MANDIE bit her nails as she thought of ways to get Seungcheol out of her house. She had made up her mind; she wouldn't leave her own home. It was hers, and no one could force her out, not even with a high-profile lawyer or a wealthy family supporting Seungcheol. She didn't care; she would fight for her home. Now, she was going to take steps to make him leave.

She returned her belongings to her room. Seungcheol did nothing but grit his teeth; he slept in the other room. He didn't back down, and neither did she. The strong one would prevail between the two of them.

She smiled as an idea entered her mind. Quickly, she got up and went downstairs. The kitchen was quiet, and so was the living room.

"Where could it be?" she wondered aloud. "Maybe he decided to leave... but no," she shook her head. He was just as stubborn about leaving the house as she was. It was a battle of wills.

She went to the backyard, grabbed a jar, and started collecting the insects that swarmed the wall. She didn't mind getting bitten by them. What mattered was finding a way to drive Seungcheol away.

When she finished, she went back inside. She headed to the bathroom. As she suspected, he was taking a shower; it was the perfect opportunity. She saw his towel hanging there. Swiftly, she took it and poured the contents of the jar onto it.

The sound of water stopped. She quickly put the towel back in place and hurriedly left the scene.

She went to the kitchen and grabbed something to eat. She sat down and was about to lift her cup of coffee when she heard a loud scream.

"What did you do to my towel, you brat!" Seungcheol's voice was angry.

She turned to look at him, suppressing a burst of laughter at his appearance. He glared at her fiercely. He was wearing only boxer shorts, and she averted her gaze from the lower part of his body. His skin was covered in welts, and even his face was red with irritation.

"Why are you yelling?" she feigned innocence.

"Don't act innocent! You put ants in my towel!" he accused, not asking but judging her.

"Stop accusing me! I was just minding my own business here," she replied defensively.

"You're denying it! I checked the towel before using it," he said irritably. "Look what you've done to me," he added with emphasis.

She examined him; indeed, he was covered in welts. They were red and swollen due to his irritation.

"Maybe there were many ants in the towel rack," she joked. "Don't judge me without evidence."

"We'll see once I check the CCTV camera," he said with a grin. She stopped celebrating in her mind. Since when did her house have a CCTV camera? "And when I find out that you're responsible, Mandie Lee, you're in trouble."

She didn't back down, "Then go ahead and check your so-called camera, Choi Seungcheol," she mimicked him.

She gave him a sweet smile, and he refrained from lunging at her or causing harm. She continued sipping her coffee as he turned his back on her.

'One-zero in favor of Mandie Lee.'

She would succeed, and she could see that Seungcheol would leave her house.

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"BABE, why don't we start now? I'm very eager to take you," Seungcheol said.

Mandie covered her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. Seungcheol's women are really something else, they have sharp tongues.

She was getting fed up with this daily ordeal. He brought different women to the house, and all of them were taller than her. They were all so arrogant. Whenever these women saw her in the house, they would ask who she was, and Seungcheol would immediately lead them to believe that she was just a maid, a servant, a housekeeper. She endured their disrespect towards her beauty. Did she look like a maid? She knew he was just teasing her.

Every day they lived together in the house, there was no peace in her once quiet life. They always argued. She still couldn't forget the time he dirtied the whole house. He scattered all her belongings. Even though she was annoyed, she still tidied up and returned the house to its previous state. But it didn't end there; he went on to sprinkle powder on the stairs, causing her to slip and land on her butt.

She didn't back down. In retaliation, she turned his clothes into a rag that he would use for his modeling. He was furious at the time, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. She thought he might leave after that incident, but apparently not. He got even, bringing various women to the house. She had lost count of how many women had been in his room now. Whenever a new woman arrived, they would lock themselves in his room. She wondered what magic they were using.

And now, she wouldn't let these women dirty her home. She stood in front of the door, her ear pressed against it, listening to their conversation.

"Shhh... babe, we have to take it slow," Seungcheol said, and she tightened her grip on her mouth. She felt nauseous; she couldn't allow this! She needed to get back at him.

Her eyes widened when she heard moans. 'Yuckness!' She couldn't take it.

But she needed to take action. The woman had only come to the house now, and she hadn't left her room all day, busy with her plans. Now she was free to retaliate.

She stood up and forcefully opened the door.

Her mouth literally dropped at the scene she witnessed. It was part of her drama, just like the first time she saw Seungcheol. They stopped what they were doing and looked at her at the same time. But she was confused because they were just sitting on the bed. Or maybe they hadn't started yet. But she couldn't back down. She immediately continued with her drama.

"Who is she?" Seungcheol asked with sharp eyes. She saw him surprised by her appearance. She continued, "I leave for a moment, and you already have another woman in your arms?" she dramatized. She looked at the woman intently, "You! Don't you know you're fooling around with my husband?"

She saw the woman turn pale, and her acting seemed convincing. "Get out now if you don't want your skin to mix with mud," she threatened.

The woman lost her color, and paleness replaced it. She stumbled while putting on her shoes and hurriedly left the house.

Mandie and Seungcheol were left alone in the room. He turned to her and applauded.

"Nice acting, Mandie, you've done very well," he said with a wide smile.

Her forehead creased. What was he saying? Wouldn't he get angry because she ruined the mood again?

He stood up and approached her, and she involuntarily stepped back. She felt her back hit the door, there was no escape. Her heart raced rapidly. It felt like mice were chasing each other inside her chest. What was going on? Why was she feeling like this?

Seungcheol brought his face close to hers, and she could smell his sweet breath.

"Do you know, Mandie, that's what I like best about everything you do?" he said sweetly.

Their lips were just inches apart. Mandie couldn't move from her spot because she was afraid that any wrong move would ruin everything.

"Actually, I wanted to get rid of Chiara a while ago, but she insisted. Thanks to what you did, she finally left. And as a reward for your kindness to me," he said, bringing his face even closer.

Her mind went blank as Seungcheol kissed her lips. Mandie couldn't utter a word. She suddenly panicked. She didn't know whether to cling to Seungcheol or not.

"Push him away, Mandie, push him away," a part of her mind said.

But she couldn't do it. Her eyes closed on their own. Seungcheol's kiss was gentle, as if he was testing her. She felt a mix of emotions. Various emotions rushed through her.

She's nervous, ecstatic, and it feels so right. But wait a minute! Is she going crazy, letting her enemy kiss her?

"Gomawo, Mandie."

That brought her back to her senses. She opened her eyes and saw Seungcheol's smiling face. Her face turned red. What just happened? He kissed her! Realization suddenly hits her.

She pushed him away forcefully and gave him a strong kick.

"Awww!" he groaned, holding the hurt spot.

"You ruined my first kiss!" she shouted at him, realizing a bit too late what she said.

He looked up at her and grinned. "First kiss... I wasn't mistaken. You really don't know how to kiss."

Her eyes narrowed, and in frustration, she kicked him again. He yelped.

She turned away from him in intense embarrassment. "Mandie!" she heard him call after her. She went into the bathroom of her room and turned on the faucet. She grabbed some toothpaste and vigorously scrubbed her lips.

She was so annoyed. Why did she let Seungcheol kiss her? What if his lips still had some virus and she got infected? Seungcheol was her first kiss! He ruined her future! Her lips were no longer virgin. Frustrated, she grabbed more toothpaste and applied it to her lips. Even now, her heart was still beating fast.

"You're pretending, but deep down, you liked his kiss too," her mind said mockingly.

"I didn't like that Korean's kiss, okay!" she defended herself.

"Oh please, you even closed your eyes earlier," it countered.

"Huh!" she gritted her teeth, trying to rub off Seungcheol's kiss from her lips with her hands.

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MANDIE brushed away the leaves that covered her view. She was sitting amidst a variety of plants near the swimming pool. Her house had a small pool, and sometimes, when she wanted to relax, she would spend time there.

Now, she felt like a spy, hiding to get revenge on her enemy. She couldn't forget his kiss. He needed to pay for his audacity.

Her camera hung from her neck, and her plan was simple. She would take photos of him and spread them on the internet. She was sure that the public would feast on them. A supermodel... she giggled at the thought that formed in her mind.

She saw him standing near the pool, sipping juice. He was wearing only swimming trunks. She gulped; if before she saw him wearing boxer shorts, now it was even more revealing. Her face warmed up. Why was she even fantasizing about his ugly body?

He was engrossed in drinking juice, so he wouldn't notice or see the trap she had set. She had prepared her camera to capture him.

He put down the glass he was holding and walked. Mandie released a flash of the camera as he slipped on the side of the pool and plunged into the water.

Her camera movements were continuous. She left her hiding place to get a better angle, not minding if Seungcheol saw her.

"Mandie! Put down that camera!" he said loudly, covering his face with his hands.

She glared at him, "No way! Go ahead and strike more pose. I'm sure people will love my shots," she teased.

"Just wait until I get out of here. I'll get back at you for putting a banana peel in front of the pool," he said with gritted teeth.

"We're even now since I slipped on the powder you scattered around," she retorted.

"What! Put down your camera now! If I get scandalized because of those pictures, you'll see something you haven't seen before," he threatened.

She momentarily lowered the camera, "Oh, don't you want that? People will be delighted," she grinned. "Wow! My shots are amazing," she praised herself.

His eyes narrowed, "Just try to release those pictures." Because her was focused on her camera, she didn't notice that he was already surfaced from the water and getting closer to her.

She was taken aback when their eyes met. There goes her heart, beating rapidly again. Why did she feel this way? Ever since he kissed her, she couldn't get that kiss out of her mind.

"Let me see if you can still spread my pictures," she heard him say.

Because she was not in control of herself, he quickly grabbed the camera and placed it on the table.

She seemed to lose herself. She only came to her senses when he lifted her up. She felt his wet body against hers. She was sure her face was as red as a tomato. She felt a strange warmth. What was she saying?

She struggled and even tried to kick her feet. He didn't budge, and with a yell, she saw him jump into the water, taking her with him.

She immediately resurfaced and wiped her face with her hands. She heard his hearty laughter as he watched her.

She froze; the sound of his laughter was so pleasing to her ears. It was like music, full of life.

"That's good for you!" he said while laughing.

She couldn't help but laugh too. As revenge, she splashed water on him. He wasn't prepared for her retaliation, and he sank in the water.

"You think I won't retaliate?" she said with a mischievous smile. "Here's some more for you!" she splashed him again.

They were like children playing and frolicking in the water. They laughed as if nothing had happened.

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