Lee Jong Suk turned to Shin Hye as he tried to slow down his steps when he felt himself walking at least one foot ahead of her. The silence between them was deafening. Something about her make him felt uncomfortable. She had been very different lately. Whenever he tried to call her out or go to her apartment to find her, she would say she is tired and wanted to rest. He doesn’t know why but it seems like she was trying to avoid him. If he didn’t take two hours off and look for her at her art school, he wouldn’t be able to see her tonight. After a long pleading, she finally agreed to take a walk with him along the Han river after their dinner. Although she was not someone who talks a lot but her silence was unusual and he didn’t like her being so quiet. 

He wondered if he should say something to start a conversation between them or remain silent. He tightened his grip on their entwined hands but she didn’t even look at him. He sighed silently before stopping his steps and forcing her to stop with him.

Shin Hye turned to him and finally looking at him in confusion. “Wae?” She asked softly, breaking the silence between them.

Jong Suk inhaled a soft breath. “Did I do something that make you angry?”

Shin Hye’s eyes were slightly widened, surprised with his question. “No. Why do you think that?”

He pursed his lips. “Why do I have a feeling that you are avoiding me?”

Her facial expression turned shock immediately. She shook her head slowly. “No. W-Why would I do that?”

Jong Suk shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. But after the dinner we had with my brother that night, whenever I call you out, you seem to find excuses to reject me. We have been together for a year now and it never happen before. Your sudden ignorance makes me feel anxious.”

Shin Hye felt a pang of guilt shoot through her heart. He was right. After the incident that happened in the apartment with Min Ho, she was trying hard to avoid Jong Suk. Her mind was clouded with her past with Min Ho and a lot of unanswered questions. She needs some time to cool herself down. She was unsure with her own feeling. She didn’t know how to face Jong Suk and act like nothing happen in front of him. But at the same time, she couldn’t let him know about her past with his brother. It would definitely hurt him. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.

She took a deep breath before smiling lightly at him. “I’m sorry. I was kind of busy with the work in the art school and also busy helping Sister Mary over the weekend in the church.” She took a step closer and took both his hands in hers. “I’m sorry. I know I neglected you but it was really because of my work. It has nothing to do with you.” She chose to lie. In front of him, she always feels like a criminal. She don’t think she deserve him especially his faithful love towards her.

Jong Suk narrowed his gaze at her for a long moment. “Are you sure you didn’t hide anything from me?”

Shin Hye held her breath and bit her lip. “W-What can I hide from you?” Her voice quivered slightly.

 “I don’t know. Everything seems different after I bring you back to meet my family.” He inhaled sharply and looked deep into her eyes. “Am I giving you pressure for bringing you to meet them so early? You looked uncomfortable around them especially when my brother was around.”

Shin Hye’s heart started to race when he mentioned about Min Ho.

“If you don’t like to see them I can try to avoid anymore gathering with them and if you…” Jong Suk’s sentence was cut off midway when Shin Hye placed her index finger against his lips, shutting him up.

She shook her head lightly and gave him an assuring smile. “It has nothing to do with you or your family. Really. I was just… busy and tired.” She lied again.

Jong Suk sighed deeply before he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “You have to tell me if there is anything that make you feel uneasy or unsure. I’m always here for you. So please promise me that you will always be here for me too.” He paused and tightened his arms around her. His eyes darkened with deep emotions, as if recalling something that hurt him very deeply. “I love you so much that can’t bear to lose you.”

Shin Hye sighed silently as she buried her face in his shoulder, closing her eyes tightly. “Why do you love so much? I don’t deserve a good man like you.”

“You deserve a lifetime happiness and love in this world. I promise you that I will give you everything as long as you stay by my side.” He said again, hugging her even tighter now.

Shin Hye sighed deeply again before she whispered softly into the air.

“I’m sorry…”

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“Ye Joon-ah, tell noona what type of fruit is this?” Shin Hye asked as she pointed at the picture she draw on the art paper.

Little Ye Joon looked at the picture with full concentration. He tilted his head slightly before turning back at Shin Hye. He smiled sweetly at her. “Strawberry. This is a strawberry.”

Shin Hye laughed softly and pulled him into a light hug. “Smart boy.” She then took the box of crayon on the table and placed it in front of Ye Joon. “What colour you have to use for a strawberry?” She tests him again.

The little boy tilted his head to the side again before he took a red, a green and a black colour crayons out from the box. “Strawberry is red in colour. The leaf will be green and I will use black for the dots on the strawberry.”

Shin Hye smiled at him. She caressed his chubby cheeks and nodded. “Correct. Ye Joon are so smart.”

Ye Joon giggled as he started to colour the picture. As Shin Hye enjoying his work beside him, someone called her and make her turned around.

“Hi, Park Shin Hye-sshi.”

Shin Hye quickly stood up when she saw a familiar face. She nodded politely at her and smiled. “Hi, Kang So Hyun-sshi.” She greeted her as she walked towards her. “It’s nice to see you again.” Shin Hye said when they were now standing in front of each other.

So Hyun smiled. “You will get to see me here for at least the next 2 weeks. I’ll be coming here everyday to teach the kids some performance for the fundraising event.”

“Performance? What kind of performance?” Shin Hye asked curiously.

“We will teach them to play some simple music instruments such as piano, guitar, drums and some smaller items like triangle and tambourine. We will train the older kids to play the instruments while the younger ones will be singing. It will be a small concert for the kids. We hope they can enjoy and learn something through the event and at the same time we can also raise some funds for them.” So Hyun replied.

Shin Hye let out a wide smile. “This is great. I’m sure all the kids will be very happy. Thank you so much for helping them.” She paused and sighed softly. “How I wish I could help but I know nothing about music. My singing .” She said, sticking her tongue out.

So Hyun laughed. “I can’t sing either. But my partner is a very good singer so I pass that job to him. I’ll be responsible to play the piano.”

“Are you a pianist?” Shin Hye asked.

So Hyun shook her head. “I love piano and started to learn since I was 6 years old. Not a professional but I can still manage to play some simple songs.” She averted her gaze and looked at Ye Joon. She then smiled before looking back at Shin Hye.

“I heard Sister Mary said you always come here to teach the kids to draw every weekend. Are you an artist? You draw very nice pictures.” So Hyun asked her back.

Shin Hye smiled shyly. “Same like you. I love to draw since I was a kid. Not a professional but I can still manage to draw some simple pictures.” She said the same thing So Hyun said earlier. Both of them laughed together.

After a moment, So Hyun stopped laughing and sighed deeply. Shin Hye raised her brows and asked in concern. “Is there any problem?”

So Hyun looked at her and nodded slowly. “The event will be held in 2 weeks time but until now we only manage to find few small sponsors. Most of the members in our team are Brazilian and only my partner and me are from Korea. We have not been in Korea for 3 years and it’s really not easy for us to contact those bigger corporations. My partner has been working so hard and looking around more sponsorships.”

“Sponsorship?” Shin Hye bit her lip as something suddenly crossed her mind. Jong Suk is now working in his father’s company, Lotte Group. Lotte is one of the largest corporations in South Korea. If she could ask Jong Suk for help, So Hyun’s problem might be settled very easily.

She looked at So Hyun and smiled slightly. “I think I could help.”

So Hyun widened her eyes and looked at her expectantly. “Chincha?”

“Hmmm… I can’t promise anything for now but the company that my boyfriend work for might be able to help. I’ll see him for lunch later and let me try to ask him.” Shin Hye said.

“Oh my god. Thank you so much, Park Shin Hye-sshi.” So Hyun held her hand and smiled happily. “I’ll go to get a copy of the proposal for you so that you can show it to your boyfriend later.” She said excitedly.

Shin Hye smiled at her happy expression as she nodded. “Even though I can’t promise you that he could help but I’ll try my best. I wish I could help the kids too.” At the same time she wanted to help So Hyun too. Although they only met twice but she really like this girl. Her smile felt like sunshine that can warm people’s heart. She didn’t want to know what’s the story behind her prosthetic leg but even with that disability, she can still help people around with her kind and beautiful heart. She touched her sincerity and optimistic. She felt very comfortable around her. She has the ability to make the people around her feel lively. She smiled at her sweet giggles.

So Hyun squeezed her hand softly. “Thank you, Shin Hye. Can I call you that?” She asked.

Shin Hye nodded with a warm smile. “Of course. You are welcome, So Hyun.”

They both giggled, looking at each other.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Jong Suk flipped through the file quietly with Shin Hye sitting in front of him, looking at him with a hopeful gaze.

“What do you think?” Shin Hye asked, biting her lip nervously.

After a long second, Jong Suk closed the file and looked up at his girlfriend. He shook his head softly.

A pang of disappointment hit Shin Hye’s heart. “No?” She sighed deeply, looking down at the cup of her coffee.

Looking at her disappointed expression, Jong Suk couldn’t hold any longer. He burst out laughing at her.

Shin Hye looked up instantly and her brows creased in confusion. “Why are you laughing? This is not funny okay. The kids really need the funds a lot.” She pouted her lips slightly.

Jong Suk stopped laughing and smiled at her. He stretched his arm and took her hand, holding it tightly in his. “I was just joking. The amount that proposed here is not big. I’m sure hyung will approve it.”

Shin Hye shifted uncomfortably on her chair. “Your brother… has to approve this?”

Jong Suk nodded. “Hmmm… charity matters is in-charge by Secretary Kim but still hyung is the one who make the final decision. Since Secretary Kim is assisting me now, I’ll pass this to him later. I will ask him to speed up the process so that you can meet the deadline before the event 2 weeks later.”

Shin Hye looked at him with a hesitated gaze. Dealing with Min Ho is the last thing she ever wants to do especially something about money. “D-Do I need to see him for this?”

Jong Suk sensed her discomfort and narrowed his eyes. “See who?”

Shin Hye sighed silently. “Your brother.” She then smiled at him awkwardly as she looked down on her cup again, trying to avoid his gaze. “I… I’m just worried that your brother might think I’m using our relationship to get this through.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand softly. “Hyung will not think like that. This is about charity and you won’t get any advantage from the whole thing. You don’t need to worry that you will need to see him. I’ll inform everything clearly to Secretary Kim and if they need to know more details, Secretary Kim will be the one who contact you. It won’t be my hyung. He is a very busy man. He won’t care something like this.”

Shin Hye’s face turned pale. “Secretary Kim?” She mumbled the name that was once very familiar to her. If Secretary Kim contacts her, it has no difference because he always represents Min Ho. He was the only one who knows about her past relationship with Min Ho. She sighed before looking at Jong Suk again. “If there is really any problem, can’t he just check with you?”

Jong Suk pursed his lips. “I know you are uncomfortable to liaise with them but I’m really sorry. I’ll be out for a short business trip for the next 3 days.”

“Business trip? Where? Why didn’t you mention about it before?” Shin Hye asked in surprise.

Jong Suk nodded. “I just got the instruction this morning. I need to be in Japan with my team to have meetings with our client.” He paused and sighed deeply. “I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow and will only be back after 3 days.” He bit his lip and looked into her eyes. “And February 18th is your birthday. I’ll be in Japan at that time.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “I tried to postpone the trip but this client is very important for our next project. I can’t…”

“It’s okay.” Shin Hye cut him off, assuring him with a warm smile. “You can still celebrate with me when you come back. Its just birthday. You know I don’t really care for that.” She didn’t lie. She started to hate her birthday since 3 years ago.

Jong Suk clenched his jaw and sighed silently. “I’m very sorry.”

Shin Hye shook her head. “It’s really okay.”

He slowly let out a relief smile before he asked. “Will you miss me?”

She was taken aback by his sudden question. Since they started dated one year ago, it seems like they have never been separated from two different countries before. She smiled slightly and nodded her head softly. “You have to take care of yourself.”

Jong Suk looked at her with an obvious disappointment in his eyes. “You are avoiding my question.”

Shin Hye inhaled a breath before she smiled again. “Of course I’ll miss you.”

Jong Suk held her gaze for a moment before he pulled his hand away from her and looked down. “You might think I’m being oversensitive but…” He paused and sighed. He slowly looked up at Shin Hye again. “Why do I feel like we are drifting apart?”

She parted her lips slightly but she couldn’t find her voice to deny what he said. Her heart felt heavy looking at his sad expression. She inhaled deeply before she stood up of her chair walked towards him, sitting on the chair beside him. She turned to him and held his hand. When their eyes met, Shin Hye smiled.

“You know how much you mean to me and how much you have done for me. Without you, I don’t think I would be able to survive those 3 years in New York. I’m glad that I meet you.” She said softly.

Jong Suk looked down at their entwined hands before meeting her gaze again. He took a deep breath before pulling her into his arms. He buried his nose into her hair and closed his eyes.

“You have no idea how you keep me alive in those years. Without you, I won’t be able to survive too.”

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After taking shower, Shin Hye sits in front of her dressing table and ran her brush through her long straight hair. She put the comb down when her phone rang. She smiled at looking at the caller ID.

Shin Hye: Yoboseyo.

Jong Suk: What is my girlfriend doing?

Shin Hye (smiled): Just taken her shower.

Jong Suk (chuckled): You make my mind go wild.

Shin Hye (laughed): ert.

Jong Suk (laughed): I miss you.

Shin Hye: We just met this morning when I send you off in the airport.

Jong Suk (sighed): Just by thinking that I wouldn’t be able to see you for the next 2 days, I feel like dying already.

Shin Hye (giggled): Yah, you have to work hard and stop thinking nonsense. I’ll be here waiting for you to come back.

Jong Suk: You have to take care. It’s very cold here in Japan and I’m sure Korea will be colder. Don’t forget your scarf whenever you go out, arasso?

Shin Hye: Arasso. You too. Wear thicker and take care. It’s late now. Sleep earlier. You still have a long day tomorrow.

Jong Suk: Okay. Good night.

Shin Hye: Good night.

She ended the call and put the phone on the dressing table. She took her hand cream and before she could open the cover, her phone rang again. She smiled softly and without looking at the caller ID, she straightaway picked her phone up and answered the call.

Shin Hye: Yah, can you stop being so clingy?

*Silence*

Shin Hye: Hello? Are you there?

Man (cleared throat): Hi, Park Shin Hye-sshi. I’m Secretary Kim here.

*Silence*

 Secretary Kim: Hello?

Shin Hye (inhaled deeply): H-Hi, Secretary Kim.

Secretary Kim: I’m very sorry to disturb you at this hour.

Shin Hye: It’s okay. I haven’t sleep yet.

Secretary Kim: It’s about the proposal that Lee bujang passed to me.

Shin Hye: Eo. Is there any problem with the proposal?

Secretary Kim: Overall should be no problem but there are some details that we need to clarify with you before we proceed.

Shin Hye: I see. But since this proposal was not prepare by me, I’ll get the person in-charge to look for you and explain to you in details if you don’t mind.

Secretary Kim (silent): …… Hmmm… but… Lee sajang just want to meet you alone.

Shin Hye (silent): …… (sighed) When?

Secretary Kim: Tomorrow 8pm at the apartment. He has another message for you too.

Shin Hye: What message?

Secretary Kim: Wear the necklace to meet him tomorrow or he won’t approve the proposal.

Shin Hye inhaled a sharp breath before letting out a deep sigh. Tomorrow is her birthday eve. He purposely used the proposal as an excuse to meet her tomorrow and force her to wear that necklace. She wonders did he send Jong Suk away because of this too. She chuckled silently. He never changes a bit after all these years. He is still so manipulating and like to threaten her to get what he wants.

Shin Hye: Okay. Tell him I’ll be there on time.

Secretary Kim: Noted.

After she ended the call, Shin Hye looked up at herself through the mirror mindlessly. It’s good too that he wanted to meet her. She doesn’t want to avoid him anymore. In order to end her pain and Jong Suk’s fear, she figured that it’s about time she put a full stop on this ill-fated relationship. 

She turned to the drawer and opened it slowly. S