C h a p t e r   XVIII

 

[INFINITE - She's Back]

(*Co-author's note: I sincerely apologize for the super duper late update. This chapter covers Taeyeon's birthday.. Hahaha~ I know that it VERY VERY late, but please bear with me, eo? I had to deal with different things for past few months, and I also became sick for two weeks while the main author was busy with school. By the way, this is the LONGEST chapter so far - a combination of GyuTae & WooTae moments. I will just EDIT the typo errors next time. Also, don't forget to support the main author's ff featuring GyuTae:

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/702060/aftertime-angst-romance-sunggyu-taeyeon-infinitexsnsd-taegyu-gyutae

And of course, the GyuTae VS WooTae poll:   http://www.asianfanfics.com/poll/vote/78878  

~ ~Kamsahamnida! ♥ *~)~

     

It has been three weeks since Taeyeon had her vacation at Jeonju. Since it was already the 8th day of March, and the last day of her vacation, she decided to go back to Seoul. Her three-week vacation became possible because of Sunggyu. If not because of him, Taeyeon would have not been fully recovered.  For the past three weeks, all she did was to take a rest since she practically got nothing to do by herself. Sunggyu left Jeonju due to an urgent meeting he had to attend at the Nam Corporation's factory at  China during the 16th day of February. 

Though she wanted to deny it herself, she was quite bored during those weeks since he was not around. His presence gave her an addictive feeling which she has never felt before. He was in fact the reason why Taeyeon enjoyed her stay at Jeonju. Too bad, the last time the two of them met which was the day before he left Jeonju ended up with an awkward one. 

 

[~]

"Oh, really? He also mentioned 'Milady' last night, so I was kinda perturbed who he was referring to, but I can say that it was you." Sunggyu explained plainly. "If Woohyun is someone I do not know, I would have thought that something is going on between the two of you." There was a pinch of bitterness in his voice after saying the last words from his mouth. He shook his head with disbelief, figuring out his dongsaeng's tactic. 

"What do you mean by that? Something? That will be very impossible to happen." She plainly said.

He affirmed, "Uh~ Nae, that is true. I guess I am talking too much. It will be very impossible since I think you will not be able to tolerate Woohyun's personality, right?" 

"That is a hundred percent true. Besides, just like you, he is my boss, and I am just a mere employee of the café. It will be very inappropriate for an employee and a boss to have a deep personal connection."

"You think so?" Sunggyu lowered his head down, feeling a sharp pang inside his chest. "So, are you saying that a boss and an employee can only have a working relationship?"

She agreed by nodding her head as she replied back, "Nae, Sunggyu-ssi. I have always believed in that."

"Taeyeon-ssi, answer me honestly. With what you have said, does that mean that the two of us can never be completely become friends with each other?" He questioned straightforwardly, giving her a glommy gaze.

She became silent as if was preventing her from letting any word to escape from . Sunggyu took her silence as a 'yes' though it made him feel bad. Before speaking up, she cleared , replying dryly to his unanswered question, "Let us just say that two different worlds can never collide."

She gave him a weak smile, before politely bowing her head down. "Annyeong, Sunggyu-ssi. Thank you for the kindness you have shown me." Taeyeon slowly entered the gate of her house, with Sunggyu left dumbfounded as he watched her shadow slowly disappearing from his sight.

[~]

 

Although she felt quite regretful of what she said, she knew to herself that what she said was merely fact, the fact that someone like her can never have a personal connection with someone as high as him, with her keeping both of her feet on the ground, and putting him up on a pedestal just like the others do. 

Meanwhile, during the day Sunggyu left Jeonju on February 16, she received a text message from him by nine o' clock in the evening. Mr. Song also paid a visit to her home as what the young man had requested him to do so.

 

[~]

"Taeyeon-ssi, please take care of yourself. Please do not forget to take an adequate rest. By the way, I asked Mr. Song to bring you the medicines that Dr. Uhm prescripted for you to recover from your injuries. :) Take care. ~ KSG"

While reading the message that Sunggyu sent her, she heard the doorbell rang, so she quickly went towards the door to open it.

"Mr. Song, annyeong hasimnikka!" She politely bowed her head down the moment she saw Mr. Song outside the door. "Please come inside."

The old man smiled at her, but shook her head to refuse her offer. "Good evening! No, thank you. I will not be taking too long here. Taeyeon-ssi, I am here just to bring the medicines that Young Master Sunggyu requested me to bring to you."

"Uh that~ Thank you very much for bringing this, Mr. Song. I would like to thank Sunggyu-ssi personally for his thoughtfulness, but too bad that it is getting late now."

Mr. Song said disappointedly, "But, he already left few hours ago because he needs to attend a conference at Guangzhou."

"Is that so? Alright. I will just give him a call. Thank you for bringing these, Mr. Song."

"You are very much welcome, Taeyeon-ssi. Anyway, I will be going now. Mrs. Kim is waiting for me."

Taeyeon bowed her head down. She said corteously, "Okay, Take Care. Goodbye, Mr. Song."

After an hour has passed, she picked up her phone placed on the table beside her bed, and dialled Sunggyu's number. 

"Yobosaeyo?" A man's voice was heard after a minute of continuous ringing on the line.

She could assume how busy he was with the way he spoke up. Taeyeon smiled before answering back, "Good evening, Sunggyu-ssi. This is Taeyeon." She sounded polite, so that he will not notice how happy she was after hearing his voice. The woman could feel the hotness of her cheeks, flushing a red tint on her face.

"Taeyeon-ssi?" Sunggyu's voice ascended all of a sudden, questioning whether he misheard it or not.

She answered, "Nae. Did I disturb you? If I did, I am very sorry."

"Disturb? Anio, anio. You did not. I actually feel better hearing your voice on the line. By the way, what is your purpose of calling me?"

"Ah that~" Taeyeon broke into a wider smile after hearing his words. Thinking of anything she could say on the line, she uttered shyly, "I called because~ because~ I want to~~"

"You want to, what?~"

"To~ to~"

He chuckled before asking on the other line, "What? Say it."

"I want to thank you for~ for sending medicines for me. I know that is too much, so I want to thank you for that. I promise to pay back your kindness in the future."

"That is nothing. You are my friend, right?" Sunggyu replied back genuinely, but soon feigned a disappointed tone in his voice, "But~ My friend seems not to notice my existence, no matter how hard I try and I do not know why."

Taeyeon noticed the gloom in his voice, so she worriedly said, "Ani~ Ani~ That is not it."

"Jeongmal? Your actions show me that you do not notice me as your friend. Well, nevermind. It is alright. I do not feel bad since you are my friend, and I do not have the rights to be angry towards you."

She felt a stream of guilt, knowing that what he said was true. Taeyeon felt more worried after hearing how dejected he sounded which unknown to her was only a pretense to soften her distant attitude towards him. "Sunggyu-ssi, I really did not mean to be cold towards you. It just that~~~ Uh nevermind. Mianhamnida. I know it is my fault."

Sunggyu covered his phone, chuckling victoriously as he heard how guilty she sounded on the other line. Bracing himself up, he said, "Gwaechanha. I never knew that I can sometimes be a good actor. Was it good?" Not suppressing any laughter anymore, he laughed childishly. "Your worried voice sounded too cute."

"Huh?" She asked, trying to have her brain process that he was just pulling off a prank on her. "What did you say?"

"Apology is not really necessary. I was just joking, okay? Haha~ I find it so cute that you take it too seriously." 

"Alright. Thank you again, and sorry also for being so cold towards you, Sunggyu-ssi."

"It is alright. If it is you, it is okay. I do not mind it since you are very special."

Taeyeon wondered innocently, "Special? What?"

"You. You are special. Oh anyway, I guess it is better for you to sleep now. It is getting late, Taeyeon-ssi."

"Good night, Sunggyu-ssi."

"Good night. Sweet dreams."

[~]

 

Woohyun was still ceaselessly waiting for Taeyeon's return in Seoul. He thought that her absence took forever. He had gone totally insane anticipating for her arrival.

"When is she coming back? It has already been 7 days, 8 hours, 10 minutes, and 30 seconds  after the start of March. Hyung said she will back by MARCH! When was the March he was referring to? Was he referring to the month of March next year? Damn! I should have asked him the year of the March that he said Taeyeon will come back."

He hissed, gritting his teeth bitterly, "Oh, goodness! Kim Taeyeon, when are you coming back? Do you plan to kill me? Tell me! Aigoo!" His hands took a strong grip on the stuffed toy that he received as a gift from her. "Dorawa, dorawa, dorawa. Kim Taeyeon, jebal dorawayo."

Woohyun opened his drawer, and brought out something from it. He pulled out a folder which contained the resumé of the staff members because he wanted to see her photo which was attached in her resumé.

Having already been fed up by her photos he saved on his phone before, his longing for her presence became stronger. Insane as it seemed, but he did not care. All he wanted was to see her, even if the only thing he could see with his bare eyes was the 2x2 photo attached in her resumé. 

"Neoreul gidarilgae." The lad let out a big sigh to ease up the lethargic feeling inside his chest. "Okay. I will give her one more day. If not even her presence nor her shadow appears right in front of me tomorrow, I will definitely be the one to drag her from Jeonju to Seoul whether she likes it or not!"

He brought out his phone, and captured Taeyeon's 2x2 picture in her resumé. "Hayy~ Even though she looks serious in this photo, she is definitely a one of a kind beauty."

Blabbering out some delusional sh*ts from his mouth, his eyes unconsciously darted to Taeyeon's birth date. He innocently read the date, "March 9, 1989."

His eyes hurriedly searched for the sight of the calendar, with his mouth dropping with awe the moment he saw what the date that day was. "Today is March 8, then tomorrow is~" After processing everything in his mind, letting his brain function properly which has been empty for God knew how long. 

"Nae, nae, nae. Tomorrow will be March 9. What should I do?" He worriedly said, with his brain trying to search for any idea on what he will do for her birthday.

Woohyun wittily blurted a rhetorical question from his mouth as he opened his phone excitedly, "Uh~ I have an idea! Assa! What is the use of the modern technology if people will not use it, right? Let me search it. Ummmm~ What should I search then?"

Excited yet nervous, his trembling fingers clicked on the browser of his phone, repetitively asking himself what to type on the search engine's bar, "Should it should go like this? : Top Ten Tips on Pleasing Women During Their Birthdays." 

Feeling stunned at looking at the 1,000,000 results of what he had searched, his eyes beamed with happiness. "I guess this one will be give me the best shot."

Woohyun slowly clicked an article with a funny title: "Top Fifteen Gifts For A Woman You Like But You Are Not Dating During Her Birthday" at a dating website, with his inquistive mind searching for ideas.

He muttered, "This perfectly suits me. I may not be dating her, but I~~"  The annoyed man shook his head in denial. "Oh crap! Does that mean that I like her? Ah! No~no! I do not like her yet. Aish!! Drop off the 'yet'! Of course, I do not like her and I swear that I will never date that woman! I ~ I am just thankful that she made me feel special during my birthday! Nothing MORE! Nothing LESS!"

"You have to figure out what she wants. If you wish to give her a gift, you should consider first the things that she likes: her interests, her favorites, and even her preferences in certain things. Go bravely ask her. Usually, a woman will say that she does not want anything, but that does not necessarily mean that she really wants NOTHING. You do not actually have to give her a material thing because taking her out somewhere or spending time with her will be very much preferrable."

Woohyun's eyes read the first tip with full concentration and eagerness. He questioned innocently, "Gift? Ah-uh. I am not actually good in selecting gifts, but I should have something special for her. Taeyeon is a cynical and apathetic kind of woman. She will surely say she wants nothing, so how in the hell will I know what she wants?" The lad scratched back of his head hardly.

"Flirt her as if you two were first getting acquainted with each other. It keeps the relationship exciting and it lets her know that you are really attracted to her."

He complained, cringing with disgust after reading the previous one, "Aigoo! Flirt? Does this ing one say that I am ert who loves flirting around? Aish!"

With his finger scrolling down to see the other tips in the dating website, Woohyun's eyes widen after reading the next one. 

"Give her a back rub or a foot rub. This will help relieve stress and make her more relaxed which means she will be in a pleasant mood. A woman who is in a good mood will have little room to complain or worry. This means more time to simply enjoy each other’s company."

"Duh! Won't that be too awful? I will surely earn a barbaric punch from Taeyeon once I do this!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Let me proceed to the next one."

His eyes carefully read the next one:

"Notice details like a new hair color, new hair cut, and that she got a manicure. If you remind her that she looks nice by doing these things. And guess what? She will continue to do them."

Woohyun chuckled bitterly, knowing that one was not really of help. "How will this even be possible if she is a woman who does not even give a damn to her appearance? Well anyway, she does not even need to fix herself that much since her beauty is natural, and of a goddess. Uh~ Goddess? Nah! What am I saying? Ugh~" 

"A woman love sweet comments like an unexpected text messages saying how much you want to see her or thanking them for one of the tasks that she did. A woman will lock these text messages in and not erase them. In return, she will continue to do more gestures like the things you like so much because you acknowledged her efforts."

After carefully reading the next tip, he let out a sigh of frustration. "What the ! I am not that desperate to do this one. Taeyeon does not even want to notice my existence whenever I am in front of her, what more if I approach her via text?! Damn!"

"Let your woman dive into the world of a relaxing spa treatment. Ensure that she is getting what she likes. It includes massages, hair care, detox treatments etc. Therefore, choose a spa that she likes and also ensure that she gets the kind of treatment that she wants. There is no point in giving a treatment that is not wanted. So be aware and only go for the best. She will feel renewed in a matter of hour."

Woohyun scoffed, "Massages? Spa? Useless. I have not even gone to a spa for a year, and I think she does not have time for such useless things like these."

"One gift that fits anyone perfectly is a gift card. It may seem like an easy way out, so try to personalize it. Get her a gift card to one of her favorite stores, or to a place she visits often, such as coffee shop or a book store. Add a thoughtfully chosen birthday card, and you've got an ideal gift for someone."

"I am afraid that if in case I give her a card, it will end up in trash." He said with his an annoyance in his voice, rolling his eyes as he proceeded to the next one.

"If the birthday girl is an artist, new paintbrushes or color pencils and a drawing or sketchpad is a great birthday gift."

Woohyun scratched the back of his head hardly. He blurted, "Duh! She would rather have punching bags, boxing gloves, and even jumping ropes since she is a former stuntwoman. Uh wait~ Aren't those gym equipments?" 

He silently read the next one which was certainly related to sports, "If the woman is sporty, give her sport materials like badminton rackets, gym bag, and even spandex sportswear."  

"Uhh~ Spandex sportswear?" He opened another tab in the browser, and searched images of women wearing Spandex sportswear. "Oh my goodness! Seriously?" Woohyun said in surprise after clicking an image of a woman wearing tight sportswear, with her sleeveless crop top exposing her bare midriff. 

"Uh wait~~ If Taeyeon is a former stuntwoman, it would be very ridiculous if she wears top with long sleeves whenever she does an exercise, right?"

Woohyun broke into a sly smile as he said, "I wonder if she has worn this kind of clothes. Uhh~ If she did, damn! I should have seen the way she pulled off those kind of clothes. That must have been an eyecatching view."

He his lips, and bit them hardly. "Those hard-rock abs."

Crazily imagining of Taeyeon wearing tight and short sportswear like the woman in the picture. "Those slim clothed legs."

"That bare midriff." His eyes shut the moment he drowned himself with such foolish delusion.

"And lastly, that perfect curve." Woohyun murmured, having his lips curved with a sly smile. "Definitely, a y one!"

"So delicious!" He exclaimed at the top of his lungs, raising both of his arms crazily. 

After drowning himself with his thoughts, he pathetically banged his head on the table for three times. "Ah! Andwae!!!!" Woohyun shook his head hardly, trying to brush off any erted delusions inside his mind. If he did not prevent himself from letting his wild imagination go farther than it was, then he might have experienced an awful epistaxis.  "Aish! What am I saying? I am not a ert! I am a clean and decent man who will NEVER EVER lay a finger on someone like her. She is not my type, anyway."

"Give her fancy bags and elegant stilettos. Spending money for such things will not be a waste since women love bags and shoes than anything else in this world."

He hissed, with his fingers hardly scrolling down to read the next one as if he wanted to break the bones of the article's author into small pieces because almost half of the tips were not really helpful, "Definitely not a good one. It will be very impractical of me. Aish~ What a waste of money." 

"Give her a money or a voucher which she can use in shopping for the things she likes. Well, many women love shopping these days."

"Not really a ideal one, and also very impractical. I have done it once, and I do not think I should ever do it again; otherwise, I will have to prepare myself for the moment she slaps the money right in front of my face. Damn~ Another useless one!" He blurted angrily.

Sickened with almost half of the tips which were either cliché or impossible for someone like him to do. Woohyun boredly read the next one:

 "With the modern technology invading the Earth, it will be advisable to give her the latest gadget which will surely make her go along with the trend."

"No! No! No! A big no-no again!" Woohyun complained, as he prevented himself from slamming the defenseless cellphone on the hard desk.

He hopelessly said, "Aish! Not even a single one is useful. But, I guess the Spandex thingy still works for me." The lad laughed evilishly, but soon fell silent after realizing how insane he was thinking of such thing. "ert. Aish! No, I am not a ert."

"People say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach the same applies to a woman. Make her a home cooked meal. She will love telling her girlfriends about this and her friends may give you a stamp of approval which means a lot to women. A woman’s girlfriends usually have her best interests in mind and will let their girl know whether or not the man she is seeing is right for them."

Woohyun's face brightened, with his brain giving him the inkling that tip was a great idea. He said, "Nae, cooking. Uhhh~ I like this one! I am good at cooking, so this definitely a good one!"

After reading the most sensible tip so far, he read the last one:

"Be a strong man who can make her and her family proud. Set the example for her family. Spend quality time with her family during her birthday which she will definitely appreciate to the fullest."

Truly amazed by the last one, he knew that it was the BEST amongst the others. "Be a man?" He asked himself, gathering the remaining even the smallest particle of sanity and intelligence that his empty brain had. "Is it something like the MBLAQ's new song, 'Be A Man'? Namja dabge bonaejulgga!~" 

"Umm~ That song is very nice, but lyrics is too deep and is way too irrelevant in my life right now. Nevermind~" Mustering up every idea he could thing of, the only problem he had inside his mind was 'how'. How could someone like him be a strong man who can make her family be proud of him? It sounded too cheesy, but he should think of an alternative way on how he should do it.

He shook his head with disapproval of the idea of meeting her family personally since he might freak them out once he does that. It is only either a boyfriend or a husband who would have the guts to do that kind of move, yet unfortunately as it seemed, he was neither of the two. 

"Well, I guess that visiting her home will be preferrable, albeit meeting her family is not a good idea. That will be very awkward. I hope that when I visit her house, her parents and her brother will not be around. I do not think that this is the right time for me to meet them personally. Hayy~ It is now or never." 

"Just like in the song 'Be A Man', the last part says: 'gyeolguk amugeotdo mothae'. Hayy~ Eotteokhae? Cook for her, give her a surprise birthday party, visit her house. What else? Hayy~ In the end, I do not know if I can do any of that. Perhaps, I will just sneak in the house furtively. That won't be bad, right?"  He closed the backlight of his phone, keeping it inside the drawer of his desk. Frustrated as ever, he let out a big sigh.

 

The café went well for the past few weeks after the two-week renovation last month. Everything was in its usual routine, but during the past three weeks, it lacked something. No, someone - the person who would usually be the one who attracts the customers, particularly a number of men with her angelic and captivating beauty. It was someone who would usually give the color and blissful atmosphere in the cafe though she has actually a silent and timid personality. 

"I have a good news for everyone!" The youngest staff member of the café happily exclaimed, running in the fastest way he could towards the other staff members. Once again, he exclaimed with his loud voice which made the others roll their eyes with annoyance, "I swear this is a good news!" 

Kikwang and the company were quite flustered, yet curious with what Baro wanted to say. He hissed, "What is it about? Will you please calm down, Baro?"

Baro tried to catch his breath before speaking up calmly, "This is about Taeyeon-ssi."

"Taeyeon-ssi?" Mr. Bong, the assistant manager asked, having his brow creased with confusion.

"Yes." The young man said happily. "She is coming back today. I texted her actually, and she said that she will come back today."

Junho said happily, "That is great! For the past three weeks, the café seemed to lack something because she was not around."

"I hope she had already recuperated from her injuries because Sir Woohyun said that she was badly injured that was why she had to take a leave of absence." Yoseob said.

"Poor her. I hope she took a plenty of rest while she was on her vacation." Kikwang said concernedly.

While the others were gathering inside the kitchen, their great manager was walking lazily, with his brain clouded with different thoughts as if the world has turned back against him. He muttered, "Milady, Milady, Milady."

The young man ruffled his hair exasperatedly. "Aigoo~ Back in the reality, what the hell should I do with the monthly report? Aish! I should have not slept last night! Ay! That vodka is the culprit! Tsk tsk~ Hayy~ Perhaps, Mr. Bong can help me finish this stuff."

His eyes were on the view of the files compiled in a folder that he should have finished last night. Too bad that he slept soundly like a pig instead of doing significant things which are included in his reponsibilities as the manager of the café. Depressed and annoyed, Woohyun drank a big bottle of vodka that he bought from a convenience store last night. Drinking alcohol has always been his escapade during his bad times.

"Mr. Bong." Woohyun summoned as he entered the kitchen. The staff members halted from going on with their conversation the moment their manager appeared in front of them. Bowing in unison, all of them greeted as a form of respect, "Annyeong haseyo, Manager Nam."

He just bowed his head down as he asked, "Can I talk to Mr. Bong for a while? It will not take too long."

The old man said politely, "Woohyun-ssi, what is it?"

"Umm~ It is about the monthly report." Woohyun answered back. The other staff members decided to leave the kitchen to give the two men a space for them to talk. "Sir, we will leave the two of you for a while." Baro said politely as the rest of the staff members bowed their heads before vacated the kitchen, leaving the two men. Woohyun said, "Well, you may take your break for a while since the café is not yet open." 

After seeing the four staff members leaving the café, he shifted his gaze to Mr. Bong, as he said, "I want to seek for your help in finishing the monthly report, Mr. Bong."

"Ah that~ Alright. I will, Woohyun-ssi. When is the deadline of that?" 

"Actually, I need to finish this by today. The deadline is tomorrow." He replied back, touching the back of his neck shyly.

The old man said, "Arasseo, I will help you finish the report tonight."

"Uhh~ Thank you, Mr. Bong." Woohyun said happily, bowing his head repetitively as a way of gratitude.

"That is nothing, Woohyun-ssi. By the way, do you know that Ta~~" Suddenly, the assistant manager's words were cut off by the sound of the door being opened by someone. 

Woohyun hissed, "Who in the hell is~~~" With the appearance of someone who opened the kitchen's door all of a sudden, his anger was eaten up by shock. His eyes dropped instantly, awfully trying to recognize who the persona was. "Is this for real? Tell me that I am not dreaming! Tell me!"

"Oh, Mianhamnida. I did not know that the two of you are here. I am very sorry, Sir Woohyun and also Mr. Bong." The woman said apologetically with her head bowing repetitively.

Mr. Bong uttered with suprise, "Taeyeon-ssi?" 

"Uh~ I will leave for a while since you both are having a conversation. I apologize for my intrusion." She apologized humbly, with her hand holding the doorknob to get out of the kitchen, but Woohyun held her arm strongly which made her gasped with shock. 

"You." He unconsciously mumbled, shooting her a sharp gaze as if he wanted to melt her alive.

She asked, trying to be unfazed of his action, "What is it, Sir Woohyun?" 

Mr. Bong noticed the intense atmosphere between the two, so he decided to give a space for the two to talk. "Well, well, well. I can smell something unusual again. So exciting!" The old man smiled slyly before sneaking out of the kitchen.

"You." Woohyun repeated the word he said a few minutes ago. His voice sounded serious yet intimidating which startled Taeyeon a lot.

Asking him cluelessly again, she repeated her question, "What is it, Sir Woohyun?"

He held her arm tighter, with his eyes shifting towards the direction where the digital clock was hanging. Woohyun said, with his voice trying to suppress anger, "You. Do you know that you were supposed to be back here 7 days ago? Do you know that you are already LATE for 7 days, 9 hours, 10 minutes, and 20 seconds?"

"I humbly apologize for that, Sir Woohyun. I am very sorry." She bowed her head again.

Woohyun released her arm from his tight grip. He cleared his throat as he fiercely said, "Alright. Do not do it again." 

"Yes, Sir Woohyun."

The man left the kitchen, leaving her behind confounded with his sudden rage. She mumbled, "What is with Sir Woohyun?"

 

With his feet dragging him away the kitchen, he unconsciously walked like an insane groggy zombie towards his office. He weakly sat on his swivel chair, letting his arms circling the stuffed toy inside his embrace which he placed on top of his desk. "Am I dreaming? Tell me, Tae-woo. Baby, is your father dreaming?"

He tightly hugged the stuffed toy he awfully considered as his 'beloved' son which he would batter with his abusive iron fist during his down times, but also the one which he would hug and kiss dearly during his good times. Woohyun would always have it along with him at home as he let it sleep beside him on his bed as if it was alive, and of course, he also never forgets to bring it at work. So, who do you think the mother of his baby bear is?  The answer is pretty obvious.

"Baby, does that mean.." He released the bear from his embrace. "..that she is back?"

The man exclaimed happily as he rose up from his chair, "Yes! SHE IS BACK!!!!!!!!!"

Woohyun yelled once again with his veins almost popping out of his throat, "SHE IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He dug the key of his car out of his pocket. "SHE IS BACK!! KIM TAEYEON IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Woohyun hurriedly said to his son, "Baby, Appa will just leave for a while, okay? Do not go anywhere, and please do not cry while Appa is not around. I promise to give you something tomorrow, okay? I will just buy something for your mom, arasseo? See you tomorrow, Tae-woo. Saranghae!" Insane as he was, he kissed his son on its cheeks. Well his bear, actually. The man whose sanity was pathetically slain by his nonsensical and delusional thoughts stormed out of his office with the eagerness to give Taeyeon the most unforgettable birthday she would ever have.

 

"What should I buy here?" He asked himself, pushing a grocery cart. Woohyun decided to buy the goods he need for her suprise birthday party. Just after the moment he left his son inside his office, he hurriedly ran towards the nearest supermarket his car could ever reach.

He said confidently, "Kim Taeyeon will once again have the heavenly taste of the great Chef Woohyun's cooking!"

After an hour, the grocery cart was full of the items he needed for his suprise birthday party for Taeyeon. "Woah~ So many huh! Nevermind! I should have all of these." The grocery cart was unbelievably like a mountain of goods, making the other shopgoers gape in amazement.

"Eomma! Look at that! That man's cart is like a mountain!" A girl who was around five to six years old exclaimed in amazement, pointing her finger towards Woohyun's grocery cart. 

"Look!!! That handsome man's cart!!!!!!!! Eomma, why don't we buy a lot of things like him too?"

The woman who appeared to be her mother tried to hush her daughter from exclaiming, "Yeah. I know, Lauren. You do not have to shout. It is embarrassing."

Unbeknownst to her, her daughter hurriedly went towards the man who was quite suprised with the child's sudden approach.

"Lauren! Where are you going?" She sighed after noticing that her daughter was out of nowhere, and muttered, "Oh my! She is really a hard-headed one. Where is she?"

"Ground meat, check. Tomato paste, check. Pasta noodles, check." His finger one by one tapped on boxes on his market list on his phone, marking one by one with a check on the goods he already placed on the cart. "What else?" Woohyun stopped from his tracks once a girl appeared in front of him.

"Annyeong! Handsome mister, do you really want to buy that mountain of items?" Lauren asked politedly, with her finger pointing his cart.

He squatted down within the child's height as he said, "Yes, pretty young lady. Thank you for the compliment by the way."

"You are welcome, Handsome Mister. Uhh~ Anyway, that is daebak! I wish to buy plenty of grocery items next time too! For what are those things, by the way?" 

He smiled genuinely at her. "Pretty young lady, these are for someone's birthday party. Tomorrow is that person's birthday."

"Someone? Is that someone a girl?" She asked curiously.

"Girl?" Woohyun tapped his chin, pretending to think of what to answer. The man smiled at her before saying, "Yes, that is right. That person is a girl."

"Oww~ She is very lucky that a handsome mister like you is preparing a birthday party for her. I am so envious of her! Is that girl your girlfriend or your wife?" Lauren questioned, feeling intrigued of his answer.

Woohyun's smile became wider after hearing her question. The child was surely a clever one which made him pat her head affectionately. "You are not only a beautiful one, but you are also a witty child. Well, she is a special one, and I want to make her birthday a special day.

He handed her a lollipop which he bought near the supermarket's entrance a few minutes ago. "Here is a lollipop for a beautiful young lady like you." 

Lauren said happily, "Thank you, Handsome Mister."

"By the way, I am Nam Woohyun. Bangapseumnida! Pretty young lady, what is your name?"

"Je ireumeun Lauren Hanna Lunde imnida." She bowed her head politely. "But you can call me Lauren! I am very pleased to meet you too. Woohyun-seonsaengnim, you have a very nice name. It suits your good-looking appearance."

"Jeongmal? Thank you for the compliment. You do not actually need to call me Woohyun-seonsaengnim. Just call me oppa, okay? Woohyun-oppa or Namu-oppa will do."

"Namu-oppa? Like that?" Lauren asked. "Will that be alright?"

Woohyun gave her an assuring nod as he patted her head once again. "Yes, dear. By the way, do you have someone with you here? Are you lost or what, Lauren?" 

"Lauren!" A woman called out worriedly. "Where are you, Lauren?" 

The man heard someone nearby who was calling out for the child's name, so he stood up. Before Lauren was able to answer his question, he carried Lauren in his arms as he followed the direction where he heard the woman's voice. He pushed the cart with his other hand slowly.

"So, there you are!" The woman worriedly said. 

The two went towards the woman who seemed to be upset over her daughter's disappearance. Lauren said happily while the lollipop she was holding, "Eomma! Look! I am with Namu-oppa! He gave me a tasty candy."

Woohyun squatted down, and released the child from his arms. "Miss, you must be her mother, right?" He stood up, and bowed his head politely.

"I am sorry for my daughter's behavior and also for my negligence, Young Mister. Thank you also for bringing her with you. I thought she was lost or someone abducted her." She mouthed an apology to Woohyun before she repetitively bowed her head for her daughter's behavior.

"That is nothing, Ma'am. I am Nam Woohyun, by the way. I am very pleased to meet you." He politely introduced himself, giving the woman a forty-five degree bow, with his hand offering her a handshake.

The woman bowed once again, with her left hand having a hanshake his hand. "I am So-yul. It is nice to meet you too. Thank you again for bringing back my daughter with you, Mr. Nam Woohyun."

"You are very much welcome, Ma'am." He smiled genuinely, and complimented, "Well, you are very lucky to have a very beautiful and clever daughter like Lauren."

"Ah that is true~ Thank you." She said shyly as she held her daughter's hand.

Lauren said, "Namu-oppa, thank you for the wonderful compliment."

"Oh by the way, we have to get going now. My daughter and I will be visting her grandmother later. Thank you and it is nice to meet you again, Mr. Nam."

The child went towards him, and said, "Goodbye, Namu-oppa. I hope I will see you again next time." 

He squatted down within the child's height, and said, "I hope to see you next time as well, Lauren." She planted a kiss on his left cheek, and happily said, "I hope that lucky girl will love your suprise for her." 

"I am hoping for that too." Woohyun mumbled. 

Lauren said, "Perhaps, she is either your wife or girlfriend. Please make her happy. Please make tomorrow the day she will never forget." Woohyun did not give her a reply, but just showed her a sweet smile. "Well, I hope I can marry someone like you when I grow up, oppa."

The man chuckled after she said her statement, and whispered greasily in her ear, "Alright. Why don't you just marry me in the future?" 

"Jeongmal?" She asked happily. "What about the lucky girl you were talking about? What about her?"

He tapped his chin as he said, "Well, if she rejects me, then I will not hesitate to look for you in the future."  

"So, are you saying that she is not your wife or girlfriend?" Lauren asked out of her growing curiosity.

"Uh~ She? Umm~" Woohyun replied back sweetly, "Well, not yet. Not yet. Anyway, Lauren-ah, promise me that you will grow up as a strong, kind and beautiful woman in the future, eo?"

"Okay!! I promise to be a good girl, and I promise to grow up as a strong, kind and beautiful woman, so I will be able to marry you, Namu-oppa!"

"Good girl!" He said happily. "I think I am already excited for the future~" 

Lauren hugged the man tenderly before she waved her hands gently to bid goodbye.

Her mother said, "Let us go now, Lauren-ah. Goodbye, Mr. Nam." She bowed her head down.

"Goodbye, oppa." Lauren said sweetly, waving her hands gently. 

He smiled, with his mouth gently saying, "Goodbye, Lauren." The man stood up as he saw the woman and her daughter walk back from where he was standing. "Lauren is right. I hope Taeyeon will like my surprise for her."

 

"Where is this?" Woohyun uttered as his eyes looked at the small paper on his hand. "I guess I have to ask some people on how to get there." He continued driving his car. It was the day he was waiting for - Taeyeon's twenty-fifth birthday. He prepared a lot yesterday, cooked various dishes, and brought a lot of things for his surprise birthday party for her.

Meanwhile, twenty minutes had passed when Woohyun reached a busy neighborhood where many people were gathered, busy minding and doing their own businesses.

He parked his car near a mini restaurant, and soon went out the car. Woohyun approached and showed the small piece of paper on his hand to an ahjussi who had just finished preparing a kimchi outside his mini restaurant. "Annyeong haseyo! Ahjussi, may I ask where this house is?" 

The old man replied, taking off the rubber gloves he used in making a kimchi, "Ah that. That house is nearby. Do you see that old house there?" He pointed to the right direction a few meters away from them where an old house was built. "There is that house. I am actually a family friend of the family who resides in that house." He tapped the young man's shoulder gently. "Why are you looking for that house? Do you know any of them?" 

"Uhh~ Jeongmal? Ah~ Ahjussi, I know someone from them." Woohyun asked.

The ahjussi answered back, "Yes, Young man. Mr. Lee is actually a friend of mine. He lives with his wife and two children."

"Mr. Lee? You must be mistaken. I am actually looking for someone whose name is Kim Taeyeon."  

"No, I am not. Yes, there is actually someone in that family whose name is Kim Taeyeon. Actually, she is the only one whose surname is Kim among them since her father is different from her younger brother's father. Taeyeon's mother, Gongjoo and Taeyeon's biological father whose name is Kim Han separated when the young lady was three years old. Gongjoo-ssi married Lee Ilbong who is Sungjong's father a year later. My friend, Ilbong-ssi once mentioned to me that he had asked his stepdaughter, Taeyeon-ssi to have her name registered with his surname, but she decided to retain her registered surname which was of her biological father's name as a form of respect to him though her mother and Kim Han had divorced many years ago."

Woohyun said with amazement, "Ahjussi, you really know a lot about them. Ah that is right. She once mentioned to me that she lives with her stepfather."

"That is true, Young Man. My close ties with them have remained stronger through the years. Anyway, Taeyeon-ssi is the the one who serves as their breadwinner. She is very kind that is why my sons admire her a lot. Well, not only them, but many men in our neighborhood do. She is also strong, very strong. In fact, she was a stuntwoman before."

"Many men?" He asked, trying not to sound furious and jealous. "Do you mean many men admire her a lot?"

The old man admitted truthfully, "Definitely. Even old men like her. She has a jolly yet timid personality which many people, particularly almost half of the men in our neighborhood like. She is a mixture of a happy-go-lucky and a silent type of person." He shot a smile to the young man who was standing beside him. "Probably, I guess her younger brother has already gone to school, and Gongjoo-ssi and Ilbong-ssi may not be around too, so Taeyeon-ssi is the only one inside their house,  but I am not sure about that. By the way, I have to go now. I still need to deliver kimchi to our customers."

Woohyun bowed his head down, and said, "Thank you, Ahjussi. Take care."

"Annyeong!" The ahjussi said. "By the way, are you Taeyeon-ssi's friend or boyfriend?"

"Ahm~ Well, I am actually~ I am actually Taeyeon-ssi's friend." Woohyun blushed madly after saying those words.

"Okay, Annyeong! I hope to see you again next time." The ahjussi left him as he started carrying a basket containing jars of kimchi.

The young man thought to himself, "Then, that only means Taeyeon is the only one inside their house!"

 

[Girl's Day - Oh My God!]

Woohyun went out of his car, and parked it in front of the Lee's residence. He held a box of cake, and purple balloons as he wore a party hat over his head. Full of excitement and eagerness to see her, his fingers pressed the doorbell outside the Lee's residence. While waiting for someone to open the gate, he saw a small wooden board with a hangul calligraphy written on it. His eyes read it silently, "Lee Family's residence."

After a minute, someone opened the door, and the man excitedly exclaimed, "Surprise!"

The woman who appeared to be in early fifties was shocked with the sight of the young man who was holding a box of cake, and five balloons on his other hand, and was wearing a party hat over his head.

"Annyeong! Who~ Who are you?" The woman asked awkwardly with gaping widely in shock. "Are you someone I know, or perhaps my husband or children's friend?"

The man fell awkwardly silent after seeing the old woman who indeed was Taeyeon's mother. He bowed his head down to pay respect to her, "Annyeong haseyo! Je ireumeun Nam Woohyun imnida. Ma'am, may I ask if Taeyeon-ssi around?"

"Yeah~ Yeah~ She is here. Come in, Woohyun-ssi." The woman said, opening the gate as she motioned Woohyun to come inside their house, but he remained standing frozen outside the house.

"Eomma, who is that?" A voice called out.

"Uh~ Taeyeon-ah, someone is looking for you." 

"Uh~ Jeongmal? I am not expecting any visitor today." She replied back.

"Jeongmal? This young man is looking for you."

"Huh?" Taeyeon asked curiously. "I never gave my address to anyone. Well, it is only Sunggyu-ssi who knows my address. He is now at China, so it will be impossible for him to visit me. Who could that person be?" She cleared , and said as she went towards the gate, "Alright, I am coming."

"Annyeong haseyo!" Woohyun greeted the moment she reached the gate. Taeyeon was extremely surprised with his unexpected appearance out of nowhere. "How did Woohyun-ssi know where I live?"

"Oh~ Annyeong haseyo!" She awkwardly gave him a ninety degree bow.

The old woman said, "Well, it will be better for you Woohyun-ssi to come inside."

"Uh~ Thank you, Ma'am." He politely said as he stepped inside the house.

 

"Gongjoo-ah, have you found my~~" Ilbong asked along with his son with both of them going out of the former's room, heading towards the dining area. The two were shocked with the sight of the handsome and wealthy-looking man who was sitting across his wife and beside his precious daughter on the floor. They also saw a box of cake and balloons placed on the table.

"Annyeong haseyo, Sir." The man stood up, and bowed corteously the moment the old man appear in front of them. "And also to you."

Sungjong along with his father also bowed down to the man who they had never seen before. The younger man greeted, trying not to sound awkward in front of Woohyun, "Annyeong haseyo, Young Mister!"

"Ne ireumeun Nam Woohyun imnida." He introduced himself formally as he beamed a smile on his face.

Ilbong looked at the Nam kid whose name was kind of familiar from head to toe before he said, "Uhh~ Woohyun-ssi, may I excuse my wife and son for a while?" His eyes quickly motioned them to follow him since he wanted to talk something in private.

Woohyun nodded his head, and bowed his head down. "Yes, Sir."

"Taeyeon-ah, please accommodate Woohyun-ssi for a while. Okay? By the way, please feel comfortable, Woohyun-ssi." The old woman said before standing up to follow her husband and son inside a room.

Seeing the three of them leaving the dining area, Taeyeon heaved out a sigh. An odd silence surrounded the two of them, for no one decided to utter a single word. Feeling awkward just as the way she felt, Woohyun put down his head down shyly.

While the two were silently sitting at the dining area, Gongjoo, Ilbong and Sungjong were busy gathering privately to talk about the sudden appearance of the man who they had never seen before. With their growing suspicions over Taeyeon's relationship with the man appeared out of nowhere whose surname was Nam, they had their arms crossed, wondering who in the world Nam Woohyun was.

"Who is he?" Ilbong asked suspiciously.

His wife, Gongjoo shrugged her shoulders as she said cluelessly, "I do not really know. I was surprised when he appeared all of a sudden holding a cake, and even balloons."

The old man asked his son, "Sungjonggie, do you know him? Did your sister mention you anything about a man or something?"

"Ani, she has not told me anything about such thing. I guess noona is being secretive these days." Sungjong answered back plainly.

 "Is he her suitor? Oh~ No. What if he is her boyfriend? Ani! Taeyeon told us that she has no interest in a relationship." The old woman asked, feeling very intrigued. "OMO! What if he is here to ask for our blessing to their relationship?" 

Ilbong burst angrily, with his hands forming a  ball, "Ani! That cannot be! I would not give my blessing to them! How could our daughter lie to all of us? What's worse is if he is here to~"

Gongjoo stammered, biting her lips anxiously. "What?"

The old man cleared his throat as if someone was preventing him to say the mere possibilities regarding his daughter and Woohyun's relationship. He inferred angrily, "Ask our daughter's hand for marriage. Aigoo! I did not know that Taeyeon-ah is capable of rushing things."

"I do not think she would keep her relationship to us." Gongjoo disproved, tapping her husband's shoulder hardly.

Sungjong guessed, "Noona has been sick during the past few weeks. What if she's~"

"OMONA!" They exclaimed in unison after connecting out the events recently which might answer what the real score between Woohyun and Taeyeon's hidden relationship was. 

"Aigoo! Aigoo! Our daughter is pre~ My blood pressure! Aigoo!" Ilbong held his nape as if the stream of blood inside his body gushed towards the peak of his brain.

"No! Taeyeon is not that kind of woman. Aist! Let us not think too much. What if he is just a friend of hers?"

Sungjong affirmed, "Yeah. Eomma is right. I guess he is just visiting her since it is noona's birthday."

"I hope you are right, or else he is dead! Gongjoo-yeobo, please get my Hwando. I need it in case I have to kill that man once he messes up with my daughter!" Ilbong threatened with his eyes burning with anger.

"Uhh~ I will just prepare a tea for our visitor. Both of you should go back at the dining area, so they will not go suspicious of what we are talking about."

 

Ilbong and Sungjong went towards Taeyeon and Woohyun, with them sitting opposite the two who were awfully silent since the moment the three of them decided to talk for a while.

"Umm~ Woohyun-ssi, I will get straight to the point." Ilbong asked which made the man gulped hardly. "What exactly your relationship with my daughter and your purpose of visit today? Are you her suitor, boyfriend, or what?"

The man fell silent, not being able to part his lips to utter any word to answer the old man's questions. Taeyeon noticed the uneasiness of her boss, so she spoke up, "Ah~ Woohyun-ssi is actually my bo~~"

"Boyfriend?" Sungjong asked, raising a brow, wearing an apparent curious reaction on his face. "Malhaebwa."

Woohyun quickly responded to brush off any misunderstanding, "I am actually Taeyeon's friend." He shot a glance to Taeyeon, but the latter immediately averted his gaze. "Right, Taeyeon-ssi?"

She just nodded her head, knowing that Woohyun was just trying to shut off the speculations inside her father and brother's mind. Once they knew that he was actually her boss, it will certainly complicate the situation more.

"Jeongmal?" Sungjong asked to which Woohyun gave him a nod as a way of response. The younger man who was still suspicious of his answer, asked once again, "Is that true, Taeyeon-noona?"

She hesitantly replied, "Nae, it is."

Ilbong said, relieved with her answer, "That is quite nice to hear. Woohyun-ssi, why did you visit our home, by the way?"

"Sir, I just want to give her a surprise birthday since she is a good friend of mine. I apologize for the sudden intrusion in your home, by the way."<