Kim SeokJin is a powerful CEO in one of the largest companies in the country. His lover is his chief business rival, Kim SongDae. Park JiMin only complicates matters between Jin and Dae with that damn smile of his.
All seven friends work togethe...
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Dae worked the ranch until winter came in earnest.
She found the long hours of darkness and the constant overcast of snow laden skies drug her into a personal darkness that frightened her. She had to escape again.
She fled to a tiny private island. She spent days sleeping in a hut built on the ocean. The sun warmed her by day and the waves sang her to sleep by night.
Everything was perfect. She had an assigned cabana boy who quickly learned her likes and dislikes. He was young and handsome and eager to please.
She tried to convince herself to find pleasure in him. She found she did not have the heart for it.
One day she was sitting on the deck of her bungalow, curled in her chair when her afternoon tray arrived.
“Her" boy smiled his brilliant smile, blushing when she thanked him. She checked the tray to find her favorite fruity cocktail and an assortment of magazines from home. She was so excited. How kind of him to find these for her.
She settled in for a long afternoon of reading. The sun was painting the sky beautiful shades of orange and purple as it headed to rest.
The moon was already visible in the night sky when she picked up the last magazine. It was one that was known for pictures of beautiful people and all the latest gossip. She usually did not read it, but the cover was fun, so she decided to enjoy it.
The first several articles were interesting. She knew some of the people. Looking at the gorgeous gowns and parties, she grew a bit homesick.
But then she turned the page and her heart began to thud hard in her chest. She felt lightheaded and her stomach began to churn.
There, in the center of the magazine was a picture of Jin. At first her mouth went dry just looking at him, taking note of every beautiful feature.
Then she noticed the rest. The picture had been taken at what appeared to be a theater premier.
Jin was striding confidently toward the camera. He was in a suit, the collar of his shirt open, the long column of his neck causing her body to heat with memories. He was smiling, he looked happy as he looked into the camera.
She just stared into his face in the picture, hearing his laugh, remembering that smile.
Then she noticed that he was reaching behind him. He had Alex's hand firmly gripped in his, guiding her through the crowd. She was wearing a daring dress and sky high heels. Her face was pure triumph as she clung to Jin. The flashes around them haloed them in light. They looked like the perfect couple.
The headline read “KimCom heir and CEO draws closer to sealing the deal with Alex Choi. Will it be a spring wedding?”
The numbness that crept over her body did not last nearly long enough. Once she could trust her legs to carry her, she packed her bags and left for the airport, her destination determined by the first flight out.
Dae had landed in New York from the island, content to be lost in the hustle and anonymity that came from the large city.
She was walking in the financial district one day, bundled against the bracing cold, when that contentment was shattered.
She was never sure what first drew her attention, but she stopped and watched the taxi pull to a stop and the door open. Expensive heels, long legs, short skirt….as each was revealed she felt her chest tighten. All of it was too familiar.
She was right. Her stomach dropped as Alex stepped out of the cab and swayed into one of the buildings. Dae looked up at the skyscrapers and saw the logo of an international design firm. What was she doing there?
Dae made no effort to find the answer. She was on a plane within an hour.
This time she landed in Paris, breathing a sigh of relief to have left Alex behind.
Then she scolded herself. Since when did she run from a challenge? And since when was Alex a challenge to her.
She was tired of running. Truth be told, she was tired period. She needed a place to settle, to be at peace, a home.
Unbidden, the thought came to her that place was with Jin. She wanted to go home.
Tears pricked her eyes when she remembered she could not.
She sat at a small café in the late afternoon sun and decided that she would make her way here. Paris would become her home.
That settled, she set to work. In the next week she found a tiny apartment in an old building. It was cramped and needed work, but it was in an art district and close to galleries, cafes and shops.
The apartment was on the fourth floor and at night had a beautiful view of the city. She gathered things in the small shops and weekend markets to make it her own. Soon, she loved coming into her place in the evening.
One day wandering in an old book store she found a small book of poems and short stories. It was beautifully bound and had the most haunting black and white photographs scattered throughout.
Something about the book immediately made her think of Tae. At first glance it was whimsical, almost fragile as she held in her hands. But as she looked deeper, she could see depth and sincerity that others might overlook, just like her beautiful, complex best friend.
She bought it for him and spent the rest of the day longing for a long talk with him. If she had been honest with herself, she was longing for home.
Somehow, no real surprise, Tae found her.
It started with a phone call and soon they were talking regularly again. It helped her to have her dearest friend “with" her. He was always full of gossip.
Strangely, he never mentioned Jin. She knew Tae well enough to know he was waiting for her to ask. She would, soon…not yet though.
Soon after that Hoseok began emailing her reports about the company.
Her first thought was to tell him to stop, but then she read the first one.
Namjoon was in trouble. It was not in her to allow her work to be ruined, plus she could see how Jin was struggling to do this without her.
After that she could not help but send suggestions or course corrections. Hobi never responded directly, but she could tell by the reports the project was coming around. That made her happy.
In sending the updates, Hobi also reminded her that she needed to be productive, to be creative. She began to seek a job.
She got called to interview for a startup with a young man directly out of university. She hid a smile when he hired her as an intern. He shook her hand and assured her she would “find her way.”
Dae settled into a routine of long days of work, dinners grabbed on the way home and early nights curled up in her small bed. She found a new life in that beautiful place.
Still, even this season of change, there remained one constant. Thoughts of Jin haunted her.
