Tales From The Void

“ What do you mean?” I ask, a little surprised by JongHyun's sudden outburst. I still don't know what to say or how to say it. Because I have no idea what kind of battle JongHyun’s fighting inside.

“ The pain of losing him! How do you cope with it?”

I shrugged, trying not to show JongHyun the pain or the tears I hide deep inside me all the time. I'm not yet ready to tell him how I silently, secretly, give in every night, trying to keep my mind and soul whole, just so he can be my ray of light that I so desperately need. How can I tell him that I'm trying my best to heal that pain and that longing?! When I don't even know how to explain that consuming suffering!

“ It is excruciating!” I want to say, but honestly, he doesn't deserve to carry my pain or feel my fear of abandonment. Because the moment my ex-fiancé decided to end his affair with the world, while I was miles away from him, was the most heartbreaking thing for me. Because the moment my ex-fiancé decided to end his affair with the world, while I was miles away from him, was the most heartbreaking thing for me. But I can't! And not out of disrespect for JongHyun, or because of emotional exhaustion, but because I don't want to project onto him a guilt that belongs only to me.

I was so blind that I couldn't see beyond what my ex-fiancé, SeoJun, was showing me. He could no longer bear the cruel judgment of the world when he had done nothing wrong. Because he could not bear the guilt that the therapists - who were supposed to help him heal, understand, walk a path that should not be full of thorns - threw at him when he asked for help.

I put the book down after marking the page I was reading and then took a deep breath as I got up from the couch. “ I'm just coping with it!”

“ How?!” JongHyun asks me after he downs his glass of ice water. I shrug again, not daring to look him in the eyes, afraid of what he might see in them. So I avoid his gaze and look away.

“ Doing my job!”

JongHyun raises a manicured eyebrow, urging me to continue. I sigh, opening the fridge to get a bottle of water, still thinking about everything that’s been bothering him. It’s true that losing SeoJun wasn’t easy, and it still isn’t. But JongHyun came into my life like a breath of fresh air that I had been longing for so much while the pain was suffocating me. And without him even knowing, not even a little bit, he became my own therapist who secretly, silently, helped me heal without asking awkward questions or blaming me in any way. He had so much patience with me and affection for me that I wonder if I really deserve such a miracle in my life!

All this time, JongHyun waits silently, standing in the same place, calm and patient, watching my every move.

I fill his glass with water and drink from it. He narrows his eyes at me as I smile, knowing I’m avoiding discussing the subject.

“See?! I’m already doing my job! I heal people to heal myself!” JongHyun continues to look at me as if I have two heads instead of one. I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his lips gently.

“No!” JongHyun speaks with conviction, shaking his head. “ You heal to atone for your guilt! And that’s not healing, my love!”

I smile to make him believe me even though deep down I'm perfectly aware of how right he is. After all, besides SeoJun, JongHyun knows me better than anyone else.

“ I’m fine. Stop worrying so much about me!” JongHyun grabs my hips, pulling me closer to his body feeling him pressed against me. So I gently caress the back of his neck and then I lower my right hand to his chest, above his heart, holding it there.

“ If I don’t worry about you, then who will?! Strangers?” JongHyun takes my hand and kisses my fingertips, then places my hand back on his muscular chest.

“ Besides…” JongHyun caresses my left cheek with his knuckles tenderly and trustingly, letting me feel the soft skin of his hand and the masculine scent of his hand cream. “… what you went through wasn’t easy.”

No, it wasn't easy, it's not easy, and it never will be easy, yet I can't stop halfway just because it hurts. I will miss him forever and mourn him deeply, but before JongHyun came into my life I longed for someone to be in my life whenever I needed him, to be there for me not only in good times but also in bad, not only in happiness but also in sorrow. I needed to be loved for who I am, like SeoJun never loved me. Because, in the end, in this whole situation, he was the selfish one, not me!

I, too, felt the need to give love in a way that SeoJun never gave me the chance to do it properly. He ruthlessly stole that right from me!

Was I devastated? Yes! Was I angry? Yes! Did I constantly blame myself for what SeoJun did? Yes!

But when this man appeared in my path, it was like a miracle that I had no idea how much I needed to be able to cope with everything!

And for that, then and now, I was and still am grateful to the Heavens!

“ It wasn't easy!” I know that he loves me with sweetness, that he adores me with an affection impossible to express in words, that his actions speak louder than his mouth would say, that I am in all his thoughts, as if I were engraved in his soul.

“ But when you came into my life, at first, I was so afraid that I would lose you, just like I lost my ex-fiancé. I was afraid that I would be defeated again by the same helplessness and blindness, by the same depressive states and internal conflicts that constantly work in silence. And then, step by step, little by little, you pushed that fear away and replaced it with something else.”

The confusion is clearly visible on his face as soon as I finish speaking and I look at him serenely, a little at peace with myself, smiling.

“ I think SeoJun felt sorry for stealing my right to happiness.” I think to myself before stepping back a little to memorize every wrinkle of worry, every grimace of the one who came into my life to save me.

After a pause in which I contemplate the way his eyes sparkle every time he looks at me, or the way the smile spreads across his face every time he sees me, or the fact that his shyness has disappeared as quickly as he devours my food, I open my mouth to speak.

“ With love!” I say, looking JongHyun straight in the eye without hesitating at all. Because everything I said to him came from my deepest sincerity!

Just a simple word softens his expression, making him less worried, but still concerned for my mental and emotional health. He takes me back in his arms, hugging me tightly, rocking me gently, as if he's dancing with me.

He holds me delicately like a flower, and I rest my head on his shoulder, letting him lead me in our slow dance in the kitchen.

“ I love you too, my love!” I hear JongHyun say as the music begins to softly play in the background, making me let go of all my worries and fears with a simple hug and a dance. I abandon myself completely in his warm, protective embrace.

Without another word, he hugs me tightly, his warmth enveloping me like a cocoon, protecting me and filling me with love and a sense of well-being. I smile, hugging him tightly too, his scent filling my nostrils with a fresh musky scent, relaxing me and making me forget about the evil and selfish world in which I struggle to survive day by day. My medicine and strength, my JungKook, is enough to make me feel loved, cherished, heard and seen. With every beat of his heart, I rhythmically tap my fingertips on his muscular back.

JungKook chuckles as I continue to do the same movements over and over again, smiling as a cool breeze caresses us, spreading the scent of blooming trees and sneaking it into our souls. Nothing compares to the smell of spring and my boyfriend's!

“ You are my favorite song.” I say, almost whispering into his arms. I lift my smiling face and he shines brightly in the sunlight as he faces the window, and I feel so light, so adored by a man who is nothing more than a giver. A giver of love and protection, a giver of stories and comfort. My savior, my light…

“ My knight!” JungKook looks at me with his warm, smiling face, slightly surprised. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

“ My princess!” JungKook touches my cheek lightly and I feel myself sinking deeper and deeper into his delicate touch that I long for even when he's not with me. Because he's everything I could ever want: my best friend, my lover, my confidant.

JungKook closes the space between our lips, capturing my mouth in a hot and delicious kiss, tasting him of mint and cherries, of spring and sunshine. I have butterflies in my stomach with excitement as if I were on my first date with JungKook. I am happy and ecstatic with all the love he gives me in the midst of our chaotic life, always finding time for me even when his schedule is overloaded.

JungKook places his hand on the back of my neck, deepening the kiss even more, and I grab the collar of his shirt, carefully pressed around his tanned neck, where a small part of the vein tattoo is visible.

JungKook breaks the kiss before we run out of breath and presses his forehead to mine, breathing as heavily as I do. Biting my lower lip, I continue to hold him by the collar of his shirt so he doesn't move away from my body, depriving me of his body heat.

“ He is all I need now and forever!”

Because he is my fantasy!

At eight o'clock sharp, JangMi receives a text message on her phone from an unknown number to meet the person behind the art gallery, where the main office is located. All she has to do is follow the red arrows on the walls to the left, starting from the main entrance of the gallery.

While her mind and soul tell her to trust her senses, she complies with the instructions she receives without question.

Wearing a beautiful yellow dress that falls just above her knees, with her hair falling in waves down her back, she steps confidently inside the art gallery. Her makeup is bright and discreet, and her lavender perfume leaves behind a pleasant and relaxing aroma. Her delicacy is read on her face and in the grace of her movements.

All the while, JongHyun watches her through the surveillance cameras placed near the main entrance, not wasting a moment of his precious time and executing his flawless plan.

At her father's arm, JangMi draws his attention to her by gently squeezing his arm. “ Dad, mom, I have to meet someone. With your permission, I would like to go.”

Her parents exchange glances, and her mother, smiling, urges her to leave. “ Go and do what you have to do. We trust you, don’t we, Dad?!” She looks at her husband, smiling, knowing that she doesn’t need his permission to let their daughter meet the man she loves. Because he’s the only man they trust with their daughter.

After receiving their permission, JangMi heads to the back of the art gallery. The guard guarding the part that connects the front to the back bows his head respectfully, letting her pass.

With her heart pounding in her ears and a multitude of emotions, fears and hopes in her heart torn by the pain of her mistake, she steps timidly down the hallway trying not to make too much noise with her high heels. Her trembling hands clutch her purse tightly, breathing heavily, guilt biting at her heart.

Arriving in front of a glass door, she sees her best friend sitting at his desk, drawing something in his sketchbook with great concentration. Suddenly, her eyes fill with tears that she tries to hold back, knowing she has no right to cry. A small smile appears among the tears that flow down her rosy cheeks, while her thoughts fly to her high school days, when he was so absorbed in his drawings that everything around him became a blur.

“ Just like now!” JangMi whispers, her eyes still fixed on the man she adores with all her heart, but still, stubbornly, childishly, she has hurt him deeply.

Her best friend looks gorgeous in that loose shirt through which she can see his chiseled pecs, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his perfectly styled hair, his lips with balm shining discreetly, make him so charismatic and hot. She can smell his fresh, masculine scent from where she sits. 

JangMi tries to keep all her senses under control by taking deep breaths and counting to ten in her mind. Then she slowly opens the door, savoring the sight of him concentrated behind the desk, biting her lower lip as she silently wipes her tears away.

“ You should have known by now…” JongHyun looks up from the drawing, looking directly at her, as if he knew she was there all along, admiring him and drooling at his sexy looks.

Looking around, she notices the surveillance cameras in front of him. “ Of course he knew, you idiot!”

JongHyun simply remains silent, allowing her to see how coldly he treats her. Well, she deserves it! 

He doesn't show that hurt or frowning look when he sees JangMi, which is a good sign for her. “ For now!” She thinks to herself, unable to open her mouth to speak to him and barely having the courage to look him in the eye.

His chocolate brown eyes are already dark and cold, and any trace of light seems to have disappeared, replaced by something she was afraid to hope for or even think about. Because the only thing that scares her now is losing him forever. 

It's the second time she's seen JongHyun like that, and it really scares her.

“... that I won't stain that beautiful skin of yours.” JongHyun looks at her briefly as he feels her cunt throb with desire, her pulse quickens, a sudden shiver runs down her spine and a strange warmth envelops her body. It seems that her body has decided to enter the arousal stage on its own. And she can't deny the attraction she feels towards him!

Even his voice turns her on! He has that something that arouses her, that she imagines him on top of her naked body, his hungry mouth on hers, while his hands grip her thighs tightly and push her deep into them, leaving marks on her thighs to remind her who possesses her as he gives her the deepest pleasure she's ever felt.

JangMi swallows the lump in her throat, trying her best to stay grounded in the reality around her. If only her best friend knew how much she wants him!

JongHyun stops drawing and puts the sketchbook in a locked drawer in his desk. Then he gets up from the desk and walks around it, leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

“ You know, it's just...!” JangMi speaks from the doorstep of his office without moving from there, expressing a concrete reality. He looks at her angrily, unable to believe how arrogantly she continues to defy him, despite the indifference with which he has treated her all week. As soon as she saw his angry face, the courage in her voice subsided a little, turning into a whisper.

“... a tattoo!” 

JangMi waits for him to say something, but he doesn't. Instead, the tension in the room grows more intense, and she feels it with every beat of her heart. The atmosphere begins to become unbearably hot and she feels her body covered with sweat.

Moreover, JongHyun displays an arrogant smile, full of confidence and charm, staring intensely at her as if she is his prey, analyzing her movements and planning perhaps his next strategy against her.

JangMi lets her gaze fall on his muscular arms and on the white shirt that fits perfectly on his body toned by the hours spent at the gym, observing his defensive position. Then she lowers her gaze to his strong, crossed thighs, revealing an attractive attitude. “ Defensive, but attractive!”

She bit her lower lip, wanting her hands to explore every part of his muscular and strong body, to feel him vibrate under her touch while she listened to his moans and the intense voice begging her to stop teasing him.

She suddenly clears her voice to hide her arousal and the naughty way she's staring at him, and looks anywhere in his office but not at him. She's too ashamed of the image in her head to confront him, so she prefers to keep quiet and stay where she is: on the doorstep!

“ You still don't get it, do you?” When JongHyun finally opens his mouth to say something, his voice is husky and authoritative, and she could listen to him talk all day and not get tired of it. 

He abandons his place and heads towards JangMi, slowly, confidently, continuing to watch her blush under every word he says, whenever he is around her, whenever their eyes meet. And she is certainly not a shy person by any means.

Amused, he crosses the room to where she sits, as her eyes stare at his shadow on the floor and takes a step back. He keeps moving towards her, she keeps backing away until her back hits the wall. 

Without wasting any more time like in the past with his cowardice - to some extent, she was right that day, but his pride was too hurt to acknowledge her, so he preferred to punish her for reproaching her for a truth he could not accept it - his hands pins her against the wall, covering her body possessively.

Instantly, JangMi feels trapped like a helpless mouse awaiting her end, no matter what it is. She looks at one of his arms, bare to the elbow, and bites her bottom lip, her mouth watering at the sight of his exposed skin, at the smell of his skin that excites her, wanting to run her tongue over each of his muscles - starting from his neck to his erect nipples - which are perfectly visible through his white shirt - and even lower than that.

The heat emanating from his body hits her already hot skin violently. She wets her lips with her tongue as he lifts her chin to force her to look him in the eye.

“ I'm not going to taint this beautiful skin of yours!” JongHyun emphasizes each word with a look she's never seen before: lust! So intense, so thrilling, it makes her body shudder.

JangMi bites her bottom lip, anticipating his touch, which she craves so much that she can barely breathe properly, without losing focus with thoughts and heart full of him. But he doesn't touch her the way she hopes, and even though this hurts her so much, she continues to show herself strong, defiant, unaffected by his little actions.

She looks at his full, tempting lips and wants to have courage to devour them as she devoures a juicy peach in the middle of the summer, feeling the sweetness that envelops her senses, satisfying her lust.

“ Why?!” With her heart visibly pounding in her chest, it's all she can ask for, looking into his eyes, aware of the intimate effect of him being so close to her. More than anything, she wants to feel the thrill of his touch, of his kisses, while his charms chain her to him for eternity. And even an eternity would not be enough for her to worship him as her one and only religion.

Instead of answering, he grins!

He grins at her slyly as if he knows what kind of effect he has on her and yet he doesn't care. Her legs are shaking, yet she tries her best to stay steady, so as not to make a fool of herself.

While her mind imagines a thousand scenarios in which she would throw herself into his arms like a shameless woman, ignoring all common sense, he plays with her mind.

Instead, he lowers his hands only to place them on her hips, taking her by surprise, holding her still. JangMi's eyes widen in astonishment and she freezes. Finally, unexpectedly, she receives the touch she desperately craves.

He caresses her neck with his nose, inhaling her scent, and stops when he feels her rapid pulse and shallow breathing. He smiles against her lips, sucking on the sensitive spot where her pulse throbbed, making her moan and leaving her a love bite there. 

JangMi bit her bottom lip, not wanting to ruin the moment, and she clenched her fists. He never liked being touched unless it was absolutely necessary. She never knew why he didn't like girls touching him, but she had decided a long time ago not to press the subject. So she chose to respect that boundary.

 “ Your skin is much more beautiful without the ink!” JongHyun suddenly whispers seductively in her ear. As if all his gestures earlier weren't seductive and sexy enough! So she tries to control herself, letting him continue seducing her, not knowing that he had already seduced her many times before.

He withdraws a little back, but does not completely detach his body from hers, unable to deprive himself completely of the warmth and fragrance of her body. He gently brushes his left cheek with his fingers looking at him with all the adoration in his soul, because it is his most precious treasure. And he gets lost in his dark eyes, still feeling the ghost of his lips against her.

 “ Enjoy the opening, choose any painting you want, and go home, JangMi.”

 “ Why?”

 “ Again with the whys!” JongHyun sighs exhausted to keep resonating with her again and again, to explain why over and over again as if she is a little child who does not understand why nothing is done to her liking. It seems she really knows how to pick the wrong battles! “ I told you already. Taking it out will be bloody painful. Much more painful than a scraped knee. You're not made for this kind of pain, baby!”

He completely distances himself from her, wanting to go back to work that absorbs him for hours, thus forgetting about her and her childish request. Because she certainly has no idea what she's getting herself into!

He needs some time alone in silence to gather his thoughts, emotions and feelings together. Thus, he will not be able to gather the courage to court her as she deserves.

JangMi frowns, knowing how desperately she wants him inches away from her, his hand on her burning where he touched her earlier. Damn it! She can still feel his hands on her hips, pinning her to the wall, his lips on her neck, making her lose her mind with desire.  

So she grabs his arm, almost digging her nails into his skin, and turns him around to see how angry she is. For a moment, silently, he looks at her hand and then at her face as she stands there staring at him, ignoring his most important rule: not to be touched without his permission!

 “ I don't care! I want it!”

At the hearing of her words, anger appears on JongHyun's face again and he seems to hold back whatever struggle he's fighting inside him so as not to hurt the girl in front of him who won't give up her desire even if it means breaking his heart. She continues to hurt his feelings with her careless words and she seems to not even care about it.

Instead, JangMi watches his eyes turn into the darkest shade of black she has ever seen,  letting her understand that he can burst nervous at any moment if she forces things. And since he knows her well, instead of withdrawing, she forces harder and harder, he gently grabs her wrist, making sure that his grip does not hurt her and pulls her hand away.

 “ It will make your skin ugly!”

His calm voice hides the fury that boils close to the surface, and which he has tried hard to suppress it since her first uncontrolled and careless outburst in his tattoo studio. Even earlier, he tried to be calm and understanding with her.

She stands in front of him with a blank mind, looking at him, who turns his back on her and goes back his the office.

Leaning forward, he presses his palm onto the desk surface for support. In an attempt to calm his anger and arousal, he inspires for four seconds, hold for four seconds and then exhale for four seconds, holding empty for another four seconds. But aware of her presence there, he doesn't know if he'll be able to calm down.

She watches the muscles under his shirt flex deliciously as he bends forward, his palms resting on the desk, at which point she squeezes her thighs together and wets her lips with her tongue.

And she wants nothing more than to be held by him as gently as he holds the pencil in his hand when drawing, to be adored and spoiled as a princess, to be regarded with such grace and admiration in the same way that he looks at his own paintings, not to be able to breathe without her just as she cannot breathe without him.

 “ I long to be loved by him !” But her desire lies helpless in a corner of her soul waiting to be awakened by the passion of his love.

She stretches out her hand to touch his muscular back, but as soon as she notices that he is turning around facing her, she quickly lowers her hand down. Finally, he lets her see his eyes filled with emotion and lust, with an intensity that causes the room to fall into absolute silence, making her feel slightly uncomfortable and vulnerable at the same time.

 “ I see you!” JongHyun speaks with a chocked voice, clearly struggling with his own emotions. “ I saw you back then and I see you now too!” His sudden statement sounds like a confession to her ears, and she is more than shocked and glad to hear it. This is her long-awaited moment!  “ Finally!” 

He approaches her, slowly, calmly, keeping his eyes on her. “ I see you every time.” He gives up shyness and fear of destroying their six-year friendship, confessing his raw feelings, letting himself be guided by her intuition and behavior towards him. He continues to speak while she listens to him in shock, her heart fluttering with happiness and ecstasy. She swallows every word of his that nourishes her heart hungry for love. “ You don't have to tattoo your skin so I can like you.” She bites her bottom lip, tears in her eyes, despite the fact that she doesn't know what to say or how to react. She is a mess of feelings that words cannot express it at this moment.“ I can draw your skin without ink.” He runs gently the back of his hand down JangMi's arm keep whispering against her lips, as she tries to swallow every word from his lips.

His drops his gaze to her plump, reddish lips. “ I can mark you without tattooing your skin!” Lightly touching the love bite that is starting to show, feeling proud of his work of art. He kissed her neck, drawing a few moans from her hot mouth, running his fingertips along the front of her thighs. 

She doesn't stop him!

She can't stop him!

She doesn't want to stop him!

Intoxicated by his scent, by the euphoric states he gives her, by the heat of his body, the way his muscles flex under his white shirt, everything about him is so alluring and delicious. So how can she stop him?

Her heart beats nervously and joyfully in her chest, her pulse makes her dizzy, and she feels more anxious, fearful, and hopeful than ever. Obviously he's playing a dangerous game for her poor heart!

Her skin becomes very sensitive even to Jonghyun's lightest touch, her body temperature changes again and she feels like she's on fire. Her fingers burn to touch him but she holds back so as not to ruin the moment. Being the selfish person that she is, Jang Mi greedily feeds off all the touches and kisses he offers her, not caring if it will change anything in their relationship that had been put on hold because of her mistakes.

JongHyun's hand slowly slid between her hot thighs, moving slowly towards her cunt, his hand running over it, enough to draw her shameless moans with pleasure. “ Do you really want me that bad, baby?” He caresses the tip of his nose against her neck, inhaling the subtle scent of her perfume, at the same time making her shake with arousal.

But JongHyun suddenly stops, withdrawing his hand between her legs, grabbing her hips again, pulling her close to him and burying his face in the crook of her neck. JangMi feels confused, empty, because of his sudden change in attitude, but in the end it seems so right, so good, to be seen and felt by him!

 “ You hurt me!” JongHyun tells her, letting his tears fall onto her hot and still tender skin.

 “ I'm sorry!” JangMi whispers for him to hear, closing her eyes as tears stream down her flushed face. She still doesn't dare to hug him. 

 “ I never knew how ruthless you could be.”  

JangMi hears the pain in his voice and remembers every word she said to him back then in his tattoo studio. The guilt of her mistakes continued to weigh heavily on her conscience, but she had to endure the consequences of it and everything he had to say now.

 “ For me, you were my only safe haven.” JongHyun continues to speak softly as if the pain is draining all his energy, reducing his breathing to a whisper. He slowly moves away from her, wiping her cheeks still wet with tears, and looks tenderly into her eyes, seeing her as someone divine, as a precious gem.

He slowly moves away from her, wiping her cheeks still wet with tears, and looks tenderly into her eyes, seeing her as someone divine, as a precious gem, but with an eternal passion burning for her. His heart beats in his chest with a love not yet shared, with hopes and dreams not yet fulfilled. He looks at her in her eyes green eyes of a raw emerald.

 “ You are the piece of the puzzle that fits my soul, and there is no other like you.” JongHyun holds JangMi's face in his hands, and his subtle smile softens the sadness in her eyes.

 “I wanted to hate you for those words, for the way you acted, but I couldn’t. I wanted to end our friendship and my feelings for you, but I couldn't, baby.” A tear falls from JangMi's eyes, and he consoles her kissing her tears away, feeling the salty-bitter tears of his best friend on his lips.

JongHyun smiles bitterly at her as he sees everything through her: the pain, the torment, and the guilt! Seals of sadness darken her once serene and smiling face, full of color and happiness.

If she hadn't behaved like a bitch, maybe he wouldn't have had the courage to confess everything he feels for her now. Partly, he is just as guilty as she is!

 “ It seems I really am a coward!” A quiet, amused laugh appears on JongHyun's face, making her flinch with guilt at his self-irony.

 “ JongHyun-ah...”

 “Shh!” JongHyun shushes her, keeping an amused smile on his face, trying to ease her guilt and pain her own choice caused her. “ You were right, my love!” He kisses both of her hands, inhaling the lavender scent of her skin. “ My reason was blind and did not want to acknowledge the truth. And I blamed you because I was stubborn to admit that you were right. But JangMi...” He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before speaking.  “... defying me was a mistake!” JangMi widens her eyes as he grabs the back of her neck and pulls her towards him. Shocked, she notices how he quickly goes from pain to smile as if he's wearing an invisible mask on his face, triggering arousal,attraction and panic within her.

JongHyun presses his lips hard against hers, making her moan. She clings to his neck, touching the back of his neck, afraid that this might just be her imagination. She's dreamed of this kiss since tenth grade, and now that it's happening, she's afraid it might just be a sweet illusion created by her dreamy mind. After all, it's not the first time she's daydreaming!

Their lips parted, allowing their tongues to enter each other's mouths, while she struggled to keep her hands from wandering over his hot, muscular body. His hands remain on her hips as the kiss becomes even more heated, and hungrier, their tongues are each other's weakness. They both moan into each other's mouths, the sexual tension between them so undeniable they can almost taste it.

Their kiss becomes more insistent, more passionate, more real, as she presses her body against his to feel him. His warmth envelops her, and she abandons herself completely in his arms, ignoring her reason. Years of waiting had ended in a split second, her lust for his tempting mouth is not even half satisfied, but even so, she still feels like her mind is playing tricks on her. Tears stream down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes as he kisses her passionately, as if only her kiss is keeping him alive now.

Their bodies pressed together, the heat consuming them, increasing their appetite for each other. For both of them, it's not the first kiss they've had with different partners, but the kiss they share now is different from what they've had before. Because now this isn't a simple kiss devoid of emotion and feelings, but a kiss full of firm and unshakable promises that will change everything.

JongHyun deepens the kiss, she tilts her head, their tongues swirling around each other, dancing to such a familiar rhythm, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, making him slightly dizzy. He steps forward, pushing her against the wall, moaning into each other's mouths as the world seems to blur around them and time seems to stand still.

The two of them almost lose their breath when their lips pulls apart and he rests his forehead against hers. The new couple, madly in love, can't stop smiling at each other in the silence that surrounds them, experiencing so many intense new feelings. 

They gasp for air, their hearts pounding. All they need right now is to heal both spiritually and emotionally, making love and desiring each other passionately, as if there is no tomorrow.

Finally, JangMi stops pushing him to the limits, giving up on her crazy idea of ​​permanently tattooing her smooth, perfect skin for now. 

Finally, JongHyun gave free rein to his feelings that he tried so hard to keep under control, suppressing them, for fear of ruining everything they had built in six years of friendship. After all, it wasn't that hard to overcome his cowardice!

JongHyun tenderly kisses her forehead as she happily accepts all his affection. 

“ We...” JangMi stops talking, searching his eyes for a sign of regret or anything that would tell her that all the affection and passionate kiss of the last few minutes was just a figment of her mind. But she finds absolutely nothing! “... we will still be friends?” The worry in her voice seems more like an unspoken fear, a doubt that covers any trace of certainty in her heart, leaving shadows across her face. 

If doubt had a voice, it would resonate louder than the silence around them!

JongHyun nods, smiling at her, to assure her that everything they feel, everything they experience at this moment, is as real as their presence here. He pecks her lips softly and places her head on her chest, hugging her gently. “ We still be friends, but we will belong to each other.” 

It is all she needed to hear to hold him strong in her arms as her heart bursts with joy. Hidden in his muscular arms, JangMi speaks in a whispered but hesitant voice. “ I saw you using it on one of your female clients.” JangMi hugs him tightly as he kisses the top of her head. 

“ Are you sure?” She nods, her face still buried in his muscular chest. She's too embarrassed to look him in the eye because she knows what she saw that day. Hell, she's actually pretty sure of it!  So sure that she could contradict him at any moment, but for the good of their relationship, to save what's left of it, she chooses to remain silent!

JongHyun chuckles to himself while he gently pushes her away from him. JangMi doesn't dare to look him in the eye and just continues to stare at his chest. Without thinking too much, JongHyun starts unbuttoning his shirt one by one, with a courage that even he doesn't know where it comes from. But all he has in mind is to prove her wrong about that tattoo.

When he finishes undoing the last button on his shirt, he grabs her chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting her face to where he's pointing. “ Are you referring to this tattoo?”

The shocked expression on her face is a delight to him. The sly smirk at the corner of his mouth makes it more than obvious that the effect he has on her will not pass so easily. JangMi's already rosy face turns completely red, leaving her speechless. Her eyes as big as an onion look directly at the tattoo she had possessed that day. 

The tattoo is there imprinted on his skin like a mark, symbolizing a silent, secret love that she never knew about, and yet, her impulsiveness and stubbornness destroyed everything. 

She traces at the tattoo on his chest, admiring the intricate design that hid a scar underneath, making it even more stunning. How he could endure such pain was beyond her ability to understand. But getting a tattoo over that scar certainly wasn't easy. 

So, Jangmi feels overwhelmed by a multitude of feelings that she doesn't know how to express. In addition to shock, joy and sadness strike her heart mercilessly, like a punishment and a relief at the same time. The pain in her chest is unbearable, making her cry, no matter how hard she tries not to.

“ Shh!” JongHyun calms her down by wiping the tears from her cheeks, but in vain. Her eyes continue to shed tears!

“ I... thought... you... used it!” JangMi speaks through tears and sobs with a heart full of pain and guilt. “ I... saw... you... using... it!” She can no longer hold back her pain and suffering, knowing how much injustice and suffering she has offered him in return, without even knowing the truth. She was really ruthless with him on a meaningless whim! 

JangMi dares to run his fingers over the tattoo on his chest, while his heart beats wildly. An overwhelming feeling of euphoria and deep attachment fills him with a burning, passionate, lavender-scented love. All his lust transforms into a love where he can breathe easy knowing that he is there to be her ally, partner, lover, and most precious confidant.

He holds her tightly in his arms, seeing her torn by her own guilt, his heart softening. If she had talked to him before he behaved so irrationally, she wouldn't be crying so hard from the bottom of her heart today. His heart breaks even harder seeing her like this, but all he can do is hold her in his arms until she calms down.

The past cannot be turned back and repaired. But even so, her choice would certainly have been the same.

On the other hand, the harder and more affectionately JangMi hugs her, the more she cries. “ Finally he lets me touch him!” The pain in his eyes that day was the worst punishment she could have received. Not being able to see him, talk to him, be close to him tortured her more than anything else. Or maybe it was the guilt itself that had tortured her all this time!

“ Shh! It's alright, baby! Shh!”

“ I'm so sorry!”

“ Shh! It's okay!”

“ I hurt you!”

JangMi continues to speak through sobs, aware that she doesn't deserve a man like him. Instead of her worshipping the ground he walks on, she insulted and hurt him as if he were a nobody who must submit to her wishes. While he did nothing more than pamper her, protect her, and offer her affection and understanding even when she was moody.

“ You did!” JongHyun says bluntly considering her unacceptable behavior that day. “ But that doesn't make me love you any less.” She stops crying and looks up at him, stunned by his confession. That's right, her behavior was unacceptable, but now she doesn't deserve his affection, his understanding, and most of all, his love.

“ Why?”

“ Mmm!”

“ Why did you forgive me now?”

“ Actually, I forgave you many days ago.” JongHyun whispers to her as he wipes away the tears from her cheeks and eyes, kissing her lightly on the forehead. “ But you need to learn to stop acting like that with me or anyone else.” The blush on her cheeks shines more intensely with every word he says, with every tender touch he gives her, with every affectionate look he gives her. “ You must feel the fear of losing those around you due to an inappropriate impulse, rude behavior, or arrogant reasoning.”

JangMi pulls back a little and grabs his hands. Finally, she feels alive touching him, feeling his skin pressed against hers. The guilt was no longer as strong and she could breathe a sigh of relief that she hadn't lost him. All those scenarios she had concocted in her mind over the past week, that she had tortured herself with, now seemed like a nightmare.

“ JangMi, I may have been a coward in the past, but it wasn't because I didn't love you, it was because I wanted something better for you. There are a lot of men out there around us who are much more suitable than me, with more potential than me.”

She shakes her head, dissatisfied with his words and the decision he made for her a long time ago. “ Nonsense! You're talking nonsense, JongHyun ah! There is no one more suitable than you.”

“ JangMi, let's face it! I am not a suitable match.”

JangMi steps back a little, letting go of his hands. The change in her tone clearly shows anger and indignation. And she certainly doesn't give up before she fights. “ What the hell are you talking about?”  

JongHyun looks at her calmly, with a serene look, feeling the rage emanating from her as hot as she is a volcano ready to erupt. He doesn't move out of her way, she doesn't move from where she is, they just look at each other: he calm, she with flames in her eyes.

“ I'm just saying...” JongHyun pauses assessing her anger before continuing to talk. Slightly amused, he puts his hands in his pants pockets, continuing to stare at her. “.. you are cute when you get angry!” He gives her a radiant smile and sparkling eyes, making her frown and bite her lower lip slightly irritated. It seems like he's going to tease her and twist the knife even deeper into the wound, as if her guilt isn't enough.

“ JangMi...” JongHyun takes a step closer to her and gently caresses her cheek,and she closes her eyes, enjoying his affectionate gesture. “...I'll always be here, no matter what. Always!”

And so JongHyun promises her the eternity she longs for with him, and maybe, in time, the guilt of hurting him will disappear.

JangMi opens her eyes, already wet with tears, and throws herself into his arms, feeling a desperate need to touch him, to feel him, to smell him. Hiding her face in his chest, she feels him embrace her. “ Always?!”

Four days have passed since the unfortunate incident she created, and he still hasn't looked for her at all. And her hopes are starting to crumble at the bottom of her soul with each passing day. She feels burdened with guilt after betraying her oath and the trust of her best friend.

There's nothing makeup can't fix. “ If it could heal broken hearts, that would be great! ”

She hadn't been able to sleep well in all this time, and it showed every morning: her tired, pale face and the dark circles under her eyes. Even her appetite had been negatively affected, worrying her parents, who seemed to respect her boundaries without meddling in her affairs.

“ I received three tickets to an art gallery yesterday through a delivery person...” Her father pauses, waiting to see his daughter's reaction to the news. As expected, she doesn't sketch any gestures. He exchanges glances with his wife, who sighs, visibly affected by their daughter's emotional state, but doesn't dare say anything for fear of provoking another crying fit. It's enough that for the last three nights he's heard her crying herself to sleep. Taking a sip of his warm coffee, her father continues his one-sided conversation.

“... along with a bouquet of roses.”  After finishing what she has to say, his daughter immediately turns her gaze to her father who is sitting at the head of the table. As he had suspected, the two argued.

“ Art gallery?!” She asks in amazement, not knowing anyone who owns an art gallery. 

“ Mmm!” 

“ Do we know... someone who owns an art gallery? Or is it a friend of yours, Dad?” JangMi continues to ask curious questions to her father, who is already smiling so much that his eyes are full of light and blessing.

“ No, we don't know anyone.”

“ Oh!”

The father looks at his daughter, amused by the fact that she still hasn't realized, nor asked anything about that bouquet of roses. Either she's really obtuse, or the lack of sleep is really taking its toll. He looked back at his dear wife with the smile still on his face. “ Should we go, honey?”

“ Of course we should go! Why not? If we still have the tickets, why not take advantage? You never know when we'll have the chance again!” JangMi answers in her mother's place. After all, she can't punish her parents from not going just because she suffers from her own stupid actions. And besides, tickets to an art gallery were always very expensive, and she had always wanted to visit one. Sincer it's her birthday this weekend, these popped up just in time!

“ Are you sure, love?!” Her mother asks, reserved and a little fearful, given their daughter's delicate condition.

“ Of course! It's the best gift ever!” JangMi smiles, reassuring her parents.

“ Then, honey, you should go buy new dresses. We're going out this weekend!”

Her father states in a cheerful tone, reflecting a youthful spirit full of hope despite his age. Looking at his dear wife with contagious enthusiasm and energy, he rises from the table and kisses her on the corner of the mouth, then kisses his daughter's temple. His daughter returns the gesture with a wide, bright smile, and this is the only energizer he needs and the only miracle - besides his dear wife - that is worth all the effort and suffering.

“ It's time for me to go to work!” Her mother nods, getting up from the table to lead her husband to the door. All the while, JangMi had barely taken a few bites from her plate.

“ I'll come a little later too!” She hears her mother informing her father that she will be changing his work schedule a little, because of her. Jangmi sighs and gets up from the table, taking her plate to the kitchen. The idea of ​​going out for the weekend is scary but exciting at the same time. It's been too long since they've spent any free time as a family. While she's clearing the table, her mother appears in the doorway with a worried expression on her face.

“ Leave those on the table. I'll clean them up! You should rest more.” She gently removes JangMi's gloves and slowly pushes her towards her room, while she remembers the bouquet of roses her father mentioned at the table a little earlier. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots the bouquet of roses, and tears begin to moisten her eyes. She quickly wipes her eyes with her hand before her mother sees and panics again.

“ Ma...” JangMi stops, looking into her mother's eyes. “... can you not go to work today?” Her mother looks at her in surprise, since her daughter has never made such requests in the past. “ Let's go dress shopping today!”

Her mother relaxes a little at her words, and with a gentle voice replies, “After you rest a little longer, we'll go!”

“ Mm!” Jangmi enters her room, closing the door behind her, and waits for her mother's footsteps to move away.

As soon as she's sure her mother can't hear her anymore, she collapses to the ground, leaning her back against the door, painful tears streaming down her cheeks. 

She takes her phone out of her pocket and unlocks the screen, rereading his messages she received last night.

In a world where I struggle to fit in, to survive, you are my only refuge. But when my refuge turned against me, it was the saddest day of my life. You shattered my heart!

When my heart slowly began to heal, with time and help, and I felt at peace with myself, you destroyed years of therapy with a single act of carelessness.

The height of your rudeness was the arrogance with which you defied and humiliated me.

Tell me, baby, how should I forgive you?

JongHyun's words seem like salt sprinkled on an open wound meant to psychologically and emotionally torture to the point of agony. Tears fall again and she feels lost, empty and scared in a world where he was her light and warmth. She tore his heart, she tore her own heart and destroyed everything she had worked hard to build in the six years she had known him. She staked everything on a whim, on a momentary jealousy and she lost!

Tell me, baby, how should I forgive you?

JangMi reads his last message over and over again, and each time the word "baby" makes her heart skip a beat and sparks her desire and passion for him. She feels that sexual tension again that she shouldn't, and she longs for intimacy with him, in whatever form it may take. 

At this moment, sleep no longer seemed like the perfect option to escape the terrifying reality she had plunged herself into. Because the dreams in which she loses him seem so real that she wakes up every time with immense fear in her stomach and tears on her cheeks.

The pain and guilt haunt her even there! 

Burdened with guilt after hurting JongHyun so badly, JangMi feels the weight of it hanging heavy on her conscience. She is tormented, consumed by regret and pain. She leaves his tattoo studio feeling miserable, not knowing if he will ever see her the same again.

“ Stupid me!”  She walks down the street lost in her thoughts while tears flow continuously down her face. Finally she could shed the tears she had been holding back in front of him!

The moment she barged into his tattoo parlor uninvited, she thought it would be easy to get that rose tattoo she wanted so badly. 

“ That rose!” 

However, she never thought for a moment that he would send her away without a second thought, refusing her request as if she had asked him to burn her alive at the stake. This thought made her shiver with cold and fear. “ Why should you be afraid, idiot?”  She continues to argue with herself in her mind. “ You did a wonderful job!”  After all those years of therapy, when Jonghyun finally felt at peace with himself, she destroyed him with a simple snap of her fingers. The bridge between them is not burned, but wrecked. 

She checks her phone, but in vain. His anger doesn't pass so quickly and easily. 

At first, she didn't see the pain in his eyes that her words caused him, while he silently accepted everything. But then, when he looked into her eyes with his own tearful eyes, it was as if something inside her broke. Was it her heart? Or her courage?

But how can the stupidity she did be called courage?

The memory of the moments spent in his company comes back to her mind over and over again, as if she has a broken tape instead of a head. 

Now that she thinks about it, she's actually made a few mistakes here and there, and he's always been quick to forgive her in one way or another. But this time...

“ This time is different!”  This time she made such a big mistake that even if she admitted it, he still wouldn't forgive her.

Lost in thought, she doesn't even notice the umbrella sheltering her from the scorching sun, nor the person trying to keep up with her by calling her name, nor the fact that she's about to cross the intersection on a red light.

“ What the hell, JangMi, are you trying to kill yourself?!” Frozen and shocked, she raises her tearful eyes as her mother's angry glare suddenly changes to one of panic and fear. She checks JangMi's body for any sign of injury and with panic on her face she cups her daughter's face in her hands. “ JangMi, what happened? Where does it hurt?! Huh?! Say something!” Her mother's chocolate eyes, filled with unshed tears, just like his own, make her scream in pain. As soon as she touches her mother's chest, all the accumulated pain and grief dissolves into tears, and her tiny shoulders begin to shake as she sobs like a child. 

Her mother continues to comfort her by murmuring “ Shhh” and “ It's okay!” , still scared by JanMi's strange behavior. This is the first time she has seen her like this since she was born. Her ray of sunshine, the wonder of her life, cries from the bottom of her heart and she doesn't know what to do. She feels helpless and slightly overwhelmed by the current situation.

“ Oh, my baby!”

“ Mommy...” she continues to cry against her mother's chest, venting all the guilt and pain from her soul.

“ Shh! It’ll be okay!” She gently rocks her daughter, trying to calm her down, as the people on the street watch, whispering and gossiping. Not that her mother cares about that, or JangMi!

“ How am I going to fix this?! How?!”

“ With patience, baby! With patience!”

“ Mommy...” She cries continuously, even though she's a big girl who can handle herself. But right now, she still needs her mom and her warm hug with a motherly scent!

Even for a little while, she wants to forget about the mistake she made, the pain Jonghyun caused her, the way she chose to ruin and stain everything beautiful with her cursed, dirty touch. Her mistake hangs heavy on her conscience, the guilt hangs heavy, the pain hangs heavy.... everything hangs heavy, and she feels caught between regret and the heartbreaking love.

Since she broke her promise, she has become a traitor to her oaths, just out of a mad impulse, out of a pointless, sick jealousy.

“ Let’s go home, honey?” Her mother’s voice and tender gaze make her nod and agree with her. Her eyes, red and swollen, are starting to sting from crying, and yet it seems like they still have many tears to shed.

“ Still, that tattoo...” She thinks bitterly about the beautiful and intriguing tattoo design she first saw drawn on his sketchbook.

The pencil sketch of the inverted crescent moon, with mesmerizing celestial elements and gothic roses hanging from it like a dream catcher, brought the drawing to life, pulsing with raw elegance and passion, with darkness and light, desire and lust.

In an instant, she felt a level of arousal she had never felt before, looking at a drawing. It was a strange feeling that fueled a possessiveness she didn’t know she had inside her. She felt an intense lust she had never felt before.

With each detail of the pencil sketch, she struggled to keep all these new feelings under control. Her breathing became faster and shallower, and without realizing it, she began to gently caress her neck. Suddenly, the classroom had become much too warm for her taste, and her face and neck flushed. She felt a strange warmth in her lower abdomen.

For some unknown reason, she felt drawn to that drawing as if she were one with it

“ It’s mine!” She whispered thoughtfully, caressing the drawing with her index finger, fascinated by it as if she were bewitched.

Every time she closes her eyes and sees that drawing in her mind, she relives the same feelings as that day. Or maybe it's just the fact that the drawing was created by JongHyun, and that continues to intensify and awaken his feelings of arousal and possessiveness even more.

“ It's interesting how the mind works!” She thinks to herself and checks her phone again, waiting for him to give her a sign. JangMi feels her head throbbing with pain while her heart sighs with pain. She feels pitiful even though she has no right!

On the other hand, for JangMi, the art of tattooing has always been something magical, something beyond her pathetic abilities - to the extent that she has never had any talent or any special ability in anything - because only magical tools could create such wonderful art as his. Seeing that this kind of craftsmanship was indecipherable to someone ordinary like her - much more indecipherable than the algebra equations that she solves even with her eyes closed - Park JangMi - a delicate but stinging girl, like her name - is more than excited to experience this new thing for her. Is she afraid?! Yes! After all, she hates any kind of pain, but he is the only one she trusts completely, even with her life.

But for now, she has to overcome her fear if she wants to do what she has been planning for a long time.

A plan she meticulously disguised as a petty desire to permanently imprint something on her skin, at the risk of never taking it off. She is so stubborn that her rationality has completely disappeared. 

“ Why did you stop touching me?”

Her second unexpected outburst leaves Jonghyun speechless. He really didn't expect her to notice this gesture on his part, as insignificant as he considered it.

Both with feelings and emotional turmoil that are hard to bear, but with serious faces and frowning foreheads.

The first time Jonghyun had touched her was on that stormy night, when they had gotten lost in the forest due to her stubbornness to explore it, while ignoring his rationality. Even now she could taste the burning earth and the fresh air on the tip of her tongue, as if she had tasted them, the cold, damp wind blowing relentlessly, while his warm touch sent a shock of heat and electricity through her frozen, frightened body to calm her. The thunder that echoed around them and the lightning that splashed from the dark dome of the sky gave strange shapes to the trees and bushes in the forest, making her think of a horror movie she hated with all her heart.

“ Oh, God, how I hate horror movies!” JangMi muttered in a whisper, hoping that JongHyun won't hear her complaining now, in the middle of this catastrophe, about her fears when she chose to venture here, in the middle of the night, to see the fireflies. For a while, she followed his steps as he held her wrist with his strong grip, trying to find a way out of the winding paths of the forest, which seemed eager to keep them captive there. Looking at his back, with her hand in his grip, JangMi was more than blessed to have the boy who seemed to be afraid of nothing right next to her. Only then did she realize that only he could calm her agitated and frightened being, but that night, he shook her heart more than usual. She put her hands over her heart and wondered if this was what love really felt like.

Then JongHyun stopped suddenly, looking at JangMi over his shoulder to make sure she was okay, considering they had ventured into the woods in such weather. And he really couldn't blame her when he also agreed with her madness.

“ Are you okay?!” JangMi could no longer speak because fear and the new feeling were intertwined in her heart. So she could only nod her head in approval.

Thinking back to that night, who could have done the task better than him, her best friend and secret love, Choi JongHyun, the silent and reserved boy?!

Then her mind goes back to the day she learned that his most precious secret was a talent that could have brought him a decent living, far from his controlling mother. Even if it meant being away from her. At least it would have been worth it!

But what she doesn't know is that all the advice she gave him about his drawings, he took them seriously and kept them in his heart to warm him on cold evenings, on days full of despair and hopelessness, in the moments when his mother looked down on him mocking his talent. In all these years, she was his only refuge and the only person who understood him above all else. The only validation he would ever need is hers, the only admiration he needs is hers, the only muse he needs is precisely her.

It was a cool spring morning, and JongHyun felt exhausted and demoralized. The fight with his mother the night before had sapped all his energy, and all he could do was scribble in his sketchbook. JangMi still hadn't come to class, and the teacher was late. The commotion in the classroom was getting more and more exhausting, and the only place where he could take refuge, ignoring everything, was the world of his drawings.

“ Dude, this is beyond me to understand how the hell your hands could draw such beautiful drawings?!” Her sudden outburst snapped Jonghyun out of the trance he had been in while drawing. She set her backpack down on the floor and took his sketchbook with his permission, admiring her with wide eyes and a broad smile on his face. His talent for drawing filled her with awe and admiration.

“ Wow!” JangMi exclaimed as she carefully flipped through the pages of her sketchbook, admiring each drawing. The sketchbook was filled with colorful landscapes, human faces and paintings, imaginary creatures, and elaborate designs that resembled tribal signs. Without taking her eyes off the drawings, the girl opens her mouth to speak nonchalantly, without holding back, whatever was on her mind, as she usually did.

“ I wonder what else your hands are good for?!” she asked a rhetorical question with a sly grin on her face, while her eyes shine like the eyes of a demon ready to tempt his new victim into his games. Aware of her naughty ideas, JongHyun hit her slightly over her forehead, receiving a frown from the girl in return.

JangMi rubbed the spot where her boy friend just slapped her lightly and bit her bottom lip, irritated that she was caught, while he turned his head to the window, looking at the clear blue sky, trying not to smile. She was definitely his bandage, the reason he had started to like coming to school.

Silently looking at his face, JangMi smiled slightly, placed the sketchbook on the desk and run her scattered fingertips over over the drawing of a georgeous rose, admiring its beauty and simplicity. “It’s mine!” she whispered thoughtfully, caressing the drawing with her index finger, fascinated by it as if she were bewitched, but at the same time unaware that Jonghyun had heard her.

The moment JongHyun turned his face towards her and smileed slightly, brushing her hair aside, he began to notice her impeccable porcelain face, the way her dreamy eyes looked at the drawing of the rose, biting her lower lip. Something inside him began to soften and a gentle warmth filled his heart as he continued to gaze at her face filled with serene and pure happiness. His heart skipped a bit!

“ And you are mine!” JongHyun said to himself, charmed by her simple, yet valuable and sincere gestures.

It was a banal drawing, but to her it seemed like the most beautiful work of art, a mastery that could not be copied so easily, a skill that could not be matched. And to him that meant more than she could imagine.

“ What would you like to become in the future?” JangMi's sudden outburst snapped him out of his thoughts and brought his attention back to her. Without thinking, she closed the cover of the sketchbook and handed it back to him.

“ I don’t know!” JongHyun's short answer and his lack of words - because he often used so few words to express himself or just to have a conversation with her that at those moments it frustrated her enormously - made JangMi frown, her eyes still on him.

“ I haven't thought about it yet!” He replied as he put his sketchbook back in his backpack.

Pondering briefly on his short answer, the girl relaxes her tense muscles, trying to read his thoughts - a problem more difficult than arithmetic itself! - but failing miserably.

JangMi nodded, dropping the sensitive subject - for the time being - and grabbed his left wrist as he stood up from his chair. The young boy was taken aback, his eyes glanced back and forth between her face and his hand a few times.

“ Let’s go to art class together!” She told her new friend with a smile on her face. He sighed! She continued to smile, while the shock was visible on his face. She had no idea about everything that was happening in his life, but still, in silence, she had accepted his introverted personality without getting too involved in his private life. She had accepted his limits and tried her best not to exceed them.

Without thinking too much, he grabbed her hand, sketching a smile barely visible to the others, but visible enough to her, leading them both out of the classroom towards new beginnings.

Days passed by, and seasons passed by, JongHyun continued to think about what worried him the most, but he didn’t let anyone see what was bothering him. He didn’t like it when people around him poked their noses into his problems. He was aware that his greatest passion was his weakness, drawing, and his dreams were shattered before he could even fulfill them.

He felt trapped in his mother’s web; in his imagination, she was the Black Widow Spider, while he was just a simple insignificant prey that she constantly fed on.

“ You know, you shouldn’t show these drawings to anyone.” Her abrupt statement caught his attention as he left the high school. JongHyun stopped suddenly, looking thoughtfully at her back that was slowly moving away from him.

“ Why made you think that?” JongHyun asked her loudly enough to stop her in her tracks. She turned to face him.

Approaching him, she looked at him and calmly stated: “ Because there are a lot of people who could steal your beautiful masterpieces, man! And, believe me, if you want to open a tattoo parlor later, when you're of legal age, you're going to need those designs.”

“ I never said I wanted to open a tattoo parlor. It never even crossed my mind!” JongHyun felt slightly offended by JangMi's statement, and the slightly irritated tone of his voice made her understand that she had just crossed the line he had set. Instead, she rolled her eyes and frowned at him. 

He didn't let her say anything else, and angrily walked past her, leaving her behind.“ How dare she?!” The boy was even more furious that she dared to think of such idiocy, to hope in his place, while she knew very well that he was just a tool of his mother to climb even higher in the social class, because her thirst for wealth was unstoppable. His family's wealth was not enough for her!

His eyes filled with tears and he hated JangMi so much that the anger and frustration he felt, he wanted to throw it at her and destroy her. Her audacity knew no bounds and it disgusted him!

JongHyun continued to repress his anger, guilt, fear, and pain, which stemmed from his helplessness and which often overwhelmed him to the point where he would cry silently in the darkness of his room.

Suddenly, Jang Mi's voice screamed at him without being scared by his tantrum. It was the first time she had seen him behave like this with her and she didn't care at all. “ How can you give up on your dream? How can you give up before fighting for it, silly?”

JongHyun stopped in his tracks with anger still boiling through his veins, tears streaming down his face, hands clenched into fists, tight jaw, thoughts racing, and his heart pounding painfully in his chest. Something about JangMi's words made him freeze, and his anger and frustration slowly dissipated, turning into something warm in his heart, even soothing. He knew that a conflicted heart fed on doubt and confusion. And that's exactly what his heart was doing!

It was as if love and anger were making their way through the raging waves of his heart, fighting one against the other.

JongHyun was angry not because she dared to hope in his place or for him, but because he knew that his mother was destroying everything he was trying to do. His anger was just a protective shield for his heart full of scars and pain.

“ So...” JangMi's simple statement makes him stop drawing again, but that doesn't mean he has to look at her. He knows perfectly well what she looks like with her bare shoulder in an empty room, in the company of a man.

“ So..?!” JongHyun asks, staring at the drawing in front of him, waiting for her to finish her statement, hoping his best friend won't push her luck any further than she already is.

“ Are you gonna do...”

“ Nope!” JongHyun quickly cuts her off, returning to his drawing. Or at least, he tries! Not that he’ll succeed, though.

“ Why not?!” JangMi continues to fight back without getting bored or fed up with her failed attempt to convince him to get her the tattoo. Whether or not she'll have any luck, or whether she'll have to insist even more that she already does on this subject, will depend only on his next response.

“ Because we both know why!” JongHyun gets up from his chair and gathers all his things before putting them in the desk drawer, slamming it shut and making her jump.

“ You can't change my mind!” JangMi tells him with pure arrogance in her voice, looking at him with defiant eyes, ignoring the warning from his earlier action.

“ I know!” JongHyun replies calmly, but still irritated inside. He starts disinfecting his work tools, trying to somehow keep his hands and mind occupied.

“ I still want it!”  JangMi answers him as calmly as he does, but confident and bold.

“ I know!”  At this point, they both roll their eyes, annoyed at the way their conversation is going, as they try to impose their opinions in the hope that they will finally achieve something or reach a compromise.

“ Ugh! Can you stop saying  ' I know!' over and over again? And just do it!”  Again, the demanding tone of JangMi's voice stubbornly persists, without even considering his feelings for a second.

“ No, I won’t!” JongHyun replies, exhaling and inhaling angrily. He tries to keep his nerves under control as he continues to disinfect his work tools. She continues to ignore the angry tone of his voice, focusing strictly on her crude desire disguised as an imperative order. 

Either she's stupid, or she's pretending, just like she's pretending to be deaf. Because if she could hear, she'd notice the irritation in his voice at the unpleasant situation she's caused.

“ Why not?!” JangMi continues to press the same red button, willingly ignoring his tone of voice. His patience is running out.

“ Because you are a girl?”

“ What the fuck does that mean? ” 

“ It will stain your skin permanently.” JongHyun's tone of voice, although it sounds calm, has a slight tinge of irritation and repulsion towards her crazy idea of ​​getting that tattoo from him at any cost.

“ And?” 

“ If one day you get bored of it and want to take it off, it will be very painful. So no, I won't do it!” Calm, but serious, JongHyun continues to refuse his absurd request.

“ Is that your pathetic excuse?” JangMi asks, stunned by his refusal. What is so hard for her to accept that she wants to get a tattoo?

They glare at each other, he frowning, nervous, and she stupefied by his remark. 

They remain stiff as the tension in the room grows thick.

They both find it difficult to accept each other's decision.

“ So what? That will be my problem, not yours.” When JangMi finally opens her mouth to speak, confident in her choices and words, but also in herself, a faint hint of anger shines in her eyes so intensely that JongHyun can almost see fire in them.

Her attitude makes him explode. The calm he'd tried to maintain since she'd stormed into his studio was gone. 

“ So what?!” JongHyun puts down his tools, takes a step towards her, his hands clenched into fists, furious. “ Did you just say ' So what' ?!” Outraged by her rude attitude, burning with anger, and not just because of a simple tattoo, but rather because of her stubbornness in ignoring any advice she receives from him, he feels like he can no longer control himself.

“ Either you do it, or I'll go somewhere else!” The boy lightly grabs her arms with uncontrollable anger and, in a heavy tone, threatens her harshly, showing her how serious he is about her stupid idea of ​​letting another man touch her.

“ If you're going to do this stupid thing just to get back at me, the moment you leave here, forget I exist. Mark my words, love!” Her best friend squeezes her arms a little tighter, just enough to feel a little pain, to remind her how irascible and short-tempered he is. “ You should know very well that where I spit, I don't lick, love!” 

On the other hand, JangMi feels a little scared, but at the same time a little horny by his nervous breakdown, feeling a state of restlessness that requires stimulation of certain parts of the body to be satiated. Surely, his touch does something to her in a pleasant way, almost addicted to it.

She pushes JongHyun's hands away angrily, thus giving up any intimate approach to him. “ Coward!” She tells him straight to his face, knowing how much her defiant attitude hurts him and how much her words mean to him. However, she ignores all his feelings and simply humiliates him. 

He inhales and exhales, trying desperately to find the inner calm he needs in these moments so as not to be affected by her words, despite knowing full well how persistent she can be. Especially when she really wants something badly.

On the other hand, JangMi, aware that she's playing with fire, always pushes the wrong button if she knows she can get what she wants in the end, regardless of the consequences. Hurting someone's pride or feelings here and there shouldn't be a big deal, as long as her wish is fulfilled. And she wouldn't have done that if he hadn't used that drawing that was hers.

“ You're just a coward, as usual!” 

The poisonous words he throws at her do nothing but trigger those feelings of helplessness and humiliation that she has fought so hard to destroy them in the past.

With his back to her, his eyes fill with tears, and the anger he's trying to keep under control simmers. His effort to be a better person just for her, his constant struggle with depression and those who undermine him, the constant battles he fights with himself, the hours spent in the psychologist's chair, all seem meaningless at this point.

Has she really never seen his agony until now?! Did she never hear his silent cries for help? Not even once?! How can she be so cold to him?! How can she utter words so easily, knowing how much they hurt him? Doesn't she know how painful it is for him to hear the venom and disgust in the tone of her voice? 

Of all of them, she's the one trampling on his soul mercilessly. Of all of them, he expected her to understand him the best, but it seems he was completely wrong

“ Why it's so easy for you all to break me?!” The pain in his voice can be heard as he turns his face towards JangMi to look her straight in the eyes.  “ Coward?!” JongHyun sarcastically repeats her words while looking at her in pain.

As soon as she sees JonghHun with tears on his cheeks and hears his trembling voice, JangMi realizes how much harm he has caused her, and all his struggles, all the therapy sessions he has done up until this moment, suddenly become useless.

The tense silence in the room tightens a knot in her stomach, aware that she had just ended a six-year friendship. A friendship that meant everything to each other, which she simply threw away as if all the memories they created together meant nothing.

She tries to control her own tears - she has no right to cry, only to bear the consequences of her actions - as she continues to watch the tears roll down his cheeks.

“ Oh, God, what have I done?” His pained face slaps her mercilessly, harshly across the face, and no matter what she does now, nothing will be able to erase his resounding, cutting words. Suddenly, the oppressive silence in the room tightens a knot in her stomach, aware that she has just ended a six-year friendship.

JangMi tries to control her tears - she had no right to cry, only to bear the consequences of her actions - as she watches her own tears roll down her cheeks. She begins to regret her insensitive and rude outburst, her hurtful words, and her defiant attitude towards him and his feelings. She begins to regret the first step she took in his tattoo parlor a short while ago, practically ordering him to submit to her foolish and childish desire. But now it's too late for all these regrets!

“ How could I be such a bad and selfish best friend?!” The feeling of emptiness and abandonment she feels terrifies her enormously, especially when she is about to lose her best and only friend. “ I'm about to lose everything I have!”  Because he had become her everything a long time ago without even him knowing about it. “ For God's sake, when did I become a bitch?!”  The harm has been done, and now she must live with the consequences of her impulsive actions for the rest of her life. She can barely look him in the eye because of the shame.

“ I'm sorry!”  The mistake she made causes her to apologize with a heart torn by pain, but she has no right to show herself like that in front of him. She tries to get closer to JongHyun, but he takes a few steps back, rejecting any form of contact with her, no matter how much it tears him apart inside.

“ No you're not, and stay where you are.” JongHyun's expressionless face, his cold and empty eyes despite the tears in them, his harsh rejection, shakes her terribly.

“ He's hurt!... I hurt him!” She thinks to herself shocked by her own stupidity, still looking at him and feeling scared and hurt, to see him suffering because of her, while he tries hard to hide his pain from her.

Worry makes its way through the pain and deception in her heart. “ What a hypocrite you are! Worried?! You?! For what?! Didn’t you bring him into this state?!” She argues to herself, not knowing how to make things right and if she can make things right. JangMi tries to take another step towards him. “ I...”

“ Please, get out!” His harsh tone makes her stop abruptly and stare at him speechless. His gaze becomes hard as stone, her heart pounding in her chest with fear of losing him.

On the other hand, he will definitely regret his harsh tone that led to her being hurt, but the way she chose to express her desire for him to tattoo her was completely inappropriate and rude.

“ You're not serious, right?” She asks, stunned by his rejection. And rightly so! But isn't he being a little too harsh on her?

“ Yes, I am! Please get out of my tattoo studio!” No blink, no frown, no emotion, absolutely nothing! JongHyun's eyes are no longer shedding tears, but the pain is still vivid on his perfectly sculpted and beautiful face. His words are like a bucket of cold water thrown in her face, but sincere and come from his wounded soul. They are much sharper than her own words.

A palpable silence falls over them again, in the room that begins to shrink more and more around her, while he moves further and further away from her. This is the second time she's seen him like this. And this time, because of her! 

The first time was when his mother forced him to attend his engagement without his knowledge or consent. What followed was too much for both parties to bear, not to mention JongHyun having to go through treatment for his mental breakdown and his father divorcing his mother.

Back then, she had even sworn that she wouldn't put him through all this emotional and mental crap that would land him in the hospital again. But today she did it! She broke her promise and acted like an obnoxious bitch to the guy she's head over heels in love with.

As Jang Mi stares at the man in front of her whose feelings she just trampled on, she can barely recognize him with his naked eyes, and the fear of losing the only true friend she has and the only perfect man who can steal her heart at any time is unimaginable to her, heartbreaking, but she has to conform to the new situation she has created for herself.

Instead of saying anything or asking questions, she just looks at the ground, nodding her head slightly, trying to control her tears, while he continues to watch her detached, drained and in pain, waiting for her to leave so she can breathe.

JongHyun feels that the weight that presses on the chest almost crushes him, but he can not collapse yet. Not as long as she's still out there with him.  Even though it hurts him to see her get away from him, he can't do anything about it because he simply doesn't want to. He's been far too lenient with her in the past, but now it's time for her to learn her lesson. And how else could she learn, if not the hard way?

“ Get out now! And don't come here again without my permission! Get out!” She bites her bottom lip until she feels the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, because only pain can make her budge. Now words really have no meaning! And he seems to be no longer so easily persuaded. All she can do at this point is comply.

“ JongHyun ...” JangMi tries to say more wanting to change his mind but she is suddenly interrupted by a bang in his desk. Looking back and forth from his face to his hand and back to his face, the girl shuts her mouth before the situation gets even crazier.

JongHyun continues to glare at her with the same blank stare, letting her know that if she keeps arguing with him she can lose him at any time. Taking a step back, JangMi looks at him one more time before turning around and leaving his tattoo parlor as he wishes.

He doesn’t try to stop her, and she knows that she’s disappointed him so much that reconciliation won’t come anytime soon. “ Maybe not at all!” She thinks to herself, aware of the mistake she just made.

Pairing: Tatttoo Artist Choi JongHyun x Reader Park JangMi. Genre: Romance Warnings: Mentions of sexual states, making out, little suggestive, mentions of jealousy Boy Band: Teen Top, Changjo (Choi JongHyun) Summary: When those around him viewed JongHyun as someone who inflicts pain by inserting needles and ink into someone's body, staining them with sin, making them ugly, for JangMi the art of drawing and tattooing had been and continues to be an indecipherable work. However, that didn't stop her from taking art classes just to be close to JongHyun.

★⌒ヽ(●’､＾●) <3 ★⌒ヽ(●’､＾●)

“ Tattoo me a rose!”

JangMi tells Jonghyun unexpectedly, without a trace of hesitation or stuttering in her voice, looking him straight in the brown eyes, sending shivers through his entire body, as if he had just been electrocuted by the power of her words. JongHyun knows this determination all too well, what he doesn’t understand is where JangMi boldness comes from.

At this moment, JongHyun doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, or a joke, and he doesn’t even know if this fact brings anything good or not.

In his opinion, being bold is fine, but knowing when and under what circumstances to use that boldness is something else entirely, something JangMi never mastered well enough to use as a privilege. Because sometimes, being bold is a privilege, not a rudeness! 

On the contrary, she's just showing him a blatant disrespect!

But, on the other hand, it takes skill and practice to know where, with whom, and especially when to use them. However, this time, in his opinion, she went way too far with her joke, and this has to end now.

“ A bad joke!”JongHyun thinks to himself before meticulously analyzing his best friend's face and the reason why she made such a sudden and irrational decision. But when has she ever been moderate in her actions?! NEVER! When has she thought first and then acted? NEVER!

JongHyun carefully scans her body again, looking for any sign that might indicate anxiety, agitation, or fear, despite her determined appearance, but unfortunately he finds nothing that indicates the agitation and audacity with which she burst into his tattoo studio.

“ Her hands aren't even shaking.” He realizes with stupor, as her large purple eyes stare at him without blinking, as if what he's just asked her to do is something normal for both her and him. Instead, she flashes him a smile at the end of her statement, raising her eyebrows in a gesture of instigation, ignoring his best friend's disapproving gaze.

“ Since when has she been wearing these kinds of lenses?” 

Without moving, JangMi speaks in a firm voice as soon as she sees no reaction from him, emphasizing her words loud and clear for the second time, making sure that this time he actually hears her. “ Tattoo me a rose!”

Abandoning his work for a moment, JongHyun turns to face JangMi, looking at her very confused, but also slightly irritated at the same time by her sudden outburst - which seems more insistent than a polite request, as it should normally be - and by her sudden and unannounced appearance in his tattoo studio, because, firstly, he doesn't like to be disturbed when he's working, and secondly, he initially thought he hadn't heard correctly and that she was just playing a bad joke on him. But if he ignores those two aspects he had initially thought about, her behavior now simply leaves him speechless, not knowing how to respond to her rude demand - because that's what it is: an exaggerated and rude demand - and he's not sure what kind of reaction he should have at this moment, or at least if he should have one, as she flutters her long, dark eyelashes at him.

JangMi’s determination seems real, unwavering, but also impulsive and imposing. He takes a deep breath, trying to keep his nerves under control before unleashing his evil side, which, by the way, has never been a good thing. Not that that would scare her in any way, but he still has the right to go against her stupid wish.

“ What are you waiting for?!”

Before Jonghyun can give her a positive or negative answer to her unreasonable demand - which, by the way, he considers inappropriate for such a delicate and refined girl as her - he must find out the real reason behind her unusual demand. Because a demand like this seems more like a whim, a lack of attention on his part towards her, and he hopes it will pass quickly before it is too late. Before he, or she, or both of them regret it!

Jonghyun rests his elbows on the desk, interlacing his fingers, looking at her seriously and assessing the level of her madness in his head as he tries to remain calm. “ Why Jang Mi?” 

After a long and oppressive silence in which she was confronted more with his angry gaze than with his words, the only word he finally decided to utter was actually a question. “ A damn question!” JangMi's indignation begins to grow in her when her best friend tries to interrogate her as if she is some criminal. However, she chooses to remain calm and balanced for now, without taking a step back or fearing him. So, instead of responding with a satisfying answer, her interrogative response will soon appear, with a tone slightly surprised by his question. “ Why what?!”

Hearing JanMi's answer in the form of a question confuses Jonghyun even more, raising even more curiosity and questions on his part. As he expected, his best friend's choice is firm, without hesitation or stuttering, which is surprising, considering that lately she had been stuttering a lot whenever she was in his presence. He found this habit of hers, which had been around for some time, very strange.

But, as a good friend that he is, JongHyun hardly tries to ignore her habit that now seems to have miraculously disappeared. However, he can't risk anything right now, because if remorse starts to creep in later, not only will he feel guilty for not doing everything he could to change her mind, but he'll also feel sorry for the pain he's going to cause her with the tattoo needle. A physical pain he doesn't want her to ever feel on her smooth, beautiful skin.

Sighing, the young tattoo artist gets up from his chair and approaches her slowly, with small steps, while he stares at her with his piercing brown eyes, which leave room for many interpretations, but he has never failed to truly see her. Even after all these years together, she still has no idea how to read him, and he often wishes her to stop being so obtuse when it comes to him.

On the other hand, JangMi looks at him coldly, to show him that whatever excuse he throws at her will not intimidate her, will not make her change her mind at all, and, moreover, the decision she made a long time ago will not be influenced in any way by his words. She knows that it will take a lot of time and effort to make him fulfill her insistent demand - neither a wish nor a request -  but she is confident that she will win in the end, because she always wins!

“ Why do you want a rose tattooed on your skin so much?” JongHyun asks her again very calmly, curious to see who will give in first, although he cannot allow himself to be defeated until he fights her stubbornness, until he makes her change her mind, understand that her beautiful and smooth skin does not need to be stained with permanent or temporary ink, and she does not need such marks to be attractive. She just needs to remain as she is: beautiful, pure, untouched in any way. 

He picks up his pencil and turns to finish the sketch of the drawing, focusing instead on what is truly much more important.

“ Why do you keep asking me the same question?” A slight frown creases her forehead as his eyes stare straight into her soul, stripping away every protective layer she's put up like a shield to try to intimidate her. And she'll be damned if she lets him!

Even with her stutters, she tries her best to keep it under control in his presence. But if she continues to be hard-pressed to be convinced by this appearance of him so sexy and attractive in his black tank top, revealing his gym-trained body, with those perfectly contoured pink lips, with his short bangs, she might completely lose herself.

“ Are you going to do it or not?” Question after question, without any concrete answer. Words after words, without any concrete motivation. That's all his best friend offers him, and if she thinks that her impulsiveness, stubbornness, and demandingness, which looks more like an order, will change his mind or impress him in any way, she's damn wrong.

“ You suddenly have a lot of courage. I wonder where it came from?!” JongHyun replies rhetorically after about a minute or so of reflecting on how he should react to her stubbornness, which shocks him more than it should surprise him in a positive way.

Putting down the pen he was holding to draw a pattern for one of his regular clients, Jonghyun frowns and focuses all his attention on his best friend who burst into his tattoo studio, completely devoid of any trace of clients. Narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms over his muscular chest, the tattoo artist continues to watch her in silence, trying to figure out if she is looking for attention - especially his - or if she has really gone crazy?! - which is hard to believe. Maybe she is bored?! Or maybe it is one of her tantrums because he hasn't paid attention to her for a while?!

“ Damn!” It seems that the expression of irritation on his face does not bother or affect her at all, and she simply stands there, facing him, as if she had done nothing wrong. Without taking into account in the slightest his opinion on this momentary problem - she still did not know if it could be called a problem, let alone a momentary one - of hers, and dared to rush into his tattoo studio without calling him first. 

Always the good or bad news should be given face to face and not through a phone call or text, but she's crossed the line of common sense. However, dropping news like that as if it were a normal thing to do on a very hot summer day, almost trivial in her opinion, is a dilemma that he is not at all happy with it.

It's not that JongHyun doesn't like having her around, especially when he's drawing, but the fact that he has her here, in front of him, with one bare shoulder smelling of lavender, wearing a yellow summer mini dress with yellow heels, full lips, big purple eyes, full of makeup, making her look like a doll... well, her appearance and behavior right now are definitely not suitable for a delicate and elegant girl like her. She looks more like a woman who's out to pick up men. And suddenly he feels slightly aroused seeing her like this, and one thing's for sure: he's not going to play the hypocrisy card by pretending he's not affected by her in any way.

“ It's definitely not doing me any good right now!” The young tattoo artist thinks, not yet ready to openly and loudly admit that he's been attracted to her for some time. It's just that, the moment he realized he was in love with her, he decided it was better to be a coward than to jeopardize his friendship with her by behaving recklessly and impulsively, like she's doing now.

Being her best friend since freshman year of high school definitely brought him more disadvantages than advantages, but he never said anything to her because he really enjoyed being around her, trying to keep up with her impulsive personality. From day one he noticed that she was both fun and tiring, but he didn't dislike her. He just kept it all to himself!

At first, JongHyun found it difficult to read JangMi's thoughts or even guess her next moves, so many times she surprised him with her unusual ideas, scaring and surprising him in a way that he could not explain at all at the time. She was - and still is - both unpredictable and impulsive, so that whatever mistake she made, she never denied it.

Looking at JangMi closely, JongHyun realizes that the current situation was different, but Jang Mi remains the same: the girl with an extraordinarily stubborn but strong personality, who always does what she wants and says what she thinks without fear of consequences. It's just that, over time, he has learned to read her better, despite her unpredictability.

Although, on the other hand, he can't afford to be careless or impulsive! At least not when it comes to her, the girl he cares about so much. So he keeps wondering what made her make such a radical decision so suddenly?! And he needs to figure it out quickly for the safety of his mind and his hormones!

“ I've always admired her for her way of being, but not today!” The visible frown on his forehead had not yet disappeared as he continued to stare at her, expecting at any second a new outburst from her. 

“ Tattoo me a rose...” JangMi exposes even more of her right shoulder in front of him without moving an inch from where she is or glancing at him, pointing with her index finger to the spot where she wants him to tattoo her with his magical tools. 

Ever since she learned about his ability to imprint any kind of design on someone's skin, the girl has secretly wanted him to leave his mark on her, making her feel that she belongs only to him, in a unique and special way.

She discovered that JongHyun's gift - as she calls it, because, after all, that's what it is - is impossible to surpass or copy because of her clumsiness and ignorance and those skillful hands of his, which saved her drawing in art class. She never told him about her little secret of being part of the art class, and he never asked her anything, and silently, always helped her. He could reproduce anything! And so, in her heart, little by little, she began to shyly sprout a deep affection for the silent and reserved boy.

The boy whose touch she so desperately wants to feel on her skin, burning her, turning her on even more than she already is. She feels her heartbeat increasing with every second she spends in his presence, her lips burning with anticipation to be kissed passionately while wondering at the same time how it would feel on her lips.

As his soul began to speak to her through the art he created with his skillful hands, transforming a banal sketch into mastery, she was seduced by the way he saw the world, by the way the colors danced on his easel as if caressing it, afraid to hurt it with his brush. And then, in that moment, all she wanted was to become his most precious easel.

The feeling she had had since the day she had first seen him painting in art class was getting stronger and stronger, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as if they were dueling there, while she tried to keep her calm. The euphoric emotion every time she saw him or when she spoke to him, or the simple thought that flew towards him made her see everything bright, colorful and she felt like the world was at her feet at any moment. And when she was away from him, his absence saddened her, feeling an increasingly oppressive state, and she couldn't wait to see him. She had the impression that time was passing so slowly that she thought it was against her. She wanted to share everything with him, she longed for his touch, she dreamed every moment of how his embrace would feel, while he was her first thought at the end and beginning of every day. 

That's why, every day, JongHyun is her motivation to become the best she can be, to live up to his standards, to be the right person just for him. And only God knows how much she adores him and misses him in a way that no one would ever understand. Moreover, there are times when she is not sure that he would understand everything she feels and how much she misses him, even when he is with her.

But what's the point of all these feelings and emotions of hers if he continues to ignore her as a woman?! When all she wants is for him to  really see her.

At one point, she even became jealous of his clients because they had the honor of feeling his strong but gentle touch - because JongHyun would always be the only one he entrusted with this difficult task - of his attention to his clients, his care for them and his art. 

“ If only he knew..” JangMi adds silently, her little confession. Not that he probably doesn't know about her feelings, but he just prefers to pretend he doesn't know, and she plays along with him.

The gentleness she sees in him, the patience with which he always puts up with her, the warmth with which he always smiles at her, the way he spoils her through modest, small, but resonant actions, penetrate deeper and deeper under her skin and into her heart, just like a tattoo, like a scar that she doesn't want to get rid of.

His works of art that she might as well classify as masterpieces - she could fill the walls of his house with them so that she could gaze at them in peace for as long as her heart desires, maybe even dance among them while they look at her with endless adoringly - and not just simple tattoos or paintings, as he sees them, should have taken him to the highest heights of glory, to be worshipped like a god on a golden pedestal.

 “ He should be my god instead!” If only JongHyun had the courage to overcome the fears and constraints that always prevent him from doing everything he wants and feels, maybe he wouldn't be so tormented by his inner feelings. But to him, Jang Mi seems to be just a simple friend and that's it!

“… right here, on my shoulder!” JangMi's long, pale fingers draw circles around the exposed skin, drawing her bets friend's attention to the chosen spot, making him worry and fear at the same time, but feel something he shouldn't feel as his gaze is fixed on that particular spot. He imagines touching her exposed shoulder, kissing it lightly and running his fingers over her shoulder blades, making her shiver. He would have loved to see her breathing quicken under his touch, the heat spreading across her skin, how she exposes her neck to let it fall prey to his hot mouth.

JangMi stands still, her eyes fixed on him, teasing him, provoking him. His fingertips burn him, the fire he thought was extinguished actually smolders, and his mouth goes dry. And all he needs is her!

While she kept putting images in his head that she shouldn't, giving him an infinity of ideas and places how he could love her more and better, fulfilling all her deepest desires, satisfying her needs in ways she couldn't even imagine, he was trying hard to remain a true gentleman for such a delicate woman.

JongHyun can already imagine, with his eyes wide open, her smooth skin, smelling of lavender, her hot mouth waiting to be kissed, to be ravaged, her hair with the scent of oranges, the sun casting its rays playfully on her body covered only by the sheet through which he can see her voluptuous forms pressed against his muscular body, sleeping peacefully. His own heaven!

But heaven will not help him get what he wants if he continues to be a coward who is content with only crumbs and illusions. Although he is perfectly aware of this, their friendship still comes first!

“ Fuck!” JongHyun almost reveals his indecent thoughts about her, trying to resist her temptations. So he turns his back on her, puts his palms on the desk for support, and takes a few deep breaths before facing her again.

But it's so hard to do it when she's looking at him smiling in a way she shouldn't: provocative and innocent at the same time, just to force herself out of this whole situation.

 And God knows how hard it is for him to bear all this. The pain of not having her, her absence, the sexual desire, the inner fire that burns within him, making him want her more and more, drives him crazy. The need to touch her and possess her, to tame her, to taste her... Oh, God, it drives him crazy and she has no idea how affected she is each time! She has no idea the effect she has on him!

“ How should I interpret this impulse of hers, that strange vibration coming from her, in a way that she doesn't think I'm offending her?!” He is so affected by her that everything he does, everything he thinks, is only for her good. Because today, he wouldn't be here if it weren't for her!