I can feel something touching my face and try to move away from it. I''m so tired, I just want to sleep more. To my dismay, the thing follows me. With a lot of effort, I peel my eyes open and find the ''thing'' to be Kai''s hand. He is smiling down at me as his fingers brush my cheek. My eyes narrow in confusion. "Good morning princess," Kai says, leaning on his elbows.
"Why are you here?" I ask before noticing I''m not in my bedroom. "Why am I here?" I rephrase, quickly sitting up. The sun is shining through the opaque curtains. The room is clean, with a king-sized bed, dresser, large TV hanging on the wall, and a desk in the corner. It seems like any normal guest room.
"We needed you to stay here with us, the incident last night was the Italians. They saw you, it''s not safe for you to be without us right now, they could come after you to get to us." He explains. As he is talking, I remember the events of last night. The shooting at the carnival, the doctor, Kai holding me down while I am injected with medication to make me sleep.
I quickly jolt up and get out of bed. "I trusted you! And you betrayed me!" I yell.
"I know." He says, shaking his head. "I wish that I didn''t have to, but I did. For your safety. You wouldn''t stay here if we asked you to. There are only two options. Have the doctor put you to sleep and move you to a bedroom, or ask you to stay, and when you said no, bring you here? The second option isn''t good, we''re a lot bigger than you, and you could get hurt. Not intentionally." He told her.
"Or the third choice, let me make my own choices," I tell him angrily.
"I told you I''m going to protect you, I''m not going to let anyone hurt you. Even if I have to protect you from your own choices." Kai told her, coming to stand in front of me.
"I''m sorry, but when you became ours, you lost the right to make your own choices."
At that moment, hearing him say that, I lost control. My hand acted on its own accord, it was like I was watching it happen. I slapped him on the cheek; the noise ringing out in the room. Kai''s eyes flashed, getting darker as he reached up and touched his lip, when he pulled his hand away, there was a small amount of blood on his hand. He let out a sinister laugh as he ran his tongue over the bleeding cut on the left side of his lip.
I take a step back before turning and running to the door. I turn the nob but it doesn''t open, twisting and jiggling it doesn''t work. That''s when I noticed it was locked from the outside. I turn around and let out a scream when I see Kai slowly walking towards me. His entire persona has changed. He isn''t the person he was minutes ago.
"I didn''t mean to. I got upset at your words. I shouldn''t have done that." I tell him as he approaches.
His hands slammed on the door on either side of my head, making me scream and close my eyes.
"Shhh." He hushes me, putting his finger over my lips. "I know that he cares about you, so I can''t teach you a lesson like I normally would." He tsks. His finger trails down my lips, then down my chin, and finally down my neck. "W-who cares about me?" I asked in confusion.
"Kai." He said, tilting his head to the side. "See, I''m the one who comes out when he is in danger. I deal with those threats. I protect him. I don''t know how to protect him from you though. My usual methods won''t do. If I kill you, he won''t be happy."
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"I am a part of him, but I''m not Kai. I live in his head and only come out to play when he is hurt, or too overwhelmed to handle something. Or sometimes when his anger gets the best of him. I''ve been dying to meet you."
"Split personalities," I whisper, shocked.
"Yes, that''s what they call it." He says. "I''m the murderous one. Not that he isn''t murderous, but I''m the more vicious of the two. Now back to the issue at hand. You threatened him. Usually, that ends with my knife in your throat. But I can''t do that. I''m not sure what to do with you now." He said honestly. He seems perplexed.
"H-He threatened me first. He let them drug me, he promised to protect me, and I trusted him." I barely got the last two words out over a sob.
"If he thinks it is what''s best for you, he will do it, whether you would be mad at him or not. Unfortunately, he cares about you." Kai says with a shrug.
"And you don''t?" I ask. He technically is Kai, wouldn''t he care too? I am hoping to not die in this way so maybe if the split personality shares Kai''s feelings, I may make it out of this alive.
"I care about Kai, my feelings about you are irrelevant. If I did like you and you hurt him, I would still rip you to shreds." He said, monotone. "He''s fighting to come back to the forefront. If you cause me to come out again, I won''t hesitate to hurt you, do you understand?" He asks, towering over me. "Y-Yes." I stutter.
At the snap of a finger, he''s gone and my kai is back, looking at me, confused. He is still standing over me, my back to the door, the position threatening.
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"Princess, are you okay?" He asked, looking me over. I nod. "What happened?" He asked.
"I met the other you," I whisper, my voice shaking.
"Shit." He whispers, before turning and walking over to a panel on the wall that I didn''t notice before. He holds the button before speaking rapidly in Korean. "Go take a seat on the bed. We will talk about this," He said. She followed his instructions, wanting to know more.
Within a minute I heard footsteps, and the door opened. Jae and Han walked in. "What happened?" Han asked, rushing over to me, taking in my tear-streaked face and shaking form.
"She met the other side of me," Kai said, causing both men to cuss under their breath. "How did she draw him out?" Han asked, sitting down next to her.
"She slapped me. We were arguing about last night. My emotions were high. She slapped me and my control slipped and he came forward. I don''t know what happened while he was out." He told them.
"Princess, tell us what happened," Jae said, walking over to me.
"I-I didn''t know. I was apologizing to Kai for hitting him and then suddenly it wasn''t the same anymore. He explained who he was, and contemplated how to teach me a lesson, but in the end, I guess he decided to threaten and scare me, and then he was gone." I whisper.
Kai sighed. "That''s the best-case scenario." He said, running a hand through his hair. Walking over to her, he kneeled in front of her. "Are you okay?" He asked. When I nodded, he sighed. "Do you want to finish our conversation from earlier? You were upset." I quickly shook my head. No way was I triggering that psycho out again.
"He isn''t coming out again, babe. Especially not from us talking. He comes out when I have overly high emotions and lets my control slip. The slap took me by surprise and he gained control."
"What were you two talking about when he took over?" Jae asked.
Standing up, I pointed at Kai. "I trusted him! He betrayed me, I told him that and his response was... upsetting." I admit. "And what did he say?" Han asked.
"He said that when I became yours, I lost the right to make my own choices," I say, crossing my arms.
"Well, he isn''t entirely wrong," Jae said sheepishly.
"Jae!" I yell, turning to face him.
"You can still make choices. What to wear, what to eat, that stuff. For your safety, you don''t get to make those anymore." He explained as if it was completely reasonable.
"That''s insane," I told them, looking at them all, my gaze not staying on Kai for too long.
"That''s the life of the mafia. You are ours. It''s our job to protect you and make these decisions. You''ll get used to it," Han spoke up.
"And so what? You''ll keep me here locked up?" I asked, tilting my chin up to look Jae in the eyes. "Yes, if you won''t stay willingly." He told me, taking a step forward to touch my cheek. "One day you will want to be here willingly and we won''t have to make you our own personal Cinderella."
I pull away, smiling up at him wickedly.
"One day, you''ll trust me and let me free and I''ll run away, to a place you can''t find me, and I''ll get married and have ki- "I am suddenly slammed up against the wall, one hand wrapped around my jaw, the other holding my shoulder to the wall. Kai was glaring down at me. The shine in his eyes told me it was him, not his alter ego.
"One day," He started his sentence just like the two of them had. "you''ll try to run and I''ll find you. I''ll drag you back here and you won''t ever see anything outside of this room again." He was breathing hard, his breath blowing my bangs.
I kept my hands at my side, careful not to touch him, and not to give his altar any reason to be released.
"You can''t keep me here," I tell him, looking into his eyes.
"I''m not the enemy to have, baby girl. I can be your jail keeper just as easily as I can be your knight in shining armor, and I won''t feel bad about it if it keeps you safe. Give up control and this will all be so much easier.
"My dad will look for me. He won''t just let me disappear." I threaten. He laughs. "Kai." Jae warns at the same time Han says "Gentle."
"Your dad is in the mafia''s pocket. Owes is a pretty enormous debt that he''s still paying off. So if we say you are ours, he isn''t really in the position to argue that. We already spoke to him. He knows you are here.
I collapse onto the floor at Kai''s feet. That can''t be true, can it?
"And what about college? I just drop out? And my job?" I ask, realizing I have no choices left.
"Then what? I have no education and no job. What am I supposed to do?" I look up at Kai as he squats in front of me. He lifts my chin to make our eyes meet. "When this is all over, you can go back to school and work. We just want to keep you safe. You will have a professor come here to teach you." He tells me.
I look at Jae and Han, eyes pleading. "We will bring you breakfast soon. Take a shower and try to calm down." Jae says, walking toward the door, Han following.
"You''re the leader. Can''t you do something?" I ask. Jae stops. "I am the leader, and I don''t disagree with him. So no, I can''t, or won''t, do something." He says, not looking at me. I shake my head, frustrated. If they had asked me, I would have agreed to stay for a couple of days. They didn''t even try to ask to give me the choice.
I get up off the floor and make my way to the bathroom.
When I get out of the shower, there is toast, fruit, yogurt, and juice left on the desk, along with a change of clothes. I think they are Jae''s. Once I put them on, I sit on the bed, find the Tv remote on the nightstand and watch crappy reality TV all day.
Finally, around five, the door opens, and Han is standing there. "Ready for dinner?" He asked, a small smile on his face, but he looked tired.
I hop off of the bed and turn off the TV. He leads me down the long hallway, down one flight of stairs and then another. "Were we on the third floor?" I ask him. "Yes, you are Cinderella in a tower." He said with a smirk.
I roll my eyes. We finally make it to the dining room, where there''s a large formal dining table with twelve seats. Jae and Kai sit on one side and Han pulls out the chair across from Kai for me before taking his seat across from Jae.
"We discussed everything. It was a long debate." Jae started as he and Han started scooping food onto a plate. It was Korean food for dinner tonight. Han set the plate down in front of her.
"If you would have asked me and told me I was in danger, I would have stayed here for a few days until everything died down," I told them, pushing my noodles around my plate.
"It''s going to be more than a few days. You wouldn''t miss school and work that long if we asked." Jae says, shaking his head. I sigh, annoyed. "So you just choose for me. I''ve known you guys for years. You''ve never treated me this way. You know this isn''t right!" I tell them, frustrated. "You are ours now. It''s not the same as when we were all friends." Kai comments.
"Whatever. I don''t want to sit here and eat with you." I tell them before making my way back to the third-floor bedroom and slamming the door behind me.
SIX
The last week has gone by without major incidents. There''s a tutor from our school who comes by and brings me my schoolwork. And recordings of each lecture. I''m not sure how the guys pulled that off, but I am doing well keeping up with school from here.
We have fallen into a routine of eating meals together, watching movies, and just spending time together. Han has been teaching me self-defense as well.
I''m pulled out of my thoughts as I am slammed down on the soft mat, my breath leaving my lungs as I let out a grunt. I spaced, leading me to be slammed down onto the cushy mat. "Ow," I complain. It didn''t hurt, but it took my breath away.
"Again." He says, holding his hand out to help me up. We''ve been doing this for an hour already. I can''t get out of his hold. I sigh, frustrated.
He comes up behind me, one hand going around my upper body, the other over my stomach. I elbow him in the stomach and try to use my arms to break his hold when that doesn''t work; I try to knee him, and that''s when he effortlessly brings us down to the mat, me on my back and him on top of mine, my hand pinned above my head.
Breathing hard in exhaustion and frustration, trying to get up while he tightens his hold.
I look up into his eyes as he slowly leans down. My heart races, going faster the closer he gets.
When our lips meet, it isn''t like I expected. His kiss is soft but hungry. Unlike Kai''s more aggressive kiss. I find myself kissing Han''s back. His hands squeeze mine, pinned above my head. The kiss lasts a while before he pulls away, smiling down at me. My cheeks are bright red as he helps me up off of the mat.
"That''s enough for today. Let''s get cleaned up for dinner," Han tells me.
I nod, turning and quickly leaving the room, speechless. I make my way to my room and hop into the shower, giving my sore muscles time to bask in the warm water. By the time I finish, dry my hair, and get dressed, it''s six 0 - one. Dinner is sharp at six in this house, so I rush down the stairs and into the dining room, my socks sliding on the marble floor as I skid to a stop in the dining room when three pairs of eyes lock onto mine.
"Nice of you to join us," Kai says, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry, I''m late." I let out a breath and took a seat in the chair that Jae pulled out for me.
"Why are you late?" Kai asked. I wince. He is a stickler for the rules. It is only two minutes later by the time I make it to the dining room.
"I lost track of time in the shower, my muscles are sore from training and the hot water felt nice," I tell him honestly, my voice soft as I look down at my plate. I''ve learned that with Kai, honesty is the best policy, but if you are in trouble, don''t look him in the eye, he takes it as a challenge.
"Next time, be more aware of the time." He told me, reaching across the table to touch my nose gently. "I will," I promise.
The food is served, a delicious soup is the first course, and the second is rice, grilled meat, and vegetables. The guys laugh as I attempt to use chopsticks. I lose my grip and a piece of meat falls onto the table. When I glare at them, Han hands me a fork. "Nice try. We''ll work on it," Jae says with a smirk.
"How was your training today? If you''re sore, there''s ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom, the one just off of the kitchen." Kai told her. At the mention of her training, I blushed uncontrollably as his mind replayed her kiss with Han.
"Whoa, what''s that about?" Jae asked with a smirk, leaning forward. "Did something happen at your training today, princess?" He asked with a laugh.
I glance at Han, who is smiling proudly. "W-we just kissed," I whisper, knowing these men enough to know that they are not going to let it go until they know. The guys laugh. "Must have been some kiss to get you to blush like that," Kai says with a smirk.
"Hey, let''s have a movie night. That new insidious movie just came out for rent. Let''s change into some comfortable clothes and watch it." Jae suggests, changing the subject, knowing I am uncomfortable.
"I''ve been wanting to see that. Let''s do it," Kai says excitedly, while Han nods.
It was a long weekend, with there being no school today, but tomorrow is Tuesday, and the guys have classes. I look down at my plate, the sadness and annoyance that I was forced to leave school coming to the forefront.
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"Can I be excused?" I ask, looking at Kai. If I need permission for things, it''s always him who answers.
He nods, "Go get changed, we will set up the movie."
With that, I make my way to my room, falling face down onto my bed, stuffing my face into the pillow, and letting out a scream of frustration. I give myself a few minutes to be frustrated, quietly cussing the guys out alone in my room, before getting dressed in my favorite new pajamas, light pink and white checked pants, and a cozy pink t-shirt. They were my most comfortable pajamas.
I made my way downstairs where the guys waited for me in the living room; the ottoman pushed to the couch, making it look like a giant bed, piled high with blankets and snacks. "I got your favorite sour gummies!" Kai said excitedly, grabbing my hand and pulling me down onto the couch next to him when I got close enough. "Thank you!" I say, taking them excitedly. I was obsessed with these. When the housekeeper did a grocery run on Saturday, this was all I asked for. She got me three bags, and I had finished them before dinner!
Jae sat down on the other side of me, covering us both with blankets. I look around for Han, only to see him sitting on the other side of Kai. He gives me a wink when he sees me looking, causing me to blush.
The lights turn off as the movie starts, pulling my attention to the large screen.
It''s about twenty minutes later. I have no idea what is happening with the movie because my eyes have been closed, my face pressed against Jae''s arm for the last five minutes. Scary movies aren''t my favorite, especially when they contain ghosts or demons. I feel fingers under my chin, gently lifting my face to meet Jae''s eyes.
His hand on the side of my face blocks me from seeing the screen in my peripheral vision. He brushes his fingers over my cheek before he slowly leans down, connecting his lips to mine. His kiss is exactly in the middle compared to the other two. While Kai''s was aggressive and demanding, wanting full control, and Han''s was gentle and sweet, Jae''s kiss was soft, but his hand held my head still, showing he was in control. As he deepened the kiss, it became a little less soft and more demanding, but not aggressive like Kai''s. One of his hands moved to grip my waist, the other moved to the back of my head. I lean back slightly, my back against Kai''s arm, and he chuckles. Before long, I feel a hand on my thigh, rubbing slowly up and down. My brain is so focused on the make-out session to realize there is one too many hands involved.
I never want this kiss to stop or the hand on my thigh to stop, either. I moan, rubbing my legs together as the hand gets higher and higher each time it rubs up and down my thigh. Never have I felt like this before.
After a few more passes, the hand slips between my thighs, landing right on the throbbing spot that is begging for attention. I moan into the kiss, wiggling in my seat. fingers make perfect circles exactly in the spot that I need them, the sparks in my stomach erupt, building and building. Right when I''m about to fall off the cliff, the circles stop, making me whine into the kiss. "Shhh, I''m going to take care of you, don''t worry," Kai whispers in my ear as the circles start again. It''s then that I realize the hand belongs to Kai. He is touching me while I kiss Jae. I tense nervously, wondering if Jae would be upset about this. This is wrong, right?
"Don''t overthink it," Jae whispers to me before pressing his lips back to mine and continuing the kiss, a little bit more searing and aggressive than before. It doesn''t take long before that pressure is building again and soon I explode moaning into the kiss while Kai''s fingers continue in perfect circles, drawing out the pleasure, even after I pull away from the kiss and collapse against the back of the couch, breathing hard. The circles stop, but he doesn''t move his fingers from being pressed against me.
The high I''m riding slowly comes down, leaving me realizing what just happened. My eyes widen, embarrassed.
I reach down to pull his hand away, but he doesn''t let me. Looking down into my eyes, he waits until I submit to him. I put my hands on my lap, no longer trying to move his hand from between my thighs. It is then that he removes his hand and leans down to kiss me, a gentle kiss, before turning his attention back to the movie.
I glace over to Han, who moved to an armchair across the room, apparently to watch us. He adjusts himself as he stands up, giving me a wink, before moving back to the couch. I don''t pay any attention to the movie after that, too deep in my thoughts. I just messed around with two guys at once, while a third watched. And I liked it a lot. What is wrong with me?
I must have fallen asleep at some point. When I woke up, I was still lying on the couch, and so were the guys. At some point, they switched positions. I am now between Han and Kai. Sitting up slightly, I glance at the grandfather clock in the dining room. It''s still five in the morning. I''m contemplating going to my room when Han pulls me back into and lying position and pulls me close to him, wrapping both of his giant arms around me. "Back to sleep." He mumbles.
I''m woken by noise in the room and realize the guys are getting up. I sit up quickly, looking around. "Good morning. You look so cute with a bedhead." Kai says, ruffling my hair.
"Hey!" I say, pushing his hand away and smoothing my hair.
"Tonight, you can pick the movie. We didn''t realize you were so scared of horror movies." Han told her, poking my cheek gently.
"No chick flicks, please." Kai I whined dramatically. Jae pushed his shoulder. "We will watch whatever our Jagi wants." He tells him, sending me a wink, causing me to blush.
"Be good today Jagiya, we only have morning classes, so we will be back around one. Don''t try anything, security knows you aren''t allowed out of the house, they will catch you and call us," Kai tells her, softening the words by kissing her forehead gently.
After they leave, I make my way up to my room to take a shower, thinking about Kai''s words. I have to try, right? They aren''t here. It would be stupid not to. I could run, I could be home before they realized. I have to try.
SEVEN
After my shower, I look out of the window. My room overlooks the backyard of the estate. I see a pool, a utility shed, and grass that goes on until the tree line at the back of the property. There''s a tall black gate surrounding the property, with armed guards that patrol. Since it''s early morning, I see only one guard patrolling the backyard around the perimeter. I can get past him.
Getting dressed in simple black leggings and a dark green cropped shirt, I slip on my Adidas. I know there is a conference room downstairs that has a door to the backyard. No one will see me slip out that door. I''ll just have to time it when the guard is on another part of the extensive property. Watching until he is at the end of the property near the tree line, and that''s when I slip out. I run as quietly as I can to the right side of the property. Hiding between the metal gate and brushes. Luckily, the bushes continue along the perimeter of the property. I can hide between the bush and the gate while going along the perimeter, looking for an easy way out. If I can''t find some sort of door or hole in the gate I can slip out of, I''m going to climb it. It doesn''t seem impossible, but it would draw more attention.
I make my around the perimeter, monitoring the guard. When I get to the back wall of the property, I notice there''s a door in the gate, and it locks from the inside. This is what I was hoping for.
I look back to check the guard''s location and notice he is near the pool, the complete other side of the yard. How did I get so lucky? As quietly as possible, I slowly turn the handle and open the gate, jumping as a loud alarm sounds as soon as I push the door open an inch. There''s yelling as more guards come from other places on the property. Crap! I ran for it, running into the tree line and turning right, hoping if they were to chase me, they would keep straight. I continue to the right, then turn left, running through the dense trees. I wince as a low-lying twig snaps back and cuts my face as I push my way through the trees. There''s moisture dripping down the cheekbone telling me I am bleeding, but I don''t have time to stop and check it out. Hearing the guards behind me in the woods, they''re yelling, but they aren''t speaking English. I jump into a big bush as I hear them coming closer to me. I hold my breath. There are three guards right in front of me, all arms with large guns. One is on the phone, and I''m sure I know who with. Shit!
I jump as I hear barking loudly behind me. A giant dog is barking at the bush. "Come out. I don''t want to send the dog in to get you, but I will." The man threatens, his accent heavy. The dog lunges at the bush, but the leash held it back in the man''s hand. "I will let go of the leash in five seconds." He threatens again. I stand, my hands up. No way am I getting attacked by a giant dog.
The man on the phone says something before hanging up the phone and speaking to the others in Korean.
I glance to the side, wondering if I should run. Surely the guys wouldn''t let the guards have a dog attack me, right? Or shoot me? I doubt they would.
"Do not move." Another guard says. I look over at him and see he has a taser pointed at me. My eyes widen and I nod quickly.
"Our orders are to bring you back to the house. You will walk with us or we will use whatever means necessary to bring you there." He told me. His scarred face is blank, as if this is an everyday occurrence for him.
We make our way to the house and I am sitting in the living room, guards still surrounding me. The front door slams open, hitting the wall as the men come filing into the living room. I stand up, ready to defend myself. They had to understand that I needed to try!
Kai is the first in the room, no surprise, but the others are right behind them. They are all wearing similar angry looks. "We weren''t even gone an hour!" Jae yelled as they approached.
"I''m sorry, but I had to try. I can''t just stay here without trying to escape. You''re keeping me locked here. You took away my education, my job, my phone!" I tell them, giving Kai a pleading look.
"And are you not treated like a princess?" He asked, his accent a lot more prominent than it usually was when he was angry.
"That doesn''t mean it''s okay to make me stay here," I whisper. Yes, for the most part, they treat me well. The cute pet names surprised me with my favorite foods and candies and spending quality time together, but that doesn''t change the fact that I am stuck here.
I wince as he speaks to the guards in Korean. They leave the room, leaving me alone with the three men. "What was your plan?" Han asked, stepping forward and stopping in front of me. I stay silent.
"Answer me." Han raises his voice for the first time, causing me to flinch.
"Run," I whisper. "I don''t know here. Just away." I can''t look at them as I say it. A loud noise causes me to jump. Jae flipped over the coffee table, the glass shattering.
Kai takes a step forward and I take stop steps back. "No no no," I whisper, shaking my head "Please Kai, I won''t try it again, I won''t! I promise." I trip over a blanket from our slumber party last night and land on my butt on the floor.
"I know you won''t," Kai said, his voice confident as he walked over to me.
My chest heaves. I can''t breathe. I know I am having a panic attack.
I''m gasping for air, holding my chest when Kai squats down in front of me, Jae and Han move closer but are still standing.
"Breathe slowly." Kai soothes me, reaching out to rub my back. "Slow your breathing. Breathe with me, pretty girl." Kai takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out. I copy his breathing for a few breaths and finally get my breathing under control.
"We are going to clean this cut and sit down for a conversation." He tells me. I''m not sure why that scares me, too.
Once we go upstairs to the bathroom, Han cleans the cut on my cheek. "That might leave a scar." He comments, blowing on it to ease the stinging of the disinfectant.
"Nice job, princess. Permanently scarring yourself, trying to get away." Jae says with an eye roll.
I look away. "Did you think I wouldn''t try? Wouldn''t you try to escape?" I ask quietly.
"We treat you like a fucking princess. We love you. If you would stop being so stubborn, you would live a privileged life, better than the one you had before. You would have some freedom. But you pull this running shit the second we leave you alone for the first time. Maybe we''ve been too fucking nice. You know most people are afraid to even speak in front of us? I''m thinking you need to see that side of us and maybe you''ll finally fucking behave." Jae told her, his voice hard.
"I think it''s the opposite," Han speaks up. "I think we need to show her more of the side that only she gets to see," He said, putting a band-aid over her cut.
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"We showed her that last night, and look what happened," Jae replied, shaking his head.
"Last night was a lot. And she''s right. We expected she would try. We can''t blame her for it." Han continued. I look up at him and give him a small smile.
"She doesn''t need more punishment. She tried to run, she got it out of her system. Right?" Kai asked, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. I nod quickly. He leans down, meeting my eyes. "If you try again, I won''t be lenient. This is your one free pass." He told her, voice very serious. "I know," I whisper.
"She''s upset that she wasn''t in school today. It''s going to be an adjustment for her. We knew that. Let''s forget this happened and spend the day with our princess." Han says, gripping her chin gently. He turns my head to check his work on the cut before nodding, satisfied.
"Go change into house clothes," Han tells me, patting the side of my upper thigh gently.
The guys are very strict about not wearing outside clothes or shoes in the house. Once you wear the clothes outside, you have to change into ''house clothes'' when you get back. I find a pair of comfy pink sweats, a grey tank top and a black sweatshirt that I''m pretty sure is Kai''s. I check my reflection in the mirror and wince at the cut. It is a horizontal cut about two inches under my eye that is about three inches long, spanning my entire cheekbone.
The next two weeks pass by quickly. The rest of the day that I tried to escape, Jae was pretty frosty with me, obviously holding a grudge, but by the next day, he was back to his normal self. Han and I continued training, and Kai and I have been spending time reading together. We discovered we both really like reading. We sit together for hours on the couch; me lying with my legs in his lap as we silently read. Sometimes I look up to find him staring at me, so I think I read more than he does.
Jae and I have been swimming together. It has been nice to spend time with the guys individually. I have always had a crush on them, but I think I am falling for them.
The last three days they''ve been really busy. I have spent a lot of time on my own, watching YouTube videos and trashy reality TV. They''ve been not getting home until dinnertime and are driving me crazy! I am so bored. Most of the house staff doesn''t speak, or at least they don''t to me, so there is no one to talk to.
I''ve been watching way too much YouTube lately, mostly pranks, and decide, in my complete and utter boredom, that I need to try one of these on the guys. There are not many pranks that I think I can pull off, or have the props for, so I settle for an easy one.
This could be a death sentence, I realize after I finish painting the hickey on my neck with my eyeshadow pallet. I watched a tutorial on youtube and it looks authentic. I''ve only had one hickey in my life, and it was on my shoulder. Kai gave it to me while I sat between his legs while we all watched a movie three days ago.
The guys are home, and I can hear the front door open and close. I stuff my makeup and brushes into the vanity drawer, knowing that their first stop after changing to their ''at home'' clothes is always my room. I jump into my bed and start a random reality TV show episode and fast forward it to midway through, so it looks like I''ve been watching it.
After just a few minutes, my bedroom door opens and the guys walk in.
"Finally home to my wife!" Kai exclaims, jumping stomach first onto my bed, and landing on my legs. I let out a laugh. He has been referring to me that way a lot lately.
"I missed you Jagiya." He tells me, kissing my legs through the blanket. "I missed you too, all of you," I whisper. My hair is down so they don''t notice the fake hickey at first. It''s kind of on the side of my neck, under my hair.
"Mohae?" Han asks in Korean.
"Just watching this show," I answer casually.
Jae and Han make their way to my bed and plop down on either side of me. Kai is still lying horizontally across my legs at the end of the bed. Han turns my head to face him, and leans down, kissing me. They''re always touching me now. Even just holding hands or putting a hand casually on my thigh.
The kiss lasts a while. I try to take control of the kiss, wondering if he would let me out of the three. I feel like he''s the most likely to let me, so I put my hands on his shoulders and push him as I sit up and straddle his waist, never breaking the kiss, my tongue running along his as he lets me take control It isn''t long before he steals it back though, turning and slamming me down on the bed, running his tongue up the side of my neck, the opposite side that the fake hickey is on. Honestly, I am so into the kiss I completely forget that I''m in the middle of pranking them.
As he moves to the other side, he pauses. "Fucking hell, Kai," Han comments with a chuckle. "What did I do?" He asks, sitting up. "Marked her. I know that''s your thing, but damn, that''s a dark one." Han said before placing his lips back on hers. I was over the prank already. I just wanted to get back to kissing Han.
"I didn''t leave that there," Kai said, moving closer, hovering above her. "I only left one of her shoulders. Must have been Jae." He said, looking at it. "Impressive." He complimented, tapping his shoulder.
"That wasn''t me," Jae said, turning to look at it too. The three men froze, Han pulling his lips from mine. He gripped my jaw tightly and turned my head to the side to make the hickey more visible. "That isn''t fucking funny. Which one of you idiots did this?" Han asked. "Good fucking question," Kai said, leaning forward to get a better look. Han let go of her jaw when Kai brushed his hand away. Kai''s grip was tight but not painful as he turned her head from side to side, inspecting her entire neck.
"If you tell me now, I won''t lock you in the basement for the rest of your life," Kai told her, looking into my eyes, his eyes were dark but still had enough shine to let me know I was still talking to Kai and not his alter ego. I almost laugh, but I have to keep it together. I didn''t do all this to tell them after half a second.
I try to sit up, but Kai puts his hand on my chest, holding me down. All three of them are hovering over me, waiting for my answer.
"It''s a burn." I blurt out. "From curling my hair," I tell them. "Hmm, but your hair is still straight," Jae said, rolling his eyes. Shit.
"I-I stopped when I got burned. It was right when I started, so my hair didn''t get curled." I lie.
Jae looks at Han. "Round up every guard who had access to the house today. We will question them all." The two stand up, ready to go round up potential suspects.
"I hope it was worth it. You just signed someone''s death certificate." Kai told her with a cruel smirk.
"Wait! Wait!" I say as Han and Jae walk toward the door. "I-it''s just a prank. It''s makeup." They walk back toward me. Kai rubs his fingers over the fake hickey and looks at his hand to see if there''s any transfer. "See!" I exclaim, grabbing his hand to look at it, except it''s clean. My face falls. "Liar." Kai growls. "No-! No, get a makeup wipe on my vanity! It''s fake, I swear." I yell as Han and Jae try to leave again. I try to get up, but Kai holds me down. "Kai, I swear, I was bored, so so bored and I''ve been watching YouTube all day and the prank looked fun! I was just trying to brighten up the boring day." I tell him, getting frantic.
Han suddenly comes back with a makeup wipe. I try to take it from him as he extends his hand toward my neck. "Don''t touch it." He tells me with a growl. I freeze and let him wipe at my neck with the makeup wipe until he is satisfied. "It''s makeup." He says, glancing at the others. "Babe, what the hell?" Jae asks, sounding relieved.
Kai is still holding me down by my shoulders when I try to sit up. "You''re still mad," I whisper.
He grips my jaw again, turning my head to the right. He leans down and starts sucking on the spot where the fake hickey is. I wince at the pain. He is going a bit harder than usual, probably trying to match the deeper purple I used with the eyeshadow.
Once he''s satisfied, he pulls away, admiring his work. I turn my head to look at him. "No one except me, not even you, gets you to leave marks on what''s mine. This is mine." He tells me, poking the hickey, making it ache. "Understand?" He asked, making me nod. "Words." He growls. "Yes, I understand," I breathe.
Kai gets off of me and Han grabs my arm, making my eyes go to him. He skillfully flips me over on the bed so I''m laying on my stomach and lands an open-handed hit on my butt. He swats me four more times before I can react. It was quite a hard hit; the sound echoing off of the walls. When he lets go of me, I spin around, sitting on my butt on the bed, wincing at the pain, my mouth open in shock.
"That''s for ruining our make-out session with your games." He tells me. My eyes fill with tears, not at the pain but at the embarrassment of being spanked! In front of two other people. Kai chuckles. "Don''t be embarrassed, princess." He says, touching my burning face. My entire face is red. I can feel it.
"That wasn''t very smart," Jae tells me, lying on the bed again. "I know, I was just trying to have fun," I tell them, touching the new hickey on my neck, wincing at the pain. Kai pulls my hand away from the Hickey. "Next time, it might be smart to try a prank that won''t send us into a murderous rage, considering we are capable of murder," Kai advised me, poking my nose gently. "I''ll keep that in mind," I whisper.
EIGHT
"Come on Jae, I''m going insane!" I tell him, pulling on his sleeve. It''s a Saturday five days after the hickey prank incident and the guys took the day off from their meetings to hang out with me. It''s eleven in the morning and we just finished breakfast. I''m currently trying to convince them to take me on an outing to the mall. Jae is standing next to me, my hand closed around his sleeve while I tug on it occasionally. Kai and Han are sitting on the couch watching us closely.
"I''ve been here for weeks and haven''t left the house once, and I''m going to lose it," I tell them. "It''s just not necessary to go out. We will spend the day here," Jae tells me, putting his hand on the top of my head. I stomp my foot and let out a frustrated grunt, not caring if I look like a petulant child. This is ridiculous.
Crossing my arms, I make my way to the armchair and plop down, refusing to look at them or the movie they''ve put on. Han tries to pass me a plate of snacks and I turn my head, ignoring him. "Are we playing silent treatment, Jagi?" He asks, leaning forward. "If you need another spanking, you should have just asked." He told me, standing up and gripping my arm, pulling me to a standing position.
Tears fill my eyes. "I just want to feel normal for one day. I can''t take another day of being a trapped bird in a pretty cage," I whisper, loud enough for them all to hear.
Jae looked at the other two, who both nodded softly. "Okay, princess. You''re right, you''ve been here a long time. Let''s go out for the afternoon." He says, causing me to jump up and down excitedly.
Han patted my butt softly. "Go get dressed." He told me, causing me to run up the stairs. I decide on a pair of light wash mid-rise jeans, and a baby pink crop top, as well as my pink and white Adidas. I apply some concealer on my cheek where I have a small pimple and attempt to cover the two dark hickeys that Kai left me last night.
The man is obsessed with marking me. As soon as one fades, he quickly replaces it with another. We''ll be watching TV, or reading together when suddenly he is leaving me a new hickey.
The one on my collarbone is covered pretty easily with the concealer. However, the one on my neck is being a bit stubborn, but I do the best that I can.
Fifteen minutes later, I make my way downstairs to see the guys waiting for me in the entryway.
"Ready?" I ask excitedly.
"We''re ready Jagi," Jae said with a smile, poking my cheek gently.
"Wait," Kai says, leaving the entryway. He is gone for about a minute before he comes back, a rag in his hand. He starts wiping my neck and then my collarbone.
"Kai!" I complain, trying to push the rag away. "You don''t get to cover up my marks." He tells me, his voice dark. "I didn''t think it was a big deal," I tell him, rolling my eyes.
Once he is satisfied that all the concealers are gone, we make our way to the garage and get into the escalade. This time Han drives, and Jae since in the back with me, He''s usually the driver, so this surprises me. We barely make it out of the estate''s gates before he has me in a full make-out session, which I am guessing is why he didn''t want to drive today.
The mall we go to is about forty-five minutes away, and Jae and I spend almost the entire ride lost in our world.
When we get off of the freeway, his hand slides between my thighs, the kiss getting a little more feverish. I moan softly as he rubs me through my jeans. I move my hips slowly. "Jae," I whisper with a moan. I have fooled around with each of the guys once or twice, only with them using their hands though.
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Jae unbuttons my jeans, sliding the zipper down and slipping his hand inside. I let out a loud moan as his fingers find my center, rubbing it immediately. It felt amazing. "Please." I whimper, feeling the familiar sparks building. I hear Kai moan from the front seat, as well as Han, letting out a soft curse and hearing my moans.
He draws out the pleasure, still making circles with his fingers while his tongue runs up my neck. I see stars, my eyes rolling back as I explode on his fingers just as we pull into the mall parking lot.
I whimper as he withdraws his fingers and licks them clean, holding eye contact with me. I''m still catching my breath and coming down from my high when we park Kai turns to look at us from the front seat. "Damn, that was hot," He comments, giving her a wink. When Jae''s phone rings, he pulls it out of his pocket, looking at the Caller ID before turning to me. "I have to take this. When you''re ready, we''ll go inside." He leans down to kiss my cheek before stepping out of the car and answering his phone. Han steps out as well, but only to get into the back seat with me.
He helps me write my jeans and buttons them up, straightening my shirt as well. He is the caretaker type.
I can feel my face burning bright red as we step out of the SUV together. We make our way toward the entrance of the mall with Jae trailing just behind us on the phone, speaking Korean.
"Do look like I just... You know." I ask Kai quietly, feeling a bit self-conscious. "You look perfect." He tells me, ruffling my hair.
This mall has a lot of high-end stores- that I usually avoid. I am not even here to shop, more so just to get out of the house. The guys were sure to get everything I needed in the clothes department shortly after I moved in with them.
They follow me around the mall for a long time, never once complaining. They seem to buy everything I look at for too long, so I try to avoid showing too much interest in things.
"Oh, my gosh!" I say excitedly, stopping in front of a mall suite. "I''ve always wanted my nose pierced," I say, pointing to the tattoo and piercing shop. The guys all make various comments ranging from a simple ''No'' to ''hell no''. "Why not? Kai has a piercing!" I point out, referring to his eyebrow piercing. "He isn''t you," Han says, lifting her chin. "Who makes your decisions?" He asks, his eyes meeting hers. "You guys," I whisper, my shoulders falling. "And we said no. You aren''t putting a hole in your perfect face." He tells me, touching my nose gently. "But- "I start and Han cuts me off, leaning down so we are eye to eye. "Another word about it and I''ll spank you right here in front of everyone." He said, his voice serious. I glance around. There are so many people around. He can''t be serious, right? I open my mouth and he reaches for my arm, turning me so my back and butt are to him. "Okay!" I say quickly, running to hide behind Kai.
Kai laughs. "Let''s get some food." He says, lightening the mood, and pulling me toward the food court. The other guys follow. We decide to get smoothies and pizza. While we sit in a corner booth eating the delicious cheesy goodness, I look at them. "Will I ever be able to go back to school?" I ask. Going out today was great, but it just made her dread being stuck inside again.
Jae cleared his throat. "Yes." He tells me, making me sit up in excitement. "When?" I ask, putting down my pizza.
"There are a few things we have to do first. After that, you will continue school." Kai smiles down at me, making me grin.
"How long will those things take?" I ask him. "A few weeks." He tells me, leaning down so his face is close to mine. "I''m so excited!" I tell him, unable to contain it. "Me too." He says, but I have the feeling we aren''t talking about the same thing.
We go home and I put away my new clothes and shower. Once I''m changed into my house clothes, I make my way downstairs, still smiling at the fact I''ll be able to go back to school soon. It''s about six PM and we are all still full from the late lunch we had at the mall, so we decide to play board games together until bed.
By the time eight PM rolls around, I am exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open and I''m falling asleep leaning against Han as we all play Monopoly.
"It''s been a long day, princess. Why don''t we go to bed?" Han asks, running a hand through her hair. I nodded, snuggling closer to him. "Say good night to Jae and Kai." He tells me as he lifts me into his arms. I mumble an incoherent good night, but feel them each press a kiss to my cheek before Han carries me upstairs.
"Good thinking on the tea," Jae tells Kai, picking up her empty cup. "Well, I knew she wouldn''t take the sedative any other way," Kai says with a shrug. "Why did you book a four AM flight?" He asks, shaking his head. The two men go their separate ways to bed.
NINE
"Princess." I hear Han say, his warm hand caressing my cheek, causing me to groan and try to roll over. I''m not ready to wake up yet.
He effortlessly lifts me out of bed, carrying me in his arms to the bathroom, where he sets me down on the sink. "Brush your teeth." He says, handing me my toothbrush, which he already put toothpaste on. "What time is it?" I ask, barely able to keep my eyes open. "Three AM." He says with a smile.
"Why are you waking me up at three in the morning?" I ask, confused.
"We have a flight to catch." That is all he says before tapping the toothbrush in his hand. "Flight? Where are we going?" I ask, shocked. "Brush your teeth." He tells me before walking away. I brush my teeth and walk back into my room, seeing that he laid out a soft pair of black leggings, a white T-shirt, and my favorite black sweater, as well as a pair of socks and my Adidas. I quickly get dressed, wanting to go downstairs and get answers to my questions. Mainly, where are we going? And why am I finding out at the last minute?
I put my hair into a high ponytail before making my way downstairs, still half asleep and grumpy.
"Where are we going?" I ask, plopping down on the sofa, barely able to keep my eyes open. "Korea," Kai answers from where he sits next to me. "Why?" I ask, leaning against him. "It''s on the list of things we have to do before you go back to school. You want to go back to school, right?" Kai asks, causing me to nod quickly.
When we get to the airport, we don''t have to go through TSA. We pull right onto the tarmac and get directly onto a private plane. My family isn''t well-off at all, so this is a whole new experience for me. The plane is large, with lush reclining leather seats. Kai guides me to a seat next to a window and I sit down. Han and Jae sit across from us. There''s a table in between the two sets of seats. It isn''t long before the flight crew gets on board and we take off.
"Can I get anyone anything? Drinks, food?" A beautiful blonde woman asks, her hand on the back of Jae''s seat as she smiles at the men, completely ignoring me, making jealousy erupt in my chest.
"Coffee, black," Jae says. Han and Kai add that they''ll have the same. "A pillow and blanket for our girl, and some hot cocoa," Kai says, his hand coming to land on my thigh. The woman nods with an eager smile. "Of course." She says before turning away. The guys miss it, but I see the look she gives me when they turn their attention away from her. I roll my eyes in annoyance.
Kicking off my shoes, I try to get comfortable.
"Kai, why are we going to Korea?" I ask him softly, looking up at him as I lean my head on his arm. "We have some business to take care of there. It will only take about a week. Then we will come back and everything should be taken care of for you to start school again." He tells me with a smile. He leans down and kisses my forehead.
I fall asleep and wake up sometime later and Han and Jae are sleeping, while Kai is gone. I look toward the back of the plane and see him standing at a small counter where there is a coffee machine. The flight attendant is standing there with him, laughing at something he says. I don''t bother putting on my shoes. I walk over to them, bedhead and all.
The woman is tall. Way taller than me, especially while I''m barefoot. "Hi, Pip," Kai says to me as soon as I walk over. He wraps his arms around me, smiling. "What are you two talking about?" I ask. "Nothing to worry about, hon," the woman says before walking away.
I glare at Kai, and he chuckles. "I like you a little jealous, princess. But she was just trying to make my coffee for me. It''s her job, but I said no, don''t worry." He says. "And that made her laugh?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow. "She was a little flirty. She laughed at everything I said." He told me with a shrug. "I don''t like that," I say before picking up his freshly made coffee and returning to our seats. He laughs as I walk away with his cup.
I slept most of the thirteen-hour-long plane ride, except for the three hours that Han and I watched Netflix.
When we finally get to Korea, we take a black SUV to an estate in Seoul. "Princess, we have a lot of work to do so we can''t help you settle in," Han says, running a hand through my hair as we all walk into an enormous suite on the third floor of the estate. "Be good. We will be back in a few hours. Have a warm shower and watch some Netflix." He tells me, leaning down and pulling me into a kiss.
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I nod, kissing Han back before walking over to Kai and Jae, giving them each a kiss before they all leave the room. I find myself wanting to touch them all the time and missing them when they''re gone.
It''s almost six hours later when they come back.
Three days later, the guys and I go to a large building. It looks like a courthouse of sorts. We take an elevator up to the seventh floor. "What are we doing here?" I whisper to Jae, fidgeting with the white sundress that Han picked out for me today. The elevator was full of people in suits. It was really pretty, with lace at the bottom. "We have a meeting." He tells me, smoothing out my hair and using his thumb to wipe a bit of lip gloss just underneath my lip.
"Why am I here? I never come to your meetings." I say, suspiciously.
"You''ll see," Jae says with a small smile. None of them are meeting my eye, which makes me nervous. The elevator dings and we step out. I follow them to a door where a man meets us, shaking each of their hands and bowing. He speaks to them, glancing at me every so often before inviting us into the room. The office is enormous, with a window that overlooks Seoul. Jae hands the man a stack of papers and they continue to speak for a few minutes before the man turns to me and Kai, as we stand at the front of his desk. He speaks for a while, and then Kai speaks. The conversation lasts only a couple of minutes, a casual-sounding conversation. I zone out, looking out of the large window that overlooks the city. Kai leans down and signs a piece of paper on the desk.
"Jagi, sign this please." Kai says, pointing to the paper he just signed.
"What is it?" I ask him, taking the pen from his hand. "We will talk about it later, hurry we are in a rush." Kai tells me.
I trust him, so I sign the paper.
The man turns to me and smiles. "Congratulations." He says in very accented English before shaking the men''s hands once again and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
"What just happened?" I ask, confused.
"Well." Kai begins nervously.
"We just got married." He told her with a smile.
"Excuse me?" I ask in disbelief.
"That paper you signed..It was a marriage certificate." He tells me.
"You tricked me into marrying you?" I ask, my breathing coming faster.
"Yes, but for good reason." He tells me.
My legs give out and I collapse on the floor at his feet. Married, I''m married!
Kai squats down in front of me, wiping away my tears. "Your life can begin to go back to normal now. You can go to school." He tells me. "In the mafia, there''s a code." He starts. "Family is off limits. Wives, sisters, children. But not girlfriends." He tells me.
"I won''t forgive you for this," I whisper. "I don''t need your forgiveness. We did what we think is right. We will always protect you, even if it means you''ll hate us." He tells me, standing up.
Han and Jae help me up off the floor, and we leave the room. Kai walks with his hands in his pockets, not looking at me. I don''t speak as we begin the drive back to the estate.
Once we arrive, I make my way back to the suite where the four of us have stayed for the last three days. There are three bedrooms in the suite, and they have taken turns sharing my bed. I''m still in shock when we get back to the room and Kai walks over to me, taking my left hand and slipping a gorgeous diamond ring on it. It sparkles beautifully even in the dim light.
I push on his chest, letting my tears fall. I don''t even care if his alter ego comes out as I bang my fists on his chest over and over. But Kai stands there and lets me pound on his chest, letting my frustrations out until I am too tired to continue, then he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close, whispering calming words into my ear.
"Why you?" I ask quietly. "How did you guys pick who would marry me?" I ask as Kai leads me to the bed to sit down. My tears are still falling. "Kai has a certain... reputation," Jae starts, walking over to me. Han comes to kneel in front of me, using his hands to wipe away my tears. He kisses my hands and smooths my hair.
"While all of us have reputations that would prevent people from messing with us, Kai has a reputation that keeps most people far away from him. No one would dare mess with his wife." Jae explains.
"So because he''s the scariest, I have to be married to him?" I ask, glaring at them.
"Basically, yes," Kai answers this time, as he moves to the closet and starts stripping his clothes. "Let''s get you into house clothes," Han tells me, pulling me to stand. I pull my hand out of his, before moving to my closet and grabbing the first two things I see. A pair of pink pajama shorts and a tank top. It is very humid in Korea, causing me to opt for cooler clothes.
The rest of the afternoon is spent with all of us in the suite watching Netflix, while I do my best to ignore them all. I understand they are trying to keep me safe, especially since those Italian mafia guys saw me. However, that doesn''t make tricking me into marriage okay.
Eventually, I go to my bed and fall asleep, waking up sometime later to find Kai crawling into bed with me and pulling me close. I try to pull away, but he pulls me closer. "Let me hold my wife tonight." He whispers in my ear, causing me to shiver. I''ve always secretly loved when he called me that. Not that I''ll ever admit it to him.
I let him hold me as I fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
TEN
The rest of the week spent in Korea was spent with the guys, mostly gone during the day, ''handling business'' and leaving me on my own to explore the grounds. There was a beautiful garden that I spent a lot of time sitting at, making friends with the squirrels. The guys and I still had a bit of a strained relationship on my end. They were acting normal, but I was still minimally speaking to them. Today we went back home, our plane landed an hour ago and we are almost back to the estate.
"Jagi, we wanted to talk with you about something," Jae says as we pull into the garage.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Let''s go get settled in and we will talk. I''m sure you want a shower, it has been a long trip." Han says with a smile. I nod, agreeing. A warm shower sounds nice. It''s just after three in the afternoon when we all finally finish showering and get settled in my bedroom.
"We wanted to talk to you about the plan for you going back to school. I know you are eager to go back," Jae says, as they all three make themselves comfortable on my bed.
"What about it?" I ask, listening intently now.
"What do you think about changing schools?" Kai asks, putting his hand on my knee. "Why?" I asked, confused. "Why would I need to change schools?" "We enrolled at your school simply because you were going there. There''s another school that I think would be a better fit for us all. There''s even a ballet program." Jae tells me, knowing her passion has been ballet ever since she was a child. "B-but my scholarship is for SF State," I tell them. Although a ballet program sounds amazing.
"Don''t worry about your scholarship. If you got into the school with the ballet program, would you go?" Han asks. "Yes," I say. I did ballet when I was younger, from three years old until I was sixteen. I was told I had a lot of potential, one of the best my ballet teacher had ever seen. But after what happened at the party, I went into a depression for a while and quit.
"Good. We start Monday." Kai tells me with a smile. "M-Monday? Like in three days?" I ask, sitting up straighter. "Yes, in three days." He says with a chuckle, and I jump up excitedly, standing on my bed. "I get to leave the house! Every day!" I yell jumping up and down on the bed while the guys laugh at my shenanigans.
"Yes princess, you do," Jae says, holding his arms up, ready to catch me if I were to fall off of the bed. "I''m a little nervous about going to a new school though," I tell them, flopping into a sitting position on the bed. "Do you think I''ll make friends?" frowning softly, I look over at him. "You''ll make friends in your ballet class, baby girl, but if not, you have us, and that''s all you need, right?" Kai asks, tilting his head to the side. "Yeah, sure," I say sarcastically, making him reach for me, and I jump off the bed and run away while he chases me. He chases me around the room for a few minutes before I run into Han''s arms. "Save me!" I yell, jumping and clinging to him like a koala. I''m breathing hard from all the running.
"Okay, enough," Han says, laughing. I''m still laughing from our game of chase when Han sits down on the bed with me. "How about a movie?" Jae asks.
Monday feels like it takes weeks to arrive, probably because I''m so excited. On Monday morning I wake up at six AM even though our classes don''t start until nine. I pack my ballet clothes and shoes in my gym bag carefully, running my hands over them. The guys took me shopping for them yesterday and I love them. I can''t wait to wear them. "Princess," Kai says, groaning from my bed. "Why are you awake so early?" he asks, sitting up. "I''m excited!" I tell him, skipping to the bed and sitting down next to him, but he quickly pulls me so that I''m lying on top of him.
"I''m glad that you are happy, my princess. I want to make you happy every day." He tells me kissing my nose, eyes, cheeks, and forehead, gently peppering kisses all over my face.
"Should we wake up the others? Since you woke me up at this ungodly hour, it''s only fair that they''re awake as well." He says with a smirk. "We will go out to breakfast and get pancakes before we have to be at school." I nod excitedly. "Go wake them." He pats me on the butt as I go. I go to Han''s room first since it''s closer. Slowly opening the door to avoid any creaking noises, I tiptoe into his room and crawl into his bed.
I gently kiss his neck and chest until he wakes up. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me onto the mattress. "Good morning Jagi." He says with a smile. "Kai says we can go to breakfast and get pancakes before class," I tell Han excitedly. "Is that why you''re waking me up before the sun rises?" He asks, raising his eyebrow. "Mmm, yes," I say nervously. Han lets out a laugh, shaking his head. "Anything for you," he says, making me clap excitedly. "I have to go wake up Jae!" I yell behind me as I dash out of the room,
I made it to Jae''s room quickly and didn''t even bother sneaking in. I run inside and jump onto his bed. "Wake up!" Jae jumped into a sitting position, looking at me with surprise as I let out a giggle while I kept bouncing. "Time to wake up!" I sing, grabbing his arm and pulling him up with me and out of the bed. "Why?" He groans. "We are going for pancakes!" I tell him excitedly, pushing him toward his bathroom. "Get ready! Kai and I have already been awake for an hour! I''m so hungry." I hear laughing and turn around to see Kai and Han at the door, watching us, and I give them a grin. "Everyone''s awake!" I exclaim. "Good job, wifey," Kai tells me, giving me a high five.
After breakfast, we went to campus. "We don''t have any classes together?" I ask nervously as we sit in the student parking lot. "No, you''re taking ballet and English courses, mostly for your major," Kai says with a smile. "We have the same class times, though, so we will see each other between classes and at lunchtime." He assures her and the others agree. "Remember to keep your ring on," Kaisays as he helps me out of the back seat of the SUV. A "Hmph." That is the only answer I give him.
As we walk onto campus, there are whispers and stares from other students in the parking lot. Some are pointing. The guys getting out of jail was big news, on news stations and in the paper. People often recognized them.
The guys don''t seem to notice the pointing, but I do, and it makes me self-conscious. "Ooh, there''s the dance studio!" I say excitedly. "Bye!" I tell them, eager to get to my first class. "Not so fast," Jae said, grabbing me gently by the arm and pulling me back. "Say goodbye to your husbands." He says while pulling me into a kiss. While technically I am married to Kai, the guys like to say I am married to them all. They have all been calling me ''wife'' since we went to Korea.
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I give each man a quick kiss before going to Dance Studio Three, where my first ballet course is.
I''m surprised to see the room partially filled when the class doesn''t start for another fifteen minutes. I find a spot in a corner to set down my dance bag, and sit next to it, pulling out my phone to look at while I wait. It seems most people in the class already know each other and are speaking in small groups, making me feel kind of awkward.
"Hi, you must be the new student Madam Kinley told us about last week." Someone says from above me. "Oh, yes, hi. My name is Mina." I say awkwardly to the young man standing in front of me. He is wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt, not normal ballet attire.
"I''m Trenton." He says, holding out his hand for me to shake. I awkwardly stand up and shake his hand. "How long have you been studying ballet?" I ask. He is tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He looks more like a football player than a dancer.
"Oh, this is just my elective class. I''m a baseball player. I figure this would be a good way to meet hot girls." Trenton says with a wink.
"Hmm," I say, nodding. "Interesting," I add, not knowing what to say.
"I guess I was right because you''re totally hot." He tells me.
"I''m also totally married," I tell him, lifting my hand to show off my ring.
"Is he here?" The idiot in front of me asks, looking around in mock curiosity.
"He doesn''t have to know. You''re a freshman and married. When was your kid born?" He asked with a smirk, implying I only got married because I got pregnant.
I laugh. "My husband would kill you for breathing in my direction," I tell him seriously, before leaning forward like I''m going to tell him a secret. "So I would walk away if I were you." I mock whisper.
A girl from the class walks over then. "I think she''s a serious dude. I saw her walk in with those mafia guys who enrolled here." The black-haired, brown-eyed girl says, coming to stand next to her. Trenton''s eyes widen. "Whatever." He says as he walks away, but still stares at me from across the room.
"Sorry about him, he''s a bit of an idiot but he''s harmless." She tells me, extending her hand. "I''m Jess." She says. She has a goth princess vibe going on, which I love. "Thanks for helping me out. I''m Mina." I tell her. Madam Kisley comes in and leads the class in stretches, and Jess and I begin to stretch together, making small talk as we do.
"Are you actually married to one of those mafia guys?" Jess asks as we practice pirouettes.
"Yes, I am," I say, worried I will lose what seems to be a budding friendship when she finds out.
"You don''t really seem like the type to fall for a bad boy," Jess says with a smile.
"It''s a long story," I tell her with a smile. Thinking about how hard I''ve fallen for these guys, despite how our love story started.
Once the two-hour-long class is over, Jess and I exchange phone numbers. "See you around!" she says as she picks up her bag to leave. She freezes as she turns to the door. "Whoa," she whispers, seeing Kai leaning against the door.
"Wife." He said, his voice slightly deeper than usual. "Hi!" I say excitedly, taking my jeans out of my dance bag and slipping them on over my lavender leotard and white tights.
"I came to walk you to the cafeteria." He says, walking deeper into the room.
He reaches me and picks up my dance bag before leaning down and kissing me. I kiss him back with a smile on my lips. Kai pulls away, looking over my head to where I know Trenton is standing. A dark look on his face. "Let''s go!" I say, pulling him with me out of the door.
"Who''s ballet dude?" Kai asks as we walk toward the cafeteria. "He''s just some guy in my class. Trent or something like that." I tell him with a shrug. We meet the guys at the cafeteria and I see they''ve already gotten some snacks. Since we just had a big breakfast, none of us were that hungry, so we decided to go out to the quad for the forty-minute-long break.
Han and Jae toss a football around while Kai sits on the grass against a tree. I sat between his legs, leaning back against his chest. I''m tired from waking up so early and I hardly slept last night since I was so excited for today.
"Okay, who wants to hear about the guy in Princess'' ballet class?" Ka asks, making me roll my eyes. "I already told you everything I know," I say as Han and Jae walk over, sitting in front of us. "So he didn''t talk to you at all?" Han asks. I hesitate.
"What did he say? Who is this guy?" Jae asks. I groan, moving so I can see all three of them while I talk.
"He introduced himself to me and kind of called me ''totally hot''," I tell them. When Kai opens his mouth to speak, I interrupt. "And I said I''m totally married," I say with a smile, wiggling my fingers to show my ring.
"And what did he say?" Han asks, leaning forward.
"Hmm, you know... just... like." I began thinking of the best way to phrase what he said and also keep the poor dude alive.
"Spit it out already," Kai says, poking her in the cheek.
"He kinda implied that we were married because we had a kid or something and said that you guys wouldn''t have to find out about him and me," I say, letting out a breath. "But I told him that ''my husband'' would kill him for breathing near me and he walked away, no big deal.
"Hell yeah I would, that''s my girl," Kai said, pulling me close and kissing my cheek.
"If he ever tries talking to you again, you tell me right away," Kai demands, making me nod. I want to end the conversation as soon as possible.
"My next class is English. I''m not looking forward to that one," I say with a sigh, taking Han''s coffee and gulping down half of it. "Hey!" He complains with a smirk. "You little brat," Han says, but the smile on his face tells me he doesn''t mind it too much.
"I''m sleepy," I complain. "Maybe someone shouldn''t have woken up at five in the morning then, hmm?" Jae asks, poking my nose. "Hmm, whatever," I say, getting comfortable to take a nap against Kai.
The nap is short, and I am walking into my English class twenty minutes later. I take a seat in the middle row and take out my notebook as the professor starts the class.
The rest of the day passes by pretty smoothly. Kai''s last class ends about forty minutes later than the rest of us, so I go to the vending machines to grab a coffee. Han and Jae were waiting for me in the car, where we agreed to meet after classes ended. As I am punching in the number of the coffee I want at the vending machine; I feel someone touch my shoulder, making me jump. I assume it''s Kai. Maybe he got out of class early since it''s the first day of classes, but I roll my eyes when I see Trenton standing next to me, his arm draped over my shoulder. "What?" I ask, shrugging his arm away. I bend down to pick up the coffee when it drops. It was a bad idea because I felt his hand come to rest on my butt. I jump up, turning to him. "Are you crazy?" I ask him, anger burning in my chest. "Never touch me!" I say, pushing him back a step.
"Sorry, I couldn''t resist," Trenton tells me with a gross smirk. "Ew," I say, shaking my head. "You better hope no one ever finds out about that, not even I could save you from them," I tell him before turning and walking away, not looking back.
When I get there, the guys are waiting for me outside of the SUV. "How was your class?" Han asks, pulling me into a hug. "Kinda boring," I tell him with a smirk.
"Are you happy?" Jae asks, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "Of course I am," I say, putting my hand on his chest. "I can''t wait to go home and relax with my favorite guys, though." This makes Jae smile and Han squeeze me, so I know he also liked my answer. We hang out in the parking lot until Kai is finished, then finally go home.
ELEVEN (Mature)
The rest of the first week of school went by pretty uneventfully. The guys and I have spent every night doing assignments together and then cuddling up and watching a movie. I can''t believe how much I have fallen for them after the horrible start we had. But they are amazing boyfriends... Or husbands? They are caring, loving, sweet, and just so hot. While I haven''t slept with any of them yet, they aren''t rushing me. They know my past trauma and have been so understanding, but I''m beginning to feel like it''s time.
"Can I ask you guys something?" I say, Friday night while we sit at the dining room table. I requested pizza for dinner and they delivered.
"You can ask us anything, princess," Jae says, putting his slice of pizza down and giving me his full attention.
"You know I''ve made a friend from my dance class, Jess?" I ask. They nod. Only Kai has met her but he told the other two about them, and the fact that she told Trenton they leave me alone made the guys approve of her friendship.
"She asked me to hang out with her at the mall tomorrow. She needs to get some stuff to wear to a party she was invited to tomorrow night, and she wants my opinion." I tell them, reaching for another slice of pepperoni. They exchanged glances, and I rolled my eyes.
"Come on, it''s not like I am asking to go to the party. Just to the mall. If I can''t even do that, then we have a problem." I say, turning to look at Kai. "I''m your wife, I refuse to be a prisoner," I say, sitting up straighter. "Fine." He says, before the other two nod as well. "Just please text us, keep us updated," Han adds.
"I will! She''s picking me up at noon." I tell them with an excited clap.
For the rest of the night, we watched the new Scream movie that we rented. It was good, but toward the end, I was more focused on making out with Kai than the movie. When the movie finished, we said goodnight to Jae and Han before taking our make-out session upstairs.
We fall onto the bed, our hands gliding up and down each other''s bodies. I push his chest slightly and he pauses, pulling back, giving me room to sit up. I pull off my shirt and pajama shorts before tossing them to the side and kissing him again.
"Princess, we should stop," Kai says, kissing down my neck. "No," I say, looking into his eyes so he knows I am sure.
He smiles at me before pulling his shirt off. "Tell me to stop anytime, and we will stop," Kai says before leaning down to kiss my neck again, sucking at random places.
He kisses down my chest, and then my stomach, making my muscles contract slightly.
I lift my hips as he pulls down my underwear, placing a kiss at my center. He presses his tongue through my folds, making me gasp. "Kai." I moan.
It doesn''t take long before I reach my climax.
Kai tosses his boxers to the side, coming back up to me, and pressing his member against me. I look at him, eyes wide, nervous about his size. I don''t know how it is going to fit inside me.
"Are you sure?" He asks me again, his hand touching my cheek. "I''m sure," I tell him, biting my lip gently. "We''ll go slow." He assures me. "Ready?" He asks, making me nod. I take a deep breath as he slowly pushes inside me. The pain is sharp and I inhale quickly, wincing. He pauses, allowing my body time to adjust. "Okay, go," I whisper after a few seconds. He slowly slides in another inch and the pain returns, but I nod at him to keep going. Once he is fully inside, he pauses and looks down at me. "Let me know when you''re ready." He says, kissing my forehead. I take a few seconds to get used to the overwhelmingly full feeling before nodding. He thrusts in and out slowly. After about a minute, the pain is completely gone and only a blissful feeling is left. "Faster." I moan, and he obliges, letting out a moan of his own. Before I know it, I come again, shaking and moaning out his name. He isn''t done though. He speeds up again, his thrusts becoming harder and I feel I am on the verge of another orgasm. I shake my head. I don''t think I have the strength to come again. "Come for me, wife." He growls out, and my body listens. We orgasm together. He collapses down on top of me, both of our breath coming fast.
We lay there for a few minutes, catching our breath. Kai gets up and comes back with a warm cloth, which he uses to clean me, making me blush.
"How are you feeling?" He asks me when he comes back from cleaning himself up. "Amazing. Tired, my legs feel like Jell-O." I say with a smile.
He lays down beside me, pulling me into his arms, my back against his chest, and we go to sleep.
The next morning, I wake up with a groan when my alarm goes off at eleven. I try to sit up, but Kai''s arms lock around me. "I have to get up. Jess is going to be here in an hour," I tell him. He sighs, "I''m going to miss you." he tells me. "I''ll miss you too," I whisper. "Come shower with me?" I ask. Kai smiles and gets up without hesitation. We spend the shower kissing. He washes my hair for me, giving me a nice scalp massage, and I playfully squirt him with shaving cream, making him laugh loudly.
Before long, I am dressed and ready to go, wearing my loose-fit mom jeans and a violet crop top.
"Here," Kaili says, tossing me a card. "What''s this for?" I ask, looking at the debit card. "In case you want to buy anything at the mall?" Kai says, putting on a T-shirt. "I don''t need your money," I tell him quietly, handing him the card back.
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"We made you quit your job. I know you don''t have money. And you''re my wife, technically your money, too." He said, tossing the card back again. I put the card in my purse with a sigh. I don''t plan on using the card for more than a coffee, but who knows? Kai and I go downstairs and meet Han and Jae in the kitchen. "Coffee," I say sleepily, taking Jae''s cup and taking a big drink. He leans down and kisses my cheek. "Good morning, beautiful." He says. I tell him good morning before walking over to Han and sitting on his lap, kissing his cheek. "When I get home, do you want to finish Gossip Girl?" I ask them, causing them to groan. I have been forcing them to watch it with me for the last few weeks. "Sure," Han says with a smile. He is always happy to do whatever makes me happy.
When Jess arrives, I kiss each man before meeting her outside and getting into her black jeep. The car is very ''her''. "You live here?" She asks, her jaw-dropping causing me to laugh nervously. "Yeah," I say, looking at the large estate. "It''s like a castle," Jess says as we drive toward the gates.
"Your husband must be pretty high-ranking in the mafia." She says the statement more like a question, glancing over at me and I rub the back of my neck nervously. "I guess so," I say.
"How did you two meet?" Jess asks. "No offense, but I just don''t see you as the type to go for a bad guy." She says with a laugh,
"It was a kind of arranged, you could say," I tell my new friend. "When I was in middle school, I met a guy and we became best friends, then he went away for a while, and he came back years later, with friends. I started dating them all and ended up marrying Kai, but I am still dating the other two." I looked at her, holding my breath, waiting for her reaction. Of course, I left out the forced dating and forced marriage part.
"Are you saying that you are dating all three of the hot guys from school?" She asks, her eyebrow raised. "Yes," I say nervously. "Girl, I am so jealous!" Jess yells. "Good for you." She adds on with a laugh. I let out a sigh of relief.
Once we make it to the mall, we spend hours looking for the perfect dress for the frat party Jess is going to wear. "You should come! It will be so fun." She says, holding up a dress. "This would look perfect on you! Come with me tonight!" She says, grabbing my arm and pulling on it excitedly.
"There is no way they are going to let me go to a party," I say, shaking my head. "Girl, don''t let them control you," Jess says, wrinkling her nose. "We have a... we have a certain relationship. The." Pausing, I lean in, lowering my voice. "Mafia... Relationships work differently. I have to listen to them." I say, shrugging. "That''s kinda hot," she says with a smirk before walking away, causing me to roll my eyes and laugh.
"Ooh, I wanted to get my nose pierced last time we were here," I told her. "You should! It doesn''t hurt as bad as most piercings." Jess said. She had eyebrow, lip, and nose piercings. "I want to, but I can''t," I say, shaking my head. "Oh, come on! It would look so good on you. You have a perfect nose, and you should accent it. "Come on!" she says, dragging me into the shop. I bite my lip, thinking about how much I want the piercing to be worth the wrath that will come from it and I decide it is and pick a pretty small pink stud for my nose. I sit in a chair as some giant guy named Tiny puts a needle through my nose.
Once we found the perfect outfit for Jess and had lunch, she dropped me off back at home and promised to text me and let me know how the party went.
I take a deep breath, gathering the courage to walk inside and show the men my new jewelry, or the new hole in my face, as they will call it.
I confidently walk into the living room, where the guys are playing video games. "Hi princess, did you have fun today?" Jae asks, standing up and walking over to kiss me. He freezes once he is a few steps away. "Please tell me you didn''t do that." He says, running a hand through his hair. "Do what?" Kai asks, pausing the game. "It''s not a big deal," I say, crossing my arms. "I''m an adult and I can do what I want," I tell them as all three men come to stand in front of me. "Princess." Kai groans. "We had such a good night last night. Why are you pulling this now?" He asks. I roll my eyes. "I''m not pulling anything, I''m just living my life," I say, turning around and walking up the stairs. All three men follow me, right on my tail as I walk into my bedroom and get out my house clothes to change into. "You put a hole in your face when we specifically told you not to," Han says angrily.
I pull off my jeans and change into a soft pair of pajama shorts. "Because I wanted to. And it''s my body and my face." I tell them simply. I put my hands on my hips, finding my confidence through the pep talk that Jess gave me on the way home. "And I think it looks cute," I say. "You look gorgeous, princess. But that''s not the point." Kai says softly. "Why are you not freaking out?" Jae asks, turning to look at Kai. "I thought you would be dragging her down to the basement when I first saw her nose," Jae said, confused.
Kai scoffed. "I''m not locking her in the basement the day after we have sex for the first time." He says, rolling his eyes.
"Well, isn''t that convenient for you?" Han asks her, before grabbing my arm and pulling me to the bed.
I drag my feet to avoid going with him, but he is much stronger than me, so it doesn''t make a difference. Once we get to the bed, he sits down and pulls me over his knees. I yell and wiggle, trying to get away, but his hand on my back holds me firm. His other hand rapidly comes down onto my bottom and the tops of my thighs. I cry out at the stinging pain and humiliation. This goes on for what feels like a long time, my tears falling onto the comforter of my bed. Three more hard slaps fall onto the tops of my thighs and then it''s over. Han sits me up and I cry out as he sits me on his lap, pain searing on my behind from sitting down. I wipe my tears and sit up straight, but the tears keep falling.
"Tell us you''re sorry for disobeying," Han says, his voice calm. He moves my hair out of my face as I sob. "I-I''m sorry," I whisper.
"Go wash your face," Han says, and I quickly obey. When I come back out, Kai pulls me into his arms. "It''s okay." He assures me. "Let''s take it out, okay?" He asks, making me shake my head. "No," I whisper. "I''m not taking it out," I tell him, standing my ground.
"I already got punished for it. You can''t make me take it out too," I say. Kai sighs, shaking his head. "My stubborn wife." He whispers, kissing my cheek gently. "It looks beautiful on you." He says. "I think we should let her keep it. She took her punishment." Kai says, turning to face the other two. "Fine, but just because you get to keep it doesn''t mean you can keep disobeying us," Han says with a glare. I nod quickly. "Thank you," I whisper to Kai, glad that he backed me up on this.
"Let''s watch Gossip Girl," Jae says, jumping onto my bed and grabbing the TV remote. Kai hands me a T-shirt to change into and I lay down in the middle of the bed. Han lays next to me, kissing my cheek. I don''t look at him, the burning and stinging on my backside reminding me I am mad at him.
He sighs, wrapping his arms around me as we watch the last three episodes of the series. The guys are shocked at the ending and I smirk at their surprised faces.
We fall asleep in my bed. I''m lying on Kai''s chest, with Han and Jae on either side of us.
TWELVE
When I wake up in the morning, I''m alone, making me frown. After a nice hot shower, I make my way downstairs, only to find it quiet. "Where are the guys?" I ask a man who is standing in the kitchen cutting potatoes.
"They''re working at their warehouse on Eighteenth Street. You shouldn''t go there." He tells me with a kind smile.
I nod, before sneaking off to the garage. All the keys are hanging on the wall, so I grab a random set and hit the button looking around. The lights flash on a black Porsche sports car and I hit the button to open the garage door, get in the car, and turn the ignition. It roars to life. I drive down the driveway to the gates, where I''m stopped by the guards. "Confidence," I say, taking a deep breath as I roll down the window and smile at the guard.
"Miss," the man greets her nervously. "Hello," I say. "I''ll be back soon. Going to bring the guys some lunch." I say, nodding towards the gate.
"Miss. I don''t think we have permission for that." He says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Excuse me?" I ask, taking off my sunglasses and giving my best bitchy expression.
"I am going to bring my husband lunch. I am not a prisoner here. Open the gate." I say, rolling up the window and turning away from him. He does as he is told, making me laugh quietly. I''m getting kinda good at this.
I drive to Eighteenth, it''s in an industrial area near the water. When I arrive in the area, I look for the guys'' familiar SUV, since I don''t know exactly what warehouse is theirs, but I find it pretty quickly. I park next to the SUV and walk toward the entrance. The door is locked, but after trying a few keys on the car''s keyring, I find the right one and the door is unlocked. I quietly walk inside, looking around. The warehouse is nicer than I thought it would be. Sneaking my way down a hallway and see a light coming from underneath a closed door, hearing some voices from inside. Pressing my ear to the door and hear an unfamiliar man''s voice, then a woman''s and I also hear what sounds like Jae speaking.
I take a deep breath and open the door, freezing when I see what''s inside. When I open the door, immediately, two guns are pointed at me. Held by Kai and Han. There is a man tied to a chair in the middle of the room, and a woman sitting in a chair across the room, tears running down her face.
"Shit," Han says as he and Kai put their guns away as soon as they see that it''s me.
"What the hell!" I say, crossing my arms. "You just pointed guns at me." I pout, walking further into the room.
"Well, you surprised us. What are you doing here?" Kai asks, walking over to me and pulling me into his arms. Han moved to stand between me and the tied-up guy, blocking my vision, even though I''d already seen him.
"I woke up alone. I didn''t like it," I said, shrugging. "Someone told me you were here, so I came to see what you were doing... I picked up burgers on the way, but I left them in the car." I tell them. "So... What''s going on here?" I ask, looking at the men.
"Just business, Jagi, don''t worry about it," Jae says, coming to stand in front of me. "I''ll go get the burgers. What car did you take?" He asks. I hold up the keys, making Kai gasp. "You stole my car!" He says dramatically. "Hey, we are married. It''s my car too," I tell him with a smile. "And it''s really fun to drive, so expect me to drive it more often," I say with an evil smirk. "Fine, you''re lucky I love you. If anyone else touched my car, they would be in that guy''s position." He said, nodding to the guy tied to a chair.
"What did he do?" I ask, tilting my head. He is a white guy in his mid-forties, his wife is a blonde who looks to be around the same age.
"He can''t repay his gambling debt. We gave him many chances."Kai i said, reaching to touch her face, then stopping when he realized there was blood on his hand. "Ew," I say, moving away from him.
"Please let us go!" The woman yells, looking at me, her eyes pleading. I bite my lip, looking at the men. "Maybe he can get the money if you give him more time?" I ask. "He''s had plenty of time princess. Don''t concern yourself with it," Han says, making me nod nervously. "Thank you for bringing lunch, and I''m sorry you woke up alone. We should have told you we had work to do." He kisses me.
"You should go home. We will be there in a few hours." He says, making me nod. I didn''t want to be here.
"Be careful," Kai says, tossing me his keys.
"For my sake or your precious Porsche?" I ask with a smirk.
"For you, of course, I can always get a new car." He says, pulling me into his arms. "But if you scratch my baby, I''m going to spank you so hard you won''t sit for a week." He whispers in my ear, making me gulp. "Got it," I whisper, walking away with a laugh. "See you guys later," I say, sparing the woman one last glance. I give her a small smile. "You''re not gonna kill him, right?" I ask the guys. "Jagi, go home now," Han says. I turn and walk out of the warehouse.
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When I got to the car, I decided to take advantage of my freedom and stop at the health clinic. Ever since Kai and I slept together, I have been thinking about getting on birth control. We didn''t use any protection, and although I am terrified of medications, birth control is just a hormone, so I decided I should be fine by taking it.
Once I got to the clinic, I filled out all the required forms and waited to be called on. After a long forty-minute wait, I was called to the back, where I was given an exam and had a conversation with a nice doctor about various forms of birth control. I opted for the pill since it seemed like the least invasive. Before long, I was on my way to the front to pick up the pills.
"Miss, you left all the insurance information blank. Do you have insurance you would like to add?" The woman behind the counter asked me with a kind smile.
"Uh, no," I say nervously. "I don''t have any insurance. Do you take debit cards?" I ask her. "Yes, we do, but with the office visit and the six-month supply that you preferred, it''s going to be around three hundred and thirty dollars." The woman told her with a look of concern. The reason I chose a six-month supply was that I wasn''t sure when I could sneak out again and I didn''t want to have the birth control discussion with the guys.
"That''s fine," I tell her, handing over Kai''s black card. I had tried to give it back to him after the mall, but he told me to keep it and to use it for whatever I needed. I didn''t use it except to order some necessary things from Amazon, women''s products mostly, since I didn''t want to ask the butler who does most of the shopping for the house to get them.
Her eyes widen as she takes the black card and runs it, before handing it back to her with a receipt to sign, and then back with her medication in it. "The clinic''s phone number is in the bag if you have any issues." She tells me with a smile. "Thank you. Have a good day." With a nod, I make my way back to Kai''s car and let out a sigh. That was a relief to get this out of the way. If I hurry, I should make it back to the house before the guys.
When I get back, the guys still aren''t home, so I can hide my stash of birth control pills without issue. I have to wait until the beginning of my next cycle in two weeks to take the first dose.
My phone rings just as I finish changing my clothes, when I see that the caller ID says it is Kai, I answer with a smile. "When will you be home? I miss you guys." I tell him immediately, falling onto my bed.
"Soon princess, we''re on our way now. Are you okay?" He asks me, his voice concerned.
"Yeah, I''m fine, why? Starving though. Can we get Chipotle? That sounds so good." I say excitedly.
"We can." Kai says, "See you soon." With that he hangs up, leaving me slightly confused, but the warehouse is only twenty minutes away so they quickly arrive and I meet them downstairs.
"Hi!" I say, jumping into Jae''s arms. He catches me with a laugh. "Hi princess, how was your little freedom today? Hmm?" He asks, kissing my hair.
I blush. "It was awesome. I felt so normal! But also I love Kai''s car." I say with a laugh. "It''s so speedy. You should have seen me passing all the minivans on the freeway." I teased, sticking my tongue out at Kai, making him laugh.
"Yeah? Where did you go after leaving the warehouse?" Jae asks, setting me down gently. "Just back here," shrugging I avoid looking him in the eyes. "Hm, wanna try again?" Kai asks, tilting his head. "Not really," I tell him with a sheepish smile. "Too bad. Try again anyway, with the truth this time," Han says. Sighing, sitting down on the couch. "I went to a clinic. But you already knew that, right? How did you know?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"You used my black card. I got a notification." Kai says. "What were you there for?" He asks me. "Are you sick?" He walks over, touching my forehead with the back of his hand. "I''m not sick, I went there for birth control, okay? Jeez, it''s no big deal." I''m annoyed. I didn''t want this to become a discussion or a big deal, but apparently, there are no secrets in this house.
"Why didn''t you talk to us about it? Our doctor could have gotten it for you." Han asks me, confused.
"Because it''s awkward! I just wanted to get it and take it myself. I didn''t want to have a conversation about it!" I''m blushing, I can feel it.
"Kai and I didn''t use any protection, so I was a little worried. I wanted to get the pill." I say with a shrug.
"We would have liked for you to talk to us about this Jagi," Jae told me. "Why? I''m an adult. It''s my body, and I''m pretty sure none of us want babies right now, so what''s the big deal?" I ask them, throwing my hands up. "You''re just being controlling," I say, standing up.
"No, we just care about you, Jagi. The hormones in those pills aren''t very good for you," Kai tells me, taking my hands gently. "But you are right. It''s your choice. If you want to try them, it is up to you." He says, kissing my cheek gently. "Good," I say. "Now, chipotle?" I ask, jumping up and down a little. "Yes, just let us shower and we''ll go," Han says with a chuckle as the men make their way upstairs.
When we get to the restaurant, we move through the line, creating our masterpieces. My bowl is full of stuff by the time we make it to the end of the line, and my mouth is watering.
We find a table by a window and I take a bite, moaning at the burst of flavors. Kai almost chokes on his burrito when he hears me, making me blush. "So," I start, wanting to change the subject. "I''m going to stay after school for an hour tomorrow. By the time Kai''s last class is over, I''ll be done too," I tell them. "What are you staying late for?" Han asks, before taking another bite of his burrito. "Marnie and I are practicing for the roles we want to audition for. There''s a practice recital, and at the end of the semester there''s going to be a production of Swan Lake." I tell them excitedly. "That''s great, princess," Jae says with a smile. "We can''t wait to see you perform," Kai adds, making me blush.
After we finish eating, we get frozen yogurt before heading home and going to bed. As I lay there with Han''s arms around me, I think about the mysterious Instagram message that I received today from an unknown account. There was no profile picture, and the username was ''uKnowMe11'' The message read "You should''ve gotten the dress. See you soon." and there was a picture attached of me and Jess. I was holding a light blue sparkly dress up to myself and looking into the mirror. I had no idea who sent it, but it creeped me out, and I am debating telling the guys about it. However, I don''t want to lose my newfound freedom.
What if it was one of those Italian guys that saw us together? They will put me on lockdown again.
I decide to keep it quiet for now. If it continues, then I''ll bring it up to them.
THIRTEEN
I wake up to Han''s alarm going off at eight in the morning, making me groan and push his shoulder. "Turn it off," I mumble putting my pillow over my head. He silences it with a chuckle. "I''m going to shower; you better be up by the time I get back." He says, swatting my butt playfully.
Twenty minutes later, he is out of the shower and dragging me out of bed. I curse under my breath, making my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I am so tired this morning. We go downstairs, and I''m fully dressed in a coral sundress. It''s summer and getting warm in the afternoon. "I need coffee. Can we stop at Starbucks?" I ask, grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl. "Sounds good, but we should leave now," Han tells me, grabbing the keys.
I walk into my ballet class, iced white chocolate mocha latte in my hand. "Hey!" I greet Jess, handing her the coffee that I bought for her. "How was the party? Tell me everything!" I say excitedly. Class doesn''t start for another ten minutes, so we spend that time talking about the party. Jess had a great time, dancing, drinking, and making out with some art major whom she''s had a crush on for a while.
"There''s another party on Friday. You should try to convince them to let you go! It''s college, you need to experience parties!" Jess tells me. I nod. "There''s no way they''ll let me go alone, but maybe I can convince them to come," I say with a smile.
"Ladies," Trenton says, coming to stand in front of us. I ignore him, going to the changing room and changing into my ballet clothes and shoes. It wasn''t long before Madam Kinsley arrived and we started class. Trenton, as usual, spends the class complaining about how he isn''t flexible and watching other girls with a pervy stare.
I wonder if Trenton could be the one who sent the text. He has been creepy lately. I wouldn''t put stalking past him.
Madam Kinsley compliments my dancing, making me smile proudly, but it attracts Trenton''s stare, which annoys me. By the end of class, he has moved to dance closer to Jess and me, but we both ignore him until his hand brushes over my stomach as he does an open-armed turn. Jess sees this and moves between us, and I give her a thankful look. She is a great friend.
Class ends, and I go to the dressing area and change back into my sundress. My stomach growls loudly, and I''m excited to meet the guys for lunch. My phone dings and I pull it out, expecting a text from one of the guys, but I was wrong. It''s an Instagram notification from ''UKnowMe11''. It doesn''t say anything, it''s just a picture of me in the coffee shop. "Who are you?" I replied quickly. I put my phone away, shaking.
That''s when I noticed that the classroom was empty except for Trenton and me. I hurry toward the door, but he steps in front of me. "Where are you going so fast?" He asks with a smile. "None of your business," I tell him with a glare.
"Oh, come on, don''t play so hard to get. You''re dating those three guys. Everyone knows you''re easy." He says with a laugh.
"I''m not playing anything. You couldn''t ''get'' me if you were the only guy left on earth." I tell him with a laugh, attempting to walk around him. That''s when he grabs my arm and pulls me to him. He leans down like he is going to kiss me but I push him away as hard as I can and run out of the room when he falls back a few steps. I''m shaking as I make my way to the cafeteria to meet the guys. I know there is no way they can find out about this. I can''t have the same thing happen to them. They''ll kill Trenton. I can''t lose them.
I take a few deep breaths and gather myself as I walk into the cafeteria and see my guys waiting for me at our usual table in the corner.
I sit down with a fake smile on my face, even though I feel like crying.
"Here you go," Han says, pushing a plate over to me. I see they''ve gotten me a few different options, including pizza, pasta salad, and a cheeseburger and fries.
"Thanks!" I tell them before picking up a fry and dipping it into a large amount of ketchup, taking a bite. Kai laughs, reaching out and using his thumb to remove some ketchup from the corner of my lip, then licking it off of his thumb, making me blush.
"How was dance class?" Jae asks, his hand landing on my thigh, making me jump slightly. His eyes narrow at my reaction. "Good. Madam Kinsley complimented my dancing." I tell them. "Of course she did. You''re an amazing dancer," Han says with a smile.
"C- Can I ask you guys something?" I say, biting my lip nervously.
"Princess, you can ask us anything," Kai says, scooting closer to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "You seem off, what''s going on?" He asks, moving my hair out of my face.
"My anxiety is acting up a lot today. Do you think we can skip after lunch? Or you guys can stay. I can take the car home and come back for you guys later." I say, doing my best to keep my voice even, although I''m on the verge of a panic attack.
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"Of course we can. Did something happen?" Kai asks, glancing at Han and Jae behind me suspiciously. I shake my head quickly. "No-," I say, my voice cracking as my eyes fill with tears. I hate lying to them.
"I just want to go home," I tell him, a tear slipping out. "Let''s go," Han says, standing up. The rest of us follow and they lead me to the car as Kai wipes my tears away. He sits in the back of the car with me like always, holding me in his arms. The car ride is quiet, except for my sniffles as I let my tears fall, my head against Kai''s shoulder.
"When we get home, let''s change into house clothes and we will watch a movie and cuddle," Jae suggests, glancing back at me as he drives. "No scary movies though," Han says. I nod, but I''m not listening. My mind keeps playing flashbacks of my assault from high school, brought on by Trenton.
A horrible flashback starts, and my breathing becomes faster. Suddenly my throat feels closed. Kai''s arms no longer feel like the supportive arms of my husband but more like the constricting arms of my assailant.
I pull away and move closer to the door of the car, my breathing shallow. "Princess, calm down, slow your breathing for me," Kai says, reaching out to me, and causing me to flinch.
The car stops and I look up, noticing that we are home. Han and Jae turn to face us, both of their faces worried. "I-I''m okay," I tell them, between shallow breaths. "Breathe with me," Kai says, helping me regain my breathing.
We get out of the car and go into the house. "I''m going to run you a hot bath. You relax in the bath for a while and we will set up the living room for a movie night, and make you some chamomile tea." I nod to Han, giving him a small smile. I am so lucky to have them.
"I''ll bring you your clothes. Just go relax in the bath for a while. I''ll be in your room if you need me," Kai says, nudging me toward the bathroom connected to my room.
As I sink into the bath, I hear the guys'' hushed voices, but I can''t hear what they are saying. I know they are worried, but I can''t tell them what happened. They will kill Trenton and then they''ll be taken away from me!
I don''t know how long I''ve been in the bath, but I feel my tense muscles slowly relaxing, and my breathing back to normal. I think the lavender bath bomb Han put in the water has helped a lot.
"Princess, here are some clothes for you. Take your time getting out," Kai says, setting a small pile of clothes on the counter. "I''m done," I say softly, sitting up in the water. He picks up a towel and comes over to me, wrapping the fluffy white towel around me when I stand. "The movie is ready, and the couch has been converted to a giant bed." He tells me with a smile.
"What are we going to watch?" I ask softly as I dry off and change into the clothes he brought me, which are one of his t-shirts and a pair of my pajama pants.
"I''m not sure. Some romance movies that Jae picked. Come here, let me dry your hair," Kai says, lifting my hair dryer. He thoroughly dries my hair, and then we make our way downstairs and I claim my spot in the middle of the couch that''s piled high with blankets. Han brings me a cup of tea and Jae starts the movie.
I must fall asleep before when I wake up again. The movie is over and I hear the guys speaking quietly. I keep my eyes closed and listen in.
"Something had to have happened," Kai says in a quiet voice,
"I don''t know. She went through a huge trauma when she was younger. I think it''s normal that she has some bad days from it. It could just be that." Jae whispers.
"No, she was fine, and then when her ballet class ended, she was having an anxiety attack. Something had to have happened in that class." Han chimes in. She even skipped tryouts today to come home.
"No, she loves ballet. What could have happened?" Jae asks, his hand gently touching the top of my head.
"There''s a guy in her class. What if he said something to her?" Kai asks, his voice dark.
"I don''t know. I think we need to walk her to and from class from now on, something happened that upset her." Han said, and the other two hummed in agreement. I stretch and pretend to wake up.
"Good morning, my princess! So nice of you to wake up after falling asleep and leaving us to watch that horrible romance movie alone." Kai says with a smile, pulling me into his arms.
"You''re welcome. Since I fell asleep, we will have to watch it again." I tell him with a smirk, making him and Han groan.
"What''s for dinner?" I ask as my stomach loudly growls.
"Whatever you want," Jae tells me. I think about it for a minute. "I want Chinese food," I say, stretching.
We eat dinner together while watching some random show, then when it''s time to go to bed and I have to pick whose bed to sleep in like I do every night, I bite my lip. "Can... Can we all sleep in Han''s bed?" I ask quietly. Han has the biggest bed I''ve ever seen, it''s bigger than a king-size. We usually don''t all sleep in the same bed unless we fall asleep while watching TV, but I need all of my guys tonight.
"Of course," Han says with a smile, grabbing me around the waist and throwing me over his shoulder, making me laugh.
He and I go to his room to get ready for bed while Kai and Jae go to their rooms to change into pajamas. I take the T-shirt that Han offers me, and put it on, and get into bed, getting comfy under the blankets in the middle of the bed.
"You know you can tell us anything, right? No matter what." Han asks, looking me in the eye. "We know something is going on, please talk to us," He says, lying on the bed next to me. Jae and Kai agree as they walk into the room.
"I will," I whisper. "Just... I''ve been thinking a lot about what happened at that party in high school. It just flashes into my brain sometimes." I say quietly, shaking my head. "The last couple of days it''s more often, and it makes me feel... I don''t know. Anxious." I tell them.
"Do you think it''s because we had sex?" Kai asks nervously. "No!" I say quickly, hugging him. I don''t want him to think that this is because of him.
"It''s just... I don''t know. When I figure out why, I''ll tell you." I say with a shrug. "Guys, I''m fine. I just need to cuddle with my husband tonight... I need to know that you''re here to protect me. All of you." I tell them with a small smile.
"We will always protect you, Jagi," Han says, pulling me close. Kai lies on the other side of me and Jae lies on the other side of Han, on top of the blankets.
"Wake us up if you need anything, Princess," Kai says as he turns off the lamp beside the bed. Before I know it, I''m asleep, feeling safe and sound in Han''s arms.
Fourteen
The next morning, I woke up feeling a lot better. I didn''t receive any response to my question asking the mysterious Instagram account of who they are. Maybe they will leave me alone.
Kai and Han are already up, but Jae is still in bed with me and he''s moved closer, his body wrapped around mine. "Good morning," I whisper, turning in his arms and kissing his cheek. He wakes up with a smile. "Good morning my Princess." He says, stretching.
I smile at him. "Want to shower with me?" I ask him, laughing as his eyebrows raise. "Hell yeah, I do," Jae says, practically running to the bathroom to start the shower.
The shower was uneventful. Jae was being very respectful of me, and only touched me to kiss me and wash my hair.
After breakfast, we go to school and part ways. Today I am wearing jeans I can wear over my dance outfit, so I don''t have to stay after class to change. I plan to not be alone with Trenton at all.
Class starts and ends without incidents. Jess and I talk about the party, and once the class is released, we part ways. I make my way to my English class and curse under my breath when I make it there just as class starts and there''s only one seat left. I stand near the door, biting my lip nervously. "Mrs. Park, take your seat so I can begin, please." Professor Torren says, snapping me out of my thoughts. The only available seat is next to Trenton, and he''s wearing a smile that tells me he saved that seat on purpose. I contemplate leaving, but I can''t just walk out in front of the professor, can I?
I slowly make my way to the middle row and sit down, pulling my chair as far away from him as possible. After I take out my books, I stare straight ahead, ignoring Trenton completely. For about half of the class, it goes well, but as we are working on writing our rough drafts for our essays on classic literature, I feel a hand land on my thigh, making me jump. I try to push his hand away, but he doesn''t move it, his fingers gripping my thigh.
Suddenly I stand, drawing the attention of the professor and some of the class. "I-I have to go," I say, grabbing my bag and running out of the classroom I can hear some whispers as I leave from other classmates, but I don''t care. The blood is roaring in my ears, my heart is pounding, and I feel like I can''t breathe and also like I''m breathing too much at the same time. I barely make it to the women''s restroom before I collapse on the floor, pressing my back against the door.
I try to slow my breathing, but it''s impossible.
The room is spinning, and my vision darkens. I fumble with my phone, calling the last dialed number. I''m not even sure who it is, but it has to be Jess or one of the guys.
"Princess?" Kai''s deep voice questions not even two rings later. I hear him being scolded by a teacher for using a phone in class.
"H-help," I whimper, barely able to get a word out as I am trying to get air into my lungs. There''s a commotion on the other side of the phone, a bang like a chair falling, and another one like a door is flung open so hard that it hits the wall.
"Where are you? What''s going on?" Kai questions.
I gasp for air, my vision tunneling "English." I got out. "Bathroom."
"Princess, I need you to breathe, slowly, like I taught you," Kai says through the phone. "I''m on my way."
I can''t respond, the phone falls out of my hand and I lose consciousness.
KAI''S POV
As soon as my Princess calls me during class, I know something is wrong. I answer it, ignoring the nagging from my business professor. I hear her gasping and know immediately that something is wrong. I''m out of my seat and running out of the door, toward her English class. "Where are you? What''s going on?" I ask, pushing past people in the halls. One scrawny kid falls over with a grunt, but I don''t care. I only care about my wife and her safety.
I can barely understand her when she says that she is in the bathroom near her English class. She sounds weak. I don''t know if she''s hurt, sick, or if this is another panic attack.
"Princess, I need you to breathe slowly, like I taught you," I tell her. "I''m on my way."
I run down the hall and make it to what I am pretty sure is the closest bathroom to her English class right as I hear her phone fall. I push the door but it''s heavy; she is in front of it, so I push it open and slip inside as soon as it''s open enough for me to do so, and I see my princess lying on the floor, passed out.
I kneel next to her, my hands running over her, looking for any injuries, but I don''t see any. Her breathing is even and steady, her face is stained with tears, and her cheeks and the area around her eyes are red. I take out my phone and call Jae. He answers after three rings. "Get Han and get to the bathroom near her English class," I say, not having to specify who I am talking about. "Is she okay?" he asks, his tone serious. I can hear him running, his footsteps heavy. "She fainted in the bathroom. She called me first. I think she was having a panic attack," I tell him, sitting on the floor and pulling her into my lap. "Mina," I say quietly, touching her cheek. "Wake up, princess," I tell her, but she doesn''t move, her breathing still steady.
I put my phone on speaker and put it on the floor, looking her over for injuries again but not finding any. I hear a door open on the phone. "Han! We gotta go," Jae says. "What''s going on?" Han asks after a few seconds. "Kai found Mina passed out in the bathroom. She called him first, maybe a panic attack." Jae tells Han. I hear Han cuss in response, his tone worried. "Tell us something man, is she okay?" Jae asks. "Just get here. One of you gets the car and brings it to the front." I say impatiently. "On it," Han says.
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Just moments later, Jae burst into the room. "Princess." He says, his face falling at the sight of her unconscious in my arms.
I stand up, pulling her into my arms, tucking her head against my neck. "Use your jacket to cover her head. I don''t want people seeing her like this," I say. He covers her and we make our way outside where Han is waiting in the escalade at the front of the school.
"Hospital or call Lawrence?" Han asks.
"Hospital. We don''t know if she hit her head when she fainted." I say, and they both agree.
"Did she say what happened?" Han asks, glancing back at us as he drives.
"She could barely speak. I answered the phone, and she said ''Help me" I started running toward her class. I didn''t even know where she was or what was happening. If it was a panic attack or if she was hurt. I still don''t know, but I don''t see any obvious injuries. She couldn''t breathe. I tried to help with the breathing, but she fainted right as I got there." I tell them, my eyes filling with tears for the first time since I was a child.
"If someone caused this- "I start, wanting to say how I will handle it with my favorite knife, but I''m cut off by Jae. "I know. Me too." She twitches once in my arms, pulling my attention back to her. "Mina." I say, "Wake up, my pretty wife." I touch her cheek gently. "Please," I beg.
We pull up to the emergency room entrance and I carry her inside. "Help!" I yell as a nurse approaches us, eyes wide. "Help my wife," I say, my panic rising. She still hasn''t woken up. "What happened?" The young nurse asks as a doctor runs over to us and another nurse follows with a gurney.
"I don''t know. She fainted; I don''t know if she''s hurt." I say, gently putting her down on the hospital bed. As the doctor reaches out for her with a gloved hand, I grab his wrist, stopping him from touching her. "She is allergic to latex," I say. The doctor nods, pulling off his gloves. "We will change into non-latex gloves." He assures me. They rush her away, and the nurse stops us when we try to follow. "Wait here. It will be easier for us to check on her if the room isn''t crowded. We will inform you once we know anything." She tells us. I open my mouth to argue when Jae puts his hand on my shoulder. "Let them check her." He says he is also worried; I can tell. "Okay," I whisper, and we walk over to the waiting area. Sitting with my head in my hands. I can''t think, I can''t talk. I just want her to be okay.
"For Mina Park." A nurse says, looking around. Jae, Han, and I stand up. "Yes?" I ask as we walk over to her. She looks surprised. "We need one of you to fill out these forms. Who is the patient related to?" The nurse asks. She''s probably in her early thirties, with her brown hair in a low ponytail. She is wearing obnoxiously bright purple scrubs.
"Uh." I rub the back of my neck. "She''s my wife, but she''s related to all of us," I say, not liking that people assume that she is more mine than Jae and Han''s because she shares my last name. They say they don''t care, that they know she is just as much theirs as she is mine, but if it were me, it would drive me crazy, which is another reason I was the one to get to marry her.
"Okay, please fill out these forms with as much info as possible. Do you know if your wife is allergic to anything?" She asks. "Latex, I already told the doctor that. And penicillin." I tell her.
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Park. Please fill out the forms and give them to me at the front desk. We will let you know what is going on as soon as possible." She tells me. I take the clipboard and we go to sit back down.
My hands are shaking as the guys and I fill out the forms that ask about her height, weight, medical history, identification information, and insurance info. Once we finish with it, I take the clipboard to the front desk, handing it to the nurse. She looks it over. "Does the patient have health insurance?" The annoying purple-wearing nurse asks.
"No, we don''t. We''ll pay cash. Can you just go get an update, please?" I ask. My patience is barely contained. "The doctor will let us know when there''s any info, sir." She says, sounding bored.
"If I don''t get an update on my wife''s condition in the next ten minutes- "I start but am cut off by my Jae. "Please let us know as soon as you hear anything." He says, guiding me back to the seating area.
"What the hell?" I ask, annoyed.
"You can''t just threaten people, let them do their job. We want to know just as bad as you, but we need to stay calm." Jae tells me, shaking his head.
We sit and wait another ten minutes before the nurse comes over.
"Mrs. Park is stable. She woke up and is asking for all three of you. If you''ll follow me." Nurse annoying says. We follow her down a long hallway. "She is receiving fluids, and it doesn''t appear that she has any injuries. The doctor will tell you more." She stops in front of an open door and ushers us inside. There, lying in the hospital bed with an IV in her arm, is our princess. She sits up when she sees us. I quickly go to her side, hugging her.
"How are you feeling?" I ask her, as Jae takes her other hand and Han sits on the corner of the bed, his hand on her ankle.
"I''m okay." She whispers. "Sorry for scaring you." I shake my head. "Princess, don''t worry about that," Han tells her.
"Gentleman, I''m Doctor Broussard, I''m treating Ms. Park." The doctor starts. "Mrs." I correct automatically, making her gently slap my arm. "What?" I ask with a smile. "I''m proud to have you as my wife and I love hearing it," I tell her with a shrug.
"Mrs. Park." The man corrects with a smile. "What happened? Is she okay?" Han asks, looking at the doctor. "Yes, she had a panic attack, and the hyperventilation caused her to faint. She has no head injuries or anything of that sort. As soon as she finishes the IV fluids, she will go home. I suggest that you get to the bottom of what is causing the panic attacks, Mrs. Park, and try to avoid them. Maybe speaking to a therapist would be helpful. I can also prescribe a mild sedative in case this happens again." The doctor tells us.
"You''re sure she didn''t hit her head?" I ask, my fingers gently running along the back of her head, checking for any injuries even though I did this in the car and the bathroom back at the school already. "Yes, we ran tests, and she has no physical injuries, other than a few bruises from her fall, I assure you."
"Thank you," Mina says quietly, her cheeks tinted red. "We will make sure to get her a therapist," I tell him, looking at Han and Jae, who both nod.
"Do you need a school note, Mrs. Park, for today and maybe the next couple of days?" The doctor offers. "That would be great," I interject when she started to say no.
The doctor leaves to work on her discharge papers and I pull Mina tighter into my arms. "What caused your panic attack?" I ask her. She shrugs.
"No, that''s enough. You''ve been having them too often. Something is causing it, and you know what it is." I tell her, shaking my head, frustrated. "Tell us what is going on," I say, lifting her chin to look her in the eye.
"Let''s talk about this at home," Jae says, shifting his eye toward the nurse filling out paperwork in the corner of the room. "Fine," I say, holding her against me. "I''m so glad you''re okay," Han says, squeezing her ankle gently. "Me too," Jae adds, coming to stand closer to us. She smiles, looking up at me and puckering her lips, waiting for a kiss, and I lean down, kissing her as gently as I am capable of.
Fifteen
is almost four PM by the time we get home, and I go straight upstairs. The guys are babying me; honestly, I don''t mind it. But I am not excited for them to ask me what happened. I don''t know what to say.
"Princess, do you want some juice? We got the berry lemonade that you like!" Kai tells me, carrying in a glass of my favorite juice. It''s from a specialty store and is hard to find since it is so popular.
I take the cup and have a big drink. "Thanks, Kai," I say with a smile. "Can we cuddle and watch a movie?" I ask them. That will make sure they don''t ask me any questions about today for the next few hours at least.
"Sure, you pick the movie while we go get some snacks," Jae tells me with a smile on his face. "Han." He adds, nodding to the door and asking him to go with him. "They''re going to talk about me, aren''t they?" I ask when they both leave. Kai smiles. "Yep." He says, laughing.
"I''m fine, you guys don''t need to worry." He tells me. "I know, but we will always worry about you, you''re so special to us." He says, reaching out to touch my cheek. "I love you." He says for the first time. "I-I love you too," I say, tears in my eyes.
I hug him and he pulls me into his arms, looking down at me with a smile and tears in his eyes.
"You are my favorite person; you''ll always be my favorite person. I''m so glad that you are my wife, but you need to let me protect you, it''s my job, so please, tell me what''s going on." He says, his eyes pleading.
"There''s not anything going on," I say, sitting up. "I just have always had anxiety and PTSD, sometimes it gets worse. It doesn''t have anything to do with anything going on." I tell him right as Han and Jae walk back into the room.
"All right, if you want to go with that story we can." He says, pulling me to lie down with him, "Okay, fine." I say, shaking my head. "Do you have any gummy bears?" I ask Han, who has his hands full of snacks.
He raises a brow "Of course we do." He says, tossing me a bag.
I catch it with a big smile, tearing the bag open. "HEY!" I yell when Jae grabs the bag and pours many gummy worms into his hand. "Those are mine," I tell him, reaching for the gummies. "And you are mine, which means, these gummies are mine too." He says with a laugh. "Hmm, if that''s how this works, then I have a lot of things," I say, laughing quietly. "So, I''ll take Kai''s Porsche when I go meet my dad this weekend." I stick my tongue out at him and he shakes his head. "Not my Porsche!" He exclaims. "I know, we will get you your car, that way you don''t need to drive ours," Kai suggests.
"Are you guys going to let me leave the house alone enough to use my car?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.
"Yes, once you stop having panic attacks," Han says, reaching over to poke my cheek.
"Hmm, deal. But just so we are clear, my husband, legally, your car is my car." I say but start laughing as he tickles me.
He mocks me while tickling me, and Han and Jae laugh with us. "Hey, you are the one who chose to marry me. Not my fault if you regret it now." I say, still laughing. "I don''t regret it at all," Kai tells me. "But as soon as you''re feeling better, we are gonna get you your car so you can keep your grubby little hands off my baby. And your short little butt out of my driver''s seat, you moved the seat up so much I couldn''t even get into the car!" He tells me, shaking his head.
"Hey, it''s not my fault you have freakishly long legs," I tell Kai, poking his thigh.
"Are we meeting with your dad this weekend?" Jae asks, holding a gummy in front of my mouth for me. I take the gummy and then nod. "Well, I am, I don''t think he expects you guys to come... By the way, how did you guys know my dad anyway?" I ask, sitting up and turning toward the pillows of the bed to face them all.
Well, you know that my mom and yours were best friends." Jae says, making me nod. "After she passed, my mom still looked out for you. She loved you like a daughter. Your dad got in debt with some loan shark when you were around ten. He owed a lot of money, and he was coming after your dad for not repaying. He contacted my mom who convinced my dad to help." Jae explained.
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"So, if it wasn''t for me, he would be like that guy you had tied up at the warehouse?" I ask, eyes wide.
"Yes, but he knows that. Which is why he kept borrowing from them, and why he never said anything when we took you. We called him that night after you went to sleep and told him you were staying with us. He wanted us to bring you home at first, of course, he''s your father after all, but we reminded him of his debt. If we didn''t have you, we didn''t need to protect him anymore." Han says with a shrug,
"So, he gave me away to protect himself? He gave me to you because he fears you?" I ask, tears filling my eyes. Did my dad not care about me at all?
"Jagi, we spoke to him about you many times, he has known our intentions for a long time. He knew we would never hurt you. He loves you, but he has gambling problems.'' Kai tells me, wiping away my tears with his hand.
I nod, wrapping my arms around myself. "You are coming with me to the lunch on Saturday?" I ask, tilting my head. "Yes." Han answers simply. I give a quick nod before settling back against the pillows and lying down to watch our movie.
I don''t go to school for the rest of the week thanks to the doctor''s note from Doctor Broussard. Han, Kai, and Jae do go to school though, leaving me home alone during the days. I have gotten a few more cryptic DMs. Mostly saying random creepy things. The most recent one was this morning and it said. "Miss you at school." I''ve blocked the account twice, but a new account quickly pops up.
I''m in a particularly grumpy mood today since I woke up to a DM from the creeper this morning and on top of that, I am having very bad menstrual cramps.
Once the guys get home, I turn off my phone, not risking them seeing any harassing texts. "Princess!" Kai calls from downstairs.
"What?" I yell back, slowly making my way down the hall.
"Why haven''t you texted us back? It''s been like two hours since we last heard from you." Han says, his tone annoyed. I had turned my phone on silent and stopped checking it once the DM''s got overwhelming today. When I didn''t reply, the mystery person sent two more, one of them being a picture of Jess at the cafeteria.
"Luckily we called the guards who assured us you were in your room perfectly safe," Kai adds on, sounding annoyed as well.
"Well sorry, I don''t stare at my phone all day waiting for your texts," I tell them, rolling my eyes, arms crossed.
Han raises an eyebrow. "Drop the attitude." He says. "No!" I yell, frustrated. "I''m here, surrounded by your guards, nothing can happen. Stop being so controlling." I say, pulling my arm away when Kai reaches out for me. His jaw clenches.
"Princess. What is with the attitude?" Jae asks, his voice calm as usual.
"There is no attitude except for Han and Kai''s," I say, walking past them and bumping into Kai''s side as I do.
Before I can pass him Kai grabs me and pushes me against the wall of the entryway, not too hard though.
"You want to see my attitude? Do you want me to show you the side of me that you don''t see, my pretty wife?" Kai growls out.
Rolling my eyes, I push against his chest, but he doesn''t budge. "Let go of me," I tell him. His hands against my shoulders push me tighter up against the wall.
"I thought you wanted to talk about my attitude, now you want to walk away?" Kai asks, tilting his head to the side.
I push him harder, but he doesn''t release me or fall back. He laughs, which infuriates me. His laugh is humorless. This is the side of Kai that the Mafia sees that their enemies see. I can tell he is holding back a lot, but it''s in his eyes. The anger.
Before I can think about what I am doing, or the consequences, I kick my leg out, hitting him in the shin. He laughs again, moving his forearm to my chest, pressing it just at my collarbones, keeping me against the wall. "You want to see what the rest of the world sees of your husband? If anyone else gave me this attitude if they spoke to me like you just did, or if they dared to kick me." He spoke quickly, his accent thicker than normal.
His right hand barely moved lightning quick and suddenly a blade is pressed against my throat, causing me to yelp. "This is what happens when people piss me off." He taps my neck gently with the dull side of the blade. I look into his eyes, refusing to show him any fear. I know he won''t do anything.
"But this doesn''t scare you, because you know that I love you and I''d never hurt you." He says, shaking his head.
Han walks over and gently separates us. "Let''s calm down. Princess, want to tell us what''s going on? Why are you in a bad mood today?" He asks me, taking my hand in his.
"I don''t know. I guess because I''m on my period and I''m in a lot of pain." I whisper.
Han nods, while Kai frowns. "I''m sorry, Pip. I didn''t know. How can I help?" He asks me.
I shake my head. "I''m sorry for being grumpy," I say, looking at them.
Jae walks over and hugs me. "My poor baby, why don''t you pick what you want to have for dinner and dessert? Whatever you want." He tells me. I smile a little. "Can you get spaghetti and tiramisu from Pauly''s?" I ask hesitantly. It is all the way across town. "Of course, I can," Jae says, laughing quietly.
Sixteen
The next day we woke up around eleven AM. We had all fallen asleep downstairs while watching All American on Netflix. The guys won''t admit it, but they''re interested in the show, I can tell.
I sit up from where I am lying between Kai and Jae. We often fall asleep on the couch since it is so soft.
I put my hand on Kai''s chest. "Hey, we have to meet my dad in an hour and a half," I tell him when he opens his eyes to look at me.
He sits up and gently kisses my forehead. "Good morning." He said, standing up and stretching. I smile at him. "Good morning," I reply, standing up as well. "Let''s go shower. Jae set an alarm for eleven thirty, so they''ll wake up soon." He told me. I nod excitedly and the two of us head upstairs to shower.
Before long, we are showered and dressed. We spent a little extra time in the shower making out.
I take my time doing my hair and makeup, not that I need to get dressed up to see my dad, but it has been a while since I''ve seen him.
Jae walks into my room while I sit at my vanity. "Almost ready to go?" He asks, wearing a black button-down shirt.
"Almost," I tell him, putting down my makeup brush and walking over to my bed, where I laid out a light blue sundress. I change into the dress while Jae watches with a smile on his face. He walks over to me and zips the dress for me, placing a kiss on my shoulder. "You look absolutely beautiful." He says.
"I''m nervous," I tell him.
"Why?" I give him a pointed look.
"He doesn''t even know that I am married," I say, shaking my head. "I''m not looking forward to telling him that."
Jae smiles at me. "It''s fine. We never hid our intentions from him. He knew that our moms wanted us to be married. I''m sure it won''t be a big surprise." I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, someday, not suddenly without him even knowing. I''m nineteen. I don''t think he expected us to get married so soon. After only officially dating for like a month." I shake my head.
"Calm down, you know it''s gonna be fine." He tells me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a hug. I nod.
"We have a surprise for you after lunch, so cheer up," Jae says, winking at me before taking my hand and leading me out of the room.
"Ooh, a surprise? What is it?" I ask excitedly as we make our way down the stairs. Kai and Han are waiting at the bottom of the stairs for us, both dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt. Kai''s is white while Han''s is light blue. "We are matching!" I say, gently tugging on Han''s sleeve. He laughs. "You look gorgeous, pip."
When we arrive at the restaurant, my dad is already seated on the outdoor patio area waiting for us. This is one of the most popular brunch spots in the city. I picked it specifically because I knew it would be crowded. My dad often reacted badly to the news. I hoped that with a lot of people around, he would react a little more mildly to the news of my marriage.
He stands as we approach and pulls me into a hug. "Hi, Dad. I''ve missed you." I say before taking my seat across from him, next to Kai.
"I''ve missed you too, love bug." My dad is tall, with dark hair that is slightly greying. He looks tired and I wonder what he has been up to lately.
"I see you''ve all reunited. How was your time away, boys?" My father asks, his tone slightly annoyed.
"Oh you know, sunshine and rainbows. It was just a slap on the wrist, Billy, we weren''t even gone long." Jae tells him with a smile.
I clear my throat, drawing everyone''s attention to me.
"We reconnected when they enrolled at my school," I say with a small smile, trying to keep the conversation light.
The waitress drops off glasses of water for everyone and takes drink orders. I order a caramel iced coffee. When she leaves, I reach for my water, and my dad gasps.
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"What is that?" He asks, looking at my hand.
"U-uh." I start but Kai interrupts me.
"It''s a wedding ring. We got married." He says casually, putting his arm around me.
"You''ve got to be kidding me." My father says, his face turning red.
"They just got out of jail and you marry one of them?" He asks, his voice rising.
"Dad... It''s a complicated situation. You know that I''ve loved them since I was in high school. Is it that surprising that we got together now? Even Mom wanted me to marry Jae." I tell him, tears in my eyes.
"I''m happy, Dad," I say when he opens his mouth to argue. "You left me alone, all of junior and senior year, you were never around. I''m not alone anymore." I tell him, wiping away a tear that managed to slip.
"You''re happy?" He asks me. "Yes." Is my answer. "I''m sorry for leaving you alone, I had a lot going on and I was dealing with a lot." Always excuses.
"I''m glad that you are happy." He tells me. "Let''s enjoy our meal." My father says, reaching across the table and squeezing my hand.
The rest of the lunch goes relatively smoothly. We keep the conversation light and go our separate ways. My father promises to be around more, but I take that with a grain of salt. I''ve heard it before.
"So, what is this surprise?" I ask as we get into the SUV.
"We are going to get you a car. Not that you go anywhere without us, but we thought you might enjoy it." Han says, looking back at me with a smile. I nod excitedly. "Are you serious? I''m so excited!" I say, bouncing in my seat. "And maybe with my car, I can start going places without you," I say, sticking my tongue out at him.
"Yeah, maybe this was a bad idea." Kai chimes in, speaking Korean.
"Nope, no going back now," I say, pushing his shoulder. Kai laughs. "Fine, I''ll just hide your keys." He sticks his tongue out at me just like I did to him.
"Those two." Han comments, shaking his head, but I can see the smile on his face.
We arrive at the car dealership. It''s huge and there are so many shiny, sparkly cars to choose from.
Immediately, a man walks up to us. He is around forty, and wearing a suit that is a bit too big for him.
"Hi, I''m Robert. What are we looking for today?" He asks. His tone is a bit too cheery and friendly.
Jae shakes the guy''s hand. "Not sure yet. Whatever she likes." Jae says, nodding to me.
The man looks at me, a smirk forming on his face, causing Kai to glare and put his arm over my shoulder. I smile, used to my husband''s jealousy.
"Do you have an idea of what kind of car you want? Sedan, SUV?" He asks.
"Something fast." I say at the same time Han says, "Something safe." Han looks at me with a glare, and Kai and Jae both laugh. Robert nods. "Okay, something fast and safe. Got it. Let''s look around."
Robert shows us a lot of cars, ranging from Honda sedans to Range Rover.
"I kind of like this one. It has a lot of safety features," Jae says, referring to the black Range Rover.
"It''s a ''''mom'' car," I say, shaking my head.
"It''s not a mom car," Robert says, laughing.
We have looked at two of the three parking lots, but nothing has caught my eye yet.
"It''s a nice car, but I think it''s something I would drive when we have a kid," I say, making Kai nod in agreement. "Okay, we''ll come back for this one when I knock you up." He says, wrapping his arms around me and wiggling his eyebrows. I blush when Robert coughs awkwardly.
I look away shyly, and that''s when I notice it. In the third parking lot on the left side of the building is my car. I need it.
"I want that one," I say, looking toward the perfect car.
Kai looks over, and a huge smile takes over his face. From his angle standing right behind me, he can see exactly the car I am looking at, even in the crowded parking lot of cars, he knows which one I am talking about.
"What is it?" Han asks. He can''t see it from where he is standing.
The guys and Robert follow me to the car.
It''s Kai''s exact car, except his is black with tinted windows. This one is a pearly white that has an almost light pink tint in the sun.
"I need this car." Jae and Han both laugh when they see it. "Of course, you choose this one," Jae says, shaking his head.
"Do you want to test drive it first? Before you decide? The pedals are sensitive, and if you''ve never driven a car like this, it can be a bit intimidating." Robert comments, looking nervous. I guess it''s not every day a bunch of college students come to buy a Porsche.
"I don''t need to test drive it. It''s the same car my husband has," I say, pointing to Kai. "We will have matching cars!" I say excitedly.
Kai takes over talking to Robert since he knows the most about this type of car. Han and I walk around the car, looking at it. "It''s new, never been driven. You can customize the inside and we can do certain upgrades for safety packages and things like that," Robert explains.
"We would do the best safety package, and as for the interior, we will let her figure that out," Jae says. "Great, let''s get the paperwork started, shall we?" Robert asks, he is eager to make the sale.
We go inside and into a small office. There are only two chairs, so Kai and I sit while Han stands behind me, and Jae stands behind Kai. Han messages my shoulders gently as I go through the booklet that Robert handed me, showing all the options.
I choose cream-colored leather seats and white rims. The rest of it is about the engine and other things I don''t understand, so Kai and Jae choose those options while Han and I play a game together on our phones. It takes a while for them to go over all the options and sign the papers, but when it''s finally done, we go to the car. Robert tells us the car will be delivered by the end of the week and I am so excited.
"Thank you," I tell them when we get back to the car. "Today was so great. I can''t wait to get my car, it''s going to be so pretty! Matching cars, white and black, it''s so cute." I ramble on.
"I am glad that you are happy, my princess," Kai tells me
The rest of the night is spent with the four of us baking brownies and watching a movie.