His brother manager felt something strange when he received a call from Jaejoong around midnight. The hallyu star had never done that before, as he isn't the type of guy who is into late night chatting with anyone. So for him to suddenly break his own rule must be driven by an urgent need that couldn't wait till tomorrow. "What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" a yawn escaped from his mouth as he probed the intent of the caller.

Jaejoong knew he shouldn't disturb his brother's sleeping hours, but he needed someone to talk to about his problem. Without being apologetic, he went straight to the question, "Hyung, what would you do if you want to get close to a girl that you like?". "Aish this boy! You're calling me at this hour just to ask that?!" his manager whining, not expecting that his beauty sleep was cut short because of insignificant matter. Despite being jeered by his brother, Jaejoong doesn't give up, "Please hyung! I need your advice."

"Are you in love with someone?" the abrupt query from his brother was right on spot, yet the hallyu star refused to admit. He came up with a different reason so his brother wouldn't be suspicious of him, "Ahneeoh! I'm currently working on my new song.. but I need an inspiration for the lyrics. I'm thinking of writing about a man who likes a girl, yet he doesn't know how to show his feeling for her without being a jerk. So can you give me some idea to start with?"

His brother was in silence for a couple of seconds, probably thinking of the best answer to give to Jaejoong. After taking a deep breath, his brother shared his opinion, "Well.. first I will get to know her through her best friend. Find out what she likes, her hobby, favourite movies.. anything like that. In short.. her best friend becomes my best friend too." Jaejoong was getting excited with the proposal, "Ah.. jinjja? But what if you're not familiar with her best friend? How do you.."

Before Jaejoong could complete his question, his brother was getting irritated by his interrogation when he needed to get back in bed, "Aish.. yaa! Why do you need to know all that when you only want to write lyrics?!". "Hyung, my lyrics should be something that my fans can relate to. I need to write them as close as possible to depict the reality as if I'm going through the experience myself," Jaejoong lied to his brother. Taking his words as nothing but the truth, his manager gave a last piece of advice, "Just keep an eye on that girl.. find out who does she spend most of her time with. That's how you know about her best friend."

At first Ji Hyo doesn't want to switch on her handphone after she reached home, but thinking about her slavery period with Jaejoong made her acted against her thought. Just as expected, there were several missed calls from Jaejoong which she had been ignoring for the last one hour. She threw herself on her bed, eyes shooting at the ceiling. Ji Hyo searched for a moment of peace, but Geum Ran's words kept playing in her head.

"Have I fallen for that jerk more than I used to?" she hung the question in the air as no one was around her to provide the answer. Ji Hyo felt her body was aching - just like her heart. There were too many dramas for one day, and too many lies were told in order to hide the truth. She has yet to thank Taeyang for the dinner and the fine dressing, which multiplied her guilt towards the nice young man for scolding him in public. Taeyang must have been sad to be treated that way after all he did for her.

While her mind was still roaming elsewhere, a message appeared on her phone screen. She took a deep breath and read the message from Jaejoong:

'Tomorrow is your off day as my slave. I'm going out with someone so I don't need you to tag along. By the way, how do I get in touch with your friend just now?'

Ji Hyo was curious when Jaejoong asked about Geum Ran, so she texted him back:

'Wae? What do you want from her?'

Five minutes later she received a reply from Jaejoong:

'I want to apologize to that lady. Just give me her number.'

She couldn't believe what she just read. Ji Hyo was having doubt that a man with a big ego like Jaejoong is thinking of apologizing to her best friend for ruining the dinner. "He never say sorry to me for being a jerk and now he wants to apologize to my best friend? This is so unfair!" Ji Hyo let out her disappointment. It took quite a while for her to finally decided to share Geum Ran's number with Jaejoong. But before that, Ji Hyo seek permission from Geum Ran and she happily agreed when Ji Hyo told her that Jaeriko asked for her number.

Getting all that he needed, Jaejoong made an agreement to meet Geum Ran at one of the local restaurants. They finally met at the location the next day, of which Ji Hyo wasn't invited. "You're such a strange man, Jaeriko! Why do you always wearing hoody.. and sunglasses in a restaurant? That's just weird!" Geum Ran was curious with the man's appearance, not knowing that a famous celebrity was sitting right across her.

"Let's go straight to the point. You're Ji Hyo's best friend?" Jaejoong used a serious tone in his voice, but Geum Ran wasn't intimidated. "Of course I am! We're very close to each other just like sisters! But wait a second.. why are you asking?" she asked. Jaejoong took out a piece of paper and handed over to Geum Ran, "Geurae. That means you don't have a problem to answer all 50 questions about Ji Hyo that I've listed here."

Geum Ran's eyes were widen as she have a look at the questions. "Noh micheossoh?! You want me to fill up all these?!" her voice was slightly raised. With a cold reaction, Jaejoong nodded and said, "Ne. I need to know all about Song Ji Hyo so I can understand her as a woman." "Aish.. michi! Is this the way Japanese guys get a date? By interrogating the girl's best friend?" Geum Ran scowled. "Wae? Is there a problem?" he casually asked, to which she replied, "Fine.. but I need to be compensated. That will be ₩5,000 per question."

"Mwo? ₩5,000? Are you 'selling' your best friend for money?!" Jaejoong was surprised with the amount that he had to pay just to get details on Ji Hyo. Geum Ran innocently replied, "Well if you hesitated..". Jaejoong immediately put the money on the table, but he refused to let Geum Ran touch the money right away, "How do I know that you're not lying?". "You don't have a choice, Jaeriko. You should just trust me," Geum Ran responded and placed her hand on top of Jaejoong's which held the money.

She never knew her instinct to follow Geum Ran would lead her to witness the secret meeting between her best friend and Jaejoong. Ji Hyo finally understood why Jaejoong wouldn't want her to come along and the reason for Geum Ran to decline spending time with her during her 'off day'. She felt unwanted, maybe they will treat her like a third wheel if she went to greet them at the table. "A lie for a lie.. I guess we're not that close anymore Geum Ran," she whispered to herself, then walked away with a broken heart.

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Your decision:

a) Jaejoong asked Ji Hyo to watch movie with him as advised by Geum Ran, but Ji Hyo refused and went out with Taeyang to make him jealous

b) Geum Ran took Jaejoong around the town area to buy present for Ji Hyo while showing her best friend's favourite hangouts, but Ji Hyo assumed they were on date

c) Author's choice