You & Me [KARD FF] ✔

Chapter Sixteen

When Matthew entered - or more precisely raced in - the apartment was empty. The furniture was flipped over and all doors wide open. He knew they were already here, maybe even before he received the call. That's just the way their boss is.

The worst mess was left in his workroom; although he's locked those door months ago, intruders obviously didn't mind removing them from the door frame in order to see what's inside. All drawers were pulled out and papers were thrown around. What pissed him off the most was broken mixer on the desk. Matthew noticed a small note on the old sofa in the corner of the room.

be careful in the future. you never know who's watching...

It was written in small letters, probably with a black marker. He placed the note in jean's pocket as rage went through his entire body in waves. What was this supposed to mean? And more important, did they see the girl?

Soft knocking made him jump a little. He turned around and found Somin on the doorway, staring at him worriedly. That sight made him unbelievably happy that he couldn't help hugging her.

"What happened?", she asks, her question being muffled by his tight embrace. Being practically glued to his chest, Somin noticed his breaths were short and his heartbeat was faster than usual. Did he run?

"They were here", he didn't have to say anything else for Somin to realize what's he talking about. "I was so worried about the fact that they could've found you."

The girl below him sighed. It's been barely a month and she was already tired of hiding and flinching on every suspicious step, thinking someone's after them. They didn't even know she's back, for Heaven's sake! But Matthew's been so overprotective in the past few weeks and gave her more attention than she hoped for. She didn't want to ruin a comfortable atmosphere, even if it means lying and playing along in his dirty plans.

"Made any progress?", he asks, resting his chin on top of her head and breathing in fresh jasmine shampoo in her hair. It calmed him down in a way. Somin's reply was indefinite.

"Yes and no. He's resting in the VIP section, but they're letting him out in two days. He has something called cibophobia. I searched it up, it's fear of food."

Matthew frowned. "Isn't that, like, a preschoolers thing?"

The girl shakes her head. "That's food aversion. Cibophobia is developed after a traumatic experience with food, like poisoning or..."

He gave her a sign to stop as he realized something. Fearing food after being nearly being killed by poisoning sounded like a typical reaction.

"I think he just helped us big time."

Lower Manhattan Hospital

Jiwoo couldn't believe the words she's hearing. She tried to tell herself it's because he's drugged with sedatives and doesn't know what he's saying. Opposite her husband looked conscious and stable.

"Trust me, this is the least painful solution I could come up with."

It wasn't painful to him, who didn't crave love and second chance. It was clear he wanted her out of his way, and it hurt to admit she was the one to blame.

"I need some time for myself, and that counts for you too. I can't live day by day laying next to a woman I almost got murdered by, closing my eyes fearing she might put a pillow over my face or cut my throat in half."

Taehyung's plan - or rather an order - was for the two of them to spend some time apart. He would go back to Seoul and Jiwoo would stay in New York to prepare for college.

"But maybe if we stayed here together, you will be able to finish that meeting with investors. I don't want anything bad happening like yesterday. You're abandoning your own rules!"

He shot her a death stare. "Why, Jiwoo? Why do you care so much about whether we're apart or together? Since when did my opinion mean anything to you?"

Since I realized we are meant to be together...

She never dared to say it out loud though, knowing all she would get in return would be a sarcastic comment. He doesn't trust her any longer, and she doubted he ever will.

"I see how it is", she finally speaks, calm as ever. "Don't worry, I won't beg for anything. I have too much pride that I can't throw under the carpet just because of someone who hasn't done a single thing in life without the help of their parents. I'll see how you're behaving in a month or two, Kim Taehyung."

Taehyung had his eyes fixed on wooden doors for a while after Jiwoo left. There was uncomfortable silence in the room, but his thoughts were far louder, debating whether or not it was smart to let her go so quickly. He expected her to cry, to start apologizing for her wrongdoings, to promise to be a good wife and daughter in future while tears stream down her cheeks. Perhaps then he would've forgiven her, or just let her go with him.

But it looked like she too was tired of always going by other peoples' will. This might as well could've been the last time they spoke.

Talking about the pride you don't even have, he thinks to himself salty.

"You can come out now!", he then shouts, remembering something important.

The door in the corner of the room that led to the personal bathroom swung open and Detective Park comes out.

"You know what to do, don't you?", Taehyung asks, not even bothering to look at his guest.

"What do I get from obeying your orders...?", he couldn't help asking, wondering if the decision he made was rightful.

"You love justice, don't you, Detective? Well, now you can find it and finally be awarded", a man lying in bed says. "Think about how much that would mean to your daughter."

Park Min Ho remembers his daughter's faint smile she gave him before his flight departed earlier that week.

"Don't disappoint me...", she demanded, wrapping her arms around his neck.

QOTD: Into You VS Push & Pull