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This included seeing friends, family and even university. When the funeral emerged, her wealthy uncle, the brother of her now deceased father, paid for plane tickets for both Ara and Kyungsoo. Ara's Mom insisted he accompanied her due to her fragile state.

The flight went without a word. Ara bowed her head onto the tray connected to the seat in front of her the whole time, the pair sticking earphones in their ears and listened to music. Luckily it was only an hour, unlike that long four hour drive.

During the duration of the whole trip — lasting two days and a night — Ara spent all her time crying with her family. Her poor sister locked herself in her room, staying there to mourn in private. Ever since she was young, she was abnormally private about affairs; even when she had dealt with serious issues, not one thing left her mouth. It was worrisome, dealing with everything on her own must be extremely painful and difficult. Lia was literally a carbon copy of her Dad. Both were very private. Whereas Ara and her Mom spent the rest of Sunday embracing each other tightly and sobbing. Her Mom gently stroked Ara's hair, her flowing tears dripping down her cheek.

Kyungsoo understood it was a hard time for them so he left, exploring the city on his own to clear his cloudy mind.

When night struck that depressing Sunday night, Lia still hadn't left her room and Ara's Mom fell asleep after their crying session. The youngest was stirring tea in the kitchen without the light on, sighing. So much had happened within that week that she'd never expected. Her university sent calls, messages and other forms of contact to see where she was as that week conveniently was an exam that she'd missed out on. If it wasn't for Kim Taeyeon visiting the university and explaining what had occured — the university being very lenient and sympathetic to Ara — the girl would've been kicked out.

The others had tried to visit her throughout the course of the week or so, but she shut them down quickly. When Chanyeol was offering to buy pizza to hang out, she declined. Sehun with Mcdonald's? That was also rejected. The only person who did visit was Taeyeon, but that was for university reasons. However, that did stop her from entering the house and seeing the snivelling girl, hugging and consoling Ara for hours on end.

Here she was, stirring some extra sugar into the strong cup of tea as the memories of the week zoomed through her mind. Heart lurching and hands shaking, she threw the spoon into the sink with a loud clang and picked up the steaming cup of tea and the one beside it. The one she made for Kyungsoo. Padding into the living room tiredly, she spotted him flicking through his phone, yawning. He looked up and gave a small smile towards her.

"Thanks," he mumbled before taking the cup from her. "How are you?"

That question was simple but deep. Ara didn't even know where to start. For one, she didn't want to cry anymore. "I'm surviving, I guess. That's what I'm grateful for."

Ara sat beside him as she sipped the black tea, watching Kyungsoo nod his head slowly. "The wedding planning has been postponed for the meantime."

"What?"

"Taeyeon's been a wreck," Kyungsoo began. "She hasn't been herself the past week. Ever since she went to your university, Baekhyun's said she's just stayed mainly at home."

Ara bit her lip uneasily. "No way. I didn't want this to be a big deal! Juhyun must hate me."

"She doesn't hate you," he retorted bluntly whilst placing the cup on the coffee table in front. "Juhyun's a snob but she has a heart."

"I ruined her plans! The weddings, what, next week?"

Grabbing her free hand, Kyungsoo made eye contact with her. "Trust me, Ara. Stop stressing over a non issue. She doesn't hate you over this; she's not a monster. Yes, she's a prada wearing she–devil, but Juhyun's alright. I'm sure she must've said something to you, right?"

Ara contemplated for a second before shaking her head. "No, actually."

That really annoyed Kyungsoo. He sat there defending someone who couldn't even put the effort to simply message her. She set down her own cup of tea, crossing her legs onto the couch and relaxing a little.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," she admitted with a wavering bottom lip. "I don't have the heart to attend the wedding, finish university or even leave my house."

She exhaled for the nth time that week, eyes stinging and nose beginning to run. Blinking harshly to prevent any leakage of tears, Ara turned her head to the side so Kyungsoo wouldn't see. Well, he definitely saw. He pulled her into a comforting hug, rubbing her back in reassuring circles as she sobbed — probably soaking his shirt. That was the last thing on his mind; he was worried about her.

It took almost an hour for Ara to finally calm down and stop crying. She wiped what was left before painting a determined smile on her face. Tomorrow was the day of mourning anyways, she should save these tears for tomorrow.

"Thank you, Kyungsoo," she found herself whispering that Sunday midnight, regular people sleeping in their homes except them. They'd always been awake at this time in Busan. It had become a habit.

His bushy eyebrows quirked up slightly, intrigued. "For what?"

"For being here for me even though you had a life of your own. Missing days of work for this, staying by my side even when I pushed people away, caring for me. I don't think I could thank you enough with words. You've done so much."

"I do it because I care," he said, resting a hand on her narrow shoulder and squeezing it lightly. "It's nothing."

Ara shook her head defiantly. What he had done is practically the opposite of nothing. "You're wrong," she breathed before leaning in and leaving a miniscule but shocking peck on his cheek, standing up to get out of the room. "Good night."

This was one of the very few instances in Kyungsoo's slightly long life that he found himself without words. Being the sarcastic, apathetic small guy like he was, there was always words that needed to be sad. Whether they were sharp or sweet, it didn't matter.

Yet here he was, chewing on his bottom lip as his heart melted, dripping down to the depths of his soul like an ice cream on a scorching day.

Jung Ara was truly full of surprises.

—

She would be lying if there wasn't a dull ache in her heart. However, like her Mom and sister, Ara had to move on. She still found herself sitting down in front of a picture with her whole family and mourning — snivelling and praying —but she braved herself and prepared for the outside world. Namely retaking the exam she had missed whilst being absent from university.

This included the quiet dinner Juhyun requested a few days after returning from Busan. She wanted to spend time with everyone before the wedding happened and she was swept up with all of the post celebrations including her lavish honeymoon to the Bahamas for a week. Ara was very envious at that as spending a holiday in an island was one of her greatest wishes. To Ara's shock, Juhyun had not invited the guys because of their tendencies to be rowdy; except obviously her calm and collected ex, and invited Taeyeon to be declined because she worked a late shift that night. Reluctantly, Juhyun also decided to invite Ara. Mainly because she pitied what had happened to her, and she knew Kyungsoo would bug her for life if she didn't invite his friend.

So as Thursday evening rolled in, Ara stood emotionless in front of her human sized bathroom mirror, checking out her figure in a dress she purchased ages ago but didn't have the opportunity to wear it. Knee high and simple, it was a faint pink color and looked formal enough. When the doorbell rung, she knew exactly who it was. Quickly clasping on a pair of hooped earrings and tucking some of her wavy chesnut hair behind one ear, Ara slipped on a pair of cream heels and wobbled to the door. Standing at the door looking casually formal, Do Kyungsoo gave a brief smile as she closed and locked the door behind her.

They walked side by side to the parking lot downstairs, Ara struggling to walk in the monster heels. It was one she got for her birthday — sent specifically by Mira, who'd thought her friend needed more classy shoes for this wedding.

Kyungsoo's eyebrows raised seeing her trip her way downstairs. "Need some help there?"

"No," she adamantly replied before almost falling down, grabbing onto his arm tightly. "On second thoughts...maybe."

He chuckled before unlocking his car door and leading the shaky girl to the car. Ara sat down on the front door in relief, not having to deal with walking for the short ten minute journey to Im Juhyun's mansion. When they finally edged their way into the posh neighborhood where also celebrities owned homes, the pristine houses standing side by side surrounded by primly trimmed front yards, Ara once again linked her arm with Kyungsoo as he dragged her to Juhyun's door.

Juhyun might as well have been in her wedding with her extravagant lace dress, delicately designed to hug her perfect curves and flow out. Suddenly Ara felt massively underdressed. She reached out her arms to pull Kyungsoo into a hug.

"It's been so long!" She exclaimed after also hugging Ara, pulling away to give her an uneasy look. "I hope you're okay..."

Attempting to steer away from the depression, Ara shook her head and forced a cheerful smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm okay. You look great!"

"Thank you," she beamed before moving to the side to let the pair into her vast home. "Come in, come in! Just be mindful of the noise. Kyungri's upstairs sleeping."

Ara gasped inwardly as her eyes focused around the grand home. There's no way Kyungri could hear them with the expanse. The living room was bigger than her whole apartment; that was a fact. She didn't know how two people, occasionally Kyungri, could fill this place up. The interior designer must've been world renowned because the color scheme was beautiful. Imagine living in a home like this.

Junmyeon appeared from one of the rooms downstairs wearing slacks and a crisp white shirt adorned with a striped tie. It was the first time Ara was to meet him, but she knew exactly who he was. When she spotted Kyungsoo's eyes narrowing upon seeing the man, she knew she would be sceptic of his presence.

"Ah, you must be Ara," he greeted in his very posh accent that only he and Juhyun spoke in. Shaking the girl's hand firmly, he turned to Kyungsoo with a playful smirk. "It's great you came, Kyungsoo."

The shorter bit back a remark, deciding to be a little more pleasant to the wife stealer — they were to wed next week anyways, whether he liked it or not. "Thank you for inviting us to your home."

"I cooked up some small dishes, if you guys don't mind," Juhyun fretted, leading the trio to their huge dining room connected to the lounge. Small dinner? It was massive. Enough to feed a country for a month, practically. Bowls and plates filled the already large table until there was just enough space for the quartet to have plates in front of them.

On one side sat the happy couple, and the other were the mismatched, fake smiling duo.

The atmosphere was silent at first, all filling up their plates with Juhyun's delicious cooking, taking their time to try everything she'd mustered up. Ara was surprised at her talent. What wasn't she good at?

"How's the preparations going?" She asked innocently, chewing some tasty lamb. She'd hoped the preparations weren't halted because of her unexpected situation.

Juhyun bared her perfect rows of teeth out in a majestic smile. "It's going fantastic, actually. Taeyeon's been such a good help."

She thought about her blonde haired friend and couldn't imagine her not being helpful. It was basically on her job description — and there wasn't once when Taeyeon didn't go out of her way to help somebody.

"How's your family doing, Ara?" Juhyun asked, her expression sympathetic. A little too sympathetic to seem faux. Kyungsoo held back a scoff. He really wanted to swear, or at least criticize her lack of care. But Ara didn't question it. To her knowledge, Juhyun was just being sweet.

Ara squirmed thinking about her sister and Mom; suddenly wishing she wasn't sitting down and enjoying a gourmet meal with her 'friends' whilst they were probably struggling to get out of bed. "They're doing okay. We're on that moving on phase, just trying to live life as comfortable as it is, I guess."

Junmyeon sipped his wine thoughtfully. "I'm glad to see you're doing fine. Knowing that God is with you and everything happens for a reason."

She agreed even though she wasn't a really religious person. Her parents attempted to bring her up as a Christian, but Ara never really distinguished herself as someone that believed in a God. However, this whole ordeal made her hope there was one. She found herself praying at night hoping that she would smile geniunely instead of painting one on — but that wish hadn't yet come true.

Junmyeon was very religious. From the cross attached onto the lounge wall to the verses of the Bible daintly beside it, written in beautiful calligraphy. She wasn't very sure whether Juhyun was as religious.

"Taeyeon told me you got a dress," she said to Ara quite casually. "I can't wait to see it."

The dress... Ara hadn't even looked at it once since the day she bought it. She probably even left it at Kyungsoo's, for crying out loud. All in all, her outfit for the wedding flew out of her mind for the week.

"I can't wait to see how you look in your dress!"

Juhyun flicked her raven locks with a beam. "I hope I haven't gained weight this week," she looked around at the full table. "Maybe planning a dinner when I should be slimming wasn't the smartest plan."

During the whole dinner, Kyungsoo stayed mute. He didn't like the idea of speaking to or at Junmyeon. He only spoke to the guy if he had to; eating his dinner quietly whilst savouring Juhyun's amazing food was a great distraction. Luckily for him Ara was back to being bubbly — or close to it. For some odd reason, Juhyun's kindness came off as weird. It sent him uneasy feelings, but he did not want to approach them.

The food was mostly finished about half an hour later. Juhyun insisted on clearing up and washing the dishes, adamant on Ara sitting in the lounge. Junmyeon accompanied her in hopes to get to know the girl better. At this moment, Kyungsoo still sat watching his very busy ex–wife clear up masses of dishes.

"I'm being lenient to Ara, not you," she grumbled as Kyungsoo stayed put. "I'm not a robot, help me here!"

So there he was, carrying expensive designed plates shipped directly from Beijing, making sure none dropped. He calculated every plate dropped will at least cost ten per cent of his salary that he'd have to pay back. It was a breath of relief when they successfully stacked onto Juhyun's large sink in the kitchen.

She brought out a small hose connected to the sink, beginning to wash down the plates in its turbo speed. Turning back to Kyungsoo, she tilted her head. "Dry the plates when I'm done."

Kyungsoo sighed and pursed his lips. Still the dominant woman he remembers. "Got it."

Whilst scrubbing down an extremely resistant stain on one of the bowls, Juhyun frowned. "How's Ara really been? I hope you're not giving her flack."

"Stop acting like you care," he replied bluntly. It was becoming irritating that Juhyun pretended to worry about her when it was all just an act to increase her reputation. Everyone knew that she was extremely particular with her friends. Maybe that's why Taeyeon's the only one who could actually stand her.

"I do care! She's my friend."

"Where were you when she was mourning about her Dad? Tactfully disappeared so you wouldn't have to deal with it? It's funny because you actually call that friendship."

That really hit home for her as she turned off the hose and leaned onto the counter. "I didn't want to bother her..."

"Bother her?" Kyungsoo was really on a roll here. He set down the towel he was gripping on dangerously tight before raising an eyebrow at what he saw as idiocy. "If you were really her friend, that would be the last thing on your mind."

"When can we go one day without fighting, huh?" Juhyun bit back. "Every single day you have something to criticize me about. I tried, didn't I? Inviting her to this dinner for you. Hanging out her for you. Heck, the wedding!"

"Wow, so you only invited her for me? Here she is thinking you actually like her."

"Of course I did it for you! Because you're so obsessed with her for some reason! She's your neighbor, Kyungsoo. Haven't you forgotten she's practically a teenager?"

Juhyun's warped view on age was irking. How could one as smart as her be so...ignorant? Kyungsoo couldn't think of a softer word. "Teenager?"

"You're nearing thirty and you're advancing towards a twenty year old? What are you, dating her?" She laughed her sickening chuckles of venom, eyes narrowed and lips smirking; ready to inflict even more pain. "If you're doing this to make me jealous, I'd be embarrassed."

That was supposed to be a blow. The Kyungsoo last month would've probably stormed out of the house clenching his fists and hiding the humiliation until he drank his way to sleep. He opened his mouth to protest — ready to yet again hit Im Juhyun's stupid self with facts — but he bid against it. All he has been doing was trying to convince her, make himself more presentable and likeable in hopes that she would possibly take him back if it didn't work out with her and Junmyeon.

But now?

Kyungsoo realized he didn't want Juhyun anymore. It was no longer attraction towards her. He missed her. That was it. However, all of that sentimental feelings towards his ex–wife vanished at that moment when she began blurting out all of her crap. He wasn't going to refute anything she said anymore.

"I think that you believing my relationship with her is to make you jealous is truly laughable. You live in this bubble where life just revolves around you, but get your head out of your ass and realize this is reality, Juhyun. Now I'm actually starting to think it's the other way around. You seem to obsess about me too much to be healthy. Remember, you're getting married next week."

His ex–wife stood outraged at his release of strong emotion. Not once in their relationship has Do Kyungsoo ever stood up for himself like this.

In her heart she knew every single word he spurted out was right. But being the stubborn, strong woman she was, Im Juhyun stormed out of her own kitchen. She clattered her way upstairs — never to be seen for the rest of the turbulent evening.