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Nair did not know what made her lie to Hoseok and state that she was going to the toilet but instead follow after the man.
Something about the way the tattooed man looked at her heated up the girl in a way she hadn't felt before.
His intense gaze, his voice, his tattoos peeking from everywhere - his neck, his fingers, even his face... she just wanted to trace them all.
He was stunning.
Even as the man and his mischievous smile filled the girl's mind, she knew she disappointed Hoseok.
She knew he wouldn't let it go.
He called her names the whole ride home and banged head against the wall as soon as she stepped in the door. She did have a headache but Nair had accepted fault in the matter.
She shouldn't have acted like a slut as Hoseok said.
To her, Hoseok loved her. To Nair, when she stepped out of line, Hoseok corrected her because he loved her. He could abandon her but he stayed because... he loved her.
"I made you breakfast," Nair rushed out as soon as Hoseok stepped in the kitchen. The girl stood up watching nervously as Hoseok wordlessly inspected the table.
She had gotten up at dawn and prepared all his favourites. Hoseok always said her food wasn't up to scratch so she had worked hard making sure it was perfect.
Blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh orange juice and chopped fruit.
It happened too fast for Nair to process but in an instant, she felt the stinging of her cheek before a plate quickly followed snacking the same side of her face.
Nair stood in shock for a moment looking down at the ground holding her hands at her side making sure to breathe in and out slowly to not cry.
Hoseok hated it the most when she cried in these moments. Or when she tried protecting herself.
"I'm on a diet."
His tone cold as he walked past the girl and out of the kitchen without touching any of the food on the table.
Nair made the quick decision to follow after the boy watching him put on his exercise jacket. She knew he always did this just before going for a workout. Hoseok knew if he left this way, he'd trigger the highest level of her separation anxiety.
That's what Hoseok wanted.
"Ho-Hoseok d-dont leave," the girl begged not able to control her tears. At this point Nair could barely think straight as she tried to run past Hoseok to stand in front of the door.
It wasn't true but, she felt like if he walked away he wouldn't come back. She had upset him. It was her fault.
This is why people walked away from her and didn't come back. Nair blamed herself.
Hoseok pushed the girl harshly causing her to fall clumsily and painfully. A pain shot up from her knees but she choose to hold on to his shoes instead as he stepped on her hands.
Hoseok felt a sense of superiority watching the girl begging and crying uncontrollably for him not to leave. He felt humiliated to catch her in conversation with Jaehyun.
Naturally Nair would be the target of his anger. To Hoseok the punishment was proportionate to the crime.
Hoseok ended up leaving out of the door without uttering a single word to the girl because he knew that would make her spiral worse. ...
Nair paced around the living room trying not to ruin her fresh nail set. She didn't want to irritate Hoseok more by looking unkept.
She glanced at the clock every five seconds feeling extremely anxious that Hoseok might not come through the door.
Ever since the incident when she was young, Nair had always struggled with extreme separation anxiety. Over time, she developed delusions which affected her ability to reason in certain situations. Some everyday situations became extreme to the girl and made her lose rationality and emotional control.
Hoseok knew this. And he used this as a tool to keep the girl under his control.
He had tested many times how far he could push her and each time her dependency on him was bigger than his wrongdoings.
Nair almost tripped over herself as she ran towards the entrance at the sound of the door opening. She internally breathed a sigh of relief to Hoseok seemingly being in a better mood. He was even humming a tune.
"You understand what you did wrong, right?"
The girl quickly nodded. "I was annoying and I shouldn't have talked to that man."
"If I ever catch you talking to him again, I'll be angrier than I was today," he muttered softly but Nair knew it was a warning. Hoseok looked at her swollen cheek softly holding her chin. "You know I love you right?"
"Yes," the girl replied instantly feeling relieved that he still loved her. He still wanted her around.
"Do you love me?"
"I love you."
"I only hurt you because I love you," Hoseok spoke placing a kiss on the swollen side of her face. "I would just walk away otherwise. I always come back, don't I?"
"Thank you for not leaving," the girl sniffled hurrying her face in his chest. Nair completely missed the demented smile on Hoseok's face as he stroked her back.
"Ice your face and make sure the swelling goes down. Jitae invited us for lunch next week. If your face doesn't look better by next week, we'll have to cancel. You don't want that, do you?"
Nair shook her head promising to do everything to make sure her appearance will be up to standard by the date Hoseok wanted.
He needed her. If he didn't, he could take anyone else. But he wanted to take her.
