Meisa's thin fingers clutched on the silver fork as she took another tiny bite of the giant lobster laying in the plate before her. She nibbled on it, scrunching her nose in distaste and pausing before taking another, even tinier forkful and bringing it to her lips hesitantly as if she thought it was poisoned.
She hated seafood.
"I'm so disappointed Hyukjae couldn't make it," her mother, Mrs. Jung, sighed. She was sitting across from Meisa, dressed in wealthy clothing from head to toe, her auburn hair tied up in an obedient tight bun. Gold jewels graced her neck and wrists elegantly and a pair of precious diamond earrings sparkled on each of her earlobes.
"Mhm, such a pity," Meisa mumbled darkly, staring down at her plate.
"That boy is such an angel," Mrs. Jung praised, completely immersed at her speech and not paying any attention to the way Meisa scoffed upon hearing the last word. "So polite, respectable and well-mannered. Isn't that right, Siwoo?" she turned to her husband on her left who was in the middle of devouring another chunk of the lobster with ravenous hunger.
"Hm?" Mr. Jung glanced up at his wife confusedly, fleshy cheeks stuffed with lobster. "Oh, yeah, yeah, such a shame, tsk." he nodded in agreement after swallowing loudly.
"He's just so... charming, you know? And handsome. Remember the other day when he noticed I had cut my hair and hurried to compliment me on it? That was so nice of him," Mrs. Jung took another bird-like bite of her lobster, her diamond rings dangling from her ears every time she moved her head. "And he's so intelligent and responsible... he'll make a great CEO to the Lee Corporations." She threw a brief glance at her daughter. "It's only a matter of time until-"
Meisa frowned, suppressing the urge to spit her food. "Hyuk isn't inheriting anything, mother. Aera is the rightful heiress to the Lee family fortune." She stated flatly.
"Yes, but Hyuk-"
"Hyukjae is born out of wedlock. Why does everyone keep forgetting this?"
"Well I know this, sweetie, but I was just thinking that given Aera's problem-"
"What do you mean, problem?" Meisa snapped in a rather defensive manner, earning a scowl from her mother.
"Sweetie, did you forget how she set fire to the Lee family home a year ago? No person in their right mind would-"
"Were you there?" Meisa cut her off abruptly, her hands inadvertently clutching on the edge of the table.
"Huh?" was the only thing Mrs. Jung could reply, taken aback by her daughter's sudden shift in demeanor.
"I asked, were you there?" Meisa said through gritted teeth, her exasperation smoldering in her emerald green orbs. "If I were you, I'd refrain from talking about something I didn't personally witness with my own eyes. You don't know for sure that Aera started that fire. And you should all stop treating her and talking about her like she's some crazy person. She has been through a lot, it's a whole miracle she's still holding it together."
Mrs. Jung paused for a while to stare at her daughter, brows furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. "Why are you suddenly defending Lee Aera? I thought you two weren't friends." She let out a small gasp. "Meisa, are you hanging out with that mentally unstable girl-"
"She's not mentally unstable!" Meisa hissed, dropping her utensils so loudly that even her father stopped digging into his plate and glanced up at his daughter, peering at her curiously over the candles placed in the middle of the table.
"I'm just worried, sweetie," Mrs. Jung's brows dipped slightly in feigned solicitude. "That girl is bad news and it would be better if you stayed away from her. I wouldn't be able to take another public humiliation, not after the one with your..." she trailed off.
"What? My brother?" Meisa finished her mother's sentence for her. "You're ashamed of Hobi, aren't you? You finally admitted it." She sneered.
"I never said that." Mrs. Jung deadpanned.
Her anger boiling up, Meisa huffed and glared at her parents. All her life, they had made decisions for her and forced her to follow through. It was like she had no voice when it came to talking to them. They would only ignore her.
Movement at the door caught her attention as a bright red-haired head peeked inside. Hoseok closed the door behind himself and shuffled to the chair next to his sister, not meeting his mother's exaggeratedly affectionate gaze.
"Took you long enough to decide do show up." Meisa grumbled, throwing him a furtive glance while wondering exactly how much of the conversation he had heard. She scanned his expression, detecting a tinge of anxiousness on it.
"I was out with Jin," he announced blankly, empty eyes flashing at her and Meisa couldn't help but notice the shudder that went through his body once the words left his mouth. "Sorry for being late."
"Oh, that's not a problem, dear," Mrs. Jung chirped. "We were just talking how sorry we all are your sister's fiancé couldn't make it. Speaking of which, Meisa, honey, I need to discuss wedding details with you."
"I still cannot believe you said yes," Hoseok glared at his sister, his voice lingering with displeasure.
"I-," Meisa suddenly choked up on the words. "What was I supposed to do?" she hissed in a quiet voice so that their parents wouldn't hear them from across the long table.
"Oh, I don't know," Hoseok rolled his eyes and hissed back at her. "Perhaps say no?"
"What are you getting so worked up for? Hyuk was your best friend until some months ago, you adored him. Did something change?"
"A lot of things changed."
"Like what?"
"I'm not talking about it here." Hoseok declared firmly, taking a sip of his water. The golden light from the candles in front of them flickered for a while, even though there was absolutely no movement of the air in the room.
"Hobi," Meisa placed her tiny palm on her brother's hand, paying no mind to the undetectable twitching of the small flames. "Is there something I need to know?"
Hoseok's jaw tightened. "No."
Her mind a surging perplexity, Meisa's teeth caught her lower lip hesitantly. Her brother's subtle disapproval of her engagement was the last nail in the coffin of the submissive obedience that had always kept her mind riveted to following her parents' every command. She couldn't remember the last time she had made a decision for herself or stood her ground about something.
Much like a puppet with ropes attached to her body, her family had always controlled her. It was the same case with her brother, only he had found a way to release the pent-up frustration, finding solace at the bottom of a vodka bottle.
As for Meisa, her willpower had diminished significantly after years of being put down until finally shrinking to a sole drop of free will, buried somewhere deep in the back of her head. Somehow she had found herself chained up in a loveless relationship for almost a decade and she couldn't even explain why.
Vaguely, she remembered a time where she had felt something for Hyukjae, before he had begun showing her his true face. She was well aware of how vile and dishonorable he was, yet she had stuck with him for all those years. Why? Meisa had no answer. Admittedly, she didn't love him anymore. Had she ever?
Understandably, being raised in a household where she was constantly emotionally neglected, she was bound to choose horrible romantic partners. She was attracted to emotionally unavailable people because this was the only type of love she had ever known. Exhibit A - Hyukjae.
She struggled to remember what she had even found in him in the first place. The truth was, as malicious as he had turned out to be, perhaps there had been something good about him at the start.
Oddly enough, Hyukjae had a talent for deceiving everyone that he was a caring, reliable and kind person. Probably this had been part of the reason Meisa had fallen for him such a long time ago. As rotten as he was on the inside, his exterior was none of the sort.
Surprisingly, he was handsome and attractive, maybe this was the reason people tended to fall for his charm, including Mr. and Mrs. Jung. He had a way with people and always managed to convince them of whatever he thought they needed to be convinced of, make them bend to his will.
The fact that he was one of Hoseok's best friends had definitely contributed to Meisa's decision to start a relationship with him. Hyuk had been sweet and loving, pursuing her relentlessly until she finally agreed to give him a chance. For almost half a year, he had been showering her with affection until one day, he just stopped.
Suddenly, a party night with the boys once a week turned into two party nights, then three and soon enough, Hyukjae was out partying every single night till dawn with Yoongi and Hoseok, leaving her alone at home to sulk. Desperate to find a way to mend her relationship, she would ask him for the reason behind his sudden attitude shift and time after time, he would just snap at her.
Their first fight had left her in pieces, the second one had sent a piercing sting through her heart and by the third one, she didn't even care anymore. She had become completely numb to his poisonous words, their only purpose was to put her down.
Which they did. Two years into her first relationship with her first love, Meisa felt unloved, unwanted and uncared for. Years passed and she would still wait around for any part of the old Hyukjae to come back, but to no avail. He would only grow colder and more indifferent towards her, as if it were possible. Day after day, Meisa would wither in her unhappiness, wondering what she had ever done wrong for her feelings not to be returned. Once a striking beauty that caused every man's head to swing in her direction upon entering a room, now her self-confidence was below zero. Feeling undesired and worthless, she would cry herself to sleep every night.
That was, until Jungkook.
His appearance in her life was a watershed, an event that completely changed her. When she looked at him, it was as if every ounce of breath had been knocked out of her lungs. When she peered into his midnight orbs, it was like looking at starry skies instead of plain pupils. He made her feel everything her boyfriend couldn't. Loved. Desired. Cherished. Each time he kissed her, it was as if he was untying all of her knots. She saw herself in the reflection of his eyes the same way she had always wanted to see herself – beautiful, safe and cherished.
He was light; he was hope; he was medicine.
With each passing day, the feeling became deeper, more bewitching and Meisa found herself in an affair she didn't have the strength nor the desire to end. In Jungkook's embrace, the world stopped still. This had been the love she had waited and hoped for, the love she had prayed for in all those dark, lonely nights Hyukjae had left her to sleep alone in the cold bed. Jungkook's every word and every touch, the way he would flash her his trademark boyish grin and peer at her under messy ebony bangs, had her enthralled. He loved her in a devoted, trusting way she had never been loved before.
Meisa had never planned for anything like this to happen. Falling in love with Jungkook was the easy part, coming to terms with that fact was harder. She was scared of how attached to him she had become; it terrified her. Knowing full well this was dangerous for them both, the passion overcoming her silenced every reasonable thought she had left in her brain.
Nevertheless, she couldn't possibly imagine ending her relationship with Hyukjae, considering how much her parents were pressuring her on staying with him because he was "the best thing for her". Meisa wasn't naïve, she knew they would never accept her being in a relationship with a "commoner" as they would call it, someone without any money and not from a wealthy family.
Still, every fiber of her body screamed at her that Jungkook was the only one for her. The only one she'd ever want.
"As a matter of fact, Meisa's engagement isn't the only reason we gathered you here today. I and your father have an announcement to make," her mother's high-pitched abrasive voice snapped Meisa out of her raging thoughts. "Honey?" Mrs. Jung gave her husband an expectant look, nudging him slightly and causing him to choke on the food he continued insatiably to stuff his mouth with.
"Oh, uhm, yes," Mr. Jung cleared his throat and dabbed a napkin on his greasy lips. "Listen, kids. I and your mother talked a lot and have come to a decision. We want Meisa to be the one in charge of the family business."
There was a baffled pause as the words hung in the air awkwardly. Meisa and Hoseok both stared at their parents, their jaws slacked and their unblinking eyes open wide.
"What- what do you mean?" Meisa stuttered first, tucking a loose blond strand behind her ear nervously. She glanced over at her brother who still hadn't moved an inch, blank eyes fixated on their parents.
"Sweetie, we want you to take care of all the Jung restaurants across the country. You already have a degree in Business Management, all you need to do is-"
"But Hoseok's the older one." Meisa interrupted, going pale as ever as all the blood left her face.
"Only by six minutes," Mr. Jung huffed, shoving another massive chomp into his mouth. Meisa suddenly wanted to puke.
"I don't- I mean. I think it would be better if Hobi took over. He's more experienced in this than me and-" she paced through the words frantically.
"It's already decided." Her mother declared, giving a stern look. "With you getting married this year and all, it's about time that you start taking some new responsibilities at the-"
"Is this because I'm getting married?" Meisa raised her voice, outraged. Cold shivers went down her spine as she realized that if her parents were to give the family business to her after she married Hyukjae, then that would mean that he could have a claim on it, too. He would be even richer than he was now.
How didn't she realize this before?
That devil must have put some kind of a spell on them.
"I don't see how that's relevant," her mother shook her head, dismissing the subject. "Enough talking about this. Now, I wanted to run something by you about the dress. I've always pictured my baby girl in a ball gown on her wedding day, but I'm fairly sure you could pull off a mermaid one as well. I was thinking maybe tomorrow we could go and see how-"
"No."
Mrs. Jung arched a brow in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"No." Meisa repeated, jaw clenched and hands shaking. Finally, Hoseok broke through his stupefied state and whirled around to look at his sister.
"Okay," Mrs. Jung frowned slightly, the outer corners of her thin lips tugging upwards in a faint smile. "So if tomorrow doesn't work-"
"It doesn't. Nor the day after tomorrow. Nor the day after that, and the day after that. Actually, no day would work. Because there isn't going to be a wedding." Meisa's muscles tightened against the shaking of her limbs. There was heat in her voice as she realized this had been the first time she was standing up to her parents. Her heart rate spiked, making it impossible for her to calm down her heartbeat. Her whole being wanted to run, but she stayed rooted to her spot, determined to withstand whatever came next.
"That's ridiculous," her mother simply scoffed after a while. "And please don't frown like that, sweetie, you'll get wrinkles. Now come on and give us a smile-"
"I have nothing to smile about!" Meisa thundered in exasperation. The fact that they weren't taking her seriously only fueled her exasperation further. "I'm not marrying Hyukjae and that's it. As of now, the wedding is off." She shuddered upon letting the last words escape her, surprised by her own boldness. This didn't sound like her. Ready to endure whatever was necessary, she was finally fighting for her own happiness, for what her soul yearned for. She was finally breaking free from everything that had been holding her down all these years, preventing her from being truly happy. Whatever it took her, she would be with Jungkook.
No matter what.
"Meisa, we've talked about this. You have to marry Hyuk. You've been together for almost seven years and frankly, he's just perfect for you."
"Oh, why don't you marry him then?" Meisa snarled, earning an abashed look from her mother.
"Meisa!" her father suddenly boomed, slamming his hand against the table. "We don't have the time to listen to your childish rebellions. Sit down and obey your mother or-"
"Don't fucking talk to her like that."
Wide-eyed, Meisa's head swung over to look at her brother. A hostile expression plastered over his face, his darkened orbs burned with a destructive flame.
All of a sudden, she was overwhelmed by the same feeling of impending danger she had experienced the previous day when Jungkook had collapsed on the floor, literally petrified. It was this lurking, creeping intense sensation accompanied by a low rumbling sound that a volcano gave off before erupting. Goosebumps lined her skin as she dug her teeth into her lower lip, staring at her brother.
The shadow that the candle light cast over Hoseok's face flickered. "You don't get to talk to her like that. And you most definitely don't get to tell her how to live her life. She doesn't owe you a goddamn thing." He mumbled but in the quietness of the room it almost sounded as if he had yelled it.
"I don't recall talking to you." Mr. Jung shot a cold glare to his son, disappointment reverberating through every atom of his body.
Ever since Hoseok's mental state started deteriorating to the point of needing medical help for his addiction, his father's attitude towards him had shifted immensely. Not only he seemed to be ashamed of his son, but it also looked like he had started to literally despise him. It was hurtful even for Meisa to witness her parents treat Hoseok with such animosity instead of supporting him when he needed it most. They hadn't visited him even once while he was in rehab.
Tears of frustration started welling up Meisa's green orbs. She tugged on Hoseok's sleeve slightly as she stood up, her chair gliding on the polished floor with a high-pitched screech. "Come on, Hobi. Let's go."
"Where do you think you're going?" Mrs. Jung exclaimed, clutching on her chest.
"I'm certainly not staying here, listening to your bullshit," Meisa uttered with a rigid expression. Again, she shuddered at how brave she was being. "And neither should Hoseok. What kind of parents are you, abandoning your child the minute they become an inconvenience for you? You're being so hard on him without as much as taking into consideration his struggles. Has anyone of you tried to comprehend what he's gone through? The reasons why things went down like they did?
No, you only think of yourselves and of ways your kids could be useful for you. Now you've really outdone yourselves, forcing me into a marriage I clearly don't want to step into, with a person more horrible than you could ever imagine. I won't do it, not this time," her voice was shaking but she spoke with confidence, uncovering the rebel she never knew she carried within her.
Eyes rounded and mouths agape, Mr. and Mrs. Jung stared at the two siblings wordlessly. Thick silence filled the room like heavy fog.
Without hesitation, Hoseok stood up next to his sister and grabbed her by the hand. The two of them started walking to the door before their mother's shriek caused them to whip around simultaneously.
"Jung Meisa!" Mrs. Jung stood up, her whole body trembling with unfiltered anger. "If you walk out of this door, consider yourself stripped of your right to the Jung family fortune."
"Quite frankly, mother," not a single muscle twitched on Meisa's face. "I don't give a damn."
Instantaneously, Mrs. Jung's face became red with suppressed rage as she clenched her fists. Her narrowed eyes exuded sharp malice that was like acid. "You just lost everything, Meisa! Everything! Do you really think we wouldn't know you've been messing around with that boy from the security? That's right, we know about that. You were stupid and reckless. Fooling around, thinking you weren't going to get caught. I decided we would let you off the hook since you're young and naïve, as long as you went back to Hyukjae in the end things would be alright. But you crossed a line today. Have a nice life with that scumbag, the security guard. And don't come crawling back, begging us for money when you sink into poverty with him," she spat out the words, her voice laced with venom.
Meisa bit on the inside of her cheek, trying to chase the tears away. She had always known her parents' love came with conditions, but now that she finally refused to play by their rules, she was hurt by the harshness of their words. Instinctively, she squeezed on her brother's hand as a desolate sob she tried to stifle forced its way up her throat.
Her sight blurry from the tears, she didn't notice right away how something blazed in Hoseok's orbs, much like lightning in a pitch black night. A distant thudding sound reached her ears as a whip of red light extended from her brother's hand for less than a second before a spark of fire ignited in the middle of the table. It expanded, becoming larger and larger, dancing and leaping in the air like an uncaged tiger.
The unpleasant taste of smoke coated Meisa's mouth as she swallowed heavily, her lungs contracting desperate for the already decreasing oxygen in the room. Her face burned from the heat emanated by the flame as she stared at it, a crippling panic washing over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her brother's lips moving imperceptibly as if he was murmuring some inaudible words only he knew the meaning to.
"Fire! Fire!" Meisa's mother screamed in terror, jumping from her seat and throwing herself over her horrified husband.
A shower of sparks erupted like firecrackers, a wave of intense warmth threatening to bite on the parents any second now. What seemed bizarre was that it was as if the ferocious fire had a mind of its own as it leapt aggressively for Mr. and Mrs. Jung only, instead of approaching Meisa and Hoseok as well. What felt like ages was probably some seconds until the fire alarm finally went off, its harsh beeping echoing through Meisa's head.
Next thing she knew, several firemen barged in through the doors, carrying fire extinguishers. Their voices merged together in a chaotic cacophony of sounds and combined with the heat, sent Meisa's mind into a frenzy.
Before she knew it, Hoseok had started dragging her towards the exit. Despite of her mind still being in the clutches of the shock, it wasn't difficult for her now to realize that something was seriously off. Unintentionally, her thoughts drifted back to the previous day where she, Jungkook and the others had stayed up late discussing Jungkook's petrifaction and Namjoon's experience with time manipulation. What if they really possessed some kind of enhanced physical abilities? Meisa had been skeptical to believe at first, but seeing how that fire ignited out of nowhere and witnessing the look in her brother's eyes, she thought...
"Hobi," she halted abruptly, causing Hoseok to stop in his steps too. "What happened back there?"
Hoseok shuddered. "What do you mean? I got angry at them for treating us like trash. It was about time we stood up to them. By the way, you have a lot of explaining to do about that security guard." He folded his arms in front of his chest.
"No," Meisa shook her head. "Not about that. The fire. Why did it seem like it was crawling towards mother and father?"
"How would I know?" there was a tinge of nervousness in Hoseok's voice as he ran a hand through his scarlet locks. "Do I look like a fire expert?"
Her heart still hammering against her chest erratically, Meisa fumbled with her fingers before exhaling heavily. "Come, I want you to meet someone."
"Who?" Hoseok frowned, staring at his sister with narrowed eyes.
Meisa slightly flushed before sliding the engagement ring off her finger. "My new boyfriend."
author's note:
me: *has a shitload of things to do*
also me: "hmm, I think I'm gonna edit and publish that 4k-something words chapter tonight" lol
on another note, this chapter was soooo satisfying to write ^^ Meisa finally stood up for herself and fought for her love with Jungkook. We love a strong female character. Plus we had an insight on her character and why she was doing the things she was doing.
And yes, Meisa and Hobi are twins. (Non-identical obviously)
Also, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 1K READS! 💜💜💜 Gosh, this is so amazing! Thank you for being with me, voting and commenting on this story! Your support means the world to me and it's giving me a buzz to keep on writing 🥰