“Please Minchae, can’t you consider this just once?”

Jongin pleaded, while he was waiting for the elevator to arrive on the ground floor. The ‘Ding’ was heard, and the elevator door opened. Kim Minchae, the girl who was listening to him in silence, stepped in, and Jongin hurriedly followed her in. “Just once. Just one date with me and your impression about me will change Minchae,” Jongin whined standing beside her in the empty elevator. Right then, he saw the girl’s gaze meet a couple walking in through the main entrance of the lobby, chattering away being all lovey-dovey. He saw her eyes flicker. His shoulders slumped with a sigh escaping his lips.

“Is he the reason?” he asked. Minchae tore her eyes away from the couple as the door of the elevator closed, and looked up at his handsome face looking down at her sternly. “He?” she asked cluelessly. “Whom are you talking about?”

Jongin sighed again. “Oh Sehun. That’s his name right? Your so-called best friend?”

Minchae scoffed. “What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you’re thinking that I keep pushing you away because of Sehun.” She said. Jongin nodded slowly. “Why else? It’s written all over your face.” He said, staring directly into her eyes. Minchae averted her eyes from him and stared at the elevator door. “It’s pointless Kim Minchae. Stop having feelings for someone who’s already taken.” He muttered. The elevator door opened to the floor Minchae works in, so she stepped out without replying him.

“Nonsense.” She muttered to herself, while walking towards the marketing department. “Why would I have feelings for my friend? And that too, when he’s dating someone else?” she shook away the thought and opened the door with the sign “Department of Marketing”.

Kim Minchae, and Oh Sehun, first became friends when Sehun moved to Minchae’s neighbourhood after graduating from high school. Then the two started attending the same university, a few months later, both of them choosing business management as their major. That’s when they became best friends. The two did almost everything together, and lived with the company of each other most of the time. they were know as “The Twins” in college, as the two used to stick to each other all the time, and both looking pale in complexion, both slender and good looking like idol stars, and even coloured their hair in the same colour always. The only difference was their height, Sehun being a complete head taller than Minchae. After graduating, to their surprise, both got the chance to work in the same company as interns, and were selected as permanent employees after six months of service. It was like they couldn’t survive without each other, until Sehun took interest in a girl from the designing department, and started dating her soon after. ‘Oh Sehun and Kim Yeri’ became the most popular couple in the company right away, because the two actually looked like a celebrity couple. That’s when Minchae started spending her time alone, without him by her side. She never told anyone, nor let it show, but she was feeling lonely. She missed him.

“Hey!”

Minchae jumped at the sudden voice that greeted her right beside her ear. She whirled around her head to meet Sehun’s eyes, which were amusedly staring right through her.

“Oh hey,” Minchae muttered, ignoring the jolt caused inside her by his sudden appearing. He gave her a wink, closely followed by his signature smirk, and walked to his desk. Minchae shook her head and opened a file to study a report.

“Why are you blushing Miss Kim?” she had to look up again, hearing her colleague Kim Jongdae’s voice from the desk next to hers. She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

“I was right, you’re blushing.” The cheerful guy said with a grin. “If I hadn’t known you’re single, I would have thought that you were thinking about your boyfriend.” He chuckled and turned his gaze back to his laptop screen. Minchae blinked. Why would I blush? She sighed, smiled to herself and resumed her work.

Sehun stood up from his desk, after working for sometime without a break, and went into the room inside. He returned after a while with two mugs of coffee in his hands.

“Here. Have this.” he placed one mug on Minchae’s desk.

She raised her head and smiled at him. “Thank you Sehunnie...” she grinned at him, and took the mug to her lips with both hands. Sehun let out a nervous smile, and turned to go back to his desk. He tripped on a nearby chair, and still managed to stand straight, and also bumped on a desk on his way.

“Yah! Why only make coffee for you two? We’re also here!” Jongdae wailed, scowling at Sehun. Sehun smirked at him, and sat on his chair. “Go make one yourself, if you want.”

Minchae finished her coffee and placed the mug beside her laptop, and as if he was waiting for her to finish, Sehun came to her at once and took the mug into his hand. “It’s fine, I’ll keep it.” She mumbled, starting to blush again. But Sehun leaned forward, lessening the gap between their faces. “What business does that guy from the legal affairs department have with you?” he asked. Minchae narrowed her eyebrows, having no idea about whom he was referring to. “That guy called Kim Jongin. Did he ask you out?”

“Ah, Jongin!” Minchae said with a smile, which made Sehun’s frown get deeper. “What’s with that smile? Are you dating him?” he asked. The whole team was watching him, but he didn’t seem to care. Minchae let out a small laugh, and shook her head. “Nope, I’m not interested. So...not yet.”

“What do you mean by ‘not yet’?” Sehun sounded irritated now. Even Minchae was taken aback by his sudden outburst. He bent down to her eye level, and spoke in a soft, yet warning tone.

“Do not go out with him, Kim Minchae. He does not suit you at all.” With that he straightened, and placed the mug back on the table, and opened a drawer in her desk. He rummaged it for a while, and took out a hair tie.

“That blouse goes best with a ponytail.” He stood behind her, and gathered her jet black hair with his hands and tied it in a high ponytail. “There you go! Now it looks better.”

With a satisfied smirk, he took the mug again, and walked away with it. Minchae blinked, and stared at the back of his tall figure. She had turned a deep shade of red after what he did, but nobody noticed as everyone was staring at Sehun, Their mouths agape.

“Tell me he doesn’t like her. And I’ll hang myself that instant.” Jongdae muttered.

“Are you her dad, Sehun?”

Sehun raised his head from his worksheet and stared at his team leader, Kim Junmyeon. The team leader pointed Minchae with his head. “Or are you her brother?......Answer me Sehun.”

Sehun raised one eyebrow at his superior. “No, Mr.Kim.”

“Then why are you meddling with her love life?”

Sehun opened his mouth, to answer, but Junmyeon interrupted him. “Don’t tell me that’s because she’s your best friend. Because if so, she’d have meddled with your life in the same pattern.”

And Sehun closed his mouth without answering.

“You’re dating the wrong girl Oh Sehun, that’s the only problem here.” Junmyeon stated, eyeing Minchae sideways at the same time, and smirked to himself when he saw her placing a crumpled waste paper on her planner and putting her pencil into the waste paper bin. She was too distracted from her work, while listening to his words.

It was lunch time, and all the others in the office went out for lunch, but Minchae stayed in, carrying on her work. She was hungry, but didn’t feel like having a meal. She was used to having meals with Sehun, ever since college, even in the office, until he started dating Yeri. After that he started running out as soon as the lunch time came, to take Yeri out and have lunch with her. Minchae didn’t like eating alone, but couldn’t tell him anything so she kept it in. Today, she decided to skip lunch, but soon her gastritis started acting up, so she had to get up from her seat to have something.

She made her way to a nearby convenience store, and bought a ramyeon for herself. After preparing it, she sat at the glass wall, and started eating it alone.

While having her instant meal, she saw the same couple she saw in the morning walk on the opposite side of the street. Sehun and Yeri were hand in hand, Sehun was whispering something to Yeri’s ear and she was giggling at what he said. Minchae sighed and continued emptying her cup of noodles.

When the time arrived for them to get off, Sehun packed his bag and came to Minchae’s table.

“Yah, it’s time to get off! Why are you still glued to your seat?”

Minchae looked up and smiled at him. “I have to hand over this proposal by nine tomorrow Sehun. You can leave first, I’ll be working a bit late.” She said.

Sehun shrugged. “Fine then. Get home safely.” He patted her shoulder and left the office. Minchae stood up from her desk and walked into the room inside to make a coffee. Sehun, who was observing her from outside the glass door sighed again and started walking towards the elevator. Why does she look different? He thought on his way. She’s a bit gaunt too...and paler than before. Hope she’s not ill. He got into the elevator and pressed the floor number of the designing department.

* * * * * * * *

“So it’s a movie first, then dinner, then to a karoke?” Yeri asked, clinging onto Sehun’s arm as they exited the company building. Sehun nodded with a smile. “I’ll run home and get changed and will arrive at the cinema at seven. Is it fine sweetie?” she asked again. “No need. I’ll pick you up from your house.” He said, making the girl beam in joy and plant a kiss on his cheek. Just then, a loud alarm went off inside the building they just exited, and soon after, people started running out, some screaming in fear.

“Isn’t that the fire alarm?” Yeri asked, turning around to look at the building. “Thank goodness we’re out.” she muttered.

Sehun dropped his bag. And before Yeri couldn’t even ask, he ran straight into the building which everyone was running out from.

“Sehun!” Yeri yelled, but he was already gone. She bit her nails nervously, not knowing what to do.

Sehun ran to an elevator. He got in and pressed the button, but it wasn’t working. As they got to know later, an electrical leak in the HR department had caused the fire.

He got out of the elevator, and ran to the staircase, and started running up, all the way to the seventeenth floor. His long limbs helped a lot, as he climbed three or four stairs at a time.

When he arrived at the seventeenth floor, his heart stopped seeing the whole place covered in flames and smoke. Covering his nose with the end of his coat sleeve, he walked in, and went in to the marketing department.

Their office was completely in fire, and electronic devices and wired cracked and sparked as he walked past them, and as he looked at Minchae’s empty desk, he heard the printing machine explode.

He bent down to avoid the explosion just in time, and straightened again and turned to the room inside, suddenly remembering that he saw Minchae walking into that room when he left her alone in the office.

He ran straight to the door, and tried to open it, but the door was stuck somehow. “Minchae!” he shouted banging on the door. “KIM MINCHAE ARE YOU IN THERE???”

No reply came. He turned around and lifted a chair nearby, and smashed the upper part of the door which was glass. And he put his head in through the broken glass, a