Eric’s eyes couldn’t leaves Hye sung’s. He desperately try to find the evil glint in the younger man’s eyes or the naughty smirk to prove his sick joke but he found none of them. Instead he found the younger staring back at him dumbly and trying his best to stay polite despite his hand is being held by a stranger.

Yes - a stranger.

That’s all Eric is to Hye sung. Eric could see it evidently in the way he awkwardly standing, the way his other hand is playing with the hem of his cloth and obviously the way his face started to show nervousness when Eric doesn’t seem to have any intention to let go of his hand. Eric swear that at this moment, his already broken heart is shattered to even tinier pieces.

“Hye..sung…” he stuttered, “..it’s me…Ju--”

“Eric Mun!” the loud and surprisingly excited exclamation from Yi rang kind of brought Eric back to reality.

Two set of eyes stare at the little angel. Eric is regretfully snap from the sudden shock while Hye sung is glad that he is no longer the center of attention of Yi rang’s appa.

“Teacher..this is my appa…the handsome and great Eric Mun” she smiled brightly before continue, “ and appa, this is my lovely and sweet teacher, Shin Hye sung”.

“Nice to meet you, Yi rang’s appa” Hye sung nodded slightly.

This time he doesn’t dare to offer a handshake, afraid that the man would repeat something similar like earlier. From scale 1 to 10, he would rate this man 100 for this weirdness. ‘I really shouldn’t bad mouth my studen’t father, but for God’s sake who the hell he think he is..if staring at me weirdly wasn’t enough, he dares to drop the honorific eventhough it’s our first meeting’

“My name…” Eric said, barely above whisper.

“Huh?” Hye sung replied, dumbfounded. ‘Can’t this man just go home already. He’s getting on my nerve’

“Can you say my name?” Eric said, or more like pleaded.

He wanted Hye sung to call his name, at least once. He had yearned for it for as long as he remember - even though it wasn’t the name that he liked, but at least he has to hear it, for he to know that the man before him is really Shin Hye sung, for him to know that his lover is back again, in his life.

Hye sung looked hesitant for a while. ‘If that will make him to leave..so be it’

“Eric-shi”

It was short. The name escaped from Hye sung’s lips without an ounce of fondness it used to have. Besides, Eric almost winced at the honorific, but that wouldn’t stop his happiness. He was on cloud nine.

A little tug on his arm forced Eric to reluctantly turned his eyes to his daughter. She impatiently tapped on her watch, signalling him that it’s getting late and they should leave now.

“See you next time, Hye sung-ah” Eric beamed even though he’s a little disappointed that their reunion has come to an end. How he wished that he could stay longer - there are so many things he wanted to say - especially the reason why he left that man six years ago - an explanation that was long due.

‘Let’s hope not..you’re a headache’ Hye sung thought, annoyed. “Next time” he replied, mustering every patience he possessed to use a polite tone. ‘Is it possible to hate someone you just met?’

“Because I surely do” he mumbled to himself.

Hye sung forced himself to smile and waved at the leaving car until it disappear. He let out a loud sigh once the car is no longer in his line of sight. ‘Seriously…this whole teacher thing gonna kill me…how on Earth a sweet little angel has a weird father like that’

“You…Eric Mun are nothing but trouble”

**

“See..aren’t you glad you picked me up today?” Yi rang father. Her father is all smile since he entered the car. And they’re almost home already. She thought that her father must have liked her teacher too.

“You’re right, my angel” he ruffled Yi rang’s hair. ‘I can’t thanked you enough. You’re truly my angel’

“This means you gonna pick me up everyday, right?”

“As you wished princess” Eric laughed.

**

When Hye sung thought that Eric was a headache, he knew his instinct is right all along. The corner of his eyes caught Eric stealing another glance at him, again from the other side of the glass door. And for the umpteenth time, he either ignore it or glare back at the man- if the students weren’t looking at him or asking him something about the sketch he assigned to them. ‘Seriously, he must be a god damn CEO for his company if he has this much time to be wasted’ Hye sung thought bitterly. Hye sung tried his best to ignore Eric’s presence as he went around the class, checking the student’s progress. Sincerely he was impressed by their creativity. The sketches they made fit into the theme he gave to the children. Seeing the children pour out their creativity like this warmed his heart. However, the peace he felt vanished as soon as it appeared. Hye sung almost lost it when he saw Eric is smiling and waving frantically at him when their eyes met.

‘ him! I had enough of his bullsh!t!’

Hye sung was ready to burn Eric and throw him to the deepest pit of hell as he excused himself from the classroom and dragged the idiotic man to the waiting area not far from the classroom.

“What the hell do you want from me exactly?” Hye sung glared furiously. He had to control his voice as he’s still in the academy’s compound and he surely doesn’t want to attract unnecessary attention.

“You” Eric boldly answered, which made Hye sung widened his eyes.

“Y-you…” shaking in anger, the slender man pointed his finger at Eric, “..you’re impossible..”

“Well…it’s not completely impossible..” Eric smiled, totally ignoring Hye sung’s anger. ‘..because you’re my lover’

“Was it fun?” Hye sung barked.

“Huh?”

“You got the gut to ‘huh’ me? You moron! You appeared out of nowhere and suddenly you make it your life goal to annoy me for two ing weeks? Wasn’t it enough already?!” Hye sung’s face was red from the all the frustration Eric has caused him.

“I want to hear you say my name” Eric answered truthfully. His face was serious as he stared at the brunette.

“Eric Mun! Eric Mun! Eric Mun!” the brunette chanted. “Are you happy now?!”

Eric’s face dropped. He had thought before that Hye sung may either pretended to not renognize him or the younger could have forgotten about him. The latter idea doesn’t sit well on him - he doesn’t want to think that something might have happened which caused the younger to forget him. Fearing his own ghost, Eric made himself believed that Hye sung was only pretending. That’s why Eric had taken out much of his time to visit Hye sung at the academy. True to his expectation, Hye sung was furious from all his attempt - be it bringing home-made lunch made with a lot of sesame oil and seeds, buying his favourite CD or new material for painting - sketch book, brushes, pencil or anything that he fancy when Eric went to the shop or buying sweets like chocolate and macaroon. There was one time where he even bought Hye sung’s favorite cigarette’s brand, but unfortunately, the cigarette ended being thrown away by Hye sung the moment he saw it.

Eric had predicted that Hye sung would explode sooner or later, and he would finally drop the act he was putting. But, he doesn’t get the result he imagined.

“No” Eric stepped closer to Hye sung. “You know it’s not my name”

Hye sung could only stare in disbelief. “Then, what is your name?” he challenged, as he takes a step forward. They are only within an arm-reach now. Hye sung thought that he could easily punched or kicked Eric from this distance.

“My name…” Eric caressed Hye sung’s face tenderly, “..remember it..” he then pecked Hye sung’s lips. It was so quick that it rendered Hye sung from reacting. Before he know it, Eric was gone, but his word lingered in Hye sung’s mind. Feeling as if all the oxygen got out of his lung, Hye sung fall on his knee, trying hard to catch his breath. Clutching his heart, he can’t stop the tears from falling.

‘Why am I feeling like this?’

**

Staying under the same roof as Soo ah made him suffocated. She appe