Chaerin groaned, waking up to the morning light streaming in through her window. To her left her alarm blared on her cell phone.  

 

        She reached out a perfectly manicured hand and silenced the device. 

 

        Her body felt dead and she was exhausted. It felt like she had hardly slept last night. Which was true. All through the night she kept waking up from dreams about Jiyong. All because of the fact of how good his body felt against hers. How was she suppose to face him today? 

 

        She sighed and moved out the bed. She needed to get ready to head to the Children's Center.  

 

        She took a nice, warm shower to wake herself up. She then got ready, dressing in something stylish, yet comfy to work with children.  

 

        She decided she would grab a quick breakfast at the small cafe around the corner from the Children's Center. 

 

        Heading towards the cafe, she noticed the man that was haunting her dreams last night. He too was headed to the same cafe as she was. He looked up, smiling as he made eye contact. 

 

        "Hey Chae."  

         

        "Jiyong-ssi." She nodded as he fell into a walk beside her. 

 

        "Grabbing breakfast?" He asked. 

 

        Chaerin nodded. "You?" 

 

        "Same." He smiled at her and held the door open to the cafe.         

 

        Chaerin lightly blushed and innerly kicked herself for acting that way around him. 

 

        She walked on into the cafe and headed to the counter to place her order. Jiyong followed behind her. 

 

        "One Americano and a Croissant to go with it, please." She smiled at the barista. 

 

        "Make that an order of two. I'm paying." Jiyong spoke up. 

  

        Chaerin looked at him in shock. "Wha... you don't have to do that." She said. 

 

        Jiyong smiled. "I know, but I want to." 

 

        The two stand in awkward silence as their order is being taken care of it. Chaerin finds she doesn't have it in her heart to argue with it. I mean what's one paid breakfast, right? 

 

        The barista comes back with two Americanos and a bag with the two Croissants inside. He rings up the order to an amount of twelve fifty.  

 

        Jiyong hands him the money and takes the change that he receives back. Before Chaerin can even react he is grabbing the bag, along with the drinks and is walking off. 

 

        He smiles back at her over his shoulder. "Come on." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Chaerin walks next to Jiyong, her drink now in her hand. In her other hand is her half-eaten Croissant. The two are sitting on a bench right outside the Children's Center. 

 

        They have a few minutes to kill, so they eat, sitting in a comfortable silence.  

 

        Jiyong finishes before her, throwing his trash away in a bin nearby. He comes back and takes his seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him watching her, a smile on his face. 

 

        She frowned. "Is there something on my face?" 

 

        Jiyong shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just you've changed so much." The last part came out as a whisper. 

 

        Chaerin sighed. "Well it has been six years, Jiyong-ssi. Six years are bound to change a person." 

 

        She took the last couple bites of her Croissant and quickly finished her drink. Leaving Jiyong on the bench, she went and threw her trash away.  

 

        She made her way back over to him. "Well ready to go in?" 

 

        Jiyong nodded. "Yeah." He stood. "Ready to work with me?" 

 

        For a second he thought she was going to say no, but she surprised him when she smiled and nodded yes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        "Ah Chaerin it is so nice to see you." Jill smiled warmly, welcoming Chaerin into the room of children. 

 

        Chaerin smiled back. "It's nice to see you as well, Mrs. Jill." She remembered that Jill had told her just to call her by Mrs.  

 

        Jiyong walked into behind her. "Good morning, Mrs. Jill." He smiled at her. 

 

        Jill smiled back. "A good morning to you as well Jiyong. The kids will be happy to see you. Minah will be the most happy I bet." She laughed. 

 

        Jiyong chuckled. "I'm sure she will." 

 

        Chaerin looked at the two confused. "Minah?" 

 

        "Oh she's the special girl in Jiyong's life. He's her future husband." 

 

        "That's what she says." Jiyong sighed. 

 

        "Husband?" Chaerin laughed. "I didn't know you were getting married." 

 

        "Shut up." Jiyong pouted. 

 

        "Well let me introduce you to the kids." Jill said. 

 

        Chaerin nodded and followed Jill to the center of the room. 

 

        "Kids!" Jill clapped her hands, getting the attention of the children in the room. "This is Ms. Chaerin. She will be helping Mr. Jiyong." 

 

        "Annyeonghaseyo, I hope we can all be good friends." Chaerin smiled. It seemed like her job would be easy. The kids looked nice. Jiyong and her had the group age of four to six.  

 

        The children eyed her and then smiled as well, greeting back with bright hellos and a good morning Ms. Chaerin. 

 

        “Well I’m sure you will be able to handle everything from here. If you have any question, you got Jiyong here to help.” Jill smiled. 

 

        Chaerin smiled back. “Don’t worry, I remember what to do from helping out here when I was a teen.” 

 

        Jill nodded. “Alright. I’ll be taking my leave. Kids, you all behave for Ms. Chaerin and Mr. Jiyong.”  

 

        “They will. They’re always good for me.” Jiyong laughed.  

 

        “I find that hard to believe. Do you bribe them or something?” Chaerin scoffed, the corner of her lips twitching. 

 

        “Hey! I do not!” Jiyong poked her in the side and she jumped. 

 

        The children, watching the playful banter between the two adults, laughed.  

 

        Jill smiled and left the room, leaving the children in the care of the two. 

 

        “So what do you want to do?” Chaerin asked, facing Jiyong. 

 

        He smirked. “I thought you already knew what to do. Didn’t you say that?” 

 

        Chaerin frowned. “Yah, I’m only asking because things might have changed since I’ve been gone.” 

 

        The smirk fell from Jiyong’s face and his body slightly stiffened at hearing the word gone fall from Chaerin’s lips. 

 

        Chaerin noticed the reaction immediately. “Um… what I mean is…” 

 

        Jiyong raised his hand. “It’s pretty much the same. Just play with them. Take care of them and show them your love.” He sent a small smile her way and headed over to where a group of boys were playing with leggos. 

 

        Chaerin nodded and looked around the room. Her eyes landed on a little girl that was huddled in the corner. She had some paper and crayons before her and seemed to be hard at work. Chaerin wondered why she wasn’t playing with the other kids. 

 

        She made her way over to the little girl and crouched down her level. 

 

        “Hi, I’m Ms. Chaerin.” She smiled. 

 

        The little girl looked up and frowned. She then went back to working on her picture. “I know.” She murmured. 

 

        Chaerin chuckled. “So what are you drawing? From here it looks really pretty.” 

 

        The little girl looked up, a look of confusion clearly on her face. She then looked back and the drawing and then back at Chaerin again. 

 

        “You really want to see it?” She asked, eyes wide. 

 

        Chaerin nodded. “Of course.” 

 

        A smile was sent her way and the drawing was soon in her hand, with the little girl explaining to her who was all in the picture. 

 

        “It’s my family.” She said. 

 

        “Your family?” Chaerin asked. Some of the kids at the center had to live here because one they didn’t have a family or their family just didn’t want them. Other kids that were here, were only here for a short period of times during the day. They were usually the ones being babysat because their family worked. 

 

        The little girl nodded. “Yeah that’s my Omma, my Appa, and my Oppa.” She smiled.  

 

        Chaerin smiled back. “And are you going to give them this picture when they pick you up? It is such a lovely picture.” 

 

        The little girl shook her head. “I can’t give it to them.” She whispered. Now she seemed to be pulling away, to go back into her corner. 

 

        Chaerin made a move to comfort the girl. 

 

        “Eunji, would you like some Banana Milk?” And there was Jiyong, kneeling down in front of the girl, a carton of Banana Milk in his hand.  

 

         Chaerin blinked. So her name was Eunji. 

 

         Eunji looked up and nodded, accepting the drink. “Th… thank you… Jiyong Oppa.” She smiled, shyly. 

 

        Jiyong smiled back. He then looked at Chaerin, nodding at her. She understood what he meant by the nod. He wanted to talk. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Making sure the kids were well entertained, Jiyong followed Chaerin out into the hall. He stood where he could see into the room incase something happened. 

 

        “What is it that you want to tell me?” Chaerin asked. 

 

        “It’s about Park Eunji.” Jiyong said, crossing his arms. 

 

        Chaerin did the same and leaned on the wall opposite of him. “I’m guessing she is one of the kids that lives here.” 

 

        Jiyong nodded. “She arrived a little after I started my work here. I remember how closed off she was, not that she still isn’t. She wouldn’t speak to anyone. She was so scared.” His eyes held a far off look. “When Mrs. Jill told me what happened, I felt so sick. Every time I’m told something about one of the kids I feel the need to protect them.” He looked at Chaerin. “You know what I mean?” 

 

        Chaerin nodded. She had felt it before as well. When she was a teen working in the center and a kid would tell her how bad things were had home, all she wanted to do was take them away and keep them safe. She knew exactly what Jiyong meant. 

 

        “Her Appa left the family when she was a baby. Her Omma tried to support them as much as she could. The only one in the family who had a good enough stable job was her Oppa. He would give his Omma money and in return, she would use it on other things. I’m sure you can figure out what those things are. She didn’t take care of Eunji. She just didn’t care anymore.” His fists clenched. “One night when she was desperate for money, she called up her son. He wouldn’t give her any money unless she gave him something in return.” He looked at Chaerin, his eyes glossy. “Do you know what she gave him Chae? She gave him Eunji. She sold her own daughter out just so she could get a fix. Eunji was molested by her own brother.” 

 

        Chaerin gasped. Her eyes were wide.  

 

        “This went on for about two weeks. Eunji was molested and her Omma would get her fix. One night, Eunji was able to get out and she ran. She ran to her neighbors and she told them everything. They called the police. Her Oppa was arrested. But her Omma… her Omma… well rather than spending her life in jail, she chose to commit suicide. The police contacted Eunji’s Appa, but he didn’t want anything to do with her. After she was released from the hospital, she was sent here. She’s been here ever since then.” 

 

        “Oh my… she… so that’s why she was huddled in the corner like that?” Chaerin asked. 

 

        Jiyong nodded. “One of the reasons. You see since the experience was so traumatic for her, she doesn’t really remember it. The doctors said it seemed like her mind is keeping it from her. At times she will remember bits and pieces briefly, but other than that she just thinks her family is working hard somewhere so they can come and get her one day.” 

 

        Chaerin nodded. “I see.” She smiled. “Thanks for telling me that Jiyong-ssi. I appreciate it.” 

 

        Jiyong nodded. “Well you need to know the background about these kids.” He laughed. “I’ll tell you more later. Let’s get inside and see if they destroyed the place.” 

 

        Chaerin laughed as well and allowed Jiyong to hold the door open for her. She walked in, Jiyong following in behind her. 

 

        The room wasn’t wrecked. The kids were all still playing. 

 

        “Well looks like it survived.” Jiyong grinned. Chaerin nodded. 

 

        “JIYONG OPPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  

 

        Jiyong stumbled backwards as a little girl attached herself to his legs. She was looking up at him, a pout on her face. 

 

        “Yah Oppa! You aren’t cheating on me with this Unnie are you?” She asked. 

 

        Chaerin chuckled. This must be Minah. 

 

        Jiyong smiled and gently pried her off of him. He then kneeled down. “Hey now, this Oppa would never do such a thing.” 

 

        Minah stared at him, eyeing the smile he gave her. She then beamed. “Good because our marriage wouldn’t be able to take that. Be a good hubby, okay Oppa.” She placed her small hands on his face. 

 

        Jiyong laughed and ruffled her hair. “Of course.” He flashed her another smile. 

 

        Minah blushed. She then turned to Chaerin. “Ms. Chaerin Unnie, please don’t take my hubby away from me, okay.” 

 

        Chaerin had to stop the laugh from escaping at how serious the little girl looked.  

 

        “I wouldn’t dream of it.” She smiled. She missed the scowl Jiyong sent her way. 

 

        Minah smiled, satisfied. She then skipped away, going back to play with her friends. 

 

        “Does Minah live here?” Chaerin asked.  

 

        Jiyong shook his head. “Nope. Her parents work. When they get off, one of them comes and picks her up.” 

 

        Chaerin nodded. “So when’s the wedding.” She teased. 

 

        “Yah, shut up.” Jiyong said. He pushed her slightly. “She just has a small crush on me.” 

 

        “I think it’s cute.” Chaerin said. 

 

        Jiyong looked at her. 

 

        “Be a good hubby to her, Jiyong-ssi.”  

 

        “YAH!” 

 

        Chaerin laughed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        “Thank you for helping out today.” Mrs. Jill smiled. “The kids love you already, Chaerin.” 

 

        “I had fun.” Chaerin smiled. “I can’t wait to help out again.” 

 

        “Even if it means that you work with me.” Jiyong teased. 

 

        “Even if it means working with you.” 

 

        Mrs. Jill watched the two, a smile on her face. “Ah young love.” She mused. 

 

        Chaerin and Jiyong looked at her. 

 

        “What did you say?” Jiyong asked. 

 

        “Oh nothing. It’s just my husband and I acted the same way you two act when we were dating.” She smiled 

 

        “D…dating? Oh no we aren’t dating.” Chaerin said, waving her hands. “We… we’re… we’re just friends.” 

 

        Jiyong looked at her. “Yeah we’re just friends.” He murmured, softly. 

 

        Mrs. Jill nodded, a smile on her face. “I see.”  

 

        “Well we will see you Thursday then.” Jiyong said. 

 

        “Yes see you then.” Mrs. Jill waved goodbye and disappeared back into the room. 

 

        Chaerin and Jiyong walked out together. 

 

        “So….” Jiyong shuffled on his feet. He looked at her. “I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me.” 

 

        Chaerin looked at him. “You’re asking me out for dinner?” 

 

        Jiyong nodded. “Well I mean we could talk some more, you know.” He smiled at her. 

 

        Chaerin nodded. “Sure. I’ll go to dinner with you.” 

 

        Jiyong grinned. “Alright. Let’s go.” He took a hold of her hand before she could protest and began to lead her to the restaurant.  

 

        Chaerin looked at their joined hands and then at Jiyong’s back, as he walked in front. He was rambling on about something. Something about how she would like the food at where he was taking her. 

        Chaerin wasn’t really listening. She was too busy trying to figure out what the fluttering feeling she was feeling was. 

 

        Whatever it was, it felt good.  

 

        She smiled. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        "I have her in sight. The target is in sight." his deep voice sounded through the phone. He kept his eyes on the young woman and young man as they left the Children's Center.  

 

        A chuckle sounded from the other end of the phone. "Good. Good. We'll set our plan into motion soon. Just keep your eyes on her for the time being." 

 

        "Of course, Boss. I'll do just as you ask." 

 

        His Boss laughed. "Good. As long as things go smoothly you'll soon be getting the money you need." 

 

        The deep voiced man chuckled. "Oh things will go smoothly. I assure you of that." He watched as the pair down on the street entered a small, quaint restaurant. 

 

        "Over and out, Sir. I need to move spots." 

 

        "I see. Report back to me soon." His Boss hung up after leaving him with those words and he, himself made his way down to the restaurant. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Meanwhile, in a building not too far, a young man sat at a desk. His hands were clasp together and he rested his chin on them, looking down at the picture before him. The picture was of a beautiful young woman.  

 

        He smirked. "You will be mine, Lee Chaerin."

 

 

 

 

---

Whoo Chapter Eight. :D

Where have I been lol. Just haven't had no inspiraton to write and then it came to me today. So I'm happy I was able to get out another chapter.

And thank you to all my 151 Subscribers! And I now have 23 Upvotes, so thank you to shinheehyogaya! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! THANK YOU!

So until next time. Bye! :D