TWENTY EIGHT | Love me like you do| KIM TAEHYUNG

There was no point stating the obvious that I felt pain, freezing my bones as if I was lying on a skating rink all night. The contrasting warmth of the sunlight shimmered through the curtains and fell on the wooden floor like the dust of sparkles. But for me there wasn't a big difference between a day and a night, barring Jin who took a leave from his drama school to entertain me during the daytime.

After staying for two consecutive days at Jin's place, I was back at the mansion.

Choi Haneul, the name was enough to make any boy fall in love with me. The kind of attention I harbored wherever I went was phenomenal. But today, I felt close to losing that bubbly Hanuel, therefore, I stood at the patio with a fallen face.

I lifted my feet to proceed ahead and balanced on one foot as my mind and heart sent me mixed signals. I didn't want to return and see the happy faces because in return they would expect me to smile, hug and laugh. And I had no spare energy to comply with the tradition.

A voice ringed in my ear at a distance.

I snapped my head and glanced at  Molan dashing toward me in her high heels awkwardly. Her extremely enthusiastic hug crushed my bones completely. "I'm glad. You are fine Hanuel."

Uncle Mojo waddled, hands at the back, and a silent smile flaunting his arrogant aura. "I know she would be fine even if we leave her in hell."

I cracked a small smile but that was a genuine one. Seeing my family after the circumstantial crisis was great.

"Anyways, Hanuel. I have good news for you." She didn't have to say this, as her eyes were advertising her happiness. "I've shared this with Uncle Mojo earlier, and he's given his consent."

"Oh, that's good. But, what's the news?" Thankfully, I started to feel a little better after hearing this. Now, I had a strong reason to feel light since it was Molan smiling openly, a surreal smile. It was easier than I thought to get into the groove.

"Actually, I have met someone. He's a man close to my Mr. Perfect. Even you would be surprised to know about him. He's always been with me, and with us." Her beautiful yet nervous smile extended to the widest length.

I switched my gaze to Uncle Mojo, my forehead crunched and I nonchalantly uttered, "Are you talking about Kim Ju-"

"It's Kim Taehyung. Yes, you are right," she cut me short, and turned around with a steady head, bewitched by the young man's rustic charm. "I don't know what spell he has cast on me. That I can't control my emotions when I take his name, Taehyung. Yes, I'm in love with him. Hanuel, your sister is love!" She cupped my face and questioned with a frown, "Aren't you happy? After all, this is what you wanted? This is what everyone wanted."

Truth to be told, I didn't think about the promise I made to Jin about giving Molan's hand in his, but I felt like shit as I felt a knife plunged at my heart mercilessly. Multiple times.
"You mean to say that c-chauffeur . . . Kim Taehyung." I turned to face Uncle Mojo, my jaw tightened as I whispered, "You allowed?"

The elder fluttered his eyes helplessly at the sight of self-consumed Molan. "I have to Hanuel. I think that's the decision permitted by God. Look, we have tried to work things out in the weirdest possible ways, but nothing has happened so far. We hadn't had success with a single man out of six. On the positive note, you must be tired of running from post to pillar searching for a well-endowed groom? Now it's time for you to relax. And as per the promise made, tell me what's your wish? I shall fulfill it since you imparted your valuable time and mind in my plan."

I only blinked as a means to express my disbelief and found great difficulty in saying a word. If things hadn't ended in such a direction, I would've told him about Taehyung.

Molan took me by surprise, as she side hugged me. "Ah, Hanuel. I need your help."

"But why? I guess you are way better than me in everything from dressing up according to the occasion to doing the appt makeup," my tone was full of low-dull roars.

She shook her head, making a pout. "You seem to be living in a wrong world. Firstly, I wouldn't count on you for such trivial things that I can do with the back of my hand. Instead, today I want you to accompany me to my dinner date with Tae. I wish to take Somi along too."

"But, Molan I'm not feeling well," I protested submissively.

"Not right now; it's at night. You can take rest for the time being." Molan widened her eyes and clutched my arms tightly. "I gotta go to the office. Be ready for tonight's dinner."

"But."

"I don't want to hear that. Okay bye."

She was gone.

***

It was my unlucky fate that drenched me in the embarrassment of having to face him. But he wasn't perfectly right in his place; he should be guilty in the first place after what he had done to me. So we were equal. But I supposed, he was more ethically wrong.

Molan togged a brown cocktail dress with black stockings. Simple gold earrings. Her silky hair embraced the vertical portion of her shoulder to the abdomen. Somi's sleepy head rested on my lap as we sat at the back seat of the car. Her biggie pink ear shone as the hue of street light stroke against it after darkness seeping after every two seconds.

We are going to meet your new Dad, I asserted mentally.

The car pulled up in a driveway of a large bungalow. My eyebrows bunched up as I took a quick gander at the seemingly expensive architecture. Molan cooed Somi's name and the sleepyhead got up. "We have arrived love."

I poked a finger gingerly aloft. "Molan, why are we here?"

"Hanuel. It's Taehyung's home."

My breathing halted. "You knew he was rich?"

"Yes."

You never cared to tell me that? Are you kidding me? stayed inside my mouth like a coward mule. I felt a rain of tight slaps on my face for being treated like an outcast.

Molan marched ahead while her complete attention was directed at Somi, my speed slowed down and I started to feel nauseous. We passed through a wooden door, I easily located the brewpub in his courtyard and a few servants moving about with food trays.

We were greeted by Taehyung's parents and then siblings. They all welcomed us with warm smiles. I suspected a weird thing about the kind of glances the siblings exchanged while looking at me as if I was a laughing stock. But their behavior erratically changed when they looked at Molan.

I sat on the corner most seat, far away from the beautiful light chandelier dangling in the center, where there were no lights. No attention. I hoped that I could vanish from there like a mirage before he came.

Suddenly everyone stopped talking and cheered the presence of  Taehyung as made his way speedily through the wooden staircase and plopped next to his Dad. By taking the advantage of his late entry, I got a few seconds in hand to notice his red nose and wet hair locks. Speaking of his dress code, a black shirt and dark blue jeans did a white injustice to his fashion king image.

Next, I evaluated how Molan shyly beamed at him.

And my eyes fleetingly fixed at him. In the meanwhile, I took a flute of wine in my hand. He startled me when I happened to meet his static eyes. Boom. The liquid collected itself in a small pond on my dress ─ a boring navy blue tunic.

I got up as his sister shouted, "Ouch, you should have been careful."

Taehyung responded quickly, "Come I'll show you the restroom."

I cocked an eyebrow, initially. But gave in.

Away from the reach of Molan and Somi, I followed him to the grand hall. I purposely didn't compliment the explicit interior designs that accompanied me along. We stopped before a gliding glass door, on the first floor, and it opened to a vast bedroom. After entering inside, I halted midway at his words, "When were you planning to meet me?"

My fingers curled in a fist. "Molan forced me to come here."

"That's not the answer to my question," his voice had a twang of rebellion. He neared me. And in that silent ambiance, I could hear his heavy breathes quite nicely.

"Would you spare me some time to come clear in front of you?"

"No," my snappy turned him off I supposed. Minutes later, when I joined the devil-may-care people discussing the wealth operations over a glass of champagne, I heard something bad. Really bad.

Taehyung's Dad raised a toast announcing Molan and his son's engagement that was tomorrow.

A/n

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