Hyori

Retreating with shock, I shivered at the sight of the man who had slid up next to So Min from nowhere.

What is he doing here?

So Min

The instant I averted my attention to the person who had offered to open the door for me, I almost choked on my own breath as I stared with disbelief the sight I had ingested.

“Hey, hey. Are you alright?” came the immediate reaction.

“Wh..wh..why are you here?” I stuttered.

He chuckled, “I wonder now who’s the one who had lost her memory. I used to work here, remember?”

 Still rooted to my position and unable to utter a sound, he asked impatiently, “Should I continue to hold this heavy door here, or should we go inside and give my tired hand a break? We haven’t got all day, you know….”

“I’m sorry. “ I apologized and then added with a smile. “Let’s get in.”

I took a step forward, followed closely by Hyun Joong behind. Sheepishly side glancing him as he caught up beside me, I started the query to satisfy my rising curiosity, “So, what is your real intent being here?”

 “Work, of course,” was his reply.

 I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him, “Work…? But you are….”

 He cut me off and cheekily pointed an index finger to his head, “I may have amnesia, but I have not lose my head.”

 He proceeded to walk in front of me and paused to look behind his shoulders, catching my face brimmed with uncertainties. “Are you coming with me, little lady? Don’t think you could skive being my SUNBAE!” He commanded authoritatively, emphasizing the last word.

 My eyes suddenly widened with bewilderment, “What did you say!?”

 He sighed impatiently and grabbed my wrist. “Come on, no time to waste! You have a lot to do to guide me back to my full throttled days.”

My body went weak and allowed itself to be dragged back to his original seat opposite mine. But my heart was beating with ecstasy, once again fuelled with energy.

Hyori

 Still digesting from the shocking sight of Hyun Joong’s unexpected presence in Kim & Lee, only my eyes were fixed on them but my mind could not decide whether to move up to confront him. Before the mental debate ended, the two had disappeared beyond the entrance. It was only after they were out of sight that I became aware that I was panting as if I was having an asthma attack. My pulse was racing so fast and bad that my head hurt from the commotion within my body.

 There was nothing I could do now seemingly as I would not be in the right mind to act rationally. I massaged my temples and decided that I should leave for my desk for the time being, to calm my nerves and to think of how I should approach this issue. After sitting down for a while, I felt my regular pulse coming back again and now, I could think logically.

 How did he manage to come here, without money and the address?

Those were the immediate questions that rang through my head.  I was so sure that I knew his every move and handled everything; his schedule, his meals, his money, his social circle….

To frame it simply, I took control of his life! How could I not know that he would be here today? And what exactly was he here for?

The door to Kim Dong Jae’s room flung open and I could hear voices speaking from within. I could see the back of the person who was standing in front of Dong Jae’s desk from where I was seated.

“Everything will be fine, Mr Kim. I’ll make sure he adapts well to his new role. If there are no outstanding matters, I’ll take my leave now.”

The voice turned around and smiled at me calmly, “Good morning, Hyori. You look flushed. Overjoyed that you’ll be seeing Hyun Joong at work from now onwards, I suppose?”

 “Work? Here?” I murmured those words in my head.

 “Yes, he will move back to his department and So Min will be in charge of supervising him.”

 “So Min?” Dazed, I repeated his words like a parrot.

 “Oh no, I have spent so much time talking to you Mr Kim. I’m late for my meeting. Gotta run. Please excuse me.”

With that, he made a beeline to the door while I continued to stare at where he last stood, unable to process the breaking news he just conveyed.

 Hyun Joong, how did you manage to come back? And work with So Min of all things??

I threw a glance to the door that was closing slowly after the figure made his exit. My eyes narrowed, and the mystery slowly unfolded itself before me.

Geun Suk…..

Geun Suk

It was tough acting normal in front of Hyori after all that Hyun Joong shared on the phone the other day. I could hardly believe my ears when my good friend confided that he suspected that Hyori had an ulterior motive by cutting off all connections to his past and severing all (almost, except with me) ties with the outside world.  I did rationalise that she was only doing this to protect and to allow him to recover faster. But as I put in deeper thoughts, it did appear strange of how she jumped in defensively when I engaged Hyun Joong in conversations about our past engagement. I meant she would always make the effort to be around whenever she knew that I would visit Hyun Joong. And if that was not strange enough, she had also taken me aside one of the evenings and pleaded with me to stop mentioning about the past and let Hyun Joong live a new lease of life. I had thought she meant well then but now, piecing all the puzzles together, her actions did sound suspicious.

The night when Hyun Joong called me, he had requested my help to get him back into the office as he believed he would be able to recall more about his past here. I did not question him, and I would go all out to help him even it might be beyond my means. It would not be hard to bring him back as Mr Kim would definitely approve of his return immediately, but the problem was where I should place him in, such that he would gained back what he had lost quickly. He suggested his old office environment and old colleagues, which led me to conclude that he would come back to assist So Min to lighten her workload, and also to allow him to learn the ropes again.

And hence, I got busy early this morning, starting from fetching Hyun Joong to work and then bringing him to Mr Kim’s room to request permission for his reinstatement, and lastly orientating him around the building and taking him to his old desk.  I left him to fend for himself after that as I was called to Mr Kim’s room again to give assurance that Hyun Joong would be well taken care of.

Having done all that in one morning, my mind could now return to the fundamental statement of how much should I trust Hyori and her motives for keeping Hyun Joong in the dark about his past.

And then, there was the most worrying question: 

What damage is she capable of? 

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Bowwow

Dear all! Sorry to have taken so long for this short update. I was really busy with a family wedding for the past month and hadnt been able to get down to writing of late. And now here i am, late at night again, with an update written almost in a semi dazed state. I hope this update is ok.

Has anyone guessed correctly that the 'Allow me' was spoken none other by our hero 'Hyun Joong'? Ha ha..i guess i didnt write that very well as an ending previously to get everyone excited over it. I hope to make it up by giving some twosome time for our favourite couple.

And did anyone guessed who Hyun Joong would be approaching for help and what help would he need from the last chapter? The only way that Hyun Joong knew he could get closer to So Min is by going back to work. Anyone guessed that Geun Suk would be the one helping?

Sorry..I asked too many questions.

(Serenity860 I'm so glad to see your comments at every update. I love that you give so much attention to the details of the story and I also would like to compliment you for Fire and Ice. Pls see my PM to you.

(KingFIlange) As much as I want to hug you, I couldnt. Thanks so much for your support and believing in RONR. Your comments is always a strong drive for me to continue writing

9mikkyminnie) havent hear from you for a long time. Lotsa of thanks for your continuous faith in RONR!

All readers and new subscribers, i say this at almost every update but i will repeat myself again and again like a broken record. Thank you so much for continuing to read RONR!

What's next for the next chappy? Hmmm....more HYUNMINS moment. perhaps?????