Chapter 12

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“And when I come back, I’ll be honest with my feelings for you then.” 

Hana put her palm against her warm cheek, listening to the voicemail that Baekhyun had left from the night before. She felt her face turning a light shade of red, and her heart warmed at his words. After returning home from school the day before, she had immersed herself in homework to avoid thinking about Baekhyun, and had fallen asleep earlier than usual.

Miss Kim gently knocked on the door and peered inside, expecting the girl to be asleep. She blinked in surprise, “Oh, good morning, Hana. You’re awake early today.”

“Good morning, Miss Kim. How did you sleep?” Hana asked, quickly tucking her phone under her comforter. “I slept great, dear. I’ll go prepare your breakfast.” Miss Kim smiled warmly and left the room to give the girl some privacy. Hana took out her phone and hid a grin behind her fist as she looked at Baekhyun’s name on her screen before going to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As Hana was eating a muffin at the dining room table, her mother joined her. The girl unconsciously tensed up as she greeted Mrs. Park, “Good morning, mom.” Mrs. Park patted the girl’s head and took the cup of coffee from Miss Kim, “Morning, darling!”

It was quiet as Hana continued to nibble on her breakfast, scrolling through her phone. She didn’t want to talk with her mother in fear of the topic of Chanyeol being brought up once again. Mrs. Park cleared , “Sweetie, I want to talk to you about something.”

Hana closed her eyes, releasing a small sigh. So close. I should’ve gone to school earlier. “I’m sorry,” Her mother said, and Hana stared at the woman with wide-eyes. 

Mrs. Park continued, “We’ve been very pushy with your whole engagement situation, and we didn’t realize how it would be affecting you. We were just worried about you. But your father has agreed to postpone any finalized engagements until after you’ve graduated high school instead of college. How’s that?”

Hana’s jaw dropped, “Dad agreed to that?” Her mother chuckled, “Of course! As stubborn as he is, he can’t resist my persuasive nature!” Hana grinned widely and threw her arms around her mother’s neck, “Oh, thank you so much, mom. It means a lot.”

She patted the girl’s head gently before continuing, “But, this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! Now, your dad is expecting you to learn a lot more about running the business and everything, so you better be prepared for that.” Hana nodded eagerly, “Anything! As long as we can agree to not talk about Chanyeol or any other boys!” The two locked pinkies and giggled, and Hana felt a burden lifted off her shoulders.

//

Baekhyun was forced to participate in more meetings since 7 AM and didn’t get a break until noon. He was eating an egg sandwich that he had picked up in a hurry while he was reading over notes for the next meeting that he had scheduled in an hour. His father’s secretary skimmed over the schedule once more before announcing, “You have three more meetings and then you will be done for the day, Baekhyun. I don’t think you will be free until 8 PM tonight.”

The boy sighed, ruffling his hair with his free hand, “This is crazy. And my father has been doing this for years?”

Mr. Kim laughed, “He has. You’ve been adjusting very well, though.” Baekhyun awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “You think so? That’s very kind of you. I wouldn’t be able to do it without your help.”

The man smiled warmly, “It’s nothing. It feels strange to be working under you now, I must admit. I remember the first time Mr. Byun brought you home, and now I can hardly recognize you.”

Baekhyun fixed the collar of his button-down shirt playfully, “I’m handsome now, aren’t I?” The two laughed and Mr. Kim curiously looked at the boy, “Do you have a girlfriend now?”

“Um… Something like that.” The boy responded, chuckling as his face turned red. “I have a girl I like, but we’re not official or anything.”

Mr. Kim nodded in approval, “She must be very special to have caught your attention. I remember you were very adamant against an arranged marriage that you were able to even convince your father.” Baekhyun proudly grinned. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he excused himself from the conversation as he checked the message.

Hana [12:24]: I’ll be honest with my feelings for you when you come back, too. So you better come back safely!

Baekhyun’s smile grew even more, and he quickly replied with a flirtatious response. Mr. Kim noticed his reaction and chuckled before asking, “Is she part of the social circle?” The boy looked up in thought before nodding, “She is. She’s the daughter of Mr. Park from-” Mr. Park interrupted the boy, “Sky Luxury Hotels?”

The boy blinked in surprise, “Yeah. How did you know?” Mr. Kim frowned and put his hands together