2 weeks later Jihoon's pov:
"You know you're at work right?" Uncle JaeHwa said looking over at me, "Yeah, so what." I replied my attention still on my phone. "You have to be doing your Job, not sitting in your boss's office." He said.
"Im sitting in my uncle's office." I replied, "Right now I'm not your uncle, I'm your boss and you need to be working!" He stated.
I ignored him busy typing away on my phone, I really could care less about what he was saying, "Doesn't your boyfriend have a Job, you're been texting him nonstop." He added.
"I'm not texting Minji, I'm texting TaeHyun." I blurted out without realizing what I just said.
"Wait, TaeHyun your ex or another TaeHyun?" He asked.
I quickly turned my phone off and turned to him, "Jihoon you can't be serious, you're talking to your ex. What happened to being so in love with Minji!" He exclaimed.
"There's nothing going on between I and Hyun, we've talked about what happened 5 years and we've l decided to be friends and not have bad blood." I explained.
"Regardless, you can't be this distracted by your ex boyfriend. Haven't you considered Minji's feelings, how he would feel about you being this chummy with an ex. ESPECIALLY TAEHYUN!"
I stared at Uncle JaeHwa, his words sinking in, but I didn't want to admit that he was right. My chest tightened, and I couldn't deny the guilt creeping in, but I didn't want to show it.
"Look, it's not like that. I'm not 'chummy' with him," I shot back, trying to keep my voice steady. "We're just… clearing the air. I don't want any unfinished business with him."
Uncle JaeHwa crossed his arms, his face hard. "And Minji? Does he know about all these texts and you 'clearing the air' with TaeHyun? Does he know you're this distracted by it?"
I froze. Minji didn't know. I hadn't even mentioned TaeHyun to him after that night he saw the messages. I was trying to protect him, or at least that's what I kept telling myself. But the truth was, I wasn't even sure why I hadn't told him.
JaeHwa's voice broke through my thoughts. "You're treading dangerous ground, Jihoon. This isn't just some old friend. This is TaeHyun—the guy who wrecked you, and your relationship before. You think Minji won't feel threatened?"
I clenched my fists, feeling defensive. "Minji trusts me. We're solid. This isn't going to mess anything up between us."
"Trust can be broken in an instant," Uncle JaeHwa said sternly. "Don't be naive. If you keep this up, hiding things, it'll destroy what you have with Minji. You might not mean to, but it'll happen."
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the weight of his words. The truth was, I'd been thinking the same thing but was too stubborn to admit it.
"I'm just… I don't know how to bring it up to him without making things worse. What if he thinks there's something more going on?"
"Then you've got to tell him the truth, before he finds out on his own. Relationships need transparency. If you keep this up, TaeHyun will win, even if that's not what you want."
I nodded slowly, the tension in my shoulders growing. Uncle JaeHwa was right. I couldn't keep pretending this was nothing, not when it was clearly affecting me—and by extension, my relationship with Minji.
"Yeah… I need to talk to him," I muttered, feeling the weight of my words settle in my chest.
JaeHwa gave a small nod, his face softening slightly. "You love Minji, right?"
"With all my heart," I replied without hesitation.
"Then don't let your past mess up your future. Be honest with him, Jihoon, before it's too late."
I sighed, glancing down at my phone, the messages from TaeHyun still there. "You're right. I'll talk to him tonight."
"Good," Uncle JaeHwa said, walking toward the door. "Now, get back to work."
As he left, I stared at the screen, the words from TaeHyun glaring back at me. With a deep breath, I turned off the phone and slipped it into my pocket.
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That evening Minji's pov:
"I'm home!" I announced closing the door behind me and took off my shoes, the lights were on so Jihoon had to be back from work too. "Hoonie, I'm back!" I said as I walked into the main entrance and threw my keys on the kitchen island.
There was no answer from him, "l guess his in the shower."
I headed up to the room to lay my head down, as I entered the room, Jihoon's phone was blowing off. Curious I grabbed it of the dresser and there were messages from TaeHyun, feeling annoyed I opened his phone and went through the messages. It looked like they were talking to each other back and forth the whole day, I couldn't help but feel a little bit angry.
Not only did he tell me not to care about TaeHyun, he was here texting and entertaining him. Even though his messages weren't flirty I still felt betrayed, he let TaeHyun take control of him again whithout realizing what it will do to our relationship.
Not wanting to read anymore I placed the phone back on the bed, a few seconds later Jihoon walked in his towel on his head drying his hair. "You're back early baby," he said as he walked over to the bed.
"Can you explain the messages between you and TaeHyun? Just 2 weeks ago you told me not to worry about him but you've been texting him the whole day!" I snapped letting all my anger out.
"Nothing is going on with I and TaeHyun, I was just clearing the air." He replied.
"What air needs to be cleared! The second you told me you didn't want him to get in between us was the second you were supposed to block him!" I exclaimed.
"You're letting it happen Again Jihoon, you're allowing him to take advantage of your feelings. In the end you will leave me and go back to him." I cried.
He grabbed my hands and pulled me in for a hug, "that will never happen." He said. "I was wrong, I'm sorry for making you upset."
I pushed him away gently, needing space to breathe and collect my thoughts. "You say that now, but how can I believe you?" I muttered, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak.
"You've been talking to him behind my back for weeks, Jihoon. How do I know this won't happen again?"
Jihoon's face fell, and I could see the regret in his eyes. "Minji, I swear it wasn't like that. I wasn't trying to hide anything from you… I just didn't want to bring it up because I didn't want to upset you."
I shook my head, my chest tightening. "But don't you get it? It's not about you upsetting me—it's about you choosing to deal with this alone. We're supposed to be partners, Jihoon. You said we'd get through everything together, but you've been handling this on your own."
He reached out for me again, but I took a step back. "You've never had to deal with TaeHyun in this way, Minji. He was my past, and I thought that if I could just… fix things with him, it would put everything behind me. But I see now that I went about it the wrong way."
I could feel my anger fading into sadness. I loved Jihoon with everything I had, but seeing him fall into old patterns hurt more than I thought it would. "It's not about fixing the past," I said quietly. "It's about protecting what we have now."
His eyes softened as he looked at me, the realization hitting him. "You're right," he whispered, stepping closer, this time cautiously. "I don't want to hurt you, Minji. I should have blocked TaeHyun from the start, but I was afraid of what might happen if I didn't face him. I didn't realize that by doing this, I was already hurting you."
I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling emotionally drained. "Jihoon, I love you more than anything, but I need to know that you're not going to let him back into your life. Even if it's just as a friend, it still affects us."
He knelt in front of me, looking up into my eyes. "I promise, Minji. I'll cut him off completely. I don't need to talk to him anymore. You're the only one I care about."
I searched his face for any sign of doubt, but all I saw was sincerity. He really meant it, and for the first time since this whole thing started, I felt a glimmer of hope.
"Okay," I whispered, feeling my shoulders relax. "But if this happens again, I don't know if I can handle it, Jihoon."
"I know," he replied softly, resting his forehead against mine. "And I won't let it happen again. I swear to you."
We stayed like that for a while, the silence between us saying more than words ever could. Finally, I felt a little bit of the tension release from my chest, and I allowed myself to lean into his embrace.
"I love you," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I love you too, Minji," Jihoon replied, holding me close as if he was afraid to let go.
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3 weeks before Christmas Minji's pov: the apartment was already looking festive, the Christmas tree was beautifully decorated, we had lights off in the stairs and many other decorations all over the house. Christmas wasn't really my favorite holiday, growing up my dad would just lock me up in my room bring people over and just party forget he had a child.
You can say growing up without a mom made my life a hundred times miserable, being hated by dad was even worse. Always blaming me for my mom's death, and always calling me a curse.
But I guess I got over everything, it's really not healthy to hang onto bad memories that will just bring more damage to the present.
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As I sat in the living room watching a movie Jihoon came downstairs while he was on the phone.
As Jihoon's laughter echoed through the room, I couldn't help but smile despite my drifting thoughts. He had a way of lighting up any space, even on the days when I was feeling down. I glanced over at him as he descended the stairs, still on the phone, looking completely at ease.
"Alright talk to you later." Jihoon said, his voice cheerful as he wrapped up the call. He hung up and noticed me sitting on the couch. "I was wondering where you were, why are you watching a movie all alone?" he asked, walking over and sitting beside me.
"Is everything okay?"
I gave him a small smile, trying to push the lingering memories of my childhood away. "Yeah, just thinking. You know, Christmas stuff," I said, shrugging it off.
Jihoon raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying my attempt to play it off. "Christmas stuff, huh? Since when do you care about Christmas? You always say it's just another day."
"You know I've been putting a lot of thinking, and I've decided I want to attend your family's Christmas party and New years ball." I told him. He raised an eyebrow still not buying anything, "you, want to attend my family's holiday parties?" He asked optimistic.
"Well yeah, I am your boyfriend and I think it's finally time for your whole family to meet me." I replied
Jihoon's eyes widened in surprise, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "You're serious?" he asked, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.
I nodded, my heart pounding. "Yeah, I've thought about it. I mean, it's been years, and your mom has been asking to meet me. I think it's time I face the Kims and show them who their son is with."
Jihoon grinned and pulled me into a tight hug. "I can't believe it. I know it hasn't been easy for you, but this means so much to me. They're going to love you."
I leaned back, giving him a skeptical look. "You sure about that? You've told me how intense they can be."
He chuckled. "They can be, but trust me, they'll love you. Besides, you'll have me there the whole time. You won't have to go through it alone."
I smiled at his confidence, though deep down, I still felt a bit anxious. Jihoon's family was wealthy, powerful, and close-knit. I wasn't exactly the poster child for the kind of guy they probably envisioned their son dating. But, if Jihoon was confident, maybe I could be too.
TBC