"I told you I am here for business. I didn't know you guys were here. It is a mere coincidence " The woman innocently shook her head but something in her voice rubbed me the wrong way.
There was a sense of arrogance that usually no woman in her position should possess.
Taehyun mimicked my thoughts because he looked more agitated than before.
I wanted to go away from this conversation. I did not want to eavesdrop on another conversation and it felt like this was a discussion that Taehyun wanted to have with Jia alone. Otherwise I am sure he would have asked the others to join in on the conversation.
I remember Beomgyu told that Taehyun and Kai were taking care of this situation but Kai had told them that Soobin could handle the situation on his own.
After the conversation I heard on the bus and from the warning Beomgyu gave, I wasn't sure who I would side with in this situation.
Also, her voice just didn't sit right with me.
"I don't believe you Jia. I don't believe that you randomly decided to come here instead of the city and found out Soobin was here. Don't bullshit me" his voice was strong and his hands fisted at his sides.
He looked agitated, as if he was holding back from his unleashing his anger on her.
"Taehyun, a lot of time has passed since then. I was young and I admit I made some mistakes but I hope you move on from it. Holding onto grudges never did anything good" she spoke in that sing song soothing voice.
"Jia, don't you fucking start with me right now. We both know you came crawling back because you are an attention whore. You got bored with whoever your current victim was and decided to come back to throw your useless web at Soobin again. Well think again, because this time I'm not letting you ruin his life"
His words held a promise of a threat that even I shivered from here.
"Oh come on Taehyun. That is no way you should talk to a senior. You know I only want what's best for Soobin" she countered.
"Yeah? And what is best for him is to stay away from you. What kind of bitch are you? Do you have no shame? After everything you've done? You almost ruined his entire life!" Taehyun yells.
I have never seen Taehyun use such foul language and I have never seen him lose his cool in such a way.
Sure, he is short tempered and he gets angry but I have never seen him this red and this scary.
I don't know how Jia is standing there with her casual posture.
If I were in her place, I would be cowering on the spot under his death stare.
"I am warning you Taehyun. You should mind your words. I am sure Soobin would not be too happy to hear that you're insulting me" her voice had at some point shifted to very cold and hard.
Long gone was the sing song soothing voice.
"Tell Jia, how much money do you think it would take for you to never show your face in front of him ever again? I'll give it to you. You want me to write a cheque? Or wire it to you directly?" Taehyun sounds desperate and she laughs.
Her laughs floats in the wind, light and airy but it is tinge with something dark and it makes me scrunch my nose up in disgust.
"And do pray tell, how much could you pay me that can match the Choi Group's net wort?" her voice is mocking and Taehyun takes step towards her in warning but she holds her ground.
"So you do admit that it is money you're after" A new voice calmly speaks as I see Kai strolling to where they are standing with his hands in his pockets.
If anyone was passing by, they would think he was just casually walking around.
Kai's sudden arrival seemed to shift the atmosphere, his calm demeanor in stark contrast to the tense exchange between Taehyun and Jia. Taehyun's eyes flickered with surprise and a hint of relief, but his fists remained clenched at his sides.
Jia, on the other hand, barely glanced at Kai, her lips curling into a smirk.
"Kai, what a pleasant surprise! I didn't realize you were eavesdropping too. What a delightful little audience"Â she greeted him coolly.
Kai ignored her jibe, his eyes narrowing slightly as he approached.
"So, Jia, if it's not money, what is it that you want? Because we both know you're not here out of some sudden change of heart" Kai spoke, his voice leveled.
Jia's smirk widened, and she tilted her head slightly, as if considering his question.
"What I want is simple. I want what I've always wantedâa future where I was not accused to be the bad guy. A future with you guys. A future with Soobin. I want to make everything right"Â she said, her tone dripping with condescension.
"That's not going to happen, you're not going near Soobin. Not after everything you did."Â Taehyun snapped, his voice laced with venom.
"You're still holding onto the past Taehyun. People change, you know? I've grown up. I've realized my mistakes, and I'm willing to make things right."Â Jia sighed, shaking her head in mock pity.
"You think you can just waltz back into his life after all the damage you caused?" Taehyun shot back.
"You almost destroyed him!" he yelled and took another step towards he but Kai shot out his hand to place it on Taehyun's chest, preventing him from taking another step towards her.
"What exactly do you think is going to happen here, Jia? Do you honestly believe Soobin is going to take you back, after everything?"Â Kai's gaze sharpened.
Jia's eyes flicked toward Kai, her expression darkening slightly.
"I know Soobin better than any of you, he's always been soft-hearted, too willing to forgive. And besides..." She trailed off, her eyes glinting with something unreadable.
"You're not just here for Soobin, are you?"Â Kai studied her carefully, then spoke with a calm that bordered on icy.
"What are you getting at, Kai?" her voice was pointed now. Calculating even.
Kai didn't respond immediately, his eyes locking with hers in a silent battle of wills. The tension between them was palpable, and I found myself holding my breath, waiting for the inevitable clash.
Why was I still standing here listening in on their conversation?
Just as the silence became unbearable, the sound of footsteps approached, and I turned to see Beomgyu making his way toward them. His face was a mixture of concern and determination, his usual playful demeanor nowhere in sight.
Where did he come from?
"Beomgyu," Jia greeted him with a smile.
"I was just catching up with some old friends." she faked a laugh and I wanted to snort and roll my eyes at that at the same time.
"Cut the crap, Jia. We all know why you're here." Beomgyu's eyes narrowed as he looked at Jia, his jaw clenched tightly.
"I wanted to talk, to clear the air between us." she raised her hand, as if mocking a surrender.
"Clear the air? You mean spin more lies? Manipulate him again?" Beomgyu's voice was harsh as he responded to her.
"I'm not here to lie or manipulate anyone. I'm here because I care about Soobin" Jia's posture hardened, and she faced Beomgyu.
"You care about Soobin? That's rich coming from someone who lied about him being the father of your child just to keep him around"Â Beomgyu stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger.
The words hit like a bomb, and I saw Jia's confident facade flicker for just a moment before she quickly composed herself. But Beomgyu wasn't done.
"We know the truth, Jia," Beomgyu continued, his voice steady but filled with barely contained fury.
"You made it seem like Soobin was the father because you knew how he felt about you. You used his feelings, his kindness, his family's kindness and you didn't care about the consequences as long as you got what you wanted."
"You didn't even consider how it would affect Soobin. How mentally distraught it would make him. You only cared for giving your baby a name that wasn't some nobody so that your future wasn't ruined" Beomgyu's eyes were hand and his lips in a scowl.
"You don't understandâ" Jia countered but couldn't finish her sentence.
"No, you don't understand," Beomgyu interrupted, his voice rising. "You almost ruined his life, Jia! And now you think you can just waltz back in and pick up where you left off? Not happening."
"Soobin might be too kind to say it, but we won't let you hurt him again. You need to leave, Jia. Now."Â Kai, who had been quietly observing the exchange, finally spoke up.
"It is funny how easily you can buy people. A few thousands and you can hire some pretty good private investigators who would put their life on the line to get the information you want" Beomgyu said in a very cold voice.
Jia's head bobbed, as if not believing what they were about to say.
"We know you had a miscarriage. We know the guy who is actually the father. We know how he left you nd blackmailed your family. We know why you went to the States" Kai said and I could see there was sadness tinged in his words, as if he felt bad for what happened to her.
Jia's eyes darted between the three of them, her confidence slowly crumbling. She seemed to realize that she was outnumbered, that the power she once held over Soobin was gone.
"Don't think I am above using these information against you to not only ruin you or your family's reputation. You know me better than that" Taehyun threatened and she took a step back, shaking her head.
"I asked the cottage to pack your things. You have a driver waiting for you at your cottage. He'll take you to the airport. Don't come back" Kai said with such finality that there was no room for discussion.
My head was spinning with everything that I overheard.
"What the hell are you doing crouching down here -"
I put a hand over the person's mouth so fast that their eyes widened in shock.
What was he doing here?
He seemed to sense my urgency of keeping us hidden because he tenses up and focuses on the fait voices. He scrunches his eyebrows at me in question.
I shake my head at him indicating that I'll tell him about it later. We couldn't be standing here so close to them and discuss the reasoning behind why I was crouching and eavesdropping on a very serious conversation I had no business being part of.
A familiar tune started ringing and the voices stopped.
"What the hell?" I whisper yelled and scattered to find my phone to switch it off.
We both heard the foot steps getting closer and I was hit with a weird sense of deja vu of the first night I met the pink haired devil.
He stared at the phone in my hand and he seems to contemplate the same thing as me.
"Who's there?" the Taehyun's voice called out and that seemed to bring us both out of our nostalgia tinged thoughts.
"What are you thinking about? run!" he whisper yelled before grabbing my hand.
We both took of sprinting not looking back.
A/N: Updateeeeeee!!!!!!! Yay! Finally stuck to my schedule and gave a timely update. I am proud of myself for this.
What do you think of this chapter? A very long and juicy chapter.
How was your weekend and what do you think will happen next?
Also, just putting it out there because I understand I have a love of young/ young adult female readers here - Please be safe. The word is going to shit and I hope you are all ensuring that you're safe.