The past week had been hectic, to say the least. But the one upside was the liberating feeling of not having anything to hide anymore. And for once, it felt great to be one step ahead. Despite all of that, SooJin knew that if she wasn't careful, a single slip could mean they would be left in the dust. In a way, it would be worse, now that Jeguk Group is thrown into the mix. The movie they were working on, which so far had had SooJin working behind behind the scenes was finally now in her grasp. If her engagement to the heir of Jeguk Group wasn't enough to cause a stir, then the revelation of her heritage would do the trick. Suddenly, she was looking at all these articles with ridiculous titles. At least the company was happy to get some positive publicity for once. And as an added benefit, they were getting more offers than before. So much so that they have had to turn down a few. 

"The Crown Princess' theater ; The most anticipated movie of the year from the Crown Princess who stole the heart of a Crown Prince"

"Introducing my ex girlfriends; a light and comedic approach to real life, as produced by the Crown Princess"

"The Crown Princess shows creative side with new movie." 

"Perfect for Spring; a lighthearted comedy film to ease us into Spring" 

"A different take to the lightness of Spring; Introducing my ex girlfriends, expected to be the movie of the year"

If it hadn't been for who she was and who her 'fiancee' was, nobody would give this movie a second glance. Or at least, they would have been more objective on what they thought. Now, everybody was buzzing about how it's the film that the 'Crown Princess' produced, as if it was something special because of that. The upside was the publicity that the 'Crown Princess' brought to Jung In Films. And she knew the annoyance that her grandfather must go through to see his name being mentioned in the entertainment industry and the subsequent rage when he sees his company being associated with it too. It gave her some kind of satisfaction, a compensation for what she had to go through. 

But on the downside, it defeated the reason she wanted to be annonymous in the first place. Sure, the pettiness in her and some would argue the lack of love, from being pushed out of the family made her do it. If they wanted her to stay away, then she won't come back begging. But at the same time, she wanted her work to be judged by what they are and not because of her background. This was exactly why she tried to stay away from the limelight as much as possible. 

That privilege was taken away from her and now she has had to brace the concrete jungle with that fact. But if she was being honest, after around a week or so, it wasn't all that bad. Apart from heads turning in her direction and a few hushed whispers that stopped the moment she turned in their direction. The best part was that she could go to work as usual every morning again.

"Unnnieeeee!!!!!!!" EunHye came running right into her. SooJin swore she could feel her breath being knocked right out of her But her own gladness to see her secretary and beloved dongsaeng meant that pretty soon both were in a tight bear hug, jumping up and down in the middle of the office. Thankfully it was still pretty early with not many employees around. Those who were there however, treated it like an everyday occurence and barely flinched as they walked by, some with stacks of paperwork in their arms.  

Mr Lee, working in the marketing department was seen skillfully drifting round the two women as they were inches away from him and a second later, the man managed to save the tipping pile of files he was carrying. Oblivious to this the two women broke apart, while not letting each other go. "EunHye ah....how are you? It's been so long...."SooJin was beaming at her dongsaeng. Despite having gone back and forth through the phone for the past few weeks, it still felt like they hadn't been in touch for a long time. 

"Of course I'm doing well. How about Unnie? You're taking care of yourself right?" EunHye reminded SooJin of a little puppy, eager to please, as her head bobbed up and down when she talked. "I saw the news. You're apparently living the dream life right now unnie. To be honest, I'm starting to get jealous myself." SooJin's smile started to falter at that and before anyone could see, she dragged EunHye into her office. She then pulled down the blinds, and locked the door, ensuring their privacy from the rest of the office. 

"Unnie, what's wrong?" EunHye started massaging her shoulders, feeling the strain from being pulled across the office. 

"About that EunHye ah...." She didn't want to feel it, but she couldn't help the slight suspicion she felt. She knew it was ridiculous and that there was no way it could be EunHye, but she had to ask. "EunHye... you know how nobody knows I'm from a chaebol family?" There was something about the look on her face. Something that looked a lot like surprise but she was quick to let her face fall. 

"Oh. Yeah?" She smiled up at SooJin. "What's wrong unnie?" 

"I'm sorry EunHye ah but...you don't happen to know how it got out do you?" She felt wrong just asking the question, but she couldn't remember anybody else who knew. 

This time, there was visible surprise on EunHye's face. "Unnie! Of course I don't. I mean... I know your secret but still... I won't tell anyone about it.... I even swore on my life didn't I?" Seeing Eun Hye all sulky made SooJin regret her actions even more.  

"Matji? Unnie is being crazy right?" Even so, she needed that validation. The Manse Group is the biggest conglomerate in the country, on par with Jeguk Group and maybe even slightly bigger. So they must have had their resources. Her grandfather had proven himself to be more than capable of being ruthless, even towards his own flesh and blood. So what's a little stalking to him. He must have hired someone to tail her wherever she went and then leaked the information himself, collected all the data he needed beforehand. 

Although, through all her rasionalizations she forget about the attacks she'd gotten. Someone who could just leak the information would have done so right from the get go, and not bother with destroying the shop. But of course her brain was too accustomed to affirming her grandfather's evilness that she brushed over the fact. 

"Ei Unnie...you've been through a lot already, you must be exhausted." EunHye gave her arm a little squeeze. "Unnie, don't worry about it okay, everything's going to be alright." EunHye made to leave, but jerked up to look at SooJin in surprise. SooJin had a hold of her hand. A slight sheen of sweat started forming on her forehead before SooJin gave her hand a little squeeze and what she could only interpret as a thankful smile. Unbeknownst to SooJin, this sent a twisting sense of guilt in EunHye's stomach. And it was evident from the growling noises it was making. 

"Oh"

"Oh" 

Both women looked at each other awkwardly. "Anyway unnie, don't worry too much about it. So far nothing bad has happened right?" SooJin nodded. So far, the news has been received with positive feedback from the public, a kind of fairytale retelling for the masses if you will. 

"Oh....I guess it is nice to be the Princess in a fairytale once in a while..." SooJin admitted. She'd seen people on the Internet, even the ones out of South Korea 'shipping' the both of them together like they were celebrities or something. And it felt weird but wonderful at the same time. She'd never been at the forefront, and it was drunkenly nice. 

"Right?" EunHye took the chance to hold onto SooJin's hand on hers. "Unnie, I think I should go...you know... so many things to do before the movie goes post production." Slowly, she removed SooJin's hand, feeling stupidly conspicuous. 

"Ah! That's right! It's going into post production soon right?" This could be one of the most important parts of a movie, although a very understated one. Reason being? Nobody sees all the editing that goes into making  a movie. Some actors and actresses couldn't even recognize the final product even though they were a part of the filming process. That's where the movie magic really happens. 

"Tell the team we need a meeting. Tell them to check and recheck and recheck again to make sure there's no sensitive depiction in there and make sure any insensitive logos or anything of the kind is cut out completely or blurred out, okay?" 

EunHye gave her an understanding smile. Her unnie must have been so cooped up in that mansion for her to look this enthusiastic about work. So she nodded. "Okay. just trust me...." there goes that twist in her stomach again. "Unnie, then I'll get going..." She wasn't sure whether it was the excitement that SooJin felt to dive into work or the fact that she held on to her stomach to stop it from growling that made SooJin finally let her go, but once she shut the door behind her, EunHye felt like she could breathe again. 

She felt her legs going weak and had to hang onto the wall for support. She wiped the sweat from her face and felt her lungs pushing up against her chest. She had to tell her unnie, there was no way she was going to survive any of this. A week. The engagement party would be in a week. Before then, she would tell SooJin. But first, she felt like she needed to do better, to make up for what she had done. 

Straightening up her blouse, her footsteps were filled with determination as she went up to the post production team. She was going to tell her boss about what she thought was her bigges betrayal and if she was going to be fired, she might as well do it as a model employee. 

...

Won was feeling the same rush as SooJin as he walked back into his office. But unlike her, he wasn't doing as well with the stares and whispers. The attention made him uncomfortable although he didn't mind the attention during a meeting or a presentation or even during a business trip. But that was everything that he could control. This, however was something he could not. 

When their engagement had been announced nobody took that much of a notice. But when news broke out that he was marrying the heiress of Manse Group, everyone made it their business to know....well....their business. Even just walking across the lobby, he already heard plenty of what they 'knew'. 

"Daebak. He's marrying a daughter from that household?" 

"Rich people are like that, they marry the rich and in the end they just get richer..."

"Wa.... I wish I could be her...it sounds so magical, don't you think?" 

"What even? Are we living in a fairytale right now?" 

"Imagine if the two companies are combined... wa....their children are going to be the richest people in this country."

"What will their children look like you think? Sajang-nim is a handsome man no? I've seen a little bit of his future wife and she isn't bad looking either. She looks like the sweet, cute kind..."

"I'll bet their children will be so cute! Can't wait to have our own little princes and princess running around this place. Makes it more lively around here don't you think?" 

He cleared his throat as he passed them, particularly the ones talking about him having children. Seeing him red in the face, they assumed they would get in trouble. So the employees timidly apologized and when he didn't say anything they scuttled away. Little did they know he was thinking on other things. 

When he got to his office, he slammed his phone down on the table, and had to loosen up his necktie because of the heat he felt creeping up his neck. Honestly, he never thought of it before, how it would be like to have children. It was silly of him, but he felt the goosebumps inducing patter in his heart. Having children didn't seem so bad anymore, but he couldn't explain the patter in his heart and the shiver he felt all over his body as he thought about it. 

What's worse was his mind went back to these past few days when he had woken up with SooJin right next to him. As strange as the feeling was, he didn't hate it. In fact, if he wasn't trying to push honesty away, he would probably say, 'He likes it.' It sent something stirring in the depths of his gut. He had a feeling that everytime he thought about her, he would get this delicious combination of emotions and reactions. Surprisingly enough, he loves the prospect of it. It even made a little smile creep onto his face, thinking of what his children might look like, immersing himself in the fantasy of it all for a second before he was slammed right back into reality. 

He shook his head no. No. They were only going to keep this up until the premiere of the movie. Then they were going their separate ways. Even the thought itself was buffering as it made its way through his mind. Painful, almost, to think about. He sat behind his desk for the first time in a while and felt a frustrated sigh escape him. It was then that a thought entered his mind. With the current situation, could they still break it off or would they be forced to keep it up? After all, they were now the puppets of not only their parents, his in particular, but also that of the media. Nobody is just going to let such a perfect couple just go into radio silence after their breakup that easily. There was bound to be backlash. 

But still, he thought... if she wanted to break it off still, then he would respect her decision and take whatever criticism that would come. Yes, he would do that. So what if he became old with no one to inherit the company? Tan already found his partner. Maybe a niece or a nephew could be next in line. 

Still, why did his mind bring him back to the thoughts of babies, with his rich dark brown eyes and SooJin's little nose and maybe the thought of a mini me that looked like half of the both of them didn't seem so bad at all. It was like once he had heard it, the idea had been implanted in his mind. Bittersweet as it was, since he knew there was more of a possibility that it won't come true. But for the time being, leaning back in his chair, he let himself relish in the sweet aspect of it. 

He had this image in his mind of waking up, sun streaming through the room, a baby cot right next to the bed and a little stirring baby inside. A daughter; he decided was the baby in the crib. Ari. Kim Ari. He would pick the stirring baby up and once in his arms, she started to settle, ling on her thumb as she is lulled into temporary sleep. Then he would feel the warm embrace snaking its way around his abdomen and his shoulders and turn to see....

The moment he made eye contact with SooJin, he felt himself leaving the comforts of his chair and landed with a painful thud on the floor. The shrill ring of his phone had brought him forcefully back to reality. He groaned, as he held onto the table for support. Dare he say, he was annoyed with whoever had interrupted him. That is until he saw who was calling. 

He hovered over the answer button for a while before deciding to just pick up the call. 

"Hello?" 

"I'm good, and how are you?" 

"That's good to hear..."

There was silence from the other end before the person started talking again. 

"Lunch? I don't know...." 

"Can't you just tell me right now?" 

A sigh.

"Alright... okay, but we make it quick okay?" 

"Yes, alright, I'll be there."

...

It has been playing on her mind since they bumped into each other. She needed the confirmation now than ever. She felt something when they had bumped into each other, but she wasn't sure what it was. It couldn't be love could it? No...that's what she felt for her current love of her life. Then what had she felt. She had to find out how he felt, then maybe she could finally move on. 

She checked her watch, the coffee she ordered untouched in front of her. She looked up at the sound of the bell by the door and here comes the man she has been waiting for. She perked up as he sat in front of her. "Hey..." 

"Hey..." He offered her a little smile but almost immediately tried to look anywhere but at her. 

"Um, do you want something to drink?" She asked the first thing that came to her mind. Anything, in fact, to lift this awkward mood.

"Um, a black coffee is fine." 

After she ordered for him, there was no avoiding what they came to do. "Won...you know I wouldn't call you here if it wasn't important." Considering she had been the one to break it off, this was going to be a very awkward talk. 

"Yeah, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" That hurt. He didn't even call her name. Now that she thought about it, ever since they had met each other again, he has never called her name. "We need to talk....about us..." 

He looked up when she said that and she was surprised at the amount of indifference she was feeling. More than anything, it felt like she was talking to a long time friend and they haven't seen each other in ages. 

"Hyeon Ju....it's been such a long time..." He was the first to speak after and as he said her name, she felt a jolt going through her. "I don't know how I feel about all of this...And you have a boyfriend...I don't...." But he never finished his sentence, not knowing what to say. 

"Won-ah... what do you think....about me?" His head whipped up in her direction. There was a mixture of emotions written all over his face. She couldn't quite make out what they were and this, hurt her more than ever. She thought she had known him. Or maybe...that was the Won from once ago. 

Despite himself, he ran his fingers through his hair and when his coffee arrived, he held onto the mug like it was his lifeline. "Look...I don't know HyeonJu... I think I still care... I felt something...seeing you with him....but..." 

She gulped. "But he wasn't sure...." Not being sure hurt more than him being absolutely sure; a yes or a no. If it was a no then she would be able to move on finally. If it was a yes, then what? Why had she come here today. 

"Yeah, I felt that too..." She thought about it for a moment and came to a conclusion. "...confusion...I just wanted to be sure." She admitted. 

He sighed...

"Listen, if we wanted to, we couldn't be together...you said so yourself." He said. 

It hurt even to hear him say it out loud. It didn't help matters that back then, he had been the apprehensive one. Now... she realised, it looked more like he was convincing her of this fact. Why? She felt herself go into defense mode. But instead, she said, "I know..." 

Then there was that silence again. She stared into her cup of coffee. She couldn't remember having this awkwardness between them before, but then again, they are talking about something that wasn't something people usually talked about in public, especially when one of them was engaged. 

She opened just to fill the silence, but was then interrupted by the ping of notification from his phone. He checked it under the table and she couldn't believe what she saw. It started with a twitching of his lips and unless she mistook it for something else, he was trying to surpress a smile. It showed up anyway. A little smile that sent a dagger through her heart. 

Then another notification came in and the little smile widened slightly so she was the only one who caught it. She had this sinking feeling of who it was.... And another thing...something she didn't know she could feel. "Is it..." He looked up at this, returning the poker face back into place. "....your fiancee?" She felt stupid for being there, talking to a man who was about to be married. And from what she had heard, their very public engagement party was going to be held next week. 

He blinked, as if waking up from a trance. He looked down at his phone for a second before looking back at her. There was something hard behind his gaze as he nodded firmly. "Yes, she wanted to go for lunch together..." 

Then another notification came in and although he tried to hide it he couldn't stop the twitch of his mouth as he side glanced at the phone he had set down next to him on the table. She could almost see the message over the table; full of emojis that he wouldn't have tolerated before. It must have been something really funny. Or...

As much as it hurt, she couldn't deny it any longer. And if she were here for confirmation, there it was. The way he was fidgeting, shaking his leg, taking hurried sips of his coffee, looking at the people passing by outside. He wanted to be there with her, but he also wanted to be someplace else. No. He badly wanted to be there, probably wondering why he was still there sitting across from her in the first place. 

She gave a little smile of her own. "Won... I called you here today....actually, so I could get some confirmation. And I believe....I got what I wanted..." She smiled at his knitted brows. He was considering what she was saying. "Also, you seem very much in love..." She smirked and when he opened his mouth to argue, she held up a hand. "Anybody can see that you love her and that's just as well....I think I'm in love too...no." She shook her head. "I'm sure of it now. I am in love." She smiled, genuinely this time, feeling the pain leaving her chest. "I wish you both the best of luck....but you have to understand we can't meet each other again right?" 

His jaw was hardset then and for once she could see the confusion in his features. But he nodded once nontheless. That was when she got a message and she couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face as she saw who it was. Chagiya <3 : Baby, let's stay in tonight and have a little movie night? What do you say?

She would love that very much. But she had business to attend to. "Is that...him?" He asked, in what she assumed the same tone she had used on him. And she found that it was all to easy to smile and nod yes. She felt the same pounding feeling in her chest, the shivers down her body at the thought of spending time with her boyfriend and maybe that was confirmation enough. Still, she was happy. 

"Go... She'll be waiting you know...." She chuckled at the constant confusion he had. He was the classic workaholic, not interested in anything else. But still... "Anyone can see that she's in love with you too..." She enjoyed the look of shock on his face the most, it was cute to see him so clueless. "She relies on you, that's for sure. No woman can be that vulnerable unless they really like you..." She said. "Well...if there's nothing else, I should go too..." She got up and waved a hasty goodbye and walked out the door. 

But once she was outside, she could finally feel herself be free. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt a welcomed sense of relief. Maybe she did the right thing afterall, by meeting up with him that day. Finally, she can fully let go. She turned just in time to see Won get up from his seat. "You've found your own forever too..." And she was pleasantly surprised to find that she was glad, relieved almost. Now she didn't have to worry about him anymore, nor did she have to feel the guilt that she thought she had already forgotten. 

She walked away, a new spring in her step and a smile that refused to be wiped off of her face.

....

The Chairman had first suggested the idea of showing off their relationship. "Now that we don't have anything to hide, we might as well benefit from this relationship." Won could still hear his father's voice ringing in his head. He also remembered the horror he felt after his father had said it. He checked SooJin's reaction who was seated right beside him. To his surprise, she had a calm face on; her pokerface, he realized. Then a similar calming smile started etching itself across her face. What shocked him even more was the willingness with which she agreed. "I agree...." All of a sudden he felt like the child in the dynamic as the two shared a knowing look as they leaned back, with their arms across their chest. 

He has had to stop her when they both left his abuji's office to ask, "What was that? Why would you agree?" Without thinking, his only thought then had been that it would give them way more work than they needed to. But he felt his insides start to freeze when he saw the slight slip in her expression.What? What did he do now? Did he do something wrong? For the past few days SooJin had been distant and it made him uneasy. And here she was agreeing to something without discussing it with him first. 

"Oh nothing...." She wrapped her arms around herself. Uh-oh, she only did that when she was trying to comfort herself. He felt himself break into a cold sweat, wishing he could take back what he had said. "I think it'd be better to make it as convincing as possible. I don't need to give another leverage to my grandfather." She started rubbing her arms, trying to soothe herself. 

And Won couldn't believe how dumb he had been. He can't believe he didn't think of that. Her grandfather had been convinced that their engagement was real. If he even had wind that the thing was fake, he would do whatever he could to make it come to light. In horror, he suddenly realized the implications it would bring to their own company too. Business is a warzone so there was no reason to give your enemies the upperhand when you have it. 

"Ah....that's right..." He nodded sensibly. "So, what do you suggest?" He asked, not understanding why SooJin started giggling and eventually doubling over laughing. For a second he started becoming concerned that maybe she had actually lost her mind. She held up a hand in refusal of his help and when she finally looked up at him, she was red in the face from laughing so hard and tears were streaming down her face. 

"Well... you can start by being more of a boyfriend..." She looked at his confusion in disbelief. 

"You know? lunch dates, presents, love notes, trips, hand holding, you know? Stuff like that...." He liked the blush that came with her embarrassment. He wanted to reach out, to touch, but he wouldn't dare to, afraid she'll pull away. 

"You don't have to do all of them, if you don't want to....Just...once in a while, you know?" She shrugged. 

He finally smiled then and gave her a nod which she mimicked. "Thank you..." she said and gave his arm a grateful squeeze. 

Today, the first day of work, she had texted him first. 

"Hey, chagiya! Want to go out for lunch?" 

"My treat!"

"Ah come on chagiya! Please? That's a yes right? I'll send the location okay?"

That was an unexpected surprise, Chagiya... but it was something that he had to admit, he liked. He kept staring at the texts, smiling like an idiot. He hadn't even realized SooJin arriving until he heard a harsh  'ehem'.

....

What had she been thinking? She had meant it playfully, but knowing that she had sent it through texts, it could have easily been misunderstood. Only after rereading what she had sent did she realize how weird that had sounded. Now, driving over to the restaurant they agreed to meet at, she has had to make up excuses as to why she had called him that. Yeah, they had slept together, but only that. Nothing more. They were friends, that was it. And she was getting way too comfortable.

She gulped as she pushed the door open. She craned her neck to look for Won and spotted him near the back, seated near the window. He was smiling down at his phone and it sent a twinge through her, although she didn't know why. She cleared 'ehem'. He looked up at her, staring blankly at first. Then realizing she was there, he straightened up in his seat. "Wasseo?" He looked to hesitate in his seat for a moment before getting up to pull her chair out for her. Of course her hand recoiled from where it was on the back of the chair. She offered him a small smile before moving to sit. 

"I don't know what you'd like so I told the waiter to hold off on our orders."  She smiled at the way he said it, that he had her in mind too. Yeoksi, her chinggu was changing. Maybe now, he won't be such an automaton anymore. 

"It's okay, I suggested this place anyway. I'll order for the both of us. You should really try the soft tofu pasta...it's to die for..." As she was talking, she spied something that was almost impossible. And the fact that it was happening right then made it seem like the whole world could stop. Won was looking at her intently, not even hiding the smile on his face. She was so used to his pokerface that she thought the man had never smiled in her life. Then again, he had been a child once too. And thinking back to what happened to his mother and the way his father had treated him after her death, it made her sad. She offered him a little smile, hoping that it didn't look too sad before they were fortunately interrupted by the waiter. 

....

That was stupid of him. He felt the urge to hit himself over the head for even hesitating to stand up and pull out her chair for her. Everything had been easier back then when he was so certain that they were just business partners and at most friends. Being civil and cordial to his co workers? He knew how to do that. Easy. He might even be able to charm them to do everything he wanted them to. But take him out of that business setting and throw him out into the world however? He felt more like he was missing the waters he was accustomed to. 

He couldn't understand how flustered he was when the gesture could also be interpreted as polite and thoughtful. But his mind was still stuck in the romantic aspect of things. He felt the heat of a blush taking over before he forcibly pushed any kind of thought away by talking, saying that he hadn't done anything for the moment apart from just sit there, day dreaming. He didn't know what to do with himself, all of a sudden. He felt clumsy and out of place. Thankfully, SooJin hadn't seem like she noticed anything was wrong. In fact, she offered him a beautiful smile. He couldn't help himself; he smiled back. 

Then she started raving about the food but all he could focus on was how cute she looked, with her face all lit up, the light reflecting the stars dancing in her eyes. And her smile, he never thought he'd seen a more beautiful one on anyone else. He couldn't help the twitch at the corners of his mouth as he smiled back, occassionally nodding, to show he was listening. But in reality, everything and everyone was a blur, except for the woman sitting across from him. Though her voice came out a little muffled, he couldn't stop staring. For a split second he realized how dumb he must look to be staring, all dopey eyed but another split second later, he decided he didn't care. The lull he was feeling was too good to give up. 

And when the waiter came back holding to menus in his hand, he almost resented the man. "Are we ready to order?" 

"Yes." SooJin must have taken the menu out of formality and he too did the same. But he barely even had time to skim through the menu because SooJin had already ordered for the both of them. "Could we have the soft tofu pasta and the Gochujang chicken steak please? Oh and also some oysters." The waiter smiled politely taking the menu out of his limp hands. He couldn't think straight anymore, even enjoying the way she said 'we' instead of 'I'. There was just something about her regarding both of them as a single unit instead of two separate people that made him want to lean over and give her a crushing hug. 

He cleared his throat at the thought. He needed to pull himself together. He needed to be clear headed so he won't embarrass himself in front of her. But he failed miserably. "So, how was your day?" She had to be the one to start the conversation. 

He cleared his throat, steeling himself to answer. "It was good...." He finally said but she leaned in closer, seemingly unsatisfied with his answer. Her brows knitted together for a brief moment before she moved closer, leaning so that whatever that passed between them was something only he could hear. "What did you do? Did you have a meeting before this?" She asked and even though she asked it with an air of playfulness, he found himself not able to stop sweating at her questions. 

"Well...you could say that...." She answered finally, arranging his cuffs in nervousness. In response, she cocked her head to the side and he knew she was curious but for some reason, shame overcame him. He felt this guilt too that even when he had her as a fiancee, he still met someone behind her back. He never had to face any of this. Back then, he had only HyeonJu to occupy him and if he wasn't with her he would be busy with work. Everything was fine, until HyeonJu came back into her life. 

He remembered what she had said, the way he had acted, little things, he couldn't possibly have picked up on his own. He thought about it for a while, imagining HyeonJu going back to her own life, not returning and then he imagined SooJin, walking away after whatever deal they had made was fulfilled. And he was surprised to find sadness, a feeling of lost he hadn't expected at all. But most of all, he was surprised that the deal, whatever it was....to make a movie? had taken a back seat in his mind. And if not anything else, he realized then that maybe he genuinely enjoyed her company. After all, he has never tried to push her away yet. Not the way that he did with everybody else. 

"What's the matter?" He realized he had zoned out again, leaving SooJin to stare at him with worry. 

"Oh, it's nothing...nothing..."as much as he turned it over in his head, he couldn't do it, he couldn't bring himself to be in this with her without being honest about what where he'd been. So he did. Tell her. "Actually, I... I went to see HyeonJu..." There he said it. 

"Oh" He saw the way her face fell and the way her eyes were downcast after that and he felt angry, at himself. He should have not gone in the first place. He wanted to make it better to make her feel better. He didn't want to see her that way. He felt like something sharp was digging at one area of his chest, suffocating him, making him want to cry. And he realized here that she might have believed it, that he still had feelings for his ex. And he did. He would be lying if he said he didn't. But nothing made him feel worse than to see that look on SooJin's face.

And, if he answered honestly, he would much rather spend his days with SooJin, at the market, going someplace he had never stopped to look at before rather than go back to that cafe, sitting awkwardly facing his past love. And although he wasn't aware of it at first, he very clearly had wanted to get away. The ansty shake of his leg, waiting for what HyeonJu had to say and the way that he had welcomed the texts from SooJin and if HyeonJu's reaction had been any indication, he had subconsciously shown his heart on his sleeve. And he wanted to be around her, curious of what SooJin enjoyed and what else she loved to do. He realized, finally, that he had had it for months, slowly creeping up on his heart and now he was finally sure, that his heart belonged to someone else. And that someone was sitting across from him, staring blankly out of the window. 

"We decided it would be best..." his voice drew her back into their conversation, although she still had that dreamy look on her face. She cocked her head to one side, something he thinks she should do a lot more of, but this time, with her brows knitted together in confusion too. "That it would be best to not see each other again...." She sat up straighter at this. 

"What? I thought..." She never finished that sentence and he could see the gears in her head turning before she decided it was better to brush it off. 

She looked out of the window again, this time, she was contemplating something. And when she turned to ask her questions, he knew it was time. Time to come clean.

...

That certainly sent a shock through her system. What she had really wanted to say was, "Mwo? I thought the both of you still love each other..." But she realized last minute just how rude that sounded. So instead she brushed it off and stared out towards the streets outside. She had always thought he loves her and that's why he still had her picture. Could she have misinterpreted that too? She wanted to keep quiet....but there was this nagging feeling that made her want to know, wanted to find out. She reasoned that she didn't need anybody to see her fiancee, even a fake one slinking with another woman behind her back. They at least needed to keep a good front, for the press and...for her grandfather. 

"Do you still have feelings for her?" She didn't know where that came from and almost immediately wanted to take it back. 

He was taken by surprise but then a grim line appeared across his face and he said, "I think I would always have that little bit of care and wonder....to what she's doing or where she is. But..." He looked down at his hands, intertwined, signifying just how deep in thought he was. If anything, she was glad that his answer was going to be an honest one, considering how deeply he was thinking about it. 

"But I feel it getting lesser and lesser these days....Honestly...sometimes I forget that....what....about what we had..." he stuttered. To see how vulnerable he was being right then, made her feel like she was one of the lucky few, the ones who got to see through that stoic outer shield. It made her happy somehow...that he trusted her enough to open up to her. "I guess that makes me feel guilty...but I can't help it....The more I try to hold on, the more time makes it easier to pull away." He shook his head slowly, his expression grim. 

She knew she was being selfish, even after him opening up to her the way he did, but she needed to know. It was like a different version of her came out to play. "Do you still have...memories....pictures....of her?" She asked, pretty sure she had crossed the boundary even if she didn't want to. 

She was taken by surprise by a scoff from Won and thought maybe she should take it back. But before she could say anything else though, he had spoken on behalf of both of them. "Stupidly enough... I do. Just the one. I couldn't bear to get rid of it." He chuckled...clearly his mind was anywhere but in the restaurant. She had an inkling that it may be back at home, with the picture, tucked safely in between the pages of a book. "You know, maybe I'm ready to let go..." She was surprised by the smile on his face, one that looked bittersweet, a mingling of sadness and what could only be said as relief. "After all, I haven't seen that photo in months now..." 

....

It was true. Definitely. He hadn't had the urge to even take the photo from out of its hiding place in months now. Somehow, he had completely forgotten that it was there in the first place. If anything could be an indication, then this was it. He couldn't believe he was admitting it to himself. He had moved on. Back then, it had seemed so impossible. But now, he saw a new future ahead of him, one with many possibilities. And he thought all these thoughts, he couldn't help but stare at SooJin who had a little smile- a happy one, he hoped- etched on her face. 

Before long however, the food had come to their rescue and her face lit up once again at the sight of the spread before them. And he had to admit, he was feeling hungry himself. It was like letting all of that burden go meant that he finally wasn't on autopilot for once and that he too, could enjoy the finer things in life. "Thank you..." She beamed at the server. And he couldn't for the life of him figure out how he hadn't noticed the way her eyes turned into little cresent moons when she smiled and the way her cheeks moved up or the way there were crinkles by her eyes when she did. But most of all, he couldn't believe just how stupid he was to not realize that he loved them. 

A smile appeared on his own face, mirroring hers. And when she offered him that very same smile, he felt like he was about to faint. But she was too busy with the food to notice. Thankfully. "Yah! You have to try this!" She said excitedly, piling food onto his plate. He didn't even bother rejecting this time. All he knew was he wanted to enjoy the state she was in and what he could confirm was, he would do anything, just to keep that smile on her face for the rest of her life. And with a little sinking feeling, he admitted that if it meant letting her go then so be it. 

.....

She hadn't expected that at all. And she was grateful, just because she didn't want to admit to the happiness that she was feeling besides that, that he decided to share all of this with her. She was fascinated by the vulnerability that he had shown her and wondered what she did to deserve his trust. She was happy. She had to admit and a little smile crossed her face. The arrival of the food might have elevated that feeling though as the server made his way towards them, she could feel her stomach tugging at her, asking for nourishment. 

She must have looked childish and its stupid but she didn't care. Instinctively, she started offering him food first, "Here, it's their specialty!" She was embarrassed by the half squeals she was emitting and even more so when she realized Won was just watching her. "What?" What was wrong with her? She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face, even as she cocked her head to the side in question. 

He smiled back, one that she hadn't seen before and said, "Kyeopta..." She felt herself falter in shock at what he had said. Did he mean she was cute? How can that be? All this time, she had had to account for both of their emotional meter and here he was, being the first to show all these emotions. What was wrong with her? But her smile returned anyway because what else could she say?! Instead, she continued piling on food, explaining as she did. And when he hadn't moved to eat but simply stared at her, she got a little frustrated and finally twirled some pasta onto her own fork and offered it to him. 

"Ah...." She was amused by the surprise on his face. But thankfully, he smiled back and allowed her to spoon it into his mouth. 

He chewed carefully and she decided she liked the way he looked then, so unassuming, and only for her. He had a scowl on his face even when he dined with the family; either that or a pokerface. She felt privileged to be the one sitting across from him and witnessing all of this. But something else caught her eyes too. Specifically, a couple, seated diagonally from them. She wasn't sure if she noticed them from the very start or just now when they seemed to be periodically looking over at her and Won's table. But then she saw a glint coming from their direction. It was brief but she could recognize a hidden camera anywhere, after what she had gone through with her grandfather. 

"Won..." she leaned closer, beckoning him to do the same. When he did, she told him, "I think we're being watched...." She smiled but her eyes went briefly to the couple who was by now tucking into their food, at least that's what they wanted them to believe. She was thankful, for having him there, and for him to not question her but instead to reach out with his own fork and grabbed some of the food, and fed it to her. They needed to make it believable and she thought they played it well enough. At least, they hadn't slipped up in talking of their deals yet. And hopefully, they won't ever have to. Hopefully, they would always be light on their feet, the way they were now. Everything they said so far was surprisingly accurate for any couple that she had met. And she felt relieved. 

Won beamed at her and she didn't know if it was just play acting on his part, but his hand went up immediately to wipe some of the sauce off the edges of . Despite not knowing for sure, she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. 

....

He didn't know if she would be comfortable with it or not, but when they moved to leave, the couple had left too, so on instinct he grabbed for her hand and that was how they left the restaurant. But when they had to part however, he felt this  feeling of reluctance. Stupid. He had to go back to work no matter what. But after feeding her at the restaurant and wiping at the edges of , he felt reckless. If she had allowed that, then maybe she would allow just a little more. So when they stood, hands still held together by the door, he did it, before he could regret it. He moved their intwined hands to his lips and twisted it so he could kiss hers. She twitched in surprise but he was glad that she relaxed into it. When he set their hands down, he didn't want to believe that she lingered because he didn't let go too. 

So, he was the first to let go. Otherwise, they wouldn't go back to work. "Have a great day...I'll call you later okay?" He said, not even pretending the sweetness in his voice. He wanted her to have the best day and if she didn't he was determined to cheer her up after. 

She nodded, beaming at him. God, he couldn't get enough of her smile! "Araeso! See you at home!" She said, before turning to walk away. Even then, he couldn't make himself turn away. And lucky for him too because halfway up the street she turned back to wave and grace him with that smile of hers. He waved goodbye with a genuine smile of his own. His heart felt full somehow and he was convinced that nothing was going to ruin his day. And with that, he had that smile on his face and a little spring in his step all the way to the car. 

It was a great feeling, to be in love.

....

Rage. That was all he could feel and that was all he could see as he banged through the basement. Not only was Hyuk a cockroach, he had started living like one too. But curiously enough, when he got there, he saw the older man already starting to pack . Ah! There you are! I was just about to bring everything out." He hated the tone of his voice, the way he was happy and the way he didn't care. He was seeing blinding red as he charged at him, catching the man by his collar pinning him to the lumpy sofa where he knew the cockroach slept. 

"You!" He roared. Park Hyuk was probably taken by surprise by the punch but he didn't care because he landed another one. Everyone always said, MyeongSu was never himself when he was angry, he was always someone else. He raised his fist to hit another time but seeing the cockroach flinch and the fear in his eyes, he brought his fist down onto the couch instead. "Aaarrrggghhhh! Shibal!" 

"Listen, whatever it is, we can talk... Manse Group offerred me a large sum, maybe we could split it? How about that?" The man was trembling under his hold but he couldn't help the disgust that rose up at the sight before him. How could he think that MyeongSu wanted the money? All he ever wanted was for everyone to see that the relationship was fake so that he could get her back. This secret, something that she hadn't shared explicitly with him....something that hurt her! And this cockroach...

His gaze was seething as he stared into Park Hyuk's eyes. But instead of a punch he settled for a seething, "I don't want your filthy money." He spat in the man's face who flinched in turn. "What I want..." His grip tightened as he shook the man by the collar. "Is to never see you near me again." He gave the man another shake so Park Hyuk let out a strangled cry but before he lost control, he let the man go, roughly, onto the couch. "Aaaarrgggghhhhh!" He kicked at the boxes of stuff already piled high on his way out. Petty, but it gave him so much satisfaction. 

Out on the streets, the air helped cool him down a little, but it was clear to him then that if he was going to do this, he had to do it alone. He couldn't trust anyone after that. But he had to. He knew, that she still loves him. Otherwise, the engagement wouldn't be fake, it would have been real. 

A/N : I hope you enjoy this update guys! Please, if you have any thoughts, please let me know in the comments.... I just binged read the entire "Folk of the air" series by Holly Black and now I have serious withdrawal symptoms. If you guys know any similar series or books, please, reccomend them to me in the comments. Love you! And as always, stay safe and healthy <3