You might think that experiments on kids are just in the movies and books, I mean like who would ever do that am I right? well nope! this is a story about a girl named Harley Hunter and her friends story. They are just one of the few kids that managed to escape the hands of a secret organization called the L.O.P.

Two days later.
Jessy went to Antonia's room to check on the kids and she also has important things to ask about the leader of the savage vampire.
"How's everyone doing?" she asked when she closed the door behind her. "Hello, kids!"
The children raised their heads and smiled at her. "Hello!" they said in unison and turn their attention back to what they're doing.
She looked over the kids' shoulders wondering what keeps them busy today?
The kids were huddling in the bed, there were bond papers, pencils and crayons, and several children's books as well scissors in the bed, they were making drawings in the bond paper copying the image in the children's book.
Antonia went to their side.
"They would pick one illustration from the book and have a contest who among them can copy the image perfectly, then they would start the drawing process. At the end of the day, I will declare who is the winner that able to draw the illustration better than anyone. This type of activity keeps them occupied the whole day..." Antonia explained.
Jessy was delighted to see the kids having fun. "Who gives them those children's books?" Jessy asked upon counting five books in the bed.
"It's Princess Abigail. She visited us the other day and ask if we're okay and I told her about the children being restless, then, after a few hours she comes back and brought those books and pencils to the children's great delight, then she took a few minutes of her precious times to sketch an image from one of the books while the children were watching her drawing the pic showing them how it's done, so yeah, the children loves the excitement and challenges that comes when creating images and they been drawing ever since, it sparks their creativity and imaginations," Antonia elaborated further.
"That's brilliant!" Jessy commented and smiled at the kids, they were so engrossed in their drawing activity, they already have forgotten her presence inside the room.
She looked at the older woman. "Antonia, I have something to ask you about Jagger," she said.
They settled in the vacant bed near the door to talk privately, away from the children to avoid disturbing them.
"What is it that you want to know, Jess?" Antonia asked.
"I just want to know if Jagger has a family? Does he had a mother, father and siblings or relatives?"
"I know a little about him, but I heard from the other vampires that his parents were killed during the battle between the savage vampire and King Antone's men. He had an older brother that lives in a mountain far away from here, unfortunately, I don't know where...and I haven't seen the face of his brother even once...."
Jessy frowned. "Wait—why you know so little about your leader?" she asked in confusion.
Antonia sighed. "I don't know much about King Jagger's life's history. we're not that close. While I'm hiding and wandering in the forest with the kids dying of hunger and thirst, Jagger and his men happened to stumble upon us, he took pity us and decided to bring the kids and me to their hideout. That was the day our associations with him begins. Whatever bits and pieces of information I learned about him was only shared to me by some of the women I befriended while living with them in the cave. But they didn't tell me much about where he comes from..."
"So—you have no idea where his older brother was hiding?" Jessy pressed on.
"Yeah...I'm sorry that my information about his brother is limited. I'm sorry about my incompetence..."
"No. You don't have to say sorry, Antonia, it's not your fault," Jessy said not wanting to put the woman in a bad light. She stood up. "I will go now and visit you guys if I'm not busy, take care..." she smiled at the woman fondly then opened the door and left the room in preoccupied estate.
There's still one hour left before she was due to go back to the clinic, she went to her room and stay there waiting for the time to pass.
She got lots of things going in her mind right now.
While lying in her bed, she was profiling the leader of the savages, Jagger although appeared cruel to humans he does have a heart of gold towards his kind. When he saved Antonia and the kids, he does it out of pity. He could be uncaring towards humans because he considered humans being as a source of his blood supply—a means to an end, just like what human beings do...humans have no emotional attachments when killing pigs, chickens and other animals for food consumption—well—everyone who exists in this world has to survive one way or another.
This important piece of information was the one thing that intrigued her the most after knowing that Jagger got an older brother who is hiding in a faraway mountain—probably that brother was living with some of the spoils of war? Could that mountain be where the remaining bulk of savage vampires were being housed?
If her hunch is right...
How many vampire savages are living under the older brother's command?
Could they be in huge numbers like thousands that will threaten the overall safety of the Facility and the Habitat?
If yes, then there is a possibility that the two brothers will unite and attack the Facility sooner or later. They have to be prepared for that possibility or else there will be huge consequences later.
She has to think in advance so that any dangers and great damage could be prevented before they will start to happen.
Jagger is the only one who can lead her to his brother's hideout...
There's also a possibility that Jagger's brother was keeping human prisoners and put them in cages as their source of blood supply for daily survival. If her guess is right—she has a moral obligation to save those mortals from their miseries because part of her is made up of a mortal's blood due to her mother's lineage. She has a soft heart when it comes to humans because she is a human being after all.
She can only take two sides and that is the human's side and the vampires' side which was under the King's guidance. As for the savage vampires...she will deal with them with absolute caution.
Her thoughts wandered back to the leader of the vampire.
The last time she saw Jagger he was alone, he was a lonely ranger now, it would be easy to defeat him. But it would be unwise to face him head-on 'coz she isn't skilled when it comes to hand to hand combat and a woman's physical strength is always inferior to that of a man. The only way to defeat him is by using her power.
She needs to hatch a wise plan to trap and catch Jagger so that he can lead her to the hideout of his brother and finish all the surviving savages and kill Jagger on the spot once she already discovered the older brother's camp.
The Facility and the Habitat should be protected at all times, which become her motto in life.
But she needs to bring Adam back to the Facility first to cast a shield, a protective barrier all over the Habitat and to the Facility as well. Although, she already erected a barrier shield on the Facility, still, it has never been tested, another barrier from Adam can also strengthen the Facility and the Habitat's protective defense against the enemy and unwanted intruder. Two is always better than one.


(Completed)

In the 20th century...

Fed up by the savage vampires merciless slaughter on humans, the anti-vampire vaccine was finally created by humans to protect themselves. The vaccine was able to annihilate 90% of vampires' race on earth. With nowhere to go and trapped below the ground, the remaining vampire clan needs to survive, it's either adopt... become mortal and survive...or perish!

Prince Adam was assigned the task to take care of the mortal being named Jessy, she's the girl that was chosen in the prophecy. Her blood once ingested by vampires' can transformed them into human beings, fangs gone within seven days, guaranteed.

Prince Adam fell in love with Jessy... the girl that was destined to marry his brother, Prince Zain.

Prince Zain and Jessy's union will secure the vampires' royal lineage... their offspring will bring forth a new race of powerful crossbreed, and one day the vampire race shall reign supreme again on earth.

To secure the safety of the newly vampire mortals, Jessy has to make a big sacrifice... that will change her life forever.

Adam and Jessy's love for each other... will be tested to the very end.


***I commissioned the cover from the artist shashika2 in Fiverr.


~My other novels in this site~

* The CEO's Painted Skin ~ Contemporary romance, 510 chapters, completed.
* Sweet Surrender: The CEO's Second Wife~ 117 chapters, ongoing.
* The Tale of Three Sisters ~ ongoing.

Once more, here I was with a bottle of cardboard proper snuck in my mouth, once more violating my taste buds willingly to survive yet another day in this so far windowless orphanage. 

Yet again full of activity, children crying, laughing and everything in between. 'So another day I suppose?' Since everyone were quiet and seemed to be sleeping, I can only assume I have survived my first day in this new world. 

I did however awake when everyone were already up and about, so I cannot be too sure whether I simply had a well-timed nap, for now, I will be counting it as my first day. One success amongst many more to come.

After finishing my cardboard meal, the caretaker had a quick inspection of everyone in my room, attempting to sniff out any accidents and then we were left once more to our own. Taking the opportunity I quickly lowered myself to the floor yet again and started my little activity of crib sharking while I checked over my gains from the previous day.

A wooping 0.12 increase in strength and 0.1 to dexterity bringing me to 0.40 and 0.32 respectively. My chakra had gone up by 0.01 for some reason and most mysterious of all was my chakra control going up by 0.04 getting me to 0.37 chakra and 0.09 chakra control leaving agility, perception and intellect to stay the same as the day I arrived here in the orphanage.

Turning my mind back to what was happening around me, I started noticing the little bits of conversation I could actually put meaning to, my little toddler mind was finally showing its usefulness by picking up the language quicker than I would have ever hoped to do through pure observation in my old life.

"… great … happy … fun" said a caretaker crouching to a passing kid while smiling and pointing to the playroom. While it is still only the most basic things I can take out of a conversation or rather a passing comment, it is still progress towards independence and being able to communicate with the locals.

I would like myself some of that great happy fun as well because I was tired of circling my crib, and so let it be so, for I will crawl my fat toddler body to the playroom this instant!

Getting there was not that big of a problem when the knees and hands were not hurting from shock absorption, getting around the traffic inside the hall between the playroom and my own was another matter. Doing my best to avoid the caretakers view and avoiding running kids is not easy when moving at the speed of a crawl.

Through great perseverance and a few bumps with running kids, I however mysteriously managed to get past ninja caretakers and traffic. So here, I was once again observing the playroom. Kids were running around the small obstacle course, some with more success than others. Kids were play fighting with the hopefully blunted kunai, and even a few were perusing the picture books, everything a playground needs I suppose.

I started feeling a little like the odd one out, being the only one crawling and simply observing everything around me, so I moved towards the books so as to not get in the older kids way and hopefully still go unseen. Almost made it there too before I was suddenly picked up and turned around to once again being face to face with an older looking caretaker looking at me with the alien look they seem to do initially before professionalism takes over.

'Really need to find a reflective surface somewhere and figure out why they do that.' I thought to myself while further contemplating whether she would decide to put me down again or do what she had done the night before and return me to my crib.

I did not have long to think before I was yet again moved to exactly that… my crib, and feeling the pressure building in my abdomen I could not think of a better time or way to take revenge, so I helped it along before taking a deep breath and letting the horror loose.

The sweet sound of toddlers crying out in a chorus of fear, while they all have accidents and then accompanied by the absolute horror written on the caretaker's face. Sweet sweet revenge.

Having no one nearby she could command to do the dirty deed, the old caretaker had to take care of business by herself, and while revenge was sweet the feeling passed rather swiftly when she showed her superior experience in the field and subdued the whole room in half the time the previous caretaker had taken.

After the caretaker left the room to silence, I found myself ready for a quick nap like the rest of my toddler comrades. Walking, crawling and screaming takes more energy than I had expected.
I would have done a quick meditation, but the simple act of sitting up was rapidly overtaken by drowsiness, sweet release and then darkness.

It did not take long before I once more lay in my crib staring up into the roof while violating my taste buds with cardboard. This time I was sure I had only taken a small nap, so with that, I could put one more piece in place when it came to the schedule run by this orphanage.

Toddlers get a meal after a night sleep, then after their nap, checked for accidents on both occasions and then left to their own. While yes they are probably bringing up soldiers, I have to say from a modern point of view, they sure are leaving these kids to grow up with many emotional problems. 

'How are all these toddlers supposed to learn emotions if nobody interacts with them?' It is not as if I cannot see their strategy; starving the kids for attention and then giving them attention whenever they do something you want them to do or to reward them for certain behavior. It is just hard to see all this child abuse essentially being the norm…

'Sigh..' Doing a little inner sigh before moving on, not like I can do anything about it as I am and even then it will be hard to change the way culture works when this is probably the norm from all ninja villages and maybe even the samurais. I can only hope the non-militaristic part of the Naruto world has a more humane way of doing things.

Back on the metaphorical horse, I flip myself over the edge to do my training in the form of crib sharking while I observe and learn as much as I possibly can. Maybe when I have done this for long enough I will learn to read lips, that would be pretty cool… and very useful as a ninja.

After observing the doorframe for a while, while circling my crib I yet again grow tired of not being challenged, so I quickly drop to my hands and knees crawling at my quickest pace to the hall and then avoiding kids and caretakers to then yet again arrive in the playroom. 

This time only letting my gaze rest on the entirety of the room for a moment, finding everything as before I make my way to the books. This time making it without being picked up, I start perusing what books are not already in the hands of other kids.

Finding several books that could prove useful such as one looking to teach words associated with pictures; like kunai, katana, shuriken, senbon, neck, heart, fire, earth… you know the basics for the needs of a ninja. 

I even found a book showing all the hand signs for jutsu and their associated written word, the only problem I found were my inability to sound out the words. Therefore, I was sadly left to simply observe other kids having the same books as myself or attempting to do the signs in the hope to increase my hand dexterity and flexibility.

So here, I sat behind a few kids sounding out different words in picture books, while I had a book of hand signs laying in front of me and attempting to do justu signs with my hands. At some point, I even spotted the old caretaker standing in a corner of the room looking curiously at me; I had quite the scare at that. She however never made a move to throw me out of the room leaving me a little confused. After some time she moved to a different spot and swiftly it became a game to me to try to spot her while still putting as much focus as I could on doing the hand signs correctly.

In doing so I ended up completely forgetting to observe the kids sounding out words and as I later found out tiring out my mind from focusing on both hand signs and observing as much of the room as possible to spot the old caretaker.

Having thus promptly fallen asleep inside the playroom, I once again found myself in my crib torturing my taste buds after a short nap.

After my quick meal of hell, I hastily took to the floor, completely forgetting to get to a crawl and found myself halfway across the room on my own two feet before losing balance and almost kissing the floorboards with my face.

In shock, I stared at the floorboards and then back to my crib: 'Holy moly I can walk!' Well almost anyway. Forgetting all the pain I had in my knees and hands I immediately make my way to the playroom again, this time paying proper attention to the kids reading out aloud while I attempt to do hand signs in the correct way.

Growing bored of this I start rotating between listening to kids and attempting to spot the old caretaker somewhere in the room. Spotting her a whole one time in the timeframe I have before all kids are being shooed out of the room to their own sleeping rooms, I once more find myself in my crib, having this time crawled there myself and only needed help to get up into my crib.

Eventually, as everything starts to quiet down I sit up in something resembling lotus sitting pose before once more attempting to meditate; slowly breathing, getting into the rhythm and then focusing on my supposed chakra pool.

Much to my own frustration, I lay back down after minutes of attempting to move anything around and failing miserably. 

'Shit! I need to figure this out… I cannot survive the coming war if I cannot achieve a proper chakra pool, while weapon mastery and close quarters combat techniques can take a ninja far, if I run out of chakra during combat I might as well roll over and die!...' Once more frustration is quenched by my mind, but lingers in the background letting me know that I have yet to become just another weapon with a mind.

'Frustrating as it is, I am still just another 1 year old toddler. My chakra pool is probably not fully developed yet and my chakra control might as well not exist.' Analyzing my situation is helpful, and if my daily gains are anything to go by, I did something to increase my control the day before. The only thing I did was go by around my crib… and meditate. Meditation has to be helping somehow then… right?

'Only one way to find out…' Letting my tired mind rest, I lay down in my crib and let sweet release once more take me into the darkness that is sleep, once more awaiting a day as a growing toddler.

*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Naruto related*

Jin enters the world of Naruto as your average orphaned baby. Follow him as he grows from average to strong.

*Praise be Paint 3D!*

"Been a lifelong dream," he said. The inside of The Pink Bookstore was indeed charming. The kind of store you'd only find in a town like Cherry Park part vintage library feel, part coffee-shop personality. The words on the wall facing the door encouraged customers to Sit. Read. Caffeinate. And from the looks of it, Cherry Park patrons were happy to oblige.

The store was bustling with activity. The children's section at the back looked like a zoo, one he'd happily let Kate navigate. He ducked into the nearest row, marked Biographies, and pre-tended to be engrossed in a book about a nun.
What were the chances he could escape Martina's detection? "Did you need help finding—? Oh."

So much for that. She stood at the end of the row, a stack of books in her arms. "I assume you aren't here to buy a book." He regarded her for a moment before answering. She really was "pretty, though he got the distinct impression she had no idea. Pale skin. Big brown eyes. Light-pink lips. Untamed hair pulled into a loose braid. Chip on her shoulder. An interesting assortment of seemingly unrelated parts that fit together quite nicely.

Today she wore a loose sweater over jeans with boots and smelled of vanilla sugar. "I might be in the market for some new reading material," he hedged. She looked at the book he was holding. "You have a deep interest in horror and crimes, do you?"
Her eyebrows accused. He stuck the book back on the shelf where he found it.
"Listen, this might not be the best time, but since we're both here . . . I was reviewing your lease."

"Oh?" The books she held shifted as she took a step back, the one on the top slipping onto the floor. It must've been just enough to disrupt the whole stack because within seconds there was a pile of books at his feet.

Her face flushed red and she blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"Let me." He bent down and started stacking the books.

"I can't believe I did that." She kept her head down as she stacked, and for a second
Jacob just watched her. She must've sensed his attention on her because she stopped and looked at him, making him feel like an idiot and worse, a creep. He handed her his stack. "We can talk about the lease later." What was I thinking? "That'd be good." She stood, newly stacked pile secure in her grip. "That'd be just great." She stared at him for a few long seconds before finally turning and walking away. He caught a glimpse of her as she reached the counter, handing over the stack of books to a young guy who wore his ball cap low on his head, making his eyes hard to see. She sent him off to restock the books and disappeared in the back, leaving Jacob standing in the aisle, the memory of her vanilla scent lingering in the air.
Martina rushed into her office and closed the door behind her. Why was her heart pounding? Why were her palms sweating? She caught a glimpse of herself in the small mirror she kept on the wall. Why was her face beet red?

She covered her cheeks with her hands. Get ahold of yourself, Diaz.
The knock on the door startled her, and when she turned, she knocked over her jar of pencils.

Seriously?

Mallory's face showed up in the doorway. "What's gotten into you?"

"Don't ask."

"The kids are ready to make bracelets."

Martina sighed. With any luck, Dr. Kate Brown would be long gone by the time she emerged from her hiding place.

What was he doing in her store anyway? Had he come to tell her she had a month to vacate the premises?

Her heart lurched at the idea. Her whole future was in his hands.
The thought shamed her. Everything she'd learned in Sunday school told her that wasn't true, regardless of how it seemed. God was in charge of her life. Not some man with a wad of building-buying cash.

God, you said you'd never leave me. The verse rippled through her mind. But it sure does feel like you're on vacation.

She followed Mallory out into the store, where two long tables had been set up with bracelet-making kits, all promoting a new children's craft book that had just arrived. Part of Martina's grand plan to grow her business. She'd just dived in headfirst, determined to make The Pink Bookstore the kind of place people would fight for.
It seemed to be working. They hadn't been this busy on a Saturday morning in months.

But one look at her captive audience told her this was not her lucky day in any other respect.

At the second table, seated next to a little girl and a beautiful young woman, was her landlord. Something else Martina hadn't thought through. Standing up in front of a group of kids was one thing. Their parents? An entirely different story. And Dr. Brown? Worst. Idea. Ever.

Martina Diaz is afraid of marriage but she was put on pressure to get married fast by her mother. After her parents divorce and breakup with ex-boyfriend Laurence, she doesn't want to be in a relationship anymore. Martina wanted to expand her business and to just focus on her dreams until one day when Mr. Brown, a doctor arrived in town to stop her plans from happening also became the reason SHE WANTS TRY LOVE AGAIN. 

Will losing her dream be the reason to open doors for love and to have a happily ever after?

On a Saturday morning, Samantha and Daniel decided to spend the day preparing the stuff that they needed for the charity program that they planned for Ashton's birthday. They have already chosen the orphanage that they were going to visit, therefore, they know what they need to buy.
There were over a hundred kids in the orphanage and Samantha thought that she should prepare presents from Ash that are going to be packed in bags to be given to the kids. There were bill notebooks, papers, crayons, pencils, coloring books, toys, and other school supplies that the kids would love. She wanted for Ashton to learn about giving, thoughtfulness or generosity at an early age which was why she decided to start on his first birthday and hopefully, it will become a tradition.
Samantha had also thought about other things that the orphanage needs. Though the kids were the main focus, surviving from day to day is also a challenge for the staff. They go through food, toiletries and cleaning supplies very fast. Therefore, she also included those on the list. Since there were a lot of things to buy, she had asked for help from the gang. 
Together with them in the mall owned by Cho Corporation were Hannah and Seo Joon, Liam and Becca, even Assistants Ahn and Chen also helped out. They have divided the tasks so each pair was responsible for something. Samantha and Daniel were going to take care of toiletries so they went to the supermarket and started their shopping.
"Honey, which shampoo should we choose?" Daniel asked as he gaped at the aisle of many brands of shampoos.
"A mild one would probably be good to prevent any rashes from kids with sensitive skin," Samantha started browsing and was about to choose a medium-sized bottle.
"Ah, ah. Not that one, choose the biggest size." Daniel stopped her hand and reached high up the shelf to get several bottles of it. "Save more, get more product." He winked at her as he tapped on the price tag. Although it is mostly the case, Samantha still did a quick math in her head and found it to be true. A smile flashed on her face and she tiptoed to give him a peck on the cheek. "You're amazing!"
They continued down the aisle and were able to buy hand and body soaps, toothpaste and toilet paper, etc. All throughout their shopping, Samantha had a very satisfying feeling. She loved shopping for other people and she began to feel excited to donate what they bought today.
When they were done with their shopping, Daniel called the others to meet up so that they could eat lunch before heading home. As they approached the activity center of the shopping mall, they heard people cheering loudly. Turning their heads, they saw a large crowd gathering around the stage where there was a promotion going on. 
"Babe, let's check that out," Samantha grabbed Daniel's hand and dragged him towards the side of the stage. Daniel was still on the phone with his brother Liam in which he quickly ended the conversation after telling him that they were going to wait for them at the activity center. 
"What's this?" he asked.
"It looks like a press conference… I can't see…" There were too many people in front of them that Samantha couldn't see the front of the stage clearly. 
"Get on."
"What?" Samantha looked around and found Daniel bending down, waiting for her to get on his back. Her eyes grew wide upon seeing him. "What are you doing, honey?" she chuckled.
"Come on, get on my back… I'll carry you up." A smile formed on his face as he faced to the side. Daniel had never done this before to any girls and he wanted to do this for her.
A blush crept on Samantha's cheeks when she thought about what she was going to do. Covering her mouth and stifling a laugh, she scanned the surroundings and a few people giggled while looking at them.
Brushing off the giddy feeling inside, she climbed on his back and encircled her arms around him. "Oh my gosh, I feel like a teenager," she chuckled some more along with Daniel.
They heard several small squeals around them, making them feel even more amused.
Finally, Samantha could now clearly see what was on stage. Apparently, it was a press conference of Nancy Jung's movie. On stage, there were a few other actors and actresses with Nancy and as the female lead, she sat in the middle while at the end of the row was Hazel Kun.
Daniel and Samantha watched and talked a little about the movie until the host shifted his attention to Hazel Kun.
"Ms. Hazel, tell us about your character. I heard it's your first time to act on a role like this, we would love to hear about your experience as well."
With a huge smile on her face, Hazel started to introduce herself and talked about her character in the movie. However, a sound coming from the speakers interrupted her explanation. She stopped and looked beside her, wondering about the technical problem.
Everyone's focus darted to the huge screen next to the stage. At first, the video looked like it was an advertisement of some sort. But after a few seconds in, a familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Isn't that her? That woman on stage… Hazel?"
"Are you sure? Oh… you're right… What is she doing– Oh god… Oh my god."
Gasps and whispers were heard from the crown below the stage. Even Daniel and Samantha who were only watching casually had shocked expressions on their faces.
There were two screens on either side of the stage and where the couple stood, the video and audio were crystal clear.
When the video started, a woman wearing a sexy nightgown danced in the middle of the room with a bed behind her. Later, giggles and voices were heard just as two men entered the frame. There were now three people in the video. Slowly, they started taking off their clothes until the woman was left with only her underwear. She continued to dance with extremely provocative moves, grinding and touching the two men that sandwiched her.
"You're amazing, Hazel," murmured one of the men.
"I can't wait to taste you," said the other.
By this time, Hazel's eyes have become wide. She had just realized that it was a video of her and two men that she knew. 
"No…" was the only word that she could say while she was still shocked seeing herself on the screens already half-naked for everyone to see. "Stop! Stop it!" she screamed.


[COMPLETED]

Nobody's perfect. Not even Samantha Kim who was born from a wealthy family and a CEO of her own company. She had a lot of interests but she was still unhappy... like she was missing something in her life. 

She was known as a strong and independent woman, who liked to keep things to herself and doesn't want to rely on others. She had built a wall around herself, wanting to live a low profile life and away from the limelight. 

She is successful and confident, but what does she really want to do with her life? Who does she want to spend her life with? Why haven’t any of her past relationships worked out?

Meeting Daniel Cho, the Most Eligible Bachelor of M City, will change her in ways she never expected. But how much change will it do to her? Samantha struggled as she tried to understand the feelings she's going to experience with Daniel. Will she stay strong? Or will she crumble?

Enjoy the story of Samantha on her journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with their pasts, and a chance encounter with a man. See their seemly fated encounter and watch as they navigate their relationship.

Join us as we discover how the two of them will answer these questions and more. As she makes mistakes, how she rises to the challenges put in her path, and how he chases after her, dotes on her and loves her unconditionally. 

It’s not always the straightest path for Samantha and Daniel, and she paved her own way but hear the story of how just a little encounter changed her life forever.

Samantha and Daniel will have a happy encounter, but will they also have a happy ending?

-----

**Characters and Plot are fictional. Any similarities between names and settings are purely coincidental.**

(Country and City names are going through revision as well to connect all my novels in one world.)

Grammar is not perfect but slowly editing the first chapters. If you want to be a volunteer proofreader, kindly join my discord server and tag me. 

~~~

Other Works:

•Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress (Ongoing)

•The Mafia Prince's Naughty Angel (Ongoing)


~~~
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*cover is mine.* Please don't use it without permission.

The week has quickly passed, and Jon needs to fulfill his word to Charlie. "You will be picking me up later, right?" He looked at his dad with bright eyes, expecting a positive answer. The boy always wanted to spend time with his dad, since they barely spend time together due to Jon's busy schedule. "I will." He said. "I am going to pick you up and we'll have a great dinner at Viu de Monché," he made a deal with him by doing a pinkie swear. He then kissed his son's forehead and waved goodbye. 


Maurice drove Charlie to school early in the morning, as he usually does. As the family driver, he usually also picks him up in the afternoon and takes him home. Maurice is a very nice man. His calm face wrinkles when he smiles, and Charlie sees him like a second father.


As Jon went to the master's and prepared for work, he couldn't keep himself from remembering the woman he saw on Monday. He was a bit sure it was her, but he needs to confirm for himself. He was unable to let go of the thought the entire morning.


*****


Just like any other Fridays, Catherine was rushing to school in the morning. She took the public bus for the nth time, though she was never satisfied with the service. She would either have complaints about the driver, or the route, or the other passengers. But then she always tells herself, "It is much better than walking." Cathy, as most people call her, has never bought a car of her own. At thirty two, she was able to buy her mom a red Honda sedan, and her dad, a black Toyota truck. She is a hardworking lady, as everyone who knows her would say. 


"Good morning!" She greeted the kids with the same lovely smile. "Happy Friday!" she added with excitement. Her hair isn't tied up in a bun today, but she still looks effortlessly neat and pretty with a beige headband that matches her top. She wears a light beige turtleneck top, which happens to have long sleeves, paired it with dark blue jeans. The kids were excited too. She always reads books out loud to them and they love it. Cathy is very good at playing with the toys in the room to make each story telling activity fun, and interactive. "And they both lived happily ever after," she closed the book. The kids were all smiling at that certain time, as if their dreams have come true. "Now," she paused, "I will be seeing you all on Monday." she added. "See you on Monday." The kids said in unison. "Off you go," she waves goodbye to each child as they go out the room one by one, as they were all being picked up by parents and drivers. 

The last kid goes out, she noticed a cerulean blue coloured jug, with a name on it. "Charleston Dale Albertson". She ran outside and shouted his name, hoping that the kid or the driver will hear. "Charlie! You left this, honey!" Charlie went back running to her, and the man who is holding his hand turned. Everything has seemed to stop. It was Jon, wearing a white and blue striped sweater, and grey trousers. Jon started walking towards her, and everything seemed to be moving ata very slow pace. It was the most awkward moment of their lives, and as Charlie grabs the jug from her hand, she did not make a move and continued to stare at Jon. The two were staring at each other as if it was love at first sight, and for a short while, they remembered how it all happened, how they met, and how it came to this day. Right here, right now.

Jonathan Albertson, a single father who happens to own a multi-billion Dollar company in the United States of America, goes to a private school one late afternoon to pick his son up. He came late due to heavy traffic, and finally sees his son saying goodbye to his favorite teacher. He soon finds out that the teacher his son has been telling him about, months ago, was his ex girlfriend whom he loved and still loves so much. Will these ex lovers go back to each other's arms after all? Read the story and find out.



The week has quickly passed, and Jon needs to fulfill his word to Charlie. "You will be picking me up later, right?" He looked at his dad with bright eyes, expecting a positive answer. The boy always wanted to spend time with his dad, since they barely spend time together due to Jon's busy schedule. "I will." He said. "I am going to pick you up and we'll have a great dinner at Viu de Monché," he made a deal with him by doing a pinkie swear. He then kissed his son's forehead and waved goodbye. 

Maurice drove Charlie to school early in the morning, as he usually does. As the family driver, he usually also picks him up in the afternoon and takes him home. Maurice is a very nice man. His calm face wrinkles when he smiles, and Charlie sees him like a second father. 

As Jon went to the master's and prepared for work, he couldn't keep himself from remembering the woman he saw on Monday. He was a bit sure it was her, but he needs to confirm for himself. He was unable to let go of the thought the entire morning. 

***** 

Just like any other Fridays, Catherine was rushing to school in the morning. She took the public bus for the nth time, though she was never satisfied with the service. She would either have complaints about the driver, or the route, or the other passengers. But then she always tells herself, "It is much better than walking." Cathy, as most people call her, has never bought a car of her own. At thirty two, she was able to buy her mom a red Honda sedan, and her dad, a black Toyota truck. She is a hardworking lady, as everyone who knows her would say. 

"Good morning!" She greeted the kids with the same lovely smile. "Happy Friday!" she added with excitement. Her hair isn't tied up in a bun today, but she still looks effortlessly neat and pretty with a beige headband that matches her top. She wears a light beige turtleneck top, which happens to have long sleeves, paired it with dark blue jeans. The kids were excited too. She always reads books out loud to them and they love it. Cathy is very good at playing with the toys in the room to make each story telling activity fun, and interactive. "And they both lived happily ever after," she closed the book. The kids were all smiling at that certain time, as if their dreams have come true. "Now," she paused, "I will be seeing you all on Monday." she added. "See you on Monday." The kids said in unison. "Off you go," she waves goodbye to each child as they go out the room one by one, as they were all being picked up by parents and drivers. 

The last kid goes out, she noticed a cerulean blue coloured jug, with a name on it. "Charleston Dale Albertson". She ran outside and shouted his name, hoping that the kid or the driver will hear. "Charlie! You left this, honey!" Charlie went back running to her, and the man who is holding his hand turned. Everything has seemed to stop. It was Jon, wearing a white and blue striped sweater, and grey trousers. Jon started walking towards her, and everything seemed to be moving ata very slow pace. It was the most awkward moment of their lives, and as Charlie grabs the jug from her hand, she did not make a move and continued to stare at Jon. The two were staring at each other as if it was love at first sight, and for a short while, they remembered how it all happened, how they met, and how it came to this day. Right here, right now.

Jonathan Albertson, a single father who happens to own a multi-billion Dollar company in the United States of America, goes to a private school one late afternoon to pick his son up. He came late due to heavy traffic, and finally sees his son saying goodbye to his favorite teacher. He soon finds out that the teacher his son has been telling him about, months ago, was his ex girlfriend whom he loved and still loves so much. Will these ex lovers go back to each other's arms after all? Read the story and find out. 

Cathryn usually stayed at the dorms reading and studying on weekends but when she had classes, she couldn't read books very often. If she had free time, she would go to the library.
The library is her solace. Her refuge.
Cathryn loved the smell of crisp paper books, always excited to see the book displays for popular authors and new releases. The faint sound of laptop keys clicked and the light treading of footsteps padded across the tiled floor in the familiar silence as she sat down and read in one of the tables.
She enjoyed immersive books such as Art and Philosophy, always preferring to waste her precious time here and learning something new. It was the only place within a five-mile radius where she could be alone with her thoughts.
It was the only place without roommates, their loud music, and the constant flurry of activity at our off-campus rental.
Cathryn never knew when there was going to be strange guys (bisexual, gay, and straight) chilling out on their couch, Edward's and Justin's man whores and hoes, or flirtatious giggling before their bedroom doors get slammed shut.
There will be no uncomfortable echoes of her roommates' bed squeaking followed shortly thereafter by frenzied moaning and groaning in an otherwise silent apartment. It was awkward and that was putting it mildly, because honestly, how does someone get that sound out of their head?
They don't.
Instead, Cathryn escaped to the library. She had always been here when she needed to escape from something or someone. This time, she didn't like seeing Alexander and his bandmates. Ever again.
Cathryn was pretty much alone in the library except for a few people. All of the art students must have attended Mild Savagery's Benefit Concert except her. On the other hand, she hated how some of the straight guys hooking up with Justin and Edward asked them for money or gifts.
Sometimes, they took advantage and go overboard, breaking her best friends' fragile hearts. Justin and Edward deserved better. They were human beings deserving unconditional love. This was also the reason why he had given up on humanity especially the opposite sex.
Edward and Justin could be the perfect boyfriend a girl could ask for. Devilishly handsome, they had a hot bod, broad shoulders, muscled arms and thighs, and those most coveted six-packs.
They were stinking rich kids who owned their studio and apartment. They were kind, caring, gave luxurious gifts, and dine you to famous Italian restaurants. All their skincare, grooming products, and clothes are branded and classy and most importantly, they know your likes and dislikes.
But there was no such thing as perfect boyfriends because Justin was bisexual and Edward was gay and they all had something in common. The three of them were attracted to the opposite sex especially, the alpha males.
They frequently hit the gym to get in shape and also to check out some hot, sweaty, guys working out. They even include Cathryn in this particular endeavor in which she found mildly boring.
Cathryn very much preferred those heroes in her favorite novels and indeed, she had a hundred of book boyfriends. As a strong independent woman, she wouldn't need a three dimensional, young man to complete her.
Justin Daniels was a student who majors in Fashion Designing, the bisexual who usually chooses guys but sometimes (seldom), he fucked girls depending on his mood.
Edward Chase was a Photography student who had a fetish with older professional guys (doctors, lawyers, engineers) with facial hair and he told Cathryn once that Professor Andy is his ideal type.
So, they could only be friends. Best of friends. But not any closer than that. Cathryn was still single because of them. Yep, The cruel universe played a prank on her.
Cathryn didn't know how to deal with the opposite sex. She didn't even know if she can do a great job at flirting because she had become jaded about boys and relationships.
All they wanted was a good fuck is a motto she had lived with that is why she stayed away from them. Cathryn wasn't a masochist. She will not allow herself to get hurt and hear her heart break in a million pieces just because of a guy.
She better avoid them unless she was one hundred percent sure of the guy she had offered her heart to. Alexander's sexual advances are a no-no even if Cathryn was a little bit attracted to him. Yeah, she will never deny her feelings but of course, she wouldn't act on it or tell someone about it.
He had all the signs of a manwhore. Red flags everywhere. A guy like that would never change. Never. Cathryn will steer clear away from him or if the circumstances bring them together, then she will control herself around him.
After studying for the exams and completing one novel about a Highlander warrior with amnesia, Cathryn walked to the Lounge Area, dropped on the couch, lie down, and covered her face with the book she had been reading earlier. She deeply inhaled and almost sneezed. She loved the smell of the pages of a book but her allergic rhinitis wouldn't cooperate.
When her eyelids grew heavy, Cathryn shut her eyes tight as her mind wandered then fell into a peaceful slumber. 
Cathryn hoped this time she wouldn't dream of his beautiful face again.

Cathryn Woods was a Fine Arts student, who joined a Tattoo Design Contest, in which her best friend, her model, failed to show himself on that fateful day at the event. Desperate for the winner's cash prize so that she could pay for her school fees at an Art University, she convinced (well 'convince' is rather an understatement), a random guy at the beach she found to be her model instead. Her model turned out to be Alexander, a playboy who was the lead vocalist of a rising teenage boy band, and is it a coincidence that they go to the same university?

Their flirty conversations and humorous banter also made their mutual like for each other bloom. Things will take into a serious turn when the redhead realized she fell hopelessly in love for the first time and with a player nonetheless, whom she met last summer. 

Will she be brave enough to risk herself in the name of love? Even auditioning as a supporting vocalist for the band just so she could always be near Alexander? What will Cathryn do if she knew that one of the band members had also caught the love bug for her? 

Messy love triangles are fun, yes, but Cathryn wished she could turn back time and hadn’t taken it to heart because the games can easily get brutal.


YUMMY EXCERPT: updates every other day

"Shut the fuck up, will you?"

Alexander opened the book and picked another paragraph to read. "The urge to have sex is excruciating if you attempt to deny it. You don't want to be sleeping in my bed when it hits." He arched his eyebrows. "Understand what I'm hinting at?"

"Why didn't you tell me you loved this kind of story?" Alexander bit his lip and his hooded eyes regarded her. "I could just tell you stories instead of you reading them for hours."

"Based on your experience, huh?" She blurted it out before she could stop herself. Cathryn blushed furiously.

Embarrassed, she tried to distract him from reading it. "Give that book back."

Alexander continued like the infuriating fucker he is. "Oh yeah. Sweat broke out all over her body, imagining him super horny and determined to have sex with her. The idea didn't horrify her."

Cathryn grasped the book from his hands but Alexander kept on raising it higher. She jumped, almost taking hold of the cover but Alexander had pushed her shoulder away in an attempt to stop her from getting the book back. She pushed him harder, kicking him with her shoes and they both fell on the couch, jerked out of balance.

Alexander had instinctively wrapped his hands around her tiny waist to keep her from falling on the floor while Cathryn's hands were on his shoulders, moving to his chest. They stared wide-eyed at each other before Alexander's gaze transfixed on her mouth and one of his hands moved to caress her back with his fingers.

"By the way, your best friend told me that you wanted to tell me something." He held her a moment, his hands on her body and his face a glowing heat onto hers.

Today was the first day of the activity for the children. Jinwoo's mother entrusted us to counsel the children for the activities that will be doing for three days. We're eight counselors and each counselor has 5 kids in a group that will guide for the rest of the activities so we have 40 participants in total.

"MinMin, do you want to vie with me?" Jungmin inquires. 

"So you're confident that you'll win against me?" I smirk at him knowing that he can't win against me. 

"You are just lucky Minsoo Jeon. I will win this time. I'll show you." He told as stuck his tongue at me.

"Okay, fine. I'll vie with you. What will I get if my team wins this whole activity?" I ask

"I'll do all the chores for the whole month!" I stroke my chin when reckoning if it's just a stunt or it's serious talk. 

"No, I'm not fooling you. So what do you say?" 

"Fine, but if you win. I will let you budget our foods and buy whatever you want in the whole month." He gave me a smile as he offered his hand for the handshake.

"Deal," He announced as I accept the shake hand.

My lips forming a smile while seeing the kids having fun even if the activity doesn't start yet. 

"Hello, kids! Are you ready for the activity?" Jinwoo's mother shouts in a lively tone. 

"Yes, we are!" As the kids cheer up. 

"That's great! I want to tell you that have some fun with all the activities that we prepared for the rest of the summer camp. The counselors will be guiding you for the activities. The prize of the champion will be surprised but I know you all love this prize so do your best and have fun!" 

"Please go to your respective groups so you all can have a nice meet up before the game begins. Okay, Enough with the speech and let's start the activity!" The kids cheer up and went to the respective groups. I met the kids before that was assigned to me so I'm very grateful that I'm the one who will guide them.

"Okay guys, I want you to introduce yourself even you all know each other. I want to know you more for the activity." I said as I sit with them. 

"Hello again Princess, I'm Pammy and I like to bicker my brother Daine." She stuck her tongue at her brother. 

"I'm Daine and I don't want to be with my sister's team since I want to beat Pammy." He said as he crossed his arms. 

"I'm sorry to hear that Daine but I'm not the one who assigned your team but we will compete even if you are with Pammy. Who wants to introduce next?" I said.

"I'm Eury and I like to win this game for the prize."

"I'm Cath and this is my twin Caithe. I really want to win this activity for the prize even I don't know what is the prize but at the same time, I want to enjoy the activity. Right, Caithe?" She asks her twin as she hugs her. 

I smile at the twins when they are like me and my twin. We are very close to each other, to the fact that we are inseparable but at the same time, we love to compete ever since we're a kid. We are very competitive which makes the other kids uncomfortable and they felt like we're controlling the game so no one competed with us except Jinwoo. 

"I'll help you to win the activity. Do you see them?" I said as I pointed my brother's team who talking about the strategy to beat my team. 

"That's my brother and we are having a deal and if we win this whole activity. I promise I will treat you all some treats. Do you all like that?" Their eyes sparks when hearing the word 'treats' 

"I like that but our parents don't want to get close to you." Eury pouts. I bite my lips when hearing the kids that their parents don't want to get close to me and I don't know their reason. I don't do anything that could harm the kids.

"Eury, I don't know the reason of your parents but I'll promise you that no one will get hurts when you are with me. Okay? So trust me for this activity and if your parents don't want me, then I'll just deliver the treats to you and your friends if we win this activity. Sounds great?" She nodded as she hugs me which makes my heart jumps. I'm really feeling solace when seeing them happy. 

"Thank you." I smile at her. 

"The indoor game which is cooking will begin at 10 minutes so please choose your participants." The staff announced to us. 

I smile when seeing the kids are very excited as the staff announced that the activities begin. 

"The game begins." 

-------------

The Jungmin and I gathered around on the stage to have a practice for the play and my body was really tired from the activity.

"This activity was really drained my energy and I'm happy that day one is done," I said as I laid down on the stage. 

"You know what makes me completely drained is when your team has more win in the indoor games than my team." Jungmin scoffs knowing that my team wins 2 times in a row at the indoor games. I place my head on his lap as he strokes my hair. 

"Well, better luck next time. I guess." He pushed my head out of his lap when he heard me, laughing at him. I sat down as I wrap my arms around Jungmin's shoulder.

"Are they done helping for the next activity? We need to practice for the play." I asked but he shrugs off. 

After a minute, they all arrived for the practice. 

"Let's begin!" I exclaim as I stand up so we could start the rehearsal. 

"We will do the part when Taehyung saves Daewool to the wolves." We all nodded. 

We went downstairs to watch the part. 

"Taehyung sees the man lying in the middle of the woods who got injured with the wolves around him but when the wolves smelt the aura of Taehyung, they all run away, leaving the man alone." Jungmin narrated the scene. 

"Are you okay, young man?" 

"Taehyung asks the man who lying on the ground. He sighs as he lifts up the unconscious body and went to the mystic forest. Taehyung did an enchantment to clean all the wounds" Jungmin continues narrating the scene.

"And the small fairies flew to Taehyung's direction to warn him from the man who he just saved," Jungmin added.

"Taehyung, you can't save someone you don't know. Leave the body out of the mystic forest after cleaning his wounds." Minseok said

"No, Minseok. I can't leave his body behind when the wolves are around the forest." Taehyung said as he caressed Daewool's face. 

"He's a mere human Taehyung. You shouldn't just place the man's body inside the mystic forest." Taehyung sighs 

"I know—" Taehyung cuts off when Jinwoo's mother instructed the guys to help for dinner before continuing the rehearsal.

"Yes, mother!" Jinwoo told to his mother.

"Let's go Minsoo, we should get some dinner," Taehyung said as he offers his hand to hold mine but I refuse to go with them.

"Are you sure, you want to stay here?" I nodded.

 "Okay, I'll get some food for us," Taehyung said as they left me alone. 

I hummed while waiting for them to arrive but it takes more time to help the staff knowing that there are so many kids that needed to serve dinner. 

The times running but they aren't coming back for the practice. "Where are they?" I asked myself.

Before I went out of the hallway, my eyes landed on someone who walks in my direction. "Is that Caithe?" I asked myself and walked towards her, who is also walking towards me. When I finally went near to her, I can sense some dark aura emitting from her body which made me froze. 

"C...caithe?" I tried to speak but my body can't move an inch. I saw her smile at me as her eyes getting a pitch black. 

"W...what is h...happening?" I stuttered and tried to move but I can't. She took a step forward towards me, her smile never leaving her lips.  

"Do you think you can get away from us?" She said in a deep voice. 

"W...what?" She lifts her arms up as my body became tensed and my neck became stiffed. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. 

"T...tae," I said, almost in a whisper, as I place my hands to my neck to stop the pain around it.

"MINSOO!" Taehyung yelled as a light coming from his finger when he touched Caithe's forehead.

When Caithe passed out,The pain around my neck faded, causing my body to fall on the ground. Luckily, Jungmin catches me in time.

My breathe became rigid as I felt the loud throbbing of my heart when I realized what just happened. 

"W...what just happened?" My eyes went to Caithe who is now sleeping.

R-18

They say memories last forever, but what if you wake up one day not having them anymore? 

Minsoo Jeon, a simple girl who lives in Korea with her parents and a twin brother, couldn't recall her memories from ten years ago as any other person could. She felt like some part of her life had gone missing... 

Upon moving to a secluded, rural town located in the woods, she met a guy with blonde hair and blue eyes named Taehyung Kim.

The moment Minsoo laid her eyes on him, it's as if they had a deep connection with each other, though she couldn't comprehend why.

Is this something to do with her lost memories ten years ago?


--------
Warning: Not suitable for young readers. It contains mature content so please be aware before reading the story. 

For those who don't want to read the mature content, feel free to skip the chapter to s that have a (~18) at the end of the chapter. 

*You've been warned*

ALL THE CHARACTERS never reflect on everyday life. The name of the characters is only for the fictional story and the imagination of the author for this book.

--------

If you want to reach out the author, you can DM at Discord. 

Discord: liyanpark1013#1293

You can donate to the author, any amount would be appreciated! THANK YOU :)

Paypal: paypal.me/liyanpark1013

--------

Disclaimer: The cover image doesn't belong to the author 
Edited by: AteJanz

Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl

"Take care of yourself."

"Alright, be safe."

Mr. Moon sent the students away and stayed behind, in the science room, on his own. There were five notebooks piled up on the desk, all submitted by the members. They were new and spotless.

He opened the notebook on the top of the pile. It was the time to listen to the voices of his young pupils. 

'My name is Sun Hwa Ahn. I'm 17 years old, and my blood type is B. I'm maintaining my grades at a higher tier, and my hobby is reading comic books. I enjoy comics. The reason why I joined the Literature Club instead of the Comic Club is that the Comic Club at our school is not a genuine club.'

From that point on, Sun Hwa wrote at good length on her complaints toward the school's club management. Wasn't it supposed to be a self-introduction?

About half of what she wrote was about comics. When it came to the things she liked, they were described in great detail. 

'I hope you can view me as a bright and healthy student! Thank you Mr. Moon!"

She was straightforward to the end. She had the courage to speak up about the things she liked. Mr. Moon was able to immediately picture Sun Hwa. Considering how it painted a fairly accurate picture of herself, that had been a decent self-introduction. 

He picked up the second notebook. It was a similar notebook to Sun Hwa's, and it wasn't hard to guess who it belonged to.

'My name is Bom Yoon. I'm 17, and my blood type is A. My hobby is reading. I like both comics and literature. I joined the Literature Club at the suggestion of a friend. Everyone here seems to have distinct personalities, so I look forward to being part of this club. Thank you Mr. Moon.' 

That was it. There were traces of her erasing in the blank space. Timid and a woman of few words, it seemed like she was still working on introducing herself. Despite the length, it was easy to identify her characteristics. She was complimenting a group of people around her when she had barely met them. Her style was similar to Sun Hwa's. Her self-introduction was focused more on the others than herself. 

Perhaps she's sensitive to her surroundings.

After some thought, Mr. Moon moved onto the next notebook. The name Seo Kwang Kim was visible. 

'To Mr. Moon.

This is Seo Kwang Kim. I've chosen the Literature Club as my first club after coming up to high school. The reason why I didn't choose another club that could potentially look better on my school record is simply because I'm not interested in getting good grades. Nobody enjoys studying, but I seriously despise being forced to do something.

My parents call me immature. They say that I'm going to regret this in the future, but I know for a fact that regret isn't going to be the only sentiment I feel when I look back to this moment. 

I love books. That's the reason why I joined the Literature Club. The first time I came to like books was the moment I shed a tear onto the page of a book. I've cried reading a book in the past. It was an amazing experience. Although I wasn't listening to beautiful music or was able to see gorgeous colors, I was being moved from deep within.'

Mr. Moon related to Seo Kwang's statement. You could never forget the moment of being moved by that thing called a book. Many people kept crying and laughing from stories left by great storytellers. A person could grow solely through that. 

Seo Kwang described himself at the end in a single line, 'Your pupil who's in love with all of the stories in this world, Seo Kwang Kim.'

Next was Baron. When that kid showed up to the staffroom for the first time, Mr. Moon was honestly shocked. 

"I want to draw."

Mr. Moon replied, "I'm a literature teacher."

Then, Baron answered, "I'm aware."

'Who would've thought a rebel could be so polite?' Mr.Moon quickly gave him permission. 'It was good to have at least one person around who liked to go against the flow. Others could find that a motivation to write.' 

What kind of things would a artist pupil of a literature teacher draw? 

Mr. Moon opened the sketchbook and smiled with satisfaction. It was a very familiar drawing, a bird in a white background. It immediately reminded him of a book cover, and he felt a small bit of relief. After reading that book, he had to feel something, whatever that might be.

Mr. Moon picked up the last notebook, Juho Woo's. That kid was hard to read. He seemed innocent, but on the other hand, mature. He appeared to have a floaty kind of personality, but at the same time, he blended well with others. It was hard to tell if he was calm or just absent-minded.

'Maybe his introduction will tell me.' 

He turned the page.

"Oh man, this kid."

Could that be better described as brilliant or off the wall? Mr. Moon chuckled at the title written on the first sentence.

'About Grilled Mackerel. 

Mackerel is referred to as the blue fish. Its clean, buttery-tasting meat is worthy of being called "the porkbelly of the sea." If the fish is of high quality, all it needs is a little salt. Otherwise, it will require a bit of trimming. This is to eliminate the fishy smell.

Prepare some rice water or water with a little bit of soybean paste. Soak the fish for about ten minutes, then wash it in running water. The odor will disappear. If you add lemon or finely ground daikon radish and soy sauce, the fish becomes a delicacy.

I'm always eating grilled mackerel that's been tidily prepared. Only, my father is not fond of that.

He dislikes the fact that the human hand is extinguishing even the essence of the ocean. Even if it were the fishiest smelling mackerel, he says that he prefers that over the mackerel that's been prepared to people's liking. 
Standing next my father longing for the lost essence of the fish, I find myself subconsciously picturing him when he was full of the fragrance of life.

With a hope of having grilled mackerel for dinner tonight, I now bring this composition to an end.'

"Grilled Mackerel."

'I like it.' Mr. Moon read Juho's writing again. It was flawless as a self-introduction. 

"I wouldn't have know. This kid is very interesting. Are kids good at writing by default nowadays?" Murmured Mr. Moon as he thought of a young author in his head.

---

As Juho read in his room, he heard the front door opening. His mother was home.

"Welcome back."

"You must be hungry. I'll grill some mackerel."

"Sure."

Juho felt awkward about speaking to his parents in casual language. For some time, he had been speaking to them properly. His parents were thinking that their son had grown up after moving up to high school.  

"What about father?"

"He must be busy at work. He said he'll be late."

His mother took off her work clothes and immediately started cooking in the kitchen. As soon as she walked into the kitchen, there was vigor in the house. Rustling, the sound of chopping, smell of fish… All those came together and transformed into a mouth-watering smell. With hands of experience, she had quickly filled the dinner table. She hadn't been doing that for mere a day or two. It was precise, and skillful. All Juho could do was to place the utensils on the table or scooping rice into the bowls.

"Thank you for the food."

Juho took some the white mackerel meat from the plate and put it in his mouth. The meat was just buttery enough, giving it a smooth texture. It was perfectly combined with rice. He felt like he could eat an entire bowl just with the mackerel. 

"Is everything OK at school?"

"Of course."

"Has there been anything interesting lately?" 

As usual, she calmly asked about her son's day. Naturally, Juho told his mother about what had happened that day. It was mostly about what he had talked about with his friends or funny things his teachers had said. When it came to the club activity in the science room, Juho only picked things that his mother might laugh at. In response, Juho's mother started sharing about her day and the things that happened between the neighbors.

"It's impossible to have a conversation with that lady. It's like she's from another dimension."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah! She even talks like a baby."

Then, she impersonated the lady's speech. Her lisp was rather funny. After they had finished talking, she added these words as always, "There are things that should stay within the family. Just because I said what I said, you can't be going around telling your friends. You know what I mean?"

"I understand."

Her concern for her son was habitual. After cleaning up, she cut up some persimmons. They were sweet and pleasant. After Juho took a bite from a soft piece of persimmon, his mother asked, "How are you feeling these days?"

To that unexpected question, Juho asked back, "What do you mean?"

"You're famous now. Your books are selling well. Are you excited?"

Juho's mother said it playfully, but Juho wasn't that naive. He sensed concern behind her words. It had to be something about her son becoming arrogant from the unexpected success. There had been moments like that in the past. His mother would carefully ask Juho a question after dinner, and back then, her immature son found her concern to be a hassle. 

His parents had to have been caught off guard by their son's success. They probably weren't sure of how to raise him properly in such a situation. Coming to think of it, Juho's parents had always done their best to encourage him. He was solely responsible for neglecting their words and choosing not to listen. A child was not some creature that grew according to how its parents raised it. The reason Juho's life came to such an end was because of his choices. 

"It is exciting."

"Still, you know that you shouldn't be too excited, right? Things could fall apart at any moment."

"I know. That's why I've been putting all my money into the savings account."

"Great, that's my son! You're the spice of my life."

Juho reassured his mother, and for the first time in a while, he spent time with her in front of a TV.

"Honey, the mackerel is too fishy. Do we have any lemon?"

"It's a fish. It's supposed to smell like that. We don't have any, so you'll just have to eat it."

Coming in late from work, Juho's father had to get an earful from his wife after complaining about the mackerel.

---

"Hey, play a different song. Something exciting."

"Got it."

The music filled the classroom. It had been a trend to listen to music during recess using the computer in the classroom. The song selection usually varied depending on who was sitting in front of the podium, but it was generally pop. 

The class president held the mouse today, and unlike other days, he played a music video of a foreign pop singer. Seeing the sexy dance moves, the boys cheered and whistled. Even the girls joined in. 'Take me.' The sound of laughter mingled with the music.

While bobbing his head to the intro of the song, Juho realized that he felt like the lyrics were being translated simultaneously and focused on listening.

"Why do you look so serious listening to a song?"

"I had something to think about."

While he enjoyed the song, Seo Kwang saw Juho with a serious face and laughed. Juho paid no attention and kept listening. After testing himself for several days, Juho realized that his head was able to translate any language after some time. It wasn't just English.

Click.

The phenomenon began with a sound that rang out in Juho's head. It was bizarre. He remembered seeing some five or seven year old prodigies on TV. Those kids learned several languages on their own and shocked the adults around them. Were those kids learning languages by using the same ability as Juho?

"Hey, there's something going on outside," Seo Kwang said with his eyes fixed on the hallway.

"Huh?"

By the time Juho had stopped thinking and reconnected with reality, there was a sharp scream. The music stopped, and the kids came out of their class one by one. Seo Kwang and Juho also left their seats to see what was happening. Kids who were walking on the hallway stopped and approached the scene. There was nothing at the center of the crowd standing in a circle. 

"What's going on?"

"I can't really see."

The kids closed in to get a better look. All of a sudden, the circle broke apart and split open like Moses splitting the red sea. There were screams occasionally. It was neither a god, nor a person that walked through the opening of the crowd. It was a centipede, with more legs than anyone could count. 

"Oh, my! It's huge!"

"That is so gross!"

"Somebody, kill it."

The centipede was busy moving around between the kids' feet. From the centipede's perspective, that group of kids probably had more legs. The centipede had to have probably realized it by now,

'I shouldn't have come here.'

Due to the school being close to a mountain, Juho heard a teacher saying that centipedes were a common find. The first years were on a high alert because a centipede had appeared before them. The school being in Seoul, most kids probably weren't used to seeing centipedes right in front of their eyes. 

"It might be poisonous." 

Squirming what looked like either a head or tail, the centipede came closer. It was a threat. That thing was dangerous.

"Let's kill it!"

<Smelly-Grilled Mackerel> The End

Yum Woo is the youngest author in history to enter the literature world. His debut work was a massive hit but this success was short lived for the unprepared.

A miraculous second chance comes his way one day.

This is the beginning of that journey.

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