Kang So Ra cleared and let out an awkward smile. “O-Oh Dong Hyeon-sshi… I know the request for you to betray your brother is… is not appropriate but you know what he does all this while is illegal. If you don’t stand out and become our witness, there will be more people suffering in the future. We need to help them and give them justice.”

The man that was in his mid-fifties smirked at what So Ra said. He took a sip of his wine and looked up at her. “Justice? Are you sure you really want justice or you just want your legal firm to win the case? You know my testimony is very important in this case. If I agree to become your witness, you will definitely win the case.”

So Ra took a deep breath and looked at him. He was right. His testimony will definitely help Min Ho to win the case. Although Min Ho didn’t say anything but she know he is very worried about it. He wants to help the victim but he just doesn’t have enough evidence in his hand to win the case. And Oh Dong Hyeon is the only witness who could change the whole situation.

“What do you want? What can I do for you to agree to become our witness?” So Ra asked.

Oh Dong Hyeon smirked again as he moved closer to So Ra who was sitting beside him on the couch. He placed his hand on So Ra’s leg and looked at her. “What do you think I want?” He asked meaningfully.

So Ra quickly pulled his hand away from her and glared at him. “Oh Dong Hyeon-sshi. Please behave yourself.”

“Behave?” Oh Dong Hyeon laughed loudly. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what’s my intention when I ask you to meet in a hotel. You are lucky that I’m interest in you and giving you a chance to convince me.”

“I think you have a misunderstanding. I came here because you are the only hope we have to win this case. I will do anything but not including betraying myself. Thank you for you time, Oh Dong Hyeon-sshi.” So Ra said angrily but before she could get up from the couch, Oh Dong Hyeon pulled her and pinned her down onto the couch with him hovered on top of her.

“Let go of me! What are you doing?! Let go!” So Ra shouted at him. Her voice is quivering and her heart is racing tremendously fast. She gasped and tried hard to calm herself down. She can’t be nervous. She has to stay calm to prevent her heart to give her any problem at a time like this. She tried to struggle but he grasped both her hands tightly.

Oh Dong Hyeon let out an evil laugh. He leaned down and brushed his nose along So Ra’s jaw. “If you listen to me and give me what I want, I can assure you that you will win the case without any problem. I will sign the agreement to be a witness. You better grab it before I change my mind. You should be grateful that I’m willing to give you a chance. Think wisely. Just one night, how much benefits you could get from it?”

Tears started to well in So Ra’s eyes as she was still glaring at him. His scent is nauseating her but every word he said was right. This case is very important to Min Ho. He never loses in any case before since he became a lawyer. She needs to help him to remain his all-win status no matter what.

“A-Are you sure… you will keep your word… if I say yes?” So Ra asked.

“Of course. If you don’t trust me, I can sign the paper for you first. Once I signed, I can’t deny it, right? You can take legal action against me if I didn’t appear at the court tomorrow.” Oh Dong Hyeon said with a grin.

So Ra looked at him for a moment before she spoke again. “I don’t trust you. Let’s sign the paper first before I give you what you want.”

“Fine.” Oh Dong Hyeon pulled away from her and let So Ra to get up. She took her bag and took a paper out from it. She handed to him and inhaled deeply. “Sign.”

Oh Dong Hyeon took the pen and signed on the paper. He then looked at So Ra as he stood up and walked towards her. “Done. So, can I claim what you agree to give me in return now?”

So Ra sank her teeth into her bottom lip before she closed her eyes tightly.

~~~~~

Min Ho slammed his laptop shut and let out an exaggerated sigh. No matter how hard he tried to find a loophole in the case, he still couldn’t find anything. He took his phone and made a call.

Min Ho: It’s me. How is it?

Man: I’ve been following Oh Dong Hyeon for the whole day. Nothing strange happen but...

Min Ho: But what?

Man: He went into a hotel with… Kang So Ra-sshi.

Min Ho: What?! So Ra? What is she doing there with him?

Man: I don’t know. They have been in the room for hours and just about fifteen minutes ago, So Ra-sshi came out. And… she doesn’t look good.

“!” Min Ho ended the call and quickly stood up of his chair, taking his coat and his other belongings, running towards the door. He tried to call So Ra but her phone was turned off. Just when he waiting impatiently for the elevator, his phone rang. It was Shin Hye.

Min Ho: Shin Hye-ah…

Shin Hye: Oppa… I…

Min Ho: Shin Hye, I’m sorry. I’ll be late tonight. Sleep first and don’t wait for me.

Shin Hye: But… Oppa… I think something is wrong with So Won. She keeps crying and…

Min Ho: Shin Hye. I’m in a hurry now. Something… came up and I need to settle it urgently. Try to comfort So Won and tell her appa will be back soon. Read some story or sing some song to make her sleep. Okay? I’ll call you back later.

Shin Hye: …… okay…

Min Ho ended the call and tried to call So Ra again. But before the line could connect to her, his phone dies off. He forgot to charge the battery today. Letting out another deep sigh, he couldn’t wait for the elevator anymore. He turned around and ran to the emergency exit.

~~~~~

“So Ra! Open the door. So Ra!” Min Ho shouted outside her apartment as his fingers keeps pressing onto the doorbell impatiently.

After a long minute, the door finally opened and So Ra was standing in front of him. Her is wearing a bathrobe and her hair was still damp against her shoulders. She just finished taken her shower. Her face was pale and her eyes were red and swollen.

“What are you doing here so late at night?” So Ra asked in a hoarse voice.

Min Ho scanned her from top to toe and he is very sure something happened. She cried before and her voice was husky. Without replying her, Min Ho walked into her apartment and closed the door behind him.

So Ra walked to the living and turned to him. Her hand was grabbing tightly onto the collar of her bathrobe, as if trying to cover herself from something. And Min Ho noticed that.

“What are you doing in the hotel with Oh Dong Hyeon?” Min Ho asked.

So Ra looked shocked. “H-How… how do you know I was there with him?”

“I have sent a private detective to tail him these few days.” He paused and walked closer to her. “What are you doing there with him?” He asked again as his eyes dropped down to her hand that was still holding her bathrobe.

“N-Nothing. I was just trying to convince him to be our witness.” She looked up and forced an awkward smile. “You know I can be very persuasive, right?” She said again before turning to the couch and took a paper from her bag. She looked back at Min Ho and smiled. “He agreed to be our witness and he signed the paper. You will definitely win the case tomorrow.”

Min Ho inhaled sharply before he took the paper from her hand and threw it on the floor. Without giving a chance for her to react, he took her hand off from her bathrobe and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the red marks on her neck and upper chest.     

So Ra quickly took a step back and covers herself. But Min Ho doesn’t let her go. He moved forward, holding her shoulders tightly. “What happened? What did he do to you? Tell me!!!” He growled angrily.

Tears started to roll down her eyes as she looked away. Min Ho’s heart dropped to his stomach when he saw her expression. He can roughly guess what has happened in the hotel room just now. He clenched his jaw and took her hand again.

“Let’s go. I’ll bring you to the police station. I’m going to put that bastard into the jail.” Min Ho said but So Ra stopped him.

“No. He didn’t force me.” She said. “I… I do it willingly.”

“WHY?!” Min Ho shouted furiously. “Are you stupid or what? That bastard can be your father. He…”

“Because I want to help you!” So Ra cut him off, sobbing hard. “I know you are worried about the case and I want to help you. If…” She paused and bit her lip hard. “… if sleeping with him can let you win the case, I… I’m willing to do so.”

Min Ho looked at her in disbelief. “Do you know you are talking about? Do you think I will feel happy to win a case by sacrificing you like this? We can still think about other ways. You don’t need to do that.”

“We all know it very clearly that there is no other way. He is the only way.” She looked down, unable to look at him anymore. “It has been done anyway and he already agreed. I won’t regret.”

Min Ho inhaled another deep breath before pulling her into his arms. “Why are you doing this to me? You know I can repay you with anything.” He paused and bit his lip. “I already have Shin Hye.” He is not an idiot. All this years, she has been staying by his side, helping him, supporting him. He knows she likes him.

So Ra closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. “I know. And I’m not asking anything from you. I just want to help you. I love to see the confidence and satisfied expression on your face every time you win a case. I love to see how you stand on top of the world and enjoy all your achievements.” She pulled back slightly and smiled with her teary eyes. She moved her hands to his face and gently caressing it. “From the first day I saw you, I already know you are different from others. That fire in your eyes… I know you will be very successful one day. I admire your capability. I’m proud to love a person like you.”

Holding her gaze firmly, Min Ho gently cupped her face and wiped her tears away. “You are very stupid. We… we can’t…”

“Just tonight?” So Ra asked, cutting him off. She knows it’s wrong but she doesn’t want to be alone tonight.

Min Ho looked at her, unable to react.

“Just for tonight… stay here with me. Let me forget about what happened in the hotel just now.” She said softly, almost begging. “I know it’s wrong but… just one night. Give me your heart, your love, yourself… just one night.” She said again, wrapping her arms around his neck and brought herself closer to him. “Please…”

Min Ho looked into her eyes, holding his breath. It pained his heart looking at the vulnerable side of her. Can he possibly push her away when she sacrifices herself just to help him? At that moment, he realized that he is weak. His heart wavered and his willpower is not strong enough to push her away.

He took a deep breath before he leaned forward and sealed her lips with his. That night, his weakness ruined the happiness of two women at the same time.

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

“The doctor said you were too tired and stress. You need to stay here tonight and let them monitor your heartbeat rate. Once everything is back to normal, you can discharge tomorrow.” Min Ho said, looking at So Ra who was lying down on the hospital bed.

“Can you… stay here tonight?” So Ra asked with a hopeful gaze.

Min Ho let out a deep sigh. “I can’t. I promised Shin Hye that I’ll go back to have dinner with them tonight but… I broke my promise again. I have to go back. She needs me.”

So Ra bit her lip and looked at him. Her eyes reddened with tears welling inside. “I need you too. You were so worried about me just now. I know you care for me. You love me.” She said, reaching out to hold his hand.

Min Ho took a step back, not letting her hand to reach him. Three years ago, that incident, her sacrifices, her tears softened and weakened him. This time, he can’t let the same thing happen again. He needs to be firm. “What I told you in your apartment just now… it still remain the same. I’ve made my choice and I won’t change my mind anymore. I’m sorry.”

“How can you be so cruel to me?” So Ra cried.

He inhaled deeply and looked away, avoiding her sad gaze. “If I don’t be cruel now, there will be more pains and suffers later. We have let ourselves to stay in this mistake for three years. I think it’s about time to end it before we hurt more people. We have to stop being selfish.” He said and without looking at her, he turned around and walked to the door. Before he walked out, he stopped and spoke again.

“Take care of yourself.”

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

Shin Hye was sitting beside the bed, looking at So Won who was in a deep sleep after the surgery. Her tiny face was so pale and it pained her heart. How she wished she could replace her to suffer the pain. She brought her hand up and gently her cheek.

The vibrates sound on the beside table caused Chang Wook’s brows furrowed together. Her phone has been ringing for at least ten times but she doesn’t seem to bother. He peeked at the screen and it was Min Ho again. He must have gone home and found them missing. Just when her phone stopped ringing, his phone rings and as expected, it was Min Ho. Before his finger could touch on the screen to answer, Shin Hye’s voice froze his action.

“Can you do me a favour?” Shin Hye asked very softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

“Of course.” Chang Wook replied as he walked closer to her.

“Don’t answer his call. I don’t want to see him now.” She said.

“But…” He paused when Shin Hye stood up and turned to him.

“The doctor said So Won will not wake up until tomorrow morning due to the anaesthesia. I think I will leave her here to sleep and let the nurse to take care of her. It’s very cold here. Can you… accompany me to somewhere warmer?” She asked, looking at him with a pleading gaze.

Chang Wook pursed his lips as he nodded. He will never say no to her. Especially now, when she was still in shock and in so much of pains. Without answering her, he moved forward, took her hand in his and pulled her out of the So Won’s room.

They were sitting on a bench under a covered area at the garden, both silent. Chang Wook just glanced at her once in a while to make sure she is okay and dare not to say anything. In fact, he wasn’t sure what he should say at a moment like this.

“Is it just me? Why do I feel extra cold tonight?” Shin Hye asked, breaking the silence first.

Chang Wook turned to her and pursed his lips. “I think… you are cold because of your heart.” He paused and studied her face carefully. She is very calm but her eyes were blank and emotionless. And it worries him more. “If you want to cry, you can cry in front of me. I might not be able to help anything but I have a broad shoulder that you can lean on.”

A sad smile spread across her face before she looked at him. “It’s weird. My heart is so painful and it felt like it was bleeding so badly inside. But I just couldn’t bring that emotion out of me. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to do something to release all those anger and sadness inside of me but… it just can’t. It was like something is holding me inside and that feeling is suffocating.”

“I think I understand what you mean.” Chang Wook said, giving her a sympathy smile. “When something is out of our control, we felt helpless and lost our direction. But… sometimes, what we see with our eyes might not be what it looked like and what we thought it was. You should calm yourself down and try to stay rational.”

Shin Hye let out a sad chuckle. “What else can it be when a man is holding a woman so tight in his arms and looked so worried?”

“So Ra… is his assistant and she looked sick just now. We are all friends. It’s normal that he is worried about her and…”

“You don’t need to find any excuses for him anymore.” Shin Hye cut him off. “Although I’m not smart but I’m not stupid either. I can differentiate between friend and lover.” She paused and breathed in deeply. “You know about them, right? You don’t look as shock as I was just now.”

Chang Wook sighed and looked away. “You might not believe me but I only know about it this morning.” He doesn’t want to lie anymore because he doesn’t know what else he could help Min Ho to hide. Min Ho was indeed wrong and no matter how much he wants to help him, he just couldn’t find any reason to do so. “I’m sorry.”

Shin Hye shook her head and exhaled a soft breath. She smiled weakly. “You don’t need to apologize. I won’t angry with you because until now… I’m still not sure whose fault is it. Am I not good enough? Is there any lacking in me that I couldn’t fulfil his need? From the first day I became his wife, I told myself that I have to keep my promise to him. I will love him, take care of him, supporting him. I love him wholeheartedly. I take care of him, of our family, making sure that he don’t need to worry about anything. No matter what he wants to do, I always support him. I know I’m not smart and couldn’t help him in his work but he already know about it since the first day he decided to love me. But why now? Why only regret of his choice now?”

Tears started to pool in her eyes as those words she said were like thousand knives piercing through her heart, her soul. “Isn’t it ironic? Her mother stole my mother’s husband away. And now… she is stealing my husband away too. When my father first brought her back, I don’t understand what was cheating is all about. But as I grew up, I slowly realized that her existence was a product that my father created with another woman that hurts my mother.” She paused and looked at Chang Wook again. She let her tears rolled down freely. “I don’t hate her. Although her mother hurt my mother but I know it’s not her fault. I treated her like my own sister, my family. And Min Ho oppa… I trusted him. I have always believed that he is different from my father.” She paused again and chuckled sadly. “But at the end, everything is just a mistake. My mistake…”

Chang Wook heaved a deep sigh. He agreed with what she said but he is very sure that Min Ho didn’t regret with his choice. He is just… greedy and made a mistake. “He loves you.”

Shin Hye bit her lip and wiped her tears away. “If he really love me, why did he cheat on me? Will you hurt someone that you love?” She asked him bitterly.

Chang Wook held his breath and looked into her eyes. If time could turn back, if he was given another chance, he will not let her go if he know she will be so painful now. But it was too late. He missed his chance. “I won’t.” He said in a certain tone. He knows how it feels for being hurt. He won’t do that to the person he loves. Never. So, he will do anything to help her and help them. He doesn’t want to see her cry. “But… I think we shouldn’t make any assumption without listen to his explanation. Everything happens for a reason.”

There was a long silence before Shin Hye asked again. “How long have they been together?” This was the scariest question that she struggled to voice out. One month? Two months? One year? Or… longer?

Chang Wook shook his head. “I… I have no idea.” He gazed down at her fisted hand and sighed again. He moved over to her and held it safely in his bigger and warmer hand. She is freezing cold and trembling. “But before you make any decision, I think you have to calm down and talk to him. At least give him a chance to explain himself.”

Shin Hye met his eyes once again and she couldn’t hold any longer. A soft cry escaped her lips and more tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Chang Wook oppa… what should I do now? How should I explain this to So Won? How?” She cried.

Without waiting for another second, Chang Wook pulled her into his arms, hugging her protectively in his arms. This is not the first time he held her like this. He still remembered three years ago when he rushed to the hospital after receiving her call, she was crying like this too. At that moment, he just wants to hug her tightly in his arms and let her know that everything will be okay. He will not let anything happen to her.  

“You are not alone. I will help you.” He made a promise into her ear.

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

So Ra turned to the door when she heard someone coming into her room. Her eyes were widened, surprised to see the person who was now standing not far away from her bed.

“Shin Hye? Why are you here? How d