Privileged, posh and profligate were the only three adjectives, which could be used to describe Song Mi Na’s life. She was the only daughter of Song Ji Hwa, the President and owner, of Korea’s leading entertainment and advertising conglomerate. Those who were counted amongst her acquaintances, considered her to be one of the most accomplished and beautiful young women, in all of Seoul. Mi Na’s life was the picture of perfection, but the loss of her mother at the tender age of five, was the only blemish in her otherwise charmed life. After her mother’s death, Mi Na’s father showered her with all of the finest things the world had to offer. He provided her with the finest foods, clothes, education, cars, homes and vacations that money could afford. However, his busy schedule prohibited him from giving her the parental attention she so desperately needed.

Although, her father’s intentions were to provide Mi Na with a happy life to lessen the sorrow caused by her mother’s death, he found that over the years, she had grown to become difficult, unfeeling and spoiled. He hoped that her time studying abroad at the University of Cambridge would have helped to improve her sensibilities. Looking up from his pile of contracts, Mi Na’s father glanced at his watch and saw that it was two in the afternoon. He soon realized, that it had already been three hours since his daughter’s flight from Cambridgeshire, had landed at the Incheon International Airport. He picked up his phone and was not surprised to see that she had not called and decided to head home to make sure she had arrived safely.

When Mi Na’s father arrived at home, he saw that her car was parked in front of the main entrance. He walked by several maids and butlers on his way to her bedroom and noticed the surprised expressions on their faces. He accounted for the surprised expressions as a result of his having arrived home at such an early hour. Upon entering her bedroom, he saw her luggage placed neatly by her bed and countless shopping bags positioned near her walk-in closet. He heard voices coming from her closet and guessed that she was in there reorganizing it yet again. Standing at the closet doorway, he watched as his daughter flung items from the shelves down onto the ground. He noted that her hair had grown longer since the last time he saw her and that she had grown taller and gotten thinner. He thought to himself how much she was beginning to resemble her beautiful mother and was glad that that she was finally back home.

Mi Na’s father cleared his throat to make his presence known and watched as she turned around with a startled look on her face. She did not move from where she stood but smiled slightly and asked, “What are you doing home so early?” Seeing that she was very much the same Mi Na who had left four years ago, her father replied, “I’m home early because I was worried since you didn’t call to let me know that you had arrived safely.” Mi Na’s smile seemingly disappeared as she said, “A-pa you’re improving, it only took you three hours to realize that I hadn’t called.” Upon hearing her response, Mi Na’s father signaled for her assistants to leave them and watched as they exited the closet.

Seeing the stern expression on his face, Mi Na sighed and wondered how long her father’s lecture would be this time around. Much to her surprise, her father wrapped his arms around her and said, “I missed you very much. I know you really didn’t want to go study abroad, but I thought it was in your best interest to do so.” Mi Na’s expression slightly softened as she replied, “A-pa, I missed you too, but you do remember that I don’t like to be touched, right?” Her father released her from his embrace, sighed and changed the subject, “Since I’m home early today, let’s go out to lunch.” Mi Na looked over her messy closet, thought for a short while before replying, “Okay. But I need to tell those girls what I expect to see in this closet when I get back from lunch. A-pa, can you give me a few minutes?” Her father nodded his head to acquiesce to her request and left the room.

Once Mi Na was sure that her assistants understood her instructions, she changed and walked out to the main hall to meet her father. Her father suggested that the family driver take them to their destination, but found that Mi Na was adamant in taking her own car. She explained that she wanted to drive because she had not been able to do so while attending school in the UK. With that matter settled, the two made their way to her favorite restaurant. Along the way, Mi Na noted that she was no longer pleased with the color of her car and informed her father that she would be getting a new one tomorrow. Her father looked over her current car, observed that it had just been purchased a year ago and wondered how long a period she would like her next car. Not deviating from his previous tendencies, her father smiled, nodded his head and did not raise any opposition to her plans of purchasing a new car.

Although, Mi Na’s father had hoped that they would have a nice lunch, he found that his daughter’s fastidious personality would make even that, extremely difficult. Within thirty-minutes, she had asked for two table changes and sent back three different dishes. Back in the kitchen, the staff was shocked to see that yet another dish had been sent back and all turned their attention to the head chef who was now furious. The head chef slammed a bowl down on the counter and angrily commanded, “Lee Dong Sun, prep this order. I refuse to believe that I can’t make this customer happy!” Dong Sun did as he was ordered and handed the prepped dish back to the head chef before heading back to his station.

As Dong Sun continued to cut vegetables, his co-worker leaned over and said, “Chef’s going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the week. You’re so lucky that today’s your last day here.” Dong Sun nodded and replied, “I know. I’ve never seen him this mad before. I wonder who has the nerve to send back dishes prepared by our premier chef.” Dong Sun’s statement had been overheard by a waiter, who replied, “The customer’s a young lady. She’s absolutely stunning, but it’s a shame that she has such a bad attitude. I guess she can act like that since she’s dating Song Ji Hwa.” Dong Sun’s eyes widened upon hearing the name and said, “Song Ji Hwa? He’s the president of the company that just hired me.”

Upon hearing the information, the waiter suggested that Dong Sun take a peek at his future employer. Curious to see the face of such a successful self-made man, Dong Sun agreed and made his way to the kitchen entrance. He peered out the door and observed the individuals at the table, which the waiter had pointed out. He noted aloud, “You weren’t exaggerating about the girl. She’s beautiful.” The waiter laughed and replied, “I thought you wanted to see your new boss. Why are you looking at his date?” Dong Sun smiled at the waiter and did not respond, as he thought, “She’s young enough to be his daughter. I guess some women would do anything for fame and fortune.”

With his curiosity satisfied, Dong Sun went back to his station and continued to complete his prep work. When his shift ended, he made his way to his manager’s office to return his uniform and bid him farewell. Dong Sun knocked on the office door and entered after his manager had bid him to do so. His manager thanked him for his years of service and handed him his final check before congratulating him on having found a company that could provide him with a chance for a better future. Dong Sun bowed and thanked his manager for the job, since it had helped him pay his way through college. After taking care of that formality, Dong Sun made his way to the bus stop to wait for his ride home.

After ten minutes of waiting, Dong Sun watched as a red sports car with a flat tire pulled up in front of his bus bench. He was surprised to see that the driver of the car was the same girl that was with Song Ji Hwa earlier this afternoon. He watched as she walked around to the other side of her car to examine the flat tire. In a fit of anger, the young girl kicked the tire as she complained, “Stupid cheap car!” Dong Sun looked at the seemingly brand new Porsche and wondered how she could call the car cheap. He continued to watch as she fished for her phone in her purse. Once she had found the phone and pressed a series of numbers, Dong Sun overheard her yell, “What kind of place is this?! I don’t even have any reception here!”

Dong Sun saw that she was out of options and was clearly not able to change her own tire; so he walked up to her and asked, “Do you need some help?” Startled by his sudden appearance, she spun around and replied, “What do you think?!” Ignoring her rudeness, Dong Sun asked, “Do you have a spare tire?” She looked at him with a confused expression and could only shrug her shoulders. He rolled his eyes at her and said, “Get back in the car, put it into neutral and I’ll push it forward.” She looked at him questioningly and asked, “Why?” To which he responded, “Because, you’re parked in front of a bus stop. We need to change your tire over there, so that we don’t interfere with the bus arrivals.” Seeing that he was making some sense, she did as she was asked.

Once the car was clear of the bus stop, Dong Sun asked her to open her trunk. She pressed the trunk button on her car remote and watched as he pulled out a spare tire. She stood by watching him as he proceeded to change her tire. After fifteen minutes, she began to grow restless and said, “I have to be somewhere right now. So why don’t you finish up here and bring my car back to my house tomorrow.” Dong Sun could not believe her tone as she made the request. It sounded as though she was ordering him to bring her car back rather than asking him to do so. Mi Na saw the altered expression on his face and replied coldly, “Don’t worry I’ll pay you for your time. Jeez.”

Before he could respond, she tossed him the keys and hailed herself a taxi. She rolled down the taxi window and said, “My address is on the car’s registration papers in the compartment, bring the car to my house by 8:00 AM.” Stunned by the turn of events, Dong Sun looked down at the keys then back up towards her taxi as it sped away and asked aloud, “What the heck just happened?”
As her taxi pulled up to the entrance of the Onyx club, Mi Na glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly midnight. She stepped out and walked past all of the people standing in line, ignoring their outbursts for her to go to the back. Upon seeing Mi Na, the club host behind the red velvet rope, immediately unhooked the barrier to allow her to enter and said, “Song Mi Na shii, it’s great to see you again.” She acknowledged him with a slight nod and proceeded to walk into the poorly lit club. The deafening sound of the blaring hip hop music hurt her ears as she maneuvered her way through the crowded dance floor.

Annoyed, Mi Na asked herself, why she had come to this god-awful place again. She quickly found the answer to her question in a pair of well built arms, which draped themselves around her shoulders, pulling her into their owner’s tight embrace. Pinned down by the man’s strength, Mi Na stood still, listening to his familiar baritone voice whisper into her ear, “I knew you’d be back for me.” Uncomfortable with the closeness, Mi Na broke free from his embrace and turned around to face him. She saw that two years had only worked to add distinction to his already handsome face.

As he flashed a sly smile at her, Mi Na said in her usual cold tone, “You haven’t changed a bit.” Upon hearing her statement, he reached out his hand and placed it gently on her cheek before replying, “But, you’re much prettier than I remembered.” Agitated, Mi Na brushed off his hand and said, “Don’t take such liberties with me. You should remember that we broke up two years ago.” When she finished her proclamation, Mi Na thought that she saw a glimmer of sadness in his eyes as he stared at her. However, she quickly chided herself for thinking that Park Young Jae could feel anything other self-importance.

Seeing his unresponsiveness, Mi Na asked, “What did you ask me here for?” A slight smile reappeared on his face as he answered, “I heard you were coming back today, so I had something prepared for you. Come with me.” Hesitantly, she followed him to the rear exit of the club and was surprised to see a brand new white Porsche wrapped in a huge red ribbon parked in the owner’s parking space. Without batting an eyelash, Mi Na scoffed, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Unaffected by her tone, Young Jae asked, “Is it not to your liking?” She rolled her eyes and replied, “You should know that my affections can’t be bought. Save it for your next unsuspecting prey.” As she turned to walk away, Young Jae grabbed her arm and said, “People make mistakes. You need to learn to let things go.” She turned around, pulled her arm away from his grasp and replied, “You above anyone else should know that Song Mi Na doesn’t let go of anything. Anyways, if you were going to cheat on me, you should have strayed further than my best friend.”

Without another word Mi Na made her way out to the front of the club, as tears welled in her eyes, and proceeded to hail a taxi to go home. By the time she arrived at home, it was already 1:30 AM. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and remain there for as long as was physically possible. Since she did not have her keys, she instructed the taxi to park outside of the closed gate and paid him for the fare. As she made her way towards the gate, she was taken aback to see that her car, complete with a rear spare tire, was parked near the curb. She walked over to her car, peered inside and saw the tire changer sleeping in the driver seat. She knocked on the window to get his attention and watched as he fumbled for the door handle upon hearing the sudden tapping.

Mi Na stepped back to allow him to exit her car and asked, “What are you doing here? Didn’t I say you could bring my car back tomorrow?” Dong Sun narrowed his eyes trying to focus his eyesight and replied, “I can’t be responsible for this car, so I drove it back after I changed the tire.” She stared at him as he spoke and asked, “Are you an idiot? Did you really wait here for three hours?” Offended by her statement, Dong Sun replied gruffly, “Don’t you have any manners? You know, a thank you would be sufficient in this case.” Mi Na was astonished by his response and repeated, “Manners?” Not wanting to waste anymore time or effort on him, Mi Na conceded and said, “Well then, thanks.” Dong Sun muttered under his breath, “You could say it like you really mean it.” Seeing that he was muttering something under his breath, Mi Na asked, “What did you say?” He rolled his eyes and shook his head to indicate that he had not said anything to her.

After a short pause, Dong Sun handed her the car keys and said, “Okay, now that you have your car, I’m going to leave.” She reached into her purse to pull out her wallet and was surprised when she heard him say, “Save your money. I didn’t do this for any compensation.” She was not entirely sure what to make of this guy, but was sure that there must be a few screws loose in his head. Seeing her expression Dong Sun nonchalantly said as he walked away, “Not everything is about money you know.” She watched as he made his way to the main street and called out, “So, how do you plan on getting home?” Upon hearing her question, he looked around and replied, “I’ll find the nearest bus stop and take the bus home.” She chuckled and replied, “Hey there good Samaritan; does this look like a neighborhood with a lot of bus stops?”

Dong Sun paused and realized that this really was not the type of place that would need a lot of bus stops. Thinking quickly, he said, “I’ll hail a taxi then.” To which she replied, “I just sent away the only taxi that would be here at this hour. So are you planning on walking home?” Before he could decide his next move, he heard Mi Na order, “Get in the car. I’ll take you home.” Surprised by her nice gesture, Dong Sun turned around and replied, “You shouldn’t drive on that spare tire.” She sighed and said, “Okay, then stay here and I’ll get another car.” Dong Sun shrugged his shoulder, nodded his head to indicate that he would wait.

Within five minutes Mi Na had returned in a blue BMW and impatiently motioned for him to get into the car. Once he entered, she asked, “Where to?” He gave her his address and watched as a puzzled look appeared on her face. Realizing that she probably had never been to his neck of the woods, he continued, “Just drive, I’ll tell you how to get there.” She nodded and peeled out onto the main street. While she drove, Dong Sun grabbed a hold of the door handle, as he held on for dear life. Amused, she glanced over at him and said, “Are you a girl? I’m not even going ninety miles yet.” Offended by her remark, he replied, “Are girls the only gender that can fear for their lives? You might not be going ninety yet, but you’re using both lanes. Try to stay in your lane, would you?” She did not respond since she knew that he was right about her driving. She had to admit that her driving skills were a bit sketchy given the fact that she had not driven in nearly four years.

They had not made it more than ten miles away from her house, when her car was suddenly cut off by a black Lamborghini and forced to the side of the road. Both she and Dong Sun were shocked by the other driver’s recklessness and exited the car to see what was going on. Dong Sun watched as the driver of the other car exited and made his way over to Mi Na’s car. He looked over at Mi Na whose facial expression had changed from anger to annoyance. Addressing the other driver, she said, “Park Young Jae! What are you trying to do?” Dong Sun watched as the other driver angrily pointed at him and asked, “Is he why you’re acting like that? You’re not back for even a day and you’re already with another man?!”

Dong Sun started to explain his non-relationship to Mi Na but was struck silent when she interjected, “Of course! He’s my new boyfriend. So know your place and leave me alone.” Wide-eyed, Dong Sun looked over to Mi Na and saw her look back at him unfazed as she made her way over to grab his arm and pull him close to her body. She could hear Dong Sun utter, “What the heck?” under his breath but proceeded to turn her attention back to Young Jae who had turned a different shade of red. As Young Jae was not able to respond, Mi Na continued, “If there’s nothing else, I have to take my boyfriend home now.” With that, she pushed Dong Sun back into the car and took her place in the driver’s seat before driving away leaving Young Jae by the side of the road.

Acting as though nothing had happened, Mi Na asked, “So what exit should I take?” Dong Sun looked at her incredulously and said, “What exit should you take? What the heck is wrong with you?” She glanced over at him and replied, “What? I don’t know where you live. I think my question makes sense.” Dong Sun choked back his anger as he said, “I was talking about that whole boyfriend thing back there!” Not taking her eyes off the road, Mi Na replied, “Oh that, don’t worry about it. He’s a crazy ex-boyfriend.” Dong Sun shook his head at her lack of concern and replied, “Seems like this type of thing is quite normal for you, but you shouldn’t drag me into your mess.” She shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Don’t worry. After tonight you won’t need to see me anymore, so there won’t be any more chances for you to play my boyfriend.”

Exhausted from their exchange, Dong Sun simply gave in and told her the name of the exit she was to take and looked ahead not saying another word. When she pulled up to his apartment building he thanked her for the ride and proceeded to exit the car. As he exited, Mi Na called out, “Don’t mention it. You surely earned it.” He shook his head at her comment and went to close the door when he heard her ask, “By the way, what’s your name?” He looked back at her and asked, “Why do you want to know?” She slightly smiled and replied, “You’re my boyfriend for at least tonight, so I thought it would be good to know your name.” He hesitantly replied, “My name is Lee Dong Sun and yours?” To which she replied, “I’m Mi Na. Well, Lee Dong Sun shii, let’s hope for your sake that we never meet again.” Dong Sun closed the door to her car, watched as she sped away and replied, “You can say that again.”

Since it was already 2:30 in the morning, Dong Sun quietly fished through his pockets, took out his keys, inserted a key into the lock and opened the door. He scrunched his face upon hearing the squeaking noise coming from the rusty door hinges and muttered, “I really need to get some WD-40 for that.” As Dong Sun entered, he was surprised to see that the living room lights were on and that his younger brother was squarely positioned on the couch staring at him. Using the tone of an overly protective father, his younger brother asked, “And where have you been?” Not answering the question, Dong Sun made his way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Seeing that he was being completely ignored, Dong Sun’s younger brother followed him into the kitchen, snatched away the glass and declared, “No water or food until you tell me who drove you home in that awesome BMW.” Not amused, Dong Sun seized the glass of water back from his brother and replied, “Lee In-Su, you need to stop being such a busy body.” In-Su stared at his brother, narrowed his eyes and observed, “From your constant refusal to answer my questions, I have come to the conclusion that the mystery driver has to be a girl.” Upon further examination of Dong Sun’s face, In-Su continued, “And seeing how annoyed you are right now, I would have to guess that she is very pretty, right?” Dong Sun took a sip of water from his glass, scoffed and replied, “Yeah, she’s pretty … pretty rude, arrogant and annoying.”

Without waiting for In-Su to respond, Dong Sun walked out of the kitchen and headed to his bedroom. Before Dong Sun could close the door, In-Su had already inserted himself into the room and was now sitting on his bed. Exasperated, Dong Sun pleaded, “Lee In-Su shii, it’s almost three in the morning, would you please go back to your room so I can go to bed?” A wide grin appeared on In-Su’s face as he replied, “I’ll leave after tell me more about the girl and why she drove you home.” Dong Sun folded his arms and gave his brother a stern look, which quickly drove away In-Su’s grin. Unnerved by his brother’s unpleasant expression, In-Su quickly got up from the bed, headed towards the door and said with a smile, “I can see that you’re tired. We’ll pick this up tomorrow.”

True to his word, In-Su was up bright and early, eagerly waiting for his brother to come out of his bedroom. When Dong Sun exited his room he saw that his brother was waiting anxiously for him in the kitchen. He knew that there would be no peace in the house until his brother was fully caught up on last night’s events. Over breakfast Dong Sun recounted his whole ordeal with Mi Na and was sure to express his irritation at her rude and brash behavior. In-Su listened intently to the whole account and said, “Your story reminds me of this drama I’m watching.” Dong Sun sneered at his brother and asked, “How is this anything like a drama?” After eating another spoonful of rice, In-Su replied, “The drama is called: Take Care of the Lady. It’s a love story about a poor guy that has to work for this rich girl. The rich girl in the drama always abuses the poor guy; just like your Mi Na abuses you.”

With a more than serious demeanor, Dong Sun placed his chopsticks down and commanded, “Don’t ever refer to that girl as “MY” Mi Na.” Seeing his brother’s overly serious expression, In-Su laughed and taunted, “Okay, but you better be careful. She might actually become “YOUR” Mi Na one day, if you keep protesting too much.” Dong Sun shuttered at the thought and quickly changed the subject by asking, “What time are you scheduled to work today?” In-Su looked at his watch and replied, “I need to be there by nine. The coffee shop has been pretty busy lately so they’ve added a few more hours onto my shift.”

Dong Sun nodded his head acknowledging his brother’s response and said, “That’s good, but don’t take on too many hours. You still have classes at the University that you need to focus on. Since I have this new job, money shouldn’t be as tight around here.” In-Su smiled at his brother, draped his arm around his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry; I won’t take on too much. I’m just glad that all of your hard work is finally paying off. Song Entertainment is a huge company and I know my hyung is going to do very well there.” A slight smile appeared on Dong Sun’s face as he replied, “Stop sucking up to me and go get ready for work.” In-Su hopped up from his seat, slapped Dong Sun on the back and said, “Yes, sir!” as he exited the kitchen to go to his bedroom.

By the time In-Su arrived at work, he could see that the coffee shop was already overrun with customers, who were impatiently ordering their beverages. Before In-Su could step into the establishment, the sight of a sleek limited edition white Ferrari Enzo, caught his attention. He stood in awe with his jaw wide open and said to himself, “The owner of that car has to be the coolest guy in all of Korea.” In-Su watched as the driver’s door opened upwards to reveal a pair of lustrous legs, which propped up a petite female figure. In-Su was surprised to see that not only was the car’s owner a girl, but one who looked like a television star he had seen somewhere on some drama. Much to his dismay, he could not figure out which starlet she resembled. Seeing that she had entered the coffee shop, In-Su quickly followed behind and checked in for his shift. Keeping his eyes on the beautiful girl as she stood in line, In-Su did not notice that his brother had entered the shop.

Dong Sun looked around the coffee shop and spotted his brother behind the counter. He made his way over and tapped In-Su on the shoulder causing his brother to turn around startled. Seeing Dong Sun, In-Su asked, “What are you doing here?” Dong Sun raised his hand to show his brother a small black wallet and replied, “I came to give you this. You’re always forgetting everything at home.” Relieved, In-Su grabbed his wallet and thanked his brother. Having delivered the wallet, Dong Sun turned towards the exit and proceeded to make his way out. Before he had reached the exit, Dong Sun found himself being shoved to the side by a couple who were hastily leaving the shop.

As he regained his balance, Dong Sun realized that he had accidentally bumped into someone and turned to apologize. Much to his horror, he found that the person he had bumped into, was none other than Mi Na. Seeing Dong Sun’s stunned expression, Mi Na recalled his earlier reproach and said nonchalantly, “Don’t you have any manners? You know, an I’m sorry would be sufficient in this case” Realizing that she was using his earlier statement against him, Dong Sun followed suit, applying her dismissive tone as he replied, “Well then, I’m sorry.” Before Mi Na could respond, she saw Young Jae enter the coffee shop. Luckily, she realized that her faux boyfriend was by her side and quickly grabbed a hold of his arm.

Stunned by her actions, Dong Sun made a move to pull his arm away. He found that doing so, only caused Mi Na to dig in her nails. With a grimace on his face, Dong Sun said, “You’re hurting me.” Although, his statement caused Mi Na to stop digging her nails into his arm, he found that she was still hanging onto his arm. She discreetly motioned her chin over towards where Young Jae stood and whispered, “Since you’re here you might as well help me out again.” Dong Sun rolled his eyes at her and shook his head before a sly expression appeared on his face. Without any warning he pulled his arm away from her and wrapped it around her waist pulling her in closer. With a slight smirk, Dong Sun tilted his head towards her and whispered, “Is this what you had in mind?” Seeing that Young Jae had spotted them, Mi Na could do nothing but glare at Dong Sun as he held onto her tightly.

Young Jae approached the couple and said, “Well, don’t you two look cozy. I never knew Mi Na to be the affectionate type of girlfriend.” Indignant, Mi Na stood silent taking his words to heart. She knew that she had not always been the best girlfriend while they were dating but could not believe that the reproach was coming from someone who had cheated on her. Seeing her affected demeanor, Dong Sun interjected, “Really? Mi Na is the sweetest girlfriend I’ve ever had. She knows that I like the coffee cake at this shop and came here just to get it for me.” Mi Na’s eyes widened upon hearing Dong Sun’s statement and smiled sweetly at him before adding, “Well, honey, you know I’d do anything for you.”

Listening to her overly saccharine tone, Dong Sun shuttered and felt the goose bumps as they washed over his body. Young Jae stared blankly at the couple and said, “Well, I’m going to take off now; this line’s too long. I guess I’ll be seeing you both around.” Dong Sun smiled and replied, “Yeah, sure. It was nice seeing you again.” When Young Jae was out of sight, Dong Sun and Mi Na quickly broke apart. Feeling a slight awkwardness, Dong Sun said, “Seriously, you should just get a restraining order against that guy.” Mi Na looked at him and replied, “Yeah, I’ll look into that. Thanks for the help though.” She paused slightly before continuing, “But be warned, if you grab me like that ever again, things are going to get unpleasant.” Without waiting for him to respond she turned to head towards the shop’s exit. Dong Sun looked at his arm, which was now imprinted with her nail marks and asked himself, “Does she really think it’s been pleasant so far?” Having witnessed the entire exchange, In-Su wondered, “Is that girl, hyung’s Mi Na?” He could not wait for his shift to end to figure out the answer to that question.
Although, she was irritable from not having her morning coffee, Mi Na decided against cancelling her appointment with her stylist. She proceeded to head towards the Masterpiece Hall of Galleria Department Store located in the Apgujeong-dong district. After handing her keys over to the Galleria’s valet service, Mi Na walked through the Department Store’s entrance and called her stylist to see where she was at. The stylist informed her that she was at the Gucci store and had already pulled several outfits for Mi Na to try on. Upon arriving at the Gucci store, Mi Na was disgruntled to see the face of an old acquaintance staring indifferently at her.

Breezing by the girl, Mi Na called out to her stylist, chiding, “Unni, you know that I don’t like shops that allow such low class people to enter.” Mi Na’s comment naturally angered the girl causing her spin around to ask, “What did you just say?!” Mi Na calmly turned around, scanned the girl’s irate expression and censured, “Don’t you know that it’s rude to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations?” The girl scoffed and asked, “Song Mi Na, how can you call it eavesdropping if your big mouth can be heard from across the street?” Mi Na folded her arms and replied, “Kim Hae Won, I know that you’re a little slow. So let me help to educate you. The definition of eavesdropping refers the act of surreptitiously listening in on a private conversation.” Unaffected by Mi Na’s denigration, Hae Won smiled widely and replied, “You can’t actually consider yourself smart, right? If you were smart, wouldn’t you have known that Young Jae was sneaking around with me behind your back?”

Satisfied by the unhappy expression, which was now on Mi Na’s face; Hae Won turned to grab her bags from the counter and exited the store. After such an unpleasant encounter, Mi Na found that she was in no mood to try on clothes and turned to exit the store. Seeing that Mi Na was leaving, her stylist nervously asked, “But what about the company’s function tonight?” Not turning around, Mi Na instructed, “Buy everything you’ve pulled, bring the clothes back to the house and I’ll pick something from that batch for tonight’s party.” Without another word, she walked out of the store leaving behind her bewildered stylist. Familiar with Mi Na’s obstinacy, the stylist had no other choice but to do as she was instructed.

Not ready to go home, Mi Na retrieved her car from the valet and drove towards the Jungnangcheon River. When the river was in sight, Mi Na parked her car by the side of the road and rested her head on the steering wheel. As she closed eyes, she felt a single tear trickle down her cheek. She wiped away the tear and reprimanded herself for crying over Young Jae again and wondered why getting over their relationship was so difficult for her. She remembered that in their happier days, he had held her in his arms and promised that they would be together forever. She shook her head at the recollection, scoffed and said to herself, “Song Mi Na, Hae Won is absolutely right; you must be the stupidest girl on the planet.” Taking a deep breath, she consoled herself with the thought that at least she had learned a valuable lesson from the whole ordeal. The break-up had taught her that vulnerability was not a trait which she could afford to have.

As she readied herself to leave, Mi Na heard her phone ring and pulled it from her purse. She looked at the caller ID before saying, “Hello, A-Pa?” To which her father replied, “Mi Na, where are you?” She looked around and said, “I’m just driving around. Why?” Her father paused before instructing, “Come home now.” His words prompted her to look at the clock on her dashboard before replying, “But the party isn’t starting for another six hours. Why do I need to come home now?” Her father said impatiently, “I heard something today that I want to talk to you about, so come home now.” Mi Na sighed, shook her head and wondered what gossip her father was now concerned with. Not wanting to agitate him, she replied, “Okay. I’m heading home now.”

When she arrived at home, Mi Na made her way to her father’s office and knocked on the door. She heard him call for her to enter and walked into the office, taking a seat in the oak leather chair, which sat across from his desk. She looked at the troubled expression on his face and asked, “A-pa, what’s wrong now?” Looking at her sternly, he replied, “Young Jae was here earlier. He told me that he saw you at some coffee shop with your new boyfriend. Do you have a new boyfriend?” Mi Na pursed her lips together not wanting to explain the situation and simply replied, “Yeah, I guess you could call him new.” Her father was puzzled by her response and asked, “Is it serious?” Mi Na stared blankly at him and replied, “I have no idea what it is.” Irritated with her short, indecipherable responses, her father said, “If you really have no idea, then bring him to tonight’s company function. I will assess the situation myself.”

Mi Na’s eyes widened upon hearing her father’s proclamation and quickly stood up protesting, “But I don’t want to!” Her father mistook her sudden emotional outburst as an indication of her strong feelings towards her new boyfriend and was now even more determined to meet the young man. He stood up from his seat, placed his hands on his desk and warned her, “If you don’t bring him here willingly, I’ll find out who he is and have someone bring him here.” Mi Na looked at her father’s face and knew that there was nothing she could say to change his mind. She knew that he would not believe her even if she immediately came clean about not really having a boyfriend. Defeated, Mi Na forced a smile, nodded her head and said, “Okay. I’ll go and ask him to come.” Content to have gotten his way, her father replied, “Good. I’ll look forward to meeting him.”

With no time to spare, Mi Na quickly got into her car and headed towards Dong Sun’s apartment. She was glad that she had taken him home the night before, since she would now be able to find him. When she entered the apartment building's lobby, she found that there was no front desk but was relieved to see the residents’ directory posted by the elevator. Looking at the directory she learned that he lived on the tenth floor in apartment #6. She pressed the elevator button impatiently and waited for the doors to open. As she waited, she heard someone say to her, “The elevators have been broken for a year now. You’ll need to take the stairs.” An annoyed expression appeared on her face as she said “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Trudging her way up the numerous flights of stairs, Mi Na felt the pain shoot through her feet as her heels impacted each cement stair. Out of breath, she came out of the tenth floor stairwell and looked around. She was agitated to find that apartment #6 was all the way at the other end of the hallway. When she was finally in front of his door, Mi Na rung the doorbell and wondered if Dong Sun would even be home on a Saturday. She smiled upon seeing him open the front door and said, “Oh good you’re home.” Surprised to see Mi Na standing in his hallway, Dong Sun’s eyes widened as he asked, “What are you doing here?” To which Mi Na replied, “I came here to ask you for a favor.” An exasperated expression appeared on Dong Sun’s face as he questioned, “Do I need to get a restraining order on you?” Not amused, Mi Na replied, “I’m being serious, stop wasting time and hear me out.” Dong Sun shook his head upon hearing her declaration and quickly slammed the door in her face.

Standing bewildered in the hallway, Mi Na could not believe his treatment of her, and angrily pounded on his door demanding for him to come out. Mi Na observed that several of Dong Sun’s neighbors had opened their doors in response to the ruckus that she was making. Unfazed by the curious sets of eyes staring at her, Mi Na continued to call for Dong Sun to open the door. She heard him tell her to go away from inside his apartment, which caused her to let out an exasperated breath. Inside his apartment, Dong Sun listened as the pounding suddenly stopped and figured that she had left. Much to his surprise, he heard her call out from the hallway, “Lee Dong Sun, how could you get me pregnant and refuse to see me!! What a heartless man you’ve become!” Shocked by her outright lie, Dong Sun quickly opened the door and saw that Mi Na had buried her face into her hands as she pretended to sob. He watched incredulously as she removed her hands to reveal the self-satisfied smile, which had overtaken her face.

Dong Sun looked out into the hallway, saw that several of his neighbors were pointing at him and was mortified by the scene. He bowed his head repeatedly and clarified, “She’s just kidding. Sorry to bother you. Please return to your homes.” After trying to explain the situation to his neighbors, he quickly pulled her into his apartment, closed the door and stared at her in disbelief. Seeing his expression, Mi Na smiled and said, “See, you could’ve avoided the scene if you had just heard me out like I asked.” Dong Sun shook his head, took a deep breath and replied, “Did I do something to offend you in a previous life? Is that why you're here to exact your revenge?” Mi Na laughed at his questions, sat down on his couch and said, “You don’t have to be so dramatic. I’m just here to ask you for a small favor.”

Dong Sun knew that she would never leave until she had said her piece so he threw up his hands and said, “Alright, I surrender. What do you want?” She smiled at him and replied, “My dad wants to meet you.” Dong Sun tilted his head and let out a slight “huh” sound, prompting Mi Na to continue, “Someone told him about our little encounter at the coffee shop, so he wants to meet my new boyfriend.” Dong Sun stumbled back onto the couch and asked, “Why don’t you just tell him that we aren’t dating?” To which Mi Na replied, “Because, even if I said that, he would never believe me. Anyways, just do it this once. After a little while, I’ll tell him that we broke up and then you’ll be free and clear of me.” Dong Sun shook his head in disbelief, thinking that in the last two days, she had already promised him three times that he would never have to see her again. Not sure what to do about the situation, Dong Sun silently vowed to himself that he would never help anyone else change their tire ever again.

Dong Sun finally decided that it would be best for him not to get involved in Mi Na’s affairs and declared, “I don’t think I can help you.” Not accustomed to being refused, Mi Na asked pointedly, “Why not?” While Dong Sun tried to come up with a response, he suddenly remembered that Mi Na already had a boyfriend whom she could bring home. With that recollection, he countered, “You should just bring your real boyfriend home to meet your father.” Mi Na furrowed her brows and pointed out in an agitated tone, “I wouldn’t be here, asking for your help, if I had a boyfriend who I could bring home to my father.”

After hearing Mi Na’s statement, Dong Sun recalled that Song Ji Hwa was old enough to be her father and figured that this was the reason she could not properly introduce him as her boyfriend. Seeing that she was desperate, Dong Sun went against his better judgment and reluctantly said, “Alright, I’ll help you. But this really has to be the last time.” Mi Na smiled, nodded her head and promised, “You have my word.” Dong Sun rolled his eyes, recalling the scene she had just enacted out in the hallway and wondered how much trust he could place on her so called “word.”

Having secured his consent to help, Mi Na turned her attention to more important matters. She looked him over from head to toe before asking, “Do you have a decent suit you can wear?” To which Dong Sun replied, “Of course I have a suit.” Seeing the way he was currently dressed, Mi Na was not convinced that he had anything, which was appropriate for the company’s function and wanted to personally inspect his wardrobe. With that objective in mind, Mi Na got up from the couch, made her way down the hallway and asked, “Which one of these is your room?” Before Dong Sun could respond, he saw that she had opened the door to his bedroom and had entered without his permission. He wondered how she could take such liberties in a house, which was not her own.

Annoyed, Dong Sun followed her into his bedroom and found that she was already rifling through his closet. Hearing him enter the room, Mi Na turned around and declared, “All of your clothes are ugly.” Offended, Dong Sun replied, “The only ugly thing in my room is you.” Slightly amused, Mi Na walked over to him leaving only a foot of distance between their bodies, stared at him doe-eyed and asked, “Do you really mean that? I know I’m not pretty but isn’t it a stretch to say that I’m ugly?” Standing still, Mi Na waited patiently for his response but found that none was forthcoming.

Unnerved by their sudden closeness, Dong Sun took a step backwards and repeatedly cleared his throat to buy himself some time to think of a response. Seeing that he was speechless, Mi Na continued, “Oh, forget it. You’re entitled to your own opinion. But since you think I’m so unattractive, at the very least you should try to look your best. I don’t want people to say we’re an ugly couple, so let’s go get you a nice suit.” Since Mi Na’s statement made it sound as though he had just insulted her, Dong Sun was unable to refuse her proposal and reluctantly consented to her wishes.

Mi Na walked in front of Dong Sun as they made their way down to the lobby and continually complained about how much of a pain it was to have to take the stairs. He seriously entertained the thought of picking her up and carrying her down the remaining flights of stairs just to shut her up. Noticing that Dong Sun was not responding to her comments, Mi Na looked back to see if he was still behind her. As she looked back, she felt the entire length of her left heel scrape against the bottom of a cement stair. Losing her balance, Mi Na toppled back towards Dong Sun’s direction. Seeing that she was falling, Dong Sun quickly rushed down several stairs and held out his arms to catch her. Although, he was able to catch her in his arms, the force of her weight coupled with his awkward positioning on the stairs, caused them both to tumble to the ground.

Cushioned by Dong Sun’s body, Mi Na did not feel the full impact of the fall, but could feel a tinge of pain in her left ankle. Still on top of his body, Mi Na watched Dong Sun grimace in pain and was concerned that he may have seriously hurt himself. Before she could voice her concern, Mi Na heard someone from behind ask, “And what do we have here?” She looked up at the person who was speaking and did not recognize him. She then turned back to face Dong Sun and saw that his eyes had widened upon seeing the individual and she wondered if they knew one another.

Dong Sun saw his brother's inquisitive expression and without thinking, quickly shoved Mi Na off of his body. Mi Na yelped out in pain as she hit the ground, causing Dong Sun to turn to her in alarm. He watched as she glared at him before chiding, “Lee Dong Sun! You…” In-Su smiled as he watched the pair and offered a hand to help them both up. When they were both on their feet, Dong Sun quickly explained, “This isn’t what it looks like.” Dusting herself off, Mi Na interjected, “This is exactly what it looks like. I fell and he tried to catch me. What’s it to you anyways?”

In-Su smiled at his brother and titled his chin towards Mi Na indicating that Dong Sun should make a formal introduction. Dong Sun cleared his throat and said, “Mi Na, this is my younger brother, Lee In-Su.” Mi Na’s expression slightly softened as she turned to In-Su to say, “It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled and replied, “I’ve heard a lot about you, so it’s nice to finally meet you.” Mi Na’s focused her gaze back on Dong Sun and asked, “What have you been saying about me?” Dong Sun forced a smile and changed the subject by asking, “Didn’t you say we’re short on time, shouldn’t we get going?” Realizing that Dong Sun was correct, Mi Na nodded her head and smiled at In-Su politely before making her way past him. Dong Sun looked at the grin, which was now plastered on In-Su’s face and said, “Don’t let your imagination get the better of you. I’m just helping her out with something. I’ll tell you about it when I get home tonight.”

In-Su watched as his brother hurried his steps to catch up to Mi Na and thought to himself, “Hmm, she’s even prettier up close. I wouldn’t mind having such a pretty sister in law. Hyung you sure have good taste.” With that In-Su turned to head towards the apartment. Meanwhile, Mi Na and Dong Sun had arrived at a men’s formal attire shop near her house. She picked out several suits for Dong Sun to try on and waited as he changed. After Dong Sun tried on nearly ten suits, Mi Na was finally satisfied with the monochromatic black suit fitted with a black tie and black handkerchief. She noticed that the fit was not exactly right and called for the shop’s alteration specialist to make several changes. Dong Sun sat quietly and watched as Mi gave her instructions to the alteration specialist and wondered if the suit was just a bit too formal for a private meeting with her father.

Once Mi Na had finished giving her instructions, she and the alteration specialist made their way over to where Dong Sun sat. The specialist began to tuck, pin and mark several areas on his suit. Dong Sun looked at Mi Na and asked, “Is this really necessary?” Mi Na looked blankly at Dong Sun and replied, “Yes, it is absolutely necessary.” Mi Na turned her attention back to the specialist and asked, “How long is this going to take.” The specialist looked up from his work and replied, “About an hour.” Mi Na nodded her head prompting the specialist to get back to his work. She then turned to Dong Sun and said, “You stay here and wait for the suit, I’m going to go home and get ready. I’ll be back in an hour to pick you up.” Dong Sun nodded his head unenthusiastically and replied, “Fine. Whatever.” Without another word, Mi Na turned and headed towards the exit.

Dong Sun watched as she exited the store and was surprised when she re-entered within a few seconds. When she was within earshot, he asked, “Why’d you come back?” Mi Na stared at him and held out her hand as she said, “Hand over your wallet.” Dong Sun looked at her with a confused expression and asked, “Why?” To which Mi Na replied, “I want to make sure you don’t change your mind and leave.” Dong Sun looked at her with agitation and asked, “I already promised you that I’d come to meet your father. Isn’t that enough?” Mi Na shook her head, extended her hand closer to him and replied, “Nope. Hand it over.”

With a loud sigh, Dong Sun pulled out his wallet and handed it over to Mi Na. Before she turned to leave, she smiled and placed the wallet in her purse and said cheerfully, “Okay, be good sweetie. I’ll be back in an hour.” Witnessing the scene, the alteration specialist laughed and asked, “When will you young men figure out that dating a beautiful woman is more trouble than its worth?” Annoyed, Dong Sun shook his head and did not respond. He wondered what on earth had ever convinced him to help out a brat such as Mi Na.


Chapter 6

When Mi Na arrived at home, she quickly rushed into her room to get ready for the company function. She was relieved to see that her stylist, hairdresser and make-up artist were already there awaiting her arrival. She looked over several of the dresses, which her stylist had chosen, and criticized the cut, color and material of each one. Luckily for her stylist, Mi Na set her eyes on the last dress in the batch and nodded her head approvingly. She pulled the white dress from the rack and said, “This one looks decent.” Without another word, she went into her powder room to change. Once she was dressed, Mi Na looked at herself in the full length mirror, smiled and remarked, “Dong Sun couldn’t possibly think that I’m ugly if he saw me wearing this.” Startled by her own statement, Mi Na quickly chided herself, saying, “Why should I care about his preferences? He clearly has horrible taste anyhow.”

After emerging from her powder room, Mi Na impatiently waved for her hairdresser and make-up artist to come over to start their work. As the women proceeded to style her hair and apply her make-up, Mi Na repeatedly looked over at the wall clock and instructed them to hurry. Mi Na’s stylist wondered why she was in such a rush, since the party was not scheduled to start for another hour and asked, “Miss Mi Na, why are you in such a rush? There’s still some time before the function starts.” Mi Na looked over at her stylist and replied, “There’s someone I need to pick up and I don’t want to keep him waiting.” Astonished by Mi Na’s response, her stylist blinked repeatedly and tilted her head in disbelief. In the ten years she had worked for the Song family, never once had she witnessed Mi Na show any concern for anyone else’s time. She wondered what kind of a person could bring about this altered behavior in Song Mi Na.

Working at a hurried pace, Mi Na’s hairdresser and make-up artist completed their tasks in record time. Without thanking them for their efforts, Mi Na slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Accustomed to Mi Na’s irreverence, the three women packed up their supplies and headed home. Driving quickly, Mi Na made it back to the formal men’s attire shop within fifteen minutes and noted to herself that there was still five minutes until the one hour deadline was up. Upon entering the shop, Mi Na saw that the alteration specialist was adjusting something on Dong Sun’s lapel and walked up to where they stood. She tapped Dong Sun on the shoulder, causing him to turn around to face her. She looked over the alterations, which had been made to his suit, brushed her hand over his left shoulder to remove a piece of lint and thought to herself that the results were satisfactory.

Since she was busy inspecting his attire, Mi Na failed to notice that Dong Sun had not taken his eyes off of her. Dong Sun was stunned to see her dressed so beautifully and was not sure how he should react. Mi Na turned her attention to the alteration specialist, and asked, “Is everything done?” The specialist nodded his head indicating that his work was complete and directed her to make the payment at the front counter.

Without any notice, Mi Na grabbed a hold of Dong Sun’s arm and turned them to face a mirror. She thought that her white dress really complimented his black suit very well and said jokingly, “We kind of look cute together.” Not waiting for him to respond, Mi Na let go of Dong Sun’s arm and walked over the front counter calling for the salesperson to ring up the purchase. While he made a final adjustment to Dong Sun’s right cufflink, the alteration specialist said, “I take back what I said earlier. I guess the benefits of dating a beautiful woman can sometimes be worth the trouble.” Without thinking, Dong Sun found himself nodding in agreement with the man’s observation.

After Mi Na paid for the suit, she looked over and was slightly agitated to see that Dong Sun had not moved from his original location. She waved at him and asked, “Are you going to stand there like a mannequin or can we leave now?” Regaining his senses, Dong Sun nodded his head and proceeded to exit the shop with her. On their way to Mi Na’s house, Dong Sun recalled that she still had his wallet and asked, “Can I have my wallet back now?” Mi Na glanced over at him and replied, “It’s in my other purse. I’ll give it to you when I take you home tonight.” Dong Sun was slightly taken aback by her response and asked, “You’re going to drive me home tonight? Isn’t it easier if I just called for a taxi?” Mi Na thought about the question and replied, “No, it’s easier if I drive you home.”

Dong Sun waited for her to explain her logic and when he saw that she was not intent on doing so, he asked, “Why is it easier?” Mi Na looked over at him with an annoyed expression and replied, “Because, I said so.” Dong Sun scoffed at her response and teased, “If you want to spend more time with me, just say so.” Upon hearing his statement, Mi Na glared at him but did not respond. Seeing that there was nothing further to say, Dong Sun sat satisfied since he had finally gotten the last word.

As Mi Na drove through the front gate, Dong Sun saw many formally dressed people making their way to the entrance of her house. He looked over at Mi Na and asked, “What’s all this? I thought I was just meeting your father?” Mi Na smiled and replied, “Oh, did I forget to mention that there’s a function being held at my house tonight?” Seeing the incredulous look on Dong Sun’s face, Mi Na quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry. All you’ll have to do is meet my father privately. Then we’ll walk around the party for a little while and afterwards I’ll drive you home.” Dong Sun looked at her angrily and replied, “I didn’t sign on for any party. There’s no way I’m going to go through with this.”

A little more familiar with Dong Sun’s personality, Mi Na decided that she would need to take a softer approach, in order to get him to do what she wanted. Turning on the waterworks, Mi Na began to tear up, pouted and asked him, “If you leave now, what am I going to do?” Dong Sun was flustered at the sight of her bewildered expression and hesitated before asking, “Are you going to start crying?” Mi Na did not respond and simply buried her face in her right hand as she began to whimper. Seeing Mi Na in that state, Dong Sun sighed and grudgingly said, “Stop crying, I’ll stay.” Upon hearing his statement, Mi Na removed her hand from her face, smiled cheerfully and replied, “Okay, let’s go in.” Dong Sun shook his head upon seeing her tear-free face and said, “I should have known better.”

To avoid the crowd, Mi Na grabbed a hold of Dong Sun’s arm and escorted him to the side entrance. As they walked together, Dong Sun noticed that having Mi Na hanging on to him, was not as uncomfortable as it had been on the previous occasions. After a short while, Mi Na and Dong Sun stood in front of her father’s office. Mi Na knocked on the door and asked, “A-pa, can we come in?” To which her father replied, “Yes, come in.” Before opening the door, Mi Na glanced over at Dong Sun, smiled and said reassuringly, “Don’t be nervous. My father’s really nice.” Mi Na’s reassurance did little to calm Dong Sun’s nerves as he walked beside her through the entrance.

Once they had entered the room, a sense of shock and doom fell over Dong Sun’s body as he saw Song Ji Hwa standing in front of him. He nervously looked over at Mi Na and whispered, “What did you say your last name was?” Mi Na was confused as to why he would ask such a question at this juncture in time, but replied softly, “My last name is Song.” Taking his gaze off of Mi Na; Dong Sun looked back towards her father and felt as though his whole body had gone numb.

To ease the tension in the room, Mi Na quickly said, “A-pa, this is my boyfriend, Lee Dong Sun.” Turning to Dong Sun, Mi Na said, “Dong Sun ah, this is my father Song Ji Hwa.” Dong Sun felt Mi Na nudge him forward to shake her father’s hand, and complied with her wishes. He made a formal bow, extended his hand and said, “It’s very nice to meet you sir.” Mi Na’s father firmly grasped Dong Sun’s hand and replied, “The pleasure is all mine.”

Turning his attention to his daughter, Mi Na’s father said, “Mi Na, go wait outside. I have a few things that I need to discuss with your boyfriend.” Mi Na was startled by her father’s instructions and replied, “Why do I have to leave? Why can’t I hear what you have to say to him?” Given Mi Na’s typical disdain for most people, her father was astonished to see her show such great concern for someone other than herself. With a reassuring tone he replied, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything to your boyfriend. We’re just going to have a quick chat.” Mi Na forced a smile and knew that she could do nothing more than comply with his instructions.

Still hanging onto Dong Sun’s arm, Mi Na pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, “Don’t say anything. Just nod your head at all his questions. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Dong Sun looked at her with a worried expression and watched as she made her way out of the room. With no possibility of escaping, Dong Sun turned back apprehensively to face her father. Seeing Dong Sun’s fearful expression, Mi Na’s father said, “Don’t be uneasy, I just want to ask you a couple of questions about your relationship with my daughter. Go ahead and take a seat.” Dong Sun smiled timidly and took a seat across from Mi Na’s father.

Getting right down to business, Mi Na’s father asked, “So how long have you two been dating?” Dong Sun thought quickly and replied, “Not very long. It feels like we just met yesterday.” Mi Na’s father nodded his head and continued, “What do you do for a living?” Dong Sun cleared his throat and finally responded, “Actually, I was just hired by your company. I’ll be working in the advertising department starting Monday.” Surprised by Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na’s father asked, “Really?” Dong Sun nodded his head and continued, “I applied for the position a few months ago. I didn’t even know your daughter at the time.” Mi Na’s father smiled and replied, “It’s pretty difficult to get hired by my company. It’s nice to know that my daughter is dating someone with so much potential.” Dong Sun bowed his head in gratitude at the compliment but remained silent.

Mi Na’s father returned his attention back to Dong Sun’s relationship with his daughter and asked, “Do you intend on taking your relationship with my Mi Na seriously?” Upon hearing the question, Dong Sun let out a nervous chuckle and replied, “I... umm…” Seeing Dong Sun’s apprehension, Mi Na’s father interrupted him mid-sentence and said, “I know that Mi Na can be quite a handful at times, but she’s the most important thing in my life. I have no objections in her choosing to be with you, but I will caution you against taking this relationship too lightly.” Clearly backed into a corner, Dong Sun had no choice but to reply, “Of course I won’t take this relationship too lightly. Thank you for your advice, sir.” Satisfied with Dong Sun’s answer, Mi Na’s father walked over to him, draped his arm around Dong Sun's shoulders and said, “Let’s go out there before she has a heart attack in the hallway.” Dong Sun nodded his head in agreement but thought to himself, “I’m the one having the heart attack right here in this room. Song Mi Na, what have you gotten me into?”


Chapter 7

Mi Na paced back and forth anxiously, hoping for her father’s private meeting with Dong Sun to conclude quickly. She wondered what the two men could be discussing and was worried about Dong Sun’s ability to carry on the ruse without her. Deciding that she no longer wanted to wait, Mi Na carefully opened the door, wedged her upper body through the small opening and peeked inside. Tilting her head upwards, Mi Na smiled nervously and took a few steps back upon seeing the probing expression on her father’s face. She tried to diffuse the awkward moment by asking, in the cutesiest voice she could muster, “A-pa were you calling for me?” Her father observed her glance over at Dong Sun and teased, “Don’t worry sweetie, he’s still in one piece.” Playing off her concern, Mi Na declared, “I never said I was worried about him.”

Changing the subject, Mi Na’s father said, “Sweetie, we have a house full of guests tonight; so try not to focus all of your attention only on your boyfriend, okay?” Before Mi Na could respond, her father turned to Dong Sun and said, “Remind me to introduce you to some of the people in the advertising department. They should be able to help you navigate your way around the company on Monday.” Grateful for his concern, Dong Sun bowed and replied, “Thank you sir. I’ll remember to do as you’ve asked.” Mi Na’s father nodded to acknowledge Dong Sun’s response and motioned for the couple to follow him to the ballroom.

Mi Na watched as Dong Sun began to follow her father out and tugged at his arm to pull him in the opposite direction. Dragging him into her room, Mi Na closed door, narrowed her eyes and asked, “Did my father seriously just offer you a job?” Seeing that she had clearly misunderstood the situation, Dong Sun explained, “Of course not. I applied for a job at your father’s company a couple months ago. I just signed the employment offer letter three weeks before today.” Mi Na nodded her head and commented, “Well isn’t this a funny set of circumstances?” Astonished by her lack of concern over his plight, Dong Sun countered, “Funny? How is any of this funny? Because of you, I’m going to lose my dream job.” Confused by his reaction, Mi Na asked, “Why would you lose your job? Did you forget that you’re dating the boss’ daughter?”

Unable to contain his frustration, Dong Sun placed his hands on Mi Na’s shoulder, slightly shook her and said, “Hey crazy girl, we aren’t dating!” Unconcerned with Dong Sun’s apparent aggravation, Mi Na brushed off his hands and replied, “Of course I know that. But we could be.” Stunned by her statement, Dong Sun looked warily at her before asking, “What are you talking about?” Mi Na sat down on her bed and replied, “Since we can both benefit from this fake relationship, why don’t we just continue with what we’re doing? If you keep playing the role of my boyfriend, I’ll be able to keep Young Jae away and you’ll be able to keep your job.” Dong Sun contemplated her suggestion silently and wondered if he had any other options.

Mi Na saw that he was not completely convinced and continued, “We only need to keep this up for a couple of months. By then, you would’ve already proven yourself as an asset to my father’s company and then it wouldn't matter if we were dating or not, right?” Dong Sun sighed and replied, “First you said it’s a one-time thing, now you’re saying a couple of months. Who knows when you’re going to suggest we stay together forever.” Mi Na scoffed and said, “You wish!” Dong Sun rolled his eyes at her arrogance but listened as she continued to say, “If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. I’m not the one with their dream job on the line.” Carefully considering the situation, Dong Sun said in a serious tone, “Mi Na, don’t you think it’s wrong to lie to everyone like this?” Contemplating Dong Sun’s question, Mi Na took a deep breath and replied, “Honestly, I feel bad about getting you into this mess. It would be a shame for you to lose your job because of me. Plus we aren’t really hurting anyone by doing this.”

Dong Sun was taken aback by the sincerity in her tone but wondered if she was in the midst of another superb self-scripted acting scene. Regardless of her true motives, Dong Sun knew that the only way to keep his job was to continue his twisted relationship with Mi Na. After a short pause he finally declared, “I guess I really don’t have any other choice.” Mi Na’s sincere expression immediately turned to annoyance as she asked, “Do you have to say it like that?” Forcing a smile, Dong Sun cleared his throat and said sarcastically, “Mi Na, I’m so honored to be your fake boyfriend.” Upon finishing his statement, Dong Sun saw that Mi Na was now glaring at him and thought, “If looks could kill, I’d be dead already.” Putting aside her agitation with Dong Sun, Mi Na got up from her bed and walked over to him to suggest that they join the party.

With Mi Na on his arm, Dong Sun took a deep breath before leading her into the ballroom. As they entered, Dong Sun observed that all eyes were on them and felt completely out of place. Sensing Dong Sun’s anxiety, Mi Na let go of his arm and took him by the hand to reassure him. Looking over at her as she held his hand, Dong Sun saw Mi Na smile and mouth the words, “Don’t worry. I’m here.” Dong Sun returned the smile and calmed his nerves as Mi Na took the opportunity to introduce him to some of her family’s acquaintances. Although, Mi Na was usually brash, she was always cognizant of her father’s position in the company and did her best to be gracious when the situation called for it. Dong Sun did his best to keep pace with Mi Na and found the whole experience extremely tiring.

After greeting all of the key players in the company, Mi Na turned her attention to Dong Sun and asked; “Now you see why I’m always in such a bad mood right?” Dong Sun laughed at her comment and replied, “Actually, I don’t see why you’re always mad. It’s not like you have a party like this every day right?” Before she could respond, Mi Na felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked around to find that Young Jae had arrived. Young Jae greeted her by saying, “Mi Na you look very beautiful tonight.” She was not sure how to respond to the compliment and could only listen as Young Jae asked Dong Sun if he could steal her away for a dance. Glancing over at Dong Sun, Mi Na was not sure how he would handle the situation.

Fully aware of Mi Na’s aversion towards Young Jae, Dong Sun replied politely, “I’m sorry, but I haven’t even danced with Mi Na, yet. So I can’t possibly let you take the first dance, right?” Not allowing Young Jae to respond, Dong Sun grabbed Mi Na’s hand and led her to the dance floor. Seeing Mi Na obediently follow Dong Sun’s lead, Young Jae felt his blood boil and declared, “You may get the first dance, but I’ll definitely get the last!” Once they were on the dance floor, Dong Sun assumed the proper waltz partnering position and guided her gracefully to the music. Astonished by his dancing abilities, Mi Na said, “I didn’t know you could dance.” To which he replied, “There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.” She smiled and commented, “Well, I guess I’ll have time to learn since you’ll be around for another couple of months.”

After their first dance had concluded, Mi Na and Dong Sun walked over to the serving table and helped themselves to some of the finger foods, which were laid out. Before long, Mi Na’s father made his way over to the pair and informed Mi Na that her great uncle had arrived and that she was needed in the family room. Mi Na turned to Dong Sun and asked if he would be okay by himself. Dong Sun replied that he would be fine and told her to attend to her family's affairs first. Within fifteen minutes, Mi Na returned to the ballroom and scanned the room in search of Dong Sun. When she caught sight of him, she was surprised to see him on the dance floor with another girl. She walked to the side of the room to get a better view and was astonished to see that he was dancing with Kim Hae Won.

Furious, Mi Na cut through the people on the dance floor and tapped Dong Sun on the shoulder to get his attention. Dong Sun turned around and smiled upon seeing Mi Na, before asking, “You’re back?” Ignoring his question, Mi Na glared at Hae Won and grew angrier upon seeing the satisfied smirk, which had spread across Hae Won’s face. Without turning to Dong Sun, Mi Na asked coldly, “If you’re done here, can we go?” Dong Sun was confused by Mi Na’s altered demeanor and could tell that something was bothering her. Not wanting to agitate her any further, Dong Sun turned to Hae Won and said, “Thank you for the dance, but I have to go now.” Hae Won smiled and replied, “It was my pleasure. I hope we’ll meet again soon.” Turning to Mi Na, Hae Won said, “Mi Na your boyfriend is very cute. You're always so lucky when it comes to men.” Mi Na did not bother to respond to Hae Won’s comment and simply walked away.

Dong Sun sat uncomfortably in Mi Na’s car as she drove him home and wondered why she was so angry. Taking the initiative he asked tentatively, “Is something the matter with you?” Mi Na glanced over at him in disbelief and replied, “No, but something’s definitely the matter with you.” Unsure of what to make of her response, Dong Sun asked, “What did I do?” Unable to focus her attention on driving, Mi Na pulled to the side of the road, turned to face Dong Sun and questioned, “How could you dance with her?!” Dong Sun thought back to the party and asked, “Are you talking about the girl with the long hair?” Mi Na rolled her eyes and replied, “Yes, the one with the long hair, the long legs, the long everything!”

Dong Sun could not understand why Mi Na was lashing out at him but quickly explained, “She asked me to dance, so I was being polite. Are you mad because you don’t want me to dance with other girls?” Mi Na scoffed and replied, “You can dance with all the girls you want, just not that one.” Dong Sun nodded his head and said, “Is that girl your nemesis or something? I didn’t know that, or else I would’ve never agreed to dance with her.” Still upset, Mi Na replied, “Yeah right. you guys are all the same, falling over yourselves to be with a beautiful woman.” Dong Sun observed Mi Na’s wounded expression and said, “She’s not beautiful. If anything I think her face is a bit too big for her body, right?”

Upon hearing Dong Sun’s strange assessment of Hae Won, Mi Na laugh and asked, “What do you know about beauty? You even called me ugly earlier today.” Recalling his earlier negative evaluation of Mi Na’s appearance, Dong Sun replied, “Well, after seeing you in better lighting, I’ll admit that you aren’t ugly and at the very least you’re prettier than that girl.” Mi Na smiled at Dong Sun and said teasingly, “I bet you're just saying that so you won’t have to walk the rest of the way home.” Dong Sun shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Think what you want. I just call them as I see them.” Satisfied with Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na said, “Good answer,” as she shifted the car back into drive and proceeded to head towards his apartment building.


Chapter 8

As they pulled up to the front entrance of his apartment building, Dong Sun observed the exhausted expression on Mi Na face and asked, “Are you going to be okay driving home?” Mi Na gently patted her own cheeks with both hands, took a deep breath and replied, “I should be okay.” Unconvinced, Dong Sun hesitated before asking, “Do you want to come up so l get you a cup of coffee for the road?” Mi Na considered his offer but declined by saying, “I would, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be asleep by the time I make it up to the fifth floor.” Recalling Mi Na’s aversion to taking the stairs, Dong Sun laughed and replied, “Okay, then be careful on your way home.” Seeing his concern, Mi Na asked teasingly, “Aw sweetie, did you want me to call to let you know that I arrived home safely? To which Dong Sun countered, “You’re just going to do whatever you want anyways, so why are you even bothering to ask me that?”

Before Mi Na could respond, Dong Sun suddenly recalled that she still had his wallet and said, “I almost forget, give me back my wallet.” Smiling nervously, Mi Na replied, “Oops, I think it’s still at the house.” Seeing Dong Sun’s annoyed expression, Mi Na quickly asked, “You’ll be home tomorrow, right? I’ll have someone drop it off in the morning.” Dong Sun thought about her question and replied, “I’ll be home tomorrow, but I’m planning on taking my brother out to lunch for his birthday. What time can you have someone drop off the wallet?” Mi Na looked over at her dashboard, saw that it was past midnight and asked, “Today’s your brother’s birthday?” Annoyed that Mi Na had ignored his question, Dong Sun repeated himself and asked, “What time can you have someone drop off the wallet?” Mi Na did not appreciate his tone but still replied, “I’ll have someone drop it off by 9:00 am. Is that early enough for you?” Dong Sun nodded his head to acknowledge that the timing was appropriate and exited her car. Before heading into his building, Dong Sun stood on the sidewalk and watched as Mi Na’s car disappeared off into the distance.

When he entered the apartment, Dong Sun spotted In-Su sitting on the couch watching television and asked, “Why are you still up? Don’t you have work tomorrow?” Upon hearing his brother’s inquires, In-Su diverted his attention away from the television and was surprised to see Dong Sun dressed so nicely. Intrigued, In-Su quickly rushed over to where Dong Sun stood, felt the material of his new suit and asked cheerfully, “Did sister-in-law pick out this suit?” Annoyed by In-Su’s new nickname for Mi Na, Dong Sun replied, “Don’t call her that.” With a wide grin on his face, In-Su said, “Okay, then remember to tell me when I should start calling her that.” Dong Sun shook his head and changed the subject by saying, “I’m sure you’re eager to hear all about my day, so stay put while I get changed.” In-Su nodded his head excitedly, watched Dong Sun enter his bedroom and turned to shut off the television. In-su was sure that his brother’s story would be much more interesting than the boring drama he was just watching.

After changing, Dong Sun came back into the living room, took a seat by In-Su on the couch and began to recount the events of his day. At the conclusion of Dong Sun’s story, In-Su observed, “Wow, I can’t believe that sister-in-law, oh I mean Song Mi Na shii, is your boss’ daughter.” Off on a tangent, In-Su continued, “I should use your encounters with her to write a romantic comedy script. I bet one of the major stations would definitely buy it.” Dong Sun shook his head at his brother’s ramblings and asked, “Since you’re now caught up, can I go to bed?” Satisfied, In-Su replied, “Go ahead, no one’s stopping you.”

Exhausted, Dong Sun got up from the couch and walked towards his bedroom before reminding In-Su of their lunch plans for his birthday. Left alone, In-Su contemplated his brother’s situation and quickly got up from the couch to head towards his computer. After booting up the computer system, In-Su pulled up a new word document and began to type away. Upon completing his task, In-Su printed out the document and looked at it with satisfaction before saying, “Hyung, this should help you deal with sister-in-law.” Setting the document down, In-Su retired to his bedroom for the night.

As Mi Na pulled up to the front entrance of her house, she looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly one in the morning. Since it was so late, Mi Na was surprised to see her father sitting alone in the formal living room. Before she could say anything, her father asked, “Did you just get back from taking Dong Sun home?” Mi Na nodded her head and replied, “He doesn’t have a car, so I had to take him home.” Mi Na’s father patted the seat next to him on the seating sectional to indicate that she should join him. Although, she was tired, Mi Na sat down by her father’s side and wondered why he was acting so strange. With a somewhat somber tone, Mi Na’s father said, “I remember when your mother used to drive me home too.” Accustomed to the image of her father as the prolific Song Ji Hwa, Mi Na often forget that he had come from very humble beginnings as the only son of a failed businessman.

Mi Na recalled the different accounts of her parents’ courtship and observed that her mother had been the princess to her father’s pauper. Mi Na identified the similarities between her parents’ relationship and her own relationship with Dong Sun, not taking into account the fact that they really weren't an actual couple, and began to understand why her father was so accepting of him. Looking at her father’s pained expression; Mi Na gently grabbed a hold of his arm, rested her head on his shoulder and said, “Even though I can’t really remember much about her, I miss mom a lot too.” Happy to see the softer side of his daughter, Mi Na’s father replied, “All you have to remember is that she loved you more than anything in this world.” Mi Na smiled and asked, “What was she like?” Her father contemplated a response to her question before replying, “Well you already know that she was beautiful.” Mi Na laughed and said, “Of course I know that. People say I look just like her.” Her father smiled upon hearing Mi Na compliment herself and continued, “She just had this amazing passion for life. Even though she was a rich heiress, your mother was driven to create her own achievements.”

Mi Na was proud to hear her father speak of her mother with such high regard and remarked, “Well I guess I only look like her because I have no intention of ever working any harder than I have to.” Upon hearing her statement, Mi Na’s father sat upright, turned to face her and said, “Despite your inclination to remain a pampered princess, I’ve decided that you should start working for the company.” Dismayed by her father’s statement, Mi Na replied, “You can’t be serious.” Looking sternly at Mi Na, her father said, “I am dead serious. Since Dong Sun’s going to be working in the advertising department, I think it would be best for you to join that department as well.” At a loss for words, Mi Na titled her head and reproached silently to herself, “Stupid Lee Dong Sun! Now I have to go to work because of you.”

Mi Na’s father regarded her silence as an indication of her acquiescence to his request and continued, “You’ll be starting with him on Monday. But be warned that neither of you will be getting any special treatment, just because of your relationship with me.” Without waiting for Mi Na’s response, her father got up from his seat and instructed her to go to bed. Stunned by the astonishing turn of events, Mi Na folded her arms, narrowed her eyes and said, “Lee Dong Sun, you’re so going to get it tomorrow!”


Chapter 9

Early the next morning, Mi Na made her way to Dong Sun’s apartment, fully prepared to blame him for her current predicament. After trudging her way up the seemingly endless flights of stairs, Mi Na exited the stairwell, walked down the hallway and rung the doorbell to Dong Sun’s apartment. She watched as In-Su opened the door and took note of his surprised expression upon seeing her. He politely invited her in, asked her to make herself comfortable and excused himself to go wash up. Standing by herself in the living room, Mi Na reconsidered the situation and was now unsure whether she could place any blame on Dong Sun for her problems. She admitted to herself that this whole situation was her stubborn father’s fault and decided against taking out her frustration on Dong Sun.

Annoyed that she had come all this way for nothing, Mi Na took out Dong Sun’s wallet, walked over to the computer desk and set it down. As she did this, a sheet of paper with the title, “CONTRACT FOR BOYFRIEND / GIRLFRIEND ARRANGEMENT” caught her attention. Picking up the paper, she read aloud, “1. All dates must be booked up to 48 hours in advance, 2. Both parties must consent to the dissolution of this boyfriend/girlfriend arrangement, 3. Skinship when required will be kept at an acceptable minimum.” Mi Na paused and laughed at the third clause in the contract and wondered if Dong Sun had lost his mind. Amused she continued to read the remaining terms silently to herself.

When In-Su emerged from the bathroom, he was stunned to see Mi Na reading the contract he had drafted the previous night and said, “Oh, sorry about that. I was just messing around.” Realizing that In-Su was the author of the contract, Mi Na replied, “It’s okay. There are some pretty good clauses in here. I really like the third one.” In-Su nervously scratched his head and did not know how to respond. Seeing his self-conscious expression, Mi Na wondered how the two brothers could have such different personalities. Although, Mi Na thought it would be best to keep their arrangement a secret from other people, she could understand why Dong Sun needed to let his brother in on the ruse.

To ease In-Su's apparent embarrassment, Mi Na changed the subject by wishing him a happy birthday. In-Su was surprised that she knew or even cared that it was his birthday. Seeing his flabbergasted expression, Mi Na explained, “Your brother told me yesterday that today was your birthday. How old are you now?” In-Su cheerfully thanked her for her warm birthday wishes and informed her that he was now 22. Turning his attention back to more important matters, In-Su asked, “Did you want me to go and wake up Hyung?” Mi Na looked over at Dong Sun’s closed door and replied, “No it’s still early, just let him sleep.”

In-Su smiled and thought that his brother’s assessment of Mi Na’s personality was completely off base. In-Su thought she was a delightful person to be around and asked if she would like a drink. Mi Na declined the offer and asked, “Since your brother’s asleep, do you want to go with me to get some coffee?” In-Su smiled and replied, “Sure that sounds good.” Mi Na returned the smile and said, “Alright, it’s on me since today’s your birthday.” Since Mi Na was typically unfriendly towards people she did not know very well, she was a bit surprised by how comfortable she felt around In-Su. She figured that her good impression of In-Su was brought about by his genuinely cheerful disposition. Seeing In-Su motion for her to follow him out into the hallway, Mi Na smiled and walked out of the apartment.

Since she was in a better mood, Mi Na only complained about the stairs a couple of times on the way down. When they reached her car, Mi Na noticed In-Su’s eyes widen as he got closer to her vehicle. Seeing his wonderment, Mi Na asked, “Do you want to drive?” Astonished by her question, In-Su perked up and asked, “Can I really drive your car?” Mi Na looked at him quizzically and replied, “If you have your drivers license, I don’t see any reason why you can’t.” Grinning from ear to ear, In-Su quickly replied, “I have my drivers license, but I just didn’t think I’d ever get to drive such an awesome car. This is the best birthday ever.” Without another word, Mi Na handed him the keys and watched as he ran to the driver’s side. With that the pair headed off to a nearby coffee shop.

After waking up, Dong Sun brushed his teeth, took a shower and walked out into the living room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was surprised when he did not see In-Su in the living room and went back into the bathroom to grab a Q-Tip. While he cleaned his ears, Dong Sun searched around the rest of the house for his brother. When he was unable to find In-Su, Dong Sun wondered if he had already left for work. Looking at the wall clock, Dong Sun saw that it was already 9:30 am and was annoyed that Mi Na had not yet sent anyone over to deliver his wallet.

After grabbing a glass of orange juice, Dong Sun went to the computer intent on surfing the internet but was surprised to see his wallet sitting atop a couple of stacks of paper. He picked up his wallet and said, “I guess she had someone drop it off already.” Dong Sun spotted In-Su’s contract agreement under his wallet, picked it up and read silently to himself. Once he had finished reviewing the document, he said, “In-Su you have way too much free time.” He then proceeded to crumple up the paper and throw it into the trash bin.

Dong Sun wondered when In-Su would return from work and called him to confirm. When In-Su picked up on the other line, Dong Sun asked, “Are you at work?” In-Su replied, “I don’t have work today. I’m actually out in the hallway right now. I got us some coffee.” Dong Sun was surprised by the response and asked, “Why’d you go buy coffee? We have some at home.” In-Su paused before replying, “Stop asking so many questions. I’m right outside the front door and will answer your questions when I come in.”

Dong Sun shrugged his shoulders, hung up his phone and made his way to the couch. Taking a seat, Dong Sun watched as the front door opened and was completely shocked by the sight of Mi Na standing next to his brother in the hallway. Dong Sun stood up quickly and asked, “What are you doing here?” Seeing that Dong Sun only had a towel wrapped around his waist, Mi Na replied, “I’m apparently here to have my eyes scandalized by your interesting choice of outfits.” Realizing that he was not dressed, Dong Sun rushed into his bedroom to change. Mi Na and In-Su shared a laugh as they watched him run off to his bedroom.

After a short while, Dong Sun reappeared fully dressed and said, “Seriously, what are you doing here?” Unconcerned with his irritation, Mi Na sipped her coffee and replied, “I came to return your wallet and to wish In-Su a happy birthday.” Confused by her response, Dong Sun said, “I thought you said that you were going to have someone else drop it off.” To which Mi Na replied nonchalantly, “Nope, changed my mind.” In-Su smiled at his brother’s bewildered expression and interjected, “I invited noona to join us for my birthday lunch.” Mi Na looked over at In-Su smiled and said, “Don’t call me noona; it makes me feel really old.” Glancing back towards Dong Sun, Mi Na continued to address In-Su as she said, “I like it better when you call me sister-in-law.” Seeing Mi Na tease his brother, In-Su quickly joined in and said, “Okay, then I’ll definitely call you that from now on.”

Dong Sun stared incredulously at the chummy pair and wondered when they had a chance to become so friendly with one another. Dong Sun’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Mi Na say, “By the way, looks like we’ll be starting work together tomorrow.” After hearing the news, Dong Sun sunk down into a chair and asked with disbelief, “Is this really happening?” Mi Na was slightly amused by his reaction and replied, “Yeah, I guess it is. So let’s make the best out of this okay?” Dong Sun sat speechless and wondered how he would be able to handle having to deal with Mi Na on both a professional and personal level. In-Su looked at the disorientated expression on his brother's face and thought to himself, “This just keeps getting better and better.”

The ringing sound coming from In-Su’s cell phone disrupted the awkward silence, which had permeated the living room. Seeing the goofy expression plastered on In-Su’s face, Dong Sun guessed that the person on the other line was his girlfriend, Ae Cha. In-Su quickly excused himself and rushed into his bedroom to take the call. Finally alone with Mi Na, Dong Sun took the opportunity to ask, “What on earth possessed you to want to start working at your father’s company?” Mi Na set her drink down on the coffee table, folded her arms and replied, “I would have to be possessed, to want to work at that stuffy company. Obviously, my father’s trying to ruin my life by forcing me to work there.”

Upon hearing Mi Na’s response, Dong Sun let out a “tsk” sound before remarking, “I should have known, that a spoiled princess like you, wouldn’t have any desire to be of use to her father.” Offended by Dong Sun’s harsh assessment, Mi Na asked in a serious tone, “How long have you known me? What gives you the right to say that I’m spoiled?” Utilizing an equally serious tone, Dong Sun replied, “My station in life gives me the right to say that you’re spoiled. In the short time that I’ve known you, I have yet to see one aspect of your life that wasn’t overindulged.” Not allowing Mi Na to respond, Dong Sun continued, “You’re the very definition of spoiled.” For the first time in her life, Mi Na found that she was speechless and suddenly felt a strange mixture of anger and indignity.

Seeing the vulnerable expression on Mi Na’s face, Dong Sun realized that he had gone too far. Before Dong Sun could figure out what he should do to correct the situation, In-Su emerged from his bedroom. Sensing the palpable tension in the room, In-Su asked cautiously, “Should we head out to lunch now?” Removing her gaze from Dong Sun, Mi Na turned her attention to In-Su and replied, “Sorry In-Su, I just remembered that I have something that I need to attend to right away. I’ll take you out to lunch another day to make up for missing today’s birthday lunch.” In-Su could see that something was bothering Mi Na and said, “Sure, I’d really like that.” Mi Na forced a smile and replied, “Okay, I’ll call you. Have a nice lunch.” With one final parting glance at Dong Sun, Mi Na exited the apartment.

Once they were alone, In-Su narrowed his eyes and focused on his brother’s guilt ridden face and asked, “What did you do?” Dong Sun sighed and replied, “I didn’t do anything.” In-Su folded his arms and continued, “Then why was she acting like that?” Dong Sun paused before replying, “I guess she doesn’t like hearing the truth.” Tired of his brother’s cryptic responses, In-Su said, “She’s probably still walking down the stairs, why don’t you chase after her, to make-up for whatever you “didn’t do”? If I were you, I’d be scared to let someone like sister-in-law, stew in her anger.” Realizing the logic behind In-Su’s words, Dong Sun quickly got up from his seat and rushed out to catch up to Mi Na. Just as In-Su had predicted, Mi Na had only made it down two flights of stairs by the time Dong Sun caught sight of her. Hearing Dong Sun calling her, Mi Na quickened her pace, only to be stopped when he grabbed a hold of her arm. Pulling her arm away from Dong Sun, Mi Na stood silent not turning around to face him.

Dong Sun stepped in front of Mi Na, so that he could face her while he apologized for his insensitive remarks. He was shocked to see that Mi Na had been crying and watched as she quickly wiped away her tears. Having repeatedly witnessed, Mi Na’s bold character, it never occurred to Dong Sun that his words could cause her such distress. Concerned, Dong Sun asked, “Are you okay?” Staring blankly at Dong Sun, Mi Na replied, “What do you think?” Realizing the hollowness of his own question, Dong Sun said, “I’m really sorry about what I said up there.” Slightly pursing her lips, Mi Na asked, “What do you have to be sorry about? As I’ve said before, you’re entitled to your opinions.” Dong Sun slightly lowered his head and replied, “I was really out of line to say those things to you. I obviously don’t know you well enough to censure you like that. Don’t let my stupid remarks upset you.”

Mi Na stood silent for a short period of time before she proceeded to take a seat on a cement stair. Mirroring her actions, Dong Sun sat down beside her and waited for her to say something. After a short while, Mi Na sighed, produced an awkward smile and said, “I’m not upset by what you said. I think I’m upset because I finally heard you say what I know everyone else thinks.” Dong Sun was not sure how to respond to Mi Na’s statement and felt even more remorseful. Seeing his non-responsiveness, Mi Na continued, “This might sound like a petty problem, but I think that it’s so suffocating to be someone who everyone expects so little from.” Hearing Mi Na’s words, Dong Sun realized that it was completely unfair of him to think that her life was perfect just because she was well off financially. Clearing his throat, Dong Sun replied empathetically, “Being someone who everyone expects so little from may be as suffocating as being someone who everyone thinks so little of.”

Contemplating Dong Sun’s statement, Mi Na let out a heartfelt laugh and asked, “Well, aren’t we just the most pitiful couple?” Dong Sun smiled; nodded his head in agreement and replied, “Yeah, I guess we are.” After taking a deep breath, Mi Na turned to Dong Sun, extended her hand and said, “Truce?” Dong Sun happily took her hand and replied, “Yeah, truce.” Mi Na smiled and asked, “After this incident, I think we can consider each other as friends, right?” Dong Sun let out a chuckle and replied, “You’re the first girl that became my girlfriend before becoming my friend.” Mi Na pulled back her hand, scoffed and observed, “That’s probably because you’ve never had a girlfriend before.” Contemplating her response, Dong Sun replied, “Come to think of it, you’re right, I’ve never had a girlfriend before.”

Mi Na was taken aback by Dong Sun’s admission and asked, “Really?” Dong Sun slightly paused before answering, “Yeah, I know it’s kind of hard to believe, since I’m so handsome, right?” Observing the impish grin on Dong Sun’s face, Mi Na rolled her eyes and said, “You’re so full of yourself.” To which Dong Sun replied, “I’ll take your response to indicate that you agree that I’m handsome.” Joining them in the stairwell, In-Su interrupted the couple’s conversation by asking, “Do you guys plan on blocking the stairway for much longer?” In-Su watched as Dong Sun and Mi Na looked back towards him and continued, “I’d really like to get by so I can meet my girlfriend for my birthday lunch.” Dong Sun and Mi Na got up from their seats and made way for In-Su to pass. Dong Sun turned to Mi Na and asked, “Since you don’t have to attend to that thing anymore, do you want to come to his birthday lunch?” Looking at In-Su’s hopeful expression, Mi Na smiled and replied, “Yeah, I guess I can come along.”

With that settled, Mi Na, Dong Sun and In-Su continued down the stairwell. Seeing Mi Na head for her car, Dong Sun said, “We can get to the restaurant faster if we take the subway.” Mi Na’s eyes opened widely upon hearing Dong Sun's declaration and asked, “You want me to take the subway?” Seeing her discomfort, In-Su replied, “We don’t have to take the subway. It might take a little longer, but we can take your car.” Even though, Dong Sun saw the relieved expression on Mi Na’s face, he quickly interjected, “Mi Na’s a pretty capable girl. I fully EXPECT her to be able to take the subway, right?” Recalling their earlier conversation, Mi Na sighed before replying hesitantly, “Yeah, I guess I can do that.” In-Su was surprised by Mi Na’s sudden change of heart but said, “Okay, then let’s go. Ae Cha will be mad if I’m late.”

Without further delay, they made their way to the nearest subway station and boarded the crowded subway. Observing Mi Na’s nervous expression, Dong Sun leaned in close to her and said, “I’m really proud of you for being able to do this.” Mi Na looked at Dong Sun and replied, “Who cares if you’re proud of me or not. Now switch places with me, this guy smells really bad.” Dong Sun laughed and said, “I’m not going to switch places with you after you just said that he smells.” Mi Na flashed Dong Sun a warning glance to see if he would do as she had asked. When she saw that he was fully intent on disregarding her orders, Mi Na stomped on his foot with her heel causing him to yelp out in pain. As he grabbed his foot to sooth the injury, the subway pulled up to its next stop and came to a screeching halt. The sudden deceleration caused Dong Sun to lose his balance, which resulted in him tumbling down on Mi Na’s body.

Much to his embarrassment, Dong Sun found that not only had he fallen on top of Mi Na, but that his lips were now squarely planted on her cheek. Feeling the impact of the floor on her back coupled with the weight of Dong Sun’s body on top of her, Mi Na screamed out in pain and forcefully shoved him off, sending him crashing into the base of a nearby subway seat. As they both remained on the ground, writhing in pain, In-Su laughed hysterically and commented cheerfully, “I can’t take you two anywhere.” Dong Sun glared at his brother before moving to help Mi Na up from the ground and guided her off the subway. Once they were safely on the subway station’s platform, Mi Na kicked Dong Sun’s left shin and said, “That’s what you get for making me take the subway!”

In-Su’s eyes widened upon witnessing the sudden attack and could not restrain himself from laughing uncontrollably. Dong Sun grabbed his shin, looked at Mi Na incredulously and proclaimed, “Nothing good ever happens when you’re around!” Mi Na smiled and replied triumphantly, “You mean, nothing good ever happens when you don’t listen to me! Try to remember that next time.” Sensing that the situation could quickly escalate into a full blown fight, In-Su interjected by saying, “Come on guys, it’s my birthday. Let’s not fight.” Glaring at Dong Sun, Mi Na said, “You’re lucky that your brother's here or else you’d really get it.” Speechless, Dong Sun got up and walked in front of In-Su and Mi Na as he made his way towards the station’s exit. During In-Su’s birthday lunch, Dong Sun wondered what sort of Mi Na minefields, he would have to avoid at work, given how dangerous it was just to have a simple lunch with her.
Despite setting his alarm for 6:00 am, Dong Sun found himself awakening at 4:30 in the morning. He tossed and turned in his bed hoping that he could go back to sleep, but found that he was too anxious about his first day of work, to do so. Since he was already up, Dong Sun decided that it would be a good idea to re-review the orientation packet, which the Human Resources Department had previously provided. He read over the terms of his employment, the duties he was to fulfill as an Advertising & Marketing Assistant, as well as the lengthy compensation & benefits package. While reviewing the breakdown of his monthly compensation, Dong Sun calculated that his starting salary at SJH Entertainment was nearly double his salary from his previous job. He thought of all of the things he could do with the extra income; which included purchasing a new computer and a used car for In-Su. Dong Sun placed these items at the top of his priority list since they could potentially help his brother excel in school.

After reviewing the bulk of the orientation material, Dong Sun began to get ready for work and headed downstairs to catch the bus. Although, his bus was not scheduled to arrive for another 30 minutes, Dong Sun wanted to make sure that he did not miss it on his very first day. As he sat on the bench waiting for the bus, Dong Sun was surprised to see Mi Na’s red Porsche pull up to the sidewalk. His anxiety dissipated once he saw that Mi Na was not the driver of the car but found it strange that the man driving the vehicle was headed towards him. Stopping within a few feet of Dong Sun, the man bowed politely before saying, “At the request of my Agasshii, Song Mi Na shii, I’ve come to deliver your car.” Upon finishing his statement, the man handed Dong Sun the keys to the vehicle and bowed again.

Stunned, Dong Sun stared down at the set of keys in his hand and called out, “Ajusshi, wait a minute.” Hearing himself being called, the man stopped and turned around to face Dong Sun. Dong Sun rushed up to the man and quickly returned the set of keys. As he did this, Dong Sun said, “I can’t take this car. I’ll talk to your agasshii about this later.” A worried expression appeared on the man’s face as he replied, “Since you’re dating my agasshii, you should know her temperament, right?” Dong Sun stood silent but nodded his head affirming that he was very familiar with Mi Na’s volatile disposition. Seeing the confirmation the man continued, “It would mean a lot to me, if you didn’t make me go back to the house, unable to carry out her instructions.” After making the request, the man held out the keys hoping that Dong Sun would take them from him.

Dong Sun did not want to place the man in a difficult position and reluctantly took back the keys but added, “I’ll return the car to her myself at work.” The man smiled weakly, nodded and quickly turned to leave. Grudgingly, Dong Sun entered the car, threw his briefcase on the passenger seat and drove off to work. Halfway there, he heard the sound of a ringing cell phone and looked around to locate the source of the noise. He opened the compartment in the dashboard and saw a brand new cell phone resting in its charging port. Looking over the phone, he saw that his name had programmed into the screensaver and wondered whether Mi Na had also gotten him a new phone in addition to forcing him to take her car. Sliding the phone cover up, Dong Sun answered cautiously, “Hello?” The familiar sound of Mi Na’s voice came on the other line as she asked, “Are you at work yet?” Dong Sun sighed and replied, “I’m halfway there, but I need to talk to you.” Mi Na paused and said, “Well talk, that’s what cell phones are for.”

Ignoring Mi Na’s sassy response, Dong Sun elevated his voice and asked, “Why did you have someone drop off your car? You can’t seriously expect me to accept this right?!” After hearing his questions, Mi Na’s tone quickly changed as she countered, “Why are you yelling?!” Dong Sun took a deep breath, suppressed the volume of his voice and repeated, “Can you tell me why you had someone drop off your car?” Bringing her own voice down a notch, Mi Na answered, “I had someone drop off YOUR car because I know that the company is really far from your apartment. I asked someone to look up the bus route from your place to the company, and did you know that it would take you almost 2 hours to get to work?” Dong Sun rolled his eyes and replied, “Of course I know that.” Hearing Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na continued, “Well, that’s why I had someone drop off the car. I’m not using it anyways. So you should use it to get to work. It’ll be more convenient for you.”

Despite her good intentions, Dong Sun was adamant about not accepting the car and declared in a serious tone, “I’m not taking the car.” Upset by his avowal, Mi Na replied, “Fine, don’t take it!” before she abruptly hung up on him. Dong Sun set down the cell phone and returned his attention to the road before he heard a loud beep come from the compartment. Picking up the phone, he slid the cover up and saw that there was a new text message. Pressing a series of buttons, he opened the text, which read in bold lettering, “LEE DONG SUN, YOU’RE SUCH A STUBBORN MULE!” Dong Sun rolled his eyes, shook his head and said loudly, “Song Mi Na, you are so childish.”

Within 20 minutes, Dong Sun arrived at the company’s main entrance and proceeded to drive the car into the employee parking lot. As he got out of the car, he caught sight of Mi Na standing by her car and walked over to her. With a displeased expression on her face, Mi Na held out her hand and ordered, “Give it here.” Complying with her demand, Dong Sun handed over the keys and said, “Look, I appreciate the gesture, but you know that I can’t accept it.” Ignoring his statement, Mi Na continued, “And the phone?” Dong Sun looked back towards the car and said, “I didn’t take it out with me. It’s still in the compartment.” Mi Na glared at Dong Sun and replied, “Fine.” Without another word, she turned to walk towards the entrance of the company. Left alone, Dong Sun thought to himself, “Well at least if she’s mad at me, she won’t bug me for the rest of the day.”

Upon finishing his train of thought, Dong Sun began to walk towards the company’s entrance and was distressed to see that Mi Na was walking back towards him. He sighed and said, “I guess I spoke too soon.” When he was within earshot, Mi Na asked, “Why are you being like this? It’s just a car and a phone. You can’t seriously like taking the bus, right?” Dong Sun understood that the thought of taking public transportation was abhorrent to Mi Na but still explained, “I’ve taken the bus my whole life. It really isn’t that bad. Since you don’t seem to understand me very well, let me explain a couple of things to you. I’m the type of person, who would never take anything I didn’t rightfully earn. Furthermore, I’d never let anyone else take care of my needs, especially if that person happens is my girlfriend.” Mi Na stared at him but did not know how to respond. She herself did not see a problem with accepting things, which were not earned.

Seeing Mi Na’s unresponsiveness, Dong Sun continued, “Try to let me keep my dignity as a man, okay?” Taken aback by Dong Sun’s statement, Mi Na’s expression softened as she replied, “I didn’t think of it like that. Alright, I see your point. Sorry for causing you such unnecessary trouble.” Dong Sun smiled upon seeing Mi Na’s altered appearance and said, “It’s okay, but the next time you get a good idea that concerns me, try to discuss it with me first.” Mi Na smiled and replied, “Fine. Go ahead and go in first. I’m sure you don’t want people to see us walking in together, right?” Thankful that Mi Na was finally considering how their fake relationship could potentially affect his professional career, Dong Sun replied, “You go in first. I’ll be in right behind you.” Yielding to his request, Mi Na turned and walked into the building. Once Mi Na disappeared from his line of sight, Dong Sun proceeded to make his way towards the building.

Before he was able to make it out of the employee parking lot, Dong Sun felt a slight tap on his shoulder and turned to see that Mi Na’s father was standing behind him. Dong Sun smiled nervously; bowed and greeted, “Good morning sir.” Returning the smile, Mi Na’s father replied, “Good morning, Dong Sun. I was able to catch the morning matinee back there.” Dong Sun’s eyes widened upon realizing that his scene with Mi Na had been witnessed by her father. Stuttering Dong Sun explained, “Umm, well, that …” Mi Na’s father stopped him mid-sentence and continued, “You don’t have to explain. I just wanted to let you know that I was the one who came up with the idea for Mi Na to give you her old car.” Confused, Dong Sun stood speechless and was unsure how to respond. Mi Na’s father smiled and said, “Good job son. Looks like you passed my test with flying colors. A lesser man would have taken that car in a heartbeat. It’s a Porsche after all.”

Realizing the intention behind her father’s actions Dong Sun replied in slightly dejected tone, “Oh, I see.” Mi Na’s father placed his hand on Dong Sun’s shoulder and said, “Don’t take it personally. Mi Na’s grandfather did the same thing to me when I was dating her mother. As a protective father, I have to be sure that Mi Na’s boyfriend is worthy of her affection. You understand right?” Dong Sun realized Song Ji Hwa’s difficult position as a father, and replied, “I understand. I won’t take it personally.” Satisfied with Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na’s father said, “You should head on in. You don’t want to be late on your first day.” Dong Sun looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 8:15. Before turning to leave, he bowed politely to Mi Na’s father and rushed into the building. Watching Dong Sun run into the building, Mi Na’s father said with a smile, “Mi Na, seems like you’ve found yourself quite a young man there.”
Dong Sun took the first available elevator up to the fifteenth floor and headed towards the Department Director’s office. He knocked on the Director’s door and waited to be invited into the room. Not bothering to look up from his computer screen, Director Park called out for Dong Sun to enter. When he was inside the room, Dong Sun closed the door and waited nervously for his presence to be acknowledged. With his eyes still planted on his computer screen, Director Park instructed Dong Sun to take a seat. Before Dong Sun was seated, Director Park proceeded to explain, “I’m assigning you to Team C. You’ll report directly to Manager Yoo Minh Ho. If I’m not mistaken, he holds team meetings in the North Conference Room every morning to discuss projects and to delegate work. I’m quite busy, so if you have any questions, you should follow-up with him.”

Seeing that Director Park was extremely busy, Dong Sun thanked him for his time and quickly excused himself from the room. Being unfamiliar with the layout of the office, Dong Sun politely stopped a young man in the hallway and asked, “Would you happen to know where the North Conference Room is?” The young man pointed to the other side of the room and said, “Turn left there, go straight and you’ll see it.” Dong Sun thanked him for the directions and hurried down the hallway. He had only made it halfway down the passageway before he heard Mi Na call out to him. Turning to face her, Dong Sun watched as she walked up to where he stood.

Looking around nervously, Dong Sun pulled her aside and asked in a hushed voice, “What are you doing?” Mi Na stared blankly at him and countered, “Where are you going?” To which Dong Sun, impatiently replied, “I’m going to the North Conference Room.” Using a patronizing tone, Mi Na asked, “Don’t you think that the North Conference Room would be on the North side of the building?” Dong Sun looked around and realized that he was headed east and replied, “Yeah, but that guy just told me to turn left here and go straight.” Mi Na sighed, before asking rhetorically, "Wouldn't it be great, if you would just listen to me half as often as you listen to complete strangers?" Not waiting for him to respond, Mi Na continued, “I’m headed over there too so just follow me.”

Reluctantly, Dong Sun followed Mi Na’s lead and found that the North Conference Room was surprisingly close by. The pair walked into the empty conference room and took their seats at a large oak table. Dong Sun wondered where the rest of the team was and then turned his attention to Mi Na, asking, “Did Director Park assign you to Team C as well?” Mi Na nodded her head and replied, “Yeah, he did.” Contemplating the Director’s decision, Dong Sun asked Mi Na, “Don’t you think that it’s weird for Director Park to assign two new people to the same team?” Twirling her pen around in a bored fashion, Mi Na replied, “I heard that Team C is the smallest group of people with the highest turn-over rate and the lowest performance level. The team’s manager is supposed to be a real idiot too. So clearly, that old geezer wanted to inject some talent into this useless group.”

Amazed that Mi Na had managed to insult their Director, Manager and team all in a single breath, Dong Sun remarked, “Everyone you just affronted is your senior in this industry. Obviously, the Director and our Manager worked very hard to get to their current positions. You should try your best to learn from them.” Using Dong Sun’s earlier statement, Mi Na replied, “Since you don’t seem to understand me very well, let me explain a couple of things to you. I’m not the type of person who respects seniority. And I’m sure neither of them can teach me anything that's worth knowing. Seriously, one's too busy surfing the internet to make time for new employees and the other one's late for his own meeting.” Unable to argue against her logic, Dong Sun sat silent and waited impatiently for the rest of the team to arrive.

After nearly thirty minutes, members from their team began to slowly trickle into the room. Manager Yoo was the last person to join the group and laughingly apologized for his tardiness. Seeing the two new faces in the room, he quickly asked for them to introduce themselves. Dong Sun stood up politely bowed and said, “My name is Lee Dong Sun, I'm new to the industry and will be coming on as an Advertising and Marketing Associate.” When his introduction was complete, the team warmly welcomed him to the group. Seeing that it was her turn to introduce herself, Mi Na remained seated and said, “My name is Song Mi Na.” Before she could continue, Manager Yoo excitedly asked, “Song Mi Na, are you President Song’s daughter?” Not waiting for her to respond, Manager Yoo rushed over to her side, shook her hand and proclaimed, “It’s an honor to have you join our team! I’ve heard so much about your wonderful achievements and I’m sure you’ll be an asset to every project that you work on.”

Unimpressed by Manager Yoo’s attempt at flattery, Mi Na replied sarcastically, “You’re too kind Manager Yoo. I haven’t been able to achieve anything.” Thinking that she was being modest, Manager Yoo smiled and said, “It’s so delightful to see a young lady with so much humility.” Mi Na turned to face Dong Sun, rolled her eyes and mouthed the words “SEE” before proceeding to finish her introduction, “Thanks. Anyways, I’m an Advertising and Marketing Associate as well.” Over the next hour, Manager Yoo discussed how the deadlines for several of their projects had not been met and asked the team to work harder to meet their client’s contractual needs. Manager Yoo then advised everyone to help Mi Na and Dong Sun get caught up on the projects and excused them from the meeting. He then directed the rest of the team to remain seated since he had several projects to delegate amongst them.

Shortly after exiting the room, Mi Na and Dong Sun stopped upon hearing themselves being called. Walking up to the pair, Manager Yoo said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were joining the team so I had my secretary set up a joint office for you two. Obviously, that’s unacceptable since you’re the President’s daughter, so I’ll have my secretary find you a better office space.” Mi Na looked blankly at Manager Yoo and asked, “Do other Associates get their own office?” Contemplating her question, Manager Yoo replied, “Of course not, but you’re a rather exceptional case, right?” Ma Na shook her head and said, “No, actually I’m not. My father wants me to start from the bottom. So I’d prefer if you didn’t give me any special treatment. It’s fine for me to share an office with him.”

Although, Dong Sun was not thrilled at the thought of having to share an office with Mi Na, he was rather impressed with her for having rejected the special treatment. Conceding to her wishes, Manager Yoo asked his secretary to show them to their joint office. Mi Na’s bravado quickly disappeared when she saw the size of the joint office and asked Dong Sun, “Do you think it’s too late to have Manager Yoo get me my own office?” Dong Sun laughed and replied, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s too late.”

Shaking her head, Mi Na walked over to the desk near the window and said, “I’m taking this desk.” Dong Sun looked at her and asked, “Why do you get the desk with the view?” Mi Na scoffed and replied, “Because I called it first.” Dong Sun laughed before observing, “You’re so childish.” Mi Na happily stuck out her tongue and taunted, “Childish or not, at least I’m not the one in timeout staring at a wall.” Despite his annoyance, Dong Sun grinned upon seeing her cute expression but quickly wiped the smile from his face, upon hearing her ask, “Why are you smiling? Do you actually like looking at the wall?” Dong Sun cleared his throat and replied, “It’s none of your business why I’m smiling. Just get to work.”

Over the next two weeks, Dong Sun and Mi Na reviewed their team’s project files together and helped each other understand the concepts behind several of the completed campaigns. Eager to share their ideas with the team, Mi Na and Dong Sun failed to realize that their contributions had offended most of their team members. Although, Mi Na and Dong Sun did not intend to highlight the shortcomings of their team's completed projects, Manager Yoo perceived it as such and reprimanded his subordinates accordingly.

Late on Friday afternoon, Mi Na entered the lady’s restroom and stopped upon hearing herself being discussed. Quickly ducking out of sight, Mi Na heard a woman say, “Just because she’s the President’s daughter doesn't mean she can come in here and criticize my work.” To which another woman replied, “I know what you mean. Obviously Manager Yoo’s going to give us all the work and then give her all the credit.” A third woman then interjected, “Who cares about all that. I just heard from a very reliable source, that she’s actually dating Lee Dong Sun. No wonder she doesn’t mind sharing an office with him.” Shocked by the news, the first woman said, “No wonder she's always flirting with him. It’s so shameful to do that kind of stuff at work.” While the second woman added, “He’s obviously a gold digger. What could she possibly see in him? I guess he’s decent looking but he’s so annoying. Did you guys notice how he’s always trying to look good by suggesting ways we can improve our campaigns?”

Having heard enough, Mi Na boldly walked into the restroom to make it apparent that she had overheard their entire conversation. Seeing their frightened expressions, Mi Na folded her arms and warned, “You should be careful about what you say around here, the walls are kind of thin.” Embarrassed by their own behavior, the women bowed and apologized. Not appeased by their apparent remorse, Mi Na said, “I'm used to people talking behind my back, so it's okay. But for some reason, I really don’t like that gold digger term you just used.” Feeling as though she had not sufficiently embarrassed them, Mi Na continued, "As for your question. I see quite a lot in Lee Dong Sun. Plus, I know you were kidding when you said that he was just decent looking right? He's very handsome, even by my high standards." Completely bewildered, the women apologized again and quickly rushed out of the restroom.
Once she had put her gossiping coworkers in their place, Mi Na happily returned to their joint office and asked Dong Sun, “What are you doing after work?” Without looking up from his files, Dong Sun replied, “I’m going computer shopping with In-Su.” Curious, Mi Na asked, “What kind of computer are you planning on getting him? The Apple Notebooks are pretty nice. I just purchased mine a couple of weeks ago. In-Su might like it because he can use it for a lot of his multimedia projects.” Dong Sun set down his pen, spun his chair around and asked, “How much did you buy it for?” Mi Na shrugged her shoulders and replied, “How would I know? When I shop, I just point out what I want and someone goes to get it.” Dong Sun sighed, spun back around and said, “I should have known.”

Before Mi Na could respond, a light knock at their door diverted her attention. Seeing that it was Manager Yoo, Mi Na waved for him to enter. With a wide smile on his face, Manager Yoo greeted Mi Na graciously before turning his attention to Dong Sun. Walking up to Dong Sun, Manager Yoo handed him a large file and said, “Since you’ve shown a lot of initiative over the past couple of weeks, I wanted to let you take the lead on this project.” Overjoyed, Dong Sun took the file from Manager Yoo’s hand and replied, “Thank you sir for the opportunity.” Manager Yoo smiled and said, “I have full confidence that you’ll handle this project well.” Before leaving, he stopped momentarily to politely wish Mi Na a good weekend.

Flipping through the project file, Dong Sun sighed and said aloud, “The photoshoot for this project is scheduled for next week. But it looks like the location and prep work hasn’t even been started. Looking over Dong Sun’s shoulder, Mi Na remarked, “No wonder Manager Yoo was being so nice. You’re going to have to work all weekend if you want to find a suitable location for that project.” Realizing that she was right, Dong Sun took out his phone and called In-Su. When In-Su picked up on the other line, Dong Sun apologized, “Sorry little brother, I have to stay late today. I don't think that I'll be able to take you computer shopping.” With a slight hint of disappointment in his voice, In-Su replied, “It’s okay, I understand. Even if you’re working hard, don’t forget to eat dinner.” Dong Sun smiled weakly and said, “Thanks for understanding. I promise we’ll go next week.” Overhearing the conversation between the brothers, Mi Na felt bad for In-Su.

With the workday coming to an end, Mi Na organized her desk and said to Dong Sun, “I’m leaving. Don’t stay too late.” Not focusing on her statement, Dong Sun replied nonsensically, “Okay, you too.” Confused by his response, Mi Na shook her head in disbelief, and then proceeded to leave the building. As she entered her car, Mi Na smiled and dialed In-Su’s telephone number. When he picked up on the other line, Mi Na asked, “In-Su, since your brother’s busy at work, do you want me to take you computer shopping?” In an excited tone, In-Su replied, “Of course I would!” Hearing In-Su’s cheerful response, Mi Na laughed and said, “Okay, I’m headed over there right now. It should take about 30 minutes, so go ahead and get dressed.” When she arrived in front of Dong Sun’s apartment building, she called In-Su and waited for him to make his way down the stairs.

As they headed to the nearest mall, Mi Na remarked to In-Su, “You should really consider getting an Apple Notebook. I really like mine.” In-Su thought about her suggestion and replied, “Aren’t Apple Notebooks really expensive? I don’t want hyung to spend too much money. If it wasn’t for the programming courses that are required for my upcoming semester, which starts on Monday, I wouldn’t even want to replace my old computer.” Hearing In-Su’s concern over his brother’s financial well-being, Mi Na said, “It'd be nice if I had a sweet little brother like you.” In-Su rubbed the back of his neck bashfully and replied, “If you marry Dong Sun, then I’ll legally become your sweet little brother-in-law.” Glancing over at In-Su, Mi Na laughed, shook her head and replied, “Me marry that stubborn mule? I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.” In-Su laughed at her description of his brother and said, “Well you never know, weirder things have happened.” Upon hearing In-Su’s statement, Mi Na replied, “Nothing would be weirder than Song Mi Na falling for Lee Dong Sun.”

When they reached the mall, Mi Na and In-Su headed to several computer stores and walked around looking at the different types of computer models. In-Su set his sights on several PCs but found that they did not meet his course requirements. At Mi Na’s insistence, In-Su consented to going to the Apple store, to look at several Notebook models. Although, nearly all of the notebooks at the Apple store fit In-Su’s needs, he knew that the prices would definitely not fit Dong Sun’s budget. Seeing the disappointed look on In-Su’s face as he looked at the price tags on the computers, Mi Na asked, “How about I pay for half and your brother pay for the other half?” In-Su’s eyes widened as he declined quickly, “No, that’s not a good idea. I couldn’t let you to do that.” Mi Na smiled and asked, “Why not? I didn’t get you a birthday present, so I can just chip in for this present. Since it’s not for that stubborn mule, he can’t complain, right?”

Not waiting for In-Su to respond Mi Na waved to a sales associate and said, “We’ll take this one.” Turning back to In-Su, Mi Na said, “It’s a mid-range Notebook, so the price isn’t that bad. I’m sure your brother can afford to pay for the other half.” Although, he was very happy to be getting the computer of his dreams, In-Su wondered how Dong Sun would react once he found out about what Mi Na had just done. Having accomplished their task, Mi Na suggested that they go to dinner. Unable to decline, In-Su happily accepted the offer. As they ate sushi at Mi Na’s favorite restaurant, In-Su observed, “Hyung’s really fortunate to have such a considerate girlfriend, who’s willing to take time out of her day, just to help out his little brother.” Lowering his voice In-Su continued, “Even if it’s not a real relationship, you’d still win the best girlfriend award.”

Contemplating In-Su’s statement, Mi Na begun to question her own actions and wondered why she was being so nice to Dong Sun. She couldn’t believe that she had first defended him in the bathroom and was now escorting his little brother around. Rationalizing her behavior, Mi Na came to the conclusion, that she had done all of this because Dong Sun had been nice enough to pretend to be her boyfriend to keep Young Jae away. Mi Na’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard In-Su’s cell phone ring. She watched as In-Su picked up the phone and listened as he talked to Dong Sun. From what she overheard, she gathered that Dong Sun was headed home and had asked In-Su to grab him some dinner.

Without waiting for In-Su to hang up the phone, Mi Na ordered an extra combination platter and asked the waiter to wrap it up to go. When they arrived at the apartment, Mi Na saw that In-Su would not be unable carry both the computer and Dong Sun’s dinner up the stairs, so she suggested that she provide him with some assistance. When they entered the apartment, Mi Na saw Dong Sun walking around shirtless and asked, “Lee Dong Sun, are you like a closet nudist? Why are you always walking around your apartment half naked?” Agitated, Dong Sun covered himself with a pillow and walked into his room to get dressed. When he re-emerged from his room, Dong Sun asked, “Why can’t I get away from you?” Slightly offended, Mi Na replied, “Who says that I’m trying to stick to you?”

Interjecting into the pair’s argument, In-Su said, “Hyung, don’t be like that. Sister-in-law just bought me a new Apple Notebook.” With an overly agitated tone, Dong Sun asked Mi Na pointedly, “Didn’t we talk about you throwing your money around like this?” Angry, Mi Na replied, “Throwing my money around? Have you lost your mind? In-Su might be your younger brother, but he’s my friend too. I have every right to buy him a gift if I want to.” Taken aback by her serious tone, Dong Sun countered, “Even if that’s the case, you should at least discuss it with me before you go out and buy something that expensive.” Mi Na scoffed and replied, “You know that he starts his new semester next week. You went to college too right? Shouldn’t you know how important it is for him to be prepared?” Seeing that he was speechless, Mi Na held up the to-go box and said, “Why don’t you stuff your face with this and think about how you should talk to people!”

Placing the food on the table, Mi Na rolled her eyes at him and walked out the door. As she walked down the hallway, Mi Na quickly glanced back and wondered if Dong Sun would chase after her. Upon hearing Dong Sun call out her name, Mi Na turned around and pretended that she had not heard him. After catching up to Mi Na, Dong Sun apologized saying, “I’m sorry about that back there. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” Turning to face him, Mi Na replied, “You can’t just keep running after me to apologize after making me mad.” Dong Sun sighed and said, “I know, but I’ve never dealt with anyone like you before. So I’m having a hard time adjusting.” Changing the subject, Mi Na said, “By the way, you owe me for half of the computer.” Dong Sun tilted his head to the side and asked, “But didn’t you just say you bought it for him as a gift? How can I owe you for half of it, if I didn’t have any say in picking it out?” Ignoring his questions, Mi Na asked, “Does that mean you’re not going to pay up?” Dong Sun smiled and replied, “Fine, I’ll pay you back.”

Satisfied, Mi Na said, “If that’s all settled, I’ll see you on Monday.” Seeing Mi Na turn to leave, Dong Sun asked, “Do you think you can come back into the apartment with me? I wanted to ask for your opinion about some of the concepts I came up with for my new project.” Surprised that he was asking for her help, Mi Na paused before replying, “Yeah, I guess so.” Smiling, Dong Sun moved out of the way for her to re-enter the apartment and thought to himself, “I’m sure glad she’s not mad anymore.” Standing befuddled in the hallway, Dong Sun wondered why he was so bothered when Mi Na was upset and finally concluded that it was because he feared what she would do to him if she remained angry.

Joining Mi Na and In-Su in the apartment, Dong Sun grabbed his project file and headed to the kitchen. As he ate, he provided Mi Na with the details of the project and asked her questions about how a female consumer would respond if she saw the following advertisement concepts. Since the project involved the endorsement of an all natural cosmetic line, Mi Na thought that Dong Sun had a good idea in wanting to use nature as the backdrop to promote the products. However, she still felt that his concepts lacked something that would make a female consumer excited about purchasing the products. After a few hours of brainstorming, Mi Na and Dong Sun were still not able to figure out what the missing link in his campaign concepts and decided to call it a night.

Seeing that it was late, Dong Sun did not want Mi Na to drive home and suggested that he call her a taxi. Opposed to the idea, Mi Na replied, “I’m fine. It’s only 1:00 am. I’ve driven home later than this before." Even though she said that she was fine, Dong Sun knew that Mi Na was tired from having put in a full day of work in addition to helping him and In-Su out. Emboldened by his desire to have her for once listen to his suggestion, Dong Sun grabbed her keys out of her purse and asked, “You can’t drive home without these, right?” Not amused, Mi Na made a grab for her keys and was frustrated when she saw Dong Sun shoving the keys into his pant pocket. Folding her arms, Mi Na looked at Dong Sun and asked, “Do you think I won’t go in there to get my keys?” Believing that she would never make good on her threat, Dong Sun replied, “You wouldn’t.”

Mi Na narrowed her eyes at his apparent provocation and said, “You watch me.” Mi Na advanced forward as though to stick her hand into his pocket, stopped short of touching him and smiled triumphantly as she watched him produce the keys. Grabbing the keys from his hand, Mi Na said, “You should know better than to pull that kind of stuff with me.” Admitting defeat, Dong Sun replied, “If I didn’t know better then, I definitely know better now. Go ahead and drive home if you want.” Upon seeing Dong Sun's agitation, Mi Na sighed, re-handed him the keys and said, “Don’t be such a baby. Go ahead and call a taxi if you want.”

Realizing that he had finally won, Dong Sun quickly called the taxi company before Mi Na had a chance to change her mind. As they waited by the sidewalk for her taxi to arrive, Dong Sun smiled at Mi Na and said, “Thanks for everything today. You really helped me a lot.” Looking at the adorable smile on Dong Sun’s face, Mi Na grinned and said, “You don’t know the half of it, but you’re welcome.” When her taxi arrived, Dong Sun opened the rear passenger door for her to enter and said, “I’ll drop your car off tomorrow.” To which Mi Na replied, “No, It’s okay. I’ll have someone come pick it up.” He nodded and said, “Okay, then have a good night.” Mi Na smiled and replied, “You too.” With that, Dong Sun closed her door and watched her taxi drive off.

Even without the aid of her alarm clock, Mi Na found herself waking up at 7:00 am and decided to get a jump start on her weekend. After taking a shower, she headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of orange juice. On her way back to her bedroom, Mi Na saw that her father’s office door was open and peered inside. She was surprised to see him sitting behind his desk reviewing several company reports. Although, she had already entered his office, Mi Na wanted to make her presence known and asked, “A-pa, can I come in?” Looking up from his reports, Mi Na’s father smiled and asked with astonishment, “Well aren’t you up early today? Did my little princess forget that it’s Saturday?” Smiling at her father’s playful remark, Mi Na replied, “A-pa, it looks like you’re the one who forgot that it’s Saturday.”

Having actually experienced work for the first time in her life, Mi Na finally realized how difficult it was to earn a living and worried for her father’s health. With this thought on her mind, Mi Na observed, “You’re not young anymore, so you should try to take better care of yourself. All that work can’t be good for you.” When she finished her statement, Mi Na placed her glass of orange juice on her father’s desk and said, “Here, drink this. It’s better than all that caffeine in your morning coffee.” Upon hearing the concern in her voice, Mi Na’s father smiled and thought to himself, “Dong Sun, whatever you’re doing to thaw my ice princess’s heart, keep it up.” Picking up the glass of orange juice, Mi Na’s father happily drank and said, “It’s very tasty.” Mi Na smiled and was glad that he liked it, even though he was usually accustomed to drinking coffee.

After setting the glass of orange juice down, her father asked, “Do you want to go out and get some breakfast with me?” Seeing that she did not have anything planned, Mi Na replied, “Sure, I just need to go get dressed.” Mi Na’s father nodded and said that he would wait for her in the foyer. Within 20 minutes, Mi Na met up with her father and informed him that they would need to take the family car. She went on to further explain that her car was still parked at Dong Sun’s apartment building. Surprised by the information, her father asked, “Why is your car there?” To which Mi Na replied, “I was helping Dong Sun with his new project last night. Since he didn’t want me to drive home so late, he suggested that I leave my car at his place and take a taxi home.” Mi Na’s father smiled and observed, “I’m glad that you two are getting along so well.” Mi Na shrugged her shoulders, forced a smile and thought to herself, “Tch, we’d get along a lot better if he wasn’t always making me angry.”

Since she was hungry, Mi Na ushered her father out of the house and instructed the driver to take them to the country club. When they arrived, Mi Na and her father made their way to the club’s dining hall. Upon entering the restaurant, Mi Na immediately spotted Manager Yoo and commented to her father, “I didn’t know that they let just anyone into this club now.” Looking at the person Mi Na was referring to, her father asked, “Who’s that?” With a rather indifferent tone, Mi Na replied, “Let’s just say he’s someone who shouldn’t be allowed in here.” As she finished her statement, Mi Na watched incredulously as Young Jae joined Manager Yoo at his table. Seeing the same scene, Mi Na’s father said, “That explains a lot, I guess that man can be here because he’s Young Jae’s friend.” Hearing her father’s statement, Mi Na finally realized why Manager Yoo had stuck Dong Sun with such a difficult project and replied to her father, “Yes, that does explain a lot.”

Confused by Mi Na’s cryptic response, her father shrugged his shoulders and guided her towards their usual table. Over breakfast, Mi Na picked her father’s brain about Dong Sun’s project and listened intently as he explained that an advertisement’s budget and target audience were more important than developing a solid campaign concept. Thinking of the budget and target audience of Dong Sun’s project, Mi Na finally figured out what was missing from all of Dong Sun’s ideas. Excited, Mi Na looked at her father and asked, “Would it be okay if we continued this breakfast on another day? I just thought of something that will really help Dong Sun with his first project.”

Seeing that Mi Na was anxious to focus on work, even though she also appeared to be focused on her boyfriend, her father happily consented to her request saying, “Since it’s for work, sure. But next time we go to breakfast, be sure to invite Dong Sun. If he’s there, I can be sure that you won’t cancel halfway through the meal.” Mi Na smiled and asked, “A-pa, when did you start being so funny?” To which her father replied, “No need to worry about me, just go rush over to your boyfriend’s side.” Without any further delay, Mi Na left the restaurant, hailed a taxi in front of the country club and informed the driver of her intended destination.

Along the way to Dong Sun’s apartment, Mi Na dialed his number and waited for him to pick up on the other line. Hearing his cell phone ring incessantly, Dong Sun picked it up and answered sleepily, “Hello?” To which Mi Na asked, “Lee Dong Sun are you still sleeping?” Narrowing his eyes to focus on his alarm clock, Dong Sun replied, “It’s only 9:30, of course I’m still sleeping. What do you want now?”Mi Na scoffed before replying, “I just came up with a great idea for your project. I’m headed over to your apartment right now to discuss it with you.” Snapping out of his sleepy stupor, Dong Sun said, “You don’t have to come over. Just tell me over the phone.” Ignoring his suggestion, Mi Na replied, “I’m already headed over. Plus, I need to pick up my car anyways. Oh and if you don’t mind, please go put on some clothes, before I get there.” Not allowing Dong Sun to respond, Mi Na abruptly hung up the phone. Lying speechless in his bed, Dong Sun momentarily covered his head with his pillow and let out a muffled groan before getting out of bed to put on a shirt.

Within 30 minutes, Mi Na had arrived at Dong Sun’s apartment and made her way up the stairs. Once she was in front of his door, Mi Na rang the bell and walked in after Dong Sun opened the door. Seeing her walk by him, Dong Sun asked, “Now you’re not even going to wait to be invited in?” Not amused, Mi Na looked at Dong Sun and replied, “You’re lucky that I don’t make you get me a key.” With a serious tone, Dong Sun said, “Try to remember that you aren’t really my girlfriend.” Not wanting to waste any more time, Mi Na asked, “Do you want to hear my idea or not?” Remembering that she was there to discuss his project, Dong Sun nodded, motioned for her to sit and replied, “Yeah, let’s hear it.”

Taking a seat on the couch, Mi Na recounted her discussion with her father and said, “Since we’re trying to sell a natural make-up line that claims to add moisture and rejuvenation to a woman’s face, what better way is there to highlight that, then to set the ad campaign in a waterfall setting. It’s natural, majestic, and synonymous with beauty.” Reflecting on Mi Na’s idea, Dong Sun smiled and said, “That could work, it ties in the model with the product and nature.” Happy that he approved of her idea, Mi Na continued, “But the most important part of this concept is going to have to be the male model.” Confused, Dong Sun asked, “What does a make-up line, which targets female consumers, have to do with a male model?” After hearing his inquiry, Mi Na replied, “Keep in mind that your target audience is young females and trust me when I tell you that, nothing gets our attention more than handsome face.”

Duly impressed with Mi Na’s ideas, Dong Sun said, “You really put a lot of thought into this. I’m surprised that you’re so good at this.” Mi Na replied with a haughty air, “Tch, I’m good at everything I do.” Rolling his eyes, Dong Sun suddenly remembered that while Mi Na’s concept was exceptional, it certainly did not fit within the project’s budget. With that thought in mind, Dong Sun said, “I’m not sure if we can do everything you just mentioned since the project’s budget is really limited.” Mi Na thought for a short while before replying, “It doesn’t have to be expensive. If we do most of the leg work for the photo shoot ourselves, we can save a lot of money.” Wondering what she was getting at, Dong Sun asked, “What kind of leg work?” In a purposeful tone, M Na replied, “We can go and look for the location ourselves and avoid all the tourism agency fees. We can also file the necessary permits ourselves. And, since the product is not really that well known, we don’t have to go all out on big name actors, actresses or models, right?”

Hearing all of Mi Na’s great ideas, Dong Sun nodded his head and said, “That could really work.” Satisfied with herself, Mi Na replied, “Yeah, but we’re going to have to get started right away if we want to have everything ready for next week.” Recalling their entire conversation, Dong Sun said, “You know, this whole time, I heard you use the word “we” a lot. You don’t have to help me with this project; Manager Yoo didn’t even assign you to it.” Mi Na folded her arms, narrowed her eyes and replied, "You ungrateful little punk, how dare you cut me out of this, after I came up with the whole concept.” Taken aback by her statement, Dong Sun repeated in disbelief, “Ungrateful little punk? Don’t forget that I’m older than you.” Waving him off, Mi Na replied, “Didn’t I tell you that I don’t care about seniority?”

Before Dong Sun could respond, Mi Na continued, “I’m going to help you with this project whether you like it or not.” Upon finishing her statement, Mi Na pulled out her phone dialed a series of numbers and instructed the person on the other line, to book two tickets for the earliest flight available to Jeju Island for herself and Dong Sun. Dong Sun sat stunned by Mi Na’s boorish efficiency and waited for her to hang up the phone before asking, “Why are we going to Jeju Island? Are you forcing me to go on a honeymoon with you?” Shaking her head, Mi Na replied, “Have you lost your mind? We’re going there to scout out a waterfall location. I know that Jeju Island has three pretty famous waterfalls that we look at.” With his mouth agape, Dong Sun said, “You’re really serious about this huh?” Staring blankly at him, Mi Na replied, “Do I look like I’m messing around?” Bewildered, Dong Sun thought to himself, “I really wish you were. Song Mi Na, how do you always manage to get your way?”


Coming to terms with the fact that he did not have any say in the matter, Dong Sun headed to his bedroom to pack. While she waited for her assistant to call back with the flight information, Mi Na pressed the speed dial for her father’s cell phone. When he picked up on the other line, Mi Na said, “A-pa, I wanted to let you know that I’m going to Jeju Island with Dong Sun.” Upon hearing Mi Na’s announcement, her father expressed his reservations about her plans and replied, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. It’s not proper for an unmarried woman to go on this type of trip.” Confused by her father’s response, Mi Na asked, “What do you mean by “this type of trip”?” To which her father replied, “Isn’t Jeju Island one of the top honeymoon destinations? Clearly, you two are not newlyweds, so you shouldn't go.”

Agitated by her father’s explanation, Mi Na asked, “Why is everyone suddenly talking about honeymoons?” Not allowing her father to respond, Mi Na clarified, “I'm going there with him to scout out some locations for the photo shoot of his new project.” Sensing that her father was still opposed to her plans, M Na asked, “Didn’t you just go there a couple of weeks ago with you secretary? She’s an unmarried woman isn’t she?” Realizing that she would stop at nothing to get her way, Mi Na’s father sighed and replied, “If it’s for work then I guess it is okay. But don’t do anything that I wouldn’t.” Having received her father’s consent, Mi Na declared, “A-pa, don’t worry about anything. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

As she hung up her phone, Mi Na saw Dong Sun re-emerge from his bedroom holding a small black duffel bag. Observing the poor condition of the bag, Mi Na asked, “Don’t you have any decent looking luggage?” Annoyed, Dong Sun countered, “Why are you concerning yourself about that? Shouldn’t you go home and pack?” Mi Na folded her arms and replied, “When my assistant drops off our plane tickets, she’ll bring my luggage as well.” Placing his bag by the door, Dong Sun made his way to the kitchen and asked, “I’m making coffee, do you want some?” To which Mi Na replied, “Not from here, I don’t.”

Within a couple of minutes, Dong Sun returned to the living room with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and walked over to the couch. Watching him take a seat, Mi Na said, “We should get going, my assistant is going to meet us at the airport.” Dong Sun nodded his head and replied, “Okay, let me just put this into a coffee container.” Staring blankly at Dong Sun, Mi Na replied, “You might as well dump it down the sink. I have a strict policy against people eating or drinking in my car.” Irritated, Dong Sun asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that before I made the coffee?” To which Mi Na replied, “Because you never asked.” Watching his coffee go down the drain, Dong Sun wondered if he would be able to refrain himself from seriously hurting her during the trip. Since he did not want to disturb In-Su’s rest, Dong Sun left a note to explain where he was going.

Mi Na and Dong Sun met up with her assistant at the boarding gate and proceeded to get on the plane. Once all of the passengers had boarded the flight, the pilot informed them that it would take about an hour to reach their intended destination and wished all of the newlyweds a safe and pleasant trip. Rolling her eyes, Mi Na remarked, “They shouldn’t call it Jeju Island anymore and just rename it Newlywed Island instead.” Confused by her random statement, Dong Sun shook his head and pulled out his magazine to read. Within a little over an hour their plane landed at the Jeju Island International Airport.

Anxious to get off of the cramped airplane, Mi Na hurriedly pulled her luggage from the overhead compartment and suddenly lost her balance as another passenger shoved his way past her in the aisle. Dong Sun quickly grabbed her by the waist to prevent her from falling and pulled her in close to his body. With his hands still firmly planted on her waist, Dong Sun looked towards the front of the plane and declared, “What a rude person. He almost knocked you over and didn’t even say sorry.” Acutely aware of their closeness, Mi Na caught a hold of her breath, quickly stepped away and said, “Let’s just go.” Surprised that she was going to let the incident go, Dong Sun nodded his head and replied, “Yeah, okay let’s go.” He watched as she hurried down the aisle to exit the plane.

Noticing that she had forgotten to grab her luggage, Dong Sun picked it up after retrieving his own duffel bag from the overhead compartment. As he made his way off the plane, he thought to himself, “Her luggage weighs a ton. What the heck did she ask them to pack?” Inside the terminal, Dong Sun spotted Mi Na at the car rental counter and made his way over to meet her. Standing beside her, Dong Sun held up her luggage and asked, “Did you forget something?” Mi Na ignored his question and proceeded to pull her purse from her luggage to pay for the rental car. Still holding up her luggage, Dong Sun asked, “Aren’t you going to take it?” Mi Na stared at him blankly and replied, “Just keep holding it, since you’re doing such a good job.” Speechless, Dong Sun simply sighed and lowered his arm.

When their rental car pulled up to the curb, Mi Na opened the trunk for Dong Sun to put in their luggage. Once he had done so, she handed him the keys and said, “Here you drive. I’m not comfortable driving around places that I’m not familiar with.” Taking the keys from Mi Na’s hand, Dong Sun went to the driver’s side of the car and waited for her to get in. Once she was seated, Mi Na pulled out her phone, looked up the directions and said, “Okay, it says that you’re supposed to exit the Jeju International Airport and head towards Seobu Tourist Road, and then you’ll pass the Jungmun Resort Complex and Jeju World Cup Stadium and finally arrive at Seogwipo port.”

Focusing his attention on the road, Dong Sun asked, “How am I supposed to remember all that?” Shrugging her shoulders, Mi Na replied, “Fine. Just drive, I’ll keep an eye out for the roads.” Finding that the directions were relatively clear, Dong Sun and Mi Na arrived safely at the entrance way to the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. Mi Na pulled out her wallet and paid for two adult admission tickets, which totaled 4,000 won.

As they made their way down the path leading to the waterfalls, Mi Na pulled out her pocket notebook and jotted down a series of numbers. Looking over her shoulder, as she wrote, Dong Sun saw that she was calculating the total price for the admission of the estimated number of photo shoot crew members, models and other personnel. He was impressed by the thoroughness of her work and noticed her wrinkle up her nose while she paused trying to figure out whether her math was correct.

The cute expression on Mi Na’s face caused Dong Sun to smile widely as he remarked, “You’re cute when you’re concentrating on your work.” Looking up from her notebook, Mi Na corrected him by saying, “I’m always cute. Not just when I’m concentrating on my work.” Letting out a slight chuckle, Dong Sun asked, “How can you be so conceited?” To which Mi Na replied, “It’s not conceit, it’s called being self-confident.” As she finished her statement, she looked around the serene path that they were on and said, “This place is really nice.” Dong Sun nodded his head in agreement and replied, “It’s a bit crowded, so we might have to ask the park officials to block off a small corner of the waterfall for the photo shoot and filming.”

Looking at the stream, Mi Na’s eyes lit up as she saw several ducks wading around in the stream near the path. She pointed to the ducks and said, “Dong Sun look at them, they’re cute huh?” Dong Sun looked in the direction she was pointing; shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Sure, I guess.” When they finally arrived at the falls, Dong Sun and Mi Na looked around and were both amazed by the sight before them.

Spotting the highest peak of the falls, Mi Na pointed and said, “No wonder they call this place Cheonjiyeon (Ch’eon = sky and ji = land), it feels like the waterfall is really connecting the sky to the land.” Not waiting for Dong Sun to respond, Mi Na continued, “I don’t think we need to go to the other two places right? The admission is pretty cheap and since it’s been raining a lot lately, there are several points where the stream falls over the cliffs.” Agreeing with Mi Na’s assessment, Dong Sun replied, “I think this is the ideal location too. Why don’t we go and see if we can talk to some of the park officials to make the necessary arrangements.”

Before long, Mi Na and Dong Sun had successfully negotiated a reasonable fee for the use of a small area of the falls and were informed of the Jeju Island safety permits, which would be necessary to complete the transaction. Dong Sun thanked the park officials for the information and said that he would have people obtain the permits and send them over via fax early the following week.

Not ready to leave, Mi Na asked Dong Sun, “Can we go back to the falls? I want to look around some more.” Seeing that she was enjoying the park, one of the officials interjected saying, “Lee Dong Sun shii, don’t just focus on your work or else your new bride will miss out on everything our little island has to offer.” Not bothering to correct the official, Mi Na stifled her urge to laugh and taunted, “Yes, sweetie. Don’t forget all about your new bride.” Upon finishing her statement, Mi Na playfully grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

The officials watched as the couple walked off and one of them remarked, “What a delightfully adorable couple.” Tired of being dragged along, Dong Sun pulled his hand away from Mi Na and asked, “What was that?” Mi Na shrugged and replied, “Since everyone seems to think that we’re newlyweds, we might as well have a little fun with it right?” Dong Sun shook his head and simply asked, “Since everything is pretty much taken care of for the photo shoot and filming location, should we try to book an earlier flight home? Mi Na nodded her head in agreement and said, “That’s a good idea, we don’t need to stay here if it isn’t necessary.” Pulling out her cell phone, Mi Na called her assistant and instructed her to make the necessary arrangements. Her assistant called back promptly informing Mi Na that their flight had been booked and that they needed to get back at the airport within 4 hours.

Seeing that there was still some time to sight-see, Mi Na and Dong Sun continued to tour the falls. Although, there were signs posted around the falls cautioning people against entering certain areas, Mi Na ventured off onto a small path to get closer to the stream. Pulling her back, Dong Sun said, “You can’t go in there. The sign says it’s dangerous.” Mi Na pulled her arm away and replied, “The sign just says you shouldn’t go in there, not that you can’t go in there. I’ll just be more careful.” Exasperated, Dong Sun tried to protest but found that it was to no avail. Following closely behind her, Dong Sun kept a watchful eye over Mi Na to make sure she was safe.

Carefully stepping on the slippery path, Mi Na felt her balance waver a couple of times but was able to regain it back relatively quickly. Having made it to her intended location, Mi Na smiled and said to Dong Sun, “See this place, it’s great. We can do the shoot right here. There’s a good amount of waterfall in the background and a lot of natural light.” Dong sun nodded and replied, “Okay, fine. Let’s just go back to the main path before something bad happens.” Mi Na pursed her lips and finally said, “Okay, let’s go back, you party pooper.” Holding out his hand to Mi Na, Dong Sun said, “Here take my hand, the way back to the main path seems to be really slippery.” Refusing to take his hand, Mi Na replied, “I don’t need you to hold my hand like I’m some little kid.” As she said this, she made her way from one path to another and completely lost her balance. Luckily for her, Dong Sun was close enough to grab her arm and pull her back.

Although, Dong Sun had successfully prevented her from falling, he was not able to stop her purse from falling into the stream. Shocked Mi Na yelled out, “My purse!” The two stood dazed watching her purse disappear from sight. Dong Sun shook his head and reproached, “I told you not to come in here. Now look what happened.” With a remorseful pout, Mi Na replied, “What are we going to do? All of my identification was in that purse. How am I going to get my plane ticket?” Seeing that they were standing in a rather dangerous spot, Dong Sun grabbed Mi Na’s hand and carefully guided her back to the main path, as he said, “I don’t know, we’ll think of something.”

When they reached the car, Mi Na used Dong Sun’s cell phone to call her assistant. Her assistant informed her that they could get replacement identification for her but that it would take at least a day. Therefore, they had no other choice than to remain on Jeju Island, until everything was ready the following day. Hanging up the phone, Mi Na handed it back to Dong Sun and said, "I think we’re going to have to stay here tonight.” Dong Sun looked at Mi Na and replied, “I have my identification, so it looks like you’re the only one who has to stay.” Surprised, Mi Na asked, “You’re just going to leave me here by myself?” Seeing her worried expression, Dong Sun replied, “Of course I can’t do that. You’ll kill me when you get back to Seoul.” Mi Na smiled and was relieved that he did not plan on abandoning her.

Turning his attention to more important matters, Dong Sun said, “We’ll need to find a place to stay.” Mi Na looked at him and asked, “Aren’t we staying at the hotel near the airport?” Dong Sun shook his head and replied, “That was the plan until you decided to throw away all of your money and credit cards. I don’t have enough money to pay for that hotel and you were holding onto our company credit card.” Mi Na looked at Dong Sun and asked hesitantly, “Why can’t you just use one of your credit cards?” To which he replied, “I don’t have any credit cards. I only use cash.” Mi Na stared at him incredulously and asked, “What kind of person doesn’t have a credit card?” Looking back at Mi Na, Dong Sun replied, “The kind that doesn't like to pay the high interest rates." Not allowing Mi Na to respond, Dong Sun continued, "We’ll just have to stay at some private lodging tonight.” Seeing that they were out of options, Mi Na nodded her head and sat quietly while Dong Sun drove off onto the main road.


Since Dong Sun was unfamiliar with the area, he wanted to find a gas station to ask for directions. When one came into sight, Dong Sun turned the steering wheel slightly to the right and drove carefully down the unpaved road. Instructing Mi Na to stay put, Dong Sun headed into the gas station and asked the attendant for directions to the nearest private lodging. The helpful attendant grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the directions to the nearest lodging facility in the area. Remembering that they were low on gas, Dong Sun pulled out his wallet and asked, “Can I get 10,000 won on pump number 1?” Collecting the money, the attendant pressed a series of buttons on the cash register and said, “Okay, you’re all set to start pumping gas.” Dong Sun thanked the man for his help and turned to exit the store when he saw Mi Na enter.

Meeting her at the entrance, Dong Sun asked, “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the car?” Biting the side of her lower lip, Mi Na exclaimed loudly, “But I’m thirsty!” With an exasperated sigh, Dong Sun said, “Stop whining and just go get some water.” Walking past Dong Sun, Mi Na looked over the store’s drink choices and grabbed a bottle of Perrier. Seeing her selection, Dong Sun walked over, snatched away the bottle and said, “I’m not paying that much for this small bottle of water. Pick something else.” Glaring at Dong Sun, Mi Na asked, “Why are you being such a tyrant? It doesn’t even cost that much.” Pointing towards a row of bigger water bottles, Dong Sun replied, “Those cost half as much as this little bottle of Perrier. You do realize that we’re working with a limited budget, right?” Without another word, Mi Na grabbed one of the cheaper bottles, walked to the counter and motioned for Dong Sun to pay for her purchase.

While he pumped gas, Dong Sun peered into the car and observed Mi Na’s soured expression as she drank her water. Seeing how difficult it was for her to choke down the water, Dong Sun realized just how sensitive Mi Na’s palate was. With that thought in mind, he opened his door and said, “I need to go to the bathroom.” Not bothering to look at him, Mi Na asked, “Why are telling me that? Do you expect me to escort you to the little boys’ room?” Ignoring her sarcastic response, Dong Sun closed the car door and walked back into the gas station’s convenience store.

Upon his return, Dong Sun entered the car, fastened his seatbelt, turned the key in the ignition and handed Mi Na a small bag. Curious to see what he had purchased, Mi Na peered inside the bag and smiled when she saw a small bottle of Perrier. Turning her body sideways to face Dong Sun, Mi Na asked, “Why’d you buy this? I thought you said it wasn’t in the budget.” Dong Sun kept his eyes focused on the road and cleared his throat before replying, “When you were drinking from that other water bottle, it looked like you were going to be sick. That’s why I bought the Perrier because it’s cheaper than a visit to the hospital.” With a wide grin on her face, Mi Na pinched Dong Sun’s right cheek and said, “You’re such a cutie when you cave in.”

Startled by Mi Na’s sudden assault on his face, Dong Sun yelled, “Hey! How can you behave like that? I’m your senior after all.” Mi Na scoffed and asked, “Is that your way of asking me to call you Oppa?” Dong Sun’s eyes widened upon hearing her question and replied, “Please don’t ever call me that. I’m getting Goosebumps just hearing you use the word.” Mi Na rolled her eyes and warned, “You better not look for me later and beg me to call you that.” Dong Sun glanced over at Mi Na and let out a quick “Tch” sound before declaring, “That’ll be the day!” Narrowing her eyes, as she focused on his smug expression, Mi Na ordered, “Stop talking so much and just drive!” Upset with Dong Sun’s ability to turn a friendly moment into a full blown fight, Mi Na contemplated ignoring him for the remainder of the trip, but decided against it since he had all of the money.

When they arrived at the private lodging facility Mi Na and Dong Sun headed into the office to ask if there were any vacancies. Much to their relief, the owner informed them that there was an available vacancy and asked if they would be paying via cash or credit. Dong Sun replied that they would be paying for the rooms with cash. Upon hearing his response, the owner clarified, “Oh, I think you’ve misunderstood. We don’t have multiple rooms available. We only have one room that is vacant.” Glancing over at Mi Na’s worried expression; Dong Sun quickly asked the owner, “Can you give us directions to another lodging facility in the area?” To which the owner replied, “We’re the only private lodging facility around here, but I’m sure that there are a lot of vacancies at the hotel near the airport.”

Pulling Dong Sun aside, Mi Na exclaimed, “We can’t stay in the same room!” To which, Dong Sun replied, “I know that. But if we don’t take the room, we’re going to have to sleep in the car tonight.” Before Mi Na could figure out what they should do, she watched as another couple walked into the office to inquire about the vacancies. Acting quickly, Mi Na called out to the owner saying, “We’ll take the room.” Staring at her in disbelief, Dong Sun asked nervously, “We will?” Mi Na nodded her head and replied, “Isn’t sleeping together in the car the same thing as sleeping together in the same room?” Not allowing him to respond, Mi Na continued, “It’s better to be in a warm room than in a freezing car.” Unable to argue with her logic, Dong Sun replied, “Fine, whatever. It’s only for one night.” Having decided to make the best of a bad situation, Dong Sun paid the owner for the room and headed to the car to grab their luggage.

When Dong Sun returned with the luggage, the owner escorted them to their room and handed him the keys, before saying, “If you need anything, please come by the office and ring the bell. The bedding is in the dresser by the wall and we have a market down the street that’s open 24-hours a day.” Exhausted from the day’s events, Mi Na grabbed the keys out of Dong Sun’s hand and opened the door to their room. Dong Sun thanked the owner for his assistance and turned to follow Mi Na into their room. Closing the door behind him, Dong Sun looked on as Mi Na inspected the room. Hearing the door close, Mi Na complained, “There’s no bed in here.” Dong Sun looked around and replied, “This isn’t a hotel. Private lodgings are cheaper because you sleep on the floor.”

Ignoring Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na opened the dresser door, looked inside and proclaimed, “There’s only one bedding set in here.” With a heavy sigh, Dong Sun replied in an elevated voice, “Of course there’s only one set. A single room usually accommodates either one person or a couple!” Mi Na angrily threw the bedding set at Dong Sun and asked, “Why are you yelling at me?! I was just letting you know that we have to sleep together on this! You stupid jerk.” Realizing that they were both taking out their frustration on one another, Dong Sun calmed himself, lowered his voice and asked, “Are you hungry?” Contemplating his question, Mi Na subdued her own tone before replying, “Yes, I am. I haven’t eaten since we got off the plane.”

Setting down the blanket, Dong Sun said, “Okay, let’s go to the market and pick up some food.” Observing Dong Sun’s face, Mi Na asked hesitantly, “Can we go to a restaurant instead?” Dong Sun stared at her blankly and countered, “Do you think I have enough money to pay for a meal at a restaurant?” Slightly pouting her lips, Mi Na replied, “Fine, let’s just go to the stupid market.” Without any further delay, the pair made their way to the 24-hour market. Dong Sun grabbed a small basket and walked around the store with Mi Na close by his side. Mi Na looked around the store curiously and said, “I’ve never been inside a market before.” Looking at her in disbelief, Dong Sun asked, “Are you serious?” Contemplating the question, Mi Na tilted her head to the side and replied, “No wait. I think maybe my mother might have taken me to the market before. But since she died when I was five, I don’t really remember.”

Dong Sun furrowed his brow upon hearing her response and thought that it must have been difficult for Mi Na to lose her mother at such a young age. He empathized with her loss, since he had also experienced the loss of both parents at the age of eighteen. Wanting to lighten the mood, Dong Sun smiled and said, “I bet you’ve never eaten ramen noodles either.” Looking at Dong Sun wearily, Mi Na asked, “Are you talking about those greasy packets of noodles that college students stuff their faces with?” Dong Sun nodded his head and replied, “Yup those are the ones. But don’t speak too lightly of them; they got me through four difficult years of college.”

Ushering Mi Na towards the noodle aisle, Dong Sun exclaimed, “Song Mi Na, today’s your lucky day. You’re going to get to try Dong Sun’s special ramen noodle dish.” Mi Na watched as he placed several ramen packets into their basket and said, “You can’t seriously expect me to eat that.” Dong Sun pursed his lips and replied, “Just trust me, everything will be fine.” Before heading to the cash register to pay, Dong Sun stopped off at the drink aisle and picked up another bottle of Perrier. Seeing his thoughtfulness, Mi Na grabbed the bottle from his hand, placed it back on the shelf and grabbed two cheaper bottles of water. Holding up the bottles, she said, “Let’s just get these two cheaper bottles. That way we’ll both have something to drink tonight.” Shrugging his shoulders, Dong Sun replied, “Okay, if you say so.”

After Dong Sun paid for their purchases, the pair made their way back to the lodging facility. He handed the grocery bags to Mi Na and said, “Go back to the room; I need to get a portable stove from the owner.” Within ten minutes, Dong Sun returned to their room and showed Mi Na the portable cooking stove. Mi Na smiled and asked, “How long is this going to take? I’m starving.” Dong Sun set down the stove and began to get to work on his dish. Within a relatively short amount of time, Dong Sun had finished preparing their dinner and handed Mi Na a pair of chopsticks.

Observing the ramen noodles in the pot, Mi Na placed the chopsticks in her mouth and took in the aroma of the dish. Dong Sun looked at her and asked, “I thought you said you were hungry. Go ahead and try some.” Biting down on the chopsticks, Mi Na asked, “How am I supposed to eat this without a bowl?” Dong Sun smiled and replied, “Just eat it from the pot.” Staring at him wide-eyed Mi Na asked, “Right out of the pot? Isn’t that kind of unsanitary?” Shaking his head, Dong Sun replied, “You’re so troublesome. The heat of the broth will kill all of my germs, so don’t worry about it.” Without another word, Dong Sun picked up a piece of sausage from the broth and stuffed it into Mi Na’s mouth. Observing her close her eyes tightly as she chewed the food, Dong Sun said, “Stop being like that, you know it tastes good.” Re-opening her eyes, Mi Na smiled and said, “Omo, it does taste really good.” Without another word, Mi Na scoped up some noodles with her chopsticks and ate happily.

Seeing her enjoying the meal Dong Sun smiled and handed her the pot’s lid. Confused, Mi Na asked, “What’s that for?” To which Dong Sun replied, “Use the lid as a plate. It’ll help you keep the broth off of your clothes.” Mi Na smiled, took the lid and did as he instructed. As they ate, Dong Sun remarked, “See, I told you today was your lucky day. That’s why I always say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” Upon hearing Dong Sun’s statement, Mi Na stopped eating and examined Dong Sun’s face as he ate. With a bashful smile, Mi Na replied, “Yeah, I guess you really shouldn’t do that.” Looking up at her, Dong Sun asked, “Why are you staring at me? Do I have food on my face or something?” Embarrassed that he had caught her staring at him, Mi Na quickly looked away and replied, “Yeah you do. It’s all over your face you messy eater.” Dong Sun shrugged his shoulder and wiped his face with his sleeve before continuing to eat.

When they finished dinner, Dong Sun returned the portable cooking stove to the owner and headed back to their room. He was surprised to see that Mi Na had not yet changed and asked, “Didn’t they pack you some sleeping clothes?” Mi Na hesitated before holding up a red baby doll slip and replied, “I usually sleep in this. But I don’t think I can do that since you’re in the room.” Seeing the sheer sleeping garment, Dong Sun quickly looked away before replying, “Yeah, I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” Looking through his duffel bag, Dong Sun pulled out his sweatshirt and said, “Here why don’t you change into this.” Mi Na smiled and grabbed the sweatshirt from him before excusing herself to go change in the hallway bathroom. Dong Sun glanced over towards Mi Na’s luggage and observed, “If you wore that, I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.” Shaking his head at the disturbing thought, Dong Sun locked the door and changed into his pajamas.

Since the door was locked, Mi Na knocked and asked, “Can I come in?” Dong Sun opened the door and smiled upon seeing Mi Na in the over-sized sweatshirt. Observing his smile, Mi Na asked, “Do I look funny or something?” Dong Sun shook his head and replied, “No, you look good” before muttering under his breath, “I would feel better if you didn’t look so good.” Mi Na smiled, walked past Dong Sun and took a seat on the bedding, which he had laid out. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him and said as coolly as possible, “This shouldn’t be so bad. We’ll just put this pillow in the middle and it’ll be like we are on separate bedding.” Dong Sun laughed nervously before joining her. Facing opposite directions on the bedding, Mi Na and Dong Sun tried desperately to sleep but found that the task was a lot more difficult than either had expected.


After nearly an hour of trying, Dong Sun found that he was still unable to sleep and carefully got up from the bedding. Treading lightly, as to not wake Mi Na, Dong Sun put on his jacket and grabbed the car keys from the table. Upon turning the doorknob, he heard Mi Na ask, “Where are you going?” Surprised, he closed the door, turned around to face her and inquired, “Did I wake you?” She shook her head and replied, “No. I haven’t been able to sleep.” Repeating her previous question, Mi Na asked, “Where are you going?” Looking at the keys in his hand, Dong Sun smiled and replied, “Since I can’t sleep, I was planning on heading down to the beach.” Confused, Mi Na asked, “There’s a beach near here?” Dong Sun nodded his head and replied, “Yes, we passed one along the way here.” Getting up from the bedding, Mi Na asked, “Do you mind if I tag along?” Taken aback by her apprehensive tone, Dong Sun asked, “Are you asking for permission to come? Doesn’t Song Mi Na come and go as she pleases?”

Realizing that she was certainly acting out of character, Mi Na assumed her usual tone and replied, “Of course I do, but since you have the keys and the money, I thought it would be better if I asked.” Seeing Mi Na’s feistiness return, Dong Sun smiled and said, “Alright, then let’s go together.” Upon hearing Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na happily put on her shoes and said, “Let’s go.” Observing Mi Na in her high heels, tight leggings and over-sized sweatshirt, Dong Sun said, “Well that’s certainly a new look for you.” Looking down at her own outfit, Mi Na smiled and replied, “Yeah, but I sure can pull it off really well, right.” Smiling, Dong Sun went over to her luggage, pulled out her jacket and said, “Even if that’s true, you’ll still need this.” Waving him over, Mi Na replied, “Stop nagging like an old man and just come on.”

Within twenty minutes, they arrived at the beach and found that it was nearly deserted. Getting out of the car, Mi Na walked onto the paved path and observed, “There’s barely anyone here.” Walking up next to her, Dong Sun replied, “Of course no one’s here, it’s nearly one in the morning. All the sane people are sleeping in their beds.” Ignoring his response, Mi Na made her way down the path onto the sand and watched as the waves gently enveloped over one another.

Removing her heels, to feel the soft sand under her feet, Mi Na took in a deep comfortable breath before sitting down onto the ground. Joining her on the sand, Dong Sun said, “I wanted to tell you that I really appreciate all of your help today.” Turning her attention to Dong Sun, Mi Na replied, “I’ve hardly been of any help to you. If anything, I only caused you more problems.” Not turning to face her, Dong Sun observed, “Problems aside, if you didn’t come up with such a great concept, I’d still be at home wracking my brain trying to think of what should be done for this campaign.” Upon finishing his statement, Dong Sun turned to Mi Na and smiled sincerely at her.

Unable to remove her gaze from Dong Sun’s handsome features, Mi Na felt her heartbeat quicken and hastily stood up to redirect her attention. Seeing her abrupt movement, Dong Sun stood up, stepped in front of her and asked, “What’s wrong?” Hastily averting her eyes, Mi Na replied, “Ah, umm. I thought I felt something crawl on me.” Looking onto the ground, Dong Sun said, “I don’t see anything. It might have been your imagination.” Smiling nervously, Mi Na replied, “Yeah, maybe it’s all in my imagination. How could I actually feel something like that? It’s crazy, right?” Hearing Mi Na’s nonsensical rambling, Dong Sun asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?” Mi Na nodded her head before sitting back down onto the ground.

Mi Na watched Dong Sun re-take his seat by her side and observed him examining the area around them. Curious, Mi Na asked, “What are you doing?” Still focused on his examination; Dong Sun replied, “I’m checking to see if there are any little turtles or crabs around here.” Mi Na let out a slight chuckle and asked, “Why would there be any turtles or crabs around here? We aren’t even close to the water.” Glancing over at her, Dong Sun replied, “I just wanted to make sure since you said that you felt something crawl on you. It wouldn’t be good if something bit you.” Seeing the concerned expression on Dong Sun’s face, Mi Na smiled sweetly and asked herself, “Song Mi Na, when did you let him crawl into your heart?”

Mi Na’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard Dong Sun exclaim, “Hey look what I found.” Looking at the seashell in Dong Sun’s hand, Mi Na said, “It’s so small. I wonder if you can still hear the ocean if you hold it up to your ear.” Shrugging his shoulders, Dong Sun asked, “Why don’t you give it a try?” Upon finishing his suggestion, Dong Sun moved closer to Mi Na and held the seashell up to her ear and asked, “Can you hear it?” With a slight smile, Mi Na bashfully nodded her head and replied, “I can hear it really well.” Moving the seashell away from Mi Na, Dong Sun placed it against his ear and listened to the sound of the crashing waves and said, “You’re right, I can hear it really well.”

Handing the seashell over to Mi Na, Dong Sun said, “Here you keep it.” Not taking it from his hand, Mi Na replied, “You keep it, since you found it.” Looking over at her, Dong Sun asked, “What am I supposed to do with a girly thing like this?” Not allowing Mi Na to respond, Dong Sun placed the seashell in her hand and said, “Think of it as a gift.” Holding the seashell tightly in her hand, Mi Na observed, “It’s just like you to give me a gift that didn’t cost you anything.” With a slight smile on his face, Dong Sun explained, “It’s not the price of the gift that matters; it’s the strength of the sentiment behind it that matters.” Upon hearing Dong Sun’s explanation, Mi Na’s eyes widened as she asked, “How strong is the sentiment?” Caught off guard by Mi Na’s question, Dong Sun carefully considered his sentiments towards her and came to the conclusion that they were much stronger than they ought to be.

Seeing that Mi Na was still waiting for him to respond; Dong Sun smiled and calmly replied, “The sentiment is as strong as any gift that I would give to In-Su.” Mi Na furrowed her brows and was stunned by Dong Sun’s response. Unsure about how to react, Mi Na forced a smile and turned her attention back to the crashing waves. Glancing over at Mi Na’s beautiful features, as she stared at the waves, Dong Sun asked himself, “Who are you kidding? How can you think of her as only a sibling?” Conflicted by their unsettling feelings for one another, Dong Sun and Mi Na sat uncomfortably in silence. After a short while, Mi Na turned to Dong Sun and asked, “Can we go back now? It’s getting really cold.” Dong Sun nodded his head and replied, “Okay, let’s go back.”

As they drove back to the lodging facility, Mi Na pulled her legs up and hugged them tightly into her body. Resting her head on her knees, Mi Na became more and more agitated upon hearing the words “like In-Su” reverberate in her mind. Seeing her balled up, Dong Sun asked, “Are you really that cold? Do you want my jacket?” Not bothering to look over at him, Mi Na answered coldly, “I don’t need anything from you.” Unsure of what to make of Mi Na’s response, Dong Sun replied gruffly, “Fine!” Startled by his tone, Mi Na looked over at Dong Sun and wondered what he had to be mad about.

Driving quickly, Dong Sun was able to get them back to the lodging facility in record time. Being sufficiently exhausted from the long day, Mi Na and Dong Sun were finally able to fall asleep. Early the next morning, Dong Sun was awakened by the sound of his ringing cell phone. He picked up the phone and heard Mi Na’s assistant say, “Lee Dong Sun shii, can you tell Mi Na shii that her replacement papers have been faxed over to the airline and…” Stopping Mi Na’s assistant mid-sentence, Dong Sun replied, “Wait a minute, why don’t you tell her yourself.” Without another word, he nudged Mi Na and handed her the phone. Shifting slightly in the bedding, Mi Na grabbed the phone and answered groggily, “Hello?” Startled, to hear Mi Na’s sleepy voice, her assistant asked “Mi Na shii, are you sleeping in Lee Dong Sun shii’s room?”

Upon hearing her assistant’s question, Mi Na sat up, turned to slap Dong Sun on the shoulder and asked loudly, “What are you doing in my room?” Stunned, Dong Sun remained speechless, before seeing Mi Na point at the phone and mouth the words “bringing you breakfast.” Realizing what she wanted him to do, Dong Sun replied, “I came in here to bring you your breakfast.” Breathing a sigh of relief, Mi Na placed the phone back to her ear and asked, “What did you just ask me?” To which, her assistant replied, “Oh, it was nothing important. I was just calling to let you know that your replacement identification has been faxed to the airline and that your flight will be departing at 10 AM at Gate C.” Mi Na thanked her assistant for the information, hung up the phone and proceeded to glare angrily at Dong Sun. Seeing her angry expression, Dong Sun quickly got up, grabbed his towel and headed out of the room before calling back, “I’m going to take a shower before we leave.” Shaking her head, Mi Na observed, “You sure know when to run, don't you?”

Upon arriving at the Jeju International Airport, Mi Na and Dong Sun returned their rental car, picked up their airline tickets and boarded the plane. After placing his duffel bag into the overhead compartment, Dong Sun grabbed Mi Na’s luggage and hoisted it up next to his bag. Watching Mi Na make her way to the middle seat, Dong Sun took a hold of her arm and said, “I’ll sit there. It’ll be more comfortable for you in the aisle seat.” Mi Na looked over at the heavy set man, who had taken the window seat in their row, and turned to Dong Sun to say, “No; it’s okay, you take the aisle seat. I need less space since I’m smaller than you.” Disregarding her suggestion, Dong Sun pulled her out of the way and sat down. Mi Na smiled diffidently before proceeding to take her seat by his side. Once she was seated, Mi Na overheard a woman in the adjacent row ask her companion, “Why don’t you ever take care of me like that?” To which, her companion replied, “You can’t compare us to them. Clearly they’re newlyweds who’ve just returned from their honeymoon.”

Hearing the man’s response, Mi Na looked over at Dong Sun and asked herself, “How do I get you to stop thinking of me as a little sister?” Sensing Mi Na’s gaze, Dong Sun turned to her and observed the startled expression on her face. The abruptness of Dong Sun’s attention caused Mi Na to quickly turn away as she began to fumble around with her seat belt. Seeing that she was having a difficult time fastening her seat belt, Dong Sun reached over, grabbed the strap from her hand and said, “Here, let me help you with that.” As Dong Sun tightened the strap around her waist, Mi Na blushed profusely and wondered how red her face had become. Looking up at Mi Na’s flushed face, Dong Sun asked, “Are you okay? Your face is really red.”

Removing his seat belt, Dong Sun stood up and turned on the air vent above her seat and asked, “Can you feel it?” Mi Na nodded and replied, “Yes, I can feel it.” Clearing her throat she continued, “It’s really stuffy on this airplane.” Retaking his seat, Dong Sun fastened his seat belt and replied, “Next time we fly, we need to get you a window seat.” Smiling, Mi Na asked, “Are you planning on flying with me again?” Realizing what he had just said, Dong Sun quickly replied, “Of course, I’m planning on flying with you again. We’ll probably be working on future project’s together, so isn’t it a necessity?” Disheartened by Dong Sun’s response, Mi Na smiled weakly and replied, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Although, it was going to be a relatively short flight; Mi Na thought that it would be a good idea to try to take a little nap. Resting her eyes, she quickly nodded off to sleep. Seeing that her head was positioned awkwardly as she slept, Dong Sun gently moved Mi Na so that she could rest comfortably on his shoulder. Staring at her beautiful face, Dong Sun wondered if someone like Mi Na could ever fall for a, nobody like himself. With a contented sigh, Dong Sun thought, “I guess I’ll just have to enjoy being your fake boyfriend for as long as you let me.”

When they arrived at the Incheon International Airport, Dong Sun said to Mi Na, “Wake up, we’re here.” Slowly opening her eyes, Mi Na looked up at Dong Sun and asked, “Already?” Smiling, Dong Sun inquired, “What do you mean already? My entire shoulder is wet from your drool.” Moving away from his shoulder, Mi Na replied, “Don’t lie. Your shoulder is completely dry.” Before Dong Sun could respond, the man in the window seat said gruffly, “If you two lovebirds are through, I’d like to get off the plane.” Dong Sun turned to the man and apologized before ushering Mi Na out of her seat. Collecting their luggage, Dong Sun followed Mi Na off the plane.

Upon making their way out of the airport, Mi Na spotted a coffee shop and asked, “Dong Sun, do you want some coffee?” Dong Sun set down their luggage; took out his wallet and handed Mi Na some money before replying, “No, just get yourself a cup.” Taking the money from his hand, Mi Na said, “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Pulling their luggage to the side, Dong Sun watched as Mi Na got in line to purchase her coffee.

Looking aimlessly around the airport, Dong Sun caught sight of Young Jae advancing towards the coffee shop with several of his associates. Walking over to Mi Na, Dong Sun joined her in line and quickly held onto her hand. Shocked that Dong Sun was suddenly by her side, Mi Na looked over and asked, “What are you doing here?” Still looking forward, Dong Sun leaned in close to Mi Na and whispered, “Young Jae’s right over there.” Mi Na held her breath upon feeling Dong Sun’s cheek press up against hers’ and could care less that Young Jae was around.

Spotting the pair, Young Jae walked up and asked, “Where did you two just come back from?” Smiling politely, Dong Sun replied, “We were on vacation at Jeju Island.” With a perturbed expression, Young Jae said, “I’m heading to Japan with some of my associates. Mi Na, I get back next Monday.” Staring blankly at him, Mi Na asked, “Why are you telling me that?” With a slightly dejected tone, Young Jae replied, “I had hoped that you would’ve remembered, but it seems that you’ve forgotten. Next Monday is my birthday.” Nodding her head, Mi Na said, “I’m sorry. I guess I did forget. Well happy early birthday then.” Smiling, Young Jae continued, “If you wouldn’t mind, could we go to dinner for my birthday?” Taken aback by Young Jae’s invitation, Mi Na stood silent not knowing what to say.

Staring intently at Mi Na’s face, both Young Jae and Dong Sun, anxiously awaited her response. Mi Na looked over at Dong Sun’s worried expression and smiled before turning to Young Jae to say, “We’d be happy to join you for dinner.” Surprised by her response, Young Jae forced a smile and replied, “Great, then I guess I’ll call you to set something up.” Shaking her head, Mi Na said, “I lost my phone on our trip. I’ll be getting a new one this week, so I’ll call you this weekend.” Nodding his head, Young Jae replied, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.” Upon hearing Young Jae’s response, Dong Sun muttered under his breath, “Tch, I’m sure you will.” Pointing towards the cash register, Mi Na said, “We need to go order now. So have a good trip.” Young Jae smiled and said goodbye to the pair before leaving to join his associates.

Once Young Jae was out of sight, Dong Sun quickly released Mi Na’s hand and asked, “Are we really having dinner with him?” Not responding to Dong Sun’s question, Mi Na placed her drink order and silently thought to herself, “He didn’t have to let go of my hand like I’m some kind of leper.” Figuring that she had not heard him, Dong Sun repeated, “Are we really having dinner with him?” Agitated, Mi Na replied, “Yes. Is that okay with you? If you aren’t available, I can always go to dinner with him by myself.” Confused, Dong Sun asked, “I thought the whole point of us pretending to be together was to keep him away.” Mi Na sighed and replied, “Yes, that was the point initially. But now that I know that I’m completely over him, there’s no need for me to avoid him anymore."

Perplexed, Dong Sun asked, “So does that mean that you weren’t sure if you were completely over him before? How do you know that you’re over him now?” Annoyed with the third degree, Mi Na replied, “I just know!” Seeing her irritation, Dong Sun decided to drop the matter and was glad to know that Mi Na no longer had any linger feelings for Young Jae.

After spotting her car in the overnight parking lot, Mi Na handed Dong Sun the keys and said, “Here you drive.” Taking the keys from her, Dong Sun asked, “Where are we going?” Looking at him strangely, Mi Na inquired, “Where else can we go?" Not allowing him to respond, Mi Na continued, "We’re going back to your apartment to drop you off.” Dong Sun nodded and replied, “Oh, right.” Wanting to prolong their time together, Dong Sun asked, “Do you want to go look for a new phone?” Happy to spend more time with him, Mi Na replied, “If you aren’t busy, then sure.” Dong Sun smiled and said, “I’m not busy and I know a place that sells pretty reasonably priced phones.”

Within fifteen minutes, Dong Sun pulled up to a small cell phone shop and said, “This is my friend’s place.” Mi Na nodded her head and followed him into the store. After entering, Dong Sun made his way over to a good looking girl by the main counter and hugged her tightly. Seeing the intimate scene, Mi Na quickly walked over to the pair and cleared her throat to make her presence known. Stepping away from the girl, Dong Sun said, “Mi Na, this is Tiffany, my friend from college. Tiffany, this Mi Na my…” Cutting Dong Sun off mid-sentence, Mi Na interjected, “GIRLFRIEND.” Dong Sun smiled nervously and repeated, “Right, this is Mi Na my girlfriend.”

Extending out her hand, Tiffany said, “It’s nice to meet you.” Pointing at Dong Sun, she continued, “I thought this guy would be single forever.” Before Mi Na could respond, a young man entered the shop from the backroom and said, “Dong Sun, I haven’t seen you since the wedding.” Dong Sun nodded and replied, “I haven’t needed a new phone since you two were married.” Realizing that the man was Tiffany's husband, Mi Na’s expression softened and she breathed a sigh of relief. Wanting to introduce her husband to Mi Na, Tiffany said, “Sweetie, this beautiful girl is Mi Na. She’s Dong Sun’s girlfriend.” Smiling, Mi Na extended out her hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Recalling the purpose of the visit, Dong Sun said, “Mi Na lost her phone while we were on vacation. We wanted to stop by to see if you guys had anything she would like.” Happy to be of service, Tiffany proceeded to take Mi Na around the store to show her the different cell phone models. Standing at the main counter, Tiffany’s husband observed, "Your girlfriend is gorgeous.” Looking at Mi Na, Dong Sun nodded and replied, “She has a pretty interesting personality too.”

When she found a phone that she liked, Mi Na waved Dong Sun over to ask for his opinion. Looking over the phone, Dong Sun said, “It’s nice, you should get it.” Before Mi Na could respond, Tiffany proclaimed, “There’s a special running for this model. If you buy two, as in a couple’s set, it’ll be cheaper.” Glancing over at Dong Sun, Mi Na asked hesitantly, “Do you want a new phone?” Pulling out his old phone, Dong Sun replied, “Not really, mine still works.” Looking at his old phone, Tiffany remarked, “But your phone doesn’t have a good camera. How can you take nice pictures of Mi Na using that thing?” Half jokingly, Dong Sun replied, “Since she’s so pretty it doesn’t matter what camera I use to take pictures of her.” Flattered by Dong Sun's compliment, Mi Na grinned from ear to ear, and said, “But the pictures would be nicer with the new phone.” Turning to Tiffany, Mi Na declared, “We’ll take the couple’s set.”

As Tiffany wrapped up the phones, Mi Na asked for Dong Sun’s phone to call her assistant. Making her way to the main counter, Mi Na handed the phone to Tiffany’s husband and said, “My assistant will give you the credit card information for the purchase.” Pulling out his wallet, Dong Sun said, “That’s okay, I can pay for the phones.” Shoving his wallet aside, Mi Na replied, “Think of it as a gift in return for the seashell.” Fully aware of Mi Na’s persistence, Dong Sun shrugged and replied, “Okay, whatever you say.”

After completing the purchase, Dong Sun and Mi Na returned to her car and headed back to his apartment building. Sitting happily in the passenger seat, Mi Na looked at her new phone said, “Today’s been a good day.” Dong Sun glanced over at her and observed, “I guess you really like your new phone.” Looking over at Dong Sun, Mi Na smiled and replied, “Yeah, I guess you could say that I really, really like it.”
When they arrived at his apartment building, Dong Sun turned off the ignition and said, “Thanks again for your help this weekend.” Mi Na smiled and replied, "You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow at work.” With no reason to linger any longer in her car, Dong Sun handed Mi Na her keys and pulled on the latch to open the trunk. After he retrieved his belongings, Dong Sun said goodbye to Mi Na and headed towards the entrance of his apartment building. As he walked into the apartment, Dong Sun saw In-Su sitting at the computer desk and asked, “Are you doing your homework?” Upon hearing his brother's question, In-Su replied, "Not anymore" before making his way over to where Dong Sun stood.

Intrigued by one of the bags in Dong Sun's hands, In-Su quickly snatched it away and asked, “What do we have here?” Seizing the bag back from In-Su, Dong Sun made his way to his bedroom. Standing at the doorway, In-Su folded his arms, narrowed his eyes and asked, “Hyung, are you trying to cast me aside since you have sister-in-law now?” Trying to avoid In-Su’s nonsensical question, Dong Sun remained silent and continued to unpack his duffel bag. Unwilling to let his brother off so easily, In-Su walked into the room and sat down on Dong Sun’s bed before stating, “If you keep ignoring me, I'll have to ask sister-in-law to tell me all about your pre-honeymoon adventures.”

Knowing that In-Su would make good on his threat, Dong-Sun decided that it would be best to humor him. Setting down his jacket, Dong Sun asked, “What do you want to know?” In-Su held up the box containing Dong Sun's new cell phone and replied, “Let’s start with this.” To which, Dong Sun explained, “Mi Na lost her cell phone when she dropped her purse into a stream. We just came back from buying her a new cell phone at Tiffany’s shop.”

Confused, In-Su asked, “So why do you have it then?” Dong Sun sighed before replying, “That’s not hers; it’s mine. Tiffany convinced Mi Na to buy a set since it’s cheaper that way.” With a wide grin on his face, In-Su exclaimed loudly, “You and sister-in-law got couple phones!” Shaking his head, Dong Sun clarified, “They aren’t couple phones. They’re just a set.” Staring at his brother, In-Su raised one eyebrow and asked, “Are the phones the same color? Are they the same model? Do they have nearly identical phone numbers?” Not amused, Dong Sun remained silent and listened to In-Su declare, triumphantly, "I thought so!"

Tired of the conversation, Dong Sun asked, “Can we continue this inquisition later? I want to finish unpacking before taking a nap.” Nodding his head, In-Su smiled devilishly and replied, “You must be really tired from such an exciting weekend. We can talk after you wake up.” Seeing In-Su's weird expression, Dong Sun warned, “Don’t you go and get the wrong idea. We don’t have that type of relationship.” Getting up from his brother’s bed, In-Su replied, “I bet neither of you knows what type of relationship you're in.” After In-Su left the room, Dong Sun took out his new cell phone, plugged it into the charger and thought to himself, "Mi Na would probably freak out if she knew the type of relationship I wanted to be in with her."

Meanwhile, Mi Na drove home and could think of nothing but her time with Dong Sun. Contemplating their relationship; Mi Na decided that she would need to employ her best tricks to make Dong Sun change his "little sister" perception of her. As she pulled up to the front of the house, Mi Na saw her father getting out of the family car with his assistant and walked over to meet him. With a bright smile on her face, Mi Na said, “A-pa, I’m back.”

Shaking his head, Mi Na’s father replied, “You’ve been back for a couple of hours now. If it wasn’t for Dong Sun calling me, I would've never known that you had arrived home safely.” Surprised, Mi Na asked, “Dong Sun called you?” Nodding his head, Mi Na’s father replied, “Maybe he’s trying to win brownie points with his future father-in-law.” Embarrassed, Mi Na said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I have to go unpack now,” before quickly making her way into the house. Seeing Mi Na lose her usual composure, her father smiled and said to his assistant, “I’ve never seen her act like that before.”

Handing her luggage to her assistant, Mi Na instructed, “Hang up the clothes on the right side of the luggage and put the rest with the laundry to be washed.” When she was alone in the room, Mi Na removed her new phone from its packaging and plugged it into the charger. Since she was still tired, Mi Na decided to take a nap before dinner and hopped into bed. After a few hours, Mi Na awakened to find that her assistant had returned with her laundry. Sitting up in her bed, Mi Na asked, “What time is it?” To which her assistant replied, “It’s 10:00 o'clock.” Shocked, Mi Na asked, “Already?” Her assistant nodded her head to confirm the time and proceeded to ask, “Mi Na shii, is this your sweatshirt?” Seeing her assistant hold up Dong Sun's sweatshirt, Mi Na nodded her head and lied, “Yes, it’s mine. I bought it on Jeju Island.”

Having confirmed that the sweatshirt was indeed Mi Na’s, her assistant went into the walk in closet to put away the laundered clothes. Calling out to her assistant, Mi Na said, “When you’re done putting away the clothes, could you bring me my dinner?” Seeing that her assistant had promptly returned with her dinner, Mi Na said, “You sure are efficient.” Surprised by Mi Na’s indirect compliment, her assistant replied, “Thank you for saying so.” Observing the stunned expression on her assistant's face, Mi Na realized that she seldom if ever gave the woman her due credit.

Feeling guilty for her past behavior, Mi Na said, “You’ve worked really hard this weekend. Why don’t you take Monday off to spend it with your husband?” Stunned, her assistant asked, “Mi Na shii, what did you say?” Not accustomed to being nice, Mi Na asked, “You don’t expect me to repeat myself, do you?” Shaking her head nervously, Mi Na’s assistant replied, “Of course not. Thank you for the day off.” Mi Na nodded and replied, “You’re welcome. You can go now.” Bowing politely, her assistant quickly exited the room.

After finishing dinner, Mi Na walked into her closet and chose the outfit she wanted to wear to work the next day. When she caught sight of Dong Sun’s sweatshirt, Mi Na grabbed it from the shelf and headed back to her bed. Picking up her phone, Mi Na dialed Dong Sun’s new number and waited for him to pick up on the other line. Startled, by the ringing sound coming from Dong Sun’s pocket, In-Su asked, “Is that your phone?” Ignoring In-Su’s question, Dong Sun pulled out his phone and answered tentatively, “Hello?” Seeing that Dong Sun was already using his new phone, In-Su asked, “Why are you answering your phone like you didn't know who it was? Sister-in-law is the only person who has you new number.”

Unable to hear Mi Na over In-Su’s voice, Dong Sun got up and headed to his bedroom. Watching his brother retreat to his room, In-Su remarked, “I don't even get that excited when Ae Cha calls me.” Finally alone in his room, Dong Sun asked, “What did you just say?” To which, Mi Na replied, “I just wanted to let you know that I still have your sweatshirt. I had it washed but it shrunk.” Unconcerned, Dong Sun said, “It’s okay. I usually don't wear that sweatshirt anyways.” Mi Na paused before asking, “Since you don’t wear it; and it’s smaller now, can I keep it?” Dong Sun was surprised to hear that Mi Na wanted the old sweatshirt but was happy to consent and answered, “Sure, the sweatshirt looked nicer on you anyways.”

An awkward moment of silence ensued before Mi Na asked, “Did you eat yet?” To which Dong Sun replied, “In-Su and I had dinner at 6. What about you?” Nodding her head, Mi Na replied, “Yeah, I just ate.” Looking over at his clock, Dong Sun asked, “You just ate? Isn’t it kind of late?” To which Mi Na replied, “I ate right after I woke up from my nap.” Contemplating her response, Dong Sun said, “Well even if that’s the case, you should try to go back to bed soon, since we have work tomorrow.” Taking his comment to mean that he wanted to get off the phone, Mi Na replied, “Okay, I guess I’ll let you go then.” Unable to think of anything else to say, Dong Sun replied, “Okay, goodnight.” To which Mi Na replied weakly "Goodnight.”

Arriving at work earlier than usual, Mi Na was surprised to see that Dong Sun was already in their office working on the storyboards for his new campaign. Placing a cup of coffee on his desk, Mi Na said, “Good morning.” Turning around to face her, Dong Sun’s eyes widened upon seeing how stunning Mi Na looked in her v-neck pleated black dress. Observing Dong Sun’s gob smacked expression Mi Na smiled and thought to herself, “I bet In-Su wouldn’t look this good in a dress.”

Quickly averting his eyes to the window, Dong Sun inquired, “Is it snowing outside?” With a confused expression on her face, Mi Na asked, “What?” Turning around to take a sip of his coffee, Dong Sun replied, “I thought the weather might be abnormal since you did something as considerate as getting me coffee.” Agitated, Mi Na proclaimed, “The weather’s perfectly fine. The coffee lady made a mistake with my order and gave me that cup for free. I thought about giving it to a homeless person but then thought I'd give it to you instead.”

Before Dong Sung could respond, Mi Na spotted a familiar face in the hallway and rushed out to greet her old friend. Curious to see what she was up to, Dong Sun walked outside of their office and looked on in disbelief as the pair embraced one another tightly. Seeing that they were now making their way back to the office, Dong Sun quickly returned to his seat and proceeded to organize the papers on his desk. Upon entering the office, Mi Na said, “Dong Sun, I didn’t know that you hired Bak Young Soo as the male spokesman for the cosmetics line.” Confused by Mi Na’s statement, Dong Sun turned around and looked carefully at the young man. Remembering where he had seen Young Soo’s face, Dong Sun replied, “I didn’t really hire him. The client specifically asked for him to be a part of the campaign so I just set something up with his management company this morning.”

Placing both of her hands on Young Soo’s face, Mi Na remarked playfully, “I knew that pretty face of yours was good for something.” Taken aback by Mi Na’s blatant flirting, Dong Sun observed, “Seems like you two know each other pretty well.” Removing Mi Na’s hands from his face, Young Soo replied, “We went to high school and college together.” Dong Sun nodded his head to acknowledge Young Soo’s response and glared at Mi Na before thinking to himself, “First Young Jae and now Young Soo, how many other Youngs do you have running around here?” Unaware of Dong Sun’s growing agitation, Mi Na sat Young Soo down to ask him about what he had been up to. Watching the pair chat happily, Dong Sun wondered if it would be possible for him to convince the client to use a different male model.
Mi Na’s conversation with Young Soo was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. After excusing himself to answer the phone, Young Soo proceeded to walk out of the office towards the lobby. When she was alone with Dong Sun, Mi Na declared, “I think he’s perfect for your campaign. If he’s featured in the photo shoot, I’m sure women would rush out to buy those products.” Having heard enough of Mi Na’s excessive praise of Young Soo, Dong Sun turned around and replied, “He’s not even that good looking.” Astonished, Mi Na argued, “Of course he’s good looking. When we went to school together, all of the girls were in love with him.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dong Sun replied, “I can’t believe that you would consider that flower boy attractive.” Mi Na rolled her eyes and said, “Tch, you’re one to talk.” Confused, Dong Sun asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Without thinking, Mi Na replied, “You’re exactly like a flower boy too!” Taken aback by her statement, Dong Sun tilted his head, smiled and asked, “You think that I look like a flower boy?” Realizing that there was no way to back pedal from her comment; Mi Na nodded her head and said, “Shut up, you know you’re pretty like a girl.” Although, he was unsure whether Mi Na had just complimented or insulted him, Dong Sun recognized that at the very least, she seemed to think that he was as good looking as Young Soo.

Before Dong Sun could ask Mi Na to expand on her comment; Young Soo returned and informed him that representatives from the cosmetics company had arrived. Left alone in the office, Mi Na fidgeted in her seat and wondered if her feelings for Dong Sun had become more apparent. Placing her head down on the desk, Mi Na muttered, “Having a crush on someone is so embarrassing.” As she replayed the “flower boy” scene in her mind, Mi Na was mortified and wanted to crawl under a rock to hide. Mi Na’s self torture was temporarily interrupted when she heard loud noises coming from the fax machine. Removing the faxed document from the machine, Mi Na scanned its content and loudly exclaimed, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Crumpling up the document, Mi Na proclaimed, “Lee Dong Sun, you’re so dead!”

When Young Soo’s part of the meeting with the representatives had concluded, he excused himself and made his way back to Mi Na’s office. Standing at the doorway, Young Soo said, “Mi Na it was really nice seeing you again.” Looking over at Young Soo, Mi Na replied, “Yeah, it was good seeing you too.” Young Soo could sense that Mi Na was in a bad mood and being familiar with her foul temper, he knew better than to stick around. Smiling tensely, Young Soo said, “Take care” before quickly leaving the room.

Unaware of the storm brewing in his office, Dong Sun returned with a bright smile on his face and said, “They loved the concept and the storyboards. Everything’s pretty much set for the photo shoot.” Observing the unusual expression on Mi Na’s face, Dong Sun asked, “What’s wrong?” Not taking her eyes off of Dong Sun’s face, Mi Na asked as calmly as possible, “Is there something you want to tell me?” Confused by the question, Dong Sun asked, “Like what?” Clearing her throat, Mi Na replied, “Maybe something about the cosmetics campaign that you haven’t shared with me?” Shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, Dong Sun replied, “No. I don’t think so.” Unable to suppress her anger any longer, Mi Na threw the crumpled piece of paper at Dong Sun and said, “Take a look at that.”

Dong Sun wondered what had caused Mi Na to become so angry and quickly opened up the paper to find out. When he finished reading the contents of the document, he slowly backed away and said, “Let me explain.” Advancing towards him, Mi Na asked, “You did know about that didn’t you?” With his back against the wall, Dong Sun quickly replied, “I did know, but I didn’t come up with that short list. It came from the client.”

Unsatisfied with his response, Mi Na asked, “Aren’t you the project lead? Don’t you have a say in this kind of thing?” Shaking his head, Dong Sun replied, “You know that the client’s preference is the highest priority when it comes to model selection.” Staring blankly at Dong Sun, Mi Na asked, “Will they really pick Kim Hae Won to be the female model for this campaign?” Dong Sun hesitated before replying, “I think they really like her look and it’s a good chance it’s going to be her.”

Unable to bear the thought of having Hae Won buzzing around Dong Sun day and night, Mi Na was determined to figure out how to change the client’s mind. Without another word, Mi Na left the office to catch up with the client’s representatives. Left alone, Dong Sun shook his head and said to himself, “Geez, I have to remind myself never to piss her off.” When Mi Na spotted the client’s representatives in the lobby, she made her way over, introduced herself and asked if they would like to join her for lunch. The representatives were more than thrilled with the prospect of having lunch with Song Ji Hwa’s daughter.

Over lunch, Mi Na casually mentioned that she had seen their short list for the cosmetics campaign. Eager to hear Mi Na’s opinions of the female models, the representatives asked her to rate their choices. Rattling off the pros and cons for each model, Mi Na was sure to emphasize that their campaign needed someone who was in the public eye but not too overexposed. To ensure that Hae Won would be out of the running, Mi Na asked, “Since you’re promoting an all natural cosmetics line, don’t you think you should hire a model that hasn’t had any work done?” Contemplating all of Mi Na’s insightful suggestions, the primary representative said, “Considering everything that you’ve said, I really don’t think our short list is very good.”

The primary representative’s associate agreed with his assessment and asked; “Song Mi Na shii, would you be interested in becoming the female model for the cosmetics campaign?” Mi Na was shocked by the man’s question and asked, “Me?” Seeing where his associate was headed, the primary representative said, “That’s a great idea. You’re youthful, gorgeous and definitely haven’t had any work done. Plus, I think that you would look really good with our male model.” Smiling nervously, Mi Na replied, “I’m not sure if I could do something like that.” With a dejected tone, the primary representative observed, “That’s a shame. We’ll just have to go back to our short list because there isn’t enough time to pick a new set of models.” Seeing that her plan was beginning to unravel, Mi Na took a deep breath and said, “Since you guys are in such a bind, I guess I could help you out.”

Overjoyed that Mi Na would be taking part in their campaign, the representatives thanked her profusely and warmly welcomed her to the team. With a forced smile, Mi Na wondered silently how she would break the news to both her father and Dong Sun. After returning to the company, Mi Na went to her father’s office and requested a private meeting. Happy to see her, Mi Na’s father asked, “Did you stop by to have lunch with me?” Smiling apprehensively, Mi Na replied, “No, I ate lunch already. I came here to discuss something with you.”

Setting aside his documents, Mi Na’s father asked, “What is it?” Getting to the point, Mi Na replied, “I just agreed to take part as a female model in a print ad campaign.” Surprised by Mi Na’s statement, her father asked, “Why on earth would you do that?” Thinking quickly, Mi Na replied, “I wanted to understand the modeling aspect of our business.” With his arms folded, her father exclaimed, “Song Mi Na!”

Realizing that she could not possibly pull one over on her father, Mi Na quickly admitted, “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth, I wanted to be with Dong Sun while he works on this cosmetics campaign.” Seeing the flustered expression on Mi Na’s face, her father smiled and replied, “That’s what I thought. But, since it’s a print ad for a cosmetics line, I don’t see any harm in you participating in the campaign. But don’t ever do this again.” Smiling happily, Mi Na rushed over to her father, hugged him and said, “A-pa, thank you!” Glancing over at Mi Na, her father teased, “Lee Dong Sun really has a hold on you doesn’t he?”

Having received her father’s consent the only thing left to do was to break the news to Dong Sun. Heading back down to their office; Mi Na entered the room and sat down at her desk. Wondering where she had gone, Dong Sun asked, “Where were you?” Turning to face him, Mi Na replied, “I was at lunch with your client.” Astonished by Mi Na’s response, Dong Sun asked, “And?” Pausing slightly, Mi Na finally replied, “And, they chose me to be the new female model for the campaign.” Looking at her in disbelief, Dong Sun asked, “Are you serious?” Mi Na nodded and replied, “Yeah, I’m serious.”

Seeing that Dong Sun was upset, Mi Na said, “Don’t be like that. I’ll work hard to make sure that the campaign turns out really well.” Upon hearing her promise, Dong Sun looked over at his storyboards and felt a migraine start to develop. Focusing his attention on the panel, which depicted the male and female model hugging each other tightly underneath the waterfall, Dong Sun thought to himself, “She’s going to work really hard to do that?” Turning his attention to Mi Na’s smiling face, Dong Sun asked, “What are you trying to do to me?”

Since Mi Na was now taking part in the cosmetics campaign, Manager Yoo placed all of her other responsibilities on hold and assigned her to Dong Sun’s project team. Working with a very tight time line, Mi Na labored diligently alongside Dong Sun to properly prepare for the upcoming photo shoot. Over the next few days, Dong Sun worked to obtain the necessary safety permits and photo shoot equipment, while Mi Na arranged the staffs' travel and lodging accommodations. Taking inventory of the cosmetics products, to be used during the photo shoot, Mi Na asked Dong Sun, “What time is the wardrobe fitting?” Looking up from his storyboards, Dong Sun replied, “It’s at 10 AM.” Nodding her head, Mi Na asked, “Are you going to take me there?” To which Dong Sun replied, “Of course I’m taking you. I have to approve the entire photo shoot wardrobe before we leave tomorrow.”

On their way to the fitting, Mi Na asked, “How many swimsuits do I need to try on today?” With his eyes focused on the road, Dong Sun replied, “I think they pulled about 30 of them for you to try.” Nodding her head, Mi Na inquired, “Is Young Soo also going to be trying on his wardrobe today?” Dong Sun shook his head and replied, “No, I had him try on his stuff yesterday.” Confused, Mi Na asked, “Why’d you do that? If he came today, we could have assessed the compatibility of the wardrobes.” Agitated, Dong Sun countered, “Are you the project lead or am I?” With a sarcastic tone, Mi Ma replied, “Okay, Mr. Project lead, I’ll stop pestering you with my good ideas.”

Once they arrived at the off-site wardrobe department, Dong Sun escorted Mi Na to the fitting area and pointed towards a rack of colorful swimsuits. Looking through the selection of swimsuits, Mi Na asked, “Didn’t your storyboards have me wearing a two piece swimsuit? Why are there so many one-piece suits here?” Staring blankly at Mi Na, Dong Sun replied, “When I drew up the storyboards, I was envisioning a female model who was a bit more endowed then you.” Offended, Mi Na glared at Dong Sun and replied, “You’re such a pervert. Did you think this was some kind of chest enlargement campaign?”

Not allowing Dong Sun to respond, Mi Na grabbed several swimsuits and headed to the fitting room. Seeing that she had only chosen two-piece swimsuits; Dong Sun shook his head and said to himself, “I knew I should have told them to only pull one-piece suits.” Although, Mi Na had always been pleased with her own figure, the thought of standing in front of Dong Sun in a bikini unnerved her.

Mi Na was thrilled when she was able to find a cute pink halter top and matching bikini bottom. Looking in the mirror, she thought that swimsuit flattered her somewhat modest bust line and small frame. Taking a deep breath, Mi Na opened the fitting room door and asked tentatively, “Is this one okay?” Even though Dong Sun felt as though he was about to have a nosebleed from looking at Mi Na in her bikini; he quickly shoved her back into the fitting room, closed the door and said, “No; it's not okay. Try on something else.”

Fearful that Mi Na would come back out wearing an even more revealing bikini, Dong Sun grabbed several one piece suits, tossed them under the fitting room door and said, “Try those on. They match Young Soo’s suit better.” Trying on Dong Sun’s selections, Mi Na called out, “Why are you making me try on these old lady swimsuits?” Frustrated with the whole process, Dong Sun replied, “Fine. Just pick whatever you want.” Hearing the irritation in his voice, Mi Na came back out in a robe, walked to the swimsuit rack and pulled several suits which incorporated her modern style with his conservative preferences. Finally, finding three swimsuits, which they both could live with; Dong Sun and Mi Na headed back to the office.

On the way back, Mi Na worried that she did not fit Dong Sun’s ideal image for the campaign's female model and asked, “Did I really look that bad in the pink bikini?” Glancing over at the gloomy expression on Mi Na’s face, Dong Sun replied, “No, you actually looked really good, but it was too revealing. I’m pretty sure that your father would be angry if he saw you wearing that for the campaign.” With a bright smile on her face, Mi Na turned sideways to look at Dong Sun and said, “You should think of what’s best for the campaign, not what’s best for me and my father.” With a reciprocating smile, Dong Sun asked rhetorically, “What kind of fake boyfriend would I be if I put work before you?” Sitting back properly in her seat, Mi Na wondered if her relationship with Dong Sun could ever become anything more than just a ruse.

Later that night, as she packed for the trip, Mi Na discovered that Dong Sun’s seashell was still safely tucked away in a small pouch on the side of her luggage. Holding the seashell to her ear, Mi Na listened to the sounds of the waves and recalled how flustered she had felt with Dong Sun on the beach that night. Placing the seashell into her jewelry box, Mi Na looked over towards a picture of her mother and asked, “O-Ma, is it okay if I make the first move? Even if he doesn’t like me back, he should still know how I feel, right?” Staring at her mother’s gentle smile, Mi Na sighed and proclaimed, “Then it’s settled, I’ll tell him everything after we finish the campaign.”

Wanting to hear Mi Na’s voice before he went to bed, Dong Sun dialed her number and waited for her to pick up on the other line. Hearing her phone ring, Mi Na looked at the caller id and was happy to see Dong Sun’s information appear on the screen. Quickly answering the phone, Mi Na said, “Hello.” Upon hearing her voice, Dong Sun suddenly forgot the excuse he was going to use and asked, “Are you sleeping?” With a slight chuckle, Mi Na replied, “If I was sleeping, then I wouldn’t be able to pick up the phone.” Tapping himself lightly on the head, Dong Sun said, “Oh right, I meant are you going to be sleeping soon?” Mi Na sat down on her bed and replied, “I’m just finishing up my packing, and then I’ll go to bed.”

After several moments of silence, Dong Sun finally asked, “Do you think we could go to the airport together?” Not sure whether she heard him correctly, Mi Na asked, “What did you say?” To which, Dong Sun quickly replied, “I wanted to go over some last minute project details with you, so I was wondering if we could go to the airport together.” More than happy to comply, Mi Na said, “Okay, I’ll come by tomorrow at 7 AM to pick you up.” Dong Sun smiled to himself and replied, “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Looking at his clock, Dong Sun said, “It’s getting kind of late, I guess I’ll let you go to finish up packing.” Mi Na sighed and replied, “Alright, then have a good night.”

Wishing her sweet dreams, Dong Sun hung up the phone and made his way to his bed. With the sound of Mi Na’s voice still on his mind, Dong Sun said to himself, “I don’t think I can go on like this. The longer I pretend to be her boyfriend, the more insane I’ll become.” Looking at the couple’s phone in his hand, Dong Sun asked himself, “Even if it’s unlikely that she’ll reciprocate my feelings, don’t I still have a right to express them?” Setting the phone down on the table, Dong Sun continued, “I’ll tell her how I feel right after we finish this campaign.”

Awakened by the sound of the doorbell, Dong Sun made his way out of his room to see who it was. Upon opening the door, he was surprised to see Mi Na standing in the hallway with three cups of coffee in her hands. Taking the coffee from her, Dong Sun moved out of the way so she could enter. When she was inside the apartment, Dong Sun asked, “What are you doing here so early?” Setting down her briefcase, Mi Na pulled out a piece of paper and replied, “There was an invoice that I forgot to have you sign yesterday. You need to sign it before the crew can get the lighting equipment.”

Dong Sun placed the coffee cups down on the table and walked over to where M Na stood. Handing Dong Sun the invoice along with a pen; Mi Na said, “Here sign it and I’ll fax it over to them while you get ready.” Dong Sun signed the invoice and quickly went to the restroom to wash up. While she waited for Dong Sun to get ready, Mi Na faxed the invoice to their vendor and chatted happily with In-Su after he came out of his room. Since In-Su had an early class, he was unable to stay any longer and thanked Mi Na for the coffee before heading out the door.

Seeing that there was still fifteen minutes before they needed to leave, Dong Sun suggested that they review some of the revisions he had made the storyboards. Focusing her attention on the panel where she and Young Soo would need to hug, Mi Na pointed towards the storyboard and asked, “So for that shot, how should I tilt my head?” Looking at where she was pointing, Dong Sun replied in annoyed tone, “You can ask the photographer. How the heck would I know, how you should tilt your head?”

Without any notice, Mi Na walked up and embraced Dong Sun tightly before saying, “I think I should tilt my head like this.” Stunned, Dong Sun stood still and shifted his eyes from side to side wondering what he should do. Seeing that he was not responding, Mi Na asked, “What do you think?” With his eyes wide open, Dong Sun replied, “Um, I think that’s just right.” Smiling to herself, Mi Na observed, “Yeah, I think so too.” After a short while, Mi Na broke free from their embrace and said, “Come on, it’s time to go.” A bit weak in the knees, Dong Sun watched her walk out the door and said to himself, “That girl’s going to be the death of me.”

wow! new reader here! i'm really loving ur fanfic ^^ i'm still in chap 5 tho. pls continue updating

whoah, i can't believe i read from one to your latest chap...i can't wait to see what other 'developments' there will be when they get back to Jeju...but this time around we'd see her in a tight hug with YongSoo....i can see DongSun getting overyly jealous....
ha h aha..it was soooo funny when she was trying on the bikinis and he had them get rid of all the 2pc...the green eyed monster is coming out soon!!!
hope you can update soon!!! thanks for a great FF!

I love both your fanfics. I hope you keep writing more after this. No pressure though. I'll wait patiently for when you start up again after you finish with this one.

I can't wait to see Dong Sun getting super jealous and doing something, I hope nothing mean, but I guess that's not in his nature.
*sigh* the wait for the update is a killer.

See what I mean about being stalkerish? I just read your fanfic on soompi and here I am again. lol

Thanks for the update. Keep it up!

edit: if you are doing a pm list, please add me on there. Thanks!

Wow! I haven't finished Summer Solstice yet and I see you've written another fic!

::bows down to your awesome writing::

Thanks for sharing your fics with us! They're great fanfics or as stand alone stories, really. You've been helping us addicts with YAB withdrawal ;-P