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CHAPTER 42
⸻ INTRUSION
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HIS SOFT AND WARM HANDS on my cheeks and his lips on my own steers butterflies to erupt in my stomach. For a brief moment, all of my anger and rage towards him subsided.

He merely closes his eyes and parts his mouth before moving his lips, causing my heart to thump loudly inside my chest.

I sit back in shock but as if I'm under his spell, my eyelids fall shut as I return the favor. Our lips begin to move in sync and I could feel him smiling as his hands purchase further down my waist to draw me closer.

His lips are soft, warm and delicate that I gradually melted myself into. It feels foreign but longing to have his lips on mine after a long time.

I let out a sharp gasp when his hand sneaks underneath my sweater to caress my back. His thumb gently soothes a circle as he hums in appreciation, sending goosebumps down all over my body.

That simple action is enough to resurrect my sanity as alarming sound and thoughts screaming inside my head to stop our ministration.

Once I pull away, he whines at the loss of contact as he tries to chase another kiss but I abruptly push his chest. Embarrassment creep up my cheeks before I hear him clearing throat, a small smile playing on his lips and his cheeks flush red.

He connects his gaze with mine, biting his lips shyly to conceal his eagerness. "Sorry,"

No words seem to decipher straight out of my mouth as I heavily catch my breath after waking up in my desired trance.

"I-I shouldn't have kissed you. God, what am I doing? Why did you kiss me?" I jab a finger onto his chest, trying to blame him for my own stupidity. "I didn't ask you to!"

He swipes a tongue to wet his bottom lip before shrugging his shoulders. "Why? Am I not allowed to kiss you?"

"No, you idiot!" I huff and grit my teeth in anger.

A laugh bubbles out of his lips as he stares amusingly at my face. "Your reaction is so wholesome,"

"Is this funny to you?"

"Yes," he hums playfully. "You're really cute when you're flustered,"

"This is not funny, Kim Taehyung. You just kissed me! Do you know what that means?" I sneer, getting frustrated over his behaviour.

He feigns ignorance as he taps a finger on his chin, thinking thoughtfully. "No,"

"I swear to God, Tae—" The words died on my tongue when the doorbell suddenly rang.

I immediately panic and turn to Taehyung, who's staring blankly at me.

"Hide! Go, go, go,"

He blinks and raises an eyebrow. "Why do I have to hide?"

I ignore him and grip his bicep tightly, tugging him into the closest room where Eunbyul is still sleeping when another faint sound of the doorbell rings.

"Wait here and don't come out!" I whisper-yell, shutting the door close before he could even protest.

I sigh and scurry to the door, glancing through the monitor to discern the person in front of my apartment. Hyoseop.

The sight of Hyoseop blooms right before my eyes after I twist the handle around. He is dressed in different clothes this time with a white dress shirt, slightly tuck in between his blue jeans.

"Hi!" he grins, folding his arms behind his back mischievously.

"Hi," I greet back, returning him a huge smile. "Did you just finished with your shift? How was it? Did the surgery go well?"

"Yeah," he bashfully replies. "Um.. are you hungry? Because I bought foods for you and Eunbyul. Is she still awake?"

"Oh, you didn't have to. She's asleep but if you want, we can enjoy the food together," I invite, totally forgetting another presence in my apartment.

"Really? Have you guys eaten for dinner yet?" he asks before he walks in with plastic bags.

Hyoseop coming over has been a frequent routine since a year ago. He would play and spend time with Eunbyul whenever he comes to visit.

"We both did. But you know, Eunbyul ate dessert foremost,"

He chuckles as he places plastic bags on the counter. "Strawberries again, huh?"

"I don't understand her addiction towards strawberries," I purse my lips in disapproval. "Is it really that good?"

"Don't you blame the strawberries, ma'am. Who knows she probably got it from you,"

"Now, that's where you're wrong. I love strawberries, but not as much as her," I correct him.

He scoffs, bobbing his head with uncertainty in his eyes. "Uh-huh, sure,"

"Hey! I'm telling the truth," I frown as I delicately place the food onto the plates that he brought.

"Right," he snickers and shoots up an eyebrow in concern when he watches me climbing up the stool to retrieve glasses from the cupboard. "Hey, be careful,"

I could feel his presence walking closer but I wave my hands dismissively at him. "Relax, I've done this a lot of times,"

"You do realise that you're very clumsy, right? I have to take care of you like a literal child," he jokingly insults. "I feel like I have two children to take care of,"

I gasp, fleeting a hand over my chest dramatically. "Ouch, just because we've known each other for a long time, doesn't mean you can insult me, ahjussi,"

"Ahjussi? Yah, I'm not old enough for you to call me that," he grumbles, causing me to chuckle. "Oppa. I'm your oppa,"

"On second thought, I think I should start calling you ahjussi," I flash him a smirk as I look down at him after grabbing two glassware. "Ahjussi suits you better,"

He frowns as his eyes swirl with agitation before I begin to trudge down the stool. "God, you're annoying,"

I throw my head back to laugh but somehow, I accidentally misstep a foot near the edge, causing my body to lose balance.

I shriek loudly, expecting to roll off the floor but a pair of arms engulf around my waist, holding me tight.

I snap my eyes open, bewildered by Hyoseop's face is only inches away. His brown orbs are staring widely into mine as my arms hang loosely around his neck.

His cheeks blush scarlet red and his eyes are blinking rapidly in shock. I could hear him gulping and feel his eyes momentarily glance across my lips before gazing back into my eyes.

We stare at each other for a split second before I clear my throat and pull back, looking at him apologetically.

"Sorry,"

"Yah, what did I tell you? Y-You should be more careful! What if I wasn't here?!" he stammers, trying to cut off the tension as his hands are on both sides of his hips.

I roll my eyes, pursing my lips tight. "Alright, fine, ahjussi. Now.. come on, let's eat sushi!"

"And stop calling me ahjussi!" he groans before taking a seat opposite. "I'm not old,"

"Yes, you are an old man," I retaliate with a smirk.

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Okay, are we going to eat or what?" I send him an annoyed look.

He laughs and brings a sushi into his mouth before humming in approval. Both of us soon enjoy the food and each other's company for the night while talking about random things.

•••

T A E H Y U N G' S P O V

I hear laughter from across the room as I attach my ear towards the door, listening to their whole conversation. From the voice, I could clearly acknowledge who it is.

Jealousy drills a hole into my heart but nothing compares to her accidental confession and her lips on mine. I could still relish the sweet taste of strawberries lingering on my tongue.

Kissing her makes me realise how much I've missed her in spite of everything that we've been through. It has always been her, and always will be. It sounds irrevocably absurb, yes, and although we haven't seen each other for years, my feelings for her never change.

I smile to myself and twirl around, my eyes twinkling after finding a precious little girl sleeping on the mattress of the queen sized bed. Eunbyul.

A soft grin curves up my lips as I paddle my feet and kneel beside the bed, watching her sleep peacefully like an angel with a small pillow in between her legs. She looks so beautiful like her mother. Her eyelashes, mouth and nose, everything is accentuated from her.

Deep down in my heart, I feel a connection with Eunbyul. It is ridiculous that she might be my child from the roots of our matrimony because Hyoseop is her father. Although she has someone else, I won't lose her again.

I knew it was selfish but I couldn't let her go after remembering that she was the only comfort and woman I've ever loved. I need to fight for her. She was my home, best friend, partner — the love of my life.

As the thoughts spin in my head, tiredness coarse through my body as my eyes slowly drifting shut. The last thing I saw was Eunbyul sleeping figure before my sight morphed into darkness.

•••

A/N: Guys, we've hit 12k!!!! I'm so happy that I couldn't explain it in words. Thank you so much for your supports and love!! But I have to address this though, last update was the driest ever and I would really appreciate if you guys could give this chapter a vote and flood it with comments. It would definitely make my day better <3 Anywho, how was this chapter??? The budding romance between OC and Hyoseop will bloom soon, guys. Yall aren't ready.