Donghae's P.O.V.

Push and pull 

I watched the tiny marshmallows dance over my hot choco. I took a sip of it then looked up to see Siwon pacing back and forth from the closet to the bed. 

It's Tuesday morning and Siwon will be flying to Japan in a few hours. I sat on the small couch in our room while he does his last minute packing. I offered to help but he said that it will only make him sadder. So I just stayed there and drink my hot choco. 

When he finished, he zipped his bag and brought it to its wheels. He let out a relieved sigh then posed next to his suitcase. "All set", he said with a smile. 

I put down the mug on the table next to me then stood up in front of him. "Are you sure you didn't forget anything?" I asked, sounding like a worried husband. 

He nodded. "Yes, sir." 

I lunged myself at him and circled my arms around his waist. "I'll miss you so much." 

He held my face with one hand and embraced me with the other. I looked up at him and he said, "I'll miss you too, my love." 

I insisted on bringing him to the airport so we went down to the parking lot together. He started loading his bags at the back of my old Audi because I refused to take the Frisker. That car is too fast for me. I told him that I'll have to practice driving it first. 

Siwon lifted his 50 kilogram suitcase and I paid attention on his sculpted biceps bulging from the sleeves of his shirt. I had a sudden urge to feel and caress them with my bare hands. I felt kind of silly checking out my own husband instead of helping him. 

"Alright. That's everything. Let's go, babe." He plumped the trunk door down then got in the car. I snapped out of my day dream then got in the driver's seat. 

I kept stealing glances at Siwon while on our way to the airport. I looked at his handsomeness, feeling sad that I won't be able to see it for four days. I peeked at him again then he caught me. He shifted his body to me. "What's with the long face, my love?" 

I pursed my lips and exhaled. "I'm just thinking... What am I gonna do without you, Siwonnie?" 

He chuckled then smoothed my thigh with a hand. "You're just adorable, Hae... But one more sentiment like that, I swear I'll have my flight canceled right away." 

I did a small laugh and said, "Fine, I'm sorry." Stop making yourself seem so pathetic, Hae. Try and be tough for him. 

He placed his hand at the back of my neck then gave it a little massage. "You'll be fine, my love". Oh, I love it when he does that... "Hang out with Eunhyuk and the guys. Play basketball with Minho or go shopping at the mall. Just be productive while I'm gone, okay? I don't want you staying in the house all". 

I didn't answer, because that was exactly my plan. I was planning to stay in bed all week and be as lazy as possible. I already made a list of all the movies I will watch on DVD and all the telephone numbers of all the restaurants that I like, so I could just have food delivered to the apartment. In short, my plan was to hibernate. 

"Hey, did you hear me? I mean it, Hae", he said in serious tone. 

"Yes, Siwon...". My ever so controlling husband. 

I pulled over across the main gate of the airport then we both got out to take out his stuffs from the back. We looked at each other then got into a tight hug. I buried myself on his chest, enduring the feel of his body and his smell. He enveloped me into his arms and nuzzled his nose on the top of my head. I don't want him to leave. I don't want to be away from him for four days. But I don't want to make him stay for me. 

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I can still buy you a ticket, you know", he whispered. 

I giggled then let go of him. "And then what? I'll bore myself to death in the hotel while you go around and promote your show? No thanks, Siwon." 

He laughed then pulled me closer to him again. "I love you." He leaned down and kissed my lips.  

"I love you too", I replied. He planted another kiss on my forehead then he crossed the street. He walked to the entrance, strolling his luggage behind him. Before he stepped inside, I screamed his name. "Siwon!" 

He turned around and he shot eyebrows up, wondering why I called him. All I really want was to see his smile again but I guess I have to say something else. Uhm... "Don't forget to text me when you get there!" 

He smiled and nodded. He raised a hand to wave at him then went inside the airport. 

I watched his back get smaller and smaller until he was gone. I sighed to myself and decided to go back to the apartment. 

The evening came and I decided to order for Chinese food for dinner. Guess my first day of hibernation starts tonight. I had a bowl of fried rice, tofu steaks, steamed dumplings and noodles with soup. Everything was so delicious and finished them all in no time. I thought eating on the dining table with Siwon would be lonely, but it turns out all I need is yummy set of food to keep me company. I started cleaning everything up when my eye caught this small fortune cookie at the bottom of the plastic bag. Of course, I thought to myself. What's a Chinese dinner with out a good ol' fortune cookie? I better find out what it has to say to me then. 

I cracked it in between and pulled the small strip of paper in the middle. There was a riddle and it said, "A pilgrim comes into town and seeks to steal the king's crown." I read it over and over, but I failed to understand what it means. So I gave up then threw it with the empty bag. 

Before I slept, I decided to check on my laptop. I usually read news about entertainment and forums about Super Junior. I logged in to my Twitter to catch up with my fans and CyWorld just to see what friends have been up to. I came across Ryeowook's page and he just posted pictures from the party at his house the other day. I scanned through them until I landed a picture with Mario with it. He was standing along side Manager-hyung and Seon U. 

Look at him smile like he's innocent and kind. Of all the look-a-likes of Siwon why did I have to meet this one? He gives me the chills and he makes me uncomfortable. Actually, I think I would've find him attractive if he didn't act weird around me. His hair is rather nice and... his skin glows a bit. And his hazel eyes are kinda nice to look at too. Alright, fine. He is good-looking. But that doesn't give him an excuse to be an . 

I realized I was staring at the picture too long when I felt my phone started vibrating next to me. I looked at it and Siwon's face and the words, My Husband, was flashing on the screen. I picked up and said, "Siwon?" 

"Hey babe". His sounded tired and raspy. "I just landed in Tokyo. The flight was little delayed. Anyway, I miss you already."

"I miss you too", I replied then closed Mario's picture off the screen of my laptop. 

"So what are you doing, my love? Hope you're too bored without me". He chuckled. 

"I'm just...Errr. Checking my mails." 

"Hmmm... Okay. Well, my service just arrived. Go to sleep, my love. It's late already late. I'll call you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Siwon." 

"Goodnight, my love", he said then I hanged up. 

Oh, god. What was I doing? I can't believe I just lied to Siwon again because of Mario. This has got to stop! I quickly shut my laptop off then forced myself to sleep.  

The next morning, I woke up to the doorbell buzzing repeatedly. I dragged my lazy to the door and checked who was it. I opened the door and our cleaning lady greeted me brightly. "Good morning, Mr. Lee. I'm sorry if I have woken you up but today is your scheduled laundry day." 

Oh, right. Aigoo... I forgot again! "Errr... Wait a minute. I'll just put everything in the bag okay." 

"Sure, Mr. Lee."

I ran to the bathroom and I emptied out it the hamper to the laundry bag. Then I went to closet and took every dirty thing I saw. I saw Siwon's leather jacket crumpled on the chair. I remember he wore this on out trip to Paris, I guess it needs to washed too. I picked it up then checked its pockets.

I got a piece of paper from the right pocket. I examined it and realized it was the ticket stub from the Bateau Mouche cruise we took. A smile broke into my face as I remembered the romantic moments we had there. Then I came up with an idea. 

Siwon already did so much for me. Gave me tons of gifts and surprises. Maybe it's time that I return him the favor. I finished my task then handed the bag of dirty clothes to the cleaning lady.

I went back to my room and grabbed my phone. I dialed Hyuk's number and luckily he answered right away. 

"Donghae. What's up?" he answered. 

"Hyukkie. Are you doing anything today? Can you go with me, please?" 

"Sure, I'm free all day. What do you have in mind?"

"I wanna go shopping." 

I ended up buying Siwon a couple of Ralph Lauren shirts, a pair of D&G leather gloves, an Alexander McQueen bowtie, a Jo Malone perfume set and a gold Rolex watch with our names engrossed on the back. Hyuk helped with choosing the right colors and brands. I know this is not enough but my last gift will have to be "given" when he gets home. 

I promised Hyuk that I'll treat him lunch. So we went outside the mall to look for a good restaurant. We were walking down the streets when Hyuk stopped and exclaimed, "Hey! Isn't that Mario?" 

Hyuk pointed inside a sushi place then I looked and saw Mario sitting alone. He waved and smiled. My heart started beating faster. Oh, no... "No, it's not. Let's go. I saw a famous pizzarria is just two blocks away." I yanked Hyuk's arm and tried to drag him away.

"Are you blind? That's Mario right there. See? He's waving at us". Well, if you didn't point directly at him, he wouldn't have seen us! He started walking towards Mario. "I think we should join him." 

"Are you sure? Maybe he wants to be alone" I suggested but Hyuk was already at the door of the sushi place. Ugh! Damn it, Hyuk. I followed him with a heavy feeling and practically stomped through the streets. 

Mario rose to his feet when we got inside. "What a surprise! Eunhyuk, how are you?" He reached to shake Hyuk's hand. 

"I'm good, Mario. You remember Donghae, right?" Hyuk pointed his thumb at me. 

"Of course, how could I forget? Hello, Donghae." He held his hand out and looked at me in the eyes. And there's that smile again. 

I frowned at him then waved my hand. "Hi." 

Mario chuckled. "It's nice seeing both of you here. Care to join to me?" No way! 

"Sure", Hyuk said then took a seat on an empty chair next to Mario. Which leaves me the chair in front of Mario. That means I'll have to face while we eat! Mario sat on his chair then winked at me. Aish... I'll kill you for this Hyukkie! I rolled my eyes at him then sat down. 

I let the both of them talk about random things while I kept my head down on my food and ate silently. I know I'm being rude, but so is Mario. I just listened to them exchange stories about work and tight schedules. I was beginning to feel like it was just an ordinary lunch when Mario suddenly asked me about my name. 

"Donghae... Such an interesting name. What does it mean?" He leaned back and crossed his arms in front of him. I see he has a habit of doing that. 

I took a deep breath. I stared at him with scowling eyes. "It means East Sea. It symbolizes wisdom and toughness." 

He draws a finger on his bottom lip. "Your parents named you well. Where are they, by the way?" 

Why is he asking these personal questions? I wish Hyuk wasn't here so I could just walk out of this place. I gritted my teeth inside my mouth and quietly said, "My mom lives in Mokpo and my dad he... he passed away a few years ago." 

Mario's annoying smile faded and replaced by a thoughtful expression. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to---"

"It's fine." I looked down on the table and sipped from my tea. 

Awkwardness filled the air then Hyuk broke it by clearing his throat and saying, "So, for how long are planning to stay Mario?" 

He sat properly again and answered, "I'll be here for a month." 

What? I looked up at him again and spilled some tea from my mouth. What is he gonna do here for a month?! He noticed my reaction and smiled proudly at me. 

"That's nice! I hope you'll get to visit all the nice places here in Korea", said Hyuk. "Are you traveling alone? Or did you bring your family with you?"

"I came here alone. My family is in Bangkok now. I don't see them that often actually, since I live alone in my own apartment". I just sat there pretending that I wasn't listening. I just want to get out of here already. I should be staying away from this guy, not having lunch with him!

"You don't live with a special someone? Maybe a girlfriend perhaps?" Hyuk asked. 

"No. I don't have a girlfriend." I knew it! He's too weird to have girlfriend. 

"How come? You seem like a chick magnet to me!" Him? A chick magnet? Oh please, Hyuk! I bowed and covered my mouth as I tried to contain a giggle. 

"Let's just say I'm very picky. There are certain qualities I look for that's hard to find." He caught my eye and smirked at me. 

"Like what?" Hyuk wondered. 

Mario fixed his eyes on me. I felt my cheeks heat up so I took the glass of water and drank it. Stop staring at me, you rascal! 

He started to speak, not breaking his gaze at me. "Well, I like someone who blushes a lot... Someone easily intimidated and... Someone with very y lips." Lips? I remembered what he said to me at Wookie's the other day. 

"Oh, I know a lot of girls with y lips. I'm not sure about the other two though", uttered Hyuk. Of course. Who would want someone with those two qualities? 

Mario let out a small grin. "That's okay, Eunhyuk. I have my eye on someone already." His smile got wider, like he's trying not to laugh. 

That's it! I stood up then marched to the restroom. I went inside a cubicle and locked myself in. What does this guy want? What is he trying to do to me? Am I being drag into a sick joke? This guy is nuts! And did he just describe me? Yes, I blush often. But I don't... I don't get intimidated easily! The door opened and someone walked inside. It's probably Hyuk checking on me.

I went out of the cubicle and saw Mario leaning on one of the sinks. His arms crossed again with his signature canny smile. 

"Here we are again alone in a restroom... Must be destiny, don't you think?" He said in a slick manner. 

Okay. I have had it! It's time to man up, Hae. I can't keep this guy from harassing me. I pierced my eyes unto him. I pointed a finger at him and clearly said, "Look. I don't know what's your deal or what you are into, but I'm not liking it. Whatever is it you're doing, you need to stop!"

He walked closer to me and I thought he was gonna attack me or something. I got scared, tried to control my breath. But instead of taking a whip at me, he held my chin my chin and whispered, "But I haven't started yet."

I withered at him then swatted his hand away. I walked out of the bathroom hearing his evil snicker. I went back to our table and grabbed Hyuk's arm. "Lets go." 

He caught in shock. "But mario---"

"I already said goodbye to him", I lied. 

I dragged Hyuk out of the restaurant and passed by its glass windows. I took a last look inside and saw Mario waving at us. 

Hyuk waved back and asked, "Where are we going?"

"I just forgot to buy something." I pulled Hyuk until we were far enough from that Sushi place.

I will take everything that Mario said as a joke. He doesn't mean all of it and it doesn't matter to me. I have no interest for him nor his life. He's arrogant, weird and incredibly annoying. I hate his attitude. I hate his stupid smile. I just hate everything about him! Starting today, I will erase him from my mind. I won't even allow myself hear his name again. 

Mario Maurer, you no longer exist in my world.