11 months later…

“Cheers!”

Park Shin Hye held her glass up, clinking hers to Yoo Yeon Seok’s glass and laughed. They took a sip of the champagne and put their glasses down on the table.

“Congratulations.” Yeok Seok said as he looked at Shin Hye. “After six months without any panic attack, constant fear, severe anxiety and no sign of depression, I dare to declare that you have won the battle again. And most importantly, the Dean already approved and you can resume work on next month.”

Shin Hye let out a light smile. “First of all, thank you. In the past eleven months… if without you by my side, I wouldn’t have been doing so well. The first few months were…” She paused and sighed deeply. “… terrible. But I’m thankful that you didn’t give up on me. You are a great doctor.”

Yeon Seok held her gaze and gave her a warm smile. “You should thank yourself and not me. You worked so hard to get better. If your willpower is not strong enough, nobody could help you. Even though your condition was really bad at first and it even progressed to a mild depression but… as I said, your determination to get better is so strong. You didn’t give up and even listened to me to stop work until you get better.”

“With my condition that bad at that time, I don’t think it’s good for the patients if I continue to work. How can a doctor who have mental problem treat mental disorder’s patients? I have to be fair to them and also be fair to the hospital.” Shin Hye said as she inhaled a deep breath, looking at Yeon Seok. “But oppa… are you sure I’m fit to handle the job now? I mean… yes, I’m better now and I don’t need to rely on medication and there is no sign of recurring… but… I’m not sure…”

“You are fine.” Yeon Seok cut her off with a firm tone. “You are just lack of confidence after almost a year of break. But trust me, you will slowly catch up and I believe in you.”

Shin Hye smiled, thankful for his encouragement. For the past eleven months, Yeon Seok have been very supportive and helped her a lot. “Thank you.” She looked at him with a sincere gaze. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

Yeon Seok was silent for a brief moment before he spoke again. “You know what I want.” He said softly, stared into her eyes and tried to find a different answer on her face. But looking at her awkward reaction, he knows the answer is still the same. In the past few months, no matter he confessed his feelings to her directly or indirectly, each and every time her reply was still the same. She just treats him as a close friend, a brother. She doesn’t feel the same way as he does.  

“I’m… sorry.” Shin Hye murmured, looking down at her food. Every time they touched this sensitive topic, her heart would felt a pang of guilt. She could repay him with anything but her heart… was already taken. She has no choice but to hurt him every time he asked.

Yeon Seok heaved a deep sigh. He doesn’t want to give pressure to Shin Hye but he couldn’t help himself for being disappointed again. “Because of him? You still cannot forget about him?” He asked without saying that person’s name but Shin Hye knows who he was talking about.

She met Yeon Seok’s gaze and pursed her lips. “I’m trying.” She tried to convince Yeon Seok and also convincing herself although trying is not good enough.

Another deep sigh escaped Yeon Seok’s lips. “Did you saw the news yesterday? There is rumour about him marrying the daughter of Kim Enterprise. Although he didn’t respond to the media but he didn’t deny it either.” He said, watching Shin Hye’s reaction closely. “Since the breakup eleven months ago, he always appeared on the newspaper. He seems doing very well and no longer hiding himself. He attended all the functions that involved his company. He even spoke and told the world that he is no longer a mute. This is not the man that you used to know. He has changed. He has recovered. ”

Shin Hye exhaled softly and let out a weak smile. She is not surprised with the news. According to his parents, their wedding should be earlier. She wonders why it dragged until now. “I’m grateful to know he is doing so well. I mean… all those while I was trying so hard to bring him out from his dark world and now he finally got out from it. He can speak, he can work like normal people and he even feel comfortable being around people. I should be happy for him.” Even though the price she paid for all these is very big but it still worth it if he finally recovered.

“I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.” She added, looking at Yeon Seok and assured him with a smile.

Just when both of them went silent and doesn’t know what to say anymore, they didn’t realize that someone familiar walked into the restaurant at the same time.

“Welcome to De Miel. Do you have a reservation?” The waitress approached the customers who just came in.

Lee Min Ho nodded. “It was reserved under…”

“Oppa… is that Doctor Park?” Kim Seol Hyun cut him off as she pointed at the table near to the window.

Min Ho felt his heart skipped a beat when he saw the familiar beautiful face sitting by the table not too far away from where they were standing. It has been almost a year since the last time he saw her. The memories of all the hurtful words she said to him in the park floating in his mind. Squinting his eyes to take a better look, he saw her face clearer now but he wonders why she looked… different. She lost weight and… she looked unhappy. It was clearly written on her face. His chest tightened as his heart felt a stingy pain. But when his eyes looked further, his face darkened almost instantly when he saw Yeon Seok sitting in front of her. He inhaled a sharp breath. They are still together. There is no reason for her to be unhappy. He is just over sensitive, he thought.

“Yes, I’m sure she is Doctor Park. I recognized her.” Seol Hyun’s voice shook Min Ho off from his deep thoughts.

He turned to her with a confusion expression. “You know her?” This is weird. How does Seol Hyun know about Shin Hye? He never told her anything about her before.

Seol Hyun looked up at him and nodded. “Yes, I met her once at your parents’ house. But it was quite some time back.”

“At my parents’ house?” Min Ho’s brows furrowed together and become more confused. He didn’t know Shin Hye went to his parents’ house before. What was she doing there? But before he could ask further, Seol Hyun has already walking towards them.

Min Ho quickly followed from behind and reached for her hand to stop her. “Don’t walk so fast. Your legs are… not convenient. You have to walk slowly.” He reminds her with a worried gaze. She always forgets about herself whenever she was too excited on something.

Seol Hyun smiled. “I’m fine.”

And just right at the same time, when Min Ho was holding Seol Hyun’s hand and talking to her with his most gentle gesture, Shin Hye looked up and saw them. Her heart stopped beating when she saw him for the first time after so long. He looked… amazing. He is still handsome as ever, or even better. Her gaze dropped down to where his hand was holding Seol Hyun and her mood rapidly turning sour. She forced herself to look away and inhaled several deep breaths to stay calm.

Yeon Seok looked at her and noticed the change of her expression. “Are you okay?” And before Shin Hye could reply him, he felt somebody came near them and stood beside their table. When he looked up, he immediately understand what make Shin Hye nervous. Curving his lips into a light smile, Yeon Seok stood up to meet Min Ho and the girl he never personally see before. But he recognized her. She is the daughter of Kim Corporation that he saw on the newspaper.

“Hi… Lee Min Ho-sshi. What a coincidence.” He greeted him politely. “You look… good.”

Min Ho let out a sly smile. “I should thank Doctor Park for ‘treated’ me so well. I’m good because I’m fully recovered now.” He emphasized the word treated and glanced at Shin Hye who was still sitting down without looking at him. 

Yeon Seok heard the sarcasm in his voice. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze to Seol Hyun. “This is…”

Min Ho stole another glance at Shin Hye before he replied him. “My fiancé.” He said and saw Shin Hye’s face paled at the same time. He smirked inwardly. “She is my fiancée.”

The moment Min Ho said the word ‘fiancée’, Seol Hyun turned to him and her expression was surprised. Her lips parted, wanted to say something but decided to just keep quiet. She then looked back at Shin Hye and smiled politely. “Hi, Doctor Park. Do you still remember me? It’s good to see you again.”

Shin Hye sighed silently as she stood up and forced an awkward smile on her face. “Hi, Kim Seol Hyun-sshi. It’s good to see you too.” She said softly, stealing a sideway glance at the man beside Seol Hyun.

“You are having dinner with your friend?” Seol Hyun asked again, moving her eyes to Yeon Seok.

But before Shin Hye could reply her, Min Ho cut in. “Yoo Yeon Seok-sshi is not a friend.” He paused and locked his eyes with Shin Hye’s faltering gaze. “He is Doctor Park’s fiancé.”

Shin Hye held his darkened gaze as her hands were clenched tightly into fists. She could clearly see the anger clouding his eyes. He is still angry with her.

“Fiancé?” Seol Hyun widened her eyes slightly, glancing at both of them. But as if understood the intense situation, she didn’t ask further. She looked at the table and saw a bottle of opened champagne. “There is a champagne. Having a celebration?” She asked, pointing at the bottle and at the same time trying to change the sensitive subject.

Yeon Seok smiled and stared meaningfully at Min Ho. “We are celebrating Shin Hye to resume work in the hospital soon.”

Shin Hye widened her eyes, shocked with what he said but wasn’t fast enough to stop him before those words slipped through his mouth. She sighed helplessly.

Min Ho held Yeon Seok’s strange gaze for a moment before looking at Shin Hye. Resume work? What does that mean? Did she stop working in the hospital? Why?

“Resume work in the hospital? You mean Doctor Park has stop working before this?” Seol Hyun asked curiously.

Yeon Seok nodded. “Yes. Shin Hye has stopped for almost one year now. She was…”

“Oppa.” Shin Hye quickly cut him off and stared at him nervously, worried that he will tell them the truth.

Yeon Seok held her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. He got the message but a part of him, he wanted to make Min Ho suspicious and feel uneasy. He hates the way Min Ho treated her. How can he believe every single lie that Shin Hye said during their break up and hurt her so deeply? If he love her enough, he should have done something and not stay quiet for the past eleven months without looking for her at all.

Min Ho glanced at both of them and felt something is wrong. Her reaction is strange and it looks like she is hiding something… something that she doesn’t want him to know.

Seol Hyun sensed the tension between them and it felt scary. She let out a soft smile and broke the awkward silence. “Since we are all here now, shall we have a dinner together?” She asked as she turned to Shin Hye and held her arm. “Do you mind if we sit down with you?”

Her question caught Shin Hye off guard and hesitated. Just by looking at Min Ho already make her heart pounded tremendously fast against her chest. She wasn’t sure her weak heart could stand for sitting together any longer. Her eyes dropped to the hand that was holding her and she was surprised to see Seol Hyun’s bare fingers. She is not wearing a ring. But that question didn’t stay long in her mind before she looked up at her again.

“A-Actually… we… we are rushing and need to go back to the hospital now.” Shin Hye said as she turned to Yeon Seok, asking his help through her pleading gaze.

Yeon Seok looked at her for a moment before looking at Min Ho and Seol Hyun with a light smile. “Yeah, we need to make a move now. Maybe… next time?”

“But you haven’t finish your food yet.” Seol Hyun said, pointing at their food.

Min Ho saw Shin Hye’s cheeks stretch into an unnatural expression and know she doesn’t want to stay here because of him. She doesn’t want to see him. Taking a deep inhale of breath, he turned to Seol Hyun and pulled her hand away from Shin Hye. “Since they are busy, we shouldn’t disturb them. I have already booked a table anyway.” He said gently.

Seol Hyun nodded and smiled again. “Hmmm… then we should just eat together next time. Nice meeting you, Yoo Yeon Seok-sshi.” She nodded politely before turning to Shin Hye. “See you again next time, Doctor Park.”

Shin Hye looked at her and smiled slightly. “See you, Kim Seol Hyun-sshi.”

Without saying anything to them anymore, Min Ho took Seol Hyun’s hand and pulled her away, following the waitress towards their table.

Shin Hye exhaled a sharp breath after they were gone. She sat down on her chair and took the glass of champagne up, taking a big sip.

Yeon Seok noticed her trembling hand and sighed deeply. “Take a deep breath and calm yourself down. If you don’t control yourself, all the hard work in the past few months will go into the drain. Don’t let him affect your emotion.” He reached for her other hand and squeezed it softly. Her hand is freezing.

Taking several deep breaths, Shin Hye slowly met his gaze and smiled slightly. “I’m okay. It was just… too sudden and I didn’t get myself prepared for it.”

Yeon Seok stared at her for a long moment before heaving another deep breath. He raised his hand up at the waitress and asked for the bill. They should probably go now before her condition worsens. Seeing Min Ho is too much for Shin Hye to handle now.

Min Ho tightened his grip on the menu as his eyes were following Shin Hye who was walking towards the entrance door with Yeon Seok until she was totally out of sight. He shifted his gaze at the menu and looking at it mindlessly. His heart has never stop pounding abnormally fast in his chest since the moment he saw Shin Hye just now. He thought he has already recovered from the pain she gave him but seeing her again today, he knows he is still the same. His heart is still hurt and still bleeding. Introducing Seol Hyun as his fiancée was his childish move to hurt her back and he wanted to see is there any jealousy on Shin Hye’s face. But he was disappointed. She doesn’t seem to feel jealous and just hope he could disappear as soon as possible.

“Oppa… what’s the time of your flight tomorrow?” Seol Hyun asked casually but when she didn’t get an answer from him, she looked up from her menu and saw Min Ho staring blindly at the menu he was holding. “Oppa… oppa…”

He looked up when Seol Hyun’s voice echoed into his ears and brought him back from his deep thoughts. “Y-Yes?”

“Are you okay?” Seol Hyun asked in concern.

“Of course.” Min Ho smiled slightly. “What do you want to eat? I heard people say the steak here is very nice. You should try.”

Seol Hyun gazed at him intently. “Oppa… can I… ask you something?”

Min Ho sighed silently and he could already guess what she wants to ask. “I’m sorry about just now. I said you are my fiancée without asking your permission and…”

“You like Doctor Park, don’t you?” Seol Hyun cut him off with a wary tone. She doesn’t mind to help if admitting as his fiancée could make him better. But he doesn’t seem to look better.

Min Ho looked away, avoiding her gaze. He must have acted very obvious because even Seol Hyun noticed it. “We… we have a history.” He inhaled deeply. “But we already broke up one year ago.”

“Why?” Seol Hyun asked again. “I can see you still care for her.”

He smirked and looked back at Seol Hyun. “Can’t you see she already have a fiancé? She just treated me as her patient. She doesn’t like me.”

“But with my woman’s intuition, I don’t think so.” Seol Hyun disagreed with him. “Didn’t you notice? When you introduced me as your fiancée just now, there was an obvious change of expression on her face. Her hands were fisted the whole time and her face was so pale. Just like the first time I saw her.”

Min Ho creased her brows and held her gaze. She reminds her about her meeting with Shin Hye at his parents’ house. “You said you saw her the first time at my parents’ house, right? When was it?”

Seol Hyun tilted her head to the side and tried to recall the date. “I can’t remember the actual date but I think it was about eleven months ago. Oh yeah… the day when we have dinner at your parents’ house with my father. You didn’t come and your mother said you were still having a meeting in the office.”

Min Ho remembered. That day his mother kept calling him to go back because Seol Hyun and her father were there for dinner. He lied to them that he was having a meeting but actually he just doesn’t want to see them. His eyes slowly widened as something crossed his mind. That day was a few days before Shin Hye broke up with him.

“Oppa…” Seol Hyun called him, worried with his sudden shock expression.

“Seol Hyun…” Min Ho looked at her anxiously. “Do you remember what they were doing there that day?”

Seol Hyun shook her head. “They have already stopped talking when I entered the house. Eomeonim told me that Doctor Park was there to talk with them about your condition. She said Doctor Park assured them that your condition is optimistic and wouldn’t have any problem to have a wedding.”

Min Ho widened his eyes. “Wedding?”

“I think eomeonim told Doctor Park about their initial plan of getting us to marry at that time. She even congratulated me. I remembered her face was very pale and her hands were freezing that day.” Their expressions were indeed very strange but she didn’t think too much because she don’t even know Shin Hye at that time. But now when she recalled and talk about it again, she suspect something is wrong.  

“Oppa, something seems suspicious. Do you think… your parents say something to Doctor Park before I arrive that day and force her to… break up with you?” Seol Hyun made a wild assumption.

“They don’t even know we were dating at that time.” Min Ho said but then he felt like his head was being hit by something in a sudden. Seol Hyun was right. His parents will definitely do that if they know he was dating Shin Hye. It’s just a piece of cake for them if they want to find out something. At that time, they need Kim Byung Hoon’s help to get the tender in China and as what he understand about his parents, they will do anything to make it happen. His marriage with Seol Hyun is what they wanted the most and in order to do so, they have to get rid of Shin Hye.

Taking a deep breath, Min Ho took his phone out and dialled a number. “So Eun, I need you to check something for me urgently.”

“Is there anything I can help?” Seol Hyun asked after he ended the call.

Min Ho shook his head and smiled at her. “You have already helped me a lot. First for not forcing me to marry you and second… you make me realize something very important. Thank you.”

Seol Hyun smiled. “How can I force someone that I treated like a brother to marry me? Although we were not very close when we were kids, but I was very envious when I saw how much you love Soo Bin. I always hope to have a brother like you.”

“I wish my parents have the same thinking like you too. But too bad, they will not listen and will not understand forever.” Min Ho smiled weakly.

“Even if they don’t think the same, they couldn’t force you to do anything against your will. In the past eleven months, you have already proven to them that even without marrying me, you can still convince my father and the Chinese people to get the business deal with your own ability. You don’t need a marriage to help you to get what you want. It’s just a matter whether you want to do it or not.” Seol Hyun said. She is very proud of him, just like how a sister admires her brother.

Min Ho looked at her and a sad expression spread across his face. Seol Hyun is a kind and good woman. His feeling for her is like a family. He loves her… just like how he loves Soo Bin. But with Shin Hye, it’s totally different. His feeling for her is possessive. He wanted this woman and wanted to be with her forever. That was why he felt so heartbroken when she suddenly ended the relationship with him. If what he guesses was right and if his parents were the reason she left him, he will feel even more disappointed with her. Why can’t Shin Hye trust him like Seol Hyun? Why the people around him always think everything they did was the best for him? Why can’t they ask him first and listen to what he thinks? His parents were like that and now… even the woman he love the most was like that too.    

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

After Shin Hye and Yeon Seok left the restaurant, Shin Hye was completely distracted since then. She was very quiet the entire time in the car and it worried Yeon Seok.

“Are you okay?” He asked, breaking the deafening silence.

Shin Hye turned away from the window and looked at Yeon Seok. She nodded with a light smile. “I’m okay.” Except from forcing herself to be okay, what else can she do? She was the one who decided to let him go, let the relationship ended. She has no right to regret now. But even so, it still couldn’t stop her heart from being hurt when she heard Min Ho telling them that Seol Hyun was his fiancé. He has finally moved on, moved on from her, from their ill-fated relationship. It was her who was still standing at the same spot, waiting for something, which is impossible. But can she blame him? No, she can’t. He should be the one who hate her, hate her for being so weak. Didn’t people always say time would heal your broken heart? It was a lie. She didn’t know it would still hurt so badly after so many months. The wound didn’t heal. It just got serious each and every day.

“Oppa…”

“Hmmm?” Yeon Seok turned to her when their car stopped at the traffic light.

“Can you stop me somewhere at the front?” She asked.

“Wae? You need to buy something? I can send you there and wait for you.” Yeon Seok said.

Shin Hye shook her head. “I just want to have a walk and… clear up my mind.” She paused when she saw the worries in his eyes. She gave him a soft smile. “Don’t worry. I’m really fine. I don’t want to lie to that I’m not affected after seeing him just now. My heart still hurt and my mind… it’s in a mess. I just need some time to be alone. I promise you that I’ll take care of myself and I’ll be alright. I just need some… personal space.”

Yeon Seok stared at her for a moment before he heaved a long sigh without giving her a reply. He looked back at the front and moved his car when the traffic light turned green. After a while, he stopped his car at the side of a busy street where there were a lot of people walking along the shops there. He glanced down at his watch before looking at Shin Hye again.

“It’s 8.30pm now. I’ll give you two hours before I called your house and check your whereabouts.” Yeon Seok said.

Shin Hye smiled. “Thank you.”

Yeon Seok sighed again before nodding his head. “I guess this is the only thing I can do for you. Give me a call if you need a driver. You know I’m 24/7 standby for you.”

Looking at him for a moment, Shin Hye inhaled a deep breath before she unfastened the seatbelt and get down from his car. She knows Yeon Seok is very good to her and she appreciate for everything he did all this while. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t make her heart open for anybody. She need time to heal and she doesn’t know how long it will take.

Shin Hye walked along the darkened city streets as her eyes wandered mindlessly around the place. There is no particular place she wants to go and she just walked around aimlessl