Jungwha was woken by the sound of the door creaking open. Stirring in the guest bed, she turned and faced the door and saw Woohyun leaning against the frame of the door.

 

She gave him a sleepy smile and put her head back down on the pillow and

turning the other direction. Woohyun’s smile fell from his face as she moved away from him, bringing the blanket higher up her body. He made his way towards the bed and laid down on it.

 

“Get off,” she whined, trying to pull the blanket from underneath him.

 

“No,” he said, “I will not get off.”

 

“Fine,” Junghwa groaned in annoyance and sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes. She then looked at Woohyun who had a triumphant smile on his face.

 

“Mom said to wake up right now, breakfast is almost ready,” he told her.

 

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?!” She whined quickly getting out of the bed and running to the bathroom to make herself presentable. Junghwa ran back out of the restroom and grabbed her clothes from the day before and went back into the bathroom to get changed.

 

Ten minutes later, she came back into the room and saw Woohyun lying down on his side with the blanket up to his chin.

 

“Your phone was ringing,” he told her.

 

Junghwa made her way towards where Woohyun was and pecked his cheek. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs and eat,” she urged him, ignoring his statement about her phone ringing. Surely an extra hour or two wasn't going to hurt anyone. Woohyun’s cheeks flushed red when her lips came in contact with his cheeks. Junghwa offered her hand to him which he took hold of, and with her help, got off of the bed and followed her out the room.

 

“You two took a while to come down,” Junghwa could hear the playfulness in his mother’s voice as the two entered the dining room.

 

Woohyung sat down beside Junghwa at the table. “Someone had to look presentable,” he chuckled as he kissed Junghwa’s right temple.

 

Woohyun earned a jab to his rib as she looked at him with a small glare. “You make me sound like a up,” she whispered to him as he placed food on both of their plates.

 

Woohyun looked at her with a grin. “It’s okay,” he said to her, “You’re trying to please my mom.” He shoved the spoon in that had rice and eggs on it, feeding her the food his mother had prepared just for Junghwa.

 

“Are you going back today, dear?” Mrs. Nam asked her as she sat down opposite of Woohyun and Junghwa.

 

“I am heading back today,” she said after taking a sip of her water. “I have to go and clean up a mess that I have created.” Her tone lacked the emotion and the sincerity that she should have, but of course, there was no accident and there was no mess created in this situation. It was merely her being interested  in holding onto the only end of freedom she thought she could have. But of course life take it’s course and the wind may blow harder than intended and it causes the ship to sail in the wrong direction or simply too far ahead of the destination.

 

 

Woohyun stood at the front door with Junghwa and his mother who was talking to her and telling her that she can visit anytime she wanted to. Junghwa slipped on her flats and Woohyun carried the container with the food in it for her as she had her purse in one hand and was digging in her purse for her car keys to her white Aston Martin One- 77. 

 

"That's a nice car you have there," Woohyun complimented her. 

 

"Thank you, it was a gift I got from my parents," she smiled at him as she unlocked her car. Woohyun opened the gate and Junghwa walked out first and Woohyun was behind her. Junghwa opened the passenger door and put her purse on the seat then took the container from Woohyun and placed it on the ground, tucking it in a safe corner for the ride. 

 

Closing the door, she turned around and hugged Woohyun tight. "I'm sorry," She said, her voice muffled by the fact that she was talking into his chest. "I didn't mean to let it happen." 

 

"It's alright," Woohyun let out a chuckle. "What's done is done, none of us knew that was going to happen. So really, it's no one's fault right now," pulling apart from each other, Woohyun gave her a slight push, "Go home safe, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here for too long." 

 

"I will," Junghwa walked over towards the driver side of the car and opened the door. "Bye, thanks for letting me stay the night." Giving him one last smile, she went into her car and the engine roared to life. With a final small wave to Woohyun, she left his house and went off back home. Once her car was out of sight, Woohyun quickly went inside his house and locked the door. 

 

"Mom, make sure to not open the gate if there's anyone you don't know, alright?" Woohyun warned his mom before rushing upstairs to his room.

 

---

 

 

Half an hour later, Junghwa reached her house and thankfully, there weren't any reporters there. The gates opened quickly when her car pulled into the driveway of  the house and Junghwa parked her car outside of the door before getting out, not forgetting about the food and her purse, and made her way to the front door where Mrs. Kim was standing there with a worried expression etched on her face. 

 

"Let me take that from you before your parents see it with you," she quietly said with a small smile. Junghwa handed her the container of noodles to her. 

 

"Why must this happen again?" She heard her mothers voice from her fathers study. She looked at Mrs. Kim, who gave her a small nod, before she went upstairs.

 

"How can there be another article? My god, what are we going to do?" 

 

"Another article?" Junghwa asked, entering the room. "When was it published?" 

 

"Just now," Daeho said, showing her the computer screen. Junghwa's eyes widened as she saw the picture of the two of them hugging each other.

 

"That was right before I left," her voice barely audible. 

 

"When was that?" Her mother's voice was loud, and painful to hear, but all she could hear was the rapid beating of her own heart. 

 

"Almost an hour ago," she replied quietly, afraid of what her parents would say to her. She but her bottom lip as she kepy looking at the article. "This was just posted now?" She questioned her father. 

 

"Yes," Daeho replied, turning the screen back to him. "About ten minutes ago," he sighed. 

 

"What are we going to do now?" Her mother practically screamed. She was a bull only seeing red and Junghwa had no idea how she had lived with this woman her entire life. 

 

"Clean up the mess I made by letting me hold a press conference to clear everything. Get everything ready by five, I'll contact Woohyun to come and clarify things also." Junghwa told her parents before leaving the study and going to her room and texted Woohuyn before going to clean herself up for later tonight. 

 

 

---

 

A light tap was heard from the door of the her room.

 

"Come in," she said.

 

The door opened and she saw Mrs. Kim standing at the door. "I's time to go now, dear," she said quietly to Junghwa.

 

Junghwa nodded her head and looked at herself in her mirror, checking her light pink flower dress*, and fixing her long, straight, light brown hair that stopped right above her waist and her a gold chained, pink purse that matched the dress, with her flats. 

 

"Oh, you look beautiful, dear, now go before you're yelled at, again." Mrs. Kim told her, chasing her out her room and down the stairs. "Good luck out there," She gave Junghwa an encouraging smile and opened the door for her. 

 

"Thank you," Junghwa said to her, returning the smile to her as she stepped out of the house and into the sleek black car that her parents were in already. She sat next to her mother, who was looking straight ahead at the gates with reporters blocking their way. Junghwa took in a deep breath and fished her phone out of her purse to text Woohyun. 

 

To: Woohyun 

From: Me

Are you there already?

4:10 pm

 

Junghwa turned off her volume and placed it as vibrate instead for the time being. Three minutes passed and she recieved a reply. 

 

From: Woohyun

To: Me

I just got here. Where are you?

4:13 pm

 

To: Woohyun

From: Me

I'll be there in about twenty minutes. We're just getting out of our drive way. 

4:18 pm 

 

From: Woohyun

To: Me

I'll see you when you get here then. Arrive safely. <3 

4:22 pm 

 

Oh my, a heart. A smile appeared on her face as she re-read the text message over and over again; her mood didn't seem that bad anymore, that is, until her mom had to cough, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

 

"Have you told that boy of yours what to say yet?" Her mothers voice sounded so-- disgusted.

 

Junghwa held back rolling her eyes. "No, not  yet," Junghwa replied, "Before we go on, I'll talk to him." 

 

"You better," she growled at Junghwa. Jin Ae was mad at her daughter and she did not fight against the better to hold in her anger. Beyond furious and embarrassed at Junghwa's actions made her husband and her incapable to raise a benevolent daughter.

 

Her father looked at the two and rolled his eyes. "Stop fighting you two, grow up and act your role," He warned both of them before turning his attention back to the window. 

 

Ten minutes-- that's all that was left of the car ride. By the time they were less than five minutes away, she could see the amount of press  at the venue already. So many people. Oh how she's never had the feeling of so many butterflies in her stomach before in her life before. Carefully, the car pulled up to the entrance of the building, men in black suit rushed over towards their car and opened the door for her. 

 

Junghwa in a breath before taking a step out to the concrete floor. Once she stood up straight, she was surrounded by four men, each in black suits and earpiece, escorting her into the building, doing their best to block out the blinding bright lights of the press. With a nervous smile on her face, Junghwa looked at the door and straightened her posture while walking.

 

When she entered the building, she was then escorted by one man to a room; opening the door, she was then met with a pacing Woohyun who was dressed in a black suit which made him look sophisticated and y, unlike his casual wear which gave him the appearance of cute and handsome. 

 

"What's wrong?" Closing the door behind her, Junghwa took a step towards him and had took his hand which were sweaty. "Why are you nervous?" She asked. "I'll be there by you, you don't need to worry about anything, I promise you," she placed kisses on his hand before looking up at him. "Right now, I'm supposed to tell you what to say." 

 

"What should I say?" 

 

"First off, I'll be doing the majority of the talking, and you-- you just say things honestly but at the same time, say things that won't reveal us until we see what happens, also, make sure to be confident in your words and answer the questions that you can answer and won't cause much scandals for us." Junghwa explained, trying to prep him for the conference in fifteen minutes. "Oh, there's going to be lots of flash, keep your eyes opened." 

 

Woohyun pulled Junghwa in for a hug. "Your parents don't like me, right?"

 

"They will," she said. "They'll like you, so don't worry too much about it, alright?" 

 

If your parents don't like me, who will like me in your class, dear? Oh my, I hope for the best outcome today. 

 

A light knock was heard before the door opened. "It's time," The man told the two of them before closing the door.