Ryan’s POV“Are you sure it wasn’t you who spread the rumors?” I asked Emily while leaning my head on the table.“Why would I share the blessings? I would like to keep the secret with me and enjoy the paradise of seeing handsome and rich men in that boarding house,” Emily answered.I asked her the question not because I really do believe that she stabbed me from behind. I was narrowing down the possible people who started this. “I think it is one of the two girls you brought into the house. Do you want me to confront them and pull their hair out?” Emily offered.Well, if it is Emily, it is possible.Seeing her reaction, I realized that ignoring the rumors is the best action.“Forget it,” I said. “The situation settled down. Everyone will forget this sooner or later.”“That’s the problem with you. You are too…”“Kind?”“No. Too idiot.”When she dissed me, I felt more comforted.I shook my head and just laughed.“Why are you laughing, you crazy psycho,” she said before eating her Che*
It was still early evening.Inside the boarding house, Terban was standing near the entrance of the boarding house. He was leaning on the door sill while checking his wristwatch from time to time.Kyle was sitting on the couch while reading a thick book. But he wasn’t really paying attention to the biology book he was holding. It was only an accessory.On the other couch, Vincent and Chaylen were sitting next to each other. Vincent was holding a guitar, while Chaylen was listening to him.When Vincent finished playing, Chaylen gave him two thumbs up.“You play so well,” Chaylen praised Vincent for playing guitar. “Can you play ‘I can tell by your eyes that you’ve probably crying forever’?”“Idiot. The right title is ‘I Don’t Wanna Talk About It’,” Vincent corrected. Chaylen waved his hand and said, “Let’s not talk about the right title. As long as you get it. So, can you play it?” He even blinked his eyes, imitating a puppy.Seeing his expression annoyed Vincent even more.“I don’t
Ryan’s POVEmily told me to start experimenting to know what I truly feel.That is by looking at those five men as guys.Thus, when I saw Sylvester waving his hand from afar, I realized that the experiment had started. “Ryan, why are you so late? I walked out and looked for you because I miss you,” Sylvester said after running toward my side.I looked at Sylvester’s face and began to appreciate his looks.He had clean-cut dark blue hair when I first saw him. But his hair went longer, so he has long side bangs. I couldn’t see his dark and straight brows.Under the streetlamp, his narrow but bright eyes were shining. Sylvester’s nose was so sharp that it could cut an onion. And his smile? Still captivating. Just looking at it made me feel refreshed. I held my chest to check my pulse.‘My heart beats normally.’ “Why are you looking at me like that? You were observing me too much. Do I have a booger?” he asked, which made me calmer.“Sylvester, I am not comfortable until now,” I co
Slyvester doesn’t care if the people in the boarding house think that he’s so stupid for tripping down. The real reason why he overreacted is because he wanted to spend more time with Ryan.Because the moment they go home, Ryan’s attention will be divided to the other men in the house. And Slyvester hates to share.“Don’t worry. You won’t die with just a scratch,” Ryan said while aiding his wound with a cotton and a Betadine.The two of them were sitting on a mushroom-designed bench in the park.The moon above was bright. It was so quiet around, and they could only hear the singing of crickets and the faint sound of the vehicles from the highway.Slyvester thought that the vibe between them was so romantic.Staring at Ryan, Slyvester looked at her lips.He gulped. Slyvester bit his lower lip while imagining how soft Ryan’s lips would be against his. During times like this, his inner beast was activated.He couldn’t help it because he was attracted to her.However, Slyvester doesn’
Kyle felt so troubled.Having feelings for Ryan was a huge thing to him, but now, he had to deal with four men. Unluckily, two of them were his close friends.“Hi, Kyle!” someone greeted him while he was walking around the campus.Kyle gave a faint nod and smiled. Even if he’s shy toward women, he could not be ignorant.Kyle saw Ryan from afar as he was about to enter the building. He had no idea how to face Ryan. However, he couldn’t fight the need to see her and talk to her right now.“Ry…”Kyle stopped when he saw two men blocking Ryan’s way.“Miss, do you like to join our club?”“You will enjoy it!”“Sorry,” Ryan answered. “I am not interested in joining a club.”Kyle knew that Ryan was too busy to join a club. She even had no time to rest and relax in their boarding house.“Wait a minute. You look familiar. Are you Ryan Mcguffin? The one I saw from the online campus news?”“Damn. She is really that girl!”“The woman who lives with five men, right?”“Your quite cute.”Feeling sh*t
A hot guy was waiting for Ryan outside her classroom.Students, who were walking out of the door, could not help but admire him.‘Who is the lucky girl?’ they all wondered.Until Ryan came out. She stopped walking when she saw him, and the guy waved his hand.“Let’s have lunch together,” Vincent said. The two of them went to the campus park and ate the food Vincent bought outside the school.“Oh my gosh. Did you buy these from Lav café? Everything is expensive in that place,” Ryan nagged while rummaging through the food he bought. Sitting next to her, Vincent answered, “Love.” Ryan looked at him with widened eyes. Her face went red all of a sudden. Still giving an impending stare, Vincent leaned his elbow on the table and placed his chin on the back of his hand.“Foods are expensive in Lav. It’s delicious so I don’t care about the price. Don’t you like delicious food? Love?” Ryan grabbed the lemonade and took a sip of the juice while avoiding Vincent’s eyes. She knew what
Slyvester received an SOS message from Ryan.[“Help me take Chaylen back home! He’s drunk!”]He didn’t think twice, and he went out of the boarding house as fast as he could. When he arrived at the address Ryan had sent, Slyvester doubted his eyes.The wasted Chaylen is lying down on the ground. Ryan was sitting beside him with dark circles under her eyes.“Ryan?! You are not okay!” Slyvester said. It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.“As you can see, this guy is the main reason why,” Ryan answered, pointing to Chaylen.Deep asleep, Chaylen mumbled things that were hard to decipher. Sighing, Sylvester observed Chaylen, but without empathy. Next, he kicked Chaylen’s leg while saying. “Why did he drink so much when he couldn’t take care of himself?”Chaylen only moaned, but he didn’t wake up. Gradually, Slyvester looked at Ryan. He worried Ryan would think he was too violent for kicking Chaylen. If that’s what he feared, then he doesn’t need to be wary.“That’s fine. Kick him all y
20km/h. Ryan checked the speedometer while driving Chaylen’s car.Guilty and disappointed in himself, Slyvester was curling himself like a ball of thread. He was pouting while looking outside the window, trying to reminisce about what should have done and what he should haven’t done.Meanwhile, at the back, Chaylen was sleeping. There was a huge red swollen bump on his forehead. He fell hard on the floor when Slyvester stepped on the brake. Thankfully, he was too drunk, and he didn’t know what happened.“You should have told me that you can’t drive a car,” Ryan nagged.Pouting, Sylvester said, “If I say that, it will make me so uncool.”“Let’s see if you still care about being cool or not once, you’re dead.” “But we’re still alive.”“BARELY, YOU IDIOT.”“Tss,” Slyvester clicked his tongue, avoiding meeting her gaze.“I should have asked Kyle instead. Maybe he can drive better than you.”“Stop teasing me, I’m guilty enough,” Slyvester protested. His face was burning like red paste.
“I declare you husband and wife!” The officiant pronounced Slyvester and Ryan as husband and wife, prompting a round of enthusiastic applause from the wedding guests. However, Slyvester's gaze remained fixed on his stunning bride, oblivious to the commotion. At that moment, Slyvester desired a lifetime of happiness with Ryan and possibly starting a family with her. While it is often said that men shed tears of joy during such occasions, Slyvester was too overjoyed to cry. Perhaps Ryan's parents cried enough for both of them, especially since Slyvester had once posed as a woman to deceive them. Nevertheless, Mr. and Mrs. Mcguffin had forgiven him and moved on from the past. "So, we're a married couple now," Ryan said excitedly. “Hmmm, we are,” Slyvester mumbled. He cupped her cheeks and leaned his forehead on hers. "Kiss her! Kiss her!” The wedding guests scream. This won't be their first kiss. Before and while they were dating, Slyvester had already kissed his girlfriend a l
Ryan was an aspiring author who dreamed of publishing a book to hook readers. That's why, even though the readers from online reading sites were few, she kept publishing different stories.Of course, popular books are consistently rated 18. Ryan didn't have the guts to try it, so she stuck writing innocent comedy and romance genres. However, she wasn't lucky enough to get her break. Sitting in front of the laptop, Ryan read one of the comments from her book."The author narrates well, but the plot is too cliche. Then the event is not realistic either."Ryan felt sad while reading the comments. She took a deep breath and leaned her back against the office chair. She wiped her eyes under her rounded glasses. She looked again at the comments, where only a few had positive feedback."Maybe writing is not my line," said the woman who had just passed the boarding exam.Even though she took an engineering course in college, she didn't want to let go of her dream of becoming a writer and be
Eight years later... "What are you doing here? It would be best if you went home so I can close the restaurant," Chef Slyvester rudely tried to ask friends to leave.The four looked at him one by one:Kyle was a successful architect who managed his family’s architectural firm—Chaylen, who had the most significant shares in his Father’s corporation. Vincent, who declined to own his parent’s business, became a famous singer instead. And Terban, the heir of the Myers Group.It's been a few years since their college graduation, and they've all gone their separate ways. Despite time passing, they still hang out regularly. Terban and Vince's quarrels have lessened, and Chaylen's relationship with his father has improved. Additionally, Kyle has avoided heartbreaks.“I am looking forward to the dessert,” Chaylen expressed his excitement about the dessert that Slyvester will be making.Slyvester removed his black apron and set down his knife. He had already cooked for them without charge, an
With Ran's assistance and quick driving, Slyvester arrived at the boarding house. However, despite this, his heart continued to pound with fear. He dreaded returning home without the woman he adored.Slyvester entered the house, struggling to catch his breath and with his heart racing. As he walked in, he spotted Ryan descending the stairs with a large suitcase.Slyvester's heart shattered upon realizing that Terban’s words were valid - the woman he loved was leaving without a word to him. He couldn't fathom how Ryan could simply depart without speaking to them. He couldn't help but imagine how worse it would have been if Terban hadn't informed him.Although seething with anger, Slyvester knew he could never stay mad at the woman he loved.Ryan was surprised and taken aback by Sylvester's sudden outburst. She was unsure how to respond as Sylvester cried, "Are you really going to leave without talking to me."Ryan had thought that Sylvester would be the first one who wanted Ryan to lea
Four men were gathered in front of a large gate. While other students were studying inside the library or in their rooms, Kyle, Chaylen, Vincent, and Terban waited outside Slyvester's house."Woah. Slyvester’s house is big,” Chaylen expressed, surprised at the grandeur house in front of them. “He acts like a beggar in the boarding house; I did not expect that he is actually rich,” he added.Terban looked at the house casually and asked, "So, how do we get in?""We're going to throw you over the gate," Vincent replied.Terban quickly retorted, “We can use the doorbell, you dumbass.”“Why ask if you knew the answer? Idiot,” Vincent said.The two looked at each other, and an invisible lightning spark formed between them."Aren't you tired of fighting?" Chaylen commented sympathetically as he watched the two men, who seemed like dogs and cats. "You fought so many times; you can list yourself to the Genius World Book of Record."Terban and Vincent both frowned. Their eyes slowly moved towa
Yhlei looked outside the car window and recalled what happened last night.Last night, Slyvester came home drunk. His face was red, and he could not look straight. The drunken man, who almost stumbled, greeted his mother with a smile.“Hello, Mom. Where’s Dad?” Right at that time, his dad walked down the stairway. Far away, he could already smell the pungent smell of the alcohol. "You're drunk? You came home late at night and drunk?" Yhlei's face was full of disappointment. The first thing that came to his mind was his son's reputation. Slyvester can be the new successor of Ixumi Corporation. But he walked down the road swaying and unstable? What if he did some embarrassing things on the way home?"Dad," Slyvester called him. Suddenly, Slyvester knelt in front of his father. His dad, his mom, and Ran, who was unexpectedly present at that time, had their eyes wide open. "I did everything you wanted," said the Slyvester. "What to wear, what to behave, the people I should be frie
Kyle, Chaylen, and Emily exchanged perplexed glances as they beheld Sylvester, who was standing motionless in front of the cabinet. Their view was obstructed, so they couldn't discern what had seized his attention. Meanwhile, within the cabinet, Terban and Ryan were frozen in silence, incapable of uttering a word, moving a muscle, or even drawing breath. They knew full well that this would only lead to further misunderstandings.And then…“F*ck it!” Sylvester let out a string of expletives before wrenching open the cabinet once more and yanking Ryan's wrist out forcefully.“Ahh!” Ryan winced in agony from the sudden movement, realizing that Sylvester was livid.Terban observed Sylvester's tight grip on Ryan's hand and understood why he was so incensed. He knew that he would feel the same way if he were in Sylvester's shoes. However, he couldn't help but feel vexed as he watched Sylvester haul Ryan away. "S- Slyvester," Ryan called him while wincing. Only then did the three underst
A day ago, before the farewell party…After Slyvester had a heated argument with his father, he went somewhere to calm himself down. Slyvester wanted to call Ryan, knowing he would seek comfort with her. However, he received a text from his cousin, asking him if he would attend their gathering, and that was only when Slyvester recalled that he planned with his relatives that day. His cousins were asking about Slyvester’s girlfriend enthusiastically, as if finding fault they could use against Slyvester. Fully aware of this ill intention, Slyvester meets them and warns them not to touch Ryan. Slyvester knew his cousins would never waste a chance to defeat him for Ixumi's inheritance.‘After I settled everything, I’ll return to the boarding house as a happy Slyvester,’ he promised himself.Slyvester grew up sociable because he missed the happy company of the first people around. He was, of course, loved by his father and mother. But the case is different when it comes to relatives. He
Third Person's POVAfter taking a break to eat and rest, Chaylen suggested playing a game. Initially, Terban and Vincent were hesitant, feeling too old to play games. However, they eventually joined in, becoming quite competitive and not wanting to lose.Chaylen had created a unique game just to spend more time with Ryan - hide and seek.“Hide and seek? Are you sane? We are too old for that,” Terban expressed his disbelief.But Chaylen explained, “Why not? The boarding house was big enough for the game to work well.”Aside from that, Chaylen believed that game would allow him to take Ryan to a quiet spot and talk to her in private. It was a selfish wish from a heartbroken guy who wanted to spend a lovely time with his first love.“Childish game suits you so much, Chaylen,” Vincent complained, but still, he was willing to participate.“There are seven of us,” Emily said, ignoring Vincent and Terban’s complaints. “We should group ourselves into two! Whoever doesn’t have a partner will