"Not happening."Minhyun knew what Ji-ho was trying to pull. He was attempting to make the progression faster by trying to get Minhyun and Yoona to be official. There was nothing wrong with it, for he knew himself that the answer to this question was long due. However, there was a problem holding him back , one that stemmed from his childhood.
Before meeting Yoona again, he believed that he was incapable of being affectionate. Life had broken him in so many ways - to the point where he thought of himself as a monster. Every single human interaction he held was under the scope of his manipulation, Yoona with no exception. This was the way he was raised and the person his environment had morphed him into.
Yet, she turned him into a completely different person. Although they hadn"t met for so long, their interactions changed him and it showed in his actions. His train of thought and his actions became softer, whether it be for the better or the worse.
He knew this would happen, but not to this extent. And the scary part was that he was continuously changing to this day.
The reality was, that during the time they were away from each other, he had already grasped what type of person she was from the shadows. The feelings were hidden when they first met, but as they spoke to one another, it was uncontrollable.
But the problem was that even with these feelings, he wasn"t sure if it was "love". Perhaps to someone else this may come off as stupid but to him, the Minhyun that he knew wasn"t capable of feeling such an emotion. Although he could easily say the words when they were "pretending" to be dating, saying it with raw realness choked him in the inside. Was he able to love? After everything he"d done, did he have a right to be in love?
However, his beating heart did not lie. He wanted to embrace her. Kiss her. Touch her every inch of her.
That was the first problem.
The impact she had on him was strong. She was the first person to make him act in such an impulsive manner, making him reveal his true self. He was the type of person to hide his actions, but for the most part, he tried to take her feelings into consideration and did his best to tell the truth without hurting her. When has he ever done that for anyone? Never.
But there was the second problem. Although her feelings for him was strong now, could she still feel the same way in the future?
It would be a lie to say he didn"t manipulate Yoona to react the way he wanted her to. He lived a life under the scrutiny of other humans, therefore, his only method of maintaining their relationship was to do the only thing he was good at. Manipulation. There was no other method to keeping her by his side.
The fact was the Moon siblings were being used for the catalyst of his feelings. Of course, there were feelings of vengeance in his heart. He wanted to crush them with his fingers. Even killing them sounded like an amazing idea. It wasn"t hard to hire an a.s.sa.s.sin to shoot up the two.
But there was so many other ways of getting revenge. He just chose the method that would benefit him the most. The method that would maximize their relationship together.
He essentially was doing the same thing Jaemin and Jaeun had done when they first met Yoona. He was using her vulnerability to his own advantage, making her trust him. Of course, at first she was wary of him, but his genuineness made her trust him again. If Yoona knew about the calculations in his head, she could see him as the devil as well.
However, there was one crucial point that separated him and the Moon siblings.
To the bottom of his heart, romantic feelings aside, he cared about her. Not only as a woman, but as a person.
Chae Minhyun would never leave Yoona. The pain from his childhood was too strong. Even if he had to lose MH forever, he would chose this girl instead. He would ultimately sacrifice anything for her because she was the one that unintentionally helped him clutch onto his humanity. Throughout the time she was gone, he always lived on because he hoped for them to meet again.
She was someone special to him. A person that deserved the whole world.
That was why, what Yoona deserved was a man kind to the bottom of his heart. Someone who wouldn"t lie to her or use her in any way. Minhyun was not that man and he could never become that person. No matter how much he manipulated her, eventually she would come to notice. Everything would come down to whether or not she cared for him enough as a person.
Although he was a rich president and had the looks, ultimately, everything came down to whether or not Yoona liked him for who he was. And even he knew that there was a dark side of him that n.o.body could ever love. Yoona was accepting but there was a limit and he knew that he pa.s.sed it. That was why originally he planned on dropping hints about his feelings (like right now) and confessing much later once he figured out a sure plan to hide that part of him.
But at the gala, his feelings took over and his plan came to ruins.
This was a big gamble he was playing on his part.
Maybe dating wasn"t a big deal for other people. In fact, when he was younger, he also went out with a few girls. Although it was mainly due to their power in their respective companies and the tension coming from his father, he never felt anything for them.
Yoona was different.
He was scared of hurting her and scared of being hurt.
Behind the long due answer, came a whirlwind of thoughts he had to consider. If they stayed at friends Yoona would at least stay by his side, and if she found out about his true self and left him, he wouldn"t be as hurt. It was all about how much he could handle himself.
That was why he was so hesitant, but now, he couldn"t run away. The answer had to be said or else he could possibly lose the chance of romance. Forever.
"Yoona."
She turned towards him. Her eyes locked with his. "Yes?"
"I"m sorry."
Her eyebrows furrowed. She leaned in towards him and placed her hand gently against his cheek. "What do you mean?"
Minhyun stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. The touch of her hand made his skin tingle. The care in her eyes making him lose focus.
"I"m sorry that it took this long for me to say this."
Her breath hitched at the back of her throat. His eyes. They were full of raw emotion, enabling her to understand what he was about to say. The sound of her pounding heart echoed through her eardrums. The moment had finally come.
A light smile lit on his face. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Business was all about taking risks. Life was the same way. Without this gamble, he may lose his chance of achieving true happiness.
And today, he was going to take the leap.
With her.