Chapter 24: Doubts
After two and a half hours in the air due to a minor delay, both finally arrived back in Seoul. Once they’ve claimed their baggage and exit the customs, Sora took out her phone and called Melissa.
Melissa informed her that the maintenance was still taking place, but she could still retrieve her things while they continue to do the repairing. She thanked Melissa for the update before ending the call.
“Well? How’s everything? Are we ready to go?” he asked after looking at his watch. It was already 5:00 pm.
“Yeah, I need to get some things back at my place. If you’re tired, you can go back first. I’ll just take the taxi back.”
He snorted from what she had suggested. “Do you really think I’ll let you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked, clueless to what he was saying.
“Let you go take a taxi back by yourself.”
“Why not? I think I’m fully capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know you are, but then if I let you do that, I don’t think I’m being a good boyfriend now, would I? Besides, my car’s at the parking. So I’ll drive you back to your place first and we’ll head to my place after.”
“You mean you left your car at the airport for a few days?”
His eyebrows rose as he smiled and said, “Yes, I had to rush to the airport to catch the same flight with you to Japan, you know?”
Sora shook her head and said, “But either way, I don’t think your car will fit all these things at the same time.”
“Waeyo? I don’t see a problem. My car is perfectly capable of fitting all these,” he stated proudly. “Come on now, let’s go!” he announced as he pushed the cart with their baggage.
She shook her head with a smile and caught up with him. Once they reached the parking area, Sora looked around, checking to see where his white Aston Martin was.
“What are you doing?” he asked, laughing at her as she looked back and forth, turning her head from left to right and the other way around.
“I’m trying to find your car,” she answered, perking up and scanning the place.
“My car’s over here, Sora-ah!” he announced as he was already a few metres away from her.
She turned to where he was and her jaws dropped when she saw his car. It was a new two-door Fuji white Range Rover Evoque. “Since when did you get this new car?” she asked as she walked around the car to get a better look.
He opened up the trunk and started to load the baggage. “I actually ordered it a month ago at the dealers and it just arrived on Monday. It hasn’t break-in yet though. You can get inside first while I push this cart back.”
Sora opened the passenger door and saw the beautiful interior. Inside, she could smell the scent of a new car with its leather seats. But, the scent was soon put off when Park Jungsu returned and sat in the driver’s seat as his cologne filled the air around her.
“Are you all settled in?” he asked after checking his side and rear view mirrors.
“Almost, hold on. I still need to fasten my seat—” she paused on her last word as she thought back to the first kiss he gave her and her face began to blush.
He saw her blushing face and had a bit of an idea what was on her mind. “Don’t worry, the seatbelt works perfectly fine. But if you like, I can kiss you whenever you want me to, without having to hesitate with the seatbelt, you know?” he teased her with a smirk on his face.
The moment she heard him, she gave him a quick slap on the arm before pushing her seatbelt into place. He chuckled while shaking his head as he started his engine. As they made their way to her place, they held hands throughout most of their journey.
Finally arriving at her place, he switched off his engine and found Sora asleep in her seat. He took a moment to admire her beautiful face before shaking her hand to wake her up. “Sora-ah, we’re here already.”
She squinted and rubbed her eyes before becoming fully awake. Both got out and headed up to her place. When they entered inside her home, Sora told him to wait in the living room while she went inside her bedroom to gather the things she needed.
The maintenance people managed to drain the water out from her place, but the damage already took place when some parts of her walls in her home were ruined.
While Sora was busy packing her stuffs, Park Jungsu went inside the room and saw her gathering her unmentionables.
He quietly snuck behind her and saw some of her extremely sexy lingerie. The sight left him burning with thirst as he blurted out, “I would like to see you in all of those…”
His voice startled her as she jerked up. “Yah! Who said you can come in here? Didn’t I tell you to wait? Get out!” she cried out while trying to hide all her unmentionables.
“I just wanted to know what’s taking you so long,” he said as he continued to scan through all of her intimate wears that spread out on her bed.
When she noticed that he was still looking, she immediately exclaimed, “Yah! Park Jungsu! Stop looking and get out!” as she tried to push him out of her room.
“Arasso…arasso…” he agreed with a big grin.
After a bit of push and shove, she managed to get him through the doorway. Once he was out, he turned to her and said with a cheeky smile, “Remember to bring the black one with lace.”
Without a second thought, she threw the only thing she has in hand at him not realizing what it was and shut the door. Park Jungsu instantly caught it with ease and started to examine what was thrown at him. His lips twisted in a grin at the red silky fabric in hand.
Behind the closed door, Sora’s eyes quickly widened when she realized what she had thrown. She immediately opened the door and found the red object half unfolded in his hands. With agility, she snatched it back and quickly shut the door behind her as her face flushed with redness.
“Aish! Kang Sora! Why did you throw this at him! This is so embarrassing! God! I hope he doesn’t know what I threw at him,” she mumbled to herself, plumping onto her bed.
On the other side of the door, Park Jungsu stood there smiling mischievously by himself as he knew and found out what was thrown at him. He stepped closer to the door and playfully said, “Sora-ah, I’ll be sitting in the living room. Oh and bring that red one with you too!” He laughed silently as he walked away from the door.
She flipped over and buried her red-face in her pillow when she heard him. After about ten minutes, she had finished packing up her belongings and made her way out to the living room. She saw him sitting on one of her sofas and walked towards him.
“I got all my things already,” she announced but there wasn’t any reaction. So she got in front of him, only to find him sitting with his eyes closed.
She placed her bag onto the coffee table and went up to him while appreciating his handsome face. Her eyes trailed from his dark eyebrows down to his lips. The more she looked at them the more she wanted touch them with her own. She leaned closer and closer until her lips were an inch from his.
Catching her off guard, he suddenly moved his head forward and captured her lips before she could. The corners of his lips began to curve up as he deepened the kiss with his hands cupping her face and pulling her closer.
When they finally broke off the kiss, he gazed at her with a smile and said, “Mmm…those are some sweet lips you got there.”
Sora smiled back. “Really…? Well, you’re not too bad yourself either.”
He stood up from the sofa and said, “Why, thank you.” With his hand, he tilted her chin up and gave her a light peck on the lips. “Shall we head down now?”
She responded with a smile as he helped her carry her bag and both headed down to his car.
…
Once they settled everything, they got inside the car and suddenly her phone began to ring. She took it out and saw Victor’s name on the caller ID.
“Who is it?” Park Jungsu asked while starting his engine.
She looked at him and said, “It’s Victor oppa. Hold on.” She took the call and placed the phone next to her ear. “Yeopseo? Victor oppa?”
“Hello Sora, have you returned from Japan?”
“Yeah, I just got back and I’m just heading over to a friend’s place for a while since my place is repairing the building’s pipes.”
“Oh, that’s right. I heard Melissa talking about it. So who is this friend that you are staying with?”
Sora paused for a second as she didn’t want Victor to know she’s going to stay over at a man’s house. “Oh, I’m going to stay with Mi-Joo.”
“Ah…I see. Do you want me to drive you over? I’m around the area anyways.” Victor offered.
“Aniya! It’s alright Victor oppa, I can get there myself. I’m almost at her place already,” she lied as she got nervous.
“Alright then, I’m just checking to see if you’re back yet as the chairman was a bit worried. You should give your parents a call when you have time. Arasso?”
“Arasso, I will. Alright Victor oppa, I’ll talk to you later. Goodnight.” She exhaled quickly as soon as she ended the call.
“Since when did I become this Mi-Joo?” Park Jungsu asked with chuckle.
“Just drive, Mi-Joo-ssi,” she jokingly ordered and both headed off to his place.
Meanwhile, Victor put down his phone, sitting inside his car as he watched the white Range Rover drove off. He let out a disappointing sigh. “Sora-ah, what are you doing? How am I supposed to report to the Chairman about this?”
***
Pulling into his driveway, Park Jungsu switched off his engine and both got out of the car. He asked Sora to head in first while he took care of the luggage.
“Is it the same passkey?” she asked as she reached the front door.
“Yes, the same one as last time!” he called out.
Once they entered inside, he asked her if she was thirsty and wanted something to drink. She asked for water as she settled herself in one of his sofas. Coming back from the kitchen with a glass of water, he handed it to her and offered to take her on a proper tour around his home since she’ll be staying for a while.
He extended his hand and she accepted by offering her hand to him. Touring the ground floor first, he showed her his fitness room that had several professional fitness machines from a treadmill to multi-gym equipment that allows the user to train multiple parts of the body.
She was amazed by the different equipment in the room. “No wonder your body looks so damn hot!” she whispered to herself.
“Hmm? What did you say?” he asked when he heard her mumble.
“Nothing, so do you actually use all these equipment?” She diverted the attention to another topic.
He chuckled and stated proudly, “Of course! Where did you think I got these from?” With his hand, he patted on his abdominals.
“Yeah…yeah…Stop showing off. You should see Victor oppa’s body.”
The instant he heard her mention another guy’s name and their physiques, his jealousy began to take over as he asked, “And…what about his body?”
She laughed and said, “All I can say is that his body is ideally what most women want.”
Glancing away for a moment, he let out a sigh of discontent as his face masked with irritation. Then his eyes returned to her. “Is his body ideally what you want you?” he asked with jealousy burning inside as he stepped closer and closer to her.
She saw the jealousy in his eyes and knew then that if she continued with the teasing, things might get out of hand. Switching the subject, she turned away and said, “Hmm…I’m going to take a look at other parts of your house.”
Before he can oppose, she had already made her way down the hall to another open area. He walked beside her and noticed her astonished face when she saw the room. “How well can you play that?” she asked as she walked up to his white grand piano. Her fingers trailed along the keyboard and she hit a few notes as the sound resonated in the room.
“I know a bit through learning to play by myself.” He leaned onto his piano top. “Do you know how to play?”
Sora sat down on the bench with her hands on the keyboard. “I know a bit just like you.” Then she began to press the keys on the keyboard, playing a soft melody.
The way she played the piano amazed him and he questioned, “You sure you only know a bit? From the way you play, you sound like you’re skilled pianist.”
She quickly stopped and waved her hands, denying his statement. “Aniya…aniya…I just attended a few lessons when I was young.” Having played enough with his piano, she stood up and continued to explore around his place.
Both made their way to the staircase that led up to the second floor. Following behind her, he remarked, “You look like you know your way around here already. Have you been sneaking into my house while I was out?”
She stopped and turned to him. “Let’s just say I have a good sense of direction. Moreover, why would I waste my time to sneaking into people’s houses and especially yours?” She continued on her way to the corridor on the second floor.
When he caught up with her, he showed her his office. It was nice and neat. Then on one side of the office, she found large self-portraits of him hanging on the wall. “Talk about being a narcissist,” she thought to herself while laughing. “And when did you get these taken?” she asked, looking at him.
“Oh…I don’t really remember, perhaps last year? Let’s not talk about that.”
“Waeyo? But I can tell that the photographer really knows how to capture you at the right moment. Do you have this photographer’s number? I want to get a self-portrait taken too.”
“No, I think I lost it. Besides, there are other professional photographers out there in the market. You don’t need this one. But if you’d like, I can take one for you,” he suggested, shaping his hand into a viewfinder and shutting one eye closed as he pretended to take snapshots of her.
She laughed at his little act. “Aniya! Stop it! You’re going to be the last person I’ll ever allow to take pictures of me.” She stepped backwards as if she was being cornered.
He shrugged. “Your loss…” Then when he saw her about to lean against what looked like a wall, he cried out, “Sora-ah! Be careful!”
He quickly lunged out his hand to catch her as she tumbled back halfway. She groaned in pain while he asked her if she was alright.
Sora got up and fixed her clothes. “What kind of wall is this?”
Laughing at the sight of her, he explained. “That wasn’t a wall you were leaning on, but a hidden door. Are you alright though?”
“Hidden door?” She looked back to see the damage she made.
“Yeah, but not so much hidden anymore since you broke it already,” he joked.
With his remark, she gave him a light slap on the arm.
“Come on, I’ll show you inside.” He took her by the hand and led her inside.
Her jaw dropped as soon as he turned on the lights. “Omo! Is this your own music studio?” she asked as she went off and explored all the equipment and stereo.
“Yeah, this is where I compose and write songs when I’m not at the office. I can hide myself here for a few months if I wanted to.”
“Wow! Maybe I can record my own music here.” She kidded, looking at him.
“If you want to, you could.” He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind as he rested his head on her shoulders. “If you’re good, then I’ll signed you into my company,” he whispered into her ears and then nibbled them with is lips. It didn’t take long until he began to make his way down the side of her neck.
The tantalizing touch from his lips, stirred up a tingling sensation inside her body as she closed her eyes. She tilted her head to one side, giving him more access as she said in a weak voice, “If that’s the case, don’t you think that would be a bit of a problem?”
As he laid short kisses down her neck, he asked, “Mmm…and why’s that?” He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer to his groin.
“Won’t I be dealing with a lot of male fans? I’ll probably have to show some of my curves in those tight sexy outfits in MVs and all.”
He instantly stopped his caress on her neck, realizing she’s got a point. “You got a point there. Then I’ll have to reconsider the options. I mean, you could wear those tight sexy outfits for my eyes only, you know?” he suggested in a flirtatious way as he kissed her cheek.
They both began to laugh as Sora placed her hand on his face while he was still behind her. “Alright, that’s enough for this kind of talk, Park Jungsu. You can keep dreaming, but I’m not going to wear those tight sexy outfits. They are not my kind of style.”
He chuckled and naughtily suggested, “Not even the black one I asked you to bring?”
Without a word, she jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, leaving him in pain as he held on to his aching spot. “Keep dreaming!”
Still in pain, he uttered, “I don’t mind the red one either!”
She ignored him as she went out of the studio room and he followed behind her with a mischievous smirk. He continued to tour her around his place and finally arriving in front of his master bedroom. The doors were different from his other rooms. They were two large sandglass sliding doors that have an automatic sensor to open and close.
“And…what room would this be?” she asked as she waited for him to open the door.
“This, is my master bedroom,” he announced as the doors slide opened when it sense his presence.
She slowly stepped inside, amazed by the size of his room. He had a king sized bed all to himself, a large open bathroom ensuite at one end and a walk-in closet that was the size of a bedroom. Between the two ends, was a big LED TV mounted on the wall.
“I never thought your room would be this big. What do you do in here, have parties or something?” she asked as she walked around towards the bathroom ensuite.
He snorted as he watched her wander around his bedroom. “No parties here, I don’t really like to invite people to my house. I like to be in a quiet environment when I’m not working.”
“So should I feel honoured and lucky then?” she chuckled between her words.
“Yes, of course you should.” He agreed right away, putting his hands in his back pockets.
“So how many women have you brought back here?” she bombed him with one of the many dangerous questions a girlfriend could ask.
He was left dumbfound for a moment. “What?”
She repeated the question again as she looked at him with a smirk. “I’ve caught you now, Park Jungsu,” she said to herself as she waits for his reply.
He avoided her gaze and said, “I told you I don’t like to invite people over and—”
She was having fun interrogating him. “So you have invited other women over. No wonder you needed a king sized bed and a big open area in the room. So tell me, how many have slept in the same bed with you?”
“Aniya, they didn’t sleep in my bed!” he answered anxiously.
Before he could say another word, his heart began to race as he saw her nodding calmly and said, “Ah…‘they’…so there are a lot of them whom you invited over…so what number am I?”
“Sora-ah, nothing went on between me and them, I swear. Besides, I wasn’t the one who invited them over; it was one of my buddies who invited them when we had a barbeque party outside.”
When she saw the anxious look in his eyes, she decided to put off the interrogation and let him off the hook this time. She knew pretty well that everyone’s got a past and not even she herself is an exception. She slowly walked up to him with the corners of her lips levitating.
“Sora—”
Before he could finish calling her name, she put her finger over his mouth and hushed him. “Oppa, do other people ever tell you that you talk too much?”
With her finger still over his mouth, he shook his head in reply as they locked eyes with each other.
She laughed and said, “Well now you know. By the way, how come there’s no door to your bathroom?” She went over to the side and noticed a large glass wall that extended from the floor to the ceiling.
He cleared his throat after her interrogation and stated, “There wasn’t a need for one, since I’m the only one who uses it.”
“Oh, I see…well your bathroom is very open. I mean, others can see you taking a shower through this glass wall.”
When he walked over and stood behind her. “You’re right. I wonder if you’re going to be one of those people who will stare through this glass wall,” he whispered into her ear in a cheeky seductive way.
Her face immediately turned red when she flashed back to when she saw him in his wet half-naked physique back in Japan. He quickly noticed the changing colour on her face and a smirk began to form on his face. “What are you thinking right now, Sora-ah?” he teased her.
She quickly turned to him and suggested that they go tour the guest room.
“What guest room? There’s no guest room here,” he told her as he sat on his king sized bed.
“What do you mean ‘there’s no guest room here’? Then where am I supposed to sleep?”
He gave her mischievous look as he tapped on his bed. “Here, with me. You’ll be the first and probably the only.”
“Aniya! I’ll sleep downstairs on your sofa.”
When she was about to make her way out of his room, he announced, “I promise, I won’t do anything to you. Besides, this is a king sized bed here. I think there’s more than enough room for the both of us not to get too close unless someone decides to cross the line.”
Although she may have objected verbally, but deep down she was happy to be able to share the same bed with him. “You promise?” acting like she wanted reassurance from him.
He nodded with a sincere smile. “I promise.”
She walked over to him when he extended his hand out. “Now that the bed matter has been settled – what about the bathroom and that glass wall of yours?”
What he found amusing was that she was worrying a lot, even though they almost made love to each other back in Japan. He shook his head while laughing. “I’ll be out of the room when you’re using the bathroom.”
With her hands, she cupped his face as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Really? So how do you suppose you get out of the room when I’m awake and you’re still sleeping?”
In return, he cupped her face like she did to him and said, “Now that’s a really good question. Then I guess you’ll just have to hope and pray I don’t wake up when you’re in the shower.” He pulled her head down until their foreheads were resting on each other. “Those are actually electric glass walls, made with liquid crystal film between two pieces of glass. So with a press of a button and it’ll become white and no one can see though the glass.
He went over to the bathroom and showed her what he meant and she was fascinated with the world’s current technology.
“Now, do you feel safe?” he rested his hands on her waist.
“I’ll see about that. Now if you don’t mind keeping your promise, I’d like to take a shower now.”
He chuckled and swayed his head forward. “Arasso…there are towels inside already.” Then he kissed her on the lips. “Don’t take too long. I want to take a shower too after you’re done.”
…
After taking a shower, Sora realized that she forgot to bring her night attire to the bathroom and she had nothing but a white towel wrapped around her cleansed body. She peeped through the entrance of the bathroom to see if Park Jungsu was around and thank goodness he wasn’t. She looked around to see if there was anything she can put on for the time being. Then her eyes travelled to his big walk-in closet right ahead and tiptoed her way there.
“Aish! Park Jungsu…you’re obsessed with white aren’t you?” she murmured as she search for through his wardrobe.
His clothes were both neatly folded and stowed on the shelves or they were hung up. She felt like she was in a department store going through different racks of clothes until something caught her attention. It was white leather jacket with a modern yet classy design that was uniquely placed on a steel mannequin. Giving it a closer look, she finally remembered where she had seen it before. Then she noticed the brand tag was still attached on the sleeve.
“Omo, he bought it and hasn’t worn it yet?” she muttered to herself. Then she saw a shadow casted on her and the jacket.
“What are you doing sneaking into my closet?” Park Jungsu asked from behind.
His voice startled her as she turned around, almost dropping the only towel that was wrapping around her naked body.
“Yah! Don’t you know how to knock?” she asked as her eyes widened.
As her question wasn’t feasible as there is no door to his walk-in closet. He couldn’t help but to chuckled. “Knock on what? Knock on this?” He lightly hit her forehead.
“Yah! That hurts!” she exaggerated and pouted her lips.
“Aiyoo…arasso…let me make it better then.” He pulled her forehead towards his lips and gave her a soft peck.
“This jacket, you still haven’t worn it yet?” With the jacket’s sleeve, she lifted it up.
“I still haven’t worn it because of you.”
“Me? Waeyo? What do I have to do with it?”
“Whenever I see this jacket, it reminded me of the time when we first met and you were this close from me.” He demonstrated the close proximity between them back then with his hand placed on her lower back and pulled her closed to his body. She gasped from the force of the pull.
Their faces were less than an inch apart and she could feel his hot breath on her lips as she cheeks began to flush and burn. “Oppa…”
He gazed into her eyes and said softly. “Now, you know how I felt back then...”
Their eyes were full-on locked to each other. Her heart was pounding heavily and her body was yearning for his. Without hesitation, she pulled him in for a deep kiss, capturing his mouth with great urgency. Both their lips were pressed hard against each other’s as they struggled to catch their breaths.
She pushed him back, forcing him into his drawer unit with their lips still secured together. He held onto her face as they stacked their lips together. Then he thrust his tongue into her parted lips, mating with her tongue.
Their kiss was so passionate that Park Jungsu pulled Sora’s body close to his, causing the only towel that wrapped around her bare body loose and exposing her full back body as the towel got trapped between their burning bodies. He placed his hand on the nape of her neck and slowly traced down her bare back – sending quivers down her spine as her body reacted fervently to his caress. His hand was so low on her lower back that if he went any further, he would make his way to her soft bottoms.
Suddenly, he motioned his hands for the trapped towel. That moment, she was waiting for him to take her all in and all he needed to do was to pull the towel away and he’ll be able to see her full goddess-like body. But instead, he reached for each of the towel’s end and wrapped it back around her sacred body as he slowed down his kiss.
Both were gasping desperately for air as they rested on each other’s forehead and he gave her a light kiss on her nose.
“You need to sleep now since you and I both got work tomorrow,” he suggested as he slightly pulled her body back.
She didn’t know why, but her heart felt sour when he covered her body back with the towel and parting away from their passionate kiss. He passed her one of his many white t-shirts for her to change into and so she did while he turned around.
“I brought your luggage up, so you can find the rest of your clothes there. I’ll clear one of the drawers and racks for you tomorrow.”
“Gomawo,” she thanked him with a forced smile as the feeling of disappointment still lingered inside her. For a moment, she wanted to tear up as she still couldn’t understand why he’s still holding back. She slowly walked out of the closet and retrieve her other clothing from her luggage. Then she dragged herself into bed, covering herself with his white sheet.
When he saw her walk out, he hated himself for pushing her away again. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, feeling guilty for what he did. Then he grabbed his change of clothes and headed to the bathroom.
When he finished, he saw she was already in her sleep. He walked over next to the side of the bed and sat next to where she was laying. Watching her sleep was one thing he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He lightly caressed her face with the back of his hand and then he brushed her bangs back behind her ear.
“Sora-ah, you don’t know how much I love you and how bad I crave for you. But, please wait for just a bit longer and I promise I’ll make up for what I did earlier,” he said to himself as he kissed her forehead and then made his way to the other side of the bed.
He settled in his covers and switched off the lights. It was then, that Sora opened her eyes and was overwhelmed with confusion. She didn’t understand why he was acting this way. Things seemed to have changed after that night in Hakone. But why, she reminisced. To say that he lost interest in her wasn’t viable, especially when he asked her to move in with him and all of his mischievous gestures and talks he did.
She began to think what caused him to be like this and whether if this was going to work out between them or not if this prolongs. She felt insecure whenever he made her hot and left her lingering when he held back. All she wanted was to offer her love to him, but yet he was not letting her.
She was beginning to find it challenging as to how she’s going to face him the next morning, or the day after and for however long she was going to stay at his place for when he’s behaving like this. Perhaps staying at his place for the time being wasn’t such a good idea. The closer their proximity, the more she longs and lusts for him. The farthest they have gone was just passionately kissing every now and then.
Her mind started to overflow with concerns and doubts, to which she wasn’t fond of at all. All the thoughts were beginning to bother her and all she wanted to do now was to forget them all and just go back to bed. After a bit of struggle, she managed to rest her mind and went back to sleep.
…
The next morning, Park Jungsu woke up to the sound of his alarm clock that went off at half past seven in the morning. With his eyes still shut, he reached for the alarm and shuts it off. He rolled over to the centre of the bed with his arm gently flopping over, hoping to reach for her. However, all he felt was just the covers from his bed. He opened his eyes only to find Sora not in bed. He sat up and surveyed the room. Then he went downstairs to see if she was in the kitchen or in the living room. She was nowhere to be seen and he assumed she had left his place for work already.
***
“Wow! Good morning, Sora. You’re awfully early today. This is probably your record breaking time.” Melissa joked when Sora arrived at the office. “And you look tired too. Did you two stay up late doing stuff?” Melissa asked with a playful grin.
“Haha... Very funny, Melissa. So is there anything you need to update me on?”
Following Sora into her office, Melissa informed her that all the final preparations for the charity event are almost done and all they needed to do was to attend the event. “So what are you going to wear to the event?” Melissa asked.
“I haven’t decided yet. There’s too much going on in my mind right now.” She opened a few document folders on her desk as she answered.
“What? You mean you still haven’t prepared a gown to the event yet? Sora, the event is taking place in three days. You better find something nice to wear there.”
She looked at Melissa with stress written all over her face. “I know… I’ll shop around this afternoon. I can’t wait until I get this event over with.”
“Did something happen last night? You don’t sound very lively.”
She closed her eyes and told Melissa that she didn’t get a good night’s sleep and that the reason wasn’t from what Melissa had in mind.
Melissa didn’t question further as she saw the tired look on her face. “Do you need a cup of coffee, perhaps a cup of hot Americano?”
“That’ll be great. Thank you.” Her face lit up a bit when it came to coffee.
***
After getting ready for work, Park Jungsu got into his car and began to drive out of his driveway until he saw Victor standing outside his front gate. He stopped his engine and stepped out of his car.
“Good morning and how may I help you?” he asked as Victor walked up to him.
“Good morning. I was just around the area and thought I’d drop by to extend my greetings,” Victor said with a subtle smile.
“How do you know I live here?” he asked, looking at Victor with a raised eyebrow.
“I have my ways, but that’s not what I’m here for.”
“Oh? Then what are you here for?”
Victor sighed as he surveyed the area. Then he turned back to Park Jungsu and asked, “Is she staying with you right now?”
“Who’s she?” Park Jungsu asked as if he didn’t know who Victor was referring to.
Victor looked at him with a stern face. “Sora. Is she staying with you?”
He snorted to Victor’s question. “And why does that matter whether she is staying with me or not?”
Victor stared at him for a moment before continuing. He let out another sigh and said, “If the both of you just started, I highly suggest you stop now and leave her.”
Hearing what Victor was suggesting, Park Jungsu shook his head and sneered at him. “Now why would I do that? And who are you to come here and tell me what to do with my relationship with Sora?”
“If and as long as the Chairman disapproves, it’ll be fairly difficult for you two to be together and I can assure you that.”
Park Jungsu looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “The Chairman?” he asked, clueless as to whom Victor was referring to.
“The Chairman is Sora’s father, the person I whom work for. I’m just here to give you a bit of a heads-up. The Chairman has already set his eyes on someone for Sora and he won’t allow anyone or anything get in the way of his plans. So while your feelings for each other aren’t too deep yet, I suggest you end the relationship now, so that the both of you won’t get hurt as much later on. I don’t want to see Sora go through a painful process again.”
Park Jungsu became more serious and concerned. “What do you mean by ‘painful process’? What happened before?”
“What happened before doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you should distance yourself from Sora before the Chairman finds out about your relationship with her. If he finds out, then I’ll have to step in under the Chairman’s order to take further action on not only Sora, but on you as well.” Victor began to walk back to his car.
“Are you threatening me?” he indicted.
Victor opened his car door and turned around. “If I’m threatening you, you wouldn’t be standing right now but on the ground, Park Jungsu-ssi.”
“If you care for her so much, then why can’t you just let her choose whom she wants to be with?” Park Jungsu argued, finding Victor’s statement contracting.
“Because I care for her so much that I’m here telling you this. Consider this a warning. As much as I want her to be with the one she loves, it is beyond my power to whether that happens or not. If you love her, then do what you think is best for the both of you. Meanwhile, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other for a while. See you later Park Jungsu-ssi."
"Yah! Wait!" he cried out as Victor drove away and he was left in front of his gate.
He got back into his car and reminisce about what Victor had told him, especially when he mentioned about Sora's past.
***
When lunch time came, Sora received a phone call from Park Jungsu asking why she had left so early in the morning without waking him up. She told him that because she had a lot of work waiting for her at the office and that it was too early to wake him up. However, that wasn't really the main reason why. She had left his place early in the morning without a word because she didn't know how to face him after being pushed away yesterday.
"So what are you doing later in the afternoon? I'll come and pick you up," he asked without mentioning about the incident he had with Victor earlier.
"I need to go shop for a gown for the charity event this Sunday."
He offered to drive her to the department store, but she declined saying that she will drive there herself as she went back to her place earlier to get her car. He was dumbfounded for a moment, unable to react to what she had just said.
"I'm sorry oppa, but I need to attend a meeting now. I'll see you later tonight."
She ended the call before he can utter the word ‘goodbye’.
“Yeopseo? Sora-ah?” he tried calling her back, but the call had ended already. “Are you in that much of a hurry? I didn’t get to say goodbye yet,” he thought to himself and then reluctantly continued with his work.
***
Later on, Park Jungsu met up with his boys at a lounge cafe.
When they saw his arrival, they all smirked at him.
"Oh...look who's here? Our Teuk-hyung is back from his romantic trip to Japan," teased Eunhyuk.
He snorted and sat down on one of the lounge chairs, ignoring their teasing as he ordered his drink. Siwon walked over and sat on the arm rest of his chair. He rested his arm on his hyung's shoulders and asked with mischievous look, "So, did you two..."
“Did we two what?”
“You know? That…”
He gave Siwon a disappointing look. "Almost, but I held back."
"What!? Why?" Siwon asked with a stunned look. "Did something else happen?"
"Yes, something did happen, but it wasn't really the reason why I held back," he explained as leaned back and fiddled with his hands.
"Then waeyo?"
"She's quite busy lately and I don't want her to get distracted, at least not until she clears out some of her current projects. Aish! Every time we're close to each other, I can't help myself from wanting to get intimate with her. She's like a sweet red apple that's right in front of me, waiting for me to get a taste of it and yet I can't because it's not the right time. I get turned on whenever she kisses me."
"Wow! Hyung, that takes a lot of endurance to be able to hold back like that. But what about Sora-ssi, was she alright with the setback?"
He looked at Siwon, not comprehending what was asking. "What do you mean?"
Siwon showed his player smile, like he was about to share his experience with women. "You see hyung, women tend to be sensitive little beings by nature and it is important that you let them know you are concerned in every way, so that they feel secure when they are around you. If you don't show enough affection for them while you are just starting in a relationship, they might misunderstand that you might not be interested and they'll start having doubts about being with you. Now that's going to be a problem if that happens and that's why love is a game of push and pull. You'll need to know when to push and when to pull. But if you pull too much, they'll feel bounded and if you push too much, they'll feel you don't really want to be with them. Too much of each may lead to a breakup, so you must learn to balance."
He processed what Siwon just said and was amazed by his experience in this area. It was no wonder; he was a womanizer among all of the boys.
It took him a few minutes to digest the information and then he asked Siwon, "But what do you mean by pushing and pulling too much though?"
Siwon began to immerse himself in the conversation and explained, "Pulling too much is when one is being overly possessive, like calling the other person every five to ten minutes just to see what they're doing. While pushing too much is when you emotionally and/or physically ignore them, for instance if they are longing for you but you're not showing them the same affection. If that happens too often, then one might start to think that they may not be compatible and will reconsider about the relationship."
Siwon saw his hyung's overwhelmed face and chuckled. "It's alright, hyung. This takes a bit of time to understand."
He patted on Park Jungsu’s shoulders and joined the others at the other end, leaving him alone for a moment.
***
Knock-knock-knock
“Come in.”
“Mr. Chairman Sir, you would like to see me?”
“Yes, have a seat, Victor.”
Victor took a seat in front of Sora’s father.
“How are things with Sora?”
“I believe she’s quite busy lately, but she should be doing fine.”
Sora’s father nodded as he fixed his cuffs. “Did you find out about that young man who dropped Sora off downstairs last time?”
Victor calmly reply, “His name is Park Jungsu and he is the President and CEO of JSE, one of the top leading entertainment companies in Korea.”
Sora’s father raised his eyebrows and said, “Ah…so we have a big player here and how did he come to know our Sora-ah?”
“They came to know each other from organizing Director Choi’s charity event. Director Choi wanted an idol group to perform on the night of the charity event that is happening this Sunday and the idol group is under Park Jungsu’s company. So, he and Sora started out as business affiliates and now they are…” Victor hesitated as he felt a bit agitated.
“Victor, you know I hate it when people hesitate to inform me of things. Now, go on.” Sora’s father ordered as he gazed sternly at Victor.
“Now…they are good friends, sir,” Victor informed Sora’s father. Although they were actually more than just friends, Victor decided to mislead Sora’s father about the two’s relationship together – hoping to buy a bit more time for them to settle things quietly.
“Friends? Are you sure about that?” Sora’s father gave Victor a skeptical look.
Victor looked deep into Sora’s father’s eyes and unwaveringly replied, “Yes sir, I’m sure. “
“Do you have a picture of him?”
Victor reached for his mobile and showed Sora’s father pictures of Park Jungsu from the net. Sora’s father furrowed his eyebrows as he goes through the pictures.
“So it seems like this young man here gets a bit of exposure from the media as well,” Sora’s father remarked.
“Yes sir, his business is in the entertainment sector after all and he is quite renowned in that industry as well.”
Sora’s father handed Victor back his mobile. “Keep an eye on them both. If they are just friends, make sure they stay that way. Arasso?”
Victor nodded to Sora’s father’s request, despite knowing that they have become more than mere friends.
***
Sora took the rest of the afternoon off to shop for a gown for the charity event on Sunday and brought Melissa along for suggestions.
As they walk through the store looking at different designer gowns, Melissa asked Sora about her current relationship with Park Jungsu. “So are you going to the event with him on Sunday?”
“I don’t know,” Sora replied as she kept looking at the different dresses.
“What do you mean by you don’t know? He’s your boyfriend, is he not?”
Sora sighed as she turned to Melissa with a grimed face. “He is, but…somehow he’s acting differently lately.”
“Differently? What do you mean by that?” Melissa asked for clarification.
“Recently, he seems to be a bit uninterested in taking things further with me. Whenever we were about to get more physically intimate, he just pulls back the very last minute, like he doesn’t want to sleep with me.” Sora let out a long sigh again. “I mean, I just don’t understand why he would do all sorts of things to make me long for him and yet when I’m ready to take things further – he just stops.”
Melissa began to notice the frustrated look on her face. “Sora, men are like that. To them, the harder it is to get, the more they want it and would do anything to get it. They always prefer challenges like this, it is in their nature. So the easier it is to get, the less they desire it.”
She expressed her concerns and feelings to Melissa. “I’m just a bit lost and confused. I feel like I’m almost in an unrequited love whenever he pushes me away.”
“Maybe you two just need a bit more time.”
“Perhaps,” she answered, nodding.
In her mind, the feeling of insecurity was beginning to take its toll on her as she thought to herself, “Or perhaps we’re moving too fast and should just take some time apart…”
As usual, thank you all for reading my fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as I did so by writing it. I'm surprised that I got to finish this chapter earlier than expected. LOL Thank you for all your comments from the last chapter. Your comments are what encourage and motivate me to keep writing. ^^
Again, thank you to my LLT *poke @PlayerKBD for editing and encouraging words for my fanfic. Really appreciate it. ^^ *Hugs*
I'm looking forward to the next few chapters. Hopefully, I'll get time to write them. ^^
Lazyme2day
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