My heart beats like crazy as the nervousness takes the best of me. It still doesn’t make sense to my mind that I’m finally going to meet him again. After the six sorrowful years, I finally get to see his figure again. I’ve been so used to living in anxiety, without him, that I don’t know how I would keep the composure when I stand in front of him, to acknowledge him not as the Lee Hyukjae I used to know, but as a group’s CEO. Heavily stepping on the last staircase, my knees start shaking.

“Aish, finally!” Jinhee whines with her right hand holding onto my arm, frantically grasping for her breath. “Did we really have to take the stairs when there are five elevators available in this building?”

I send her a small smile, not having any reasons to throw. I chose to take the stairs instead of the elevator wishing it would take us forever to reach the meeting room. Much to my dismay, it only took us 3 minutes walking up the stairs to the meeting room.

And I’m not ready yet. I don’t even think I would ever be ready for this.

Practically dragging me by the arm, Jinhee blabbers, “You need to see their CEO. He’s so gorgeous!”

I press my lips together uncomfortably. Trust me, Jinhee. I know it.

“I heard he just came back from America a few months ago. He finished his master degree that young! God, imagine what a genius he is.” She continues, giggling all the way. Again, I can’t respond with anything more than a bitter smile. “Nayoung-ah, you’re okay, right?”

Let’s just pretend that I am.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” I turn to her and fake a smile.  

With that, Jinhee brushes it off and stops right in front of the meeting room’s door, making my stomach knot in disquiet. I see the workers I saw earlier, still standing at the door’s sides, sending me a flustered gaze. But they greet me again, anyway. “Good morning, Miss Nayoung.”

“Ready?” Jinhee asks, trying to observe my expression.

I nod my head slowly and take a deep breath. You can do this, Nayoung. You can do this.

Leisurely, the workers open the door for me to once again reveal the enormous meeting room. My eyes immediately shoot the floor for I don’t have the guts to trail around. A deafening silence soon fills the room.

Jinhee clears . “We’re sorry for holding up the meeting, we found some technical problems out there.” She announces with a bow. For a moment I just stand there awkwardly, before she continues dragging me. And my eyes go wide at the direction she’s dragging me to.

“W-wait, Jinhee-ah! I should be sitting there!” panicked, I whisper-shout to her, making sure no one else hear while pointing to the seat across the room.

“You need to personally apologize to their CEO first and introduce yourself, dummy!” she hisses back.

What?! I am apologizing to him?

Before I knew it, Jinhee has virtually shoved me exactly one meter in front of him. I feel my blood rushing horribly fast to my head when a familiar scent tickles my nostrils. The scent that used to calm me down from every insecure feelings – it’s his.

I keep my eyes low, but just looking at his polished black shoes makes my heart sink to my stomach.

My head goes blank and I just remain silent, feeling all the eyes on me.

God, I’ve never felt this pressured all my life.

“Good morning, Miss Kang.” I silently flinch at the sound of the deep voice, my breath gets shortened from the way he calls me.

Miss Kang. It’s no longer Nana.

I know that’s probably for the sake of people who’s watching our awkward introduction but... it’s him that stands in front of me, after all. Not some random CEOs. I was slightly hoping I would hear that nickname rolling down his lips once again. Oh God, I’m being delusional.

Truth be told, I’m still disbelieving the reality. It’s his voice that I’m hearing, for God’s sake. I don’t see why I haven’t passed out at this moment.

But... why does his tone sound so casual?

“Good morning...” I can’t even finish my sentence, my brain is too frozen to think for words. I sense him smiling.

“I’m Lee Hyukjae.” He says, again, without even a slight of awkwardness.

Mindlessly I lift my head up, once again meeting his face. I wonder how he can sound so fine when I am standing there all agitated. But instead of finding the answer, I get a sharp pang inside.

Frankly saying I did hope he would be guilty for all those torturing years he gave me. I did hope he’d be surprised to see me, just like how I am to see him. But no. Not only his voice, but his expression is also indifferent when his eyes meet mine.

Does he even remember me?

It’s like we are total strangers.

I swallow down the hard lump in my throat, feeling the tips of my fingers get cold. I really don’t know what I’m feeling now.

Sad? Angry? Anxiety? Shocked? Or... numb?

I don’t know. I can feel them all at once.

“Kang... Nayoung.” I force the voice to escape my lips. I can’t even hear my own voice for the sound of my heartbeat taking over.

He smiles, as if what I just said was audible enough, and reaches his hand out, offering a handshake. But the smile, it looks so foreign to me. “Nice to meet you.”

I stare at his reached out hand – the hand that used to hold mine warmly. The hand that used to my hair gently. The hand that used to wipe my tears away. All the feelings in me mix up and I find it hard not to cry.

Who is he? It’s like I don’t know him and he acts like he doesn’t know me. He looks so foreign yet so familiar. Is he really Hyuk... Jae?

It even feels wrong to mention his name again.

But if he really is, why does he come back? Why does he come here? How has he been? Is he going fine with his life? I unintentionally keep staring at him with questions crowding my head.

Seems like he is. He has moved on with his life. Unlike me.

“Yah,” Jinhee nudges me with her elbow, quietly reprimanding me to take the handshake. Which pulls me out of the train of thoughts. How long have I been staring at him?

When my palm brushes against his, the sensation of electric pulses jolting in my nerves is the only thing I can feel. But instead of savoring the warmth of his hand I quickly pull away.

“Nice meeting you, too.”

Lie. Meeting you again is a pure torment for me.

Soon, the meeting started out smoothly but, of course, I wasn’t paying attention at all. Jinhee has been nudging me all the time to get my attention yet I can’t do anything much but brushing it off. I am not in the mood to listen to someone rambling about the project planning – I am too packed to do so.

Who is he? This question attacks my head repeatedly. I can’t help but steal a glance at him, who currently is discussing something with his secretary. I turn my attention back to the wooden table upon me when I can’t stand the sight of him.

This is confusing. He is physically the same person that I used to know. His voice is still the same, and his hand is still that familiarly warm one. But... he acts like nothing had happened; like nothing had ever connected us in the past.

But that’s past. We are merely business relatives in present. Yeah. Seems like that’s what we really are now. Business relatives.
 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jinhee asks for the umpteenth time once the meeting is dismissed.

People are already heading to the door, and I notice he isn’t at his seat anymore. Not that I want to know where he is.

Gathering all the paper works I nod to her. “I’m okay, Jinhee-ah.”

She groans, probably because I keep giving her the same answer yet my look doesn’t say the same. “You look pale.” Jinhee points out. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No.” I shake my head firmly. “I just... want to go home.”

Eventually Jinhee sighs, taking half of the document files from my arms. “Seems like you need a rest.” She nods in approval. “Come on, you can walk to the elevator, right?”

“Of course, it’s not like I’m going to pass out or something.” I smile at her, walking to the elevator.

But the moment I turn my head to the front I make a sharp stop, feeling my heart suddenly climb up to my throat. He is standing there at the elevator, one hand shoved into his pants’ pocket.

Ding. The elevator door opens revealing an empty small room inside.

He and his co-workers get into it, and when he turns around, our gazes come into a contact. His eyes slightly widen in surprise when they meet mine.

“Oh? Miss Kang, Miss Seo.” His secretary steps aside making a space for us in the elevator. “Do you want to get in?”

“Yes-” “No.” I say at the same time with Jinhee.

I turn to Jinhee and shake my head lightly as a ‘no’. She raises an eyebrow in confusion.

“We’re okay. We’ll take the next one.” I tell his secretary, stepping back awkwardly. I can’t help but feel him staring at me the whole time. When the elevator door doesn’t close, I add, “Seems like you’re in hurry, so-”

“We’re not.” My body freeze when he butts in. “Do get in.” He smiles and motions us to enter the elevator.

Jinhee instantly grins to him, impatiently tugging on my sleeve. “Come on, Nayoung-ah.”

Hesitantly I step to the elevator, much slower than Jinhee. Each step seems to be adding more and more bricks onto my shoulders and his gaze on me is making it worse. When I finally step in I have to stand beside him, making a physical contact unavoidable.

“Sorry,” he mumbles as our shoulders bump into each other. I look down biting my lip, hoping no one can hear the ear-piercing sound of my heartbeat.

As the elevator closes, the air seems to suffocate me. It feels like his scent fills the room that the whole elevator smells like him.

I don’t want to make it obvious, but I really don’t expect him to still have that effect to me even until now – the effect to make my breath hitch every time I get in a close distance to him.

Silently I wonder how this happens to me. To find him standing beside me is still like a foreign concept, I’m not used to feel his presence this close. Not anymore. I wonder how we can be business relatives, I wonder why out of all of the department store companies in South Korea it should be ours that he chooses.

Fate is definitely playing a cruel game with my life. Meeting him again as a business relative is cruel. No. Just having to meet him again is cruel, at that.

I glance at the floor we’re at. God, this elevator takes forever to the ground floor. And I’m almost out of breath here.

Hastily, I press the stop button when we’re at the third floor and the door automatically opens. I can feel he turns his head to me in surprise.

“Nayoung-ah, what are you doing?” Jinhee asks, confused.

“I left something in my office.” I reason out, regrettably meeting his eyes.

But to my surprise, my eyes meet those ones again. The dark brown orbs that used to take my breath away, that used to portray his soul. My eyes meet the orbs of the old Lee Hyukjae.

After such a long time, I can finally see them again. Clearly.

I quickly break the gaze, knowing I’ll lose the composure and break into tears if I continue drowning myself in those orbs. I say to Jinhee, “Just tell butler Jeon to wait for me at the parking lot.”

“You sure you’re okay?” she asks once again.

My eyes involuntarily find their way back to his. “Yes...” I trail off, and I could have sworn in that split second I see worries in his eyes. Making my eyes sting in response. “Drive safely... Mr. Lee.”

He lets out a small smile and bows his body down. Right. He is my business relative now.

When the elevator closes again, I grip onto the document files tightly that it might scrunch up the papers, realizing my tears will slip out within a blink of an eye. Reflexively I turn around and take long steps down the corridor to my office. Crying myself alone there seems to be the most right thing to do now.

“Miss Nayoung-”

“Don’t let anyone come in, I want to be alone.” I say to my secretary when I walk past her desk.

“But-” she replies, but her voice is cut off when I slam the door shut.

I lean against the door, looking at the floor with chest rising and falling from half running. And from the effort to restrain the tears.

“Nana?” I nearly jump when I hear a voice calling out. I swear I’m so paranoid to surprising things now. Clutching onto my purse I quickly look up.

“Kyu,” I breathe a sigh of relief, spotting a guy sitting on the couch in my office. I did think it was him who calls me. That’s stupid, yes. But I really did.

“What’s wrong?” He blinks at the sight of me as he stands up and steps closer, his big brown eyes observing me. “Your eyes look red.”

I swallow down the tears.

“Nothing.” I shake my head, lowering my head to wipe the corner of my eyes a little. “Why are you here?”

“I was doing a surgery when you called,” He explains, his hands cupping mine. “And I called you back but you didn’t pick it up.”

“Oh.” Was all I say for the reply, it was his way to say that he sensed something has gone wrong with me. I hear him sighing.

“Let’s sit down first, you look tired.” He leads me to the couch, making me sit on it while he sits on the armrest next to me, making sure to keep one of his hands around me while the other rubs my arm quietly.

But I know he’s a worrier, he is restraining himself from flooding me with questions. And I’m glad he is, for he understands that I need time before spilling everything out. But a sob suddenly interrupts the silence. Apparently I can’t hold it any longer.

“Sssh,” Kyuhyun holds me tighter, sliding his arms more securely around me. His hand goes up to my hair as I bury my head into his warm chest. I cry harder.

Kyuhyun has always been like this, letting me cry to him. He’s always there for me being the best listener for everything. He’s always been the first one to know about all the worries I’ve had these past years. That encourages me to tell him about my past. About Hyukjae.

“Kyu,” I sniffle against his shirt.

“It’s okay, Nana. It’s okay.” He tightens the embrace.

“No, it’s not.” I shake my head feeling my heart, in fact, is obviously not okay. I feel numb and pain at the same time, which tortures me a lot. “I... just now, I s-saw him.”

“What?” he pulls away a little to look at my face. I look at his dark brown orbs trying to find comfort.

“I... saw him.” I manage to say it coherently, but only to get his eyes widen.

“What?” he says repeating the word.

He looks as shocked as I was earlier; he knows how I went through the years yearning for his presence. Because Kyuhyun has been the one standing at his place, after all. When I nod my head in frantic he pulls me into another hug.

“Wh-what am I going to do, Kyu?” I cling to his chest.

Somehow, I can hear his heartbeat becomes erratic. He falls silent at a moment.

“Where,” he mumbles silently, his voice is deep. “Where did you see him?”

As this is the first time I hear him asking me something when I cry, I lift my head up. Usually he’s only calming me down without asking and all.

“H-here.” I try making my breath stable. “Apparently, I... I’m going to work... with him, on a project.”

He opens his lips but nothing comes out from it. He stares at my eyes with incomprehensible expression.

“Kyu?”

“Nana-yah,” he says seriously. “Trust me, I’m going to be by your side. And I’ll always be, alright? You don’t have to worry.”

And by that, his warm arms are back to slithering around my body. Tiredly I close my eyes tight, feeling more and more comfort gradually fills my mind as he rubs my back gently and hums a soft song for me.

I knew it. I didn’t make a mistake to meet you that day.

Thanks for being the greatest bestfriend, Cho Kyuhyun.

Chapter five's out! ^^

Nayoung has finally met Hyukkie again, and you finally know who's Cho Kyuhyun here! 

Happy to see him? :)

I want to make Kyu as a sweet guy here, and I give you a little hint about him. Does that work? Kekeke

And don't worry, the next chapter wouldn't be sad anymore, I promise >.<''

Sorry if I say this too often to you, BUT. Do comment and subscribe, my beautiful readers~

I love seeing you commenting and subscribing :D

Stay tuned~