Will you sign it or not?

Se-gye's eyes scanned the restaurant.

She'd passed by it several times with starry eyes, either on a delivery, to get more clothing stock or whenever she was in the area. It was always too expensive for her budget, the day she finally stepped in here she was told that the whole place had been fully booked since two weeks ago and there were pending reservations even after that time.

Leaving disheartened and eventually eating Christmas dinner with So-ae at a cheap diner, she got drunk, cussed at them and decided that she was not even interested in eating there anymore.

She never considered she'd be sitting here today, and not just at any seat but in their most expensive VIP room with anyone else but her high school crush. Still looking as handsome as ever, she thought it just wasn't fair that he didn't age a bit. His features just enhanced, leaving him more mature but still appealing.

Her index finger trailed round the rim of the champagne flute she'd long emptied, she'd stopped the waiter from refilling it. His chest had ballooned broader than she remembered, he must have been working out a lot in recent years.

So why was it that this man, who'd always managed to steal her attention from anything, had set a pen down on the marriage contract?

"You have got to be kidding me".

"I'm not, you can read through it. It's legit".

She grabbed the neatly stapled paperwork, she was determined to read it word for word.

Dohyeok couldn't quite believe that Se-gye actually agreed to come with him. It wasn't hard for him to get rid of the snooty lady causing a ruckus in front of the warehouse. Once the policeman had recognized him, all the money she'd offered to bribe him with suddenly became chicken change compared to the handsome CEO's input.

"Did you just wake up one morning and plan this? How did you even find me anyway?"

There was a part of her that wished he'd say he has been looking for her for a while now. What was wrong with her? She'd tried over a million times to move on and forget him. He never returned her feelings, never led her on, never accepted her confessions. She'd decided to leave things in the past, so why did he have to come now?

"I thought long and hard before coming here".

Se-gye would have believed what he had just said if it was ten years ago. Back then anything he said was the truth, she would have given even her soul to him if he ever needed one. But now...

"Don't make me laugh. So you're saying you actually came here to see me and ask if I'm interested in signing this?"

She furrowed her brows, casting a nasty glower in his direction. He wasn't at all intimidated, he'd watched her carefully read through the paperwork to see if there were any false clauses or not. On finding out that it was indeed authentic, her pupils grew wider.

"Se-gye, you don't have to decide right now. Today's Friday right? If by this time next week you decide to sign it, you can give me a call".

He pulled out a business card with his phone number out of his inner suit pocket. He was sure she had a lot of questions, as to why she was hesitant to ask them, he wasn't sure either.

"What makes you think I'm still interested in you? I could have moved on you know, how are you so sure that you're not here embarrassing yourself right now?"

I mean he's now a public figure, doesn't he have any pride or was it so easy to ask this of some girl who was helplessly in love with him a few years ago?

Dohyeok looked resolute but Se-gye wasn't buying it. She needed something more solid to work with here. So what if she blushed when he called out her name from the warehouse's driveway? She was surprised that she could remember his voice despite how gruffy it was now. She couldn't believe he still recollected her name, she thought she was just among all the other girls who would stare at him in the hallway when he was at his locker.

She blinked away reminiscing thoughts. It wasn't the time for this. What made her despondent was the fact that all the feelings she'd suppressed successfully through the years came tumbling down on her. She thought she was getting closer to finally letting things go, but right now his presence affected her more than anything.

"I know that many years have passed and things have obviously changed but..."

She observed him intermittently, his demeanor, his gaze, his body movements, the movement of his lips. He suddenly felt kind of nervous, why did he think this will be something easy to do? The aloof Se-gye he knew was now replaced with a ravishingly nubile woman.

She'd cut her hair. Its coffee brown mane was always crashing over her shoulders, now it was horizontally cut just above her shoulders. He always thought that he preferred ladies with long hair, meeting her today has brought those thoughts to question.

She had pouting lips, still awaiting an answer from him, they looked lilac soft. He swallowed. Really? Had she gotten over him? Maybe she's dating someone already. Several scenarios had played over in his mind before meeting her. Running into her husband or her kid instead of her. Meeting her boyfriend or the possibility that she's single but doesn't believe in love or marriage anymore.

She had a small nose and shiny, halo-white teeth. Her inky eyes seemed dim, she must work more than she rests. His lips upturned in a smile. She was always sleeping in the class they had together back then, who'd believe that, that Se-gye would become so diligent today? Now, that he thought about it, she could have just joined that class because he was there.

"Are you seeing anyone? Or do you have anyone you like right now?"

He leaned in across the table, she knitted her slender eyebrows at him. He asked in the most sincere manner he could, but most of all she noticed a bit of wanting in his gaze.

"No..."

She wanted to add that doesn't mean she's not already over him, but she didn't want him to have something to capitalize on. What if he catches her in her little white lie? No, she's not going to let him have the upper hand again this time.

His smile slipped up a notch and she felt the insides of her stomach cave in on each other. She couldn't believe what he was doing to her, all her hard work suddenly felt wasted. She tried online dating, blind dates and finally found a boyfriend but... his eyes, his face, they seemed permanently imprinted in her brain.

"Then please think about it. I'd thought about almost all eventualities before asking you, you're the only one I'm asking. I know you may have gotten over me or possibly hate me now but...I still wanted to try, if I don't try and just give up, I know I'll come to regret it someday. So I'm glad you don't like anyone else yet, I think I might still have a chance".

She scoffed.

"You're quite the cocky one, aren't you? I see some aspects of you didn't change even after so long".

Se-gye didn't know why that made her happy. She seemed pensive on the outside but her body tingled when he mentioned the words 'glad'.

So he's happy she's still single, huh? She tried to think of other reasons why he would want that apart from the one that'll be obvious to everyone. Outlining the final clause of the paper with her eyes, she pressed them shut.

What was she about to do again? She's not really considering this right? No, this is a bad idea and she knows it so why... She peeked at him when he called the waiter to serve them what he'd reserved. Back then she'd imagined countless times how a date with him was gonna be. It's finally happening now, ten years later though. She felt like all her insecurities were fluttering all around her.

He could turn her on, by doing nothing else than talking. She sighed softly, she was such a lost cause. He'd asked her out for lunch and she accepted in a heartbeat. Yeah, that's where the problem was. She should have turned him down. Or better yet took her time to respond. She sees Dohyeok right in front of her after so long and she just freezes under his spell again.

He'd built Palmer to where it was now, a company quickly climbing the charts in terms of unisex cosmetics and makeup. In a way she was proud of him, the black obsessed bad boy she'd fallen for now in a grey suit, his hair pulled back instead of the parted bangs he was famous for.

Maybe she should sign it and see where this goes. If they finally became a couple and then break up maybe she'd be able to finally get over him.

"Fine, I'll sign it but only on one condition".