This is the fourth story in the Undone series.
This is Jung Hoseok's time to shine.
He is taking control of a new project at Stellar Design, and he has decided it's time to take control of his love life as well. He is weary of being alone, and he...
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Izzy stepped into the room that was already buzzing with laughter. She smiled and nodded as she made her way past the first group huddled at the door.
She looked around, her smile growing bigger as she spotted all the fun details Sky had included.
Then she stopped. Hoseok was there at the far end of the room. He was standing on a ladder which lifted him above the crowd mingling in the room.
He wore black loose fitted trousers and a black vintage concert tee. She strained to see if it was an act they had seen together. That would be so like Hoseok He was wearing a black leather jacket that looked butter soft to the touch. The look on his face was intense, his eyes dark and lit with emotion.
Tae looked up and saw him too and was struck with inspiration. He could easily see this Hoseok as a painting of a dark angel suspended between heaven and hell.
Hobi had that duality that Tae rarely saw, but right now it was perfectly clear.
He was a man, raw and natural and full of emotion caught between heaven and earth. It was impossible to tell which direction he was going. The tragedy was just that. He was suspended in the middle, caught in time. Tae grabbed a pencil from Nev and hastily roughed out a sketch of the scene in his mind.
Once he was done, he frowned. There had to be a companion piece to this, a resolution. When he looked up again Hobi had moved off the ladder and was lost in the crowd. Moving, Tae was sure, toward Izzy.
Tae said a quiet prayer that his friend would find a resting place as beautiful as he deserved.
Izzy watched as Hobi made his way to her. She was struck by the dark picture he had made in the far end of the room, but now she saw the light of him.
His eyes, his smile grew brighter with every step closer. She found herself smiling just because he was near.
His hands reached out toward her and she moved to be closer to him. She had the wild hope that he would wrap her in his arms and hold her close to his heart. She really didn’t care that the room was now filled with her staff and colleagues. She only had eyes for him.
She felt the anticipation build as he grew closer. She loved watching his face. He was always so expressive, he was usually an open book to her.
She loved how his eyes crinkled at the corners and his mouth would draw into a tiny pout, almost a tiny kiss. She laughed. Why had she never connected that before.
She waited for him, taking in every graceful step, the power radiating from his body. In this moment she simply appreciated him.
Then as he reached her side her grabbed her hand and squeezed and slowly smiled at her. She felt that smile to the tips of her toes.
Memories of dozens of other times and places and reasons lit her from within. She was so happy just standing next to him tonight.
“ You look beautiful,” he said bending close so she could hear over the growing noise of the crowd. She laughed and gave him a twirl, showing off her handiwork.
“ Those are…..” he said, carefully examining the flowers, “ One of a kind, just like you.” The low pitch of his voice and the look he gave her made her stumble. His arms were strong and warm as they reached to steady her.
“Izabelle!” a soft voice behind her called “Is this yours?” Lyra asked.
“It’s hand painted!” she exclaimed before Izzy could answer her.
“I’ve got to see this in a better light,” she insisted, pulling Izzy to the down lit gallery space near the stairs,” you have to tell me exactly how you did it!”
Izzy laughed, throwing a “ sorry” over her shoulder to Hobi as Lyra spirited her away.
Hobi frowned as he watched her go. He heard a laugh and turned to see JK standing where Izzy should have been. His look grew even darker.
JungKook laughed again, handing his friend a strong drink and a knowing look.
“ Hummmm,” JK mused, “ seems I remember a certain Christmas party when Lyra was commandeered by Dae and you had zero empathy for me. Looks like it’s your turn to watch across the room.”
They stood in silence as both men watched the women.
Hobi noticed how Izzy’s hands danced as she explained the creative process to Lyra. He could hear her laugh float above the crowd and he knew that look of inspiration on her face.
That and a dozen other small things he knew just by watching her. She sparkled in the light and right then he just wanted to watch her shine.
“ And it is always worth it, “ JK said.
Hobi could see JungKook's longing and admiration for Lyra written all over his face. His attention was riveted on her. Hobi smiled at the emotions all over the boy’s face.
Two months ago Hobi would have teased him. Tonight he could not help but envy the connection, the certainty he saw on his friend’s face.
Then the serious look was transformed into that smile that had broken a million hearts.
“ Let’s go,” JK said, his eyes sparkling and his strides long and sure. Hobi looked to see that Lyra had turned to him and drew him to her side with just a gentle smile.
That silent connection between lovers always amazed him. That was one more reason he envied his friends.
No sooner had that thought formed he found Izzy staring at him.
As surely as she had spoken the words he knew. She missed him and needed him beside her. He hurried to her side, that experience leaving him a bit shaken.
In the next hour all the teams gathered and mingled. New partners were introduced and new friends said difficult goodbyes.
Everywhere Izzy looked she saw her own emotions reflected.
Once everyone was there, they heard a few very brief remarks from Dae and Izabelle thanking everyone for their hard work and encouraging everyone to stay connected. They shared a toast to a successful project launch and then settled in for an excellent meal.
As the hour grew later even the excellent food and company could not compete with the harsh reality that it was time to go.
Slowly the large groups broke into small ones as the night drew to a close.
Izzy had spoken to each member of her team that was leaving, thanking them and wishing them well.
Finally she came to Rege. He smiled at her and nodded slowly, all that needed to be acknowledged between them settled into a comfortable space.
“ Thank you,” he said, taking her hand and bowing over it, touching it gently to his lips. She felt the sting of tears, knowing this was more than them preparing to leave on separate planes.
“ Thank you,” she whispered, “ I really could not have done it without you.”
Rege gave a harsh laugh. “You absolutely could have! And will again,” he predicted.
He nodded over the top of her head and she saw Hoseok watching them.
“And I have a feeling he will be right there watching if you need anything. That’s the only way I can leave you,” Rege confessed. He pulled her into a brief hug and turned to find Dae and say his final goodbyes.
Losing him in the crowd she turned back to where Hobi stood.
Rege was right.
He was her steady rock, her safety, her friend. It was time for her to make the hard decisions about her future.
She needed him tonight to sort out what that meant. She smiled at him and he nodded like he could read her mind.
The night was narrowing and soon it would just be them.
