Chapter 23
The faint blue and white interior of the building made her smile. It was so typical for it to have been colored as such since it was those colors that represented the brand. Every inch of detail in all of the 45 floors of the building was sleek and sophisticated. People were all wearing business suits, complete with polished shoes, the sound of which was muffled by the dark blue carpet.

A crowd of people rushed passed her and she wondered for what felt like the hundredth time why she was there. Every floor that she went to was filled with cubicles and people rushing about to meet deadlines. But despite being busy, everyone stopped when they passed by to bow and give her a respectful greeting. She turned to the lady beside her.

“How come they know me?” Jin Ri wanted to know.

“You’re a Chung,” Sun Young pointed out. “Of course they know you.”

They reached the end of the hallway, where a reception area was situated beside a set of double grand, oak doors. The receptionist stood up as soon as she saw Sun Young and Jin Ri.

“This is oppa’s office?” Jin Ri asked. Even though she had been to the office a couple of times, she’d never been in Sung Ki’s office before. He was always so busy, usually in meetings.

“Mr. Chung has been expecting you both,” the receptionist politely told them, gesturing towards the doors. “You may go in.”

“Thanks,” Sun Young told her. She glanced at Jin Ri and they both opened the doors and walked in.

The office looked more like a small condominium, having occupied half of the floor. To the right was a mini living room, with plush sofas and a small table in the middle. On the left, there was a small kitchen, complete with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Further in the room were bookshelves, mostly containing books and videos about business, management and marketing. Then there was the glass desk, where Sung Ki was sitting behind of, talking to someone on the phone. He looked up as the door opened and gave them a brief smile and wave before continuing his phone conversation.

It was an office that had glass as walls, showing a beautiful view of Seoul. Jin Ri looked out of one of the glass walls and took in the view, while Sun Young sat on one of the seats placed before the desk. A couple of minutes later, Sung Ki put the phone down.

“Sorry about that,” Sung Ki said, glancing at the both of them. He smiled at his sister and his cousin. Jin Ri sat down across from Sun Young. He then turned to Sun Young. “When can I see the marketing budget?”

“I’ll have it on your desk before the end of the day,” Sun Young promptly answered. She then subtly quirked an eyebrow at her brother before glancing at Jin Ri.

“Riri, I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here,” Sung Ki began, clasping his hands together on top of the glass table.

“Yeah,” Jin Ri agreed. “I’m sure you’ll enlighten me.” She smiled.

“Well, the reason for that is…” Sung Ki hesitated. He really hated the fact that his father put him in this position. He knew his cousin wouldn’t be very pleased by what he was going to tell her. “We kind of need your help.”

“With what?” Jin Ri curiously asked, glancing at Sun Young, who was playing with a pen that she saw on the table.

“How about putting your marketing studies to use?” Sung Ki suggested brightly.

“What? Why?” Jin Ri asked, looking concerned. But when both her cousins didn’t say anything, she was jolted to a realization. “Are you asking me to work for the company?” She looked from Sung Ki to Sun Young, who still wasn’t meeting her eyes. “As what?” she pressed when no one said anything.

“Marketing head,” Sung Ki responded.

“But Sun Young’s the marketing head,” Jin Ri countered, shaking her head. She looked at her cousin sitting across from her. She still didn’t say anything.

“Sun Young’s getting promoted and appa wants you to be a part of the company, Riri,” Sung Ki stated.

“I don’t understand,” Jin Ri replied, looking confused. “Why now? He’s never given a hint that he wanted me to take part with the company operations.” She opened to say something else when a sudden realization came to her. She bit her lip and didn’t say anything else.

“You’re family,” Sung Ki reminded her, knowing fully well what was going on in her head.

“But Yung Ho oppa and Jae Sun oppa,” Jin Ri began.

“...are part of the board,” Sung Ki finished. “They come to the office once a week and look through finances.”

Jin Ri glanced out of the window. It wasn’t the work that she was upset about—she did study a bit of marketing before shifting to photography. It just never seemed like working for the company was in her future. Her uncle had always told her that she could do what she wanted as long as she was happy. But then, he’d also always said that family is very important and should always come first. She closed her eyes for a second. She really should have seen this coming.

“It’s not that hard,” Sun Young encouraged her. “You’ve had a bit of marketing background. The rest can be done through training. You’ve worked for the company before.”

“This isn’t just a photo shoot, Sun,” Jin Ri pointed out pleadingly. She had shot a couple of campaigns for the company in the past, which was all very much successful. But this was different than that and she wasn’t sure if it was something she wanted to get herself into.

“I’m sorry, Ri,” was all Sun Young could say. “You know we wouldn’t ask you to do this if we could help it, right?” She bit her lip as she watched her closest cousin’s reactions. She knew it would be hard for her as it was for all of them in the past. But what Jin Ri was going through was much more difficult, considering the circumstances.

“Can I at least think about it?” Jin Ri asked softly.

“Honestly, Ri, you’re the one who’s been pegged for the position,” Sung Ki explained with a sigh. “Appa already sent the memo.”

“Give me time to absorb it then,” Jin Ri said, almost pleading.

Before Sung Ki could say anything, Sun Young took a look at her phone and excused herself, saying that she had to go to a meeting. She gave Jin Ri a comforting and apologetic smile and left the room.

“Okay, you take your time,” Sung Ki agreed, finally speaking. “But I hope you can start in two weeks. For the meantime, Sun Young will be handling the work.”

Jin Ri felt like she had no choice. She really should have expected this right from the beginning. She should have known that, sooner or later, she would have to work for the family company. But she couldn’t help but feel trapped. She never realized how manipulative her uncle could be and that he would resort to such methods against anyone, much less with family.

Standing up, she gave a bow to her cousin. But before she could take a step towards the door, Sung Ki stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped her small frame in a hug and kissed her head. “I’m sorry, Riri,” he told her quietly.

She smiled at him, but he could immediately tell that it was forced. “Yes, well, we all know why he’s doing this.”

Once Jin Ri stepped out of the corporate building, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She ignored the clicks of phone cameras aimed towards her. By this time, she had become used to being followed around everywhere. She knew it was one of the effects of dating an idol. It was a relief when the fans slowly started to accept the fact that their favorite idol was seriously dating someone. Although a lot still hated her with a passion for that fact, the mean comments in Kyuhyun’s Cyworld had positively lessened and there were some fans that had begun to send gifts to her apartment (mostly for Kyuhyun). All in all, she was just glad that she was still alive.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, she got it out and grinned in relief as she looked at the screen. “My prince!” she gushed, answering the call. “Have you called to rescue your damsel from distress?”

“Are in you distress?” Kyuhyun’s voice came through the line, sounding amused.

She sighed, remembering the meeting she just had. “What if I am? Would you come and pick me up?”

“Where are you?” he immediately asked.

“I’m just kidding,” she countered, smiling a little. She loved how Kyuhyun took care of her so well. “Will I see you later?”

“You can see me now. Where are you?” he repeated.

“I’m at the Hyundai office,” she gave in. “Sung Ki oppa wanted to talk to me about something.”

“Is that what you need me to save you from?” When she didn’t say anything, he went on, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

In the car, Jin Ri was mostly silent, making Kyuhyun concerned. He wondered what it was that her cousin talked to her about that would make her feel upset. He knew that they’d always been on good terms. He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.

“Princess, you’re making me worried,” he quietly let her know.

“You’re looking at the company’s new marketing head,” she shared, squeezing his hand back.

He gave her a surprised look. “I thought you didn’t want to work for your family.” He clearly remembered her telling him that she was relieved that she wasn’t working for the company because it wasn’t her thing.

“I don’t,” she confirmed. “But it doesn’t seem like I have a choice.”

“You always have a choice, princess,” he reminded her. “You can say no. I’m sure your appa will understand.” He squeezed her hand once more.

“Not in this situation,” she stated. “They already sent the memo that I’m taking the position. I start in two weeks.” She leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes.

“But that’s unfair,” he couldn’t help but say. “Why would they force you into something you clearly don’t want to do?”

“They have their reasons,” she vaguely answered, opening her eyes and smiling a little. She sighed. “I really don’t have a choice. They’re family. Family always comes first,” she added, knowing fully well that she wasn’t living up to what she was saying.

“Just because you’re declining the job, doesn’t mean that you don’t care about your family,” he reasoned. He lifted her hand towards his lips and gave it a kiss. “I hate that you’re put in this position.”

She turned towards him and smile. “Thank you for picking me up,” she appreciatively told him.

He smiled at her. “Is there anything in particular that you want to do, aside from eating?” he asked her.

“Why isn’t eating an option?” she wondered curiously.

“Because we’re going to eat either way,” he told her, smirking. “That tummy of yours is always hungry.”

“As if your tummy’s any different,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.

~ * ~

“Princess, your phone’s ringing!” Kyuhyun called from the living room.

Jin Ri walked out of the kitchen, her hands covered with gloves as she was washing the dishes. “Who is it?” she asked.

“Sun Young,” he answered after glancing at the screen. When he saw her hesitate, he smiled encouragingly. “You know you should talk to her about it. I’m sure she couldn’t do anything to stop your appa from making such a decision.”

It had been a week since Sung Ki’s sudden announcement. Since then, she hadn’t come into contact with any of her cousins, not even Jae Sun. She even skipped their weekly family dinner. She still harbored a bit of resentment for all of them. She was pretty sure they all knew about it and just didn’t bother to tell her.

“I’m not avoiding her. I’m busy,” she innocently replied before holding her hands up to show the gloves she was wearing. She smiled sweetly at him then headed back into the kitchen.

He smirked and shook his head. But he couldn’t really blame her. She loved what she was doing with her life, taking photos and doing music on the side. Knowing that she had to give most of it up really bothered her.

“Hey Sun Young,” Kyuhyun greeted, answering the phone. “This is Kyuhyun.”

“Oh hey!” Sun Young’s voice came through the line. “Kyuhyun!” She sounded surprised.

“Princess—er, Jin Ri’s busy in the kitchen,” he honestly told her, walking in the kitchen and quirking an eyebrow at her girlfriend, who had turned around to face him.

“She’s still avoiding me, isn’t she?” she asked knowingly.

“Of course she’s not avoiding you,” he immediately stated, glaring at his girlfriend who started to laugh. “Why would you think that?”

“Oh please, I know she’s avoiding me,” she declared. “I guess I deserve this. I really should have told her.”

“She understands that you probably couldn’t tell her,” he went on, gesturing to Jin Ri that she should talk to her, to which his girlfriend merely shook her head at.

He heard Sun Young sigh. “I should have told her,” she repeated. “We all should have. Anyway, will you just please tell her that I called and that I hope to talk to her soon? Jae Sun oppa tells me that he’s been trying to reach her as well. He hopes to talk to her too.”

“She promises to call you and then she’ll see you during the weekend,” he assured her. Jin Ri’s mouth dropped open. He gave her a cheeky grin.

“Thanks, Kyuhyun,” she said gratefully. “And congratulations on your solo! Il Sung oppa sends his congratulations as well.”

“Thank you,” he thanked her then hung up.

“I can’t believe you told her that I was going to call her,” Jin Ri told him, facing the sink once more. “And I still have no intention of attending the family dinner this week.” Or ever, she couldn’t help but think.

Placing the mobile phone on the counter, Kyuhyun walked over and stood behind his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. “You know you miss them,” he knowingly stated. “And they miss you.”

“Hmph,” was all she could say. She couldn’t very well deny the fact that she missed talking to her family. He chuckled triumphantly and gave her neck a kiss. She stiffened in surprise. “Kyuhyun,” she warned. “Don’t start.”

“What?” he innocently denied, his arms loosening around her waist. “Can’t a guy kiss his girlfriend?”

She snickered. “I know you so don’t you play innocent with me. Especially not when I’m holding a dangerous weapon,” she replied, holding up the pan that she was washing.

“That’s what you call a dangerous weapon?” he teased.

“Well you find heels scary now, don’t you?” she reminded him.

He merely smiled. Then, slowly and gently, he leaned towards her again, an arm tightening around her waist. He touched her chin with his free hand and made her look at him. Before she could protest, he captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply.

Soon, Jin Ri found her back pressed against the counter. Somewhere along the kissing, Kyuhyun had removed the pan from her grasp and had placed her arms around his neck instead. When he kissed her in such a manner, slow and intense, it wasn’t easy to keep track of things. She normally just bent to his will because her brain just froze over to incomprehension, while her knees buckled, feeling like jelly. It was only when she felt his hands begin to roam, which they rarely did, that she felt compelled to stop. She grabbed his hands and pulled away.

“Sorry,” he huskily apologized. “I’m stopping.” He pushed himself off of her and ran a hand through his hair.

Standing on tiptoe, she gave him another kiss on the lips. “Don’t say sorry,” she told him. “I love you.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I love you.” He took her hand in his and pulled her to him for a hug. “Are you okay?”

“With a kiss like that, how can I not be?” she responded, looking up at him. Sometimes she felt that he was scared to push her to do things because she might run away from him. It made her feel bad but, at the same time, she didn’t know how to make him feel that he didn’t need to be careful around her. She chuckled when he blushed. “Ah ShyKyu, I rarely ever see you around here. It’s always CheekyKyu or MischievousKyu who’s present.”

“Princess,” he whined, blushing even further. He rested his forehead on hers. He was about to complain some more but her phone sounded off at that moment.

She pulled away from him, laughing as he pouted, and checked the message on her phone. She stared at the screen for too long then glanced up at him. He walked towards her when he saw her frowning.

“It’s him again,” she told him. She had told him about the mysterious text she had received the week before. The person had continued sending her short but weird messages, merely saying hello and telling her to eat meals and such. This time she received a message telling her that they would see each other soon.

“Him?” he echoed. The last time they talked she merely called the texter that person. He looked at her once he read that message, his brows furrowed. “Princess, who else do you know who calls you Jinnie?” he asked. When she merely pursed her lips, he pressed, “Just tell me.” He paused for a couple of seconds. “It’s Shin Jae, isn’t it?”

She sighed and nodded. “He used to call me that when we were kids. But I haven’t heard from him in so long and, as far as I know, he’s out of the country. If he’s back in Korea, it would surely be in the news or one of our common friends would’ve told me.” 

Shin Jae was the eldest son of another one of the well-known Korean families who owned some major technology companies. His leaving the country was big news back then and his return would surely be even bigger news.

“Well then, is it possible that he’s this person?” he asked, holding her phone up and feeling a bit upset that she confirmed his suspicions. “Is it possible that he’s actually back?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted, looking guilty. “Kyu, I’m sorry. I’m really not sure it’s him and I didn’t want to make you unnecessarily upset.”

“Who says I’m upset?” he immediately retorted. He returned her phone to her and moved to walk out of the kitchen to go to the living room.

“Kyu,” she called after him, moving to follow him. “Hey,” she called again, reaching for his hand and making him stop from walking away from her. “What are you thinking? Tell me.”

He sighed and ran another hand through his hair. He supposed there was no use denying it when it was so obvious. “I am a bit upset,” he owned up, looking apologetic. “I’m upset because… I’m just upset.” He blushed when he realized how lame he sounded.

She giggled despite the situation. “JealousKyu,” she softly called, standing on tiptoe so she could kiss him.

“I am not jealous,” he insisted, pulling away from her. “I’m just… I don’t know what I am, but I am not jealous.”

“If you say so,” she complied, pursing her lips to stop herself from laughing.

“You don’t believe me,” he accused.

“I do,” she seriously said. But then a giggle burst out from , which had him frowning in frustration. “I’m just teasing you,” she then covered up, trying to be serious. “I just… JealousKyu is so cute.”

He rolled his eyes at her. “I’m always cute,” he declared proudly. “And I. Am. Not. Jealous.”

“Fine, you’re not,” she acquiesced. She breathed deeply and looked up at him. “I love you, you know that, right?”

He nodded. “I love you, too, princess.” 

Kyuhyun wrapped her in a hug and they stayed that way for a while, both just savoring each other’s presence. He closed his eyes and breathed her in.

After a while, he pulled away and glanced at the wall clock. “I have to go,” he said, kissing her forehead. He moved to get his sweater and slung it over his shoulder. “Talk to you later?

“Yes,” she agreed, nodding.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll call you after my schedule.”

Jin Ri walked Kyuhyun to the door. He was about to walk out of the apartment when he suddenly turned around and pulled her into a hug. “You’re my princess, okay? Mine.” he declared, his lips pressed against her hair. When she nodded and smiled at him, he let her go and left. He didn’t know why, but he just wanted to tell her that she was his. Shin Jae coming back into her life, despite not being sure it was him, scared him for some reason. 

“I want to be always yours, Kyu,” she said quietly, mostly to herself. “I’ll do my best to always be just yours.”

For the both of them, it just suddenly felt like the fairytale was about to start to crumble.