Chapter 13

The first real test of the relationship came one day after they had wrapped filming their confessional scenes. 

Lex and Onew were waiting for his manager to finish up talking to some PD.  People filtered out of the soundstage until only they were left, sitting in some cheap folding chairs against the wall. 

That’s when they heard, “Dria!”

The name was called over the silence of the blackened set. 

Lex froze up completely.  Literally.  She had been half-way to standing and stopped in some weird kind of crouched position that would have been comical if her eyes hadn’t flown wide in surprise and a momentary desperate fear. 

Onew turned slowly, keeping half an eye on Lex and strained to see across the semi-darkness.

It was Charlie Dendriech.  One of Lex’s fellow co-stars on the reality show that had shot them all to public notoriety in Korea.  He was half-Korean, half-German and had been raised in Canada.  He’d grown up speaking both Korean and English and he had been on the show to act as culture and language translator between the housemates and the rest of Korea.   

And suddenly Onew knew – he knew that this was the man who had broken Lex’s heart.  From the way her muscles tensed up and the way her eyes darted around looking for a place to hide, Onew knew this was the man who had hurt her so bad that she wouldn’t let herself ever get close to someone like that again. 

His eyes were smug and his face was locked in a lop-sided grin.  “Still trying to replace me huh?” he said, gesturing towards Onew. 

Onew hadn’t even been aware that he was moving.  One minute he was noticing Lex’s muscles tense and seeing her eyes ice over as the woman he knew faded away into the hurt girl of her past, the next he was already half-way across the room.

He vaguely heard her calling him in the background, “Onew-ah!  Onew-ah!  Jinki!” but the blood was pounding too hard in his ears.

He was five feet away.

Two feet.

One foot.

There was a resounding crack and Onew felt the pain lance up his hand and jarred his arm at the elbow.  He pulled his arm back on instinct, cradling it close to his body, surprised at how much that had hurt.  He had never punched anyone before.  The movies always made it look so easy, but in real life if really hurt. 

There was shouting all around and Onew felt hands grab at him and start to pull him away. 

But that horrible man was laid out on the floor, clutching his nose and Onew saw beads of red starting to flow out from beneath his clenched hands.  Good Onew thought. 

But his hand hurt.

So did the slap to the face.

Onew was shocked out of his trance and realized he was facing a livid Lex. 

Her cheeks blazed red and her gaze was glacial.   

“What the hell were you doing?!” She shouted.  In English no less, which she rarely did when speaking with Onew unless he spoke in English first.  She apparently wasn’t even aware that she was doing it.

So in English he responded, “I don’t know, I just did it.”  He pouted like a little boy being chided by his mother. 

She pursed her lips and grabbed at his wrist and bringing his hand up to eye level for her to see.  She lightly ran the pad of one finger across his knuckles, which were red and starting to swell.  Onew wasn’t meant for fighting. 

“Pabo…” she whispered before tightening her hold on his wrist and pulling him over to the refrigerator in the corner.  Looking around he only just realized that they were in the staff break room, a sort of make-shift kitchen. 

She reached into the freezer and pulled out a quart-sized bag of ice.  They always had at least a couple prepared just in case anything happened around set.  She reached up into another cabinet and pulled down some paper towels.  Wrapping the towels around the bag, she laid it atop of Onew’s knuckles. 

“What am I going to do with you?” she said under her breath, and again in English.  

Onew didn’t respond.  He didn’t think he was supposed to.  Instead he focused on the cooling sensations that were pouring into his hand.  At the same time his wrist felt like it was on fire.  Lex still hadn’t released it and it felt like he was melting from her touch. 

“You just be glad that we’re the only ones here.  Thank God there were no cameras to see you completely blow up your image.”  She gave him a mild glare before focusing back on his hand as she lifted the ice pack.  “Thank you,” she said quietly after a moment, studying the damage and trying to see how far it would reach up his hand.  Yeah, it was definitely starting to swell, and Onew knew without trying that his fingers were going to be stiff and protest against any movement – probably for a couple of days.  But he didn’t regret it one bit. 

She replaced the ice and Onew reached out with his good hand to lift up her chin.  “Don’t let that bastard make you cry anymore.  Araso?” 

The ice in her eyes had melted, and now they glistened with tears.

Onew tried to wipe away at them with his thumb. 

She brought up her arm and gently batted his away, rubbing at her eyes with her wrist. 

She shook herself briefly and graced Onew with a small smile. 

She lifted the ice once more and hissed.  “You’re going to have a dozy of a bruise here in a few hours…”

Onew smirked, “Kiss it and make it better?”

She had mentioned the phrase a couple of days ago as something that was said in America.  When a child was hurt, their mother could kiss it and make it better.  Adults often would use it as a joke between themselves, being overly sarcastic when someone else got a small hurt that they were whining about. 

But Onew wasn’t being sarcastic…he honestly was hoping for a kiss, even if it was on his hand.  Anything that was done without a camera on them…he would cherish it.

She blushed and looked at her feet before glancing back up at him.  She leaned forward and placed a swift peck against his knuckles before replacing the ice pack and looking determinedly at the wall. 

Onew felt like a school boy again.  One’s who’s crush had just checked the ‘yes’ box on a ‘Do you like me?’ note passed in class.  He felt giddy and wanted to burst into a happy dance right there, but didn’t because that might make Lex realize she was still holding his wrist and let him go. 

The door suddenly banged open. 

In stormed Charlie. 

“You !” He gasped, sounding like he had a bad cold as his nose swelled and he tried to staunch the bleeding.  “Sic-ing your little boy-toy on me?” He gestured towards Onew.

Onew was starting to see red again.  ‘How dare he talk to Lex like that!’

But before he could move, Lex was in front of him, standing between the two men.  “He’s not my ‘boy toy!’” she shouted, exasperated.  “He’s my friend!”

Charlie snorted, trying to sound cool, but with the blood pooling in his nose he wound up choking himself.  “While I can understand him being angry by being connected with you,” he eyed Lex up and down, causing Onew’s blood to boil anew, “don’t think that your agency won’t hear about this.” He said, waging his finger at Onew.

And Onew’s blood went cold.  !  He hadn’t thought that far ahead.  He was in deep trouble…

“His agency isn’t going to find out.”  Lex’s voice was steel.  It was almost like the room dropped a couple of degree as she spoke, and suddenly it felt smaller, like the universe was leaning in to listen. 

Charlie however didn’t seem to notice the change.

“You think I’m going to be quiet about this!  He broke my nose!”  The man raged.

“You’ve done worse.” 

Lex’s jaw was set.  Her hands were curled into fists and her body was slightly bent, almost like she was preparing to fight.  She’s protecting me, Onew thought.

Charlie straightened up, a frightening look in his grey eyes.  “You’ve changed Dria…never took you for a blackmailer.”

“I’ve let you walk all over me for too long.”  Her voice was low and dangerous.  She was scaring him a little bit.  Gone was the kind woman that he knew.  She was almost animalistic, pushed into a corner and now lashing out in desperation to get free.  He wanted to reach out and touch her, make sure that she was still there – that Lex was still with him, but he was afraid. 

She squared her shoulders.  “If his agency or the media catch wind of this, I’ll have a few bombshells of my own to drop.”  She quirked her head to the side, a gesture that Onew had seen her perform a hundred times, but suddenly it seemed menacing.  “You’re seen as a perfect gentleman here, the ideal future husband.  Imagine what it would do to your image for the world to find out you’re a cheating bastard.”  She eyes narrowed, “And I have so much more on you, and you know it.”  Her lips were parted in a snarl.  She slowly raised one hand and pointed it at the door, “Now get out.  I don’t care what story you come up with to explain your nose, but if it has anything to do with me or Onew, your image is toast.”

Charlie gave her the evil eye, tore off some paper towels and stormed from the room.

Onew had been impressed, really and truly impressed by Lex as she stepped up to the one whose memory had been causing her so much pain.  In that moment Onew knew that Lex was going to be alright.  She was going to be fine, because she would get through this.  She was strong and she could handle it and would rise above the pain in time. 

Now normally, he wasn’t really a rash type, but something just seemed to be in the air today.  Before he even realized it, he had stalked across the room between them, turned Lex around, and stooped down those few inches, placing his lips forcefully against hers.

The last time they had been in a situation like this, there had been cameras everywhere and managers smirking in the background.  It had been a show – a mockery of a kiss really.  And Lex had been the one to close that final distance. 

Not today.  Today Onew was in control, and he was confident in what he wanted.  He wanted Lex.  No more beating around the bush, no more denying what his heart had been telling him for months now, no more logic getting in the way.

One hand buried itself into her curls and the corners of his mouth quirked a bit - they were as soft as he had thought they would be. 

One of Lex's hands settled at his hip and the other curled tentatively into his shirt.

Her response was cautious, but Onew was just glad that she hadn't shoved him away or punched him out for trying to kiss her just now.

Onew pushed a little harder into the kiss and mentally cheered when Lex gave a little moan and starting to meet his intensity, the hand that was clenching his shirt drifted around and glided up to his neck, lightly playing with a few wisps of his hair that had settled there, her nails lightly scratching at his overly sensitive skin. 

Onew pulled Lex in closer and swiped his tongue against her lips.  After a moment, they were parted and Onew almost died as his tongue entered and the dueling for control began.  That same back and forth banter attitude that the two had taken up with each other came into play here as they both advanced and retreated equally, trying their best to keep balance in the situation.

Onew was starting to get light-headed.  Whether it was from the lack of consistent oxygen or his sheer elation at the fact that he was kissing the girl who had been a frequent player in his dreams and fantasies he didn't know.  But he knew that if he didn't back off soon he was going to pass out on the floor - which wasn't exactly the kind of image that he wanted to portray to Lex just now.

Onew began to slow the kiss, backing off to a few light kisses until with one more peck he just rested his forehead against the panting Lex's.

Lex panted lightly, "Damn..."

Onew laughed, "We're so doing that again..."