“I need to see you.” Chaerin breathes nervously into the phone. “I’m on my way to your place.”

She hangs up and looks at the phone in her hand, sighing. There are missed calls from Lee Soohyuk but she ignores them. 

“When you said you were on your way I thought you meant you were driving.” Youngbae says with a humorless laugh as he opens the door.

“I was in the elevator when I called.” She tells him sheepishly as he invites her into his apartment for the first time.

“I’m not really comfortable having you this close to me.” He admits.

“I know.” She confesses quietly, looking him in the eye. He sits down and she slowly joins him on the other side of the couch. “I shouldn’t be here but what I have to say can’t be overheard by anyone.”

“What is it?” He asks anxiously and her chest squeezes at the slight tint of hope in his voice.

“I lied when I said I never loved you. I spent the first half of my life loving you and, the second half, missing you.” She closes her eyes as if she can pretend she’s not really here and that it’s not really happening. “You are my whole life.” 

Youngbae moves to hold onto her hand, cradling it against his chest, and she can feel his heartbeat against her fingers. He pulls her closer to him and presses his soft lips against her own. Her eyes flutter at the sensation, a rush of warmth spreading over her body. Her eyelids slowly flutter open and she gently pushes him away. Confusion and hurt spread across his face as her eyes slowly open to look at him. He holds onto her hand firmly, not ready to let her go.

“Then why do you treat me like this?” His voice is barely above a whisper and she wonders if he truly meant to say it out loud.

“I love you.” She confesses again, staring at her hand clasped warmly by his. “But everytime I think about you I think about the pain you were in, how you were tortured… How you spent all of those years plotting your revenge. Dong Youngbae, it was my father’s guards who hurt you. I know you will never, ever forgive me. But I had to tell you the truth.”

“Is that all?” He asks after a beat, innocent tears b in his eyes as his jaw clenches in anger. 

Her hand slips out of his loosening grip. 

“Oppa.” She whimpers shamelessly, knowing he couldn’t stand to hear any more. She wonders if it would that terrible to save some secrets to take to her grave. “Yes, that’s all.”

Chaerin stands up to leave and he doesn’t stop her.

She lingers at the door but he doesn’t look up.

Like a ghost, she slips out the door and makes her down to the parking garage where her driver waits. She opens the car door and steps back, almost stumbling over the curb when she sees Jiyong sitting in the back of the car with one leg crossed over the other.

“I sent your driver back.” He informs her as she hesitantly joins him in the back seat of a car she was surprised to not recognise as one of his own.

“What are you doing here?” She asks and he laughs.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?” He removes the sunglasses from his face to look at her properly. His expression chills her, sending goosebumps along her skin. She swallows hard. “I followed you.”

“Why?” She asks meekly but she already knows. Money meant nothing. This was the true threat and her blackmailer had delivered.

He looks at her quietly, his eyes raking over her, deliberately tearing her apart with each bat of a lash. She squirms under his gaze, contemplating throwing herself out of the moving vehicle. 

“When you kissed me I knew it felt strange.” Jiyong sighs, adjusting the bulky golden watch on his wrist. “It felt like an apology.”

She opens to protest but he silences her with a sharp glance.

“More than a friend.” He repeats her own antiquated words with a flourish, letting them wash over his tongue like an aged whiskey. “But less than a lover. That’s how you see me. That’s why you can’t stay away from him.”

“From whom?” She asks stupidly but she wants to hear him say it. She wants to hear their friend’s name fall from his lips. 

“Dong Youngbae.” Jiyong growls and it feels like the car is shrinking, the oxygen from the vehicle as he burns like a hot flame. “Dong Youngbae. Dong Youngbae. Dong Youngbae!”

His fist crashes against the side of the car to punctuate his anger.

“I’m so sorry.” Chaerin mewls in desperation. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

"You didn't want to hurt me?" He asks incredulously. "When you writhed underneath him like a , were you were considering my feelings? When you snuck out to see him, were you thinking about me? Don't lie to me. You don't care about how I feel."

Chaerin swallows, hot tears threatening to fall. He’s right, she had only been making excuses. She hadn’t ever really thought about his feelings. Just her own.

“Don’t take advantage of me.” He begs her, his expression softening as he reaches out to hold her hand. His skin seems to burn her own and she immediately regrets it as she recoils from his touch. He glares at her, infuriated, and forcefully grabs onto her wrists, her body yanked closer to his own. He inspects her left hand, watching the way her diamond ring still sparkles even in the pale light. Slowly, he brings her hand to his lips and kisses it softly, cradling her fingers against his cheek. “Chaerin, you are my whole world. You are everything to me.”

His words that sound so similar to her own make her feel dirty.

“I’m so sorry.” She repeats, hot tears searing her cheeks against her will. “Please, I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Whatever you want.”

As soon as the words leave her quivering lips she remembers the last time she spoke them with a familiar sense of desperation. And fear. She winces as Jiyong reaches for her face, his hands gently cupping her cheeks. His thumb brushes her lower lip and he leans forward, firmly pressing his lips against hers. His hand moves to rest loosely under her jaw and her eyes flutter shut in escape. His grip suddenly tightens and her open in shock, looking directly into his own heated glare. She chokes out as his hands squeeze around , his slender weight pinning her in place with careful leveraging. 

“If you just marry me right now we won’t have to worry about anything else. Let’s go right now, let’s married.” He begs her with a deranged smile, his grip tightening the more she fights. “Marry me, or I’ll kill you and then myself.”

She struggles against him, pressing her palms roughly against his chest to push him off of her. She steps down onto his thigh with her high heeled foot, the sharp stiletto causing enough pain for him to release him hold on her neck.

“You don’t want to hurt me, please.” She pleads with him as the air rushes back into her lungs. Her eyes desperately try to get the driver’s attention but he continues to stare ahead at the road unperturbed by the noise.

“If this is the only way I can keep him away from you…”

“I’ll marry you, I’ll marry you!” She concedes loudly, holding out her hands and crawling as far from him as possible in the small backseat. “Just not like this. Think of your mother! Think of the beautiful wedding she had planned. She wouldn’t want it like this.”

He’s quiet as he considers it, his muscles relaxing as he his jaw thoughtfully.

“Get Yejin and your assistant to plan something grand, fit for a Kwon, as soon as possible.” She tries to protest but he hushes her with a look. “I don’t care what it takes, all the money in the world is nothing if I don’t have you.”

“I’ll never see him again. That’s why I went to see him.” She whispers, tears continuing to fall from her widened eyes. “To end it.”

Jiyong turns to her suddenly with an elated expression, trying to give her a kiss happily. She pulls away, afraid of his duplicitous touch and wanting very much to get out of the car. 

“Let me call Yejin right away so we can start planning.” Chaerin offers quickly, fumbling for her phone. The man next to her nods enthusiastically and she dials a number from her contacts. “Hi, Yejin unnie!”

There’s silence on the other end until a man’s voice answers in confusion.

“Lee Chaerin, you have the wrong number. It’s Lee Soohyuk.” The man tells her but she speaks over him.

“I have a big favor to ask you, unnie. I’m with Kwon Jiyong right now,” She says with a smile, looking at him from the corner of her eye. “We’ve decided we want a giant wedding as soon as possible.”

“Chaerin, I don’t understand what’s happening. Can you hear me?” He sighs. “I’m hanging up.”

“Wait, wait! Unnie, I know it’s sudden but will you please help me?” She emphasizes the last three words, her voice cracking as she peeks at Jiyong again nervously.  

“Are you in danger right now, Chaerin?” Soohyuk asks in sudden understanding.

“Yes, that sounds great!”

“Stay calm, I’ll do what I can.” He tells her reassuringly. “If you hang up, I can try calling him. Would that help to get you out of the situation?”

“Unnie, you have great taste. Thank you so much for helping us, we really appreciate it.” She says genuinely, her heart racing. “I know it’s sudden. I’m sorry to be burden.”

“You’re not a burden, Chaerin. You’re not.” He assures her, his voice deepening. “, I knew something like this would happen.”

Chaerin hangs up subtly and smiles at Jiyong as he sits pleased with his arms crossed. She continues to speak into the phone and watches him expectantly. A weight is lifted from her chest when his phone begins to ring and he reluctantly answers it after seeing the caller identification. 

“Ah, Lee Soohyuk?” The man in the car listens to the other line, his face twisted in annoyance. “I’m with Chaerin right now, I can’t meet.”

Her heart thumps in her chest painfully as she tries not to show how intently she’s listening, trying to pick up what Soohyuk is saying. 

“If it’s that important I guess I could just have the car drop Chae off and meet you.” Jiyong grumbles in displeasure. “Alright, that will have to do. I didn’t know there was a deadline.”

“Unnie, I have to go now. I’m with Jiyong.” Chaerin says to no one and gives him a perfectly manufactured pout. “Oppa, do you really have to go?”

“I thought you broke it off.” Yejin whispers to Chaerin as the two women stand against a wall of flowers in an indoor garden. 

“I did.” Chaerin smiles simply, closing her eyes to inhale the fragrances around her. 

“Then why is he visiting ceremony venues with us?”

The younger of the two looks past the installments of flowers and shrubs to the man standing on the balcony on his phone. 

“The long answer or the short answer?” Chaerin smirks.

“Short.”

“We still work together.” Chaerin shrugs, lightly touching the petals of a rose with her finger. The long answer, being of course, that she had lied about everything to her cousin. Soohyuk joined them that day to protect her because he didn’t trust Jiyong anymore. And she hates to admit, but he was right all along. She was never in control. 

Yejin puffs in frustration, throwing her long hair over her shoulder as she walks toward the venue coordinator.

“You’re asking to do the impossible.” The coordinator snaps. 

“We can afford to ask those questions.” Yejin says with a smirk, pulling out Jiyong’s shimmering and limitless card. 

“Friday.” The older woman in a strict bun and tweed suit sighs in defeat.

"Friday?" Chaerin asks in surprise. "That soon?"

"We're doing you an incredible favor, ma'am. If you don't want it we don't have to give it you." 

"Chae, are you alright?"

"No, Friday is fine." Chaerin exhales deeply. "I'm just shocked. It's Tuesday! It's fine, yes, thank you."

"Thank you." Yejin repeats, handing the woman the card and smiling in victory. "This covers flowers, venue, and catering."

"They're in!" Soohyuk shouts as he runs toward the women. "Entertainment is covered."

"Friday." Chaerin tells him and his expression turns to concern.

"Friday." He mimes her with furrowed brows. He dips down to hug her and she receives it warmly before remembering her lie and pushing him away. Her eyes dart to her cousin giving them a reproving look and he nods. "This is it."

"This is it." She smiles but it looks more like a grimace as her eyes water with tears. 

"Chaerin, baby, don't cry." Yejin says in shock, giving her cousin a hug. "This is going to be the happiest day of your life. Just you wait until he sees you in that dress walking down this gorgeous flower lined aisle!"

Chaerin nods, her eyes glazing as she tries to imagine it. She wonders if his attitude will change toward her. She really never will be able to see Youngbae again, but he doesn't want to see her anyway. 

"Yeah," She replies absently. "The happiest day of my life."  

- - -

Author's Note: Thank you to all of my subscribers and those who comment and upvote! I really appreciate all of the love and support this story have received. It means so much to me! I'm sorry it took a while to update this chapter, I wasn't sure what to include honestly haha. The next chapter will be Titled "Zero Hour" and Chaerin and Jiyong are finally getting their wedding!!!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one. Things are about to change big time.

I'm always looking for new ways to connect with y'all so you can now find me on LINE. My id is maskbanana so definitely add me I'd love to talk to you!

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