In the end, you couldn’t go visit your parents over the weekend because you spent it in Busan. It was probably one of the best vacations you’ve been to… Not having to mind Yongguk’s father.

 

After the vacation, like that already four months zipped by. Like Yongguk said, his father never gave him a break and everything went back to normal again. Almost.

 

Yongguk would leave before you woke up and only return after you’ve fallen asleep. You were alone most of the times except for the company of Jongup and Junhong. Yongnam would come visit time to time when he was hanging out with his friends. Everything was back to normal. Except…

 

Just who is Lee Taegyun? Cousin? What?

 

A week after getting back from Busan, you made your way to see your parents when one of the nurses informed you of someone you’ve never heard of before.

 

“Could I… Um, excuse me? Sir..?”

 

Himchan turned around and his eyes rounded, “What do you want from me? Isn’t taking her away from me enough?!”

 

Woah. Some SASS he got.

 

“Hi, could I just ask you a few questions?”

 

Himchan scoffed, “What the . Why are you acting like you’ve never seen me before?”

 

“Um…..? Oh! You must’ve confused me with my younger brother! Hi, I’m Bang Yongnam - Bang Yongguk’s twin brother. I just wanted to ask you something about thi-”

 

“Oh great! He has another duplicate of himself,” Himchan rolled his eyes.

 

Yongnam raised an eyebrow. “Um… Could I just ask you a couple of questions? I’m not sure of the terms you are on with my brother but don’t worry, I have no negative emotions about you. Just curious about something.”

 

“Get lost,” Himchan said as he brushed past the shocked Yongnam.

 

Yongnam grabbed Himchan’s shoulders, “Nuh uh. I was being polite in asking you and I’ve been looking literally all over Seoul to find you! Just give me a minute. Way to be rude.”

 

Himchan sighed as he sat across this guy to claimed to be the brother of the person he started to hate the most.

 

He would’ve punched the living soul out of this guy because he resembled Yongguk so much - of course he was a twin. But Himchan refrained himself from doing so.

 

“So what do you want to know?”

 

“Well, see I found this phot-,” Yongnam fumbled around his bag and pulled out the photo. “This is you.. Right?”

 

Himchan glanced at the photo and looked away and gulped….

 

He had made her cry that day…. Again, he made her cry.

 

“I don’t know… Is that me?”

 

“So it is you… Can you tell me what happened? Did you see who took his photo?”

 

Himchan shrugged his shoulders and looked out the café window, “I don’t know.”

 

Yongnam sighed and slammed his head onto the table.

This was going to be a long day.

 

“Love! I’m home!”

 

You walked downstairs to find Yongguk with a goofy grin, eyes closed and arms spread.

 

You laughed at the image.

 

Yonggun popped open an eye, “Where’s my welcome back hug and kiss?”

 

Your brain told yourself ‘No’ but your body was already walking into his embrace.

 

Yongguk immediately wrapped his arms around you waist and buried his face into you neck.

 

“Oh how much I missed you!”

 

You couldn’t help but giggle when his breath tickled your neck.

He lifted you to the living room and sat down on the sofa with you in his arms. You rested your face against his heaving chest, listening to the slow and steady heart rate. You closed your eyes.

 

Something about this just felt so right, but at the same time just so wrong.

 

“You ate dinner, right?” You felt a light vibration on your cheek as your ears heard his deep voice.

 

“Did you not?” You lifted your head to look at him.

 

“I did. At the company,” Yongguk said as he pushed your head back down to his left chest.

 

It was silent but never awkward unlike the first time. You felt at peace as he slowly, softly your hair.

 

“Love?”

 

“Mhmm?”

 

“I was wondering… Well, this Friday… Tomorrow, I’m leaving for Jeju Island-”

 

You lifted your head again, “Go on.”

 

“Well, it’s a business trip. Everyone in the company’s going. I was wondering if… If you wanted to tag along? Other mens’ wives are all going so I was just wondering if you’d like to accompany me..”

 

“Oh, um.. So everyo-”

 

“-I want you to g.. No, more like I need you to go.”

 

You chuckled, “Why do you need me to go?”

 

“Well, cause I don’t want to die from lovesickness,” Yongguk stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“You wouldn’t die.”

 

“Oh I would. If you don’t go, that means I have to sleep in the hotel room bed.. Alone. With no one to hold… I would die.”

 

“Don’t say that.”

 

“Then go with me, gorgeous. Let’s go and sneak out together when I don’t have any business related work.”

 

“Hmm..”

 

“And you haven’t seen my parents in months. We could greet them there since they’ll be going also.”

 

Oh shoot. Parents. Father-in-law. How you did not want to meet him.

 

“Um.. Uh.. Yeah. Sure I’ll go.”

 

“With that, it would lead to a higher benefit for our consumers and a larger revenue for our business.” An employee bowed and left the podium.

 

You yawned when you saw Yongguk’s father eye you - making you instantly shut your mouth.

 

This was probably the most boring meeting you’ve been to. You were never a business meeting type of person. You were awake when Yongguk went up to present his ideas but pretty much after that, everything was boring.

 

After another two hours of presentations, people finally brought the meeting to an end. Yongguk smiled as he shook you awake. “Let’s go,” he said as left a sloppy smooch on your nose. You earned a few jealous glares from a couple of female workers there making you feel uncomfortable.

 

Sensing that, Yongguk smiled even bigger and fully brought his lips down to yours… Earning gasps from a couple of female workers who were stealing glances your way. Shocked, you pushed him back, making him laugh.

 

“Let’s go. Ignore those jealous girls.”

 

Back in the hotel room after a dinner with the company, Yongguk took a shower first before you slipped into the bathroom.

 

While Yongguk was waiting, he sat down at the edge of the bed and turned the television on. His eyes traveled down to your suitcase which opened.

 

You finished brushing your teeth and was about to slip into the bathtub when…

 

Yongguk tilted his head to the side as he eyed the tip of a brown folder tucked into between your clothes.

 

“Come meet me downstairs, now,” Yongguk’s father demanded through the phone.

“Now, sir?”

“Now. In the lobby, I have something to discuss with you.”

 

Yongguk carefully tugged on the envelope and slowly opened the file.

 

Peering inside, he found a couple of white pages.

 

What?

 

He reached for the documents inside and sat down with the papers in his hand. Slowly turning the page, his eyes quickly moved from left to right.

 

His phone brightened to a new notification.

 

“Okay, I’ll be down in just a few minutes, sir.”

“Please hurry.”

 

You hung up, buttoned up your jacket again and held the doorknob to open the door.

 

Yongguk’s heart stopped beating. His knuckles turned paper white. He couldn’t breathe - he almost felt someone closing off the oxygen gas on him. He couldn’t see clearly and his mind was running into so many explanations.

 

“No..” He whispered, broken.

 

What? How?

 

No.

 

This is a nightmare.

 

He desperately tried to persuade himself. He shook his head and he placed his hand over his left chest. Just the slightest touch and it pained.

 

His phone continued to ring. His head was spinning, mind was racing, heart was hurting.

The ringing phone only added to his confusion.

 

He got up but stumbled on his own foot. He let himself fall to the floor. He leaned against the bed frame, dragged his knees up to his chest, and rested his elbows on them. Face in hands, he violently shook as his breathing got more painful.

 

He shook his head from side to side like a madman.

 

“No… No. No..” He kept repeating.

 

After a minute of nonstop ringing from his phone, he pulled himself up with the support of the bed.

 

“H..hello..”

 

“Yongguk! Listen to me! This was all a trap! I put the pieces together. I met him! Himch-”

 

“Yong..Yongnam. Wait.. No. I-I can’t… Don’t. Stop.”

 

“Yongguk listen! Dad planned all this up! I told you that something was up and that Dad let you marry off so easily. Himchan.. No Daehyun.. Hold on. ! Where do I start?! Dad purposely set this whole marriage u……..”

 

“Yongguk, I’m going to go down to the lobby’s convenient store to buy some soa-”

 

Everything stopped.

 

You stood dead in your tracks. You could faintly make out someone ranting on the phone that was loosely pressed against Yongguk’s ear.

 

Your eyes traveled down the arm that was held loose against his side…… And your sight landed on the contract.

 

Yongguk couldn’t understand a thing Yongnam was telling him. He tuned his brother out a while ago. He saw your beautiful face, the face he oh-so-loved.

 

Fright.

 

Was the only thing he saw in your eyes…

 

Pain.

 

Was the only thing you saw in his…

 

The contract fell to the ground. He looked at you with eyes, filled with emotion, you’ve never seen before.

 

“...... You hear me? So I’m telling you: DON’T. LET. HER. GO!” Yongnam’s voice came back startling Yongguk.

 

You watched your ‘husband’ flinch. You couldn’t move.

 

“I…. I’m so sorry,” you said barely above a whisper.

 

Yongguk let his phone hit the carpet of the room.

 

And….

 

He broke.