Part 8.

Underneath the same sky, above the same ground.

After lunch Taecyeon walks Krystal to her car. Chansung comes back to work with a cartoon of orange juice in hand. He plans to give it to Nickhun; however, Nickhun is not at his desk anymore.

On Nickhun's desk, Chansung spots the purple sticky note that he has given Nickhun the other day. A word "thanks" is added after his texts. Chansung cannot help himself but smiles. He takes out a pen in his pocket and adds a smiley face next to the word thanks. He places the cartoon of juice on the desk with a new sticky note. He writes ~Enjoy! =) ~, then goes to his office. 

"What should I do to get to know him more? Asking won't be professional and beside I need to keep that bubble between a manager and an employee." Chansung  is pacing back and forth, murmuring to himself.

Ring, Ring.

The phone ring destructes his thinking process.

"Hello! Mom?"

His frustration face shiftes into a blank expression. Mrs. Hwang informes Chansung that they will be having three important guests joining them for lunch and that he needs to join them. Mrs. Hwang sounds skeptical and unpleasing. This baffled him. On the ride there, Chansung can not focus. He senses there may be disagreements waiting ahead. How important can the guests be and the main question, who are they? 

 

The restaurant is on the second floor of the VIP building. A woman worker guides Chansung to the room. 

"We're here." She points to a door ahead of her and left. He fixes his suit and enters. Everyone look up when the door swing inward.

"Chansung…."

The minutes Chansung sees the person that just calls him, his is in complete shock. 

"Oppa."

+

After Krystal left, Taecyeon comes back to his office. Before going back to work, Taecyeon goes to the bathroom to do his businesses before the meeting start. The minutes he opens the door, he sees Nickhun on the phone. Nickhun standing in front of the sinks. Taecyeon quickly closes the door. What is he doing here? Taking on the phone while in the bathroom? 

Taecyeon re-opens the door just enough to peak in his eyeballs in.

"Thanks Victory for always being by my side."

"Yes, this place is very nice."

"Can we meet up for dinner tonight? I…." he pauses for a brief second to strengthen his voice. 

"Victoria….I dreamed about him yesterday. I dreamed about the incident, but he came back to me. I dreamed that he's still alive, he still out there somewhere. I miss him because I still love him." His voice starts to break. 

Taecyeon feels uncomfortable and guilty for hearing such a private conversation. Nickhun is gay? And he has a boyfriend? The fact brings him a bit of jealously mix with disappointment. He decides to go use the other bathroom instead. When he comes back to work, he feels happier but displease. Taecyeon questions himself why he feels disappointed. He erectly admits that he feels sad after hearing Nickhun's conversion, but for what purpose? The more he thinks the more he becomes mad and sad for being disappointed. He spends the rest of the day with a bug crawling inside himself. 

+

"Oppa, wait."

Chansung storms out of the room. What they have talked about is too unfair for him. He can longer control his anger so he has to comes out before he blows the whole room off. If he has innocently said yes, then he has turned to a victim in this case. This case is stupid. It has been forced to close without any agreement, and everyone is uncontrollably angry during that time except Chansung. He is rather happy when he hears the new: the bride has ran away. The day after, articles about " The Run Away Bride" flood the whole country. It brings freedom to Chansung, but a great embarrassment to his family. Her dad has to hire countless cops to go after her, and they finally get her home after two months of searching. Her dad promises Chansung's family that he will make sure she pays the ultimate price, but else can they do to a wild seventeen year old girl? They claim that she has made an irresponsible decision because she is still too young, and she is not yet at the mature stage. As a punishment for the spoil girl, she is forced to cut off connection with all of her friends. She is sent to study overseas for business managing. Ever since then Chansung has been calling her nuna, because she has not turned into his wife, and fortunately, he has not turned into her husband at such a young age.

The girl stumbles after Chansung on her killer heels. She grabs Chansung's arm, and with all of her might, she spins him around.

"I thought I have made it clear, you and I are nothing other than brother and sister" he restates his conclusion.

"I know what I did was wrong, but the past is the past so can you stop judging me because of it? I love you, please I will change for you, " she blurts it out like love is a piece of gum. She is saying like her personality can be easily molded like a piece of candy wax.

"I will change for you."

Chansung is surprised to hear her confession, but it sounds too unbelievable.

"You think you can change that easily?"

He jerks his arm back and adds, "Hyuna listen, you and I had never walk on the same road, we never did and we never will." After he highlights the key point of their relationship, he strides away. 

Hyuna is hurted from his words, but she smiles instead.

Before Hyuna sashays back to where her parents are, she adds, "will see."

Chansung feels the need to hit the bar for some drinks. It has become a common habit for him to drink whenever he experiences any kind of stresses that causes him to lose his temper. Before going to the bar, he drops by the company just in case Taecyeon might wants to join in, but Taecyeon has already left. That's a damn, he wants someone to join him. Before going back to his car, Changsung spots Nickhun at the corner of the street, waiting for the city bus. Chansung goes inside his car, and watches Nickhun from across the street. He enjoys the view because he can see Nickhun. The city bus comes but Nickhun does not hop in. A woman comes out of the bus, and they go back inside the company. Chansung drives away with a head full of thoughts. 

+

After the meeting with Victory, Nickhun goes home with a lighter heart. He feels much better after talking to her, and telling her how his life has been doing. He feels even happier to hear that Victory has found the man of her dream. The bus drops him off by the lake across from his house. It's a good thing there are tall pole lights along the cement road toward his house. Across from the lake on his left side, he can see a person as small as a stick running like he is jogging. The sun is down, and it is too dark for anyone to be jogging at this time around the lake. Nickhun can not tell if that person is a woman or a man. He walks in a fast pace toward his house. When Nickhun reaches the front of his house, he can hear Little one barking from the inside. He unlocks the lock, and the puppy runs out of the doo, but he catchs it. 

"Where are you going?"

The puppy continue barking, facing the backyard, like he wants to go back there. 

"Shiiii!!! Little one, you're going to annoy the whole world."

The puppy continues to bark. Nickhun senses that something must be at the backyard for the dog to be howling non stop. 

+Junho's point of view+

, it is him again. I drop the bag of orange to the ground, and run my life away from him as fast as I can. He has been following me from the store to here. As I run, I glance around to see if anybody is here that can help me out. But no one is around, and no houses except one across from the lake. I tear as fast and as hard as I can toward the house. Once I get to the front-yard of the house, a puppy is barking in the inside. I knock on the door, and the puppy run to the door. I can tell that it's scratching on the door with its claws. I need to get away before that man can caught up to me. I run to hide in the back of the house since it is darker back there. Perfect! After five minutes, I hear someone walk to the house. I hold my breath as tight as I can so he would not hear me, but that puppy keep on barking. Stop barking dog, please! I squeeze my eyes shut. After the dog has stopped barking, I hear footsteps walking steadily toward my way. 

!

As sneaky as a mouse, I tip tope to the front of the house. I should go around the house so that man will not catch me running away. When I circle back to the front yard, I notice that the front door is opened. What should I do? Go inside or run away?

+End+

Nickhun checks the backyard, but nothing comes in sight, and Little One has stop barking since it knows it is wrong for assuming that something is back there.

"See, nothing."

Nickhun carries Little one and they go back inside. When he is about to close the door, he sees a man searching for something in front of his house by the lake. Nickhun quickly closes the door and locks it. He turns on the security alarm. 

"Stay here and I will go cook something for dinner." He puts Little One on the sofa and goes to the kitchen to prepare dinner. When Nickhun is gone to the kitchen, Little One runs down to a closet half way open. It stands in-front of the closet, and stares inside the dark empty space. It makes no noise. 

+

The man finally stops searching after a while. The night grows colder and darker. Junho can't go this far. He takes out his phone and calls Mr. Lee to share the good news that he has spots Junho 

"Hello, may I speak with Mr. Lee?"

"He is not there? I am sorry, who am I speaking with?" He asks when he hears a woman answers the phone instead.

 

"Can I take a message for him?" 

 

"No, I can call later." He puffs out a breath of carbon dioxide.

 

"Is this about Junho?" she can not be easily fooled. She shoots a deadly glare at a picture of Junho and Mr. Lee hugging eachother on a wooden frame on Mr. Lee's desk.

"I am Mrs. Lee and I have the right to know about my son."

 

The man is stunned to know who she is. "I am sorry, but I was ordered not to discuss this case with anyone else." He hangs up without saying anything else. 

 

Her mad face turns darker and deadlier. She takes out the photo and rips it in half, separating Mr. Lee and Junho apart. She crumples Junho's half,  tosses it inside her purse, and puts the other half back to the frame. She takes out her phone and dials a number.

[Note Green= in English]

"Good morning, Mrs. Lee" the voice belongs to a man.

"Trace this number and find out his information of where he is and follow him."

+

After Nickhun finishes making dinner, he pours Little One a bowl of its usual food. 

"Little One come, dinner is ready, " he calls from the kitchen as he scoops himself a bowl of rice, and places it on the table.  Little One runs to the kitchen and looks at Nickhun with its innocent eyes like it wants something. 

"You need something?" Nickhun can read the dog's eyes.

It stands in place, quietly beaming at Nickhun then at Nickhun's bowl of rice. 

"You want one too?"

Arh arh arh

"Okay, I'll get you one."

He scoops another bowl of rice for Little One.

"Here!" he places it on the ground, and goes back to check on the mini sausages in the oven. 

When Nickhun is not looking the puppy secretly carries the bowl of rice with its front teeth to the closet. It places the rice bowl in front of the closet, barks and then runs back to the kitchen. 

"Ashiii almost burn."

Nickhun quickly puts on the cooking gloves, and takes out a small aluminum pan full of brownish mini sausages.

"I suppose you want some too?"

Arh, arh, arh

"Okay, just a second."

 Nickhun takes out another bowl, picks up three mini sausages with a fork, and placed the bowl on the ground without looking.

"Here."

One of his hands is trying to not tilt the aluminum pan. 

"I should have bought a grilling spatula or a tongs so I don't have to use my hand next time" Nickhun complains to himself. 

While he is still mumbling, Little One carries the bowl of mini sausages to the closet again.

"Oh, I almost dropped one. Little One if next time you want to share some of my food, you need to tell me ahead of time so I cook enough. You never eat my food that why I only cook enough……" he looks down but Little one is no longer there. 

"Little One?" Nickhun calls, turning his head and looking all around the kitchen. 

He spots a mini sausage on the floors on the way to the living room. 

"Little One?" Nickhun walks to the living, and sees the puppy sits quietly in front of the dark closet. It is staring at it while wiggling its tail side to side. 

"Something in there?" Nickhun asks with a face full of fear, thinking that it might be the man he sees out there earlier. But he has locked and has turned the alarm system on. If he has broken into the house the siren should have gone off. Or my bedroom windowsNickhun runs to his room to check, but all the windows are closed. Nickhun comes out out of his room with a baseball bat on his hands. He softly opens the closet door all the way, and jumps backward. Nickhun points the baseball bat at the empty closet. Nothing comes out. Slowly, he reaches up to the light switcher inside the closet. A hand pops out and grabs his wrist.

"AHHHHH….!" He forcefully snaps his wrist back, and starts beating the person inside. 

"Ouch, ouch, stop" a man's voice.

The puppy starts barking.

The man jumps out of the closet, shielding himself with his arms. He clasps onto the ground when Nickhun smacks him on the back of his neck. The puppy goes in-front of the man and barks bitterly at Nickhun. Nickhun puts the baseball bat down and asks, "you know him?"

Little One walks to the man's face and his face. It's making little crying noises under its tongue.

"Who are you?" Nickhun asks the man.

"I am not dangerous. I am a.……." he cannot talk properly, he has passed out before he can finish his sentence. 

"You're what?"

Nickhun rocks the man. He might not know who this guy is but Nickhun can tell that the puppy definably has some source of connection with this man. He thinks for a while, and finally makes a decision. Nickhun drags the man's by the feet to the living room and lifts him up on the sofa. Nickhun sits on the other sofa and concentrates on the man in case the man wakes up and kills him. Little One jumps up to Nickhun's laps, and watches the man sadly. 

 

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Comments

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WillyTian
#1
Chapter 11: your story is very interesting... i like khun's character... ^^
i cant believe that siwon would leave him like that >> what a ...
ahhh~ now that khun knows the truth... he's a gonna cry a river...

my khunbby... TT
myrajunho
#2
Really curious about chanho.. update soon ^^
Risshy_Girl #3
Chapter 11: what??! why??! Siwon's still alive? 0.o
why he's do that. he should just told Nichkhun. not left guilty Khun behind. urg..
Risshy_Girl #4
hoho. This is good story. ^^ I like it.
keep going!!! fighting!!!
khunkoala #5
Chapter 7: ohhh..interesting!!!
geo_gurlz #6
Chapter 5: This is really good, please keep update.