CHAPTER FOUR

-+- HAE -+-

I flip the pages as I compare it on the information on my monitor. Unfortunately for me, I have left work earlier than usual yesterday leaving me a heap of paperwork to review today. I grunted a little. This was never a case for me. Workaholic as I am. I have been working hard ever since the day I have started building this company, my own company. I have never been tardy. I always make sure I do my work on time. Although I know I am entitled to slack from time to time, being the owner and all, I make sure I don't. I need work to make me busy. I need work to fill up my time. I need work to finish my day. I need to work. I heard a tapping sound and I lifted my gaze to see Eunhyuk leaning on the door, with his arms crossed in front of him.

"Good morning." He greeted me still standing where he was. I can see how relaxed he is. Good for him, at least one of us got a good night sleep. Lucky bastard.

I scoffed. "Good morning. I told you to come in the morning." I looked at my watch and saw that it's already 11:54am. "Not when the morning is nearly finishing."

He chuckled a little bit and walked towards me. He placed a cup of coffee on my table and he settled himself on the couch in front of my table and relaxed his back. "It's still morning though."

"For the next 5 minutes." I answered him and returned to the file that I was checking. I inspected the cup. "What's this supposed to be? A bribe? You know it takes more than a cup of coffee to bribe me."

"Why are you so grumpy?" He asked me.

I closed the file that I was holding and went to the door to close it. I took the cup. I went to the couch in front of him and placed the coffee on top of the center table. I stretched for a while before sitting. Eunhyuk looked at me as he waited for my answer. "I am not grumpy."

He scoffed. "Then why are your brows meeting in the middle while you are checking that file?" He pointed on the closed file on my desk. He looked at me again. "By the way, that's cafe mocha, double shot espresso with a hint of mint. Just the way you liked it."

I smiled at him for a second. I wish he is this useful every day. "There's just too much work left undone." I answered him simply as I relaxed my shoulders.

"And whose fault is that?" He asked me and I glared at him. I kept mum. I am not in the mood to joke around. "Who told you to wait for 4 hours outside Dara's building?"

I closed my eyes as I shook my head."Shut up. How's IU?" I try my luck to change the topic. IU is his wife, she just came back from Italy and I bet that's the reason he came late today. Their relationship is something that most married couples will envy. They seemed to fit each other perfectly, like yin yang, red meat and red wine, peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, sugar and spice. Both of them compose a balance that not most of married couples can achieve. Something that we cannot achieve. I breathed heavily.

"She's fine. As always. So what happened? Tell me." He asked and I opened my eyes only to see him leaning in front of me. "What? What happened? Tell me now." He looked at me like a child waiting for Santa. It's hard to tell at that moment whether he is an adult or not. He looked so stupid.

"What do you mean what happened? I've waited for her, she came around 5:30pm and we went to dinner. After that we went home." I answered him honestly.

He shook his head. "You know that's not what I am asking about." He looked at me with needing eyes. I try to avoid his eyes. It's really disturbing when he looked like this.

I tilted my head on my right and stared at him, still trying to feign unmoved with the looks he is giving me. "You've asked what happened, that's what happened."

"Man, you are so stingy. Can't you spare some information to your best friend?" He teased me. "You keep a lot of things to yourself, you will feel better if you talk more."

I sighed loudly. "I don't know what you are talking about." Honestly, I've tried my best ever since not to think about it. I plunged myself to work day and night. As it frustrates me more to talk about my relationship with Dara.

Eunhyuk stood up and sat on the couch beside me. "You don't know? Okay, let me tell you one by one. Why is that Kwon guy talking to Dara? Are they close? Do they eat together a lot? Is he her lunch buddy? I thought it was Bom and Chaerin? Why is she eating with him yesterday then? What are they talking about? Why does he has the look of disappointment but at the same time he looks relieved? Why are they alone together?"

I glared at him. I let out another loud sigh. "Do you really think I have answers to those questions? Or rather, do you really think that I could ask her things like that?"

"Don't you think I don't know how much you are dying to ask her about that?" He harassed me more.

I sighed, there are things that are really hard to hide from your own best friend. Even without saying anything, he understands me and knows me deep down. I closed my eyes and leaned on the backrest. "Even if that is the truth, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Bro, try." He answered me simply. He heaved a deep sigh. "Just. Just talk to her."

"I-I can't. I just can't." I answered him, not explaining myself further. Last night was really bad. We ended up eating our dinner in silence. Even when the miguelitos were placed in front of us. We never spoke a single word. It's such a waste. We seldom eat outside. We are always inside the comfort of our home. And I don't know if there is another opportunity coming.

He nudged me and sat up straight. "What's the deal? Did you tell me to come here to lament?"

I stared at him for quite a while before I answered. "Not really. I just want to have somebody with me who understands me without me telling him anything." Hoping he gets my point and will stop asking me irritating questions.

He smiled. "I'm always here for that Bro. But for the record, I don't do men." He crisscrossed his arms in front of him.

"In your dreams." I chuckled. "Did you get through the agreement? Anything alarming?" I suddenly went business tone and he glared at me.

"Gosh, you just won't waste time." He rolled his eyes on me. "Everything was the same except for some few clause that I need clarification on. Let's discuss it later."

I smiled at him, he worked after all. As if understanding my smile he glared at me again. "Of course I'm a hard worker too. It's not just you. Gosh, do you really think I would just play around with IU all afternoon yesterday?"

I smiled and didn't say anything and he rolled his eyes on me. "How about you? Did you check it yourself?"

I shook my head. "No. Why should I? When I have you to do it for me?"

He shook his head too. "I'm such a loyal friend."

"An expensive one." I commented and chuckled.

"Yah! I'm not even invoicing you for my services!" He exclaimed.

I chuckled more. "But you're being paid anyway" Eunhyuk is a part of the shareholder of my company, so he gets his profit share as well.

He smiled at me. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I should have PF too, and you should know that. You're really a stingy person, from information to money." He shot me a disappointed look.

"That's why I'm successful." I answered him. In all honesty, it's not that I don't like to share him things about me, it's just hard to put it into words. I don't