Chapter 249 - Comeback (9): Seizing the Moment

KJ was woken up by the alarm. It was 7 am and he was still sleepy. He had returned home at around 3 am after the promotional activities for his new album. Moreover, he had to head out for an out of town shoot for the day. 

He glanced towards Mirae's side. It was empty. Sighing heavily, he got off the bed to freshen up. He picked out his clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. 

Half an hour later, he went downstairs, to find Mirae having breakfast. She was absorbed in reading her emails and did not notice his presence. He had the urge to go up to her and hug her but remembering her last words, he fought down the urge. Instead, he quietly grabbed a protein bar from the fridge and headed out of the house. 

KJ's bodyguards were waiting for him and to his surprise, Hyun Jung was waiting by the car as well. They had not been able to meet up for the past month due to KJ's jam packed schedule. So he was pleased to see Hyun Jung that morning. 

"What are you doing here?" KJ asked in surprise. 

"Keeping you from doing anything stupid," Hyun Jung sighed. Somi had poked him to smack some sense into KJ since the latter was too dense. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Just get in," Hyun Jung said. "I'll be accompanying you today and I also want to talk to you." 

KJ had an inkling of what Hyun Jung wanted to say but kept his mouth shut. He got into the car. The rest of his team was traveling in another car. 

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" KJ asked. 

"It's Mirae," Hyun Jung said bluntly. "You have to understand her viewpoint." 

"I know I should have been cautious of my surroundings," KJ said at once. "But I swear I was only trying to help her. I didn't know she was going to-" 

"KJ that is not the main issue here," Hyun Jung said sharply. "Mirae's issue is that in times of danger, you would gladly risk your reputation and life to save someone. That makes you vulnerable to a person's evil intentions. You don't stop to think of another way." 

"I don't understand," KJ frowned. 

"Remember the night Ms. Sohee died?" he asked. "You put your life on stake for Junhyung's party. You wanted to please your friend. That night ended up in a f.u.c.k.i.n.g tragedy!" 

KJ closed his eyes and lowered his head. The memories of that night were still fresh in his mind. His stupidity led to Mirae's parents' deaths and was the biggest regret of his life. 

"The night when Madam Hong shot you," Hyun Jung continued. "I've investigated the whole event, KJ. You could have tackled her to the ground before she fired the shot. She wasn't really a very skilled marksman either. Her shot would have missed Ash anyway. Instead, you shielded Ash on an instinct and got shot."

"Wait, what?" 

"Yeah. The way she was holding the gun, she would have missed him by inches. Instead, you came into the bullet's way." 

KJ shook his head in disbelief. All of it could have been avoided if he had not acted up. But if he had not been shot, he would not have known the truth about the past events. 

"At Sunny Daze, you blindly walked into Ash and Junhyung's trap," Hyun Jung went on. "You didn't even think of contacting someone for help. Nor did you head in there with a backup plan. You just went in, jeopardising the whole thing…"

"You were in danger-" 

"I'm a cop, KJ," Hyun Jung reminded him. "It's my job to tackle such situations with my skills. If I die, I die. But you had many options. Instead, you chose to recklessly risk your life. Again. And don't even get me started on the night we caught Ziko. You based your entire escape on sheer luck. What if Mirae and her men were not there to save you? Ziko would have blown your brains out!"

His every word hit KJ like truth bombs." Sometimes, you don't really think of us," Hyun Jung said. "You think that risking your life to protect someone is your duty. But you don't think what we will feel if we lose you. Or how Mirae would feel. All her efforts to save you would be futile. It'll devastate her. And the way she was looking at you at the party, you mean a lot more to her than you think. In the end, if you let yourself be killed for nothing, then why are we even fighting the Cartel?"

KJ ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He did not even stop to think about all this. Even though he wanted their second chance to be successful, he was once again diving into his obsession. His fear of losing someone blinded him so much that he did not even realize that Mirae will be equally distraught if something happened to him. 

Hyun Jung pitied his friend. "Take a step, KJ," he advised. "Thanks for saving us. But it's time for you to trust us and spend time with your family. She needs you. And trust me. None of us have any intention to die and leave you. We'll be fine." 

He patted KJ's back, who gave him a small smile. 

"I will," KJ promised. Hyun Jung's advice was running through KJ's mind. All this time, he felt so lonely. But now that he had someone by his side, he was neglecting her and unnecessarily courting danger. He must work on living. Truly live and not let their enemies ruin their peace of mind. 

KJ thought for a while before making a decision. He leaned forward and ordered the driver, "Turn the car." 

…. 

Mirae was at her office, busy dictating instructions to Psycho. 

"Tell Director Kang to talk to the sponsors," she stated. "Tell us the branding strategy and where they want their logos. Also, KJ's clothes will come from the sponsors. Ask them to show us the samples. And also-" 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. 

"Whoever it is, please tell them to come later," Mirae told Psycho. The latter nodded and opened the door to tell the person off. To their surprise, KJ was standing there. 

"Oppa, CEO said to come late-" 

But KJ brushed past him and went straight towards Mirae, who was staring at him in astonishment. 

"What are you doing here?" she frowned. 

"You once made a promise that you'll go somewhere with me," he stated. "Will you come with me?" 

"Now?" 

"Yes." 

Mirae gaped at him. Psycho quietly left the room. He did not want to fall in the middle of the two love birds. 

"I have tons of meetings today and you have a daylong shoot," she reminded him. "Besides you still have not-" 

"I have no intention of leaving you," KJ cut through. He turned her chair and towered over her, leaning close. He was leaning so close, that Mirae could almost count his eyelashes. A slight blush crept up her cheeks. 

"For once, I'm putting my wants first," he said softly. "And right now, I don't want to waste time at a shooting when I should be pacifying my angry wife. Because if I go today, I won't get another chance to repair our lives."

He took a deep breath as Mirae tried to comprehend his words. 

"So will you come with me, Mrs. Kwon?" 

Mirae could not find her voice. His words were dissolving her resolve but she knew that if she did not seize this moment, she would regret it. 

"Yes," she whispered.