A/N: YAY MY FIRST EVER POSTER! So exciting haha :) Thank you so much OhItsLAI, I really appreciate it! <3

[Chapter 20: Lies]

“The girl has been cohabiting with the young boss for quite some time now. And based on my observations throughout the past week, I don’t think this is part of a simple revenge plan anymore, Sir.”

The man’s words resounded in the dark room, his gruff voice tinged with suppressed triumph. He stood before the Godfather, an arrogant smirk on his face as he allowed the former to wallow in the truth. This would definitely mark that bastard’s downfall, he thought to himself, as he carefully watched the older man’s face contort with anger. Folders of pictures and statements, and the hard disk full of captured footage from throughout the past week were sprawled across the table, leaving Kwon Jiyong’s timely betrayal clear for all to see.

The Godfather stared at the evidence before him, his eyes never leaving the frozen screen on his monitor. His most trusted god son, carrying that sinner gently in his arms. There was no mistaking it. He tightened his fists, knuckles turning white with restrained fury as the image burned deep into his eyes. 

Of all people, Kwon Jiyong.

The man he had trusted the most had turned out to be a traitor.

A deep growl of rage escaped from his throat. He lunged forward, his arms forcefully swiping every single bit of incriminating evidence off the table. The files clattered as they crashed onto the floor, photos of the betrayal scattering all around the room. Betrayal was common in their line and the Godfather had long grown used to it, but never had he expected Jiyong to turn on him. Sheer wrath surged through him as he transferred the weight of his gaze to the cowering man in front of him.

The fierce desire for revenge scorched him all the way to his fingertips.

A familiar face rose up through the years of buried memories and flashed into his mind at that very moment. The face of the only person, whom he knew, would be able to execute his revenge and take Kwon Jiyong down.

“Find Agent K.”

His voice seethed with pure hatred, reflecting the blazing vehemence in his eyes.

"And cut off all the cameras. I don't wish to see such filth anymore." 

He spat, as he caught sight of the scattered photos on the floor, each and every image burning the fury of betrayal deeper into his skin.

The man cowered slightly at his command, then bowed and carefully exited the room. 

The Godfather his heels and stared at the photos that had been strewn on the floor, his eyes locking in on the face of the man he had carefully raised for years. Dark brows furrowed with sheer hatred, he reached for a photo and slowly, yet deliberately, crumpled it in his hands.

“You betrayed your brother. And you betrayed me.”

The words fell like venom from his lips.

“You’ll die in my hands, Kwon Jiyong.”

*** *** ***

“This is nice,” Dara said as she lay back onto the picnic mat and stretched, feeling the warm caress of the sun rays on her face. It was a beautiful day – puffy white clouds crowded the azure sky, and there was a slight breeze that calmed her. The park was filled with happy families, with little children running around as they played on the grass, their innocent shrieks of laughter sounding in the mid-day air. “I didn’t know this place existed.”

Top smiled and lay down beside her, facing the clear blue sky. “We used to play here when we were kids.”

“That must have been fun. I didn’t get to play much when I was a child because my brother was always too busy to bring me around.”

Top’s ears pricked up at the mention of her brother, and the lightness of his mood vanished in an instant. In its place was the heavy burden that came with knowing the truth, a somber acknowledgment of the way fate seemed to be toying with all their lives.

“Thanks for bringing me here. I really like this place. It relaxes me, somehow.” Dara said, breaking the momentary silence. With a smile on her face, she turned to the right and playfully prodded Top’s arm. “Makes it all feel better.”

A casual grin s its way onto Top’s face. It was hard not to smile when her smile was so contagious. But the dark circles and swollen eyes gave her away, and told him enough about what she had gone through the night before.

Dara turned back to face the sky, her face visibly relaxed and at ease. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to soak in the calm beauty of her surroundings. The children’s laughter was like music to her ears, and she gladly welcomed the distraction, allowing it to drown her thoughts.

A pair of emerald green eyes watched over her, silent as he did so.

Guilt slowly inched its way into his heart – he should never have agreed to Jiyong’s plan. If only he hadn’t given in, if only he wasn’t so easily persuaded.

If only you weren’t so selfish, a small voice screamed at the back of his mind.

He couldn’t shake it away, because he knew it was true. He had conjured so many excuses in a bid to convince himself that he was doing this all for Jiyong’s sake, but his heart knew better. He had done it purely for himself. He had, somewhere along the way, allowed himself to give in to the hope that he may have a chance with her.

But he should have known better. If only he hadn’t been so selfish, she wouldn’t be hurting so much right now.

“Top?”

Dara’s soft voice broke into his thoughts, drawing him back to reality.

“Jiyong said… he said that you like me.”

Top froze for a moment, his body stiff. Then a small, resigned smile lifted the corners of his lips and he chuckled softly.

“Remind me to punch Jiyong later. That guy can’t keep his mouth shut.”

Dara threw her head back and laughed at his feigned anger. It was a pure tinkling sound that soothed his heart, and he couldn’t help but feel thankful that they could still be this close after all the drama last night.

A comfortable silence enveloped the both of them, leaving them to their thoughts.

Dara was the first to break the stillness, her eyes concerned and tentative as she turned to glance at him.

“Top? You’re a really wonderful person but… I’m sorry-“

He couldn’t help it; her worried expression was just too amusing for him to handle, and he laughed. Reaching a hand towards her, he gently ruffled her brown hair, feeling the softness of her long brown locks fall through his fingers.

“I’ll always be here for you, Dara. But just as a friend.”

He said it, and felt better almost immediately. Truth be told, he had always known that this was the most they could be, and the frank acceptance of their relationship was reassuring in its own way. He may have given in to his own delusion for that one night, but the fact that Dara was always meant to be Jiyong’s, was something that he had never doubted from the very beginning.

Confusion filled Dara’s eyes upon his words. She blinked, seemingly unable to understand what was going on.

“But I thought...” Her voice trailed off slowly.

“I don’t deny that you’re special to me, Dara. But I know how you feel for Jiyong and –“ He silenced her with a pointed look when she opened to retort at the mention of Jiyong’s name. “Don’t even bother denying that, you’ll just be kidding yourself.”

Her face fell, but she slowly nodded in grim resignation. He was right, after all. As much as she may try to fight it, she had no choice but to admit that that arrogant jerk still took up a very big portion of her heart.

“The fact that we can be friends is good enough for me.” Top continued, his emerald eyes twinkling as he smiled at her. “I get to hang out with the popular Sandara Park, I can even join your bashing sessions about Kwon Jiyong… seriously, nothing can get better than that.”

He ended off jokingly, his brows playfully cocked upwards as he grinned at her.

Dara smiled, feeling her heart squeeze with a rush of warmth upon hearing his words. This was why she loved Top’s company. He never failed to touch her life with his tender gentleness, and she could always count on him to brighten up her gloomy days. She inhaled deeply and felt the initial uneasiness seep out of her; to think that she had spent the whole morning worrying about whether things would become awkward between the both of them. She should have known that Top would be able to make things right, he always does. She stole a quick glance at the handsome man beside her, and couldn’t help but feel a sudden rush of affection. 

If Kwon Jiyong hadn’t already stolen her heart so completely, she probably would have fallen for him.

“You’ll always be my best friend, Top.” She said, her voice soft and genuine.

Her words wafted in the air, blending in with the cool evening breeze as it encircled them, tightly sealing the promise of friendship in their hearts.

*** *** ***

The clock ticked slowly, and exceptionally loudly, in the empty hall. Once again, Jiyong took another glance at it, only to find that it hasn’t even been five minutes since he last checked the time. Taking a long swig from his can of beer, he wiped his mouth rather impatiently and frowned. Time was crawling by, and that wasn’t doing much to make the night any easier to handle.

It was close to eleven now, and the sky was pitch dark outside.

He should be in his room, resting, or making preparations for the upcoming transactions that may come his way or… anything. He should be doing anything but sitting here in the silent hallway, waiting aimlessly for her to come home.

He sighed, his heart heaving with unspoken confusion. He was becoming someone he no longer recognized, and it scared him. It scared him, because it threatened the careful, controlled persona that he had taken up throughout the past few years. It scared him, because all of a sudden he was no longer an empty soul, and he could feel all these emotions that were beyond his ability to understand.

But most of all, it scared him because it made him vulnerable.

Somewhere along the way, she had unknowingly become his weakness. She made him vulnerable, distracted him, and made him lose sight of everything that he had been working towards. Because of her presence, his carefully erected walls were crumbling apart, leaving him and bare. Because of her, nothing seemed to make much sense anymore, and every day passed by in a blur of motion.

Because of her, his vow to seek revenge was now on shaky grounds, threatening to fall apart with the slightest touch.

Would he give up on revenge for her?

That was a question that had been hiding in the depths of his head, one that he shied away from answering. He didn’t dare to think about it, or even allow himself to think about it; because he knew that there was a chance, just a tiny chance, that the answer may end up changing his whole life and turning everything that he’s known upside down.

The door clicked open just then, dragging Jiyong out of his thoughts.

He looked up, relieved at the sight of Dara being home, safe and sound.

“You’re home late today. Where were you?”

He asked flippantly, trying his best to keep the relief out of his voice.

She looks really pretty today, he thought. She was dressed in just a casual tee and jeans, yet there was something about her that sparkled. She shone, radiant even, liveliness twinkling in those brown doe eyes.

His voice caught Dara’s attention, and she jumped a little in surprise. She obviously hadn’t expected him to make conversation with her, not after the way they had ended the previous night. Her gaze held his steadily as she slowly made her way across the hallway, but her eyes were apprehensive.

“I was with Top.”

Jiyong’s heart sank upon hearing her reply. He glanced away and broke the gaze, not trusting himself to be able to hide the pain in his eyes.

So that's why her eyes are shining so happily.

He swallowed, trying to ease the sudden lump in his throat. This was a good thing; it was exactly what he had been hoping for. He wanted her to be with Top and disappear from the picture; to leave his life completely and allow it to return to its usual normalcy. This was precisely what he had wanted from the start.

Wasn’t it?

“That’s good. Good to know you two are hitting it off well.”

He heard himself saying, but it took him a moment to recognize that tight, constricted voice as his own.

Dara stopped in her tracks upon hearing his reply. Her fingers tightened on the doorknob. She breathed in deeply, almost as though she was trying to draw strength into her small body. She knew she was being immature, but she didn’t care. She was tired of being that pathetic little puppet in his hands and at that moment, all she wanted was to have the last laugh. She wanted to prove that she could live without him and still do well; that her life could be complete and so perfect even without Kwon Jiyong.

Without looking back, she held her head high and forced herself to sound as happy as she could possibly be.

“You were right about Top. He’s wonderful, and being with him makes me happy. I guess I’ll give this relationship a try after all.”

The hall fell silent, so silent that Dara could hear nothing but the sound of her own pounding heartbeat. She could feel the heat of his gaze burning into her back, and she didn’t dare to turn around. A rush of emotion surged through her as she realized what she had just done, and how foolishly childish she was being. To think that she has now turned to hurting others to make herself feel better. This wasn’t something that she would normally do, and the weight of her lie gripped her heart tightly, making her feel even more wretched than she already was.

Her eyes stung with tears, and she quickly pushed the door open and stepped into the room, then slammed it shut behind her. She slumped against it and slid down the door, falling slowly to the ground as warm tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

She never knew that lies tasted this salty.

*** *** ***

Another update! :)

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement, you guys keep me going haha <3

And once again, thank you OhItsLAI for the pretty banner! It's on the forewords page too haha. Yay now my story doesn't seem so plain and boring anymore :)