CHAPTER THREE; LITTLE EXCITEMENT, MORE NERVES.

"The spot where you've left is full of sadness"

"Who's this?" Changkyun asked and Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow at him. Somi was practically shaking, hugging herself next to Hyunwoo as the tall male scoffed.

"You can't recognise one of your closest friends? It's not like she's gone and gotten a whole new face" Hyunwoo bit and Changkyun looked at Somi again before his face changed, his lips stayed parted for a moment and he blinked at her, an unreadable look in his eyes before he straightened in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Somi? This is Han Somi?" He asked and Hyunwoo nodded, clapping Changkyun over the shoulder.

"You should have been able to tell right away" He chided and Changkyun nodded.

"Yeah, sorry" He bowed his head to Somi and Somi shook her head quickly.

"It's fine," She told him and Changkyun nodded.

"What is she doing here?" Changkyun looked at Hyunwoo again and Hyunwoo cleared his throat, leaning on the back of Changkyun's chair with his hand.

"I'm showing her around, I'm trying to convince her to be one of my photographers, but I can't seem to crack her" Hyunwoo looked at Somi, smiling as Somi gave what she hoped was also a smile and not a wince back to him.

"You should apply here, or take the job you're being offered" Changkyun spoke up, making Somi look at him, nerves overcoming her all over again when they made eye contact that wasn't comfortable for either of them.

"See that's what I'm saying!" Kihyun yelled at her and Somi acted as if she couldn't hear him. She bit down on her lip and Changkyun's feet shuffled, she could hear them as he looked away from her to look around the room.

"You do get a little bit of special treatment for being Hyunwoo's friend, but working for him is great either way, you would really like it here and you would be getting paid to do something you've always enjoyed doing all day" Changkyun's voice, it had gotten deeper, turned more mature from the last time Somi had seen him. If she were to have to walk into the room blind to seek him, she wouldn't have been able to find him. He had changed from the thin, oddly lanky body he had previously been in high school, even if he wasn't overly tall, he had grown into his frame and his shoulders were broader, Adam's apple more noticeable to the eye.

"I'm thinking about it" Somi nodded, sensing that Changkyun was nowhere near comforted at the sight of an old friend as Hyunwoo had been.

"So I am cracking that shell of yours?" Hyunwoo spoke up and Somi shrugged her shoulders in response to his question.

"Possibly," She told him and Hyunwoo hummed, taking in the information.

"Excuse me Hyunwoo" A feminine voice spoke from behind his tall frame and Hyunwoo stepped to the side, effectively making Somi move to the side as well so that she wouldn't be knocked around by his larger figure.

"Sorry, we should be heading off now that I've let you see each other" Hyunwoo nodded, Changkyun did the same back wordlessly and Somi bowed, quickly turning on her heel so that she could walk out of the tight room and back into the bigger area with more air to breathe again.

"Well that was nice wasn't it?" Hyunwoo commented as he came out of the room behind Somi and she looked at him, unsure if he was being serious or not.

"Yeah, it was nice" Somi's head bobbed when she realised that he wasn't kidding.

"There's one more place that I want to show you, let's go?" Hyunwoo started to walk away and Somi quickly followed after him nodding her head as Hyunwoo looked over his shoulder to make sure she was coming.

------------

"Give me your number" Hyunwoo blatantly asked once Somi had her camera bag slung over her shoulder again.

"Excuse me?" She responded and Hyunwoo held his hand out, wanting her to give him her number.

"I need to know who's texting me when they let me know they're willing to work for me," Hyunwoo told her in a no-nonsense tone and Somi raised her eyebrow at him, not caving.

"Because you offer everyone you see at cafes a job?" She retorted and Hyunwoo smiled back in response.

"You got me there" He admitted as Somi fixed her coat under the strap of her bag.

"But you have my number so it's only fair that I have yours"

"I have your number?" Somi scrunched her face up and Hyunwoo was the one to raise an eyebrow this time.

"Yes, on the business card I gave you"

"That's your personal number?" Her face didn't change and Hyunwoo nodded, still holding his hand out, the brief thought to just shake his hand to spite him crossed Somi's mind, but she quickly brushes it away knowing that they weren't close enough to stir each other up like that.

"Yeah it is" Hyunwoo nodded and he watched as Somi looked down, nibbling on her bottom lip before she let out a big breath and reached into the pocket of her camera bag for a small notepad and pen that she was carrying on her.

"There, now you have my number," Somi told Hyunwoo once her number was written down, the paper was ripped from the notepad and her outreached hand held the paper containing her number for Hyunwoo to take.

"Greatly appreciated" He commented, folding the piece of paper up and sliding it into the pocket on his shirt.

"Well, let me show you out then" Hyunwoo gestured out of the office and Somi nodded, stepping out and waiting as Hyunwoo followed her direction and shut the door behind him with a click as he smiled down at her. Somi had nothing to say as they walked towards the elevator once again, she wasn't the most social butterfly and there was just so much that she could say to Hyunwoo about everything that she was rendered into walking in silence next to him, nothing coming out of .

"I hoped you liked it here, we're not the biggest company out there, but we're doing the best that we can" Thankfully, Hyunwoo had something to say as they entered the elevator and then doors shut before it moved down. Somi shook her head, smiling in a way that was meant to be reassuring for Hyunwoo.

"It's great," Somi assured him, pushing down any doubts that Hyunwoo may have, "I liked it, thank you for giving me this chance" She smiled gratefully and Hyunwoo nodded, clasping his hands together behind his back as he rocked on his heels.

"Well if you choose to, I look forward to being able to have you here with us" Hyunwoo walked through the lobby area with Somi, following her out of the building and towards her car.

"You don't have to walk me all the way out when you have work to do Hyunwoo," She told him when she realised he wasn't going to the love her and leave her at the entrance.

"It's fine, it can wait a moment" Somi bit down on her lip when Hyunwoo shook his head, obediently walking to her car with her.

"That was so much, fun I can't wait to go back, don't you think Somi?" Kihyun was practically skipping alongside the girl, he pranced his way to the car and easily found his place in the passenger seat, watching as he waited for Somi to say goodbye to Hyunwoo, not worried about getting an answer from her when he was already content with his own joy.

"Well, thank you for having me" Somi bowed to Hyunwoo and he did the same back, but his hand landed on Somi's shoulder, quickly pulling her back to her full height.

"Contact me soon, yeah?" Hyunwoo smiled knowingly and Somi nodded as Hyunwoo's hand squeezed down on her shoulder.

"Bye Somi"

"Bye Hyunwoo" Somi waved back, watching as Hyunwoo turned and made his way back to the building, his building, Somi remembered and she let out a long sigh. Somi unlocked the car and got in, swinging the door shut behind her with another big breath out.

"Well, are you going to say yes?" Kihyun asked her right away.

"I don't know Kihyun" Somi concentrated on putting her seatbelt on and starting the car rather than Kihyun's question and he almost huffed at her with visible irritation.

"Come on, it would be so much fun for you!" Kihyun spoke brightly instead, trying to get the girl to look at the situation in a positive light as she looked out at the road with her indicator flicking to life. When the coast was clear, she pulled out of her parking spot and out onto the road. Her grip on the steering wheel was to tight to just be a normal drive home. She was tense and Kihyun could clearly see it as she drew a long breath through her nose before she worked the courage up to finally give Kihyun her answer.

"It's not as simple as that Kihyun, I'm not someone who takes photos anymore. I can't just pick up the camera and expect to be good at taking photos while holding all the extra baggage that comes with it" Somi's words were muffled by the lazy refusal to open fully. It brought it to Kihyun's turn to sigh loudly, Somi didn't look in his direction, keeping her eyes on the road, staring down the cars in front of her instead.

"Before you even ask," Somi finally spoke up just as Kihyun went to open his mouth, "you know what I'm on about and I can't just act like it won't make it hard to pick up a camera again," She told him and Kihyun's shoulders tensed. He stared at her for several long seconds, his eyes solemn but serious before Kihyun shook his head.

"Somi, you can't let me stop you from chasing photography like this, it's your dream," He told her.

"Things happen and dreams change Kihyun"

"How could you turn this down though? Hyunwoo is holding faith in you, he has hope in you because he knows how amazing you were in high school I'm sure he still has to have photos somewhere to prove it"

"It's not as simple as that Kihyun, the only muse I ever used for my photos is in a bit of a different situation now, I don't expect to pick up the camera after what, five and a half, almost six years now?" Kihyun's eyes swirled with emotions again at her words filled with a bitter tone, Somi continued to refuse to spare any glance his way and Kihyun sunk down in the seat, the car going quiet with nothing but the radio filling in the air.

------------

"Today was great" Kihyun was beyond satisfied with their day and Somi bitterly scoffed, at least one of us is, she thought to herself with the same bitterness lingering. Pushing past what had happened on the way home, Somi took a harsh bite down on the food in front of her, her eyes on the TV with an unwavering stare.

"Don't you think Somi?" Kihyun asked her in hopes of evoking a reaction from Somi. Somi turned her head so that she could look at Kihyun, still caught up in the words exchanged between the pair in the car earlier. It was a long time before Somi blinked her eyes again and when she did, she still looked far from the real world.

"Somi?" Kihyun's face contorted into worry and his eyes shimmered when Somi blinked again and her eyes moved to meet his in a slow motion. She could see through him, she could see the sofa and the cushions she had bought purely because her mother didn't want her to live in a house that wasn't decorated, she could see past the couch to the entry of her kitchen, all while looking into the eyes of her best friend. Those eyes that used to be solid, filled with life and a heavy shine, a light that she followed in life, like the light at the end of the tunnel of darkness that she was desperate to escape.

"You're dead Kihyun" Somi finally spoke. The same hurt they had both heard in her voice so many times was there, clear in the air as Kihyun could feel something within him, just like the heartbreak he had felt growing up, it matched the look in Somi's eyes, just as his expression mimicked the feelings her eyes portrayed to him.

"I know Somi" He breathlessly answered, there was a weight pressing down on his chest, something he would have never realised was possible for his soul to feel. It was a shattering pressure and Kihyun had to look away from Somi. Unable to look her in the eyes anymore, he ended the conversation the same way that he always did.

"I'm sorry for what I did" Somi looked away too, the apology only pained her more. The apology could only give away Kihyun's regret, the misery that they both felt because of past options. No amount of sobbed sorries and whispered apologies would bring him back to her as she wanted, it wouldn't turn back time so she could stop him from making that life ending decision and it wouldn't make things any easier for both of them, let alone one of them.

It became another day where Somi couldn't admit to him that she thought ending her own life too was the only way to meet that light at the end of the tunnel of darkness.

-----------

"I mean maybe it would be good, right?" With Kihyun mercilessly telling Somi she had no friends, she could only cast her eyes away and shrug her shoulders in response before the discussion was sparked back to life by Kihyun.

"So you're going to do it? You'll work with Hyunwoo?!" Kihyun was quickly growing excited and Somi exhaled loudly as she nodded, still not looking at Kihyun, trying to find something in her room that would serve as a distraction from the sickening churns in Somi's stomach, nerves.

"I guess I am" Somi's head bobbed hesitantly and Kihyun clapped, jumping on the bed in pure delight that filled his face and the exclaim of laughter he let out.

"Yes!" Kihyun cheered.

"Hurry up and call him Somi! Tell him that you'll work with him!" Kihyun nagged her as he grinned and Somi let out a huff, not wanting to sit up but doing so anyway so that she could reach for her phone. Somi took a long moment to just stare at the blank screen of her phone, Kihyun sat, peering over her shoulder as he waited for Somi to make her next move.

"So um," Kihyun started, jolting Somi out of her thoughts, "will you hurry the hell up?" Kihyun's brow went up and he gave Somi a pointed look when she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Shut up, I was thinking" She muttered, weakly attempting to defend herself. Kihyun scoffed the defensive comment away and looked down at her phone in her hand again.

"Let's go then" Kihyun gave a single nod, and not entirely ready, Somi unlocked her phone and looked through her contacts for the familiar name. Somi hovered over Hyunwoo's number for several seconds too long. Kihyun cleared his throat loudly next to Somi's ear and Somi flinched, hitting the button to dial Hyunwoo's number before her fears really consumed her and Kihyun would have no way of convincing her.

Somi put the phone to her ear and waited as it dialled. Her fingers unconsciously brushed over her lips, pinching the flesh as her eyes pinned themselves to the floor of her room. A blank look filled her eyes that showed she wasn't entirely in the moment anymore, more focused on the churns of her stomach and what they meant.

"Hello?"A mellow voice answered the phone and Somi automatically in a breath, stumbling from her first word.

"Hi Hyunwoo, it's me, Somi" She stumbled and Hyunwoo hummed out a short laugh through the phone.

"Yes, that's the name I saved your number under, Han Somi" He replied casually and Somi let out a bashful laugh in response, looking down at her lap as she felt her face burning up.

"Well, um, I was calling you because I've had some time over the past two days to think about your offer...." Somi took in a breath and she could hear Hyunwoo perking up from the other side of the phone.

"You've called me to tell me so I'm hoping it's a yes. Am I right?" He asked eagerly and Somi let out a nervous chuckle out that egged Hyunwoo on in believing he was right.

"Well, yeah, you are" Somi finally answered when she found the ability to speak again.

"Yes!" Hyunwoo cheered, prompting Somi to laugh as her face burned brightly.

"Well, what's he saying?" Kihyun snapped at her and Somi waved him away from her.

"Let me hear what he's saying!" Kihyun exclaimed and with a roll of her eyes, Somi put the call on loudspeaker so then Kihyun would be able to hear what Hyunwoo was saying.

"I was hoping so much that you would agree to this, I know we're not B&H and you won't be writing, but it's going to be so much fun and we're going to work on some great things together Somi. I can't wait for you to get started, it's going to be awesome having you around again" He was rambling, with excitement filling him, there was so much that Hyunwoo had to say and Somi laughed in response.

"I'm looking forward to it" Somi nodded even though Hyunwoo couldn't see her. Hyunwoo let out a big breath and the phone rattled with the sound of papers shuffling around as Hyunwoo kept up his rambling.

"There are so many things we're going to be able to do, I'll find a project to put you on right now. I know that there's something in this pile of ideas that would be great for you. I just have to find it. Then we can decide on a starting date and talk to the rest of the team about how we're going to do the project, I can't wait Somi"

"That sounds good Hyunwoo, I'm looking forward to it" Somi spoke in a soft voice that matched the smile pulling on her lips.

"When can you start?" Hyunwoo asked her eagerly and Somi hummed in thought.

"I'll give my part-time job notice of my resignation and then I'll give you another call? Somi proposed after a moment of thought and Hyunwoo immediately agreed with the idea.

"That sounds like a plan to me, call me soon," He told her and Somi hummed.

"Talk to you soon"

"Bye Hyunwoo" Somi ended the call and let her phone drop onto the bed.

"Yes!" Kihyun hooted, he jumped around the room and Somi watched him in amusement, hiding her hands under her legs as she remained seated, not feeling the need to jump around like Kihyun.

"So many things that I've always wanted are finally happening!" He exclaimed and Somi let out a big huff.

"You're gonna quit that ty part-time job with that creepy girl" Somi rolled her eyes.

"You're gonna be spending time with Hyunwoo, and Changkyun!" Kihyun gasped, doing a spin and Somi let her head tilt as she watched him.

"And you're gonna be working with him, you're all gonna be good friends again!" Overwhelming joy, enthusiasm and a rush of excitement, all these things that Kihyun was feeling was the opposite for Somi. The young woman couldn't find it in herself to be excited yet. Instead, there was overwhelming fear, nerves and feelings of anxiety that kept Somi planted in her place on her bed, just watching Kihyun as she tried to push away the feelings within her. She wished she could be like Kihyun, full of excitement and oblivious to the past words said and feelings felt that created a boundary between herself and her old friends. Kihyun and Hyunwoo seemed like they were able to look past it. But it had been clear in Changkyun's reaction to seeing her again that he wasn't, just like she wasn't and it left that same uncomfortable feeling lingering within her, pushing her to be distant and awkward around Hyunwoo and Changkyun.

"Let's go and resign from that place Somi, you don't need to work for them anymore!" Kihyun's eager voice brought Somi back to reality and Somi blinked awake, sitting up straighter on the bed as her eyes grew larger.

"Right now?" Somi gasped and Kihyun nodded, rushing over to kneel in front of Somi, placing his hands on his own knees so that he wouldn't try and put them on hers and stir any more negative emotions out of her.

"Yes, right now, let's do this, let's make the change of direction in your life happen, right now" Kihyun spoke full of persistence and sureness.

"I don't know Kihyun" Somi sighed as she looked down at her lap and Kihyun frowned, his face morphing into confusion.

"What do you mean you don't know? You're finally going in the right direction to do something that you've always wanted to do" He told her and Somi nodded, only to shrug her shoulders.

"I don't know Kihyun, do I really want to take photos again? What if photographies not for me?" She debated aloud, though her voice was small and there was a short silence that Kihyun broke with a deep breath as he clapped his hands against his knees in an action that was meant to give both of them energy.

"Look, let's just go and resign from this kicker of a job yeah? Then we can give Hyunwoo a call, start work with him and see how it goes. If it isn't what you want, then I'm sure Hyunwoo would be more than understanding about it and would let you move onto finding what it is that you do want" Kihyun knew after so many years together what it was that would work to convince Somi of something. And though the young woman looked reluctant to do so, Somi nodded to show she agreed with Kihyun's idea, being unable to find any way to say no to him.

"Let's do that" She spoke quietly and Kihyun smiled as Somi stood up and made her way over to her desk chair, where her jacket was draped as it waited for the next time that Somi would put it on.

"Right now?" Kihyun asked her and Somi nodded as she hummed in confirmation.

"Right now" Somi slipped her arms through the sleeves and adjusted the collar on the jacket before returning for her phone and walking out of the room. Kihyun stood up but remained in his place, watching Somi walk out of the room, the look in his eyes changing now that she wasn't looking at him.

He loved her, he really did.

But she just wasn't the same girl anymore.

------------

The person over the other side of the desk sighed as they looked at the paperwork that Somi had finished filling out. There was something in their eyes that made them droopy as they looked over everything, making sure all the information on the papers were correct.

"It's about time," Somi's now old boss commented as he looked up at Somi, "you should have left this place a while ago" He hummed and Somi let out a breath she hadn't realised she was keeping in before the man had finished his comment. Somi nodded, wiping her sweating hands over the knees of her pants, trying to get rid of the nervousness that she was feeling.

"Well you've signed everything correctly, I can't keep you here so you're free to go" The man waved a hand in Somi's direction as he nodded and Somi blinked, feeling a bit disorientated as she stood up out of the seat to bow to the man that was once her boss.

"What? No thank you for all the hard work she put in for you? Don't think I won't be back here to make you grateful you old fu-" Somi let out a breath, rolling her eyes as she turned the handle to the door.

"Oh and Somi?" The older man spoke up just before she could open the door and leave.

"Go and do something that makes you happy" The older man smiled bitterly and Somi's eyes fluttered before she bowed again.

"I will try sir" Somi bowed one last time before she was walking out of the office and through the shop. She waved to the young girl behind the counter and made her way out of the store, letting a long sigh drag as she looked at the shops around her.

"There's that done" She mumbled and Kihyun grinned, skipping alongside Somi so that he could keep up with her long strides away from her old place of work.

"Thank god!" He exclaimed and Somi rolled her eyes, not caring for if anyone had seen the action or not.

"Now you can call Hyunwoo and tell him that it's done" He continued and Somi clucked her tongue.

"At least give them another day to at least try and take me out of their system," She told Kihyun who huffed this time when no steps forward were being made once again.

"Well we'll call him tomorrow" Kihyun sighed in defeat, though he was still excited and Somi pulled a nervous smile as she fished for the keys to her car and unlocked the vehicle.

"Yeah, let's do that"

Changkyun is here! What do we think of the int between Somi and Changkyun? Was it one we were expecting or has it made us confused?

Now that Changkyun has been introduced, who do you think will make their appearence next chapter? Yes it will be that soon!

I've also written a short drabble based off of this story on Tumblr called Where Are You?. If you want an early peek at the reveal of Kihyun's death, go take a look!

I'll see you next Tuesday when we see who else is introduced!