Jimin checked the clock and groaned for the third time in less than twenty minutes that morning. He quickly flipped the pancake and pulled the juice pitcher out of the refrigerator, setting everything on the counter.

He shouldn't have sent Taehyung to wake the women, especially when he knew this would happen. Taehyung hadn't returned and twenty minutes had already passed. With an annoyed huff, he shut the stove off and plated the last piece of the pancake before going to the master bedroom the women shared.

As expected, Taehyung was sprawled over the duvet that covered the women. A fond smile curved his lips when he saw them sleeping like a puppy pile. It was an everything day. Nothing new. It had been the same way between them since childhood. Though they all had separate bedrooms, they all found themselves in the other's room in the middle of the night ending up in a puppy pile.

They sure matured and didn't suck each other's thumb or finger while sleeping. The video of Jimin suckling a sleeping Porshiya's cheeks as a newborn was still an object of laughter between their parents. Shaking his head, he slapped Tae' thighs, earning a groan from him. He further rolled over the women's legs, but made no move to wake up.

"Posh! It's eight. Aera!" He pulled off the duvet. "We have a meeting in less than an hour. Move your ass."

"What day it is?" Katy groaned.

"Thursday."

Porshiya and Aera dragged their feet out of the feet, yawning as they strode to the bathroom.

"She doesn't have to be in office till 2 p.m." Taehyung shifted his position to settle beside Katy, throwing a leg over her hip. "You can leave us. I'll drive her."

There was no appointment as far as he knew. But when Taehyung took the mantles like that Jimin knew exactly what it meant. He was going to talk to her. Tae cracked an eye open, lifting a brow, a silent understanding passed between the soulmates.

Katy curled to her side. "Yeah. What he said." She burrowed into his chest, her sound muffled.

Twenty minutes later, they were all showered and on the dining table, digging into the food.

"It was Tae's turn to drive today, but he's leaving with Jeoni. I'm in no mood to drive," Jimin said as he cut into his pancake.

"I'll drive," Porshiya mumbled with a mouth full of food.

"So, he's breaking the ice today, huh?" Aera asked no one in particular, sipping her juice.

As sweet Katy was, she had a habit of keeping in her problems. She preferred to solve the issues on her own and avoided the topic. If she didn't want to talk, then no one could get her to talk. She shut them off if they pried too much. So they often let her work on it at her pace. But Taehyung had a knack of getting her to speak.

"I'm tired of waiting for her to say something," Jimin grumbled under his breath. "She's gone silent after this Jeon thing. Something is bothering her and she doesn't wanna talk."

"That's the only reason I said nothing when she sold me to Joonie last night," Aera griped. "She should really stop striking these shitty deals. Don't know what she asked him this time."

"Good luck with that. Everyone knows how she works. And can you blame her? You wouldn't give the man a chance if she's isn't butting her head in. You're as stubborn as her, but in the worst way. Only she can get through your thick skull," Jimin chastised.

Aera screwed her face. "I hate this. She just has to let me be. I can handle my problems."

"Right," Porshiya snickered. "I see how well you handled all these years. If anything, you guys reached your breaking point. Someone has to step in just like how Tae is stepping in with her."

"Can't even leave you both alone for a fucking second. I don't know why I even agreed to let you both on your own for a full week." Jimin ran a hand through his hair. "So, just wipe that shitty scowl off your face and let us clean the mess you both made."

"I'm not a kid," Aera grumbled.

"You sure behave like one," Porshiya snickered, ducking the napkin Aera threw at her.

"Enough guys. We're running late already. Let's get going." Jimin rushed them and they immediately stopped arguing.

Jimin checked his emails and shot a quick text to his father, asking if he found anything regarding the Jeons. There was this uncomfortable squeeze in the pit of his stomach. The one he got before shit hit the storm. He wasn't the one to ignore his gut instincts. Whatever reason Jeon wanted Katy now, it wasn't genuine.

***

Katy kicked her leg up the dashboard, reclining in the passenger seat as she shut the radio with a silent huff. The chilly autumn wind ruffled their hair as they drove with their windows down.

"So struck a deal with Joonie hyung, huh? What is it this time?"

"Phase One XF IQ4 camera and Canon 5200mm f/14," she said with a smug smile.

"Damn. That's one million dollars, Jeoni." He slanted her sideways glance, watching her look out of the window with the same expression.

"He can afford it." She shrugged.

"Of course, he can afford it." He huffed. "You and your shitty deals." He looked ahead of the road, careening through the afternoon traffic.

"Excuse me? My shitty deal won you Yoongi oppa's ass," she shot back, giving him a stink eye.

"Yeah, right."

"That's it? You weren't this smug when you approached me all those years ago, this close to a breakdown." She brought her index finger and thumb together. "If I hadn't intervened, you wouldn't be proudly sporting two fucking bands on your left-hand ring finger. And don't forget I can still revoke my bitch protection squad card." She folded her hands across her chest and he keened.

Taehyung rolled his eyes. It was Katy, who helped Yoongi to come to terms with his feelings and take their relationship to the next step. She along with Aera and Posh was also the one who helped Tae to ward off the huge line of suitors that flocked Yoongi, especially during the social events they both attended together.

"Oh, please... don't. I'm in no way questioning you. Just...asking I guess. I'm amused, to be honest," he said.

She chuckled. "It's fun. Besides, none of your brain cells seems to work in a relationship."

"Says the one who lost her V-card to a stranger she met in Vegas."

"Hey! We married." She looked offended.

"Yeah, and wanna tell me what's bothering you?" He eased into the conversation, grinning as she took the bait.

"You know what it is," she huffed. She seemed to do that a lot these days.

He knew yet he wanted to hear it from her. "Did you text Hobi-ssi?"

"No."

"Jeoni..." his voice hardened with a warning note. "We talked about this last time. It's almost a year and you need closure."

"He hasn't contacted me yet and he's the one who left me in the first place," she defended as she sat straight, folding her feet on the seat.

"That's not true. You left him first."

"I went for a walk. I had to clear my head."

He sighed. "But he doesn't know that. What if he assumed that you left him and wanted nothing to do with him?"

"I texted him though. And he never responded."

"One time, Jeoni. You texted him once. And you just said 'hi.' I'm not even surprised that he didn't respond," he countered easily, knowing he had her right where he wanted.

"Whatever, I tried."

"No, you didn't."

"TaeTae, you know how furious Minnie and Poshi was after that incident. Minnie is scary. He'd be pissed if he knew." She pouted and he bit the inside of his cheeks, trying to stop the laughter from tumbling out.

"That's not a valid excuse and you know it. Minnie has every reason to be pissed. Who marries a man they met in less than a week? You were reckless. I'm glad he didn't whoop your ass. I've never seen Minnie losing his shit as he did in Vegas."

"I realize that now." She fidgeted with her fingers. "Minnie didn't talk to me for two days after that. He never did that even like kids when used to have huge fights. He was always the first to talk and break the ice. But he avoided me and gave me cold should for a month before he forgave me," she sniffled.

Taehyung reached out, brushing the tears off her cheek. "Hey..." Jimin really gave her a hard time before he forgave her for what she did. He was even pissed when she wouldn't give a name. It took a while to convince his soulmate to let her be. He was worried she married someone without a prenup. It was not only reckless, but it was foolishness at its best. "He had his reasons, Jeoni. There's no prenup. You are not only married but also consummated. What if he's some prick? Do you even realize what your net worth is? You know why we have to be extra careful with things like this. Even I signed a prenup with Yoongi, though he didn't want to. It was the right thing to do given his status and wealth."

She nodded. "I disappointed everyone. I was ashamed. I'm still ashamed of my thoughtlessness."

"Which is why you need to sort this out soon. We can't afford him to come back and create issues for us. It will not only affect you, but also our family."

"He is not a prick." She stared at her knotted hands on her lap.

"And why should I believe that? He still could be a prick. You didn't even tell us who he is. We only know his name is Hobi and that's not even his real name."

"TaeTae..."

"Don't TaeTae me now. You know it won't take us long to find him. All we have to do is to go to the marriage license bureau and get a copy of your marriage certificate. Aera already knows where you have hidden your marriage certificate. But we haven't touched it because we trust you to come forward with the truth." He effortlessly maneuvered the car through the city traffic, gaze fixed ahead. "Jiminie wanted to hunt him down, hand him his ass. He was going to before Yoongi hyung stopped him. Hyung trusts you, Jeoni. Don't break that."

"I won't," she was quick to agree. "I'll never do something like that, TaeTae. Trust me the person I married isn't someone who's after money or fame."

"Don't defend him when you have given me nothing to trust your judgment."

She looked down guiltily, teeth sinking into her lower lip. "Minnie wants me to divorce him."

"And you don't want to," he assumed. "So you're telling me that you're dragging the inevitable by biding time and not giving us the name."

"I'm not—It's just..."

"Jeoni, you know us." He placed a hand over hers, squeezing it gently. "If he is worthy of you, we won't stand in your way. But we have to at least meet this person, don't you think?"

"I understand."

"It's going to be one year this November. It's not good to drag it like this. Whether you both continue or break it off, it's your decision, but it has to happen."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Do you even know who he is?"

"Of course, I do." She looked offended.

"I know you, Jeoni. If you haven't contacted him yet, there has to be a valid reason. I want to know why."

She looked out of the window. "It's complicated."

"I'm a good listener." Taehyung can be persuasive when he wanted to be. He was tired of waiting for her to open up and after his little chat, he realized she wouldn't budge without a push. Usually, when something similar happened, she opened up in a week or so, but it has been months now. Her sulking only increased this past week and he was done waiting.

Yoongi was worried about both his sisters as it was. As his husband, their brother-in-law, and his best friend, it was his responsibility.

"He was my first, you know," she mumbled.

"He is still your first, sweetheart," he countered.

Katy pouted. "TaeTae..."

"I'm listening."

Her shoulders slumped in a sign of defeat. "He made me feel special. Everything about our encounter was so different from the moment we met. You know how I am with strangers, right?" she continued without waiting for him to respond. "It was natural with him. It felt like we knew each other for years. Talking to him, laughing, and joking came so easily just like how I am with you guys. When I look at him it was like everything faded around us. I see him and I forget. I see only him." She reclined in her seat with a contented sigh and an involuntary smile. "You know he has the best fucking smile in the entire universe? He's like literal sunshine, always shining so bright, so vibrant."

Taehyung slanted a glance at her. He knew she had deep feelings for this man, but now he witnessed that unaltered look of pure love, his heart clenched. It was the same way Yoongi looked at him every time. It was the same look Yoongi sported when he talked about Taehyung to someone with a mixture of pride and fondness.

As he watched her from the corner of his eye, the joyful look was replaced with sadness. "And I can't contact him, Tae. Because Vegas should have never happened. We are not meant to be." He saw her eyes grow glossy. "Though it was a mistake I don't regret. I don't know what to do."

"Who is he?" Taehyung assumed this person was important. Perhaps, someone with a reputation to behold in society. Maybe a business rival? Because no one had a reason to say no to the Min family.

She took a deep breath, their gaze locking briefly. "Jung Hoseok."

He inhaled sharply. The silence stretched in the car as soon as the name left her mouth. The name pulled a familiar face from his memory. Only Taehyung never saw this person smile.

"Is this the Jung Hoseok of Jung group of companies?"

"The one and only." She laughed without humor. "Jeons and Jungs merged their entire business ten years ago. Hoseok is the CEO of the United States division while brother is set to take over Asia."

Taehyung's grip tightened on the wheel. The severity of the situation weighed on his shoulders. "You're in deep shit than I thought. Even your brother can't rescue you this time."

Katy laughed again, wiping the stray tear off her cheeks.

"Now you know why I can't contact him. We can never be together. The moment he learns of my identity, he will dump me. Even if he accepted me, it means I'll be tied to the Jeons forever. That's something I don't want."

"This is complicated as fuck," he cursed. "Minnie is gonna be pissed. We don't even know why Jeons wanted you all of a sudden." The silence settled was uncomfortable before he broke it again after a moment. "You love him so much, don't you?"

"I do. Not that it's gonna change the outcome. It's fucked up. Don't tell the others I said that. Jiminie will kill me."

"Do you think we don't know that? Everyone knows you're hopelessly in love and is hurting. You're not good at hiding your emotions. But you're an adult, Jeoni. We kept quiet because we wanted you to tell us. We wanted you to sort this out on your own. Guess it's too late for that."

"I feel lost and I'm so confused. He's the first man to make me feel all these emotions at once and he's also someone I can't have. I'm so conflicted," she sniffled.

Tae reached again for her hand, holding it this time. Everyone knew her stubborn, hot-headed, and prude persona, but there was a vulnerable side she rarely showed to the people close to her.

"It's gonna be okay, little bubble. We're going to figure this out together. And don't tell Aera I called you that. She's possessive where you're concerned."

Katy chuckled, a fond smile replacing her sad ones. "Yeah. Papa Park says she claimed me as soon as they lay me beside her in the daycare as a baby."

Taehyung knew the story. Jimin's mother had passed away due to a rare complication during childbirth. When Katy was born a month later, Jimin's dad couldn't bring himself to put her under the care of a nanny as he should have. He had exploited his legal rights as her guardian and brought her home.

Jimin and Katy went to the same daycare since they were newborns. They met the others there and grew up together. Aera's obsession with Katy resulted in them spending all their time together and eventually led the Mins to adopt Katy once she turned ten as their third heir. It was a story for another day.

Papa Park, Jimin's dad had a hand to play in that. After all, when you know how to play with the holes in the law, things got easier. Besides, they had enough money to pull it through.

Jeon Jeong-seon became Min Katy Jeong-seon.

He considered why the Jeons insisted on meeting Katy now out of the blue. There has to be a bigger reason and Katy's marriage to a Jung only complicated the situation. Shit. He needed to talk to Jimin.