“HE REALLY looks like Rowan…” Joanna mumbled as she went down the stairs and found the man sitting on the dining. His wet wavy jet-black hair only added spice in his gorgeousness. “Just like how I made him to look-like with wet hair.”

The man suddenly shifted his gaze to her. Joanna’s heart almost skipped a beat when their eyes met. She caught her chest. Now she knew the real feeling when being shot with those expressive eyes of the male second lead. Joanna started to question herself why she made such an attractive second lead.

“Can I have the towel now?” he asked. His voice was deep and full. “I’m freezin’ cold.”

Joanna blinked twice. “Oh, sorry,” she said and gave the towel to him. “I-I just can’t believe that I let a stranger entered my house.”

“I’m not a stranger if you’re Hana Jo,” he said casually. “And I’m sure that you are her.”

Joanna pressed her lips together. She doesn’t know if she’ll tell him that she’s indeed the writer that he’s looking for. “Why are you looking for Hana Jo?”

The man started to dry his hair using the towel that she gave him. “I will tell you if you are Hana Jo,” he said and suddenly took off his uniform.

Joanna gasped in surprised. “Hey! W-what are you doing?”

“My clothes are soaked in the rain. If I didn’t change, I might catch a cold,” he said, pulled off his uniform and gave to her. “Do you have spare clothes?”

She looked at his leaned body in wide-eyes. Joanna already knew that Rowan has a nice body because she created him to be almost perfect, but she didn’t expect that this is how he looked like in person. He’s damn hot!

“You reminded me of Amelia with that reaction,” he said and chuckled. “Do you want to touch it?”

Joanna’s brows furrowed. She’s curious how a fictional character’s body felt like, but they’re created as a human in the story. Then, there’s no difference with all the aspects of the people in the real world.

“You really looked real…” she said unwarily. “If you came from the book then you should be looked like a paper doll.”

Rowan knotted his forehead at her. “I didn’t know that the writer thinks that way.”

“I am not the writer,” she denied. “I-I’m also a reader of Hana Jo…”

“I don’t believe you,” he said and looked straight in her eyes. “I can see in your eyes that you are Hana Jo.” He pulled her arm. “And, you’re the only person that could help me in this world of yours. You created me, I am your responsibility.”

Joanna pulled her hand back from him. “Why are you sure that I am Hana Jo?”

“Because we shared the connections in our subconscious,” he said. “I know you are feeling this too. The moment that we met in the library earlier this morning, I felt something inside me that connects to you. As if there’s a link between us that sends messages to each other.”

She frowned at him. “Are you kidding me? I’m not feeling anything—”

“Then, why you fainted in the library? And, why did you go out in your house when the rain started to pour?” he asked continuously. “And why are you letting me talk to you inside your house with only the two of us?” He held her hand again, and Joanna once again felt dizzy as if a swirl of energy is pulling her down. “You’re feeling it too, right? The energy that is swirling between us—”

Joanna pulled free from him. She caught her head and glared at him. “I felt dizzy because you smelled like oak trees,” she said and looked away from his body. “And, I can’t focus because you’re topless in front of me. Mind if you’ll cover yourself with the towel?”

Rowan arched his brow. “You already knew how I look like. You created all of me in your imagination—”

“I can’t remember giving you that kind of attitude,” she said and looked away. “Did I also make you tease women?”

“Are you admitting now that you’re Hana Jo?” Rowan asked in a slow grin.

She covered her mouth. Did she also create him to be smart like this? Joanna can’t believe that she just let a fictional character outsmart her. She’s the writer, this fictional character should be following everything that she says.

Joanna heaved a sigh. “Yes, I am Hana Jo, the writer of the story where you came from. I’m your creator, so, therefore, you should follow my rules.”

But Rowan just smirked. “Not anymore,” he said. “I am under your control inside the book, but now that I made myself out of the story, you’re no longer have the control on me.”

“Then, I will not help you,” she said and propped her hands on her waist “By the way, where is the book?”

Rowan took out from his pocket the printed copy of Sorrowful Kiss. Joanna took the book from him and opened its pages. This is the first time that she saw and held her own published book, and the feeling is surreal.

“It didn’t get wet?” Joanna asked while touching the pages. “Does the paper that they used in printing is waterproof? And, where did you get this?”

Rowan shrugged his shoulders. “When I opened my eyes, I saw that book beside me.”

Joanna remembered that she saw the book in the Atlas section. Atlas is a book of maps, countries and continents, then she accidentally found it there. “Do you remember how did you end up here?”

Rowan’s brows slightly furrowed as he tried to remember how he travelled in the real world. “As far as I can remember, I was looking for an Atlas book in the school library. Then, I saw a misplaced book on upper shelves, when I touched it, the lights went out and lit again after seconds. I thought I’m still in our library because the shelves in your workplace look like in school...” He paused. “Then, I saw people in civilian clothing which weren’t allowed in school. Then, I found you.”

“You said that you found this book beside you when the lights went back, then how did it end up in Philip’s borrowed books?” Joanna asked, still not convinced with everything that he said. “And, why are you looking for an Atlas?”

Rowan took the book from her hand, but she snatched it back again. “That’s what you did,” he said, pointing at her hand. “You snatched the different book from my hand instead of the one that almost fell on your head if I didn’t catch it.”

Joanna pursed her lips. “It was Philip’s fault.”

“And, I’m looking for an Atlas because I’m planning to find you,” he said, without hesitation. “I want to see you and asked you to change the whole story.”

“What?” she laughed and shook her head. “Now, that’s ridiculous. Maybe, Che’s right. You are one of my mad readers. You’re just pretending to be Rowan, and you just printed this book to make me believe you—”

Rowan hooked his hand on her neck and kissed her lips. The book on Joanna’s hand fell opened on the floor loudly, and the pages started to glow brightly.

***