Being a manager doubled Dahyun's stress level, and she realized that she barely had any free time on her hands. For the first time since she started her job, she had to bring her laptop home to finish her work over the weekends. At least she was still coping and wasn't bothered by the additional stress. Plus, her father said that she would have a buddy, so the workload was shared.

The previous manager hadn't cleared a lot of projects that were in the pipeline. She was stuck clearing all the backlogs and looking through the proposals of the projects that were put on hold because the previous manager didn't even bother to take a look at them. These proposals were sent through emails for his comments and to determine if the project was feasible, but they were met with silence. In fact, he only proceeded with projects that her team members personally handed over and presented to him, which he took for granted and took the chance to take credit for the work that he hadn't done. He was someone that only took shortcuts and barely put any effort into his work.

A freeloader. 

Dahyun was only two weeks into the role, and fortunately, she wasn't as lost as she expected. Her team and the person that her father assigned to guide her have helped her a lot.

There were papers scattered on the coffee table as she wrote notes on a proposal that she was working on. She was alone at home, and it was already close to 1 A.M. She continued working after glancing at the time on her laptop.

Dahyun didn't know when she fell asleep, but she woke up when her phone vibrated. Her heading was throbbing when she picked up the call.

"Are you on leave today?" She heard Jaehyun ask, and Dahyun looked at the time.

Cursing internally, she told him that she'd be in the office before hanging up. Releasing a deep sigh, she started preparing to go to work. She stumbled while trying to stand up and fell on the sofa. She was dizzy, and it took a while for her head to stop spinning. 

Her head wouldn't stop spinning when she was at work, but she kept her composure with much difficulty and continued working. Her teammates did notice that her condition wasn't good and told her to go home and rest. They kept persuading her that she ended up giving in and heading home. 

It didn't mean that she stopped working, though, she was simply working at a different place, so she was still replying to her emails.

Again, she didn't know when she had fallen asleep or what had happened, but she was in a hospital ward when she woke up. The lights were dimmed, and the curtains were open, giving her a full view of the night sky. On the sofa, she saw Hongki sleeping in a sitting position with his arms crossed. 

An IV drip was connected to the back of her hand, restricting her movement. Looking around to search for her phone, she groaned internally at how groggy she felt and paused when she saw Hongki's phone on the bedside table. She took his phone and left the ward quietly to make a call to her parents with his phone without waking him up. 

"Hongki? Is Dahyun awake?" Her mother immediately asked, and Dahyun smiled.

"I'm awake, Mum," Dahyun said as she walked to the waiting area. Like her ward, the hospital lights were also dimmed, with some doctors and nurses, who were on night duty, walking around. 

"Oh, thank god, you scared the living hell out of us when Hongki called. We visited you earlier, but Hongki told us to return first and that he'd stay overnight instead. Why didn't you tell us that you were sick?" Her mother scolded.

"I didn't know I was sick. I thought it was just a simple headache. Could you get my laptop and handphone from my apartment when you visit? I still have work left to do," Dahyun said, and she heard her mother release a heavy sigh.

"You're off work until you're well again. I'm getting someone to cover your work in the meantime, so you don't have to worry," Dahyun's mother said.

Dahyun felt uncomfortable at the thought of troubling someone with her work, but she couldn't beat her mother or father. They were literally her bosses. 

"Fine," she breathed in defeat.

"Go and rest some more. I'll see you tomorrow," Dahyun's mother said, and Dahyun hummed before hanging up the call. 

Dahyun was stuck in a daze when she heard running footsteps. She looked up instinctively and saw Hongki appearing from the corridor where her ward was. He had a look of panic but instantly looked relieved as soon as he saw her. He went to sit beside her before putting one hand over her forehead while the other was on his. 

"You still have a slight fever. Why did you come out?" He asked with a voice laced with concern.

Dahyun handed his phone back to him, "to call my mother. I didn't want to wake you up."

Hongki drew a long breath and interlocked his fingers with hers. 

"Did you know how scared I was when I entered your apartment and saw you collapsed on the floor? I told you not to overwork yourself," he frowned. 

Dahyun gave him a small smile and rested her head on his shoulder. 

"My mother already scolded me. You don't have to scold me too," Dahyun said.

"No, you deserve the scolding for not taking better care of yourself," Hongki reprimanded, his voice soft, and his thumb was caressing the back of her hand.

Dahyun didn't bother refuting and just closed her eyes. 

"Don't you have any schedule?" 

"I've postponed it," Hongki said.

Dahyun p