Chapter Twenty-Three

The Realization

Kai busied himself with everything he could as soon as he returned to his home. He refused to think about Min, refused to mope over his hurting heart, and refused to acknowledge the guilt that he knew was there from the harsh words that he had spoken. 

But that was easier said than done. 

It seemed like everywhere he went, Kai would be reminded of...of...that girl, who was just an annoying pest that wouldn't leave his mind. He was angry, and so deeply hurt by her actions because he had sincerely liked her, even to the point of discarding his masculine image and confessing to being gay. Kai had been fooled and betrayed, and he had every right to hate Min. 

But why, why did he feel so guilty about that? Just as much as his harsh words had probably hurt Min, it stabbed him just as hard and painfully in the chest. And Kai didn't know how he was supposed to cure this pain. He was reminded of his heartbreak every day and every night, and even as two weeks passed, it never subsided. 

In fact, he only hurt more. Because he missed Min, and undoubtedly, still loved him...her.

At least with resuming his position at the company, Kai had been able to distract himself with business meetings and procedural tasks. It was definitely a good thing that his father had allowed him to come home right before Min had spilled everything, because Kai wasn't sure if he could still be around the girl and keep his sanity after knowing the truth. His busy schedule had resumed, and never before had Kai been so grateful for his hectic lifestyle. 

Tomorrow, he would be going to China to hold a extremely important appointment with several of his shareholders, and Kai couldn't wait. Not only was he going to be able to escape the unwanted reminders that Korea brought him, but he was also going to personally meet Li Wang and hopefully settle his dis-engagement once and for all. That had to be done, before his father would interfere and mess with things again. 

Now, in the meantime, Kai just had to preoccupy himself with something before he could start wanderously thinking again.

But Daesung was definitely not helping. 

"Mr. Kim, where is your friend?" he asked as he circled around the tall male, taking in his exact measurements for a different designer suit. 

Kai stiffened at Daesung's nonchalant words, his jaw tightening. Down by his sides, his fists clenched. 

This behavior didn't go unnoticed by the older man.

"Mr. Kim?"

"I don't know, Daesung," Kai responded darkly, barely able to hold back his irritation. "I'm not his freaking baby-sitter."

Daesung sighed. "But he was such a nice...boy."

Boy? Boy my , Kai thought. 

"I thought you guys were quite close, since you called me and all to check up on your ual orientation," Daesung continued with a cluck of his tongue. "It's such a pity that you didn't keep him around." 

"No!" Kai snapped. "He has things to do, and so do I. He doesn't really matter that much." Yet, even as he uttered that sentence, Kai couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart. 

Daesung stopped what he was doing to look at Kai with a raised eyebrow. "Really, now?"

Kai avoided the man's eyes. "Yes." 

"Mr. Kim, look at me." 

Steeling his expression, Kai lifted his eyes and faced the gay man. Daesung observed him with scrutiny, taking in Kai's dark circles and tinged-red orbs that seemed to hide a plethora of emotions behind them. 

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Kai gulped. Daesung was quite trustworthy, but Kai still wasn't comfortable enough with him to tell the man about what had been bothering him. His love crisis was on a whole other level of deep, and he just wasn't prepared to confess it to anyone, especially since he was still in a state of denial. 

Daesung furrowed his brows at Kai's silence. "What happened between the two of you?" 

"Just let it go, Daesung."

"I know you're hurting, Mr. Kim. I've been alive much longer than you, and I'm no amateur when it comes to love and relationships," the other said, looking up at Kai with worry. "And I've never seen you look quite so...pained."

Kai's forehead twitched in annoyance. "I don't want to talk about it. Just drop it." He sidestepped the other man's view and walked away, but Daesung reached out to grab him back by the arm. 

"Let me guess, you found out, didn't you?" 

Kai stopped, turning back to look at Daesung in confusion. "What?"

When Kai still didn't seem to get what he was asking, the man tried again. "About your friend's...secret."

Kai stared at Daesung for a few long seconds before letting out a dark, humorless chuckle. "You knew about it, too? It doesn't surprise me, actually. Everybody in the world already knew it before I did. Why is this such a cruel joke?" 

"What are you even mad about, Mr. Kim?" Daesung asked. "That your friend is a girl or that she fooled you?" 

"It's the same thing!" Kai cried irritably. "Min lied to me. He...she could've told me a lot sooner instead of tricking me all the way to the end!"

He g