Despite his sureness of the fact, ever since they had been tailing the couple they couldn't find anything that would implicate the couple or prove that the two were lying. He could go on a rage, with the frustration that he was feeling. But he reminded himself that he needed to be level headed if he wanted the truth. So even when his editor was nagging at him for the next chapter, he has been keeping the man at bay with a page or two once in a while. He just had that nagging feeling in the back of mind that something was wrong. Well, he knew that something was. He just had to prove it. 

Considering that Hyuk was a reporter that had managed to get the coverage of their so called "private proposal", MyeongSu was sure they would get to the bottom of it in no time. Hyuk had since recovered photos of the two meeting another couple. Yes, MyeongSu felt like something dirty had passed through his mouth if he had to refer to the two as a couple. He wonders what the meeting was all about. Was this why SooJin was forced into the marriage for the sake of business? Was the couple they had met the company's business partners? 

Maybe they would call the wedding off after the deal went through. Or maybe SooJin would be stuck in that household forever. That made him even madder. MyeongSu and Hyuk had been hiding out in Hyuk's apartment, which had everything they needed to go undercover. There was no question of who it was that was going to be tailing the two, since MyeongSu was easily recognizable. 

But Myeong Su too, had his own contributions, the first was to keep Hyuk on his side and to do that was simple, to help the man out a little bit. First, he made sure he didn't lose his apartment and second, he made sure to put in a good word to the media once everything was uncovered. They would be the men of the hour once everything was out in the open. Meanwhile, MyeongSu wanted to do some digging of his own. He knew he couldn't start at the inner most circle since nobody trusts him there. Yet. 

He could however, start at common ground, the MSG. There he hoped their friends were willing enough, if not kind enough to still accept him. If not as a friend, maybe as a customer. So when he had emailed another page to pacify his editor, and at the first chance he got, he walked himself over to the old hangout. Standing outside of the 'closed' sign, it reminded him of how long it has been since he had been there. 

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open, knowing it would be unlocked. It's funny how people would just obey a command without questioning it. Ji Ah didn't even look up, not until she heard his voice. That's when he saw the fury in her eyes and realized that this might not be as simple as he wanted it to be. Thankfully she was alone. It would be easier to handle that way. 

"What are you doing here?" He was always the most intimidated of Ji Ah. And in their relationship she has always taken the lead. So now he had to show that he wasn't afraid of her so he could get the answers he needed. Boldly, he took a few steps towards one of the stools and sat on it like he owned the place. At least, Ji Ah's brain was still busy trying to figure him out. 

"Can I not visit my favourite noona?" he said as smugly as he could. "Besides, I miss your aglio olio..." He grabbed his wallet and place it slowly on the counter. This meal isn't for free, I'm a paying customer, the gesture seemed to say. What else could Ji Ah do but start cooking. Although she had it half in her mind to just throw him out. Naturally, everyone in their friend group had heard what happened between MyeongSu and SooJin and everyone was divided between disbelief and anger. 

Ji Ah fell in the latter category, which was why she couldn't bear to look at him and hoped that he would go away after eating. She would have to remember to lock that door next time, tell the others to take the back entry from now on. "How's everyone else?" She had her guards up, not knowing where he was taking this. 

"Well, everyone's doing well enough." From the sigh, she was glad she wasn't giving him anything that he wanted. 

"I mean, it's been awhile since I've seen everyone." He was trying to work things up to where he wanted it.

"I don't think anyone would want to see you for awhile...not after what you've done." The venom in her voice stinged. But he had to push it away. 

"What is it that I've done?" He gritted his teeth and thought that he was going to see little half circles on the palms of his hand later from the tight fist he was making. 

"You know it and I'll be damned if I'm going to be the person to repeat it out to you." Ji Ah was trembling at this point. "If you're anything of a man, then you would know where your boundaries are...." Ji Ah always had that bite in the way she talked, be it if it was icy or scorching hot. 

A half scoff and a half laugh escaped him at that moment. "And where would that be? At just standing by and just watching as our friend is forced into a marriage she doesn't want? Or is it to let her live her life sacrificing it to a business opportunity" He knew his noona was a step from punching the lights out of him by the way she had her hands in tight little fists. Unlike his, he thought he could see the little imprints of blood on the palms of her hands. 

"Can you hear yourself right now?" he doesn't even think that she knows how hard she was fuming then. "Do you know how delusional you sound right now?" No, as a matter of fact, he didn't. Nobody could whenever they are in the grasps of such strong obsession. "Leave them alone." 

And there it was. There was two ways he was going to get what he wanted, the good way or the angry way. Na Ji Ah was currently angry. This was his chance. "I should have a reason shouldn't I?" He knew how to get on her nerves, the perks of having dated each other in the past. He could literally see the flash of anger as it crossed her eyes. 

"Yah!" She roared and for once he thought maybe he had casted the wrong person for the role of lioness. "Listen here....as you can see from the entire country, the two are planning their wedding as we speak and just because you're delusional and won't accept the fact, doesn't give you the right to interfere. If you do something like that again, I swear, I won't hesitate." He knew the threat. She would act, the next time he showed any kind of sign of resistance. 

So he reverted to being nice MyeongSu. He flashed her the standard nice guy smile and said, "Hm. Maybe you're right. Maybe I should let it go." He tried to look as sad as he could possibly manage. "I guess we weren't meant to be." 

He got her to relax, at least a little and he finally got his pasta too. The sigh that Na Ji Ah exhaled, took some of the weight off her shoulders. But she still couldn't shake off the bad feeling in her chest. "Listen... " She was tired too, not knowing when this would end. It was better back then, at least they were a mess together. Now this man was sitting on one of her stools asking for sympathy for what he had done. 

"Right now you just need to leave them alone...if you say you love her as much as you do, then you have to let her go... The more you act this way, you know the further away she'll get don't you? MyeongSu ah?" But in his mind, he was thinking about how badly he wanted to protect her, that was why he was doing all of this. But he'll just nod and look like he's reflecting for the time being. 

"You know you're hurting her right? She's happy MyeongSu and if you love her, that should be enough..." She didn't know what else to say. And if she had known about what exactly MyeongSu had been up to, she didn't actully need to use her words but raather her fists. 

MyeongSu didn't believe it for one second and he hadn't exactly gotten what he needed. As expected, noona was someone of strong will, by the way she was denying everything. No, he had to change his target. The lioness would know more, he thinks. Afterall, her fiancee is in the industry and knows better about what goes on on the inside. He'll just wait til he meets her. For now, he had a bowl of pasta to finish. 

...

Ever since they got back from the Crystal Daisy, she had been uneasy. When they first got in, everyone, was seated at the living room, as if they were in a family meeting. They took one look at the shivering SooJin and knew immediately that something was wrong. Nevermind the way that Won had his arms around her trying to steady her as they walked. "Hyung..." Tan breathed and became the first to break the silence. 

"Hyung...what happened?" Tan instinctively got up to get SooJin's purse and everything else that his brother was holding onto apart from SooJin. Won shook his head no and nodded to where everybody else was. Let her sit down first, was what he'd meant. In the car they had been sat barely touching each other and even then he could feel the litle shakes through their shoulders brushing together whenever SeungHo would swerve a little too hard or when a bump would come around. 

And when he helped her out of the car, he almost wanted to squeeze onto both of her shoulders to force her to stop shivering. She had relapsed into that silence again, the one she got into when she had first been forced to flee her home. This time, it was way worse. But at least, they have more of a support system now and of course, this time, SooJin had given him permission so they could actually do something about it. 

"What happened? Tell me." The Chairman sounded gruff but there was worry in his eyes. Everyone could see just how shaken SooJin was. 

"It...happened again.." Won had no doubt from the expression on his abuji's face that he didn't need to explain what 'it' is. "If you have the time, can we talk later?" Won signaled that it was time for SooJin to get some rest and left his family while physically having to make SooJin move off of the sofa. 

....

SooJin felt numb, not knowing exactly what she was feeling. So she simply let herself be escorted up the stairs to the bedroom. It wasn't until Won had help her slip into the bed and drawn the blanket snuggly over her that any kind of awareness returned. It hasn't been easy, ever since her maternal grandfather had found her out. And as he aged, the worse the harassment became. Maybe it was his own impending death that made her grandfather's action more intense. But that night she had finally gotten to the point where if she didn't do anything soon, she was either going to scream her head off or disappear right into her own thoughts forever. 

This last thought had finally pushed her to do something that she wouldn't have done otherwise. "Won?" her voice sounded more like a whisper, but she made up for it by stating clearly what she thought they should do next. "The Chairman, you sure he can do something about this?" The two stared at each other for a while before Won nodded...reluctantly. 

SooJin knew that it meant they could do something but it won't keep the problem away forever. So basically, they were just buying some time. In her head, if they could drag everything on til her grandfather was on his deathbed or til he changes his mind, then that would be better. As morbid and harsh as that sounds. "Tell him do whatever it takes. I can't...." 

SooJin has been tough all her life, her personality shaped by the hardships and failures she had gone through. So it surprised even her when she felt the sting in her eyes and the tears started falling. But she didn't have the energy to fight them back. Pulling her knees close, she began sobbing into them, not caring that Won was watching. She never would have showed him this side of her, at least that's what she thought. One part of her was ashamed, but another part of her felt the much needed relief. 

She felt a warmth starting to spread across her back. It wasn't until she has had the time to wipe away some of the tears that she realized Won was filling the space beside her. She also realized that she didn't mind it at all. For some reason, it made her want to bawl her eyes out even more. And so she buried her face deep in between her knees, allowing Won to start drawing little circles on her back, which pleasantly surprised her. As his hand became firmer and she felt herself being pushed down slightly, every other second, she also felt herself drifting off to sleep. 

But Won stopped as abruptly as her sobs started to stiffle. She looked up to a pained, awkward expression from her fiancee. Fiancee. The word made her chuckle and confusion came over Won's face. In the moment, the fact that she has a fiancee was funny to her. She had no idea why. Soon she was overtaken by a fit of laughter. 

Won probably thought it was his cue to go. She knows he loves having something to do, judging by how much he loves his work. So she won't be too surprised if he was going after his abuji right then. So she forced herself to stop and wipe the tears away. But the damage was done. And all Won did was stand awkwardly in place, from where he had abruptly stood up when she started to laugh. 

"Well...if there's nothing else...you should probably get some rest." He turned to walk away without waiting for her answer but she decided she didn't want to be on her own for a little while. 

"Wait...." She reached out to grab his wrist and was surprised that he actually stopped, given how he was ready to flee the scene. He turned, an unreadable expression on his face. "Can you...could you stay for a while?" She hadn't known how much she wanted him to until she actually said it out loud. Something in his eyes changed and she had no doubt she had looked like a whiny little baby. 

Eventually though, her grip on his wrist went slack as he turned back to  the bed. SooJin made room for him. It felt more than natural to rest her head on his shoulder and snuggle in close, hugging onto his arm. Sleepiness starts to take over again and in the warmth and security of the mansion away from all her troubles, it was easy to let go. 

....

He thought he had made another mistake and thought that the best thing to do was to just leave her alone. So he fully planned to get everything in order. If he can't do anything for her then, he could actually do something with himself. So when he felt the tug on his arm, he thought he had imagined it. And when she had actually asked him to stay, his brain nearly broke down, trying to process it. 

But something inside him, somewhere far away from his head told him that he wanted to. He wanted to stay. His brain then worked double time trying to read her body language. He has never seen someone sit on a bed so cautiously before, but at least he was saved the act of actually witnessing himself slide into bed next to her. 

He didn't know if the shivers he felt when she held onto him was normal but he decided that he had liked it. So for a while, he stayed so still that his backside started hurting. But then, SooJin started slipping down even more and pretty soon, she was hugging onto his middle. He knew he shouldn't but he started feeling drowsy himself. He thought maybe if he could just remove his arm, then maybe he could get away without waking her up. 

Taking out his arm from between them, he thought he could just slip away but before he could, she was already snuggling closer into him, her breathing even with sleep. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't know what to do too. So eventually he settled by reaching for a pillow, and making himself comfortable. In the meanwhile he had let SooJin use his arm and chest as her own personal pillow. 

In his mind, he thought that she had gone through a lot so he couldn't bear to wake her up. He tried fighting the drowsiness for a while but found that his vision was quickly becoming blurred and pretty soon, Kim Won had fallen into a deep sleep. 

....

The Chairman had been waiting for his son for a while. The clock had struck 12, which was way pass his bed time. Considering his own health, he thought he had better go to his son. If not, then he could return to his own room for some rest. 

Naturally, his footsteps carried him over to the bedroom he had prepared for the couple. The stairs weren't an easy task for an old man like him, with the amount of pain he was in too. But he managed and slowly dragged himself over to their room. A part of him regretted not using his wheelchair, but what could he do when he was in a hurry. The catatonic shock on SooJin's face when she had first walked in had left an impression on everyone, especially the Chairman. 

He reached their door with a huff and a puff so that his knocks on their door was barely audible. But he tried it a second time anyway and when nobody answered, he resolved to open the door. His only thought was that it was only right since it was his home. 

But what he saw behind the door made him think twice before ever doing it again. The lights were on, but his son was obviously not going anywhere anytime soon. Still, he couldn't help but to smile as he stood there and watched. "Chagiya~Our Won is finally happy...." He couldn't bring himself to wake his son up even though Won had his neck bent over the headboard in an unnatural angle. Simply because he had never seen his son so at peace before, even despite the fact. His future daughter in law was all snuggled up to Won's side, hanging onto him for dear life while his son had a protective arm over her. 

It was a picture that he never thought he would ever see, but it made him happy all the same. He knew he had been harsh on him all his life, but he has also been kept up by guilt at not being able to do enough for his son. Losing a mother at a young age would be hard for anyone. But for an heir of a company, it must have been much lonelier. And then he had gotten a brother too after that...The guilt was always there, but he did want his son to be happy more than anything. 

With that thought in mind, he switched off the lights and walked away. 

Of course, he could always talk to his son tomorrow. There was always time. Now all he had to do was to make it to his bedroom without passing out. 

...

The sun had probably saved him, if not from getting slapped across the face, then from the sheer embarrassment and awkwardness of it all. He planned to stay a while and then he would slip away later on. But what woke him up hadn't been his own consciousness but the it had been the first rays of sunlight in the morning. 

He squinted his eyes, still feeling the heaviness of sleep. For one cloudy moment he hadn't wanted to get up at all. The comfiness of the bed and the coziness was tempting until he realized the reason for it. There was a whiff of a sweet scent and he snuggled even closer. Until, he felt the distinct feeling of human hair and he looked down to see that he had had SooJin in his arms all this time. 

With a jolt he moved away, but stopped abruptly when she started to stir. SooJin, on the other hand, still lulled in sleep was unaware of all this panic and simply snuggled in deeper into Won's side. Won hasn't gotten used, and with a limited dating history, will probably never get used to the shiver that he felt as she did so. The warmth made him want to stay a little longer, maybe wait til SooJin stirred a little and then jump out of bed and pretend like he had just come in to  wake her up. 

He knew he was staring. But he couldn't tear his eyes away. She looked so peaceful when she slept and he just wanted to keep her that way. He reached out a hand, as if wanting to brush her hair out of her face, but stopped before he could. The memory of what they both talked about the night before stopped him and reminded him that there was something he could do to help make it better. 

So instead, he slowly pulled his arm from under her and slid out of bed. He pulled the blanket up to cover her. He couldn't resist staying just a little longer. And when he finally decided to leave, he couldn't do it without brushing the hair off of her face first. The warm and fuzzy feeling overwhelmed him, but he couldn't lie and say that it hated it either. 

So, he walked out of the room, careful not to wake SooJin up and was refreshed with a new determination to not let anything bad happen to her ever again. And if the Crystal Daisy made her happy, then he'll just have to protect it at all cost.