THE UNTAMED PLAYBOY

The New York morning dawned crisp and bright. Katon stirred, rising from the plush comfort of his Manhattan penthouse bed. Despite the previous night's brawl with six men, not a scratch marred his flawless skin.

With effortless grace, he rose and headed straight for his private gym. For Katon, a morning karate session was non-negotiable. This physical and mental discipline was his anchor, preparing him for whatever the day might throw his way.

After a quick warm-up, just as he was about to launch into an intense kata, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen – Alice. Without hesitation, he answered.

"Morning, Choco Girl! Am I so irresistible that you're missing me this early?" he teased, his voice warm. Alice didn't respond, her silence heavy.

"Katon, are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

He recognized that tone. He assumed she'd heard about the fight. Brad, her boyfriend, must have taken his anger out on her. A wave of concern washed over him.

"I'm fine, Alice. What about you? Something you want to talk about?" he asked, resuming his warm-up.

"C-can I come see you at your apartment? Is that okay?" she asked, her voice tight.

Katon paused, sensing her urgency. She needed protection. He shifted his focus to her.

"Please, Alice. Come over. My door's always open for you," he said firmly. She sighed, a hint of relief in her voice.

"I'll be there soon," she said, and hung up.

Katon ended the call, his plans shifting. He swapped his karate routine for a morning jog. He changed his clothes and left his apartment. The fresh air and his own nervous energy made him decide to run through Central Park. He left the building. There were three routes to Central Park and Katon decided to take the longest. The Central Park West Route.

He started running along the west side of Central Park, passing the historic buildings of the American Museum of Natural History. He headed west toward 8th Avenue, then turned north onto the city streets, crossing Columbus Circle towards Central Park West. Once he arrived at Central Park, Katon chose to run around the vast green park and lush trees.

Not long after he started jogging, Katon saw his best friend, Morgan Maxwell, sitting on a bench near the running path. Katon approached him with a look of surprise.

"Bro!" Morgan greeted, approaching Katon for an enthusiastic handshake. Morgan reminded Katon of their plan to climb Mount Everest, an adventure they had dreamed of for a long time.

"What are you doing here?" Katon asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Running, bro. What do you think?!"

"I don't know. Something's fishy? Hoboken, Central Park? Yeah, right!" Katon doubted Morgan's answer and was proven correct as Morgan laughed at Katon's words, questioning why Morgan, who lived in Hoboken, had to go as far as 4.1 miles to run in Central Park?

Katon decided to ignore his friend's presence near his apartment. "Rose called me yesterday, she wants me to come home to Indonesia at the end of this month," Katon said, catching his breath. "She wants me to attend her company's opening ceremony and my family misses me."

"Are you sure? Maybe they're baiting you so your dad can kick your ass!" Morgan retorted, matching his friend's sarcasm. Katon snorted and punched Morgan's shoulder, who chuckled in response.

"We'll have to cancel our Everest plan again, Morg," Katon said, adjusting his shoelaces.

Morgan nodded. "We weren't going to make it to the top anyway, we were just going to have fun and chase women. So, if you want to cancel, no problem."

Katon and Morgan continued their jog through Central Park. They were a striking pair, nearly identical in height. Morgan was the same height as Katon, 187 centimeters. However, Morgan's build was slightly larger. Morgan could have passed for a US Navy SEAL, except for his slightly long hair that gave him a rakish look.

After their jog, Morgan followed Katon back to his apartment. Katon had already guessed that Morgan had spent the night with a woman somewhere in Manhattan and was now too lazy to go home. He preferred to crash at Katon's.

"Damn it," Katon muttered, crossing the living room.

"Who? You?" Morgan asked, following him. Katon snorted, ignoring his friend as he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his muscular back.

"Woohoo! What's this? Someone had a party last night?" Morgan teased, poking Katon's bruised shoulder.

"Ouch!"

"Spoiled little rich boy?" Morgan mocked, raising an eyebrow. Katon, wincing at the pain in his shoulder, tried to look back but couldn't. He used his reflection in the window and saw a dark bruise.

"Darn it!" he cursed under his breath. Morgan chuckled. "I got a souvenir from some Brooklyn boys."

"Need help slapping them around?" Morgan offered.

"Shut up, Morg!" Katon snapped, heading to the bathroom, leaving Morgan's laughter echoing in the living room.

While Katon showered, Morgan made himself at home. They were old friends, reliable to each other. Morgan shrugged and turned on Katon's high-tech MP4 player. John Legend's "All of Me" filled the room. A romantic song? Yeah, right!

"Hey, moron! Who's the lucky lady this time?" Morgan yelled towards the bathroom. Of course, Katon ignored him. Morgan was about to yell again when the doorbell rang. He rolled his eyes and headed to the foyer, muttering under his breath.