CHAPTER 14

Hana.

I had never imagined going to a charity event hosted by the rich and powerful people. Never have I imagined to be sitting on the presidential table next to the most attractive, young and powerful CEO in the world -if not just Asia. The event mainly consisted of boring talks, businessmen and company owners alike giving their presentation, showing how much they have had offered and given to their respective charities and as the night goes on, I begin to wonder if Wu Enterprise has prepared such as well.

I glance over at Kris; he seems relaxed unlike me. I'm tensed to be sitting at such a table; I think I'm the only one who isn't a company owner here. Even though I was at the same table as the other bosses of Wu Enterprise, the feeling of intimidation had never left me. These people are the most powerful people known in Asia, what am I?

“Ms. Kim” I'm cut off of my thoughts at the sound of Kris's voice. I turn my head and found him looking at me, as if he was burning my head with his eyes alone. “Y-Yes sir?”

“I've been calling you for the third time; why are you in such a daze?” he questions me, quite annoyed. I clear my throat; my chest feels like it's being stepped on. Not in a way that it breaks my heart but in a way that if feels like my breath is being taken. It's like the oxygen in my system slowly deteriorates because of Kris. “Sorry Mr. Wu; I'm just nervous”

Kris breathes out a sigh and looks forward once again.

Claps soon filled the room as another presentation ended. The host's voice had once again rung through the speakers and then I hear Kris's name come out of . That's when I realize, it was time for his speech. Kris leaves the chair beside me and walks up to the podium as everyone gives their applause. Please do good, Kris! I cheer inside my mind and cross my fingers. I know how he has been having difficulty with writing his speech, I hope that whatever he has written comes out great.

Silence fills the room as Kris clears his throat and opens up the folder he had brought with him.

Unconsciously, I had bit my lower lip, eager to hear just what he has to say.

“Benevolence. The sole reason why we all have gathered here tonight. Each of you showing off what you have done for others; you have proofs of helping others while as we, Wu Enterprise, don't; I honestly don't care about taking proofs. So long as you know you've given something, it's enough. The knowledge alone is.”

Wait a minute... I notice something. The words... they're different.

“The whole point of charity is to give. Give without asking for anything in return. Give without the expectation of great gratitude as an exchange. Give because it is the right thing to do, not because you can get publicity out of it”

I turn my head to the side and saw my other bosses looking at Kris; some amused, some surprised and some confused. I look around me and some seem offended while some smiled towards the man standing in the podium.

“Charity exercises generosity.” Kris pauses and looks down on the paper before looking up once more to meet the audience “My mother once told me that I need no proof of giving, as long as my conscience is clean of lies, I do good. Wu Enterprise has never had any proof of giving, we don't keep records of how much money we give out to different foundations, we have no certifications, we have no photos, nothing. There are just... memories. I believe we all have brains that can remember the last cent on our bank accounts and we don't take photos of them, we don't take proofs because we know. So, let's save the effort of putting up dozens of photos and videos on a slide and just pay $12,000 for a seat here tonight which we all know will go to charity. There's no need to take a picture of your seat now? Is there?”

Kris closes the folder and takes it in his hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant evening to you all”

Budump. Budump. Heart! Damn it, relax! I bit my lip; I've never felt so proud of someone before. I heard someone clap and I turn my head to the side and saw Luhan with a proud smile on his face. Soon everyone had followed through, some getting up from their seats to applause Kris as he got off the podium and walked back to the table. Even I was up on my feet.

Kris took a quick glance at me as he came; Luhan, Kyungsoo and Tao came over to him, giving him handshakes and pats on the back as he reached his seat beside me. He let out a sigh and tossed the folder on the table before taking his seat.

“That was a wonderful speech, Mr. Wu” I smiled at him. He leaned back on his seat after reaching for the glass of water; he took a sip and set it back down infront of him. “Ms. Kim...”

“Yes sir?” his palm pressed down on the folder and he slid it over to me. “You gave me the wrong folder”

And my eyes widen. Gasp. . My eyes drift down to the folder on the table and I take it in my hands. Damn it... What the hell, Hana?! I mentally cry when I realized it was a breakdown of how Stephanie Wu's fifty-million Won was spent. What horrifies me is the fact that Stephanie didn't want me to let Kris know about it! “S-sir, I -”

“We'll talk about this some other time; for now, I'll be taking my leave. I'll see you Monday morning” he gets up from his seat and Luhan -who was sitting next to him- looks at me in question. Kris leaves as he says and Luhan gestures me to go after him, which I -for some reason- did.

I ran out of the ballroom to catch up on Kris. When I got out of the doors, I saw him walking towards the hotel's double doors. “Mr. Wu!” I call out to him and run. He sighs and turns around to look at me with an irritated expression on his face. “You paid $12,000 for your seat, sir. Dinner hasn't started yet; don't you think you just wasted such a big -”

“Ms. Kim, I paid $24,000 for two seats. Yours and mine; and it's not a waste of money, it will go to charity. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really don't care about eating dinner, I'm tired and I just want to go home. I will see you Monday morning to talk about what's inside the folder you gave me. Good night, Hana” Kris turns around and I stand there in shock.

The young man in a suit exited through the glass doors while I stand there in the hotel lobby as if I've seen a ghost. Budump. Budump. My heart raced as if I really had seen one but the fluster on my face has convinced me otherwise. I didn't see a ghost... but Kris Wu, calling me by my first name is powerful enough to send shivers all throughout my system.

Hana...

I swallow hard as I call out to myself.

Don't fall. You'll only get hurt. Come to think of it... he has hurt you already.

The scene repeats on my mind; the scene where I heard him say things that have hurt me and all too soon, my shoulders fell and I bit my lower lip as I felt it quiver once again. The suffocating feeling engulfs me and I feel my chest hurt with every beat my heart makes.

Okay. I won't fall. Never. Not for Kris Wu.

“Hana?” I jump around and sighed in relief as I see Kai.

He chuckled at my silliness and I scratch the back of my neck in embarrassment. I nervously let out a laugh and gave a bow of apology for reacting in such a way. Kai walked towards me “Kris left?” he asks and I nod my head. “Are you leaving too?”

Yes. I want to go home and sort myself out. “Not yet sir” I smile. Kai smiles back at me and holds out his hand which I stare at in confusion. “Shall we go back inside, then?” he asks. I swallow hard and take his hand before giving a nod.

As we walk back inside the venue he brings up a question “Do you have a date for the party?”

“What party?” I ask.

“The party for the investors? The one you're planning” I blink my eyes, dumbfounded. “I didn't know we needed dates” I tell him in all honesty and he stops. He pulls my hand back and I turn around to look at him “I'll be your date then” he smiles playfully and I fluster. “W-what?”

I misheard that, right? Kim Jongin, one of the most attractive bosses at Wu Enterprise, did not just tell me that. For petesakes! He probably has a ton of ladies in the company begging for him to be their dates to the event; I'm the organizer of the party and I didn't even know dates were accounted for!

“I'll pick you up at six on the day of the party, Ms. Kim” I blink my eyes and mentally slap myself. “Kai, I don't think -”

“Is it Kris?” and I shut up almost immediately then shook my head frantically. “No, ofcourse not! it's just that...” I trail off and bite my lower lip. I breathed out. “Six?” I look at him and he gives me a small smile and a nod. I nod my head back at him and put on a small -and a little confused- smile.

Kris walked through the darkness of the evening. Hands in his pockets, his head looking forward as he kept walking along the path, lamp posts lighting his way through the place. Stars over his head slowly began to disappear as clouds were painted over the shimmering little dots. The night was cold yet it didn't bother him, not one bit. He slowed down to a stop and made a turn, his shoes stepping on the green grass, he went astray from the gravel path and somewhere else. Finally he stopped by a tree and sat on an old hanging swing that creaked a bit but didn't break.

Sigh. He looks beside him and stares blankly.

“Hi mom...” he mumbles. The marble headstone was still rooted onto the ground, polished and well maintained. Kris looked up, his eyes scanned the leafless tree and then the ground full of dried up leaves. Kris stayed quiet for a moment, enjoying the silence around him then turned back to the headstone beside him. “Stephanie's back...” he informs “She looks ---” he pursed his lips together for a moment then speak “Someone's helping her”

Tss. He looks down on his feet “Someone weird... but does a pretty good job at stuff”

Kris moves the swing back and forth a bit. “Stephanie and I are even now... the only difference is that, someone is helping her cope. I had to start from the very bottom... alone” the wind blows and Kris felt as if someone was caressing his face.

He hung his head low and mumbles “Sorry mom... I failed to become the good man you've hoped for me to be”

He got up from the swing but only to fall on his knees, his hands held forward, clutching on the grass on the ground. The cold evening, the tree, the grass, the lady buried six feet under the ground heard a sob. A soft cry.

Kris... cried.

The pain that he thought he had long forgotten had returned to him as if it never left in the first place. He was disappointed, he was full of regret, he was angry, he was confused, he was tired, he was... no, he had seen himself in the mirror and realized how empty he was.

He was no longer Wu Yi Fan. The boy was long gone and he took with him the warmth and happiness that once resided within Kris. He took it all and only left the coldness and bluntness. He took with him all the good and here he was now... on his knees.

Begging for the boy to come back.

He won't come back... rumbles of faint thunder came and drops of water fell from the sky.

Rain poured all over him, he hauled himself off the ground and stood on his feet. He looked up to the sky, breathing heavily.

Mother... forgive me.

I think I failed on this one. But hey, all things happen for a reason! The story has reached over a hundred subscribers! Thank you all so much :D

Did I make you wait too long? Kekeke, sorry about that :)

I'm writing the next chapter, I hope I publish it today too!