Focus Jieun, focus.

It's an occupational hazard to date someone you work with. You'd have to continue working like everything is fine even when it's the exact opposite. She knew that coming in, and now she has to do her bestest to be as professional as possible.

She took one look at herself in the comfort room mirror - checking if her makeup has completely concealed evidence of her meltdown the past two days. The eye mask was able to reduce the puffiness of her eyes, and the makeup was also helpful in hiding her under eye darkspots. Sleep has been her foe, and it's taking a toll on her body.

But still, work is work, and they have to rehearse for the darned SMAs.

Collecting her things, she took the short walk towards the practice hall, taking a steadying breath before she swung the door open.

It was strange how in a sea of people, her eyes knew exactly where to look. Her gaze landed on the tall man with the familiar broad shoulders. For a millisecond, their eyes met, and she saw the worry in those dark brown eyes. The room felt like it was empty save for the two of them, and she wanted to run to him so bad. To wrap her arms around him and restart.

But that's not possible. She won't let this one slide, until Jihoon gives her assurance that he can keep Hanee at bay. And that he’s not going to make her feel like she’s overreacting.

It was her who looked away first,  finding an empty seat to put her bag.

She sat down, already feeling exhausted, but the day is just beginning.

**

Everytime the door would open, it would make him start. It’s the nth time, and each time he’s disappointed whenever the person walking in is not Jieun.

They haven't talked since that evening. He’s worried, but he also wanted to give her space. Jieun is the type to want distance when she’s angry, and he respects it. Maybe it’s also for the best.

Although it's probably their biggest misunderstanding to date, he felt pretty confident that they can fix it when both of them have cooled down. It still doesn't make sense to him why he needs to cut off Hanee from his life. Jieun didn't necessarily say those exact words but he's pretty sure whatever boundaries he's going to set with Hanee will never be enough. He had the same experience with Taehee, the only difference being she didn't really mind that much as long as Jihoon  doesn't give her any reason to doubt his relationship with Hanee. It was a pretty chill relationship - too chill, now that he was looking back, and he wondered if it was an indication that Taehee didn't really see him as someone she'd want to marry in the future.

But then here's innocent, sensitive and transparent Jieun. His sweet Jieun who tries to seem tough all the time, no matter how extremely sensitive and soft hearted she is. She wears her heart on her sleeve without even knowing it and this is one of the many reasons why he’s so protective of her.  

He knew from the onset that seeing Hanee riled her up, but he thought it was okay. Even more so when she said she's not the jealous type. And God knows he has no feelings for Hanee apart from that fondness he has for her as a longtime friend. But giving in to Jieun's every whim is not good, especially when it comes to the people that he considers to be important in his life. Here he sees he has to be patient, knowing how he has the upper hand in terms of relationship experience. And he knows Jieun has to adjust if they’re going to make this work.

Then came the sound of the door opening once again,  this time revealing Jieun, looking anxious, her eyes showing him exactly how she feels. It’s true what Jieun observed in the past – he can see right through her. It’s both a blessing and a curse, it’s defintely the latter right now. The somber look she had when their eyes met  made him want to give in to her every whim. Even the most unreasonable ones.

But Jieun had other plans. Because she looked away just as quick as she looked at him. And Jihoon knew this is going to be one long rehearsal.

After that heavy initial meeting, he noticed that Jieun was trying to act like everything is fine, which is so much like her.

“Let’s do it from the top?” Jieun asked.

Gori nudged him, catching him zoning out. He was too busy looking at Jieun, thinking of how to approach her later, that her question completely went unnnoticed.

“Uh..sure. Let’s do that.” He said, trying to sound nonchalant.

They are doing a bare, piano-only version of Hi Spring Bye and then close with the crowd favorite Last Fantasy. The network requested it specifically because apparently, social media is crawling with this request. Jihoon studied Jieun a little as they started transitioning into Last Fantasy. She seemed so focused. It didn’t even seem like she’s thinking about anything else aside from the performance that they are rehearsing for.

She definitely becomes a different person whenever she’s performing.

The entire rehearsal was smooth. Jieun was mostly silent, save for the moments when she’d ask him if the routine is okay, asking for inputs. When they ran Last Fantasy, Jieun was so laser focused, she got it perfectly that another go wasn’t necessary. He sighed, thinking that Jieun had no plans on extending this rehearsal – and he has a nagging feeling that him being in it has everything to do with that.

When they wrapped up and everyone was going their own ways, he saw an opportunity to approach Jieun.

“Jagi…”

He saw Jieun’s shoulder stiffen. She didn’t even turn to look at him and continued stuffing her things inside her gym bag.

“Hmm?”

“Can we talk?” No response. “Pleaase. I’ll wait for you in my car.”

He didn’t wait for her to respond because it didn’t seem like she would.

When he got in his car, he had little to no expectation that Jieun would talk to him. But he waited. The fact that her car is still in the parking lot gave him hope. He saw Hanteo coming out of the car every now and then, also waiting for Jieun. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax a little, leaning back on his seat.

Then came three knocks on the passenger side window – it’s Jieun.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Five minutes, oppa. Hanteo is waiting for me.”

Jihoon took a good look at her. She looked tired. He instinctively grabbed her hand and kissed it.

“Jagi, are we okay?”

Jieun looked at his hand on hers, then shifted her gaze to his face, she sighed.

“You tell me, oppa. Because last time we talked, I had the impression that you think I’m overreacting.”

Jihoon knew by then that it’s not gonna be easy. She’s still angry and she won’t let it go.

“I didn’t say that. I just wanted you to be a little flexible when it comes to Hanee. I’ll talk to her, I promise. I’ll tell her I’m off limits..that I’m yours. You don’t have to worry about her.”

Just then, Jieun bowed, a crooked smile forming on her lips. But Jihoon knew it was far from a happy one. She took her hand out of his grip and crossed her arms over her chest before facing him.

“You’ll tell her that – but why do I have a feeling that she’ll just keep doing what she wants? I’m sorry oppa, I know she’s your friend, but can’t you see that she’s undermining me? She clearly knows you’re not single – I can tell just from how she tries to insert herself in this narrative..I mean who does that? Who fakes an injury just to rile someone up? And believe me, I know she did it to spite me just by her attitude when we talked last time. She didn’t even apologize or anything.”

He lifted his head to look at the car’s ceiling, finding himself in an unbelievably frustrating situation.

“Jieun…”

All she did was raise both eyebrows at him, as if to tell him that she’s said her piece, and now it’s time for him to do something about it.

“See…I can tell by your face that you think I’m overreacting..”

“Well, honestly, I can’t control Hanee…but we both can control how we respond to her.”

Jieun snorted, nodding her head slowly. He can detect a sense of resignation and it made him feel a little alarmed.

Is this something that would make her decide to give up on us? Why is she being so difficult about this?

“You know what, it’s fine. You’re right, I should be able to trust you, you’ve never given me an indication that you want out of us or that you  prefer other women over me. So I guess I’ll just have to take your word.” Jieun said with finality.

He couldn’t find the words to say because Jieun’s words came as a surprise. Why this sudden change, and why does this feel like he’s in a worse position than he was before this conversation?

“Jagiii…” He pleaded, knowing this fight is far from over.

His hand cupped her cheek, smoothing it with his thumb. In another day, Jieun would’ve melted like butter – his touch seemed to do that to her everytime. But this time, she just sat there, unwilling to look at him.

“Jagiii, please look at me.”

It took a while before she did. He studied her, but he couldn’t quite make it out  if she was angry or hurt.

“Fine…just so we can finally end this. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

He’s the CEO of his own company, he’s looked up to by his employees and his coworkers as a hard- – the most stubborn person they’ve ever met, yet here he is, willing to give in to Jieun. Who would blame him? He just couldn’t stand seeing her like this.

When Jieun turned to look at him, he knew it was too late. She was smiling, but he can tell this is far from over.

“No, it’s okay. I already said it’s fine.”

He sighed, unsure of what to do. He missed being near her and now it seems like she’s up to something and it’s like seeing dark clouds looming over the horizon. He knows something is bound to happen – something really bad – but he has no idea what. So he did what he knew always worked. It’s base and a little desperate, but he knew Jieun couldn’t stay focused whenever he touches her. It’s kind of like his trump card.

Using his pointer finger and his thumb, he traced the outline of her jaw then softly tugged at her chin, bringing her gaze up to meet his. He drew close to kiss her, but her lips didn’t move. But he persisted, claiming her lips, leaving small kisses on the sides of her face. He nipped at her lower lip, urging her to welcome his kiss, and he can feel Jieun’s resolve slowly dissolve, feeling her breathing getting quicker. It didn’t take long until his tongue was exploring , the kiss deepening by the second.

He pulled away for a moment, and looked at her in the eye. When he did, her eyes were still closed, as if wondering why the kiss ended abruptly. When she opened them to look at him, there was a mixture of anger and frustration – the latter probably from the fact that she just couldn’t help herself when it comes to him.

He dropped small kisses on the side of her lip, and nuzzled her neck, taking in the sweet smell of her favorite perfume on her skin. He felt her breathing getting a little ragged when his tongue slowly came into contact with her skin, as he continued to kiss her tenderly all over. 

He couldn’t help but smile when he pulled away