Narrator's POV

Subin barely slept the previous night, she was too preoccupied with her parents' new hotel launching. They have enough successful businesses, why add another one?

"good morning starshine, the earth says hello~" Jackson shouted as soon as Subin entered the bedroom. The girl chuckled

"good morning, why are you in a good mood this early?" Subin asked getting her bag

"he probably ate some chocolate" Mark groaned rolling over

"wake up Mark! Or I'll kiss your girlfriend!" Jackson shouted

"I will kick you before you even try" Subin said sharply "I love you like a brother Wang pabo, but ew."

"I don't have to worry about that" Mark said putting a pillow over his face "now good night"

"andwae, love ireona" Subin said getting the pillow

"wae?" he whined

"because I want to ask you if I look okay for the launching" she said

"you look beautiful in anything, baby" Mark mumbled

"yeah, that was a bad choice to ask you. Jackson, what do you think? I need you to be rash and blunt" Subin said fixing her hair

"then you went to the right person" Jackson cracked his knuckles. He put two fingers to his chin and examined the girl from head to toe. "your shoes don't go with your outfit"

"excuse me, black goes with everything" Subin crossed her arms

"not with that outfit, honey" Jackson said "change your outfit"

"bwoh?" she scoffed

"you wanted my opinion" he shrugged

"I oughta-"

"baby" Mark mumbled "use white heels, it'll look better"

"fine" Subin muttered. Her final result was a baby blue strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline with white pumps and a white bag. Her hair was down with loose waves with skin-toned makeup.

"much better" Jackson smiled

"I just changed my heels" she said fixing her eyeliner "aish, I have to return to Ms. Business again don't I?"

"act mean, like you did when we first met you" Jackson said

"yah! One more word and I-"

"relax" Mark said putting his hands on her shoulders

"well look who finally got up from the bed" Subin teased "I talked to your folks earlier. They said Jason was doing fine and sent me a picture of him sleeping, he's really cute isn't he?"

"he looks like you, of course he's cute" Mark smiled pecking her cheek

"you're so greasy lately, why? It's getting gross" Subin said and he pouted

"thank God I'm not the only one who wants to throw up" Jackson said in relief. Mark sent him a glare.

"I'm gonna go now" Subin said putting her phone and wallet in her bag

"now? It's 10" Mark said

"the launching is at 2 and it takes a couple of hours to drive there" Subin said giving him a kiss on the lips "tell the boys 'bye' for me"

"did you eat?" he asked

"I'll get something on the way, don't worry about me" she said

"but-"

"just focus on your practice later tonight oh? I'll be fine" Subin smiled "hopefully I'll be here tonight"

"that doesn't sound reassuring" Jackson commented

"bye" she ignored him, leaving the dorm.

***

Like she said, Subin had a light brunch in the taxi. By the time she arrived at the location for the launching - which was, of course, at the new hotel, it was 2:15. She was surprised that a lot of people were present already, and even more surprised as they easily recognized her.

"oppa, what are you doing here?" Subin asked as she ran into her cousin

"the whole family is here" Soo Hyun said "I think the better question is, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in LA?"

"I arrived yesterday" Subin said "long story"

"no story is long enough for your Soo Hyun oppa" he said

"I'll tell you later, right now I'm an heiress" she said and walked away. The girl greeted the guests, family or not, and spotted the top marketers - the Jungs. Noticing that they were by far, not impressed, she knew that her parents pleaded for them to come. This was the first time she's seen that family attend any of her family business parties/launchings

Subin fought in her head to either stay quiet or try to actually do something for her parents. The girl sighed and wore a smile before walking over to them and bowing "annyeonghaseyo, I don't think we've met before Mr. and Mrs. Jung"

"deh annyeonghaseyo" the woman bowed

"nugusayo?" the man asked

"ah cheonun Kwon Subin imnida," she smiled "this is my parents' launching."

"ahh, I didn't know Minhee and Kwangho had such a beautiful daughter" Mrs. Jung complimented

"what are you doing now Subin-ssi?" Mr. Jung asked

"ahh...I'm working to take over my parents' businesses" Subin slightly fibbed "most particulary my umma's fashion company. I heard you have a son?"

"deh, he couldn't attend the launching. He's on a tour right now" Mr. Jung said

"a tour?" Subin asked

"yes, he inspired to become an idol. Of course, we were strongly against his decision. I mean with his status and our family standing, why would he choose a road like that?" Mrs. Jung said "but we saw him perform once during his concert here. My boy, he belonged on that stage."

"I think after we told him that we approved of his dream, he shone even more." Mr. Jung said proudly "we're boring you aren't we, Subin-ssi?"

"no, not at all!" Subin denied "I'm very intrigued actually. Who is your son?"

"Jung Daehyun. He doesn't really like to be acknowledged as an heir so we aren't really brought up much" Mrs. Jung said "have you heard of him?"

"deh! I'm quite a fan of BAP" Subin said "Daehyun-ssi's voice is absolutely incredible, he resembles you a lot, Mr. Jung. Now that I think about it"

"oh that's too kind of you" Mr. Jung chuckled heartily "we heard that there is news of you being engaged?"

"ah..deh" she said awkwardly

"what is the name of your fiance? We don't really keep in touch of news disregarding us, you'll have to forgive me" Mrs. Jung said

"his name is Cho Junyoung" Subin said quietly

"oh one of the Cho's" Mr. Jung said bitterly "no offense, Subin-ssi"

"none taken sir, literally" she said

"just between us, dear. You should try and get out of that arranged marriage" Mrs. Jung said

"deh?" Subin asked

"uri Daehyun, he saw that Cho boy always out with different girls. No one else of people wanted anything to do with the Chos. We only speak to them because of your family" Mrs. Jung said "if I knew that Kwangho and Minhee's daughter was such a pleasure like this, I definitely would have agreed for my Daehyun with that arranged marriage"

"Daehyun wouldn't have agreed though, yeobo" Mr. Jung said "he's a man of the 21st century, he doesn't believe in arranged marriages. Besides, he has his career"

"to be honest with you Mr. and Mrs. Jung, I don't believe in arranged marriage either" Subin confessed

"oh my dear, I feel so much for you" Mrs. Jung said putting a hand on her shoulder "rebel to your parents why don't you? Surely they would listen to you"

"I wish that was the case" Subin said "I've already tried to rebel. I'm afraid they're too concerned of Junyoung's status to even falter with my feelings and the boy I actually like"

"you have another boy you like?" Mr. Jung raised an eyebrow

"I-I didn't mean that...I meant-"

"that's the problem with our people" Mrs. Jung let out a sigh "we're too concerned with our standards. When I think of Daehyun, I remember that there are more important things than money and fame. There's love and passion"

"who is the other boy?" Mr. Jung asked and noticed her hesitation "don't worry, we won't tell anyone, especially your parents"

"my parents already know." Subin said embarrassed "but he's an idol too, like Daehyun-ssi. His name is Mark. A foreigner."

"ahh, that's definitely something" Mrs. Jung said "but who am I to judge, I've always had a crush on the rich guys during dramas regardless of age or looks. If they were rich, I automatically liked them. Unpleasant visualization, right?"

"may I ask a question?" Subin asked stifling her laughter

"of course" Mr. Jung nodded his head

"why have you never attended my parents' business parties before? I remember them inviting you" Subin said carefully

"ah. Well I'm really sorry to say this, dear. Your parents aren't the most genuine people in the world. We choose certain owners to market, the ones with the purest intentions, not the ones with the most money. I believe that's why we're considered the hardest marketers." Mr. Jung said

"then why did you come today?" Subin asked

"your parents have been pleading us for the longest time, it was very perplexing how much they contacted us" Mrs. Jung rolled her eyes, then suddenly her facial expression became warm "but I'm glad we came. We got to meet you, my dear"

"ah kamsahamnida" Subin bowed

"now I doubt that you came to us 'just for the hell of it' as my son says.  What's the real reason you spoke to us?" Mr. Jung asked

Subin chuckled "I recognized you, Mr. and Mrs. Jung. I remembered how much my parents wanted you to market us and I was going to try for them" Subin said bowing her head "I understand what you mean about my parents being ingenuine, I'd also understand if you choose not to"

"the Kwon family isn't as ingenuine as we thought" Mrs. Jung said giving a knowing smile to her husband "there's some real gold in a pile of pyrite"

"I'm pretty impressed that you'd still want to do something like this for your parents even if they're denying you your feelings and forcing you to get married with that helpless case of a Cho" Mr. Jung said. Subin was about to respond when her parents interrupted them.

"I'm very sorry for my daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Jung" umma said "we weren't expecting her to come today"

"I wanted to surprise you, Umma. Appa" Subin said

"oh why should you be sorry?" Mrs. Jung asked "we absolutely adore your daughter. Such a pleasant and fine girl she is"

"r-really?" appa asked "she hasn't mentioned anything?"

"what is there to mention?" Mr. Jung said "we just chatted with her for a while. Nothing wrong with that."

"of course not" appa said "so about our hotel-"

"say no more" Mrs. Jung held her hand up "Subin has already talked to us about it, we'd be glad to market your business"

"oh thank you-"

"if Subin is the one handling it" Mrs. Jung finishd

"deh?" the girl asked turning to her "Mrs. Jung, I'm honored. But my parents are the ones you should be marketing"

"is there a difference? It is still the same owners, but we'll only market if Subin is the one in charge" Mrs. Jung answered

"of course" appa said baffled "that will be arranged, but our Subin has her marriage coming up and-"

"with the Cho heir?" Mr. Jung said with hostility

"yes, he's a fine boy" umma said "is there a problem?"

"that boy is lacking in many ways compared to your daughter" Mrs. Jung said sternly

"oh no no, our daughter is lacking compared to Junyoung" umma said

"I don't think you understand the full story Mrs. Kwon" Mrs. Jung said "your daughter has told us about her situation"

"how dare you-"

"you only see your daughter's flaws, you don't see the countless flaws of the boy you're marrying her off to" Mr. Jung said "my son has seen Cho Junyoung with numerous girls at the club"

"impossible" appa said "he doesn't like clubbing. Your son must have seen wrong"

"are you saying that my son is lying?" Mr. Jung said "my son doesn't lie"

"but that doesn't seem like Junyoung" appa said

"none of our people like the Chos. We only tolerate them because of you. I believe it is scrutiny that you are marrying off your only daughter - a fine gem - to a son like him" Mrs. Jung said. By this point, the launching was focused on the bicker between the two families "he is a disgrace, his family isn't even here"

"he is not!" appa defended "you don't know what you are talking about. My daughter doesn't deserve someone like him!"

"appa jeom" Subin said "hajimasayo, jebalyo"

"you stay out of this Kwon Subin, you're not even supposed to be here. Why are you back in Korea when we sent you to LA with Junyoung?" umma said

"I came back with Mark. I came back to fix a mess that I started" Subin said

"Mark? We should have stopped his career months ago" appa said

"waeguraeyo? you didn't have to go as far as to drug me when I was pregnant and ship me off to another continent, preventing me with any form of communication back home, and forcing me to live with a boy who is abusive and violent and rash. Forcing me to live with someone who violated my body. Not only once, but attempted twice, if it wasn't for Mark saving me" Subin said

"you did what?" Mr. Jung asked, the people starting to whisper around. Soo Hyun stepped in, taking his cousin's wrist

"culmanhaera Subin-ah" he whispered. The girl only shook his hand off

"why do you hate the thought of Mark and I? wae?" Subin asked feeling emotional all over again

"he's not rich. He doesn't belong to a fine family. He doesn't know business" umma listed

"money isn't everything, umma. Money can't buy love or happiness. I met his family in LA, his family saved me and cared for me when my son was born. I trust his family so much that I left my child back there with them so that he doesn't have to grow up in a corrupt lifestyle like I did. Mark doesn't know business, but he has passion, and he makes people happy worldwide" Subin said "I grew up wrong umma, appa. You taught me the wrong ways. We're all selfish and self-centered and that's not what the world needs. With all due respect for all the families here, which ones of you send money to the helpless? to charities?"

The Jungs' hands went up, so did the Kims'.

"two families...out of two dozen" Subin said

"we tried to raise you to be elite, to give you only the best" appa said "why are you betraying us this way?"

"I'm not the one betraying, you are" Subin said "sometimes the best isn't what I need"

"bwoh?" umma said "Kwon Subin, you have a lot of nerve"

"aren't parents supposed to love and support their child unconditionally? They'll be happy as long as their child is happy?" Subin asked "Mr. and Mrs. Jung, you said you wanted Daehyun-ssi to go into business like you?"

"of course, but now we couldn't be more proud that he's living up his dream" Mrs. Jung answered

"imo, samchun. What about when Soo Hyun oppa decided to be an actor?" Subin asked "he's one of the best actors in our country"

"we're proud" samchun said simply "yes, we didn't agree. But Soo Hyun's happy, he's successful, and he likes doing what he does"

"this is different Subin, that's careers. This is who you will end up with in the future" umma said

"are you really telling me that you want me to marry someone who only wants to me? Junyoung wants to ruin our family, more than it already is. He wants to take over the remaining businesses and bring turmoil. He wants me to lose everything. You want me to marry someone like that just because he was born into a rich family?" Subin asked "do you really care about status so much you're blinded about your own daughter's love and happiness? Do you even care about me anymore? Have I disappointed you so much by who I fell in love with, that your love for me is gone?"

"Subin-ah" Soo Hyun said again and noticed a brown-haired male in a suit by the entrance "yah, what are you doing here?"

"Subin..." Mark said rushing towards her once he noticed that she was crying. He didn't give a damn about the people who stared at him.

"what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the dorm" Subin said

"you left this" he said showing her a picture frame

"what is it?" both she and her parents asked

"I thought your parents would want at least a picture of you and Jason together if he wasn't here in person...I told you about it on the flight, but I think you were too depressed with leaving him" Mark said handing the frame to her parents "gwenchana?"

"ani" she shook her head "but you should go-"

"well well, look who we have here" Junyoung said staggering inside the room "how can you have a party without me? eomeonim? abeonim?

"what are you doing here?" Mark spat

"oh great, the loverboy is here too" Junyoung laughed "even better"

"Cho Junyoung, you're drunk" Subin glared at him "why aren't you in LA?"

"same reason you aren't, I needed to come home" he said "where's my son?"

"he's not your son" Mark defended "you may be the biological father but I will give more of a damn about Jason than you ever will"

"ka, naka" Subin said pushing him towards the entrance

"alright, I'm obviously not wanted here" Junyoung slurred, blowing on his tongue "your loss "

"kojo! don't show your face around me" she said coldly, turning her back on him

"Kwon Subin-"

"why you little" Junyoung said taking out a knife, running towards the girl. Mark's eyes widened and he quickly got in between them, covering Subin's body from harm. Mark et out a sharp gasp as he felt multiple stabs on his back. Soo Hyun quickly pulled Junyoung off and knocked him out cold.

"M-Mark" Subin stuttered turning around. the boy fell to the floor, tasting the blood in his mouth "love, you have to stay with me! Jeongsincharyeo! - oppa ppali! Call 119!"

"Mr. Jung took off his suit jacket and gave it to Subin who wiped Mark's blood.

"why are you all just standing there?! Get help!" Mrs. Jung shouted

"l-love hang in there. You're going to be okay, alright? It's not that bad right?" Subin tried to reassure him, but she didn't know if it was more for herself. She held his face in her lap and lightly slapped his cheeks, trying to keep him awake "M-Mark say something"

"did he hurt you?" Mark coughed out

"ani," she said "pabo-ya! why'd you come in between us?!"

"I told you I'd protect you this time" he said weakly "I couldn't let him touch even a hair on you, not again"

"Subin-ah, he's losing a lot of blood" Soo Hyun said "he might lose consciousness"

"andwae, you have to stay awake Mark Tuan" Subin ordered

"the paramedics just got here" Mr. Jung informed and a bunch of men ran into the room. They got Mark on a stretcher and led him out, Subin hot on their trail. She boarded the ambulance with them, holding Mark's hand tightly.

"yeobosayo?" Subin said urgently "Jaebum-ah!"

"oh wae noona?" he asked

"Mark got stabbed. We're on our way to the hospital right now. Ppali wa" she said, her voice wavering

"b-bwoh?!" JB shouted

"just come to XXX hospital quick! I'll explain later" Subin said hanging up

A/N Well doesn't this author get an award for adding more drama? 






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