Praise Me, Damn It—Wait No Stop!

She thought for a moment, piecing things together. Then, realization struck. With a loud Ah!, she shot to her feet, pointing a finger at him.

"Ashen—Ashen Hart! Don't tell me… you're the one Alice always talked about? The mysterious boyfriend she wouldn't stop praising? The reason she turned down every man who approached her, no matter how rich or handsome they were?"

Ash groaned and buried his face deeper in his palms. But his reddening ears betrayed his embarrassment.

'Alice! What did you blabber to this airhead…? When the hell did I become some kind of Adonis without my knowledge…?'

"...Yes, yes, I'm that Ashen. Please just stop…"

Seraphine grinned, thoroughly satisfied with his admission. "Well, now that I see you, I can understand where all the praise came from."

He let out a cynical chuckle. 

"That was a long time ago. I've had… let's just say complications. Did a lot of idiotic things. Disappointed a lot of people—Alice included." He exhaled, rubbing his face. 

"She stuck with me through all of it, but we finally broke up the night before we were kidnapped and brought here."

Seraphine's jaw almost dropped. She stared at him, trying to process his words. Ashen— that Ashen? The one Alice used to practically worship? Impossible.

"What?! No. This can't be right." She waved a hand in dismissal. "I know Alice. She would never leave her boyfriend, no matter what. I'm telling you, she's kind of obsessed with you. Even I, her best friend, get a little scared sometimes…"

Ashen just shook his head, his expression growing darker by the second.

Seraphine hesitated before lowering her voice. "...Just what did you do?"

He didn't answer right away. His fingers tightened around his cup, gaze locked onto the swirling liquid inside.

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

She sighed, leaning back into the couch. "No wonder Alice sounded so off the last time I talked to her. I called to consult her about that death contract we signed, but she sounded so drained… I didn't have the heart to bother her."

Ashen's eyes flicked toward her, something clicking in his mind. "...Wait. Don't tell me—you're that friend? The one she always talked about but never named?"

Seraphine blinked, then smirked. "Oh? Alice talked about me? That's surprising." She crossed her arms, huffing. 

"She's the jealous type, so I doubt she'd ever praise another woman in front of her boyfriend. Let me guess—she badmouthed me, didn't she? Hmph."

Ashen chuckled, shaking his head, still bewildered that there was such a connection between them and they had never noticed until now. 

"Not exactly. It was more like… amusement at your antics."

Seraphine furrowed her brows, thinking for a moment. Then, realization dawned on her, and her expression turned slightly awkward. "Oh."

Ashen's gaze softened as memories surfaced—memories of a time before everything spiraled out of control.

"She never told me your name, though. And I never pried since she clearly didn't want me to know. That's why I didn't realize it was you right away."

Seraphine leaned forward eagerly. "What did she say about me, anyway? C'mon, spill!"

Before he could react, she latched onto his shoulders, shaking him with a determined pout.

"Okay, okay! Calm down, I'll tell you—jeez!"

caught

As Seraphine flopped back onto the couch, Ashen cleared his throat before finally starting.

"...Ugh, what was it again…?"

Seraphine shot him a cute glare, and his memory instantly sharpened.

"Ah! Right. Sharp, ruthless, and always five steps ahead, she dominates boardrooms and closes deals with ease. Competitors fear her, clients respect her, and failure? Not in her vocabulary."

As Ashen spoke, Seraphine's nose lifted higher, and her grin stretched wider.

"Hum, hum." She hummed along, urging him to continue.

Unfortunately for her, his praise took an unexpected turn.

"But outside of work? That's where the chaos begins."

Seraphine's smile froze.

"She's a walking contradiction—graceful in business, an absolute disaster in everyday life." 

"She can navigate high-stakes negotiations blindfolded but somehow gets lost in parking garages." 

"She's effortlessly poised at a gala, yet spills coffee on her designer blouse the moment she steps outside." 

"She owns a closet full of heels she can't walk in and somehow manages to lock herself out of her own phone at least once a month."

"... And yet, she wears it all with confidence."

The more Ashen spoke, the redder Seraphine's face became.

She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look at him, mumbling, "Please stop…"

But Ashen was having none of it. Now that he had started, he wasn't stopping.

"Playful, unpredictable, and a little wicked, she loves the game—whether it's business, flirting, or pushing people's buttons just for fun." 

"She enjoys the chase, but keeping her interest? That's the real challenge."

"She's independent, untamed, and won't settle… unless someone proves they can handle her fire." 

"Until then, she'll keep running the world in heels she'll probably trip in…"

Seraphine could not take it anymore.

"Please… just STOP."

With both hands, she clamped his mouth shut.

When she peeked at him through one eye, she was met with an undeniably teasing expression—though it looked a little weird with her hands smushed against his face.

"Puh—Wahaha!!"

She lost it.

Throwing herself back onto the couch, she erupted into laughter, her giggles ringing out like wind chimes in a storm. 

Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she clutched her sides, gasping for breath between bursts of mirth.

Ashen just raised an eyebrow at the sight. "...At least one of us is having fun."

Seraphine shot him a playful glare.

"You can't blame me for laughing at you! This is your punishment for bullying me!"

"Haah. Who was the one who kept insisting on hearing everything? You're not allowed to complain now."

"Hmph. Bully."

"Yes, yes." Ashen shook his head at her antics.

Now, knowing she was the best friend Alice always talked about, things made a lot more sense.

More than that, though, a quiet resolve settled in his chest. 

Alice didn't have many people she was close to—aside from his family. Now that he knew Seraphine was one of those few, he would keep her safe. No matter what.

Glancing at the wall clock, he saw it was already past 10 PM.

"Alright, enough chatting. Let's get some sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow, and I really don't want to find out what kind of consequences they're talking about if we break the rules."

"Ri~~ght. Huam." Seraphine let out a yawn as she stood and stretched. "Time passed way too fast while we were talking. We should do this again sometime."

She headed toward the door, waving lazily over her shoulder.

"See ya tomorrow, Ash. And goodnight."

"...Sweet dreams."