An Infidelity Worth Millions
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Classes had started again, so Ara was on campus most of the time. Jimin had not seen her in weeks and he had not called for her either after the meeting at Namjoon's house. Ara couldn't help but feel something strange. She missed her job. She didn't know if it was because she was earning lots of money or because she missed Jimin, but she distracted her thoughts from the whole situation whenever she talked to Jiyong. His classes were at different times than hers, so they could never see each other on campus, but they met outside frequently to talk about their day and their own lives. Ara was interested in him, but she still had her thoughts lingering on one scenario: the kiss with Jimin.

As soon as she left campus one day, she made her way to Baekhyun's office. Baekhyun had stayed in touch with Jimin and the other guys involved in the case, but Ara was out of the issue because she couldn't believe it without proof. Jimin understood how she felt. After all, he also needed proof to believe something that was right in front of his eyes. He found it very helpful working with Baekhyun, as he was a very intelligent man with a clear goal in mind.

When Ara arrived at Baekhyun's office, his secretary—who, of course, knew that she was Baekhyun's sister—welcomed her. She warned Ara that Baekhyun was speaking with a guest, but if she needed to talk to him, she could walk right in. Ara nodded and walked inside just to see her brother talking with a familiar man. Park Jimin. He sat on the couch and looked at Ara as she walked in. He was holding onto a few papers until she came closer and he placed them down.

"Ara," he said. "How have you been?"

Ara smiled hesitatingly as she said, "I've been good."

She then turned to Baekhyun. There was some tension built up in the air since the last time the three of them were together was in Namjoon's house, discussing the events of Haneul's death. Ara walked over to the couch where Jimin was and sat next to him as she placed her bag on the floor.

"I have to make a call real quick," Baekhyun said as he walked to the door and made his way out. The room stayed silent. Jimin looked at Ara, but Ara looked to the side. She remembered the kiss, and she also remembered how he said nothing about it.

"I know I made a mistake, but I meant that kiss—every second of it," he said.

"And then what?" Ara scoffed as she turned to him. "You're still getting married. That kiss wasn't supposed to happen."

Jimin sighed, knowing that his wedding was still taking place in a few weeks. He just couldn't stop it yet. It seemed selfish on his side, but he couldn't. Ara looked down as she stood up. She grabbed her bag from the floor and walked towards the door as Jimin followed her. He stood right at the door and locked it.

"Come back," he pleaded. "Yes, I'm getting married, but I'm doing everything possible to cancel the wedding. So please, come back."

Suddenly, Jiyong completely disappeared from her mind. Her focus was entirely on Jimin, who stood before her begging her to return to his house. Ara looked up at his eyes, but then immediately drifted to his lips. At that moment, she recalled the feeling of his lips on hers and felt herself craving for them again—craving for it to happen. She then felt the urge. She didn't just feel it, but she had the urge to kiss him. Her hand went up and grabbed Jimin by the collar as she placed her lips on his.

Jimin's eyes went wide as he didn't expect the sudden kiss. When he processed what was happening, he closed his eyes and cupped her cheeks as he tilted his head to have more access to her mouth, sliding his tongue inside. Ara dropped her bag on the floor and continued to kiss him passionately and full of lust. During the kiss, Jimin wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her towards the desk. He picked her up and placed her on it, spreading her legs and standing between them. He pulled her closer, and she pulled him closer. Both craved for more, something more than just a kiss.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jimin and Ara parted from the kiss, realizing what they were doing. Ara slid off the table and grabbed her stuff from the floor. She turned to Jimin, and he looked at her. Their eyes said more than anything else in the world. She then turned to open the door and passed by her brother as she exited the room. Baekhyun looked at her, confused, and then turned to Jimin. Neither of them spoke about the brief encounter after that.

To clear her mind, Ara went to a nearby cafe. She ordered a latte at the front and then sat down as she opened her laptop to study. Thankfully, the drop at Baekhyun's office didn't damage her laptop. The plan was to have a study date with Jiyong until she canceled on him after seeing Jimin again. He stayed confused but accepted it with no explanation needed.

That was when her phone started ringing. She grabbed it and answered it when she saw it was her brother.

"Baek?"

"I was going to tell you, but you ran away so fast," he said as he chuckled. "I emailed you an invitation. There's a masquerade ball this week only for the 'one percent'. Remember those? Unfortunately, I can't go because I have a lot of work, but you should. Try to meet some new people. Destress. It'll be fun."

Ara remained silent as she grabbed her notebook and pencil case. When she was about to respond, she looked at the couple sitting nearby. The woman seemed too familiar and the man even more.

"Baek, I-I have to go. I'll see your email later."

She hung up and tried to get another look at the woman. Suddenly, Ara's name was called, so she stood up to grab her drink. The mysterious woman noticed who she was. The man heard Ara's name, but he didn't even move. He didn't want to be seen. Ara sat down and looked their way. The guy turned his head to the side to talk to the woman, but Ara couldn't see him so well. However, she thought she had seen him before. Definitely.

The woman then stood up and Ara looked down as she hid her face from her. The guy placed his hoodie on and walked out of the cafe as the woman walked over to Ara. She sat on the seat in front of her and crossed her legs. As Ara had suspected, it was Eunha.

"How's your study session going?" she asked. She smirked as she reached for a pen and started playing with it. Ara disregarded her presence until Eunha grabbed her latte from the table and started drinking it. Ara looked directly at her, full of anger, but she just smiled.

"It's good, ma'am," she said. "Actually, very good."

"Well, that's good," Eunha said after she took a sip from the latte. A moment of silence passed by as Eunha looked at her with her cold-hearted eyes. "Don't act like you didn't see, Ara. You saw everything."

Ara smirked. At that moment, all she could see was red. All she could remember were Baekhyun's words. Kang & Co. drilled inside her head. She didn't know if Baekhyun was right or not, but to see the current face of the company right in front of her left her very upset. She couldn't help but sit up as she crossed her legs and said, "What if I did?"

Eunha scoffed, not expecting Ara to speak to her in such a way. She leaned closer to her as she opened the cup of latte and poured it onto Ara's laptop. It splashed on it and reached for her notebook and her phone. It even splashed on her clothes, but Ara didn't flinch. She stayed looking at Eunha as she gripped her pen.

"What if you did, huh?" Eunha laughed but soon went serious once again. "You tell anyone what you saw, and you're done for. Remember Ara, you never know what could happen to you. In the blink of an eye, you can lose your life nowadays. Just like your father—gasping for air, trying to save his dear life."

At that moment, Ara's grip on her pen became tighter, eventually breaking it. Eunha couldn't help but laugh as she stood up and walked away. She laughed, but she was burning up just by seeing Ara there. She knew Ara was destroying her life little by little, and she couldn't just sit and do nothing about it. Ara remained furious, but with some valuable information that Eunha left behind. At that moment, she grabbed her phone and wiped the latte that had splashed on it. It was still in perfect condition when she turned it on and saw a specific notification: the masquerade.

The next morning, Ara woke up recalling the events from the day before. Not only Jimin's encounter, but Eunha's as well. She looked at her desk and saw her damaged belongings as her blood boiled again. She stood up and walked outside her room, where she saw Minji and Jimin talking on the couch.

"I had to tell him," Minji said. She had witnessed Ara return home crying the night before. Her broken school materials were too expensive for her to buy again. Her notes were all damaged, and her information was gone.

Ara walked over to them as Jimin stood up, holding two bags with him. He walked closer to her and handed them over. Ara looked at him, confused, but he said nothing. She looked inside the bags and then looked at him as she handed them back.

"No," he said. "My fiancée destroyed your stuff. Accept it. I also have a friend who can help you restore your information and transfer it to the new one. Do not refuse my help."

Ara stayed quiet. She looked at the bags again and then up at him. All she could say was a small thank you.

Jimin drove her to work that day in complete silence. Eunha was at home and he knew that, but after what had happened the night before with her and Ara, he knew everything had to stop. Once he reached his house, he parked the car and turned to face Ara.

"Today will be the last day," he said. "Start upstairs while I talk with her. If anything happens, you let me know."

And just like that, as soon as Jimin opened the door, Ara rushed up the stairs. Eunha was in Jimin's room taking a shower as Ara started cleaning the guest rooms. She spent hours getting ready in his room as Jimin walked back and forth throughout the first floor of the house, thinking about what he was going to tell her. He knew that ending the relationship would be complicated. He knew the marriage with Eunha brought in millions of dollars, but he just couldn't take it.

He also knew he was in the wrong the moment he brought back his affair. He told his maid to return to his house as he was getting rid of his fiancée. His maid who he was feeling something for. He knew he was no better than Eunha herself.

While Eunha was in his room, she changed into her bikini in order to jump in the pool and relax after the whole stressful encounter she had dealt with the night before. She walked out of the room and went to the kitchen to get herself some water as she looked around. The house was empty until she saw Jimin standing by the pool. She made eye contact with him, but walked the other way as she went to the couch. Jimin scoffed when he saw her reaction and followed her inside.

"I already know," he said, expressing no emotion whatsoever as he crossed his arms and slightly tilted his head to the side. His look said it all. He sounded enraged, but still no emotions displayed on his face. At last, he had discovered the truth. Finally, he had opened his eyes. He was even called an idiot by his friends for not realizing it and even denying it. Now, he had accepted it all, and he wasn't willing to ignore it any longer.

"Know what exactly?" she asked as she sat on the luxurious couch. A long, white, and comfy sofa that she used to make out with other men while Jimin was gone. He already knew she couldn't care less about the topic. The truth was about to come out either way, even if she liked it or not, and no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"I need you to leave," he demanded as she looked over at him and stood up. She made her way over to him in pure disbelief and shock at his words.

"You want me to do what?" she asked this time. She was drowning herself with anger as the seconds passed. Jimin couldn't feel any different from her. "Say that again, my love."

"Leave my house. I'm not marrying someone who's fucking every guy she meets. Especially in my fucking house," he said with his arms crossed, not wanting to look at her. Seeing her made him even more upset because she refused to admit her wrongdoings even when caught red-handed. He felt disgusted with her actions, but especially with himself for believing she was a saint for so long. She just stood there and glared at him. Her hands turned into fists as she tried to recollect herself and not lash out.

Jimin noticed she wasn't moving or responding to him so he turned back to face her and leaned towards her height before he added, "Leave my house. Now."

"I'm not leaving," she blurted out her words this time as she stood there, arms crossed, but the same bitchy face Jimin saw every morning. Well, at least the mornings that she woke up at his house after a long night of sex. Only sex.

"Well, Eunha. You're giving me no choice. I hope you know I can be just like you. You have no clue what I have hidden under my sleeve." He glared at her and chuckled as he walked up the long spiral stairs to the balcony. As he leaned against the rails, he reached inside his pocket to pull out a cigarette. The smoking habit was killing him in more ways than one, but as long as he was engaged to Eunha, it was his only escape.

"Excuse me, Mr. Park," he heard a soft voice say. He turned around and saw his maid, Ara, standing there. He smiled, trying to hide the cigarette, but the smoke was still visible to her. "I was wondering if I could leave now. I'm finished with all the work and I have a class to attend in about an hour."

"Oh right. Classes started again. You're free to go. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled as she bowed. Even though her boss was about to marry someone irritable, he wasn't so bad of a person himself.

She smiled back and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Park."

As she walked away, Jimin looked out the balcony, eventually seeing her leave the house. Eunha was on her way to the balcony when she saw him. He smirked and turned off his cigarette as he was ready to leave. However, when he turned around, he came face-to-face with his fiancée.

Both stayed looking at each other, glaring at each other. Jimin knew everything about her, while she now suspected something about him and the maid.

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