Chapter 1

"Let me guess, your car broke down in the middle of the road again?"

"How did you know?"'

"Because you choose that sorry excuse of a car and risk your own safety instead."

She cast her eyes on the vehicle, making her grimace at its state.

"And you're fifteen minutes late. You're never late."

"Ahh...I'm so embarrassed." A blush creeps on her face as she replies to the person on the other line.

"It's fine, Sunhee." The male chuckles. "Can you handle that yourself or do you want me to call a tow truck for you?"

"Um, I don't know how to change the tire, but it's fine, I already called one earlier." She grimaced as her eyes studied the state of her black range rover.

"It's the third time that car has failed you this week. Have I not told you to buy yourself a new one?" The male asserted. "You deprive yourself too much, it's a bit concerning."

"My car is well and fine, I got it fixed last week. It's my driving that sucks."

"If you say so, Sunhee." The man replies, and she can feel him shrugging on the other line. She knows that it's to her best interest why he is acting the way he is. It is her safety she may be putting at risk after all.

"I'm sorry Luhan. I know how important this meeting is for us, it's just that my luck isn't exactly on my side these days."

"It's okay, I can handle this client on my own." The man says reassuringly. "Just let me know if you need me to call someone to get you."

"No need for that, Lu. But are you sure you don't need me there?" She asks with concern in her voice. "I can take a cab. The restaurant's only twenty minutes away anyway."

"Have your car fixed and go home. It's been a tiring week for all of us, I insist you take a rest."

"But you told me he asked for me?"

"I'm the one who insisted for you to join this meeting. He just mentioned that the groom specifically asked for your services."

"If that's the case, then alright." Sunhee says, finally letting him take the wheel. "I'll see you in the office?"

"No, I insist you go home and take a rest." The man says firmly. "When I get back to the office and find you there, I'll be heartbroken."

"But-"

"Get home safely, let's meet at the office tomorrow."

Sunhee can only stare at her phone when the male ends the call. The man is persistent if he wants to have things his way, a trait she has grown to adapt. There's always a push and pull whenever the two of them work together. Luhan is the type of person who is not afraid to point out one's flaws if need be. He can be really harsh with his words, yet it proved to be helpful. One thing that Sunhee learnt from him is to take everything with a grain of salt and to learn how to defend one's self at times, especially when you know you're not in the wrong. That stuck to her the most, so whenever he says something to her that she disagrees on, the two will always end up debating over the same subject, to the point that it becomes a petty fight. Most times it turns into this silly match on who can better state their point of views on things, even if it's about as mundane as the weather. It makes working with him interesting for her, and the people working for them find comfort in their endless bickering. It was an odd yet refreshing sight to see.

Sunhee met Luhan two years ago. Around that time, she went hunting for jobs and she found his studio at the center of the city where she grew up. It was a small business that the man has built for himself out of his own pocket. Most of the income he made was from events from the school nearby, and a few side jobs here and there, but he can hardly make ends meet. Somehow, inside the four corners of that small studio, Sunhee saw potential. The pictures he took were displayed, and she was impressed by the way he captures beautifully even the simplest of photos. Luhan didn't welcome her at first, for he can't afford anyone to work for him, but she was a persistent woman. It wasn't because she's desperate to get a job, that's not nearly the case at all. The fact of the matter is, when she graduated uni, she got quite a few offers from decent companies who were seeking for someone of her talent, but she felt trapped.

After she got her degree, she wanted to turn her life around. Sunhee packed her things and left. She went to different places, finding comfort from the fact that whichever place she goes to, she can be whomever she wants to be. If no one knows her, then she doesn't have to try so hard to convince everyone that she's fine, and it lifted the burden of putting on a mask. She wanted to see the world on her own, to understand why things are the way they are. She started to question why everything felt out of place. Or was it only her who felt like she's cut off from the world? She wondered why the sun was still shining on her when the light inside of her had completely dimmed out. It was a wonder to her why everything felt normal, yet her vision remains grey. It came to a point where she couldn't understand anything, that she questioned the relevance of even the tiniest speck of dust. She felt as if she's nothing but an empty shell, hollow and void of emotions. That's how broken she was. She hid her insecurities inside her own bubble, and that's what caused her to break. The evasive silence ensued and engulfed her, making her feel more trapped than she once felt. Sunhee felt suffocated by the very emotions she tried to conceal, and eventually, she returned home. She knew that it was time for a change.

Luhan, on the other hand, felt slightly honored by her assertiveness. He didn't give her the job, but he underestimated her willingness to work for him. One day he got calls from people asking him to cover some events that will not only let him pay his taxes but his rent as well. The offers came to him all at once, that he found it hard to keep up. He found out later that Sunhee was the cause of all the sudden job offers. He found out then that the power of persistence and a little help of social media was all it took to turn his life around. That was the start of something brighter for him, and for her. The small business Luhan started, grew bigger and bigger, and he had Sunhee to thank for that. He never would have known that two years later, he will be as big as he is now. Had it not been for her, he would still be stuck inside that small studio. The man made sure to let Sunhee know how thankful he was of her, because for him, she saved him from his misery. Little did Luhan know that it was the other way around, for he was the one who saved her.

-----

Sunhee proceeds to brush her hair with her fingers, sliding the elastic band from her wrist to tie her hair in a ponytail. She then rolls the sleeves of her red turtleneck top and turns her heel to the back.

Opening the back of her car, she starts to peruse the toolbox, but only to feel devastated. Her brows furrow in frustration as she tried her best to figure out which of the tools she needed to replace a flat tire. She raked her brain as she tried to remember anything her father had taught her to somehow save herself from this ordeal, yet nothing popped out. Sweat started to seep from her pores due to the sweltering heat outside. The fabric of the top now feels like it's suffocating her skin, and the jeans felt like it's cutting off the circulation from her legs, resulting for her patience to wear thin.

Muttering a curse under her breath, she shifted her weight from one leg after another. Finding shade from the tree nearby, she sat on the grass and dialed the tow truck guy for the second time.

"Today is just my lucky day." She says to herself mockingly as she ended the call.

As it turns out, the guy is half an hour away from her location, and what's worse is that he's stuck in traffic.

Sunhee's luck has been underwhelming lately. The last client they had gave them a stale check, one that the client had almost gotten away with. It was ignorance on her part. She should have handled the payment herself rather than giving the task to an intern. Then the other week they were supposed to cover for a birthday party of some politician, but they backed out at the last minute, claiming they were unprofessional. If one can even call protecting an employee from getting sexually harassed by some scummy politician unprofessional. Luhan only defended his assistant, and there was evidence that leads to this allegation to be more than just a rumor.

Majority of politicians have always played dirty, and the business' name has been tarnished because of the lies he told the press. Had it not been for that evidence, who knows what will happen to the studio?

Yet with everything that has happened, the studio continues to grow. The past months, Luhan had grown as an artist. Having his own exhibit in Seoul, he certainly made a name for himself. Sunhee pulled strings to help Luhan get to where he is now. Her friend Hana has the right connections, while she has the perfect artist with the potential. She was more than happy to be in his shadow, because where fame was, there also comes betrayal and envy, and she's much too fragile to have herself get thrown into that mess. Luhan is stronger than she will ever be.

As the clock continues to tick, Sunhee continues to reminisce about the past. Outside, she can feel the summer breeze as it starts to cool down. Her hair dances with the wind, and she somehow feels at ease even though she's stuck in the middle of nowhere.

All of a sudden, a car pulled up in front of her. She didn't pay much attention to it, but the driver honked at her, rolling down his window to take a better look at her.

"Miss, do you need help?"

A blonde male wearing sunglasses that cover most of his face came to view. Sunhee felt alert. She stands up from the ground, ready to bolt if the man suddenly shows her any signs that will cause her harm. She heard him ask the same question again, worry laced in his voice.

"I'm fine. I'm waiting for a friend." She replies in a low and careful tone. "He's gonna be here soon."

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" The man takes off his shades, resulting for Sunhee to gasp.

"From what I'm seeing, it looks like you need to get your tires replaced."

The male gives her a soft smile, then he gets out of his car to walk over to her, while she stays on her spot, unable to move a single a muscle.

-----

"Can you pass me the lug wrench?" The man points at the L-shaped metal rod that's on the ground, his focus steady on the task at hand.

Sunhee hands over the tool, watching the man in confusion. The situation confuses her, yet she didn't say a word to him. No hellos were exchanged, not even a simple "how are you". He just asked her if she needed help, before he proceeded to invade her space, even when she told him that he doesn't need to have his hands dirty. The black stains on his white dress shirt were the cause of his persistence, and his face is slightly sweaty from doing the task she insisted him not to do. After a few minutes more, the deed was done, and the man is already getting rid of the dust that got stuck on his clothes.

"All done." The man says, smiling at her for the second time today, and she couldn't help but be a little shaken from his presence.

"Oh, you got a little something on your, um." She points to her right cheek, and the man is fast to catch on. But when he tried to wipe away the dirt on his face, it only made a bigger mess.

Sunhee turns to the passenger seat. She dampens the towel that she rummaged from her bag and then turns around to give it to the man. They didn't say much after that, and the heaviness of their silence weighed down on her. She wished for something to cut her free from this burden.

"You know, you look an awful lot like someone I used to know." The man says, sparking up a conversation.

The things he said made her feel discomfort, for she doesn't understand why they have to keep this act.

"I… do?" She struggled to find the right words to say, and in the end, she decided it's best to go along with him.

"You don't look a day older than I last saw you, Sunhee." The man finally breaks his front. A warm smile travels across his face, making her feel warm inside.

"You're not so bad yourself, Baekhyun." She replies with a smile on her face, yet it never reached her eyes.

"The last time I saw you, you were yelling at me, telling me to go away." He chuckles at the memory, whereas Sunhee felt the discomfort once again. She never felt uncomfortable around him, but then again, things have changed, she has changed.

Baekhyun took his time to stare at her features. He felt a certain joy inside him, seeing his friend for the first time in a long time. He wanted to ask her if she can give him her time of day, to catch up on things and to establish the friendship they used to have, but he isn't blind. He can tell that she didn't like being around him. The sweet and gullible Sunhee he once knew, now seemed more like a stranger to him. His chest felt heavy from that realization.

"I'll be on my way then." He hands her the towel. "It's good to see you again, Sunhee."

Before she can even thank Baekhyun, she found him already sitting in the car. He starts the engine and waved her goodbye, and the most she can do is wave back as she watches him disappear from her view.

For the rest of the day, Sunhee felt like floating on air. Seeing Baekhyun again haunted her. The memories she buried deep in the crevices of her mind are now starting to escape. The following days she melted into the ebb of life out of a mixture of confusion and fear. She's confused because as much as she tried to forget the people who had hurt her, she didn't want Baekhyun to go away. She didn't like how he just left her after she saw him again, and yet, she's afraid. Fear starts to engulf her because his familiar face is only a reminder of the past.

Maybe it was good that she'll never see him again.

-----

"Do you think I look stupid in this dress?"

A woman suddenly comes out from the dressing room, her face a mask of displeasure, her voice a pitch higher than normal. Sunhee turns around and comes face to face with a stunning woman wearing a gown of arrays of pink and golden yellow. The dress hugs her slim figure, making her appear almost Barbie-like and unreal. Her face is undeniably breathtaking, and her presence somehow made Sunhee a little uncomfortable.

"Not at all." She croaked, a little confused as to why the woman is suddenly talking to her, after all, she's not friends with the bride-to-be.

"I really hate pink." She spat the words and stomped her feet, much like a child in a tantrum. "I told him not to get me anything pink, and this is the first thing that welcomed me here."

Sunhee couldn't help but giggle when the woman muttered something unintelligible, and it made the woman stop and stare at her. The way she stared at Sunhee almost made her feel uneasy, but it was instantly gone when the woman started to laugh maniacally, making her laugh along with her.

"So, you're the one who's gonna take photos for this engagement?" The woman asked with a friendly smile.

"Can you do me a favor and at least make me look pretty in this obtrusive dress my fiancée got for me? Never mind him though, I couldn't care less if he looks like a sack of dirty potatoes."

"I don't actually have too." She laughs at her remark. "You look perfect in that dress."

The compliment Sunhee gave has pleased the woman, and it made the air around them lighter. Sunhee felt as if the woman could easily be a friend to her. For a few minutes, they talked, asking little details about each other, with the woman spatting insults about the man he's about to marry from time to time. She can tell that she couldn't be more in love with him by how her eyes sparkle whenever she mentions him, even though she's technically making fun of him. It was odd yet very refreshing to be able to talk to someone with such a high status. Most of their clients wouldn't even dare start a conversation with her, at least not on the same level as this girl did with her.

A few minutes in, the woman who introduced herself as Hyunmi left to enter another room to have her make-up done, leaving Sunhee alone to her thoughts. She checked the camera, set up the lights, and when she felt like everything was in its place, she sits down on the couch nearby. Luhan who went out to buy themselves some snacks came into view. They started making small talk as he handed her the iced tea she asked for him to buy.

"The bride-to-be is very pretty, don't you agree?" Luhan asks, his eyes on Hyunmi as she enters the same room they're in. This time, she's talking to a tall man beside her, while stealing glances on Sunhee, itching to get a woman's perspective. She wanted to ask her how bad her makeup looks on her, and how she felt sabotaged by the person who did her make-up so poorly.

"I bet her fiancée couldn't be happier." Luhan commented as he looked at the pair nearby. "I mean look at him, he looks like he just hit the jackpot."

Sunhee has not yet seen the groom-to-be, so when Luhan pointed at the man, she turned around to take a peek.

If someone were to tell her that this was a sick joke, then she wouldn't have even come here. She turned around, afraid for the man to notice her presence. She inches closer to Luhan as her throat ran dry from the sight, and something inside her burned painfully. The walls of the room felt like it's closing in on her, and it was suffocating beyond belief

"L-Luhan, I-"

Luhan heard the pain in Sunhee's voice. He instantly felt panic rise in his chest. When he asked her what the matter is, Sunhee couldn't manage to utter another word. Her eyes are now focused on the door behind him.

Recognition swims in Luhan's eyes as another man enters the room. It's the same man he met the other day, the man who had asked of their services.

"Baekhyun." Sunhee gritted her teeth in anger, her tone is that of someone who felt betrayed, and before Luhan knew it, she rushed towards the door, leaving him in a bewildered state. It took him a second to realize that Sunhee had already left the room, and before he ran to get her, he saw a sparkle in Baekhyun's eyes, and he didn't like it one bit.