the calm before the storm.

ethereal. the single word seemed to resonate inside his mind as he fondly observed the way the angel breathe in her sleep. unable to contain the urge to tuck a strand of her hazel locks, jeongguk's heart was filled with insurmountable warmth that he had been dying to feel for so long. i'd been such a fool to hurt you. i'd been such an asshole to you, what have i been doing? what right did i have to hurt you when all you've done is extend your love, support and dedication without fail? i want you, i want to make all the pain go away.

doe eyes widening, jeongguk felt himself holding his breath as jiho stirred . . . but only relief seems to radiate in his heart as the woman inched closer to his skin as she tightly clutched the fabric that rest on his chest. fondness spreading in his heart, he hummed a lullaby to lull the sleeping angel to a long awaited rest. i'm going to be better for you.

00.00 it had been a few hours ever since jiho had left her heart bare for jeongguk to care for. after throwing a series of harmless punches on his chest when he embraced the woman, jiho had felt exhausted in crying and she couldn't deny the warmth and security of the body that held her, thus, she had fell asleep on jeongguk's cradle sooner than expected.

i love you, jiho and this time i'll make sure to treasure you like the gem that you are.

an impending storm was set to fall and wreak havoc.

bright moon illuminating the dark sky, no stars seemed to paint the large body of heaven as the clouds hid the twinkling beautiful celestial beings. it was a premonition of what was there to come and what was there to destroy.

trembling lips as her glossy eyes cupped her cheeks, the woman who was still clad in her work attire was patiently waiting for the most important person she had been dying to meet for a week's time. fixing her brown locks as she tried to regain composure, she couldn't contain the excitement, anxiety and mixed feelings that seem to bubble up in the pits of her stomach. the brunette had been so eager to meet the person that she's been keen on having an appointment even going into lengths for using her father's connections just as so she could get what she wanted.

"ji" anger boiling in the deep corners of her heart as the voice echoed in her ears, the way that endearment slipped in the tips of jeongguk's lips in the previous events of her day made her skin itch with the urge to pluck every strand on jiho's head. gritting her teeth in annoyance, her palm formed into fists as she couldn't help but want to throw her high-heeled stiletto to the nearest glass in front of her in the extravagant hotel, fortunately she was able to hold it in.

jeongguk is mine, nothing's going to stop me from having what' supposed to be mine.

the first time lilia met jeongguk , the woman was clearly smitten for the man. the first time she had realized that she would be working as a secretary of jeon jeongguk, she couldn't believe what her eyes had miraculously fallen upon. like a dumbstruck teenager, she had been head over heels for the said man on the spot. soft spoken, gentleman and let us not talk about his looks that could both kill and definitely is a head-turner, lilia was immediately caught under the spell named jeon jeongguk.

like a moth flying near a flame, lilia never hid her interest to the man. even if lilia knew that the young man had a wife and son, nothing could stop her drives to entrap the man into her risky web. at first, jeongguk was oblivious to her actions, the first time she had tried to flirt with the man it had not been so successful. lilia thought jeongguk was as cold as ice, although as she spent more and more time with jeongguk, she came to realize how the said man's wife hasn't been tending to him, hence she viewed the chance as her cue to lure the man into her trap.

after one night of soju and alcohol, everything started to change. one day she had just woken up to a very naked jeongguk lying beside her. what was supposed to be a one-time thing happened twice, thrice until it has been so many to count and long before she could notice it, two years has passed ever since she became the dirty little secret of jeon jeongguk. to say that she was exhilarated was an understatement, lilia had the man wrapped under the tips of her fingers and she was just a few days away before finally having the man all to herself.

but, everything just started to crumble ever since the fourteen days arrangement started.

to say that lilia was impatient was an understatement, she was a brat that wouldn't let anyone tell her to wait. she didn't want to wait, she didn't want to share and most of all when lilia wants something – she always gets it.

"miss yoon lilia?" a soft voice snapping her bubble of thoughts as it pulled her from a trance, her eyes was met with a sophisticated and high class woman in her late forties. eyes widening she had pulled herself to bow a full 90 as she offered the other to seat across of her.

"thank you so much for sparing some of your precious time with me, mrs. ayame min- jeon would you like us to order first before i tell you my purpose of this meeting?" she had politely asked, wanting to make a good impression to the other. if she fucks this up, then her hard-work of using her connections would be put to waste. she must impress the woman infront of her in order for her motives to be fulfilled tonight.

shaking her head as she declines, lilia's guest wasn't much of a talker, "no, i came here with only the purpose of knowing the information you know about my son and daughter-in-law's relationship. i have no intention to make friends with you. i only agreed on meeting up with you outside my office since you were my son's secretary."

lips puckering into a thin line and nodding her head briefly, the woman knew that she was won now. smile gracing her lips as she subtly tuck a hair strand behind her ear, lilia couldn't help but let her pearly white teeth show as she knew the odds was in her favor. "well then missus, let me get straight to the point" lilia muttered, fishing the key item, she had grabbed the envelope she had meticulously worked with as she placed it on the expensive table.

"what is the meaning of this?" the older inquired. lilia smiled, urging the other to open the envelope as she herself, brought her palms close together in a business like pose while sitting up straight in her chair.

shock, anger and most of all disgust – the three different expressions that painted the woman's features made lilia's insides tingle with happiness. the pretentious woman had internally smirked, knowing full well that she had her lover's mother in the tips of her fingers. observant eyes trailing on the actions of the older woman, lilia saw the way mrs. ayame shakily placed the pictures inside the short brown envelope on the table. "i'm all ears, miss yoon"

now this is what i wanted to hear. "your daughter-in-law has been cheating on your son, jeon jeongguk-shi, mrs. jeon"

now the tables have been turned, goodbye jiho.

─────── ❄ ⋅☆⋅ ❄ ───────

eyes on the bright moon and a glass of wine in his trembling hands, if there was one thing that kim taehyung had grown accustomed in living alone for almost a decade, it was loneliness.

living alone for almost a decade in his large penthouse, he had grown accustomed to the way how the house was too big for one guy like him, how spacious and how it makes him feel even smaller when he comes back from work with no one to welcome him and cheer for him for the day's hard work. it was tiring and sad, he had been alone for so long and thoughts of starting a family couldn't help but bug his mind.

family? coming from an orphanage, taehyung never had the chance to know who his real parents were. growing up, the nuns and priest at the orphanage were the only persons he could call as guardians, as much as little taehyung yearned for having someone to call as his papa and mama, nobody seemed to like to adopt him.

he's too hyper. are you sure he's fit to be adopted? he's too clingy. whenever couples visited the orphanage to find a child to adopt, taehyung would always receive the cold shoulder. little taehyung had always hoped and wished for a family but, it never came. as days and years comes to pass by, the shimmer and glint that used to paint in his eyes when couples visit eventually turned lifeless. the friends he managed to make had all been adopted leaving him at his own.

not wanting to burden the orphanage any further, at his sixteenth birthday, taehyung decided to move out. teenage taehyung strived to come from nothing to something, he overworked himself just to reach what he is right now. occasionally, he had girlfriends but none of them seemed to want taehyung like the way he did and eventually he just stopped reaching out, closing his heart to protect it from being hurt like it always had been.

until, she came.

wide cat-eyes like, beautiful cheeky smiles and warmth. when she came, light started to enter his walled heart. unlike other women who immediately spread their legs wide just for his money, this woman was different. she showed her complete kindness and care, patient with his mood swings and supportive with his decisions. she was a breath of fresh air and before noticing it, taehyung fell . . . deeply, completely and madly in love.

the only catch is she was married.

taehyung, knowing full well that he had no chance to win had decided to admire from the shadows. he had been contended to gaze longingly from afar, not wanting to lose what they had, if he ever decided to make a move. it's better to keep silent than to speak and risk of losing her. he had been fine with being silent and alone in this unrequited love . . until, he saw her break walls and shed tears – that just had to do it.

sighing and clutching the transparent glass in his hand, he made himself comfortable on the wooden stool away from the noise of the bustling crowd. taehyung decided to take some time at a fancy bar to let loose and here he was, drinking his second bottle of whiskey.

"jeongguk—the company calle—" she stood, listening for a while before she suddenly returned the phone to mimi and scurried off to the other company. everything didn't matter to her, she didn't even heard me calling out to her name. once jeongguk's name is uttered, everything just comes tumbling down.

"why am i . . . like this?" shaky hands letting out a strangled huff, he had tried to tame the way his heart twisted into knots as it made his vision blur with the tears chocking him.

what's the use of loving someone who doesn't love you the way you do? bringing his knees close to his chest, taehyung held himself as if trying to block out the world that seemed so cruel. crying his heart out to his content, he couldn't stop the dam from falling. all i've ever wanted was someone to reciprocate the feelings i've always given them.

why do you still seek out and care for him after everything he had done to hurt you? why? why . . . jiho? with just one call you're running for him as if he was dying. what about me? what about my feelings for you? i treat you far better than him. if you were mine, i'd never let anything hurt you. i'd never let your beautiful heart feel as if it is getting stabbed with hundreds and thousands of knives leaving it to smithereens.

i love you, can't you see that . . . kim jiho?

why am i still holding on? why do i always love the people who won't ever be mine? if there was one thing that taehyung learned with himself – once his walls were broken down by a person, he'd come to love the ugly and pretty sides of that person. taehyung was the type to easily love.

i'm such a fool, i never had the chance. it was a foolish thought to wish that i'd ever have the chance to you, kim jiho.

"what a coincidence meeting you here"

a sultry yet annoying voice echoing in his ears, he didn't think his night could get any worse than this. "what the fuck do you want?" wiping the tear stains, the sorrow that used to linger in his heart was replaced with anger.

"oh dear, don't bark at me. i came here in peace for i have a proposition to make" the other inquired letting herself seat across the chair taehyung had taken.

"i'm not interested so fucking get that cranky, disgusting ass of yours out of my sight, lilia-leech" he mocked, clearly pissed of the other's presence yet despite his evident disgust, the other didn't bother listening. "you want jiho and i want jeongguk, what do you say in working together to split them up?"

really now? taehyung mentally cursed, just what do you think i am? how low can this woman get? "we both have the same goal so better—"

"fuck you" he didn't want to hear it.

standing up to tower and let his anger show in full force, "even if i badly want jiho to be mine. i won't ever stoop down to your level. i'm not a slut like you, i'm not scheming things to hurt other people just to have my own happiness. fuck you and your crooked thinking, you're the worst." a dry chuckle erupting on taehyung's lips echoed in the vicinity "i know now why jeongguk even loved someone worst like you . . . the both of you have similar hearts – black and wicked"

─────── ❄ ⋅☆⋅ ❄ ───────

tbh, idk but i felt bad, conflicted and disgusted when i wrote this chapter. i couldn't help but imagine how painful it must've felt for the women who've been cheated on. i couldn't help myself but feel bad, i know that this is supposed to be just a story but . . . i don't know, maybe i'm just being a little sensitive. i'm really sorry for this sad chapter :(

remember, my lovely reader, never ever take yourself for granted. if you're already hurting, holding on to the person hurting you won't ever be worth it. you are worth it and you are important, i love you all and merry christmas!