Fools & Secrets ✔️

Dieciséis

The Influential Kim's

Chapter 16

March, Twenthy-Six Years Old
Mingyu

A girl in a tailored Chanel tweed jacket stood with her hands on her hips, lips pursed in a pout. "You promised! You promised we'd always stay together!" she whined, her voice laced with the bratty frustration of someone used to getting what they want. Her sharp, cat-like eyes glared up at Mingyu, while she bit her lower lip in a sulking protest.

On the sidelines, Wonwoo silently watched the scene unfold, leaning back in his chair with crossed arms. He had already made his decision: stay quiet and side with the less problematic one—which, in this case, was definitely not the girl in Chanel.

Mingyu, long accustomed to her fiery temperament, could only sigh deeply. "I have to go. I need to go," he said, his tone as dry as the Sahara.

She crossed her arms defiantly, narrowing her eyes. "But you promised," she whispered this time, her voice lowering to a wounded, almost sulky whimper, the kind that would make most men fold in a heartbeat. Her possessiveness over Mingyu was written all over her face, like a brat unwilling to share her favorite toy.

Mingyu rubbed his temple, the memories from six years ago flashing before him, before he mentally shook them away. He turned the shower knob off, the steam from his long bath still lingering in the air, and grabbed a towel to dry off. The message from his dad had been nagging at the back of his mind, those missed calls he'd conveniently ignored gnawing at him. He wrapped the towel around his waist, thoughts spiraling over what his father was doing in Spain of all places. An emergency, they said. More like another attempt to drag him back to the family business. Fat chance.

Still damp, Mingyu opened the bathroom door, steam trailing out into the hallway. Lisa and Eunseo had gone out to buy ice cream and bocadillos for their movie snack, so he expected to find the apartment empty.

Except it wasn't.

As he stepped into the living room, his eyes met a figure lounging on the sofa, legs crossed elegantly, arms folded across her chest, and a smirk playing on her lips. His blood froze, not from fear, but sheer irritation.

"Well, well. Must be something in the Spanish air, because you're looking... very 'testosterone-y,'" she teased, eyes roaming shamelessly over his bare torso.

Mingyu's brow furrowed, though he maintained his composure. "Jeon Jongseo."

She stood up, her smirk widening into a toothy grin. "Oreanmaniya, Mingyu." Her voice dripped with an over-the-top sweetness, as though she was playing at some reunion scene in a drama.

Without another word, Mingyu turned his back and headed to the kitchen, ignoring her presence altogether. The brat wasn't getting any more of his time. He reached for a glass and filled it with cold water, hoping to quench the frustration boiling up inside him.

Jongseo, of course, followed him, her Jimmy Choo high heels clacking loudly against the floor as if she were auditioning for a tap dance routine. "What are you doing here?" Mingyu muttered, still not bothering to look at her.

"I came here to claim what's mine."

Mingyu raised an eyebrow, pausing mid-sip, before glancing at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Jongseo just blinked innocently, as if her next words weren't about to rock his world. "Uncle sent me. After all, you're my fiancé."

The glass slipped from Mingyu's hand, and water splashed everywhere as he coughed violently. "Fiancé?!" He choked out between gasps. Jongseo rushed to pat his back, fussing over him in dramatic concern. "Omo, are you okay?"