-Sehun’s POV-

Tense. There wasn’t another word that would describe how the atmosphere was as Shinhye eyed me with rightful anger and utter shock. She turned away and said, “Well, hello there, Hollow Man. It’s definitely nice to see you…” She meant it the opposite way, I knew that.

I thought she’d finally be relieved that I have revealed myself to her, but it turned out to be something bad for her. She was hysterical, not to mention overwhelmed with surprise that she could barely say anything coherent. She called me Hollow Man. I guess that was the name she decided to call me since she didn’t know who that invisible visitor was. I didn’t have any intention of letting it drag through for a longer time. I saw it fit for her to know at the time when she was insisting to leave the most. It would bring turmoil, I knew that, especially for Chan Yeol hyung, but I couldn’t care less.

I held her back before she could exit the room, her smooth skin against my palm sending me off the edge. I turned her around to face me, but her eyes remained plastered to the floor. She merely stayed limp like that.

“Shinhye?” I said softly, not wanting to scare her all the more.

“Mm?”

I sighed. “At least look at me,” I begged.

She shook her head quickly. “No, thanks.”

I bent down to have a better look at her face, smiling ruefully at her. This wasn’t the outcome I was looking for. “Don’t be like that.”

She straightened up and lifted one of her hands, motioning to hit me, but it remained suspended. She bit down on her lower lip, her eyes turning hazy. I saw resentment in them.

I nodded. “I guess I deserve it.” I glanced at her hand. “Go on.”

Her hand shook and she just let it fall limply on her side. “Screw this,” she breathed out.

Even if she was angry, I would still want to prove my intentions towards her. It was taking me a massive amount of audacity and I didn’t even have any idea where I was drawing the courage to tell her when I knew all along that before this, she thought me a coward. I inched closer to her, taking her hands in mine, drawing her closer to me.  She just followed the motion like a lifeless ragdoll. I cupped her face between my hands and gazed deep into her beautiful eyes, taking in every detail of her perfect face with each unique line serving as a redefining axiom to my whole being. It was the face that made my sleep peaceful and waking hours filled with mirth. Finally, my eyes strayed to her succulent lips, as yielding to mine as the clouds were submissive to the winds. She, to me, was everything beautiful in life.

“Yes, Shinhye, it was me and I speak the truth, but I also want you to know that I regret nothing.”

“Oh you speak a hell lot of truth more than what makes me happy.” She smirked. “Works better for you, doesn’t it?”

I shook my head. “No, it doesn’t. I’ve longed to tell you, but…”

“You were scared of the rejection,” she stated flatly. “I get it. It’s so cliché.”

“No. I saw it as a possibility, but I was more afraid of presenting myself to you, unworthy of those smiles and your affection…” I reached over and touched her hair.

Her frown deepened. “I don’t understand why you think that way? So if it were up to you and not your raging hormones then maybe you would have let me settle the score with someone else without even doing anything about it? I know I sound obnoxious, but at least I see the others trying to make an effort and you don’t even show the slightest hint of interest towards me and now this? Are you really planning to give me a heart attack? Or maybe you’d like my brain to explode.”

I didn’t understand half of what she was saying, but that was definitely the longest speech she had for me since entering my room. “I’m not trying to do such things and yes, Shinhye, I’ve tried, but you never see through my intentions.”

“Because you just mean to annoy me all the time!” she retorted. “Oh Sehun, I may be indifferent to many things, but I am the complete opposite of what I seem to be when it comes to you, Chan Yeol and the other four, not to mention the six people I’d get to meet once the river is down.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“But that’s not even half of what I’ve been through, denying my feelings for someone unseen because it was inappropriate, not to mention the fact that I was being unfaithful to the prophecy, to you guys and to the principles I go by with in life.”

“I’m sorry if I made it last this long.”

“I vowed to kill whoever that person is once he comes to me again after what I said in Hydris. I meant those words Sehun, but now, I’m going back on them as well.” She started pacing again. “Do you honestly want me to strangle you? Ugh!”

“It wasn’t my intention to make you feel that way, I swear and I’m sorry for just that, but I still wouldn’t take back the things I said to you from that first night up to this point.” I reached over to touch her face. “It feels good to have been able to say that.”

“Well, it took you a long time,” she snapped.

I shrugged. “Is this really how hard it is to talk to you?”

She ginned then, making the atmosphere lighter. “You didn’t seem to have any trouble telling me what’s on your mind before. Say, how were you able to block me from reading your thoughts?”

I briefly touched the tip of her nose with my finger. “That’s a secret.” I smiled at her and heaved in a deep breath. “But seriously, Shinhye, I mean every word I said to you. It doesn’t matter if you couldn’t see me.” I took her hand in mine and pressed her palm against my chest. “…but they all came from here. Don’t you ever forget that.”

She suddenly tilted her head to the side. “Are you usually this cheesy?”

“Cheesy?” I pouted. “There you go again with your strange words.”

 “Get used to it,” she told me harshly. “So you love me? Why did you have to do that? Aish! Jinjja!” she growled. “Did you really have to make things that complicated? You could’ve walked up to me and –”

I rolled my eyes. Why couldn’t she see why? I trapped her with one arm and captured her lips in mine, feeling her resistance at first and her response in the long run as I kept her steady against me. She was the only one who had the capability to make me feel things that transcend the world itself. She stirred me alive by merely existing. I can finally say that my search was over for good. Ahn Shinhye was all that I needed and ever will. It didn’t even matter to me if we fail as long as she was with me, but what better way was there to prove my love to her than to help her succeed and achieve all that her heart desired?

From the moment I first set eyes on her, not in a form of a dream but reality, I have made my steadfast decision to take her for my own, mine and mine alone. I couldn’t feel it making any progress until now. Though I’ve had her lips, received her warm touches and felt her return every mind-blowing gesture, it was never fully realized until I showed her how I really felt about her. She was my beginning and she will be my end. I will make sure of it.

In that brief moment that our lips mingled and our warmth crashed into each other, I spoke to her being, hoping she would understand. I wasn’t asking for her to return my feelings for her the way I wanted her, too, but I wanted her to know, so I would get my chance, too.

She pulled away from me after a moment and just stared at me, her eyes fathomless as she took an unsteady step backwards, breathing in deeply. She glanced at the door behind her then met my gaze. “I-I need to check on D.O.” She backed away ever so slowly.

I chuckled at her flushed face, a bit puzzled. “D.O. hyung?”

“He’s sick. I need to go.” She turned away quickly, but I held her by the wrist.

“Not so fast.”

She grimaced when she looked at me again, her lower lip slightly jutting out. That was adorable. “What~?” she whined. “He needs me.”

“What are you now? His nurse?”

She jerked her hand away from me. “I’m his friend and friends help each other,” she countered.

I arched a brow at her. “I don’t think so. Chin could take care of him.” When she shot me a glare, I just chuckled. “That’s what you said to Chan Yeol hyung and I’m not buying it.”

Her eyes widened and her pupils constricted when I said hyung’s name, but she quickly concealed it by saying, “Buy what?”

“Don’t make excuses.”

“I’m not!”

“You are.”

She rolled her eyes at me, biting her lower lip. “My camera please,” she muttered, feigning false anger.

An idea suddenly made its way in my head. “I’ll give it to you if you grant me another kiss.” I grinned at her.

Her face became devoid of any expressions. “You can have my camera then.”  She started walking towards the door while I hurriedly took the camera from the nightstand where I’ve left it. I was planning to look at the pictures.

I caught up to her and took her by the arm. “I was pulling your leg,” I told her in between laughter as I handed the device to her. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

“Fine.” She then began scanning the pictures I took as we were walking through the hallway and stopped when we’ve reached her door. Shinhye then slung the camera around her neck.

I took her distraction as an opportunity to make my move. Without a moment’s hesitation, I placed a brief kiss on her cheek just beside her lips then I smiled brightly at her. “Good night,” I told her, opened the door and quickly steered her in. “Sweet dreams.”

“You ruined it,” she said sarcastically then laughed, slamming the door close.

I blinked at the intricate patterns on the oak in front of me, stunned in silence when I suddenly hear movement from the intersecting hallway. Wondering who or what it was, I walked over to check, but I found no one except for the badly burnt area on the wall, forming the shape of a hand. He saw it…

“I heard that,” someone suddenly spoke from behind me.

I veered around and saw Shinhye standing there, alarm in her expressions. “What are you still doing here? I thought I –”

“I’ve heard your thoughts. Who saw what?” Her calm yet ominous tone made me uneasy. I looked towards the direction of the burnt wall and she followed my