CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 156. BLURRING BOUNDARIES

As an apology for forcing Hajin to do something he didn’t like--while having a heartfelt conversation with his father, even--Sarah spoiled her puppy for a few days.

She let Hajin hug her to sleep and allowed him to bathe with her--although sometimes it led to something more than bathing. But leaning against his chest rather than the bathtub was also getting more preferable each time, making Sarah worried that she was the one getting more spoiled.

What if she couldn’t be satisfied bathing alone anymore? What if she couldn’t be satisfied sleeping alone anymore? What if...

What if she couldn’t do anything alone anymore?

A vague fear started to creep into Sarah’s mind; a fear that stemmed from how dependent she was on someone in her past life. What if she turned into that kind of person again? Someone who needed permission to do something--or rather, anything at all--and had nothing in her life but a false sense of duty to please everyone?

Within that fear, Sarah gasped and woke up--it seemed like she started having bad thoughts as a nightmare now.

"What’s wrong, Princess?" Hajin asked drowsily while pulling Sarah closer to him by the waist. "Did you have a nightmare again?"

"Uhh..."

Sarah turned his head to look at the sleepy face nuzzling her shoulder, grey eyes blinked slowly in the dim light.

Thinking back, Sarah felt like she slept better these days. She wondered if it was the effect of leaving the mansion, or the effect of sleeping together--as in sleeping--with Hajin. Whatever the case, it was true that she slept better, and woke up feeling more refreshed than when she stayed in the annex.

But that was exactly why...

What if Sarah couldn’t sleep well anymore unless Hajin was there? Wasn’t this...wasn’t this what being over-dependent meant?

"You look like you’re thinking weird things again," Hajin murmured while stroking Sarah’s brows gently; she didn’t even realize she had been frowning all this time. With a little playful smile, he added. "But you’ve been looking at me so intensely, so I kind of like it."

Sheesh. Sarah flicked the flirtatious puppy, once again being reminded that this man could easily seduce people if he wanted. Hell--he could seduce people even if he didn’t want it.

"Ouch?" Hajin pouted, even though there was no power behind the flick.

"You’ve been becoming lazy lately," Sarah narrowed her eyes.

Hajin raised his head, tilting it in surprise. "Am I?"

"You used to wake up much earlier than I did," Sarah said. "Going around the house doing the chores and whatnot."

Preparing breakfast, preparing a glass of water and a cup of coffee, making sure the whole place was clean and tidy for his master...

Oh...but that sounded like a regular attendant rather than a lover--Sarah gasped inwardly. Just like how she felt like she should contribute to the chores because they ’lived’ together as two people with affection instead of in a master-servant situation, wouldn’t it be weird if he still moved around like he was working for her?

Although...he technically was, but...

Oh, this was why people shouldn’t date their subordinate!

This wandering thought came to a stop when Hajin replied with a playful glint in his finally alert eyes. "Mmh...maybe I’m being influenced by you, Princess?"

Sarah pinched the man’s cheek. "Are you saying I’m lazy now?"

"I’m saying you actually love sleeping," Hajin laughed, patting his princess’s legs as if he were patting a baby to sleep.

"...well," Sarah turned her gaze away, couldn’t even feel annoyed because it was true. Despite having recurring nightmares, she also slept like she was dead, hardly waking up even with an alarm blaring right beside her head. She glanced at the mischievous smile on Hajin’s lips and narrowed her eyes. "But what’s the real reason?"

Hajin laughed, propping his head on a stack of pillows as he lay on his side. "Well...I reckon it’s better to guard you by staying at your side--including while you’re sleeping."

"Really?" Sarah shifted to sit up and leaned against the headboard. "Does that mean you would also sleep in if I allowed you to sleep in my bed while we’re in the annex?"

Because he didn’t. Sarah still remembered feeling disappointed because she couldn’t see Hajin’s sleeping face one morning.

"Hmm...we were in the middle of the enemy territory, so I don’t think so," Hajin shook his head, before bringing said head to Sarah’s lap.

"So...you think we’re safer here?"

"Fewer places for someone to hide here. And since I was the one who put everything into place, I could immediately tell if something felt weird," Hajin mumbled while lying down again, sighing in satisfaction as if Sarah’s thigh was the best pillow in the world.

Sarah arched her brow. "You mean like a breach?"

"Yeah," Hajin nodded slightly. "So far, there has been nothing."

"Hmm..."

"But if I have to be really, really honest," Hajin circled his arms around Sarah’s waist. "I just like lying down with you."

That was so obvious, but also still managed to make Sarah feel her cheeks turn warm. Her reaction to that was to flick the man’s temple--because why was he so good at flirting? His face was already a form of seduction as it was!

Hajin laughed instead of protesting. "Why do you keep flicking me?"

"Just because," Sarah pursed her lips and turned her reddened face away.

Naturally, the sharp-eyed bodyguard didn’t miss it, and sprang to his knees to tackle his princess to the mattress again and attacked her with a flurry of kisses and tickles as revenge until Sarah shed some tears from laughing too much.

"If you’re not going to sleep again, I might as well make you something," he pecked her cheek for the last time before rolling out of bed. "Coffee?"

Sarah maintained her breathing after laughing so much, staring at the ceiling while wondering if it was alright for her to have such a peaceful and cheery morning when her revenge was far from over. Well...it shouldn’t be that far, but...

"Can you put some chocolate in it?" Sarah pushed herself up, stretching her neck back and forth.

Hajin arched his brow high, before curling his eyes and lips in delight. "Oho? My Princess takes a liking to sweet stuff, I see."

"You corrupted me," Sarah grumbled.

"Like you corrupted me with your laziness, Princess."

Sarah kicked the man’s calf, but of course, Hajin merely laughed. "What’s wrong with it? We corrupted each other, and strengthened each other," he leaned down and kissed the top of his princess’s head. "That’s what being a couple is."

"...is that so?" Sarah muttered vaguely, biting her lower lip.

Hajin smiled and kissed the bitten lip, telling her to stop hurting herself unconsciously. He chuckled when Sarah grumbled again, and strolled toward the kitchen while humming, didn’t even bother covering his bare chest.

Belatedly, Sarah realized she was wearing Hajin’s pajama top, and blushed again. Oh, they really were a couple. Perhaps...perhaps it was fine getting dependent on him a little bit?

Was it...was it truly alright for her to do so?

Sarah sighed and shook her head in frustration. This constant clash between her heart and her mind kept confusing her--and certainly did not help with her revenge. This was why she initially didn’t want to get involved in a romantic endeavour, but...

You really couldn’t control your heart sometimes.

Sighing once again, Sarah decided to fix their bed and put on shorts over her panties before meeting Hajin in the kitchen--right when he finished mixing chocolate into her coffee.

"I’ve been thinking...Princess," Hajin muttered while placing the mug in Sarah’s hands.

"What?"

"Do you really think it’d work?" Hajin leaned against the counter while sipping on his own--already chilled--drink. "Your plan with that...woman, I mean."

Sarah glanced at him through the steam of her drink. "What do you think? Do you think you seduced her well?"

"That’s hard to tell," the grey eyes narrowed, head tilting up to ponder. "I don’t usually seduce people, you know. They were the ones who seduced me."

"How annoying," Sarah rolled her eyes.

Hajin chukled and leaned toward Sarah’s side. "Besides, even if I did make her interested in me, would she really break off the engagement just for that?" he put his mug on the counter, adding seriously. "What if she were the type to make sure she secured the new relationship first before breaking the old one?"

"You’re worried that you’d have to text her or go on a date?"

"Obviously!"

Sarah chuckled and sipped her sweet coffee, but truthfully, she also didn’t want Hajin to meet the fiancée again. She knew Hajin wouldn’t get swayed by that woman, but she still didn’t like it. She realized that after the burst of irritation the other day.

"Don’t worry--she can’t do that," Sarah said confidently.

"Why?"

"Because she’s a celebrity and the daughter of a politician," Sarah curled her lips. "Image is even more important for her, so going on a date with you while she is still officially--and publicly--engaged will ruin her reputation."

The grey eyes sparkled. "Ah! So if she does find my number and contact me, I can just use that to reject her!"

"And she won’t have any choice but to break the engagement first," Sarah shrugged.

Once it happened, it wouldn’t matter if Hajin rejected her advances, because the only thing Sarah wanted from this scheme was the breakup.

"And you’ll use that fact to spread more gossip and lower the stock price, won’t you?" Hajin stroked his unshaven jaw. "Will that be effective, though?"

"Of course, not--not by itself," Sarah chuckled. "But breaking an engagement is a serious thing, unlike breaking up from a casual relationship. We only need to sprinkle some spices to fill in the reason behind that."

"Like the fact that he’s no longer the heir? Oh, but that’s already spreading, isn’t it? Hmm..." Hajin crossed his arms to ponder while Sarah observed him behind her mug. "Oh--That he’s not the chairman’s biological son?"

"Good boy," Sarah patted the man’s head, and Hajin almost giggled in response. "It’s time we go for a punch."

And the next day, they received a call from an excited Mari.