Joohyun wakes up first when she feels a presence over them. She blinks against the ambiguous figure with a bright aura. The image becomes clear after a minute as she continues to blink in order to adjust to the light. Joohyun lets out a small gasp when she sees the face of a very powerful and strong man hovering over her. 

“CEO Son…” 

Seungwan moans at the sound of Joohyun’s voice, rousing from slumber. “Unnie, do you have to go?” she inquires as she pulls Joohyun in closer. 

Joohyun would be less alarmed if not for the fact that at some point, Seungwan had s a hand underneath her shirt. She jerks at Seungwan’s nails scraping down her spine. “Seungwan—”

The man raises an inquisitive eyebrow at Joohyun and crosses his arms. His bulky muscles crease the fabric. 

“Seungwan-ssi,” Joohyun corrects as she slowly pulls away from her. 

Seungwan whines and slowly opens her eyes. “Seungwannie only.” 

“Seungwannie,” her father calls with exasperation.

Seungwan jerks awake at the sound of her father’s voice. Her eyes meet his small ones and she sits up quickly. “Appa! What’re you doing here?”

“I live here,” he says dryly. Seungwan frowns at the awfully timed joke. While Joohyun falls off the couch onto her back with a thud. 

“Joohyun!” 

“I’m fine,” Joohyun says as she rolls onto her hand and knees before pushing herself off the ground to stand. She quickly bows. “Sir, it’s nice to meet you, CEO Son.”  She’s seen him spar with other board members before and he’s terrifying. Joohyun had always been skeptical at how Seungwan would be Jongkook’s daughter because she’s so soft and gentle and he’s fierce and strong like a tiger. 

“And what’re you doing with my daughter, Bae Joohyun?” he inquires as he steps to her. His aura is threatening as it should be for a father who finds his daughter with–well--her. 

“Appa, please stop,” Seungwan bashfully says. “We weren’t doing anything. We stayed up late talking and we just fell asleep.”

“And your hand just ended up underneath her shirt?” Jongkook questions with a teasing smirk. 

Seungwan burns at the question. So does Joohyun, whose ears turn red at the mention. “Appa!” she scolds. 

Jongkook throws his head back with a loud chuckle. He looks at Joohyun as he laughs and she awkwardly smiles at him, unsure of what to do. That is until he grabs her by the collar of her jacket. 

Joohyun curses as she in her breath to brace herself as she is picked up like a rag doll. 

“Appa! What’re you doing?!” Seungwan screeches as Jongkook has Joohyun in his grasp. “Let her go!” 

“She has to know what happens if she messes with a Son,” he threatens flatly. 

“Stop it, appa! Normal people don’t do this!” Seungwan begs as she grabs his hand to let Joohyun go. “If you hurt her, I’m telling eomma that you’re hurting my girlfriend.” 

“Girlfriend?” Jongkook raises an eyebrow.

“Girlfriend?” Joohyun’s eyes twinkle. 

Seungwan blushes and nods. She tugs futilely against Jongkook’s strong grip. “Yes, so please, let her go. Eomma will scold you if you upset me.” 

At the mention, Jongkook grimaces. He doesn’t like being scolded by Jihyo. He concedes, not without glaring at Joohyun. He lets her go and fixes her jacket. “Watch it, Bae Joohyun, you hurt my daughter and I’ll break every bone in your body.”

Joohyun steps out of his orbit and pats her jacket a few times over her heart to make sure she’s still alive. “Of course, sir,” she bows several times. “That won’t happen, sir, I would never.” Just as she’s about to apologize some more, her alarm goes off. Joohyun gasps and turns off her watch. 

“I’m sorry sir, I have to go,” Joohyun quickly apologizes. She looks at Seungwan apologetically. “I need to go. Yerim–” 

Seungwan nods quickly in realization.”Of course, unnie, go!” she jumps up to move Joohyun along. She feels bad that they fell asleep when Joohyun should’ve gone home. Her father stares after them in confusion as Seungwan ushers Joohyun out. 

“I’ll see you at school?”  

“Yes, of course.” 

Joohyun hesitates to leave. Seungwan is about to inquire but she notices Joohyun's eyes flit to her lips. Joohyun sees Jongkook appear behind Seungwan and says goodbye quickly before she runs down the long driveway to her bike. She barely puts on her helmet before she turns on the engine and rides off the property. 

Seungwan only watches at Joohyun’s shrinking figure. 

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Seungwan,” her father says from behind her. 

Joohyun is running off of adrenaline by the time she gets to school. She runs a little late because she prepares food for Yerim and Sooyoung first before she can get ready. She usually gets to take the bus but this time, she has to forego it and ride her bike all the way over. It would’ve been fine if she didn’t get knicked by a car door opening at a stop light. 

Her entire right side hurts and she nearly rolls her left ankle to stop herself from falling completely over. 

It’s off to a bad start and Joohyun has a feeling that today isn’t quite her day. To save her bike, she takes the risk of parking it next to Headmaster Lee’s car. It’d be hard to vandalize her bike near someone so important. On top of that, the worst that Sooman can do is call for a tow, which she’d hear anywhere in the school.

Just as Joohyun moves to enter the school, she feels a tug at her elbow. Her reflexes causes her to jab her elbow back and send her assailant back with a grunt. 

She whips around to see Chanyeol grasping his stomach and chuckling. 

“Is that anyway to treat your employer?” 

Joohyun feels her cheek twitch and she’s about ready to tell him off, but she knows she can’t. She has let her guard down around Seungwan and forgets that Chanyeol exists. Upon seeing him, she realizes why they’re in this situation in the first place.  

“I don’t like being touched without permission,” Joohyun growls as she snaps her blazer back into place. 

“Hard to believe that with Seungwannie all over you all the time,” Chanyeol knowingly throws back as he mirrors her. He stands up straight and gets in her space again. 

Joohyun refuses to back down and glares at him as he regards her. 

“For a month, you’re already doing a great job,” Chanyeol says between the two of them. “It really won’t take much for you to get her into bed.” 

Joohyun clenches her teeth. “What?”

Chanyeol nods and looks Joohyun up and down. “You’re attractive, noona. If you already have her kissing you, it won’t be long before she sleeps with you.” 

Joohyun wants to punch him. Maybe shove him onto the ground and pound his face into it. But something he says makes her hesitate. 

“Here as promised,” Chanyeol says, pulling out an envelope from his jacket and putting it into her pocket. 

Joohyun grabs his wrist, but he concedes easily, having already slipped the envelope in her jacket. Controlling all the rage she has, she lets him go. 

“Keep doing a good job,” Chanyeol cheers her on with a glint in his eyes. He walks away from her arrogantly. 

Their conversation doesn’t go unnoticed as a few people glance at them when they walk into the school. 

Joohyun grabs the envelope and shoves it in her jacket until she can talk to Seungwan. Unfortunately, the whole conversation just puts her in a foul mood. She hates that she can’t fight back against Chanyeol directly. She is still trying to figure out his plans and what has up his sleeve that makes him so confident. She can’t stand the thought of this going on much longer. 

The more power he thinks he has over her, the worse this will get with given time. He will actually try to control her. Joohyun can’t keep holding her tongue and she doesn’t like the thought of how determined he is to ruin Seungwan. How is he trying to ruin Seungwan? The school is against dating, especially same , if he wanted to expose us he could easily have just spread a rumor. He's letting us date; he wants something bigger. He has to...

“Joohyun-ssi, please explain the process of Elimination 2 reaction to the class.” 

Joohyun sighs as she stands up. Without an issue, she explains what the teacher was just talking about. 

Seungwan finds Seulgi at her locker today. Usually her best friend is munching away happily at whatever breakfast she has, but Seungwan frowns when she sees Seulgi staring forlornly into her locker. 

“Chingu!” Seungwan cheers as she throws an arm around Seulgi’s shoulder. 

Seulgi is a bit startled but upon seeing Seungwan, her eyes turn into perfect crescents as she smiles. “Wannie,” she returns affectionately. She sounds tired but Seungwan knows she’s genuinely happy to see her. Especially when she wraps up the smaller girl in a big bear hug. 

Seungwan is glad to hug her best friend in return. “How are you doing?” she carefully inquires as she pulls back without letting go of the girl. 

Seulgi is surprised by the question but she melts into a small smile. “I’m okay,” she gently answers. “Don’t worry about me.” 

“When you say that, it makes me worried,” Seungwan counters. 

Seulgi smiles broader. “I mean it though,” she reassures. “I have more things to worry about than Park Sooyoung. Like what I should be eating for lunch.” She pulls away from Seungwan and rubs her belly. “I’m hungry!” 

Seungwan giggles at her best friend. She feels comforted that Seulgi has an appetite at least, maybe she really is okay. “Okay, shall we go to the canteen?” 

Seulgi dramatically gasps. “What about studying?” 

Seungwan flicks her wrist just as dramatically. “What’s studying?” 

Seulgi laughs and throws her arm around Seungwan’s shoulder to lead the way. 

By the afternoon, when the adrenaline finally dies down, Joohyun feels exhausted. Too much has happened since the morning. First meeting Son Jongkook up close and personal, then rushing home to cook, then rushing to school, and Chanyeol ruining her day. Her arm especially hurts and her body is sore. 

Joohyun feels a hand at her elbow again and she jerks away from the touch to see Seungwan standing there, surprised at her reaction. 

“Seungwan, I’m sorry,” Joohyun immediately apologizes. 

“Are you okay?” Seungwan asks, full of concern. 

Joohyun glances around them, eyeing the student body as they walk by. It’s not the time or place to talk about what’s been going through her mind. 

Seungwan inches towards the older woman just a little bit, eyes gazing up at her carefully. “Joohyun unnie?” she calls once more when Joohyun doesn’t respond. 

Joohyun shakes her head and takes Seungwan’s books out of her hands. “Let’s go to class. We can talk later okay?” 

Seungwan looks surprised but she nods in agreement. She walks beside Joohyun and with her hands free, she wants to link arms with the woman, but refrains from doing so. Too shy to be brazen in a crowd of people that constantly talk. 

It’s only when they get to the lab that Seungwan notices that something is seriously wrong with Joohyun. Seungwan doesn’t think so as she guides Joohyun into class, opening the door for her while she carries her books, her hand falls on Joohyun’s right flank gently. It was a simple gesture, a gentle touch, and Joohyun hisses. 

Joohyun clenches her jaw and doesn’t make another sound. She goes to their bench quickly and puts down their books. 

When Seungwan asks what’s wrong, Joohyun doesn’t answer, insisting that they can talk later. But that just leaves Seungwan gnawing her bottom lip with worry as they work side by side for their lab. Joohyun favors her right side significantly after Seungwan touches her, carefully navigating so she doesn’t bump into anything. 

They finish the lab a little bit earlier. Apparently they did something right with the recrystallization because they gather their data with ease. While Seungwan records everything, Joohyun cleans up. The bell rings and they’re able to leave right on time. 

They have biology down the hall, so Seungwan takes a second to grab Joohyun’s left elbow and leads Joohyun into the bathroom. 

“Seungwan-ah,” Joohyun sighs as she is taken into the bathroom. 

“You’re not fine, let me see,” Seungwan timidly urges. 

Joohyun sighs and puts their books on the counter. She checks the stalls to make sure they’re empty before she locks the bathroom. She groans as she takes off her uniform blazer, pulling off her tie, and s her shirt. 

Seungwan blushes as she sees the tops of Joohyun’s s in her tight sports bra. The woman has a fit body, Seungwan always surmised how Joohyun could take down the boys who tried to threaten her with their size, but now she can see it. Her sharp shoulders with her toned deltoids and her 11 line and creases of her abs. There’s a small grunt as Joohyun slips her arm out of her shirt. 

“Oh god,” Seungwan lets out when she sees a giant bruise blooming on Joohyun’s right side and around her elbow. “What happened?” 

Joohyun looks in the mirror to check how big the bruise is. The angry red mark encompasses her elbow and down her right side just before her hip. “That looks a lot worse than I thought,” she sighs. “I rode my bike to school and someone opened their car door into me.” She pulls her shirt back on.

Seungwan quickly helps her to stop her from moving needlessly. “We should go to the clinic. It looks really bad.” 

“It only looks bad,” Joohyun says as Seungwan fusses with her buttons. “I’ve got it,” she mutters but Seungwan slaps her hands away. Too tired to argue, Joohyun lets Seungwan button her shirt up. 

“That’s not a small bruise, Joohyun,” Seungwan complains, “were you even going to tell me?” 

“Not really,” Joohyun scratches her cheek thoughtfully. “I needed to tell you about Chanyeol.” 

Seungwan’s brow furrows. “I don’t want to hear about him right now.” She pouts as she gets to the top button of Joohyun’s shirt. “You’re hurt, I care about you.” 

Joohyun smirks and lets out a small chuckle. “Greasy,” she tries to tease. 

Seungwan only frowns harder. She ignores Joohyun’s comment and reaches for the tie to do. 

“I’m really okay, Seungwan,” Joohyun reassures. 

“I know you are, but you went through the whole day like this,” Seungwan argues. “It hurts a lot. I barely touched you and you flinched. I thought I hurt you.” 

Joohyun purses her lips at the younger girl and pats her head. “I’ll feel better tomorrow.” 

“Ice, aspirin, and rest,” Seungwan emphasizes rest as she tugs the tie up Joohyun’s neck. She rests her hands on her shoulders. “You don’t have work today, do you?” 

Joohyun shakes her head. “I need to find another job to replace the convenience store. I haven’t checked the hospital schedule, there might be some shifts open.” 

“Stop it,” Seungwan chides. “Just today, rest.” 

Joohyun sighs with a heavy heart. “Seungwan, I can’t–” 

“Think of Yerim,” Seungwan reminds. “She just went to the hospital yesterday. If she still needs to rest today, what’s the harm in both of you resting together? It’s only been a day, there will always be work tomorrow.” Seungwan looks at Joohyun with pleading eyes. 

“You know you can’t tell me what to do right?” Joohyun reminds cheekily. 

Seungwan huffs in annoyance and lets Joohyun go. The woman is right, but she doesn’t need to say it when Seungwan just wants to look out for her. Just as she turns around, Joohyun grabs her by her waist to pull her into a hug. Seungwan gasps as she feels Joohyun press against her, chin resting on her shoulder.

“What if I said this was healing enough?” 

Seungwan blushes and pinches Joohyun’s forearm. “You know that it’s not,” she grumbles, “you greaseball.” 

Joohyun chuckles and buries her face in Seungwan’s neck. “I know,” she murmurs. She can hear Seungwan’s soft gasp.

“Rest, unnie,” Seungwan insists. “If you need anything, let me be the one to help.”

Joohyun doesn’t say anything right away, she just tightens her grasp around Seungwan to pull her close and Seungwan rests against her chest. “This really is more than enough for me,” she admits with a gentle sniff of Seungwan’s neck. “Thank you for caring about me.” 

Seungwan rubs Joohyun’s forearms on her waist and turns her head, catching Joohyun’s attention. She kisses Joohyun’s cheek softly. Seungwan’s lips linger and Joohyun turns her head to capture her lips. Seungwan gasps and Joohyun slots their lips together. The comforting warmth between them turns hot and Seungwan pulls away bashfully first. Her blushing expression is cute. 

“You keep stealing kisses from me,” Seungwan cutely whines. 

Joohyun smiles. “I told you. I would be annoying whenever I need comfort. Your kisses help me feel better.” 

Seungwan blushes even harder. “Absolutely disgusting.” 

“Says the natural greaseball.” 

Joohyun waits for Seungwan at the end of class and walks her back to her locker. She is tired and after little sleep and all the stress of the day, she thinks Seungwan might be right about getting rest. Her mind doesn’t let her though. She still avidly thinks about Chanyeol and what he’s said earlier that day. 

“Seungwan, do you want to eat something?” Joohyun asks when they get to Seungwan’s locker. 

Seungwan nods enthusiastically. “Sure!” i

Joohyun smiles at her affectionately. “I can bring you home afterwards, since I have my bike.”

iSeungwan has to convince her driver to go home first and tell her that she’ll let her father know that she was the one that sent her home. The driver is hesitant at first and especially so when she catches Seungwan with Joohyun on her motorcycle. 

“Look, I’ll even call him,” Seungwan tries to convince Victoria. She knows her father won’t pick up and she’ll leave him a message and it’ll be fine. 

The worst thing happens: her father answers. 

“Hello, Seungwan, what can I do for you?” he says, sounding distracted. 

“Appa!” Seungwan is surprised to hear her father’s voice. “You picked up!” 

Joohyun is in the middle of putting on her helmet when she hears her. She looks at Seungwan with wide eyes. She doesn’t forget the interaction with the behemoth of a man earlier. She can still feel her neck burn from where he grabbed her collar. 

“Yes, it’s clear that I should be more involved in your life after last night,” he returns with a chuckle. “I told your mother and she wants to meet your girlfriend.” 

Seungwan’s jaw drops. “You told eomma?” she trembles when she asks. “Why would you do that?”

“Well, you said she’d scold me for hurting your girlfriend, so I figured she’d find out anyway.” 

“Would your father keep anything from me?” 

Seungwan’s eyes go wide and she looks at Victoria in a panic. “Eomma?” she carefully calls, pleading eyes to Victoria to help her. 

Victoria looks just as surprised and waves her hands that she can’t help. Even if Seungwan was her direct boss, Chairwoman Son was everyone’s boss in the household. Victoria was expected to be attached at the hip to Seungwan but the youngest Son had convinced her that it’d be fine because well, she’s her day to day boss and the youngest had never gotten up to any danger. If the Chairwoman found out that Victoria wasn’t constantly at Seungwan’s side—she already plans to beg for forgiveness.

Jihyo chuckles at the timidness in her daughter’s voice. “Wannie, why’re you surprised to hear from me?” she teases. 

“I-I-” Seungwan feels like a fish out of water to hear her mother’s voice after a month. 

“I told you I’d be back today,” Jihyo reminds. “Did you forget?” 

“Uh uh,” Seungwan weakly responds. 

“Seungwan, why did you call?” her father chimes in. “You don’t usually call after school.” 

Seungwan swallows thickly. Her driver is useless and Joohyun is now staring at her with concern. “I just–I’m going out with Joohyun unnie,” she dumbly admits to because she is the worst at lying. Especially when her parents can easily catch her in the lie now. “I was going to send Victoria-ssi home first.” 

Joohyun visibly swallows. 

“Oh is that all?” Jongkook casually asks. 

Seungwan screws up her face in confusion. 

“Let me talk to her,” Jihyo chimes in. 

And there’s the other shoe dropping. Seungwan resigns to her fate and unfortunately Joohyun’s as she hands the woman the phone. “My mother wants to talk to you.” 

“Me?” Joohyun asks with wide eyes full of trepidation. This is probably the first time Seungwan’s ever seen her scared out of her wits. Son Jongkook was one thing, but Son Jihyo is another entity. 

There’s no getting out of this, so Joohyun takes the phone. 

“Bae Joohyun-ssi,” Jihyo calls her name with succinct professionalism. There’s a smile in her voice that makes Joohyun swallow. 

“Yes, this is Bae Joohyun.” 

“Listen very closely,” Jihyo begins, “If you think I’m going to let my daughter just go with you, you’re going to have to rethink which family whose daughter you’re dating. My husband tells me he’s met you, so why don’t you give me the courtesy of meeting you myself?” 

Joohyun swallows and feels her heart drop into her stomach. She glances at Seungwan who stares at her with nothing but worry and concern. “Is this something that can be negotiated?” she exhales. 

“I’m sorry?” 

Joohyun feels like she’s shooting herself in the foot but she has to stand her ground. None of these circumstances of their relationship is ideal, but Seungwan looks just as scared as she feels. But she isn’t one to be bullied by anyone, no matter how terrifying. “Seungwan and I haven’t discussed the nature of our relationship,” she honestly admits. 

Seungwan’s jaw drops and she goes to Joohyun’s side and reaches for the phone, but Joohyun subverts her by slipping her hand in Seungwan’s and pushing her back ever so slightly. The action surprises Seungwan. “What’re you doing, Joohyun unnie?! Let me talk to eomma!” 

“Are you not girlfriends as my husband says?” 

“We’ve only been dating,” Joohyun honestly answers. “She hasn’t asked me properly to be her girlfriend.” 

“Excuse me?” Jihyo scoffs in disbelief. 

Seungwan blushes before she yells loud enough for her mother to hear. “Appa had her by the collar! I had to say something!” 

Jihyo hums. “Jongkookie, you had Bae Joohyun-ssi by the collar?” 

“If it were a boy with Seungwan I’d do the same,” he defends even if there’s a bit of fear in his voice. 

Jihyo scoffs. “Utter chaos,” she grumbles. “I’ll talk to you about that later. As for you Bae Joohyun-ssi, have that conversation with my daughter. When she asks you properly come see me after, we have things to discuss.” 

“Yes, Chairwoman Son.” 

Jihyo hums and clicks her tongue. “Put my daughter back on the phone.” 

Joohyun hands Seungwan the phone, who takes it quickly. 

“You bring someone home without defining your relationship?” Jihyo immediately chides, much to Seungwan’s dismay. “I thought you were more prudent than that, my baby.” 

Seungwan pouts. “I didn’t think that anyone would be home. Let alone father.” 

Jihyo chuckles. “Well, ask her to be your girlfriend properly. I can’t have my baby going around being a playgirl.”

Seungwan gasps in offence. “That is Seunghee unnie!” 

Jihyo laughs loudly and even Jongkook laughs. “Okay, Seungwannie, we’ll see you and your girlfriend soon then.” 

Her mother drops the call on her, leaving no room for argument. So Seungwan throws her head back in a petulant whine. Her reverie is shattered by Joohyun’s chuckle. 

“Unnieeeee, why did you say all that to my mother?” Seungwan immediately whines. 

Joohyun pauses her laugh at the unexpected cuteness, but she can’t contain her smile. “Well, I was being honest with her. You didn’t ask me to be your girlfriend,” she casually points out. “It’s not something I thought we’d have to talk about so soon.” 

Seungwan crosses her arms. “Is it too soon to call you my girlfriend?” 

Joohyun coughs and rubs her nose at how casually Seungwan says it. “You don’t think it’s soon?” 

Seungwan feels her heart race inside of her. “I just thought–we’ve had dates, we talk–we’ve kissed–and there’s no one else,” she feels the heat rush to her cheeks. She crosses her arms even harder. “Was I wrong about where we were going with this relationship?” She bites her bottom lip nervously, wondering if this was something Joohyun wanted. 

Joohyun mirrors Seungwan, crossing her arms and with a tilt of her head, the straps of her helmet sway with her. “No,” she says seriously, “you’re not wrong.” A small smirk forms at the corner of her lips. “It’s just nice to be asked. Would you like to be my girlfriend?” 

Once Seungwan hears the words from Joohyun’s lips, she falters because her heart suddenly stops. She quietly gasps at the words because they sound unreal to her. From Joohyun it sounds enticing, like she’s being led on an adventure. Apprehension and worry comes to the forefront but excitement pushes past all of that. 

“Of course!” Seungwan responds as quickly as she can. 

“See? It’s nice to be asked.” Joohyun huffs dramatically as she throws her hands up in a shrug. She turns back to her motorcycle. 

Seungwan then realizes what a blunder she’s made. Her face turns beet red. Victoria chuckles at them nearby and she glares at her driver who gestures for Seungwan to do something about Joohyun. Honestly, how dare Victoria?

Joohyun still keeps her cool, looking away from Seungwan and poking at her motorcycle. It looks cute even from the back. 

Seungwan carefully slips her arms around Joohyun’s waist, conscious of her bruised side. She drapes herself against Joohyun’s back, cheek pressing against the woman’s shoulder. “Joohyun unnie,” Seungwan tries as she puts most of her weight on the stronger woman, “I like you so much. Would you have the honor of being my girlfriend?” 

Joohyun doesn’t say anything. She just lets Seungwan cling to her. After a moment, Joohyun quietly asks, “Am I someone you want to be with?” 

Seungwan picks up her head. “What do you mean?” 

“You know me well, Seungwan. Are you okay with who I was? Who I am? Do you like what you know about me?” Joohyun asks carefully. 

“What brought this on?” 

“You can’t not think about this, Seungwan. You and I are two different people from two wildly different backgrounds. Even if this doesn’t come up now, it will come up later.” Joohyun finally turns around in Seungwan’s arms. Her hands come down to cup Seungwan’s cheeks. “I like you too much to rush this. Being in a relationship with me means accepting all of me. What I’ve done in the past is included and it’s not good. I sold myself for money, Seungwan. I’ve seen your father before, so your mother has to know who I am. It’ll be a point of contention and I don’t want to make this relationship difficult for you.” 

Seungwan frowns. “How could you say that? You’re a good person regardless of your past, Joohyun unnie. You value your family, you take care of your family, you stand up for what’s right. Just because you don’t come from money, doesn’t make you any less of a person than me. Your family and the love you have for Yerim is worth more than what I was born with. My parents taught me that the value of people comes from what they’re willing to give to those around them. Those who have been through the worst and still give to others are more than who they think they are. You’re one of them, Joohyun. That’s why I like you so much. You’re so much to me.” 

“Seungwan-ah…” Joohyun feels choked up from what Seungwan says. It feels like too much. More than she deserves to hear and she doesn’t realize how much she’s wanted to hear it. To have that semblance of knowing that all the bad things she’s done, of how much she’s lost of herself, could mean something and how Joohyun is more than all of that.

“Joohyun unnie, will you be my girlfriend?” Seungwan asks with warm eyes and a tender smile. 

Joohyun brushes Seungwan’s cheek with her thumbs and tilts the younger girl’s head up ever so slightly. “Ask me again.” 

“Will you be my girlfriend, Joohyun unnie?” Seungwan feels her heart swell with hope. 

“One more time.” 

“Will you be my girlfriend, Bae Joohyun?” Seungwan firmly demands. 

Joohyun softens, her smile turns a bit teary. She nods. “Okay,” she rasps. “I want to be your girlfriend, Son Seungwan.” 

Seungwan’s heart flutters and flips. It jumps out of her chest full of life and she doesn’t contain it. She bounces in place happily. A broad smile dons her face. “Yay!” she expresses as she wraps her arms around Joohyun’s waist tightly for a hug. 

Joohyun flinches and groans. “Ah,” she’s hurt by how tightly Seungwan grabs her. 

“I’m sorry!” Seungwan immediately apologizes at the reminder of Joohyun’s injury. She throws her arms over Joohyun’s shoulders instead to hug her. “I’m just really happy.” 

Joohyun smiles as she’s pulled into Seungwan’s arms and returns the hug. “I am too. I like you a lot, Son Seungwan.”

Seungwan sighs against Joohyun comfortably. “I like you so much, too.”

Sniffle. Sniffle. 

They look over to the soft sniffling sound and sees Victoria hold her hand over . 

“I’m sorry, Miss Son, you two are just so cute,” she tearily informs.

Joohyun and Seungwan share a look with blushed faces.

Sooyoung [15:37]: Yah, Kang Seulgi, are you ignoring me?

“Of course I am,” Seulgi mumbles at her phone before throwing it into her backpack. She grabs her textbooks and throws them in her bag. She doesn’t usually have practice the day after a game, so she wants nothing more than to go home to watch a movie and eat snacks.

Except when she gets outside, Seulgi feels her heart drop. 

Sooyoung is standing outside of her large town car, hands in her blazer, as she absently kicks a pebble. She pulls out her phone and sighs. She runs her hand through her hair in frustration. 

I can do far worse than this.

Seulgi tightens her grip on her backpack. The last thing she wants is to confront Sooyoung. It doesn’t matter if the girl is younger than her, Seulgi isn’t confrontational by nature. She looks around for another way out. 

With determination, Seulgi pulls the straps on her backpack so it fastens against her back. She books it down the front steps. Her eyes meet Sooyoung’s and Sooyoung starts walking towards her, but Seulgi cuts left and runs. 

“Yah!” Sooyoung yells as she does that. 

Seulgi doesn’t listen as she rushes towards the west wall of the school where most kids jump over to skip class. She looks over her shoulder to see Sooyoung running after her. She runs faster to get to the wall and scales it quickly. 

“Are you crazy?!” Sooyoung yells. 

Seulgi throws her legs over and she’s holding her weight up over the ledge to see Sooyoung get closer. She curses and carefully grabs the ledge so she can drop down. She slips a little bit and has to regain her footing. 

“Why are you running?!” Sooyoung says, peering over the wall. 

Seulgi gasps and falls on her at how quickly Sooyoung catches up to her. She tries to scramble onto her feet when she hears Sooyoung drop down on the ground. Just as she’s about to get some traction, she stumbles again when she feels herself being pulled back by her backpack. 

Seulgi panics and starts to fight back, trying to get Sooyoung off of her. 

“Stop! Fighting! Me!” Sooyoung struggles. 

“No!” Seulgi yells as she feels Sooyoung’s arms wrap around her. She elbows the taller girl and hears a grunt. The grasp around her only gets harder. Suddenly, her feet are off the ground and she kicks. “Let me go!” 

“No!” Sooyoung throws back before bringing Seulgi back down onto her feet. She finally gets a firm grasp on Seulgi and grabs her by her backpack straps before shoving her against wall. “Stop ing fighting me!” 

Seulgi is startled by the use of force. She’s effectively pinned against the wall. She’s sure if it weren’t for her backpack, she would’ve hit her head. Her heart races and she breathes heavily after trying to escape. 

“Why the hell are you running?!” Sooyoung angrily demands as she grips her backpack straps. 

“Why are you chasing me?!” Seulgi throws back angrily. She’s scared less, but she refuses to be scared in front of Sooyoung. 

“I told you I wanted to talk!” 

“Well I don’t want to! You’ve said enough, Park Sooyoung!” Seulgi feels the adrenaline coursing through her veins and doesn’t hold back. “Leave me alone!” She brings her knee into Sooyoung’s stomach.

Sooyoung is startled by the attack and finally releases Seulgi as the wind is knocked out of her. She grasps her stomach as she falls over. 

Seulgi’s eyes widen. The panic inside of her grows because she doesn’t expect Sooyoung to just fall over. “I’m sorry!” she reflexively yells before bowing. She knows she can’t stay because if she does Sooyoung can do a lot worse. So she runs. 

Sooyoung grasps her stomach painfully as she watches Seulgi run away. “Kang Seulgi, you’re insane.” 

Joohyun ends up taking Seungwan home. As she told Chairwoman Son, she’d take her daughter home so they could have a conversation after Seungwan had properly asked her to be her girlfriend. Girlfriend is a term that Joohyun would need to get used to. She hasn’t been in a real relationship with anyone before either. However, being with Seungwan is already miles better because she just feels more like herself with her. There is no need for pretence and Joohyun doesn’t feel judged for who she was and who she is. It almost feels too good to be true.  

The previous night had been late where there was no staff roaming around the mansion. This afternoon just after school, it seemed the mansion was lively. 

The butler greets them immediately, taking Seungwan’s bag and jacket, and offering Joohyun the same but she refuses. He tells her her parents are in their conference room. 

“There’s a conference room?” Joohyun asks in awe as she looks around the big home. 

Seungwan brushes off. “It’s an exaggeration. It’s like a home office where they can both take calls if they need to.” 

Seungwan leads her up the winding stairs and down the hallway on the western side. 

The home is nice for sure, ornate in a traditional way, but not ostentatious or blindingly opulent. It makes Joohyun feel intimidated all the same by the sheer size of it. She’s small in comparison.

“Eomma, appa?” Seungwan calls as she knocks on the door before opening it. 

They enter the conference room and like Seungwan says it’s a bit like an office. However, the office is still just as big as Joohyun’s apartment. There’s a 10 person conference table as they walk in and in the corner with wooden shelves of files lined up is a large wooden desk and tall leather seat with a leather couch across from it and a large television screen hanging on the wall. 

Chairwoman Son Jihyo sits at the desk, staring at her laptop with glasses on the bridge of her nose, while her husband sits at the leather couch reading files. 

For Joohyun, being in a room with powerful women and men isn’t new, but it was always in a wildly different context. She feels like her uniform defines who she is now, but outside of that, as a normal woman, she’s nowhere close to their level. She doesn’t wear attractive dresses and thick makeup or chic accessories anymore. She wears work shirts, jeans, and sturdy jackets for the nature of her work. The Son family dons suits and pencil skirts with jewelry and accessories and probably any name brand clothing they want.  

Jongkook turns around in the leather couch and greets them with a wide smile first. “Seungwan,” he beckons with an open arm. 

Jihyo glances up at them before looking back at whatever is on her laptop. By the time they make it over, Jihyo signs something on the computer with her stylus and takes off her glasses. 

Seungwan pouts as her father pulls her into a hug when she sits down. He hugs her really tightly and sniffs the top of her head, which is embarrassing because she doesn’t usually get so much affection. So she thinks something is up. 

Jihyo smiles at her husband and daughter. “Do you two mind leaving us to have a conversation?” At least she cuts to the chase. 

“Huh?” Seungwan is caught off guard by her mother’s words. Her eyes shoot to Joohyun who looks calm as ever, but she can tell by subtle gulp that Joohyun is nervous. “I thought you wanted to talk to both of us.” 

Jihyo just shakes her head. “Let’s see how this conversation goes first.” 

Joohyun just looks at Seungwan and gives her a nod. 

Before Seungwan can argue, Jongkook picks up his daughter by her arms with both hands. She’s weightless to him and he throws an arm around her shoulder to usher her out of the room even as she protests. Joohyun smiles at her hopefully, sending her reassuring thoughts. 

The room is quiet between Joohyun and Jihyo when they’re alone, but Jihyo doesn’t wait much before she stands up. She pulls out a large envelope from her desk and walks over to the couch where her husband had been sitting. Joohyun is still standing, unsure of what to do. 

Her first instinct is to bow, “Chairwoman Son.” 

Jihyo beckons her with the envelope. “Sit, Bae Joohyun-ssi.”

Joohyun slowly takes her seat on the couch and Jihyo sits down with a comfortable space between them. She watches as Jihyo pulls out a folder from the envelope and opens it for Joohyun. 

Inside she sees a picture of her government ID and her profile and pictures she wishes weren’t associated with her. 

Joohyun clenches her jaw and looks away. It’s both something she’s ashamed of and something she knows would always haunt her. 

“Bae Joohyun-ssi, are you the one in these pictures?” Jihyo presses as she slides out one photo after another in Joohyun’s line of sight. 

When she was younger, she didn’t know what she was doing. God, it shows on her face. No amount of makeup, no amount of clinging to the arm of who hired her for the night, and no amount of washing the night away could make her forget. If she could’ve told herself not to do it, maybe she would’ve, but maybe she wouldn’t have. She knew what she needed to do. 

Joohyun doesn’t trust her voice as she stares at herself. The one where she was with Chairman Jung with his arm wrapped around her shoulder like a prize. He wasn’t even the worst of them luckily, just wanting a woman to keep particular secrets while he enjoyed his time outside of work. 

“Bae Joohyun-ssi?” 

“You know that they are,” Joohyun says stiffly. 

Jihyo raises her eyebrows at Joohyun’s response. “You know how this looks don’t you? A young woman like yourself is going to struggle in the future if someone recognizes you.” 

Joohyun nods because she’s always known. Her future has been nothing but a cloudy haze in the last couple of years. Looking so distant was just a dream. “What do you want from me?” she cuts to the chase too. Looking at herself is becoming too much and Jihyo’s gaze on her doesn’t make it any better. 

“Do you know why I asked to meet you?” Jihyo asks curiously. Her gaze is still fixed on the young woman. 

Joohyun stops herself from answering. Jihyo is a shrewd and careful business woman. Whatever she does is at an advantage. It’s evident by the way Jihyo shows her cards with confidence. She knows what she needs to know about Joohyun. Joohyun refuses to be pressed into revealing her cards. 

Jihyo tilts her head, still assessing Joohyun. She doesn’t say anything and waits for Joohyun to respond to her. 

“Why did you want to meet me?” Joohyun finally says, lifting her head ever so slightly to show confidence. 

“I think very little needs to be said about my family,” Jihyo begins as she sits back into the couch, relaxed. “When it comes to Seungwan, I have placed a lot of safeguards to ensure that no one takes advantage of her. Anyone around her is carefully vetted and carefully watched.” Joohyun stares at Jihyo carefully. “What is in this file about you isn’t exhaustive, Joohyun-ssi. I know everything I need to know about you. I know about your family history, your mother, father, sister, your employers, your friends. Where you live. All your finances are easily accessible to me.”

Joohyun hardens her gaze. “Are you threatening me?” 

Jihyo raises an eyebrow, piqued with interest. “Is there a reason to threaten you?” 

Joohyun unconsciously curls her hand into a fist at her side. “Tell me what you want from me.” She breathes slowly to control her temper. She feels pushed into a corner by this woman, who has more power and money than Chanyeol could ever lord over her.

Jihyo smiles at her. As if she doesn’t see the way Joohyun’s eyes burn with anger or her fists curl defensively. “I want to know what you’re doing with my daughter. What are your intentions towards my Seungwan?” 

“I don’t have any intentions towards Seungwan. I like her and I want to be with her.” 

“Why?”

Joohyun pauses. “What?” 

“Is it her money? Is it her name?” 

Joohyun furrows her brow and shakes her head. “You didn’t find out anything about me, did you? If I wanted that, you think I’d be here right now? A lot of people have money, power, and name. Yours is one of many. There are always people I can compare you to; Shin Plants, Kim Software, Park Conglomerate, that list isn’t exhaustive either.” Joohyun scoffs. “Seungwan said she learned values from you; how to treat people, how to be kind, how to be a decent human being. However you think of me is nothing like how she does. And honestly, I don’t care. If you think I have ill intentions towards your daughter, you’re wrong. Seungwan is one of the good things in my life that I’ve come to cherish.”

Joohyun points at the pictures of herself. “That young woman may have been me, but that’s not what Seungwan sees. And I’m thankful for that because Seungwan sees someone better than I do.” 

Joohyun feels her jaw quiver as she feels her eyes burn. She tries not to think of this like an ultimatum. She tries not to put Seungwan at stake. She tries not to think that if she has to fight for Seungwan, the likelihood of her losing is high. Joohyun doesn’t think she can bear to lose Seungwan. 

“Hmm,” Jihyo hums as she crosses her arms. “You like my daughter a lot more than you let on,” she frankly points out. Joohyun doesn’t respond, waiting for the matriarch to continue. “My husband was right about you. Bae Joohyun-ssi, you’re smart.” 

Joohyun frowns. 

“You say what’s necessary and nothing that allows others to cast judgement on you right away. You don’t show your weaknesses either.” Jihyo smiles at her rather proudly and leans forward until she props her elbow on her knee and chin in her hand. “You’re quite tough, young lady. Does your ability to protect yourself and your family extend to Seungwan?” 

“Yes.” 

The smile on Jihyo’s face grows. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.” She claps her hands. “Now, that that’s out of the way, we can really talk.” 

Joohyun furrows her brow. “What do you mean?” 

Jihyo has a mischievous smile on her face. “You don’t have to call me Chairwoman Son, you can just call me Jihyo-imo.” 

“Huh?” 

“I’m exceptionally good at reading people, Joohyun-ssi, so I know you’re not really hiding much from me,” Jihyo simply explains. “If you were really the type to use people you think I wouldn’t know? Park Sooyoung’s daughter is close to you but you still live in your small apartment, work three jobs, and wear uniforms from when you first started. Not to mention, you keep taking my daughter to those snack shops when she can easily buy a nice dinner for the two of you.” 

Joohyun blushes at that. “I’m sorry, I just–I’m better at cooking than going out.” 

“Then make her a nice meal instead. Her cheeks are fluffier since dating you apparently.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Jihyo smiles warmly at Joohyun. “I want you to explain one thing to me though. Park Chanyeol.” 

“How do you know about him?” 

“I have more reach than I let on. Even to my husband.” Joohyun’s eyes go wide at Jihyo. Jihyo just smiles. “It’s only when necessary. Like I said, Seungwan is extremely kind, so I don’t want her to get taken advantage of. She doesn’t tell me how bad things are at school because she knows there would be serious consequences, especially if her father finds out. Luckily, Seulgi keeps me updated from time to time so that I know she’s at least safe.” 

“You’re no joke.” 

“When it comes to my family, absolutely not,” Jihyo confidently boasts. Joohyun respects that wholeheartedly because she would do absolutely anything for Yerim. “Also I was informed by my private investigator that Park Chanyeol approached you in an intimate conversation.” 

Joohyun unconsciously sneers. “Far from intimate,” she grunts. “If I could, I’d have nothing to do with him.” She takes a calming breath. “This is actually something that Seungwan and I need to discuss. Can I confer with her first?” 

Jihyo raises an eyebrow out of curiosity again. “What do you mean? Why would you need to discuss this with Seungwan?”

“Seungwan and I are on the same page when it comes to Park Chanyeol. I just want to make sure this is something she feels comfortable with discussing with you.” 

“I think if you feel this is a conversation we should have, then there is no other option but to have it.”

Joohyun looks apologetically at the older woman. “With all due respect, I’d really like it if Seungwan has a say in this conversation because it affects her more than me.” 

Jihyo narrows her eyes at Joohyun sceptically, but after what she’s heard from Joohyun, she trusts her initial judgement of the young woman. And the fact that she wants to include Seungwan in the conversation is admirable. They don’t hide much from each other. 

Seungwan pouts as she pops a grape into . She checks the time over and over again and sighs when only a few minutes have passed. She glances at her father who casually sips his coffee and smiles at her when he feels her eyes on him. 

“Is there something wrong?” he asks innocently. 

Seungwan pouts even harder. “You tricked me. I should’ve known better.” She sighs as she grabs another piece of fruit to ease her stress. 

“How did I trick you?” 

Seungwan narrows her eyes. “You’re never affectionate in front of people.” She chomps on a slice of apple. 

“Should I be more affectionate?” Jongkook asks with interest. 

“That’s not the point,” Seungwan quickly subverts. “I’m worried about Joohyun unnie.” She checks the time again. It hasn’t been too long, but with the way the staff prepared snacks and coffee for the two of them, her mother had planned to talk to Joohyun. 

Jongkook just smiles endearingly at his daughter. “There’s no need to worry. Bae Joohyun-ssi will be okay.” 

“How can you say that so confidently?” 

“Because she’s a good kid.” 

“How do you know?” 

Jongkook just continues to smile as if he knows something that Seungwan doesn’t. “Years of experience?” he offers. It doesn’t put Seungwan at ease, if anything it makes her more confused. He senses it but he doesn’t offer more. He just smiles. “It’ll be fine. We will see them soon.”

“But Eomma…” Seungwan worries because she doesn’t know what her mother is thinking most of the time. She doesn’t know what she would think of Joohyun and she doesn’t want to leave the woman at the hands of her mother. 

“Don’t worry, my daughter,” Jongkook tries to comfort. “If the conversation was going poorly, we wouldn’t be able to sit together. It’s been awhile since we’ve had time like this.” 

Seungwan bites her tongue from saying what she thinks. Her parents have always been busy. It’s not new. The time that they did set aside for her and her sister growing up was limited, but it was at least fun and with good memories. In recent years, everyone has been busy, Seungwan understands that’s the nature of their lives.

“Tell me how Bae Joohyun-ssi is treating you,” Jongkook suddenly says, surprising Seungwan. 

“What’re you talking about, appa?” Seungwan blushes. “Why are you asking so suddenly?” 

“I want to know if she’s treating you well,” Jongkook explains as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “She’s not making you uncomfortable is she? She doesn’t force you to do anything you don’t like?” 

Seungwan blushes even harder. “Appa! She’s not like that!” She and Joohyun have shared many sweet and cringeworthy moments that her father definitely doesn’t need to know about. “Joohyun has very good manners and she treats me with respect. She would never do anything untowards.” 

Jongkook nods approvingly. “Good. As she should.” Then he looks at Seungwan. “Are you treating her well?”

“Appa!” Seungwan exclaims in shock. 

“What? I may not have raised you like a son, but I want to make sure you know how to treat women well.” 

Seungwan’s jaw drops in shock. “Appa!” She blushes furiously. 

Jongkook thinks for a moment. “Did I say something wrong?” 

“It’s not that! I’m just–this is a weird conversation to have with you.” 

“Why is it weird? I’m your father.”

“I don’t know.” 

“Would you like to ask your mother about how to date?” 

“No!” Seungwan vehemently protests. She can’t even imagine her parents dating. As far as she’s known they’ve been together as a working couple. It’s hard to imagine them having much fun outside of what they do for the company and the family. It really is a weird thing to think about. “Please, let’s not talk about this.” 

Jongkook shrugs with a teasing smile and picks up his phone. “I’ll have your sister talk to you then,” he decides. 

“Nooooo!” Seungwan yells as she jumps out of her chair to grab the phone from him. Jongkook just laughs as he gets up to run away from her. “Don’t tell Seunghee unnie, she’ll only make fun of me! She was so embarrassing when she dropped me off at school!” 

Jongkook just laughs as he rounds the couches and types a text message. “You need to talk to someone. If you won’t talk to me or your mother, your sister is the next best bet.” 

“Do you really want me to take advice from her?” 

“She’s dated plenty to give you tips,” he reasons playfully. 

“It’s weird that you know that and it’s also gross that she dates so much.” 

Jongkook stops with Seungwan across the table from him. “Now, now, there’s nothing wrong with dating as long as you don’t make newsprint,” he reminds firmly. “Your sister is well versed in discretion.” He pauses for a moment. “I’ll make sure to ask your mother if it’s okay for you and Joohyun to date openly.”

“Appa!” Seungwan whines petulantly. “We’ve been dating for over a month now, it’s a little too late to do anything about that.” 

“That’s a good point.” Jongkook finishes his text. “Okay, done.” He gives her a bright smile that makes his eyes shrink.

Seungwan lunges around the table for her father as he lets out a full bellied laugh. “You’re the worst!” 

Jongkook just laughs and catches his daughter in his arms. With very little effort, he lifts her up in her angry whining state. “Aww, baby! It’s okay! Seunghee unnie will help take care of you!” He still easily lifts her like she’s a toddler and it bothers her so much because he’s just having fun teasing her. 

“Appa!” Seungwan shrieks out of fear because he literally holds her under her arms and lifts her in the air. “Put me down!” Anyone and everyone should be terrified of how strong her father is. She is literally a ragdoll to him. 

“Uhm…”

“Utter chaos,” Jihyo sighs and shakes her head.

Jongkook stops playing with his daughter and they both look to see Joohyun and Jihyo standing in the doorway. Joohyun looks absolutely stupefied by the scene and Jihyo looks embarrassed. 

“Ah, yeobo! You’re done already?” he asks, happy to see her. 

“Unnie!” Seungwan yells in surprise. She bats at her father’s hands to let her down. 

“Please put our daughter down.” 

Jongkook heeds his wife’s words and sets Seungwan on the ground. He pats her on the head, to which Seungwan glares. After which, Seungwan immediately makes a beeline for Joohyun.

“How was it? Are you okay?” Seungwan asks as she reaches for Joohyun’s hands.

Joohyun automatically receives Seungwan’s hands and squeezes them. “It was fine. I’m okay.” 

“You think I’d hurt your girlfriend?” Jihyo inquires, crossing her arms. 

“I don’t know,” Seungwan frowns, “the conversation was so sudden, I don’t know what to think.” 

Jihyo hums dubiously at her daughter. “Well the conversation isn’t over, we still have things to discuss, but she refuses to without your consent.” 

“Why’d you say it like that?” Joohyun mutters under her breath. Jihyo smirks at Joohyun. 

Seungwan looks at Joohyun surprised. “What does she mean?” 

“Park Chanyeol, your mother wants to know why he’s talking to me,” Joohyun answers. 

There’s a chill down Seungwan’s spine when Joohyun says it aloud. The name catches her father’s attention. She can feel the way her parents look at her and it scares her. She unconsciously squeezes Joohyun’s hands. 

“Unnie…” Seungwan glances at her mother who stares at her pointedly. “What did you tell her?” 

“Nothing yet,” Joohyun reassures. “I know that we said we’d figure things out on our own, but your mother knows something is up. I think it’s best if we discuss this with them because this is something we need guidance on. There’s a lot of ways this situation can go and I want us to have the best possible outcome.” 

They go back into the office, where Jihyo and Jongkook find it the safest to speak freely. The first thing that Joohyun does is pull out the envelope of money she got earlier that day and places it on the table. 

“Unnie,” Seungwan grabs Joohyun’s hand immediately out of fear. 

Joohyun pats her hand. “It’s okay.” 

“You don’t understand,” Seungwan mumbles. “They’re not going to like this.” 

“They’ll like it even less if something happens to you,” Joohyun reasons. She looks at the Son parents who stare at the envelope. With a heavy heart, Joohyun explains what’s been going on. 

Seungwan remains mum as the woman speaks, only paying attention to her parents' reactions. She’s sure that if Joohyun knows her father’s reputation as CEO, then she knows her mother’s reputation as Chairwoman. What Joohyun doesn’t understand is that there is nothing more important to her parents than Seunghee and Seungwan. She has learned that her family has money and her parents have power to liquidate businesses and ruin rich families on their behalf. Seungwan could never in good conscience let her parents do what they do, which is why she keeps her head down and keeps moving forward. 

“Why didn’t you tell us this was going on?” Jongkook speaks first. He’s angry, fist forming at his knee. Jihyo reaches for his fist, unraveling it to slip her hand in his. 

“His family has already struggled enough. I thought he was just taking it out on me what happened all of those years ago,” Seungwan looks down as she speaks. “I thought if I kept my head down and just kept moving forward, I could leave him behind eventually.”

“What happened with his family is not something that you have to pay for,” Jongkook firmly states. “His family suffered because of the consequences of their actions. They were able to overcome it on their own.” 

“But people have real feelings, appa, they’re valid.” 

“It doesn’t mean that we deserve the treatment as a result of how they feel,” Jihyo says firmly. “We don’t serve as punching bags for other people’s emotions. And those who treat people with that sense of entitlement are not good people.” 

“But what about us? Are we any better? If I told you, you’d just get him kicked out of school or pull out of his family’s business. His situation would be much worse because of us.” 

Jihyo stares at her daughter with severity. “I understand that you want us to be good people, Seungwan, but you know better. People can be both good and bad. One day, if you have children, you’ll understand that nothing is more important to us than your health and safety.”

“And you don’t know the Parks like we do,” Jongkook adds. “Suho and Chanyeol are products of their parents; if you think they are bad, their parents are just the same.”

Seungwan opens to argue when she feels Joohyun’s hand grip hers. 

“Seungwan, it’s true,” Joohyun solemnly informs. “It’s not unknown in the business world that dealing with the Parks requires a lot of combing through every fine detail before investing. There are clauses in their contracts that are inconsistent that make it very difficult to hold them liable for anything.” 

“How do you know this?” Jihyo asks. 

“I’ve heard things in passing,” Joohyun vaguely answers, unwilling to meet Jihyo’s eyes. “I never thought much of it, but I kept it in mind.”

Jihyo stares at Joohyun suspiciously. Joohyun knows when her eyes meet the older woman’s that it’s more to talk about. 

Seungwan frowns, feeling disappointed. She’d always hoped that people were better than they actually are. 

“I know this must be difficult, Seungwan,” Joohyun reassures upon seeing her face, “but Chanyeol said he wanted to ruin you. We don’t know what that entails or what he plans to do. We can’t take those things lightly because he has money, power, and means too.” She takes a deep breath and holds Seungwan’s hand tightly. “When he talked to me today, he said something that makes me think we’re being followed.” 

Seungwan furrows her brows. 

Joohyun clears as she glances at Seungwan’s parents to inform them of the situation as well. “He knows we’ve kissed.” 

“What?” Seungwan exclaims as her cheeks turn red. Both of them glance at her parents, who stare at them intently. “What do you mean he knows?”

“It’s expressly what he told me,” Joohyun affirms confidently. “I can’t confirm it, but I want to find out for sure.” She looks at Seungwan’s parents. “I want someone to follow him too, to figure out what he’s been doing and what he’s planning.” 

Jihyo and Jongkook look at each other. They have a silent conversation between the two of them before Jongkook assents to Jihyo. 

Jihyo agrees, “We can help you with the means, but with how sensitive our business relations are, it’s best if you find someone outside of our network.” 

“What do you mean outside of our network?” Seungwan picks up on. “Do we have a network of investigators or something?” 

Jihyo purses her lips and slowly nods. “Your father and I have always had people that help us gather information. It’s necessary to ensure legitimate business dealings.”

Seungwan furrows her brows and thinks about all those years ago. “So when you said no to the Parks, was it because something was wrong?” 

“That was part of the reason,” Jihyo answers as she glances at her husband, who gives her an encouraging look. “We would never ask you to marry someone that you don’t want to. Despite how it seems, your father and I married each other for love; we want the same for you and Seunghee.”

Seungwan is surprised but relieved to hear her parents’ sentiment. She is happy that they care about her and Seunghee’s happiness. She smiles and looks at Joohyun to share her relief. Joohyun meets her eyes but suddenly blushes and clears . They miss the way that Jihyo and Jongkook stare at each other knowingly. 

“I respect your efforts in taking care of Seungwan,” Jihyo says when Joohyun has to leave. At first, they wanted her to stay for dinner while they were all there, but Joohyun has to go home to take care of her sister since Sooyoung can’t stay long today. “But if you feel like there’s any danger, don’t hesitate to call us.” 

Joohyun is stunned at what the matriarch says. “It’s okay, Chairwoman Son. I’ll be careful.” She can’t imagine bothering the busy couple, even if they offer.

Jihyo shakes her head. “You’re taking care of our daughter. It’s important that you know you’re not alone doing it.” Joohyun hesitates and is ready to protest, but Jihyo insists. “You may be older than Seungwan, but you’re still young, Joohyun. You can’t take care of everything on your own.”

Joohyun feels touched because she knows the older woman means it. In that way, she sees a lot of Seungwan in Jihyo. Jongkook was right that children can take after their parents. “Seungwan is lucky to have you and CEO Son as her parents. You really love her.” 

Jihyo smirks. “Of course! We want the best for our daughters no matter what. If you make her happy, then we will ensure it.” She pats Joohyun’s shoulder. “But rest assured, Joohyun, if you ever hurt her, my husband isn’t the person you should fear. Every decision made in this household is done by me.” She smiles cheerfully at Joohyun. 

The threat is palpable. It scares Joohyun to death because Son Jihyo is not one to be trifled with but she can't help but smile because she understands the woman entirely. If she was in her position, for Yerim, Joohyun would do anything. 

“I’ll work hard to make sure I don’t.”  

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Seungwan pouts as she walks Joohyun to the door. 

Joohyun smiles at her. “I know. We didn’t get to go to the snack shop today.” 

Seungwan bobs her head and tugs at Joohyun’s hand. “It’s not about the snacks, it’s just us being able to spend time together. It was a lot today with my parents. I feel bad you had to go through it and I wish I could’ve been more helpful. This whole situation is all my fault.”

Joohyun tugs Seungwan to stand in front of her. “Seungwannie, it’s not your fault,” she reassures quickly. “You said it, his family bounced back fine, but he’s still holding a grudge when he can learn to let go. Chanyeol is just crazy for doing this in the first place.”

“But still, I feel useless,” Seungwan complains. “I want to help you.” 

Joohyun smiles affectionately at the sweet girl. “Come here,” she says, pulling her into a hug. “You do help, you help me. You bring me a lot of comfort, Seungwannie, and knowing you’re safe makes me feel most comforted.” 

Seungwan pulls back. “I haven’t even comforted you yet,” she bites her lip nervously. Joohyun tilts her head in confusion. Before the woman can say anything, Seungwan leans in and kisses her firmly. 

Joohyun is surprised at the sudden kiss, but enjoys it all the same. Seungwan earnestly kisses her despite her nerves and it makes Joohyun smile when Seungwan tries. She pulls away slowly and touches their foreheads.

“I wasn’t expecting that.” 

Seungwan her lips and holds onto Joohyun more tightly. “I want to get better at it, unnie, comforting you.”

Joohyun feels her heart pound inside of her. Seungwan may be inexperienced in comparison, but her words always give a rush to Joohyun. It’s the sincerity and enthusiasm. Joohyun fears one day if Seungwan knows how much it affects her, Seungwan can be quite seductive. Joohyun would never be able to stop her. 

Joohyun captures Seungwan’s lips with hers and guides her into the kiss slowly. She moves her lips against Seungwan, letting her follow the pace and tasting her thoroughly. Her heart pounds when she hears a small whimper from the younger girl and she deepens the kiss. She enjoys it so much because Seungwan is soft and sweet, her smell is warm and refreshing. 

Seungwan pulls away suddenly, breathing in large gulps of air. She looks down between them as she heaves. 

“Was that okay?” Joohyun asks carefully, caressing her cheek. 

Seungwan bites her lip and nods as her chest still rises and falls with big breaths. “I just needed to catch my breath. My heart is pounding so much.” 

Joohyun chuckles at Seungwan’s reaction. “Not too much, was it?” 

Seungwan shakes her head. “No, not at all. I just–wow…” she exhales in awe. Her cheeks turn pink as she looks up at Joohyun. “I’m–did I do okay?” 

The younger girl looks so cute that Joohyun can barely contain herself. She wants to kiss her even more. “Better than okay,” Joohyun reassures as she brushes Seungwan’s bottom lip with her thumb. “If I didn’t have to go, I’d like to kiss you more.” 

Seungwan shudders and grips Joohyun tightly. “I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it. I feel like my knees are going to give out on me.” 

Joohyun hums with a small smirk on her lips. “I’ll catch you if you fall for me.” 

Seungwan wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Ewwww,” she giggles as she bats at Joohyun’s shoulder. “That was so greasy, unnie.” 

Joohyun laughs and pecks her on the cheek before she leaves.

a/n: thanks for sticking to the end of this long chapter i know it was heavy with a lot of conversation but when i first wrote it i thought it was necessary bc i wanted to show more of the son family and how seungwan comes to be seungwan and her potential 

there is still more to discuss bc theres a lot of joohyun's past but im working on how to end the story bc i dont want it to drag much further on; chanyeol will get whats coming to him, it's just a matter of how at this point (not to mention ive unintentionally added some length with this story bc of joygi and there are still ot5 moments we need) stay tuned and let me know what you thought! thanks for your support!