He takes another glance at the girl next-door through his window frame. She was busy typing away on her laptop that she had not realize his presence. Not that she will ever notice anyway, he thought. They had been neighbours since they are in their mother’s womb but they hardly talk to each other. He knows that the girl is an absolute sweetheart to his parents and she is also quite close to his elder brother, Suho. Both of their parents are best friends and still contact each other even though her parents had move out of the residence to live at a more luxurious place leaving the girl alone on her own. He could never understand why she didn’t want to follow her parents because family sticks together after all moreover that she is the only daughter and the youngest that the pair had out of two. But he guessed that maybe she just doesn’t want to leave her friends and school.  

The girl still not noticing his stares push up her slipping spectacles on the bridge of her nose making her look both cute and wise at the same time. He silently watches her doing her work while at times taking breaks to refill her cup of coffee. Their house was just a few metres next to each other and the fact that their room is so close that he could clearly see whatever she is doing through their window frame doesn’t really help to ease his crush towards the girl. But the girl had been so oblivious to it. Because deep down he knows that the girl’s eyes are set onto his brother. Talk about love triangle.

 

A few more sentences and...Done! She heaves a heavy sigh once the job had finished. She had been cooped up in her room for the whole day since morning just to finish two of her essays and also this paperwork that surely takes most of her time. Taking off her big framed spectacles that cover half of her face, she put it on the side of her desk and stretches her aching muscles. She notice that the guy next door had just gone missing after having a while watching her all the time from his window. He might think that she didn’t notice but, how can she when she had also been doing the same thing? Stealing glances once in a while when he weren’t noticing. The funny thing about them is that she knows that he had feelings for her but they had always been awkward together compared to when she is with his brother, Suho. And she can never let the guy know that she knew so she pretend like she never notice anything while at times having fun teasing him and his feeling.

She had her own reason for playing dumb and never makes any effort to get close to the guy. A secret that only her elder brother knows but still couldn’t do anything about it. She had been trying to pass it on her own. But the monsters always had a way to get the best of her. Eating her alive. The ugly truth beneath her perfect mask is what she had been trying to hide. She is scared that if ever the guy knows, he would run away from her. No one would ever want someone as messed up as she does. Surely not even him. 

Suddenly, her phone rang breaking her trance of thoughts. She did a quick glance at the screen before answering the call from her brother. 

“Eunnie, what are you doing tonight?” Without even a proper greeting the elder just questioned her. She went silent for a while thinking of her nonexistent plan for the day.

“Yah, Shin Ha Eun! Answer me fast! I am in the middle of an important business here!”

She just rolled her eyes to that. “Yah Shin Hoseok, why do you even call in the middle of an important business, huh?” she asked back.

The elder just heave a heavy sigh before replying. “Just answer me, will you?” He asked.

“Nope...I have nothing important to do other than stalking the guy next door while trying to survive the night. Why?” she cockily ask.

She could’ve sworn that she could imagine her brother’s face after listening to her reply. He surely is fuming since she actually took her time thinking as if she had any other plan to think of. 

Hoseok just let out another heavy sigh. It has never been easy to deal with his sister initially. He just thanked god that He only let their parents have one, he couldn’t imagine if it is more than that. He surely believes that he can never survive. Ha Eun was sure an angel when she was smaller, but now... 

“Good. Get ready with a pretty decent dress. I’m taking you out for dinner tonight.” He said.

“Are you using me to ruin another blind date that mom had already set up for you?” The girl suspiciously questioned.

“Just dress up nicely and I’ll treat you with anything you want if you play along well, okay?” He desperately asks now.

Listening to the elder’s desperate tone, Ha Eun cheekily laughs to his misery. “Okay. But it will be pricey, dear brother.”

“Whatever, I’m ending the call now. I’ll pick you up at 6.” He later informed.

“Okay ...” then the call ended. 

Feeling a little bit warm, she then decide to take off her tops leaving her with a slightly revealing fancy striped sports bra and short pants. It will definitely be a blessing to any guy who is watching especially the next door guy who is currently wide gaping through the corner of her eye.  

   

 

“Oh… Ha Eunniee... You’re not going back home for the summer break?” Mrs Kim suddenly ask while she was busy watering her flowers one evening. It was just the first day of their term break and she can already see that the older woman is carrying a big luggage with her with Mr Kim transferring it in the taxi’s boot.

To that question, she just sweetly shakes her head. “There is nobody at home. Mom and dad are currently in Argentina for their business deal and Hoseok oppa is also busy with his work.” she then explains.

“Ohh… What a pity! I am also going out with your uncle for our honeymoon in Bali...If I had known, I would’ve stay to keep you company.”

“It’s okay, auntie. No need to worry for me, just enjoy your trip with Uncle Kim.” she quickly cut off to not make the older woman feels anymore guilty.

Mrs Kim just nod for a moment before adding “but Jongin is home. I’ll have him to look after you if anything happens okay? It’s not good to just leave a pretty girl alone without any supervision.”

Ha Eun just gave a polite smile in response. “Sure auntie. Thanks and enjoy your trip. “

 

 

‘Prangggggg’

‘Prangggggg’

‘Prangggggg’

The continuous loud sound of broken glasses immediately catches his attention. Getting up, he quickly makes his way to the source of sound. The unlocked door makes his already pounding heart beats faster. He silently hopes that nothing bad happened to the girl. 

It had been years since he last enters the girl’s territory but there was not much difference with his house interior. A soft sob then catches his ear, making his leg move to the direction of the coming sound. 

Pieces of broken glass shattered everywhere on the kitchen floor with a hint of spilling red. He can see no hint of burglars so he quickly assumes that something else had happened. He then slowly walks towards the girl while avoiding the shattered glass. 

As he had expected, the spilling red hint on the shattered glass indeed came from her bare feet. There are a few pieces that were still stuck so without wasting any time, he quickly carry her bridal style to the sofa in her living room. Dropping her off, he then grab the first aid kit, a basin of water along with clean white napkin. He doesn’t really know how he manages to know all of its places, but all he knows at that time is to quickly clean up her wound and ease her pain. That is all that he could think of at that time.

Finished covering her wound, he then carry her back bridal style to her room so that she could rest. She was silent the whole time and he doesn’t really know what to say either so he just let his actions says it all. Putting the girl to bed, he then tries to go back down to clean up the broken glass. However his action was stop when a soft hand suddenly grabs his arm.

“Can you stay with me for tonight?” she softly asks. 

Just when he wanted to sit on the floor next to her bed, she motions him to the empty space on her queen-sized bed. He hesitated for a moment but thinking that the girl might be disappointed if he rejected, he then climb up next to her making sure that there are spaces between them to not invade her private space. He was just sitting at first but then the girl softly tug him down making him lying on her bed closer next to her. He doesn’t know what to do at first so he just remains quiet still. But when the girl cuddles closer to him, he just breaks all of his self-control and embraces her smaller fragile body. He could feel her hot tears on his clothed chest but he doesn’t ask anything and just softly try to calm her by brushing her long brown hair. He doesn’t know what time he ended up sleeping but he knows that he manage to stop her tears before doing so. 

The penetrating bright light wakes Ha Eun up from her sleep. At first she thought that Jongin came barging into her house and cleaning up her wounds were all just a dream. Considering that she wake up alone on her bed but when she look down to her bandaged feet, she knows that it wasn’t only a dream. She felt slightly disappointed that Jongin had already left and she is also quite anxious of what the man thinks of her following to the earlier incidents.

She just miserably fails with her effort to get up and clean after herself when suddenly Jongin came in with a tray of breakfast in his hand. Putting aside the tray on her desk, he quickly help carry her to the attached bathroom after placing a chair for her to sit on. 

“Just knock the door once you’re done. I’ll carry you back.” He later said with a smile. He felt like a husband taking care of a sick wife already and he is already quite smitten with the girl so there is really no complaint to that. He enjoys taking care of her for the last few hours and he wanted to continue doing it for the rest of his life but he was unsure of the girl’s feeling for him. For all he knows, she is in love with his brother and not him. She only stays next to him last night because she needed company and not because she likes him.

Once she was done washing up, Jongin stays to help her to take her clothes from her rack of clothes in a designated room. Sure it was quite embarrassing for the both of them when he had to help her pick up her undergarments but she could barely walk on her own and nothing could have been done since there are no other ladies around the house. 

After she finishes putting on fresh clothes, they then take their breakfast. Jongin was quite the whole time but he does steal glances at the angel before him at times to make sure that he is eating well so when Ha Eun caught him stealing another glance next, she just spontaneously peck him on the lips catching him off guard.

“Thanks for all your effort. You were really a nice man, Jongin.” she softly speaks, continuing her breakfast. 

“If it is not a burden, can you accompany me a while longer?”” she then ask silently hoping that the latter will agree. Their food was already put aside by now leaving Jongin just sitting at the corner of her bed not knowing what to do.  

Jongin doesn’t take much time to think before agreeing to it. How can he when he had long dreamed of this to happen to him? 

“What do you plan to do? I can help you with it if I can.” he ask then.

“Can we cuddle? Or maybe we can watch a movie while cuddling?” she ask innocently.

Her coming answer somehow shock him. He is not sure whether the girl is just being friendly or is trying to flirt with him because surely the girl is doing best at getting in his pants. He is a healthy man in his twenties after all and her choice of clothing just now doesn’t help it better either. He tried to calm himself down or at least his erratically beating heart. 

“Sure” he later nods. “What movie do you want to watch?” He asks.

“Anything is fine by me. I just want to cuddle.” She honestly answers making the man blush by her blunt reply. He then picks a movie that he thinks the latter might enjoy and play it on her disc player. Once done, he then went next to her on the bed still keeping a safe distance between them that she doesn’t really appreciate.

“Why do you always lie so far? Do I smell bad?” She bluntly asks despite knowing the reason.

With that he quickly make up to it by scooting closer. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid that you might get uncomfortable if I get too near but you smell really nice, I love your scent.” Jongin nervously reply and mentally slapping his head when he spills out something that he shouldn’t have said.

Ha Eun smile unknowingly listening to his reply. She then courageously hugs his waist and lean closer to his chest despite his body suddenly went rigid due to her touch. She loves the effect that she has on him and she somehow thanks god that through her monster that she got to have him now. She will appreciate the moment for the time being and not let it go to waste. She already waits for this moment for so long now and she just wants to have him for herself. 

“I’m glad that you love it because I love yours too.” She didn’t hesitate to speak her mind as she breath in his musky scent. “Why is your heart beating so fast?” she innocently asks while looking up at him.

Losing control of himself, Jongin then just caught her lips with his devouring her sweetness. It wasn’t a long kiss but he is proud of himself when he found her eyes still closed and her lips smiling to the kiss. He then put his arms around her embracing her completely. “Why are you doing this to me? Are you trying to kill me?” he softly asks while looking her straight in the eye; Something that he had never been able to do before. 

“Isn’t it obvious already, Mr Oblivious Stalker?” She asked, smiling.

Noticing that she actually knows and he is the one being oblivious to everything, he chuckles.

“I love you. I really do.” He confessed and catches her soft lips once again.

“I love you too.”

The movie was long forgotten and they just end up making their own sweet movie instead with Ha Eun safely kept in Jongin’s arm.

“But Ha Eunniee... as much as I love you flirting with me, I would really appreciate it if you tone it down.” Jongin suddenly said.

“Why?” the girl innocently ask.

“Well… I’m a healthy man in his twenties…”

Knowing what the man is trying to say she then continue “And I am a healthy woman off legal age, so?” she teased, nuzzling closer to his broad chest.

Jongin then chuckles. “You surely are the death of me.”

Ha Eun smiles. “Do you want to do it now?” she once again plays innocent by asking him.

Capturing her lips, he then answer “It’s okay; let’s wait until your feet heals first. I don’t want to rush things.”

“I really love you.” He added placing another kiss on her forehead.