Chapter Eight – Shaking Heart

After going out for lunch with the others, I sat at my desk with a tingling feeling. I had no idea why my head was literally spinning like crazy that no words could express how painful it was. I could not help but groan in agony. This headache had flooded me out of the blue that it distracted me a lot and I could not work properly.

After contemplating for a while, I decided to meet Mr. Soo Man and seek for his consent to go home earlier.

“You look pale, Yoona,” he simply commented. Maybe the great pressure in my head struck through my face that caused him to capture it.

“You should go seek for doctor,” he added concernedly.

“Thanks, Mr. Soo Man.” I beamed him an insipid smile upon hearing his advice. “By the way, I’ve finished the interior design for Mr. Lee’s house and gave it to Victoria unnie in case if she wants to add anything else.” I merely gave info to him before I darted out from his office room.

I had not expected Jessica would be waiting for me when I had just gone out from there. Her forehead creased as she looked at me.

“Are you sick?” she threw me a brisk question edgily.

I shook my head and told her that I had been given the boss’s consent to go home at this hour.

“If you couldn’t drive, I can ask Jinki to drive you home, Yoona.”

“It’s okay,” I reassured her with a smile. “I can drive on my own. Plus, I don’t want to trouble Jinki. He may be super busy at this moment. Don’t worry too much, okay?”

I realised that our work had its own dateline and we bound to finish them within the time given. That was why I did not want to burden Jinki to drive me home. He may be utterly busy doing his work.

“I’ll get going now, Jessica,” I said as I grabbed my handbag and patted the latter’s shoulder lightly. I even waved my hands at Taeyeon before I strode out the office. She looked at me in befuddlement.

***

Frankly speaking, I had nowhere to go. I did not want to go home at this hour. There will be nothing to do at home, anyway. The kids were not at home. They followed Jaejoong oppa to Busan as he got some works to be worked out there.

In the end, I ended up driving in such slow pace and eventually decided to go to The Gardens; a very renowned place for the nature enthusiasts. Plus, it also had swimming pool and park for the kids to spend their ample time.

I was not expecting the place would get flooded with people though it was only 4 pm. But majority of them were the old folks and a little number of kids.

I opted to sit at the particular bench which faced to the The Garden’s Condominium; one of the most luxurious condominiums in Seoul. It was built on behalf of The Gardens. People who were utterly rich would be living here. I wondered how much they spend their money in order to live here.

I suddenly glanced over my wristwatch. My eyes widened in surprise when it had apparently been 5 pm. It meant I had been sitting here for almost an hour. Indeed, time flew so fast. Maybe I was too immersed in this idyllic ambience that I did not notice time swung at such fast speed. On top of that, it seemed like my torturing headache had faded away. I felt so much at ease now.

When I was averting my gaze at the entrance of The Gardens, Luhan came into the view all of a sudden. He was at the bridge. My pair of eyes were not lying that I saw Luhan and now, he was walking towards my direction. He even smiled and waved at me so blissfully.

“Hello, princess,” he greeted me with his usually infamous jester smile as he sat next to me. “Don’t you work today?”

“I’m working today but I went home earlier since I’m not feeling well,” I merely enlightened him.

“But why you’re here if you’re not feeling well?”

I peered at him with blankly. My eyes flickered as I kept on staring at him without even budging for a slight.

“What’re you thinking, Yoona?”

Spontaneously, I flinched upon hearing his voice. I had no idea why was I being motionless out of the blue. How much longer I had been silent, I was not pretty sure. My mind went completely blank.

“What’s wrong with you, Yoona?”

I listened to his apprehensive voice as I latched my eyes at him. Ah, it must be wonderful if there was someone who was concerned about me. No words could describe my ecstasy if he could be mine. I wanted to love and to be loved by him, Xi Luhan.

Out of the blue, I literally went back to my sense. I realised that I had been dreaming way too much. Im Yoona, snap out of it! He could never be yours! He was someone who was already in a relationship. In fact, he had a lot of girlfriends! For God’s sake, you should have never fallen for him!

Luhan seemed anxious. From the way I peered at him, he looked tense as if there was something lingering in his mind.

Suddenly, something came across my mind as I kept looking at him. How came he knew that I was here?

“Actually what’re you doing here, Yoona?” he questioned me abruptly. I thought I should be the one who asked him that question in the first place.

“I don’t know!” My answer obviously may have made him dissatisfied. And maybe, he thought I had lost my sanity, by any chance?

“Uhm, what am I doing here, eh?” I repeated his question in a hushed voice and showed him a puzzled look. For God’s sake, it must be so strange to see me alone here. Plus, I even wore office outfit. If I were to wear tracksuit, of course he would not have asked me that sort of question.

“Actually, I don’t want to go home at this moment so I just went here,” I said frankly. “Plus, I feel so refreshed being here and my headache seems to falter.”

He emitted a playful chuckle. “Ah, I finally grasp why you’re ended up being here!”

I looked at him, smiling. Then, I had the thoughts to ask him why he was here. “By the way, why you’re doing here, Luhan?”

“Jogging!”

“Err, okay,” I replied. A tinge of blush crawled over my cheeks. Ah, I was so dumb to have asked him that kind of question! He wore tracksuit and even sneakers so he must be coming over here to jog! Oh God, why you’re so dense, Im Yoona?!

“I wanna go home,” I said as I stood up quickly after thinking that I should go home now. It had been almost 6.30 pm and the sky was getting darker. I should go home before night showed up. I did not want my parents to bombard me with lots of question why I came home late.

“Don’t you want to stroll around first?”

I smiled at him. “Not today, Luhan.”

The latter walked me to the parking lot. I was kind of surprised when he said he wanted to go home as well.

“You said just now that you want to jog...?”

“Not today, Yoona,” he answered with an adorable wink. Then, a wide smile crept across his face.

Ah, his smile was too charming that it literally seduced me.  Seriously, I did not get bored when I looked at him. My eyes flickered at him meaningfully, hoping that he would understand my gaze.

When will we meet again, Luhan?

***

During the particular afternoon, Luhan had unexpectedly asked me for a lunch at Midtown West via office phone. I promptly accepted his invitation as I kind of missed him. I yearned for his charming, adorable smile. Ah, I must be so lovestruck over him!

Frankly speaking, I was pretty worried to have lunch there since I perfectly knew the menu prices there were pretty much expensive. I did not want to burden Luhan as I knew his salary as a bus driver was not really high. He should have used his money for something else, instead of treating me at this high-class restaurant.

Without hesitation, I quickly paid for the meals we ate when the waiter came to us for bill. Luckily, Luhan went to the gents at the moment. I thought that it was not wrong for me to treat this time. It was not always that I spent my money to treat him. In fact, I used to treat Jongin sometimes when we were still together back then. It was not a big deal, seriously.

As soon as he had come back from the gents, he instantly waved his hands at a particular waiter. I looked at his action in bewilderment, but I did not voice out my curiosity. Maybe he wanted to order any additional dish or whatnot.

“I’ve paid for the meals, Luhan,” I simply stated in sincerity upon hearing that he had asked  for bill.

“Give me the receipt!” Indeed, he looked flabbergasted upon my statement. His voice turned out slightly harsh that I could not help but flinch in surprise.

For a moment, his eyes scanned through the bill zealously when I gave him the receipt. Then, he took out money from his pocket. I bursted out laughing inwardly as I peered at the folded money when he shoved them out. Maybe he had no wallet to put his money into.

Then, a number of money was put at my direction, rendering me flustered over his rash action.

“It’s okay, Luhan,” I said as I shoved the money back to him at once. “Today’s my treat.” I smiled sincerely at him.

“Yoona,” he enunciated my name as he took a deep breath. “Eventhough I’m not that rich, I don’t like girls to treat me.” How casual and laid-back his voice was and did not even bother to think that his words might offend me.

“What if I don’t want to take your money?” I questioned, trying to bait him.

“I’ll be waiting here until you take them!”

I fell into a state of silence, trying to look for words to bait him again. “But seriously, Luhan... it’s not a big deal if I treat you today.”

“Yeah it’s not a big deal but I don’t like it!”

I tried to grasp his attitude but I had no idea what was my feeling at the moment. Offended? Angry? Ah, I did not know! But what I was completely sure was Luhan had his own principles to be abided by.

***

I woke up earlier at dawn when I felt as if someone was clinging onto me. When I turned around, it turned out to be Minhee who slept next to me. I had no idea when she got into here, though. I thought she and the other siblings were still in Jaejoong oppa’s care. Maybe they had gone home late at night. And prob