° ° °
Just like what she told Lisa in her text message, Chaeyoung went out to see an old friend of hers.
And because this friend of hers owns a bar, this is where they decided to meet up.
Chaeyoung was smiling from ear to ear when she entered her friend's bar—excited. And since it was still in the middle of the afternoon, not a lot of people were in there.
She then walked towards the counter where a bartender is making some cocktails. "Uhm, hi. Excuse me. Is the owner here?"
The bartender looked up at her. And after staring at her face for almost three seconds, he nods. "Yeah, why?"
"Oh," she almost grimaced, not expecting too much eye contact. "I was just wondering if maybe you could—"
"Roseanne!"
Her head quickly turned in the direction where she heard her friend's voice. And upon seeing him, her eyes glistened.
"Loren!"
The young man smiled and greeted her with open arms. In which she immediately ran into. Hugging him tightly.
She met Loren through a record store back in Melbourne almost seven years ago. They were so young back then. Roseanne would always get shy and embarrassed whenever she would remember how they met. For her, it was the most cringiest yet straight from a k-drama movie kind of first meeting.
They happen to grab the same vinyl record that time and they had eye contact that lasted for more than five seconds. It was embarrassing! Nevertheless, since they were both Koreans who have the same tastes in music, they became friends in a short amount of time.
It appears that Loren was a performer at one of the bars there in Melbourne. However, he was just a temporary migrant. Soon after they met, they had no choice but to say goodbye to each other. But they promised to keep in touch.
That's why Roseanne is so thrilled to meet him again after she arrived in Korea.
"Hi! How are you?" she exclaimed before pulling out from their hug. "How long has it been? 6? 7 years?"
He chuckled. "Honestly, I lost count too."
She started wandering her eyes around the place. "This place looks wonderful. I'm loving it. It really screams—"
"Perfection?" he continued for her with a playful grin.
Chae shook her head with a small smile. "—You."
Loren squinted his eyes at her. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Chuckling, she answered. "Both."
This made the both of them burst out laughing.
"Anyway, how are you these past few years?" Chae asked. "Do you still perform?"
"Yeah, I'm also a DJ now."
Her mouth parted in awe as she unconsciously claps cutely. "Wow, that's amazing. I bet you look super cool when you DJ."
"You can watch me tonight if you want." he offered.
Both of her eyebrows raised. "Really?"
"Yeah, I could also perform your favorites."
"You'd do that for me? How sweet." she jokingly teased.
Loren let out a scornful laugh. "May I remind you that you were the one who wanted to meet me, not the other way around. So don't make it look like I'm the sweet one here, okay?"
"I know, I'm just messin' with you. No need to be so defensive."
He slightly shook his head with a smile. "Why don't we continue conversing in my private room upstairs?"
Chae gestured her hand for him to lead the way. "By all means."
"So when did you arrived here in Seoul?" Loren asked the moment they settled themselves in his private room.
"Almost 3 weeks ago." the girl mindlessly replied while roaming her eyes around. "This private space feels super cozy, by the way." she added.
"Thank you. I intended to make it like that because this is where I mostly spend my time." he then gestured her to sit. "Make yourself at home."
Chae happily slumped herself on one of the solo couches. "To be honest, Loren. I'm still trying to process all of this," she said while gesturing her hands. "in my mind."
Loren handed her a glass of red wine before sitting on the long couch. "Process what?"
"You being this successful," she answered honestly before sipping on her wine.
This made the young man scoff in disbelief. "Was I a total asshole back then for you to think of me that way?"
"Hmm," she hummed as if thinking about it. "not really. I guess I'm just so amused with how you managed to make your bar look so astounding."
"Well I did spend my blood, sweat, and tears just to have this place."
"Your hard work paid off. Don't worry, you made it." she beamed.
"Thanks," he crossed his arms. "Anyway, enough about me. I'm more curious about you. What brings you here to Korea? When I asked you to come here before, you were reluctant."
That's right. Loren doesn't know the thing about her parents.
"My boss needs me to accompany her here for personal reasons," she answered.
"The question is, are you staying?" he asked.
She thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. Choosing whether to stay or leave is difficult for me."
If she leaves, she would have to say goodbye to a lot of things. She's sure that Miss Chaerin is not gonna come with her back to Melbourne when the time comes. Meaning, she would have to come back alone.
She could stay and be happy here with her friends. However, staying comes with consequences. The chances of her parents finding out that she's in Korea are high. And once that happens, she's certain that they'll only cast her out to Melbourne again.
Roseanne shook her head to erase her thoughts. Just this once, she wants to be selfish and enjoy everything life will throw her.
"So what do you do now for a living?" Loren questioned.
"I work for Chaerin Sin. You may have heard of her before. She owns a luxury brand in Melbourne. In which she's planning on moving here in Korea." she explained.
His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Chaerin Sin? Do you mean Duho Sin's wife?" he then add on. "She's back?"
The girl froze. She accidentally told him that Miss Chaerin is in Korea. Lisa will kill her!
She awkwardly laughed. "What? Did I say that? I didn't say that. I just said she's my boss."
"Yes, you did. Earlier you said your boss needs you to accompany her here." Loren countered.
She chuckled before nervously drinking her wine. "You must've misheard me. Anyway," she quickly diverted. "Tell me, Loren. Anything interesting that you want to tell me? A significant other, perhaps?"
It seems as if her diversion worked. For Loren chuckled shyly before responding. "No, none. You?"
A sigh escaped her lips. "I'm still waiting."
Whether it was waiting for someone or waiting for a specific person to like her back, Roseanne doesn't know.
"Really? That's strange. So many guys are interested in you back in Melbourne."
"That's true," she agreed shamelessly. "men would always give me hot gazes from behind."
Maybe that's why I like those who don't like me back.
She quickly shakes her head at her silly thought. What the hell?
Roseanne bits her lower lip. "The thing is, well..." she was contemplating. "There's this man."
Loren's curiosity got the best of him. "And?"
Will it be okay to tell him though? It's quite embarrassing.
But Loren is the only one she can freely talk to about this. It will be too awkward to tell Lisa the things that she has felt for her bodyguard. Also adding the fact that her friend will tease her nonstop.
"He's... cold to everyone around him. And always stiff all the time. But whenever I'm with him, I never notice that side of him. I would always forget that he's like that." she continued. "I don't know if I'm just assuming things, but I feel like he's nice to me. I mean, he is nice. But for me, it's like he's nicer?" she said with uncertainty. "Does that make any sense?"
"It doesn't have to have sense. I can't say if you're just assuming things because I don't know this man yet." Loren said. Paying attention to the details.
"Maybe I'm just assuming. He thinks of me like his little sister." she pouted.
"You don't know that yet. Have you ever asked him what are you to him?"
She grimaced. "What right do I have to ask him such a bold question? I'd die in embarrassment!"
"Since when did you become such a shy person? You're shameless."
"I am, but not that shameless." she pointed out.
Loren crossed his arms. "If you're going to be this shy little girl, he will never see you as a woman. He'll keep treating you that way and you'll keep on getting the wrong idea. Much worst, your feelings for him could deepen."
"What am I supposed to do then?" she asked innocently.
The guys shrugged. "Confess to him."
Her mouth opened in agape. "Again, I am not that shameless."
"Then good luck with your relationship with him,"
She rolled her eyes. "You seem to know a lot about these things. Could it be because you've experienced it yourself?"
"It's always the girls who would confess their feelings for me, Roseanne."
She looked disgusted. "So boastful."
He laughed. "I'm just kidding."
"But seriously. Have you experienced confessing to someone you like?"
Loren smiled bitterly. "I've been planning to, but I guess I've lost the right timing."
"Why is that?" she asked. "Is she not nice?"
He stared at her eyes. "She's... like an angel. So innocent and pure."
"Is she married?"
He shook his head. "No,"
Her face becomes violent. "Then you still have a chance! You should take her!"
Loren chuckled again. "Should I?"
"Definitely! As long as she's still not married, I'll support you!"
He only smiled in response.
And then, Chae's phone suddenly started ringing.
She gave Loren an apologetic smile before fishing out her phone in her purse. Only to scowl when she saw Park Jimin's name on the caller ID.
"The hell?" she murmured before standing up. "I'll take this call outside."
Loren nodded understandingly. "Go ahead."
Chae placed the glass of wine on a table before leaving the room. She then accepted the call while walking without knowing where to go.
"Why did you call? I already told Lis that I'm heading out—"
"Where are you?" Jimin cuts her off.
She frowned. "In a bar, why?"
"I know. I meant, where are you? Exactly where are you at the bar?"
Now she's confused. But still, she answered. "I'm on the second floor."
"Stay where you are, I'm going there."
What? "You're here?" she looks around her surroundings to find him. Her feet automatically started walking.
And because she was too busy finding Jimin, she bumped into someone. Accidentally making the person's drink spill a little.
She gasped.
"Roseanne? What happened? Are you okay?" Jimin worriedly asked over the phone.
"I'm okay," she told him before quickly apologizing to the man in front of her. "I'm sorry."
The man scanned her from head to toe. "Sorry is not gonna make up for it, sweetie."
Jimin heard this over the phone, making him fasten his pace.
Her eyes went wide at what the man said. Not knowing if she should be scared or angry.
But one thing's for sure, she felt insulted.
She raised her hand and slapped the man with full force. To the point where the sound it made was painful too.
"What was that?" she heard Jimin's voice on the line again. But she didn't answer him.
The man in front of her was taken aback. But soon after he regained back his senses, he slowly turns his head back to her with a disbelief look on his face. "You little—" he was about to slap her back when two men called her name from behind.
"Roseanne!"
"Chaeyoung!"
The both of them snapped their heads behind her and saw Loren and Jimin striding in their direction.
She didn't move on her spot when Jimin walk past her and unceremoniously punched the man angrily. "You piece of shít."
"Roseanne," Loren went to her side. "are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine," she turned around and held Jimin's arm to stop him from beating the man to death. "that's enough. He didn't do anything to me."
The moment Jimin's eyes bore to hers, they softened. "Are you okay?"
She gave him a small smile. "Yes,"
The man on the ground was furious. "She's the one who spilled my drink and slapped me! Why the fuck was I the one who got beaten up?! I want to talk to the owner of this bar!"
Loren eyed the man like a piece of trash. "He's right in front of you."
The man was flustered. "B-but she was the one—"
"I don't want to hear it." Loren cuts him off. "Nor do I want to see your face ever again. From now on, don't show up here."
Luckily, the guards arrived at the perfect timing and took the man away immediately.
Roseanne faced Loren. "I'm sorry for the mess I made."
Loren smiled. "Don't worry, it's fine."
"This is Jimin, by the way. Jimin this is my friend, Loren." she introduced the both of them to each other.
The two shaked hands. But for some reason, she could feel a strange tension between them.
"Nice to meet you," Jimin uttered stiffly.
"Likewise," Loren replied.
"We must get going then." Jimin suddenly said. Making her flustered.
"What? But I just got here. And I'm supposed to watch Loren perform."
Jimin stared at her face. "Miss Sin gave me orders. And you know how dangerous it is for you to go out without security."
She pursed her lips. "Fine," she turns to Loren. "It was nice meeting up with you, Loren. Let's do it again some other time. Hopefully, I would get to see you perform then."
Loren nods. "I'll always be here, don't worry."
After bidding their goodbye, Roseanne left together with Jimin.
A bitter smile formed on Loren's lips as he watches them leave side by side.
I guess I'm too late.
° ° °
The car stopped in front of a suspicious-looking restaurant. From one glance, Lisa could already tell that something was off.
"There's an underground club there, is there?" she asked Jungkook.
He nodded. "Yeah, there is."
Lisa blew out her cheeks. "The moment we step inside that place and someone recognizes us, we'll be done for."
Places like clubs are mostly where their enemies are staying at. If they're not cautious enough, they can be killed there on the spot.
"Do you still not trust your fiancé, Sin?" Jungkook asked, making her turn her head to him.
"Trusting you would be useless if we both end up dead, right?" she asked back.
Jungkook gave her a sly smirk. "I told you before, not a single scratch."
She bowed her head to stare at him through her sunglasses. "Just make sure that we don't create another mess. I've had enough scolding from my mom and brothers."
"Don't worry, I won't burn a building out of nowhere like you." he winked.
She rolled her eyes before pushing her sunglasses up with her finger.
They both went out of the car and made their way to the restaurant.
As soon as the waiter-in-charge saw Jungkook's face, he quickly bowed to the both of them before leading the way. No questions asked.
"Did he knew that you were coming?" she whispered to Jeon.
The man didn't glance at her as he responds. "No,"
Unlike earlier, Jungkook's expression was now grim and serious.
With this, Lisa also kept her head straight like him. Matching his sternness.
The waiter led them to a dim room. It was big and spacious. Not a lot of people were inside because most clubs would open at night. However, Lisa can't consider it as a good thing because those people are mostly minions of dangerous people.
Jungkook gestured the waiter to leave, which he immediately obliges. Giving them a curt nod before finally leaving.
They both wandered their eyes around the place.
"Do you know what he looks like?" Lisa asked.
"Kind of," Jungkook responded before placing his hand on her back, guiding her deeper inside the room.
She ambled her eyes around. Scanning the whole room to familiarize herself.
It was a normal-looking club. Maybe because it's still daylight that's why it feels a little dry and tedious. But for Lisa, no matter how dull it is, she can still imagine how illegal activities were done there.
She was soon pulled out from her reverie when Jungkook gently blocked her by his arm, making her halt. She drifted her gaze to him and gave him a confused look.
Jungkook tilts his head to the side, pointing over the man sitting on one of the counter stools while drinking a glass of whiskey. That must be him.
"Name?" she asked while observing the man's back.
"Choi Woosuk," her fiancé answered.
Her head nods. "Let's get this over with. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible."
"Yes ma'am."
They made their way towards the man.
"Choi Woosuk?" Jungkook called the man's name from behind.
Lisa continued to examine the man with her eyes. Watching him closely.
Choi Woosuk didn't bother to look back at them as he spoke. "You got the wrong person."
"Did I?" Kook shot back.
"Yes, now run along before I change my mind." Woosuk returned, still not looking back at them.
"My fiancée wants to leave this place immediately, so... " Jungkook swiftly pulls a gun out of nowhere and pointed it at Woosuk's head, making the man stopped moving.
Because of this, everyone inside the room also drew in their guns and aimed it at the both of them.
Lisa shuts her eyes for a second. Great.
"I'd rather you change your mind than leave without talking to you." Jungkook stated, still pointing his gun at Woosuk's head even though there are more than 10 guns pointed at them right now.
Lisa's hand slowly went to hold Jungkook's arm. Making her fiancé glanced at her. She signaled him to put the gun down, but instead, Jungkook smiled at her and gave her a peck on her cheek as if reassuring her that everything's fine.
Her mouth hung open at what he did. This is not the time for this!
Woosuk sniggered. "You've got some balls, I'll tell you that." he muttered before slowly turning around to face them. But the moment he came face to face with Jungkook, he lost the sneer on his lips and all of his expression was replaced with dread. "J-Jeon Jungkook."
Suddenly this made Lisa scoff. If he's that afraid of seeing Jeon, what more if he sees her face?
Jungkook grins mischievously. "Not expecting that, weren't you?"
The man blinked before raising both of his hands in the air as if surrendering. "What do you want from me?"
"First, tell them to put their guns down. I don't want any guns pointed at my fiancée." he ordered.
Woosuk immediately gestured the people around them to do his command. Once done, Jungkook spoke.
"Good," his grin widens. "now my people will enter and will keep everyone on the ground until I tell them to. Okay?"
This made Woosuk flustered. "W-what?"
As if on cue, men in black suits invaded the room and they were all carrying guns. They were a total of 20 men. And just like what Jungkook said, they made everyone get on their knees.
But what caught Lisa's attention was Yugyeom together with Jaehyun, Mingyu, and DK. They were making their way to them.
"So this is your plan?" Lisa asked Jungkook skeptically. "A raid?"
Jungkook puts his gun down before facing her with a foolish smile. "I did great, right?"
Lisa can't help but roll her eyes. "We could've just talked to him without making such a fuss."
"And let them think that they outnumbered us?" he scoffed. "Not on my watch."
"When did they even get here?" she can't help but ask.
"They arrived here earlier than us," he answered.
"Mr. Jeon,"
They both drifted their gazes to Yugyeom.
"What do you want to do with him?" Yugyeom asked, referring to Woosuk who's now being held by Jaehyun and DK.
Jungkook turns to her. "What do you want to do with him, Sin?"
Lisa stared at Woosuk for a moment. "I want to talk to him somewhere private. Not in front of his people."
"You heard her," Kook said to Yugyeom. "take him somewhere private."
Mingyu butts in. "There's a VIP room upstairs."
Jungkook nodded. "Let's go there."
After that, they all went to the VIP room that Mingyu suggested.
Once Jaehyun and DK successfully tied Woosuk in a chair, Lisa sat on the chair in front of him. With Jungkook, Yugyeom, Mingyu, Jaehyun, and DK watching them from the side.
Woosuk stared at her. "Who are you?"
"Wanna take a guess?" she grinned.
The man shook his head as a response.
So to end his confusion, Lisa removed her sunglasses.
Woosuk paled. Suddenly he couldn't open his mouth to speak. It's like a gag was put on his mouth to prevent him from saying anything.
"Now that you know who I am," she drawled. "I want you to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth. And I hope you know that lying is not a good option here. Hence keeping your mouth shut. So tell me, Mr. Choi." she slowly leaned in closer to him. "Are you going to cooperate with me or not? Otherwise, it's hello torture for you for the rest of your life. Yes, torture. Not death. Because I'm going to torture you until you wish that you're dead."
Woosuk gulped at her statement. So did Yugyeom, Jaehyun, and DK.
Lisa leaned back before crossing her arms. "You were Kang Yongsun's informant. Yes or no?"
Woosuk nods. "Y-yes." he stuttered.
"Do you still work for him?"
He shakes his head. "No, I don't."
"Do you still have contact with him?"
"No."
She tilts her head to the side. "When was the last time you were with Kang?"
It took Woosuk a while to answer. "Almost two months ago."
Just like what Jeon told her.
Her teeth gritted. "Why did you cut ties with him?"
Instead of replying, Woosuk averted his gaze from her.
"I told you, keeping your mouth shut is not an option." she bent down to grab the throwing knife that she hid on one of her boots. She then sat up and played with it while keeping her gaze locked on him. "Shall I count to one to five before I throw this knife straight to your crotch? Fun fact, I never miss."
As Woosuk's eyes widen in fear, Jungkook, Yugyeom, Mingyu, Jaehyun, and DK avoided Lisa's piercing gaze and covered their groins out of impulse.
"You never told us that your fiancée is this violent." Jaehyun whispered, careful not to let Lisa hear him.
"You haven't even seen the half of it. Have I told you that she was the one responsible for burning Gong Group's old building in Gangnam?" Jungkook responded. "I watched her order her people burn the whole building like a merciless woman."
"What? That was her doing?" DK muttered. "Damn, remind me never to mess with Lisa."
"Let me ask you again," Lisa deepened. "why did you cut ties with him?"
Woosuk was sweating bullets. "Because I... I was afraid."
Lisa's brows furrowed in a frown. "Of what?"
"That he would blame me for something that I didn't do," he answered.
"Be specific," she ordered.
The man sighed in defeat. "I was with him when he met up with your father. But I wasn't allowed inside the room with them when they conversed with each other. Their conversation didn't last for 30 minutes. Duho was the first one to leave. I was with Kang the whole time. But then, while I was driving him back to his place, he suddenly told me that Duho will get into an accident. And if it gets to the point where people started looking for the culprit, he said that it will be me who would have to take the blame."
"And why would he tell you to do that?" Lisa questioned him.
"To protect the real culprit, of course."
One of her eyebrows raised. "Who?"
A corner of Woosuk's lips tugged up in a sinister grin.
"His beloved niece, Kang Seulgi."
° ° °
𝙎𝙀𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐.