Suhyun paced the room, thinking about what Kris had said. He was serious about Suhyun going to his company's dinner on Saturday night as his wife. Well, pretend wife at least. The company bosses have not met his new wife since the wedding was made private according to her wishes. They didn't take wedding photos as well so nobody knew how she looked like. That was probably her plan after all so that no one would be able to recognise her when she left. 

Suhyun thought hard. If she agreed to appear as his pretend wife, how long will she have to pretend for? Eventually people would find out that they're not really married right? But he asked for her help. If his bosses found out now that he's wasn't married, they would fire him as he lied and it would be her fault. It doesn't sound so bad to pretend for awhile until he came up with another plan. But turning up for the dinner isn't so simple. There were other things she had to worry about. Who's going to look after Fany? And most importantly, what was she going to wear? 

She put Fany to bed and continued pacing outside the study where Kris was focused on his work. She wanted to ask him what should she wear but she felt like it wasn't important enough to be interrupting him. He noticed her walking back and forth from the corner of his eye but chose to wait for her to come in. She finally gave up and decided to go to bed. "Do you have something to say?" She spun around to find Kris smiling at her. Her heart skipped a beat. It was that handsome smile that caught her eye years ago. 

"It's nothing really. I'm just going to head to bed." She smiled awkwardly and tried to escape. 

He chuckled. "I saw you hanging out over there for quite some time. You definitely have something to say! Come on, I'm all ears." 

She hesitated but his expression was so welcoming, she gave in. "I-it's just that…" She played with her fingers nervously while he waited for her to continue. "I-I don't have anything to wear tomorrow night." She spat and closed her eyes quickly in embarrassment. 

To her surprise, he didn't laugh at her. "I'll pick you up after lunch tomorrow. I'll call for a nanny to take care of Fany while we are out." He gave her a reassuring smile. 

When she finally went to bed, he sat back down at his work desk and sighed. The truth is, he never stopped loving her or thinking about her. He couldn't bring himself to chase after her when she left. He was embarrassed; embarrassed that he treated the woman he loved the way he did. Work was important to him but he was only able to make it because she was by his side. He had wanted to call her and get her back but he wanted her to be happy and she wasn't happy when she was with him. 

The next day, the nanny arrived in the morning. Suhyun briefed her on everything she needed to do while she was away. Fany seemed to be fine with this nanny so that put her mind at rest. Kris was prompt in picking her up. She didn't know where he was taking her so she sat quietly in the car. Finally, they arrived at a studio. "This is where I get my suits and hair styled when I've important events." He informed her as he opened the door for her to enter. 

Her eyes opened wide, as she saw the racks of suits and dresses lined up along the walls. It was her first time attending a formal event and she was nervous. He could sense that and so he never left her side for too long. He felt guilty for putting her through this but he was thankful she agreed to help him. After about three hours of getting ready, they were finally prepared for the dinner. He had on a black suit and tie, with his bangs styled up. She had on a black tube dress that was tight around the waist, stopping around her knees. Her hair was curled slightly, makeup applied lightly and she wore heels making her look elegant. He froze when he saw her walking out from behind the curtains. She was beautiful. 

She tried to hide her nervousness as they drove to the dinner but she failed. "Don't worry. Just follow my lead. I won't leave your side." He assured her as they got out from the car. He smiled as he took her arm and linking it through his arm. She nodded as she held onto his arm slightly. It felt comfortable to hold his arm again. 

As they entered the dinner venue, eyes slowly turned to the couple. Everyone was admiring how beautiful his wife was. Throughout the night, she received nothing but compliments from the people they met and even Kris himself kept praising her. And he kept his word; he didn't leave her side. But he had to leave her side for a moment to give his speech. "I'll be right back. You sit here and wait for me okay?" He gave her a reassuring smile. Just as he turned, she held his arm and went around to adjust his tie without saying a word. He smiled, touched by her gesture. With that, he walked onto stage confidently. 

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." All the attention was on him. "Hope you have been enjoying the dinner so far. I would like to thank the bosses for giving me this promotion. I definitely will not let this company down and work hard to fulfil all of your expectations. I would also like to thank my wife for her support and love through everything." He looked right at her when he said that. She smiled back, forgetting for a moment that she was just pretending. He then continued to talk about what he would do to help the progression of the company. 

She waited for him by the side as he spoke to some of his bosses about some private business. While talking with them, he kept glancing over at her to make sure she was fine. She knew it and kept reassuring him with smiles. Once he was done, he immediately returned to her side. "I've called the nanny and Fany is doing fine at home. She's already asleep so you don't have to worry about anything." He smiled. She could do nothing but nod her head. She wanted to talk to him about the things he had said about her earlier in the evening but decided to wait until they were alone. 

He held the car door open for her and she got in quickly. This gentlemanly side to him was unfamiliar to her but it wasn't all that bad. "Kris…" She spoke out as he drove off. 

"Yeah? But are you going to continue speaking formally to me? You've been doing so since the other day. Can't you speak the way you did during the dinner?" She studied his face and he was being serious. 

"I was just acting just now. There's no need for me to act anymore now." She didn't want to speak informally because she didn't want to become close with him again. 

He sighed. "Just for tonight, let's speak comfortably?" Since there wasn't much time left till tomorrow, she agreed. Speaking informally for awhile wouldn't hurt. 

"Oppa…" As soon as the words came out from , she thought of their past together. "You don't have to treat me nicely. You've been praising me throughout the dinner to anyone we spoke to. You didn't have to do that as we were just acting. It's almost as if everything that you said was real. Just don't do that anymore. It brings back memories from the past and it's confusing. Don't forget that we are no longer together." She kept her voice firm but not disrespectful. 

As soon as he heard her words, his mind went blank. Why was she feeling confused? Could it be she still has feelings for him? If he wanted to find out, there wasn't a better time then this. He pulled the car to a stop by the side of the road and stared out into the road. He had on an expression a serious expression. "What if I want you to remember the memories we've shared? What if I've forgotten that we broke up?" 

His words shocked her. "W-what are you trying to say? It's a fact that we've broken up." She stuttered, unable to understand where he was coming from. 

He took a deep breath. It's now or never. "All I'm saying is, I've never stopped loving you." He turned and looked at her. "Will you give me another chance? I'll prove it to you. I'll prove it to you that I've changed." 

Tears threatened to flow from her eyes. She hesitated in replying. Did she forget him totally? Definitely not. Fany was her reminder how much she loved him. Did she want him back in her life? Of course. He had to prove it to her that he really changed. 

The next week, he went all out to prove that he's changed. He went to work early and came back early for dinner. He didn't go out for dinner and drinks with his bosses and colleagues like he used to. He helped out in the household chores and he would even help with Fany. Fany loved him and he took care of her well. He did things he never did before. He never would have helped her before because he was too busy with work. On certain days, he would even buy her flowers. They were living as if their breakup didn't happen; in fact, they were living as if they were already married. She could see the change in him and she was touched by his efforts. With every day that passed, the feelings she had before came back and she realised that she was falling for the man she had once dated. The same man only different. It was as if the year they spent apart didn't exist. But there was still one problem she had to solve; she still has yet to tell him about Fany. 

One night she walked pass the study where Kris was working and he was massaging his shoulders as he read his paperwork. It wasn't a surprise to see him working late into the night but it was the first time seeing him massaging his shoulders. She thought it must be because he had been sleeping on the sofa for some time now and that must have caused his back to hurt. He was tall so sleeping on the sofa must have been very uncomfortable. "Do you have something to say?" He chuckled as he saw her standing outside the door again. 

"Oppa, let's buy a baby cot tomorrow then you'll be able to sleep on the bed again." She smiled. She thought it was about time he moved back into the bedroom. It would then really be as if they didn't break up. 

He nodded. "That's a good idea." Then he paused. "Suhyun, will you marry me?" He asked with all the sincerity he could muster. 

She stared at him wide eyed and dropped open. Did he just ask her to marry him? She couldn't say anything. Should she say yes? This was too sudden. 

He continued. "Be my wife, for real this time. We won't have to pretend anymore. I'm confident I can be a good husband and a good father to Fany." He smiled nervously. "So what do you say?" 

She couldn't believe her ears. How did he know about Fany? Did he already know from the start? "When did you find out Fany's your baby too?" 

"I knew it the first time I saw her." He smiled as he remembered the first time he saw her; the first time he carried her. 

She fought to hold back her tears. "You knew and you didn't bother to say anything to me?"  It doesn't matter when he found out but the fact that he was being nice only because of Fany. She couldn't believe she thought that he actually still loved her. She sighed as tears spilled from her eyes. "You're only doing this just because of Fany right?"    

Posted 15th January 2014