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Jake, on the other hand, went for the casual boyfriend fit—a oversized, plain black shirt and a three-quarters jorts, showing off his oh so muscular thighs that definitely isn't drool-worthy.

The journey was smooth-sailing, with him making a few pitstops to refill his gas, giving you chances for a quick toilet break and buy some light snacks. Eventually, you arrived at your destination.

The neighborhood was nothing like the one Jake came from. Instead of towering gates and endless private roads, your home sat in a quiet and cozy neighborhood lined with small houses, potted plants and warm porch lights glowing softly against the evening sky. There were some kids riding bicycles on the streets along with some families gathering by the front yard, having a barbecue party.

He parked his car along the curb when you directed him to your home, the sleek black Mercedes standing out almost comically among the modest family vehicles situated nearby.

Unlike Jake—whose house or estate, is on a private property, yours was simply a homey-looking two-floored building. There's a balcony located on the second floor as well.

You unbuckled your seatbelt, stepping out to retrieve your luggage from behind. Jake followed after, effortlessly grabbing the heavier suitcase before you could protest.

"I can carry that myself," you said.

"I know, but I want to," he replied simply, even placing the luggage on the curb so you didn't have to lift it up.

Your heart did the thing again, much to your dismay. The porch light flickered softly above the front door, like it's both announcing your return and welcoming you back as you climbed up the small steps, adjusting your grip on your bag before knocking, with Jake standing beside you.

Knock knock.

A few seconds later, the door swung opened from the inside and your mother's face lit up instantly at the sight of you—her precious daughter.

"There you are! You should've told me you were arriving earlier—" She exclaimed, already pulling you into a hug before you could articulate a word, only for her to pause when her eyes landed on the boy standing behind you.

"Oh," she blinked before smiling politely, "and you must be Jake. My daughter's boyfriend, right?"

He nodded and respectfully bowed his head. "Yes, it's nice to meet you, Ma'am."

The woman immediately ushered the both of you inside while she fussed over everything and anything—the shoes, luggage and the long drive. But beneath the seemingly concerned warmth in her voice, you were able to detect something else. Something you've been used to for a long, long time.

"You've gotten thinner. Are you eating properly at school?" Your mother commented, eyes looking over you briefly.

"I'm fine, Mom."

"You always say that."

"And yet you still ask the same question."

It was quiet for a few seconds before she smiled, like nothing happened and turned to Jake instead. "Thank you for driving all the way here. She didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

He glanced at you but you didn't look at him before answering. "No, not at all. Your daughter's really helpful."

She skeptically raised an eyebrow, sending you a brief fleeting glance before back to Jake. "Is that so? Well, I'm glad to hear that. I'll let you two settle down while I make dinner. It's almost ready. (Name), could you show him to our guest room?"

"Sure, Mom."

The woman nodded before returning to the kitchen, leaving you alone with Jake. You sighed, gestured for him to follow you and he obliged, lifting the luggages up with ease as he climbed up the flight of stairs.

You brought him to the only door located on your left, opening it to reveal a simple bedroom—a bed with new sheets, a cupboard situated in the right corner, a small round table and a chair placed near the window and a vanity table.

"I know it doesn't compare to what you're used to, sorry if it's not up to your standards," you spoke up, watching from the doorway as Jake entered the room, doing a slow scan of the room.

"It's fine, I'm good as long as it serves its purpose. I'm not picky," he replied, placing his luggage against the wall.

You nodded, pushing yourself off the doorway you were leaning against. "Great. I'll be in my room which is opposite of yours, so let me know if you need anything. I'll let you unpack."

Jake hummed in acknowledgment and you turned, closing the door behind you. With your own luggage being dragged with you, you pushed the your room's door opened, lingering by the doorway, like you're hesitant on entering. But then again, the last time you were here was two years ago and even though two years have passed, your room was still the same.

Nothing have changed.

Soft cream-colored walls, shelves lined with old books and tiny trinkets you used to collect, fairy lights still pinned along the headboard of your bed even though half of them no longer worked. Your desk remained tucked beside the window with stacks of notebooks left untouched, while framed photos from your high school and younger years were still displayed on the shelves.

It felt like time hasn't passed, like you were still in the past—the day before you received the letter from Decelis Academy, offering you a scholarship.

After setting your luggage down and opening it, you quickly buised yourself in unpacking to avoid overthinking. Clothes were folded into drawers, skincare messily arranged on the vanity table and you spent a solid ten minutes struggling to untangle your chargers with growing frustration.

Knock knock.

"(Name)? Mind if I come in?" Jake asked.

You looked up. "Sure, door's unlocked."

The door opened on the other end, revealing Jake, leaning against the doorway with one hand tucked into his pocket. But the second his eyes does a sweep across your room, a grin slowly stretched across his face.

"Oh my god, behind those nasty scowls and bratty attitude of yours, I never expect your room to be this cute," he commented, clearly entertained with this newfound discovery.

Your eyes widened in horror and heat crept up the back of your neck. "Every other girls' rooms is like this too."

He ignored your weak protest, venturing further into your room and his gaze landed on the faded stuffed animal sitting near the foot of your bed. "Right. And what about the teddy bear?"

"It was a gift."

"Fairy lights?"

"…For decorative purposes."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I bet it doesn't even work anymore."

You didn't answer him as he's right and he laughed, the sound warm enough to make your stomach and heart flip. "Aigo, you're so cute," he teased.

You glared at him—a huge contrast to how your heart fluttered at the sound of his laugh. "I'm glad someone's having fun," you retorted.

Jake hummed, eyes aimlessly drifting around your room as he takes in everything until they landed on a certain picture placed on your desk. He walked towards it and picked it up. With his back facing you, you couldn't see his expression. A few seconds later, he turned and showed the framed picture to you with a soft smile on his face.

"You looked really happy here," he pointed out.

It was an old picture of you from years ago, back when you were still a young girl. A young girl who hasn't encountered the harsh, ruthless reality of the world. The younger you was grinning from ear to ear at the camera, with you holding your favorite soft toy—the very same soft toy that's currently sitting on the edge of your bed. Compared to the current you, there was no eyebags residing under your eyes and zero signs of exhaustion on your face.

You weren't sure what it was. Maybe it's the softness in his voice. Maybe it's the way he looked at you, all soft and gooey. Maybe it's the air in the atmosphere that shifted slightly. What you do know however, was how it's giving you a sense of deja vu as it's reminding you of the close to kissing little moment you experienced back in his car.

Somehow, he had shifted closer—the exact same move he pulled before. He's close enough for your shoulders to touch, close enough for you to smell the faint scent of his cologne that wasted no time in engulfing you and close enough for your heart to start racing like a cheetah.

Your first mistake was moving backward and Jake took it upon himself to follow you. He copied every step you took but in the opposite direction. You moved away and he moved closer. This impulsive game of push-and-pull went on until your back gently collided with a smooth, cool surface behind you. Your second mistake was glancing behind you. The short window gave him the chance to make his move.

Jake wasted no time in holding—pinning you there, one hand braced against the right side of your head while he placed the framed picture he was still holding down on the desk beside you, without breaking eye contact. You swallowed, suppressing the wince threatening to leave your lips at how dry your throat was.

None of you said anything, like both of you knew fully well that whatever this is, something big will happen. You noticed how his eyes weren't on yours anymore.

But rather, they were trailing down your face—visually tracing every features. Your eyes, eyelashes, cheekbones and nose. Your heart nearly leaped out of your throat when you saw his eyes lingering longer than usual on your lips.

To test something and definitely not to push him to his limits, you slowly and teasingly licked your lips with your tongue, wetting it until it's glowing under the lights.

You nearly smirked at how his breath audibly stuttered and how his eyes darkened a shade, clouded with nothing but desire. You didn't know who moved first. It could be you, him or it was the both of you, heads getting closer like there's an invisible string pulling you together.

You were so close for your noses to graze against one another—

"(Name)? Jake? Dinner's ready!" Your mom shouted.

Both of you violently jerked away, like you were struck by a bolt of lightning. Something akin to frustration glimmered in his eyes, annoyed at the interruption but he quickly masked it up. He ran a hand through his hair and stepped back, finally giving you room to breathe without feeling suffocated. You pointedly ignored how a part of you yearned for him to come back, to feel his body pressed against yours and to feel his warmth.

"We should go or she'll get suspicious. I won't wanna get kick out two hours in," he remarked, sending you a cheeky grin that made your heart somersaulted like a professional acrobat.

He ended up stepping out of your room, leaving you still standing in the very same spot you were in, now leaning against the wall to support yourself with your legs shaking and heat pooling in your stomach. You didn't have to look in the mirror to know your face was as red as a tomato along with the all too-familiar feeling of pent-up arousal.

Your mother went all out with dinner—something she rarely does, even when your relatives or her friends came over. You didn't say anything, not that words were needed in the first place.

Words was replaced with thoughts and you filed that aside, keeping your guard up. If there's one thing about your mother, it's that everything she does has a reason behind it.

Both you and Jake sat together while your mother sat opposite of you. He take in the wide display of food spread out on the table before him, making an impressed sound and turned to the older woman.

"Wow Ma'am, all of these look really good," he complimented her.

She chuckled. "Oh please, you're too kind. Go on and eat, I'm sure the long drive must've tired the both of you out."

At her words, the three of you started eating in silence. The only brief sounds was the occasional clink and clank from your utensils knocking or scraping against your respective plates.

And alas, the silence doesn't last long, not when your mother started interrogating him. It's nothing at first, just a simple questioning process that any regular family will do when they find out their child is in a relationship.

But you knew better than that.

"So Jake, how did the two of you met?" She started.

You shifted but didn't look up from your plate.

"At Decelis Academy. We share a few classes together," he replied politely.

"Ah, Decelis," your mother nodded slowly, seemingly proud of the name alone, "that school is unbelievable competitive. I still remember how shocked I was when she showed me the offer letter."

You stilled, hand frozen in mid-air of bringing your fork to your mouth. Jake caught it, noting the slight shift in your expression and how your eyes hardened. Your mother, on the other hand, continued casually. Every word she spoke felt like you were being stabbed with a sharp knife, one after another.

"She was on cloud nine and barely slept during the entrance examination period. I honestly thought she'd fail," she laughed lightly, the sound sharp, brittle and all the more condescending.

"She worked hard for it," Jake replied calmly.

Your mother hummed, not really hearing him out. "She had to. Unlike some students, she's never been good with her studies."

The words were delivered so casually that they almost sounded harmless. You pointedly kept your eyes lowered, no longer having the appetite to eat as you placed your fork down, pretending the tightness in your chest and throat doesn't exist.

"She always need to put in twice the effort compared to everyone else. Even as a child too. If she scored second place instead of first, her cousins will never stop making fun of her," she continued while sipping her drink.

You didn't say a word with your lips sealed shut. After all, you've been through this before—the typical, humiliating routine of your mother embarrassing you in front of your relatives. How no one bothered standing up for you. How no one appreciated the hard work you put in. To them, it doesn't matter if you're a student of Decelis Academy.

To them, your entire life doesn't matter. You're simply just a laughing stock and a punching bag of the family. Nothing more and nothing less.

Jake stayed silent, watching and observing everything with an unreadable look now settling on his face. Your mother smiled again—either oblivious or uncaring about the growing and thickening tension around the table.

"She has a short-temper too. Even now, I still worry she might do reckless things if she doesn't control herself," she sighed.

You swallowed the bile rising in your throat, rapidly blinking back tears brimming in your eyes as it blurred your vision. The last thing you wanted was to shed tears in front of someone like her—someone who doesn't give a damn of your feelings.

Your mother paused, like she remembered something and what she said next made your heart dropped.

"Oh, did you know that she's on a scholarship offered from Decelis? I was recently informed that the board will be removing the scholarship program and students who are taking it too?" She asked, dropping the bombshell and the secret you've been harboring for a long time.

Jake blinked, eyes darting to you before back to your mother as he straightened himself. "What do you mean?"

Your mother paused, like she realized something—how you didn't tell him and something dark and twisted glimmered in her eyes. Her lips curled upward in a smug, knowing smirk. The sight of it sent shivers down your spine in a chilling, unsettling way.

"Oh dear, did she not tell you?" She asked and when Jake shook his head in his signature puppy-like manner, she clicked her tongue and paid you no mind, springing into action the moment she's given a chance to talk about it.

"According to what I was told, if students who are under the scholarship program don't pay the full fees by the end of this semester, they won't be able to continue their studies in Decelis," she explained.

Jake's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. "Wait, then that means—"

Your mother nodded solemnly, having the audacity to act like she's deeply saddened when you know deep well, she's probably having the time of her life laughing at you.

"Yes, it means (Name) won't be able to finish her studies in Decelis and she will be kicked out."

You couldn't take it anymore, shooting up from your chair with the legs loudly scratching against the wooden floor. Your sudden move gathered their attention but you didn't look at them, not having the courage to do so.

"Oh no, is everything alright?" Your mother asked in a faux sweet tone. Hearing it was enough to make you sick to the core.

"I'm going back to my room. I'm not hungry anymore," you murmured under your breath, stomping up the stairs.

If you spent the rest of the night hiding under your blankets while letting out muffled sobbing sounds into your pillow, soaking it with your tears, then that was no one's business but yours.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The very next day, you woke up to hearing many muffled voices from downstairs. You slowly pushed yourself up, groaning at how dry and no doubt puffy your eyes was after your private crying session from last night.

You shifted towards the window located near your bed, pulling the curtains back slightly to look out of it and to your dismay and horror, your front yard was occupied with people.

People who you recognized too well—your relatives.

Knock knock.

"(Name)? Are you up yet? Your mom wants me to let you know your relatives are here," Jake said.

You closed your eyes, sending thoughts and prayers to the heavens and to whoever is watching you from above before getting out of bed. You didn't think twice, opening the door without hesitation, startling Jake, who got startled.

You didn't see the way his eyes flicked down to your appearance—how you're wearing nothing but an oversized shirt with a pair of shorts that's barely visible or covering anything. You didn't see how he nervously swallowed, moving to fiddle with the rings on his fingers—trying to keep his hands busy.

"Thanks, I already know when I heard their voices," you deadpanned.

Jake nodded, unfazed with your crude response. "Alright, I'll leave you to get ready then. Come down whenever you're done so we can have breakfast together."

You hummed and he took that as his sign to leave, letting you do your morning routine. You didn't bother dressing up, since you're at home. You threw on whatever was available and comfortable—a faded graphics shirt that's haphazardly tucked into a pair of shorts with decent length.

Once you were done, you headed downstairs, already feeling overstimulated with the sheer amount of people in your living room.

To say it's chaos is an understatement.

Voices overlapped one another from every direction—loud laughter, children running across the floor. aunties shamelessly gossiping from the couches while uncles argued over something sports-related near the television. The scent of food drifted heavily through the air from the kitchen where several relatives had apparently decided your house was now a communal cooking station.

Your entire living room had practically disappeared beneath the sheer amount of people occupying it. Extra chairs was dragged out from storage, bags and shoes cluttering the entrance and someone's toddler was wailing near the staircase while another child sprinted past everyone, holding a slice of half-eaten bread in their hands.

You looked around and immediately spotted Jake. He's standing near the kitchen entrance, engaged in a conversation with two of your older cousins. Even in the middle of what seemed to be an impulsive and chaotic family gathering, he still managed to pull off a neat look—simple black shirt, gray sweatpants with slightly messy hair.

One of your older cousins noticed you standing by the staircase. "Hey! Get your ass here and stop gawking around!"

Your eye twitched at how several heads turned toward you immediately. You forced a smile onto your face as you made your way toward Jake, carefully stepping around children and random bags scattered across the floor. The second you reached him, he glanced at your outfit and shifted closer to you.

"You look cute and you're driving me crazy here," he murmured in a low voice that only you could hear.

Your face heated up immediately and you glared at him but he merely grinned in response. Your cousins, who were watching the brief conversation shared a look among themselves.

"Look at them, already sticking close and whispering to each other."

"Ah, young love," one of the aunts nearby let out a dramatic gasp.

Out of instinct, you lightly grabbed onto his right arm with your hand while pressing yourself against him, feeling him stiffened at the feeling of your chest against his arm.

"If you could excuse us for a second, I need to talk to him," you said sweetly, proceeding to drag him away without waiting for anyone's response. You pointedly ignored the loud cheering and whistling sounds from your relatives.

You brought him up to your room—which was the only few places left that's not swarmed with humans. You closed the door, running a hand through your hair as you leaned against it, letting out a frustrated exhale.

"I should've known she'll pull something like this," you muttered under your breath.

"What do you mean? Has she done this before?" He asked.

You started pacing back and forth. "Oh, believe me, she always does this. Every single time relatives come over, she suddenly acts like we're one big happy family. She invites people over without telling me, constantly compare me to my cousins, making comments disguised as jokes and then acts surprised when I get upset about it."

Jake stayed quiet, listening and giving you his fullest attention.

"She'll smile while saying the most unprovoked things one can imagine. And then it's my fault for reacting negatively," you continued in a bitter tone with you still pacing back and forth.

You choked out a watery, humorless laugh. "It's exhausting. I was foolish for thinking she has changed and guess what? Nothing changed. I came home after two years and she's still the same as ever. It's always about appearances with her. What other people think. About my grades. About my personality. About my life—"

"Hey—"

"And the worst fucking part is that she genuinely thinks she's helping me. Like sure Mom, constantly criticizing your own daughter is supposed to magically make me into someone better—"

"(Name)—"

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if she even likes me as a person or if she just likes the version of me that makes her look like a successful mother because—"

"(Name)."

You made a frustrated noise at his constant interruption, spinning around on the spot. "What is—!?"

Your voice died in your throat when Jake stepped closer, close enough for him to hook his fingers through the belt loop of your shorts and tugged you towards him. The execution itself was smooth and fluid. It happened too fast for your mind to catch up. Heck, you could feel your brain malfunctioning with the bold move he just pulled.

Amusement twinkled in his eyes. "What's wrong, pretty? I believe you were saying something, weren't you?"

Your cheeks turned into a shade of reddish-pink. "Jake, you… You're so…"

"So what? Go on," he coaxed you and gods, the utter gentleness is what truly undone you.

You said nothing, letting your eyes do the talking as it unconsciously drifted down to his lips. Lips that you've been thinking about ever since the day in the car. Lips you've been wondering how it'll feel pressed against yours. Jake saw everything, how you're fighting a battle in your mind and how you're gradually losing, in a conflict with yourself.

Which was why he made the decision for you.

His free hand cupped the back of your neck to support your head while his other hand—the very same hand with his fingers still hooking onto the belt loop, pulled you towards him until you're pressed chest-to-chest without any space left in between. Your mouths meet in the middle, heads tilted on opposite sides to avoid knocking your foreheads together.

His lips was soft and warm, enough for your mind to blank out. You made a small, muffled sound at the back of your throat and Jake groaned, the sound low and deep. You could practically feel the vibrations traveling down your body. His mouth moved and you're hit with the realization that he's fucking kissing you, in your bedroom.

His grip on your neck tightened slightly, the cold surfaces of his rings digging into your warm skin drew a surprised gasp from you at the temperature difference. A gasp that he swallowed without hesitation. He shifted, further pinning you against the door until there's no room for you to escape.

Not that the thought has crossed your mind in the first place.

"God, you've been driving me crazy since meeting my parents," he murmured against your lips, like he couldn't bear the thought of separating from you.

"Jake—"

"Shhh, don't talk. Just let me kiss you, baby."

True to his words, Jake kissed you again. Again and again. Each kiss grew more desperate and heated than the previous kiss, as both of you let out your pent-up feelings that had been building deep in your chests, the storm of emotions both of you had been harboring and hiding from one another.

This time, you parted your lips, granting him entrance and your legs buckled, nearly giving way as he ran his tongue along the seam of your bottom lip.

Sure, you've kissed a few people before—a mixture of stupid, childish dares and drunken mistakes but this?

This is different, in a good way.

You let out a whimper, one hand fisting the front of his shirt while the other surged up to grab a fistful of his hair blindly, threading your fingers through the smooth, silky pitch-black strands.

You lightly tugged on it, your action drawing a moan from him. Hearing it and the thought of you being the reason why he moaned made your stomach flipped. The slow slide of his tongue against yours drew another sound from you. A sound you never thought you were capable of making—a small, muffled and needy mmpfh that Jake swallowed, like he doesn't want anyone else to hear it, even though it's only the two of you in the room.

Your legs ended up giving way, body slumping forward slightly but Jake was faster. He caught you, both hands now on your waist as he held you up against the door effortlessly, like you weighed nothing. The thought of him manhandling you made you keened, all high-pitched and whiny.

Jake chuckled. "What's in that pretty mind of yours, hm?"

You nipped at his lip, purposely sinking your teeth into the soft flesh. "Less talking. More kissing."

"You're awfully bossy for someone who yapped non-stop but as you wished."

Both of you couldn't keep your hands stuck in one place, greedily touching and tracing every inch of one another's bodies without hesitation. You sighed into his mouth when he bypassed your shirt, calloused and rough fingers splayed across your stomach.

You shivered in his arms when he moved back to trace the outline of your spine, wordlessly commanding you to arch your back as he leave goosebumps and heat behind in his wake.

"Jake—"

"Yes, princess? Need something?"

You whined against his mouth, angling your hips to a certain angle to rock against his, savoring the way his body stilled at the mere contact of your clothed cores.

"Please. Please, just.. do something, anything. Touch me, please."

You felt it even with your eyes closed, how his lips curled up in a smug smirk. "Yeah? Want me to touch you? Where? Use your words and tell me."

God, you wished you can kill him right there and then.

Knock knock knock.

Both of you stopped, hearts dropping in unison at the sound of someone banging on the door impatiently. You didn't dare to move, straining your ears to try to hear as much as possible.

"(Name)? Are you there? Your mother wants you to come down and join us at the front yard," one of your cousin called out.

You groaned under your breath at the sudden interruption. "I'll be down in a minute."

Your cousin made a noise of acknowledgement. You waited until his footsteps was completely gone before turning back to Jake, startled when he's still looking at you the entire time, even when your cousin interrupted you.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You whispered, voice soft and hushed.

"You're really pretty," he confessed, the utmost sincerity in his voice made your heart fluttered.

"Oh, so now you've become a sap," you deadpanned, earning a chuckle from him.

"As much as I wanna keep kissing you, we should probably head down before they come up again," he pointed out, making you huffed in disappointment. Jake cooed, reaching out to pinch your cheeks, eliciting a pained yelp from you.

"Not to ruin the mood too, but we need to have a serious talk about what your mom said too," he continued, stepping back and ran a hand through his messed up hair.

You stilled but tried to act dumb. "What did she say?"

He shot you a pointed look. "About the scholarship. Don't try to push this away, (Name). I'm not letting you play the avoidant route."

You sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Ugh, fine. We can talk about it later."

"Good girl."

"Do not."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Time slipped past your fingers with you spending the remaining six days of your one-week trip slacking at home. There were times when you brought Jake out of your house, showing him around your neighborhood, acting as his personal tour guide.

Ever since he kissed you, both of you didn't talk about it but deep down, you knew you've come to the same conclusion—that this is no longer a fake relationship and that your feelings are mutual to both parties.

Dating him isn't any different from what you've experienced so far. He's still the same charming, slightly awkward, funny and teasing boy from before. He's still respectful to your mother but you were able to detect him being protective of you whenever he hears her making certain remarks about you, which was something you're grateful for.

However, there is a certain change that was more obvious than anything else. It's the need to be near you, at all times. And it's not only that. It's the fact he's touchy too, like he couldn't hold himself back from not touching you.

Not to mention, Jake's severely addicted to coaxing those sweet, sinful but angelic sounds from you. It doesn't matter where he is but the moment he's alone with you, he'll pounce on you.

"W-Wait-hngh," you tried to stop him but your effort was futile.

Your breath was punched out of your lungs when he—your official boyfriend, quickly dropped to his knees, creating a muffled 'thud' sound at how it roughly knocked against the floor. You gripped onto the kitchen counter behind you with both hands, watching while biting your lips as Jake moved his hands up and down along your legs, leaving goosebumps behind.

You let him pulled your shorts down, leaving it pooling around your ankles without taking it off. He groaned at the visible wet patch on your underwear, reaching out to press down on your cunt through the soaked fabric, watching as you instinctively jerked your hips forward.

"You say wait but your body's more honest than you, baby," he remarked, glancing up at you before diving in, not giving you time to react.

You barely managed to slap a hand over your mouth in the nick of time, muffling the moan you let out as he licked a long, wide stripe up your cunt, tracing it with his tongue. Jake wasn't patient enough, hooking two fingers into your underwear, tugging it aside before practically burying his face between your legs.

If there's one thing about him, it's the fact you've learned he's a incredibly good pussy eater.

He eats you out like a man on a mission, like you're running short of time—which couldn't be far from the truth, considering how your mom will be home any minute from doing grocery shopping. He ran his tongue along your puffy, dripping folds, making a pleased sound at the sweet, intoxicating taste staining his tongue.

You whimpered, squeezing your eyes shut—mostly because you couldn't find it in yourself to continue watching the lewd, pornographic sight of him kneeling between your legs as his tongue circled your clit in a slow, teasing clockwise motion. Jake didn't warn you, pushing two fingers into your entrance, easily locating that one spongy spot hidden between your walls.

"Oh god—d-don't stop—" You moaned, dropping your hand to grip onto the counter again, gripping onto it so hard that your knuckles were turning white.

Spurred by your words, he wrapped his lips around your clit, sucking on it like a newborn baby sucking from their bottle of lukewarm milk. You cried out at the harsh simulation, throwing your head back with your legs trembling like fallen leaves.

Seeing this, Jake threw your right leg over his shoulder, helping you to steady yourself. You simply tightened your right leg around his head, sloppily rutting into his skillful mouth.

"Jake," you let out a shaky, broken gasp, "J-Jake— c-close, please—"

"Yeah? Cum for me, baby. Wanna taste you," he murmured, voice muffled and every word he spoke sent vibrations down your spine.

All it took was him curling his fingers expertly before you cum while chanting his name like a sacred prayer. Your pussy violently convulsed around his tongue and Jake? Jake was on cloud nine, tongue-fucking you through your orgasm as he slurped everything up, not wanting to waste a single drop.

When you came back to reality, your legs buckled and he caught you in his arms. The bottom half of his face was covered in your slick, glistening under the kitchen lights with his pupils completely blown. He's about to say something when you registered the sounds of keys rattling.

It's enough for the both of you to scramble into action—you pulling your shorts back on and Jake quickly grabbing some pieces of tissue papers to wipe the evidence away.

You made your escape, leaving the kitchen to help your mother bring in bags of groceries, half-listening to her complaining about how an old lady cut her queue when she was in the supermarket. When your mother wasn't watching, Jake made eye contact with you and he sent you a teasing, flirty wink.

Your cheeks flushed when you remembered where his mouth was a few minutes ago, leaving you feeling hopelessly empty and craving for more.

Eventually, the day of your one-week trip came to an end. It's close to ten in the morning and you had finished packing your luggage. You took one last look around your room, drinking all of it in before closing the door behind you and headed down the stairs without looking back.

You stopped at the foot of the staircase when you realized Jake was talking to your mother and whatever they were talking about, it seemed serious, judging from the grim expression on her face.

"Hey, I'm done packing and ready to go," you announced your entrance, releasing your grip on your luggage, automatically moving to Jake to kiss him on his cheek as a form of greeting.

He smiled, taking it from you without hesitation and you let him. "Great, I think your mother has something to say to you, so I'll leave you two to it. Take your time and come out whenever you're done."

You frowned. "What? Jake, wait—"

He didn't listen, already leaving your house with the door closing—an unspoken sign that he was being serious. You sighed, turning to face your mom with your arms crossed, fingers drumming against your bare skin.

"Well, what is it?" You asked impatiently.

She didn't say anything at first, fiddling with her fingers with her eyes averted to the side. She inhaled slowly and then exhaled. When she finally spoke, her voice came out smaller than you'd ever heard in your life.

"I owe you an apology."

You blinked, surprised. Out of everything you expected, this wasn't what you thought it will be.

"…What?"

She lowered her gaze, still refusing to look at you. "I should've said this a long time ago. But I didn't know how to."

You stared at her, confusion gradually melting into impatience. Since young, your mother was never good with emotional conversations. As far as you remembered, she showed her affection through small, considerate acts—sliced fruits left in the fridge, reminders to bring an umbrella and extra money quietly transferred into your account during exam seasons.

But verbally?

You couldn't remember the last time she had these kind of conversations with you.

"I know I've said lots of hurtful things to you over the years. About your grades, your personality and… basically everything about you."

You nearly let out a bitter laugh but kept your lips firmly sealed shut. You didn't want to show any form of emotions toward her—to the woman who thought constantly belittling you will bring you some good. Your mother noticed the change in your expression and somehow, that seemed to pain her even more.

"When you were younger, I thought if I pushed you harder, you'd become stronger. I thought criticizing and comparing you to your cousins will motivate you to keep improving," she murmured.

You looked away, nails digging into your skin, hard enough to leave marks behind. Because you knew that already. You spent years convincing yourself that was simply her way of caring. That she's not used to saying it oud loud.

"But I didn't realize that I was slowly teaching you love only comes when you perform well enough to deserve it," she whispered, her voice cracking halfway through with her eyes turning glossy.

You stilled completely, not expecting those kind of words to leave her mouth. Silence stretched between both of you and then, she mentioned him.

"That night at dinner, when you arrived. Jake talked to me after you walked away," she started quietly.

Your breath caught in your throat at the mention of him.

"At first, I thought he was about to apologize for your behavior. But imagine how surprised I was when he confronted me," your mother recalled with a weak laugh, "he was respectful. Very respectful, actually but he was furious."

Heck, you couldn't even imagine Jake seething with rage.

"He asked me if I realized how often I belittled my own daughter in front of other people. I told him I was only joking and he told me, 'Jokes are supposed to make people laugh. Your daughter looked like she was trying not to cry and making herself small.'"

Your vision blurred slightly as you bit down on your bottom lip, stiffing the sobs threatening to leave your tongue. Your mother looked down briefly, clearly struggling to continue telling you the past event.

"He told me you work harder than anyone he knows. That during your tutoring sessions, you kept putting in effort, asking him questions and actually paid attention to what he taught you. That you're doing well in your classes as well."

You stared at her wordlessly, your chest and throat burning painfully now.

"He said even with your temper, he finds you cute and lovable and how he'll stick by your side, no matter what. He even asked me why it was so easy for me to praise strangers but difficult to say something kind to my own daughter," she continued, her voice softening further.

Your feet was rooted to the ground, unable to move an inch. You knew Jake is an attentive person but for him to notice this much, it rendered you speechless. Your mother quickly wiped away the tears that were already falling before she continued.

"I need you to know this, I've always been proud of you," she said in a firm tone despite her trembling voice.

You felt your breath hitched and how tears were trickling down your cheeks. "When you got accepted into Decelis, I bragged about it to everyone for months. When your professors mentioned your name in articles, I printed them out and kept them in my drawer. Even your high school teachers still asked about you whenever I see them," she let out a watery laugh.

Your eyes widened and your lips parted slightly in shock.

"I was proud. So proud that I forgot children need to hear those things out loud too," she finished and that sentence destroyed you completely.

You sniffled, practically threw yourself at her and tightly wrapped your arms around her. For a brief moment, she froze in surprise, her mind lagging behind. And then, she returned the embrace, hugging you back just as tightly. The moment you felt her arms around you—exactly how it was back when you were a child, tears couldn't stopped rolling down your face.

All those years of pent-up exhaustion, resentment, longing and hurt came crashing down on you at once, like a tidal wave crashing into you without warning. Your mother gently stroked your hair—the exact same way she used to do when you were little, when you tripped over a rock at a playground in a park, only for you to start wailing at the top of your lungs—

You finally let yourself cry in her arms without feeling ashamed of it. And this time, when she held you, it finally felt like you were being loved instead of evaluated.

When you calmed down, stepping back from your mother with puffy eyes, she cupped your face and ran her thumbs along your cheekbones. You leaned into her touch like a touch-starved cat and sighed softly. Your mother's features softened.

"You're really lucky to find someone like Jake. Make sure he treats you well or I'll have a serious talk with him," she said, kissing your forehead once you decided to not keep him waiting any longer.

You smiled, her words making you feel all warm and giddy. "Yeah, I really am."

Your mother walked you out of your house and Jake, who had been scrolling through his phone the entire time, raised his head at your approaching footsteps. He got out at the sight of you, eyes darting between you and your mother's faces and that was enough to tell him.

He didn't say anything, merely nodding towards the older woman while opening the passenger door for you, closing it once you got in.

"Thank you for hosting us, Ma'am," he thanked her with a respectful bow, ready to walk away when she called out to him.

"Jake, wait."

He turned to her. "Yes?"

Your mother smiled—all warm, loving and mother-like. Seeing her smiled like that shook your heart. "Feel free to come over anytime you want and bring my daughter along too."

He paused, letting her words sink in and when the underlying meaning hits him, his eyes widened slightly in realization.

"Oh," he said dazedly and your mother huffed in amusement.

"You're welcome in my house, Jake. I hope you treat her well. Go along now, you have a long drive ahead of you," she waved him off.

He bowed once more, bidding her farewell before sliding into driver's seat. You looked out of the window, waving goodbye to her as he drove off. You watched via the mirror as her figure and your house gradually get smaller and smaller until they were out of your sight. You sighed, leaning into your seat with a forlorn look on your face.

Jake glanced at you as he drove. "What's wrong? Did the talk not go well?"

You shook your head. "Nah, it was fine. I didn't expect her to apologize. Like after this long?" You turned to him, watching his side profile, "She told me you talked to her on the first night. Right after I walked away from the table. Why? You didn't have to do that. We were faking it back then."

"I did it because I was in your shoes and I know perfectly well how it feels," he calmly answered, steering to the right to make an exit and the road stretched wider until you're now on the highway, allowing him to increase the speed, "And besides, whether it's fake or real, I couldn't just sit there and watch your mother tear you down, piece by piece."

His sincere words and tone made your heart flipped. "Jake… what are we?"

"What do you want us to be? As far as everyone's concerned, they believed we're already dating," he answered without hesitation, readjusting his position with one hand on top of the steering wheel.

You chewed on your bottom lip as you turned to face the front. "Then, in that case, let's date. For real."

He snorted. "That's probably the most unromantic way I've heard to make a relationship official."

You chuckled but it died when something hits you—

"Wait, you've dated other people?"

"Oh my god. Women and their tendency to misunderstand things."

"Hey!"

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Things were going fine and dandy—with you and Jake doing regular couple activities and whatnot. Until one day, Jake sat you down on the couch in the living room. He had a rare, solemn and grim expression on his face—the sight was enough for you to nervously fiddle with your fingers.

"We need to talk about your scholarship," he started.

You stiffened. "…I was going to handle it," you murmured almost to yourself.

Jake stared at you with an eyebrow raised. "And how are you planning on doing that? Unless you're loaded with money, then that's fine."

You curled your fingers as you placed them on your lap, refusing to meet his gaze. "They said if I can't make the full payment before the next semester ends, I'll be expelled."

Even though Ningning knew about this and how you've talked to her about to it, saying those words out loud sounded even more horrifying than anything you've faced before. Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"This is really stupid of them. I cannot believed the board dares to pull a shitty stunt like this. Why didn't you tell me back then? I could've paid for it," he muttered.

You stubbornly shook your head. "No, you don't have to."

Jake went silent before shifting closer until his knees touched yours. He reached out to one hand above yours while the other slid under your chin. He tilted your head up, forcing you to look at him and his features softened when he locked eyes with you.

"I know what you're thinking, baby. You don't have to pay me back or anything," he started but those words of him only set off invisible alarm bells in your mind.

You jerked your head away from his grasp, the overwhelming feelings of both frustration and embarrassment came crashing down on you.

"No, Jake. You can't do this! That's your family's money. And I'm not… some fucking charity case you can just throw money at just because you feel bad for me."

Jake didn't raise his voice at you, still speaking in that infuriatingly calm, patient voice. "I don't feel bad for you."

"Then why?" You asked, voice cracking at the end.

"Because you deserve to stay."

The conviction in his voice and the lack of hesitation silenced you instantly. When you didn't say a word, he took that as his sign to scoot closer, now intertwining your fingers together. Your eyes flicked down before back at him.

"I told your mother this before but I'll say it again. You're the most hardworking person I've known. You belong here, in Decelis, with me and your friends," he started, reaching out to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind your ear, his fingers brushing against your cheekbone.

"But still…" You protested but it's weak.

Jake silenced you by pulling you into his arms. The hug was warm and safe, with one hand on the back of your head while the other was securely wrapped around your waist. He held you close to him as he pulled you onto his lap, like he's shielding you from the rest of the world.

"No buts. No nothings. I want you to take it, finish your studies and graduate with me," he murmured, resting his chin on top of your head.

You nodded, burying your face in his chest with your fingers gripping onto the front of his shirt for dear life. "..Alright, I'll make you proud."

What you didn't see is the smile on his face when he heard your words. "Oh baby, you already make me so fucking proud."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Needless to say, Ningning and Jake's small friend group were informed about your official relationship. You proposed to announce it to them, using the chance to introduce your friend to his at the same time. Two birds with one stone. When you walked into a cafe everyone agreed on, hand-in-hand, the four of them went silent, eyes locking in on your intertwined hands.

"I knew this will happen," Heeseung declared, acting all smug and arrogant like he had foreseen this a long time ago.

Jay elbowed him from his side. "No, you didn't. Stop trying to act smart. It's not a good look on you."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Ignoring his two friends who started arguing like an old married couple, Sunghoon turned to you and gave you a warm, friendly smile. "Congrats, the two of you."

Jake owlishly blinked as you and him sat down. "Why do you make it sound like we're getting married?"

"It doesn't hurt to prepare for the future."

You choked on your drink and Ningning made a strangled noise on your left. She turned to Jake and narrowed her eyes at him, watching with a sick fascination at how he nervously gulped at the glimmer in her eyes.

"If you value your life and dick, you better treat (Name) like the princess she is," she warned him.

"Ningning!"

"Yes, Ma'am."

You groaned, rubbing the space between your eyes. "God, maybe this was a bad idea."

In conclusion, the reveal of your official relationship went well. To the public, nothing changed. It's still a common sight to see you and Jake walking together on campus. Except now you and Ningning were accepted by your boyfriend's friend group too. As the saying goes, the more the merrier.

Right now, you were in the your room, trying to look through your notes with Jake doing anything but helping. Ningning was away for the day, stating she will be heading out but you suspect she's simply giving you some couple time, whatever that means. You were seated by your desk, frowning at your diligently taken notes while Jake sighed for the unknown time.

Your left eyebrow twitched, placing your pen down and spin around in your chair. "What's wrong with you? You've been moping around for the past thirty minutes."

He didn't answer you, laying with his arms and legs spread out on your bed as he stared at the ceiling. "I'm bored. Why are you even studying in the first place? We're on a break! A break means no studying!" He whined and sulked like a child.

You rolled your eyes. "I just want to have my memory refreshed before class resume."

He groaned, rolling onto his side to bury his face in your pillow, shamelessly inhaling the lingering scent of your hair shampoo. "Ugh, you're so smarty pants that it's kinda hot."

"…Don't tell me you're hard," you deadpanned, already knowing where this was going, especially with his prolonged silence and how he sheepishly smiled.

"Jake!"

He threw his hands up. "I can't help it! It's not my fault that you're all smart and diligent!"

You ran a hand through your hair, glancing back at your notes. "…I guess I can afford to take a break but—"

You didn't get the chance to finish your sentence, letting out a startled yelp when you were abruptly tugged out of your chair. You let out an "oof" when your back landed on the soft, wrinkled sheets of your bed. The last thing you saw was Jake hovering over you before he crashed his lips against yours. The kiss was sloppy, wet and loud. You could barely breathed, feeling like you were being devoured from inside and outside.

Spit trailed down your chin and Jake ducked his head, licking it up, leaving an uncomfortable stickiness behind. You arched your back, pressing your chest against his and he took that as his permission to remove the shirt you're wearing. Only for him to curse at the sight before him.

"Fuck, no bra? Dirty girl, you've been waiting for this, haven't you?" He murmured, appreciation glazing over his eyes at your bare breasts.

"Jake, you—oh!"

You gasped out his name, only to cry out when he lowered his head to wrap his lips around your right hardened nipple. Your hands shot out—one tangling your fingers into his hair while the other clutched and twisted the sheets in your palm.

A series of moans and mewls endlessly spilled from your lips as he used his thumb to move your other nipple in an anti-clockwise motion while alternating between licking, nipping and sucking on it, giving equal attention to your chest.

You lifted your hips off the bed, rutting yourself against the outline of his cock that's straining against his sweatpants.

"O-Off, hurry," you whined.

"My girl's so needy," he cooed, detaching his lips from your nipple, leaving it covered in a layer of his saliva, "gotta give her what she wants, right?"

The needy sound you made was enough to serve as an answer. Jake made quick work of his clothes, tossing them onto the floor while aiding you in removing yours too, letting them join the same fate—carelessly discarded without a care in the world. He placed a pillow under your hips for better support and he shifted down until his elbows, wanting to put his mouth on you but you stopped him.

"Just.. fuck me already. I've already.. prepped myself in the shower," you croaked out, ears flushed red as you're embarrassed with how desperate you are.

Jake sworn under his breath, shifting himself onto his knees and aligned himself against your entrance. He glanced at you, only pushing in when you gave him the green light. You dug your hands into the sheets, frowning while forcing yourself to relax as you felt yourself being stretched as wide as possible to fit the width and grith of his cock.

He eventually bottomed out after what felt like centuries, both of you moaning in unison at the feeling of being connected at a deeper level. Jake ducked his head, running his nose along your cheekbone and you gave him what he wanted, letting him kissed you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, feeling him pulling out until his mushroomy tip was still nestled inside you and sheathed himself back in again.

He repeated this, starting off with a reasonable pace. The bedroom was filled with the loud, lewd sound of skin slapping against skin along with your pleasured moans smoothly blending into it. You could feel his heavy balls slapping against your inner thighs at every thrust.

"M-More—fuck," you moaned and who was Jake to say no to his pretty girlfriend?

Gritting his teeth, he increased the pace until he's practically ramming into you with enough force to jostle you up and down on the bed. Your mouth dropped open, forming a silent "O" shape with your eyes rolling to the back of your head.

"Shit, feel so good for me, baby. So fuckin' tight," he groaned, resting his forehead against yours with you sharing the same air space, "gonna let me breed this pussy, won't you? Gonna let me fuck you until your insides are shaped to take my cock."

You tightened around him at his words and he noticed. Of course he did. He smirked, capturing your lips in a kiss, if it could be considered one, with how you're moaning his name against his lips. Jake snaked one hand down to rub your clit with furious circles, timing it with every snap of his hips. You felt the familiar tightening sensation in your stomach, how your breathing was growing heavier and unsteady.

"Jake—close—gonna cum, please."

"Cum for me, princess."

At his words, he plunged and buried himself deep in your walls, which was what tipped you over the edge. You cum, your gummy walls violently convulsing around his cock as your thighs trembled from the sheer intensity of your climax. Jake was quick to follow suit, spilling inside you as he painted your walls in the shade of his cum.

You went boneless, body covered in a thin layer of sweat as you stared at the ceiling, trying to catch your breath. However, Jake wasn't done with you yet. The only form of warning you got was him flipping you over, forcing you to be on your hands and knees.

"Jake, wha—!?"

He draped himself over you and you whimpered at how he's still inside you, able to feel his cock hardening. He rested his chin on your left shoulder, lips brushing against the shell of your ear.

"Don't think I'm done with you just yet, baby. Gonna make good use of the time we have."

Well, it looks like you're in for a long, long night.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Graduation day arrived far quicker than you expected.

The campus of Decelis Academy was once filled with groups of students heading to their respective destinations, only for it now to be overflowing with the very same batch of students now dressed in formal uniforms and graduation robes. Families were seen crowding the pathways with bouquets of flowers and many cameras flashing endlessly beneath the warm, blinding afternoon sun.

It felt surreal, for you to be able to graduate, considering how you were on the verge of expulsion.

You adjusted the sleeve of your robe while standing near the edge of the crowd, scanning the sea of faces for a certain person. Your mother, who stood beside you, let out a knowing giggle and you turned to her, ready to tell her off but she beat you to it.

"Go on, sweetheart. Go and find your boyfriend before he gets snatched away. I'll be here," she assured you.

"Thanks, mom," you gave her a quick hug before diving into the crowd. It didn't take you long to find him.

He stood near the front, under one of the large trees that lined the academy courtyard. Just like the boys in the academy, he's dressed in a black suit with his graduation sash loosely hanging around his shoulders. Even when you're surrounded by many people, your eyes found his effortlessly and to no one's surprise, he was already looking at you.

Ningning appeared out of nowhere before you could reached him. You yelped when she aggressively shoved a bouquet of flowers into your arms as she threw a hand around your shoulders, causing you to stagger backwards at the sudden and additional weight.

"You better thank me later. I stopped three aunties from trying to set their nieces up with your boyfriend," she whispered and you snorted at her words, managing to shoo her away as she went to regroup with Jake's friends.

You finally reached him and for a few seconds, none of you spoke a word. Jake simply looked at you, eyes scanning you from head to toe—taking in your graduation robe, the medal resting around your neck as it glowed when it caught the light and how you're poorly hiding the smile that managed to stretch across your face.

"See? I told you you did it," he started.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "Alright, Smarty Pants. Thank you for believing in me. Whatever shall I do without you?"

He chuckled, the sound soft but it's audible enough for your ears to pick up. He reached out to fix your crooked graduation cap gently, letting his hand hover in the air before returning to his side.

"So, got anything to say to your boyfriend slash tutor?" He asked with an expectant look on his face.

"Yeah. I love you."

He stilled, clearly not expecting you to say the three magic words in a public place. On your graduation day and in a place where everyone can hear you. But no one was paying you any mind. Everyone was busy taking pictures, talking and boasting about their certificates they received from the principal.

Jake grinned from ear to ear, his eyes warm with unmistakable affection. He stepped closer, casually slipping an arm around your waist. You met him in the middle, kissing him right there and then—under the big tree and bright summer sky of Decelis Academy.

"For what it's worth, I love you too," he murmured when you broke apart.

You wordlessly handed the letter to her, not wanting to look at it a second longer. Ningning accepted it and if it was any other situation, you would've laughed at how her eyes widened as she read what was written on the letter.

"Dear (Full Name),

I hope this letter finds you well. It is with deep regret that we inform you of a recent decision made by the Decelis Academy Board. Due to certain sudden and unforeseen circumstances, the Scholarship Advancement Program will be discontinued, effective at the end of this academic term.

While we understand that the program had supported exceptional and bright students like yourself, the Board was determined that its continuation no longer aligns with the academy's evolving standards and social structure. Additionally, your scholarship benefits, including tuition coverage and accommodation privileges, will be revoked at the end of the term.

You are, of course, welcome to continue your studies at Decelis under a full-paying student status should you wish to do so. We seek your understanding and wish you success in your future endeavors.

Warm Regards, Decelis Academy Board.

Ningning's hands trembled visibly as she finished reading, lips parted in disbelief and the color draining from her face at every word. "They can't do this. This is stupid and—"

You sighed, plopping down onto the couch as you leaned back, running a hand through your hair. "Ningning, I appreciate your words but face it. It's only a matter of time before something like this happens. I'm just unlucky enough to be caught in it."

Your friend's face fell at your response. She hurried over, sitting on your left side and clutched your hands with her own.

"Don't say that! Look, we can figure something out. Maybe we can talk to the board. Or I can ask my father. I'm sure he's willing to pay for your fees!"

Hearing that, your head snapped up at breakneck speed. "No, we've talked about this. I'm not letting your dad pay for my fees."

"But—"

"No means no. The last thing I want is to feel bad and spend the rest of my life paying him back. Do you know how expensive it is?" You cut her off.

Your friend puffed her cheeks. "It's not like those are big numbers to him. You know how rich he is."

Yeah, you do know how rich Ningning's family are.

Her father is a extremely wealthy businessman in the hotel and tourism industry. Her mother, on the other hand, is an infamous model who is constantly sought out by multiple brands and thanks to her, the brands often find themselves having a major increase of sales. Ningning, on the other hand, is expected to follow her father's footsteps once she had graduated.

But, she wanted something different.

Which was why she's here now—in Decelis Academy and a student majoring in Biochemistry.

If there's one thing you secretly envied her about, it's the fact that she has supporting and loving parents. Parents who wouldn't forced or give her unnecessary pressure to live up to their expectations. Parents who are willing to let their child shaped their own future and without locking them in a cage, slicing their wings off.

You sighed again but this time, your voice and eyes softened.

"It's fine, really. I appreciate your help but this is something I have to do myself. I'll find a way. I'm not leaving you here with all these useless and ugly guys roaming around the campus."

You joked, the weight on your shoulders lightening when she let out a breathless, airy laugh at your light-hearted joke.

"Alright girl, I believe you. Now let's put that aside and let's have dinner. But you're helping me with the cooking."

"When do I not?"

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The weekend passed in a blink of an eye and it felt like a slap to your face when you arrived at campus, your bag slung over your left shoulder, pretending like your life wasn't already flipped upside down.

You clutched onto the strap of your bag as the cheerful laughter echoed in your ears, oblivious to the dilemma you're facing. Despite what you had told Ningning, you were lost. You didn't know what to do now. Sure, you are working part-time but the measly pay was barely enough for you to scrape by.

You arrived at your first lecture for the day and took your seat in the middle, pulling out your laptop, notebook and stationery. Being a Computer Science major means you have to deal with one of your worst nightmares—numbers.

You didn't know why you picked this major.

Maybe it's because you were told that it will secure your future, giving you a job with a mouthwatering, too good to be true salary. Maybe it's because of the pressure you were getting. The pressure of constantly compared with your cousins, who are doing way better than you.

Sure, you're a student at the prestigious Decelis Academy but not for long. Not when you have four months left before the term ends and you will be officially kicked out. Just the thought of it made you sighed as you slumped forward, knocking your head against the table with your eyes closed.

"Uh, you alright?"

You raised your head and your body stiffened when you saw a familiar face looking right at you. A face that belonged to a popular clique known in Decelis Academy—Sim Jaeyun, or Jake. You have heard of him before, his name slipping from people's lips here and there. You knew he's from a wealthy family but comparing him with your friend, Jake was more well-off as compared to your friend.

As far as you were aware, his father is the owner of a multi-chain hospital that had became successful where he had even opened it in different countries, making his business surpassed what many thought it was impossible. His mother is an event manager who loved her job with her entire heart. It was said that she had the golden touch—always creating successful events that never failed to gather the public's interests.

Jake was dressed in luxurious clothes—every article of clothing costing way more than what your yearly salary from your part-time job could pay you. His bag slung carelessly over his right shoulder with his laptop sandwiched on his left side. And of course, his signature accessory—a pair of black-framed glasses rested perfectly on the bridge of his nose was enough to gather muffled whispers and giggles in the lecture room.

You blinked, straightening yourself when you realized you had been openly checking him out for the past five minutes or so and how he was waiting for your response.

"Oh, fine. Just not really looking forward to this module first thing in the morning," you replied, scratching the back of your neck.

The next thing you knew, Jake sat on your right as he placed his laptop down on the long table. You stared at him in disbelief and he noticed it, arching an eyebrow. If you were to look closer, you would be able to see something akin to amusement in his eyes.

"What?"

You shook your head. "N-Nothing, it's just that.. I didn't expect you to sit here when there are plenty of seats around," you replied.

Jake did a quick scan of his surroundings, humming and nodding his head. "Yea, but I think sitting here has the best view."

"H-Huh?" Your cheeks turned red and he chuckled, amused with your reaction.

"I meant the best view of the screen. Don't want you to think I'm hitting on you or something," he clarified and you weren't sure why, but his words made your heart sank.

Nonetheless, you flashed him in what you hoped was an reassuring smile. "Right."

At that moment, the lecturer had came in and everyone settled down, ready to pay attention to the module. You went silent, eyes focused ahead as he begin speaking, the slides coming to life while trying your best to ignore the boy seated beside you.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The lecture ended with you not understanding anything that was taught for the past two hours. Although, this was a regular occurrence for you and honestly, you were quite amazed with how you haven't failed this module yet. You finished packing your things and was about to leave through the backdoor when the lecturer called out to you, stopping you in your tracks.

"(Name), could you come over for a second? And Jake, you too," he called out from where he stood, behind the desk situated in the middle front of the room.

The two of you were confused with the sudden call-outs but obliged, stopping before the table as you stood side by side. The lecturer turned to you first, letting out a long, exhausted sigh and you already knew where this was heading.

"(Name), I know you're a bright and talented student but I've been noticing that your grades are dropping. If this continue, you'll be at the risk of being failing and retaking the module, which I'm sure you don't want that to happen," he started and you nodded, averting your eyes to a random spot of the table, embarrassed to even utter a single word.

He then turned to Jake, who had been silent the entire time. "Jake, I need you to tutor (Name) for the next four months, before your finals start."

Your eyes widened, mouth dropping. "But, sir, I—"

Jake, on the other hand, was quick to agree, nodding along. "Alright, sir. I'll do my best to guide her."

You turned to him, shooting him an incredulous look before facing your lecturer again. "Wait, there's no need for this. I'm perfectly fi—"

"—fine on your own? Well, your grades say otherwise and if I were you, I'll take this chance to buck up and focus on it. Chances like this don't come that often, (Name)," he cut you off and you tightened your grip on the strap of your bag.

"..Yes, sir. I understand," you mumbled.

"Good. Then the both of you are dismissed."

You were the first to leave, your pace fast and quick but you didn't took more than five steps before Jake called out your name. You stopped for the second time, rolling your eyes before you fully turned to face him.

"What?" You snapped, the tone used making you sound meaner than you anticipated. You felt bad when you saw the way Jake flinched at your tone but he straightened himself, determination glowing in his eyes.

"Give me your number," he stated.

"For?"

He blinked. "For our tutoring sessions, what else? Or else how am I supposed to contact you?"

You sighed, stretching out your hand and Jake easily placed his phone on your palm, allowing you to type in your number before you handed it back to him.

"Just saying, I'm not free every Wednesdays and Fridays. Other than that, I'm free."

"Alright, I'll text you for our first session. See you," He concluded, flashing you a polite smile before turning to walk away, leaving you standing by the hallway.

You rolled your eyes, adjusting your bag and headed in the opposite direction, going to the cafeteria—where Ningning was already waiting for you. She waved her hand, easily catching your attention as you entered and made a beeline towards her.

"What happened? You looked stressed," she asked, concern as she slid your tray of food over, having bought your lunch on your behalf.

"My lecturer asked Jake to be my tutor," you replied, exasperation seeping into your voice.

Ningning gasped, checking left and right before leaning forward, voice lowering to a whisper. "Jake? As in that Jake? The one who's friends with Heeseung, Sunghoon and Jay? That Jake?"

You nodded, shoving a large mouthful of food into your mouth, only speaking after you had properly swallowed. "Yup, him. I'm guessing it's because he's the best student in the class."

Your friend whistled, impressed. "Best is an understatement. His name is always at the top of the board whenever results are out. You know those glasses he wear? It makes him look like a nerd," she paused for dramatic effect and you sent her a pointed look—to which she ignored.

"A very hot and fine nerd, if I do say so my—ow!" She continued with a proud look on her face, only for her to yelp in pain when you kicked her in the shins.

"Not helping!" You hissed under your breath.

Ningning waved off your words with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "You need to loosen up once in a while. The more stress you are, the higher the chance of you getting wrinkles at your early age."

"Sounds like a win to me."

"…There is truly something wrong with you."

"Love you too."

The rest of the day passed with you attending your lectures which lasted until three in the afternoon. When the final lecture was over, you stretched your arms above your head, groaning at the way your joints cracked with how stiff they were.

You packed your things, slinging your bag over your shoulder and was about to head back to your dorm when your phone went off, ringing and vibrating in your pants' pocket. You pulled out the device, accepted the call without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Are you still on campus?" An unfamiliar male voice was heard on the other line.

"Who is this and how did you get my number?" You asked, hostility seeping into your voice.

You heard a sigh. "It's me, Jake. You know, your tutor?"

Your cheeks flushed red, embarrassed. "..Oh, sorry. But yea, I'm still here, why?"

"Can you come over to the library, if you're free? We can start today. I won't be free for the rest of the week."

"Yeah? Busy with what? Fooling around with girls and flaunting your wealth?"

Silence.

The words had slipped before you could stopped yourself. You stopped in the middle of the empty hallways, fingers unconsciously tightening around your phone at the prolonged silence. A wave of remorse hit you when Jake didn't say anything. At first, you thought he had hung up but when you check the screen, the call was still ongoing. That only made you felt even worse. You parted your lips, about to apologize when you heard shuffling on the other line.

"Right, I don't know where you get that idea from but doesn't matter. Just come to the library in the south building. I'm already here," Jake replied and hung up without waiting for your response.

You pulled your phone away, staring at the bank screen that shows your reflection with an incredulous and offended look on your face. You were taken aback at the audacity he had—calling and demanding you to find him, like you're some sort of pet.

Ever since you were granted a scholarship, you weren't blind to the constant whispers and demeaning giggling from students around you.

It's not your fault that you're born in a middle-class family, how you had to work hard to get to where you are today and how you managed to land a scholarship to the prestigious Decelis Academy, the very same academy that's known for having an acceptance rate less than five percent.

"Whatever, he's the same as everyone else here," you murmured under your breath, like you're convincing yourself than anyone else. You turned, heading in the opposite direction and made your way to the library, mentally preparing yourself for your first tutoring session with Jake.

Hopefully you can make it out alive without losing your mind or committing a crime…

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"What took you so long? I've been waiting for the past ten minutes," Jake asked, frowning with evident disapproval written all over his face when you entered his vision.

You rolled your eyes, not bothering to hide your annoyance and placed your bag down on the table while sitting opposite of him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I delaying one of your many dates with a girl?"

He owlishly blinked his eyes, confused. "Seriously, what's with you? You're acting like I've done something wrong to offend you."

Alright, he has a point or points actually. He's been nothing but polite and nice to you while you kept bristling, hissing and snarling at him, like a cat baring its teeth at its owner. If there's one thing about you, it's the fact you're a prideful person and you'd rather do anything than apologize or admit you're in the wrong.

That's one of your red flags but hey, who can blame you? You're human, after all and humans aren't perfect. You're just a student trying to live a low, peaceful life while ignoring the major issue that comes in the form of you on the verge of losing your scholarship. Even though you're very much in the wrong, you didn't apologize. Instead, you leaned back into your seat and crossed your arms, meeting his eyes with an unimpressed look.

"My problem with you people is how you think money is everything," you started, venom evident in your voice, "how you only care about yourself. You're nothing but a walking wallet."

You're well-aware this isn't the kind of place nor time for you to be picking a fight, especially with someone who's supposed to be your tutor in a library, out of all places. But you couldn't help it, not when your first instinct was to defend yourself, whether you're right or wrong. Jake remained silent with an unreadable expression on his face.

You considered yourself an expert in reading people's emotions through their body languages or expressions but when it comes to Jake? You got nothing. And you didn't like that at all. But that doesn't mean your opinion of him and nearly ninety-percent of the cohort will change.

Your tutor let out an exasperated sigh, shoulders sagging slightly from the action. "If you're done yapping away, let's get started."

"…What?"

"You'll work on some practice questions and from there, I'll get a better understanding of how to help you," he continued, ignoring your stunned and incredulous expression.

You scoffed. "Are you fucking with me or something?"

Jake paused. "What are you talking about? If I didn't know better, you're the one that's fucking with me, (Name)."

Shivers ran down your spine at the particular way your name rolled off his tongue. It's different from everyone else and you weren't sure what to feel about it. You pointedly ignored how your palms were growing sweaty and how your clothes was sticking onto your body from the thin layer of sweat. .

"I don't need your help," you snarled and if looks could kill, he would've died on the spot.

Instead of being annoyed or angered at your rudeness and brattiness, Jake was calm and composed, letting you make a fool of yourself. You were aware of how some students were glancing your way from the tables around you, no doubt eavesdropping on your conversation.

Your ears and face burned with embarrassment and not wanting to gather more unwanted attention, you have no choice but to do what he told. He slides a sheet of paper over towards you. One look at it made your mind blanked out. You couldn't understand most—all of it, not that you're planning to admit it out loud. Swallowing down your cry of help, you pulled out your stationery and began working on it.

Well, try to work on it would be a more specific description.

Thirty to forty-five minutes passed with you finishing the last question. Jake was working on his assignment, typing away on his laptop when he saw you were done. He finished typing before pushing it aside, giving you his fullest attention. He pushed his glasses further up his nose when it's sliding down. The small, subtle and mindless action somehow made your stomach tightened but you shoved it out immediately.

The sooner you were done with this, the faster you can leave.

You slid the paper back to Jake, chewing on your bottom lip while fiddling with your pen as you observed his reaction—how he furrowed his eyebrows with faint wrinkles seen on his forehead, how he pursed his lips in a thin line, like he's suppressing the words itching to leave his throat and how he absentmindedly spun his pen with his right index and middle fingers.

He huffed, amused. "Damn, I know you're bad at this but I didn't think it's this bad."

Your eyebrow twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Simple," he leaned back into his seat, placing the paper down on the table, "it means you're gonna flunk this module. Whether you like it or not."

Surely it's not a crime for me to kill someone out of hatred, right?

He even had the audacity to chuckle, like your suffering is hilarious, even though it's far from that. There's nothing funny about this and you loathed being viewed as a laughing stock, especially when it's from people like him. You scowled, giving him the nastiest glare you can mustered while boring holes into his head.

"Isn't it your job to tutor and help me pass this module?" You asked through gritted teeth. God, you knew he's annoying but you didn't expect him to be this infuriating, to the point where he's getting under your skin.

"Woah. First of all, I'm not getting paid for this and I accepted this for free. Nothing more and nothing less. Secondly, this is a group work, where you and I need to work together so you can learn and if possible, pass the module."

"You—"

"Thirdly, if you keep acting like someone shoved a stick up your ass every time we see one another, you're just making a fool of yourself," he finished, cutting you off.

You were rendered speechless, unable to utter a single word to defend yourself as you uselessly gawked at him, like he had spoken in a different language. Jake faintly smirked, swiftly packing his things and stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Since you're out of words, let's stop here for today. I'll see you next week and hopefully you've learned to cool that temper of yours," he said, not waiting for your response before turning to walk away, leaving you sitting there, silently fuming in rage.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"Welcome home, Young Master. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Mm."

Jake hummed, not bothering with a proper, verbal response. He walked past the head butler, making a beeline to the flight of curved stairs to his bedroom. However, he wasn't fast enough. He barely made it to the stairs when someone called out his name, forcing him to stop in his tracks. It took all of him to not make a face or sighed out loud. He mentally counted to three before turning around on the spot.

"Yes, Father?" He asked, faint sarcasm seeping into his voice.

"Your mother and I have something important to discuss with you over dinner. Come to the dining room when you've washed up," his father informed him, speaking to him like he's one of his staff, one of his employees rather than his biological son. His son that shares and carries the heavy surname of Sim.

In the medical world, everyone knows who the Sims are. How could they not, when their—his father's name was plastered on every possible surface. When his father was the one who built a hospital from scratch, with nothing but hopes and dreams. When the entire world was against him, only for him to end up successful, earning more than everyone else, to the point where he's listed in the Top Ten Richest Man list.

It goes without saying that the expectations on his one and only son was incredibly high and stressful. The moment Jake gained the ability to read and write, his parents wasted no time in sending him to tuition, forcing him to learn everything and anything at once. It's fortunate for them but unfortunate for him, that he was able to pick up things fast, quickly adapting to whatever was thrown his way.

His father constantly bragged about him, showing him off like a trophy to the world, proclaiming that he will be the one leading the family business in the future. Jake was forced to attend every formal event, walking around, forcing fake smiles that doesn't meet his eyes to people who he could care less about while listening to them bragging about things he doesn't want to know.

Jake didn't acknowledge his father, turning to resume ascending up the flight of stairs. He headed to his room—the closest door on his right, opening and closing it behind him. It's only when he's finally alone was he able to heave a sigh of relief. He placed his bag near his desk, heading to take a quick but refreshing shower.

When he was done, he threw on whatever comfortable clothes he have—clothes that costed more than what a regular student can afford before stepping out. He flinched, startled to see the head butler already waiting for him outside and rested a hand on his chest to calm his rapidly pounding heart.

"Oh Jesus, you scared me," he breathed out but the other paid his words and reaction no mind.

The older man bowed at waist level, a sharp ninety-degrees with one arm placed before him. "Please follow me, Young Master."

Jake obliged, not that he has a choice in the first place, walking a few steps behind the head butler, who promptly led him to the dining room. He knocked twice, informing his parents about his arrival and the doors opened from the inside. The last time he stepped foot into this very room was when he was eighteen—four years ago.

Four years ago when he made the decision to forgo following his father's footsteps and to take over the family's business. Four years ago when he boldly told them no, I refuse to continue being a pawn in your chess game. I want to create and write my own path. Needless to say, his parents didn't take it well and the entire Sims estate was filled with the loud, aggressive and furious yelling from all three family members.

And since that night, Jake refused to talk to his parents.

Until today, that is.

The son took his rightful seat, pointedly staring down at a random spot of the long, rectangle-shaped table that's covered with a wide variety of dishes. No one said a thing or began eating. The air was thick and filled with tension, the kind of of tension that symbolized the calm before the storm, before something big happens.

And Jake's instincts was never wrong.

"Jake, you will be flying to Australia at the end of the semester," his father announced, dropping the bombshell on him without warning, like it's something as minor as the weather itself when it's far from that. Not when it will be playing a huge, crucial role in his current life and future.

Silence.

"What."

Jake asked—said, disbelief seeping into his voice. "What the hell are you talking about, Father? What do you mean I'm flying back to Australia? I still have my final year left."

The older man sternly narrowed his eyes—a clear sign of his displeasure at his son's lack of respect. "Sim Jaeyun, the moment you refused to handle the family's business is the moment you have determined that you have no say in what happens. Your… major you're currently studying in. It brings you no future. "

He paused briefly before resuming.

"Not to mention, you're still single. Do you know how that looks to the public when you're a Sim?"

Jake's shoulders trembled, seething with rage. "With all due respect Father, my relationship status is none of your concern. In fact, I don't see the correlation of how it will affect the future and the business."

At this, his mother chimed in from her seat situated across of Jake's.

"Darling, we're doing this for your own good. You wouldn't have much time left to find someone to be your partner. If you want, I can set you up on some blind dates. I have a few friends whose daughters are just like you."

He sighed. "Mother, please. We've been through this already."

"Jaeyun-ah, why can't you understand that as your parents, we just want the best for you."

Baam!

Slamming his hands down on the table with enough force to shake the utensils and cutlery, Jake shoved his chair back. His action drew a loud, ear-piercing scratching sound as the four legs of the chair dragged against the smooth, polished and marbled floor. His eyes hardened, no other emotions found other than pure, raw and unfiltered anger, vividly burning in his diluted pupils.

Jake rarely gets angry for he's a patient person. But when he's around his parents, it's like they knew which and where to poke at, to make him lose his mind and blow a fuse too.

"Going with what you're saying, then why can't you understand that as your son, I don't want anything to do with the business nor am I interested in finding a partner."

His father too, rose from his seat and pointed at him, a thunderous and stormy expression settling on his face. "You will not speak to us in that tone. We are your parents and—"

He couldn't hold back the sarcastic snort he lets out, cutting his father off. "Oh, so now you're acknowledging yourselves as my parents? How ironic, considering how you've never acted like one to begin with."

"Sim Jaeyun!"

"Whatever, I'm done with this conversation. It's clear both of you aren't willing to listen," he retorted, throwing sharp glares to both his mother and father's faces before leaving the dining room in nothing but pure fury, ignoring the loud yelling of his father—demanding him to return.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"Dude, what's wrong with you? You looked constipated. Didn't shit before leaving?"

Jake shot one of his friends—Lee Heeseung—the captain and the ace of the basketball team, a nasty and judgemental look. It's times like these when Heeseung doesn't act like the oldest in his friendgroup.

They were seated by one of the many tables and long wooden benches, waiting for the other two idiots to arrive. It's currently lunchtime and the campus was filled with students walking back and forth. Some were finding places to sit and eat while some were just standing around and chatting among themselves.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He bite back without hesitation.

Heeseung raised his hands in mock surrender. "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Hyung, just shut up, please."

"What's going on here?"

They turned upon hearing a familiar, confused voice heading their way. The source belonged to none other than Park Jongseong—a guitarist who's apart of the music club in the day and a songwriter in the night, when the city is asleep was when he truly thrived, writing songs that comes from the bottom of his heart and soul, only for him to never let them see the light. He sat opposite of Heeseung after doing their customary handshake with another student quickly joining them, sitting opposite of Jake.

"How did your first tutoring session went?" Park Sunghoon—a figure skater who will be representing Seoul during the Olympics, asked, placing his takeaway box on the table.

His question gained his other two friends' attention, causing them to stop their conversation. "What? Since when you became a tutor?"

Jake rolled his eyes, sending the younger boy a pointed look but he simply flashed him an innocent smile. "Since yesterday. Apparently she's been failing and is on the verge of retaking it if she doesn't do well in the finals. Wait, how do you even know about this?"

He directed his question to Sunghoon with an raised eyebrow. The figure skater blinked, speaking once he swallowed his mouthful of food.

"Don't worry about it, I have my ways."

The other three shared a look among themselves and Jay spoke up. "That doesn't make it sound any better."

Sunghoon shrugged his shoulders, unbothered. "Like I said, don't worry about it. I just heard it from students and you know how everyone is once they find something new to gossip about."

Oh. Well, Jake couldn't really blamed them since he too, will act the same way. He lets out a defeated sigh as he slumped into his chair. "That was our first time meeting one another and she's acting like I've killed her family in front of her."

Jay whistled, resting his elbows on the table. "What did you do to piss her off?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Heeseung echoed.

Jake nodded. "Yup, nothing. All I did was to agree to the professor's request of tutoring her and she started spiraling, acting like a chihuahua, all barking and snarling at me."

Sunghoon hummed, deep in thought. "Did she tell you why?"

"She did. Mentioned something about having a problem with people like us, where we think money is everything and how we're a walking wallet," he rephrased your words, replaying the scene in his mind.

His three friends shared another look among themselves, as if they were able to communicate with one another via telepathy. Jake however, wasn't amused with their antics.

"Spit it out already," he demanded, delivering a rough, sharp kick to Jay's shins, because why not?

"Sounds like she has something against you," Heeseung replied on behalf of the other two Parks, who nodded in unison.

"Oh really? I didn't know that, thanks for pointing it out," Jake deadpanned.

"God forbid a guy from helping his friend."

"You're not even being helpful," he pointed out.

"I tried to be helpful. There's a difference."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

Jay pointedly cleared his throat, quickly stepping in before they end up arguing. "Alright, that's enough from you two. I'm guessing this isn't just about her, right?"

Jake blinked, trying to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

Sunghoon snorted, having finished his food. "Don't lie, Jaeyun. It's all over your face, so just spill it. Tell us what's been bothering you."

Jake groaned, running a hand through his hair. "My parents are at it again."

"You mean pushing you to find a girlfriend?" Heeseung inquired.

He nodded glumly. "Yeah, what else? They said how it's time for me to find someone and guess what? That's not all."

"Don't tell me you got someone pregnant," Sunghoon joked, only to flinch when Jake kicked him under the table.

"No, you dumbass. They're planning to send me to Australia."

Silence.

"What!?"

"What the-! Why?"

"That's fucking insane, what about your education?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders, speaking once his friends calmed down. "I don't know, I guess I won't be graduating since I'm flying once the current term ends. I know they're doing this because I refuse to "

Jay's eyes widened in realization. "Once it ends? It ends in six months."

Heeseung stilled, reaching the same conclusion as the guitarist. "Wait, that means—"

"Yup, I'm leaving in six months. If everything goes their way, that is."

Everyone went silent for a while, letting the newly-gathered pieces of information sink into their minds. Just when they thought all hope was gone, Sunghoon spoke up, face lighting up with that look in his eyes. The kind of look that screams he has an idea and Jake is one-hundred percent sure he's not going to like it.

"How about you find a fake girlfriend?"

"…"

"…"

"Do you ever think twice before speaking or is that brain of yours filled with nothing but just pure protein and muscles?"

"Fuck you."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The rest of the week passed in a blink of an eye with you floating through your classes and drowning in a never-ending pile of assignments—all of it fighting among themselves, demanding to be the first in line to have your attention. You stepped out of your lecture room, heaving a sigh of relief once you're free and ready to head back to your dorm when you saw a familiar face—Sim Jaeyun, waiting outside, his presence gaining the nearby students' attention.

You rolled your eyes at how some giggled, twirling their hair around their fingers while batting their eyelashes at him, no doubt trying to flirt with him. But, he paid them no mind, shuffling his feet on the spot and looking unusually… nervous.

Well, that's a first.

You blinked when you made eye contact with him. When he pushed himself off the wall, you took that as your cue to continue walking, not wanting to see his face or talked to him. You assumed he was waiting for someone else, only for it to brutally crushed when he called out your name. You quickened your pace, intending to lose him in the crowd but that only made him started chasing after you, resulting in a wild goose chase.

It was only when you made a sharp turn around a corner was when Jake managed to catch up to you. He shot out his hand to grab your wrist, halting you in your tracks. You turned, already scowling at him with your eyes narrowed.

"What do you want? Gonna make fun of me again?" You snapped, venom and pure hostility evident in your tone.

Jake furrowed his eyebrows. "No, I'm not here to make fun of you. I need your help."

You blinked once. And twice before barking out a loud laugh. "Oh? You need my help? Since when does the Sim Jaeyun needs help from a girl like me?"

He sighed at your aggression towards him. "Just hear me out? If you don't want to, then we can forget this conversation happened. Just give me five minutes, please."

You could detect something akin to desperation in his voice, catching you off-guard. After all, someone like Jake—who has everything and anything in the world handed to him on a silver plate, was crumbling around the edges. And you hated how he looked at you with wide, pleading eyes, making him resemblance a crestfallen puppy. If you looked closer, you would be able to see the dog ears on top of his head.

"…Fine, but it better be five minutes. Any longer than that and I'm leaving," you warned him.

His face lit up, looking at you like you've saved his entire bloodline or you're an angel sent from Heavens at your words. He wasted no time in dragging you along, ignoring the curious stares you were getting as everyone watched from where they stood. Honestly, you could understand them. After all, you weren't rich like them and yet, here you are—walking with Jake's hand wrapped around your wrist.

You pointedly ignored how warm his fingers felt as it's clasped around your wrist, easily touching and how your heart skipped a beat when your eyes lingered on the back of his head. If it wasn't for his annoying attitude, you wouldn't mind having a crush on him.

At least, that's what you told yourself—using his attitude as an excuse for you to dislike him.

Jake ended up bringing you out in the open, stopping by a vacant table was when he finally released his grip on your wrist, almost like he had forgotten he was the one who dragged you out here. You crossed your arms, tilted your head to the side and tapped your right shoe on the ground.

"Go on. I'm waiting," you said, opening the floor to him.

He bit down on his bottom lip, fiddling with the hem of his black leather jacket, the jacket that looks absolutely sinful on his shoulders and back. Your eyes flicked down to the rings he worn, decorating his hands in a mesmerizing shade of silver.

You were quick to roundhouse the… indecent thoughts out of your mind before you could let it sink in. After what felt like centuries, Jake plucked up his courage, inhaling and exhaling before locking eyes with you, determination written all over his face.

"I need you to date me."

Silence.

You made a sound that's similar to a dying animal, unable to believe what you were hearing. "W-What? You're joking, right? If this is a silly little prank you and your friends thought of, then it's not funny."

Instead of doing anything—laughing and mocking you or doing anything that someone like him would do, Jake did nothing. He merely stared at you, with a rare solemn look on his face, like he too doesn't liked how it had come to this. Your expression faltered once you realized he's not fooling around.

"…Oh, you're not kidding," you said, more to yourself rather than him.

Realization flickered across his face. "Wait, before you get any wrong ideas, let me rephrase my sentence: I need you to fake date me."

"Fake date?" You echoed.

He nodded. "Yeah, to get my parents off my back so I can live without them breathing down my neck."

You hummed and crossed your arms. "Right, so what's in it for me? Surely you can't be the only one who benefits from this."

"I'll continue to tutor you for the module," he answered and his lack of hesitation made you narrowed your eyes.

"Did you plan this? Because you sound awfully prepared for someone who's desperate to stoop this low," you asked.

Jake blinked, genuine confusion flickered in his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind, but why me? Why not pick a random girl who's part of your fanclub?"

He scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit embarrassed with his eyes averted to the side. "You're the first person I thought of and you're different from the rest. You don't act like them, all shy, self-centered and only want me for my money or popularity."

You slowly nodded your head. "Right… I honestly can't tell if you're still joking or not though. It's hard to believe this."

The boy shot you an exasperated look. "Alright, then what do you want in return? Apart from me tutoring you."

If it was anyone else, they would've jumped at the rare, golden opportunity of Jake offering something to you. But you weren't anyone else. You were… well, you. You preferred to get things done your way and achieve it through the efforts of your blood, sweat and tears. You didn't like asking for help either, being the type of person to bottle it down. Ningning have told your countless times that this coping mechanism isn't healthy but it takes a while to get rid of bad habits.

"There's nothing I want from you, don't worry. Just tutor me and I'm good with that," you answered, waving off the invisible golden ticket.

If you looked closer, you would be able to see the cogs turning above his head as he connects the dots. "You.. don't want anything? Are you sure? You do know this is a once in a lifetime offer, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware and one-hundred percent sure," you answered firmly.

"Alright, if you say so. But my offer still stands until we're done with this whole…thing," he gestured to the space around you.

"Woah slow down, you're acting like I've said yes to it," you stopped him and this time, he's the one who faltered at your words. Seeing his bemused expression—how his lips parted, how there's faint wrinkles on his forehead and how he looked conflicted.

You snorted, amused. "I'm kidding, I'll do this fake relationship or whatever. Are there any rules or things I should take note of?"

Jake raised his right hand with one finger up. "Yeah, there is. Firstly, we have to act like a couple on campus and outside of campus."

"Wait—"

"Secondly, PDA will be involved, like hand-holding and kisses will be limited to the cheeks only. We might need to use pet names to make it more convincing too."

"Now hold on—"

"Thirdly, we need to keep this up for six months."

Your eyes widened, nearly popping out of its sockets. "Six months!? I thought it will be a few weeks!"

"It doesn't make sense for a relationship to last that short. It's more believable if it's six months," he deadpanned, stating it like it's a fact and common sense.

"I don't appreciate you treating me like I'm an idiot."

"Oh really? Your results say otherwise," he retorted without missing a beat, reminding you again why you disliked him and find him annoying.

You threw him a sharp glare and made the wiser choice of walking away, not wanting to breathe in the same air as him for a second longer.

"I'll call you soon!" Jake shouted to you and you responded by flipping him off, practically stomping away.

The moment you returned to your dorm with a glum, gloomy expression on your face, Ningning looked up where she sat by the dining table, hair messy from her constantly running her hand through or tugging at with her laptop facing her. She stopped what she was doing, tossing it tot he side and rushed up to you, placing her hands on your shoulders.

"What's wrong? You looked like you got ran over," she asked, directing you to sit on the couch. You practically melted into it, going boneless while she sat beside you, her hands now above yours.

The scene looked straight out of a drama, with the female lead being comforted by her friend after finding out she was cheated on. If it wasn't for your current situation, you would've find your dilemma funny but you didn't have the heart to laugh at anything. You ran a hand through your hair, messing it up in the process and stared at the wall with a tired look on your face.

"…I'm dating Jake now," you said, getting straight to the point.

She gasped, jaw dropping and eyes widening, utterly dumbfounded, like you've told her you're pregnant instead. "You're what!? Since when? Wait, hold on. I'm confused! I remembered you telling me you hate his guts! How did one tutoring session led to you dating him?"

You freed your right hand, quickly stopping her before she could get carried away. Ningning took that as her cue to seal her lips shut.

"Before you get any wrong idea, we're fake dating—"

"Fake dating?"

You glared at her for interrupting you and she made a motion of zipping her mouth. "As I was saying, we're gonna fake date. He wants me to be his fake girlfriend to get his parents off his back and in return, he'll continue to tutor me until finals are over. It's a win-win situation."

"Win-win situation? You mean a ticket straight to hell. You're gonna get your feelings played," she said and you couldn't help but flinched, knowing she's right.

"What are you talking about? There's no feelings involved in the first place. It's a mutual and beneficial agreement," you scoffed.

Your friend shot you a pointed look, not believing you but didn't prod further and changed the conversation as she moved to a lighter topic. "Did he told you the reason why he chose you?"

"Yeah, said something about how I'm different than the other girls and things like that."

Ningning raised an eyebrow and playfully nudged you with her elbow. "Look at you go, having that main character energy," she paused when something hits her and she sat up, "wait, does that mean he's gonna be paying for everything?"

You groaned. "Ningning—"

"You can ask him to pay for your fees! That way you wouldn't be kicked out!" She exclaimed, shooting up from the couch, obviously thrilled with the idea.

You, on the other hand, have the opposite reaction, rubbing the space between your eyes. "I didn't tell him."

She paused, owlishly blinking her eyes. "What? Why not?"

You dropped your hand and threw her the most unimpressed stare you can mustered. "Because I know guys like him are gonna laugh at me. They act like they're better than me, just because they're rich! Besides, why should I tell him about my problem?"

At this, Ningning's features softened. You were able to see something akin to pity swirling in her eyes as she sat back down, her knees gently nudging against yours. You instinctively looked to the side, not wanting her pity. If there's another thing about you, it's the fact you disliked being seen as weak or vulnerable, especially when it's from people who had it better than you.

They've never understood what you had to go through nor have they been in your shoes before. And to make matters worse, the words they used to comfort you felt empty, like they said it just for saying it, making them and their words sound performative.

But Ningning is different.

She was there for you since the start, stood by your side through thick and thin. She never made fun of you despite your background and upbringing differences. And for that, you are eternally grateful to her. But that doesn't mean people like her exist everywhere. She sighed when you went silent while making yourself smaller on the couch.

Leaning over, she draped her arm around your shoulders to pull you close until your head's resting on her chest, able to hear her steady and consistent heartbeat—the sound of it enough to ease your troubled mine and soul.

"You know I'm always here for you, right? You're like a sister to me, (Name)," she murmured, resting her chin on your head.

You didn't verbally reply, choosing to hum in acknowledgment instead. "I know, Ningning, I know."

"Good. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me anytime and anywhere. It doesn't matter if you're in another country or you're on a boat. Just call me."

Your throat tightened and something warm pricked your eyes but you were quick to blink them away, not wanting her to see you like this, despite how she doesn't mind it one bit. You shuffled closer, not wanting to be separated from your friend. She didn't say anything. She never need to, simply pulling you closer so you could be more comfortable, letting you leaned on her until you were completely at peace.

"..Do you wanna eat fried chicken and talk about stupid things?" She asked softly twenty minutes later.

"Sure, if boys is included in said stupid things," you croaked out.

Ningning chuckled. "Oh, it is definitely included. Don't worry about that."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The weekend was the calm before the storm. Two days wasn't enough for you to mentally recover and prepare yourself for what's to come. It was currently eight in the morning and your first class starts at nine, leaving you one hour to get ready and walked to campus. The dorm you stayed in wasn't far by any means but the distance still does require you to travel by foot, which takes roughly twenty to thirty minutes with various conditions taken into considerations.

You were in the middle of getting ready when your phone screen lit up from its spot on the vanity table. You accepted the call without checking the number, putting it on speaker mode and went back to packing your bag.

"Hello?"

"(Name)? I'm driving you to campus. Come out when you're done," Jake's voice echoed through the four walls of your room, making you froze on the spot, nearly dropping your notebook.

"Why? I can walk by myself," you replied, robotically sliding your notebook into your bag, only zipping it once you've checked you didn't forget anything.

"…Don't tell me you've forgotten what I told you."

Right. The fake relationship and how we need to make it look real.

"Fine, I'm coming out," you curtly replied, ending the call, not giving him even a second to formulate his response.

You were glad that Ningning had left before you, saving you from the second-hand embarrassment of her laughing at you or even worse, bombarding Jake with an endless round of questions that you'd rather avoid at all costs. You spotted a sleek, black Mercedes-AMG GT 63 parked outside, its glossy exterior reflecting your dorm building, expensive in a way that didn't need any announcing.

Of course it belongs to Jake. Of course he drives an expensive car like a Mercedes.

Even with the tinted windows, you were able to feel his heavy gaze on you, tracking you visually as you walked round the front until you got into the passenger seat, closing the door beside you. The strong smell of his cologne washed over you the moment the door was closed—clean, expensive and annoyingly familiar.

Everything inside the car screamed luxurious in the most effortless way possible. Black leather seats stitched with silver detailing, dim ambient lights glowing along the doors and a polished console that looked more high-tech than the academy's classrooms. Even the dashboard screens gleamed flawlessly beneath the natural sunlight.

It's warm, quiet and far too comfortable for you.

Jake glanced at you from the corner of his eyes, his lips tugging upward in a faint sly, knowing smile, like he knew what kind of thoughts are running through your mind.

"Seatbelt," he murmured, voice soft, gentle and too dangerous for your heart.

You didn't speak, not trusting your own voice as you pulled the seatbelt over with borderline quivering hands. You nearly heaved a sigh of relief when you managed to buckle it and readjusted your bag that's placed on your lap. Jake made a satisfied sound, like he's pleased at your obedience or something else. For the sake of your sanity and how it's still early, you chose to believe it's the latter.

He pulled away from the roadside, now driving down the street with the engine reduced to a soft, consistent purring sound. At first, none of you spoke a word—with Jake's eyes focused on the road and you looking out of the window, watching as everything moved pass you in a blur. However, the silence didn't last long, much to your disappointment.

"I was thinking—"

"What a shocker" you muttered under your breath but he brushed your words aside.

"—I can tutor you today and tomorrow after class. What time does your last class ends?" He continued, unfazed.

"Three in the afternoon."

He nodded but you didn't see it. "Perfect, I'll meet you by the main entrance once you're done."

Hearing this, you turned your head to him. "We're not gonna study in the library?"

He shifted, resting one hand on top of the steering wheel while the other rested on his lap. You dryly swallowed until you felt the stinging pain from it. You couldn't tear your eyes away from his side profile—his tense but relaxed jawline, his fingers lazily tapping against the steering wheel in rhythm to whatever music playing in his mind.

You hated how calm and effortlessly attractive he looked. It's no wonder how he's able to capture the girls' hearts and attentions without lifting a finger. The sunlight kissed his skin every few seconds, illuminating his features—the curve and plumpness of his lips and the strands of his dark hair falling slightly over his forehead. Heck, even the way he drove was irritatingly smooth, one hand on the steering wheel like he had done this a thousand times before.

Your stare lingered longer than it should have until you weren't being subtle at all and until your mind blanked out.

"Did you hear what I said or were you too busy staring at me to hear anything?" He suddenly asked, amusement lacing his voice.

Your eyes widened instantly, heat crawling up the back of your neck with you feeling unusually warm, even though the air-conditioner was blowing at you directly.

"I-I wasn't staring!" You protested, rushing to add another sentence, "Who would want to stare at you in the first place."

He lets out a low, quiet laugh that's both sinful and even more dangerous for your poor heart. "Right, if that's what you believed. As I was saying, we're gonna to to a cafe and study there. I find it more easier to study when there's drinks and food around."

You snorted before you could stopped yourself. "You sure you're not saying that because you'll be hungry?"

He pointed at you with his hand that's resting on his lap, eyes never leaving the road, even for a split second. "You're acting like you won't be hungry when classes is over."

"I won't be. I know myself best," you retorted.

Jake chuckled and didn't prod further, dropping it, much to your relief. Soon, you arrived at campus and after he parked his car in the parking lot, you got out. Everyone's eyes was immediately on you. Some were dumbfounded. Some stopped in their tracks, watching you like you're a new face when that's far from the truth.

No, what's new is the fact you've stepped out of Jake's car.

You pointedly ignored the hushed whispers and murmurs from students around you. From how they were pointing at you. You sworn you saw some even pulled their phones out to record and to add fuel to the burning flames, Jake took that as his chance to quickly stood by your side and then—

He grabbed your hand.

Not wrist. Not shoulder and not anywhere else. It was your hand.

Your head snapped to him at breakneck speed that it's a miracle you didn't snap your neck. You stared at him in disbelief, unable to hide your composure with nothing but utter shock written all over your face.

Your heart stopped beating when he intertwined your fingers together—the motion smooth and fluid, like he had practiced this before. Jake raised an questioning eyebrow when he noticed your prolonged staring and stupefied expression.

"What's wrong? Can't a guy hold his girlfriend's hand in public?" He asked, ensuring that his words was clearly heard by the students around him.

A series of gasps echoed throughout the crowd.

"Did you hear that? He called her his girlfriend!"

"What? Are you sure? Does that mean they're dating?"

"No way, since when did it happen?"

"Somehow, they look good together…"

Heat crept up the back of your neck with your ears and cheeks dusted in the lightest shade of red. You attempted to free your hand from his but he merely locked his fingers with yours. Goosebumps broke out of your body at the lightest, fleeting sensation of him running his calloused index finger along your knuckles. You were able to feel the cool, smooth metal surface of his ring touching your hand too.

Jake scooted closer until your shoulders were brushing, angling his head slightly to whisper into your right ear. At this point, you were well-aware that everyone is looking at you.

"Just smile and everything will be alright, baby," he murmured in a soft, gentle tone. The kind of tone used for actual lovers and couples.

Whatever you have with him is fake. At least, that's what you're telling yourself for now.

But god, maybe it's the tone he used. Maybe it's how he confidently handled the situation, giving the public what they truly want to see. Maybe it's something else—something you refused to acknowledge. Whatever it was, your heart fluttered, much to your horror. You didn't dare to look at him, not wanting to show how affected you were by his words.

To distract your mind, you shifted the strap of your bag as you dragged him away from the scene, making a beeline to the North building where your first class is. The voices from other students trailed after you like a whisper. Every step you took only garnered more and more attention and at this point, you're certain you and Jake's relationship have became a hot topic.

When you arrived at the lecture room, you were about to enter when Jake lightly tugged you back. You stopped and shot him a confused look, only to see he was already staring at you with an intense, unreadable look on his face. You moved away from the door, not wanting to block anyone's way before turning back to him.

"What's wro—!"

You didn't get to finish your sentence, not when he stepped closer, closing the distance with one step. Your voice died in your throat when he reached out, using both hands to cup your head. Your breath audibly stuttered, mind reeling at the feeling of his long, slender and oh so sinful fingers clasped around your chin. You couldn't moved, dumbly standing there as you let him tilt your head back slightly.

Invisible alarm bells went off in your mind when you saw him getting closer and closer. You instinctively squeezed your eyes shut, mentally bracing yourself for what's to come. Out of the list of things you expect him to do, what you didn't expect was to feel something soft and warm to touch your forehead.

Your eyes flew opened but Jake had already moved back. Your hands twitched and you fought against the sudden urge to pull him back in, ignoring how your heart ached at the sudden unnecessary distance between you. You opened and closed your mouth, resembling a gaping fish out of the sea.

"Y-You can't just—!" You spluttered, making a fool of yourself.

Jake looked downright amused than anything else. "Sorry, I can't help it when you're this cute," he apologized but his light-hearted and carefree tone said otherwise.

You scowled, throwing him a glare and entered the lecture room, not wanting to face him any longer. You were able to feel the weight of his gaze boring holes into the back of your head as you managed to find a seat for yourself. After sitting down, you glanced towards the opened door without warning and you hated yourself for feeling disappointed to see he had left, only for you to shake your head to get rid of it.

Stupid. This isn't a real relationship. Don't fall for snobby guys like him.

Despite the words you told yourself, a small, traitorous part of you however, knew you had dug a grave and how you have committed a sin. The sin of slowly but gradually, falling for Sim Jaeyun.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Unlike before, when students paid you no mind or made fun of you behind your back, things were different now. You were surprised when a group of girls—who takes the same few modules with you, approached you out of nowhere.

Gone was their usual disdain and mocking expressions, only for it to be replaced with warmth and friendliness. You didn't say a thing, eyeing them warily while remaining on high alert for what they intend to say.

"Hey, we just wanna apologize for making fun of you in the past. We didn't mean any harm and it's just a joke," one of the girls spoke up, on behalf of her friends and they nodded in unison.

You blinked, not really knowing what to say as you slipped your bag onto your left shoulder while standing from your seat. "Oh… right, that's fine. I didn't take it to heart anyway."

The girls seemed relieved at your words, nodding once more before stepping out of the room while chatting among themselves. You lingered behind, feeling a storm of emotions residing deep in your stomach as it coiled around you like a snake. Your grip tightened on the strap of your bag, with the girl's sentence and pathetic apology echoing in your mind.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore," you mumbled to yourself, leaving the room as you pulled your phone out, ready to text Jake that you were on your way to meet him.

It's easy to spot him in the parking lot—him casually leaning against the driver's door of his car. But he wasn't alone. You stopped a few feet away, hesitant as you're unsure if you're granted permission to march up to him, like how a girlfriend will do when she reunite with her boyfriend.

From where you stood, you're able to see his side profile—how he cocked his head to the side when the boy on his right—who you recognized as Lee Heeseung, said something to him that made him threw his head back to let out a loud and carefree laugh, revealing the expanse of his neck and collarbones. The sight made your throat dry up, for certain reasons you knew but didn't want to put a name on it.

"Hey, isn't that your girlfriend right there? She's been staring at you," one of Jake's friends asked while pointing at you, not caring about being subtle or whatever.

Your face flushed, shoulders tensing at the words 'your girlfriend'. Before you could say anything, Jake rolled his eyes at his friend's words, squeezing his way through them to get to you, stopping before you. Something tugged at your heart at how his hair moved when a gentle gust of wind blew past, sending it flying in all directions.

Honestly, he looks more like a puppy than a human.

"You ready to go?"

He asked, eyes trained on your face and even though there are other students around, even though how some were clearly trying to get his attention, he didn't spare them a second glance. You swallowed, shuffling your feet on the spot, feeling unusually timid and small while being on the receiving end of his firm, unwavering gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked.

"Like what?"

Like I'm your actual girlfriend. Aren't we supposed to be acting?

"Nothing, never mind. What about your friends? They've been watching us," you jutted your head towards the three boys who were heading your way.

"So, mind introducing us to your girlfriend?" Heeseung asked, his voice light and teasing with his doe-like eyes darting between you and Jake's faces.

Jake sighed, moving to stand beside you with one arm casually draped around your shoulders. "Right guys, this is my girlfriend, (Name). Babe, this are my friends—Heeseung, Jay and Sunghoon, unfortunately."

You snorted at the last word while ignoring the offended looks his friends threw his way. "It's nice meeting all of you. Now if you excuse us, we have some studying to do."

You grabbed his wrist and pulled him to where his car was. His friends made loud, enthusiastic cheering sounds behind you, acting very much like young, immature boys rather than young adults that are in their early twenties, much to Jake's embarrassment.

"Good luck studying or whatever!" Heeseung called out and just to poke his buttons, Jay added another sentence that made you two froze, looking like two deer caught in headlight.

"Yeah, remember to use protection!"

What the fuck.

For a few seconds, none of you moved an inch—Jake's hands awkwardly hanging in mir-air with you looking terribly caught off-guard. He ended up being the first to regain his composure, awkwardly clearing his throat and quickly pulled out of his lot, pretending he didn't hear what his friends said, even though it was loud and crystal clear to everyone near them. It was only when you were fully out of campus was when you couldn't hold back your laughter.

"Oh my god, your friends are really embarrassing," you wheezed through your laughter, clutching the sides of your stomach with your shoulders shaking vigorously.

He sighed but the sound itself was full of fondness. "Tell me about it. I'm sorry about them though. They're nice, I swear."

"I'm sure they are, thanks to their little fan clubs they have going on," you answered.

"Oh? So who do you think looks the best?" He inquired, glancing at you here and there with the road gradually stretching wider until you're now on the highway.

You watched as the speedometer rises until he's now driving nearly at a hundred kilometers per hour before replying. "Why? So you can get an ego boost?"

"Oh, come on! I'm just really curious to know what you think!" He protested, sounding mildly offended at your words.

You snickered, leaning back in your seat with your arms loosely crossed, fingers tapping against your skin. "Hm… I think Sunghoon looks the best among the four of you."

"What!? Betrayed by my own girlfriend!" He squawked, shooting you an incredulous look and if it wasn't for the fact you're on the highway, you're certain he would've slammed his foot down on the brakes.

You didn't reply immediately, not when your heart does the funny thing again—skipping a beat at his words 'my own girlfriend'. You can only prayed the chuckle you let out sounds convincing enough and he won't questioned it.

"Right well, I consider myself as a woman with standards and taste."

"Are you implying that I'm not able to meet them?" He huffed, akin to a child sulking with his lips curling down.

You blinked, unable to believe what you were seeing. "A..Are you actually sulking?"

"Of course I am! This is damaging my self-confidence. And besides, if I hear it from anyone else, I would've been upset too," he retorted, getting off the highway as he took an exit on his left.

Something in you tightened and ached at his words, at the thought of finding someone else in the future but as always, you quickly pushed it aside.

"Right. But for what it's worth, I think you're a decent guy, Jake. Whoever gets to have you as her future boyfriend is a lucky girl."

The car came to a stop at a red light and he took that to turn towards you, surprised by your sudden honesty. "Oh, thanks. You're not so bad yourself either, as long as you're not in a foul mood. You should laugh and smile more. It makes you look cuter."

Beep!

Both of you flinched when the car behind you beeped at you. Jake was quick to change gear and continued driving, unaware of how red your face had turned, how your heart pounded against your chest rapidly and most importantly, how a series of tingles went down your body.

Another fifteen minutes passed and you arrived at your destination. At first glance, it's a simple and aesthetic-looking cafe. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, it's like you've stepped into a whole different world the moment you entered—with Jake holding the door open for you. The strong aroma of freshly-brewed coffee beans washed over your senses, along with the faint mixture of scents—handmade pasta along with dough being baked in the oven.

The interior of the cafe seemed to have a theme to it—the colors being a mixture of brown and beige. Nothing too outstanding and nothing too dull either. There were some hang and framed pictures placed on the walls in strategist positions. Customers scattered across the cafe. Some sat alone—clearly students, judging from how their tables was covered in papers and either their laptops or iPads. Some were either with their friends or partners.

You followed Jake, feeling out of place due to how expensive everything looks around you. You even clutched onto your bag with a vice-like grip, not wanting to knock any of the decorations down. He led you to an vacant table located at the back, in a rather secluded corner and you sat down, picking up the menu to look at it.

"Holy shit, these are so expensive," you gasped, jaw dropping with how ridiculously over-priced the food and drinks are.

Jake, on the other hand, didn't bat an eye to it. "Really? Just get whatever you want. It's on me."

"Oh, but—"

"No buts. This is the least I can do," he cut you off with a pointed look, leaving you no choice but with a resigned sigh.

You ended up telling him your order and he's quick to head to the register to order. From where you sat, you were able to see the starstruck look the staff had when she saw Jake, clumsily recording his order in the system, bowing with a evident blush on her cheeks once he paid. He returned to the table, raising an eyebrow at you when you shot him a teasing look.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Just think that you're such a charmer," you pointed out.

He puffed his cheeks, looking rather proud. "Aw, thanks."

"I was being sarcastic, you dumbass."

"Oh."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"So, how is it going?"

"What do you mean?" You asked, words slightly muffled with how you're practically shoving food down your throat, acting like a famished woman who haven't eaten for three weeks straight.

Ningning rolled her eyes, leaning back into her chair with her drumming her left fingers on the table's surface. It's a Saturday, finally and as per weekly tradition, it's only right for you and your best friend to unwind and relax by eating unhealthy but sinful food while talking about everything and anything. However, it seemed like she's showing more interest in a topic that revolves around a certain boy.

"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about your relationship with Jake. Any cute moments yet?" She placed her fork down, pressing her fingers against both sides of her faces and cutely batted her eyelashes at you, making you gagged at her antics, "Has he called you baby? Angel maybe? Has he kissed you yet?"

"…He has already done all of that," you murmured under your breath but the words were audible enough for her to hear.

She let out a scandalous gasp, acting like you've done something as nasty as having your virginity taken. "Really!? How does it feel? Did you have the butterflies? Did your heart skip a beat? Did you have sweaty hands?"

"Alright, slow down there, missy. First of all, I didn't have any of that. Secondly, what are you even saying? It sounds like English but doesn't at the same time," you stopped her before she gets carried away.

Ningning puffed her cheeks, body going limp as she raised her right leg to place it on her chair and draped her right wrist on her knee. "Boo, party pooper. What do you think though?"

"Think about what?"

She groaned. "Ugh, I'm talking about being the Sim Jaeyun's girlfriend experience! Do you know how many girls will kill to be in your spot? Not to mention, your face is all over the news too and—"

"Wait. What do you mean all over the news?" You interrupted.

Unfazed with your sudden reaction, she swiped her phone off the table, unlocked it and searched for something. When she found it, she turned it around to show you the screen. You leaned forward slightly and what you saw made your heart dropped.

SIM JAEYUN OF THE SIM FAMILY SPOTTED WITH A MYSTERIOUS GIRLFRIEND?

Beneath the bold, striking headline was an image of you and Jake, standing by his car. Your face was painfully clear in the picture, caught mid-laughing while he looked at you with such a fond, loving expression that only sold the meaning better to the world. The meaning that he's in a happy relationship with you.

Bile rose in your throat but you swallowed it down, reaching out to scroll down, curiosity getting the better of you. And you wished you didn't do that.

The article rambled on about Jake being the heir to the Sim Family's medical empire, briefly mentioning his parents' high-ranking statues in their respective industries before diving straight into speculations about you. The more you read, the more your stomach churned with something unfamiliar.

It's clear whoever wrote the article have zero idea and respect about you. They mentioned you're someone who's nothing but a gold-digger, dating Jake purely for his money and family background. It disgusts you—the fact that you're being reduced to nothing more than a simple girl who wants nothing more than money and the fact that you're being lumped in the same group as the other girls in the academy.

Your blood boiled, nails digging into your palm with your teeth grinding down. To make matters worse, the comment section wasn't helping at all.

Pause. Isn't that (Name) from Decelis?

I'm surprised a nobody like her is able to charm her way into Jake's heart.

Nah, this gotta be a joke. Didn't know April's Fool is here LOL.

Your heart pounded so loud that it drowned out your surroundings. You stared at it, like the comments section and article will vanish if you stared hard enough. And then—

Your phone rang.

Both of you flinched, two pairs of eyes darting towards the screen. Your breath caught when you saw Jake's name flashing across it.

"Speak of the devil," your best friend murmured but you paid her no mind, passing her phone back to her and picked yours up, ignoring how your hand was shaking as you accepted the call, placing it against your left ear.

"Hello?"

There was a brief pause on the other line before Jake sighed. "We need to talk."

Ten minutes later, he knocked on your door. You opened it to him dressed casually—a long gray hoodie with the hood up, a pair of black sweatpants with the strings untied. Judging from his attire, he must've drove straight to your dorm after he hung up. Or maybe, he was already in his car. You moved aside, letting him in and closed the door behind you. Ningning chose to head to her room to give you two privacy so you can talked in the living room.

"Do you want anything to drink?" You offered but he shook his head.

"It's fine, it'll be quick," he answered, politely waving off your offer.

You nodded, gesturing for him to sit on the couch and he obliged, with you sitting on the other end, leaving some distance between the two of you. The moment Jake sat down, he pushed the hood off his head, revealing his smooth, fluffy black hair. You watched from the corner of your eyes as he ran a hand through it, seemingly frustrated and hesitant, like he's hiding something.

But you didn't push him, giving him the time and room to speak whenever he's ready. It turns out you didn't have to wait long, for he inhaled and exhaled.

"Everyone saw the news, including my parents and they want to meet you," he said, hands fiddling with the ends of the strings of his sweatpants.

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you gotta say?" He repeated.

You squirmed about on the couch. "Well, yeah? What else do you want me to say? I'm guessing meeting your fake boyfriend's parents is part of the agreement, right? Besides, it's just a simple family gathering. How hard can it be?"

Jake grimaced, now fiddling with the ring snugly wrapped around his right index finger. "Well, my parents aren't really the… best parents in the world. They aren't like those loving and warm parents out there."

You waved off his words. "I'll be fine, trust me. Besides, you're not the only one who has that too."

He nodded. "Right, so we'll be meeting them tomorrow evening and—"

"What? Tomorrow!?" You exclaimed and he flinched, startled by your sudden outburst.

"Oh Jesus, don't shout! You're gonna give me a heart attack! What happened to you saying you'll be fine?"

"That was before I find out it's happening tomorrow! Wait, don't you rich people have a dress code!? Are we going to a Michelin-Star restaurant? I swear my table manners are fine but I don't know if it's up to your standards and—"

Jake shifted closer, placing both hands on your shoulders. The mere contact from his calloused fingers was enough to silence you mid-rambling. "Slow down, (Name). You'll be fine, just trust me. And you won't be alone in this. I'll be with you the entire time."

You paused, locking eyes with him. With the close proximity, you're able to see his long eyelashes and the deadly, sharp and slight curve of his nose. None of you dared to look away, seemingly getting lost in the moment. You sworn you saw how his eyes flicked down to your parted lips before back up. It's fast and fleeting but you saw it.

Thud!

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

Something heavy was dropped on the floor followed by Ningning cursing at the top of her lungs, causing the two of you to flinch, moving away from one another. Jake sank his teeth onto his bottom lip and rose to his full height.

"I, uh, should get going. We'll go shopping tomorrow morning for your outfit. I'll text you when I reach," he said, voice steady.

You nodded, the motion itself stiff and robotic. "R-Right. Urm, how does ten in the morning sounds?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me."

You see him out, bidding him farewell and good night before closing the door. Your shoulders sagged with relief as you leaned against it, gently knocking your head against the cool surface while staring at the ceiling, trying to regain your bearings. You rested a hand over your chest—right where your heart was, able to feel it beating rapidly against your ribcage.

Fuck, I really don't like this feeling at all. Sim Jaeyun, you are truly a dangerous person to be with.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The next day came sooner than your liking, giving you roughly ten to eleven hours to mentally prepare yourself. You got ready in the nick of time, sneaking out of the dorm after seeing Jake's message while Ningning was still blissfully asleep, all cooped up in her comfortable bed. You got into the passenger seat, closing the door beside you and he pulled away from the roadside, driving off to wherever your destination is.

"Where are we going?" You inquired.

"To get you a outfit for tonight's dinner," he curtly replied, eyes focused on the road ahead of him.

You blinked. "What's wrong with my own clothes?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just…" His voice trailed off before he continued, "take this as an apology gift for dragging you into my personal problem."

You raised an eyebrow. "Since when the Sim Jaeyun do apology gifts?" You teased him, voice light-hearted and mischievous.

The boy groaned and sent you a glare that contrasts the playful glint in his eyes. "Haha, very funny. Just so you know, you're the only person I've done this to."

"Right, and I'm the president of Seoul," he deadpanned.

"…You're really not funny."

"Whatever floats your boat."

Ten to fifteen minutes later, you arrived at your destination—a mall. It's not the malls you've been to. This was different. Heck, the moment you stepped in, it doesn't even feel like a mall. Your jaw dropped, nearly hitting the marbled, polished floor as you take in your surroundings with wide eyes and obvious awe written all over your face.

Jake, on the other hand, entered like he owns the place. He didn't pause to look around, already walking towards one of the shops that's situated directly in front of him, leaving you to stumble after him, not wanting to be left behind. The staff's postures straightened at the sight of him, bowing at a sharp ninety-degrees with hands positioned before them.

"Good morning, Jake-ssi. Is there anything we can help you with?" One of them asked, her voice professional and polite.

He gestured to you, moving to sit on one of the many couches. "Help her find a dress for tonight's dinner. I don't care about the price, just put it on my card."

You hated how those words along with how casual he was made your heart fluttered. The staff didn't react, merely nodding before leading you further into the shop. They brought you to a few display racks that has a wide variety of dresses hanging on it. It's colorful—pastel, dull, muted and other colors were seen.

"Do you have any color preferences?" She asked.

You distractedly shook your head, unable to look away from the unlimited options you can choose from. "Uh, not really. As long as it fits the dress code for a formal dinner."

The staff nodded, already getting to work—swiftly snatching dresses off the racks with impressive speed. In a blink of an eye, she thrusted three dresses into your arms before directing you to one of the changing rooms. Thankfully, she didn't enter with you or you would've been utterly embarrassed, not wanting to be seen as a naive clueless girl who doesn't know how to change.

You changed into the first dress you grabbed, checking yourself in the body-length mirror in the changing room. The dress was a champagne-colored satin that awkwardly clung around your waist while the neckline dipped far lower than you were comfortable with. Sure, it's pretty but it doesn't feel like you.

Despite that, you stepped out of the changing room hesitantly, smoothing down the fabric as your eyes found Jake, who had moved to sit on a velvet couch nearer to the changing room. He was on his phone, seemingly scrolling through social media before he raised his head, sensing your presence. All it took was one sweep of you from head to toe before he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

"No."

You blinked. "No?"

"You look like you're attending a red carpet event after-party. My mother will love it, which is exactly why I hate it," he vaguely gestured at the dress.

You shot him a flat look, spinning to disappear into the changing room. This time, the second dress was softer—a dark navy dress with lace sleeves and a fitted silhouette. It's so fitted that it's hard to breathe properly. It's on the safer route too—more conservative but again, it's not you. When you stepped out, Jake actually took a few moments to examine you before he frowned.

You sighed and crossed your arms. "What now?"

"It's too… formal. You look like you're about to attend a corporate charity gala."

"That's kinda specific."

"It is, from personal experience."

You resist the urge to flip him off or throw a shoe at his face. For the third time, you went back to the changing room and slipped on the final dress, while sending thoughts and prayers to the heavens, praying the sooner you're done with this, the sooner you can go home.

The moment you worn it, you knew this is the one. The fabric was a deep black, elegant and simple in the best way possible. It hugged you perfectly without being excessive, the silky material falling effortlessly to your legs with subtle details along the neckline and back, making it looked expensive without trying too hard.

You stared at your reflection, mesmerized before stepping out. This time, Jake wasn't looking at his phone anymore, patiently waiting for you with the device set aside.

He froze. For the first time for the past thirty minutes or so, he have nothing to say—no teasing remarks or sarcastic comments. His gaze lingered on you silently, eyes trailing down—from the dress to the way the fabric rested against your figure before returning to your face. Your breath hitched under the sheer intensity of his gaze, goosebumps forming and your body feeling unusually warm.

He didn't move an muscle, like he's permanently glued to the couch. You can tell he's trying to keep himself together, trying not to lose his mind but the faint look of disbelief lingering across his features gave him away.

You shifted awkwardly on the spot. "So… what do you think?"

He didn't answer immediately, which only made it worse. Then, he let out a quiet, soft exhale before the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

"…I like it," he said, voice noticeably lower than before.

Your heart—the one and true traitor of the century—betrayed you once again with an embarrassing skip. Jake's eyes flickered over you one more time, like he's trying to capture your current state and keep it in his mind before he added softly, almost to himself, even though he's not the only one in the room.

"A lot."

True to his words, the purchase was placed on his card and he paid without batting an eye at the ridiculous figure. You sworn you've never seen that many zeroes in your entire life. The staff thank you as they showed you out of the shop, with you holding the shopping bag as Jake walked beside you. You were about to say something when your stomach chose that moment to humiliate you, by grumbling out loud.

He stopped and shot you an amused look. "Sounds like someone's hungry."

Your face and cheeks flushed red. "It's not my fault I didn't eat breakfast before leaving."

He snorted, turning to lead you somewhere and you followed, easily matching his pace. By now, there were more people roaming about in the mall as compared to before. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who suggested meeting at ten. So don't blame me."

"Oh how mature of you, putting the blame on a woman."

Woah, Imma stop you right there, missy. You're making me sound like I hate women. I'm all in for women's rights," he pointed at you, like you've said something scandalous.

You snickered and the next thing you knew, you found yourself seated in an expensive restaurant with a menu that could cost you an organ to afford one dish. Jake placed your order on your behalf and when the waitress finally left you alone, you turned to him, arms resting on the table surface.

"So, is there anything I should take note of when I'm meeting your parents tonight?" You inquired.

Jake pursed his lips, busy in unfolding the napkin to place it on his lap. "Not really. Just be yourself and if something happens, leave it to me."

"Sure, but what if they ask how do we meet? What do we tell them?" You prod further.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Simple, just say you need my help to tutor you for one of the modules and from there, we kept talking, found out we have lots of common interests and ended up dating. It's easy and foolproof. No one will doubt that."

You nodded in silent approval. "Yeah, that sounds good to me too. Do I need to say or do anything to impress your father? Since he's part of the Richest Man list."

Something cold and sharp flickered across his face at the mention of his father. It was quick and anyone would have missed it. But you didn't and it was gone when he blinked, that brief moment shoved aside.

"No need, he doesn't care about anything unless it benefits him," he replied.

You frowned, finding his response vague and strange, like he's hiding something. Before you could ask another question, the same waitress from before stopped by your table, placing your food down before walking away again. The question was washed down the drain the moment your eyes landed on your dish, mouth nearly watering at the amazing presentation.

You wasted no time in digging in, feeling a bunch of flavors exploding in your mouth with every bite you took. You couldn't hold back the gleeful noises you let out, acting like a little girl. Jake, on the other hand, haven't touched his food and was simply staring at you. He chuckled at your reaction, picking his own set of cutlery up.

"That good huh," he commented.

You eagerly nodded your head. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to afford this. It must be nice being rich. You can solve all of your problems with money."

You meant it as a light jab and a joke. Nothing more and nothing less. However, Jake didn't feel the same way as you. Instead of his usual responses—a teasing remark or a sarcastic retort, he was silent. He didn't say a thing but there were a few things you saw. How his jaw muscles twitched, how he tongued the inner-side of his cheek and how he tightened his grip on his fork and knife.

The silence stretched for the next few seconds, until it's borderline suffocating. You didn't dare to say anything else, not wanting to be the cause of him losing his temper. From where you sat, you can tell he's seething with rage and how he's obviously doing his best to not snap in public, not in front of everyone.

All it takes is for someone to snap a picture or record a short clip, upload it onto the Internet and all hell will break loose. This silent treatment—it's ironic enough for you to nearly snort out loud but you held it back, went on even when you returned to the car and even until he dropped you off at your dorm. You were ready to alight when Jake finally spoke up, one hand loosely grabbing the steering wheel while the other rested on the console.

"I'll pick you up at seven tonight," he said and you felt a pang of disappointment but was quick to shrug it aside.

"Great, see you later," you answered and he wordlessly nodded, turning to face the front again. Your hand was already on the door handle, ready to open it when you stopped to look over your shoulder.

"Jake, I just want to say, even if tonight goes horribly, I don't think you have to try so hard to impress them," you said quietly.

He stilled at your words. You took that as your chance to continue. "You're already enough as you are."

For a few moments, the only sound inside the car was the faint hum of the engine. Jake didn't move, didn't joke or smirk. He simply stared ahead before finally looking at you and the look of his face shocked you. There's no teasing laced in his expression. Instead, it's just something unreadable—quiet and almost vulnerable, like he had torn down all of his walls to reveal his true, raw self to you.

"You really love saying things like that so casually, huh," he murmured.

You frowned. "What?"

He lets out a small breath of laughter, the sound more nervous than amused. He shook his head lightly and glanced away, eyes averted to the side to stare out of the window.

"Nothing, forget it," he softly said, "Just… thanks. That's all."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

You felt more and more nervous once every hour passed and when it was six-thirty in the evening, you were already a walking bundle of nerves. You were almost done getting ready—taking a shower, using the best-smelling shampoo you have, ensuring that every part and everything about you looked up to what you supposed, a rich family's expectations is, when Ningning burst into your room without warning.

"Damn, where you going dressed like that?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe, watching as you finished applying your make-up.

You sighed, closing the cushion puff with a soft 'click' sound. "Jake's bringing me to meet his parents. They saw the news and they want to meet me."

Your friend made a face at that. "Eugh, that sounds complicated and boring. But alas, this is the fate of rich people like them."

You absentmindedly hummed, checking yourself in the mirror before rising. You have changed into the dress Jake bought for you before doing your make-up. Speaking of the dress…

Ningning whistled, pushing herself off the doorframe and entered your room. "Wait, I've never seen this dress before. When did you get this?"

You coughed, patting down the fabric of the dress. "Jake bought it for me. He took me out this morning to buy an outfit for the dinner tonight."

Silent.

Your friend was rendered speechless, gaping at you, like you've spoken in a different language. She then grabbed your shoulders with both hands, nails faintly digging into your skin.

"(Name), do you know what that means?" She asked, voice creepily low.

"Uh, you're kinda scaring me here."

She ignored your words, a maniac-like glint twinkled in her eyes. "You do know Jake doesn't do this for anyone, right?"

You glanced at the digital clock resting on your study table and it's six-forty five, fifteen more minutes before he reaches. "What are you trying to say, Ningning? Seriously, I don't have time for this. I still need to wear my heels."

She let out a loud and heavy sigh, like she's talking to a toddler who's still too young to comprehend how the world works. "I'm saying, Miss (Full Name), Jake likes you."

You stilled, staring at her blankly. For a second, your mind short-circulated.

Jake likes you.

Those three words kept echoing in your mind, over and over on a broken, endless and repetitive cycle. It sends an unfamiliar warmth blooming straight in your chest, making you feel all giddy and if you were anyone else, they would've been giggling, twirling and kicking their feet.

But you, on the other hand, felt like a pail of freezing, cold water was dumped on you without warning. Despite that, the way your heart reacted differently said otherwise.

You forced out a laugh that shook at the end and it sounded way less convincing than you intended. "No, he doesn't. He's only doing this to appease to his parents and it just so happens that I'm meeting his parents. It's part of the act."

Ningning gave you a pitiful and judgmental look. "Right. Because billionaires regularly buy custom dresses, personally pick girls up and stare at them like they're their entire world."

You scowled, ignoring the sudden heat rushing up your face. "He doesn't like me. You're being dramatic and delusional."

"I'm being observant. Anyone with eyes and nose can see and smell the tension. You need to get laid too."

"Ningning!"

Beep beep!

Before she could continue her interrogation, the loud beeping sound interrupted your conversation. Never in your life have you felt so relieved for him to be your knight in shining armor.

"He's here," you blurted out, swiftly making your escape before she could say another word.

"Come back here, young lady! We're not done yet!" She yelled after you but it was too late.

You fled out of the dorm building after clumsily slipping on your heels. Every step you took echoed against the rough pavement before you slowed down when your eyes landed on him. Unlike the usual, Jake was standing outside of his car, casually leaning against it. And somehow, he looks even better than he did.

A tailored black suit fits him perfectly, further accentuating his broad shoulders while the crisp white dress shirt underneath greatly contrast the dark fabric. His tie that was loosened slightly—like he wanted to look formal without appearing too stiff, and the soft evening lights only made him looked unfairly more handsome.

Your eyes drifted down, breath stuttering when you saw he's holding a bouquet of flowers. White roses neatly wrapped in black paper rested on his hands. You caught the way his posture straightened slightly when he saw your figure as he pushed himself off the car.

For a brief moment, none of you spoke. You were too distracted by the amount of effort he clearly put in for tonight. Jake, on the other hand, was staring at you like he forgot how to breathe again. He didn't move, staring at you with wide eyes, awestruck as you continued walking until you stood before him.

"You.. wow, you look… gorgeous," he breathed out, tongue darting out to wet his lips, like he has forgotten how to speak.

You smiled shyly, raising a hand to tuck some stray strands of hair behind your left ear but Jake was faster. Your breath hitched when he took one large stride towards you, shifting the bouquet of flowers to his left hand and he tucked it behind your ear. His fingers grazed against the shell of your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

And then, the dorm building's doors burst open behind you, startling the living lights out of you and Jake. Ningning stepped out, took one look at the close proximity of you and Jake, another look at the bouquet of flowers he held and gasped so loud it's a miracle she didn't choke on air.

"Oh my god, and you call this fake dating!?" She exclaimed dramatically while pointing at you.

Jake immediately coughed into his fist while suppressing the urge to laugh or chuckle. You, on the other hand, whirled around on the spot and shot her your best glare. But the effect wasn't futile with how your cheeks were flushed in a light shade of reddish-pink.

"Ningning!" You shouted, face turning as red as a tomato.

Your friend merely cackled, ready to leave when she stopped, remembering something. She fully turned on the spot and pointed at Jake from where she stood. The boy was confused, looking left and right before pointing at himself, with a wide-eyed, puppy-like expression on his face.

"You better bring her home in one piece, Sim Jaeyun, or I won't forgive you," she warned him.

Jake involuntarily shivered and nodded. "You can count on me. I'll stick to her side the entire time."

She nodded, pleased with his response, bid you farewell and returned to the dorm building, leaving the two of you standing outside, minds reeling from what just happened. You looked at one another before bursting out into a fit of laughter.

"Your friend's really scary," he commented, moving to open the passenger door for you.

"Scary? She cries whenever we watched movies. I don't think she's scary," you retorted, sliding in and placed your small purse on your lap.

Jake chuckled before handing the bouquet to you. "This is for you."

"Oh, thank you," you thanked him as you accepted the flowers, bringing it to your nose to smell the fresh fragrance of the flowers.

Jake closed the passenger door on your behalf, walked round the car and got into the driver's seat. Both of you buckled your seatbelts and he switched the radio on, some pop music playing in the background and off you go. The ride was filled with non-stop chattering and laughter from you and Jake. Never in your life would you find yourself in your current position—sitting in Jake's car, talking and treating him like he's a long-term friend.

With how you were enjoying yourself, the ride felt short. The once familiar streets and glowing storefronts had long disappeared, now replaced with quieter roads lined with towering trees, expensive architecture and estated hidden behind massive gates. Even though you're in the car, you knew the air is different—cleaner, calmer and richer.

You sat up straighter as the car turned onto a private road.

"Jake, where the hell does your parents live?" You asked, staring out of the window.

He merely smiled. "You'll see."

That answer did absolutely nothing to ease your nerves. A few minutes later, the car slowed in front of a pair of enormous black iron gates. It was guarded by a security post that's stationed at the entrance. The guards immediately recognized Jake's car and opened the gates without hesitation, granting him entrance.

Your eyes widened at the sight before you.

The driveway alone was longer than the entire road leading to your dorm building. Soft, golden lights illuminated the path ahead while fountains decorated the center of the estate grounds with water glimmering beneath the evening sky. The deeper you drove in, the more unreal everything became. Perfectly manicured gardens stretched endlessly across the private land, expensive luxury cars parked near another section of the estate. And the mansion itself—

You nearly forgot how to breathe and blink.

The house looked less like a home and more like something straight out of a billionaire magazine spread. Massive floor-to-ceiling windows glowed warmly from inside while elegant stone architecture towered over the grounds. Balconies wrapped around the upper floors and somewhere off to the side, you sworn you spotted what looked like a guest house.

The entire estate was secluded enough that you couldn't even see any other properties nearby. It's private and untouchable, the kind of place built for families powerful enough to avoid the outside world completely.

And more importantly, a place that isn't suitable for you. You felt like you're standing out like a sore thumb, already feeling nervous. The feeling only intensified once Jake parked the car near the entrance, who noticed the slight uncomfortable expression on your face.

"You alright?" He asked, unbuckling his seatbelt but made no move to alight.

"I'm fine, just trying to wrap my head around the fact that your house is bigger than the academy. This isn't something I see quite often."

He laughed, amused. "Take it in, princess. 'Cause we won't be here long."

The moment you stepped inside the estate, your nervousness only grew stronger. The interior was just as overwhelming as the exterior—towering ceilings, marbled and polished floors, crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. A man wearing a butler suit standing in the middle of the room greeted you and Jake with a respectful bow as you stopped before him.

"Welcome, Young Master. It's good to see you again," he greeted, "your parents and guests are waiting for you in the South building."

Your head snapped to him at lightning speed, eyes widening in disbelief. You saw how he frowned, confused with what he was told.

"South building? I was told this will be a simple family dinner," he said and you remained silent.

The butler too, was confused with the boy's words, his composure slipping for a brief moment. "No, Young Master. Your parents have held a celebration for you and your girlfriend. I was informed that you will be aware of this."

Jake went silent, but the way he clenched his jaw said otherwise, giving you a sneak peak of his true, unspoken feelings—anger, frustration and betrayal. "…I see, then in that case, we'll head there now. Thank you for letting us know."

"Of course, Young Master. Please, follow me," the man said, bowing with one hand stretched out before him as he took the lead, bringing you to the South building of the estate.

Jake extended his left arm and you hooked your right hand through the gap, resting your fingers on his upper shoulder. While walking, you shifted closer so you can whisper to him without anyone else overhearing your hushed conversation.

"Young Master?" You echoed, disbelief seeping into your voice, "What else are you hiding from me? You're the next President of Seoul?"

"Maybe."

You shot him an unamused look and jabbed your elbow into his side, snickering at how he visibly flinched and jumped on the spot. The man eventually brought you over to your destination—the South building, as promised. A pair of closed, wooden doors greeted you. Even when you're standing outside, you were able to hear muffled laughter, chattering and music from the other end. You swallowed, raising your free hand to pat down your hair and smoothed your dress.

"Ready to experience a rich man's world?" He murmured, leaning in to whisper into your ear, his hot breath grazing against your skin, leaving a light and fleeting sensation behind.

"Born ready. The sooner we get this done and over with, the sooner we can leave," you replied, staring ahead.

"Atta girl."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The room fell silent once the doors was opened from inside. Everyone's eyes landed on you and Jake, observing from where they stood as you entered. The scene was straight out of a Kdrama—with the main leads stepping into the room. You're fully aware of how some recognized you—which confused you and how some whispered and murmured among themselves.

You're also aware of how some were shamelessly judging you with their chins tilted toward the ceiling, no doubt trying to flex their superiority towards you. Jake led you over to where a man and woman are standing together. One look at their features was enough to tell you they are his parents.

The man—his father, has the same eye shape as Jake, wearing a tailored-made suit that hugged him well. Just his presence alone felt intimidating, truly fitting for someone who started the business of a hospital chain.

The woman—his mother, on the other hand, worn a midnight blue silk dress. It glimmered at every move she made, enough to capture people's attention without commanding for it. Her posture is excellent and model-worthy, like she couldn't bear to let herself relax even in the comfort of her own home. She's the first to acknowledge your presence, scanning you from head to toe with a sharp, assessing gaze. It took all of you to not squirmed about on the spot.

"So, this must be the girl from the article," his father remarked, holding a glass of white champagne in his left hand.

You took that as your cue to bow slightly with one hand on your chest. "Good evening, Sir. I'm (Name), it's a pleasure meeting you."

He nodded, taking a sip of his champagne. "Tell me something about yourself, (Name)."

You blinked, momentarily caught off-guard with the abrupt question. You shared a glance with Jake, who gave you an encouraging nod and smile. You straightened yourself, letting a natural and professional smile appear on your face as you maintained eye contact with his father while occasionally glancing at his wife, ensuring she wasn't left out by the conversation.

"I'm a student in Decelis Academy, just like your son and I major in biochemistry. I also—"

You started off, about to continue when this time, his mother chimed in. It's like she doesn't care about you as a person but rather, the value you bring to the family.

"What does your parents do for a living?" She inquired.

You felt Jake stiffened beside you and you knew there's a ulterior motive behind her seemingly harmless question. You knew what she's trying to do—wanting to find ways to humiliate you in front of everyone. You assumed that's partly the reason for the sudden, unannounced celebration for Jake finding himself a partner.

Instead of giving her the ideal response, you switched tactics.

You flashed her a polite, closed-eye smile that's all sharp and deadly. "I believe what my parents work as is not related to my life or studies. I'm an independent person and I've gotten here purely on my own effort."

Jake coughed into his fist, suppressing the urge to grin outwardly at your sharp, pointed words. Anyone with common sense will be able to read between the lines, to decipher the meaning behind them. Something unreadable flickered across his father's eyes—impressed or something else you didn't know. His mother, however, was livid.

She didn't have to say it out loud, not when her strained smile barely does anything to hide her real feelings, how there's flames of hot, blinding fury burning deep in her stomach. The smile doesn't meet the look in her eyes and you saw how her fingers twitched, like she's tempted to just reach out to either slap you or grabbed you by the hair.

But she couldn't do any of that, not when all of you were in public, where everyone was watching you conversed the entire time.

After what felt like forever, she pointedly cleared her throat—the sound loud enough to pierce through the air in the room. "Right! I'm sure your parents must be very proud of you."

Then, almost immediately, she turned towards Jake, like the conversation regarding you no longer deserved her attention. "Speaking of academics, your father informed me you're still taking that… what is it called again?"

"Biochemistry," he replied calmly, way too calm for someone whose parents doesn't know what their son is studying.

She nodded. "Ah yes, that. Honestly, I've talked to a few of my friends and they mentioned the same thing. They believed that should you continue with this useless major of yours, it won't do you any good in the future."

You furrowed your eyebrows while Jake's expression didn't change.

His father hummed in agreement. "Your mother's right, Jaeyun. It doesn't matter if you're on top of your cohort every time. Recognition from your professors means very little outside university walls."

"Nonetheless, I think it's a great achievement for being able to excel in his academics," you couldn't help but pointed out, defending him.

He shifted beside you, like he knew where this was heading and how he had been through this numerous times. But unlike before, he wasn't alone anymore. Not when he has you.

His mother smiled thinly. "You're very kind to think that way."

The condescension behind her words was impossible to miss. Just hearing it was enough to make your blood boiled and she continued, launching another round of arrows to her son.

"Jaeyun has always been… difficult when it comes to expectations. My husband I have tried many times, trying to make him change his mind but apparently he's too stubborn for his own good," she ended her sentence with a soft chuckle, like it's funny to insult her own son in front of his girlfriend.

Her husband sighed under his breath. "He has inherited my wife's tendency to romanticize independence. Which I don't know if I should be proud of or not."

Jake lets out a quiet breath through his nose, like he's amused. You, however, was starting to see things from a different perspective. That maybe, just maybe, you might be wrong about him. Wrong about how you perceived him. Wrong about your assumptions about him.

His father delivered the final blow with a disappointed huff. "Most children will be grateful for the opportunities handed to them. And yet, my son insists on pursuing his futile dreams instead of preparing for future responsibilities that a Sim should be handling in the future."

The atmosphere surrounding you grew heavier and heavier after each sentence, until you felt like you're walking on a tightrope hanging in the air. Jake simply swiped a glass of red champagne off a tray from a passing waiter and took a sip from it. That's when you realized something—the lack of response from him. How he did nothing to defend or protect himself. How he simply lets them insult him in front of his face.

You knew the reason for his avoidant behavior—how he had went through this many times to realize there's no point in saying anything that could get them to listen to him. And somehow, that hurts more than to watch him fought back. Your shoulders trembled, your free hand clenched into fist as it rested by your side. It's the kind of anger that kept burning and rising in temperature the longer you listened to them tearing Jake apart so casually, like criticizing their own son in front of strangers is a regular thing.

"With all due respect, I think it's honestly unbelievable how both of you kept talking about Jake like he's some sort of disappointment when he has probably accomplished more than most people ever will," you started, voice trembling from the overwhelming frustration.

Silence.

You pressed on without giving them a second to formulate a response. "He's one of the top students in the academy. He's respected by professors. He's tutoring me in my studies and he's also pursuing something he genuinely cares about instead of replying on your family name to hand him a position. Do you know how difficult that is?"

The more you spoke, the louder your voice became until you were practically shouting at the top of your lungs. Jake stared at you openly, speechless and utterly dumbfounded with your behavior and how you're standing up for him.

His mother's expression hardened immediately. "Excuse me?"

"No, because from the way you spoke to him, it sounds like none of that matters unless he becomes exactly who you want him to be. He's not a tool for you to use. He's your son. Someone who you raised and carried for nine months. You're not a good mother," you pressed on, unable to stop the words from tumbling out, one after another.

At this point, the room have gone so quiet that should someone dropped a pin, the sound will echo crystal clear among the four walls. Even the music playing was paused as well. Every single guest observed from where they stood, getting a front-row seat of the scene unfolding by itself.

"You kept calling him stubborn. But to me, that's not stubbornness. That's courage. The courage to keep choosing his own path when the people around him constantly make him feel like shit. And honestly? If your son can sit here respectfully after years of being treated like this, then I think that says a lot about his character. That alone puts him above you," you breathed out.

"YOU—!"

His mother snapped, unable to control herself anymore as she screamed at you but you didn't flinch or back down. His father was quiet the entire time but something unreadable glimmered in his eyes. And Jake? You turned to him and your breath was punched out of your lungs when you saw the unfiltered, raw expression on his face.

The expression of someone who's starting to realize you meant something to him.

Before anyone else can react, Jake moved. He slammed the barely-touched glass down on a nearby table with enough force for some people to flinch. He turned to his parents and smiled, the kind of smile that's nothing but mockery happiness and faint arrogance. But at the same time, it's lighter too, like your words have lifted a heavy, intolerable burden off his shoulders.

"Sorry, Father and Mother, we will be taking our leave now," he said, his voice leaving no room for any objections.

"Jaeyun, wait—"

His mother called out but he turned a deaf ear, already grabbing you by your hand and dragged you out of the room with everyone's eyes tracking your movements and intertwined hands. No one said a thing, walking in silence and it was only when both of you reached his car and got in was when you burst out laughing. At first, it was a simple laugh before it evolved into a mixture of half-disbelief and half adrenaline-fueled hysteria.

"Oh my god," you gasped out, running a hand through your hair, not caring that you're messing it up in the process, "I think I just started a war with your parents."

Jake stared at you for a second and then, he laughed too. It's an actual laugh—warm, breathless and genuine. You blinked, surprised with the sight before you as he leaned back into the driver's seat, shaking his head fondly while still laughing under his breath.

"You should've seen your face. You looked like you saw a ghost," he wheezed out between laughs, struggling to speak and breathe.

"My face?" You repeated. "Your mother looked like she's about to rip my hair off. I can't go bald when I'm still in my twenties!"

"I'll pay good money to see that."

That only made both of you laughed harder, until you're clutching the sides of your stomachs with tears brimming your eyes, blurring your vision and until you're practically wheezing and gasping for breathe. The tension from the dinner was slowly fading, now replaced with nothing but laughter and honestly, if you were to think about it, the whole situation sounds insane, from the start to the end.

"You basically just told one of the richest families in the country that they are terrible people," he said after calming down, his mind still reeling from what he just witnessed with his own eyes.

"You made it sound worse if you word it like that."

"I'm just saying the truth."

You let out another laugh, body going pliant as you slumped against the seat, exhausted after laughing to your hearts' content. Silence was quick to follow suit but it wasn't the uncomfortable silence. But rather, it's warm and comfortable. He turned slightly in his seat to properly look at you, the faint glow from the entrance lights illuminating his features softly. Without the tension from earlier, he looks different now.

More calmer and at peace. And the way he looked at you made you feel dangerously unstable, sending warmth down the length of your spine.

"You know, many people would've stayed silent back there," he murmured.

You awkwardly shrugged, eyes drifting down to stare at your hands resting on your lap. "Well, I was angry that they dared to talk about you like that. Like you're invisible."

He smirked. "Nah, you were livid."

You shot him a glare and he chuckled, features softening. "But I'm serious. You never fail to impress me, you know?"

Your heart skipped a beat, nearly jumping out of your throat.

"You weren't scared of them at all."

"That's because they weren't being fair to you," you answered without hesitation, like it's been resting on the tip of your tongue.

He stilled upon hearing your words. For a brief and split second, something vulnerable crossed his face before he looked down, quietly exhaling through his nose. He shifted, resting one elbow against the window while the other was on the console between you and him.

"…Thank you, really," he murmured, his voice filled with nothing but sincerity.

Hearing it was enough to make your chest ache. You raised your head, only to realize how close the two of you are. Somewhere during the conversation, Jake had leaned closer without you noticing. He's so close—close enough for you to see every detail in his eyes and close enough that the air in the cramped, still space feels heavier.

Your breath hitched, watching as his eyes flickered down to your parted lips before back to your eyes. What nearly made you risked it all however, was the look on his face, like he wants to do something reckless and dangerous. Your heart hammered violently against your ribcage when he lifted his right hand, fingers brushing against a few stray strands of hair near your face before gingerly tucking it behind your left ear with such gentleness that it's enough to make you swoon.

Instead of pulling his hand back, he lets it lingered near your head, a few seconds longer than usual. If it was anyone else, they probably wouldn't have noticed it. But when it comes to you, you noticed everything about him, whether you knew it or not.

For one terrifying second, you genuinely thought he was about to kiss you. And judging from the conflicted look in his eyes—how he's fighting his own inner battle, he thought about it too. Thought about kissing you until you're breathless, until you're trembling in his arms and until the only thing you can say was his name, over and over.

And then he pulled away.

He dropped his hand, reaching to buckle his seatbelt with his hands borderline shaking—from the amount of sheer will and self-discipline it took for him to pull back. His jaw tightened, like he's forcing himself to do this—turning the car's engine on while trying to grasp onto the final few shreds of his self-restraint.

You did the same as well and no other word was exchanged for the rest of the ride. You avoided looking at him the entire time, choosing to stare out of the window. Even when he dropped you off, you barely managed to utter out a soft, weak "good night" before scurrying back into the dorm building. Ningning was already asleep in her room, saving you the chances of being ambushed by her.

You placed a hand on your chest, able to feel your heart still racing uncontrollably in your chest. What your friend told you echoed in your mind, crystal clear and loud as day.

"Win-win situation? You mean a ticket straight to hell. You're gonna get your feelings played."

Except in this case, you weren't sure if he's playing with your feelings or not but alas, only time can tell.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

After that day, something shifted between you and Jake. Both of you weren't like before—you constantly arguing with him while Jake didn't bother reacting to your outbursts or complaints. But rather, he treated you like you're his actual girlfriend. And that's a huge problem on his own. You're always spending time with him—from morning for your first class to the end of the day—with him tutoring you during your many little tutor sessions.

With the time spent together, you were starting to notice the little things about him—how he fiddled with the rings on his fingers whenever he's deep in thought, how he chewed on his bottom lip with his eyebrows furrowed while trying to come up with an idea to explain it to you in a way you could understand, how he pushed his glasses up whenever it's slipping down the sharp, slightly curved edge of his nose and so on.

Heck, you even found yourself often staring at him while turning a blind eye to the people and your surroundings. You also found yourself constantly thinking about him the moment you're separated, wondering what he was doing, wondering if he's even eating and taking care of himself and—

"Holy shit, you're fucking whipped," Ningning told you once you were done rambling to her, confiding in her.

And like the true and amazing friend she was, she let you rant your feelings out before summarizing everything with five simple words. You groaned, leaning forward to lightly knock your head against the table in your dorm. Today marked the last day of classes and students will be having a one month break before classes resumed. Before the final semester begin and after that, you and Ningning will be entering your final year in the academy before graduating.

That is, if you managed to find a way to pay your school fees in one go. Until now, you still couldn't figured out a solution to your greatest dilemma of your life. Every day slipping through your fingers meant you're one day closer to getting expelled from Decelis Academy.

"I can't believe you're right," you bemoaned, words muffled with your face squashed against the table surface.

Ningning sighed, reaching over to lightly whack your shoulders. "Get your face off the table. It's dirty and I told you so, didn't I? You need to listen to me more. Like for example, when are you gonna tell him?"

You lifted your face, leaning back into your seat. "Tell him what?"

Your friend rolled her eyes at your pathetic attempt of playing dumb. "Telling Jake that you're gonna get kicked out in like, what? Five months' time?"

You flinched at the sudden mention of your expulsion, even though you were just thinking about it a few seconds ago. You didn't grace her with an immediate answer, choosing to down the remaining of your canned fizzy drink, swallowing it before replying.

"I don't think he cares. Besides, he's not gonna find out anyway and even if he did, what is he gonna do?" You barked out a laugh but the sound itself was void of any form of warmth.

Ningning frowned. "(Name)—"

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

Both of you turned your heads to where your phone was lying—on the lower left of the table with the screen lit up. Sighing, you picked it up and accepted the call to press your phone against your left ear without checking the caller ID, which proved to be a horrible mistake.

"Hello?"

"(Name)?"

Your blood turned cold. Your heart stopped beating, falling to the depth of your stomach when you recognized the female voice from the other line. Heck, even if you wanted to, there's no way you could forget about her. Not when she's the woman who had raised you for nine months straight. Not when she's the woman who made it her responsibility to keep embarrassing you in front of your relatives—her siblings and everyone else.

"…Mom? Did something happen?" You answered a few seconds later, noting how Ningning stiffened at your words. As someone who had visited your family many times, she had witnessed how… horrible your relationship with your mother was and still is.

"Oh, nothing serious happen, don't worry. I was wondering if you're coming home during the break, along with that boyfriend of yours."

Your fingers curled tighter around your phone. "..I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a boyfriend."

She clicked her tongue. "Don't lie to me. I saw the article and imagine how shock I was to find out that's none other than my daughter. To think she has the ability to find herself a boyfriend and a Sim too!"

You closed your eyes and let out a resigned sigh. You knew better than to reject her, knowing how persistent she can be, how she will keep calling and bugging you until you have no choice but to give in. You rubbed the bridge of your nose, eyes still closed and you were able to feel your friend's unwavering gaze on you.

"…Fine, I'll come home and bring him along," you relented.

She made a pleased sound. "Good, make sure to be on your best behavior, (Name). You're not a child anymore."

And just like that, she hung up, not bothering to bid you farewell or wait for your response, leaving you to stare at your blank phone screen instead. Once the call ended, Ningning wasted no time in pouncing on you.

"Seriously!? Why did you say yes? You could've told her you're coming with me to visit my family during the break and she won't bother you anymore," she exclaimed.

You shrugged your shoulders. "It's fine, I can handle her. I'm not that helpless girl anymore."

Ningning pursed her lips, disappointed and frustrated with how she couldn't help you any further. She reached across the table to place her hand above yours. "..Alright, if anything happens, call me. I don't care if it's big or small. Just call me, please."

You smiled and gave her hand a light, assuring squeeze. "Got it."

"Good, now go call that soon-to-be husband of yours and tell him about your plan."

"Ningning!"

Thirty minutes later, after you've showered and cleaned the table with Ningning, you were in your room, seated on the chair as you idly spin about in a slow circle. You called Jake, who answered immediately after the second ring and you placed it on speaker mode.

"(Name)? What's up? Need help with studies again?" He teased.

You rolled your eyes even though he couldn't see it. "No, you dumbass. I need a favor from you."

"Sounds serious, hit me with it."

You fiddled with the hem of your shorts. "My mom wants me to go home during the break and she wants to meet you. We'll be there for one week."

Silence.

Jake didn't say a thing and you assumed he wasn't interested, already rushing to get the words out of your mouth. "Look, you can choose to say no and I won't be mad. It's just that, she saw the article and thinks we're dating and—"

"I'll do it."

You stilled. "…What?"

"I said, I'll do it. I'll go with you to visit your mother. Is there anything I should bring?" He casually asked, like this is something as minor as the weather's forecast itself.

You owlishly blinked and even stopped spinning, thinking you were mishearing things. "Wait… you'll do it? Really?"

"Yeah," he sounds amused and you could imagined the amused look on his face, "why do you sound so surprised?"

"I don't know," you threw your hands up and gestured wildly to the space around you, "don't you have like, family business to tend to? Maybe follow your father to the company or something?"

"…You're truly a unique human being," he mused, sounding far too amused for someone who just agreed to meet your parents.

You sit up straighter in your chair. "Hey, what is that supposed to mean? You know what, don't bother answering. Just pick me up tomorrow at eleven and we'll drive from here."

"Eugh, seriously? How long is the drive gonna be?"

"Six to seven hours."

﹕﹒★﹒ SCHOLARSHIP HEART.  심재윤

synopsis: When your scholarship at Decelis Academy was at risk, your already slipping grade only made things worse. Desperate to hold onto everything you've worked hard for, you're assigned to a tutor—Sim Jaeyun. However, in exchange for saving your scholarship, you have to be his fake girlfriend, to please his parents. You agreed and the longer you pretend, the harder it becomes to ignore what is real and what is fake.

pairing: sim jaeyun x fem! reader.

content: classmates to lovers, fake dating, rich kids academy au, family issues, hurt with comfort, explicit mature content, semi-public sex, misunderstandings, financial differences, rich people problems and more to be added.

word count: tba.

﹕﹒★﹒ COURTSIDE CONFESSIONS.  이희승

synopsis: Lee Heeseung is known for being the captain of the basketball team of Decelis Academy, for his talent and how he can go pro if he truly wished to. Until he wasn't. Until a devastating injury took his dream away. Haunted by the constant pressure to remain perfect, Heeseung struggled to accept the vision of himself left behind after the accident. But when you began staying beside him through silent gyms, painful recovery sessions and nights that feel lonely, he learns that healing is not the same as winning.

pairing: lee heeseung x fem! reader.

content: strangers to lovers, fluff, angst with comfort, family issues, mentions of injuries, explicit mature content and more to be added.

word count: tba.

﹕﹒★﹒ MIDNIGHT REHEARSALS.  박종성

synopsis: As Decelis's Academy talented guitarist, Park Jongseong spends his nights composing songs he never intend to share, trapped between his family's expectationsand the future he secrely wants for himself. But when he's forcefully paired with someone who's able to see through his facade, Jay found himself caught between fear and longing.

pairing: park jongseong x fem! reader.

content: rivals to lovers, unresolved and resolved sexual tension, family issues, angst with comort, explicit mature content and more to be added.

word count: tba.

﹕﹒★﹒ WINTER BOY.  박성훈

synopsis: To the world, Park Sunghoon is flawless, known as Seoul's beloved Olympic figure skater, admired for his elegance and perfection on the ice. But beneath the medals and camera flashes, is a boy exhausted by loneliness, pressure and the constant fear of disappointing everyone around him. When someone entered his carefully controlled life out of nowhere, Sunghoon starts experiencing warmth in places that once felt painfully cold.

pairing: park sunghoon x fem! reader.

content: classmates to lovers, mentions of press, family issues, angst with comort, explicit mature content and more to be added.

word count: tba.

perm taglist: (perm taglist is always open!) @lolliloopsy, @hoonguin, @heesroses, @aliyahlovesjakr, @bitemhoon, @byshens, @jaylaxies, @justpassingdontworry, @ellushic, @hoonlvrrz,

decelis diaries taglist: @vixialuvs, @ikeumuses, @kemkem33, @yashiehehehe, @gordazepam, @hyyhwriter, @sievenderz, @simpikeu, @i4tzy, @kjunebuggie, @tyunningism, @narnianqueen28, @fancypeacepersona, @moonzzaf1ato, @yenienha,

heeseung taglist: @lovingsublimecrusade, @isagistar,

"You mean the Nishimura Riki?" You asked slowly, shivers running down your spine at the unfamiliar feeling of his name rolling off the tip of your tongue.

Hana nodded, expression serious—which is how she carried herself. After all, it was thanks to her hard work that the journalism club was able to be where it is today. She revealed a thin, transparent file behind her back, that contained some documents and placed it on the table, sliding it towards you.

"Yup, the one and only. Center forward and the captain of the football team. The board wants an exclusive feature—something that'll put more eyes on him. And to boost the school's reputation too."

You knew what that meant. The academy isn't exactly subtle with how they want more students to enroll with them, to further boost their popularity and if possible, to enter the Top Ten Rankings of the Best Universities in the world. You pursed your lips, eyes darting down to the file but you didn't reach for it.

You, just like everyone else—be it student or teacher, knows who Nishimura Riki is.

The name alone was enough to draw attention to the academy. He's the prodigy who aced every tests, assignments, projects and examinations without fail. He's the star player of the team who easily conquered matches like they are mere video games. He's the boy who somehow lives up to every headlines that was written about him. Not only does he lived up to it but he manage to exceed their expectations, allowing him to be in a league of his own.

And as if all those wasn't enough, he's the younger brother of Lee Heeseung.

The Lee Heeseung.

Even after he graduated two years ago and had gone pro, now playing in the big league with his handsome face constantly popping up in whatever brand deals or his live matches, his name still lingered in the academy, like a shadow no one can escaped from. Every record and achievement constantly traced back to him.

Well, at least, that's how it used to be.

Now that there was someone else, someone who has the potential to surpass Heeseung, it's safe to say he has became the center of attention. Not that he wasn't in one to begin with. After all, there was always an invisible spotlight following him wherever he goes.

You sighed, not bothering to flip the file open, knowing what was awaiting you was simply pictures of him. You glanced at your half-written article before back to Hana, knowing your fate was already sealed the moment she approached you.

"I'm guessing I don't have a say in this, right?" You asked, despite knowing the answer.

She shook her head with a grim, solemn look on her face. You sighed again and this time, it was much louder and heavier but it wasn't enough to convey the amount of annoyance you felt with the rather sudden assignment handed to you.

"…Fine, I'll do it. But don't set a high expectation for it."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The very next day, you found yourself approaching the humongous, open-aired football field occupied by none other than the football team themselves. You never liked coming here for many reasons. Firstly, it's the fact that there's no shelter, leaving you utterly helpless and vulnerable to the harsh, unforgiving rays of the sun. No amount of sunscreen you applied can save you from chances of getting a sunburn.

Secondly, you're surrounded by nothing but men. Or boys. Not that there's any difference since all of them are nothing but monkeys to you with the way they act—like rowdy, loud and immature children. There's nothing as unpleasant as breathing in the same air as a group of sweaty, disgusting men. The thought itself was enough to make you shiver involuntarily.

Last but not least and to add fuel to the fire, not only are you surrounded by men, you're also surrounded by Riki's fanclub. They never failed to show up for every practice, cheering and squealing like dying pigs whenever he scored for the team. It's a miracle that your ears didn't start bleeding due to their high-pitched banshee-like screaming.

Like seriously, what's so special about him? Sure, he's good-looking, academically smart and is the walking definition of a fashion show. But other than that, he can passed off as a regular guy!

You sighed, very much reluctantly dragging over to where the coach of the team—Kim Hanbin was. The man is in his late thirties and despite his easygoing, friendly demeanor, he becomes a different person the moment he's with the team, constantly pushing them to their limits by forcing them to do ruthless drills, one after another.

"Oh, (Name)? What are you doing here?" Hanbin asked, in lieu of a greeting when he spotted you through the dark shades of his sunglasses.

You stopped before him, raising a hand to block out the sunlight. "Hey coach. Was wondering if I can borrow your captain for a bit? It'd be quick, I promise."

Instead of prying further, the man simply nodded his head. "Sure, by all means. Practice's ending soon so he's all yours."

You pretended to ignore the last three words, standing beside the coach as he blew his whistle. The sharp sound pierced through the field, catching the team's attention. They stopped what they were doing and jogged back to regroup in front of him. You bit down on your lip, stifling the urge to burst out laughing at how the scene closely resemblance a group of dogs reuniting with their owners.

Among the group, you accidentally made eye contact with a tall boy who is definitely not Riki. You instantly looked away, not wanting to be caught red-handed or mistook you as one of his many, faceless fangirls. You're different from them. And if it wasn't for your leader's request, you wouldn't even be here in the first place.

What you didn't know however, was how Riki witnessed the entire thing. How you locked eyes with him. How you immediately broke contact. How you dug your fingers into the edge of your notebook that was clutched against your chest, like it's able to shield you from whatever's incoming. What you didn't know was how you had already caught his attention the moment he saw you.

Hanbin cleared his throat, snapping you out of your trance. "Alright boys, practice's over. Go and mashup. Good job today, I want all of you to remember the training and apply it for tomorrow's match."

"Yes, sir!"

They were about to walk away when he spoke up, directing his attention to a certain someone. "Riki, someone wants to see you. Stay behind for a while."

Hearing this, there was a round of playful "ohhhh" from the team. You rolled your eyes in mild annoyance as some of his teammates smacked Riki on his back, wishing him luck before they walked away. Hanbin was quick to take his leave too, carrying his things until it was just the two of you.

He didn't move immediately, remaining where he was—at the back, where he was standing a few minutes ago before his teammates walked away, like he already knew where this was heading. And then, he turned, easily closing the distance with no more than six large strides.

And gods, it's truly unfair.

His team jersey clung to him, thoroughly soaked from practice. The darkened, heavy fabric easily outlined the sharp, slope of his broad shoulders and the lean definition of his torso. A thin layer of glowing sweat glistened along his delicious honey-toned skin, giving a glowing effect under the blinding sunlight.

Your eyes unconsciously traced it—from his temples down to the deadly, sharp curve of his jaw. It managed to catch the light before dipping beneath the collar of his shirt, never to be seen again.

His dirty ash blonde hair was a mess, with damp strands sticking to his forehead. It looked effortless in the way that clearly wasn't, like he didn't put in any effort at all when in reality, it only made him all the more alluring.

And of course, there was the piercings.

Silver hoops and studs decorated his ears, glinting every time he moved his head. It's subtle, but enough to give him the careless, troublemaker edge. His gaze flicked over you, quick and assessing and a small, knowing smirk tugged at his lips.

"Lemme guess, you're one of them, aren't you?" He started, voice low and amused, like he was already entertained by his own assumption when that was far from the truth.

You blinked, confused. "What—"

"I get it," he cuts in smoothly, not giving you the chance to finish. He shifted his weight to his right leg, one hand resting on his hip while the other hand tugged at the hem of his jersey, using the fabric to fan himself.

"Big match tomorrow and everyone's a little excited. Can't wait to see me constantly scoring and bringing the team to victory."

You continued staring at him, silent. But to Riki, he mistook that as admiration. Just like how he mistook you as one of his fan girls.

"If you want a picture, at least wait until I'm out of the showers. I'm not like the others," he finished.

Your left eyebrow twitched, forcefully swallowing the sudden rising surge of irritation at his laid-back demeanor.

"…Are you done?"

Riki blinked, clearly not expecting that response.

You scoffed and crossed your arms. This time, you made no effort to hide the evident annoyance that flickered across your face. "I guess the rumors are right. You're so fucking full of confidence. Makes me wonder where you get all that from too. You should be like your brother, you know."

Your sharp, observant eyes caught how something unreadable flashed in his eyes at the mention of Heeseung but it was gone when he blinked, easily covering it up. He lets out a huff of laughter, eyes now glowing with interest, like this was some sort of new show he stumbled upon.

"Oh, so you're not shy and you got a foul mouth on you. That's new."

"Before you get any ideas, let me make this clear: I'm not one of your fan girls," you declared.

Whatever energy surrounding him was gone the moment you said it. The captain stilled, staring at you with an incredulous look on his face, like you had spoken in a different language. Or maybe, the thought of a girl not being part of his fan club has never crossed his mind before.

"…You're not?"

"No. I'm only here because the board sent me. They want an article about you. You're the academy's golden boy now so they want to use you to boost their reputation before you graduate," you replied in a flat and unimpressed tone.

When Riki didn't say anything, you pressed on.

"So congrats, you're now a walking marketing strategy," you finished, sarcasm evident in your voice.

For a moment, he stared at you. And then, he laughed. It wasn't the embarrassed or offended laugh. No, this was actually pure amusement, like he geninuely finds this funny.

"Wow, and here I thought you came all this way just for me," he muttered, poking his inner left cheek with his tongue as he looked at you, properly this time.

You made a disgusted face. "Trust me. I got better things to do than spending my time with the likes of you."

"Ouch, what do you mean by that? You do know you're kinda mean too, right?"

"And you're kinda fucking full of yourself."

"Kinda?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow. "How generous of you. Want me to get on my knees and say thank you?"

You narrowed your eyes, your expression tightening as you fought against the urge to take the invisible bait he set. But Riki caught it. He stepped closer, not close enough to invade your space but close enough for him to gain the advantage.

"So what? You're gonna be following me around, asking me questions and write how amazing and talented I am?" He asked, voice softer now but it was still as smug as always.

You scoffed for the second time. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Too late. Sounds like you're stuck with me," he replied without missing a beat.

There was a brief silence before he stepped away, hands comfortably tucked in the pocket of his shorts. "I'll see you around, writer."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving you standing on the open-aired field. Thankfully, no one was around to witness you trembling on the spot as you silently seethed with rage. No one saw how you held onto your notebook so tight that the edges was already all crumpled and bunched it in your grip.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"I can't do this."

Your friend and roommate—Yunah, lifted her head from her laptop. "Do what? Elaborate please. Stop trying to make me guess."

You groaned, dumping your bag down on the table, not caring about the look Yunah sent you. The two of you were on campus, managing to find an vacant table during lunchbreak. Both of you had brought food over from dorm, not wanting to waste time and effort to queue in the cafeteria.

"Writing the article for Riki," you clarified, pulling out your lunchbox and cultery.

"Oh, that. How is it going so far?" She asked, giving you half of her attention as she returned to working on her report.

You didn't answer her immediately, busy removing the lid before digging into the food, acting like a famished man who hasn't had a drop of water or a bite of food for the past two months. As someone who was used to your antics, Yunah didn't bat an eye and continued typing away on her report, not bothering to pause to have her lunch.

"The last time I saw him was one week ago. One. Week. Ago. Seriously, it's like he's able to see my location and avoid me at all times! I can never find or catch him," you bemoaned after swallowing your mouthful of food.

Your friend snorted. "That's the academy golden's boy for you. I'm surprised his girlfriend hasn't come running down the hallway while searching for you."

You paused mid-motion of raising your fork to glare at her. "Do you want me to die? I'm not interested in Riki. I'm doing this because I was forced to. Nothing more and nothing less."

Yunah raised her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, I get it. I hope you can get that article done soon so you can be freed from him."

You merely sighed, stabbing your fork into the remains of your lunch as you stared ahead. "Me too, Yunah. Me too."

Just when things couldn't get any better or fate thought it'd be funny to see you crash out, a certain someone announced his presence by casually sliding up like it's nothing. He knocked his annoyingly long legs against yours, causing you to drop your fork as it landed in your lunchbox. To add further salt in the wound, he purposely—at least, that's what you think, bumped his elbow against yours.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you," he said, greeting you like both of you are long-time friends.

Except that you weren't even friends at all.

You mustered and shot him the nastiest side-eye as you picked up your fork again, stabbing it into a slice of braised chicken meat with more force than you intended. Yunah shot you a pointed look but you ignored her, your attention was completely on the annoying pest seated beside you. The pest that takes the form of none other than Nishimura Riki himself.

"What do you want?" You hissed, all hostile, like a car with its fur standing upright.

"Woah, chill. I saw you and wanted to talk to you."

"We have nothing to talk about. Now fuck off before you ruin my appetite," you fired back without hesitation.

Riki raised an eyebrow, gaze never leaving your face. It felt like he's able to read your mind and that deeply unsettles you. You couldn't placed your finger on it but there's something about him that doesn't sit right with you. But you didn't ponder about it for long, not wanting to get involved with people like him.

People who does nothing but cause chaos, leaving trouble behind in his trail.

"Are you sure? The board won't be happy if they find out you haven't worked on the article," he pointed out.

You scowled, eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed, unable to defend yourself. Not when he's stating the obvious truth and fact. Riki smirked, all smug and cocky, knowing he's in the right and how you couldn't fight back.

At this point, you've completely forgotten about Yunah, who was observing the entire scene from the sidelines, getting a special front-row seat to the show the two of you are putting up.

You flashed him what you hoped was a sarcastic, closed-eye smile. "Oh, I'm so glad you finally remembered about it! I thought you were too busy fucking your girlfriend or attending parties to care about irrelevant things like these."

You sworn you heard a horrified gasp from your friend, who was taken aback at how bold you are but you paid her no mind. Riki, on the other hand, went unusually silent. He cocked his head to the side, his piercings moving along with the movement. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his left cheek, eyes drifting up to the sky, like he's mulling over your words before letting out a chuckle.

Shivers ran down your spine when you realized he's actually amused by your reaction. By your words. By how aggressive you're being. When he looked at you again, the previous teasing glint in his eyes was gone, now replaced with something sharper and more deliberate, like he has you all figured out.

"What? Is that supposed to piss me off?" He asked in a lazy tone.

You faltered and he pressed on, not giving you time to reply.

"Because I don't know about you but to me, that sounds like you're more bothered than I am," he drawled, resting his chin on the palm of his left hand, eyeing you with nothing but utter confidence.

You curled your fingers around your fork. "I'm not—"

"Jealous?"

Maybe it's the way he said it so easily, like it's something as minor as the weather itself. Maybe it's the way he had you cornered against wall, leaving no room for you to escape. Maybe it's the way he managed to get the better of you, acting like he knows you better than you knowing yourself, like he's some sort of mind-reader.

Whatever it was, his swift response caused a stormy expression to take over your face. He smirked, knowing he hits the jackpot.

"Are you jealous that I have a life? That I'm in a relationship, surrounded by people who cares about me," he continued.

The fucking audacity for him to brag about his life to you. You made the mistake of opening your mouth, ready to defend yourself, only for you to falter when you couldn't find the words. Seeing this, Riki lets out a low, knowing chuckle.

"Last I checked, people don't get this worked up over things they don't care about. So tell me miss writer, are you jealous?"

Your jaw clenched, left eyebrow twitching. "Do you ever shut the fuck up?"

"Do you know any other words or are you too stupid for basic comprehension?" He retorted.

His words made you saw red.

You shot up from your seat, fork now clutched tightly in your right hand with your body borderline trembling as you seethed with rage. The only thing holding you back from throwing the fork at Riki was the fact that you're in public and how there are people around you.

The boy exhaled, running a hand through his dirty ash blonde hair with the strands falling forward, perfectly hanging over his forehead. For a moment, his expression shifted into something more neutral and unreadable before it was gone, faster than one could blinked.

"Now that we're clear, I just wanna let you know I'm free later after practice today, if you want to interview me for your article," he said, getting out of the long, wooden bench easily with his bag carelessly slung over his left shoulder.

You barked out a humorless laugh, eyes tracking his movement, like you're a predator with him as the prey. Even though it's the opposite of that.

"What? Not gonna be throwing a party or sucking tongues with your girlfriend?" You sneered.

Riki didn't take the bait, much to your annoyance. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You—!"

He laughed at how you're fuming red with invisible steam leaving your ears. "See you after practice. If you're gonna be there. Wouldn't want the board to be breathing down your neck, do you?"

For the second time of you having a conversation with him, Riki ended up walking away. Just like before, he leaves you standing there, frustratingly speechless, leaving the faint echo of his smug tone lingering in the air. The moment he was out of sights, Yunah wasted no time in beating around the bush as she called out to you.

"What the hell was that?" She asked.

You sighed, sitting down as you closed your lunchbox, your appetite already ruined. "What's what?"

Yunah wildly flailed her arms about, dramatically gesturing to her surroundings. "Whatever is going on between you and Riki."

You opened your mouth but she was faster.

"Before you say anything, don't lie to me, (Name). I know you long enough and this is the first time I've seen you this angry. Damn, I know you told me before he piss you off but I didn't think it'd be this bad."

You rolled your eyes, shoving your closed, lighter lunchbox and shoved it into your bag without a care in the world.

"Just seeing him is enough to piss me off. I don't understand what's so good about him," you answered.

Your friend hummed, slowly nodding her head. "Well, the sooner you're done with the article, the better it is for you and your… anger issues."

You shot her a look. "I don't have anger issues."

Yunah wordlessly raised an expectant, pointed look and you made the wise choice of keeping your lips shut.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The next four hours of class passed in a blink of an eye, with you attending back-to-back lectures. By the time it was over, your mind had already shut down. You were tempted to return to your dorm, where your comfortable bed was waiting for you but Riki's words echoed in your mind. You groaned, already able to imagine the incoming headache and can only pray that you wouldn't lose your temper, which was easier said than done.

You were on your way to the field when someone called out your name. You stopped in the middle of the hallway to look over your shoulder to see a girl rapidly approaching you. When she stopped before you, all five of your senses was invaded with the overwhelming fragrance of her perfume—a mixture of vanilla, cinnamon and strawberries.

"Can I help you with something, Kyujin?" You asked, your tone polite but it was tense.

You never liked her. She's everything you disliked in a person—her bratty, spoiled attitude. How she never failed to throw a fit if things doesn't go her way, at her grown age of nineteen too. If there's one thing she loved the most in the world, it's fame. The girl will do anything to be famous, even if it means crossing the lines and entering the illegal territory.

You've heard rumors about her relationship with Riki. How it was a fake relationship. How their feelings weren't mutual. How it's actually toxic. How Riki had cheated on her and vice versa. There's a lot of baseless rumors going around but you didn't care. You're here to finish the remaining one year of your academics and graduate with flying colors and not here to witness some couple arguments.

Kyujin frowned. Her lips covered in a layer of red lip-stick made them glow underneath the lights. Her face was covered in makeup, further enhancing her features. You weren't blind to how students were looking your way, no doubt curious with what was about to happen.

She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up, obviously trying to intimidate you. "I heard you've been getting close with my boyfriend."

Oh.

Oh, so this is what it's about.

You resist the urge to laugh right in her face. Instead, you raised an expectant eyebrow. "Alright, and?"

Kyujin scoffed in disbelief, arms still crossed and she took a step closer, eyes now glowing with flames of anger. "Isn't it obvious? I want you to stay away from him. Riki doesn't and will never like someone like you."

A flash of irritation made itself known in your chest. "Newsflash princess. I'm not into him, so you don't have to worry with that airhead brain of yours. I'm tasked by the board to write an article about him so I have to interact with him, one way or another."

It's clear the girl doesn't believed you, with how she suspiciously narrowed her eyes at you.

"Right, and you expect me to believe that? If that's the case, how about we ask someone, hm?" She challenged you.

"She's speaking the truth."

Before you can reply, an unfamiliar, firm voice interrupted your conversation. You looked over her shoulder to see one of Riki's friends and teammate—Yang Jungwon. He's a senior, one year older than you and Riki while being two years older than Kyujin.

Jungwon's eyes darted between the two of you, one hand holding the strap of his bag. "She's telling the truth, Kyujin. Also, mind moving? You're standing in front of my locker."

A series of hushed snickers and chuckles was heard from the group of witnesses, much to Kyujin's embarrassment. She openly gaped at Jungwon, who paid her no mind. The moment she moved out of his way, he was quick to unlock and opened it, putting the textbooks he held in his left hand into the locker before swiftly closing it. You expected him to walk away but what you didn't expect was for Jungwon to turn to you.

"You're (Name), right?" He inquired.

You blinked, wordlessly nodding your head.

He smiled, small and faint and you caught the dimples on his cheeks. "Follow me, Riki's waiting for you. Said something about an article the academy wants to feature him on."

"Damn, so it is true that the academy wants to write about him."

"I wonder why though. Didn't they do the same with Heeseung too?"

"Yeah, they did. But I guess the board's getting desperate with how they weren't getting more new students."

"Yikes, that sounds like they're using Nishimura as a pawn."

The students whispered and murmured among themselves, not bothering to be subtle. Jungwon turned a deaf ear to all of them, leading the way as the crowd automatically split into two, letting him passed with you walking behind him. The boy slowed down a little once you're out of the crowd, easily matching his pace with you.

You adjust the strap of your bag, finding the silence rather awkward and tense. "So, Riki talked about me?"

Jungwon chuckled, sneaking a glance at you. "Yeah, you left a strong impression on him. He mentioned you have a foul mouth and isn't scared of anyone. I saw the way you reacted with Kyujin and it's easy to identify you."

Heat crept up the back of your neck. "Well, it's not my fault she's annoying to talk to. I don't know what Riki sees in her, going out of his way to accept her confession."

Jungwon remained silent but you weren't blind to the way his Adam's Apple bobbed up and down and how he stiffened at your words. You shouldn't take note of that, shouldn't even be snooping around in other people's business. But at the end of the day, you were only human, which was why you filed his reaction aside, making a mental note to check back on it soon.

Eventually, you arrived at the football field and to your surprise, it's swarmed with people. The stands was in a sea of dark red. Some worn sunglasses or hats to shield their eyes from the sun. Some were desperately fanning themselves or holding a portable fan, directing it to blow at their faces—any attempts to reduce the chances of getting sunburn.

"What's going on? I thought you guys have practice today," you asked.

"We do but we're playing against Solaris Academy today," the senior replied, eyes scanning the field before looking back at you, "we do this every quarter, just a friendly match, nothing too serious."

You snorted despite yourself. "I find that hard to believe."

To support your statement, you gestured to your surroundings. Banners were draped over the railings. Some were neatly printed while some were handmade—letters slightly crooked but doesn't reduced the enthusiasm. Cheers erupted from different sections at random intervals with students calling out names.

It's anything but friendly. Rather, it feels intense, like everyone's ready to march onto a battlefield, for a battle that will determine their fates.

"Does any of these screams friendly to you?" You inquired.

Jungwon chuckled, running a hand through his pitch-black, soft hair as it fell forward perfectly. Seriously, what is with boys having better hair than girls?

"Well, that's what they all said," he replied, sounding a bit sheepish, "it's a tradition at this point. People take it very seriously, especially the players."

You hummed, scanning the field once more and your eyes landed on him. To be fair, it's easy to spot him. Riki stood out like a sore thumb, thanks to his annoyingly tall height. He has his back facing you, saving you from seeing his punchable face. You can tell the team respects him a lot, with how they were attentively hanging onto every word he said, giving him their fullest attention.

Wait.

"Aren't you supposed to be there?" You asked, pointing at his team while looking at Jungwon.

Jungwon shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine, I've heard his motivational speech to the point I can repeat it with my eyes closed."

You laughed, the sound genuine and light. You let your eyes continue to scan the field before you and that's when you spotted someone seated slightly further away from the crowd, like he doesn't want to be seen near them or anyone, for that matter. He sat on a higher and more aloof section as compared to the others.

Or to be exact, it's the so-called VIP area.

There's a certain stillness to him, a quiet kind of presence that doesn't openly demand for attention but was still able to command it anyway. While everyone else were loudly chatting among themselves, he was relaxed and alone. He sat with one arm casually draped over the back of the vacant chair on his right with his long legs stretched out before him.

He worn a pair of sunglasses—the accessory resting squarely on the bridge of his sharp nose as it sheltered his eyes against the sun. No matter how many times you looked away from him, your eyes automatically drifted back to him, whether you knew it or not.

"Who's that?" You asked before you could stopped yourself, nodding in his direction.

Jungwon followed your gaze and when he realized who you're looking at, he smirked. "Oh, him? That's Heeseung hyung."

You stared and that's when it hit you. "Wait, as in the Lee Heeseung? The one who graduated? The one who went pro?"

"Yup, the one and only. Heard the board invited him over as a special guest. I'm guessing it's to bring more attention to the academy and boost the moral of the team. Besides, it's his younger brother's match. Make sense he'd show up."

You hummed absentmindedly, ripping your eyes away from him but it was too late. You caught the knowing look Jungwon sent you, making you scowled at him.

"What?"

"Nothing, just making sure you're still here. Come on, I'll bring you to your seat," he said, gesturing for you to follow him.

You arched an eyebrow, mildly impressed. "Didn't know I'm getting the VIP treatment."

Jungwon snorted, already leading the way with you walking behind him. "You can thank Riki for that. Said to give you the seat with the best view to capture his best angles."

You made a fake repulsive, gagging sound. It didn't go unheard by Jungwon, who snickered as he shot you an amused look over his shoulder. Eventually, he came to a stop, dramatically bowing with an arm placed in front of his chest.

"Here's your seat, milady," he said.

You went along with the flow, bowing to him as well. "Why thank you, kind sir. Good luck with the match."

Jungwon nodded, bidding you farewell as he walked away, heading down to regroup with his teammates. You sat down, watching as Jungwon subtly pointed in your direction after saying something to Riki. The captain followed the direction of where he's pointing with his gaze, making eye contact with you.

Your first instinct was to scowl at him, which deepened when he shot you his signature smug, cocky smirk. You leaned back into your seat, placing you bag on the floor, between your legs as you reached down to pull out your camera. You decided to ignore him, turning the device on as you played around with the settings, not wanting to let him get into your head.

However, you looked up before your mind could processed it and of course, Riki was still looking at you. The team from Solaris Academy had stepped onto the field and the entire place shook from how loud the cheering was. Despite all of that—people shouting the teammates' names and people frantically waving the flags around, Riki never looked away.

"Good luck."

You stilled once the words left your mouth, shocked by what you just said. You can tell Riki was taken aback, not expecting you to say that. To him too, out of all people. Something unreadable flickered in his eyes before it was gone.

You sworn you saw his features softened slightly, like he's taking your words into stride. You weren't granted much time to mull over it, not when the sound of a whistle being blown interrupted the moment, forcing Riki to face the front.

Unlike Decelis Academy, the football team representing Solaris Academy was dressed in light blue jersey. All of them looked formidable and a force to reckon with but deep down, a small, tiny part of you knew they wouldn't be a match for the captain of Decelis Academy. The players bowed to one another, doing a brief handshake before moving to take their respective positions with Hanbin acting as the referee.

Fweeeeet!

And just like that, the match has begun.

It was like a switch was flipped inside them. Every player quickly fell into a steady rhythm. The ball moved quickly, passed with amazing precision between the Decelis players, their formation tightening as they pushed forward. It's clear what their intention was—trying to settle this as fast as possible, wanting to take their opponents by surprise.

However, Solaris didn't hold back on them either.

Dressed in light blue, they cut through the field with breakneck speed, smoothly intercepting passes while pressing hard until they were neck-to-neck, forcing Decelis, which has no choice but to adjust to the newly created rhythm. Their movements are aggressive but calculated. Each player reading the other, almost like they were able to foresee the future.

The crowd couldn't stopped cheering at every near pass, every successful interception and every close call.

Your eyes jumped from one player to another, trying your best to keep up while mentally noting down the important details that make football… well, football—formations, pacing and teamwork. After all, this was what you're truly here for.

And then, something in the air shifted.

The ball was stolen by none other than the captain of Decelis, the academy's golden boy and the younger brother of Lee Heeseung—Nishimura Riki. He stole it mid-pass—the action clean and almost effortless, similar to how he lived his life. With the ball now at his feet, he moved.

More like he teleported, to be exact.

One moment he was near his own goalpost. The next moment, he was already halfway across the field, kicking the ball while being the leader of the counterattack with his teammates around and behind him, taking as much space control as they can.

It's different when he's in possession. You noticed the confidence in the way he carried it, how he weaved through opposing players with sharp, deliberate footwork. One feint to the left, a quick pivot to the right, managing to shake off the players hot on his heels. He slipped past one defender, then another, like they were nothing more than mere obstacles.

The crowd reacted, growing louder and wilder. It's clear nearly everyone was here for him.

This is it.

You lifted up your camera, readjusting your grip as you tracked his movement through the lens. For a second, he blurred due to him moving too fast but you steadied yourself, following the rhythm of his stride instead of fighting it, blending into his movements.

Snap.

The first shot captured him mid-run, dirty ash blonde hair swept back by the wind, jersey clinging onto him as he pushed forward, focus etched across his features.

Snap.

The second shot captured him dodging a defender in the nick of time, body angled and muscles tensed. The moment itself seemed frozen and perfectly between motion and impact, like time had stopped, allowing you to take such an impressive picture.

What you're seeing through the lens is different from everyone else. What you're currently looking at is a boy who has the ability, talent and potential to go further, go beyond the sky to be in a league of his own.

What you're looking at is someone who has a high game sense, is fully aware of his surroundings, is able to read his opponents and is able to take control of the match like it's nothing.

That's when you realized—the Riki you're looking at isn't the same Riki who you're annoyed with. Nor is he the same Riki who never failed to rile you up. No, he is exactly the kind of player people would write about. The kind of player people are interested in, wanting to see him become stronger.

And most importantly, the kind of player people want to see on a big screen.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

5 - 4.

The match ended with Decelis Academy being the winner with Riki scoring the final point by delivering the final kick that sent the ball flying across half of the field. You sworn your eardrums nearly exploded with how loud the crowd hollered at the top of their lungs.

The team threw themselves onto Riki, causing their captain to collapse due to the sheer weight of their sweaty bodies stacked on top of one another as they showered him with compliments.

Fweeeeeet!

Hanbin blew his whistle to signal the end of the match and both teams took that as their cue to move to the center. Everyone shook hands—a form of sportsmanship before walking their own way to their respective changing rooms. Some of the players lingered around, waving and acknowledging the audience.

You, on the other hand, decided to head down to find Riki, intending to interview him with questions you had long prepared beforehand. You gingerly put your camera away into your bag, slung it over your shoulder and headed over to the changing rooms that are located just outside the field, in a small building.

Every step you took led you further from the field with the noise gradually fading, only for it to be replaced with nothing but the echo of your own footsteps. To your relief, the air felt much cooler here, along with the sharp scent of sweat and disinfectant lingering in the air.

You made a turn round a corner, only to bump into something solid and firm. The apology was at the tip of your tongue, ready to apologize but they beat you to it. Shivers ran down your spine when you recognized the sleazy tone used. A tone that was directed towards you.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

You raised your head to see three boys standing before you, wearing the light blue jerseys—Solaris. Up close, they looked just as formidable as they did on the field. They are taller than you expected, broad-shoulder and still slightly flushed from the game.

The boy standing in the middle cocked his head to the side. A lazy, unsettling grin spreads across his face. The way his eyes casually swept over you, assessing you like you're some kind of item didn't go unnoticed.

"Didn't think we'd find something this interesting here," he continued.

Your expression immediately hardened, schooling into something neutral and unreadable—anything to scream disinterest.

"I'm waiting for someone," you replied flatly.

"Yeah? Who is it? I don't see them," he hummed, stepping closer, brushing off your words like they didn't matter.

"None of your business."

The boy chuckled, exchanging a glance with his friends before looking back at you, amusement written all over his face. "Feisty. I like that."

Your grip on your bag tightened, shoulders tensed. "Leave me alone."

The other two snickered under their breaths but the one in the middle didn't move. Rather, he seemed more intrigued by your behavior.

"C'mon, we're just talking. No need to be hostile," he said, his voice dipping slightly, like he's trying to soften his approach but the way he looked at you—practically undressing you with his eyes, make your skin crawled.

"Fuck off," you snapped.

Your response wiped the smile off his face. The previous relaxed, arrogant facade was gone, now replaced with something sharper and tighter. Something far more dangerous. Behind him, his friends exchanged looks, no longer amused and choosing to watch from the sidelines.

"You got a foul mouth for a pretty girl like you," one of them pointed out, giving you a sense of deja vu, reminding you of a certain someone.

You narrowed your eyes. "What part of fuck off do you not understand? Are you stupid?"

Silence.

The three boys went quiet before someone—the boy in the middle, reacted. He stepped even closer but you stood your ground, refusing to show any ounce of fear or discomfort. The last thing you wanted was for him to know he's making you uncomfortable and how he has the upper-hand here.

"You should watch your mouth if I were you," he warned you in a low, threatening tone.

You scoffed, maintaining eye contact and tilted your chin up, taunting him. "Or else what? What you gonna do? You dare to use violence while wearing the academy's jerseys? Can't tell if you're awfully confident or plain stupid."

"You-!"

The boy reached out, ready to do something—maybe grab you by the collar, maybe slap or punch you in the face and the list goes on. Even though you didn't flinch, a part of you momentarily feared for your life for a split moment. You instinctively squeezed your eyes shut, mentally bracing yourself for the incoming pain or rough action.

But there was none.

You reopened your eyes, to see someone now standing in between you and the boy. They—he, has his back facing you, preventing you from seeing his features. The only thing you can see is his strong, broad and oh so capable shoulders, the faint outlines of his muscles seen via his loose fitting shirt and his sunglasses now on his head—

Wait. Sunglasses? I've seen it before. Don't tell me…

"You should know when to take no for an answer," he said, tone even but there's a hint of authority laced in it.

The boy scoffed, eyes flicking to your direction. Seeing this, Heeseung was quick to shift subtly, enough to hide you behind his larger frame. This didn't go unnoticed by the three boys, who shared a quick, fleeting glance with one another, mostly likely in doubt, like they were starting to rethink their actions.

"Chill, we're just talking," the boy in the middle joked but the hardened look in his eyes said otherwise.

That earned an unconvinced hum from Heeseung, who's taller than the three boys. "Right, I'm sure talking doesn't require you to be so close, no?"

The boy narrowed his eyes, getting annoyed with Heeseung. "Didn't know the famous Lee Heeseung has time to play the role of a babysitter."

Your eyebrow twitched but you remained silent, even though you were tempted to retort with something snarky, that could potentially lead to a fight right in the corridor, drawing more unwanted attention to all of you.

One of the two boys snorted, adding fuel to the fire. "Thought pro players are supposed to stay up there." He vaguely jerked his chin to the ceiling, indicating the VIP stands, where he was spotted roughly fifteen minutes ago.

You could practically feel the tension thickening as every second passed. You knew what they were doing but Heeseung was smarter than he looked. He didn't take the bait, didn't even looked offended. But rather, he looked unimpressed, like their words and behavior was nothing more but child's play.

"I'm not the one causing trouble after a match," he calmly pointed out, using the kind of tone that infuriates the three boys, bristling with anger.

"You think just because you went pro, everyone's supposed to bow their heads and listen to you?"

"No, those things are basic knowledge. Doesn't matter if you're pro or not," Heeseung replied without hesitation, words as sharp as a knife.

That shut them up for a few seconds, rendering them speechless. You can practically see their minds scrambling to find any other words to use, to defend themselves but it was futile. Not when the it's crystal clear that Heeseung wasn't playing the same game with them. After what felt like eternity, the boy in the middle let out a humorless laugh, finally backing away.

"Whatever, you can have her if you want. She's not worth it," he said, turning around to walk away. His two minions were quick to follow, hot on his heels.

"He—"

You snarled, stepping around Heeseung, ready to call them out but Heeseung was quick to stop you, hand on your shoulder with his fingers clasped around it. You looked at him and he firmly shook his head.

"Don't. It's not worth it," he said.

One look at him and you can already tell there's a difference between the brothers. While confidence oozed from Riki, someone who wasn't afraid to show off, Heeseung was more down-to-earth and humble. If possible, he would preferred to have close to zero attention on him, wanting to pass as a regular guy instead.

Although, that was easier said than done, considering how his face was shown everywhere during the World Cup season on a yearly basis.

You weren't sure what it was. Maybe it's the way he looked at you with his mesmerizing doe-like eyes. Maybe it's the way he didn't outright boasted about himself, simply being well, himself. Whatever it was, it made the weight on your shoulders lightened.

"..Thanks, I could have handled it myself," you replied.

Heeseung dropped his arm. You pointedly ignored the warmth lingering behind on your shoulder, forcing yourself to not think about it.

"Sure you can. How you planning on doing that?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. The small movement made his earrings hanging on his earlobes swayed side to side.

What's with football players and piercings?

You shrugged your shoulders, adjusting the strap of your bag. "I don't know. Maybe try to kick them in the nuts or something."

He laughed, the sound light-hearted and airy.

"Hyung? What are you doing here?"

The two of you turned to see Riki stepping out of a room, now dressed in his usual clothes and was no longer wearing the jersey. He looked fresher now, after thinking a quick shower. The captain approached the two of you, eyes darting between his older brother and your faces. Heeseung was quick to reply, not wanting Riki to get the wrong idea.

"I was looking for you when I bumped into her. Managed to save her from three Solaris boys too," he answered.

Riki's eyes darkened a shade when he heard that, like he's enraged at the thought of someone attempting to lay their hands on you. You saw it. Of course you did but you made no comment on it, not wanting to give him the impression that you're watching him, being attentive of him and definitely not want his ego to soar higher than it already was.

"Are they still around?"

He asked, voice slightly low, rough and a little raspy around the edges. Hearing it sent shivers down your spine. Your hair stood upright with your body breaking out into goosebumps. Sure, you've seen Nishimura Riki focused when he's on the field or him being confident when he's roaming the campus, like it belongs to him.

But this? This is something new.

Heeseung remained silent on your right, observing his younger brother carefully. There was a subtle shift in his expression—surprise, like he too, didn't expect this reaction from Riki.

"Calm down, they've already left. I handled it," he calmly spoke up.

Riki's eyes flicked towards him briefly before returning to you almost immediately. You caught how he scanned you from head to toe, as if he's searching for signs of injuries. Your throat and heart tightened slightly at the mere thought of him actually caring and looking out for you.

"I'm fine," you said before he could asked you anything.

His expression didn't change. If anything, he poked the inside of his right cheek, like words wasn't enough to settle the raging storm taking over his mind.

"What did they do?" He asked. No, demanded.

"Nothing."

"That's not what I asked," he snapped immediately, too fast for your liking.

You paused, visibly taken aback by the sheer intensity of his behavior. You knew he's not mad at you. But rather, he's mad at the thought of someone touching you. Cornering you and making you uncomfortable. It doesn't make any sense, for him to care for you, not when you're nothing more than a pair of strangers who were forced to work together for the article.

But with how his hands flexed slightly at his sides, fingers curling into his fists, like he's resisting the temptation to do something that could lead to certain consequences. What caught your attention was his eyes. They made him looked more like a puma than anything else. A puma who's ready to pounce on its opponent, ready to sink its sharp canines.

A puma that's ready to kill.

Riki inhaled slowly through his nose, forcing himself to calm down as he dragged a hand over his face. He looked away for a brief second but when he looked at you again, the anger was still there but it's buried deeper now, like he's locking it up deep inside of him.

"You shouldn't have been here alone," he muttered.

That sentence sent a surge of irritation through your veins. "I can handle myself. I'm not helpless."

Riki's eyes flicked to you, lips parting, like he wants to say something but thought the better of it and sealed them shut again. Heeseung awkwardly and pointedly cleared his throat, no doubt sensing there's something in the air between the two of you. He ran a hand through his black hair, bangs perfectly falling over his face.

"Well, I'll see you at home, Riki," he told his younger brother, who nodded before he turned to you, eyes softening slightly, "you should be more careful. Those Solaris boys never know when to stop."

You flashed him a small, genuine smile, unaware of how Riki's eyes instantly zeroed in on your expression. You remained blissfully oblivious to how you made his heart tightened, something ugly wrapping itself around his heart.

"Like I said, I can handle myself, but thank you. See you around."

And with that, Heeseung bid you farewell, good-naturally ruffling the current captain's hair before walking away, leaving you alone with him. Once he was gone, Riki turned to you, shuffling his feet on the spot with his hands tucked into the pockets of his three quarter pants.

"So, why are you here in the first place?" He question.

"I'm here because you told me I can interview you after the match. Don't you remember?" You deadpanned.

Realization flickered across his face. "Oh, right. But uh…"

You groaned when his voice trailed off, already knowing where this was going.

"Let me guess, you have a party to attend. The after-party of the match to celebrate your glorious final goal that won the match and stole the hearts of the audience," you finished for him.

"Sounds like you've been watching me very closely," he pointed out, all smug and boastful, returning to his usual self.

You rolled your eyes but the way your lips curled up in a faint smile says otherwise. "Well, I'd have to, considering I have to take pictures of you."

Riki stilled. It's clear he didn't expect you to go with the flow, replying to him in a casual, friendly way rather than being hostile with him. You caught everything—how his eyes widened slightly, the way his lips parted like he had a response ready, standing on the tip of his tongue, only for it to be wiped clean from his mind.

For once, Nishimura Riki was caught off-guard.

Seeing him malfunctioning on the spot nearly made burst out laughing. Because this was the same guy who always have something to say. Always smug, always quick with a comeback of his own and always carrying himself like he's ten steps ahead of everyone else.

And yet, your causal response was enough to break him.

"…Oh."

You coughed, fighting against the urge to smile wider. "Oh?" You repeated.

In a blink of an eye, his composure slid back in—the familiar confidence settling over him. He scoffed under his breath, running a hand through his damp, dirty ash blonde hair.

"Careful. You're starting to sound nice," he said.

"Don't get used to it."

"Too late."

You rolled your eyes for the second time. But unlike before, there wasn't any irritation behind it anymore.

And Riki noticed. Which was why he made a bold move, invading your personal space with one large stride. It's similar to how the boy from Solaris did it but comparing the two, your body didn't enter fight or flight mode. Rather, you were completely calm, not seeing him as a threat or an annoying pest.

Now that he's standing close to you, you were able to get a faint whiff of his cologne he sprayed and fuck, since when does he smell this good? You swallowed, praying to whichever God up there that Riki wouldn't be able to hear the loud, rapid pounding of your heart or detect your nervousness behind this facade of yours.

However, one look at the knowing smirk on his face was enough to confirm your worst fears.

He didn't point it out and you didn't know if you should be grateful or fearing for your life, wondering if he's planning to use it against you in the future. The captain took another step closer and it's only right for you to move back. This didn't went on for long, ending with your back gently colliding against the wall behind you.

Riki was quick to move, placing one hand on the right side of your head in a casual, smooth motion, like he wasn't the one responsible for pushing you into a corner or how he wasn't the one currently towering over you, putting his tall height to good use, giving him the advantage here.

He's close. Too close.

You could smell his faint cologne mixed with his body shampoo. Up close, his ash blonde hair was no longer damp, now dried strands falling over narrowed, amused eyes that were fixed entirely on you, making you feel small, like he's able to read your mind.

"Well, look at that. I guess you know how to be quiet," he murmured, voice low enough to send another shiver down your spine. It didn't go unnoticed by him, whose lips quirked upward in a knowing smirk, like he's proud of the effect he has on you.

You swallowed. "Back up, Riki."

He arched his left eyebrow—the eyebrow with an slit. Since when does he have that? He tilted his head to the side, eyes never leaving your face, like you're something he has never seen before.

"And why should I? You're not the boss of me."

You frowned in displeasure and annoyance. "I'll say it one more time: back up."

He paused before his teasing grin was replaced with something else. Something slower, darker and far more dangerous. You hated how he's intently studying your expression, like he's trying to crack a code to an impossible case, like he's trying to memorize every reaction you give him.

You weren't blind to how he's also enjoying this—enjoying watching you squirmed under his intense, unwavering gaze. Enjoying the effect he has on you as you kept struggling, trying to regain your footing but deep down, both of you knew someone is losing and it's definitely not him.

"Come to the party with me tonight."

Silence.

Your mind stopped. For a brief moment, you thought your mind was playing tricks on you, that you were mishearing things or he was joking. You waited for him to burst out laughing or for him to wave it off.

But he did none of that.

Instead, he seemed to be waiting for your response, judging from the expectant look on his face. Your stomach twisted into itself when you replayed his sentence, his voice echoing in your mind.

Come with him.

You weren't sure what to feel about that, about his particular choice of words.

"It'd be fun, trust me. Besides, you can take more pictures for your article and who knows, I might be in the mood to answer your questions," he added, despite how it's clear he had won and how you don't need further persuasion.

You scoffed in disbelief. "Did you just used the article as an excuse?"

Riki hummed. "Maybe. Maybe not. Does it really matter? So, are you in or what?"

Your first mistake was not answering him immediately. Your second mistake was to play with the strap of your bag—something you does when you're hesitating. Your third and final mistake was for you to look away and Riki doesn't liked that at all. Doesn't liked the idea of not having your fullest attention and eyes on him.

He reached out with his free left hand, boldly clasping his long, slender fingers around your chin and tilted your head forward, forcing you to look him in the eyes.

His sudden move punched the air out of your lungs. The mere feeling of his warm, rough and calloused fingerpads against your skin was enough to send your heart soaring.

You should do something. Push him away or jerk your head back to free yourself from his grasp but you couldn't moved, like your limbs have forgotten how to function, like someone had glued them to your body, leaving you helpless and vulnerable. Your breath hitched in your throat when Riki dragged his thumb across your bottom lip at an agonizingly, slow and almost tortuous pace.

As if wanting to see how much further he's allowed to go, the boy leaned in, close enough for the tips of your noses to brush against one another in the most lightest, fleeting sensation. But it's enough for your breath to audibly hitched in your throat.

Riki heard it with his sharp hearing. With how close you are, you were given a front row seat of catching his dark, clouded eyes flicking down to your parted lips.

You thought he will do it, only for him to withdraw from you completely.

Riki stepped back, leaving a gap between you. Your fingers twitched, nearly letting the primal urge to feel him again, to feel his body pressed against yours and to feel his hands on your body, took over you but you held yourself back, in an amazing feat of poorly concealed self-restraint. He's the first to speak, to break the thick, tense silence that has surrounded you.

"Give me your number. I'll pick you up at eight," he said.

You don't remember giving him your number nor do you remember what happened next, even though nothing happened. Riki then brought you to the exit of the seemingly long corridor before splitting ways with you as he bid you farewell, heading over to where his car was parked, leaving you alone, standing there in the open with countless thoughts running through your mind.

Sure, you may not remembered much but what you do remember is how close you were to kissing him. And what was probably the most scariest thing is how you wouldn't mind it one bit.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"You did what?"

Jungwon barked out a laugh, the sound loud and sharp, piercing through the peaceful atmosphere of Riki's neighborhood. The strong, pungent smell of tobacco wafted about in the air with the captain taking a long puff of the lit cigarette, lowering his hand to release the smoke from his mouth, watching as it rose until it gradually vanished into thin air before him.

Unlike majority of the students, Riki doesn't live on campus, mostly thanks to Heeseung, who gets paid an hefty, thick paycheck as pro footballer, allowing the siblings to live in a rather wealthy neighborhood, much to the students' jealousy.

As a close, beloved friend of Riki, Jungwon is a frequent visitor to their home to the point that Heeseung ended up making a third copy of their key for Jungwon, for convenience's sake.

"Crazy, right?" Riki replied casually.

Jungwon rolled his eyes, resting both hands on the railings of the balcony as he looked ahead. "I thought you'd have kissed her. Why didn't you?"

The younger boy shrugged his shoulders, tapping his cigarette twice, watching as ash fell from the lited end. "I don't know."

His friend shot him a certain look. "Right… What about Kyujin? She's gonna lose her mind if she finds out you're cheating on her."

Riki snorted, taking his own sweet time in taking another puff, only replying once he exhaled the smoke. "I know she's cheating behind my back too."

"Then?"

"The only reason why I let her cling onto me is because she's hot," he replied, looking at Jungwon, who wasn't surprised, "nothing more and nothing less. Other than that, she can sleep with other guys for all I care. She doesn't have the right to confront me about it when she does the same too."

Jungwon whistled, impressed. "Damn, didn't know you have it in you. So, what are you planning to do with her? Make her fall in love with you?"

Riki chuckled, putting out his cigarette and straightened himself. "Nah, that's too easy. I'm gonna break her."

"Break her?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's always fierce, always barking away like a dog. I want to see how she becomes when someone breaks down the walls she built around herself."

Jungwon owlishly blinked. "Sheesh, you're one heartless person, Riki. Just don't take it too far though. Wouldn't want your future career to be ruined."

Hearing this, the younger snorted and waved off his words. "As if she can do that."

His friend raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying. For all you know, she can ruin your hard-earned reputation just by writing and putting you in a bad spotlight."

Riki rolled his eyes. "I doubt she has the guts to do that in the first place."

"What makes you so sure?"

He paused, mind briefly returning to how you willingly let him touched your lip along with your stunned expression. How he almost gave in to his desires, to close the distance, to kiss you until you're breathless and all putty in his arms, to ruin you until you're chanting his name like a sacred prayer and to make you remember he's the only one who can do this to you.

"I just do," he simply replied, nothing but total confidence evident in his voice, not caring about the puzzled look his friend shot him.

Riki pushed himself off the railings, turning on the spot to retreat to his room. "Come on hyung, we have a party to attend."

The two boys took nearly an hour to get ready, taking their time to pair their clothes together to create the best outfits. Contrary to what people thinks, Riki cares a lot when it comes to fashion. In fact, his top hobby and interest is fashion itself. Jungwon had finished getting dressed, now seated on the edge of his bed, left leg propped on his right leg while scrolling through his phone.

The captain, on the other hand, was walking around his room shirtless. He had threw on a pair of jeans that hung dangerously low on his hips, only for it to be tightly wrapped around his waist with a belt. Jungwon made a noise when he saw his friend changing his shirt again for the unknown time.

"Can you hurry up? You're taking forever," he bemoaned.

Riki rolled his eyes, not paying him any mind as he stood before his opened closet, arms crossed with his fingers tapping on his upperarms. Eventually, his gaze landed on a black, sleeveless top and he removed the hanger, removing the top from it. He threw it on, moving to the body-length mirror and nodded his head in silent approval, lips curled up in a smirk.

"Alright, this looks good enough," he declared and Jungwon heaved a sigh of relief, muttering "fucking finally" under his breath, to which Riki chose to ignore.

He slipped on accessories—silver rings on his fingers that glowed underneath the dim ceiling lights, a silver chain bracelet wrapped around his right wrist and changed some of his piercings to designs that are more flashy and noticeable. Last but not least, he worn a silver necklace with a cross in the middle, leaving it hanging out in the open. Riki ran a hand through his ash blonde hair, patting it down from the sides and sprayed a generous amount of cologne on his body.

Once he was done, he swiped his car keys and phone off the bedside table. He glanced at hie phone, spotting Kyujin's name getting drowned in the sea of messages and notifications and he ignored her. Riki opened the Messages app, finding a certain someone's contact, thumb flying across the screen before sending it.

Me: you done? i'm coming over

(Name): yeah seen

Me: alright. btw, bring your camera along

(Name): ? why?

Me: for your article duh don't tell me you've forgotten about it

(Name): you're really fucking annoying

Jungwon stood up, stretching his arms above his head as he followed Riki out. Heeseung was in his own room, probably gaming away with his headphones on and the two didn't bother telling him they were leaving. They headed to his car and Jungwon was about to slide into the passenger seat when Riki stopped him.

"You're sitting behind today," he said, hopping into the driver's seat.

Jungwon openly gaped. "Huh? Why? Are you gonna pick Kyujin up?"

The engine came to life with a purr before it blended into a low, effortless hum in the background. Despite his reaction, his friend obliged and got into the backseat, closing the door beside him as he buckled his safety belt with Riki doing the same.

"Because I'm picking someone up."

"Who?"

"You'll see," he replied, keying in the postal code you gave him into his navigator before pulling away.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Meanwhile, you had long finished getting ready for the party. Thankfully, Yunah wasn't around as she had went home to spend the weekend with her family, sparing you from the countless questioning and teasing. You stared at yourself in the mirror, almost like you weren't sure if your reflection looking back at you was truly you or not.

You had applied a light shade of make-up, nothing too obvious but rather, just enough to make yourself look decent. After all, it is a party and you weren't one to pass up on the opportunity to dress up. You worn something that's bold and slightly out of your comfort zone.

A black, tight spaghetti-strap padded top with black lace peeking out underneath, acting as a fake second layer. You worn a pair of baggy faded jeans with a belt securely wrapped around your waist to prevent it from falling. For accessories, you went with minimalist—a silver necklace with a cross in the middle and a black thick bracelet on your left wrist.

Once you were done, you sprayed some perfume on yourself, double-checking your makeup before slipping on a pair of low heels—not too high for it to be deemed dangerous or too low for it to be deemed laziness.

As per Riki's request, you had packed your camera, taking a picture of the questions you wrote in your notebook before stepping out of the house when Riki texted you, telling you he had arrived.

You saw him immediately once you opened your door, casually leaning against the side of his car while scrolling through his phone. Riki wasn't aware of your presence, giving you the chance to take him in. As much as you hate to admit it, he is good-looking, only if his mouth is shut though.

He's dressed different than usual, revealing more skin—those toned arms of his and when he raised his hand to run it through his hair, your eyes instinctively flicked down to his sides, noting black ink imprinted on his skin.

You approached him, every step you took made your heels clicked-clacked against the pavement, easily catching his attention as he looked up. Your stomach flipped when you saw Riki shamelessly ogling you, greedily drinking you in from head to toe, no doubt pleased with what he's seeing.

You wrinkled your nose at the smell of tobacco invading your senses, disapproval appearing in your eyes when you saw the lit cigarette held in his left hand, between his middle and index fingers.

"Really? I'm surprised you aren't huffing and puffing yet," you said.

Riki snorted, taking one final puff before he dropped the cigarette, extinguishing it by squashing it into the road with his left shoe. "Hey, you're making it sound like I'm an old man."

You rolled your eyes, raising your hand to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind your left ear but he was faster. Your body turned as still as a statue when he did it for you. His fingers grazed against the shell of your ear, sending shivers down your spine. For a moment, you locked eyes with one another, like it's just the two of you with no one else.

Riki glanced down for a split second before back up again. You caught it. Of course you did. His hand was still hanging in the air and he was about to say something when a loud, pointed cough interrupted the two of you.

Cough cough.

You visibly jumped, startled while Riki wasn't fazed, merely huffing out of annoyance than anything else. The right back door opened and Jungwon's head popped above the car, a flat and unimpressed look on his face.

"Are you two done flirting? We have a party to attend and we're gonna be late," he deadpanned.

Your face flushed red but the captain merely rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, hyung. We won't be late. We're the main event after all."

Nonetheless, Riki pushed himself off the car and to your surprised, opened the passenger door for you. He even placed a hand on it, preventing you from knocking your head against it as you got in, closing the door for you.

He rounded his car, getting in with Jungwon doing the same as well. You sworn you heard the senior muttering something under his breath, something that suspiciously sounded like "fucking lovebirds and here I am, third-wheeling."

You didn't like how something in you twitched at that. At the thought of being in a relationship with Riki. With someone who has a girlfriend.

It didn't take you long to arrive to the party and frankly speaking, it's impossible to miss the house hosting the party. You could practically hear the music even though you're still in his car.

Heavy, muffled bass vibrated through the quiet, still neighborhood. It's a miracle the windows of the nearby houses didn't shatter due to how loud it was. Bright lights spilled out from the massive property at the end of the street, highlighting the crowd gathered outside, like moths drawn to a flame.

Multiple cars lined messily along the sidewalks. Some were parked properly while some were abandoned at questionable angles, like their owners were either too impatient or drunk to care. You suspect it was mostly the later option though.

To no one's surprise, the house was gigantic.

It's modern and expensive-looking. Three stories tall with wide opened sleek black gates, allowing students to enter and go whenever they pleased. The front lawn was crowd with people.

Some were clearly half-gone from alcohol, groups laughing too loudly while some were busy shoving tongues down one another's throat—much to your disgust. There were some scattered across the steps with red plastic cups held in their hands, chatting among themselves.

The smell washed over you immediately once Riki parked his car as you alighted—alcohol, smoke, weed and most importantly, the distinct, unmistakable scent of terrible decisions lingering around the corner, waiting patiently for its first victim.

You unconsciously adjusted the hem of your outfit, pulling your pants up slightly while your eyes scanned your surroundings. Somewhere nearby, someone shouted at the top of their lungs, drunkenly before bursting into a fit of laughter, with their friends cheering them on.

Another group was attempting to shotgun drinks with their bodies swaying side to side near the driveway, with music blasting through speakers positioned by the entrance.

"Looks like they've started without us," Jungwon whistled, hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers.

"Not surprised," Riki said casually, locking the car with a click of his keys. He didn't wait for permission, already approaching the house, walking like he owns the land, like he knew everyone has been waiting for him.

And they indeed were waiting for him. Countless eyes snapped to his direction, whether they knew it or not the moment his tall figure entered their visions. You purposely slowed your steps down, walking behind him, not wanting to be caught in his radar but your plan failed when you saw people whispering while sending not so subtle glances toward you.

It's enough to make your shoulders tensed, clutching onto your bag that contained your camera and a few other personal belonging. Jungwon, on the other hand, had mysteriously vanished into thin air, leaving you alone with Riki. He walked along the stone pavement that winds up to the opened front door of the three stories building.

The inside of the building has a different vibe than the outside. The moment you entered, the bass from the speakers hit harder, loud enough for you to feel the vibrations beneath your feet. Colored LED lights flashed across the massive living space, shifting between shaded of red, blue and purple with music occupying the air.

To say it's packed with people would be an understatement.

You groaned the moment you kept bumping or knocking into someone's shoulders. Some crowded around the kitchen island that was lined with bottles of alcohol. Some were dancing near the speakers, shouting over the loud, booming music despite standing mere inches apart.

Someone nearly stumbled and spilling their drinks on you before quickly apologizing and disappearing into the crowd. Out of pure instinct, you stepped closer to Riki, only for realization to hit you too late. Judging from the amused glint in his eyes, he noticed it.

"Overwhelmed already?" He asked, having to bend slightly so you can hear him.

You straightened immediately—a move used to hide your pounding heart. "No."

"Liar."

"Riki!"

Someone shouted his name, easily catching the captain's attention despite the loud, thundering music. You watched as a unfamiliar boy approached him through the sea of crowd. The two did a brief handshake—typical behavior for boys before falling into a brief conversation.

For a moment, you were tempted to wander around, only to rethink your decision when you how more and more people were entering the room.

The only person you knew here is Riki, leaving you no choice but to stick with him, unless you want a random stranger to approach you with hidden motives.

"Hey, you good?"

You blinked, snapping out of your trance, to see Riki now looking at you, giving you his fullest attention and the guy was nowhere to be seen. You wordlessly nodded and you sworn you saw his features softened before it was gone in a blink of an eye.

"We got invited to a game of beer pong. Wanna play?" He suggested.

You raised an eyebrow. "We? Are you sure I'm also invited? I don't know anyone here."

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "So? You know me. I'm not anyone and that's good enough. Most of the guys here aren't nice like me."

You couldn't hold back the snort that managed to slip past your lips. "Are you praising yourself? How arrogant can you be?"

"It's not arrogance when I'm stating the truth," he retorted and continued in a softer, assuring voice, "but seriously. If you don't want to then we can just hang around until you're ready to leave."

You hesitated, ready to decline the invitation and to shoo Riki away so he can have fun by himself, until you saw a certain someone among the crowd. A certain someone who is definitely not is girlfriend—Kyujin.

From where you stood, you were able to see her shamelessly flirting with a random boy, standing extremely close to him to be brushed off as causal or friendly. If anything, the boy didn't mind her advances, with how he even pulled her closer to whisper something into her ear.

Your mind replayed the rumors you've heard before—how their relationship isn't all lovey-dovey, how they kept breaking up and getting back together and honestly, you didn't care much about them.

But that was before your task of writing an exclusive article for him. Now? Now that you've interacted with him a few times, excluding the ones when you wanted to leap across the table to strangle him to death, you're starting to see a different side of him. A different side that everyone wasn't able to see.

Everyone other than you, that is.

Your limbs moved before your mind processed it, acting on impulsiveness rather than logic.

"Let's play."

Riki owlishly blinked his eyes, uncertain if he was hearing you correctly. "..Are you sure?"

You huffed. "Of course I'm sure. What? You scared or something?"

You can tell your words ignited something, judging from how his eyes darkened, the need to compete against you taking over his senses.

"If anyone's scared, it's you," he taunted, "just follow me and stick close to me. Wouldn't want you to get lost in the crowd, princess."

You hated how the sudden usage of the pet-name made your heart fluttered, like you're his actual girlfriend. If you noticed how Riki possessively rested a hand on your back to guide you through the crowd and how he's closer than he should be, then that's no one else business but yours.

Riki brought you to the second floor of the building and compared to the first floor, it's more breathable and less suffocating. The vibe is different from before—slightly calmer but you were still able to hear the loud music from downstairs.

There was already a large group of students crowded around a long table that's strangely placed in the middle of the room. There wasn't much furniture—just a few occupied couches and sofas that were already occupied.

On cue, everyone in the room snapped their heads up at the sound of your combined footsteps. You faintly recognized a face among the sea of faces—the boy who approached Riki earlier and you assumed he's the host of the game, judging from where he's standing. The boy's face lit up like a lightbulb at the sight of him.

"You made it! Good to have you here. We're just about to start," he said, gesturing for both you and Riki to join the crowd.

"Beer pong. Classic rules with two teams, cups on both ends. All you need to do is to throw the ball into the opposing side's cups. If it lands, the other team drinks. Easy right?" The boy explained, dramatically gesturing to the long table, like he's presenting something life-changing and never seen before.

A loud chorus of cheers erupted around you. You, on the other hand, stared at the setup before you. Red cups arranged in triangles, holding liquor you truly don't want to know. Ping pong balls were in a small transparent plastic cup with alcohol bottles lining the sides like decoration.

This is a far cry from your usual Friday night—how you'd be spending the night in the comfort of your bed, watching your favorite shows and yet, here you are—at a party, all thanks to Nishimura Riki.

Speak of the devil, Riki loudly cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Alright, I guess I'm starting first. Since I'm the star player and all, right Sunoo?"

Sunoo—that's the boy's name, rolled his eyes and tossed a ping pong ball towards him, who caught it without blinking. "Whatever, you show-off."

"Not my fault I'm a pro."

"Less talking, more throwing."

Their brief banter earned a round of laughter from the bystanders while you silently lingered near the edge of the crowd, wanting to blend into the background and remain unseen. However, your not so subtle plain didn't go unnoticed by Riki. He moved towards you, all quiet and stealthy as he grabbed your wrist, tugging you forward until you're standing beside him.

"Nuh uh, don't even think about hiding," he said.

You frowned. "I wasn't trying to hide."

Riki snorted at the obvious, pathetic lie. "Right, how about we make this interesting? We'll be on different teams—you on one team and me on the other."

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm gonna say."

"Doesn't matter. My answer's still no."

Riki ignored your words, letting them bounced off of him as he braced his hands on the edge of the table, the ping pong ball rolling to the side, long forgotten. You didn't like how he has his eyes on you the entire time, despite how there's a crowd surrounding the two of you.

Like you're the only person he sees.

"If my team wins, you need to do something for me."

You narrowed your eyes. "I don't like where this is going."

"But if your team wins, you can ask me to do something for you."

The room shook with the crowd's reactions, no doubt hooked after hearing him.

"That's crazy."

"Ain't no way she's turning this down."

"Seriously? To win against him? Yeah, she's cooked."

You stared at him in disbelief while Riki, on the other hand, was waiting patiently, even though both of you long knew what your answer will be.

"..What if I don't want to?"

He shot you a cocky smirk, the sight easily pushing your buttons and sending you over the edge. "Why? Scared I'll win?"

Your self-pride and worth immediately took the hit. "You're on."

The smirk on his face turned victorious and knowing but you ignored him, moving to snatch up another ping pong ball from the cup. The crowd started cheering. Some cheered for you while some cheered for Riki. The air in the room was now filled with nothing but excitment, the audience waiting impatiently for the game to begin.

What you didn't know however, was how he had planned this. Right from the beginning. And how you've cluelessly walked into the trap he meticulously created.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

To absolutely no one's surprise, Riki's team won.

You knew you're already tipsy, with you drinking a total of five cups of alcohol. Sure, you're still standing on your two feet but your head was borderline spinning and you were feeling light-headed. Some of your teammates were lightweights, already beyond drunk as they giggled to themselves, body dangerously swaying side to side.

"Woah there, writer."

You faintly heard Riki's voice as he steadied you with one hand on your arm while the other on your waist. If you were sober, your first reaction would be to push him away but you're not sober. You're tipsy, not acting like your usual self. You let out a light-hearted, airy giggle with you leaning against him, head lolled to the side, eyes dazed and unfocused.

You're painfully unaware of the thoughts running through his mind—thoughts that consists of him wanting to ruin you, wanting to break you and so on. Riki sighed, swiftly lifting you into his arms, carrying you bridal-style. His sudden action drew a surprised squeak from you. You clung onto him for dear life, even though Riki wouldn't dare to do that.

Not to you, anyways.

Riki climbed up a flight of stairs, bringing him to the third floor—the quietest floor compared to the other two in the building. There's a total of eight rooms and he knew all of them were vacant. He entered the nearest one, struggling a little to open the door with you in his arms, giggling under your breath to yourself.

The layout of the room was simple—a window that showcased the entire lawn filled with students scattered across it, a neatly-made bed, a small round table with a chair placed against it and a cupboard for someone to store their clothes. It feels more like a simple guest room but considering the current context, it can also be a room for certain things to happen.

Certain things that came in the form of a one nightstand, which is equivalent to a bad decision.

Riki placed you down on the bed, ready to leave so he can grabbed a bottle of water for you to sober up but he was stopped the moment his body was angled towards the door. He looked over his shoulder, only for his breath to stutter in his throat with the look you're giving him. All wide, innocent and doe-like—a huge contrast to the indecent, dark thoughts lingering in the back of his mind.

It didn't help with how your eyes were glossy—one of the many side-effects of the alcohol running through your veins. How your oh so kissable, irresistible lips were parted, seemingly glowing under the moonlight that's entering the room via the window.

Riki's eyes unconsciously trailed down, scanning your features, gaze lingering longer than usual on your cleavage. He wasn't sure when the top you're wearing was tugged slightly down, revealing the curves of your breasts.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked, words already slurring as you raised your finger, pointing at him.

"…Like what?"

You giggled, drunkenly tilting your head to the side. "Like you want to kiss me."

His eyes darkened a shade at your words, at how you were speaking the truth. Or in this case, the partial truth. Riki turned on the spot, his body now fully facing you. He reached out to cup your face, thumbs caressing your cheekbones. The action itself was sweet and loving—a huge contrast to the indecent thoughts in his mind.

"You'd want that, don't you? Want me to kiss your pretty, filthy mouth," he crooned, tilting your head back slightly.

The next thing he knew, you took two of his fingers into your mouth. Riki watched, mesmerized by the erotic, lewd sight of you wrapping your pretty lips around his slender digits, sucking on them like it's a lollipop. You didn't break eye contact, gazing at him beneath your eyelashes, like you knew what you're doing, like you knew the effect you have on him.

Heat shot straight down to his cock. It twitched against the tight restraints of his boxers and pants. He sworn under his breath. Just out of pure curiosity and nothing else, he pushed his long fingers further down your throat. His action drew a muffled gagged noise from you. He watched, fascinated by how well you're taking him, how obedient you are, letting him do as he pleased with you. Like you're nothing but a doll for him to use.

"Fuck, look at you. All mouthy but you go quiet the moment you got something in your mouth," he rasped, already sounding wrecked just from watching you.

You whined, the sound muffled as you looked at him with wide, teary and dazed eyes. You hollowed your cheeks, almost looking like you're sucking his cock. An invisible light-bulb went off in his mind. He pulled his fingers out with a loud "pop", ignoring the disappointed sound of protest you made.

He observed how the thick, glowing strands of your saliva stretched between his fingers, like a spiderweb. He then used his fingers—the very same fingers covered in your saliva and traced it down your neck, creating a sticky feeling on your skin. It's sick and twisted, like he's marking a claim on you.

But gods, you actually liked it.

Riki chuckled at the breathless gasp you let out, head tilting back with your eyelids fluttering shut. His eyes averted to the side, noting the bag you brought along. The bag that has your camera in it. He leaned forward, easily picking it up with his long arm. The captain unzipped it, pulled the device out and easily turned it on, like he knew his way around a camera.

You, on the other hand, watched as he held the expensive device in his left hand.

"On your knees."

Normally, you would laughed at him, saying something snarky which can result into a full-blown argument. But you did none of that. You didn't talk back to him, didn't stand and walked out of the room.

Instead of doing any of that, you dropped to your knees.

"Good girl."

What the fuck.

It took all of you to not let the involuntary whimper leave your mouth, how you subtly rubbed your thighs together, craving for any sort of friction.

Riki's eyes gleamed in sanctification at your obedience, at how easily you submitted to him. What you didn't know was how he started recording the moment he got his hands on your camera. Capturing everything in the highest quality, capturing how you got off the bed, sinking to your knees as they gently hit the carpet beneath you.

You scooted closer, hands hovering in the air—waiting for his permission, only getting into action at a light nod of his head. First, you unhooked his belt, letting it fall to the floor with a loud series of clattering sound that none of you paid any mind to.

Second, you unbuttoned his jeans, letting it pooled around his ankles, leaving just his Chrome Hearts boxer on. The fabric does nothing but further outline his cock, poking against his boxer. Heck, there's even a visible wet stain on it.

You hooked your fingers into the hem, pulling it down to reveal more and more of his sun-kissed, muscular thighs before it joined the same fate as his pants. It sprung out, nearly slapping you in the face the moment it's freed. The tip was in an almost pitiful shade of red with a bead of precum that glistened under the moonlight shining in from the window on your left.

It's big and thick. Probably able to reach your womb.

Of course he has a big dick with that stupidly high ego of his. Of fucking course.

You glanced up, noting Riki's attentive, dark and lust-filled eyes that never left your face the entire time, like he's waiting for you to do something. And you did. You opened your mouth, tongue flattening against the bottom.

You moved your head closer and closer and teasingly gave a kittenlick to his cock, drawing a sharp and loud inhale from Riki. You collected the leaking bead of precum with the tip of your tongue, making a show of spreading it across your lips.

"Fucking hell, you're so—" Riki cursed, words borderline shaking with his free hand reaching out to tangle his fingers in your hair, to anchor himself or he sworn he would've cum right there and then.

Will you let him cum on your face?

He shoved the thought aside, making a mental note to use it in the future. He'd be a fool to do this as a one-time thing, not when he had been waiting for this for a long, long time.

Spurred by his reaction, you shot forward and took his cock in your mouth in one, effortless and smooth movement. You choked, your mouth obscenely stretched wide to accommodate to the grith of his cock. You sworn you can feel him hitting the back of your throat. You couldn't breathed nor were you aware tears were trickling down your cheeks until Riki cooed, stretching out his hand to wipe them away.

The action itself was sweet and soft despite how he's enjoying the way you're struggling to take him in your mouth. His hand returned to its previous position—fingers grabbing a fistful of your hair. He glanced at the camera, ensuring it's still rolling before he experimentally canted his hips into your mouth.

No warnings was given.

Your eyes widened and you forced your throat to relax, ensuring your teeth was covered by your gums, not wanting to bite his cock off. You repositioned your hands—one curled into a fist on your lap while the other rested on his right thigh to steady yourself. Riki's low, deep groans and him thrusting his cock into your mouth along with your muffled moans filled the room.

It's a miracle he's still holding onto the camera. From his point of view, the angle he held it at gets a perfectly clear and unobstructed view of his cock sliding in and out of your mouth, treating you like a fleshlight, a hole to be used and filled. He smirked at how your muscles and body have relaxed, letting him manhandled you as he pleased.

"Shit, so good for me, aren't you? How'd the school thinks if they see you like this, huh? All mouthy but letting me fuck your mouth. Nothing but a cockslut. My cockslut."

You whined, the vibration coursing down the length, sending a body-length shiver up his body from head to toe. Riki moaned—the sound low, deep and slightly rough.

He tossed his head back, revealing his Adam's Apple that bobs up and down with every inhale and exhale leaving his lips. He shivered when you traced your tongue along the protruding veins on the underside, creating a tingling sensation.

"F-Fuck, gonna cum. You'd swallow all of it, right?" He moaned.

You didn't answer him. More like, you couldn't. Not when your mouth was stuffed full of his cock. You can only respond via a choked moan, which seems to be what pushed him over the edge.

With one final thrust, Riki pushed himself deep into your throat, not caring about your gag reflex or how his abrupt action caused more tears to roll down your cheeks, causing your make-up to be smudged with his rough treatment.

You felt him spilling down your throat—thick and warm, painting them in the shade of his cum. His knees buckled but didn't give way. He loosened his grip in your now messed-up hair, flinching when you swirled your tongue around his tip, planting a soft and light kiss on it before fully pulling back with a soft "pop" sound.

Riki stopped the recording, tilting your chin up with his fingers clasped around your face. He tapped twice on your right cheek and you obeyed, opening your mouth for him to see you had swallowed all of his cum.

He chuckled, pleased. "Good girl."

He pulled you to your feet, steadying you with one arm wrapped around your waist when you staggered, your legs numb after remaining in the same position for a while. Riki reached around you to place the camera down on the bed behind you. For a moment, you thought he will kiss you or return the favor.

But to your surprise and confusion, he made you sat on the edge of the bed. You watched, eyes never leaving his figure as he pulled his boxers and pants up, tucking himself back in with the belt now wrapped around his waist.

Riki ran a hand through his hair, reaching into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He turned, ready to leave when you called out to him, your mouth moving before you could think.

"Wait, what about me?" You asked.

The captain paused, looking at you over his shoulder with an unlit cigarette stick held between his lips. "What about you?"

You blinked. "I mean—"

"Oh. Maybe another time, writer. Hopefully you still remember you got an article to write," he replied in a knowing tone.

Before you could say anything, Riki had walked out of the room, like nothing happened. Like he didn't leave you throbbing, hopelessly empty and aching for him.

Whatever happened next was a blur. You ended up heading down to the first floor, downing shots after shots like there's no tomorrow even though your throat was burning from the intense alcohol in the red plastic cups. Drunk students around you cheered and hollered at the top of their lungs, thrilled to see someone going all out.

Someone kept shoving a cup into your hands, one after another and it's only right for you to gulp them. You knew you'll be facing the consequences of your actions tomorrow but for tonight, you want to forget.

To forget about the damned article the board wants you to work on. To forget about Nishimura Riki. To forget about the effect he has on you and how he already have you wrapped around his finger.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The very next day, you woke up with a massive hangover. It's the kind of hangover that made you regret every life decisions you made. You managed to slowly push yourself up from your bed, recognizing that you were back in your bed.

Your eyes flicked over to the bedside table and you saw your camera resting on it. The very same camera used to take pictures for your journalist club. You picked it up, noting how the device was on and checked the latest picture taken.

Only for you to realize it wasn't an picture. But rather, it was a video.

You nearly dropped the camera when you saw your own fucked out facial expression—you going cross-eyed, faint black ink and tears running down your face. The lewd sound from the video bounced off the four walls of the room.

Thankfully, Yunah was taking a shower, saving you from being bombarded by her questions, endless teasing and a well-deserved scolding from her.

To say you were embarrassed was an understatement.

Never in your life would you find yourself in your current dilemma—having a sex tape featuring yourself. Although, can it be considered a sex tape if all you did was giving him a blow job? To make matters worse, you barely recalled the series of events. All you remembered was Riki leaving the room, leaving the smell of a lit cigarette behind in his wake and the rest was blank.

Knock knock.

You jumped, startled by the sudden knocking sound and cleared your throat. "Y-Yeah?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," you replied, quickly placing the camera on the bedside table as the door was pushed opened, revealing Yunah busy drying off her damp hair with a towel while walking around the room.

"You gave me a heart attack last night, appearing at our doorstep while giggling and talking to yourself," she said, plopping down on the chair placed by your vanity table.

Yunah then used your hairdryer to her hair while your eyes followed her movement from where you sat. You didn't speak until she turned off the hairdryer, surprisingly keeping your voice steady and even despite how your heart was pounding against your ribcage.

How you were nothing but a walking or sitting bundle of nerves, feeling the reality of what happened last night gradually sinking in, leaving a heavy, uncomfortable weight on your shoulders.

"What happened? I can't remember anything," you questioned.

The girl snorted, eyes never leaving her reflection as she started putting makeup on her face. "Not surprised. You were really drunk. It took me a solid fifteen minutes bringing you from the door to your bed."

You stiffened, hands fisting the blanket covering your body. "…Did I say anything?"

At your question, Yunah glanced at you. "You did, but I couldn't catch them. You were mumbling and giggling to yourself."

Your shoulder dropped in relief. At least you didn't say a certain someone's name or you wouldn't be able to live that down.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll treat you to dinner tonight if you want," you offered sheepishly, removing the blankets as you got out of bed.

Yunah chuckled. "I won't say no to free food, but I can't make it tonight. I have a project I need to rush and I'm meeting my groupmates later."

You tossed the blankets aside, heading to the bathroom to take your shower when you stopped once you heard what your friend said. You whistled, leaning against the doorframe with a teasing grin on your face, locking eyes with her via the mirror.

"Damn, someone's hardworking," you teased.

She rolled her eyes and flipped you off. "Shut up, you know I'm only doing this because the project is sixty percent of my grade. If I don't do well, I'm doomed."

You laughed, slinging your tower over your shoulder. "Good luck with that. Try not to die and think of your free dinner treat that will be waiting for you."

"Fuck off."

"Love you too."

Thirty minutes later, you stepped out of the bathroom to see Yunah had already left. Since it's the weekend and you have nothing planned, you decided to spend your time by working on your assignment. You made a simple, fulfilling brunch for yourself as you sat by the small dining table, placing your laptop and study materials on it.

You managed to get some decent progress done within the next two hours and you decide to head out to a convenience store to buy some snacks. Groaning, you stretched your arms above your head as you slid off your chair, whacking your back. You didn't bother changing, choosing to head out while wearing an oversized shirt with a pair of shorts underneath.

Comfort over style.

You swiped your phone, wallet and keys off before heading out after wearing your slippers. The nearest convenience store was located just outside of campus, one street down the road and within walking distance too. Besides, you could do with some fresh air as well. It took you ten to twelve minutes for you to arrive.

Only for you to stop in your tracks when you saw a familiar figure outside.

He wasn't alone. From the looks of it, he's hanging out with a group of boys and together, all of them looked more like a bunch of rowdy delinquents who have nothing better to do with their time. Riki didn't notice you, his back turned to you with him laughing at something someone said. Your eyes flicked down, scoffing under your breath at him holding a lit cigarette between his right index and middle fingers.

You decide to ignore him, praying he wouldn't noticed you as you walked past him, head pointedly lowered. You heaved a sigh of relief when you entered the convenience store, the auto doors closing behind you, saving you from him.

You made a beeline to a particular section, grabbing two packets of potato chips, a cold drink and two cups of instant noodles, because why not?

You then headed to the register to make your payment, ready to tap your card when someone paid for you. You looked up, ready to tell them off, but the voice died down in your throat when you realized Riki was standing on your right.

"What are you doing? I can pay for myself," you hissed, accepting the plastic bag from the staff and turned to leave with the captain walking beside you.

"I know you can but I wanted to. You ignoring me hurts my heart. I thought we're friends," he replied, resting a hand on his chest.

You shot him a warning look. "We're not friends. We're just group partners for the article. That's all."

Riki raised an eyebrow, stepping closer before you could blinked.

He's close. Too close. Close enough that your shoulders are brushing against one another. Close enough that you're able to feel the heat emitted from his body, through the multi-layers of clothes. Close enough for him to brush his fingers along your knuckles. The sudden, light sensation made you flinched and the way he chuckled knowingly didn't went unheard.

"Really? Don't tell me you've forgotten what happened at the party," he murmured, ducking his head to whisper into your ear, his hot breath grazing against your skin.

You stopped, turning on the spot to face him. If looks could kill, he would've dropped dead on the spot with how intense your glare was.

"Shut up. I was drunk," you hissed under your breath.

Riki laughed, hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. He casually rocked back and forth on his heels, unfazed with your reaction. "Right, you could've pushed me away but you didn't. Admit it, you want me."

"Yeah, I want you to fuck off and leave me alone," you fired back without hesitation.

The boy cocked his head to the side, gaze assessing and firm, like he's trying to read between the lines, trying to decipher your mind and you hated it. Hate how he looks at you like you're the most interesting thing in the world. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to have found it, with how he huffed, amused and straightened himself.

"Since both of us are free, how about we really get started on the article? I can come over, let you interview me," he proposed.

You crossed your arms. "How can I trust you? You're not the kind of man who can keep his hands to himself."

Riki looks offended. "Hey, I'm not like those guys. Trust me. I swear on my future career too."

"That doesn't mean shit."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Approximately twenty minutes later, you found yourself unlocking the front door of the dorm with Riki standing beside you. He's the first to enter, literally shoving you aside, entering the place like he lives here. Your left eyebrow twitched in barely suppressed anger at how he lazily kicked his shoes off, leaving them aside while he sauntered into the small living and dining room.

"Damn, you live like this?" He asked, stopping in the middle after taking everything in.

"What's that supposed to mean? I don't have a rich older brother like you," you retorted, kicking off your slippers as you placed them by the side neatly, unlike a certain someone.

Riki didn't comment on that, gravitating towards the first closed door he sees. He stood outside, turning to look at you and pointed his thumb at it.

"Is this your room?"

You placed the white plastic bag on the dining table, pushing your laptop and study materials aside to make space for it. "Yeah and no, we're not going to my room. We'll be out here."

Riki clicked his tongue. "You're no fun."

Despite his words, he moved away from the closed door, plopping down on the chair opposite of yours, leaning back into it as he manspreads his annoying long legs of his. Legs that you held onto when he fucked his cock into your mouth. You were quick to shove the thought out of your mind, not wanting to think about it.

Sitting down, you pulled your laptop closer to you, definitely not because you want to use it to shield yourself from his gaze. Nope. You opened one of your many, many notes that has the questions written down. You pulled your phone out from the pocket of your shorts, opened the Recording app to record the interview.

You cleared your throat, making the mistake of glancing at him, only to falter when Riki has been watching you the entire time. Right from the start when you sat down, your shorts tugging upward slightly to reveal a little more of your skin. You didn't saw how his eyes flicked down, how he bit his bottom lip and how he subtly shifted in his seat, pulling on his pants as it's getting too tight.

"Alright, first question: what made you joined the football team in Decelis Academy?" You asked, glancing at your phone's screen to ensure the recording is playing.

Riki hummed, throwing his right arm onto the back of the vacant chair beside him. You shot him a glare when he lightly kicked his feet against yours under the table.

"I find the sport interesting and my brother kept pestering to play with him when we were young," he replied, catching you off-guard as you assumed he will brushed it off but instead, he was answering it honestly. You sworn you saw a nostalgic look in his eyes with him staring at a random spot of the table. You remained silent, letting him continue.

He chuckled softly under his breath—something you didn't think he's capable of in the first place, eyes growing distant. From where you sat, it looked like he's traveling back to the past, watching from the sidelines as his younger self spent some quality, bonding time with his older brother.

"I wasn't good at it at first. My movements were awkward and stiff, like I didn't know how to use my limbs to chase and kick the ball. Heeseung hyung kept laughing at me but when I ended up crying and telling our parents that he's a meanie, he stopped and started teaching me, showing me the proper way of kicking a ball and how to defend yourself from your opponent."

He paused, running a hand through his hair, deep in thought.

"Turns out I have a talent in football and Heeseung hyung was the one who encouraged me to join the football team in Decelis. And here I am."

You nodded, fingers flying across your laptop's keyboard, jotting down his words in point form. You froze when you felt him trailing his right feet along your left ankle. At first, you thought it was on accident but that was your first mistake. Because for someone like Riki, nothing he does was on accident, like the true menace he is.

When it's clear he doesn't have anything else to add on, you nodded and moved on to the second question, trying your best to ignore how he's trailing your left leg with his own, like he has a motive behind it.

"Right, then moving on. Do you foresee yourself following your brother's footsteps?"

Silence.

You saw the signs—how he narrowed his eyes, how he clenched his jaw and how his tongue poked the inner-side of his right cheek. You slowly moved your hand, wanting to stop the recording when Riki's cold, low and deep voice halted you in your tracks.

"Is that how you see me?"

You blinked. "What?"

He barked out a cold, bitter and humorless laugh. "Don't try to act dumb, writer. You know damn well what you're doing. Asking me a question that's related to my brother."

Oh.

Oh. Perhaps you might have made a mistake. A mistake that stepped on one of his sore spots. Sore spot that comes in the form of being compared with Heeseung. You dropped your hands, resting them on your lap and maintained eye contact with him.

"Look, it's not my intention to compare you with him. I'm asking this because that's what the public thinks too—"

"What the public thinks?" He repeated, harshly cutting you off and you went silent, not wanting to piss him off further.

Riki stood up to walk round the table and stopped on your side. He leaned forward, bracing one hand on the edge of the table while the other was on the back of your chair. You leaned back, trying to create as much distance as you could but it's futile. With his tall figure cutting off any possible exits, you were helplessly trapped, cornered and at his mercy.

His eyes scanned you from head to toe, shamelessly taking in how your pathetic shorts barely covered anything, showing off your clear, unblemished skin. Skin that he craved to leave his marks on. He chuckled, the sound low and deep, sending shivers down your spine and goosebumps breaking out on your body.

Riki leaned in, fingers gripping your chin while he tilted your head back, forcing you to keep looking at him. He dug his blunt nails into your cheekbones, hard enough to leave crescent-shaped prints behind but not hard enough to draw blood. The stinging pain drew a pained hiss from you, slipping from your lips before you could stopped it.

The smirk stretched wider across his face, dark and twisted.

"I think it's time I teach you a lesson. To show what happens when girls like you keep crossing the lines," he snarled, venom seeping into his voice.

"Ri-!?"

Your voice died down in your throat when Riki dropped to his knees in front of you. His knees hit the floor with a painfully loud 'thud' that made you winced but he didn't care. Didn't care about how they will be bruised later on. He shot out his hands, roughly yanking you down by your hips until your lower half is in the air with your legs thrown over his shoulders, drawing a startled yelp from you.

He didn't give you time to regain your bearings, pulling your shorts and underwear down, baring your dripping and throbbing cunt. Riki chuckled, running his index finger along the innerway of your right thigh, savoring the way you flinched and gasping when he pinched the meat, dangerously close to where you want him the most. He clicked his tongue at how your pussy fluttered at the mean action.

"You act all tough but this part of you is more honest," he sneered.

Slap!

Your legs twitched at the sudden, stinging pain on your pussy. Heat crept up the back of your neck when you can feel slick rolling down your legs.

And Riki noticed it. Of course he did.

"You—oh fuck!"

You attempted to speak, to grasp at some sense of control you never had in the first place but your mind blanked out at the first hot, searing contact of his tongue. Just like anything and everything else in his life, Riki's an expert in pussy eating.

He groaned at the sweet taste of you on his tongue, the sound muffled and sending vibrations down your legs. Your toes curled, hanging in the air when he gave a light, sharp nip on the hood of your clit peaking out.

You cried out, the sound ripped from the depth of your throat at the weird feeling of Riki running his tongue along your puffy, soaked folds. You can feel the sharp tip of his nose bumping into your clit and you shifted a little, drawing a long, pleased moan from you when you grinded your pussy against his nose, using it to get yourself off.

But Riki wasn't pleased.

With a easy, almost effortless display of strength, he held you down by your hips with one hand, fingers digging into your skin through the thin fabric of your shirt. One look at his face made you swallowed and your pussy fluttered at how annoyingly attractive he looked now.

With his features covered except for his eyes. With his dirty ash blonde hair falling over his narrowed, puma-like eyes. With his face buried between your legs.

In conclusion, it's the hottest sight you've seen in your entire life.

"Don't move. You're taking what I give you. You move and I stop, got it?" He growled, voice low and guttural, leaving you to clench down on nothing.

You nodded but Riki wasn't taking that as an answer.

Slap!

"When I ask you a question, I want you to answer me. Got it?" He repeated, voice cold.

"G-Got it!"

You yelped, flinching on the spot but the boy's grip on you tightened. You're certain there will be marks left behind tomorrow. Marks that only you and him will know. The thought of walking around with his marks on your body shouldn't be this arousing, especially when he has a girlfriend but you didn't care anymore.

Forget about morality, not when you're getting the best pussy-eating of your life. You whimpered, one hand weakly grasping onto the armrest of the chair while the other reached down to grab a fistful of his hair, tugging his head closer, moaning at the delirious feeling of his nose rubbing against your clit.

The sensations heightened when he pushed his tongue and two fingers in at the same time. The dual penetration left you panting and moaning, eyes rolling to the back of your head with your hips eagerly and sloppily rocking against his skillful mouth, allowing him to make you come undone.

Riki curled his long, slender fingers, brushing them against your velvety walls, drawing more angelic and sinful sounds from you.

"Hngh, g-gonna cum—fuck, please," you sobbed, feeling the familiar tightening sensation in your stomach and your legs quivering.

Riki hummed in approval and with a skillful twist of his fingers and him delivering a harsh suck on your clit, you cum while chanting his name like it's a sacred prayer, soaking his face with your slick. He didn't waste a single drop, greedily drinking it like it's holy water.

You squirmed about on the chair, weakly tugging at his hair—trying to push him off but he's relentless, tongue swiping and flicking away at your now red, swollen and sensitive pussy, like it's the best meal he ever had.

It's only when you mewled his name that he finally gave you mercy. He detached himself, withdrawing to reveal the mess you made—his thick, plump lips looking more fuller than they were, chin and nose glistening under a layer of your slick. Riki wiped them away with the back of his hand, bringing it near his mouth and licked them up, without breaking eye contact.

"Taste so fucking good for me," he rasped, making your ears and cheeks turned red at his lewd words.

You laid on the chair, all boneless and panting to catch your breath while Riki, on the other hand, looked infuriatingly composed despite how he's responsible for your current state. He stood up, not bothering to help you with anything and was about to leave when something caught his eyes.

"Oh, you forgot this," he said, picking up your phone with his clean hand and turned the screen to you, making your heart dropped.

He chuckled at your wide eyes and the horror written all over your face. "Don't worry, I don't mind," he paused to over over you, tilting your chin up with your phone, "but if you try to delete the recording in your camera, I'll expose it to the entire school. Let them know how much of a whore you are."

Your breath stuttered in your throat. "You… Are you threatening me?"

Riki nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "Does it matter? Just do what you're told and everything will be fine."

"What do you want from me?" You asked, ignoring how your voice wavered at the end. You hated feeling like this—being at his mercy with your life now in his hands.

He smirked knowingly. "Simple. I want you to answer me whenever I call or text. I want you to show up, no matter what time it is. If you don't… I'm sure you know what will happen."

Your eyes widened before they narrowed, flames of anger igniting in you. "You motherfucker."

"Careful, writer. I won't bare my teeth if I were you. If you want to continue being a student and keeping your reputation clean, I'll do what I'm told."

Your shoulders trembled with poorly-concealed rage but Riki was unfazed. He shot you one final smirk, placed your phone on the table and stepped out of your dorm, leaving you alone, your shorts and underwear still laying on the floor. It's only when you truly realized what you've gotten yourself into was when you let frustrated, salty and warm tears trickled down your cheeks with the walls acting as your one and only witness.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Ever since then, your phone kept blowing up with messages from Riki. You didn't tell anyone about it. How could you, when everything you've worked hard for was practically on the line? No words could describe the amount of embarrassment you will go through if he leaked the video to the entire cohort. You wouldn't even know how to face yourself if that happened.

He texted you anytime throughout the day, not caring what you were doing or if you're in class. He'll text you a location, demanding for you to meet him within thirty minutes. Whenever these happens, you'll always leave with your hair messed up, lips swollen and on trembling legs. No one knew about this, not even Yunah, for you did an incredible job in keeping it on the low.

The locations varied—from in a empty classroom to behind the football court and so on. Riki doesn't treat you like a proper human being. No, he treats you like a doll, manhandling you about as he used you to chase after his own pleasure without caring about yours. If he's nice enough, the most he'll go to is to eat you out, leaving you crying and begging for more.

But no matter how many times you begged, he refused to fuck you.

A small, part of you felt grateful. Grateful that he didn't take your virginity yet. But there's another part of you that felt insecure, wondering if it's your fault for not being good enough for him, not appealing or attractive enough for him. You hated how you've became like this—a walking mess of insecurities all lumped together.

And it's all because of him.

You glanced at the address reflected on the screen, the address Riki sent you thirty minutes ago to double-check if you're truly at the right location. You looked around, taking in your surroundings as you have never been to this part of the neighborhood.

You were used to the middle-class life and not this. This referring to apartments and private houses lining up on both sides with the road in between. You're certain for a fact that each of these houses probably costs an organ.

You jumped on the spot when the closed front door one hundred meters away from you opened without warning. Your shoulders tensed, mentally preparing yourself to see Riki but to your surprise, it wasn't him.

It was someone else.

The two of you stared at one another, feet rooted to the ground. The other owlishly blinked his eyes, swallowing whatever he was chewing in his mouth before speaking, raising his voice slightly so you will be able to hear him.

"Oh, you're the girl from before. What are you doing here?" He—Heeseung, asked, pushing the door opened as he stepped out in slippers to dump a tied-up plastic bag into the trash bin.

Oh, I'm here because your younger brother and I are in an unlabeled relationship and we're gonna fuck around and have fun. Not to mention, he's cheating on his girlfriend too!

You swallowed down the words, not foolish enough to blurt it out. "I'm here for the article. Figured it'd be faster if I work on it while asking him questions at the same time."

Technically, you weren't fully lying nor were you fully telling the truth. It's in the middle but Heeseung doesn't need to know that. You didn't want to think about how he will react if he finds out the horrifying truth, the truth about the real, dark and twisted side of his younger brother. The younger brother who he truly cherished and loved with his entire heart.

Thankfully, he bought it easily but that didn't make you feel better, something akin to guilt flowed through your veins. How you wished you could tell someone the truth, wanting to confide in them, wanting to seek for someone's opinion on the dilemma you have gotten yourself into.

But yet, the lingering, haunting thought of Riki finding out what you have done—going behind his back, terrifies you. Enough for you to keep it a secret as you buried it in your chest, letting it suffocate you as every day passes.

"Oh, the article," he drawled, slowly nodding his head with his eyes not leaving your face, making you shuffled your feet on the spot, hands gripping onto the strap of your bag.

"..Is something the matter?" You inquired.

Heeseung shook his head, sending you a small, sheepish smile that made your heart skipped a beat at how cute he looks. How he's just Lee Heeseung—a regular, handsome boy instead of the Lee Heeseung, a pro football player.

"Nothing. Mind telling me your name? I didn't ask back when we first met," he replied, tucking his hands into the pocket of his shorts, rocking on his heels back and forth on the spot.

You introduced yourself and he copied you, saying it in a slow manner, like he's testing how your name feels rolling off his tongue. And somehow, you very much loved how your name sounds when he's the one who said it, as compared to his younger brother. Speaking of the devil, Riki made his appearance by loudly and pointedly clearing his throat.

Your head snapped to your left, making eye contact with him. The boy was leaning against the doorframe, posture all casual and relaxed but the way his eyes darkened in jealousy and how his jaw muscles twitched said otherwise. You dryly and nervously swallowed, ducking your head as you walked towards him.

Riki stepped aside, letting you enter the house without closing the door, giving Heeseung a perfect, clear and unobstructed view of his younger brother possessively resting one hand on your back, with him bending slightly to whisper into your ear.

What Heeseung doesn't know was how you stiffened after registering his words, letting it sink into your mind. You can practically imagine him sinking his claws into you, a tail wrapping itself around you, holding you hostage. Heeseung doesn't know how you dryly swallowed, how your muscles were coiled and most importantly, way you're left at his mercy.

You weren't given a chance to admire the layout of the brothers' house, following Riki who led the way to his room located on the second floor. Of course their house have multiple floors.

Riki let you entered his room first with him closing and locking the door behind him, the sound seemingly sealing your fate shut. Riki leaned against the door, arms crossed with his dark eyes never leaving your face, not even for a second.

"Strip," he commanded, voice firm and authoritative.

Even though you've done this before, your first instinct was to tense, clutching onto your bag, like it could defend you from him. He narrowed his eyes at your lack of response, action and the act of defiance. He pushed himself off the wall, closing the remaining distance in no more than six large strides, until he's directly in front of you, nearly chest-to-chest.

You cried out in pain when he grabbed your hair and yanked your head back, baring your neck that was covered in a thick, generous layer of concealer used to cover the countless hickeys and bite-marks he left behind. Frustrated tears brimmed the corners of your eyes, blurring your vision slightly but you were able to see the smug grin on Riki's face.

"Are you deaf or just stupid? I asked you to strip and you can't even follow a simple instruction," he taunted, roughly pulling on your hair, drawing a pained whimper from you.

"I-I'm sorry," you managed to croak out, peering at him through teary eyes and beneath your eyelashes.

"Are you?" He didn't wait for your response, releasing your hair and forced you down on your knees, not caring about your bag landing on the floor with a loud, unceremonious thud, "if you really are sorry, then prove it."

You know what he wants. After all, it can only go a few ways. Which was why you unzipped your bag with trembling fingers, fishing out the camera and handed it to him.

Riki accepted it with a cocky smirk, switching it on and checked the gallery, nodding in approval when you didn't delete any of the videos he recorded. Videos that won't be sent to the entire academy, unless you pissed him off, that is.

"Good girl, so obedient for me, aren't you?" He purred, tilting your chin up with his left hand, thumb pressing down on your bottom lip.

To any other random girl, they will feel on cloud nine to be in your feet. But to you, you felt nothing but pure suffocation, like your wrists were tightly bounded by a rope, like your wings were sliced off from your back and you were tossed into a cage.

Like a bird without freedom. And you can only take so much before you eventually break, desperately wishing for someone, anyone to save you. To rescue you from this hellhole before it gets even worse.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

"..llo? Earth to Heeseung?"

"Huh?"

When he blinked, he found himself staring at his blinding monitor screen with the death screen staring back at him, mocking and taunting him. He sighed, leaning back in his seat and swayed his chair side to side while his teammates—who are also his friends—wasted no time in taking the opportunity to laugh at him.

"Didn't know hyung's able to get distracted during a match."

"Yeah, what happened? Are you getting head or something?"

"As if. That guy's nothing but a pussy when it comes to girls."

"You know I can hear all of you, right?" He deadpanned, earning a loud series of laughter from his friends.

When the timer was up and his character was back at the spawning point, Heeseung straightened himself and wasted no time in leading the next wave of counterattack. It took the enemy team by surprise as they weren't expecting that. Thanks to him, his team emerged as the winner and all of them were able to rank up.

"Oh man, have I ever told you how much I love you? Like I can ki—"

"Okay, that's enough from you, Beomgyu. I gotta go, see you guys later," he cut his friend off, ignoring the booing sounds and left the Discord call.

Heeseung stood up to stretch his arms above his head, groaning at how stiff his limbs were. He stepped out of his bedroom, ready to head down the stairs when his ears registered a suspicious, muffled sound that's painfully similar to a moan. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, straining his ears to ensure he wasn't hearing things—

And he heard it again.

"Right, working on an article, my ass," he muttered under his breath, returning to his room to slip on his noise-cancelling headphones and swiped his phone off his desk. He didn't want to hear what his younger brother is doing behind his back, since he's already an adult and should know what's right and what's wrong.

Heeseung headed to the kitchen to make himself dinner—a pot of instant ramen with eggs and some sliced vegetables, since he's feeling fancy.

As he was preparing, his mind kept drifting back to you. His first encounter with you, how you bravely stood your ground against the three Solaris boys, how you showed no ounce of fear and how you were different from the rest of the girls he met before.

Obviously he is popular with the girls. They never failed to throw themselves onto him, either wanting to sleep with him or want to date him for his money or fame.

To him, Heeseung felt like he wasn't truly seen as an actual person but rather, he's viewed more of an asset. And that alone was enough to act as a turn-off, efficiently cutting off his interest in relationships and dating.

That was, until he met you, that is.

Heeseung may be awkward when it comes to human interactions but he has many strengths, just like any other human being. One of those strengths was the ability to read people's thoughts through their body language.

This skill had been a lifesaver most of the time, allowing him to read the atmosphere of the room, to know whether someone was feeling uncomfortable and so on.

He replayed the scene in his mind—how Riki was acting weird when he saw you with him, even though it's clear Heeseung wasn't that kind of guy. How Riki seemed furious and jealous. How close he got when you approached him. How he rested his hand on your back, like he's showing you off to him, telling him that you're off-limits.

Strange, doesn't Riki have a girlfriend? I don't think she's his girlfriend. Unless he broke up with Kyujin.

Heeseung was deep in his thoughts that he wasn't aware someone else had entered the kitchen, terribly catching him off-guard when his headphones was ripped away from his head. He snapped his head up to see it's none other than his younger brother, holding his headphones in his right hand with a child-like, mischievous smile on his face.

"Hyung, your noodles are gonna be overcooked," he said, jutting his head at the pot.

Heeseung was quick to remove the lid, dumping his vegetables and egg into the pot before covering it with the lid again. He scowled, snatching his headphones back from his brother's grip and hang it around his neck. Riki chuckled, turning to open the refrigerator and grabbed a cold can of Monster, opening it with the sound piercing through the kitchen.

"Who's the girl? Is she your girlfriend?"

Heeseung casually asked, turning his attention back to the pot as he removed the lid, proceeding to turn off the stove when the noodles, vegetables and egg are cooked to his liking. He spotted how Riki stilled for a split second, mid-way raising the can to his lips before he regained his composure.

The older brother filed that reaction aside, making a mental note to come back to it.

"No, she's just a friend," he answered, voice even and steady but the way his eyes were averted to the side said otherwise.

Still, Heeseung decides to go along with the flow. "Oh, that's nice. What's her name?"

At this, Riki fully turned to face him, eyeing him warily. "Why? Don't tell me you're interested in her."

He shrugged his shoulders, using a glove to grab the handle of the pot, walking out of the kitchen to place it on the dining table. "Maybe. She's kinda cute. Is she single?"

Riki's reaction was all he needed to confirm something's weird is happening between you and his younger brother.

He observed him the entire time as he returned to the kitchen to drop the glove and grabbed a pair of chopsticks—how the taller boy turned as still as a statue, not even breathing, how he tightened his grip on the can of energy drink until his knuckles turned white, creating uneven dents, how his nose flared up and how he's visibly fighting against the urge to not lose his temper right there and then.

"…Yeah, she is," he answered, voice low and rough and without waiting for Heeseung's response, he chucked the can into the dustbin with amazing accuracy and stomped out of the kitchen, returning to his room.

Baam!

The sound of him slamming his door shut echoed throughout the quiet home. Hering it made the pro football player smirked to himself.

"Bullseye. Alright Riki, let's see what's so special about her that you're lying to me," he muttered under his breath as he picked up his chopsticks.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

These 'meetings' kept going on for the next three weeks. Every time you leave, you're more and more emotionally unstable and unable to think straight either. It's clear you weren't doing a good job hiding it, with how students were starting to see and sense a change in you. Heck, even Yunah had voiced out her concern to you, demanding to know what's running through your mind.

Every time she questioned you, you were tempted to spill the beans and to tell her everything—how Riki had manipulated you to go along with his unreasonable demands. How he had you in the palm of his hands.

But you couldn't.

Every time you tried to open your mouth, you felt an invisible leash tightening around your neck, forcing you to stop talking before you ruined your life and career. Right now, you're walking back to your dorm after another, supposedly meeting with Riki.

You made no effort to hide the evidence he left behind on your body, for it was already late at night and nearly everyone was comfortably tucked into their beds, getting ready to wind down from another hectic day.

That was your first mistake. Or maybe, you're one step to being saved from this cruel, heartless pattern you found yourself in.

"…(Name)?"

Your pace slowed down, thinking you're mishearing things or your ears was playing tricks on you and you continued walking, wanting to return to the comfort of your dorm as soon as comfortable—

"Wait, (Name)!"

Oh for fuck's sake.

Yup, you definitely weren't hallucinating. You stopped, looking over your shoulder to see Heeseung catching up to you, his breathing heavier than usual. His eyes scanned your figure from head to toe, only for them to widen when he spotted the hickeys and bite-marks decorating your neck. You quickly slapped a hand over it but it was too late.

"You… What happened to you?" He asked after regaining his breathing.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Just go home, Heeseung," you replied without missing a beat, looking away.

But the man in front of you clicked his tongue, taking a step closer. "No, I'm not going home after seeing you like this. It has something to do with Riki, doesn't it?"

You flinched at the mere mention of his name—an action out of pure instinct rather than anything else. Heeseung caught it, narrowing his eyes at your reaction. He clenched and unclenched his fists, tightening his jaw while suppressing the anger threatening to get the better of him.

You watched as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration and anger. Anger at how his own flesh and blood dared to do this. Frustration at himself for not seeing the signs earlier on.

"How long has this been going on?" He asked in a low voice.

Your bottom lip trembled, evidently conflicted with your own thoughts. But one look at his soft, reassuring gaze was enough for you to give in. "…Five weeks."

"Fuck, that's nearly a month," he murmured in realization.

You fiddled with the hem of your shirt, looking down to avoid eye contact. "..I don't know what to do. I'm tired of this. I didn't want any of this."

Heeseung's eyes hardened at your words and broken tone. "Did he forced you?"

"I have no choice! It's either I obey his words or else—"

You stopped mid-sentence, cutting yourself off. Heeseung's features softened, taking a small step closer, not wanting to scare you off. He reached out, hands hovering in the air and when it's clear you won't freak out or run away, he placed them on your shoulders.

You stilled at the first contact but eventually relaxed, closing the remaining distance to bury your face in his chest, freeing the tears and the pent-up storm of feelings you hid for so long.

Heeseung lets you sobbed and wailed like a newborn baby, his heart breaking when he can feel your body shaking like a fallen leaf—a sign of how frightened you were. He engulfed you in a secure hug, running his hand through your hair while whispering comforting words to you in a hushed tone.

"Hey, it's alright. You're safe with me now. He's not gonna hurt or touch you," he murmured, voice soft as silk and smooth like butter.

After what felt like centuries, you managed to calm down and pulled back with swollen, red and teary eyes. You raised your hands, attempting to wipe your tears away but he was faster.

You froze, feeling his thumbs gently and gingerly wiping the tears droplets away. The way he treated you with such care, like you're a fragile piece of glass that could shattered at any moment, made your heart swelled.

Although, the brief, sweet moment was ruined when reality sank in.

"What do I do? If I tell the board, Riki's gonna send the video to the entire academy and my life will be ruined," you said, feeling hopeless like there's no way out.

Heeseung clicked his tongue, lifting your chin up to meet his gaze. "Don't think about it for now. It's late and you need to get some rest. We can figure something out tomorrow."

"But—"

He stopped you by gently squeezing your shoulders with a soft smile on his face. "No buts and no nothings. I don't want to hear another word of protest from you, (Name). Just go back and sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

You faltered. "…Promise?"

"Promise. I'll drive you back to your dorm."

You opened your mouth, only to close it at the pointed look he sent you. Heeseung chuckled, ruffling your hair and gestured for you to follow him.

"Atta girl."

◟‿୨୧‿◞

The very next day, you woke up feeling light-headed and not your usual self. You expected the same old wave of nervousness to hit you but there was nothing. Rather, you felt lighter than usual.

Maybe it's due to the fact you've told Heeseung about it, finally someone else who knew about it too. You sat up from your bed, not making any move to get out of bed, even though you have class in three hours time.

You dragged yourself out of bed, doing your morning routine and when you were done, you bumped into Yunah, who's seated by the dining table with breakfast already made. You stood outside your door, clearing your throat to gain her attention.

"Oh, morning. I made you breakfast, come and eat," she greeted you with a smile.

You weren't sure why but your eyes turned glossy and her smile dropped. Yunah stood up from her seat, hurriedly approaching you.

"(Name)? What's wrong?" She asked.

You sniffled and she took that as a cue to embrace you. Just like Heeseung's, her hug was just as comforting as his was. You buried your face in the crook of her neck, feeling her patting your back, like how a mother does to her newborn baby.

"Yunah.. I need to tell you something," you rasped out.

"What is it? Oh god, don't tell me you're pregnant or something."

You let out a watery laugh. "No, it's not that. It's just.. this is gonna be a long story and embarrassing."

She pulled back, hands on your cheeks as she pushed them together, squashing your face and making you looked like a puffer fish. "Nonsense. I'll still listen to what you're gonna say, embarrassing or not."

And you did just that. You told her everything—right from the very beginning, starting from Heeseung saving you from the Solaris boys, to Riki inviting you to attend a party with him, to you foolishly accepting his stupid bet, to a sextape being recorded without your consent and to you having no choice but to obey his words.

Throughout the entire time, Yunah went through a wild rollercoaster of emotions. She was dumbfounded and furious. Dumbfounded that the academy's golden boy has a dark, hidden side to him.

Furious that you—her best friend, was caught in this hot mess. When you were done ranting, she shot up from the couch, having made you sat down on it before you started your story-telling.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him."

"Yunah, wait!" You exclaimed, rushing up to stop her as you grabbed her wrist, "Heeseung said we're gonna talk about it today. He knows about this too."

Yunah spun around. "Heeseung? As in Riki's older brother? Are you sure he's trustworthy?"

You firmly nodded. "I trust him, Yunah. He was really mad when I told him the truth."

She pursed her lips before letting out a sigh. "Fine, but if he turns out to be the same as Riki, I'm gonna kill the both of them. Forget if I go to jail."

You chuckled, feeling better now that you have confided in someone else.

You ended up going to class even though Yunah kept insisting you should stay in the dorm and rest. But you refused, stating that the last thing you wanted was to be left alone with your own thoughts, to which your friend eventually but very reluctantly, backed off. Half of the day passed in a blink of an eye with you finishing attending your classes.

You stepped out of the lecture room, heaving a sigh of relief once you were out and then, you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket. You pulled it out, to see Yunah had texted you.

Yunah: don't freak out but Heeseung came by earlier and he asked me to give him your camera.

You: what the fuck did you do?

YUNAH???

You groaned, annoyed with how she wasn't answering your message when you spotted a familiar figure outside the main entrance of campus—Heeseung. Everyone around you stopped what they were doing, eyes following his movements, watching as he ignored everyone and walked towards you.

"H-Heeseung, why are you here?" You asked when he stopped before you.

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I've forgotten what I told you? Come on, follow me."

Despite his words, he grabbed your wrist, in front of everyone and tugged you along, forcing you to match his pace. You made a startled sound, eyes darting left and right, noting how some students were openly gawking at you and how some were whispering among themselves while pointing at you.

"Wait, where are we going?" You asked but he ignored your question, dragging you along to your unknown destination.

It was only when you walked down a particular hallway was when it hits you—Heeseung was bringing you to the principal's office. At this rate, your heart was pounding against your ribcage, fingers and hands shaking from fear as it coursed through your veins. You stopped before the closed door, watching as Heeseung raised his free hand.

Knock knock.

"Come in," the principal announced, granting you permission.

Heeseung pushed the door open and it turns out you weren't the first to reach, for there was someone else as well—Riki. He sat on the left chair, legs spread out before him with one arm carelessly resting against the back of the chair, obviously having no idea why he was summoned here.

You shifted to hide behind Heeseung when Riki's eyes flickered between the two of you before it landed on him holding your wrist.

The sight of it made him narrowed his eyes, like it's a revolting sight for him to look at. The principal cleared his throat, gesturing for you and Heeseung to take your respective seats and you obliged. Now, the three of you are seated before the man and he wasted no time in jumping into it, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"I've been told by Heeseung that you, Nishimura Riki, is forcing (Name) here, to do… certain things for you. Is that true?" He asked, voice firm and authoritative, just like how any other principal should be.

Silence.

Riki chewed on his bottom lip and lets out a laugh, the sound sharp and chilling enough for shivers to run down your spine. "No, of course not. You know I wouldn't dare to do that."

Of course he denies it.

The principal eyed him a little longer before turning to you. "(Name), please be honest with me: did Riki make you do anything?"

You didn't answer at first, your palms growing sweaty from the tense atmosphere you're placed in without warning. Seeing this, Heeseung reached out to rest his hand on yours, intertwining your fingers to squeeze it.

You knew the meaning behind his action, how he's telling you he's here for you, a silent act of encouragement and also, a small, tiny step to push you to the right direction.

You're fully aware of Riki's sharp gaze on you but you ignored him, facing the principal and finally answered him.

"..Yes, he did."

The moment those words left your mouth, the captain shot up from his chair and slammed his hands down on the table.

BAAM!

The sound was loud, echoing among the four walls of the principal's office. Everyone except you was unfazed with his violent reaction. Riki accusingly pointed at you as he faced the principal.

"Really? You chose to believe her over me? I'm the one who boosted the academy's reputation. I'm the one who you and the board wanted an exclusive feature on too. So tell me, whose words do you believe more?"

The principal raised his head, meeting Riki's angered gaze head-on without any fear. He sighed, reaching down to pick something up, that was hidden from everyone's view but the moment he revealed it, your heart dropped. The room was engulfed in a thick layer of silence, all three pairs of eyes were focused on the item the man was holding.

It was your camera.

That's when Yunah's messages echoed in your mind—how Heeseung went to your dorm when you were away for classes, how he had somehow managed to convince Yunah to give her your camera. The camera that has everything, the evidence.

The color drained from Riki's face, eyes widening and shoulders dropping. It's clear he didn't think you dared to speak out, to tell someone about it. It seemed like his foolish mistake of not wiping the camera's gallery proved to his downfall in the end. He opened and closed his mouth, resembling a fish out of water, struggling to get a word out.

"I… She's the one who forced me to do it!" He exclaimed, using his last resort to defend himself while aggressively pointing at you from where you sat.

You stilled, taken aback by his rather bold and honestly, a pathetic attempt to redeem himself. Riki took your silence as his cue to keep going, changing the story to make himself the victim. Anything to get him off the red zone.

"She came up to me during the party, spiked my drink and forced me to do things for her. When we were done, she threatened me, telling me if I dare to tell anyone about this, she'll send the videos to everyone in the academy," he explained, turning to his older brother, who had been silent the entire time.

"Hyung, you believe me right?" He asked, having the audacity to sound hopeful.

Heeseung looked up, face void of any emotion, eyes cold and emotionless. "Riki, you disgust me."

"…What?"

He slowly stood up from his seat, withdrawing his hand from yours as he faced his younger brother.

"Don't lie to me. I know what really happened. (Name) told me about it and honestly? It makes me sick after she told me. Imagine how I feel when I found out my younger brother. My own flesh and blood is doing these kinds of things behind my back. You're fucking sick in the head for forcing a girl into this. And you're fucking pathetic for trying to make yourself the victim."

"No, hyung, I—"

"Save it. I don't want to hear another word from you," his older brother hissed, voice seeping with venom, "you're going to face the consequences of your actions, Riki. By spending time in jail."

His eyes widened further, if that's possible. "No no no. Hyung, please! You need to listen to me!"

You couldn't take it anymore, finally giving him a piece of your mind.

"You piece of shit. This is what you deserve for doing this to me! You ruined my life. You ruined everything for me. You did this for your own sick and twisted desires. I was a fool for thinking you felt something and a fool for letting you too close," you spat, practically hissing.

Both brothers were stunned with your sudden outburst but you pressed on, letting out the feelings you had been harboring for a long, long time.

"I was scared for my life and my future. All because of you. You gave me nothing but suffering and agony. I don't ever want to see your fucking face again and I hope you rot in hell, Nishimura Riki."

You didn't wait for his response, turning on the spot to storm out of the office, ignoring Heeseung calling out your name. You managed to take a maximum of ten steps before Heeseung caught up to you, grabbing your wrists, stopping you in your tracks.

"(Name), you—"

"I did it."

He stopped, owlishly blinking his eyes. "Did what?"

You looked at him with a warm, genuine smile that took his breath away. "I managed to break free from him. I'm free now."

Heeseung's features softened and he returned your smile with his own. "Yeah, you did. I'm proud of you, (Name). I really am."

News spread like wildfire, about the fall of Decelis Academy's golden boy. It left the entire cohort in shock, for they never expected him to be like this. Riki was formally sentenced after being found guilty of his indecent crime involving you, a student of the academy. Your name was kept anonymous for safety reasons but the same wasn't applied to the offender.

His hardworking and charismatic image was washed down the drain after the news started talking about it. There were even some news reporters seen waiting outside the campus, hoping to interview some of the students.

Some commented they couldn't believed what they saw on the Internet. Some commented they were disgusted with his behavior, wishing he could stay and rot in jail forever.

In conclusion, Riki's future career as a football player was ruined with none of the pro teams wanting to recruit him anymore. Not after he had shown his true colors.

You, on the other hand, felt as free as a bird that was finally freed from the cage, now able to spread its wings and soar high into the crystal blue sky.

◟‿୨୧‿◞

Rain tapped softly against the windows while the city were glowing in colorful LED lights. You were in the kitchen, wearing one of Heeseung's oversized hoodies with the long sleeves pushed up to your elbows as you're making dinner. The television in the living room murmured quietly with post-match commentary from one of his most recent games.

You squeaked when a pair of arms wrapped itself around your waist.

"Smells good, what are you making?" He asked sleepily, voice muffled with his face buried in your neck as he greedily inhaled your scent, sending shivers down your spine and goosebumps forming on your body.

"Anything that's not ramen," you replied.

The man huffed jokingly. "I'll have you know ramen is a proper food."

"No, it's not. It's unhealthy and you shouldn't be eating too much of it or you're gonna get health problems," you chided him.

"I'm an athlete. I don't have health problems."

At that, you fully turned to face him, lips curling up in a soft smile when you looked at him. Heeseung cupped your face, savoring the way you leaned and melted into his touch, very much like touch-starved kitten.

"You're clingy tonight," you said quietly.

"You love it."

"I didn't say that."

Eight months had passed since then. Eight months of Riki being sent to jail to atone for his sins. Eight months of healing from the horrible experience you went through. If it wasn't for both Heeseung and Yunah—who remained at your sides through thick and thin, you wouldn't have been where you are right now.

Heeseung confessed to you four months ago, all shy and timid when he couldn't take it anymore. He confessed during one of your many hangouts.

But to him, that wasn't a hangout. It was a date. You remembered giggling at how he kept stammering over his words, like the cute loser he is and you ended up kissing him midway through his confession, nearly causing him to blow a fuse.

The kitchen light warmly reflected the silver chain against his neck—a gift you bought for him after you became his girlfriend two months ago. Dating Heeseung was easy. He's everything an ideal boyfriend should be—caring, attentive, patient, loyal and not to mention, he's handsome and loaded with money.

And loaded with something else too, considering how you're still suffering from backpain for the past two days—something he never failed to tease you about. It's real and everything you've dreamed off.

Heeseung lovingly brushed his thumbs over your cheekbones. "You know, I'm really glad I bumped into you after that friendly match. Or else I wouldn't have met you."

You rolled your eyes, leaning in to plant a chaste kiss on his lips, earning a soft, airy giggle from him. "Honestly, if you didn't saw me back then, who knows what would've happen to me?"

He frowned at your words, reaching out to flick your forehead, earning a pained yelp from you. "Don't say that. No one deserve to go through what you did."