Chapter 200 - Silent Treatment

KJ was at the gym. Mirae's words were ringing in his ears. His mother...a member of the Cartel? He increased the pace of his weight lifts as he remembered their theories. He did not know his mother well but she was not a bad person. He refused to believe it. 

His muscles ached but he kept on pulling the weights vigorously. His anger knew no boundaries. His mother was a simple nanny. So what if some years of her lives are missing? She lived so long ago and some information may get lost with time. Goo Soo Bin was lying.

He dropped the weights in frustration. Tears formed in his eyes. What if they were right? What if she was a member of the Cartel? Did that mean...did that mean she had condemned her own son to a lifetime of misery? Was it because of her that he had to look out for his life every single day? Did his father die because of her?

"No…" he said. "NO!"

He refused to believe it. If that was the case, then why didn't Ms. Sohee mention it? Or why didn't his grandfather tell him anything?

Unfortunately, he had no idea where to get answers from. Goo Soo Bin was missing and anyone connected to his past was dead. The Cartel made sure of that. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Mirae. He ignored it. At that moment, he wanted to be left alone. He disconnected the call and switched off the phone.

Mirae was taken aback. KJ never ignored her calls before. She was extremely worried about him. He left the house that morning and it was almost 10 PM. He still had not returned. She dialed Dasom's number.

"Hello, sister-in-law!" Dasom greeted.

"Hi, Dasom," Mirae greeted back. "Is KJ with you?"

"KJ? No. I haven't met him today. Did something happen?"

"No…" Mirae replied. "He's probably at the studio then…"

She was now really worried. With the Cartel's threats and his outburst that morning, she felt tensed. What if something had happened to him?

She paced back and forth in her room, glancing at the clock every now and then. The clock struck 3 AM when KJ walked in.

"Where were you?" she demanded but KJ walked past her as if she did not exist.

"KJ, I know you're upset…" she started but he kept on ignoring her. "But as I said, we might be wrong! Maybe she was only acquainted with this man in the picture and had no idea about his link to the Cartel…"

KJ kept on ignoring her and headed to the bathroom. Mirae bit her lip. He was hurt and angry. Nothing was going to appease him. But she would not give up.

When he came out of the bathroom, Mirae attempted to talk to him again but he walked past her, took out a mattress and laid it on the floor. He then went to sleep. 

Mirae was hurt by his indifference. He did not even want to listen. She sat next to him on the floor. He was sound asleep.

"You won't even talk to me…" she whispered. Her eyes were simmering with tears as she remembered how they were laughing just last night. The little moments of happiness were so rare that she wanted to store each and every one of them. 

But today...reality struck. They were trapped in an unending web stitched by fate. She had no one left in the world except for KJ. The friend she did not want to lose. She laid next to him, facing him.

"Please talk…" she begged as the tears slid down her nose. But he kept on sleeping. She kept on watching him, until she, too, fell into an uneasy sleep.

….

When KJ woke up next morning, Mirae's face flashed in front of him. For a brief moment, he thought he was back in time, when he woke up next to her everyday. Her lovely face was the first thing he saw every morning. It was a lovely dream.

He reached over to touch her face. It felt very real. Was he dreaming? If he was then it was a beautiful dream.

But as he stroked her cheek, he realized the dream was too lifelike. He frowned and realized that they were not in their dingy apartment but at his lavish mansion. Startled, he jerked up. It was not a dream! Mirae fell asleep beside him. On closer look, she seemed as if she was crying all night. She fell asleep right next to him on the floor!

Thankfully, Mirae was still sleeping. KJ sighed and took her in his arms. He gently placed her on the bed. KJ knew that she was sad over his behavior but he could not help it. Every time he saw her, he only remembered what she said about his mother. Even though she was being rational, KJ's mind was not in the state to hear any logic. All he knew was that his mother was not part of the Cartel. There must be something more to it. 

He left her sleeping on the bed and left for work. Only music can calm his head.

….

Somi walked into Mystic Entertainment. Her arrival created quite a buzz in the office as the employees did not expect the Nation's True Love to be their boss.

"She is so pretty," one employee commented as she walked by. 

"She is the Nation's True Love after all!" another woman was saying. "Better than that Junki!" Thank god someone likeable took the job!"

Somi was used to such flattery. It did not affect her at all. She knew that people were simply complimenting her for her looks not for her work. However, she noted that one person was not happy with her arrival.

"Mr. Junki," she said as she took her seat. "Please provide me with the entire media list along with a summary of the recent marketing plans you have implemented. Also, your handling of the entire Ash Park scandal was very sloppy. You tried to bribe the CEO without knowing about her stature. Is it true?"

Junki was red in the face. The young brats were walking all over him!

"I had no idea she was the CEO of our company," Junki replied.

"But why would you try to bribe anyone like that?" Somi snapped. "That is illegal and immoral! What right do you have to interfere in an artist's personal life like that?"

"Our task as PR is to protect the image of the country," Junki gritted.

"Your task as a PR was to use the truth to protect your company's image," Somi corrected him. "Not create new lies."

Junki was fuming. How dare she tell him how to work?

"I will be taking care of all PR related work," Somi instructed him. "You will be working at the desk."

Desk job? "Ms. Shin, I have been working in this company for the past twenty years!" Junki exclaimed. "I know all about the PR tactics-"

"You've been using underhanded and orthodox PR tactics," Somi shot back. "From now on, I will change our strategies. We are preparing for Six X's comeback. Have you contacted any media channels for interviews? And what about TV shows? Did you approach them for reality show appearances?"

"Six X is an old group," Junki retorted. "The public lost interest in them. We should debut a new group-"

"Then go and create interest!" Somi ordered. "If you can't do that, say goodbye to your job."

She slammed some files on to the table for him to read through. "Now go and do your job!" she demanded.

Junki came out of her room with fury in his heart. The new CEO and Nation's True Love were stomping on him as if he was a c.o.c.kroach. But he knew how to show them their place.

"Comeback huh?" he sneered. "I'll show you what a big mistake you have made."

And he knew exactly how to defeat his enemies.