The moment Yonghwa's lips touched hers, Seohyun froze.

It was a feeling she has never felt before in her life.  A sort of electrifying, stimulating feeling yet gentle and warm at the same time. She could feel Yonghwa's arm tighten around her waist pulling her closer. His chest and hers were so close that she could almost hear his heartbeat racing.  Was he as nervous as she was?

Her eyes were open when his lips first touched hers. It was the first time she came this close to Yonghwa's face and couldn't help but admire it. He had a sharp face and his big eyes was matched with long eyelashes.  Do men usually have such long eyelashes?

Without realising,  her eyes gently closed and her arms tighten around his neck. His lips were softer than she expected.  He kissed her gently,  but also gave her the feel that he really meant it,  the kiss.

That was her first kiss.

 

 

---

 

 

When Yonghwa released her from the kiss,  the first few seconds, Seohyun could only concentrate  on breathing.

She was breathless.

And then, she realised what they had done.

She pushed him away,  hard and staggered backwards herself,  clutching her hand to . He looked mildly surprised at her reaction but kept silent.

"You.. You! " Seohyun was at a loss of words.  'Why did you kiss me?'.

Yonghwa suddenly turned back into his usual sarcastic and cool state,  mocking  her, " I kissed you?  Yah you obviously kissed me!".

"ME? " Seohyun couldn't believe her ears. It was him who suddenly kissed her and now he was accusing her of kissing him?

Yonghwa lifted his hands up and flaunted them around recklessly," Whatever,  I am not that stingy. Of course I know that my y lips are too much to be resist. It's okay,  I forgive you".

Seohyun was gasping in disbelief. The nerve of this guy!

"YAH YOU LITTLE--! " Seohyun yelled.

" Excuse me" their argument was interrupted by the girl who invited them to dance. Only then did they realise that,  the entire dance floor was now staring at them. Seohyun turned red when she saw all the eyes concentrating on her and Yonghwa. How long have they been staring at them? Since they began fighting or even.. when they kissed?

The girl continued, "I don't want to be rude but please do not argue in the middle of the dance. It is distractive to other participants".

Seohyun was embarrassed and began apologising, "We are so sorry.  I will go--".

Yonghwa however pulled Seohyun closer to him by the waist and grinned at the girl, "You said if we danced for five minutes ,  you will donate 100 won to charity. But we did more than dancing there, how about.. one kiss, 500 won?".

The girl looked flabbergasted while Seohyun was utterly at a loss of words.  If there was a hole somewhere in the ground at that moment,  she wouldn't mind being an ostrich.

"I'm sorry, Sir but it's against the rules" the girl said.

"In my world miss,  nothing is impossible" Yonghwa said.

 

Suddenly Seohyun said in a softer voice,  "That's enough, Yonghwa-shii".

Yonghwa turned and looked at her in surprise.  She was staring at the pianist,  her expression full of dismay and sadness. She turned and looked at Yonghwa,  her eyes looked different from before, "Let's go".

"Why--?" Yonghwa said in surprise.

She clutched his arm and tugged it gently, "Please, let's go".

Yonghwa allowed himself to be pulled away by Seohyun. She pulled his arm towards the exit of the amusement park. He didn't ask anything but allowed himself to be pulled all the way to the car.

When they reached the car, Seohyun finally released his arm and let out a sigh, "I'm sorry,  Yonghwa-shii. I don't know what got into me. Maybe I'm tired.  Can we just call it a day?".

She tried to turn to walk to the passenger's side of the car but Yonghwa catched her by the wrist and pulled her to face him.

"Is it because of the kiss?" he asked concerned.

Seohyun shook her head, "No, it isn't".

"Then why? " Yonghwa pressed on".

"It's nothing" Seohyun continued denying.

"You were staring at the piano. Was the pianist your ex boyfriend or what? " Yonghwa speculated.

"I said no. Let go of me" Seohyun tugged her hand free and crossed her arms across her chest. "Look Yonghwa-shii, you either drive me home now or I am going to take the taxi home".

They were in a staring match. Both refusing to break the stare. Finally Yonghwa looked away and said, "Get in".

Seohyun breathed in relief, "Thank you".

 

The ride back to the Jung Villa was rather quiet. Seohyun was staring out of the window in silence,  while Yonghwa just concentrated on driving. When they arrived in the front of the Jung Villa,  Yonghwa pulled his handbrake and said, "I need to go back to work".

Seohyun nod and opened the door,  stepping out of the vehicle. She hesitated to close the door. It wasn't Yonghwa's fault she behaved like this and she didn't want him to spend the day thinking so.

She turned back and bend down so her eyes were now at eye level with Yonghwa's. She looked apologetic and she said, "Look Yonghwa-shii,  I am sorry about today. Believe me,  it's not your fault or the kiss. It's just...  I'm sorry".

Yonghwa nod and said, "It's okay,  go inside". Seohyun nod and went inside,  clutching the rillakuma in her right hand.

 

 

---

 

 

Seohyun entered her room and threw the Rillakuma onto the bed before sinking herself into the bed as well,  face first.

She lied.

She knew exactly what was wrong with her.

"No, Seo Ju Hyun" Seohyun said sternly to herself in her heart.

Seohyun remembered staring at the guy playing the grand piano. The way his fingers danced across the keys gracefully, the way his body swayed to the melody. The sound was beautiful, calling upon her to come closer. Almost too beautiful, it made her teary.

Yonghwa noticed the sad look on her face of course.  He always seemed to know whenever she felt sad of unhappy. Seohyun walked away, forcing herself to never look back at the piano. She promised herself to give up her dream when she was 14, and she will.

She couldn't afford to be selfish.

 

 

---

 

 

 

Yonghwa drummed his fingers on the table as he tried to concentrate on what the new manager was trying to present to him.

"I propose that we have some special performance to attract more attention to our shopping mall..  This will help to enhance.. ". The manager droned on until finally after half an hour, he ended his presentation with," With that, I believe that proposal will bring KOUTE to the next level".

Yonghwa felt all the eyes staring at him with expectation. He was the decision maker, and everyone looked up to him to decide. It used to be stressful for him but somehow, it wasn't anymore after a few years of training.

Yonghwa looked up and stared right at the new manager. He was young, obviously inexperienced and Yonghwa unfortunately wasn't feeling very charitable that day.

"This entire presentation is a waste of time" Yonghwa announced flatly.

The manager looked taken aback and flabbergasted, "Mr. Jung..".

Yonghwa continued mercilessly, "The performances you mentioned just now mostly applied only for adults. What about families with children? And seniors? You didn't care to think for their wellbeing from their aspect. This will cause our loyal customers to feel neglected and thus lose trust in our company. If you can't even think of something as simple as this,  I think it's time you reconsider your position in this company".

The manager looked as though he was on the verge of tears but Yonghwa paid no notice.

If he was nice to all his employees, who in the world would listen to him?

"I want a new proposal by sharp 8 am tomorrow morning and I expect only the best.  If you feel incapable of achieving that then please excuse yourself from my sight. I have no time for lazy and incapable employees. Meeting dismissed".

Yonghwa got up from his chair and exited the meeting room,  slamming the door behind him.

 

 

---

 

 

 

Yonghwa was frustrated.

 

It felt exactly like when he was younger and he was instructed to complete a crossword puzzle. He completed it until there was only one word left. He sat there and thought  for hours, refusing to go for his next lessons or eat anything. He wanted more than anything to discover the final answer but didn't want to be told.  He wanted to discover it himself.

It was only after watching him struggle for hours and snap angrily at the maids that tried to persuade him to eat dinner,  did his teacher finally placed his hand on Yonghwa's shoulder and told him, "Patience,  Jung Yonghwa. It is the way of life. Without patience,  you cannot understand love. Good things come to people who wait but better things come to those who are patient".

He remembered answering, "but seongsaeng-nim, don't good things come to people who fight for it?".

His teacher smiled and said, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. Patience isn't the ability to wait, but the attitude you have while waiting. With patience, can you achieve victory".

His teacher tapped at the empty blanks of the crossword puzzle and Yonghwa looked down to the puzzle.

Then he saw the answer.

Victory.

 

And now, if his teacher saw him as he was. Wouldn't he be disappointed?

Yonghwa knew, there was something Seohyun was hiding.

He was desperate to find out.

Yonghwa took a deep breath to calm himself down.

 'Calm down,  Jung Yonghwa. And think".

And then it hit him. If he wanted to find out, it was no use trying to ask Seo Ju Hyun. She had already proved at the amusement park that she had no intention of telling anything to him.

But if he can't ask the person herself, the best person to ask next would be..

Seo Jong Hyun.

He has been with Seohyun ever since they were little. She trusts him the most.

He must know what Seohyun was hiding from him.

If he didn't know, Yonghwa doesn't think anyone does.

 

 

---

 

 

 

Yonghwa cancelled his late night dinner with his secretary and secretly checked Seohyun's schedule with Tiffany. Without Seohyun knowing, Tiffany has been telling Yonghwa about Seohyun's jobs and her main schedule. He of course, tried asking Tiffany about whether she knew why Seohyun reacted in such a way towards the piano but Tiffany shook her head.

"I'm sorry Jung Yonghwa-shii but I have known Seohyun from when she was 18 years old. I don't know in detail what happened before I met her and from what I remember, she has never mentioned any musical instrument to me at all" Tiffany said apologetically.

So Yonghwa gave up on Tiffany and concentrates on his main target,  Jong hyun.

He checked and knew that Seohyun was doing extra part time for the night at a grocery store so it was the perfect time to attack.

He went home early and sat down to have dinner with Yoona and Jonghyun, surprising the both of them and frightening Jonghyun.

The meal went pretty awkwardly and was quiet except for a few instance when Yonghwa popped a few question.

"So Jonghyun, you have been living in our house for quite a while now. Do you like it here?" Yonghwa asked while cutting his piece of steak.

Jonghyun who was already in alert mode, straightened up and said, "Yes, I like it here. It's very comfortable and beautiful" then it hit Jong hyun, what if he was asking to know when he and his sister were moving out? Saying that he liked it here meant he didn't plan to leave which equals to a bad image. Jonghyun quickly added, "but we are still working hard on searching  for places to move. Noona thinks she likes the house at Kangdamdong but it was a little pricey.." Jonghyun mentally cursed at himself for letting slip of their family's current financial issues.

 

Way to go, Seo Jonghyun.  You just made yourself look pathetic.

 

Yonghwa however didn't look at all disturbed and said, "I wasn't try to imply that you two need to leave or anything, so don't worry".

Jonghyun nod but hardly relaxed. Under the table, Yoona gently squeezed Jonghyun's hand to give him some moral support.

Sometimes, it wasn't that her brother was being  mean but his stare just made people uncomfortable.

"However, if Seohyun-shii is facing financial issues, you should tell her that I don't mind helping her out" Yonghwa continued.

Jonghyun however just smiled and said, "Thank you for offering, Yonghwa-shii but I don't think my Noona will accept your help. Your intentions are appreciated".

Yonghwa frowned and retorted, "Why wouldn't she accept my help?".

"Don't feel offended please, it's nothing personal. Seohyun Noona just hates receiving help, she likes being independent" Jonghyun said weakly.

Yonghwa muttered softly under his breath, "which is precisely why that woman annoys me so much".

"Sorry?" Jonghyun asked, unable to hear what he just said.

Yonghwa looked up at him and asked, "Are you done with your meal?".

Jonghyun was surprised at the question but replied, 'I--yes".

Yonghwa stood up abruptly and said, "Good, we are going for a walk. Yoona, you stay inside the house".

Yoona immediately protested, "Oppa..".

"Now, Jonghyun" Yonghwa insisted before walking away to the front door.

Jonghyun gulped uncertainly but told Yoona, "It's okay, I think we passed the stage where your brother wants to drown me in the pond".

Jonghyun pat Yoona's hand that was holding his before pulling himself away and following Yonghwa out into the dark.

 

He actually wasn't that certain they had gotten past that stage.

 

 

---

 

 

 

Jonghyun walked awkwardly beside Yonghwa as they casually strolled the garden. The Jung family garden was huge of course, you could runaway from the Jung house and still be in the Jung residence.

He didn't understand of course why Yonghwa wanted to meet him.

For the past month that they had lived in the Jung house, Yonghwa either glared at him whenever he saw him or threw daggers with his eyes at him.

Jonghyun somehow noticed though that he wasn't as wary of him as he was originally for the past week. Usually whenever he and alone with Yoona in one room, he starts glaring and will find someway to barge in and linger around.

Now, he was barely even home most of the time.

Yonghwa cleared his throat and addressed Jonghyun, "You must be confused as to why I called you out for a walk".

Jonghyun nod , "Yes, well a bit".

"I have a few questions to ask you" Yonghwa said immediately.

Jonghyun cocked his head to one side and said confusingly, "If it's about Yoona ..".

Yonghwa quickly interjected, "It's not about Yoona".

Jonghyun looked mildly relieved. He wasn't particularly happy to have to explain how much he would die for Yoona.

"Then.." Jonghyun hesitated, leaving his sentence with an obvious question mark.

 

Yonghwa stopped walking and turned to face Jonghyun. Jonghyun seemed surprised but stopped walking as well.

Yonghwa took a rather deep breath before saying, "It's about Seo Ju Hyun-shii".

"Seohyun noona ?" Jonghyun asked in surprise. He thought the two hated each other after Seohyun 'accidently' pushed him into the pond. Did they have some sort of friendship now that Yoona and him didn't know about ?

Yonghwa nod, "Yes".

Jonghyun frowned and quickly interjected before Yonghwa could ask his question, to hell with manners, "Wait, are you friends now with Seohyun noona?".

Yonghwa shrugged, "Well I wouldn't say we are friends. I'll be honest with you, your sister is my girlfriend".

 

"SHE IS YOUR WHAT?!".

 

Jonghyun's jaw positively fell.

 

He wouldn't be surprised if the people from five miles away could hear him screaming.

He couldn't believe it. No, he wouldn't believe it.

 

His sister .. his strong badass noona,

 

COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAVE FELL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE AS ARROGANT AS JUNG YONGHWA.

 

 

Yonghwa looked oblivious and just continued, "You can take your time to digest the news later. I wanted to ask you something about Seohyun. I think.. the only person who could answer me will probably be you,".

Jonghyun was still partially stunned from the news but still nod, "Alright, ask then,".

"Your sister, she was... sad when she saw a pianist play a grand piano.. It's as if.. she ran away from the music. Why?".

 

Jonghyun expression turned immediately from curiosity to sadness.

"I don't know if I'm in the place to tell you this or noona should tell you but because I know it will be painful for her to speak of this matter, I will explain it to you. The reason why she can't look at a piano is because once upon a time, my sister's biggest dream was to be a world-renowned pianist. That was before my parents passed away when she was 14. After that, because she had to raise me. She gave up her dream. She told me she doesn't mind but I know deep down, she still misses the piano alot" Jonghyun said sadly.

There was a moment of silence before Yonghwa spoke again, his voice was soft, "Was she good?".

"De?".

"Was she good at the piano, your sister?" Yonghwa repeated.

"She was the best" Jonghyun managed to pull a small smile. "She used to perform for my family everytime she learned a new song until..." Jonghyun's voice trailed off.

"One last thing, is it just me or your sister really hates talking about herself? She could have just told me this when I asked" Yonghwa asked curiously.

Jonghyun expression turned gloomy again, "It's not that she hates talking about herself. She just dislikes sympathy from others. Perhaps you don't understand Yonghwa-shii because you didn't study music but to a musician as passionate as my sister, the music was her life. Losing music in her life, the blow was just too strong and she is still wounded by it. That is why she can't speak of it easily. She is strong, my sister. She doesn't want anyone's help nor sympathy. She was always the independent-type," Jonghyun explained.

"More like egotistical," Yonghwa muttered under his breath.

 

From a distance, Jonghyun could see Yoona waving at him, gesturing him to come over.

 

Jonghyun's eyes gleamed as he spot his chance to escape.

 

Jonghyun waved back before turning back to Yonghwa. His voice become more subtle as he said, "One word of advice from me as her brother, don't be too obvious if you plan to help her. She wouldn't accept it. My sister.. she doesn't want anyone to protect her, she wants to be the one that protects. I'll make my leave now," Jonghyun said before jogging away towards Yoona, leaving a very confused Yonghwa standing alone.

 

 

---