Chapter 1

A faceted wooden bar formed the focal point of the café. The bar which was mainly made of wooden triangles also featured translucent Plexiglas that was back-lit for a glowing effect. The booths were circular with stylish hanging lamps highlighting them with a soft glow. One of the booths housed a couple engaged in a polite, albeit slightly strained conversation. The man, in his early thirties was devastatingly handsome with a near-perfect profile, a mane of carefully groomed black hair and casual yet stylish clothes. He was So Yi Jeong, the prolific business magnet of Korea and one of the most eligible bachelors.

Opposite him sat Dong Eun Ji, a woman he'd met at a party. They'd shared a couple of dances at the party and Eun Ji had asked him for a coffee to which he had agreed. Therefore the two of them were here in the café, sharing a rather trivial and uninteresting conversation. Yi Jeong was only paying a minimal attention to the woman in front of him for his mind had already diverted on to other topics, but politeness kept him glued to his chair. Giving Eun Ji a noncommittal hum, Yi Jeong's eyes travelled around the café, absently admiring the ambiance. It was then that he spotted her entering the café, dressed in a bright blue dress, embroidered with little white flowers. His eyes flew wide and he cursed under his breath. Her being here did not bode well.

"What's wrong Yi Jeong?" Eun Ji asked. When he didn't answer, she turned around to follow his line of sight and smiled, "Yi Jeong, you're on a date and you're eyeing other women?"

He didn't answer as the woman in blue caught his eyes, smiled and approached the table.

"Yi Jeong," the woman said in a saccharine sweet voice, "Fancy running into you here."

"You guys know each other?" Eun Ji wondered.

Yi Jeong ground his teeth but didn't say a word. "Won't you introduce me to your date?" she continued.

He took a deep breath before saying, "Eun Ji this is Ga Eul, Ga Eul this is Eun Ji."

Eun Ji smiled a little and held out a hand towards Ga Eul and the two women shook their hands.

"Come on Yi Jeong," Ga Eul added sweetly, "Give her my full introduction."

Eun Ji looked from one face to the other, "Yi Jeong, what's going on? What does she mean by full introduction?"

Yi Jeong sat quietly, glaring at Ga Eul who was smiling almost benevolently at Eun Ji, "Seems like your date isn't interested in telling you the truth. So I should say it, right?"

"Ga Eul …," Yi Jeong began warningly but she continued undeterred, "I'm the mother of his child."

The color drained from Eun Ji's face as she looked at Yi Jeong as if to confirm Ga Eul's words. When he didn't deny them, Eun Ji stood up, "I don't believe this! What kind of a man are you, So Yi Jeong?"

With that Eun Ji stormed out of the café.

"What was all that about?" Yi Jeong muttered through gritted teeth.

Ga Eul slid neatly into the recently vacated seat, her face mirroring the sourness of his expression, "The truth?"

"Cut the bullshit," he growled, "What are you doing here?"

She sighed, rubbing a hand on her face, "Yi Jeong look …"

"No you look!" he stated heatedly. "I don't know what you're playing at but let me make something very clear. There is no US. The only relationship between us is that we share a child and that's it! I don't appreciate you meddling into my life. Won't you even allow me a date?"

"Are you done?" Ga Eul asked icily, "And you're talking about date? How unfair is that? You get to move on while I get straddled for life with our mistake?"

"Don't you play that card!" Yi Jeong ground out. "You're talking as if I left you to do all the work for Sang Mi while I have fun? I've taken my share of the responsibility or as far as you and situation will allow me to. Any other man would've left you to your fate."

Ga Eul seethed, "You think I don't know that? Do you really need to rub it in? I honestly thought you were better than that but apparently I was mistaken. Anyhow, just so you know, I'm not here of my free will. I'm here on your friend's request. Woo Bin thinks Eun Ji is a gold digger and he had asked me to ruin the date so kindly shower your irritation on him not me."

With that she stood up and started to walk away when he reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. In milder tones he said, "Woo bin sent you here?"

"Yes," she answered softly. "He was worried for you. He asked me to help you and I agreed."

"Sorry I got annoyed at you," Yi Jeong said in a low voice.

Ga Eul sighed, "Isn't that what you do always?"

He stood up and said, "Come on, let me drop you home."

"Thanks for the lift Yi Jeong," Ga Eul said unbuckling her seat belt.

"Ga Eul," he called out after her, "Can I see Sang Mi?"

Pausing she looked at him with a smile, "Have I ever stopped you from seeing her? Come in."

He parked the black BMW in the parking spot. In the dingy neighborhood, an expensive car such as this should have been conspicuous but Yi Jeong was a known face here. But that didn't mean that his car, his clothes, his face, his style and his personality didn't attract attention. Everything about him screamed money and in such a place, he was like a beacon. Ga Eul silently thanked his good sense of abandoning the jacket and tie that were his staples. That way he looked marginally more approachable. But then one just had to look at his silk pants or those expensive shoes or the Tag Heuer watch to know that he didn't belong to this world.

The two of them walked over to the rickety elevator where Ga Eul hit the button for the 5th floor. With a clang that was loud enough to awaken the dead, the elevator started moving up.

Yi Jeong cringed, "Someday I swear I'm going to kill this elevator."

Ga Eul snickered, "You can't kill an inanimate object Yi Jeong."

"There's always a first time," he answered sagely.

The elevator screamed to a halt on the fifth floor making Yi Jeong squirm. He rubbed his arms together to subdue the goose-bumps that had covered his skin at the unpleasant sound. Ignoring his distress, Ga Eul led the way down a narrow, dimly lit passageway towards the small, one bedroom apartment that was hers. The cream door, with its paint peeling opened to reveal a small but neatly maintained apartment. A young girl in her late teens poked her head from the kitchen and gasped in surprise.

"Ah, Yi Jeong san," she walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hand in a towel. "I didn't know you were coming. I'd have made dinner for you then."

Yi Jeong smiled, "I didn't know it myself Tara. Where's Sang Mi?"

The Japanese girl nodded at the bedroom, "I just put her to sleep. She'd have loved to see you. Tea?"

Yi Jeong shook his head, indicating that he didn't want it.

"Ga Eul chan, I've kept your food on the platform," Tara said. "I'll leave then. Oyasuminasai"

"Annyeonghi jumuseyo," the two of them chorused as the baby-sitter bowed and left.

"God bless that girl," Ga Eul whispered. "I don't know what I'd have done without her. Come on, you wanted to see Sang Mi."

"But she's sleeping," Yi Jeong objected.

"Yes, but she's a baby, she won't even know," Ga Eul answered.

The parents quietly tiptoed into the room where a tiny little being lay in a big crib, with her eyes closed. Her resemblance to her father was undeniable. She had the same aristocratic nose and chin, same lips and the same dimpled smile. Her eyes however were like her mother's, big pools of innocence. Yi Jeong looked at the face of the little angel who had captured his heart from the moment her tiny fingers had curled around his thumb, merely minutes after her birth six months ago. Once again he rued the fact that he couldn't keep his princess in front of his eyes always. But then, some things were never meant to be.

Yi Jeong rolled his shoulders and massaged his neck to relieve it of the tightness. It had been a long day and somewhat of a rollercoaster ride emotionally. He had gone from being bored by the inane chatter of his date, to being annoyed at Ga Eul for not allowing him to have a semblance of normal life, to feeling guilty for shouting at her, to feeling elated when Sang Mi had woken up and played with him, to being angry with Woo Bin for going behind his back. He had gone from Ga Eul's house to his best friend's to give the man a tongue lashing. Woo Bin however had been unrepentant.

"You're not getting any younger my man," Woo Bin had informed him smugly, "You're not twenty-three anymore that you can just ignore your mistakes or have bad dates. It's time you found yourself a good girl and…"

"And what? Settle down? Get married?" Yi Jeong had shot back, "Unlike the rest of you, my life isn't so simple. Sang Mi is a very important part of my life. Do you really think some girl would be fine with the presence of another woman's daughter in her husband's life? And where there's Sang Mi, Ga Eul won't be too far behind. What woman would like to be the fourth angle in this messed up triangle?"

Woo Bin's wife had a simple solution for it, "So marry Ga Eul!"

Yi Jeong sighed, "Really? That's your brilliant idea Jae Kyung?"

"Why not?" Woo Bin asked, "I mean she's a good girl, you obviously like her quite a bit and she is the mother of your daughter. Isn't that enough?"

"No its not," Yi Jeong answered levelly, " I would want to have more in common with my wife than just a kid. I do like her, but not romantically. She's a good friend, but that's all. Besides you know what my family thinks about them. Most importantly, don't forget that I had offered to marry her, she refused."

"That was more than a year ago!" Jae Kyung cried.

"And things haven't changed," Yi Jeong's tone was chagrined, "We're still where we were back then. So for God's sake, stop trying to pair us up and let me have a life!"

"Yi Jeong ah," Jae Kyung said in a gentle voice, "We've have known you for years, it's natural to worry."

He ran a hand over his tired face, his expression softening, "Sorry, I came across a little too harsh. I've had a long day. I should go. I could use a shower and a good night's sleep."

"You look tired. You can stay here if you want," Jae Kyung offered.

He smiled a little and said, "Thanks. But I'll take a rain check."

He stepped out of his car and walked into his parental house. This one day he didn't want to return to an empty house where all he had for company was his loneliness. He walked in the living room to find both his parents in the living room, absorbed in their work, perfectly content in ignoring each other.

"Yi Jeong?" Hyun Sub looked surprised to see his son, "I wasn't expecting you."

He dumped his jacket on the coffee table and slumped next to his mother, "I needed some company."

"Is everything alright son?"

He nodded, "Just didn't feel like eating by myself. You guys had your dinner?"

His mother spoke softly, "Yes, we did. Sorry we didn't know you were coming or…"

Yi Jeong smiled, "Never mind. Can I get a drink?"

"Sure, something bothering you son?" Hyun Sub wondered as he walked towards the bar.

He took a deep breath, "I'd gone to meet Sang Mi."

His mother, Kim Hye Jun's disapproval was instantly noticeable, "Yi Jeong, why do you insist on going there? Isn't it enough…"

"Not now Omma," Yi Jeong stated, "I've had a long day. I'm really not up to this."

Hyun Sub handed the drink to him, "I have to agree with your mother. The longer you associate with those two, the more troubles it will bring."

Yi Jeong stood up, "I came here because I needed company. I don't need your censure."

Without a word, he stormed out of the house. Once in his car he raised a trembling hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. How had his life come to this? Technically he had everything that a man could need to be to be happy. He had doting parents, he had an adorable daughter, he had a woman in his life who was very beautiful, a successful career, a very healthy bank balance and extremely loyal friends.

But if one looked closely they would see that his parents only loved him as long as he toed the line they had set, he could meet his daughter only in stealth and that too occasionally, his relationship with Ga Eul was non-existent, and his career was unfulfilling. Yes his bank balance was impeccable and his friends were the best ones he could ever ask for, but they couldn't fill the gaping hole within him. Instinctively he started his car and drove away.

Ga Eul turned off the shower and leaned against the wall. Water droplets trailed down her wet body, glistening as they caught the light on their way down. Every time, every single time that Yi Jeong visited, it invariably reinforced the gut wrenching feeling that she was probably going to die alone. Every time she met him, the loneliness that followed her like a shadow grew so large it threatened to engulf her.

Sang Mi was the only reason she smiled, the only one who gave her a semblance of peace in her bleak life. When she was eighteen, she had lost both her parents in an accident. Ga Eul had almost lost the will to live but Jan Di had stuck next to her, giving her unconditional support. Slowly, with the help of her parents' meager savings and working really hard, she had managed to build a resemblance of life for herself. Today, ten years after her parents' death, she was a waitress, a freelance journalist and a single mother. Between her jobs and her daughter, Ga Eul just didn't have the time to have a social life. Not that anyone would want to date her to begin with, but the complete lack of life sometimes suffocated her.

One incident stood out in her memory. Soon after Sang Mi's birth, when Ga Eul had joined a new club, the bartender had been very captivated with her and had made his interest apparent. Encouraged and flattered at the attention, Ga Eul had tentatively tried to approach him, but then the other waitresses informed him that she was a single mother. He had retracted faster than one would from a man-eating shark. The incident had brought home a very clear message, she was only marginally better than a complete social pariah.

She shook her head as if to shake off her despondence. Pushing herself off of the wall, she wiped herself down and dressed in a pair of PJs and a T shirt. She moved into her bedroom, looked at her peacefully sleeping daughter and lay down on her bed. A blinking light told her that she had an SMS. Leaning over she grabbed her phone and checked the message. It was Yi Jeong, telling her that they needed to meet tomorrow and that he would pick her up after work. She replied with a short affirmative and dumped her phone on her side table. Why was it that the only man in her life was the one she couldn't have? Closing her eyes she thought back to the fateful day almost three years ago when she had first met Yi Jeong.