more curse words than usual ahead. :c      “So why’re you here, Kim Jongin?”      At Jongin’s request, he and Jieun had moved locations from the front of her house to a local coffee shop. Perhaps it was because of the time. Or, maybe it was that the shop just didn’t have many usual customers. Whatever the reason was, fortunately for the two, not many people were present to eavesdrop on the ridiculous and outrageous conversation that went on.      With a slight hint of a smirk on his face, Jongin drummed his fingers against the table. “You’re more impatient than I thought you’d be,” he said casually, taking a sip of the steaming hot coffee from his mug. “That’s strange. It must’ve taken a lot of effort for you to keep your true feelings and intentions down the last couple of years.”      Jieun scoffed. “I’m not here to discuss my traits and characteristics with you. If you have nothing important to say, I’ll take my leave.”      “You sly, cunning ,” Jongin sneered, causing the other to freeze in her position and preventing her from walking away. “You, Lee Jieun. The fiancée to the next heir of the world-renowned Xiao Lu Investments. Who would’ve known—or even considered—this stellar being of such immorality? How her position wasn’t actually the rewards of hard work and talent but of selling out her own mother’s life?”      Her hands on her lap began to shake uncontrollably; she tried to stop it by clenching them into fists, but had no avail. “Immoral?” she spoke up quietly, “Did you just say immoral? I don’t think you should be talking, Kim Jongin. You’re a ing criminal. A murderer! And you’re calling me immoral? How could you be so goddamn audacious—”      “You must be quite mistaken, dear. Or falsely informed. What a shame, considering how much you would’ve spent your time organizing your little revenge against me. Haven’t you heard from the police three years ago? Haven’t you seen the police reports? That accident wasn’t my fault. Your mother was the one that walked into my car, ignoring the signals. Don’t accuse me here, Lee Jieun.” He looked straight at Jieun, his eyes fixed on her trembling ones before letting out a short laugh under his breath. “And this is why Lu Han’s an utter idiot. Lower class trash shouldn’t even be dealt with. They’re like weeds, you see. They invade space, multiply in numbers too quickly, and they eat up the good stuff that obviously don’t belong to them. In shorter terms, they never learn where their place is. That’s why they should be completely rooted out, gotten rid of.”      Collecting every bit of her mind in place, Jieun calmly responded, “Enough with the chitchat. You want to negotiate—isn’t that why you came to me instead of Lu Han?”      Jongin raised an eyebrow in amusement, shrugging. “You were always a smart one. Then let’s get to business, shall we? Restore my company. Make it even better than it was before—meaning Xiao Lu returning its promised investment funds plus alpha. If you don’t...” He grinned. “I’m going to tattle on Lu Han about you.”      Very quietly, Jieun drew a breath. “I’ll think about it,” she told him. “It won’t be easy. Chairman Lu’s authorization has already been given, and—”      “You’ll make it happen. I trust you will,” came the dry response. “But don’t think too long. I can’t control my mouth very well when I’m impatient, in case you didn’t know. What if I accidentally let words slip past my tongue?”      She burst up from her seat. “I’ll give you a call soon.” Before she stepped out, however, she added, “One thing you should keep in mind though. The more you step on weeds and try to get rid of them, the more they’ll grow.”   <:>      Jieun’s mind was completely blank as she headed back home. She didn’t know what to think. It was a dumb, stupid mistake—she should have taken into account that Jongin find out eventually. This was at the worst of timings, too. It wouldn’t matter if Jongin “tattled” on Lu Han if the latter fully trusted her; but, as of late, her fiancé had been quite hostile towards her.      When she came to a halt in front of her front door, she saw that another person had been waiting for her. “I must’ve won the lottery today,” she jokingly muttered to no one in particular. “I’ve a lot of handsome men visiting my humble home.”      Sehun frowned, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Did someone else come?”      “Why’re you here,” Jieun asked, ignoring his question completely. “And what is it that you want from me?”      “I just wanted to see if things were okay. Something felt odd between you two. At the parking lot earlier, I mean.” He bent his figure down a little to match his height with hers, looking at her face with worry. “Looks like I was right. Long, tiring day it was, yes?”      Jieun unfortunately failed to see his sincere concern. She blurted out, “Maybe mom wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want to see me suffering, hurting and in pain. Maybe all she wants is for me to be happy.”      Sehun’s expression crumpled. “What are you talking about? Are you okay?”      “What do you think? Don’t I have the right to be happy? Can’t I just let it all go and do as I want now? I’ve had enough, Sehun. I’m fed up with everything—lying, pretending, and keeping it all in. I’m just done.”      Silence was all that was there between the two for a brief while. But all of a sudden, Sehun took ahold of Jieun’s forearm in a tight grip, pulling her awa