Ryeowook smiled at the grave on the hill. The sun was setting in the distance and he watched it go down with lazy grace. “Hey, Hyungsik,” he murmured, stretching his legs out on the soft grass, “I got a job today, but it’s in the city. I’m moving away.”

The breeze rushed through his clothes, sending delicate chills across his skin. Ryeowook toyed with the bracelet on his wrist, a habit he had whenever he thought about his late husband.

“Now, I need to warn you. Mr. Cho is a very tedious man. He can be impatient and flippant and very frustrating so please be aware of that before you speak to him,” the secretarial manager explained quickly as they walked down the hallway.

Ryeowook nodded, “How many secretaries has Mr. Cho gone through?”

“Roughly five to six per month depending on whether or not the person is stubborn,” the man stated a tad tiredly, “There’s really no one that can handle his mood swings and antics.”

“I’ll do my best then,” Ryeowook said a little nervously.

“That man wasn’t kidding,” he muttered, sighing, “My boss is absolutely crazy sometimes. Just the other day I came back from lunch and saw him using the company’s plasma screen television to display his video game.”

Ryeowook glanced down the hill, seeing the moving van parked outside of his apartment. “…I’ll be leaving tonight. I’m sorry for taking a while to come visit you. I meant to come earlier but there were a lot of boxes to gather.”

The manager looked at the skinny, effeminate boy. “…I won’t lie to you. We only hired you as a temporary case because his last secretary ran out crying. If you can make it even a week, then we’ll buy a luxurious dinner wherever you please.”

“That’s very kind of you,” he chuckled, stopping in front of the door marked: Mr. Cho. “Thank you for the opportunity nonetheless.”

“Yes, yes of course. Here’s his schedule for the day. Starting tomorrow, you’re going to have to gather this information on your own though.” He handed over the files and then headed off down the corridor.

Ryeowook knocked on the door and waited patiently for an answer. A minute or so passed before he heard someone’s deep, smooth voice call out: “Come in.”

Hesitantly, he turned the handle and pushed into the room. There was a rather spacious secretarial office before another door led into the man’s main office. Ryeowook walked up to the second door and paused there, peering into the space. “Hello?” he greeted softly.

“Are you the new one?” that lulling voice demanded. It was sort of like a forceful lullaby.

“Yes, my name is Kim Ryeowook,” he bowed low and then looked back up at Mr. Cho, “It’s a pleasure to be working for you, Mr. Cho.”

“I’ll work hard just like you said,” Ryeowook remarked, seeing the sun truly beginning to fade then. “I think my neurotic boss will be a good distraction. My days will be completely packed and that means I won’t have to sit around thinking about you. It was hard during the summer breaks off, but you already knew that. With work though, I can be doing stuff all the time and at any season.”

He stood up as the sun disappeared over the horizon line. “I don’t know about making friends yet, but we’ll see.” Ryeowook brushed his fingertips over the cold stone of the grave marker. “…I won’t say anymore because this isn’t goodbye. I would never say goodbye to you. For now though…I guess I should go.”

“I’ll come by to visit,” he promised, “I love you and I’ll see you around.”

“Come into the office.”

Ryeowook quickly obliged, walking up to the man’s desk. Across the wooden surface was a tall, rather handsome young male. His hair was wavy and dark, large dark eyes sparkling with something less than pleased. Waiting quietly, Ryeowook returned the gaze with as much confidence as he could.

“…How old are you?” he prompted.

“I’m twenty-one, sir.”

“Oh? We’re about the same age. I hope you’re competent, Ryeowook,” he stated simply and then extended his hand. “My name is Cho Kyuhyun. Let’s get along while you’re still around.”

“Ah…yes,” Ryeowook smiled.

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The Main Story: Winning Hearts