The Hypocritical Encounter
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The yellow envelope remained on the table with no one to take it. Both sides sat there in complete silence as the woman looked directly at Minho. He looked directly at her and smirked. Their relationship had gone far beyond just a simple favor for over thirty years. Her bed sheets knew it all. He was always entwined in them whenever he woke up at her house. It didn't help that she met him when she was working as a sex worker in her younger years. He was her number one client then, and now, the favors continued back and forth.

"Sarah, come on," he said with a smile on his face. "How about we talk about getting back together? That Kang dude—what was his name? Kang Eunhyuk? He's long gone. And Eunha, she needs a father."

Sarah sat there and scoffed at his words. Sunggyu sat there, slightly awkwardly, as he felt useless being involved in his elder's conversation. He looked at the yellow envelope, however, with such curiosity that he wanted to grab it and open it at the moment. Sarah finally took it and finally opened it to see the first page. It was exactly what she was looking for. The Byun Legacy was going to fall right in front of her eyes.

Minho scoffed and leaned back in the chair before he said, "Is this why you gave me the job? To give you this information? Sarah, this is illegal insider trading. What if Haneul finds out? What are you going to do about it?"

She looked at him this time and chuckled as she placed the paper back inside the envelope. She fixed her elegant jacket and stood up as he looked at her. He sat up, confused, as Sunggyu followed her and stood up as well.

"Byun Haneul is going to be gone soon," she said. Minho stood up, confused, and walked over to her. "He won't last. All you have to do is suck up to his oldest son when he takes over. Then you'll be all set."

She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek as she blew a small kiss at him. She then walked past him and Sunggyu followed right after her.

In the car, Sunggyu was driving but still thinking about the scenario that had taken place before. Sarah sat in the back seat, looking at his nervous demeanor, and said, "Don't be so curious. You had that same face the night I killed Eunhyuk, and it had nothing to do with you. I'm starting to think you're not liking this."

She crossed her legs and looked at the younger man as he drove. She reached in her purse for her cigarette and lit it up with her lighter. Sunggyu slightly rolled down the car windows for the smoke to go out as he said, "No no, ma'am. Not at all. Eunhyuk—he needed to die. I-I just need to get used to things a bit. That's all. I'm fine."

"Remember, Eunhyuk knew too much," she said. "He couldn't know the truth about Eunha. I hope you understand, I had to do it. If not, we wouldn't be here, enjoying the wonders of life. Wouldn't we?"

Sarah chuckled as she blew some smoke his way. She opened her purse, grabbed a stack of cash, and handed it to Sunggyu.

"Take it," she said. "I never gave you your payment for the month. You deserve it."

Sunggyu gulped, but accepted the money with shaky hands as the lady behind him laughed. Everything was going according to her master plan. Her husband was dead, she was taking over the company, and she was about to rule over the Byun Legacy as well. Everything was just so perfect.

+

There was an envelope placed on the table once again. This time, it was a white and small envelope. Eunha slid it over to the man in front of her and then leaned back in the chair. Minho looked at her and smirked. She had the same features as her mother, and now that she was older, the resemblance was even bigger. He saw a lot of Sarah in her, but he couldn't find a trace of Eunhyuk. He was so different from her in every way.

"There are a couple of thousands in there," she said. "But I can add more after you do me this simple favor. Just name your price."

Minho chuckled as he sat forward and grabbed the envelope. He opened it and saw the exact amount that Eunha was referring to. However, he was still curious about the amount, so he took it out of the envelope as Eunha scoffed. He counted the money as Eunha took a glance at her phone. No response. She had called Jimin five times to check where he was, but still, no response. She then looked back at Minho as he placed the envelope on the table and leaned back. He looked at her and then directly at Sunggyu, realizing how familiar he looked.

"You were there," he said as he pointed at him. "Seven years ago, around Eunhyuk's death. You and Sarah. I remember you."

Eunha looked at Sunggyu as he looked down. She then looked at Minho and said, "You were really close to my mother. You did everything she told you to do. Now do it for me."

He chuckled once again as he rolled his eyes at her. She was indeed like her mother, but she didn't function the same way as her. She tried to be like her, but her attempts to do so blew up in her face.

"Listen, Eunha. I don't fuck around with little girls," he said. "Your mother disappeared over five years ago—completely out of the map. Even I can't find her. She was the only one who could cover up my crimes, but you? You're nothing compared to her. You fall short."

Eunha's anger was building up each time he said a word as her hands turned into fists and Sunggyu noticed. Minho was right with every word he said. She fell short of her mother, and that was why Eunha wanted to get rid of her. Sunggyu knew it all. He was there as well.

"I'll take you to her!" Eunha yelled, desperately. "I'll take you to my mother if you do me this favor. For fuck's sake, I had to miss out on my husband's event tonight because of you—you son of a bitch! Just accept the fucking money!"

The man smirked once again, hearing her desperate words. He grabbed the envelope and placed it in his pocket as he leaned closer and crossed his arms.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, this time with a hypocritical smile on his face.

+

The following morning, Ara woke up in her bed, recalling the event and recalling the man. She even recalled what happened between them, but couldn't recall the end. Then, she remembered leaving early because she felt embarrassed. She couldn't reveal herself to him. She felt disgusted with herself. All she wondered was why. Why did she let it happen?

That same day at work, Jimin welcomed her inside his house with a smile. His smile faded when he saw a mark on Ara's neck. She had not even noticed it when she was getting ready, but he did notice. He froze for a moment as he recalled the events of the night before. That was a clear hickey, and he knew very well who had done it.

As Ara cleaned Jimin's room, she felt thankful that Eunha was not around the house. Jimin was the only one present, and whenever she walked around him, he would tense up. She didn't know why, but she also didn't care enough. As she was cleaning inside his closet, Ara dropped her towel to the floor as she gasped in shock. Her whole body started shaking as she walked closer to the mask lying on the floor. It was so familiar.

She reached out to grab it as she heard footsteps walking closer. Jimin opened the door to his room and looked directly at Ara. She had the mask in her hands as she turned to face him.

"You were the owner of the estate?" she asked as she stood up, holding tightly onto the mask. Ara remained without words as she recalled everything from the night before. Every little thing. From the kissing, to the licking, to the sucking.

"You were that man! We had sex! The person that was calling you—it was Eunha wasn't it?"

Jimin nodded, understanding why Ara would feel upset. She walked over to him and threw the mask at his chest. "You cheated on your fiancée with your maid. Not even that—you were going to cheat on your fiancée with a stranger."

"Ara, it's not what you think," he said, but Ara didn't want to listen. She walked past him and walked out the door. Jimin went after her and grabbed onto her hand, pulling her back to him. "Please, just let me explain it all to you."

Ara scoffed, hearing those words. There was nothing to explain. Absolutely nothing. Jimin knew his words wouldn't help explain the situation at all. She pushed his hand away from her and walked down the stairs. She grabbed her stuff and walked out the door.

After the awkward encounter with Jimin, Ara met up with Jiyong once again for a study date, this time at his dorm. He had a roommate, but he wasn't there for most of the time. Ara didn't care if he was there or not, she just needed to get her mind off what happened with Jimin—and fast. She sat at the desk as Jiyong threw himself on the bed with his laptop and notebook. Ara chuckled as he smiled at her and opened his laptop. She then remembered that the reason she had called him wasn't for a simple study date.

"I need to tell you something," she said, as his smile faded hearing her worried tone. He sat up in bed and looked her way. "This isn't about grades or classes or anything. I just need help."

He nodded as he closed his laptop and looked at her again. She turned to him as he listened carefully.

"I know something is going on between us, but I need to tell you that there's also something going on between me and another man." Ara had a slight complication when she said those words, but Jiyong understood her clearly. He nodded, paying close attention to what she told him. He understood she was in between two men, and she was tired of going back and forth.

"Hey, it's okay," he said with a smile. "If you need time, then just say it. I know I came into your life so suddenly, but I can wait whenever you're ready. I'm fine with whatever you want."

Ara smiled, seeing his smile. It was heartwarming to her, and she loved it. She was indeed in between two men. Jiyong's amazing personality and Jimin's passionate touch. She couldn't keep talking to Jiyong if she kept thinking about Jimin. She felt guilty.

"Thank you for understanding, Jiyong."

+

The next day, Ara's alarm didn't go off. Minji was worried that she would miss out on her classes or her job, so she went over to her room and knocked on the door. Ara finally opened her eyes and saw the light coming into her room. She stood up and walked over to the door to see Minji outside.

"I don't know if you have class or work today, but my brother is standing outside waiting for you," she said. Ara was still trying to process what she was saying as Minji chuckled. She walked inside the room and went to Ara's window as she fully opened the curtains. She pointed outside and Ara walked closer as she saw Jimin standing outside his car.

"Is something going on between you both?" Minji asked, but Ara immediately shook her head.

"Nothing," she replied. "There's nothing going on."

When Ara was ready, she walked outside, and Jimin smiled when he saw her. She walked over to him and he opened the door to the passenger seat as he said, "I'll take you wherever you need today. Just tell me where."

Ara looked at him confused and asked, "What about work? Don't you work today?"

She was very serious about her statement because she did not want to see him so early in the morning. His smile faded when he saw she was not enjoying his presence there. He then remembered the kiss and even remembered the talk he had with Eunha. He had moaned Ara's name, and it was on video. On top of that, he even slept with her without even knowing. He knew she was mad, and he didn't even know how to face her.

"Let's talk," he said. This time, Ara listened. However, she didn't get in the passenger seat. She walked to the back seat and opened the door for herself, sitting inside. Jimin looked at her and chuckled as he closed the door to the passenger seat and walked to the opposite side. He got in the car and looked at Ara in the mirror. She crossed her legs as she looked over at him. It had been years since she would sit in the backseat of a car as her personal driver took her everywhere. Now, she was reliving those times with Jimin even though he had the personal driver and not her.

"I don't work today, and Eunha hasn't been home lately. That doesn't mean she won't suddenly show up, so I'll take you to my office," he said. Ara nodded and stayed silent. The rest of the car ride to his office was in complete silence.

Outside Jimin's office, his secretary looked at Ara, confused. Jimin smiled at her and directed Ara to the room as she walked behind him. Ara sat on the couch and he sat by his desk. The room was silent until Ara said, "The other day Eunha told me you said my name during sex—and then a few days later we had sex? How does that even work?"

Jimin stood up in shock, wondering how she knew about the sexual encounter he had with Eunha. He walked over to her and sat next to her as he asked, "Did Eunha tell you? Did she hurt you again? What did she do?"

Ara remained silent. Jimin sighed, knowing that Eunha wouldn't hold back with such a topic.

"Yes, I said your name," he said. "But I didn't know what I was doing. And then the masquerade happened and I just let go of everything."

Ara turned to face him as he looked at her. He didn't know how he ended up saying her name while sleeping with his fiancée, but Ara knew why. After feeling his soft lips, all she could think about was him. Jimin must have felt the same way. All she could think about at that moment was how his touch felt on her body. How his tongue felt. All he could think about was how she was clenching around him as she moaned in his ear.

"You thought it was me," she said. "Instead of Eunha, your fiancée, you thought you were sleeping with me, your maid. You didn't just think about it, but you slept with your maid."

Jimin stayed silent, as he didn't know what to say. He scratched his head as he looked down. Ara then stood up and walked towards the door, but he stopped her. He grabbed her hand and caressed it with his fingers as he said, "I know I made a mistake and you're suffering because of my actions, but stay. I want you to stay with me. Stay for a moment."

Ara looked at him as he asked for her to stay. In her eyes, she saw a desperate young man trying to take advantage of her. In reality, he didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to lose her. His most precious memories were with the most important person in his life, and now they were all so blurry. He wanted company. He needed someone to trust, and strangely, to him, that person was Ara.

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• 2750 •
Update #1 for Jan. 10.