You Were A Stranger To Me Until A Few Days Ago.

Nana examined herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a green, low-cut, high-split velvet gown, showing her full throat and shoulders that looked carved in old ivory and her rounded arms with tiny, slender wrists. The whole dress was trimmed with Venetian guipure. It teasingly revealed her cleavage and enhanced her thin waist, thereby accentuating what little curves she had as it swept down in princess ruffles which gathered slightly beneath her ankles, sweeping the floor.

The gown was a show stopper, and the colour made the green in her beautiful brown eyes pop. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Tan would love this, she said to herself as she stepped out of the dressing room.

"So?" She asked a bit nervously. She had no idea why Tan's reaction should matter to her.

Tan raised his head from his phone, prepared to say another 'No' if not for anything but to irritate her. However, the sight that met his eyes had him shutting his mouth.

This was precisely the dress he had imagined, but she looked more beautiful than he had imagined. He assessed her from head to toe, saying nothing.

"You look amazing," The sales attendant said to her as her breath caught. "This gown was made precisely for you."

She smiled at him gratefully, then turned to give Tan an impatient look. "Well? Are you going to say something or are you just going to sit there staring at me?" She asked impatiently, suddenly feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable with the way he just sat there assessing her.

"Allow a man to catch his breath in peace! The sight of you knocked the air out of my lungs!" He exclaimed, giving her a big smile. "You look so gracious in this. This gown is a show stopper," He said, standing up.

"I don't care how much it costs. Just wrap it up," He said to the sales attendant.

"I know just the shoe and accessories to go with this... Can I add them?" She asked Tan with a polite smile.

"You can add whatever you want as long as she gets the gown," He said, dropping his debit card.

The sales assistant felt jealous, she watched rich men splurge on their girlfriends every day. It was her job. She wondered when her turn would come as she swiped his card.

**********

Min-Jung watched Ji-Tae as he tapped away on his laptop. How was she going to get him to leave Nana? She wanted him all to herself.

"Honey?" She called, sitting close to him.

"Yes? I'll join you soon. I need to send a mail," He said without looking at her.

"You can send it while talking to me, can't you? Besides, you're sending it with your hand and eyes, not your mouth and ear," She said, biting his ears seductively.

"Not now, darling. I need to concentrate on this," He said gently, getting her off him.

"You're tired of me. Do you want to go back to her? I'm sure you wouldn't push her away had she been the one doing this," She growled.

Ji-Tae tried not to get offended. He suddenly wished he hadn't done anything with her. Nana was more understanding and helpful than this one was. Nana never made unnecessary demands, and neither did she nag him unnecessarily.

"Ok, what do you want?" He asked, closing his laptop to look at her.

"I was wondering if we could get married before the pregnancy begins to show. I don't want anyone calling my child a bastard," She said, making him blink at her rapidly.

The only lady he truly wanted to get married to was Nana, she was his definition of an ideal woman. He had only gotten involved with Min-Jung because she threw herself at him and because he had no control over his libido, he had fallen for her.

He couldn't tell her he had no plans of marrying her else she would ruin everything.

"I asked you to give me some time to resolve this. Besides, isn't Nana supposed to be your best friend? Don't you care about how she'd feel if we did this to her?" He asked.

"From the very moment we started this affair, I stopped caring about how she'd feel when she finds out. You should have thought about that before sleeping with me," She said, trying to shake off the feeling of guilt his words brought.

Her phone suddenly started ringing, she checked the caller ID, it was Nana.

"Hey, girl! What's up with you?" She asked, walking away from Ji-Tae.

"Shouldn't you be calling to check on me after sending me to a stranger's house?" Nana asked immediately after Min-Jung answered her phone.

"I'm sorry, I've been swamped," Min-Jung said quietly.

"You never got to tell me why you didn't do this job, though. Can I know why you're too busy to do your job?" It suddenly occurred to Nana that she had accepted the job without knowing why Min-Jung couldn't do it.

Min-Jung hadn't counted on Nana asking her why. How was she to tell Nana that immediately after she had seen Tan's name and picture, she had recognized him as Ji-Tae's best friend? She knew Nana had no idea who Tan was to Ji-Tae.

This was all a game to her. She didn't intend for Ji-Tae to ever know she was an escort, but it'd be better if he found out Nana was one. That would make him leave her without thinking twice.

"My mother is sick. I'm looking after her," She said sadly.

"Oh no! why didn't you say so from the start? Don't worry, she will be fine. I'll see her immediately after I return." Nana said apologetically.

"Let me not keep you from her. I'll let you know how it all goes when I return," Nana said, hanging up the call.

"Wasn't that Nana? Why did you tell her your mother is sick?" Ji-Tae asked from behind Min-Jung, making her jump.

"Was I supposed to tell her I traveled out of the country with her boyfriend on his business trip, to keep him warm and entertained?" She asked, walking past him with a slight tilt of her brows.

**********

"I suppose my home is the 'stranger's houseʼ you were referring to? And is that the way you talk to your boss? I'm amazed you still have a job," Tan said from behind Nana.

"You were a stranger to me until a few days ago," She said, turning to look at him. He exhaled deeply. "Then you should update my status in your head. It had been a few days already, right?"

Nana nodded back. "I am sorry. Point taken."