Saeroyi and Yi Seo had been friends for a long time, but as a couple they were only now starting to settle in a relaxing pace, where novelty stopped being in an item in the equation and they were rather enjoying each other without rush. The realization of forever was finally sinking in. It was good.

They were about to turn something like a year together. No one knew exactly, since when the subject of their anniversary date came up and Saeroyi suggested it should be of their first kiss, Yi Seo answered with a mindless "If it was going to be of our first kiss, we would have five years dating already."

He was aware of it. It took a split second of their lips touching again, soft and warm, for him to recall that dazed dream from years ago. It didn't occur to him to get mad at her; the dangerous dream had turned into his sweet reality, after all. But the information coming out was a slip on her part, he noticed. She wasn't planning on telling him, and to his surprise, she was embarrassed by it. So he just laughed it off and teased her about how she then stopped Soo Ah from kissing him using the argument of permission.

"Are you seriously reminding me that you guys almost kissed?" "You didn't, right? You two didn't kiss?"

She was being defensive, and a little insecure. So unlike her. Saeroyi didn't quite figure out why, but he kissed her as if he did. And he showed her how, God, he wished they had five years of that already.

Now, walking with her towards their table at the center of the enormous ballroom that at the moment held one of IC's latest major events, he finally grasped the reason. It would be impossible not to with her gaze on him inducing self-consciousness to pour in his brain.

He felt stupid, and apologetic, and he waited for her to say a word so he could deny anything that she was thinking.

But she didn't say anything. They sat, and ate, and had a good time with their friends and partners, and that was it. Just like that, the night was over and they were driving back to her apartment, where he would be staying for the night (or rather for a few nights in a row). Perhaps she hadn't paid mind to the issue as much as he thought she did.

Deciding to let it go, Saeroyi took his right hand off the steering wheel and squeezed her thigh gently.

"You were amazing tonight."

Yi Seo smiled at him, and her cheeks turned pink, and, with the lights of the city shining bright behind her, it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Too bad he had to turn back ahead to finish the route.

Yes, they were fine.

Stunning as she was in her navy long dress, though, they were really just going to sleep. The party had been a success, but also a burden on her for the past few weeks with her secretary gone on maternity leave and her deciding to take part on every step of the way because the project was hers and nothing can go wrong in our first nationally open beer contest, Daepyonim. He had no shot talking her out of it. In the end, she shone through once again and if anything she was the true star tonight rather than the winners they were celebrating. Still, Saeroyi had her memorized enough to notice the hints of exhaustion she was showing.

So it surprised him a bit when Yi Seo called his attention when getting undressed later on.

"Can you help me with this?" she asked, not looking remotely as innocent as she sounded.

You see, his eyes had the habit of being attracted to her naturally; a type of enchantment, one could say. But there were a few tricks she learned during their time together — tricks she only used when she wasn't in the mood to play fair with him, at work or in life in general — that overpowered him almost irreversibly: a right word, a right look, a right tone, a right touch. Yi Seo always had a way to know exactly what strings to pull to get what she wanted and Saeroyi became aware of it too soon. But even if he sometimes fought back, it was always amusing.

Until they engaged in a relationship.

And amusing was not the word anymore.

There wasn't anything funny about the way she slowly gathered her hair to one side, giving him free access to her back, a zipper away. But in the end, it was the look, for him. It was always the look. And this time it flashed him shiny expectation to go along with a smirk. She reserved this one for their most private moments, and the possibilities were never a bad thing to wonder about.

Tilting his head, Saeroyi placed his phone aside; whatever he was going through in there not remotely as interesting as the woman in front of him. He was still not going to let her overdo it tonight, but helping his girlfriend unzip her dress was only the right thing to do.

Being tall enough ensured him almost no height difference, even if sitting on the edge of her bed, so he didn't bother standing up to pull her closer. The pressure of his hand on her waist made her bite her bottom lip, to which he mirrored with a sigh. His nose instinctively found its way to her neck, prodding her smooth skin as his fingers pulled the zipper down.

"I thought you were tired."

With the dress fully open now, she turned to him before answering.

"I am. But I like it that you still blush if I do this."

She let the straps of her dress go and the fabric danced all the way around her body until it rested on the floor. The only things left being her black lace panties and her challenging stare, daring him to make the next move.

Never in a million years would Saeoryi not be amazed by the view.

He nudged her closer for her to lean on him. Her curves against his chest, her arms circling his neck.

"What can I do? Some days I still can't believe this extremely sexy, unpredictable and amazing woman is mine."

Yi Seo pursed her lips to hold back a smirk and kissed him tenderly. "This is the first time you call me sexy. I like it."

Saeroyi chuckled. She was sexy, but she was also so cute. So his.

"Go change. You should get some rest."

Yi Seo pouted and started to complain about how she had to wash off her make up first or her skin would get dry and-

Her face lit up.

"Want to do a face mask with me? I won't be so lazy if we do it together."

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? I don't think I've ever done one."

She gave him a satisfied beam before holding his face with both hands and pecking his lips. "Wait here. I'll go get it."

He didn't, really. When she went for the bathroom, he went for the closet. Her place being closer to work than his made him spend a lot of time there during the week. Yi Seo's excuses to invite him at first were very subtle, but after a while they stopped being necessary. Now he had a drawer for his belongings among her stuff and didn't bother disobeying her in her own house.

The thought made him smile.

Yi Seo came back from the bathroom wearing the pair of cotton pajamas Saeroyi knew she had left in there when they woke up late that morning, and she didn't seem surprised to find him already dressed in comfortable clothes too. She just sat on the floor, dropping the armful of cosmetics she was carrying. He followed.

She began the procedures by first taking off her makeup and cleaning her face with some products, and she did the same to his skin. Then she applied the mask on both of them. It was a dark green one that made them look funny — let's-register-this-on-camera funny. So, for the 10 minutes of it, they just unwinded like that, taking photos, and talking, and laughing. A heartwarming couple's program that years ago wouldn't have crossed either of their minds. Once it was time to get it removed, they went to wash their faces and brush their teeths.

Now it was time for the moisturizing face cream, she said.

Yi Seo applied hers on some specific spots of her face in tiny amounts and went to do the same with Saeroyi. Leaned against the sink in her spacious bathroom, he simply observed her. Loose white t-shirt, checked pajamas bottoms, hair in a rare ponytail, no make up. She looked gorgeous when dolled up, flawless even, but she looked cuter like this. The natural beauty he couldn't get tired of. It reminded him of how close and comfortable they were with each other now.

Maybe she got conscious from his stare because the next thing Saeroyi knew was her damp finger mistakenly hitting his left eye.

Between grimacing and trying to brush off the burning sensation with his hand, he heard her fast and repeated apologies. Or the so-called ones since she sounded very much on the verge of cracking in laughter. He had to smile at that. Her empathetic skills still sucked sometimes. Still, she tried to help by lightly blowing his eyes.

"Are you ok?"

Saeroyi embraced her waist to bring her body closer. "Yeah, I'm ok."

She bit her lip in amusement. "I'm sorry. Can I still finish?"

He hummed.

Stuck in his arms, Yi Seo started applying the cream again and was done in somewhat of a second.

"Ok, finished. Your skin is gonna absorb it quickly." She touched her face as if to demonstrate. "Mine is already dry."

He hummed again, keeping her near.

Yi Seo closed the recipient and placed it on the space behind him the best she could, her free hands then coming to rest on his neck.

She smiled at him.

"Aren't you gonna let me go?"

"I don't think that's an option, no."

Saeroyi touched his forehead to hers, sealing an unsaid promise. They were both smiling when he pulled back.

It was such a peaceful and quiet moment that when Yi Seo's question followed next it took him by surprise.

"You are... happy, right? I...make you happy."

She was no longer smiling, and even though it was said as an affirmation, the whole thing came out with such insecurity and in such a low voice that Saeroyi couldn't help but frown his forehead.

"Yes, I am happy."

Yi Seo nodded slowly, but her eyes weren't meeting his.

That's when he knew what happened earlier hadn't been forgotten for a second by her.

He took a careful guess, "Are you possibly asking this because we saw Soo Ah today? You think I'm shaken by the fact that she has a boyfriend now?"

He was stupid, wasn't he? She hadn't said a word before, so he thought she hadn't held on to it as a big deal. But how wouldn't she find it big deal when he had the nerve to actually be surprised when Soo Ah introduced her boyfriend? He hesitated before shaking the guy's hand just as she stood right there. That must have sent all the wrong signals.

The same way it did the night they were discussing their anniversary date after her finding the letter Soo Ah sent him while he was in prison; the one he hadn't realized he still kept.

It stung his heart to realize he was still the reason for her insecurities. And it was all his fault.

Yi Seo was looking down and only looked up for a couple of seconds when asking her next question, "Are you?"

His answer came out definitive. "No. No, I'm not shaken. I couldn't possibly when I'm too busy loving the woman I have by my side. I'm sorry about today. It wasn't what you are thinking. I love you."

She didn't answer right away. Or for the next full minute. She just stared at him, reading his eyes, getting what she wanted from there instead of his words.

At last, she sighed and pulled herself in for a hug.

"I love you more."

"No, you don't."

"I don't?"

"Hm."

She snickered. "Ok, then."

Saeroyi kissed her temple as he clung their bodies tighter.

He didn't deserve her.

He didn't deserve her at all.

But he would die before not trying to.