Like a pair of agate stones under the moonlight

Director Kang's face was lowered and he was looking down at Su-Jin. He seemed startled, and for the first time, she saw him as a human being and not as a demon.

His black eyes were staring down at her, flickering in the dim light. They were wide with surprise, contrasting with his pale face like two pieces of black agate on a white velvet canopy. At that moment, Ji-Won's eyes seemed very penetrating and less cold than usual.

"Director Kang."

Su-Jin began to speak in a quiet voice, staring intensely at his face. Before she could even realize what she was saying, she continued to sputter nonsense.

"You have beautiful eyes. Their black is so sparkly, like two beautiful shimmering stones under the moonlight."

Despite the alcohol blurring her thoughts, Su-Jin sounded oddly confident in her statement. She also appeared to be quite serious.

Ji-Won's eyes widened in shock. Su-Jin's words caused his mind to black out, and he was thrown into a stunned silence. For a long moment he didn't know how to react, so he simply stood there, quiet and still as a statue. Then, his mind suddenly jolted awake and he finally processed her words.

The first thing that crossed his mind was what would happen if that load of nonsense was heard by someone else. Feeling his heart thumping with worry, his eyes darted around quickly.

Luckily, everyone was too engaged in their own conversations to pay any attention to them. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ji-Won slowly turned his head towards Su-Jin. His expression turned grim, while he tried to free his arm from her grasp.

"You are drunk, Miss Park." He said through gritted teeth.

"Tipsy really." She replied, waving a hand airily. "But that is not the point."

"The point is that you are talking nonsense and I wish for you to let me go." Ji-Won said, a tinge of desperation lacing his voice, while he kept trying to pull his arm away.

To his utter astonishment, though, Su-Jin unexpectedly yanked him by the arm, pulling him down. She raised her head higher and stared right into his eyes, not even blinking.

They were very close now, their noses almost touching, and Ji-Won found himself gulping. He soon heard her voice drifting towards him, low and soft like an enticing melody.

"The point is, Director Kang, that tipsy or not, I can still make a true statement. And the truth is that you have beautiful black eyes. They would look even prettier if you smiled more often, like you did earlier."

As Su-Jin finished, her own face lit up with a bright smile.

After a moment, she finally released him and slowly wobbled back to her seat. Fortunately, she was able to reach her destination without further incident. Yeon-Ah received her with a slightly worried expression, but Su-Jin's bright smile eased her friend's anxiousness.

In the meantime, Ji-Won turned around and headed for the washroom. He wanted to be alone for a few moments in order to clear his head. To his luck, the place was empty.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, Ji-Won made a beeline for the sink. He placed both hands on either side of the sink, feeling the refreshing cold surface under his palms. Looking up into the mirror, he saw his own reflection, staring back at him with quivering eyes. He could almost see his mind buzzing with thoughts, like a bustling beehive. Behind those dark spots that were his pupils, Ji-Won saw traces of emotion.

Earlier, when he saw Su-Jin wobbling out of balance, he had instinctively gotten up, reaching out for her. He merely wanted to prevent her from falling and hurting herself. Who would have thought that she would be possessed by a crazy ghost and say all those things to him?

Now, after having that strange conversation, Ji-Won regretted acting so out of character.

From the very start he didn't like getting involved with people. Ever since he was young, he had preferred to keep things simple between the world and himself. That meant maintaining no close relationships. Seo-Jun was the only person who had been able to breach his carefully guarded persona. But that had happened so many years ago, when he was vulnerable and weak. However, at this moment in time he didn't need anyone else to disturb his life.

Neither Ji-Won, nor Su-Jin, was aware that there had been a witness to their short interaction. If they knew, it's almost certain that both would simply die on the spot from embarrassment.

While talking to Yeon-Ah, Seo-Jun had seen his friend help Su-Jin steady herself. He also noticed the small change in Ji-Won's countenance. The man was rarely caught off-guard, so Seo-Jun was very curious to know what had happened to make his best friend look flustered like that.

As a consequence, the moment he saw Ji-Won walk away from the table, Seo-Jun excused himself, and hastily followed after his friend.

Seo-Jun soon found Ji-Won in the washroom staring inside the mirror, his expression concentrated.

"Did you blush back there or was I imagining things?" Seo-Jun drawled quietly, coming to stand next to his friend.

Despite the fact that Seo-Jun had lowered his voice, in the quietness of the washroom the sound still reverberated loudly.

Ji-Won flinched, but his appearance didn't change.

"You were imagining things. Wouldn't be the first time it happens." he responded simply.

"Oh, I don't think I am." Seo-Jun shook his head, a small grin appearing on his face. "This time I clearly saw you blush. Your handsome face was all flustered and your eyes were wide like saucers. In all honesty, you looked as though something shocking had startled you silly."

"Shut up." Ji-Won muttered.

"What did she say to you that made you look like a cornered little animal, hm?"

At his friend's question, Ji-Won's mind recounted Su-Jin's shocking words. This unwanted reminder caused his throat to tighten. The next moment, he cleared his throat loudly, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable sensation.

"None of your business." he replied in a dismissive tone.

"You know what, I can just go and ask her myself. That would definitely be much easier than trying to convince you." Seo-Jun retorted with a devilish grin. He even made a movement as if to turn and leave.

Ji-Won's hand suddenly reached out, grabbing Seo-Jun by the elbow and forcefully pulling him back.

"Fine! I will tell you what happened. Once I do, we will close this subject forever. Understood?"

Seo-Jun quickly nodded in response, looking like a chicken pecking at food. Only then did Ji-Won release him. Ji-Won then grudgingly prepared his heart for what was about to follow.