Every single FT Award in the past had gone through heated arguments, but the organizers always stepped out to end it in fear of an ensuing fight.
So, when it came to Tiffany, would they really expose her to the public's judgment? If they did this, it wouldn't matter if Tiffany received an award or not, she would still be criticized.
If she didn't receive it, others would say that she caused such a huge commotion only to go home empty-handed and she would be treated like a joke.
And if she did receive it, everyone would say it's because she had a strong backing. As a result, the award would lose its original significance.
But, was this predicament a coincidence?
The more fair a place appeared, the more darkness it had hidden behind-the-scenes; this was something that Tiffany understood well.
She didn't care who she was up against nor what their motive was. As long as someone made a move, she would fight back without any fears.
Late at night. Hyatt Regency.
The light in the study room was still on and Taeyeon was still seated in front of the computer, tapping away at his keyboard. Tiffany peeked in at her husband through the slight gap of the door as she supported her belly. There was no doubt he was working on her issue.
However, she did not open the door and enter. Because she understood, from the moment that she decided to give up being a model to pursue acting, Taeyeon had felt guilty towards her.
And this times incident was obvious that someone was trying to provoke Crown Empire and provoke him!
"It's cold outside, go back to bed," Taeyeon did not lift his head, but he was well aware that Tiffany was standing outside the door. Tiffany was a little surprised as a smile appeared on her face.
"I haven't been able to sleep well lately. It's been a while since I've seen my husband's manly face."
Taeyeon lifted his head and took a deep breath before he waved his wife over, "Come, hurry over..."
Tiffany opened the door, walked over to Taeyeon and successfully slipped into his embrace, "Hubby..."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry, I won't get involved with the way you handle PR this time because I view this award highly. I can't possibly say that it doesn't matter to me whether I win it or not. I'm not generous to the point where I'd happily give it to someone else."
Taeyeon hugged Tiffany as he nodded his head, "No one can stop you from getting what you deserve...I bet these people have forgotten who your manager is!"
Tiffany looked into Taeyeon's eyes. The couple had long developed an understanding towards each other, so there was no way that Tiffany didn't know what Taeyeon had planned.
Since the issue had escalated to this point and varied opinions filled the internet, Crown Empire had no choice but to speak up and put everyone back on the right track.
So, the next morning, Crown Empire released a statement to reaffirm the fairness of The FT Awards.
Firstly, in the eyes of the public, this decade-old award was well-trusted and was held in high esteem, so its fairness couldn't possibly be doubted just because of Tiffany.
Following on, Taeyeon posted up a letter addressed to fans. The t.i.tle of the letter was simple: "Why I nominated Tiffany for the FT Awards!"
In reality, Taeyeon's motive was to tell everyone that Tiffany deserved to win an award. But, he simply chose a more widely accepted approach to not attract dislike.
Within the letter, the recipients of The Best Newcomer FT Awards for the last 3 years were used as examples. And the film critics that critiqued them for those respective years were also mentioned. He did not compare Tiffany to her current compet.i.tors because he believed, even if he wasn't related to Tiffany and he was viewing the situation from an entirely neutral position, Tiffany's acting was obviously better than the others.
_"Tiffany is capable, but we can't deny that she has a strong backing in the form of Crown Empire."
_"The compet.i.tion seems fierce for this year's Best Newcomer Award...I'm looking forward to a good show."
_"Ye Lan is also quite impressive. It's rare to find someone that can act so well as a blind person."
_"I feel that the public has exaggerated the influence that Tiffany has. She actually keeps a very low profile. It's just, everyone views her as a legend..."
_"If this issue continues, even if Tiffany is actually the best, the organizers couldn't possibly give her the award...I don't know why I feel a little wronged on behalf of Tiffany!"
Actually, people within the industry could tell that no matter who competed for this award, Tiffany was still the biggest compet.i.tor. This was because, not only was Tiffany capable, she also had the support of Crown Empire and Taeyeon...
She had a continuous aura that was dazzling and intimidating!
Meanwhile, over at the Jung Household.
The heiress of the Jung Household had just returned from a camping trip and was still dressed in athletic clothing.
As she walked towards the living room, she spotted her father and the woman she hated, sitting on the sofa, chatting and laughing. She was emotionless as she approached them and gave a dull greeting, before she turned and left. As she walked away, she briefly heard the woman say,
"Thank you, Second Master. If not for your a.s.sistance, I don't know how I would have gone up against Tiffany."
Second Master Jung said in a businessman's att.i.tude as he hugged the woman with one arm and smoked a cigar with the other, "After being with me for so many years, your only hobby has been acting. Since you wanted an award, is there anything I can't give you?"
Hearing the two flirting in the living room, the heiress scoffed in disgust. Although she walked away like nothing happened, the word 'Tiffany' continued to resonate in her mind.
She had a deep impression of the woman who had helped her retrieve her pride at Hwang Corps' Annual Celebration. She was a woman that the heiress greatly admired...
It turned out, the news that had been spreading about Tiffany over the last couple of days, was all because the woman that was currently sitting in her home.
After getting changed, the heiress returned to the living room. Seeing the woman was all alone on the sofa, she walked over and sat down beside her, "You've always been a sneaky person. But, I never thought you'd be sly even when it comes to receiving an award."
"What are you talking about?" the woman asked as her face turned red.
"Am I wrong? I admit your acting is not bad, but you must be intimidated by Tiffany, aren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't use my father and his contacts to go around and slander Tiffany."
"Krystal!! , you better show me some respect! I am, after all, your stepmother!"
"If I remember correctly, you're younger than me, right?" Krystal scoffed "So what if you're my stepmother? In this household, the only person that is blood-related to my father, is me. If you have the capability, why don't you give him another child?"
"You..."
Krystal couldn't be bothered wasting her breath on the woman for another second. However, just before she left, she added one last thing, "I actually quite like Tiffany. If given a choice, I would definitely side with her..."
Tiffany was the chairwoman of Hwang Corps. Even if she was no longer an actress, it wouldn't effect her too harshly. But, when dealing with someone like Krystal's stepmother, even if Krystal was in Tiffany's position, she too would fight for the FT Award with all her might.
Krystal's stepmother was the female lead in 'Survive'; a woman that was half a year younger than her, who she had to call stepmother; a woman named Ye Lan.
"Krystal, don't forget that I hold seniority to you in this family. Don't view the wrong person as the enemy."
"The biggest enemy in my life is right before me, Miss Ye Lan. Don't you think so?" After speaking, Krystal crossed her arms and turned to leave.
Of course, she wasn't joking when she said that she'd side with Tiffany. She felt a connection with Tiffany and could sense that they had similarities.
As a result, she immediately contacted the staff at Jung Corps and asked for Tiffany's method of contact.
To Krystal, there was no other mistress in the world that was as shameless as Ye Lan. To become her father's wife, that woman had used every method possible. In fact, to please her father in bed, Ye Lan had flown all the way to j.a.pan to learn a few dirty, unmentionable tricks.
Perhaps it was because she actually had a talent for it, Ye Lan ended up pursuing acting and did pretty well.
And because her methods were quite ruthless, she did not view others with any regard. Of course, this included Tiffany.
In fact, the issue with the votes being cleared also involved her.
It was hard to believe, a woman that was so cruel that she couldn't be bothered to hide her own evil intentions, actually had the ability to mesmerize her father.
It didn't take long before it was time to look at the votes for Best Newcomer a second time. This time, everyone's expression was especially serious, like they were making a huge life-changing decision.
"I know most of you are firm with your decision from yesterday, but at least tell me what you think."
"I have decided to stick with my original vote."
"Me too."
"I agree..."
About a dozen people expressed their opinions with no changes to the previous day's decision...
"Regardless of the result, let's talk after we review the votes..." Elder Kim said unhappily, "But first, I would like to mention that Crown Empire's PR has stopped some information that leaked from our meeting yesterday. I'm curious as to how this information was exposed in the first place."
"Elder Kim, we only agreed to review the votes because we respect you. But, that doesn't mean you can treat us with suspicion and insults..."
"How would we know how information was leaked from our meeting yesterday?"
"Stop talking nonsense, let's start voting."
In reality, although a large number of the judges did not change their votes, there were also a few that had sat down in seriousness and thought carefully about their decision. Especially after they saw Crown Empire's letter.
Tiffany's ability compared to previous winners of the Best Newcomer Award was quite comparable. In other words, Tiffany's acting could not be doubted.
As for those that held prejudice against Tiffany, only a small number of them had been converted, but it was enough to make a difference...
The official final result for the first round of votes ended with Tiffany ranked in 5th place and Ye Lan in 6th. There was only one vote difference between the two, but Tiffany just slipped through.
Although Elder Kim was still disappointed with the final result, at least Tiffany made it into the final list of nominees and the second round of voting would be handled by a different group of judges.
At this time, someone expressed their doubt towards Elder Kim.
"Elder Kim, I have nothing to say about this final result, but I would like to know who you voted for. Did you directly give it to Tiffany?"
"What do you mean?" Elder Kim queried.
"You keep telling us to be fair and objective, but, I want to know if you have been a fair judge," the man paused for a second and continued, "If you want to convince us, it's simple, you just need to get rid of one of Tiffany's votes. After all, even though you've been fair all your life, would old age have made you act differently?"
If Tiffany was to lose a vote, then she would have the same votes as Ye Lan again!
Elder Kim wanted to refute, but from the looks of it, everyone else seemed to be in agreement with the man's suggestion.
As a result, Elder Kim gave a slight smile and asked, "So, all I have to do is cancel my vote?"
"Of course," the man replied in certainty.
"Fine." After speaking, Elder Kim turned to the staff member in charge of counting the votes and said, "Cancel my vote."
It seemed, everyone expected Elder Kim to vote for Tiffany. But, surprisingly, Tiffany's votes did not change, instead the actresses in 1st and 2nd place were effected.
Elder Kim had given his vote to someone else - not Tiffany!
"What else do you guys have to say?"
Everyone fell silent, including the man that had requested Elder Kim to cancel his vote. Since a new result had been decided on, it was only right for everyone to accept it.
"Since no one has anything to say, then the final nomination list has been set."
A portion of the people in the room were indifferent about the results, but those that disliked Tiffany scoffed to themselves. So what if her name made it on the final list? The results showed that Tiffany had received the least amount of votes. Even so, a small amount was better than no amount...
The next group of judges were expected to be stricter than the first and no one could stand in their way. So, Elder Kim was no longer worried about Tiffany. In reality, after Crown Empire's PR released their statement, the public had already accepted the possibly that Tiffany would receive an award. After all, Tiffany's capability was obvious...
All Crown Empire had to do was emphasize Tiffany's capability and any doubts would be quickly dispersed.
The final result was an achievement between the grandfather and his grandson. One man did everything for his wife, while the other did it for his granddaughter-in-law. For the sake of their family member and lover, they were willing to give their all.
Of course, they simply helped Tiffany achieve a fair chance. After all, even though Tiffany had their support and protection, their relations.h.i.+p also created a lot of doubt.
Tiffany was obviously a great actress...
For the sake of creating a great film, she put in more effort than everyone else!
But, because of her relations.h.i.+p with Crown Empire and the fact that she was the wife of Taeyeon, everyone also had higher expectations for her...
Ye Lan had been eliminated!
Even though Ye Lan knew the results, there was nothing she could do. It was impossible to bribe the judges, so all she could do was slander Tiffany to create dislike towards her. But, in the end, she lost to Tiffany by one vote.
That night, Ye Lan sat at home sulking to her husband, "Hubby, I can't accept this result. I've already been the female lead in 5 films and it wasn't easy for me to get this opportunity. How could Tiffany compare when she's only been in two films?"
"Tiffany is, after all, our business partner. You shouldn't mind too much."
"She is your business partner, not mine. Plus, Old Man Jung, your daughter tried to threaten me earlier. She said she was going to side with Tiffany. Could your daughter have influenced the result in some way?"
Just as Ye Lan was sulking, Krystal appeared from upstairs and looked coldly at the two people in the living room, "You are younger than my father by 25 years, please don't rub yourself all over him - it's disgusting!"
"You..."
"Krystal, how could you speak to your mother like that?" Father Jung's icy cold voice resonated through the room, "Did you do anything behind-the-scenes to cause your mother to be eliminated?"
"I'm sure you both know what type of person Tiffany is. If she wants something, then everyone has no choice but to make way for her," Krystal laughed.
"Luckily, I get along quite well with Tiffany. It seems, I may need to hang around with her a bit more often. That way I can learn how to rid my home of evil energy."
After speaking, Krystal turned to leave. However, Father Jung immediately stood up and roared, "Stay right there!"
Krystal heard him clearly, but she did not look back. At this time, Father Jung suddenly ran up behind her and punched her in the back, around her hip area.
Violence...
...was sometimes synonymous with this family.
Meanwhile, Ye Lan stood watching with her arms crossed and laughed loudly...
Krystal lay on the icy cold floor, but her stubborn nature refused to plead for mercy. After standing up, she simply returned to her bedroom.
She believed that karma existed in this world and a cheap person was bound to be eventually dealt with by G.o.d.
It didn't take long before all the nomination lists for the FT Awards were released to the public. Tiffany's name was, of course, amongst these lists.
Afterwards, the amusing incident with Elder Kim being asked to cancel his vote was spread around like a joke. Of course, this was proof that Elder Kim had not been bias. In fact, to avoid doubt, he had no intention to vote for Tiffany whatsoever.
It also proved that his request for the votes to be reviewed was indeed an objective decision and wasn't a subjective request.
Tiffany had entered the final 5!
Seeing Tiffany's name on the nomination list, quite a few people immediately called to congratulate her. Amongst these people, was Se-ra.
Although Tiffany didn't have much to say to her, she still treated her politely out of courtesy.
"Fany Unnie, I am truly happy for you."
"Thank you," Tiffany replied in a distant manner. Even though they had once been friends, because of Minho, they had drifted further and further apart.
"Errr...would you happen to have news about Yunho?" Se-ra asked, even though she had a feeling that Tiffany would not tell her.
"Se-ra, stop thinking about someone that has already left. Focus on your own life," Tiffany replied straightforwardly. "I know you feel guilty, but, you really don't need to."
"Fany Unnie...to be honest, I still like him." Se-ra may have gathered all her courage to reveal this, but to Minho, these words had come too late. "I never thought he'd react so seriously. It was beyond my expectations..."
"He has always been a serious person, you should know this. But, a part of your heart has always been with someone else, so you've never been certain," Tiffany directly exposed Se-ra's true thoughts. "Se-ra, what's pa.s.sed is in the past..."
"You're right. What's pa.s.sed is in the past. I simply wanted to notify you that I'm getting engaged."
"In that case, congratulations."
She was already getting engaged, yet she was calling to reveal that she had another man in her heart. Tiffany could not understand Se-ra's views on love.
"Thank you. I know you don't want to hear my voice right now. Sorry to have bothered you, Fany Unnie."
"It's fine. I wish you happiness," Tiffany said, before she hung up the phone.
Tiffany knew the situation between the three people clearly. Because of this, she did not want Minho to be dragged back into the messy web of love. He had been hurt by Jimin once and hurt by Se-ra once, wasn't that already enough of a lesson?
Even so, Tiffany still decided to give Minho a phone call, "Se-ra is getting engaged. I felt that you should know about this."
"Noona, I am a lot better now. I'll return in a couple days. It's only right for me to go to her engagement party and congratulate her in person," Minho replied calmly.
"It's your choice," Tiffany could clearly tell that there wasn't an ounce of sadness in Minho's voice. Perhaps, he had truly dragged himself out of the depressing swamp of love.
"OK."
"You should take someone with you. You are, after all, the Fourth Master of the Hwang Family. Don't let others look down on you," Tiffany thoughtfully reminded.
"I understand."
After Minho hung up the phone, he immediately contacted Se-ra. This was something that Se-ra had never expected.
Especially since Minho's voice appeared extremely calm, "Congratulations, my sister told me you're getting engaged."
"Are you...coming back to Seoul?" Se-ra asked with complex emotions.
"Yes," Minho nodded. "Regardless of everything that's happened, you indeed helped me in the past. I will never forget what you've done for me. So, I will definitely attend your engagement."
"Great, I'll see you then."
Se-ra actually had a lot that she wanted to say to Minho, but...
...as the words reached the edge of her lips, they transformed into polite small talk.
Minho had agreed to attend her engagement...
He was going to attend!
The final nominees for the FT Awards had been officially announced and the date of the ceremony was set for February 13th; the day before Valentine's Day.
Se-ra's engagement party was to be held in 3 days time. At this time, Tiffany received a surprising phone call. It was a call from the heiress of Jung Corps, Krystal .
If not for what happened at Hwang Corps' Annual Celebration, she may have already forgotten about this person. But, as soon as Tiffany thought about the image of Hwang Na-ri being taught a lesson, she immediately remembered the pretty and extravagant young lady.
As a courtesy to her business partner and due to the good impression that she had towards the young lady, Tiffany agreed to meet in person.
Knowing that Tiffany's ident.i.ty made it inconvenient for her to travel, Krystal offered to meet Tiffany at her home.
After all, the Jung Household wasn't a place that Tiffany could visit. If the mistress was home and saw Tiffany, she would go crazy.
After careful thought, Tiffany did not feel like she should be cautious of Krystal . Plus, she did not want her pregnancy to be revealed just yet, so staying at home was indeed the best option. As a result, she agreed to Krystal's suggestion.
"Tae...why do you think Krystal wants to see me?" Tiffany expressed her confusion after she hung up the phone.
"Sooyoung has already looked into it. She is a genuine person," Taeyeon covered Tiffany with a blanket and allowed her to comfortably fall into his embrace.
Tiffany understood what Taeyeon meant. Krystal was someone she could try to befriend; it wouldn't be much of an issue.
"OK hubby, I understand."
Not long after Taeyeon left, Krystal appeared at Hyatt Regency. Although she had previously tried to imagine Tiffany and Taeyeon's home, seeing it in real life still made her sigh in admiration.
They lived in such a big villa, but it did not feel cold and unwelcoming. It was clear to see how much effort the couple put into their home.
This was Krystal's second time meeting Tiffany. She did not look as elegantly mysterious as she did on the first night that they met. She simply looked like a warm and gentle housewife. Yet, she still looked extraordinary...
"I hope I'm not bothering you," Krystal smiled apologetically.
"Miss Jung, please sit down," Tiffany smiled.
"You must be surprised as to why I suddenly wanted to see you," Krystal walked over to Tiffany and sat down on the sofa.
"Actually, it's not much. I simply wanted to tell you that the person that was previously standing in your way for the first round of votes, was Ye Lan..."
"You..."
"She is my stepmother," Krystal waved her hand awkwardly.
Tiffany was a little dumbfounded, but she quickly remembered Ye Lan's age. If she was right, Ye Lan was a little bit younger than Krystal .
"I specifically came to show my grat.i.tude. If I didn't tell you about this matter, I may not ever get a good night's sleep. It's been a long time since I've seen the mistress fuming with rage," Krystal relaxed and added, "You don't need to be cautious of me. I simply came to thank you."
"I'm not from the same industry as you, so I don't have any ulterior motives."
Tiffany had actually figured long ago that Krystal wasn't a calculative person. It was obvious that her happiness was genuine. Perhaps it was because she had found someone with the same enemy.
"What's wrong with your hip?" Tiffany had noticed, from the moment that Krystal sat down, she had been ma.s.saging her hip area. From the looks of it, she was in quite a bit of discomfort.
"I'm fine," Krystal smiled. She, of course, couldn't tell Tiffany about the cause of her injury. "Eek, I feel a little awkward. I looked for you so anxiously just to tell you about something so insignificant. You must be busy."
Tiffany watched as Krystal laughed at herself and shook her head, "As you know, I've already retreated from filming, so I haven't been that busy."
"In that case..."
"Actually, I didn't come today with no motive whatsoever. I was hoping my words would be able to warn you to be cautious of Ye Lan."
"Are you worried about me?" Tiffany asked in an amused manner.
"No...No...I know how capable you are. I simply have one request. If the sl*t falls into your hands, please don't show her any mercy."
Hearing this, Tiffany burst out laughing. Krystal was indeed how Taeyeon had described: she was a genuine person.
She didn't have an extremely high EQ, but for some reason she was naturally likeable.
At least, when it came to Tiffany, she found Krystal impossible to hate.
"Don't worry, when it comes to other things, I can't make any promises, but what you have asked of me, I can definitely do," Tiffany replied in a relaxed manner.
In reality, Krystal wasn't good at starting conversations. Her mother had pa.s.sed away early and her father hit and scolded her often, so she had never learned how to socialize with other people.
In fact, she didn't even know how to properly share her feelings. The only reason she could argue with others was because of skills she had developed over time.
And of course, the argument she had at the Annual Celebration was all because Hwang Na-ri had provoked her!
But, apart from standing her ground, she did not have the skills to handle the matter on her own.
The two women ended up sitting silently until the doorbell suddenly rang. Krystal stood up and offered, "I'll go open the door."
Tiffany did not move. After all, she was trying to conceal her protruding belly. However, Tiffany did not expect that Minho had returned home one day early and would be so surprised to see Krystal.
"Little Monkey?"
Krystal froze and pointed to herself, "You know me?"
Minho looked at her like she was joking as he entered the villa and laughed, "We went to the same primary school, the same secondary school and the same high school. You were really famous..."
"No wonder when I saw you on television, I thought you looked familiar. Yet, I couldn't figure out what it was..." Krystal suddenly came to realization. However, she quickly covered her face in embarra.s.sment,
"Does that mean you know about my humiliating past?"
Minho burst out laughing and nodded his head.
Tiffany watched the interaction between the two and watched as Minho burst out laughing. So, she cleared her throat to remind them that there was another person present.
"Sorry Noona, I was getting overexcited by seeing an old cla.s.smate."
Of course, the person that Minho referred to as cla.s.smate was merely someone that had shared the same school; they were in completely different grades.
"Have you made preparations for the event tomorrow?" Tiffany directly asked.
Hearing this question, Minho's expression darkened as he took a deep breath, "Yes, I'm prepared."
"Where are you going? Can I go too?" Krystal asked.
Minho was a little surprised, but Tiffany let out a laugh, "Of course you can. What do you think, Minho?"
It would actually be perfect if he could take Krystal with him...
Although Krystal didn't have a high EQ, she was obviously trying to improve her social skills.
"Can she go?"
Initially, Minho did not respond. But, after thinking about what Tiffany meant, he eventually nodded his head, "As long as she won't find it boring."
"I can chat to you. I'm sure we have plenty to talk about."
Over the years, because of her family, Krystal barely had any friends. Her temper had also only improved in the last few years because, in the past, she actually had a very short fuse.
Since it was rare for her to come across an old cla.s.smate that she got along with, Krystal completely opened up and relaxed...
Tiffany didn't expect for this to happen. But, as long as her brother wasn't being bullied, nothing else mattered to her.
For some reason, Tiffany felt like she could trust Krystal. She felt like she would be the key to protecting Minho, like a protective fortress.
Perhaps it was because they had gone to school together, even after leaving Hyatt Regency, Krystal and Minho found themselves still deep in conversation. In fact, they exchanged contact details and Minho even offered to escort Krystal home.
"It's fine, my home isn't that far. Plus, I drove myself over here anyway."
"You are helping me with a huge favor tomorrow. It's only right for me to take you home today."
Krystal wasn't an overly cautious person. So, she couldn't see any reason to reject Minho's sincerity as she boarded his sports car. However, for a short moment, Minho was suddenly reminded of the woman that used to sit beside him: Se-ra.
"What's wrong?" Krystal asked sensitively.
"Nothing," Minho immediately snapped out of his daze.
"You're not thinking about 'that' woman, are you?" Krystal saw through Minho immediately, but felt she may have been a little impolite, so she placed her hands under her chin and pulled an ugly face, "Is she as pretty as me?"
Minho let out a laugh, "You are still the same as before."
"To be honest, I prefer wearing jeans and gym clothes, but in recent years, I've had no choice but to act feminine." After speaking, Krystal tore a split down the middle of her dress and tied the corners together to create a pair of makes.h.i.+ft pants, "This feels a lot better."
A smile remained on Minho's face, especially after he saw Krystal's relaxed att.i.tude. Meeting a person in life that one felt comfortable around, was a difficult task.
"The car's starting. Sit tight."
It didn't take long before the two arrived outside the Jung Household. After thanking Minho, Krystal opened the car door and stepped out. They had agreed on a meeting time the next day, so they had no reason to linger.
However, just as Minho started driving away, he noticed that Krystal had left her handbag in the car.
It had been a long time since Krystal had acted in such a carefree manner. But, she never expected, as she arrived home, she would run into Father Jung and Ye Lan.
As soon as Father Jung spotted her torn dress, his expression immediately darkened, "Who allowed you to dress like a rebel? Krystal, don't you know that you're an heiress? How could you walk around like a club escort? Are you deliberately trying to embarra.s.s me?"
Krystal's face turned pale before she looked behind Father Jung at Ye Lan. Needless to say, her every move must have been revealed by this sly woman.
"Do you still hold any regard for the family rules?" Father Jung grabbed onto Krystal's arms and shook her violently.
"It hurts..." Krystal cried as her gaze sharpened. "Apart from treating me with violence, what else can you do?"
"How dare you talk back at me..."
This was not a scene that Minho had expected to witness after entering the Jung Household. He couldn't believe that Father Jung completely disregarded his daughter's feelings and treated her with violence.
In fact, he deliberately hit her in places that weren't normally exposed. No wonder when they were in the car, Krystal repeatedly ma.s.saged her hip.
Minho originally wanted to rush in and put an end to the scene that was playing out. But, seeing Krystal's unafraid expression, he froze in the doorway.
He knew that Krystal wanted to remain strong; there was no way that she'd want an outsider to see her current state. So, he decided not to walk in. Of course, this was only after he confirmed that Father Jung had stopped acting violently.
Perhaps it was because he was born into the Hwang Family, he had never been exposed to domestic violence like this.
So, when he saw the cruel expression on Father Jung's face, he couldn't believe that he was treating his own daughter in such a way.
That night, after returning home, Minho thought about the look on Krystal's face as she endured the violence from her father. He immediately pulled out his phone and called Krystal, "Little Monkey, don't worry about coming tomorrow."
"Why? I've already picked my outfit," Krystal responded.
Idiot, aren't you in pain? he thought to himself.
"Uh..."
"If you're a man, then come pick me up tomorrow...Do you know how arrogantly the mistress in my home has been acting?" Ye Lan had ridiculed Krystal multiple times in the past about not being able to find a man. And Krystal indeed had her faults. Whenever she dated a man, their relations.h.i.+p would not last long. So, she had gotten used to being on her own. But, that didn't mean that she wasn't effected by Ye Lan's words.
In reality, Minho already knew that Krystal had a tough exterior but soft interior; she was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
As he thought about Ye Lan's expression when humiliating Krystal, Minho did not say another word. Holding tightly to the phone, a smile gradually appeared on his face.
He knew better than anyone, how it felt to have a poisonous snake lurking at home. Even though Hwang Na-ri had already been taught a lesson by Tiffany...
Luckily, the Hwang Family had Tiffany...
But, who did the Jung Family have? All they had was a father that bullied his own daughter.
To help his old cla.s.smate get revenge, Minho woke up nice and early. Dressed in a dark blue retro handmade suit, covered by a dark green coat, he picked out the blue Maybach from his garage that he barely used. Most importantly, on the way to pick up Krystal, Minho bought a bouquet of elegant champagne-colored roses.
8am, Minho arrived outside the Jung Household. The person to open the door was Ye Lan. Upon seeing Minho, she gasped in surprise, "Yunho?"
"Sorry, may I ask where Miss Jung is? I'm here to pick her up..."
Seeing that Minho was handsome and n.o.ble, Ye Lan couldn't help but scan her eyes over him a few times. After all, she was still fairly young and it was only normal to be attracted to good looking things.
"She's not here..."
"But, I called her earlier and she said she's at home," Minho immediately uncovered Ye Lan's lie.
"In that case, come in. I'll go fetch her."
"No need..." Krystal's voice echoed from behind the two people. "We will now make our leave, mom."
In that moment, Ye Lan's face turned frighteningly red because of the way that Krystal called her 'mom'.
More importantly, Ye Lan's heart was filled with envy. How could Krystal find such a young and handsome man, while she got stuck with an old man.
"So...she's your father's second wife..." Minho looked at Ye Lan in an amused manner, not showing her any face at all. "A woman like this is indeed only befitting of being a second wife. After all, a normal man wouldn't have such bad taste."
"Let's go, we should stop wasting our time," Krystal walked right past Ye Lan and approached Minho's side.
Minho reached out his arm and hooked it around Krystal's waist as they turned to leave, "Sweetie, let me open the door for you."
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(2)🤣🤣🤣