{TWENTY- EIGHT}

Month 05 Day 14

Minjae was clueless on where these two strange men were dragging her. She tried to struggled out of their clutches with all her energy, but experienced too many failed attempts. She wondered why she just had to get herself involved in so many things, her life had been so hectic lately. Ever since she met Kyungsoo, that was.

"We're here." She stared at the building in front of her curiously. Strangely, this one wasn't run down and it was like the other buildings in Gangnam. The building was painted pure white, and the windows were decorated with complicated designs and sparkling lights. She couldn't see what type of building it was because they were supposedly entering from the side door. 

This building could've been easily mistaken as a mere, harmless fashion studio if it weren't for these two shady men dragging a girl in.

"Where the heck are you taking me?" Minjae shouted while the two men led her up the fine wooden stairs of the 'studio'. 

When they were on the top floor, she felt herself being pushed on the ground. Her long hair hung over her face, but from the corner of her eyes she could see how the room looked like. It was modernly furnished, with high class leather seats, a fur carpet and other luxurious objects. But to her, it wasn't the time to admire all that. 

She had to find out who this loan shark was, and what he had to do with Kyungsoo.

"Who the heck is this? I told you to bring me Do Kyungsoo, not some commoner girl." An elderly voice boomed furiously.

"S-Sorry sir." One man stuttered upon hearing the elder's furious voice, "But the thing is, this one isn't a commoner girl. She's the eldest child of Go Sangjae, the CEO of the biggest supermarket industry..."

Minjae had no idea if she was supposed to, but she stared up at the old man who seemed to suddenly be interested upon hearing who she really was. The old man, or more like the main loan shark, the main villain who'd been chasing Kyungsoo for money, didn't look like someone who stood out. His grey hair was combed neatly to the side, and he wore a pricey looking suit as he sat in his gigantic leather chair, legs crossed. There were some visible wrinkles on his face due to his old age and his eyes showed an unknown emotion she couldn't decipher.

Then, the old man broke out in to a toothy grin, his gold tooth glimmering under the light, "Ahh... Go Sangjae's daughter, I presume? I know your name, Go Minjae, isn't it? It's an honour to have you in my mere studio, but why would a delicate girl like you possibly come searching for a nobody like me?"

"Stop faking it." Minjae glared at him, "Do Kyungsoo, you know him, right?"

"Hm, this girl is already so brazen, questioning elders without even greeting them." The smile slowly faded from his face and was replaced by an expression of annoyance rather than seriousness, "Yes, I do know Do Kyungsoo. He's that damned boy that won't hand my money over. I've given him a year to gather it, but I'm somewhat getting more and more impatient, although the deadline isn't quite near yet. Why does someone like you want to know?"

Ignoring the man's question, Minjae asked without hesitation, "How much does he owe you? I've heard him say it's a big amount, but how much is it specifically?"

"500 million won." The man said, "Not that big, right? To a girl like you, who comes from such a high family background, that sum must feel like nothing."

"I'll give you the 500 million won-" What the hell are you saying Go Minjae?! Aren't you being a little too outrageous? She widened her eyes at what she'd suddenly blurted out, but the feeling of saving Kyungsoo overtook her feelings for leaving the matter alone. 

The old man widened his eyes. He was taken back for a second and raised an eyebrow, "Y-You? Pay off a debt, for someone like him?" He chuckled, "That is unusual, indeed. It's the first time, out of all the people who've come begging to me, that I've seen someone straightforward as you."

"Stop joking with me, and tell me once I give you the money, you'll stop bothering Do Kyungsoo!"

However, the old man continued to stay firmly on the topic regarding the money and Kyungsoo, "What do you see in him, that boy, Do Kyungsoo? He's introverted, cold and stern, but yet, you still want to help someone like him? What does he mean to you?"

"H-He's just a close friend to me, that's all. We met six months ago, and if you'd known better, there's more to it behind his cold exterior. He's actually really caring and his smiles leave me speechless and whenever I'm in trouble, he always shows up at the right- , what am I saying? We're just close friends... Yeah, nothing else." Minjae blinked when she realised what she was blabbering about. Did she just... to this evil old man, indirectly admit her feelings for Do Kyungsoo?

"Do you think you really know anything about him at all? What will you do if he's from another country, not from here, but from a country where people fear to be in. How will you act towards him then?" The old man questioned.

"I... I..." Minjae stared at the ground before clenching her fists, "I'll still be by his side. No matter where he's from, or what kind of dark past he has, I really don't care at all. I just... just want to be with him."

"You've -" 

The old man's sentence was cut off by the booming noise of a door being pushed back and hitting against the wall violently.

"You hear that? You've got the answer you wanted right?" Kyungsoo stood at the doorway with his arms crossed, "I guess it wasn't the answer you expected. Now what are you going to do? Because if you dare try to lay a finger on Go Minjae, I'll break your skull in and out. Loan shark or not, harm someone precious to me, and you're going to hell."

"Really now?" The old man smirked, "I don't quite know how I'm supposed to feel about you damaging my studio, but I'll let it go for now. It looks like you've changed Do Kyungsoo, not the little obedient imbecile you were half a year ago, as my men described to me."

"Enough." Kyungsoo glared at the old man, "You called me here to talk about the debt? In that case, let's stick to that topic instead of discussing how I've changed." But before that he rushed over to Minjae, bending down and placing his hands on her petite shoulders, "Stay right here, and don't move an inch. If those men try to harm you in any way, I'll beat them up before they can even blink. Got it?"

Minjae couldn't put in to words on how overjoyed she felt seeing Kyungsoo in front of her, looking at her with his concerned eyes and rubbing her shoulders so comfortingly. Her heart thumped against her chest as she broke out in to a big grin, nodding at the boy. 

"Good. Remember, just stay where you are so no one can hurt you." Kyungsoo stood up, his back facing her, "And whatever you hear, don't ask about it... That's a favour from me."

"Shall we get back to business?"

"Yeah, continue with whatever you want to say." Minjae heard the boy say sternly as she watched the scene from behind. She had to remind herself that no matter what was going to be exchanged in their conversation, she wouldn't look at Kyungsoo in a different light. 

Kyungsoo didn't feel the endless amount of sweat trickling down his forehead as he ran down the streets of Gangnam without stopping, frantically searching for the specific location. He clutched the piece of paper Hakyeon gave him tightly in his hand. He stopped midway when he got to the address, and he eyed the building up and down. It didn't seem the slightest bit suspicious, because it looked like a plain old fashion studio, but he knew ins