Chae Hyungwon

i started driving my way home, thinking about eun gyeol and i. for some reason, i felt pity for her. because i pitied her, it might be one of the reasons why i'm pushing myself to stay with her.

if not, it's actually the main reason.

and i know that it shouldn't be that way. everything's just so wrong but then i really can't change the way i feel for eun gyeol in a snap.

maybe i could if i wanted to. but if i would be honest to myself, someone else has already been catching my attention these days.

i had my right hand on the steering wheel this time as i rested my left elbow on the car's window. i gently bit on my finger as i thought about everything that freely ran in my mind.

just how i couldn't wait to go home and relax to some more wine after enjoying a warm shower.

i sat still and stared at the cars right in front of me. it was already 10 pm but there was still some traffic left in the highway.

all of a sudden, i felt someone knock on my car's window.

i flinched a bit and retreated my elbow away to straighten up and see for myself. there, i saw a little boy with garlands of flowers attached around his neck while some were being held in his right hand.

he raised that said hand up to show me the rest of the flowers, wondering if i wanted to buy.

i quickly lowered my window and grabbed 10,000 won for the kid.

"i'm not buying any of those, but here." i carefully handed out the bill.

"take it as if i bought those already." i said.

the boy simply looked at my hand astonished. he stood frozen and hesitant to take the money.

"what are you waiting for? are you gonna keep my hand stretched out like this?" i smirked.

"t-thank you, sir." he bowed and humbly accepted the bill.

"i was just surprised and touched because this is too much." he stared at the bill in his hands.

"yeah, but that's all i have here. i don't have some change for you."

suddenly, he started taking off the garlands from his neck.

"y-you can take all the flowers, sir-"

"no need. i wouldn't know what to do with them. it seems to me that your conscience is sound, so i'm glad enough. use that conscience of yours to spend my money wisely considering that it's not a small amount for someone who didn't buy." i advised.

the boy nodded his head eagerly and carefully kept the bill in his pocket.

"thank you, sir! bless you!" he flashed a bright and genuine smile.

"and you, make sure to stay safe as you sell your goods. please don't do this anymore. stay away from the highway because you might get into an accident once the cars start moving here." i warned.

"ahh... alright. thank you for your concern, sir!" he smiled once again upon listening to me and did a bow as he left.

i rolled up the window and smiled to myself as i started moving the car once again as traffic was eased.

suddenly, eun gyeol's words began to resonate in my mind once again.

"but i knew you were also a warm man. what's there for me not to like?"

the smile from my face slowly fell as i got reminded of eun gyeol's feelings for me.

i quickly cleared my throat and tried to ease the tension in my mind. i just can't believe how much burden her words actually had on me.

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i wore a robe after getting out of the shower and opened up a new bottle of wine which i had placed on a small round wooden table in my room.

after pouring the drink, i walked towards the big glass window in my room, carefully sliding away the curtains to see the night view of my neighborhood. holding the glass in one hand, i was drying my dripping wet hair with a smaller towel in another.

i slowly looked up and was mesmerized by the sight of the moon shining so brightly. i took another sip of wine and soon found myself lost in my thoughts once again.

my mind kept replaying today's incident during the photoshoot. it kept playing my encounters with baek ha rim in a loop.

the way she held me on impulse to pull me away from danger... the way she was shocked when i found her alone in the dressing room... and the way she returned the intensity of my gazes...

i thought about it all, clear and vivid.

just how intriguing could she be? it's like she wanted to push herself closer to me, but she also plans to keep pulling away. it's funny how i'd find a random stranger at the bus stop in my company, too.

i took a deep breath in and sighed. i emptied my glass and put it back down the table as i walked to my bed. i slowly sat down contemplating on more thoughts.

i slowly recalled the conversation my cousin and i shared that day in the cafe where ha rim and i also saw each other.

the topic was no other than eun gyeol.

my cousin took a sip of coffee and crossed her arms gazing at my face.

"how's eun gyeol? is everything going fine with her?" she asked.

i sighed, pursing my lips together as she brought up my fiancée.

"i heard you've finally agreed to be engaged to her. you haven't even dated her formally because you've been having so many flings with other girls. are you sure about her?"

"her family has good status and gets along with mine well. besides, we've been friends for so long. eun gyeol has always been there for me so i think i could-"

"you don't really get it do you? that's not how marriage works. one way or another, eun gyeol's gonna find herself demanding more from you as her husband. you will never be truly happy if you don't love her." she cut me off.

i kept quiet, realizing how she hit every point.

"you sure you don't wanna try dating seriously? in your 26 years of age, haven't you found anyone that sparked actual interest? anyone you wanna try pursuing other than eun gyeol? you've literally been forcing yourself to have feelings for her for who knows how long. i don't think it'll ever work." she shook her head and sighed.

i thought about her words well until suddenly, baek ha rim appeared in the scene right at that very moment. she stood right in front of me as if she just attempted to reserve the table. we looked into each other's eyes as i was slightly caught by surprise. 

now how about baek ha rim indeed?

the new employee with the yellow umbrella who i happen to encounter a number of times.

in my eyes, she seemed to me as someone with a good soul. warm and helpful yet also fiery within. among the people who i felt have always tried to rub themselves on me, she gave me a different impression.

again, that thing. it was like she wanted to come closer but maintain a certain distance from me as well. i could tell that she was also interested in me just as everyone else yet she keeps being cautious.

calculative, almost.

moreover, a simple look from her eyes can tell so much story.

i guess i wanted to know a bit more of her.

i suddenly broke my train of thoughts and brought my mind back to my present. it was already night time, and i was bound to prepare myself to fall into deep slumber.

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Baek Ha Rim

"what kind of dress would be nice?" rowoon's friends started to wonder.

we were currently seated in a circle having lunch as we discussed the announced three days and two nights stay at a 5-star hotel for our company anniversary slash outing.

apparently, our company will be utilizing the hotel ballroom on the first night to celebrate our anniversary formally. with that, the given theme was black and white and we needed to come in formal attire.

"ceo chae loves the color black, do you think we should go for a black long gown?" one of them suggested.

"no, we need to go for white to stand out! trust me, only a few would go for white so we need to wear that color!"

"okay then! black and white are the pairs after all! girls, let's go for white alright?" they concluded.

i left myself out and simply kept silent.

"since we're using one of ceo chae's cousin's hotel, do you think he'd also be there?" rowoon suddenly asked.

my eyes lit up as the topic changed. i finally brought my head up as i was more interested this time.

"oh, i really hope so! imagine getting to see those two ceos together in one room? wah, i'm just imagining it in my head right now but what a sight to see it is!" his friend spoke.

ceo chae's cousin? who was he again?

i decided to take the initiative to ask innocently. slowly putting my fork down, i plastered on a bright smile.

"ceo chae's cousin is a ceo himself, too? hmm, what was his name again?" i asked.

"yoo kihyun." rowoon answered.

that name. it has to be a name i should remember as well.

"oh, do you know which side he's cousins with our ceo from?"

"father side. his father has a sister who married a yoo." rowoon's friend butted in.

"wah, you guys really know a lot of information. i'm quite amazed." i let out a soft laugh.

"yeah, you girls better be careful when we do get to meet ceo yoo,"

"he's quite the casanova." rowoon warned.

"tsk, if we liked ceo yoo and not ceo chae then don't you think we should've just worked for him then?" one of the girls shot.

"well, i'm just saying. apart from that, it's really obvious. ceo yoo's face and demeanor just screams good with the ladies. it's almost like he can sweep you off your feet." rowoon shrugged.

i thought about his words well. if yoo kihyun was into that, there must be a way to get with him. all i have to do is have him under my control by catching his attention and playing his game.

maybe i could advance further if i could do an attempt at that.

i really need a way to associate myself with their family sooner.

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update after we surpassed 18 votes! thank you guys!

i'll make sure to double update the next chapters so please do keep voting and commenting! we're getting closer to introducing kihyun in this story! ;)

stay tuned!