Chapter 71

His mother once again turns her back against him and finally vanishes through the sliding doors of the comfort room, leaving him stiff, gaping, and dumbfounded in his seat.

A call?

His backpack . . .

His widened eyes instantly surveyed the lounge to search for his bag, failing to notice the maid that was silently walking to his side, and when she reached him, his frantic eyes landed on the object resting between her hands.

It was his backpack. She was carrying it with her the entire time.

The maid carefully passes him his pink bag, and Jin unconsciously bows to her, grateful for the help she has been providing him.

Not wanting to waste further of his time, he unzips his bag, and the dreadful thoughts that have been circling in his head turn out to be veritable.

It wasn't his phone that was buzzing but Hiro's.

He's left frozen and speechless in his seat. His heart nervously racks inside his chest as he tries to shoo away the inevitable fears he has. He takes one deep and long breath before his shaking hands pick up the nonstop ringing device.

Is it Hiro? Or his people maybe?

Should he just leave it be? He could just reason out that he was resting or his phone was silent.

Though his brain was assessing which excuse should he use to help him save face, he found himself hesitatingly swiping his thumb on the phone's screen, finally answering the tenacious caller.

[What happened?]

A dark and raspy voice unexpectedly tickled and entered his ears, causing an unintentional chill to draft down from the base of his neck to his resting behind, stirring and waking his lulled soul and body to life.

Jin sits straight on the bed, and though he was taken aback by the caller's direct question, his whole body flushes and burns intensely, red roses blossoming across his pale skin. His entire body convulses weakly, submitting in as his breath hitches.

One of his shaking hands went up to cover his trembling lips when he found himself unable to utter a word.

It's him.

He can feel his compelling heartbeat knocking rigorously from inside his chest.

It's Hiro . . .

He was grateful that he was sitting with his back facing against the maid and butler because if by chance he was standing while answering his call, he knew his knees would not hesitate to wobble and give up on him despite the fact there was no one near him to catch him from his weak state.

A sudden heaviness suddenly weighs his chest down.

It felt as if it's been long listening to his voice, but did Hiro dial the wrong number?

Bringing back to the now, he discreetly looks around if anyone had witnessed him turning excited yet powerless, and if Hiro's voice can be heard around the silent room.

Upon seeing him glancing in their direction, the maid and the butler turns to him with their heads tilted, curious and intrigued if he needed something from them.

Jin politely shakes his head at them, breathing in solace as he darts his eyes away.

[Jin.]

He hiccups and almost jumps himself out of the lounge's bed after hearing the sternness of his tone turned more intimidating.

He squeezes his thighs together, his knees pressing against each other as he rewinds the dream he encountered last night, "Y-Yes?" His voice was shaking and he flushes more in embarrassment upon hearing himself sounding out of breath as if he has been chased around for a mile.

He gulps nervously, feeling his throat running dry.

[I'm waiting.]

Though his words were too brief and stiff, there was evident concern behind them. He was also able to grasp the slightest wavering in his voice which had warmed his heart and his already flushed ear.

He looks down at dainty fingers and clean nails as he casually bit the skin of his bottom lip. Hiro didn't dial the wrong number or mistook him for someone. The man made sure that the question was accurately directed to him, though he has no clue what he was talking about.

Jin clears his throat before he slowly opens his lips, "G-Good morning." He hopes it's not late for greetings.

[It's noon, gongjunim.]

He corrects and Jin shuts his parted lips, dying from shame for a few seconds.

G-Gongjunim?

Where did that come from? To suddenly call him princess . . . why does he sound upset?

He hears a heavy sigh on the other line and loud clicking noises out of nowhere.

[I was informed that the butler in the footage was running in panic.]

He glances around the room looking for cameras but unfortunately found none, "He did because I choked on my meal." Jin absentmindedly responded, finally giving up his case to look for the hidden cameras. Maybe it's outside.

Only after the statement came out unconsciously from his lips and the grim silence he heard next did Jin instantly regret owning such mouth that possesses no brakes.

"E-Everything was fine though. Did you call because of that?" Crap, he wished his bad stuttering would be put to a stop. Plus it's not that important for him to call at a busy hour.

Jin squirms uncomfortably in his seat as he recalls earlier's incident that almost put his life to eternal rest.

"Hiro?" He calls to him when the other line was continuously plunged to complete silence, "Why did you call me g-gongjunim?"

[. . .]

Still, he receives no productive response from him.

"Hiro, I'm waiting."

It was his turn to intimidate and pressure him, and his sweet grin stayed on his lips longer upon hearing his heavy and bothered sigh from the other line.

He shuts his eyes close, imagining he was near him whenever he does it as he can still vividly remember how his warm breath softly caressed his ear from last night's dream. Again, he turns red all over.

[You let Kusaki freely call you that, but you won't let me?]

And now he sounded like a sulking pup. Jin purses his lips at his unexplainable mood swings.

Kusaki? His head tilts. Zien was the only person who shamelessly addressed him that way. Are they perhaps the same person?

"I . . . I never insisted on that endearment."

[Endearment?]

Why does he sound shocked and amused?

Isn't that the case?

A heavy rattling sound can suddenly be heard from the other line followed by a small alarmed scream of someone causing Jin's shoulder to flinch in surprise.

The other line was muted for straight two minutes and Jin's tilted head draws back in further confusion.

[Are you hurt?]

When Hiro was back on the line, the usual sternness of his voice was long gone, and after hearing the softness of his voice and his shallow breaths, though ridiculed by his worst mood swings his heart flutters as he wonders how is it possible for a man like him who owns such deep baritone voice to sound soft and gentle at the same time?

"Yes . . . my throat did. But I'm okay now." A small smile paints his lips as the atmosphere around him lightens.

This is what he does to him. He can effortlessly make him forget about everything the world does around him.

[Really? Does your throat still hurt?—"You called for me, Sir?"]

Jin shakes his head, and he immediately wants to slap himself for his stupidity, "Only a little bit . . ." He looks around him before hesitatingly dropping his body across the bed, his back pressing against the soft mattress behind him as he studies the extravagant designs on the ceiling of the lounge. He heard a voice. Who was that? "Are you working?"

[No, Jin-ah. I'm not.]

He continuously hears different sounds in the background of their call, and one of them was the disturbing sound of wind against his phone's microphone.

[. . . Was the new enhancement design profitable?—"Yes, sir, seventy percent at west and eighty at east."—That won't do, cancel both offers and shipments.]

He denied that he wasn't working, but it sounded like he is. Jin silently sighs inside his head, waiting for him to exchange and discuss something with someone in the background of the phone call as he willingly listens to their conversation but understands nothing from it.

Is that supposed to be the life of every university student like them? No . . . but only with the name Kai Hiroshima Woo does.

He heard from his friends that Hiro has several stable business foundations for himself and already made enough fortune than most adult men in the same industry can, so why would he still bother attending school?

When they finished, Hiro was back at checking his condition from him choking on his meal not too long ago.

"If you're not working, what are you doing then?"

[Me? Let's say I'm trying to stay sane despite missing you and your little buns.]

Jin carefully covers his mouth when he almost bursts into laughter at how dejected he sounded despite pulling such cheesy line, like a child whining at his mother about how badly he wanted to buy candy, "My little buns?"

Kyeopta. (Cute)

[*Breathing heavily* Yes, your little buns. Have you seen it yet?]

Huh? Jin pauses as he blinks, clueless, "Seen what, my butt?" He rolled his body to the other side of the bed. What does he mean?

[Your butt?]

Hiro chuckles, sounding amused and carefree.

"Yes, my butt," He argues. "You asked me if I have seen it, was it? No?"

He covers his reddened face with the back of his palm, embarrassed. Here he goes again, back to being Mr. confusing and frustrating.

[Though I would like to see it for myself too, I was referring to my surprise.]