Jieun’s POV

            I could feel my cheeks warming up and flushing a bright pink color. Was I just getting ahead of myself? If this was a legitimate confession, why did Yongguk look so unfazed? His face showed no signs of nervousness, and yet adrenaline was surging through my entire body. When I fought his stare for a fleeting glance at the spinning globe, I could see Yongguk’s hand reaching for my face ever so slowly. What was he doing? I was already frozen in my place, unsure of what to think. At first he was inching closer towards my cheek, but then ascended to rest his palm on my forehead as if I were his sick patient.

            “How’s that headache?” Yongguk casually switched the direction of the conversation without so much as a stutter. In the heat of the moment, I’d completely forgotten about my condition prior to his coming. The headache that taunted me all day long disappeared the moment Yongguk looked into my eyes. It was almost magic.

            “I’m okay now…” I professed, and he retracted his hand and went back to spinning the globe on my desk. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t bored of that yet, but fiddling with something probably helped ease the strange silences we were sharing.

            “Oh right, there’s some important news I need to tell you.” I remembered suddenly, switching to a more professional tone. He too noticed the atmospheric shift and sat up straighter to listen.

            “During my business trip to Australia…” I paused for a moment, “You’ll be in charge of management here.” There was no subtler way for me to tell him. I’d gone over the staff list multiple times before, and though Yongguk was one of the newest recruits, he’d also become one of the most diligent and compassionate. His compassion was probably what set him aside from all the others so early on in his time here, as well as develop my own little bias towards him. There was something about the way he spoke, behaved, and thought that made him more humane and respectable than all the others.

            I watched his face change from attentiveness to complete confusion. He didn’t see that coming at all, but it was too late for me to make new decisions. I had only about 5 days left before I was gone.

            “For how long are you gone?” He finally asked after entertaining the offer for quite a while. I knew he was a practical thinker, and wouldn’t accept a task until he was sure he was able to succeed with it. It kept him from becoming over-confident, and I liked that.

            “Could be weeks to months, I suppose… It really depends on the condition of the chains there.” I mused; the broad duration was the best answer I could give. Truthfully though, I’d wish I could stay in Australia as long as possible so that I could avoid the dire possibilities of having to be wed to Daehyun when I came back. Strangely, my father hadn’t contacted me about that issue in a while—which meant he would very soon.

            “I don’t have much of a decision, do I?” Yongguk sighed in defeat, already knowing the consensus of my decision. I never informed my father or any of the higher ups about who would be in charge. During my older business trips, I’d give the responsibilities to Hyosung along with a few other competent hands, but it just didn’t seem fair to her now that I had Yongguk.

            “Feel free to use my office while you’re gone.” I smiled triumphantly before adding, “That includes the globe there.” I pointed my chin to the green and blue sphere making small creaking noises on my desk and Yongguk chuckled.

            “Does that include this?” He grabbed my favourite fountain pen and held it up with his arm stretched out in front of him, playfully mysterious which worried me a little. That one was my favourite fountain pen. I bit my lower lip and watched as he eyed it from all sides.

            “Um…” I mumbled, hoping he wouldn’t drop it. Even from the height of 30 centimeters my heart was racing for the safety of that pen. It was antique, after all. This was the life of a collector.

            “I’m kidding,” Yongguk laughed playfully, placing the pen gently beside the globe. I let out a sigh of immense relief.

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            Two more days left until my flight. Freedom felt all so close, yet so far away. Time ticked by much slower as the week went on, and by the time it was 3 in the afternoon I had lost all energy and patience to do anything. I didn’t feel like answering phone calls or going for a round of check-ups. Fresh air seemed like the best thing for me right now, so I sat on a bench outside the hotel’s entrance and took in breaths of cool wind.

            “E-excuse me…” A timid, slightly hunched back man with brushed back hair and a tacky brown backpack approached me. Before red alarms in my mind went off, I felt something familiar about the man who was here. When I stood up, he bowed a polite ninety degrees and smiled as if it were the only thing in the world he knew to do.

            “Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked first before breaking down the situation further. His face was flushed red, but from being burned in the sun rather than from drinking. His clothes were covered with patches of sweat, and his breath was uneven. Though he carried a backpack, our regular customers often did not give out the same appeal as he.

            “Perhaps a glass of water or a late lunch?” I suggested along with my assumptions that he was a needy man. The homeless did not wander this deep into our premises, and when they did they were usually turned down by the staff who worked in the lobby.

            “Actually, I was wondering if I could meet with one of the workers here…” He requested formally with a confident smile. Homeless men didn’t usually have affiliations with people working at five star hotels, other than being harshly rejected and then banished from our property. There was only one time I could recall when such did not happen to someone less fortunate, and that was the day I realized Yongguk was more decent of a person than I gave him credit for. And then it hit me. This man that was standing before me now was the same homeless man Yongguk had helped.

           “You’re looking for Bang Yongguk, right?” I smiled back the moment I remembered. He nodded animatedly, like a child excitedly waiting to open their presents on Christmas morning. I invited him into the hotel and had him wait in the lobby as I searched for Yongguk. On the way, I ordered a few staff members to give him accommodations such as food and drink as he waited.

            In the kitchen was where I found Yongguk chatting with Junior about something like hockey. When I came in, Junior gasped and immediately pressed the power button on their small TV’s remote. It was down time for the kitchen anyway, so I didn’t care that they were catching up on the sports channel.

            “There’s a man in the lobby who is really excited to see you again.” I notified Yongguk who was probably guessing who it was in his head. I hated having people wait for too long, so without receiving Yongguk’s answer, I began pulling him on the arm to lead him out of the kitchen.

            “I don’t know anyone in Vancouver outside of the hotel.” Yongguk assured, trying to convince me that I got the wrong person. I shook my head, unable to hide my own delight.

            “You’ll recognize him when you see him.”

            When we arrived where our hallway intersected with the lobby, my cell phone in my pocket began ringing. There was an incoming call, and it felt as urgent as any others did. As much as I wanted to see Yongguk and the man’s reunion, I needed to answer the phone, so Yongguk went out first. I stayed back in the hallway and picked up without looking at the caller ID first.

            “Yeoboseyo?”

            “Jieun-ah,” Daehyun’s voice sent immediate shivers down my spine. Why hadn’t I bothered looking at the caller ID? I felt like a coward for always wanting to avoid him, but I couldn’t hide how awkward it felt between us, going from best friends to induced fiancées, however unofficial.

            “I’m busy at the hotel right now, what is it?” I was hoping to end the conversation quickly, but he had something else in mind.

            “We need to talk, okay?”

            “I said I’m busy. If it’s about the engagement I’m hanging up.” I threatened; displeased that he disregarded the value of my own time. As much as it was a lie, I’d wish he’d respected it so that this awkward feeling would leave me.

            “It’s not! I promise. To be honest I don’t care if you choose me in the end or not…” Daehyun sounded far too unsure of himself as he spoke to be serious, but he was never great at getting a lie past me.

            “You know I worry a lot about you. And you know that even before all… this… happened, I cared about you. I care about you just the same as I did now.” He sounded as if he were trying to earn brownie points with the redundant reassurances. I sighed, knowing that it was mutually true. I worried for him, and I cared about him too. The only problem was that he didn’t know the limitations of my care for him.

            “What’s your point, Daehyun?” I was starting to feel guilty towards him for being so suddenly cold, and I hated that almost as much as I did knowing that the time spent with Daehyun on the phone right now was time apart from seeing a potential miracle for humanity in the lobby.

            “If it’s not too late, please Jieun I’m begging you, do not fall for Yongguk.” Daehyun’s voice was desperate, but my mind was tied up in knots. Why would he request for something so absurd? And what did my relationship with Yongguk have to do with him? His words were so strange that the more I pondered, the more I realized I’d already failed him. I wasn’t sure when and how it exactly happened, but I’d fallen for Yongguk. And even though hearing it would probably break Daehyun apart, it felt like the only words I could say that were capable of finally cutting the manipulative hold my father had on him.

            “It’s too late, Daehyun. I love him.” 

A/N: MERRY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS MY BEAUTIFUL READERS!!!!! This update is a (crappy) Christmas present from me to you! I hope that your Christmas is spent warmly with your friends or family. Eat lots, get fat, and look forward to the upcoming new year ^^!