Sooyoung:

          There was a loud pounding in her head. It kept growing and growing. It was hurting to the point she gripped her hair, but nothing helped as she thrashed around. It was insufferable and she wanted it gone. Why did her head hurt so much? Was she even moving or was it all in her head?

Sooyoung jolted up. Her head did hurt, but not as much as in what she presumed was her dream. She didn’t remember much. She knew that Chanyeol had approached her and she had been injected something that had made her lose consciousness. She remembered being hauled over someone’s shoulder and seeing the frightened eyes of Taehyung. Taehyung. Her heart leapt, causing an ache in her chest, her hand automatically going to rest on her chest. She looked around her surroundings.

Where was she?

It was a room that was rather large. She was in a four-poster king sized bed. There was a wardrobe in front of her against the opposite wall. Between the bed and the wall was a couch below a window—the window reached up high, ending just below the ceiling. This was a much too fancy place for it to be anything she knew. It didn't belong to anyone she knew. She noticed how she was attached to an IV drip. Was it even the same day? Was she kidnapped?

Panicked, she removed the covers, noting how she was in a hospital gown. When had they changed her clothing? What time was it?

Sooyoung searched around the room, finding a clock that read seven o’clock. She stood up, dragging her IV with her as she first attempted to stand up. Her legs felt like jelly, however she tried again. There was panic rising inside of her. was dry. She needed water. She needed to know where she was. She moved around the room, looking for anything, mainly her phone. She was looking through the drawers in a frantic manner, when the door handle turned. She froze in her spot. Her body sending a chill down her body in not knowing what to expect.

The door opened, and a small hand was seen pushing it open even more as a cart sounded behind it. Sooyoung held her breath at seeing someone come in. Their head was down and when they looked up, she let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.

“Oh, Joy you’re awake. You woke up sooner than we expected.”

It was Wendy and although Sooyoung did not know her that well, she was happy to see her. Wendy had this warm presence, it never surprised her that Wendy was a nurse. She had a nurturing aura and if she was able to break the shell that was Min Yoongi, she was amazing. Sooyoung breathed in, calming down and trying to wet her lips, she croaked, clearing .

“Taehyung?”

Wendy smiled, giving her some water and helping her back to sit on the bed. She then dragged the cart that had food on it. “I’ll go get him. Try to eat something and drink fluids. It’ll help wash away the drugs a little faster.”

Wendy was leaving but she held her wrist. “Where am I?”

“I’m sure that Taehyung will explain. I’ll go get him.”

She left and the only reason Sooyoung felt better was because Taehyung was there. Somehow, he had found her. If he found her, it meant she was safe. It meant he was safe.

⇤〜⑉⑅﹎⑅⑉〜⇥

Taehyung:

“You should have seen the look on her face when he told her, she was his fiancée. It was pretty great.”

“She blushed deeper than I thought she would.”

“Where is she now, anyway?”

Taehyung was watching Hoseok, Yoongi, and Namjoon converse like it was the most casual day in their lives when the reality was—it wasn't. His head was spinning from even trying to comprehend everything.

The moment he opened the door and saw Hoseok, he was already confused. His friend simply smiled and guided him into a vehicle where a female driver was waiting. She had a face mask on, and he wasn’t even sure if he had seen her ever before. Her hair was long and black, her skin color a caramel shade. Her eye makeup was fierce, giving her an intimidating look, which he figured was the purpose of it all.

They drove for some time. He didn’t pay much attention to where they were headed or the exact amount of time that passed. The entire ride he was focusing on trying to get Sooyoung to wake up. She didn’t. When they called him down to the living room that resembled more of a drawing room, Sooyoung had still not woken up. Wendy was up there, looking after her.

“So, when are we going to talk?” he mumbled. He was getting annoyed at seeing how his friends found the situation hilarious or even hearing them say Irene’s name. He knew—without anyone telling him that Irene was the reason Sooyoung had even been taken.

“Jin should be down soon. I think he’s just trying to brief Irene on her new security measures.” Namjoon spoke, sitting in the chair opposite him with some bourbon in his cup. He had refused a drink from the unidentified butler earlier.

“He’s not seriously engaged to her, is he?”

“I’m afraid he is. Not that I was happy to hear about.”

“But she did this!”

“Tae, we don’t know why Jin did what he did. All we have to do is trust him. We’re not telling you to forgive her either.” Yoongi spoke, having sat on the couch and twirling his cane around. “Ah, this reminds me. From my part, I am here to deliver the news that Park will visiting in two days. He’d like to speak with you and officially meet Joy.”

Taehyung leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and gripped at his hair as he let out a sigh. “So, this is it? She’s now part of this world again?”

“Yes, and we can thank Irene for that.” Namjoon added, sneering. “I’m as unhappy as you are about Jin deciding to pay her parents debt and making a marriage contract with the Bae’s. They have little to no land and wouldn’t benefit any of us. She let the information about Joy out for your own protection. The thing is, Sehun doesn’t know you are Kim Taehyung. He knows you as V.”

“But Chanyeol knows and he got away when Hoseok tried to track him down an hour ago.” Yoongi added, also sighing. “We’re trying to keep you a mystery for now but that means security will be high for you and Joy. You won’t like it and … you may or may not end this semester, but there is no guarantee that you’ll return the following one.”

In some way, he was prepared to hear this. He knew the moment he decided to follow Irene and end up witnessing a murder, that his life would never be the same. He had escaped it long enough and knowing his actual family had some ties with the rabbit hole he fell into—made the news not surprising. Instead he turned to Hoseok who was leaning against the fireplace mantel, looking at the intricate woodwork, otherwise not bothered by everything going on.

“When did Hoseok become part of all of this?” he watched Hoseok lose his balance when his name was said, his elbow dropping from the mantel in surprise.

“Me?” he nodded. “Well, I always knew about this. Kind of, not that any of you were involved. I just knew about the drugs and guns and ion rings. Hated it all.”

“So, why are you here?”

“Jin needed a right-hand man, Tae. Someone that could do his dirty work and find out information. He couldn’t count on me or Yoongi since Yoongi technically belongs to Park. Hoseok was our only choice.”

Taehyung sat back, taking it all in as he looked at every single one of his friends that were in front of him. “What else am I here for?”

The doors opened right as he finished asking the question. The butler was back and behind him was Jin—along with Moonbyul. Taehyung raised a brow, not knowing if he should be surprised Moonbyul was there or not. He decided to say nothing. Jin had a different aura around him now. He seemed stern and tired. Since the last time he had seen him, Jin had accepted his fate as the boss for the Kim clan and Taehyung could tell.

“Moonbyul just told me the Lee’s are almost here. You ready, Joon?” Jin stopped beside Namjoon, placing his hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. We can’t let Jimin or Jungkook in. Not yet at least. Without their future careers they aren’t as valuable and for that we need the Lee’s to not want Seulgi or Yeri for their sons.”

Taehyung sat up again, cocking his head to the side. The Lee’s that were coming were the same Lee’s that Jimin and Jungkook had gotten drunk over. He must have stayed quiet for too long because all of them were looking at him. He sat up straighter, glanced behind him in case they were all focused on something that was not him. That was not the case.

“What?”

“You’re not asking about the Lee’s?” Jin asked him.

“Jimin and Jungkook ranted about it the other day. Yoongi came at the end of it all. Something about how Seulgi and Yeri were over at the Lee mansion for dinner. The words wedding season popped up. That’s all I know.”

Jin nodded, sitting down closest to him. “Tae, wedding season is the reason Sehun acted so rashly. Weddings are announced. Not preformed anymore but announced. Usually they are the weddings of the heirs to the clan getting married to a beneficial partner. Seulgi, doesn’t have much benefit to her name, but her aunt did gamble her life to the Lee’s. Their second eldest decided to marry her to keep her out of the ion ring. Yeri, she may have more benefit than we may know. As far as I know, the youngest male has always wanted to marry her after meeting her. We found a way to get them out of it and you. Your name has been thrown around as the supposed fiancé of their adopted daughter.”

“It wasn’t until recently that I found out how your name got thrown into the mix. It was Chanyeol. You never were promised to anyone. None of you were. Still, that lie escalated and the Lee’s grasped on it. A marriage to any of you would be beneficial to them.” Yoongi added in his spot. “Namjoon is going to be that marriage.”

Taehyung snapped his eyes to Namjoon. The last he remembered about Namjoon’s love life was that he and Jisoo seemed to be together. It made no sense to him as to why Namjoon would do this. The look in Hoseok’s eyes, the way they were downcast, let him know. For the sake of Jimin and Jungkook. Namjoon was doing this for them and it made sense. He turned back to face Jin.

“And you’re going to marry the person who put Sooyoung in danger?”

“Tae,”

“No. It makes no sense to me. She sold Sooyoung out and you’re protecting her? I thought you cared for Sooyoung.”

“I don’t just care for her, Tae. I love her. I love Joy, but she doesn’t love me. Look, what Joohyun did is not right but more than being angry, I pity her. She is pitiful. The life she grew up in, is sad. She had no one. She only knew hospitals and those she did know, were people like Oh. Her new lungs are Oh’s father. His father died and he was a match to Joohyun. I don’t have to explain everything, but I had to do this. The way Oh could have killed her, let’s me know I made the right decision.”

Jin finished. Taehyung didn’t have to be told what made Jin do this for Irene. If Irene grew up with Sehun and if the Bae’s did business with the Oh’s, he knew what it meant. For Sehun’s father to die and be the perfect match to Irene, was iffy. For his lungs to not be damaged, was iffy. He looked at Jin, trying to read his stoic face. Irene was in danger before she did any of what she did. The Bae’s, her parents had something to do with this. If he were to guess, her parents are the reason for Sehun’s father’s death.

However, there was something more. Taehyung lowered his gaze, staring at Jin. There was more. It wasn’t just pity. Jin would never agree to a forced marriage. That was something they all knew. No. It seemed that something other than pity helped Jin decided to do this. Even if Jin said he still loves Joy, Jin seemed to also have some sort of feelings for Irene. He scoffed, looking away.

“It still makes no sense to protect her by marrying her.” He muttered, peeved.

“It was the only way.” Jin answered, seeming even more tired.

“The only way? Why do I call bull on that? I’m pretty sure there are other ways. Sending her off to be hidden somewhere with her family. Marrying her is probably not the only option.”

“It’s the fastest option, Tae. Sehun could have killed her.”

“Sehun could have taken Sooyoung! All because of Irene and I don’t care to know why she did it. It was selfish. It was stupid! I found it odd how after lying to everyone that I was dating her instead of Sooyoung, she suddenly starts apologizing. That was a week ago, Jin. A week! She did this a week ago. Allowed for Sehun to plan this and almost succeed in taking Sooyoung. From me!” he couldn’t hold it in anymore, all his anger and frustration at being there was coming out, coming out in anger towards Jin.

“Funny,” Jin started, not seeming amused at all as he looked at him with a tight lip, “very funny knowing that before I showed up, before Joohyun showed up, you didn’t even know you loved her. You looked at Joohyun and even forgot Joy was there, not until I became a threat.”

The room grew silent. He knew the rest of the guys were tense in the atmosphere they had created. He could have sworn he saw Yoongi shake his head and Hoseok hiss at the words Jin spoke. Taehyung felt his eyes sting. Not because he was hurt—because his frustration was taking the better of him. It was messing with his emotions. It wanted a way to escape, the chosen way was through tears. He held them back, swallowing hard. As he gritted his teeth, he turned to Jin.

“ you, Jin. You don’t know how much I regret having followed Irene that day. You don’t know how much I suffered having to stay away from Sooyoung. The moment I needed to keep away, I knew. I knew she was more than just a best friend. She wasn’t just someone that was always there. She wasn’t just our princess we took turns protecting. She wasn’t just Park Joy. She was Park Sooyoung, the only person I have ever fully loved. She means everything to me. I regret it. I regret hurting her and for you to go this low … you and Irene belong together.”

He snapped. Never thinking he would say such words to Jin in such a vile tone. Namjoon stood, looking at him. “Tae,” he had started. Luckily, a sound stopped the conversation from going further and more damaging to the friendship that he and Jin had. It was already on a thin thread since they both love the same woman. This was added tension to the brittle thread that could snap any moment.

The doors opened once again. Wendy had come in. Yoongi immediately stood up, smiling softly at the woman who smiled softly back at him. She turned to look at him. Her soft smile still there and he was reminded of how she was carrying a life inside of her. She seemed content and glowing; he knew why. Her serene disposition seemed out of place. Her carrying a life—seemed as if it belonged anywhere but in this world.

“Taehyung, Joy is awake.”

He stood up right away, looking to everyone and seeing if he could go. Jin waved his hand in a dismissal manner, the air suddenly cleared as if their last conversation never happened. Did Jin understand he said that out of the frustration in the situation they were in? “You can go. The Lee’s are almost here and other than Kai, not one of them knows how you look like.”

“Kai, as in the same guy that approached me with D.O?” Namjoon nodded at his question. “Okay, but what do I tell Sooyoung?”

“Everything.” Jin turned to him. “Tell her everything you know. What you don’t know, your parents can fill in. You’re going home tonight. We need both of you out of here for as long as I can keep you all out. Which may not be long. Also, Hoseok has someone to show you but first, see Joy.”

Wendy gently tugged at his elbow and he followed. It felt weird to be told to tell Sooyoung everything when he had been used to being told to keep quiet about what he knew. He didn’t say anything and let himself be dragged out. The mansion or “home base” was enormous. It was made some years back, but he never expected to be inside such a grand home. He figured each clan had a mansion, but he didn’t think he’d be in one. He and Wendy were halfway up the stairs when he heard hushed talking. He peeked and caught glimpses of a girl, no older than him, followed by some men. They entered the room he had just left. As soon as he saw her, she was gone. He turned back and jumped when seeing Jisoo leaning over the banister. She saw him.

“Did you know, Joonie saved me from them?” he shook his head. “I was sold months after we broke up and they kept me working until they saw my charms and made other use of me. Joonie bought me. He saved me and yet they are back. I shouldn’t mind being the mistress. I usually am but this time it’s different. Namjoon, is different.”

“Do you know the woman he’s supposed to marry?”

“Yes. She was the one who saved me. My friend and I guess from the minute Joonie bought me out of that world, she’s a rival.”

Her way of thinking was how he remembered her, but they were different. The Jisoo he knew and the one in front of him were different. She was a completely new person, a changed person.

“You really like him, don’t you?”

Jisoo looked over to him with a small smile. “Do you know why I chased after you?” he shook his head. “Because of the way you treated Joy. You were always so kind to her and I wanted that. I wanted that attention and love. My father was a drunk and would hit me whenever he was too drunk. My mother left me. You were all I had to look forward, but I was nothing compared to Joy. I could never be her and I realized that. That was why I cheated on you and made you not talk to her. The love I saw in you wasn’t for me and I craved it. Doesn’t matter, karma worked, and Bobby sold me to the Lee’s. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how I acted and what I did to both you and Joy. I should have never slept with Sungjae. He was hurt like me. In reality, karma is still coming for me because I’m not meant for Namjoon either.”

The last thing he had expected was for her to explain and apologize. He saw the sadness in her eyes and how she hid it by remaining stoic. The last thing she would do, would show her pain. That was something he used to dislike about her. How secretive she was about everything and how she never opened up. His response was a nod of acknowledgement to her words. He walked away when it seemed Jisoo was done saying what she did. He focused on Wendy who stood a few steps away, patiently waiting. His mind went back to seeing Sooyoung, once more.