BANE

8

Soo Ah wakes up feeling very light and peaceful. She looks at the ceiling, realized that she's been having a night out at her office in the bar. Her sight is locked on the bracelet at her left hand and took a deep breath. "You are my Sunshine" is engraved on the leather bracelets charm. A small smile cracks on her lips. Yes, like sunshine, it won't always shine brightly. Some days it's gonna rain heavily. Or some places, the people would not get the sunshine for half a year. What an irony.

If it's yesterday, she would've cried already. But now, she's at peace.

Yes, life is doing this to her. She will return this back to him, whenever they meet again. She thinks it's the right moment to remove this bracelet. "A couple bracelet" as he put it. He also have another one.

Her right hand is stuck. Huh?

A big hand is engulfing her small hand. The arm is positioned like half embracing her. And she has just realized that she's actually sleeping in sitting position,leaning her body on the person. But strangely it's very comfy. Now that her senses have awaken,she could smell the faint rain smell with hints of cinnamon that makes it almost sweet but still captivating in it's own way.

Looking back and up, her heart made a flip. Jang Geun Won? She's been sleeping in Jang Geun Won's embrace? Eottoke???

Her mind did some flashbacks and instantly, her face feels hot. Surely she looks like a barbecued shrimp right now, all red and a shrinking in size the more what happened last night kept coming in.

She was the one who embraces him first! And...did she cry until she falls unconscious? Yes oh yes because she's positive everything blacked out after the embrace. Omona~ she's gonna faint out of embarrassment.

She looks carefully at Geun Won's sleeping face. He no longer looks so troubled with something, or even menacing as he had been. In fact, he looks at peace and almost fragile. She notices his slightly pale complexion and hit with guilt. No way he's feeling comfy sleeping like that. Plus, from the way she wakes up feeling all comfy and good, he must've had a hard time supporting her dead weight.

Slowly, she released herself from Geun Won's warm embrace. Her movements wake him up but she could see that he is still very much sleepy.

"Ah..Soo...Soo Ah-ya. I didn't do anything. You...you fainted yesterday...." He coughed, didn't manage to finish his sentence. Damn he forgot the heater! How chilly this bar feels now. Actually, he also doesn't have any more idea on how to explain the situation. He slapped his own face in his mind. He should be waking up earlier to avoid this awkward situation. Soo Ah held him tightly yesterday and he's too afraid that forcefully remove her grip on his shirt would stir her sleep.

Geun Won stuttered a bit. Soo Ah is giving him an undecipherable look. The look he never received before and boy how its unnerving. Soo Ah have hated him enough as is. Please don't add to anything else to make her hate him even more. Just another couple of months...jaebal...

Soo Ah could see how he still looks fatigued despite the anxious look. Hmm... she's right. She is the only one with a good night sleep yesterday.

"You...can take a day off today if you want"

"No. It's okay. I'm fine to work today. Maybe just a halfday because I have some appointments later on. Excuse me." He picks up his jacket, sling back and dash outside.
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It's in the middle of business hours that suddenly Myeong Do burst the office door to see Soo Ah.

"Boss...pssttt...pretty boss..." Myeong Do is busily waving his hands to catch Soo Ah's attention (whose eyes still glued to the monitor) while whispering.

"Huh? Myeong Do-ya. Wae?" What's wrong with this kid. He's usually never secretive like this. In fact, he's the whistle blower who told EVERYONE about Soo Ah and that guy.

"Sajangnim... I'm worried about hyung." Legit. He looked worried for the first time. This kid knows how to be worried about others. Kekeke...Soo Ah wonders what is it about. She once thought this kid's mom have fed him happy pills since he's born because she never see this kid too worried about others, sad or angry. Usually in tense situation he would be calm and be the mediator.

Put the collapsed Geun Won scenario as an example. He's the one to lead Soo Ah on the correct actions during emergency situation like that.

"Which hyung?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Aish...sajangnim~" Myeong Do leans closer to Soo Ah and whisper to her left ear. "Geun Won hyung." Soo Ah looks again at Myeong Do. This kid and his golden heart.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Aniya...Geun Won hyung didn't look too good when he left just now." He pressed his voice to stress his statement.

"What do you mean by not too good?"

Haih...Myeong Do have started to feel frustrated he almost cried. For someone so brilliant like his boss, she could be quite dense.

"Ah jaebal... Sajangnim.... Don't you remember? Hyung is not so healthy like us."

A look of realization hits Soo Ah. She didn't forget it but it has become insignificant since Geun Won looked just fine since his illness' attack a fortnight ago.

"Yes, you remember right? Hyung asked me to keep it from everyone. But, but, Sajangnim... He really looks unwell when he left just now. I don't have any vehicle to send him back home but I also don't want him to be alone now. Sajangnim~" this time Myeong Do's eyes have tears brimming in his eyes. He didn't know what is Geun Won's illness but he bet it's serious. His gut feeling tells him so.

"Ok..now what do you want me to do?" Soo Ah couldn't be too bothered about him. Her eyes were back to the monitor. He has promised to send her the resignation letter himself even if he has to crawl, right? But she found that she could not focus on her work knowing this. She is quite worried. After all, he helped her last night.

Myeong Do couldn't believe his ears. When did his boss becomes cold and distant like this? She's always the kind boss who'll send the staff to clinics and home if they're sick.

"Sa..Sajangnim..." Myeong Do gulped his saliva. "Can't you send him to clinics or hospital? He really didn't look well. What if he faints again in the middle of the road?"

Sighing, Soo Ah shut down his PC, took her car bags and storms out. Myeong Do was left stunned. 'Is she mad at me?'
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She could see Geun Won waiting for bus alone and stops her car. Nobody's there since it's just 3pm at weekdays. When she rolls down the window, she could hear Geun Won coughs.

"Soo Ah?" He is surprised.

"Get in." She said without looking at him.

"How..."

"Myeong Do won't stop pestering me to take you to hospital."

Geun Won chuckles. That kid is too kind.

"Don't need to send me to hospital. It's just coughs. My house is just 5km away from here."

And the whole journey is quiet except when Soo Ah asked for which junction to turn.

Geun Won? He doesn't know how to describe his feelings. He's always wanted Soo Ah to be in his passenger's seat but, turns out he's at her passenger's seat! Alright...perhaps this is the best God would grant him his last wish. By right, next week he should be admitted to the hospice ward at Ongsan (anyone watched Ha Ji Won unnie's new drama? Hehe...😁)

His illness have started to meddle with his daily life more often. It's becoming harder every day as the vomitting and headaches occuring often, followed by stiffness on his fingers and limbs. The doctor told him it's because of the tumor is growing nearer to CTZ and cerebellum area. Looks like the medicines he took just delaying the tumor's growth, not  killing it. He also warned him that another seizure means he is more prone to getting cardiac arrest.

Now is a good time he send the resignation letter with one week notice to Soo Ah.