Kai: Chapter 24

Bad Boy

 

 

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You return to your room in a daze. It feels like you’re dreaming, because time drags by, and your muscles move slowly. You find your bed somehow and collapse on top of the mattress. The frame squeaks underneath your weight, and you set the roses on the bedside table and cuddle into your blankets. With a tired but content sigh, you fall asleep.

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Your phone wakes you up. The steady vibration transmits through the threads of cloth. Irritated, you blindly grab your phone and smash the snooze button with your index finger. You squint at the time only to realize that you’re dangerously close to being late to class. Flinging the sheets off of you, you hurriedly get ready for the day. You pause to admire the roses on your bedside and, instead of focusing on preparing yourself for school, you prop the roses near the window and vow to find a vase for them soon.

After a record-breaking shower, you get dressed and grab your things. You’re about to flee your room when your phone starts ringing. Already flustered, you grab it on your way out and answer the call as you jog down the hall without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Morning,” Kai’s tired voice says.

Your senses tingle at the memory of his touch, and you try to keep your excitement abated when you reply, “Morning. What’s up?”

“I was just wondering when you plan on coming out.”

“Eh? Why?” You ask as you hop off the last step. You walk across the threshold and head for the entrance doors. Pulling the handle open, you add, “I’ve never been late to class before, so – “

“I have breakfast,” Kai greets you in front of the dorm building. A few girls who are walking across the field not far from where you stand stop to trade surprised looks with each other. You blush, hang up your phone, and step forward to look at what Kai has brought with him. He has a paper bag in his hand, and he offers it to you with a lively smile. “Nothing complicated,” he informs you as you take it from him and unroll the bag. It’s a muffin. “I was on my way to the cafeteria anyway so I decided to get you something.”

Which would be a plausible reason, except the cafeteria is not en route to your dorm building. You chuckle to yourself at his feeble excuse and take a bite out of the muffin. “It’s good,” you say through a mouthful of food.

“Hey, talk after you eat,” Kai says, playfully glaring at you. He glances briefly at his hands, and then yours, before he inserts his hands in his pockets. “Hurry up and eat, or you’ll be late.”

“I’ll eat on my way to class,” you reason as you walk beside him. You get countless stares as idle students stroll by you, and the blush that has begun to bloom on your cheeks only reddens. Kai calmly strides beside you, his untouchable demeanor throwing off everybody’s speculations. You stare at his reserved hand and continue to eat your muffin. It’s hard to act as aloof as Kai when your heart is working more efficiently than your brain.

“Did you sleep well last night?” He gives you a side-look, a small smirk curling his lips. This tease. He’s totally making fun of you. Well. You refuse to be deterred.

“Of course I did,” you reply. He seems to expect you to elaborate, but you don’t say more.

“Mm. I did, too,” he answers breezily, but then he his lips carefully. This freaking tease.

“Have you eaten yet?” You suddenly ask.

“Huh? Yeah, I have – “

“No, you haven’t,” you interrupt, shoving your half-eaten muffin toward his mouth. You want to distract him from noticing your embarrassment. He pushes your hand away and gives you a strange look. “What?” You ask, feigning shock. “You don’t want a bite of this?”

“Are you trying to shut me up?” He laughs.

“Maybe,” you shrug.

“Well, for your information, it’s not going to work, so – “

You reach out and jab his side, and his loud, ringing laugh echoes in the sky. He reaches for your hands and pulls you to him to keep you from tickling him farther, but you only squirm and try to tickle him at his unprotected sides, like his back. “Hey … hey,” he pants as he tries to keep your hands clasped together. “Hey … I … “ A laugh slips out from his lips, and he gasps, “I really don’t like people tickling me, you know.” He struggles to stop you, but you are too quick, and you successfully get more jabs at him. He moves his hands from yours and circles your waist with his arms, and your heart leaps in your throat. He seems to be prepping himself up to carry you again like he had during your ‘date’, but before you can relive the experience of being effortlessly carried by Kai, a loud clearing of the throat pauses the jocular scene.

You break free from Kai’s grasp and stumble backward. Crumbs of the muffin have fallen to the ground. You stare at them rather regretfully before looking up to see the guest who has come to intercept the moment.

“Morning,” Miyoung says, crossing her arms. She looks at Kai up and down before she meets your eyes straight-on. “Morning to you, too.” There is no ill-intent in her voice, but the professional way she greets you unnerves you in a way you can’t describe.

“Oh. Morning,” Kai says, scratching his head and looking guilty, as if he had done anything wrong.

Miyoung just stares at him before she narrows her eyes and asks, “Are you guys dating?”

Your mind flashes back to when you had first met Miyoung and she had asked you this exact question. This time, the situation is entirely different, and you don’t look at Kai in humiliation. Instead, you look at him with a question in your eyes, your heart searching for a confirmation of the assumption you’ve already made.

Kai looks at you and smiles. Without asking the same thing he had asked you before, he holds his hand out to you. You think he’ll take your hand in a grand gesture of public affection, so you reach out to him to meet him half way, but he completely ignores that hand and takes the muffin from your other hand instead. He takes a big, elaborate chomp off of the pastry and closes his eyes briefly before he opens them again and gives Miyoung a smug smile.

Miyoung just stares at him like he’s the stupidest guy she’s ever met. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” She questions. You’re kind of wondering the same exact thing.

“It means I lied and didn’t have breakfast, but because there was only one muffin left, I bought own for you,” he looks at you and returns the muffin. You take it from him and shake a head at his childish antics.

Miyoung just scoffs before she waves her hand condescendingly. “Okay. If you say so.” She makes a move to leave, but then seems to remember something. “By the way, Kai, how’s your dad?”

Kai’s entire equanimity changes into a cold, calculated exterior. With an even gaze, he replies sharply, “He’s fine. And by the way. We don’t need the money you’re offering. So do me the favor of telling your dad that.”

Miyoung looks offended as she replies, “Look, I didn’t ask you because I wanted to offer money, okay? I’m not as shameless as my dad.”

Kai snaps back to reality at her words and sighs. “I’m sorry,” he mutters. “I just … I keep forgetting … you and I, we’re kind of in the same world.” He rubs a tired hand over his face and continues slowly, “My dad is fine. He’s still in the hospital, but they said he’d be getting out soon. But he’s been stressing too much over work. There’s a chance he’ll overtire himself and will have to stay at the hospital longer.”

“Oh.” She shifts her eyes away awkwardly. “Well. I hope he feels better.”

“Yeah.” Kai scuffs the toe of his shoe against the layer of grass on the ground. “We gotta get going. I’ll see you at the meeting today.”

“Okay,” she says, walking away. “Later.”

You follow Kai to the educational building and keep a secure distance between him and yourself. His body seems tense, and you don’t know whether anything you say will get through to him. You remain quiet and walk in his shadow until he stops at the building, which is when you finally choose to speak up.

“You have a meeting?”

“I’m going in place of my dad. But of course the managers of the company are coming too,” he says, his mind evidently thinking about something else. “I’m not really old enough to have enough authority.” He squints up at the building, seeing something at the very roof of the structure that you can’t perceive. “My dad’s getting old,” he murmurs thoughtfully. “He should retire soon.”

“So you’ll take over?” You can’t help but ask. Kai lowers his head and lets his eyes rest on the remaining piece of muffin in your hand.

“No. I won’t.”

A taut silence separates you from Kai for a brief, pressured moment. Even though you’re unsure of how to respond, you open your mouth anyway, trusting your mind to take the initiative of replying in a witty, helpful way. “Kai, I think tha – “

Kai’s phone rings just then. He looks at his vibrating pocket warily before pulling out his phone and staring at the screen. His expression converts to one of complete alarm, and he answers the call promptly. “Hello?”

Seconds pass. Painful, horrible seconds that make you want to control time just so Kai doesn’t have to deal with this moment. He hangs up, his hand limply falling to his side, his eyes grim and angry.

“We have to go,” he says, authoritatively turning around and grabbing your wrist. The forgotten muffin thuds to the floor and rolls for a short moment before it comes to a halt. You give it a last glance before turning forward.

“Kai,” you call as you struggle to match his pace. A sickening feeling begins to gnaw at your conscience. “What’s going on?”

“He got a heart attack,” Kai declares in frustration. “Again. And I need you to come with me to the hospital. All right? You need to come with me.” He looks at you again, a desperate gloom in his eyes. “I need you with me.”

You swallow nervously. “Yeah. I’ll come with you.”

 

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Comments

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shonwanigop
#1
💙
the_exotic_angel #2
Read this story super long ago and i fell in love with it again!!! I just love how the female lead is realistic in her advances/reactions unlike most female fanfic leads that are always damsels in distress. Love this story and the writing!!
Claudia301a
#3
Chapter 9: I love this story so far!
JiLin1998 #4
Chapter 1: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/170594/1'>Kai: Chapter 1</a></span>
His reaction When she declined his signature
-2Mirae-
14 streak #5
Chapter 33: !!!! I loved it!! Gave me some kai feels hehe
If only kai listed some obvious things he did on purpose to the female oc at the end ..
KimHyeJoo #6
Chapter 30: Glad Kai can show his father what he really has about dancing
Thank you for the story!!
tonnettie
#7
Chapter 30: Kai’s personality has two faced, one is for his father and people around him, they expect him to be another person that he’s not. And one Jongin, a warm man, who wants to chase his dreams.
suchababy
#8
still remember reading this fanfics when i was in college under my old aff acc but now i'm still here reading this!
Kyoko99
#9
Chapter 31: Loved this story.. very reliable with myself at some points ...lol