“Omoni, what are you doing here?” Hani struggled to bring herself up to a sitting position as she greeted a new and unexpected guest that morning. His mother walked in the room as Daniel followed after, sending Hani a gentle smile that made her heart flutter. He wasn't joking when he texted her that he would come to visit and take care of her every single day. She noticed how handsome he looked today and wondered what are his plans for the day as he was dressed in a crisp black suit with his hair styled professionally, a style too formal for a simple hospital visit.

The elder woman greeted Hani’s grandmother who was sitting on the couch inside the room reading newspapers, before standing next to the hospital bed. “Hani dear, Daniel told me what happened. How are you feeling today?” she asked, brushing the girl’s right cheek affectionately as Daniel spontaneously helped to adjust the bed so that Hani could sit comfortably.

“I’m getting better. Thanks omoni,” Hani smiled in gratitude and patted his mother’s hands gently.

“I’m Hani’s granny. Nice to meet you,” Granny approached the table and introduced herself. “When did Hani meet your mother?” she directed the question to the only male in the room.

Daniel touched his ears sheepishly, “Ah, well… she stayed over at my mother’s once,” he explained, leaving out the details of their first meeting.

“My son told me that you won’t eat anything. So, I brought some of my special porridge. I hope you like them,” she gestured to the food container is her son’s hands.

“It still hurts to even move, let alone eat. The doctor also advised me too not eat too much,” Hani replied politely. Frankly, she hasn’t been touching any food and only relied on the prescription given by the doctor due to her lost in appetite.

Daniel carefully unpacked the food and arranged them nicely on the overbed table. He pushed the table closer to Hani and spoke softly, “I asked the doctor and he said you can gradually start eating from soft and easy to digest food first,” he scooped some of the porridge and blew some air to cool it down, before placing the spoon near . She couldn’t deny feeling touched at his sweet gesture. As she was about to take the spoon away from him, he pulled away and insisted to feed her. Hani gave in when she noticed expectant gazes from the two older women as they cooed at the lovely couple.

“Son, stop staring at her like that! You’re making her uncomfortable she can’t even digest properly,” Mrs. Kang nudged her son playfully, seeing hearts shooting from his eyes as he fixed his gaze on his girlfriend. Both elderly shook their heads as Mrs. Kang turned to Hani, “Aigoo… Dear, how’s it?”

“Very nice omoni, thank you for the meal,” Hani replied with a small smile as Daniel fed her again. Her cheeks flushed pink when she made eye contact with his lovey-dovey stare and his smile grew wider in return. He knew that she hasn’t fully accepted him yet, but the small and simple response she was giving meant a lot to him.

A while later, the three ladies were sharing a lighthearted conversation as Daniel stood in a corner near the window, answering an important phone call. “Everything ready and set? Ok, I’ll be there soon,” he hung up the call and slipped his phone in his blazer pocket. He walked over to the ladies as he smiled, glad to see how his mother doted on his girlfriend. “Omoni, granny, I have to leave for a while,” he notified them.

Granny nodded in understanding while his mother spoke in assurance, “Don’t worry, we’ll stay with her until you get back.”

Daniel glanced apologetically at Hani and sat at the edge of the hospital bed. He held her right hand and turned her gently by the chin to make her face him. He studied her face and gently caressed her cheek as he spoke, “Babe, I have to take care of some things. I promise I’ll come right after I finish. Omoni and granny will keep you company.”

Hani avoided his eyes completely by staring at the buttons on his shirt and kept her silence. Daniel lightly cupped her face in his hands and placed a soft peck on her forehead, letting his lips linger for a few seconds longer before pulling away. He caressed her cheek, speaking in a soft and low tone, “I love you.”

Hani looked up after hearing those three words from him. She could feel the sincerity and authenticity of his confession. “Be safe,” she finally murmured softly.

“I promise,” Daniel squeezed her hands gently before heading out the door.

***************************

Minhyun stood next to him, looking up to face Daniel who had fixed the collars and smoothed out the visible creases of his blazer for the eighth time that afternoon. “Ready?” he asked, placing a hand on the younger’s broad shoulder to give him some sort of encouragement and to stop him from grooming himself yet again. Daniel took a deep breath, momentarily closing his eyes as an image of his girlfriend appeared in his head. Gathering strength and courage from Hani’s words earlier, he mentally promised her that he would return back safely in her arms before responding to his friend with a firm nod.

It just turned half past twelve in the afternoon as the two friends and coworkers stride with long decisive steps into the building of Boyfriend Material 101 Agency, ready to execute their plan and hopefully return home to their loved ones in one piece. The lobby was rather empty with only one staff behind the receptionist and one guard by the entrance as most of the employees went for their lunchbreak. They arrived in front of the elevators with mirrored doors, as Daniel pressed on the button going up and Minhyun checked the contents of his folder bag again, just in case. “What about our backup plan?” Daniel asked, as they stepped into the elevator. He pressed the button for the executive floor before tilting his head to his left.

Minhyun peeked at the CCTV inside the elevator, wondering if they were being watched and if their appearance were anticipated. “It’s ready, but I hope we didn’t have to go that far. It’s still risky,” the elder boy patted his left pocket lightly where his phone is located.

“I have a feeling we might have to,” Daniel replied as the elevator stopped at the designated floor with a sharp ding. There was only one room situated on the executive floor and it belonged to the notorious head of the agency, Madam K. He fully relied on muscle memory as his feet brought him in front of the double doors to her office. The doors were made of frosted glass and he could make out her silhouette, sitting behind her large desk just as they had expected.

Both men exchanged looks as they pushed the doors open, skipping the usual formalities of knocks and greetings. Daniel marched right up to the large table at the end of the office, successfully getting the attention of Madam K as Minhyun followed closely behind. Their sudden visit did not come as a surprise to the elder lady, but then again has she ever showed any kind of expression except for that smug look permanently carved to her face? “To what do I owe the pleasure of having my HR staff of the year and best field agent in my office this afternoon?” Madam K asked, the corner of her lips curved slightly into a smirk.

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