"Oh my god, my lungs are on fire. I think I might die" I say panting with my hands and knees on the pavement.
I don't know how long we ran for or how far. Yeonjun didn't want to take chances, even though he didn't even know why we were running away.
So I followed him, or at least tried to match his long ass legs and fast strides.
I looked up from the pavement and he just looked like he went on a brisk walk rather than the fast run we were on.
He even looked graceful as he bent down to lend me a hand.
"What the actual hell!" I say even though I do grab his hand and stand up.
I feel like my legs will give out under me so I try to find something or someone I can lean on.
We are coincidentally in front of a convenience store and there are a few chair, tables and umbrella arranged out front so I don't think twice before taking the nearest seat.
"What happened?" he asks. He does not take a seat but rather keeps standing, concern etching his face.
"What happened was we ran for more than a mile and I am out here looking like a deranged person and your isn't even messed up. How are you not as out of breath as I am?" I demand, slowly trying to get my breathing under control.
"Have you ever wondered I am more physically fit than you?" he counters with his signature smirk on his face and his hands folded over his chest.
"Have you ever wondered I am more physically fit than you" I mimic his sentence in a high pitched voice which only seems to amuse him further as his smirk turns into a small smile.
"Wait here. I'll get us some water. And that jog made me hungry as well" he says and starts walking into the store.
"Jog?!" I exclaim but he is already inside the convenience store.
I don't think I could move even if I wanted to.
Why was I in worse shape than Yeonjun? Was he a part of a marathon clique I was unaware of? An unnecessary competitive part of me wanted to train and defeat him in a race now.
I don't know why I always became immature when I was around him?
Within a few minutes Yeonjun came out of the store with a bag full of things and unloaded the bag on the table.
I went straight for the bottle of water and started chugging it. It felt as if a fire was drowsed in my throat as soon as the water hit it.
"You really need to workout more. You don't have any stamina" he reprimands me, clicking his tongue.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, feeling slightly less like I was on the verge of death after drinking nearly half the bottle of water. Yeonjun watched me with that annoyingly amused expression, leaning back in his chair with an ease that only added to my frustration.
My reply to him is me sticking out my tongue.
"You know, if you're going to keep hanging out with me, you might want to consider working on your stamina. Just a suggestion."Â " he shrugs, popping open a bottle of juice for himself,
"Noted. I'll be sure to start training for the Yeonjun Olympics"Â I glare at him over the rim of my water bottle.
"Good, because I'm not slowing down for you next time"Â He chuckled and took a sip of his juice.
"When did you slow down? I think you amped up your speed with your long legs to leave me behind" I counter and he raises an eyebrow at me.
Rolling my eyes, I set the water bottle down and take a deep breath.
A silence falls upon the both of us and we are both unsure how to break it.
I want to ask him where he was because I didn't see him since we were rescued in the mountains. He was with that girl. I wanted to know about her. And what was going on with them.
And his stare told me he wanted to know what conversation I was overhearing before. He must have heard Taehyun and Beomgyu's voices. I know he was curious to know about it but he was also unsure as to how to bring it up.
Yeonjun took another sip of his juice, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied me. The silence between us was thick, the weight of unspoken questions hanging in the air. I could tell he was itching to ask about the conversation I had overheard, just as much as I was dying to know about the girl he was with throughout this trip.
But neither of us seemed willing to make the first move.
I decided to break the ice, figuring it was better to dive into the awkwardness rather than let it fester.
"So," I began, my voice a bit hesitant, "you disappeared for a while after we got rescued. I saw you with... that girl. I remember her from Hive. I thought you broke up with her"
Yeonjun's expression shifted slightly, his easygoing demeanor faltering just for a moment before he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That girl, huh?" He seemed to weigh his words carefully before finally responding.
"Her name's Hyejin. I did end things with her but things got a lot more complicated recently and I am trying to find a way out, but in vain till now, given how she always finds a way to stick to me."
"What made it complicated?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"You remember the entire conversation you overheard that night?" he asks, leaning back in his chair.
I knew which night he meant. The first night I saw him, met him, interacted with him.
I wince just reliving the first conversation in my head.
Oh how far we've come from that.
"I called you strawberry shortcake" I chuckle in spite of the embarrassment I feel at that memory.
"Glad you recalled the most important conversations from that night" he nods sarcastically.
"Hey, it's not like I encountered a lot of pink haired boys on an everyday basis. It was memorable. Plus, let's not forget you called me a stalker" I point and he shakes his head.
"Yeah well. I have no doubt all the name calling is etched in your brain, but I was talking about the conversation with Hyejin. We broke up that day - and I use the term broke up very loosely because I didn't think I was in an exclusive relationship with her - because she had some crazy ideas instilled by her family" he waits and takes another swig of his juice and opens up a triangle kimbap and offers it to me.
I take it wordlessly and wait for him to continue.
"And her family got those ideas from my family - again using 'family' very loosely here. I mean my father. When he saw me fooling around with Hyejin, he thought it would be a great way to seal a deal with her family and basically whore me out her. He used the term betrothed"
My eyes widened in surprise.
"Betrothed? As in marry? As in, arranged marriage? Is that even a thing nowadays?" I try to wrap my head around what he was saying.
I faintly remember him calling her crazy because she thought he would marry her. I didn't think much of it but this - this was certainly not what I was expecting.
But then again, after knowing them for as long as I had, I am not even sure why I was surprised at this. This sounded exactly like something that would happen in their life.
"In our world, it is. It's not exactly a love match. More like a business deal. Two powerful families merging for the sake of money and influence. Romantic, right?"Â He gave a short, humorless laugh.
I frowned, the idea of Yeonjun being forced into something like that leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
"But... what about what you want? Does your opinion matter at all in this?" I knew it was a loaded question but I wanted to know the answer.
"Not really. My father has his mind set on this. It's been in the works for years. I'm just... expected to fall in line"Â Yeonjun looked away, his gaze distant.
"I fought it off initially, threatening my father that I'll leave for US if he continues this and it worked but then we had another meeting about the different companies our fathers are handling - Soobin and mine and also Beomgyu's. They want us to start looking after the business, start getting a hang of it " he sighs.
"It was why we three were not with the group. We were handling this. I told them I had no interest in handling any part of their business but it was clear I didn't have a choice. I had no qualms about giving the entire business to Soobin but both our father and Uncle insisted I start taking on some responsibilities"
I could hear the frustration in his voice, the sense of helplessness that came with being trapped in a situation beyond his control.
"Even with me trying, I was forced to take up the responsibilities of the Textile holdings of the business, as a bare minimum and Soobin would be taking care of the rest. And Beomgyu would be following his father's business - the hotels. I was happy when I came to this trip because textile business is Choi group's smallest industry so it would be easy. I thought I won that argument" he shrugs.
I remember the day we reached here. We were both on the beach and he had seemed so relaxed. I now understood why.
"But it all was just a ploy, yet again, a courtesy of my father of the year. Hyejin's family is big in the textile business. So basically if we partner up with them, our textile business can grow as well. At least that was what was written in the detailed email that he shared with me that night" he scoffs.
"That's messed up, Yeonjun" I reached across the table and placed my hand on his arm, squeezing gently.
"Thanks, Yuri. But I am searching for a way to get out of this mess. There is no way I would ever agree to this. Especially when I don't even lover her" He glanced at my hand on his arm, then back at me, a strange expression swirling in his eyes.
I pulled my hands away from his, suddenly feeling queasy. Hearing him talk about love made me feel some type of way and I didn't want to walk down that alley right now.
"But enough about me, what about you? I saw you lurking around earlier. Who were you eavesdropping on?" he seems to shake himself out of his thoughts and focused his stare at me.
I stiffened, feeling caught out.
"I wasn't lurking," I protested weakly, but his knowing look made it clear I wasn't fooling anyone.
"Okay, fine. Guilty as charged. I was lurking but it was initially unintentional" I say and he raises an eyebrow at me.
"How is it unintentional every time?" he counters.
"Do you want to know what I heard or not?" I retort and he silently nods and waves at me to go on.
"I overheard Taehyun and Kai talking with Jia. And Beomgyu showed up too." I say.
"What were they talking about?" Yeonjun's expression darkened at the mention of Jia, and he leaned in closer, his voice lowering.
I hesitated, unsure of how much to share, but I could see the intensity in his eyes, the need to know.
"They were arguing," I began slowly.
"Taehyun was furious with Jia, accusing her of trying to mess with Soobin again. He said something about how she nearly ruined his life before and warned her to stay away."
"And Kai?" Yeonjun's jaw tightened.
"He was there too, but he was quieter. Taehyun did most of the talking, and he seemed really protective of Soobin. Jia, though... she was acting all innocent at first, but then she got defensive, even mocking Taehyun when he offered her money to leave Soobin alone. She said something about the Choi Group's net worth, like she was implying she was after something bigger." I told him the truth.
It was partly because I trusted Yeonjun not to use it agaisnt Soobin, and partly because I wanted him to understand that maybe he and Soobin both faced obstacles that made them this way.
Yeonjun's face grew stormier with each word, and I could see the anger simmering just beneath the surface.
"But here's the thing," I said, leaning closer.
"Taehyun mentioned that Jia made Soobin believe he was the father of her child. She did it on purpose because she knew he had feelings for her. She used him."
Yeonjun's eyes flashed with a mix of emotionsâanger, disbelief, and something else I couldn't quite place. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
I hesitated before adding, "I think Beomgyu knew. He was really upset, too."
Yeonjun's expression hardened, and he shook his head slowly. "Soobin doesn't deserve this, but... it doesn't change the fact that he still hurt a lot of people. Including me. But now... now I get why Beomgyu was acting so strange earlier."
I nodded, understanding the internal struggle he was going through.
We sat there in silence for a few more moments, the weight of everything that had been said hanging between us.
"I think we should head back. It is almost time for dinner" He finally says and I nod.
A/N: UPDATEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Early update. Long chapter. Juicy content. Who is on fire? I am! (not literally. yk what I mean)
What do you think of this chapter? And what do you think will happen next? I am trying to bring up things from the initial chapters. I hope you remember them. I hope you like them.