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Author's Note: I know I'm like 2-3 days late but here ya go~ It's another MarkJin-centric but bear with me my 2Jae readers because we are shifting back to Seoul sooner than you think~

Enjoy and leave many feedbacks~ Love y'all lots~

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    “Ugh,” Jaebum groaned at the news playing on the old TV. “This is all YOUR fault.”

    Mark just came out of the shower, hair still wet and have yet to put on a shirt. He took a quick glance at the TV, “what are you talking about?”

    “Kris left. And so did the the Parks. Wanna know who’s taking over now?”

    “I mean I don’t really care-“

    “That evil brat is taking over. Look.” Jaebum sighed more whenever he looked at the TV. “He’s only nineteen for ’s sake! I invested a bit of stocks in Park Group in hope of a better future for both you and I. . This kid is going to ruin it all.”

    Taking a sip of his best friend’s leftover sweet tea, Mark finally set his eyes on the news. On the screen, a young master dressed in a black suit stood emotionlessly behind the podium. He was giving a speech about the future of Park Group. His face and posture were stiff, showing that overwhelming arrogance of a spoiled young master who’ve done nothing but wrecked Hell. Though, Mark noticed the nervousness in the young master’s eyes. Mark noticed the anxiety rested on the young master’s shoulders. Mark noticed how terribly that young master wanted to run out of that conference room and never looked back.

    “Wow,” Mark settled down next to Jaebum, “he’s… He’s very pretty…”

    “That’s all there is to him, Mark-ah. Just a pretty face. His cousin was the one who had it all. Beauty AND brains. But because of SOMEONE-“

    “I didn’t do . He made his own choice.”

    Jaebum turned to look at Mark with unamused eyes. Of course, Mark couldn’t understand how bad this whole thing was. Because if Mark had understood, he would have accepted Kris Wu. All of this could have been prevented if Mark wasn’t being such a stubborn person. A second dinner could do no harm. But Mark really said no to everything.

    The two sat through the entire speech. Jaebum was surprised Mark even stayed for so long. Usually, these kind of news, Mark never showed any interest much. Mark don’t watch news in general. Jaebum concluded that Mark took a liking to the new Chairman’s face. Which was right. Mark hated business and could care less for it. But he felt intrigued by the appearance Young Master Park carried for himself. Mark didn’t think some rich brat with such a fulfilling upbringing could mask his emotions so well at such a young age.

    “He looks scared,” Mark commented, finishing up the bottle of sweet tea.

    “Scared? I’M the one who’s scared,” Jaebum scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Kiddo haven’t even taken his college entrance exam yet. What kind of managing does he thinks he knows? Park Group is currently leading right now. How much do you want to bet in a couple months the entire company going to crumble?”

    “Aren’t you being too harsh on him?”

    “That’s life, Mark. Now, he has responsibilities. He will have to grow the up. He can’t go around spending money and destroying his family’s reputation any further. His mom and dad really abandoned him. His cousin dropped off the face of Earth. I don’t know about other relatives, but no one cares for him. Everyone thought Kris would be the one taking over. Yet, here we are. The whole world is looking down on him even more now. So, no, I don’t think I’m being harsh at all. If anything, I’m actually being pretty damn nice.”

    Watching the young master walking off the stage with his head up high and eyes remained void of any human feelings, Mark sighed as he got up. “Another young soul sold to the Devil.” For some reason, Mark wanted to give the young master a hug. “What’s his name? Jinyoung? Park… Jinyoung?” Mark wanted to give Jinyoung a hug. He wanted to tell Jinyoung that it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to show weakness. It’s okay to be scare, to be nervous, to be anxious. It’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to not be okay.

    “Stop looking at him, Mark. I don’t want you falling for him.”

    Mark responded with a lazy smile, “I just feel bad. He really doesn’t deserve all the s that’s thrown at him. He’s just being a kid, Jaebum-ah.”

    “To be honest, I feel bad, too. But I hope he gets his s together soon. If he still have the confidence to act cocky like that, then he’ll be fine. I’ve never met him, but I can tell you that even though he’s a troublemaker, he knows what he’s doing. His college entrance exam is with the most prestigious university in the nation. He got this.”

    “You’re being protective over your investments. I got it.”

     “You’d be, too.”

    “Good luck~”

    “I REALLY hope he DOES knows what he’s doing, oh, my ing God.”

    “I’ll tell you right now that you’ll be fine.”

    “I HOPE SO.”

===

    Funny that Jaehwan was even in his right mind to think Chairman Park couldn’t see through the bull intention. The former Head Bodyguard have been with his master for too long of a time. It was impossible for the Chairman to not notice something was weird about his most trusted soldier. Also, throughout the years of being the notorious Chairman Park, he learned how to read people like dealing cards. He didn’t have to read his own servant. Jaehwan was being too obvious.

    “Sir,” the servant followed close behind his master, “your body just healed, please don’t move around too much.”

    “Hm.”

    “Sir, I’m worried for you.”

    “Hmm.”

    “Sir, how about going back to Seoul? I’ll go with you.”

    The Chairman stopped on his track. After considering for a few seconds, he turned around to face the second person on this planet who he’d entrust his life to. He dropped the intimating posture he held as a Chairman. He let go of himself for a bit. His eyes bored tiredly into Jaehwan’s. “Where have you been the past two weeks, Jaehwan-ah?”

    Jaehwan lost composure for a split second at the sudden attack. “I… What do you mean, sir? I’ve been with you the whole time-“

    “Everyday for the past two weeks, you disappeared for about three hours starting around noon in your own car. Where did you go?”

    Without missing a single beat, Jaehwan answered easily, “to eat lunch… Sir… The guys found this really good restaurant, but it’s a bit far from here.”

    Jinyoung wished Jaehwan could be better at lying. “Where did you go?” The Chairman repeated the question. He heard the answer. He’s giving his loyal commander another chance to tell the truth. But he had already predicted it.

    “Sir, my answer did not change,” this time, Jaehwan bowed, arms to his sides in respect. “We should make preparations to head back to Seoul. I’ll book the flight-“

    “Whose orders did you took from that you’re now brave enough to force me into doing what you want?”

    “That’s not-“

    “Kim Jaehwan, stand up and look at me.” Jinyoung felt hurt. His heart ached. Not from the wound. From deep within his blood vessels, it ached so bad. The hesitant gaze in Jaehwan’s eyes only increased the pain by ten folds. “Where did you go? I need to know, Jaehwan-ah.”

    Only managed to keep the eye contact for a brief minute, Jaehwan averted his eyes. “I’ll have us fly out by tonight.” A short pause. Like another hesitation. “Mark-ssi, too.”

    Jinyoung wanted to laugh. “Mark-ssi?” Jinyoung wanted to laugh until his insides fell out from his mouth. “You never addressed Mark that since the day you decided he was your hyungnim.”

    “Sir, please-“

    “Keys!” The Chairman ed a hand towards his bodyguard, eyes already burning with dry tears.

    “I can’t-“

    Sick of everything, the Chairman ripped open the former Head Bodyguard’s suit jacket and stuck his hand in to the left inner pocket. He practically raised Jaehwan. There was no way Chairman Park don’t know his own personal servant inside out. The keychain ended up in the Chairman’s palm just like that. “You think you could lie to me, Kim Jaehwan? You think you could say some random bull, and I’ll believe you? Who the do you think you are?!” With the other hand, Chairman Park grabbed at Jaehwan’s collars angrily. “Remember this, Kim Jaehwan. You ONLY take orders from ME!”

    Before Jaehwan could do anything to hold him back, Jinyoung ran out of Park Group headquarters with a racing heart. He tried to calm himself down but no use. He kept running and looking for Jaehwan’s car. His mind was cloud with so much thoughts that he could not focus. Frustration clawed up his head by millisecond. Each second started to feel like minutes. All he could hear was his own frantic breathing, and all he could see was endless pain. Jinyoung stopped and steadied himself. He had to calm down. He needed to calm down. Jaehwan’s car. Jaehwan’s…

    The car finally came into view and Jinyoung’s feet carried themselves on impulse. When he got to the car, he tried to unlock it. “! ! ing open!” He shouted, feeling himself losing it again. Like a mad person, Jinyoung hit his hand over and over on the window as he cursed aloud. He even wrangled the car’s handle, unable to handle the impatience boiling up his blood streams.

    The door flung open with the force the Chairman used to handle it after the unlocking process successfully went through. Jinyoung quickly got inside and turned up the engine. The small screen in the center flashed awake. Wasting no time, Jinyoung searched through the history of the navigator. Part of him prayed to whatever higher beings there were for Jaehwan to not have erased the track. The other part was raging with anticipation. He wanted to cry the moment he saw the saved location. His heart rammed against his rib cage as he set the navigator on. After so many months, he finally felt his will to live crawling back to him again.

===

    The young master could never get used to sitting in this seat. After all, this seat never meant for him in the first place. Jinyoung looked around his office. It was a big office. Probably bigger than his room back at home. Jinyoung heard from the secretary that the headquarters in Jeju was ten times bigger. They planned to set out to Jeju next month. Jinyoung wasn’t very fond of the idea. But now that he had taken position as Chairman, all his freedom was restricted. All of his classes were moved online. And they forced him to take his education more seriously. Although Jinyoung knew everything needed to know for the college entrance exam, they forced him to take extra study classes. His life went from partying to studying until he could barely see the words on the page.

    Jinyoung hated it. He was only nineteen, yet they were treating him like he can take on the world by himself. They made him learn proper manners. They made him learn how to read and sign contracts. They make him learn about everything and anything. Since the day he was crowned, which was about three weeks ago, Jinyoung never freely stepped out of his house and office once. They didn’t allow him to meet with anyone, including Youngjae.

    “I want to meet Youngjae,” the newly appointed Chairman Park stood up from his seat. The bodyguards around him were ready to move with their new master. Jinyoung rolled his eyes and sat back down. The only time he got to be alone was whenever he needed to take care of his personal hygiene. “I don’t care what you say. I still have power over all of you.”

    The secretary put down the tablet he used to review the company’s stocks. He adjusted his glasses and gave a fake smile. “Mister Park, you have a very busy day tomorrow. I suggest you-“

    “I’m meeting with Youngjae. That’s final.”

    “But-“

    “You can assign how many guards you want.”

    The secretary sighed and gave up. “Where will you be headed to?”

    “The place Kris-hyung always went.”

    “You can’t!”

    “I just want to know why he always hang around there. I’m not going to make any trouble if that’s what you’re thinking. I can’t do anyways. You people watch me like a hawk.”

    The secretary wanted to say something more, but his voice was cut off by a knock at the door. He opted to give the rebellious young master another glance before opening the door. On the other side of the door, Youngjae still held his breath. This whole maximum security thing made him more uncomfortable. Never did it crossed his mind that just wanting to see his best friend would be this strict. But then again, now that Park Group was in an unstable state, a lot of people wanted to take advantage.

    “Jinyoung-hyung!” Youngjae waved excitedly. He missed his hyung so much. “You look so much thinner. Have they been feeding you?”

    Jinyoung’s gloomy mood brightened up the moment he saw Youngjae’s face. The young master flew out of his seat and hugged his best friend. “I miss you so ing much. You don’t even know.”

    “I’m here to take you away!”

    “Good. I need to get out.”

    They broke away from each other. Their smiles matched each other perfectly. Jinyoung grabbed Youngjae’s hand and dragged him out. The bodyguards followed closely behind after getting the signal from the secretary. Youngjae looked back at the scary looking men in suits and earpieces. Leaning over to whisper into his best friend’s ear, Youngjae suddenly realized how high of a position his Jinyoung-hyung was in. “Are they going to follow us the whole night?”

    “Yeah. Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

    One more look at the bodyguards, Youngjae scrunched his face in discomfort. He didn’t like the fact that they really stripped Jinyoung from all the possible freedom. “By the way, where we going?” Looking around, everyone who saw the new Chairman stopped whatever they were doing and bowed. That sent shivers down Youngjae’s spine. This was his first time stepping inside one of Park Group’s building. When he told his parents where he will be going to meet up with Jinyoung, they looked worried but agreed to their son’s desperate wish. Master Choi and Madam Choi were planning to drop Youngjae off when a car pulled up to the gates of the Choi mansion. The whole situation was surreal. Youngjae never had someone sent a car to get him directly from his home before. His parents didn’t look too pleased, but they trusted him and Jinyoung.

    “GRIM.”

    Youngjae gasped, hand over his opened mouth, “hyung, that-that’s part of the underground-“

    “It’s okay. It’s just a racing club. Nothing too illegal. Kris-hyung always went there. I just want to see what it is before I shut it down.”

    “Shut it down? You’re going to shut that BIG of a place down?”

    The young Chairman smirked, “I can shut any place down with just the lift of my finger, Youngjae-ah.”

    “Wow. Look at you. So arrogant.”

    “When have I ever NOT arrogant?”

    They laughed it off together as the guards opened the car door for them. Throughout the ride to GRIM, the two shared casual banters like usual. Jinyoung almost forgot how it felt just being a carefree high schooler who happened to be the son of a wealthy family. All the so-called friends he hung out with before threw him aside without another thought. It didn’t hurt his feelings as much as he thought it would. But it was still such a heartless thing to do. He was the one who always treated them out and bought them things. Yet, they all banded together and cancelled him overnight. Thinking about it sometimes, Jinyoung wanted to laugh at how stupid he was for raising such ungrateful little es. Even dogs don’t bite the hand that fed them.

    When they arrived, there were already guards there waiting to lead the way. Because of the place’s restriction, Jinyoung could only take four of his bodyguards instead the entire batch of them. As the hostess led them down a long hallway, the Chairman ordered his people to keep an eye on Young Master Choi at all cost. At the end of the hall stood a giant door which led into a fancy bar area. Youngjae held onto Jinyoung’s arm for emotional support. They were both underage for such place. The only reason they could even get in was because Park Jinyoung wasn’t just some random nineteen-year-old.

    The place filled with men and women in suits and pretty dresses. Very classy and higher upper class type of atmosphere. Jinyoung recognized some faces from the powerpoint he was forced to sit through. This place filled with important figures. Some people caught eyes with the new Chairman. Though, none of them seemed to show the slightest respect towards a person who held the most powerful title in the business world. Jinyoung didn’t care. He himself could care less about his title. He promised himself he’d always be the Park Jinyoung he’s proud of. He didn’t need others’ validations. He decided to make Park Group into something belonging solely to him. And when he succeeds, all these ers can kiss the ground he walks on.

    “Sit here,” Jinyoung told Youngjae, “you want anything?”

    “I’ll eat whatever you order,” Youngjae replied, still in a trance at such a fancy place full of grown-ups.

    Chairman Park waved the server over and ordered a couple drinks and appetizer to start off. He recited some rules to his best friend, who obediently nodded and swore to follow wholeheartedly. The Chairman left three guards with Youngjae and left to survey the area. Jinyoung started to understand why his cousin would like this place. It was loud but the chill kind of loud. The drinks, food, and services were outstanding. Before doing his research, Jinyoung had thought every underground place would be like a ratchet rathole. To his surprise, there were different types of underground societies. This one landed on the more upper caste system. It was illegal, but the owner possessed powers to bribe the government. If it wasn’t known to the rich as an underground racing club, then it could pass as a regular bar for people with money to spend.

    Jinyoung walked over to the balcony area, curious why people were gathering there. His bodyguard secured a vacant spot at the rails. As the Chairman walked over, the people around that spot seemed to notice and scurried off. That was better. At least no one bothered him. Jinyoung looked down from the balcony and almost shocked himself. Down below was a huge indoor racing track. Never in his nineteen years of life had he ever seen such a big indoor racing track before. The track was illuminated by bright lights around. In the back, a big screen displayed numbers and photos of racers in their helmets. Jinyoung canned his neck to look further, quite fascinated with the setup. His eyes scanned every detail of the track, impressed with the obvious expensive investment.

    “ALL RACERS PLEASE PREPARE FOR RACE!”

    Eyes automatically drawn to the starting line, Jinyoung watched the racers put on their helmets.

    “ALL BETS ARE CLOSED. IF YOU WISH TO MAKE A BET, PLEASE WAIT FOR THE NEXT ROUND.”

    The racers got on their motorcycles at the first ring. By the fourth ring, the entire place roared up in the sounds of engines. Then, the gun was shot and the race started. The young Chairman watched the racers dashed through the track in great speed. His own excitement lit up his eyes as he took interest in the current leading racer. People were cheering and shouting all around him but he only focused on the black motorcycle making rounds after rounds. Whoever driving that beast was doing a phenomenal job. Jinyoung had been to races, but he had never seen someone who had that much control over the speed they were going. For sure that racer was going to win. Looking up at the big screen, Jinyoung tried to see if there was a name. But it only showed numbers and photos. The current leading racer was number 00 and the photo attached with the number was just a person in a black and red helmet.

    “FIRST PLACE GOES TO DOUBLE ZERO!”

    The crowd cheered and clank their wine glasses with each other. Jinyoung remained undistracted as he watched number 00 turned off the engine. Unknowingly, his heart pounded faster in anticipation for the owner of the breathtaking black motorcycle. The person was still seated on his vehicle as he reached up to unclasped his helmet. Unknowingly, Jinyoung held his breath. The helmet came off. Jinyoung rendered speechless at the sight of a man running his hand through his bed of red hair that stuck to his forehead from the sweat. The racer shook his head a bit to let his hair fly and smiled at whoever he was talking to. Chairman Park didn’t know what to feel. Just stared very intensely at the man who looked a few years older than himself.

    Jinyoung felt his blood rushed to his face when he realized he was staring for a long time at a complete stranger. Something stirred within him, but he quickly suppressed it. This wasn’t the time or place to be confused over a very handsome older man in a leather jacket sitting on top of a motorcycle. He had seen many people with similar vibes before. This wasn’t anything new. Jinyoung tore his gaze away from the stranger. Deep down, he was afraid of what could happen if he dared to stare longer.

    “Let’s head back,” Chairman Park signaled his bodyguard. “Youngjae is waiting for me.”

=>=>=>

    Another successful night. Jaebum was glad his best friend redeemed himself from last week terrible losing streak. They still earned, but losing meant they had to give up half of their earnings. As the manager, Jaebum really didn’t want to think about what they went through last week. Mark got a bit rusty from all the stress from school. But at least they didn’t lose clients. The only reason why Jaebum was confident that this should be their survival job because Mark could for sure keep clients coming and staying. Not a lot of people had the ability to escape his best friend’s natural charms.

    Jaebum finished his glass of Bacardi, eyes strained on the big screen with pride. There were a lot of bets. He’ll definitely take Mark to some steak after the show. He was about to exit to the back area to collect their earnings when someone in particular caught his eyes. Realizing who his eyes were set on, Jaebum smirked, finding the amusement he needed for the night. Approaching the target, Jaebum noticed something familiar. That young master seemed to be staring too hard at…

    Of course, it’s Mark.

    Always Mark. And that’s NEVER a bad thing.

    “Chairman Park?” Jaebum called out before the Chairman walked away. The Chairman turned around and Jaebum could understand why people swooned over this face. Park Jinyoung lived up to his name. “Congratulations on the inheritance.”

    Trained to never miss a beat at greetings, Jinyoung recalled this person from one of the powerpoints. “You must be Im Jaebum-ssi.”

    “In the flesh.” Still holding a mischievous smile on his lips, Jaebum looked down at the track where Mark had gotten off the motorcycle to handshake and hug other racers. “Seemed like you’re interested in my racer.”

    Already, someone caught Chairman Park slipping. Remaining his composure and continuing to hold his head high, Jinyoung simply smile. “It’s my first time. I find interest in everything here. May I ask what business does a runaway young master have with me?”

    “You sure have a sharp tongue for your age, sir.”

    “It’s funny how all you can do is run your mouth about seniority in ages. Is it because you don’t have anything to your name?”

    That burned Jaebum to the core. He couldn’t believe some fresh baby bird trying to insult him. “That’s not a very nice thing to say. You just got the throne. Learn to keep a pretty image.”

    “I won’t be taking advices from someone like you. Thank you very much.” The Chairman pursed his lips, gave Young Master Im one last look, and walked off with elegance laced in his steps. He might hated all the training and studying, but Park Jinyoung had always been a quick learner. Faking maturity, to him, was like drinking water. At this point, there was nothing he can’t handle.

    Seeing Chairman Park just removed himself from the conversation got Jaebum’s blood boiling with pettiness. Whoever spread false rumors about this new Chairman of Park Group for sure needed a good beating. Jaebum fell for the rumors and made a fool of himself. He really thought he could scare Park Jinyoung, but it was Park Jinyoung who left him speechless. How embarrassing. He was supposed to be the older one, yet he was acting like a child. No wonder Park Jinyoung’s tone carried no respect for him.

    A tap on Jaebum’s shoulder strung him awake from his anger. Mark quirked an eyebrow in concern, “you okay? Why my baby looking like someone killed his cat? Who do I need to fight?”

    Jaebum waved it off immediately. “Forget it,” he shook his head, “not important.”

    “Okay then,” Mark decided to not press on. He knew his best friend can handle himself. “So how’s the money looking?”

    “Very good.” Jaebum pulled Mark into a tight hug. “You did great!”

    “Well, that’s all for tonight.”

    “Let’s go. This new steak restaurant just opened across the street. I’ve been wanting to take you.”

    “Okay.”

    They pulled away with content smiles on their faces. Since last week, all they’ve been eating were ramen. After paying for school things, they barely had leftovers for groceries. The whole week became a struggle against hunger and exams. They deserved a nice candle-lit dinner.

    The table of a certain Chairman came into view. Jaebum turned to Mark and joked, “I caught him staring at you when you were down there.”

    “Who?” Mark could care less, but if he can humor his best friend, then he will. Jaebum’s happiness was also his happiness.

    Jaebum nodded his head towards the table ahead. “The new Chairman Park.”

    This perked Mark’s interest. He followed Jaebum’s gaze and looked over. “He looks better in real life.”

    “What do you mean by that… Mark, don’t tell me-“

    “You have to agree with me that he’s pretty damn good-looking, Jaebummie.”

    “Fine,” Jaebum rolled his eyes, “but you look better.”

    Mark chuckled and ruffled Jaebum’s hair, “of course, your husband supposed to look the best in your eyes~”

    They laughed like this type of stuff happened all the time. Their laughters brought attention to the Chairman who glanced over with the glass of Bourbon pressed softly against his bottom lip. Mark accidentally caught eyes with the Chairman. Surprisingly, Mark looked away first in a split second of eye contact. He kept his head down as they walked past the table. The intensity of those pretty eyes laid on him posed to be quite an issue. It wasn’t uncomfortable. But it was unexplainably intense.

    When they past the table, Mark thought he shouldn’t accept defeat so easily . No one could beat him at this game. Mark looked back and slightly lowered his head in a curt bow at the Chairman. He looked back up, lips etched into a playful smile, and winked before throwing an arm over Jaebum’s shoulders. The last he seen of Chairman Park was how the Chairman almost choked on that expensive Bourbon out of shock and possibly embarrassment.

    The two best friends exited the club and got into their shared vehicle that they picked up from the side of the road one lucky night. Mark couldn’t stop smiling and shaking his head. Jaebum haven’t seen this expression in a long time. “You seem happier than usual,” Jaebum commented as he fixed the rear mirror.

    Mark rubbed a finger on his bottom lip and smiled wider. “He’s cute.”

    “Who-“ Jaebum paused as his brain tried to process. He whipped his head to look at his best friend so fast he thought his neck detached from his body. “You’re not-“

    “Chill. He’s still in high school. I’m not dealing with that.”

    “But if he’s NOT in high school, then you-“

    “So me thinking someone’s cute equals to me wanting to date them?” Mark’s turn to roll his eyes. “I think YOU’RE cute, Jaebummie. Do I wanna date you? Absolutely not.”

    Squinting his eyes as if he could see through Mark better, Jaebum shook his head slowly. “If you were this way towards Kris, I wouldn’t mind, to be honest. At least Kris was a decent person. But Park Jinyoung is BAD news.”

    “I told you I don’t do people with powers anymore. I still have eyes, Jaebum. Besides, it’s not like I’ll ever see him again.”

    “You don’t know that.”

    “People like him and people like me don’t cross paths twice, Im. You of all people should know how powerful he is. Powerful people like him step on powerless people like me. They stare and want because it’s exotic to them, but they won’t commit. They get bored very fast. They’re the type to treat others who aren’t on their level like .” Mark put on his seatbelt and gave Jaebum’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’m hungry. Let’s go.”

    “Remember what you said, Tuan.”

    “I always remember what I said.”

===

    The map took Jinyoung to an abandoned warehouse behind miles upon miles of nothing but overgrown trees. Pulling up to the driveway, he noticed a few of the guards from his own bodyguard company hid in between the trees and bushes. If it wasn’t for his cautious nature, Jinyoung wouldn’t have catch even a glimpse of the guards. Rose Corps was created to protect Park Group, so it was a given that every single guard was the best of the best. Jinyoung got out of the car and advanced forward boldly. If there were guards around, then it meant whoever they’re protecting wasn’t just a random person.

    The moment Jinyoung stepped inside the warehouse, his entire body fell into a calmness he hadn’t felt in a while. His heart stopped beating so fast. His hands stopped shaking from anxiety. His breathing became even and controllable. The peace he wanted to find enveloped him in a welcoming embrace. Jinyoung stood in the middle of the warehouse, heart wrenched in emotions that could not be described in enough words. He looked around, looked up, looked left, looked right with hope sparkling in his sorrow eyes.

    “Come out,” Jinyoung said, voice barely above a whisper. He closed his eyes and said again, much louder this time, “come out.”

    Silence echoed back at him.

    “I know you’re here. And I know you heard me. Please, come out.”

    A dreadful silence.

    “I just want to see you, please…”

    Emptiness had never felt so lonely.

    He clenched his fists to soothe himself from the pain crawling throughout his veins. “Mark, I miss you. Please, come out. I’m so tired of this. I’m so tired of waiting for you. I need you here with me. Now. I miss you so much. Please, please, please… I want to see you, please…”

    Still nothing of the reply Jinyoung was looking for.

    “I… I love you,” he choked on his tears, hands pressed against his face hoping that would stop the tears. “D-do you not love me anymore? Is that why you don’t want to see me? It’s because you don’t love me anymore, right?”

    Even when Jinyoung resorted to his husband’s weakness, only silence greeted him.

    “Wha-what am I supposed to do, Mark? What am I supposed to do if you don’t love me anymore? H-how can I handle it? I don’t know what to do, Mark…” Jinyoung cried out, “what do you want me to do?! Why won’t you want to see me?! WHY?!”

    He had no intention to cry, but his heart felt so heavy.

    “Everyday and every night, all I think about is you. I miss you so much it ing hurts! If you come out right now, we’ll fix this together. Mark, I promise I’ll kill every single bastard who ed you up. Please, just come out. I want you home. Come back home to me.”

    With all the powers in the world, Jinyoung felt so powerless.

    “Come back home, please… I can’t stand living a day without you anymore. It’s so hard. I’m in so much pain. Do you want me in more pain? Do you want me to die for you to be satisfy? Do you want that? Because… Because if that is what you want, I’ll kill myself right here, right now.”

    Jinyoung wiped his tears and looked up to the second level.

    “If you don’t come out, I’ll kill myself. And it’ll be for real this time. You of all people should know how much I don’t fear Death.”

    His eyes fixated on an opened door.

    “So you really don’t care?”

    He knew there was someone inside there. Whoever in there knew he won’t do it.

    “I’m giving you three seconds. Walk out or…” Jinyoung breathed in and out once to clear his head. “Or I’ll leave. I will leave and never come back.”

    Nothing moved.

    “One…”

    Silence.

    “Two…”

    Silence.

    Anger fused with his aching heart, Jinyoung returned to his usual composure and held his head high like he had always carried himself as such. He’ll pretend to be strong until he can’t anymore. “Three.”

    Accepting the silence, the Chairman recollected himself. He drove here. Cried his heart out. Begged until his throat hurts. All for nothing. He knew Mark listened, but it was Mark’s choice that ended them this way. If Jinyoung wanted to, he can walk up those steps to the second level and drag Mark out. If Jinyoung wanted to, he can burn down the entire warehouse and see if Mark still wanted to hide in there. But Jinyoung wanted to give Mark a choice. And what choice Mark made was obvious. For whatever the reasons, he won’t blame Mark. Because he will always hold Mark close to his heart. No matter how much it hurts.

    Jinyoung hated waiting, but he’ll wait again.

    Chairman Park took one last longing look at the room. His heart desperately wanted to cry out, wanted to relieve more pain, wanted to beg some more. But the Chairman willed his heart to rest. With nothing left to say, he his heels. Before driving off, Chairman Park waved the guards over and left some instructions.

    “Yes, sir,” they bowed and sent their master on his way.

    On the way back, Jinyoung had enough time to knock some sense in himself. Had some time to cry about it more in order to reach acceptance. The pain never left, but Jinyoung knew he can’t be like this on this island. He wondered what Youngjae will do when he comes back tattered and emotionally beaten. Shaking his head and forced himself to laugh, Jinyoung then wondered when will he be able to feel whole again. When will he be able to just feel without having to put up a wall. When will he stops being the almighty, invincible Chairman Park who have a heart of ice.

    It was impossible to feel without Mark in his life.

    “So be it,” Jinyoung concluded with a exasperated sigh. “I’ll be the Chairman everyone wants me to be until Mark returns.”

    The decision was made. Jinyoung hoped he can make his husband proud by being strong in a heartbreaking situation like this. He just wanted Mark back home where he can protect him properly. He swore this will be the last that they have to separate. He’ll make sure to lock Mark up for good. No more doing s alone. If they have to anything, they’ll do it together. Although this logic never worked, because Jinyoung knew his husband better than anyone. He’ll just have to be stricter.

    Seeing his car pulled up, Jaehwan rushed to open the door for his master. “Sir-“

    “Where did you go?” “Mark” lightly pushed Jaehwan aside to grab Chairman Park’s arm. Following behind was a file of bodyguards, concerned looks adorned their faces. “Mark” slammed the car’s door closed and tugged the Chairman towards him. “We were worried-“

    What happened next was something no one dared to imagine. The sound of that slap stung every witness’s ears. Even Jaehwan, who knew this monster wasn’t his real hyungnim, was shocked. All the other guards lowered their heads within seconds and stood straight on their feet. Their master was angry. And that slap sounded like it could kill someone.

    “I said don’t ing touch me,” Chairman Park glared, voice stable with pure power.

    “Mark” tasted blood inside of his mouth. The urge to slap Park Jinyoung back gnawed at his hand. But he decided to step back and be quiet. He had to keep in character. The past weeks proved to him that Chairman Park and Captain Tuan shared a very toxic relationship of nothing more than enemies.

    Chairman Park dusted the sleeve of his suit jacket where that disgusting hand dared to grab at him. Still angry but finally poured his anger on that thorn in his eyes made him felt better. For so long, Chairman Park had been wanting to laid a hand on the bastard next to him. Lifting a hand to call Jaehwan over, the Chairman began walking up the entrance of his headquarters. “Book the tickets. We’re heading back to Seoul.”

    From the rage fuming off of the Chairman’s body, Jaehwan could tell that his hyungnim and his master didn’t meet. “Yes, sir.”

    “Remember Park Group’s building in Seoul?” Chairman Park waited for one of his guards to open the doors.

    “Yes, sir.”

    “I’ll make some arrangements for you and your team to reside nearby. I haven’t step foot inside that building since I graduated college, but there’s no better options now.”

    “What do you mean, sir? Aren’t you going back to K.N.S.S.?”

    The Chairman stopped and turned around to face his beloved trustworthy confidant. He smiled, a very strained smile, and patted Jaehwan’s shoulder, “K.N.S.S. will be fine without Park Jinyoung. Right now, Park Group won’t be fine without a Chairman Park.” Leaning in close enough for only Jaehwan’s ear to hear, Jinyoung said softly, “Right now, Mark needs Chairman Park, not Park Jinyoung.”

    “I understand, sir. I will be responsible for your safety.”

    “Book the earliest fight. I want to leave as soon as possible.”

    “What about-“

    “I’ll be bringing him along.” The Chairman glanced over his shoulder at the stranger trailing behind Jaehwan.

    “Yes, sir!”

===

    How could anyone hear all of that and not feel pain? How could anyone not feel the urge to run out and pull their loved ones into their embrace? How could anyone? It wasn’t because Mark was heartless. It wasn’t because Mark didn’t care. It wasn’t because Mark didn’t love his Jinyoung anymore. He loves Jinyoung a lot. He loves Jinyoung to the point he’s going crazy all cooped up in this dirty warehouse breaking down over the mere thoughts of his husband. He loves Jinyoung too much.

    And because he loves Jinyoung, Mark had to control himself. Had to hold himself back from running into Jinyoung’s embrace from the first call. Had to hold himself back from responding to Jinyoung’s cries. He wished to kiss those tears away and cradle Jinyoung’s face in his palms and whisper nothing but sweetness to the man he loves most. When Jinyoung asked if he didn’t love him anymore, Mark wanted to scream out that it wasn’t true. Mark wanted to scream out that Jinyoung was the only thing that mattered to him. When Jinyoung threatened to kill himself, Mark wanted to walk out there and hold his precious baby. Mark wanted to show himself, so they can reunited and run away to somewhere far together. He wanted to take Jinyoung to somewhere where none of these problems existed, none of these dangers existed, and they can happily live a peaceful live by each others’ sides until their last breath.

    But all of that was a fantasy. A dream that didn’t exist for the both of them.

    So what can he do? What can he do besides covering his mouth to muffle his own sobs as his heart torn bits by bits with each word from Jinyoung. Mark teared up at the first sound of his husband’s voice. He missed that voice so much. He missed his husband so much. The more he listened to Jinyoung, the more he wanted to torture himself for being so cruel to the man who holds his world. Mark heard every word, every cry, every plead. Yet, Mark held himself back. He crumbled to the ground and cried into his hand softly in silence. What can he do?

    They can’t meet.

    Not now.

    Mark only came out of hiding when he heard the car’s engine roared and the tires skidded off in the distance. Every nerve in his body turned numb. Eyes red from crying and face no longer wears a smile. Hands trembled as they gripped on the scorching hot metal railing. It hurts Mark as much as it hurts Jinyoung.

    Descending down to the first floor, Mark pulled his hood over his head. He’d done enough crying. Time to get his s together. The past two weeks, he spent time tending his wounds and regaining his health with the help from Jaehwan. Some injuries required more than simple cleaning and bandaging, but Mark decided to ignore them for the time being until he could get to Seoul. Everyone’s out for his head right now on Jeju, and without official documentation from the government, he had no protection whatsoever. Jaehwan’s assigned guards killed many spies during the two weeks. This meant that Mark can’t afford to stay here any longer. They’ve already suspected where he might be. He hoped to stay longer to completely heal, but that was too risky. A couple days ago, Jaehwan gave Mark a burner phone in case of emergencies. But Mark hadn’t call anyone yet. Though, he did asked Jaehwan to look into a specific person’s phone number.

    Dialing the number on the burner phone, Mark prepared himself for the worse. He never intended to contact this person, but desperate times called for desperate measures. It was worth a try. The line kept ringing to connect. With each ring, Mark started to lose hope. At the last ring, the line received an answer.

    “Hello,” Mark greeted, voice neutral yet a hint of relief peeped through.

    “Hello? Who… Wait, are you…”