Seven Years of Lies

I screamed at the top of my lungs as I plummeted down, my body slamming against rocks and tree branches. The impact was brutal, but somehow, I didn't stop falling until I landed on something— or rather, someone.

My eyes widened in shock as I realized I was on top of a man. His eyes were tightly shut, wincing in pain from the sudden impact of my fall. Just as I was about to move off him, his eyes fluttered open, only to be met by a heavy downpour of rain.

The rain hit him hard, forcing his eyes to close again, and I quickly seized the opportunity to scramble off him. My heart was racing and my hands were trembling as I tried to steady myself.

I scanned the ground desperately, searching for my veil, but it was nowhere to be found. So with no other option, I grabbed a large banana leaf, hoping it would serve to hide my hideous face and shield my shame.

"Don't look at me!" I shouted to the man as I took a slight step back.

"What the hell?" he muttered while standing up, holding his arm to check if the bone inside was fractured. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

He gazed at the sky, before eventually bowing down as the rain kissed his face.

Meanwhile, time seemed to slow down on my end as I scanned him from head to toe. He was incredibly tall, with a solid build that made him appear both strong and imposing. Then my face flushed a deeper shade of red when I realized he was shirtless, completely exposed to the rain.

Without any upper clothing, I had an unrestricted view of his chiseled six-pack abs and the intricate tattoo that adorned his broad chest, drawing my eyes to the sharp curves of his muscles and the patterns inked on his skin.

Swallowing, I looked away. "C-Can you please put on a shirt?"

I saw him raise a brow at me from my peripheral vision, then he slightly chuckled as he said, "Your nipples distract me the same way my abs do to you, but I didn't ask you to put on a bra."

My whole face burned with embarrassment, his words prompting my hands to frantically adjust the banana leaf to cover my chest as well.

"Pervert!" I shouted at the man, who just laughed at me again before turning utterly serious when he spoke.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

My throat went dry from his question, but I chose not to tell him the reason. "It's none of your business."

Silence lingered between us, with him raising a brow at me. It lasted so long that it became awkward, so I sighed and decided to shatter it.

"How about you?"

"Why would I tell you?" he retorted. "I'll just answer your question if you answer me first."

I glared at him, but then sighed again and nodded. "Fine. But we'll say it at the same time."

He didn't utter a word, but he nodded—then, when he did, we both answered in unison.

"I'm here to kill myself."

"I'm here to resurrect my lover."

Our eyes widened, both shocked at each other's words—speaking at the same time again.

"What?!"

The man paced back and forth, his palms pressed against his head as if I had slapped him. "What the hell are you thinking?"

I gasped dramatically. "No. What the hell are you thinking?!"

He stopped pacing to look at me. "Who told you that it's possible to resurrect the dead?"

Instead of answering, I walked closer to him—asking the same question, but in a different format. "Who told you to kill yourself?"

We fell into a staring competition as neither of us was willing to answer, until my eyes caught the rope on the tree behind him.

My heart dropped. He would've tied it around his neck if I hadn't fallen from nowhere…

"Gosh, you're so stupid." I stalked toward the rope, not noticing that I had abandoned the banana leaf—until I looked back at him and stumbled upon his wide eyes.

My whole body ran cold, unable to move for a second, before I rushed to smear mud on my face just to hide it.

"I know it's disgusting. You don't have to mention it," I whispered, my voice near cracking.

He blinked his eyes a lot of times. "W-What?"

"Stop looking!" I snapped. "My face is disgusting, and you're making me feel even worse by staring!"

He frowned. "Who told you it's disgusting?"

"No one needs to. It's obvious." Chuckling bitterly, I gasped sharply when he suddenly grabbed my waist and wiped off the mud from my face.

Our eyes locked—mine wide open, while his were filled with unknown emotions.

"It's not disgusting," he whispered. "Who did this to you?"

My breath hitched when his finger traced my scar, the cold from the rain instantly replaced by burning flames.

I swallowed hard. "I-I said it's none of your business."

Pulling away from him, I was about to run away when he yanked me back and crashed his lips into mine.

"Hmmmp!" I screamed against his mouth, then gathered all of my strength to push him away.

A loud crack cut through the rain when my palm struck his cheek, both of us panting heavily as I glared at him—but then something possessed me, and I grabbed his nape.

I jumped on his body and wrapped my legs around his hips, kissing him roughly. He quickly responded and pinned me against the tree, until my moans and his heavy panting replaced the whispers of the unknown creatures lurking on this mountain.