"Yes, thank you very much. I'll be there in five minutes."

Jungsoo threw a small smile to his secretary, sending her to prepare for the summit of the hotel he was about to attend. He looked back at his desk and another smile bloomed. His hand reached out to the placate of his name, grazing each engraving with his fingers. He was proud of himself to be who he was now crawling from literally no one. His office was arranged neatly today, not that it was usually messy; it was that today was a special occasion. His gaze traveled to the coffee table, the one on which he laid Heechul that night. His heart tightened remembering how beautiful their confession was. 

Getting up, he walked out of the room after having the last look of his memorable office and closed the door quietly. It was indescribable; each step he took to the convention room was heavier but his heart felt lighter. Jungsoo inhaled deeply and with gained confidence, he marched to the said hall.

Quiet chatters filling the room died down the moment Jungsoo entered the room. His subs—the managers of each branch—bowed to him while the rests who were also higher approached him, ready to shake his hand. Jungsoo warmly greeted them with the best smile he could show, bowing to some of them. His eyes landed on his mother and Hyukjae who stayed unmoving only looked at him from the other side of the room. Jungsoo drew a long breath and strode over to his reserved seat as the summit finally began. His heart thumped loudly, his palms sweating, his toe having cramps—it was like when he was about to have his first presentation.

---

"I would like to thank the representatives of each branch, the shareholders, the stakeholders, as well as the other honorable people in front of me for attending this summit despite the short notice. That said, I would also like to apologize for the same reason."

There were murmurs among the audience as Jungsoo opened his speech. He smiled, knowing what they were probably whispering about. The cuts and bruises on his face weren't completely healed yet he couldn't care less. It had to be done soon. He prepared his heart and started to tell the growth of the Sapphire Blue Hotel. He was moved when he came to the part how this hotel was his biggest achievement, the turning point of his career. His eyes were glistening feeling pride spread all over his chest.

"This hotel has been running for almost six years with your abundant support, my gratitude for you cannot be said in words. However..." Jungsoo's throat tightened, his hand clutching on the paper strongly. It was difficult but he knew it was a point of no return. He beamed, looking at each people in the room who had brought him to this state.

"The reason why I ask for your time to have a meeting today is that I have a very important announcement to share. Ladies and gentlemen, I, Park Jungsoo, would like to ask for your understanding regarding my decision to resign from my position as the CEO of Sapphire Blue Hotel."

Jungsoo could only retain his composure even when gasps were deafening his ears, people getting surprised occupied his sight. Some of them were shocked, some were trying to maintain their expressions, the rest was speechless. His mother and Hyukjae were the last. They looked so surprised yet nothing came out of their mouths. Jungsoo cleared his throat purposefully and the gesture sent his audience quieted. He continued.

"I'm aware that this announcement is too abrupt. However, I have been weighing about this matter for enough time to reach the final decision. My main reason is that I'm still lacking to be the leader of competence people this hotel employing. Therefore, I think someone out there is more suitable than I am. I will let the boards point someone as my substitute and until the time when the person has been selected, I'm going to finish the rest of my responsibility here. The shares which I forfeit is going to be handled by my lawyer so it is not to be worried."

Jungsoo excused himself, turning abruptly when his tears escaped. He quickly wiped them and faced his audience once again.

"I'm sorry. On this occasion, I also want to thank my wonderful employees although unfortunately, not all are present. Thank you for being a very supportive team under my lead. I apologize if I've ever done mistakes personally or in the name of our hotel. You will always remain in my heart. Thank you for the opportunity and experience, I learned a lot. I hope we can meet in a better circumstance."

Jungsoo, then, got down from the podium and bowed deeply in front of them. Tears kept trickling down but he knew he had to be strong. After it felt like forever, he eventually straightened his form and right in front of him had been standing many colleagues and other higher, waiting to hug him, either thanking him for doing a great job these past years or expressing how pity the situation was.

"Hyung."

Jungsoo froze when Hyukjae's voice rang in his ears, exceptionally quiet. Jungsoo smiled, blinking his tears away before he turned around. Hyukjae was crying. He looked so wistful. With tiny steps, Jungsoo approached his brother and bowed in front of the sobbing man.

"My apologies."

Hyukjae suddenly pulled his form and crushed him in a tight hug. The younger was muttering his apologies over and over again to something Jungsoo couldn't comprehend and what he could do now was to comfort him, rubbing circles on his back.

"I'm proud of you, Hyuk-ah. Take care of this hotel for me."

Hyukjae loosened his hold and backed away. Jungsoo gave his best smile to Hyukjae although it slowly faded when his mother finally came in the scene. She was also in tears albeit her blank stare; Jungsoo was doing his best not to show his emotions. She didn't need to know how hard it was for him; his anger still sat in his chest. He eventually walked to her, Hyukjae trailing behind him. Again, Jungsoo beamed at her and he suddenly dropped to his knees, kneeling in front of her. He heard her sobs got harder and Hyukjae had walked to hug their mother. Jungsoo got up and gave a bow just like what he gave to his colleagues.

"My apologies."

However, when she was about to hug him, Jungsoo took a step back and only nodded his head.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Park."

He turned around and began to walk away. Right at that moment, Hyukjae was finally aware that Jungsoo decided to not only resign from the hotel but also his family. His mother slumped on his hold and for the first time, Hyukjae was struggling alone, Jungsoo was walking away from them without even taking a glance whatsoever.

"I've m-made a big mistake, Hyuk. I hurt my son."

][-ooo-][

Jungsoo was taking his time to savor the atmosphere in the hotel. He was walking slowly, observing the busy venue with moistened eyes. It was not that he would never come here anymore, but he knew it would be scarce. 

He finally reached the front desk and his eyes dilated instantly. His employees from those who he rarely met to people he met every day—hotel staff, restaurant staff, receptionist, guards, cleaning services, and even his assistant—had been waiting for him there with a sad look on each of their faces. Jungsoo quickly regained his poise and approached them. It was his nth time bowing but mayhaps, of all people, they were the ones who deserved his respect the most. The employees reflected the gesture, bowing to their higher. Jungsoo finally strode over and hugged each of them.

"Mr. Park, thank you so much for being a good boss for us," said his receptionist shakily.

"This place will not be the same without you but I wish you good luck in life, I owe you my life."

Jungsoo's smile widened by the sincere compliment from one of the guards. Nodding was all Jungsoo did. His heart felt like it was being scrunched although part of him was beyond cloud nine. He was happy that his effort was appreciated greatly by his employees; he was relieved that he could still make people happy despite his imperfect self.

His secret