Description: It's a special night for Lee Ji Eun and Jo Jung Suk and everything seemed perfect, until the appearance of a person from his past. 3-part series

The constant influx of greetings and felicitations elevated Lee Ji Eun's mood to a new-found state of euphoria. Add to that the beautiful melody coming from a string quartet playing in the background, the reflection of the flashing lights against the numerous crystals on display, and the man standing right beside her who looked absolutely ravishing in the ivory-white tux that matched the colour of her own silk gown gave a somewhat surreal impression to this experience. After four months of dreaming of this night, to have it turn out better than she expected was more than wonderful. It was like living a fantasy!

She turned to look at the man beside her and can't help but notice the hint of unease on his expression. Was he nervous? Worried—but about what? The actual ceremony was over. All that's left is to socialize and wait for the year-end countdown.

She tightened her hold on his arm to catch his attention. He turned to her and, upon seeing her quizzical look, gave her a smile so sweet it heedlessly melted away all her worries.

"There's our favourite couple!" She heard someone bellow out from behind and they both turned around to see Kwon Sang Woo, Son Tae Young, and Jung Woo approaching them.

"Unni!" she exclaimed in greeting and let go of Jo Jung Suk's arm to hug her on-screen sister.

"Aah Soon Shin-ah! I've missed you!" Son Tae Young replied as she hugged her back.

"How was China? When did you come back?"

"Oh, last month actually but I just missed uri Ruk Hee so much, I really didn't do anything but play with him since!"

"That's true. She doesn't even play with me!" Kwon Sang Woo added and everyone else laughed upon seeing the sharp look Son Tae Young shot her husband thereafter.

"By the way, this party really is something now, isn't it? "Jung Woo said as he looked around the ballroom "I mean, I haven't really gone to events like this much but I can tell how extravagant this is."

"Well, I've been to a number of after parties for award shows, but this, by far is the most lavish one I've been to as well." Kwon Sang Woo said in agreement "The sponsors must have had a very good year this year!"

"Cheers to that!" Jung Woo offered and everyone raised their champagne glasses in reply.

"So," Son Tae Young started as she turned her gaze at Lee Ji Eun, then at Jo Jung Suk, then back at her. "Congratulations on getting the best couple award tonight!"

Jung Suk slightly bowed down to accept her greetings, and she followed suit "Ah…yeah…thank you."

"And I see that both of you came together for the after party. Is there anything we should know about?" she added with a hint of mischief in her voice.

At this, Jung Suk let out a nervous laugh "Aniyo. We were just sitting together earlier and I figured we might as well come here together as well, since Yoo In Na-ssi couldn't be here."

She felt her heart sink at his words. It's true that they were purposely seated together at the awards ceremony since they had been nominated for an award together, and it is also true that he only asked her to go with him when he found out that Yoo In Na won't be able to go to the after party, but she still was not prepared to hear the truth said so casually.Guess the fantasy is over.

She tried her best to maintain her smile as the group exchanged more formalities, but inside, her mind is going on overdrive. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to go with him after all. It took her such a long time to stop looking for him at every corner. In fact, if she was truly being honest, she never really stopped. But it has already been 4 months since the end of their drama, and though they did maintain constant communication with each other, there was no hint from him that his interest with her was anything more than just friendly. She thought of avoiding him, partly because it hurts too much to know that she alone felt some attraction, but also because she felt guilty for adding some malice to their friendship. Still, how can she avoid him when she can't even stop herself from answering his messages, much less his calls? In the end, she resorted to regressing to their drama characters every time she gets nervous around him.

"Shin Daeyonim!"

Another deep voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned around to see Oh Man Suk come up to them. The two guys gave each other an overly done bear hug and she had to stifle a laugh at the scene.

"Hyung! So good to see you! And who is this? Ah, Gong Junim!"

Only when he addressed her did she notice the person standing behind Oh Man Suk. It was Lee Yoon Ji.

She felt her heartbeat quicken its pace as she saw Lee Yoon Ji walk up to Jo Jung Suk and give him a quick peck on the cheeks. Both had worked together before for another drama and had remained friends since then, which didn't come as a surprise to her as both were naturally amiable. She would know this first hand because she got the chance the work with Yoon Ji too on another drama. Still, seeing them together for the first time made her feel uneasy—and admittedly very jealous.

"Well, if it isn't my cute dongsaeng!" She exclaimed as she turned to her "Wasn't it just yesterday that you were a cute high schooler, and now you're dating your Daepyonim!" she jested as they lightly touched cheeks.

"Ah Gong Junim, don't tease uri Jieunie like that." Jung Suk butted in, slightly tapping on Yoon Ji's shoulders.

"Oh, trust him to always be so overly protective!" she declared as she waved his hand away and everyone laughed in agreement.

"I don't see Yoo In Na-ssi anywhere. Where is she?" Lee Yoon Ji asked after she greeted the rest of the group.

It was Jo Jung Suk who answered "Apparently, Ji Hyun Woo-ssi has been granted special leave today, so she's spending the New Year's Eve with him."

"Aww, that's so sweet! No wonder you two came together."

"What's wrong with that? Can we not come together?" Jung Suk said as he straightened up. He reached out for Ji Eun's hand and casually placed it over his arm. This made Yoon Ji drop her gaze from them, and she can't help but feel triumphant at how taken aback Yoon Ji looked at his casual gesture.

"That's how you treat her after how she practically begged me to come here with her just to greet you?! Ouch!" Oh Man Suk interjected and got hit by Yoon Ji in the process.

"Aigoo…what are you saying in front of Daepyonim's fiancé?" Son Tae Young said while nudging Ji Eun.

"Ahh…she's young, she'll get over it!" Man Suk said with a passive wave "Besides, what would she want with this ahjussi? She's got hundreds of ahjussi fans already!"

"Hey, aren't you one of those ahjussi fans yourself? I still have that message you sent when you found out I was gonna be starring alongside her" Jung Suk retorted as he playfully motioned for his phone.

"Touché!" Oh Man Suk declared, and everyone laughed at their playful banter.

Man Suk then turned to Yoon Ji as soon as the laughter faded away "But seriously, you should make your move fast because, you know, you're not getting any younger…" Oh Man Suk said while his gaze ran over Yoon Ji from head to toe "I mean, another year and your age will officially be off the calendar!"

"Ya! Aren't you just pushing me too hard on Jung Suk-ssi so you can have IU all to yourself?!" Yoon Ji snapped at him.

"Well, actually…" he started as he glided over between Ji Eun and Jung Suk, took her hand from Jung Suk's arms and settled it on his own "Don't we look better?"

"Yes, the perfect Father-Daughter tandem!" Jung Suk retorted while tapping on Man Suk's arms and everyone laughed once again.

"Excuse me—"

They turned around at the timid voice behind them. "I'm Park Min Jung from EDaily. Can I take a photo of the group?"

Everyone lined up for the photo. Other journalists gathered to take their own as well, and soon, a mini photo session was in order as the photojournalists gave one requests over another while the group willingly obliged. They also took couple pictures of Kwon Sang Woo and Son Tae Young, apart from the expected photo requests for Jung Suk and her, since they won the best couple award for the night.

"Jo Jung Suk-ssi, Lee Yoon Ji-ssi…Can we also have a picture of the two of you together?" One member of the small crowd requested and soon everyone else nodded in agreement. She turned to Jung Suk to find him looking at her—as if searching her face for approval—and laughed on the inside at her own delusional thoughts. After all, why would he need approval from her to take a photo with another woman? Slowly, she let go of his arms and stepped to the side, as Lee Yoon Ji took over her place.

Everyone teased both Jung Suk and Yoon Ji at how good they looked together. This time though, Ji Eun could not even bring herself to laugh with the crowd. She understood that they were just joking around, but somehow, it hit a chord with her. Even after being in a drama together for half a year, so many people still cannot get over his initial pairing with Lee Yoon Ji, and more often than not, she finds herself being cast aside when it comes to the public's preference for his pairing. She thought that getting the best couple award meant that people have finally recognized how good they are together but apparently, everyone is still hung up on the Eun-Shin magic.

"Gwenchana, Jieuna?" Jung Suk's soft whisper snapped her out of her thoughts, and only then did she notice that he was back at her side—and how dangerously close he was to her. Still, although he was close enough to get her heart racing once again, it was not enough to take the pain and confusion away. If anything, it only made them worst.

Once again, she took a step away from him. "Yes. I just...need to go to the ladies." Then, she gave a polite nod to the rest of the group before she turned around and walked away from them, and out the ballroom.