𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 || 𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐮

46 NEED TO KNOW

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C H A P T E R      F O U R T Y - S I X
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»The heart of man is very much like the sea,
it has its storms, it has its tides,
and in its depths it has its pearls too.«
— Vincent van Gogh

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In the evening, it seemed as if I had the whole place to myself. Thus I thought I might as well have some fun with it. That's why I wrapped myself in a cozy blanket and decided to watch my favorite drama downstairs in the foyer where a 65" 4K TV was waiting for my date with Korea's most handsome actor. There was no tv in the room I stayed, so chilling in the headquarters', so to say, entry hall was better than nothing

Thirty minutes in, I perked up in surprise when I heard a car in the driveway. A huge disadvantage of chilling out in the foyer: you could hear every step someone took outside. The massive metal entrance door and the high-security password didn't help either, because the noise of a car couldn't be muffled. I neatly wrapped myself out of the cozy blanket and padded down the hallway, looking at the small display which was connected to the security camera next to the door showing the parking lot. At first, I assumed that Mark or Jungwoo had returned, but when I saw Taeyong's white Mustang in the driveway, I instantly felt tremendous pressure on my chest.

Of course he drives the old Mustang.
Mark wrecked his Lambo, remember?

There were far too many memories associated with this car. Memories I didn't need to be reminded of. When Taeyong opened the driver's door, the light in his car automatically went on and I saw... Nalin.

My eyes widened and I clutched my neck, trying to loosen the invincible fingers that had grabbed me there.

So, he had really been out with her. Of course, I could care less, but why did he bring her to the HQ. Our safe place and home.

I stumbled back when he slammed his door shut. With my heart pounding, I dashed back to the couch and took the remote control in my hand on an impulse, trying to prepare myself for the moment of the two coming through the door.

It all happened so quickly, the mental hiccups gave way to anger and I needed an effort to keep my hands from trembling. I didn't know why or where all this anger was coming from, but it was just there.

When I saw Taeyong entering the headquarters, my eyes searched for Nalin, but in vain. I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Finally sober again?" I heard him say. The usual sarcastic undertone could not be heard, instead it had something hard, slightly aggressive about it, which left me puzzled for a brief moment.

I didn't reply, although I would have liked to tell him my opinion. Honestly, I had no idea why all these feelings were boiling up inside me, but they were unstoppable.

"At least you look well rested," he added.

I would have liked to throw a few things at his head and knock him out; also, the question of why was burning so hot on my tongue. Why did he kiss me?

Still... I didn't want him to think I was reading way too much into it – after all, there was a very good chance he'd done it for the sole reason to humiliate me and make me angry.

"Will you step out of the picture, please? I'm watching this drama."

I could feel him looking at me appraisingly.