Chae Hyungwon

the hospital room was silent, spacious, and dim. it was a privilege to avail a vip room, and i've never really thought about it until this very moment. because of it, i get to stay with ha rim in peace and comfort as i wait for her to recover.

looking at her, my heart felt like it was about to burst. i didn't realize how much longing i felt after almost a week of her absence. now, she suddenly appears to me at a very crucial moment only to take a bullet.

she was driving me crazy, and i was experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions for her.

as i stared at her face, i soon caught her opening her eyes. i immediately sat up straight and tried to observe her carefully. i understood that she was still drowsy, so i tried not to get so worked up around her.

"ha rim-ssi, are you awake now?" i asked with a gentle voice.

she slightly furrowed her brows, taking her time to grasp the situation and gain full consciousness. i patiently waited as i didn't want to overwhelm her.

"the surgery was a success." i told her.

i was met with a weak smile as she acknowledged what i just said.

"ceo chae.. why didn't you leave?" she finally asked.

"because it's my choice to stay here with you. i was worried, ha rim-ssi. how could you disappear from work and suddenly appear to me at a time like that?"

"there was actually an unexpected family problem in my household which caused me to be absent from work. i have no place to stay in now, sir. i can't go back there because i had to sneak myself out to show myself to the office." by this time, she was fully awake.

i immediately noticed the fear in ha rim's eyes. i could tell how much she didn't want to be discharged from this hospital yet.

maybe, she really didn't know where to go.

"you don't have to open up to me about it if it's not something you could talk about. judging from the look on your face, i could tell how serious it is." she looked at me with gratitude the moment i assured her.

"what happened back in the company was very odd. it was all too sudden and i can't pinpoint who would do such thing." i wondered.

"are you hurt anywhere?" ha rim placed a hand on my arm.

"no, i'm alright. the guards are also being treated, and the police will soon start to investigate. i hope we'll catch whoever that person was." i spoke.

"we'll both have to be careful now.. i'll try to ask ceo yoo if i could stay with him for the meantime."

"no, stay with me." i immediately offered.

ha rim looked at me surprised as she didn't expect me to bring up that offer. i knew she was asking my cousin out of the fact that they were somehow seeing each other, but i owe her my life and safety. i needed to return the favor and keep her safe myself.

"you don't have to ask my cousin, you could stay in my house. it's too dangerous if we get other people involved. i'd like to keep an eye on you myself." i explained.

Im Changkyun

i fell to the floor as i took the final hit from mr. baek. he spent an hour giving us our punishment for not being able to keep ha rim in the house. many of his men were involved along with me, and we were all bloodied and beat up together.

"forgive us, sir.. please spare us and give us another chance." one of his men begged.

"kneel up straight, i'm taking out my anger on all of you. you boys had one job and you can't even do it properly. was i a bit too lenient lately? i don't think you're taking your jobs seriously." he spoke.

suddenly, his eyes went to me. he pointed a finger and smiled at me with a look full of spite.

"changkyun, i can't believe you disappointed me big time. first, you failed to kill chae hyungwon. second, you lost ha rim. looks like you're a fool just like these men here."

i knelt down quietly, trying to control my rage. guilt was still consuming me after i accidentally shot ha rim today. i remember that scene vividly along with the feeling of not being able to walk up to her from my spot.

i had to stop firing bullets. i had to leave and escape right after chae hyungwon called an ambulance on her.

why did she have to show up and protect him?

i had so many questions in my mind. i definitely had ideas as to where ha rim could be staying in next after she escaped us, but i intend not to tell anybody. she isn't safe here the moment she comes home.

mr. baek might have to punish her the same way he did for us and i want to protect her from that.

someday, but not any sooner, i'd just have to go and get her myself.

_______________________________

Baek Ha Rim

being in a stable condition, the doctor eventually permitted me to leave the hospital within just a few days. more than that, chae hyungwon did have me stay in his house the moment i was discharged.

i sat in my new bedroom quietly. the ceo and i had just finished eating dinner an hour ago as his maids have had the meals ready on time. other than that, my afternoon was also quiet. chae hyungwon assumed i was getting some rest so he gave me time alone.

the truth is, i wanted to interact with him but i didn't know how.

i decided to brush that thought off my mind and get downstairs instead to get myself some water in the kitchen. walking past the dining room, i noticed chae hyungwon all alone by himself drinking two cans of beer.

"would you like to share a drink with me?" i suddenly heard him invite me to a small drinking session.

i looked at him and he had an extra can of beer in his hands, ready to be handed to me. taking the opportunity, i walked ahead to the dining table and sat close to him. i slowly opened the can myself and went ahead to drink.

"do the clothes fit well?" he asked, looking at the shirt and cotton pants i was wearing.

"you got the right size, sir." i confirmed.

"hyungwon. just call me by my first name, ha rim-ssi." i looked at him and soon realized how he's dropped calling me miss baek even back at the hospital.

"alright.. hyungwon-ssi." i gave him a small smile.

he suddenly leaned back his chair and released a deep sigh. he closed his eyes and lightly massaged the area between his eyebrows.

"it's been long since i last bonded with someone over drink of beer. i typically spend my nights drinking these cans all alone to help me fall asleep. i know i just invited you, but i hope you understand that i could start to get drowsy." he lightly chuckled and explained himself.

i smiled and gave him a nod to let him know it was not a problem for me. sharing a drink together and getting tipsy in this atmosphere made the night comfortable.

"ah, he suddenly came to mind but your friend? where is he?" he suddenly asked.

"you mean, changkyun?"

"right, him. where is he now that you needed a place to stay?" he slowly placed his elbow on top of the table and leaned his head on his palm, looking at me.

"i can't approach him. my family knows how close changkyun is to me, so it's easy for them to tail him now that i'm away."

"how close of a friend is he? i'm not actually one to dive deep into other's matters, but i could see how he looks at you more than just a friend. are you aware of that?" he brought up.

i didn't want to answer hyungwon and bring myself back to changkyun's confession. it was probably one of his drunk talks now that the alcohol was hitting. seamlessly, i brought his attention to another matter instead.

"i'm curious, but did you even take eun gyeol into consideration when you allowed me to stay here?" i asked.

hyungwon took a moment to answer my question. he gathered his thoughts, listened to the way he felt inside, then forming them into words he could speak.

"i won't lie that i've been failing as a fiancé to her, but love isn't the foundation of our engagement, ha rim-ssi. it was money and power all along. i overheard her dad admit he was using eun gyeol's feelings to cling on to our family." he revealed.

"i make bad decisions and saying yes to our engagement was the start of them. i was also hopeful it would work, but eun gyeol and i continuously saw how we didn't match. still, she wants to hold on. i've been struggling to be honest about my feelings because there's been so much pressure and expectation around us." he spoke with a trouble expression on his face.

"having so many eyes on you both must have been so hard.." i spoke.

"and you know what's even troubling?" he added.

"what?" i asked.

"i recently realized that i might be capable of liking someone else genuinely. it's funny; i thought i'd never feel this way because i've dated a lot already but they never appealed to me the way this girl does. ever since i met her, i've been trying to be bolder in breaking away from the engagement. i don't want people with the wrong intentions clinging on to my family anyway." he confessed.

there it was. he brought up his family, and i truly wanted to know more about them.

"your family, what kind of people are they?" i asked.

"they want me to excel. they give me tough love. they also love yoo kihyun, and you're lucky that guy likes you, ha rim-ssi. i still remember how kihyun bullied me back in school yet no one believed me because he was well-loved in the family.." hyungwon spoke.

he was surprisingly revealing a lot of details tonight. the alcohol did a lot of wonders.

"he bullied you? how?" i tried to fish out more information from him.

"he'd pick on me back in school but that was not the big problem. he plagiarized the research paper i was working on back in high school for our final requirement. because of that, i was forced to redo all of my efforts and i happened to submit late. i still have the original draft of my research somewhere in this house. yk hotel was also given to him by my dad... he did not inherit it from his family."

i silently gasped at the amount of information he was spilling. hyungwon was unbelievably open to me about it now that he was drunk.

"yk hotel was supposed to be mine.. it was my dad who helped him establish it. but everything's alright now, i have chae's couture. it's the perfect business for me." he shrugged and finished his can of beer.

on the outside, hyungwon seemed to be fine. he was talking like a sober person, his eyes were wide open, and he would pick up on cues in our conversation very well. however, i knew this wasn't the ceo chae we knew back in the company. he was reserved and he usually held himself with an air of mystery.

i've always wondered why there was an invisible wall between chae hyungwon and yoo kihyun. now, i understood that even though kihyun might not be the same from the past, hyungwon carries the hurt from his cousin's actions.

over cans of beer, i just bought myself information i could use against him. if i find that research paper, i'd have a controlling edge over yoo kihyun incase i'd find a good reason to use it against him.

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