Jiah ran out as fast as she could, ignoring his colleagues calling her name, asking what had happened. No one chased her, no one could even find her, as she used a different route to escape. She went far until her feet had gotten enough of running and walking.

She found herself in an office district. Tall buildings were everywhere. Tiled floor and tiled vases with slender trees at certain spots. People in suits and formal blouses passing by, with suitcases or phones in their hands. Some even rushed to their workplaces with files in their hands.

Sniffing and hiccupping, she walked to a concrete bench and sat there. Looking around, she realized that she was far from the boutique. She wanted to be alone.

She didn’t mean to scold Hoseok.

After Seokjin told her the negative events that had happened to Hoseok, she determined to be the best personal assistant she could be. She didn’t want to pressure him at first. However, after her trip to the orphanage, she changed her mind, finalizing that she didn’t have a choice but to force him.

Hoseok’s stubbornness broke her motivation. She finally understood the reasons Seokjin often lost his temper on him. Not to mention, his spatula threat became famous among the staff.

Threatening her boss just like Seokjin did was never in her plan. She didn’t have the guts to do that. Scared of getting fired, but Hoseok didn’t look like he would fire his staff easily. He could have fired Wheein, Jisoo, Taehyung, Jungkook, Namjoon and Jimin in the past due to their antics if he wanted. But they were still working there.

The weather was cold, still she only wore a pair of sweater and jeans. It was a mistake that she ran out without taking her coat with her. Still hiccupping and tears still trickling, there was no way she wanted to go back to the boutique in that condition. She doubted there would be a lively atmosphere if her colleagues and boss saw her returning.

She wanted to see Shinhye and vent. Standing up and patting her pockets, she felt nothing but the surface of her clothed thighs and two hot packs in her back pockets. Her wet, red eyes widened. Sniffed her nose, she looked into her sweater, but that was definitely the stupidest thing she would do if that was where she put her phone and money.

All she had was a pastel green, leather notebook.

No phone. No money. She couldn’t make it to Shinhye’s workplace. She couldn’t go to her house either. Her best friend had warned her beforehand not to go to her house without telling her because of her father’s unpredictable drunk return.

It was three in the evening. If she walked to Shinhye’s workplace, she would arrive at five or six. She plopped her butt on the bench again, looking blank. Not long after that, she cried again.

She spoke, “you called your boss ‘dumb’ –” hiccup, hiccup “– you are the dumb one!”

The louder her cry became, the uglier her face appeared. The passersby were looking at her weirdly.

**********

Trying to find Jiah, Seokjin hadn’t returned. It had been a while since he left. Yoongi took the chance to stay in the boss’ office, opted to sit in front of him.

Through his peripheral vision, Hoseok caught the sight of his staff peeking behind the concrete wall that separated the corridor from the main area, watching the crossed-arm Yoongi say nothing and only staring at him with his usual tired gaze.

He could have pulled down the blinds, but the man’s stare rendered him frozen in his chair.

Hoseok kept his nervous gaze down on the table. The long silence and that stare was unsettling. He couldn’t tell when that would stop and what was in the older man’s mind.

So, he chose to be the one to break it. “Hyung, let’s –”

Using sarcasm, Yoongi replied, "okay, let's just forget it." He adjusted his slouching sitting position. The chair squeaked when he landed his back on the backrest again. Tilting his head, with a calm tone, he asked, “what happened?”

His stiff shoulders pushed down on their own. What should he say? That Jiah scolded him to plan for the orphans’ holiday? How should he explain for making her cry? He might have planned to make her suffer while being his assistant but making her cry was never something he had intended.

Yoongi, with a demanding yet calm tone, asked again, “what happened, Hoseok?”

With a flat tone to his words, Hoseok said, “I don’t know.”

Frowning, Yoongi asked, "you don't know?" Silence replied, and he let out a soft breath. “Look. We were… we were shocked to see you made a girl cry.” He paused, mouth slightly hung open. “I want to know what she said to you. And what you said to her. Definitely will help me understand what happened.”

His lips were still sealed tight. What should he tell? Lies or Truth? This wasn’t The Episode game where he played on his phone during his artist’s block. Knowing Yoongi, he would surely smell his lies even if he spoke a single word.

The intimidating man emphasized his name, “Jung Hoseok.”

“She was persuading me to set a holiday date for the children.”

“What did you do to make her cry?”

The way he asked sound like he was some detective and Hoseok became more intimidated. “I d-don’t know. I swear! She just stormed out when you… came.” His voice shrink as he spoke.

“Was she angry at you?” Yoongi asked.

Hoseok had to admit he felt like an idiot when he shrugged at Yoongi. When Jiah called him ‘dumb’, that could be right. He replied, “I guess.”

Yoongi nodded his head slow. He told him, “her voice was so loud that I could hear it outside. I can tell she was mad.”

The boss slowly returned his gaze to the table, pulling the hoodie when he felt it was about to fall.

“I’m surprised Seokjin hyung didn’t hear that.”

“He might be eating,” Hoseok said, in a small voice.

“What?”

This time, he made his voice clearer. “He might be eating. He took my potato chips and hoodie.”

Yoongi stared at him for a moment. “How come I didn’t hear that?”

Hoseok raised both of his shoulders again. Remembering they were Skyping with Amber, Yoongi could have thought he heard everything.

A short silence followed after Yoongi closed his eyes. He sucked his lips, embracing the stillness for a moment and then, opened his slanted eyes. Adjusting his jacket and shirt, he sat up straight. Clearing his throat, he added, “I think she did the right thing to scold you.”

The man in the dark blue hoodie raised his head and looked at him.

“Are you not gonna ask why?”

Hoseok released a soft breath through his nose, looking elsewhere. He didn’t answer. Nonetheless, Yoongi continued, “the moment she stepped into the orphanage and met the kids, she’s already part of their caretaker.”

“I know.”

Yoongi’s lips twitched. “I’m telling you this. I heard from Seokjin hyung. Joohee likes her. It took her a day to get close to Joohee.” He paused, staring at him. “And she already knows what’d happened to Joohee.”

Hoseok played with his fingers, rubbing them with his thumbs. The silence between the two of them grew longer. On the other hand, the buzzing from the heater only increased the tension in his stomach. It didn’t make him feel better.

Yoongi got up from his seat and stuffed his cold hands into the denim jacket, giving out a short, deep hum. There were crumpling noises coming from both sides of the jackets. Almost in a lazy tone, he said, “Hoseok, I don’t usually side with anyone. But I’m taking a side this time.”

Hoseok’s gaze lowered down to his feet, trying to hold back from looking at the older man.

“Whatever Jiah told you… might have been right.” Yoongi paused. “Think about it.”

Once Yoongi left him alone, the boss thought about what Jiah had said. Solace, he didn’t feel it anymore. Disappointed with himself, feeling unsettled. He used the time to think and finally, realizing that she was indeed right.

He knew what had happened to Joohee too. He knew what happened to all of the children at the orphanage and all their stories. No one had any idea if their nightmares from the past had been entirely erased from their memories. Clearly, he knew memories are meant to be stuck in the places they were created, but in order to be erased, someone needs to help them grow a new flower or revive a flower that was drying.

As Amber was absent, the responsibility was thrown to him. Due to his selfishness, that whole situation made him look like a terrible man. His selfishness had gotten overboard.

Pushing his hoodie off, he ran his hand through his face and hair. “What was I thinking?” he muttered. He stayed in that position for some time until he heard an unfamiliar phone’s ringtone rang through his office.

His tired eyes darted to the phone on the table, vibrating and moving in its place. Jiah came into his mind, thinking the phone was probably hers. He stretched his body to grab the phone.

‘Kim Seokjin ^-^’ on the screen came into sight.

Hoseok was debating whether to answer the call or not. Knowing Seokjin, there was a big chance that if he answered, he would get a scold. But if he didn’t answer, Seokjin would likely to grow more worried about her. Clicking the green button was like digging his own grave. However, he didn’t seem to have any choice but to tell Seokjin she had left her phone in the office.

Gulping his saliva, he slid the green button. Hesitantly attaching the pastel pink-cased phone to his ear, he then said, “h-hello.”

A lull occurred for a brief moment. Then, Seokjin’s voice came. “Hoseok?”

“Yeah, hyung.”

“Why are you the one answering?”

Hoseok gulped and said, “she… she left her phone.”

A sigh rang through the speaker. Immediately after, Seokjin shouted in anger, “where else can I find her? Fuck!” There was a brief pause before his loud voice came booming again. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

If all of his older friends scolded him, he knew he was already in big trouble. Fortunately, Amber wasn’t around. If she was present, that was going to double the trouble.

**********

Guilt wasn't enough to depict how he felt. While he didn't think the argument between them was big, he had a sick feeling swirling around him to the point that he decided to stay at the boutique overnight. In his plan, he was hoping to be the first to meet Jiah the next day, so that they could have a conversation alone and perhaps... reconcile?

Calling or sending her a text message would be useless. Poor phone got left behind.

He laid himself on the small rocking bed, Yoongi’s favorite resting spot. The bed kept rocking as he shook his foot to a random rhythm, thinking how to initiate a conversation if they happened to meet early and alone the next day.

He mumbled, “I never have a long talk with Jiah. Will saying I’m sorry be enough?” Later, he continued to ponder. “It’s going to be awkward.”

The boss closed his eyes to go to sleep. He heard a rustling and small clanking noise from the entrance. Eyebrows creased, his eyes shot at the curtained door. He sat up, wondering who was trying to unlock the door. Furthermore, it took them a long time to unlock. A normal key to the door wouldn’t take that long.

He counted from five to one, predicting the door would unlock within the period but the noises went on. Feared that there could be thieves, he grabbed a clothes hook pole nearby and from the count of ten, he held the curtain with one hand while another held the stick.

Before his count finished, the door was unlocked and the anxious man was already prepared to knock them down. However, the stick hadn’t hit the person as he heard a short shriek and saw a woman cowering, falling to the ground with a hairpin in her grip.

He recognized the hairstyle.

“Lee Jiah?”