Third Person’s POV

Hyukjae can effortlessly feel his heart clenching that one moment. The blood has finally found its way to the arteries to warm up his cold palms.

When Nayoung steps out of the elevator he can finally steady his breathing tempo; it feels like his lungs have just been freed from something that clutched onto it so tight minutes ago. The sound of his heart beat practically dominates his hearing, making it nearly impossible for him to keep his composure.

However, he can let out a relieved breath now. The situation is over that the elevator doors have closed and Nayoung has been out of sight.

Hyukjae closes his eyes, trying to ease all the tensing up nerves in his body. Almost immediately he feels beads of sweats forming on his forehead.

You’ve worked hard, Hyukjae. He mentally gives himself a pat on the shoulder.

It was hard, really hard, for him to keep himself from wrapping his arms back around her again just like how he used to. Especially when a fragile-looking Nayoung came in the picture. He nearly lost it. Hyukjae himself was thinking he wouldn’t be able to get through the situation earlier, but eventually he made it.

He hid himself from Nayoung. From his Nana.

Nevertheless, it can’t make him ignore the urge deep in his mind. He still wants to beat himself up, until he is half dead, for making Nayoung looking so weak.

He is that much of a jerk, he thought.

“I’m not feeling well,” he tells his workers when they are at the lobby, in front of them is his car temporarily parked. “I’ll be driving by myself straight home. Please handle everything at work.”

“But President Lee, you have another meeting with Mr. Yang at four-”

“Call him I’m delaying the meeting.” He says shortly as the driver gives him the keys, and gets in the car when his secretary mumbles a dutiful ‘I understand.’

Driving his car he almost loses the control yet again; his grip on the steering wheel is so tight that his knuckles turning white, and he speeds his car unnecessarily faster than usual – making bunch of cars honking at him with seemingly annoyed drivers inside.

But that isn’t even a part of his consideration now. Kang Nayoung is taking up too much space in his head. The picture of her expression earlier just has to keep flashing in his mind.

Hyukjae feels his heart beat quickening.  

He recalls clearly how his lips were pulling up in thrill, how his fingers were clenching and unclenching when Nayoung steps in the meeting room.

Except for her hair that has grown past her shoulder blades, she is still the old Kang Nayoung. If anything, she looks even more beautiful. Heck, she is still the goddess that he went crazy for; the goddess that somehow has a control over his heart rate.

He missed her too much that it requires every strength in his body to meet her face.

But the moment he turned around his smile faded away, his body went limp at her reaction for seeing him.

She was stunned there at the door, looking at him in total shock as if he were some murderer that had been haunting her life to just kill her the moment he saw her. But that didn’t even stop there. She turned around, almost in fear, and ran out of the meeting room.

The idea about it was him that she tried to escape from, it was him that she was afraid of... It executed his life.

It was like tons of bricks were crashing right onto his head all at once.

He knows he deserves it, but still. It’s depressing like hell.

According to his reflex he was nearly running after her. His body still has that quick reaction for her every movement. But then he realized why he was there in the first place. He was in a meeting room; a place where a meeting was about to be held and people could possibly misunderstand the alliance from the very start.

He didn’t sign the contract between their companies just to meet her. He wants to see her, of course. He really does. But not with this way.

It’s just that Daeyoung suddenly made a last minute change of plan.

He remembers cursing Daeyoung under his breath when that bestfriend of his texted him this morning.

I’m going to Paris. She will be at the meeting, so be ready.

Hyukjae’s eyes went big at the phone screen, his sleepiness instantly vanishing away. It was practically dawn and Daeyoung was already throwing grenades of surprises toward him. And before Hyukjae could even reply for an objection, Daeyoung sent him another firm message.

Ditch my sister again and you’re entirely dead, Lee Hyukjae. I’m giving you another chance not for nothing.

Hyukjae was contemplating whether he should be happy or annoyed with Daeyoung’s one sided decision. Regardless of how thankful he is with Daeyoung, he never planned on seeing her in a meeting room of Kangsan Corporation’s building. Leave alone a business partner. They would have to call each other by their families’ names and he thought that’s beyond cracked.

However, that’s what really happened.

After those six freaking years of waiting, he could finally see her again and feel her being there, within the proximity of his reach once again. But only to call her with ‘Ms. Kang’.

Everything went smoothly; Nayoung was looking at the floor all the time and that made it easier for him to speak. He decided that it might be best to talk to her and explain about everything when the meeting was over.

It was, until Nayoung lifted her head and fixed her eyes at his. That made his head went blank. Those red, watery eyes of hers were almost making his mind shutting down.

He completely had no idea of what to do. All he knew was the guilty feeling brutally washing over his body, when reality struck him that apparently she was spending the previous 20 minutes bawling her eyes out.

By that time his mind has partially shut down. He was trying to figure out the best way to comfort her; anything to stop her b tears from falling down. He just wanted to grasp for her hand and hold it tight. But that was not even possible considering there were tens pairs of eyes watching them.

Out of nowhere, a nonsensical thought came up to his preoccupied mind; what if he acted like a stranger to her? Could that distract her? And before his mind could ask another quizzical question, he found himself holding his hand out and saying a, ‘Nice to meet you’.

He waited. He waited for some time that seemed like eternity for her to shake his hand, but she just remained motionless there. She stared at him even though it was obvious her tears was making her sight unclear. Eventually, someone that seemed to be her staff nudged her and woke her up to reality.

With a soft voice Nayoung replied a meek ‘Nice to meet you, too’ as she brushes her palm against his. It didn't take a genius to figure out that her words weren't genuinely said. And it wasn’t even a handshake but was enough for him to feel her temperature. Before, he thought his fingers were cold, but when their hands came in contact, she was like ice.

Hyukjae shakes his head to keep her pained expression out of his head. Gosh, he really needs to calm down now. Parking the car in the basement, he goes straightly to his apartment, taking long steps for he couldn’t wait to relax himself.

Hyukjae inserts the pin code and the door flutters open. He takes his shoes off by the doorstep, tossing his jacket suit on the white, spotless couch and sits on it. He loosens the neck tie, resting his head on his hand all the way.

Oh God, he didn’t think it would be this tough. He had perfectly planned everything since the day he came to US, but now it’s all gone. He messed up for good. Can he even make up for it?

He was confident with himself, he was confident his reasons for leaving her were acceptable. But now that he had personally seen how devastated she was, it feels like in every point of view, there’s no justification for him.

He is a plain jerk, and he doesn’t deserve her. Simple as that.

Now what should he do? Giving up on her? Following the determination to get her back? Oh, he’s never been good at deciding things.

He needs to talk to someone; either it is Kang Daeyoung or Lee Donghae, he needs to ease his depression.

When Hyukjae settles it will be Daeyoung that he will call – might as well he can throw a fit at him for ruining his long-time plan – he fishes his phone out of his pants’ front pocket. Only to get nothing.

Frowning, he tries rummaging his other pocket, and finally the ones in his jacket suit, too. But zero. His phone is nowhere near him.

No way.

He didn’t leave his phone at the meeting room... did he?

“God! Since when did I start getting dumb?” Hyukjae groans and runs his fingers through his hair as he gets up, taking his jacket suit back on and slipping on his shoes. However, when his hand reaches the door knob, something unpleasing comes up to his mind. His eyes widen in fear.

What if... what if someone finds it first? What if Daeyoung calls him? What if Nayoung-

No. No.

Hyukjae flings the door open and slams it shut, almost stumbling forward as he runs to his car.

He needs to find his phone before anyone does. And Nayoung... she doesn’t have to know the agreement between him and his brother.

Heyyy everyone! :DDD

I want to thank you for the comments and subscribes, they mean a lot to me :')

And I want to apologize for not updating the whole week. You know, school works.

But okaaayyy, I'm not going to talk about school here. Let's just talk about how this chapter goes, shall we?

I'm sorry if it's crappy, seriously. But I hope you like it.

Oh, and from the comments most of you assumed that Hyukjae had gotten amnesia, right? Actually it would play out great and dramatic, in my opinion. However, that's not how the plot is going in my head. Sorry! >.<

AND. Do you remember how the previous chapter ended? I'm still considering whether I should just make Hyukjae see Nayoung and Kyuhyun and make more drama or not. What do you think about it?

Sooo leave your comments! subscribe! heehee ^^