Chapter Twenty One

She snuck pieces of clothing out with her school bag every day. Items here and there. She snuck cash out and hid them with her belongings. She sold Dongwoon’s apartment building and wrote up the strictest contract to the buyer that made it hard to sell to anyone else but her, however she sold it to him for a steal.

The maids noticed her clothes were disappearing, but they didn’t have anything definitive. Her assistant noticed her business actions were strange, but did not speak up. Jinhee always knew best. There had to be a reason she was doing what she was.

She sat Doojoon down.

“What I’m about to do is going to be really…” Jinhee sighed heavily, “I’m about to play some big cards. I might disappear for a while. Point is, sorry, we can’t be in a relationship anymore. I might even get disowned. Probably not, but I have to prepare for the worst.”

“What happened?”

“Honestly?”

“Yeah. I won’t tell anyone.”

“My mom told Dongwoon he wasn’t good enough to be in my life. So I’m gonna get a little dramatic and run away.”

“Run away?!”

Jinhee smiled wryly and nodded at her shocked friend, “Don’t worry. I’ve been preparing for a week now. I have cash. Enough to get me by for a significant amount of time to stay under the radar. I have a place to run to. I’ve protected those around me so my mom can’t press them for information they won’t even have on me.”

“You’d really do that for Dongwoon?”

“Doojoon. I’ve been in love with him for as long as I could remember. I resigned myself to never marry him because I was just his friend. That was fine with me. This is a decision for me and him to make. My mother decided to make that decision for us. She knows better than to do that, and still she did it. She made the most important person in my life feel less than. I’ve ruined people for less than that.” And he didn’t doubt that in the slightest.

“Does he know you’re in love with him?”

“I’d never burden him with that knowledge. Heaven knows I’ve taken advantage of him enough in our youth, forcing him to go along with my ridiculous antics. He’s the one that’s too nice,” She smiled sadly, shifting her eyes around to make sure her ninjas still weren’t in earshot of them.

“What if he feels the same about you?”

“Then he’s an idiot. I’m a terrible person to love.”

“You both are so dumb.”

“What?”

“Just… be careful. Let me know if you need help.”

She shook her head but rested a thankful hand on his, “I’ll be fine. This has all been meticulously planned.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, “Plus, they’ll be able to link me to you if you helped me.”

“Won’t they already? Because we’re dating?”

“No. Not after the conversation I’m about to have with my mother. If anything, I need you to watch out for Dongwoon and Junhyung. I won’t be able to have any of my eyes on them without all of my resources, but I have a feeling my mother will come down on them first. It’s what I would do if I was in her position.”

“Okay. I’ll do what I can to protect them. Yoon Corp may not be as rich, but AFA can’t just go around kicking the friends of the second heir either. We all have reputations after all,” Doojoon grinned reassuringly.

“Exactly. That’s why running away is going to be so effective. Calling the cops to try to find me will be embarrassing for the family.”

“You don’t even know how to do laundry…”

“A perfect time to learn.”

“What about school?”

She waved his concerns off, “I’m only here for looks. I already know everything.”

“You’re really sure?”

“Yes.”

“Does Dongwoon know?”

“That I’m about to run away?” She laughed, “No. That’s not a conversation I’m about to have. He knows I’m about to do something, but not what.”

“And that’s a good idea not to tell him?”

“He’s too soft. He doesn’t understand what needs to be done for a Titan to feel.”

“You give him too little credit.”

“And you’re not giving enough credit to my family.”

“Fine. But at least say bye to him somehow.”

“That’s already been arranged. I’m prepared. I don’t make my moves thoughtlessly. I take into account the things that matter.”

He rolled his eyes at her, “I get it. You’re a genius Titan.”

“You’re finally catching on. Good. I’ll let you deal with telling your parents I broke it off. Tell them I fell in love with someone else. A woman.”

“Or I can tell them you’re just not into me.”

“No. They’ll blame you for not being able to keep my attention. Being gay will take the blame off you. This was never your fault so I don’t want things to get difficult at home for you. I know how it can be. And I know it’s only made worse because they thought you had me…”

“It’s fine. One day you’ll marry Dongwoon, and then what?”

“You’re such an optimist. Fine. Tell them whatever you want.”

“When will you be going?”

“Tonight. My mother comes back to town tonight. We’ll talk. I’ll take a car and then a bike that I’ve hidden in the trunk. They’ll only be able to track me through the car for a short while. I’ve already handled that part too.”

“You’re really gonna do this?”

“Yeah.”

“This is not safe…”

“I’ve weighed the risks.”

“What if something happens to you out there?”

“I can’t be a sheltered princess my whole life, Doojoon.”

“The world’s a harsh place for a flower.”

“Nature is all powerful.”

“She is. You are.”

“Doojoon. I hope that one day you’ll feel for something the way I do for Dongwoon. I’d charge into a war for him. I’m tiny. I have no business on a battlefield, but I’d do it for him.”

“He wouldn’t want it.”

“Yeah. But I still would.”

“That’s amazing. I’m happy for you. Hey. Also. Just… I promised him I wouldn’t say anything but… You know he’s like stupid in love with you too, right? I kind of think you need to factor that in before you go through with this running away nonsense.”

“He what?”

“Yeah. He’s been in love with you for forever too. Kinda probably why your mom was able to manipulate him into leaving if she made it seem like it was for the sake of your happiness and future.”

“He… doesn’t…”

“He most definitely does. We’ve talked about it. And now you’ve admitted it officially to me, so I’m not just operating on speculation, so I’m officially done with this bull. He’s the one who told me to proposition you for our convenient relationship. He argued with me that he’d rather it be me than some stranger.”

“I’m… really ing done with people doing behind my back thinking it’s for my best interests. Like I don’t know how to handle my business?”

“Cool. Good luck with this new information.”

She smiled up at him sincerely. He may not have meant as much as Dongwoon to her, but he was a genuine friend in a world that offered no solace, “Thanks. For everything.”

He tapped her nose, “I highly doubt I’ve seen the last of Ahn Jinhee.”

“That’s for certain. I’ll rule the underworld if I have to. I’m meant to be on top.”

“Stay safe, Smurf.”

“Whatever, .”

Jinhee sought Dongwoon out, finding him on the roof.

“What’s the plan?” He asked her suddenly before she could speak. “I know you've been making preparations. What are we doing?”

“We?”

“You’re not going through this alone. Not again. I’m here to stay in your life from now on.”

----

I'm not 100 on where I'm going, but I'm going.