You Want Me
Don't you?

Wants 036
I want to talk to you, I need to talk to you. 

The next few days were busy for the couple. Jiae was busy arranging the funeral, while Mark was busy with his work. None of them were present at home at the same time. It would usually be Jiae waiting for Mark to come home, but whenever he does, she would be asleep already. Funny enough, whenever he wakes up, she won't be around by then. Their times clash like two parallel lines, it never intersects.

And today, Mark Tuan was a little more on the edgy side. He was sitting in front of the entire board of directors of his hotel, with his fellow business partner Im with them. It was the discussion regarding the partnership, hence they had to be there.

Honestly speaking, Mark wasn't very fond of sitting anywhere near Jaebum. The man was literally glaring daggers at him whenever he talks. He knew he had hit the gutter when he accidentally called Jaebum his brother-in-law, but for Jaebum to keep a close, evil eye on him? That's the first. That wasn't the Jaebum he had heard from Jiae. The Jaebum that Jiae knew was kind, but at the same time, the brother who betrayed her. So why is Jaebum glaring at him now? He'd wonder, but he'll never get an answer out of it.

"That is all for the day. Thank you for being here with us." Jinyoung announced, and the meeting room was cleared right after. The people left as soon as the meeting ended, except for the three friends and Mark's secretary.

"Mark." Jaebum called, immediately getting up from his seat. "We need to talk." He said.

Jinyoung frowned, about to protest for Mark when the latter only sighs at him and nodded.

"We do." He muttered and got up as well. It was expected coming from Im Jaebum. The Jaebum he knew wouldn't let things slide, just like how Jiae was. Like brother like sister. He followed Jaebum out of the meeting room to a quiet corridor. He was sure that no one would eavesdrop on them, because this was near the emergency exit, and no one goes through the emergency exit unless needed. 

Jaebum sighed. "Are you serious about keeping her, Mark?" He asked. He wasn't certain, but seeing the way Mark reacted the last day he saw him made him doubt himself. He was serious, far too deep into his thoughts to see through everything. He can see it. Mark trusts Jiae far too much for his own good.

Keeping? Mark could only let out a soft chuckle as he laughs at what Jaebum said. How could he keep her when she doesn't belong to him? He never looked at Jiae as a possession, not an item, no. She's a human being capable of leaving him anytime she wants. But unlike any other, he'll try his best to hold onto her. Unlike anyone else, he'll continue to hold her tight, to make sure that she wouldn't fall again. 

"Jaebum." He called, his eyes showed a thick sign of sympathy to the latter. "I..."

"She lied to you, Mark."

"I know." 

"She used you." 

"I know." 

"What do you know?" Jaebum was growing frustrated. How far does he need to go to crack it into Mark's mind that he should stop trusting Jiae as though everything she said and does was trustworthy? The latter wouldn't budge, his expression stayed the same.  

"I know everything already." Mark said.

His statement took Jaebum off guard. Does he know everything now? Jaebum frowned, a little uncomfortable with the fact that Mark actually knew about the past. 

"You... knew...?" That didn't sound right, but if Mark knew, why would he keep Jiae there? Jiae lied to him. She used his money for another man, someone Mark wasn't aware of until recently. So why would he still trust her like that when he barely trusts any of his own close friends? The Mark Tuan he knew was always the careful one. He was cautious with the people he was associated with. So why would he trust someone he had meet for only a short period of time? 

Mark nodded. "Jiae told me everything." He leaned against the wall and looked at Jaebum. The man looked lost. His expression almost mirrored Jiae's when she wasn't sure what to say. Mark softened and tugged his hands into his pocket. 

"Why did you do that?" Mark asked. He knew his friend well. Jaebum wasn't one to jump into conclusions, so why did he do that to Jiae back then? He needed to know the details, and not just Jiae's side of the story. 

That. Jaebum knew what he was referring to. He was probably talking about how he abandoned Jiae when she needed him the most. He had thought about it after what she told him weeks back, when he was trying to get her to tell Mark the truth. But he was going to act dumb. He didn't really want to talk about it. 

"What are you talking about?" He didn't want to hear about it either. 

Mark frowned. He was aware of what Jaebum was thinking, and he wasn't going to let it slide this time. 

"You know what I'm talking about." Mark muttered. "Why did you leave her?" 

Ouch. That was straight to the point. Jaebum couldn't have ignored that even if he wanted to. Throwing a frustrated grunt, Jaebum caught a fist full of his hair and clicked his tongue. He can't avoid Mark now that he had thrown a direct question up his face. 

"Mark... Listen..." It was going to be a long story. Mark nodded and listened. 

But I'll do it for her.  

What hurts more? The loss of a kind man, or the loss of someone you loved?

Eunmi was facing both at the moment.

Jiae can only feel bad when she looks at the girl who stared at the motionless grey picture standing in front of the coffin. The atmosphere was dull, just like the soft wind that blew autumn leaves around the place. It was a mess, probably the same as how Eunmi was going to live on for awhile. 

The funeral was a small one, with only close friends and family members of the deceased invited. Eunmi had requested so, knowing that if they were to put a commotion on the funeral, problems will surface. After all, the funeral was sponsored by the Tuan, and supported by the Jung and Kim. Daehyun had made sure the funeral went well like how it was supposed to be, and Jiae was thankful for that.

"I was genuinely surprised to find out that you knew Myungsoo hyung." Daehyun exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck as he lets out a short laugh. "It's no wonder you'll be worried over my sister."

Jiae chuckled and shook her head. "The world is small, Daehyun-ssi." 

Jiae smiled at Daehyun. They were more of a friendly term now that Daehyun had made constant visits to the cafe. He would always order two drinks. A green tea latte and an americano. She was curious at first, seeing how Jung Daehyun would constantly look at his phone whenever he waits for his order. And when it's almost past four, his expression would light up, and he would make his way out of the cafe with two drinks in his hand.

It took Jiae awhile