ending scene | l.hc

23

{her}

i sipped the last drop of my coffee as i finished my last sentence for the paragraph.

i threw the empty paper cup to the nearest trash can, which was under my table, and gave a quick scan to see any grammatical errors.

as i was satisfied, i clicked enter and stood up.

i walked towards rose's enclosed office. the door had a big 'ceo' sign and her walls had designs of rose flowers. i shook my head, smiling.

i knocked twice, before opening the glass door.

" hey, rose. i already sent the first five drafts to your email and i've finished editing the drafts you gave me. " i said, as i peeked my head inside her office. she was busy, too. her head was almost stuck to her laptop.

" that early? wow, i must have underestimated you by giving you 8 hours for that work. " she exclaimed. i only smiled and shook my head. i stood properly, finally entering her office.

" all that for 5 hours, wow. " she said.

" i was feeling it. " i replied, stifling a laugh.

" why don't you take off early? " she suggested, as she shot up from her seat. i furrowed my brows.

" how about the others? " i asked, pointing my thumb towards the others who were still pounding on their laptops.

" our rule here is, as long as you finish the job, you can do whatever the hell you want. " she replied, her arm draped over my shoulder. we were facing the others who were busy, their noses stuck on their own laptops. some were looking like a mess, a bunch of empty coffee cups next to them. some looked like they were killing it, completely chill.

" okay, then. " i said, before nodding at her. she gave me a smile before i returned to my post. i cleaned my table, before going back to rose's office. i knocked twice on her open door. she gave me a nod, signalling that i could go now.

i greeted the people one last time before heading off. they all were nice to me. they welcomed me warmly and i think i can bear with everything.

as i got out of the building, the sun was already on its way down. the sky was changing a shade darker each second.

i breathed in, to feel the cool breeze. today went well.

suddenly, something inside my small bag vibrated. i opened it and i saw my phone vibrating. i fished for it and saw that belle was calling. i swiped to answer the call.

" hey, belle. "

[ " hey, shine. you free? " ] her voice was jolly. as expected from belle.

" yep. "

[ " well, come here at my place. we need to catch up. " ] she groaned. i chuckled.

" i missed you, too. " i said. i heard her giggle from the other line.

[ " come quickly, okay? " ] she said.

" okay. see you. "

[ " see you. " ]

she ended the call.

i waited for the bus. while waiting, i plugged my earphones, trying to mesmerize myself from my surroundings.

as the bus stopped in front me, i went in and chose the seat beside the window, on the left side. when the bus went off, the sunset's glowing rays went inside the bus.

i bit my lip as i got reminded of haechan.

why is it that whenever i see the sun and its beautiful view, i always remember him?

after three bus stops, i reached my destination. belle's place wasn't too far from mine's, so maybe i could just walk home later.

as i entered the building, the sun was halfway down and the sky was already a shade darker. and on the other side was the rising of the half moon.

i removed my earphones and placed it inside my bag before i rang the doorbell. i giggled when i heard belle's shout from inside.

" shine? shine! " she gave me a big hug and stayed like that for a little while, the hug getting tighter every second. i didn't mind. i returned the hug as well.

she broke off our hug and i saw that she was still wearing an apron, her hair in a messed bun, and she was in her home clothes.

" no work? " i asked, as she let me in.

" early off. " she replied, walking before me. we were heading towards the kitchen when i suddenly heard familiar voices. i grabbed her by the arm, so she could face me.

" who's here? " i asked, curious and nervous. she gave a small smile.

" they wanted to see you. " she calmly said. and as she said those words, my heart went crazy. she removed my grip from her arm but she held my hand. she gave it a squeeze.

" come on, they've been waiting for you. " i looked straight through her eyes. she looked at me with such a warm gaze, probably trying to calm me down as my forehead creased with so much fear and nervousness.

" i don't know, belle. i don't have the guts to face them yet. " my voice was low. my eyelashes batted in fear.

her hands went to my arms. she squeezed it and smiled.

" it's okay, shine. it's okay. come on. " her hand was before me, wide open. i stared at it for a little while, before sighing heavily, accepting it.

as she dragged me inside, there they were, in their casual clothes. their hair already had white strands visible, their faces had minor wrinkles. and it became more visible when they turned to see me and gave me a warm smile.

but it didn't changed. their smiles whenever they see me. i felt heat build up under my eyes. my lips trembled at the sight of their warm smiles and gazes that melted my frozen heart.

" mom, dad, shine's here. " belle's voice broke.

" oh, our daughter. "

///