To cissoye who enlightened me about the idea of kicking some… ehem… *balls*  ;P  if it wasn’t for you this chapter wouldn’t probably be here… thank you soooooooo much  :3

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It took the ‘thief’ almost an hour to make something to eat. And if the curses coming from the kitchen were anything to go by, Minwoo was sure it was not something edible. But on the plus side, it gave him some time to cool down and think- to contemplate what his next move should be.

His fighting skills were embarrassing to say the least. And to think he took boxing lessons for months…

Being thrown across the room like that… and then being threatened to be tied to a chair…yeah, it was humiliating.

As much as he was angry at the other man, most of the anger was directed towards himself as well. What was he thinking- attacking the other man in the same way over and over again?

He needed to plan well, bide his time and then attack instead of trying to choke him to death.

Minwoo could hear the stove being turned off and the cluttering of ceramic, which alerted him to the fact that the cooking was done. He quickly schooled his face into an expressionless mask, hoping his inner thoughts would not be too obvious.

He glared at the taller man as he entered the room with two bowls of steaming something. The man placed the bowls on the floor between them before he dragged the chair closer and sat on it facing Minwoo. He then picked up a bowl and offered it to him.

Instead of taking it Minwoo glared at him even harder. He had a good mind to take the bowl and dump its contents all over the other man’s head. What prevented him from doing so was… well… he was hungry.

He hadn’t had anything to eat for well over a day and the aroma drifting from the food was making him salivate. He had felt hungry since morning but had ignored it because of the matters that needed his immediate attention. But the sudden appearance of food made his hunger come back with a vengeance. Now his stomach was growling loud enough to be heard in the quiet room.

His gaze drifted between the man’s face and the bowl that was towards him. The other man met his glare head on. His gaze never once wavered. It was like he was almost daring Minwoo to refuse the food.

Well, Minwoo certainly wasn’t going to be the one who starved. 

After sending a final death glare his kidnapper’s way, he reached out and took the bowl. The other man took the remaining bowl of food and they both started to eat in silence.  

Minwoo almost snorted when he saw what the man had made- instant noodles.

It took him almost an hour to make something that’s made within two minutes. What an idiot.

It was all alright for a while until his kidnapper thought it would be nice to start a conversation.

‘’I’m Eric by the way… I mean… if you were wondering…’’

Minwoo gave a mental eye roll. The last thing he needed was a name to match to that detestable face.

Awkward silence filled the air. The man- Eric- was looking at him expectantly.

Was Minwoo supposed to offer his name? Well that wasn’t going to happen... no way no how… Why should he show any form of politeness to a thief?

After staring at his unresponsive ‘hostage’ for a couple of minutes, the other man turned his attention back to the food. There were no more attempts at conversation after that. When they were both finished Eric left with the empty bowls, leaving Minwoo to his thoughts.

Minwoo noticed something different in his posture now. His guard was down. It was as if he was not afraid of Minwoo’s attacks anymore. It was as if he thought Minwoo was not a threat to him.

Well wait and see you bastard… wait and see…

For the rest of the morning both of them stayed in their own corners- Minwoo in his room and Eric on the deck.

                         ~~~~~~~

The most ridiculous thing about the whole situation was Eric’s guilt-ridden behavior. Apart from knocking him unconscious and threatening to tie him up, he had treated Minwoo well.  Although it baffled him a little bit, it did not, in any way, serve to decrease the hostility he felt towards the man. If anything, the apologetic behavior only managed to make his anger worse.

Hadn’t he consciously made the decision to steal the boat? Hadn’t he consciously made the decision to kidnap Minwoo?

Then why all this ‘guilt-tripping’ behavior?

Fake sympathy was something he had gotten tired of a long long time ago. It was something that made him sick. It was something that made him feel even lower than he already felt. And Eric was behaving in that exact same way and it was getting on Minwoo’s nerves more than anything else.

And then there was this fear- this mind numbing, paralyzing fear of not knowing what was to come. And being in that vulnerable position where you knew that no help was coming no matter how much you needed it… it was terrifying.

What was going to happen to him? Was he going to get sold into slavery or something?

With nothing else to occupy his mind, different scenarios about his future flashed through his mind- each and every one more terrifying than the one before.

And by the end of the morning he was dead set on one thing. 

He was not going to be the one distress. He was not going to be the victim.

                           ~~~~~~

It was almost late into the afternoon when he heard the other man bustling around in the kitchen. He knew Eric was preparing something to eat and he knew the man would come back into the room.

Minwoo was going to let the atmosphere calm down a bit. Let everything settle and let the man believe that he was harmless. Then attack him in the least expected moment.

But he lost that resolve when Eric entered his room with the bowls of food.

What the hell was he wearing??? Weren’t those his friend’s cloths?

So not only did he hijack the boat, but he also has the audacity to flaunt himself dressed in the cloths he stole?

It was completely unacceptable and Minwoo’s mind just snapped. He got out of bed with his arms outstretched as if he was asking for the food. A small smile grazed Eric’s face at Minwoo’s unexpected action.

You won’t be smiling for long you a******…

He waited until the unsuspecting man came closer.

Just a little closer…

And then…

bang…

The bowls crashed onto the floor, the contents making a mess on the wooden planks as Minwoo’s knee shot up and caught the most vulnerable part of the human male anatomy.

He watched in satisfaction as the man crumpled to the floor, his eyes clenched tightly shut against the excruciating pain.

HAH… take that you bastard…

So you were going to tie me to a chair were you…?? Now who’s the helpless one…?

This was it. This was his moment of escape.

Stepping over the whimpering twitching figure on the floor, Minwoo ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.