CHAPTER 06
JUNG HOSEOK

"You're too nice, Hoseok," Namjoon said. "That is why your heart always get played all the time. Woman, nowadays don't really go for that kind of guy. Too nice, they'll just plainly cheat on you."

It was heartbreak all over again. I  had always believed that relationship could work giving a woman more love and attention. But I felt betrayed when I did. I never believed love anymore since then. I worked, I distracted myself completely and be the boss that I wanted to be. But yet with all I have, I never found the happiness that I seek. My mother kept on pestering me in regards to relationship and such. I told her that I have had enough with it. I never wanted or intended to be in a relationship.

"Hey, I can be bad too," I said.

"No, You're too nice Hoseok," Yoongi said.

"I told you I can," I convinced them. "And now that I don't really believe in all those love and s. I can."

"Fine," Jin smirked. "I have this person who is just hard-headed as she is. She believed in love so much that she would be just as happy seeing a couple she matchmade happily." "Are you talking about someone I know of?" Namjoon asked. "Is this Song Noeul? I don't.. think it's a good idea. Noeul Noona, is...uhm.." I glanced back and forth between Namjoon and Jin.

"What? I'm up for it. I'll do it." "I don't think so."

"What's so hard about this Noeul-person?" I argued. "She's a woman, right? You wanted me to break her heart? Fine, I'll do it."

"Jin, don't," Namjoon reasoned.

"Aww! C'mon! It's for good time sake. And it's been a while since I played a game on Noeul. She's so naive and gullible. But the bet is off if you ever fall for her," Jin said.

It's a dirty game. Hurting someone. I left Namjoon's office and passed by the meeting room where she was in earlier. I watched her briefing her team and a pang of sudden guilt struck me.

What if, all of this turned out to be true? What if, I am just the nice guy that every girl would cheat on once they were bored of me? What if, Noeul would be the person who made me realised about love once again and let me down?

A hand on my shoulders startled me as I turned around and I saw Jimin. "You can just not take the bet seriously, you know?" He said.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can see that you're thinking about it, burdened."

"I'll be fine, Chimchim," I patted his shoulders and smiled.

Will I?

*

Since the bet was on, everything fell into place. Namjoon had invited the team over to FaceNotes dinner, telling them to do network when it was supposed to be a plan for me to meet for the first time.

But now, I never believed in love, but I do believe in fate or destiny. I never knew my name was submitted to Flinders by my mother with the help of my sister to find me a suitable wife. The day when I received the first call from Noeul, my heart stopped thinking that this was Namjoon's part of the plan but when I checked with him, he denied it.

So we had to improvise whenever we met a problem. I had thought that we would never meet again, but it seemed time to time I had bumped to her. Like the day, I brought her up to my safe haven.

That moment had complicated my thoughts a little.

Her expression as soon as I brought her up there was different than the women that I had been in a relationship with. Noeul was different, and before I could even make her heart swayed, my feelings began to falter. Despite what Jin said about her, Song Noeul has sincerity in her heart to whoever she met. 'Don't categorize as those girls that had lured with sweet words.' When those words hit me, my palms began to sweat and my heart panicked for a moment. Noeul's wall of defense was strong.

No one could touch her in the love department because...

...Song Noeul is just like me. Part of her died. And that's love.

As much as she viewed love differently like how Jin said, I begged to differ. A human could change immediately upon having something so serious happened in their lives. And Song Noeul was different of what Jin had perceived.

I parked my car to the side and dropped by at the cafe to get something to drink. It was then another familiar voice echoed along the street, "Your WIFE is pregnant!"

Noeul? She was talking to a guy and beside him was another woman, who stood behind him.

"Mind your own business, Sis. You're disturbing someone else's heaven."

"Heaven? You're talking about heaven now? In what heaven are you in because it's completely messed up!" She yelled as passersby began to notice.

"Stop embarrassing me and yourself, sis. I'll deal with her later. She talked to you, didn't she? If not, how else did you know that I was cheating? I never said."
Noeul's lips parted in disbelief.

"You're an ," She cursed. "And YOU," She pointed to the woman behind him. "You're a ing . Go home and play with your husband, you damned woman. ing hell. Don't ing disturb someone else's family!"

*slap*

I felt my heart dropped.

"Watch your ing mouth, Noeul," The guy excused himself as he walked away from her.

I rushed to her side as she held her cheek. "Noeul!"

She looked at me. "Please Hoseok, I'm not in the mood-"

"Are you okay?"

"Are you stupid?" Her eyes glistened with tears and right now, I swore that I didn't know if what I say would sound right for her.

"Sorry," I chose to say, completely taken aback by her response. "Look, I won't lie. But I saw what happened. Do you..- Do you need me to send you back to the office or.."

"Leave me alone, Hoseok."

"Don't keep it to yourself, knowing that it eats you inside," I said. "Let's go," I demanded her, knowing that there's a place for her and for the both of us.

Our safe haven.

*

*clank*  The iced coffee dropped down from the vending machine.

Our ride to the top hill was silent. I didn't ask her anything as I knew that she needed the silence. I could hear her sniffled from time to time, and I could feel her heart was broken. I offered the drink to her, she took it without any argument as she stared at the sunset.

I took a seat beside her and looked at the same sunset. "Sunset," I began. "Noeul isn't it?" I asked knowing the meaning of her name. "It was nice for your parents to name you that. And the qualities really reflected in your name."

"Stop sweet talking, Hoseok," She said, coldly. "Not in the mood to argue."

"Not in the mood to lie, either," I looked at her and smiled. She stared at the coffee in her hands and she wasn't cheering up at all. Seeing her like this, made me forget everything, forget the bet, it was just me and her, two human beings.

"Listen," I began. "I know that.. you won't listen to what I say or maybe you won't take it either. But," Tug. "I'm... here," Tug. "To listen if you need one." Tug. My heart couldn't stop tugging. The sunset that gleamed against her skin, her profile looked endearing and just pure.

Noeul bit her lips and blinked her eyes. Tears began to fall and she held it in for long. She wiped her tears and looked up to the sky. She heaved a sigh and held it in once again.

She didn't want to open up.

I didn't know how long we stayed but for sure it had been an hour or so since the sky had darkened. "Reading books, good in cooking, huh?" She broke the silence as I stared at her in confusion.

"Eh?"

"Your ideal."

"Oh," That's what my sister wrote, my sister wasn't wrong though. "Yeah."

She snorted, "There isn't one in the world, Hoseok. You might as well tell your mother that woman nowadays are just picky."

"At least, there's one in a million."

"Good luck, then."

"Aren't you helping me to find one?"

"I'm going to quit soon."

I whisked my head and stared at her. "What?"

"There's no reason to believe in happy endings," she said. "That was my brother, the guy you saw earlier. He cheated on his wife. While his wife is pregnant. Here I am thinking the marriage that I respected and looked up to as one of my ideal, I guessed it was all lies," she shrugged. "My parents are divorced and I had thought that maybe my brother could prove me wrong that happy endings are there but no," She explained and her eyes wavered.

.

"So, this job isn't for me anymore."

A small smile crept her lips, it was the first for me to see. "I had always thought of what kind of wife I could be. If I were to be someone's wife, I'll make sure my husband is happy. I will try my best to support what he does, needs and everything else. Am I selfish to ask for that?"

.

I couldn't think of a word to answer her. I looked at her, a feeling of sympathy, empathy, compassion everything in one overwhelmed me. No. Hoseok. Don't go and say words that you don't mean.

"No. Don't quit," I said. I looked at her. "And you're not selfish to ask for that. Because I am looking for the same thing. Would you feel better, if I made a bet with you?"

She looked at me in silence.

"What if I say the love you looked for is there, is just that it didn't appear at the exact time?"

"If you're asking me to be your wife-"

"That is not what I'm asking. You've never been in love. So I would suggest that I'll make you fall for me. If within a week, I couldn't at least sway your feelings then, the bet's off.  I won't ask you to be my wife or pester you anymore."

*
"I did it," I met up with the guys as soon as I sent Noeul home. "It's not an answer but she said she'll think about it."

"So what did you say?" Jin asked, looking so interested. "I actually made a bet with her. I'll make her fall for me."

"I still feel, it's a bad idea," Jungkook repeated. "Different woman have their different kind of situations when comes to love. And it's not right to play with her heart this way."

"Its fine. Noeul is a strong woman, after all. She'll kick back right up as soon as fall."

"I just don't get it. What fun that you seek in breaking Noeul's heart?"

"She broke mine."

Silence.

Everyone has secrets. And certain secrets lead to pain and then grudge.