“Hani, where are you going?”

The said girl heard a deep soothing voice echo from behind her. Hani was sitting at the edge of the bed, one hand gently pushing herself up to a standing position while the other grabbed onto the IV stand for support. She bit her lower lip hard, stifling a groan because it would just make pain worse. Before she could turn her head to find the source, Daniel appeared next to her with one arm resting protectively around her waist, supporting her weak body.

“Babe, are you alright?” he asked in concern. Hani felt some of the pain earlier dissipate into thin air as she caught a whiff of Daniel’s natural scent and body warmth, giving her instant comfort and reminding her of how much she missed being in his arms. She pulled away abruptly before she could get too comfortable, pushing him slightly to increase their distance.

She avoided making eye contact with him, afraid that the puzzled and worried, yet endearing expression Daniel was making would melt away the defense wall she decided to build around her since this morning. “Don’t. I can do this myself,” she gestured him to stop with her palm as he was about to come closer.

She tried to take a careful step and failed as it was still too painful for her to walk without feeling a stabbing pain from where she was operated. When Hani first gain consciousness after the surgery, the first 8 hours were horrible. She could barely walk and was forced to stay in bed because even slight movements from coughing would cause her discomfort. Knowing very well that the boy would come to her rescue again, Hani started again, “I said I-”

Daniel grabbed her arm, steadying her. “Would you stop being stubborn for once and let me help you Lee Hani?” he snapped in frustration, his voice firm as he only needed to softly tug her arm for Hani to sink vulnerably into his chest.

“I’m going to the bathroom Kang Daniel,” Hani snapped back, returning the favour by using his full name as well.

He was left tongue-tied for a few seconds before he responded, this time timidly with a hint of blush on his cheeks, “D-do you s-still need help?” She stared at him in disbelief. “B-but, what if you fall down in the bathroom?” She sent him an incredulous look. “Fine, where’s granny though?” he asked, looking around for the elder lady.

“She went out for a while,” Hani replied, making another attempt to the bathroom, “I can surely take care of my own business,” She insisted.

Daniel’s arm found it’s way around her waist again as he held her left hand with his free hand, guiding her from behind. “Let me at least help you to the bathroom,” he offered, already pushing her softly towards the door. Hani didn’t realize that she was holding tightly onto him, fully depending on his help along the way. She did however, realize that her heart was thumping loudly in her chest, reacting to his caring and considerate gesture.

He leaned against the bathroom door, patiently waiting for her while being on guard. He insisted that Hani left the door unlocked so that he could easily come to her aid. Hani only took a few minutes to finish her business, but she was reluctant to step out of the door. Afraid to face Daniel once more, worried of what he would say and unwilling to talk about their problems just yet. She wasn’t sure if she’s ready to face the truth, she wasn’t even sure if she knows how to react once she hears what Daniel has to say.

Hani was still pondering when she heard a soft knock on the door, ”Babe, are you done? It’s been a while.” Daniel’s sweetly melting voice as he calls her with that specific endearment was enough to make her waver, let alone face him while staring into his beautiful brown eyes. It would be so much easier if he didn’t shower her with all these affections and protective acts, if he didn’t show that he still cared and definitely if he didn’t confess his love.

Daniel was about to open the door when he received no response, but stopped himself as the door slowly opened, “Everything alright?”

She nodded in reply. This time Hani’s hand naturally grabbed onto his arm for support as Daniel assisted her back to the bed. He silently helped her to sit comfortably on the bed, “Feeling better now?” he asked, taking a seat in front of her.

Hani gave another wordless nod. Daniel smiled, taking her silence as a good sign as he instantly wrapped his arms around her, closing the distance between them. Hani was caught in the moment as she let him hold her, it felt good being in her beloved’s embrace again with her head leaning against his chest where she could hear his steady heartbeats. In fact, if she was to be honest, that was all she ever wanted for so long. “Hani, I missed you so much,” he whispered softly while her hair.

“Where have you been?” Hani’s sudden question broke off the intimate moment.

Daniel was slightly taken aback as he pulled away slightly and stared softly yet gingerly at her with his beautiful dark brown eyes before uttering, “Granny told me to go home and-”

The girl continued, her tone icy cold as the strong winds outside the window, “You left and emptied your apartment a few months ago. Where have you been?”

At that moment, Daniel knew that she meant something else. Hani was talking about his absence a few months ago, and he knew that an explanation and answers to all her questions were in due time. However, he found himself hesitating as he tried to form words to start, but he knew he could not longer delay it, “I was…”

“I was right there where you left me,” She cut him off again before he could answer, eyes already glistening with tears. Hani took a deep breath before continuing, “I cried, I waited, and then I cried some more and then I went out looking for you everywhere. I even had the slightest hope that you’d come back.”

To say that she was upset is an understatement, she felt anger, sadness, unfairness and worries all snowballed into one. Daniel’s heart burned in pain, fully aware that he was the cause of her heartache and sorrow. In reality, he never left. He didn’t have the courage to leave and abandoned his decision to move further away from her, after he heard Hani’s promise from his hiding place when she made a sudden visit to the café that she’ll never forget him.

Daniel let her carry on as Hani poured out more questions that she has been accumulating these past few months, “When we met again, why did you pretend that you didn’t know me? You even lied to me and introduced yourself as Euigeon. What’s all that?” The said girl looked up from her gaze on her lap as a drop of tear trickled down her right cheek. She tried to put up a strong facade, but it fell through from her shaky voice, “A-and that new girlfriend of yours…” He placed a finger on her lips, gently wiping away the tear on her cheek with his thumb.

“Babe, let me explain everything,” Daniel started calmly, being extra careful as to not lead the conversation the wrong way. The last thing he wanted to do was to cut deeper into her wounds that he created. Furthermore, he knew that it would be harder to get his point across if they started raising their voices at each other.

“Explain. From the start,”

Daniel laced both his hands in hers, hoping that it would act as an anchor for her from what he was about to reveal. “That girl is not my girlfriend. She was just another client that I was assigned to from the Boyfriend Material agency,” He uncovered the truth one by one, “But you don’t have to worry about her, I ended my contract with her and I don’t want anything to do with her ever again.”

Daniel paused to study Hani’s expression, she looked lost but he could sense the determination to know the truth, so he decided to proceed further. “Hani, do you remember that you sent in a request online on your birthday night?” She hummed softly in reply. “I work for that agency called Boyfriend Material 101 as a boyfriend for hire. They assigned me to be your boyfriend because I fit your request perfectly,” Daniel recalled the first day he read Hani’s request form and he wondered if she was initially a stalker or his secret admirer. He was pleasantly amused at the detailed description of her ideal boyfriend. She described all his good qualities and conveniently left out all his flaws and weaknessess. He even felt instant connection towards her then, even though they haven’t officially met yet.

“At first, I tried to be professional and treated you just like I would to any other clients. I almost give up because this girl in front of me is such a tough cookie. She’s so difficult to impress,” Daniel threw in a small joke and felt relieved when Hani’s lips form a small smile though it only lasted for a few seconds. He continued in a more lighthearted yet still earnest manner, “I felt challenged and it became my goal to make you fall for me but… I lost to you babe,” He lightly pinched Hani’s nose and chuckled at the irony of how his initial plan turned out, but he never regretted any of them. In fact, he made a mental note to give a small credit to Madam K for assigning Hani to him. If it wasn't for her, he would never have met Hani.

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