Warning: foul language.

Dinner was the only time when one would expect to see the whole Kang family gather together. Usually, Mr. Kang would be out with clients or his subordinates. Seungyoon would sometimes come with his father. Only Mrs. Kang and the youngest, Kang Chanhee, would be present at dinner almost all the time.

Minah wished Seungyoon would be there with them the following evening, but he had to stay at his company to sort out some business. Mr. Kang was also out with him that day, much to Minah's unexpected dismay.

That made Minah, Chanhee, and Mrs. Kang for that night's dinner.

Well, that was still okay, because at least she got Chanhee. It was either Mrs. Kang talking to him about school, or him talking with Minah about other topics. Chanhee became her little friend thanks to their similar interests. It worked out well that way, because he was her real sibling after all. There was something that drew her to the boy without much difficulty, unlike Mrs. Kang. The boy was carefree, yet polite and very attentive like his elder brother.

"Noona, you don't look well today. Did something happen?" Chanhee asked, concern displayed on his face as he took in another bite from his steak, eyes still keeping contact with Minah's.

She beamed at the cute little brother, momentarily cheered up just from the unbeknownst comfort he gave her. "Actually, something indeed happened to me. I just discovered that I was deceived by someone."

Mrs. Kang awkwardly cleared as Minah glanced over her direction.

"Did Seungyoon-hyung cheat on you?" Chanhee wondered aloud, a look of disgust and doubt displayed on his face as he continued, "he can't be cheating you, can he?"

"No. Your brother is not that type of person!" Minah giggled as the younger male breathed out. "It was a woman. I'm gonna tell her directly about it. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. Go for it, noona. They should be confronted and pay for what they have done to you." Chanhee replied enthusiastically.

"You are right." Minah smiled at him softly before turning to Mrs. Kang, "I have something to tell you, mother. Can we meet after dinner?"

"Certainly." Mrs. Kang uneasily adjusted her bangs, only giving Minah a curt nod and a tight smile.

She seemed to sense the way Minah looked at her, and the latter was not trying to hide it.

Even though she already decided on it, she was glad that Chanhee gave her a little extra boost to confront Mrs. Kang.

"How's everything, Minah?" Mrs. Kang started as Minah went to her at the mansion's huge pool. Even though the air was breezy and cool, Minah was feeling hotter every step closer she took to approach the older. Mrs. Kang looked around to make sure no one was near as she continued, "I hope Seungyoon is not keeping you up at night. He can be a little cranky; everyone here knows he's a terrible snorer."

"He's fine." Minah shook her head slightly. Seungyoon was much more than fine. He was so kind as to offer to sleep on the floor and Minah on their bed. She truly did not deserve a selfless man like him by her side. She felt sorry towards him every time she saw him, and easily picked up on his frequent stolen glances at her which were not to be noticed if Taehyung never revealed that Seungyoon liked her.

She hated the fact that she could not tell him anything personal anymore. She missed talking with him and getting his advice for her life problems or her love problems. She chose to keep silent because she had no other choice...

"I have no other choice, do I?" Minah said, looking away from Mrs. Kang and out to nothing in particular on the other side of the pool. "I can't just break off the marriage and live my life freely now."

"What do you mean, Minah?" Mrs. Kang winced, her eyes wavering at Minah though the latter could not care to look back at her. "You just said Seungyoon was fine."

"You know I never loved Seungyoon." Minah stated, her voice raising out of control. But she couldn't care less.

"I'm not sure I'm following, Minah." Mrs. Kang uttered, "you have to tell me clearly what's the problem so I can help fix-"

"Fix?" Minah scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, yes. So everything can go smoothly as you planned, am I right, mother?"

The other woman could only gasp at Minah. She opened and closed it a few times, as if trying to form a correct sentence to answer. But she couldn't, and Minah expected nothing more.

"You knew that I was in love with someone else, yet why have you never mentioned it when Seungyoon introduced me to my father-in-law?"

She was still silent.

"You knew Seungyoon would be kind enough to marry me. To let me out of the scenario you carefully crafted for me and everyone involved."

"There seems to be a misunderstanding -"

"No, there isn't. Please stop keeping your act in front of me. I know that you hired Bae Joohyun to separate me and Taehyung."

Mrs. Kang could not give out any answer, still. She could only give Minah a frantic look.

"I know that you need me for your plan, but did you really have to go to such length? You stole away my opportunity to start new. I'm a woman too, mother. I deserve to live a peaceful life."

"My plan?" Mrs. Kang echoed, her voice shaky and uneasy as she breathed out heavily, "how much... have you known?"

"The person that claimed to be my real father came to my dad a few years ago. He told my dad that he wanted me to marry the sick son of a CEO, that way he could get the inheritance when the son died. He stated that he deserved it from the woman that wanted to keep a secret about her abandoned daughter."

Pure shock was written all over Mrs. Kang's face.

"I told him not to-!" She shook her head and closed her eyes tightly. "Minah... I... I'm sorry."

"You could have just told me the whole truth instead of setting me up and manipulating your own step-son. He doesn't deserve this. I don't deserve this." Minah balled her fists so much that her knuckles became pale. "I don't want to stay as your puppet anymore."

"I'm so sorry!" Mrs. Kang broke out, her hands clasped together and reached up to her forehead. "But I can't just let that man ruin my life. I have so much to lose. I can't let him take everything from me like this!"

"So you take my freedom in return? Do you know how selfish you sound right now?"

"I can do anything for you, Minah. Please, please help me just this once. He won't leave me alone if he doesn't get Seungyoon's heritage."

"What can I possibly gain?" Minah scoffed, "aside from my freedom?"

"Your house." Mrs. Kang said after pausing for a moment, "I can help you buy it again."

"How did you know I sold my house? I haven't even told Seungyoon about it yet." Realization dawned on Minah as she paused for a moment and connected the dots. She continued, barely able to keep her voice stable, "you meddled in my selling the house so I can't pay my loans. You took care of my loans and had that man step in as my new loan shark to shorten the payment deadline."

Mrs. Kang her lips, looking down at the ground in shame.

Minah let out a loud huff. She had nothing else to say. She was convinced that Mrs. Kang had to do a lot more than just hiring Joohyun in order for her to jump right into the whole setup. But learning more about it was never in her original plan to confront the older woman. It only made her feel sicker and disheartened.

"I don't want to get the house back through your money. I don't want to feel grateful and I won't feel it even if you helped me. So please forget about it." Minah curtly said, not caring if she sounded harsh towards someone older than her anymore.

"Minah, I beg of you." Mrs. Kang finally said, her hands grabbing Minah's even though she was protesting to let her, "You know how Chanhee's father is. He will be disheartened to know the truth. I can't let him down and I don't want Chanhee to know of this."

Of course she knew. Because if she didn't, she would have already divorced Seungyoon instead of standing there in front of someone she never wanted to see again.

Minah knew the whole ordeal would involve not only Mrs. Kang but Seungyoon and her new-found sibling, too. She could not find herself opposing Mrs. Kang's beg because she cared for the people she had grown to love. It was not the same love she had for Taehyung, but she knew it was strong enough to stop her from siding with her own freedom.

Yet she knew it was not enough to fill up her heart for a long time.

Not when she already learned that she got a chance with Taehyung, that Taehyung actually liked her too.

"Just for your information, he said this before he passed out in front of me," Joohyun's words kept ringing in her mind again and again during random nights when she had no more duties to take care of for the day, "I think I want us both to wear the rings."

The thought of calling him, telling him to wait for her had flashed her mind hundreds of times but she eventually was able to hold it back. It was the guilt that she felt for both Taehyung and Seungyoon. If she told Taehyung, she knew she would not help but long for the day when Seungyoon left this world for another. And Taehyung did not deserve to be left hanging. If he moved on, he would. If that was to happen, she was in no place to be disappointed. She would technically be a widow when she decided to get back to Taehyung again, and the thought of being judged by the society and especially by his parents for her background was enough to encourage her to keep silent.

Her life was in ruins. She was wounded, yet she kept looking up and lived to the best she could. She was thankful that she got Chanhee and Seungyoon and her friends to keep her spirits.

They said out of sight, out of mind. And it was probably true. She managed to stop thinking about Taehyung after a while.

That while that was worth months turned to ashes the moment she encountered Taehyung again.

Graduating college was a great milestone in her life. She graduated with a decent GPA and a job offer at the place she interned at and loved working for. She thought she was ready for a new beginning.

Yet there she was, still wondering why her heart still beat the same way it did for the certain person in front of her months ago.

"Congratulations, Minah-noona." Taehyung greeted Minah with the brightest of smiles, and did not wait for her to respond as he pulled her into a rather long, polite hug. For a moment, she thought it was the best thing that happened to her that day, even more so than the graduation diploma that was in her hands, than all the blessings she got from her friends moments ago.

She took that moment to embrace Taehyung's familiar cologne and be intoxicated with a surge of desire growing in her racing heart.

She knew she made a dumb choice. Because she was in pain again knowing well Taehyung couldn't be hers.

"Thank you, Taehyung." Minah said after he pulled out, "long time no see."

"It's been a long time, indeed." Taehyung agreed, his smile turned tight.

They never kept in contact. Not that she hoped they would in the first place. There was no reason for them to keep seeing each other if they knew it would only make it harder to forget.

"It's really great to see you again." Minah said, looking around at the other graduated students with the same attire she had on the graduation date. She was half expecting to see Yoongi as she was sure Taehyung was there because he was Yoongi's friend. But when she couldn't spot the other male, she looked back to Taehyung. "It's impressive. The place is packed. Yet we found each other."

"I actually searched for you." Taehyung corrected, scratching his head.

She downplayed happiness because before Taehyung's reply, she thought she was already the happiest she could be.

"Oh my god. Are you crying?" Taehyung bent down to take a closer look at Minah only for her to wince even more.

All the emotions she felt were happiness, yet she was crying. She knew it was a bad idea to let Taehyung roam in her mind again. She desired Taehyung and the fact never changed, it only got buried somewhere in the back of her mind, and easily resurfaced the moment he appeared again.

She was crying because she felt like she lost him again. And all the unfairness she had got came flooding in her mind. It was getting overwhelming, and tears were the only thing that helped her cope with it.

They were, until Taehyung pulled her into a hug again. A tight one this time.

"What a huge crybaby we have here." Taehyung cooed, chuckling softly as Minah managed to giggle in between her even louder cries in his embrace.

Everything that was hurting her temporarily vanished like they were feather against the wind. She let herself bathe in Taehyung's warmness again. It was alright, even just for a moment. She knew she would have it even worse once the hug ended, but it didn't matter.

She was a helpless fool in love.

"Where's Seungyoon-ssi? Did he attend the ceremony today?" Taehyung asked gently at last once he broke off the hug, much to Minah's displease. But she managed not to show it.

"He's gone out to take an important call but he'll be back soon." Minah lied, her voice came out shaky from the cries. "Yoongi must be waiting for you, you should get going."

"Alright, then." Taehyung nodded, his foot tapping on the ground for a slight moment before he stepped back and gave Minah one last look, "see you later, noona."

"See you later." Minah repeated, waving at Taehyung as he spun around and slowly merged with the crowd.

She pulled out her phone again and called Seungyoon. The call was forwarded to automatic voice mail again.

The truth was, Minah had no idea where Seungyoon was.

He was supposed to attend the ceremony and be there with her at that moment, but he was nowhere to be found.

She tried to call him but he did not answer her calls. This was the first time he became unreachable. Something did not feel right. She called home and asked once one of the housekeepers picked up the phone. "Did you see Seungyoon leave the house this morning?"

"Yes, ma'am. I thought he went to your graduation ceremony?"

There was no other information that she got from the housekeeper, except that Seungyoon got a new chauffeur that day. She asked the housekeeper to find ways to contact Seungyoon, and pulled up the GPS location tracker on her phone. That was her last resort to see where Seungyoon's phone was.

She blamed herself for not doing this earlier, because Seungyoon appeared to be in a hotel near the university.

She got to the hotel, and it took some time for the receptionist to confirm her relation with Seungyoon and give her his room number.

When she knocked on the door, it opened shortly after. But it was not Seungyoon who greeted her. The man in front of her was a middle-aged man. He was wearing a plain suit. There was a sly look to his face that Minah couldn't pinpoint why. His eyes were sharp, his nose high and the overall features matched well on his chiseled face.

The man gave Minah an uneasy look before he turned neutral and eventually smiled wryly at her, "You must be Mr. Kang's wife. I'm his new chauffeur."

Minah immediately recognized that croaky voice. She had to look at the ground to hide her terrified eyes from the man in front of her. She was purely shocked and unprepared for this scenario.

She never wanted to meet her real father. But there he was, right in front of her.

The thought of confronting him took control over her mind for a good second before she calmed herself. Seungyoon was around. It was not a good time to do so.

She told Mrs. Kang not to tell him that she knew he was her real father and Mrs. Kang promised her. But that was not enough, looking at the situation now.

Why was he hired as Seungyoon's chauffeur? It was her immediate instinct to doubt the man's motives. She knew he was up to no good.

He looked up again, this time the most composed she could appear, "Is Seungyoon inside? I would like to speak to him."

"I'm afraid you can't talk to him right now, ma'am. He's currently sleeping." The man replied, his lips curled up in a tight lop-sided smile.

Seungyoon sleeping in the middle of the day was a red flag. Something was indeed not right. She pushed the door open a little more so she could walk in, ignoring the man.

Her friend was lying on the bed and he seemed to be indeed sleeping.

She came near him and patted on his shoulder, calling his name so he could wake up.

There was no reaction from him even though she knew Seungyoon was a light sleeper.

"Mr. Chauffeur," Minah addressed her real father with difficulty, "I think he's fainted. We need to-"

The door closed shut with a loud sound of click. It had been locked. The formerly loan shark looked at Minah fondly as he spoke, "No, ma'am. He really is sleeping."

"He isn't." Minah gulped as her hands started to tremble. She had to withdraw them to her thighs and clasp them together before mustering the courage to take out her phone.

It was too late and she knew it.

The man marched towards her and yanked her phone away from her grip. She yelped as he smirked and powered off the phone before putting it in his pocket.

"What's the fuss? You should let him sleep."

Minah breathed heavily. Seungyoon was in danger. He needed to get treated. Maybe he was poisoned, maybe he could not take his medicine on time. It was a fact that his health had deteriorated recently, so there was a high chance he fainted on his own.

But how could she get him to a hospital now? She was also in danger.

"Why are you doing this?" Minah asked, tears forming in her eyes as she slowly stood up from the bed on which unconscious Seungyoon was lying.

She needed to get out unharmed.

"Because it's good for both of us." He replied, raising an eyebrow when Minah reached inside her pocket on her coat, a pluck was heard as her hand made a move inside. "What do you have in your coat?"

"A pen." Minah murmured as she pulled out the device Taehyung made for her. In a split moment, she managed to spray the pepper liquid out onto his face.

"!" He shouted as he closed his eyes tightly and his sleeves reached up to wipe off as much as he could. The same trick was not going to happen again, so Minah scrambled towards the door.

But she was not fast enough.

She yelled when her hair was yanked from behind, making her lose her hold on the still-locked door handle.

"Nice pen you got there, young lady." He hissed as he pulled her close, "but try to pull any stupid trick again and watch how I handle you."

Minah cried out when she was powerless under his hold. She used all of her strength to strike him from the front with her elbow but he pulled her even closer, their bodies were almost glued. Disgust took over her consciousness, and the next thing she knew, she threw her head back as hard as she could and it made contact with his face just the way she wanted.

"You ing ! You broke my ing nose!" The man wailed but his hold on her hair was even tighter. She didn't stop fighting back until he yanked her head around so she was facing him, and he used all his strength when he punched the right side of her head, full force, making the ear from that side immediately start ringing intense noises. She lost balance and strength in her legs to keep supporting her. And shortly after, she felt herself losing consciousness.

Minah woke up with a pang in her head and gathered focus in her vision slowly as she was aware of where she was. She was lying in a hospital room, and Mrs. Kang was sitting beside her.

The older woman noticed her wake up right away, as if she had been watching her non-stop.

"Thank god you have woken up."

"How is Seungyoon?" Minah asked, slowly rising up on her own, pushing Mrs. Kang's hand away when she was trying to help her up. She had no idea what happened after she passed out upon the punch she received from her biological father, but it seemed like someone discovered them and brought her to the hospital. Nothing was more important than asking for Seungyoon's well-being at that moment.

"He couldn't get his medicine on time so he passed out. But he's alright now. Though he'll start getting hospitalized from today on."

"It was all your fault." Minah accused, "how could you let him get near Seungyoon?"

"I didn't know he would do such a thing." Mrs. Kang murmured timidly, grimacing at Minah. "I'm so sorry-"

"You clearly know how dangerous that man is." Minah cut her off, "were you really hiring him without knowing what he was to do to Seungyoon?"

"I swear, I didn't plan this, Minah." Mrs. Kang vowed, "He promised me-"

"Enough." Minah cut her off again, "I don't want your excuses. I don't want to sympathize with you anymore. I don't want to hear what that man said to you to make you do wrongful things. The only thing I know is that Seungyoon and I have been wronged by your actions."

The woman could only give Minah apologetic eyes as she teared up. "I'm sorry, Minah. But please don't tell anyone. I beg of you."

Minah was already on her feet. She walked out of the room with heavy steps. She ignored her mother-in-law's weeping and went on. She couldn't care about the older woman's affairs anymore. All she wanted to do was go to Seungyoon and be by his side, doing the things that his step-mother failed to do.

"Noona!" A familiar voice stopped her on her tracks as she was heading to the elevator. She turned around to see Taehyung approach her as he slowed down his sprint and stopped a few feet in front of her, panting. "Where are you going?"

"What are you doing here?" Minah blinked at the younger as the latter smiled at her.

"Finding you."

Author's note: OMG. only one chapter away!!! I'm thrilled!!

Also, sorry for the little delay oof. last chapter will be super short >.<. we're coming to an end asdfghjk