Going Crazy

[Song of the Day: [Kan Mi Youn ft. Mir (MBLAQ) - Going Crazy]

It was an ordinary day again. Everything went back to its normal places. The staff members were still fixing the havoc caused by the thieves' attack to the shop, but the mess was somehow not as worse as it was before. Sunggyu was still not around, but it was said that he will be back within the week. The shop was still under Woohyun's supervision who seemed to be more hardworking and inspired by something. His smile never faded. It can be inferred that a lot of things happened to him for the past few days. Sunggyu's presence was not really significant to him, but rather his absence made him happier. He wished that his brother would be away for a longer time. If that would be possible. Nonetheless, it was just his wishful thinking.

"Oh, everyone must be feeling tired. I guess you guys should take a break for awhile," Woohyun suggested unconsciously.

Some were startled by his statement which stopped them from doing their respective jobs. They were surely surprised with Woohyun who humbly offered them a break, contrary to the boss who they had known for weeks. Taeyeon replied back, "But, we have just started working. It has not been an hour yet, Sir Woohyun."

Woohyun was flustered by her words and thought, "Yeah, She is right. Eh! But, I know they are all tired. This woman is really stubborn!" His intention was only out of concern, no more, no less. It upset him that Taeyeon seemed to refuse his kind deeds. "She is really impossible!"

He tried to act cool and said, "Well then, if you do not want to rest, so be it. I am allowing everyone to take a break. Do not ask me for a spare time later." The lad frowned in dismay. The joy seen on his face few minutes ago gently turned into a disheartened one.

The other staff members looked at them as if they were weird. First, Woohyun never treated Taeyeon nicely, so it was very unusual to see their boss insisting Taeyeon to rest. Also, Taeyeon never complained to Woohyun like what she did. She was known for avoiding him for several times. Their interaction became more complicated as it was, and the atmosphere between them became more awkward as it was used to be.

They thought, "What exactly happened to the both of them for the past few days?" They looked at each other with an obvious confusion seen on their faces. Mr. Bong snapped them out of their thoughts. He said, "Kids! Mr. Nam is asking us to take a rest."

Baro insisted, "But, Taeyeon-ssi is right." The old man heaved a sigh. Mr. Bong shoved the other staff members out. He hissed, "Aigoo! No more buts!" They insisted to stay, but was forced to go outside the shop to take a break.

The ahjussi turned his gaze to Taeyeon who seemed to be serious of her work. He asked with a concern look on his face, "Are you sure you are not having a break, Taeyeon-ssi?"

She said politely, "Yes, Mr. Bong. I am still not tired. Enjoy your break." Taeyeon bowed her head down.

He spoke up, "If you say so, Taeyeon-ssi." The old man bowed his head. He shifted his eyes to Woohyun who seemed to be upset over something. "Oh anyway, Mr. Nam, I will go ahead now."

The young man bowed down. He said, "Mr. Bong, just call me Woohyun-ssi." The ahjussi nodded his head. "Alright, as you wish." Afterwards, he left the shop, and followed the rest of the staff members.

The two of them were left alone in the café. An awkward atmosphere sauntered to the both of them. Taeyeon became more uncomfortable because Woohyun was giving her his creepy stares. Woohyun was back to his normal state. In other words, he was back to his arrogant side. She just diverted her attention in sweeping the floor. It was always a habit of her to sweep the floor while ignoring Woohyun's nonsensical huffs.

Woohyun raved, "Tsk~ How many times are you going to ignore my statement? I told you I am powerful, yet you keep on neglecting it. What kind of person are you?" Taeyeon acted like that she did not hear his words, which left him perturbed.

He did not want her to ignore him like before. The fact she ignored him for an hour now made his heart pound painfully. They were in good terms three days ago, and it made him think why the hell she would act coldly again if she promised to be friends with him.

He crossed his arms. The young man spewed his anger, "Gosh! You are weirder than me. I cannot understand you! You were kind and responsive to me last time. Why are you back to your stoic personality again? Aigoo~"

Taeyeon did not know what to tell him. She was not in the mood to fight with him. She did not even know why. All she knew was she was not in the mood to deal with complicated things, and Woohyun was not an exception.

Woohyun asked on a cogent voice, "Hey! Why are you not answering me?" His eyes never left her eyes. She eschewed his pierce gazes, and feigned that she was unaffected by him. She plainly said, "I am sorry Sir Woohyun. I just do not want to rest. I have rested enough for the past few days. Too much break will just make me feel so sick."

He became silent for awhile. Soon, he apologized, "Oh, is that so? Sorry for scolding you, Milady."

She looked at his apologetic reaction. Taeyeon requested stoically, "Sir, would you mind if you will end calling me that? I do not want others to think differently about the two of us." She disliked Woohyun's skinship towards her even at work. She did not want others to misinterpret their interaction. It would be very unprofessional of her if she would treat him just like a buddy or something. Taeyeon have always mentally remind herself that Woohyun will always be her boss, and she will only be his mere employee. They could not go farther than that, not even friends.

He was disappointed with her statement. It was enough of him to have his grandparents and mother to treat him coldly, but the fact that the person who he had started to be fond with being distant to him again made him feel sadder. He did not know why he started being so fond of Taeyeon. All he knew was he wanted to be close to her. She has something that attracted his attention badly. He could not figure out what it was, but the thought of not seeing her in a day could even make him lose his sanity. The lad said dejectedly, "Ahh~ Sure. I am sorry."

Taeyeon bowed her head down without even showing a worried look on her face. She spoke up, "Gomapseumnida, Sir Woohyun."

His heart clenched with a pang of distress. He was certain that it was because of her. It was her coldness which made him feel the pain inside his chest. He looked away from her, for he could no longer withstand the way she was treating him. He could sense the coldness in her eyes, and it hurt him to the point that it drove him nuts badly.

He cleared his throat calmly. Woohyun excused, "Ahh~ I will just get something upstairs. Would you mind if I will leave you for awhile?"

"Yes, Sir," said her who remained stoic as she watched him walked away from her.

Woohyun carried his feet out of the place immediately. Right at that moment, all he wanted to do was to leave the place where Taeyeon was. He could no longer contain the bitter feeling he had inside his chest. It was really unexplainable. He did not even know what made him feel that way. The question was: Why was he hurt by Taeyeon's indifferent treatment? It was not like it was a new thing for him. In fact, it was her usual self. She has always been cold towards him. He wanted to get over with it, but he did not know how. Woohyun needed to gather his thoughts up, so he decided to rush into his office. It was the best thing he could do right at that moment because seeing Taeyeon would not be of great help, but rather would make him feel worse.

Woohyun closed the door of his office and took a seat on his swivel chair. He clenched his fist hardly.

"You rascal! You are so unpredictable! Why are you making me feel this way? What are you exactly to hurt me, the greatest Nam Woohyun? I hate you! I hate you! I really hate you." He hit the teddy bear that was on top of his table. It was the stuffed toy that he received as a gift from Taeyeon. It was the first gift that made him feel so special for the first time in his life. Three days ago was the first time he celebrated his birthday with pure happiness inside his mind and heart. But, the joy he felt that time could nowhere be seen. It slowly hurt him to think that she seemed not to be sincere at all. Sincerity that he thought was given to him once in his life.

"She agreed to be friends with me. Then, what the hell is this? Did she just say that because that day was my birthday? Do not tell me that she just did that out of pity? The hell! I told her that I do not need pity! If she was sincere that time, then why is she acting like she does not see me? Why does she treat me as if I am not here? Why does she make me feel like I am invisible? Is she just fooling out of me? Is this her way of revenging to me because I caused her to be injured before? If she does not want me, then she should say it! She must not give me false hopes. Hay~ If I could just bring back time." He let out a big sigh.

By afternoon, everyone was still busy in renovating the café. Woohyun was still bothered by the return of Taeyeon's apathetic aura. He was butthurt because of it. The young man was still disappointed to her. She promised to be friends with him, and Woohyun was apparently puzzled why she suddenly became indifferent towards him again.

He murmured, "Waeyo? Waeyo? Kim Taeyeon, malhaebwa. Please tell me, so that I will no longer feel this way."

[~]

He opened the paper bag, and saw the cute stuffed toy which Taeyeon had bought at the gift shop few hours ago. "Thank you, Milady. Thank you for making me happy this day. I never expected you to care for me. I have always thought that you hate me because I am rude towards you. Please forgive if I am always the bad person who bullies you. Kyeopta bear~"

The young woman smiled at him affectionately. She expressed candidly, "No, I do not mind it. What matters most today is your happiness. Please be happy today because today is your birthday." Taeyeon felt somehow happy when she saw Woohyun smiled as he brought out the cute stuffed toy she had given him.

Woohyun poked the stuffed toy's nose repetitively. He was delighted with the fact that Taeyeon actually cared for him. He felt like he was the luckiest man in the world. The young man said deep in thoughts, "I hope that the time will stop. I do not want this day to end."

He spoke up, "Milady, I have a favor for you." Woohyun held her hand. Taeyeon was puzzled with his statement.

"What is it, Sir Woohyun?" She looked deeply into his eyes. She could sense that Woohyun wanted to ask something big to her.

Woohyun asked shyly, "Can we be friends? I want the two of us to be friends."

Taeyeon was loss at words. She did not know what to respond. She never knew that a person like him would actually ask her to be friends with him. It has not sunk into her mind yet that both of them were trying to be in good terms. She did not know how to react when Woohyun asked her to be his friend.

She was reluctant at first, but decided not to refuse his friendly request. "Okay."

Woohyun smiled happily. He laid his pinky finger to ask her for a pinky swear. Childish as it sounded, but he wanted a proof of his friendship with her. He asked, "Promise?"

"Yes, Sir Woohyun."

The two of them laughed with their childishness. "Then, I must give this bear a good name."

She asked, "Name?" He nodded his head. "Then, I will give him a name of TaeWoo."

"Taewoo? Why?"

He said playfully, "It is a combination of our names. Woohyun plus Taeyeon! You dummy!" He poked her forehead jokingly. Taeyeon just rolled her eyes.

The lad boasted, "I am already twenty-three years old, yet I look youthful. I am still handsome as ever."

She scoffed jokingly, "So boastful!" Woohyun crossed his arms. "Ya! Milady, I heard that!"

Woohyun said to himself, "This is the best day ever!" Deep inside his heart was the happiness he never felt before. It was the feeling of fulfillment that he never had. His eight birthday might have turned out to be the worst day of his life, but everything had changed. His twenty-third birthday was different. He was able to celebrate it with someone who he did not expect to make him happy to the fullest even just for that day. He had thought for years that it would be very impossible for him to feel that kind of joy, but Taeyeon changed it. The impossible became possible.

She said, "Whatever you say!" The two of them laughed heartily as they spent the rest of the night with each other.

[~]

He thought sadly, "She promised me! She promised me! She promised me! She is a liar! A liar! A liar! A liar! A liar! Arghh~ I did not know that she is also like others. Like those people whose promises were meant to be broken. She is no different to them. I should have not hope that she is someone who can treat me sincerely. Come on, Woohyun! Wake up! Get back to your senses! She is nothing special to you! Do not oblige yourself to be nice to her. She does not deserve anything good from you. If she is not used in seeing me nice, then I guess I have to go back to my mean side, my real self."

Woohyun ordered as he pointed the plates, "You wipe those plates." He gave her an contemptuous stare which Taeyeon did not actually mind. She was somehow surprised to see him being mean again, yet it made her feel more comfortable. Woohyun was never a good one to begin with, and seeing him kind has bothered her a lot. She was used to see his rude side after all. Woohyun being nice to her made her feel so awkward.

She politely responded back, "Yes, Sir." Her boss' eyes did not leave her. Taeyeon ignored his stares, and went towards the other table. He yelled, "Do it quickly! Now!"

Taeyeon gave him a nod of assurance. "Yes, I will."

"Kim Taeyeon, wae? Wae ireoni? I thought that we will be friends, but why are you being like this? I hate you! I hate you! You wench!" He brought his phone out of his cardigan's pocket. Suddenly, Woohyun reminisced the event three days ago. He his phone, and his eyes focused on the sight of the wallpaper of his phone. The young man let his fingers run through the glassy screen of his phone.

[~]

Taeyeon and Woohyun were on a boat, quietly staring at the beauty of the colorful lights which encompassed the Cheonggyecheon stream. He shifted the direction of his eyes to Taeyeon who only had a peaceful smile on her face. Woohyun carefully observed her peaceful face. From her brows, down to her eyes and lips, she was indeed gifted with a captivating beauty. She was definitely a woman whose beauty will make many men go head over heels with her. He unconsciously smiled. "She is really lovely." His eyes never left her visage. His mind was filled with thoughts about Taeyeon. He mumbled, "What an angel."

Taeyeon sensed that someone was staring at her for long. She took a glance of Woohyun who was sitting across him on the boat. Taeyeon saw Woohyun staring at her with a big smile on his face. She asked, "Are you alright, Sir Woohyun? Do you need something?"

Woohyun straighten his back from where he was sitting. Hearing her voice was enough for him. It was like his mind was being blown off by the wind. His ears were deafened by the resonating sound of her voice, causing his heart to throb quickly. His chest was trembling like there was no tomorrow.

Taeyeon asked, "Sir Woohyun, are you sick or what?"

He awkwardly concealed the smile formed on his face when he realized how crazy he was staring at Taeyeon like a byuntae. He also realized that Taeyeon might feel uncomfortable seeing him staring and at the same time smiling at her without any particular reason. He might actually be mistaken as a man who lost his sanity, staring at her like he was erted or something. Woohyun cleared his throat, and said, "Nae, I am alright."

"Ah, okay. I thought you are sick or something," said her who fixed the scarf over her neck. She faced forward to brush the uncomfortable aura off between them.

He stuttered, "Milady. Uhh~"

She turned to the right direction to look at Woohyun who seemed to stutter something. Taeyeon asked, "What is it, Sir Woohyun?"

Woohyun scratched the back of his head shyly. "Uhmm. Can we take a selca as a remembrance for this day? You know. Umm~ How should I ask it? Oh well~~~"

Before he was able to finish his words, Taeyeon gave him an assuring nod. She said, "I am okay with it."

His eyes widen a bit. Woohyun asked, "Jinjja?"

She nodded her head once again. Woohyun said happily, "Okay. Gomawo!" He moved close to her, and brought out his phone.

"Okay! Say kimchi!" He opened the camera, and took a number of selcas of the two of them. Woohyun noticed the plainness of her face. He nudged her a bit. "Ya! Can you smile even a bit?" Taeyeon looked at him, and bowed her head. "Sorry." Woohyun did not give her a reply, but held her shoulders, and turned her to face the camera. Taeyeon tried to flash a genuine smile on her face.

"That is better. Okay. Let us take a couple of shots. I will definitely post this in my Cyworld minihompy."

Taeyeon laughed a bit. She said, "Okay." She made a V-pose, and smiled at the camera as Woohyun started capturing a number of selcas of the two of them.

[~]

Woohyun went to his office for awhile to put back the pieces of himself. He needed to muster his thoughts up, otherwise he would not be able to endure what he was feeling inside his chest. Whereas, the staff members were continuing their respective works. They were eager to finish renovating the café as soon as possible. Seeing the café in such state was saddening. While working, the topic of Valentine's Day celebration was suddenly brought up in their conversation.

Kikwang who was fixing the chairs asked, "How are you guys going to celebrate Heart's Day?"

"I don't know. I do not have any date in Valentine's Day," Baro replied truthfully.

Junho tapped his chin. He said to Kikwang, "I guess that I will just celebrate it with my family. How about you, Taeyeon-ssi? Do you celebrate it?"

She said candidly, "No, I do not celebrate it. It is not actually an important day. I guess only those people with so-called special someone will enjoy it. I prefer working than wasting a day for such thing." Celebrating the Valentine's Day was never included in her vocabulary. It was never a special day for her. It has never cross her mind to celebrate something insignificant for her since it would not only waste her money, but also her time which she would rather spend in work.

Kikwang said, "I never know that you are so pessimistic when it comes to Valentine's Day." Taeyeon put her hands inside her pocket. She reasoned out calmly, "That is not pessimism. I am just being realistic rather than idealistic."

They were quite shocked with her straightforward statement. They never expected her to be pessimistic in nature. She was surely a cynical person. In reality, many people would even exert an effort just to be with their lovers during Valentine's day, giving them their gifts as their sign of their so-called love. Some would spend it with their family, but Taeyeon was different. It was never special for her.

Baro interrogated in bafflement, "If you would not mind, may I ask you if you had a boyfriend even once in your life?" Everyone was surprised with his sudden question. They too became curious about it. "Did a strong woman like her had relationships or had been into a relationship before? She is pretty, it would not be a surprising matter to hear if a flock of men lined up to court her. But, did a woman who seems to be cynical about such things opened her heart to others even for once? Did she even experience first love, or even crush? Puppy love? It seems to be out of her vocabulary. She indeed was very strong physically and emotionally. She worked for a lot of jobs, and most of them suited for men. No wonder that she is so nonchalant to such thing or is her interest not for men?"

They shrugged their thoughts off. It could be surmised that they were thinking whether she was either a man-hater or lesbian. Nonetheless, it would be a big waste if she was. She had the looks, and a good personality. Taeyeon had the characteristics of an ideal type of woman who men will surely go gaga over. Being either a lesbian or man-hater will make the whole world unlucky.

Taeyeon was slightly shocked, but unfazed by his question. She cleared and decided to end their curiosity, "Eopseo. I never had a boyfriend before."

They were not expecting her to be a 'no-boyfriend-since-birth' type of woman. Usually, pretty women like her would have more or less two to three boyfriends. Kikwang asked, "Eh? With that beauty of yours?"

She shook her head. "Ani, I do not have time for such trivial things," Taeyeon said stoically.

Baro asked Taeyeon another question, "But, did someone court you before?" The young woman answered without hesitation, "None."

Her statement made them shrug with great disbelief. Junho said, "Aigoo~ How was that possible?"

"It was. I am saying the truth." Taeyeon answered plainly.

Kikwang asked with great curiosity, "Did you even became interested with men? Or do not tell me that you are a le~"

Taeyeon became silent. She was stuck deeply in her thoughts. She was never romantically interested to men, but she knew that she was not a lesbian or whatsover. Then after a while, she realized that someone already made her heart flutter. He was the first and only person that made her feel different from others.

Taeyeon coughed a bit, "Well, if Sir Woohyun will allow us to have a day-off, I would rather visit Jeonju."

"Oh! You are from Jeonju?" Junho asked.

She nodded her head. "Yeah. I am," Taeyeon replied back.

Baro joked, "Well, if you want, I will just date you during the Valentine's Day." A smile was formed by his lips. With his sudden out-of-this-world statement, he gained weird stares, not only from Taeyeon, but also from other staff members. His face flushed because of embarrassment.

"Ah~It is not what I mean. I was just kidding. You know~ Why are you guys so serious? Hehehe," He explained as he covered up his shyness.

They rolled their eyes. "You must be hungry. I guess." Kikwang patted his shoulder.

Someone patted the café manager's shoulder who was hiding behind the kitchen's door. A voice from his back asked, "Woohyun-ssi, why are you hiding there? If you want to join their conversation, then go there. I guess it would be better if you would than listening from afar."

Woohyun flinched when someone patted his shoulders and turned agitated when heard a voice. He felt so ashamed of being caught eavesdropping to the staff members' conversation. Woohyun calmed himself when he saw the assistant manager of the café. It was Mr. Bong. The young man tried to spit out the best alibi he could ever thing of, "Ah~ Mr. Bong. Is there any problem?"

The old man noticed his uneasiness. He asked, "Should I be the one asking you that? You look so problematic since morning."

His eyes widen in surprise. Was his sullen face too obvious? Does his face really show the bitterness that he feels? He laughed awkwardly. Woohyun denied, "Me? Problematic? Ani. I am not."

Mr. Bong said to the young man, "You should know how to be true to your feelings. Hay~ Youngsters these days are not good in making excuses when it comes to their emotions."

He was baffled by the old man's statement, but he set aside his thoughts. "Ah~Eh~ I will go ahead now," Woohyun excused. He bowed his head down, and soon stormed out of the kitchen.

The staff members stopped their conversation when their manager arrived out. The café staff members bowed their heads down politely.

Woohyun said, "I would just like to announce that~ Ah~Uh~The 14th of February will be your day-off."

"Cheongmalyo? Gomapseumnida, Sir Woohyun." Kikwang bowed his head down.

Woohyun affirmed, "Yes, you heard it right. But the day-off is non-transferable. You may work during that day if you do not want to take an off. Of course, there would be an additional pay, but you cannot transfer it to other time. That off is different from your other day-offs. It is like a celebration of a Holiday. Well, it actually is. I have never heard any working place where Holiday breaks can be transferable or something."

"Oh~ I bet everyone would like to spend a break during that day, but except~ Oh, I do not think that she would." Junho surmised as his gaze gently turned to Taeyeon.

"Me?" Taeyeon wondered.

Kikwang said, "Yeah. You said you do not celebrate it."

"I do not celebrate it. But, a day-off would be great," she answered.

Woohyun was not expecting her to say that, so he was quite surprised. In fact, it was not the answer he wanted to hear from her. He expected her to reject his offer. Too bad that she did not, and the fact that she would be away during the 14th made him feel so disappointed. No one will be left at the café on the 14th. Well, except for him. Hence, the pitiful Nam Woohyun will spend his Valentine's Day alone.

"Oh, Well. I guess no one would be left here. Enjoy your Holiday." Woohyun said.

Sunggyu finally arrived at Incheon International Airport, 6:00 am KST. He was not planning to go back to Seoul yet. He knew that Woohyun would be unhappy to see him again. Since he forgot to be with him during his birthday for the nth time, he thought of going back to Seoul by the end of the week, the day after the 14th. Sunggyu supposed that his longer absence would be the best gift for his childish brother.

"Sir Sunggyu, should I drive you now to Seoul?" Jin, his driver asked.

Sunggyu said, "Ani, I am not going back to Seoul yet. Uhm~ I am planning to visit someone."

Woohyun went back to his office. He was still surprised that Taeyeon did not reject his offer of a day-off. But, a sudden thought made him hit his realization. The offer of a day-off would not be a good help to him though. In fact, it was a bad idea. He hated himself to say such things which he did not know would soon backlash to him.

"Gosh! Damn it! I should have not said that! Naneun baboya!" He hit his head repetitively. A feeling of regret clasped his mind. If Taeyeon would have her day-off, then he would not be able to see her during the Heart's Day. He was planning to do something greasy again, greasier than what he did during his birthday. Taeyeon said that she will leave for Jeonju on that day, so how will his plan be possible? Again, he was not able to shut his blabby mouth and spit out such careless words. He made a move without thinking about its consequences. He wanted to know why that woman was pestering his heart and mind, but he shrugged the thoughts off. Asking himself would just make him more confused. The only thing he wanted to do by that moment was to think of any way to spend the 14th day of February with her. Because if he would not be able to, he would go crazy. Certainly crazy.

Woohyun angrily asked himself, "Why the heck am I so stupid? Nam Woohyun why are you so foolish? You did not even think about what will happen aftermath. I hate myself!"

Mr. Bong entered the office, he actually knocked on the door before entering, but Woohyun was busy blaming himself, so he was not able to hear it. Mr. Bong saw Woohyun talking to himself crazily.

"Is that how so-called love affects youngsters these days?" The old man thought as he looked at him weirdly.

Woohyun flinched when he saw Mr. Bong, "Oh~ Mr. Bong, how may I help you?" He excused.

"I went here just to tell you that Sunggyu-nim would be back after the 14th. So, I suppose that you have to handle the shop for the entire week." Mr. Bong informed.

Woohyun glinted a smile. "Ah~Is that so? It's fine. I actually love handling the shop even without him," he said.

Mr. Bong was about to leave but, "Uhm~ And one more thing~" the old man said.

Woohyun asked, "What is it Mr. Bong?"

The old man crossed his arms. "I once read this from a book: The worst thing you can do for love is deny it, so when you find that special someone, don't let anyone or anything to get in your way.” He remarked.

Woohyun was baffled by his vague statement. He wondered why Mr. Bong was saying such thing to him. It was not like he is in love or what. But was he not?

"I'll have to go now." Mr. Bong bowed his head then exited the office.

"What did he mean by that? Love? Special someone? No! It is impossible! I am not in love," he strongly denied. He cackled crazily. "Deny? No, I am not in denial. How could I be in love if there is no~" He paused for a while. Love never existed in his narrow vocabulary. In fact, he was never in love. He did not have any girlfriend ever in his life. Unbelievable? Yes, you say it, N.G.S.B. or No Girlfriend Since Birth. He was never interested to any woman, but he is a straight guy. Gay? Homo? Unquestionably not! He was never engrossed to such things even before. He just wanted to be by himself. He loved himself more than anything this world. Woohyun was indeed narcissistic. The woman who would be able to ace his heart would probably the strongest one in the world. The woman who would made him fall in love, would probably the person who he would love more than his life. But, who would be able to defeat the hard and towering pride of Nam Woohyun? A lot of women tried, but no one of them ever succeeded. None caught his attention, except for~.

"A~Ani! Not her! She did not capture my attention. I just love teasing her. No! I do not like her," He denied once again. The images of Taeyeon ignoring and smiling at him flashed into his tiny mind. His heart throbbed painfully.

Woohyun touched his chest and shouted crazily, "AHHHHH~! I am getting crazy!"

He opened his laptop and searched in the net, typing the keywords in the search bar : Signs that you are in love. It may sound absurd, but he shrugged the thoughts off. He thought that he could get some pieces of advice from the internet. Nowadays, such topics are trending in the net.

"Oh~Here it is." He clicked a site. He was hesitant at first, what if he falls to any of the signs? Or worse, what if he falls to all of the signs? That would surely be a big problem. He suddenly remembered the bet he had with his friends.

[~]

Woohyun dropped by the usual place that he and his friends usually hangout in.

"Oh! It has been a week since you last visited here." Dongwoo said.

"I know." Woohyun sat on the couch.

"Again with a grumpy face." Hoya pointed out his devastated expression.

"Is it because Gyu-hyung again?" Sungyeol asked.

Woohyun ignored his question and just crossed his arms.

"Okay~I know it." Sungyeol guessed as he tapped his chin.

Woohyun hissed, "No, it is not really him, but please do not bother praising him in front of my face."

"Okay! I will not!" Sungyeol lifted his hands in defense.

"So, if it is not exactly him. Then, who could be the person who ruined your mood?" Hoya questioned.

"Just someone." Woohyun replied with a frown.

"Someone? Don't tell me, you have gotten a girl already?" Dongwoo asked.

"A.~Ani~ But that woman gets into my nerves," Woohyun expressed unconsciously.

"WOMAN? I heard that hyung!" Myungsoo appeared out of nowhere when he heard the word 'woman' from Woohyun's lips.

"You must have had a pretty good sense of hearing," Hoya rolled his eyes.

"Yeah~ Oh~Hyung! Who is the lucky girl? I mean the unlucky one," Myungsoo japed. Woohyun became more flustered with Myungsoo's words. He crossed his arms.

He exclaimed, "What do you mean? Aigoo! That is bull! There is no way I can like her!"

Dongwoo enunciated, "But you have never been that affected because of a girl."

"No way! I am not affected because of her." Woohyun hissed in defense.

"You are actually good in making believable excuses, but you are better in saying lame lies," Dongwoo expressed.

Woohyun confessed, "What makes me angry to her is she said I am mean. Me? Mean? How dare her!"

"You are actually mean. You were born to be one~ I guess~" Sungyeol blurted. Woohyun gave him a fierce stare, but the former shrugged his shoulders off.

Woohyun snorted, "Shut up, Sungyeollie! Before, you are always in hyung's side, and now you are taking the side of someone you do not know! When are you going to take my side?"

Sungyeol said, "Maybe, when you become reasonable. I will."

"Aigoo! Are you saying that I am unreasonable? When did I become one?" Woohyun burst out.

Everyone became silent. They all knew that he has been the MOST mentally unbalanced and egoistic among them. Woohyun might get angry if they will say frank things over him, so they decided to remain quiet.

"Ah! Uh~Woohyun-ah. Who is the girl anyway?" Dongwoo diverted the conversation. It was a bit awkward, so he decided to break off the ice.

"I am not going to mention her name. She is so annoying and always acts kind to everyone. It is like she is showing off to Sunggyu-hyung."

"Maybe she just finds hyung kind," Myungsoo inferred as he rested his hands on his lap.

"But~Aigoo! Hyung treats her better than the way he does to me."

Myungsoo asked, "Is she pretty?"

"Uhmm~ Ye~Yeah." Woohyun said as he stammered with his words.

"Probably, that is the reason why," Dongwoo said.

"That is why I do not want her to go near to hyung. Hyung should not fall in her trap."

"Aigoo! You rascal! Trap? Too much of watching television dramas, Woohyun." Dongwoo quipped.

"Anio! You do not get my point here? Hyung should not fall for her! I am doing this for his own good." Woohyun explained calmly as he could.

Hoya gibed, "His good? Or for your own?" He raised an eyebrow.

"My own? Of course not! Liking her is far from possible! She is out of my league, dude!"

"Aish! Stop denying it. You like her too. I did not know that even when it comes to love, you will still be a sore loser to your brother." Dongwoo teased as they all laughed, except for Woohyun. Woohyun felt more devastated.

"No, I am not a loser! We will never be rivals when it comes to that! That girl is under my standards," he defended.

"Okay! You said that." Hoya said as he tried to hold up his laughter.

Woohyun dared, "Yeah! Do you want to have a bet?"

"Childish, but call!" Dongwoo said.

"I will go to Dino-hyung's side!" Sungyeol in.

"I am not expecting you to be on my side," Woohyun scoffed.

"I bet you will fall for her while watching over her," Myungsoo guessed.

"So, are you taking our side, L?" Sungyeol wondered.

Myungsoo nodded his head. He said, "Obviously."

"Aigoo! Hoya, don't tell me you will go to their side too?" Woohyun said.

"Not exactly to their side," Hoya said.

Woohyun asked, "So, you are in my side?"

"Not either!" Hoya disagreed.

Everyone was baffled with Hoya's statement. "So what?" Dongwoo asked.

"I want additional compensation if I win with this. Oh, well I bet Woohyun will fall for her." Hoya replied.

"Silly! It sounds like you are on our side." Sungyeol interjected.

"Let me finish first. As what I have said earlier, Woohyun will as well as Gyu-hyung. Well, I guess the girl will like Gyu-hyung. I do not know whether she will like Woohyun or not. Maybe she will like him if he changes his attitude," Hoya continued.

Everyone was stunned by his words. Howon surely knew a lot of things. "Wow! Did you work as a screenwriter before?" Sungyeol opened his mouth widely.

"Ani." Hoya said as he shook his head.

"Or perhaps, were you an astrologist or shaman before?" Dongwoo asked in confusion.

"Ani." Hoya said once again.

"What the heck are you guys saying? I will never like her, so I am alone. How much do you want if you win?"

"How much? Well, just treat us for two trips abroad," Myungsoo replied.

"Just that? Ok." Woohyun asked.

"No, it is not what I want," Sungyeol contradicted. Woohyun looked at him with confusion drawn on his face.

He spoke up, "Oh okay. What is it that you want?"

"You will give up to your brother. Accept your loss against him." Sungyeol requested. Woohyun's eyes widen in shock since he did not expect those words to escape from the dummy friend of his.

"Jinjja! You are strange!" Woohyun grunted.

"You are too harsh, but it sounds interesting." Myungsoo said,

Dongwoo agreed, "Yeah. Very interesting!"

"Same goes for me~ I guess I will no longer need any additional prize for it," Hoya said.

Woohyun boasted, "Whatever~I will make sure that you will not win against me."

"Then what is your wish if you win?" Sungyeol asked.

Woohyun said, "Uhm~ You will do whatever I want."

Sungyeol asked, "You want us to be your slaves?"

"Exactly~ For a year." Woohyun replied.

Dongwoo complained, "One year? That is too much!"

Woohyun hissed, "Too much? It is just for a year. Your wishes last for a lifetime. Do not even try comparing!"

Hoya nodded his head, "Okay. Okay."

"So, is it a deal?" Woohyun asked.

[~]

"Hay~ Aigoo! What the~! No! Nam Woohyun will not lose!" He assured. He was afraid to lose to his friends. Woohyun never imagined himself to concede his failure to his hyung. He never will. Not ever.

Woohyun read, "Let me see~ Number 1~ You walk really slow when you are with her/him." He tried to recall a memory when he walk slow with her.

[~]

Woohyun carried her behind his back. He could feel that Taeyeon's breath was brushing behind his neck. Her warmth sent goosebumps within him. He could not describe the emotion that he was feeling as he carried her behind his back. Woohyun unconsciously smiled.

"Sir Woohyun, are you sure that you are okay with this?" Taeyeon asked. She sounded dubious. She knew that Woohyun was not the person who would not complain over certain things. He surely loved saying s as if the world could only surround him. He was a narcissistic type of person. He only wanted himself. He only wanted everything to go in accordance with what he wanted to happen, but not during that moment.

He nodded his head. "I told you that I will not complain. Do I have to repeat it for the umpteenth time?"

Taeyeon said, "If you insist so, Sir Woohyun. I will believe you."

He smiled. Woohyun chuckled. He expressed affectionately, "That is right, Milady. Believe only what your great knight, Nam Woohyun tells you."

Taeyeon pouted childishly. She murmured, "Milady? Knight? Silly," It sounded low, but it was loud enough to be audible in Woohyun's ears.

"Silly? I heard that! You are wrong, Milady. That is what you call devotion. A great knight must be devoted in protecting his milady."

Taeyeon shrugged her shoulders. She rolled her eyes. "What are you saying? Psh~"

Woohyun paused from his tracks. He turned his head to look at Taeyeon who was behind his back. It went into a major silence for a matter of seconds. The young woman felt uneasy when she felt that the tip of his nose was brushing against hers. Their faces were quite near with each other, making the two of them gulp in embarrassment. Woohyun faced forward, and continued walking.

"Mianhae," sputtered Woohyun whose face turned red when he realized how close their faces were a while ago. Taeyeon pretended to cough.

Woohyun asked, "Milady, do you want me to sing a song for you?"

"Song? Oh no need, Sir Woohyun."

He said, "Cut the formality off, even just for tonight. Well, I just wanted to kill off the boredom."

Her brows creased with bafflement. She said, "Ah that~ Well~"

"Well since I am bored, I will sing a song."

She asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I insist so," said Woohyun who formed a grin on face. He nodded his head.

She said, "Arasseo." She held on his shoulders tightly.

Woohyun started to sing, "Geunyeoreul jikyeora nal itji mothage. Nae nimi gyesin got ggeutkkaji garyeonda. Nae mami geureohji hanaman araseo. Ggeokkgigo apado neol sarang haryeonda. Mianhae ma dokhage nal beorigo ddeonado dwae. Niga wonhandamyeon geurae good bye. Heona nae mamkkaji jeobeungeon anya." (*Trans: Protect her, so she won’t forget me.I will go till the end to the place where my person is. My heart is like that, I only know one thing. So even though it is bent and in pain, it will love you. Don’t be sorry, you can abandon me spitefully and leave. If that’s what you want, yeah, good bye. But that doesn’t mean I have given up too.)

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