Hi! Thank you all so much for the sweet comments on the last chapter—I cannot thank you enough for the support that you have given me in my decision to slow things down a bit. You guys are awesome.

A bit of shameless self-promotion: I recently uploaded a new fic called "Into the Forest" and it is a SoSoo-centric Little Red Riding Hood AU. It's dark, has some plot twists, and is what I wrote to cool my brain off from school and all my other fics. Come celebrate bad decisions with me and we'll see how it goes!

Hae Soo

She slept with unease draped over her like a second blanket. Unable to toss and turn without disturbing her husband, she laid in bed every night, staring at the far wall as Wook hugged her from behind, his large frame almost enveloping her.

Soo moaned and stuffed her face into her pillow, shaking her head. She flinched when Wook's hand met her shoulder and he pulled her close. His warm chest welcomed her and Soo laid against her husband, inhaling the deep, piney scent that she had come to label as his. He no longer smelled like anything other than himself. Soo felt her heart pang as she laid her head against Wook's shoulder.

"Can't sleep?" he mumbled.

Blinking back her emotions, Soo nodded. "It's nothing. I'm just…"

"It's okay," Wook said, his hand gently holding the back of her head. Soo closed her eyes in shame when Wook's lips met her forehead. "I'll stay up with you if you want."

"Don't do that, you have work tomorrow," Soo chided. She pressed a hand to her husband's bare chest and Wook hummed, sleep addling his speech. Soo listened to him mumble something before he turned to face her, one of his legs draping over hers.

She laid with her head tucked beneath her husband's chin. Her eyes drifted shut but sleep did not come easily.

When she woke, Soo went about her mornings as she usually did, hiding the fact that her mind constantly drifted to the bodyguard that refused to look at her.

Soo felt her hope fading.

Her skimpy outfits seemed to have worked at first, but So no longer reacted to her, and Soo felt more and more dirty for behaving the way she did. He no longer snapped pens when she brushed past him. His eyes remained glued to his work whenever she entered the room and his voice no longer wavered when he spoke to her. As his employer, Soo knew what she was doing was utterly wrong, but as his ex-girlfriend, she wanted to try anything.

And just a few weeks ago, Wook had kissed her hand and told her he loved her. They had had their first meaningful conversation in such a long time that Soo had remembered how good it felt to speak with her husband. They had laughed together, holding each other's hand. Wook's words had impacted her even though she knew he had a woman on the side.

"You're the only woman that's ever made me feel this way."

Soo was not stupid enough to believe him, but she knew him enough to want to. Wook was the father of her children. She would always thank and love him for that reason. She knew that everything she did was wrong. Her husband slept beside her, but she thought of a different man's arms around her. Her husband kissed and hugged her, but she could only think of Wang So.

He pervaded her every thought. Soo saw him every day, but the more he ignored her, the more she wanted to run up to him, hug him from behind and ask if he still wanted her. She knew everything about him, yet she knew nothing.

If the door to the servants' lounge was open, she could sometimes glimpse him eating lunch or dinner. He followed her everywhere she went, yet they no longer spoke. If Soo tried to make small talk, So offered her the most minimal response before turning away.

She wanted to know how he was doing along with what he was doing. She saw him working, conversing with other members of the staff, and leaving the house to exercise at the crack of dawn. However, she did not know if he was still hurting inside, if he missed her as much as she missed him, if he felt as empty as she did.

At times, he looked stressed. Once he had scanned an area for threats, Soo would watch as he checked something on his cellphone. His face was always blank, but whenever he read what was stressing him out, Soo noticed he took a few steps towards her and did another scan of the area. She wondered what was on his phone that made him feel so protective of her.

Soo thought of all these things as she completed her morning ablutions and dressed, smiling for Wook when he hugged and kissed her. He seemed to like touching her more.

She stepped into Wook's closet and walked past her husband as he buckled his belt. Opening the drawer that held his neckties, Soo's eyes flew over the rolls of silk coordinated in the shades of the rainbow.

As she had when they had first married, through better and worse, Soo chose a necktie for Wook and slipped it around his neck, tying it and patting the knot with the flat of her hand.

"Good morning, dear."

"Good morning, dear."

Thus, her day began.

Wang So

Every morning, he woke from a night of fitful sleeping. He worked out with tired anticipation. He showered with a cluttered mind.

So checked his other e-mail in search of the order that would tell him to get rid of the Hae-Hwang Bo family. If the message arrived, he would know immediately to be on guard and know how much time he had left to prepare before the people who hired him realized he would not heed their orders.

But with the political world cooling down from the fire Wook's proposal of a tax on imports had caused, So had reason to believe that it was Wook's failure that may have saved his and his family's lives. After all, with the blockage of the tax, So had received an e-mail that had told him he would be taking a pay cut for an extended amount of time, requiring him to remain in place just a bit longer.

So knew that his former self would have already packed his bags and left. He would have been too bored with the job to continue and would have put his name back onto the market, ready to fly off to some other country and handle other people's problems instead of sitting around and watching a woman work and go about her life.

However, his present self stayed and accepted the pay cut because he had a reason to stay. As irrational as it was for him to remain in the same proximity as a former lover, he stayed because he still loved her- because he believed that he could protect her.

He downloaded apps that would notify him of any political movements that might affect Soo and her family. Anything related to Wook's career, So was notified on via notification. Whenever he checked his phone and saw Wook's name, he drifted just a bit closer to Soo.

When he stood in the hallway in the morning, he did so with a fluttering stomach, unable to calm his nerves and too eager to see his ex-girlfriend. So did his best to maintain a poker face but whenever he saw Soo stepping out of her bedroom, dressed in some new type of outfit, he felt his heart leap.

Of all the jobs he had ever had, So found that standing behind Soo as she 'accidentally' dropped a pen for the third time and having to act oblivious as she picked up after her mistakes was the hardest.

He wanted nothing more than to be with her—to be her man. So knew she wanted him as well, but he also knew that she was unaware of just how low he was compared to her. Every morning, So reminded himself not to give in to Soo's advances. Yet, with each passing day, that task grew more and more difficult.

It took everything he had to maintain an indifferent facade and continue working even as Soo played with his emotions.

She brushed past him, leaving a faint trace of her rose perfume behind. She dressed provocatively, only showing the parts of her body So had spent extra time on when they had been in a relationship. She did not have to touch him. One passing glance and So was clamoring for more, holding himself back from expressing his desire for her.

That morning, she wore a shirt that caved down to the small of her back, baring the milky skin that covered her shoulders and spine. Beneath the low cut shirt was a pair of leggings that left so much yet so little to the imagination.

So bowed when Soo passed by him.

"Good morning, Mr. Wang," she murmured.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hae," he replied instantly.

Thus, their day began.

Standing outside Soo's office, So tried to eavesdrop on the conversation within but found himself having to crane to catch even the slightest noise while the door was closed. "Soundproof?" he murmured to himself. "How?"

He frowned, wondering how the house's infrastructure had been created so that only certain rooms were almost impossible to eavesdrop on. So wanted to figure out which rooms were soundproof. That way, he could pull Soo into the closest one and have her there.

His daydreams of secret escapades were rudely interrupted by his own thoughts. You broke up with her, his internal voice hissed. You broke your relationship off, remember? If you have any respect left, you'll leave the married woman alone and let her live.

Pattering footsteps approached and a pair of slippers with kittens on them hopped into place beside So's gray ones. "Mr. So, what're you doing?" Yoon asked.

So looked down at the little lady that leaned against the wall beside him. Yoon copied his movements and crossed her arms, her little lips jutting out as she duplicated his grimace. "Hello, little lady," So said, feeling his expression loosen. He held his palm out and smirked when Yoon high-fived it. "You're getting good at that."

"Wanna see Mommy, but Mommy working," Yoon grumbled. So nodded and listened to the woes of the three-year-old. To the innocent mind beside him, nothing mattered more than the fact that the maids and Chae Ryung had refused her access to ice cream before dinner. "Mister So, get me ice cream?" she asked.

The bodyguard glanced down at the child as she widened her eyes and pushed her bottom lip out. So saw his reflection in Yoon's bottomless eyes… eyes that matched Hae Soo's. The dark brown irises were too easy to fall for and So felt his heart sway as he seriously contemplated sneaking Yoon a cup of ice cream.

"Sorry, kid," he said, ruffling the child's hair, "maybe ask your mom about it after dinner."

Unsatisfied with his response, Yoon's adorable puppy face disappeared into her former pout. So chuckled as she shook her head and stomped away. "Nanny! Ice Cream!" she called into the open air.

"Not until after dinner, Hwang Bo Yoon!" Chae Ryung called back.

Smirking, So leaned back against the wall and sighed, closing his eyes.

Soon, the office door opened and So glanced at Soo's secretary. The woman ignored him as she texted, following through on the orders Soo had no doubt piled onto her. Due to his extensive background checks, So knew that the woman under Soo's employ was a prodigy in her own right. He wondered if the young woman would ever consider being a hitman; the level of concentration and organization she exhibited were akin to that of even the most experienced killers.

So scoffed to himself. As if you'll train someone to become a hitman. You're not even a hitman anymore. Why make another one?

"The boss wants to see you," the secretary said as she passed by him. So looked at the young woman, but she was already walking away, jabbering to another assistant on her bluetooth. "What do you mean we're out of A4? I made sure to order enough for the- oh, I see."

So did not wait to hear the end of the woman's tirade about paper. Instead, he straightened his suit and tried to remove any wrinkles on his jacket that might have come from his leaning against a wall for the greater part of twenty minutes.

Brushing himself off, he cleared his throat and stepped into the bright office. So washed his face of the little smile that had crept onto his lips and swallowed thickly.

"You called for me, Mrs… Hae?" His voice rose in surprise and So blinked as he realized Soo had changed out of the outfit she had worn that morning.

She sat at her desk, dressed in a blouse that covered her from neck to stomach. Her pants were long and her hands flew over keys at speeds So knew he could never reach. She typed something into her computer, but the rapid click of her fingertips against plastic keys stopped when their eyes met.

Wide brown eyes that shined with too many emotions stared at him and So felt as if he had been dealt a blow to the stomach. He saw an expression that was mixed between sadness and longing- one that he wanted to erase and replace with shining happiness.

"You called for me," he repeated.

"Close the door, please."

So did as ordered, shutting the door behind him and listening to the doorknob click.

The air in the office was warm and So felt his heart thrum just a bit faster at the thought of being in a secluded area with Soo. The woman he loved sat just two meters away.

Soo looked down at the documents on her desk before shutting her folders one by one. So waited for her to complete her task. "So, I asked you here because…"

She pressed her hand to her chest and So narrowed his eyes at how nervous she was. He watched as she stood from her seat and walked around her desk, standing in front of him so that they were on equal ground.

There was still more than a meter between them, but So felt so close to Soo that he wondered if she could hear his heart clamoring for her.

Soo closed her eyes and removed her hand from her chest.

"I've been making a fool of myself to… to get you to come back to me, but I can see that it's not working," she said quietly. So listened carefully, a cold dread beginning to slow the giddiness in his chest. Standing straight, he maintained his poker face as Soo bit her bottom lip and looked him in the eye. "I... I understand that my actions may have been discourteous of me as an employer and an ex. I'm sorry."

No, So thought. No. Don't be sorry. This is my fault. I want you as much as you want me, but I can't let you be tarnished by me.

"If you really don't want to be with me, please tell me. I'll stop this game and maintain a strict work relationship with you."

So felt himself panic as he realized Soo meant to completely end their relationship.

This is what you wanted- to be able to protect her without hurting her, a voice in his mind hissed. You're getting your wish so stop being selfish. Take her offer.

He fixated on Soo's sincere expression before shaking his head and pressing his hands to his forehead. He kept his gaze away from her eyes so he would not see her emotions—so he would not have to tear himself away from looking at her.

Part of him said to take Soo's offer and protect her as he had been doing. Part of him said to deny her offer and tell her he loved her. Taking a step forward, So reached a hand out and gently tucked a stray hair behind Soo's ear. "So, don't," Soo whispered. She nuzzled closer to his hand and the dread in So's heart dissipated. His palm touched smooth skin and his thumb caressed Soo's cheek.

His feet moved as if they were controlled by an outside force.

His hands held her downcast face, tilting her chin upwards so they were equals.

So leaned forward and hungrily pressed his lips to Soo's. He swallowed her initial yelp of surprise before opening his mouth as she melted into his embrace, her arms wrapping around him. So kissed the woman he had craved for weeks, holding the one he loved as tightly as he could.

He could feel Soo's tongue in his mouth, reciprocating the urgency he felt and kissing him as hard as he did her.

The outside world was forgotten as passion mixed in colors of red and black and green. So leaned back for a breath and tilted his forehead against his woman's.

Their breaths intermingled and their hearts beat with a singular desire.

So begged Soo to hear his thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how he felt.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Thank you so so so so much for reading~ You are amazing. 3