Chapter 235 - The Masquerade (2):

"As you all may know, after the sudden disappearance of my dear wife, me and my daughter have been very depressed," Song Tamlin said in a sad tone. 

"I bet you are," Hyun Jung muttered under his breath. He still did not forget the cold look on Song Tamlin's face when he had shot Madam Hong. 

"Nonetheless, life goes on," Tamlin went on. "So I have organized this party once again this year to commemorate the inauguration of my company." 

The guests clapped loudly at his words. 

"So please, enjoy!" Tamlin exclaimed. He made a gesture in the air and there was a mini gunshot sound. The guests looked up to see thousands of balloons and confetti showering over them. The light balloons fell on them and  the guests were covered with ribbons and glitters. 

"He knows how to show off," KJ sighed. 

"The way he talks about his wife," Hyun Jung said. "As if he really cared about her." 

"Oh you two don't be such killjoys!" Dasom scolded them. "We may not like him but we're at a party! We've got three gorgeous women with us and all we're talking about are depressing stuff! Let's enjoy!"

He picked up two glasses of wine from a passing server and handed them to KJ and Hyun Jung. The other two sighed and took sips from their drinks. 

KJ scanned through the crowd to look for Mirae. To his surprise, she was not there. 

"Where's Mirae?" he asked. He scanned around but she was nowhere in sight. 

"Relax, she's here somewhere," Dasom reassured him but KJ was not listening. He marched ahead, searching for her. A few known celebrities tried to strike up conversations with him but KJ ignored everyone. He was getting panicked as there was no sign of Mirae. 

He was about to lose his cool when someone tapped his shoulder lightly. He spun around to find Mirae standing there, frowning. 

"Where were you?" he asked almost angrily. 

"I-I was with the girls," she said, pointing at Eli and Somi who were beside her. "We were getting drinks!" 

He noticed the glasses in their hands. 

"Don't drink too much," he said, feeling relieved, taking her arm and leading her away from the main hall. Mirae was puzzled by his behavior as he dragged her to a secluded room. 

"What is going on?" she frowned. "You're acting weird." 

KJ took a deep breath. 

"Mirae I don't know how to say this," he began. "But Ash is in this party-" 

"I know," Mirae replied. "Song Tamlin told me."

KJ blinked in surprise. "He told you?" he asked incredulously. 

"He called me earlier," Mirae said simply. "He gave me a heads up. Even though we can't really do anything to him here. But if he's planning something, then we'll know. After all, Song Tamlin owed us two favors. My first favor to him is to make him spy in Ash's company under the guise of an investor. Whatever they're planning, he'll send us the information."

She smirked, feeling victorious. KJ was awed. Somehow, Mirae managed to surprise him every time. 

"Will you be alright?" KJ asked. He was worried that if she faced Ash, she would become weak. 

"I'm not gonna fall weak," she said, reading his mind. But to her surprise, she actually meant it. There was not a hint of feelings in her left for Ash. It felt as if the girl who had loved him at one time was someone else. 

She stepped closer, touching his face with her palm. 

"KJ, that man means nothing to me anymore," she said firmly. "I was stupid enough to trust him once. Not again." 

He took her hand and held it. "He's gonna try to harm you," KJ stated. 

Mirae smiled at him. "I know," she said. "But I'm not afraid. I know that you have my back. You won't let him harm me." 

A strange silence fell between them. She looked at him with a loving gaze. There were many unsaid feelings in that silence but she wanted to convey them through her eyes. As if hypnotized by her words, KJ held her by the waist and pulled her closer. Mirae could almost feel his breath on her face as they stood in an intimate position. Her heart sped up as blood rushed to her cheeks. 

"Be careful," he whispered. With that, he let go but to his surprise, Mirae gripped his arm and pulled. Before he could react, her lips came crashing onto his, kissing him lightly. She backed off, still red in the face while KJ tried hard to process what just happened. 

"W-we can try working on…this," she stammered nervously. "I still don't know what to feel but for now…we can go on dates and occasionally…you know…kiss."

KJ was rendered speechless. Mirae's face was as red as a tomato. "Only kissing!" she threatened as she inched towards the door. "Nothing more!" 

Saying that, she quickly escaped the room. Once outside, she took deep breaths. 

"I think that went well," she told herself. 

Inside the room, KJ was still standing like a statue. His brain froze the moment their lips had touched. She was willing to give their relationship a try? She…kissed him? 

A wide smile formed on his face as his insides did the conga dance. 

…. 

Mirae went back to the party. She tried to move her mind away from their kiss inside the room but it was difficult. 

"Get a grip, Mir," she told herself. "First talk to Song Tamlin."

She peered through the crowd. Song Tamlin was talking to a bunch of people in the center of the hall. He was surrounded by a crowd. Talking to him openly would arouse suspicion but she had to try. 

As she walked towards him, the music band began to play a song. Suddenly, dancers appeared from around her and Mirae was swooped by the crowd into the dance floor. 

A dancer grabbed her hand and jerked her towards a round circle where they were bringing the other guests to join them. Mirae tried to make her way towards Song Tamlin but the dancers blocked her way. He was walking further away, chatting with his guests. 

She sighed. Looks like I'll have to talk to him after dinner, she decided. 

Mirae tried to walk away but someone held her hand. She turned around to find a tall, masked man looking intently at her. Even though the face was covered, there was no mistaking the grey eyes beneath the mask. 

"You," she whispered.