Chapter 08
Zero Gravity
Amber opened her eyes and stared at the dark ceiling filled with glow in the dark stars. "Stars? I don't have those in my room."
She looked around the dark room and reached for the table lamp. The room was a small one and besides the bed, there's only a worn out dresser and a writing table. She got up and moved towards the table, picking up a photo frame with a cracked glass. "Mother." Amber let her fingers traced the picture of her mother circling her arms around a younger girl. Amber took another look at the room and gasped when realisation hits her. "This was my old room." She turned back to the picture. "Why am I here?"
"Yi Yun-ah." Amber froze, her fingers resting on the photo frame. "Come here." She didn't dare to believe her ears. "Lai zhi li ah, Yi Yun." (Come here, Yi Yun.) The woman's voice called out again. She grasped the frame tightly in her hands and slowly turned around. A woman was sitting on the bed, gesturing for her to come to her. The woman was in her mid-forties and had a tired smile. Amber slowly moves to her. "Ah, wo de nu er." (My daughter.) Her mother's coarse hands took hers and sat Amber next to her.
"Ma." Amber's eyes were wet as she hugged her mother tightly. "Yi Yun, mama hen dui bu qi ni. Pao qi ni yi ge ren." (Yi Yun, mother is very sorry to you. For leaving you all alone.) Her mother wrapped her arms around her while touching her hair. "Ni guo de hao ma?" (Are you doing well?) Amber's tears were falling freely now as she tried to control herself. "Ma. Wo.." (Mother, I..) But she wouldn't stop sobbing and was now crying uncontrollably. Each time she tried to speak, her sobs would replace the words from .
"Shh." Her mother rocked both them before looking at her daughter's face. "Bu yao zai ku le." (Stop crying.) Amber let her mother wiped her tears away. "Yi Yun ku le jiu bu mei le." (Yi Yun won't be pretty anymore if she cries.) Amber smiled at her mother. "Ma, wo ai ni." (Mother, I love you.) She hugged her mother again with her mother soothing her back. "Wo ye ai ni." (I love you too.) A man's deep voice replaced her mother's and she pulled away quickly. Her face turned white with fear and her fierce eyes glared at him. "Ni." (You.) If looks can kill, he would be dead before he could make another move.
He reached out towards her but she got off the bed quickly. "Nu er." (Daughter.) Her father stood up and offered his hand to her. "Wo bu shi ni de nu er! Li kai!" (I'm not your daughter. Get away from me!) Amber can still remember the times he would pull her by her hair and hit her with his belt. The worst she ever had was having a lighted cigarette pressed into her skin. Till today she still has the scars although not very visible. "Wo gai guo le." (I've changed.) He took a few steps towards her. "Yuan liang ni baba." (Forgive your father.)
Amber was cornered and her father was blocking her from running away. "Wo mei you baba." (I don't have a father.) She hissed the last word. "Wo ye jue dui bu hui yuan liang ni!" (And I would never forgive you!") Her answer angered her father and he flew into a rage. He grabbed her wrist roughly and threw her onto the floor. "Ni zhe ge bu xiao shun nu er!" (You unfilial daughter!) He pushed her back down onto the floor when she tried to get up and slapped her. The room was so silent that she could hear her father's ragged breathing. "Ni shuo ni you gai guo." (You said you've changed.) She scoffed. "Jiang fei hua!" (Bull!)
"Ni shuo se me?" (What did you say?) He took a pair of scissors and took her hair. Amber pushed him away. "Bu yao peng wo!" (Don't touch me!) Her father slapped her and her tears were streaking down her face as she pushed him away with all her might. "Don't touch me!" She was screaming while defending herself but her father won't stop reaching for her. "AMBER!" He was know shaking her. "Wake up! Amber, WAKE UP!"
Amber opened her eyes as she was told to and was looking into a set of concerned eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" Joon was kneeling next to her on the bed. "You freaked me out!" She looks bad, Joon let go of her shoulders when she looked nervously at his hands. "You were crying at first and then the next minute you were shouting and screaming." He wiped her tear stained cheeks with a towel. "A bad dream?" She didn't answer him.
Amber pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them. This is the first time he had seen the usually cool and composed her, like this. There was something in her eyes that he had never seen before when she opened them. I saw fear, Joon poured a glass of water and went back to her side. "Have this." He took her hand and helped her grip the glass but the glass fell onto the floor when he let go. The sound of shattering glass brought back Amber's attention. "I'm sorry." She got off the bed to pick up the pieces of glass but Joon stopped her. "I'll do it." After clearing up the mess, he brought her another glass. "Amber?"
This time she held the glass by herself and took a sip. "Thanks." She put the glass on the bedside table. "Could you leave?" She said sincerely, looking up at him. "I need.. I need to be alone. Please." Joon nodded and left the room quietly. But just before he closed the door behind him, he heard her said. "Thank you Joon."
She looked around the dark room and reached for the table lamp. The room was a small one and besides the bed, there's only a worn out dresser and a writing table. She got up and moved towards the table, picking up a photo frame with a cracked glass. "Mother." Amber let her fingers traced the picture of her mother circling her arms around a younger girl. Amber took another look at the room and gasped when realisation hits her. "This was my old room." She turned back to the picture. "Why am I here?"
"Yi Yun-ah." Amber froze, her fingers resting on the photo frame. "Come here." She didn't dare to believe her ears. "Lai zhi li ah, Yi Yun." (Come here, Yi Yun.) The woman's voice called out again. She grasped the frame tightly in her hands and slowly turned around. A woman was sitting on the bed, gesturing for her to come to her. The woman was in her mid-forties and had a tired smile. Amber slowly moves to her. "Ah, wo de nu er." (My daughter.) Her mother's coarse hands took hers and sat Amber next to her.
"Ma." Amber's eyes were wet as she hugged her mother tightly. "Yi Yun, mama hen dui bu qi ni. Pao qi ni yi ge ren." (Yi Yun, mother is very sorry to you. For leaving you all alone.) Her mother wrapped her arms around her while touching her hair. "Ni guo de hao ma?" (Are you doing well?) Amber's tears were falling freely now as she tried to control herself. "Ma. Wo.." (Mother, I..) But she wouldn't stop sobbing and was now crying uncontrollably. Each time she tried to speak, her sobs would replace the words from .
"Shh." Her mother rocked both them before looking at her daughter's face. "Bu yao zai ku le." (Stop crying.) Amber let her mother wiped her tears away. "Yi Yun ku le jiu bu mei le." (Yi Yun won't be pretty anymore if she cries.) Amber smiled at her mother. "Ma, wo ai ni." (Mother, I love you.) She hugged her mother again with her mother soothing her back. "Wo ye ai ni." (I love you too.) A man's deep voice replaced her mother's and she pulled away quickly. Her face turned white with fear and her fierce eyes glared at him. "Ni." (You.) If looks can kill, he would be dead before he could make another move.
He reached out towards her but she got off the bed quickly. "Nu er." (Daughter.) Her father stood up and offered his hand to her. "Wo bu shi ni de nu er! Li kai!" (I'm not your daughter. Get away from me!) Amber can still remember the times he would pull her by her hair and hit her with his belt. The worst she ever had was having a lighted cigarette pressed into her skin. Till today she still has the scars although not very visible. "Wo gai guo le." (I've changed.) He took a few steps towards her. "Yuan liang ni baba." (Forgive your father.)
Amber was cornered and her father was blocking her from running away. "Wo mei you baba." (I don't have a father.) She hissed the last word. "Wo ye jue dui bu hui yuan liang ni!" (And I would never forgive you!") Her answer angered her father and he flew into a rage. He grabbed her wrist roughly and threw her onto the floor. "Ni zhe ge bu xiao shun nu er!" (You unfilial daughter!) He pushed her back down onto the floor when she tried to get up and slapped her. The room was so silent that she could hear her father's ragged breathing. "Ni shuo ni you gai guo." (You said you've changed.) She scoffed. "Jiang fei hua!" (Bull!)
"Ni shuo se me?" (What did you say?) He took a pair of scissors and took her hair. Amber pushed him away. "Bu yao peng wo!" (Don't touch me!) Her father slapped her and her tears were streaking down her face as she pushed him away with all her might. "Don't touch me!" She was screaming while defending herself but her father won't stop reaching for her. "AMBER!" He was know shaking her. "Wake up! Amber, WAKE UP!"
Amber opened her eyes as she was told to and was looking into a set of concerned eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" Joon was kneeling next to her on the bed. "You freaked me out!" She looks bad, Joon let go of her shoulders when she looked nervously at his hands. "You were crying at first and then the next minute you were shouting and screaming." He wiped her tear stained cheeks with a towel. "A bad dream?" She didn't answer him.
Amber pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them. This is the first time he had seen the usually cool and composed her, like this. There was something in her eyes that he had never seen before when she opened them. I saw fear, Joon poured a glass of water and went back to her side. "Have this." He took her hand and helped her grip the glass but the glass fell onto the floor when he let go. The sound of shattering glass brought back Amber's attention. "I'm sorry." She got off the bed to pick up the pieces of glass but Joon stopped her. "I'll do it." After clearing up the mess, he brought her another glass. "Amber?"
This time she held the glass by herself and took a sip. "Thanks." She put the glass on the bedside table. "Could you leave?" She said sincerely, looking up at him. "I need.. I need to be alone. Please." Joon nodded and left the room quietly. But just before he closed the door behind him, he heard her said. "Thank you Joon."
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Nichkhun knocked lightly on the door. "Come in." He went in and closed the door before bowing to his boss.
"So are you ready for tonight's operation?" The man at the desk asked as Nichkhun took his seat. "I'm afraid we won't be able to carry out our task tonight." The man looked up from his work. "The man Changsik killed the other day," His boss nodded his head, recalling the accident that happened. "The clan has already found out about his death. They're suspecting this as one of their rival's action and Changsik just informed me that they're postponing the collection date." Nichkhun shifted in his seat as he braced for his boss's temper. "So tonight's operation is to be abolished?"
"Yes sir." Nichkhun answered confidently. "I'm sorry that the accident has affected our mission. I would voluntarily receive any punishments for my carelessness." His boss stopped typing on the computer and gave Nichkhun his whole attention. "Of course you have to take responsibility over this as everyone in this department have been hard and long to nab them." A call punctured the silence of the office and his boss picked up the phone. "Sir, the head of the police department would like to have a word with you." His boss turned to look at Nichkhun and light reflected on a scar on his face, making him look sterner than he already is. "Now?! Okay, give me five minutes."
Jung Yunho, leaned forward onto the desk and massaged his temples. Although his bursts of temper can sometimes be scary, Nichkhun has a lot of respect for him even though Yunho is only a few years older than him. Jung Yunho was one of the best officers during his time and he's done so well in his job that he was promoted up the ranks faster than any of his peers all before the age of 30. He is Nichkun's role model and the reason why transferred to his department. Nichkhun never once regretted his decision.
"I really hope there'll be no such thing happening again." Yunho wore his coat and buttoned it. "You're dismissed." He was almost at the door when he turned to Nichkhun who was still in his seat. "What about the girl you told me about?"
"Victoria." Nichkhun told him her name. "Yes, Victoria." Yunho said impatiently while looking at his watch. "What's her part in this?"
"She's my cover whenever I have to scout around. And she's a civilian." Yunho looked at him disapprovingly. "Like you said, she's a civilian. Don't bring any harm to her and your cover." He left the room before Nichkhun could reply.
"Yes, sir." Nichkhun said to an empty room.
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"Sulli," Amber tapped to the beat of a song as she turned up the volume. "Thanks for giving me a ride."
"No biggie." Sulli cursed at the driver who suddenly cut into her lane. "I have to collect something for Krystal anyway. She says it's something important and it better be or else I'm gonna get her." She eased the car to a stop when the light turned red. "So why are you going out? It's not very convenient to move around in your current state."
"I'm bored." Amber looked out of the window. "So I called a friend to meet up."
"Friend?" Sulli was surprised. "Since when did you have a friend? I'm not trying to be mean but all of us are friendless." Amber just laughed. "So who is she?"
"It's a he. Do you remember a man approaching me when we were at the party?" She leaned forward to change the radio station as Sulli nodded her head. "Yeah. That's your friend? Though I can't really remember his face." Sulli turned into a smaller road, trying to escape the mid-day traffic jam.
"His name is Henry. I know we're supposed to keep a low profile," Amber brushed aside her long fringe. "But I just can't help it."
"You like him?!" Sulli gasped, her eyebrows shot up from behind her Ray-Bans. "Yeah, I like hi-What!" Amber back tracked, stammering through her explanation. "I mean, yeah, I like him but not in that kind of way of like him. I like him as.. as.. only as a friend!" She clapped her hands. "Of course I have to like him or else he wouldn't be my friend right?"
Sulli giggled. "Yeeee-ah, whatever. I get it." Amber turned in her seat, facing Sulli with her hands out as if stopping her. "Nope. You do not get it." She was still smiling and humming to a tune, similar to the wedding march. "Fine. Imagine all you want." Amber slumped back into her seat. "What's wrong with the traffic today?"
"Don't change the topic." She wagged a finger at her passenger. "I'm just really curious as to why your first friend is a guy?" Sulli manoeuvred the car into a parking space. "What's so surprising?" Amber tugged at her seat belt. "Well, unni. One, you hate men," Sulli ticked a finger. "Besides Kibum oppa. Two, you usually wouldn't give them a second glance," She ticked another finger. "And three, you avoid them like a plague." Both of them got out of the car and she came over Amber's side with a pair of crutches. "So? What did he do to change my Amber unni's mind?"
"Well, he's different compared to the other guys for example like Joon." She got out of the car carefully. "And he's been a great help to me. He's a nice guy too." Sulli wanted to ask more but she stopped her. "End of discussion."
"Anyway, thanks for the ride." She slipped on her back pack. "I'll call you later." She started to walk away when Sulli stopped her. "Wait. I forgot to pass to you something." She took an object out from the dashboard compartment and gave it to Amber. "A taser gun?"
"Just in case if anything happens." Sulli nodded at her injured leg. "Since you can't defend yourself yet." Amber stuffed it into her bag as Sulli got into the car. "And have fun with your boyfriend. Hi Henry!" Sulli waved and the red Mini Cooper sped off. "That little.."
"Hey Amber." She turned around, facing him. "Oh, hey." Amber was praying hard that he didn't catch what Sulli just said. He did not hear what she said. He did not hear what she said. He did not hear-
"What happened to you?" He looked her her bandaged leg. "Got into an accident while at work." She breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank God. "That means we have a change in plans," Henry glanced sideways at her as they were walking. "Why? Oh, thanks." Amber felt thankful when he took her bag from her, slinging it over his shoulder. "I wanted to take you to the theme park but I guess we have to do it the next time." He slowed his pace to match hers. "So what are we gonna do now?" She looked at the gloomy skies above their heads. "We can't do anything outdoors with this kind of weather around."
"I've got an idea. Let's go to my house." They stopped walking and he turned to face her. "I just bought a new game a few days ago and didn't have a chance to play it yet."
"Sure," Amber started walking again. "It's better than staying at home. No way I'm going back without having my dose of fun." He chuckled at her. "What's so bad about being at home. I'd rather stay at home than go to the office." She snorted as she stood next to him at the zebra cross section. "You do not know my family. My older sister is usually not at home and I'm the person the twins go to." They walked as fast as they could to his car as the sky turned darker with the thunder rumbling behind the clouds. "And being in this state becomes a huge disadvantage to me. They would do my hair and give me the girly clothes they have and forced me to wear them which I absolutely hate."
"It's not that bad." Henry took out his car keys and unlock the car. "At least you have your siblings when you're bored. I'm an only child." He pointed the keys at her. "You can't beat that." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyway, who was that saying hi to me?" She started gesturing with one of her crutches, nearly hitting his car in the process. "That's one of the twins, Sulli. She's the better one of the sisters. Krystal is the one you have to look out for," She shook her head as she thought of the tight clothes that is still in her closet. "She is one wicked mastermind." Henry laughed at her. "A love-hate relationship huh? I bet you'll burn any skirts that are found in your room."
"That's because I'm not a fan of skirts!" Amber whined and he took her crutches from her, placing it at the back seat. "So I'm guessing the outfit you wore during your boss's party was picked out by your sisters?" Amber just stared at him. "Duh! Have you not been listening to me?" Henry opened the car door for her but she didn't get into the car. "Oh the heels! Don't let me get started on that!" He placed his hands on her shoulders and grinned. "Now calm down. They're just having fun aren't they? And you look super pretty in that outfit! I'm not being biased just because you're my friend." He smiled sincerely at her and Amber felt her face flushing but she gave him a small smile in return. "Thank you."
Amber made a move to enter the car but Henry closed the door before she could. "So.. I heard the tail of the conversation between you and your sister and something caught my attention." Oh no, Amber started thinking about revenge on Sulli mentally, she's so gonna get it.
"Who's the boyfriend?" Henry smiled cheekily at her. "Already introducing me as your boyfriend?" He leaned towards her with his hands in his jeans pocket. "What happened with being friends?" She swallowed a gulp and inched away from him. "Nothing! Hahaha! You must have heard it wrong!" Amber laughed awkwardly. "She said best friend." She snapped her fingers. "Have fun with your best friend. Yup, that's what she said." She punched his arm. "Now, let me get into the car!" Amber opened the door and got into the car so fast that you wouldn't have thought she was injured. Cute, Henry smiled to himself as he walked to the driver's side.
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"GAME OVER. PLAYER 1 IS THE WINNER."
"Argghhhh," Henry threw his game console on the carpet. "That's the.. I lost count of how many times I've lost!" He groaned and stared at Amber who was sitting cross legged on the sofa behind him. "How did you keep on winning?"
"Good hand-eye coordination, I suppose." Amber shrugged and went to the kitchen. "I'm hungry and you lost 15 times since we started the game." He shuffled behind her and opened a box of freshly baked pizza, delivered two games ago. "I'm never gonna play with you ever again." He took a big bite of his slice. "You never said anything about being that good at games!"
"Now, now." Amber patted his shoulder as she sat next to him. "Don't be such a sore loser. It's not good for your image." She made a sound of satisfaction after a bite of her pizza. "Now stop talking. I'm hungry."
They ate in silence and finished off two boxes of pizzas. "For a girl, you have quite a big appetite." He rubbed his stomach as Amber took the last piece. "I just love food and I was really hungry." She said, her fingers. "Okay, who's doing the cleaning up?"
"Let's decide this way." Henry hid his hand behind his back. "Scissors paper stone!" Amber was scissors and he was paper. "What?!" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Again. Three times."
In the end, Amber won all three games and Henry was left mumbling in the kitchen. "It's not that I'm good, it's just that you're really bad at it." She came back into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. "You kept doing the same arrangement since the practice round, of course, I'll know what you're gonna show next." Henry rinsed the dishes in silence.
"What's that?" Henry dried his hands with a towel while she swallowed a pill. "Antibiotics." She stuff her medicine into the side pocket of her bag. "Up for another challenge?" He gave her a helping hand as they enter the living room. "Guitar Hero?"
"I love that game," She dropped her bag onto one of the armchairs and grabbed a neon pink guitar. "Expert. Hmm, at least now we're at the same level." Henry adjusted his drum pedal. "We'll see who's the champion this time." He stuck out his tongue at her. "I'm not gonna let you win."
"I'll give you a fair warning this time," She said while she was choosing her character. "I'm really good at this." Amber winked at him. "Be warned."
Just as they were about to start, Henry's cell phone rang. "Hello?" He tapped the drum to pause the game. "Henry, I have something important to discuss with you. Are you free?"
"Hey Amber, I've gotta take this call. It's work." He walked across the living room, heading for the front door. "Sorry, it won't take long."
"Take your time." Amber called over her shoulder just as he stepped out of the house. It was raining heavily and a violent wind was blowing at the trees and messing up his hair. "Adjushi, what is it?" Henry leaned against the door after shutting it. "Executive Shim is found to be using the fund for the new amusement park project to pay back his gambling debt. That's the reason why the accounts for the project aren’t right." Henry closed his eyes. "Does he know you're onto him?"
"No. He does not." His secretary paused on the other end of the line. "What do you plan to do with him? He's one of the employees that have worked with your father for a long time." Henry looked at the swaying trees opposite his house, wondering how much longer that skinny tree can withstand the wind. "Of course, he'll be fired. I have no tolerance with this kind of people and neither do I care whether he's been working for the company for a long time. He made a mistake and he has to take responsibility for it." Lightning flashed and a thunder followed. "Issue an immediate termination of contract and report him to the police." Henry ended the call and turned the door knob to enter the house when his phone rang again. "Hello?"
"Henry, it's me." He slammed the door close in annoyance. "What do you want Sooyoung?"
"I was wondering whether you would like to have dinner with me tonight?" Her voice sounded soft over the phone. "I really missed talking to you. When you're not biting my head off, you're ignoring me." Henry gripped his phone tightly. "Which part do you not understand? I don't want to have anything to do with you." He clenched his jaw as he looked back at the door. "I've a guest over and I don't want to keep her waiting. I'm hanging up." I hate these conversations, Henry entered the house and took off his shoes, now my mood is bad.
He separated the battery pack from the phone and placed it on the coffee table. "Sorry for taking so long.." He stopped when he saw Amber sleeping on the couch, curled up like a foetus. She was hugging the guitar like a teddy bear and didn't move at the sound of his clothes as he knelt down next to the sofa. "She must be tired," He looked at the side table and there was a glass of water and a bottle marked with 'painkiller'.
"She should be resting at home even though it's boring." He muttered. Her face was covered by her fringe and he tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing her sleeping face. Henry let his hand her hair and took his hand back abruptly when she moved in her sleep. Scaredy cat, he smiled to himself as he watched her sleep. He eyes traced her face starting from her eyes to her nose and her smooth skin when his gaze stopped at her lips. Unconsciously, he started leaning towards her lips but he caught himself in time and turned his back to her.
What was I thinking? He calmed his racing heartbeat and slapped himself awake but his eyes won't stop turning back to look at her, like bees attracted to a flower. Kiss her, Henry's mind started chanting as he faced her with his head dipped, slowly leaning to her lips and at the same time ignoring his heart thumping against his chest. His eyes slowly closed on their own as he neared her lips.
His nose was almost touching her cheek when he suddenly pulled away, startled by the sound of someone shouting. "YAH! PICK UP YOUR PHONE! YAH! PICK UP YOUR PHONE!" He was stunned for a moment before reaching for Amber's bag. "I almost kissed her," He whispered to himself as he searched for her phone. Her phone had stopped ringing when he found it and left it in her bag until it started to ring again. "There's a password." He wanted to answer the call for her since she was sleeping but he couldn't access the call because her phone was in lock down mode until a password was entered.
"Amber," Henry shook her shoulder softly. "Wake up. You have a call." He shook her again and she snatched her phone from him. She keyed in her password without opening her eyes and pressed the phone to her ear. "What?"
"I'm supposed to be your driver for your ride back home," Joon said. "I've just finished my errands and I'm on my way back now. Are you ready to go yet?"
Amber grabbed Henry's wrist and studied his watch. 6.08p.m. "Okay, come fetch me now." With that, she ended the call and went back to sleep while holding onto Henry's hand. "Er, Amber? My hand." He said at the same time as her phone started ringing. "Sorry. What?!" She yelled into the phone.
"Where am I supposed to get you, smarta.ss! You just ended the call without telling me!" Joon shouted over the phone.
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"You know," Henry said while they were waiting outside the house for Amber's ride to arrive. "You should be resting at home right now. You're still unwell but you're out and about."
"Nah," Amber sat leaning against the door, crossing her ankle over another. "I'm not good in confined places. I'll get all restless and bored out of my mind." She eyed his shoulder and inched closer to him. "If you don't mind, I'll just rest for a while. The painkiller is working it's stuff right now." She yawned and fell asleep after finding a comfortable spot on his shoulder.
Henry looked down at her sleeping and thought about what just happened. What if I did kiss her? He looked away from her and stared into space. Would it affect our relationship? I don't even know whether she thinks the same about me too.
~~
The previous thunder storm had now turned milder although still heavy when Joon turned into the street leading towards the address Amber had given him. What is she doing in this high class neighbourhood? Joon scanned the house numbers. Look at all these cars. Surely it'll cost a bomb.
After a few houses, he parked his car in front of a red bricked house and looked out through the windscreen. Although the weather was grey and gloomy, the house looked cheerful with its well-kept garden and flowers in full bloom. Hmm, Joon got out of the car with an umbrella, not bad.
He was busy observing the exterior of the house and only noticed the two figures sleeping with their heads next to each other when he walked up the steps. He shook the umbrella dry while observing them. Amber was snuggled warmly under a thick black coat while the man next to her was only wearing a shirt and jeans with his arms crossed. "How romantic," Joon said sarcastically and kicked the man's leg.
He stirred and glanced at Joon. "I'm here. Wake her up."
"Oh, finally. We waited quite a while for you." He said friendly as he woke Amber. "Hey, your ride's here." Amber rubbed her eyes as she passed him the coat. "Thanks for it. No wonder it was so comfortable." Her legs were unstable when she got up quickly and Henry's hand gripped her waist to prevent her from falling over. Joon was scowling when he saw them so close together and hissed. "I don't have much patience." He eyed the hand at her waist. "Thanks." Amber ignored him and smiled at Henry while taking her crutches, set aside by the wall.
"Hi. We haven't met. I'm Henry Lau." He extended his hand to Joon but the latter slapped it away. "Not interested." He gave Henry a blank stare but Amber spoke up.
"He's Lee Joon. A friend of my family's." She glared at Joon. "I apologise for his rudeness." She bowed slightly and pulled him away. "Thanks for today Henry. See you next time." Amber grinned at him. "I'm gonna beat you at Guitar Hero!" Henry just smiled at her. "Don't get to conceited."
Joon looked at their interaction and saw how relax Amber is with that guy. So much for hating men, he scoffed. He took the crutches away from her and left it against the wall, leaving her no choice but to hold onto his arm for balance. "Let's go." Joon passed her the umbrella and lifted her off the ground, bridal style. "What are you doing?" She hissed into his ear. "Put me down. I can walk on my own."
"It's wet. You don't want to get your bandage wet." He looked at Henry, waiting for an reaction. Henry was surprised and it showed on his face. Joon smirked as he walked away, mission accomplished. "What's with the act?" Amber said bluntly as they were nearing the car. "I told you," She opened the door and he lowered her into the car. "Your bandages can't be wet." He took the umbrella from her and closed the door.
Joon walked back to the porch to collect Amber's crutches and faced Henry. "I don't like you." Joon said bluntly. "I hope you'll stay away from Amber."
He expected him to back down but Henry wasn't going to give in to him anytime soon. "Well, it's not up to you to tell me what to do," Henry smiled at Joon without a hint of warmth. "She's my friend and I'm hers. I'm so sorry to disappoint you." Henry looked past him and waved at Amber. Joon turned and saw her waving in return. "If there isn't anything else, you can leave now." Henry entered the house. "Goodbye and nice meeting you Joon."
Joon cursed under his breath as he walked down the steps to the car. In the car, he slammed his door and hit the steering wheel out of frustration. "What's wrong with you?" Amber said with her eyes closed. He didn't answer her but his mind is full of the scene of her leaning on that guy's shoulder.
"Why were you so cosy with him?" He acted nonchalantly when he said that as he steered the car onto the main street. "Since when you had guy friends? I thought you hate men." Amber opened her eyes and looked at him. "When did I ever tell you I hate men? I can have guy friends if I want to." She turned to the side and stared out of the window. "Let me guess, Sulli was the one who told you about me, hating men?" She let her finger trace the rain water cascading down the outside the window.
"Yeah, she did mention something like that." Joon cleared his throat, glancing sideways at her. "You still haven't answered me yet."
"He's my friend and he's comfortable to be with." Amber fished her phone out of her bag. "Does that answer your question? Besides, who said I don't have guy friends? Kibum hyung is a guy."
"You treat Kibum as family so he's not considered your friend," The car sped down the highway. "How did you meet him?"
"He helped me once when I was in trouble," She shield her eyes from the setting sun that just came out from behind the clouds. "A man wanted revenge for his father and attacked me because I killed his father. I saw the news several days after the incident that he was put into jail."
"So, he knows what you do for a living?" Joon left the highway and was travelling on a small road. "Who?" She asked. "Henry. Does he know?" The car slowed as it reached a bend. "No, he does not. I told him I worked for Matsuka as a HR executive." The car came into view of a high wall and massive gates that shield the people living within from any prying eyes. They entered the mansion's compound and Joon stopped the car in front of the main door. He had a question he wanted to ask desperately but was interrupted by Amber. "Why are you parking your car here? We have a garage, you know." She gave him directions while searching her bag. "Drive to the side of the house and you'll see the entrance."
Once there, she clicked on the remote and the garage entrance opened. It is an underground garage that can fit up to 20 cars, has motion detector lights and smooth cement surface that squeaks whenever the wheel of the car changes direction. Currently, there are 10 cars lining up next to each other in the garage. A red and yellow MINIs, a grey Maserati, a silver Bentley, a black BMW 6 series, Joon noted as he parked his own Mercedes sports next to the Bentley, 3 black Range Rovers and 2 grey Toyota Prius.
"Wow," He got out of his car and went over to Amber's side with her crutches. "There's only five of you. Why do you guys own so many cars?"
"Because we can." She joked, laughing at his stunned face. Joon felt something different inside him when she laughed, he touched his chest, she laughed at me, and he smiled to himself. "The MINIs belonged to Sulli and Krystal, the Maserati is Kibum hyung's, Victoria unni owns the Bentley," Amber told him as they walked past the cars. "And the BMW is mine."
"What about the others?" He asked her. "The Rovers are used when we go out for assignments and the Toyotas when we're observing a place since you don't want to draw attention to yourself." Joon opened the door to the house for her before she could reach out. "Thanks." She saluted him and went to her room which is at the left wing of the mansion while Joon and Kibum's room is at the right wing.
"Hey," He held her arm to stop her from walking away. "I have something I wanna ask you." She turned to him. "You said Henry is your friend," He looked down at his feet, trying to avoid her eyes. "What about me? What am I to you?" He sneaked a look at her expressionless face and looked back down. "I really want to know."
Amber was a little surprised with his serious tone, this is another side of him, not the childish one I used to hate. "What are you? You're my friend." She smiled at him. "What?" He couldn't believe it. "I said you're my friend." He was so happy and hugged her. "Thank you."
"Just so you know, I can take that back if you revert back to your disgusting ert ways," Amber said jokingly and tried to push him away from her. "Stop latching on to me!" He gave her a squeeze before releasing her. "I thought I'll suffocate to death." Her face was serious but broke out into a grin soon after. She took his hand and placed something on it.
"Here are the keys and the remote to the garage. Welcome to the team, Lee Joon."
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