-Chapter XIX-

How she knew Taecyeon was working at the café, Yong Hye didn’t know, especially since he had just been in the hospital, but in any case, he was there, taking orders, when Yong Hye walked in. It wasn’t too busy, but it was probably the busiest she had ever seen it.

She waited in line, figuring that she might as well order something while she was there.

“Hey, Princess!” Taecyeon exclaimed with a smile when it was her turn to order.

“Hey, Taec,” Yong Hye replied with a small smile.

“What can I get you?” Taec asked, gesturing around as though Yong Hye couldn’t see the options.

“I’ll just take a cup of coffee, today,” Yong Hye said, sliding into one of the seats at the counter bar. “With sugar and cream, please.”

“Of course,” Taecyeon said, clapping his hands together once, getting a small laugh out of Yong Hye. “Just a minute.”

Yong Hye smiled lightly, watching him work. She guessed to come at the right time, since the line quickly disappeared, and the café began to empty. Yong Hye watched Taecyeon work for a little while, interacting with customers, making coffee and serving food, all with a smile. It seemed that no matter what Taecyeon did, he did with a smile.

“So,” Taecyeon sighed, sliding down the bar to stand in front of Yong Hye. “What’s up, Princess?”

“You seem happy,” Yong Hye said.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” Taecyeon asked, and Yong Hye couldn’t help but hear the seriousness in his voice masked behind the smile.

Yong Hye shrugged. “Well, I was just thinking…since you were in the hospital less than a week ago, you might be at least tired, but apparently,” Yong Hye looked around the café, “I would be wrong to make that assumption.”

“You would,” Taecyeon teased. “Besides, I’m fine. It was only a few stitches. I’ve had worse.”

Yong Hye grimaced. “I don’t even want to know.”

“You really don’t,” Taecyeon said, suddenly serious. He was looking at Yong Hye with a look that told and asked Yong Hye so many things; she wasn’t sure where to start. She just sat there, staring at him, wondering what he was doing, or even who he was.

“Taec…” Yong Hye finally said. “Why…why did you get hit by the car?”

“What?”

“Why?” Yong Hye said, speaking quickly, so she could get everything out. “Did they come after you? Were you standing in the middle of the street? Did you know them?”

“Maybe, no, and yes,” Taecyeon said, answering all three of her questions at once.

Yong Hye didn’t say anything; she just gave her friend a look telling him that she disapproved of his answer.

Taecyeon sighed and looked at the ground. Nothing would suffice unless it was a detailed, drawn out explanation. “A…friend of mine…” he started, struggling to find the right words, “Just got some very bad news. I was trying to help her when a car came by and hopped the curb. It would have hit my friend, but I pushed her out of the way. It only sideswiped me. I got a cut on my side, needed about seven stitches, but otherwise, I’m fine.”

“Why would anyone want to hit your friend?” Yong Hye asked, almost whispering. There weren’t a lot of people in the café, but it still felt weird for Yong Hye to discuss someone getting hit by a car in public.

“Because…our connections.”

“Your family?” Yong Hye said without thinking.

“What?” Taecyeon asked, his eyes widening.

“Taecyeon…are you related to Ok Ho Seung?” Yong Hye asked slowly, even more quietly.

Yong Hye heard Taecyeon in a breath, a look of confusion and terror on his face. Then, it disappeared, replaced by a smile. “You figured it out!” Taecyeon hissed.

Yong Hye was confused about his reaction. “Why are you happy?” she hissed.

Taecyeon’s smile fell off of his face. “I can be open with you now,” he said. “Now that you know who my dad is—”

“Your dad?!” Yong Hye cried.

-           -           -           -

“I don’t know if I’m too comfortable with this,” Taemin sighed as he washed the dishes over the sink.

“Comfortable with what?” Yong Hye asked, grabbing the last few dishes on the kitchen table and bringing them over to her fiancé.

“Comfortable with you hanging out with him…” Taemin sighed, taking the dishes from her.

“Why?” Yong Hye laughed lightly. “You seemed perfectly fine with him a week ago.”

“Well, a week ago, I didn’t know he was this dangerous.”

“Dangerous?!” Yong Hye cried. She couldn’t believe that Taemin, after all the times he had met and laughed with Taecyeon himself, would think Taecyeon dangerous. “I’ve been to his apartment! Believe me, he’s not dangerous.”

Dishes clattered to the bottom of the sink. “You’ve been where?” Taemin asked, his voice quiet.

For a split second, Yong Hye was confused. Why is that so shocking? Then, she remembered that she hadn’t exactly told Taemin about the one time Taecyeon had made her dinner. In his apartment. Honestly, she had forgotten about it. It was obviously innocent to her, but she knew that they hadn’t done anything.

Taemin, however, didn’t know that. All he knew now was that his fiancée had been to another guy’s place. And hadn’t told him.

“I…I had dinner at his place, once,” Yong Hye nearly whispered, knowing that this wasn’t just something Taemin was going to look over. She had already withheld information from him before, and though this time it had been unintentional, she still hadn’t been completely truthful.

“When?” Taemin crossed his arms across his chest, the dirty dishes completely forgotten.

“A couple of days before the party when my mom announced our engagement,” Yong Hye said sheepishly, looking at the floor. She couldn’t bear to look at him. He had never before gotten angry with her, but it looked like she was about to witness it now. “That night that you called, asking where I was…”

“You were with him?” Taemin asked, his voice softer than before.

Yong Hye used the opportunity of softness to jump to her explanation. “We just had dinner! He made it, and we talked. I swear.” She felt like crying. She wasn’t sure how she felt about anything anymore.

Taemin sighed. “What’s funny…is that I think if Taecyeon had said something about you having dinner with him, I would have liked him more, since he was being upfront with me. Now, it just makes me stand by what I already think. He’s not good for you to hang out with.”

“Why not?” Yong Hye asked immediately, forgetting the situation. Forgetting that Taemin was at his boiling point.

Until it was too late, that is.

“Because you’ve changed, Yong Hye!” Taemin cried. It was almost a yell, but Taemin was naturally soft-natured, so he couldn’t yell like others. Nevertheless, it was effective. Yong Hye jumped. “You’ve started keeping things from me!” Taemin continued. “Maybe if we had only known each other for a few years, I could pass this off as something natural about you, but I’ve known you since we were children! I know you haven’t started lying to me until after you met Taecyeon!”

Realizing that he had probably gone too far, Taemin stopped yelling. He was breathing hard, trying to regain control of himself.

Yong Hye was crying softly, tears rolling down her face, which she kept facing the ground, not wanting Taemin to see. All she wanted to do was cross the space between them and have his arms wrap around her, telling her that everything would be okay, but Yong Hye knew that Taemin would just push her away if she tried that right now, and that would just hurt even more than just standing there.

But she couldn’t just stand there. She needed to move.

So she did.

She walked past Taemin, through the living room, and out the front door, still crying.

Thanks for reading/subscribing~!

One more chapter.

Then, I start actually writing the spin-off. [I have one chapter done and been resisting writing more. xD]