CHAPTER 31
JUNG HOSEOK

"I can't find my card!" Namjoon said as he stepped out from the office.  

"Sorry bro," I faked a smile.

"I took it without you noticing it," I laughed.

"God! Don't do that!" Namjoon snatched the card away from my fingers. "Stop getting distracted. Where is your head at? Jeez," I rolled my eyes as I entered the elevator with Namjoon.

"You'd already know," Namjoon glanced to me briefly before looking up at the elevator door number.

"Haha! See, I knew that they would win," Jimin exclaimed amongst the group who was watching the soccer match.

"Too soon, to say Mr. Park Jimin," Taehyung warned. "My team will win!"

"Both of you are so noisy, my God," Yoongi shook his head before glancing his way to me, "And you're awfully quiet today."

I looked up and met my lazy gaze to Yoongi who was looking at me. I just smiled and shook my head. "I'm good," I said when Jin's hand rested on my shoulders.

"Lover's quarrel?" He asked, giving the knowing look.

"We're fine," I chose to say.

"I'm sorry that I can't explain now. You'll know soon."

Her last words rang at the back of my head. I couldn't fight this curiosity that I had witnessed earlier. How? What? Why? I had expected to understand that Noeul would stay put where she was, but instead, she had plans of her own. What she was doing now, I probably had caught her plan. How did she end up in Flinders? What was she doing there at night? Why was she clad in such outfit and why did she have Namjoon's clearance card with her? And it dawned to me that the research she was doing that night wasn't just any research. With her quitting, she had all the time in her hands and she was trying to resolve the matter in her own hands.

"Guys," Namjoon began before he placed his glass on the table, "Eri and I had a talked today." The rest of us turned our attention to him. "We.. we decided to end it." "What?" I frowned.

"My mother, she was so persistent," Namjoon sighed, holding his temple. "I love my mother, I love Eri, but-"

"Family is always first isn't it," I muttered, stared at Namjoon.

"I want to clear Eri's name as much as mine. But I couldn't possibly taint her name knowing-"
 

"Why did you do it then?" Jin asked Namjoon.

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you sleep with her knowing that you were already arranged?" Jin asked bluntly. "You chose to sleep with, despite that you were arranged, the moment you decided that you already pulled Eri into the dirt with you."

"Jin," Namjoon looked at Jin in disbelief. "I never thought that you say that-"

"He is right," I quipped in. "Jin was just being honest and truthful. You end your relationship with Eri because of what your mother said. You willingly sacrifice your own happiness for your mother's sake. I am not saying that a son shouldn't do that. It is only natural for a son to want to make his mother happy. But what you're doing is trying to please others instead of yourself," I explained. "And, don't you think that something's was just off here?"

"What are you trying to say, Hoseok hyung?" Jungkook asked.

I sighed. "Noeul stayed with me right on the day she quitted. She had been doing research, believing that it was all a set-up," I explained. "Why didn't you believe her at all?" I asked Namjoon. "You, of all people, the smartest one amongst us."

I glanced to each of them when I noticed Jin was shifting in his seat. Something was off. I stared at Jin. And it hit me. It was unlike Jin to miss an important meeting at the very last minute. "Where were you yesterday? The meeting. You missed the meeting."

"As I texted you - I got an urgent matter."

"No, you knew something, don't you? Did Noeul approached you for help?" I asked. Jin bit his lips, glancing around the room as all of his friends were looking at him. "Jin hyung..."

"She told me not to worry," Jin sighed. "She told me to keep it away from you guys. She said she possibly knew who was behind this. She just needed some proof to justify that the scandal article happened between Namjoon and Eri was indeed a set-up. A set-up-"

"-For Noeul and I," I finally understood it and had my questions answered. Noeul was doing all of this, risking everything because of evidence to prove that all of this was just a well-planned plot. And someone did come to mind. "Ahn Sunhee," I heaved a sigh.

How did I miss out the clues that Noeul was trying to tell me?

*

I couldn't sleep last night, heading to work was dreadful today. Noeul hadn't answered my calls nor my messages. I headed down to Flinders with Jin as it was our usual business meeting when it was disrupted by someone. My mouth gaped open in surprise and my heart skipped seeing her in her formal outfit accessing Flinders with visitor's pass, but she wasn't alone. She was with Namjoon's parents.

"Noeul noona," Namjoon whispered. "Mother? Father? What is going on?"

"Mr. Kim Namjoon," Noeul remained professional. "We need to talk," She said. Namjoon was dumbfounded with Noeul's act on impulse. Even with the help of Namjoon's parents, the way Noeul was acting.. was just wrong.

"Namjoon, please," His mother seemed different as well. She was pleading.

"It's in regards of the company," Noeul said, expressionless. "I would have to discuss with you alone and with your parents."

Namjoon glanced to the rest of us as they, too, were reluctant to leave. I was the last to leave as my gaze on Noeul didn't cease. Noeul heaved a sigh and ensured that it would be alright. I took a deep breath, stepped outside and glanced back to the glass door where Namjoon began the discussion with Namjoon.

"Oh my god," Kiran let out a gasp. "Unnie."

I turned to her team, "Did any of you, know of this?" I asked. They shook their heads when my gaze met with Eri's. She seemed shifty about something. "Eri?"
Eri's tears began to threaten at the corner of her eyes. "She said, to trust her," Eri bit her lips.

I turned to Namjoon's office and I noticed Noeul was handing him documents. Were those... Was she getting documents yesterday? Feeling uneasy, I approached his office and entered in. "What is that?" I asked just as Namjoon glanced through the documents. "Hoseok, you can't-"

"You're right, Noona," Namjoon frowned. "But at the same time, you are no longer an employee, and you are trespassing to get this information. You are stealing from Flinders and that is a crime."

"Namjoon!" I headed towards him and held him by the collar. "What are you doing?"

"There is no doubt, you are right. And I understood the risks that I have to take."

I turned to look at her, "NOEUL!"

"Hoseok, please!" Jin tried to peel me away from Namjoon, "Calm down, you're making a scene," I adjusted my blazer as Jin released me.

"But, I am trying to clear your name, and Eri's. If you don't want to do it for the sake of the company, then at least do it for Eri. Embezzlement is a crime too, Namjoon. You are smart enough to weigh your options. From the looks of how Sunhee deals with things, Sunhee will not only destroy me for the sake of Hoseok, but she will do anything to get Hoseok's attention. And if she successfully, put me away and yet Hoseok is not giving the attention she needed, she would bring you down too. The only way to stop her is this," Noeul tapped on the document folder.

"I understand," Namjoon nodded as his expression looked more of disappointed. "I can't believe she actually bribed my mother with the company's finance and the journalist."

"Nam Joohyuk has to put to a stop as well. He is a part of it. If you don't want your friends to suffer just as you did, you should report him," Noeul explained calmly. I looked at her, she was prepared the whole time. Pros and cons of the situation. But yet, she wanted to save both Namjoon and Eri.

She sacrificed everything for the sake of her friends. For the sake of love. Their love. "There she is, get her off the building," I heard Sunhee's voice as the security guards came by.

"Hold on," Namjoon stopped her, "Who gave you the authority to give orders to the security guards?"

"I have every right," Sunhee delusionally answered. "I am an employee in Flinders-"

"I am the CEO," Namjoon stated firmly. "This is my company."

Sunhee clenched her jaw, she was about to lose it. "Whatever it is, I want her out!" She screamed. "She is the reason that we're causing a mess here!"

"You're the one to talk, you took the company's money for your own bribery!" Namjoon yelled as Sunhee's eyes widened. "You paid the journalist, blackmailing him just to bring me down. You stalked me, you knew Noeul was the one who was always at the wrong time. You had your ideas."

"No," Sunhee shook her head. "N-No!" She turned her gaze to me as she grabbed my arm. "H-Hoseok, please. I just wanted you back," She pleaded. "You don't deserve her!"

I pulled my arm away, "What I had always wanted from you was, respect. It was your loss. Your mistake. Noeul had always respected me as a person, not for my success." Sunhee became disorganized. Her anxiety had got full of her. She clenched her hair and shook her head.

"I am not going down," She said, looking around as she broke the vase and took the shard in her hands, as I reflexed immediately, by protecting Noeul. "SUNHEE! STOP!"

"YOU SHOULD JUST DIE!" She screamed pushed me away as she turned to me. I hissed when the shard caught my forearm and wounded it.

"Hoseok!" Noeul grabbed Sunhee from behind, trying to stop her. That was when everything had stopped. Everything went black. Everything just stopped. Sunhee forcefully elbowed Noeul as she turned and stabbed her in process. Noeul's eyes widened as Sunhee slowly back away when she came to her realization, what had happened.