Myungsoo left Chorong and Woohyun at the tables. Woohyun looked his wife to ask for any explanations. Chorong said something fairly simple.

“Naeun is here,” said Chorong.

Woohyun nodded but he didn’t believe her as he watched Myungsoo go to the balcony. When Myungsoo got to the balcony, he saw a girl standing and looking at the night sky. He smiled because Chorong was correct with her assumption. He did what Chorong had told him to do and backhugged her. The girl jumped a little and turned to Myungsoo who had a mask on. Myungsoo was sad that she was also wearing that he took it off. The girl closed her eyes until her mask was gone. Myungsoo widened his eyes and saw it was Naeun. He took his mask off and revealed his face to Naeun too.

“Naeun? What are you doing here?” asked Myungsoo as he kept his arm around her waist.

“I wanted to surprise you. I guess it didn’t work because you found me,” said Naeun.

“You did surprise me. I can’t believe you saved my dress for you and it still fits you, perfectly. Also, it doesn’t seem to be that droopy. I remember when you first wore the dress, it was a little droopy. It looks perfect on you and your perfect height,” said Myungsoo.

Naeun shook her head and laughed at Myungsoo’s precision. She turned to him and hugged him. She knew that he felt lonely. Myungsoo was happy that Naeun was here. He needed to thank Chorong later for her correct assumption.

“Myung, when are you going to let me go?” asked Naeun.

“Never. I won’t let you go,” joked Myungsoo as he backed away from Naeun.

He took something out of his pocket and bent down in front of her. Naeun was confused with Myungsoo was done as she saw a little box in his hand. Suddenly, she widened her eyes when Myungsoo opened the box while he knelt down on one knee.

“Son Naeun, my princess of the night, the one whom I love deeply, will you marry me?” asked Myungsoo.

Naeun covered because she was so surprised as she knelt down beside him and hugged him. She cried while looking at the ring he held.

“Yes, I will marry you,” Naeun said softly.

Myungsoo smiled as he and Naeun kissed at the night of the party. He pulled back and placed the ring on her ring finger. It matched Naeun as he intertwined his fingers with hers. They both decided to look at the night sky.

“Naeun, do you know why you are here?” asked Myungsoo.

“Hmm? I’m here because of my father,” said Naeun.

“Aniyo, you’re here because of the promise I made to your mother.”

“What?” asked Naeun as she tilted her head.

“Do you remember when you used to work at that grocery store? I followed you to escape my father’s guards. It led me to you and your mother. After you finished talking to your mother, I was about to escape but your mother asked me to come in. I talked with her and then she asked me something. It was to take care of you until you found someone that you loved,” said Myungsoo.

“So that’s why you were my secret stalker admirer,” said Naeun.

“Yes, but there was something else. . .I promised her that will take of you but I started to fall for you,” said Myungsoo.

“It’s funny that I started to fall for you too but I kept denying it.”

“I think that promise was fated,” said Myungsoo.

“I think so too but there should be another promise since that one was fulfilled,” said Naeun.

Myungsoo tilted his head and looked at Naeun.

“Promise me that we both will live fully and lovingly toward each other until we part,” said Naeun.

Myungsoo gave a smile and pecked Naeun’s cheek.

“Yes, I promise. It will be our

Fated Promise.”

THE END