Taehyung took a sip of his Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino with two pumps of vanilla syrup, one pump of raspberry syrup, and a splash of orange-mango juice— his classic at Starbucks as he reached his house. The day was so weird that the drink tasted much sweeter and he wondered if the shade of his couch was always this dark or if it had become like that to coordinate with his mood. 

Chaeryeon who had accompanied him to the station kept her magenta coloured jacket on the couch, taking a seat. She contemplated whether she should leave or stay for some more time. Maybe Taehyung wanted some time alone after all that happened, but what if he wants someone to be with him just to make sure he stays okay and does not inflict any self-harm. 

"The press is going wild. I'm receiving a hundred calls a day, just to know what happened. I know Sir, that you probably don't wanna speak about this for a while, but the agency says that it will be better if you justify the entire situation to the media, instead of the Manobans," she spoke, her hands fidgeting in her lap because this state of Taehyung scared her for some reason.

He chose to remain silent

However, silence can sometimes speak more than words. Chaeryeon took that as a signal to leave, and after bidding him goodbye, she headed towards her home. A sigh escaped the detective's mouth, keeping the empty glass on the wooden table and dialling a number, the only one he could speak to. 

"Taehyung, son, how are you? I saw the news, you look horrible. I'm so sorry for what happened, please come back home," an elderly, extremely familiar voice rushed, one Taehyung hadn't heard in ages. 

He shook his head with hopes of controlling his tears. His voice sounded heavy, "I am not doing okay, mum. I am not doing okay... This hurts, so much that I feel like I would rather die than this."

His voice cracked, heart breaking into gazillion pieces upon hearing his own words and emotions being voiced out. His mother gasped, "Do you want me to come to Seoul? I know this is very hard for you, but you cannot give up, my son."

That one tear which he tried to hold back with all his remaining might, rolled down his tan skin, "But I want to give up."

And saying so, he hanged up, because he knew the more he spoke, the more he realised how brutal this was. He wasn't ready to face his emotions, not after how harshly reality struck him and how within a span of two weeks, his perfect life with Jennie went to hell. 

And with that thought, came the reminder that he had to answer the media. In fact, tell them the whole story of how one family ruined another's. 

***
14 YEARS BACK 

 David Manoban spoke in that grumpy voice that one would not want to willingly hear as he paced back and forth in his giant room, "Ask your boss to make sure that KRZ's reputation remains low. I absolutely do not care., just do whatever you have to do. Spread any fake rumours or even blackmail their investors. Whatever keeps the stocks low, and then I get to buy that company as well. If the stocks don't go down, your boss sure will go down to his grave. Don't waste time and report me soon."

"Excuse me, sir, what the hell are you doing?" 

The phone slipped from the CEO's hand at the abrupt voice and his secretary who was sitting on the sofa, examining her manicured hands too stood up. Kim Hyunjae, one of the employees stood in the office, with dark brown eyes and hair as he clutched a file close to him. 

Picking up his phone from the marble floor, the CEO asked, his words filled with anger, "How dare you eavesdrop, fucking peasant. Never learnt manners?"

"I should be the one asking you that, sir. You're doing an illegal job, trying to drag companies down just to stay up. That's very cheap, and you cannot do this," Hyunjae replied back. For as long as he could remember, he just hated the thought of illegal stuff. The idea of law and giving people justice always fascinated him, and he dreamt of being an attorney. However, due to the lack of support from his parents, he was pushed into the field of economics but the spirit of justice still runs through his blood.

David scoffed, "Now Mr Kim, I think you know very well what I can do and what I must do. So kindly back to your office and pack up your things. You will get your fired letter within the next thirty minutes. I hope you know what you are supposed to do, keep your mouth shut and don't you dare say a word about what happened today to anybody. Or else, the final result won't be good."

Hyunjae understood that there was absolutely no point in arguing with this. He knew he had a secret weapon, either way, to get back, his wife. Muttering curses under his breath, he slammed the door shut. There was no way he would respect a man doing such cheap activities, irrespective of his wealth, power and status. 

"Shreya, quickly prepare his fired notice. And make sure to spread such news about him to other companies, so that no one decides to employ him. Let this peasant die in poverty," the furious CEO ordered his secretary. 

Walking up to her boss, the brown-skinned lady replied, "Of course, sir. But to be honest, it won't work. His wife, Mingyong something, works on a famous news channel as the editor. The world will find out. Aap aur aapki yeh company maregi." 

"Whatever that means," David didn't bother, used to her speaking her native tongue, "Now, there is only one way left. I am not letting this company get ruined." His eyes gazed upon the portrait of his father, the one who founded this company. 

***

Kim Mikyong entered her husband's car, a black coloured ford in the middle of the night. The workload was extreme and she tried to finish as much as possible with hopes of celebrating the next day, her marriage anniversary freely. However, when she noticed the frown on her husband's face, she felt those positive thoughts being flooded away. 

"What's wrong, Hyunjae? You look upset?" she asked as he started the car 

A scoff escaped his cherry plump lips—a characteristic both his kids had inherited, "I was fired. That motherfucking son of a bitch, god, where do I begin?"

Mikyong let out a gasp, and thoughts of financial instability immediately came running. Panicking, she asked, "What the fuck?? What happened? You ought to tell me." But when her husband didn't reply, she continued, "Jae, there is no way you can stay silent. Fucking speak, what happened!"

"All along I was working for a cheap rodent! Miki, he fucking pays others to drag the competitions down, to a point of blackmailing and harassing people. This is so fucking wrong, it's bullshit. And he fires people and threatens them once they confront him, that's what he did to me today!" the man yelled, his balance on the car becoming a bit ruthless. As they took on the empty lane by a hill, he decided to focus solely on the road, to avoid any mishappening. 

However, Mikyong couldn't notice that "Holy shit! David Manoban is a fraud? We got to publish this news, in fact, spread it in a way that every kid in Korea who admires him starts to hate him. And he fired you after the confrontation? This fucking makes it better. He won't see fame after tonight, I swear."

However, in this haste, they didn't notice a huge boulder rolling down the hill, intentionally, and suddenly it hit the car. In a way, not just its structure, but also the people inside it. "Hyunjae, watch out!" was the last words which were spoken by the passenger, and then everything went black. 

The car was totally crushed, and the blood started to seep out on the road. On the day of their thirteenth marriage anniversary, Kim Hyunjae and Kim Mikyoung both lost their lives, murdered due to the greed, selfishness and cruelty that dominates the streets in today's world. 

***

"It is two am already, I don't understand why mum and dad aren't here yet. It's supposed to be their day, and they are not here. What will we do about the cake that we ordered? Can me and Yeonseok finish it all alone?" eleven-year-old Jennie Kim asked her aunt, stomping her feet on the floor as she stared at the wall clock for the thousandth time. 

Her aunt chuckled, closing the television and letting out a yawn, "It's late already, you should go to sleep, just like your brother. Your mother is running extra errands, and you know hectic it is for your father."

"But I cannot sleep without mum and dad giving me a good bear hug, otherwise I see ghosts in my dreams," the brunette continued to argue

Her aunt was about to reply when suddenly the doorbell rang. Jennie jumped as high as she could, excitement dripping in her voice, "It must be mum and dad. They're finally here!"

When the wooden door opened, instead of seeing the familiar faces of her brother and sister in law, Kim Hyebin saw two tall, well built structures of police men. One of them coughed and asked, "Are you the family of Kim Hyunjae and Kim Mikyong?"

Horror was written on Hyebin's face, "Yes officer. I am Hyebin, Hyunjae's sister and his kids live here too. What happened, may I ask?" 

Instead of receiving a response, the two policemen stepped aside, revealing a view of two stretchers, on each laid the two very familiar people that made Hyebin's blood run cold. Jennie ran outside, but when she took in the view, all she could do was scream and wail. 

"Mum, no way! Absolutely not, wake up! Dad, wake up! This is not the time, Yeonseok and I need you! No, this is not true!" she screamed, tears drooping down her soft cheeks, hands shaking uncontrollably as she fell to her knees. Her voice cracked but she continued to shout, "Please tell me this is a joke. What will I ever do in my life! Please, I beg you, wake up!"

But everyone knew that they won't wake up and neither will the poor child's happiness. She was traumatised. 

author's note: i can smell the last chapter nearby