Grandfather looked solemn and began, “The plan to extract the doctor has been made and everything has been put into place. You better hope that she is cooperative else she will have to disappear.”

Kris frowned and looked away, “I see. So we aren’t any different to the old system then. Taking no prisoners and killing anyone who disagrees.”

“She’ll know too much and we can’t have any leaks. Kris…”

Kris looked away staring hard at the outside view.

“Kris look at me. This is to ensure that nothing goes wrong,” Grandfather said firmly.

Kris got up and left.

Chanyeol was waiting in Kris’s office.

“Security really needs to be checked if they letting random people in.”

“Hey bro! It’s good seeing you! I’m hurt that you consider me a random…. But enough about me, what’s with the frustrated look?”

Kris breathed out irritated.

“What?” Chanyeol asked again.

“I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I don’t know what possessed me to offer a solution.”

“Ehhhh… I still don’t get it.”

So I had a good time with Jongin but I just don’t know about having a relationship in the workplace. So many decisions in life….

Ugh… the smell… No matter how long I have been in the hospital that odour in some wards will never ever stop surprising me…

“Nari,” I heard a familiar voice say.

“Yes Dr. Kim?” I asked.

“Why so cold?” he replied in a teasing manner. “I thought we got over that level.”

I rolled my eyes at him and tilted my head questioningly.

“So how about we go out again or we could just be in each other’s company?”

I frowned a little, “It sounds kind of sinister ‘be in each other’s company’.”

“Must you make it sound like I have an ulterior motive?”

“You mean to say you don’t?” I replied with a raised eyebrow, looking at him with doubt before laughing at his pout. “Fine, tonight after work?”

“I have food so my place,” Jongin said excitedly and walked with an extra spring to his step.

I smiled after him. He really was quite different to what I thought.

That night, we spent some talking about work and eventually we spoke about the time before the day of the Split.

“I was six years old and it was hard. I still remember learning how to write, do maths. I learnt to do ballet at the time as well,” I said in a secretive manner. “I always wanted to learn a musical instrument. Something like the cello,” I continued. “What about you?” I said looking at him.

He looked at me with mischievous eyes, “I play the cello. If you want to learn?”

Jongin spent some time playing for me and then afterwards started to show me various things but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to play it.

 “Why are you so scared?” he asked, looking at me searching for the answer himself.

I looked down.

“It’s like you’re so scared of failure that you won’t even try. It’s not like the cello will break or anything,” he said both seriously and with a smile.

 I cleared my throat and looked away.

He clicked his tongue and continued, “You don’t have to be scared, you know that right? You don’t need to hide even if no one is there to catch you, you can pick yourself up. You’re strong enough, you’ve been through so much more.”

I kept my silence, the only sign that I had heard what he said were my deep breaths.

“You could be even better than you are now. You could fulfil all your dreams, you said that you wanted to learn an instrument because you couldn’t as a child. You have the chance now, why won’t you take it?”

He was clearly challenging me to get over my problems. I had let in him so far, was I going to stop him now?

I swallowed and then placed my hands where he had showed me and allowed myself to string out the first note. We stayed there for so long and eventually his hands had come to rest on mine, to guide me and show me how to play. We paused and I looked at him over my shoulder, he smiled at me and I saw that twinkle that I had suspected was always there for me.