In A Beautiful Way

After

"YOON EUNSUNG! COME OUT RIGHT NOW!" Haein yelled the moment she walked into the living room. Her voice echoed around the empty space, drawing the attention of some of the housekeepers but she couldn't be bothered.

At this time of the day, she knew for a fact that his parents weren't home to witness their fight. Not that it was an uncommon occurrence anyway since they bickered like cats and dogs, especially when Seri was around since the two could never seem to get along for more than thirty minutes straight.

Ever since she was young, she'd spent a lot of time in this house, perhaps even more than her own since she constantly desired an escape from her suffocating family members. Being an only child, Eunsung was often bored and his lack of siblings meant that she could come and go as she pleased without the awkwardness which was unfortunately not the case in Seri's house with her two older brothers.

Belonging to a family with relatively newer wealth, Eunsung's house was as opulent as hers, albeit smaller since he and his parents simply lived under one roof unlike Haein's where her father and his siblings each had their own property. He was a second generation chaebol, the money coming from his parents' successful businesses and his father's smart investments as a stocks analyst while Haein was a third generation chaebol, the money tracing back to her grandfather.

"What is it Haein dearest?" His tone was mocking as he leaned languidly over the upstairs railing. He'd been expecting a visit from her. After all, it was his fullest intention to get her attention regardless of whether it was good or not.

"What the fuck did you say about me to Baek Hyunwoo?" Her expression was thunderous.

"Oh, so you know about that." He smirked, pausing. He enjoyed riling her up even more than that pathetic farm boy. She looked so cute when her eyes burned with fiery anger, wanting to slap him into oblivion but realistically not standing a chance against his significantly larger size. He liked that in her fits of fury, her gaze was focused on him, only him and nothing else. But today, the mention of Hyunwoo's name soured his triumph, an unpleasant reminder of how infatuated she seemed to be with him recently.

"I was simply making sure that I set his expectations right." He shrugged nonchalantly, slowly descending the stairs, his footsteps punctuating the heavy silence in the room.

Haein scoffed. "Who are you to tell him that? Whatever there is going on between us is none of your business. I'll be the one to put him in his place, not you. And what the hell was that second statement for? You were just trying to rile him up on purpose so he would fight you. You know that isn't true because we never even did anything while we were dating."

His eyes darkened. Of course they didn't do anything. Despite her magnetic aura and large hypnotising eyes, Haein wasn't one to go beyond kissing. In the year that they dated, she'd never given herself to him and it frustrated him to no end. They'd kissed, made out even, hiding in the darkness whenever they got bored at fancy uptight events, but she'd stopped him whenever he tried to go further. Here he had the most beautiful he'd ever seen in his arms, but she would never let him truly touch her. It was like she didn't trust him fully, that she wasn't truly invested in their relationship, and that was one of the frequent causes for arguments. He figured that if he couldn't have her, he'd simply make her undesirable to everyone else so no one could.

"I was simply curious as to how far he would go for you. He really is like a puppy, following you around, defending his owner."

There was a resounding smack and he registered the sound before he felt the pain. His cheek stung, a jarring reminder of the surprising strength she hid in that tiny body. He grimaced slightly, adjusting his jaw as the pain slowly subsided. It wasn't the first time she'd hit him, but it was the first time she'd hit him to fight for someone else. The thought brought a bitter metallic taste to his mouth.