10. Heart Stop

"I felt you fading one by one
But I pretended not to see anything and held you
Your thoughts were so transparent and clear
But I couldn’t read it at all

Like walking in different times, we feel like strangers
Our eyes have gone awry, only sighs can be heard
As if someone turned down the volume, silence comes again
As it traps us"
("Heart Stop" from The 2nd Album 'MOVE', By Taemin ft. Seulgi)

“Are you happy?”

Seulgi turned around and was about to disagree but she stopped in her tracks. 'Why is he here?' She clenched her jaw and her fists as he walked towards her. Seulgi refused to look at him.

“Whatever you traded for this life,” He sneered as he said ‘this life’, “was it all worth it? For a man you don’t even know, for a company and family who barely knows you. Was that exchange worth it?”

“Wait, it isn’t an exchange. A contract, sounds more like it?” He scoffed at her as he walk around her in circles. “You’re loving a man who doesn’t even love you back, when I was always there? That resource allocation is so justified” He continued sarcastically.

“Don't objectify me as a commodity! I knew of his existence longer than you.” Seulgi restrained her hiss.

“Is that so? You mean from a TV screen?”

“No, I knew what I was marrying into and who he is.”

“But didn’t you say you didn’t know him?”

“What do you even know?” Seulgi’s eye flashed red as her eyes pierced right into his. 

“I did it for my family-“

“You sold yourself for your family you mean” He taunted her, “I never knew you were so eager to climb up the social ladder as well.”

Seulgi was shaking and her lips trembling but she found herself having no energy to fight back. 

“You don’t know the whole story. That’s final” She said resolutely before she was pulled towards him.

Seulgi gasped awake and breathed in heavily. ‘That was a nightmare...’ She looked up and saw the unfamiliar ceiling lights and blinked, she heard murmuring which brought her back closer to reality.

‘Where am I?’ Seulgi thought before she caught sight of Herin and Mark’s face who was relieved when she was awake. “What happened? Why am I here?”

“You fainted” Herin replied as she poured a glass of water for her.

“Was there any reason? Is it because of anemia? Or low blood sugar levels?” Seulgi asked and propped herself up.

“Seulgi,” Mark started with a serious face and Seulgi had a gut-feeling it was something she did not expect.

“You’re pregnant.”

Seulgi almost dropped the cup in her hands. She froze. ‘It must be from that night.’ She thought about the night at the ball, as she let whatever Mark and Herin told her sink in. She was having such a hard time believing she would be conceive at a time like this. It took awhile for Seulgi to consolidate her thoughts. It’s all making sense to her - her lower performance at work, her fatigue and weakness, random pukings and energy level spikes...

'Oh my period..'

“Herin ah, Mark ah, do me a favour,” Seulgi tried to compose herself and lowered the cup.

“Don’t tell anything, especially not my pregnancy, to Taeyong.” Seulgi said 

“Why?” Mark step forward as Seulgi looked down at her hands, a pregnant pause filling the air.

“I’m scared.” Seulgi said looking up and they could see her eyeballs quivering and shifty.

That was enough to shatter and silence the couple and they gaped. The door opened and revealed a doctor checking in on her.

“I’m sorry but you two would have to leave, I’m going to check her vitals right now.”

Mark tugged Herin out with a cross look on his face as she had a troubled look as she took a last glance at her sister-in-law.

“I’m going to confront him.”

“But she said not to tell him anything.”

“I can’t stand here and not say anything when I know he is potentially going to harm not one, but two lives right now. He needs to know. He needs a wake up call. I know my brother still has a heart and responsibility to handle this.” Mark gulped slightly. Was he really going to confront his brother, Lee Taeyong?

Herin stared at Mark for a good while before nodding. “Thank you for trusting me. Please watch over her.”

“I will” She patted his back before he gave her one last look. "Please take care and don't be rash." she added and he nodded back as he bounded off to the carpark. Mark gripped the steering wheel tight as he sped up to the office building, trying to compose and strategise his thoughts.

—————

Taeyong was deep in his work when Mark’s secretary along with Seulgi’s secretary paged him urgently. “Mr. Taeyong, Mark and Seulgi aren’t at work yet.” Taeyong glanced at the time and stood up. It was almost lunch time.

‘This cannot be they’re always on time-‘

Taeyong's thoughts were interrupted in his thoughts as Mark opened the door to his office, looking furious. Before Taeyong could reprimand him for not knocking, Mark beat him to speaking.

“Before you scold me for being late, I have something to say to you, it does not mainly concern me. But Seulgi.” Mark started with a composed voice.

“Mark, whatever that goes between Seulgi and I, are our personal matters, I don’t need you butting-“

“We don’t need super vision to look into your bedroom walls to see that nothing is okay. Is the tension between you and her healthy? It’s not. You guys have been doing it for years but has it been fruitful?”

“I don’t need to discuss any of this with you, what do you know? Besides you’re late for work-" Taeyong tried to dismiss him but Mark wasn't going to back down. “What do you know as well?” Mark was b with anger and this was starting to get on Taeyong’s nerves as well. Taeyong huffed and stepped closer to him. Mark was unfazed. “Why do you both have to prolong this unhealthy behaviour?”

“What can I do if she doesn’t-“

“Why don’t you do something and let her speak for herself!”

Mark’s cheek snapped sharply to the side with a loud smacking sound. Taeyong had slapped him. Mark huffed in disbelief .

“You were ing disrespectful.”

“Just because father and mother did it to you, doesn’t mean you have to do it to others.” as Mark said this as Taeyong sent his hand flying across but this time Mark stopped it.

“Don’t talk about my upbringing and growing pains when you don’t even know how it felt like! You privileged bastard who got to experience everything I didn’t. What do you know?!” Taeyong was shocked and incensed and pushed Mark to the wall. Mark was frustrated but at the same time, mad not at him but for everything wrong Donghae and Jessica did.

Mark saw as Taeyong's fist was raised in mid-air, ready to punch him.

“Your wife is ing pregnant with your child and you don’t even know!”

Mark blurted out with tears in his eyes. “Yet you have to put her through such an emotional rollercoaster! She didn’t even know she was pregnant!” Taeyong’s fist hovered mid air as he froze.

“She loves you and you blame her for not