The Stockholm Syndrome

Honest Answers...

"You know Tae, work... home... such a routine and monotonous life...", Sohyun said softly after taking a sip of the coffee he made while enjoying the city view behind the glass walls of his agency. "My trip to Australia... for the first time, I made a trip alone... I had to beg my agency for that... But today, I made up my mind to spend time with you. I wanted to talk to you... I came here under the excuse that I wanted to meet the people I work with...", gripping her hold on the coffee cup, she looked at him and said, "I had to lie to many people..."

As she started off her monologue, Taehyung felt unsettled and wondered what she's going to come up with now.

"Let's just be friends Tae!", she declared.

His eyes which gently looked on her, turned cold at her words.

"Otherwise there will be too much pain... we worked so hard to be in the place we are today, and we grew up thinking this is life... But people will give us new definitions for life and career and will ask us to choose between them. I don't want that..."

He shut his cold eyes tightly to contain himself.

"I wanted to talk to you, spend time with you... that's why I am here with you. I don't want to lose this. If there's love between us, we can't be free. It's too much pressure... We'll be worried if someone is watching us... worried about what people will think..."

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed out aloud. But his gestures of displeasure at her words never struck her.

Oblivious of his signs, she asked, "Can we be this without love?"

He never uttered a word and stayed quiet with furrowed brows and furious eyes.

Finishing her coffee, she gently placed the cup on the glass table in front of her and paid her attention to the setting sun behind the tall buildings. "Without the burden of love, we can spend time together, just like today! If everyone knew us as just friends, you can even come up to my agency and spend time with me... Crossing all boundaries but not together... no secrets... no love... with nothing between us..."

"Nothing?", his indignation laden tone sounded.

She nodded asking, "What do you say?"

Her questions piqued his temper, but just a smirk escaped his lips.

"But...", she started, "In these years, I haven't had any boyfriend or even any guy friends... off the camera, you're the only guy who kissed me..."

With grumpy look on his face, he nodded listening to her.

The silence that came after her confession, gave her the space to check the time on her phone. Upon checking, she said, "We better join with others..." She stood up to leave but he stayed seated clenching his fist. She saw him through the corner of her eyes and reluctantly took her steps away on finding him seated still on the chair.

As she paced away, he rose on his feet suddenly and in soreness, he asked, "What are you trying to prove Sohyun-ah?"

His words drew her attention like gravity.

It took me lots of courage to string those words and direct at him. But his one question made me feel like I lost my purpose. His brows are narrowed, his eyes were past anger... he looked composed, but I felt apprehensive about it.

His tone which soon might blow up, spoke, "Are you trying to prove that it's no big deal? How can I delete my love from our relationship? How is that possible? That too for others? How do you do that Sohyun-ah?"

The way he called me 'Sohyun-ah', pierced me more than his questions. I knew I was being unreasonable... but doesn't he know the reason behind my greedy and selfish requests?