Hidden Secrets

Phase 9

Taeyong's POV

After Ten checked up on Mark, I decided to finally talk with Jae-hwa. I knew she would feel uncomfortable with my presence so I slowly knocked on her door and heard her soft voice. The door slowly creaked open. As she stood in front of me, I saw the once innocent girl who wanted to be free.

"Hey Taeyong?" I could hear the confusion in her voice. She wanted a reply on what I was doing here. 

"Jae-hwa, can I speak to you?" I saw that she nodded her head in response as she gestured me to come in.

As soon as I walked in, awkward silence filled the room. I walked over to a chair near her bed as she sat comfortably on her queen-sized bed.

"So...what did you want to talk about?" She said, probably wanting to avoid the silence.

"It's about you," I bluntly stated, staring into her doe eyes. "And your position in this mafia."

"What do you mean? I'm just Mr. Lee's secre-"

"You need to leave our group Ms. Park." Maybe it was my brotherly instinct, but I needed to protect her. I promised my parents to protect her, but when I saw that she got shot, I knew I failed. Seeing her again, I thought of it as a second chance to protect her. I was determined to not fail this time.

"What do you mean I NEED to leave?" Her tone was straightforward. This was going to be difficult.

"Joining a mafia group isn't a joke. It's dangerous and we are not putting an innocent person like you at risk." I heard her scoff as she rolled her eyes.

"It was my choice to join." Hearing her answer, I knew that she was a whole different person. She was strong and confident. Wow, she really grew up and I'm proud, but her stubbornness was getting in the way of me protecting her.

"Why would you want to join us?" I asked wanting to know the reason.

Y/N's POV

Once he asked me that question, I thought about what Johnny asked me earlier. I knew my answer couldn't be blunt this time if I wanted to stay in this gang.

"He needed a secretary" I heard a small laugh leave his mouth. I raised my brow at his action.

"We'll just find him a new one, but you need to leave."

"You are not the boss of me. If Mark wants me to leave then I want to hear it from him personally." I replied. "Plus, why would you care about me being in danger. You don't know me and you don't know what I am capable of."

"Because Mark can't focus if you're here" That's when I let a little chuckle escape my mouth.

"That's his problem. He's a leader. Not to mention a MAFIA leader. He needs to know how to control himself around certain people." Taeyong stood up from the chair before speaking.

"I'm giving you three days to make your final decision. Trust me when I say you should leave. I'm trying to help you." I thought about it for a second, but I was stubborn and this was a mission I could not fail.

"Well I don't need three days." I took a breath. "I'm staying in this mafia whether you like it or not. I got this job and I'm not giving up. That's not how I work, so deal with it."

"How did you even get this job quickly? I don't remember any interviews or profiles. Who are you really?" He questioned me. This was when I knew KTA's training had come in handy.

"Fine, you want to know who I am. My name is Park Jae-hwa, I'm 24 years old and was born in Busan. I was an only child, but unfortunately was abandoned by my family. I had to learn how to take care of myself. Joining a mafia group is not as bad as being alone in this world." I sighed. "As for the job, Mark's last secretary was a close friend of mine and she told me about this job. Being his secretary, she added my name into your database to replace her name and moved away. So, there you go. You got your answer Taeyong. Also, if you really had the slightest idea of me being part of KTA, then you are wrong. Are you happy now? You got what you wanted." 

Everything I just said was all the background information KTA gave to me before this mission. Every thorough detail KTA gave me, I had to memorize. I just added more details to make it more "dramatic." And about his last secretary, I had absolutely no idea what happened to her. All I know is that KTA is "handling" her.

I looked up at Taeyong, but instead of a smile or a smirk, I saw disappointment in his eyes. It was as if he didn't expect my answer. He wanted a totally different answer. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you and you're right, I'm not your boss." He scratched the back of his neck. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow." He started walking towards the door. "Get some rest and sleep well." He left me alone in my thoughts. I was frustrated by his action of telling me what to do, but I needed to push that aside. I had more important things to focus on.

I texted KTA about what had happened. It hasn't even been a full 24 hours and I just feel lost. I was so in my thoughts, I drifted off to sleep forgetting about all the stress.