Chapter Seventeen

Yunho found himself face to face with Im Seung Hun.   He grew up with Jung Joon Ho and kwon Sang Woo as his role model.  They were known to possess this business charisma that people would call.  The guy has the confidence of Kwon Sang Woo and the smooth talk of Jung Joon Ho but what shook him off was the eyes that could see through his soul, something that Yoona must have inherited.

“You’re too young to have the position.  What makes you think that I’d give my vote to someone like you?”

It was something that he prepared for.  Seung Hun did not succeed as a businessman is he wasn’t shrewd enough.  His father trusted him with this and he would prove that his sacrifice something.

“I may not have much experience as my rival but I have enough credentials.  My father sent me to one of the best business schools in the world.  I earned my MBA in Yale.  And I was the one who pushed our ventures in the US market and we broke through.”

Their company was one of the Korean companies that succeeded in US.  Even the Kwons did not achieve that feat.  Kwon Jiyong however succeeded to break through the Japanese market, something that his father failed in doing so.  Nevertheless he still found it impressive that they made it to the US.

Im Seung Hun laughed.  It was a mocking laugh.  “Do you actually think that theories alone would bring you success?  It wasn’t what brought your ancestors the status you are carrying now.  I know your father knows that.  It wasn’t what actually brought you success in US.”

He was undermining Yunho’s capabilities and it was testing his patience and pride.  He knew.  Yunho clenched his hands that were under the table.  They may be in a secluded area of that exclusive restaurant yet he won’t let his pride control him.  If he as just raise his voice, it would mean immaturity, his incapability to handle complicated situations.  He smiled despite the rage inside him.

“No, it didn’t but my father made sure that I won’t go to this battle unprepared.  He entrusted me SM.  He let me immersed into the swamp of politics within SME.  I shifted the company’s assets from liabilities.  I am sure you know what else I have done.”

The smile from Seung Hun’s face vanished as he regarded the young man in front of him.  He knows of Kwon Jiyong and Choi Seung Hyun, the new generations of money machines of South Korea but nothing prepared him of Jung Yunho.  He could the making of ruthless magnates like Kwon Sang Woo and Jung Joon Ho.

“I do,” Seung Hun said.  His eyes then narrowed into slits,”I also know of the relationship you have with my daughter. Are you going to use her as collateral?”

It was like that from the start.  He expected the older man to deduce as much, it was their plan on action.  But hearing it directly from someone that he was just using Yoona was something that his conscience could not take.  He has to be strong.  When all of this is over, they’ll be free , him, Yoona – and Yuri.

“If you knew what was going on, why didn’t you stop it from the start?  Or were you expecting my theories to fail?”  He was expecting a violent reaction.  A reaction of a father who found out that his daughter was being used as bait against him.

But he smiled, an almost sad smile.  “Yes, I expected your theory to fail,” then his eyes moved past Yunho.  The younger man looked back to see the horror of his plan.

Im Yoona stood a few feet away from him, tears pooling in her eyes.  Was it her fate?  Was it her fate to be betrayed by the people she trusted most?  What exactly have she done to deserve this?  As she looked at Yunho’s horror-stricken face, all she had come to love for the past months vanished.  Instead she saw a selfish beast that would do anything for his greed.

Yunho knew that no words could stop Yoona from feeling the hurt of his betrayal nor does he trust himself to be able to say anything.  He cared about her.  It was the only honesty he could feel right then.  He stood and took a step closer to her but she also stepped away from him.  If only he could just hug her to let her know that one thing he was regretting was hurting her.  When Yoona wiped the tears that started felling, a tear rolled from Yunho’s eyes.  Yoona let out a last squeal of suppressed cry, her heel and ran away from him.

“You’ve lost.”  It was the quiet voice of Seung Hun.  When Yunho turned to look at the older and wiser man, he was expecting a victorious smile but his face was stoic, sad even.  Seung Hun heaved a sigh.  “I will give you my vote but you have to make sure to right the things that you think was wrong.”

Seung Hun walked past him but he kept standing there.  He clutched the back of his chair to keep himself standing.  Seung Hun took the final glance at the otherwise promising young man.  Even looking from his back, he already looked defeated.

Yoona adjusted her shades.  She had to make sure she didn’t look like she was crying.  She knew the members won’t be home but she didn’t want to gamble.  The last thing she wanted was to involve them in this mess.  And she didn’t want them to see her in her weakest.

She thanked her lucky stars when she entered the quiet pad.  All she wanted was to lie down and cry.  When she finally opened, her dreaded voice called out to her out of nowhere startling her and sending the shades that covered her swollen eyes to be out of its place, betraying its purpose.

Even these shades are betraying me now?

She turned around and saw Yuri gaping at her.  Yuri has seen her in her most unglamorous state but never in this messy state.  Yoona’s eyes were swollen, her nose and cheeks, and even her forehead, were red from crying.  Her hair was tied in a disarrayed ponytail.

Yoona’s tears started to well again.  She couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Yoong—“ Yuri wanted to console her best friend and help her ease her burden.  It was what they normally do.

“Don’t!”  Yoona stopped her.  She understood now.  Yunho was inlove with Yuri.  He was able to hurt her yet not this girl she considered her best friend for all these years.

“Yoong—“

“You!”  Perhaps she was bitter, perhaps she was jealous that everybody just seemed to want to protect her.  She was seeing her best friend yet tears and bitterness clouded it.  “You were the reason why I couldn’t be truly happy.  You just gotta have them all.  You have Siwon.  Do you also have to take Yunho?”

Confusion was written all over Yuri’s face.  She could not say anything.  What Yoona was saying was beyond her.  “Yunho was lying all along.  He loves you, not me.  He used me to try to get my father’s vote for the board election.  Why am I the only one who has to suffer?  Why can’t you?  Why are they all bent on protecting you alone?”

While Yoona was venting everything on Yuri, tears also started welling in her eyes.  She hated seeing Yoona hurt and it pains her even more because Yoona blamed it all on her.

“I hate you, Kwon Yuri!”  Yoona slammed their room’s door on her face.

Siwon’s back was already wet from all the tears that the girl, who was hugging him from behind, was shedding.  It has been minutes since Yuri came out of nowhere while he was practicing his English and suddenly hugged him from behind.  He dared not to move.  She wasn’t saying anything and didn’t want to ask.  It hasn’t changed and he accepted it.  He was already contented with the tight embrace she had around his stomach.

He then heard her sobs, her cries were finally subsiding.  He was just glad she found him and came to him.

“I’m sorry,” it was muffled through his back.

“No, Yuri.  It’s okay,” Siwon said.  She would cry to him anytime and he won’t ask anything.  He’d give himself to her.

Yuri detached herself from his back.  She tugged on his arm so he would face her.  She’s not afraid nor ashamed to show her tears anymore.

“No, Siwon, I’m sorry.”

The look in her eyes said it all, the sincerity of her apology and the determination to keep going.  “You were sweet, caring and everything any girl would want to spend their lives with forever.  I tried to return those to you.  I’m always convincing myself that you deserve those.  But because of me, Yoona was hurt.  I could never ease the pain her heart.  I’ve hurt my best friend and here you are, giving yourself to me and asking for no return.  Siwon,” Yuri held his hand, “I don’t deserve you.  I tried to love you back but… but I just don’t deserve you when I’m inlove with someone else.”

He’d be foolish to say that he didn’t notice.  All along he knew of Yuri’s buried feelings towards Yunho.  He was just stupid to keep expecting that she’d love him back.

“I know.”

Yuri looked up at the guy who incessantly makes her wish she’d love him instead.

There was a sad smile on his face.

“Just let me be someone you’d cry on right now.”

Yuri closed her eyes and for the umpteenth time, wished she loved this sweet guy instead.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 Hey everyone!  The update has taken so long, so sorry again.  Thank you for continuing to read this.  I have posted on my blog the next stories that I will be working on for the next few months and also I need a help on my Three nights of Forever in Tokyo.  Could you please visit this.  Comments and likes on my blog entries are deeply appreciated!  They're going to help my grades when I get the most comments and likes.

Thank you for my new subscribers!  I never thought I'd be getting much for this late chapters.

YOONWON_imARA "Kiss Me Goodnight" meant something sweet to remember before going to sleep.  It was how I look at it and I get really random when I give titles like the previous ones.

For clarifications, you can browse the comments because I posted some of it.  Feel free to ask anything.