“I told you, Taemin, you don’t need to come today,” Jinki said as soon as he entered his office and his eyes caught the silver-haired man who was sitting on his desk, on his chair, reading something seriously from his laptop.

Taemin drifted his eyes from whatever he was reading to look at Jinki innocently, “But I’m bored, Hyung! I’m currently unemployed until the café’s opening! And it’s still two days away!”

“That’s why I told you to just work at your father’s company.”

“Hyung, how can you send me away like this? After what we have gone through together?” Taemin shot him a dramatic, betrayed look.

Jinki could only shook his head, though he couldn’t help but smile seeing Taemin’s antics. “Fine, I’ll take you just for a few months,” he said as he took a seat in front of Taemin.

“So stingy,” Taemin pouted. “I’ll work there sooner or later anyway. You’ll miss me later, Hyung!”

“I doubt that, but let’s just say I will to make you happy,” Jinki answered nonchalantly, didn’t really mind the whine Taemin threw at him, and started to take his paper works. He opened it, but he didn’t work at it. Instead, he leant back on his chair, folding his arms as he eyed Taemin who had gone back to his reading.

“Say, until when will you rob my chair?”

“Just a sec. I’ll finish this fast,” Taemin’s eyes still glued to the screen.

“What are you reading anyway?”

“I’m doing some research.”

“On?”

Taemin looked at Jinki with a mysterious smile. He turned the laptop’s screen to Jinki so the older man could take a look on what he had been reading.

Jinki frowned upon seeing the articles Taemin showed him, and he noticed many tabs opened, all of them seemed from online news and articles. “Choi Minho?” Jinki caught the keyword. “Why are you searching on him?”

“He’s…” Taemin trailed off as he turned the laptop back to him, his hand was busy clicking on the mouse, “…intriguing.”

“How?”

“I think he’s a bit different.”

“From Minhyuk?”

“From the rest of the Choi.”

“And,” Taemin added, “He is treated differently. Subtly, but still, differently.”

This pricked Jinki’s interest a bit. He leant forward. “Care to elaborate?”

“He’s the oldest, right? But why isn’t he pushed as the heir? Especially, from what I gathered, he got brilliant career at the time he spent on Japan. He’s clearly much more competent than Minhyuk. And regardless the capabilities, he’s still the oldest. The Choi usually makes the oldest as the heir.”

“That’s indeed weird,” Jinki agreed.

“That’s why, Hyung…” Taemin started, ignoring the suspicious look Jinki gave him, “…can you help me to look into it?”

“Taemin, no! Never! No!”

“Hyung, why?!”

Jinki sighed. “Whatever you’re planning, don’t drag an innocent person into this.”

Taemin immediately looked down, pretended to be busy with the laptop, looking absolutely dejected. “You don’t need to be so straightforward like that. I already know I’m a horrible person without you saying anything.”

“Taemin…” Jinki called the younger man softly. Taemin’s words gave some sort of pang in his heart. “You know Hyung never thinks like that, don’t you?”

The absence of Taemin’s answer was enough to make Jinki changed his initial decision.

Jinki should have known from the start, he would never win against Taemin.

Soccer-freak: I’m coming down right now. Wait.

“What? He’s just coming down now?” Kibum complained under his breath when he read the text from Minho. “He should have come down since 10 minutes ago. I shouldn’t have promised to have lunch with him!”

Kibum took a seat on the leather sofa at the side of his store, ready to send a long, scolding message to Minho. He had only finished halfway when another message appeared. After reading the sender’s name and part of the message, he quickly swiped the notification angrily.

Old Devil: Don’t forget the GMS tomorrow. Make sure—

Luckily, a knock on the window beside him interrupted his furious thought. He immediately turned to the source and he couldn’t believe his eyes seeing Jinki was smiling and waving at him on the other side of the window. Without much thinking, Kibum quickly went out of his store to meet Jinki.

“Jinki-ssi.”

“Hi,” Jinki smiled widely.

Oh boy, you need to stop that smile or I will really target you, Kibum thought.

“Checking the store again?” Kibum asked after he succeeded to shrug away his stupid thought.

Jinki nodded. “My store is over there,” he pointed the other side of the mall. “I just passed by when I noticed dark aura from this store.”

“Sorry, what?” Kibum felt a little offened. “Dark aura?”

Jinki chuckled. “Sorry, I’m kidding. You need to throw that frown away, Kibum-ssi. I keep seeing it on your face lately.”

A red tint appeared on Kibum’s cheeks as the memory of Jinki caught him breaking down a few days ago came to him. “I don’t know why this always happens,” Kibum mumbled lowly, but Jinki still caught it.

“Should I chase it away?”

“Huh?”

“The frown.”

Kibum looked at Jinki confusedly, but the older man just smiled as he rummaged through his pockets. He took out a blue candy wrapped in a clear plastic wrap and handed it to Kibum.

“Another blue,” Kibum smiled, remembering the blue drink Jinki gave him the other day.

“Oh, you’re smiling!” Jinki’s exclaim only made Kibum embarrassed even more.

Jinki smiled softly at Kibum. “I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but you’ve been holding on very well. You will be fine.”

It was just a kind, cliché, and common words but Kibum felt like crying. He used to have Minho’s silent understanding by his side. He wasn’t used to the warm words like this.

“Thank you,” Kibum whispered after he managed to swallow back his tears.

Jinki gave him a comforting, but nervous, pat on his shoulder. Kibum couldn’t help but snort at that. This man talked smooth but he was actually a little bit awkward. And Kibum felt silly to find it still very much charming in his eyes.

“Jinki-ssi,” suddenly Kibum spoke.

“Hmm?”

“If you must do something that you don’t want to do, what will you do? You hate to do it because it hurt your pride, but if you don’t do it, you don’t know what the person who forces you will do to the things, the people, you treasure. That make you hate yourself even more because you’re not sure if you can protect them.”

“Are you really asking me that?” Jinki was surprised.

“Sorry. It’s weird. Sorry, just forget it,” Kibum shook his head, realizing he was losing his mind. He had been so stressed out this past few days. His father kept threatening him to vote like he was told to, and to start coming back to the company. He might act tough but he knew he was still so powerless compared to his father. What he had built could be destroyed overnight. His precious persons could be ruined in a single snap. He had witnessed it before. He was sure his father wouldn’t hesitate to do the same thing again.

“Kibum-ssi,” Jinki said. “Sometimes, you need to lose to win. Battling head-to-head is a really brave thing to do, but, taking a step back once in a while isn’t a bad thing. Take a step back, and watch. Then,” Jinki stopped, making an imaginary gun with his fingers, “Shoot at the right time, exactly at the weakest point,” he aimed his finger gun right in the middle of the space between Kibum’s eyebrows, his eyes pierced right into Kibum’s eyes, “You’ll win.”

Kibum didn’t realize he had held his breath the whole times, until Jinki pulled away. Just at that time, Kibum took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. Partly, because having Jinki being so close to him was nerve-wracking. And another part was because the serious Jinki just now was a little scary.

“So you don’t need to beat yourself up like this,” the kind tone were back to Jinki, made Kibum slowly relax.

“I don’t know you’re a strategic one,” Kibum commented.

Jinki smiled and shook his head in denial. “Actually, I’m not. Rather than scheming things, I’m the kind of doing the dirty works, or whatever I can, without much thinking, to protect the one I love.”

Despite being said lightly, Kibum could sense the genuineness in Jinki’s words, made him itchy to dig more. But before he could, Minho’s voice cut their conversation off.

“Jinki-ssi?” Minho frowned as he approached the two men. “What are you doing here?”

“Minho-ssi.” Jinki greeted him cheerfully like he didn’t just have a hearty talk with Kibum just now. “I was just about to go back to my café when I ran into Kibum here. He is really an outgoing friend!”

This guy is really interesting, Kibum thought.

“Wow, I don’t know you two are close?” Minho asked, mostly at Kibum. He eyed the shorter male suspiciously. Does Kibum really decide to flirt with Lee Jinki?

Kibum rolled his eyes, catching the stare Minho sent. “We’re a fellow tenants of yours. Tenant friendship! Isn’t it great?”

The answer made Minho sulk while made Jinki chortled. Kibum exchanged playful stare with Jinki. He mouthed a thank you before turned to Minho, “Now aren’t you being too fussy for someone who makes me wait? You pay the lunch today!”

“What? I make you wait once! You made me wait thousand times!” Minho protested, which of course got ignored by Kibum.

“Oh, are you having lunch together?” Jinki butted in. “Do you want to try our café? It’s not open yet but I’ll cook for you myself. It’s free, I promise!”

“Oh wow, it’s wonderful but we don’t want to trouble you,” Minho nudged Kibum, “Right?”

“After it’s opened, another chef will take over the kitchen?” Kibum asked curiously.

“Sadly yes, I’ll be too busy with the management.”

“Then of course we’d love to have lunch at your café! Who knows when will we get another chance to try your cooking, right?” Kibum excitedly said. He didn’t bother to look at Minho whose big eyes went even bigger.

“Yah, you’re seriously going after him?” Minho whispered as lowly as possible to Kibum when Jinki walked ahead a bit to lead the way.

“There’s nothing wrong with being friends, Minho,” Kibum whispered back innocently.

“Kibum, you know your father hates the Lee.”

Kibum stopped his track. He looked at Minho confidently. “This time, I’ll be strategic and win.”

The interior of the café hidden from the outsiders’ eyes awed Minho. He noticed Kibum, the one who enjoyed art also loved the design. The café was dominated by white and pearl aqua blue colors. With the right choice of wallpaper and paintings, it was artistic but also homey.

“Hyung!” a too familiar, silver-haired man greeted Jinki as soon as they entered, approaching him right away from behind the cashier counter. Minho felt he had seen him somewhere but he couldn’t remember. At the end, he just shrugged it away.

“You bring someone,” the man glanced at Minho and Kibum as he spoke.

“They are…” Jinki stopped to think, before continued, “acquaintances of mine. This is Choi Minho, the marketing director of this mall, and Kim Kibum, the owner of LilFre fashion stores.” Jinki turned to Minho and Kibum, “This is Taemin. He helps me run my café.”

“Nice to meet you, Kibum-ssi,” Taemin bowed, “Minho-ssi,” he bowed to Minho as well, but…is he smirking at me or what? Minho thought.

It seemed like Minho wasn’t the only who was bothered by Taemin’s presence. Kibum’s eyes never left the guy even after he and Minho had sat. Minho was sure Kibum was trying to dig a hole on the back of the poor guy’s head with his glare.

“Kibum, cut it off,” Minho scolded him.

“They are so close,” Kibum still glared at Taemin who was busy whispering with Jinki in front of the counter, their body glued to each other. “Why are they super close?”

Minho sighed. “They’re colleagues. Of course they’re close. Now cut it off before you scare Jinki away with your evil stare.”

Those words finally made Kibum took his eyes away from the two guys. “Why the hell he need to have such an attractive employee like that?” he huffed, irritated.

Hearing that, Minho laughed. That Taemin guy was gorgeous, Minho admitted. But Kibum was being ridiculous right now. Because of jealousy, Minho was sure.

“If he works at the front, I’m sure he will attract customers, so it’s a win for Jinki,” Minho responded. As much as he hated the privilege of beautiful people at marketing field, he must admit it was kind of useful strategy. But at the end, he still believed capabilities were still number one priority. That was why Minho was drawn at So Hee. She was beautiful, but she didn’t take it for granted and worked hard to balance it out with her intelligence and talent.

“Can you please stop thinking as a marketer for a sec?” Kibum sulked.

“I’m born this way.”

“Sometimes I hate you so much.”

“I know you love me.”

“Of course, I want to strangle you out of love.”

“I hope you can so I can have an excuse not to go back to work,” Minho said jokingly, but Kibum knew he wasn’t joking.

“Something happens?”

“As usual, debating with Minhyuk, being looked down my father. Nothing new,” Minho shrugged, he acted nonchalant, but deep down, he felt so damn tired. It was suffocating everywhere for him. The cold house, the unwelcoming family, the stressful office.

“You’re still fighting over the garden?” Kibum asked. He had been told about the arguments Minho had with his father and brother a few days ago. Funny that his best friend had broken down at the same day as he did. But to think about it again, both of them had had s happened all through their lives almost every day.

“I’m not giving it up,” Minho firmly said. He still had a chance. His proposal was more reasonable and faster. They couldn’t decide something big like this by themselves anyway. They should get approval from the board of commissioners. His grandmother, as the head, wouldn’t risk it. She would choose the fastest way to save the mall. The less costly and more profitable strategy. She might hate Minho, and she might love her son and her grandson, but she loved her wealth more. At least, that was what Minho thought of her.

“Be honest with me, Minho,” Kibum’s serious tone made Minho a little nervous. This usually appeared when he was about to shoot away his too-right, on-the-mark guess. “Is it really about the cost and profit? You really have no other reason on why you want to save the garden so bad?”

“Here’s your drink!”

Minho might find Taemin a little weird, but right now he really wanted to hug the slender man to thank him for saving him from Kibum’s question.

After all, Minho knew Kibum knew why Minho wanted to protect the garden so much.

“What do you mean Kim Jongin is here?”

Minho flinched by his father’s sharp tone due to the information his personal assistant brought. He and Minhyuk were on his father’s office, discussing the meetings’ materials for the last time. The GMS will be started soon, and it seemed the shareholders and the commissioners had started to come.

Mr, Yoo, his father’s PA, didn’t even wince a bit. As expected as someone who had served his father for almost two decades.

“Yes, Sir. He comes with Mr. Lee and Mr. Lee Jinki. It seems that they are quite close with each other.”

Choi Minki frowned. “Mr. Lee also comes?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“He really wants to make sure Lee Jinki to be the commissioner, huh?” Minhyuk said in a degrading manner.

Minho raised his eyebrow, catching something fishy. He knew his family didn’t have a good relationship with the Lee, but he thought it was because of his mother’s family, the Park Family, accusing Mr. Lee for stealing their precious daughter away, who was supposed to marry the powerful heir of Kim Family, Kibum’s father. At that time, as far as Minho knew, Mr. Lee was just a mere employee of Park Family. It was supposed to be the bad blood between the elders, but Minhyuk seemed genuinely hate the Lee Family as well. The way he spoke of Jinki’s name was just full of venom.

“This is not good,” his father said. “If Kim Jongin supports the Lee, Son Family and Kim Family will for sure go along with him and approve Lee Jinki’s appointment. His family is too powerful.”

“But we still have the biggest shares,” Minhyuk argued.

“The same goes for us,” Choi Minki impatiently retorted back. “If we don’t play along, there’s a chance he will sniff out our business.”

The same power and money talks again, Minho thought. He mostly just ignored his father’s briefing and Minhyuk’s whine of hating the idea of Commissioner Jinki. Personally, he liked Jinki and his specs. Like he said to Kibum, Lee Jinki was more than capable. Shouldn’t they hire people who’s really competent rather than collecting power?

He sighed.

This corrupt thinking of the way they ran this company was one of the reason of this mall’s downfall.

Despite the heated discussion before it started, the meeting went fairly well, in Minho’s opinion. Minhyuk was reappointed as the CEO, Lee Jinki was approved to be the new commissioner. The financial presentations were a little shaky due to the sharp questions from Jongin and Jinki regarding the low profit but they, not Minho of course, he never—was forbidden to—touched that area, could still handle it.

Minho took charge of the future business plan presentation and he was satisfied that at least Mr. Lee, Jinki, Jongin, and some of the commissioners took a liking on his garden revival’s proposal to be acted first, more than the penthouse ideas. But through the discussion, Minho was shoved by the truth that the penthouse wasn’t as bad idea as Minho believed. He knew his personal feelings were clouding his professional judgment, but it was hard for him to admit it. Because of the never-ending discussion about it, the meeting was concluded and the further discussion regarding the business plans would be continued through the joint meeting of directors and commissioners in the next few months. That meant Minho only had a few months to make sure his suggestion was chosen so he could save the garden from being demolished.

Though it would be hard, Minho felt a new light of hope with the addition of Jinki on the boards. Just like he suspected, the older man was smart, calm, and wise.

So Minho walked out of the meeting with a smile. He hummed in a good mood. It was understandable for him, but it was weird to find Kibum was as happy as he was, despite the fact he had voted yes to Minhyuk’s reappointment. Something that Minho was sure Kibum hated and did just because his father told him to, which was supposed to make Kibum hate it even more.

“Does Jinki’s presence affect you that much?” Minho asked when they were safe from anyone’s ear in his office.

“What do you mean?” Kibum put on an innocent face as he sat across Minho.

“You’re strangely happy although you voted against your wish,” Minho eyes him suspiciously. “The thing you hate the most in this world is obeying your father.”

Kibum swayed his index finger to the left and right to Minho’s face. “I lose today to win later.”

“I will win his trust first while I figure out on how to detach myself from the family, safely,” Kibum continued.

Minho was in awe hearing Kibum’s deliberate plan. “Are you really the Kibum I know?”

“Of course. I am always smarter than you anyway.”

Minho was ready to strike back but he was cut off by the phone ringing.

“Yes?”

“Sir, there is someone that wants to meet you,” his secretary informed him.

Minho frowned. He didn’t expect anyone and it was lunch hour. Everyone, including his father and brother and some of the attendees of the meetings had gone out to have lunch together. Of course, Minho wasn’t expected to tag along.

“Who is it? I don’t have any appointment, do I?”

“It’s Mr. Lee, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir. He insists and I’m not sure how to reject him…” his poor secretary trailed off in fear.

“Mr. Lee?” Minho was surprised, and Kibum who had been listening was shocked as well. Why did Mr. Lee want to meet Minho privately?

“It’s okay. Send him in.”

“Why does he want to meet you?” Kibum asked as soon as Minho ended the call.

“No idea. The whole Lee Family agenda is very confusing for me. Really.”

The soft knock interrupted them. Kibum quickly stood up, “I think it’s my cue to leave.”

“Come in,” Minho said as he also stood up to send Kibum off and welcome Mr. Lee as well.

His secretary appeared hesitantly, announcing Mr. Lee’s arrival. Minho quickly dismissed her as Mr. Lee came in.

“Mr. Lee,” Minho shook the older man’s hands.

“I’m sorry to intrude you, Minho,” Mr. Lee said apologetically. “And you Kibum,” he turned to Kibum.

Kibum quickly held up his hands, gesturing it was okay. “No, Mr. Lee. I’m leaving for lunch anyway. It’s nice to see you, Mr. Lee.”

“Let’s have a meal together sometimes, Kibum-ah,” Mr. Lee suggested, and Minho could only rolled his eyes secretly as he watched Kibum excitedly agreed and hinted how great it was if Jinki could join them.

As soon as Kibum left, Minho quickly invited Mr. Lee to sit on the couch. There was an awkward silence for a while after they sat down face-to-face, before Mr. Lee cleared his throat and started to make a small talk. They were talking about the meeting at first, and then about the mall briefly. But Minho was sure this wasn’t the real matter Mr. Lee wanted to discuss with him.

And his suspicion was proven right away, when Mr. Lee casually, but still strangely, asked Minho, “So, Minhyuk has finally gotten married. How about you, Minho? You have any plans to marry soon?”

Clearly, this wasn’t the direction Minho expected their conversation would be. Nevertheless, Minho still calmly answered, “Not yet, Sir.”

“I see,” Mr. Lee nodded. “I’m sorry if I sound rude, Minho. I’m just a little curious. Do you have a girlfriend? Or maybe…boyfriend?”

Minho blinked a few times. Now, he was kind of get where the conversation was heading, but he hoped it was wrong.

“No, Sir.”

“Then,” Mr. Lee started, and Minho honestly dreaded the continuation of his words.

And once again, Minho’s suspicion was proven, as soon as Mr. Lee shot the shocking proposal to him.

“Would you like to consider to marry my son?”