636.

"Attorney Lee, took you long enough." Na-Ra scowled, voice dripping with sarcasm and frustration. The extended confinement had turned her bitter and furious at everyone. "You obviously have no sense of time and how things work. I told you to take me out in twenty-four hours."

Attorney Lee glanced at her from the documents he was reviewing. He ignored her jab and gestured to her to take the empty seat.

"What the hell were your team doing? Why hasn't someone come for us already?" Myeong-suk asked, voice rising in panic. "They only took Na-Rae out. Why are we even here? She was the one who had drugs."

The attorney once again gestured a hand at her to sit. Instead of answering them, he said, "The investigation is completed and now we have a final version of everything. You're both cleared of several allegations but they have found evidence to prove that your auditor fabricated your tax documents on several occasions."

"What?" Myeong-suk gasped, her face growing pale. "We have never—"

Na-Ra put a hand on hers, shutting her up. She took a seat, staring at the attorney who continued to sift through the documents in his hand without taking his eyes off them. Her mind raced, the weight of the situation growing heavy on her shoulders.

"Tax evasion and fabricating tax documents is a crime, Ms. Shin." He put the documents down to stare at her intently. "You can be punished with up to two years of jail sentence and a hefty fine or you can evade a jail term by paying a fine equivalent to double the amount of tax you evaded. The choice is yours."

"What?" Her eyes went wide. The shock to her system was unexplainable. This can't be happening. They were clever. Her auditor said everything was taken care of. She even engaged in several philanthropic tax activities to escape the tax burden.

"That's ridiculous. We always pay our taxes," Myeong-suk argued, voice trembling.

"No, you didn't, Mrs. Shin. You wouldn't be locked up here if that's the case," Attorney Lee deadpanned, and then he glanced at Na-Ra. "Your father doesn't have any legal role within your company unlike your mother. Hence, he cannot be implicated in this. The prosecution team also has collected enough evidence including your chat history, call records with the auditors over the past three years." Attorney Lee reclined in his seat. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"What do you mean my husband cannot be implicated? He's one of the investors of Shin Cosmetics," Myeong-suk countered. Her anger and disbelief was so palpable.

"I'm just explaining the things as it is. If you don't wish to believe me, then fine go ahead and argue, wasting our limited time," he challenged, his patience visibly wearing thin.

Na-Ra scoffed, her tone even bitter than she felt. "So they went digging that deep and left no stone unturned until they found something," she conceded. "First, drug allegations and now it has come to this. What more?"

"What are you doing?" Myeong-suk hissed at her daughter. Her eyes were shaking as if to tell her to stop. Her scent was bitter.

"Be quiet, mom," Na-Ra growled. "You better keep quiet if you don't wish to rot in here forever."

That shut her up.

Attorney Lee continued speaking when Na-Ra looked at him expectantly. "We reached out to your father too. He said there's nothing he can do to help because he's in severe debt and cannot afford this. So you will have to choose a viable option after discussing this with your mother."

"What?" Myeong-suk jumped to her feet. "What debt? That bastard! How could he ditch us at a time like this?"

Attorney Lee pursed her lips and stared at Na-Ra. "I cannot comment about something I do not know. All I can tell you is the two options you have in front of you," he said pointedly at Na-Ra. "If you let me know your decision, I'll coordinate with the authorities accordingly."

"Whose side are you on?" Myeong-suk growled, her voice full of desperation this time. "Where do we go for that much money?"

"Mom, quiet!" Na-Ra hissed. She felt a cold wave of helplessness. Double the tax evaded amount would obviously deplete her savings and drive her out of her comfort zone. "So we don't have any other option, you say."

"No, ma'am," Attorney Lee confirmed, tone final. "They were adamant on taking you to court, but my team managed to settle with a fine amount to avoid a jail term. Your auditor testified against you to reduce his sentence and submitted all the proof. There's nothing we can do for you other than this. The authorities have requested to freeze all your bank accounts without further ado."

Na-Ra's shoulder slumped, all the fight leaving her body. She couldn't imagine staying here for another day. At least she was here alone in the cell. What would happen to her in jail?

She felt like a cornered animal with no way out. First, she needed to get out of this. She wasn't going to go to jail. "Alright," she said, voice barely a whisper. "We'll pay the fine. I'll need some time to decide on how to arrange this much amount suddenly."

"Sure." Attorney Lee nodded curtly and began to gather all his documents. "I'll be here tomorrow at the same time to discuss further."

"Also meet with Attorney Kim to see what all Shin assets could be liquidated," she said. "I need enough to pay off this fine."

"Noted."

She stared at the Attorney leaving with a heavy heart. This was going to put a heavy dent on her savings and almost end her life as she knew it. Park fucking Jimin. You didn't have to go to this extreme.

Her sister hasn't tried to contact them again. From the social media, she learned her sister was lying low. Na-Ra could understand. Na-Rae's reputation was visibly tarnished. The public opinion was still divided. They were not ready to let go of the allegations even if the law did.

She could only imagine what her situation would be once she was out of here. When she glanced at her mother, she looked so lost. If it wasn't for this woman. She swallowed her anger. It also worried her that her dad was said to be in a debt she knew nothing about.

Na-Ra hated it when things were out of her control and they were so out of control. Now she couldn't do anything about it.

I need to get out of here first.

637.

638.

Jungkook almost skipped to the door with a bounce in his footsteps as soon he heard the familiar keypad beep. He has been staying with Jimin for at least five days a week now that he doesn't have any part time jobs to do.

Today he stopped by a florist to buy his alpha some flowers after getting his favorite dessert. He also bought enough items to cook a decent meal for his alpha.

Jungkook didn't have a lot of chances to pull off a variety meal before. They often made easy and cheap recipes at home. But he could make one killer Kimchi Jjigae and he also learned a few things while he worked at different restaurants.

Then there was YouTube with endless recipes. It took him all evening to make Kimchi Jjigae, white rice, stir fry pork with melon, sweet and sour pork, Menchi Katsu (ground meat cutlet) with sauce, scrambled eggs and salad along with some Kimchi and fresh fruits cut tastefully.

Jungkook set the table, decorating it with flowers and balloons. He only had time to hop in and out of the shower, change into a fresh pair of clothes he bought and set his hair when he heard the familiar beep.

Dabbing a lip balm over his lips, he rushed to the door, hopping from one foot to the other as he waited for Jimin to enter. He couldn't contain his excitement.

Jimin entered and his face lit as soon as his gaze fell on Jungkook. "Whoa!"

Jungkook jumped into his arms with a huge grin, trying to climb him like a tree. They were the same height so it was a bit awkward but they had gotten used to it already.

The alpha laughed as Jungkook wrapped one of his legs around his hips and began to kiss him eagerly. He returned the kisses just as fervently. When they parted, Jimin scanned his face fondly.

"Did my Cherry Blossom get his hair done?" He caressed the strands gently, eyes filled with an endearing smile.

Jungkook nodded vigorously.

"Wow! You did something for your skin too. You're glowing." Jimin tilted his head. "Look at that glow and..." he inhaled deeper. "...whoa! That mouthwatering delicious aroma of cherries. My baby is happy."

Jungkook melted in his alpha's arms, feeling like a juvenile pup being praised by his loved ones.

"Oh, wait, I can smell more." Jimin inhaled. "Did you order food already?"

Jungkook shook his head, cheeks flushing pink. "I cooked."

Jimin gasped dramatically, eyes going wide. "Really?" he asked, pulling him tight. "My Cherry Blossom went out, got pampered and came home to pamper his alpha, hmm? This day can't get any better."

He leaned to kiss all over Jungkook's face, blowing a raspberry on his neck, making the omega giggle even more. Jungkook's scent bloomed, becoming sweeter and sweeter. He nuzzled into his alpha's neck, eagerly drowning himself in evergreen pine, thyme and sage beginning to emanate from his scent glands.

"I made a lot of things for you," the omega informed. "I wanted to cook for you but wasn't sure about it until today."

Jimin cocked his brows with a grin. "Yeah? I want you to know that I love just the thought of you wanting to cook for me." His stomach rumbled as if on cue. "Your alpha is famished. Wanna eat?"

"Yes." Jungkook jumped back to grab his hands and began to drag him inside. He once again bounced with every step, Jimin's hearty laughter following him along with the alpha.

Jimin's expression was gold when Jungkook took him to the decorated dining room. It wasn't much. He just set the table and lit a few candles.

"Wow!" Jimin took in everything with an awe-filled expression. "Am I dreaming?" He glanced at him. "You did all this alone?"

Jungkook nodded shyly. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Jimin scoffed. "I fucking love it." He pulled the omega closer to kiss both his knuckles. "You must have spent a lot of time preparing all this."

"It's not much." Jungkook blushed even deeper. Or he just bloomed under Jimin's praise.

"This is a feast, baby." Jimin kissed his cheek. "Your alpha is gonna devour everything." His voice dropped an octave lower. "The food and the one who made it." If that wasn't obvious enough, his hand dipped down the curve of his hips to cup his ass and give it a meaningful squeeze.

"Alpha...the food is gonna grow cold," the omega whined shyly.

"Feed me then, my omega. Melt my heart." Jimin dramatically rubbed his chest.

Jungkook chuckled, leading him to the table.

The alpha began to open each bowl's lid, inhaling deeper until his eyes rolled to the back of his head. "Damn. This smells so delicious." Unable to resist any longer, he grabbed a chopstick, grabbing a piece of sweet and sour pork and tasting it. "Fuck! Knew it!" He then grabbed a piece to feed Jungkook. "This tastes divine."

He pulled a chair for Jungkook to sit as close to him as possible and grabbed a single bowl and a plate. Then he began to fill it with Kimchi Jjigae and grabbed two spoons and two pairs of chopsticks.

Jimin fed the first spoon to Jungkook and began to eat eagerly. The omega grabbed the other spoon, joining in. His face flushed with happiness and pride with every cheerful sound the alpha made with each bite. For the next couple of minutes, only the sounds of hearty eating and cutlery could be heard with Jimin's appreciation.

When done, Jimin pulled Jungkook onto his lap, feeding him the sweets one by one, before taking a bite directly from his mouth, purposefully dipping his tongue inside to taste him.

By the time they were done, Jungkook had soaked through his pants with his slick, whimpering into the alpha's neck. Jimin stripped him right there, bending him over the dining table before to fuck him gently at first. The room echoed with their combined moans and heavy breathing until the two of them came apart.

The alpha wasn't satisfied though. Jungkook would soon get a taste of a purebred alpha's uninhibited desire as Jimin finally took him without any restraints that night, the alpha's pheromones clouding him and drowning him in paradise.

639. [NEXT DAY]

640.

***

A/N: Hope you're all doing good. Another drop and dip. I'm hanging in here. See ya later.