As soon as the meeting was over, Yifan back in his seat and loosened his tie. He felt like it was choking him the whole time he wore it. The shoes were a pain too because they were a size smaller plus it was in the color of navy blue, which he totally hated because his suit was the sophisticated color of black. He thought it mismatched and he was being self-conscious of himself throughout the entire meeting because the eagle-eyes of the executives and of the representatives of their company were on him the whole time. 

Yifan sighs to himself when he leans back on the chair as the other representatives that attended the meeting were one by one, going out of the doors. "That was.." he turns his chair to face his father, before sighing again. "Boring." he admits. 

His father actually chuckles at that as he piles up his paper and puts them back on the folder. The large screen behind him goes dark and all Yifan could see then was his own reflection. "Well, you looked like you weren't paying any attention at all."

"Oh, I really wasn't." he says.

Mr. Wu shakes his head. "Yifan, please be more keen on these things. You'll be attending more of these meetings in the future, and by then, you won't be the one listening, but you'll be the one in front; speaking." 

Yifan purses his lips as he thought back to the strong image his father had when he had spoke in front of the two dozen people around the large, oval table. He had looked serious and his face read out that he was here for serious business. For the first time in his life, Yifan had gotten to see the leadership his father possessed. And he realized he's been having that leadership every since he had inherited the company from Yifan's grandfather. 

In front of the 24 people in the room including Yifan, he looked calm and composed but there was an air of seriousness around him. The kind of 'serious' one would have when one is playing chess or perhaps, solving a 1000 piece puzzle. 

"Was it really that boring?" his father suddenly asks, making him look up. 

Yifan nods, rather timidly. "Kind of. Um, yeah." 

It was his father's turn to sigh. "I'm sure you had better things to do today, hm? But... you have to get used to it though."

Without his own consent, a smiling Jung Sooyeon with eyes the shape of crescent moons popped up from the depths of his mind. He's imagining her, smiling right at him as they had fun. He imagines what the afternoon would've been like if he had spent it with her instead. He imagines all the things they could've done together. He imagines all of that. He even imagines himself smiling back at her.

But Yifan shakes his head, trying to bring him back to reality. But deep down, he was wondering how Sooyeon was doing or what she was doing right then. "It's alright." he says, voice barely audible as he stood up, and his father did the same. They were the only ones left in the meeting room. "I mean.. it's the longest time we've spent with each other so far." Yifan's voice completely dropped to a murmur by then.

His father had still heard his words though, no matter how quiet they sounded. And from the corner of Yifan's eye, he could see his father looking down in disappointment as he frowns. And they stand there, not looking at each other and not talking to each other. They just stand there, for a good thirty seconds. 

Yifan then suddenly clicks his tongue. "Anyways," he says to get rid of the heavy and awkward atmosphere around them. "When were you going to tell me?" he asks. 

Mr. Wu gathers his wits before replying bluntly. "Tell you what?" before his own son could even answer, he heads towards the door and that's a signal for Yifan to do the same. 

And so he does, a little bit reluctantly. His muscles had ached from all the sitting he had done for the past two hours and they still silently whispered 'pain' when Yifan began to walk. He closely follows his father from behind like a puppy, only this puppy was almost as tall as the dog. "About the company's success. About how you ended up in the newspaper, about the company ending up in the newspaper." although his voice held no such grudge or traces of hurt and betrayal, his father still stopped in his tracks as he did hear those emotions in his son's voice.

Mr. Wu looks back at Yifan, looking a little confused and Yifan stops short in front of his father, his face straight. "How did you-"

"Yuan told me yesterday. I was already taking a nap when you two were talking." he mutters and then, his face contorts into confusion as he looks straight into his father's eyes and he could practically see his own reflection in those dark brown orbs that were almost the color of black. "Weren't you planning on telling me, dad?" 

His father only sighs before turning his back to Yifan. And Yifan has to admit, he really hates it when his father leaves him hanging like that. "I was planning to tell you during the Gala. It's going to be announced." and he hates it even more when his father talks to him without even turning to take a look. 

"You were going to tell me until then? That long?" 

"Well, yes, you have no interest in the company. At least not yet," he added the last part under his breathe, in which he thought Yifan couldn't hear. But Yifan sure did hear it, he just acted like he didn't. "So I didn't think you would actually care about it, Yifan." 

He only sighs, and he realizes how much he has been sighing that day. If things had been different, if he had been with Sooyeon, then he would've been smiling all the time instead of sighing. Yifan didn't say anything after that. 

The walk was quiet. The elevator ride was quiet. The car ride was quiet. The dinner at a nearby restaurant was quiet as well. 

The two of them didn't mind the silence. 

But then, in the middle of cutting his pork chops into half, someone calls out for his father's name and he's forced to look up. "Oh, Eunsong." he says, blinking as the grinning man walked over them with arms spread wide as if anticipating himself for a big hug. Yifan secretly snorted; his father doesn't do hugs. And when Mr. Wu had only stuck out his hand for a handshake, the man awkwardly brought his arms down. "Nice to see you here. And is-oh, there you are, Taehee. Yifan, come and say hi." 

Yifan didn't need to be told twice. He places his utensils down before standing up with an obvious fake smile plastered on his face. "Hello." he says, always sticking out his hand for a handshake.

"Oh, is this your boy?" the man, Eunsong, chuckles as he pats Yifan's back and eagerly shakes his hand. He was semi-bald and had an odd red color to his face. He smelt of cigarettes too. His wife, which Yifan thought was named 'Taehee', looked beautiful with her jet-black long hair and fair complexion. He didn't understand how a chubby man like him ended up with a curvy woman like her. He didn't ask though.

"Yes, this is Yifan." his father places a hand on his shoulder and Yifan supresses a sigh. "Yifan, meet the Lees. They own Makdong Enterprises." he says.

Yifan only gives an obvious stiff nod. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's our's, sweetie," the lady says with a soft smile that actually looked genuine inYifan's eyes. "This is Eunyoung by the way, our daughter." and she pulls out a small girl, somewhere around Yifan's shoulders, from behind her and pushes her slightly forward.

Yifan wasn't even sure if she was a girl with her boy cut hair and jeans. Her eyes looked girly though, because they were big and doe-like; her eyelashes were long and Yifan could tell it would touch her cheeks when she'd closed her eyes. Her complexion was fair, just like her mother's though. "Hey." she says, trying for a smile and she doesn't even stick out her hand for a handshake. She only stays there, smiling at the Wus.

Yifan almost chuckles. Almost. 

"Oh? Eunyoung, I see she has your beauty, Taehee. And of course, a little bit of you, chum." Mr. Wu then playfully punches the side of Lee Eunsong's arm, and it made Yifan smirk, although he doesn't quite know why. 

"Do you already have a date for the Gala, Yifan?" Mrs. Lee suddenly asks and it makes Yifan widen his eyes a little. Then she laughs and places her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'll take that as a no then."

"I don't think my son would even want a date." his father says and Yifan says that he's wrong in his head. 

He did want one, he just wasn't a hundred percent sure if he should even ask her. 

"Nonsense." Mr. Lee chuckles, looking at Yifan with smiling eyes. "Behind every great man is a woman after all." at that phrase, Yifan takes a cautious glance towards his father but he only remains indifferent and expressionless. "You can take our Eunyo-"

"I-I'm sorry but I actually already have one." Yifan says, interrupting right then. All the adults, and the girl named Eunyoung, looks at him as if he had said something offensive. He refuses the urge to scratch the back of his neck in nervousness. 

"Oh, really? Well, then, that's a shame." Mrs. Lee says, more to her daughter than to anyone else. And he swore, he saw Eunyoung roll her eyes when she turned to look away. "How lucky of the girl to have a date as handsome as you, young man." she tells him.

"How lucky that girl is indeed." and those words had come from his father, and Yifan didn't expect that. 

When he turns his head to the side, he unexpectedly sees his father smiling at him; soft and tender. Real emotions were portrayed through that tender smile he was giving Yifan. He manages a smile back. "I guess." he mumbles.

The Lees had excused themselves and they exchanged goodbyes after saying that they'd be meeting each other again in the Gala. When they were already heading for the doors, Yifan sat back down on the chair, staring at his food before he devoured it. 

"Did you lie back there, Wu Yifan?" his father asks in a accusing tone. Yifan snaps his head up, a little bit surprised that his father even brought it up and without warning, he feels his cheeks heat up and he imagines it turning red. 

"I-umm,"

"Who is she?"

Yifan arches an eyebrow. "Wha-what?"

"Who is she?" his father repeats, slower as he chews his food. "Who is the lucky girl that I had no idea you'll be taking to the Gala?" 

"She's a friend, my classmate." Yifan says. Short and simple, so that he won't entirely be interrogated by his own father. But Yifan thinks he won't mind if he would, because then they'd stay at the restaurant a little longer and talk more now that they had a topic. 

"Is she smart?" he continues to ask, and Yifan feels like he's playing twenty questions. 

Yifan doesn't even hesitate in answering that question. "She's absolutely brilliant."

His dad chuckles, glancing up at him from his dish. He was smiling as he ate after that, and Yifan was smiling too. The atmosphere around them suddenly felt a little more warmer, more welcoming. And Yifan liked it, he just couldn't tell if his father liked it too. It's been so long since they've had a conversation this normal, and all he wanted to do was cherish it with every question his father asked, and with every answer he would say. "What's her name? What does she look like? Is she pretty?"

The bombarding of questions make Yifan laughs a little. "Dad," he takes a sip of his water to moisten his lips. "I'll introduce her to you during the Gala, okay? You can see her then and meet her for yourself."

"Well, can I at least know her name?" his father sounded so laid back now, more relaxed. And Yifan was seeing a totally different side of his father from the one earlier. He doesn't need to pick which one is his favorite, because the one he was talking to right then was the one he wanted to call his father. This man, the one who didn't care to smile even though his teeth was slightly crooked and his wrinkles would show. Not the businessman who had the whole of Asia in his fingertips. 

Yifan shakes his head, smiling. "Not until the Gala." he only repeats. 

His father chuckles again. "Alright then, just tell me what's she like." 

/\ | \/ 

On Monday morning, Yifan was already late for school. He was already late for the morning assembly so when he entered the school gates along with countable students who were also late, he decided to proceed towards his classroom directly since everyone must've been there already. 

As he walks the halls, he has a smile on his face. 

One of the reasons was that he and his father finally had some bonding yesterday in the afternoon for a game of golf along with his father's friends. Golf was not Yifan's favorite sport, and although he preferred basketball and soccer, he still played because these days; he couldn't turn down an invitation from his own father. 

He really did have a great time yesterday and he had eve slept in when he was thinking about it. He was more than happy that he and his father were spending more time now, they even ate breakfast together for once and the air was nothing but warm and soothing for him. Eating with his father was obviously much more preferable than eating alone. 

The other reason for his abnormally large smile was that he'd be seeing Sooyeon, and he had decided he'd ask her to the annual Winter Gala his family was so psyched up about. He'd tell her everything about it and he only hopes for the best outcome when he asks her to attend it with him. 

When he turns the corner, the smile on his face suddenly fades when he sees his classmates standing outside of their classroom's door. Almost all of them were there already, and most of them didn't seem to happy and it was still so early in the morning; the scene almost made Yifan wonder out loud. Almost.

From his right, he heard some of his male classmates complaining and then he thinks; where's Sooyeon? She was the one responsible for the keys. She was the one who unlocks the door every morning since Mrs. Kim usually came to school a few minutes before the bell would ring and the students were obviously earlier to come than her. 

"Oh goodness, Sooyeon is still not yet here?" and then their homeroom teacher arrives carrying a set of keys in her hands. "Tsk tsk, where could she be?" she sounded more worried than she was angry. Of course she'd be worried since her start student wasn't around. 

Yifan doubted she was as worried as him though. In the few weeks he had been with her, he knew she was the type of student that would never miss school. And he's curious as to why she was absent but more or less, he was worried too. Her absence sent his mind spinning into a frenzy of questions and he could feel his heartbeat quicken as he thought of all the possibilities of why she was not there with them. 

As the rest of the class huddle around Mrs. Kim, who's unlocking the door and is listening to their complains, someone grabs hold of Yifan's wrist and he's force to turn around to see who it was.

"Do you have the slightest clue where Sooyeon could be?" it was Hwang Miyoung. She was giving him a gaze as hard as her grip on his wrist. "Do you?" 

"I-I wish I did." Yifan says truthfully, feeling the pressure she was applying on her hand.

Miyoung groans, rolling her eyes as she releases her grip on him. "Where could she run off to-ugh." she scratches her head in an annoyed kind of way, sending some of her brown hair out of place. Yifan found her a little bit intimidating then, because he has never seen this side of her. 

With a frown on his face and creases forming on his forehead, Yifan proceeds to the room with Miyoung following behind him; grumbling and muttering incoherent words under her breathe. 

His frown is even bigger when he passes by Sooyeon's empty seat. For the rest of the morning and during lectures, he stares at the only empty chair in the room and he wonders where the owner could be. Actually, all he could wonder throughout the whole day was; where is she?

/\ | \/ 

Yifan thought he was overacting a little bit that morning. He had thought of a lot of possibilities as to why Sooyeon was absent and a lot of reasons as to why she would even dare to be absent from school. Like maybe she was only sick, or something came up in their family and it was an emergency. Or it was possible she had a stomach ache too. He tried to calm himself down with those reasons, but it didn't seem to work. 

Everyone wondered too since this was the first time Sooyeon was absent, which wasn't a surprise to Yifan since she is a role model to the whole student body.

Miyoung acted sketchy all throughout the morning, almost mumbling some things under her breathe as she would look elsewhere but the teacher with her eyebrows knitted together. From Yifan's point of view, it was like she knew something. But he was too much of a chicken to actually ask her. He wasn't even close with her, or the other girls in general. He was closest to Sooyeon, and because she was not there, he had to eat lunch alone.

He was in their usual seat, but he was only staring at his food, he didn't have the appetite to eat right then. His mind was clouded with so many thoughts and he began to worry about her every minute when she wasn't there beside him. 

Yifan stands up and he could feel half a dozen pair of eyes on him as he escaped the noisy jungle people called the 'cafeteria'. He couldn't think straight because he kept on wearing about her. He couldn't even eat because his mind was elsewhere. He was physically present, but obviously mentally absent. His mind was somewhere far off to wonderland, wondering about where Sooyeon could be.

He had this feeling; a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he headed up towards the rooftop, thinking that maybe she would be there. There was a small chance she would though. The third floor was completely deserted since only the offices and library was on there. He was already headed towards the stairs that lead to the fourth floor, when he suddenly heard grumbling; like someone who was frustrated, from behind him. 

He turned to look back and thought that it was Hwang Miyoung who had imerged from the library, stomping her foot as she did, but he wasn't so sure since a lot of girls in the school had waist-length hair like Miyoung. But he was sure of one thing though; he knew only one girl was having a bad day than the rest of the other students.

Hesitantly, he calls out for her. "Hey, Miyoung?" 

She turns around, and the scowl on her face lessens when her eyes land on him. "Oh, Kris." she says, turning to face him. "Where are you going?" she asks when she looks behind his shoulder. 

"To.. the rooftop." Yifan didn't say anything more. He wanted to add: to look for Sooyeon. But he thought it would be too embarrassing on his part for him to actually say that. 

But Miyoung saw right through him. "Sooyeon's not there. I checked." she says, heaving out a sigh as her eyebrows knit together. "I've been scouring the building for her, but I haven't even seen a glimpse or trace of her around here. I tried the library, she's not there either." her tone was sad, her voice melancholy and the frown on her face told Yifan she was as worried as him as to where Sooyeon could be. 

"She doesn't have a phone.. right?" Yifan asks, sighing as well. He walks towards her, his hands buried deep in the pocket of his slacks. 

Miyoung shakes her head. "No."

"You know where she lives? Because.. umm, I do. Why don't we, uh, see if she's there?" he offers, and he felt like he was suffocating from the extreme awkwardness between them. They had never really been close to begin with. 

She lets out a snort before craning her neck up to look at him in the eye. "I doubt she'd be there after she had run away-"she instantly places her hands over , covering it as she widens her eyes when she realized what she had said. Yifan widened his eyes as well but before he could ask her about it, Miyoung mumbled 'oops' before scurrying away to the stairs. 

Yifan had no trouble catching up to her. "Hey, Miyoung, wait," he pulls her back by the shoulder, spinning her around to face him. "What do you mean? What did you say?" he asks, not even hesitating. He didn't really believe her, because who would even think that a person like Sooyeon, who had everything she wanted, run away from home? 

Miyoung lets out another sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. "She told me not to tell anyone, but.. you're Kris Wu." she hesitantly looks up at him. "I think you deserve to know since you're close with her now. Before you react or anything, let me explain okay?" 

Yifan kept his questions and reactions to himself as Miyoung spoke about Sooyeon. They were walking side by side, but a quarter of a meter of spaced was between them as they headed back towards their classroom, neither of them hungry anymore.

"Sooyeon had a fight with her foster mother. I only knew that she was being harassed by her just yesterday and it's been going on for more than 2 years, ever since the death of her foster father. Sooyeon's adopted, and she doesn't even remember how she ended up in an orphanage at the age of 5. I'm not surprised you don't know this, because she doesn't like to talk about her family. She's not proud of them. After their fight, she packed her things and went to me. She and I... we had a history together, but it's complicated," at that, she smiles bitterly. "My mom told her she could stay as long as she wanted. Sooyeon didn't want to burden us, which I thought was ridiculous, and she did the dishes every time. I helped her of course.

This morning, when I woke up, mom said Sooyeon left early for school and she didn't want to wake me. That was a big lie because I almost went crazy when I found out she wasn't here earlier this morning. I searched everywhere in school and even told Mrs. Kim about it. I still haven't found her though and mom said if she saw her, she'll text me. So far, she hasn't." she sighs. 

Yifan lets all the information sink into him, and his mouth was slightly agape as he thinks about what Miyoung had just said. It took him a few minutes to recover, and when he did, he kept quiet. He didn't want to ask anything by then because he already knew the answers now that Miyoung cleared it all up for him. And he was glad she did. But then at the same time, he was even more worried now that he knew what happened to her. 

There was one thing that still bothered him, one question he needed an answer to; Where was Sooyeon? 

"Hey," Miyoung nudges him from the side and he's forced to snap back to reality. They were already nearing the classroom and right on time too since the bell rang, right then and there. "Later, let's try and look for her, alright? I think I know where she might be." she says when the bell had stopped ringing. 

Yifan only nods in response. He couldn't wait for 'later'. 

/\ | \/ 

As the afternoon progressed on, with Yifan only staring at Sooyeon's seat for the last three hours ever since lunch, he couldn't help but think and just wonder about her again. 

He realized how little he knew of her,and then he felt a little pathetic. How could he even say that he liked her when he knew so little about her? But then again, he had thought about it again. She knew only a few things about him as well. Maybe they could call it even. But, still, Yifan can't shake of the feeling that he had when he thought about what Miyoung had said to him earlier and it had shocked him.

She's adopted.

She's being harassed.

She ran away. 

She's lost.

Yifan didn't know those things until today, and it was all thanks to Hwang Miyoung who had some sort of 'history' with Sooyeon that Yifan still knew nothing of. The more he thought of the things he didn't know about her, the more he felt pathetic about himself.

He thought about Sooyeon, who was the perfect role model for every high school student in Korea. Opportunities, expectations, orders and more expectations was awaiting for her here in Cheongdam High. A lot of the younger students already admired her, and most of the student body respected her for how strong and independent she is.

But it was only now that he also realized how strong and independent she really is. At home, possibly slaps and hurtful words await her there and her fate and life was at danger in her home; and maybe Yifan thought she couldn't call that place a home, just like how he couldn't call his house a 'home'. Because home is supposed to be where you felt most safe and comfortable.

Sooyeon.. no matter how annoying and bossy she actually is, she deserves only the best. 

Every time he thought of Sooyeon now, he would frown out of concern and worry. He thought Sooyeon must've really missed having a home.  

thought i should post this for you guys to read while I'm going to be gone. school's starting soon and- /sighs because of this, i'm looking for a co-author. anybody interested? PM me then! :) 
also, I reached 100+ subbies now! yaaaay. /throws confetti chanhyuk style.