Chapter 78

Yongguk emerged from the bathroom in Daniel's room at the hospital wearing a new set of dry clothing provided by the other guys, much to his relief. Miranda looked over at him wearily, refusing to leave the boy's side. His head was bandaged as he was fast asleep. “Thanks a lot for your help, Yongguk,” Miranda's voice shook as she looked down at her son solemnly.

 

He clenched his jaw angrily as he placed his wet clothing down onto a nearby chair to dry. Making his way over to them, his expression softened as soon as he looked down at the boy. Instinctively, he reached over to his cheek. Daniel stirred but remained oblivious as he was off into dreamland. As much as he wanted to snap at Miranda, it was useless. Arguing and stress was bad for Daniel's state of being, he thought. “Annie's on her way,” he said.

 

Miranda's eyes glossed over, nodding. “You must be exhausted from tonight,” she said. “You can leave if you'd like. I think we'll be fine.”

 

“I'm not going anywhere,” he firmly stated, sighing heavily. “I'm gonna go wait outside for her.”

 

Miranda sighed in defeat before nodding once again, clearly she was in no mood to argue.

 

As soon as he was outside, the rest of the guys plus Jieun all stood up shifting their attention to him. “Hey,” Jieun weakly smiled, walking over to him. “How's it going in there?”

 

Yongguk chuckled wryly. “Awkward, as expected,” he muttered bitterly.

 

“How are you feeling?” she asked, reaching over to place the back of her hand against his forehead.

 

He softly moved her hand away. “I'm fine, Jieun,” he said.

 

“That water must have been cold though,” she pouted.

 

He sighed, narrowing his eyes. “Well all that matters is that Danny is safe and okay,” he said. “That's all that matters. My well-being is the least important right now.”

 

She sighed, averting her eyes towards his bruised right hand. “That being said,” she began, “You should get your hand checked out.”

 

He looked over at his hand, chuckling to himself. “It's nothing a bag of ice won't cure,” he assured her.

 

Soon, the sound of footsteps shuffling down the hall caught everyone's attention. They were soon face to face with a disheveled Annie and a breathless Lucy. “There you are!” Lucy exclaimed, catching her breath. “We got here as fast as we can.”

 

Annie's jaw hardened as she looked over at the close proximity between Jieun and Yongguk. From a distance as she and Lucy were making their way to the them, she saw how comfortable they were together and it hurt having to witness it from afar. Yongguk instinctively backed away from Jieun before making his way to Annie. “W-where is he?” she croaked, blinking back tears.

 

He pointed behind him with his thumb. “He's inside, resting,” he answered.

 

Annie nodded before absently pushing her way between Yongguk and Jieun. As soon as she disappeared inside, Lucy eyed the two people in speaking contemptuously.

 

“So,” she spoke up huffily, glancing at the other guys. “Is anyone going to tell me what happened?”

 

The rest of the guys looked over at Yongguk expectantly. He sighed bowing his head in defeat before instructing Lucy to sit down. Reluctantly, she agreed to do as she was told as she listened intently.

 

As it turned out, after the girls left the party, the chaos with the reporter eventually led everyone outside. Miranda, who was carrying Daniel in her arms, set him down momentarily hoping to lead him away by hand but because of the growing crowd and the feeling of congestion, Daniel suddenly disappeared. Realizing this, she panicked searching around deliriously for her son. Yongguk and the guys, including Himchan, took it upon themselves to search around for the boy.

 

It wasn't until he found a small body floating around in the swimming pool. Immediately, Yongguk stripped off his excess clothing before diving in after the little boy. After giving the boy CPR, Daniel coughed up water and appeared to be okay but there was a huge gash, along with a huge bump on his forehead. The paramedics were called and soon, he was hauled away onto a gurney with Miranda and Yongguk tagging along. As soon as they arrived, Yongguk immediately called Annie.

 

The guys arrived along with Jieun not too long after, providing their leader with a change of clothes. They were all waiting for Annie's arrival, they added along with their leader's testimony.

 

Lucy's eyes soon averted towards Yongguk's right hand. “Does that also explain what happened to your hand?” she asked curiously.

 

“This?” he looked down at his hand in speaking. “Oh well I may have lashed out at someone.”

 

Lucy's eyes widened. “What?!” she exclaimed. “Who?!”

 

“Mr. Shin,” Youngjae finally said.

 

“Danny's dad? No way!” Lucy sneered.

 

Daehyun chuckled wryly. “Yeah,” he added. “That bastard deserved it.”

 

Earlier, as Daniel was being hauled away onto a gurney, Miranda and Yongguk followed along until Yongguk was stopped abruptly by the absentee father himself. “I believe my son needs me,” Mr. Shin had said. Of course, that line itself gave him enough brownie points for Father of the Year, as the headlines would often state. But Yongguk, along with his friends, could see right through his bull. Angrily, Yongguk balled his fist before swinging it quickly enough to strike Mr. Shin's left cheek, delivering a huge blow that would knock the wind out of him. The crowd gasped, seemingly stunned at what they had just witnessed. “That was for Danny,” Yongguk spat out bitterly before storming off in a huff. But the media would soon have a field day with Mr. Shin's own public humiliation. Yongguk and the others, along with Miranda didn't seem to care at that point since Daniel's well-being was the most important at that moment.

 

Lucy slowly applauded him as soon as they'd told her. “Wow,” she uttered, smiling proudly at him. “Good job, Bang.”

 

Yongguk chuckled, shaking his head. “It was nothing,” he said.

 

---

Miranda eyed her wearily as she made her way over to Daniel. “I'll make this brief,” Annie said before planting a kiss on Daniel's soft cheek before turning to leave.

 

“Wait,” Miranda called after her.

 

Annie stopped, looking over her shoulder expectantly.

 

“Let's talk,” her tone sounded hopeful.

 

Annie curled her fists angrily. “Why don't we take this outside?” she offered. “We wouldn't want to wake him.” She glanced emphatically at Daniel's sleeping figure on the bed.

 

“Sounds good,” Miranda stood up, following her out the door.

 

As soon as they were outside, garnering the attention of the others, Annie impetuously charged toward her former employer, startling Miranda herself. Annie's friends gasped, seemingly stunned to see their friend snap. Yongguk stepped in to restrain Annie. “Let go of me, Yongguk,” she growled.

 

“Annie, this isn't a good idea. She's not worth it,” Yongguk reasoned, glancing back at Miranda. She looked so dazed and confused, he noted.

 

Annie refused to tear her dark eyes away from her employer as she spoke. “This is all your fault,” she spat out angrily. “You make me sick.” Angry tears b the inner corners of her eyes. “I don't know how you could live with yourself, Miranda.” Her voice shook. “None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you. He could have died. We're all lucky he's okay. Heck,” Annie chuckled wryly, “I'd be lucky to have him as my own child but instead he's unfortunate to have someone like you as his mother.” She paused, taking a breath before continuing, “I don't know what he did to deserve this, but one thing's for sure: You don't deserve to be his mother.”

 

Miranda took a moment to take it all in. She was right, she thought, her lips trembling.

 

“Just when I thought things were getting better,” Annie continued. “They get worst. And I think I know the root of the problem. Wait,” she scoffed, smiling wryly. “I know the problem: You. You, Miranda, are an unfit mother and I pity the next child you bring into this world.” She looked over at Miranda's abdomen for emphasis. “Please let go of me, Yongguk,” she pleaded, refusing to meet his eyes. She wanted to stick by Daniel's side in the hopes of getting her mind off the sorrow that's going around.

 

“I lost the baby,” Miranda announced, her voice shaking. Annie stopped in her tracks before turning back around again.

 

A stunned silence soon filled the hallway. Only the sounds of multiple heart monitors could be heard echoing throughout. “We should go,” Lucy whispered to the others, who nodded in agreement before walking off with Yongguk, Himchan, and Jieun remaining behind. Lucy had to cast a murderous glance Jieun's way for her to get the message. Soon, Himchan and Yongguk were left alone with Annie and Miranda.

 

“W-what?” Annie croaked, stunned.

 

“That night,” Miranda began, finding her voice. “When you took me to the hospital. I lost the baby.” She paused, considering her words carefully. “And when I went in for a follow-up appointment, I found out from Dr. Choi that I'm infertile which means I'll never be able to have kids again. So any hopes for Danny getting a little brother or sister have been vanished because I know it's impossible.” She sniffled, allowing herself to cry.

 

Annie softened, wanting to place a comforting hand on her shoulder but she had to fight the urge to do so since she still loathed the woman. She looked over at Himchan apologetically. He didn't seem to notice as he found himself reeling from the news itself.

 

He was unsure whether to feel relieved or devastated. Any questions of whether the baby was his or not was left unanswered but he had to ask anyways. “W-was it mine?” he stumbled.

 

Miranda shook her head, looking over at Himchan sympathetically. “Either way, the baby wouldn't have made it,” she admitted, looking away from him solemnly. “I didn't realize it until it was too late but I should have taken better care of myself.” She chuckled bitterly, sniffling. “I'm really sorry about all of this, Himchan.”

 

He stayed silent, taking another moment to regain his composure. He nodded finally without another word.

 

“Now you don't have to worry anymore,” Miranda told him.

 

He nodded once again, relaxing a bit.

 

As if on cue, the four of them heard a little voice yawning from inside. “Now,” she announced, wiping away her tears. “I think my son needs me.” She grinned before making her way to the room, glancing solemnly at Annie one last time before proceeding to go inside.

 

As soon as she was gone, Annie instinctively made her way over to Himchan, taking his face in her hands before pulling him close, hugging him tightly. “Are you okay?” she asked, making no attempt to mask her concern.

 

Himchan took a deep breath before nodding. “I will be,” he said, chuckling wryly before taking a another breath.

 

Yongguk firmly patted his best friend's back. “It's all over now,”

 

Himchan pulled away from Annie before reaching over to pat Yongguk's back as well as Annie's. “Thank you guys,” he said. “Thank you so much for sticking around.”

 

Annie chuckled, nodding. “Anytime, Himchan,” she said, wiping away the leftover tears on her face. “We're not going anywhere,” she turned to Yongguk. “Right Yongguk?”

 

Yongguk chuckled, shaking his head. “Of course not,” he said, turning back to his best friend. “We've been at this for too long for me to turn my back on you.”

---

 

Annie and Yongguk both sat beside Daniel as they both proceeded to read him a story from Annie's Kindle while the others stepped out. Himchan had gone back home to get cleaned up as well as making a promise to bring food since Annie hadn't eaten yet. Lucy had taken the others back home to also get cleaned up. The plan was for all of them to return together to stay with Daniel. Miranda had some of her own things to take care of as well, leaving Daniel under the watch of Annie and Yongguk. Together, they were starting to feel like a little family.

 

She managed to get Grimm's Fairy Tales since that was the story he wanted her to read for him ages ago and she couldn't resist. Instead of listening to the story, Yongguk paid more attention to Annie as she read aloud to him in her most animated, yet adorable voice. He couldn't help but smile as he watched on. Daniel would often giggle as Annie would tell him to swipe the screen so she could read the next page.

 

Instinctively, Yongguk reached up to take Annie's hand, which was softly Daniel's hair at that moment, caressing it. Annie felt a wave of excitement take over from the contact itself. She looked over at him and smiled, squeezing his hand in return. Yongguk leaned over to kiss it, making her blush. “Your turn,” she uttered, seemingly flustered as she handed him her tablet. “You pick a story.”

 

Yongguk glowered at her before taking her tablet, then cleared his throat, proceeding to read to Daniel. “Once upon a time...” he began, garnering Daniel's attention as well as Annie's.

 

His deep and husky voice was so y, she swooned as she listened to him read aloud. Clearly, Annie was more invested into the story than Daniel was. Looking down at the screen as Yongguk proceeded to wipe the screen, Annie saw his swollen hand. “Oh no!” she gasped, garnering his attention. “What happened?” she grabbed his hand to examine it closely.

 

He winced in pain, before pulling away from her. “It's nothing,” he said, handing the tablet to Daniel. “Hold this, will you?”

 

Daniel nodded, taking the tablet with ease.

 

Annie furrowed her brows, concerned. “Yongguk, do you seriously think I'm going to believe you?” she asked, tilting her head. “That looks bad. You need to get that looked at.” She turned around to grab the phone by the bed. “I'm calling a nurse.”

 

“No!” he reached over to stop her. “It's fine, Annie. I just need to put some ice on it, that's all.”

 

“Okay,” Annie nodded. “I'll just head over to the kitchen down the hall to ask for some ice.”

 

Yongguk groaned in frustration, making his way towards her. “I'll be fine,” he assured her. “I appreciate the concern.”

 

“Are you gonna tell me how that happened?” she asked, looking down at his hand emphatically.

 

He sighed in defeat before glancing over at Daniel. “I'll explain it to you outside,” he said, taking her hand.

 

Annie sighed, nodding in agreement. “Danny, we'll be out for a minute, will you be okay?” she called over to him.

 

Daniel nodded without tearing his eyes away from Annie's tablet.

 

Soon, Yongguk led her outside refusing to let go of her hand. “Okay, so what happened?” Annie asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

 

“I may have lashed out tonight and punched the out of Danny's poor excuse of a father,” Yongguk sheepishly said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

 

Annie gasped, “You did what?!” she hissed, her eyes widening.

 

Yongguk scoffed. “That bastard deserved it,” he said, “He had it coming.”

 

“Wow,” Annie uttered in amazement before smiling back at him. “Normally I wouldn't say this since someone got hurt but 'Good job'.” She slightly applauded him.

 

He gave her a cheeky smile. “Okay, since I did a good job in your eyes, do I get something out of it?” he asked boldly.

 

Annie rolled her eyes, sighing in annoyance “What do you want?” she asked dryly, crossing her arms firmly across her chest.

 

“This,” he said, inching closer, tilting her chin towards him before planting a soft kiss onto her lips.

 

Annie was hesitant at first, refusing to respond and keeping her arms crossed. Don't give in, her inner voice had said. You're supposed to be mad at him for not telling you about Jieun. You're still mad at him right? Screw it. You miss having him this close to you, Annie. In turn, Annie uncrossed her arms, reaching out to grab him by the shirt collar before pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Before long, she soon moved her hands to wrap around his neck.

 

After what felt like forever, he finally broke away from the kiss to catch his breath, pressing his forehead against hers. “Hmm,” he hummed, smirking back at her. “That was nice.”

 

Annie chuckled, smiling warmly back at him. “Yes, it was,” she nodded in agreement.

 

“Ahem,” their moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Annie and Yongguk backed away from one another before coming face to face with their friends, including Jieun. “Were we interrupting something?” Daehyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Not at all,” Annie chuckled nervously, glancing back at Yongguk.

 

Yongguk cleared his throat before averting his eyes towards the numerous amounts of bags the friends were carrying. “Need a hand?” he offered.

 

“I brought food,” Himchan announced, holding up a few of his own bags. Yongguk stepped forward to help his best friend before the both of them went inside.

 

“Me and the guys kind of went nuts at the gift shop,” Daehyun said sheepishly, looking down at his own bags.

 

Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I'm not sure what those numerous bags of candy are for,” she sneered. “Seriously,” she turned to Annie, shaking her head. “They went nuts with the candy, Annie. Make sure Danny doesn't see it. I would worry about those cavities...”

 

“Wow,” Youngjae uttered, amazed at Lucy. “For once your maternal instincts are starting to kick in. Bravo!”

 

Lucy ignored him before turning to Annie. “Me and Jieun went to pick up some flowers,” she said, smirking over at the beautiful singer.

 

Jieun chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, the room needs a bit of color, don't you think?” she said, sniffing the bouquet. “Not to mention, we need to cover up that hospital stench.”

 

Annie chuckled. “Thanks,” she said. “He'll appreciate the thought.” She looked inside. “Just set it over at the back table.” The two girls nodded before making their way inside.

 

“We brought games,” Jongup announced, holding up bags which contained boxes of board games.

 

“Yeah, in case he's bored and wants something to do,” Zelo added, scratching the back of his head.

 

“He'll love it,” Annie smiled allowing them to head inside before she turned her attention to Daehyun and Youngjae. “So, are you gonna tell me what all that candy is for?” She raised her eyebrows. “Because something tells me that it's not just for eating.”

 

Daehyun smirked over at Youngjae knowingly before turning to Annie. “We're planning on using them as poker chips,” he said. “We couldn't find any at the gift shop downstairs and no other store is opened at this time of night.” he peered inside. “Hey Jongup! Zelo! You guys got the deck of cards ready?”

 

“Right on it, hyung!” Jongup called out from inside, setting up the table.

 

“You're teaching a five year old how to play poker?” Annie gaped at her best friends. “You guys didn't bring any age-appropriate games?”

 

Daehyun and Youngjae chuckled nervously. “Well, you see, we didn't know what Danny would like so we brought our own games,” Daehyun said.

 

Annie face-palmed herself, shaking her head in annoyance. “If I get reprimanded, you idiots are going down with me!” she threatened them.

 

“Relax, Annie,” Daehyun placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

 

“Yeah, it's harmless,” Youngjae added, nodding in agreement. “We'll make sure this doesn't leave the hospital.”

 

Annie sighed in aggravation, pointing into the room. “Just go inside,” she demanded. “Go!” She pushed them aggressively.

 

“Geez, so demanding,” Daehyun sneered.

 

Annie sighed, shaking her head. “Boys,” she muttered under her breath before reclining into a nearby waiting chair. Leaning back against the wall, she decided to shut her eyes for a moment before joining them.

 

The sound of heels clicking against the marble floor, woke her from her daze. “Thanks for having me,” Jieun's voice rang out, prompting Annie to open her eyes. “I had a nice time.”

 

“Thanks for sticking around despite the events of tonight,” Yongguk responded cautiously, knowing Annie was around. “I really appreciate it.”

 

“You're heading out?” Annie asked, standing up.

 

Jieun nodded, reaching over to take Annie's hands in hers, catching the latter off guard. “It was really nice meeting you, Annie,” she grinned warmly back at her before glancing over at Yongguk, who was looking away awkwardly. “Please take care of Yonggukie for me.”

 

Annie chuckled and nodded before clearing . “Listen, Jieun,” she began, choosing her words carefully. “About earlier, I'm sorry for coming off as standoffish.”

 

“Oh, no,” Jieun giggled, shaking her head, “It's totally fine! I understand your position, Annie. I mean yes,” she glanced at Yongguk emphatically, “We dated but we're ancient history. Whatever you saw on stage was completely for show. There are no feelings between me and Yongguk. Right Gukkie?”

 

Yongguk cleared his throat, nodding. “Right.”

 

“See?” she turned her attention over to Annie. “So you can relax now. I'm sorry for causing any misunderstandings.” Annie nodded in return. “Clean slate?”

 

“Of course,” Annie grinned warmly back at her.

 

“That's great,” she finally said, releasing Annie's hands. “My manager is waiting for me downstairs so I should really get going.”

 

As she turned to leave, Annie stopped her. “Wait,” Jieun looked over her shoulder curiously, “Thanks, Jieun.”

 

“For what?” she shot Annie a puzzled look.

 

Annie glanced at Yongguk knowingly. “Thanks for sticking around,” she said with a sheepish grin.

 

Jieun chuckled, waving her hand coyly. “It was nothing,” she said. “You should have seen how relieved they were when they saw you.”

 

“Again, thanks.”

 

“No problem,” she said before walking off, leaving Annie and Yongguk to watch her retreating figure make her way down the hall. With one last look over her shoulder, she waved to them.

 

The couple smiled, waving back to her. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Jieun was soon inside, leaving Annie and Yongguk alone.

 

“So, now you know,” he broke the abrupt silence, turning back to her. “Miranda planned it all along.”

 

Annie nodded with a weak smile. “Yeah, I had a feeling it was her,” she said.

 

“I'm sorry, Annie,” he said. “I should have came to you and—“

 

Annie raised her hand to stop him. “It's fine, Yongguk,” she told him. “I'm really sorry about blowing you off. I was angry and scared.”

 

“Scared?” he shot her a puzzled look.

 

Annie nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, I was scared I might lose you to someone prettier and with more talent than me," she finally said, blinking back tears.

 

“Oh Annie,” he took her into his arms, holding her tightly. “Don't say that. You know it's not true. Miranda just wanted you to think that way when you know it wasn't true. I understand you were angry about it so let's just move past this, okay?” He pulled away from her.

 

Annie nodded, reaching up to wipe her face with her hand. “Please allow me to make it up to you,” she said

 

“Let's head back to my place,” he finally said. It was more of a demand than a question.

 

“Why?” she asked defiantly.

 

“I still need to get cleaned up,” he said. “I still smell like chlorine.”

 

“Well, why would you want to bring me? You're perfectly capable of going home by yourself without me, thank you very much,” she countered back.

 

He groaned in frustration. “Are we seriously doing this right now?” he grumbled. “Did it ever occur to you that I just want to be alone with you? Without them?” he pointed inside, where the friends were laughing together entranced in their game. “I didn't get to see you all day, Annie. Humor me just this once, huh? I promise I'll bring you back in one piece.”

 

Annie sneered, pointing a warning finger towards him. “No funny business,” she firmly said. “And you better keep that promise.”

 

He raised his hands in defeat. “I will assure you nothing funny will happen,” he promised. “And I promise I'll bring you back.”

 

“Fine,” she sighed, “We should at least tell them first.” He nodded in agreement before allowing Annie inside.

 

They both entered to find their friends gathered around Daniel's bed with a few cards in hand. Lucy and Himchan stood over each guys' shoulder to peer down at the cards in case someone cheated. Daehyun and Youngjae each sat beside Daniel, teaching him how to play poker while munching on their impromptu poker chips, otherwise known as the candy they bought from the gift shop.

 

“Dae, you're eating all of the poker chips,” Lucy pointed out.

 

He brushed her off. “I'll go buy more downstairs,” he replied absently, focusing on his cards. “No big deal, Luce.” He looked down at the boy. “So Danny, what do you think? Raise, call, or fold?”

 

Daniel shook his head innocently. “I don't know, hyung,” he responded before picking up one of the candies on the table, placing it into his mouth.

 

“You just ate the last piece,” Daehyun pouted.

 

“That's what you get for influencing him, Daehyun,” Himchan spoke in a motherly tone, chuckling. “Now you're broke.” He bluntly stated.

 

Daehyun shrugged indifferently before calling. “I call.”

 

Youngjae sighed, putting his cards face down on the table. “I fold.”

 

“Fold,” said Zelo, also putting his cards down.

 

The whole table soon shifted their attention over to Jongup. “I'm raising,” he eyed Daehyun with a snide smirk before tossing in his pieces of candy. “So what'll it be, hyung?” He looked over at Daehyun, feigning innocence.

 

This kid, Daehyun sneered back at the younger guy, I knew there was more to that innocent little act of his. He scoffed, “I fold,” he placed his cards down on the table sighing in defeat.

 

Jongup grinned widely before placing his cards down, showing everyone that he had a winning hand. “Thanks hyungs!” he beamed before reaching over to slide his winnings over to his side of the table.

 

“What's your secret?” Daehyun asked.

 

Jongup gaped over at him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, hyung,” he remarked, shaking his head.

 

“You just need to have a really good poker face, hyung,” Zelo added.

 

“I DO have a good poker face!” Daehyun exclaimed defiantly.

 

The whole room grew silent.

 

Youngjae cleared his throat finally, breaking the silence. “Yeah, Dae,” he reached over to place an arm over his best friend's shoulder. “About that, you have a horrible poker face.”

 

“How?” Daehyun barked back.

 

Before Youngjae could go off on a little spiel about Daehyun, Lucy groaned in annoyance. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced. “Get ready for some Daehyun 101 from our very own Yoo Youngjae himself!”

 

“Luce, don't interrupt Jae!” Daehyun reprimanded her.

 

Lucy rolled her eyes in return before shifting her attention over to Annie and Yongguk. “There you are!” she gave them a relieved smile. “I was wondering where you guys were. I was starting to assume you were running away or something...”

 

Yongguk and Annie chuckled nervously, glancing at one another knowingly. “About that...” Yongguk began, glancing at the rest of the friends. “I was wondering if I can have your permission to take Annie away for the night...”

 

Someone wolf-whistled. The room turned their attention over to Daehyun, knowing he was the source of the sound. “What?”

 

Lucy chuckled, “Not sure why you're asking for our permission, Bang.” She smirked over at Annie. “I mean, Annie's a big girl so she's pretty capable of making her own decisions. Right Annie?”

 

The room soon shifted their attention to the girl in speaking, who turned a deep shade of pink. “Right,” she replied sheepishly.

 

“So what'll it be, Annie?” Lucy asked, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

 

Annie took note of Himchan's bemused grin from across the room before looking over at Daniel. “What about Danny?” she asked around. “Who's gonna keep an eye on him?”

 

Youngjae cleared his throat, waving his hand emphatically. “Um, hello? We're here, remember?” he pointed out.

 

“But—“ Annie spoke up, running out of excuses at that point. It was everyone's word against hers. At this point, she was seemingly defeated.

 

Yongguk interrupted her. “Okay, it's already been settled,” he pointed out, grabbing Annie's hand leading her out of the room. He looked over his shoulder one more time before mouthing a “Thanks” to her friends before finally leaving.

---

 

Annie browsed around the apartment curiously, surely if she lived in a place like this, it must have been lonely, she thought. Soon, she came across a picture frame of two identical little boys. Yongnam and Yongguk, how adorable, she smiled to herself as she picked it up to examine it. There were a few more pictures of him and Natasha as well as a few more recent pictures of him and his brother. They had a really good-looking family, she thought.

 

Soon, she found herself in his room. It began to slowly dawn on her that she'd never step foot in here before and here was, out in the open. It was nice and spacious just like outside in the living room. There was a giant walk-in closet at one end, as well as a giant window overlooking the city. It was also furnished with a king-sized bed in the center, a flat-screened TV hanging above the wall from across. Under the TV, she spotted an entertainment system which revealed a collection of Blu-Rays as well as a record collection with an old fashioned record player. Curiously, Annie soon found herself browsing through his record collection. Impressive, she thought smiling to herself. Not too shabby, Bang.

 

As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, Yongguk searched around the premises for her as he dried his hair with another towel. It didn't take him long to find her entranced in his record collection, seemingly oblivious to his presence in the room. He looked on, smiling in amusement before deciding to make his presence known. “Ahem,” he cleared his throat loud enough for her to hear. “What do you think you're doing?”

 

Annie jumped back, her eyes widened as if she was caught red-handed. “I was just leaving!” she stood up immediately, turning to face him. When she saw that Yongguk was half-, she gasped, turning away from him. He saw that she was blushing. “Oh my gosh!” she covered her eyes.

 

Yongguk found himself chuckling, shaking his head. “Relax, I was just in here about to get dressed,” he announced.

 

“Right,” she said breathlessly averting her eyes away from his body. Even from her peripheral vision, she could see the outline of his abs, and defined muscles. Her breathing hitched as the room started to feel hot. “I was just leaving.”

 

“I know,” he said flatly. “You just said that.”

 

“Right,” she chuckled nervously.

 

“You also just said that,” he replied.

 

She turned to glare back at him but couldn't bring herself to focus on his face, which wore an amused grin at that moment. Instead, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his body. The bottom half was covered in towel. Crap, Annie. What have you gotten yourself into?

 

“You're free to watch me get dressed if you'd like,” he offered suavely, raising an eyebrow.

 

Annie shook those thoughts away before clearing . “I'm fine, thank you,” she finally said, quickly leaving the room.

 

Yongguk chuckled to himself, shaking his head. This is going to be an interesting night, he thought to himself as he made his way over to his closet to get dressed.

---

Annie paced around the kitchen with a glass of water in hand, trying to fan herself from what she'd seen. She always knew Yongguk had a nice build but she clearly wasn't ready for what she had witnessed. Her heart started to race rapidly just thinking about it. “Ugh!” she groaned. “I hate you, Yongguk! What the hell are you doing to me? Why are you making me all jittery? Gah! This isn't fair!”

 

“There you are!” a familiar deep voice rang out.

 

“Ah!” she jumped back from the shock once again. He sure had a knack for unintentionally scaring her when she least expected it. Her eyes widened as she realized that instead of a towel, he was in nothing but a pair of dark gray sweatpants. She swallowed hard as he absently made his way to her before reaching behind her to drink from the glass of water she had set down. “Hey! That was mine!” She was beginning to wonder if he could hear her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

 

He shrugged indifferently. “It's my kitchen,” he stated. “Meaning whatever is in here belongs to me.” He looked over at her emphatically.

 

Annie scoffed, clearing , trying her best to avert her eyes away from ogling at top half of his body, which was still bare. Either way, she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away. “Whatever,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Could you, maybe, um, put on a shirt?” She asked sheepishly, attempting a weak smile.

 

He looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. “Why?” he smirked. “Don't like what you see?”

 

“I never said that,” she barked back, trying her best to keep her breathing steady. Even the kitchen was starting to feel hot and yet no one was using the advanced appliances provided.

 

“Then, why should I put on a shirt? It's my house, my kitchen, meaning I'm free to do whatever I want,” he smirked mockingly, inching towards her. “So I can walk around half- if I wanted to.”

 

Her breathing hitched as she was backed against a counter. “Bang, what do you think you're doing?” she asked, her voice wavering. “Come any closer and I will knee you in the groin again. Don't think I won't.” She tried to sound threatening, but to no avail.

 

“I'd like to see you try,” his husky voice was like music to her ears as he inched even closer, closing the space between them. “Feeling jittery now?”

 

Annie's eyes widened.

 

“You know how much it hurts my feelings to hear you say you hate me?” he pursed his lips, reaching over to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

 

“You know, I don't mean that,” she tried to sound as assuring as possible.

 

“Prove it,” he said.

 

With both hands, she pushed him away. “Put on a shirt,” she demanded stepping away from him to catch her breath.

 

He laughed. “That was pretty funny,” he said, grabbing the black shirt hanging from a bar stool proceeding to put it on before her. It turned out to be a black beater which showed off hugged his body in all the right places, Annie thought.

 

“You're such an ,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

 

“Oh come on,” he groaned. “You should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless.”

 

“Shut up, Bang,” she huffed, storming out of the kitchen. “Take me back to the hospital! Our friends are expecting us!”

 

“Sorry, Annie!” he called out to her. Taking out his phone from his pocket to compose a replicated text message to the guys. “No can do. I already texted the guys and told them you were spending the night with me. They said they'll tell Lucy.” As soon as he was finished, he immediately placed his phone back into his pocket knowing she was about to join him in: 3... 2... 1. Her petite figure emerged soon after wards on cue.

 

“What?!” Annie exclaimed.

---

 

“Come on, Annie,” Yongguk prodded her, sitting up on the bed.

 

Annie, wearing a pair of his Calvin Klein boxers lent to her by Yongguk himself, stubbornly walked over to grab one of the pillows from his bed before proceeding to set it on the floor. “I'll be fine on the floor,” she told him.

 

“It's not very comfortable,” he pointed out, leaning over to peer down at her, “And it gets pretty cold.”

 

“Then, don't hog the blanket,” she demanded. “I'll be fine.”

 

“Just come to bed, Annie,” he urged pleadingly.

 

She groaned. “If I sleep up there, will you sleep above the sheets?” she asked, sitting back up to look at him.

 

“Whatever,” he raised his hands in defeat. “Anything to get you to sleep up here with me.”

 

She looked around for a potential weapon but found none near in sight. “Fine,” she said, proceeding to join him on the bed. “But I'm sleeping with one eye open.”

 

“If you insist,” he shrugged, straightening out the comforter before laying back down beside her above the sheets like she'd asked.

 

“Good,” she said curtly, placing a pillow as a barrier between them.

 

“Come on,” he whined, “Seriously?”

 

“I have to take some precautions, Yongguk,” she barked back.

 

“Annie,” he groaned, growing aggravated at Annie's stubborn behavior. “Will you stop?” He demanded.

 

His tone of voice, prompted Annie to sit still, gulping in fear.

 

“You're being really childish right now,” he reprimanded her. “If it makes you feel any better, we won't do anything that we're not ready for. So can you please cut it out so we can sleep in peace?”

 

“Fine,” she pouted, gritting her teeth before removing the pillow then she laid back down, turning her body away from him.

 

Yongguk sighed in defeat, lying back down placing the blanket over his legs. Before long, he proceeded to shut his eyes but he couldn't bring himself to sleep. There was a lot on his mind as he tossed and turned eventually shifting his position so that he was facing Annie.

 

She was sound asleep. Her breathing was loud enough to echo throughout the room. It wasn't as bad as snoring, he thought. Either way, he found her to be an adorable sight to see as she slept. Smiling tenderly back at her, he instinctively reached over to brush another strand of hair away from her face.

 

She stirred in her sleep before slowly opening her eyes, finding herself staring back at him. For a moment, they stared back at each other. Even in the dim lighting, it managed to capture his muscular form perfectly. His Adam's apple was moving up and down as she heard him swallow without tearing his eyes away from hers.

 

“Are you sleepy?” she asked softly, breaking the silence.

 

He shook his head. “Are you?” he threw the question right back at her.

 

“Not really,” she said, allowing herself to sit up bringing her knees to her chest.

 

“You got a lot on your mind too?” he asked, sitting up with her.

 

She nodded, chuckling wryly. “Believe it or not, in the midst of all that chaos,” she began, taking a breath, “I got fired as Danny's nanny.”

 

He placed a comforting hand on her back, caressing it softly. “I'm sorry to hear that,” he said.

 

Annie scoffed, shaking her head. “It's not that big of a deal,” she said. “I'll miss Danny but I won't miss Miranda.”

 

“Have you decided what you were going to do?” he couldn't help but ask.

 

Annie turned to face him. “Well aside from job hunting, I was thinking of taking another break,” she said finally. “I'm not even sure about law school anymore.”

 

“How come?”

 

“Well, for starters, I can't afford it. And I blew my chances of having any potential future references,” she said, “Besides, I'm not even sure I want to be a lawyer anymore. They're a bunch of s who care about nobody but themselves.”

 

Yongguk chuckled in response. “Not all of them are like that,” he pointed out. “But you do make a good point.” He told her.

 

“I guess it's time for another bout of soul-searching,” Annie mused pessimistically.

 

“It doesn't have to be a negative thing, you know,” he said. “Maybe this is what you need. And know that I'll always be around in case you need a push.” He winked.

 

Annie chuckled, staring back at him tenderly. “Thank you,” she said genuinely.

 

“Anytime,” he smiled warmly back at her. Just then, a realization came to mind. “I think I have just the thing to help you.”

 

She furrowed her brows in confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked curiously. Soon, Yongguk leaned over to his nightstand to grab something from the drawer. “What are you doing?” She chuckled.

 

He then pulled out a familiar book before handing it back to her. “Here,” he said. “I believe this belongs to you.”

 

Annie's eyes widened, seemingly stunned. She clutched the hardcover spiral notebook in her hands, feeling around the cover hoping it was real. She remembered the scribbles the back cover, especially her little threatening message in the back at the bottom. She chuckled to herself, knowing the message itself was meant for Daehyun and Youngjae since they loved to meddle into her journal. “How—“ she turned to Yongguk.

 

“You dropped it that first time we ran into each other, remember?” he reminded her.

 

“And you kept it all this time?” she asked incredulously.

 

He nodded, scratching the back of his head. “I was waiting for the right time to return it to you,” he said.

 

“Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for this?”

 

He looked away apologetically, “I'm sorry I kept it from you for so long.”

 

“Did you read it?” she asked.

 

He nodded sheepishly. “I may have browsed through it a little.”

 

“Oh gosh,” Annie groaned in embarrassment, hiding behind her journal.

 

“I'm sorry, Annie,” he reached over to move the journal away from her pretty face. “I just grew a little curious about its owner, that's all. And I'm glad I did,” he grinned back at her. “Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten to know such an amazing girl.”

 

Annie felt her heart softened, her eyes began to well up. Instinctively, she set aside the journal before reaching over to hold Yongguk in her arms. “Thank you, Yongguk,” she said softly. “For everything. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

 

He caressed the small of her back, she could feel his smile from over her shoulder. “Anytime,” he said, pulling away to hold her face in her hands. “I love you, Annie.”

 

Annie only smiled back at him in return. “I love you too, Yongguk,” she said, allowing a single teardrop to slide freely down her cheek.

 

He wiped it away with the back of his thumb before leaning in to kiss her, closing the distance left between them.

---

A/N: Hello everyone! This is going to be the second to last chapter! I needed to find a way to wrap things up without dragging anything. Sorry if this disappointed out but Miranda got what's coming to her and if you guys are disappointed then I apologize. Honestly though, an established adult who is infertile is actually heartbreaking so I feel like it's punishment enough for her. Just saying. It breaks my heart when an older established married couple can't conceive when there are teenage girls out there getting pregnant every day. It's true though. I'm sad that this story is ending but it's opening a door for me to want to write some more and I have you guys to thank! I was angry at Annie for being stubborn as I wrote this chapter lol. But then, to make up for it, I decided to write some Bang and Annie moments. Imagine Yongguk walking around shirtless with you around... Yeah, I'd become flustered just like Annie too. As for Danny, it wasn't anything serious. I think what happened to him symbolized how Miranda was treating him throughout the story. The risk of losing her only son was enough to knock some sense into her. How about that poker sequence? I thought that was hilarious. I can imagine Jongup, with his 4D-ness using his straight face to beat his hyungs at poker. I thought it was hilarious. The key to winning poker is having a good poker face. At least that's what I think lol. I have a horrible poker face. I played with my younger brother and lost all of the change from my wallet to him (we didn't have poker chips so I had to use the coins in my wallet, other than that we used candy as currency lol).

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! ^^ The next chapter is going to be a special one. :D