The basement hallways of Shinhwa Hotel are so quiet during the wee hours. Taemin tried to shake away the creepiness that is budging into her mind as she bent down to srcub the floors. It was her turn for night shifts  and her superior assigned her to clean the basement kitchen areas. Night shifts inself was scary enough, not to mention she overheard the other cleaners taking about a ghost that haunted the hotel for years, but Taemin had no complains. She got this job with the Shinhwa Hotel a year ago, it was already a miracle for them to accept someone like Taemin, without proper qualifications. Plus the hotel pays her well and on time too.

Taemin hummed a tune as she kneeled on the floor to srucb the carpets with the water bucket next to her. But the sudden sound of footsteps alarmed her. The sound of footsteps that were originally coming from the far end of the corridor had went away. Taemin shruggered a little and continued with her work. it wasn't long before the sound of footsteps could be heard again and Taemin started to felt a little scared.

"Who is there?" Taemin waited but no response was given, instead more footsteps could be heard.

"A..anyone there?" Taemin raised her voice louder. She stood up and carried the water bucket near to her chest as her 'weapon' as she mentally went through a list of possible people that were near to her whom she can get help from.

********

Minho refused to return home. The grand mansion of the Choi family located at the hills of the Kyongdong area was nothing more than an empty shell to him especially after his mother died when he was only nine years old. The countless bottles of Soju that could be found around the staff pantry area next to the hotel's main kitchen was an indicator of how drunk Minho was. He didn't intend to make himself this drunk, but the moment he opened the first bottle of soju to drown the stress from his work, emotions that he had been surpressing for years came surfacing like bubbles.

Minho struggled to stand up from the chair in the staff pantry. His vision was blurred by the amount of alcohol he had consumed, but the pain and the sight of the fresh red blood on his fingers that he accidentally got from opening one of the soju bottles rendered him no choice but to seek help. He knew that the night shift staff were probably serving their duties around the basement area. His heavy footsteps were echoing throughout the white walls as he cling unto the walls for support and slowly made his way to the door.

Minho opened the staff pantry door abruptly. Before his mind could register, he heard a loud scream that pained his ears and the the next thing that greeted him was a bucket of detergen soap water.

"Mianhe!! I...mianhe!!" Taemin bowed several times after she noticed the golden color nametag on Minho's black suit that wrote "CEO Choi Min Ho", she had mistaken the CEO as a thief. Taemin knew that she was in deep trouble as she observed how soaked her boss was not to mention it was detergen water. "I'm really sorry!" She quickly grabbed some tissues from the drawers in the staff pantry and attempted to dry her detergen-soaked boss. "Please, please don't fire me!" Taemin pleaded with all sincerity.

Minho knew that the alcohol must be doing something to his brains, because under normal circumstances, he would probably have fired the staff immediately for making such a mistake. But right now, he couldn't bear to do this to this female staff                                                  , her small shoulders were trembling and shaking so hard that it made Minho wonder if he really is such a scary monster in the eyes of his employees. Minho leaned down and grabbed Taemin's wrist, which made Taemin trembled even more. Taemin thought that the CEO was about fire her and send her off to the streets and it's another round of job hunting for her, but Minho just slumped his body towards the ground and closed his eyes. "First aid box."

"Eh?" Taemin was confused. She was expecting lectures, but. first aid box?

Minho wanted to let out a laugh, "Get the first aid box, don't tell me you're going to allow your boss to bleed to death." He showed Taemin his bleeding fingers.

Taemin instantly shoot up from the floor and searched frantically for a first aid box, "Neh neh!" Joy was filling up her heart because Minho did not fire her, which was contrary to the rumours that she had heard about the CEO being downright cold blooded, he is actually quite a human-ish person, a tiny bit at least. Taemin returned with a first aid kit in her hands and started cleaning and dressing the minor wounds that Minho had on his fingers. Minho watched closely as Taemin carefully treated him, Taemin's hands were small, soft and delicate, but he notice the slight winkles that were evident on Taemin's hands.

"Mr. CEO, i'm done. Er, please be careful next time." Taemin stood up and bowed as she uttered those words. Minho chuckled the moment he saw how formal Taemin treated him, "Why are you bowing as if i'm already dead?" Taemin was flusterred, "Ani ani, sir!" Minho lifted his right arm, signalling Taemin to help him, "Take me to my room." Taemin frozed, "Mwo?" Lower ranking employees like herself weren't allowed to have such interactions with the higher ranking ones, not to mention the CEO. Plus she doesn't even know where the CEO's office is.

"You're planning to leave me lying here?"

"Ani ani ani!!" Taemin quickly grabbed unto Minho's arm. Mr. CEO wasn't a very light person after all. Taemin had to constantly lean against the walls to support Minho's weight.

Taemin barely made it to Minho's office which was located on the 16th floor of the hotel's main tower. Taemin was so thankful for the invention of lifts, otherwise she would have crumbled into bread crums if she were to carry Minho from the basements to the 16th floor. The CEO office was grand and luxrious as it is. The spacious setting and the expensive looking furniture, plus all the decoratives that were found in the room. Taemin was about to help Minho to lie down on the three sitter sofa but Minho's outer suit was drenched with detergen.

"Why?Something wrong with my sofa?" Minho asked when he saw Taemin pausing. "Ani, ermmm..your coat is wet..so..ermm...i think it would be better, if you took it off..." Taemin trailed off. Minho laughed, this staff of his is really cute, "Yes yes, and stop with the bowing, i'm not dead yet.."

Taemin gently helped Minho to lie down on the couch as she held the CEO's coat in her hands. She watch tentively as Minho closed his eyes and slowly drifted into sleep.

***************

"Yah sleepyhead!!!"

Minho squinted his eyes at the piercing sunlight and realize that it was already morning. "Hyung..." the bright sunlight was shinning directly into his office through the glass windows. He shifted slightly but still found not much strength to get up.

Jonghyun smirked as he eyed Minho playfully, "Hangover urm? Looks like somebody was having some fun last night yah.."

"Aniya."

"if not how else did you end up like this?"

"I..." flashbacks about last night's incidents with the female staff came back to Minho's mind. He sat up abruptly from the couch and realize that the female staff was no longer here. Minho scanned his office and mentally cursed himself for not asking for a name.

"Yah what are you searching for.." Jonghyun followed Minho's gaze. Minho looked down and found himself covered with a worn out brown cotton blanket with random small holes. This must have been hers.

Without waiting for any reply from Minho, Jonghyun tossed a black jacket towards Minho. "Hyung! Where did you get this from?" Minho asked, this was the coat that was removed from him last night by the female staff. "One of the female staff passed it to me when i was doing my rounds just now." Minho's heart skipped, "Do you remember which one? What's her name?" Jonghyun laughed, "Probably from the laundry section? Aniyahh, how am i suppose to remember. Now get up, quick, i heard haraeboji is coming down in an hour."

Minho nodded his head but he was still holding the brown cotten blanket in his hands. He couldn't explain his urge to see the female staff again. Perhaps it was her blunt and cute actions that left a deep impression. Minho couldn't care less, he only knew that he wanted to see the female staff again and return the brown blanket to her.

*****

to be continued...