Chapter 39

ICE: Thaw the Frozen Heart [EDITING]

Chapter 39

 

The sound of her own fingers slowly but constantly drumming against the table echoed in her ear loudly like the ticking sound of the clock as she laid her head and folded her arm on the table. Yeojin exhaled loudly glancing around the empty classroom.

It was lunch time, but she didn't feel like eating. No, she just didn't feel like seeing people. Her stomach was growling actually, but the cafeteria would be full of Jaesan students. In her mind, more students equals more judging stares. She knew not everyone hated her, but most did. Yeojin did not really care about what people said or thought about her, but she was just tired. Tired of feeling belittled. So even though Lin and Sunhee had coaxed her to eat with them, she just lied with a smile that she wasn't hungry and told them to eat without her. She wanted to go to the library, but some students would be there too. So she opted for the classroom instead.

She lifted her head from the table and continued reading the book she had quickly borrowed earlier. Never mind her stomach or the rumors for that matter. Right now, she needed to focus on her final paper and graduating well.

A pack of cookies landed on her table and she turned to the side when she heard a chair screeched against the floor being dragged. Sehun sat down on the chair he had dragged to her side, and Yeojin only blinked at him. 

She had noticed since the morning that he looked a bit down. Though looking cold and distant might what he usually looked like, Yeojin had learned to distinguish his emotions. She was starting to be able to tell when he was in a good mood even if he still looked cold. And today, he looked sullen for some reason.

"You should at least eat something," he told her as he opened his own pack of cookies.

Yeojin gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

She also had learned not to push him away. First, he wouldn't listen to her yapping and she wouldn't win against him anyway. Second, he had been a good companion for her throughout last week.

"So what are you reading? Reference for the paper?" He asked chewing on his cookie.

Yeojin nodded taking a bite of hers.

"And how's your ankle?" He nodded toward her ankle.

Yeojin briefly glanced down at her ankle. "It's good now. I don't have to wear the bandage anymore." Her gaze then lowered down to the floor when she reminded of her still strained relationship with Kris.

Guessing what was going through her mind, Sehun nudged her. "Hey." Yeojin looked up to him and Sehun asked, "Want to go to the street stalls again?" He wanted to divert her attention.

They had gone to the street stalls twice last week. Kris wasn't pleased when he found him dropping her at their house because he was supposed to be the one to pick her up. But she would be going home to the Wu's mansion today, so Yeojin could call one of the family's drivers to pick her up to avoid listening to Kris' nag again. She just needed an escape even if it was momentary. 

And somehow Sehun was like her perfect escape. Besides, she wouldn't lie that she liked those little dates she had with him last week. He made her temporarily forget her problems with Kris and gave her the temporary feeling of being a normal high school girl who had a boyfriend.

Temporary.

Lately, Yeojin often regretted that it had to be temporary.

She nodded agreeing and Sehun immediately grinned. It was still beyond him how this girl could make him smile any time. If only she was not married, if only he had known her sooner, maybe she wouldn't be Kris' wife. Maybe she wouldn't have to go through what she was going through now. The thought of her having to hear those rumors and insults broke his heart.

"Hey...," he called when she went back to reading while eating her cookie.

"Hm?" Yeojin hummed; eyes still focused on the pages.

"I'm on your side."

Yeojin slowly turned to him. She looked into his eyes and saw them somewhat turned into crescents as he smiled.

 


 

"Where's Yeojin?" was Kris' greeting when he opened the door to Lin's bedroom.

"Oh hey, Ge!" Lin was lying on her stomach watching some talk show in her laptop. "I don't know where Eonni is." She shrugged. "The seniors are dismissed earlier starting last week, remember? She was not home yet when I got back. Maybe she's with Sunhee eonni. She told me she wanted to cheer up Yeojin eonni."

A sigh escaped his lips as he briefly closed his eyes to calm himself.

"Gege," Lin called pausing the show she was watching. She shifted on her bed to face him better. "Are you guys fighting again?"

Kris stood frozen, not sure what to answer. "Why?"

Lin shrugged with a little pout. "Nothing... Just...." She rubbed the side of her neck for no reason. "Whatever it is... Don't be too hard on her. And maybe you shouldn't drop her off at school so offen."

Kris slightly frowned at his sister. "Why are you saying this?" He folded his arms across his chest.

Lin averted her gaze and wet her lips. "There have been rumors ever since your appearance during the camp," she stated. "About you and Eonni and..." A sigh escaped her lips before she continued,"I don't know, they just turned into insults. And though she's hanging on, I know they're dragging her down."

His eyes grew wide at that. Why didn't she tell me? Kris heaved a frustrated sigh.

Yeojin's cold treatment had been stressing him. He knew very well that he deserved it, but how long was she going to treat him this way? He couldn't even tell why she was still mad at him. He initially thought that it was the kiss with Areum, yet somehow it didn't feel like it was just that. It felt like she was mad at him for confessing to her instead. Was it so wrong of him to like her? Wasn't he her husband?

After knowing what actually happened at school, Kris thought that maybe it was wrong indeed. He hated the fact that she didn't tell him about the insults she was receiving. Or did she, but he was just too blinded with wanting her he didn't listen?

Kris had been wanting to talk to her, possibly heart to heart, but she didn't give him a chance to do so. It wasn't helping that he found out she went on dates with Sehun twice last week when her ankle was healing. He nagged her, but she didn't know that he was actually holding back an enormous jealousy. He didn't want to lash out too much at her because that would only worsen the situation they were already in. And when he wanted to talk to her on the weekends, she requested to sleep over at the mansion and reasoned that she missed her mom.

Of course, Kris couldn't deny her to that. Her mom had been worrying about her too when she knew of Yeojin's ankle. He got no problem sleeping over at the mansion except for the fact that Yeojin wanted to sleep in the guest room downstairs because her ankle was still healing and she wanted to be with her mom. That was true, but he couldn't help but feel that it was partial because she was avoiding him.

Kris honestly didn't know what to do.

Another sigh escaped his lips yet again as he descended the stairs. Just when he landed at the foot of the stairs, the front door opened and he came into a halt. Yeojin entered looking tired with her head down, but a small smile grazed her lips. For some reason, it made his stomach churned with jealousy at the possibility of Sehun being the reason she was smiling.

As if sensing his presence, Yeojin paused in her steps and lifted her head. Kris felt his world stopped when their eyes met for very brief seconds. He didn't know what it was in her slightly rounded eyes, but he knew it wasn't hate. His heart felt a little lighter at the thought.

She didn't hate him, he could feel it. She was just trying to avoid him. But why?

When Yeojin looked away and started walking to the guest room, Kris immediately chased after her. "Jin!"

She didn't stop walking, but luckily for Kris, he had longer legs. He quickly grabbed her upper arm and stopped in front of her. Yeojin, however, was looking away.

"Let's talk." With a little tremble, he added, "Please."

He watched her closed her eyes and pursed her lips. "I'm tired..." She moved away from his touch wanting to escape his presence.

"At least just tell me what to do." He grabbed her shoulders stopping her from walking away. "Tell me why you're being like this toward me. Tell me why you're avoiding me, Jin!" He lightly shook her. "Is it the kiss?" No answer. "Is it the confession?" Still, silence was what answering him. "Talk to me, Jin!"

Biting down her lip, Yeojin shrugged his hands on her shoulders and took a step back before briskly walking past him. Nonetheless, Kris was quick to grab her arm again and turned her around. Whimpering, Yeojin struggled to be let go, but Kris held onto her arms.

"Is it Sehun?" Yeojin immediately stopped struggling at the question. Kris felt it suddenly hurt to breathe. "Is that it?!" He shook her, but she still didn't look at him. "Are you avoiding me because of that guy?! Because you're starting to like him now?!" His chest tightened and he felt like it could burst any time soon.

Slowly, Yeojin raised her eyes to meet his. She looked confused as her eyes darted somewhere else the next second. Kris was expecting her to say 'no' straight away, but she looked like she was actually considering it. And it boiled his blood even more. Lin's request to go easy on Yeojin was suddenly forgotten, his judgement turned clouded, and his hurting heart was all he could feel.

"I told you you shouldn't get too close to him!" He bellowed through gritted teeth gripping her shoulders harder almost digging his nails on them.

His words snapped Yeojin's patience and she struggled to shove his hands away again. "You're hurting me! Let me go! Let me go, Kris!"

But Kris was too clouded.

With his strong tug, she lurched forward toward him. "You're not his! You're mine!" He raised his voice.

Something snapped in Yeojin when he said that, and she suddenly had the strength to push him away. "Stop it! I'm not your property Kris!" She yelled back. "You cannot just do whatever you want with me!"

For a second, Kris bit his tongue, taken aback by her outburst. But a deep frown of anger soon appeared on his face. "You're right! You're not my property!" He declared and in mere two steps had her wrapped around an arm of his. "You're my wife!" He angrily pressed his lips on hers, cradling her head with a hand.

He forcefully pressed his lips wanting her to open for him to deepen the kiss. He wanted to claim her his and he wanted her to remember that.

Yeojin squeezed her eyes shut at the impact of their lips and tried her best to push him away. She struggled but he overpowered her. It felt like torturously long seconds before she was finally able to push him away with a shriek.

Hurried footsteps from all kinds of direction were heard. Meanwhile, Kris stumbled back with a gasp and before he could even reacted, he saw her hand flew across his face sending a painful sting spread on his cheek. When he looked back at her, he saw how wide Yeojin's eyes were and how her hand was shaming. She looked like she couldn't believe what she had done herself. But a few seconds later, her rounded eyes turned sharp and her brows were furrowed. 

The door to the library clicked open and Grandpa came out with a frown. "What is going on in here?"

Lin and Jinho were peering from where they stood on the stairs and the mothers came out of the dining room looking confused with all the shoutings they had been hearing. However, both Yeojin and Kris didn't seem to notice anyone else at the moment. They were wrapped inside their own box filled with tensed air. In that box were only them.

"I hate you!" Yeojin yelled with one last glare and turned to stomp away.

In that moment, Kris felt his heart shredded into pieces.

 

 

 

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190506 ICE: Chapter 72 updated!

Comments

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krisxoxo23
#1
Chapter 82: Missed the story, been few years already, hoping there'll be an update 😭😭😭
Emily345 #2
Chapter 82: Ohh how I miss this story... ?
Will you be updating again ??
2407briana #3
Chapter 82: Whoa whoa whoa I was not prepared for that
mznary #4
Chapter 82: WHAT?!! NOOOO NOO! Yifannnnn!!
miyoonji #5
Chapter 82: So, who is Yeojin going to choose?
tutialawiyah #6
Chapter 82: I was thinking Kris want to step down from his position to protect Yeojin. But what now? Is he seriously wanna give up on everything?? Cmon, atleast you should have one whether it's yeojin or your company T.T
gogogirl26 #7
Chapter 82: Aishhhh.. kris :(
chichiba #8
Chapter 82: Kris is ready to let Yeojin go... im sad?
chonanay
#9
Chapter 82: :'((
Shinhye-ssi
#10
Chapter 82: Are they breaking up?