Anna wanted to show Seokjin the dress she'd bought for the awards ceremony in three days. She thought it might cheer him up to think about the awards show.

He told her he'd be right back, but he had been gone for over three hours. She knew that he'd been drinking and wondered what was wrong. Had he gone to see Norma?

Seokjin's eyes and mouth fell wide open when Anna walked out of her room. The beautiful blue dress she was wearing was conservative---she would never have worn anything too revealing, but it hugged her curves. His hands itched to touch her.

"What do you think?" Anna asked, twirling in a circle.

He gulped, unable to find the words to tell her how breathtaking she looked. She would outshine all the pretentious actresses in their overly sexy designer dresses. But, more importantly, she had the sweetest, brightest smile on her face, and all her attention was focused on him. She was genuinely happy for him, and her faith in him made her incandescently beautiful in his eyes. The sight of her almost erased the distasteful scene with Norma earlier.

Norma had called and asked him to meet her at a friend's apartment. She had proceeded to throw herself at him, attempting to seduce him. He recalled her mouth on his neck and her hands squeezing him painfully. She said they could continue meeting in secret. She even offered to pay him. That's when he pushed her away and left. And went straight to the nearest bar to drink.

Anna's smile disappeared when he didn't answer. "Well, is it bad?" she asked in a worried tone and smoothed the dress with her hands. "It might be too...plain."

"Anna, I..." He shook his head, his thoughts still muddled by his encounter with Norma. "I can't..."

Her face flashed with disappointment. She should've known that an expensive department store dress was still no match for a designer dress. Seokjin's tuxedo had been sent over from the studio and was worth four times what she paid for her gown, which she could barely afford. Perhaps he was regretting asking her to join him.

"I'm sorry." Her whisper sounded heartbroken. "Should I return it?"

"Sorry? For what?" Seokjin's breath became rapid. "You...you look amazing. Anna, I--I..." He took a deep breath, closed the distance between them, and pulled her closer. Without any explanation, he brought his lips down on hers.

He heard her gasp and instinctively try to move back, but he held her tightly against his body.

"Jin," she mumbled against his lips, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth.

He kept one hand around her head as he held her to his face, and his other hand slid down her bare shoulder, caressing her arm all the way to her wrist. It was as if he were possessed. He couldn't stop. His tongue worked rapidly and aggressively in her mouth, and his hand moved from her wrist to her hip, pulling her into his body. The only thought in his head was how much he wanted her. She was so different from Norma, and it was exactly what he wanted, what he needed. He snaked his hand in between their bodies and grabbed her breast, fondling it gently.

She managed to push him away. "Jin!" She took a few steps back, her hand touching her lips. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. She felt a little afraid of his actions, but at the same time, there was a strange wave moving through her body culminating in a pulsing ache between her legs. She couldn't give in to that. Not now. Not like this.

"Anna," he whispered, trying to catch his breath.

"Jin." She looked down as if to compose herself. "What just happened?"

He inhaled deeply. "What do you think happened?" He saw that her brow was furrowed. "If you don't know, then I'll tell you. What happened right now is called attraction. It's passion. It's chemistry. You can't tell me that you didn't feel something."

She shook her head. "Is that what you felt? Chemistry? Attraction? Passion?"

"That's what we felt," he clarified.

"And what does all this mean?"

He licked his lips. "It means that there's something between us. It's like an electric current just went through us. I know... I know that we are friends, but if you..." He paused, unsure of how to continue. "If you agree, we can...pursue this further...tonight...or right now."

Her eyes showed alarm. She knew very well that she'd felt that current through her body, but she also knew that she wasn't prepared to ruin a lifelong friendship for a moment of lust. It made no sense. He was her friend. Her best friend! And he was drunk.

He took her silence as maidenly modesty. After all, she was still a virgin. He took a step closer and held her shoulders. "I know that it's sudden for you, but it's not sudden for me. You drive me crazy, Anna, and if you let me, I can drive you crazy, too." He kissed the top of her head. "I know that you might be afraid, but I promise to be gentle. I promise I will make it special for you.  I want you so badly. Say yes. Please say yes." He was about to fall to his knees just begging for her acceptance. His hands squeezed her shoulders a little harder.

She inhaled and moved out of his grasp. "Jin, wait. I'm not sure about this. I don't think you meant to do that or...or say that."

"I didn't?" He blinked rapidly.

"No. You didn't." Her eyes glanced at him then away. "I think that, uh, that you're just...tired or...or confused about...something. I know that you didn't mean to...to..."

He breathed in and out for a moment. "No. I-I didn't mean to...I'm sorry. I just...I guess I'm just nervous about the awards show. I, uh, I was drinking..."  He struggled to find something that she might believe. He didn't want her to get angry, but he had crossed the line this time. There was no saving or excusing this.

Anna shook her head. "No. Don't apologize. It's... okay. I understand that you're very nervous. Is it about seeing Norma? Is that why you're acting this way?" She wondered if he would deny it was about Norma and say that it was because he had realized that he wanted to be more than friends after all these years. Perhaps he might confess that he's in love with her. However, he was drunk and probably had no idea what he was doing.

Seokjin covered his eyes with his hand, feeling that he'd messed things up too badly to take back. He had no choice but to seize the lifeline she'd thrown at him.

"Yes," he whispered after several minutes. "I...I'm not too sure what will happen when I see her again." He didn't dare look at her face. "I'm sorry I took out my anxiety on you. I'm sorry I've been drinking. I feel...terrible."

Anna nodded slowly, a part of her feeling disappointed. Yet, she knew that he might not be over his first great love yet. She did not want to end up in bed with him only to have him abandon her when he sobered up or if Norma called him back.

"You know what? Let's just pretend this didn't happen," she said slowly. "I don't want you to feel bad about this. It's just your nerves, Jin. I understand. Let's say no more about this. We're still friends, okay? Please don't let things change between us."

He nodded. "Y-Yeah. I appreciate that." He paused. "Annie? Thank you...for...for understanding. I'm sorry about..."

"Don't worry about it. G-Good night." She didn't give him a chance to speak again. She hurried into her room, trying to keep her feelings in check.