The rest of August flew on by and all three couples were doing quite well after the revelation of the cousins' identities as September arrived. Jooheon wasn't surprised with the information as he had been informed by Katherine with tidbits here and there since being together. Anyways, the cousins spent a lot of their time on preparing to open their own small business without the help from their parents and uncles as they wanted to do it on their own and without the influences and constant worrying from them. Because of this, the female trio were unable to spend time with their significant other due to the constant planning of launching a gelato, yogurt, and ice cream shop since before Sangchul's birthday. It's been a goal of theirs since two years ago and they wanted to share their love for the sweet dessert treats with those in Seoul, despite other sweet treats places.

~~~~~~~

Serena entered MONBEBE in an awfully good mood that the staff noticed right off the bat. Some asked her what she was so happy about while others complimented that Serena should smile more often as she looked less intimidating. She just shrugged her shoulders as she asked if Hoseok was in the office and made her way to go see him when they told her that he was, but forgot to mention that someone else was with him as well. Serena hummed softly as she built up the courage as she wasn't sure herself on how to tell Hoseok the news and hoped that he would be just as mind-boggled as she's been feeling since confirming about it yesterday. Even so, she still couldn't wait any longer to let him know about the information. She just hoped he would be okay with it as she has been busy these past couple of months to noticed until a week ago.

When she neared the office, Serena was about to knock on the door when she heard an older and unknown man's voice. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Hoseok-ah?" There was a moment of silence before Hoseok spoke. "Yes, father. It has been a long while." Hoseok answered in a neutral tone as Serena stayed rooted where she stood in mid-knock while eavesdropping on the conversation between father and son. "How have you been, father?" Hoseok's tone sounded hesitant and forced. "I've been well son. Yourself?" Serena wondered why they sounded so awkward and uncomfortable with one another. Did her boyfriend have a bad relationship with his own father growing up, she asked in her head as she quietly pressed her ear against the door to hear better. "I've been good." Another emotionless reply. "How about your position here?" "It's good, too." "Good, good." Silence lingered for a long while.

Serena was about to walk away not wanting to intrude any further than she already had when she heard the father asked his next question unexpectedly. "Do you love her?" "What?" Hoseok let out in surprise as his father repeated his question instantly. "Do you love her?" "Who?" "Lee Chaeyeon." Hoseok's father clarified as Serena tilted her head in curiosity with a quizzical expression on her face as to why this man was asking Hoseok about his love for her. "Do you love Lee Chaeyeon?" Hoseok's father repeated his question to his son once again as Hoseok seemed slightly annoyed by the question when he spoke again. "Why are you asking about her all of a sudden?" "Oh I'm just curious about this woman that's dating my lucky son." The reply sounded off to Serena, but she dismissed it as she didn't know the guy.

"Since when did you ever care about me or the rest of us?" Serena could hear Hoseok's tone rising in anger despite trying to keep it in control. "Seriously, why are you even here after all this time?" "I think you know why I'm here, Hoseok." His father answered in a calm-like manner like he didn't just caused years of bad memories to erupt from within Hoseok before repeating his question a fourth time. "Do you love Lee Chaeyeon, Hoseok?" There was a moment of silence until Hoseok's father spoke again. "It's a simple question, Hoseok. I'm sure you can answer it so I can be on my way. I know you can do that." "Then, no. I don't love her." Hoseok answered in a firm voice as his words stabbed at Serena's heart. "Are you sure?" "Yes, father. I'm sure." Hoseok repeated his response, a neutral tone now. "But your mother mentioned that you two have been dating for quite a while now."

"I only told her that so she wouldn't worry about me so much." Hoseok replied as Serena didn't know why she still stood there, but she did as his father asked her boyfriend another unexpected question. "Then what is Lee Chaeyeon to you, Hoseok?" Hoseok didn't hesitate in his answer like last time. "She's just my new toy after finally ending it with Dasom, father, especially now that Dasom's in prison for what she did earlier this year." "I see. Haha, just like your old man." His father laughed humorously. "Yeah. Just like you." Another silence fell between them as Serena held back the tears that wanted to escape, but she didn't let them. "Very well, then that means I no longer have a reason to stay." The father stated as Hoseok agreed. "Yeah." And before Serena could hide herself, the office door opened.

"Chaeyeon." Hoseok let out in surprised upon seeing his girlfriend as Serena rarely stopped by MONBEBE since leaving. "Ah, so you must be the lovely Lee Chaeyeon that's dating my son." Hoseok's father stated with a smile, but Serena ignored him as she stared at Hoseok. "Tell me the truth, Hoseok. Do I mean anything to you? Anything at all?" The couple stared at one another as his father looked between them confused. "I thought she wasn't an important person, Hoseok." "She isn't." Hoseok answered in a hard tone while staring at Serena with dark, unreadable eyes. "She doesn't matter to me. She never did. Our relationship meant nothing." Serena scoffed in disbelief at the words coming out of his mouth as she bit her inner cheeks while keeping her hands to herself to not beat the crap out of Hoseok. "So I see." She let out in a control tone. "Thanks for letting me know the truth, Wonho."

Serena removed the necklace from around her neck, grabbed his hand that didn't seem to want to accept what she was about to do, and placed the necklace into his opened palm where his fingers instantly curled over the item into a fist. She shot him a small smile before turning around and hurrying away and out of the store where no one could see the silent tears falling down her face. Hoseok watched her walked out of his life as he remained where he stood as his father clamped a hand onto his son's shoulder. "Well, that's too bad, son. If you played with her a little longer, then I could've gotten what I came for in the first place." Hoseok shrugged his father's hand off of him roughly as he squeezed the tiny object within his grasp to remind him why. "Just leave and stay out of my life and the rest of us like you've been doing for the past twenty years." Hoseok told his father in a cold tone.

"Don't worry, son. I'll be on my way." His father stated with a click of his tongue in an indifferent matter like he just hadn't destroyed another relationship like many times before. "There's nothing I need from you now, Hoseok, that you're not attached to that woman anymore." His father let out a sigh at the fact. "Ah, I've could have made so much that would have set me for lifed." "Leave. Now." Hoseok growled as he watched his good-for-nothing of a father walked merrily out of his life like before as the man ruined his son's life again like so many years ago when he walked out on the family leaving behind a large debt for them to burdened. Hoseok closed the office door as he slumped into the swivel chair while staring at the jewellery sadly. "Chaeyeon, please forgive me."

~~~~~~~

After leaving MONBEBE, Serena found herself wanting to be as far away from the store at the moment as possible, but she wasn't sure where she wanted to go as her feet led her in a random direction. When Serena passed by a police car, an idea struck her as she walked towards the vehicle in hopes of it having a familiar face inside. Unfortunately it didn't and she bid farewell to the female cop inside with a small smile. Serena let out a sad sigh as she debated if she wanted to call Minwoo in hopes that he would be able to meet her for a while. She gave his personal cell phone a ring and he picked up on the third ring. "Hi, YeonYeon. What's up?" "Could we meet, please?" She asked not wanting to sound like she was about to cry any second now. There was a pause as her friend picked up on her words before replying back emphasizing 'there'. "Sure. Let's meet there." "Okay."

The place of 'there' was where Serena and Minwoo met for the first time at Paris Croissant located in Seorae Village back when Minwoo was still training to be a police officer. He was doing his field duty and the owner had just been robbed, but the owner kept sputtering in French causing the poor guy to not follow as he didn't know the language at the time. Serena aided Minwoo and since then they've been friends after