*My lovely poster was made by Gina at Yellow Bubbles Land. I love it so much!!!

“Excuse me?”Seunghyun asked calmly, as if unaffected by his previous remarks.

Jaejoong gave him a not-so innocent smile and wandered around the dark living room. He picked up a globe ball on the television and turned his gaze back to Seunghyun.

That man looks an inch taller under the dimmed light; he was giving off dark and threatening vibes.

“You’re not the only one with sources, Choi Seunghyun-sshii.”

Choi Seunghyun, the future leader of tomorrow’s business world. At the age of 23, the heir to the Choi’s empire was said to be one of the youngest and talented leader. He, who attended private boys’ high school, took over the business from his father soon after his returned to Korea. He has led the company to several successes and was praised for his abilities to handle every situation accordingly. This eligible bachelor, however, prefers to be out of the media spotlight and refuses to answer any question regarding his personal life.

The article he read on Choi Seunghyun from the local magazine flashed through his mind. He spent his entire afternoon reading twelve different articles on the so-called mysterious eligible bachelor and none of them was bad. Unfortunately (for him), even the media failed to get any details information about the real Choi Seunghyun besides his successful business negotiations. His personal life was left unknown to the public as he rarely makes any appearance at the ‘front door’ of an event; always leave that part to his closest friends-slash-high schoolmates-slash-colleagues.

Jaejoong, of course, not in the triad or something, but he did, however, has someone he could trust upon, someone reliable and efficient. Concerned for Meisa’s safety, he asked Chulsoon to do some background checking on TOP, which surprisingly turned out to be the sole male heir to the Choi’s companies and wealth. Impossible and unbelievable but that’s the truth. Five different sources and all pointed to one direction; TOP and Choi Seunghyun are the one and the same. He’s not an ordinary thief, that’s for sure but as for his real intention, Jaejoong couldn’t figure it out himself. Whatever it is, it must have something to do with a woman named Kuroki Meisa.

Why her, Choi Seunghyun?

“Huh, you’re delusional. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he scoffed.

“You’ve done a good job of avoiding the press’ radar so far and I’ll have to say, I’m impressed and honoured at the same time. Meeting the famous Choi Seunghyun in person is such a rare chance, don’t you think?” Jaejoong said. His eyes danced in a mocked admiration.

They had a past together, he was certain of that but why Meisa acted like she has never met him before? Interesting and devastating, all at the same time. Interesting, now that he finally has the chance to fight for something other than business tenders or projects but devastating because he couldn’t seems to figure out anything on his opponent. His real intention was still a mystery to him.

“Shut up before I kick you out of my house. Wait here. I’ll go get the feisty princess for you.” his deep voice contained serious deadly threat.

He loves her, isn’t he?

Jaejoong said nothing in return, and watched as the man disappeared into the darkness of the house.

**********

The loud, continuous knocking on the door woke Meisa up from her sleep. She grunted and opened her eyes slowly.

“Ittaiii...” she cringed when a sudden pain struck her.

Both her heart and her head were in so much pain that she has no desire at all to face the world outside her bedroom door, especially HIM!

Who else could be knocking on her door if it’s not the almighty and nauseating TOP himself? His words, his voice, everything was so damn clear, playing over and over again like a recording tape in her head, making her headache two thousand times worse.

Clumsily, she walked towards the door and fell face first to the floor with a thud.

“Meisa, are you okay/!” a worried voice outside the door asked. His knocks started to get impatient.

“Hhh-haaii.” she answered.

Why did he sound so worried? It was his fault to begin with!

Her whole body felt weak, lacked in energy since she didn’t eat anything else except her morning apple and a bottle of water. A bowl of cereal would be nice but no, not when that monkey is still in the house.

“Open the door.”

“Go away! What do you want? I don’t wanna see you. I don’t want you anywhere near me.”

Silence.

Just when Meisa thought he had left, Seunghyun said;

“Your...your boy...err...That Kim guy is here.”

Jaejoong is here?! Wait...He can’t see her like this. No, no, no.

No make-up to cover her face, her hair is messed up, she’s still wearing her pink nighties from last night, she looked miserable, and she smelled bad.

Curse her for being so weak and fragile! Curse him for making her miserable! How could she let him won? What kind of power did he possess for him to be able to ‘wreck’ her so easily?

“Should I send him home?” that monkey asked eagerly.

“NO!!!” Meisa screamed, loud enough to give her next-door neighbour a heart attack or at least, add another scratch to Seunghyun’s already-wounded heart.

**********

Jaejoong covered his face with the menu handed by the waiter, hiding his blossoming smiles behind it.  The woman in front of him looked totally out of place with sunglasses and black straw hat, concealing half of her face.

Her eyes were red and swollen, a sign that she has been crying for quite some time. Although she refused to tell him anything but he knew, that the well appraised Choi Seunghyun has something do to with it. He’s beyond intrigue but he couldn’t seems to find the right answer to all the questions floating in his mind. Jaejoong was sure Seunghyun is in love with Kuroki Meisa but if that was true, why did he always hurt her?  It has been what, a week and he has done nothing but made Meisa’s life a living hell with his uncivilised attitude.

Revenge? Nah, the tool of tortures were way too soft to be revenge. Furthermore, what does a Choi’s descendent has against the Kuroki family?

Kuroki Meisa, Meisa, as beautiful as her name, is the only child to Kuroki Shimabukuro. She was a party animal and a fashion idol. Her carefree lifestyle was described as somehow ‘unsuited’ as the daughter of an influential businessman-soon-to-be-politician.

She loves spending money, partying at famous clubs with a bunch of friends and driving home drunk late at night. However, this part-time model who rumoured to be dating Tanaka Koki, a photographer at a well-known modelling agency, is a fashion goddess with ‘bright future in the fashion and modelling industries’ according to ViVi. Some sources said that Kuroki Meisa has no interest at all in taking over her father’s place as the head of the company. The source also said that Meisa was showing more interest in the showbiz industries than her family’s businesses. Whichever her choice is, Kuroki Meisa ought to watch out because being the daughter to one of Japan’s most respectable elite made her the centre of media’s attention. She might want to clean up her ‘bad girl’ image or her father might pay the price in this year election.

Totally the opposite of what he had read about Choi Seunghyun in the magazines, newspapers and internet. She’s freaking rich but of course, one would easily assume from her diva acts and all. Her father is Kuroki Shimabukuro! So, what is she doing here, alone and broke? Why would Mr. Kuroki let his only heir walks alone, unattended, in some rural parts of Korea?

This is where half the mystery lies.

The mystery of Choi Seunghyun and Kuroki Meisa, one with good public image and secretive about his life while the other was a Paris Hilton’s clone and definitely loves attention. Somehow, Jaejoong felt they’re both connected and he intended to find out everything even if it means hiring a PI. Huh!

“Feeling better?” he asked as the waiter walked away from their table.

Meisa nodded, taking off her hat and put it on her lap. Her hand reached for her sunglasses but stopped when she realized where she was. She looked around and noticed some gazes that were directed to their table.

“A bit. Do you come here often?” she asked, shifting uncomfortably on her seat.

Jaejoong smiled, nodding his head towards a couple three tables away from them. The man lifted his glass in the air and smiles in return. Jaejoong turned his attention back to her and took a sipped of his wine.

“Always...but never with a beautiful company.”

Meisa blushed and cupped her cheeks with both her hands out of reflex, making Jaejoong laugh.

“Yes, Kuroki Meisa. You’re still my first.”

“You don’t fool around much, don’t you?”

“Let just say, I don’t have that much time to waste.”

“Oh so now you do?”

He laughed again.

Jaejoong was so wonderful she couldn’t help but started comparing him to her long list of loser boyfriends with TOP to include. Isn’t it such a miracle for someone to be so well mannered and filthy rich all at the same time? He never talks about himself and it differs him from all the other guys she used to date back then.

Why can’t he be her Choi Seunghyun?

“I assured you that being with you is not a waste of time. Oh by the way, how’s your friend? Find her yet?”

Meisa gulped.

He remembered! She doesn’t know whether to be happy or frustrated at the newly-found fact.

“Nnn-no. I think I might need a computer for it. Is there any cyber cafe around here?”

“You can use the computer at my office. It’s only 15 minutes drive from here. Want to go check it out after this?” he offered.

“Your office, huh? And here I thought you were a temp worker.”

“You’re more than welcome to build up your own version of me, you know. I can be anyone or anything you want me to be.” Jaejoong winked, naughtily.

“Haha is this the same Kim Jaejoong I met a week ago?”

Nope, I don’t remember who I was a week ago and guess who’s at fault? Meisa, if you have to choose between Seunghyun and me, who would you choose?  What are you to him and what is him to you?

“Your friend is a Korean, hmm?” his sudden curiosity on her ‘friend’ made Meisa eyed him suspiciously.

Did he figure out her secret already?

“Yes.” her answer was short and firm.

She doesn’t want to talk about her future groom, let alone discuss it openly with Kim Jaejoong. 

“I have no right to poke my nose into your personal business. My apology.” he said, humbly.

“No, it’s okay. It’s just that...” her words were cut short when a waiter suddenly appeared beside her with plates in both hand.

“Chit chats later. Now eat.” Jaejoong grinned as he poured some wine into her glass.

**********

“He knew about me.” Seunghyun said quietly into the phone.

His heart was breaking and bleeding and he was in serious danger of tearing the whole building down. He was already in a bad mood after his fight with Meisa, and then that Kim Jaejoong came and dropped his little bombshell on him and the fact that Meisa was so excited to see him bleeds Seunghyun’s heart even more.

“Calm down.” the voice on the other line assured him.

Calm down...Those two words sound so foreign to him. He has been restless ever since they put their plan in action. He was risking a lot just to be here but why didn’t any of it works? The only thing he successfully managed to do was driving Meisa away from him, right into the arm of the perfect Jaejoong.

Kim Jaejoong wasn’t a part of the plan because the plan involves Meisa and Meisa alone!

“He’s harmless but yes, he is a threat to our plan.”

 “He might have told her everything by now. Maybe we should just give up. Maybe I should give up. I’m fighting a losing battle here.”

He sighed heavily. He should have realized that Choi Seunghyun never stood a chance with Kuroki Meisa, not 16 years ago, not now, not ever! She grew up and moved on, and he was nothing more than a forgotten childhood memories. It was him who was crazy enough to hang on to something as stupid as childhood memories.

“Yahh Choi Seunghyun! What is the first rule of business?”

“Never made any assumption.” his replied came out weak.

“Good. Don’t worry much. We’ll kick that daddy’s boy in no time. Come on, you should have faith in your love, Tabi.”

“Faith? She likes him, Ji. Her face lightened up with just the mention of his name.”

“She’s yours. Trust me. All she needs is a little nudge here and there. Ohkaayyy, I have to go. We’ll sort this out tomorrow. Give me a ping when you’ve put the third phase in motion.”

“Sorry for disturbing your date. Thanks again, pal.”

Seunghyun put down his phone on his bedside table.

Slowly he walked towards his bedroom window and opened the curtain, revealing a sea of houses bathing in neon light.

*Flashback

“Daijoubu?” her voice was sweet and soft.

She stood there, looking at him with her pairs of innocent, brown eyes. She looked like an angel, glowing under the morning sun.

“Dare?” he asked.

“Meisa desu. Why are you crying?” she sat beside him, smiling.

“Go away! I wanna be alone.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, she burst into tiny giggles.

“No, you don’t want to be alone. You need a friend. That’s why you’re crying, right? Because they don’t want to be your friend.”

He stared at her for a millisecond before he finally nodded, confirming her guess. She was beautiful and nice. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail and she was wearing a light blue dress with a book in her hand.

“Don’t waste your tears on them. My mom said, we should only cry for people that truly deserves it. They don’t deserve your tears and your friendship.”

“You don’t understand.” he pouted.

“You’re fat and slow, big deal! But what important is the inside because only people with good heart will find true friendship and love.”

“Who told you that?” he wiped away his tears with his shirt and stared at her, amazed.

“This book. It’s a birthday gift from my dad. I’ll let you borrow it after I’ve finished reading it, okay?” she held the book high up in the air so that he could see, proudly.

She should be. That was one fine book, for a fine little girl with a fine thought.

“Don’t cry over something that is not yours because if you look up, you’ll see there are a lot of other things that are meant to be yours. They don’t want to be your friend, that’s fine, but there’s also people that loves you, right? Cherish that instead.”

“And that also from the book?”

She shook her head, blushing.

“No, that was me.” she looked past him and he too, turned to the direction of her gaze.

A woman around her mother age was looking at them. She was no doubt waiting for this sweet angel. Her mother perhaps.

“I have to go. See you when I’ll see you.” she leaned forward, kissed his cheek and ran to her mother, giggling, leaving him fazed to his surroundings.

But she stopped midway and turned to face him, innocently.

 “Oh by the way, your Japanese is very bad.”

The ringing of his mobile phone brought him back to reality. He closed the curtain.

Kuroki Meisa, would you cry for me?

**********

Meisa jotted down the address on the computer screen into Jaejoong’s Post-It. She read the company’s mission and vision before clicking on the organizational chart’s link. Jaejoong was sitting on the couch, playing SpeedType with his mobile phone, in complete silence. He didn’t ask her anything after the reluctant answer she gave him before.

She wasn’t being fair to him by not telling him the truth, by not telling him about her marriage arrangement. But should her when she never planned to have anything serious with him at all? Sure, he was nice and one sweet thing in her miserable life. However, he still is a stranger and Jaejoong seems to be comfortable with the fact.

Maybe it’s better this way. Don’t they say holiday fling never lasted?

She sighed and turned her focus back to the computer screen, to the neatly arranged organizational chart of the Choi’s company. Meisa scrolled down, absorbing the unfamiliar faces into her mind. At the top of the organizational chart, a picture box was left blank.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Choi Seunghyun

It was so hard to find even a piece of useful information about Choi Seunghyun except his incomplete bio data.  His state of anonymity annoyed her to some level.

Oh well, let us see if Mr. Google has anything else on you.

She typed his name in the Google search box and waited for a few seconds before she was directed to the result page. Her heart was pounding hard and fast beneath her chest as she clicked on the image tab.  Meisa took a deep breath, an effort to calm her suddenly nervous heart.

Why did the page took so darn long to load?

The sudden ringing of her mobile phone startled her. She checked on the caller ID and frowned.

“MEIIIIISAAAAA!” a shrieked painfully stabbed her ear as soon as she picked up the call.

“Who is this?” she asked.

Jaejoong lifted his head and their eyes met.

“Maki, you silly girl.”

“MAAAKIII!” Meisa returned her shrieked.

Maki, her bestfriend! Oh my God, how she miss that girl.

‘I’ll be outside’ - she mouthed to Jaejoong and went out.

Jaejoong put down his mobile phone on the glass table in front of him. His eyes travelled around the room before making a stop at a figure of a happy Meisa just outside his office door. He stood up, took several careful steps toward his desk and closed his eyes for a mere second.

Curiosity kills the cat, Kim Jaejoong.

He needs to know, he wants to know, he has to know. This whole thing is driving him crazy and he has to stop it, somehow. Even his dad started giving him that suspicious-glare thing, as if noticing his shaking focus on his work.

 Why is Meisa so secretive about her friend if it’s nothing?

Ah, I’m not a cat! A peek won’t do me any harm.

Jaejoong opened his eyes.

A medium-large picture of a not-so foreign face stared back at him, and the name in the search box froze his blood.

Phewww the longest chapter so far. I hope this would make up for the slow update :)

As always, pardon any grammar mistakes.

So, how is it so far? Does this chapter answer any of your questions?
Would Jaejoong tell Meisa the truth? Should he?
Or should we let Meisa find out by herself?
What is Seunghyun’s next step? Would he be able to win her back?

More to be reveal soon~

Please leave me your precious comment and let me know what you think.

~commentsANDsubcriptions are loved~