The last thing In-Ha would have imagined when he came clubbing tonight was to bump into a man finding the need to prove his virility by hitting a girl. He had seen the commotion when he walked out the bathroom and made his way towards his table at the VIP lounge. He had wanted to ignore it, but when he caught sight of those big round hazel eyes that had sparkled the first time he saw them, he couldnât sit still even if he wanted to.
He had felt his muscles twitch when he saw the man lunge at Ni-Na, and his anger rode up the bar when he lunged at Eun-sun after she swung a punch at him.
His eyes fell to her hand which was clenched at her side either out of anger or pain, he wasnât sure which. Luckily it wasnât her left arm that had been injured, else heâd had plummeled that guy to death.
His hand snapped to the side where he saw the little devil who undoubtedly was the orchestrator of this.
âI donât have to ask whose idea it was to come here, because I know itâs definitely yours.â In-Ha said without a tendril of doubt. He was certain this was all her idea, because only she could come up something like this. She was mischievous and reckless at heart, always looking for an opportunity to create chaos under the disguise of fun.
Ni-Na eyes hardened in response to the words In-Ha had just said. âAnd thatâs because your mind is just programmed to think the worst of me.â She irritably hissed.
âThere is no other way to see you Lee Ni-Na. Youâre the worst! You and that reckless mind of yours are always looking for the wrong things and people to mess with.â He told her in a cold and measured tone that people who knew him would easily be scared of, all except Ni-Na.
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She snorted. âAnd I wonder why you arenât drapped in bandages from head to toes with the awful smell of iodoform seeping off you. Because apparently youâd be the first wrong thing Iâd sink my claws in.â She ground out with a roll of her eyes.
âYou havenât because you know better than to court your own death.â He bit at her.
âDeath my ass.â Ni-Na hissed and rolled eyes at him.
In-Ha silently stared at her. He had no words left, because it was too bothersome trying to handle Ni-Na, even her parents werenât capable of that fit. There was only one man who could do that, and that was Lee Dan-Han. She was his cup of tea, not his.
In-Ha darted his gaze from Ni-Na to Eun-sun who was blankly staring at him in a familiar way that shows she had so many things to say and ask, but she was undecided on where to begin. Well, if she wasnât sure, he was.
He hardened his face at her. âYou, what are you doing here?â He asked, his tone sounding cold and evenly measured. âWhat in fucks name are doing in a club with this untamed brat.â He gestured towards Ni-Na with his chin and Ni-Na quickly scowled at him.
âYouâre the untamed brat, woman humper!â She snapped.
In-Ha tossed her a look but he quickly decided to refrain himself from having a banter with her. He flicked his gaze back to Eun-sun and continued with her, âI thought you were injured Eun-sun, or are your injuries gone?â He asked with a raise of his brows. His eyes raked over her and he took note of the absence of her arm cast and her leg which were hidden to the lower part of her thigh with a black hose stocking. He sighed at the sight of Ni-Naâs creativity. This was definitely her doing.
Eun-sun gave a casual shrug as she maintained her gaze on In-Ha. âYou would have known the answers to all these if you werenât avoiding me.â
âAvoiding?â In-Haâs brows furrowed. âI wasnât avoiding you.â He told her, but his voice wasnât firm enough to put confidence to his words. Fine, he was avoiding her, but that wasnât a thing of choice, it was a necessity â a necessity to his sanity.
Keeping his distance from her was all he could do to keep himself sane and his feelings in check, because apparently he could barely go a day without thinking about her and he had no control over it â over his thoughts.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He had come all the way here so as not to think about her. He needed time to himself, and he needed to out some distance between them so he could make him forget about her even for a tad bit.
He badly wanted to quell the urge of wanting to see her everytime, especially now that she was hurt. He wanted to stop himself from wanting his best friendâs woman because it wasnât right.
He was trying, but it was hard. So yes, he was avoiding her, because everytime he sees heâs tempted to throw his shame away and grovel at her feet for her to be his, just his and no one else.
How did he even get here? How did he go from not being capable of falling in love to being hopelessly hooked on someone he couldnât have? It was crazy.
In-Ha warily sighed. âIâm sorry for not being around. I had business to attend to and that has been keeping me busy.â He explained, but the untrusting look in Eun-sunâs eyes told him she didnât believe him.
âReally? And thatâs why you also couldnât call?â Even if he was busy as he claimed, a call wouldnât take so much of his time.
In-Haâs lips motioned to say something, but what could he say? He was tired of the lying, but he also couldnât say the truth either. The truth would hurt and burden her just as much as it kills him.
âIâm sorry.â He guiltily apologized. âBut still, you shouldnât be running around with a broken leg and a cast. Even if someone wants to be foolish, you should be sensible enough to tame her.â
âTame who?â Ni-Na who had been watching them from the sideline asked in a clipped tone, her brows angrily cocked at him. âAnd Iâm sensible. Very sensible.â She told In-Ha even if there was no need for her to do so.
In-Ha would only see the worst of her. He would never look at her differently from the way he has always seen her in the last 20 years. And just as he had known her for so long, she also knew him, and she could tell In-Ha was struggling right this moment and he was using her to keep his emotions in check.
He paid her a quick look and she daringly gazed at him. She dared him to say one bad word about her, and knowing who he was, she knew he would oblige her because he needed the distraction, and he didnât disappoint her as he spat out, âYouâre crazy Lee Ni-Na, and no man or woman in there right frame of mind should be around you.â
âThen I guess youâre the definition of crazy.â
In-Ha chuckled as he shook his head in disagreement. âIâm not crazy enough to take you under my wings, kiddo. Reckless youngsters with uncontrolled minds are not my cup of tea.â He told her. In-Ha intentionally chose to use the word kiddo to address her because he knows just how much she hated it.
His lips twitched when light flickered through her eyes.
âIâm very certain of that, brother Kang. Only aged girls with a shitload of experience with STDâs and spine breaking sexual agility and pretty dumb brains who do not know where to leave their marks can entice a bed humper like you.â
âLee Ni-Na.â Eun-sun called out in horror. Her eyes blinked at the girl whose mouth was highly unfiltered.
In-Ha tried to tuck in his lips as they threatened to twitch, but as much as he tried, he couldnât keep the glint off his eyes. Only Ni-Na could cuss at him and get away with it. âYouâre a disaster, little girl.â
âOne big enough to crush!â She glared at him while In-Ha scoffed at her rebut.
âYou wish you are, Little Ni-Na.â
Little Ni-Na?
Ni-Na lips motioned to say something, but her anger was slowly rising she didnât want to make use of her mouth but her fist. She clamped her mouth shut and pursed it into a line to stop herself from giving into the temptation of uttering another rebut.
She watched as In-Ha had his gaze lingeringly tour over them especially at Eun-sun. It seems he couldnât fight off the temptation no matter how hard he tried. Well, he could fall into it for all she cares, after all everyone had theirs.
Despite the struggle not to look, In-Ha couldnât stop his eyes from trailing over Eun-sun. He was amazed by how incredible she looked in her little black dress. He was used to seeing her in jeans and corporate outfits, but this was different.
He still couldnât believe she was the one standing in front of him. She looked different than he had ever seen her before. Her small black gown stopped inches away from her knees and left quite a sight of her fair thighs. The little dress curved around her body like an extra layer of skin and he felt he hadnât seen anything better in his entire life. And her lips, he hadnât seen so much color on them before.
In-Ha tried to stop himself from staring at Eun-sun, and when he did, he found himself staring at Ni-Na.
Her electric blue gown did so little in hiding anything. He was sure he hasnât seen her this dressed. She looked spectacular.
âYou clean up well, Kiddo.â He tipped his chin towards Ni-Na as he appreciatively looked at her, slightly surprising Ni-Na who wasnât expecting that.
âBut you shouldnât be dressing this way if you donât want men to ogle at you and feast on things you arenât ready to give away.â He stepped forward and removed his jacket which he draped over her. Ni-Na looked at the jacket before staring at him. She was tempted to toss it back at him, but she found herself holding it over her shoulder, or maybe it was the hard glare In-Ha had given her.
Eun-sun didnât miss the way Ni-Na had briefly stared at In-Ha before shuttering in whatever she had seen in her eyes.
In-Ha looked around and he couldnât help but notice the way guys were looking at Eun-sun as well as Ni-Na. They were a sight for hungry wolves. He hissed irritably.
âDan-Han will have your head.â He told Eun-sun matter of factly. He looked over at Ni-Na, as he wondered what to do with them.
âWhere are your rooms?â He asked.
âTop floor.â Eun-sun replied.
âIâll walk you girls back.â He said, gesturing with his hand for them to take the lead, but he heard Ni-Na hiss.
âThank you, but weâre not done for the night.â
âYou are.â
âWe are.â Eun-sun blurted out. Hearing In-Ha talk about Dan-Hanâs anger made her realize just how stupid this had been from the get-go.
âBut we only just got here. Canât we stay a bit longer. Thirty minutes.â She negotiated.
âWe can just dance and have another drink, and thereâs a self imposed bodyguard with us now, my brother would not be so mad.â She reasoned.
âI canât dance with this.â Eun-sun pointed her legs to Ni-Na. âAnd I really want to go back now.â
âThen just another drink. My brother is going to scold us anyway, so letâs go back a bit drunk so we can save the trouble for tomorrow.â She suggested making Eun-sun look at her widened eyes. How typical of her.
Eun-sun decided Ni-Na was truly reckless at heart. Her innocent face was a contrast to her trouble seeking face and the rebellious stint she could pull every now and then.
âThereâs no way Iâm letting either of you get drunk.â In-Ha told them matter of factly.
âLike you can stop us.â She hissed at him. âBut just one drink, and we can leave.â She batted her lashes at Eun-sun who didnât know what to say. Ni-Na had a way of making her helpless.
She looked at In-Ha who seemed unaffected with Ni-Naâs charm and sighed. âOne more drink. I can use it too. Itâs been a while I had a drink and I can use some time to prep myself for the punishment Iâll face tonight, and we also need to talk, In-Ha.â She said while Ni-Na smiled.
In-Ha wasnât sure if he should be listening to these small women, but seeing the resolve in their eyes, he guess he had to oblige and pick up the role of being their chaperone.