When I was a child, the world seemed small and manageable. My universe was confined to my family, school, and a few friends. We never ventured far from home, content in the safety of our predictable little world. But as I grew into my teenage years, I began to feel the pull of something larger—an insistent need to break free from the confines of that safe, small existence. My father, however, saw this as a threat.

He responded with rules—long, suffocating lists of them.
I couldn’t stay out as late as my friends.
I couldn’t wear certain clothes.
I couldn’t have a boyfriend.
The restrictions went on, carving deeper lines around the boundaries of my life.

At first, I resented these rules. They weren’t meant to protect me; they felt like a cage. The pain of being trapped far outweighed any punishment I might receive for pushing against those bars. So, I did. I discovered that the sting of a slap or the bite of a belt wasn’t as bad as the ache of isolation.

Nothing could keep me locked up after that. Fear no longer had a place in me.
When I got caught misbehaving, I’d endure the punishments with defiance.
When my father grounded me, I climbed out the window.
When he locked the window, I learned to pick the lock on my door.
Night after night, I slipped out into the freedom of a world that didn’t care if I followed the rules.

My rebellion found a home among friends who, like me, didn’t fit in anywhere else. We were all searching for something—a purpose, a thrill, or just a reason to keep going. We found it in the chaos we created. Fighting kids from other schools, bullying anyone we deemed “deserving.” I justified it by convincing myself that the people we hurt were bad, that they had earned it. The fights gave me something I craved—a release, a fleeting sense of control. And I was good at it. Though tall and skinny, I was quick and scrappy, and over time I learned how to hold my own.

Then, one day, I lost.

I was sixteen when it happened. We picked a fight with a group of older kids, and it didn’t take long for things to spiral out of control. We were outnumbered. I was holding my own until one of them pulled a knife. Even the best fighter can’t beat a blade with bare hands. I don’t remember the pain of the stab wound; all I remember is the heat of the blood pouring out of me, the stunned expressions of my friends, and the chaos that followed.

I remember my mom’s tears. But what shook me most was seeing my father cry for the first time, sitting beside my hospital bed. He wasn’t the immovable, unshakable man I had always seen him as. He was scared. I realized then that his rules, no matter how harsh they felt, were his way of trying to protect me. He didn’t know another way to show he cared.

When I recovered, I decided to change. The brush with death and the sight of my father’s tears had shifted something in me. I wanted to take control of my life, but on my terms this time. I dropped the fights and started taking school seriously. My father loosened his grip, but I created my own boundaries. I kept my emotions tightly in check, pushing forward with quiet determination. Still, I missed the adrenaline—the raw, primal energy that fighting had given me.

I found my outlet in martial arts. By chance, I stumbled upon a jiu-jitsu class at school and joined the team. It wasn’t just about the fighting; it was about discipline, strategy, and the rush of testing my limits. I poured everything into it, and it became my salvation.

After graduating, my jiu-jitsu instructor helped me land my first job as a bodyguard. The role fit me like a glove. I was calm under pressure, good at following orders, and skilled at de-escalating situations. Most importantly, I knew how to stand my ground without letting emotions cloud my judgment.

It was through that work that I stumbled into the music industry. A client referred me for a manager-in-training position, and I decided to take the chance. It was a new challenge, a way to step out of my comfort zone. Eventually, I ended up managing LuminX, though it wasn’t part of the original plan.

My first day on the job, King and Idol nearly came to blows during a heated argument. I stepped in and stopped them, pinning both before they could land a punch. They cursed me out, but I didn’t flinch. Compared to the fights I’d been in before, their tantrum was nothing more than two kittens pawing at me. That incident probably sealed my place as their manager. No one else wanted to handle them, but I could.

Looking back, it feels like fate. The same fire that once burned to escape my small world had carried me here, to a life I couldn’t have imagined when I was younger.

The first time I met Pink was at her birthday party, and the encounter completely caught me off guard. I never expected someone to look at me the way she did—like I was the center of her world. It felt surreal, almost delusional, how deeply she believed she loved me, even from the start. But her confidence, the way she embraced who she was without apology or fear of judgment, was something I couldn’t ignore. She was endearing in a way that felt disarming.

After the party, I drove her home and made sure she got to bed safely. That’s when it happened for the first time—Pink slipped right past my defenses and stole a kiss. It wasn’t the kiss itself that shocked me, but the fact that it had happened at all. I’d spent years building walls, keeping everyone at arm’s length. No one had ever managed to bypass them. Yet, this tiny, drunken girl had done it effortlessly.

The next day, as I processed the whirlwind of the night before, I noticed another thing: I’d given her my phone number. For the first time, someone had truly gotten through.

A loud thud echoed through the room as a body hit the floor hard, followed by the rustle of fabric as another body pinned it down.
A sharp tap on the mat signaled resignation. We both sat up, facing each other.

“You could at least let me win once in a while,” Day grumbled, rubbing his wrist where I’d just pinned him.

“If I let you win, you’d get a false sense of security,” I teased, breathless from the effort of taking down someone bigger than me.

“One day, I’ll beat you!” he declared, a surprising amount of determination in his voice.

“Not until you learn to stay calm when you fight,” I replied, slapping his thigh lightly to signal it was time to get up and try again.

Before we could continue, two figures appeared in the doorway.

“Idol said you were here,” Pink announced cheerfully, holding up a bag of food. “He kidnapped Song, so we thought you might be hungry instead!”

“I’m starving!” Day exclaimed, clearly relieved to avoid more practice. He was already at their side, rummaging through the bags of food and directing his questions at Big.

Big, as usual, was stoic and quiet, only speaking when necessary—an interesting contrast to Pink, who never seemed to stop talking. The room buzzed with their chatter as I instinctively withdrew to the side, out of the spotlight as always. I’d grown accustomed to being in the background while the boys absorbed all the attention. It was second nature to blend into the shadows.

But Pink always seemed to find me, no matter where I stood or how far I pulled away. It was uncanny, as if she had a sixth sense for my presence. For someone used to being invisible, it was unsettling to be noticed so thoroughly.

“Here,” she said, holding out a bag of food. Her tone was light, casual, but her eyes met mine with an intensity that was impossible to ignore.

I slowly wiped the sweat from my neck with a towel, glancing at the two boys behind her. They were busy chattering, oblivious to anyone else in the room. Something about their dynamic felt different, and I made a mental note to keep an eye on Day going forward.

“I can feed you if you want!” Pink’s sudden offer jolted me out of my thoughts. Startled, I snatched the bag from her hand, heat rising to my face.

“What kind of thing is that to say?” I muttered, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at her smug grin.

“You’re very straightforward,” I added, trying to regain my composure. She had a way of throwing me completely off balance, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“There’s no point in pursuing you if I’m not clear about my intentions,” she said matter-of-factly, without a hint of hesitation.

The logic in her statement was undeniable, but my brain barely registered it as blood rushed to my face. Was this... flirting? I wasn’t new to being hit on, but it had never interested me before. It always felt like a waste of time.

Yet with Pink, it was different. She wasn’t just flirting—she was dismantling my carefully constructed walls, piece by piece. And for the first time, I didn’t know how to respond.

The food Pink had brought was surprisingly good, but it was hard to enjoy with her constant gaze fixed on me. Every time I glanced over, she was already watching, her attention unwavering. It made my stomach twist in a way I couldn’t quite describe.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked, hoping to ease the awkwardness building inside me.

Her response was instantaneous. “The thing I’m in the mood for can’t be eaten here,” she quipped, her grin mischievous.

I nearly choked on my food. The implication hit me like a freight train, and the absurdity of the moment sent me into a coughing fit. Once I regained control of my airways, a burst of laughter escaped.

“You’re something else,” I chuckled, shaking my head as I wiped my mouth. How did someone like her manage to work her way into my life? She was unlike anyone I’d ever met, and I couldn’t decide if that was good or dangerous.

From across the room, I noticed both Day and Big staring at me. Day looked particularly stunned, his jaw practically on the floor. I immediately stopped laughing.

“What?” I asked, my voice defensive.

“I...” Day stammered, searching for words. “I’ve never heard you laugh like that.”

Pink, clearly unimpressed with the interruption, threw an empty water bottle at him. “What’s wrong with you? You’re ruining the moment!” she accused, her frustration exaggerated.

Day raised his hands in mock surrender, laughing as he dodged the bottle. “Sorry!” he said, grinning.

“Just ignore them,” Pink said, turning her focus back to me. Without warning, she grabbed my hands in hers, her small fingers curling around mine. It was then that I truly noticed how tiny she was. How could someone so small have such a big personality?

“Your laugh is so pretty,” she said softly, leaning closer until she was kneeling right in front of me. Her next words caught me completely off guard. “I so badly want to kiss you.”

My eyes widened at her sudden declaration, my heart hammering in my chest. Why wasn’t I pushing her away? I didn’t know her well enough to trust her, yet here she was, boldly bypassing every barrier I had.

“But I won’t—yet!” she added with a dramatic sigh, her disappointment almost playful. “I wish I knew how to fight so I could roll around on the floor with you like Day just did...”

“You know I’m a lot older than you,” I said, regaining some composure. I needed to establish some boundaries, some logic. There had to be a reason she shouldn’t be this interested in me.

“Barely!” she teased with a chuckle, dismissing my concern.

“I’m always busy taking care of the boys,” I continued, hoping to deter her. Relationships weren’t something I had time for, not with my work.

“There’s this amazing invention called a phone,” she shot back, her tone teasing. “Maybe you’re too old to have heard of it.”

I ignored her jab and tried again. “I’m a boring person.”

“I’m fun enough for both of us,” she countered without missing a beat.

“I rarely see my family...” I said, my voice trailing off.

“I never see mine,” she replied, her tone shifting slightly. There was an edge of bitterness in her voice that caught me off guard. I studied her face, searching for clues, but for once, her expression gave nothing away.

The silence hung heavy between us for a moment before she changed the subject abruptly. “Are you free this weekend? Go on a date with me!”

Her directness left me speechless. Did I really want to step into this unpredictable territory? My life was comfortable, predictable. I’d worked hard to build it that way. But comfort wasn’t the same as fulfillment, and I couldn’t deny the part of me that missed the thrill of taking risks.

“She is!” Day chimed in before I could answer.

I shot him a glare, but he pressed on. “Come on, you’re free, and you’ve been sitting here flirting with her! Just go on a date. What’s the harm?”

Pink turned to me, her eyes wide and pleading. She had no shame in enlisting help to get what she wanted, a trait that both amused and unnerved me.

“Fine...” I relented with a sigh.

The room erupted. Pink squealed in delight, Day smirked triumphantly, and Big looked on, his expression unreadable but curious. I finished the rest of my meal feeling more defeated than anything.

Next time Day and I sparred, I wouldn’t go so easy on him. He’d better be ready.