Tangled By Fate

Catherine was sleeping soundly. There was a trace of tiredness under her eyes. It showed how hard she worked every day. Her face was pale, indicating that she lost too much blood.

There was a table right beside her bed. Sebastian left the pot there. There was a medium-sized firestone under the pot that kept the pot warm. There was a chair in front of the table. 

Sebastian strode forward and sat there. Putting his left elbow on the table, he leaned on his palm. Then, he gazed at her without blinking. 

He recalled the time with her. When they first met and how they got along well. Most of the time, they came to fight each other. However, her every minor thing, he remembered them in detail. 

Whenever he was alone, he would start thinking about her. Later, he began to notice her every move, what kind of food she liked, what color was her favorite. 

He thought he had gone crazy. But then, she met a guy named Vincent and got along with him. They got closer and closer. 

That's when he felt a pang on his chest and realized that he had feelings for her that were not for a normal friend. It was a feeling a man had for a woman.

He tried not to think about it anymore and secretly wished her well. He wanted her to fall in love with the man she loved and live happily forever. 

He did think of confessing to her, but he was afraid of what would happen if she rejected him. Since she liked Vincent, it was inevitable that she could reject him if he confessed.

Thinking that she might feel uncomfortable after his confession, he couldn't dare to express his feelings. Rather, he prioritized her happiness.

It was one of the reasons he didn't come and bother her with the date she had this morning.

However, she was in danger, and he was too late to rescue her. He realized that he couldn't keep her out of his sight.

He slowly reached out and held her pale hand. Her hand was cold. He squeezed her hand so that he could transfer his warmth to her.

'It hurts when I see you with him. And if I don't guard you, you get hurt. Tell me, what am I supposed to do?' he was conflicted.

Catherine, who was sleeping soundly, sensed something warm touching her hand. 

'…Who is holding my hand…?' She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids seemed too heavy. She felt like drowning all the way down to a deep ocean.

When she opened her eyes, she felt like she slept for years. She yawned. It was still night. Two candles in her room were still lit up.

She scanned her room and found Sebastian. He was sitting on her chair. His head was lowered. He was taking a nap.

'Why is he here…' As she tried to wonder about his presence, she recalled what happened before she lost consciousness.

'Wait, I was stabbed on my back!' She abruptly sat on the bed and placed her hand on the back. She felt no pain or injury. 

"What? Why? Was that Ver?" Confused, she spoke without realizing. 

In a quiet room, Sebastian heard Catherine's voice. He quickly opened his eyes and found her sitting on the bed. He stood up.

"Catherine, are you okay? Why are you awake? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" His voice was full of concern.

Catherine gradually looked at him. "Sebastian… did you save me?"

Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed. He lowered his head and apologized. "I'm sorry. I was too late…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was punched on his chest. 

"You are late, you idiot!" Catherine blamed him as she gave him another punch. Tears streamed down her eyes. "Do you know how scared I was? It hurt a lot! I had never suffered like this before."

Her sobbing pierced Sebastian's heart. He grasped her hand and repeated, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Catherine didn't heed his words. She stated, "You are supposed to protect me! You are my bodyguard, aren't you?"

"…" Sebastian became quiet.

Truthfully, he was Veronica's bodyguard. But, since she hardly went out, he got the chance to follow Catherine. 

He wanted to stay close to her by any means possible. Whenever Catherine caught him following him, he had an excuse ready, "I'm here to protect you if something bad happens."

Catherine didn't think too much and believed him. She genuinely thought that he was her bodyguard.

Therefore, she never complained when he tailed her, even if it was a date. Moreover, she felt a sense of security whenever he was close.

Catherine cried as her hands were tightly held by Sebastian. His guilty expression eased her heart. "You are such an idiot. Tell me how to punish you."

Sebastian finally looked at her. They were sitting so close that he could hear her beating heart. He wanted to move away and then paused. 

'I may never get the chance to sit close to her like this in the future. Just let me stay here for a while, close to her,' he thought.

He responded, "You can do whatever you want. I'll accept anything."

Catherine stared at him with her moist eyes. "Oh yeah? I can do whatever I want?"

Sebastian carefully outreached his hand not to startle her and gently wiped tears from her cheek. "Yes, you can do whatever you want."

"Even if I tell you to perform street dance butt naked?"

Sebastian flinched. He wasn't prepared for that kind of punishment. He pitifully asked her, "Isn't there any better punishment?"

Catherine knew she got him. She smirked and said, "What could be a better punishment than this? You need to be taught some lessons. Thus, you are going to the street, take off your pants, and dance in front of the public."

Just imagining what it would look like, Sebastian shivered.. From the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to go through that. "How about something else other than being naked?"