There's a slight pause, as Himchan's expression twists into one of deep focus. "Hmm..." I hear him softly ponder.

Leaning forward a little, Himchan's scrutinizing gaze, now go examine Hyosung's face a bit more, and the sudden action, makes her eyes widen a little. I silently watch, as his eyebrows continue to stay crumpled together in thought, and the more this goes on, the more jumpy my pulse becomes. I'm filled with nervousness, and along that anxious feeling, I can also feel a twinge, of something else. It's strange though, because I've felt this uncomfortable prick before, but my mind is feeling a little confused, as to why this feeling is here right now.

Is it because I'm afraid of what Hyosung may be to Himchan, or is it because...I'm worried that he will find out the truth, before I can tell him myself?

"Nope," speaks up Himchan, at long last. "I honestly have no idea who you are. Is this a joke or something, or am I supposed to really know who you are?"

Hyosung's lips quiver for a bit, before fresh tears form in her eyes again. "Yah, what is wrong with you?!" she screeches, obviously hurt.

Surprised by her thunderous voice, it makes him slightly jump back. "Geez, I should be asking you that, because what the heck is wrong with you?!" retorts Himchan.

His harsh words make her choke out another sob, as she now goes grab a hold of his arm. "Stop it," she sternly orders. "You're lying to me; whatever game you're playing, I want you to stop it, right now."

Himchan is taken aback by her firm glare, filled with tears, but immediately responds with a scowl. "Look, I have no idea who you are, or what the hell you're talking about, okay?" he snappily says. "You probably have the wrong person or something."

Shoulders now dropped, disbelief begins to take over Hyosung's face, as she goes to digest in Himchan's hard words.

And then, as if suddenly remembering about my existence, her eyes finally flicker over to me, just in time for another tear droplet, to slide down her cheek.

Heartbreak is clearly written all over her face, and due to the confusion, mixed with desperation, filling up her dark orbs, I inwardly take in a deep breath, before finally stepping myself forward. "Himchan," I start of, as steadily as possible. "I think I accidentally left my phone up there with Jieun, could you please go and get it for me?"

Himchan lifts a puzzled eyebrow to this. "What?" he says. "Why can't we go together?"

"Oh," I say, surprised by his request. "Well, I just thought that it'd be quicker if you went, and...I'm feeling a little tired."

Blinking a little, Himchan then reaches forward, to place his hand onto my forehead. "You're not sick, are you?" he concernedly asks. "Did you have too many cheese boats?"

I laugh a little, but then reassure him with a shake of my head. "No, I'm fine," I gently say. "Just sleepy, that's all."

"Mmkay then," says the dark haired male, while withdrawing his hand back. "I'll be back in a second, okay?"

"Yeah..." I quietly mumble. "And while you're at it...could you also get me some tissues?"

Himchan tilts his head at me. "Tissues?" he repeats. "What for?"

I shrug a shoulder, hoping to look a little sheepish. "Um, I kind of need to blow my nose," I reply, with an artificial grin.

My act is believable, as Himchan now goes to make a cringing face at me. "Ew, Jinniebear has boogers," he playfully sings out.

"Oh, be quiet," I lightly chide. "Stop embarrassing me, before I decide to infest your jacket with my snot."

Himchan laughs at this, but then eventually ascends the stairs, and when his figure is completely out of sight, I breathe out a sigh.

Turning back over to the female in red, my small frown, meets with her flabbergasted expression. "I'm sorry," I sincerely say. "I really am, but I promise to explain everything to you tomorrow, if you're available to meet me."

"I-I don't understand," she stutters, looking even more distraught, if possible. "Why can't you just tell me now?"

"Because I have a few questions that I would like to ask you myself," I say. "It would be a very long discussion, and not only that, but...I can't let Himchan know, just yet."

My last few words cause Hyosung to spark up. "What do you mean?" she immediately probes. "What can't you let Himchan know?"

But I shake my head at her, as something inside tells me that Himchan will be returning soon. "I'll tell you tomorrow," I quickly say.

The two of us hastily decide on a time and a location, just before a certain dark haired male, descends from those dark, sea green, carpeted stairs.

"Jieun doesn't have your phone," says Himchan, with a frown.

I blink at him, just before pulling the device out from my purse, with a little beam. "Oops, I guess it was with me the whole time?" I say, hoping to sound somewhat confused.

Himchan rolls his eyes at me, but then holds out something white. "Here," he says. "The tissues, to get rid of your ugly boogers."

Accepting them, I easily brush away his comment, as I then go to hand them over to Hyosung. "Once again, I really am sorry..." I sympathetically say. "And please remember."

Bit by bit, Hyosung takes the tissues into her hands, and as this happens, Himchan raises an eyebrow at me.   

I try my best to ignore the questioning look that he's giving me, and when the two of us are finally inside the elevator, Hyosung noiselessly begins to make her way back up to Jieun.

Himchan finally decides to speak up, now that we’re alone.

"Why did you lie to me?" he demands.

Caught off guard, my breath becomes hitched in my throat, as I now feel myself begin to freeze up all over. "W-What are you talking about?" I uneasily say.

Himchan lets out a scoff. "Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about," he says, with a frown. "The tissues!"

"The...t-tissues...?" I waver.

"Yes, the tissues that were supposed to be for your non-existent boogers," answers Himchan, rather dully. "Why did you make me get them for her?"

And for some reason, hearing this, instead of what I thought I was going to hear, allows a huge surge of relief to flow through me.

"Ah, right," I quietly say. "Well...watching her cry made me feel really bad, so it's the least we could do."

Himchan grumbles to himself. "And what's that thing that you said to her?" he asks. "Something about remembering, or something rather?"

I frown a little, as I try to quickly search my mind for a reasonable excuse. "Well, I tried to cheer her up a little, when I was waiting for you," I fib, with a shrug of my shoulder. "And when I told her to remember, I meant as in...she needs to remember to be happy, and keep smiling."

"Oh," is all Himchan ends up saying. "Anyway, lets hurry up and get home, 'cause I'm tired as well."

I nod my head in agreement with him. "Yeah, lets..."

———————————————

"Oh, yes, Yejin-ah, ugh—keep going, a-ah, yeah, just like that!" exclaims Himchan. "Come on, a little faster—ah, yes, right there, wow—you're so good, why didn't I ask you to do this sooner? Mmph—"

Narrowing my eyes, I then instantly remove my hands away from his shoulders, to give his back a harsh shove. "Aish!" I hiss, in annoyance. "I can't do this anymore, because you're too loud!"

My irritation makes Himchan slowly turn around, to give me a pout. "But I'm sore, and your massage feels so good..." he whines.

In response to the pleading look on his face, I show him an unamused frown. "But from how you're reacting, people can easily misinterpret what we're doing!" I quip.

Himchan is entertained, as the corner of his lips lift up into a devilish smirk. "And what might that be, huh?" he slyly queries, while inching closer. "I don't know what you're talking about, so do you want to show me?"

I give him a skeptical look, just before pushing his face away. "Maybe next time," I flatly say.

Himchan mutters a few curse words, at my reply. "Argh, I hate it when you say that!" he grouchily complains. "And since we don't even have any protection for us to use, that just makes me even angrier!"

His childish glare makes me giggle, as I go to give his arm a gentle pat. "It's okay," I laughingly say. "Because I have abstinence."

My answer makes Himchan continue his sulking, as he now pretends to cry.

Shaking my head at the (clearly) ually frustrated male, I can't help but snicker to myself, as I go on, to 'console' him.

And despite the little sleep that I got from last night, I still feel wide awake, as I now absentmindedly drift off into my thoughts

My mind can't seem to shake away this 'Hyosung', as her unknown connection to Himchan, continues to occupy a space in my head. I also can't quite figure out why I feel as though I've seen her from somewhere, but more importantly, something tells me that...things will be coming to an end, soon. Seeing her today, will hopefully answer all of my questions, because the more I know, the better it will be for me to decide, on how I can help Himchan. And as my mind now goes to think about him, and his happy, beaming face, I oddly feel...sad.

I feel sad, because my instincts are strangely telling me that I won't be seeing his cheery self around, much longer.

That I should try my best, to savour our moments together, for as much as I can...

And because of this upsetting feeling, suddenly rushing over me from out of the blue, it overwhelms me to the point of quickly making him face me, so that I can place my lips onto his own.

Surprised, Himchan is caught off guard, due to his lack of movement, but eventually gets himself into the rhythm. I continue to move and shape my lips against his soft ones, making sure to pour out every ounce of my feelings for him, into this urgent kiss. Himchan responds just as equally passionate, and the fire in our movements, matches up to the rapid beating of my heart. Our fast pace gradually leads us to soon pull apart, as our air supply is low, and as we go to catch back our usual breathing pace, Himchan gives me an amused (yet also curious) look.

"Wow," he softly says. "What was that for?"

I don't answer his curiosity, except show him a minor smile, just before leaning forward, to mutely embrace him.

Himchan's arms automatically go to wrap themselves around me, and as I bury myself into his warmth, I hear him slightly chuckle. "Seriously though," he lightly says. "As much as I love this random outburst of love from you, I can't help but wonder if there's something wrong?"

And once again, I don't reply to his question, except hum out a sound that tells him to think nothing more.

The two of us soon detach ourselves from the hug, when I eventually go to tell him about my...'lunch hangout', with 'Subin'.

And just like the other times, Himchan believes me, because with a swift goodbye peck, I'm soon out of the door, and am on my way, to meet up with Hyosung.

———————————————

Arriving at my destination, I step into the cafe, and instantly start to scan the place, for a secluded area to sit at. I'm aware that the seats are quite occupied, but when I spot a woman in the far corner, slowly get up from her chair, to discard her trash, I then make my way over there, to take her corner. My eyes haven't been able to detect any signs of Hyosung so far, and I think it might be because I'm fifteen minutes early. So because of this, I now begin to use the time, to gather my thoughts together, so that I know exactly what I want to ask her.

As I go on to type down my plan into my phone, time swiftly breezes by, and during those fifteen minutes, I've had to politely assure one or two workers, that I'm waiting for someone. It's now 12 o'clock, and Hyosung should be here any minute, but I don't see her. My eyes go to have a look at the road outside, and seeing how the traffic is quite packed, I come to the conclusion that she's probably just stuck in the slowness of it, from wherever she is. I continue my waiting, and because I feel bad for taking up a seat, without actually purchasing anything as of yet, I finally decide to order a vanilla latte, to keep me busy.

———————————————

Forty five minutes have now passed, and as I look down at my empty cake plate, (along with my finished drink) I exhale out a tired sigh.

It's now 12:45pm, and I still have yet to see any signal of Hyosung.

I feel disappointed, because when my mind slowly goes to think about the possibility, of her changing her mind to meet me, I feel even worst.

Taking out my wallet, I'm just about to head over towards the cash register, when I hear someone hastily approach me, from out of the blue.

"I'm sorry!" blurts out a huffing brunette. "I accidentally slept in, and then I couldn't find anything to wear, so I had to quickly throw on whatever was there!"

My eyes blink a little, as I go to blankly stare at her expensive Chanel dress coat.

Hyosung takes my lack of response, as a sign to continue on, with her frantic explanation. "I forgot where I left my car keys, so I went to catch a taxi, but since the stupid traffic is so slow, I decided that running would be a faster option. But then you know what happened?!" she dramatically wails. "My heel broke!"

I quirk up an eyebrow, as she now goes to show me her feet, but instead of only seeing one heel-less stiletto, I see two.

"My anger accidentally broke the other one as well, when I kicked the ground..." she dejectedly mumbles. “And these are my favourite pair, as well."

Unsure of what to say, I find myself carefully slipping out a fib. "Um, it's okay..." I slowly say. "I wasn't waiting for that long, anyway."

Hyosung tilts her head at me. "Oh?" she says. "So you just got here, too?"

I stare at her for a bit, before deciding to casually place out the truth. "Actually, I got here at 11:45," I nonchalantly answer.

She blinks at me for a bit, before letting out a gasp. "What?!" she cries. "Omo, so you waited for...an hour?!"

And when I go to nod my head at her, she frowns at me, with another string of apologies.

Even though I am a tiny bit annoyed for having to wait for so long, I can't help but laugh at her liveliness, as it makes me think of Himchan.

Ah, that's right—

"So, how should we start this?" I question.

Hyosung purses her lips to the side in thought, for a moment. "Hmm," she muses. "Well, first things first; I'm going to get myself some water."

And right when she informs me of her thirst, she signals for a waiter to come by, to hand us both a glass of the cool liquid.

Hyosung wastes no time in gulping down half of the contents. "And next," she continues on, with a satisfied huff. "I think we should start off, by introducing ourselves."

Liking the idea, I nod my head in agreement, where the two of us then proceed to exchange our names, as a way to become a little familiar with each other.

"Ahhh~" chimes the brunette. "So your name is Yejin, huh? Because I've just been calling you, ‘that waitress girl’."

I give her an odd look. "Wait, how do you...?" My voice trails off, as a memory, suddenly flashes inside my mind.

"Or else what?" I challenge, with a cross of my arms.

With fire blazing in his dark orbs, Himchan gnashes his teeth together at my response, as I continue to stand my ground. I can feel the eyes of the various people around the place, just staring at us, as we continue our electrifying glare battle. Suddenly, someone clears their throat, causing us both to break the tension-filled stare, and I suddenly remember that he has brought along some company. The girl awkwardly avoids both of our gazes, as she tucks a long strand of her purple-maroon dyed hair, behind her ear, with a look of displeasure.

She doesn't have to utter a word, for Himchan to take the hint, as he now goes to exhale rather loudly.

"Come on noona, let’s go to a better place, with better waitresses, for better service," he harshly growls.

When the scene comes to an end, surprise fills me, as the female with long, purple-maroon dyed hair from before, is actually the same short-haired brunette, who is currently sitting in front of me.

And when my mind goes to join up the pieces together, my heart comes to a horrifying stop, as I realise something.

"So you're Himchan's—"

"Girlfriend?" finishes off Hyosung, rather brightly.

I can feel myself tensing up with worry, as the nails of my fingers, gradually dig into my palm, out of uneasiness.

But when I hear her continue on, I feel myself secretly breathe out a sigh, that I wasn't even aware of holding in.

"I used to be," she quietly says. "We broke up, before he...went missing, and was presumed dead."

And oddly enough, something about Hyosung's relationship with Himchan, takes my mind back to certain memory.

Absorbing in this piece of information, Himchan then soundlessly nods to himself. "I see," he eventually murmurs. He then looks at me, and then tilts his head, ever so slightly, with a questioning look. "We haven't been here together before, have we?" he asks.

"No," I truthfully respond. "We haven't."

This makes Himchan scratch his chin for a bit, in contemplation. "Ah, that makes sense," he says. "I can't seem to remember ever coming here with you, but...I remember coming here with someone else."

His comment makes my curiosity stir, as I wait for him to continue on.

"I think...I think she might have been my noona?" he quietly reveals.

This further pipes up my interest, and it soon gets the best of me, by coaxing me into voicing out my assumption. "So you were here with your older sister?" I guess.

My thoughts wander off, as I try to figure out what she may look like, but—

"No," says the blonde, with a shake of his head. "I wasn't here with my sister; I was here with...a woman."

"A woman?" I echo, not being able to hide my surprise.

"Yeah," says Himchan. "A woman who...I was probably dating, before I had met you."

Things start to click together, as I realise that Hyosung is, indeed, the woman that Himchan was walking about.

Shaking this discovery away, my eyebrows now crease together, as her mentioning of his 'death' is something that I've been meaning to ask her about. "Can you tell me more about why Himchan is, well...assumed to be, 'dead'?" I request. "Because I've filed in a report at the police station, and..." My voice gradually disappears, as my mind sinks further into the strange disappearance, of those files.

A mixture of confusion and curiosity forms on Hyosung's face, as she now goes to show me a serious frown. "I'll only tell you my side of things, if you answer my questions first," she strictly demands. "Such as why you couldn't have just explained this to me from last night, right then and there, and why Himchan is pretending to not know who I am."

And from the way that she's now biting onto her lip, with the addition of her sadly creased brows, my heart restricts for a second, at the semi shaky words, that she goes to utter out next.

"Do you have any idea, how painful it is, to have the person you love, insist that they don't remember you?"

I'm shell-shocked by her confession, as my wide-eyed gaze, gradually falls from her, and then onto the table in front of us. "No," I quietly answer, after a bit. "I have honestly have never been in such a situation, but...I can imagine it to be incredibly hurtful."

So Hyosung...loves Himchan, as well...?

Returning my attention back to the older brunette, I then take in a deep breath. "The reason why Himchan doesn't remember you, is because he's suffering from memory loss," I reveal. "Not only does he not have any idea of who you are, but his friends, family, and even himself, are also erased from his mind. The doctor told me that it's possible to get back his memory, except that...they're not sure on how long it will take."

The horrified expression on Hyosung's face, looks as though she's about to pass out. "H-Himchan...has memory loss?" she stutters. "N-No...that can't be...I—this can't happen to him, it just can't!"

"I'm sorry," I solemnly apologise. "But...that probably explains why he hasn't been able to find his way home."

"T-Then why does he know you?" blurts out Hyosung. "And why isn't he here with us right now, to talk about this?!"

"Because," I gravely murmur. "Himchan doesn't know..."

"W-What?!" cries Hyosung, rather hysterically. "W-What do you mean by that?!"

I straighten myself up, and, bracing myself for what's to come up, I then tell her.

"Himchan thinks he knows me, because he believes that I'm his girlfriend," I steadily say, with a humourless smile. "When in reality, I'm just...a stranger, who decided to help him out, when I was at the hospital."

Hyosung seems to have trouble taking in what I'm telling her, as her facial expression, is now one of overwhelmed distress. "Himchan thinks that..." She doesn't finish the rest of her sentence though, as something suddenly connects into her mind, which enrages her, from out of nowhere. "So in other words," she firmly says. "You're using him?"

Her conclusion makes my eyes enlarge with shock. "E-Excuse me?" I confusedly say.

My stammer makes Hyosung more confident, in repeating what she's just said to me. "You're using him," she straightforwardly accuses. "You don't love him, and you're only using him, for money." Snatching a hold of her wallet, she then squarely looks me in the eye. "How much do you want?"

Her abrupt actions startle me, as I immediately gesture for her to put it away. "No, that's not it—" I attempt to say. "And I honestly do care—"

But not allowing me to finish my explanation, Hyosung quickly interrupts me, with a fiery stare. "Look," she gravely begins. "I love Himchan, and I want him back."

I feel threatened by her words, but choose to passively listen to where she's going with this.

"Not only do I want him back, but so does his family, and his friends," continues Hyosung. "Me, his family, his friends, and especially the company, all need him back."

The last part of her comment catches my attention. "Company...?" I cautiously say.

"Himchan's parents are the ones who own the Matos label," clarifies Hyosung.

And once again, I'm filled with astonishment, because I now have a slight idea, of what this could all mean.

"So you're saying that—"

"Yes," she responds, rather firmly. "The person who you've been with all this time, is actually the secret designer, who assists his parents, in creating the products that you see, almost everywhere."

My shock continues to paralyse me, to the point where the only thing that I can seem to do, is have my facial expression, hold in an astounded way.

Because when Hyosung proceeds on, to concrete my thoughts, I just feel as though I've suddenly had something slap me across the face.

"So in other words, Himchan is the rich son, of the extremely well-known company, known as Matos," reveals Hyosung.

I can’t seem to grasp the idea of Himchan’s identity, but before I can even attempt to absorb in what I’ve just been told, Hyosung suddenly speaks up.

“Let’s make a deal,” she offers.

Looking back up at her, my silence encourages her to continue on.

“I want Himchan—no, I need him, and so does his loved ones,” she says. “We want him back, and you’ve been trying to help him return to his home as well, right?”  

“Of course,” I quietly reply. “But—“

Hyosung raises a perfect eyebrow, as she goes to tilt her head at me. “But?” she prompts.

I’m about to open my mouth to finish my sentence, but decide against it, at the last second.

“Actually, it’s nothing,” I fib. “Anyway, what were you saying?”

“Oh,” says the brunette. “My deal is that...if you help me, in regaining back Himchan’s memory, then I won’t tell him, about how you’ve been lying to him, about your fake relationship.”

But...what we have, is not fake.

“So you have the option of me telling him, and having him get really angry at you, or...you can tell him the truth yourself, and have him possibly only get half as angry,” she coolly says. “But really, the main point is that we both want what’s best for him, and what’s best for him, is to return back home.”

Home...

“Right?” probes Hyosung. “Isn’t this why you chose to help Himchan out, when you were at the hospital?”

I don’t know what to think or say right now, as I feel immensely pressured.

Himchan...Himchan needs to—

And as if she has just read my mind, Hyosung magically finishes off the rest of my thought.

“Himchan needs to go home,” she concludes. “Think of all the people, who are waiting for him right now, and you know what? I think his mother will especially be happy, to see him.”

My heart can’t help but sink further and further, with every word that Hyosung is saying to me, right at this moment.

Himchan seems to have a lot of people, who are waiting for him, and...I’m sure that he would want to see them, too.

He needs to see them, and be with them, to be truly happy, because I can’t keep him in the dark forever.

And it’s because I care for him with all my heart, is why I’ve finally decided to meet Hyosung’s gaze, with an affirmative nod.

“I’ll do it,” I determinedly say. “I’ll help you, and tell him the truth, to end this all.”

Because after all, isn’t this what I’ve wanted, right from the beginning?