You dread waking up, but you do anyways.  As early as you always do.  You get dressed and realize that you’re about to face school.

School.

You don’t try to think too much about it as you step out of your room. 

“Jongdae-ah?” You call out.

“Oh, agasshi,” Not Chen, but Lena, answers you instead.

“Lena?” You frown.  “Where’s Jongdae?”

“Chen, um, Chen left you a message,” Lena takes your hand and puts your phone in it. 

You hear her walk away, and only when you can no longer hear her steps did you unlock your phone and press the buttons that immediately play what Chen had left you.

‘Agasshi, something suddenly came up and it’s something I must attend, no matter what.  Kris-ssi is waiting by the front door by now, he had happily agreed to take you to school today.  Baekhyun-ssi is at school too, he’s attending lessons as usual so he’ll be helping you with things you need later on.  He knows to drop you off at the usual bus stop after school, and from there, after a 5 minute wait, Choi-sajangnim will get you to the office.  When you’re done with work, Baekhyun-ssi, too, will take you home.  I’ve arranged it with such intervals of time so that none of the people involved will figure out what you want to hide, agasshi. I apologize for my behavior,’

And the voicemail clicked as it ended, leaving you completely dumbfounded.  You absently tuck your phone into your bag and felt your way downstairs and over to the front door.  It’s still not taken into mind that Chen wouldn’t be with you for the day.  You kind of need him today.  Like a lot.  At school and at work, he wouldn’t be beside you? That wouldn’t be nice would it.  Now, you’re just too flustered and panicked to even think seriously.

“Kris-ssi?” You call out as soon as you step out your front door.

“Right on time,” You hear him chuckle as he takes your hand, helping you into his car.  So unfamiliar. 

“Kris-ssi, do you happen to know where Jongda—ah, no, Chen, is?” You ask, feeling the car lurch forward.

“I, he just, you know, called me, all of a sudden, and asked me if I could take you to school today. He said he’ll be picking you up, though,” Kris thoughtfully answers, adding.  “He said he had something really important to do,”

“That’s what he told me too,” You frown, still coming up with no reason for Chen’s unusual behavior.  ‘But Baekhyun’s the one taking me to the office.  Huh? Okay, stop thinking too much.  Guess I’ll have to face things alone, then.  It won’t be that scary,’ You think and suggest to yourself, and even so, you flinch when Kris announces your arrival at school.

“Hey, you okay?” You hear him say, concern in his voice as he gently sets his hand on yours.

“Fine! I’m totally fine,” You reply, a bit too chirpily.  You clear your throat and dip your head in a bow.  “Thank you for the ride, Kris-ssi.  Sorry for the sudden trouble,”

“Yep, thank you, Kris-hyung,” Someone says by your side after your door is opened.

“Ah, sure, sure.  Take care of her, Baekhyun,” Kris nods, pulling and driving away.

“I think you’ll be stuck with me for the whole day?” You say, feeling Baekhyun’s arm, which is already ready for yours.

“I have absolutely no problem with it, whatsoever,” He says, the two of you laughing as you made your way into the school building.

Baekhyun wasn’t such a bad company.  He was a very nice one, instead.  He was ready if you needed any help with the lessons, or with your locker, with your books, with your food, and many other things. 

But still, though, nobody could ever replace Chen.

You weren’t even cautious of the matter of your secretive work, because you’re always conscious that it’s Baekhyun who’s acting as your company.  Not Chen.  Not Kim Jongdae.

You covered your mouth, trying to lower the volume of your laugh.  Baekhyun is such a clown most of the time.  There you were, walking over to the bus stop, unable to stop yourself from bursting to laughter because of his jokes.  He, too, was amazed by how funny he could be, because he was laughing as hard as you were.

“By the way, Baekhyun,” You start.  “Do you know where Jong—eish, Chen is?”

“He just told me that he had something really important to do,” Baekhyun answers you. 

“Mm, okay then,” You shake your head, slightly annoyed by the similar answer you just heard.

“This your stop?” Baekhyun asks, his steps slowing down.

“Mm, seems so,” You listen to the familiar chatter of the saleswomen, distributing flyers and you feel the familiar bench of the stop.  “Thank you, Baekhyun, for the day.  It was, quite funnier than my liking,” You joke, making him laugh.

“It’s a pleasure,” Baekhyun helped you sit on the bench and poked your cheek before stepping away.  “Reminded me of how much I missed spending time with you,”

You grin at him and wave at the direction of his voice, which was slowly fading away as he walked away.  You let your hand drop to your lap and smile to yourself.  You too, were reminded of how much you missed him.

“Just as Chen said,” You hear someone say after exactly 5 minutes.

“Oh, Choi-sajangnim,” You stand up and bow, twice, as you take her hand for guidance.  “Hello,”

“Yes, hello, dear,” The woman says, stopping for a while before guiding you through the zebra cross.

“Have you any idea where Chen is, sajangnim?” You emphasize his name, getting it right.

“None.  Did he not tell you?”

“Just told me that he had something to do,”

“Ah, I see, then,” She hums at your answer.

Just before the building, which you identified as the guards of the gates called out your name and the owner’s, Choi-sajangnim stops once again.

She puts her hand on top of yours.  “Here goes nothing?”

You straighten your back and breathe in, then out.  “Here goes nothing, indeed,”

The two of you make your way into the building, into the lift and up to the floor where your office was located.  You nervously swallow the lump in your throat as the doors dinged, and together with the owner, you stepped out of it, the cool air brushing your face.

“Good afternoon, executive director,”

Huh?

“The new scissors and the threads you requested are already set on your table,”

“We have the models ready for the photoshoot,”

“The coffee maker is fixed again, executive director,”

“Executive director?”

“H-huh?” You replied like an idiot, a slight headache striking you.  “Oh, yes, yes, good afternoon, yes, thank you, hello to you too, yes thank you very much,” Your fingers slightly kneaded your eyebrows, where the ache pounded your head.

“They’re good people, really,” Choi-sajangnim’s voice snapped you out of your shock.

“Sorry, sajangnim?” Like a fool you asked, not having enough clarity.

“It worked,” She simply says, as if the two words were the answer to your whole ton of questions.

“Oh, alright then,” You grimaced at your stupidity, making your way into your office.

“Executive director, I’ll be helping you with work for today,” A woman’s voice inside your office made you jump.  “Sorry,” She says as she takes your hand. 

“No, no, it’s fine.  Eun-ssi, if I’m not mistaken?” You recognize her voice.  She was the friendly secretary.

“Right-o, director,” She answered.

Sure, you did work as usual, Eun helping you with the papers and the writings and stuff, and the two of you had a great time inside the office, having coffee together and discussing work in a light manner.  But, this is highly peculiar.

Choi-sajangnim took you back to the bus stop, and you thank her for the thousandth time as she was picked up by her driver.

For a few minutes you wait, until Baekhyun’s familiar voice directs your attention to where he was coming from.

“You done with the lessons?”

‘Lessons? What?’ “Oh, yep.  Sorry for the trouble, really,” You your lips in thought.  “What have you been doing?”

“Me? Nothing much.  Just a walk at the park and a little game with the dogs over there,” Baekhyun answers, taking your arm once more.  He helps you into his car and drives towards your house.  “Are you okay?” He asks you all of a sudden.

“What?” You turn towards him.  “Oh, yes, why do you ask?”

“I don’t know.  You look, hm, tired?”

“Really?” You run a hand across your face, gently rubbing your eyes.  “Just a lot on my mind,”

“What’s on your mind? Me?” Baekhyun teases, making you bubble with light laughter.

“Definitely not,”

Baekhyun guides you into your house and up the stairs, stopping at the topmost stair as he always does.  “Get enough rest, alright,” He lets go of you.

You bow at him and smile.  “You too.  Say hi to Rin-unnie for me,”

“How did you—“

“I’m not your ex-girlfriend for no reason, Byun Baekhyun,” You grin.  Of course, Baekhyun always visits Rin when he has the chance to.  Like how he would with you.

He chuckles and rubs his hands together.  “Okay.  Bye bye then,”

“Bye bye,” You quietly reply, turning on your heels and feeling the wall until your hands fall upon the familiar door that leads to your room.

You open it and close it behind you, again feeling the back of your door for your nightgown and change into it, slowly but surely making your way towards your bed. 

The day was strange.

School and work was normal. 

Nothing happened.

And that wasn’t normal to you.

Something was supposed to happen.

And where is that Kim Jongdae? Where did he go? What was that business of his?

“Kim Jongdae, you owe me an explanation,” You mutter as you closed your eyes, immediately falling asleep because the thoughts of the day heaved your fatigue further down.

Little did you know, that while you were sleeping, Chen had made his way into your room, just to say the following words, not giving any care to the fact that you weren’t even conscious of his presence.

“I’m sorry for not being with you today,” He whispers.  “If I told you what I was doing, you would definitely be angry, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m glad you’re okay,”