Echo Girl checked her sparkly nails nonchalantly while she sat back on the car seat of her eleventh (and favorite) limousine without a care in the world; feeling sure of herself everything was going smoothly. 

She had told her chauffeur to track down Jumin Han and follow him as soon as he left the office. If she couldn't make a move while he was at work, then obviously the second option is while he wasn't. 

It wasn't like she was a "creepy stalker" or an "obsessive sociopath" like her manager had called her that one time. Pft, of course not. She was just a pretty, harmless girl in love! 

And Jumin would thank her later anyway when he finally opened his eyes and saw her for who she was. 

"We're here, Miss Choi," the stiff driver told her, clearly not wanting to be there. 

"Good. Glad I caught Juminny while he's alone," she chirped with a beaming grin, preparing herself to exit the vehicle. 

"But…" 

"What?" Kyungju spat at the man holding the steering wheel as soon as he interrupted her happy thoughts. 

"He's… with a woman." The chauffeur finished with a gulp, knowing well he had just unleashed Kyungju's inner beast. 

"What?!" she screamed, launching her body forward so she could look at the same window as him. "Jumin's allergic to women! Why would he ever be with one that isn't m—" 

She cut herself off as her eyeballs almost popped out. A growl formed inside her throat, escaping from her lips while she glared at the image in front of her. "...Except for that filthy assistant of his… Who does she think she is?"

Her fuming silence preoccupied the driver, and he attempted to speak up. "Huh, Miss Choi, are you okay?" 

"Shut up!" she immediately snapped, turning around and picking up her phone from her designer bag. "Hmph," she huffed, tapping the required numbers to make a call. "Daddy's gonna hear about this…" she muttered with a sense of revenge. 
-

Jaehee held back a laugh as Jumin tried (and failed) to hide how little he actually new about theme park rides. 

There were no operators to turn on the machines, but Jumin said it wouldn't be a problem since they were "easy to use". 

"Mr. Han, are you sure you don't want any help?" she asked, tilting her head to the side with playful air. 

"No, it's fine." He was quick to reply. "Today you're not my assistant, but the other way around." He shot her a satisfied smile as he finally figured out what the big red button was for. 

Jaehee chuckled again. "Really? Do I have to pay you then?" 

"It's charity work," Jumin responded, before leaning in and offering his hand to her so she could get on the Rollercoaster effortlessly. 

Jaehee grabbed the security belt and excitingly set it over both of them as soon as they reached the seats. Afterwards, she eagerly waited for the ride to start. 

"Have you ever been on a roller coaster before, Mr. Han?" she inquired while the engines began heating up. 

"No… what does it do?" he questioned, completely unaware of what he just got into. 

The brown-haired girl couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise while she stared at him; she actually felt bad for her oblivious boss. 

Before she could warn him though, the cart went off like an exploding missile. Jaehee couldn't help her shocked shriek that quickly became a delighted squeal as the ride spun around. 

Meanwhile, Jumin couldn't help his breath abandoning his whole body and leaving him with the pale, grim appearance of a ghost. He wasn't even able to speak from the pure horror and all the wind that repeatedly slapped his face. 

Jaehee glanced at him with a unknowing grin until she noticed how scared he actually was and her smile faded with empathy. In the midst of all the noise and breeze, she took his hand and her fingers intertwined with his in a reassuring hold. 

Jumin's gaze shifted from the blurry scenery in front of them to his assistant's comforting face with eyes as wide a plates. She had the warmest eyes, that he could swear were made from honey and gold, and she couldn't have looked more like an angel if she tried. 

He smiled sweetly at her and she returned the smile. As soon as they both were enjoying the ride, it ended, leaving them both laughing unanimously. 

"Our hair is all disheveled now," Jaehee commented, trying to tone down her extremely windswept, messy hair as the tracks stopped. 

Jumin's grey eyes looked up and noticed a stray green leaf stuck right in the middle of his forehead; he heard Jaehee stifling a giggle. He pulled it off unceremoniously. "This must have been such an amusing scene to you, no, Assistant Kang?" 

She pushed away a tear from laughter with her wrist. "Indeed. I haven't laughed that hard in a while," she admitted good-naturedly. "Oh. Your tie is all messed up, Mr. Han," Jaehee said in realization. 

Before Jumin could react, she immediately leaned in, despite the fact they were already exceedingly close, and her hands worked by themselves as she fixed the necktie without missing a beat. 

"There." She smiled contently at her perfect result, and finished smoothing out the surface with a quick brush of her fingers. 

Unconsciously, the unsuspecting woman slowly raised her gaze to see Jumin staring at her with great surprise; probably not expecting her to do something like that at all. 

For what seemed eternal, both people were staring intently at each other as if they were in some kind of daze, unable to take their eyes off the other. 

Until Jumin cleared his throat and looked away as a nearly unnoticeable pink blush spread over his cheeks. Jaehee snapped back to reality and awkwardly shifted away from his body. 
-

A chuckle emanated from Jumin's lips as he leant back on his chair in front of Jaehee's at the private five-star restaurant they were currently eating at, much to his assistant's amazement. 

"Elizabeth the Third would really adore some of this caviar." He sighed blissfully, touching the fine food with a just as expensive silver fork. "Is it of your taste as well?" he asked her with sheer curiosity. 

"Of course Elizabeth would enjoy caviar…" she murmured with a half-hearted roll of her eyes. "She's a cat. Isn't it fish eggs, after all? And it is quite tasty…" She ate a bit of garlic bread with the substance smeared in the top. 

"My dear Elizabeth isn't just a cat, though, you know all she means to me…" He sighed; his voice sounded so pleasing, Jaehee couldn't help but smile sincerely as well. 

"I know she's like family to you... I don't dislike her," Jaehee informed him as her arms stretched forward. "Just… the C-fur. It ruins good fabric." 

"But it's still quite soft and beautiful, don't you think?" Jumin said, convinced. 

Jaehee chuckled a little; there was always this shining sparkle in Jumin's normally dull eyes whenever he spoke about Elizabeth, something he was passionate about. Surprising herself, she found it quite endearing. 

"—stant Kang? Jaehee?" Her thoughts were interrupted by an alluring, deep voice. 

"Huh?" Jaehee blinked twice, bemused. 

"Are you fine, Assistant Kang?" Jumin questioned with a worried look, "You were daydreaming." 

"Ah, really?" she inquired, an embarrassed red blush rushing to her cheeks. "That's so unlike me…" 

"I found it quite strange," he agreed, "Where you daydreaming about Elizabeth the Third, perhaps?" he asked, serious as ever. 

"Eh—" Jaehee raised a confused eyebrow. "Y-yeah, yeah. Definitely Elizabeth." 

"Then it's completely understandable." He nodded sympathetically. "By the way, if you're finished with your meal, would you allow me to take you somewhere else? It's our final destination of the night," he said, a tinge of nervousness in his words. 

"Um, of course, I'm done already," she reassured him, full in the stomach and setting the plate aside, as well as her chair. 

"Great. I hope it'll be of your liking," Jumin stated, and Jaehee could distinguish his previous nervous feeling being replaced by relief. "Follow me, please."
-

Fireworks erupted over both of their heads, the moonlight covering the huge waves of the navy blue sea. The wooden bridge Jumin had brought her to was firm and steady, so she had no fear of falling into the icy cold waters. 

Instead, her eyes widened with wonder as well as a big smile while the fireworks surrounded them like bursting stars alongside the still ones in the night sky. 

"Mr. Han… This…" She wasn't able to finish the sentence, but gulped down the knot inside her throat. "This is wonderful…!" 

Jumin couldn't do anything but give her a smile of satisfaction. "I'm glad everything went well," he murmured, glancing away to look at the show, too. 

"Seriously, I…" Her gaze shifted downwards, a sense of guilt building up in her chest. "I don't deserve this… how could I ever repay you…?" she muttered out her feelings without thinking. 

"Don't," he immediately responded. "You don't have to repay me in any way… this is my way of apologizing. For everything I put you through… All those times you overworked yourself and I was too centered in myself to notice." 

Jaehee turned around to stare at him with shock at the apology out of nowhere. 

"Meanwhile… you're always thinking about me…" He sighed, clearly distressed. "I… I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me, Jaehee. And I will no longer stop you from leaving me— er, the company," he corrected, rubbing his aching temples. 

"I deserve it, after all." Were his final, impactful words. 

Jaehee was sincerely at a complete loss of voice, unable to do anything but gawk at him. Jumin must have misinterpreted, because he quickly turned his sight back at her and gave her an apologetic look. 

"Don't be concerned. I will make sure not to make the same mistakes with miss Park when she becomes my assistant," he promised her with the most honest gaze she had ever seen from him. 

She wanted to say something; she wanted to tell him that she didn't resent him. That she was actually thankful for every opportunity and rare but well-deserved encouragement he gave to her, for becoming more understanding as he was able to comprehend her situation...

But all she said was, "Mr. Han… thank you." 

Jumin seemed disappointed for a second before he quickly concealed the feeling with his usual blank expression. 

Then there was silence. A comfortable lack of talking. 

Neither of them would have minded it until Jaehee started trembling slightly, rubbing her arms and elbows to try and keep heat in the midst of the cold temperature. 

Noticing she was cold, though she tried to hide it by not complaining, which was an habit of hers he didn't particularly like. She thought she didn't deserve to feel, to let others know about her pain and instead attempted to dissimulate it. 

"Assistant Kang." 

"Yes?" 

"Have my jacket," he told her, offering her said piece of cloth after he efficiently slid it off. 

"W-what?" She shook her head slightly with a reassuring soft smile. "You don't have to, Mr. Han. I'm fine." 

"But you're shivering," he stated, staring at her shaking figure, her breath froze into the air and became cold smoke. 

"But if I take it, you'll freeze, Mr. Han," she spoke out her worries. 

"Don't worry about it, I will be fine." Jumin handed out the warm jacket to her, which she gladly accepted, despite still feeling bad about it. 

She rapidly put it over her shoulders and the instant warmth was bliss, not to mention the subtle aroma of… Wine? Typical of Jumin. 

Soon enough, the petite woman's theory was proven correct when her tall, lean boss begun shaking against his own will. 

"Mr. Han, you're cold."

"It's fine." 

"It's not. Here… have your jacket back." 

"You need it more than me…" 

Jaehee sighed, finishing their argument. "I know of a solution." She grabbed the clothing again and, shifting close enough to Jumin, settled it comfortably over both of their backs as they huddled together like penguins. "Now neither of us will be cold." 

Jumin scoffed amusedly. "Touché." 
-

Jaehee and Jumin were almost by the exit when Jaehee's eyes widened and her face brightened up as she glanced sideways. 

Jumin tilted his head in confusion when she stopped walking. "What's wrong, Assistant Kang?" 

"The… the carousel," she murmured dreamily, staring at the horseback ride almost like a child would. 

Jumin chuckled a bit. "So cute." He couldn't help but think for a passing second. "Do you want to ride it?" 

She turned back at him with the same amazed face, even more amazed now as she nodded quickly. 

She sat on one of the white horses supported by poles and Jumin started the ride, thankfully, way quicker than last time. 

Jaehee laughed softly with anticipation as it started moving, feeling a gentle, precious memory creep up from the back of her mind. 
-

She was a little girl, around the age of six. Her mom was still there, and so was her father even. 

Her family had taken her there for her astounding grades at school. First grade had finished and she was in summer vacation; wanting to have all the utmost fun in the world. 

Her first ride was the carousel, and though she was initially a bit scared, the fact her father was there to hold her up calmed her nerves. 

She rode around in the pony's back alongside all the other kids while her mom excitingly recorded the whole thing on video tape. 
-

Jaehee heaved a wistful sigh as her shoulders sunk. How she missed them… but it was the days they were together that matter, right? 

Jumin smiled happily at the cheerful scene of Jaehee enjoying herself in the carousel, her own lips quirked upwards with joy. 

At moment, they both wished times like this could last forever. 
-

When Driver Kim finally reached Jaehee's apartment at the dead hours of the night, they unfortunately knew the reverie was over. 

Jaehee opened the car door, uttering grateful thanks and goodbyes to both men before going out and walking towards the entrance of her home.

Unexpectedly, Jumin stopped her. "Wait, I have something special for you," he told her with a grin as mischievous as Jumin could get. 

The short-haired girl clocked an eyebrow, puzzled, but waited patiently for said "special thing". 

Jumin walked towards the trunk of the car and opened it, only to reveal what the outrageous gift was as he held it with both hands. 

"Oh, my God…" Jaehee murmured, pretty shocked at the view. 

Between Jumin's hands was a giant, life-sized plushie of Elizabeth the Third. Its huge azure eyes were staring right back at her. "Surprise," Jumin said, a bright smile decorating his face. "Since you seem to share my love for Elizabeth, I suppose you will cherish this representation of her." 

He caressed the plushie's head softly and it emitted a cheery meow, apparently a perfect recording of the actual cat's voice. 

Jaehee curiously moved closer to touch the toy's white pelt despite her initial horror. "It's so fluffy!" she exclaimed with a gasp. "It's like real C-fur!" she kept brushing her fingers through the silky mane, unable to take them off. 

Jumin felt a happy sense of pride, glad Assistant Kang was finally learning to appreciate Elizabeth's innate beauty. 

Jaehee hummed after a while of petting the plush cat, a forming smile betraying her thoughts and lightening up her features. "I… I will cherish it," she admitted sincerely, holding it close to her chest with her arms. "...As long as it doesn't shed fur," she quickly added under her breath. 

Afterwards, no more words were exchanged as the two stared at each other's eyes with honest smiles once again; a comforting silence falling over the atmosphere, just for a last time. 

Then the man of raven locks broke it, waving at her with his hand for a second. "Good night, Assistant Kang," he wished her before departing into his car. 

"Good night," she replied, bowing slightly with gratitude and walking away as well. 

When she arrived inside her apartment, she immediately resolved to putting the giant cat plushie over her bed, as a precious memory, dare she say. She sighed as she contemplated it with irony before sinking her head on the soft pillow; Elizabeth the Third would accompany her in her dreams now, she guessed. 

Maybe Jumin, too. 
-

When Jumin Han stepped into his car after saying farewell to his assistant, he really didn't expect another call of his father (especially at eleven past forty in the night). 

Nevertheless, he picked it up while Driver Kim begun driving again. "Hello?" he uttered, hoping whatever his father had to say wouldn't ruin his current good mood. 

"Jumin, are you doing fine?" Mr. Chairman responded, sounding just as nonchalant. 

"Um, yes. Of course." Was Jumin's reply, his confusion seeping through his voice. 

"You must be wondering why I'm calling this late, but…" He heard his father sigh deeply. "Mr. Choi, Echo Girl's father has decided to file a lawsuit against the company," he finally informed his son. 

"Excuse me?" Jumin scoffed, now just as rightfully angered as his progenitor. "What's their reason?" 

"Kyungju Choi is blackmailing us…" Mr. Chairman said sorrowfully. Jumin heard him shifting in his seat. "She's got some confidential information she's threatening to spread out unless we do as she desires." 

"Obviously we're not going to," Jumin stated defiantly, crossing his arms. 

"Son…" his father muttered quietly. 

There was an awkward pause. 

"What?" the younger man questioned as he narrowed his cold eyes. 

"I already agreed to her terms," the CEO revealed. 

There were no adjectives to describe the frustration and comptempt Jumin felt at that every moment. "Please tell me you're joking. Did you seriously agree to her corrupt ways? In which she has full control over us?" he growled. 

"I had no other option. If I didn't agree, she would have published the info and everything would have been in vain." 

"You could have contacted our own lawyer." Jumin responded, attempting to hold back his fury against his father's foolish decision. 

"I was cornered…" Mr. Chairman sighed again. "Jumin, just, I have something extremely important to tell you. Listen to me." 

Jumin heaved a conflicted sigh again, but complied. 

"You… you have been arranged in a marriage with Kyungju Choi, for the sake of the company."