Frozny

"You're the talk of the media again.” She said as she showed him the post. Kaiser took a quick glance and went back to the camera’s direction. 

“I don’t really care" was all she got as a reply.  

The director clapped his hands multiple times to let everyone know that they are now starting. They went into their respective positions and filmed the scene where they left off.

“3, 2, 1, scene in position."

—----

You frantically looked for the envelope that Vanica requested; before leaving the hotel, you even asked if she forgot anything, and she said she didn’t. 

Your brow furrowed as you searched every drawer in her bedroom, but carefully so as not to disorganize her things. A black envelope with a golden pentagram design caught your eye in one of the drawers. 

The filming set is 20 mins away by foot, but you can make it half the time if you run and go through shortcuts. You ran through alleyways, and dogs were even chasing you in some areas, but that didn’t stop you from running. 2 minutes to go before Vanica’s schedule wraps up, you thought as you checked the watch. 

You gathered all your strength in your arm and lifted yourself up; you groaned and landed safely without spraining an ankle. You went in Vanica’s tent to leave the envelope and wait there. 

“Ah! There it is!” Vanica entered the room, her eyes immediately landing on the envelope; she excitedly picked it up and did a twirl. 

“About your next schedu-” 

She acted like she didn’t hear you and went outside, leaving you dumbfounded. You rolled your eyes and opened your cracked phone to call the manager to talk about the promotional project of hers. The call only lasted for a few minutes, and it was now time for you to leave the set. 

Suddenly, Vanica entered looking flushed with the crumpled envelope in her hand. She sat down in the chair and grabbed a pillow on the side, burying her face and letting out a scream. 

“What happened, Ms. Vanica?” You asked, crouching down in front of her and grabbing the tissue from the side. If this escalates into a full-on breakdown, you tip-toe your way into the topic.

“That jerk, he rejected my invitation!” 

She replied in a muffled voice, but it was still understandable. You gave her a minute to calm down, and she returned to her usual self. 

“Ok, state my schedule.” She smiled as if nothing happened. 

It was just a formal dinner with the manager, and she’s done for the day. We are currently in Japan, Vanica's home country, so she was pretty excited when they announced that they would be filming here. 

“Your manager called you earlier, but she said that you didn’t pick up.”

She looked at you confused and looked for her phone in her pockets. “Oh shoot! I think I left it in the wardrobe room!” She was in a panic. “I don’t want to go there," she cried.

“It’s ok, I’ll go.” You said and stood up.

—----

You passed through the hallway looking for the wardrobe room. Passing some background actors from time to time, they looked busy catching up with each other, and some were taking pictures. 

You found the room at the end of the hallway just a few rooms away in Vanica’s room. You knocked at the door, but no one answered despite hearing voices inside. You knocked again.

You considered opening the door yourself, but before your hand could even hold the knob, it opened. 

“Do you need something?” The purple-haired man asked.

“Hi, I’m Vanica’s assistant. I believe she left her phone here." 

He looked back in the room and nodded, opening the door more for you to enter. You looked on the vanity mirror’s table and saw the purple phone case with the eyeshadow palette beside it. Ness was talking to someone behind the curtains, but you didn’t really listen in to it.

“I found it.”

You informed the man. Your eyes wandered to the mirror in front of you. A tall figure is watching you as he leans on the wall with arms crossed.

It was Kaiser. An old friend from 8 years ago.

Your breath hitched, and you felt your heart skip a beat. You were frozen in place, but you managed to turn around and face him.

You didn’t utter a word. He was observing you from head to toe; his eyes held apathy, and you felt visibly uncomfortable but didn’t avert your gaze. The man beside him took notice of this and explained to him the situation—eyes never leaving you. 

“I’ll get going now.” You break the intense staring contest and walk away, leaving the other guy puzzled. You heard something loud after you left; it was something loud. It didn't sound like a scream; you can't really make up what it is.

On the way home after dinner the scene kept replaying in your mind; it was like he was looking down on you. You can’t help but feel agitated. 

‘I should be the one looking at him like that.’

Looking out of the window of the car, you came across a billboard of a luxurious clothing line. Kaiser was the model of it; he posed in the bathtub with blue and red roses and wore a simple, loose, white, see-through long-sleeved polo—making the roses on his neck and thorns of roses on his arm still visible. 

Kaiser’s existence was unavoidable nowadays. He was featured in many movies and TV shows; also, he was known for his ignorant attitude. The fans know that, yet they keep watching him. 

You sighed. You already know that you're going to run into him. But it’s fine; you’ll be focusing on your job anyway. 

—----

You were now beside Vanica before the filming began; it was now day 2 of filming. She doesn’t really mind being alone, but you just have to keep her in check for now because she didn’t get a wink of sleep yesterday.

The scene replayed earlier as she paces around the living room before leaving, repeatedly chanting, “How am I going to face him?"

But now her demeanor is on, and the actress, Vanica, is back. Ness was talking to one of the film crew about the scene that they were going to film. 

Kaiser is still going about his day like nothing happened as he sits on one of the foldable chairs while one of the staff fans him.

Well, it’s all in the past anyway; it looks like he has moved on.

—----

“Tell your assistant to not set foot in my room. I don’t want to be near her ever again.” 

Kaiser said to Vanica as if you were not in the same room as them. They are finished for today, and the crew is now disassembling the equipment, and you guys are in one of the rooms. Vanica was sitting down on the chair, and Kaiser was in the entrance while you were in one corner with Vanica’s bags. 

Vanica was confused. “What do you mean? Has she done anything?"

You watched in silence as they engaged in the conversation. “Nothing in particular related to the set. I just don’t want to be near this pest.” 

You kept your usual smile and gripped your hand tighter behind your back. Keeping a straight posture, not changing expression, just being professional—after all, you must keep this job for now. 

“I’m sorry if I did something that displeased you. I’ll be sure to keep a distance.”

“Fuck off.”

He said as he walked toward you. His signature smile that you see on set is completely replaced with a scowl on his face, but you didn’t waver and kept your ground as you stared at him blankly. 

“Don’t touch her.” 

Vanica said. Kaiser turned towards her. “She’s my assistant, any personal matters should be settled at other places.” 

Kaiser clicked his tongue and glared at you one last time before heading out. “You have a nerve to show your face here.”

“What’s up with him? But more importantly, are you ok?” She turned to you.

"Yeah..." You replied and continued packing her stuff.

“He never acted like that before with my previous assistants..." She mumbled, still feeling sorry for you. 

—----

It has been 2 weeks since the commercial filming concluded. You obeyed the Kaiser’s request to not be near him. On occasion he sometimes would give you a disdainful look.

When he’s in a bad mood, he will sometimes lash out at one of the staff for giving him a vanilla shake when he has already informed them that he will not be accepting anything that wasn’t specifically requested by him. At this time, he also lost his PA.

You witnessed these instances from the sidelines; from time to time the thoughts of “So this is Kaiser now” and “What happened to him?” emerge, but you didn’t think deeper because your priority now is your job. 

The 3-month contract was finished, and Vanica was kind of sad to let you go. After all, you dealt with her mood swings and rants quite well. 

“I’m going to miss you." She hugged you; based on her clinginess at this point, she already considers you a friend.

You smiled and patted her head; she asked you yesterday to come to her apartment today because it’s your last day. She wanted to say something about an offer and other things. 

She broke the hug and gave you a paper bag. “Open it!” She exclaimed. 

“Thank you.” You replied and got the box out of the bag. You let out a small gasp and looked at her grinning face. It was a new phone—the newest model to be exact. 

“You didn’t have to..."

She insisted and told you that it’s the smallest thing she can do. She noticed your "ancient" phone and thought that it was time to replace it. 

"You will need it for your new job, you know," she huffed.

"A new job?” You repeated.

“Yeah, I really liked your service and recommended you to another agency!” She said, and she also mentioned that her manager was supposed to break the news to you, but she couldn’t help it. 

"Well, if you accept it though..."

“I’ll talk to your manager about it," you replied.

—----

"You're going to stay here in Japan?” Kaiser asked while Ness did his hair.

“Yeah, I need something to take care of here. You’ll be back in Germany for your other projects. You’ll also be meeting your new PA."

Kaiser looked uninterested and shrugged it off. 

“I just want someone to do their job properly. Why can’t you be my PA?" He mumbled carefully to prevent too much movement on his head.

Ness chuckled and snipped the remaining hair that needed trimming. 

“Because I’m your manager.”

—----

“Absolutely not!” Kaiser slammed his hands on the table in the meeting room.

You rolled your eyes at his reaction. Well, it’s ok to let out an attitude from time to time to someone who isn’t your employer yet. Ness tried to calm him down and explained that you were the last choice; after all, you were the one who had a German passport, and the other PA candidates' Schengen visa applications will take time.

“And you accepted this?!” He turned to you.

“Yes, I did."

This is the first time that you have ever exchanged words with him ever since seeing him. “You really want to mess up my life again, do you?” He let out a huff and bitterly uttered the words as he crossed his arms, leaning on the chair.

You bit your bottom lip, trying to keep your composure. You just want money, even if that means working under Kaiser.

“Now, now, settle down, Kaiser. Your guys flight is tomorrow night.” Ness tried to calm his down. 

In the end, Kaiser had no choice but to accept, but he’s still bitter about it, and his cursing throughout the meeting didn’t go unnoticed by you. The discussion is about Kaiser's future plans and his usual schedules in Germany.

“I’ll make your life miserable.” He said before walking out the door, leaving you in the room. 

You plopped into your bed with only your undergarments. You felt quite chilly and covered yourself in your blanket. It was oddly relaxing, and you find yourself uninterrupted in your sleep, which you need after you read Kaiser’s upcoming projects and schedule.

Ness, his manager contacted you a week prior, so you had the time to talk to the landlord and pack your things. You don’t own many things, so it is easier to pack. 

Tomorrow’s your first day with Kaiser; a lot of thoughts are going through your head right now; you also feel your stomach curl. 

You thought you were going to marry someone whom you love; it eventually shattered when your parents arranged a marriage ever since you turned 18 to the knight commander of the kingdom.

You stole a glance at your parents. They were grinning from ear to ear, excited to climb their way up to the noble rankings. Is this what you're destined to do?

As you get near to the groom, your heart starts to race—the stares of the crowd, the solemn tune that the piano and violin are producing, but last but not least. Teddy, the knight that you will spend the rest of your life with.

Suddenly, a huge amount of adrenaline decided to rush into your veins at this very moment. You find yourself slowly stepping away; the groom looks confused, as does the crowd. Your parents seemed to be whispering harshly towards your direction, but you didn't understand what they were saying.

"Run" you heard a voice say.

You immediately turned your back and started running towards the door. Gasps and shouts were heard as you got out of the church; the groom attempted to chase after you, but you mounted the horse that was conveniently outside the church and bolted to somewhere far away.

'I can't believe I actually did that!'

Your head spirals with endless thoughts about what you have done in your life. Was it over, or did your life finally begin?

The horse took you in a forest, but you decided it was far enough to lose the people that were trailing you. You whipped the reins to stop him, but it didn't work. You tried other methods, like tugging it, and even shouted to the horse to stop, but it didn't budge.

You weren't paying attention to the direction where the horse was heading, and you just noticed the trees around you were withered, and the only thing that could be heard was the rhythmic thud of the horse's feet crackling the dead leaves on the ground.

The horse eventually stopped in front of a huge mansion. The air around it was grim, and despite the old vintage look, it looked oddly well maintained. You could see that there were lights inside, and that would uplift your mood, thinking that you can probably talk to the house owner and stay in for the night.

You gathered up your courage and approached the mansion. You too let out a deep sighed and knocked at the large wooden door in infront of you.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?!" You called out, hoping that they wouldn't ignore you; you were a stranger to them after all. A woman dressed in white in the middle of the night knocking at your door whose mansion is far away from the town doesn't quite make sense, right?

The door opened, but no one was there...but it was calling you to enter the place. Your stomach curled re-thinking your idea about staying here, but it's the only thing that will keep you safe from wolves.

Your breath hitched, and you entered the house, anticipating some kind of welcome at least, but the only thing present in this house is the coldness. You shivered and crossed your arms, rubbing your hands on your forearms to keep yourself warm.

You've been wandering the mansion for a good 10 minutes now, and it was still a small portion of the mansion. The light from one of the rooms caught your attention. You slowly approached the room and saw some candles lit up; it was one of the rooms you saw outside.

"Who might you be?"

A cold voice whispered in your ear. A cold shiver runs down your spine. Your breath hitched as you stood there frozen.

You turned around to see a tall man with a muscular build who was wearing a white long sleeve layered with a black vest and paired with black slacks. His semi-long crimson hair perfectly framed his sharp features and complimented the color of his pale skin. But the feature that caught your attention aside from his face is the two black dots that rest on his neck.

It didn't take you long to connect the dots together. Pale skin, a bite mark in the neck,

'They still exist?!'

You thought the whole village had killed all the vampires from decades ago.

His dilated black eyes studied your reaction, and an amused smirk appeared on his face. He slowly approached you, and each step he took, you also took a step back, keeping yourself prepared in case something happens.

"After all these years...I've finally found you," he whispered.

You accidentally slipped in your dress and let out a scream. You tumbled back and fell on the ground harshly. The sudden impact had caused you to accidentally bite your lip. A small wet patch oozed on your lip and entered your mouth.

'blood'

He looks down on your shaken figure and kneels in front of you. He trailed his hand behind your ear, gently grabbing a piece of your hair and placing his lips on it.

"What...." you mumbled, confused at his actions.

He let go of your hair and placed his cold hand on your cheek. He runs his thumb over where you bit yourself. The sweet scent allured him.

Your eyes widened as he placed his cold lips on yours. And then, the taste of blood finally entered his mouth. He closed his eyes, and you felt his hand on the back of your neck, bringing you closer to him.

You were terrified to even do anything! What will happen if you displease him? Can you even make it out alive at this place?!

He licked your bottom lip, and you let out a whine; you felt him smirk against your mouth and took this opportunity to insert his tongue inside yours, desperately exploring every inch of you. But that wasn't enough; he was craving more of that tasty blood.

He backed away, and you thought that it was over, but he went in again, now biting at your bottom lip, demanding more. Your hands find their way to the sleeve of his top clothing, curling your fingers tightly.

"Hmm..wait!" you whimpered. You felt a sharp pain on your bottom lip, and more blood came out.

He alternates from hungrily licking the blood on your bottom lip and battling your tongue, leaving you dazed at the metallic taste of your own blood. At this point, you were sure that you'd run out of your blood if he kept this up.

You pulled away heavily, panting, and turned to the side, averting your gaze.

'I'm dead. I'm totally dead!'

While you were thinking about the possible ways he could kill you. Hugo licked the trail of your blood left on his mouth, and he cupped your cheeks, making you turn back to him.

He placed his forehead on yours, and he closed his eyes. His breathing was heavy and ragged as he tried to catch his own breath.

"My destined lover. I've been waiting for you."

──────────────

His 5th partner already quit, and he already informed the headquarters he will be proceeding on the mission on his own.

The headquarters had taken consideration of the proposal. He was under the impression that it was already finalized that he'd proceed with the mission solo, considering it’s an S-class not a lot of people will take a the job. At least, that’s what he thought.

The agency had already sent Bunny a message prior to your departure from the headquarter, but it seemed like he hadn't responded yet.

Well, you figured that he was focusing on the mission, maybe keeping an eye out for the target. Nonetheless, you were quite excited about the mission ahead of you.

What you thought would be a straight-to-the-point exchange of information soon plummeted as you opened the hotel door he was staying at.

Your jaw dropped and the bags you were carrying fell on the floor as you saw a woman being railed by your mission partner who’s half-naked! The shirt was off and his pants were halfway down.

“B-bunnghhhy..ah!” She already noticed your figure on the wall, and her eyes widened, thinking that she probably fucked a taken man.

Bunny soon slowed his pace when he noticed the woman was staring at the door. “Hm? Is there something wrong?" He asked, tilting his head and kissing the woman’s forehead to get her attention back.

Her trembling finger pointed at the door as she bit her bottom lip. He turned around and he saw your flat expression. With the paper in hand about the information about the mission.

════════

I were on the call with my father in your uncle's place, and he was asking questions about my stay there.

“Everything’s good; Uncle is out attending his meetings.” I lazily replied as I lay in the guest room bed with your feet on the wall. 

“Do you speak to your uncle?” 

“Yes, he’s planning to stay here a bit longer.” 

He hummed in response. I just wanted this call to end so I could hang out with Kaiser later. 

“When you get back here, I’ll try enrolling you in another class….”

There it is again; they keep pestering me with classes that they see from other parents enrolling their kids.

I sighed and sat up on the bed to plan what to do next, it's currently 3:00 PM, and I plan to bike to Kaiser’s location. I bought lots of food to bring to him. 

We panted heavily in a secluded area. I thought it would be a good idea to mess around with some teenagers our age, so I threw some pebbles at them, but they caught me. Kaiser tried to warn me, but as they grew irritated, Kaiser wanted to join in the fun. 

“T-hat was fun." He said in between laughs.

“We got caught because of you," I said and pointed a him. 

“Oh please." He rolled his eyes. 

We decided to rest in the nearby park. We sat beside each other on the bench and ate some chips. 

“So… I leave tomorrow. again”

He hummed in response. 

“I was wondering what do you plan on doing regarding with your father…”

You asked him. The beating still continued after 3 years, and he looked so bad whenever I saw him in this state. It took him a few seconds to answer. 

“Runaway from that fucker.” He answered in a serious tone, clutching the bags as the chips inside break. 

“That’s nice…. I hope you can do that.” I said it but felt slightly envious. Kaiser raised a brow and returned the question noticing the tone of your voice.

“How about you? What are you going to do back there?” 

“Probably study….study…..” I continued finding other words than "study," but I gave up. I just realized, what have I been doing besides studying?

He took notice of my sudden change of mood.

“You really like to study, huh” he said, trying to figure out my reaction.

I chuckled awkwardly and shook my head. “I like the knowledge…but lately, I feel like I haven’t been doing it for myself.” 

My hands began to shake, and I gripped my jeans on my lap. “I-t feels like there’s no end to it. I’m terrified of my future in that house.” I trembled. Despite the pain of my finger nails digging in my palm, it didn’t alleviate my anxiousness. 

Suddenly I felt something on the top of my head. It was Kaiser awkwardly patting my head. 

That was enough to snap out of it. “What are you doing?” I said flatly. 

“Comforting you” He replied in the same tone. 

“I’m not a dog, Kaiser.”

He chuckled and removed his hand and placed it in his pocket. 

"Well, I guess with money or not you’ll have to deal with your bullshit life.” He said it like it was some kind of new discovery. 

“Isn’t that obvious?” I huffed.

“I’m going back to that life again…” You mumble and stare at the sky. I watched as a flock of birds passed by. They seemed so free, just flying into the limitless sky. Maybe…someday. I’ll be like a bird.  

“You just need to choose your own path, y/n.”

“Choose my path…” 

“Did you say something?” My father entered my study room. I was studying in the extra subject that he made me enrolled in. 

“No…It’s nothing.” You replied and went back to writing. You felt a liquid fall from my nose. That’s weird; it's not like I’m sick—

The blood fell in my paper.

I mentally cursed myself. That assignment is due tomorrow! I can’t rewrite this in one ni-

“Y/n!” My father hurriedly approached me, checking my face. He seemed distressed and went out to call the maid. 

“She needs to take a rest.” The doctor said in front of my parents. I was now in my room with the private doctor. 

My parents glanced at each other and nodded to the doctor. After a few small talks they eventually dismissed him. 

“You’ll rest for now, ok?” My mother reassured me, and I nodded in response, still feeling lightheaded. 

“You can take your final exams tomorrow," she followed. It had felt like this very moment, I’ve realized. My parents don't care about me. They just want an heir. 

I stared at the window beside me. It was nighttime, and my reflection was very visible thanks to the lights inside being turned on. 

Eye bags were very apparent, lips were chapped, and my skin felt dry. I’ve also lost a lot of weight, and my hair…

I run my hand through my hair, and multiple strands come along with it. I barely recognized myself at this point.

“You’re gonna be the end of your daughter.” I overheard someone through the door.

“You have no right to teach me parenting!” My dad replied.

They talked more, but it’s a one sided heated argument with my father shouting in anger while my uncle remained calm and continued with his calm response.

I looked at the calendar beside me. It’s almost December. I just need to hold on a little bit. 

When did it start? Was it when I received my awards and my family simply wanted it more? Or was it the time when they saw me so dedicated to the lesson plans they created in order to ensure I was at the top of my class?

Or is it simply my fate?

From the moment I was born, I was fated to be the next heir. And my family wants the absolute best for the next person who’ll continue their wealth. 

Will it ever end? After being the next heir is just an endless cycle of passing the throne to the next generation.

I gasped and placed my hand over my mouth.

‘Will my future child suffer the same fate as well?’

‘Will I turn into a monster like them?’

The mere thought of it disgusted me in every way. Turning into someone I despise and eventually treating someone like how they treat me now is sickening. 

‘I just need to choose my own path...away from everything”

“You seemed to enjoy this place.” My uncle said.

He was seated in the living room with a book in his hand. I hummed in response and prepared a hot chocolate drink. It was very cold outside, and being warmed up inside here is pretty cozy. 

I just arrived here earlier, and I already organized my things in the guest room. 

I’ve been doing well since…. just now. The house back in that country is still the same.

My health got better because the doctor warned my parents if I continued to stick to their routines, I'd most likely exhaust my body and worsen my condition. 

I still don’t know how long they'll keep my current schedule before switching it to the old one. 

I sighed and took a sip of the sweet hot drink. 

‘Kaiser!!” I called out and threw my whole weight at him. He fell on the pile of snow on the ground. 

“Hey-” 

I giggled as he tried to get up. It took a moment before he realized it was me. 

“Y/n!” He exclaimed, and I slowly distanced myself to sit on the ground. 

“It’s been a while," I smiled. Kaiser looks like he has grown a bit taller since the few months I last saw him. He also had longer hair this time. 

"So…how long will you be staying here?” Rather than being excited, there was a hint of sadness in his voice.

“Just a week.” 

We were now walking in the streets, keeping ourselves warm in the puffer jackets we were wearing. Kaiser had his arms in his pockets, and I was rubbing my hands together to keep warm. My eyes wondered and saw my favorite store. 

A new collection of jewelry was released. My eyes sparkled at the gold necklace with a diamond-shaped pendant. “It’s so pretty.” I whispered as I practically shoved my face in the glass as I looked at it carefully. 

“Then buy it.” Kaiser huffed as his breath became visible due to the cold weather, making it look like smoke was coming out of his mouth. 

I shook my head. “I’m saving up money.” I said and removed myself from the glass and turned to him.

He sneered. “Wow, I didn’t know you could be so stingy.” I chuckled at his joke and gestured for him for us to continue walking. 

We were silent as we continued to walk. It wasn’t awkward or tense; our shoulders kept brushing against each other when others walked by. 

“Let’s eat over there!” I said, and I pointed at a small bakery nearby. I figured that we should eat there since it was the closest to his favorite food. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you…" Kaiser said quietly and took a sip of his hot chocolate as he observed me happily putting butter on pastry. “Yeah?”

“How have you been doing?” He placed his drink on the table, waiting for me to answer. My smile remained, but my eyes told him otherwise. 

“I haven’t been at my best honestly. Sometimes I think the people in my house will be the death of me.” I let out a breathy laugh and looked at him. 

He was leaning on the chair, and he looked serious.

That’s right, I’m talking about this with Kaiser. That last sentence shouldn’t be joked about. 

“I’m being serious.” I said and took a bite of the bread. 

“I’m scared of them….” 

He sighed and he munched on his bread. 

I was going to meet Kaiser again after 3 days. My uncle is busy lately, so I have plenty of time to be alone in the house.

“Boo!” 

I jumped from my seat and turned to face Kaiser with his tongue sticking out to tease me. I smacked his shoulder and glared at him.

We were in our secret spot where we had the whole view of the city. And the 

He laughed and sat beside me. I glared at him but my expression immediately changed when I noticed the fresh bruise on his cheek, and I grabbed a handful of snow on the ground and rolled it into a ball. 

“Oh so you're looking for revenge, huh~” 

He said excitedly and quickly made one his own. When he turned to me, I placed the ball of snow on his cheek. It made him flinch and back away. “Snowballs are supposed to be thrown!” He said and touched his cheek where he felt the coldness on his bruise. 

When his eyes met mine, his tensed shoulder dropped, and he sat back beside me. “Your bruise…” I softly said, and I brushed some of his hair strands away from his face and took out a handkerchief in my bag to wrap it around the snow, now making sure that he doesn’t flinch at the sudden cold. 

I gently placed it on his cheek. The corner of his lips shows a hint of bruising as well; probably he got that a day ago. 

“Was it from him, again?”

He placed a hand on top of mine and shook his head. His calloused hands were cold compared to mine. 

“Then..” My eyes landed on the small bag beside him. It was a stash of money; he quickly shoved it to the side and avoided my eyes.

“Kaiser, it's too dangerous.” I said, and he shot a glare at me as if I said something wrong.  His mood immediately changed.

“You still don’t get it, do you?" He clenched his jaw and removed your hand from his cheek, making the ball of snow drop on the ground. He stood up and started to walk away. 

I clenched my fist and followed him.

“I have nothing to lose. So I don’t care if my body is torn into shreds as long as I have to get out of that house.” He aggressively stomped his feet.

Word by word, it felt like there was anger being added to the next one. 

“It doesn’t have to be this wa—"

"It’s easier for you to say because you have money!"

He stopped walking and faced me. 

“Kaiser” I softly called out and slowly walked close to him. 

“Tch, what do you want me to do? Stop? Then stay at that deadbeat bastard’s house?"

“That’s not what I meant!” I shouted trying to prove a point. 

"It's just that I don’t like seeing you this way—getting hurt. After all this time I'm still not used to it."

He took a deep sigh and turned to face the city view. The sun was about to set, and I was reminded that I’ll have to be home soon but I just can’t leave him with an unfinished argument. We have to part ways without any bad feelings for each other.

“What do you know? You have all the money you need," he said in a cynical tone.

*thud*

“Eh?”

*thud*

I threw another snowball at his chest. I bit my lip as tears began pooling in my eyes. “D-do you think I’m happy with this life?” I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words in my jumbled mind. 

He stood there frozen watching me tremble in frustration. 

“I’m also struggling as well.” A warm tear fell on my cheek. 

“I also work my body practically to death. They don’t care about me; they just care about their money.”

There. I said it out loud. My bottled up frustration towards my parents.

My knees hit the thick snow on the ground. I can feel the coldness in my knees. It felt numb…was it due to the cold, or did my body just give up on me?

“Y/n!” He called out. It was about to get dark now, and we are far from my uncle's house. I tried to keep my eyes open but my mind begin to slip away. 

I woke up still feeling the cold air around me, but as I opened my eyes, I smelled Kaiser's scent. He was carrying me on his back to my uncle’s place. My arms were hanging in front of him; he supported my thighs by hooking his arms. I shifted a bit, and he took notice of this.

"Are you with me now?” He asked softly. 

"Hmm," I hummed in response and buried my face in his neck near his nape. I’m still half asleep at this point. I heard his breath hitch.

It felt warm being around him. 

“I can walk on my own now," I mumbled.

“I got you. Don’t want to see you passing out again.” He sneered. 

I softly chuckled and wrapped my arms, completely embracing him from the back. It felt so right, me being with him.

"Say, Kaiser…"

“Yeah?” I felt a subtle vibration against my face as he replied. 

“Can I stay with you?” 

“We can hang out tomorrow, idiot.” 

I chuckled and shook my head.

“I want to stay with you. I want us to escape...together." 

He stopped walking.

“But you’re going to leave in 3 days," he said, but he doesn’t seem to go against the idea.

“I’ll go before they can drive me to the airport.”

“Let’s meet again tomorrow and talk about this.” He replied, and he also informed me that he is in front of the place. 

I looked up to see my father’s own body guard outside. They approached us, and Kaiser gently put me down. 

“Mrs. L/n! We were looking for you.” 

I went up to them and turned my back to Kaiser, gesturing for him to go now, and he nodded in response before leaving.

I packed my luggage and my bag. Tomorrow is the day I’ll go back to that hell. I need them not to be suspicious; after all, I made my uncle and family worried the other day by coming home late.

I made sure to pack lightly in the bag I’m going to use run away. I figure that I will go earlier than we initially had planned because my uncle will arrive a bit earlier than I anticipated. 

I arrived at our usual meeting spot an hour early; I sat on the bench and began to block my contacts as I waited for Kaiser. 

30 mins had gone by, and I was playfully sweeping the snow on the ground with my boots, trying to kill time. 

"Just a few more minutes..."

I found myself smiling. The thrill of doing something I thought I would never do. This will change the trajectory of my life forever.

I felt a presence behind me I turned around expecting to see Kaiser. “You’re here early-” 

She grabbed a handful of my hair and aggressively tugged it. It was my mother. She was visibly fuming, and her butler was behind her with a black car. 

“Since when will you learn?!” She yelled and practically dragged me by the hair towards the car. 

I couldn’t think straight. Why was she here? 

“You think we haven't been keeping an eye on you while you venture with that pest?!” She harshly pushed me in the car I grinned my teeth.

“Don’t call him a pest!" I shouted back, and I got slapped in return. I was in this belief; this was the first time that I saw my mother act this way. 

“That boy will destroy your future!”

When we arrived at the hotel where they were staying at she threw the clothes inside my bags all over the room. We kept shouting at each other, trying to prove a point. 

“You lived like an empress. What else could you ask for?” 

“You treated me like I was an investment! I wouldn’t leave it if your brains weren't poisoned by money.”

Then, my father arrived in the room. He had no emotion and calmly sat on the couch. I stopped in my tracks, waiting for his lash out but it didn’t come. 

“That boy Michael Kaiser.”

My eyes widened at the mention of Kaiser. How did he get a hold of that name?

“He’s in jail, facing charges for a burglary.”

I slowly shook my head in denial. He took a sigh and stood up.sigh

“You’ll leave tomorrow…”

He started to say their future plans for me: staying in the house, having someone beside me all the time, and restricting me from ever coming back here ever again.

“I refuse!” I shouted, tears threatening to fall.

His eyes twitched, and he grabbed my jaw, forcing me to face him. 

“I thought I got rid that attitude of yours…” He whispered as he tightened the grip.

“I don’t need a weak-minded fool in this household. It’s either we straighten that attitude of yours, or I’ll strip it from your privileges in this household. I’m not afraid to leave you penniless on the street if that’s what you want.” 

I packed my things. I was now going to my grandmother's house. My mother also cut contacts with her before she and my father left.

I swallowed hard as I knocked on his office door in his home.

“Before I leave, can I ask one last favor?”

He raised a brow and prompted me to continue. He knows his ways here and has lots of connections; I’m sure he can pull some strings.

I asked him if he could free Kaiser out of jail.

“Ok, This will be the last time we’ll be seeing each other anyway.” He said, standing up with the support of his cane. 

I thanked him and went to close the door.

“Best of luck out there.” I heard him say before I fully closed the door. 

A year had passed by. I was looking for Kaiser in the neighborhood, but no signs of him were seen. 

I only got ahold of the news when I heard that there was a rising actor with the same name as him. I got the confirmation when I saw him on the TV.

It looks like my uncle didn’t just free him but also scouted him.

Does he still remember our promise?

But do I have time to focus on him now? Now that my grandmother had died, there way a huge dept that needed to be paid. 

It seemed like he was living the best life out there. In the spotlight. I feel proud of him, but I couldn't help wondering if he remembers me.

My grandmother left me with our neighbors. They were a married couple— without a child so they gladly took me in.

They lived a comfortable life. Despite losing everything, their kindness and how they treated me like I was their own child was more than enough to keep me going.

I started working on a young age, postponing college for a bit then when I paid a good portion of the debt I opted to become a working student. After all, I can’t be a burden my new parents.

While I was at it, I manage to find a dream of mine. Calling it a dream people would probably think that it is something extravagant or a grand scheme that will school people.

But all I wanted is something simple. 

A flower shop. 

Years went by, and I think about him from time to time.

But I still need to work in order to put my plan in motion. I was glad to land a job at Vanica's; she’s a nice woman, she can handle herself and the rumors around her is not true… she’s just a lot to handle but she’s nice when you get to know her.

Imagine my shock when she told me that she had worked with Kaiser. It was a name that I always heard around me but hearing it from someone directly talking to me just felt odd.

And then I saw him….Kaiser.

════════

"I was there..." You sobbed and placed both hands on his cheeks. Your shoulder was now drenched in sweat and tears. You slowly lift his head to meet his glossy eyes.

“But that woman got me first. It was also the day he offered me to leave the household—losing all my privileges—or to continue living there.”

“And you choose..."

“Leave” You continued.

"When I was sent to jail, the man that freed me...Ray Dark, was your uncle?"

You nodded in response. You both had calmed down from crying earlier. You noticed the time, and it was very late. "You should sleep now; you have taping tomorrow," you said.

You were about to leave, but Kaiser grabbed your wrist. You turned, and his eyes were elsewhere. His mind was trying to find the right words to say.

You tilted your head and asked him if he needed something. 

"Sorry."

By the time you woke up. You barely can see anything due to your swollen eyes. The curtain divider was open; you saw Kaiser still peacefully asleep.

You grabbed a glass bottle of water from his fridge and went to your side to place it in your eyes.

'That feels niceeee.'

A few minutes later your phone buzzed. You checked the notification and you saw the director's message. He said that the taping for Kaiser's scene has been moved; other scenes will be prioritized today.

You also closed the curtain to give you both some privacy.

Kaiser woke up with a bad headache. He opened his eyes and recalled the events from last night. It felt surreal; he asked himself if it even happened in the first place or if it was just a dream—an absurd one at that.

He soon concluded that it did happen when he saw you got out of the bathroom with a slightly swollen eye.

You saw him put his hand on his head and asked him if he was ok.

"Yeah, I just have a headache...What's the schedule for today?"

"You're in luck. The director cancelled the shoot for today to film the other scenes. You should rest the whole day. I have medicine in my bag," you suggested.

Kaiser put his robe on and ran his hand through his messy hair.

"Thanks." He muttered as you placed the medicine on his bedside table with a bottle of water.

"I'll go downstairs to buy us food."

When you went out, he went to the bathroom to take a long shower. The scent of your shampoo still lingers, and it made him feel relaxed. After that, he put on his clothes and plopped on the bed to check his contacts.

He started at your contact labeled "Witch."

What time are you coming back?

Witch: I'll be there in 10 minutes. Did you drink the medicine?

Yes, I did. It tasted like shit.

Witch: You'll have to take it again in the next 4 hrs.

He rolled his eyes and smiled to himself. The whole day Kaiser was able to rest comfortably while you kept his condition in check. He complained about the medicine being too bitter and how you restricted him from drinking his beloved carbonated drink. 

───────

“Can’t you act for God's sake!”

The director yelled at the person who kept messing up their lines. They were on the verge of tears, and the director asked for a replacement immediately. The set was in the last week of filming, and everyone was under pressure to meet the deadlines. 

Kaiser watched in boredom as the staff retouched his red eyeliner, and you were giving him the props that the staff told you to hand him. 

“Let’s take a quick break!” He said, and everyone in the set moved back to their station to drink some water or to get some fresh air. 

“He’s mad mad~” Lorenzo said and drank from a bottle of water. Grace sighed, just wanting this scene to be over with. 

Everyone around you was watching. They are tired. They have little time to spare for just a short scene. This is how it usually plays out in the entertainment industry. 

The smaller your role is, the more prone you are to deal with irritable people but they do have patience for their main actors. 

They were soon replaced with another background character and proceeded to film the next scene. 

“Do you think you can kill him?” Grace asked Kaiser as she panted heavily. They were both hiding from Lorenzo behind the crashed car. 

Lorenzo called out Kaiser's character name.

“Come out if you want to live~”

She clutched my gun and was about to stand up, but Kaiser tugged the hem of her shirt, keeping her in place. “What are you doing?” He asked in a hurry, glancing as he stole glances at him. 

“I’m doing this for my family…” She trembled. The urge to get revenge for her family was too much, and nothing was going to stop her from facing that monster.

Grace got brutally killed in the end. Lorenzo used his powers to stretch his hands, wrapping them around the car. Kaiser escaped, but she didn’t.

Her body was crushed by the vehicle, and her remains spattered everywhere. One of her eyes rolled into Kaiser’s shoe. 

“Ok! That’s a wrap."

“I think I got the best death scene!” Grace exclaimed she was oddly overjoyed at the death of her character.

“Don’t you agree?” She turned to you who was handing Kaiser a bottle of water. 

“Yeah, I think it's actually executed very well. The emotions that you expressed will touch the viewer’s hearts. I’m sure your fans will be blown away with your performance.” You smiled at her.  

Grace stared at you and blinked a couple of times, and she began to turn red. “W-w-well thank you!” She scratched the back of her head and turned to the side, seemingly flustered.

You groaned as you arrived at your hotel. Your body was pretty sore and you just want to bathe now. 

“Just one week left," you mumbled as you placed your guys’ bags on the table.  

Some fake blood was still on your skin because Lorenzo was messing around the set with a glass of fake blood. He intended to throw it at Kaiser, but he used you as a shield, leaving you looking like you’ve just murdered somebody, Lorenzo apologized and shouted at Kaiser. 

Kaiser well…He burst out laughing and took pictures of your bloodied state as you stood there trying to process the situation. But you just calmly wipe it off like it was just a small smear whenever you eat.

Calmly.

You glared at Kaiser from the back of his head. He chuckled at your remark.

“I’ll take a shower later. You go ahead first.” Kaiser said it and went to his area grabbing his bags. You nodded and soon followed after to go to the bathroom.

“There’s still no rooms…” You mumbled as you skimmed through the website's browser. 

“It's ok. It would also be a hassle for you to move from places to places."

‘You seem to enjoy your stay here?!’

Well, it is true that it was easier to arrange Kaiser’s schedule. You were able to communicate faster and discuss his plans. It’s convenient if we’re going to talk about work related stuff, not really for other things tho.

“Mr. Kaiser, how about my peace?” An irk mark appeared on your forehead.

“You can drop the honorifics, you know," completely ignoring your complaint as he looked at his script for the last episode to be filmed. 

“You’re my employer.”

“We basically live under the same roof now.”

“Because a certain someone leaked their location.” You reminded him again; it’s like the 30th time now whenever you talk about your current co-living situation. 

“Then drop those pesky nicknames of yours." You continued.

“Then Mr. Kaiser it is, Witch." he smirked. you can feel his sassiness radiating from the thin fabric. You rolled your eyes in disbelief at his attitude.

After some moments you decided that it was time to sleep now. “Mr. Kaiser? Are you still awake?” He hummed in response, and you asked him if you should close the light. 

"Yeah, sure, I’m going to sleep as well.”

Moments of silence passed by until Kaiser spoke.

“It was a bit stressful today.” 

“The director looked like a bull ready to charge everyone on set" You replied, remembering the director’s fuming face.

He let out an airy laugh and heard him shift in the bed.

“Remember that time where we got cashed out because you threw the pebbles straight to the guy’s head?” 

“That was you!” Well aware that it was not him.

───────

“Cheers!” 

The team celebrated after finishing the taping of the finale. “I would like to thank you all for your hard work!" The director sobbed. 

“I wouldn’t have made it without you guys!”

You all laughed at his drunken state. Your phone rang from your pocket, and you excused yourself to your fellow staff’s table.

Kaiser was with his co-actors talking about a new side quest they're going to do after they get home.

“I’ll go back to Italy to audition for this movie.” He showed Kaiser the movie on his phone. And he scoffed. “Yeah right, good luck getting accepted with those shiny teeth of yours.”

Grace was quiet and looking down at her lap with phone in hand. Kaiser asked her what's up, and she showed him a tweet. 

MissInforThemation @ missinfor. 17 mins.

Kaiser was formerly sent to jail for burglery!?!??!

Replies: 1,297k retweets: 2,918k  Likes: 15,836k

It had shown his arrest back then when he was a teenager. Comments were divided at the posts.

Alphamale101 @ Tuffestalpha 7 mins 

I new that fucker has some nasty dirt on him

Replies: 1,297k retweets: 292 Likes: 1,836k

Sag3l01 @ Angelzs3.

Shut the fuck up jealous incel.        Replies: 1,619k retweets: 618 Likes: 2,926k

Kaiser4ever @ Kaiserfan 7 mins.

I’m so disappointed :(((. But let’s all wait for the official statement, guys!

Replies: 1,027k retweets: 816 Likes: 3,868k

"Mr. Ness has ordered you to be put on a hiatus while at it the team will release an official statement.” You turned to him, and he seemed a bit too relaxed about the situation.

You observed him with his robe hanging loosely and his hair tied up while he watches something from his phone. 

“Yeah yeah.” He replied dismissively, eyes still glued on the phone. 

Well, it’s better than him bitching about it.

“Thanks again..." He followed. 

“It’s my job.” You replied and typed your reply to the PR team about the current situation going on mainly on X. 

‘I’m not referring that.' he thought.

───────

“So here we are.” You happily said it and placed Kaiser’s bags on the ground. You're back in his penthouse at last!

“How long is my hiatus again?” 

"Well, that depends on you. It seemed like the team acted fast so you don’t have to deal with the press.”

The team has uploaded a solid statement saying that it is true that Kaiser went to juvenile prison, but his charges were dropped due to a false accusation. 

"So…I'll see you. After my one-month break?” You said that as you hook your bag on your neck. "Yeah, see you..." He gave you a genuine smile.

“That was it?!?!” Vanica yelled through the phone. You just finished catching up with her, and you’re now in your own bed.

“All you got was Kaiser that time.”

"Hm." You hummed in response, verifying what Vanica had said.

“You mean, you told Kaiser about what happened the day when you guys are about to make the grand escape.”

“Hm.”

“He apologized.”

“Hm”

“You and he would have these little late-night talks.”

“Hm”

“And you still don’t get to fuck him?”

Your eyes blew wide and you felt your cheeks heat up at the sudden mention of something you’ve never thought of towards Kaiser.

“HEY!” You shouted, but Vanica just giggled in response. 

“He’s my childhood friend and my boss now…”

“So?” she said it flatly.

You rolled your eyes, still feeling the warmth of your cheeks.

“It’s not like that…. We just leaned on each other during those hard times…” You mumbled. 

He’s a Work acquaintances and Childhood friend But definitely not a lover.

“Rule number 3. Must be professional. Work without any personal attachment." You recalled one of the rules in Kaiser’s rule book.

“Yeah right."

───────

You smiled as you looked at your paycheck. Just a bit more. 

You walked in the streets in your hometown. You put your hands in your pockets to warm yourself up. It was already December; people around the area are excited to spend their holidays together with their families.

You admire the lights, the different colored lights that brightened the streets. People were taking pictures with their loved ones with smiles on their faces. 

Some parents are preparing ahead for Christmas night, so they decided to already buy a bunch of toys. Some kids were starting to spend their allowance on ridiculous things like the latest trendy toys that will probably lose their value when the popularity declines. 

It reminded you of your old self.

You chuckle at the thought and think of the things you should do next.

"I visited Grandma, I already visited my parents, I already went grocery…"

Your thoughts were interrupted when you bumped into someone.

“Sorry!”

You rubbed your forehead from the slight pain. 

“Y/n?” 

You looked up to meet those familiar blue eyes and rose tattoo.

You were now walking with Kaiser, not really knowing where you were going, you just instinctively followed him.

“How’s your break?” It’s already been a week since you dropped him off at his penthouse. “I visited my grandma in the cemetery; I also visited my parent.”

He turned to you looking confused at the second statement. 

“Foster parents.” You cleared his curiosity and he made an ‘ah’ sound. 

“I didn’t know you were here.” You turned to him; he seemed well-rested now compared to when you guys were working. The hiatus must’ve really benefited him.

He was carrying a black duffle bag.

“I just arrived..."

“Where are you staying at?” You asked. 

‘Was he staying at his father’s house? Does he even keeps in touch with his father?’ Many questions rushed into your mind. 

Until now he hasn't talked about what happened after that night where you both planned to run away.

He averted his gaze and chuckled awkwardly. “I forgot to make reservations… I thought I could just book on the spot…..I didn’t take holidays into consideration.”

You bust out laughing. “Is that some kind of curse you have?"

“This isn’t a laughing matter!" He clicked his tongue; your laugh soon turned into giggles.

“Do you want me to find you a place, Mr. Kaiser?” 

He scoffed again, crossing his arms. “We’re on vacation. Don’t treat me as your employer.” 

You titled your head. He did call you by your name earlier.

This is exactly the moment where it's like time has magically rewinded. Your lips curled up at the nostalgic feeling, the cold weather, the holiday season, and Kaiser. 

You walked up in front of Kaiser, stopping him in his tracks to propose an idea. 

“I have a spare room in my newly acquired apartment here. How about we spend this holiday together?” You smiled.

“Just like old times.” You continued.

His eyes widened and mouth slightly parted. Were you joking? No, that smile on your face doesn’t seem to lie. There’s no intention of teasing behind it; it’s just….pure.

──────────────

Thank you for the support last chapter!!!💙🥀

════════

“I’ll let you go back to Germany on one condition.”

You nodded and let them continue.

“You’ll stay at your uncle's," your father said. 

My uncle was one of the mysterious figures in our family. I sometimes see him at the family gatherings, but only the major celebrations since he’s always overseas.

“He’ll be staying at a nice place for some time; it’s a better place compared to that shabby house of your grandmother's." My mother glared at him, but he ignored her.

I bit my bottom lip. ‘Should I push my luck further?’

"Can I also visit Grandma sometimes?"

I finally got to spend the summer here again after 3 years of agonizingly stuffing myself with books, but it was totally worth it. You lay in your bed in the spare room of your grandma's house. 

“Y/n!” Your grandma called out from downstairs. You went down to see what’s happening; she prepared a meal on the table for both of you.

You sat down in the seat in front of her at the dinner table. You gave her a smile, but she didn’t return it and just began to eat her food.

“Umm..” You stared at her, figuring out how you should start.

“Danke, dass ich wieder bei dir bleiben durfte."

"Thank you for letting me stay with you again."

She looked at me like she heard me speak for the first time. 

“Ich wusste gar nicht, dass du Deutsch kannst!" 

“I didn't even know you could speak German!”

It turns out that she avoided me the last time I came here because she doesn’t know how to speak English. Though she still gambles frequently. She and I quite bond now; it was mostly talk about how she hated that damn father of mine and his mother. 

“I’m telling you, money destroys family. Those greedy bastards will be a pain in the ass for you someday." 

I secretly rolled my eyes at her hypocrisy. Coming from the mother who married off her daughter to a rich man so she could receive money. 

I explored the street, and nothing has really changed in the past 3 years. It felt so good to be back. I snapped a couple of photos in case I get homesick by the time I come back. 

I was enjoying my peaceful little adventure until a bastard ran off with my phone. They were very fast, but I still chased them. “Stop right there!” 

But they continued running, passing the stores and going in the alleyway. I was fast enough to catch up to them. 

I braced my body and used my whole weight to slam him down, tackling him on the ground. "Shit." He struggled trying to free himself. 

I pulled down his hoodie, and there he is, the boy I've been looking for.

“Kaiser?”

════════

You didn’t get a wink of sleep. You don’t know if it was because you slept with your clothes on or the sudden loss of temper you had last night. You looked at the clock, and it was 9:19 AM. You have to bring Kaiser there by 10:40 AM. You got up from your sleep and folded the blanket and fixed the sofa.

"Mr. Kaiser"

You softly called out. You looked at the thin cloth in front of you. The light was shining past it, which was enough to see Kaiser. 

“Hmm”

“You have taping in 3 hours." 

You heard a whine in response. You took out your laptop and checked if there was anything that was new in Kaiser’s schedule or requests for collaboration from brands. While you were working on this, Kaiser also got up to start his day. 

“Do you want me to call room service for breakfast?” You asked him when you heard the bathroom door open. “No, I’ll have breakfast in the nearby cafe with Grace and Lorenzo.”

“Oh, ok. Would you be directly going to the set with them, or will you return?” 

“I’ll go directly.”

He went out from behind the curtain wearing a black hoodie paired with dark blue jeans. You glance at him to see him already looking at you. Feet crossed, with the laptop on your lap, you return your eyes to the laptop again, and Kaiser looks at the door ahead of him. 

“I’ll get going.” 

You hummed in response, keeping your eyes on the laptop. He opened the door and stole one glance at you and finally went out. 

"Well, that went better than expected." You stretched your arms and stood up to do your morning routine. 

As you ate your breakfast, you were also scrolling to look if there was any available room for Kaiser. The hotels are still fully booked, and you decided to try again tomorrow.

The things you will be bringing to the set for Kaiser are already packed. You were practically free as of now, so you decided to open X.

Freakybob @ freakssbob. 40 mins.

THEY'RE FILMING THE NEXT SEASON WHOOOO!!

Replies: 961 retweets: 256 Likes: 2,836k

It showed a picture on the set from afar with the main cast and camera talking about how they would play out the scene. The replies were from fans that were very eager to see some more leaks on set.

You refresh your feed to find something more interesting aside from celebrities, and to your surprise, the new post was a picture of Kaiser and Grace in the cafe. You saw Lorenzo’s reflection in the pane of glass, but his real self has been cropped out of the picture.

Ihatepeople @ Sassycow. 1 h

Kaiser and Grace!?!??!

Replies: 1,497k retweets: 281 Likes: 5,836k

You kept refreshing, but to your dismay, it was all about the entertainment industry. At this point you were considering blocking the whole cast. You check the clock, and there’s still an hour before the set begins. But you figure it would be better if you went early so you could accompany Kaiser as soon as he arrives. 

You packed your things and headed out. 

─────── 

“Why are you so early? The filming will start later, and by the way, the actor section is that way. " One of the staff said and pointed at one station.

“Oh..” You chuckled and explained to them that you were just staff. You had been mistaken multiple times as the new actress whenever you were still new on the set, and it also happened frequently too with Vanica’s team. 

You placed the bags on the table and noticed some of them were extra giddy today as well as the director. “Why are you guys so tense?" You asked the other staff beside you.

"Well, it was said that the executive producer will be visiting the set.” He replied. 

"Ohh"

He’s right. You saw the message earlier that they will be checking the scene. You just thought that they'd be mostly talking to the directors and the main cast. On the other hand, they’ll probably observe the staff as well, but you just thought that it was nothing to be worried about as long as you do your usual thing—getting the job right. 

You saw Kaiser, Grace, and Lorenzo arrive, and they went to their respective tents. You handed him his clothes for today’s scene and informed him about the executive’s arrival. He nodded and handed you something. It contained pastry and also coffee to go along with it.

“I’ll keep this here; you can just come here and take it if—"

Kaiser clicked his tongue and glanced to the side. “It’s for you… you damn witch.” 

Your eye twitched, but you gave him a smile. It looks like he’s not dropping those names anytime soon. 

“Action!”

Lorenzo laughed as he crushed the hand of a background character with his feet. The guy screamed in pain and pleaded to let him live. “Humans are such pathetic creatures.” He said coldheartedly, and he extended his arm as it reshaped into sharp and hard flesh, piercing it into the guy’s head, dropping his body from the 3rd floor.

Well, that would be the visual for the movie, but here behind the scenes, they were using makeup, props, and green screens to achieve the desired scene—it's still impressive considering when you remove the green cloth from the scene or look at Lorenzo’s current state, it actually seems pretty legit.  

You are all in the next location of the day inside an empty mall. The show booked the whole local mall for a day to film the scene. 

“Cut!”

*Clap* *clap*

The director turned around and saw the executive approaching the scene with his secretary and bodyguard beside him. The director smiled and walked up to them to greet them. 

“That’s a killer scene right there!”

The director scratched his head and couldn’t help but blush. “Well, it’s all thanks to you, Mr. Snuffy.” 

The main cast also went up to him to welcome him. Momentarily pausing the filming to take a break. “It’s nice to see you again!” Grace said, shaking his hand. Snuffy was in the middle of having a conversation with Grace, and his eyes landed on Kaiser and the monster-like alien beside him.

“There they are!” 

His secretary gave him the paper bag he was carrying, and he gave it to Lorenzo himself when they got near. 

“Arf! Arf!”

Lorenzo barked, and Snuffy chuckled in response. Lorenzo couldn’t contain his excitement as the smell of freshly made caramel popcorn filled his nostrils. 

Kaiser wore a weirded-out expression as the scene happened; despite having witnessed the scene several times already in the past filming, he still wasn't used to it. “Your teeth already look like caramel popcorn. Haven’t you had enough of it? " All Kaiser got as a response were louder chewing noises from him.

Everyone was on their own station now, eating and drinking to refill their stomachs. After Snuffy was finished catching up with the director and the main cast, he decided to look around the set. His eyes wandered until he spotted a familiar face. 

There are no doubts about it.

You stood there in a spot just outside an empty restaurant near the filming scene, already looking at him. You couldn't read his expression when he turned to you. You faced down, your hands cold, and you felt them tremble as he slowly approached you. 

"Y/n..."

His voice held a demand to face him. 

You met his eyes. Lips trembling as you try to make out a word. 

His face softened and his lips turned into a warm, sincere smile—a smile that he only shows to people special to him. He spreads his arms, asking for a hug, and you happily embrace him. 

The people couldn’t help but whisper, but they were shut down by Snuffy’s scary secretary's glare. One that can probably turn you into ash.  

You both broke the hug, and Snuffy ruffled your hair. “It’s been a while.” You giggled and nodded. 

Snuffy was one of your father’s younger friends. Your family’s social networking is top class; it ranges from the entertainment industry, publishing, the fashion industry, finance, and the list goes on. So you met a lot of high-class people back then, and one of them is Snuffy.

You looked up to him as a big brother, and he saw you as his little sister. 

He noticed your ID labeled “staff” and smiled. 

“Let’s catch up after your work.”

You and Kaiser finally arrived at your hotel room. The set wrapped it up a bit earlier, and everyone was happy to get extra rest for the night. “I’ll go somewhere. Should I get you room service?” You asked him as you sat on the couch.

He entered his side of the room and sat on the bed, turning the TV on. He scoffed and said he’ll do it later.

“Do the fuck you want.”

“Will do. " You replied while you got your things from your work bag to your purse. You got up and bid goodbye to Kaiser.

Kaiser clicked his tongue and turned on the TV. ‘Finally some peace’

After he switched from channel to channel, nothing seemed to interest him. His stomach growled, and he decided to call the room service. He went into your area and sat on the couch and reached for the phone beside the table. 

While he waited for his order, he went to the mini fridge to get more cola, but he was disappointed to see that he had already exhausted the stock. He grumpily searched for alternatives; he saw beers and wine, but he wasn’t in the mood for any of that. 

His eyes landed on a glass bottle that was on the bottom shelves. He raised a brow, raising suspicion to the bottle that was wrapped in a paper towel and a pen written on it, "Y/n's. Do not touch. 

He opened the bottle, and he was greeted with the nasty smell of milk. Quickly regretting his decision.

─────── 

You were currently having dinner with Snuffy at the Top restaurant in the area. He ordered the most expensive things on the menu, but you said that he shouldn't have and should order something simpler.

“Well, it needs to suit your taste.” He replied and took a bite of the grade A5 wagyu steak. You playfully rolled your eyes and took a bite of your food as well. 

He talked about his current projects he was working on and also some investment plans that went over the past years. 

“And by the way…"

You hummed in response, knowing what would come next.

“Your family…”

“What about them?”

“They are looking for you.” You looked at him in shock. He shook his head, and he looked saddened.

“They still hadn’t decided who would be the next hire.” You scoffed. It was that again. Passing their responsibility so they can continue their wealth for another generation. 

“I’ve cut ties with them. That’s that. End of the story. Plus, they were the one who offered to let me give up my position in the family, and I accepted it.”

“But they let you keep your surname."

“I’ll get it changed someday.” You replied. Gently swirling the glass of wine before taking a sip. He observed you and sighed. 

“You seemed to be doing well. I heard after the passing of your grandma here, you were left with her gambling debt.” 

“Oh, that.” You chuckled and put down the wine glass now. You explained to him that you had paid it a year ago. 

“I basically worked my ass off. Jumping from job to job.” He looked at you confused when you mentioned the last part.

“You’re smart? Why don’t you just work on a corporate job?”

“I refused to work in an office. Plus, I got some plan of my own.”

“You’re planning on staying here?” He meant to stay as Kaiser’s personal assistant. 

“No, life is so loud in the entertainment world; even as staff, you’re exposed to the crazy world here.” You said, as you remember, that one tweet where Kaiser was at the airport and you were guiding him. It was a good thing that your face was covered by a face mask while you drowned in the crowds. 

"You're just like your father." He chuckled, and you rolled your eyes.

“I’ll plan on settling down after some time..."

─────── 

By the time you arrived the lights were already out. You opened the lamp on your side to brighten the place up a bit; it was dim. Just enough for you to see. 

You leaned on the sofa and turned your head up to face the ceiling, recalling the conversation you had with Snuffy earlier. 

“Your family had been looking for you.”

You took a deep breath, and you changed your clothes into the newly brought pajamas. You bought them on your way here. You didn’t even have pajamas back in your place, and here you are buying some. 

If Kaiser weren't here, you would be showering for a long time and have a good night's sleep. 

After you got changed, you went to the curtain. You paused for a bit, remembering he slept without clothes on, so you ensured that you faced the wall as you entered his side of the room to go to the bathroom, walking sideways. 

You finished brushing your teeth and washing your face, and you returned to your side of the room using the same method.

“You walk like a damn crab.”

You shrieked at the sudden voice of Kaiser. 

“I would be walking here freely if it weren’t for someone who updates their fans on X frequently, resulting into leaking their location."

You said it, and you finally got on to your side of the room. You closed the lights and lay down on your side. The room was in complete darkness; Kaiser must have closed the curtains, preventing the moonlight from seeping through. 

You closed your eyes and attempted to sleep despite the uncomfortable feeling of the pajamas you were wearing. “What’s my schedule for tomorrow?”

‘This guy’

You responded quietly, loud enough for him to hear. You stated the agendas and timeline of the filming. “You should also go to sleep…” You said.

“I can’t sleep.” He said and heard him shift in the bed.

“Yeah, same here.” You respond in a monotone voice. It’s a good thing that he can’t see your grumpy face now. 

“Say….” he muttered.

You hummed in response, still keeping your eyes closed. “Is it all a coincidence? You working here?” He doesn’t exactly sound mean… He just seemed genuinely curious. 

“Yes, an unfortunate one.” 

“But you are quite well of yourself." 

The atmosphere isn’t exactly heavy… There wasn't any tension. It all seemed so normal, just like two old friends talking after not seeing each other for a long time. You completely ignore the fact that he just broke his own rules but decide not to mention it because you might have to deal with his pissed-off mood again. 

“A lot has happened since then…” You opened your eyes. It was now adjusting to the darkness; you scanned the room. Leaving luggage on the side, some snacks you bought earlier were on the table. The room was quite stuffy, but it was organized. Kudos to you on maintaining it. 

Kaiser didn’t reply, and you figured that he probably fell asleep, and you did too moments later. 

════════

I squirm to the ground as someone tackles me from behind. “I wasn’t expecting this.” I thought she was an easy target. She took off my hood, and I stopped squirming when she said my name. 

I stopped in my tracks. That voice… I’m sure my ears were deceiving me. I turned around and saw Y/n. The girl from three years ago. 

I realized how close we were and felt awkward and flustered, but she quickly moved to the side when she realized that I now recognized her.

“I can’t believe it!” 

She seemed fluent now compared to the last time I saw her. I apologized to her immediately when I realized she was the phone owner. She was already familiar with my stealing history, because she actually caught me stealing back then in the grocery store.

Instead of reporting me...she actually paid for my things. I refused at first, but she assured me that it’s fine and that she’ll pay for me whenever she’s there. 

She didn’t seem to mind me stealing, but I can tell from her expression now that it’s a bit different. Stealing food to survive is fine for her, but when it comes to other things, she seems skeptical.

"How long are you going to be staying here for?” I asked as we daggled our feet. We’re currently sitting on the side of the bridge as the water flows down from the river below. 

“The whole summer.” She smirked.

I turned to the side. It's that thing again. I feel my cheeks burning up. Looks like I haven’t changed when I’m around her. I returned my eyes to the view in front of us; it was a beautiful view of one side of the river.

I sneak a glance at the girl beside me. She seemed to be enjoying the moment as well.  

She has quite changed a bit, hasn't she? She wore simpler clothing that made her blend in on the street, and I, given the fact that she made me kiss the floor earlier, can only assume that she was also stronger. 

And she’s looked prettier now

I shook my head, dismissing the thought. “Is everything ok?” She asked. I said yes and chuckled. 

“I’m thinking of coming here for the holidays as well…but we'll have to see."

The whole summer we probably explore the whole city now—except for the expensive side of it; from alleyways to local shops, there are always new fun memories whenever I hang out with her. 

On the days I wasn’t able to meet her, I would go to work.

Sometimes...I feel jealous towards her. She basically won life. She has a complete family and money, and she seems to be loved by the people around her—the complete opposite of my life. 

She already had a glimpse of my grim world. But the pain she sees was only a fraction of it.

I bet she didn't have the experience of having absolutely nothing in life. Though, it’s not really her fault. She’s just lucky in life.

I would play with stray dogs because the other children would isolate me. There were nights when I couldn’t sleep because of how hungry I felt, the nightmares…and coming home to be greeted by beatings.

My body aches as I run from the police officers with a stack of cash in my hands. But the stinging bruises and the blood that drips down from the scrape I received from punches and my clumsiness whenever I steal do not compare to the burning hatred and pain I feel in my heart. 

Pain

Anger

Are there any emotions I can feel? 

Stealing jewelry, devices, and money from passersby became my way to have a chance at escaping. I must do this if I want to be free from the life I didn’t choose, and maybe if I earn freedom that I desire…then maybe…find love? 

════════

A week has gone by, and everything seems to be going smoothly in the set. However, today’s shoot has been cancelled due to bad weather conditions.

You and Kaiser had adjusted to the routine. He’ll take showers first, and you will wait in your space working; by the time he finishes showering, you will be 95% done. 

You also put clothes on in the bathroom after showering because it will be awkward if you change clothes outside, practically being in them 24/7. You can’t wait to get him out of here.

You typed on your laptop to rearrange Kaiser's schedule while he played something on the TV on the other side. You decided to take a break and went to the divided area to go to the bedroom. 

“Intruding in”

He hummed in response, and you walked towards the bathroom door, keeping your head straight, not sparing him a glance. As you returned, he asked you if you could check something for him. 

"Sure." You turned in his direction only to find him half naked on the bed with only the blanket covering half his body. You immediately assumed that he’s naked underneath. 

“Put some clothes on!”

You blushed and faced the wall. He laughed loudly, and you stopped yourself from throwing the nearby vase at him. “Mr. Kaiser, please refrain from doing this again in the future.” You tried to regain your composure and went to your side, hardly closing the curtain behind. 

“But I’m serious, though.”

You rolled your eyes.

“For sure…”

“Vanica is your friend, right?” He asked.

“Yes, she’s a good friend of mine. What about it?”

“You have X?” 

“Yeah.”

“What’s your username?” 

You raised a brow. 

“Why?”

Kaiser just clicked his tongue and demanded you give him your username. You gave up after some time. 

“Oh my.” 

Rin_news @rinitoshis-stuff 3 hrs.

Vanica and a manager from a co-actor is confirmed to be dating after being spotted in the streets of Tokyo.

Replies: 4,297k retweets: 3,287k Likes: 11,836k

It was a picture of them holding hands. It was taken from afar. The man’s face was blurred out, with only her face visible. 

“I’m happy for Vanica and Mr. Ness.” You spoke and closed your phone.

“Wait! You knew?!” 

He managed to slide the curtain across the room. Making you and his space completely open. He was now wearing his robe, hair tied into a bun with his bangs hanging from the side perfectly framing his face. 

"Vanica practically tried everything to get Mr. Ness’s attention. She even tried to strike a conversation with you very often in hopes of seeing Ness beside you.” 

“I’ve been in touch with her.” You explained and took a sip of the coffee. 

Kaiser was thankful that Ness finally found someone and stopped relying on him. He sure had come a long way.

You closed your laptop and put it on the side. You looked at the window, and it seemed like the rain had calmed down. “I’m going outside. Do you want anything?” You asked as you stood up.

“Where are you going?”

In the end Kaiser went with you. He complained that the last time you bought Coco Cola, it wasn’t enough, so he will make sure that you will buy a good amount. 

‘You just drink too much!’

You bought your necessities and snacks. You looked at Kaiser’s cart filled with only coco cola and sighed. 

You glanced at the clock. 

7:00 PM

It was practically dark now by the time you woke up from your nap. You were energized after waking up, and it seems like it’s the same case for your roommate who’s on the TV. 

You realized that the curtain remained on the side. You touched your chin to see if you had been drooling in your sleep. 

“Oh, the witch is awake."

You turned to him, and his eyes were glued to the TV with a closed book beside him. “I’ll order us food.” 

“Oh, I’ll do that.” You said and sat up to get the menu list. 

“It’s ok. It’s on me tonight.” He said and ordered on his phone. 

Kaiser finally got used to your presence. The bothersome pranks of his stopped as well. You were just thankful for it. 

He ordered takeout, and you ate on your side with the table, and he ate on the bed with the food on his lap.

You also watched the show while you ate; it seemed pretty interesting. Then the main character appeared; it was Kaiser.

He was playing the main character of the film, a remake of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. 

“You watch your own movies?”  

"Of course I do," Kaiser sneered at your rhetorical question. 

You remembered that Vanica refused to watch her own film because she finds it embarrassing and nitpicks every scene in the movie. 'he must be obsessed with himself.'

After finishing the movie, you thought it was profound in ways you were not expecting, and Kaiser’s acting is top-notch. You didn’t say it to his face, to avoid boosting his ego.  

“Going to sleep now~!”

He announced and quickly closed the curtain. You rolled your eyes at his annoying tone and scrolled through your phone instead. 

Today actually went well. You got to rest, did a little trip in the grocery store, and watched a movie. 

════════

I looked at myself in the mirror. Compared to a year ago, I was definitely doing so much better—at least physically. I am a very known actor now; I started from small roles and climbed my way up the ladder. I still have a long way to go, but my career seems bright. Taking one last look, I checked the clock on my watch. 

8:00 PM

I was invited to a gathering party with a few other actors, but it wasn't the one for the media. It was a secret event held by the CEO of our talent agency where only the top and rising actors and actresses were invited. 

I entered the venue, and everyone is dressed in their absolute best, drinking the finest wine out there as they engage in nonsensical gossip that contributes nothing to their own lives.

I talked to my fellow actors and also saw the agent that scouted me. 

“Ray Dark," I muttered.

He approached me holding a glass of champagne in his hand. “I saw your projects. I must say, I’m quite impressed.” I smirked and told him about the new project I’ve been working on and some collaboration I have in the future. 

We talked for some time, and he excused himself eventually. My eyes wandered in the room. I felt my heart drop when I saw the very face that my father loved.

‘Alice Love’

It felt like ice-cold water had been poured over me. The people near me noticed my distraught state and led me to the sensory room. 

I always saw her films, but this was my first time seeing her in real life. Suddenly, the memory of my father blaming me for his miserable life all came rushing in. 

“She left me because of you!”

“She loved me until you came into this world!”

“You should’ve never been born!”

I panted heavily as his fingers trailed on his rose tattoo. A waiter sat me on the sofa and said that he'd get back with some water. By the time he got back, I was already on my knees, drooling on the floor as I choked myself.

‘It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault.’

════════

While you were scrolling, you thought you heard something. You furrowed your eyebrows and got up a little, thinking your ears were playing with you. 

“Akhh!...Ackkk”

The unusual sound kept you alert. “Kaiser” You sternly called out, but the sound of his muffled grunt still persists. “Kaiser!” You slid off the curtain and watched in horror as the scene unfolded; his painful mewls made your skin crawl. Your breathing hitched, thinking of what to do next. 

'No… No, no! "I didn't leave you to be like this.'

You slowly shook your head in denial that any of this is real. 

You hurriedly got in the bed and got on top of the comforter covering him. You maintained an appropriate distance, making sure you didn't put your weight on him, and attempted to ungrip his hands on his neck. "Stop it!” You struggled, but his grip was far too strong. You repeatedly called out his name, trying to wake him up. 

As you continued, you felt your voice cracked and eventually weakened.

"K-kaiser...p-please...I'm begging y-you.”

Kaiser soon woke up when he felt hot tears drip down his face and a warm hand tightly gripping his, trying to pry it open. He opened his eyes to see you crying, tears that will probably not stop soon. 

His eyes widened, and he loosened his hand to try and catch his breath.

You saw him catch his breath and slowly got up. You quickly got up and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. “Kaiser, drink this.” He slowly got up. The comforter fell into half of his body. His head was hung low, unresponsive, but he was still breathing. 

You put the drink in the bedside drawer. Your heart ached when you saw the mark that it had left. “Y-your neck.” You quiver and instinctively reach to his neck to check how bad the bruise is. 

*slap*

“Fuck off!” 

He shouted angrily and slapped your hand away. You felt your hand sting from the sudden pain. “I don’t need your pathetic sympathy!" His face contorts in anger. You tried to wipe your tears, but you sobbed more as you heard him curse you out.

He grabbed your shoulders from both sides and shook you a little to get your attention.

You felt miserable right now.

Crying in front of the man you left and now seeing him in this state is difficult for you, but you could imagine what he’s going through right now. 

“Quit your crying," he spoke. He was direct and without any softness behind it. 

“I didn’t leave...to see you like t-this. " You manage to utter the words that have been going through your mind earlier. 

His eyes darkened, and his grip from your shoulder softened and slid down to your upper arm, gently giving it a squeeze. His breath hitched and he bit his bottom lip.  

His now delicate touch made you gradually stop your sobbing. You felt his warm hands tremble against your skin. 

“Then why did you leave me?”

───────────────────────

Sorry for the formatting, I’ll fix it someday hihi 🐣

Thank you for the support last chapter!!!

"What's my schedule for today?” He asked, sitting down on the sofa and turning on the TV, purposely setting the volume a bit high that forced you to reply in a louder volume. 

"We'll be heading to the airport at ..."

When you finished, he didn’t avert his gaze from the TV.

“Pack my things. Its in my room.”

You nodded and went in to the room he had come from earlier. You were greeted with an atrocious sight. Clothes were all over the place—on the bed, on the floor, and one is even hanging from the ceiling fan. 

“Have fun!” 

You heard him say outside and swore it was also followed by a laugh. You sighed and started on picking up his clothes. 

‘Don’t waver, don’t waver.'

Cameras were being pointed at Kaiser as he walked into the airport. Fans immediately recognized him and attempted to approach him. They were blocked by the bodyguards, and he gave them his signature smile. You were also beside him in a mask and hat guiding him on his way. It’s a bit suffocating, but you are used to it.  

Some fans didn’t budge from the bodyguard and were able to approach at a close distance, resulting in you getting your feet crushed a few times. You winced at the sudden pain but paid it no mind. Right now your focus is on Kaiser, who’s clearly enjoying this. You swore you saw him glance at you whenever he heard you wince in pain. You shrugged off his petty ego, though.

You finally reached the airport gate for the flight, and you guided him to the VIP seats and put his luggage into the cabin. “The flight will be 18 hours long with one stop over. I’ll be a few seats away from you.” 

You informed him, and he waves you off as he drinks his complimentary champagne. 

Fans swarmed around Kaiser again as he navigated the airport, following you and his bodyguards. When you arrived at his penthouse, you were amazed at how well decorated the place was, from its interior design to its furniture. You can’t help but feel proud of how far he has come. Though, you can’t really apply that to his attitude. 

After putting the luggage in his bedroom. You set the provided laptop of the company on the countertop to reply to some of Kaiser’s emails. While he rests in his bedroom, tired from the flight. 

When you finished reading the emails, you knocked on Kaiser’s door and informed him about your departure; all he heard was a muffled reply. 

“Yeah, yeah."

You sighed and also took your luggage with you to your new apartment near his penthouse. It’s been 4 months since you left here because you were accompanying Vanica at the time in Japan. 

The new apartment, as expected from Bastard München, the number one entertainment company in Germany. It was such a miracle that you landed a job here. After hopping from one job to another, you finally found a promising one. You didn’t finish college on time, so you were late in the work world.

You have your dad and mom in your hometown, but you’re still far from them but will be visiting them on your day off. You’re tired and sore from all the fans and flight, but you still feel very much awake. You opened your new phone and downloaded a few apps.

Instagram

X

For the past 20 mins, you messed around with the feature, like scrolling through the feed and posting something, but made sure that your account was already private. 

Your feed consists of the local news and influencers, and I also came across a few posts about Kaiser. Your curiosity got the best of you, and you searched his name on Instagram. There were dozens of fan pages with the same name but different formats, but you pressed the verified account.

You checked; his following list is only 11 people. 10 of them had NG11 at their bio, one was Ness, and the other one is a guy named Isagi.

You went to your own profile and decided to post something. It was a picture of you that Vanica had taken in your usual outfit—without the usual professional attire that you always wear.

Your hair was tied up, and you were glaring at the camera as you replied to emails. Vanica told you that she finds it cute. 

You now then checked Twitter and saw Kaiser's new tweet two minutes ago. 

Kaiser @ M.Kaiser 2 mins

Home 🇩🇪

Replies: 678 retweets: 376 Likes: 3,082k Views: 15k

A lot of people have engaged with the post immediately as soon as it is posted. The internet is such a convenient place for interaction. You felt your eyes try to fight off the drowsiness as your consciousness began to slip. 

════════

“Watch out!” 

I heard a girl shout from behind me. I turned to the voice behind me; a girl around my age was trying to ride a bicycle, and it seemed like she lost control of the bike. I just stood there trying to process the situation. 

“You dimmwit! Move!” 

I moved to the side, but she kept on going until she hit a pole a few blocks away. It was a good thing that she was wearing a helmet, but her body seemed to take some damage from the fall.

“That hurts."

I picked up her bicycle from the side; it looked expensive just by looking at it. She was also dressed in a tracksuit with the brand I always see in the high-end store whenever I stroll in the city. 

“Danke”

She said and walked back on the sidewalk with her bike. “N-no problem.” I replied shyly, glancing at her from time to time while walking. 

“Y/n”

She introduced herself.

“Kaiser. umm...I'll be going to the park. I’m wondering if you can play with me."

“Whoa Whoa, calm down there, buddy. I’m still a noob at German."

We stopped, and I looked at her with confusion. She grabbed something from her pocket. It was like a mini notebook. 

The Y/N girl doesn’t understand what I was saying. She only knew a few words. We were able to communicate through her accumulated words and phrases of the German language in her little pocket notebook of hers. 

“Oh! You want me to go to the park?”

I nodded, hearing the word "park." She thought for a moment and then agreed. She told me that she was only here for 2 weeks and will be leaving soon after to study. 

She talks a lot, and I don’t really get what she is saying, but I appreciate it. Moments later, after swinging for a couple of minutes, she pointed at her bike. 

“Wanna try riding that?” 

I tilted my head; she smiled and stood up from the swing, grabbing my hands from the rusted chain of the swing, and approached my bike. She patted the chair and said, “Come here."

I pointed at myself, and she nodded.

I awkwardly sat on the bike while she kept it in place to ensure I got on it safely. “Let’s do this in baby steps.” 

We went into an empty area with a concrete ground and practiced there. She pushed the bike carefully as I wobbled, controlling it. 

She laughed and tried different ways she could help me. After some time I managed to pedal and control it smoothly as she pushed me from the back. 

The cold air gently hit my face, and the sky pictured a sunset. Its different hues complemented each other. “Hey, are you seeing this?” I whispered, but I got no response from her. I turned around only to find her a few meters away waving with a grin plastered on her face.

“You–”

I wobbled and fell onto the ground. I felt betrayed but couldn’t help but laugh. “Dude, you did it!” She cheered and sat on the ground beside. 

I groaned and sat down. I glared at her, but she only laughed and patted my back multiple times, chanting “nicht schlecht." A growl from my stomach interrupted us; my cheeks warmed up and covered my stomach as if it would suppress the sound. 

Instead of laughing, she looked at me pitifully and gave me snacks from her backpack. It was a miracle that she even played with me; some of the kids here avoided me because I looked so beaten up. 

I thanked her and munched on the bread she gave me. Though she looked a bit puzzled when I started eating the crust around it first, I explained to her that it’s the best part.

I didn’t notice the time, and it was now dark. I gestured to her that I had to leave, and she said that it was fun talking to me. I felt my cheeks warm up again and averted my gaze. 

“Let’s play again tomorrow!” 

I smiled and nodded. I bid her farewell and went to the grocery store to work. 

“You good-for-nothing bastard!” 

A punch landed on my cheek, sending my weak body flying into the empty boxes in the corner of the room. “You’re late!” That fucker shouted and hastily approached my already bruised body from yesterday’s beating, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his hand around my neck. Tears well up in my eyes as I try to free his hand, but it was no use.

─────── 

Cold sweats stream down Kaiser’s forehead; his hands were still wrapped around his neck but released them moments later. He sat up, and the warm blanket fell back in the bed as the cold air hit his exposed skin. He panted to catch his breath and turned to the clock. 

8:00 AM

It was that dream again, the one that always haunts him at night. The one with his own father choking him, but now you also appeared in his dreams, another unpleasant memory that he doesn’t wish to remember. 

“Mr. Kaiser?”

‘Speak of the devil.' 

You knocked on the door to inform him about the photoshoot in 3 hours, totally oblivious that on the other side of it he was rolling his eyes at your knocking.

“What is it?”

He said it loud for you to hear. You informed him about his upcoming schedules today. 

On the other side of the door, he stared at the mirror for a few minutes before he put on his fanciest robe and brushed his teeth. He also made sure to wash his face and dampen his ridiculous bedhead. 

“I’ll go downstairs to read some emails!” You informed him and went down.

“Shit, shit—”

Kaiser cursed out as he tried to brush his tangled hair. A minute passed by; he managed to detangle it. Feeling satisfied with the result, he went and opened the door for you.

He brushed his bangs up with water droplets still dripping down from his hair.

“Why so early–”

He stopped talking when you realized that you were not there. 

‘What’s his deal?’ You thought. Kaiser this morning has been acting extra spiteful towards you. He “accidentally” forgot his phone in the car, and he claimed that he “lost” his wallet earlier only to find it in his pockets hours later after searching through the whole floor of the studio. 

You were currently on standby as Kaiser was having pictures taken of him. It was a sponsored brand, well-known worldwide.

“Ok, let's get some shots of you drinking it!”

The camera flashed as Kaiser drank the carbonated drink, and he seemed to really like it based on the aftermath of the photoshoot: it was empty, and some crushed cans were piled in the trash can that you got earlier. 

"Fuck, that tastes and feels good.” 

He said as he crushed the last can with his bare hands, throwing it exactly on the bin. 

“We are done for today!” The photographer yelled and his assistant cheered. He can’t help but ask Kaiser for a selfie. Kaiser wore his charming smile and posed for the camera. 

“My daughter is a big fan of you, and you guys are the same age!”

Kaiser has encountered this many times before, with executives, photographers, and even directors trying to set him up with their daughters; at first he shrugged it off, but it happens now so often that he grew tired of it. 

“I’m not interested.”

And it always ended in a straight and honest reply for him. He left the photographer there with his mouth agape and approached you in the corner as you talked on the phone with the next person that you were going to be seeing. 

“Yes, he just finished. Mr. Kaiser will be there in an hour.” 

You spoke and dropped the phone. 

"Who's that?” 

You turned your back and saw Kaiser approaching you. You explained to him that it's about a project offer from a well-known director, and he’s there to talk about a movie project that he had been working on. 

“I believed you discussed this a month ago; he just finished the script, and he wanted you to read it and decide if you’ll take it or not.”

He nodded while he typed something from his phone.

“Also, your spare clothes are in this bag, and I’ll wait for you here so you can grab something to eat.”

You spoke and handed him your bag. He took it and slung it over his shoulder. He can’t help but feel like he’s the one being ordered around when it should be the opposite. 

“So? Do you accept?”

The director asked when Kaiser was done reading the whole script.

“It’s a romance movie. A spicy one.” The director licked his lips seductively; you averted your gaze, feeling uncomfortable, but the secondhand embarrassment was also so unbearable that you forced yourself to keep a straight face.

“I’m sure fans will be dying to see you play a role on this.” He continued. 

You kept your head straight, looking at the director sitting straight. Kaiser, on the other hand, has his legs crossed, lazily skimming through the pages one more time before placing the bulky script on the table, making a loud but not violent ‘thud’.

“I’ll have to turn this one; I’ll continue working on the series I have.” He replied and leaned back.

“Are you sure? This will be a big hit. After all, it’s an adaptation of one of the most read books out there. You can squeeze this into your schedule, I'm sure.” The director still tried to pursue Kaiser but his final verdict is a no.

The director sighed and leaned back on the chair, having given up on convincing Kaiser. Kaiser chuckled and joked that it should be turned into a horror film instead. The director playfully rolled his eyes, and they chatted more for a few moments, concluding the meeting. 

“What’s next?” He asked as he rested his head on the headrest of the car. You are currently on the front passenger seat while his driver drives you both to your location.

“You have an interview later tonight at the talk show XXX. You can rest in your penthouse for now while I get your suit from your tailor." 

─────── 

You finally got to rest in your soft bed. You sighed, feeling refreshed after taking a shower. You enveloped yourself with the blanket and opened your phone. 

Today was particularly busy, and you exhaust yourself in irrelevant things—Kaiser's unexplainable pettiness—but he did give you a heads-up that he’ll make your life miserable.

You scrolled through Instagram, and it suggested a lot of Kaiser content as well as your X. 

His interview earlier is going viral. It was a clip where he had to answer the interviewer's questions, and if he refused, he had to drink the nasty liquid that the show prepared.

“Will you date a fan?”

“No.”

“Have you ever fallen in love on a set with a co-actress?"

“No.”

"Which actor or actress will you never be working with again, because of their attitude?”

You laughed as his confident smile was changed into a horrified look. You watched him drink the suspicious-looking liquid and couldn’t help but feel good seeing him in this state. It’s like karma from earlier.

You went and checked the comments.

Asskicker @ Badassasiuinns. 17 mins

Man, what are they putting in those drinks?

Replies: 1,297k retweets: 292 Likes: 1,836k views: 9k

Aviee @aveeniexoxo. 20 mins

I love this. I hope he choked on that drink. 🥛🥛🥛🥛

Replies: 937 retweets: 329 Likes: 2,082k Views: 10k

You can't help but think if you should laugh or not; after all, that's your artist after all. As you scrolled more, your brows furrowed, noticing that it was full of Kaiser content, and you decided to check more accounts, tricking your algorithm. 

'This thing must think that my world revolves around him.'

You followed Vanica’s account on both platforms and visited a few more, but they were mostly pages about travels, flowers, songs, and movie suggestions.

════════

It was my summer vacation back when I was 12 years old. I went to Germany to visit my mother's side of the family. My father was against it at first, but my mother insisted that I should visit my relatives here. 

I don’t like my life on my father’s side. They’re elitists.

I was born with a golden spoon in my mouth. Everything was handed to me in the snap of a finger. 

Jewelry

High-End clothes

The latest technology

A student in the most expensive school in my country

But it comes with a price. You must have class. 

From the way you present yourself in clothes and small habits, knowing which spoon to use when eating a ridiculously priced dessert. It’s all being judged by the people around you. Most of them are even my own relatives on my father's side. 

Our family name is clear from the media. My father paid a hefty amount of money to keep them out of their sight. It’s a commendable act to keep our business to ourselves—it's probably the only right thing he has done aside from having me. 

Though I can feel their envious gaze. I don’t care. I was programmed at a young age to deal with these types of situations. They say that your environment nurtures you; there are traits that are inevitable regardless of how much you resist.

I’m well aware that I have also somewhat of an ego when it comes to money. I enjoy every penny I spend on unpractical things that I end up disposing of whenever I feel slight boredom towards them. 

When they said I was going to Germany, I was ok with it since this can also be a temporary escape from my life.

I thought I would spend the whole summer here alone. Until I met a peasant Kaiser. He's quite shy and weak. I couldn't help but pity him. I bet he lives in a filthy place. I'm open-minded; I don't mind having a peasant friend.

As I spent more time with him, my eyes began to open up to his world.

"So this is my last night here."

He was sad when I said the news. 2 weeks of playing together at some places that he had led you are now ending. In such a short time, I've experienced a life very different from mine back in my home country.

I even slept a few nights in the street because he wanted to not deal with his ass for just some time. We found a tunnel and decided to camp there; we built a shelter made from cardboard we wound on the way here.

I bought food with my money as well as some toys. He was really happy and grateful.

"It's like our home."

"Home?!"

I felt my cheeks heat up and turned to the side.

The whole night we indulged ourselves in junk foods and played with the toys we bought earlier. Though, despite my time here. I don't really know much about him. We only had limited exchange of words because of the language barrier. but based on what I see. It's apparent that he comes from an abusive household.

*Slap*

I felt a slight burning sensation on my cheek. I touched where my father's hand landed, stunned at the sudden force.

"We were worried sick."

His monotone said otherwise. Your behavior was reported back to your father when you were staying at your grandma's house. I thought that she didn't care what happened to me since she was distantly drowning herself in gambling when I landed there. It was when I was already leaving that my father had been sending money to monitor my behavior. In the end, she was only in it for the money.

I can't blame him. His pristine daughter suddenly rebelled in another country--unproperly suppervised.

He talked about what he would do if the next heir for the company suddenly disappeared or died; the pride of l/n would come to an end.

You bit your bottom lip, trying to control your frustration. You glared at him, feeling the blood boil inside you, but all you got was another slap on the other cheek.

"Don't look at me like that."

In the end he dismissed you, and you left his private office in the house. You took a deep breath and went to your room, ignoring the stares and murmurs of the maids and butlers.

The muffled voices of my mother and father arguing about me were heard by the whole house.

"That mother of yours is such a parasite!"

"I'm sorry. I just thought that it would be a good idea for her to experience where I grew up."

"You should've come with her!"

"F/n, I was busy handling the..."

It felt like hours before they stopped. All I want is to go back to where I felt I belonged, but I know that it was never going to happen until I make amends with my father.

There's this saying from Max Scheler: "Love is a bridge from poorer to richer knowledge." Though, I think that friendship was more fitting with what I feel towards him.

For the past three years I drowned myself in studying, making sure I was on top of the class. They talked about how bright the future of the l/n heir is when I sit on the throne.

"Good job for being the student council president," my father said.

We were on the family dinner table celebrating my win. It was a rare occasion where all family members were complete. "Tell me, what do you want in return?" I felt my lips curled up and shook my head. "Oh, I just want something simple..." You trailed off.

"I want to spend my summer vacation at Grandma's!"

Your mom froze and looked at your father, who wore a solemn expression when you mentioned your grandmother. He sighed and resumed eating.

'Was it too early?' I thought and mentally punched myself in the face. Did I just lose my shot-'

"I'll think about it."

════════

"The boy is the guy I work with now."

"Ehh!?!??" Vaica screamed through the phone. You chuckled at her reaction. "Well, it's all in the past now," you replied as you watched a show on your TV.

"Then what's his deal on hating you?"

You smiled and told her that it was a story for another time. She groaned at the suspense, but she didn't mind waiting for you to open up. After a few minutes of catching up, you bid your goodbyes.

Today is your day off; Michael has some plans of his own, visiting one of his friends' gigs. He seemed to be relaxed now compared to before. By "relaxed," it means that he stopped his little pranks but still seemed to refuse to call you by your name and would refer to you as "that woman" to other people, and when you're both alone, he would call you "Judas."

You got ready and put on a shirt and wore jeans to visit the flower shop. After 30 mins, you reached your grandma's. You placed the flowers on your grandmother's grave, and instead of a candle, you lit up a cigarette and placed it in her grave.

You also went to stroll around the town where you spent your summer vacation. Some buildings were renovated into new shops. The small grocery shop where Kaiser and you always bought the snacks you eat is now replaced with a bigger and foreign-labeled store.

You barely realized how the street where you met Kaiser was now being renovated to have a shop built there. It was a bittersweet memory that you remembered from time to time. You were glad that you still met him, despite everything that went down; it was what you always told yourself ever since you saw him in the dressing room.

There was a clothing line that caught your eye. It was your favorite luxury brand. They sold dresses and suits. as well as jewelries, but it wasn't just the dresses that caught your eye. It was Kaiser; they made him the face of the brand here in Germany.

He was turned on his side, and his index finger was hooked into the necktie, untying it, in the meantime highlighting his crown tattoo on his hand and the rose patterns on his neck.

Your phone rang, and it was the director of the movie that Kaiser starred a year ago.

"The director said that the filming will begin in a week and it'll take three months to film." You informed Kaiser on the call. He hummed in response and heard water splash whenever he shifted a bit. Kaiser was in the bath tub after the private gig of his friends.

The band members consisted of Isage, Sae, Oliver, Barou, and Shidou. "The fucker actually got one girlfriend!?!" Kaiser said in disbelief. The whole group laughed at his reaction and patted his back.

"We just had our 6-month anniversary," Oliver proudly says, drinking the bottle of beer.

Kaiser rolled his eyes and turned to Isagi. "How about you, Yoichi? You have someone?" Isagi shook his head and said that he'll be focusing on the gigs for now. Kaiser laughed, saying it was just an excuse because he's just too focused on himself to even find a girlfriend.

"How about Sae? Barou?" Kaiser asked.

"Not going to happen," Sae shuts him down.

"Same here," Barou responds.

"Then how about you, 'emperor'? What was that rumor going around that you have a relationship with Grace?" Shidou asked a provocative question.

The majority of the group made an "ohh" sound, teasing him to spill the beans. It was normal for Kaiser to have a bunch of dating rumors around him, often with his co-stars. It was also often backed up with stolen pictures of just the two of them just talking.

"Nah, you guys know I don't date co-stars."

"Pal, you're surrounded by ladies. It's impossible that not even one of them had caught his highness's attention~" Shidou placed his hand on the top of the sofa behind Kaiser.

"Oh well, you'll just have to wait." Kaiser smirked, and Shidou groaned.

"Man, you know I don't like being edged."

"What's our plan?" Kaiser asked as he leaned back in the bathtub. He grabbed the shampoo bottle beside him and read the ingredients to kill time.

You explained to him your plans and told him that he's not that busy this week and should rest because he'll be busier soon.

"I'll also book you an apartment near the place where you'll be shooting the next season."

"Oh, ok. I'll take a rinse now." He replied and dropped the call.

'You don't need to inform me!'

─────── 

"Here's the reservation," you told the receptionist. Kaiser was behind you, glancing at the place, and he noticed that the receptionist had been stealing glances at him while you were showing her the online payment on your phone.

You called her multiple times but seemed distracted. Kaiser threw her a nasty glance and mumbled, "Don't make me wait." The girl felt a shiver down her spine and assisted you in a hurry.

"Yo! Micha!"

A co-actor called out. It was Lorenzo, one of the guys that Kaiser follows on Instagram. "When are you getting rid of those hideous teeth?"

You were now on standby on set. Kaiser is getting his clothes picked out for him, and Lorenzo is getting his makeup done. Props were scattered everywhere; arms, legs, and even a beheaded head were completely on display.

"Scared?" Kaiser mocked you.

"Shut it." You said and told him to get change already.

"Action!" the cameraman shouted; that was Kaiser's cue. They were filming in a forest, and the staff ensured that there would be no outsiders that could disrupt the scene. "Die, you son of a bitch!" He yelled as he repeatedly stabbed the fake body of Lorenzo. He was on top of the body, holding the knife with both of his hands.

A girl then entered the scene; she looked so pretty, with long, wavy ginger hair that went down to her waist and blue eyes.

She hugged Kaiser from behind, pleading with him to stop. "Leave." He whispered, dropping the knife on the ground. His hands and clothes were now soaked in fake blood.

"Didn't we promise? That we'll always be together."

You shifted from your chair a bit and glanced at your watch. It was 7:00 PM. The tapping will probably end in 20 mins. The staff intently watched the scene; it was an amazing performance as expected from A-list actors and actresses.

After the scene was finished, the director told the team to rest in their hotel.

"Hello!" You turned your head to see the actress earlier. Compared to the tired crew, she was still bubbly despite working the whole day.

"Hi." you replied shortly and gave her a smile. "I heard that you're Kaiser's new assistant. "You nodded nicely, encouraging her to get to the point. "I was wondering if-"

"Grace"

Kaiser called out. He approached us, now changed into his normal clothes. "If you have something to discuss, talk to me."

"Ok~!" She beamed and went in his direction. They walked away somewhere, and you started packing Kaiser's things.

"Who's this cutie here?" You felt someone next to you; you turned and saw a scary monster grinning with his bloody gold teeth.

"Ah!" you shouted and jumped from your place. He laughed at your reaction, repeatedly patting his chest to calm himself down. You laughed it off, taking it as a harmless prank.

"You're new here"

You nodded and introduced yourself as Kaiser's assistant. You checked the time and excused yourself to find Kaiser. You spotted him alone in one of the tents on his phone. "Mr. Kaiser, we should go back to your hotel now."

"Why are there a lot of people here?" Kaiser looked already drained from today's shoot. There are a lot of people in front of the hotel.

'Did someone leaked his location?'

"Wait here. I'll check the situation," you said and went into the hotel. Kaiser took a deep breath and leaned into the window, looking at your back as you went into the hotel.

20 mins later, you got inside the car with his luggage. It's no use; you talked with the manager and said that there are people who booked rooms near Kaiser as soon as you arrived in the area.

By the time you went inside the car, Kaiser was already asleep. You told the driver to drive around the area to look for a hotel.

10 mins

30 mins

1 hour

No hotels were found. Kaiser woke up from his sleep only to find himself still in the car. He groaned as he stretched his arms. "Mr. Kaiser," you gently called out from the front passenger seat.

"Yeah?" he answered, still half asleep, but the smell of fries and burgers made his stomach growl.

'sleep, food, sleep, food,' he chanted in his mind.

"You will have to sleep in my hotel tonight."

That statement felt like a 1-kilogram shot of caffeine injected into his blood flow. "The fuck are you talking about?!"

You bit into the burger and showed him your phone. A list of nearby hotels that's labeled fully booked. There's no use of complaining. He's too tired and hungry to even argue.

"Oh, here's your food," you said and handed him his food.

"Ok." You clapped your hands. "I'll sleep on the couch, and you take the bed." You said and pointed at the bed. It was a studio-style room. There are no walls to divide the two. A completely open area. What's worse is there is only one bathroom, and it was directly connected to the room.

The room was nice; the only problem is there is no privacy.

He plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling with arms spread out. "Hey..." he called out. You hummed in response as you found a thick, long rope and had an idea.

"What's the schedule for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow...You'll be shooting in the same location, in the afternoon, but the majority of the scene will be filmed in the next location. That's only 10 mins by car," you said as you got something from the closet.

You put the hole in the rope and ensure that the cloth is spread out evenly. "This might be tmi......but I don't sleep with clothes on."

*swoosh*

"That's no problem." The loud snap of cloth got his attention. You made a makeshift curtain divider for both of you. You set up the divider by getting on top of one of of the chairs, and he got up beside you to discuss some of his requests.

"Wait," he said, and you looked at him. "How do you plan on dividing the room?"

"Well' I plan to divide it exactly in half," you said and made a slicing motion with your hand. "I want the bathroom and TV."

"Ok, but as long as I get to also use it. This divider is only for privacy."

"I also want the fridge."

"Sure, do you also want the telephone on top of it?"

"No, that one's yours. I don't want to deal with room service."

"Whatever..." you replied and went back to tying the last rope.

Kaiser clicked his tounge.

"Are you sure that this isn't one of your skims?" He said in a serious tone. You turned to see if what you said was correct, and based on his expression—he was dead serious.

You know exactly what he meant by that. You gave him a confused look, and he sarcastically huffed at your expression.

"What? Keeping me close, thinking you can make me open up to you again?"

You got down from the chair without breaking eye contact. "No discussion of personal matters..." You recall the rules that they gave you when you began working with him. "Stop the bullshit," he replied, glaring down at you. You cracked your fingers in your right hand just to have some kind of stimulus.

"What tricks do you have? Acting like you don't care, hoping I'll come crawling back to you? Or you'll try something new like seducing me."

That statement made you snap. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that you have gotten ever since you started working with Kaiser. Or was it the pointless pranks that he always pulls just to make your work extra hard?

"Listen here." You grabbed his collar forcefully, keeping him down to your level. The sudden aggression made him flinch as you tightened the grip on his collar.

"I'm doing my job as best as I can. If you think of getting rid of me, think again. I'm the only one who has the patience to deal with your shitty attitude."

"You can bitch all you want, but just know that you'll be the one to deal with all these hectic schedules yourself."

He seemed tensed, and you instinctively let go of his collar.

"I'm sorry."

───────────────────────

It was you who apologized on his bum ass at the end.

It took me a while to write because I'm still figuring out how the story will go (even now after writing all this). And I’m so brain struckeddd.

“Is that for the barbeque later?” 

"Yeah," he answered as he put them in the sticks. Oliver had informed you earlier that some of his friends will be coming later. You said that you would help him prepare and changed into your house clothes. 

While you guys were preparing, the TV played a sitcom. Both of you would probably be finished by now if not for you guys laughing from time to time at the unhinged jokes of the characters. You would skewer the meat on the stick, and you would hear a joke; you both would glance at each other and bust out laughing. 

Oliver said that you guys should take a short break, and you agreed. You grabbed two sodas from the fridge and handed him the other one. He thanked you and popped the can open, taking a sip of the cold drink. You both were leaning on the sink facing the living room as the TV played. 

It is now 5:45 PM, meaning the guest will arrive soon. After the short break you cleaned the remaining Tupperwares on the sink, and Oliver cleaned the backyard. You too took off your apron and rested on the couch for a bit; Oliver had already cleaned the living room earlier before you arrived home. 

‘His cleaning can pass the Barou household standard.'  

You thought as you observed the area. 

The doorbell rang, and Oliver from the backyard asked you if you could open the door for the guest. Feeling a bit nervous, you went to the door and slowly opened it. 

“Shoei?!”

You gasped and so did Shindou, Sae, and Isagi behind him. 

"Surprise, sis," Barou grinned. You gave him a hug and let him in the house. 

“Is that why you couldn’t pick up the call from earlier?” You recalled him saying he was quite busy today, so he won’t be able to keep in touch for a while. 

“Yo! Long time no see!” Oliver entered the house from the backyard sliding door. 

"Wow, man, did you gain more muscles?!” Shidou asked, amused. 

“Your house is not half bad.”

“These look good!” Isagi was practically drooling at the sight of the raw food presented before him. 

“Hold your horses now. Let’s go out now.” Oliver said and guided the group outside. After talking up Barou, he went to his bandmates to catch up. They were talking about how the music was practically still going viral on multiple social media platforms. 

“I literally saw edits of me whenever I opened social media.” Oliver said acting like it’s such a drag to be this famous. 

You didn’t hear the rest of the conversation since you excused yourself to go to the restroom. 

“So, I heard that the womanizer lad doesn’t have any woman.” Shidou looked at Oliver with his teasing grin. Oliver rolled his eyes and smiled. 

“Looks like he took Isagi’s advice seriously.” Sae said.

Barou was quiet, and Isagi noticed this. Isagi asked if there’s something wrong, and Barou shook his head. The group continued drinking and grilling more meat; laughter filled the whole yard as they became quite tipsy from the beers. 

You went down to eat more meat and saw Isagi with a polaroid camera. He looks like he’s having trouble trying to take it selfie-style. You approached them and offered to take the pictures. After that the group also invited you to include yourself. 

The pictures came out good; some of them included Barou blinking in the flash. You laughed at them and took a picture from your phone to send it to the family group chat. 

Sae, Isagi, Shidou, and you were playing card games while Oliver and Barou were in the living room to get more ice. 

“I need to talk to you about Y/n.” Barou said this before Oliver could take off the ice of the freezer.

“You know what happened with her ex, right?” 

Oliver remained silent, but he closed the fridge and listened to Barou. 

“You seemed to genuinely take a liking to her… But you also know what I did to her ex, right?” Barou said in a low voice, sounding like a threat. 

“I’m aware.” 

“You will go through something worse if you fuck things up.”

Oliver raised a brow, confused at his statement.

“You’re going to pursue it soon, right?"

“I don’t deserve her…” He answered, and his eyes landed on the floor. 

“No objections.” Barou said it flatly. 

"Well, it really boils down to if she’s going to reciprocate your feelings. She got her own life; I’m just here to support my sister.” He followed. 

“You’re a good friend to me—in fact, more like an older brother. But if you ever hurt her, I’ll leave the band.” Barou stated and grabbed more beers from the table. 

Oliver blinked a few times, processing what he had just said. 

“Does that mean I have your blessing?” He beamed, grabbing the ice in the freezer as he followed Barou to the backyard. 

“In your dreams!” 

─────── 

The band just finished up cleaning the area. You were with Oliver taking about your schedule for tomorrow. 

“Cheese!”

You both turned to Isagi as he snapped a picture from his camera. 

“Dude, you could’ve counted!” Oliver complained.

Isagi giggled and handed you the picture. It came out good, actually; it looked natural, with both of your bodies still facing each other. Oliver has his arms crossed, glancing at the camera. You swore it could pass as an album.

You took a picture of it from your phone and gave it to him. 

“Keep it.” You spoke and gave him the Polaroid.

“Are you sure?” He said as he accepted the picture. 

“I already have a copy on my phone, don’t worry.”

They were gathered now in the living room, still drinking. It was now 11:10 PM while you stayed in Oliver’s room scrolling through your phone. You’re already in your pajamas; the dimmed lamp and phone were only the source of light. 

Someone knocked at the door; you got up from your bed and opened the door thinking it was probably Barou needing a charger or something. But you saw Oliver, trying his best to stand straight. 

“Can you get…clothes…for..the guys…in my..closet. Shidou….puked on….Isagi…”

He said, barely speaking in sentences, on the verge of passing out. You chuckled at his current state,, finding it oddly cute, but felt sorry for Isagi.

You went into his closet and attempted to find something for them to wear. But you can’t seem to find some pants.

“I can’t find the pants. Can you enter the room and look for them?" 

He seemed hesitant, but he went beside you and looked for a spare pair of pants. You placed the shirt on the bed and watched him as he wobbled.

He finally saw the pants and turned back to you to get the shirt. The sudden turning caused him to feel lightheaded. You stood up, attempting to catch him, but you both fell on the bed. 

His lips almost meeting yours, his right knee parted your legs—slightly pressing up between your legs—and you tensed up from the touch; he seemed not to notice this, though. Oliver’s forearm is supporting him, being careful not to fully put his weight on him. The shirt he was wearing was a tad bit oversized; you can see his toned chest and abs through its collar. 

The distance was intimately close. You felt your body heat up; you glanced back up and met his gaze.

“Y/N." 

He whispered against your mouth.

════════

I loved my ex. He was my whole world until he cheated. 

I felt like my world fell apart. It hurts so much. It started from him being too busy to meet up to celebrate our monthly anniversaries. One day, someone messaged me. It was him pleasing his personal assistant. 

I watched in horror as the woman moaned his name. He was the one filming it; they’re doing it in his office. Under her are scattered papers as she takes his member. 

“Fuck—Calic, I’m your bitch, right?"

I felt tears start to pour down my cheeks. I was about to close it since my heart couldn't stand the pain that it inflicted on me. But then I heard Calic say something. 

“That bitch can’t even do something like this for me.” 

My heart ached more. Is that the only reason why? Because I’m not used to these types of things. I’m not really great at intimacy; it’s not like I’m not putting in the effort. It’s just that I’m not just confident with myself. 

I checked the clock; it had only been an hour since that woman sent the disturbing video. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go to the balcony in the living room. That had always been my spot whenever I ponder, drink my coffee, or just take in the fresh air. 

What timing. 

Oliver Aiku. 

He’s the notorious womanizer of the band. I got a hold of this information from Barou, and I even saw the commotion outside of my apartment from the distance. It was a girl calling him a cheater and all. 

I watched this from a distance, not wanting to meddle in their affairs. 

I opened the door, and it was that guy from earlier. He looked shocked, and his extraordinary eyes landed on my body. I just shrugged it off; it's not like it's a big deal. 

I sat beside him; to see me in such a state by someone was quite embarrassing, but I was too sad to even bother. I appreciated that he didn’t say anything about it—we instead talk about other things like Shoei and about his songs. 

Shoei did warn me about his friends, but he also said nice things about them, and over time I began to see the good in them. 

After that talk, my heart still felt heavy, but for a moment it felt a little lighter. The days following the breakup were hectic. Gifts from Calic are being put in one place to be put away. Shoei suggested that these items be burned; he refers to them as bad luck.  

My girl friends comforted me throughout the post-breakup period. They spoiled me rotten and even went out of their way to pull the hair of his assistant. 

During my stay here I didn’t expect him to run into him. Shoei said that I was in the hometown of Oliver, but I just thought the possibility of running into him was as low as 10% since I’m pretty busy myself. 

And here I am getting a déjà vu as he gets splashed with water by a woman. I heard the woman mention them being exes, and how dare he show his face in this town?

I was on the call with my younger siblings, and Barou was in the background talking to Sae.

“I bet that bastard’s face is still swollen.”  

“Can’t believe that our Oliver is single now."

I didn’t put much thought into this information since it has nothing to do with me. 

That night when I saw Calic, he kept giving me glances. He looks worried.

“Tell me why do people cheat?”

I dropped the bomb. I felt terrible. He seemed to be working on himself lately, and here I decided to ask him a stupid question. There is no right reason. Because there are no valid reasons to do something that can break your partner’s heart.

I moved on from Calic, but the pain is still there. I can’t help but let out a few sobs. Once I'd calmed down, my eyes felt heavy. My face is still buried in my knees; a few minutes passed by while I remained in that position. 

I was half asleep when I felt warm hands carefully light me up from the sofa. I kept my eyes closed as he placed me on the bed like I’m some kind of glass that will break any second now if he’s not being careful. 

His hand moved the hair that was stuck in my face due to the tears and sweat from earlier. 

“You’ve been through a lot. I hope you find a good man someday.” He brushed my hair gently. It lasted shortly, and he went out, closing the door. 

The heartbreak that I went through, the friends and family who supported me—I'm thankful for them being by my side the whole time. But all these work just for me to fall in love with Oliver. 

I don’t exactly know where it started. Maybe it was when we went to the park, or it was just as simple when he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and made sure to get me back to the hotel safely. It made my heart act up a bit, but I won’t really call it love.

His small hums he does whenever I talk to him, urging me to keep on talking. His glances from time to time to ensure I am close by when we walk around. His eyes softened any time that we talked about music, and his gentle voice as he played his acoustic guitar was totally different from the Oliver Aiku I watched in their concerts from my phone. 

I’ve already been hurt deeply.

He’s single now…but for how long? And does he even like me?

════════

“I love you." Oliver uttered.

Your eyes widened and gently pushed him off with both hands on his shoulder. He still seemed to be dazed; his eyes landed on the shirt. “There it is~” He grabbed the piece of clothing and went out. 

───────

“Bye-bye." You waved goodbye to your brother and the others as they got in the car. 

Only 2 more weeks left.

“Have any plans today?” Oliver asked after they left. You shook your head and said you were finished with the assigned task you have for today. You told him that you have movie tickets from your co-worker and invited him to watch it with you. Frankly, you were still sleep-deprived from yesterday’s gathering, but the movie ticket is only valid until today.

It was a romance movie. 

“I love you.” The man said and gave the woman a passionate kiss that soon escalated in them making love.

You kept your eyes glued to the screen, but your mind was thinking of something else. ‘Did he not remember what happened last night?’

This feeling of anxiousness felt like torture. You glanced over at Oliver to see him casually watching, munching on some popcorn. 

‘This guy is a total pro!’ 

You returned your eyes to the screen, trying to focus on the movie. 

“That movie was good.” He said as he put his hand up to stretch his back. You smiled and nodded totally, only remembering the love confession scene. For lunch he suggested a fast food chain only a few stores away from the cinema.

You went there and sat on the chair as Oliver ordered the food. While waiting, a woman was walking by and tripped, spilling the coke she was carrying on the table. You quickly move to the side so it won’t get on your clothes. 

“What happened?” Oliver asked, and the woman turned. 

Oliver recognizes the woman; it’s his ex. The one from the cafe. 

She glanced at you and him.

“So she’s another one of your girlfriends, huh?” 

She placed her hand on her hip. "Don't you ever change?”

"Hey," you muttered, but it looks like it’s not loud enough for her to hear. beacues she still keeps on spewing words at Oliver. You got up and placed a hand on her shoulder; she turned to look at you and slapped your hand away.

“You don’t know him now, and plus, this is not the place to talk about this.” You calmly explained to her. 

“Whatever, people don’t change. Just you now, I would be careful around him.” She said and went to her table. 

───────

When you arrived home, Oliver went on the couch to take a nap. He was under the weather after the incident, but he still made an effort to act normal. You went into your room and also took a nap,, still feeling tired from the event last night. 

By the time you woke up, it was nighttime. You felt a bit hungry and went downstairs only to find all the lights turned off. Your eyes landed on the lying figure on the sofa covered in a blanket. You went to check on Oliver and found that his face was also covered with the blanket. 

You sat on the floor and leaned on the sofa. You heard shuffling and saw him take a peek from the blankets. 

“How are you doing?” You asked as your heart melted from the sight, thinking he was cute. He slowly sat up, and the blanket fell in his lap. You moved from the floor and sat on the sofa beside him. 

“I’m fine. " The tone of his voice is extra deep.

“The woman earlier…don’t listen to her," you said.

“About last night…”

‘About last night?!' You tensed up.

“Forget ab-”

“Do you mean it?” You cut him off and look him straight in the eyes. He paused for a bit before answering. One answer can change the trajectory of his life. Will he push you away, or will he take the risk of possibly ruining the friendship you currently have? 

“I mean it.”

“I feel the same way too”

You pulled him in a hug. It was all happening too fast, and it felt so unreal. You felt his whole body stiffen; you ran your hand in his hair and felt him ease down, his face rested on your shoulder. 

“But my past…"

“I know, we can’t erase the past. Many people like her will be skeptical, but if you really changed, then only focus on me.” You placed both your palms on his cheeks; he melted into the touch and lifted his head to face you. 

“Y/n, will you give me a chance?” He officially asked, placing his hand on top of yours and gently putting it down. 

"Yes." You smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead. He smiled and hugged you, causing you to fall on your back on the sofa. He kissed back your forehead and hugged you tighter.

“I love you”

───────

Pecks on the cheeks before going down to the car, arriving home, and goodnight kisses as well. But the thing is, it was all forehead and cheeks. 

Though it has only been 4 days since you’ve been a couple.

Oliver is waiting for you to place that kiss on the lips. He imagines how soft your lips would feel against his. You, on the other hand, is a bit hesitant. Remembering the time when your ex would tell you that what you're doing is wrong or he wouldn't even try it again after a failed attempt seems to make you paranoid.

After dinner you opened this issue to him. You were in Oliver’s bedroom; he was still sleeping in the living room. His parents insisted that he should sleep in their room instead, but he insisted, saying the living room was better. His mom smacked his head after making that comment. 

“So you’re telling me to kiss you in the mouth?”

“Yes, but I also want to learn how to kiss you” 

Oliver sat on the chair beside his bed and signaled for you to come closer. You sat on his lap, both legs on one side. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and in return his arms are now around your waist, pulling you a bit closer.

“Show me what you know and I’ll follow your lead.”

You bit your bottom lip and averted your gaze. Your right hand found its way on his face, covering his eyes. You felt him grinned. 

“Come on, baby, don’t be shy~"

He teased. You rolled your eyes and moved your mouth closer to his and placed a soft kiss on his mouth; it only lasted for about a few seconds till you moved back. And removed your hand from his face.

“That’s all I know..." You huffed.

He opened his eyes, blinked a few times before giving you a smile, and licked his lips. 

“It’s ok. Let me kiss you now, then." His right hand moved from your waist and neck and rested on the back of your head, pulling you closer to meet his lips. You tensed up; he slowly rubs his thumb on your nape. 

You relaxed and focused on him. You followed his lead and attempted to mimic his smooches. “That’s right, you're doing great.” He whispered. 

“I’ll use my tounge this time.” 

You felt hot as you battled with his tongue. You hear him cursed under his breath a couple of times whenever he hears you moan his name.

“Mhm—Aiku." 

“Fuck—baby...you're doing great."

You want a closer distance; you moved your left leg and the other side, fully caging him. You hiked up—unintentionally grinding at the bulge you felt down to your core. He bucked his hips in response. 

“Ah!” You shrieked at the foreign sensation—you felt a pool of wetness down in your pussy. Oliver let out a groan. It sounded suggestively desperate. You were about to look down, but his palms grabbed both sides of your face, slowly stopping you. 

“Eyes up here."

You looked into his half-lidded eyes as he pants. Oliver is using all his self-control to prevent him from taking you here and there. He said that it’s getting late and you have work tomorrow; he lifted you up and tucked you into bed. 

He was about to go out—he seemed to be in a hurry. You grabbed his hand before he could leave; you got up from your bed and told him to stay.

“Sleep here...we’re a couple, right?” you said. Oliver was happy, but he was too distracted to even react. "Um...sure, but I’ll go to the bathroom first, ok?” You nodded and lay on the bed. 

“Be quick! I’ll wait for you.”

After he left, you covered yourself in a blanket. You felt giddy and hugged the pillow beside you as you waited for him. 

————-

Oliver went in to the bathroom. He bit on the hem of his shirt and hastily took out his member, clear white liquid and oozing from the tip. He slightly tightened his hand around and pumped it a few times.

‘Ngh–!“ he choked out. How long has it been since he’s last done it? He can’t remember. The only thing he remembers is how your tongue felt earlier as well as the way you felt on his clothed cock. 

It feels like torture to restrain himself, but it was for your own good. Back then he thought that he wouldn't be able to lay a finger on you, so he’s being very patient and ensuring you're taking your time. 

“Mhm-!” 

He placed his forearm in the bathroom door to support himself as he kept the pace; a few moments went by, and he felt close. He pumped a few more times, occasionally thrust his hips, and shortly came after.

You opened your arms, inviting him to bed. He wrapped his arms around your body and peppered kisses—including on the lips. 

“You did well today.” He whispered as he cover himself in the same blanket as you; both your legs are now tangled with eachother

“Thank you.” You buried your face in his crooked neck and let out a satisfied sigh, feeling pleasantly exhausted. 

“Sweet dreams.” Oliver whispered as he buried his face into your hair, inhaling your scent. 

————-

When you informed Barou about your new relationship, he looked quite pissed, but he’s surprisingly not opposed to it. "Hey, if you fucking make her cry, I’ll burn your whole house.” He threatened Oliver. 

You guys are currently in the kitchen making the dinner for tonight, while Oliver—who's sitting down on the kitchen chair—talks to Barou on your laptop that was just placed on the table. You're visible in the background; Shoei watched you as you checked the pot.

He asked Oliver what you're making, and he answered happily. 

“The best curry!” He beamed.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help but smile at his childish attitude.

“I wish I could strangle you right now.” 

"Try." He sticks his tongue out, taunting the already pissed-off Barou. 

Before your brother could say his response, you went to the laptop and informed him that you guys will be eating and need to say goodbye now. Oliver laughed while Barou just ignored him and made a little small talk with you before going out.

“You teased him too much. "You said that as you give him his curry.

“You also find it funny." He grinned and took a spoonful. 

You chuckled in response, finding yourself guilty.

This is your last day here; a lot has happened in the span of 2 months. You can’t help but feel gloomy; you got used to your routine here and Oliver being on your side. Oliver noticed that you got quiet and asked if there was something wrong.

“It’s just, I’m going to miss this place, you know.”

“Oh, you're referring to the place," Oliver said bummed out.

“Yeah, but also our routine here, you know. We'll be back in the city, and we’re going to get busy.” 

“You can sleep in my house there from time to time. I’ll also frequently visit your cafe there, ok?” Olive reassured you. “Let’s take a stroll around the area here one last time.” He said. You hummed, feeling a bit better after hearing his assurance, and look forward to the walk later. 

————-

The rain pours heavily. Just your luck. But it’s ok; Oliver has a substitute plan.

“Heads for Jurassic Park and tails for White Chicks." You spoke, and he nodded. You flipped the coin and slapped it on the back of your hand.

“Heads, heads, heads." He chanted, You slowly lift your hand out, and it was tails! You cheered and pressed the remote for white chick on the screen. “I’ll let you have it this one” he said.

“What do you mean? I won fair and square!” You laughed and lay on your side. He covered you both with a blanket and scooped you up. 

Spending your days off with Oliver and coming home for work to see him has come to an end—at least for now. You just hope that your schedule will align somehow; your thoughts were cut off by Oliver’s voice.

“Baby? Did you fall asleep?” 

You hummed, eyes still closed, and turned your body, snuggling on his warmth. The rain died down, but it’s too late now to go outside. “Let’s watch Jurassic Park next time” you mumbled, feeling bad because you slept through the movie. He giggled and said he’s looking forward to it. 

—-----

You are currently sitting on the bed waiting for Oliver to finish his bath; you already took yours, and you were just reading a book leaning on the bedframe. 

This is your last night in your house. What will happen when you guys return? Many people will sure be approaching him—he's famous and also had that reputation. Despite already accepting him, from time to time you can’t help but overthink. 

It already happened to you once. He’s changed, and it’s apparent—but the real test will come later in your relationship. You acknowledge that you will be facing challenges together—jealousy, money, privacy. And you just hoped that you guys would be able to overcome it. 

Suddenly a loud boom was heard, making you squeal in fear, causing you to drop the book on the bed. You curled up, trembling as the sound of thunder continued, palms over your ears.

Oliver opened the door in only his pants, hair still dripping damp with the towel placed on the top of his head. He looks like we came over in a hurry. His eyes softened and approached your shaken figure. He hung the towel on the chain and placed your book on the table. 

“Shh, it’s ok. " He lay beside you and pulled you close. You also went closer still keeping your ears covered. 

“I’m scared, Aiku." You felt tears threatening to fall. “It will go away for a bit.” 

“I’m not only referring to the thunder," you muttered, but it was loud enough for him to hear. You felt him shift in the bed and shortly after, he removed your hands from the side of your head. You took a peek and saw him holding something between his fingers.

He placed one in his right ear and yours on the left. 

“Nothing’s going to hurt you, baby."

The music plays. It was his voice. Your eyes widened; it’s the song he was working on. 

“I’ll make sure to make those doubts go away. I won’t let your love go to waste. It’s such a miracle that a scum like me was able to be your lover.” "He said, caressing the back of your head. You bit your bottom lip trying to stop yourself from letting out your sobs. 

His bare chest is damp from your tears. You both stayed like that until the thunder stopped. He thought that you fell asleep since your body had calmed down. 

“I love you." He whispered and kissed your forehead.

“I love you too." You respond and slightly lift your head up to kiss him on the lips. He kissed you back— feeling bold you licked his bottom lip to let your tongue in. For Oliver it seemed like another make-out session. He was frustrated at himself for getting hard and will have to deal again with it later. 

“Can we do it?”

He blinks a couple of times and touches your cheek tenderly. “Are you sure?”

“Yes” 

With that, he takes off the blanket and lays himself on top of you. He started placing wet kisses on your neck and occasionally licking the area before sucking the area. While he occupied your mouth, his hand found its way under your shirt and pinched the hardened bud. 

You let out a moan. You quickly covered your mouth. It was so lewd; it was your first time hearing yourself like that. He moved up to see your expression and kissed you on the hand. 

“I want to hear your voice; can you do that for me?” His tone was gentle and made you give in immediately to his plea.

“I’ll take care of you.” 

He removed his hand from your mound and unbuttoned your pajama shirt, also taking off your pants, leaving you with nothing but your underwear. You felt so exposed, and he stared at your body. “God, you're beautiful." He said and latched his mouth onto your mound, and his fingers began to tease your clothed core.

You felt a pool of wetness down there and bucked your hips in response when his fingers lightly grazed the area. “Sensitive are we?” He smirked. 

“Nghh..Don’t teas– ah!” 

He playfully sucks your bud once more, clearly enjoying your reaction that he’s getting out of you. Your hand grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled it slightly; he groaned in response. 

He pulled away and placed his hands on your knee—pulling it apart and going down to your core. 

“Um... Aiku what are you doing?”

“Making my princess feel good” 

He licked to the clothed underwear, and you let out a shriek. It felt so foreign; his tongue continued to tease you as he kept your legs parted by hooking his arms around them. This is all too much for you, yet your body craves more. 

“M-more!” You manage to blurt out. 

He then put your panty aside and gave it a long lick. You were sure that you felt his tounge thrust inside you. One taste of you and he’s already addicted. With no time to waste, he began sucking and licking the bundle of nerves. 

You felt tears well up in your eyes, your back aching from the sensation as both of your hands grabbed onto his hair. He was not even halfway done yet—he inserted a finger in your hole and began to thrust it slowly. 

“Arghh!” 

Your eyes instinctively rolled back as you came on his finger and tongue, but he was not done yet. Oliver felt himself grind on the bed as he heard your lewd moans. He inserted another finger in and began thrusting it faster, curling it from time to time, riding through your orgasm. 

“A-aiku! Ngh– It feels so good!”

“That’s it, baby. You're doing great." 

His praise made you spiral and feel your second orgasm come close. Your hips eagerly met his finger’s thrust, but before you could cum again, he removed himself from you. 

“Huh?” 

He removed his remaining clothing, leaving himself with his boxers—his huge, hardened cock was visible, and it made you worried if I'd even fit. He grabbed something from the drawer; it was his wallet. He opened it and pulled out a condom; you also saw the polaroid picture that you took some time ago. He tore the packet, pulled his boxers down—dick slapped on his abs—and put on the condom. 

He again got on top of you and pushed your legs apart, aligning himself to you. "This is going to be a bit painful for some time, but it will feel good after you get used to it.” You nodded and felt a sharp pain as he began to thrust himself onto you. 

The warmth of your core welcomed him, and he couldn’t help but moan himself. “Fuck, baby—you're so tight.” 

You cursed, and your hands were for something to hold on to; he noticed this and pressed his body against yours. Your arms clung around him as he continued to slowly trust inside you. He kissed your tears away and spoiled you with small pecks of kisses around your face. 

"You're taking me so well, beautiful.”

After you’ve adjusted, you let him move. 

“Shit! Mhmp–” He began to pound his hips faster, and his hands found their way to your clit, aggressively rubbing it with his thumb. You also began to rock your hips trying to keep up with his pace. He felt so close to cumming—he grabbed your waist and lifted your hips slightly, angling his cock deeper. You caged him with your legs as a response as your pussy tightened around him. 

“I’m cumming—ah!" 

“I’m also...agh..." 

With one final thrust, he shot his load on the condom around him—still buried deep inside you while you came on his cock. Feeling tired, your legs gave out and landed on the bed. He lay beside you and pulled you close. 

“You did well." 

He kisses your lips and slowly draws circles on your bare back. “I love you, Aiku."You mumbled, trying to fight off the drowsiness. “I love you too, Y/n” 

════════

I thought that I would never find someone who'd accept me for my past. I’m lucky to have you in my life and for letting me in to yours. Without a doubt, Cupid's got me in a chokehold.  

-End

───────────────────────

Yay!!!! I'm done! This is my first smut, and this is actually the very first fanfic that I finished ++ my first post here on tmblr. Lowkey think that bum was accepted so easily, but oh well.

“What?!” Oliver jolted from his seat, mouth agape.  

Shidou burst out laughing, smacking Sae’s back. Isagi couldn’t help but chuckle a little. 

There are 3 key components that Oliver established in his dating rule book.  

Don’t get attached.

The sky’s the limit for the number of girls he’s going to date at the same time.

Don’t encourage your friends to go down the same path as you.

Don’t date someone’s girl. 

Yoko-chan, the girl from yesterday is Oliver’s actual girlfriend who cheated on him. That was actually the first time that he actually got a taste of his own medicine. 

“Oh well, I give up.” He flat out said it and leaned back on his seat. 

“You should’ve said that earlier so I didn’t have to come here so early.” 

“I just wanted to see your reaction." Barou replied, still having that irritated look on his face.

───────

“I’m back.” You took off your shoes and placed them beside the door while carrying a load of groceries that Barou wasn’t able to buy yesterday; you were oblivious to the stares of the men who were looking at a certain bandmate of theirs. 

Oliver just gave you a quick glance and nodded; the rest of the members greeted you. 

Barou walked towards you and helped you with the bags. “Dinner’s on me tonight. You guys have been working hard.” You gave them a smile and walked towards the kitchen, where Barou placed the bags. It was an open-concept apartment, so you were able to talk to them as you prepared for dinner.

“Thank you so much.” Isagi shyly replied, scratching his head. 

“Is it really ok? We can order or just have instant ramen.” Sae showed you a delivery app on his phone, but he is secretly hoping that you’ll keep insisting.

“Put that down.” You ordered, putting both your hands on your waist

“No one is going to be eating takeout or instant ramen in this household.” You declared.

Sae immediately put his phone back in his pocket.

“Come on, man! Nothing beats a homemade meal.” Shidou nugged his shoulder. 

“Well, we should practice the first part of the song while she cooks.” Oliver said as he got up from the sofa, putting the strap on his shoulder and adjusting the microphone. 

Barou rolled his eyes.

Shidou snorts.

Sae remained unconcerned.

Isagi was just happy he gets to cook a homemade meal. 

You can feel the vibration of the music playing in the room, giving you goosebumps. Listening to music on your phone is one thing, but it's different when you hear it live. You glance at them from time to time while you wait for the pot to boil.

They weren’t making noise like some bands you hear where the members are uncoordinated and trying to overshadow each other. They were standing in a circle, not breaking focus on their own instrument and sometimes even making glances at each other.

"I wanna grab both your shoulders and shake, baby"

‘He has a nice voice.’ You thought and added the curry paste to the pot.

A notification popped on your phone, catching your attention. 

“Calic: I miss you!! I just got home.”

You smiled to yourself and sent him a picture of the curry.

“Y/N: I miss you more! Cooking rn, let’s catch up later. 💕💕”

“This is so good!” Isagi exclaimed as he shoved more curry and rice in his mouth.

“No joke," Shidou agreed, getting more katsu across the table. Sae and Barou quietly enjoyed the food, but Barou occasionally nags Shidou and Isagi to tone down the volume.

“You don’t eat Japanese curry?” You asked the man in front of you.

He was staring down at the untouched food. He snapped from his thought, taking an ample amount of rice and curry portioned equally. He took a spoonful; the umami flavor of the dish exploded in his mouth. 

“It’s good," he replied as he stuffed more food. This was the first homemade meal that he had in a while.

“By the way, I heard the renovation of your studio will be finished by this week?” You attempted to make some small talk.

“Yeah, our manager offered us a temporary studio, but it’s too much of a hassle to travel far with the instruments.” Sae replied.

“I’m going to miss this place," Shidou whined as he got used to practicing here, and the place doesn’t feel like work but more like carefree individuals who are just making their own music for their own enjoyment. The band was like that at first, but their popularity has grown exponentially ever since the release of the second album. They are currently starting their fourth album now. 

“Feel free to visit anytime; I’m sure Barou will enjoy your guy’s company. " You teased.

“No way in hell.” Barou blurted.

───────

After months of renovation, the studio can now be used. But a certain someone isn’t too pleased. "Ughh." Shidou groaned. "This feels like I’m a slave to the corporate work again." 

The group ignored his whining and kept arranging their instruments, but they too also miss Barou’s place. “Let’s eat at this place after practice.” Isagi showed them a ramen shop that’s only 7 mins away by foot. 

“That is where my ex works." 

“Which one?” Shindou smirking.

Even before joining the band, Oliver already had the 'womanizer lad’ reputation. The group were hesitant at first but undeniably have the skills and possess a unique tone of voice. As they began to bond more, they realized that despite the tainted reputation of the infamous Oliver. He can be a friend that you can lean on when times are tough and who actually offers good advice; that’s probably the main reason why they stay by his side. He’s a good friend but not very fit to be a lover to someone. 

They don’t really interact with Oliver’s girlfriends since even Oliver doesn’t let them meet his girls. One day, a woman or multiple of them will create a scene to break up with Oliver while the rest of the group watches this on the sidelines. 

“Oliver!” The woman called him as the group entered the shop. She hooks both of the arms on his muscular forearm. The middle-aged man who seems to be the manager called out to the girl, saying she needs to focus on serving the customers. 

“I’m sorry babe, I’ll message you later.” She clasps her palms together, attempting to look cute. Oliver just gave his usual grin and waved her off. 

While slurping the ramen, he received a call from his mother. He excused himself from the rest of the group and went outside to take the call. 

“Hello”

“Oliver” The voice from the other line called him in a thick Swedish accent; it’s his father. He’s here in Japan? 

His father was asking how things are in the band, and Oliver reassured him that they can now pay the bills and not to worry. Well, even if he quits the band, he still has the money and business ventures that his parents can hook him up with. 

"Well, there’s another marriage proposal for you by the Sakamoto family." He heard his mother on the phone. 

“Come on, Mom, you already know the answer to that. A no is a no." He replied as he put a hand on his jacket and kicked the small rocks on the ground.

“I miss my future daughter-in-law—" He dropped the call. He will never hear the end of the conversation when it comes to his future wife—well, as if he’d have one. His current lifestyle doesn’t seem to be aligned with that path. 

His parents just assume he dates, though they haven’t even met a single girl. 'This is going to be the death of me,' he thought. 

“Oliver?” A familiar voice called out; she was panting. He turned to his side to see you clutching your purse, looking agitated, and you went behind his back like you were hiding from someone.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, glancing back. Footsteps were heard from the direction you came from, and he looked in that direction. He saw a shadow figure approaching, but when they saw that she was now with someone, it disappeared. 

“Let’s go to your brother.” He was concerned and gestured for you to come inside the ramen shop. 

───────

“That bastard! I can’t believe he let you walk late at night again.” Barou was furious, but he was mainly concerned for your well-being. 

“Are you hurt anywhere?" He placed his hands on your shoulder and looked at you from head to toe. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” You reassured him. 

You were sitting with Barou while the others were on their separate tables to give you guys privacy. This already happened multiple times; that’s why Barou was reasonably furious. 

On the way home Barou is still pissed at your boyfriend. After informing him about the incident, he called you immediately and apologized. He couldn't help but grab the phone and give him a mouthful, and you just hope the others didn’t hear anything. 

“Let’s calm down, ok? I need to thank Oliver.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll thank that bozo for you.” 

You weakly smacked his head, and he touched the area, whining in pain and being overly dramatic.  

“Where are your manners?" You scolded him, crossing your arms as you guys walk. 

───────

“I’m so hot~” Shindou groaned as he felt the heat of the sun. The band is filming their music video; it’s just a short clip since most of the scenes are going to be done at nighttime.

“Just stay strong; we’re almost done." Oliver said as he got ready for the scene. 

Barou came up to them sipping a refresher. Shindou asked where he got that, and he said that you came in on the set to give the band and the staff drinks. 

“Oliver!” You called out and headed towards their direction with drinks. You handed them both the drink, and they gladly accepted it. Shidou was visibly happy, and Olive thanked you. 

“I should be the one thanking you. You really saved me the other night.” 

“It’s nothing.” He smiled. 

“I’ll get going now.” You walked towards a white car. Barou and Oliver continued watching you as you got in the car with a man in a white polo shirt. 

“It’s that the guy?” 

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I look 100 times better, honestly." He claimed and took a sip of the drink.

“Tch”

───────

“Hey, my boss is going to take me on a business trip in Osaka.” Your boyfriend informed you as he parked his car in front of your house. He explained that it’s going to take a few weeks, and he’ll be calling you every day. 

“Ok, I’ll be calling you too." You attempted to hide your disappointment with a smile. It’s going to be your 1st anniversary next week. You left the car and went home. Barou informed you earlier that he’ll be coming home late. With nothing to do, you cleaned the house even though it was already clean. You made sure that the house always smelled good, so you mopped the floor clean and dusted the corners of the room, ensuring no dust remained.

The door suddenly opened. It’s Barou and the rest of the band; they brought food.

“They got us food for earlier.” He said as he held the bag in front of you. 

“You didn’t need to." 

You put the bags on the table and told them to sit on the sofa to rest for a bit as you arranged the table. But to your surprise, all of them help you with it. 

“C’mon now, don’t treat us like it’s our first time here. This is practically like our second house.” Shidou grinned as he took out the food in the bag. 

“Second house?” An irked mark appeared on Barou’s forehead. 

Oliver and Sae put the plastic bags in one place so it would be much easier to dispose of later. Isagi is putting the utensils on the table. The house is noisy again with them constantly bickering with each other, but it is lively. 

It was decided that the group would have a spontaneous sleepover since it was now past midnight. Barou is on the chair with his blanket draped over his body; Shindou and Isagi are on the floor with their respective futons. It kind of looks like they fell asleep mid-fight with the disheveled blankets and pillows. Sae was sleeping peacefully on one of the sofas. 

Oliver, on the other hand, is on the balcony sitting on one of the chairs there. The breeze tonight is so cold that he even brought his blanket, yet he didn’t use it to avoid accidentally falling asleep on the balcony. He is occupied with his acoustic guitar and the paper and pencil. The manager earlier informed him that he got an offer about a solo project coming up. 

He hasn't decided if he will take it because he’s been feeling uninspired lately. He did contribute to songwriting for most of the songs. They praise them for the beautifully written lyrics encapsulating the love between two people. Though every time he sings, his written lyrics feel so shallow. Is there something missing?

He sure does know dating, but why does he keep lacking?

*Swoosh*

The sliding door of the balcony opened, revealing you in your sleeping pajamas and slightly tangled hair. Your eyes were slightly puffy from crying earlier; you noticed the figure sitting on your left side when you turned your head.

Your eyes adjusted and you met his gaze. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were here." 

You were about to walk away, but he reassured you that it’s fine and that you weren’t disturbing him. You sat on the other chair facing the scenery of the buildings in your apartment view. Taking in the chilly air, you hugged your knees, attempting to warm yourself up. 

You felt something soft and fuzzy on your shoulder. It was Oliver handing you a blanket; before you could speak, he cut you off by saying you should take it. You closed your mouth and wrapped it around you.

"Thanks," you muttered. Burying your face in the soft blanket, relaxing your whole body as it slowly warms up. 

Minutes passed by and no words were exchanged, only the scribbling noises from the pencil and paper filled the silence. "You're writing a song?” You took a glimpse of the paper. It was barely one paragraph, and the paper is crumpled up from the harsh erasure of the previous lyrics he wrote. 

"Yeah, but I hit a dead end again. I think I’m lacking inspiration." He said as he erased another line from the paper. He decided to give up for now and try again later. 

Oliver leaned back in his chair and played the guitar. It was one of their songs; it has quite a different vibe to it compared to the original version since Oliver is now playing it on an acoustic guitar. The way Oliver plays it now has a soothing tone to it; he hums occasionally and sings the lyrics softly. 

“Drunen monologues, confused because”

He finished the song after a few minutes and ended it with a final strum. “Your softer voice is really good as well. "You praised.

He chuckled and stretched his legs, adjusting them to a more comfortable position. “You think so?”

You nodded. 

“I didn’t know that Barou has a sister until a few weeks ago.” He initiated conversation. 

"Well, I’m always in my room, and I was on a business trip for 3 months. By the time I arrived, you guys had already gone home.”

He quietly listened to you, occasionally humming in response to show he’s attentive to what you were saying. 

“I’m glad I got to meet my sweet brother’s friends. You guys took good care of him; I can see how much he’s having fun playing with you guys.” 

“He can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he’s a sweet guy inside despite his tough demeanor.” 

You laughed, completely agreeing to what he said. 

You told him a story of Barou when he was young, how he begged your parents to buy him a bass guitar that he saw one of his friends' dads play live in the local street. “You should’ve seen that look on his face when he got his first bass.” 

“How about you? Why do you play?” 

He paused for a moment before answering. “I love it. It’s like an escape from reality and also to impress girls." He mumbled the last part, and he put the guitar aside, now fully engaging in the conversation. “But I hate it sometimes, you know. It’s frustrating when you don’t get something right when you play a certain part of the song."

“But isn’t that the fun of it? The taste of accomplishment tastes sweeter if you went through the hardship of acquiring it rather than being handed it to you on a silver platter.” 

The exchange of words continued, though it was mostly about Barou and you when you guys were little. You yawned, and he suggested that you should go to bed. “Will do. "You stood up, leaving the blanket on the chair; you waved at him. "Night. "You then closed the door and curtains. 

When your footsteps were no longer heard, he gave himself a slap on both sides of his cheeks.

“Must stay focused."

───────

The band has been super busy with the promotion for weeks; they’ve been guesting on television, and news outlets are now in their schedule. 

“I’m going to combust.” Shidou groaned as he put his head on the table. They are now in their studio after guesting on one of the variety shows, where they had to do some mini challenges. 

“I swear I thought I was holding a dick when I touched that snake.” 

“I need to chop my hand off after touching that worm," Barou shivered, remembering the weird sensation he felt earlier in his fingertips. 

Oliver entered the room with an ice pack on his cheek. 

“You got caught again?” Barou asked.

“Nah, I broke up with her. She’s the last one.” He leaned on the wall. 

“Woah, woah, woah."Shidou was dumbfounded. 

“Well, that's new.” Sae removed his earbuds to listen to the conversation. 

“Just wow." Isagi was also taken aback. 

Oliver rolled his eyes and just sat on the sofa beside Isagi. “I’ll take this guy’s advice." He hooks his arm around Isagi, the moisture of the ice pack dripping on Isagi’s lap. 

The manager suddenly entered the room holding a piece of paper. He explained that they are done with the promotion. After weeks of nonstop guesting, it has finally reached its end. They were told that they have a 2-month break for the group to rest. 

“Hell yeah!” They cheered. All the members planned to stay in their hometown for the break and won’t likely be seeing each other anytime soon. But they planned to meet up if their schedule allows them to.

───────

“How dare you show your face here?" The girl threw water at Oliver. He’s currently in his hometown, and he forgot how he dated a few girls here as well; it was imminent that he'd eventually encounter them again. This one is still angry at him, despite many years having gone by. 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized with sincerity. Head hung low, the girl clicked her tongue, gripping the strap of her bag tightly, and just stormed out. He visited a cafe before heading back to his parent’s home. It's a good thing he visited the cafe near closing time, so he’s the only customer there. 

“Here’s a towel.” You handed him a dry towel. He thanked you and began drying himself. His eyes widened, realizing he heard a familiar voice. He turned his head and saw you grinning.

Mouth agape, he was admittedly embarrassed for you to see him in such a state. You explained to him that you are checking how this branch of the cafe is doing, if the menu is fine, and if the servers are doing their job well.

“So like a manager?”

You hummed and sat across him. He told you that this is his hometown and he’ll be here for a month. The other manager called you for something, so the conversation was cut off. You told him to visit if he had time and went to the staff room. 

Oliver went home to his parents' house. It was about a 10-min drive, so it was quick. He was greeted by a lot of nagging from his mother, talking about how he should’ve said he was coming home. His dad was just happy he would be able to spend more time as a family. 

Two weeks passed by, and not once Oliver visited the cafe. He was out with some friends late at night; they had a class reunion, so everyone was quite drunk except him since he has plans with his family tomorrow, so he limited himself to one glass of beer. 

While walking with his friends he noticed a familiar figure across the road. He excused himself, but his friends were persistent on making him stay. Oliver dismissed them and disappeared from their sight. 

You were quietly walking back to the hotel room; you felt a presence behind your back. It sent shivers down your spine, and you were about to bolt away, but they called your name. The familiar voice was enough to make you stop. “Oliver!”

You were surprised to see him again; he seems like he’s doing well. “I can’t let you walk alone. I’ll send you back to the place you were staying.” He accompanied you on the way home and talked about the latest happenings in the band.

You complained about how the hotel staff was being mean. Like, how is it possible that it was rated 4.5 stars? Oliver is on his phone, but he nods or hums in response and also glances at the way from time to time. Your complaining was cut off by Oliver asking you to stay in his house. 

He said he’s already informed Barou about your situation, and he got permission to ask you about staying in his house. He reassured your brother that his parents were with him and no funny business would be done. You asked if it’s really ok, and he said that it’s the smallest thing he can do with the times the band stayed at your apartment. 

───────

“Oh dear!” The lady covered her mouth with her left hand. This was the very first time that Oliver brought a woman home. Her eyes sparkled and said you are more beautiful in real life; you were confused. Oliver explained that his mom was asking for a picture non-stop, so he had no choice. He showed a group picture when the band was in your apartment for dinner. 

He guided you to his room and gestured you to come inside. His room was neat, and the covers were newly changed. “You’ll sleep here, and I’ll sleep on the couch, and no buts.” He said before even noticing the hesitation on your face. You give in, putting your things in the one corner, and he goes downstairs to give you some time to settle down. 

You plummeted onto the bed, your face buried in the soft pillow. 

‘The whole room is filled with his scent.'

An hour had passed, and Oliver knocked on your door, calling you for dinner.

At dinner, his mom was extra nice to you, putting meat in your bowl. While his father looked at him with a grin. “It’s not like that.” He muttered as he took a spoonful of rice. 

“Yeah, right..." His father laughed. 

You were too occupied with his mom to even notice their banter. 

Oliver’s family welcomed you with open arms; they treated you like family. Maybe she's even nicer to you than her own son, recalling how his mom treated you at dinner. You chuckled to yourself as you were on the call with your brother in Oliver’s room. 

“It looks like. I’ll be staying here a bit more. Other cafes are delaying their scheduled inspection."

“Tomorrow is my day off. Oliver’s mom gave me a bunch of coupons for the shops all around the city. She said that I use it, and he also ordered him to drive me around the city.” You continued.

“I’m sure you're in good hands.” He replied. 

You said goodbye to Barou and prepared your clothing for tomorrow. You were quite excited for tomorrow; due to the busy schedule, it prevented you from exploring the city. 

───────

Oliver was driving the car; you were in the front seat. “What part of the city haven’t you explored yet”?”

“All of it, I just stroll around but haven’t visited a single shop.” 

You checked the coupons you were holding to see which one looks good. Museums caught your attention since they're near a park that’s famous for deer roaming around the park. “I would like to visit this one.” 

You showed him the pamphlet. 

“Whatever you say.” Oliver gave you a grin. 

You probably feed half of the population of deer here; well, that’s according to Oliver. He watches as deer swarm around you while you attempt to feed the ones you haven’t yet. God, you wish that they formed a line to take their turns. The food supply depleted, and the deer finally calmed down and went to other tourists.

You sat beside Oliver to rest, and he handed you water.

“I thought you planned to feed the whole population.” 

“That was the initial plan.” You replied to his joke and drank the cold water. 

Since you finished visiting the museum and the park, you asked him if he knows any good places nearby. He knows a restaurant that makes the best udon, according to him.

“By the way, how's that song of yours going? Are you going to have the solo project? 

You asked while waiting for the food.

“The song is going great, but I turned down the project for now. I want to focus on myself first. The album with the band is still fresh, and I don’t want to overwork myself.” He explained. 

“Wait, so you have the song but you turned down the project.” 

You were confused by this.

“Exactly.”

"At least you feel inspired now.” You smiled.

"Yeah," he replied softly and looked out the window, avoiding your gaze. 

The food arrived shortly after. Both of you decided to take a walk around the area before heading to the car. You were a bit tired, but a part of you doesn’t want this day to end yet. You haven’t felt this laid back in a while. 

It’s sunset, and you stopped for a bit to admire the view. 

“I’m going to miss this place.” 

“Visit anytime.” 

You chuckled. Oliver’s eyes roamed around the area, checking for potential detour areas that you would like to visit. His eyes landed on a familiar man; he was on a phone call with someone grinning what Oliver would describe as "like an idiot." 

He turned his head to you and saw you already blankly staring at the man. It was Calic. 

Oliver remembered that it was your boyfriend; that’s right, he’s only accompanying you for your stay here. If he saw him with you, it probably would cause a misunderstanding. Oliver was sure that you were going to come up to the man, but this preoccupied mind was soon cut off by your voice. 

“Let’s go home.” You gave him your usual smile and headed in the car’s direction. He was skeptical, but he still followed you. 

On the way home, the ride was quiet, with only the music from the car being heard. Should he report this to Barou? But he doesn’t want to meddle with your personal life; he wants to respect your boundaries. With this in mind, he didn’t strike up a conversation about this. 

───────

12:11 AM

You glanced at the clock. You couldn’t sleep; it had been a while since you saw your ex-boyfriend, and the scene from earlier kept playing in your mind. 

Feeling dehydrated, you went downstairs to quench your thirst. You were careful to ensure you didn't wake Oliver up; to your surprise, he was still awake, watching something on the TV as he munched on some chips. 

He turned his head around and blinked a few times. 

“Wanna join?” 

You nodded. 

You drank a glass of water in the kitchen first before sitting beside him, keeping a good distance. He offered you the bag of chips, and you took a few pieces. 

He was watching 'Me before you'. 

He’s on the part where the girl was opening presents. 

Oliver is bothered, not because you joined him. He’s concerned if you are ok. He glanced at you from time to time, and you didn’t mind it since it’s probably because of the incident earlier. 

“We broke up.” 

He snapped from his thoughts. Your shaky voice made his heart sink; it reminded him of the night at your apartment. Back then, he thought that it would probably be best to not mention it since you were still fairly new to his radar and he didn't want to overstep something. 

“Before Barou went home to our home... I broke up with him.” You continued.

════════

That black tank top perfectly hugged her body, further emphasizing her figure, and she got a pretty face too. She’s totally gorgeous. She’s probably the person from earlier; she’s fucking hot!

“Oh well, I give up.” 

Well, that’s a letdown. All the motivation of getting her number plummeted due to one piece of information. She has a boyfriend. That boyfriend is a lucky bastard. 

I went to see my girlfriends and attended mixers. I soon forgot about her; it’s not like she’s the only woman in the world. Plus, if I’m going to date her, Barou is for sure going to nag me non-stop. I don’t want that nuisance. 

That’s what I’ve always thought, not until I started to notice things that seemed to mess with my mind. The way I started to recognize her from afar was based on her manner of walking. Her kind attitude towards the band and her cooking skills are so phenomenal that they replace my top 1 favorite food. 

Everyone can be kind and cooks good curry. I kept that in mind for some time. The girl I was in the mixer with was also kind; she helped her friends get home safely, but it doesn’t have that feeling.

I visited a shop that claims it is the top curry place in the area. Nothing beats her curry, that’s for sure. Though, I admit that the curry place has a richer flavor. However, I refused to replace her curry, my top favorite food.

Her eyes reflected the light of the city, and the strands of her hair followed the slight breeze. She seemed tired, but she still looked beautiful. It’s a sight that I would rather watch than the stars above us. 

I owe her an apology. She’s more than a pretty face. She’s an amazing person who cares for her family and a kind-hearted soul.

I like her because she’s Y/n. That’s the only explanation. Those traits that I try to look for in other women are useless if it’s not her.

But what else can I do? I belong in the slums when it comes to love. She’s someone that deserves so much better and has a person that is loyal to her. I already accepted this fact. Though, I think her boyfriend doesn’t deserve her. Who the hell would let a woman walk late at night? 

She and I will never be something. I have a tainted past, yet I want to be someone better than I am now. I endured a lot of slaps and things thrown at me by the women I dated. I also went out and blocked the girls in my inbox. To further ensure that they’ll be completely cut off, I changed my phone number. 

These things don't deserve praise. It wouldn’t have come to this point if I kept my dating life clean from the start.  

She became my motivation and inspiration in songs and self-improvement, and she’s someone I look forward to catching a glimpse of whenever Barou’s around. Hoping she’ll randomly pop out of nowhere; even if I don’t interact with her, just hearing her voice is enough. 

What can I do? The girl I like is crying in front of me. I can’t take it anymore; I want to comfort her. I want to hug her and keep her safe in my arms. She can pull away or slap me, but please let me hold you for a bit. 

My hand reached for her.

“He cheated on me.” 

My heart dropped and stopped midway. I clenched my fist and put it in my pocket. I can’t believe that fucker, and do I even have the right to be mad? I also did the same to my exes. Fuck, I can’t think straight. 

Her sobs became louder. I grabbed the nearby tissue box and placed it beside her. 

“Tell me, why do people cheat?” 

I felt a lump in my throat as I tried to answer her question. 

“It’s not excusable.” Is all I muttered with my strength. 

I felt ashamed; it reminded me of the gap we have. I can change everything about myself, but deep down I’ll always carry the past. 

════════

You can’t remember how you got in your room. You still have a few hours to go to the next cafe you're inspecting. You went to the bathroom and splashed ice-cold water on your face to lessen the puffiness. 

The aroma of miso soup and sound of cooking made your stomach grumble. 

You greeted, "Good morning," expecting to see Oliver’s mom, but you were greeted by the sight of Oliver. He greeted you back like normal and gestured for you to sit. He informed you the food is almost done. 

“I apologize for last night.” 

“It’s nothing. You can vent when things get heavy...Are you ok now?” 

‘That’s not what I’m referring to.'

You hummed in response and ate the food he prepared. “My parents are out for the whole day. I’ll drive you to your work later.”

“My parents will also come back to Switzerland by the end of this week." 

You appreciated his family for looking out for you ever since you’ve stayed here in their house, especially Oliver, who became kind of like your personal tour guide and driver but also someone you can feel comfortable being around.   

“Shoei knows," you said, putting down the bowl of rice. 

You began to open up about the situation. You explained to him that Barou drove to your ex’s place and threw the gifts that Calic had given to you. They were burned, and most of the items aren’t even recognizable. Accessories, clothes, and even the expensive watch he gave you were also thrown in the fire. 

He laughed at the story. Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“I’m sure it was therapeutic.”

You agreed and grinned. 

───────

It has been a routine for Oliver to drive you to work every day. He’s also been working on some music while he’s at home, but he’ll mostly watch something on the TV or work out in the nearby gym. 

You, on the other hand, will take home some dessert from the cafe from time to time, and his mom appreciates it very much. They’ll be going to Switzerland tomorrow, so they're now packing their luggage. 

Oliver’s dad is talking to him outside, and you were helping his mom organize her luggage. “Thanks for looking out for Oliver.” 

“What? I barely did anything.” You scratched the back of your head. 

“He was a changed man when he came home; he seemed lively. For years I was quite worried since he had become quite the womanizer, but he hasn't let us meet a single one of his exes. Imagine my surprise when he actually told us a woman is going to be staying here. Though I was a tad bit disappointed to learn that you were just a friend…according to him."

You didn’t hear the last part, but you laughed it off. 

“He’s a good person.”

His mom looked at you for a bit before pulling you into a tight hug. 

“I’m jealous of you, future mother-in-law.” She wept.

“Mrs?!?!” 

───────

So that leaves you and Oliver alone in a house for 3 more weeks. It was just between friends, right…? But I can’t help but feel bothered. You woke up earlier than usual despite having no work today. A few minutes of attempting to go back to sleep failed, so you decided to cook your guys’ breakfast. 

You head downstairs and hear a groan coming from the living room. Curiosity got the better of you, and you saw Oliver already awake, doing push-ups. He has no shirt on and is only wearing black training shorts, with his Calvin Klein boxers' band peeking out at his lower waist. After finishing a set, he sat cross-legged and hung a towel round his neck. 

By the time he noticed you, you were already getting something from the fridge. “I thought it was your day off today?"

“Y-Yeah, I woke up a bit early, so I’ll cook breakfast today.” You answered, looking for the eggs. trying to distract yourself.

“You want to go out today?” His voice got closer. 

When you finally saw the eggs, you grabbed them with the milk carton. “Not really–” Turning around, you bumped into something. You were faced with Oliver’s chest; he now was wearing a shirt, though. His arm reaches behind you to grab a bottle of water behind you. The close proximity made your heart race like crazy for a moment; you held your breath. 

He shortly left your side and sat on the kitchen chair. You continue what you were doing; your back is facing him.

"I thought your workout was at the gym?"

You waited for the pan to heat before adding the oil in.

"Yeah, but people in the gym keep bothering me. I'll start working out from home now."

'So I'm going to start him seeing him like this every day?! ' You couldn't help but feel flustered. Oliver noticed your shoulder tensed and asked you if you're ok. You nodded in response, refusing to face him.

'3 more weeks before I'll go back to my apartment. I'm sure it will pass in the blink of an eye...right?'

───────────────────────