✓ UNLIKELY MATCH | HEESEUNG

50 - Back To Him

SENA'S POV

After kissing in the lobby as if we weren't surrounded by a million prying eyes, I make my way back to my room. When I reach the safety of my room, I collapse on my bed, overwhelmed by the emotions that had swept me away. My thoughts race back to Heeseung's words, his touch, and his warmth. I look at my hand, the ring sitting on my finger like it used to. 

"Damn it," The room's door opens with a creak, shattering the fragile peace I'd built around myself. My heart leaps into my throat before Steph bursts through the door, standing in front of me with a scowl plastered on her face. I convinced her to go back to the hotel and rest while I waited for Heeseung to finish his meetings in the paddock, making sure one of the drivers could bring her back here. So why is she late and fuming? "That arrogant," she starts, her voice tight with barely contained anger, "insufferable, excuse of a man—"

"Park Sunghoon?" Right now, there's only one man who'd make Steph this mad. 

"Yes, Sunghoon!" She throws her hands up in the air, her frustration bubbling over. "The audacity of that man. He basically accused me of being a gold digger. Do I look like a gold digger? I'm a fucking manager. A highly successful manager, thank you very much!" I can't help but let out a small laugh, the tension easing slightly. It's classic Steph—turning a frustrating situation into a source of amusement, albeit a slightly angry one. 

"That jerk," I mutter, attempting to show my support though my mind is busy with thoughts about Heeseung. 

"Exactly, and the worst part? He—" She stops, her fingers reaching to touch her lips absentmindedly. "He... drove me here but that's not the point. Why is he so damn infuriating? It's like he lives to push people's buttons. And the way he just assumes things about me, like he knows me." I watch her as she runs her fingers through her hair and paces back and forth inside the room as if she's trying to walk off the frustration. "But why is he so damn attractive? So ridiculously, frustratingly hot? What's wrong with me?" She stands before me, hands on her hips while she stares at me as if searching for answers. "I mean, I shouldn't be feeling this way about someone who infuriates me so much."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of complicated attractions," I flash her a sympathetic smile.

Steph throws her hands up in exasperation. "Seriously? This is not funny. One minute I want to strangle him, the next... well, let's just say my insides do a little flip-flop whenever he smirks at me."

"Maybe opposites attract?" I offer tentatively.

Steph groans. "Ugh, I hate that cliché." I watch as she throws herself dramatically onto the bed, burying her face in her pillow. A muffled groan escapes her lips before she peeks out from behind the pillow. "But maybe you're right. Sunghoon is everything I wouldn't normally go for—arrogant, loud, a walking contradiction. Yet here I am, completely flustered by his stupid smirk. I'm so done for." 

A laugh erupts from me, the tension easing slightly. Steph's dramatics are exactly what I need right now. "Well, it seems this weekend will be chaotic for you too. Maybe it's what you need."

She throws a pillow at me, which I easily dodge. "Easy for you to say, Miss I-have-a-fiancé-who-worships-the-ground-I-walk-on. My life is a hot mess." My cheeks go scarlet at her words. When I don't respond, she props up on her elbows and fixes me with a knowing look. "How's it going with you two?"

I shiver, both from the air conditioning and the sudden weight of her question. "Honestly, Steph? I don't know." The words tumble out, a confession that hangs heavy in the sterile air of the hotel room. "He apologized and in my heart, I already forgave him. But in the back of my mind, Haruka and my father are two constant shadows whispering doubt. Shadows with very sharp claws."