Flirtatious

Trigger warning: The following content constitutes mature sensitive topics and might not be suitable for some viewers. Viewers' discretion is advised.

Your pov:

"Iseul honey, can you pass sangyeopsal here?"

Surely but begrudgingly, I passed it on to my step-mother's nth boyfriend.

"You're looking extra appetizing today, HONEY..." the boyfriend said with his usual smug expression. If that didn't make me barf then my stepmother's red embellishments and sexually bothered conduct over such... baseless words from a man who she barely took time to understand had me at it. Not wanting to be a part of any of this, I cleared my throat loud enough to pull them back to reality.

"There is something called a room upstairs. Kindly take your business over there. I shall take my leave now. It seems that the ranch is infested with this gibberish, making me want to get it out of my system before I suffer from it any further. Enjoy your night!"

That was all I had to say to make her pop her steam off and have a downpour of rage on me.

"Iseul!! Where are your manners? Apologize to him, right now! I will NOT tolerate such behavior and will NEVER have such a daughter who is so low to not address elders in the manner you are supposed to!"

"Apart from having fostered me, is there anything you have done for me to address you as a mother? I don't think so. I was 9 when father left us and for what you ask? YOU torment his poor heart by running behind a man who FLATTERED you with fake praises about your petty conduct, dysmorphic figure, and money, money that an honest man like a father couldn't give you only because he was stuck with a bitch like you-"

Slap

"How dare you talk about me like that? It was HIM who never cared about us. He was the one who stopped tending to my needs of all forms, may it be money for running the household or may it be for my pleasure. I only looked for a man who could give me both. And he couldn't bear seeing me tend to a different man with more care than I did for him. I never asked him to take his own life. I never asked him to leave you with me and to make you live a life for this long. Be grateful that I even tended to a useless wimp like you and paid for your studies by sleeping around-"

Slap

"Get this in your head, bitch. I never NEEDED you to take care of me ever since I saw you make out like the pretty little slut you were for your second ex, hardly bothered about my existence and feeding me. I cook, clean, and manage my expenses. I am more woman than you've ever been and you will not have your say on my life again. You slap me, I slap you back harder. I ain't your daughter and I don't wish to live as the 'daughter of a slut'. I would prefer living as 'the daughter of a heartbroken gentleman' instead. I know you only had me living till now because your eyes were on this property. But I have taken full custody of it with some help. So GET OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I CALL THE COPS!!"

Utter silence. I made my point clear with the slap I gave her and the words I spat. The man hardly cared if she was being embarrassed by me or not. He was simply enjoying the drama since he too was tired of putting up with her I believe. Opening the door wide open, I grab hold onto the suitcase of my stepmother and throw it out into the muddy pothole. I was done with putting a good girl façade in front of her. Grabbing hold of her neck and bending her low, I drag her and shove her out to the road, her clothes soiled from the puddle. That night, the moon shone brightly on the scars that were inflicted on me by that woman, both physically and emotionally. Each ray of moonlight provided me with the strength to face the cruel world out there, the cruel world that tortured me every night with abuse just to grab hold of my house. I was finally free from that evil woman's shackles. I turned around to see the man standing, a hint of fear shone in those ivory eyes of his.

"I believe I have yet another reason to thank you... Samchon. I know it was a LOT to endure, but it is a great thing that you were Appa's favorite little brother. After Omma passed away, he wanted to raise me in peace, but that bitch lured my poor appa into her clutches and killed him off with poison. When she discovered that all the property was written under my name, she took advantage of me. If it weren't for you, I would have almost lived a traumatized life with scars in places that I do not wish to talk about. I still don't understand how you had the stomach to put up with that... person. I am truly grateful to have you in my life."

"Don't think much about it Iseul. You have always been my favorite niece. After hyung took to his afterlife, I couldn't locate where you were living since she made sure to not let anyone get near you. If it wasn't for my wacko friends pushing me to join the stripper club with them, I wouldn't have found you nearly ra-- I should stop. Whatever it is, she's finally gone now. You scared me for a minute when you lashed out at her. It made me feel like I was the one who was getting screwed. As for the documents, they were safely submitted to the authorities responsible, along with evidence of her abusing you."

"Thank you so much samchon, it truly means a lot."

There was a pause, one that communicated none yet tons of emotions at once. On one hand, thoughts about all my trauma were flowing in, and on the other, the next steps to securing the future.

"I will stay in this house samchon. And before you say anything, this was my father's last gift to me. This is the only part of him that I can look after and be a part of. It is my right to choose and I choose to live in this very home, even if it is on my own. All I need to do is work part-time till I can finish my master's."

"So much maturity in just 17, you take after hyung. You aren't giving me a choice here, are you Iseul? *Sigh* I never thought I would use the law for this. But as your legal advisor, I do know what you mean. But that doesn't mean that my duties as an uncle are completed. Until you get married, I am your legal guardian. So I will cover the expenses for your college."

"But samchon-"

"No ifs or buts. You know me Iseul. Let me do my job and I won't irritate you much, ok? I may be a newly wedded man with a 3 months pregnant wife, but I will still check on you. Just call me if you need anything, ok? And don't feel shy to visit us. We always have room and time for you because you are our family Iseul."

A soft, worried smile. When was the last time I saw this? Maybe when Appa was worried when I went for my first chess contest. Maybe when he wiped off my tears while lying on his death bed. Letting out a sad yet loud sigh, I nod my head, signaling him to leave. Just as he walked out the door, he looked back at me.

"You know Iseul, I understand that men have nearly tormented you in ways no woman should be tormented. But not all men are alike."

"I know because you and the soon-to-be-son are the only exceptions. The rest... monsters."

"They are not, trust me on this. Someday you will find the right man for yourself, one who truly appreciates, respects, and loves you for who you are. You only need to be open enough to look and understand."

"Waaa! You've already started proving that you're my samchon!" I let out a laugh.

"Maybe someday I will see and understand what you're telling me. But until that day comes, I won't be able to change the fact that all flirts look for is one thing only: A casual hook-up that they can get away from once they are done with their pleasurable time. No love whatsoever..."

Aloha! Quite a dark start, isn't it? It is 2 in the morning as I finish this cuz it just came into my mind and I just felt like letting those creative juices flow on this via Inkitt. It's my first story here and my first full-fledged romance fanfic. I hope you come to like this. I may or may not update this on Wattpad, but for now, it is mostly Inkitt.

Be sure to save this story to get notified whenever I update this story. A humble request that no one spreads toxicity and hate in the comments. Spread love, Borahae💜

The first episode will be released on December last week, 2023.