1 I was being followed on my way home. And then, I saw the pop-up comments. [OMG! The villain’s first love is about to be dragged into an alley and tortured by a psycho! And the villain is still stuck working his convenience store shift!] [When the villain found out the crime scene was just a street away, he was consumed by regret! He lost thirty pounds from the grief!] [But the attacker is the female lead's DAD! After the villain kills her dad, the female lead hates him forever and teams up with the male lead to get him executed.] [Run, first love, run! The female lead’s dad has a history of mental illness! He barely suffers any consequences after this!] [Why should she run? If the first love doesn’t die, how will the male lead and female lead even meet?] Tortured? First love? My hand tightened on my purse strap. I quickly ducked into the convenience store the comments had mentioned and tugged on the sleeve of the boy behind the counter. "Excuse me, do you need a job?" I blurted out. "I have an opening. Twenty-four-hour personal bodyguard. Five thousand a month, room and board included. Interested?" 2 The convenience store fell silent. When our eyes met, the boy turned his head away, but not before I saw the sullen shadows in his eyes ignite into twin sparks of fire. I recognized him then, and my mind went blank. Caleb Moss. He was in my class. I’d heard all about his "glorious achievements" from my childhood friend, Troy Turner. Group brawls, beating up classmates... he’d even put his own father in the hospital. "Stay away from him," Troy's warning echoed in my ears. But I didn't have time to think. The comments were describing, in grotesque detail, the vile things that were about to happen to me. I instinctively moved closer to Caleb, my eyes darting nervously towards the glass door. I scanned the dark street for the hulking figure I knew was out there, my voice trembling as I spoke. "Are... are you interested?" [Interested? Honey, if you just batted your eyelashes a little, he’d go out there and beat the guy to a pulp for you right now!] [?? Why did she go to the villain? Did she realize she was being followed?] [Personal bodyguard… how personal are we talking? The kind I’m thinking of?] The comments flooded my vision, a suffocating net closing in around us. My proximity had made Caleb stiffen. A dark blush crept up from his neck to the tips of his ears. Then, his sharp gaze fell on my trembling hand. "Who's bothering you?" he asked, his voice so soft it was almost a sigh. [Is this the same cold, ruthless villain from the future? This doesn’t seem right.] [Love is the hand that reaches out but pulls back! Ugh, can you two just get married for my sake? And also send me two million dollars.] [Shout out to the female lead’s psycho dad for bringing these two beautiful people together.] Guided by Caleb's quiet question, I poured out my story, telling him everything about the feeling of being watched, of being hunted. When I finished, I looked up at him cautiously. His jaw was clenched, his lips pressed into a thin line. His hands were balled into tight fists. "What's wrong?" I asked, letting go of his sleeve. He looked like he was about to hit someone. I kept that last part to myself. We were classmates, but I could count the number of conversations we’d had on one hand. "Bodyguard" had been a desperate, panicked offer. I hadn't considered whether he’d even want to get involved. "I'm sorry, that was really impulsive of me…" The bright lights of the store had calmed my frayed nerves, but the unsettling feeling of being watched still clung to me. I decided I'd just wait here until it was safe to leave. "I don't need the money," Caleb said suddenly. My heart skipped a beat. "No money?" I repeated, my voice a whisper. His handsome, angular face seemed to fill my vision. His long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. "Room and board is enough." "Room and board is enough?" He scanned a product barcode with practiced ease, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "No money. Room and board is enough." [No money?! Villain, your deadbeat dad’s gambling debts are all on you! Are you running a charity now?] [You don’t get it. A chance to live under the same roof as his first love? He’d pay HER for the privilege!] [The female lead's dad is still out there, watching! So creepy… gets away with everything because of his mental illness diagnosis.] [And people still defend him! The villain’s turn to darkness was completely justified! Too bad he was outplayed in the end.] Who was this female lead? And why would her family let someone with a serious mental illness wander the streets? Did he sneak out? And why was I the one who had to suffer the consequences? I glanced at the comments, my brow furrowed. "Welcome!" the automatic door chimed. A large, overweight man squeezed through the entrance, his lecherous eyes landing directly on me. He grinned. "There you are, sweetie. Daddy was getting worried waiting for you." 3 [AHHHHH! It’s a horror movie!] [This guy isn't so bad. The male lead pays for his treatment later, and he even visits the first love’s grave! It's not like he did it on purpose. He's sick!] [? Is the person above missing a brain stem? He's the one who KILLS her. You want her to crawl out of her grave and thank him?] [The male lead, her childhood sweetheart, doesn't even blame the female lead's dad. Who are you to judge?] Childhood sweetheart?! The only person who fits that description is Troy. The same Troy who swore he’d protect me forever when we were kids. A bone-deep chill washed over me. I tried to control my breathing, but my lungs felt tight, starved for air. Seeing my expression, the man let out a delighted, wheezing laugh, his fleshy body jiggling. "Daddy's here to take you home, sweetheart! Let's go!" Then, his face contorted into a mask of rage. "Where did you get that nice dress? I can't afford that! You must have stolen the money! Take it off! TAKE IT OFF!" [OMG OMG, what is the villain doing?!] [Move! Run! God, she's just standing there.] [Stop with the perfect victim narrative! If this happened to you, you'd be screaming your head off. The fact that she’s not is a miracle.] The man’s thick legs pounded against the floor as he charged toward me. "I'm telling you! You'll never escape my sight! For the rest of your life, you're my— AAGH!" A black shadow burst out of the staff room and slammed a foot into the man's chest. He went down like a mountain of flesh, his body writhing on the floor as he howled in agony. Caleb… [Damn! He’s so hot my stomach hurts.] [A kick like that is what sent the villain’s dad to the hospital. The female lead’s dad is surprisingly tough.] [The female lead was just chatting with the first love at a party earlier. When she finds out her dad put her in the ICU, she'll just hide behind the male lead.] [Reported. What does this have to do with the female lead? She can't control what her father does with his life.] I gasped for air, my hand, which had been clutching a small pocketknife behind my back, was numb and cramping. Caleb had already changed out of his uniform. Without a glance at the man on the floor, he walked over and gently pried the knife from my hand. "Let me borrow this." 4 I couldn't see his expression clearly, but I felt it—a coiled, dangerous energy that had been held in check was now unleashed, promising a storm. "My leg! You'll pay for this! Pay up! Aaaaaaaagh!" The man's flailing limbs knocked products off the shelves, creating a chaotic mess. Caleb knelt beside him. He slammed the knife down, the tip burying itself in the linoleum just inches from the man's ear. The sound was sharp and violent. Instantly, the man fell silent. "Get out," Caleb said, his voice flat and cold. The man scrambled away, colliding with the next shift worker who was just walking in. "Psycho!" the worker grumbled. He stomped inside, saw Caleb, and started yelling again. "You're leaving? Who's going to cover your shift tonight?!" [I’ve seen this episode. The senior employee always sleeps in the back during the night shift, and the villain ends up doing both their jobs. The manager just looks the other way.] [No matter who he’s scheduled with, they always dump their work on him. The villain’s a pushover at work, but a tiger at home.] I didn't have the patience for this. I stepped in front of Caleb and forced a polite smile. "I'm sorry, he's just accepted a new position." Caleb nodded obediently. "That man who just left… he had some kind of episode. Knocked over a lot of the merchandise on the lower shelves." I turned back to the worker. "You should probably clean that up. We're leaving now." 5 In the elevator, I stole a quick glance at Caleb. The violent brawler and the overworked employee. And the only one who had come to my rescue. A strange warmth spread through my chest. "You know," I said, choosing my words carefully, "I really think I should give you a base salary." "You don't have to." "Also, my name is Caleb." His voice was cool and crisp, distinctive. It had a quality that could seem standoffish at first. "I know your name," I said softly. I know everything about you. A slow smile spread across Caleb's face, lighting up his eyes, but he didn't say anything. [Thank you, Beyoncé! This is the content I signed up for.] [Butler: The young master hasn't smiled in years.] [I don’t get it. If the first love doesn't end up in the hospital... the male lead won't get his inheritance and make his comeback. And the female lead won't be able to rise through the ranks.] [Stop being a misogynist. When a man wants money, it's a 'comeback,' but when a woman wants it, she's 'rising through the ranks'?] [The first love's death is inevitable. You can dodge it once, but you can't dodge it forever!] My gaze hardened. "Caleb, I got you fired. I can't let you work for free. It wouldn't be right." The elevator doors opened. I punched in the code to my apartment in front of him. He followed a step behind, his eyes averted, all the ease he'd shown in the elevator gone. "You didn't get me fired…" [This lucky bastard. Pay me, and I’ll play the little sister for a couple of episodes!] [A penthouse! I can understand why the villain is feeling insecure. He must feel so out of place.] [Yeah, in the future, the villain buys the apartment next door, but by then, she's already gone…] The comments were making me more and more anxious. It was as if my entire life was a pre-written script, every step leading to my inevitable demise, with Caleb right behind me. 6 I looked at him, my voice serious and deliberate. "Don't look away. Look at me." "I'm going to register your fingerprint. From now on, this is your home, too." [He’s so hot my stomach hurts.] [Stomach-ache girl, you need a doctor.] [AAAAAHHHH! The villain is falling, and so am I! Please don't die, first love!] Caleb seemed stunned for a moment, and some of the darkness in his eyes seemed to dissipate. Our gazes locked. "Okay," he murmured, his shoulders slumping as if a great weight had been lifted. "I'll listen to you…" Click. The locked door swung open from the inside, cutting him off. A man was on the phone, hastily putting on his shoes. "Serena, don't worry, I'm on my way…" Caleb quickly pulled me back, saving me from being hit by the door. Troy met my eyes and faltered. "Ava? Serena's family has an emergency. You're her friend, too. Come with me." He started to grab my arm. "Her dad's in the hospital. You know their situation. They'll probably need our help with the medical bills…" He finally noticed Caleb leaning against the wall, and his face changed. "Who's this?" [Oooooh! A love triangle! I love it! But I love the puppy who’s only gentle with his first love more!] [The first love is pretty careless, bringing a strange guy home. I don't buy the 'innocent' act.] [Here we go with the slut-shaming again. Caleb is her employee. Troy is the one who let himself in! Maybe you're the one who needs to get your mind out of the gutter.] [The male and female leads are interacting more. The villain is the ultimate matchmaker, lol.] Caleb didn't answer. I felt the tentative walls he had started to lower come right back up. "Ava, what am I going to do with you?" Troy said, his voice laced with impatience. "Don't just bring strange men home. When I'm not here, there's no one to protect you." "Forget it. Let's just go to the hospital. Serena is waiting…" SLAP! Troy's head snapped to the side. He stared at me in disbelief. "How did you get in?" I asked, my voice trembling. 7 I had changed the locks a few weeks ago. I had never given Troy the new code. How did he get in? Could it be that night, when I was lying in a hospital bed, barely conscious after the attack, and I called him, desperate to hear his voice… he didn't answer because he was sleeping in my apartment? Yet he picked up for the female lead, Serena, in a heartbeat. Caleb silently moved closer, his pinky finger hooking mine. His cool fingertips gently rubbed my palm. The intimate gesture didn't feel strange; instead, it gave me a surge of courage. [Hahahaha, the villain is making his move! So they’re not a thing! Phew.] [Such a cunning little puppy. Ava, you’re in for a treat.] [What a male lead. More like a mooch with an attitude.] Troy was baffled. "Are you crazy? Your passwords are always either your birthday or your parents' birthdays. It's not that hard to guess! You're hitting me over this?" Even with my usually calm temperament, his complete lack of boundaries was infuriating. I thought changing the locks was a clear enough signal that I didn't want him coming and going as he pleased anymore. We were almost adults. We couldn't act like we were still children. I thought he would understand. I could hear crying from his phone. He hadn't hung up on Serena. "Troy…" At the sound of her voice, Troy's agitation was palpable. "This is a waste of time! We need to get to the hospital!" He grabbed my shoulders and started to push me toward the elevator. "Pfft." Caleb let out a short, sharp laugh. He swung his leg, his foot connecting squarely with Troy's side. It was a kick I recognized. Troy flew backward, his phone skittering across the floor to Caleb's feet. Caleb bent down, picked it up, and held it to his ear. "Serena," he said, his voice calm and detached, "stop treating everyone like they're idiots. Control your father. Next time, it won't be just a kick to the ribs." 8 Caleb handed the phone back to Troy, even offering a hand to help him up. Troy slapped it away and staggered to his feet, his eyes burning with fury as he looked at me. "Ava, you'd better have a good explanation for this." It was clear he had put the pieces together. "I was being followed," I said, my voice flat. "Caleb helped me." But my simple statement of fact took on a different meaning in his ears. "That's enough! Ever since your parents died, you've been paranoid, imagining someone is following you! I believed you, I wasted my time staking out your apartment, and I never saw a single suspicious person!" he yelled. "Serena is a kind, gentle girl! Her father would never hurt anyone! But Caleb? I told you to stay away from him! He has more than enough of his own family problems to deal with!" "You'd better stop this nonsense and come to the hospital with me right now. Or you won't be able to handle the consequences of those two kicks." He stalked off to the elevator, not even looking back, so sure that I would follow. Watching his back, I suddenly felt like I had never really known him at all. The comments said that Troy loved me deeply. That when he saw me in the hospital, covered in wounds and attached to a catheter, he was in agony, wishing it had been him instead. He folded me 1,000 paper cranes, wishing for me to forget the past and move on. Serena, despite my cold glares, humbled herself, begging for my forgiveness for her father's actions. My aunts and uncles visited, my school organized a visit from my classmates. It seemed that as long as I could "get over it," everything would go back to normal. The comments also called me stupid. Said I had everything and was still so stubborn, so determined to die. And after I signed over my parents' company shares to Troy, paving his way to success, they put me on a pedestal, my tragic story turning me into his "unforgettable first love." But the person I could never forgive, not even in death, Troy had forgiven for me, just like that. Just like he was now demanding I go pay the medical bills for the man who had tried to assault me. It was all the same brand of shamelessness. The bond of our shared childhood was like a dull knife, slowly, painfully carving away at my heart. I followed Troy's lead and turned my back, pulling Caleb inside with me. Caleb stood obediently in the entryway, his eyes fixed on me. Suddenly, a warm hand cupped my cheek. Caleb's palm was large, covering almost half my face. His lashes were lowered, his thumb gently, clumsily wiping at the corner of my eye. "Don't hold it in," he murmured. "It's okay to cry." [AAAAAAH the sweet, awkward tenderness of young love! AAAAAAH I’m eating this up!] [I was too shy to comment earlier because I was on my way to the courthouse with their marriage license. Let us bless this new old couple.] [Is anyone else noticing Troy's sulky face as he holds the elevator door open? What's his deal?] [Go home, kids, go home. Male and female leads, please stop messing with the first love so the villain doesn’t have to mess with you.] Caleb's intense gaze made me freeze. I could feel my face burning, a blush I couldn't control. My body acted before my mind could. I threw myself into his open arms.
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