𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥-𝗜𝗡-𝗟𝗔𝗪

part 34 (A ghost of the past)

Chapter 34: A Ghost of the Past

Taehyung stepped off the plane in Seoul, his heart heavy with dread. It had been only a few days since he’d left Russia, but it felt like an eternity. The weight of the world seemed to rest on his shoulders as he made his way through the airport. He had left Jennie behind, the person who mattered the most to him, and now he was back in Korea, forced to confront the life he thought he had left behind.As he rode in the taxi toward Kim Creations, his mind wandered. He couldn’t shake the image of Jennie’s face when he said goodbye—the sadness in her eyes, the strength she’d shown even though he knew how hard it had been for her to let him go. He missed her already, and it hurt more than he could have imagined.

But he had no choice. Jisoo had done something catastrophic, something that threatened to destroy the company they had built together. And as much as he hated the idea of facing her again, he knew he had to fix the mess she had created.When he arrived at the office, the tension was palpable. His staff greeted him with worried looks, and his assistant, Jihoon, quickly briefed him on the situation. Jisoo had made a series of reckless decisions—bad investments, questionable partnerships—that had sent the company into a downward spiral. If he didn’t act fast, Kim Creations could go bankrupt.

Taehyung spent the next few hours in meetings, poring over financial reports and damage control strategies. He had always been good at this—fixing problems, staying calm under pressure—but this time felt different. This time, the stakes were higher, not just for the company, but for him personally.Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he knew what he had to do. The only way to save Kim Creations was to cut ties with the toxic deals Jisoo had made and refocus the company’s efforts on their core strengths. It wouldn’t be easy, and it would take time, but it was the only option.

With the initial crisis managed, there was one last thing left to do—something he had been dreading since the moment he stepped off the plane. He had to face Jisoo.Jihoon had told him that Jisoo had been avoiding the office for days, retreating into isolation as the situation spiraled out of control. Taehyung knew where she would be—their old apartment, the place they had once shared when everything had seemed so simple, so full of promise.

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The familiar sight of Seoul filled Taehyung with a mixture of nostalgia and dread as his plane touched down. He hadn’t expected to return to Korea so soon, not after everything that had happened. But now, here he was, thrust back into the world he had fought so hard to leave behind. As he stepped off the plane and made his way through the bustling airport, his mind was consumed by the chaos at Kim Creations—and by the woman he hadn’t seen in weeks.

Jisoo.

Even thinking her name brought a wave of conflicting emotions crashing over him—anger, guilt, sadness. They had shared so much, built so much together, but now, everything was in ruins. He couldn’t shake the feeling that in some way, this was all his fault. He had left Jisoo behind, abandoned her when she was at her most vulnerable. And now, she was spiraling out of control, taking everything they had built down with her.

The ride to the company headquarters was silent, tension thick in the air. His assistant had briefed him on the situation: Jisoo had made several reckless decisions, mishandling finances and cutting critical partnerships, all in a desperate attempt to keep herself busy, to distract herself from the crumbling pieces of her life. But in doing so, she had nearly destroyed everything they had worked for.

When Taehyung arrived at the office, the atmosphere was tense, the employees visibly on edge. Everyone knew about the mess Jisoo had created, and they were all waiting for him to fix it. He spent hours in meetings, trying to unravel the chaos she had left behind, making phone calls to salvage their relationships with clients, doing everything in his power to keep the company afloat.