Sehun broke out into a roll of demented laughs, as if she was being utterly ridiculous. Dumbfounded, Hayoung wasn’t sure how to react.

“Don’t jump to assumptions about me,” Sehun stated icily, “I don’t get into anything without getting something out of it.”

When the elevators opened again he stepped out with, “Get to work, Hayoung.”

\\\\\

Namjoo urged her feet to move faster along, in order to keep up with the pace Kai was pulling her at. She caught the curious glances their co-workers were shooting her. It was embarrassing and she wanted to curl up, hide somewhere.

“I said it’s fine,” she whined. “I can just go to the bathroom and wipe the blood off. It’s not even a big cut.”

“Fine my ,” he muttered dragging her into his office, closed the door and tugged her toward his desk. Sitting her into the chair he knelt onto one knee and observed her wound, his finger carefully probing around the wounded area for better observation.

“You can get an infection.” He breathed worriedly.

Namjoo couldn’t help but scoff. “This isn’t worth an infection. You obviously don’t know what a wound is.” She caught herself when he glanced up at her. Clearing she rephrased herself, “I mean…I told you, it’s barely a cut.”

“What do you mean barely a cut?” he repeated madly. “You should take better care of yourself. What if it scars?”

Was he saying that her body was worth more than she herself? Namjoo eyed him and inched back when he stood to his feet.

“Wait here.” He disappeared out of the room, leaving her there trapped within four walls with the inability to escape. At the thought of escape she heavily sighed.

What exactly was she still doing here?

Kai returned a moment later with some bandaid and a tissue which he used to clear off the blood then placed the bandaid over her knee.

“Uh…thanks,” she said suddenly wanting to leave his office. When he glanced up at her her breath caught in and she could sense the atmosphere transitioning into something else.

“If you want to thank me, don’t go off on your own ever again,” he said with both hands on the arms of the chair, trapping her in front of him.

“Oh…yea. Sorry.” She muttered insincerely.

Sincerity glowed from him, but she wasn’t in the mood to accept his heart swinging gestures. The suave man continued to stare at her, his eyes watchful and intimate. She felt uncomfortable and awkward in the situation that wasn’t meant to be hers.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized out of the blue, catching her off guard.

“Huh?”

“The engagement. I know it was sudden and I didn’t wait for you to prepare yourself.” He explained.

God, he was so nice Namjoo wanted to swoon over him.

“But I’m sure I’m ready, so you prepare yourself too, ok? I…really like you, Choonhee.”

Namjoo’s heart dropped at the rate of a crumbling skyscraper at the mention of the dead twin’s name. Everything had been nice up until there.

Struck even more by the reality she was in she watched Kai lean up to put his tender lips around hers, slowly kissing her, lulling her into his enchantment.

This was so wrong.

The moisture of his lips perked her senses when her eyes closed, but that was until she felt Sehun’s hand weaving through her hair and his heavy breath scourge as he fought to hold her still. Abruptly pulling back she glanced at the surprise in Kai’s expression, almost afraid that he had sensed what just went through her mind. For what felt like a long eternity they looked at each other, and then thankfully Kai finally stood.

“I’ve taken enough of your time. You should get to work,” Kai smiled.

Nodding, Namjoo stood and without a word left the room with a relief swinging through her.

\\\\\

Leaning back into his chair Sehun groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. Looking over all these contracts and pages of policies exhausted him. It felt like an eternity had passed by in the count of a few hours.

Glancing at the clock he saw that it was 8:00 PM. Most of his workers would have gone home by now, which meant he was well alone. Stretching he stood to his feet and started toward the window to look at the view outside, but his feet stopped midway. A boulder was weighing his mind but he was trying not to let it crush him. Only he was failing.

Then turning he started toward the door, pulled it open, and stepped out. Every other light had been turned off, Hayoung’s desk was empty, and the echoes of ghosts rebounded off the walls. Only his footsteps were heard along the corridor but he was hoping he wasn’t alone. Going into the elevator he pressed the button to go a floor down. Using the stairs didn’t sound attractive at this time of night and he wasn’t in the mood to be scaring himself.

The doors opened and he stepped out into the drearily dim hallway. Beyond it the doors to the Publishing Department was closed and part of him knew no soul had stayed behind. Yet, he wanted to go further to confirm. Maybe punish himself for being so curious.

Halting in front of the glass doors he peered into the darkness in the direction of Choonhee’s desk. It was empty, as abandoned as the driest parts of the Sahara Desert.

Trying not to let a sigh fall from his lips he stepped back and returned to his office to catch up on all the work he’d missed.

\\\\\

Another day, same .

Sleepily sitting up from bed Namjoo remained there with her legs under the blanket with eyes still drowsy from sleep. When she went downstairs Hayoung was at the table like usual with her parents. It seemed almost as if she lived there. Did she not eat with her parents?

Namjoo realized in that moment that she knew nothing about Hayoung or her background, who and what her family was like. Even with her curiosity aroused she didn’t dare open to ask. If she spoke, Hayoung would lash.

It was only when she got to work that she realized she wasn’t worried enough about finding that solution to stop the engagement. Around on the corner on her way to the bathroom she heard:

“Did you see her yesterday? Coming in as if nothing happened, when her no-show the day before had us piled with her work and we even had to stay behind to stay caught up.”

“The way she latches onto our Director,” another girl whispered, “she’s so pathetic. Just because she’s going to become his wife doesn’t mean she can come and go as she wants. I really hate people who have money and think of themselves so highly. She looks exactly like one of those girls who think the world is here to serve them. They always do whatever they want without thinking about what kinds of consequences others have to deal with in their place. I’m never going to respect her when they get married. I’m sorry to say this, but I feel so sorry for our Director. She should just stop working if she doesn’t take her work seriously.”

“I was looking through the document with Hana last week; you wouldn’t believe how many typos she ignored. And you’d think she’s from some top university. What a joke!”

“Some of us come to work to make a living, but she’s here to date the Director? Did you see how long they were in his office yesterday? I feel so grossed out just thinking about what they did in there. I don’t think I’ll have the guts to step into his office ever. She should just get a life or better yet, I just want her to quit. To be honest, I don’t even think she’s pretty.”

“Failed plastic surgery maybe.”

The girls broke out into laughter at the joke.

“Our Director deserves someone so much better.”

“I wish they didn’t let her join our department. She has the vibe of someone who doesn’t even want to be here. I don’t like her either.”

“Say, want to go the bars and karaoke after work?”

“That’s a great idea!”

“Lets invite the other girls too, but lets do it quietly. I don’t want Choonhee to hear and ask to come along. I don’t have the heart to reject her.”

“Alright. Lets get back to work. What should we have for lunch?”

Namjoo could make out the sound of their heels clacking against the floor as they neared but she couldn’t get away in time. She heard them gasp in surprise when she lifted her head up to see two of the girls out of the other bunch, who’d been awfully kind and patient with her. Namjoo felt crushed to know that they – who she never thought would be able to – would say such rude things behind her back.

They, among the rest, had been really good people. She’d thought everyone was kind and great with big hearts. Just the kindest of kind people she’d ever come across. Now she felt like a butterfly hovering over a field of overgrown grass, only the butterfly was shot down with a rock from an unknown attacker.

Actually, she hadn’t thought anyone would even bat an eye her way. She just found out how wrong she was.

How naïve.

Namjoo wanted to sigh and turn her back on them, but it quickly became awkward since she could see in their faces how surprised they were and in her expression, the obvious that she’d overhead them. And that was something both parties couldn’t deny.

“Ah…Choonhee,” the girl on the left, middle aged with long hair, “you’re here?”

The other girl, obviously nervous stammered, “So you…you hear…heard? Want to go karaoke?”

She was the one who’d said she didn’t have the heart to reject her. Namjoo stared at her, overwhelmed by flowing disappointment that she wasn’t in the place to feel. But she was feeling it. She wanted to laugh at why it should matter, but she was sad to have heard someone talk about her this way.

She was not Choonhee. She hadn’t gone to a top university. She wasn’t in a relationship with Kai nor had she clung onto him. And most of all, she wasn’t going to get married to him.

All their words were irrelevant!

Namjoo was urged to shout this in their faces, but instead she forced on a timid smile. “It’s fine. Go ahead. I’m not into karaoke.”

“Ah…is that so?” the woman nodded with an awkward smile. “Then…we’ll go now. You better head in too.”

Namjoo’s eyes drifted toward the floor and she listened to them walk by, their footsteps hurrying to get away from her. All of a sudden she felt so down she didn’t even want to bother with work.

“Ah…” she moaned and rubbed her forehead. “Just what the hell is this?”

A few seconds later she heard the familiar voice, “Choonhee? What are you doing here?”

A hand on her shoulder made her turn around to see Kai. Well of course, she thought, who else but him?

And it was all his fault, she blamed bitterly. All his fault that no one liked her. All his fault that they were all thinking of her like she was using him to her advantage. All his fault everyone assumed she was going to marry him.

What the hell!

“Why do you look like that?” he asked and reached a hand out to touch her but Namjoo quickly winced back. Noticing the hurt expression on his face and the awkward tension growing she laughed to ward it off.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” She assured, pressing both hands against her face and then averted her eyes. She didn’t want to look at him. She was in no mood to play nice, innocent Choonhee right now.

She wanted to be alone.

“Do you want to go sit for a while?” he suggested.

Namjoo hated how she knew his suggestion only meant well but she was seriously irked by him constantly being around her at work now. Waiting for her to have lunch with him, waiting for her to finish her work and then take her home, or coming to check up on her in the middle of work hours. It was no wonder all eyes were on them. The frustration it gave her and no outlet to release it.

“No,” she shook her head.

She hated how every move of hers had someone watching her, readily waiting to criticize her. If she left again it was only obvious those girls would speak ill of her. Did she want to prove them wrong? That she, as Choonhee, could do her work, be responsible, and independent?

No. She didn’t care.

She wasn’t Choonhee.

Looking at Kai, suddenly impulsive, she asked, “Do you mind if I leave work? I don’t feel well.”

“Go ahead. Go get some rest. You’ve been stressed lately.”

Because of you, she wanted to add. However, she smiled, “Thanks.”

Namjoo turned to walk away but stopped in her tracks when he grasped her arm. “Call me.”

\\\\\

“Call you?” Namjoo hissed when she slammed the door to the cab close and slid into the backseat. “Like hell I would.”

Heaving a heavy breath of relief she turned to stare out the window.

“Where to, Miss?” the cab driver asked.

Yes, indeed, where to?

Half an hour after, she found herself at the fish soup restaurant just on the other side of Tao’s home. Alone at a table surrounded by a majority of elder persons she waited for the soup she’d just ordered five minutes ago. There was steam rising from the kitchen and she could smell fried fish, a variety of soups, side dishes, and grilled veggies. It was a tiny local restaurant located in the neighborhood, the type within a walking distance.

The walls were of wood with pictures of the home owner’s son, some baseball player she assumed upon seeing him in uniform with the woman, his mother, who’d just taken her order. The restaurant was homey, warm, and inviting. She could feel the air of a familial legacy and sincere people. No one held a restaurant well without kindness and honest patience, because without those two attributes who would keep coming back and how would they deal with rude customers?

“It’s here,” the elder woman placed her fresh bowl of soup in front of her. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Do you have business in our neighborhood?” After a moment she explained, “I’m just wondering, seeing what you’re wearing. Don’t mind me.”

Namjoo smiled, “I’m just…meeting a friend.”

With stomach satisfied, she walked out with arms outstretched. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so relaxed since climbing into Choonhee’s skin. Pursing her lips together she curiously glanced down the old road, extending farther along both her right and left. Coffee shops, a salon, a self-serve customer service building, herbal shop, and so on harbored the age tainted buildings around.

Namjoo was sincerely impressed that with the age of the neighborhood it was still booming with regular business and loyal customers. Randomly walking down her right she stopped upon seeing a candy store and smiled.

“Well,” she spoke to herself, “it would be rude of me to show up without a gift.”

\\\\\

It had been a busy day at the garage. Tao didn’t know where all these troublesome cars were coming in; whether these people didn’t know how to drive or if it was really the fault of the car itself. He was hot, felt dirty of oil and sweat, and wanted to get home as soon as possible to take a shower to cleanse himself. Then afterward, have a beer and watch some TV like usual.

Tao nodded toward the fish soup restaurant owner as he drove by, his motorcycle loudly roaring as he passed. Then when he came up to his house he frowned when he spotted someone leaning against his house waiting for him. His brows twitched, slowed down his motorcycle and set down the brakes before taking his helmet off. Shaking his hair free he then glanced at her again.

He had to observe her for a second, still awed by how identical she was to Choonhee.

“Tao!” she exclaimed and waved, all the while grinning widely. “What? Are you surprised to see me again after coldly kicking me out last time?”

“What are you doing here?”