777 Ways

CHAPTER 34 - PARK BO YOUNG

"Look who's here! Missed me, little bro?" The woman's presence surprised the couple at Jaebeom's door. They expected that Nora's parents opened the door for them, but someone else did. While Mark just looked a bit lost as a bunch of Korean sentences left the stranger's mouth, Jinyoung clearly didn't seem pleased to see that person there.

"Noona, I didn't know you're in Seoul." The author's Korean flew naturally, yet his tone was definitely sour. His boyfriend couldn't help but notice that and the way Jinyoung hesitated to get inside the house.

"Well, now you do. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt if you contacted me more often, don't you think? If it weren't for Jackson I would never know that you were back from the U.S. The others are at the backyard, they've been waiting for you." She said animatedly, and turned to the foreigner beside her dongsaeng. "You must be the new assistant Mark, right? You're more good-looking than I thought. Nice to meet you, I'm Park Boyoung. Jinyoungie's big sister." She turned to Mark and smiled. The foreigner remained silent, but smiled back, though he had no idea what she had just said. He glanced at Jinyoung for help, but the author didn't even bother to translate what she said.

"He can't speak Korean. Noona, what are you doing here? When did you see Jackson?" Jinyoung pressed impatiently, as he walked past her and entered the house. Mark followed him.

"Who's she?" Mark asked puzzled, as they reached the living room.

"My older sister." The younger replied shortly, as he ran a hand though his hair nervously. Mark eyes widened, then he furrowed his brows. Neither Jinyoung nor Soo Young had ever mentioned another sister to him. He wasn't sure if he had heard the author right, and when he was about to question his boyfriend, Bo young spoke again.

"Hey, there! Be polite and introduce me to your handsome assistant. You know I cannot speak a single word in English." She complained at her brother. As if Mark could read her mind, he took the initiative, and although he had no idea how to utter a basic Korean greeting, he approached Boyoung.

"Mark Tuan." The American said simply, as he offered his hand for a handshake even before Jinyoung said anything.

"Bo young." She replied cordially, as they shook hands.

"Oh, I see you guys have met each other." Jackson suddenly appeared at the living room and the trio turned to him. He spoke in Mandarin, so Boyoung and Jinyoung were unable to understand what he was saying. He gave the American a dirty look and continued. "How does it feel, Mark? To meet another family member of the woman you ruined?"

"We both ruined her. And then she ruined herself along with her baby, who also happened to be yours, by the way. If you had any doubt about that, I've just clarified it to you." Mark retorted mercilessly in the same language. Jackson stopped dead in his tracks. A spark of rage burned in the Chinese's eyes, his face hardened and he balled his fists, but then he glanced at a speechless Jinyoung and kept his feelings in check. He told himself to dismiss that information. He had to. He scoffed while he reminded himself that Mark's time to suffer was just beginning. He believed that the author was doing a marvellous job so far, so he had to be patient, and trust his dongsaeng. After all, he thought they both had the same goal.

"I've heard from our Jae that you guys had a fight." Jackson's eyes travelled from the Korean to the American. "So you finally told your boyfriend, huh? I guess knowing that you're a walking disease wasn't enough to keep my dear friend away from you. You must be feeling quite proud of yourself. Lucky you, Yi-en. But don't get too comfortable, that was just the beginning of a series of troubles coming your away." Jackson added, still in Mandarin as he glared at the American. He would often get the urge of strangling Mark whenever he was around him, but he dismissed that feeling at the moment. He figured that the more Mark thought he was winning now, the more he would hurt later. Everything was going according to plan. Jackson took consolation in the fact that Mark would be crushed when he found out about Jinyoung's real intentions. However, he himself was the one still unaware of the writer's real intentions.