Author's POV
Jin was smiling sheepishly behind the fluttering white bed sheets
He fixed himself with his heart was racing to face the girl in front of him
But, his smile trailed away when he finally saw who the figure belonged to
That wasn't Eun Hee
The girl shifted the sheet and stared at him with prying eyes, eager to know who he was
"Umm, May I know where Go Eun Hee is?", he asked politely
He was picturing things a while ago, as he trailed down to the backyard, definitely positive that it would be Eun Hee
But, he was totally wrong
His expectations fell and he heaved a big sigh
"Go Eun Hee-sshi?", the girl replied, and Jin was hoping that she knew where his girl was
"Ahh... She left a while ago", she replied
"Ne? W-Where did she go?"
"When?"
"And how?", Jin immediately bombarded her with questions
"She said she had things to handle in Seoul", "I guess she is now at the bus stop, she need to go to the train station", the girl stated
"Gomasimida", he said and swiftly left the place, in search of Eun Hee
The girl studied at the back figure of Jin and shook her head
"Come out now, he's gone", she shouted
Eun Hee scanned the surrounding, then came out of the garage
"Unnie, Gomawo-yo", she said and took the laundry from the elder's hands
"Who is he? He looked desperate to see you", the girl bumped her shoulder with Eun Hee's
"Ani-ya, he's a friend. But, I don't want to face anyone right now so...", her voice trailed off
"So you forced me to lie him?", the girl cut her off
"Umm, Did I?", Eun Hee replied more like a question
"What if he come here again?", the girl alerted her
"He won't, you told him I went back to Seoul", Eun Hee clarified
"Arraseo, Keep working", the girl left the backyard, leaving Eun Hee alone
Eun Hee was fortunate that she saw him first before he did, because the person she want to encounter least is none other than Kim Seok Jin
While he was talking to the kid, she quickly hid in the garage, requesting another girl to lie that she's not here
She sighed in relief but she did feel sorry to lie him, but what can she do when she doesn't have enough courage to face him
Candidly, she wasn't ready to act cold
She bitterly chuckled by the thought of being a cold hearted and cruel girl
Why does she have to act tough all of the sudden?
Because, if she doesn't, she would totally fall for Jin
She didn't dare to
And, she promised Jin's mother that she won't
__________
Se Young knocked the door, "Come in"
"Appa, did you call me?", she walked to the desk
"Uh. Hand this document to Jae Seok, quickly and safely", her dad ordered
"Wae-yo? Isn't this the contract of us and Starlight?", she replied
"Jae Seok requested it, the condition there isn't good. You'll know once you get there", he explained
"Is there any problem?", she asked cautiously and her hands started to sweat a bit
"Uh.... That is...", Mr. Yoon voice trailed off
"The board has called the emergency meeting"
"What does it-"
Mr. Yoon cut her off, "To dismiss Mr. Jeon"
*
"Jae Seok-ah, what happened?", Se Young asked
"The directors combined force to fire Mr. Jeon. You'll know explicitly at the meeting. Did you bring the documents?", Jae Seok told her while leaving his room
"Uh, here", Se Young handed him the papers
Jae Seok checked it quickly, "Se Young-ah, I request you to be there as well, we need your help", he requested
"How can I ? I thought only those responsible can enter the room", Se Young stated
"Ani, Today, you're my person", he faced Se Young
Se Young was a bit taken back by the sudden eye contact but slid it off anyway
"Stay behind me", he said
"And, today, you're here because I called you", "Mark that, okay? Just follow me", he added and patted her shoulder as an assurance
"Uh.... Arraseo", she reluctantly nodded and followed him to the meeting
Jae Seok heaved a deep breath, and turned his face to Se Young when they reached to the room
"Se Young-ah, I no longer am from Yoon Corporation. I need to protect Starlight first", he held her shoulder
"That's why I brought you here. Protect Yoon Corporation instead of me, Arraseo?", he insisted
Se Young was confused at first as she didn't know why she had to be there
But, after Jae Seok's request, she calmed herself down
She nodded firstly and showed a smile as a reply
Jae Seok gave her a small nod in return and opened the door
Jae Seok walked to his assigned place with a straight face and ignored the directors
"Uh? Ms. Yoon.. Ani- Shall I call Mrs. Jeon?", one of the director spoke up
Se Young cringed at the word Mrs. Jeon as she wasn't still familiar with it. But, she tried her best to ignore
"I thought only in charge can enter this room. Do you have any concern, Mrs. Jeon?", that director asked not in a good way obviously but in a polite demand to get out of here
"I brought her here, is there anything you want to clarify?", Jae Seok defended for Se Young, making him shut up
Jae Seok couldn't place her beside him so he assigned her to another seat
"Annyeonghasel-yo, Starlight Company's board emergency meeting
Subject: Dismissal of Chairman Jeon Jung Pyo, let's begin", the staff announced
"Let me politely invite Kim Jae Seok, the executive director of Starlight please", he added
Jae Seok wore a really straight and cold face, the one she witnessed at her wedding
"Annyeonghasel-yo, Kim Jae Seok imida", he bowed
"I am here as a representative of Mr. Jeon Jung Pyo", "That-
The door swung opened, cutting off Jae Seok and everyone focus changed to the door
"I'm sorry, I'm late", the boy said
Se Young was surprised by the entrance but she kept her face straight, still eyeing the boy
The boy stared at her in return, but averted his gaze and walked to the front where Jae Seok was standing
He patted Jae Seok's shoulder, "Gomawo Jae Seok-ah, It's now my time to face everything", he muttered
Jae Seok only returned him the worried stare but he left the place, giving the responsibility to Jungkook, hoping that he could handle the situation well
Jungkook took a deep breath before speaking, and his eye met with Se Young who was looking at him with the same worried eye that Jae Seok had
He gave her a small nod as an assure and started speaking
"Annyeonghasel-yo, I'm Jeon Jung Kook, son of Mr. Jeon", he bowed
"Today, I'll be the representative instead of Jae Seok. And, I apologize for the sudden entrance. Now, let me begin my speech", he said formally
"Chairman Jeon Jung Pyo has leaded this company for twenty years. The board, the shareholders, the directors here may all be together from the start, and some may not. For those who were together with him since the beginning might know him well how much he worked hard and how Starlight became big by his effort", he calmly said
"But, where did the problem start? In my perspective, my father didn't do anything inappropriate. All of you are in this position because of him, who is now lying on the bed unconscious. He obviously won't know what is happening here, that directors he once believed, trusted and worked together tried to fire him while he is in a coma", Jungkook voice trailed off after a long sentence
Se Young noticed his voice had shaken a bit and she couldn't help but anxious deadly. She wanted to stand up from the seat and held his hand so bad to reassure him but she couldn't. All she could do now is sitting there calmly and praying hard that everything would be fine
But, he could manage to overcome his feeling well and continued facing at the people who were now in a dark atmosphere because of his words
"If he knew this, he would feel so disappointed and miserable. He would probably regret for his hard work all these years", he sternly said
"But, I'm not here to beg sympathy, I'm here to figure things out. That's why candidly report me why this emergency meeting is called", "I'll justify everything", he ended his speech
Se Young had never witnessed his semblance of working in a serious way. She proudly smiled for the boy and admiration grew more and more
One of the directors opened the microphone in front of him, "We won't do the dismissal unless he do anything wrong"
"The share of Starlight had been dropping to the bottom since the partnership began with Yoon Corporation", he stated
"Why? Because everyone in this field know Yoon Corporation was nearly bankrupted", Se Young grip tighten around her dress and her teeth clenched but she held it in
"But, why did Mr. Jeon do the partnership? And, with the one which is about to be bankrupted? Plus without any explanation and discussion with the directors and shareholders?", the director pointed out every single fault
"From my perspective, the man standing in the front will know the answer best", he pointed his hand to Jungkook
Jungkook was a bit terrified when Yoon Corporation was mentioned, he didn't know about it. It was all done by his father without his notice. The thing he most afraid was that Se Young would be affected because of him
Another director opened the microphone, "The share is important to operate the company well, but it had been dropping for four consecutive months. That's why we have no way but to dismiss Mr. Jeon. We don't have any other good way to solve this"
Jungkook could feel his leg shaking to stand at the front and face all of the criticisms. But, he had to take care of this, as a son of Mr. Jeon, as an heir of Starlight, as the husband of Yoon Se Young
He exhaled deeply and snapped back immediately, "So, why now? Why the dismissal is at the time when Mr. Jeon is suffering? Isn't this seem like you are waiting for the time Mr. Jeon got weak?"
Everyone seemed to be chaotic by Jungkook's sentence, one banged the table, "What do you mean, Jeon Jungkook-sshi? Don't be conceited just because of being Mr. Jeon's son, we're working under this company for since your birth, is this how you behave to someone elder and greater?"
"Ahh... Calm down please, I apologize on behalf of Jungkook. The way he meant isn't like that, Joesonghamnida (I'm sorry in a formal way)", he stood up and bowed
Jungkook sorrowfully stared at Jae Seok and he fell into a lull for a moment
Se Young sat quietly in the chaotic situation but her eyes were stuck on Jungkook who stood there in a silence. Her gaze never left the front, and keep studying him with anxious eyes, no one seemed to notice it, even Jungkook
But, Jae Seok did
He took a glimpse at both of them, frowning a bit but instantly diverted his eyes to the other side
"I... am sorry if my words hurt you", he finally voiced out but still hesitant to apologize
The director who banged the table cleared his throat and rolled his eyes
"About the partnership with Yoon Corporation, I was the witness when they signed the contract", Jae Seok spoke up
"Everyone may know Mr. Jeon is very detailed man, He won't sign the contract unless it advantages the company", "Ms. Yoon, can you explain explicitly?", Jae Seok averted all the attention to Se Young
She passed all the papers to each one, "As you see, we have to pass on the 25% of the income of Gangnam Dome to Starlight company, and we have to give the widest area of the dome to Jeon Department store. A fair partnership I suppose", she claimed
Jungkook had no idea why she was here, in the meeting room. By the time he entered the room and spotted her presence, he was surprised
To be honest, he didn't want her to be here, it's him who must handle this knot and not her
The director could find no word to complain, they were all silent
"But, can you guarantee that Gangnam Dome will be a success? Can we trust the company which was nearly bankrupted?", one director snapped
Se Young was boiled with anger when she heard his rude words. Jungkook also glared at him with sharp yet cold eyes,
That's the reason I didn't want her to be here, he thought
But, of course she behaved and didn't show any anger on her face
She didn't slide it off easily but she was more experienced than Jungkook
"It is updated as the biggest project right now according to the survey. The response from the netizens are good, too. I can guarantee it for sure", she forced a smile though she wanted to slap him so bad outside
"By the way, according to what I heard...", the director who sarcastically welcomed Se Young spoke
"This partnership existed because of the two person here, is it true? An arranged marriage?", he smirked
"My conclusion is that why would Mr. Jeon partner up with the flop company? Because he wanted his son to marry her, he must have offered to save them. Of course, the other accepted this big chance, is it true?", he added
"Can you be more polite? Addressing other company as a flop is not the manner that directors should do", Se Young gritted her teeth and attacked him
Jungkook was shook upon his words, it was true after all, it was an arranged marriage which my father used the company's power
But, he couldn't tell the truth. If they discovered it, they wouldn't let it slide off easily
"Animnida (No in a formal way)", he could only say like that
"If it is true, the main reason behind the share dropped was because of them", he smirked again and Jungkook fist curled into a ball
"We were in a relationship before the partnership started. There's nothing concerning with the contract, Mr. Jeon isn't someone who mix personal and work", Se Young calmly retorted but she couldn't tolerate the atmosphere anymore, it was disgusting
"But, we can easily put the blame on you if there is no proof", he fought back
Se Young remained silent, she had no word to say, she couldn't fine any
"If", Jungkook started the word but fell into deep thoughts once again
"If we were in an arranged marriage, we would have divorced", he said
"My dad is now unconscious, we can do it easily. Just sign on the paper", he chuckled bitterly
"But, we didn't, and we never will", he claimed while looking at Se Young
Se Young face frowned by his words, she wasn't happy with the answer
This is not right
This is not what we planned, she thought
"And, don't address my personal so recklessly. I won't pass it easily next time", he warned
"But, as a son of Mr. Jeon, I'll take all the responsibilities for the share dropping"
"Mr. Jeon will officially retire. But, as an heir, I lacked a lot, I am still inexperienced and young. That's why I will also step down from the heir", Se Young's eye widen by his sudden announcement, so did Jae Seok and his mother
The director started whispering each other, obviously surprised by Jungkook's words
"I will give this place to Mrs. Kim, my aunt, who is also Mr. Jeon Jung Pyo's sister", Jungkook's Imo (Aunt) stood up and went to the front, stopping Jungkook from his action
"Believe in me, Imo", he smiled and continued the announcement
"I will learn a lot from Imo until I get acknowledgement from her. From now on, Imo will lead this company. I'll try hard and get back to this place, Gomasinida", he bowed and left the room together with his aunt and Jae Seok
And, there left Se Young who was baffled and angry at the same time
*
Jungkook had a talk with Jae Seok and his aunt, they were unexpected about Jungkook's announcement but agreed with him anyway
Jungkook checked his phone after his work was finished
No missed calls nor a single message
He wanted to talk Se Young so bad
He was definitely sure Se Young wouldn't be satisfied by what he said
'Yoon Se Young'
The screen said, he pressed the contact and waited for the girl to pick up his call
But, she didn't
He called Ms. Lee who was Se Young's driver and found out that she headed back to home
He hurriedly went down to the car park and drove to home
"Se Young-ah", he opened the door
But, only the silence welcomed him
"Se Young-ah", he walked to her room
All he could see was darkness
But, he saw a silhouette and opened the light, revealing the girl sitting on her bed with her head resting on her knees
"Why are you sitting in the dark? Are you okay?", he approached her and was about to caress her head but she avoided it
"What's wrong?", he asked, climbing onto the bed and sitting in front of her
But she still continued to ignore his presence and got up from the bed
He quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her to do so
"Is it because of the divorce thing?", he straightly got onto the point
She yanked his grip off and faced to him, the cold yet angry aura could be obviously seen on her face
"It's been a week, only a week that I asked you a divorce", "Do you think it was a joke? Do you think it was easy for me to bring it up? I meant it", she finally spoke up
"I... I am sorry", he softly spoke
"I have no choice", he sighed
"Now, what're we going to do? The divorce is turned into nothing? Then, what should I do? Jeon Jungkook... Tell me", she bit her lips
"Tell me!", she yelled expressing her anger out
"I am staying beside you just with the hope of divorcing in a month", "But, it just crushed", she laughed bitterly
"Crush in a minute", she repeated
"Se Young-ah, I really am sorry. It just happened unexpected-", Se Young cut him off
"I'm fucking tired of your lame excuse, Jeon Jungkook"
"You never care for me, just admit it", she coldly said
"If you did really care, you would tell me about the real reason for this stupid marriage in the first place", "If you did tell me, I wouldn't fall in love with you"
"And, I wouldn't be hurting like this", she cried
"From the start till now, you never think of me, even once", "It was always me who cared for you, who had a weak spot for you and who shared your sadness alone", she wiped her tears
"I am fucking tired, Jungkook", her voice cracked and she slumped onto the floor
"How much do I have to love alone? How much to do I have to suffer alone?", her voice cracked
Jungkook got up from the bed and sat on the floor
He held her chin, making her face to him
"Look at me", he said
"I didn't mean to hurt you", he tenderly caressed her cheek
"But, you did", she grabbed his hand away
"Y-Yeah, I have no words to apologize, I am sorry for all I did", he sighed
"But, please, Se Young-ah. I know it's shameless to request you like this. Only you can help me", his voice trailed off
"When will you be the heir? 5 years? 8 years? Ha....", she groaned
"Why should I continue this shit when you fucking used me and doesn't give a fuck to me? And watching you having an affair? No, Jeon Jungkook.... I can't do this", she shook her head hardly
"Just think in my shoes once", she hit his chest hard
"Think about how would I feel, and you wouldn't request me such thing!", she shouted while hitting his chest continuously
"It's selfish of me and I don't deserve forgiveness from you, but please.... help me" he looked down
"I want to prove that my father didn't do anything wrong, and Yoon Corporation is not a flop. Without your help, it's impossible. Jebal... Se Young-ah", he pleaded
She heaved a big sigh and cleared her throat
After getting up from the floor and wiping the stain tears, she took out the paper from the drawer beside her bed
The contract
The promise they made 4 months ago
"Geurae, I'll do it", she made the decision
"But, this is not because of you"
"I do this because of Mr. Jeon and my company's image", she added
"And, this is now rubbish, right? We don't need this any longer, or we did? I was so silly back then", she torn the contract into pieces
"And, remember this"
"From now on, I will stop this one-sided love, I won't hope for useless things, whether you and Ha Yeon fuck, I won't put my interest on it", she coldly declared
"Because you don't deserve anything from me", she stomped and slammed the door hard, leaving Jeon Jungkook in his own guilt, staring at the torn pieces which were scattered on the floor
*
He mindlessly sat on the stool beside his father, and held his hand
He was in a daze for a moment, numerous thought running in his head
"Appa", he called out
"Many things happened today", his lips curled down
"I did my best today, though I have to step down from the heir", "But, I will try hard to get that place back, so don't worry. Look after me", he played with his dad's hand
"Today, I realized myself that I am such a jerk", he bitterly chuckled
"And a coward", he added
"But..."
"Strangely, I feel good"
"that I could hold her back to me"
"These days, I wasn't brave enough to claim her that I couldn't let her go"
"I love you"
"Don't go"
"Stay with me", he muttered
"What's so difficult with it?", he frustratingly ran his hand into his hair
"But, such a coward I am, those words didn't slip out my mouth", he sighed
"I promised myself I won't hurt her anymore"
"But, I did", "Deeply and selfishly"
"Even so, I am glad", "I really am shameless, right?", he sneered himself
"I didn't mean to fool her in the first place", "At first, I didn't tell her my intention because I was worried she would decline it"
"I was always thinking when should I open up", "but, ended up being afraid that I would lose her", he chuckled bitterly
"I am such a fool", "who hurts the one he loves for numerous times"
"She would probably hates me right now, I deserve it", he got teary-eyes while opening up to his unconscious father
"But, I am not going to give her up", he smiled
"Yoongi hyung told me...
Don't let your important ones walk away"
"But I let them did it", his tears started to gather more and more
"Firstly, Jung Ah....
Now, Appa", he choked as he tried himself not to cry
"I won't let the last person go away easily"
"Se Young, who is now the person I value the most", he mumbled
"It's weird how she made me realize how important she is to me", "Yoongi hyung was behind it", he tittered
"I wanted to punch him so bad when he said that", "But, Yoongi hyung told Se Young about my intentions to make me aware of my feelings towards her", he stated
"Weirdly, it did work", he chuckled
"You'll only realize the importance of the person when they are gone", he muttered
"It happened to me thrice", "Karma is so cruel", he bitted his lips
"But, no matter how cruel it is, I swear, I won't let her leave me"
"Because I'll hold her tightly"
_______
Eun Hee looked around, feeling the breeze and the crushed waves on the shore
She walked along the coast, relaxing her mind which was totally flustered a whie ago
But, she stopped and started gazing the thing in her grip
Her Cellphone
It has been six days that she had ran away from Seoul, hiding from everyone and closing her feelings shut
She hasn't set her phone power on since she left Seoul
Because she didn't want to talk with anyone
But, she made her decision and set the power on
60 missed calls from Se Young
109 missed calls from Jin Oppa
50 messages from Jin Oppa
32 messages from Se Young
2 voicemails from Se Young
10 voicemails from Jin Oppa
Her lips curled up a bit to see how worried they was
"Eun Hee-ya, Where are you?
Why didn't you tell me everything?
Do you know how bad I felt myself?
Call me back when you hear this...", Se Young voice appeared when she opened the first voicemail
"Eun Hee-ya, I told Jin Oppa all about you, I wasn't sure where you were but I openly told him what I think, Jin Oppa loves you a lot, he looked so worried. I personally want you and Jin to be together", Se Young said
"Yah! Go Eun Hee, where are you! Why did you disappear without any words?", Jin yelled a lot in first voicemail
"I quit the show today, don't worry. It's not because of you, just because I can't work with rotten-mannered people", the third one said
"Go Eun Hee, I finally knew where you are, Just wait. I'll come to you", he said in the last one
Suddenly, the contact suddenly popped up on her phone making her flinched a bit
She bit her lips in nervous, not knowing she should pick the call or not
She sighed but held the phone near her ear
"How long are you thinking of running away from everyone?", the boy spoke from the other line
She looked down and didn't answer anything
"Why do you want to avoid me?", he questioned again
"There's one thing you need to know", he mumbled
"Wherever you go, or no matter how much you avoid me, I don't care", he said
"I will chase you and hold you tight so that you couldn't run away from me", he declared from the call
The girls almost got chills rushed through her spine when she heard the voice so near
"Like this", strong arms slipped around her thin waist and pulled her close, causing her widen eyes in surprise