Three firm knocks were heard at the door. “Miss Jung Hye?” Kyungsoo called. A sigh left your lips. “Come in.”

 

The man stepped inside, paying no attention to the sprawled out belongings before him. His feet brought him towards you as he placed his hands within the pockets of his white coat. “Dinner is ready. Please eat something, you must be hungry.” He said, a small smile forming on his lips.

 

“Please. Just go away.” You stated rather harshly. The man appeared taken aback by your statement, but his gaze soon softened once more. “I understand.” He said, making his way towards the exit.

 

“K-Kyungsoo, wait.” You hesitated, now staring at him. “I’m sorry.”

 

The latter nodded, an understanding smile on his lips. “I know you don’t want to be here, but you must understand… it’s for your best.”

 

“The more I hear that statement, the more I begin to doubt it.” you sighed, hands still digging through the brown cardboard box.

 

The doctor chuckled, more or less agreeing with your statement. “While I’m not sure how true that statement is, I am sure of one thing.” His eyes narrowed. “Kris Wu always protects those he cares about, no matter what.”

 

 

≫≫≫

 

 

You were seated in the chair of the makeup dresser, head placed in your hands and heartbeat still irregular. The tinge of pain on your neck still remained as you surveyed yourself in the mirror. Grazing a finger over the numerous love bites, you felt the heat in your body return.

 

Kris had done this to you. Not only that, but he’d touched you in several other places. Glancing down at your ed shirt, you suppressed a blush. The remaining thoughts in your mind were troubling you; particularly the rational thoughts.

 

Why didn’t you just leave?

 

Why hadn’t you just called for help?

 

What exactly was it that was stopping you?

 

Although the man had you pressed against the door, it was blatantly obvious that he was holding back. It’s as if he were using just a mere fraction of his strength, almost as if he were indirectly allowing you to push him away or leave the room if you so desired.

 

Despite knowing that, you hadn’t left, had you? No, you stood there and you let him touch you, to mark your body as his own.

 

“Why…” you whispered. What brought upon this bizarre change of heart? Was it just in the moment? Or, could it be that you didn’t entirely hate what he was doing to you.

 

The last thought was quickly overlooked as his gaze flashed through your mind. His piercing stare; it told a story. His eyes burned with a curious type of passion; that much was evident. But behind the lust was pain, suffering, and… sadness. This fact was apparent to you because you’d experienced the same pain in your own life.

 

When one goes through a traumatic situation— a loss of some kind, no matter how hard they try to escape the pain, the torture that’s tearing them apart each day can always be seen in their eyes.

 

That was the beauty of humans; no matter how much we strive to be perfect, in the end we are just humans. Tragic souls trapped beneath skin and bones; all of us trying to find a place to belong amidst all the good and evil in this world.  We cannot be perfect, for we are all tainted by our past; our faults.

 

Kyungsoo’s words echoed in your mind, “Kris Wu always protects those he cares about, no matter what.”

 

It was preposterous—the fact that you weren’t angry with what Kris had just done, when just hours before you were absolutely furious. Was it because of the way his eyes gazed into yours? The way he tenderly kissed at your neck, resting his forehead against yours to steady his beating heart. How his strong hands wrapped around your frame ever so rightly, making you feel as if you were protected for an eternity. Was what Kyungsoo said really true? Could it be that Kris… lov-

 

N-No. Jung Hye snap out of it! He touched you again! Without your permiss—

 

Flashbacks of the moment flooded your mind as you settled into bed, pulling your knees up to your chest. Hea stirred, squinting her eyes due to the light from lamp on your bedside table. “Jung Hye-yah? Are you still up?” she mumbled.

 

Breaking yourself from your thoughts, you turned towards the girl. “I’m just about to go to bed, go back to sleep.” You smiled, running a hand along her hair. She yawned contentedly, resting her cheek against your arm and falling back to sleep.

 

Though Hea was now asleep, you were doubtful whether you were destined for the same rest. After what had just occurred, it would be nothing short of a miracle if you fell asleep.

 

The next morning you were awoken to the buzzing of your phone. Hea could be heard groaning beside you as you reached over to answer the call.

 

“Hello?” you spoke, albeit exhaustion still lingering in your tone.

 

“Jung Hye? I’m sorry, did I wake you?” the man on the other line stressed. You could almost see his eyebrows furrowing in self-disappointment. “That’s okay Joonmyeon, I was about to get up anyway.”

 

Silence.

 

“Joonmyeon?”

 

“—Ah, yes. Umm…”

 

“Is there something wrong?”

 

“N-No, not at all.” The man inhaled deeply. “I was just wondering if you were free this Monday.”

 

“Oh, did you want me to fill in for you?” you asked, now pulling the covers off of yourself and heading towards your day planner which lie on the work table. As you flipped through the pages, you felt Joonmyeon sigh into the phone. “No, we have that day off due to a state holiday. Remember?”

 

“Oh, right…”

 

“—We could go to dinner and a movie, how does that sound?”

 

Thoughts of Kris came to mind. “Could I get back to you?” you bit your lip, oblivious to the reason behind the blatant rejection of just being asked out.  The man remained quiet for a few seconds before replying in an impulsive manner.  “No problem! I’ll be waiting for your call.”

 

Switching off the phone you trotted back towards the bed, letting your body fall into the soft mattress. A sigh left your lips as you your side, Hea’s eyes piercing into yours.

 

“W-Wha—!” you nearly jumped. Hea wiggled her eyebrows. “Who was that on the phone?”

 

“Joonmyeon, he… asked me out.”

 

“And, what did you say?” the girl was sitting now, her legs crossed underneath her.

 

“I said I’ll get back to him.” You weakly answered, head falling back on the pillows and hand reaching for the duvet. Though your eyes were closed, you could almost feel the dark aura radiating off your best friend. “Would you like to explain to me why you did that? I thought you liked Joonmyeon?”

 

Well, she wasn’t completely wrong. Joonmyeon was a nice guy, but you hadn’t really thought much about him before. Up until now he was always just a co-worker, somebody you’d regularly see at work. While you were more than just acquaintances, you weren’t sure if you had ever felt anything romantic towards him. Technically speaking, you hadn’t felt anything for anyone… or so you thought.

 

“Shh, let me sleep.” You murmured incoherently. The girl groaned loudly beside you before she suddenly froze, her eyes widening at the sight she’d just caught. “Y-Yah, is that—”

 

Before you could react to her outburst, Hea’s body had shifted. She was now sitting on top of you, yes literally sitting on top of you, her hands holding down your wrists.

 

“H-Hea, get off of me!” you whined, struggling under her. She gaped, her eyes narrowing at the various love bites along your neck and chest.

 

“W-Who did this?” she marveled. But before you could answer, she beat you to it. “It was Kris, wasn’t it?”

 

Your body abruptly froze, head turned to the side and eyes unable to meet hers. “I was right! Omoo, I can’t believe this. My Jung Hye actually has hickeys on her neck, hickeys. I never thought this day would come.” She squealed, now shifting her body off of yours. “Wait does that mean you guys… did you finally lose your i-umfh!”

 

“Be quiet.” You hushed, slapping a hand over her lips. Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted the both of you. Hea’s eyes glanced towards the door, her voice still restrained. You let your hands drop from and indicated to whoever was on the other side of the door to come in. “Miss Jung Hye, Miss Hea, the master has asked that the both of you join him for breakfast.”

 

“Thanks! We’ll be down in a jiffy!” Hea answered. The maid nodded before bowing and shutting the door behind her. Hea’s arms were around your neck before you could even take a breath. The overbearing grin apparent on her lips, she cocked her head to the side cutely. “Tell me everything, hmm?”

 

The younger girl listened as you told the story. She seemed fairly uninterested until you began the part that involved Kris’ body pressed against yours. Hea gaped, still in disbelief that her best friend had not only been kissed by Kris Wu the movie star, but he’d also marked her in the most intimate way.

 

In fact, this whole situation—living in the same house, or should we say mansion— with nine hot guys had her shocked. She was sure she’d had a dream about something like this long ago, though it wasn’t as innocent as this.

 

“Wait, I still don’t understand why you didn’t just push him away? After all, it’s you we're talking about. You’ve never let anyone come close to you like that, let alone touch you in that way.” She reminded. “—Could it be that you, liked it?”

 

“Yes, Okay? Fine! I admit it! I-I liked it…” you suddenly admitted, a deep crimson hue spreading along your cheeks. Hea’s mouth fell open and she looked as if she were almost proud. “I-I don’t know why, or how. But somewhere between his eyes locking with mine and the way his arms wrapped around me, I felt… safe.”

 

Hea nodded. “Ah, I think I understand.”

 

You glanced at her. “Understand what?”

 

She raised her shoulders nonchalantly, “Oh, I don’t know. Just that you have feelings for Kris Wu.” She smirked.

 

“W-What? That’s absolutely absurd! Just because I didn’t mind him… touching me that way, doesn’t mean I have feelings for him!” you insisted.

 

“Who are you trying to convince, me? Or yourself?” she stated, before rolling off the bed and heading towards the mirror. Hea’s tone surprised you, she’d never before spoken in such a, what was it? Somber manner?  You watched as she combed through her red hair before gathering it into a bun. “Think it over, was it the physical sensation you enjoyed, or was it the beating of his heart against yours?”

 

“Was it the pleasure from his lips against your skin, or the way his eyes gazed longingly into yours.” She was turned around now, her hands gripping the edge of the makeup dresser. “I’ve been with a lot of guys, you know this about me.” she said, glancing at her feet.

 

“For me, I’ve only ever felt the physical pleasure. And let me tell you, after a while it makes you feel empty, like there’s something missing. Something that’s a lot more meaningful, beautiful even. She chuckled then, her teeth pressing into her lower lip. “At this point, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to find that emotional connection. I mean, what guy would want a girl who’s been with more guys than she can count, right?”

 

“Hea…”

 

The girl in question walked over to the balcony, opening the glass doors in order to let some breeze in. “After… him, I always thought that I’d meet the ‘one’ in my early twenties. When that didn’t happen I figured the next guy I would be with would be the one—or maybe, the guy after that. But I soon realized I was doing something wrong. After all, love isn’t just about , or pleasure, it’s a lot more than that. It’s something unspeakable, complicated and confusing. It’ll break you, but it’ll also be the one thing that can heal you.”

 

Her fingers brushed along the silk curtains. “You’re not like me Jung Hye. From the very beginning we’ve been so different from each other. You’re pure.”

 

Standing up to your feet you walked over to her, turning her around with one quick movement. “Hea, we both know you’re just as ‘pure’ as I am. If not more.” you stated, catching a glance of her glossy eyes. She smiled, her eyes filled with the same grief you once noticed in Kris’ eyes.

 

Hea took your hand into hers and squeezed lightly. “This world is an unkind place Jung Hye, that’s what I’ve come to learn. Not only that but true love is hard to come by, only those who are fortunate and deserving of it experience it.

 

“H-Hea…”

 

“Omo, am I sweating from my eyes again?” she chuckled, dabbing a finger under her eyes.  She took a moment to collect herself, all the while your eyes were fixed on the girl before you. Not even a minute later, her wide grin returned. “I’m showering first okay? Tell Kai not to wait too long.” She winked.

 

Then she was gone, leaving you with only your thoughts. The sound of water could be heard from the bathroom and you glanced up at the shut door. Hea hadn’t changed, she was still the same. Though she portrayed quite the opposite on the outside, on the inside she was soft, broken and betrayed by life, betrayed by love.

 

Her first love had broken her heart; he’d disregarded her feelings for him when he’d cheated on her with another girl. That girl being her sister, whom she’d now lost contact with, or perhaps cut all ties with.

 

Still, Hea never displayed her feelings to others, not even to those she was close with. She was always the girl with the smile on her face, the one who made others laugh with her silly jokes while her tortured soul broke her bit by bit.

 

The girl, albeit younger than you, always seemed to be your source of hope when life became too heavy. It was kind of amazing, Hea was amazing. Strong, and beautiful, you were proud to call yourself her best friend. Her words rang through your mind.

 

“True love is hard to come by, only those who are fortunate and deserving of it experience it.”

 

Love.

 

Was that what this feeling inside your heart was?

 

Somehow, it felt as if you’d soon find the answer to that question.

 

 

 

---

A/N

So we finally know a little more about Hea and her past. It's true though, those who are most troubled on the inside often show quite the opposite on the outside. I think it's a defense mechanism, either way it's amazing-- how strong humans can really be.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's proceeding quite slowly but don't worry it'll pick up next chapter :)

Until next time~