Every Word of It

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He noted how her hands gripped onto the armrest of the chair, turning her knuckles white.

Stealing a peek to his right, he found her firmly pressed back into her chair, eyes closed, and inhaling deep breathes of air.

Airplane sickness.

"Excuse me," he stopped the flight attendant in a hushed tone.

-

When she felt that the airplane had finally taken off into a smooth flight, the brunette slowly relaxed from her stiff posture and let her eyes flutter open.

The sight that greeted her immediately caught her attention.

Her foldable table tray had been layed down with a glass of water, accompanied by a small red tablet, placed neatly upon it.

Jessica looked questioningly to her left but her companion was comfortably rested in his seat, seemingly in a deep slumber.

Pursing her cherry lips together, she looked down thoughtfully and was surprised to also find a thin blanket draped around her.

Did I fall asleep while closing my eyes?

The thought seemed incredulous but a soft smile graced her features nonetheless.

Taking her blanket, she gently draped half of it onto the man beside her, leaving them to share the blue fabric together.

Once she was satisfied with her work, the heiress turned forward to gulp down the red tablet and her water before leaning back to join her seatmate in a slumber.

From beside her, her companion's lips curved into a smile.

-

After parting ways with the staffs and her colleagues, the brunette made her way towards her assigned suite.

Immediately throwing herself onto the mattress upon arrival, she sighed contentedly.

Airplane rides just really weren't her thing- even if she did quite enjoy it as contradicting as it may seem- it just simply wore her out.

To her utter dismay, the doorbell to her suite sounded and she forced herself up and to the door.

"Hi!" a cheerful boy instantly chirped at her as soon as she opened the door.

"My name's Key and I'll be your go-to attendee during your stay at the Lux Hotel," he extended his hand to her with a bright grin.

Jessica couldn't help but return the guy an amused smile as she shook his hand.

"Thanks, Key. I'll keep that in mind."

He stayed grinning at her as a response to her reply, and after a few moments of his statue-like stance, the brunette wondered if she should just politely close her door. Her hand readily reached for the door knob.

"Umm," Jessica started out, proceeding to close the door, "I'll be seeing you around then?"

"No!"

His shout startled her and she instinctively took a step back as he quickly apologized and handed her a package, disappearing in a flash afterwards.

"Wai-" she tried to call out to him but it was already too late.

What a cheerful yet weird guy.

Sitting down on her bed, Jessica studied the beautifully wrapped box adorned by blue ribbons.

Carefully tugging the ribbons loose and lifting the lid open, she was greeted by a golden envelope.

She slipped the card out of its envelope and read the contents.

To. J

Our client will be hosting a ball tonight to which he has requested our mandatory attendance. It is crucial in securing our partnership with him.

Be ready and meet me at 8pm by the front entrance of the hotel.

Signed,

D

Shaking her head at his whole anonymity, Jessica uncovered the tissue papers to reveal an ivory white dress.

She marvelled at its elegant design and smiled, sure that Donghae must have picked it out himself.

Tucking the fabric away into its box, Jessica set her mind to take a quick shower and explore the city before the addressed time.

-

The brunette scrambled from one room to another as she rushed to get ready, glancing at the clock every so often.

She hastily tugged on her white pleated dress and distractedly slipped on her matching heels as she fumbled to put on her earrings and bracelet, before proceeding to feather on a light layer of makeup.

Averting her attention from the mirror, the heiress stole a quick glance towards the old wooden clock and was horrified to find herself late.

Hurriedly grabbing onto her clutch, Jessica swiftly pinned her curled hair to the side and slammed the door shut behind her.

Once in the elevator, she took in a deep breath to prepare herself, sure that she was going to receive an earful of it from Donghae. When it came down to business, he held punctuality as a necessity.

Unlatching the opening to her clutch, the beauty broke into a smile as she retrieved a red velvety pouch from within it.

Her eyes crinkled from the smile and she gently gazed at the object, deciding that it was definitely worth the tardiness and the highly likely reprimanding that would soon follow.

-

He thoroughly took in her appearance as she gracefully descended from the stairs of the entrance.

Her white dress hugged onto her curves perfectly as the subtle lace effortlessly brought out her elegance and purity.

The locks of her hair fell into curls over the right of her shoulder and framed her flawless features to perfection.

Her beauty glowed even with the simplest touch of makeup.

She was beautiful.

Snapped out of his trance by her immediate string of apologies, Donghae chuckled into his fist.

"You look beautiful," and with a charming smile accompanied by a wink, the beauty was left stunned unto her spot.

She couldn't decide upon which had left her more puzzled; his compliment, his wink, his smile, and the sincerity emitting from behind them, or the demeanour he gave off in which acknowledged the hope that everything was finally okay between them.

She had expected some scolding, some yelling, some glaring, and even some anger but never did she expect his much unexpected reaction as of current.

All of a sudden, she felt light-hearted, as if she could just fly in that very moment.

A grin spread itself across her lips and if they weren't already late, she might've just went twirling off dancing right there and then.

Probably even pulling him along!

But before they could get any tardier, Jessica stepped into the limo, grin still in tact.

-

With a poised composure, she watched as the horizons blurred by through the window.

Though, unbeknownst to the dazed girl, the man across from her had not once tore his gaze away from her since the moment she stepped inside the vehicle.

Contradicting her poise, he was comfortably leaned back into the leather seat, head propped against his knuckle, with an amused, but more so than that, loving gleam in his eyes.

Not a movement of hers went by unnoticed by him, so when she hugged her arms together in a sign of coldness, he immediately took off his blazer and draped it over her shoulders, pulling it close around her.

The brunette turned to him, startled.

Her lips slowly curved into a demure smile soon after, and with their gazes fixed upon one another, she suddenly beamed, looking away.

He let out a low, soft chuckle, as he finally directed his attention towards their present location.

They had arrived.

-

Just as Jessica's hand clasped upon the door handle about to open it and step out, Donghae's hand hovered over hers, halting her actions.

Leaning in close to her, he let his lips graze her ear as he whispered into it, his voice husky.

"I forgot to tell you. Tonight, you're my girlfriend."

The heiress pulled back appalled, not sure if he was joking or serious.

His response was a bright smile.

"Mr. So is a firm believer in love so I told him that I'd be bringing my beloved girlfriend to the ball with me tonight. Whether he'll seal the deal or not, depends on our performance tonight."

And with that revelation said, Donghae let out a boyish smirk.

Jessica stared at the childish man in front of her, clearly unamused.

Then, letting out a huff, she ed his blazer back into his hands.

The brunette was the first to exit the limo and as the businessman followed suit, he smiled goofily to himself.

This must be how it feels like to tease the girl you love.

-

With her hand gently gripping onto his arm, the beautiful pair entered the venue, greeting back the unfamiliar faces of whom greeted them.

Turning his head to her ear, he readjusted her grip on his arm as he whispered to her, "We're not going to convince anyone with you barely even holding onto my arm, love."

"Jerk!" she whispered back harshly.

The sudden changes in their relationship had always left her utterly confused.

"That's no way to talk to your boyfriend, sweet."

She made a face at him, both for his cheesy terms of endearment and for his constant nagging.

He smiled back in response. Oh, he was so enjoying this.

But amidst it all, recognition struck her.

'Love.'

He had used to always call her that.

Lost in her realm of thoughts, it was only when they were in front of Mr. So, himself, that she snapped back to reality.

"This is Jessica Jung, the love of my life," Donghae had introduced her as, and though it was merely an act, how her heart had yearned for his words to be true.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. So," Jessica offered him a polite smile and a slight bow.

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Jung," the host replied merrily and grabbing Donghae by the shoulder, he let out a hearty chuckle.

"Donghae, I hope you meant what you said because the two of you make a beautiful pair!"

I meant every word of it.

"And you know me,” he added sternly, “You know how highly I value love and relationships. It's the whole ebodiment of my business! I truly dislike becoming partners with businessmen who are cold and mechanical, neglecting all love and compassion, simply doing anything and everything for the sole purpose of their company's success. A good businessman must first be a good man who is not only worthy of being loved, but also loves with his all in return. I hope that you'll prove to be such a man, Donghae."

"I won't disappoint you, Sir." Donghae assured him.

With a smile and a pat to the young lad's arm, the cheerful host left the pair to tend to his other guests.

"He isn't completely convinced," the heiress spoke as she turned to the man beside her, letting go of his arm to fix his tie, upon noticing its crookedness.

For a few moments, the charming man in front of her didn't reply.

He simply basked in the blissfulness of the moment, admiring the beauty before him.

He loved everything about her, they were all so imperfectly perfect and beautifully her.

The way she so effortlessly adjusted his tie, like she had done it a million times before.

The way the corner of her lips always tugged upwards into a small, yet enchanting smile.

The way her eyes seemed to sparkle with life and love all on their own, even without all the fancy reflections of the chandeliers.

The way the locks of her hair fell into a loose disarray about her shoulders and still managed to exude perfection.

And most of all, the way her cheeks became tinted rose as he reached to tuck a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

He found every bit of her simply endearing.

"Lee Donghae, are you even listening to me?" the beauty pouted, both flustered by his stare and once again, unamused.

Without giving her a reply or a chance to register what was happening, he pulled her to the dance floor.

Guiding her hands to wrap around the nape of his neck, he rested his own large ones on her petite waist.

She opened to protest, but then decided against it and remained the way that she was instead.

He swayed her to the rhythm of the music and as she moved along with him, a laugh unconsciously escaped from her lips.

The boy who she loved more than life, itself, smiled at this.

"Tell me," he began, "Was I a good dancer in the past?"

She leaned back to look at him before shaking her head sheepishly.

"You were horrible, but you loved it," she grinned, "Often, at any random place, at any given time, you would just suddenly take my hand and start dancing. You always managed to make me laugh in that way. You were so silly and cute," her eyes turned into crescents, laughing at the recalled memories.

"Am I still cute now?" he asked cheekily.

"Hmmm," she pretended to study him, pursing her lips together in the process.

"I don't know," she shrugged and smiled teasingly.

He pouted, and she took a mental picture of it.

It had been such a long time since she had seen him reenact the cute act, and he was simply adorable.

"Fine, then let's talk about how I managed to woo you before. Or did you simply agree on the spot, unable to resist my charms? If not, how did I ask you to be mine then?" he let out a haughty smirk, anticipating her response.

"You actually had to chase after me for some time," she laughed and looked to him guiltily.

"It's not that I didn't return your feelings," she hesitated, "I did, just as much as you did. Even more," the brunette bit at her lips.

"I know," he with a coy smile, which immediately landed him a fist to the shoulder.

"It's just," she paused, "I was afraid of ruining our friendship. I'd rather be your friend forever than your lover for only a fragment of time."

"How did I win you over then?" he gently urged her on, understanding her reason exactly.

"Your patience, persistence, and sincerity," she smiled, "You chased after me for two weeks, leaving flowers in my locker everyday, sending love letters to me through my window via paper airplanes, giving me space to decide yet still walking me home everyday, you even bought a bike at one point, wanting us to ride it together to school. It was all so cheesy, yet really sweet, so when you suddenly whisked me away one evening to the very rooftop I found you on, all decorated for a romantic dinner with candles, roses, my favourite desserts, and a battered-out radio, I happily said yes in a heartbeat."

The lean man broke into a soft chuckle.

"I didn't know that I was such a romantic. But it was definitely worth it to gain someone as precious and amazing as you."

He gazed into her eyes sincerely as he uttered the words, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter alive as her heart thudded softly against her chest.

"As cheesy as I was back then, I must have also vowed to never make you cry, didn't I?" his smile faltered, " I failed to keep that promise, haven't I?"

He brought his thumb up to gently glide across her under-eye, as if to wipe away all the tears that she had shed, broken and alone. His large, warm hand lingered upon her face before sliding back down to her waist.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I've made you suffer, I've wronged you," his voice broke as the words escaped his lips.

She shook her head with a light smile.

"No, I'm sorry Hae, for keeping everything from you. I shouldn't have made all the decisions by myself."

He, in turn, shook his head at this and with a smile he said, "Since the problems of the past are all behind us now, let's leave it there, Jess."

Jessica nodded her head in agreement, "You're right."

"I meant what I said though, love. Every word of it," Donghae said seriously.

"Huh?" the brunette questioned, clueless as to what he was referring to.

Before she could inquire further, the host of the night interrupted with an announcement.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is now time to present the highlight of tonight's event," the much respected man's voice echoed throughout the room, amplified by the speaker.

"The piece sitting here, in this glass box, is called 'Everlasting'. An emblem of the love between my deceased wife and I. Though she is no longer around, she will forever live on in my heart. I will always remember our love, as well as how hard she had fought against her disease, to stay by my side," the chairman paused solemnly, "We had started out without a single penny, but still, she stayed by my side regardless of whatever poverty or hardship that came our way. That is why, as soon as I became successful, I had immediately bought this necklace to gift her, as a promise of my eternal love to her. As you all know, the price of this cherished piece is now highly fluctuating in the market, but all that doesn't matter to me. Only the love that it holds of my wife and I does. Tonight's ball is a dedication to my wife, with today marking our 40th anniversary, and I thank you all greatly for attending!”

When his speech came to an end, applauses immediately erupted from every corner of the room.

Alhough, too soon after the applauses had slowly started to die down, a deafening gunshot sounded across the room.

At once, hysterical screams lashed out, filling the room with commotion and chaos.

When the source of the gunshot was finally pinpointed from the second floor by a group of men dressed in black and wielding guns, everyone present instantly went shoving and pushing about to get to the exit.

Mr. So was taken by his bodyguards to a safe place as another two set of bodyguards protected his prized possession and his guests, fighting off the masked men in black.

Amongst the hysteria, Donghae's hand instinctively went to interlock with Jessica's as he guided and shielded her, holding her close to his side.

They weaved past the insane mass of people pushing about, and whenever someone was close to bumping into Jessica, Donghae would naturally pull her unto him, wrapping his arms tightly around her, as he allowed himself to get hit instead.

Due to such a large amount of people present, the brunette couldn't even keep track of how many times the protective boy in front of her had been bumped and shouldered.

She bit her lips as her heart raced for every time he pulled her close to him, and ached for every time he was harshly shoved aside.

It felt like an eternity before they even reached halfway to the exit.

The loud and obnoxious deliver of gunshots engulfed the room as the high screams of terror competed to drown it out.

Bullets flew across the room in an exchange between the thieves and the bodyguards, and for each one that flew by, more and more red seemed to paint over the whiteness of the ballroom.

It was fast becoming a heinous tragedy. One that had not occurred in a long time.

The competent heir trained his eyes steadfast between the exit and his precious love beside him, driven with the only aim to get them safe and out of the chaos unharmed, while the brunette's eyes constantly scanned the room in alertness as agony and sorrow penetrated at her heart.

After what felt like an eternity and two, the duo was finally just steps from the exit.

Sharing a quick smile of relief and a reassuring squeeze through their still intertwined hands, the pair's gaze briefly interlocked before Donghae turned his head back to the front and towards the door.

Jessica's gaze, however, lingered upon him for a bit longer; and just as luck would or wouldn't have it, it was just long enough for her to unmistakably catch sight of the bullet that was launching straight towards the man of whose hands she was gripping tightly onto.

Her eyes widened in horror as blood drained from her face.

No longer could she hear anything except for the pounding of her heart that hammered hard against her chest.

Then, without even sparing a thought to think twice, the heiress pushed herself in front of the targeted man, using her body as a shield, as her arms encircled him in a close embrace and her hands tightly grasped at the back of his blazer.

With all the strength that she could muster from her petite frame, this time around, she had protected him, Lee Donghae, the love of her life.

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