Inside the file were photos of Woohyun taken when he was unaware of it. Taehyun frowned in confusion as he didn’t understand the intention of the sender. What’s the point of showing me so many pictures of the new intern? Does the stealing case have anything to do with him? One of the photos caught his eyes and he gasped.

“H-How?”

Taehyun could barely utter a word.

Shock has robbed him of speech.

It was a photo of Woohyun when he was an adolescent. He remembered the last time he had seen him; the child was giggling excitedly about the road trip. He was a very cheerful and innocent boy. However, in the photo, he seemed indifferent. His eyes, they screamed helpless and desolate instead.

Tears formed in his eyes.

Nam Woohyun…

Why didn’t I notice it was you from the start? I should’ve suspected when you told me your name. You must’ve been suffering a lot on your own. If only I had known there was a survivor from the accident, I would’ve used all sources to find out your whereabouts…

If only that accident didn’t happen in the first place… I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye properly…

He was so relieved that the boy was still alive, even though the Nam family were declared dead after the accident. His knuckles were white as he gripped the photo. Now that he knew Woohyun was one of the thieves, he knew what he had to do. 

“Kibum, call in the officer.”

“Boss!”

Dongwoo barged in the meeting room, interrupting someone’s presentation curtly. They were asked to present their ideas for the company’s new product. Sunggyu faced Dongwoo with a displeased expression as his slender fingers were spinning the pen.

“Ahh I’m so sorry,” he quickly apologised to the presenter before darting towards Sunggyu and bent his upper body to whisper into his ear. “Sunggyu, just now on my way to the toilet, I saw a police officer walking out from the special elevator. I think he might have found out something about the stealing case.” Sunggyu’s eyes widened. His body jerked up from his seat. Everyone stared at them in curiosity.

“I’m sorry, let’s have a 15 minutes break.”

Sunggyu rushed towards the Chairman’s office with Dongwoo.

“Come in.”

Taehyun placed his phone away. He was alone in the office and he had just ended a call with Krystal. “Chairman,” Dongwoo greeted politely with a bow.

“Abeoji, did the police find out anything?” Sunggyu asked urgently. “No, they didn’t manage to dig out anything,” Taehyun lied. Sunggyu heaved a sigh of relief softly and Dongwoo noticed.

“And I’ve decided not to pursue this matter anymore.”

Taehyun added and Sunggyu was shocked to hear that.

“Wae?”

As much as he was at ease about the announcement, he felt peculiar. Given his father’s character, he wasn’t that type of person to let someone off easily. He would be determined to get to the bottom of the problem and he’d make sure to bring misery to those people who dared to intrude into his territory. Taehyun knew he had to come up with a reasonable explanation to his son, otherwise, he would suspect his behaviour since he was ingenious enough to notice something was off. He didn’t want anyone to find out about Nam Woohyun.

At least not yet.

“We have an important event coming up soon, I don’t want to tarnish Kim Corporate’s reputation to our current and potential investors.”

And so, his son fell for his words.

•••

They headed back to the meeting room.

“What?”

Sunggyu asked in annoyance when Dongwoo kept sending him goofy smiles and wiggling his eyebrows. He hated that expression as he knew that guy was having a ridiculous thought in his mind.

“I didn’t know that you’d be so worried about Woohyun even though you two are always arguing.” Dongwoo teased and Sunggyu gave him a blank face.

“I couldn’t be bothered about him. I’m just afraid that if he was caught, Abeoji would find out about my hidden motive since I had hired a thief to carry out an illegal act for me.” He explained quietly and entered the meeting room, leaving Dongwoo behind.

“Really? You didn’t care about him? Not even a little bit?”

He bugged while following him, still believing in his instinct that Sunggyu has slowly regarded Woohyun as a friend despite their frequent bickering.

Woohyun’s knees dropped to the ground.

A lone tear slid down from his eyes, followed by another one.

Old man, you deliberately set up this mission for me to be captured by Kim Corporate. Why did you do that? Why did you lie to us? What did you want me to do here?

And another one.

Please tell me the real intention of this mission, I know you must’ve your own reason that you didn’t tell us about.

Soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed its way down his pale cheeks, releasing his sadness and sorrow.

I know you wouldn’t abandon me. How could you when you know I need you more than anyone else? Old man, I had already lost my family, I can’t lose you too.

This feeling reminded him of the accident, the loneliness, his heart clenched painfully. He has been suffering since that day, Jungyeop wouldn’t be so heartless to do this to him. After all, he was the only person who stayed beside him during his hard time and managed to break down his wall.

I need to see you, please come quickly and take me back. You told me before, “Home is where you feel loved, appreciated and safe. It’s where your feet may leave, but not your heart.” I want to go home now.

When he heard the door opened, he looked up immediately, hoping that it was Jungyeop. Sunggyu was startled to see Woohyun’s bloodshot eyes. He was the last person Woohyun wanted to show his vulnerable side, yet this was the second time he was caught. Life’s always so ironic.

“Are you okay?”

He stepped in front of him and helped him up. However, Woohyun’s leg muscles weakened due to prolonged sitting on the floor, causing him to wobble. Sunggyu caught his arms before he fell. Woohyun quickly wiped his tears away. His mind was filled with the accident and Jungyeop, the feeling was too overwhelming for the orphan.

“Boss.”

He flinched when he heard Dongwoo’s voice from outside. He was coming in and Woohyun didn’t want to be seen like this. It was already humiliating enough for him to be caught in this situation right now. He struggled out of Sunggyu’s hands. The latter was aware of his thoughts. He reached out to grab the back of Woohyun’s head and pulled him closer, there was this urge to protect him in this defenceless state.

“Regarding tomorrow’s meeting, it’ll be at-” Dongwoo paused once he looked up from his schedule planner.

He gasped and almost dropped the planner from his hand. Woohyun’s forehead was pressed against Sunggyu’s chest, his manly scent filled up his nostrils and his body’s warmth managed to calm his emotions down once again.

“I’m sorry for interrupting.”

Dongwoo closed the door and went back to his seat with a silly smile. Just a moment ago he told me he doesn’t care about him. He chuckled to himself. He’s always like this, trying to put up a strong front and saying things that he doesn’t mean.

His eyes fell onto the photo frame on his desk. It was a picture of him, Sunggyu and Ailee, another close friend of theirs. The corner of his lips dropped and replaced by a pained expression.

And eventually getting himself hurt because of that.

•••

Woohyun rested his elbow on the table, placing his chin on his palm. He had washed his face in the bathroom and Sunggyu didn’t question him about anything as usual. He acted as if nothing happened and it helped Woohyun feel better.

He focused on the leather book.

According to the book, there were many ways to crack the password; such as using brute force, rainbow tables, or installing a TCP scan. Trying every possible password would be too risky because the intrusion detection systems might be able to detect something. It could also pollute his system logs and it may take years to complete.

He held his breath, trying to recall watching Sungyeol and Hyunseung working on their laptops at the cottage. His eyes combed the monitor in search of a bug, moving from side to side rapidly. Nothing could be heard except the violent beating of his fingers against the keyboard.

If I manage to hack into YJ Company’s server and steal their confidential information about their new product, I’ll be able to get back to the forest and hear the old man’s explanation.

This was his motivation to work harder, he swiped his fringe away from his forehead. There was something amiss. Someone was staring at him. He looked up and caught sight of a cockroach on the wall. He reached for a few pieces of tissue paper from the box on his desk and smacked them against it.

“Gotcha!”

He used to be afraid of insects when he was young. However, he managed to conquer his fear when he was living in the forest since he met all types of different species there that they no longer scared him. He turned back and saw Sunggyu’s grimaced expression while eyeing the dead creature in his hand. He ignored him and walked towards the bin, which was next to Sunggyu’s desk.

“Yah you better get that thing away from me!” Sunggyu threatened, sinking back into his chair.

Woohyun snorted. “Are you possibly scared of it?” He teased.

“Shut up! Throw it somewhere else and tell Dongwoo to get the cleaners in.” Woohyun guffawed at Sunggyu’s reaction. It was hilarious to see a merciless man frightened by a cockroach.

Sunggyu was stunned when he heard his laughter. It was loud and throaty like he was half laughing and half hiccupping. It sounded like it was from a child. His eyes formed into crescents as his lips parted, showing his hidden canine teeth and his small dimples. This was the first time he saw him like this. He was mesmerised by the sight. He felt himself smiling involuntarily. He’s adorable. His smile dropped instantly when he came to a realisation.

Wait what am I thinking…

He shook his head at the absurd thought.

I must be crazy!

The next morning, Howon and Sungyeol stepped into Kim Corporate. They bought a suit the day before to look presentable.

“Hoya, your tie is crooked.” Sungyeol adjusted Howon’s black tie. They were feeling nervous and uneasy since this was the first time they had a job instead of a mission and adding on to the fact that they would be doomed if they get caught. Moreover, Howon hadn’t thought that there’d be a day when he would step into Kim Corporate and work for him; the man who caused his family to land into bankruptcy, the man who caused him to be abandoned by them. He broke his promise, but he couldn’t be bothered, he was willing to do anything to stay by Woohyun’s side.

Yesterday they had received an unknown phone call and contemplated for a few seconds before answering. The caller told them to report to work as a security guard for Kim Corporate, they were puzzled.

“How did they get our phone numbers?” Sungyeol asked after ending the call.

“It must be Hyun, he has helped us get in the company.” Howon grinned at the thought of being able to see Woohyun every day, he missed him.

“It’s good that we can be closer to Hyun now but Hoya, we have to be very careful. We will be sent to jail if they find out about us.” Sungyeol reminded him and Howon nodded his head. He wondered if Woohyun was feeling better after their last meeting. Among us, he was the closest to the old man. He must’ve cried after that and yet I’m not able to be beside him and console him. Howon sighed. If only that country bumpkin had a phone, I’d know about his well-being…

Suddenly, an idea struck his mind.

“Yeol, shall we get the country bumpkin a phone?”

•••

“Do I look weird?”

Howon asked for the umpteenth time. He wanted to look dashing so if he ever got the opportunity to meet Woohyun in the company, the latter will swoon over. He held tightly onto his briefcase, there was a new space grey iPhone X inside. He couldn’t wait to see Woohyun’s expression when he handed the phone to him. His desire was obvious, Sungyeol rolled his eyes and facepalmed. Why didn’t I notice earlier that he’s always acting so idiotic when it comes to anything that’s related to Woohyun? On the other hand, Sungyeol prayed that he won’t meet Kim Myungsoo.

They were told to show up in the security department. They didn’t have to ask the information counter since they knew where it was, Jungyeop had made them studied the map of Kim Corporate before.

Dongwoo knocked. However, there was no response from Sunggyu even though he could hear murmurings inside the office. He opened the door and witnessed them bickering. Sunggyu was sitting at Woohyun’s desk.

“Yah you’ve been staring at it for 5 minutes! Do you know how to do or not?” Sunggyu snapped as he pulled his eyebrows together while folding his arms. He had decided to help Woohyun with his homework since he has some free time for himself in the morning. However, he didn’t have enough sleep last night, so he was grumpy and impatient.

“I don’t get it.”

Woohyun admitted with his eyes fixed on the tutorial for marketing, tapping the tip of his pen against the paper. If stares could kill, the paper would be burnt into ashes right now. The first question was: What core concepts did Uniqlo use to target its consumers and how can the brand be improved? Isn’t marketing just about selling products and pleasing customers with a sweet tongue? Why do we have to learn all these marketing philosophies and core concepts? He groaned inwardly with a sigh.

“Which part?” Sunggyu asked, taking over the paper and glanced through it with boredom. His cheek was rested against his knuckles. “Everything, I don’t get anything at all.” Woohyun confessed with a whine, his fingers digging into his blond hair in frustration.

“These can all be answered through common sense, you’re stupider than I thought.”

Sunggyu was blunt. Woohyun’s jaw dropped at the insult and anger rose within his body.

“Well did I ask you to teach me?” He gritted his teeth and snatched his paper from Sunggyu. This arrogant jerk must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed today.

“You solve questions like a grade schooler. Without my help, you’ll surely flunk all your modules with your level of IQ and get fired by my father.” Sunggyu replied after looking at his answers. Woohyun clenched his fist and in a deep breath. “Thanks for your kindness but I’d rather ask my friend or anyone else for help, as long as it isn’t you.” He mustered a fake smile to go with his sarcastic tone.

“Ahh but someone else tutoring you couldn’t have been that helpful since your brain probably won’t understand or absorb anything. With the great me helping, even a kindergartener can solve any problem.” Sunggyu bragged and this caused Woohyun to snort.

“Yah! I have my strengths too. At least I’m brave, unlike someone.” Woohyun teased, sticking out his tongue. He giggled while remembering the incident yesterday. Sunggyu was ready to retort back but Woohyun interrupted him. “Dongwoo hyung.” He greeted when he heard the secretary laughing at the door.

Dongwoo stood in front of Sunggyu since his boss ordered him to come into his office once he had finished his task.

“Dongwoo, there will be another two security guards turning up today. I want you to assist the security test for them.” Woohyun’s ears perked up when he heard it, his eyes twinkled with excitement. L really hired Howon and Sungyeol! He fisted in happiness. I’m so glad Hoya agreed to work, even though he really hated the Chairman for ruining his life. And furthermore, Dongwoo’s in charge of the security test, there won’t be any problem. Now I might be able to see them during break time and even ask Sungyeol for help in hacking! I’ll be able to finish the mission earlier. Unknowingly, Sunggyu noticed his triumph expression.

“Yes boss, I’ll go to the security department right now.” Dongwoo bowed and left the office.

“Idiot, what are you so happy about?”

Woohyun’s face dropped when he realised that he had given himself away. Almost. No, I can’t let him find out about Sungyeol and Howon. Who knows what he’ll do to them? He glared at Sunggyu.

“Because you’re a cat.” Sunggyu scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

“A cat?”

Woohyun chuckled.

“Yup, a scaredy-cat.”

Dongwoo walked towards the security department and a lady at the counter led him to a room meant to conduct the security test. “You can skip the interview since they were both recommended by the director,” The lady informed him. Before becoming Sunggyu’s secretary, Dongwoo was actually a security guard since his body was cut out for that job. However, when Sunggyu asked Dongwoo to be his secretary instead, he agreed instantly. 

The security test was to determine whether the candidate was capable of becoming Kim Corporate’s security guard or not. Whenever the security director wasn’t available, Dongwoo would be assigned to help out at the security department. When he opened the door, he saw the back of the two candidates sitting on the chairs. They were both fiddling their fingers with their heads down.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Dongwoo apologised while taking a seat behind the desk. He looked through the personal particulars that they were told to fill up while waiting. Oh, they’re the same age as Woohyun.

“First, introduce yourself.”

Dongwoo instructed. He looked up to study their faces, but his body froze when his eyes landed on the guy on the left.

“My name’s Hoya.”

He was attracted to his features, his body and even his voice were husky.

His smile.

Dongwoo found himself smiling back to him. He was biual and had known about his preferences during high school. He was always thankful for Sunggyu and Ailee who didn’t judge him, and instead, they accepted him for who he was.

Sungyeol remarked Dongwoo’s attraction towards his friend, who was absolutely oblivious since the only thing he cared about was Woohyun.

“I’m Sungyeol.” Blood rose to Dongwoo’s cheeks when he realised he was gawking at Howon. He coughed awkwardly and darted his eyes back to the paper.

“Hoya-ssi and Sungyeol-ssi, nice to meet you, I’m Dongwoo. I’ll be giving you a security test. There’ll be two sections: Theory and Physical Strength. For theory, you’ll be tested regarding Kim Corporate’s map and problem-solving skills. For physical strength, there’ll be a wrestling match with me. If you failed one of the sections, you’ll be disqualified.”

Hoya and Sungyeol smirked. After hearing that, they were confident that they’d definitely pass.

•••

The test lasted around 2 hours. Dongwoo had to admit that he was impressed by their performances. They seemed to be highly trained, no wonder the security director would recommend them.

Sungyeol walked out of the room to head to the restroom, leaving Dongwoo and Howon alone.

“I’m amazed by you and Sungyeol’s skill,” Dongwoo spoke to ease the awkward tension between them.

“You’re not bad yourself too,” Howon commented while thinking back to Dongwoo’s fighting tactics. He missed the blush on Dongwoo’s cheeks, he knew who he was. Jang Dongwoo, Kim Sunggyu’s secretary. I’ve to treat him nicely since Woohyun’s under his care.

As Sungyeol was turning at the corner of the corridor, he bumped into someone and winced at the impact.

“Aish, why is it you again?!” He grumbled once his eyes rested on the guy who he never wanted to meet again if it wasn’t for Woohyun.

“Oh, have we met before? Sorry if we do and I’ve forgotten about it. I’m only interested in good looking faces and yours is totally out of the category.” Sungyeol felt his blood boil, he yanked the collar of Myungsoo’s suit harshly. He was mad at the insult. Myungsoo snickered. It’s so easy to step on his nerves.

“Yeol ah, promise me that you’ll avoid trouble in Kim Corporate.” That’s right. I gave Hoya my word yesterday.

He took a deep breath. “Can you let me go now? I’m very busy and I’ve no time to entertain you.” As much as he wanted to punch Myungsoo’s cocky face badly, he retracted his hands unwillingly. If it wasn’t for the safety of Hoya and Woohyun, I wouldn’t hesitate to beat him up.

•••

When Sungyeol opened the door, his eyes met Myungsoo’s and he gasped. What’s he doing here? Howon his lips with a pale face. What’s wrong? He looked around the room, Dongwoo had already left. Sungyeol could feel something bad was going to happen.

“Ahh, so you must be Sungyeol. Congratulations on becoming one of our security guards! From now onwards, we’ll be working together.”

He gulped at Myungsoo’s smirk. .

Woohyun was exhausted. He managed to complete his homework while being forced to listen to Sunggyu’s marketing lecture and spending the rest of the day with the laptop. He fell onto the couch lazily.

I hate to admit it, but that jerk’s really good at teaching. Now all the core concepts, philosophies and whatever important stuff are stuck in my brain. He placed his arm over his eyes. I wonder how’s Hoya and Yeollie. He didn’t meet them or L at the canteen today. Maybe they have a different break time.

As he was getting cosy and was about to doze off, the door swung open. He raised his head sleepily and soon; his blood ran cold when his eyes met the Chairman’s.

“What are you doing here?”

His aloof voice made him shivered in fear and he scrambled to his feet immediately. His heart began to thump rapidly as he tried to think of a lie. Sunggyu had already gone home with Dongwoo after they ate steamed gyoza for dinner in the office.

“I’ve no place to go and Sunggyu-ssi’s kind enough to let me stay here,” He explained. It wasn’t completely a lie.

“You’ve broken one of the company’s rules, which clearly stated that none of the employees is allowed to sleep in the office.”

Woohyun swallowed hard. Is he gonna fire me? Does that mean I can go back to the forest? No, Sunggyu will be able to detect my whereabouts through the earring. He wouldn’t let me off so easily, he’ll bring me to jail if I failed the mission and I need to go back home.

“Please don’t fire me,” Woohyun quickly pleaded. Did Hoya’s father beg him like this too when he fired him?

“In that case, in order not to violate the rules, you’ve to come home with me.”

Woohyun frowned in confusion. What is he planning to do? He thought back to what Taehyun had said to him when they first met. “Good looking people are usually dumb.” He faced him cautiously. Did he find out anything about the stealing case? Maybe he’s pretending to be kind so that he can slaughter me and hide the evidence at his house… He was horrified with the thoughts of Taehyun stabbing his body repeatedly while telling him harshly, “This is what you get for stealing my money.” Woohyun flinched, sweat formed on his forehead. He fired Hoya’s father just because he made a minor mistake. He’ll probably kill me once he found out that I’m the thief he’s looking for…

Taehyun noted his terrified expression.

“I won’t do anything to you. It’s because my house has extra guest rooms, so I can take you in. If you want to continue working here, you better abide by my rules.” He explained. “Sunggyu-ssi will also be there right?” Woohyun asked and earned a nod from him, “Of course, he’s my son.”

“Okay, I’ll follow you.”

He believed that Sunggyu wouldn’t hurt him since he still needed his help.

•••

Taehyun waited while Woohyun packed all his clothes and uniforms into his backpack.

In the car, Taehyun kept staring at Woohyun unabashedly before looking out of the window. He has really grown up into a handsome boy, Mingyu would be so proud of him if he was still alive.

Suddenly, he thought of Sunggyu rushing into his office yesterday. Judging from his attentiveness of the stealing case, he must’ve known that Woohyun’s one of the thieves. So why did he still hire him? What was his motive? Is there something going on between them? He looked back at Woohyun. Why did he end up becoming a thief? How has his life been for these 7 years? He doesn’t seem to recognise anyone though, did he forget about it? Or did he lose his memory from the accident?

There were so many questions he wanted to ask Sunggyu and Woohyun, but he held it in. He kept his usual self since he was afraid it would scare Woohyun away if he was too friendly. He had flipped one of the photos yesterday and saw a contact number written at the back. It must be the sender’s. He knew that person would have the answers to all his curiosity.

Once Taehyun opened the door, Krystal bowed with a sweet smile when she saw Woohyun. She has been anticipating his arrival ever since Taehyun informed her about it.

He returned a smile to Krystal and looked around the mansion. It’s so huge and beautiful.

“This is Krystal, she’s our helper.” She looks kind and friendly. She seems pretty young too. He bowed back to her.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Woohyun.” He introduced himself and they shook hands. Even her hand is so smooth. That rich jerk is so lucky. There’s Eunji-ssi plucking strawberries for him in the office and also Krystal-ssi at home serving him.

He heard footsteps coming from the hallway, who he assumed that it belonged to Sunggyu’s or his mother’s or Myungsoo’s. His eyes widened when it was L’s instead.

“What are you doing here?” Both of them asked at the same time with horrified expressions. Why is a security director here? Is he homeless or does he guard the Kim family’s house too?

“What’s the commotion all about?”

Woohyun recognised this grumpy voice instantly since which he has been hearing it every day. He turned his head towards that source immediately.

Sunggyu appeared from the other side of the hallway in simple t-shirt and sweatpants. Woohyun caught his breath when he saw a kitten in his arm, he recognised it.

“Chubs?” He muttered under his breath, astonished to see it. He knew it was her the moment he looked into her deep blue eyes. Sunggyu furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Woohyun. His eyes demanded an explanation from him.

“Now that everyone is here, I have an announcement to make.” Everyone? What about Myungsoo-ssi and the Chairman’s wife? Where are they? Woohyun eyed around the room.

“From now onwards, Woohyun will be staying in our house.” Taehyun broke the silence.

“WHAT?!”

Myungsoo and Sunggyu shrieked.