Chapter 62

“I'll just leave you two alone,” she announced, standing up finally, gesturing to her kitchen. “I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.” Without another word, she finally left the room.

“Alright, tell me,” demanded Yongguk, in a soft yet cold tone. Annie could clearly hear the anger in his tone and she had to admit, it intimidated her nonetheless. “I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself and don't leave anything out.” He said firmly, expectantly waiting for his friend to begin.

“What can I say, Bang?” Himchan started off. “It's simple as that. It's just a typical story of a simple crush turning into something more. That bastard husband of hers was treating her like and let's just say I came in and swept her off her feet.”

“When was this?” Yongguk asked cautiously.

“Around the time after Danny was born,” he answered, looking away from his best friend.

“Why?”

“I thought I already told you,” he said.

“Knowing you, there's definitely more to it,” Yongguk said calmly, waiting expectantly for his friend to continue.

“It has a lot to do with staying with the music department, if I agreed to meet her every now and then my tuition would be covered until I graduate,” he finally said.

Yongguk took a moment to digest this bit of information before nodding slowly in understanding. “I see,” was all he managed to say.

“Now I know that it was clearly not worth it,” Himchan finally said. “As I've said it in the beginning, I'm not proud of this. Danny's feelings are on the line and I can't hurt him more than I already am.”

Seething, Yongguk finally managed to turn to his friend with a darkened expression. “Is it—is it over?” he asked.

Peering from the kitchen, Annie was glad she got out while she can in the hopes of avoiding his pent up rage he'd been bottling up inside. She then felt horrible for not being honest with him. She was starting to wonder how he'd react if he heard about Himchan spending the night. Maybe it was time to be honest but she knew that now was not a great time. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by an incoming phone call from Lucy. Sighing, she answered it. “Yes?”

“Can I come home now?” asked a very impatient Lucy.

Annie sighed, rolling her eyes. “Not yet,” she said softly.

“Annie, what the hell is going on?” Lucy asked impatiently. “It's my only day off! For the first time in a LONG time, I'd like to go home and get some sleep. Maybe watch a whole season of 'Revenge' while I'm at it. You know what? I could use a good laugh after this very drama-filled morning, I'll just watch a whole season of 'New Girl' instead! Just once, can I come home and be a lazy bum? Just once? Please, Annie!” She begged. “Plus, Bang's annoying twin brother won't leave me alone!”

“I can hear you, you know,” Yongnam's voice rang out from the background.

“See what I mean?” exclaimed an outraged Lucy. “One more minute with him he's gonna make me want to shoot myself.”

Yongnam burst into laughter in the background. “Sounds like fun, can I watch?” he asked innocently.

“NO, YOU CANNOT WATCH!” Lucy barked back. “GAH!!!!!!!!!!”

She heard more snickering in the background. “I think Lucy's met her match, Jae,” Annie could hear Daehyun's voice ringing out.

“Uh-oh, Dae,” Youngjae's voice popped up. “She's gonna kill you. Uh-oh... uh-oh, RUN!” Annie swore she heard a loud crash in the background which prompted her to slightly remove the phone away from her ear before pressing against it once again. She rolled her eyes once she heard some male snickers along with Daehyun's diva-like scream along with Lucy's agitated She-Hulk scream. From what Annie could tell, Lucy was seething angry, as amusing as it sounded at the moment, she smiled to herself imagining the chaos that would ensue when Lucy was flustered. She was worst than Annie, at least that's what she thought.

“Luce, will you just calm down?” Annie demanded. “You can come home once everything boils over.”

“And when might that be?” Lucy inquired in a challenging tone.

“Soon,” said Annie, rubbing her temple with her left hand.

“How soon?” Lucy continued.

Annie sighed in frustration. “I don't know, okay?!” She finally spat out in agitation, before calming down. “Just hang in there, Luce.”

After an abrupt silence, Lucy sighed in defeat. “Alright,” she finally said. “But you, my friend, still have a whole lot of explaining to do.”

“I know,” Annie told her. “I'll talk to you later.”

“Alright, be strong, Annie,” Lucy encouraged her best friend. “See you later.”

“Thanks,” Annie had said before hanging up, placing the phone in her pocket. She then proceeded to resume listening in on Yongguk and Himchan's conversation before deciding to exit the kitchen to join them.

“I assure you that it's over, Bang,” Himchan finally said, breaking the abrupt silence that had ensued between them.

“How can you be sure?” Yongguk countered. “It's Miranda we're talking about here. I know you're convinced it's over but is she convinced it's over?”

Himchan sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “I don't know,” he answered truthfully.

“How's it going in here?” Annie asked as she made her way into the room with a tray containing two mugs of coffee along with other snacks, setting it down onto the table before Yongguk and Himchan.

“I feel a lot better now,” Himchan smiled in relief, shifting his attention over to her.

“That's great,” she smiled back as she settled down beside him before glancing over across at Yongguk wearily.

“So you knew this whole time?” he asked, breaking the abrupt silence that ensued as soon as she entered.

She nodded, choosing to focus her attention on the coffee table.

“Why didn't you tell me?” he asked, the hurt was almost evident in his tone.

The tone itself scared her the most. How would she tell him Himchan had spent the night? She swallowed hard before looking over at Himchan. “I felt like it wasn't my place to say anything,” she managed to say. “It was supposed to be Himchan's job.”

“She's right, Bang,” he spoke up, nodding in agreement. “There's no reason for you to be upset with her. It's my fault she's in this.” He gazed over at her tenderly. “I'll get her out of it.”

“Wait,” Yongguk perked up. “What do you mean?”

“Miranda's trying to pay me off just to keep my mouth shut,” Annie bowed her head in defeat.

“What?” His eyes widened. He then slumped back against the couch, scoffing, “You've got to be kidding me.”

“It's true,” she managed to say, looking over at him wearily. “I refused her money. And then, I told her I'm only sticking around for Danny and that whatever goes on between her and Himchan is none of my business,” she turned to Himchan. “I even told her I wouldn't stay friends with you since that's what she's always wanted.”

Himchan scoffed. “Yeah right. That didn't seem to please her,” he snidely remarked.

“What do you mean?” Annie asked curiously.

“She's afraid of you, Annie,” he told her.

Annie froze, mouth agape. “She's afraid of me?” she repeated. Himchan nodded. “Why?”

“Knowing Miranda,” he began, staring ahead deep in thought, “She believes people can change. Like you, for instance, behind that pretty innocent little face of yours, there's a hungry girl willing to expose all of her deepest, darkest secrets to the world.” He said in a dramatic tone.

“That's a little extreme, don't you think?” Yongguk chimed in turning to Annie expectantly.

“What, is she on some drug or something?” Annie scoffed at the ridiculous thought.

Himchan shrugged. “Probably. I wouldn't know,” he replied nonchalantly.

Annie scoffed, glancing from one best friend to the other. “I'm not stupid,” she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest. “I never knew she was in over her head.”

“That's Miranda for you,” Himchan pointed out matter-of-factly.

“I should have known. For some reason, this comes as no surprise,” Yongguk shook his head. “You see,” he looked over at Annie. “This is why it's not too late to get out now.”

Annie turned to face him. “Remember what I said?” she reminded him. “It's not even about the money anymore, Yongguk. I'm only staying for Danny. You guys should all know that.” She looked from him to Himchan once again.

“We understand,” Himchan spoke up. “But the longer you stay, the more she's gonna torment you. I had to learn the hard way...”

“Why? What were you planning on doing?” she asked, furrowing her brows.

“Well for starters, I'd have to stepped down as Danny's music teacher,” he began, looking down at the food on the table. “If she has me kicked out of school then that's one less thing for me to worry about since going to that school is already toxic as it is,” he muttered bitterly.

Annie gasped. “But what will you do?” she asked worriedly.

Himchan sighed and shook his head. “I'll figure something out,” he told her. “I just can't be anywhere near her anymore.” He spoke so earnestly before turning back to face her. “I hope you understand, Annie.” She nodded in understanding in return.

“Great, then I guess that means you can come full-time to the studio from now on,” Yongguk spoke up finally garnering the attention of his best friend and Annie. “The album can't work on itself.”

“Gee, thanks Bang,” remarked Himchan. “Nice to know I have your unwavering support.” He mused, shaking his head. “So much for trying to take a break.”

“Hey, I'm only trying to help,” countered Yongguk, chuckling softly.

Annie chuckled along with them before looking away sadly. She considered the two best friends' advice and knew she had a lot to think about before returning again to work. It won't be easy leaving him. She was beginning to imagine how hurt he'd be if he were to find out about her resignation but they were right. Miranda was horrible and a person like her didn't deserve to raise Daniel. She clenched her fist angrily as she thought about how unfit Miranda was as a mother.

“Something on your mind?” Yongguk's voice rang out interrupting Annie from her reverie.

She sighed. “I'm just thinking, that's all,” she told him before looking away once again.

“It is a lot to consider,” he replied.

“What am I gonna do?” she sighed, slumping back against the cushion of the couch. “This was my only job.”

“You'll figure it all out,” Himchan assured her as a thought soon occurred to him. “If I remembered correctly, I thought you wanted to go back to law school.”

“Law school?” Yongguk looked over at her, furrowing his brows. “How come I didn't know about this?”

“You never asked,” Annie smiled mischievously at him.

“There's a lot of things you two need to learn about each other,” Himchan chuckled, shaking his head before turning his attention back to Annie. “You could still consider it, you know.”

Annie sighed. “At this rate I'm going? That's not a good idea right now,” she looked down at the table before them. “Plus, I still can't afford it. Not when I have all these bills to pay with Lucy. Roommate duties.” She said matter-of-factly. “Growing up, we've always wanted to do things on our own. But this was not what we expected.” She frowned, fiddling with her fingers. “This was the plan: Lucy has always aspired to go to art school and I wanted to go to law school.” She beamed. “But, as you can see, some things don't always go as planned.”

“But,” Yongguk spoke up. “You could always change that, you know.”

“That's true,” Himchan nodded in agreement. “And you have us here to help you out.” He gave her a reassuring wink in turn.

Annie chuckled. She had to admit, she missed his warmness towards her. It felt nice to have him back in her life once again. “Thanks for the enthusiasm,” she said, grinning.

“That's what we're here for,” Himchan replied.

They giggled together but their cheery facade was soon interrupted by someone clearing their throat loudly. Turning their attention to Yongguk, they found him glaring over at them. “I'm still in the room too, you know,” he grumbled.

Sighing, Annie stood up before making her way over to him then leaned in to give him a reassuring kiss on the lips. “I'm sorry,” she apologized with a warm grin.

He softened, a hint of a smile began to form onto his own lips. “You owe me breakfast,” he muttered before leaning in to kiss her again.

It was now Himchan's turn to clear his throat, grabbing their attention. “Guys? I'm still here,” he proclaimed.

“So, you and Bang,” Himchan spoke up in the car, breaking the awkward silence. “How—how--?” he fumbled with his question but Annie caught on right away.

“Since yesterday,” she replied promptly, staring straight down at the road ahead.

“I see,” he nodded slowly in understanding. “How did it—How did it—you know...?” He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

“How did it begin?” she asked, finishing his sentence for him as she looked over at him curiously.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah,” he replied.

She chuckled. “You're gonna laugh,” she told him.

“Try me,” he told her, waiting expectantly for her to continue.

“I accidentally -dialed him,” she chuckled.

“You, -dialed Bang?” he repeated, gaping at her in astonishment.

“Mhmm,” she nodded, giggling. “The funny thing was, I actually meant to call you.”

“Me?” he turned to face her before shifting his attention back to the road ahead. “Why me?”

“Well, I was actually fighting the urge to call you and apologize for being such a and I was also willing to hear you out until you conveniently stopped by last night,” she informed him. He shot her a look before allowing her to continue. “Then, what do you know? I fumbled trying to come up with a probable excuse as to why I was suddenly calling him and he clearly called me out on it and that was when I suddenly pulled the trigger!”

“Pulled the trigger?” he turned to her, confused.

“It's a figure of speech,” she pointed out. “Daehyun told me what it meant.”

“That's new,” he mused before allowing her to continue once again.

“So as I was saying,” she resumed. “I suddenly outed myself and then hung up and hid my phone in a haystack known as my couch.” Himchan chuckled. “That's not the funny part,” she continued. “The funny part came when I made my way over to the studio the next morning and mistakenly bumped into Yongnam, and me, being my idiotic self once again, thinking he was Yongguk and what do you know? I ended up confessing my feelings to the wrong brother.” She looked away sheepishly.

Himchan laughed cynically. “That's pretty funny,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, I never knew Yongnam had it in him to go tell his brother,” she muttered.

“If there's one thing you should know about the Bang brothers,” Himchan turned his attention to her once again. “It's the fact that they hate mind games. They would prefer it if someone was honest and direct with them. It's just how it is. Most guys are like that. Even I'm like that. So Yongnam did a good thing by helping you out. I mean look at where it got you and his younger brother. I mean, if anything, you should be thanking him,” He reasoned.

Annie took a moment to take in his advice before nodding slowly. “You're right,” she grinned. “I am really, really happy right now. I mean it's the first time I've actually smiled like this in,” she sat deep in thought for a moment, “Who knows how long? It's been a while, that's all I know.”

“I'm happy for you, Annie,” he replied honestly even though having to say that broke his heart at the same time.

“Well, I'm actually glad I can share this with you,” she said tenderly. “Believe it or not, the others have no clue about this. They have no idea what's going on so I still owe them an explanation.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Don't I feel special,” he remarked.

“In a way, you kind of are,” she grinned warmly. “You're a very special friend, Himchan.”

Soon, he found a parking spot in the garage before turning off the car. “We're here,” he announced.

Annie nodded before unbuckling her own seat belt. “Are you ready?” she asked hopefully.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” he replied confidently. “What about you?”

“I'm just extremely nervous right now,” she fidgeted.

He reached over for her hand then gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You have me,” he declared. “I'll be there with you.”

She nodded, sighing in relief. “Thank you,” she said.

“Anytime,” he grinned warmly back at her.

They both finally got out of the car then proceeded to make their way into the building together.

A/N: Hello again! This was not exactly my best chapter... I'm sorry it didn't seem to intrigue you guys as much as the last few updates. Prepare for some drama-filled upcoming chapters. Don't mind the minor errors. I'll come back and fix them. XD Well, Himchan provided a bit of an explanation and Annie is really starting to see how crazy Miranda is. The affair should have ended but she was in way too deep with Himchan, who seemed to have wanted out. On a brighter note, Annie and Himchan are now friends again. That declaration at the end made by Annie was so touching but at the same time very heartbreaking for me to write knowing how Himchan feels about her. How about that brief appearance by Lucy with Yongnam and DaeJae in the background? That was pretty amusing to write about lol. Anyways, I'll try to update soon once again but there are a few setbacks. I have to study for an exam and have another assignment due on Wednesday along with a long work weekend. My week has been cut out for me. Yay! NOT -_- Anyways, enjoy! Happy reading! ^^