Baek Ha Rim

i sat silently on my bed, thinking about tonight's party as i brushed my hair.

kihyun's event was an absolute success and he earned praises for it a countless number of times. tonight, i finally got the chance to meet mr. chae and he seemed to have a good impression of me. it was all thanks to kihyun.

i felt tired and weary, but i also felt very much fulfilled that i couldn't fall asleep. i needed to rest immediately, but memories of tonight were still going through my head.

what i couldn't leave out from all of them was hyungwon's confession to me. every time i recalled it, my heart just starts to beat wildly. i wanted to throw myself at him and be held in his arms out in the open. our reality, however, was knowing that our feelings for each other were like secrets.

my feelings for him were just hidden better.

"it's still so surreal.." i muttered as i released a deep sigh.

i was having a hard time weighing mr. chae and hyungwon. how do i convict mr. chae of his crime against my family without hurting hyungwon? do i need a more peaceful approach? would hyungwon cooperate with me or with his father?

getting justice was somehow going to be harsh in this situation. someone was bound to get hurt, but i couldn't ever let this go. i could've lost everything after what had happened if not for mr. baek who found me and raised me.

mr. chae and those who were involved needed to pay the price.

"you're still up?" kihyun suddenly showed up outside my door.

i almost felt my heart drop from the way he surprised me but i quickly reacted and put my hairbrush down.

"i was just about to go to bed." i spoke.

kihyun quickly came inside the room and laid down beside me on the bed. i sat down quietly wondering what he wanted to do. i was tired and had a lot of thoughts in my mind, so i wasn't in the best mood to attend to him.

suddenly, he gently pulled on my arm leaving me no choice but to lay down right beside him.

"what are you doing? we should go to sleep." i whispered as soon as my head fell on his arm.

kihyun suddenly got up and laid on his side to face me without removing his arm where my head laid. i looked into his face that was above mine and noticed how sharp yet delicate his features were up-close.

all of a sudden, he attempted to go in for a kiss on my neck, so i quickly moved away from him.

"kihyun-ssi!" i raised my voice at him as i felt alarmed.

"oh come on, let's have a good time. we deserve to relieve some stress and-"

"i haven't even answered you." i spoke.

with just those words, i immediately noticed disappointment and realization starting to settle in kihyun's face.

"what?" he asked, as if wanting me to clarify where i stand.

"kihyun, we're not a couple. i'm not your girl yet. i can't believe you forgot about that, it honestly feels like i don't have a say in this." i reminded him.

"but there shouldn't be any reason for you not to say yes to me, isn't it?"

i frowned at him thinking how absurd it was that he thought my only choice was to say yes. it seemed like to him, he just has to tell me he likes me and he's already won me over.

kihyun looked away from me, already knowing that i didn't have to give my answer.

"what a way to end my night, ha rim-ssi." bitterness was now written all over his face.

he quickly stood up from my bed and dragged himself out of my room closing the door behind him a little louder than usual. kihyun seemed like he was going passive aggressive with me but i shook it off my mind.

i don't owe kihyun reciprocated feelings. i know for a fact that i'm not supposed to pay his kindness back with something that's out of the way i feel for him.

______________________________

Chae Hyungwon

i stood quietly in the elevator with minhyuk and my secretary. watching the numbers go up, my mind had a sudden change of ideas.

"let's pass by the marketing department for a while." i spoke.

"y-yes, sir? but you would be minutes late to your meeting if that's so." minhyuk was taken aback.

"just do it." i insisted firmly and faced the elevator doors with a small smile on my face.

we finally walked out of the elevator the moment we reached the floor to the marketing department. minhyuk and my secretary didn't know what i needed to do, but i was fixed on the purpose of getting to see her first things first.

ha rim told me that night at the party that she was planning to come back to work. holding onto this, i slowly passed by their office, looking through the glass carefully for signs of ha rim.

"good morning, minhyuk-ssi." i suddenly heard a familiar voice greet minhyuk from behind us.

turning my head, i finally found her.

ha rim stood with a smile that lit up her face. she was radiant early in the morning and it was mesmerizing to me.

"good morning, ceo chae." she greeted with a bow.

"good morning. have a great day at work today." i smiled and earned a nod from her.

i started walking away to head out of the floor and to ride the elevator going to the meeting room. with something so simple as her morning greeting, i already felt my entire body refreshed and energized.

_____________________________

fixing my eyes on the screen of my desktop, i reviewed my schedule for the day. i had accomplished most of them since this morning so i had a lot of spare time with me.

my next task could be fulfilled later in the evening so my entire afternoon was vacant. proud of myself, i leaned back on my office chair and took a sip of coffee.

my secretary suddenly opened the door to my office and walked in, causing me to be startled. quickly, i straightened my posture and sat up properly.

"sir, miss baek from the marketing department would like to see you." she informed.

my eyes immediately lit up with just the mention of those words.

miss baek.

for some unknown and unexpected reason, she wanted to see me today. could it be for work purposes? did she want to tell me something? what could it be?

"bring her in." i nodded, trying to appear calm about it.

my secretary went out for a minute until finally, i caught sight of ha rim stepping in my office. clearing my throat, i relieved some tension in my shoulders and faced her with a relaxed posture.

i looked at my secretary and asked her to close the door on us. getting some privacy, i now gave my focus and attention to ha rim who was standing in front of me.

"what brings you here?" i asked.

"hyungwon-ssi." she called.

"hmm?" i hummed.

"are you free today? let's go out on a date." she spoke.

Baek Ha Rim

asking out chae hyungwon on a simple date to a park came easy. he was thrilled despite his calm exterior which made me much interested in him.

hyungwon was a fascinating person to me. he was reserved with how he expressed himself yet i felt connected to his thoughts and emotions inside.

"are you really going to be wearing that mask to the park?" he asked.

"i don't want you getting into unnecessary drama. this is to protect you from the public's statements against your engagement." i spoke.

it was true. at the same time i had to protect the people on my side which were mr. baek's family.

"i don't really mind. i want them to find out sooner that i'm breaking it off with eun gyeol because i like you." he spoke.

i smiled at him because of his confession. hyungwon was upfront about his feelings for me that he didn't mind repeating the words i like you.

"on a side note, you look very familiar to me with that mask on. it's like i've encountered you somewhere but i couldn't exactly recall." he looked into my eyes.

"i wouldn't understand something so vague too. let's get out of the car?" i asked.

"sure." he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt.

as soon as hyungwon and i were out, i took a breath of fresh air and scanned the area. i was in a good mood, and i felt myself up for an enjoyable time with hyungwon.

from afar, i suddenly spotted a booth for fortune telling situated at one corner.

"oh hyungwon-ssi, shall we enter that booth?" i pointed out to him.

hyungwon took the time to see what i was trying to show him, but i was met with a hesitant look the moment he realized.

"ah.. i don't believe in those stuff." he shook his head.

"neither do i. it's gonna be fun." i shrugged.

"alright, if that's what you want. i'll just take whatever is said to us with a grain of salt." he spoke.

we eventually rushed to the booth as i had wanted and entered the tent finding out that the last customers had just left. seeing the fortune teller situated at the center, hyungwon and i went ahead to greet her.

"are you two a couple?" she spoke the moment we stepped closer.

"not exactly... just yet." hyungwon clarified our status as he situated himself on the chair.

i smiled knowing that it was for a fact.

"i really hope so." the lady remarked.

hyungwon and i immediately exchanged looks knowing that we've caught on. despite that, both of us hesitated to bring it up and make the lady repeat herself.

i was suddenly asked by the woman to open my palms so she could see. i had no choice but to do as i was told and eventually let go of what she just said a moment ago.

"i just have to say, you have a lot of negativity pent up inside. i'm sensing that kind of energy from you. have you been experiencing recurring dreams?" she asked. 

"sometimes." i answered, not allowing myself to dig deep into it.

"you have to let go of whatever's holding you back. you have to stop chasing the wrong things, too. that way, you won't hurt the people you care for." she advised.

i listened intently as she spoke to my soul. deep inside my head, i thought about which aspect of my life it applied to.

"unless you finally do so, i don't think you and this young man right here would be a perfect fit for each other." she eventually added.

______________________________

chae hyungwon and i finished our session at the fortune telling booth so we finally came out looking for somewhere else to eat.

if i had to be honest, i was somehow convinced and at the same time doubtful. the readings were too general, and i could say they matched with me if i chose what i wanted to believe.

looking at hyungwon, however, i was afraid that he and i might not have a happy union just like her words have said.

more than that, i realized that it already bothered me because i was really starting to like him.

"do you think we wasted money at that booth?" hyungwon asked as soon as he caught me staring at me.

"well.. it fed my curiosity but who cares about what fortune tellers have to say about us, right? let's just go ahead and get something good to eat." i shook it off with a smile and boldly held his hand.

holding his hand was electrifying. it felt like the action was sending sparks across my body. for some reason, it also made me feel warm and safe inside.

strolling together hand in hand, we suddenly came across a stray cat. seeing how white its fur was, it was quick to steal my attention. stopping on my tracks, i quickly opened my bag to reach for a piece of plain bread that i had brought with me.

"hello, come here." i called out to the cat as i bent down and extended my arm to drop a piece of bread near it.

the cat sniffed the bread and started eating so i tore a few more pieces, considering myself successful at feeding it.

"you have a soft spot for young children and animals." hyungwon bent down beside me and looked at the cat i was feeding.

"i guess i do... especially those without a home. i want to care for them." i admitted.

hyungwon smiled right beside me and helped me tear more pieces of bread for the cat to enjoy.

"and you know what, ha rim-ssi?" he added.

"what?" i asked in response.

"i guess that's what i genuinely like about you."

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long update! hyungwon and ha rim are starting to accept their feelings for each other don't you think? 👀

anw my schoolwork are catching up with me now so slow updates are unavoidable 😭

i was hoping my updating wouldn't be affected but it's just week 2 of class and everything's already hectic. please bear with me guys! good luck to those who have work or school as well!