Taehyung still couldn't reach Krystal; her phone was off, and she hadn't called him back. It had been two hours since he got back to Seoul, and he had lost track of how many times he tried calling her, but he still couldn't reach her. He also forgot to ask Y/N about what happened to Krystal when they were at the airport. He was worried, so he took his car keys and drove to her house.

He stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before pressing the bell.

Krystal's mom checked the clock; it was late. "Taehyungie, come inside. Why are you here at this hour?"

He entered the house. "I am here to see Krystal, Auntie. Is she okay?"

She was startled. "She is okay, nothing happened."

"Where is she?"

"She is upstairs in her room. Do you want me to call her for you?"

Taehyung nodded politely.

Krystal's dad was in the living room, watching TV. Noticing his presence, he waved at him. "Taehyung, come sit here."

He walked to the living room and took a seat. "Uncle."

"Here, drink some tea." He poured Taehyung a cup of tea. He cleared his throat and stared upstairs. "Taehyungie, do you like our Krystal?" he frankly asked.

Taehyung almost choked on his tea, but he nodded. "Yes."

"You have a good taste." He smiled proudly. "Our Krystal is indeed the best, but..." He sighed, "But Taemin is still refusing to divorce her, she..."

"Dad!" Krystal, who was standing behind the sofa, cut him off.

Taehyung immediately stood up. "Krystal."

"Are you looking for me?" Krystal inquired.

"Yes," Taehyung replied.

"Follow me," she gestured toward the door, quickly changing into sandals and opening it.

"You haven't answered any of my calls for days. What happened?" Taehyung questioned.

Krystal offered a reassuring smile. "I'm right here in front of you now. As you can see, I'm okay."

"Then why..." Taehyung began, but Krystal interrupted him.

"It's late; you can head home now," she suggested.

He frowned but decided not to press further. "Okay, then. I'll go back now. Tomorrow night after work, I'll take you to the food stall."

"I have some things to do tomorrow; maybe next time," Krystal replied.

Taehyung's intuition had been on high alert for days now. Krystal's unresponsiveness to his calls and her altered behavior had been impossible to ignore.

As Krystal tried to slip inside, Taehyung's grip on her wrist tightened. "Krystal, please tell me what's going on. Is Taemin behind this? Is he threatening you to stay away from me?"

Krystal hesitated for a moment before responding, "No."

"Liar," Taehyung declared, his distrust evident. "Then why are you acting like this? Taemin must have said something to you. Krystal, hear me out. I'm not afraid of him, not scared of whatever he might do."

"Taehyung, you don't understand," Krystal said, her voice tinged with helplessness. "He's capable of anything, and he's fixated on me. I don't want to drag you into this mess, so please, just leave me be."

"Why?" Taehyung's expression hardened. "I'm not afraid of him. Why should I be? I care about you. Why can't I pursue you?"

A heavy silence hung in the air after his confession. Krystal was taken aback, her gaze locked onto Taehyung's. "Taehyung..."

"I really like you, Krystal. I want to be with you," he confessed sincerely.

"But I..." Krystal began, her hesitation clear.

"I don't care," he interrupted, fully aware of what she was trying to convey—that she was married.

"Taehyung..." Krystal gazed at him with tear-filled eyes, struggling to articulate her emotions. After two years of growing close, she couldn't deny her attraction and feelings for him. But she was acutely aware of her current situation. "Let's discuss this another time."

Taehyung pulled her close, embracing her tightly. "I understand what's on your mind. You're afraid of hurting me, worried about what Taemin might do to me. But I'm not afraid, and neither should you be. I'm not pressuring you, but please don't shut me out. Let's just be the way we used to be, okay?"

Taehyung couldn't bear to stay away from her any longer. Even if their relationship remained in limbo, he found solace in their continued connection, preferring it to the prospect of pushing her away.

"You're being naive. What if Taemin never agrees to a divorce?" Krystal sighed.

"We can wait until Jimin completely defeats him, and in the meantime..." Taehyung moved closer to her.

Krystal silenced him by placing her hand gently over his lips. "So, for our sake, let's not meet too often in the meantime. He might take his anger out on you or my family..."

Taehyung was well aware of the risks and didn't want any harm to come to her family. "Alright, I understand what I should do," he nodded, offering a reassuring smile.

"Go home safely, drive carefully," Krystal said, releasing him.

Taehyung got into his car and bid her goodbye. She watched his car disappear into the night sky, taking a deep breath before heading inside her house. As she entered, she noticed her parents peeking from the window.

"Mom, Dad!" she exclaimed. "What did you two do?"

Her parents exchanged innocent glances, feigning innocence. "Nothing, dear, we were just standing here."

Krystal couldn't help but snort at their response. She turned away and headed upstairs, leaving her parents to their charade.

-

Jimin remained immersed in his work, his gaze fixed on the document displayed on his laptop screen. When he heard a knock at his door, he didn't immediately look up.

"Come in," he called out without diverting his attention from the screen.

The distinct sound of stiletto heels echoed on his dark marble floor, accompanied by the subtle fragrance of a familiar perfume. Frowning, Jimin finally tore his gaze away from the screen to find a woman standing before him.

"Who let you in?" he inquired sharply.

Seulgi toyed with a strand of her hair, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "You did. I knocked on the door, and you graciously let me in."

Jimin's tone remained cold as he pressed, "What do you want?"

A bright smile graced Seulgi's beautiful face as she entered Jimin's office. "How can you be so cold to me? We were together in the past..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Jimin's eyes fixed on something behind her, making her feel uncomfortable. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

Jimin chuckled softly. "So, you're married to Lisa's uncle."

Seulgi crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "We just had our wedding a few days ago." Lisa's uncle had kept his promise to give her an extravagant wedding, and he provided her with the luxurious life she desired, despite the significant age gap between them. He spoiled her and fulfilled her every desire.

"I forgot to congratulate you," Jimin said.

"Thank you," Seulgi replied with pride.

Jimin suddenly brought up a topic from their past. "Do you remember what Y/N said in Singapore?"

This caught Seulgi off guard, and her expression grew cold. "What about it?"

"About your personality changing after marrying him. You do seem different," Jimin remarked, a hint of mockery in his smile.

Seulgi struggled to control her emotions, feeling herself blush in response.

"Ms. Kang, I'm quite busy right now. You can leave," Jimin said abruptly, his demeanor shifting.

Her expression darkened as she responded, "I came to work today. I'm the new manager of the planning department."

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "Then shouldn't you stay in your office and work? This room isn't a public space where anyone can enter freely."

Seulgi's frustration grew. "Park Jimin, you..."

Jimin couldn't help but laugh. "He was so eager to send you here after the wedding. It's clear what his true motivation is. But couldn't he have found someone better? All those tricks you used in the entertainment industry, do you really think they'll work here?"

Seulgi decided to respond differently. She walked towards him and, grabbing his tie, lowered her head to kiss him. But Jimin reacted swiftly, pushing her away with more force than he intended, causing her to fall to the floor.

At that very moment, a slender figure entered Jimin's office. Y/N stood by the door, observing the scene with a mocking expression, her eyebrow raised. "Ms. Kang seems to have lost some self-respect."

Jimin, seething with anger, grabbed Seulgi's bag and tossed it to the floor. "Go away."

Realizing that no one would help her up, Seulgi mustered the strength to stand on her own. She walked towards the door, casting smug glances at Y/N.

"Ms. Kang's actions have truly convinced me that..." Y/N began calmly before turning to look at Seulgi. "Once a whore, always a whore."

Seulgi left the room without uttering another word, leaving Y/N and Jimin behind.