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kihyun's lips on her, after he revealed some shocking truths definitely felt odd.

the kiss was surely enjoyable. he was a good kisser and he had great lips. but the whole concept of kissing him after he revealed some important and relevant information to her, definitely felt wrong.

at that point boki didn't feel like she knew this man right in front of her anymore and she had no other choice than to push him away.

kihyun seemed surprised. his face showered with confusion, still he didn't back up that easily, he remained close to her. "what is it?" his voice was soft and full of bewilderment.

but the words were stuck at the back of her throat. the feelings were too overwhelming. she didn't know how she felt.

it was hard to picture a situation in which she could be with him after he revealed such things. he surely had a different way to see situations and how to handle them.

she found cruel his answer and she no longer could look him in the eye like she used to. "i can't do this." she simply said trying to get up from the couch but she felt his strong hand, that wasn't necessarily hurting her but grabbing her steadily.

"do what?" his eyes seemed focused on her in a threatening way and suddenly she felt scared.

"it's late- we s-should- she started but soon he stood from the couch and approached her, his height menacing her.

his eyes looked dark, like a night sky without a single star. "are you... - he started, his eyes narrowed – why are you suddenly acting like this?"

she didn't know what to say. she feared what her answer might do to him.

but she also knew she couldn't keep lying to him, it wasn't fair for jooheon either. "because of what you've done." she said trying not to stammer.

he frowned as if he didn't understand a single word of what she was saying to him. "of what i've done? and what is that exactly the things i've done according to you baby?" he asked, a handsome yet evil smirk appearing on his lips.

she swallowed hard. "the things you've done to jooheon... they're not right kihyun. why did you do it?" she asked as her fists clenched slowly.

jooheon wasn't exactly the best guy ever. he was reckless and impulsive but he was a nice person. he didn't do things like kihyun.

but this seemed to amuse him in a way that made him laugh. "please... can't i just have a little fun?"

her eyes widened in shock. with each word it seemed he was sinking harder and deeper. "fun? is it fun to you to destroy someone else's life?"

but then his attitude suddenly changed. his eyes turned dark and his expression severe. he was feeling attacked.

"are you blaming me?"

boki didn't say anything, her eyes said it all. "i thought you were on my side." he tried to reason but boki could never be on his side.

not like this.

"that was before i knew all of this!" she found herself exclaiming.

his eyes widened and she noticed a vein marking softly on his neck. "what are you saying?"

she shook her head slowly. "i don't approve these things... even if you don't like him, at the end of the day he's your stepbrother, you can't act like this with him."

his jaw clenched as he grabbed her arm, she moaned in pain when his digits almost pierced her skin. "i think you're making a big deal out of this-

"i am not! this is about someone else's life... you got him fired on purpose? who does that?"

she noticed how he gritted his teeth. "he has a magnificent talent to find jobs in less than 24 hours, i don't see the big fuss boki." he said now with a cold tone.

she pressed her lips together in a thin line as she slowly glanced at his hand holding her arm. "you're hurting me-

"do you like him? is that what this is all about? is that why are you defending him?" his hold on her tightened each passing second.

"you're hurting me!" she exclaimed, trying to free herself.

"answer me!" he yelled. the once melodious voice now distant, echoed inside the small living room.

the fear took over her body at the terrifying expression on his face and the fight she heard, behind the dumpster flashed in her mind. "did you two have a fight behind the school's dumpster the other day? i heard it." she said, avoiding answering his question, since she didn't know the right answer.

his eyes widened in realization as he never imagined she'd know about it. "did he tell you? are you seeing him behind my back? how could you?"

"no. you're wrong, he didn't tell me... i was looking for you and saw you two having a conversation- she stopped talking when she noticed his eyes widening like plates.

"what did you hear?"

she swallowed hard. "i didn't hear anything... i left when i realized it was a fight." she honestly admitted.

he licked his lip as his eyes pierced her soul. "you haven't answer my question... do you like him?" he said ignoring her.

she bit her tongue as her heart raced. she thought she knew the answer, if he would have ask any other day, but right now the situation had changed dramatically.

"n-no, of course not!" she said with worried eyes. almost not believing her own words. she didn't know why the answer felt like a lie since she was sure she liked kihyun and not his stepbrother.

his eyes widened as he quickly let go of her hand. she swallowed hard, hugging herself.

kihyun walked around the small living room as he sighed deeply. "then why do you care so much about him?" he asked turning to look at her defiantly.

she sighed. "he's your stepbrother and my friend, i guess it's because of that." she said, hoping kihyun would believe it.

but luckily for her, he did. he walked slowly towards her and looked at her with sudden and unexpected hurtful eyes. "i don't like it if you're that close to him... makes me jealous."

"kihyun- we need to talk about your actions. you can't keep acting like this- she quickly started.

"stop it!" he yelled, looking at her, making her jump on her feet.

"i thought you understood me- boki didn't know how he got that idea or where from. she understood him at some point, but now it was hard to do it.

"people always expect a lot from us... we live with so much pressure... we need some fun, sometimes." he looked into her eyes, trying to find some sort of an accomplice look but boki couldn't agree to that.

"maybe... but your concept of fun worries me." he rolled his eyes when he heard her words.

"please- he started.

"i am serious... you need to promise me you'll talk with jooheon and you'll apologize for what you've done. you need to stop doing it kihyun!" she said with determination but he didn't seem amused at all.

they remained silent for a long pause and he finally breathed out. "why?"

"because... i am sure you're not a bad guy. are you?"

his jaw clenched. "i am not." boki's words echoed inside his mind as memories of a childhood filled with such comments, flashed right before his eyes, when his aunts and uncles would always blame him whenever one of his little cousins were crying in family reunions.

"then... you need to make amends with him." she said approaching him for the first time.

his eyes widened when he felt her hand on his cheeks, caressing softly.

it was true, he was beyond handsome. intimidating and he had that kind of beauty that's overwhelming to people.

boki couldn't believe how someone so beautiful could be so toxic. "promise me." she insisted.

he didn't have much choice, she was almost begging it. "i'll see what i can do." he simply answered.

boki sighed in relief, not sure exactly where does that left the pair. after the revelations, boki's feelings were a mess.

he took a step towards her but she didn't move. "are you angry?"

she looked down and noticed his hands on her waist, bringing her close to his hot body.

somehow she was angry, minutes ago, but not anymore. she was mainly disappointed and sad. she couldn't believe how a pair of brothers, even if they weren't blood related, could treat each other like that.

she knew jooheon wasn't a saint but kihyun was proving himself to be the evil itself each passing second.

"i am not." she honestly answered, looking up to meet his begging and desperate eyes. "but i am disappointed... i don't want to be with someone who does these things."

the words hit hard on kihyun since he swallowed hard, slowly he looked away. "i get it." he said nodding.

"i promise... i'll fix everything... just give me a second chance." he said grabbing her hand, kissing it softly.

the tip of his warm lips brushed the cold and nervous skin on boki's hands. she felt the electricity running down her spine and legs and she had no other choice to comply.

"okay." she simply said as he leaned down to press a soft and dominant kiss on her confused but needy lips.

but after he left, trying to get some sleep became an impossible task for her. she tried and tried, even drank tea but she couldn't conceal the sleep.

jooheon wouldn't leave her mind, just thinking how dirty he had been played. she felt nothing but guilty.

suddenly a new feeling of guilt appeared as she felt she was as bad a kihyun, for knowing everything and for have such limited options to solve things.

she glanced at her phone on top of the nightstand and pondered about texting jooheon.

but she needed to give kihyun the benefit of the doubt.

"he's not who you think he is" jooheon's and other people's words, even kihyun's himself, flashed on her mind.

yes. she had been played.

but she had also been warned.

was kihyun necessarily a bad person? or maybe he had a distorted idea or concept of mischievousness or having fun, as he called it.

there was no excuse for his odd and cruel behavior and boki knew it, but even if she tried, she couldn't see herself pushing him away, breaking up with him.

boki couldn't just picture a scenario of him walking out of her life because of that.

on the other hand, her heart hurt at the thought of jooheon, not knowing any of this. he'd always believe he got fired because he was probably lacking in some area when it came to the job.

he'd always believe it was his own fault and he was so, so wrong.

the only thought of it killed her. she couldn't let things stay like this, even if kihyun meant so much to her.

but what meant kihyun to her?

the thoughts clouded her mind when his lips appeared, moving in sync with hers. the comforting feeling of him close to her, of his delicious smell and perfect body temperature, sharing his warmth with her.

when had it been the last time she felt like this? so... good?

it was hard to see the perspective of reality, when you had someone like yoo kihyun clouding your mind.

and maybe she wasn't ready to deal with it, maybe not right now.

maybe... she was too infatuated with him, to the point she might turn blind eye on his little actions.

maybe... she'd try to move on and just warn jooheon about him... or maybe not. 

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a/n: hey guys! i hope you're enjoying this story, like i said previously we're close to the end. what do you think about it? also, i know i said i'd publish ashes before christmas but i've been focusing on other stuff (i am creating a webtoon too) so i've been distributing my hours since i am on vacation. 

either way, ashes is coming, maybe after christmas but definitely sooner than expected, so wait for it!

thanks for the reading and support. 

ps. we have new covers, slytherin-inspired. 

lots of love! 

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