Winter Bliss

[Song of the Day: Girls’ Generation (SNSD) - Snowy Wish]

The silence was soon broken when the man started speaking up. "You? What are—" Sunggyu stammered as he repetitively rubbed his eyes to confirm if he was dreaming or not. 'Oh goodness! Am I dreaming? Am I really seeing Kim Taeyeon right now?'

"Sunggyu-ssi."

Like a dream that blinded his eyes, the man was frozen. He could feel how his heart throbbed in pain. Indeed, the woman who was in gray dress covered by a white apron was Kim Taeyeon. Yes, it was her.

He questioned, but his voice sounded weak, "What are you doing here?"

'Is this really him? But why am I shocked right now? Ssh! Brace yourself, stupid girl!' Taeyeon felt an awkward sensation too inside her chest, but she knew that it would be disrespectful of her to stand like a fool and forget to greet the man.

Momentarily realizing this fact, she politely bowed her head and politely greeted, "Annyeong hasimnikka, Sunggyu-ssi. It has been awhile since we have seen each other."

'Yeah. It has been awhile.' The man cleared his throat and soon awkwardly greeted, "Annyeong, Taeyeon-ssi. Yes, it has been awhile."

"Oh, I'll just finish cooking these foods." Taeyeon said before she turned back and continued cooking. To dismiss the awkward tension, the woman calmly stated, "Kwon-ssi left for a while, but he will be back soon."

"Is… Is that so?" Sunggyu asked as he tried not to sound nervous. 'Calm down. calm down, man.'

"Nae, Sunggyu-ssi. Since you're the one here, which do you want—" She lowly asked as she tried to suppress the hotness of her cheeks without looking back at him. "Do you want sunny side up or scrambled eggs?"

"I'll go for scrambled eggs." The man plainly answered back as he watched her from a distance.

"Ah, al—alright, Sunggyu-ssi."

"Thank you," he murmured.

As she continued cooking the eggs, Taeyeon plainly asked, "Sorry. Pardon?"

"I said thank you." Sunggyu reiterated what he had just said. “Thank you, Taeyeon-ssi.”

"For what?"

'For letting me see your beautiful face again. I miss seeing it with my eyes.' The man sadly smiled before he plainly answered back, "For cooking breakfast, of course."

"Is that so? That is nothing, Sunggyu-ssi. You are very welcome,” she plainly assured.

'No, seeing you means a lot to me. I miss you. Why do I feel like you are getting more distant towards me as time passes by?' He moved his head a bit and said, "Thank you again. Anyway, do you want some help?"

"No, thank you. I can finish this by myself." She turned her head to face him, but soon continued cooking the eggs again and added further, "While you are waiting for the foods to be cooked, I guess it is better for you to take a seat for awhile."

'But at least now, you are talking to me unlike before. Unlike before that you do not even speak a single word to me. That is a relief. Perhaps, it’s because of what I did to you.' Sunggyu nodded his head and did as what the woman said. "Okay then. I will also wait for Kwon-ah to arrive. Do you know where he went to?"

"He said that he will be settling something with the lessor of this unit. Anyway, if you would not mind, are you a close friend of Kwon-ssi?"

"Nae, I am. I am his close friend since college years,” Sunggyu responded back. “He is actually my best friend.”

Taeyeon bobbed her head and murmured, "Ah, I get it."

"Well, if you would not mind too, may I just ask why you are here in his unit?" The man asked while pouring the water from the glass pitcher on the glass he found on the table. "Are you in a rela—oh, how do I say this? Please do not be offended by my question. Are you—are you his girlf—"

Taeyeon immediately cut off his words to answer his question, "Relationship? No, we are not. I am not his girlfriend. We are only purely connected by work colleague relationship. About the reason why I am here, he told me that he will say something about the favor I asked him, but because he really needed to talk to the lessor of this unit. He allowed me to cook some foods for breakfast."

'That is a relief then. Oh wait, why am I asking such malicious questions? Aigoo! Since when did I become this kind of person?' Sunggyu scratched the back of his head. He then apologized for his question, "Sorry. I am sorry if I did ask you such thing."

"I do not mind it though. Perhaps, you were a bit startled when you saw me a while ago as what I have seen in your reaction. If I was in your shoes, I would have reacted the same," the woman stated as she finished off the eggs on the pan. "Anyway, these eggs are already cooked, and I guess we only have to wait for Kwon-ssi to arrive." She closed the stove and held the pan's handle with the aid of a pink mitten.

"Do you want some help in transferring those eggs to plates?" The man volunteered as he stood up from the chair where he was sitting on and quickly went towards where Taeyeon was.

"No, I can—" The moment she turned her head to face him, her face was welcomed by his presence behind. The thing that surprised her was the close gap between them.

Too close gap. It led their eyes to become glued with each other intensely. It stayed like that for a few minutes. Actually, Sunggyu really did not intentionally want to stay "close" to her because all he wanted was to help her that he did not notice how close he stood behind her. As usual, the atmosphere became awkward again. However, it was MORE AWKWARD than earlier.

When the man saw her uncomfortable reaction, he backed away a little and apologized, "I am sor—"

However, Kwon suddenly appeared in the midst of the awkward atmosphere. To break the ice, he questioned the two, putting his arms on his waist, "Did I miss something here?"

Well, Sunggyu and Taeyeon who were both speechless gave him a dumbfounded look, and both of their faces were blushing like red tomatoes. Got the two busted, eh?

"Were you able to talk to the lessor of this unit? You've said that you needed to settle something with him, right?" Taeyeon who finished fixing the plates asked as she pulled out a tissue from the tissue box on top of the kitchen counter and wiped her hands. Afterwards, she removed the apron she was wearing and hanged it at a corner.

"Nae, I did. By the way, thank you for cooking all of these foods and I apologize too for bothering you." Kwon responded.

"That's nothing. You are very much welcome."

"So shall we start digging the food? I bet Sunggyu is dying to eat all of the foods you have cooked, Taeyeon-ssi." He shot the older man a teasing look and smile. "Am I right, Gyuzizi?"

'Aish! You have planned this right, Kwon-ah? I am having mental breakdown here! Seriously, you are a very good friend that I am dying here with gratitude! Hay! One hundred percent menboong! Aigoo! I'm dying here seriously!' Sunggyu shot him an annoyed glare as he gritted his teeth. Though he actually did not say a word, his eyes showed how annoyed he was to his friend as if they were ranting like a rat that fell into a trap.

'Kim Sunggyu, I bet you are now dying with too much gratitude! Hahaha. Well, well, well. I wonder how you will react once you find out later that the fellow who will be helping is none other than your love interest, Kim Taeyeon. Now, let me do the operation matchmaking move number 1!' Kwon ignored his conspicuous stares and joked, "Taeyeon-ssi, let us eat now our breakfast. My friend over here seems to be acting strangely because of hunger."

"Huh? Ah—alright. I am sorry for taking too long."

'Okay. Let me do it now. Hahaha.' Kwon stood up from his seat beside his friend, Sunggyu and said, "You take a seat on the chair and I will just get more water." He pointed the chair beside his friend that he was occupying earlier.

Upon hearing what his friend said, Sunggyu gave him a 'what-the-hell-are-you-plotting-this-time' look and an annoyed grin. 'Tssh! Are you serious, man? Do you really want to drive me nuts?'

'Be thankful, man! I am doing this for your sake.' Kwon flashed a triumphant smile and shot him a wink before walking near where the refrigerator was. Well, it was like they had some sort of telepathy because their eyes were only the ones talking. It was a good thing that Taeyeon was unaware and naive of what was happening between the two men.

Since she had this sort of an awkward tension with Sunggyu, the woman sat on the chair across where the former was sitting rather than beside him.

Sunggyu's eyes widened and his face turned dismal the moment he watched her occupy the seat across his seat. 'It is not like this kind of treatment from her is new to me. Do not be a pushover, Kim Sunggyu. Stop expecting that she will notice your existence.'

When Kwon was able to get another pitcher from the refrigerator, he went back to the dining area and stood near where Taeyeon's seat. He asked, "Taeyeon-ssi, why are you sitting there? That is my seat. You should be sitting beside Sunggyu-ssi." He pointed the chair he was occupying earlier.

"Huh? Isn't that your seat a while ago?" She innocently asked, pointing the seat beside Sunggyu. "So why would I—"

"Just transfer seat, please. Do not worry that much." Soon, Kwon humorously stated, "Kim Sunggyu is a good man. I assure you that he won't hurt or even eat you alive. I know that you know it too, right?"

"Huh? Eat what?"

'Hey! Geumanhae, Jo Kwon! What in the world are you saying?' Momentarily, the older man monotonely hissed, shooting his friend a conspicuous stare. "Kwon-ah, stop saying non—"

'Stop whining like a childish hopeless romantic guy.' His friend ignored his whine and shot him back a conspicuous stare. "Will you, Taeyeon-ssi?"

"Alright. No problem." Taeyeon spoke up as she nodded her head. Finally, the woman transferred to the seat beside Sunggyu.

"That's much better." Kwon smiled victoriously, placing the pitcher on the table before he finally took the seat across where the two were sitting. 'My plan is working, so Kim Sunggyu, please cooperate, okay? I am doing this for your sake, dude!'

'Okay. What is done is done. Just go with the flow, Kim Sunggyu. Just pretend that you are unaffected by her existence.' Trying not to sound nervous, Sunggyu asked as he tried not to land a single gaze to the woman beside him, "So shall we start eating?"

"Nae, let's eat! Jal meokgetsseumnida!" The younger one happily said as he took one pair of chopsticks.

"Taeyeon-ssi, you have told me that you visited your aunt who lives here at Nowon district if I am not mistaken."

"That is right, Kwon-ssi."

"Do you also live within this area?" Kwon asked as he took a bite of the bacon on his plate.

"No, I don't. My residence is at Myeongdong."

"Ah, alright. It's not that far from Cheonggudong where our workplace is, so I think it's not inconvenient for you that much."

"Yes, it really isn't. I am lucky to work at a place which is not really far from my house," she agreed, nodding her head.

Kwon raised another question saying, "Taeyeon-ssi, do you live alone or do you live with your parents or what?"

"Alone? No, I am not. I live with my parents and younger brother who is four years younger than me."

"Is that so? Umm. Well, as for me, apparently, I live alone because my parents are at Suwon."

“Oh..” Taeyeon asked before she took a sip on the juice in her glass, "Living alone seems to be very hard, isn't it?"

"At first, it was. Now, I am already used to it." Stealing a glance of his friend who has been muted since they started eating, he continued, "That fellow of mine. He lives at Gangnam and he lives alone too. He also knows how the feeling of living independently is. Mister Executive Director slash Nam Corporation's successor—that has been his only life." Kwon pointed the older man.

"Me—me?" Sunggyu innocently asked, pointing himself as he was halted from eating his food.‘Why did I become included in the scene now?’

Kwon nodded his head and answered, "Nae. Didn't you start living independently when you were freshman college? Well, I only started living alone right after I finished college." Then, he questioned, "How's it like?"

"How does being alone feel like? Nothing. It's nothing unusual. I'm used to it. I do not mind dealing with everything all by myself." Sunggyu stoically stated before he continued eating his food. "Wake up, eat, study and sleep alone... That has been my usual life."

"Really? I have actually lived alone too for a year when I was fourth year high school. I had to work as a waitress at a mini restaurant to help my parents financially. Living alone during those times felt quite odd, but I had to go through those times. But the good thing with that is that it teaches independency." Taeyeon candidly expressed as a smile was formed on her face. "An independency that was molded by the ups and downs in life, that’s it."

"Woah.. Weren't you too young to experience such thing? Studying high school while working is very hard. How were you allowed to work despite that young age?" Kwon questioned.

She let out a chuckle and honestly unveiled, "I actually begged the owner of that restaurant on bent knees to let me work there because I told her that my family will starve if I do not get to work and I won't also be able to finish high school."

'Really? So she has gone through a lot at a very young age. No wonder why she seems to be cynical in life.' Sunggyu took a quick glance of the woman's angelic face as he ate the bread he was holding. He commented when he looked away from her, "I agree with Kwon-ssi. Although I also know how to become a working student, I know your situation before was very hard. You are so amazing for being able to go through those hard times."

"I agree with that! A high schooler who had a hard time working to help her family, ah, that's daebak! You are a very amazing woman, Taeyeon-ssi." Kwon affirmed, giving her two thumbs up.'I know now why the there are men who are head over heels to her. A superb woman like her is very rare to find. Like a rare gem who is priceless and unique. That's Kim Taeyeon!'

"Amazing? No, not really. After first year college, I came back to my family although I continued working. Anyway, you too are the ones who are amazing, not me. You are both successful now in your respective fields because of your hard work. Unlike me, I have only reached second year college due to financial constraints." She plainly disproved. "But I'll have to finish that if given a chance. As for now, I have to focus with work to help my family."

'Such a humble and hardworking woman. I hope she overcomes the trials in life. She does not deserve those pains in life. An angel like her deserves happiness.' A sad smile was formed on Sunggyu's face as he continued eating the foods on his plate. 'You deserve happiness, Taeyeon. I, Kim Sunggyu wish I will have the chance to give it to you.'

Kwon was left awed by her words too. He discovered that behind Taeyeon's cold and composed facade is a woman who only wants what is best for her family.

He genuinely complimented, "Wow! You really are a hardworking and humble fellow. Now, I do not wonder why many men swoon over you. You are not just physically beautiful, but also internally."

Taeyeon disagreed as she shook her head, "Uh-uh. Me? Beautiful?That's too much, but thank you for the compliment. I also don't think there are those who like me. That's impossible."

'Kwon is right. Ah no! That is an understatement. You are more than that.' Sunggyu thought to himself as he drank the water on his glass. 'You are a very amazing and wonderful person. You are a one of kind woman, Taeyeon. I am one of those men who dearly like you.'

"No, I am saying the truth. Aren't you even aware that there are men who like you?" Kwon asked and soon followed up, "Hasn't anyone told you that he likes you?"

"Huh? I don't think there—" Suddenly, a memory flashed back inside her mind.

[~]

"Sunggyu-ssi, I am so—"Taeyeon wanted to apologize. She knew that it was too careless of her to lose that necklace which was given by him during her birthday few months ago.

“Sssh. No need to apologize. It’s alright.” He assured in a soft voice before he turned her around to face him. “Seeing how you look for it as if it’s something important to you is more than enough to make me happy.”

“Sunggyu-ssi, I am very sorry.” The woman apologetically said.

“I told you that there is no need to apologize, right?”

"But—"

“Never mind that.Anyway, let me ask you something.”

“Something? What is it?”

“It is about..”He cleared his throat before he continued what he was saying, “It is about us. Tell me. Why do you avoid me all the time? Did I do or say something wrong for you to be like that? Why are you avoiding me?”

Speechless and stunned with his questions, the woman’s eyes widened. She did not know what to answer.

"I don’t—"

“What’s wrong?” Sunggyu asked, desperately searching for an answer. “Tell me why, Taeyeon-ssi. I want to know why.”

Not knowing what to answer to his questions, Taeyeon thriftily answered back, pulling off a cold reaction her face as she looked away from his judging gazes, “Nothing. Please don’t mind it.”

“Huh?”

Taking a quick glance of her watch, she knew that she should leave. Leaving will be the best solution because staying there will not help her, but make her feel worse instead.

She excused as she looked at him straightly, “Sunggyu-ssi, I have to go now. Thank you for returning back this necklace, by the way.” She turned back and started walking away from him.

Suddenly, a strong arm harshly held her right arm, preventing her from leaving. Taeyeon faced the man and her eyes widened in anxiety.

She mumbled as she tried removing his arm, "What do you want, Sung—"

Sunggyu seriously muttered, tightening his grip on her arm, “Why are you leaving? I’m still talking to you!”

“What do you want?”

“What I want?” He darkly stated before he pulled her towards him. “Do you really want to know? THEN, I’LL SHOW YOU!”

“Sunggyu-ssi, what are—“

Her words were suddenly cut off the moment he pulled her closer towards him. He roughly pushed her face near him until his lips covered her pale lips. She was greatly terrified as she felt the numbness all over her body. Taeyeon felt how her heartbeat raced with mixed feelings. It felt different. It made her feel dizzy.

To prevent her from breaking the kiss, Sunggyu tightly wrapped his other arm around her back and pushed her closer to him, deepening their kiss.

After a while, Taeyeon finally regained her consciousness from the reality. She slowly opened her eyes and removed her hands on his shoulders.

Soon, the moment they parted ways, both of them took the time to out for air. He mumbled as he watched her back away from him. “Taeyeon-ssi. I am so—"

When he was about to apologize and explain, his words were immediately halted as he saw how her eyes turned cold—even colder than what she used to have.

“Just think of what happened as nothing. No need to apologize. I'll forget it soon anyway."The woman monotonely stated before she started walking away from him.

"Taeyeon-ssi." Sunggyu said as he held her left arm tightly. "Let me explain. I know it's too sudden, but I love—"

"Stop it. You are just confused with your feelings. I hope I won't hear such things ever again." Taeyeon stoically stated before she bowed her head and slowly released her arm from his grip. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll excuse myself from you, Sunggyu-ssi." She started walking away, leaving him behind.

[~]

'Do not be delusional, Kim Taeyeon. Of course, a person like Sunggyu-ssi will not like you. That was a misunderstanding. That's right. He was just confused at that time that he did such rash thing. Always bear in mind that two different worlds can never collide, eo?' Pulling off a plain reaction on her face, Taeyeon continued what she was saying earlier, "No, there isn't. But it's nothing important for me. I actually do not like wasting time thinking about that thing."

'But I did! I did tell you I like you! You just did not want to believe it!' Sunggyu scoffed in his thoughts as he tightened his hold with the chopsticks he was using. 'You refused to listen to what I had to say and insisted that I was just confused with my feelings. Am I a sort of a liar who would fake his feelings? Jinjja! Now, you are pretending that there is no one who told you that he likes you. So what am I? Don't I exist? Don't I exist in your eyes?'

'Kim Sunggyu, say something! Won't you?' Kwon took a quick glance of his friend before he turned back his attention to his female co-worker saying, "Really? That's weird."

"No, there isn't. But as what I have said earlier, it really does not matter."

'Doesn't it really matter? How about my feelings? I do not expect for you to like me back, but can you please stop pushing me away?' Quietly eating his food, Sunggyu kept ranting inside his mind, ranting for his feelings were being neglected and being 'pushed away' by the woman he has been loving sincerely. Who's she? The answer’s pretty obvious.

'So the tiger is irked now. Alright, cowardice prevailed. Should I hype up his anger?' Kwon furtively smirked and momentarily he asked the woman, "Really? How about Namu-ah?"

"Huh? Na—namu?" Taeyeon confusedly wondered. 'Isn't that Sir Woohyun?'

"Eung. How about Woohyun-dongsaeng? I can see that he has an interest with you." Kwon nodded his head. Afterwards, a sly smile was formed on his face when he saw how Sunggyu's reaction hardened upon hearing his words. Although his friend tried to hide it, the reaction painted on his face showed that he was affected by what he said. 'Endure it. Endure the jelly-jelly feeling, Kim Sunggyu. You should have spoken earlier, so that I wouldn't have thought of saying such thing. Be a man, dude!'

Surprised, Taeyeon immediately denied, "Mwo? No, no. I do not think Sir Woohyun has. He just treats me the usual treatment that a boss should give to his employee. There is no malice with that."

"Jeongmal? Why do I feel like he likes you? He has been my friend too for years, so I know him a lot more than others do." Kwon stated. "Honestly, he treats you differently among the rest. I feel that he seems growing very fond of you."

"I think he is just kind to his colleagues. I just appear to be singled out from the rest because I am the only female employee in the café. But I really appreciate Sir Woohyun's kindness. He might be an irking prankster at some times, but he is a kind and helpful boss." Taeyeon clarified as a smile was formed on her face. “He is very friendly and generous. I can say that those traits are very admirable of him.”

"You seem to say good things about him. You like him, don't you?"

"What?" Her eyes widened with an embarrassed reaction drawn on her face. "Ay! No, no! That is impossible."

Intriguing her like a showbusiness insider, Kwon questioned, "Is that so? Nothing is impossible in this world, really. But don't get me wrong. If someone like him tells you that he loves you, will you like him back?"

'Sheesh. This is too much..' Sunggyu shot his friend a dark stare and complained, "Stop asking her personal things. Let us not make her feel embarrassed, eo?"

'Really? Really? Aigoo! Just say that you are jealous! I'm just trying to irk you because all you do there is to sit quietly like a coward. Kim Sunggyu, you really are impossible!' Kwon's face puckered up as he shot him back a dark stare. "Algesseoyo. I am sorry. I am sorry for my nosiness."

However, without a single thought, Taeyeon straightforwardly responded, "Ah, no. I do not mind it. As for your question, I am not actually sure if I will. Since I have not yet experienced formally loving someone, I am not aware with such thing. Nonetheless, a person like Woohyun is a good man with an amazing wit, various talents, good looks, impressive family background and an outspoken personality, so there is no room for impossibility. Well, the girl he likes is very lucky to have him."

'Very well said, Taeyeon-ssi. That was a very nice answer. Woohyun will be very flattered to hear such words from you.' Kwon smiled in amazement, but his smile dropped in an instant when he saw how Sunggyu's face turned bland. 'Yikes! I think the white tiger is really pissed off. Omona! Eotteokhae? Uhh.. But I should hype it up more!'

All of a sudden, Sunggyu questioned without looking at her, "So does that mean that there is a possibility you will like him too?"

Surprised upon hearing his question, the woman stuttered, "Ah that—umm.. Sir Woohyun is a likeable person, but I do not think it is appropriate for me to like him."

"Why? You said that he is a likeable person, right?" The other man asked, feeling intrigued.

"Yes, he is. Sir Woohyun is a very likeable person, but, he will always be the kind and helpful boss that I will look up to." She explained sensibly without hesitation. "In other words, it'll always be a mere boss and employee relationship."

'Did you hear that, Kim Sunggyu? That is a plus point for you!' Kwon nodded his head. "But if he's not your boss, would you?"

To reply to his question, she gave him an unreadable smile without saying any word. It's like saying that what you see is what you get.

'Ooh..Thumbs down for you, Gyuzizi.' Kwon looked at his friend who became upset by her silent reply. "Woah... I get it. I didn't see that coming from you, Taeyeon-ssi.Well, Namu is a very amazing person, so no wonder."

"Yes, he really is," she assented."Kind, generous, humorous and friendly, Sir Woohyun is a very nice man."

Kwon started changing the topic to cool off the tensed mood, "Anyway, I am actually amazed that you are a work-oriented person. Don't you even take a time to unwind from the stress of work?"

"I also do if I get the chance to do so. The stress reliever I do is eating the foods I want to eat. Well, there are also times I cook to relieve my stress." Taeyeon answered casually. "As a matter of fact, eating and cooking are my favorite hobbies."

"Wow! That's great! We have the same hobbies! Aww.. I am really happy to hear that," Kwon exuberantly expressed. "The food that I want to whenever I feel stressed is bibimbap."

"Really? Oh, we are on the same boat. I also cook bibimbap whenever I feel stressed. Whenever I visit my hometown which is at North Jeolla, I would cook bibimbap to get away from the stressful city of Seoul," Taeyeon narrated before she took a spoonful of rice inside .

Kwon's eyes widened as he said in awe, "Jeollabukdo? Jinjja, Taeyeon-ssi? This fellow, Sunggyu is also from North Jeolla Province!" He pointed his friend who was sitting beside her.

"Uh, nae. I know that he is," she plainly answered back. “I know that he is also from North Jeolla.”

'She does? Uh...wait..' He looked at Sunggyu and Taeyeon confusedly as he tapped his chin with his fingers. With his mind trying to digest the fact that both of them were from the same hometown, a realization hit him.

[~]

"That son of mine. I hope he is not stressing himself that much. I am very worried that he might get sick." The old woman said as he let out a sigh. "He is really hard-headed. No matter how I constantly remind him of the same thing, he does not listen. I know work is important, but that's not a reason to compromise health. There should always have a balance for everything."

"Don't worry about it, Aunt. I will always remind him to take care of himself."

"Thank you for that. Anyway, how's work? Why did you think of leaving your overwhelming opportunities at Paris? I heard you were doing well there, but why did you choose of coming back here?"

"To tell you honestly, I might have bigger opportunities at Paris, but I felt that something's missing. I think of work not only as something about getting opportunities and gaining money, but as something that I should enjoy. Having such big opportunities might have helped me grow as a professional pastry chef, but it made me lose my time for myself, and I think that's the major reason why I decided to come back here in South Korea." The man candidly expressed before he took a sip of the hot tea on his cup. "Probably, I'll just fly back to Paris after five or six years because I'm currently enjoying my stay here in our country."

"Oh, is that so? I cannot blame you though. Life is too short not to be enjoyed. I'm glad you stand for what makes you happy. What makes a person happy is usually the thing that matters most. Anyway, where do you work now?"

"I work at Hope Café, the café that was managed by Sunggyu before, and now that is being handled by Woohyun."

"Really?"

"Yes, Aunt. It may not be as big as the workplaces where I worked at Paris, but I enjoy working there. Working there gives me a sense of fulfillment. I've met new friends, and I enjoy doing my work as a staff of Hope Café."

"Jeongmal? That is nice to hear then. I am glad that you're doing well in work."

"I've noticed that this house remains nice as ever. You've taken care of this very well, Aunt." With his eyes were wandering around the living room, something caught his eyes. He said as he stood up from his seat, "For a while, Aunt."

"What is it?"

"Oh..." Walking towards the area where a glassy rectangular table was. Among the picture frames placed on the table, one of them was the thing that caught his eyes. Kwon gently held it with his hands. There was a surprised reaction formed on his face. He curiously asked, "When was this, Aunt?"

"It was during Sunggyu's birthday last April."

The picture showed children, a nun, a young man and a young lady, and even Haera herself beside the nun. With his eyes focused on the picture, he particularly stared at the middle of the picture where the young man and young woman was. The man's right arm was clinging on her shoulders, smiling brightly and beside him, the lady was doing a V-pose. It was a very beautiful picture. The brightness of their smiles reflected the happiness inside them.

Kwon asked, "Really?" The woman in the picture looked familiar. No, very familiar.

"Nae, Kwon-ah. That picture was taken at the orphanage nearby, the Little Paradise Orphanage. Sunggyu looked very happy in that picture, right? I guess it's because of her. I have a feeling that my son likes her. She is Kim Taeyeon." Haera answered as a smile was formed on her face.

"Kim Taeye—Kim Taeyeon-ssi?" The man stuttered in surprise.

"Nae, Kwon-ah. Why? Do you know her?"

He nodded his head and replied, "She is a colleague of mine at work."

"Colleague, nae. Nae, nae. I remember it now. Sunggyu has once mentioned that Taeyeon-ssi works at Hope Café."

"Aunt, when did they meet know each other?"

"It was during the time Taeyeon-ssi saved me from a thief who snatched my bag. She's really brave. She had even beaten up that man. I was really shocked at that time to see a very angelic woman acting bravely like her. I just don't know the details of how they became friends."

"Oh, really? That's so amazing of her. Well, I heard that she's a former stuntwoman."

"Ah, nae. She once mentioned it to me when we were having a phone conversation months ago."

"I actually did not know that they're close. Maybe, it's because I have just started working at the café not too long ago that's why I wasn't able to know it. Besides, Taeyeon-ssi, like Sunggyu, is a very reserved person which is the reason why I never thought about it."

"Well, I agree to that. Taeyeon-ssi is just like my son. No wonder he likes her that much. I think he sees a side of him to her. It's just that my Sunggyu is a shy-type of person that's why he is afraid of taking a step forward." Haera candidly expressed. "If I'll have to choose a woman for my son, I'll go for Taeyeon-ssi. She's a kind and beautiful lady. I even asked her to check on Sunggyu if she has a free time. Well, I'm wondering when my son will date a woman. If he has a spare time, I hope he'll date Taeyeon-ssi. My son has never been interested with women, but looking at his eyes when Taeyeon-ssi's around, I can really say that he likes her. The smile that he rarely showed before, it's her who made it visible again in the eyes of others. She is an amazing woman."

[~]

'Ah yeah! How fool I am not to remember it! Hahaha. Aigoo! Oh, should I officially start the operation matchmaking now?' Feeling amused, he thought of a very great idea. Kwon innocently stated, "Ah, I remember that Aunt Haera, Sunggyu's mother told me that this fellow brought a female friend with him during his birthday. I guess that was you, right?"

"Me?"

"Nae, weren't you?"

"Umm.."

"What?"

'Will she deny it? Will she deny that it was her?' Sunggyu let out a sigh and forced himself to feel unaffected whether she will or not admit it herself. Besides, it seemed that Taeyeon really did not care about his feelings, so what she will say won't matter, anyway. 'She will deny it. I know she will. Why should I mind it? I should not care about it. Yes, I should not.'

"Honestly, yes. That was me." Much to their surprise, she plainly replied back and nodded her head. "I was that fellow who accompanied Sunggyu-ssi at Jeonju during his birthday."

Oddly surprised. Sunggyu was really surprised in his seat that Taeyeon plainly admitted it without a single trace of hesitation. He thought that she will deny it, but she did not. 'So she did not deny it. Seriously, am I dreaming? Did Kim Taeyeon really admit it herself?'

'Ooh.. So she did admit it.' A smile was formed on Kwon's face and afterwards stated, "At first, I really did not know that you two know each other. When Aunt Haera told me about that, I was surprised to know that you two just don't know each other, but you are also friends. Now, I've realized that indeed birds of the same feather flock together."

"Of the same feather?" The woman naively wondered. “What do you mean by that?”

'Aish! Kwon-ah, stop making me feel enbarrassed here.' The older man let out a big sigh again. 'Eotteokhae? What should I do to this fellow?'

'Sorry but I have to do this for you, Hamster boy.' His friend halted eating and said, "Never mind that. So tell me, Taeyeon-ssi. Don't you find this fellow interesting?"

Sunggyu who was drinking water almost spat out what he was drinking the moment his silly friend asked such question. 'What in the world is he saying? Aish!' He gave him a questioning look as he gritted his teeth. 'What are trying to plot, huh? Aigoo! You really are the BEST friend ever! What should I really do to this friend of mine?'

'You'll gonna thank me for this. Stop the whiny attitude, eo? Go with the flow. Kekekeke.' His friend just responded him with a playful smile.

"In—interest what?" Taeyeon who was also surprised with his question asked. “Who?”

Just like a nosy showbusiness speculator, Kwon speculated, "Well, just look at him. Isn't Kim Sunggyu a nice man? He's intelligent, hardworking, good-looking, kind and a quiet type of person just like you. Don't you think he's interesting? From a woman's perspective, didn't he ever draw your attention?"

She became utterly speechless upon hearing his questions. Of course, Kim Sunggyu is a very nice man. But did he really draw her attention? Did he…or did he not? It's only her who knows it. Thinking of what to answer, she could feel how her face was heating up. But of course, she must pretend to feel unaffected with such thoughts.

The older man took a glance of her fazed reaction, so he muttered, "Hey! Kwon-ah, please stop asking such questions."

"Wae? I'm just curious. There's nothing wrong with that. Am I right, Taeyeon-ssi?"

'Uh-oh. What should I say? Should I tell him the truth? Oh well..' Taeyeon lowered her head as she thriftily answered his speculations before she continued eating, "Sunggyu-ssi is a very nice friend and I agree that he possesses those good qualities."

'Oh—god! Friendzoned? Does that mean he's friendzoned? That quick?' Kwon gently scratched the back of his head.'Poor Gyuzizi. I am sorry.' When his friend's gaze turned to his direction, he mouthed the word 'friendzone' and gestured a thumbs down which Sunggyu coldly ignored.

Hurt and disappointed upon hearing her answer, Sunggyu took a bite of the sandwich on his plate. 'That is how you really for me. Well, I shouldn't have expected for more. That's the ending point of the story, right? I should not feel bad about it. Who am I to you? Nothing. I am just a pushover who desperately wants to be noticed by you.'

"I agree. He is a very nice friend," Kwon awkwardly said. "He is not only helpful but also supportive as a friend."

She affirmed, "Nae, he is. He is very likeable like Sir Woohyun. Both of them are very kind and generous."

'Oh, oh. This is awkward, but this should not be the fall of the operation matchmaking! I need to start with a new tactic! Yeah. I still have more cards left.' To dismiss the awkward tension again, Kwon diverted the conversation to a new topic, "Taeyeon-ssi, do you love jewelries?"

"Jewelries? Umm.. Not really."

"Is that so? But I find the necklace you are wearing very nice, so I thought you have a good sense in choosing jewelries." He sensibly stated as he pointed the necklace hanging over her neck.

"Ah this," she mumbled, gently holding its pendant. "Yes, this is really beautiful."

Meanwhile, the older man was stopped from what he was doing. He turned his head to the right direction where she was sitting. His eyes trailed down the necklace she was wearing. 'Omo! That... that necklace.'

"Where did you buy that? It looks so nice and it suits you a lot." Kwon innocently asked. "Also, the bracelet you are wearing is nice. You seem to like infinity symbol that much, eh?"

She quickly responded in a calm manner, "Ah, these two both came from my friends. I received these things during my birthday last March."

'That necklace is surely the one that Gyuzizi gave her.' Jo Kwon innocently stated, "Those friends are really thoughtful. Going back to that necklace, may I know who that kind friend is? That person seems to have a good taste in choosing jewelries. Perhaps, it will be interesting to get to know that person."

'Aish, Jo Kwon! Are you really making a fool out of me?' Sunggyu mentally hissed as he shut his eyes. 'Of course, she will not tell who that person is! What more could I expect?'

'Telling the truth won't hurt, right?' She cleared and openly admitted, "It's actually him." Taeyeon pointed the man whose seat was opposite her.

When Sunggyu opened his eyes, he was shocked to see how her left index finger was pointing him. He totally became frozen on his seat. 'Am I seeing it right? Did she really admit it?'

'Gyuzizi, see? You are losing hope quickly without finishing the race. So shall I go on with the operation matchmaking?'He happily thought to himself and soon said, "Woah! Amazing! You have a good taste in jewelries, Sunggyu."

The older man's face turned as he stammered, "Mw—mwo?"

"No wonder that it came from you looking at the necklace you're wearing." Kwon commented, pointing the gold infinity necklace his friend was wearing. "It looks completely similar as the silver infinity necklace she is wearing."

The woman's eyes widened in an instant, so she turned her head and saw the necklace he was wearing which was similar with what she was wearing. 'So he has the same necklace as what he gave me before.'

Coming up with the best excuse he could ever think of, Sunggyu excused, "Uh...that.. When I bought these, they were sold as a pair, so I decided to buy them right away. These are just common necklaces that can be bought in stores. Am I right, Taeyeon-ssi?"

"Nae. Sunggyu-ssi is right," Taeyeon lied as she faked a smile. ‘I never knew he had a necklace which is similar with this one.’

"Really?" Kwon suspiciously asked, raising an eyebrow. "How can those necklaces be common if they're personalized?"

"Pe—personalized?" Taeyeon stuttered as she gulped. 'Uh.. What should we say? I know that this isn’t common, but if I just knew that he had the same necklace, I could think of an alibi. Heol…'

'Liar. Geojitmal. You both are bad liars.' Kwon stood up from his seat, stood near Sunggyu's seat. He bent his back and held the pendant of Sunggyu's necklace.

"Ya—ya! What are you doing?" The older one muttered in embarrassment. ‘Kwon, you really are impossible.’

"Look there is something engraved at a corner of the pendant. That's your name, right?" Kwon blatantly stated before he went back to his seat. "I bet yours, Taeyeon-ssi also has it, but it's your name instead."

Yes, that's right. Three hangul characters, 김성규 (Kim Sung Gyu) were beautifully engraved at a corner of his gold necklace's infinity symbol pendant. Same goes with Taeyeon's silver necklace where the characters, 김태연(Kim Tae Yeon) were beautifully engraved.

"Ah—that.. Nae, you are right,"She shyly admitted. "It has my name on it."

"Are those couple necklaces or something? Why do I feel that they are?" Kwon teased. 'It's working haha. My plan is working. Lallalla!'

"Couple—couple necklace? No, these aren't," Sunggyu shyly denied his friend's claim. ‘These aren’t although they look like they are.’

"What? Friendship necklaces? Then, we should have something like those too," his friend playfully stated. "I did not know that you are a very thoughtful and sweet friend to her because you even gave it during her birthday. Isn't that sweet?"

"Uh—uh," the woman mumbled in embarrassment. 'Omona. It's not like what you are thinking, Kwon-ssi.'

Both Sunggyu and her were blushing madly as they tried not to look at each other.

'Cupid! The cupid will hype it more!' Kwon triumphantly smiled and soon asked, "Anyway, I like that keychain hanging on your phone, Sunggyu-ssi. It's a beautiful prince bear! Aww! So nice! Who gave that to you?" He held his friend's phone which was also placed on the table, and afterwards gave it back to him.

'Uhmm.. Should I tell him?' Having no choice but to tell the truth, he let his right index finger point the woman sitting beside him. "I received this from her during my birthday."

'Got you two love birds busted, didn't I?' Kwon mentally commended himself for doing a great job so far with his operation matchmaking plans. He asked, feigning a surprised tone of speaking, "Really? You did give it during his birthday? Aww. You are such a nice friend to him. Well, I see that you have the counterpart of his keychain which is a princess bear keychain, huh?"

Caught red-handed, unfortunately. That's how clever Kwon was.

Sunggyu was surprised to hear that, so when he turned his head to her direction, he was shocked to see the keychain hanging on her phone which was was placed a distance away from her plate and glass. ‘So she has something the same as what she gave me? Ohh… I never knew it.’

Meanwhile, Taeyeon who was embarrassed after being busted by her co-worker, feigned a calm reaction.

"And I also noticed that both of you are wearing the same color of clothes. Both of you are wearing gray clothes today," Kwon noticed as a playful smile was formed on his face. "Fate is very kind, right?"

The two looked at each other, apparently dumbfounded, before they immediately faced opposite directions.

"Is that so? It's merely a coincidence, Kwon," Sunggyu worded in defense. "Nothing is wrong that."

"Isn't it too early for February? It's still December, right?" The younger man vaguely questioned. "But why do I feel like it isn't? The aura today makes me feel that February is really coming."

"What are you sa—" His friend asked in disgust.

The younger man stood up from his seat and said, "I'll just go to the rest room. I think sooner or later, the love birds will be attacked by ants because of their sweetness."

"Love—what?" Taeyeon wondered.

"What I mean were the love birds of my neighbor. I am going to check them out." Kwon excused as he started leaving the dining area. 'I do not wonder why Gyu likes you. You're really alike.'

Soon, only the sound of the utensils was heard and the two ate quietly in a cold and awkward atmosphere. What more could we expect?

After a while, Sunggyu took a bath in the guest room's bathroom. It was a good thing that Kwon lent him some clothes to wear. Well, being a teasing matchmaker as he was, the shirt his friend lent him was color gray, a surely perfect match with Taeyeon's gray dress, just like the color of his knitted shirt earlier.

But what can he do? He did not have a choice, but to wear those clothes. When he finished preparing himself, he immediately proceeded to the living room where Kwon and Taeyeon were having a conversation since the time they finished cleaning up the dining area. When he was about to reach the living room, he heard a part of their conversation.

"So as what I have said, he will be the one who will providing the attire you will wear," Kwon said, looking down at his knitted fingers.

She heaved a sigh. "Is that so? Won't that be bothersome for him?"

"No, he promised to help us and he assured me that he will extend his help for the success of our event."

"Is that so? Won't it conflict his schedule?"

Upon reaching the living room, Sunggyu curiously asked, "Whose schedule will be conflicted by what?" He took a seat beside Kwon.

"Uh—that." She stuttered as she looked away from him.

"Well, didn't I tell you last night that we'll be helping someone?"

"You did, Kwon-ssi. What about that person? Oh, it's already eight o'clock. Where is he?" Sunggyu took a quick glance of his wrist watch. "I thought we'll help with his costume. Where is he?"

Kwon awkwardly said, "Umm.. Actually, it's not a he."

"What? Not a he? What do you mean?"

"It's actually," Kwon mumbled as he pointed Taeyeon who was sitting on the other couch. "It is actually her."

"MWO?" Surprised upon knowing the truth, his eyes widened. Then, he gave his male friend a 'why-did-you-not-tell-me-the-truth' look and the latter just gave him a 'peace' sign. 'So you really planned this, didn't you?'

Looking at Sunggyu's startled reaction, Taeyeon mumbled, "But if you do not want to help, it is alright."

The older man shifted his gaze towards her and assured in a stuttering manner, "Ah, no. No, it is alright. I do not mind helping you...and even the others for the...café's...upcoming event."

"Are you sure? You do not actually have to buy me a new hanbok. That will cost too much and it will be a burden for you," she said, landing her gaze on her crossed fingers. "I do not want to be a burden to anyone, especially to you."

"Burden? No, he promised to help you. It won't be bothersome for him. Am I right, Gyuzizi?" Kwon gave his friend a 'please-say-yes-look'. 'You have willingly volunteered, right? There's no way you can back out.'

"Geokjung hajima." Sunggyu nodded his head and guaranteed, "Of course, it won't be a burden for me. I assure you, so please stop worrying."

'Thank goodness. That's right, Gyuzizi. This is a stepping stone for you.' His friend smiled and stated, "See? He's your friend too, so he's willing to help for the success of the event. He is right. Stop worrying a lot."

"O—okay. I understand. Thank you very much for that."

Suddenly, Kwon's phone rang which was placed on top of the glass table in the middle of the living room. He immediately picked it up and excused himself for a while, leaving the two of them behind.

Shyly holding his nape, Sunggyu apologized, "About earlier, I apologize in behalf of Kwon. I know that you felt awkward and probably offended with his questions. I hope you will understand that Kwon is naturally a joker. It is just unavoidable that there are times that he somewhat goes overboard, but he really is a kind person and I assure you that.."

She shook her head and assured, "No, it's alright. I understand him and I did not feel offended though. As a matter of fact, I find his personality an interesting one because he knows how to catch someone red-handed by the slip of the tongue and he has the ability to determine whether a person is lying or not."

"Is that the reason why you did not lie about the...two of...us?" He paused for a second to think for more appropriate words to explain what he wanted to express. "What I mean is about our friendship. I thought you will deny it."

"There is no reason to hide about that, so telling him the truth won't hurt, right?" Taeyeon straightforwardly responded.

"Ah, nae. I am just worried that you feel uncomfortable that Kwon thinks of our interaction as a different way."

"No, I do not mind it too. I know that he is aware that we are no more than friends," she guaranteed as a smile was painted on her face. "Please do not be bothered by such things, Sunggyu-ssi."

'I get it. Yes, we are no more than friends and we can never go more than that.’ The man slowly nodded his head and forced himself to smile. "Yes, he is surely aware of that. For the years of friendship we have, Kwon is not narrow-minded like others."

"You are very lucky to have a jolly and supportive best friend like Kwon-ssi."

"Yeah, I really am." Sunggyu answered, suppressing the sadness inside him. 'Yes, I am lucky to have a friend who knows that behind the smile I show is the pain of being alone and neglected by some people.'

After a while, Kwon went back to the living room. But the odd thing was his reaction that showed that he was quite troubled for whatever reason that only he knew.

"Gwaechanha? Is there something wrong?" Taeyeon asked her colleague. "Did something happen or what?"

'Sheesssshhh! How do I say this?' Kwon scratched the back of his head and hesitantly mumbled, "There is...there is a..."

Curious of what his friend wanted to say, Sunggyu asked, "What is it, Kwon?"

'Ok.. Just say it.. Ppalli! They're kind so they will understand you.' He cleared his throat and shyly stated, "Actually, I have received a call from my aunt at Suwon."

"So what about it?" The woman asked, anticipating for what he had to say.

Continuing what he wanted to say, Kwon stated, "Actually, she wants me to cook for the foreign visitors tonight at her inn. It means to say that I will have to go there now for me to be able to arrive there before seven o'clock. What I want to point out is if I will go there, the two of you will only be the ones who will be buying the hanbok and..."

"And what?" Taeyeon asked calmly.

"And ah! I forgot to mention earlier that Mr. Bong gave me a list of the goods I have to buy and he wants me to bring them later at the café. However, the thing is I will not have a chance to accomplish that given the situation I urgently have to deal with at Suwon. Although I feel embarrassed and guilty for troubling the two of you, I want to ask you a favor."

Sunggyu nodded his head while asking, "I see. So does that mean that the favor you want to ask is to do the task given to you by Mr. Bong?"

"That's precisely right, Sunggyu. I know this is kinda embarrassing, but I am asking for your help, Taeyeon-ssi and Gyuzizi." Kwon humbly requested. "If it will be alright for you, I hope that the two of you can be the ones who will buy the hanbok and also to buy those goods Mr. Bong wants me to buy at a grocery. I am really sorry for the bother. I am really sorry."

Nodding her head in approval, Taeyeon calmly replied, "Alright. Why not? "

"But I can go to the grocery store alone after we buy a hanbok for you, Taeyeon-ssi." Sunggyu stated. "You need to drop by the shop at one in the afternoon, right?"

"No, it is alright. We can just go and do those things together. To begin with, we'll have to go together in buying a hanbok for me, so I think I will have to accompany you too at the grocery store." She disagreed plainly which brought shock to both men. "Won't that be a better idea than having you do the things alone?"

'Oops. Is this really Kim Taeyeon? Did she just say she is willing to go with him? Ayieee!! Gyuzizi, don't play the hard-to-get dude! Just do as she says! Yay! I thought it's a bad thing that my aunt called me to go to Suwon, but I've realized it's not.' Kwon smiled happily, staring at the other two. 'It even made a way for these two love birds to have their precious time together. Indirect date?'Hmm. No, it's really a DATE! Haha!'

'Oooh.. Is this really her? Did she just say she is willing to go with me?' Sunggyu shyly looked at her. 'Kim Sunggyu, you must be dreaming. Anio, you are not dreaming!'

"So I will be preparing my things now, guys. Thank you and I apologize for burdening the two of you. I will come back by tomorrow. Just call me if any aberrance happens, okay? After I finish fixing my things, I’ll give the money for the groceries, but I'll be the one who'll personally give Yoseob-ssi's hanbok before I fly to Suwon."

"Alright, Kwon-ssi. You can count on us," Taeyeon assured before she turned her gaze towards the other man. "Am I right, Sunggyu-ssi?"

'What can I do? It's not that I do not want to, but I feel nervous with her.' Without uttering any word from his mouth, Sunggyu nodded his head in affirmation. 'So this really isn't a dream. Yes, it isn't.'

Both of them were walking quietly with a distance separating them from each other. The atmosphere between the two of them was quite awkward that's why Sunggyu tried his best not to land a gaze on Taeyeon who was busily using her phone.

The silence, the distance... Everything. Everything felt awkward. What can he do? He volunteered to help for the upcoming event of the Hope Café. But that’s not the issue, rather it was the odd atmosphere between him and Taeyeon which he needed to bear for the time being. It’s not like he had a choice, right?

Breaking the silence which felt like eternity, Sunggyu asked, forcing himself to look straightly to her, “I am sorry if I was not able to bring my car with me. Taeyeon-ssi, will it be alright if we—if we take a—”

“A bus?” Taeyeon cut him off as she turned her attention to the man. A plain smile was formed on her face. Both of them paused from walking for a while.

‘She is smiling.’ He shyly nodded his head as he tried to calm himself up. The man could feel how his heart was throbbing in pain ecstatically. ‘Ya! Why do I feel shy right now? Just why? Why do I feel this way?’

Sunggyu stared at her blankly with his mind trying to process the image that she was actually smiling right at the moment. It was the complete opposite of her usual cold reaction whenever she’s with him.

“Sure. That has been my usual habit though,” she affirmed without letting her smile fade away. “A commoner like me takes public transportation, so it’s not a problem for me. Well, I should be the one asking you that, actually. I do not know whether or not a chaebol like you are used to take public transportations. But I guess you don’t, right?”

“Uhh.. That’s not it,” Sunggyu disagreed, shaking his head. “Of course, I do too. Not because I work as a director in a company, I won’t do things that normal people do.”

“To be precise, it’s one of the biggest companies in our country. You are not just a mere employee there, but the executive director and you will soon become the Nam's CEO. I think that it will be more appropriate if you do things that people of your class do. No offense. It’s just my opinion,” Taeyeon frankly opined before she started using her phone again. ‘Oh, he sent another message.’

“But it won’t hurt if I do things if I deviate from the usual notion that chaebol men only live a luxurious life, right? Besides, I was once a commoner who does usual things in life,” he answered back firmly as he continued walking and the woman did as well. “I cannot force myself to be someone who I do not want to be.”

“Alright. Of course, that is your prerogative," she said. "Sunggyu-ssi, I am sorry for saying such thing.”

“No, it is alright. I do not mind it though," Sunggyu assured. "You are not the only one who told me such thing. Others who I have encountered before did too."

"Ah, okay."

"Noticing that her attention was out of nowhere, he questioned,“Taeyeon-ssi, who’s that?”

“Who? Who’s who?” She innocently asked as she continued texting someone. After a while, a smile was formed on her face, reading the message which was sent to her.

“What I mean is who the person you’re texting is. You have been busy texting someone since we left Kwon’s house few minutes ago.” He went close to her and tried peeking on her phone. “You seem to be very happy reading the text messages sent by that person to you. May I ask who that person is?”

When she noticed that the man was about to see who it was, she immediately kept the phone inside her jeans' left pocket.

She quickly replied, dismissing his curiosity, “No, this is just a friend of mine. Sorry if it did bother you.” The woman looked away from his scrutinizing stares and pulled off a plain reaction on her face. "Shall we head now to Dongdaemun-gu because it's already eight in the morning?"

"Of course, we should get going."

"Let us go now. Shouldn't we?"

"But who is it?"

"It is just a mere friend of mine."

“Really?” Sunggyu suspiciously questioned.'I guess I know who it is. I know I do not have any right to meddle with her life, but I just want to confirm if it is him.'

“Nae.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Sunggyu-ssi.”

“But I am so curious. Sorry,” Sunggyu mocked before he effortlessly pulled out the phone from her pocket. He immediately distanced away himself from her and started opening her phone. “Now, let me see who this good friend is.”

“YA! That! What are you—" Taeyeon tried snatching back her phone which was firmly held by the man. “Can you please give me back my phone? Ya!”

‘See? It’s him. It’s really him.’ Smirking victoriously when he had the hold of her phone, he lifted it up that she could not reach it. Since he’s way taller than her, it became too easy for him to elude Taeyeon’s attempt of snatching back her phone from him.

He plainly stated, “Nothing really. Since I am quite curious, I want to know who it is. Your attention has been with this one since we left Kwon’s house. I wonder who that person is that your attention is one hundred percent in texting while we are walking. Don’t you think that is dangerous? What if you tripped because you’re not aware of your surroundings because of texting this person?” His tone was sandwiched by sarcasm. But was it only sarcasm, eh?

Trying to reach the level where Sunggyu lifted her phone, she repetitively jumped and lifted her arms. “Alright, alright. I am sorry. I did not even notice that hundred percent of my attention was all there. But at least, I did not trip or something, right? That proves that I was somehow aware of where I was walking. Is my explanation enough, Mr. Kim Sunggyu? Won’t you give that back to me?”

‘So it is really him. Hmm.’ He ignored what she said and continued eluding her attempts of snatching back her phone. Slowly scrolling down the message thread between her and that ‘person’, he started reading it orally,

“Good morning, Milady. How’s your morning today? Don’t forget that we’ll start decorating the café later, okay? By the way, did you eat your breakfast? Please do not skip breakfast, so you won’t get thinner, okay? By the way, send my regards to Aunt Gongju, Uncle Ilbong and Sungjong-dongsaeng. Please tell them too that they should take care of their health and never skip meals.”

She hissed, "Hey! Geumanhae.. Stop—"

“Wanna hear what you replied to the boss you look up to slash your dear friend?” The man playfully asked as he turned his attention back to her. "Do you want to?"

“Ya! Stop—”

"You don't want, eh? Sorry, but I do."

"Sunggyu-ssi, give me my phone back!"

"Okay. Let me read your reply." He cleared his throat and read the message calmly,

"Annyeong haseyo! Thank you for your concern. Nae, Sir Woohyun. I will always bear those things in mind. Please take care of yourself too and never skip meals."

"Sunggyu-ssi, please give me my phone back," she desperately pleaded. "You'll not get something from what you're doing. Aish!"

"I see that the friend you're talking about is my brother. Woah.. Seeing these numerous messages, I see that you're quite close to him. Want me to read another messages?"

"Kim Sunggyu!"

"So here's another message." Sunggyu lifted up the phone higher for her not to reach it. He loudly read,

"Milady, I hope you'll have a nice day today. It's nice to see you smile often. Please always show that beautiful smile to me."

"Stop—"

"And there are those heart emoticons after the message. Woah.. How sweet of him! He even calls you as 'Milady'. Oh yeah, I remember that it's not the first time he did. Seriously, is he your special friend, boyfriend or what? He seems to be acquainted with your family too. Anyway, let me read what you replied." Sunggyu scoffed and soon started reading what she replied, mimicking a voice of a woman,

"Beautiful? No, your smile is. Please smile always too. Anyway, I hope you'll have a nice day. Hwaiting!"

"Aish! Just give me back my phone!"

"So you really are close to my brother. Do you always text each other?Are you two dating secretly or what? It'll be cool to hear you're dating the boss you look up to," he sarcastically said, emphasizing every word. “How outdated I am as a brother of my dear dongsaeng. I wonder if Ms. Kim Taeyeon will become Mrs. Nam Taeyeon in the future. If that is the case, then, I'm now hanging out with my future sister-in-law."

"Aigoo! That's not it! Just give me back my phone!"

"Chill! Well, let me just read the most recent message from your FRIEND." Sunggyu emphasized the last word and soon scrolled down the message thread and read the most recent message from what she said was 'her friend',

"By the way, didn't you say that you don't have a hanbok to wear? Do you want me to accompany and buy you a hanbok for the event?"

Facepalming herself in embarrassment, Taeyeon muttered, "Sunggyu-ssi, stop it."

He put down his arms and handed back her phone. The man plainly stated, "But unfortunately, it is too late to do so because someone is a step ahead of him."A smirk was formed on his angelic face. Sunggyu looked away from her and continued walking.

"Hu—huh? What did he say?" Taeyeon innocently wondered as she watched him walking away. "Sunggyu-ssi, wait for me!"

Since there were no available seats inside the crowded bus, Sunggyu and Taeyeon did not have a choice, but to stand and squeeze themselves inside like sardines. In order not to stumble while standing, they held the metal railing above.

"Are you okay?" Sunggyu who was behind her mumbled, carefully supporting her with his other arm. At the same time, he was also holding Taeyeon's handbag.

She nodded her head and assured, "Yes, I am alright."

"We just have to bear with this for a while. I am sorry if I was not able to bring a car with me. If I did, you wouldn't have to experience such uncomfortable situation."

"No, it's alright. I am used to this kind of situation." Taeyeon guaranteed. "This is just like the usual scenario I experience whenever I take public transportations."

After a while, a man who seemed to be in his late forties stood up from his seat. He approached the woman standing near him and it appeared to be Taeyeon.

The ahjussi offered, "Young lady, you may take a seat here. I do not think it is appropriate to see you standing there."

Taeyeon shook her head and responded politely, "No, it is alright. But thank you for your offer, Sir."

"No, you should take it, young lady." The ahjussi said as he stood up.

Sunggyu said to her and gestured, "You go take that seat. Mister is right. It's inappropriate for a woman like you to stand."

The ahjussi said, "See? Even your boyfriend seemed to agree with it."

"Bo—boyfriend?" Her eyes widened as she stuttered with her words.

"Him." The ahjussi pointed Sunggyu who was behind her. "He is your boyfriend, isn't he? I bet you do not want to sit because you want to be with him."

Embarrassed for being mistaken as her 'boyfriend', Sunggyu politely denied, "No, Sir. I am not her boyfriend."

"No, Sir. That is not it. He—he is not my—"

"Ay! Kids these days love skinships even in public places. Tsk. Then, what? Your friend? Definitely, I don't think so. No need to deny it because the way he supported you with his arms not to fall since earlier told so."

Trying to explain that he was not really her boyfriend as what the Ahjussi assumed, Sunggyu mumbled, "Ah—anio. Sir, that's not it."

"Never mind that, Kids. I can see it because your faces say so. Anyway, you, young lady, you better take this seat."

Having no choice, she did as he said and thanked the ahjussi who gave way to the seat, "Thank you very much, Mister."

"You are very welcome. Well, I don't mind standing because I'll be going down soon."

"Thank you again, Sir." Taeyeon sincerely thanked.

"You're very welcome." He then turned to Sunggyu and said, "Take care of your girlfriend always, okay? Please be a good and protective boyfriend to her."

Because both of them knew that the Ahjussi won't believe them, Sunggyu and Taeyeon did not have the guts to deny such assumption and decided just to keep quiet. Soon, when the bus reached a certain area, the ahjussi went out of the crowded bus.

'Heol. Although I would want that to come true, it still feels awkward that others mistakenly think that I....I am her boyfriend.' Sunggyu let out a sigh and closed his eyes. 'Because I am not and it will be very impossible for me to become one..'

On the other hand, Taeyeon saw a woman in her early eighties standing on her left. Without hesitation, she stood up and gave up the seat for the old woman.

Politely approaching the old woman, Taeyeon said as she guided her towards the seat, "Please take this seat, Ma'am. I do not think it's appropriate for you to stand there."

Surprised yet moved with her kindness, the grandma gratefully expressed as she took the seat, "Thank you. Thank you for your kindness, young lady."

"You are very welcome, Ma'am." She smiled back and politely responded as she stood near where Sunggyu was.

After a few minutes, Sunggyu sensed that someone stood closely in front of him, so he opened his eyes. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Taeyeon.

Trying not to feel awkward because they were dangerously close to each other than earlier, the man behind Taeyeon asked, "Why are you standing again?"

Backfacing him, Taeyeon mumbled as she pointed the seat, "I let the grandmother take the seat."

"Ah, okay." Sunggyu said as he unconsciously let out a sweet smile. 'Wow! She really is a kind woman.'

A couple of minutes later, the bus reached Dongdaemun-gu. Losing her balance when the bus stopped hardly, thankfully, Sunggyu who was behind her was able to grip on her waist to prevent her from stumbling down the floor and pulled her towards him. Shocked due to the hard impact when the bus stopped, Taeyeon’s eyes widened and she became very speechless.

“Gwaechanayo?” The man behind her concernedly asked.

Her eyes fell down the sight of his left arm tightly holding her waist, she just nodded her head without uttering a word from .

“Are you sure, Taeyeon-ssi?”

She just nodded her head again.

“Alright. We are at Dongdaemun-gu now. Let us go down.” Sunggyu whispered to her ear and released her from his grip. He held her shoulders and secured her from the number of people who started going down the bus.

Upon reaching a mall at Dongdaemun-gu, Taeyeon and Sunggyu quietly wandered around the stores.

“Are you really sure that you’re okay that you are holding my bag?” She turned her head towards her companion who only had a stoic reaction on his face.

Nodding his head in assurance, Sunggyu responded, “Nae, it is.”

“Alright. Thank you, Sunggyu-ssi.”

As they entered a clothing store, a saleslady welcomed the two of them, “Annyeong haseyo, Ma’am and Sir! May I ask what you are looking for?”

They both looked at each other dumbfoundedly, gesturing one another to answer the question of the sales lady.

The saleslady let out a chuckle and asked, “Oh, perhaps, are you looking for couple’s wear for this upcoming Christmas day?”

“Cou—couple—what?” Sunggyu stuttered, trying to process what the woman asked.

The sales lady shot a glance on the bag he was holding and smiled brightly. “What kind of clothes are you looking for?”

He let out a soft cough and soon answered calmly, “We are actually looking for a female’s hanbok. A hanbok that will fit her.” Sunggyu pointed the woman standing beside her.

“Ahh.. I see, Sir. Well, there are a lot of hanboks that will perfectly suit your girlfriend.” The saleslady replied.

“Gir—girlfriend?” Taeyeon innocently asked. 'But I am not his girlfriend.'

“If you are interested, we have a promo today for the first ten couples who will buy hanboks in this store. “

Sunggyu naively questioned, with his eyes taking a few blinks, “Promo?”

“That is right, Sir. To celebrate the holidays, as what I have mentioned earlier, our shop decided to have a promo for the first ten lucky couples who will buy hanboks here. The promo is that if the couples buy two hanboks, they will have the chance to avail 25% discount to the price of one of the hanboks. But actually, the promo does not end there.” The saleslady further explained. “The first ten lucky couples will be given two free silver couple rings and they may request for their names to be engraved on the rings. If you happen to join, you'll be the first couple to do so.”

‘No, this shouldn’t be. Taeyeon-ssi will feel awkward again that we’re being mistaken as a couple just like earlier.’ Pulling off a stoic reaction on his face, Sunggyu politely refused, “No, thank you. We just came here to look for a hanbok for her. We are not a couple, actually, so we will not participate to the said promo to avail such discount and win couple rings. I am very sorry, but we are just friends, so we are not interested with the rings.” He stole a quick glance of his companion who seemed to be drowned in deep thoughts.

‘Promo? Uhh...’ Taeyeon thought to herself as she tapped her chin with her fingers. ‘Oh, sounds interesting…What if I—’

Sunggyu’s statement made the saleslady feel embarrassed of her false assumption. To make it up for her mistake, she sincerely apologized as she bowed down repetitively, “Is that so? Oh, I am very sorry, Ma’am and Sir. I just thought that you were a cou—”

The saleslady’s words were cut off when Taeyeon mischievously blurted, “Ya, Sunggyu! How could you say that?” Afterwards, Sunggyu and the saleslady were left fazed when Taeyeon lightly hit the former on his left shoulder.

“Mw—mworago?” He stammered in great surprise. "What are you talking about?"

“How could you say such words in front of me? That’s too much!” Taeyeon complained in annoyance. "You really are impossible! Now, you are pretending that you do not know!"

The sales lady worriedly who was also confused of what's going on asked, “Ma’am, gwaechanhayo?”

“What are you saying, Taeyeon-ssi?” Sunggyu whispered to her. "Are you okay?"

“You are so unbelievable.” She glared at him.

‘What’s going on? What is she saying? Did I do or say something wrong again?’ Perplexed of the strange words she was saying, he asked, “What is the problem? Are you alright?”

“How will I be alright if you said such words to her?” Taeyeon shot her an annoyed gaze and looked away from him with her crossed arms. She hissed, “How could you deny that I am your girlfriend? Do you feel ashamed that I am your girlfriend? Sheesh! I should have rejected you when you confessed to me before if I just knew you'll be like that!"

“Mw-mwo? Gir—girlfriend?” The man confusedly asked. ‘Wait. Is this a dream or what? Is she really saying such words from ? What in the world is happening? Am I hallucinating or what?’

‘Sorry, Sunggyu-ssi. I’ll make it up to you next time, okay?’ The annoyance in her face did not fade and she complained even more, “See? You really have the guts to deny that I am your girlfriend. You did not even ask me whether or not I want to participate to the promo. You should have just said that you did not want it that’s why you refused it, but without denying that I am your girlfriend. You even told her that we're just friends.”

‘Oh no! Seriously, I think I am going nuts here. This is not just a mere hallucination. This is freaking real. Waeyo? Why are you being like that, Kim Taeyeon?’ He became more surprised to hear such words from her. He really did not expect her to become like that. Not ever. "Wait, I do not understand."

“Oh, wait. I think you both should settle this little problem smoothly.” The saleslady suggested. She then turned her eyes to Sunggyu. “Sir, I think Ma’am wants to join the promo, so I guess might as well grant her request.”

‘That is it! I get it now. She’s acting this way because she wants to join the promo. Aigoo! I thought I was doomed there. But what should I do?’ Finally, he was enlightened that the reason why she was saying such words and pretending like a whiny girlfriend was because she wanted to join the shop’s promo. ‘I never knew that Taeyeon-ssi is like this. Anyway, should I go on with her act?’

From the annoyed reaction she had, it changed to a bright and cheerful one. She beamed, showing puppy eyes to him, “She is absolutely right. Won’t you, Sunggyu-jagiya?”

‘Oh my! Is she really the Kim Taeyeon I used to know? Aegyo? Is this for real? And did she just call me ja—jagiya?’ Sunggyu was left speechless as he stared at her blankly. ‘Stop it, Taeyeon-ssi. If you don’t, I am afraid that I will fall for you more and more.’ Having no choice, he unconsciously nodded his head.

“Assa!! Gomapseumnida, Sunggyu-ah!” Taeyeon happily said as a big smile was formed on her face. "You really are the best!"

The man let out a sigh and faked an apologetic look, "Oh, I really did not mean to lie about that. I am very sorry, Taeyeon-yeo—yeobong. Please forgive me."

"Ah never mind that. Forget about it. That's not a big deal." Taeyeon plainly assured without looking back at him. 'Yassss! I'll definitely have a silver ring!'

Seeing how the two got along with each other, the saleslady smiled and said, “Now, let me choose the best pair of hanboks for the two of you, Sir and Ma’am!”

'Poor him. First, he volunteered to buy me a hanbok. Then, because Kwon left for Suwon, he accompanied me here. And now, he was forced to pretend as my boyfriend. Aish! I am such a burden to him. Mianhamnida, Sunggyu-ssi. For now, let's stay like this. I am very sorry.' She let out a sigh, fixing the hanbok she was fitting inside the fitting room with the aid of one saleslady. 'I know you don't want it, but I really have this sick obsession with promos. Aigoo.'

"Oh, it's finished." The saleslady said. "It suits you a lot, Ma'am. No, it perfectly does."

"Really? It does?"

"Yes, Ma'am. You look perfect with this hanbok. I am sure that your boyfriend would love to see a beautiful-looking girlfriend like you wearing a very pretty hanbok."

"Boy—boyfriend.I hope he will." Taeyeon awkwardly affirmed. 'Sheessh.. Don't forget that you both are a so-called couple, Kim Taeyeon. One acting mistake or you'll be doomed. You started it, then finish it smoothly. Understood?'

"Alright. One more left."

"One more?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"What is it?"

"Umm. Your hair and make-up.."

"Is there a need for those?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I actually forgot to mention earlier that there's a free makeover."

"Make—makeover?"

"Certainly, Ma'am."

"Eh?"

"Wow! You look more handsome in that hanbok, Sir." A salesman who assisted Sunggyu in fitting a hanbok inside the male's fitting room, genuinely complimented. "It perfectly suits you, Sir."

"Really? Thank you."

"Yes, Sir. I am pretty sure that your girlfriend will love to see you wearing that hanbok. Anyway, the hanboks that you're wearing perfectly match with each other. We'll just have to wait for your girlfriend to finish fitting her hanbok. Well, my colleague is assisting her."

"Is that so?" Sunggyu asked as he continued fixing the hanbok he was wearing.'She's beautiful. No wonder that she'll look stunning with her hanbok.'

"Yes, Sir." The man politely replied and soon turned his gaze in front. "Oh, it seems that it's finished."

The moment his eyes followed where the salesman looked at, he saw how the curtains in front of them slowly opened.

 

Hana, deul, set...

 

His eyes widened in awe and he instantly became speechless when the curtains unveiled a beautiful lady who was wearing a very nice hanbok which perfectly matched his. If he looked like a prince, then she looked like a princess.

'Woah! Am I seeing a Goddess or what? Is this a dream? If this is a dream, I hope I will no longer wake up.' The man kept staring at her deeply. She looked beautiful. Very beautiful.'So this pretense is not bad after all. Aigoo! Time...juseyo..Please stop right now. I feel like I'm dying because of these overflowing feelings.'

"How is it? It perfectly suits you, Ma'am, right?" One of the salesladies asked as she assisted Taeyeon in walking. Another saleslady assisted her.

"Ermm... I dunno if it does." Taeyeon awkwardly mumbled."I am not good with this, err.."

"Woah! You look very awesome, Ma'am! It perfectly suits you." The salesman happily complimented. He then looked at Sunggyu and asked, "Am I right, Sir?"

'She looks perfect. Eotteokhae?' Soon, he was snapped out of his thoughts. Sunggyu affirmed by nodding his head.

"See? Even Sir thinks that it perfectly suits you, Ma'am." The saleslady who welcomed the two of them earlier said.

"Re—really?" She shyly stuttered.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Bracing himself up, Sunggyu forced himself to calmly say, "Alright. Yes, it does suit her."

Avoiding any eye contact with him, Taeyeon shyly asked, "Really? Does it really suit me? Don't I look awful?"

'Of course not. You look very lovely.' He shook his head and sincerely said, "Of course not. It really does suit you. You look very lovely, actually."

"Ah, that. Kamsahamnida. You look very handsome with that hanbok, actually." Taeyeon shyly complimented.

As he diverted his gaze to the salesladies and salesman, he plainly stated, "Alright. These are perfectly nice. We'll take these hanboks."

Soon, a number of mall goers who were attracted to enter the store were amazed to see the two in their elegant hanboks. It was like they were seeing a traditional princess meeting her lovable prince.

One mallgoer said to her companion, "Look, honey! It's like I am seeing a traditional princess and prince! Ya!! I want to have couple hanboks too!"

"Stop it! Ok, ok! We'll buy couple hanboks too!"

"YAHOO! YOU ARE THE BEST!"

"As promised, here are the silver couple rings for you, Ma'am and Sir." A saleslady said as she handed Sunggyu an elegant box of couple rings. "If you wish, you may request for your names to be engraved on the rings."

"Wow! They look very awesome!" Taeyeon said in amazement. "They are infinity rings. Amazing!"

Still fazed with what was going on, Sunggyu quietly looked at his companion whose attention was on the sight of the rings. 'If this could just be real..Heol..but it wouldn't be. Stop assuming, Sunggyu. She just wanted to have a ring. Period. I hope she'll stop doing things that will make me fall for her more and more.'

"Umm... Do you still want to have your name engraved on your ring?" Taeyeon turned her attention to the man whose face looked stoic. "Uhh.. Gwaechanhayo, Sunggyu?"

'I don't know.' He coldly looked away from her and monotonely answered, "If you wish, then go."

'Is he pissed off or what? Sorry, Sunggyu-ssi. You must be feeling uncomfortable right now. Joesonghamnida.' She slightly pouted and afterwards, turned her attention to the saleslady. "No, thank you. Agassi, I do not think there is a need for that."

"Are you sure, Ma'am?"

"Yes, Agassi." Taeyeon plainly assured. "There is no really need for that."

'Uhh.. No, this can't be. She thought that I feel pissed or something.' Clearing his throat, he soon spoke up in a calm manner, "No."

"Mw—mwo?" Taeyeon confusedly asked.

"I've made up my mind. I want our names to be engraved on the rings." He calmly stated to saleslady. "I think that will be very interesting."

"Uh—uh. Yes, Sir." The saleslady mumbled as she immediately handed him a pen and paper. "Please write your names here, Sir."

"Sunggyu-ssi—Oh, I mean Sunggyu. Are you sure with that?" Taeyeon dumbfoundedly asked, watching the man as he wrote '김성규' and '김태연' on the paper.

"Why not?" Calm as ever, Sunggyu handed the saleslady the paper and the pen and smiled before he turned his eyes to his companion. "We're a couple, right? It will be a waste if we do not get to have our names engraved on those beautiful rings. Am I right, Taengoo-yeobong?"The man clung his arm on her shoulders and pulled her towards him.

'Ah yeah.Couple. I almost forgot. It seems that I am the one getting tangled in my own act.' She let out a sigh and faked a smile. "Ah, nae. That is right, Sunggyu-ssi—Oh what I mean is, Sunggyu-jag—jagiya."

Reading the ones written on the paper, the saleslady's eyes widened as she murmured, "Kim Sung Gyu?" She looked at the male customer who was clinging his arms on his girlfriend's shoulders. "So it means that you, are Na—"

"Shh." Sunggyu placed his right index finger against his lips before he turned back his attention to his supposed 'girlfriend'. "Gaja! Let us take a seat there and wait for our rings, Taengoo-yeobong."

“Okay, Ma’am and Sir. The highlight of this promo is the couple picture.” A saleslady said. She faced the photographer beside her and instructed, “Mister, you have to take five shots of them, okay?”

Preparing the lens of the camera, the man nodded, “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Now, are you ready, Ma’am & Sir?” The saleslady asked as she smiled at the two of them. She started counting, "Hana, deul.."

Looking around awkwardly, she noticed that there were really a lot of people around. ‘Eotteokhae? Of course, it is my fault. I made up this mess, and I should finish this. Heol..’ Taeyeon gave herself a mental slap for pulling off such an act that she never thought will make her feel so regretful. But deep down the stem of her brain, something's telling her to keep everything going. Who cares about shame? Shame? That's quite trite.

"Please stay close with each other, Ma'am and Sir," requested the photographer who was adjusting the camera lens.

Sunggyu noticed how big the distance between him and Taeyeon. Definitely, it seemed that she looked like she has the thought of backing out. However, since she started it, there’s no way out.

He went closer to her and clung his left arm on her shoulders, sweetly saying, “Oh, yeobong. Why do you look uneasy? We are a couple, so we should stay close to each other, okay?”

‘Can I still do this? Haish.’ Taeyeon just looked at him weakly, feigned a smile and took a quick glance of the ring she was wearing. 'Aigoo! This is my fault. But what can I do?'

After a while, they were able to manage to look like a 'real' couple in some shots captured by the photographer.

But with the last shot....

"It will be more interesting if you will be sweeter with the last shot." The photographer suggested, slowly putting down the camera he was holding."Do something sweeter, Ma'am and Sir."

Upon hearing such words, Taeyeon and Sunggyu looked at each other, apparently blank of what to do.

'Shoot, I'm doomed. What the f! Sweeter? Is there something we can do other than this pretense we are doing right now? This is absolutely ridiculous. I really buried myself in my own grave.'She held the back of her head gently, suppressing hundred percent of her shame and annoyance that were about to burst like volcano. But she knew she could not. She must finish the mess she shamelessly started. If it wasn't just because of her obsession with promos...

"What should we do?" Sunggyu who looked calm yet tensed inside, asked innocently. 'Calm down, Kim Sunggyu. Calm down. That's right. Calm down.'The man kept chanting this mantra inside his mind. His lips pressed a thin line, suppressing any word of panic to slip out his tongue.

Suddenly, the crowd formed in and outside the boutique cheered enthusiastically, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Soon, the salesladies and the other boutique staff members joined the crowd in cheering, making Sunggyu and Taeyeon feel more embarrassed.

Letting out a big sigh, the man was drowned in deep thoughts, 'What should I do? No, what should we do? Gah! Should I do it? But what if she—'

'I am sorry, but I have to do this..' She let out a big sigh as she let her eyes meet at Sunggyu's eyes. 'You won't hate me for this, right? Just once, please.'

 

Boom..

 

Surprisingly, Taeyeon planted sweet peck against his left cheek as she held his shoulders. With her sudden action, the people were very delighted. As a remembrance, the photographer captured the sweet moment of the supposed couple.

Courage. Not having a single choice, she mustered the hundred percent of her guts to do as what the crowd requested.

Although it was just a peck, at least it was a kiss, right? Was she desperate? Perhaps, she was. But in reality, Taeyeon felt guilty. She felt guilty for bringing her friend in such pretense. However, she needed to do it. She needed to. Why? It's because of her obsession with promos. She badly wanted to join the promo.

Disregard the possibility that he felt disgusted with what she did, disregard the obvious that he felt uncomfortable and disregard the fact that he was not her boyfriend. If Kim Taeyeon insists so, then it must happen. It's just too selfish of her to include him in her not-so-comfortable scheme. But she felt guilty for it, didn't she?

'Did she—did Kim Taeyeon just kiss me?' Sunggyu's eyes widened with his mind slowly digesting what had just happened.

Contrary to Taeyeon's guilt of what she had just done, Sunggyu felt glorious. Why would he feel mortified and disgusted? It's a jackpot, for him! Quite better than winning the lottery or getting hired by a well-known company after a damn long and terrorizing process of job interview. But he didn't them for the fact he's filthy rich. Nevertheless, it's not like the humble man wanted to brag it because he will never do. Oh, that is off-topic, isn't it?

His heart frantically and danced with a very fast pace like a man swaying his hips to the groove of rumba, or he's more of a man who is deeply enthused by the sweet ecstasy of falling in love. He desperately thought of shouting from the top of his lungs, jumping like a man who lost his sanity and pumping his arms into the air, but he was numbed. Others and even Taeyeon might deem him crazy like a man who escaped from the hell of asylum if he does.

Never mind that. Although he could not manifest how happy he was, his heart did the thing for him. Kim Sunggyu's heart was literally going gaga with overflowing feelings, much overflowing than a violent ebb of river.

It felt surreal. It might just be a simple peck, but it was not just an ordinary woman who did it, but it was Kim Taeyeon, the woman he dearly likes. How awesome does that sound? Pretending as a lovable boyfriend of the woman he likes and receiving a sweet kiss on the cheek, undeniably, the man was in triumph for hitting two birds with one stone. Jackpot, Kim Sunggyu.

It took an hour before everything was finished—from fixing themselves back to normal, wrapping and paying the clothes they bought from the boutique. After a while, they started walking along the mall