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asystol · 4 months ago

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OFFICIAL PROFILE

ᯓ FILE 000. — LEE, NICOLE ๋࣭

⩨͢ BASIC INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BIRTH NAME. nicole lee

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ KOREAN NAME. lee nakyung

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀HANGUL. 이나경

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ALIAS. nikki ❪ given by julie, origin from her birth name ❫⠀ ⠀collie ❪ ‘ pronounced cole-lee ’ given by belle, origin from her birth name ❫⠀ ⠀nana ❪ given by natty, origin from her korean name ❫⠀ ⠀뿌 ppu ❪ given by haneul, origin is 뿌 is a cute expression like the ‘ 😁 ’ emoji ❫⠀ ⠀naky ❪ given by daniel, origin from her korean name ❫⠀ ⠀ttokki ❪ given by fans, origin from her representative emoji ❫ ⠀ ⠀nakorita ❪ given by haneul, origin from the pokemon chikorita ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DATE OF BIRTH. april 1st, 2001

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ AGE. 23 years old

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ZODIAC. aries

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ CHINESE ZODIAC. snake

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PLACE OF BIRTH. toronto, canada

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ NATIONALITY. canadian

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ETHNICITY. korean

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ RESIDENCE(S). port hope, ontario, canada ❪ 2001 — 2013 ❫⠀ ⠀chungcheongnam-do, south korea ❪ 2013 — 2015 ❫⠀ ⠀seoul, south korea ❪ 2015 — ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ LANGUAGES. english ❪ fluent ❫⠀ ⠀korean ❪ near fluent ❫⠀ ⠀spanish ❪ advanced ❫⠀ ⠀japanese ❪ intermediate ❫⠀ ⠀thai ❪ beginner ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ GENDER IDENTITY. cisgender female

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PRONOUNS. she/her

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. homoromantic

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ RELATIONSHIP STATUS. single

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HEIGHT. 163cm (5’4”)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ WEIGHT. —

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BLOOD TYPE. a

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ EYE. brown

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ NATURAL HAIR. black

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BODY MODIFICATIONS. lobe piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀upper lobe piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀industrial piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀helix piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀conch piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀belly button piercing⠀ ⠀‘ i am the somebody ’ tattoo ❪ right rib ❫⠀ ⠀strawberry tattoo ❪ left hip ❫⠀ ⠀koi fish tattoo ❪ behind right ear ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FACE CLAIM. nana of wooah

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SPEAKING CLAIM. nana of wooah

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ VOCAL CLAIM. juria of xg

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DANCE CLAIM. yuna of itzy

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ RAP CLAIM. rei of ive

⩨͢ CAREER INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ STAGE NAME. NAKYUNG (나경)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ COMPANY. pledis entertainment ❪ 2015 — 2022 ❫⠀ ⠀off the record entertainment ❪ 2018 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀axs entertainment ❪ 2019 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀swing entertainment ❪ 2020 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀s2 entertainment ❪ 2022 — ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ TRAINING PERIOD. five in total ❪ skipping 2018 — 2021 ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SURVIVAL SHOWS. produce 48 ❪ 2018 ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ OCCUPATION. idol

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ GROUP(S). IZ*ONE ❪ 2018 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀KISS OF LIFE ❪ 2023 — ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DEBUT DATE(S). october 29th, 2018 ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ ⠀july 5th, 2023 ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DEBUT AGE(S). 17 years old ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ ⠀22 years old ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISBANDMENT DATE. april 29th, 2021 ❪ IZ*ONE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISBANDMENT AGE. 20 years old ❪ IZ*ONE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ POSITION(S). vocalist, sub rapper, visual ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ ⠀vocalist, center ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ REPRESENTATIVE COLOR(S). WISTERIA ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ purple ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ REPRESENTATIVE EMOJI(S). 🦋 butterfly ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ 🐰 bunny ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ INDIVIDUAL FANDOM NAME. nakyorita ❪ origin from chikorita + nakyung ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ INSTAGRAM USERNAME. nicolee ❪ public, 11.4m followers, 14 following ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISCOGRAPHY.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀COLOR*IZ. october 29th, 2018

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Suki to Iwasetai. february 6th, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀HEART*IZ. april 1st, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Buenos Aires. june 21st, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Vampire. september 25th, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀BLOOM*IZ. february 17th, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Oneiric Diary. june 15th, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Thirteen. october 21st, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀One-reeler / ACT IV. december 7th, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀D-D-Dance. january 26th, 2021

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Stardust love song. march 6th, 2022

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀KISS OF LIFE. july 5th, 2023

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Born to be XX. november 8th, 2023

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Officially Cool (with BANG YEDAM). february 9th, 2024

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Midas Touch. april 3rd, 2024

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Sixth Sense. may 25th, 2024

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Sticky. july 1st, 2024

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ KNOWN FOR. placing second in produce48, the ‘listener’ for the yapper best friend (julie), her duality, accidentally kissing chaewon during a live, everyone’s parents loving her more than their own kid, the switch in concept between iz*one and kiss of life, her vocals, slapping/patting her members’ butts for no reason, belle recording her crying over the finding nemo movie, being the biggest moomoo, her stable cover of bad news while drunk, openly being a ‘gleek’, affectionately being called a loser in a hot body by fans, her sanrio themed room

⩨͢ PERSONAL INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MBTI TYPE. intj-a ❪ assertive architect ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ANALYZING. an assertative architect tends to have more self confidence than a turbulent architect, particularly when handling life’s ups and downs. if things do go the way they expect, an intj-a is not likely to second guess their initial actions or experience regret.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ POSITIVE.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀rational.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ambitious.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀self-assured.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀adventurous.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀observant.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀efficient.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ NEGATIVE.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀arrogant.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀impulsive.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀impatient.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀nosy.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀withdrawn.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀rigid.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAMILY.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀joshua lee ❪ father ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀angie lee ❪ mother ❫ † ❪ 1975 — 2021 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀daniel lee ❪ brother ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ciara lee ❪ sister ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀kim seoyoung ❪ maternal grandmother ❫ † ❪ 1955 — 2018 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀park hojin ❪ maternal grandfather ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀park jaewoo ❪ maternal uncle ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀park sooyoung ❪ maternal aunt ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀lee jihyuk ❪ paternal grandfather ❫ † ❪ 1950 — 1994 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀jung yeonhee ❪ paternal grandmother ❫ † ❪ 1954 — 2011 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀lee eunbyul ❪ paternal aunt ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HISTORY.

⠀⠀ ⠀nakyung was born on april 1st, 2001 as nicole lee in toronto, canada. she grew up in port hope, ontario, canada with her older brother, daniel, and younger sister, ciara. her mother, angie, worked as a middle school music teacher and her father, joshua, was a construction worker.

⠀⠀ ⠀she became interested in music early on, her mother teaching her how to play guitar and piano as soon as she was old enough. when nakyung wanted to be a singer “just like stevie nicks” at eight-years-old, angie put her in vocal lessons.

⠀⠀ ⠀after being persuaded by her best friend, she joins the free ballet classes at her school with her. she starts to take dance and her vocals more seriously, finding it more fun than instruments.

⠀⠀ ⠀when she’s thirteen, her parents tell her and her siblings that her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the year before. they wanted to wait to see if chemotherapy would help. angie had gotten laid off from her job, leaving joshua the only financial support.

⠀⠀ ⠀for more financial stability and emotions support, the lee family moved from canada to south korea to stay with angie’s parents. nicole didn’t even have time to say goodbye to her friends.

⠀⠀ ⠀nicole, now going by nakyung, didn’t make very much friends in her new school and kept mostly to herself. she got a job under the table as a waitress to help her parents with bills, telling her family she was at a dance studio by her school.

⠀⠀ ⠀while working, she was scouted by pledis entertainment. despite her parents thinking it was sketchy and cult-like, she auditioned and was accepted. as her brother was going to seoul national university, she moved to seoul with him to train at pledis.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2016, nakyung’s parents announced that angie was in remission. she started working as a teacher again after becoming healthier.

⠀⠀ ⠀nakyung was in the final line-up for pledis’ upcoming girl group, but was pulled out due to ‘not being ready’. she almost left the company until her mother convinced her to stay and become better.

⠀⠀ ⠀with no news of a new pledis girl group, nakyung volunteered herself to join mnet’s survival show, produce 48. she would end up placing second in the last episode and debuting in temporary girl group, IZ*ONE, in 2018.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2020, nakyung’s parents announced that angie’s cancer had came back— being part of the 10-20 percentage of ovarian cancer recurrence. angie would not try chemotherapy again, wanting to be with her family and go to new zealand. due to the pandemic, the family would ultimately stay in korea and not fulfill angie’s wish.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2021, her mother dies and IZ*ONE disbands. nakyung is not seen for a long time, not even by her IZ*ONE members until her OST song for kdrama ‘twenty-five twenty-one’, stardust love song, was announced. she would, again, disappear.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2022, it is assumed nakyung left pledis around this time as she later joins S2 entertainment after lee haein offered her a spot in ber upcoming girl group.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FATHER. joshua lee was born march 13th, 1973 in daegu, south korea as lee jaehyun. the day he turned eighteen, he left his house and moved to canada with his best friend and legally changed his name to joshua lee. he met angela park in 1994 and would go on to have three children with her. the first being daniel in 1997, nicole in 2001, and ciara in 2004. he doesn’t want to be in korea when they have to move but does it for his wife. when angie dies in 2021, he completely barricades himself in their room. one day, his number is changed and all of his belongings are gone. we never find out what happened to him but he either killed himself or changed his name again and started a new life. he is referred to as ‘dad’ or ‘deadbeat’. (non affectionately)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MOTHER. angela ‘angie’ lee was born on october 29th, 1975 in jeju, south korea as park jangmi. she goes by angela or angie now because she likes the name. she was studying abroad in canada when she met joshua. in 2012, she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. together, they decide to bare the news on their shoulders alone and decide not to tell anyone unless chemotherapy doesn’t work. it begins to work, but it’s too expensive and she’s laid off. they have to move to seoul to be near her family for help. she hates the person she is while on chemo, and turns to god in her sickness and health, even when she’s in remission in 2016. she begins working again. in 2020, the cancer come back, but angie doesn’t want to be on chemo again. she wants to be with her family, in new zealand. but then they can’t go and she dies in korea. she is referred to as ‘mom’.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BROTHER. daniel lee was born on august 15th, 1997 in toronto, canada. he grew up teasing his younger sisters, ever so mean to them during puberty but there for them when they were upset. his relationship with his parents wasn’t so great, always noting a difference in the way they brought him up compared to his sisters. when he was eighteen, he left for seoul national university in 2015 with his sister. he now works as a cyber security engineer. he is referred to as ‘daniel’, ‘danny’ or ‘dumbass’. (affectionately)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SISTER. ciara lee was born on november 3rd, 2004 in ontario, canada. she grew up wanting to be everything like her sister, wanting to be around her constantly. she slightly grew up in nakyung’s shadow, but that didn’t matter to her— it just made her want to be her even more. she wants to become an idol just like her older sister— and she will. she currently lives with their aunt, sooyoung, and her girlfriend, bora, in busan, south korea. she is referred to as ‘chaeyoung’ or ‘cee’ or ‘ciara’.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER. park seoyoung was born on january 19th, 1955 in busan, south korea. she met lee hojin in 1972 and shortly married him a few months later the same year. they would go on to have three children, one boy, two girls. in 1996, seoyoung and hojin moved to chungnam, south korea and settled there for the rest of their lives. in 2017, her health begins to decline. in 2018, she dies in her sleep peacefully. she is referred to as ‘할머니’ (halmoni).

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL GRANDFATHER. park hojin was born on may 12th, 1949 in ulsan, south korea. after his father died during the korean war, his mother moved them to busan. he met seoyoung in 1972, marrying her and having three children with her. in 1996, he and seoyoung moved to chungnam. in 2001, he suffered from a heart attack. he is currently retired, but used to work as a contractor.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL UNCLE. park jaewoo was born on february 21st, 1973. he is currently a businessman, living in new york.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL AUNT. park sooyoung was born on september 27th, 1977. she is currently living in busan with her girlfriend, bora, and her niece, chaeyoung/ciara. she works as a hotel secretary.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PATERNAL GRANDFATHER. lee jihyuk was born in 1950. he was verbally and physically abusive to his son, jaehyun, which was one of the leading factors of why jaehyun left forever at eighteen. he died in 1994 of a heart attack.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER. jung yeonhee was born on july 1st, 1954. she never tried to protect her son from her husband, but joshua was soft on her and it took a lot of him to leave her behind. after jihyuk died in 1994, she tried to find jaehyun, as she knew him, but failed. she later settled in jeju, south korea in 2000 and died of a car accident in 2011.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PATERNAL AUNT. lee eunbyul was born on december 28th, 1981. her brother was nine years older than her and never cared enough to talk to her, despite the two having more in common than he thought. she was relieved when their brother left and then her father died. when her mother tried to look for her brother who never even wanted them, she grew angry and began to resent her mother and her brother even more.

⩨͢ TRIVIAL INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HABITS & MANNERISMS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀making sound effects, making sweater paws, switching from english to korean in a sentence, constantly organizing and reorganizing things, talking in aegyo, sleep talking, mumbling to herself, makes up lies about random, unimportant things for no reason, pouting or puckering her lips, sleeping in late, using ‘like’ constantly in a conversation, gesturing while talking, checking her phone, laughing in serious situations, poking haneul’s cheeks, slapping/patting her members’ butts for no reason, talking about stars, getting overstimulated with too much noise under stress, bursting into songs and choreo, being jumpy.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HOBBIES & SKILLS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀singing, writing, playing the piano, playing the guitar, watching old and new cartoons, gardening, seeing how far she can push her members, vlogging, watching tiktoks/being on her phone, sleeping, shopping, collecting her bias’ photocards, journaling, collecting rubber ducks, doing mindf*ck games.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ LIKES.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀sleeping, music, shopping, reading, strawberries, rubber ducks, learning, butter pecan ice cream, astrology, stars, science, organizing, candles, dramas, the season fall, color purple, swimming, gentle rain, night time, puzzles, talking about her mother, ice skating, museums.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISLIKES.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀alcohol, the color orange, loud noises, hot weather, clowns, thunderstorms, liars, mint flavor, horror movies, assumptions, being vulnerable, repeating herself, being active besides dancing, chronically late people, wasting time, camping, cemeteries, family dinners, waiting, dirty fingernails, sundays, cheese, cleaning, world ending conspiracy theories/far stretched conspiracy theories.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PHOBIAS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀heights, blood.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE COLOR(S).

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀lavender and pink.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE SEASON.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀fall.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE ANIMAL(S).

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀bunnies, dogs.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE NUMBER.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀seven.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PERSONAL PLAYLIST.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀anywhere but home, seulgi. gibson girl, ethel cain. rhiannon, fleetwood mac. spring day, bts. teeth, enhypen. out of the woods, taylor swift. take a bite, beabadoobee. liquid smooth, mitski. bye my neverland, kiss of life. left alone, fiona apple. black madonna, cage the elephant. you know i’m no good, amy winehouse.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ CLOSE FRIENDS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀former iz*one members. ryujin and chaeryeong, itzy. aespa. yunjin, le sserafim. miyeon and shuhua, (g)i-dle. nagyung, fromis_9. gaeul, ive. heeseung, enhypen. mark, chenle, haechan and jaemin, nct. sungchan, riize. yiren, everglow. yeonjun, txt. chuu. keeho, p1harmony. tsuki, billlie. soojin. matthew, zerobaseone. lily and haewon, nmixx. isa, stayc. park jihoon.

inspo from @m3loria

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m3loria · 5 months ago

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. ﹙ . . . ✦ ﹚ and if yearning had a shape, it would look awfully a lot like me. ── member 007

ぅ( FILE ONE ) ## BASIC INFORMATION

̟ ˖ ⁺ birth name : cho haneul. (조하늘) ̟ ˖ ⁺ preferred name : haneul. (하늘) ̟ ˖ ⁺ name meaning : haneul. ( of korean origin, "한" meaning "resentment, hatred" or "regret" and "늘" meaning "affect" or "infect". )

̟ ˖ ⁺ nicknames : han, hanie, hanziz ( everyone. ) heaven, skylar, sky star ( meliora. ) chatterbox, boombox, meliora's designated yapper ( his grandparents, his fans. ) meliora's boyfriend, homie hopper ( his fans. ) dimwit, idiot ( junmin. ) cuddles, cuddlebug , carebear ( his fans. ) sora ( j-line. )

̟ ˖ ⁺ date of birth : december 15, 2001. ̟ ˖ ⁺ legal age : 22 years old. ̟ ˖ ⁺ zodiac sign : sagittarius. ̟ ˖ ⁺ lunar zodiac sign : snake.

̟ ˖ ⁺ place of birth : ulsan, south korea. ̟ ˖ ⁺ hometown : ulsan, south korea. ̟ ˖ ⁺ nationality : south korean. ̟ ˖ ⁺ ethnicity : korean. ̟ ˖ ⁺ residences : ulsan, south korea. ( 2001 —— 2016 ). seoul, south korea. ( 2016 —— present ).

̟ ˖ ⁺ spoken languages : korean ( 100% , gyeongsang dialect ). japanese ( 68% , standard japanese ). english ( 45% , basic english ). cantonese ( 17% , basic cantonese ).

̟ ˖ ⁺ gender identity : cisgender male. ̟ ˖ ⁺ pronouns : he / him. ̟ ˖ ⁺ romantic orientation : homoromantic. ̟ ˖ ⁺ sexual orientation : gay. ̟ ˖ ⁺ relationship status : taken.

̟ ˖ ⁺ height : 183 cm ( 6 ft ). ̟ ˖ ⁺ weight : undisclosed. ̟ ˖ ⁺ blood type : b-.

̟ ˖ ⁺ natural eye color : dark brown. ̟ ˖ ⁺ natural hair color : black. ̟ ˖ ⁺ current hair color : black.

̟ ˖ ⁺ body modifications : 5 piercings. ( left ear ) 5 piercings. ( right ear ) 3 tattoos.

̟ ˖ ⁺ face claim : shin yechan (omega x). ̟ ˖ ⁺ speaking claim : shin yechan (omega x). ̟ ˖ ⁺ vocal claim : park jisung (nct). ̟ ˖ ⁺ dance claim : lee jeno (nct). ̟ ˖ ⁺ rap claim : lee jeno (nct).

ぅ( FILE TWO ) ## CAREER INFORMATION

̟ ˖ ⁺ stage name : haneul. (하늘) ̟ ˖ ⁺ explanation : his birth name.

̟ ˖ ⁺ current agencies : louvix audio (2020 —— present). sonata media (2020 —— present). ̟ ˖ ⁺ former agencies : mnh entertainment (2015 —— 2020). ̟ ˖ ⁺ training period : 5 years. ̟ ˖ ⁺ years active : 2020 —— present. ̟ ˖ ⁺ occupation : songwriter. rapper. dancer. guitarist. kpop idol.

̟ ˖ ⁺ group : meliora (2020 —— present). ̟ ˖ ⁺ debut date : may 1, 2020. ̟ ˖ ⁺ debut age : 18 years old. ̟ ˖ ⁺ position : lead dancer, lead rapper, sub-vocalist.

̟ ˖ ⁺ representative color : peach orange ( #ff75e ) ̟ ˖ ⁺ representative emoji : 🎸 ̟ ˖ ⁺ individual fandom name : lily ( 백합 — lilies are his favorite flowers, and he had no other ideas for names )

̟ ˖ ⁺ instagram : hannottwo ( personal , 862k followers , 7 following )

̟ ˖ ⁺ known for : his guitar covers. talking all the time. giving the best hugs (according to byeol). being hajoon's partner in crime. cheating on every single member. his love language being physical touch. yelling, constantly. chasing the members around to assault them with affection. waving his arms around. interrupting his members to give sudden speeches. saying his ideal type is "a guy" then backtracking and saying "a person". being banned from the kitchen at the dorms. avoiding female idols at award shows.

ぅ( FILE THREE ) ## PERSONAL INFORMATION

̟ ˖ ⁺ analyzing the mbti : esfj // consul. is someone with the extraverted, observant, feeling, and judging personality traits. they are attentive and people-focused, and they enjoy taking part in their social community. their achievements are guided by decisive values, and they willingly offer guidance to others.

̟ ˖ ⁺ strengths : dependable, outgoing, generous, enjoy helping others, very loyal, sensitive and warm. ̟ ˖ ⁺ weaknesses : too selfless, too needy, too giving, attachment issues, inflexible, worried about their social status.

̟ ˖ ⁺ family members : mother. grandfather. grandmother. ̟ ˖ ⁺ family dynamics : haneul was brought up by his grandparents all his life, he is insanely grateful for them, he doesn't ever know how he could pay them back. ̟ ˖ ⁺ household history : haneul was born an only child in the second week of december in 2001. of course, it wasn't without tragedy, as his mother passed away from the complications of childbirth. following her death, he got taken in by his grandparents, just up until his father would get off his ass and decide to be responsible.. oh right! he didn't end up doing that. haneul never knew his father, but the recollections of shouts and swears give him enough of a picture of what he was like as a person, so he doesn't think he's ever going to reach out. he was left in care of his mother's parents, who could never really keep up with him and his unchecked energy levels. he was always injuring himself, screaming, being so loud that he could be heard from pretty much anywhere in the house, and he thinks back to his younger self as much more of a problem than anything, but even with all the tragedy surrounding his existence, haneul credits his grandparents for making him the person he is today.

̟ ˖ ⁺ mother : cho seolhee, born may 8 1982 in ulsan, south korea, died december 15 2001, formerly resided in ulsan, south korea, formerly employed as a data entry clerk, mother of 1. ̟ ˖ ⁺ grandfather : cho jinyoung, born january 17 1961 in ulsan, south korea, resides in ulsan, south korea, employed as a bus driver, father of 1, grandfather of 1. ̟ ˖ ⁺ grandmother : nam soyoung, born january 30 1961 in cheongju, north chungcheong, resides in ulsan, south korea, employed as a caregiver, mother of 1, grandmother of 1.

ぅ( FILE FOUR ) ## TRIVIAL INFORMATION

̟ ˖ ⁺ habits & mannerisms : jumping at everything, having sudden bursts of energy, slapping others when he laughs, yelling when he yawns, saying "que?" when he's confused even though he doesn't speak spanish, always tripping on his own feet, snapping when he gets something right, smiling so wide his cheekbones hurt, talking really fast when he's drunk.

̟ ˖ ⁺ hobbies and skills : playing the guitar, collecting post stamps, rapping, socializing, annoying junmin to no end, coloring, drinking alcohol with a straw, gardening, making slime, acting, attempting to bake, ordering takeout, writing songs then trashing them immediately, imitating everything chrysa does, talking all the time.

̟ ˖ ⁺ likes : being active, talking, socializing, attention, screaming, affection, whistling, keeping his promises, when others cook for him, red velvet cake, winning uno, imitating everyone, squishmallows, sleeping in everyone else's beds, hugs, byeol. ̟ ˖ ⁺ dislikes : glue, bitter things, sitting still, pretending to like people he hates, violence, water slides, getting ignored, the silent treatment, talking to his father, not being able to buy stupid things, being serious, losing uno, mustard, talking about how he feels, closed spaces.

̟ ˖ ⁺ phobias : claustrophobia ( fear of tight spaces ).

̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite colors : sky blue, peach. ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite seasons : spring, winter. ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite animals : bunnies, coyotes, bears. ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite numbers : 47.

̟ ˖ ⁺ personal playlist : why so lonely, wonder girls. i want you, shinee. love poem, iu. the weekend, sza. dancing queen, girls generation. yuck, charli xcx. money folder, madvillain. marathon, kelis. shy love, boa. everytime, ariana grande. skyline to, frank ocean. genevieve, jai paul.

̟ ˖ ⁺ close friends : seonghwa, wooyoung, jongho, ateez. chanhyuck, suhyun, akmu. seungmin, i.n, stray kids. heeseung, enhypen. jungsu, xdinary heroes. ryujin, chaeryeong, itzy.

ぅ( FILE FIVE ) ## FACTUAL INFORMATION

001 ▬▬ haneul, just like his partner in crime, is very affectionate, like sooo affectionate to the point that you'd think he's in love with byeol with how much he kisses him on the cheek. he simply has a lot of love to give! he has to show all of it immediately!

002 ▬▬ haneul is the loudest member, and in the most annoying way as well. he yells all the time, he talks all the time, literally every one of his movements emits some sort of loud sound. you could hear him anywhere, even when he's miles away or in a whole other part of the dorm. he is simply a naturally loud person, social anxiety is afraid of him.

003 ▬▬ haneul cannot cook to save his life, and yohan is so tired he's given up on trying to teach him. he's afraid of even trying to cook because he's afraid he's going to mess up and end up burning down the dorm, he likes it when people cook for him, and luckily, his partner has no problem with that.

004 ▬▬ because of his mother's death, haneul has only gotten to know her through old videos and photo albums. he's made it a tradition to visit her gravesite every year on his birthday, as he also sees it as a day of remembrance for her.

005 ▬▬ haneul is so energetic it's honestly scary. he can't sit still for even two minutes because he starts getting antsy and begins unconsciously tapping his feet or moving his arms in some way.

006 ▬▬ he has a newfound squishmallow obsession. he has at least fifteen now, and he gets them all the time. he pretty much decorates his room with them, and though junmin gives him weird looks, he's still buying them whenever he gets free time.

007 ▬▬ haneul often.. avoids female idols. like it's gotten so obvious to the point that people think he's afraid of women as a whole. he's trying to avoid those dating rumors so much that he barely even smiles when they walk past him. he only has three female friends in the industry, and even those friendships spark rumors, so he's sadly not doing a good job at avoiding the articles.

008 ▬▬ haneul barely sleeps in his own bed. he quite literally has an obsession with the rest of the 3rd floors' members beds, no one is sure why he doesn't sleep in his own bed often, but he simply likes their rooms more. kyuhyun is his main victim, haneul always takes all of his space.

009 ▬▬ haneul hates being serious. he actually needs to be unserious to thrive and have a good time, he cannot deal with having to talk about how he feels. he'll be midway through a sobbing session and suddenly he'll start laughing like some sort of crazy person. he has to be the jokey member or he thinks the world is going to fall apart.

010 ▬▬ haneul is the members netizens usually have the least problems with, even with how abrupt he is, he doesn't really have a problematic mouth like his fellow members (junmin & jian in particular).

#◝﹙ profiles ! ﹚ ── haneul #fake kpop group #fake kpop idol #fictional idol group #fictional kpop boy group #fictional kpop community #fictional kpop company #fictional kpop group #fictional kpop idol #fictional kpop oc #idol oc #kpop boy group #oc kpop group

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imfoive · 2 months ago

Text

The Youngest Son - Chapter 8

Minho x Reader (fem.) Genre: non-idol au!, Suspense, Angst, Romance, Mature Warnings: mentions of cursing, death, somewhat proofread WC: 9.6k A/N: Feedback is always welcome, enjoy! ── MASTERLIST

Synopsis: The youngest son of the Lee family was stubborn, he was arrogant, he was conniving. Hiding it all behind the mask of a calm and collected man, the youngest son was a master at mind games. Playing a dangerous game where trust is a luxury and betrayal lurks around every corner. He had sworn once, to not let family ties or any feelings hold him back. Yet, against all odds, she had him completely wrapped around her fingers, and he had no desire to break free.

Missed a chapter? - Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7

CHAPTER 8 ────────────────────

There was a stark silence in the Chairman’s dark study. Glowing slightly by the dimness of the cellphone’s flashlight.

Lee Minho had gotten himself entangled in a web of secrets he didn’t know existed.

Was he important enough for his birth origins to be shrouded in mystery?

He stared at the creased paper, his name and real birthdate glaring back at him.

Yet, the youngest son didn’t get to ponder his thoughts for long. Already finding himself snatched back to a reality where he suddenly found himself to be an enigma.

The vibrations of his cell phone broke the stillness, an incoming call from Chairman Lee causing him to clench his teeth and tighten his jaw. He let the call end, watching as the screen dimmed, leaving the room illuminated only by the flash of the phone once again.

This old man, the keeper of all these twists in his life.

Minho hastily closed the files, returning them to their original order. Yet, still hesitant fingers hovered over the small boxed compartment in the back, filled with countless flash drives, each labeled differently.

He recalled how Secretary Cha just added another one to the pile, though was unsure exactly which one.

His brain wracked in the intensity of his snooping. It was clear that the drive labeled “Joohyun—Jae” was the one from the night Lee Jae overdosed. He was sure the chairman had already figured out the truth behind Jae’s demise.

The contents might be a copy of the yacht CCTV footage, but that was highly doubtful since Minho himself had the original footage, and had never shown it to anyone, not even his grandfather.

Then it struck him.

The dash cam footage from the car.

The one the Chairman had pretended not to know about. The evidence Minho failed to get a hold of. Minho had fallen for his feigned deception, like a fool.

“That sneaky old man.” Minho muttered to himself, dropping everything back into place and closing the locker.

The cabinet shut slowly with a soft click and locked with a low beep.

Sneaking out was easier than sneaking in, but Minho left with even more questions than he had when he arrived.

He ignored the Chairman’s calls, but as he settled into his car, his phone rang again.

“We’re on our way to the restaurant from the wineries. Pick up Haneul from the hotel on your way here.” Chairman Lee instructed through the car speaker.

Minho glanced at the dashboard, noting his route to the restaurant.

“Is Miss Son joining us as well?” He asked, well aware of his grandfather’s intentions.

“Yes, she’s staying at The Rose Hotel.”

The grandson covered his mouth with his hand in frustration.

Great. The Rose Hotel.

“Yes, I got it.” He muttered instead, turning his car towards the hotel.

Sky Son was as awkward as ever.

The young woman stuttered through her greeting yet smiled shyly at Minho, who returned the smile as she buckled into the passenger seat.

“How are you liking your stay here so far?” Minho asked, glancing at her while pulling out of the hotel driveway.

She stole a glance, taking in his profile, but quickly looked away when he met her gaze, blushing slightly.

“It’s good. The people here are nice…” She responded, trailing off as she looked up at him again.

He nodded, smiling once more but kept his focus on the road.

“And The Rose Hotel?” He inquired.

“Ah! It’s great. I actually met Miss Y/N Park the night after the party at your residence. She’s a wonderful person.”

Minho’s smile faltered briefly before he recovered, his lips stretching into a different kind of smile. “Is that so?”

“She told me you two went to school together.”

He nodded, confirming her statement.

“You guys must be close then.” She said, her eyes hopeful.

He glanced at her briefly before pulling his car into the venue they were to dine in.

“You could say that.” He replied, noticing her expression fall, clearly disappointed.

But he didn’t care. He was just babysitting at this point.

Minho walked to her side of the car, opening the door with practiced courtesy. Her expression brightened at his gesture, reminding him of Y/N and how her eyes would light up at simple gestures from him. But he didn’t like that look in Miss Son’s eyes.

It made him feel gross.

Handing his keys to the valet, Minho masked his unreadable expression with a forced smile as he led Sky into the private area where their grandfathers awaited.

───────────────────────

Y/N sat at the breakfast table, between her parents. Park Hyunmin, adjusted his glasses and took a sip of his coffee.

“I didn’t know you came home.” The older man said, surprised by her presence so early in the morning.

He grinned widely, and her mother’s face lit up with a smile.

“I can’t miss you guys?” Y/N raised a brow, reaching for her food.

“The house just brightens up whenever she’s here, doesn’t it, honey?” Her mother asked her husband.

Park Hyunmin nodded and passed Y/N a bowl of fruit. The daughter who’s presence apparently lit up the room, couldn’t help but notice how their affection had seemed to increase since her return from New York, but she wasn’t complaining.

“Ah, did you hear the news about Lee Minho getting engaged to Son Hyungdon’s granddaughter?” The mother asked suddenly, recalling the fresh gossip she had heard that morning.

Y/N froze, her throat going dry, and she found herself unable to continue eating.

“You and your gossip.” Park Hyunmin sighed, glancing briefly at Y/N.

“We have nothing to do with Lee Minho or Son Hyungdon outside of our business. Who cares what they do?” He muttered, bringing his coffee back to his lips.

“No, no, I was just saying. It’s not official news yet. Possibly just rumors.” Her mother said, brushing it off.

Unbeknownst that their daughter sat with her hands clenched around her fork and knife, her eyes fixed on her mother’s cooling mug of coffee set infront.

“Minho’s office door burst open, and Y/N stormed in, her anger evident in her expression.

An anxious team member trailed behind her.

“Miss Park, please, you can’t—”

Minho raised a hand to signal the man to step back. Who nodded and bowed before retreating and closing the door behind him.

Y/N glared at Minho, her anger unmistakable.

“Are you fucking around with me?” She demanded.

Minho was initially startled, slowly morphing into confusion before he ultimately came to a conclusion. He realized that Y/N had likely heard some unsettling news, perhaps the whispers had reached her ears already. He approached her, trying to calm her down.

“Listen, Y/N, whatever you heard is not true—”

“Did you or did you not have a marriage meeting with Son Haneul?” She interrupted, eyes locking onto his with a fierce glare.

Minho hesitated, falling silent. His lack of response was enough for her. Yet, he attempted to grasp her arms, but of course the stubborn woman would not allow him to do so. She scoffed, turning away in frustration before glaring back at him.

“It was your idea to date secretly.” She said, jabbing a finger into his chest and pushing him backward.

He allowed her push, closing his eyes momentarily as he tried to collect his thoughts, his arms falling to his sides in defeat.

“You’re the one who said we’ll announce our relationship when the time is right. But now this is what I’m hearing?” Disbelief dripped from her words, her face flushed with anger.

His back pressed against the wall, while her figure loomed close, voice dropping to a whisper as tears brimmed in her eyes. Y/N pressed against him, one arm across his chest, pinning him in place.

“I won’t give you a third chance. You can’t fuck me over and expect me to sit back and do nothing.” Y/N spat, her eyes darting between his, her composure almost faltering as she searched his apologetic gaze.

“It’s not what you think.” Minho said, hoping she’d hear him out.

But her mind was clouded with the fear of being betrayed. Despite knowing deep down that Minho would never do that, the whispers of a sudden marriage between him and Son Haneul were overwhelming her.

He had made promises. In the quiet of his bedroom. As he littered kisses down her body.

While he pushed her up against the glass of her penthouse suite back in New York. Whispering into her ears.

He swore he was hers.

Murmurs about a sudden marriage between Lee Minho and Son Haneul already began spreading throughout high society. It was only a matter of days before it would make headlines, cementing their names together. And perhaps the two would suddenly find themselves standing at the altar saying their “I do’s”, something that happened quite often in their circle.

Something that had almost been her own reality if Minho hadn’t intervened. If Jae hadn’t died.

Haneul seemed like a sweet girl. From their brief, coincidental encounter, Y/N had sensed that. Sure, she was a bit naive, but that might be due to her younger age and introverted nature. Haneul was kind, calm, and thoughtful. She was the kind of girl who would listen before jumping to conclusions.

Things that Y/N clearly was not.

Perhaps those were the qualities Minho truly desired in his partner.

“Please don’t tell me you were just using my love.” Y/N said, her voice breaking as tears finally trickled freely.

Minho was at a loss for words, unable to think beyond her tearful eyes. He reached out to console her, but she stepped back abruptly, releasing him from her grip and composing herself.

Without giving him another moment to respond, she nudged him back against the wall and turned to leave.

“Y/N, please…” He murmured, reaching out to grab her wrist, his voice tinged with a sudden desperation.

“I can’t face you before you fix this.” She replied coldly, not looking back.

Her wrist slipped from his grasp, and she exited the room. Minho stood there, feeling almost defeated, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process everything that had happened just now.

Everything that had happened in the past two days.

He had just disappointed the one person he never wanted to hurt.

A friendly dinner.

Hah.

The dinner the other night with those old men had been nothing but an ambush. An unofficial announcement of his engagement to Son Haneul, staged in front of just the two of them and their grandfathers.

The old men laughed, clearly delighted. Miss Son had either covered her face in shock or shyness, Minho didn’t care which. His gaze had been fixed on his grandfather, whose laughter had seemed mocking almost.

After Son Hyungdon and his granddaughter had left, Minho had confronted Chairman Lee. A glare in his gaze.

“I see you’ve decided everything among yourselves.” Minho said, leaning into the table.

The Chairman smiled. “Son Hyung-Don is ready to invest billions in us. We should repay him well, don’t you think?”

“By selling me off?” Minho retorted.

It felt like the same cycle all over again, but this time Minho was the one up for sale.

Chairman Lee studied the challenging look in Minho’s eyes, his lips twitching into a grin that he quickly suppressed. His demeanor turned serious as he spoke.

“I’ve given you enough time to look through those profiles of young women. You seemed too busy, so I chose one for you.”

Minho let out a silent laugh, his lips curling as he looked down at the tablecloth. But before he could respond, the old man beat him to it.

“Are you going to act out because of Y/N Park?” The Chairman finally asked, his tone suddenly stern.

Minho’s smile vanished at the mention of the woman he loved, his eyes shot a protective glare at the old man.

He had never underestimated Chairman Lee, knowing the old man would eventually catch onto his relationship with Y/N. He was more curious about why the Chairman had waited so long to address it. But now this sudden engagement has become an unexpected obstacle.

He should’ve considered it the moment he met Sky.

“If you already know, why are you pushing me to choose another side?” Minho demanded, unable to understand the old man’s motives.

The Chairman laughed. “I can’t let you jeopardize the relationship I spent years cultivating with Son Hyungdon. He has connections all over Europe—”

“And Rose Enterprises is a global name, even bigger than Son Hyungdon probably.” Minho argued.

The old man fell silent for a few seconds, studying the young man’s determined face.

“I can’t base decisions on arguments that end with ‘probably.’ Besides, what makes you think Park Hyunmin will accept you? Have you forgotten your background?”

A cold silence fell over the room as Minho stared at his grandfather. A little stunned.

He had never heard such a direct insult from Chairman Lee before. A clear jab at his illegitimacy.

Except now all Minho could only think about was the altered birth certificate hidden in the old man’s safe.

He didn’t even know his true background himself.

No.

Who was he?

───────────────────────

The new mother didn’t know how to feel. Her baby was born prematurely, frail, and possibly not strong enough to make it through the next few days. He had been born in a monastery but was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he was kept under intensive care. The doctors claimed it didn’t look to good.

She had named him and clung to the hope that he would survive.

He was her only link to the Chairman, her connection to the Lee family. She had fled after Chairman Lee had threatened her, planning to stay out of the public eye until the child was born and the old man could no longer deny his existence.

The Chairman had been right about her.

She was a sneaky thing that wanted to trap him.

Why else would a young woman like her allow an old man to take her to bed if not to secure her future?

The young assistant had understood from an early age that navigating the world required powerful connections and financial backing.

And it wasn’t as if she didn’t care for her newborn. She was overwhelmed with grief, unable to stop sobbing as she watched the doctors work on her child, inserting tubes and keeping him in the NICU. The sisters from the chapel had tried to comfort her, urging her to rest and conserve her energy. She had held him for a few precious hours before the doctors had taken him away.

The Chairman wasn’t prepared for this.

He was even more shaken to learn that the child had been born a month prematurely, underweight and at risk.

He had been devising a plan to shift the blame for the child’s arrival onto his younger son, believing it would be more plausible if everyone thought the child was the result of his second son’s mistake. This way, he could contain the scandal within the family and avoid major fallout. But now, his concern had shifted to the possibility that the child might not even survive. He couldn’t afford to lose this last chance.

The young assistant was right about one thing.

Success required money, and Chairman Lee had plenty of it.

The hospital was filled with his people, top doctors and the best nurses.

He needed his son to survive.

“Of course a young thing like you would give birth to an unhealthy child.” He spat, looking down at the disheveled former assistant.

“But I’m here now. Nothing can harm my blood. Not even God himself.”

Lee Minho was born prematurely, but he had to live.

And he did.

───────────────────────

After Y/N had stormed out of his office, Minho felt frantic. He had promised himself he would never let her leave like that again, yet he had failed. Blinded by the secrets of the past, he had jeopardized his present and his future.

So he made a decision, one he should have made the moment his grandfather handed him those marriage candidate profiles.

Park Hyunmin studied the young man across from him. Minho smiled politely, leaning back in his seat.

The Vice President of L Corp. had made an unannounced visit to the head of The Rose Enterprises on a normal Thursday morning. There had been no prior appointment, no apparent reason for them to be sharing morning coffee really.

Hyunmin adjusted his glasses and leaned closer to the table between them.

“If you want to discuss The Resort Project, my daughter is planning a meeting with our partners sometime this week.” Hyunmin began, crossing one leg over the other.

The older man was aware that Minho wouldn’t have come for such a trivial reason, but it was a start to a conversation Park Hyunmin couldn’t guess

“Actually, I’m here for something else. Though it does concern your daughter” Minho replied

The mention of Y/N had made the father raise a protective brow.

“You asked me a few years ago if I saw myself marrying your daughter.” Minho continued.

“Yes. And I recall you denied on the spot.”

God, was he a fool. Minho berated his past self.

But still smiled thinly and nodded.

“I’d like to tell you that I’m going to marry Y/N.” He stated, sitting up straight with a sincere expression.

Park Hyunmin fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“You Lee’s really take marriage for a joke don’t you? Last I heard, you’re to be wed to Son Hyungdon’s girl.” Hyunmin had tried to remain composed, though he found it difficult to suppress his irritation.

“That was a plan that didn’t involve me.” The young man across responded honestly.

“And you think Y/N would just jump at your proposal? You two haven’t been in contact for the past two years.”

Minho blinked, looking down momentarily before meeting Hyunmin’s gaze, who immediately got the message from his silence and sheepishly stupid gaze.

“Of course you’ve kept in touch.” Park Hyunmin muttered, sighing as he reached for his coffee, finally understanding why his daughter’s mood suddenly shifted that morning at breakfast.

“So why this sudden decision? Were you planning to defy your family’s plans? Or did you suddenly realize you might be cut off from the inheritance?”

The younger man leaned in, intertwining his fingers in front of him, and gazed seriously at the older man.

“The shareholders meeting to appoint the next president of L Corp. is coming up. I know for sure that I’m one of the candidates.” Minho began, his words perking the older man’s ears.

“With the announcement of my engagement to Y/N, I’d look better in front of the shareholders. Besides, Son Hyungdon’s investment is insignificant compared to The Rose Enterprises. This will also be good media play for your side as well.”

Park Hyunmin processed the schemes Minho had cooked up, before he laughed softly, leaning back and observing the almost sinister look on Minho’s face.

He was a Lee after all.

“A battle amongst the successors, huh? I didn’t think I’d see this day so soon. So up close as well.” He chuckled again, sipping his coffee.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“If Y/N is willing to accept this challenge, I won’t stop her. It’s time she considered the future of The Rose Enterprises without my influence. But if anything goes awry, just know, I don’t give second chances easily.” He warned, the amusement from earlier long gone.

Lee Minho had lots of things to take care of, lots of things to think about. From his false birth certificate to his engagement.

But the most important, Y/N.

He could still picture her teary expression as she left his office a few days ago.

Minho sighed deeply, sinking into the leather of his car seat. Despite numerous unanswered calls and messages, there was only silence from her end. The few days of not hearing from her felt far longer than the years she had been away. Determined yet anxious, he dialed her number again, the phone ringing persistently in the quiet car.

As expected, she didn’t answer.

Once Y/N made a decision, she rarely wavered.

But Minho was worried she’d throw him away and stick with that decision.

No, he couldn’t let that happen. Without her, he’d have no purpose to keep going.

It was ironic. Only some years ago, it was Y/N who chased after him no matter his avoidance.

Or maybe, deep down, it was he who had been obsessed with her, allowing her to break down his walls because his desire to have her was so painful. Or maybe he was afraid to be alone, and knew Y/N would never allow him to feel so.

It was ironic, but he couldn’t even laugh.

He hoped that his conversation with her father reached her ears as quickly as his engagement news had.

And it did.

The incoming call from her flashed brightly on the dashboard, one he swiftly accepted.

“Hello—”

“Where are you?” Her voice was urgent, almost demanding.

“The parking lot of Rose Enterprises.” He replied.

“Stay there.” Y/N commanded abruptly before ending the call.

Minho listened to her, like a good boyfriend.

Not even five minutes later, he saw her figure emerge through the automatic doors leading to the indoor parking lot. Instinctively, he got out of the car, closing the door with a thud that caught her attention. Y/N strode toward him with an expression Minho couldn’t decipher.

Her steps quickened until she was practically running. Her arms reached out, and she almost leapt into his embrace. Startled, Minho instinctively caught her, stumbling back against the car door. She clung to him, exhaling sharply.

“I didn’t think you’d ask for my hand in marriage.” She mumbled into the fabric of his jacket, gripping him tightly.

His tension melted away as he held her close, a smile spreading across his face as he hugged her back, inhaling her scent.

“You said to fix it. So I did.” He murmured against her.

Y/N pulled back to look at him, her eyes meeting his.

“I’m sorry for not letting you clear up misunderstandings. For bombarding you with questions that day.” She whispered, her face contorting into a guilt-ridden expression.

He smiled instead, shaking his head before leaning in to capture her lips in a soft kiss. Relaxing into her arms, he pulled back with a contented sigh. His eyes suddenly lit up, the wide grin she loved seeing, spread across his face.

“Look in my left pocket.” He whispered, watching as her eyes momentarily reflected confusion, hands slowly rummaging through his coat, while his fingers still gripped at her arms lightly.

Her fingers fished out the velvet box, eyes automatically shooting up to meet him, widening in surprise.

“How could I propose without a ring?” Minho chuckled softly, the kind of sound that always made Y/N’s stomach tingle.

She slowly opened the box, and the sight of the diamond sparkling in the light made her cheeks flush, unable to contain her smile. Truly rendered speechless.

“Please Marry me, Y/N.” He said softly, his eyes full of love as he waited.

Her lips quivered with joy and excitement, truly touched by the warm gaze he held. She nodded, pulling his face toward her for a deep, passionate kiss.

A proper heated kiss that lifted her off her feet.

Chairman Lee stared at the photographs taken by undercover reporters, showing Y/N and Minho kissing openly. The images had already made headlines, catching high society by surprise.

The old man was angry and upset that Minho, who had always heeded his advice, was now acting on his own.

Yet, at the same time, it was fascinating, too.

The father in him felt a strange pride that his son had made such a bold decision.

His brows narrowed at the images again.

The businessman in him, however, was less impressed. The schemes Minho had orchestrated were not just disobedient, they were disruptive to his own meticulously planned strategy.

“Sir, Mr. Son is calling again. He seems to have heard the news.” Secretary Cha announced, breaking the Chairman’s daze.

Chairman Lee’s eyes flicked to the television screen, which displayed more news about his youngest son and the Park heiress.

“That bastard.” He muttered.

The emotions Minho stirred in him, even in this brief moment, were… exhilarating.

For the first time, Chairman Lee felt genuinely challenged. He had gotten a taste of it the night Minho had glared at him after finding out about his arranged engagement.

But this was something entirely new and thrilling. For the first time, he felt like a father whose son had truly lived up to his expectations. A new sensation of seeing his son assert himself so dramatically.

Despite the underlying pride, Chairman Lee had no intention of letting Minho get away with this newfound boldness. He had to remind his son who held the reins.

“Get Lee Minho here, now.” He coldly instructed.

Y/N stared at the glistening ring on her finger, her eyes twinkling and her lips stretched into an uncontrollable grin.

“We had everyone fooled, right? Our relationship hit the news with a bang, and the stocks are doubling as we speak!” Y/N gushed, crossing one leg over the other, turning to Lee Jihoon who stared at her unfazed.

They were sitting at the same bar where they had last fought. Minho had to leave abruptly for a meeting with Chairman Lee, and Y/N needed someone to share her excitement with.

“Mmmm, I don’t think anyone really cared to notice.” Jihoon said, glancing around the place.

Y/N made a face, rolling her eyes at his response, then began surveying the room herself.

“I was surprised when you called me here. We’re not even friends.”

Y/N looked back at him before taking a sip of her drink.

“I’d like to think we’re business friends.” She smirked to which Jihoon chuckled, shaking his head.

“I’m not even interested in business.”

“Then I guess we can be just friends.” She said, raising her glass to his new drink.

The older man considered it for a moment before clinking his glass against hers.

“I’ll think about it.” Jihoon laughed, downing his drink as Y/N rolled her eyes once more.

While his new fiancée celebrated, Minho found himself under the intense scrutiny of his grandfather’s gaze.

Chairman Lee observed his youngest son with a mix of emotions. There was a new, almost defiant aura around Minho, as if he had finally become his own person of some sort.

A bittersweet realization for the patriarch who had always had control of every aspect of the family’s affairs.

But deep down inside, he always hoped for a day like this to come, where he had to stand against a son that he raised to be just like him.

He was tired of cleaning after the messes his useless children made. For once, he wanted to worry about something other than a mess.

Though this wasn’t less of a mess, it was something that could be twisted into a good thing as well.

The Chairman was upset for various other reasons.

He had to risk his ties with Son Hyungdon, though he didn’t really care much for the headache.

He had to control the rest of the family, who were always slow when it came to doing a good job, but first to bark when they felt threatened.

No, he was truly frustrated that Minho had chosen to act independently, without consulting him. His father.

It was a challenge to his authority that he hadn’t anticipated.

“You’ve grown a lot. I didn’t think I’d have to worry about you this soon.” Chairman Lee said, pouring tea into the empty cups in front of them.

Minho watched the steam rise from his cup, his gaze steady as he met his grandfather’s eyes.

“I remembered your words again. The ones about not trusting any businessman, no matter how appealing their promises are. I realized the moment you brought up my background, grandfather. I’ve forgotten for a moment that you are also a businessman.” Minho said, reaching for his tea.

The atmosphere between them was charged with passive-aggressive tension. Chairman Lee studied Minho, who now seemed markedly more mature. He chuckled softly before he leaned back, crossing his legs.

“What are your plans now? I recall telling you that a good businessman doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket.” Chairman Lee asked.

Minho raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the older man’s tone, wondering what else was this old man planning in that mind of his.

“You’ve burned the Son bridge. How far do you think the Park bridge will get you?” Chairman Lee continued, picking up a cookie and savoring its sweetness.

“I plan on becoming president of L Corp,.” Minho stated confidently.

The old man’s delight was evident, though he masked it behind a facade of composure. He cleared his throat, maintaining a serious demeanor.

“What makes you think it will be that simple? You’ve forgotten about your brothers. Jungshin has the elder shareholders in his pocket, and Joohyeon has been building those overseas connections.”

“A good businessman doesn’t reveal his plans too readily, grandfather.” Minho replied with a smile.

Chairman Lee’s expression momentarily faltered before he burst into laughter, absolutely amused by Minho’s bravado.

“I have a slight inclination that I might expect you to side with me during the selection, won’t you?...Unless my background bothers you.” Minho said, his sly smirk, both irking and amusing the old man at the same time.

“I’m not like you son, I don’t put all my eggs in one basket. You’ll just have to see at the next meeting.” The old man chuckled, sipping his tea again.

Placing the cup back down, he sighed. A pointed sound that stated he’s moving on from this conversation.

“What’s done is done. Son Hyungdon will have to suck it up. The news of the engagement is actually benefiting us, especially with The Resort Project. Let’s not dwell on future problems just yet.” Chairman Lee said, clapping and offering Minho a plate of cookies.

Minho smiled but politely declined.

“How about a round of golf?” Chairman Lee suggested with a doting smile.

“I need to get back to my fiancée.” Minho declined again, rising from his seat.

“Ah, very well. Don’t disappoint her now, otherwise, you might have to burn that Park bridge after all.” The old man laughed.

Minho bowed and began to leave, casting a final glance at the safe cabinet before turning. He nodded to Secretary Cha at the door as he exited.

Chairman Lee called his secretary over and leaned back, taking another sip of his tea. A low snicker escaped his lips before he erupted into another loud laugh.

“This is much more entertaining than I anticipated. I haven’t felt this alive in ages.” He said with a grin.

Looking at his secretary, he asked. “Who am I meeting next?”

The secretary checked his watch. “Your elder son wants to discuss the sudden engagement news. Your second son, will likely want to do the same—”

“Turn them away,” Chairman Lee cut him off coldly.

“They just want to complain. That’s all they ever do.” There was a bitterness in his tone.

He dusted his hands on his napkin, thinking for a moment.

“Get my lawyer on the phone. I believe it’s time for me to do some charity work.” He said with a chuckle.

───────────────────────

The second grandson of the Lee family was puzzled. No, he was in denial. He stared at the names of the contenders in line for the title of L Corporation’s next leading President. Many different emotions flowing through him.

His name was not amongst them.

Lee Joohyeon was the oldest son from the second branch within the Lee family. How could he not even be considered?

How was it that the person standing against Lee Jungshin wasn’t him, but the youngest son of the family?

Joohyeon has spent all his life fighting for second place, and now he was painfully made aware that even that spot did not belong to him.

It would have been the ideal scenario.

The eldest of Lee Mooyoung stood against the eldest of Lee Doyoung. It seemed like a fair battle.

But Lee Minho swooped in like a shadow, his name in bold next to Jungshin’s. Minho was making his way up the ladder, getting tied to The Rose Enterprises, something he pretended to never be interested in, now made sure his name was in everyone’s mouth. While Joohyeon sat here in Japan, exiled under the pretense of managing L Corp. subsidiaries.

He was guilty. Once upon a time. The face of Jae lying still on the cold yacht floor still haunted him in his dreams from time to time.

But he wasn’t guilty enough.

He wanted to go back to where he was. Even the spot of second best was more than enough for the older brother who now seemed to equal to nothing in the ranks within the Lee family.

Minho’s name left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn’t just let that young boy reach any higher than he was. But his grandfather was always particularly drawn to the youngest, shielding him. And his father was delusional, under the spell that Minho had cast, like his maid mother.

He knew his uncle, and the first branch within the Lee family wouldn’t sit still either. Especially with Jungshin being one of the candidates for President. This was their only chance to control the reign of L Corp. in the coming generations.

The only person who would be on Joohyeon’s side, the only sane person the oldest of the second branch could think of was his mother. His mother didn’t have favorites amongst her children. But with Jihoon being a self-appointed outcast, and Minho’s existence itself disgusting her, she had no choice but to hold Joohyeon high on a pedestal.

Even then he was just the default. But it was better than sitting thousands of miles away from his goals. He needed to find his way back.

No. He had to go back.

───────────────────────

The sudden attention from everyone around Y/N filled her with an unexpected delight. It was as if she was finally basking in the glow of something she had always wanted. Although she wasn’t exactly an attention-seeker, the fact that everyone now knew Lee Minho was hers made her squeal with excitement. Her teenage self would have never believed that the cold and indifferent Lee Minho, who would practically leap out of a window whenever she entered a room, was now completely captivated by her.

Gone were the days of secret meetings and indoor dates. They were now free to publicly display their relationship. While her fiancé wasn’t particularly fond of pda, maintaining their status as a hot topic among elite families was crucial. He needed the attention to boost his public image. Perhaps even impress shareholders who would heavily influence the decision on who to elect as the next President of L Corp.

Minho had made a promise to Y/N. If he was going to rise, he’d rise with her.

Lee Minho had always managed to stay under the radar, keeping a low profile and avoiding any specific attention. His sudden emergence into the public eye only added to his mysterious persona. To the news outlets, he was like a present waiting to be unwrapped, a promising businessman and the youngest of the Lee family. His growing positive image only fueled his desire to reach for the stars, forget the sky.

But he also knew he was putting everything at stake. If he fails, he would only fall, fall hard.

So he told himself. He couldn’t fail. He wouldn’t let anything hinder him, no matter how difficult the obstacle in his path was. Whether that was his father, Lee Jungshin, or his grandfather himself. Minho was going to run them all over.

He toyed with the glass paperweight on his desk, spinning it absentmindedly as he pondered his next moves. He had already handled his engagement and established his position in the so-called “battle amongst the successors,” as Park Hyunmin called it. Joohyeon was no longer a threat, leaving Jungshin as his remaining challenge.

He knew the eldest grandson had something brewing, a big scheme to make Minho fall in the eyes of the shareholders and the public, Minho would have if he was him. The youngest was just waiting for the right time to play dirty. He had to thank his grandfather when it came to things like this. The unwritten handbook to the perfect businessman was all in Chairman Lee’s mind, and he made sure he embedded it into Minho as well.

However, a lingering concern gnawed at Minho. The thin file tucked away in Chairman Lee’s safe, containing information about his mother.

No, about Yoon Sooyeon, who might or might not be his mother.

He was torn, a part of him impatient to uncover whatever the hell the old man was trying to conceal. While another part whispered to him not to pry further, he wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath.

Minho had dug up on the former maid that was dismissed from his family a year before he was born. The moment the doubts of her being nothing more than just a stranger to him, formed in his heart, he began looking into it. But of course with his sudden engagement to Haneul, to proposing to Y/N, and now being thrust into the public eye, the young man could only do so much to keep up with everything that was happening.

Or everything that already had happened.

His grandfather acted as though their last tense meeting had never occurred, treating the engagement between the Lees and the Parks as if he had always been in favor of it. He didn’t even mention Son Hyungdon anymore.

But that didn’t mean Son Haneul got the message. She should have. It was all over the news. The photos of Y/N and Minho kissing in a parking lot were easily accessible, and Y/N’s public social media was filled with their relationship.

Yet, the young girl chose to ignore it, mistaking Minho’s kindness for genuine interest.

Minho sat across from her in the lobby of L Corp., observing as she fiddled with the buttons of her fur coat. Her troubled expression was evident, and he studied her with a detached calm.

“W-why did you break our engagement?” She asked, her eyes betraying her hurt.

Minho wanted to laugh. She was young, but he hadn’t realized she was this naive.

“Our few days of encounters don’t really count as an engagement, do they? It’s a bit ridiculous, don’t you think, Miss Son?” He said with the polite smile that had charmed her when they first met.

She blinked, unable to smile back, hurt by his use of her formal name instead of just Sky.

“Yes, but our grandfathers—”

“Our grandfathers aren’t here. And frankly, don’t you think we’re past the age where we let them dictate who we marry?” He leaned in slightly.

“You should find someone who genuinely likes you, not just someone your grandfather approves of.” He flashed her a pleasant smile, ignoring her tears, before standing up and walking away.

God did he hate pathetic people like her.

“Bring the new secretary to my room.” Minho instructed one of his team members as he walked to his office.

A young man in a crisp suit-and-tie stepped into the vice president’s office, his demeanor calm but his lack of experience evident compared to the seasoned members of the Secretary Department. But then again, maybe Minho had judged too quickly. Maybe this was how the older executives looked at him when he entered a room.

The young secretary bowed respectfully before standing straight in front of Minho’s desk.

“Good afternoon sir, I’m Kim Yongguk, your new personal secretary.”

Minho studied him carefully. Every influential person had a good secretary. Take Secretary Cha, for instance, who had faithfully served his grandfather for decades.

“Secretary Kim…how old are you?” The superior inquired.

The young man adjusted his posture, clasping his hands behind his back. “I’m twenty-five, sir.”

Minho nodded, picking up the glass paper stopper he had been playing with all day.

“Do you plan on sticking around for a long time?”

Yongguk straightened, his earlier confidence wavering slightly. “Yes, sir. I plan on being loyal to L Corp. for as long as I’m allowed to work here.”

“See, that’s where you’re mistaken. I don’t need you to be loyal to L Corp.” Minho shook his head, leaning back in his chair.

“I need you to be loyal to me. Not L Corp. You’re going to do anything I tell you to do…no matter how sketchy you find it.”

Yongguk’s eyes narrowed sharply with a slight confusion.

“If you think you can’t do that, you can back out now.” Minho added, his tone neither harsh nor reassuring, rather even.

“N-no sir, I will be able to follow your orders.” The young secretary responded rigidly.

Minho’s fingers stilled, setting aside the paperwork he had been holding.

“Even if there’s a risk of you getting into trouble… or worse?”

Yongguk paused, feeling the weight of Minho’s scrutiny.

“I’m not pressuring you. You can choose to walk away if you prefer.”

Minho’s intention wasn’t to intimidate the young man but to ensure that anyone who worked closely with him was prepared for the risks involved. He wanted someone loyal, someone who could handle the weight of secrets and tough decisions.

“I’m willing to be loyal to only you sir.” Yongguk responded after a moment of silence, his tone firm.

Minho fell silent for a moment. Thinking, observing.

He then let out a chuckle, startling his young secretary.

“You can relax. I’m not asking you to sacrifice your life for me. You won’t have to, and I won’t let that happen to one of my people.” He stated.

Yongguk’s tension eased at the sudden reassurance.

“I’ll give you your first task right away then.”

The Vice President reached into the side drawer of his desk. There was a pile of papers tucked into a thin file, whatever information Minho could collect over the past two weeks.

“I need you to look into Yoon Sooyeon.”

Secretary Kim reached forward and took the file off of the desk, eyes looking intently at it.

“She’s apparently my ‘dirty-birth mother.’” Minho smiled up at his secretary who stared at him in shock for a brief second.

“Sir…” He whispered, overwhelmed by the gravity of the secret he figured out.

“If you’re going to be at my side, you should know some of my secrets don’t you think?”

Minho didn’t know he was going to disclose this to a man he just met. It was something he never said out loud to anyone, not even to Y/N. But the look of doubt in this young secretary’s eyes irked him, and he needed to show him that he was willing to let Yongguk into the deepest secrets in return for his loyalty.

“Now that I’ve shared one of my secrets, let’s hear one of yours.” He tried to ease the tension, eyes awaiting for the dumbfounded young secretary to compose himself.

“I…I cheated my way through school.” Yongguk admitted, attempting to match the severity of his secret to Minho’s, though nothing could compare.

“So you might not even be qualified to be my secretary?” Minho laughed, absolutely amused.

He was laughing at such a situation. Like a maniac.

Like his father.

Though Kim Yongguk had expressed doubts about his own competence, he completed the task faster than Minho had anticipated, impressing the vice president. Yongguk’s eyes twinkled with pride at the compliment, and Minho knew immediately that the young man would be just fine next to him.

However, Minho’s amusement was short-lived. The information Secretary Kim uncovered was far from pleasant. The doubts in Minho’s mind were put to rest. The youngest son of the Lee family always had great instincts.

Yoon Sooyeon was nothing but a former maid at the Lee Residence.

A former, dead maid.

She had no connections to Minho. As he thought.

It felt like a maze of lies. The deeper he went, the more puzzled he became. Minho didn’t think that there were so many secrets behind his birth. Minho didn’t even know what to believe anymore.

Was he not really a son of the Lee family?

Was he just some kid that was picked up from an orphanage and put into cruel ties?

But no one else seemed to question Minho’s presence within the family. Everyone accepted the Chairman’s narrative of him being an illegitimate child between Lee Doyoung and Yoon Sooyeon. Perhaps even a doctored DNA test had been used to solidify his connection to his father.

The only person who held answers was his grandfather, but extracting information from him wouldn’t be easy unless Minho were to offer something in return.

───────────────────────

The oldest grandson of the Lee family was livid. He felt disrespected. His name, his title, was being compared to the illegitimate Lee Minho by the media, shareholders, and clients.

By their family.

Lee Jungshin had always watched Minho with a mix of intrigue and disdain, recognizing early on that the youngest son would eventually surpass others. Unlike Joohyeon, who had underestimated Minho, Jungshin knew better. Yet, the debate over who was the more capable leader, Jungshin or Minho, was infuriating. He had always considered himself the true heir, a crown prince in the family hierarchy. The prospect of being compared to Minho was both bewildering and insulting. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh, or if he should get mad.

Jungshin had that confidence in himself that he’d win against Lee Minho. But the recent announcement of Minho and Y/N’s engagement had thrown him into turmoil. Unlike Joohyeon, Lee Jungshin had the core values of a competent businessman.

He knew when he had to step up and take care of the thorns in his path. He knew exactly when to play dirty.

After the night of his nephew’s celebration party, Jungshin realized that the Chairman who had always sung the song about choosing the best businessman to hand over his entire estate and fortune to, might have been biased.

“My favorite grandson.”

The words rang in the eldest grandson’s ears. He had never heard those words from the old man’s mouth.

He had never sat with him for long hours drinking coffee, tea, whiskey.

They had never played golf.

Jungshin wasn’t going to deny that he was envious of the youngest who was able to weasel under the wings of the Chairman. It was a smart move, something Jungshin should have gotten a head start on, but didn’t.

Granted, Minho only took solace under the old man’s authority for protection from his own parents growing up. But Jungshin was still the old man’s grandson.

His eldest grandson.

Of course Jungshin had a plan for Lee Minho, for the title of President of L Corporation to be handed to its rightful owner, himself.

“The presentation for the shareholder’s meeting is complete.” Jungshin looked up to Mooyoung who sat across from him, brow raising.

“Lee Minho won’t realize what hit him.” Jungshin laughed, crossing his fingers into a clasp.

“He’s too busy in his love bubble with that Y/N.” His father added.

The name of Y/N leaves a sour taste in Jungshin’s mouth. Though his courting for the young girl was a brief thing, he hated how she never even looked in his direction. It was the first time he had tried so hard to get someone’s attention. And he hated the fact that she was so unamused.

But then again, who knew she was climbing into Minho’s bed at the end of the night, while pretending to hate his guts to fool everyone.

It was amusing, and perhaps a bit humiliating. Jungshin didn’t usually fall for such things, or maybe he didn’t want to admit that both Y/N and Minho had outwit him.

The eldest grandson didn’t like being outwitted. But Minho was extremely good at doing just that.

───────────────────────

Y/N observed Minho intently, her gaze lingering on him as he worked diligently on his laptop at the kitchen counter. Taking in the sight of his focused expression, lit up by the bright screen in front of him, the sleeves of his button-up pushed back to his elbows. The unkempt sight of Minho was something only she got to see, but then again, there were other forms of Minho that only she got to see. The thought of it makes her cheeks flush, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the laser visioned man across her.

“What kind of dirty thoughts are you thinking?” Minho’s teasing voice broke through whatever she was thinking, his fingers not missing a beat on the keyboard as he glanced up at her with a smug smile.

“Let’s get married tomorrow.” Y/N blurted out instead, her lashes batting in front of his taken aback expression.

Minho’s initial surprise slowly melted into a low chuckle as he processed her words. His gaze softened with affection and amusement.

“You sure?” He asked, seeking confirmation.

Without hesitation, she nodded, her hand shooting up to rest over her heart.

“I can marry you whenever you’re free. Morning, day, or night.” She affirmed, her grin widening.

Minho leaned in closer, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

“I don’t think the marriage bureau is open at night.” He teased gently with a chuckle.

She opened her mouth to say something in return, perhaps even convince him that it was something they needed to do first thing in the morning, but he beat her to it and spoke out first.

“I think your father will kill me if we do that though. Are you okay with that?” He asked, still smiling.

Y/N paused, momentarily at a loss for words. Straightening on the high chair, she cleared her throat.

“I heard you met Son Haneul yesterday.” She changed the subject with a curious tilt of her head.

His smile fell as he slowly pushed the laptop aside, signaling that he was fully attentive.

“She was acting as if you had stolen me from her.”

Y/N laughed, finding his words amusing. It was ironic. She was the one who should feel as though Minho was about to be stolen from her.

“I bet you’re loving that you’ve got two women cast under your spell.” She said, rolling her eyes as she leaned on the counter, resting her chin in her palms.

He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ve got more than two women under my spell. But the only one who has me completely bound is right here in front of me.” He confessed softly, his eyes locking with hers in earnest.

Y/N was momentarily taken aback by his candidness her heart swelling with love for him. Unable to find words to respond to him with, she chose to laugh instead.

“As long as you’re aware.” Her fingers reached over to the laptop, turning it to see what he had been working on.

“Presentation for the shareholder meeting?” She asked, glancing up at him.

Minho nodded and gestured for her to continue reading. She did so with a serious gaze, nodding along as she went through the document.

“You know, someone let it slip to Jungshin that the man who marries me would get ten percent of shares in Rose Enterprise.” Y/N said, looking up at Minho, who furrowed his brows in surprise.

The man in front of her was clearly caught off guard by the revelation. A detail he hadn’t been aware of. But it made sense. In their world, such stakes were significant, even if they seemed trivial at first glance. Though ten percent might not sound like a lot, it was. And of course Lee Jungshin didn’t want to miss out on that.

Made it even more obvious why he had tried so hard to chase Y/N.

Minho was silent, as if he was in deep thought.

“You had a golden ticket the whole time, and you didn’t even know it huh?” She laughed, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Instead of laughing Minho reached over to grasp her hand in his, thumb caressing her skin.

“Jungshin isn’t a good person. Who knows what he could do for that ten percent.”

Y/N’s smile faltered, seeing the look of concern, he didn’t find her joke funny, nor that the situation called for it. But she was aware Minho wouldn’t allow Jungshin to do anything for that ten percent.

“That’s why I have you. My big bad protector.” She laughed again, trying to lighten the mood as her other hand clasped over his grip on her.

And of course he only nodded, smiling slightly in response before bringing the laptop back to him.

But what Park Hyunmin had said last time played in his head.

“But if anything goes astray, just know, I don’t give second chances easily.”

The first branch of the Lee family had something brewing against him. And they were going to give it their all. If Minho failed…

With Minho out of the way and Jungshin as President, he could easily marry into the Park family if Park Hyunmin saw it fit, and Y/N wouldn’t be able to do anything about it besides comply.

Minho couldn’t let that happen. Minho wouldn’t let that happen.

Y/N was his.

Even if he fails. Even if she suddenly decided she no longer loved him.

No one could have her.

His eyes flickered up to take in the sight of Y/N treading around the dining table, busying herself while he worked.

Minho wasn’t a dancer, but he danced effortlessly to her tune. She had him completely tied.

───────────────────────

The chairman reviewed his re-written will for the third time this month. Though the beneficiary remained unchanged, various details had shifted.

“I think this might be the final version. Tell Attorney Goh he can relax now.” The old man said with a chuckle, handing the document to Secretary Cha nonchalantly.

Secretary Cha examined the document once more, as he always did, before sealing it in the confidential envelope designated solely for the lawyer's eyes.

Secretary Cha asked, his tone neutral.

The chairman dipped his biscuit into his coffee, taking a quick bite of the soaked treat.

“Of course. Who else is competent enough to become Vice President at such a young age?” He said, his voice rising with pride.

“Only my son is capable of that.”

Secretary Cha cleared his throat, drawing the chairman’s attention back from his thoughts.

“What about your other sons?”

The mention of his older sons soured the chairman’s mood. His smile fell, replaced with a stern expression.

“They’re lucky if they’re even named in my inheritance distribution.” He grumbled, brushing crumbs from his fingers.

“Doyoung was never able to surpass his brother. And his sons are just like him. Mooyoung was always a conniving one, never achieving anything without sticking his nose into dirty business. And we all know Jungshin is doing exactly that as we speak.” He continued, frustration dripping from his words.

His hatred for his older sons was palpable.

“But my youngest.” Chairman Lee’s tone softened.

“My youngest is just like me. He’s observing. Cautious. He understands their nature and will always come out on top.” The old man’s favoritism was evident and unabashed.

Secretary Cha placed the envelope into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and stood at attention, as if he had more to convey.

The chairman glanced at his loyal secretary, curiosity piqued. “What is it?”

“Your youngest son is looking into Yoon Sooyeon.” Secretary Cha reported.

Chairman Lee’s expression softened at the mention of the name he hadn’t heard in decades.

“His new secretary has uncovered something. I’m certain Vice President Lee is aware that she is not his birth mother.”

The information was less dramatic than the chairman had anticipated. Minho had only scratched the surface, yet his determination was evident. The chairman was impressed by how quickly he was pursuing this matter. The rumors about the Lee family hound was right, once he bites, he doesn’t easily let it go.

And Minho was only going to dig deeper.

“He wants to tackle everything at once, doesn’t he?” Chairman Lee mused.

Which he had guessed correctly. The youngest son wanted to get rid of all his problems, his curiosities one after the other. Ticking them off a check-list.

“He’s always been too eager.” The chairman said with a serious tone, glancing at Secretary Cha once more.

“The truth can either make or break a man…Do you think my son will break after discovering the truth?” Chairman Lee asked, though it was more a rhetorical question.

The intensity of his gaze made Secretary Cha shift slightly.

“It’s about time he learns the truth, isn’t it?”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ to be continued.

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