Dynasty

episode 17: the trade

"So... welcome to my humble abode," Taehyung said as they got inside the mansion. "Feel free to make yourself at home, Jinyoung hyung."

Jinyoung smiled as he held on to the strap of his backpack while getting a good look at the surroundings.

"You didn't tell me you were this rich," he said following Taehyung towards a room.

"Well, my parents are rich, not me," Tae corrected. "You can stay here for the time being. It's the least I could do after you saved my life."

Jinyoung walked inside the room and placed his bag on the king-sized bed.

"This place's nice," he said.

"This is better than sleeping in the sauna, hyung," Taehyung cheerfully added. "And don't worry about fees. Mi casa su casa."

"I'd decline but sleeping on a mattress beats sleeping on a hardwood floor. Thanks, kid."

"No worries, hyung. I hope you find your little brother soon," he said smiling. "He's lucky to have a big brother like you."

Jinyoung chuckled. "I hope he thinks the same way kid. Anyways, thanks again."

"I sure he does. I'll go now. Just call me if you need anything," he said then turned towards the door. But just before he could reach it, he suddenly stopped. "Oh by the way, hyung. What's your brother's name again? I might be able to help find him--"

As he turned to face him, Taehyung felt a hard object hit his head making him fall on the hardwood floor unconscious. Jinyoung smirked.

"The name's Jeon Jungkook, kid. Ring any bell?"

"I'm really worried about him, oppa," Jennie said as she paced back and forth inside Hoseok's office. "Do you think we did the right thing?"

"Judging by his reaction, Jen, I say your plan's a success," he said confidently as he leaned back to his seat. "A little bit nudge and I'm sure he'll come clean."

"But are you really sure he's not... gay?" she asked. "I mean, he said he was since high school--"

"No gay guy will ever sleep with a woman not unless he's bi or he's drunk enough," he cleared. "It's like turning lesbian of some sort."

Months ago, Hoseok agreed to help out Jennie by posing as his fake boyfriend to finally make Taehyung admit that he's actually straight. The poor guy's been torturing himself and this girl for whatever reason he has. How he know's Taehyung's not really gay? Because it takes one to know one. 

"Oppa..."

"Relax, Jen," he assured her. "I said I was gonna help you, right? Just wait a little and see. He'll admit his feelings for you once he sees that you're head over heels in love with me--"

"So that's what you're up to?!"

Both heads snapped towards the door. Lisa looked genuinely pissed.

"L-Li!" Jennie stuttered. "I... I can explain--"

But Lisa ignored her and threw a glare towards Hoseok.

"You're pretending to date Jennie to make my brother admit he's straight?" she asked clearly furious. "What the actual f**k, oppa?"

"I'm just helping them out, Li," he defended. "I've known Taehyung wasn't gay since that one time we partied. He ignored my advances and had his whole attention towards Jen. He's clearly straight and in love with her."

"But that's not the point! You hurt him--"

"Wasn't I hurt too?" Jennie cut her off. "Tell me Lisa. Shouldn't I be angry at him for lying to me? For deceiving me? Also, you knew and didn't tell me?"

"You didn't want any guy near you, Jennie," she countered. "You left him with no choice. He clearly loved you but you chose Jin. And when he cheated on you, you refused to be around any men. Even him who's done nothing but devote his life to."

"So it's my fault?" Jennie blurted out. "It's my fault that I was in pain and that was the only way I know to get through it?"

Lisa fell silent. She can't deny the fact that her brother was actually the one to blame. But her brother got hurt. She hates it when her brothers get hurt.

"But you didn't have to hurt him like this," she argued. "You could've just asked him."

"And risk him denying it and lying more?" Jennie countered with her arms folded. "If you were in my place, what would you have done?"

"I wouldn't be because I know gay guys don't sleep with straight women," she savagely said and also folded her arms over her chest. "He loves you, Jen. More than you could ever imagine. Do you know how emasculating it is to claim you're gay when in reality you're straight as f**k? He had to go through that just so he can stay close to you."

"And that's my fault?"

"I didn't say that!" she defended. "What I'm trying to say is, stop this act and just tell him you already know. That you love him too."

"Here's the fun in that?" Hoseok butted in. "I mean, Jen has the right to at least get revenge on him for lying to her."

"Oppa, that's not right—"

"Right or wrong, Li, it's their problem," he said on a serious tone. "Taehyung was wrong for deceiving Jennie."

"You two are the weirdest couple on Earth, I f*****g swear!" Lisa was exasperated. "But Jen, stop listening to this devil. Just tell him and be mad at him."

"You want me to get mad at your brother?"

She nodded. "That way, you'd have him make up for it for the rest of your lives together. 'Coz even if my brother appears to be confident around people, he's actually really insecure. And I'm sure by now he's gonna skip town and go someplace miles away from you—"

"No!"Jennie grabbed her purse and headed straight towards the door.

"Jen where are you going—" the door slammed and Hoseok turned towards Lisa who was grinning at him from ear to ear. "You evil, evil little sister."

"What? It's not like I lied or something."

"Just be thankful I'm gay," he muttered. "It would've been messy if I really dated Jennie. She's one lovely girl."

Lisa smiled and leaned on the edge of his table.

"And she deserves a guy who'll love her more than anything else in this world," she continued smiling. "I just hope it's not too late—"

Lisa's phone suddenly rang. It was her brother, Jin. Weird 'coz, Jin never called her directly from his personal number.

"Uh, hello?"

"Lis, I need you to come by the mansion right now," his voice a little shaky. Her brows automatically furrowed.

"Oppa. Your voice sounds weird. Is there something wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"I... uh... no. I just got off the treadmill that's why," her brother justified. "Just come here. I need to discuss something with you."

And with that, the phone call ended but her forehead was still in a knot.

"Li? Is there any problem?"

"Yeah," she said as she placed her phone inside her pocket. "I want you to call your security and stop Jennie from leaving this building."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do as I say, oppa," she snapped. "Before things get f*****g messy."

Confused, Hoseok did as he was told. 

"They caught her in the parking lot. What's going on, Li? Why are you frantic?"

Lisa--who was busy tapping on her phone was indeed panicking. "Oppa, please do call the number I'll text you. I need to go to the mansion now."

"Li?"

"Something's wrong, oppa."

"Huh? Why?"

"We don't own a f*****g treadmill. That's what's wrong."

Taehyung groaned as he started to regain consciousness. His hand automatically touched his sore neck and it took a while for him to realize that he was now inside the dining room.

Sitting across him was his new friend, Jinyoung—or was he? The last thing he remembered before blacking out was asking him who his younger brother was.

"Glad you could join us for breakfast, kid," he said grinning. That grin of his was really familiar.

"The name's Jeon Jungkook, kid. Ring any bells?"

His eyes grew wide as he remembered what he said before I completely passed out. And us?

Taehyung turned to towards his left. His older brother Jin was sitting beside him and on the other side was Jisoo. She looked genuinely scared—actually the first time he saw her with genuine emotions.

"Hyung... what... what's the meaning of this?" he asked confused. "Are you Jisoo noona and Jungkook's brother?"

Jinyoung chuckled before raising the gun he was hiding under the table. It was directed towards Jin.

"What the f—"

"Calm down, kid," he said smiling. "I won't kill your big brother just yet. Your sister and my brother is still a no-show--"

"Yah Kim Seokjin!" Lisa's voice echoed from the foyer cutting Taehyung's question. Jinyoung immediately lowered the gun out of her line of sight. "When did you even buy a f*****g treadmill? You don't even like walking--Oh. Who the f**k is this? Another relative of Miss Jeon? Seriously guys, if y'all just keep on taking homeless people in, might as well turn this mansion into an orphanage--"

"Don't come near us!" Jin stopped Lisa--who was heavily offended. 

"So what, I saved this f*****g family from that fucker Oh Sehun and you shun me? The audacity!" She took another step towards the table.

Taehyung and Jin both yelled at her. "Don't--"

"Wait," Lisa said and propped her hand on her waist. "Aren't you that bartender who's friends with Jungkook?"

The guy smiled innocently. He looked nothing like the psycho who was about to shoot Jin. 

"Why hello--oh my God why does he have a gun?" 

Jinyoung smirked and stood up--gun still aimed at Jin. 

"Well hello, dear sister-in-law," he said smirking. "I believe I haven't had the pleasure of formally meeting you. But I guess since you're here, allow me to introduce myself."

This made Lisa turn to Taehyung. She tucked her hair behind her ear and folded her arms over her chest.

"Okay. Introduce yourself then."

"The name's Jeon Jinyoung" he started. "I'm Jungkook's older brother."

So that's why he looked oddly familiar.

"And Jisoo's too?"

"That's what they told you?" Jinyoung asked then laughed. "You've all been played the fool. Jisoo and Jungkook aren't even related by blood!"

Jin's forehead creased and immediately turned towards his fiancée who averted her gaze. His breathing started to get heavy as he tried to comprehend what the actual f**k is happening right in front of him.

"But they are related... through me," he said smirking. "Jisoo's a Jeon not because she's our sister. It's because she's legally married. To me."

"What?!" Jin blurted out and threw daggering stares at the woman. "You're f*****g married?!"

"Yes but let me explain, Jin. I love you--"

"She's a con artist," Jinyoung added. "All three of us are. She and Jungkook infiltrated your family for money 'coz that's our play. She seduces a rich guy, marry and get money from him then use the technicalities of marriage to nullify their union. Familiar, right?"

Lisa clenched her fists. That fucker.

"I don't actually see it. Meh," the girl shrugged making Jinyoung click his tongue. 

"I wouldn't piss me if I were you, Miss Kim," he said as he pointed his gun towards her. "Jungkook should've warned you about me. Didn't he mention anything about those gunshots at JH, Inc.? No? Well, I take full credit for that. Your marriage with him needs a bit... spice. Don't you think?"

Contrary to what she's currently feeling inside, Lisa just chuckled and folded her arms over her shoulder. Jungkook may have hidden things from her but she did learn something from him.

"Before you pull that trigger, I have some questions," she said looking straight towards Jinyoung. "A few weeks ago, I received a notice that my check, worth 200 million was claimed by a certain Jeon Jinyoung. At first I thought I heard the bank person wrong and it Jungkook who's claiming it so I authorized the transaction. Well of course you should know that that much money, goes through a process called verification. But you didn't. Because you never did get the chance to have that much money. And when you showed up in Chaeyoung's bar, and introduced yourself to us, I knew something was up. You weren't really captured, were you dear brother-in-law? That whole mafia thing... it was all a grandscale scheme, am I right?"

Jinyoung's grip tightened on the gun.

"Lisa." Jin almost stood up from his seat.

You do realize he has a loaded gun, right?" Taehyung warned his sister. 

"Listen to your brother, Lisa," Jinyoung said on gritted teeth.

"And I have a loaded question," she said totally ignoring her safety. "You got your money, Jeon Jinyoung. The whole 1 billion won from your own family. Why go through the trouble of getting caught? 'Coz as far as I know, there's a very thin line between love and crazy."

Jisoo knew how scary Jinyoung can be. But this... this was on a whole new level. His gaze was piercing and he looked as though he was ready to pull the trigger. The devilish smirk on his face that once looked charming to her became venomous. He wasn't the same old Jinyoung she knew and fell in love with.

Lisa stepped forward, closer to the gun he's currently holding with no hint of fear in her eyes.

"So tell me, Jeon Jinyoung. What made you snap?"