A/N - Please do answer the above poll and help me improve.

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“Put on a……… shirt.” She said looking nowhere but my eyes.

I couldn’t make out her words, for I was too captivated by her to make my mind work. I only managed to let out a soft, “Hmm?” as I couldn’t speak anything else nor could I understand what she said.

I could only stare at her face and feel her soft hands against my bare chest. Her touch intoxicated my body making me crave her even when she was right in front of me.

…

Wait-

Did I say I could feel her touch against my bare chest?

…

Uh no-

…

And that’s when it hit me hard like a tornado. That’s when I processed her words and what they meant. Realising why she reacted the way she did.

But before I could act, she was quick to make a move.

“You are shirtless. Put on a freaking shirt!” With that, she pushed me away with the same hands that had me intoxicated seconds ago.

…

Okay, that was enough to get me sober.

I’m perfectly back to my senses now…

…

“Uh- sorry about that. I was just- I was just changing into my night dress when I-”

“Then, go do that!” She yelled as she turned to face the other side.

“But- But the doctor said-”

“There’s just two more. I’ll finish it myself. So please leave, will you?!”

And with that I just shut my mouth and left the kitchen as she told me to. Chased out of my own kitchen but I ain’t even in the place to complain.

Call me crazily cocky but if it was any other time, I’d have actually teased her flustered reaction but right now I’m the most flustered one here. She got me all flustered that I had nothing to do except lock myself in my room and scream onto my pillow…

Moon Insoo! Are you nuts? Why would you go in front of her without wearing a freakin’ shirt?! You aren’t alone here anymore, remember that! And why would you even move that close to her when you can’t even handle it?

Darn… Why must have she looked at me that way with her hella pretty eyes?

*Insoo’s squealing noises*

Meanwhile,

“You’re fine. You’re fine. You’re fine.” Dayun marched in her room, saying the words to herself like a mantra only to break down at the last, “No, I’m not fine. Not at all!” She grabbed her face in frustration. “I feel like I’d pass out anytime now! My palms… They are sweating… And my heart………………. Is it even beating?” She couldn’t help but wonder out loud as she kept her hands close to her chest seriously worried about its weird beating rate.

All her mind could think about was the moment in the kitchen where her eyes only looked at Insoo’s mesmerising brown ones and her hands could feel his toned chest. Just thinking about it got her gasping, but still every corner of her mind was filled with the very moment.

“I’m not even prepared to see him in his casual clothes yet. Did I really have to see him shirtless? Aargh… Life is so cruel!” Dayun was panicking at the effects he had on her, wondering why she was worrying about this now, when there’s so much for her to worry about like the fact Hee-sung’s men attacked her last night. But she had no idea why.

~

…

…

“What the hell is wrong with me?!”

Both Dayun and Insoo wondered out loud in their respective rooms, freaking out at the symptoms they were experiencing, too naive to know what they meant and they both miserably failed at their attempt to sleep that night.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

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…

The next morning,

Dayun’s POV,

The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t find Iseul beside me. I decided to sleep with Iseul because I was too worried to leave her alone after what happened the other day. But now, she wasn’t next to me.

I immediately switched on my mobile to check the time and it threw me off-guard. It was freakin’ 1 in the noon!

I have slept throughout the morning. I was surprised at myself.

Then, I suddenly remembered that I had to send Iseul to school which threw me another blow as I rushed out of room.

Insoo had left too.

Maybe, he sent Iseul to school? I wondered, when something bright caught my attention.

It was a piece of bright yellow coloured paper at the middle of the table in the hall. It looked like a note. I grabbed it.

Yep! It was a note from Insoo,

“Ro Dayun,

I now get why you’re always late to the office. I mean how can you not be late when you sleep so much. Anyways, don’t worry, I’ve sent Little one to school. Also, I’d bring food for your lazy ass from the canteen.”

He wanted me to take rest yesterday and now he calls me lazy? Ironic.

Well… Maybe I slept a little too much.

Without me knowing, a small smile crept onto my face as I read his note.

I went into the bathroom to wash myself up. And when I came out, Insoo was already there. Looking at him, I once again got reminded of yesterday’s incident but quickly mental slapped me out of it.

Like he said he had brought food with him and motioned me to eat. So, I went to sit beside him as we ate in silence. I occasionally asked him about how the meeting and other stuff went. I felt guilty for not being there but thankfully everything had gone well.

…

After we finished eating, “We should change your bandages now. It should be changed daily. Let’s change it.”, He quickly said.

“What? No, no, I’ll do it myself. Don’t bother.” I told him.

“No, you cannot.” He said before adding, “Listen to me. I’ll do it.”

This time I didn’t refuse. It’s pretty hard to change it myself. So, I obliged and Insoo brought the medical kit as he signalled me to stretch my leg and I did.

It was quite hard to walk yesterday but now it’s slowly getting easier. I’m healing quickly. Maybe because of all those injuries I got, I could have actually turned immune to those now. My healing rate has significantly improved.

Insoo sat beside me. I slightly raised my skirt, so that he could dress my wound. He carefully removed the old dressing and dressed my wound again after applying antiseptic.

I was preparing myself for the stinging sensation that antiseptic usually causes. Applying antiseptic stings more than the wound most of the times.

…

But to my surprise, it didn’t sting at all. I mean not to the extent to actually notice.

For Insoo, was very careful in applying it, slowly blowing on it and trying his best to make it as less painful as possible. I must say I was deeply touched by his actions.

While he was dressing my wound, he accidently discovered another scar on my left thigh. As soon as I noticed his attention towards it, I tried to cover it but it was too late. He had already seen it.

He didn’t say anything but released a heavy sigh at that as if he felt bad for that. He didn’t feel sympathy or pity towards me. I hate them. But it rather seemed like he was trying to share the pain without words.

That’s when I realized that… He should know. After all that he has done for me, he has the right to know everything about me. How I ended up like this. And why must I hide.

All my life, I’m used to just keep everything to myself. So, I don’t know how to say, what to say or where to start. But… Despite everything, I’m sure of one thing and that is… I must tell him everything, whatsoever.

So, I decided to begin with the basics. The very first lie I told him.

My name…

“Lee Ah-reum.” I spoke.

Insoo’s POV,

I was dressing Dayun’s wound when I noticed another scar on her other thigh. It was a rather severe scar but it seemed old. It must have been at least a decade old.

Seeing that I felt a lot of emotions inside me. Rage on the one who done it which would probably be that Hee-sung guy. Disgust at her father who never cared about his daughter. And though I have nothing to do with this, I felt sorry. Sorry for leaving her alone. Maybe if I hadn’t left for my hometown, I could’ve at least done something………… Right?

The girl who helped me during my tough times was having tough times herself. But I wasn’t around to share her pain, her fears. She had to go through it alone and it broke me.

And I don’t even have any idea on what happened to her after I left which further made me feel guilty without any reason.

That’s when, “Lee Ah-reum”, She said something but I couldn’t quite catch it. For it, was just a soft whisper. “What?” I asked her as I finished dressing the wound.

“Lee Ah-reum… That’s my name. My real one.” She told me rather fast looking to the side.

“It’s fine. Look… You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t comfortable.” I told her noticing how uncomfortable she felt at her attempt to tell me her story.

“No. I can’t bring myself to tell you this again, so, please…” She said looking at me. To which I just nodded, giving her all my attention as she continued, “Don’t be surprised but my father is the chairman of Lee Industries, our rival company, Lee Byul-hee.” She paused before she continued again, “My mother ran away when I was 2 or something and my father… Well, he never considered me his family, for I, would always remind him of his ex-wife, his loss. So, you could say, I and my father, we were never on good terms.”

Well… I know all this. But what happened next? How did she even get involved with that devil?

The things she said next answered all my questions…

“It happened when I was in high school… Final year. All I wanted that time was to complete my studies which I was kinda good at and do gynaecology which has always been my dream…………But… My father had other plans. He wanted to marry me off to Hyun Hee-sung who was the son of the former leader of their gang, that I told you about before, remember?” She asked and I nodded saying, “Yes. I do.”

How can I even forget that brat’s name?

“My father wanted to form an alliance with them, that way… He could be more powerful and bring in more money. It was beneficial for them too as my father’s company was huge. And at that time, they were searching for a woman for Hee-sung because he had turned 21 and had to become the next leader. And he must be married to become a leader, because, you know… to continue their line and bring in an heir. It was a ‘two birds in a stone’ for them, with just benefits for both parties. So, they-………. They formed the alliance.”

At this point, her voice started to break a little and I squeezed her hands to let her know that it was fine if she stopped now, because part of me was telling that it’s going to get worse from here. But she just signalled me that she was fine and further went on with it,

“The events that happened next, you would have guessed already…………………… I had to marry him as soon as I graduated high school. My father had kept it a secret from me afraid I might run away and told me just on the day of my graduation………… And guess where he brought me to treat me for graduating………………. To Hee-sung’s place for MY wedding!” Dayun let out a mocking laugh at that.

“I must say, I was not very much welcomed into their group. And Hee-sung was the worst. He’d beat me up whenever he had a rough day and abused me so badly………… Then one day, when I was 18… I came to know that I was… Pregnant with Iseul.”

She paused there again not because it was hard for her. But it rather seemed like it was a happy memory of hers.

“And things might have turned smooth if I had carried a male heir but when they found out that I was carrying a girl... Things got even worse… You see, girl children aren’t very much welcomed in their community.” She heaved a worried sigh.

“But- But I couldn’t let them treat me the same way they treated me before. I was pregnant then. I wasn’t alone. There was another life that grew inside me that needed my care, that needed…… My protection. And I won’t be able to protect her if I had stayed there. They would have definitely forced me to abort. Or worse he’d have killed the baby himself with all the abuse he put me through. So……………… I eloped. I left Seoul. I changed my name, I changed my identity, I changed everything. It wasn’t very hard to do that. As I was with them for some time, I know their tricks. And everything was fine, until they- They found me again. And I’m afraid I can’t hide longer. I- I’m-”

Her words completely broke at that as she struggled hard to form sentences.

“Stop… Please.”

I told her and couldn’t stop but pull her close into my arms. It’s not just because she couldn’t continue but rather because I can’t handle it anymore. It is fu*king crazy to think that the warm-hearted and innocent girl I once knew had her life so rough. It pained me to even imagine her like that. Even before I knew who Dayun actually was, I couldn’t handle the things she went through. But now I know, I felt tormenting pain inside me.

I held her tight hoping that I could share at least a small portion of the pain she went through. Selfishly hoping that I could amount to the times when I wasn’t beside her.

…

Sometimes later, she clutched onto my shirt and buried her head in my chest which further made me tighten my grip. And then……………. Suddenly… I noticed my shirt get slowly wet……… in her tears.

Not even a slightest form of sound left her lips. All she let out were tears…

Silent tears…

And even they dried up and stopped shortly after.

To be continued…