“I ain’t working with him.”

Andrew froze, in shock. Unable to hide his disappointment, he hung his head down, trying to calm down his thrumming heart. What exactly was he expecting? To him, Caden was his first love, but to the author? Andrew was just one of the many faces he had come across in his life. 

Come on, stop being so overly dramatic. Clam down! Focus on doing your job as an editor first…! Then worry about him being your first love!, Andrew thought as he looked up from the floor. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice as all eyes were fixed on Yohan who was now walking away. 

“Yohan! Stop being rude and greet your new editor!” his sister reprimanded him, glaring at him.

“… No. I never asked for a new editor! I’m sorry, but you don’t need to work with me. I’m fine with Sharon, so you can go back to wherever you came from.” Yohan nodded his head slightly before he strode off.

“I— I’m sorry. I apologize for my brother’s behavior… Yohan!” May called out, excusing herself first.

Andrew awkwardly grinned as he watched May chase after Caden, who was already walking out the doors of the hotel. Well, then. This was definitely not what Andrew had in mind, but he could make it work… Maybe.

“Dammit… I’m so sorry about that… I just broke the news to him this morning. I should have contacted him about it sooner... I’m truly sorry that you had to see him being a complete ass.” 

Sharon sighed; an apologetic smile crossed her face as she turned to look at her new recruit. She bowed to him, deeply regretful of her lack of professionalism.

“It’s… Well, it’ll be difficult, but I think I can manage. I have a question… Why did he stop writing for three years? He was a pretty well-known writer…”

“I… You up for some tea or coffee?” Sharon asked with a gentle smile, gesturing to the nearby Moonbucks across the street.

“Sure!” a bright smile lit his face as the two headed outside. Andrew glanced around, searching for Caden and his sister, but couldn’t find them anywhere. They had already disappeared.

~~~

“Order anything you want. It’s my treat!”

“Hmm… I’ll have a Grande Pistachio Coffee Frap, please.” he replied, scanning the menu above him.

Sharon smiled in amusement; with his tall, muscular build and charismatic aura, she definitely hadn’t expected him to have a sweet tooth. Perhaps it was because she was biased? Yohan hated anything overly sweet and after accommodating to his preferences, she had just assumed most men didn’t enjoy sweet things. Noticing her smile, Andrew grinned back as Sharon paid for their drinks.

“Why don’t you go find a seat, Ms. Kim? I’ll bring our drinks over!”

“All right, thanks!”

Andrew waited near the pick-up area while Sharon found a spot near a window. She sat and observed Andrew from her seat. Why did he seem so familiar…? 

He definitely didn’t give off the “Korean” vibe, with his American style of clothing and mannerisms. She gazed at him, checking him out. He had jet-black hair that was stylishly styled so that his light bangs messily parted, drawing attention to his chiseled, yet alluring face. Hmm… maybe he’ll be a good friend to Caden…?, she thought as she giggled. And… if fate or destiny, or whatever it was, allowed it— perhaps also something more than friends? The editor smiled smugly, relieved that Andrew didn’t seem to mind Caden’s harsh words from earlier.  

She quickly looked away as Andrew received their drinks and was making his way over to her. Setting down their drinks, he sat across from his new boss, his eyes twinkling in anticipation. Sharon let out a small breath, wondering how she should start. 

“Before I tell you anything, will you promise that you won’t tell Caden what I told you? He doesn’t want people to know why he disappeared for three years… But I thought I should tell you since you’ll be in charge of him.”

“All right, I promise to keep it to myself.” he said with a firm nod. Was it something more serious than he had imagined? Andrew had thought it was as simple as a case of a slump—many of his writers had the same issue over the years. Wasn’t that normal?

“Hmm… Where to begin…” she pondered, taking a sip of her coffee. Andrew noticed her anxious state as her hands trembled slightly. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked her?

“Er… Ms. Kim—”

“Ah, call me Sharon.”

“Sharon? Are you sure? I don’t want to sound rude—”

“Haha, I guess you really adjusted to Korean life, huh? It’s okay. Just call me by my name… I’m technically not a ‘miss’ anymore since I’m happily married.” she said with a warm, gentle expression as she thought of her loving wife, who was probably fighting with her brother this very moment.

“Oh…! Right… I forgot you mentioned that you were Caden’s sister-in-law. Did you marry his brother or something…? Wait.”

“Ah… not quite. Married his sister, actually.” Sharon smirked lightly, as she glanced at Andrew’s shocked and embarrassed face.

“I… Sorry. That was rude of me...”

“No worries! Now you know, right?” she giggled, “What were you going to say before I cut you off?”

“Oh! Well… if you feel uncomfortable telling me about Caden’s hiatus, you don’t have to.”

“It’s not that I’m… Well, to some degree I am a bit uncomfortable talking about it, since it really isn’t my place to say… However, knowing Caden, he’ll probably never tell you the reason why. And I believe it’s important that you know so you can avoid topics that trigger his nasty mood.” Sharon huffed at the thought of her cheeky brother-in-law’s attitude whenever someone brought up dating or… Eliza.

“So, here’s the story. He initially suffered from a slump. You know, how it is with writers or anyone working in the artistic/creative field…  Caden was trying his best to recover from it but he just couldn’t get his creative juices flowing again. I’m pretty sure it was because he was burnt out from all the book signings and the pressure to write another hit novel over and over again…” she began, a small, sad smile on her lips as she played with her cup of coffee.

“… He detested being in the spotlight at times. Caden often complained that he had no privacy and no matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to satisfy his fans. I should have just let him take a breather back then; I was too naïve and careless as an editor…” Sharon sighed, biting her lip. She had learned much from then, but still... the guilt weighed her down.

“During that time, he met this girl at a local café he frequented. Eliza was also a patron there and the two got to know each other. She was a freelance illustrator and seeing Caden struggle with his writing, she offered him some encouragement. They began to become closer as they continued to support each other’s work, cheering one another when the other began to fall behind… I can still remember how happy Caden was. It had been a while since I saw him smile so radiantly…”

“… What happened though? Did… they break up or something?” Andrew asked, a lump forming in his throat as he swallowed it down with a sip of his sugary drink. 

So, he already had a first love, huh? He knew it was stupid of him to assume otherwise, but he had been hoping that he could be Caden’s first love, despite the odds.

“No. They never got into a relationship. After getting to know each other for about five? Six months? Caden finally mustered up the courage to ask her out on a date… however that was the day she was leaving for a ski trip with her friends to Colorado. They promised to go on a date a week later when she came back, but… she never returned. On their way to the resort, their car slipped off the icy road after their snow chain came loose. Her death was a huge shock to him, and his irrational fear of dating came back as a result.”

“…? Irrational fear? What kind of irrational fear does he have about dating?” Andrew asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

“Well…” she said, glancing up at Andrew with hesitation, “… he believes that anyone who dates him will end up dead; that he’s the one who murdered them.”

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**