“What do you want, just say it,” Taehyung looked up at the viewing area, a smirk gradually crept on his face.

“I’ve said, there’s nothing that I want from you. What should I give you in order for you to stop?”

Wrapping his arm around her small waist, “I love you, marry me.”

Taehyung’s free hand raised to the back of her head and forcefully pulled her in as he crashed his lips on hers. His lips pressing hard on hers as if being eaten alive. She tried pushing him away and break away from the forceful kiss but she was not match to his strength. Her heart was racing as she looked into his dangerous stare. She knew her wrist would be bruised at the rate he was grasping on it. When she felt his tongue parting her lips, she poked on the side of his waist and Taehyung stepped back due to the sudden tickles on his waist.

Joohyun stepped back and avoided his hard stare. She needed to lengthened their gap to regain her safe space from the perilous man.

“I’m not going to repeat myself again, stop wasting my time making me go back and forth,” his seething voice rang in her ears. “I hope you understand, marrying is final and nothing will change so make the announcement in the upcoming event.”

“I hope you understand too, no one can force me!”

Rubbing his lower lip against his thumb, he snickered “well, at least that’s not what your brother said. You won’t want our parents to get involved.” He patted on her shoulder several times, warningly “stop this futile retaliation.”

Holding on her left wrist, she was right; her wrist was indeed bruised.

“What now, playing hard to get?”

She sighed, knowing very well this malicious voice belongs to whom and she wasn’t prepared at all to meet him after the earlier episode with Kim Taehyung.

“Keeping silent it’s not going to bring you anywhere.”

Joohyun on her dried lips before looking up to the dangerous man who once showed her warmth, Park Jimin. “Oppa, why are you here?”

“Unlike you, all of us have a busy schedule and no one is going to keep coming here to babysit you.” Jimin glared at the skater. “You’re lucky that Mrs. Kim is willing to give you some time but I won’t allow you to waste so much time here. Accept Taehyung’s proposal and announce your retirement.”

“W-why do you have to push me to the edge of the cliff all the time?” her voice was shaking as she tried fighting her brother for her freedom. “It’s my life, I have a choice.”

“The minute you stepped into this family; you have lost all your freedom.” He crossed his arms before his chest.

“How can you be so cruel to me?” tears streamed down her face.

He closed in their distance and said “your existence and the woman you called mother…have ruined my childhood. Have you ever thought about how cruel you two were to me?”

“It was Park Min Hyuk who destroyed your family!” she fought back.

“But it’s you who killed eomma!” he whispered, quivering in anger.

Joohyun knees weakened and fell on the iced floor.

“Your destiny, the ideal Mr. Right, will be determined by me. Remember that.” Jimin said, “another thing I wanted to remind you, no matter what your choice is, figure skating will disappear in your life.”

Joohyun looked up to her brother who is lowering himself to her in fear.

“Don’t be so childish to think that you can start your life afresh after rejecting the marriage,” he snorted. “I know your dark past, what you did in the dark dungeon. I will personally make sure your life is completely destroyed. Make your choice wisely, Park Joohyun.”

Jimin got up and leaved the ice rink. His steps came to a halt when the girl he came to nauseated stopped him.

“Why are you so cruel to her? She’s not posting any harm or threat to you and had been living her life quietly in US, what more do you want?” Jennie raised her voice to the man.

He turned to her without any expression display on his face and said “do you think you have a right to talk to me? Don’t forget, you’re just a doll Park Min Hyuk bought home to watch that worthless woman. You have no say in this, Kim Jennie.”

Jennie watched the heartless man walked away without sparing her any eyes contact. She ran into the ice rink to where Joohyun was kneeling on.

“Your knees are freezing, get up,” Jennie tried helping Joohyun up, holding on her face, she noticed the skater’s face was covered with tears. Joohyun threw her arms around Jennie and broke down.

Jennie ran her hand on Joohyun’s back. She knew her best friend is damaged again. Joohyun isn’t someone who would break down in tears easily and for her to be in such mess, she knew Joohyun would give in once again. She never understands how can her brother be this cruel to her, to ruin her life completely when she too is only a victim of what Park Min Hyuk did. It was unfair to use her life and happiness to pay the elders’ mistakes.

-

“Kookie-ah…wake up, you’d been sleeping all day!”

Jungkook encircled his wife waist and pulled her onto him before hovering her on the bed, “Jeon Tzuyu, you worked me out all night yesterday to this morning, don’t I deserve a short nap?” he grazed his nose tip against hers.

Pushing on his shoulders, she got on his husband and straddled on his hips and showed him the newspaper “look at this, your buddy is caught in a news again and this time he even made it to the nation’s main page.”

He took the newspaper and glanced through the contents. Taehyung was speculated to be in a relationship with the Olympic Champion, Irene Park. They were caught kissing in the ice arena and months ago, photos of them entering the same hotel at a different time were revealed.

Jungkook held on her hips and said lazily “it’s about time for him to settle down for a stable and serious relationship. Irene Park is a good choice, his taste indeed has upgraded. I underestimate him, he even gets to court Korea’s Ice Princess someone so out of his league, unbelievable.”

“This is not true, Taehyung wouldn’t like Irene Park, she’s completely opposite of what Taehyung’s taste.” Tzuyu argued.

Jungkook chuckled, “baby, you don’t even know Irene Park how sure you are that she’s not Tae’s ideal type?”

“I know Taehyung better than anyone do, this must be a fake news, a rumor.”

Crossing both his arms behind his head and rested his head on it, he said “Taehyung is always in control of his news if he doesn’t want it to be published these photos wouldn’t have been released unless he’s betrayed by someone close to him which is highly unlikely.”

Jungkook smirked knowing very well what was Taehyung’s intention for this news to be revealed.

“You don’t know him as well as I do,” Tzuyu pouted while drawing moving her finger on Jungkook’s bare chest.

Grabbing hold on his wife hand, he got up and stared into her eyes “why are you so worked up by another man’s news when we’re spending our last night here? Our vacation is coming to an end soon, my dear.”

Her lips curved when she felt the familiar stiffness below her, “I thought you were tired?”

“This little friend here never knows what’s tired with you on me like this,” he finished his words and captured her lips, fervently making sure she knows how much he wanted her.

-

After tightening her tied up pony locks, she leaned against the railing and took the water bottle before gulping down while watching the other junior skaters training with her at the ice arena. From far away, she could see Jennie skating her way towards her in rush. Placing her bottle back to the original place, she intended to resumed her routine.

“Yah Irene Park!” Jennie stopped her from getting away.

Joohyun swirled around Jennie, playfully “you can skate pretty good now. I saw you speeding all the way here.”

“Look at this,” Jennie pushed the ipad towards Joohyun. “Do you even know you were trending on Naver since this morning?”

Joohyun was staring still at the photos on the news.

“Did you guys met in US, why would you both caught in that photo?”

“Was it photoshopped?”

“Buddy, look at this lip locking photos, these can’t be photoshopped, can they?” Jennie looked at the flustered skater. “You should stop twirling and swirling around here, the event is commencing in less than 2 hours and we need to get you out of here. The entrance is crowded by reporters. Don’t they need to be at the event venue, how can they camp here instead.”

Joohyun sighed, “if someone wanted to trap you, there’s no way you could stop them.”

“You meant this is Kim Taehyung’s deed?”

“Let’s get out of here.”

Sehun had a hard time escorting Joohyun in the car as the reporters were practically shoving their cameras and lenses towards Joohyun not caring whether it would hurt anyone. Jennie was about to throw her fist when one of the cameras accidentally knocked on Joohyun’s shoulder.

“Ignore them, get in,” Joohyun pulled her into the car.

“These mad dogs are horrible,” Jennie pulled the safety belt “why did you stop me.”

“Don’t fight with dogs,” Joohyun joked.

“Glad that you can still joke around. There are 2 people expecting an official announcement from you, have you decided what you want?”

Looking out from the heavy tinted car window, Joohyun said “I don’t have a choice, there was never a choice for me to make.”

-

“We are done,” the make up artist smiled at the mirror reflection of Joohyun. And for the first time, she received a small smile from the Ice Princess.

Jennie could only watch from the side knowing very well her friend is in great pain. Just then, the President of Figure Skating Council came into their room.

“You look beautiful Irene,” he stated with a bright smile on his face which made Jennie rolled her eyes sarcastically. “Make the announcement prudently, Irene. Now that you are dating someone in Korea, it makes everything so much easier. You should stay in Korea.”

Joohyun smiled.

-

“You’re leaving already?” Namjoon almost bumped into Taehyung who was exiting his office, seemingly in a rush.

“I don’t want to get yelled by Kim Yeri,” Taehyung said while putting on his jacket. “Do you need something?”

“Not really, we can discuss about it when you return,” Namjoon closed his file, “what makes you want to attend the event?”

“Park Joohyun is going to announce her retirement,” Taehyung smirked, “shouldn’t I be there with her?”

“Tsk, tsk tsk,” Namjoon shook his head, “after what you have done with the photos, do you think she would still agree to it? You’re playing with fire and complicating things. Why can’t you just be straightforward with her?”

“As if I’ve not tried,” Taehyung rolled his eyes whilst walking towards the lift lobby. “You would understand better if you know how your foster parents are being a pain in the . Further, Park Joohyun isn’t a puppet or neither will she be one.”

“All the best to you,” Namjoon giggled.

“I will succeed, she won’t choose the hard way,” Taehyung smirked before the lift doors closed.

-

“She’s performing now and right after her performance, she would have 5 minutes time for a speech,” Yeri followed Taehyung steps as she explained to him the event sequence. “The ushers will