Fairy Lights

~Beast~

What a stupid girl! I had given her that condition so that she could deny it. Then I could make her struggle a little more before agreeing to help. But she agreed to my strange condition right away? Was she an idiot or was she trying to get back at me? I think it was the latter. She wanted to challenge me. And I couldn't lose a challenge.

"Fine, let's go then," I said as she hesitantly started following me.

All my way back, I kept thinking how careless she could be to agree to such a deal from another man. There was no doubt that she was an impulsive lady who didn't have the patience to decide what was right for her.

She was disturbing me a lot ever since she met me. The whole day I had been thinking about her. Mostly, how to get her out of my house and life. She was interfering in everything. I felt anxious around her, I sometimes worried for her and mostly picked fights with her. That was not what I had always been! Especially for the few days after it rained. It always made me lifeless and I liked being that way.

"Mr. Seo, can I ask you something?" she interrupted me while I was having those thoughts.

"Huh, what is it?"

"You look very pale today, just like you did after it rained last time," she spoke as if she was afraid I'd do something to her again.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry," I tried to cut her short. But whom was I kidding?

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but I think it's good to speak up if something is bothering you..." she said.

That's what Mrs. Cha always told me since I was a kid, but I never listened to her. Because I don't trust people. But I knew it was impossible to make Miss Park understand that.

"There is nothing which I want to tell anyone," I said.

"I know there is something, but you're just not -" she was speaking but suddenly stopped walking and went quiet.

I looked at her and crossed my brows because I couldn't understand what made her look shocked all of a sudden. I stopped walking too.

"What?" I asked.

"DO YOU EVER LISTEN TO ANYONE?" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

I looked down where she was looking and realized that she was staring at my hand. I brought it up and had a look. The wounds on my knuckles had gotten worse and were bleeding again. But as expected, I couldn't feel the pain.

"Show it to me!" she screamed and ran towards me.

I tried to take my hand away but she grabbed it and glared at me. I could see that she was angry. But her eyes looked tensed.

"Are you crazy? Doesn't it concern you at all that you're wounded so badly?" she asked.

"How would I know, I don't feel anything, not even pain," I told her the harsh truth.

I don't want to recall how and when it started happening. But rain scared me so much that I lost all feelings for the next few days until I was out of the spell. Even if I was in pain, I couldn't feel it.

"What nonsense!" she scolded me and touched my wounds. "Doesn't it pain you?" she asked again.

"No," I answered without even flinching.

She sighed and I could see the panic on her face. But her eyes were watery. I don't know what she was thinking at that time.

She looked around the bushes and found an Alovera plant. I watched her as she collected some of the stems and skillfully took out the gel.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She didn't say anything and took my hands before dragging me towards a nearby rock.

"Sit," she commanded.

"I'm not your Dog."

"Just sit already," she said before pushing me a little.

I sat down and she took out a pink handkerchief from her pocket and started cleaning the blood and dirt on my wound. My eyes were glued to her face. She appeared to be worried.

"Let me know if it hurts too much," she said while gently cleaning the wound.

"It won't hurt me at all." I clarified.

She took small portions of Alovera on her fingers and started applying it very gently to my wounds. I was finding it very funny because she wasn't understanding that it didn't pain me at all. But she was still blowing on the wounds so that it didn't hurt me.

"You're funny," I said with a chuckle. "I told you I don't feel pain, it isn't hurting me. Just let it be"

She rolled her eyes and ignored what I said. She continued to apply the gel in all places. I simply sat there and watched her. It was very dark by that time but her face was glowing, unlike mine. It was very fascinating to see her skin which looked so soft, her big eyes, small nose, and pink lips. My eyes were fixed on her and I noticed a strand of her hair falling on her eyes. It was disturbing her and It felt disturbing to me too since I was watching her. I unknowingly pushed the strand at the back of her ear.

She flinched and looked up at me. I instantly looked away and regretted doing that.

"It's done," she said and stood up.

I saw that she had wrapped the handkerchief around my knuckles.

"Mr. Seo, just because it doesn't hurt you, doesn't mean you don't need to treat it," she stated.

I felt a cold shiver in my spine. She wasn't just talking about the wound, I knew it. Why did it affect me? Why did I feel she made sense? Why did I feel I needed to treat my wounds even if they didn't hurt me anymore?

~ Beauty ~

We were about to reach the small gate from where I had come out. I could see it from a distance. But how could I forget what he did when I was tending to his wounds?

My head spun the very moment I felt his finger brush against my face. He had put the strand of hair behind my ear so quickly and effortlessly that I didn't have much time to contemplate what was happening. When I looked up at him, it seemed he got nervous too. So I tried to ignore the whole thing before it became awkward.

On returning to the garden, I got reminded of our deal. I was anxious, to be honest. It was awkward because we were standing clueless in the Tulip garden. I was sure he thought of dropping the deal, but because he takes his rules and deals very seriously, he wasn't going to give up.

I think If I had said I wasn't comfortable, he would have not gone ahead with the condition but I didn't say anything.

"Um, so..." I tried to break the ice. "How do you want to carry out the deal?" I asked coughing.

He glared at me and rolled his eyes. 

"Miss Park you are unbelievable, you thought I was serious about it?" he said.

And for some weird reason, I felt disappointed.

"What do you mean?" I asked instantly.

"I know you agreed to it just to get back at me! Relax I am not going to do it," he said with a smirk.

"Woah, so you're backing off now and making it look like you won?" I taunted him.

I don't know why I pushed it so much!

"What? I am not backing off! I am just being considerate," he said folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Oh really? But I never asked you to back off. So it means, you lost and I won." I said with a grin as I took a step ahead.

I heard him sigh behind me before he held my wrist and stopped me.

"Miss Park," he said as he walked closer to me without letting my wrist go. I turned to face him. "I think you don't know, but I never lose a game," he said with a stern face.

I didn't say anything because I was feeling lightheaded with the way he was grabbing my wrist and getting closer to me with every passing second. The air had a woody smell and the weather was cold. I hate to say it, but it felt very romantic.

I shivered a little when he pulled me closer and bent his head low so that his temple hit my head. He released my wrist and held my hand to intervene his fingers with mine. I took a deep breath but I still felt breathless. I could feel that his eyes were juggling between my eyes and lips. But I was so nervous that I started looking away.

I kept telling myself that it was alright. I had invited the trouble and even insisted on it. I shouldn't be the one to back off. I tried to keep my mind focused but then I felt his mouth getting closer to mine.

My heart was pounding so badly that he might have heard it too. I squeezed his hand tightly while he leaned closer and when my eyes fell on him, he was looking at my lips. I slowly closed my eyes as I couldn't hold my anticipation. Was he going to kiss me on the lips?

"Ah, so that's when you close your eyes," he whispered.

I couldn't understand what he meant, so I opened my eyes immediately and saw him smirking at me.

Before I could say anything, he brought my hand up which he had been holding. He kept looking at me with a wicked smile while he planted a soft kiss on the back of my fingers. I shivered even when he did that.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I mean now I know why you close your eyes when I'm close to you," he said as he released my hand and moved away.

"Why?" I was concerned about what he had assumed!

"You expect a kiss on the lips but you're shy - " he shrugged.

What on earth was he talking about? I felt so enraged that I didn't think before hitting him on the arm.

"YA! Stop your nonsense," I shouted.

He chuckled and started walking away.

"Wait! That's not true what you're thinking !" I said following him.

He wasn't ready to stop and kept walking ahead of me as if he was too proud of himself for finding that out! But that wasn't true, really.

Anyway, I followed him all the way back inside the castle and got tired of making myself clear. I had started walking slowly while I waited to reach my room but he stopped at the stairway.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you something. Be honest, okay?" he said.

"Okay - " I replied being skeptical.

"Even after knowing that I could have kissed you anywhere, why did you agree to it?"

I kept quiet for a few moments while making it clear to myself what the real reason was. How did I agree to it without thinking about all the possible scenarios?

"Because I trust you," I said.

I trusted him that he wouldn't make me uncomfortable and that's why I simply thought of winning the childish bet and not about what all it could lead to. Wasn't that an obvious thing? He seemed confused. Maybe he wasn't expecting I would say that.

"You trusted Ji Hun too, saw what happened?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and pursed my lips. He was bringing up the topic again.

"I made a mistake there, I accept it," I said.

He suddenly frowned and took a step closer to me. I moved my eyes up to look at him since he was so tall.

"You should stop trusting people. It shatters you when they break your trust," he said with a fierce gaze. "Do you know how worried I was last night ?"

My eyes welled up, and I don't know the reason behind it. His pale face was suddenly red with anger.

"I know, I'm sorry..." I said in a low voice. I felt bad for troubling him.

"I wanted to kill that man - " he gritted his teeth and I saw his muscles getting tense.

I immediately held his arm to stop him. "Let it go... stay calm!" I said.

He looked at my hand and probably my touch got him back to his senses. He felt hesitant when he realized he was standing so close to me. He took a step back and cleared his throat.

"Good night," he said before walking up the stairs.

I kept watching him. I knew he was struggling with denial of who he really was. He had emotions deep within but he had learned to subside them. But the fact that he couldn't feel any pain in his wounds was strange. I needed to find out more about him.

~Beast~

I was sitting on my bed, ready to go to sleep. A bedtime novel is the best thing to put me in good sleep. Especially on the days when I struggle with the memories of my past. I never want to mention it. Not to myself and not to her.

My eyes fell on the handkerchief tied around my knuckles. It was pink and had a small rose embroidered on one corner of it. I wanted to take it off because it reminded me of her again and again. What troubled me the most was that I had started feeling good around her.

I want to remain the way I have always been. But for the last few days, I've been acting differently. Even if it looks good to her now, it might take a nasty turn if I get too involved. I stay away from emotions because I can't handle them. So it's best if I distance myself from her as soon as possible.

I touched the handkerchief and brought it closer to my face, only to realize that I was drawn to the smell of lilies it had. Not just the lilies, but I think, it smelled like her specifically. I tried to remove it but I couldn't do it. Because I knew she would check on it the next day and get angry if she found out I had taken it off.

Was I afraid of her? Of course not. It's just that, I didn't want to start another argument.

~ Beauty ~

I woke up when a loud noise startled me. It was still early in the morning but I could clearly hear the sound of an ax. I jumped out of my bed and peeped through my window to see what it was.

Since there was no one else in the castle who could use an ax, it had to be Mr. Seo. He was wearing black jeans and nothing on top. Yes, shirtless to be precise. I don't know why he roams around without wearing his shirt. His chunky arms were hitting the wood so hard that I felt bad for it. Nonetheless, the sight was amazing, like a classic cowboy movie.

But wait. Wasn't it early in the morning? And it was very cold? He must be crazy for cutting the wood at that time and that too bare-chested. He could easily catch a cold and become even sicker.

So I picked up a small woolen blanket from my cupboard and rushed down to him. I was in disbelief at how careless he could be. Given that the castle was huge, it already took me a few minutes to reach him. Surprisingly I couldn't find the way to that part of the garden which was right outside my window!

I shouted from a distance when I found him as I kept running in that direction. He glanced at me but continued his work anyway. He became much more attractive as I got closer to him. His muscles were contracting every time he moved the ax. But then I had to stop before I got too close since he was cutting wood.

"Excuse me, can you please put this on?" I said extending the blanket to him.

I couldn't see the exact expression on his face but he smirked, I think.

"Have you ever seen someone cut wood with a blanket on?" he said as he hit the wood hard. I could see that he was even sweating.

"Huh, it is still very cold. You shouldn't be doing this." I said.

"I am not feeling cold, you can go now," he instructed.

But I wasn't going to let him fall sicker. I tried my best to go near him and save myself from the ax and particles of wood flying across. He seemed to be disturbed but he wasn't stopping.

"Go away or else you'll get hurt," he said.

"I am not going anywhere until you put this on." I declared.

He shook his head and ignored what I said. How mean of him to give no importance to me at all?

"Aaa!" I shouted and he immediately dropped the ax and ran towards me.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" he asked checking me thoroughly.

"Umm, not really!" I said when he was close enough for me to put the blanket around him.

He had a disgusted look on his face when he realized that he got tricked. I quickly wrapped him in the warm blanket.

"How dare you lie to me?" he was clearly offended, but I didn't care.

"Let's go in and have something hot before you catch a cold," I said, not bothered about his dry threats.

"I don't want to - " he objected, but I held his arm and dragged him with me.

He was physically stronger but thankfully he didn't resist and got dragged along.

I made him a hot cup of coffee by the time he changed into a sweater and came downstairs. He only had the elite coffee in his kitchen which was probably the best in the world. I was afraid to even use it.

"This is the last time I'm agreeing to you, please don't interfere again," he said as he sat on a chair kept on the other side of the kitchen platform.

"What were you even doing so early in the morning?" I asked sliding the coffee towards him.

"I was thinking," he said.

"Thinking?"

"Yes, I needed to focus and come up with an idea to promote the launch of AER Textiles" he explained.

"And, you are not considering the idea given by your secretary?" I asked.

"What? Make a stupid promotional video where I sing? I already forbid him and all his team members to give any further ideas" he said.

"What?" I frowned. "You are insane! How could you -" I sighed because he was unbelievable. Who would do that just because someone gave an idea that they didn't like?

I understood that he was frustrated since he had the responsibility of coming up with an idea then.

"Is it because you don't want to sing?" I asked.

"It's not that I don't want to sing. It's just that - I am not the best singer out there,"

I had never heard him sing so I didn't know if he was right or not, but it was so unlike him to accept that he wasn't good at something.

"You cannot judge that on your own, besides, people are crazy about you. If they knew you were singing something, even for a few seconds, they would make it a hit." I explained.

"Why do you think so?" he asked as if I was talking crap.

"Because of the anticipation. The public craves your pictures. Imagine if they get you in the promotional video for AER Textiles and you sing in it!"

He took a minute to contemplate what I said. Probably I made sense that morning.

"But, would singing go with the theme?" he asked.

"Textile is linked to clothing and fashion. Tell your advertising team to come up with an interesting idea for a short clip where you wear classy clothes made with quality fabric, I will help you with that," I explained. "And sing a soothing song for the background?"

"I don't know..." he sounded confused.

"Oh," I sighed. "I understand... I know you don't want to take my advice on business decisions and -"

"No!" he almost shouted.

I got startled and stared at him with wide eyes.

"I mean," he got softer with his tone. "It's not like that," he said.

"It's okay, I don't mind if you don't want to consider my opinion - "

He gritted his teeth and took out his cellphone. I kept watching him as he mumbled something and dialed a number.

"Yes, umm... I am sorry to disturb you in the morning but I have decided to go with your idea." he was probably talking to his secretary.

It was very exciting for me since that was the first time he had agreed to take my opinion into consideration. I had to do my best!

~ Beast ~

I had to agree with her because she was blackmailing me. The last time I disagreed with her opinion she landed in trouble. Even if it was a different situation, I couldn't let that happen again.

I used to sing when I was young. A few years ago I sang for the wedding of Mrs. Cha's daughter. After that people kept insisting I sing. But I feel very afraid of doing things that I am not confident about. I hope this goes well or else I'm never going to forgive Miss Park for her stupid idea.

As the day went on, I took her to the work area near the blue rose garden. I wanted to teach her how to prepare the manure for growing the flower. I had arranged a separate pot for her. There was no way she was getting to use my garden's soil for growing the plant. That would have been like spoon feeding. I wanted her to do it from scratch.

The work area was a small hut where I kept all the necessary things. She was five minutes late when she entered. I could tell why. She had dressed up, especially for the day it seems. Her hair was left open and she had a funny hair band that looked very girlish. She was wearing a white woolen T-shirt with some gibberish print on it and blue denim shorts.

Great. Early morning she was giving me a lecture to cover myself since it was cold and then she was there showing off her legs.

"Aren't you feeling cold on your legs?" I asked.

"It's fashion! I want to make my work interesting," she said as she came near me.

"It would become more interesting for those who watch you," I remarked, which I should have not.

She crossed her brows at first and glared at me with her narrow eyes. I was afraid that I had offended her. But she smirked and leaned against the counter where I was arranging things.

"What do you mean? Do I look... hot in this? " she asked leaning towards me as if she was a kid.

I felt a very uncomfortable thing in my stomach and my breathing got uneven. I was worried if she could see that I was nervous. I couldn't control it since I didn't know the reason behind it.

"That's not what I meant - umm," I tried to speak but she was staring at me and I felt I had no voice. It was my mistake for making that comment out of the blue. I needed to learn how to curb my tongue in front of her.

She giggled and moved away. I could finally catch a breath.

"Are you taking me to the garden today?" she asked.

"If you prepare the manure well in this pot," I said.

"What? But you said I will get to see it if I found the weed flower," she argued.

"I said, I'll take you there if you prepare the manure and the weed was needed for it." I corrected her.

"Whatever!" she rolled her eyes and shifted her focus to the things kept on the counter.

After I repeated the steps, she started making the manure in a small tub. There were many things that she needed to mix in the correct proportion. She said she had read a lot about it, but my ways were different. Nobody knew what I did. So there was still a lot that she needed to learn.

I was watching her closely while I prepared some organic fertilizers for the garden.

"By the way, " she said. "are you feeling better today?" she asked.

"I never felt bad in the first place," I replied.

"Huh, then let's talk about something good. Tell me something about yourself,"

"What do you want to know?" I asked because I was clueless about how to make small talk.

"Umm, when was the last time you went on a date?" she asked.

"Never," I replied.

"Never? You have never been on a date?" she sounded surprised.

"Hmm, what's so shocking about that? I am not interested in all that," I said.

"Strange, I thought you had a girlfriend who ditched you and that's why you ended up being like this!" she shrugged.

How stupid of her to think like that? And I was agitated because one way or the other she just wanted to know my past.

"I can't invest my time in love, I am a very busy person," I stated. I didn't say that it was impossible for me to handle the extreme emotions that a person in love might feel.

She shrugged but didn't say anything. Probably she was out of questions.

"What about you? What is your fiance like?" I asked.

"Umm," she flinched a little. "He is also a businessman," she smiled.

"No, I mean... what is he like? What do you find interesting about him?"

She thought for a while but spoke nothing. As if she was clueless about that. I always doubted that something was wrong with her engagement since she never bothered to collect her ring back.

"When was the last time he took you on a date?" I asked.

She lowered her head as if she was trying to hide something. I could sense her discomfort. Probably her answer was the same as mine.

"What a pity..." I said in a low voice.

"I don't think the mere fact that a man never took me on a date makes me pitiful," she instantly objected.

I couldn't help but smile at her. She looked at me in confusion. I took a step towards her as she watched me intently.

"I wasn't talking about you..." I said. "I pity him, for missing out on the opportunity to make you happy,"

Her expression changed and I saw her eyes well up. I can't tell if she liked what I said or if she felt even sadder. But I didn't want to make her uncomfortable so I decided to leave her alone for a while.

~ Beauty ~

I finished preparing the pot and had lunch. After that, I didn't do much since I felt miserable. I knew Mr. Seo might find me in my room so I hid in another corner on my floor. I wanted to stay alone. My engagement for me was a deal just like the one I was having with Mr. Seo.

My fiance, Gwan Shi Woo, is the son of my father's friend who helped him in many ways when I was a child and we were in financial crisis. I lost my mother at an early age so Appa had to take care of me as well. About a year ago, he told me that Shiwoo wanted to get married to me. I always saw him as a friend and nothing more. In fact, we weren't even on talking terms since he lived abroad.

But I couldn't disagree because I knew it would break my Appa's heart. Uncle Gwan had done so much for us when we had nothing and he had always been supportive like a family. I thought an arranged marriage was a good idea since I never had my luck with dating men. I never found my ideal type. So I agreed to the engagement.

But one day, I got a call from Shi Woo who was drunk. He confessed that he did it only for the sake of his father. It was his father's wish and Shi Woo had no feelings for me. I wanted to break the engagement right then but when he told me that Uncle Gwon was diagnosed with heart disease, I couldn't do it.

I didn't know if what I was doing was right but if I broke the engagement then I would disappoint two important people in my life. I had never given a second thought before this. But it had started bothering me lately.

I spent the whole day sitting next to a pillar in the corner and didn't even realize that it was past dinner time. I wondered if Mr. Seo had been searching for me or not. I didn't want to make him worried because of me. But before I prepared to go back to my room, I heard footsteps approaching my way.

I stood up and looked around, then I saw him coming towards me.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"Umm," he said as he turned me around, "Your scent, I followed it."

"What?" I was shocked. "That's really beastly!" I said.

He wrapped his handkerchief around my eyes like a blindfold before I could stop him.

"Come with me," he said and pulled me along with him.

"Ya!" I shouted but he didn't stop.

"Wait, where are you taking me so late in the night?" I shouted again.

"Just shut up and come with me," he replied as he reached the edge of the staircase. "there are steps, be careful," he said.

"I won't come with you," I said stopping right there.

There was no movement for a while and since I couldn't see him, I had no idea what he was going to do.

But my brain stopped working when I felt his hand on my shoulders. He had grabbed me firmly and the next moment he had the other arm under my knees. Before I realized it, he had picked me up in his arms.

"What!!!!" I screamed. "Put me down!"

"It's going to be the best night of your life," he said as he took me down the stairs.

I had wrapped my hands around his neck tightly so that I didn't fall. Nobody had ever carried me like that before and I thought it was practically impossible for one person to carry another.

"Don't make me fall," I requested.

"It's okay you are light as a feather," he replied.

I was sure that he lied. It was so frustrating to not know what was going to happen. I kept getting more and more anxious as time went by. But he finally put me down and I felt the ground beneath me. I wanted to open the blindfold but he did it before I could. I slowly opened my eyes fearing what he was up to.

As the light slowly fell on my eyes, I realized that I was outside the castle in his garden. When the view got clearer, I noticed something glowing under yellow lights. I was amazed to see them with my own eyes, they were blue roses. I was in the middle of the blue rose garden.

I was in awe of how beautiful it looked. I took a step ahead and gazed around. There were woven strings of yellow fairy lights on top of us, that were stretched across the blue rose garden so that it lit up at night. I was sure that if I had seen the garden during the day it wouldn't have looked as beautiful as it was at night under those fairy lights.

"This is unbelievable!" I said as I turned around to look at Mr. Seo.

"Did you like it?" he asked with a smile I had never seen before.

"Yes! I love it," I assured him and walked closer. "Thank you so much for bringing me here," I said.

"I put these lights on today itself," he informed. He seemed very excited about it.

"Really? It looks beautiful," I said looking around. The roses looked like a royal blue velvet sheet. There were some fireflies around them which made it look even more enchanting. The fragrance was unlike any other rose. It was extraordinary!

"Mr. Seo, this is just... I can't explain how happy I am to see this," I said.

He extended his hand toward me, but I didn't know what to do with it. I kept staring at him with a blank face.

"Hold it," he said.

I chuckled and held his hand. He immediately pulled me towards him and rested his hand gently on my waist.

"What is this?" I giggled looking at him.

"It's a little dance," he said smiling.

I laughed as he slowly moved and I kept my hands on his shoulders. I had never seen him smile so much before. His face wasn't pale anymore.

"But there's no music? " I chuckled.

"Umm," he took a deep breath and started humming something.

I was amazed at how melodious it was. He had a heavy tone and rough texture in his voice as he hummed a tune that I couldn't recognize.

"Oh, I love the hum, you must be a good singer," I remarked.

He shook his head and twirled me around very slowly while he kept humming.

"Have a good look at the garden," he whispered.

"It's gorgeous," I exclaimed.

When I faced him again, he released me and I got some time to watch him carefully.

He opened his mouth to say something but suddenly got worried and grabbed me in his arms. I realized that the fairy lights had fallen on top of us. The strings were all over us and we were caught up in the web of lights.

I laughed because he looked annoyed that his arrangement had collapsed like that. He was holding me close to him protectively and trying to remove the strings away.

"I'm sorry about this," he apologized.

"It's okay," I said while I removed the lights from his head.

I was so touched by what he had done for me, that a minor inconvenience didn't matter to me. Moreover, he looked divine in between those fairy lights. As if he was glowing himself.

He slowly turned me around to untangle some of the strings on me, as I waited. He was moving his hand around and every time they brushed on me, I felt electric sparks run down my spine and I flinched. I can't tell if it was because of the wires or something else.

"By the way, why did you do all this for me?" I asked.

He again turned me towards him and disentangled the light strings very carefully.

"I don't know, I just felt like it," he replied.

"You... felt? Hmm, interesting."

He didn't seem to be interested in my talks. He was busy trying to get us out of the web. His touches were gentle when he removed the strings from my hair. I kept watching him and enjoying how adorable he looked with those strings entangled on his head.

I chuckled and started taking it off from his hair. We were standing very close by then and I could see that his entire focus was only on the lights. He was taking them off my shoulders.

But I was distracted. His skin was shining like gold. The mole under his eye was so prominent. His deep slender eyes intently looking at the lights made them sparkle.

His gesture to make that night special for me was so unlike him. I had always seen him full of himself, but he did something just for me. I was moved. Nobody had ever done anything like that before. I forgot all our fights, I forgot what situation we were in. I think I forgot everything. He was all that I wanted to know about.

I removed the lights from his hair and when I slid them off his face, my fingers brushed against his cheek. I couldn't keep my hands away from him and I unknowingly touched his cheek again.

That's when he flinched and moved his gaze at me. I got startled when his eyes met mine but I couldn't move since we were entangled in the lights. Moreover, I didn't want to move at all. I wanted to stay right there, close to him.

His gaze was intense, he didn't smile at all and took deep but hasty breaths. He was probably nervous since I was touching him. He wanted to say something but he was holding it back, I was sure. He took his hands away from me and let them hang on his sides. Maybe he wanted to run away but that was not an option at that time.

His uneven breaths were telling me that he was anxious but he wasn't letting it show on his face. I wondered what pain was he hiding inside. I wanted to know it, I wanted to help him and fix everything. I wanted to thank him for what he did that night, I wanted to tell him how happy I was.

I unknowingly stood on my toes to reach closer to his face because it was working like a magnet. I was already close to him but I wanted to be closer. I wanted to let my overwhelming emotions flow. But he was too tall for me and I kept falling back on my feet.

After two failed attempts when I tried for the third time, I was prepared to fall again. But that time, he got his strong arms to encircle around my waist and keep me on a level with him. I felt as if I was in the air since my toes were barely touching the ground. My face was right in front of him. My hands were holding his shoulders for support.

Our bodies were still tied together with the fairy lights as I rested my temple on his head. He was breathing heavily and so was I. I felt a strange force pulling me towards him. My nose brushed against his and I gasped for air.

He gulped in and I tiled my head as I tried to move my lips closer to his. He was trying his best not to show any expression on his face but I could hear his racing heartbeats. They were a cue for me to go ahead.

As I leaned closer to his lips, I could feel his grip getting tighter on my waist. He was struggling to breathe but he kept looking at me intently.

It's tough to explain how I felt while looking him in the eyes. My heart was pounding and I was nervous, but I enjoyed it. I wanted more of him.

It was about time that I couldn't stay away from his lips anymore. I clenched his sweater on the shoulders tightly and moved my mouth closer to his lips while I kept watching him.

He started looking confused and helpless. He frowned a little and shut his eyes. I moved my gaze at his lips which were so close to me that I just needed a breath to reach them. They were so perfect that I felt butterflies in my stomach just by looking at them. The mere thought of kissing them made my head spin.

I gasped for air and pulled him closer. My lips brushed against his. 

I was so nervous that I stopped but I didn't move away. Neither did he. My breathing got very unruly and my chest was rising and falling uncontrollably. I could feel his grip on my waist tighten further.

Although something at the back of my head kept stopping me from taking the next step, I wasn't able to listen to it. I gave up the struggle and gave in to my feelings.

I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his. They were soft and moist. Their touch drove me insane.

His lips shivered and I felt adrenaline rush all over my body. I didn't know what to do next but my feelings were guiding me. His lips were still under mine and I nervously opened my mouth a little to capture them. He did the same and tilted his head. 

I moved my lips and kissed him. He responded meekly but that made my breathing hitch.

I have no idea what might have happened then if I had not heard someone's voice coming from a distance.

"Sir are you okay???"

It didn't even take me a second to realize what I had done. I panicked, moved my face away immediately, and opened my eyes wide. He looked at me too but he wasn't surprised.

He released me slowly and my feet came back to the ground.

I became restless. What had I done? That wasn't right! How could I act without thinking?

I instantly tried to move away but we were entangled. I couldn't escape. I struggled to move away from him and breathed heavily in nervousness. I couldn't face him after what had happened.

I bent my head low since I didn't want to look at him. It was too awkward for me since I had made a huge mistake. I was embarrassed for crossing the line.

He kept his hand at the back of my head and spoke.

"It's okay. Let's pretend it never happened,"

I didn't know what to do, but I felt exhausted. I rested my head on his chest. What else could I do? I had nowhere to go.

I heard some of his guards coming up to us to help us get out of the fairy lights. I was clueless about what would happen next. Would I be able to pretend that I never kissed him?

~ 

Sneak Peek : 

"Boyoung, I hope you are happy after seeing my garden," Inguk said. 

"I am," she replied hesitantly since she couldn't forget what had happened there. 

"I wanted to apologize, for forcing you into this deal," he said. 

"No, don't be," boyoung said getting worried. 

"You can go back home now. I won't break the deal with your father's company," he said. 

Boyoung frowned, she couldn't understand why she didn't want to leave him. 

*****************

A/N: Annyeong chingus! I hope you all are doing well. What are your thoughts on their first kiss? :) 

Sorry for any mistakes! :( Please comment I love them! It keeps me going :D 

See you all in the next chapter ;-)