“Tell me honestly,” Lee Joon began. “What do you think of me?”

So Eun bit her bottom lip.

“Well...”she said slowly. “I think you’re really nice guy. Kind-hearted too.”

“What do you take me as?”

So Eun didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she stared ahead at the sunset. The view was beautiful and the park was pretty deserted and a calm place to be at the moment but the situation between her and Lee Joon was nowhere near calm.

“You’re my fiancé,” she answered finally, not looking at him.

Lee Joon glanced back at her. The wind was blowing in her face, making her look even more beautiful. He clenched his hands together. How was he going to do this? He wasn’t ready for the truth.

“Fiancé,” he said in a slow voice. “Do you really take me as one? Or is it just an act in front of your family?”

“Oppa. What are you talking about?” So Eun asked startled.

Lee Joon took a moment to answer.

“I’m talking about the fact that you have another guy in your life!”

Lee Joon’s POV

I didn’t look at her when I said that. I couldn’t. I don’t want to see her reaction. I wasn’t ready for the truth. I loved her too much.

Ever since we were little, I’ve always liked spending time with her. I didn’t have much friends, she was the only one I could rely on. We grew up together. Slowly, I started to develop a crush on her. But I didn’t dare to tell her. I was still too young back then. As days goes by, I realised my feelings for her started to grow. I tried to find a way to let her know, but by then my family had already decided to go overseas to start a business. We lost touch. I thought, I’d never see So Eun again.

Then one day, umma told me that she and appa had already made plans with So Eun’s family to get us married. I was elated. I had waited for it for so long. Finally, this was my chance. Kim So Eun would be mine. Only mine. My long time crush.

I knew, that maybe she didn’t like me the same way I do. But there was always that glimpse of hope for me, that probably she had some feelings for me. I promised myself, I would treat her well. I’ll make her fall in love with me. I’ll do anything to make that happen, to make her happy.

But I’ve never thought about the fact that she probably already has someone special. Someone that she can see herself spending the rest of her life with. I have never imagined, that I would have a rival. I didn’t think that my childhood love could hurt me this bad. Cause me all these pain.

“Oppa,” she called out, snapping me back to reality. I wiped my tears away fiercely, not wanting her to see me cry.

“Mianhamnida,” she came closer to me. I still couldn’t bear to look at her. So I looked at the other direction.

“Please listen to what I have to say,” she begged and tried to reach out to me but I pulled away. I held up my hands.

“Stop. I don’t want to listen to anything.”

And with that, I walked away, leaving her standing there alone. I didn’t care. I can’t handle this now. I have to get away from here.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave her alone?” I demanded, as I pushed Seung Hyun against the wall.

“And I told you I don’t want to!” he answered back, his voice raising.

“You bastard!” I shouted at him and threw a punch at his jaw which knocked him down.

Blood was already coming out from his mouth. He got up slowly.

“She doesn’t love you!” his words his words hit me hard.

I shot a death look at him and charged again. I started to beat him up. I didn’t care about anything anymore. The image of him and So Eun kissing was stuck in my mind. The image of So Eun’s smiling face, in his arms. My love for So Eun. Her betrayal.

Suddenly I stopped. I looked down on what I have done.

Seung Hyun’s face was covered in blood. He already looked half dead. I let go of him and got up quickly. I looked down at my hands. What have I done? Did I kill him? No! No! It wasn’t possible. I had to get out of that place. I can’t stay any longer.

The next day at school, Seung Hyun tried his best to avoid So Eun. He didn’t want her to find out what had happened to him the night before.

He had passed out for awhile. When he came to, he found Lee Joon already gone. He then made his way home slowly. His face was badly bruised. There were scratches on his arms too. He could hardly open his mouth to talk, much less eat properly. Basically, he was a mess and So Eun could not find out about it.

But perhaps, fate wanted them to meet. He ran into her when he was about to go home. She was together with Mir.

“Seung Hyun-ah,” she was shocked when she saw his face. “What happened to you?”

So Eun tried to get a closer look at his injuries. But Seung Hyun darted away.

“It’s nothing,” he murmured.

“You call this nothing?” she asked in disbelief. “Tell me the truth. What happened?”

Seung Hyun tried to get away but Mir blocked his way.

“I think So Eun deserve to know the truth.”

“You don’t know anything,” Seung Hyun replied through gritted teeth.

“Lee Joon did this to you didn’t he?” So Eun spoke up suddenly.

Seung Hyun went silent.

“Didn’t he?” she repeated, this time in a louder and firmer voice.

Seung Hyun didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed Mir aside and walked away.

So Eun stood there staring at him, still in a shock. Mir neared her.

“Eunnie-ah, try to talk to him when he’s cooled down a bit.”

So Eun shook her head.

“No,” she whispered. “I have to do something. Now. Before it’s too late.”

So Eun stormed inside her house, all ready to face her parents. But what she didn’t expect, was seeing Lee Joon there as well.

“What...?” her voice trailed off.

“So Eun, good that you’re home. We need to talk,” Mr Kim told her in a calm voice.

“Yes appa. I have something to tell you also,” she gathered her courage.

“Have a seat.”

So Eun took a seat opposite her father, at the other end from where Lee Joon was sitting. She didn’t even glance at him. She was feeling too furious.

Mr Kim took out something from the parcel he was holding. He threw them at So Eun.

“Take a look.”

So Eun took it. Staring back at her, were pictures of her and Seung Hyun, when they were out together.

“What is all of this about Kim So Eun?” Mr Kim’s voice was slightly raised now.

“This...I...uh...” she stammered, not knowing what to explain.

“If Lee Joon didn’t come here and tell me about this, showed me all these pictures, I wouldn’t have known what you have been doing behind our backs!” Mr Kim was completely furious now.

“Why are you doing this?” she turned to Lee Joon who had been keeping quiet from just now.

“What kind of question is that? He has every right to do this. He’s going to be your husband So Eun!”

“Appa! I have never loved him! The reason I agreed to this marriage was because you forced me to it. You forced me!” So Eun cried out, unable to control her anger.

“Silence!” Mr Kim bellowed. “Where are your manners? Did that trash teach you to be this rude to your elder?”

“He has a name appa. And his name is Song Seung Hyun. He is nothing what you pictured him to be. He’s the most nicest, thoughtful, kind-hearted guy I have ever met. Nothing like Lee Joon oppa!” she shouted.

A loud slap landed on So Eun’s face. Mr Kim was unable to hold back any longer.

So Eun held her cheek, with tears in her eyes. At that moment, Kim Bum came in with their mother.

“Hubby, what is going on here?” Mrs Kim asked, not believing what she had just witnessed. Her husband had never lay a finger on their children before. Something big must have happened.

“Ask your ungrateful daughter what she had done!”

Kim Bum went over to his sister.

“Eunnie-ah, what happened?”

Without saying anything else, So Eun ran to her room and slammed the door.

“Appa, why did you hit dongsaeng?”

“Look at the pictures and you will know why.”

Kim Bum went over to pick up the pictures on the table. He looked through them one by one. He set them back down slowly and looked at Lee Joon.

“You spied on her?”

“I figured out something fishy was going on,” Lee Joon answered, speaking up for the first time since the whole incident.

“That doesn’t give you the right to spy on my sister!” Kim Bum said, defending So Eun.

“Kim Bum! Why are you blaming Lee Joon? He did what any other fiancé would have done if their loved one was cheating on them! I’m so ashamed of your sister’s behaviour. What am I going to tell Lee Joon’s parents?” Mr Kim rubbed his forehead.

“She’d never wanted to get married in the first place appa. She had never wanted any of this,” Kim Bum said before heading off to his sister’s room.

“You! Do you want to be rude like your sister?” Mr Kim called out after his son. A sudden pain shot through his chest. He fell down to the sofa.

“Hubby, are you okay?” Mrs Kim asked worried. She did not know what to do. A part of her sympathized with her daughter. But she didn’t want to go against her husband.

Lee Joon also came towards him.

“Uncle, are you okay?”

Mr Kim held up his hand.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Lee Joon, I apologised on behalf of So Eun. I really hope you won’t call off the wedding. I will make sure that So Eun will marry you.”

“But uncle, what about Seung Hyun?”

Mr Kim narrowed his eyes.

“I know what to do with him.”