Sorry it took me so long to update. Hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I writing it.

Everything was okay and I just needed to calm down. He didn’t do anything wrong I just overreacting things.

But, I wasn’t.

It may seem normal for us since our relationship wasn’t the normal one but I couldn’t deny that I felt hurt. It was beyond my limit and I knew the deepest part of me just wanted to forget it, pretending like that night event never happened.

“You have to be in the airport in—“ she looked down on her wristwatch, biting the side of her lips. “Twenty minutes. You’re late, sweetie.”

“Oh !” I cursed and stumbled to reach my handbag, falling down in the process.

Ms. Jang sighed loudly, “Language, Park Shin Hye.” I bet no one could be stricter than her she was an expert in it.

Ms. Jang was my personal assistance, otherwise known as my manners teacher since I was seven. I found it hard to dealing with people without her around and a little depended on her so we decided to make her my PA. She didn’t object it since she was an old single lady in her late forties who didn’t had anything to do expect accompanying me.

“The hell I care,” I muttered quietly, making sure Ms. Jang couldn’t hear it. I already had enough problems to take care of and I was sure wouldn’t add it with listening Ms. Jang lecture about how a Park’s should behave.

“Is Mr. Jung come with you?” she asked, already standing next to door to open it from me while I was still sitting on the sofa caressing my hurt slightly bruised knee.

“This is a business trip not a vacation,” I answered, groaning while I tried to stand up. This was what I get for thinking of him in the early morning when I supposed to be ready to leave to Okinawa, Japan. “And why would he come with me?”

“’Because you’ve been ignoring him for five days now and you stay one day more than it should be. Okinawa is more like a vacation place than meeting place.” She reasoned and I had to note to never tell her my problem ever again, even just a tiny bit of it. Yong Hwa had been persistent to meet me and clear things up between us. He didn’t understand why the hell I need some time away from him and Ms. Jang had been cooperative to help me ignoring him. “I think this is the right time to settle whatever it is your problem.”

“No, this isn’t. I need more times to think clearly.” With that I stood up and walked out of my office with Ms. Jang following behind me.

I was scared with my own thought. I was scared with what he would say. What if he didn’t love me anymore because everything we’d been through and he actually had find someone else that he loved and loved him back and could give him a normal relationship. A care, a love, and a time he always looked for. Things I wasn’t good at.

“Maybe this is what his and your problem. You always run away and avoid the problem until you two forget about it. You never sort things out. You choose the easy way because you scared what everything will turn out. This is the very reason why you’ve ever not contacting each other for weeks or more. You two are fighting, ignoring each other, forgetting about it then the cycle keep on. Over and over again. The problem is still there just forgotten for a while. You need to stop this.”

I choked up, stopping abruptly fortunately in front of the elevator. She couldn’t be more right but she didn’t know one certain thing, the existence of The Cheating Agreement. She didn’t know how we felt bored and decided to create a foolish agreement to have some fun. We did love each other but sometimes love just didn’t enough.

“Ms. Jang can I ask you a favour?” I glanced side way to see her response. She nodded, gesturing me to go on. “Can you not talk about him again? At least until I make up my mind whether to end us or not.”

I know from the way her eyes widened and her lips formed into an ‘O’ She never actually thinking that I would ever considered a break up as an option. Yong Hwa and I’d been gone through something worse than this and yet a break up never crossed in my mind. But this time everything just seemed uncertain and unclear, we seemed uncertain and unclear. I didn’t won’t everything was too late when I decided to end it so it better now or never.

**

“Are you Park Shin Hye-san?” An old man with black suit jacket and smart kind of face approached me, bowing to greet me when I nodded. I couldn’t make up what he was saying since he spoke in Japanese but at least I recognized my name was being spoken in Japanese accent.

“Mr. Nogi nice to meet you,” Ms. Jang greeted him, gesturing me to bow along with her. “He is Youichi Nogi. Your client,” she whispered, smiling very sweetly at the old man to the point for a minute I thought she just falling for him at the first sight.

My bottom just landed smoothly onto the chair when someone came and said sorry to Mr. Nogi before bowed to me and Ms. Jang, greeting us. When he looked up I could see his face clearer, his black eyes widened and a gasp escaped from his slightly pink lips that more suitable for girl than a grown man like him.

“Shin Hye-yah?” he asked in disbelieve, sitting on his own chair next to Mr. Nogi. He smiled wider probably because seeing how dumbfound I was. I mean I knew him. He was someone I couldn’t just forget even after eight years had passed.

“Jong Suk-ah?” I asked as disbelieve as he was, forgetting how Ms. Jang confused gaze bored onto my cheek and how Mr. Nogi fidgeting on his chair, didn’t had any idea what we were saying.

Lee Jong Suk was my friend from high school. He and I were almost inseparable at that time. He was where I was and vice versa. We were goofing off together wherever we were. His father company was collapsed just few months before summer break and he practically vanished from my life after summer break. I didn’t hear anything about him since then until now he was sitting in front of me looking as cute as ever and muscular than I’d remember him ever be.

“So, finally you admit it that you falling for his charms and now officially has become his fiancée?”

Jong Suk knew how my parent and Yong Hwa’s parent betrothed us to each other and how I became a rebel in my high school years because of it. He always said Yong Hwa was a fool regarded he always got into trouble because his own stupid acts, nonetheless they get along pretty well. Yong Hwa taught him how to play guitar and help him in English when he help Yong Hwa with the rest of subjects expect PE. They always had that mutually beneficial relationship.

“Yeah, sort of,” I admitted almost embarrassed. I mean why wouldn’t I? I’d been telling him that Yong Hwa just wasn’t my type and I would do anything to push him away since Yong Hwa always being the playful one since the very beginning which was why kept on trying to hitting on me. Jong Suk and I thought he just wanted to make fun of me but it turned out he was serious.

“You’ve grown into a beautiful woman and very well-mannered unlike you when we were High School,” he chuckled, playing with the sand with his bare feet. We were walking in the beach while seeing a sunset. “I’ve gone for so long and didn’t realize it until I saw you earlier in the restaurant.”

“Just say it that I’ve aged and not as pretty as I used to be,” I said, pushing his shoulder playfully until he stumbled and almost fall.

He laughed and grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers and squeezing mine softly. He gave me a soft gaze and lazy smile, giving the strange feelings inside my stomach. He had changed so much through years. He was no longer a lanky boy that I knew in High School because that boy had never give me any feelings no matter how many times he held my hand unlike this man in front of me.

Squeezing my hand once again, he started to walk forward and dragged me along with him. “I’m serious. You’ve become prettier over years.”

I just laughed it off. He probably just surprised how I’d become a woman through the years we were part away. I was once a girl with so much strength that my guy friends always treat me like one of them. Puberty happened and so first love. Yong Hwa was my first love, first kiss, and my first in everything else. I didn’t change because of him though. I did it for myself and found out that I actually loved being all feminine and stuff.

Feeling my hand being squeezed, I turned aside to give Jong Suk full attention. “You know what I just realize how much I miss you, miss your presence beside me. This is the first time I can calm my mind down and actually enjoying the moment. You’re very important in my life more than I think you do.” His other hand, the one that didn’t hold mine, caressing my cheek and I let him to do so. I wanted to pull away but the sincerity in his eyes stopped me.

Those words gave my heart some kind of warmth that usually given by Yong Hwa. He didn’t know how much his gesture had affected me, my decision to be exact.

**

I admired my mother because she was a confident and strong woman. My brothers admired her because she allowed our father to cheat and get away with it. The three of them had done the same shameful thing since then on. No one blamed them for their behavior because even God knows that apple doesn’t fall far from the three. But no one knew I had done that same shameful thing too. At least, I didn’t do it after marriage something I always thought once in a lifetime. To thought of it now, cheating was still cheating no matter under what circumstances it was.

Home was no more than a place to sleep for me. My family wasn’t the worst one but also far from better. I grew up in the environment where cheating and lying wasn’t something unusual. This morning for the umpteenth times of this month my mother asked me the exact same question, “When Yong Hwa and you are going ready to get married? You know the election will be held less than seven months from now. Your father will need his father endorsement to win.” She looked up only to see me, her one and only daughter already wiped my lips with napkin, ready for leaving. “You’ve been dating him since sophomore year, engaged with him for one and half year now. What are you two waiting for?”

I put the napkin back neatly on the table, held my head high like my mother taught me. “I can’t be the one who asking his hand for marriage unless you want me to lose my pride and dignity in front of your soon-to-be son in law.”

My mother giggled, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh, you know your whole relationship is a business agreement. Who cares who ask who first? All that’s mattered is his father will finally give your Appa a full support. You know how much related thing affected that old man decision.”

I sighed, playing with the hem of my black skimpy skirt. “Omma, our relationship is unstable right at this moment. It’s too risking to move it to the next step.”

Focusing back on her breakfast, my mother denied the possibility something was wrong with Yong Hwa and me. “Just ask him first if he say no then let Appa and Omma talk to his father and try to persuade him.”

I scooted back from the table, standing while smoothing my skirt. “I will not ask him about it. He will ask me himself when he’s ready.” I slipped my bag to my shoulder, smiling as sweet as possible which was almost impossible in this moment to my mother. “I don’t understand why you and I should help Appa when all he has given to us is pain.”

Heading towards the door, the sound of my heels clicked on the floor echoed the room. “I’m going. Have a nice day Omma.”

“This kind of relationship isn’t the best one to go through, but what come with it is worth the pain.” Mrs. Park also known as my mother said without looking up from her breakfast.

“If it the case, don’t you want to cheat on him too? Getting a little revenge?” I smirked, turning around and never looking back.

I believed revenge was sweeter than honey. If I were my mother I would hurt my Appa doubled than he did and he did it more than twice. My mother was too ambitious to care about it but it didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting. She may deny it but I knew she stupidly loved him to do such a thing and it was one of the reasons every time he said sorry she always forgave him.

**

Once again I asked myself, “why am I here?” I told Ms. Jang to not mentioned about Yong Hwa in front of me again, I told my mother his and my relationship wasn’t stable right at the moment so why the hell was I standing here, inside the elevator of his office building heading to his office room?

“I’ve gone crazy,” I muttered then slammed my head to the cold metal wall of the elevator.

Even after I said those words I still ended up walking straight to his room, greeted by Kim Yu-jin, his not-so-polite secretary. I rolled my eyes to the sight of her outfit. I mean her pencil skirt was barely there since it’s stopped just inch above her mid-thigh, her white shirt was see-through, showing her black bra which she wore today. This kind of clothes was inappropriate for work, or at least in my opinion.

“Is Jung Yong Hwa in place? I’d like to see him,” I said politely, giving her a half-hearted smile.

“Excuse me, but do you have an appointment?” she asked dumbly. Did I need to make an appointment to see my own fiancé? Was she that stupid to ask me such a question?

“No, but I think he’ll see me. You sure know I’m his fiancée,” I said, stressed on the word fiancée. This girl needed to know where her place was.

She cleared , trying to look as sincere as possible when she said, “Yong Hwa-ssi is in the meeting room now right at this moment. He will be out around lunch break.”

I didn’t know what happened to me but I could feel my blood boiled inside. Since when they close enough to make her called him Yong Hwa-ssi? Wasn’t she supposed to call him Mr. Jung? She was just a secretary for Pete’s sake.

“I’ll tell Yong Hwa that you come to see him,” she added, smiling politely but this time with a twinge of smug. Did she just ask me to leave? Seriously, what this girl true intention?

Just when I thought her rudeness had ended, she suddenly yet confidently saying, “I don’t know what happened between you and Yong Hwa but he’s been overworking himself lately. He’s always been like that every time you give him a problem. I hope you can just leave him alone if you only want to make him suffer. I can replace you if I want to but I’ve been patience all this time cause I thought you’ll make him happy. This time I don’t think I can let you hurt him again so can you leave him for good? He’ll be happy with me, I can assure you that.”

I didn’t think I heard her clearly. I mean, I heard leave, suffer, replace, and happy but the rest didn’t even logged into my ear. Did she just ask me to leave him? To leave the only man that I ever in loved with?

“I love him, I’m sorry but I really do and only want him to be happy. If you can’t give him that happiness maybe I can,” she confessed, bringing my sense back. She just confessed that she loved my fiancé, my man also known as her boss.

What I supposed to say in the moment like this? Should I screamed at her to back off or granted her request since most of what she was saying was right?

Some girls in love with my fiancé wasn’t something unusual but a girl bravely confessed her love for him to me and confidently said she could make him happy, something I likely failed to do, just too much for my heart to handle. It broke into pieces, creating a very uncomfortable feeling inside my chest. Was I that bad until she thought I make him suffer? Was he really suffering because of me?

“I’ll pretending those words never slipped out of your lips,” I said trough my tremble lips. With the urge to cry and break, I turned around and whispered without looking at her, “Tell him I came to see him.”

I was lucky that I brought my driver because I didn’t think I could drive properly in this state. My eyes were blur and I hated myself that I cried because her words.

The vibration from my iPhone 6 stopped me from sobbing. I took it out of my handbag, seeing Yong Hwa’s name appeared on my phone screen. I didn’t want to talk to him and let him know that her y secretary had successfully brought me down.

Minutes later, when I had lost count how many times he’d been calling me, finally his call stopped. This time he sent me a message.

Yong Hwa: Did you come to my office earlier? Why didn't you waiting for me? 

I hit delete and pressed the power button down to lock my phone. She said he’d be out around lunch break but seeing how he message me and asked me why didn’t I waiting for him, he already out of the meeting room. She lied to me.

Yong Hwa: Do you have some free time? We really need to talk. How about lunch?

I looked out at the sidewalks through the window when I felt another vibration on my lap. I sighed and looked down to see another message from him.

Yong Hwa: At least picking up my call. I'm worried.

Just one simple sentence from him and I already melted. He didn’t know how much power he had over me. I hoped I had at least half of it over him.

Yong Hwa: Please Shin, let’s meet up. Don’t you want to see my angelic handsome face?

I couldn’t help but laughed. He was so full of himself yet I couldn’t argue because he was as good as he claimed.

Yong Hwa: I’m sorry if I’ve done something wrong. You know with all perfectness in me I couldn’t stop girls for falling for me but I swear I only have eyes for you.

I rolled my eyes but considering his invitation for lunch at the same time. At that time I realized how much I looked like my mother. I was as pathetic as her to my father.

**

“Gezz, is this really Park Shin Hye? You look so wasted,” he chuckled over me, placing an arm around my waist to support me.

I couldn’t see his face clearly but I knew this voice everywhere. It was Jong Suk’s. I didn’t know how I ended up bumping into him and now securely wrapped in his arm. My last memory was I asked for another shot of soju and drank it in one gulp.

“Why” hiccupped, “are”, hiccupped, “you” hiccupped, “doing here?” With so much effort I successfully asked him a question. Didn’t he live in Japan?

“I have a project here in Seoul so I stay for a couple days.” He dragged me to the nearest empty couch then sitting me onto it without removing his arm around my waist. I didn’t mind though. I almost felt numb so it didn’t matter.

My mind kept wandering around memories of me and Yong Hwa. From his confession, our first kiss until the lowest moment in our relationship. The moment when I thought there was nothing left between us except a tiny bit of feelings we called love. Really tiny that I could barely felt it. Love we never truly understand until now.

Jong Suk and I stayed silent for a while while my mind kept wandering around until he suddenly turned me around, face to face with him. I frowned but my energy had been drained out of my body and left me with nothing to pull away.

“I’ll say sorry myself to Yong Hwa but I have to do this,” he said, cupping my face with his large hands and looking straight into my eyes.

Before I could say anything or even thinking what he was saying, his lips already crashed mine and the action startled me. His lips were warm but gave me an uncomfortable feeling. It was like kissing someone who had a high fever, wet, uncomfortable hot, and tasteless. I didn’t like the feeling and I hated that I was slightly sober now so I could really feel the kiss.

I tried to push him away with my not-so strength hands on his shoulders since I was still considered drunk, but he didn’t budge. His hands roamed around my back and for a split second I really scared with what going to happen. Just a split second because the next thing I knew was Jong Suk lay flatly on the ground with Yong Hwa on top of him. Yong Hwa had his hands around Jong Suk’s collar, shouting some swear words that I didn’t exactly know what since my mind still blur and the fact that I wanted to throw up.

I walked wobbly towards them only to find myself fell down onto the floor with face first. I tried to lift myself up but ended up kissing the floor for the second time.

I felt my body being scooped up and immediately greeted by a very familiar scent surround me. I looked up to see those beautiful eyes I loved so much no matter how scary they were now.

I reached up and circled my arms around his neck, resting my head in the crook of it.

I tried to remind myself that I was still angry with this man but I couldn’t so I ended up snuggle up closer. “What are you doing here?” I asked sleepily.

He growled and tightened his arms around me. “You called me, swearing over the phone. You asked me to come here and pay your drink.” Did I? I didn’t care if I really did it since I more than happy being in his arm again.

Somewhere between the bar to his car I lost my conscious completely, giving in to the warmth revolving around me.

**

I woke up with a very bad hangover. Throwing up twice on his bed and once in his living room, resulted a very stink smell covering me. He delivered a seaweed soup since he was a horrible cook. After took a shower, I just sat on his bed, spacing out, waited him to invite me join breakfast.

After eating breakfast, we cuddled on the couch watching a horror movie about some member band before debut and a scary song and of course the best part was how they died one by one. We watched silently, hands intertwining and body pressing to each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said out of the blue, kissing my temple repeatedly. He kept say sorry until I had to cover his mouth with my hand to stop him.

I shook my head and caressed his cheek with my hand. “No, I’m sorry that I ran away when we supposed to talk. Now, I wanted to know what exactly happened that night. Every detail of it,” I pulled away from him and folded my arms in front of my chest, waiting for him to talk.

His face was paler than a paper itself. I wondered was I going to like his story or not? Let’s face it, I likely would not since it had something to do with my fiancé and some y and pretty girl.

He scratched the back of his neck, “Well, that night I kind of drunk and imagined her as you. I know it was too much but I’d been missing you and you weren’t there with me. But it doesn’t make my action become right. I’m sorry you have to see it.” He brought me back to his embrace, sniffing my hair.

I sighed softly, slowly wrapping my arms around him. “No, don’t say sorry. It’s stated in the agreement. You can do it.”

He tightened his arms around me like I was going vanished into the air any second if he didn’t. “The thing is I want to nullify the agreement. I think it was stupid of us to make such an agreement in the first place when all we have to do is making us work. My Omma said relationship is such hard work. I have to make an effort to keep you beside me and keep our relationship exiting cause our feelings will not remain the same. We might feel bored sometime but it doesn’t mean we don’t love each other anymore.”

I never thought he could be mature until now, in the right time. And the fact he asked for advice to his mother just made my smile wider.

I hugged him as tight as I could until he patted softly on my back, begging to breath. I chuckled and loosened my hug, “You asked your mother for advice?”

He pulled away and faced me with a pink coloring his cheeks. ”Ah, yes. Wae-yo?”

Shaking my head, I hugged him once again. “Nothing.”

I could felt the vibration of his laugh on my cheek since it pressed on his chest. He kept kissing my hair, whispering I love you which made me wonder if he would ever tired saying them.

After a while, he stopped and pushed me away softly to look straight into my eyes. “And for the start, I want you to move in.”

**

Please give me a feedback, or subscribe and vote if you like this story. My school break is coming so I may or may not update the last chapter next week.

Love you all <3

Nad

(A/N Kim Ye-Jin also known as UEE)