“And then he fell.”

 

A grin crept to his face as he processed the words written on the page.

 

He had started reading the book a few days ago, unable to finish immediately due to some business he had to take care of. The papers had been coming in nonstop; cutoffs thrown here and there; and the amount of workload he had to do was unbearable and could drive almost anyone into insanity. He wondered if this was what life was all about: a bunch of deadlines and an unending amount of work to finish.

 

He had thought about quitting his job; about letting everything go and just following the course of the wind; living life like he once did when he was still young. But fear always got the best of him. Fear of becoming worthless, penniless, and even looked down upon. He was a proud man with an ambition, which was why he endures, going through his boring routines and repetitive lifestyle every single day.

 

The only things keeping him sane are his books. The books on his shelves; the book he was reading as of the moment. It was one of those days when he gets to just sit back on his favorite armchair in the living room, facing the huge glass window overlooking a forest of oak trees; a mash of leaves and dirt. He had on purposely chosen a house away from the city, putting as much distance between his work and his home. He loved his home more than anything in the world. Sitting in the tranquility of his abode, he felt free, peaceful, stuck in his little own world as he snuggled deeper into his velvet armchair, his mind set on reading the final chapters of his current novel. His mind raced as he read, feeling the course of excitement run through him as the protagonists’ arrive at the peak of the story.

 

~~~

Set in the contemporary era, a young handsome man had the world wrapped around his fingers. He was looked up upon by many people, being a renowned pianist and musician, and was described as the ideal man; the man everyone wished they could be. Suho had everything he could ever want: money, fame, a name respected in the music industry. He never experienced wanting something since everything was laid out in front of him almost automatically all his life.

 

That is until he met her...

 

Sarah was the complete opposite of Suho. She had no money, no fame, and definitely no name in the music industry. She was merely a normal civilian with the hopes of becoming a songwriter.  A nobody wanting to be a somebody.

 

She worked for the company Suho was contracted in and they had met by accident when Sarah entered the wrong room.

 

She busted the door open, panting and struggling with the pile of papers in her hands. “Sorry, I’m late! There was traffic downtown. I swear stoplights are a menace sometimes.”

 

“Uh...”

 

“Seriously, stoplights are supposed to help, right? Not make things worse!” she blabbered as she fixed the papers on the desk near the window.

 

“I think so—”

 

“And the traffic enforcers are just there!” she said annoyingly. “I mean why are they even there if they’re not doing their jobs?! What’s the government paying them for?!”

 

“To do nothing, I suppose?”

 

“Right?—“ Sarah turned around and her heart almost popped out of her chest as she saw the last person she would ever thought would be in the same room as she is. Suho, one of the company’s artists was sitting by the piano, his arms crossed, staring at her with interest and amusement. “Oh.” She looked around and realized too late that she had entered the wrong room. She mentally face palmed herself as she bowed in apology. “I’m sorry, Suho-ssi. I didn’t know—I—I—wrong room—“ she stuttered.

 

Suho chuckled at her reaction, her cheeks blushing and her features scrunching, making a funny face. “It’s okay. Accidents happen, right?”

 

She nodded as she went over to the desk to collect her papers, “Mianhe.” She bowed again before making her way to the door.

 

“Nice to meet you, Sarah-ssi.”

 

Sarah stopped, her hand halfway to the knob as she half-turned towards him, “How do you know my—?“

 

Suho pointed to her stomach, “I.D.”

 

Sarah looked down and saw her I.D., hanging loosely on her neck faced front, her name and picture visible. “Oh.” she laughed nervously. “Right.”

 

Suho nodded and watched her leave the room hastily, her black hair flailing behind her. That was something, he thought. Before continuing the piece he has been writing; stopping every ten minutes or so, feeling as if someone was watching him.

 

 

He savored the feel of the book in his hands, leather black with its spine crinkled from the amount of times it has been opened and closed. He flipped to a previous chapter, looking back at a detail he had forgotten before continuing on to the final sections of the novel. A smile played on his lips as he reminisced on the protagonists’ first attempts at falling in love.

 

~~~

After the first meeting, Suho saw Sarah almost everywhere: around the building, at the coffee shop a few blocks from the company, and even during his rehearsal periods. With that, he had gotten the chance to talk to her and it didn’t take long before he developed a liking in her.

 

“She’s different, “he said as he stared out of the window of his practice room, looking down at the empty street below.

 

“That’s exactly what a lovesick fool would say.” Baekhyun, another pianist in their company and one of his close friends, said as he played a funny tune, earning a smirk from Suho. “So what? She is.”

 

“You do realize that your family’s never going to like her right?” he said as he continued to play the instrument.

 

Suho sighed as he let his words sink in. It was true; they were never going to accept her. His family was of high class and they don’t easily accept “outsiders”, meaning people who didn’t have their names linked with any of the high society families in Korea, unless they were filthy rich in another continent. Unfortunately, Sarah was from neither. He sighed dejectedly, “I know. But—“ he sighed again in frustration. “I really like her.”

 

 

Sarah never thought it was possible for a guy like Suho to be interested in her. He was perfect in every single way while she was imperfect in almost every aspect of her being. In her opinion, they couldn’t be any more different and she wondered how one earth she had gotten herself tangled up in this.

 

Despite their differences and the fact that almost everyone is against the two of them being together: his family, his colleagues, his fans; the attraction between them was undeniable.

 

Sarah was walking down the hall, on the way to her boss’ office when she felt a hand grip her waist. She let out a yelp but a hand covered and before she knew it, she was dragged into a dark small space.

 

“Shh! It’s just me.” A playful voice said and as the lights to the room was opened, illuminating Sarah Suho’s beautiful face smiling down at her. “What are you doing?!” she scolded, but a smile crept to her lips, happy at the fact that she got to see him. “You scared the hell out of me!”

 

“Mianhe.” He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “I couldn’t help it. I missed you.”

 

This was how they relationship went: hidden in closed doors, unknown to the outside world. They didn’t mind the hiding or the lying, thinking that it was better this way that to not be together at all.

 

“I missed you too.” She sighed. “But Suho—“ he interrupted her with a kiss and the words she was about to say dispersed from her lips the moment his mouth took over hers. She succumbed into it, wrapping her arms around his neck, savoring the feel of his strong arms around her. When his lips parted from hers to move to her neck, Sarah sighed. “Suho.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“How long are we going to keep this up?”

 

He looked up at her, “What do you mean?”

 

Sarah sighed, looking down sadly. “I just—do we—are we going to hide forever?”

 

He gazed at her sadly, knowing exactly what she meant and how she felt. “You know I want to Sarah. I really do but—“

 

“They won’t like it.” She finished.

 

“I’m only trying to protect you.” He said as he caressed her cheek. “I love you, Sarah. Don’t think otherwise just because we’re hiding.”

 

~~~

“And then he fell.”

 

He focused on the page, seeing the blobs of ink that formed countless words into phrases and sentences; creating the story he had immersed himself into. Finally, he thought as he saw the hero and heroine struggling with the problems that hit them; leading to a series of events that led to the downfall of the beloved hero. He drank each word in, letting himself be absorbed in the dilemma the hero and heroine were facing; to the point that the story took on a life of its own; moving right before his very eyes, and he witnessed one of their final encounters:

 

Suho was agitated as he paced the room, thinking how stupid he had been to let it go for so long. He knew… he knew… and still he didn’t do anything about it, letting everything fall right before his very eyes. He had lost everything: his career, his family’s support… all because he had fought for what he wanted—for what he loved the most.

 

He heard a faint knocking on his door and wondered who could be here at this time hour. Peeking at the eyehole, his eyes widened when he recognized who it was and he immediately swung the door open.

 

“Sarah.” He gasped as he took her in, wanting nothing more but to crush her in his embrace.  

 

“Suho.” She said and a tear escaped her eye. He immediately let her in, shutting the door behind her. Unable to help himself, he pulled her sobbing form into his arms, hugging her tight; wishing he could squeeze all of the sadness out of her. “I’m here… Shh.. It’s going to be okay.”

 

“I can’t do this anymore, Suho.” she cried. “I love you but—“ she was interrupted when Suho kissed her passionately, almost roughly, making her swallow the words she had meant to say.

 

“Don’t say that.” He growled against her lips. “Don’t say that! We can get through this.”

 

“You already lost so much because of me.” She sobbed.

 

“I don’t care about that—“

 

“You should—“

 

“I only care about you, Sarah. Only you.” The florescent lights flickered as the words left his mouth and the two of them looked up in confusion. “Only you.” He mumbled again and this time, thunder , making Sarah jump.

 

“What was—“

 

He removed his arms from Sarah as something sparked at the very back of his head. Suho grabbed his coat from the rack and made his way to the door. “Stay here.” He said sternly before walking out into the night.

 

“Suho where are you—“ the door closed shut, leaving her sentence hanging in the air like smoke.

 

~~~

 

He wiggled in his seat as the events escalated. His hands gripping the wings of the book, wanting nothing more but to see what was about to unfold before his very eyes.

 

 

Suho made his way up north into the mountains, where his destination lies. When he saw the familiar house, hidden amongst the trees and plunged deep into the forest, he parked his car and got out almost hastily. He went up the front porch steps, unsure whether he was home or not. He grabbed the doorknob and it turned effortlessly. It was unlocked. He stepped inside the threshold, patting the front of his coat where a small knife was hidden.

 

He remembered the way: up the stairs, straight on, turn left, the first door on the right. He went up quietly, his footsteps as silent as a cat about to catch a mouse. He checked each doors but he never found what he was looking for. Dejected, he wet down the steps about to leave when a sudden flicker caught his eye; leading him to the house’s living room. Thunder again as he sidled down the hall, retrieving his knife from his coat pocket.

 

His breath hitched at the sight of the red velvet armchair facing the window, occupied by a man reading a novel.

~~~

 

He entered the room cautiously, not wanting his footsteps to be heard. The man on the chair remained unmoving, oblivious to the intruder. Once he reached the chair, Suho prepared himself; gripping the knife on his hand until his knuckles turned white as he slowly raised it towards the man’s head, his hands trembling.

 

“Are you sure of what you are about to do?”

 

He stopped, his breathing following in suit. How could he know? he thought.

 

“I asked you a question, Suho. Are you sure of what you are about to do?”

 

“All I know is that it should be done.” he answered.

 

The man on the chair chuckled menacingly. “Why?”

 

“You know why.”

 

The man closed his book and stood up from his chair. He turned around and faced him. He was a middle-aged man with short-cropped black hair and dark gray eyes. He had a tall stature and sharp features, insinuating that he must have been very handsome in his youth. He was wearing a white polo, top buttons undone and the fabric already wrinkled, indicating that he must have been sitting and reading for a while now.

 

“There’s no need for that in here, my boy.” The man, pointed at the knife in Suho’s hand. “I’m not going to harm you.”

 

Suho snorted, pointing the knife at him. “Says the man who ruined my life.”

 

The man stood still as his eyes darkened, “Which part did you dislike so much?” He opened the book he was reading, casually flipping through the pages. “Was it the way I made you look?” he switched his gaze towards him, “But honestly, I think I did a fine job at that. You are quite attractive in people’s eyes.” 

 

Suho glared at him as the man continued to flip through the pages. “What else? There’s your schooling in a fine academy, you becoming a talented musician, and eventually becoming a world-renowned pianist—“ he raised his eyes towards him, “Seriously, Suho. I don’t see what’s wrong.”

 

“Keep reading,” he sneered and the man grinned, knowing exactly what he meant. He flipped through the pages and said teasingly, “Ah, you are talking about my favorite parts. Specifically, the parts when—“

 

“You decided to turn everything upside down!” Suho snapped. “Why would you do that?”

 

“Because it must be done.”

 

“What?!”

 

“You see, my boy. A story is not a story without conflict. That’s a basic rule. I made your life good in your early years—almost perfect even. But now it’s time turn the tables. It’s time for the real action to begin.”

 

“That is a cruel thing to do. Playing with someone’s life.”

 

 “Life is a game meant to be played. You just have to figure out how to play it well.”

 

As the man was speaking, Suho was thinking of how to attack. “And how exactly do I play well if you are the one controlling it?” Keep him distracted, he thought.

 

“That is up to you.”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense! How am I supposed to know? How could I have stopped every single failure you’ve decided to bring upon me?”

 

“Like the fact that your love life is a complete tragedy?”

 

That made Suho’s blood boil. “Do not—even start with that.”

 

“Sarah is a wonderful girl and I think you two are good for each other,“ the man said as he read through a page. “Ah! I like the part when you made those promises to go against all odds. Romantic!” he said. “Too bad your love was forbidden.”

 

“Because you made it so!”

 

“What good is a love story without a twist? There’s a reason why fairytales aren’t called realities. It’s not about happy endings, Suho. I can’t let you off that easily.” He chortled.

 

“Yeah. Neither can I.” With that Suho attacked and they fell to the ground. He raised the knife but the man deflected it by rolling to the side. Suho pursued and wrestled with him; a tangle of arms and legs on the floor. In a flash, the man was under Suho, grunting and trying to escape, but Suho was able to hold him down; the knife pointing dangerously at his neck.

 

“I’ve underestimated you.” The man said, panting. “I guess you knew how to play the game after all.”

 

Without a word, Suho growled and plunged the knife into his chest.

 

~~~

Three days later

 

 

Suho looked over at the house of the man who wrote—controlled—his life. His body shook at the memory of murdering him but he knew it had to be done. He needed to be free. The man was no longer there when he came back to retrieve the body. Even the book of his life was gone. He was disappointed for he wanted to know how it ended—how he ended up. But judging from what he had done, it had probably changed.

 

As he continued to stare up at the house, he felt someone’s hand holding his. Without looking, he knew who it was.

 

“It’s over.” She said.

 

“It’s over.” He looked over at the girl whom he loved with all his heart and smiled. “He won’t be bothering us anymore. I make my own choices now.”

 

Sarah smiled and gave him a soft kiss, “I like that.”

 

“Me too.” Suho said and hand in hand, they went off to start their new life.

 

Little did they know that behind the branches of oak trees, the man stood watching them, holding the ravaged book in his hand; stained with his blood.

 

“Well played, Suho. Well played.” He mumbled as he opened the book to the last page and wrote:

 

To be continued…

 

 

END

 

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That's it for this one-shot!  Hope you guys enjoyed reading it :) This was a bit different from what I usually write but I hope it was okay. Tell me what you think! :>

This story is written for a contest. Hope you can all support this story by commenting, subscribing, upvoting, or simply reading it. HAHA!

Thank you so much :D

 

Other stories you might enjoy:

EXO & BTS Scenario Collection

Men in Love (EXO fanfiction)

Words. Fate. & Accidents  (three-shot)

 

-KayeAllen12