Chapter 263 - Comeback (23): Never Again

Song Tamlin was in his study, quietly drinking wine by the fireplace. His thoughts were fixed on the meeting they had with Ash Park that day. He remembered the look on Ash's face when Junhyung was whispering in his ears. There was something extremely disturbing the way Ash had stormed out. For the first time, Song Tamlin saw genuine fear on the youth's face.

Afterwards, Ash Park was shut inside his room for the rest of the day. A series of secret meetings took place inside and Song Tamlin was very curious to know what he was planning. Personally, Tamlin was not interested in the rivalry between KJ, Ash and Abyss. However, if there was one thing he had abided by in life, was to repay all his debts. It did not matter how miniscule his debts were, he would pay it back no matter what. 

It was his debt to Jung Mirae which was binding him with the whole situation. The only reason he wanted the Cartel to fall was because of what they did to his daughter. The very thought of his precious child's plights was making his blood boil. 

His grip tightened on the glass as he recalled the video. His daughter...his darling daughter was completely destroyed by those fiends. He gave his wife a very easy death. It was not due to his love for her; he never loved her. She was simply a tool to further his status and increase his company's profitability. After all, she came with a hefty dowry. But even her money could not save her from his wrath.

"Father…"

Soyeon quietly stepped into the room. She was barefoot, her hair loose in a messy bun. Her eyes were a little unfocused and there was a look of nervousness on her face as she carried a rag doll with her.

Tamlin's usually stern expression softened upon the appearance of his daughter. The man who invoked fear inside the minds of thousands of people was weak only for his beloved daughter.

"This...broke…" Soyeon said slowly. She held up the rag doll. Its arm was torn off and cotton broke out of it.

"Let us sew it back together then," Tamlin said in a gentle tone. He got up to find a sewing toolbox which he kept inside his desk drawer. He took it out and held the doll. Soyeon watched on as her father carefully stitched the doll, stuffing the cotton back in.

"There!" Tamlin exclaimed. "Good as new."

Soyeon flashed a lopsided smile as she held the doll. She was happily playing with it as her father observed her, a hint of grief visible in his cold eyes.

Ever since that incident, Soyeon had been mentally unstable. Madam Hong had beaten her into submission. She had threatened the poor girl with death and forced her not to reveal anything to her father. For months, Tamlin tried to find out what happened to Soyeon but the girl was mentally scarred. Her state had reduced to that of a little child due to the shock. The doctors said it would take a long time for her to overcome her trauma and she might not even recover fully.

If it was not for Abyss, Tamlin would have never found out about the reason for his daughter's mental health deterioration. When they had to corner Shun Oguri, it took them many days to make Soyeon memorize her lines and behave according to the plan. Sunye trained Soyeon and finally, they managed to expose Oguri. He owed the CEO of Abyss a huge debt for helping his daughter and hence, was obligated to assist her in any way he could.

Tamlin quietly pondered on his options. Whatever Ash Park was planning, it was going to end in KJ's death. There was little doubt about that. But he knew that KJ's death was merely a stepping stone for Ash. His main target was the Cartel which he viewed as his property. It belonged to him and him only.

"Father, look!" Soyeon said, pointing at her doll. "Mona is hungry!"

"Let's get Mona something to eat then," Tamlin smiled. He pressed the buzzer on his desk. A butler walked in. 

"Get some food for Soyeon and her doll Mona," Tamlin ordered. The butler bowed and hurried off to carry out his orders.

Soyeon clapped happily and went back to playing with her doll. Tamlin was still quiet, lost in his own world. Should he talk to Jung Mirae now or should he wait and see what Ash Park was planning? There was little time and he still had no inkling of what was going to happen during the comeback performance. 

He glanced at the clock. It was midnight. The teaser for 7A was out. Tamlin turned his laptop on and logged in to the website of Aroma Inc.

For a second, the screen went blank. Suddenly, a red dot flashed on the monitor. It began to twirl rapidly until it formed an illuminated cube. A hand stretched out to hold the cube. The light from it fell on five faces around it, briefly showing the glimpse of each girl one by one. Tamlin was not interested in any of them except one. The last girl, Nida.

He knew that she was the President's current mistress. Why did the President take a risk by debuting her? What was his purpose?

Tamlin picked up his phone and dialed a number. The person picked up on the third ring.

"Mr. Song," the person from the other end greeted. "How may I help you?"

"I want you to tail a person," Tamlin instructed. "A girl called Jang Nida. She is one of the idols of 7A, a group in Aroma Inc. Give me details on all her movements. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the person replied. Tamlin hung up. It was best to call the CEO of Abyss with the final information. If he said anything without any proof, she might send spies inside the Cartel which will only increase suspicions. The best option would be to hit back with full assurance.

"Father…" Soyeon m.o.a.ned, holding up the doll. Its arm came off again.

Tamlin sighed and said, "I'll fix it."

Soyeon smiled and handed the doll to him once again. Tamlin took out his sewing toolkit and began to fix it again.

….

When KJ returned home from the recording studio, it was already past 1 am. The last few days of the comeback were always hectic for idols. There were endless promotions and final touch ups to the song or music video which was a draining process.

He did not expect Mirae to be awake at that time and he was right. She was sound asleep on their bed. KJ felt an immense amount of guilt towards his wife as he was not able to give her a lot of time during the past week. They were barely able to see each other at home but they had lunch together almost everyday. Occasionally, he managed to sneak into her office for short make out sessions but that was it.

KJ silently freshened up and changed into his night robes. He leaned over his wife, gently patting her head.

"I'm sorry, wifey," he apologized, placing a kiss on her cheek. Mirae purred in her sleep, turning the other way.

KJ sighed. She was also tired due to the nonstop meetings and preparations. He would have to take her away for the weekend after his comeback period was over.

"Is she sleeping?" 

Jade's voice came from the doorway. KJ made his way towards the cat, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

"She is," KJ replied. "Do you want to say something?"

"KJ, I hope you're not repeating your mistakes from the past timeline?" Jade questioned. 

"I'm trying very hard not to," KJ admitted. "I'm trying not to obsess over the Cartel. Right now, I only want our lives to be better. That's it."

Jade let out a sigh of relief. "Don't let this second chance go to waste," he warned. "If you can't change your fates now, then the consequences can be deadly."

KJ shuddered to think what those consequences might be. He had seen a glimpse of it in the astral plane and he had no intention of letting the past repeat itself. 

"I won't," he promised. We will change our fates, he added inwardly. 

"KJ?" Mirae's sleepy voice called him from the inside. KJ signaled Jade to leave and went back inside.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked as he climbed on the bed beside her. 

"When did you get back?" she asked sleepily, snuggling closer to him.

"Around one o'clock," he said.

"You should go to sleep," Mirae mumbled, pulling him closer. "You have another long schedule tomorrow."

But KJ wanted to know something. Jade's words were causing several questions to plague his mind.

"Hey Mirae," he began. "If the fates ever give you a second chance to change your past, what would you do?"

Mirae frowned. "Change the past?" she echoed. "Like time travel?"

"Sort of," KJ said. "If you could go back in time to change one single decision which can change your future. Would you take it?"

Mirae thought about it for a while. 

"If changing the past means that I'll be living under the illusion of a happy life while others suffer, then no," she said slowly. "But if I can save even one person by changing the past, then I'll take it in a heartbeat. No questions on that.��� 

She looked up at her husband. "Why are you asking me this?" she frowned.

"No reason," KJ lied, faking a yawn. "I just got a drama offer about time travel."

He pulled her close, hiding his face from her. Mirae was puzzled by her husband's behavior but did not comment on it. Instead, she hugged him back, allowing him to rest in her embrace. 

"You've worked hard, Jiwon," she mumbled as sleep dawned on her once again and soon, she was snoring lightly.

KJ remained awake, wondering about their future. This is our second chance, he thought. His mind was fixated on it.

"I will not fail you this time," he promised as he held his sleeping wife. "Never again."