Author's Note (Please read):

I apologize for my absence but a lot of awful things have happened in the span of a few months. My father had a heart attack and needed immediate surgery and not even two weeks later my grandfather passed away. Then just after the funeral, my laptop broke without backups. I haven't checked my computer yet but I'm sure hundreds upon hundreds of pages of unpublished stories just about ready to be released are gone. Including what I had written for this fic. I had to rewrite this chapter and for the longest time now I've been struggling to catch up on missed work as my final year of high school came to a close.

Thank you for your understanding!
Please enjoy!

Chapter 6: The Storm That Rages Inside

Kyuhyun watched without really seeing as what happened next was nothing but a noiseless blur. The brunette stormed out of Jungnam's office, the old man himself hot on her heels. Although the previous scene had been laid out in front of him, he did not see it. He could not see any of it. Silence hung thick in the air, suffocating the young vice CEO.

        He stared blankly in front of him even as that cursed voice interrupted the quiet of the expensive office. "You will go through with this, Kyuhyun. I take it I don't need to remind you that you have no choice." He said in a deep rumble. He walked behind the desk and stood above the young man, never letting him forget the authority he held over him with an iron grip. "Should you believe otherwise, I will be more than happy to remind you that your actions have consequences." Then dismissively he added, "Leave now." As the man behind the desk spoke, Kyuhyun's state of numb disbelief dissipated as he retracted into himself; unfeeling and utterly dull, he wordlessly obeyed his father’s commands and left the Choi building. It was a miracle he managed to leave the building in one piece let alone the car ride he abruptly directed to his condo. His hands had begun to shake in the elevator but now they were helplessly trembling. Everything was a blur at this point. God, he couldn't have another episode in the back of the limo. There was no way he could work right now. No way in hell.

He congratulated himself for not collapsing in the hall before he burst into his condo, slamming the door behind him as a shuddering gasp left him. He barreled into the lonely apartment, stumbling as his heart thudded erratically like a round of fierce battle drums. God. Not again, not again, he chanted to himself as he in great whooping breaths. His heart seized, his chest tightened and his breath was a chorus of fast, shuddering gasps for air. He was hyperventilating as he feared. He crashed through the kitchen, frantically pulling open a cabinet, knocking over various bottles of pills before he found the right one.

            His hands shook like a leaf as he dumped the pills straight onto the kitchen counter by the sink. Popping the pill in his mouth, Kyuhyun the water in the sink and drank straight from the faucet; gulping down the cool liquid he swallowed the blessed pill easily and quickly cut off the water. He stood like that for a while, hands gripping the counter, head hanging over the sink. Listening to the slow and steady beat of the water droplets hitting the stainless steel sink with metallic sounding drips, he focused on his breathing; willing his overwhelmed heart to match the steady beat of the dripping tap.

In...out...in...out.

Kyuhyun closed his eyes, inhaling through his nose and exhaling out the mouth, he allowed the drug to slowly take its affect. That was far too close. Kyuhyun was no stranger to anxiety attacks and his experience with this problem enabled him to keep his anxiety at bay for a while now through his meds and breathing techniques. Any time he felt that awfully familiar and uncomfortable twinge of pain in his tightening chest he would give himself a dose of his pills.

            He was in no way prepared for what had happened today--not that he thought of it just then. He was doing just about anything not to think at all and let the familiar calm his medication supplied him. The mellowed out state his pills induced usually made him drowsy and today was no different. Yet this drowsiness was new. It was one of complete mental and physical exhaustion. A loud crack of thunder brought him out of his trance. A storm was rolling in fast.

Sighing to himself, he crossed his almost bare apartment, intent of falling asleep with a secret wish that he would never wake up again.

            Yet somehow, in his drunk like state, he realized how sterile and unwelcoming his abode was. No paintings, no decorations, no personal touches. His house was just as barren and unnervingly silent as he was. The pit of despair he felt expanding around him seemed to grow wider; yawning open to completely consume him. As he entered the hall before his bedroom, he could see into the living room. Outside the floor to ceiling windows of the penthouse suite the sky was as black as night except for the brilliant streak of lightning that illuminated the heavens with a sheer brilliance of contrast; then came the rain. The sky appeared to have opened up completely in one swift tear as droplets the size of dimes pelted the earth, thrumming in a steady symphony of disorderly rain drops cascading down the windows.

Kyuhyun stared blankly at the downpour outside all the way from his spot just outside the threshold of his bedroom door; the weather nagging at a memory muddled by his tired and drugged brain.

            Miraculously, he managed some pajamas and slipped (rather he practically fell) into his bed. With eyes closed softly he listened to the pitter-patter of the splattering rain for an almost blissful moment. It was as close as Kyuhyun got to peace. Through a foggy mind, half asleep he listened to the rain, hoping its soothing melody would follow him into his sleep, simply so there would be something to keep him company in the darkness of his dreamless sleep to come; his unspoken wish that it would was the last thing that he thought before he was pulled into a silent, dark sleep in an empty place filled with nothing but blackness where the rain's soothing company could not follow.

            Kyuhyun woke hours later; blinking groggily he stifled a groan at the head ache that pounded at his skull. A wave of panic hit him as he sat bolt upright knowing he was late to work. Just as he was about to clamour out of the warmth of his bed he realized that it was a ridiculous holiday of sorts. Kyuhyun wasn’t quite sure what the holiday was at all today. He never paid attention to holidays in all honesty. He was much too busy to care for traditional breaks to spend the day screwing around—at least, that’s what he told himself. Anyway, all he knew was that it was a day he didn’t have to come in the office and this day off couldn’t have come at a better time.

In all honesty, it wasn’t that Kyuhyun was a workaholic per se—far from it actually. He enjoyed a break just as much as the next person but goodness knows he really didn’t have the time to slack. Wasted time is wasted money for Cho Enterprises thus a failure in management and a failure in management on his part was definitely not something he would dare permit—failure to perform had consequences that were nothing to laugh about. God, how he wanted nothing more than to throw a letter of resignation in that bastard’s face along with a fine punch for good measure. Alas, he could not. Failure to comply with his father’s wishes meant punishment and the punishment waiting was unacceptable. No, he couldn’t risk the penalties for being incompetent. Kyuhyun had learned the hard way long ago what disobedience meant…

Yes, Kyuhyun did well as the mindless puppet forced to work at Cho Enterprises. He was the company’s largest asset. A little genius groomed to be a merciless business tycoon that wanted for nothing simply because he was in no position to ask for anything. Regular, highly valued workers could pull out a business ultimatum at any time to demand their employers met their wishes for what they desired in the company. Kyuhyun was no regular valued employee. He was a son of the Cho, blackmailed only to work, only to succeed without ceasing; a lifeless puppet to be walked about the stage that belonged solely to his puppeteer, to Cho Younghwan.

He gritted his teeth then sighed deeply, ambling out of bed to the kitchen where he popped a pain killer for his aching head. Kyuhyun’s bitterness for the entire company he slaved under ran deeper than many would ever think to imagine as did his utter bitterness for Younghwan’s unrelenting hold on him which he hated almost as much as he hated himself for being so powerless as to break free from it.

            When all was said and done Kyuhyun truly did hate his life; each day a burden, every breath a curse. The beating of his very heart seemed an unforgivable offense. Of the many words in the world, of the thousands of phrases in existence, none so many could describe the grief he felt in living so much as desolate. With every passing day it seemed, his thoughts seemed just a little more forlorn, his heart wearier, and his aching soul emptier. Even as the contempt he had for his very life raged on inside him like the ever toiling waves of a stormy ocean crashing on the jagged cliffs of despair, he drowned in the murky waters of his own self-loathing in perfect silence; too paralyzed by his own hatred, too numbed by his own sorrow to save himself from his impending doom, closer now than ever.

            But what could he do? Who would help him if he cried for help? Who could save him from his own wretched existence? The question itself was never asked for he knew the answer—he was alone in his suffering. He had always been alone and that’s how he would remain and no amount of hoping could offer him the salvation he so desperately desired. No one could save him and no one would. This, he knew and this was his most painful reality. Sighing a sigh truly hopeless, he trudged through his bare and lonesome apartment so much like his empty soul. The rain had not ceased nor had it slowed; the skies remained as dark and ominous as his thoughts. Closing the bedroom door behind him routinely, he sank into bed once more, feeling no less exhausted than the last time he lay in it. Thoughts of the events the previous day swam through his weighted thoughts. Closing his eyes, he had to push them out of his mind with a few deep breaths lest he lapse into another anxiety attack.

            Despite his better judgement, he thought back to that woman—Sooyoung was her name? Yes, the Choi’s daughter. He hadn’t even known Jungnam had a child—he had never mentioned her in the recent years he had known of him. Although he thought her boorish (as he thought of pretty much everyone he came across), he remembered the fire in her eyes the moment their shared future together had been revealed. Kyuhyun opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling as he recalled the extent of her fury; how her rage radiated off of her in waves of every direction before she stormed out of the office. The sheer defiance in her aura was potent the moment she entered the room but when Jungnam dropped the bomb on them, her subdued disdain transformed into utter outrage. The wrathful venom on her tongue was enough to tell him she was not only furious with her father but that she indeed loathed him, too. In all honesty, her defiance was impressive—the strength of her rage was truly a sight to behold coming from a young blue blooded woman. She certainly didn’t seem like an heiress. It wasn't only her outburst that made him think this way (after all said outburst wasn't the regular blue blooded hissy fit or temper tantrum he was used to seeing from spoiled little heiresses, oh no, this one wanted to tear her father's throat out) but the, well, utter plainness of her common-place appearance; she had a down to earth aura to her and certainly did not dress like a lady of distinction let alone a proper lady. It was for these reasons that he mistook her for a commoner on more than one occasion. This brought Kyuhyun's worn down thoughts to linger on that for a moment as he closed his heavy eyes, settling in the warmth of his bed.

Yes, he had mistaken her for a simple commoner on that day as well…

With a weary mind and an exhausted soul, Kyuhyun began to drift into a welcomed sleep, lulled by the soothing melody of the heavy rain. However, the sound of the stormy weather outside did follow him into his sleep this time along with thoughts of a certain brunette; the combination winding themselves into his unconscious mind to make way for memories to come alive in the wake of his dreams.

            Kyuhyun was already in a foul mood that Sunday morning (which wasn't all that surprising since he was generally always in a bad mood) and running into that clumsy brunette on the street hadn’t made him any more chipper. He hadn’t bothered helping her gather her things even though he could hear the tinkling of loose change hitting the sidewalk along with her earnest apology. Why should he? He was already running late thanks to his driver’s incompetence and it was her fault her possessions had been knocked into the dust. If she had watched where she was going this never would have happened. He had barely resisted the urge to curse as his own briefcase fell to the ground with an unsettling clatter. It was certainly a relief that it hadn’t sprung open on impact and spilled its contents every which way. Sourly, he had scooped up his brief case and stormed off, barely sparing her face a glance throughout their encounter. He had no time for her. He had time for no one. 
 
            This was also the day that Kyuhyun made an hour long trek to the edge of the city to meet with a company that was interested in merging with Cho Enterprises. So naturally, Kyuhyun himself showed up to their rather shady proposal. All it took was a few glances at a couple documents and sitting through minutes of a truly sad business pitch to convince Kyuhyun that any association with said company was pointless as there was little to gain for his company and a greater risk of loss. It benefited Cho enterprises not, hence any association couldn’t be seen as anything but a reprehensible connection. To sum it all up, a waste of time and if there was anything that pissed Kyuhyun off it was wasted time. Needless to say, Kyuhyun left his potential partners empty handed and rather affrighted by the obvious cold menace he left in his wake; he wasn't one to hide his displeasure or his harsh criticisms.

It was his golden rule of business—the company's priorities came first—it was them or you, dog eat dog. It was all Kyuhyun learned and it was all he knew. He had been groomed to think in a completely business smart albeit heartless way when it came to running the company (this habit steadily trickled down into the way he dealt with everyday life as well unfortunately as his life was business). The bottom line was that the Cho had to maintain their legacy, to remain on top. Anything less was simply unacceptable.

His already miserable day seemed to amuse whatever higher being there was up there so much that it only got worse.

As luck would have it, today of all days, his mode of transportation decided to flop on him. His chauffeur had managed to pull the car over by the side of the road and got out to assess the damage. Much to Kyuhyun's rapidly growing displeasure and his rapidly shortening temper, the engine had been deemed "shot". One nasty glare was all it took for his terrified driver to attempt to fix the engine immediately. Kyuhyun had checked his watch, glaring up at his panicked chauffeur. For a regular man to incure the wrath of Cho Kyuhyun twice in one day due to his own shortcommings was a brutal thing. Kyuhyun's terrorizing was justified in his own right as he had another meeting to prepare for later in the day back at his office building. Prep time was everything but it seemed to be vanishing in front of him now and that just would not do. It had ceased raining for the time but the city streets were full of deep murky puddles, one of which a careless driver speed over while Kyuhyun stood outside the car resulting in a side-swiped Vice CEO who was now drenched.

            His anger flamed. There was absolutely no way he could show up to his building drenched and caked with mud like this. Wiping the muddy water off his face with the back of his hand, he cursed the day he was born. There was a pair of clean sweatpants and a sweater in the trunk. Yes, despite having almost zero time to himself away from work, he had taken up exercising in what little free time he had. All he did was sit at a desk all day so running aimlessly in his alone time was truly a blessing. So, should he show up to Cho Enterprises, a company he practically ran, in a once expensive suit now soaked and ruined by the mud splattered across the fabric or in workout clothes like a nobody. He weighted the option in very little time and decided it was a little less unacceptable to slip into his building clean and dry rather than sopping and filthy. Kyuhyun reasoned that he could slip into the building with little fuss and head straight up to his office before he could send for another suit to be brought. After changing briefly in the car, he set off on his own since his foolish driver couldn't get the problem solved fast enough and waiting for a tow truck would take hours in the traffic filled city at rush hour. That being said there were no taxis to be had at rush hour so he was forced to use his last resort; bus. Well, his very last resort was walking and with his building on the other side of Seoul, that was out of the question. He had searched up a bus route with little delay and found a stop within the district that made an en route stop a hop, skip and a jump away from the Cho building.

Kyuhyun was quite a sight to behold with his hood up and a nasty scowl of someone who was not in the mood to be ed with on his face as he hurriedly made his way to the desired stop. It was undoubtedly obvious that passersby must have thought him a thug or a gang member the way he sauntered down the streets, malice and rage in his every step. When it began to rain buckets, however, Kyuhyun cursed harshly aloud, making a few people who had been watching his make his way down the streets actually jump and scurry away at his menacing energy. Noticing this but choosing to ignore it, Kyuhyun stomped to the bus stop on his silent rampage. Crowds of people in the streets parted for him like the red sea as he seethed. When he finally reached the bus stop, it was raining cats and dogs and Kyuhyun was thoroughly underdressed for the cold rain storm. With his patience hanging on by a thread, he nervously clutched at the flimsy bus tickets in his pocket. Realizing he wasn't sure what exact price the bus fare was, he had essentially verbally abused his chauffer who managed to fish out a few bus tickets from his wallet. Waiting in the rain was enough to piss him off but hearing the not so hushed murmurs of judgemental slander from other citizens waiting for the bus to arrive didn't help. Really, it didn't. So when a young boy of about seven, who had been careless enough to not watch where he was going, smacked into his leg, Kyuhyun's mood definitely did not improve. 

The poor boy had unknowingly made the worst decision of his young life himself. He looked up at Kyuhyun ready to excuse himself but stopped dead when two things happened: First, the child had the fear of death put in him and second, Kyuhyun was the one who put it there. 

One glance from Kyuhyun was all it took. One glance from Kyuhyun, who with blazing eyes shadowed by his sweater hood, turned with eerie slowness to look down at the child, sent him off literally screaming for his mother. The young boy's mother, surprised by her son's hysterical ramblings about the "devil-man" looked over at the drenched and unfriendly man. Just like her son before her, she took one look at the "devil-man" her son had bumped into and quickly dragged the screaming boy away as fast as she could. If anyone surrounding him had been avoiding him before, they all took and extra few steps to the right. His palpable aura (and the child who was wailing like a banshee at the sight of the young businessman) steered onlookers waiting for the bus stop away from him at a safe ten foot radius.

Staring blankly at the streets in front of him he sniffled at the cold, wondering how his friend Sungmin would have reacted to the scene. He never dared imagined himself having any children but Sungmin always insisted on his entrance into parenthood. Poor, stupid Sungmin. The man had such high hopes for him. Kyuhyun just then recalled a particularly sappy lecture in which his friend had said, "You only feel uncomfortable with kids because you never spend time with any. If a child enters your life, something special will happen and if you let yourself you could make some great memories with that kid." Kyuhyun let out a rather manic sounding laugh at the thought of the past conversation. Oh, that kid will definitely have a memory to take with him today! Sungmin had been right about one thing--Kyuhyun no doubt gave that child a memory; he was sure that kid would have nightmares for the rest of his natural born life or be scarred from ever leaving his house again! The thought roused his dark sense of humour and he chuckled deeply at length. His humour wasn't shared, however, as the chuckles that bubbled to his lips did not go unheard by the crowd of gossiping city folk watching him with their cluster of umbrellas all but shaking with apprehension.

"He's laughing. Why is he laughing?" came a far too panicked voice from the group of people to his right, murmuring up a storm.

"Did you see how he scared that kid? I didn't even hear him say anything; for the poor boy to react like that just by looking at him...how scary!" 

"He looks like a thug! Maybe we should wait for the next bus. I don't want to take the chance of sitting next to him."

So far he had slammed a company's proposal into the ground so hard that by rights it should have went right through the other side of the earth, thoroughly blasted his driver twice, scarred a child for life at a glance and whipped a crowd of city folk into a frenzy and it wasn't yet two in the afternoon. Not bad as far as Kyuhyun went. His previous lapse of humour vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Casting a glance up at the dark sky, he looked up at the downpour that drenched the earth generously. It seemed the melancholy grey clouds brought out an acute and strange discontent in him. No, not discontent. He was always discontent and therefore familiar with the feeling but this was deeper so much more gut wrenchingly hollow--he felt alone. He mulled over that for a moment, finding the notion silly in itself. He didn't need anybody and he certainly didn't want for anybody. He liked being alone. Staring up at the clouds looming over him he wondered just why he felt such a way just by staring at the effect of a low pressure system.

He wasn't familiar with such sentimental feelings. The idea gave way for another bout of grouchiness as he redirected his stare to the ground, not quite listening to but not quite ignoring the judgmental whispers around him that seemed all too familiar in his life. This was something he knew well, ever since he was a child this was something he knew. This he was familiar with. Behind his eyes, memories of his childhood faded in and out of focus. Whispered ridicule, cruel and accusing words about him...about his mother.

"What a creep to scare a child and laugh about it."

"Some people are just freaks."

"Jeez, he's so scary!"

"Man, that guy will be alone forever."

Kyuhyun gritted his teeth, the last phrase enraging him. Why though? Was it the joking and nonchalant way in which it was said behind quiet laughter? Didn't he just agree with himself that being alone was not a prospect that bothered him and yet that statement had...it really had. Turning to the group of onlookers with a glare so vicious, (had the little boy been there he would have surely passed into the next world) he snapped, "What?"

A general gasp was heard from the group as everyone at once tried to find something, anything else to look at other than Kyuhyun's glare. For a while there was silence as Kyuhyun turned his gaze back to the busy streets; Feeling an even greater lowering of self-esteem upon him as the murmurs started up again, this time only a little quieter than before. This time, he heard something that wasn't a complete condemnation for his soul being spoken from the crowd.

"Young lady, you shouldn't go over there!" The voice of the plump middle aged biddy he had caught gossiping about him moments earlier had spoken.

"Oh?” said a new female voice that sounded dubious yet strangely familiar though its upbeat tone. "Why not?"

"That man is trouble!" The older woman replied sounding absolutely mortified. "He would sooner snatch your purse than shake your hand, I tell you."

"Oh...is that so?" There came an unsure pause that sounded strangely doubtful, as if she didn't quite believe what she was being told. "Well, I appreciate your telling me so, ma'am." She said politely.

          It was as if he could feel the entire world stopping to talk about him. Jesus, he should charge admission. He could see the banners now; "come one, come all to see a man so void of humanity a single glance will steal your soul! He's the most frighteningly miserable and antisocial businessman under 40 this side of Asia you'll ever see!" He might be able to deal with being a free side attraction on the streets of Seoul if it wasn't for the heinous weather. Kyuhyun sighed bitterly, his breath coming out in a puffy cloud before him. God, he was freezing. The rain seemed to get heavier by the minute and the bus hadn't yet arrived and the tardiness of the public transport only added to his frustration. He closed his eyes and pointed his chin close to his chest, trying to lock in whatever heat he could and wished life as he knew it would just end.

            Suddenly, the raging downpour stopped or at least it had above his head. Hearing the loud thrumming of water pelting plastic above him, he cast his eyes upward to see the edges of a bright yellow umbrella block out the dreary grey skies. With most of his face obscured within his hoodie, he glanced at the slender arm that held the umbrella and trailed it to the young lady it belonged to. Kyuhyun actually blinked. The brunette looked over at him, subtly tilting her head to no doubt get a better look at his face hidden by his hood. Kyuhyun owlishy blinked in confusion. She must have been the one that old bird was warning. Why in God's name hadn't she listened? His mouth popped open, but he caught himself before he could actually voice his thoughts. Even if wasn't a thug, most people (especially young unescorted women) weren't usually lining up to interact with potentially dangerous people unless she herself was crazy or stupid.

Or kind, a Sungmin approved thought popped into his head. 

            He eyed her unsurely from an angle that still hid his face and wondered about her level of sanity. Then, she did something that seemed to confirm his theories of her mental instability; she smiled at him. It was a warm and kind smile—one that could surely melt even the coldest of hearts (not that Kyuhyun would know--he was convinced that he had no heart). Her brilliant and genuine smile stayed on her face even as she politely turned her gaze to the streets as to avoid plainly staring at him (which was kind of nice considering no one else on the streets of Seoul this afternoon gifted him with such a luxury). He however was less polite and did indeed keep staring, that is from the corner of his eye as he followed her lead in turning back to the bustling streets. There was something strangely familiar about this girl. His eyes quickly scanned over her brunette locks, tied back at in a low ponytail, dampened from the rain then over her warm looking albeit a little shabby coat, her purse. Ah, that did look familiar. Kyuhyun suddenly had a vision of that very purse falling to the ground followed by a myriad of loose change. Taking one glance down at the well-worn pair of pink converse shoes on her feet, he confirmed his guess—she was the brunette he bumped into early this morning. How could he forget such an absurdly pink pair of high tops?

What were the odds that the woman he had been so admittedly rude to would show him kindness now? Well, wasn't he quite the ? Chalk that up on the board with as the millionth time he admitted he was in fact an . 

          Yet, he felt a silly moment of confusion as to why she hadn't recognized him but when he realized with sourness that he traded in his damn soggy suit for this damn soggy outfit (that and he hadn't given her the time of day to even face her before he zipped off down the street again. The annoyance was back full force and right on schedule but it was only that—annoyance. Somehow his anger had dissipated considerably and didn't feel the need to rocket back full force like it usually did. Sending one more side glance at the girl before looking to the streets again, he felt that his sudden uplift in mood had been her doing and that he didn't mind it so much. Not that it actually had anything to do with her--he was just glad to be out of the rain, so to speak. They stood like that for a while, shoulder to shoulder in a strange silence; neither dared to speak a word and neither seemed to mind. 

            Then, movement from the girl to his right caught his attention, pulling him out of his inner musings. Following her gaze, he saw the blessed bus he had so painstakingly waited for turn the corner on the next street block over. It was then that the woman looked into her purse and paused. There seemed to be something amiss for her. She checked each pocket then checked again, apparently realizing she was leaning into her purse a little too much, moving around the umbrella and putting him at risk of exposure to the elements. He could feel the unease radiating off of her and Kyuhyun (an one million and one times), felt a strange amusement in watching the girl's growing anxiety. Her expressions were downright hilarious and the way she turned, sending the approaching bus panicked glances as she rummaged through her purse more frantically than before had him awfully close to laughing. She even patted her pockets; continuing to scour, she suddenly let out a hiss of disapproval which further amused the sadist that was Kyuhyun. The brunette had entered her third round of searching for what he presumed was a bus ticket or loose change when the bus had pulled up and his group of anti-fans quickly began to board the bus without so much as a glance behind them. When the crowd of travelers boarded, it came the time for him to get on the bus. He left the girl in the umbrella behind as he boarded and did so without remorse and yet…

"For her fare." He murmured conspiratorially to the bus driver, nodded vaguely in her direction behind him on the sidewalk as he slid two bus tickets for both of them into the ticket slot. Without a word more he waltzed to the back of the bus, watching the brunette struggle with her wallet through the window; he allowed himself a very tiny although very genuine grin of amusement (which was a miracle in and around itself) observing how she had ditched the safety of her umbrella that was now held haphazardly between her legs and was currently getting drenched while she continued her hunt for change until the bus driver caught her attention. By the looks of it, one would think she saw her Lord and Saviour by the way she gaped at hearing her fare was already paid. Her expression was so ridiculously relieved and hopeful he actually did let out a small laugh which he quickly disguised as a cough.

          All seats on the bus were taken but a few in the back seemed to clear as he approached; a pair of his gossipers suddenly preferring to stand at the front of the bus rather than sit at the back with him. He wasn’t even offended this time but rather the complete opposite. Of the two freshly available seats, he opted for the one by the window. Sitting down in the rather grungy bus, he was thankful that it was warm and semi dry since the seats were damp and the floors slick with rain that had traveled onto the bus from the soaked world outside. Kyuhyun had settled in his seat just in time to watch the brunette struggle with her umbrella, stumbling rather clumsily onto the bus, nearly tripping once the vehicle jerked forward into motion. The brunette clamoured down the aisle, eyes searching for an open seat only to find one (wouldn't you know it) right beside him. The brunette seemed surprisingly delighted by the turn of events and walked right on over to him.

"May I sit?" She asked politely, standing before him.

Now, usually Kyuhyun would give her a stingingly sardonic retort like, "Do what you want, it's not like I own this scrap heap on wheels" (again, refer to Kyuhyun being an indefinite ) but he felt a little gracious with this weird brunette so he eyed her from the cover of his hood and gave on very slow nod that was intended to convey even the tiniest bit of his retained sarcasm. Hey, you win some, you lose some.

            She straightened her trench coat and took her seat beside him without hesitation and to be honest, that was a first for Kyuhyun. No one ever seemed not terrified to sit next to Kyuhyun let alone happy about it. He was the most vicious young business tycoon in Seoul after all and that didn't earn you as many friends as it did enemies...that and frightened employees at office Christmas parties (not that he was ever invited or attended any, thank you very much). Rather uncomfortable with her ease in his presence he turned his body away from her if only slightly. He wanted to convey very clearly that he wasn't open for an afternoon ride of chit chat, giggles, tea and crumpets. Zero conversation was wanted. Yes, that would be something indeed. He glanced out the window, not particularly interested in what lay beyond the rain blurred windows. Perhaps sitting by said chilly window wasn't the best idea even though it was stuffy on the bus. He cleared his throat; hoarse from the cold and the rain. God forbid he caught a cold. He glowered into space. Going to work at a job he hated while ill was possibly the worst thing in the world.

            His weighted thoughts were interrupted by a very light tap on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to roll his eyes into the next galaxy as he knew exactly who was tapping at his shoulder. He very seriously debated ignoring her but (probably against his better judgment) he turned regardless only to be surprised once more by what act of charity the girl had to offer. In her palm she held a throat soothing lozenge. He looked between her eager face and the cough drop as if it might be poisoned. It was either poisoned or this girl was a saint--that or insane. Comprehending this as the silent thank you that it was, he decided to accept since the need for relief from the ache in his throat outweighed his dubious theories of her intentions. Since this day couldn't possibly get any stranger, he eventually held out his hand silently. Easily understanding his unspoken request, she gently dropped the lozenge into his open and waiting palm. While unwrapping the lozenge and popping it into his mouth, he figured, given the way she grasped his silent acceptance that she understood his very obvious show of unfriendly disinterest and blatant antisocial behaviour but he was apparently proved wrong when she began to speak. "Thank you," she started, pausing as she looked at him, "for helping me with the bus fare. It would have caused a lot of trouble for me if I had missed this bus," she said, sounding honestly very grateful.

          Kyuhyun, opting out of a verbal reply once more simply nodded. This time, his silence had not been born of distaste but rather of uncertainty. What could he say to that? He was the reason that she had lost her change in the first place. She seemed delighted enough though, once more smiling a charming smile and averting her eyes politely. She remained blissfully silent for the rest of their shared ride to get her that. He was glad he remained silently during his whole encounter with her. What did a black cloud like himself say to a ray of sunshine?

          When his stop finally arrived, he got off the bus without another word to the gentle brunette without the slightest hope of ever seeing her again. By the time he trudged up to his office, giving his receptionist a start looking the way he did, he found himself distracted. He gave order for his poor secretary to run to the dry cleaners immediately to pick up a waiting suit for him without any explanation as to why he came in looking like a soggy gangster. He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally sat behind his desk once more. The trip had taken only a little longer than expected yet he couldn’t muster up the will to brood and grumble like he usual would at wasted time.

Sinking deeper into his seat, awaiting the arrival of his fresh suit, he stuffed his hands into his hoodie’s pocket, fishing out the small cough drop wrapper, he was about to toss it in the trash bin beside his desk but his hand halted. His eyes narrowed at the red square of plastic before as visions of the girl with the yellow umbrella’s warm smile flashed in his mind. After a moment of pause, he slowly opened his desk drawer and carefully tucked the tiny parchment safely into his desk and went about his day.
 

Author's Note: Well, well, well! Look who finally put out another chapter?

AND IT ONLY TOOK A YEAR! 
(Early Christmas miracle???)

It all connects! Ha,ha!

Here, we finally have Kyuhyun's recollection of the events of a certain rainy day at a bus stop. Uncool fact about me, I laughed way too hard writing from his point of view. He's just so sour and it's hilariously fun to write!

Kyuhyun isn't as much of a cad as we all thought, hm? I find he's turning out to be much softer than the character I originally had drafted but don't tell him that.

As a side note, I love your opinions on Kyuhyun's character especially. I laugh and thoroughly agree that Kyuhyun is just awful! Yet, a lovely person beneath his layers of issues and sass. Let me know what you think of Kyhyun's POVs and if you would like to see more of them in the future!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I very much enjoy your feedback so I hope you will continue to send me more messages and comments as the story progresses. I'm terrible, I know but I changed some tiny details here and there in previous chapters, (mostly in the first) because this story is VERY loosely drafted and has no real set scenes so when I right something that will better the story and make for an interesting scene that needs a little bit of a earlier set up, I go back and rectify it shamelessly.

Happy Holidays to all!!