Chapter 15

“Alright, kid,” Annie said as soon as she opened the door to the penthouse. “Go get changed before your piano teacher arrives. And no playing games! Otherwise, you can kiss that arcade game with Yongguk goodbye.”

“Okay!” Daniel exclaimed throwing his backpack to the ground then running to his room. She wondered if he heard her before leaning over to pick it up.

Annie groaned in annoyance. “This kid will be the death of me,” she muttered as she set it down on the counter along with the other stuff she retrieved today as per Miranda's request. Glancing at the manila envelope, she thought back to what happened earlier at the office. The way Mr. Shin's eyes burned a hole into her had left her shaken up. Should I say something to Miranda? She considered.

“I'm back now!” Daniel's voice rang out from behind. She soon shook that thought away at that moment shifting her full attention to the younger boy. “I'm hungry, nanny.”

“Sure thing, little man,” she said ruffling his hair lightly. “How about a quick little snack before you lesson?”

Not long after he was finished eating, the doorbell rang. “I'll get it,” Annie said turning to the younger boy. “You go wait in the piano room. And do NOT touch anything until we get there. You got it?” she gave him a warning look before helping him off the bar stool. He nodded immediately and ran off into the other room. “I hope he'll listen to me for once.” She sighed then made her way to the door.

Little did she know, she was soon in for a surprise once she opened the door. “You...” her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Himchan smirked. “I thought I'd find you here,” he chuckled. “Who knew I'd be Danny's new piano teacher? So what? Are you gonna let me in or am I gonna stand out here all day? I'm a busy man, you know. I mean if you want, we can go about this all day if we have to.” He flashed his charming grin along with a raise of his eyebrows.

Flabbergasted, Annie stepped aside for him to enter the penthouse. “You're the piano teacher?!” she bellowed at how ridiculous this sounded.

“You heard me,” he said looking around then letting out a whistle in astonishment. “Nice place.”

“Thanks,” she said dully. “I don't live here.”

“I know,” was his retort. Annie shot him a look. “So where is little Danny?” he shifted the topic in the hopes of not getting murdered by the nanny. He had to admit, she was cute when she was mad.

“Right this way,” she mumbled as she led him deeper into the penthouse. “And one other thing, don't touch anything! It's my head on the chopping block if something breaks.” She pointed an accusing finger at him.

He raised his hands in defeat. “You're the boss,” he said flashing her a puppy dog look. “I promise to be a good boy.”

She had to admit, he was adorable. There was no way she was going to fall for his charms, she thought rolling her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered.

The lesson went along as planned. To her dismay, Daniel was actually behaving for once. Himchan's personality shifted from playful to serious in a matter of minutes as he went about his lesson. Annie had to give him kudos for keeping the atmosphere light and friendly as opposed to being strict like the other music teachers she heard about. To pass the time, Annie found herself reading a book but couldn't bring herself to focus as she glanced at Himchan. Suddenly, her phone chimed prompting Himchan and Daniel to look over at her.

Chuckling nervously, she apologized. “Sorry about that... Carry on with what you were doing,” she looked down to find a new text message. From Daehyun: So when were you gonna tell us about you and Yongguk? O_o

Rolling her eyes, she replied: There is absolutely NOTHING going on...

Daehyun: It sure didn't look that way. Hmmm...

New text message from Youngjae: You and Yongguk make an interesting couple hehe...

Annie: Oh God, not you too!

New text message from Lucy: Yongguk is one fine specimen of a man! Woot woot! ^^

To: Daehyun, Lucy, and Youngjae: OMG when will you idiots get the hint that there is NOTHING going on with Yongguk! We're just friends!

New text message from Junhong: Hey noona! When are you bringing Bang Yongguk back to the cafe again?

New text message from Jongup: Noona, they won't shut up about Yongguk. I'm just sitting here watching them. -_-

Daehyun: Oh sure there's nothing going on... We believe you. ;)

Annie: Oh God. -_- Anyways, ttyl I shouldn't be texting when I'm working.

Himchan looked on in amusement as the girl was texting away on her phone giggling the whole time. She would often roll her eyes and shake her head shifting her attention away from reading her book. She didn't seem to notice Daniel running out of the room therefore leaving the both of them alone together until he cleared his throat. She looked up finally. “That must be some good book you're reading,” he said smirking.

Rolling her eyes, she played along. “Yeah, it sure is. I just got to the good part.”

“I noticed,” he mused.

“Where did Danny go?” Annie asked looking around.

“He's taking a bathroom break,” he answered.

“Okay, that's nice to know,” she muttered then decided to make conversation with the handsome piano teacher. “So... piano eh? I thought you were more of a traditional music person.”

“I like to have options,” he shrugged. “I can't just focus on gukak, you know.” he said raising an eyebrow. “I help Bang out in the studio sometimes. He always comes to me for input and feedback.”

“I see,” she nodded finally. “That's nice to hear. Especially for someone with your background, it's always cool to try out different types of music. You see, that's what music needs. Versatility. Don't you agree?”

“I agree,” he nodded smiling. “You sure know your stuff. Are you into music too?”

“Aren't we all?” she pointed out. “I mean yes, I like music but if you're asking if I would make a career out of it, you're asking the wrong person. I can't belt out a tune like my two best friends. I stopped playing violin after middle school because I couldn't commit to it. And I've always wanted to learn the piano but it's too late. I'm already too old for it.”

“Nonsense,” he said then moved aside motioning for her to sit next to him. “You're never to old to learn the piano. Come on.”

“I might be bad at it,” she said sheepishly.

“You're only a beginner, Annie,” he said chuckling. “All beginners must start out bad but you'll work your way up from here. Practice makes perfect, you know.”

After much hesitation, she finally gave in and joined him. He then proceeded to teach her the basics as she listened attentively.

Thirty minutes later...

“It's no use!” she exclaimed in frustration inadvertently slamming her hands on the keyboard. “I give up!”

“That's because you're not even trying!” he said sighing. “Look Annie, don't give up now. You'll get there. Come on, let's try it again.”

“It's all so confusing,” she said groaning in annoyance. “I'm a lost cause, Himchan. I'm never gonna get it.”

He shrugged. “I never said it was easy. So are we gonna continue practicing or what?” he asked impatiently. She pouted which prompted him to smile. She was pretty cute when she was frustrated, he thought.

“Don't make fun of me!” she snapped.

“Not at all,” he shook his head covering his mouth to keep himself from snickering. He stopped when she gave him the death glare. “Okay, I'll stop.”

Sighing, she glanced out the door and noticed Daniel had not returned from his supposed bathroom break. “Where'd he go?” she asked suddenly standing up still focusing her attention towards the open door.

“I don't know,” Himchan said checking his watch. “The kid just suddenly disappeared.”

Annie soon found herself rushing out of the room with Himchan following close behind. However, she stopped when she found Daniel smiling and laughing with a person she least expected to come across once again. “Mr. Shin...” Annie uttered nervously.

A/N: Here's another update for you! I had a lot of trouble with this chapter but for some reason it came to me today. I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for making it boring lol. Enjoy! ^^

Of course! Most of you probably saw this coming... I think Himchan should have some sort of connection with Daniel too.