I didn't realize how quiet the ride home had gotten until I parked in the driveway and noticed Suha wasn't saying anything. I turned my head a little, and there she was, leaning against the car window, asleep. Her hair fell over her cheek, and her breathing was soft and even. She must've knocked out the second we left the amusement park.
For a moment I just sat there, looking at her. She looked peaceful. Tired, sure, but peaceful in a way I wasn't used to seeing. Today was… something else. Loud, chaotic, fun. And she did drag me through almost every corner of the city when we were just supposed to go shopping.
I got out quietly and walked over to her side. Opening the door made her slump a bit, so I leaned in and slipped an arm under her back and another under her legs. Bridal style, of course. Because apparently my life has become a rom-com.
She didn't even budge. Just breathed softly against my shoulder.
I carried her inside, trying—not very successfully—to avoid bumping into things. When I got to her room, I laid her down gently and took off her shoes. Her brows twitched a little, like she was dreaming about something stressful. Probably all the rides Taemin forced us on.
Then I pulled the blanket over her, stepped back, and let out a small breath. She didn't wake up. Good.
I went to my room, took a long shower, and changed into a plain shirt and trousers. No jacket, no shoes, no stress. Just soft clothes and a bed that felt warmer than usual. For the first time in a long time, sleep came easy.
And stayed.
I woke up earlier than the sun, as usual. Peaceful, rested. I brushed my teeth, took another quick shower, and put on a fresh suit with a black tie. Routine. Reliable. Calm.
When I stepped outside my room, I half-expected Suha to be in the kitchen, cooking like usual and mumbling a good morning. But the house was quiet and all the lights were off.
She must still be asleep.
I wasn't going to wake her. She deserved the rest after dragging me, Taemin, and Ha-Eun across the entire Amusement park .
Just to be sure, I walked to her door and opened it slightly. She was still curled under the blanket, hugging the corner of her pillow now. Breathing steady. I nodded to myself and closed the door quietly.
Downstairs, I slipped on my shoes and stepped outside. The morning air was cool, not too bright yet. On the way to the car, I suddenly remembered something. The trunk. The shopping bags.
I sighed and went to the back of the car. As soon as I opened the trunk, I was greeted by a mountain of paper bags. Clothes, snacks, souvenirs, and whatever else Suha decided we "absolutely needed."
I hauled them all inside and dropped them on the couch.
That's when I noticed something poking out of one of the bags. A small plastic package. Pink and shaped like a strawberry.
Right. The matching keychains.
I took mine out of the package and held it for a second, staring at the tiny strawberry with its little green leaf. It looked ridiculous. Silly. Cute.
Not something I would ever use.
But… before I could think too hard, I unclipped my old keychain and replaced it with the strawberry.
I stared at it again. I had no logical explanation for why I did it. None. It made no sense.
Yet I clicked the keys together once, shoved them into my pocket, and finally left for work.
The company lobby was its usual scene. Employees bowing, greeting me, straightening their posture the second they saw me. I nodded back out of habit and went straight to my office.
Once I got inside, I set my car keys on the desk. The strawberry dangled off the edge, swinging slightly.
I clicked my tongue and opened a folder. Work. Paperwork. Something normal to balance out the chaos of yesterday.
A few minutes later, the door opened without knocking.
Of course. Only one menace does that.
Jungho walked in like he was entering a talk show where he was the special guest. He fixed his cufflinks even though they didn't need fixing, flashed me a grin, and said, "Morning, Jay. Did our precious COO enjoy his day off?"
"Morning, Hyung," I said, eyes on my paperwork.
"My God," he whispered dramatically. "He's polite. Something's wrong. Blink twice if you're being held hostage by your wife."
I didn't even bother responding.
He came closer, circling my desk like a shark. "So? Did you slept the whole day off or go on a date? Hold hands? Stare into each other's eyes? Confess your undying—"
"Hyung. Stop."
"No."
He finally stopped pacing… because something on my desk caught his eye.
Jungho froze in front of my desk like he'd just stepped on a landmine.
Except the "landmine" was a strawberry keychain.
He leaned down slowly, dramatically, as if the tiny pink fruit might explode.
"…Jay."
I kept writing.
"Jay."
I still ignored him.
Then came the nuclear option.
"KIM. JAY."
I finally looked up. "What?"
He pointed at the keychain with the same expression someone might have when discovering a crime scene.
"What?" he sputtered. "WHAT?! This—this fruity object is on your keys."
"A keychain."
"Oh wow, thank you, Mr. COO. I totally couldn't figure that out on my own. I meant why is that—" he waved his hand at it like it offended him personally "—on your keys?"
"It's mine."
He blinked. "Why?"
"Because it is."
"This keychain?"
"It's just a keychain."
"A strawberry keychain," he corrected, voice heavy with betrayal.
"Yes."
"Pink."
"Yes."
"Smiling."
"It's not smiling."
"It's smiling on the inside," he snapped.
"Hyung?" I lifted a brow. "Do you need caffeine or a neurologist?"
He completely ignored the insult. Classic.
He picked up the keychain with two fingers like it was radioactive. "First of all, I need to know if aliens abducted you and replaced you with a sentimental marshmallow."
"No one abducted me."
"So you did this willingly?"
I said nothing.
"Jay," he said, lowering his voice like we were discussing confidential national security intel, "this is a strawberry. A cute strawberry. With eyelashes. And sparkles. Sparkles, Jay."
I shrugged. "So."
"So?!" He looked personally victimized. "You—Kim Jay—the human glacier—are carrying around a sparkly strawberry like you're starring in a slice-of-life drama."
I leaned back in my chair. "It's just a keychain."
He gave me the most offended gasp I've ever heard. "JUST a keychain? Do you hear yourself?"
I didn't answer. That encouraged him to continue, unfortunately.
"Oh my god," he breathed, staring at the strawberry again. "She bought it for you, didn't she?"
Still silent.
"And you," he pointed the strawberry at me like it was a weapon, "accepted it. Voluntarily. With your own cold, dead, emotionally constipated hands."
My silence was apparently confession enough.
Jungho slapped his hand over his mouth. "OH MY GOD. YOU'RE WHIPPED."
I rubbed my temple. "Hyung…"
"You soft little blueberry," he said.
"I'm proud."
"I'm going to fire you."
"You can't," he said cheerfully. "I'm the CEO. The BOSS,huh!"
"Perfect."
"Isn't it?"
"I'm done. Yeah, I'm leaving."
"This is your office."
"I'll find a new one."
"No you can't because I won't fire you."
"I'll write resigning letter."
He ignored that too and dropped into the chair across from me, eyes sparkling like he'd just uncovered the century's biggest scandal.
"So?" he said, leaning forward. "Did you two hold hands yesterday? Did you share popcorn? Did you—"
"Hyung."
"—ride the Ferris wheel together under the moonlight like two characters in a cheesy romance movie?"
I just stared at him. "Are you done."
"No." He slapped the desk. "Jay. You changed your cold, black-metal, personality-matching keychain to a strawberry. A STRAWBERRY. You've officially entered your soft era."
I rubbed my forehead. "It's not that deep."
"It is exactly that deep." He leaned back and crossed his arms. "My little brother is finally doing something cute. I'm emotional."
"Please don't be."
"Oh shut up," he said, grinning. "This is iconic. I'm taking a picture."
"No."
He already had his phone out.
"Hyung," I warned.
"Say cheese—actually don't, you don't know how to."
"I will delete every file in your drive."
He froze.
"You wouldn't."
I raised a brow.
He quietly lowered his phone.
"You're evil," he muttered.
"You raised me."
He sat there quietly for a moment then suddenly took his phone out and tried to grab the keychain to take picture of it.
I grabbed them first. "Touch it and I'll remove every one of your limbs."
He dramatically clutched his heart. "Threatening your CEO. Look how love changes people."
"It's not love."
"Uh-huh." He nodded, not believing a word. "And I'm not your hyung."
"You're literally my hyung."
"Not in office."
"You want me to call you boss?"
He pointed at me triumphantly. "SO YOU ADMIT IT. I'M YOUR BOSS."
I stared. "That…is not even logic."
He waved me off. "Anyway, strawberry boy—"
"Don't call me that."
"—you looked happier yesterday."
That stopped me for half a second.
But before anything sincere could slip into the air, he ruined it (thankfully).
"So I give you two weeks before you're wearing matching couple hoodies."
"Hyung."
"One week?"
"I'm going to push you out the window."
He stood up, still grinning like an idiot. "Keep the keychain safe. It represents your future."
I threw a pen at him.
He dodged it and laughed all the way out of my office.