✨

A loud scream made Taehyung run up the stairs in a matter of seconds and barge into Miss Kim's bedroom.

"Miss Kim!" he exclaimed. Is there anything wrong—"

"Hoseok oppa!" she screeched. "Hoseok oppa!"

She pointed at her phone. Confused, he walked closer to his boss and took the device.

[BREAKING] JHS Entertainment's former CEO was seen early this morning at Incheon Airport with an unknown female kissing. According to some eye-witness, the two were engaged in an argument before said woman kissed the young chaebol. JHS Entertainment is yet to comment on this issue. Below are some clips of the scene.

He was lost for words. Clearly, Mr. Jung knew the woman and held strong emotions for her. It could be seen in the way he hugged her that he care for her more than an average person should. And he didn't push her away when she kissed him. Instead, he kissed back.

He then turned to a teary-eyes Miss Kim. She ha loved Mr. Jung for as long as he could remember. And from her father's stories, Miss Kim grew up with only Mr. Jung as the apple of her eye. He knows it's true since whenever she sees him, it's like CEO Jung hung the moon and the stars.

He can't imagine how hurt she is right now.

"Miss Kim—"

"How can they do this to me?!" she yelled. "Hoseok oppa... how can he do this?!"

Taehyung crouched down a bit to see Miss Kim's face clearly. Her eyes were red and she had tears falling on her puffy cheeks. Her hair was a mess too and the silk eye cover that matched her silk pajamas was used as a headband.

"Miss Kim, it's okay. There's a much better match for you aside from Mr. Jung—"

"It's unfair!" she blurted out.

"Miss Kim, all's fair in love and war—"

Miss Kim shot him a deadly glare. But her glare wasn't scary at all. She looked like a dumpling. And no one dies because of a dumpling.

"But he's unfair! That poor girl clearly loved her but he broke her heart! He's so unfair to her!"

His mouth flew wide open.

What?

She then started to cry.

"The girl... clearly loved him... she ran with no shoes... and... and... it's like in those dramas, the guy thinks he's doing the right thing but he's being stupid. Hoseok oppa is stupid! I'm gonna tell him how stupid he is the next time I see him!"

The video he just watched did have audio. And their conversation was clear enough for the viewers to understand.

He couldn't help himself from letting out his suppressed chuckle. Was he just worried for nothing?

He stood up and smiled at his boss.

"Would you like to have your breakfast in bed, Miss Kim?" he asked.

Miss Kim looked up at him. "I want eggs, bacon, and some pancakes, please. And I'm eating in the garden. I need to update my Instagram. It's been like... twelve hours since I updated."

"As you wish, Miss Kim."

He was worried for nothing.

✨

Jennie heaved a heavy sigh as soon as Secretary Kim walked out of her bedroom. Her gaze landed back towards her phone as she scrolled back to the image of Hoseok and the girl.

So she's the one he's been seeing in that pub. She's the girl that made him change his mind about getting treatment. And yes, she knew all about his cancer and was the first person to push him to go abroad to get help. But he didn't want to because he said it was too much trouble. That he'd rather live his life normally than live a borrowed life full of treatments and doctor's appointments.

She let her tears flow freely. She's hurt, yes, but if this girl is what it takes to make Hoseok give life a second chance, she'll be fine. As long as he's happy and healthy, it doesn't matter if it's with her or not.

She glanced at her bedside table where a framed picture of her and Hoseok was. It was taken during her graduation day. Even in his busiest, he still made it. Even if her parents couldn't, it was still the happiest day in her life because of him.

"I'll be fine," she said to herself as she wiped off her tears. "I'm Jennie Kim. Korea's It-Girl. It's his loss, not mine."

She smiled—tried to. She watched her reflection on the mirror of her vanity table. She's Jennie Kim. She's beautiful, smart and rich. A total package. But it seems like she's still not good enough for the only man she'd ever loved.

She buried her face into her pillow and cried for a good ten minutes. Then she heard soft knocks on her door.

"Miss Kim? Your breakfast is ready out in the garden."

She let out a sigh before glancing back towards her reflection, wiping off her tears and forcing a smile. She didn't want Secretary Kim to see her sad. She didn't want anyone to see her cry over a man. She cleared her throat before opening the door.

"Ugh! It's exhausting to be this beautiful."

✨

Lisa heaved a sigh. It was such a boring audition today. Jennie called in sick so they had to call in Miss Ji Eun to temporarily fill in for her. And guess who's in cloud nine right now fanboying by the corner.

Bloody arsehole can't even contain himself. It's he's about to bloody piss himself.

Tch.

If it wasn't her brother's fault why Jennie wasn't here she wouldn't have given her permission. Also, she was really hoping to see how the girl's doing after his brother and Tzuyu's face were all over news sites and the internet. Who knew people would be that interested with a CEO's love life? And Jennie...

It would be a lie if she said she wasn't a tad bit curious on how she reacted. But seeing as she hasn't marched in the mansion demanding an explanation it seems like she took it lightly. That or she still hasn't seen the news.

"Oppa," she nudged Yoongi who was sitting beside her. "How'd you think Jennie reacted to my brother's... you know, news?"

"Since when were you concerned about Jennie? I thought you didn't like her?"

"Hate is such a strong word," she defended. "Indifferent, maybe."

Yoongi raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay. I did say I hated her but I didn't really mean it like that," she explained. "I'm not an oaf, oppa. Can't I be curious? She called in sick today."

"Well, Hoseok hasn't called saying Jennie's at his place so I guess she's fine. And there's no news about her getting admitted to the hospital so we're good."

"Even if she loves my brother that much, I don't think she's suicidal."

"But she is a bit of a drama queen, you know," he said with a shrug. "But in all honesty, Li, Jen's gonna be fine. She'll get over it soon enough."

"You speak like you know her that well."

"Well, I did grow up with her so I know much."

Her forehead creased. "Childhood friends?"

"Cousins. My mom and her mom are sisters. But not everyone knows that."

Her mouth formed an 'o' before nodding away. They she put her attention back to the set of boys lined up in front of them. But of course, her line of sight caught a giddy Secretary Jeon stealing glances at the soloist. She rolled her eyes.

"Name and talent to showcase," she spat out as soon as her gaze landed on the auditionee.

"Song Yuehui, rap," the boy said. She waved her hand signaling him to go ahead.

It wasn't her forte so she left PD Min and Namjoon to evaluate. She propped her left elbow on to the table to support her chin as she scribbled with her right hand on the rate sheet.

"Jabeul su isseul geora saenggakhaesseo..."

As she heard the start of his rap, she instantly froze. Her heartbeat pacing.

"... naega kkumkkwoon sungandeul, geuraeseo dangdanghage georeosseo..."

Her eyes grew wide as she turn her attention back to the boy. She knew that rap. She knew it very well.

"... iyu eopsneun mideum hana angoseo, pogihaji anhgo gyesok naagamyeon. Yeolsimhi choeseoneul da hada bomyeon
nae nun ape pyeolchyeojil georago saenggakhaessne, gyeolgugen japge doel geoya gidohae maeil—"

She stood up abruptly cutting the boy off by surprise. Even the panel and staff were also caught off-guard. Except for Yoongi who now had his hand on her shoulder.

"Li," he said softly. But she ignored him.

"Where did you learn that song?" she demanded the now wide-eyed boy.

"I-I... It's a song written and composed by Won-il, the famous rapper from Csem Entertainm—"

"Liar!" She hissed—which made Yoongi hold on to both her arms using his own body to block the kid from her line of sight. "He did not write that! That man's a thief!"

"H-He... he said he wrote it for his a-audition..."

Lisa was breathing heavily as tears started to form in her eyes. The song... that song was her brother's. It was the song her brother boasted about when she visited him before her show. It was the song he was gonna use for his audition. The audition he wasn't able to go to because of...

"Li, please calm down," Yoongi whispered as he tried to soothe her. "He's just a kid—"

"No!" she screamed. She was now full-blown hysterical. "That song is Jaewon's! It's his song! My brother wrote that song! Not that pathetic excuse for a human being!"

"Li, relax. Please. We'll sort this out—" Yoongi turned to Secretary Jeon signaling him to take her out of the room for the time being.

She was a mess. She felt Secretary Jeon's arm around her waist and his hand on her arm as he ushered her out of the room. She was crying. She couldn't bear hearing someone else use that song.

And she loathed how someone used her dead brother's composition on his behalf.

✨

"How's Lisa?" Tzuyu asked as soon as Jungkook sat on the bar stool by the counter. "I've heard from Hoseok what happened."

He let out a sigh. Miss Manoban's sudden outburst shocked not only him but everyone in that room.

Dream, the song the auditionee performed, was a hit track written and produced by Jang Won-il as his debut track with Csem Entertainment. It was well-received by the public and also racked up awards. But it did cause a stir when an underground rapper named Mino accused the man of plagiarism. But it was debunked when he showed everyone the original notes and sheet music to the track.

"She was already sleeping when I left," he answered then let out a sigh. "She kept throwing this everywhere—that vase almost hit me on the face."

"Hoseok left as soon as he received the call," she mentioned. "Not that I'm peering or anything but, what exactly happened? Her brother looked genuinely freaked out."

"I don't know either. She just started yelling when the trainee started performing—"

"Yoongi!" Tzuyu suddenly said as the pale man started to walk towards them. He sat beside him and ordered a drink.

"What a f**king day," he muttered. "It's good to know you managed to stay in one piece after all that, Jungkook."

"I have my good reflexes to thank for that," he replied. "She threw everything she could put her hands on. She also said something about suing the company or something."

Producer Min sighed.

"I would too if I were in her position."

"If you don't mind me asking, PD Min, why was Miss Manoban upset when the trainee used the song?"

Tzuyu placed Yoongi's drink on the counter just in time. His sister looked as curious as he was.

"Just like what Lisa said, the song is her brother's, not Won-il's."

"Hoseok's song? I didn't know he raps?" His sister questioned to which PD Min shook his head.

"Not Hoseok. Jaewon's."

"Jaewon? Who's Jaewon?" Tzuyu asked.

Then he remembered what Miss Manoban said.

"That song is Jaewon's! It's his song! My brother wrote that song! Not that pathetic excuse for a human being!"

"CEO Jung has another brother?" he blurted out.

"Not just a brother. A twin." Tzuyu gasped at the revelation. "Jaewon is Hoseok's fraternal twin brother. He died before he could go to his audition."

"I didn't know CEO Jung had a twin brother..."

"You're aware Hoseok's mom--even if she was a celebrity, is a very private person. The only reason why Hoseok's known in the media world is because he was building connections. Being the eldest he's the one in line to inherit JHS so he needed to be present in the media industry."

So the person who gave the ballet shoes to her was this Jaewon? So he didn't misunderstand when she said that 'he' took videos of her and CEO Jung.

"Lisa grew up really close with her brothers. More with Jaewon since Hoseok was being trained for business. So she's very sensitive about him."

The plagiarism.

"That singer Won-il..." he started. "Did he know Jaewon? How did he manage to get the song?"

"Won-il, Mino, and Jaewon were close friends before," the producer stated. "From what I've heard, after Jaewon untimely death, Mino did not go through with the auditions and instead became an underground rapper. Won-il, on the other hand, used Jaewon's compositions for his own benefit and claimed it as his own."

"So that's why Mino accused him of plagiarism..."

"Yes but technically, it wasn't since Jaewon didn't really debut and his songs weren't published or anything. And he's dead so he can't claim it."

He didn't know what to say. Miss Manoban cared so much about her brother's work. She recognized it the moment she heard the first line. It was tragic but PD Min does have a valid point. Jaewon's dead so, how can a dead man claim rights to a song he made?

But something else is bugging him. There's something PD Min wasn't telling them and he can't quite put his finger on it.

"PD Min," he called the guy's attention. "You said untimely death? Did he... did he have an illness too? Or... an accident?"

Yoongi let out a heavy sigh before looking straight towards him.

"Jaewon died the night Lisa got into an accident."

✨

Lisa stared at the stars as she rested her arms on the terrace's railing while holding her glass of wine. It was all still fresh to her. And hearing her brother's song that was robbed from him the other day... only a bottle of Hoseok's strongest wine can calm her.

She felt a lone teardrop fell on her cheek as she remembered the night she lost her big brother due to that bloody accident.

"Jaewon..."

"Lisa? Lisa! Don't sleep, okay? We'll... be... okay. Just breath..."

"Oppa," she cried as she felt a sharp pain on her leg that was stuck on the damaged front end of the car. "It hurts. It really... hurt... I can't—"

She felt his hand on her cheek. He too was in pain. It was obvious the way he winced as he tried to reach her.

"Focus... focus on my voice okay, Li? Don't give up. Hanbin's gonna come back. He... he'll come... back for us."

Blood oozed from the side of his head as he too tried not to succumb to the dizziness. She, on the other hand, was having trouble breathing. The damage was more on her side which made it harder for her to move.

"I... I can't—"

"Help!" Jaewon screamed as hard as he could. "Help us!"

Her eyelids became heavier and heavier.

"Help us!"

"Oppa..."

"Lis. Please. Don't give up yet. Please—help!"

She heard someone from outside. He couldn't understand what the person was saying. But she was sure of one thing. It wasn't Hanbin. The man's voice was different.

"Please tale her first. Please. Her leg is stuck—"

"It'll be easier if we take you first," the guy said. She recognized the uniform the guy was wearing. He's a paramedic. Did Hanbin call for them? He did. Of course, he would. He wouldn't leave us.

"No! Take her first! Please. Save her!"

"Bu—"

"Oppa..." she felt her eyes slowly shut. Her breathing becoming heavier too. "Jae...won..."

Then all of a sudden, she felt something heavy being lifted from her leg and someone pulling her out of the destroyed side of the car.

"Jaewon..."

She felt her body being carried, so she forced herself to open her eyes.

She clearly saw Jaewon smiled her. She clearly saw how the distance from him grew. She clearly saw how the car exploded.

Droplets of blood trickled from her hand as the wineglass broke from her grip. If Hanbin didn't run away, maybe Jaewon would've survived. If Hanbin didn't abandon them, Jaewon would've been having his own concerts singing his own songs.

But in reality, she wasn't mad at Hanbin. She was mad at herself. She was the one who's supposed to die that night. Not him. Not her brother. Not Jaewon.

"Miss Manoban!"

Slowly, she turned towards the sudden intruder.

Jungkook.

He dropped what seems to be his bag on the floor and some folders. Right. He was supposed to bring her some updates since she didn't go to work today.

Secretary Jeon took his own handkerchief as he rushed to where she was standing. He took the broken glass away from her then wrapped the clean piece of cloth around where it was bleeding.

"What happened? Why are you bleeding? Did you drop the glass and picked it up? Why didn't you just use a broom or something?"

She kept still as she watched him wipe the blood off her hand.

"Secretary Jeon."

"Yes, Miss Manoban?"

His brows were still furrowed when he looked at her worriedly. The way he answered was as if it was an automatic response.

She slipped her hand back from him.

"Please lock the door when you leave," instructed as she walked past him.

"But your wound—"

The slam of the door to her bedroom was her answer.

✨

Jungkook heaved a sigh. He contemplated whether to leave or stay since Miss Manoban clearly didn't look okay. He picked up the broken glass from the floor and tidied up a bit.

"Just when she's starting to open up again, this happens."

He turned to see who just came into the room. CEO Jung, in his casual clothes, sighed. He too did not look well.

"Yoongi said he told you about Jaewon," his former boss said as he sat on the vacant chair a few feet away from him. "As soon as Mino came to me telling me about what Won-il did, I pressed charges. But the lawyers and the court didn't seem to agree with me since there wasn't enough evidence that would support our claims. I just didn't think Lisa would find out about it like this."

So Miss Manoban didn't know. That's why she was so shocked--and furious.

"Ever since the accident, Lisa's been detached from everyone. Mom fell into depression because she had lost not only one child. She lost two. Lisa was still alive, yes, but... she was dead on the inside. She tries to dance again to honor our brother but the trauma of it all's just too much for her to handle. I think she's still blaming herself. Dad's with mom to help her cope with everything that had happened. He occasionally visits me and Lisa but... it's been a while since we had the whole family together."

"She mentioned... Hanbin? Do you know him?"

Hoseok nodded. "He drove the car to the airport. Lisa was so furious that he left them and hated him since then. It wasn't his fault too since it was the truck driver who lost control. But she would always say that he abandoned them. He tried to reach out but... she just wouldn't listen to him."

"Abandoned? How?"

"According to Lisa, when the car flipped over, Hanbin managed to get out and ask for help. But he didn't return," his former boss explained. "At first I thought that the police who found them was because of Hanbin but it wasn't. The police said they were patrolling and happen to hear someone yelling from the car which I think was Jaewon."

"So he really did ran away?" He asked shocked. Who'd do such a thing?

CEO Jung shrugged. "He said he couldn't remember much about that night. That one thing he was running to go find some help and the next he wakes up in a hospital bed with news that Jaewon's dead and Lisa heavily injured."

"Weren't you... mad at him? He..."

"It was an accident, Jungkook. No one wanted it to happen. The driver who drove the car is already behind bars. If I were to be angry at Hanbin, it still won't bring my brother back to life."

He watched as Hoseok break into a sad smile.

"Funny how a single night can change everything."

✨

Taehyung heaved a sigh as he watched Miss Kim dance with her friends like a hawk. She wasn't the type to go out partying but his boss insisted that she had the right since she's brokenhearted and needed to let some steam off.

But the 'letting some steam off' if getting quite out of hand as she started to grind up on some lanky guy who was clearly enjoying it too much. He could see how Miss Kim pushed off his traveling hands off her butt.

That was his cue.

"Come on baby. You know you want to--"

"Clearly she doesn't," he said grabbing his arm and twisting it to the side.

"Aw! That f**king hurts--"

Miss Kim, who could barely even stand up straight, was about to say something but he cut her off. He scooped her up and carried her out of the crowded dancefloor. He carefully laid her on the booth's soft seat as he sighed.

"I hate him," Miss Kim said leaning towards him. She rested her head on to his and started crying. "I'm prettier than her. I have an MBA so I'm smarter. I'm also richer than her. Why does he have to choose her? Why not me? What's wrong so wrong with me? Why can't he love me?"

Taehyung felt her chest tighten watching the most confident woman he knows speak so insecurely like that.

"Miss Kim--"

He was cut off when Miss Kim suddenly leaned in to kiss him. But seeing as she was drunk and currently heartbroken, he didn't want her to think that he was taking advantage of her. He held her by her shoulder and gently pushed her away.

He felt another sting on his chest when he saw shock and sadness cloud her once sparkly eyes. She was rejected. She scoffed then chuckled.

"I guess I'm not as desirable as I thought I was," she said dejectedly. "Who am I kidding? My parents don't even want me. Why would I even think Hoseok would? Even you don't like me--"

He shut the idea of losing his job off and did the unthinkable. Taking advantage be damned.

Secretary Kim just took his boss' first kiss.

✨