Till’ The End of Summer - Chapter 9
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Pairing: Choi Yeonjun x Reader
In a Nutshell: College!AU, Rich Kids, Friends to Lovers, Fuckboy athlete Yeonjun, Overprotective Best friend Soobin, contains all of TXT and other Idol cameos, Omnipresent perspective.
Synopsis: You and Yeonjun are caught up in a cat and mouse game because of unspoken feelings and endless pining for each others’ attention. With the summer break approaching and lots of college parties, will you finally get a chance to explore your feelings for each other; even though the world and Yeonjun’s reputation makes things complicated?
Word count: 11,5K
Genre: Angst, Fluff
Warnings: Mentions of a broken family, abusive parents, conflict and death.
Yeonjun followed his mom inside of the house he used to call home before he left for college. The familiar scent of amber and vanilla welcomed him as he stepped inside.
The heels of his shoes made a loud ticking noise on the luxurious black marble tiled floor with each step he took. The place hadn’t changed much. The only thing different being the flower arrangements and the emptiness of the massive Villa.
It used to be way more lively in here. There were always all sorts of visitors in the house, if it was staff, family members, or friends of his dad’s; there was never a quiet moment during the day, which made the silence even more confronting and saddening.
He sighed putting his bag down, stretching his aching body as a result of the long drive.
“Your room is exactly how you left it.” His mom says timidly. “I guess somehow I wished you’d return home someday so I didn’t have the heart to change anything about it.”
Yeonjun looks at his mother a little puzzled. All of the emotional confessions are taking a toll on him and he isn’t quite sure what he should be saying to her.
Just as the silence was starting to get awkward, they get interrupted.
“Yeonjun? Is that you?” a voice sounds from across the hall.
Yeonjun’s ears perk up and as he makes eye contact with her, his lips curl up into a loving smile.
“Yes, Lita imo, it’s me…” he says shyly as he let the older woman hug him tightly. Lita is the head housekeeper who has been working for the family since Yeonjun could walk.
She’s the one who packed his lunches and sat with him at the dinner table when his parents were too busy working. The only person he truly missed from the household was her. So, seeing her again after all this time made his heart swell.
He just wishes the circumstances were a little different.
She sighed as she held him at arms-length and studied him for a second. “Did you grow even more? When does it stop? You’re getting scary tall. And where did your baby cheeks go huh?” she says pinching his cheek, making sure to baby him like she used to.
“Ah-ah-ah” he whines as she let go of his cheek. They were beaming at each other and his mother noticed. A faint smile also on her face as she watched their dynamic.
She never really noticed how close they were until now.
“I’ll go make your bed. You must be tired from the trip.” Lita says, patting his shoulder before she makes her way up the stairs and into his old bedroom.
Yeonjun watched her go up with a small smile and sighed contently.
He followed his mother into the formal living room and sat down on the couch, letting his fingers graze over the velvety material.
“So…where is he?” he asks looking at his mom.
“He’s in the hospital.”
“Do we go…tonight?” He asks, uncertainty evident in his tone of voice.
“Yes, but let’s have some dinner first alright? I told Lita to make your favourite.”
“I can’t believe you stole the tournament bus,” Taehyun says clicking his tongue.
“It’s not stealing if I have a key.” Soobin argues back. “Besides how else were we all going to fit in the same car.”
The small bus had space for exactly 7 people, so you were glad it was even an option. Soobin being the team captain and all had its perks. He has keys to almost every facility and even the fucking school building.
“I hope this little stunt doesn’t get me suspended,” he says nervously biting his lip.
“No one will notice it’s missing hyung, it’s summer break.” Hueningkai retorts as he leans forward to pat Soobin on the back. Hueningkai was seated next to Taehyun in the middle row, while you and Beomgyu cozied up together in the back seats as Mia assisted Soobin with navigating in the front seat.
If the situation was any different, this could have accounted for a fun road trip with your friends, but the reality of things was a lot more somber.
“No, baby no! It’s a left here.” Mia panics as Soobin misses the exit.
“You said the next one!” he whines, slightly raising his voice.
“This is the next one!”
“Ugh, great. That at least an hour detour,” Taehyun states yanking the phone from Mia’s grip to inspect the route.
“Don’t get annoyed with each other already, we’ve been driving for only an hour,” you say interrupting the couples’ arguing.
Everyone was tense. None of you knew what the fuck you were even driving towards, where you would stay, what you would do when you’d see him. It was a permanent decision made on temporary feelings and you were anxious, to say the least, and given everyone’s attitudes, so were they.
“Well originally it was only 5 more hours, but thanks to someone it turned into 6.” Soobin says, which made Mia glare at him venomously.
“We’ll be lucky if we arrive before midnight with breaks included.” Taehyun states calculating quickly as he passes the phone back to Mia.
Beomgyu was asleep with his head on your shoulder, ignoring all the banter. You envied his ability to fall asleep anywhere at any time and sighed as you fixed a piece of his hair.
“It’s not the end of the world guys.” Hueningkai says calming them down. “I know we’re all nervous and every second counts, but we don’t even have a plan for when we get there,”
“The plan is to be there for him.” Soobin says tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
“No matter what.”
Yeonjun stood frozen on his feet with his hand on the doorknob to his fathers’ private hospital suite. The amount of security he had to go through was of insane proportions. If his mom wasn’t there to confirm that his dad indeed had a son, he was sure he wouldn’t even be able to enter on his own.
He let go of the knob and inhaled sharply before turning around to face his mother.
“I can’t do this,” he says with a shaky voice while his enlarged pupils dart to his mothers’ equally dark ones.
“Do you want me to go with you?” She asked putting a comforting hand on his shoulder as her brows furrow in concern.
Yeonjun thinks about it for a second but shakes his head in reply.
If he’s gonna do it, he’ll do it by himself. Though the presence of his friends would have helped, that wasn’t an option.
“I’ll be right here if you need me.” His mother assures, and for some reason, that small sentence of encouragement was all he needed. Hell, it was the most encouragement he’s gotten from his mom his entire life, so he took it with both hands.
He nodded to himself, his demeanor shifting to a much more confident one as the look in his eyes changed while twisting the doorknob.
He peaked his head through, knocking on the door softly. The view of his father was blocked by the figure of a nurse but as she turned to look at who was at the door, his father was in full view.
His mom was right, his condition was bad.
The once so powerful and unbreakable businessman Daniel Choi looked everything but those things.
He had lost a lot of weight, his cheeks sunken, hair gray. His lips were chapped and dry, as was his skin. All in all, he looked sick, and far more dead than alive.
Yeonjun’s eyes widened at the sight. There was no way that Yeonjun wanted to show empathy towards the man but somehow, he felt bad for him.
“Yeonjun, right?” the nurse says as she smiles at Yeonjun warmly.
He just nods in response and notices how his dad has only been staring at the wall in front of him, not responding to anything that was going on.
Yeonjun closes the door behind him and walks towards the nurse, keeping his eyes on his dad.
“He’s sedated to cope with the pain. He can hear you and see you. He responds if you get close enough, though it might take some time for him to process what is going on around him.”
Yeonjun nervously bit his lip, the sudden wave of emotions he was feeling becoming too much for him. He didn’t anticipate this, he thought he could have at least had one last normal conversation with him.
“Does he even remember me?” Is the first thing he says, the sound of his voice made Daniel’s head snap into Yeonjun’s direction and it startled Yeonjun.
His father’s fingers started to twitch in response. His movement became more demanding and the nurse immediately went over to him to calm him down.
“All he’s been asking for the past few weeks is you, Yeonjun. I think he’s surprised to see you too,” she says as she gives your dad a slight smile, patting his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.
All Daniel was looking at was Yeonjun. He kept trying to lift his hand to motion to Yeonjun that he should come closer, but the message wasn’t quite clear.
Yeonjun didn’t know what to do, he stood awkwardly frozen in place as he watched his dad become more and more restless.
“Do I need to leave?” He asked a little distressed.
“No, I actually think he wants you to come closer, it’s okay. You can sit next to him on the stool. He’ll appreciate it,” she says holding out her hand as she motions for him to approach.
He took a deep breath and looked his father in the eye once more as he walked towards the bed.
His dad seemed to calm down as Yeonjun sat down beside him. His eyes scanning his son's face. He was able to grab Yeonjun’s hand, which surprised him, but he didn’t have the heart to pull away.
“I’ll give you two some space, if anything happens; press that button above his bed” the nurse says pointing toward the rectangular looking remote.
Yeonjun nodded, giving her a last look as she walked out. When the door closed behind her, he averted his attention back to his father. Sighing loudly as he looked at their intertwined fingers.
“You must really be out of your mind if you’re voluntarily holding my hand.” Yeonjun thinks out loud, speaking under his breath as he stares at their hands.
He felt tears prickle his eyes. His bottom lip trembling as the first tear escapes his eye.
He felt his father squeeze his hand, which made him look up at him.
“I really do hate you.” Yeonjun says in between sobs. “I do. I hate you.”
His father just looked at him, blinking a couple of times to show that he understands.
“So why the fuck am I even crying,” he huffs. This is a rhetorical question of course. He knows exactly why he’s crying. He’s crying because he’s powerless.
Yeonjun tears turned into frustration as he yanks his hand from his dad’s grasp. Angrily wiping his tears away as he collects himself.
“You can hear everything right?”
No response.
“Can you blink once for yes and twice for No.”
One blink.
Yeonjun sniffed nodding to himself as he organizes his thoughts. “Ok. So, we can communicate,” he thinks out loud.
His confidence returned, he rolls his shoulders back and places his hands on his thighs as he straightens out his posture.
“Why did you want me here?” Yeonjun asks getting straight to the point.
Daniel cocked his head to the side to show confusion, but his fathers’ confusion to the question only confused Yeonjun more.
“You wouldn’t tell mom why you wanted to see me. So why did you.”
His father tried to speak, but it was to no avail as he gave up quickly. Sighing in frustration at the fact that he couldn’t form words.
“Right, that’s not a yes or no question.” Yeonjun realizes, crossing his legs as he buries his face in his hands, lightly massaging his own scalp to release the tension in his brain.
After a few seconds he looks up, catching his dad staring at him intensely. Yeonjun uncomfortably shifted in his seat, noticing how his dad was getting more restless as he tried his best to form words.
“T-t-table.”
Yeonjun’s mouth fell agape to the sound of his dad's voice. “The table? Which table?” he asks getting up. Looking around frantically to catch any clues to what his dad is trying to tell him.
He followed his fathers’ gaze and quickly walked towards the expensive-looking mahogany table in the left corner of the room.
His eyes fall on an envelope with his name on it. His fingers ghost over the paper material, scanning it thoroughly as he picks it up.
He looks back at his dad who was still staring back at him. Yeonjun nodded. Taking the envelope with him as he sat back down on the stool.
“You want me to read this?” he asks, which earned one clear blink.
“Alright.” Yeonjun sighs as he opens the letter.
“To Yeonjun.” he reads aloud.
I don’t know whether or not you will read this when I’m dead or alive, but that’s not the point. After you’ve read this, make sure no one else does.
Even if you think I didn’t show interest in your life, I watched your every move. I know about your schoolwork, your team, your friends, the girl you like. I know it all.
I’ve had people watch you for me ever since I found out I was dying. Which has been years now. I made them write me reports on your character, your skills, and the way people perceive you and I have to say, I was surprised, to say the least.
You have proven yourself to be a leader rather than a follower. You are passionate, hard-working, smart and competent and will do literally anything to fight for your goals.
The only reason you are all of these things is because you had to work for it. You were never emotionally cradled as a child and from an early age you were aware that success is something you don’t just gain without a bead of sweat
You have seen the world at its darkest before you could feel what true happiness is, and that was not done unintentionally.
Your upbringing might have been tough. But it’s what you needed to become the ruthless and determined person that you are today.
That same ruthlessness and determination are what Choi Enterprises needs. Which brings me to the point of this letter.
There is no other person on the planet that I entrust with the future of Choi Enterprises other than you.
I don’t trust your mother and therefore I cannot let the company fall into the hands of your mother and her cunning family.
For your entire life, all I did was make sure you were ready for this moment. And even though it came earlier than anticipated, If you sign the attached documents. It’s all yours effective immediately.
Power comes with a price that I was willing to pay.
And I hope that you will too.
- Daniel Choi.
Yeonjun blinks a couple of times to let it all register to him. He lifts his head from the paper and looks at his father's hopeful expression.
“You spied on me.” he says in disbelief.
“You spied on me, but you couldn’t send me a birthday card?” It was a figure of speech, though his dad got what he meant.
Anger filled Yeonjun’s senses. The audacity this took from his father is on another level of crazy.
He got up, kicking the stool he sat on aggressively, making it fall to the floor with a loud thud.
His dad didn’t even flinch. He just kept staring at Yeonjun with the same look from before.
“Tell me.”
Yeonjun says as he inches his face closer to his father.
“Do you regret it?”
Daniel cocked his head to the side in confusion and waited for Yeonjun to continue.
“Do you regret being an abusive piece of shit? The whole, you needed to live through it to become strong shit isn’t cutting it for me. Do you regret it? Yes or No.”
Yeonjun was seething. He was inches away from his dad, fists balled, wrinkling the letter and attached documents in his left hand as a result of his strength as he anticipated his fathers’ answer.
The look in Daniel’s eyes went cold followed by two blinks.
“No.” Yeonjun scoffs. “Of course, you don’t.”
Yeonjun took a step back, clearing his throat as he swallowed his anger with it.
“Well in that case…” he says inspecting the papers in his hands. He held it in front of his line of sight, making sure his dad can see what he’s about to do.
He held on to each side of the pile of papers, ripping it in half slowly.
“Take that contract to your fucking grave.” He spits as he throws it into the nearest trash can.
His dad started to panic, convulsing aggressively in his bed. Gulping for air as he tried his best to move and speak at the same time.
Yeonjun pressed the distress button and stormed out of the room, not bidding his dad another look.
He slammed the door behind him, startling his mother who was waiting for him in the hall.
“Yeonjun!” she yelled after him. She quickly looked back to the room her husband was in, shocked with the sight of multiple nurses trying to hold him down.
She didn’t hesitate to run after Yeonjun, catching him in the hallway.
“Yeonjun wait a second!”
He halted his long strides, breathing heavily as he turned around on his heels.
“What happened in there?” his mother asks wide-eyed as she lays a hand on his shoulder in order to calm him down.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he says clenching his jaw, shaking his mothers hand off of his shoulder.
“Okay…whenever you’re ready.” she tries carefully, trying not to tick him off any further.
“Let’s go home. You’ve been through enough today.”
“Hyung are you sure you put in the right address?” Hueningkai asks wide-eyed as he got out of the van first.
“This can’t be it,” Taehyun says with his mouth agape. “This isn’t even considered a house. It looks like a damn palace.”
“I knew Yeonjun’s family was loaded but this…” Mia remarks.
You get out of the car, your mouth going dry as you look at the biggest house you’ve seen in your life. It was modern, yet rustic. The home had huge windows and white pillars and there was a huge stone staircase that lead up to the front door.
“How many bathrooms do you think they have?” Beomgyu gulps, his eyes darting from one side of the house to the other.
“Really? That’s what’s important right now?” Taehyun argues
“I’m just curious,” Beomgyu says rolling his eyes.
“Well..let’s….knock?” Soobin says with uncertainty peeking through his voice.
You take a deep breath, calming your nerves as you didn’t know what you would walk into. You weren’t sure how Yeonjun would feel to see you again or to see any of you right now. You had hoped the 6 turned 7-hour drive wasn’t for nothing, and that you could talk to Yeonjun with a clear mind.
Soobin took the lead with the rest of you trailing behind him. He sighed looking back at you guys before he built up the courage to ring the doorbell.
All of you were dead silent, anticipating for the door to be opened.
After a few more seconds, the large double doors open automatically, with a timid rather small lady standing in the doorway with an equally confused expression on her face to match yours.
That can’t be his mother? Right? They look nothing alike.
“Ehm…can I help you? It’s close to midnight? You do realize this is private property?” Lita says looking at the group with suspicion.
“Ehm, Hi mam, my name is Soobin, these are my friends…well…Yeonjun’s friends. We kind of…followed him here.” Soobin stammers incoherently. “But with good intent! We just…want to be there for him because…well…we think he’s having a hard time and-“
“Soobin.” You say shutting him up. “I think she gets it.”
Yeonjun heard multiple voices at the front door and came down the stairs out of curiosity. As he turns the corner, seeing a raven-haired tall figure at the front. He knew exactly who it was.
His eyes widened as his pace quickened, walking towards the voices a little faster.
You saw Yeonjun emerge from behind the lady, and when his eyes landed on all of you, he stood frozen on his feet next to her. The first one he made eye contact with is you.
The two of you stared at each other for a few seconds before the smaller lady interrupted the moment.
“Yeonjun, do you know these people?” She asks with a much kinder tone as she speaks to him.
“Y-yes, these are my friends,” Yeonjun says breaking eye contact with you, looking at the rest.
“How did you find out where I lived?”
“Y/n found out actually…there was a box in your room with the address on it…under your bed,” Mia says jumping in.
Yeonjuns eyes landed on you once again, giving you a small smile which you reciprocated, not knowing what else to do.
“Hyung, if you don’t want us here, I’m so sorry. But the way you left, we were worried and-”
Soobin couldn’t finish his sentence before Yeonjun pulled him towards him with a hard pull. The two hugged for a few seconds before Yeonjun let go, putting his hand on Soobin's shoulder as he looked at all of you with pure affection.
“I can’t believe you came all the way here…I don’t know what to say,” he says scratching the back of his head, still a little lost for words.
“How about, come in. It’s freezing.” Beomgyu says giving the older one a bitter smile as he chatters his teeth dramatically to show that he was cold.
Yeonjun chuckled, stepping aside so all of you could enter. And so, you did.
All of your jaws dropped at the interior and detail that went into the decoration of the place. The hall was huge and connected all of the separate rooms and wings together. Apart from the dark tiled floors, the colour scheme was light. Different shades of whites and nudes made up the interior. It was stylish, yet classic at the same time, with pops of colours from different flowers in huge vases.
“Do I need to prepare the guest rooms?” Lita asks a little flustered at the sudden appearance of 6 more guests.
Ah…so she’s the housekeeper, you think to yourself as you snap back to reality.
Mia nudged you, mouthing a subtle ‘Marry him’ to you, which you roll your eyes at.
“Uhm, yes. If you don’t mind. Thank you, Lita.” Yeonjun says bidding her a quick nod as Lita walks off quickly.
Yeonjun’s attention focused on all of you again, and Hueningkai barged his way through, ready to hug Yeonjun tightly.
“Hyung, are you okay? What happened?” he asks as he rubbed the older one’s belly while he still clung onto him like he always does.
His mother stood at the top of the stairs, unnoticed by any of you. She looked at the dynamic of all of you, especially looking at how clingy Hueningkai was with her son. She didn’t peg Yeonjun to be the type for physical affection like this.
A smile crept on her face, moved by the fact that his friends would go to these lengths to be there for him.
She tied her robe around herself, making her way down the stairs. And as she did so, Beomgyu noticed. He nudged Taehyun and motioned for him to look up, so he did, followed by all of you as you fell silent.
Yeonjun looked in the same direction all of you were focusing your gazes on, and immediately understood why you fell quiet like that.
As she made her way down the stairs, you got a closer look at her face, and the resemblance she had to Yeonjun was almost scary.
“Yeonjun? Who are these people?” Her voice was clear and warm, a little raspy cause she was probably asleep before you invaded her home.
She scanned everyones faces but when her eyes landed on you, they lingered on you, and it made you feel incredibly self-conscious.
Your paranoid ass started to get insecure, thinking she knew something about your relationship with her son, but her attention was quickly averted as Yeonjun spoke up.
“Is it okay if they stay here?” he asked politely.
“Of course, make yourselves at home. Any friend of Yeonjun’s is welcome here. If you all move to the living room so you can talk, I’ll go make some tea.”
“Thanks, mom.”
This whole dialogue confused all of you. To your knowledge, their relationship was questionable. But this seemed like a regular Mother and Son dynamic.
His mother disappeared in the massive hall as Yeonjun motioned for all of you to walk towards the living room. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do but he was dying to know why you were here after everything he said to you.
He was sure that no matter the circumstance, you’d never want to see him again. Yet here you were, looking at him with those big doe eyes of yours.
As the rest of the group admired the rest of the house, walking towards the living room, Yeonjun stopped you by tugging at your elbow lightly.
Your heart raced as he touched you, you looked down, hooking your pinkie in his before you looked up at his face.
His eyes were sad, apologetic, and insecure. “I…didn’t expect you to come with them…” he says looking at your intertwined fingers.
You sighed, rubbing comforting circles into his palm with your thumb. “Let’s talk later ok?” you say giving him a small yet reassuring smile. He nodded, letting go of your hand, leading you into the formal living room.
He caught Beomgyu playing with an antique object and Yeonjun’s brotherly side immediately kicked in. “If you break that you’re gonna have to work all of your life to repay my mother,” he says sternly as he sat down in the chair opposite from the couch all of you were seated on.
Beomgyu quickly let go of the weird-looking object and cleared his throat. “Ok, spill the beans hyung. What’s going on?” He asks as he sat down on the armrest of Yeonjun’s chair.
Yeonjun sighed, not quite knowing where to start.
“First of all. I owe all of you an apology,” he starts choking up a little.
“Hyung…” Taehyun says, his eyes getting sad as he watched Yeonjun protectively.
The mood in the room suddenly shifted as Yeonjun sighed. You could swear his eyes were getting watery, and there was nothing more that you wanted than to hold him in your arms right now. You wanted to comfort him and tell him everything was going to be okay, but you had no idea what was going on yet.
His mother emerged from the entrance with a tray full of teacups and cookies. She put down the tray and stood beside Yeonjun in silence.
“I’m sorry for acting the way I did on the night of the party. The way I acted towards you guys was uncalled for, especially towards you… y/n.”
You lock eyes with him again, and you feel his mothers’ eyes on you as well.
Hueningkai sat down in front of Yeonjun on the floor, putting a comforting hand on his knee.
Yeonjun gave him a small smile. Out of nervousness, Soobin grabbed Mia’s hand and squeezed it as all of you anticipated his next words.
“That night, I stayed at my uncle's house. The next morning my mom showed up to talk to me. It took some time but…we found some type of middle ground and I agreed to come back home with her for a while.”
“So…what was the family emergency?” Soobin asks a little confused.
Yeonjun inhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. He fell quiet for a second, suddenly noticing the room full of people that cared enough about him to drive all the way across the country to comfort him in a situation they didn’t know of, even though he was being a complete asshole.
He didn’t know what he did to deserve them. He looked at them individually and his heart started to swell with the intense amount of love he felt for them.
He looked at Beomgyu’s arm around him, Hyuka’s comforting hand on his knee, Soobin’s worried and glistening eyes to match Taehyun’s, Mia’s protectiveness, and your patient yet scared facial expression.
He bit his lip, getting emotional and he felt Beomgyu pull him closer.
“My dad is counting his last days,” he says looking at the floor.
You didn’t know about anyone else, but this was the last thing you expected.
The room fell silent apart from a few gasps. Your heart sank to your stomach and tears start to prickle your eyes as you watch him struggle to contain his emotions. His lip was slightly trembling, his hand covering his mouth as his eyes were big and sad.
“Oh, Yeonjun…” Mia sighs as she rubs Soobin’s back to comfort him as well.
Soobin isn’t one to cry but seeing the people he loves the most go through pain is absolutely heartbreaking to him. He wiped a single tear from his eyes and so did Taehyun as he sighed loudly.
Yeonjun huffed, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes to look at his friends. “Don’t cry. Stop, please.” He starts.
“It’s going to sound awful, but I’m not sad that he’s dying. My dad was…is a horrible person. He was abusive, manipulative, and unreasonable. There was no one I feared more than that man. Every time I closed my eyes at night I wasn’t scared of aliens and monsters under my bed, I was scared of him coming into my room to yell at me or hit me. I think I’m sadder about the fact that I’ll never get an apology out of him for ruining me. I’ll never hear him say that he was wrong for the things that he did to me as a kid and that’s the hardest pill to swallow.” Yeonjun confessed all in one go.
You swallowed harshly, trying to suppress a sob. Taehyun noticed that you were having a hard time, so he put his arm around you, making you lean into him by subtly pulling you towards him.
“I went to see him today, and even though we couldn’t really communicate the way I hoped we would, he made it clear to me that he wasn’t sorry.”
“What…” Soobin says in disbelief. “He wasn’t remorseful at all?”
“No.” Yeonjun shook his head, contemplating if he should tell them about the contract and the company, but given the fact that his mother was in the room; he decided against it.
He didn’t know if he could trust her, for all he knew she could be after the money and the company herself. Knowing his mother, she could be just as ruthless as her dad when it came to business matters.
“Yeonjun, we’re here for you. Seriously. If you need anything at all just tell us. We won’t be leaving unless you tell us to.” Soobin states confidently as they look each other in the eye. His words made Yeonjun feel assured, and he bid Soobin a small smile. It was nice knowing that he wouldn’t be going through this alone.
He took a deep breath, shaking the sadness off of him. “Thank you guys for coming, seriously. I think I needed all of you more than I thought I would.”
“Of course,” Hueningkai says.
“Anytime, we’re family,” Beomgyu says as he squeezed Yeonjun’s shoulder.
You heard a small scoff from the left corner of the room and saw his mother with her arms crossed.
You narrowed your eyes at her, raising your brow.
“Friends are friends, family is family,” she says, genuinely believing her own words.
Everyone was looking at her by now, as was Yeonjun who just sighed, ignoring her.
You don’t know why, but suddenly you feel a surreal amount of anger boiling in the pit of your stomach. You scoff at her statement which made Mia give you a warning look.
“We’ve been more of a family to him than you have been his whole life,” you say clear as day before you can think of the damage that you’ve just done, and just like that the atmosphere turned cold.
Yeonjun’s eyes widened, looking at you in shock.
Soobin uncomfortably shifted in his seat and Taehyun gave you a ‘bitch what the fuck was that’ look.
“Excuse me?” his mother’s tone changed completely. The once so soft-spoken woman turned into the ice queen herself and gave you a look that would normally make you run the opposite direction, but you held your ground by staring back at her fiercely.
“What she means is…” Taehyun jumps in quickly. “That we truly are a family, we’d go to hell and back for each other and that’s a fact…mam,” he says as politely as humanly possible.
You try your best not to roll your eyes, which Yeonjun noticed. He had an amused smile on his lips, which his mother then noticed and suddenly it clicked to her. You were the girlfriend who wasn’t his girlfriend. The girl that stole her son’s heart, and the girl that talked back to her in her own home.
“It’s getting late. I suggest everyone gets some sleep. You all must be tired from the long drive. We don’t know what is waiting for us tomorrow and if you are sticking by his side like you all say you are, then we better get some good night’s rest.” She says almost diplomatically, perfectly enunciating every word as if she rehearsed it.
You honestly didn’t even think of sleeping, you wanted to talk to Yeonjun, clear the air between you two, and comfort him to your best ability. He just told you his dad was dying, and his feelings were disregarded so quickly that it shocked you.
In your household, a revelation like this would result in hours upon hours of talking about your feelings, whereas in Yeonjun’s home. Feelings are seen as a temporary burden. It was scary how quickly the mood switched from emotional to almost business-like, but Yeonjun didn’t know any better. He was wired the exact same way as his mother because that’s how he had learned to deal with his feelings.
It’s like he only allowed himself to feel true emotion for a little while, seeing it as impractical to be vulnerable. This household really did feel like a business deal, which made your heartache for Yeonjun even more.
Soobin was the first to get up, stretching his tall body before he helped Mia to her feet as well.
Lita emerged from the entrance to lead all of you upstairs to your respective guest rooms.
Soobin and Mia shared a room, as did Hueningkai and Taehyun. Beomgyu and yourself, however, got rooms to yourselves with attached bathrooms in a whole different wing than the others.
From the outside, his house looked enormous, but from the inside, it was even bigger. You were already getting lost in the halls even though you were in a group. You had no idea where you came from every time you turned a corner and Yeonjun noticed how lost you were, chuckling to himself a little as he walked closely behind you.
You were the last one to be appointed to a room, as everyone else was already settling down.
“This is where you’ll be staying miss.” Lita says as she points to the door across from Beomgyu’s room.
You nod sheepishly, turning the doorknob. Your mouth fell agape at the sight of the room. You could swear it was as big as your apartment. The interior was classic, yet modern. And looking at the way the bed was made you were almost scared to wrinkle the bedsheets.
You swallow harshly, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
“This will do, right? If not, I have a bigger option at the end of the hall.”
“N-no, this is fine, more than fine,” you stutter.
Yeonjun stood behind Lita, leaning against the doorframe with a shit-eating grin on his face.
He was enjoying your flustered state, as it took a lot to get your smart-ass anywhere close to dumbfounded.
You saw the playfulness in his eyes, and you cursed at yourself for being so obviously impressed with everything.
“If you need anything just give me a call with the house phone. The number is on your bedside table. Goodnight.” Lita says giving you a warm smile.
“Goodnight…” you mutter timidly as you close the door behind you after you watched Yeonjun walk off with her.
You lean your head against the doorframe, your mind spinning with all of the things that happened in such a short time frame.
You sigh, throwing your bag on the bed. You decided to take a quick shower. The attached bathroom looked like one out of a magazine, so it took some time for you to adjust and figure out how to set the right temperature for the faucet.
You really needed that shower to clear your mind and relax your muscles. You were basically clenching your butt cheeks the whole night out of nervousness, and you could already feel the muscles in your body getting sore. You sigh, finishing up your routine and slipping into an oversized shirt to sleep in.
During your whole routine, all you could think of was Yeonjun, and how badly you wanted to be alone with him right now.
You stare at the ceiling as you laid on your back, completely engulfed in the soft sheets and pillows of the bed.
You were wondering how he was doing, if he was thinking of you or if he was asleep.
You sit up, turning on the bedside lamp as you reach for your phone, ready to text or call him but your actions were interrupted as you heard soft knocks on your door.
Your eyes widened, knowing damn well that it was him.
You put your phone aside and crawled out of the bed with lightning speed.
When you opened the door and locked eyes with him, you launched yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his frame to hug him tightly.
He was surprised by your affection, wrapping his arms around you as well to hold you even tighter.
He closed his eyes as he buried his face in your hair, appreciating the moment.
God, he missed you.
You walked backwards, still in his hold as he closed the door behind him skillfully with his foot.
He let go of you slowly, grabbing your face as he searched for answers in your eyes for questions he hadn’t asked yet, but when you looked at him with the same longing facial expression as his, he knew enough.
He inched his face closer to yours, pulling you in for a soft and needy kiss that you yearned for so much. You stabilized yourself by holding on to his wrists as he kissed you with so much passion and hunger, that your mind went foggy. He pulled away slowly. Leaning his forehead against yours as you both try to catch your breath.
“Hi,” you say shyly, smiling up at him.
Your cuteness made him chuckle softly. “Hey,” he replies, letting go of you reluctantly.
You sit down on the bed and pat the spot next to you as a way of telling him to sit there. He complies and you face him, looking into his tired eyes.
You remove a stray piece of hair that was prickling his eyes and sigh.
“Tell me how you’re feeling, honestly,” you say taking a hold of his hand.
He takes a deep breath, knowing he can’t bullshit with you. “I’m not sure,” he confesses.
“It’s like one second I’m fine, and I forget what’s happening and the next I’m sad and angry. I feel bipolar,” he says letting himself fall flat to the bed.
You sigh, scooting closer to him. “That’s perfectly normal. I’m glad you’re still able to feel something given everything you’ve been through.”
He sighs loudly pulling you down with him, so you were situated on his chest. You comply, knowing that he needed you close for comfort, and to be really honest with yourself, you missed the feeling of having him close like this. You stay like that for a while, enjoying each other’s presence in the silence before he decided to break it.
“I’m so fucking sorry y/n,” he says in almost a whisper as he plays with your hair, lost in thought.
You stay silent, getting sad as you think back to your explosive fight. “I should have never slapped you,” you admit choking up. The fact that you did was something you couldn’t get out of your mind nor forgive yourself for. Especially after Soobin told you about his abusive childhood, all you could do was hate yourself for it.
Yeonjun noticed the crack in your voice and sits up immediately with you still in his arms.
“Y/n if I was you, I would have done more than just slapped me in the face, I deserved that. It’s okay,” he says shushing you, caressing your cheek in order to calm you down.
You take a deep breath, blinking away the fluid in your eyes before you start to speak. “No, it’s not. And let’s not sugar-coat it. We were both wrong, and we were both right at the same time. I just don’t understand how we go from paradise to hell in a matter of seconds Yeonjun, it’s what scares me about us.”
He just nods, not being able to counter act your statement because you were right.
The not being able to live with or without each other was a level of toxicity that you swore you’d never fall for. But yet here you are, wrapped up in the arms of the man who basically told you his best friend could have you now that he’s done with you.
You can’t even tell him how many times those words rang through your head like a painful mantra, but that’s the last thing that you want to burden him with right now.
“I forgive you,” you say breaking the silence. “I really do. I know you only said those things to push me away because you’re afraid to let me in, but you’re not the only one that’s scared Yeonjun. So am I. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone and that’s just…’
“Scary,” he says, finishing your sentence.
“Yeah..”
Yeonjuns shoulders fell, giving you a kiss on your forehead. “We can figure out what all of this means for us later, but for now I’m just really, really happy you’re here right now.”
You nod in agreement, kissing his jaw affectionately before you wrap your arm around his waist again, and suddenly his mind flashed back to the little altercation between you and his mother.
“I can’t believe you talked back to my mom like that.” He snorts as he pulls you back down again, making himself comfortable with you laying across his chest.
“I’m sorry but it was the fucking hypocrisy that did it for me,” you huff a little annoyed as you think back to the moment.
Yeonjun just chuckles, and you feel his chest vibrate as he does so. “I don’t know. I get what you mean but she’s been trying. I can’t move forward with her if I don’t give her a chance to change but…I don’t trust her yet,” he says lost in thought.
“What don’t you trust her with?”
Yeonjun bit the inside of his cheek, contemplating if he should tell you about the whole ordeal with his dad this afternoon, but since he wanted your opinion on the matter, he decided to tell you.
“I told you guys I went to visit my dad, right?” He says rubbing your back absentmindedly.
You nod, looking up at him. “What happened?”
“He wrote me a letter saying that he’s been keeping tabs on me, and that he wants me to take over the business because he doesn’t’ trust my mom.”
“Wow, wow, wow. What?” you say sitting up again.
“Yeah, that was a very rough summary,” he says propping himself up on his elbows to look at you.
“He kept tabs on you?”
“He had people spy on me. It’s scary baby, he even knew of you.”
Your eyes widen in shock. It’s like you were suddenly involved as a pawn in a very complex game of chess and you didn’t know what to think of it.
“And he wants you to take over Choi Enterprises?”
Yeonjun just nods, looking up at the ceiling.
“Well…are you?”
“It’s never what I wanted. And It’s not like I want to grant his dying wish or anything like that but…”
“But?”
“It is my birthright.”
You blink a couple of times, letting his words register. If Yeonjun was seriously contemplating whether or not to take the position of acting CEO, you were sure he wouldn’t need some lame college degree to back him up. He’d drop out of school; move back to his hometown and you’d never see him again. Selfishly it’s not what you wanted, but it wasn’t about you. It was about him.
“If I just let my mom run the company, I could always roll in if I wanted to, but if I would go behind her back and acquire the position myself, it’d break the little trust we built.”
“What if your mom is just using your good heart to get to that position herself?” You ask thinking out loud.
“You think she’d do that?” Yeonjun says genuinely interested, not offended at all by the assumption. If anything, he was happy to have someone to talk to, so he could look at the situation from multiple perspectives.
“I mean…what do you really know about her?” You ask tracing patterns on his chest with your fingers to keep yourself occupied.
Yeonjun looked at you, biting his lip as he got lost in thought again.
“My dad did mention something in the letter about her, and her quote ‘cunning family’ being after Choi Enterprises, but I don’t know it just…seems like a stretch. My mom knows I don’t have interest in the company.”
You halt your movements, laying back down on his chest as you make yourself comfortable.
He looked down at you lovingly, giving you a quick kiss on your lips when you looked up at him again.
“Maybe ask him about it. I can come with you if you want. First thing in the morning.”
Yeonjun’s brows raised in surprise. “You’d do that?” he asks a little baffled at the fact that you’d voluntarily throw yourself in a lion’s den for him. This wasn’t just like visiting a relative in the hospital, there was so much more at stake that even Yeonjun himself couldn’t fathom right now.
You nod, not having to think twice about it. “Anything for you.”
The two of you fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each others’ warmth with your arms and legs tangled together. It was the best sleep both of you had gotten in the past couple of days. Though it was a short night, you were well-rested.
At around 8 AM you texted Soobin that Yeonjun and yourself went out to talk to each other in private when in reality you were going to visit the hospital to see Yeonjun’s dad. You were sure everyone was still in deep sleep and that you’d be back before they’d notice, but it felt better to at least let someone know that you left the house together.
The car ride was silent, nerves eating at the both of you as you held hands while he drove. He was nervously biting the inside of his cheek like he always does, and never let go of your hand the whole way.
As you walk through the endless halls of the hospital and pass security to the VIP section; you started to get more intimidated by the level of security present. They let Yeonjun through without a word and you trailed behind him with big eyes as you held onto his hand tightly.
He sighed, turning around to look at you as he stops in front of a massive double door. “Last time I saw him I stormed out in anger. Even when he’s not responsive he makes my blood boil and I honestly don’t want you to see me like that if it happens again.” He confesses as he looks at you seriously.
You sigh, squeezing his hand as reassurance. “I don’t care. I’m not leaving your side.”
Yeonjun nodded, taking a deep breath before he prepared himself as he opened the door to his fathers’ VIP area, but the sight he was welcomed with, was the last one he expected.
You noticed how he froze, and you frowned, standing on your toes to peek over his shoulder but your heart dropped to your stomach as you saw and heard what was going on.
Doctors and nurses were frantically trying to resuscitate Yeonjun’s father.
“CLEAR!”
The loud and continuous beeping of the heart monitor, followed by the charging sounds of the defibrillator was all the confirmation you needed to know that he was flatlining.
Panic was evident, and you knew that despite all the efforts of the doctors, chances were little to nothing that they’d be able to bring him back, given the state he was already in.
Your gasp was noticed by a few nurses and doctors which made one of them groan in disapproval.
“How did they get in here!? No one is allowed inside.” The doctor huffs before he charged the defibrillator again.
“CLEAR!”
Yeonjun watched his father’s body contort as the joules of electricity were charged through his chest, but it was to no avail.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” One of the nurses says as she blocks the view.
Yeonjun pupils darted from his father to the doctors. He was in pure shock and unable to comprehend was going on before you lightly tugged at his hand.
“Yeonjun,” you say in almost a whisper, trying to snap him out of it as you squeeze his hand.
“I-I’m his son,” Yeonjun says in an attempt to stick around. The same nurse from the day before gave him an apologetic look as she slowly pushed him out the door, while another doctor closed the curtain.
“I’m really sorry Yeonjun, but it’s protocol. You have to wait outside.”
She closed the door behind her and left the two of you completely paralyzed in the halls of the VIP ward.
Yeonjun turned around, leaning his back to the wall as his legs became weak. He slowly crouched down, and the sight broke your heart into a million pieces.
He wasn’t crying, he didn’t even look sad. He was just frozen.
He looked into nothingness as he listened to what was going on inside of the room.
You quickly crouch down with him, not knowing what to do other than hold his hand and caressing his face with your free hand.
He still stared at the wall across from him as you pulled him close, making him rest his face on your shoulder as you whispered sweet nothings to him while he had to listen to what was going on in the other room.
The continuous beeping noise of the heart monitor followed by the sounds of the defibrillator sent chills down your spine as you held him to your best ability.
He didn’t respond to you or react to anything else, and when the noises halted after a minute or so, you knew they called it.
He closed his eyes, suddenly tightening his arms around you as realization struck him.
“Time of death, 8.43 AM.”
You were seated in the family room of the hospital, handing Yeonjun a plastic cup filled with water.
He snapped out his thoughts and accepted the cup, taking a sip from it while avoiding eye contact with you.
He hadn’t quite looked at you yet. He was continuously staring into the void and it was starting to become scary. You wished he’d just say something, but he wasn’t able to, so you gave him time.
You promised you wouldn’t leave his side, and you were keeping that promise by handling the communication with the nurse, so he didn’t have to. You had called Soobin to tell him what was going on and you were sure they’d all be here in no time.
You sat down across from him, trying to give him some space to gather his thoughts but it was like he wasn’t even in the room with you.
You sigh, taking a sip of your own cup of water and just as you were about to speak, his mother walked in followed by your friends.
She stepped aside as the boys enveloped Yeonjun in a tight hug, while Mia stood beside you, squeezing your shoulder lightly to show support.
Yeonjun sighed into the hug, loosening up a little and his frozen state seemed to vanish.
Again, he wasn’t getting emotional, but he closed his eyes, letting his friends hold him in silence for a while.
The sight made your eyes water a little, but you choked back your tears, not wanting to be the one to start crying when no one else was.
His mother turned her attention to you, and you looked back at her while Mia was protectively standing next to you, still with her hand on your shoulder.
“Thank you for handling the communication with the staff. That must not have been easy, and I apologize for the fact that you had to do that. That should have been me. I’m sorry.”
You were taken aback by her apology and quickly shake your head in response. “No, no, please. Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do.”
She gave you a simple nod and averted her attention to Yeonjun. He got up from the chair and walked over to his mother, opening up his arms for her.
She hesitated but went for the hug anyway, closing her eyes as she inhaled his scent, letting him hold her for a bit. The physical affection making her tear up.
He rubbed her back, patting her hair.
“It’s ok mom, you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Everything happened so incredibly fast that you weren’t even able to process what the hell was going on around you. The Choi family had people for people who worked for those people, which meant that the funeral was basically held within the next day.
Lita made sure that the boys, Mia, and yourself had something appropriate to wear for the ceremony and you were in Yeonjun’s room, dressed and ready just half an hour before the service would start.
You were seated on his bed, watching him fix his tie in the mirror.
He had been super quiet and detached, and you wanted to give him space, but he was adamant about the fact that he wanted you around. He hadn’t shed a single tear and didn’t even really talk about what happened. It was mostly you doing the talking for him.
Having to explain what you saw was rough, and you were worried it’d trigger something inside Yeonjun, but it didn’t. He kept himself composed and strong, and you were curious how long he could keep that façade alive.
You snap back from your thoughts and watch him struggle with tying his tie. A small smile crept upon your lips and you get up from the bed, walking towards him to do it for him.
He looked at you lovingly, holding on to your waist as he watched you tie the knot expertly just like your father taught you.
“What can’t you do?” he asks amused, looking down at you.
You look up at him through your lashes and scoff. “Get you to open up apparently,” you say as you finish up, giving him a soft pat on his chest to let him know you’re all done.
He blinked a couple of times, biting his lip.
“I love you.”
Your eyes snap up to his in shock, making sure you didn’t just imagine that.
“W-what?”
“I love you,” he repeats, giving you a small smile as he fixes a piece of your hair.
“Y-Yeonjun I-” you stutter.
His confession was loud and clear, though it took you some time to process. You had no idea where it was coming from, but as you looked him in the eye; all he showed was confidence and sincerity.
“I think I knew the night of our fight, I wanted you as far away from me as possible to protect you from myself, and my uncle out of all people made me realize that that’s something you do out of love.” He explains making sense of his words.
“I don’t know what love feels like y/n, but when I look at you…the way you handled this whole thing. Sticking by me and supporting me emotionally even though I see you struggle with your own emotions it’s just…” He sighs, organizing his thought before he spoke again.
“I couldn’t put into words, how much I care for you and appreciate you, and that’s when it clicked that there’s a whole ass expression for that feeling,” he says, letting his hands travel to your waist again.
“I love you y/n. So, fucking much that it hurts,” he admits, closing his eyes as he leans his forehead to yours.
You sigh contently, letting your hand travel up to his cheek, softly caressing it before you peck his lips softly.
“I love you too.”
Yeonjun didn’t expect you to say it back to him, but you meant every word you said. His eyes snapped open and a huge boyish grin crept upon his face, his eyes glistening with pleasure as he pulled you towards him roughly, which made you yelp in response.
“You do?” He asks beaming at you.
“Yes Yeonjun, now wipe that grin off your face. We have a funeral to attend,” you say as you playfully roll your eyes.
He snorted, letting go of you reluctantly, stealing a chaste kiss from you before he opened the door to his bedroom.
“After you, my love.”
You were warned beforehand that the funeral would be more like a business event rather than a private family gathering. The ceremony took place in their back yard, so luckily you didn’t have to worry about running late.
The number of people you were introduced to, given the fact that Yeonjun paraded you around like an accessory was overwhelming. The only people that really stuck out to you were his uncle, Namjoon, and his wife Hye-Jin.
They were so happy to meet you that it felt like they already knew you personally.
Yeonjun basically had his game face on the whole night, it was a side to him that you hadn’t seen before and you realized that you missed the carefree, peer pong playing college boy from before.
As Yeonjun was talking to some stockholders, you decided to find your friends again.
“So…you and Yeonjun hyung are officially a thing now?” Taehyun asks as you join their table, completely exhausted from fake smiling to all the people you just met.
“Don’t think I don’t notice how he sneaks into your room every night y/n. Your room is literally right across from mine.” Beomgyu says as he gives you a bitter smile.
You roll your eyes at him as you smack his arm, earning a small yelp from him.
Soobin looked at you expectantly waiting for you to answer Taehyun’s question and you just nodded.
“We worked things through, I’ll tell you the details later but…we haven’t had the boyfriend, girlfriend talk yet.”
“Well, the timing is a little…” Mia starts.
“Yeah, exactly.”
Hueningkai sighs, throwing his head back in annoyance. “What is going on, first Soobin hyung and Mia, then Beomgyu hyung and Ryujin and now Yeonjun hyung and you? Is there something in the air that I don’t know about?”
The group started snickering softly, trying not to be rude given the fact that you were at a funeral.
“Maybe I should just start dating Taehyun.” He says jokingly nudging his friend.
“Actually, I’m kind of talking to someone too,” he says waving off the confused looks of everyone as he smiled at all of you.
“If it’s Yeonjun’s mom, I swear to god.” Beomgyu says.
“Ew, no. What the fuck.”
“Can all of you please behave? Please. Just one night.” Soobin begs as he rubs his forehead, which made Mia chuckle, patting his back in comfort.
Soon after the music stopped. A spokesperson of the family took the stage, telling everyone to take a seat. Yeonjun’s eyes found yours, and he basically told you in sign language that he couldn’t join you guys, as it is expected that he sits at the front with his mother.
The ceremony was simple and short. There were multiple speakers and every once in a while, you checked Yeonjun’s facial expression to see how he was holding up.
You noticed how the same hollowness returned if he didn’t have to act like the perfect son to all the attendees, and it worried you.
After his mother took the stage, shedding a few rehearsed tears, they lowered the casket, and the ceremony was basically over with. Watching his mother put on such an academy award-winning performance, made you realize that apart from you, your friends and the immediate family, no one knew what kind of person Choi Daniel really was.
It made you sick to your stomach that he was being honoured as if he was some type of hero.
A few hours pass before the last guests leave the house. Your group was seated together in the formal living room, and when Yeonjun enters with an exhausted look on his face, all of you fall quiet as you stare at him.
He let himself fall onto the lounge chair and loosened his tie, slouching down in his seat as he threw his head back.
“Are you okay?” Mia asks, being the first to speak up.
“I’m just drained I guess,” Yeonjun says rubbing his temples.
“Well, we are leaving tomorrow, so we can go back to our normal lives asap. I feel like I’ve walked into some K-drama.” Taehyun retorts as he sits down as well.
Yeonjun lifts his head, biting his lip as he looks at the group of people he cares about the most. “Right, about that…”
His eyes find yours and you can already see that he’s sorry about something.
You cock your head to the side, waiting for him to continue, and then he sighs.
“I’m not coming back with you guys,” he says apologetically. “At least…not for a while. I can’t just leave my mom in the midst of all of this. There's so much more that needs to be taken care of…”
Your heart sank a little, but it was understandable for him to stick around longer.
Mia narrowed her eyes at Yeonjuns words, and the guys just hummed understandingly.
“How long will you be gone for then?” Hueningkai asks.
“Till the end of Summer I think,” Yeonjun replies, his eyes finding yours.
You understood the circumstances, but you were shocked, to say the least. Even though you’ve been together non-stop since the incident, he hadn’t talked to you about it.
He gave you a sad look when you avoided his gaze, which Mia noticed as she looked at you two.
Yeonjun decided he had enough of the gloomy atmosphere and decided to crack open his fathers’ expensive collection of aged wines and scotches.
Since they were at home, he let the minors indulge a little too. Everyone was letting loose a little. The old playful group dynamic returned slowly but you were still lost in thought about Yeonjun’s decision to stay behind.
He noticed how you sat far away from him and sighed. He walked towards you. Asking you to come with him to the kitchen and you agreed. Feeling that it was best to talk about this before you make matters worse by overthinking.
You took a seat at the breakfast bar, waiting for him to start talking, but he just looked at you with concern.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he says.
“I was just…speaking to so many people today and I realized I can’t just pretend that this part of my life doesn’t exist anymore. Especially now that he’s gone.”
“Yeonjun, I’m not mad. I just…don't get why you would tell me you love me when you knew that you weren’t going to come back with us," you say as you play with your fingers
His eyes widened and he got closer to you. Taking a hold of your hands after he made you look up at him by tugging at your chin.
“Hey, It’s just a few weeks. Nothing will change the way I feel about you; I promise. I just need time to unravel all of these family secrets. I never got to ask him why he didn’t trust my mother and after today I just…I have to figure it out.”
You nod, understanding completely. Somehow you wanted him to ask you to stay here with him for the rest of summer, but the fact that he didn’t was all that you needed to know.
“Don’t be sad okay, we’ll stay in contact,” he says as he caresses your cheek.
You nod and lean into his touch which made him smile. He inched his face closer to kiss you softly.
You didn’t know what, but something was off about him. He looked at you with affection but at the same time, his eyes were hollow, almost soulless.
A small knock on the wall snaps both of you back to reality, your heads snap back to see Mia in the doorway looking at you both seriously.
“Y/n, Soobin needs your help with something.” She says as she gives you a small smile.
You frown, and so does Yeonjun, but you decide to go see for yourself, not thinking much of it.
“Alright then?” you say as you get up from the barstool, walking towards the formal living room.
Mia’s gaze followed you out the door, and before Yeonjun could walk back to the living room with you. She stops him.
“You’re not coming back are you?” She asks, looking him in the eye sternly.
Well, fuck.
Yeonjun sighs. He should have known. Mia sees through anyone’s bullshit; and given how protective she is of y/n. He knew he had to tell her the truth before she beat it out of him.
“I’m not sure yet,” he admits, avoiding eye contact with her.
Mia’s shoulder fell, her eyes getting sad. It was just an assumption she had, but she didn’t expect him to tell her the truth this easily.
“Yeonjun…you can’t do that to her.”
“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” he says raising his voice a little. He glanced through the hall at the group, making sure you didn’t hear him before his gaze returned to Mia.
She stared back at him in disbelief, waiting for him to explain himself.
“I just…I need time. I can’t be what she deserves the way I am now. It could take weeks, months, maybe even years but you have to believe me that I’m doing it for her,” he says trying to make Mia understand.
“If there was another way, I’d do it, but after today my world turned dangerous. There are too many people after the company. Money makes people do crazy things and I don’t want her anywhere near it. Y/n has to be protected at all costs. I have to handle this on my own.”
Mia exhaled loudly, trying to gather her thoughts as her hand lands on her forehead.
“I love her more than anyone Mia. I do. You have to believe that I’m doing this in her best interest.”
Mia just shakes her head, swallowing harshly before she makes eye contact again.
“What about the guys.”
“They have each other, and y/n has you. You have to promise me you’ll be there for her.”
“Yeonjun...I-”
“Promise me.”
Mia sighs, defeated in a game she never even played. She closes her eyes, nodding at his request.
"Ok, I promise.”
Chapter 10
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