If Chung Ji-Eun can handle this, I should also be able to.

"I'm here," Hyun-Shik greeted his mother as he was led into the viewing room of the boutique where his bride-to-be is supposedly getting dolled up.

'This place is getting more impressive by the day.' He thought as he crossed the room to kiss his mother on the cheek. 'There's even something like this here...' He really needs to brush up on his knowledge about this whole hospitality industry since 'her' specialty lies here.

'I'd have to learn all the things she's interested in, so we can have at least something we can talk about after the... wedding.' He thought as he sank into the seat beside his mother.

"Have you been here long?" He asked his mother, who was calmly sipping some tea. "Where's Ji-Eun?"

"It's been an hour or so," the Madam answered, smiling. "We went through the consultation with the Lead Attendant here. Everything was so nice and we didn't even have to do anything."

"Really?" He relaxed, knowing his mother was enjoying herself. "And Ji-Eun? Where is she?" He asked again, his second question unanswered.

"Ji-Eun's getting dressed," Madam Song glanced at his son subtly. "Oh Jaehyun's with her."

And as she had expected, Hyun-Shik's eyebrows shot up in surprise, albeit only for a second.

"Secretary Oh?" He echoed. "I see, okay."

"Yes," his mother put down her cup and turned to face her son. "Tell me, what do you know about Oh Jaehyun?"

"Only that he's been her right-hand man for a few good years now," he said, recalling his and Ji-Eun's conversation back at the Chung mansion. "He acts as her secretary and bodyguard. Her father, the President, is especially fond of him. He doesn't have a son, so that is to be expected. Oh Jaehyun... you can think of him as someone who's at Ji-Eun's beck and call 24/7."

He didn't want to show how uncomfortable he felt describing Oh Jaehyun to his mother, so he just smiled while he said all of this.

Madam Song could only nod and sigh.

"Is there something wrong? Don't tell me you're overthinking their relationship, Mother," Song Hyun-Shik stared at his mother.

The Madam's smile turned a bit rueful, feeling a bit taken aback by her son's words.

"Well..." she patted her son's hand affectionately. "They just seem to be really close."

"They really are," Hyun-Shi said thoughtfully. "But I'm sure Ji-Eun's a proper girl and Oh Jaehyun is just being very considerate towards her."

He didn't know when he started to feel like he had to protect Ji-Eun from his mother, but he did. However, it didn't make him feel any better that he had to protect her obviously capable male secretary from his mother's worries too.

A flicker of annoyance sprouted somewhere within him at the thought of considering Oh Jaehyun's presence in his and Ji-Eun's affairs.

'But to be fair...' he pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Ji-Eun's being very considerate of my situation with Yuri. And besides... those two are really not in the same relationship as me and Yuri, so... I don't have a right to complain here.'

"I wouldn't worry about them too much, Mother," he said. "Ji-Eun's a young and wonderful girl, so she's bound to get some attention from other men. But she knows what she's doing and I trust her."

"I'm not going to worry if you say so," she nodded back to her son. "Besides, I know what kind of people they are."

Hyun-Shik let out a sigh of relief as the topic of their conversation veered away from Ji-Eun and her secretary. Instead, his mother began asking him about the status of their company, any progress that they've made, and some other things that are work-related. While he chided his mother gently about keeping tabs on him at work, he was deeply comforted by the thought that his parents would always be there to help him out.

After about ten more minutes, they both saw a number of attendants come out of the dressing room. And then Lead Attendant, a French woman named Anita, approached the two of them.

"The young miss is ready for you," she said contentedly. "The stage is right this way."

Anita gestured for them to look at one side of the viewing room where an area was covered delicately by curtains.

At this time too, Oh Jaehyun came out of the dressing room and walked over to where they were seated, his face showing nothing but calm indifference. Hyun-Shik eyed him for a moment and nodded back when the ever-prim secretary bowed to him.

"I've told Lady Chung that you were here," Jaehyun stood beside the couch, addressing him.

"Oh?" Hyun-Shik looked over, an anxious look in his eyes appearing suddenly.

While Song Su-Won appeared excited at the prospect of seeing her daughter-in-law in her wedding dress, Hyun-Shik's expression became uneasy quickly at the thought. Anxiety crept in and he almost wished he could be anywhere but there.

'Why am I so worried about this?' He thought. 'It shouldn't really matter what she looks like now because we're just getting married for convenience, right? I should be more focused on my actual relationship with Yuri.' He tried to strengthen his resolve with that very thought as the cream-colored curtains opened up to show an illuminated podium behind it.

'If Chung Ji-Eun can handle this, I should also be able to.'

To show his willingness to be supportive at this time, he swallowed back his anxiety and pasted a nervous smile on his face. He saw a small movement on the left side of the podium and he turned his attention towards it.

Two seconds later, Ji-Eun's smiling face appeared before him.

And at that moment, Hyun-Shik saw his own resolve shatter into a million tiny pieces right in front of him.