Melting the ice by rekindling the flame…

The moment he entered the function room of the hotel, his eyes wandered along the guests attending the wedding. And just as he was making his way to a vacant seat in the right side of the aisle, he almost forgot to breathe. She was back. Is that really her? Or was he just imagining things? He never took his eyes off her, not even until he got to the vacant seat. She did not disappear, or change in appearance. She was real. It was really her, Krystal Jung, the girl he had always kept in his heart.

Different emotions surged through him, and all the while his heart was thumping madly. What will he say to her? What if she doesn’t talk to him? Does she still love him? It has been three years, after all and things change. Happiness, hope, apprehension, tension, nervousness, excitement, fear and pain shot through him all at once. And then she met his eyes. Her expression turned from calm indifference to shock. She blushed, then paled, and then blushed again. And then she looked away when the person standing beside her whispered something in her ear.

Minho turned his gaze to that particular person. He saw Kyoung Jae and his hopes were shattered. What is Kyoung Jae doing there, attending Song Qian and Nickhun Horvejkul’s wedding if he’s not with Krystal? Are the two of them together now? Did Krystal finally fall in love with Kyoung Jae? He had to admit that it’s a big possibility and the pain he felt grew more intense.

Then someone from behind patted his shoulder.

“Choi Minho, it’s good to see you again.”

He saw Key’s smiling face.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled back. “Yes, Kibum-ah, it’s good to see you, too.”

………………………………….

 “Isn’t that Choi Minho?” Kyoung Jae whispered in her ear.

Krystal suddenly broke her eye contact with Minho and brought her gaze up front.

“Don’t you dare talk to him,” Kyoung Jae hissed at her ear.

She smiled bitterly. “What? The great Kim Kyoung Jae is threatened by a slob like Choi Minho?” she muttered under her breath.

“I’m not. I just don’t like the way he looks at you. I want to see his reaction the moment he knows you’re already an engaged woman,” Kyoung Jae raised an eyebrow as he looked at Minho. He grinned evilly.

Krystal’s heart dropped. She is engaged. And what about Minho? Is he still single? Does he still love her?

………………………………….

The ceremony was over and the reception began. Krystal sat on one table with Kyoung Jae, Taemin and Jinri while Minho sat on the table far away from theirs. He sat with Key, Sonyoung and Amber.

After the ceremony Key, Amber and Sonyoung went over to hug and greet Krystal and Minho went with them. He just stood behind them, looking at Krystal and never saying anything.

“By the way, I think you guys remember me. I’m Kim Kyoung Jae, Krystal’s fiancé,” Kyoung Jae introduced himself since Krystal didn’t seem to have any desire to. He shook hands with Key, Amber and Luna. Finally he offered his hand to Minho.

Krystal looked at Minho and she felt like crying. His face was devoid of any emotion. It was blank.

Minho took Kyoung Jae’s hand and shook it. “Congratulations,” he said seriously, turning his gaze to Krystal.

“Thank you,” Kyoung Jae grinned widely.

Krystal looked away and Jinri, Amber and Sonyoung tried to cover up the tension by talking about different topics at the same time.

Krystal stared at Minho once again only to find him already looking at her through his wineglass.

“Soojung-ah,” Kyoung Jae nudged her. “I’m going to the men’s room,” he gave her a look as if saying, Don’t do anything stupid as he eased his chair back and stood up.

Krystal looked at Minho again and she saw him talking to a waiter. She badly wanted to talk to him. Why did he not say anything to her? Was it because of Kyoung Jae? Is Minho angry with her because she left without telling him? She really couldn’t blame him for that.

“Miss Krystal Jung?”

She looked up at the waiter standing beside her.

“Yes?”

He quickly handed her a piece of tissue paper. “Mr. Choi Minho told me to hand this note to you.”

She quickly took the note. “Thank you.”

She hurriedly read it.

Meet me at the lobby. I want to talk to you.

Krystal turned to look at Minho but he was already gone from where he was seated. She then turned to the direction where the restrooms are.

“Jinri-yah, if Kyoung Jae comes looking for me, tell him I just went to the ladies’ room,” she told Jinri and hurriedly stood up and walked out of the function room.

………………………..

Krystal immediately spotted him standing in a corner when the elevator doors opened. She glanced left and right before stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby. She hurried toward him, the heels of her shoes clicking on the marbled floor.

Minho turned in time to see her approaching. He suddenly looked unsure, and then the emotion on his face passed. It turned into neutral again.

Krystal stopped a few feet from him. She swallowed the lump in and tried to calm her heart which was beating like a bullet train.

“What,” her voice was barely audible. “W-what do you want to talk about?”

“Maybe for you there is none to talk about anymore,” Minho began, putting his hands inside the pockets of his trousers. “Are you happy? Do you love Kim Kyoung Jae? I just need to know.”

The hurt and the uncertainty in his eyes squeezed her heart painfully. She wanted to run to him, hug him and tell him he was the only man she had ever loved and no one else. She opened to answer but was stopped when a hand grabbed her arm.

“Krystal, sweetheart, what are you and Minho doing here?” Kyoung Jae asked in a cheerful voice but his tone has a hint of menace to it.

“I…we…he’s asking me…”

“Care to share what you two are talking about? I’ll be your husband after all and married couples don’t keep secrets to each other,” Kyoung Jae said, emphasizing the words “husband” and “married couples.”

“I just ran into her and I just asked her how she is,” Minho calmly answered, his expression shifting back to neutral.

“Really?”Kyoung Jae smirked. “But you know how she is, didn’t you Minho-ssi? She’s marrying me,” he put his arm around Krystal’s shoulders and started to pull her away. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get back inside the function hall.”

Minho watched as Krystal turned her head and looked at him before allowing Kyoung Jae to take her away. His heart hurt all the more. Where was the Krystal he knew? The one who fought back and didn’t give a damn? She looked resigned. He thought he had just seen longing in her eyes as she looked at him a while ago. But she just left with Kyoung Jae without saying a word to him. He shook his head. Maybe he just saw what he wants to see. Maybe it really was over between them the day she left. She’s really with Kyoung Jae now.

He decided to leave the hotel right there and then.

……………………………………

Mi