"5 more minutes," Chaeyoung muttered and pulled the blanket closer to herself. Junkyu was laughing at his uncle who was trying to wake her up. "I told you she won't wake up," he proudly said. Taehyung chuckled. "I guess so," he said and the two left the room.
Jungkook had also just left Taehyung's room at that time. He stared at him who just came out of Chaeyoung's room and felt his tears brimming his eyes again, but he managed to blink it away before Junkyu jumped onto him, wishing him a good morning.
"Good morning to you, too," he said and patted his head. "Can you take him to school today?" Taehyung asked. "Why? What are you going to do?" he asked as they walked down. He got a glimpse of Chaeyoung asleep in her room as they went to the kitchen.
"It'll be late for him to go to school if we wait for Chaeyoung to wake up," he answered and made himself a cup of coffee. Junkyu and Jungkook poured some cereal into their bowls with milk. The younger man really wanted to say no to him, but he bit his tongue. "Okay," he said and washed his bowl.
"Come on, Junkyu. Let's go," Jungkook said and took Junkyu's bag. The boy drank the milk from his bowl and ran after his uncle outside. The door shut and Taehyung cleaned up the table and washed the dishes. He went up towards Chaeyoung's room and shook his head seeing her still asleep.
"Park Chaeyoung, wake up. We're going to be late for work," he said and tapped her shoulders. "Mhmmgh... let me sleep," she whined. "Come on... Jackson will be at the company today. You need to be there," he reminded her.
She groaned and sat up, her blanket falling off. "Good morning," he greeted her with a peck on the forehead. That made her smile softly. "What time is it?" she asked. "7:30," he replied. "What?! 7:30?! I missed the bus," she muttered, panicking. "How am I going to get to work on time?" she thought to herself.
"I know... that's why you're coming with me," Taehyung said as he straightened her bed hair. He smiled at her confused look... it was adorable. "What? I can't do that! People will talk-"
"I know you wouldn't like that, so get off before we reach the office," he cut her off. That made her calm down a little as she got off her bed. "I won't take long," she assured and immediately ran to the shower. "Take your time," he said softly that she didn't hear him.
He left her room and waited in the living room for her. Jackson had requested to meet him at the office today after the little stunt he pulled in front of the press. Right after the press left Rosely with clips of the products, they immediately went to Wang Industries to get the same footage but they failed. Of course, they would... they didn't prepare the samples yet.
This had put Rosely in a better situation and Wang Industries stocks are slowly dropping. He had gotten the call yesterday and Jackson didn't even wait for him to answer before putting down the phone. Taehyung would've laughed at how the tables had turned, but he couldn't. Especially when Irene was the main reason the contract had reached Jackson in the first place.
He had also called Moonbin and Eunwoo to be at the building so that he could tell everyone the truth. At first, he refused, but when he found out that Jackson was going to be there, he immediately agreed. That was also one of the reasons why he had asked Jungkook to send Junkyu to school. He was a little stressed about what was going to happen and that he might take it out on the kid, and he didn't want that to happen at all.
Also, he wanted Chaeyoung to calm him down before they faced him. He was brought back to reality when the said girl tapped his shoulder with a piece of toast in her hand. "Let's go," she said. He hummed and they both left the apartment together.
"Why do you look nervous?" she asked when they entered the car. "You'll find out soon, but before that," he said and signalled the driver to drive. "I need you to calm me down," he said. She raised a brow. "How?" she asked.
Without wasting his time, he held her hand and squeezed it. "Until we reach," he muttered and looked out the window, slightly embarrassed. Chaeyoung suppressed her laughter and adjusted their hands so that their fingers were intertwined. The man bit back a smile as the car slowly approached the company.
A few minutes later, the driver stopped and Chaeyoung got out of the car. "Don't be nervous," she smiled at him before walking towards the company. Taehyung just smiled softly as the driver continued driving.
He reached before Chaeyoung arrived and entered the building to find Jackson, Moonbin and Eunwoo already waiting there. "You're late," Jackson said with a glare. "You wanted to meet me, not the other way around, Jackson. Also... you're early. Most of my staff aren't even here yet," Taehyung said.
Jackson rolled his eyes and approached him. "Cut the crap. Is everyone here?" he asked angrily. "No... getting impatient, are we?" Taehyung smirked. "When are they going to arrive?" Moonbin asked this time. Taehyung averted his eyes from Jackson and looked at Moonbin. "In a few seconds," he said.
True to his words, Sehun entered with Chaeyoung, talking to her while Jaehyun and Lisa were coming in right after. Taehyung called them over and they all made their way to the meeting room. All eyes were on them and some whispers were talking about how the company's future depends on this meeting.
They all entered the meeting room as Sehun locked the door. They all sat in their seats while Sehun and Lisa stood behind them. "Sit down, Lisa," Taehyung said. The woman was stunned that her CEO was talking to her. He had not talked to her after the whole incident and she would be lying if she said she felt a little relieved after he spoke.
She obliged and sat next to Jaehyun who was next to Chaeyoung. Sehun remained standing behind the room as another knock was heard. The man opened the door and most of them were shocked to see Irene there as well, Sehun and Taehyung being the exception.
Even Irene was surprised to see none of her family members, other than her cousin, were there for the meeting. As far as she knows, she was called for a shareholders' meeting. "Did I come at the wrong time?" she asked. "No... you're on time, actually. Sit down," Taehyung said.
She hesitantly entered and avoided eye contact with Eunwoo before sitting down at a vacant seat. "Can we fucking start?" Jackson asked, getting impatient. It was already bad that he had to come down there to talk about the case when everyone in here knows the truth and now the man thinks he can make him wait? Never!
"Hmm... let's start with your side. What makes you think it was smart to file a lawsuit against us without even having the samples and documents prepared? That was a shitty move from you," Taehyung chuckled. Jackson's jaw ticked... he admits that what he did wasn't smart but Rosely was already about to present their creation and if he didn't do anything, then all his work would've gone to waste. He was hoping that maybe Taehyung would stop the sampling like he did before but apparently he learnt from his mistakes.
"Are we here to make fun of me?!" he slammed the table. "Even if I don't have the samples yet, that doesn't prove much, Kim. The documents are what we need!" he said. "That's true, so I want to hear from Mr. Cha," Taehyung nodded and averted his gaze to his business partner.
"We had a deal and you signed the contract. You breached it by signing another contract with Wang's Industries. This project wasn't supposed to be known by... outsiders. Do you have anything to say about that?" he asked, leaning back. This was going to be fun.
Moonbin looked taken aback at that statement. "What do you mean I signed a contract with them? I've never stepped foot into Wang's Industries. There must be a mistake," he said. "I don't think so... this is clearly your signature. We have confirmed it with an expert as well," Sehun spoke up.
The man took the contract in a hurry and looked utterly confused at the sign. "This... I didn't sign this," he said. He scanned the contract again but he couldn't figure how his signature ended up on a contract with Wang's Industries. "That's because you didn't," Sehun said.
Now everyone was looking more confused than ever. "What do you mean? It's clearly his signature on my company's contract! You yourself said that this is his signature!" Jackson yelled. "Yes, I did... but this signature was printed onto the contract, Mr. Wang," he explained. The older man looked stunned at what he said as his mouth opened and closed.
"Mr. Cha's original signature was printed onto the contract. If you see, Mr. Cha's signature doesn't have even the slightest smear, which seems a little too perfect. We've confirmed with experts that this signature has been edited digitally considering that Mr. Cha always smears his signature. Always," Sehun said and showed previous contracts he had signed. Guess being his secretary paid off in the end.
"You have anything to say, Mr. Wang?" Taehyung asked. Chaeyoung was impressed with how everything was going. She never doubted him but she also didn't expect him to come this prepared. Looks like she doesn't have to do anything this time.
Jackson stayed silent as he fisted his hands. He was being embarrassed in front of everyone. Especially, in front of her. "That still doesn't prove that I stole your so-called idea," he shamelessly said. Taehyung really wanted to smack his forehead and let out a scoff of disbelief. "You forged a fucking contract. This is a huge offence, Wang," he said but the man didn't listen.
"If you really want more evidence, then we'll give it to you," he shook his head as he signalled Sehun to play the video. The video shows Eunwoo entering Wang Industries with a paper. "You're holding the contract copy that went missing. Why were you meeting him?" Taehyung asked Eunwoo.
Eunwoo looked at his lap as he gritted his teeth. "I met him to give him the contract," he said without a fight. It looked like he had given up. It was bound to be revealed anyway. To say Moonbin and Jaehyun were shocked would be an understatement. The man was so quiet and innocent-looking that they never thought he could ever do something like this.
"Do you understand why you were needed, Mr. Cha?" Taehyung asked. "He's lying! I didn't receive anything from him, especially a contract!" Jackson said. "There's no point denying it anymore, Jackson. There's even a recording of what you did," the former said, getting a headache from the man before him. "But I doubt you'd want me to play it... it's quite embarrassing seeing you do that," he continued.
"Well, that's all fine and all... but why am I here?" Irene butted in. She wanted to leave the place because she was starting to panic right now. That proved to be a mistake because now, all their attention was on her. "Don't you know, Irene? Or do you want me to tell everyone myself?" Taehyung asked, staying eerily calm.
"What did I do?" Irene asked, gripping her bag tightly. "You took the contract from my office and gave it to them!" Taehyung said as he slammed the table, shocking everyone. "I didn't think you would stoop that low, Joohyun... I'm disappointed," he said with a scowl on his face.
"Ta- tae... I- I was forced to do it-"
"No, you weren't! You came up with the idea to leak the project in the first place," Eunwoo butted in. "You were desperate to take her down," he said and slightly glanced at Chaeyoung who kind of got the hint of what he meant. "Shut the fuck up!" Irene yelled at the man.
"Wait! You're telling me that you faked the contract and even dared to file a lawsuit on us?!" Moonbin asked in anger as he looked at Jackson. "And you!" he looked at his brother. "Why the hell would you help them?!"
"Because I have a daughter I need to feed!" Eunwoo burst. "I told you... I needed a job and no one was willing to hire me because I dropped out of uni... even my own brother," he said. "I had no choice! I needed to survive! I needed to care for my child!" he said. "It's not like I asked to become the COO of the company... just a job at the front desk or even as a janitor would suffice, but no! You couldn't care less for your brother,"
"Take your family issues outside of this room, but now," Taehyung butted in and stood up. "What are you going to do, Wang?" he asked. Jackson was embarrassed. He can't believe he was actually proven wrong by Kim Taehyung, his worst enemy. "I'll withdraw the case," he muttered. "That's it? What about the press?" Jaehyun asked this time. "Right. You need to hold a press conference and address these things. Clear our name and apologize publicly," Chaeyoung continued.
"You're the one to speak about apologizing publicly," Irene scoffed. "After everything you did to me!" she yelled. Chaeyoung looked utterly confused and she wasn't the only one. Everyone there was equally confused. "What did I do to you?" the woman asked.
"What did you not do?!" Irene said as tears dropped from her eyes. "You took everyone from me! My own fucking family hates me because of you! I'm a fucking burden to my own family!" she said and took the hot coffee that was provided on the table before throwing it at her.
Chaeyoung was too stunned to even think of what to do so she just stayed still. She heard some people yelling as she closed her eyes. She felt a few drops of hot coffee hit her skin but that was it. Opening her eyes, she saw Sehun's face in front of her, holding back a yell of pain. "Oh my god! Are you okay?" she asked. "I just got splashed by hot coffee so obviously not!" he said, glaring at her.
"Bae Joohyun! You went too far this time," Taehyung yelled at her, making her flinch. "Take her out! Lock her in my office," he ordered some of the guards there. With all the commotion that was happening, the guards used the extra keys to enter the room.
"Tae! No! It wasn't me!" Irene screamed as she was dragged out. "Sehun... go get changed and treat your burn," Chaeyoung said. "I would if it doesn't hurt when I move," he said as his breathing got harder and faster. She shook her head and helped him to stand straight. "I really hope you brought extra clothes," she muttered and helped him out of the meeting room.
A long silence enveloped the room as they left. "Lisa," Taehyung called. She jerked back and looked at him. "Get the press here in an hour. Jackson's going to talk to them today," he said. The said man looked at him in shock. "Today?!" he asked. "That's it. I expect to see you on the news, apologizing to each and every one of us," ignoring him and standing from his seat. "Do it right. I'll be watching," he warned the man and left the room.
He was supposed to go to his office, but somehow his feet brought him to Chaeyoung's instead. He knocked softly and entered, seeing only Sehun shirtless on the couch. "Is the burn bad?" he asked. "I don't know but it stings a little with the wet towel," he said, hissing as he put the towel on his back. "Where is she?" Taehyung asked again. "And to think you were here for me," Sehun pouted. "She went to get some bandages and lotion,"
As if she had heard them, Chaeyoung entered right after. She bowed slightly at Taehyung before tending to Sehun's back. He silently watched as she dried his back and applied the lotion on his burn. "You're so stupid to block the coffee," she muttered to him. "Would you rather your face get burned?" Sehun scoffed and hissed when she went harder on his back. "Don't talk," she scolded.
"Take some time off, Sehun. Let your burn heal," Taehyung spoke up. The man looked at him and shook his head. "No... I'm fine- OUCH!"
"That doesn't seem like fine, but whatever," Chaeyoung muttered, biting back a laughter. "You did that on purpose didn't you?" he asked. "Don't try to divert the topic, Sehun," she said. "You're taking some days off and no negotiations, alright?" she said. "Then who's going to do all my work here then?" he asked. "We'll figure it out. Get off work after this and take a week off. If I see you step foot into this company in less than a week, you can consider yourself jobless," Taehyung said calmly.
Sehun looked alarmed at the last statement and nodded. "I got it. I'll stay at home and not step a foot in this building even if the world was ending," he said. At the same time, Chaeyoung finished treating his burn and the man immediately left the place after saying goodbye to them.
"Why did you come here?" Chaeyoung asked softly. "Am I not welcomed here?" Taehyung raised a brow. "You know what I mean," she muttered. "I just came to check if you're okay. That must've been scary," he said and sat next to her. "I'm okay. Just shocked that she hated me that much," she said and played with the kit in her hands.
"You're an amazing person, Chaeyoung," he started as he took the kit and placed it on the table. "You work hard for what you want and you're independent. Unlike Irene, you can actually fend for yourself. I'm not downgrading her or anything... it's just that we shelter her too much to the point where she feels like the world will end if we're not there to guide her anymore. That's why she acts impulsively. And also... maybe she envies you as well. Maybe... she wishes to be more like you," he ranted.
"I hope that's all there is to this issue. I don't want more twists and turns to occur at this moment," she sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Do you want to take a short nap?" he asked and caressed her hair. "For a few minutes," she said and closed her eyes.
It was nice having her leaning against him in silence after a noisy meeting. It had been more than the few minutes she had promised for using his shoulder as her pillow but he didn't mind. In contrast, he's glad. He just wants to hold her in his arms and never let go. It would be great if time could stop.
The peace in the office was disturbed by a series of knocks. "Chaeyoung, J-" Lisa entered without waiting for a reply. Chaeyoung shuffled a little while Taehyung turned towards her sharply and put a finger on his lips. Lisa stopped speaking halfway as she nodded and left them. He continued to caress her hair and smile at her sleeping form.
On the outside of the office, however, was an upset Jaehyun who had seen everything that happened in there. He was already angry in the meeting room that Lisa had to calm him down. Now, he was fine and he wanted to check on Chaeyoung only to find her cosying up with the CEO. At this point, he has more than enough proof to believe that they're more than just friends with benefits.
Lisa just stared at the man before her silently. Although she knew about the relationship between Chaeyoung and Taehyung, she didn't know how deep it was until they can fall asleep in each other's arms like that.
"Mr. Jung..." Lisa called. "How long were you hiding this from me?" he asked. "What?" the woman asked, confused. "You weren't shocked at what you saw... that means you knew. How long? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, clenching his fists. "Mr. Jung," Lisa said sternly. "I'm not obligated to inform you of my boss' private affairs. You of all people have no rights to ask me this question, especially after what you did," she stared daggers at him.
Jaehyun let out a scoff. "She told her," he thought to himself. "That was an accident-"
"That doesn't matter. She was hurt and he was there for her," Lisa cut him off. Jaehyun looked at her, shocked. "You're okay with this?" he asked. "I don't have a say in this, Mr. Jung. It's their personal matter, not mine. If that's all, please leave," she spat.
"How... how could you watch her lose herself like this?" Jaehyun shook his head in disbelief. "She isn't losing herself," the woman said through gritted teeth. "Really? Because a relationship with such a huge age gap will never last long, Lis. You're living proof of that," he let out and stormed away to his office.
Lisa stood there, shaking from what he had said with clenched fists. She couldn't refute his claims because, in her heart, she knew he was right. Her marriage with Jin is falling apart but she's never going to admit it out loud.
She took a seat at her desk before letting her tears fall. She should've trusted Chaeyoung when she told her that Jin was having an affair. She wanted to trust her husband, the man that she left her hometown for. The man that she ran away from her engagement for. The man that she's bearing a baby for. And she would've continued to be blinded if it hadn't been for what she saw before she left for work this morning.
"Kim Junmyeon... why are you back?"
------------------------
"Did you really need to come so early in the morning? What would've happened if Lisa saw you, Myeon?" Jin said as he sat the drink roughly on the table. Junmyeon had arrived in front of Jin's place as early as 6 in the morning. Luckily, he reacted quickly and got him out to the cafe across the street, making sure that they were hidden at the side.
"I had to come here before you left. I can't keep postponing this," Junmyeon calmly replied and sipped his latte. "Fucking spit it out then," Jin said. The older man scoffed with a smirk before glaring at him. "You sure have the guts to order me around after fucking around with my wife," he deadpanned. Jin looked at him shocked.
"I know, Jin. I knew since the very beginning... that's why I left," he said. "She's pregnant, Jin... and she's planning to keep it," he explained. "I need you to tell her that you don't want this baby. Tell her that you're happy with Lisa and your unborn baby! Tell her anything that'll get her to abort that thing in her!" he said, his voice getting louder every sentence.
But Jin didn't pay any heed. He stopped listening from the very first sentence. "She's pregnant? How? We were careful," he thought to himself. "You will get her to go through an abortion. Or else... Lisa finds out," the man threatened. "You wouldn't dare,"
"Try me, Jin," he said. "I'll come back tomorrow and you better decide by then," Junmyeon got up and left the place. Jin sat there, his hands tightened on the cup he was holding. "She's... pregnant. I can't-" he said before breaking down. "I can't... that's my baby," he muttered between sobs. "But, Lisa... fuck!"
He knew that he had to make a decision. A decision that was bound to hurt him either way. But what decision is he going to make?
We'll only know tomorrow.
hellooooooo !! nice to talk to y'all again !! hope you guys didn't wait long and hope this update meets your standards <3
lisa standing up for chaeyoung against jaehyun... we love women supporting women, am i right ?! what is going to happen to jin tomorrow ?? well, guess we'll just have to wait and see !!