Chaebol Heirs - Book 1 Read online

  “What… Chinhae, what the hell happened to your face?!” An alarmed Nari stormed into the room and just then I noticed the people standing in the doorway trying to catch a glimpse at what was going on.

  “ Will you tell her, or should I ?” Chinhae looked at Namjoon, then at me. I saw how Namjoon tensed up at the words.

  “Chinhae-ah…. don’t… you got the complete wrong idea.” Namjoon held his hands up in defeat and tried to calm Chinhae down.

  “I told you if you hurt her, I’ll end you… and what did you do, Namjoon-ah?! Instead of fixing your mess in Seoul, you stick your tongue into the next best slut here! Now look at her! Look at her! She’s bleeding because of you! This! This is all your fault, Kim Namjoon!” He was yelling at Namjoon, who flinched at the emotional outburst .

  Nari rushed towards me and helped me up, switching the focus in the room to me . Namjoon’s eyes grew wide when he saw the blood on my hands and the tear stains covering my cheeks. He took a step towards me but the look on my face made him stop.

  “Don’t come near me…. go to that bitch you made out with!” My voice was barely a whisper, but it was filled with so much anger I could see Namjoon’s heart dropped.

  “Valentina… it’s not what it looked like, Chinhae got the wrong idea... I know, I was an idiot yesterday. Please let me explain, princess.” He ran his hand through his hair and looked distressed, but I didn’t care. Chinhae had warned me from the beginning and look at where it got me. I was married to Kim Namjoon, who didn’t care about my feelings and just used me when it pleased him. And if he couldn’t get what he wanted from me, well, there were enough women who would happily oblige him and fulfill his fantasies. I wanted to vomit at the thought that I had ever let him touch me like he had in the past few days. Days... It was just a few days and that was all it took to break our friendship into pieces. And not only our friendship, but also my heart.

  “Don’t call me that ever again… I’m done with you.” Nari looked at me with wide eyes when she saw me pulling off the wedding ring. Before she could stop me, I threw the ring at Namjoon and stormed out of the room. He shouted after me and I heard Chinhae and Nari ’s voices , but I didn’t care. I needed to get as far away as I could ; there was too much going through my head. I didn’t even acknowledge the valet, storming right past him to the taxi stop. The taxi driver looked at me with concern and asked if I was okay.

  “Just drive me to Gimhae Airport, please,” I sighed and leaned back into my seat and just as the taxi took off, I saw a desperate Namjoon storming down the street. It was the last glimpse I caught of him before the taxi got too far away for me to identify him .

  Chapter 6

  Namjoon

  I had planned to talk to Valentina because I knew damn well how bad I had fucked up in Seoul. Chinhae called me out as soon as I entered the building, even threatening to hurt me if I hurt her again . I hadn’t planned on hurting Val, but making love to her and feeling how my heart was almost exploding because of the love I felt for her made me panic and I sneaked out of the hotel room as she slept like the biggest fool Korea had ever seen. Ignoring Valentina was so much easier than admitting that I was madly in love with her, so I was the rudest asshole and just told her to stop calling me. I even went and slept at my father’s home, which I usually avoided at any cost. But I was just too afraid that she would hate me after I’d been such a dick to her. So, I avoided Val and didn’t even want to attend Nari’s birthday party, but then I met her hours before the event and there was no backing out.

  So here I was, sitting alone at the bar waiting for the woman of my dreams and ignoring every woman who tried to get my attention. I was getting nervous, because as far as I knew she’d come, but what if she changed her mind and didn’t want to come because I was there? It was nerve wracking to say the least, and I almost left when she finally walked through the door. And G od, did she look breathtaking. I immediately recognized the black and silver striped sequin jacket; the birthday present I gave her last year. Her long hair was draped over one side, exposing her beautiful neck and the necklace I got her yesterday. Hope was starting to swell up in me and I was about to walk over to her and talk when someone squeezed my upper arm.

  I turned around to get rid of whoever was wasting the precious time I needed to make things right with my wife, but when I looked at the person in front of me, I felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore. In front of me was Soobin, heir of the Jung food company, the woman I was originally promised to before I spontaneously married my best friend.

  “Soobin, what a nice surprise to see you here.” I tried my best to sound cheerful when all I wanted was to end this conversation as soon as possible and talk to Valentina. Soobin wouldn’t let me go that easily. After all, she had told everyone that once I completed my studies, she’d be my wife. Now I was Val’s husband and I didn’t plan on changing that. Still, I owed Soobin an explanation, so when she asked me if we could talk, I followed her without hesitation.

  Little did I know that Soobin was a tricky bitch and that Chinhae was following us. She pulled me into an empty conference room at the end of the hallway. I leaned against the glass table in the middle of the room while Soobin stood in front of me with her arms crossed.

  “So, care to explain why you’re suddenly married to your best friend and left me looking like a dumbfounded idiot? We were promised to each other.” She sounded pissed and raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to explain.

  I sighed. “Soobin, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to embarrass you…”

  “Oh, but you did! Do you know how I look right now?! Like a love drunk idiot who thought she’d secure the notorious Kim Namjoon, heartthrob of Busan! Do you even know what my friends say about me now?!” She half yelled, half whined at me, a nnoying me and making me roll my eyes at her.

  “So, all you care about is what others think of you, huh? Thank God we’re never getting married,” I sneered, and she took a step closer to me.

  “What does she even have? You weren’t interested in Valentina for years and now you just married her out of the blue. She’s nothing compared to me.” Soobin tilted her head at me in a challenging way. “Can she even make you feel as good as I did?”

  “That was only one night, and it’s been two years since.” I pushed myself off the table, glaring at the woman in front of me. Soobin was only inches away from me, leaning closer.

  “I bet you think of me when you fuck her,” she whispered into my ear. I gripped Soobin by her upper arm , but that still didn’t stop her from what she did next. Within seconds her lips were on mine, and I looked at her in disgust as I pushed her away. I wasn’t fast enough for Chinhae’s eyes. All he saw was me getting teased by a woman before she kissed me , and it was enough to make him explode.

  “Chinhae-ah…” my eyes grew wide, my gaze darting from my best friend, who looked pissed as fuck, to Soobin, who had a satisfied smirk playing on her lips.

  “OUT. NOW.” Chinhae yelled at the blonde woman, who immediately turned and left the room. I heard her heels clicking on the marble floor and when the sound faded away , Chinhae turned around to look at me. “I can’t believe you did this, Namjoon…”

  “Chinhae-ah, let me explain. I didn’t do anything, I-I…” My much smaller best friend pushed me by my shoulders, making my eyes widen in shock.

  “Had your fun with Valentina and already looking for a new thrill now, huh? Did you enjoy breaking her heart, Namjoon? Was it what you wanted? The thrill of hurting your best friend?” Chinhae grabbed me by the collar. I ’d never s een Chinhae like that: furious, disappointed and ready to fight.

  I shoved him away, only to have him at my throat again. “Chinhae-ah, come on… stop it. I don’t want to get into a fight with you. Let’s have a drink and I ’ll explain everything, alright?” I really tried my best to stay calm because I knew how explosive Chinhae’s temper could be. The only difference now was that it was the first time said temper was directed towards me.

  �
�Cut the bullshit, Namjoon! I saw enough to know what’s going on! I warned you not to hurt her,” Chinhae growled and before I could calm him down, a punch landed on my stomach . I stumbled backwards and gasped for air, looking at my best friend with a pained gaze.

  “What the hell, Park?!” But Chinhae was coming at me again, punching me in the exact same spot. That was enough to wake the beast inside me. Without thinking any further, I shoved Chinhae onto the large glass table, making it burst into pieces. Chinhae groaned in pain but still got up on his feet and attacked me again.

  “HOW COULD YOU BE SO SELFISH AND DO THIS TO HER!” Chinhae was shouting with so much anger in his voice. We were both so focused on each other that we hadn’t realized Valentina was already standing in the doorway. It was a mess of fists, blood, shattered glass and shouting, and when I finally pinned Chinhae down and was raining punches in his face, her voice pulled me out of my haze of rage.

  When I turned around and tried to reach out to her she flinched away from me, and I felt like my heart was going to stop beating. I knew I fucked up even more when I s aw her hurt expression and that she was bleeding because of me. And when Chinhae called me out on what I had done , I flinched. It was never my intention to hurt Val, but here she was. Heartbroken and bleeding. I wished I could turn back time and that I had never left the hotel room yesterday, but I did. And now I had to live with the consequences.

  “Valentina… it’s not what it looked like, Chinhae got the wrong idea... I know, I was an idiot yesterday. Please let me explain, princess.” I ran my hand through my hair feeling distressed, but it seemed like she was already shutting me out. I knew her too well and saw how her expression changed in seconds. Val’s next words hit me like daggers straight into my heart.

  “Don’t call me like that ever again… I’m done with you.” Her voice was ice cold and when she threw the wedding ring at me and ran out of the room, I knew I needed to g o after her. Chinhae wanted to hold me back, but I didn’t care right, I needed to stop her and talk to her before things got even worse.

  T he people in the hallway who had been gawking at the fist fight earlier were blocking my way and made it hard for me to catch up with her. When I finally made my way out to the streets and saw Valentina getting into the taxi, I ran for dear life. Only to be too late. The taxi drove off and I stood in the middle of the road, running my hands through my hair. A car honked at me and finally made me move back onto the sidewalk, where Nari and Chinhae were waiting for me.

  Chinhae wanted to start with his accusations again, but Nari stopped him and walked over to me. “Namjoon, what happened?” When Chinhae started yelling at me again, his wife gave him a glare and he stopped. “Let’s have a drink and then you’ll explain everything that happened, okay?” She linked arms with me and signaled her husband to follow. All the guests were back inside the big room where the birthday bash was being held , but Nari walked me towards the staircase and headed for a small salon. She looked for the first aid kit, handed towels to both of us , and ordered for ice buckets to be sent up to the room.

  *

  Nari gently cleaned and took care of a laceration above Chinhae’s eyebrow, making my heart drop. I did this to my best friend. Seeing Nari and Chinhae like that… so intimate and caring for each other's well-being , made me regret how things with Valentina worked out that night.

  “Chinhae-ah… I’m so sorry. I fucked up,” I choked out and before I could gulp my feelings down, tears started to stream down my face. Great, two days in a row I was a crying mess.

  Chinhae didn’t waste a second when he saw me break down. In all the years we ’d been friends , I ’d never cried. Not even when my mother had rejected me. He rushed over to the sofa I was sitting on and pulled me into a tight hug, making me cry even harder.

  “Yah, Joon-ah, it’s alright. Now we finally know that I stand a chance against you in a fist fight.” Chinhae tried to lighte n up the mood and eventually it worked. I sniffed and wiped my hands over my eyes, a small chuckle leaving my throat. I glanced at Chinhae and when I saw my best friend’s comforting smile, things started to feel less messed up.

  “You sure? I threw you on a fucking glass table.” I leaned back and put my right hand into the ice bowl.

  “And I shoved you into a glass case. Not our brightest moments in life, but I guess that makes us even.” Nari watched us with an amused smile. Earlier, when Val threw the ring at me and I ran after her, Nari took the ring and put it into her pocket. She cleared her throat, drawing our attention to her, before she gave the ring back to me.

  “So… will you explain what happened between you two? Or more like the three of you?” she asked me carefully, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

  “The woman you saw me with was Soobin, Chinhae-ah,” I sighed.

  “Wait, Soobin like in Jung Soobin? Freaky in the sheets Soobin? THE Soobin?!” When I nodded, Chinhae’s eyes grew wide. “Fuck, I didn’t recognize her . Since when is she running around with blonde hair?”

  “Yah, I don’t care if she’s blonde, man…” I groaned in annoyance. “You know how obsessed she was with me after that night… I thought I owed her at least an explanation why I married Valentina and just ignored what our parents had arranged years ago. I wanted to talk to Val tonight, but then she was all over me and before I could push her away, you stormed into the room and accused me of cheating, Park.”

  Chinhae nodded in agreement as he tried to process the news. He knitted his eyebrows when the realization hit him. “That means… you what? Really have feelings for Valentina? Want to be with her? Wanted to fix what you had fucked up?” He fired question after question at me, and I just kept nodding in agreement.

  “Yes, to all the above. I love her, Chinhae-ah… I was just so afraid to admit my feelings for her… you know why. And then it was just easier to ignore her than to face her… G od, I’m such an idiot.” I closed his eyes and wiped my hands over my face in distress. The room remained silent for some time, until Nari ’s soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

  “If you love Valentina, find her and tell her, Namjoon. I knew from the day Chinhae introduced me to you guys that you loved her . You were not as subtle as you thought when you kept stealing glances,” she smiled encouragingly at me. I hadn’t liked Nari when the three of us first got the news that she’d be Chinhae’s wife. I always thought she was just a gold digger who didn’t care about Chinhae. Seeing her now, trying to fix what broke among the three of us, proved me wrong. Nari hadn’t known us that long but still knew how important we were to each other. She also knew that I loved Val, and it was just natural for her to try and fix things.

  Chinhae looked at his wife in disbelief. “Yah, why did you never tell me that? I always knew that Valentina had feelings for him, but I didn’t know anything about his feelings for her! What kind of wife are you , hi ding such important information from me?” He whined, making Nari and I laugh heartily.

  “Well, I didn’t know about her feelings for Namjoon . I always thought she was into you , t hat’s why I wasn’t her biggest fan in itially ,” she chuckled, and Chinhae cracked up.

  “Valentina? Being in love with me? That’s probably the best joke I ’ve heard in ages.” The three of us were now laughing and the mood became lighter, but I eventually stopped.

  “I need to find her…” I was already up on my feet looking to leave the room when Chinhae stopped me.

  “Do you even know where to look for her? I mean, she could be everywhere.” He looked at me with concern.

  “I have an idea… I just hope I’m right.” I played with her wedding ring in my hands before I tucked it into the pocket of my shirt.

  “Where are you going?” Nari was already curious about what I was going to do next.

  “Gimhae Airport and then I hope I can catch a flight to Jeju tonight.” A smile play ed on my lips as I remembered the time I’d spent with Valentina years ago when she needed some time off. It was after her father had been arrested and everything
had felt too heavy to bear. I took her to a small bed & breakfast on Jeju island. The hotel was nothing like wh at we’d usually book when we were on vacation since it was very small and familial and far from the luxury we were used to, but the location on the beach… it was everything we ever dreamed of. It was also on the more rural side of Jeju island and the perfect hideaway if any of us needed time to ourselves. So that’s exactly what that place became to us - whenever the world felt too heavy for Valentina and me, we’ d spen d a few days at the bed & breakfast. And even if she hated me now, I just hoped that she would still use that place as her hideaway.

  Valentina

  I landed on Jeju island one hour later with nothing but my smartphone, passport, wallet and the outfit I was wearing. I’ d seen and heard enough at Nari’s birthday party and I just wanted to sleep and not think about the mess that transpired within hours.

  When I arrived at the small bed & breakfast, it almost felt nostalgic. Namjoon had introduced me to th e place years ago and it had become our little secret, the hideaway we each needed from time to time. Chinhae didn’t even know about it , as Namjoon and I had a more intense friendship with each other. It didn’t mean that my friendship with Chinhae was less worthy, it was just different. Namjoon understood me on a level Chinhae never could, which was the reason I fell for him in the first place. The memory of our first time on Jeju Isla nd made my heart ache.

  Still, I entered the bed & breakfast and was greeted heartily by the old woman who owned it, Eunji. “Valentina, it’s been a long time my dear! Oh, what happened to your face, sweetheart?” She always hugged me whenever I came here, a welcome that made me feel like I was visiting my grandmother .

  “Life has been a bit rough with me,” I whispered and hugged her back tightly. She patted my back and stroked my hair soothingly , and I felt the weight on my shoulders lifting .