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"Oh yeah? Then why did Nathan ask her to marry him?", he questioned, getting defensive with his arms folded across his chest. "He says he loves you, doesn't he? How come he moved on from an year long relationship just like that? Huh? It must've been pretty serious considering how they were planning to get married last month."
"Shut up, just shut up. You vanished for four years, you know nothing about it. She cheated on him with Mr. Min after they got engaged. How do you expect him to stay stuck on a person like that?""Why don't you see for yourself today? He's using you as a rebound and as much as I care about him, I care about you more. Get it through your head that this is not a stable relationship.""It is stable," I huffed. "Even if he hadn't moved on before, he most certainly has done now.""Okay. Soph, listen to me, okay? I'm sorry for everything I just said, I only called her to be of potential help. I really don't want toKaugnay na kabanata
COMBATIVE 51
"Did any of you notice what Teressa was calling Nathan?", Mr. Jung questions from the opposite side of the table, blowing on his coffee with his eyes stuck onto my movements as I sat next to Mr. Min, still sulking over last night's events."Oh yeah," Josh chimes in, mouth full of the Hotteok before he swallows the bite. "She was calling him Han," he shrugs and dives back into his lunch. "She always called him that," I mutter softly and three heads turn back to me, these being my first words since morning. "What? Teressa dated him for over an year, of course they had nicknames.""Yeah but what's 'Han'?", Mr. Min chuckles, probably mocking it and I laugh back in a softer tone. "Nat-Han, Nathan," I emphasize, moving both my hands in two different directions. "Oh yeah, that makes sense," Mr. Jung nods, his brows furrowing in concentration.We were all at Sam's restaurant for brunch after waking up quite late in the morning with all our
COMBATIVE 52
"Mrs. Lee," Mr. Min smiles in a welcoming manner and Jimin takes it as the hint to get up and get the elder lady a chair that would fit her comfort. "Good afternoon, we're so relieved to see you." "Oh, I'm aware," she chuckles, thanking Jimin as she perches upon the cushioned chair and nods to all of our greetings. "Where is the little boy?", Mrs. Lee hums in question, her fingers lying linked onto her lap. "Not here with you all?" "Mrs. Lee, h-have you seen the news?", I ask, leaning further in Mr. Min's side so she could have a good look at me. Said lady nods, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips as she does. "Darling, he's all over the news. Every damn channel has been talking like its their business for the past twelve hours," she waves her hand in the air to explain her exhaustion and all of us agree. "He's not here because of another reason though," Jo frowns and Mrs. Lee moves her now curious eyes to the boy before nodding at hi
COMBATIVE 53
"What do you remember about yesterday then? If you didn't go to a therapist then what did you do the whole day before the fight at night?", Jimin mutters, ears and neck red from frustration that all of us were going through except for Mrs. Lee who seemed and ought to be a professional in such situations."Nothing, probably just practiced, had lunch with Teressa and then went to the stadium with Sophie and Choi? What else," Nathan shrugs, seeming a lot calmer than before but the cloud of uncertainty hung low and dark over all of us, even Nathan as he contemplated his words."Probably? Or for sure?", I chime in, sounding a lot more on edge than I tried to let on."I don't know, okay!? I don't remember! All I remember is that we had the congratulatory party at Sophie's and Teressa was there too, you guys were there as well and well we had that fight and everything. Everything is messed up inside my head," he confesses, volume rising up for a few w
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"I'm sorry, what?", I gape, jaw hanging open in shock but before she could explain further or even respond with a mere nod, Nathan's footsteps were heard from behind the counter and were slowly growing louder closer both."We can't let him know about it yet, act normal," so many eyes hawk at Mrs. Lee as she makes a hasty jazz hands gesture before resuming at the process of picking at her cuticles while my heart hammered loudly in his chest.I mean all of us were aware that there was something wrong with Nathan's mental state including himself but who would've guessed the extent of it all?"Here," Nathan whispers, cheeks dimpling in a graceful smile as his gentle demeanor towards all of us slowly returned. "So, where were we? Oh yeah, it's okay Hyun. I myself didn't understand until a few years ago. We're good, I'm happy to see all of you supporting me during these times.""We always will, always," Mr. Min presses, h
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"W-Wait! I'm a little overwhelmed right now," I breathe out, clutching a hand to my chest in worry. Nathan's mother was alive, we had the address, Nathan had Dissociative Identity Disorder, he's had it since he was six year old. Six motherfucking years only. The world is now aware of his illness, partially and a lot of tension is still unresolved between Teressa and him."I know everything must seem rushed right now," Mr. Min assures, voice breaking as it gives space to a loud gulp down his throat. "But we can't lose anymore time. We need to tell Mrs. Lee w-why all of this is happening. Nathan is not well enough right now to absorb the severity of his condition."I slowly nod, gripping tightly around the handle of the door, away from all their eyes as a tear rolls down my cheeks. I didn't have to do this, I wanted to do this. For Nathan and for myself."He'll be okay Soph," Jimin whispers, catching my attention right away with his watery eyes a
COMBATIVE 56
TRIGGER WARNING: Parts of this chapter might trigger some of you. It contains topics related to abuse, manipulation and gaslighting. Please proceed with caution.-"First of all, tell me how you got to know my name," Kate squints at the two of us who sat across her on the old and slightly creaky couch, squeezed together nervously."Nathan's father remarried," I begin, clearing my throat as I straighten my spine to appear more confident. "The current Mrs. Kim helped us dig through files and inside the house to look for signs of you. She sent us your address and name today in the morning itself.""I haven't really told anybody about this house," she deadpans, eyes appearing bored but behind the film of denial was extreme worry for her child, her own blood. "How could she know?""Mr. Kim is a rich man with a lot of connections. It probably didn't even take him an hour to find your location," Mr. Mi
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"Don't you think this will be too shocking for him right now?", Mr. Min suggests, chewing on his lower lip with a concerned expression as he pulls his car into my apartment complex's parking lot."Yeah but she's staying with me and I'll make sure that the two of us don't end up coming back here later or atleast for a few days till Mrs. lee figures out the whole deal," I sigh and Kate's ears perk up at the suggestion as she shuffles closer to me from the back seat. "Hey, Kate, do you- would you mind me staying over at Nathan's since you know, we basically stay over at each other's all the time?""Of course not, why would I have a problem with that? You both are grown-ups," she chuckles. "I'm just excited to see him again, hear his voice again without the television screen."I smile back at the woman and nod softly. It was heartwarming to see how much she loved him and how accepting she was, of the two of us. What made me even happier was to know
COMBATIVE 58
A week later me and Nathan sat on the freshly white painted benches of the park nearest to his mansion with his arms draped over the back of it in exhaustion after our run. I smile at the look of sheer bliss on his face and the glow that emitted due to his constant lifted moods.Mrs. Lee had explained Nathan's disorder to him and he had taken almost a day off to accept it but he later mentioned that a lot of things were starting to make sense for him and that he felt better knowing the cause behind it instead of being confused all the time.Kate was yet to meet him, especially after Mrs. Lee's clear instructions that he must be told before the two met and now that he knew, I guessed what would be the right time for them to meet?"Quit staring," he laughs, chest heaving up and down and I feel the vibrations rake down my own body. Shaking my head playfully, I reach over to my opposite side and throw him a baby blue towel so he could wipe his swea
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