[14]

 

Love vs. Money

 

---

 

August 20th, 2010

 

For the most part, today was a wonderful day. For Amy's birthday, the seven of us went out to the beach a few kilometers away where 5 of us hit the water for hours. Amy stayed on shore and made a sand palace with Kyu Jong Oppa who was -to my amusement- afraid of water.

 

That night though, I was in for a rather unexpected visit.

 

---

 

"Hah! You should've seen your face when we pushed you in." Joon said as he and Kyu Jong messed around at the back of the group.

 

As I changed my attention from the two idiots to Young Saeng, Amy and Hyun Joong up front, I watched Amy tumble over into my cousin's arms. With not even a second to spare, a gust of wind blew past me and jung Min as he held Amy's fragile figure in his arms.

 

"Amy, you okay?" Kyu Jong asked in concer. I rolled my eyes.

 

"And prince charming comes to the rescue." I said sarcastically, forming a gagging face. Hyung Joon walked along side me as we watched Kyu Jong and Amy's dramatic act.

 

"I'm just tired, Oppa. Don't worry, I'll be alright." She said.

 

"I'll carry you there, of course you're tired." He replied.

 

"Thank you Oppa."

 

"Get a room!" Joonie yelled at them. I laughed along with him and Jung Min as the others smirked.

 

When we rounded the corner to my house, I dropped the hand that I'd been holding and immediately wanted to run away.

 

---

 

"Uncle, I don't understand what you're saying." Hyun Joong said as we sat on the couch opposite of my parents. The others weren't in sight but knowing them, were probably eavesdropping somewhere.

 

"It doesn't matter if you understand or not Hyun Joong. I've already paid you a fair amount of money to take care of our daughter."

 

'Money?'

 

"We all know now that our daughter's presence has been known throughout not only Korea but also a large area of Asia, we don't need that. Not for the future of our companies."

 

'What does fame have to do with this?'

 

"We've paid the five of you to take her in."

 

'They all know this?'

 

"It's about time we take her back now. Our two month contract expires in a month anyways. Regardless, we'll pay you out in full."

 

"Shut up." I finally managed to speak up. My parents looked at me with shocked expressions on their faces. But it wasn't them I wanted to speak to. "Kim Hyun Joong, explain yourself."

 

"I-I..."

 

"All of you get your asses out here and tell me to my face!" I growled. The other 4 members seemed to appear out of no where as they stepped out of their hiding places.

 

"Min Hee."

 

"Shut up." I told my mother who got up and slapped me hard across the face. Immediately a pair of protective arms came around me and pulled me away from my mother. "Let go of me." He didn't listen to me.

 

"Kim Hyung Joon! I said get the hell off me!" I screamed at my "boyfriend" who stepped back, his arms up in surrender. "How long as this been going on?" I asked as my eyes skimmed each and everyone of their faces.

 

"What? You didn't actually believe that you could hide this from me forever did you?" I growled. I then turned to Kim Hyun Joong. "Are you really my cousin? If you are, then I am honestly ashamed to ahve your blood running through me."

 

"You!" I pointed to Kyu Jong who snapped his head up to face me. "You stay away from my best friend, she doesn't need a con artist like you."

 

"Hey! Hey! Min Hee-ah!~ Calm down!" Jung Min protested.

 

"Park Jung Min, THe tears you shed before for that girl, well thank god some sense knocked into her."

 

I then turned to Young Saeng. A whole too many flashbacks hit me then. After all those promises..."I don't even want to look at you anymore."

 

---

 

"Sara, I know you're awake, talk to me." Amy called inot the darkness. For the past 5 hours after I had deliberately shown my parents to the door, I didn't say a work to anyone. I couldn't because if I did, the house would be filled with nothing but my cussing.

 

Amy sighed to herself as she rolled in the king sized bed next to me. "Some crappy birthday this is. My best friend won't even talk to me."

 

"Go talk to Kyu Jong. That bastard is just down the hall." I mumbled, fiddling with my i-pod which was blasting out of my headphones. To my utter displeasure, the song I was listening to ended and switched to the next song on shuffle. Why out of all ironic nature did it have to be an SS501 song. Nonetheless, I couldn't bring myself to change it. Kyu Jong and Joonie's "Lonely Girl" from Bad Girl Diaries.

 

I felt the bed shift next to me but of course, didn't hear anything but a distant Amy's voice. Regardless, I didn't have the urge to find out who it was that she was speaking to.

 

The bed shifted beside me again and a pair of arms s around my sides as I laid there attempting to be preoccupised by my music. "Let the go of me." I warned him.

 

"Are you still mad?"

 

'No ing genius.' I thought to myself. He took my free hand and rolled me over to face him, taking the headphones off my head. As the familiar song caught his attention, he put it on the beside table, allowing the music to play. As the song was finished by then, he grabbed my i-pod and changed it to another SS501 song. It was one of their first singles, Again.

 

"I'm sorry." He said, his eyes full of sincerity which was whay I loved about him. His naive characteristics bring the life into me.

 

"It's alright, you can go now. I'll be fine." I liked. It hurt me to think of it that way. Having him leave me and not the other way around. "It's all good. I'm sure my father will pay you all back when you arrive back in Korea."

 

Hyung Joon stared at me with pain in his eyes. "I don't want to leave you."

 

"Kim Hyung Joon, that's enough already. My parents will pay you back so...just go back to your normal life okay?" I sighed an took in a deep breath before I leaned in and pressed his warm lips to mine for the final time. "Thanks for today. Though our relationship was short, thanks for trying. You don't have to pretend anymore. I'm sorry but I will no buy your love."

 

I got up and grabbed my handbag. "Where're you going?" He asked.

 

"It's about time I got home."