chapter fifty-four | eleven years ago

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" The frustration in his voice filled the cold night as his fists met the hood of his car and his foot kicked the wheel, trying to release the boiling anger scorching his veins. Betrayed, he was betrayed and it felt worst than failing the plan he made his entire life. Never would he think that, he will be the one to fire the gun behind his back. Hyunseung had always been true to him. Yes, he was annoying but he knew he was just trying to be playful, how come he wasn't able to notice what he was up to. A bitter chuckle came off his mouth as tears ran his cheeks. Did he trust him too much? Did he become too complacent? But he was his friend! He was his best friend!

Sadly, it is indeed the one you trusted the most that will betray and leave you in the end.

Minho felt like he was pushed back to square one. Laughter was born from his soft chuckles and soon it echoed all over the place. Wiping his tears, he stared at the overlooking view of the Seoul City. This is not yet the end. He refused this defeat. Everything will never end here because he knew things are not meant to end this way. He was the game master and everything should end the way he wanted it to be.

It will end the way it was planned. The way it's supposed to be.

•••

"Jang Hyunseung!" Dara's voice boomed all over the place as the red haired lad ran his off while the petite girl chased him, almost growling. Okay, I know I have been gone far too long but what in the world is happening here? Can someone enlighten my poor soul? I can see the red haired mofo laughing maniacally while being chased by Goddess D. What is this? Is this still Romeo and Cinderella? Why is the love team changed?

Ahh, I knew it! Oppa can't really resist thy charms. After all these chapters and the long agonizing wait, in the end he still comes back to me. If this isn't love then I don't know what it is.

Waaaah, why am I the one being chased now!? Oh my gosh, I am just joking! Why is everyone still not used to me joking like this! Goddess D, spare my life please! I don't want my bones switched place again!

So after an almost infinite hour of explaining and chasing and me fixing my bones, we were back on the group's favorite hangout which happened to be Yang's humungous mansion. Everyone is present with Sanghyun smiling and sitting quietly with his cup of tea. Somehow, he was still saddened by the Minho event but everyone is helping him to cope up especially all years of his life, he spent with Minho being his only companion and friend. "Sanghyun, do you want cookies?" Dara smiled sweetly at him as the latter happily accepted the treats.

"Thank you, noona." He took a small bite from the sweet.

"How in the world are you planning to pass high school with a crappy project?" Seungri laughed at Hyunseung who gave him a shade.

"I'll pay the asses of my teachers. And besides, this is totally none of your business." Hyunseung rolled his eyes. Wow, damn rich bastards. 

"Can someone explain why you're here?" Top gave him a sarcastic look which made him smirked at him in great arrogance. Yes, please enlighten me! What in the world is happening here? And since when did Hyunnie become part of Big Bang? Is the world about to be blown? 

"Of course, I am here because of Dara. You see, in the end of this it's really me and her." He answered in confidence as the lady faked vomit before giving him a disgusted look while he grinned wide. Can someone punch this guy, if you knock a tooth out, I shall offer you my life and soul.

Everyone looked at Jiyong who faked a cough and cleared his throat. "Is it just me or I am really hearing something?" He glared at the red haired guy who raised his both hands in surrender. Shiver ran down his spine remembering what he did to him when he joked on kissing Dara. Kwon Jiyong literally tied him upside down and hanged him from the balcony.

Waaaaahhh oppa so cool! Marry me!

I'm kidding. Unnie, please I don't wanna be tied. Why do I always have to beg for my dear life in this fanfiction? I shall end this tragically! Hehe. Just kidding. Why do I see people outside with torch and rakes and all?

"Fine, let me all remind you that because of my awesomeness all your cute asses are saved. You all should even have big respect to me." He stood up, arms spread wide as he spun giving his so called 'your highness' stare as everyone rolled their eyes and ignored him. This guy should be banished somewhere. "Wow. You are all ungrateful." He grumply murmured, crossing his arms over his chest as he slumped back to the floor where his 'drawing' a.k.a thrash was waiting for him. Dear Lord, someone send this guy back to elementary, he can't even draw a ing tree right. Don't tell me it's abstract, I'll rip you in half!

Everyone went back in doing their final projects, their last requirements before graduating when their phones rang all at the same time. In their surprise, they gave each other a look before deciding to look at their phones. It gave them unknown number as their heartbeat increased its pace. "Well, I don't wanna die wondering who's this. Let's answer it." Youngbae said making everyone nod and pressed the answer button, pressing their mobiles against their ears.

"Having fun?" His familiar voice flooded their ears, as they all stiffened in their places. "Enjoy your last days." His laughter followed. A hollow, emotionless laugh. A laugh that they knew was something not to be taken easily.

"It took you so long, Minho" They all looked at Hyunseung who has his serious face on. He rarely have that on his face but when he does, they somehow knew the situation is heavier than how they initially weigh it.

"I need to prepare for it, Hyunseung. I need to give you a good show, just like what you did to me." The hiss on his words was enough to convey the hatred he accumulated in his chest. A bitter smile painted on his lips, eyes lowering to the floor. No matter what happened and what he says, he simply knew that he lost him. He lost what they have. "Prepare your payment, I am about to collect it." No one was given the chance to answer when the line went dead leaving them in complete silence, unable to say or move and just staring in the blank air.

"We need to move." Hyunseung broke the dead air. "Minho is always three steps ahead. The only way to defeat him is by working behind his back and catching him off guard but now that he is the one working behind our back, this is horrible." He laughed humorless, brushing his hair with his fingers. "We need to be careful." And just like that all the fun was and they all were left to think. To think of something they don't have any idea of.

"Maybe we can talk to him." Sabghyun sighed ever so lightly. Dara looked at her twin brother. She knew he was sad at what happened with Minho. He loved the guy even though he doesn't say it out loud. Dara reached for his hand that was holding his cup of tea. The latter looked up to her and smiled timidly. "I mean, I know it looked quite impossible right now but... I believe him..." his voice was softening as he said every word.

"We don't have the right to say anything mean to him," Jiyong sighed, making everyone look at him knowing he was the one who's most angry at Minho. "I mean, I hate him. I will not deny that after all the bull he did but together with that I realized, I don't know him at all. I don't even know why he was doing this. There should be at least a reason why, right?"

Haaaa, oppa, you are just so perfect that I want to put you inside my pocket. Love you.

Err, I mean back to the drama, I mean, the story.

"Well, there is." Hyunseung chuckled lightly, combing his hair with his fingers. "I'm pretty sure you have heard of the business world's golden trio?" He gazed at them earning different reactions.

"Yeah, that's Kwon's dad, Dara's reall father and another guy, forgot his name." Top answered, eyebrow raised.

"I think the other guy is Lee Sangwoo?" Daesung looked at Youngbae as if he can tell him whether he was right or wrong in which the guy just shrugged.

"Yeah, it's Lee Sangwoo." Seungri confirmed. "My dad is always mistaken to be part of that trio in which he would just laugh and say he will be nothing against Lee Sangwoo."

Dara who knew less about the whole business world was getting irritated, "Can we get straight to the point, I don't know any of them." She crossed her arms over her chest while glaring at Hyunseung making the laught chuckle a little.

"Neh, neh, so impatient. So, on their early twenties Kwon's dad, your father and Lee Sangwoo were refered as the Golden Trio with all of them proclaimed as business prodigy. Hyunsuk with marketing, Jinwoo with Finance and Sangwoo with management. They're being hired here and there to save businesses and they do and even increase the profit to up to 50 to 65 percent. If that doesn't sound awesome well for me, it does." Hyunseung stood up to get himself a glass of lemonade. "Haven't you wondered what happened? Why aside from there was a feud between Kwons and Yangs on where Lee Sangwoo is?" They all looked at each other, slowly the pieces falling together as they started connecting the dots.

"Well, I've read one book before about business and one part there is entitled 'The Fall of Lee Sangwoo' but I can't remember any of it now. It's just a blur. All I can recall was it was an argument between if it was a betrayal or a self destruction." Chaerin supplied as another silence ensued.

"Most of the people really wonder if both Jinwoo and Hyunsuk betrayed him or he brought it to himself. You see, out of the three only Sangwoo was a story of rugs to riches. He was a son of a poor fisherman who refused to settle with the fate his father was pushing to him which is for him to be a fisherman as well, he ran off and worked his of in Seoul. Studied hard and because he was really gifted, earned himself a full scholarship to the biggest business school in the country where he met Jinwoo and Hyunsuk, and the rest was epic history of their greatness.

After a two years of saving failing company, boosting the economy, they decided to finally venture on a company which is now known as the big corporation which Jinwoo and Hyunsuk split in equal half. So where is Sangwoo in the picture? The truth was Hyunsuk and Jinwoo found out that Sangwoo was using the whole company as a front for all his illegal trades and works as the latter discovered that money is easily earned through dirty works. This, of course was against the principle the three of them set. They went into an arguement which they settled somehow. Or so, they thought. Sangwoo continued with his illegal ways as Hyunsuk was forced to talk to Jinwoo and plannes to stop their friend from futher sinking himself.

They wanted to save him and show him that money earned the hard way will be worth it. When they tried to talk to him once more, Sangwoo only accused them of not knowing how it felt to have nothing for both have been born with golden spoon on their mouths. Knowing that they're too late, this forced the two to conspire and stop Sangwoo. They removed his right from the company ans they have him arrested without making noise to the public four years after, Sangwoo was able to free himself. The moment he got out he planned his revenge." Hyunseung emptied his glass of lemonade. His eyes stayed on the empty glass with the melting ice cubes in it.

"Part of the plan was to personally attack Jinwoo and Hyunsuk." He sighed, feeling how the already heavy atmosphere is getting heavier.

"Personally?" Bom choked. "How?"

"There's this one big event that broke eleven years ago." He smiled sadly at her as the lady gasped.

"Me and Sanghyun being kidnapped." Dara looked at Hyunseung to confirm her realization to which the latter nodded.

"Actually that day that you were kidnapped, Jiyong was kidnapped as well." Hyunseung looked at Jiyong as everyone did as well.

"Huh? How come I never heard of it?" Top almost exclaimed.

"Yeah, I never heard of it!" Daesung seconded.

"They never succeeded." Jiyong smiled. "I was able to kind of outsmart my kidnappers." He then allowed himself for a little chuckle.

"Arrogant." Dara rolled her eyes as Jiyong walked to her and tilted her head before kissing her forehead.

"But then, I should thank all these events. I can't imagine what could have happened if this things didn't happen." Aww, so sweet.

"Okay, enough with the cheesiness." Hyunseung rolled his eyes. Jealous .

"Wait, can we get to the connection of all these already?" Seungri interjected.

"Wait, you haven't get it?" Hyunseung slapped his palm on his forehead.

"You're story is pretty incomplete, thank you very much." Youngbae answered with sarcasm.

"Lee Sangwoo's only child in which the Kwon nor the Yang doesn't know is no other than Lee Minho." Hyunseung answered in sarcasm as well.

"Ahhh, that's why he looked so familiar to me!" Dara exclaimed. "When Sanghyun was able to run off, they would always question me on where he went, I would never answer or I would just spit on their face. They would in return drag me to the pool, my hands tied above my head they would continuously submerged me to the water and pull me only when I am almost out of breath. That hand become their habit then I remember waking up wet and tied on a chair with a boy sitting on the floor looking at me, asking me if I am hungry or if I am cold." Everyone was silent and was just looking at her horrified after she finished talking. Bom was the first to break the silence, crying and running to hug her tight as Dara started protesting.

"I'm sorry, noona." Sanghyun sniffed. Dara quickly tried to calm him.

"I'm okay now," she assured him.

"Well, setting that aside, I heard from Minho that he did meet you before. According to him you're still as beautiful as you are before. He would often look at you; watch you when you're sleeping because you looked so beautiful." Every jaw dropped at his statement making Hyunseung laugh. "The truth is, he loves you Dara. He can't forget about you but as he said, it was all wrong timings and you were brought together by wrong circumstances." He ended with a bitter smile. "He even kept your hairpin, you know and he's ready to blast my head whenever I tried touching it."

"Well, nothing changed. All these were his choice." Jiyong bitterly spat.

"Yeah. He can't move on. All his life, his father will do nothing but tell him that it was their fault, that they will get what's supposed to be theirs, that they will pay. And most of all he can't forget the explosion that kill his father... you know, his mother died because of illness they don't have the money for the operation, his dad was in prison that time." Hyunseung sighed before walking to the balcony and leaning both hands against the railing.

"He went through a lot himself." He looked at the sky. "And it's like history repeating itself."

•••

Hyunseung was silently sitting on the porch, looking at the stars when he sat next to him, placing a hot mug od chocolate next to him. "Doesn't suit you, you look gay." Minho said flatly making him laugh before grabbing the mug of hot chocolate. "Will you date me then? If I am gay?" He looked at him, batting his lashes flirtatiously while the other guy gave him a bored look.

"I'll take that as a no. Sad life." He chuckled sipping gently from his mug.

"What are you thinking?" Minho suddenly asked seriously, glancing at him through the corners of his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He turned to him.

"You know what I mean Hyunseung. You rarely think that's why I am worried less when you do. You might blow up the earth, who knows."

"Har. Har. Har. Funny, Minho."

"Gay."

"I love you." He laughed.

"Gross, augh." Minho rolled his eyes as Hyunseung's expression turned serious.

"What if it didn't work? What's next?" He looked at him, placing the mug down.

"There's no what ifs. It should work, Jang." Minho looked at the sky. "If I have to kill, I will. Just to make sure it will work." The weigh of his words haunted him since.

"I should have stopped you when I still have time." Hyunseung silently muttered, eyes looking at his ceiling. Seconds, his eyes slowly flutter close as he fell to sleep before nightmares woke him leaving him with another sleepness night.

•••

Jiyong stirred from his sleep with an empty space next to him where Dara lied before he fell asleep. Rubbing his fist against his eye socket, he got off his bed to look for her when her figure standing on the balcony, looking outside welcome him. Her hair was blown by the wind, eyes looking at somewhere, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

"Jagiya," he called walking to her as he enveloped her on a hug from behind. A sigh automatically came out of his lips as her warmth comforted him. "What's wrong?" He whispered.

"Minho." Dara gently removed his arms and turned to look at him. "I can't stop thinking of Minho. It felt like even if I give him all my money or whatever I am about to inherit it will still not satisfy him. He's too jaded... too hurt... it's sad." She turned to look at the stars in the sky.

"We wouldn't be able to change anything in the past. I should commend him for being strong." He buried his face to the crook of her neck.

"I am mad at him but right now I am stuck between pitying him and wanting him to find peace." She sighed.

"Somehow, me too." Jiyong kissed her forehead. "I will never look at him the same way as before because I am damn jealous.” Dara turned to him with a glare. What the ?

“You’re kidding right?” she sighed, running her palm over her face.

“I am the only person allowed to be in your mind! No one else!” he yelled, pouting and being cute. Ahhh, so cute, be mine, oppa! I am joking, of course.

“Kwon Jiyong!” Dara frustratedly growled hiding her giddiness. Wuju, unnie, spill it out!

“No! No! No!” and his cuteness killed me with major nosebleed, I mean aside from being punched straight to my face. Thank yo, Goddess D. Insert sarcasm