From Forced to Something Real

-Chapter 23-

「Yeji's POV」

"Did you finally remembered that you had a house? Where were you."

My heart was pounding and my mind was racing with excuses as I faced my father. Trying to think of an excuse that would be believable enough. I couldn't let him know where I had really been the whole time, Ryujin's place. He never liked Ryujin and forbid me to see her, I thought that it was unfair so I'd always sneak out to see Ryujin.

"Oversea business trip." I replied, my face unreadable.

"Really? Overseas? Well then, why haven't I been informed of that? Did you see your mother on the way back? She was overseas too." My father questioned me, still skeptical.

"No, I didn't see mom. Also, it was some personal matters so you wouldn't have been informed of it either way." I answered with a cold tone.

"Now if you have nothing else left to say, I'll be taking my leave."

I started walking away from my father, wanting to escape from the tension caused by the conversation, no not conversation, questioning. As I walked only a few feet away from my father, he spoke out out.

"Yeji. I know that your lying. I know your keeping something a secret.... It it... That Ryujin girl again?"

I froze. I slowly turned around to face my father again.

"What?"

"Are you seeing that Ryujin girl again?" My father asked, his voice getting louder and harsher as he spoke.

I paused before speaking, "I... I broke up with her months ago already. We're no longer in touch." I felt guilty as I said those words.

My father looked skeptical of my response for a few seconds before signaling someone to come over. The figure slowly made their way here. I recognized the buff figure as Changbin, a bodyguard that has been working for my family since his teenage years.

Changbin raised an eyebrow at me knowingly, as if signaling me to explain myself first before he takes the upper hand. I was confused at first, but then it hit me suddenly. He wanted me to tell the story again so that he would know what's happening and follow along with our play.

"Father, I've told you this before, I have been on an overseas trip due to personal matters. I've already lost touch with Ryujin months ago when you ordered me to break up with her." I said the last line bitterly. Remembering the cruel actions of my father threatening both me and Ryujin to break up.

My father looked over at Changbin with a questioning look, as if asking him to confirm my words. Changbin cleared his throat first before speaking.

"Yes, what she has said is completely true. I've looked into her and noticed that she has gone abroad due to some personal matters that I had yet to discover, and she has indeed lost touch with Ryujin. No interactions were exchanged between the two of them since they've broken up. She has been staying at hotels and spent her days when she came back to Korea by training in her own bases." Changbin summarized, giving my father the false information that he had believed immediately because he trusted Changbin.

"Alright, fine. You two are dismissed." My father said and walked away to his office.

Me and Changbin waited until he has completely left and went into his office. I grabbed Changbin's wrist and pulled him to a room as soon as I saw that my father closed the door to his office. I closed the door of the room that me and Changbin were currently in and then turned around to face Changbin with a questioning look, asking him through my expression what my father had ordered him to do specifically.