FULL CHAPTER 8 IS NOW POSTED.

TAKE A LOOK AT IT FIRST BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Once you have, prepare for a dose of major KaiRin.

Enjoy. =] <3

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9. Abscondita Post Oculos

Abscondita Post Oculos: "Hidden behind his eyes"



"There is something that I see in him..."


She saw what was abscondita post oculos.


"... that I think nobody else has seen before. "



= = = Soundtrack: Super Junior - Love Disease = = =

I didn't do it.

I couldn't do it just yet.

I slowly retrieved my hand from the secret pocket of my dress and instead placed it on my right side, feigning additional pain coming from the wound. It's not that it didn't hurt. It hurts, truly. I just acted like it was much more painful than how it really is, though.

I cringed as part of the act before spying a look on Jongin-sshi's face, which was radiating evident surprise and somehow... concern.

Wait.

Concern?

"Yah, hold on to my hand and I'll lift you up." Came his voice again, and I saw him stretching his hand out for me to take. I noticed that I was still a short distance away from the edge, so I tried inching my way to where he was, releasing a sound of discomfort at the immense and genuine pain it brought me. For a moment, a look of pain flashed in his eyes before returning to normal.

"Come on. Take it." He said again, this time reaching out to me. I just stretched out my hand as well and tried to take his.

I succeeded, and at that, Jongin-sshi gently pulled me closer to the edge of the bed before letting my arm drape on his shoulder and lifting me up from the bed. He slowly placed me back on the floor and helped me into a standing position before leading me slowly to the window, where he made me stay.

I wondered why he would do that, but my eyes widened when he went back to the bed, suddenly grabbed the sheets and deftly took it off the bed. He then threw it to one side of the room, to my utter shock.

Then, he took his phone and placed it to his ear not long after. My heart was racing and my mind was on hyperdrive as he did so.

Why the heck is he doing this?

"Myungsoo Hyung. I need you to change the sheets here. It's blood stained. I guess someone must have been mucking around with a before I got here. Yeah. Thanks."

That just confused me even more.

It was like nothing was wrong. It wasn't like there was a fatally injured girl inside a room with her assailant.

It was like there was a confused girl inside a room with a man concerned for her well-being.

And it shook me to the core.

Jongin-sshi turned his head to me, his eyes widening as he did so. I wonder what he saw in me for him to react this way. He made his way towards me, who just shut my eyes close and braced myself for whatever is coming for me. I didn't know what was happening.

It was only when I felt myself being swept off my feet and being carried bridal style in the arms of a man did I open my eyes to find Jongin-sshi looking straight ahead, walking down the hallways of a palace-like mansion.

= = =

The room that I was brought into was a huge understatement for "beautiful". The room was a contemporary attack at the word "homey". Almost everything was brown and wood-toned, and there was even a fireplace with a kindling flame. Warmth has entered my system, yet I couldn't feel a thing.

I was too stunned that I didn't notice Jongin-sshi placing me on his bedside couch, making me stay in a sitting position.

"Let me have a look at that." He said, kneeling down and looking at my blood-soaked bandage behind the side of my dress which was slashed [perhaps so that my wound could be treated without me having to take the whole dress off]. He let out a soft "tsk." before gently trying to peel off the cloth. I made no move to stop him as I was still derailed and unable to talk.

"I thought so."

That was the only thing I heard from him before he exited the room and left me alone in confusion and doubt, placing an object on one of his end tables before doing so.

I listened to the cackling fire and wondered what I had done, and what I had experienced because of my decision to not provoke Jongin-sshi. I guess I am still safe now, as he hasn't tried anything on me. But I can never be too complacent with men like him.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice him returning with a set of bandages, medicine, and a water-filled basin with a small cloth on top.

"Hold still, Shirin-ah." He whispered before treating my wound. My eyes widened at how he called me informally, but I gave no comment. I simply let him clean my wound and try his best to make it stop bleeding.

Along the way, Jongin-sshi might've stitched my wound up, but I couldn't care less. I only thought about what was happening, and how confusing it appeared to me.

With my wound treated again, Jongin-sshi once more swept me off my feet literally and carried me towards the bed in the middle of the room. My heart began picking up pace as he placed me gently on top of the cushions, and I swore my heart skipped a beat when he looked warmly at me.

"You could stay here for a while and get some sleep. I'm pretty sure that you haven't been able to lie comfortably in the previous room. To think that you still have this threatening of an injury..." He began to say before cutting off gradually and standing by the fire.

"Why..."

His head swiftly turned towards me at the first word that escaped my lips, and the sudden reaction had caused me to become afraid, and I found no courage in myself to continue speaking.

When he noticed my fear, he shockingly went back to the bed and sat on the edge, very near to where I was lying, and prodded me to continue with a look.

"Wh-Why are you... doing this?" I asked weakly, diverting my gaze to the fire. I have been too weak for the past few hours, and I don't know if this is what made my mind slow down its thinking pace.

Nothing much was running through it.

But I guess I assumed too much.

Adrenaline began to run through my veins when, from the corner of my eyes, I saw Jongin-sshi gently take my face into his hand, and I stared directly into his eyes once more.

As I looked into his dark orbs, a sudden idea came to me.

Deception. He's trying to deceive me.

He's trying to delude me into thinking that he might not be as bad as I seem to think he is, then strike me upon the moment I let my guard down. He's trying to confuse me into submission. He's trying his charms on me.

And that I shouldn't fall for.

I turned my head away, looking at the brown sheets of the bed and not at him. I breathed out a sigh and tried to hold on to what weak resolve I had managed to build inside myself. Jongin-sshi didn't pull my face back, instead letting it go and withdrawing his hand.

That's when I spied another look at his face, and saw tears building up.

I saw a hidden hurt, slight hatred, and most of all... loneliness in his dark orbs. I saw a man close to breaking down, and a boy who never had a chance to come out in the depths of his gaze. I managed a soft gasp at this, and confusion began seeping into my features.

I understand nothing of the situation.

"Your eyes look like hers." He whispered as tears began rolling down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away but more flowed when he did. My chest tightened at this new and shocking scene of him. He just moved his face closer to mine and said...

"Your gaze is like hers too."

At that, I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed him off me and I tried to move away from this man who had been freaking me out so much. Though it brought pain to my side, it didn't matter to me.

I had to get away from him.

Jongin-sshi seemed to notice my motions and he immediately reached out for me, dragging me back to where I was as gentle as he could. He succeeded in bringing me back to my lying position, and fear invaded my heart as his breaths became deep.

"Don't...move too much. It will be much worse... if your wound reopens for the second time." He said, his voice struggling to be firm, his gaze on the bed sheets. I was shaking as he said those words, and I couldn't do anything else, even if I put my mind into it.

Slowly, he once more placed his line of vision to my scared expression, and my insides shook with fear. I could only stare back at him, nothing else.

But then, one of hands found its way to the back of my head, and an arm wound itself around my waist.

"I have lost her once. I won't let go of her again."

That was the only thing I heard before I felt a gentle touch on my lips and I realized that Jongin-sshi's face was very very close to mine.

I don't know what had come over me, but my arms wrapped around his frame and I pulled him closer. The contact between our lips got longer, and he pulled me into a sitting position, with me not minding the pain the sudden motion brought. He opened his lips over mine the next moment, and I found myself kissing him back.

I had no idea what this man had done to me.

When we pulled back, our breaths were evidently uneven, and our eyes were gradually opening.

"What... had just happened?" I found strength in myself to ask, to which Jongin-sshi's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. He pushed himself off the bed, leaving me shocked of my own actions.

"No. This couldn't be. She's already dead. Dead. Lifeless. You shouldn't think of her anymore." He murmured repeatedly to himself, and I slapped myself mentally at how foolish I had been to kiss him like that... and how weak I was for not resisting.

The next moments were a blur to me. I only found myself alone in Kim Jongin's room wondering why I had been able to get out of my element and kiss my assailant.

I only noticed that I was alone when I heard the distinct ring of a cellphone from an end table beside Jongin-sshi's bed...

...and an unknown number flashing on its screen.

= = = = =

Important Note:

[credits are given to the respective owners of the pictures.]

All pictures used are for the sake of clothing recognition and venue identification, which aids in better visualization of the story. The pictures are not mine, and I stake no claim on them. No copyright infringement intended. Were only re-uploaded for the sake of complation and assurance of long-lasting viewing activity. Thank you.