The buzzed of the cell phone woke Hakyeon up. With eyes closed, his hand fumbling to reach for the nightstand next to his bed but his hand fell through air. He lifted his hand again to reach for the endless buzz but he felt his hand grabbed on nothing.

There was no nightstand next to the bed.

Sitting up, he ran both his hands through his hair and felt the vibration from under him. Picking the pillow up, his eyes fell on the flashing screen of his cell phone. Quickly after reading the name, he placed the phone closed to his ear.

“Hello,” he answered. A smile naturally decorated his face to the sound of the caller’s voice. “I just woke up,” he responded to the caller. He wasn’t aware that he was sitting in someone else’s room until he realised that the room was different from his.

“See you later,” he hung up hurriedly before he looked at the clock on his cell phone’s screen. He cursed instantly as he got up and made up the bed, making sure that he left it exactly as it was before he dozed off on it.

He almost forgot that he spent the night at Jaehee’s house. He promised that he would help her on taking care of Seojun together, but he could tell he wasn’t being any great help at all. He couldn’t recall of any time he was awake by Seojun’s cry or Jaehee’s voice. He must be sleeping soundly like the dead…

And he realised that he just overslept… again.

Walking out the room, his eyes darted to the empty living room and without any second thought; he just stormed off to her bedroom but stopped abruptly in front of her room’s door. He took a deep breath as he shut his eyes, at the same time, calming down his increasing pulse.

“Calm down, Cha Hakyeon,” he whispered to himself and slowly brought his hand up to the door, and made several knocks, loud enough to attract Jaehee’s attention. He was hoping that she was still in the room, and that she hadn’t left for work yet but seeing from the zero response, she must had left.

Not wanting to check inside, he just walked to the main door, to leave. He made sure he texted her and made an apology. He broke his promise; he wasn’t really staying to help her. He was only sleep through the night, oblivious to the world, great.

Seojun could have woken the night, disrupting Jaehee’s sleep. He felt bad thinking about it, and considering of buying her flowers once again but flowers were not enough to make her accept his apology. He couldn’t even forgive himself on what he had done.

He failed as a fake husband.

As he about to leave the house, he was stopped by a small, sticky note on the door. There was a handwritten note on it and he knew it was Jaehee’s. Who else could it be?

“I see you’re still sleeping, and I don’t have the gut to wake you up. But, both of us have to leave early. I made you some breakfast, make sure you eat them before you’re leaving. ^_^”

A curve of smile formed on his lips as he turned to the kitchen. His heart fluttered to see the breakfast she made for him. The sight in front of him made the guilty feeling he already had to increase, she had made everything for him… And him?

He would return all her pay towards him back to her as soon as he received his payment. He didn’t deserve to get paid; he hadn’t done anything good as a fake husband.

---

Hakyeon entered the café and saw his friend sat not far from the door entrance. He tapped on his friend’s shoulder and took a seat in front of him, smiling to his friend’s shock facial expression.

“What’s up?” Hakyeon asked, looking at the friend who he had conversation in the phone this morning. There was two drinks placed between the two of them and without hesitation, Hakyeon took the drink in front of him and smell it. “As expected, you know my taste.”

The man in front of him grinned proudly, “You know me.”

After sipping on the hot drink, Hakyeon placed it gently on the table. There were a couple sat not far from them, they were taking picture of themselves, unaware of their surroundings. Suddenly, his sight was interrupted by a wave of hand in front of his face.

He blinked in surprise and shot his glance to his friend. “What are you doing?” he asked, not pleased.

“I was asking you. But you weren’t listening,” said the friend, trying to supress a laugh.

“What do you want to know, Lee Minhyuk?” Hakyeon asked and his eyes caught the new coat he wore. He used to wear the same one, no matter how many times they see each other. It seemed like Minhyuk could afford to buy a new one and get rid of his attachment towards his old coat. He is the most sentimental guy he ever seen in his life.

Minhyuk is a friend that he met after he joined the rental business. Just like him, Minhyuk worked as a rental husband as well, and he entered months before Hakyeon did. There were not lots of them under the business and most of the workers did not plan to stay long. It is some sort of a part time job.

“I asked you about the girl you work to,” Minhyuk said with a teasing smile. Hakyeon could feel his blood turned icy cold. He wasn’t expecting this type of question at all. Never once, his colleague asked him about the women he was working with.

“It must be nice, you don’t look like you want to share,” he wouldn’t stop teasing as he sipped his dark coffee. “I never heard of anyone having a young woman to work with. Not that I heard of since I work there. Hey, I heard she’s pretty too! You’re some lucky punk!”

Hakyeon forced a chuckle, “How far the news has spread?”

“Don’t try to run away from the main topic. We’re talking about the young and beautiful lady you work with,” Minhyuk teased again, he could see the smile that Hakyeon couldn’t hide anymore. “How is it?”

The topic made his fake wife’s face to appear in his head, smiling sweetly to him. The thoughts made his smile even wider, but the smile vanished as soon as her smiling face was replaced by a hurting look of her eyes.

“She’s too young,” Hakyeon spoke, causing the teasing smile on Minhyuk’s face to drop.

“We all know that you scored a jackpot. You don’t have to be a show-off, man,” he paused for an exhausted sigh. “How I wish to be in your spot. You will not know how many of us will kill each other just to be on your position. Big brother should talk this out before he gives the work to you. He’s so biased.”

Hakyeon shook his head, “You don’t understand Minhyuk. She’s not someone that I can dance in victory. I don’t score anything. This is so wrong! Believe me, it’s nothing like what you think it is.”

Minhyuk shot him an extremely disbelief look, “Are you kidding me, friend?” He looked at the face of his friend in front of him, searching for any weak spot that he could point to start the hidden laugh. But he was showing a humourless look. He hoped Hakyeon would relax his facial expression a bit because he looked too serious now.

“Do I look like I want to crack a joke?” Hakyeon shot back and Minhyuk stared at him as if he wasn’t wearing anything.

“Dude…” called Minhyuk, feeling slightly intimidated. He had never seen this side of him, so he wasn’t prepared for what he had for him next.

“I’m seriously in trouble,” Hakyeon sighed out loud, he had his head in his hands and Minhyuk could see that his friend was deeply troubled. Frankly, he didn’t see what trouble he had, not until he told him everything that had been bothering him.

Hakyeon never pulled this face before when he worked for the older women. He was not only showing a troubled face but he even told him, that he was troubled. This managed to make him worried but somehow felt relief that he heard the news that lead to today’s meeting.

He never thought that having a young woman to work with could make a fake husband to turn depressed.

Well, he never worked with one and he might think twice before accepting the job if he got the offer. Hakyeon made it looked like the younger women made the job more difficult.

“You mind to share?” Minhyuk asked carefully while putting their drinks aside. Fear that, Hakyeon could knock any of the drinks out of rage.

Hakyeon pulled his hand away while settling it on the table. Anxiety could be seen clearly on his face and this increased the concern Minhyuk had in his heart. “Hakyeon?”

A heavy sigh escaped him. He thought he could mask his feeling about his fake wife but after two days spending with her, he already got to know so many unsettling things about her life. Starting from the request of the hug to the arrival of little boy in the house. It was so unusual to find these things happen to a lady, especially young as her.

It bothered him so much, that he wished he could bring her to run and leave everything behind.

…To enjoy life. Even though he hadn’t really enjoyed his…

“I still don’t understand why she needs to hire a fake husband to fill the gap she was talking about,” Hakyeon started. “She’s young… And beautiful. It’s a lie if no guy notices that beauty of her.”

“She had explained everything to me but still, I find it’s strange… Well, most of her reasons make sense to me.”

Minhyuk remained quiet, his mind slowly opening to the reality. He never thought of any drawback of having a young employer. Talking with Hakyeon made him realise, that the man in front of him is a real nice person of the world, too bad that life wasn’t really on his side.

After pouring everything towards his friend, Hakyeon could see the genuine concern in his friend’s eyes. He had told everything about what he encountered with Jaehee, but the little boy. He left the little boy out of his story. He didn’t think it was wise to tell Minhyuk about the little boy, it would only invite an unsettling feeling towards him.

“I’m sorry,” Minhyuk apologised. “I never thought anything of this. I was being ignorant.”

Hakyeon shook his head, “No, don’t say that. It’s no one’s fault. I can’t even put the blame on our big brother. He’s also doing this for money, for us.”

Minhyuk nodded, “So, what are your plan? You’ll quit?”

It was an umpteenth time he heard that heavy sigh escaped from him, “I don’t know, Minhyuk. She’s the type that doesn’t listen.”

“You can tell big brother,” Minhyuk suggested. At the mention of ‘big brother’, it brought Hakyeon back to the day he argued with him for agreeing to take the offer from Jaehee.

A small smile formed on Hakyeon’s face, “I’ve met him and talk about this, it’s no use, really.”

“Then, I think you have to endure it. Who knows? You can be a great help?” Minhyuk said, with a pair of raised eyebrows. He then got up to place a few gentle pats on his friend’s shoulder. “You can do it. I believe in you.”

Hakyeon nodded to Minhyuk’s encouraging words, trying to believe himself as well.

---

Hakyeon knew that Jaehee wouldn’t like it if she found out he came before she did. But he came first and had prepared for the table. He was hesitated, wondering if he should prepare the table for little Seojun because Seojun never had a meal with them.

The house was empty when he was arrived and he had been chanted in his mind, that he wouldn’t stay for the night even if she begged for it. He shouldn’t ever stay for the night. This was to respect her privacy and Seojun had come into her life before his, which told she was fine with Seojun alone.

The sound from the door caught his attention and he quickly walk to greet his fake wife. Jaehee appeared at the door and she smiled upon seeing Hakyeon. “Hello, I know you’ll be greeting me first,” Jaehee said sarcastically but the smile never left from her lips.

Hakyeon ignored the sarcastic greeting and helped her with her stuffs. “I’ve prepared the dinner for us. You can go straight to the kitchen,” he said as he walked away with her bags. Jaehee nodded and walked straight to the kitchen.

After placing her stuffs on one of the couch, he hurriedly joined her in the kitchen and his gaze fell on her back. She was sitting facing away of the kitchen entrance, and she had her head laid on the table, with the food untouched. The sight made him stopped on his track and he softened.

Slowly, he shuffled towards her and took a seat beside her. He could see her shut eyes and the slow movement of her breathing. The sight reminded him of Seojun. –the reason of her exhaustion.

He brought his hand toward her arm, to wake her up, but his hand froze mid-air. How could he wake her from her sleep? She looked so exhausted, making the guilty feeling to flood in endlessly. The apology he made from the text message he sent wasn’t enough for her to forgive him.

He must do something to make up for it.

Shaking her lightly, he called her name soothingly like how her mother used to do when he fell asleep on the couch. “Jaehee,” he called again but she was not responding. A strand of hair fell on her cheek and he reached to tuck it behind her ear but his hand could feel unusual heat on her cheek.

His eyes widened when the memory of her came back home with wet blouse flashed back in his head. Quickly, he raised his hand to her forehead to feel the increasing temperature. His heart raced and the thought of her getting sick triggered panic in him. He had promised to take care and protect her but how could he miss to check on her health.

The increasing thoughts in his head had hindered him from actually thinking about her health and he felt he wanted to hit himself for being selfish. Without fail, he managed to get her on his back and he would get her to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

He didn’t trust himself for treating her sickness, even though she might only have fever. He feared he would hurt even more if he decided to let her stay in the house.

Jaehee remained unconscious on his back and moving quickly, he pulled her coat with him and threw it on her behind him, hoping that she could be covered by the coat. Leaving everything aside, but his wallet and cell phone, he quickly called a taxi with one hand and another hand supporting her.

He could feel the heat from her body and prayed silently that she would be fine.

---

Jaehee was lying motionlessly on the bed, with an IV drip connected to her. As he expected, she had high fever and was dehydrated and needed to stay until she finished her IV drip. Hakyeon sat beside her, staring endlessly at her face. He just noticed that she had pale and dried lips.

He hadn’t known her fully so he had no idea to who should he made call. There was someone’s daughter on the bed in front of him and yet he didn’t know who the parents were to tell them that their daughter was sick.

He left her cell phone behind and he didn’t think it was a good idea to leave her, only to retrieve her phone. Even though she was still sleeping, it didn’t mean she didn’t need him to be beside her. Perhaps this was what she meant to fill in the empty spaces – to be beside her when she was in need and not needed.

Seojun’s father passed in his head but he didn’t think she would like to have him there. Well, to be honest, he wasn’t fond of the idea having him there with both of them. He is douchebag at the first place and forever would be.

Brushing the thoughts away, he scooted his chair closer to have a feel of her forehead. The heat he felt had lessened compare to what he felt when they were on the kitchen. Pulling his hand away, his eyes averted on her hand that lying undisturbed.

He was thinking to hold it as he held a stare on it.

After a long thinking, he dumped his intention and just kept a safe distance between them, hoping that she would open her eyes. Placing both his elbows at the edge of the bed, and his forehead on his hands, he prayed that she would feel a lot better, so that he could once again the smile she always had on her lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N; Hello readers ^_^