I went to school early in the morning, only to realize that we have no class today. The teachers are attending a seminar, which is why Monday is our vacant day.
What Gusion did to me last night was heart-melting. Nobody has ever done that to me—kissing my hand just like that, not even Lawrence. I was surprised by what he did, then I ran inside my room. I can't say I woke up early this morning because I wasn't even sure if I had fallen asleep last night. I quickly prepared myself for school and left him breakfast on the table before I left.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as the cold wind blew. While walking back to the parking lot, I suddenly remembered something, which made me hurry back to the car and drive my way home.
Our exam is next week, and I have to study!
But when I entered the house, I started walking awkwardly when my eyes landed on him eating his breakfast. He glanced in my direction before gulping down the last drop of milk in his glass.
"Good morning," he said.
"Good morning..." I greeted back. I headed to my room, and when I was about to open the door, he called my name.
"Do you eat bread and milk every morning, or is that a routine of yours?" he asked. God, why does he look like that? His brown hair is messy—and he looks so handsome... what?
"No," I replied. "I usually don't eat breakfast."
"That's unhealthy."
"It is. But I have no appetite to eat when I'm alone. Sometimes I eat lunch with my friend."
"Your friend... or is it your lover?" He raised his eyebrows as he crossed his legs. I felt my cheeks heat from his unexpected question.
"Of course not! He's just a friend," I defended myself and tried to go inside my room, but he called my name again.
"The way you looked at him yesterday," he shook his head as he walked toward the room I let him use for a while. "It was written all over your face. You like him."
I was left speechless. Seriously? I rushed inside my room and threw my bag onto the bed. I touched my cheeks, which were now as red as an apple! Why did he even say that?
Gusion is such a weird guy, isn't he?
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It was the first time someone had guessed my crush, and I couldn't believe it. Why is he always like that?
My phone rang, and my heart literally skipped a beat when I saw the caller's name.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Noe? Where are you?" Lawrence's voice came through—deep and handsome, just like him.
"I'm at home. I was about to study when you called," I said, my heart thudding.
"Can you open the door for me?"
What?
"Huh?"
"Please open the door. I have something for you." I heard him chuckle—and that's when I realized: he's here.
I ran to the door. His smile greeted me as he raised a paper bag in front of me.
"Why are you here?" I asked, still in disbelief. He's only been here twice since senior high school, but today is different. Gusion's here too… what would he even say if he sees him?
"Sorry I didn't let you know earlier that I was coming. I know you'll be very busy this week with the exams coming up," Lawrence said, handing me the bag. "I bought your favorite food. Here."
I opened it, and the mouthwatering scent of vegetable salad hit me.
"Thank you! Do you want to come in?" I asked, already regretting it.
"Is it okay?" he smiled, stepping inside when I nodded. My heart was pounding for two reasons: first, Lawrence is here. Second, Gusion is here too. Ugh, why am I so stupid?
We were heading to the living room when Gusion stepped out of his room. He looked at us calmly, as if nothing was unusual. Lawrence glanced at him, clearly confused.
"I didn't know you lived with your cousin," Lawrence said, eyeing Gusion. I wanted to dig a hole and disappear. This is awkward.
I cleared my throat, trying to act normal. "He's just staying here for a few weeks. He'll be going back to Europe after that."
"Oh," Lawrence paused. "Hi, Zen. I'm Lawrence. We met yesterday."
Gusion didn't reply. He simply sat down on the couch. Lawrence smiled awkwardly and sat on the other end. I placed the paper bag on the kitchen counter and returned to them.
"Do you want to study with me?" I asked.
Lawrence nodded with a smile. I prepared the study table in the corner and set another chair for him. I opened the book and began jotting down notes.
"I don't really need to study," he said. "My dream is to become a professional gamer."
"Well, you still need good grades so people will be proud of you," I replied, scribbling more notes—trying to ignore the fact that Gusion was sitting just behind us.
"Only if you teach me," he teased.
I looked up and shook my head. "I'm busy."
"You're busy talking to me, aren't you?" he laughed.
"Ssshh." I put a finger on his lips. "You're too loud. Let me study first. Just find books related to your major on the bookshelf, and I'll help you later." Then I froze, realizing what I'd done. He looked surprised and gently took my hand away from his lips.
"I'll just watch you study," he said softly, still holding my hand. My heart raced and my cheeks flushed. My knees trembled from his words.
"You're crazy..." I whispered, pulling my hand back and returning to my notes. "I told you to find the books. Just go."
"How bossy," he joked, heading to the bookshelf.
I glanced at Gusion, still quiet on the couch. I walked over and offered him my phone.
"What is this?" he asked, looking up at me.
"My cellphone. I thought you might get bored. You can watch anything you want." I opened the YouTube app and handed it to him.
"Okay," he said, taking the phone. I returned to my seat.
I started working on physics—one of the most important subjects in my major. I copied the first example from the book and began solving. Physics is easy for me. I've studied it since I was a kid. I wanted to be a pianist, but my father pushed me toward math and science, training me to follow in his footsteps without ever asking what I really wanted.
"How did you do that, Noe? You're so good at it," Lawrence said, sitting beside me. I smiled.
"Thank you."
"Did you memorize it?"
"No," I paused and looked at him. "Engineering isn't about memorizing. It's about understanding and being familiar with concepts."
"Just like in games. You need to know the hero's skills and understand the game to be good at it."
"Game," I chuckled. "You're really in love with gaming."
"Other than games, I'm in love with someone else," he said seriously. I went silent. My mind blanked. I hoped I heard it wrong.
"Who—" I began, but then loud music suddenly echoed through the room. I turned to see Gusion watching Red Velvet's Ice Cream Cake on my phone.
I think… he just saved me.
"Let's have lunch first," I said quickly. Lawrence agreed and even offered to buy food since he knew I didn't have much stocked.
I sat on the couch across from Gusion and crossed my legs. He paused the video and raised an eyebrow at me.
"What?" I asked.
"What?" he repeated.
"Why are you watching that kind of video? Do you like cute girls?" I wanted to ask if he heard everything, but I didn't have the guts.
"It's interesting," he simply replied. "What's more interesting is that he's laying his feelings out for you... and you're pretending not to notice."
"Don't make fun of me." Feelings for me? That's impossible. I don't think Lawrence would like someone like me… but what if he does? My heart started to race at the thought.
"So, you really are into him. And now you're setting yourself up for disappointment," he said, crossing his legs as he continued watching the video—ignoring me.
"Why are you putting me at the center of this? It's none of your business whether I'm into him or not." I stood up and grabbed my cellphone from him, turning it off.
"Always remember this, Noevia. I have one rule. Just one."
"I don't care about it!"
He stood up, towering over me. "Then I'll disregard the rules you gave me. Don't expect me to follow what you can't enforce," he said.
Did he just say that to me? He's going to disobey me?
"Are you kidding me?"
"It's only been three days since I arrived... and already, I'm starting to forget who I used to be," he leaned in closer, the corner of his lips curling into a smirk. "Just so you know... I don't take kindly to being told things I don't want to hear."
"You're an assassin, and I'm sure you've already killed a lot of people—you could kill me anytime you want. But you still need my help, right?" I crossed my arms, meeting his eyes without a trace of fear. He smirked again, clearly entertained.
"You think you're the only one who can help me? Noevia... the world isn't that small."
"You must've lost your mind," I said, shaking my head. "You can't just go around telling people you're an assassin from another world. You'll end up in a mental hospital."
Our conversation ended when Lawrence arrived. I cleared my throat and went to help him with the bags in his hands.
"What did you two talk about?" he asked while preparing the food on the counter.
"He likes Red Velvet," I lied. Lawrence laughed. "What did you buy?"
"Fried chicken, pizza, and lasagna," he said, placing the food on the counter. I sat on the high chair and grabbed a piece of fried chicken while Lawrence called Gusion to join us.
"And here, your favorite," Lawrence said, placing a bowl of vegetable salad in front of me before sitting on my right side.
"This is unhealthy," I heard Gusion say as he looked at the fried chicken. He sat on my left. "Strange... yet surprisingly good."
"You're funny," Lawrence laughed. Gusion looked like an innocent kid, and I couldn't help but laugh along. It all stopped when the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?" Lawrence asked. I shrugged. I wasn't expecting anyone. I walked to the entrance, confused, but my eyes widened when I saw my brother and sister outside. I panicked—they shouldn't be here at this time!
"Hide!" I told the two guys. They looked confused and shocked, but they quickly slipped under the counter to hide. I opened the door, and Melissa immediately walked in without greeting me. Lucian, my older brother, just gave me a cold look before following her. They sat on the couch.
"What brings you here?" I asked as I sat across from them. Melissa rolled her eyes and crossed her legs.
"Tell her," she said to Lucian.
"Father said he's choosing an heir soon." My brother's voice was stern and cold—the kind that scares everyone. It scares me, too.
"That sounds great. I'm sure it's you who'll follow in Father's footsteps." I meant it. Brother Lucian is a talented civil engineer. Father is proud of him. He's the perfect one to take the highest position in the company.
"You're not trying to insult me, are you?" His expression caught me off guard.
"I wasn't insulting you. I was—"
"Such a bitch," Melissa snapped, glaring at me with the same hate she always shows.
"He hasn't told us who the heir is, but I know it's not me. Because if it were, he wouldn't let me work there in the first place. The answer is simple, Noevia—he's not going to pick me." He sounded so angry. I didn't understand. Father is proud of him. Lucian has everything—He's talented.
"What are you trying to say?"
"They say you're smart, but you can't even understand what I'm telling you?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Listen, bitch," Melissa said, glaring. "Father's going to pick you. He wants you to take over the company—even without a license or any damn work experience."
What? What did I just hear? Father is going to pick me as the heir? That's impossible. He's never talked to me about it before, and I'm not even interested. I don't even like engineering. This will only make my siblings hate me even more. How did this happen?
"You must be mistaken." I didn't want to take what was meant for Lucian. They'd just hate me even more. I didn't want that.
"Quit engineering," Lucian said firmly.
"What?"
"You wanted to be a pianist, right? I can get you into a school in Switzerland. You can study there. Just quit the shit you're in now and reject Father's decision." My world stopped. He knew what I wanted in life. I never told anyone. This was the first time.
And hearing my brother say all those hurtful things made me want to lock myself in my room and cry all night.
"Leave," I said without looking at them.
"You better obey me, Noevia. If not, I'll be the one to ruin your life," he warned. "Let's go, Meli." My sister held his arm and rolled her eyes before walking out with him.
I was left sitting on the couch, trying not to cry. I knew they hated me. But I never realized they hated me this much—enough to want me gone.
It made me wonder... did they ever truly see me as their sibling? As family? How could they treat me like this? If all they care about is the wealth and the title, they can have it—I never wanted it. What did I do to deserve this hatred?
I used to admire them, feel proud just to call them my siblings. But this… this is too much. It's not the first time they've treated me this way—worse has happened before—yet it still cuts deep every single time.
I drew in a shaky breath and ran a hand down my face, trying to hold myself together.
"Who are you?" It was Lawrence's voice. I stood up and saw them staring at each other intensely.
I walked toward them and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"
"What are you doing, Noevia? Why are you hiding a man in your house?" he asked, shooting another glance at Gusion. I felt so stupid—he'd figured out that Gusion wasn't really my cousin when I told them to hide.
"Lawrence, I'll explain everything tomorrow. But not now, please." I pleaded. Today wasn't the right time. I was going to tell him the truth—just not after what my siblings had done to me.
"Seriously? You're really keeping a guy here with you?"
"Lawrence—"
"Is that jealousy I'm sensing?" Gusion cut in, raising an eyebrow at him.
"What?" Lawrence grabbed Gusion by the collar, and I immediately stepped between them, trying to stop him.
"Stop, will you?" I don't really have the energy for this. Gusion looked completely unbothered, while I, on the other hand, couldn't even begin to understand what Lawrence's expression meant.
"Why are you telling me to stop? Just tell me the truth already!"
"Tomorrow—I promise I'll tell you tomorrow." I was so tired.
"Let's talk outside." He grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me with him, but Gusion swiftly caught my other hand, pulling me back toward him.
"You're numb," Gusion said, voice cool and certain. "And just as foolish."
"What did you just say?" Lawrence snapped. I'd never seen him this angry. He tugged me back toward him, but Gusion didn't let go. My head was spinning from all the back and forth.
"She's exhausted. She said she'd explain tomorrow. Take the hint and stop acting like a child who refuses to listen." Gusion said, pulling me even closer to him.
"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" I don't understand why Lawrence is so worked up and angry. I was going to tell him about Gusion anyway, but I didn't expect him to react like this just because I didn't tell him right away. What's his problem? "Noevia, how the hell did you meet this freak?"
"He's... not a freak," I said quietly.
"You're seriously making me laugh, Noe. I was right when I first saw him. I never got the right feeling about him, and you even lied, saying he was your cousin. Seriously, what's wrong with you, Noevia?" Lawrence reached to grab me again, but then my eyes widened—Gusion had summoned five glowing daggers in his free hand. I grabbed his arm quickly to stop him.
"Gusion! What are you doing?" I panicked. He wasn't seriously going to hurt Lawrence... was he?
Gusion smirked down at me before letting the daggers vanish, like light fading slowly into the air.
"Gusion?" Lawrence muttered, his eyes locked onto him. After a few seconds, he stood frozen in place, speechless.
"If a woman says no, you respect her. Don't force her to go with you," Gusion said firmly, pulling me behind him. Lawrence finally let go of my arm. He just stood there—jaw slack, eyes darting between me and Gusion. I couldn't blame him. If I were in his place, I'd probably react the same way.
"What the hell is going on?" he finally muttered.