"Does it ever happen to you that you are attracted to someone you shouldn't be attracted to? Or someone you don't even like? Like, it is just like an urge. Although they make you go crazy, still you want to be around them. You don't like them, but you want to touch them. Everything about them irritates you, but you want to feel them. Their presence annoys you, but their absences ache." .... Oscar Monet is a young and famous model/actor. He is insanely good-looking and talented. He has a huge fan following, mainly consisting of girls. He is hardworking, but he is hard to work with. Many people have trouble working with him, but his popularity always forces everyone to make peace with his rudeness. But no one knows what trouble Oscar. No one ever tries to find out what makes him so rude and hurtful. No one knows about Oscar's troubles. Enters Jasper Seong, presumably a straight man, who cannot stand Oscar, but slowly and surely he learns more about the troubled man and soon line starts to get blurred for him. He never found a man attractive. He never had feelings for a man before. He doesn't think he still feels for any other man, but Oscar. There is something about him that pulls Jasper towards him.
Chapter 1 Meeting The Troublemaker
Jasper saw it with his own eyes. He would have not believed the rumors completely if he hadn't seen Oscar Monet empty the glass of water over the head of his own agent. "Oscar!" His manager, Kevin, shrieked and got up from the couch. Jasper sits stunned, Oscar chuckles, and Kevin glares at his client. So, the rumors were true – Jasper thought. "You have issues, Oscar!" Kevin snaps at grinning Oscar.
Jasper rapidly blinks and stands on his feet. He quickly draws a few tissue papers from the box and passes them on the poor agent of Oscar's – who was now wet from the water Oscar threw at him. Kevin politely thank Jasper before he wipes his face and head, while Jasper turns to look at the young man gloating at his childish acts. "That was not funny," Jasper comments sternly.
Jasper doesn't like bullies. He hates them. Especially the type of bullies who think they are better than everyone else. Mr. Howard is Oscar Monet's employee – he has been with him since the day he got his first modeling job – how can one be so cruel to their loyal employee? To hell with the loyalty – how can someone be so cruel to anyone?!
Oscar averts his eyes from his annoyed manager to the man he came here to meet – Jasper Seong, or as Kevin earlier addressed as Mr. Seong. Oscar tilted his head and get on his feet. He slowly approaches Jasper, who stands tall in front of him. If someone compares the two men standing in front of them, they both look polar opposite.
Jasper Seong is half-Korean, so his slit eyes, high cheekbones, dark hair, warmer skin tone, and brown eyes set him apart from Oscar, who is a typical white boy with blue eyes, blonde hair, pale skin with freckles on them. Also, Jasper is taller than Oscar – maybe a few inches over him – but not too tall. Oscar is 176 cm, Jasper might be 185 cm or maybe more – Oscar couldn't tell properly.
Their sense of dressing also puts them apart. Jasper wears a plain white formal shirt, with a couple of buttons of his shirt undone along with grey pants. His clothes don't seem to have any crease on them. They were clean and properly pressed. Jasper Seong seems like an organized man, that he is. Where else, Oscar is wearing a dirty black t-shirt with faded and ripped black jeans. He doesn't even know if the clothes he is wearing are clean or not – he sure didn't get them ironed. His shirt was crumpled.
Jasper doesn't have a single piece of jewelry on him, he only wears a watch on his right wrist – it gives away that Mr. Seong is left-handed. On the other hand, Oscar has his ears pierced. He has a few bracelets on his wrists and a chain around his neck. These two men are different like night and day.
Oscar stops merely a foot away from Jasper, "I thought it was funny," He shrugs with a smirk. These two men don't just look different but behave differently as well. Even when Oscar is 22 years old, he sure acts like a teenager, whereas Jasper acts like an adult – that he is, although his best friends think he acts a little too mature for a 30-year-old. His best friend thinks he has turned grumpy at a relatively young age, he doesn't believe so.
Jasper didn't smile back at Oscar nor did he speak a single word to him, instead he averts his eyes back to Kevin, who was still trying to wipe his clothes dry, "Mr. Howard, is there anything you need?" Jasper focused on the poor manager, while he completely ignored the brat standing in front of him.
Kevin looks at Jasper and smiles, "Oh no, Mr. Seong, I am okay. We should continue with this meeting. Oscar has a photo shoot for a magazine at noon," Kevin informed Jasper, who simply nodded his head and looked back at Oscar, who was already looking at Jasper's face. He was squinting his eyes at the writer of the series he will be staring in as a lead actor.
Jasper heaved a sigh and after only sparing the brat a glance, he waves his hand towards his desk, "Please, have a seat, Mr. Howard." He then averted his gaze to Oscar, "You too, Mr. Monet." He added.
Oscar chuckles, "Call me Oscar," He suggests. Jasper slowly blinks before he curls his lips into a small fake smile, "I prefer Mr. Monet." He replied. Oscar let out a chuckle as he tilts his head and smirked. He was going to have fun working with Mr. Seong.
Jasper Seong is an acclaimed writer. He has written two bestseller novels, one of which is critically acclaimed and has been adapted for an Oscar-winning movie. He found his success pretty early in his life, which he is thankful for, but he didn't just get it from nowhere. Jasper worked for it. His late father taught him to work hard and make something of himself and he believes in it. He worked hard since he was in school. He took part in writing competitions, wrote plays at school, and went to study literature at one of the leading schools in The States. He got a chance to publish his first book when he was twenty-one, but it only proved to be a minor hit.
The second book he wrote was one of the bestsellers and the third book he wrote was not only a bestseller but it was adapted in a movie and won Oscar for it. Jasper has been finding success after success after it. He finally got a chance to work with big names as the screenplay writer and he was very excited about it up until he met Oscar Monet. He doesn't think he will be enjoying this as much as he believed he would now that he witnessed that the rumors were true – Oscar Monet is a trouble maker.
...
"I hate him!" Jasper slammed his beer bottle over the counter – earning glances from the bartender and the other pub regulars around. Orla chuckled and put her hand on Jasper's forearm. She smiled at the bartender who was grinning at Jasper as well before she looked back at him, "How can you hate someone after one brief meeting?" She asked amusingly.
Orla and Jasper know each other since they were in school. They dated in high school for a few months, but it didn't work out. They both realized that they were better friends than lovers, so they mutually broke off and have been best friends since. Orla works in a marketing agency – she is very successful in her field. She is a woman that everyone would love to have around. She is bold, confident, insanely beautiful, successful and a kind person. Tonight, she didn't feel like coming to the pub, but when Jasper said he wanted to see him – she agreed.
Orla came straight from work. She was still wearing the white blouse and black pencil skirt that she wore to work this morning. Her long red hair was tied in an elegant bun. Her lips were covered in red lipstick – she often wears dark shades. She didn't have much make on her face otherwise – one could see the freckles on her face. They make her look even prettier.
Jasper take another swing of the beer and nodded, "Yes, you can. You absolutely can if that someone is Oscar Monet. He is a brat, I am telling you. I don't know why he is so famous! He has no work ethic. I don't think I can work with him." Jasper rambled.
Orla rolled her eyes and rest her elbow on the counter before placing her chin on her palm. She let out a dreamy sigh, "Oscar Monet is famous because of three reasons," She spoke – earning a glare from Jasper. She grinned and continued, "One, his extra-ordinary looks. Two, his hard work – I mean, he is a decent actor and a model. And three, his body." She sighed – earning a scoff from Jasper. "My theory is that God took his special time to sculptor that beauty. I refuse to believe two ordinary humans made him. Have you seen his face and that body? My God," She fanned her face. Jasper rolled his eyes and lowly groaned.
"Stop it, will you? I am going to puke." He mumbled as he rubs his forehead.
The bartender – who is also the owner of the pub, Dexter, who is Jasper and Orla's friend, walked to them after attending a regular. He leaned against the counter by placing his forearms on it. "What is troubling Mr. Bigshot Writer now?" He asked Orla who grinned, "Oscar Monet got on his nerves," Orla answered.
Dexter has known Orla and Jasper since school as well. Jasper and Dexter's friendship comes a long way. They knew each other way before Orla came into the picture. Dex, Jasper, and Orla have been best friends forever. He owns several restaurants around the country, but his heart is in this pub that belonged to his father. Dexter spend a lot of his teenage and young adulthood in this pub – working alongside his father. After his father passed, Dex has put his heart in soul in this place. He comes here and bartenders often a week.
Dexter is a typical bad boy. He has always been. He likes to flirt a lot. He never had a stable relationship and he is fine with that. With his good looks, he doesn't find it problematic to find a partner. He is tall, handsome, rich, and friendly – it is easy for him to have anyone he wants. He doesn't prefer a gender – he would flirt and sleep with women as much as he did with men. But not once did he feel anything for either of his best friends.
Dex scoffed, "Everybody gets on his nerves, tell me something new." He said – shaking his head. Jasper looked at his friend, "That man child is a nightmare to work with." He replied.
Dex chuckled, "What did that man child do to make you feel so irritated?" He asked.
"First that idiot threw a full glass of water over his manager's head," Jasper told his friend – both of them glanced at each other and raised their eyebrows, "But why?" Orla asked.
Jasper let out a dry chuckle, "Just because," He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Then when we were discussing the script – he had a problem with every other scene. That asshole even said that he was going to talk to the director to alter those scenes and he is already so powerful that as soon as he left, I got a call from the director asking me if I work on those specific parts. Can you believe that man?! I mean, if you have a problem with my writing – why did you even agree to work on this project? It is not like today was the first time he was hearing the plot. That bastard!" He slammed his hand over the counter – attracting more eyes on him.
Dex twisted his mouth and stood straight, "Yikes, he seemed a bit troubled." He commented.
Jasper heaved a sigh and shook his head, "He IS a trouble," He replied.
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