-CHAPTER XVI-

Yong Hye hadn’t had time to relax today. Between waking up in a hotel room, going to the wedding dress appointment with her mom and attending a long class, she was just about exhausted. But when Taemin had called and told her that he had made reservations at a restaurant for dinner, Yong Hye didn’t complain. She hadn’t seen him all day, and she knew that he could relax her. She just hoped that he wouldn’t relax her too much, as she really didn’t want to end up falling asleep at the table.

Thankfully she did have some time to get home, clean herself up and change, as she had felt grimy all day.

She walked into the restaurant with her hands in the pockets of her skirt, playing with the small scrap of paper she had been carrying around all day. On it was Taecyeon’s phone number, which he had handed her before they parted ways, telling her that if she was given any trouble by anyone, or just wanted to talk to him, she could call. She had stared at it for a little while, wondering if she should keep it or not.

On one hand, he was a friend. There was nothing wrong with exchanging numbers with a friend. It wasn’t cheating just to have a guy’s phone number when he isn’t her fiancé.

But she still felt guilty.

Taemin had been her best friend for her entire life. All her other “friends” had come and gone, without making any sort of impression on her life. She didn’t have a lot of people outside of family members in her phone, and those she did have in her phone were all people she only talked to about schoolwork. Having someone’s phone number just for the heck of having it was a foreign idea for Yong Hye. She knew that most people had a lot of people in their phone, even those that they didn’t really talk to, and that it shouldn’t be a big deal, but it still bothered her, so she hadn’t put the number in her phone, but she hadn’t thrown it out either.

“The name’s Lee,” Yong Hye told the hostess, who, after glancing over her computer, said, “Right this way,” and led Yong Hye to the back of the restaurant.

It took a minute, but Yong Hye realized that the hostess was leading her to the private dining rooms, that, though they were in the back of the restaurant, were easily viewed by almost everyone in the restaurant, as the staff took great care to seat people starting at the tables closest to the private rooms, in an effort to get more people reserving those rooms in an attempt to seem more important.

Yong Hye didn’t like using the private rooms. Her parents loved it, thinking that it separated them from the “common public,” but that was exactly why Yong Hye hated it. She loved people watching, no matter what their income was. She knew that Taemin knew how she felt about the private rooms, so she figured that Taemin wanted some privacy, though they were technically in a very public place.

“Hey,” Yong Hye sighed, as she sat in seat across from Taemin, as the hostess indicated.

Taemin nodded his greeting, looking over the menu.

“How was your day?” Yong Hye asked as soon as the hostess had shut the door behind her, assuring them that their server would be coming soon to take their drink orders.

“It was going pretty good,” Taemin answered, still not meeting her eyes.

“Until…?” Yong Hye prodded, becoming concerned. She wasn’t sure if there was something really bothering Taemin, or if he had just had a boring day.

Before Taemin could answer her though, the server came in and asked what they wanted to drink. Taemin ordered a wine that they both knew they liked, and the server scurried out, eager to get them whatever they wanted, in the hopes of getting a good tip.

“So?” Yong Hye said, resuming the previous conversation as she started looking over the menu herself.

“So,” Taemin sighed, reaching down under his seat. He pulled up a manila folder that Yong Hye hadn’t noticed when she had walked in. “I was having a pretty good day until these came.”

Yong Hye put her menu back on the table. “What is it?” she asked.

“Take a look for yourself,” Taemin said, and Yong Hye could detect a hint of annoyance in his tone. It wasn’t like Taemin to get very angry, so when he was annoyed, she knew it was serious. He handed her the envelope, and watched as she opened it and pulled out its contents.

“Oh….my…God,” Yong Hye breathed. They were photographs.

Of this morning.

Of her leaving the hotel.

With Taecyeon.

“You can probably guess why this ruined my day,” Taemin said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

Yong Hye looked away from the pictures and up at Taemin, her eyes pleading with him to understand. “This looks….”

“Really bad,” Taemin finished for her. “Believe me, I know. Imagine if someone had given these to either of our parents, huh? Or even the papers? I may not be a journalist, but I’m sure they’d love to print a story about an engaged heiress’ night with an unidentified man.”

Yong Hye groaned and put her head in her hands. This was so not how this night was supposed to go.

“Nothing happened,” she said quietly, looking down at the pictures. They showed her and Taecyeon leaving the hotel together, then talking outside the building, and eventually walking away together.

“What?” Taemin said. She had spoken too softly for him to hear.

“Nothing happened,” Yong Hye repeated, louder.

“Interesting,” Taemin said. “Especially since you told me that you had gotten lost on a late night walk. We know exactly where this hotel is. How many times have we passed it in our lives, huh? How am I supposed to believe that nothing happened between you two if I already know you lied about something?”

Yong Hye felt like crying. She wished that she had had some warning that this conversation would be taking place. “Nothing did happen!” she insisted. Seeing Taemin still unbelieving, she sighed. “The editor for The Report called very early this morning, asking me to cover a story.”

“But you don’t even work there,” Taemin interrupted softly.

“It’s sort of….a test,” Yong Hye tried to explain. “They ask for you to cover a story at a random time, and if you do a good job, they hire you.”

“What were you supposed to do?”

Yong Hye told Taemin about the meeting she had witnessed, being completely truthful. When he asked if she had been in danger, she told him it could have been, but that she had been careful, which was true, she just hadn’t been careful enough. But that would come with experience. But she didn’t tell Taemin that she had gotten caught the way she had. He was already angry, she didn’t need him pissed off.

“And where does Taecyeon fit in?” Taemin asked.

“Meeting him was a coincidence,” Yong Hye answered. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. Neither of them had expected to run into the other, but Yong Hye chose to withhold that Taecyeon knew some of the gang members she had been following. Even though this was happening, she still wanted Taemin to like Taecyeon.

“So he just…took you to a hotel?” Taemin asked. He wasn’t angry anymore, knowing now that she was being truthful. He was curious, though.

“He guessed what I was doing, and told me that it would be too dangerous for me to go home right away, since I could be followed. He took me to a hotel. The only reason he stayed was in case they followed us to the hotel and decided to try and get to me.”

Taemin relaxed into his chair, thinking. “That was a smart thing to do on his part, but I wish either of you had let me know that you wouldn’t be coming home.”

Yong Hye nodded, grateful that he wasn’t angry anymore.

“But why did you lie?” Taemin asked.

Yong Hye sighed feeling guilty. “I was afraid that you’d freak out. Now,” she half-laughed. “I know you wouldn’t have. But then….”

Taemin nodded. “Alright,” he sighed. “As much as I was angry, the majority of it was knowing that you lied.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Taemin said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I also know,” he said, reaching to the ground again, “That if this does somehow get out, we’re going to have to be the most united we can be.”

Yong Hye nodded.

“So this is for you,” Taemin said, sliding a small box towards her.

She opened it cautiously, and nearly lost her breath. It was a ring. A very simple ring, but Yong Hye loved it all the same.

“It’s beautiful,” she sighed, looking at Taemin with a smile.

“Please don’t expect me to kneel again,” Taemin said, laughing lightly. “I only planned on ever doing that once.”

“That’s fine,” Yong Hye said, completely giddy as she allowed him to take the ring away from her to slip it on her finger himself.

Her happiness, however, was cut short when she looked back down at the table and realized that Taecyeon had been right.

Someone had followed them.

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