- one month later - 

Eric was extremely grateful towards Dayeong. 

Maybe one would expect him to hate her. After all, he was being forced to marry her instead of the woman he loved. It would make sense for him to dislike her, as irrational as it may be. 

But he was grateful. Being "married" to his best friend wouldn't be such a bad thing, he figured. Not when they were both already working so hard towards planning their divorce. 

It was the day of the wedding. The ceremony would start soon, and in a few hours, they would be husband and wife. 

But standing there with her in the waiting room, all he felt was gratitude as he watched Chanmi walk into the room, running straight into his arms. 

"I love you," Chanmi whispered into the crook of his neck, over and over again. "I love you." 

"I'll always be fighting for you," he whispered back, closing his eyes and hugging her tight, not caring that Dayeong, Juyeon, and Hyunjae were all in the room. "I love you too. To the stars and back, I love you." 

She smiled at him through her tears. "That sounds awfully romantic," she said, her gaze borderline playful, though the look was unable to hide the immense sadness in her eyes. 

Dayeong had once again worked her magic and had somehow convinced Eric's parents to let Chanmi see them right before the ceremony. Apparently, she'd talked to them privately, telling them that Chanmi was almost like a close friend to her and that she would want to see her before going out to face the public. 

It had worked, and thanks to her, Eric had Chanmi in his arms again. 

His gaze flickered to the clock, feeling a surge of anxiety wash over him as he realized it was time. 

"I... I have to go," he whispered to Chanmi, trying not to cry. He pressed a kiss against her lips. "I love you," he said once more before letting go of her. He glanced at Dayeong, who looked sick. "You'll be alright?" he asked her. 

She just nodded, not looking alright at all. She looked about as sick as he felt, though he hoped he was doing a better job of hiding it. 

The whole ceremony was going to be recorded live for the world to see. The idea of that only made him more nervous. 

Eric gave Dayeong a nervous, fleeting smile. He looked at Chanmi once more, wanting to take her hand and run away at that moment, and never look back. 

But he couldn't. 

He left the room, going to take his spot on stage.