Onew’s POV

Our manager was probably going to have my head for what I was about to do, but I surprisingly couldn’t care less. When Ha Neul had called me about ten minutes ago I just felt like I had no choice. And when I arrived at the place she’d asked me to meet her, I knew that my gut feeling had been right.

Ha Neul was sitting on a bench; her legs pulled to her chest and her eyes staring blankly into space. They were a little red and I guessed that she must have cried. I felt my chest tighten at the thought. Damn at whoever put her into that state!! She had been so cheerful this morning!

Then, I remembered how she’d run out of the cafeteria at lunch just after Jonghyun had left too. It couldn’t have been him, right…?

I had quietly sat down beside her and was now observing her closely. Her eyes were a little swollen and in the weakening light of the setting sun her face appeared thinner than normal. She looked so frail! Like she would break any second.

I hesitated for a moment but then I gently wrapped my arms around her pulled her to my chest. She finally realised someone was sitting beside her and snapped out of her trance. She tried to break out of my hug, probably scared that I was some stranger. But then she looked up and recognising my face she stopped struggling.

A small smile appeared on her lips. “You’re here…”

“Yup, arrived about ten minutes ago,” I chuckled.

Her expression turned apologetic and she lifted her head from my chest to look at me. “I’m sorry… I’ve been in thoughts…”

“Don’t be. I don’t mind,” I reassured her and directed her head back to my chest with my hand.

“And I’m really not inconveniencing you in any way?” She asked worriedly.

“No. Didn’t I already say that?” Who cares for a stupid radio show when she was here alone, crying?

“But I thought you guys had a radio show?”

How did she know that?

“Only the others do. It’s my evening off tonight,” I lied. Evening off? Heck, since when did Lee Soo Man give evenings off?

“Oh, okay…” She sighed relieved. “In that case, thank you very much for sacrificing your free evening for me…”

I shook my head. “Don’t mention it.”

I felt her shake her head too. “No really! I'm really very grateful to you! I wouldn’t have known whom else to call… Both my other friends… I couldn’t possibly ask them at the moment.” She gave a small laugh. “Because one is facing his own problems and the other is pestering me about something whenever she sees me… So you're like the only person I can turn to..."

She had tilted her head upwards to look at me and I looked down into her eyes. “Really; don’t mention it. I’m glad you asked me.” I really was.

“Thanks.”

We looked at each other for a moment before I decided to pose the question I’d been wanting to ask ever since I’d arrived. “Do you… Do you want to talk about it?”

She broke our eye contact and looked down again. I interpreted it as a no but then she started talking in an almost inaudible voice.

“It’s just… I know I’m probably more than ridiculous to still think about it that much but… But you know there used to be this guy when I was about six years old… I liked him very much and we played a lot together… But one day he suddenly disappeared and it took me forever to forget and get over him…”

I felt something wet on my chest and guessed that she was crying again. I frowned and tightened my hug. But I couldn’t help but inwardly curse at the kid who had the power to make her cry like this.

“And now…” Ha Neul continued; her voice breaking. “And now he’s back…! Now, that I’ve just managed to forget him and the pain that his sudden disappearance caused, now he’s back! I just don’t know what I am supposed to feel and do now…”

I sighed. So it is because of a guy… It always is, huh…? Well, that guy had better not cross my path in the future…

“You’re not supposed to do or feel anything… Just do and feel whatever you’re comfortable with. No one has the right to expect anything of you! Not even him.”

Especially not him…!

Jonghyun’s POV

What the hell is wrong with today?! First that woman has to show up at work! Then Onew hyung misses our radio show without even calling! In fact, we still don’t know where he is even now! And now that Ghosty is also missing!! And it’s ing midnight already!!! She’s never stayed out that late before! And she’s definitely not staying over at Hyo Rin’s place either. ‘Cause after my taking her out for lunch yesterday that Ghosty is probably on the run from her question-bombardment right now!

I checked my phone again. Still no message.

Damn! She isn’t even answering her phone or reading her messages?! There wouldn’t have something happened to her, right?

I stopped threading a circle into the floor of my living room to glance at the clock once more.

A quarter past midnight?! When did those ing numbers change to fifteen?! Aisht!

I had to do something or I would have to pay for a new floor! I grabbed the car keys from the cupboard and ran out the door.

But once out of the parking lot I didn’t know which way to go. So, I started driving randomly through the neighbourhood but without success. Then I decided to drive back to SMent; maybe she was still there…

On my way I drove past a group of hoodlums who were trying to get a girl to play with them. For a brief moment I thought "what if this was Ghosty" and suddenly I felt a passionate wrath at those guys. The tires of my car screeched as I pulled the car around and drove towards the group at full speed. They looked at the car in horror but were unable to move. I pulled the car to a full stop only centimetres before them and they looked at it as if it was a vehicle straight from hell.

I let down the windowpane and leaned out. I roared at them to get lost and they scrammed instantly.

The girl tried to thank me but I just waved it aside, closed the window and drove away.

! Why did I have to loose time just to save some random chick?! Aisht!

When I arrived at SMent, I ran through the deserted corridors calling out Ghosty’s name. But she was nowhere to be found. Even the few people whom I’d come across and who had asked me with wide eyes who I was looking for so desperately hadn’t seen her.

In the end I realised that it was useless and I returned home hoping that she would have returned in the meantime.

But when I entered the apartment, everything was still just as dark and empty as when I’d left it. I checked every room but she wasn’t there. And then, even her stupid little monster came to me and looked at me questioningly as if she, too, was wondering where her owner was.

“Don’t look at me like that!” I exclaimed tiredly. “I don’t know where she is either!”

But then I sighed and gave her a small pat. Who was I to let it out on the poor cat…? I went to the kitchen and refilled her water and food. Then I walked back to the living room and slumped onto the couch. I rested my head in my hands and closed my eyes. Man, how was it possible to feel this tired and agitated at the same time?

Again, I checked my phone. 0 new Messages.

Just where the hell is that damn woman?!!

Suddenly I felt someone trying to climb onto my lap. Looking down I saw the little monster making herself comfortable on my legs.

I groaned. Wonderful! Just wonderful!! Why is everyone and everything out to drive me INSANE today, huh?!!!

But I couldn’t bring myself to throw her off because, strangely, her constant purring had a somewhat calming effect on me. And after a while, I must have then fallen asleep…

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Hey everyone!!

Umm, you might have noticed that Onew seems to kind of have a thing for our lovely heroine... ^^ But as I'm having a hard time deciding whether I have the heart to let him actually fall for her her or not, I figured I might as well ask you guys...! So, I'm doing a poll... (It's actually my first poll ever, so I hope it works...! ><) Please tell me you're opinion! Thanks!!

And, then there is some bad news (T.T) I'm afraid I won't be able to update until Easter, because I have an important test coming up at the end of next week and I really need to learn for it...! (Right now that subject is nothing more than a bunch of mathematical operations and greek letters to me... >.<) So no more AFF for me until then *sniff* :( I hope you understand and forgive me...! ><'