Entangled

~Beast ~ 

Rain. People love it, but I don't. While driving back home in the stormy weather, I felt miserable. You know one of those things which takes you back to a time in the past? Rain is that thing for me. And the memory it holds is something I don't want to remember. 

The world thinks Seo In Guk - The Beast, is an example of perfectionism. But hardly do they know how imperfect I am. Well, no human is perfect, but the storm which rain brings into my life is something that a human cannot deal with. I knew it would happen again, so I had to rush home. I don't want people to see me when I get vulnerable. Especially her, what was her name again? Miss Park Bo Young, the best fashion designer in this country. When she was a model she was the best too. 

I had to have her in my company. I have lived most of my life wanting the best out of everything. I hate flaws. I think if I possess all the best things in the world, people won't see what I lack within. Most people when they meet me, tell me how good I am with my business, with my style, and with the things I possess. All materialistic stuff which I am actually good at. But that woman, why did she say I was a good person? Does she even know me yet? That was so uncomfortable to hear. 

Anyway, she will soon change her notions about me once she gets to see the Beast for real. I know sooner or later, I will do something which would make her hate me as a person. I can't really help it, so I don't have any expectations from her either. I just feel bad for her that she thought I was a good guy. Oh, wait... Feel? No, I don't feel anything. My feelings are dead already. 

~Beauty ~ 

It had been almost a month and he had not shown up. I just wanted to return him the watch. I had been carrying it in my purse every day but all in vain. People said he had been sick, so did he get wet in the rain that night? I don't know why I felt worried for him. 

There were a lot of designs kept in front of me and I had to review them, but I kept cursing him for not visiting even the headquarters. 

"Miss Park ?"  

I heard a voice and I had no idea who it was but something was wrong with my reflexes so I replied the way I did. 

"Yes, Mr. Seo ?".  Damn! I regretted saying that when I saw one of my colleague smiling at me. Her name was Aeri and it was she who had called out to me. It was so embarrassing that my cheeks went red. 

"Umm, sorry, were you expecting him?" Aeri asked feeling hesitant.

"No! not at all, please come in." I cursed my nerves for putting me into such situations. What would the staff think? Their boss is sitting in the cabin and dreaming about the chairman of this company? Ridiculous. 

"Miss Park, I wanted to ask if you are done with the review?" 

"Ah, almost done," I replied. 

"Umm, actually I was wondering if I can leave early today? I have to attend my daughter's annual function," she informed. 

"Of course, you can! I will finish the review and let you know tomorrow, okay? " I smiled at her. Aeri was a single mother and very hard-working as well. She lacked a bit with the designs but I can manage, she was a good person at least.

 After she left, I returned to the designs and tried to focus on them without letting a certain man hijack my mind. How could I be so miserable, I barely even knew him.

~ 

It took longer than expected to finish the review of those designs and Boyoung was tired by the time she finished. When she looked at the clock she was shocked that it was almost time for dinner. She went out of the cabin and looked around, all of her colleagues were gone. It was so quiet that she could even hear the breeze hitting her face and letting her long hair fall on her face.

Boyoung rolled her eyes and sighed. It was so tiring that she couldn't wait to get home and have food, so she thought of going to the office cafeteria. But there was one problem, the lights were dim and she was afraid of being alone in the dark.

"Gosh! I have never seen the office this way before!" she said to herself as she walked towards the empty desks of her teammates. There was a passage that lead to the stairs, but she was too afraid to cross it. For some reason, none of the lights were switched on. 

"Okay! Boyoung, you need to be brave if you want to eat!" she rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Let's just close our eyes," she said shutting her eyes. "and then we can just run quickly". She nodded as if agreeing to herself and gathered all her courage. 

After a final breath, she ran toward the passage in the hope to reach the stairway as quickly as possible where she could see some light. She thought she was successful until she met with an accident. 

~Beauty~

I don't know what happened but my heart skipped a beat. I had it all planned, I was going to close my eyes and run through the passage in one go. But I felt a sudden thud on my nose as my face got smashed onto something. I screamed because it was too scary to run into something unknown when it was all dark.

"GOD!!" I shouted and lost my balance since I had been running.

I was prepared to fall to the ground and I still didn't open my eyes because I was so afraid that there was a ghost. 

Surprisingly, I didn't fall. And I jumped because I felt someone's hand on my waist and it tickled me. I was sure it was a ghost trying to kill me. 

"God save me from the ghost!" I panicked and prayed to the almighty. 

My body was shivering and it all happened so quickly that I don't think even my reflexes had the time to work. My hands were folded near my chest and I was breathing heavily waiting for the ghost's next move. But it suddenly struck me! 

Ghosts don't smell like raspberries! 

I opened my eyes and looked up. There was no light in the passage so I couldn't immediately recognize who it was, but it was a man for sure. He was taller than me as my face had hit him on the chest and I knew he was wearing a costly suit. 

"Woah, I must really be scary to you Boyoung-sshi," he said as I was confident who he was. 

"Mister- I mean, Inguk-shhi" I mumbled hesitantly as I began to see him through the dark. 

His face still came out so well, sharp and chiseled. He was looking down at me, right into my eyes and I didn't even realize when I had started staring at him. I felt giddy when I noticed one of his hands wrapped around my waist. 

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" I got embarrassed and tried to move back but, "OOOH!" I shouted as my hair got pulled and it pained terribly.

"Wait !" he spoke getting panicked and pulled me again towards him by the waist. 

"What is it!" I screamed unable to understand why I was always in a problematic situation with him.

"All your hair is stuck to the buttons of my coat" he informed me very politely.

"What???"  I instantly thought  - NOT AGAIN! 

I forced a smile and rolled my eyes up at him. I chuckled sheepishly trying to lighten the situation. I was damn sure that this time he would be annoyed at me, but he wasn't. He smiled again showing off his dimples. His smile was so attractive that my forced smile turned into a natural one and I giggled. 

"I'm sorry," I apologized while looking him in the eyes. 

"It's okay," he said in a calm and soothing voice. How could someone call him the beast? He is the most charming person I have ever met in my life. 

I kept myself close to him so that my hair didn't get pulled while he gently rested one hand on my waist. That wasn't really needed but given how clumsy I was in front of him, I think he was just being careful. Or, did he like holding me by the waist? Hold on, Hold on, I'm thinking too much. 

While I tried to untangle my hair from the large metal buttons of his coat, I realized that it was much more difficult than untangling the threaded bracelet. I was aware that he was patiently waiting for me and staring down at me, which made me more anxious. I panicked and tried to get it done fast. I pulled my head back and it pained again. 

"Ah!" I squealed. 

"Wait, Wait," he said releasing my waist and keeping both his hands on my shoulders. I froze. I couldn't look up at him because I was afraid I would faint. I knew he was looking closely at my stuck hair but it felt as if his fiery gaze was on me. 

"Inguk-sshi, I can manage - " I tried my best not to let him try untangling it because that was even more embarrassing and he was standing dangerously close to me. 

"Let me do it," he said and moved one of his hands towards my head. I almost shivered when he made my head rest on his chest. "Keep it still," he instructed and I had to follow because I couldn't really move since he kept holding my head right there. 

Using the other hand, he successfully got my hair off one of the buttons. I felt relieved thinking that this would probably get over soon and I can run away from this situation before doing something stupid. 

But then, he took the strand of my hair and tucked it at the back of my ear. I felt a gush of shiver down my spine as he used his sculpted fingers to push some more hair away from my face. The mere touch of his fingers on my cheek gave me butterflies. 

I coughed and tried to keep myself within limits. I dared to move my eyes up, of course, I couldn't get the whole view since he was strongly holding my head on his chest, but I could see how intently he was trying to get my hair off his buttons. I know he wasn't thinking about anything else, but I couldn't help it. His chin and lips were right above my eyes, how could I not see it?

My hair kept falling on my cheek and he kept tucking them off while his fingers and palm sometimes brushed against my skin making me giddy. I can't tell when it happened but I felt dizzy and my breathing increased as he leaned and I felt his breath on my face.  I gasped and shut my eyes. He was just too close and I was getting swayed. 

As my eyes were shut, all I could feel was his hands gently brushing my face, his warm breath falling on my eyes, and the enchanting fragrance of his raspberry perfume. I took deep breaths and almost forgot what we were actually doing. I don't remember when my hands went down and I rested them on his waist. I could tell that he flinched a little when I did that and I immediately opened my eyes and took my hands away. He let my head go, so I moved my face a bit away from his chest. 

"Is it done?" I asked feeling embarrassed. 

"Not yet, umm, I think you need to help me take off this coat." He suggested. 

"What? Oh No no you don't need to - "  I tried to stop another 'watch' incident.

"Then do you want me to cut your hair instead,?" he smirked. 

"What?" I asked with my eyes wide. How could he be so blunt at times? 

"Just help me with this," he said trying to take his coat off from the other side. 

For some reason, I felt shy to do that. My cheeks were red and my hand shivered as I held his lapels. I was avoiding his gaze while he waited for me to push it off his shoulder. 

Taking too much time to do it wasn't working in my favor as I could tell that he was looking at me with a smirk. I couldn't let him know that I was shy. What would he think of me then? I had already spoilt my first two impressions! Not anymore. 

So I quickly helped him take off the silken coat which appeared to be part of a costly suit designed in Italy. I could have guessed the brand as well only if I was in my proper senses. In the end, he carefully took it off from the side where my hair was stuck and asked me to hold it without getting my hair pulled. 

I did what he said but I had no courage to look up at him. The whole thing was so embarrassing for me that I cannot explain it! 

"Boyoung-sshi, there is some issue with the power supply today, you should go home now. Don't stay here too long," he said. 

"I will go after I get some dinner," I said and looked at my hair. "And after I am done with this !" I said sighing. 

He chuckled and I looked up at him. He was now in a slim-fit, white, tucked-in shirt with a sea-green tie. He appeared to be glowing even in the darkness. 

"I am skipping dinner tonight otherwise I would have offered you to come,"  he spoke.

"Oh no, I didn't mean that, I will be on my own"  I clarified. I wasn't obviously expecting to have dinner with him when I said that! Or was I? No no, I wasn't. 

"Okay, good night then. Bye." 

"Bye, But wait."  I stopped him because I suddenly felt concerned. "Why are you skipping dinner?" 

He crossed his brows feeling confused. I could tell he wasn't expecting that question. 

"I am busy..." he answered as if it was such an obvious thing. 

"You shouldn't skip meals," I said and I could see how disturbed he felt after that. He had a million questions on his face and I wondered if I had said something inappropriate. 

"I mean, it's not good for your health, I heard you were not well so ...." I think I made it worse. 

"I am fine now,"  he replied with a straight face. 

"Okay, bye then, Good night!"  before I made it more awkward for us, I headed towards the stairs as I didn't feel scared of the dark that time since I knew he was watching me. 

 ~Beast ~

I usually prefer working from home or inside my cabin in our headquarters. But I hate the coffee which they serve there. So once in a while, I go to Belle House to have some good coffee. But these days whenever I go there, I run into Miss Park. The same happened that night as well.  I walked back to my cabin after the encounter with her and you can say that I was a bit annoyed. 

Why? Because she asked me the reason for skipping dinner! I have never had another person question my choices. And what's the big deal about skipping dinner anyway? If I don't have time to eat and I am not feeling hungry, why should I force myself to eat?

My secretary welcomed me back to the cabin and asked how much longer would I be staying. I informed him that I still needed a couple of hours to complete the work and he agreed and went out. 

See? Everyone agrees with me. They don't even care where my coat went. They know if I am not talking about it, it is not necessary.

I sat down on my chair and opened my laptop. I saw the time and it was pretty late already. For once I thought if Miss Park had gone back home or not? But why should I be bothered about her? 

Anyway, I started working and it felt good to see that everything was going smoothly. I was proud of myself for being so good at what I did. You can say that getting work done is what I'm passionate about. I usually ignore other necessary things in life. Because they aren't important. What's important is making good use of your time, earning money, and being successful. 

An hour had already passed and I was busy with work when I suddenly heard something in my head. 

"You shouldn't skip meals"

I rolled my eyes and looked away. Why were her words still ringing in my head? 

I recalled how hesitant and shy she was when I was trying to take her hair out. I know she might think she is clumsy, but I think it's cute. 

What? Cute? 

I sighed and went back to work. 

"It's not good for your health, I heard that you were sick so .." 

Her voice again! I closed my laptop and held my head in my hands. How does it matter to her that I was sick? Why was she showing concern for no reason? Neither did I need it, nor did I ask for it.

"Mr. Seo?" My secretary walked in with some files and I stared at him blankly. "You, asked for these..." he said glancing at the files. 

"Oh, yes please keep them here," I said. 

But something was bothering me a lot. I felt as if I was being compelled to do something which I didn't want to. 

"Wait.." I stopped him.

"Yes Sir?" 

"I think I will just go home now, it's too late for you right?" 

He was confused. He blabbered and tried to say 'No' but I knew it was late. 

"Did you have dinner?" I asked. 

"Yes, I did." He replied. 

"Good. Tell someone to get me dinner from the cafeteria, and then I will leave for home"  

"Sure,"  he said with a smile.

It was really annoying to do something I didn't want to, but her words were not leaving my head for some reason and I knew I needed to have dinner to make it go away. So I did. 

~ 

It was late at night when Boyoung arrived home. She had her dinner in the office and her hair was also untangled from the coat as she held it in her hand. She kept her bag and Inguk's coat on the bed before she went to take a shower. It had been a long day and she needed to relax. 

After having a nice hot bath, she slipped into her comfortable nightdress. 

"Ah, what a tiring day !" She said to herself and collapsed on the bed.

Her eyes went to the bag and his coat was kept next to her.

"Oh no! I forgot to give him the watch back!" Boyoung exclaimed and hit her head with her palm. "And took another item instead" she chuckled.

She took a deep breath and touched his coat. The material was smooth and being a fashion designer she loved such fabric.

"It's beautiful," she said as her thoughts went back to the moment they shared in the passage. His face, his smell, and his closeness were still fresh in her mind.

She took the coat in her hand and inhaled the fragrance coming out of it. It smelled like him.

"Raspberries!" She said to herself and slowly put her arms inside the coat to wear it.

It was highly oversized for her and she almost got drowned in his coat, but she wasn't bothered. She chuckled and touched it everywhere because it made her feel giddy for some reason.

She grabbed her bag and took out his watch. It was oversized as well but she wore it too. Careful not to let the watch drop she stepped down from the bed and walked towards her dressing table.

She stood in front of her mirror and blushed to see herself in his coat.

"I must be really scary to you Boyoung-sshi " she imitated Inguk and giggled.

It was almost as if she was lost in him and she wrapped her hands around herself hugging his coat.

"I don't know why Inguk-sshi, but I feel... you're pretty cute," she said to herself looking at the mirror and feeling shy. She covered her face with both her hands and chuckled.

But when she opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror, she saw the engagement ring that she had on her finger. Her face went pale and she dropped her hand down instantly.

"It's just infatuation Boyoung, don't worry," she said to herself feeling worried.

She immediately took off his coat and sighed, but to her horror, she looked at the floor and realized that the watch had fallen and was shattered into pieces.

"Shit!" She shouted and threw the coat on the bed before collecting the pieces. "What do I do now??" She panicked and gritted her teeth.

~Beauty~

I cannot tell you how nervous I was that day. I had the first review meeting with Mr. Seo and I knew I had to return his things too. But the watch! I had broken it. I think no other employee in his company might have had such a bad impression on him. Every time I meet him, something disastrous happens. I was just praying that the first review meeting doesn't turn out to be the last. 

I dressed formally in an A-line black knee-length skirt and a red shirt. I made sure to make a pony out of my hair and I ensured there was nothing that could get stuck again. Strange that I had to bother about those things more than the designs that I had to get approved. I also had to give him the result of all employee's performances in general. I didn't write any negative feedback for them. I don't want anyone in trouble, I know they all have a family to run. 

I prepared everything quickly because I heard he was very punctual. I was carrying his watch and coat in a paper bag so that no one got to see them. What would they have thought if they had seen me having his coat? Anyway, I hurried to the headquarters and it was the first time I was going to visit his office. 

When I asked for his cabin at the reception, I was informed that he has an entire floor to himself. Nobody else sits there other than his secretary and he has all the amenities like a house. What a show-off! 

I took the elevator to his floor and I swear I was taken aback when the door opened. I felt as if I had entered a part of a castle. The interiors were entirely different from the rest of the building and it didn't look like an office. There was a huge living area with probably the world's best furniture, television, and whatnot. 

I was greeted by his secretary and taken to his cabin. I had seen a lot of people have a mini office room at their home, but this was the opposite. He had a home in his office. 

When the door of his cabin opened, all I could see were small pots of indoor plants. They appeared to be freshly watered as I noticed Mr. Seo still watering some of them. Of course, he also had a normal wooden table and a huge fancy chair which looked uncomfortable. But he probably had it because it was the best.

"Sir, the head of Belle House is here. Her name is - " 

"I know her, thank you,"  Mr. Seo said as he turned towards us and gestured for his secretary to leave. 

Of course, he knew me. He knew me well for the girl who runs into him and steals his stuff all the time. Even breaks it. 

"Good morning, Boyoung-shhi," he said with the same heartwarming smile that he always had. 

"Good morning," I replied feeling nervous about how I would tell him about breaking his expensive watch. 

"Please have a seat," he said walking towards his chair. 

"You like gardening, right?" I asked looking around the plants and taking the seat in front of him across the table.

"I love it," he said as he sat on his chair. 

"Umm, okay so... here are the designs and everything else that you need," I said handing over my file to him. 

"Thank you," he replied and dived straight into the designs. 

I guess he was very focused on his work. He didn't even look at me once while he was reviewing. His secretary came in with some drinks and snacks but I hardly paid attention. It was strangely satisfying to watch him concentrate and narrow his eyes at times. I hope he did not notice me staring at him all along because I didn't know when the time passed. My documents were very detailed and he did not even ask many questions. He just said one thing though. 

"I hope your reviews about the employees are honest." 

"Of course,"  I replied. Maybe he was expecting a lot of negative things like other managers might be doing. 

"Okay, well you're the expert in designs so I don't really have much to say. I will send the approval tomorrow" He said with a nod. 

The time was almost getting over and I still had his coat and the broken watch to give him. I had to break the ice anyhow and tell him. 

"Umm, Inguk-sshi," I started with great difficulty. 

"Yes?" he said looking into my eyes. It was even more difficult to hold his gaze. I took the bag and kept it on the table. 

"Here are your things," I said looking away. 

"Oh, you're returning them?" he said as if he was surprised. 

"Yes, why would I not?"  I was offended, did he think I was stealing all of that?

He took his coat out of the bag and I was wishing he didn't see the watch, but I had to tell him anyway. 

"I've heard people say that women don't return stuff like coats and shirts," 

"That's absurd and mostly it was applicable if you were my boyfriend." 

I regretted it immediately. I don't understand why I say such things without thinking. I could have easily avoided that detail. My cheeks turned red instantly and I looked away, but I could see from the corner of my eye that he was smirking. 

"And, about your watch..." I said while I wasn't looking at him. "It kind of has a scratch... I mean... it's sort of ..." 

"Shattered into pieces?" He completed as I looked back at him and he was holding the box in which I had kept the broken watch. 

"Ah," I felt horrible. "I am sorry, I can compensate for it, I really didn't mean to - " I just spoke whatever came to my mind. 

"It's okay," he smiled faintly. "As long as you are causing no loss to the company I don't mind."

I didn't understand if there was any other meaning to it, but I was sure it meant he was okay with it. I knew if I had stayed there for one-second longer I would have done something stupid. So I prepared to leave. 

"It was nice meeting you, I will head back now," I said as I picked up my stuff and walked towards the door. 

"Did you wear the watch too?" I heard him as my feet stopped moving. I froze as a shiver ran down my spine. I turned towards him and stared at him with anxiousness. 

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean, along with my coat, were you wearing the watch too that it broke?" 

HOW. DID. HE. KNOW. I had nothing to say because I was dumbfounded. He gently moved his coat towards his nose and sniffed it. 

"Roses, it's nice," he said with a smug face. 

Can you imagine what sort of situation I was in? He could tell that I wore his coat because it smelled of roses! And even if there were a ton of excuses I could make, I was sure that my face had already told him he was correct. 

I didn't say anything, I wasn't ready to face him. So I did what I could do the best. I turned around and walked out of the cabin and rushed back to Belle House as fast as I could. 

~ 

After spending the whole night feeling embarrassed about what had happened, Boyoung found it hard to wake up for the office. But it was an important day since the designs were getting clearance that day and she had to start with further work. She noticed it had rained a lot last night and it instantly bothered her about Inguk. She doubted if he would get sick again. But she wished she never had to face him again after what had happened. 

When she reached the office, she saw something that she wasn't expecting. Everyone looked tensed and scared. They were sitting quietly at their desks and pretending to be focused on work. 

 Mr. Dong came to her and escorted her to his desk. 

"What's wrong?" Boyoung asked him. 

"Do you know, Aeri got fired this morning," he informed.

"WHAT?" Boyoung was shocked.

"Yes, she just left, she was crying a lot," he said. 

"But who did that? without asking me?" Boyoung felt enraged. 

"Who else could do it other than you? It was the Beast." 

Boyoung paused before speaking further. She could not believe Inguk would do such a thing. 

"Mr. Seo? He did that?" she asked widening her eyes in disbelief. 

"Yes, it happens mostly after reviews. Everyone gets a bit scared after that, so I was just giving you a heads up." 

Boyoung was angry. This was not acceptable to her. 

"Is he at the headquarter today?" she asked furiously. 

"Yes, he seemed sick when he came but he is there for an important meeting." 

"Fine, I will go and meet him right now!"

Even if Mr. Dong insisted not to, Boyoung charged to the headquarter to face the Beast. Since she was the head of Belle House she was allowed to visit him without an appointment. She went straight to his floor and looked extremely frustrated. Inguk's secretary warned her not to take the risk of objecting to Inguk's decision, but there was no way she was stopping. 

~ Beauty~

When I entered his cabin, I felt as if I was seeing someone else that day. He actually looked sick. His face was pale and dry. I had planned several hurtful things to say to him, but still the first thing I said after charging toward his table was - 

"Are you unwell ?"   

Unlike other times when he would smirk or smile at me, this time he had no expressions on his face. He simply watched me blankly. 

"I am fine. What are you here for?" he asked. His voice seemed dry and husky. Although I was concerned about why he looked so pale, I was still angry at what he did.

"Why did you fire one of my employees without asking me?"

"Why were you not honest about employee reviews Miss Park?" he asked me. 

"What do you mean?" 

"She was the weakest link in your team, her designs were repetitive and I got to know that her productivity was lower than what we expect from any employee who is a part of the AER group." 

I rolled my eyes and sighed. How could he be so picky? And I had no idea about the productivity level of the AER group! Moreover, who told him about these details behind me?

"C'mon, so you'd just fire her? Do you know she is a single mother?" 

"As per the company standards if your productivity falls you will get fired. It is a rule." He replied without any variation in his voice. I don't think he even felt offended that I was shouting at him. 

"Your employees work hard for your company, you have to think about them too!" 

"I do, as per the rules I have paid her three months of her salary and she will get it one more time if she doesn't get a job in one year," he explained but firing someone is still not acceptable to me. 

"Did you not think of the trouble she would take now to get another job? She has a kid to look after! She is such a sweet person how could you do that to her?" 

He didn't even move and just sighed. 

"My job is to think towards the benefit of this company Miss Park, your team worked slower than last time because of her and time is money."

I gritted my teeth and tried not to say something hurtful but I couldn't help it. 

 "So all that matters to you is money?" 

I thought he would get offended but he showed no such reaction. 

"The money is important for the company, it gives employment to thousands of people, I cannot compromise with that for one weak link." 

"You speak like a Robot, Mr. Seo!" 

"I speak sense, a businessman needs to think from his head,"  he replied tapping his forehead with his finger.

He made me even more enraged. How could he be so stone-hearted when it came to his company? Was he always like that? Was I just lucky that whenever I met him earlier he was in good mood probably?

I got so infuriated that I banged the table with my hand. 

"I was so wrong about you! You are a beast, after all, you won't spare anyone who comes in your way, right?" I shouted. 

He didn't even flinch, but he looked a little confused as if he thought I was speaking nonsense. I turned around and started walking toward the door but I had to say something more to get my frustration out, so I stopped and looked at him. 

"You know the chair you sit on, it might be expensive, but it is uncomfortable! And I think you're used to it now." I said before I rushed out of the door. 

I didn't go back to the office and took the day off instead. I took my car and went to my father's home. I knew I needed to calm down and keep away from The Beast.

When Appa welcomed me inside, he knew I was disturbed. But he didn't ask me because he knew I wasn't in the mood to talk about it. He was a simple and sweet man. 

I reached the living room and collapsed on the couch, but to my horror, I saw a mess of documents related to the AER group on the table. 

"Appa! What is this?" I asked. 

"Oh, I was about to give you the good news today," he said. 

"What good news?" I was shocked. 

"Boyoung-ah, our company is now a part of the AER group too!" he said with a wide grin on his face. 

Sure, AER was a big name and even if my father's textile company was an old and authentic one, it was taken over by the Beast. People were proud to be affiliated with such a big name.

"Appa, your company was doing so well why did you all let AER take over?" I asked. 

"C'mon girl, it's a huge name and we would have gone downhill in no time since AER was launching their own textile department." 

"But Appa- " 

"You know what's more exciting, I would be visiting The Beast's Castle next week!" he said sounding excited. But I felt even more miserable. 

"Why?" 

"For some paperwork, his secretary said he is unwell so he will meet me at his home! Isn't that exciting?" 

On any other day, I would have been excited too, because his house was always in the news. He lived in a secluded mansion away from the city. People said it was the most beautiful house one could ever imagine. He lived there alone with some house help and a dog, isn't that weird? 

But that day I felt helpless and agitated. For some reason, I felt my father's visit to his mansion was going to get me in some kind of trouble again. 

~

Sneak peek : 

"You heard it right, I will come and stay with you," Boyoung said with her voice shivering. 

"It's not an easy thing to do, Miss Park. I don't think you can do what you are claiming," Inguk replied. 

"I will do whatever it takes to save my father from your stupid wrath!" Boyoung said. 

"Then remember, you will not be a guest at my place.You will be a hostage"

*******A/N: Waiting for your thoughts on this 😁 I'm always excited seeing all your comments and it makes me write faster and as per what you like! So please don't forget to leave your comments 🥰

Sorry for any mistakes 🙏

See you in the next chapter, next week ❤️‍🔥