Roses and Thorns (Jinlia)

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 | seven

Book 1, Chapter 19
Seven

TWO WEEKS had flown by since their New Year's celebration, and with classes back in session as of last Monday, Jisu got the news that her mom would be coming home the third Tuesday of the month.

On this particular Sunday, Jisu found herself at Shin International University. Ryujin had requested a private meeting, away from any potential eavesdroppers, and had decided the library would be the perfect spot for it.

“Thanks for waiting for me,” Ryujin greeted as soon as she arrived, taking the seat opposite Jisu.

“What's the reason for this meetup?”

“I've been thinking about... going public with my identity.”

“Ah, that's good-- wait, seriously?!”

With a sigh, Ryujin explained, “That's the reason I brought you here.” Leaning forward, she supported her chin with her hand. “I needed to talk it over with you.”

Jisu, clearly concerned, pressed on, “Ryujin, is this really what you want? Don't feel like you have to force yourself if you're not ready.”

Shaking her head and running her fingers through her hair in frustration, Ryujin let out another sigh at Jisu's words.

“I just want things to go back to normal,” she said, trying to justify her decision.

“Ryujin...”

“Let me give you some insight into why things turned out this way, Jisu,” Ryujin whispered, her voice barely audible. “It all traces back to when I was seven years old...”

As a child from a wealthy family, their mansion was always bustling with workers: drivers, gardeners, maids, cooks, and more. But when Ryujin was seven, she made an unusual request to her mother: to dismiss every single worker from their mansion, leaving no one behind. She couldn't stand the sight of them.

“W-Why would you ask for that? At just eleven?” Jisu's voice trembled slightly, anxious about delving into Ryujin's pastㅡthe very thing that shaped her deep hatred to people. Yet, there was a determination in Ryujin's eyes, a desire for Jisu to understand her on a deeper level.

“It all began with my father's death,” Ryujin continued, her voice steady but carrying a weight of pain. Jisu's eyes widened, stunned by the revelation. “Everything changed when my father passed away...” She paused, inhaling deeply to steady herself. “...right before my very eyes.”

Oh shit.

“Listen, you really don't have to go on--”

“Let me carry on, Jisu-yah,” Ryujin said with a gentle smile, trying to alleviate Jisu's worry. “Just... Just hear me out.”

The night enveloped the Shin mansion in a hushed stillness. Save for the vigilant guards, the household staff had retired to their quarters, leaving the estate shrouded in silence.

Yet amidst this calm, the patriarch of the Shin family remained wide awake.

Engrossed in his tasks, Mr. Shin failed to notice an audacious intruder slipping past the stringent security measures of their mansion, undetected by the CCTV monitors in his office. The unexpected breach left him stunnedㅡwho could this trespasser be, and did they have a connection to the Shin family?

“Your hands...” Ryujin's narrative halted when Jisu drew attention to her clenched and trembling fists. “Ryujin, it's okay to pause if revisiting those memories is too painful. I completely understand.”

Jisu's concern deepened upon noticing Ryujin's signs of distress: her jaw was clenched, her fists were tightly balled, and her brows furrowed in a constant frown. Her gaze seemed fixed on a distant point, as if she was visualizing the events she described.

Jisu feared that continuing might unintentionally provoke a distressing reaction from Ryujin.

“It's okay,” Ryujin tried to offer reassurance with a tight smile that barely reached her eyes.

As the unidentified figure breached the sanctum of Mr. Shin's office, the patriarch, engrossed in his paperwork, sensed an unwelcome presence. With a measured motion, he lifted his gaze, fixing it upon the intruder who stood before him. Recognition flickered across Mr. Shin's features, offering a partial explanation for the trespasser's ability to penetrate the formidable security measures guarding their estate.

“He held the position of my father's secretary, bearing the title of his most trusted employee.” Ryujin stated, her voice laced with a hint of bitter sarcasm as she stressed the word 'most'.

The secretary inquired if Mr. Shin considered him a commendable employee, to which he affirmatively responded. Following this affirmation, the secretary broached the subject of a promotion, ambitiously eyeing the leap from secretary to executive vice president within Mr. Shin's enterprises.

This proposition sparked a heated exchange, as Ryujin's father outright rejected his secretary's ambition. He had already earmarked the executive vice president slot for his wife, with the official paperwork already in motion, leaving no room for the secretary's aspirations.

The secretary's demeanor quickly shifted to one of fury, his voice escalating into screams, a stark departure from his usual self.

The commotion roused Mr. Shin's daughter from her slumber. Driven by a mix of curiosity and concern, she slipped away from her mother's side and ventured out of her room, drawn towards the source of the disturbance.

“I followed the commotion, and it led me straight to my father's home office,” she recounted, running her fingers through her hair as she spoke. “The door was ajar, granting me an unobstructed view of the unfolding scene.” Jisu grasped Ryujin's hands tightly, offering her support as she relived the traumatic memory. “I witnessed it all firsthand, Jisu. I saw the secretary's outstretched arms, a gun aimed squarely at my father, my dad pleading with hands raised for the weapon to be lowered.”

“Ryujin, it's okay, you don't have to describe everything so vividly.”

Yet Ryujin seemed to be in a world of her own, pressing on with her story with acute precision. “The commotion must've roused Mom from her sleep. And in the next instant, the man who shot my dad was sprawled on the ground. Behind me stood my mom, gripping a gun, its barrel pointed at the man responsible for my father's death.”