𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞

11. Blooming Bitter

"Jason" you whispered the name you were so familiar with, but now you are doubting the real identity of the man sitting in front of him. until twenty-four hours ago, you thought you knew this person like the back of your hand but all it took was just twenty four hours to crumble that thought into fine dust. 

you knew he wasn't joking, you wish the situation was a little lighter so that you could delude yourself into think this was all a prank but you knew this wasn't, the chairman's reaction was enough to prove it. but still, you were foolish enough to have hope. 

"w-what's going on? what is all this?" you blinked at your so-called friend now, half feigning confusion.
 "I don't understand all this, Your name is Jun Woo.... is it not?" uncertainty and desperation clearly evident in your tone only made you look much more pathetic. 

"oh dear! you're trying so hard to convince yourself." Jun Woo leaned forward in his seat and clasped his hands together in amusement. "are you really that dense or you're just acting it? do you need me to spell it out for you?" 

standing up, the taller man walked towards the other man in the room and threw his arm around the shorter man, Chairman Jang Han Seo, making him flinch slightly. 

"this guy right here" Jun Woo patted the chairman's shoulder making the younger tense, "is my younger brother who my father had out of wedlock, when he cheated. Jang Han Seo is nothing more than an illegitimate son of my father's". Jun Woo's grip tightened around Han Seo's shoulder and his teeth gritted in anger, his eyes sending daggers to his younger brother, who tried his best to avoid any eye contact. 

releasing his hand around his brother and shoving his hands into his pockets once again and letting a sigh out, letting go of the anger, he continued. "Anyway! he's just the face of the company." Jun Woo tapped the side of his head "whereas, I'm the brains behind all the things going on with the company, the real owner."

"but why?" you asked "why are you going through all this trouble to hide yourself when you can just become the chairman easily?" 

"just because" Jun Woo shrugged pouting like an innocent child who didn't have much of a reason for his actions before looking into your eyes sternly, "Don't try to dig any deeper, you don't need to worry you little head about it. You only need to do as I tell you to"

you looked away silently in response. how did you get yourself caught up in such a mess?
 if you had to explain your situation then you would say it's a balloon. it had been growing bigger as time passed and was attractive and amazing it was to play with but then came the moment when the big air filled balloon, it's thin skin burst, making a huge sound and impact. it scared you. 

 "So I'm guessing everything until now was fake? you approached me with a motive. I must say, it's very impressive how you've been planning this for a pretty long while"
you said out loud although your voice wavered and eyes were welling up but you held it in, you didn't want to look weak right now, it would only make you look smaller than you already are. 

you were used and made a fool out of, not just for a few days or weeks but years. Years! you were deeply hurt, the only person who you thought to be by your side turned out to be fake and has been using you this entire time. 

it was suffocating, your chest felt heavy and shallow at the same time and it hurt, its hurt so much like your both of your lungs were conjoining into one. 

you turned your head and looked at the other male, the chairman. it was funny and sad at the same time, it was the same person you met but yet the confident man you knew was now standing in front of you so timidly, reminding you of a little mouse caught in a trap. 

locking eyes with him, your lips turned up a tiny bit giving out a sad smile followed by a huff. you could see the mix of emotions in his face - confusion, fear, sadness and anger. it was momentary but you felt sorry for reason you didn't know, maybe it was the way he acted in the presence of his brother or that he's just a mere puppet, you weren't sure but you felt a little connection or bond in that little moment and it felt sad. 

and then you looked straight into Jun Woo's eyes, "is there anything more you're hiding? any other fake identity or name? Did you have fun fooling me around all this time thinking how much of a big idiot I am?"

Jun Woo's eyebrows scrunched a little, half curious and half upset almost being covered by his bangs. 

"You know what? just don't answer it. I don't want to know, no I shouldn't know, for my own sake." you shook your head and turned away ready to leave, "as of today, we're no longer friends."

"Haru." he called out your name and you stopped in your tracks. you hand holding on the door handle. "I warned you, there is no going back now. you're stuck with me unless you want yourself and those you care about to get hurt."

the grip on the door handle tightened as you heard those words, anger filled you and you turned around "go ahead. use me as you've been planning all this time. you won't be the one that will be hurt because of my choice either way, you were the one I cared about the most."

and with those last words you left the room and got into the elevator. once the doors closed, your legs almost gave way, as you leaned on the handle bars fixed onto the metal walls, your hands clutching them firmly as your breathing increased. 

the sense of breathlessness and the dizzy feeling clouded over your mind and you weren't able to think properly, the pain in your chest didn't help any better.

 pulling out your phone you went to the contacts, your finger hovering over Mr. Lee's number until you realized the state you were in and decided against the idea of asking him to pick you up, instead you decided to dry up your tears and fix yourself looking at your reflection on the metallic doors of the elevator and put on a fake smile, trying to look normal and also to distract your mind for a little while. 

pride, that was all that was keeping you from breaking down right now. you were too proud to look helpless when you really were.

that's how you got out of the wretched building, walking through multiple people going on with their duties. 

instead of calling for a taxi or anyone to pick you up, you decided to walk and so you did. walking aimlessly on the bustling streets just looking at things all around you, everything around you looked so dull and blue, everything looked so sad.

you stopped at a particular little café, flowered pots decorating the windows and outside the door. even those pretty blooming flowers were destined to wither away meeting their end. 

feeling the want to watch those flowers for a little longer, you went inside the café and ordered a cup of coffee. sitting down at a window table you drank your warm beverage, you would've loved saying you were enjoying the drink but you couldn't even taste it at the moment. everything was bitter, the beautiful cold but yet sunny day was bitter. 

the sweet coffee in your hands, the blue sky, the multicolored winter petals, the smiling people around you and your present was bitter.

it was bitter enough for you to want to spit it all out but you have to hold it in and act like it was sweet. 

...

[A/N: sorry it's bad and late, my writer's block has been growing more and more by each chapter, each little action I write in one chapter is becoming a hindrance in the next. I'll try my best of course. I won't abandon or go on a 'hiatus' I promise. I will finish writing this fanfic. also sorry for that ending, it's so messy.]