ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗬
─◌✰್ 𝗈𝗇𝖾'𝗌
❝𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗶 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱．❞

"I know you've been keeping secrets from me."

Minho pulled up short, as you dragged him through the door of the mansion, and stopped right on the other side of it. His heart thudded out of his chest at your words. Fuck. How had he not thought this could be a possibility? Of course someone had told you that he was keeping stuff from you. That he'd been essentially lying to you, ever since the night of your date. No wonder you hadn't wanted to talk to him. You even feigned an illness so you wouldn't have to see him.

And of course he knew who'd spilled the beans. The person who'd constantly been at the center of everything that went wrong in this mansion. Yeonjun.

Minho desperately hoped the rest of the group couldn't hear what you were saying. Even though they already knew what it was about, which was yet another mistake on his part, he didn't want them knowing what a fuck up he was.

"Well, I-" he was about to protest, but at the sight of your face, which was red and decidedly pissed-off, he chose against it. "Yes, I have. I'm sorry."

You completely blew past his apology. "And you know who I had the opportunity of receiving this information from??" you demanded, that beautiful face that he'd missed so much becoming more flushed by the second. "Yeonjun! Yeonjun, of all people. Someone who I don't even know! Right after you and I just exchanged 'I love yous'. Now that's another level of fucked up. But that wasn't the worst part. Do you know what the worst part was?"

Minho swallowed, throat uncomfortably dry. He wasn't sure what to say in response. There were so many bad things about what he'd done, and he wasn't sure which one to start with. Not only had you caught him off-guard with this attack, even though he should have seen it coming, but he didn't want to hurt you any further.

"Well?" You crossed your arms over your chest. "Do you?? Or am I just going to have to tell you?"

"There are a lot of worst parts, Princess," he murmured, unsure if that was the right thing to say or not.

You laughed, a harsh sound causing Minho to wince. "A lot of worst parts, huh? I guess you could say that. First off, I leave this mansion on cloud nine, giddy over the fact that you, the man I'd been in love with since I was five, told me he loved me back. Then, I had to see my parents, who are shitty as always. And they admitted that they agreed to this whole thing! The dating show, the arranged marriage, the law changes, all because of Yeonjun! They wanted to watch their own daughter and all her friends suffer, because some man threatened them. That was great. Then-"

"Princess, I'm so sor-" Minho began, chest hurting. Had your parents really said that to you? How had he not known? Why hadn't Yeonjun said anything? He clenched his fists, hate pulsing in his veins. When he got his hands on that man...

"I get a call from Yeonjun! How the hell he got my phone number, I have no idea!" You interrupted Minho and his reassurances, voice raising an octave. "And he tells me that I should come back, and talk to you! He says that I should ask you about my father, and if he's doing okay. But that's not all, Minho. The worst fucking part is... after all this time, you still haven't told me what you're hiding. Because I know it's something. You could have called. Hell, you could have told me before I left! You knew, at the all-nighter you knew, didn't you?"

Minho nodded numbly, unable to look away, but equally unable to meet your gaze. He focused on the center of your forehead, mind refusing to process what was happening.

Your bowed your head, lips pursed in a straight line. "Yeah, that's what I thought," you said softly, tears glistening in your eyes. But strong as always, you refused to let them fall. "But you will tell me what you've been hiding, right now. And don't get it twisted. I no longer give a shit what you have to say, because anything that comes out of your mouth means nothing to me. I just need to know what the hell was so terrible that you'd destroy our whole relationship just to keep it from me."

Minho opened his mouth, then shut it. He did a couple times, as he struggled to find the right words. You just stared back at him expectantly, like you knew whatever he said wouldn't live up to your expectations. But he had to tell you. He had to tell you exactly why he'd done what he'd done. That way, maybe you'd understand. "It was the night after our date," he began, still staring at your forehead. It was the only way he stood a chance of getting through this conversation. "Yeonjun brought me into the lounge, and he told me..." he stopped, voice catching in his throat.

"Go on," you prompted, brows furrowed.

"He told me that he was your father," he burst out, unable to contain it any longer. "He told me that you're his daughter. And I was going to tell you that night, I swear, but I-I thought back to what you'd told me about your real dad. About how you love him so much, and you wouldn't know what to do if you didn't have him in your life. And I chickened out. I walked away from your bedroom door, and went to sleep. And the longer time went on, the harder it was for me to tell you. I kept saying to myself, just one more day. Let me figure out how to take down Yeonjun, and then I'll tell her. And do you know what the worst part of it all was?"

You stood there, unspeaking, face the picture of shock. Slowly, you shook your head.

"That man, fucking Yeonjun. He knew I wouldn't tell you." Minho's eyes watered, a lump lodging in his throat. "He predicted that I would keep his secret, and he was right. He was right that I would be a terrible husband to you, and lie because I love you too much, when I should have known telling you right away was the right decision. And I will live the rest of my life regretting falling into his trap."

You stared at him, mouth slightly open. "Yeonjun is my father?" you asked slowly, trying to process what he'd just said. "How is that possible?"

Minho nodded. "The rest of the group and I have been investigating him, researching him. It's true. I have all the proof, if you want to see." He held out his phone, which held images of everything.

"The rest of the group?" you asked sharply. You snatched the phone out of his hands, instantly starting to scroll through the photos, fingers moving faster and faster as you looked at everything they'd collected.

Minho realized his mistake right after he'd said it. "Yeah, the rest of the group knows." His shoulders sagged.

"Except me??" You gaped at him, before slamming his phone back into his hands, all the information he'd found forgotten. Like it didn't matter. And maybe, after all his lies, it didn't. "Except the only goddamn person who should have known?? What the actual fuck, Minho?? Are you that self-centered that you would rather me stay with you, blissfully ignorant, than risk me getting upset and knowing the truth??"

"You know it was nothing like that!!" Minho growled, gritting his teeth against the words. Fuck, he should be apologizing, begging for your forgiveness, not arguing. But he couldn't stop himself. "You know I love you! But you know how you get when something bad happens. You lash out, and turn into a major bitch!"

"Oh, I'm the bitch now, am I?" you yelled, stepping even further away from him. The distance made his heart hurt, but he didn't try to close it again. "After you said you love me, when you were still lying to me?? Keeping things from me? How am I ever supposed to trust you again? How do I even know that you loved me to begin with??"

"You're right, how are you supposed to know something like that?" he snapped, breaths coming fast and shallow. "You've never done a great job of showing your feelings yourself. Flirting with other guys, ignoring me for years. You left me completely alone! Did you ever think how that made me feel??"

"And why do you think I did that?" you hissed, those damned tears glistening in your eyes once more. Minho would give anything to brush them away, but, as always, his pride stood in the way.

You strode forward, suddenly so close he could feel your breath against his face. You smelled of chai and birthday cake, your signature scent so addicting, he had to stop himself from taking a deep inhale. But your next words snapped him out of his trance. "I know. I know that you asked out Alaska, back in high school. Not only that, but I know that when she asked you about me, you told her we were just friends. And then she rejected you." Your voice broke at the end of the sentence, but you plowed on. "How could you say something like that about me, when you knew that I had a huge crush on you? How could you have been so heartless? I've always been very clear on how I felt about you, you were just too blind to see it. It's like you wanted to make me feel humiliated. You liked having an idiot chasing after you, having no idea that you were lying behind my back. I guess things never really change, do they?"

"No, Princess, I-" he began, voice hoarse. Were you still holding onto that, so many years later? It was true, he had been crushing on Alaska, in hindsight, for far too long. But after he'd recognized his feelings for you, he hadn't looked back. But he'd never taken the time to think about how that crush might have made you feel. And that made him the asshole.

"No, you don't get to deny any of it!" you cried, a single tear sliding down your cheek. You didn't wipe it away, pretending it didn't exist. "You've been doing this for years, watching me make a fool of myself in my love for you! And it all ends today. I don't want to deal with any more of your shit, Minho. I'm out."

And you turned around, and walked back outside. You marched towards your group of friends, who were watching you with concern etched onto their faces.

Minho shoved the door open and raced after you, legs moving of their own accord, until he stopped in front of the rest of the group, out of breath and on the verge of panicking. He couldn't lose you. If he didn't have you, he be alone. If he didn't have your love, he would have nothing.

"Princess, please, listen to me-"

"No you listen to me, Minho!" Your poisonous voice interrupted him. "I don't know who you think you are, trying to make decisions about my life for me, but I'm tired of it. I — we — can take care of ourselves. I can make my own decisions."

"Preach, queen!" Lanhua called in support. All the other girls nodded along with her.

"And I'm deciding to take the side of the one person who's told me the truth. The only person who came to me, who didn't give a shit about if my feelings got hurt, and told me that my own husband was lying to me."

You turned to Yeonjun, who was standing a few feet away from the group, just observing.

"I heard what you said, all the way from my room," you said to him, and he nodded. "I don't care what's happened, but I think I can trust you. I trust you a hell of a lot more than my husband, who's done nothing but keep secrets from me. So even if no one else will take your side, Yeonjun... dad, will." You glanced at the rest of the group, challenging them. "You can come with me, or not. It doesn't matter to me."

Lanhua nodded. "Girl, you know I'm on your side no matter what. We're in this together."

"Same!" JJ smiled, looking braver than she had in days.

The rest of the girls began clamoring with agreement, while the boys slowly started nodding in assent, as well.

"What are you guys doing??" Minho demanded, overcome with confusion. "We-we've done our research! We know what this man's plan is! We can't let him get away with it. You all know this is wrong! He's the dark spirit! Robin, Lanhua, you two know better than all of us! Tell her."

Robin and Lanhua shared pitying looks, before shaking their heads.

"He might be the dark spirit," Robin conceded. "But if he is, then where does that leave us? He's way more powerful than my family, who are the only ones who know magic. He would destroy me and my potions, and that's what's most important to me."

"I care about me and my friends, and we definitely don't have magic," Lanhua agreed. "So we're going to take our chances and follow Yeonjun. All that information on him just proves how dangerous he is."

"Guys??" Minho turned to the guys, the people who, he had to admit, had become his friends over this month in the mansion. He thought he could rely on them. "You agree with me, right? We can take Yeonjun down!"

Christopher, the leader, shook his head. "I'm sorry man. Honestly, the only thing I want right now is to be with Riley, and if she agrees with Tessa, then I do too."

"I have to follow Lanhua no matter what," Changbin said gruffly. "So I'll be going with her."

"Okay, so who's on our side?" you called, a look of satisfaction crossing your face. "Raise your hand!"

The entire group, except for Minho, raised their hands.

"And who is not on our side?" You turned to Minho, a look of disgust on your gorgeous face. It twisted into his gut like a knife.

But he raised his hand anyway. He would protect you the best way he knew how. And that was standing up to Yeonjun, no matter the cost.

Yeonjun smiled down at you, a look of pride on his pale face. "Thank you, Tessa. My daughter. Thank you. You've done just as I hoped. Or rather, predicted. You and all of your friends, actually. You've gotten all your friends on my side, cast your husband aside, just in time for my final announcement."

You tilted your head, confused. "Announcement?"

Minho tensed. He had a bad feeling that this "announcement" would end terribly, for all of you. But what could he do to stop it? The crushing reality descended upon him. He really was powerless.

A sick smile spread across Yeonjun's face. Minho was repulsed, bile rising in his throat at the man's stark change in expression. How could this man get any more twisted? "The show is officially over. And I can share with you all... that none of you are the winner. You've all failed. None of you could forgive one another, and have therefore fallen victim to my plan. I thank you for that." He turned to the producer and cameramen. "Soyeon, Taehyung, please take the entire group back to Obsidian and lock them up." He eyed Minho, triumphant. "Everyone except our hero, Mr. Lee."

laska's note —
well well well... yeonjun indeed did have a plan, and our characters fell for it. everyone except minho, i suppose. but will he be able to get them out of it, all by himself? now that the rest of the group are going to be locked up, they'll be of no use. and what's yeonjun's plan now? does it involve the other kings and queens, or other people we know? and what about the light spirits, will they ever show up and save the day? they might be the only ones who can...

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟱𝟭 - 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊