REPLICA (BOOK 2)

How We Met

Seonghwa came into the work Monday with an unmistakable glow that could only mean one thing. Of course, Hyunjin and Wooyoung were the first to notice.

"How was it?" The personal assistant immediately asked before his boss could even sit at his desk.

"I'm here!" Hyunjin slammed the door open, out of breath from running. "Too many people in the elevator, I had to take the stairs."

"Both of you are very unprofessional, just saying." Seonghwa smiled.

"Did you fuck the man or not?" Wooyoung demanded an answer.

"He did indeed." He nodded.

"He did?" Hyunjin gasped. "Oh, this is your guy. You need to make sure you don't fuck this up."

"Does he have a nice house?" Wooyoung asked.

"Very nice." Seonghwa replied. "I was a little intimidated."

"This is perfect! This is exactly what you need. Did you make plans?"

"Maybe." He shyly mumbled.

"When?"

"Tonight."

"What are you doing? Is he taking you out on a date?"

"He is."

"We did it!" Hyunjin and Wooyoung hugged each other tightly, feeling a strong sense of pride. "He's rich, smart, and handsome. You're set for life."

"Guys, be quiet." Seonghwa said, answering the incoming intercom call. "Yes?"

"Um, someone sent you flowers." Yeosang replied. Wooyoung and Hyunjin gasped dramatically, still holding each other close. "They're from...Min Yoongi."

"Yeosangie, send them up right now!" Wooyoung shouted, then hung up the phone. "Park Seonghwa, this man is in love!"

"I guess." He shyly replied.

Hyunjin opened the door for Yeosang as he held a large bouquet of assorted flowers. When he placed the vase down on the desk, he noticed a note.

"Here you go." Yeosang said, handing it to his boss.

"Read it out loud." Wooyoung squealed with excitement.

Seonghwa sighed, knowing he didn't have a choice. "Dear Seonghwa, I can't wait to see you tonight. I've been thinking about you and your beautiful smile. From, Min Yoongi."

"You have a new boyfriend? Aw, congratulations." Yeosang smiled sweetly.

"No, no, not my boyfriend." He shook his head.

"Yet." Wooyoung winked.

"Maybe."

"No, this guy is the one."

"I've only seen him once."

"That means nothing to me. San and I knew within ten seconds of seeing each other, which was a complete accident."

"Did you tell Jisung? What does he think?" Hyunjin asked.

"He said that I need to stop being so scared and run into this headfirst." Seonghwa replied.

"Great advice."

The CEO's expression changed, concerning the three men immediately.

"What?" Wooyoung asked, much calmer.

"See, this is the problem." Seonghwa stressed. "The second Hongjoong comes into my head, I just want to be alone."

While Hyunjin and Wooyoung took a seat in the chairs in front of the desk, Yeosang sat on the floor with his only his head in view. All of them were prepared to listen to their boss's feelings.

"Why do you want to be alone?"

"Because no one will ever compare."

"But you don't know that."

Seonghwa wanted to argue, but he knew they were just trying to help. Not to mention, he also knew Wooyoung was right.

"What was it about Hongjoong anyway?" Hyunjin asked, not knowing all the details to this day.

"He was just...perfect. I loved everything about him."

"How'd you meet?"

He smiled, remembering that day well. "He was pretending to be homeless on the street, asking random strangers for money. I stopped in front of him and waved some cash in his face because I just knew he was faking it. Then he stood up, ripped it out of my hand, and said 'I run a business just like you'. I guess I should've known from the start that he was trouble, but that's what attracted me to him in the first place. So every day, I'd walk past him, tease him with money, he'd grab it, and that was the cycle. Then one day, I decided not to give him any money and just walked past him instead. Of course, he immediately asked why. I told him that I'd like to use that money to take him out on a date instead. And it was the greatest night of my entire life. I thought I found my soulmate. Then I told my parents I wanted to marry him, and Hongjoong agreed. But once he realized money wasn't involved, and that I actually loved him, he stopped pretending. But I kept trying. Crazy where that got me."

"Seonghwa, that's awful." Wooyoung frowned, feeling his heart break for the man.

"I thought that if I introduced him to the Underground, he'd finally love me. He'd see that I had more than just money. I was a leading member of almost every fucked up crime in the city. Being the CEO of Park Investments wasn't enough for him. He never thought I was very smart or dominant. But when he met Minho, it was over."

"Meaning, they fell in love?"

"Minho didn't give a shit. He just wanted someone as strong as him to work alongside and he knew that wasn't me. But Hongjoong, I could tell he was obsessed with the torture, the killing, the drugs, the chaos. All of that was Minho's jurisdiction, not mine. All I did was fund everything. But I've always wondered if things would've been different if I just gave him what he wanted. Maybe he could've faked being happy. I think I would've been okay with that."

"I need a visual. I genuinely can't imagine you two being together, I'm sorry. Do you have any pictures?" Hyunjin asked. Seonghwa sadly smiled, pulling up his favorite on his desktop and showing the three.

"Oh my god." Wooyoung continued to frown. "You looked so happy."

"So did he." Hyunjin added, now understanding completely.

"Because I was." Seonghwa shrugged, then started to smile. "Give me a second." He left the room and went into the bathroom alone, not expecting to get emotional. He took several deep breaths, wiping his eyes before any tears could fall. "You know, when I say I need a second, that means I want to be alone."

"I don't care." Wooyoung said, then stayed with him. "Do you want a hug?"

"Kinda." He mumbled.

"Come here."

"This is very weird." Seonghwa sniffled, hugging his assistant.

"Is it helping?"

"I think the awkwardness is overshadowing so I guess so."

"What's on your mind?" Wooyoung knew that they had a closer bond. The CEO wouldn't say the same things in front of Hyunjin and Yeosang.

"I miss him."

"I know."

"I get it, I have to move on. But I feel like everyone is forgetting that it's so much more than heartbreak. I've never killed anyone, and the one person I do, it's him. I have to live with that forever. The guilt and disgust of being a god damn murderer, along with the fact that I still loved him even until that very moment."

"I know, I'm sorry." Wooyoung realized he hadn't been taking that into account either. He was so determined to find someone for Seonghwa that he completely skimmed over that major detail. "But just try it with Yoongi, okay? If it doesn't go well, we'll never bother you with this again."

"Okay." Seonghwa nodded, pulling himself together. "Don't tell anyone I cried or else you're fired."

"Uh huh." Wooyoung smiled. "Good luck finding a better assistant."

"Yeach, I don't think I could."

"That's what I thought."