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2024-10-29 19:42:56"Mr. Kim, how can you say it so easily?", I scoffed in disbelief, arms crossed across my chest as I stood two stairs above him, almost eyes level. "Just like that? You'll forget it?"
"Sophie, you're misunderstanding me. My point is clear, I'm not ready for a serious relationship yet and I've told you before too. You can label this as whatever but I don't want to give you any hope at all. If you want me to stop touching you, I will stop."
I stared at him, right through the blur that my tears caused under my lashes and Mr. Kim moved forward before cupping my face in his hands. I sobbed silently, nausea running up my toes and right into my head but at the same time, the abstract pain was so bitter-sweet with his warm palms and eyes that spoke a different truth to me.
He wiped my tears with the pads of his thumb and I gave in, stumbling forward into his chest even after knowing that my giving in was what got me here. "You're looking for love in the
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COMBATIVE 25
I got onto a bus that'd take me nearest to his place and farthest from Mr. Kim's place."Could you please scoot over?", I tossed a graceful smile to the lady sitting in the last seat of the bus by the window and when she nodded, I slid onto the leather seats with a tired sigh. Her fingers were slightly wrinkled and skinny but beautiful, to say the least along with the dreamy glow in her eyes that almost closed with her smile."Long day dear?", her voice was gentle and comforting and a small pat was delivered to my denim-clad thigh before I softly smiled at her and nodded as confirmation."Nothing I'm not used to," she then proceeded to smile softly with a chuckle and I felt a little lighter with the stranger accompanying me."You look like you could use a good listener darling," I smiled at that and watched her wiser eyes lift up in a smile that mirrored mine."Lover's quarrel Ma'am, just not used to them," I laughed and she gently pushed my
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 26
"Yeah, I always have. You need to pick a side. Either you go back to him, get tossed around or you stay with me and I'll keep you happy forever," he chuckled, running a hand through my hair as he shifted comfortably into the soft cushioned couch.I sighed, mouth dry as I thought of all the possibilities that I could see in my future. Maybe I could stay back here with Sam, find another job or work with him, learn to fall in love with him or maybe I could go back to Nathan, confess, ask him to stay, and make him fall in love.The first one was a certainty, I could definitely fall for a man as beautiful as Sam. I'm sure a lot of people must've done it before too, dated their friends and ended up having a pretty life and the second one was risky, there was no assurance and it most probably could end up in a lot of chaos.Whatever it was and no matter how good Sam could treat me, he could never behim.Nobody could be him."I don't t
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 27
"So, what do you think?", Sam asked, turning around in a circle to show me his new three-piece suit while I was perched upon the bed of his guest room, eyes fixated on my phone that lied beside me in the bed. "Sophie! Don't wait on him to call!""What?", I asked, eyes bored as I stared at him. This had been going on for a while since Sam just couldn't get enough of showing me his new clothes and my replying with the same 'looks good' after the first few. "I've seen all your clothes, went to the movies, spent over two days in your house and nobody gives a fuck about my whereabouts. I didn't even plan anything for so long.""Well, did you not tell Nathan not to call you 'ever' again?", he squinted at me again, hands placed on his hips as he emphasized on the word 'ever'.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 28
"Go away," he mumbled angrily from the other side, tone very slurry and jumbled up. I sighed, placing my ear right against the wood of it but I could only hear slight whimpers."It's me," I said quietly which was followed by loud gasps and a lot of sounds. "Open up Mr. Kim."Was he hiding something in there? Drugs? I sighed and knocked again."No! I w-want to be alone," Another grunt left me at his empty protests and I rummaged through my mind for the correct words to tell him at the moment. "You should go back.""I'm here to talk to you sir, I'm not going anywhere before I get to do it, okay?", I hummed in question, doing another round of rapid knocking against his door before pulling out the large jumbled punch of keys f
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 29
"Mr. Min? What's up?", I questioned, hands interlocked behind my back. He turned around and I noticed a small metallic flask that he immediately pushed back into the inner pocket of his jacket at the sight of me. Shaking his head dismissively, he used his right hand to gesture to the place next to him and I took generous steps forward till I was standing beside him."Hey," he cleared his throat and turned towards my side, leaning with one elbow on the railing. Mr. Min was a handsome man, both in his mannerisms and in the ring itself. "So, how well did you take what happened just now?", Jae laughed in a gentle undertone at my confused expression before repeating himself. "Did you understand what happened or not Soph?""I-I did but I'm not sure if my observations or even my conclusion is correct. I mean I could be overthinking this," I sighed, placing both elbows on top like him before dropping my head in the middle of them. "What do you think? You looked lik
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 30
"No," I stated, voice loud and clear causing him to close his eyes with a gulp that echoed through both of us at the same time. "I will never be embarrassed of you.""Yeah right," he chuckled, a sarcastic and sardonic one that caused me to pull away from him and scoff back. "Sophie, you don't have to say it for the sake of saying it.""Excuse me?", I gasped, his words pricking my skin because what the fuck?"Yeah, I mean-""Fuck what you mean Mr. Kim, I've been beside you in everything and always will be! What made you think I was embarrassed of you? It's about that bitch Teressa, isn't it?", I spat, angrily yanking the jacket from his hold and putting it on without another thought given.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 31
"Mr. Kim, I-I really didn't mean it like that," Josh whispered, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other while waiting for us to pull away from each other. "I'm sorry."Nathan only nodded before trying to walk away but I held his arm back with a glare. "Jo, let's go, we have a lot to talk about," I said gesturing to the living room and he nodded, a little concerned but moved nonetheless, leaving me alone with Mr. Kim."Sophie, why?", I shrugged in response to his question and he followed me to the kitchen trying to minimize his interaction with the other boys. Jimin wasn't in the kitchen anymore and I figured it was because he knew I wasn't in the living room either.To Mr. Kim, it was obvious that they thought of him as a freak but that was only in his mind, nothing else. I understood his agony, his conflict but he had to face it someday."Why don't you set the table with Josh, Mr. Kim?", I asked stirring the huge pot of
Last Updated : 2024-10-29COMBATIVE 32
"Oh my- I'm sorry Sophie, I didn't mean to," Sam gasped, turning his head to look at Mr. Kim who had both his brows raised in surprise, and his jaw pushed forward. I gulped thickly before facing him with an apologetic gaze. Mr. Kim let go of his fork and pushed his plate forward before he got up from the table."That was fucked up Sophie," he whispered, hard eyes trained on me as he reached behind him to grab his jacket. I knew best not to let him get angry especially when his emotions were all over the place but I needed him to understand, needed him to hear me out before he took decisions or made his mind about anything. "I'm leaving.""Listen, Nathan," Sam began, pushing himself up from his seat to stand in front of him. "I'm really sorry man, it's not what it looks like. There's nothing going on-"
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
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COMBATIVE 65
I watch Sophie fix her hair in the mirror for the millionth time and feel myself smile even through the nervousness that pumped in my blood both because of how beautiful she looked and also because of what was about to happen.It wasn't the first time but I couldn't bring myself to not worry about going up to the stage and speak in front of at least hundred people that were invited to the summit I had willingly asked to be a part of. She sighs and stomps her feet before draping herself over the royal blue couch next to my similarly designed seat. "Just leave it alone, you look perfect just like that."She picks her head back up from where it was lolling at the back of the couch and scowls directly at me. "Easy for you to say, you just have to comb yours once and you're good to be. God! I'm so jealous of men sometimes," Sophie complains even though I knew she didn't mean it."Well, sweetheart, I think you're forgetting that women too can get the
COMBATIVE 64
"You guys are really all going to sleep here?", my mouth was wide agape in bewilderment of my friends' weird request as they all nodded, not bothering to look away from the screen. "Well then, two of you can take the room upstairs, I'll sleep down here," I shrug and settle down on the round chair in front of Mrs. Kim and Kate."No, you sleep in your room and we take the living room," Mr. Min states in a no-nonsense tone, completely ridding me of any excuses. "It's your birthday, go have some 'me' time or whatever.""First of all, it's Nathan's room and my birthday is tomorrow," I dead-pan, picking at the hem of Nathan's shirt to busy myself and keep my thoughts away. "I'll have a whole lot of me time tomorrow, don't worry.""But what's the difference? What's his is yours and what's yours is his," Kate shrugged, nonchalantly throwing me a smile as she leaned back in her seat on the couch."Oh he's definitely not worrying and your bi
COMBATIVE 63
"Good morning Sophie," Kate hums softly from the other side of the room and I hum back, not having enough energy and still half asleep to reply to her greeting. "I'll be on the lawn if you need me.""Okay," I mumble, finally, and then her footsteps faded into the distance. Once again, the room felt too quiet and solemn without Nathan's warm presence in it. Gathering all my energy, I get up and stop in a sitting position on the bed, smiling softly at the drawn curtains.Who would've known, Nathan's habit of keeping the curtains drawn originated from Kate? I yawn and stretch my arms up to feel the satisfying pop of my muscles after a tiring night with all the guys and then having to drive back, completely exhausted. My head thrummed with a slight headache and I wondered if it was some sort of handover.Nah, maybe just lack of sleep.I find myself slipping down the bed and towards the bathroom in haste to brush the weird morning breat
COMBATIVE 62
My fingers tightened around the warm cup of coffee, it's temperature already helping with the shriveling cold outside even through my knitted gloves. They were a gift from Kate, she had been into knitting a few weeks back and made a cute couple on the back of them.The coffee shop was newly opened next to the Yongsan Seoul Hospital. I often came around to grab a cup of coffee for myself when I was particularly lonely or stressed out. The doorbell that chimed whenever somebody entered the shop made it's signature sound again and I ignored it, picking up a packet of brown sugar to rip it open and added it to my coffee."Didn't you already put two?", Hearing Mr. Min's voice, I jump up in surprise before a smile causes my cheeks to hurt. He smiles back at me, pointing his finger between the two already empty packets of sugar lying on the table. "You shouldn't put in so much, it's like aiming for diabetes.""I don't do that always," I lie, rolling m
COMBATIVE 61
"Is that-" he tremors."Yes," I assure."Are they-" he begins again."Yup," I confirm, last letter popping.Seok-Min was star-struck. He couldn't take his eyes off the three men huddled on the couch together for a whole minute. It wasn't like this was the first time Nathan had bumped into a fan or have somebody struck like that but there was a certain rawness to Seok-Min that made him shy.Maybe it was the fact that the past few days had been so rough on him that he didn't expect anybody to care about him anymore. He probably didn't expect the news announcer to be that whipped for him but it wasn't news to the rest of us. The man had literally defended Nathan on national television and risked his job trying to protect his name."Hey," Nathan chirps out, quietly and shyly rubbing the back of his head. I watch as Seok-Min smiles happily and I gesture for him to sit down once he had returned all their greetings."
COMBATIVE 60
It's five in the morning, my head rests back against Nathan's chest, we both have been talking for the whole night now, three hours washed away in love and unresolved matters. His back is against the headboard of my bed and the window is open ajar to let the chilly wind it.It seems like it might rain in the next few hours and I want nothing than to just lie down for one more day, waste a few more hours talking to him before we need to get up and face reality. Reality that there were lot of untangled ropes in our lives that were swirled around."Hey, Nat?", he hums, tightening his arm around my front. "Can I take up a nursing job or something? You know, I'll have to get my license and work," I trail off, feeling smaller with every silent second that passed by."What made you think you needed permission for that?", he asks, voice sharp and seemingly offended. "Do you think I have autonomy over your life? I can't believe you sometimes Soph."
COMBATIVE 59
Nathan's head was soundly placed in Kate's lap. She was sitting on the couch across me and it was pitch dark when I gazed out of my window. All four of us were unaware when time had ticked by so as soon as Nathan's eyes drooped shut in exhaustion of how big a day this had been, Jo went to bed too."So, how did you two meet?", Kate questions, drawing my blue cardigan closer around her shoulders with a soft sigh. "You know, you and Nat are two very different people. How did it- how did this happen?", she emphasizes on the word 'this' and I could only laugh softly in response."I have no idea either," I perk up, bouncing my feet against the carpeted floor of my living room. "Should I start from the beginning or?", Kate sits up a little more comfortably as I quirk my brow at her curiosity but it was understandable. She hadn't met her little boy in what must be two decades."From the start, tell me everything," she smiles and I couldn't help but ret
COMBATIVE 58
A week later me and Nathan sat on the freshly white painted benches of the park nearest to his mansion with his arms draped over the back of it in exhaustion after our run. I smile at the look of sheer bliss on his face and the glow that emitted due to his constant lifted moods.Mrs. Lee had explained Nathan's disorder to him and he had taken almost a day off to accept it but he later mentioned that a lot of things were starting to make sense for him and that he felt better knowing the cause behind it instead of being confused all the time.Kate was yet to meet him, especially after Mrs. Lee's clear instructions that he must be told before the two met and now that he knew, I guessed what would be the right time for them to meet?"Quit staring," he laughs, chest heaving up and down and I feel the vibrations rake down my own body. Shaking my head playfully, I reach over to my opposite side and throw him a baby blue towel so he could wipe his swea
COMBATIVE 57
"Don't you think this will be too shocking for him right now?", Mr. Min suggests, chewing on his lower lip with a concerned expression as he pulls his car into my apartment complex's parking lot."Yeah but she's staying with me and I'll make sure that the two of us don't end up coming back here later or atleast for a few days till Mrs. lee figures out the whole deal," I sigh and Kate's ears perk up at the suggestion as she shuffles closer to me from the back seat. "Hey, Kate, do you- would you mind me staying over at Nathan's since you know, we basically stay over at each other's all the time?""Of course not, why would I have a problem with that? You both are grown-ups," she chuckles. "I'm just excited to see him again, hear his voice again without the television screen."I smile back at the woman and nod softly. It was heartwarming to see how much she loved him and how accepting she was, of the two of us. What made me even happier was to know
