It had been a few days since Seunghyun and Jiyong had returned to Korea with Jiyoung.  Jiyoung was scolded by her parents and Seunghyun and Jiyong’s parents, but she didn’t really care.  She was always a troublemaker, so she was already used to getting lectured. 

            The Ahn family was in the Choi family’s residence.  To celebrate the beginning of their partnership, Danny invited them for dinner at his mansion.  Everyone except Kai, Hyuna, and Janey had a glass of champagne in their hand.  The three underage individuals had apple cider instead.

            “Here’s a toast to the beginning of the collaborative efforts between the Ahn family and the Choi family!” Danny raised his glass.

            “Cheers!” everyone sang.

            Eugene was very satisfied with how things turned out.  The Ahn family just loved Yoona.  To add on to that, Kahi was impressed that Jiyong had sought out a relationship with Jessica.  Kahi had her eye on Jessica for a while and wanted her in her company.

            “Jessica, have you made a decision on where you want to work?” Kahi smiled.

            Jessica laughed to herself and gave a bright smile.  She had many offers.  Kahi’s company, along with companies like Tori Burch, Calvin Klein, and Armani, wanted her as a designer.

            “I’ve been thinking for a while now, and I think I know where I want to work,” Jessica told her.

            Kahi replied, “I just want you to know before you make your decision that I am dying to have you on my team.  I saw your designs and you remind me of myself from when I was your age.  You’re brilliant at designing.”

            “Thank you, Kahi sshi,” Jessica cheerfully answered, “I really appreciate it.  I’ll let you know what my decision is soon.”

            She knew for a fact that she was going to choose Kahi’s company.  She just didn’t want to sound desperate.  Even Kahi knew that as a designer, you shouldn’t make yourself seem as if you were too available.  You had to make the companies go to you to show that you had other options.

            Kangta brought up, “After we make this deal about the oil and airplanes in Korea, I would also like to discuss another thing that I had on my mind.  I’m aware that you guys own other airports in other countries.  I would like to make a deal in oil and gasoline for those airplanes, too.”

            Danny almost choked on his champagne.  He thought he was the one that was going to need to ask for that kind of deal.

            “I’m going to be honest,” Kangta added, “When I first looked at the idea of doing business with the Choi family, I was a bit hesitant.  My philosophy is that if you can’t handle a family, you can’t manage a company or a business.  I knew Seunghyun was going to be the next president, and I worried for your company.  From my first opinion, I thought Seunghyun couldn’t handle a family.  I thought he was a playboy…a showoff if you must say.  Then he turns around and dates Im Yoona, a miraculously gifted genius.  To top that, Jiyong is dating a designing prodigy!  Your boys turned around, and I’m happy to do business with your family.”

            Eugene asked, “If you don’t mind me asking Mr. Ahn, but why do you always stress the value of family?  Family is important to us, too, but I know a lot of businessmen that focus more on their companies.”

            “I think I already mentioned this,” Kangta said, “but family is important to Kahi and I because we lost our family before we formed one together.  I recently hired a private investigator to investigate where our daughters are, and they’re surely dead.  The private investigator gained information from the gang that abducted my daughter and the gang leader’s son admitted that they shot a little girl the night my daughter went missing because she wouldn’t stop crying.  Reports showed that Kahi’s daughter survived the boat crash and she was adopted when she was 8.  Reports claim that she committed suicide when she was 17 because she was brokenhearted.”

            Eugene and Danny didn’t know how to react to their story.  They didn’t know what they would do if their sons or daughter went missing and died. 

            “What were their names?” Yoona asked.

            Kahi answered, “My daughter’s name was Suna, and Kangta’s daughter’s name was Sunhee.  I’m sure those two would have gotten along.”

            “I’m sorry for your loss,” Seunghyun bowed his head.

            “It’s fine,” Kangta tried to smile, “God may have taken away two of our daughters, but he gifted us with a loving son and daughter.”

_____________________________________

            Yoona felt guilt shooting into her heart.  The darkness had already filled the sky and the family just finished having their dinner with the Ahn family.  Yoona was lying next to Seunghyun.  He insisted that she needed to stay because he couldn’t sleep well without her.  Yoona’s phone vibrated and she quickly read the text message that she had just received.

To:  Im Yoona

From:  Park Yoochun

We need to talk about what happened.  Ignoring me won’t do you any good!

            For the past few days, Yoona had been ignoring him and disregarding his calls and texts.  Even Seunghyun knew that something was wrong with her.  She wasn’t acting normal.  He knew that something was burdening her, and even though she lied to him and said that there was nothing wrong, he knew better.

            Yoona grew startled as she felt her phone vibrate again.  She checked whom it was from and frowned immediately.

To:  Im Yoona

From:  Kim Uee

You better make your decision or I’m going to tell him about your scandal…

            Yoona could not believe how fast everything was happening.  One moment, her relationship was doing just fine with Seunghyun, and the next moment, she had mistakenly had an affair with another man.  She didn’t even know how it happened.  She knew that someone was up to the plan.  What if Yoochun had planned it all?  What if he just pretended that he was drugged, too, so that it would be believable that he was not the perpetrator?  Could it be possible?  Yoochun knew that Uee had the biggest crush on Seunghyun.  It could be possible that he was the one that sent those pictures to her so that Uee could break up Seunghyun and Yoona.

            Seunghyun began to stir in his sleep and as he opened his eyes, he saw that Yoona was staring blankly at the wall.  She sighed to herself as she folded her hands across her belly.

            “Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” he asked her.

            Yoona breathed, “Seunghyun, do you truly love me?”

            “Of course,” he assured her.

            “What if I hurt you in the future?” Yoona questioned.

            Seunghyun tilted his head and then brought her into his embrace.  With his arms around her, he kissed the side of her head and inhaled her scent.

            “That’s not possible,” Seunghyun stated.

            Yoona fought the urge to cry.  She had already hurt him, and he was going to know about it soon.  She was going to tell him.  She already decided that, and she was not going to conform to Uee’s deal. 

___________________________

            Jessica was alone in the bedroom because Seunghyun had been whining for Yoona to sleep in his bedroom.  Jessica took a deep breath after observing Yoona.  She had made it so obvious that something was wrong.  She was always in deep thought and she had a guilty look on her face.

            Jessica walked over to her side of the bedroom in which all of her clothes were stored.  She opened an empty drawer and pulled out a shoebox that she had kept there for the last few days.  In the box was a compilation of all the warnings she had received from one of Jiyong’s many crazy stalker ex-girlfriends warning her to get away from him or she will be punished.  She had already been shot.  She was sent flowers foreshadowing her death and she received several death threats in the form of letters and notes.  She opened the newest one that she had received.  It was neatly placed in the driver’s seat of her car, which frightened Jessica.  For one, she had her car locked when she found the note.  Whoever that person was must have had many skills, money, and connections.

If I were you, I’d run and hide.  Run away from my love, or you will die.

            That note sent chills through her body.  She nervously her lips as she placed the note back into the shoebox.  She sighed again and tried to remain calm.  Suddenly, she heard the door opening.  In a swift motion, she closed the shoebox and shoved it back into the drawer.  She did not want anyone knowing that she had been receiving death threats.  She didn’t want to burden anyone.

            Jiyong walked into the room to see that she was kneeling in front of a drawer.  She had quickly stood up on her feet and gave an awkward smile.  Jiyong raised his brow at her and knew that something was up.

            “What’s wrong?” Jiyong asked.

            “Nothing is wrong,” Jessica assured him.

            Jessica then her lips and she heard her stomach churn.  She didn’t know if it was because she was hungry or just anxious. 

            “Babe, I’m going to go to the kitchen to get something to eat.  I’m really hungry,” Jessica announced.

            “Yah, you’re not supposed to eat this late at night!” Jiyong joked.

            Jessica glared at him, “Why?  You’ll break up with me if I get fat?”

            “Of course not!” Jiyong cried out, “I’d still love you even if you were 200 pounds!”

________________________

A few days later…

            This was the moment for Seunghyun.  It was now or never.  He had planned for this day for the past few weeks.  He knew that he wasn’t the romantic type, but he knew that if he made a big effort, Yoona would appreciate it.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  The garden was beautifully decorated.  Shades of pink, white, purple, blue, and yellow flowers surrounded him while the lights beautifully hung over the gazebo. 

            He had not seen Yoona the whole day.  He had told her that he was busy at work, but the truth was that he had taken the day off at work to overlook the plans he had made for the past few weeks.  Everything was perfect, and he was sure that she was going to love it.  He had even sent her a dress to wear.

            The driver had fetched her from the house and had brought her to the place he had selected.  Overlooking a beautiful lake, it was just breathtaking.  The bright moon lit the place up with a soft glow.  Seunghyun saw the car come to a halt and within a few seconds, Yoona had emerged from the vehicle.

            He exhaled in relief to see how beautiful she was.  Her wavy hair was long and silky.  She only had foundation on, but she was beautiful no matter what.  Yoona wore a white dress that went down to her feet.  She was even more stunning than he had imagined her to be in the dress.  With a small smile on her face, he grew worried.  Something seemed off about her.  He knew that it’s been like this for a few days, but he guessed that she was just worried because another school year was going to start for her in less than a month.

            Yoona slowly walked up to him with her fingers interlaced with each other.  Seunghyun looked extremely handsome.  He wasn’t even wearing a suit like he usually did.  He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants.  She then looked around her surroundings.  Everything was just too perfect.  She knew that something was going to happen.  Her first guess was that he was going to propose.  She inhaled sharply as tears began to fill her eyes.  She stopped walking and stood in front of him while avoiding eye contact with him.

            “Yoona, is there something wrong?” he asked with worry.

            Yoona’s expression was blank.  She had planned on telling him the truth.  She didn’t even tell Jessica that she was planning on coming clean with Seunghyun because Jessica would try to persuade her out of it.  Yoona couldn’t help but begin to cry.  He was going to ask her to marry him, and she was going to confess her infidelity.

            “We need to talk,” Yoona managed to say.

            It was pretty obvious that he was going to propose, so he thought that Yoona was crying because she was happy—but something about it didn’t seem right.

            “Yoona, I—,” he was cut off.

            Yoona interrupted him, “I need to talk to you first.  Just listen to what I have to say.”

            He knew that there was something bad that happened.  Just with the expression on her face, he knew that she was going to reveal something that would change their relationship.  He was nervous, but eager to learn what she wanted to say.

            “Seunghyun, I really love you.  I’m so in love with you that I feel like I’m going crazy.  Every minute that I’m away from you, I’m wondering how you’re doing and if you’re okay.  I’m always worrying about you, and I only want you to be happy,” Yoona told him.

            She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, as her voice grew shakier.

            “I did a horrible thing…Well, I think I did,” Yoona announced, “I’m going to cut to the chase.  I went to see Yoochun when you went to Australia.  I went to ask him for a favor to find Hyeri’s parents, and I don’t know how it happened.  I don’t remember a single thing, but I woke up in bed with him the next morning.”

            Those words haunted Seunghyun.  His eyes widened while he took a step away from her as if she was diseased.  The mix of emotions he felt was something that he could not explain.  The only thing that rang in his mind was the word:  betrayal.

            “How could you do this?” he asked.

            Yoona held his hand, but he brushed her hand away.

            “I don’t know how it happened!  I remember feeling sleepy, and when I woke up, I saw him next to me,” Yoona explained frantically, “Please believe me!”

            How could he believe her?  Her story didn’t make sense.

            “I really can’t believe you,” he breathed, “Your story has no correlation whatsoever.  How dare you try to use the excuse of trying to find Hyeri’s parents to make it seem as if you’re a saint!  You’re not what everyone thinks you are!”

            “I’m telling you the truth!” Yoona cried.

            He ran his fingers through his hair and suddenly remembered the ring he had in his pocket.  He was close to asking her to make her his wife. 

            He scoffed, “I thought you were the only person that wouldn’t hurt me.  I put so much trust in you.  I opened up to you, loved you, and protected you, but you cheated on me!  How can I ever trust you again?”

            Yoona began to cry to herself to see Seunghyun like this.  She honestly thought that he was going to believe her.  She knew that she was at fault for seeing Yoochun behind his back, but it was a fact that she had not planned on waking up beside him.  She wasn’t even sure if they did anything because she didn’t remember a single thing, but there was always that possibility.

            “You’ll have to believe me,” Yoona repeated, “Relationships are supposed to be based on trust.  You need to believe me because I’m not lying.  I love you so much, and I would never intentionally hurt you.”

            “Do you know how absurd you sound?” he swallowed, “You slept with someone I dislike!  I waited for you and I didn’t pressure you to do anything with me because you had your beliefs and I respected them, but what do you do?  You sleep with another man when I’m gone!  I cannot believe you, Im Yoona!  You’re a cheater and a liar!  I’m breaking up with you!  My life would have been better off without you.”

            He didn’t know how bad those words hurt her.  With each word, she felt her heart aching more and more.  Just like that, her world had crashed down.

            “Seunghyun, if you walk away now, I’ll never forgive you,” Yoona sniffled, “When you find out I was telling the truth, I’ll never forgive you.  You will be a stranger to me.”

            Seunghyun stared at her long and hard.  She had fallen to her knees and was crying silently to herself.  He scoffed mockingly.  Yoona already knew that he was back to his old self.

            “I’m leaving now,” he announced.

_____________________________

            Jiyong was laying in bed with Gaho as he read a magazine that had featured two pages on Jessica and the start of her career as a fashion designer.  She was living the life that he had wanted.  Of course, Jessica had dreams of being a designer, but Jiyong shared the same dream.  Here he was, stuck being the future vice-president of a company that he never wanted to be a part of.

            Jiyong put down the magazine as Gaho tilted his tiny head to the side.  Seunghyun had told Jiyong that he was going to propose to Yoona.  He rested his arm over his forehead with a smile on his face.  He was sure that Yoona was going to say yes.  A smile appeared on his face as Jessica’s face flashed in his mind.  Someday, he was going to make her his wife.

            A loud ringing sound was emitting from a cellphone.  He thought it was his phone, but it wasn’t his ringtone.  Jiyong looked over the phone and saw that it was Jessica’s.  She must have left it in his room.  Before he could answer the call, the ringing stopped.  Jiyong took the phone in his hand and listened to the voicemails.  His brows scrunched up to hear a breathy voice. 

            “Leave oppa alone!”

            “Jiyong oppa is mine!  Leave my oppa alone.”

            “Did you enjoy that bullet?  Things will be worse from now on.”

            “You will die at this rate.”

            Those threats terrified him.  He couldn’t figure out whose voice that was because it was so raspy.  He knew that Jessica had been hiding it from him.  He grunted to himself as worry filled his heart.  He read the number from the missed calls list and copied it to his phone.  He then texted the number that had been bothering Jessica.

            “This is Choi Jiyong.  Who are you?  Why are you bothering Jessica?  I want to meet up with you.  Meet me at the Main Central Café tomorrow at noon.  Be there.”

            Jiyong pressed the sent button and breathed out.  He needed to figure out who was bothering Jessica.

Authors' Notes:

Sunshine94:  I'm really sorry that we haven't updated this story in like a month.  I know it's long, but I had to work longer hours because of the holidays.  Plus, I had to go shopping for a lot of my family members for Christmas.  I hope you enjoyed our update.  Thank you for reading and have a happy new year!  Stay safe, everyone!  ^__^

jessicajessica:  I hope you liked the update.  We hardly have the time, but we're both fighting to make time for updates.  Thanks for reading and subscribing!  See you in our next chapter.  Oh, and happy new year!