Kyuhyun was awakened when he felt his phone vibrate from his pocket. He pulled it out and checked who was calling. He heaved a sigh seeing it was Geun Suk. He ignored his call and put his phone on the floor, just beside him. He then turned his body to look at the woman sleeping on the couch behind him.

He could feel a little pain on his body as he slept sitting on the floor with his back leaning on the couch. He remembered that after sharing a dance together, he and Shin Hye were having a chat while they sat on the couch, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her head leaning against him. They were talking about their lives until she fell asleep unknowingly. He gently laid her flat on the couch to make her comfortable, before he sat below it and dozed off.

Kyuhyun lightly caressed Shin Hye’s cheek as he stared at her, and this stirred her from her sleep. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a pair of optics lovingly staring at her. A smile etched on her lips remembering all the things that happened last night.

“Good morning, angel! Sorry if I woke you up.” he said softly, with a cute smile on his face.

She reached for his hand and intertwined it with hers. “Good morning, oppa!” He looked like he had just woken up, too. She then realized that they were still in the music room and that she was lying on the couch. She immediately pulled herself into a sitting position. “Oppa, where did you sleep?” she asked worriedly. “Don’t tell me you slept on the floor?”

“Wae? Would you like it better if I lay down next to you on this couch?” he joked.

She hit him lightly on his arm. “Tss. That’s not what I mean. I mean you could have gone to your room.”

“Well, Geun Suk hyung was there, and besides I want to sleep next to you. But of course, I know you won’t like it if we share the couch together, so even if you’re on the couch and I was just sitting here, just as long as you’re beside me, I’m fine with it.”

“Eyyy, but we could both sleep sitting on this couch, right?”

“But I want you to sleep comfortably. Was that bad?” he asked, sounding like a boy convincing his mother that what he did was right. “Don’t worry. Believe it or not, I actually had a good sleep,” he continued, his eyes filled with joy and sincerity.

Shin Hye breathed a sigh with a smile. She was touched. She felt giddy with his sweetness. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and was about to give him a peck on whatever part of his face when someone knocked on the door.

“Aish!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. Shin Hye just let out a soft chuckle.

He stood up and made his way to the door.

“What?” he asked, looking annoyed.

“Yah, Kyuhyun-ah! I’ve been calling you, but you’re not answering my calls. Wae, what are you two doing in there that you can’t answer your phone, and hey, you even locked the door, huh?” Geun Suk asked softly, with a teasing look on his face.

“Yah! It’s definitely not what your dirty mind thinks. Of course, we were sleeping, and unfortunately, got disturbed by you.”

“Eyyy, jinja?” Geun Suk uttered, not buying his friend’s statement. “Then let me in,” he continued, pushing the door and walked inside.

“Annyeong, Manager Jang!” Shin Hye greeted softly.

“A-Annyeong, Shin Hye-yah!” Geun Suk greeted back. “Uhm, I-I’m actually leaving now, but I.. I just want to apologize for what happened last night,” he said, as he scratched the back of his neck.

“You don’t have to apologize, Manager Jang. It’s not a big deal, right, oppa?” Shin Hye said, looking at Kyuhyun who had just sat beside her.

“Neh.”

Geun Suk heaved a sigh of relief. “Arasso. Gomawo. I guess I have to go now. I’ll see you both tomorrow,” he bade.

“Neh, hyung.”

Kyuhyun walked his friend to the front door. When he came back to the music room, Shin Hye had already stood up from the couch, putting her guitar back in its case.

He walked towards her and hugged her from behind, which startled her a bit.

“Can you now continue what you were about to do earlier?” he whispered in her ear.

“Eyyy, but the time for that has already expired. Mianhae, oppa,” she joked. She held his hands and pulled herself away from his embrace. She turned around to face him, still holding his hands. “Let’s just prepare our breakfast together, shall we?”

“Tease!” he said jokingly.

“Please?” she said, her eyes hopeful.

He let out a sigh of defeat. “Ara. Ara. Let’s go.”

After breakfast, Shin Hye called Yu-bi to inform her of their plans. Kyuhyun asked her if she wanted to go to her hometown to visit her mother at the columbarium. It was actually what she wanted to do on that day, so she instantly agreed.

“Yoboseyo?”

“Yu-bi-ah, it’s me,” Shin Hye said.

“Oh, Shin Hye-yah! Happy New Year to both of you,” Yu-bi said happily.

“Happy New Year to all of you, too,” she greeted her friend back enthusiastically. “Kyuhyun oppa and I are going there to visit Eomma at the columbarium, and we’re planning to drop by your place after. Would that be okay?”

“Aww, Shin Hye-yah, I would love that, but we’re not home right now. We’re at my in-laws, and we will be staying here until weekend,” Yu-bi said regretfully.

“Ah, jinja? Too bad, because I have a lot of things to share with you.”

“Like what?” Yu-bi asked curiously and then suddenly became excited. “Wait, don’t tell me—“

Yu-bi wasn’t able to finish what she was about to say when Shin Hye cut her off with a chuckle. “Maybe yes, maybe no,” she joked. “I got to go now, chingu-yah! I’ll call you again next time.”

“Yah, Shin Hye-yah!”

“Annyeong. Talk to you soon,” Shin Hye said, and then ended the call.

Kyuhyun and Shin Hye dropped by the nearest flower stand to buy some flowers before going to the columbarium.

When they reached their destination, she placed the bouquet of flowers in front of her mother’s urn.

“Eomma, I’m here,” she said in a tone filled with mixed emotions. She was sad because she missed her mother so much, but she was also happy and excited at the same time because of the person standing beside her. She looked at Kyuhyun and then back at where her mother’s ashes were kept. “And I’m with someone. We already went here before. He is.. We are.. Kyuhyun oppa is now my boyfriend. I’m sure you’ll get along with him well if you’re still here with us.”

“Annyeong hasseyo, eommonim!” he said, taking a bow.

After they left the columbarium, they decided to eat at a restaurant which Shin Hye suggested, since she was familiar with the place.

“Oppa, I think I have to start looking for an apartment soon, probably on my rest day.”

“Wae? You don’t need to do that. You can stay at my apartment as long as you want,” he said, and then took a bite of his food.

“I told you before that I’ll be staying at your pl