Punk: Meet me outside the baseball place after school.
Sara: Why should I?
Punk: Don’t ask me something rhetorical question and just get your here. QUICKLY.

Some days he is nice. Some days he is just him. 

Luckily the baseball place was about 1km from school and she managed to get on the crowded bus that circulated to that area. All the pain she went through for Barom made her question why she was not given a sane person as a husband even when she had to marry young. She dropped off at the bus stop and started running over towards Kangjun and Ray who were lingering around the entrance gate. 

“Go inside, he is still batting away,” Ray told her. She nodded and quickened her footsteps. Kangjun glared at her as she walked. 

“I feel there’s something weird going on between hyung and that girl,” Kangjun finally said what was in his heart. “Something that all of us don’t know. Don’t you feel it?”

“Maybe you are just as paranoid as you are, Jun,” Ray replied. “It is not the first time you have said this. Please feed your brain some food.”

“Seriously, hyung!” Kangjun clenched his teeth, agitated. “If you look closer, you might realise that something is really off with this whole contract thing. Maybe you are the one that needs brain food.” He stormed off inside.

Barom saw the silhoutte of Sara walking towards his pitch and he was too immense that he missed his final ball. 

“Oh man, hyung that ,” Maru cackled. “You could have aced that one if you were not looking too hard at Sara.”

Barom turned to him and pretended to raise his bat at him. Maru shrieked and backed off, apologising half-heartedly. 

“All because of you I missed my last ball,”Barom threw his face towel at Sara as she reached to him. “I could have aced it and boast to you.” He gulped down his bottle of isotonic drink. s began to gather around him and sat down.

“Oh really?” Sara found a spot and settled down too. “Well maybe you shouldn’t lose your focus when you saw me walk in then.” She threw the towel back onto his face.

s tried to hide their laughter away from Barome except for Maru. “BURN!” He laughed hard. “Noona, that was the best burn statement I have ever heard someone said to hyung!”

Barom’s ears started to turn pink out of embarrassment and threw an empty bottle at Maru asking him to shut up. “I know of a jajjangmyeon place near here. Let’s go," he quickly changed the topic.

Everyone walked before Barom and Sara, chatting out loud and singing their lungs out while TK rapped. Apparently Barom had told them earlier that he needed time to talk to Sara so everyone abided by his request and left Sara to walk with him at the back. 

“So you asked me to rush over just to take me to a jajjangmyeon eatery? I could have gone home and take a nap,” Sara whined. 

“I would have let you go home and take a nap if not for Dad persuading the chauffeur to fetch us both,” Barom explained. Sara looked at him warily and he frowned back, making her laugh. “Furthermore, you are hungry so why not just keep quiet and follow us to a jajjangmyeon eatery and eat to your heart’s content?”

“I don’t get you. Sometimes I feel like you want to be nice but your ego gets in the way,” Sara told him.

Barom shrugged and flashed a quick smile. He began to feel comfortable walking with Sara and the way she talked began to sound so soothing to the heart. “I know I am nice.”

“You wish, Barom, you wish. Anyway thanks for the treat,” Sara broke into an eye smile and made a heart with her fingers. She could not agree more with herself that Barom was just awkward when it comes to being good. She started accepting that it was the only way he tried showing the good side of him though it still looked stuck up.

After the meal, his friends went off first while both of them waited for the chauffeur to pick them up. It was getting too awkward for Barom since it was the first time after Thailand incident that he was spending some time alone with Sara. “So, you bought your bathing suit for the school trip?”

“No. I don’t know if I should even participate in the beach event. I don’t like wearing revealing clothes.”

“You and your ahjumma lifestyle.”

Sara rolled her eyes as Rome imitated an old ahjumma walking. “You really need to do something about your ugly outfits.”

“Unlike you, mister, I don’t spend much money on clothes because I can’t afford,” she snapped.

“You can always ask for my card if you want. Unless you want me to go shopping for bathing suits with you, you better get it purchased soon.”

The family car finally arrived and Barom walked out of the eatery first and opened the door for Sara. It was the first time that he ever did that and somehow Sara was touched by his gesture that he unknowingly showed her. 

As she entered into the car, she said, “Being nice doesn’t mean that I will give you my answers to the homework later.” She smiled and in return, Barom let out a small laughter and smiled back at her, showing an OK sign. Their car journey was filled with minimal conversation in case something important slipped out of their mouths.

Barom smiled to himself as he watched the cars pass by, thinking about the eye smile that she flashed at him previously. He turned to only to find her dozed off with her head tilted to his side. He took out his phone and playfully snapped a few photos of her before slowly lifting her head to his shoulder. The chauffeur smiled when he saw what Barom did. All the while he had been working for the Yus, it was the first time he saw Barom being extra careful and caring towards someone. Usually Barom was cold as a stone, showing his black face everytime the Yus organised a family outing. Indeed Sara managed to change him slowly.

Sara didn’t wake up when they reached the Yu residence probably too tired from school. Barom requested the Madame Oki to get Sara’s belongings while he carried her up to the bedroom very cautiously. Madame Oki giggled as she walked ahead of them and apparently, Mrs Yu was home early that day, spending time in the kitchen with Madame Oki whipping up dinner and she hid behind one of the walls, witnessing the gentle side of her son she never knew.

He carefully placed her head against his buff chest as he carried her, while she was muttering words he could not figure out. She was not as light as he expected but settling his eyes on her face as he climbed up the stairs made him forget about her weight. In fact, he did not care about it at all. He was contented with what he was doing. Madame Oki stood by the bedroom door as he entered before closing it behind them. Slowly and steadily he placed Sara onto the bed and took out her socks for her. He switched on the aircon and put the blanket over her. Finally feeling the tiredness on his arms, he threw his body next to her and stripped down to singlet and shorts.

Sara tossed around to get a comfortable spot and ended up facing Barom. Barom found himself staring at her ever since he carried her and turned to face her. His fingers unexpectedly made their way to her face and clearing the strands of hair that was covering her beautiful face. He admired every nook of her feature, especially her lips. He outlined her jaw softly and her right cheek. 

He might act like he hated sleeping beside Sara but actually he yearned for it. He wanted to cuddle her in his arms, kiss every part of her face, run his finger from her T zone to her lips and lower. 

He leaned slightly over to her face and after many thoughts, planted a kiss on the cheek. He her forehead and planted another kiss on the temple. He then got up to shower but Sara’s arms flung onto his body and she began to snuggle towards him. 

“Rome,” she called out with her eyes close. Rome froze. She began to snuggle closer to him and his chest. “Barom.”
Is she dreaming? Barom turned to her and pretentiously answered her in the most annoying way. But there was no answer. She was probably sleep talking. But her hand was still his chest in slow motion. He wanted to move away but he loved being in her embrace. Sara disliked skin ship so much but since she was hugging him in her sleep, it made him happier. He held her hand, kissed it and it finely. 

“Sleep tight, Sara,” he whispered before finally putting her arm aside and getting up to wash himself. 

Sara woke up finding Rome on his back staring straight into her soul. She inched backwards and hit him lightly for scaring her. 

“Wow, you snored pretty loud,” Rome lied.

“Wow, you have time to watch me sleep instead of doing your own work,” she replied sarcastically. “What time is it now? I can’t believe I actually slept. And…” she paused and gasped looking at Rome.

“And I carried you over from the car,” Rome finished off her sentence. “You are welcome, Missy.”

He saw Sara’s cheeks turned red upon mentioning that he carried her into the room. She looked down to the sheets and muttered, “I hope I wasn’t that heavy for you. And thanks.”

“You weighed so much I nearly fell off the stairs,” he teased Sara and smirked. “At least give me a kiss as a prize for being nice today.”

“Your motive is really… wow, I am speechless Barom,” Sara threw a pillow onto his face and wriggled out of the sheets. But she was not fast enough to escape from Rome’s huge arms that pinned her down, sending her shrieking and struggling.

"Not so fast!" Rome put his feet over hers and lay on top of her. His loose singlet slipped off his shoulder, exposing his toned arms. Sara stopped wriggling as Rome brought his face closer to hers, their lips merely apart. 

“Rome, what are you doing?” Sara said, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes stayed fixated on Rome’s as much as Rome’s eyes were on hers. Rome did not answer her and kept staring at her. They remained in that position, unintentionally lost in each other’s gaze. 

Sara did not retaliate as Rome’s fingers cleared her hair off her face carefully. Her heart was beating so fast it felt as if she just finished a marathon. Rome had never approached her like this. His manhood was somehow pressing against hers as he lay comfortably on top of her. For the first time she was not scared of Rome’s touch. She admired his face from a closer distance as his fingers played with her hair. For the first time she wanted to be in Rome’s arms on the bed. Rome’s hands suddenly slid behind her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. She grabbed his muscular arms as he lifted her body slightly.

Slowly and steadily she felt him planting traces of soft kisses along her jawline. Secretly she loved the way it made her feel as she shut her eyes and bit her lips tight so that she would not let out any moan. He moved himself up by an inch and buried his face on her neck and began to playfully bite her ear. She flinched a little and whispered his name. She was helplessly drowning in his scent and effort. 

“Hm?” Barom answered her.

“St-Sto- What are you doing?” Sara struggled to form a sentence amidst the little pleasure she was receiving. 

“Kissing you,” Barom whispered back to her. “So you can kiss me back.”

Sara began to laugh as her hand his head. That was Rome’s weak point. He was getting . He wanted Sara so bad but it was not the right time yet until he gained Sara’s trust entirely. Sara told him to let her go but she was still his half-dry hair tenderly. Barom finally lifted his head with the most beautiful smile on his face. 

“So do I get a kiss?”

“No.”

“Then I am not letting you go and we will sleep like this,” he threatened.

“Come on, Rome! You are not a child and you are not light!” she cried as she struggled to escape his big features. Rome laughed and buried his head in her hair and it made her laugh along. “Okay fine,” after much thought, Sara finally gave in. She cupped his face and gave him a light peck on cheek.  That caught Rome by surprise but he definitely loved it and let her wriggle her way out of the bed. Before Sara lifted her bum off the bed, he grabbed her by her hand. 

“Can we do more of this next time?” he suggested sincerely. “Our secret bonding session?” He bit his lower lips and smirked. As if it was not seductive enough, he gave her his best to-die-for wink ever.

Sara cracked up and pulled away. “You are such a ert, Rome. Stop being so . Go and get your homework done, Mister.”

As she disappear into the bathroom, he let out a small laughter. “I think you love that idea too, Sara.”