Secret

VIII

"I heard you're in a relationship with my cousin."

It was not a question for her to answer, but a forlorn statement with an intimidating gaze darted right in her eyes while he sipped on his unsweetened tea.

She stared at him first before shrugging, "I couldn't deny nor confirm that statement."

"And why not? Are you like...ashamed of her? Or better yet, just playing on her?" he further questioned, but Jihyo remained quiet, "Perhaps both, right? There's no way you'll be with her seriously, the reason why you're here-"

Jihyo gritted her teeth, "Whatever you're thinking, bury it deep in your ass because you're wrong."

He tilted his head in amusement of her sudden lash out, "Hmm? That's how usually Dahyun's suitors were. She basically got everything—the riches, the fame, the personality, the face, she is basically Kim's treasure, and everyone seeks after her for their own good. What makes you different from them?"

"I don't care about who she is-"

"Of course!" Jihyo flinched when Dahyun's cousin, Jin, exclaimed with a scoff, "You don't care about her, you care about yourself. That's how it is, isn't it?"

Jihyo controlled herself, closing her eyes because of how this man could just accuse her of something she didn't even think of before. She loved Dahyun, not because of her riches, of her material things, she loved her for being herself, even her flaws, her insecurities, everything about her. This man just really infuriated her for thinking of her like those jerks who tried to get Dahyun.

"No, you're wrong. I don't care if Dahyun is a superstar, if she's a Kim, or if she's someone and not just anyone. She will always be somebody to me. Of course, I care about my riches, if I don't, then what would have we become in the future? I have to supply our needs, to provide what she wants, to make her happy as much as I can, and I know she will say that we will be happy if we're living in rags because we love each other. I love her. If you think of me like those people that came to you for Dahyun and ask me to break things off with her because I asked you to be my business partner, then no, thank you. I wouldn't trade her for partnership."

Jihyo stood up, grabbing her bag, and looked at him once more before completely dashing out. She wasn't pissed with him for thinking that way, he was just protecting Dahyun because they all knew how precious Dahyun was, and the treasure herself was with her, into her, so it was just right to confront her about it.

But she was there for business purposes, to contract the Kim Corporation because the Kang had finally given the time when they would pull their shares out and if that happened, her company would surely start drastically falling.

But when she thought it would be Taehyung she was going to talk to, Jin showed up. He wasn't in charge of anything, it was actually Namjoon, the other cousin, but since he was mostly in charge of protecting Dahyun, and he had heard about this forming bubbles between her and his cousin, he volunteered on showing up and proceeded on interrogating her.

Jihyo went to her car with a slump on her shoulder though. She failed to have the Kim Corporation partnered with her, so they had to go to another resort that her team had strategized.

She fished out her phone and messaged the person involved through an email, then soon enough, as she expected, she called.

"This is Miss Jung, Kim Dahyun's manager, she will be free after an hour, would that be okay with you, Miss Park?"

"Yes, I'll just meet you at the Starbucks nearby from where you are, is it okay?" Jihyo buckled her seatbelt and placed her phone on the phone holder.

"Uh, how did you know that we're near from Starbucks?"