Nayoung’s POV

I sit here in the middle of my office, my fingers fiddling with each other as I try wrapping up everything happened in my head – to no avail. My eyes are shut because they’re just too sore, too heavy to open. The tears had made them swollen. I sigh to myself.

Does Daeyoung Oppa know about this? About... Hyukjae coming here?

Maybe he is oblivious of it. After all, the name pasted on the CV papers is not his – it belongs to Lee Jinseok, his grandfather. So is it possible for Daeyoung Oppa to know Hyukjae was just here, attending a meeting with me?

The voice at the back of my head spits. But how come he doesn’t know it? He needed his signature for the contract. He needed to meet him first before fixing the project. He must have known who’s behind those papers.

I squeeze my eyes tight.

No, Nayoung. Don’t think like that. He’s a brother, after all. Of course, he’s a playful and tricky one. But he knows what I went through; he knows the boundaries of a joke.

And I don’t think he would play this far.

He wouldn’t... right?

My thoughts are interrupted short when I feel a blanket draped around my shoulder. As I flutter my eyes open I feel a warm figure against my back and when I look up, I meet Kyuhyun’s smile, his pair of arms wrapping around me safely from behind.

“Did I wake you up?” Kyuhyun asks softly. I shake my head and rest it on his chest, just too tired to move at all. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I can’t. Seems like I need those sleeping pills again.” I murmur against the warm blanket.

“Kang Nayoung,” he starts, tightening his arms around me. “Those sleeping pills are not meant to be consumed redundantly. It’s not good for your health.”  

I go silent for a while. “I just don’t know how to ease things away.”

“Things take time.” He cooes.

“But how long? I’ve been letting them to take the time but-” I sniffle out an abrupt sob and take his sleeve in my fist. “But he comes again. Everything hasn’t even done yet taking my time but he’s here again. Do you expect me to wait again? Another good six years?”

“Sssh, I’m sorry. I understand.” He rubs my back apologetically.

I sigh, hating myself for erupting my emotion at him. Here is Cho Kyuhyun taking his time to comfort me and I failed to control my nerves from spiking up in exasperation. I’m the worst best friend ever.

“I’m sorry.” I shake my head guiltily.

“It’s okay.” He replies making me fall limp in his embrace.

“Kyu?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you hum for me?” I feel Kyuhyun pulling away a little to look at me in the eyes.

“What song?”

“Anything that comforts.” I say, but actually referring to the usual song he hums whenever I cry.

He smiles and pushes my head into his chest gently, starting to hum with his beautiful deep voice. I close my eyes and savor the comfort.

I always have this weird yearning for hums. I don’t know since when it’s started, but I’ve been preferring people humming rather than singing. I always feel comforted and consoled that I’ve been asking Kyuhyun to hum for me to get those relieved feelings. There was this one particular night when Kyuhyun was out of town for a social charity and I got a nightmare. In the middle of dawn I called him, muttering out incoherent things through sobs at the phone line and he willingly hummed for me to my sleep. He’s that much of a best friend. Sometimes I wonder what I did in my previous life to deserve him as my best friend.

Five minutes has passed and Kyuhyun is still humming, gently rocking me in his embrace back and forth to make me fall into sleep.

“Nana,” Kyuhyun whispers. “Are you asleep?”

“Almost.” My eyelids are getting heavier each passed second.

“I’ll drive you home. It’s not comfortable sleeping here.” He pushes the strands of hair away from my face.

I shake my head. “I’m tired.”

I hear Kyuhyun sighs, being obedient as he is and starting to hum again. The office room is back to feel so peaceful and serene. It was, until I hear the door bursting open.

“Kyu! Here’s your America-” Jinhee’s voice rings loudly, before cut short by Kyuhyun’s sharp ‘Sssh!’

I unwillingly open my eyes and rub them sleepily. Jinhee is standing there, holding two cups of beverage, watching at my- our direction with her face gradually going red with some certain grin creeping up her lips. Namely a teasing grin.

“Oops, I’m sorry!” she fakes a surprised face. And Kyuhyun shooting a razor-sharp glare at her only makes the grin on her face widening. “Should I go out so you guys can continue whatever I interrupted?”

“Seo Jinhee!” Kyuhyun exclaims, just coming to realization that his arms are still around me. Jinhee giggles like mad when he pulls away from me.

“Sorry, Kyu. Really. I didn’t know that you were hug-” he cuts her off by standing up, walking to her and grabbing one of the cups from her hand harshly. “Yah, that’s hot chocolate for Nayoung!”

“Aish!” Kyuhyun grabs the other one and hands me the said cup of hot chocolate, his face is practically scarlet.

I can’t help but burst into a fit of giggles with Jinhee. She walks towards me and takes a seat next to me, intentionally making me squeezed between Kyuhyun and her.

“Nayoung-ah, Kyuhyun is mad at me.” She bats her lashes dramatically, earning a grunt from Kyuhyun.

“You definitely know something called knocking, Jinhee.” He mutters taking a sip on his coffee.

“I know. I just don’t know you were sweetily wrapping your arms around Nayoung.” Kyuhyun’s head shoot up, and he’s about to throw tantrums to her. He can be short of temper sometimes.

“Jinhee!” I laugh at the two. “Stop making him looks so crimson red.”

“Really, Kang Nayoung? Now you’re into this, too?” Kyuhyun rolls his eyes, even though I can see the tiniest glint in those chocolate orbs when I laugh.

“Just helping you out.” I shrug.

Jinhee emits several amused laugh before stopping and massaging her aching cheeks from grinning too wide. “Aigoo, you two. Just hurry up and go steady.”

“YAH!” Kyuhyun shouts, his face is literally tomato red.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop here. Geez, relax, Cho.” She chuckles lightly. “Oh, before I forgot, here.” She pulls something out of her pocket and shoves it to me.

“A phone?” I inquire. Jinhee sneers.

“I swear if you leave something once again anywhere, I’ll sell it and use the money to buy food for Gongju!” she nags, once again involving Gongju, her puppy, in the conversation.

“But my phone is here.” I show her my phone.

“Huh?” Jinhee creases her forehead. “Well, this is creepy. Minkyung found this phone at the meeting room and thought this was yours.”

“How so?” Kyuhyun butts in, suddenly interested with the conversation.

“This is the same type with Nayoung’s phone. And look at this,” Jinhee presses a button at the side of the phone.

The picture in the lighting up screen takes me aback.

“What’s this?” Kyuhyun voices out for me as he shifts to take a close glance to the screen.

There, in the screen, was a photo of me in a peach colored tube dress. I remember wearing that dress at my 23rd birthday party. A year ago.

“That’s why I thought this was yours. Are you sure you don’t own this?” Jinhee asks me.

“Of course. I’m forgetful but I can clearly tell which thing is and isn’t mine.” I look at her weirdly, only to be reflected by Jinhee.

“Try unlocking it.” Kyuhyun suggests, sliding his index finger over the screen and immediately growls. “Password requirement.”

“I would have unlocked it if it doesn’t require a password, smarty.” Jinhee makes sure Kyuhyun hears her rolling her eyes.   

Kyuhyun brushes it off. “Maybe it’s Daeyoung Hyung’s?”

“Oh? I’ve never thought of that.” Jinhee says.

“Daeyoung Oppa is too uncaring to set my picture as his stand by screen.” I remind them, eyes glued on the phone.

“But it’s possible.” Kyuhyun looks at me.

Jinhee nods. “Unless you have a secret admirer out there?”

“You watch too many dramas.” Kyuhyun mumbles.

“Hey, there’s a possibility of it! It can be some stranger, right?” Jinhee suddenly claps her hands. “Ah! The meeting room! Could it be someone from LJS company?”

The last sentence Jinhee said makes my heart stop. An ear-piercing silence takes its place in the room and I feel my head furiously throbs. Suddenly millions of pulses are sent to my brain all at once. I can’t think straight.

Seems like Kyuhyun can sense what’s in my mind. He sets his cup down on the table and silently grabs my hand and holds it tight.

But I am practically nowhere near to awareness to that. I look back down at the phone. H-Hyukjae...? Is that even possible?

The next morning, I wake up to the light glaring at my face. I try lifting my hand to shield my eyes from the light, but let it fall limp at the next second. I feel the muscles in my left shoulder contracting. Sorely. My cheeks are pressing flat on the cold surface of my study table.

Wait. I’m not sleeping on my bed?

I forcefully push my body back. My neck hurts like mad. The study lamp is still tenaciously burning my face. I shake my head to gain more consciousness and when I decide I have, I glance at my wristwatch. It’s not even morning yet. It’s 3.45 AM. My eyes automatically shift to the metallic-cased phone in my hold.

Right. I was trying to push my luck on this phone last night. Eventually I decided to bring it home, and when curiosity struck me hard, I tried it. I tried all the combination of numbers I have in my head. Since it’s me on the wallpaper, the password might be something related to me. So I typed them in. My birthday, my graduation day, my telephone number, my office fax number- everything. And when they were all up to futile, I tried the second probability that followed behind.

Jinhee could be right, the voice in my mind said.

What if it belongs to some stranger? Or to someone that acts like a stranger?

What if this belongs to him?

I remember butterflies were kicking out here and there at every sides of my stomach. This is crazy, but I do still have those butterflies just at the thought of him. This fact always makes me curse the day I started falling for him.

I was shaking my head at first, thinking it’s utterly stupid to even think of that nearly-impossible possibility. Not to mention about being pathetic. But eventually, I’m stepping nearer to that stupidity. I tried. I was inserting everything that can be related to Hyukjae, everything that involves him and numbers. His birthday, his graduation day, his mother’s birthday, his old telephone number, the day we got together, the day we broke up- everything. But again, the phone was shutting down every five failed attempt and told me to wait for another minute to try unlocking it.

That’s what led me to a frustrated sleep. Really, whose phone is this? Why is my picture there on the stand by screen? Why isn’t the owner trying to find this or at least calling in? Or is it just a nasty joke? But it doesn’t creep me out. It makes me nosy and this nosiness drives me crazy.

Beep!

Suddenly the phone vibrates in my hand, almost making me jump on my seat. A text message is received. I look at the screen but since it’s locked, it only shows me the notification of a new text message. Neither the sender or the message is shown. I grit my teeth.

Curiosity surely kills cat. And I’m not even a cat but it crucially murders me.

Seriously, should I track the owner down?

Sorry for the rather short update! Like I said, I'm struggling between assignments and tests and all. Seriously college is eating me up! *lets out a frustrated cry*

Anyway, I'll try to update more often. When this semester ends I'll pour all the ideas piling up in my head! ^o^

Oh! Like the fluffy chapter with Kyuhyun here? No worries guys, Hyukjae is coming up really soon. And another character will show up on the next chapter. Just guess who it is :D

comment and subscribe? Heehee love you guys for commenting for subscribing ^^