Painful Love

Chapter Three (Part Two)

"No..." Marce went to say, but he was stopped short by Zarah. "Right Alexei?!" Alexei was shocked at the beginning, and then out of nowhere, he started to smile, and that's when she knew she f****d up. She had completely forgotten about the kiss, and she knew that he would use this to bring it up again. So instead of trying to avoid it, she walked up to him, leaned forward, and with her right hand behind his neck, she connected her lips with his. As she grabbed a handful chunk of hair on the back of his head, he placed his hands around her waist, and in a swift move, she was sitting on his lap. Her legs were on either side of his thighs, and in the process, she let out a small moan which he used as an opportunity to insert his tongue inside her mouth. "It took long, but you still got what you wanted," Marce said. Ha-Neul was already getting mad, but after hearing what Marce said, he almost got up and punched Alexei. "What do you mean?" He asked the question directing it to Marce. Marce shook his head as if to say it was nothing. By now, Ha-Neul was holding at the edge of the sofa for dear life. He was pissed. What had happen since he left? Zarah pulled away and muttered a soft "Thank you" before getting off Alexei. Looking at Alexei, his face was flustered, and Marce started laughing. Rolling off the floor laughing. "I never thought I'd ever see that look on your face!" he managed to say. Zarah went to her room, and when she came back, she went straight for the door. "You can't wear that outside," Both Ha-Neul and Alexei said at the same time. She turned to look at them, and with a big smile, she said, "watch me!"

"Wait for me!" Marce said. "Sorry gorgeous, but I'll catch you later, yeah! Tonight!" He finished in a hurry and ran after Zarah. When they both got outside, Zarah stopped to look at her phone. "What are you doing?" Marce asked. "Oh, wait! You haven't decided what you wanted to eat yet, have you?" Zarah looked at him with a sheepish smile and shook her head no. "Zarah, why shall I always go through this with you almost 90% of the time?" "Because you lo lo lo lo love meeee," she said with a baby voice. "Don't, please don't," Marce put his hands together as if begging her. Behind them stood Suzy, Alexei, and Ha-Neul. "Just when I think I know you," Alexei was the first one to speak behind them. Zarah was startled and bumped Marce in the process. "So, where are you guys going?" Alexei spoke again. "Malaysian?" Marce said, looking at Zarah, and when he saw a big smile, he let out a sigh of relief. He knew that she loved Malaysian food, but then again, she was very unpredictable. She had already called Lyft as a white car pulled up. Marce opened the door for Zarah on the back, and he proceeded to get in and with him, Alexei followed, and so did Ha-Neul, and Suzy was the only one left. "Are you coming?!" Marce shouted at her. As if brought out of a haze, she opened the front door and got in. The journey to the restaurant was about an hour-long, and so Marce and Zarah started joking around. "Oh! Oh! I got one!" Zarah chimed with excitement that took Alexei back when he first met her. He couldn't help but smile. "It's a bit f****d up, though," she finished. "Bring it on!"

"If Sofi exchanged bodies with your mother, who would you rather f**k, Sofi stuck in your mother's body, or your mother stuck in Sofi's body?"

"That's f****d up!"

"You are the one that said to bring it on."

"Well, I think I would f**k my mother because it would be Sofi but then again the body, but I don't think if I would be able to f**k Sofi knowing that it's my mother. But then again, if I f****d Sofi and my mother inside her doesn't say anything, perhaps that could work, but Nah! How can it be when I already know? But it's my mother, the far that one gets to be s****l with their mother is when they are babies, we suck their t**s, but that goes with everyone. It doesn't matter what gender, so I would say Sofi's. Nope, my...."

"You gotta stop the q-tip when there's resistance!" Zarah stopped him. Marce took a deep breath and said, "I have heard that before! f**k! Where is it from?!" The look of frustration on his face made Zarah laugh.

"Friends. Chandler." Ha-Neul spoke after a few seconds of silence. Zarah stopped laughing and turned to look at him only to find him already looking at her. She faked a smile and turned around to look out the window.

"Can we put on some music please," Marce leaned forward to ask the driver, and as luck would have it, the driver had aux which Marce connected his phone with, and the first song that played through the speaker was 'Astronaut in the Ocean' by Masked Wolf.

"Woooo! I love this song." Zarah shouted.

"I know!" The song played for a few seconds before Zarah turned to Marce and said, "this is your part." Marce cleared his throat and started rapping, "She says that I'm cool, I'm like "yeah, that's true" that's true I believe in G-O-D ayy, don't believe in T-H-O-T, She keeps playing me dumb, I'ma play her for fun uh-huh, y'all don't really know my mental, lemme give you the picture like a stencil." He then turned to Zarah and put his hand just below her mouth like a mike. She rapped, "Falling out, in a drought, no flow, the rain wasn't pouring down, see, that pain was all around, see, my mode was kinda lounged, didn't know which-which way to turn, flow was cool but I still felt burnt, energy up, you can feel my surge, I'ma kill everything like this purge ayy." And for the rest of the song, they sang together. And then 'Free Love' by HONNE played, and they sang along with that, and by the third song, 'Love is Strange' by Mickey & Sylvia, they had already arrived at their destination. Sitting on their seat Ha-Neul was the first one to speak up this time, "when did you guys grow this close?" Marce turned to look at Zarah, and she did the same. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Zarah started laughing. As Marce shook his head, he started laughing along, and before long, everyone on the table was laughing except Alexei. He just had a smile on his face. When the waiter came to take their orders, she ordered Szechuan beef noodle soup, and Ha-Neul ordered the same thing. Looking at Suzy, it was clear that she was irritated. Everyone made small talk, but Marce and Zarah were the ones that talked the most, and it was fascinating to see a different side of Zarah, Alexei thought. He knew that the kiss didn't mean anything to her, but he intended to have another one, maybe many more to come. He never thought that he was jealous, but as he watched Marce, all he wanted to do was put a bullet through his skull. His eyes turned to Ha-Neul, who clearly was in love with Zarah but looking at Suzy, he wondered if it was one of those arranged marriages. She had an evil look in her eyes as she stared at Zarah. He knew that look very well given his occupation, but after what happened two weeks ago, it would be a very long time before any harm came to her on his watch.

"I want to go back to the hotel," Suzy said, turning to Ha-Neul. Ha-Neul rested his hands on his laps and nodded his head as if saying yes. "Are you f*****g kidding me right now!" Suzy busted out, and everyone turned to look at them. "Don't worry, I'll call you a Lyft," Zarah said as she pulled out her phone. "Where are you staying?" she looked up at her phone to look at Suzy, and she was met with a disgusted look. Zarah pulled her head back and looked back at her with confusion.

"Thank you, but I think Ha-Neul has enough money to take care of it," she said back harshly and got off her chair and headed outside. Everyone turned to Ha-Neul, and he just looked at everyone.

"What?!" He said, confused.

"Don't worry, you'll see us tonight at the party, remember?" Zarah said with a reassuring smile. He stood up and followed Suzy outside, and they looked out the big window, and it was clear that Suzy was shouting at him, and he didn't seem very fazed seeing that he was looking down at his phone. "Are you upset?" Marce asked Zarah.

"No, I can't be," she said with a sad smile. She knew what he was asking, but she really meant it. What's there to be mad about? He was his own person, and what did she expect after three years? That he would still be single waiting for her? She might have thought it, but she didn't even plan to go to Korea to look for him, so being mad at someone that had been nothing but too good to her would be foolish. Some love stories just never seem to begin.

"Come on, Alexei, let's get this party started," Zarah said as she stood up.

"Why are you singling me out?" Marce asked, offended.

"Between the three of us, you are the only one with lots of friends. We cant have a five people party now, can we?" Zarah asked sarcastically.

"How about six?" Marce asked with a mischievous smile.

"Marcellino! NO!" Zarah raised her voice, knowing what he had in mind. "In my defense, I never said what kind of party. It'll be

fun!" Marce stood up and took her hand, then turned to Alexei, "shoot me a text with the location, and we'll be there with the booze."

When 9pm rolled around, Zarah and Marce rang the bell, and Marce pushed the door open and came face to face with a penthouse. "Oh s**t! He really wanted to impress you," Marce said, turning around to look at Zarah and back again in the penthouse before walking in. Marce found the kitchen only to discover that it was stocked with food and alcohol. "Why the f**k did I buy all this then?!" He said to himself. Zarah went to the living room, and she was looking out the ceiling-length window when Alexei spoke up behind her, but she didn't hear what he said because she was so engrossed in the view outside. The sun had just set, and the sky was a fading orange. Looking down at the tiny cars and people, she smiled. She looked up at the passing airplane, and she jumped in place at the site of the plane. "Marce!!!" She called out before she turned around and bumped into a hard chest. "Ouch!" She let out and looked up at Alexei. "Sorry," she muttered softly and stepped aside. She looked up, and she met Marce's gaze, and her eyes widened. She made a come here gesture in a hurry. "Look! Look!" she squealed. Marce hurried to where she was, and they watched as the plane disappeared.

"What are you guys looking at?" Ha-Neul spoke up from behind, and they all turned around in synch.

"Oh, I know! I know!" Zarah said, turning to Alexei and then turning around to Marce.

"So annoying," Suzy said loud enough for everyone to hear, and when all eyes were on her, she just shrugged her shoulders. Zarah took a pause and frowned, and then turned back to Marce again.

"What?!" Marce asked. Zarah pulled on his arm and whispered in his ear.

"f**k no! Hell Nah! Absolutely not! Nada!" Marce started shouting as he walked away from Zarah.

"Well, what did you say?" Ha-Neul asked.

"You better not bring that s**t to life. Keep your inner voice inner," Marce said as he disappeared to the kitchen. The bell rang, and Zarah headed to the door, "I didn't know there would be more people!" Alexei voiced out as he watched Zarah walk. She turned around and walked backward as she put her hands up and held out six fingers. "Watch out!" Ha-Neul screamed as she was approaching a corner; as soon as she turned around, she hit her head on the corner of the wall. Ha-Neul was beside her for a second asking if she was okay.

"Ouch!" she stood up as she rubbed her forehead and headed to the door. She opened the door, and the first thing that came out of her mouth was, "I'd be damn!" Sofi was standing at the door with a jumpsuit on that left her chest to the world to see. "You give a whole new definition to V neck," Zarah said as she watched the V stopping right below her belly button. "Your woman is here!" She shouted as she stepped aside to let her walk in. Sofi walked into the living room and stopped short in her tracks before saying, "is that Sylvie crocodile bag." She approached Suzy, who looked uncomfortable but Sofi went for the bag. "This baby costs a whole car," she looked up at Suzy, and her mouth hung open. She stepped back to look at Suzy up and down. She then turned to Zarah, and pointing at Suzy, she asked, "who is she?" Zarah smiled at her expression and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why don't you ask her? I'm sure she'd love to tell you." Zarah said and gave Suzy a fake smile. Marce emerged from the kitchen and opened his arms for Sofi. "Say you'll buy me this handbag, and I'll f**k you right now," Suzy said, and without looking at the bag, Marce said, "Done!" and they disappeared.

"What kind of party is this?" Suzy asked. "So boring."

"You gotta eat before you drink. What are you guys fancing?" Zarah asked.

"I already ordered food; it'll be here in a minute. So Ha-Neul, what are you doing here in the states?" Alexei asked. He looked at Ha-Neul with a challenging look. Ha-Neul smiled and pulled out his phone, ignoring him.

"I actually want to know the answer to that question," Suzy spoke and turned around to face Ha-Neul as she put her hands on her waist. Ha-Neul put his phone back in his pocket and, putting both his hands inside his pockets with a serious face, he said, "To open a business."

"What kind of business?" Suzy asked, holding his gaze.

"That's none of your business."

"I am your fiancé. I think your business is my business."

"As far as I am concerned, unless we are married, I don't think I have to tell you anything."

"Come on, Ha-Neul, just tell her," Zarah said.

"You already know?" Suzy said with disbelief. Zarah frowned as she shook her head no. Ha-Neul looked at Zarah and bit his lip, instinctually she stuck her tongue out and grazed it across her lips. Ha-Neul looked down and cleared his throat before saying, "a vibrator. Vibrator company." Zarah was sipping on a bottle of water when she choked on the water. Alexei was the one closest to her, so he took one step toward her, and he was by her side. "Are you okay?" He asked. She responded with a nod as she patted her chest. She took a deep breath and looked up at Ha-Neul, who mouthed, "are you okay?" She nodded her head ever so slightly that if you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't notice.

"What do you mean vibrator business?" Suzy asked cluelessly. Alexei looked up at Ha-Neul and realized that he wasn't going to explain himself, and as much as he wanted to say something, he didn't feel like it was like him to talk about such things.

"What are we talking about?" Sofi asked from the living room entrance.

"Vibrators," Zarah said with a smile.

"Oh yeah?! I like this topic already."

"Suzy doesn't know what it is," Zarah continued.

"I know what it is," she chimed in, and in a few seconds, she turned to Ha-Neul with a horror look on her face. "Abeoji knows about this?" She asked.

"He doesn't need to know. I'm not asking for his money for it." Ha-Neul spoke with yet a serious tone.

"Do you use a vibrator, Suzy?" Sofi asked as if it was a normal thing to ask a stranger. Suzy blushed and shook her head no. Sofi then turned to Zarah to say, 'I'm asking the same question to you.' Zarah looked down, and with a sheepish smile, she nodded her head yes.

"Oooooh! How many times do you use it per day? I use once per day, in the morning, of course." Sofi finished with an eye roll. "Sofi!" Marce slightly bumped her, "but I wanna know, though." He said with a smile.

"Marcellino!" Zarah shouted.

"I want to know too," Alexei said, relaxing.

"That's three against one, come on. Say it!" Marce shouted, looking excited. They were all still standing, so Zarah walked by one of the sofas and sat down on the floor leaning on the sofa, and everyone followed suit except for Suzy, who sat at one of the chairs. Alexei was looking at her very attentively, and he noticed that she was nervous. He remembered the first time he wanted to lift her off the ground. He frowned slightly and composed himself.

"Yes! We really have to know now. We are hocked," Marce said as if to answer a question. Ha-Neul felt his heart contract for a second but not in a flattering way. 'That's supposed to be me,' he said in his head. Straightening up her posture, she sat up and crossed her legs Indian style.

"Three times," she said more of a question.

"When was the last time you f****d?" was Sofi's next question. Zarah realized why Marce liked her. She was literally a female version of him, except more unfiltered. She can only imagine the things she says in bed. She stuck her tongue out at the corner of her mouth and, with another deep breath, answered, "I don't know?"

"Why can't you just answer a question with an answer instead of a question," Suzy said, annoyed.

"Ain't nobody asking you why you sitting on the sofa while everyone is sitting on the floor, hush!" Sofi retorted back. Everyone made a 'damn' face, and Suzy tried to hide the embarrassment by standing up and going to the kitchen. Zarah looked at Ha-Neul, and with her head, she pointed at Suzy, and he responded with a shaking of the head.

"Please don't tell me you are a virgin?" Sofi asked with a frown. Zarah shook her head, but before Sofi could ask another question, Marce asked, "Why were you guys talking about vibrators again?"

"Ha-Neul is launching a s*x toys business," Alexei said.

"Vibrator, only vibrators." Ha-Neul corrected him.

"Why just one product while there's so much in the s*x toys world?" Sofi asked. Looking at Zarah, he responded, "vibrator is the only toy that doesn't go inside you and still gives you pleasure. It's like having a man make you c*m with just his hands. It leaves an impression."

"Well f**k! I didn't know Asian men had such filthy mouths. Say that one more time, and I'll c*m just listening to you." Sofi said with a seductive voice. Zarah felt her p***y clench as she remembered the incident.

Flashback...

'It was the third day of them staying together in the little apartment when Ha-Neul heard Zarah moaning from the bathroom. At first, he thought that she was with a man, and he sat at the edge of the bed with his heart pounding, waiting for the door to open, and when it did, it was just Zarah by herself. Zarah met his eyes but couldn't read the expression. It seemed to be stuck between turned on and relieved. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I heard you moan, like really loud, and I thought... I thought that you were with a man." She went back to the bathroom, and when she came back out, she had a vibrator in her hand.

"I'm sure you have seen one of these before," Zarah said, handing it over to Ha-Neul.

"This thing made you moan so loud?" he asked curiously. Zarah smiled and shook her head. She watched as he eyed the thing and pressed some button. "I mean, I can see it but still," he finished.

"It's very rare to find a good vibrator, but this baby right here, it just assist me in reaching the peak point, but in that, I have to use my imagination and make them vivid for me to be able to release. So when I c*m and moan as loud, I can visually see you f*****g me and allowing me to c*m. See, a vibrator is the only toy that doesn't go inside you and still gives you pleasure. It's like having a man make you c*m with just his hands. It leaves an impression."

"I fuck... you were thinking of me when you..." he tried to say, but he was so turned on that the only thing that he could imagine was her sitting there naked.

"Of course, that's the only thing that you heard. She said as she got off the bed.' Come on, I need fresh air."

End of flashback.

"Oh, look who is back," Sofi said sarcastically as Suzy reemerged from the kitchen. Zarah got up and excused herself. Five minutes later, Ha-Neul got up as well. Sofi noticed the air changed when the two left, and she asked, "you guys don't think they are doing it?"

"No, Zarah isn't that kind of a person," Marce said.

"What do you mean that kind of a person?" she said in a quotation. Suzy raised her left finger up and showed her ring to Sofi. "Uuuuu... this is spicy! come on, let's go listen!" Sofi said, standing up. Marce hesitated for a second but got up along with her, and he followed her, and Alexei and Suzy followed suit, and they all leaned their ears against the bedroom door.

"Fiancé! Fiancé Ha-Neul!" Zarah said, crying.

"Please don't cry," Ha-Neul said softly as he took a step towards her, and she stepped away.

"I can't be your friend. I don't want to be your friend." She said.

"Zarah, you can't just...." Ha-Neul begged. He was already thinking the worst, and he didn't want to lose her.

"Do you have any idea how many wet dreams I have had about you, all this time, and you want me to," she stopped to take a deep breath and wiped away her tears. "I refuse to be your friend."

"You have ...." he went to say, but Zarah cut him short,

"HA-NEUL!!!" she shouted. "I'm sorry, but with that dress on, you look soooo hot, and all I can think..."

"HA-NEUL!" she shouted again. And headed for the door, and as she touched the doorknob, he asked, "where does this leave us?"

"Somebody I used to know." She said and opened the door. When the door opened, everyone was standing up straight, pretending to stretch except Suzy. She had the most disgusted look she had ever seen in a woman. She smiled and went past them and straight to the kitchen. She took three bottles of Tito's and the shot plastic glasses and went back to the living room and sat where she sat before she got up. Lining up 12 cups full of vodka, she picked one up and waited for everyone to be seated. Sofi looked at her with a sad smile, and she returned it with a genuine smile, and silently, everyone took one shot, with sour faces, they all put down their glasses. Alexei wanted to be near her, but he wasn't sure if it was the right time, he knew that this was probably the time to sweep in because she was feeling vulnerable but doing that would be risky, and he wanted her to like him for who he was. He was fully aware that no amount of money or gifts would impress her because she was so damn adamant about being independent. A woman like that you only impress with a killer personality, and he didn't have that. He felt weird when he googled how to have a friendly personality.

There was a knock at the door suddenly. Zarah stood up and said, "I got it!" as she went for the door. Alexei stood up behind her. He wasn't sure who it was at the door, and his guard came up very quickly. "Zarah wait," he said as she opened the door. He watched as she stepped back and looked at the person at the door that wasn't in his view yet, and with a scream, she shouted, "My precious! Awww, my precious." He watched as she lounged forward, and right when he came to the view of who was at the door, she jumped on his arms and hugged him. He started to laugh when he saw my precious' reaction. He had the most horrifying look on his face. For someone who shot people, he looked scared like a kitten. Zarah pulled back and touched his face, "aww, my precious..." she pouted her lips. Everyone was at the door by then.

"Who the f**k is that?!" Sofi said.

"Hey, hey! Watch your mouth. He's a nice person." Zarah spoke. Marce came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist before pulling her away from My precious. "I'm so sorry, she's drunk."

Never in his life had he ever had to have such self-restraint. Ha-Neul remembered the face the moment he saw My precious. He really didn't like other men touching her. It made him feel some type of way. That's when he realized that he couldn't stay away from her. For the past three years, he would look at her photos on his phone, and when he went to the army for nearly two years, she was the only reason that kept him going. "Always finish what you started." She said to him after she got her into the taxi from the bus station when they were in Busan and in the car when he suggested that he would help her if she wanted to go back home. There was nothing wrong with Suzy, and he had nothing to complain about her. She can be a great person, but she wasn't the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. When he got home after his service, his father was ill, and he had to take over the company as the CEO, although he arranged for it to be temporary because he had faith that his father would make it. It was challenging for him to deal with a sick father and learn about a company that he knew very little about. He thought so many times about calling her, but he couldn't. He knew that he wouldn't be able to call her every day or have the long conversations they used to have, so he resorted to looking at her pictures every morning after he woke up and before he went to bed. When they found out the trusted secretary had laundered money, the company was in deep trouble. His father woke up through all of this, and that's when he suggested that he marry someone from a wealthy family; merging the two-families would help their business tremendously. He protested and begged his father not to force him to do such a thing, and he gave him an option. He got engaged to Suzy for a year, and if he managed to bring the company to a stable position, he could call off the wedding.