When she finally registered what was happening, Hyejin's instinctive reaction was to immediately push him away, eyes widening in shock. She hadn't yet found it in her to utter a single word when someone else beat her to it.

"What the fuck!"

And a fist went flying straight into Hyunwon's face.

He had already been expecting it from the moment he decided to throw caution the wind and impulsively stake his claim on his property by kissing her in front of Ares, but when that fist met his left jaw it still hurt a hell of a lot. The impact from the blow made him stumble a couple of steps backwards and the next minute Ares had launched himself on him completely and he found himself sprawled on the ground with a 65kg man grabbing him by the collar and hurling abuse in his face.

Naturally, he wasn't going to just lie there and let Ares continue bashing him up—it wasn't his style. So he returned the affection with a knee in Ares's crotch, which made the latter yell out in pain and roll over sideways.

"What are the two of you doing!" Hyejin exclaimed, staring in disbelief at the two men brawling in front of her.

Was this really Ares Hwang, top star and heartthrob of the Korean entertainment industry, and Kang Hyunwon, stylist extraordinaire and creative director of Seoul's most exclusive salon? Right now, all she was looking at were two boys having a go at each other like any other punk on the street. She almost thought she saw the slightest hint of a smile on Hyunwon's face that seemed to suggest he was actually enjoying this.

"Stop it!" she cried out, trying to step in to separate the two of them from each other's throats.

The sudden flash from a camera distracted all of them from what they were doing, and it was only then that they all realised they were probably in trouble with a capital T.

Within an hour, all three of them were seated in Ares's apartment with a raging Gina pacing up and down in front of them, speaking tersely into her phone and trying her best not to just explode in ball of flames. "Yes I completely understand, this is your exclusive and I'm not trying to steal that away from you, but all I'm asking is that you give me some time to understand what's going on so that maybe we could help substantiate your story a little more? I'm sure you don't want me giving this information to another magazine instead, do you?" She glared angrily at the three of them—the famous Medusa glare that would immediately turn the fiercest warrior into stone. "I'm sure things are not what you think they are, there's probably a huge misunderstanding somewhere. Just give me some time—ok fine, two hours—to sort things out and I'll get back to you immediately and you can run your story, alright? We've been working closely together for so long, I'm sure we don't want to destroy that relationship, Editor Park. I'll be in touch."

Flinging her phone onto the sofa (and almost taking out Ares's eye in the process), Gina pointed her index finger at them and shouted, "What the hell are the three of you trying to do! This is absolutely ridiculous!" She didn't even have the words to express her disbelief at this incredulous situation right now. "The two of you," she pointed at Ares and Hyunwon, "having a brawl is already bad enough, but to be throwing punches at each other out in public in full view of everyone? Have you forgotten who you are?"

When the trio realised that they had been caught on camera by some hidden paparazzi, they knew immediately that it was game over. It was too late even if they ran back into the apartment block and went into hiding right there and then (which they did). Five minutes later, Gina received a rather horrific email from one of the chief editors of First Look magazine gleefully sharing with her the exclusive photos that his reporter managed to get hold of.

Fishing out the print-outs of the email that she had printed just before she smashed the entire printer onto the floor, she slammed them onto the coffee table and shouted, "Do you know what the press is going to be writing about for their next editions? And today is goddamn print day for goodness sakes! Almost all the magazines are going into print tonight and by tomorrow morning I can assure you that these pictures will be all over the newsstands. Editor Park wants to publish them on his website tonight!"

"Gina, calm down," Ares said quietly.

"You have no right to tell me to be calm right now," Gina replied with another glare. "Will someone tell me what exactly was going on down there? What possessed you to behave like a couple of ruffians out on the street?"

That reminded all of them about why the fight broke out in the first place, which they had conveniently shelved away in their minds after the entire "caught on camera" debacle. Ares immediately placed his arm over Hyejin and pulled her closer to him, which made her throw a hesitant glance in Hyunwon's direction.

She couldn't deny that she was completely confused right now.

The brawl had distracted her from the incident which triggered it all in the first place—the kiss that had appeared like a bolt out of the blue. She would have actually believed that everything had just been a hallucination were it not for the photographic evidence that was lying in front of her.

Hyunwon had kissed her. It had actually happened. But why?

She kept looking in his direction hoping to find an answer in his stoic face, but he was just sitting there like a stiff piece of wood, his brows furrowed tightly like they always did when he was displeased about something.

"You." Gina pointed her manicured finger at Hyunwon. "What was that all about?" Picking up the photo of him kissing Hyejin with her other hand, she threw it straight into his face. "You're supposed to be getting married to Kara—do you have any idea what this implies? Or do you have no intention of marrying Kara anymore because you've fallen for your apprentice, which could be romantic in another circumstance but right now I am not amused and I don't think Kara or her manager will be very amused either."

Hyejin clutched on to the hem of her T-shirt, waiting for Hyunwon to say something in response. He hadn't said a single word since they came up here and she was dying to know the answer to Gina's questions as well.

Hyunwon picked up the photo that had fallen into his lap and threw it back onto the table. "What else do you expect me to say? The photos speak for themselves."

"Kang Hyunwon!" Ares stood up and shouted. "Hyejin belongs to me. You stay away from her."

"She doesn't belong to anyone," Hyunwon replied tersely, "least of all you."

"Am I stuck in a high school love triangle right now," Gina muttered under her breath, throwing Hyejin a look of disdain. If she had known that this girl would create so much trouble then she wouldn't have brought her into the Cutting Edge in the first place. The incident with Ares's bad hairdo was a much smaller problem compared to what she had on her hands now. Stepping in between the two men to block their views of each other, she placed her hands on her hips and said, "Enough. If you want to continue fighting over a girl then you can do it later, but I have a situation on my hands right now. Based on my assessment of these pictures, I'd say Hyunwon was the cause of all this and that Ares only threw the first punch because he couldn't stand seeing another man kissing his girlfriend, am I right? If so, then I am perfectly fine with going out with the truth."

Going out with the truth would be throwing Hyunwon under a bus because it would land him with not just the crime of hitting on someone else's girl but also with that of betraying his own fiancée, the beautiful Kara Jung, but of course Hyunwon was the least of Gina's concerns.

"You can't do that!" Hyejin burst out.

"And why not?"

"Because... Because..."

It wasn't the first time news of celebrities two-timing each other appeared on tabloids, but the backlash from such scandals were often extremely damaging to the celebrity's career. Given Kara's goddess-like image in the industry, there would be no shortage of her fans hurling abuse at Hyunwon the moment these photos hit the press, and then there would be Ares's fans bashing him for trying to steal Ares's girlfriend (even though she knew many of those fans never liked her nor the fact that Ares had a girlfriend in the first place).

"There is no because," Gina cut her off. "I'll prepare the statements for the press conference, which we will almost definitely need to schedule because this thing is going to be big. Just stick to the script. I'll need to talk to—" Her phone began ringing right at that moment, and she picked it off the sofa. "Ah, just the person I needed to speak to."

Gina stepped away for a second, and they could hear her voice ringing animatedly from the kitchen.

"What exactly did you come here to tell me, Hyunwon?" Hyejin asked quietly. She had never asked to be dragged into the spotlight, but because of these two men she had been subjected time and again to public scrutiny and it was a feeling that she hated.

Hyunwon looked up, his expression softening when he met her gaze. "I came here to tell you that... that I like you."

"Why you little—" Ares's right fist clenched up in a ball once more, but Hyejin immediately grabbed hold of his arm and held him down before he did anything further.

"I know this sounds ridiculous. Honestly I find it completely ridiculous as well, but that's the truth. I like you, Song Hyejin." There, he said it. And because of that, he could possibly have run his illustrious career into the ground. But then again that career never meant very much to him in the first place. "I know you're dating Ares and for me to be saying this at this point in time is completely inappropriate, so I apologise to you—to the both of you—for what I did earlier."

"What's the point of saying sorry now?" Ares bellowed. "And who are you to just come up and say that you like Hyejin?"

Hyejin's mind had gone completely blank after listening to what Hyunwon had to say. It wasn't the first time she had heard him say that he liked her, but the first time around she had just assumed he was saying it to push Kara away. But today... he actually sounded like he meant it. He was still looking at her, and there was a sincerity in his eyes that told her that he was speaking the truth.

"Alright, that was Kara's manager on the line," Gina announced as she walked back into the room, oblivious to the increased tension. "Kara's been screaming about coming over here but she's managed to lock the girl in. If she shows up here then we'll be in for even more drama especially since the reporters," she peered out the window at the group that had gathered downstairs, "are hanging around like flies. We've come to an agreement that the press conference will be held tomorrow morning and Kara will need to attend that as well because she's the 'victim' in all of this. Whether or not she forgives you and decides to still marry you is up to her—that's none of my business. I'll send all of you a copy of your statements by this evening and you'll need to memorise it word for word by tomorrow, is that clear?"

"What do you expect me to say?" Hyejin asked.

Gina narrowed her eyes and looked at her in disdain. "Frankly, I think this is a good opportunity for both you and Ares to end your 'relationship'."

"No," Ares said immediately. "I'm not doing that." He held on to Hyejin's hand so tightly that she felt like her bones were about to be crushed, but no matter how she tried she couldn't get him to let go.

Hyunwon glanced briefly at the hand that Ares was holding and then he stood up from his seat, saying, "I'm heading off. Send me the details for the press conference via email."

"It's teeming with paparazzi below," Gina remarked.

"I'll take the back exit. Get someone to send my car back to the salon will you?" His car was still parked out front, but there was no way he could get to it right now.

Hyejin wanted to chase after him to ask him more questions that were plaguing her mind right now, but Ares was still refusing to let go, and so she could only watch as he walked out of the front door and his footsteps disappeared down the corridor. She sat there in a daze for a good couple of minutes, not realising that Ares was watching her sadly throughout.

#

The next morning came sooner than she had expected and when she woke up, Hyejin felt a deep sense of dread in the pits of her stomach as she thought about what was going to happen later. Gina had emailed all of them their prepared statements last night, and just reading it made her so nervous she wanted to throw up.

Reaching for the piece of paper at her bedside, she held it up in front of her and read, "The relationship between Ares and I is perfectly stable and has been as such ever since we started dating." That was it. Just one simple sentence. The instructions that Gina had sent to accompany this statement had been ten times longer than the statement itself, most of which were fierce reminders for her not to say anything else and let the others handle the talking.

The clock on her bedside table read half seven in the morning, which meant that she still had two hours before the press conference would start. Dragging herself out of bed, she went to brush her teeth, all the while wondering what the other statements had said.

If I say only that, then everyone will think that Hyunwon is the only guilty party in the entire situation. What will happen to him then?

Even though Hyunwon seemed to have no qualms about taking the fall by himself, she couldn't bring herself to see him suffer on his own. After all, was this really only his fault? If Gina hadn't engineered this "relationship" between her and Ares to cover up for his medical condition, and if Kara hadn't made use of her engagement with Hyunwon to cover up for her failed attempt in Hollywood, would they have had to come to this?

If none of that had happened, then right now was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life because the man that she loved had actually just confessed that he liked her too. But instead, everything was one huge, jumbled mess.

I can't let him take all the blame for this, she decided, staring at her own reflection resolutely in the mirror. She would never be able to live this one down if she let Hyunwon go through with the press conference and commit career suicide because of her; at the very least she needed him to know that everything he did was not a complete waste. If he had the courage to tell her that he liked her then she should have the courage to tell him the same.

In making that decision, she felt a twinge of guilt towards Ares because choosing to stand up during the press conference and declare that this was not a one-sided transgression on Hyunwon's part would necessarily mean that she was choosing to let go of Ares.

I'm sorry Ares, but we were a mistake right from the very beginning and the longer we let this mistake drag on, the more difficult it's going to be for us to get ourselves out of it.

She splashed some water on her face to wake herself up and tried practicing her lines in the mirror, although the more she practiced the worse it seemed to get—imagining Hyunwon and Ares's reaction when they heard what she had to say made her stomach do even more backflips.

The ringing of her phone saved her from the misery, although Gina's name flashing on the screen did not.

"Hello?"

"Come to Hwanhwa Private Hospital right now," Gina's agitated voice came booming from the other end of the line. "Ares's been admitted."

"What?" Hyejin exclaimed.

"I'm sending a car over to pick you up. Be ready in ten minutes." Click.

When Hyejin arrived at the hospital, she found Gina standing out at the front porch smoking a cigarette and looking as if she hadn't slept all night. The moment Gina caught sight of her, she frowned. "That's quick," she said, tossing her cigarette onto the ground and extinguishing it with her heel. "He's in a private suite on the sixth floor. The doctor was just done with him and they're waiting for the anaesthetic to wear off."

"What happened?" Hyejin asked worriedly as she followed Gina into the hospital.

"He did the stupid alcohol and sleeping pills thing again," Gina replied. "You would think once bitten, twice shy, but no, he still goes and does something so idiotic on the eve of a press conference. I've made arrangements to delay the press conference until this evening." Reaching into her handbag, she took out a copy of today's First Look magazine and pressed it into Hyejin's hands. "You've made the cover, congratulations."

Hyejin cringed when she saw the photos of Hyunwon kissing her on the front cover of the magazine, along with other pictures of the two boys having a go at each other on the ground.

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine. He didn't take enough to kill himself," the manager said unsympathetically. "The doctors said that once the anaesthetic wears off and his blood test results come in then he can be discharged."

Ares was lying asleep in his hospital bed, looking awfully pale after having had all the alcohol and sleeping pills pumped out of his stomach. He seemed so fragile and lonely lying there that it made Hyejin feel extremely guilty about what she had planned to do. The incident from yesterday had probably bothered him so much that he couldn't get to sleep again, hence the wine and sleeping pills to help cure his insomnia.

"Hyejin... Hyejin..."

Hyejin leaned in to listen to what Ares seemed to be mumbling in his sleep, realising in surprise that he was calling out her name in his sleep.

"I'm here," she said softly, patting the back of his hand.

Ares's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of hers, giving her a bit of a start. Looking up at his face, she realised that he was still unconscious, though a slight frown had appeared across his forehead. What are you dreaming about, Ares? she wondered, for him to be frowning in his sleep.

His lips began to move once more, and she bent over to listen to what he was saying.

"Please don't leave me," he was murmuring. "Please don't leave me, Hyejin."

#

Hey guys - just wanted to say thanks for still being here! I know I've been away for quite some time and my stories have been left hanging for a while. That's why you'll notice that I'm accelerating updates now. There's only a couple more chapters left in this book, so stay tuned and do leave me a star if you like how things are going :) xx