All characters described in this story are 18 years old or older and this is entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real life people are purely coincidental and unrelated.
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[CHAPTER 1]
David was what some people would call a blessed man, someone irrationally lucky in life, someone that had to put very little effort or hit the jackpot in every situation possible to climb the ladder. From a simple store clerk to a physics professor at the Bristol University Of Natural Sciences, a three story house and enough savings to retire at the ripe age of forty five if he wanted to. David of course, did not let this streak of good luck go unnoticed, he used every chance he could and the more successes began piling, the more his confidence grew as an upstanding man. He kept in good shape for his age, well-groomed and possibly indistinguishable from someone ten years younger perhaps.
Likewise, he had no reservations in sharing his fortune, volunteering, donating, helping out wherever he could, even sometimes where it might lead to his detriment, he believed that part of his good karma came from doing good deeds in the first place. Like for example that dull and exhausting day at work, where he was all packed up in his car in the parking lot ready to go home when rain started pouring just as he turned on the engine. He flipped on the windshield wipers and had a good look around to make sure no one was in the way as everyone started running for cover from the rain or to their cars.
On the way out of the parking lot, which passed at the university’s south wing entrance, he spotted one of his second-year students, Hyun Dong, a Vietnamese exchange student, one of his better ones, he thought, standing planked against the wall trying to get as much cover from an overhead slab of concrete as she could, clutching her laptop under her hoodie. He never gave her any look over during class but seeing her like this outside the classroom for a change he noted her attractive figure, she wasn’t curvy, but definitely fit and petite. Neat straight black hair and a slim but oval face, he thought. She definitely stood out from the average crowd around campus.
“Ms. Dong was it?” he stopped the car next to her and rolled down the window a bit, careful not to let the water in. “This doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon, why don’t you hop in I’ll give you a ride home if you’d like?”
“Mr. Osten!?” she wiped her glasses from the water to make sure it’s him. “Oh, it’s alright actually, I can grab a taxi but, my laptop. I don’t want get water in” her English still needed some work, he thought, but she’ll adjust quickly if she stays in the UK a bit longer.
“Nonsense Ms. Dong, it’s perfectly alright, I live on the other side of town so I’ll likely drive by your place it’s perfectly fine, go ahead climb in.”
Hyun wasn’t by any means a naïve girl, she was taught from a young age not to get in a car with strange men, especially anyone non family. But considering the lap-top she was holding took two years to save up and there were cameras at the entrance where they were after a few seconds of hesitation she ran through the university lawn and climbed in next to David.
“Thank you Mr. Osten, I’m sorry if this delay your trip home a little, I’m just really worried about my computer” she rolled it around in her hands to make sure it didn’t get wet.
“It’s quite alright, no issue at all Ms. Dong. My God, you’re soaked! I better hurry. You’ve been here for about three months since the semester began right?”
“Yes, three or four I arrived one month early.” She said while trying to dry her hair with her sleeves.
“Yeah, you’ll get used to the weather here, trust me never go anywhere without either a car or an umbrella no matter what the sky looks like. It’s tricky in this part of the world.”
“I will remember that, thank you.” She gave him a warm smile through the shivers.
The address she gave him was a bit far from his house but he made a commitment, the university, her apartment and his home were actually all on almost equally opposing ends of the city. They didn’t speak much on the way, David assumed she was just shy and didn’t have many friends here to loosen up. The downpour became much worse as they got nearer to her place. It was almost a thunderstorm, and to think the forecast predicted sunny but windy that very same morning.
“Alright, this should be it right?” he looked up in front of the building where they parked.
“Yes, this second one, again thank you very much Mr. Osten, I’m really sorry, let me pay you please for petrol” she started opening her purse.
“Noo, please, Ms. Dong it’s perfectly fine trust me. Bristol isn’t that big really it’s just a small detour for me.” He pushed the purse away.
“Oh, I’m not sure, what is custom here, like at home we always pay when friend, I mean or professor, but professor never takes you home, I mean…” she realized she mumbled into a corner not sure how not to offend him.
“It’s perfectly fine I know what you mean, and I’m glad my students consider me like a friend don’t worry you didn’t say anything bad. I’m just trying to help believe me it’s alright. Especially someone new around here could use all the help they can get.”
He noticed her face turn a bit sour at that last sentence, like any hope of a friendly relationship died there, did she get offended? He thought, or did she not understand what I was trying to say?
“I mean,” he continued “it’s normal, students who come from abroad have a tough time adjusting because it’s not that big of a city and they usually come alone here. It’s hard to pick up on the local slang and customs initially, I know…”
“It’s not that Mr. Osten, It’s just…I don’t know if I did the right thing to come here…” she lunged back in her seat. “I’m not sure if I should even be asking you this.”
“It’s alright, you can ask me anything I’d be glad to explain, that’s what educators are for after all.”
“I’m not lonely, I talk to family often, and my studies are going good…”
“Yes I can see that, you’re actually among the better half of my students.”
“Thank you, but that doesn’t worry me, just that, maybe was not such a good idea to leave Vietnam, I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Do you mean to say, homesick?”
“In a way yes, but more about what I did every day. Here all I do is study, home, chores, study, home. This place, people are cold, everything is so… I think plastic, like hard-to-find fresh good food, or warm restaurants and shops, everything is so… cold.”
“I think I know what you’re referring to, commercial, everything is just made to get as much money out of you, no soul.”
“Something like that yes, sorry, my English is still new.”
“That’s alright, it’s actually very good for someone new here. You’ll be better after
you make some friends, these things take time. If you have trouble adjusting and socializing though you can freely join me for breakfast or coffee in the library café in the east wing. My table is always open to students there for any reason.”
“Thank you, but isn’t that a little weird? I mean from me, like students see me with professor, they will think I want better grades.”
“Oh no no, nothing like that don’t worry. I meant if you feel down like this, we try to make every student feel great about studying here, part of the marketing of course but I do enjoy socializing with people that don’t blabber on about science all the time like my colleagues. It’s nice to chat about other things at work sometimes.”
David’s phone rang at that moment and cut him off from what he was trying to say. It was his wife, Hyun couldn’t pick up on what she was saying, but it was obvious she was angry and screaming. David only responded with short affirmative answers trying to calm her down, something about groceries, or being late, Hyun thought she overheard.
“Alright dear, yes, don’t worry I’m actually just on my way…” he put the phone down “…I’m, sorry you had to hear that.”
“I didn’t hear almost anything, it’s alright”
“Yeah, if a tree falls and no one’s around to hear it, it never fell…” he knew she did but she was picking up on local customs fast apparently, he thought, look the other way if it’s not your business.
She picked up on the joke and smiled. She was about to exit the car and put her hoodie cap on, but the instinct took hold of her, David was really sweet to her, she felt a bit of warmth after three months of trying to survive here through the bureaucracy and constant running around. He acted something like a fatherly figure towards her in that short exchange, like someone she can lean on and trust, she thought. Hyun leaned forward while clutching her laptop unconsciously, she tried to give him a short peck before heading out, as a mere way of saying thank you. She’d been like that back home, affectionate and touchy with everyone. But not everything went according to plan. As she came within a thumbnail away from his cheek, David was about to ask her if she liked to loan his umbrella, he turned slightly toward her. And while the kiss didn’t land directly on the lips, it was almost half way towards the target.
“Oh no…” she pulled back in shock. “I, I’m sorry, I didn’t, was thinking…”
“Oh… it was just a silly mistake dear don’t worry I…”
She didn’t wait for him to finish and this time launched for the full kiss, wrapping her arms around him. After a hard lip press, he pushed her back, carefully not to harm her.
“Stop!” his voice raised by a notch.
They sat in silence for almost a minute, both trying to adjust to the high pressure inside the car. Hyun felt her cheeks fill with infernally hot blood. She felt the walls of life crumbling around her, what had she done? Why couldn’t she ever in life control impulses like this, she wondered.
David wasn’t as much in shock as he was in panic. The trifold impending catastrophe, kissing a student alone in his car at her address, cheating on his wife, seducing a woman more than twice his age. This could ruin his professional, personal, and social life all at the same time if word ever got out. But again, he thought, luck was on his side as he looked at Hyun, she appeared to be in a complete mental shut down. Perhaps there was still a way out, to calm her down.
“Look, Ms. Dong, whatever just happened…” he turned around her, only to see her fumbling with the door handle as if she was in the car with an invisible monster, or was the monster himself, he wondered. Before he could continue, she was already one foot out, clutching her lap-top and running towards the entrance of the building.
“…Fuck!” he thought, and laid his forehead on the steering wheel.
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/wqafq4/the_taming_of_hyun_m_45f