“I told you. It’s best if you hear it from her,” Jia answered as Key demanded her for an explanation once more.

“But it’s been three days since she started acting like that,” Key argued. “Look at her! She’s been working straight! She’s all smiles but she’s not even eating!”

Jia had tried to convince Suzy to stay at home and assured her that she would be the one to take care of all the matters in their office, but the latter insisted otherwise. However, the girl had been taking all the office work to use it as a distraction.

“I can’t tell you,” she told him with pleading eyes. She was already fighting every urge to tell them about Suzy’s problem because she knew that it would be improper if she would be the one to disclose the news. “But as you see right now, she’s in her most fragile state.”

“I’m betting all my life that this is about Myungsoo,” Key said sternly, throwing a glare at Howon who played with the pen in between his fingers. The latter’s movements stopped only to mirror his stare. Key and Howon were actually good friends, but when it comes to honest opinions about Myungsoo’s relationship with Suzy, it becomes a different story.

“Come on, guys. Whatever the reason is, we should all cooperate to help her and not foster another problem between us,” Jia scolded the two who immediately broke the tension between them.

“She’s making work a distraction,” Bora mumbled with a pout as she rested her head on her desk. “And she’s trying so hard to pretend she’s okay.”

“The more she hides the pain, the more it would be difficult for her to bear,” Howon added as he let his pen play in his fingers yet again.

There was a long silence that surrounded between the four as each other contemplated on Suzy’s current state. But then, the silence was broken as they hear Suzy’s office’s door creak, revealing the boy who stayed with her during the whole seventy-two hours.

“She’s still avoiding a proper conversation,” Sehun complained before plopping himself on a swivel chair.

“Don’t worry,” Bora said in a monotone. “It’s not only you. She acts the same in front of all of us.”

“And she hasn’t slept yet,” Sehun said after a sigh as his fingers massaged his temples.

“So that explains the layers of eye bags that you have,” Bora teased as she stared at the boy.”

“She’s scared of showing her vulnerability and all the cracks she had received,” Key whispered as he worriedly stared at the girl who just had a blank expression as she worked in front of her laptop.

“But her body’s going to collapse if she continues being like that,” Howon argued.

“But even if she goes home, she has no one to take care of her there,” Bora retorted.

“I would want to let her live with me but my mom just arrived from China,” Jia said with furrowed eyebrows. “I’m actually getting frustrated with all her demands.”

“Is she bugging you about your arranged marriage?” Key asked.

Jia rolled her eyes as she replied, “Don’t make this about me. This is about our friend.”

“Our friend who only has a little difference from a zombie,” Bora chimed. But then she lifted her head from the desk as she said, “Someone really has to tell her to stop.”

“We’ve all been telling her that and she’s just dismissing us every now and then.” Key complained.

“Then let’s do it all together,” Howon replied. “I think even in that state, she still knows the power of majority over her.”

As silence lurked, Howon let his gaze travel to the people’s reaction and fortunately, all they gave was an approving nod. He sighed before calling, “Come on. Let’s do it now.”

All of them then stood up and without uttering another word, they all proceeded to Suzy’s office. As the girl recognized how her co-workers gathered in front of her, she momentarily halted from all her work and spared them a glance along with the biggest smile she could muster.

“Yes?” Suzy asked with a cheerful tone.

“Please stop giving that fake smile Su,” Key said in a soft voice as he sat on the chair in front of her desk. “We know that you’re not okay and you don’t need to pretend that you are.”

Suzy’s smile then faded and her eyes travelled to Jia who in turn shook her head as the former gave her an accusing stare.

“She didn’t say anything about your problem,” Howon spoke in Jia’s defense. “And we’re not even forcing you to tell us right now.”

“But Suzy, you have to stop overworking yourself,” Bora added, her voice full of concern.

“I’m okay,” Suzy argued as she resumed typing and her gaze remained fixed on her computer screen. But then, a hand pushed her laptop to a close and looking in front, she found the culprit.

“You’re not,” Sehun said with all sincerity as his eyes found hers.

“You guys are all stubborn. I’m perfectly fine,” Suzy avoided eye contact and shrugged her shoulders with a forced chuckle as she pushed the laptop away from her.

“Your pale face in contrast to the dark shades under your eyes says otherwise,” Bora retorted.

“Go home,” Key insisted as his stare remained fixated on her. “You need to rest.”

“At least for the day,” Howon added. “We’re not stopping you to work. We just want you to take care of yourself.”

“You don’t need to worry about us,” Jia seconded.

Seeing all the eyes were on her and all defense would go nowhere, Suzy sighed and her gaze fell on the floor as she slowly nodded in defeat.

“I’ll take you home,” Sehun presented as they all watch her pack and grab her things.

“No thanks,” she coldly replied and headed straight towards the door without even saying farewell to any of her co-workers.

The five fell in silence as the door shut behind Suzy. Sehun clenched his fists as the rejection slowly sunk within him while Bora chewed her bottom lip as the worry was still present even if they had successfully stopped her from working. Jia sighed in frustration as dealing with the girl and keeping her secret was getting more difficult to handle.

“I would have normally scolded her for not treating us with any manners,” Key said flatly as he stared at nowhere.

“Let her be,” Howon replied. “She can’t be her usual self if her mind is only clouded with sorrow.”

“I know,” Key sighed as he shut his eyes tight and slowly sighed.

When Suzy left the office, fatigue was slowly settling in her body. She felt herself slowly weakening and as dizziness visited her, she almost tripped in the middle of the street. Fortunately, she was able to get a hold of the nearby lamp post. She was successful at making herself momentarily stable by taking a couple of slow breaths. But then, when she was able to get a hold of herself, she began to take in the environment she was in. The world was so busy and everyone seemed to be happy and contented.

And it all felt unfair to Suzy.

She could feel the warmth slowly travelling to her eyes as her existence became so irrelevant in the setting she was in. She realized that she had made her world revolve around Myungsoo too much, that she seemed to be of no value without him. This was the primary reason why she just wanted to stay at work. At least in her office, she knew that she was needed.

She clenched on the strap of her shoulder bag as her heart started clenching again and breathing became more difficult. As she stood with the crowd, waiting for the light to turn green, she was reminded of loneliness again. Sadness was eating her more as she tried her best for her expression to be stoic. She was trying her best to hide her sorrows under a mask even t