Chasm.| Seo Changbin

Twenty-Two

Ugly.

The situation outside the safety of Changbin's house was ugly.

Over the night, the news about the pervert who broke into Stella's house and lived there for a whole month was literally everywhere. Her house was surrounded by officers who were still working on collecting evidence from it. Reporters and journalists didn't give the officers a break. Stella's fans were divided into two groups. A group at her house, and a group at the station demanding the worst punishment for the pervert who was arrested and interrogated inside.

And that pervert turned out to be the same one who broke into her previous house, stalked her, and followed her to her hotel room before. He was truely sick!

Trying to get on the fan's good side, Stella's company released a statement that they were taking their artist's safety very seriously and that she was currently resting safely. But that enraged the fans more, cause the photos of Stella exiting the police station, at midnight, embraced safely in the arms of her once personal guard, Changbin, were everywhere. Fans knew that Changbin wasn't working for her company anymore for more than two months now, and accordingly, the company wouldn't be the one sending him there to protect their artist. So, instead of getting on their good side, the company was facing much hate. Fans accused them of carelessness and demanded better treatment and protection for their artist.

It was funny how the same fans who cursed Changbin and demanded him away from Stella, were the ones who cheered for him and praised him for being by her side and protecting her when there was no one. They said it was a relief he was back with her.

Although it was late at night and the photos weren't clear, Stella's fan spotted the other two males by Stella and Changbin as they exited the station. Doing their research, they found out that Minho and Chan were Changbin's friends who also worked in the private security industry. The fans found them pretty reliable because of their previous work and demanded them to be the official security team for Stella.

Inside the safety of Changbin's house, Stella was still comfy in his bed. She had woken up some time earlier but it was so cozy to get up and leave that warmness. How could a house feel warm like that? It was very small, unlike what Stella usually likes, but she found a strange sense of security in it that she had never felt in her life. As she was still procrastinating, ignoring her bladder that wanted to be emptied, she smelled something delicious and immediately, her stomach growled.

Stella sat upright and pushed the covers away. She wished that the smell had come from Changbin's kitchen and not a neighboring kitchen since all the apartments were close by. She stood up to her feet and was about to leave the room but stopped, turned around, and walked to the mirror. She checked her face for any drool or ugly discharge, sorted her hair out a little then adjusted her clothes which were a simple black tee and grey shorts that belonged to Changbin. 

She looked at how loose and big they were for her and smiled. Even his clothes made her feel safe. She remembered the previous night when she asked him to stay by her side till she fell asleep, and he did. He was a gentleman who sat next to her but kept his distance, and once she was asleep, he retreated to his sofa outside the room.

And that made Stella's insides bubble.

Patting her cheeks lightly, she smiled to herself and walked outside the room. She smiled even more when she smelled the delicious aroma filling the living area. She turned to the kitchen immediately to find Changbin in the middle, busy with preparing something while giving Stella his back.

Was his back always that... attractive?

"You're up?" Changbin looked at Stella briefly with a small smile.

"Ye-" She paused to clear her throat. "Yes. Yes."

Changbin turned around to face her at the same time the microwave beeped. He walked to it and pulled out some warmed donuts. He placed the donuts on the counter. "Did you sleep well?"

Stella's body relaxed and she smiled the widest ever. "The best in years."

Changbin smiled more. "Glad to hear that." He opened the oven and pulled some recently baked butter bread. That was the source of the delicious smell. He placed the very hot tray on top of the stove and then faced Stella again. "Milk or coffee?" He asked her.

"I'll need coffee to face this world." She said with a forceful sigh.

"Hot or iced?"

"Hot please."

"Okay," He turned to the coffee machine. "Oh, by the way, Felix called. You need to talk to him cause he was panicking and your parents are panicking too. They want to fly to South Korea as soon as possible."

"Oh, no!" Stella jolted and ran back to the room to grab her phone and call her brother and parents.

Once she was away, Changbin sighed loudly. He gulped hard, placed a hand on his chest, and closed his eyes tightly. He was slightly shaking and he could feel how his heartbeats quickened. He wasn't sick. He was experiencing nervousness from the girl's presence around him.

When Stella had 'The best in years' sleep, Changbin had the worst. He kept tossing and turning on the sofa all night, trying to sort out his thoughts about the girl who slept in his bed. He was pretty sure now. His feelings for her weren't just the usual care he mostly had for all his previous clients with whom he built personal connections. Now he knows that when he told her 'Always', it wasn't the same as the other clients.

Now he knows he was doomed.

She was a top artist, a bright star, a jewel, and he was just... him.

He knew he promised her to stay by her side as long as she wanted him, but now he knew he would never be able to do that. The longer he stays, the deeper his feelings get. The more attached he becomes. The more she depends on him. And from his last experience, it didn't end very well when his clients depended personally on him and got emotionally attached to him.

She was a star whose fans had a say in what she did with her private life. She was a good artist whom he respected and wanted to see her perform and act for long. So, he didn't want to complicate things for her or himself.

Once she is safe and stable again. Once she is surrounded by people who truly care for her. Once she is surrounded by her family, he would leave.

He would walk away and keep her in his heart as a woman whom he once protected and had feelings for.