Silence once again...

Me and Chewy were both sitting on the living room couch staring blankly at the TV that was playing some cheesy drama. Neither of us payed attention to the screen as we were both drowning in our own thoughts.

My head was busy thinking of ways to keep Chewy company while paying attention to my work at the same time.

Yes... today was the day.

I had to go to work, or else it could be the end of my life as I know it.

I know I couldn't leave her alone at home, I know where that led to the last time I left her alone.

I couldn't trust Felix to take care of her. I didn't know anyone else and even if I did, I didn't trust anyone else. I knew I had to do this by myself, no one else was capable enough to do so, because they don't know anything about her.

But then come to think of it... I didn't know much about her either.

Maybe I should get to know her more? Yeah that seems really easy considering the fact that she ignores everything I say nowadays.

I spread my legs a little bit, trying to stretch them out as I had been sitting in a static position for too long. As I spread them apart, my right thigh suddenly collides with Chewy's, my clothed leg touching her exposed one. I swallowed a lump in my throat when I realized how close we were. We were literally rubbing shoulders; her entire arm was touching mine and I was too drowned in my thoughts to even feel it.

I don't remember sitting this close to her, although I wasn't complaining. Her body was so warm, I could feel the heat of her body crossing over to mine, giving me a comforting sense of warmth that I haven't felt in a while. I suddenly find my hand snaking towards hers that was resting on her lap. My hand crawled across my thighs, reaching to the end of my knees before slightly moving towards the right to touch hers.

My heart raced as I felt my pinky finger graze hers. As my hand slowly started to engulf hers, I suddenly felt my cheeks heat up and my whole being starting to yearn for her touch.

How long has it been since I last felt her touch?

How long has it been since she has been by my side like this?

I suddenly feel her flinch under my touch, which snapped me back to reality. I turned my head to look at her and see that she was trying hard to hide her face with her long black locks. But I could still see it, her cheeks were burning red.

She was blushing?

Was it because of me?

There was no way.

But either way I could see that she was uncomfortable, so I lift my hand and place it on my lap.

I had no idea why I did that. I know that we still aren't on good terms, maybe I let my thoughts get the better of me again? Or maybe something entirely different was controlling me. I couldn't tell, whatever it was that was running through my mind, I knew I had to stop it.

I sighed and kept my hands to myself, making sure they were nowhere near her skin for now.

"Chewy..." I spoke up, not bothering to wait for her answer before I continued.

"I need to go to work today. If I skip another day, my father could kill me, or even the both of us if we're unlucky" I say.

....

But as expected, I was greeted by nothing but cold air. So, I continued.

"But I promised I wouldn't leave you alone anymore" I tell her, this time turning my head to face her. She, however, maintained her posture. Sitting as quietly and as motionless as possible with her eyes fixated on the blank white floor in front of her. I didn't know what she was thinking, her cheeks still showed a faint shade of pink and her fingers were restless on her lap. I sigh after realizing that it could have been because of what I just did.

I would apologize to her, but now was not the time. Especially since I had very little time in my hands. I groaned and leaned back into the coach, choosing to focus on the matter at hand rather than our personal issues... for now.

"So, I thought of a way to fix that" I say.

"But you might not like it..." Chewy finally moved a muscle. She ever-so-slowly turned her head to face me, as if she herself was dreading the answer.

"I'm bringing you with me."

I stood in the middle of the pavement, standing face to face with the gigantic building of the hospital. I felt like I was a tiny insect about to face a giant, like David going to face Goliath.

The only difference was an insect can easily kill a giant with its venom, and David went down in biblical culture as the one who triumphed over the giant.

I didn't have the venom of an insect, nor the courage of David. But I had something else with me, and she was just as poisonous as venom and as strong as the latter.

I felt her arm collide with my back, snapping me out of my nonsensical fantasy and baffling me once again at how close we were to each other. With that little touch, I was somehow motivated to enter the building and face the countless challenges that could come.

"Let's go" I say as I walk forward. I had already made it halfway up the stairway when I suddenly decided to look around for the girl.

"What the-" I say as I spin from left to right, trying desperately to search for the missing girl. I stop in my tracks to notice that she was still standing exactly where I last left her.

"Aish..." I curse as I walk back towards her direction.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask, even though I already knew exactly what her problem was. It's just that my mouth always tended to say the exact words I needed last in situations like these.

She only craned her head lower towards the ground, refusing to look up at me, or at the gigantic building in front of her. I realized that perhaps she wasn't ready to enter the place where she woke up from her nightmare. The countless hours of being out cold and forced to endure just for your life and to wake up in unfamiliar territory wishing you could go home, but couldn't

How do I know what that feels like?

"Come on" I say as I intertwined my fingers with hers, hoping it would calm her down a bit. As I walked forward, I felt a small resistance but was strong enough to stop me in my tracks. I turned around and saw her attempt to glance at the building, only to look back down in fear.

"Hey..." I say as I move closer to her.

"It's okay. I'll be here all the time" I say... even though that might not be the case later on.

Chewy reluctantly looks up, her brown eyes slowly lifting themselves off the ground to look at mine. She stared at me deeply, as if trying to examine if I was sincere or not. I stared into them once more, finding myself slowly getting lost in them all over again. But before I completely lost myself, Chewy suddenly breaks the contact, shifting her eyes everywhere but mine and the building.

"Trust me. Okay" I say as I lightly squeeze her hand. I start walking towards the entrance, feeling no resistance this time. I looked behind me to ensure that she was following, even though I was holding onto her hand. I couldn't rely on my senses all the time as they have already failed me on several occasions.

They certainly didn't fail me as I entered the main hallway. It was filled with people scattering about, going amongst their daily routines, moving from left to right, backwards, forwards, all kinds of directions. Every corner I looked, there was at least two people getting themselves busy. Doctors attending to patients, nurses retrieving supplies, people lining up for appointments. I felt like I was in an intersection as I watched them move about. Moving as fast and as dangerous as cars. I was scared to move an inch, fearing I could get run over if I moved from my place.

I looked over my head to see that Chewy was in no better state than I was. Her face was nearly frozen in fear, she stared at the scattering crowd like they were a bunch of madmen and to be honest, I couldn't tell her that they weren't but the petrified expression on her face made me realized that we were both scared out of our wits. But one of us had to be the stronger one and I knew it had to be me.

"Come on. There's no use in standing here" I say as I pull her forwards. I felt my heart race rapidly as I made my way through the hordes of people, feeling their eyes land on me and the girl I held onto. I could imagine what must be running through their minds: why was a wealthy-looking young man dragging around an underdressed girl in the middle of a hospital?

It was a question I attempted to answer myself. However, the only part I could answer was Chewy's clothing, she barely had any other clothes. The only clothing, she owned were a pair of black shorts that barely covered her thighs and a ragged shirt with many holes in them. Other that, she only wore what I could provide her and today I dressed her in a white, flower print dress that my mother left the last time she slept over at my place after a fight with dad.

It surprisingly fits her well even though she was slightly taller than my mom, the dress looked like it was made for her. The white overalls highlighted her dark-colored skin, a feat that caught the eyes of many as it wasn't common to see dark skinned people in my city. The stares that all these strangers gave us only made me uneasy, causing me to speed up my steps and Chewy did the same, trying her best to catch up to my pace.

I finally brought the both of us to a small, isolated corner with little to no people around. I looked around to see if there was anywhere I could let Chewy stay. I couldn't just leave her in any room or she could be at risk of getting caught and I didn't want her to be around if that happened. I looked behind me to see a door at the end of the isolated hallway.

"Chewy stay here" I say as I approach the door. It was transparent, giving me a view of the inside. It didn't look like anyone was occupying it at the moment, but I had to be sure. I noticed a shiny plate hammered to the wall just beside the door. I moved closer to be able to read what it said.

'Kim Minjun, MD'

Great. This was Minjun's office. I didn't know he had one since he preferred to stay in Chewy's room when she was confined here. I wasn't going to leave Chewy in the last place I wanted her to be in. The last thing I wanted was Minjun laying his filthy fingers all over her once again. I allowed it once, but I wasn't going to let him again.

But then I remembered,

The last time I was here, I was told that Minjun only worked night shifts.

I checked my watch to see that it was still morning, not even close to noon.

I had no idea how long my shift would last. But it's a risk I'm forced to take.

I slowly pushed the door open and peeped my head inside. My premonitions were correct, no one was inside and, assuming Minjun won't be around until night time, I should have just enough time to keep Chewy in here while I work.

But I still wasn't satisfied.

What if someone went in the office if I was gone? What if Chewy wanders off, or worse, what if Minjun comes early?

I groaned and ran my hands across my face, already feeling super stressed even though I haven't started working yet. My head was starting to ache again which worried me greatly since I was in public. This was the last place I wanted to have another episode in.

I tried my best to fight through the pain, forcing myself to shake it off and act like I wasn't about to go through another episode. I turned my head to look at Chewy and, to my surprise, the pain was slightly relieved.

What is it with this girl?

The things she does to me. It's almost fantastic.

"Chewy, come" I say as I grab her by the wrist. I bring her inside the office and close the transparent door immediately, hoping no one noticed us enter.

I was quite surprised by the way the office was made. It was slightly bigger than Wendy's, but less decorated. All I saw was a big desk piled with neatly organized folders and documents, a long leather bench just across the said desk which would be perfect for Chewy to stay on and various certificates and pictures neatly scattered across the room. It wasn't much but it was enough. I slowly walked over to the wall of certificates and took my time to explore them.

I'll admit I was slightly jealous of each of them. The man specialized in various fields of medicine and graduated from a university as prestigious as mine. I almost wished that every single certificate that was framed on the wall in front of me belonged to me. But thinking about it, I wouldn't want to have them if it meant having to be Minjun.

That man was a thorn in a bed of roses.

I had no idea what he had against me. It was as if he's known me for so long, and I did something to upset him so bad.

I decided there was no use stressing over pieces of paper hanging on the wall.

I shift my attention from the certificates and back to Chewy who was standing clueless in the middle of the room. Her eyes roaming all over the place as if everything around her was from another world. It made me feel really anxious about leaving her alone in this empty office. It was nothing like my house, nor did it feel like a home at all.

"Chewy-ah" I say as I approach her, trying to sound as if nothing bad ever happened between us. She turned her head towards me in a surprised manner, as if I had just snapped her out of a trance.

"Remember what I told you last night?" I asked as I cupped both of her hands in mine. She didn't bother to resist, only slightly glancing at my bigger hands before looking back at me.

I doubt she will remember what I told her last night considering how drunk she was.

"I told you I wasn't going to leave you alone anymore" I say as I bring her hands closer to my body. My heart was unexpectedly racing twice it's normal pace as if I was scared to tell her. As a matter of fact, I was. I was as nervous as a teenager trying to confess to his crush, or a child trying to admit his mistakes.

"But I have to go to work..." I tell her. She gives me an unreadable expression that I took as utter disappointment. She looks away with a melancholic expression on her face as if she knew exactly how long I would be away. What could I do? I was powerless to do anything else. If only I could have Minjun's office to myself, then I would stay with her 24/7.

"and I want to protect you at the same time" I say, she slowly turns her head to look at me and I find myself unable to speak. The expression on her face, the look on her eyes. It looked like they were examining me so intensively. I could feel her gaze seeping into my own eyes and caressing my soul, making me unable to move a single muscle as I held onto her.

Why was she looking at me like that?

I couldn't tell if she was trying to break me, or if she was begging me to stay.

Either way, I still wouldn't know what to do. Leave and attempt to save my sanity or stay and let her eyes consume me.

"I'll be back before you know it" I say and attempt to release my grip and turn around. Hoping to just get this over with quick.

However, as I loosen my grip on her hands, I feel her squeeze them a little more than lightly causing my entire body to stop functioning. I felt a surge of electricity coming from her hands, coursing through my entire body and finally landing on my poor heart.

I think I just survived a heart attack.

Did she just... try to stop me? With force?

I shake myself out of my shocked state and turn around to face her. She still had the same look on her face, although I could have sworn her eyes didn't look like they were pleading just a moment ago.

They were now.

"Chewy, can you not make this any harder than it already is. Please?" I say in a stern tone, trying to mask my vulnerability in front of the persistent girl. I gave her a pleading look of my own, pleading that she would just accept my situation and let me be, pleading to let me just do what was best for us at this very moment.

But Chewy was never one to be obedient, from day one she never complied to anything I said. She always had that hint of stubbornness in her, although rather than rebellious, it was more of the playful type. Every single time, I would give her the simplest things to do, she would always find a way to break it somehow and yes, I found it annoying, but I always knew what was best and that could only be achieved if she stayed obedient for once.

But for the first time, I wanted to give in to her stubbornness.

I wanted to just stay here in this spacious office and hide, because I was just as scared as she was. But at the same time, I also knew that I did not have a lot of options here. If I gave in to my weakness, then I would only be putting the both of us into more trouble.

When Chewy still refused to let go of that pleading look in her eyes, I sighed heavily and sat her down on the couch near Minjun's desk.

"I know I'll be leaving you alone again, in this room. I know I sound like the world's biggest hypocrite right now. I brought you here with me, I promised I wouldn't leave you again but now here I am, about to leave you alone in this empty room." I explained like a criminal admitting to his offense.

"But I can't see any other way to do this." I say as I turn my body towards her.

"If I brought you out there, I don't know what they'll do to you. I can't just drag you around while I go about my job, this is a time consuming and mentally demanding task I must do. I don't even know if I can keep an eye on you the entire time. For one second you could be by my side and the next, boom, someone could take you in the snap of a finger. I don't know who these people are or what they are capable of and I'm not willing to wait and find out if it means putting you in danger" I let out more words than she could possibly understand in one go and the look on her face said it all. She looked at me as if I had spoken in an otherworldly language.

As I wait for her to answer, I feel her grip on me slowly fade, allowing my hand and my entire body to breathe a little easier. But the burden of leaving her still resided in my heart.

Here I was, making my way through an seemingly endless hallway packed with people. I was many stories above the busy ground level and yet it was still as packed as ever up here. I tried my best to pay no attention to the chattering and blabbering of the restless crowd as I squeezed my way through.

The door at the end of the hallway was waiting for me like a predator waiting for its prey. I found myself drawing closer and closer as if I had no power to resist it, surprised that this crowd of people, rather than pulling me away, only pushed me closer towards the end.

And now here I was, standing anxiously in front of a dark mahogany barrier, anxious to find out what was inside. I know I have been here before, and my last visit to this room had been surprisingly satisfactory, despite it having a rocky start, but this instance was different. It had been so long since I last entered it and my mind was seriously doubting if it would still be the same if I did.

I lifted my hand and used my knuckles to knock gently on the wood, secretly hoping that no one would answer. I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know what was going to come through this dark barrier. I was scared that something would burst through and drag me inside, never to return again.

Nevertheless, I forced my quivering hand to reach for the handle, feeling my entire body freeze when my skin touched the freezing metal. I forced myself to twist it with all my might, feeling my body fight against me as if it knew exactly what was inside.

When I finally brought myself to open the door, after much struggle, I finally found myself inside. I took the courage to step another inch before gently closing the door behind me, trying my best not to make a sound in hopes that whoever occupied this room, wouldn't notice my presence.

"So, you finally decided to show yourself" I heard a familiar, husky voice speak up from behind me. I suddenly froze in my spot after the sound invaded my ears, it sounded like she was right behind me, as in I was afraid that if I turned around I would crash into her tiny frame. But the worst part was.

She was speaking in English.

That can't be good.

She told me she usually spoke in English in times of great stress. So does that mean she was severely stressed, and most importantly, was it because of me?

I took a deep breath and turned around, putting on my best neutral face in order to mask the extreme tension I was trying my best to endure.

When I finally brought my body to a full turn, I finally saw Wendy standing in front of me, wearing a simple business coat draped over a white blouse and a pair of black leggings. She had her arms crossed across her chest and had an unamused gaze plastered on her face. I would say she looked kind of cute while she stared at me like an angry mother, but I knew that there was a big reason why she was looking at me like so.

"Hey..." was the only thing that managed to escape my mouth when I finally found my voice.

"Hey? Is that the only thing you can say after all this time?" she scolded, sounding like a wife asking for an explanation. But what can I tell her? Other than 'hey, I'm still alive. You can subject me into any form of punishment or torture that resided in you twisted little mind now and I won't do a thing about it'

"What? Got nothing to say for yourself? Maybe I should try firing you, will you then have something to say?" she threatened. I suddenly saw my life flashing before me: My father disowning me, my house getting taken away from me, Chewy starving once again on the streets. It felt like I was about to enter another episode again.

"No, Wendy I-" I try to speak, but she cuts me off.

"Do you know how long you've been gone? Do you have any idea how many people are vying for your job right now? It's not easy holding them off Jun, especially when you haven't been answering my calls" she raised her voice. She was such a tiny woman, but she had the pipes of an organ.

And most importantly, she was right. I had lost track of how long it had been since the day I was hired. In all honesty, I was surprised at how Wendy still considered keeping me around despite my long absence. If it was any other boss, I would have been fired the second I refused to show up.

"Look Wendy I, I don't know where to start" I say.

"Then don't bother" Wendy scoffs and turns around to walk towards her desk, leaving me baffled and speechless in my spot. The sass levels that resided in her small body were polarizing.

I began to realize that if luck finally decided to side with me and I somehow manage to keep my job, I would have to be dealing with a lot more sass than I could possibly imagine.

"I'm inclined to believe that you don't care about your job at all, or more importantly, you don't care about me" she says with a hint of despair in her voice.

What in the world is that supposed to mean?

Was she trying to get into my head? Was she trying to guilt trip me?

Why was it working?

I was inclined to believe that she was just playing with me but the hint of despair in her voice was not easy to pick up. But I did, and if she was trying to eat away at me consciousness, she was already taking more than a few bites. In desperation to save my job, my mind suddenly hatches an outlandish idea that could either save me or destroy the only chance I have at securing my future.

I walk over to Wendy, stopping just behind her small body before speaking up.

"No, you're wrong" I say, putting on my coldest and my most controlling tone. Wendy suddenly turns around with a scowl on her face. She looked like she was ready to rip my head out of its socket if I hadn't decided to do my next move:

I lifted my right hand and placed it on her left cheek, feeling her entire body stiffen under my touch as I caressed it lightly.

"I do care about you, Wendy" I say, faking a sincere tone. She was at a loss for words, but she didn't seem to resist in any manner.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel neglected, but I want you to know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep this job" I stare into her green eyes, showing her that I meant every single word I said.

It was quiet for a moment. Neither of us moved from our positions, Wendy was at a loss of word and action at my statement, she just just stood there with slightly agape. I held my ground as much as I could, not wanting to give out before she does. I didn't know how long I could stay like this, but I was going to keep going for as long as I needed to.

"You're lucky I'm grateful for your father" Wendy says, breaking eye contact and trying her best to shake off the vibes of the situation.

"Are you sure it's only my father you are grateful for?" I ask with a hint of playfulness in my voice, pushing through with my desperation act. I'll admit it was kind of fun playing around with my new boss. But I knew I had to keep it at moderation or I could be biting off more than I can chew.

"You're ridiculous, Jun" she says in a more hushed tone, as if she was trying to hide the true nature of her emotions. I could see that her cheeks grew a light shade of pink, making me question whether it was her makeup or an actual blush.

Either way, her current state still amused me. Rather than the usual, calm and collected demeanor she had, she behaved like a flustered teenager, even for a little while. Before I knew it, I felt a smirk creeping up on my face.

"What's so funny?" she asks me in English once more, which I found cute.

"Oh nothing. So do I get to keep my job?" I managed to find the balls to ask her after nearly making her turn into a tomato. Instead of an answer, Wendy gives me an intense gaze that caught me off guard, she no longer looked flustered which meant that she finally regained her ground. The smirk on my face vanished when I found her slowly inching towards me, closing the little distance that we had.

I took a step backwards, feeling slightly intimidated but mostly, dare do I admit it, flustered at her sudden change of demeanor.

"Wendy, I-" I tried to speak up but was cut off when I felt my back hit the wall behind me, I mentally curse at how small this room was as I was now cornered by the significantly shorter woman.

She inched her face closer to mine, her eyes taking a quick trip down my entire body before going back to my eyes. I held my breath, anxiously waiting for her next move.

"That's something you're going to have to find out" she whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my spine and my entire six-foot frame. I felt a weird sensation creep down my stomach and onto my... restricted areas.

Do I dare admit it? No, it couldn't be. There was just something about her husky voice that triggered something inside me. Something that was beyond my control. I didn't know how she managed to reach up to my ear considering her height, but the next thing I knew was that she was no longer in front of me, but at the door.

"Well aren't you coming?" she asked, the smirk that I had earlier was now in her possession.

"Coming where?" I nearly stuttered.

"To your first day, come on. Before I change my mind" she said with a satisfied look before exiting through the door, leaving me to chase after the feisty woman.

I was going to have to tread extra carefully, one wrong move and it could send me into waters I never wished to swim in.

So it's official...

Jun's work has begun. How will he manage this and looking after Chewy at the same time?

Will they clear the muddy waters that are starting to engulf them?

As usual, leave a comment, or a sub, or a vote, if you want ^^