Sungyeol went down the hall of Wooliment Tower with the first aid kit in tow. When he finally reached Secretary Yoo Ran’s desk, he was surprised to see that she wasn’t there, her papers and belongings left in a neat pile. He looked around him and saw no one in the office. Sungyeol checked his watch. It was almost seven. He guessed that all the employees had probably gone home by now. He placed the first aid kit down on top of Yoo Ran’s table and was going to leave a thank you note when he heard some voices from afar. He quietly followed where the voices were coming from, hoping it would be the secretary so he could properly thank her for the first aid kit.

          To his surprise, Sungyeol was led to the same room he was kicked out of only a few hours before. The tallest Infinite member quickly sneaked behind the cracked open door and waited. Unable to hide his curiosity any longer, he squatted down in front of the door and pressed his eye to the open slit. He clearly heard the CEO’s grimy voice as he talked to someone he did not recognize.

“I told you to keep this under wraps. Do you know how many reporters are still hounding at my back?”

“Relax. We just have to tie up some loose ends, you know the ones who would talk.”

          “Who are you talking about? Is it that Min-hyuk guy, god, he was awful. I’m glad I fired him last May. He was like a lost puppy when that Dae-In died.”

Sungyeol winced at the rude informality Mr. Suh was using to talk about the beloved former CEO.

“We are not sure yet where the rumors are coming from, but if it is him. We…will take care of it.”

“What else do I pay you for? Handle it immediately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“What else?”

“We have already fabricated the new will and placed your name for verification. No one would be able to figure out it was a fake.”

“Good.”

          The stranger hesitated, “Sir, there still seems to be some lingering suspicions about your succession. The media seems to have caught wind about your rivalry with Lee B—

“Don’t speak his name. I have a mole in their branch. I will contact you when we find him.”

“That’s not what I meant. There is a concern about Lee B—

“I told you not to speak his name!” Mr. Suh shouted. Sungyeol heard a chair loudly scrape the floor. “He’s dead, that’s all that matters.”

“But, sir—“

          “Enough. Do you think I’d let rumors steal my position? Let that bastard become CEO right in front of my eyes? God, there’s a reason why I’m sitting here right now and he’s lying in a ditch somewhere wherever you killed him.”

          Sungyeol gasped. But before anyone could notice his form in front of the open crack, a hand clamped itself over his mouth.

          “Shh,” a feminine voice whispered before taking him to an empty meeting room nearby and closing the door. She put a finger to her lips as they crouched down below the open blinds where no one would see them. They heard the door creak open as shadows passed their line of vision.

“What was that? There shouldn’t be anyone here.”

“It was probably the wind, sir. The window is open.”

“Hmm, it had better be. Now, go immediately and take the back door.”

“Yes, sir.”

          The girl took her hand from Sungyeol’s mouth as he let out the longest breath he has ever held in his life. It was dark in the empty meeting room, but he could faintly see the outline of his savior.

          “Yoo Ran-sshi?” He said hesitantly. The secretary did not say anything and carefully looked around her before she pulled Sungyeol out the room. Then, they dashed down the hall to a secluded part of the building next to the elevator. Sungyeol started to ramble.

          “I wanted to return the first aid kit to you, but you weren’t in the office. I heard some voices so I followed, hoping it was you so I could thank you for giving me the—”

“It’s okay, Sungyeol.”

“Yoo Ran-sshi, what did I just—”

Before Sungyeol can bombard Yoo Ran with his pressing questions, the secretary placed a card in his hands.

          “There’s no time to explain,” she said, punching the first floor, “don’t speak about what you saw or heard to anyone. Don’t try to look for me in the office. Only contact me on this number.”

          Sungyeol immediately nodded when he saw the serious gaze she was giving him. The elevator doors opened as she pushed him inside. “Alright. Go, before anyone sees you.”

          “But—,” he said, the elevator doors closed before Sungyeol. His last glimpse of Yoo Ran was a finger on her lips.   

          “Yah! Where have you been?” Sunggyu yelled at the tallest Infinite member as he exited the elevator in a daze. “I called your cellphone, but you weren’t picking up.”

          Sungyeol didn’t respond. His eyes were glazed over as he stared only at what was in front of him. He silently followed Sunggyu to the car while Infinite’s leader gave him a strange look. “Sungyeol? What’s wrong?”

          Sungyeol quickly slapped on a happy face and placed his arm around the leader’s shoulders. “It’s nothing, hyung. I’m just so hungry. Hopefully Woohyun hyung cleaned the dishes so we could actually eat on something clean for once.”