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43. Introductions

They sat as close to one another as possible and he held onto her hand tightly during the whole ride. It seemed as though the closer they got to where they were going, the tighter he squeezed.

"We're almost there." He told her as he pointed to the big house in the distance.

She watched quietly as it grew closer and finally ominously towered over them when they pulled up in front of it. He looked to her and gave a nod, his expression flat and his body tense.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

She nodded in response but couldn't ignore the feeling of dread growing in the pit of her stomach. She still didn't know what there was to be nervous about, but something in the way he held himself told her to expect anything.

"You look beautiful." He smiled then took a deep breath before opening the door.

As they were getting out, the other car with Winwin, Doyoung and Da Reum pulled up behind them. Ten and Jaehyun got out and walked over to meet them, then Taeyong excused himself to follow and they took a minute to talk among themselves. Yuna noticed Da Reum standing idly near them, looking anxious.

"You look so grown up in those clothes." Yuna said to him. He seemed a little dazed.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, you just look handsome. You look a little like dad."

The comment brought him back to his senses.

"I know you're nervous and I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to just shut down everything you said, it's just that Taeyong is important to me too and I hope that you can trust him like I do."

"Yeah...about that, noona..." Da Reum pulled his hand from his pocket and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's time to go." Taeyong appeared. "They're waiting for us." He nodded his head toward a few men standing near the entrance. "You good?" He looked to Da Reum, who hesitantly nodded in response. Taeyong took Yuna's hand and they led the way in with the others following close behind.

For a moment the grandeur of the inside of the house made Yuna feel like she was in a fairytale. Pillars as big as hundred year old trees loomed over them as they entered. The front room was vast and the crystal gleamed from the chandelier high overhead. She had only a short time to take in the elaborate, gold accented decor before they turned and Taeyong led her into another room on their left.

The further she got inside, the more the fairytale guise disappeared. Her eyes followed the decorative crown moulding that traced the outline of the ceiling. It was elaborately carved like dragon scales and had the face of a demon sitting watchful in its center. The blank eyes that overlooked them sent a chill up her spine. She quickly pulled her eyes away and focused them in front of her.

Suddenly she realized they were in the center of a crowd. She was instantly snapped back to reality with the leering, unwelcoming gazes of everyone in the room. They were mostly older men in tacky suits with slicked back hair and heavy gold chains hanging from their necks. Some had women in tight, shiny dresses clinging to their arms or sitting in their laps. The room seemed to go quiet when they entered.

Taeyong felt her tense next to him and squeezed her hand. She looked up at him like a deer in headlights. Whatever suspicions she had about what it would be like were quickly gaining clarity. He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Hang in there." He leaned over to whisper to her. "It will be over soon." His forehead pressed lightly to her temple before he straightened and pulled her further into the room.

Near the corner on the far end of the room the crowd thinned and an old man sat in an ornate leather chair with a few other men scattered around him. He was speaking to someone and his eyes made crinkled, half moon shapes when he laughed. He had a pleasant smile and he seemed warm and inviting compared to everyone else.