Arranged by chance and Married by choice - Chapter 15：Fifteen

Mel was walking through the busy streets of the city market on a fine afternoon after the chilly night of the New Year. She had been busy in her office half an hour ago when her phone had buzzed with an incoming text notification.

‘Vic: Sis-in-law, please meet me at the location I’ll send you in an hour. It’s an emergency.’

She had been so worried after reading the message that she had left all her work and postponed her meetings to meet Vic at the place he had requested. It was a restaurant in a secluded part of the town. A good place for idols and celebrities to meet up without many people noticing, she thought before entering through the arched doorway. Vic was waiting for her in a corner; he looked a bit unsettled about something. She occupied the chair in front of him.

Mel: What is the emergency?

Vic: (passing her a packet) it’s her, I’ve been keeping tabs on her. She doesn’t look like she would stop until she gets under your skin. Also-

Mel: (frowning) huh?

Vic: She had been trying hard to contact Kai but our manager told me that he has been avoiding her.

Mel: (balling up her fists) is she really planning to do this?

Vic: yes, she is digging her own grave.

Mel: ok, I’ll agree to it then. It’s high time that I did what I told her I would do.

Vic: are you sure sis-in-law? I mean, she might try to bring-

Mel: (holding her hand up to stop him) I know what she wants and I am more than ready for her.

Vic: I just wish you luck sis-in-law. Won’t you tell Kai about her?

Mel: (nodding her head) I will after he returns from Paris.

Vic: Paris? I thought he was on break?

Mel: (rolling her eyes) as if. He is a workaholic. He told me about the break just to pacify me. I am trying hard to train him.

Vic: (chuckling) how is it coming then?

Mel: (grinning) guess I am succeeding.

Vic: are you coming to Timo bro’s party tomorrow evening?

Mel: yes, I will be there.

Vic: then I’ll meet you there sis-in-law. I’ll be leaving first.

Mel sat staring at the spot Vic had abandoned for a long while. She was mulling over the piece of information he had collected abut In-Soo, who was hell-bent on getting under Mel’s skin. Kai was still unaware about all of it. Mel hadn’t found the right opportunity to tell him about it. She just wished that she would get a fine time soon.

Lucky for her Mel got the right timing the following night when they came back home from their elder brother’s small get together. Kai had returned from Paris that afternoon and Mel had important news to share with him. She sat on the edge of their shared bed in their forest mansion while he was lying on the sofa playing with his phone.

Mel: Love?

Kai: Hmm?

Mel: there is something I have to tell you-

Kai: (still lost in his phone) what?

Mel grew angry at his ignorance. She marched to where he was lying down and snatched away his phone before pocketing it in her pants.

Kai: (annoyed) yah! Min-Soe, why did you take my phone?

Mel: (glaring at him) because you aren’t listening to me. I’ll give it back after you properly listen to what I have to say.

Kai: fine, tell me what it is.

Mel: (hanging her head) it seems that Lee In-Soo is thirsty for my blood.

That got his attention for good. He still didn’t understand what was going on but he had his doubts about something like this happening in the near future but he feared arriving at conclusions.

Kai: (cautiously) why?

Mel: I might’ve kicked her out of the house once and warned her to stay away from us.

Kai: really!

Mel: she started it. She insulted me first and called you hers. I couldn’t stay quiet after that.

Kai: (falling to the floor laughing) w-when was t-this?

Mel: on my birthday.

Kai: (finally completing the circle in his head) it was her and you lied to me that it was someone who had lost their way.

Mel: I didn’t lie. I only twisted the truth.

Kai: (rolling his eyes in anger) why are you telling this to me now?

Mel: back then I didn’t want to but now it is necessary for you to know because-

Kai: because?

Mel: She has been trying to annoy me by interfering in my work and today I agreed to be a part of her plan.

Kai: you are not making any sense to me.

Mel: I agreed to host a TV show and In-Soo is going to be my first guest. It will be telecasted live tomorrow.

Kai: (clenching his fists in anger) why did you agree?

Mel: I’ve evaded her enough Love. It’s time that I taught her a lesson.

Kai: but I still don’t like it. I think it’s time that I dealt with her too.

Mel: (handing him back his phone) I don’t think it would be necessary.

Kai: (suspicious) you aren’t surprised?!

Mel: (switching off the lights) I knew.

He didn’t know what to think of her response for a long time. He sat on the floor with a number of questions running in his mind but he knew that Min-Soe wouldn’t tell him anything more. He was about to give up when a recent memory came to the fore-front of his mind.

‘Mel: if it hadn’t been for Vic, I wouldn’t have been here.’

Kai couldn’t shake the feeling that Vic was also somehow involved in all this. He stored this intuition in the forefront of his brain before joining Min-Soe in bed.

Following day the quartet was present in their little brother’s home. The elder brothers sat glaring at him. Kai had texted them all to gather in his house, naming it a crisis.

Vic: (wide-eyed) Kai, bro? what is the matter?

Kai: (glaring at him) tell me the truth and tell it now.

Vic: (clearly fearing for his life) w-what truth?

Kai: LEE.IN.SOO.

Vic: (gulping) I d-don’t k-know-

Kai: (warning) Vic!

He told them everything he knew about the issue. He had found about In-Soo’s plans purely by accident when he met her intoxicated manager at a club. She had been planning to interfere with Min-Soe’s job for a long time but so far he had helped her to evade In-Soo’s attempts. He told them how he kept tabs on In-Soo just to assure his sis-in-law’s safety.

The remaining four were shocked by his revelations but Kai was furious that they had kept this from him.

Kai: (clenching his teeth) why didn’t you tell me this in the first place?

Vic: I wanted to but sis-in-law told me that she wanted to tell you herself. Also, you were busy and she didn’t want to drag you in this mess. It is better if fewer people knew about this matter.

Ray: He is right Kai.

Kai didn’t hear what Ray said, he was lost in a memory. This memory wasn’t a recent one. He had been doing his solo world tour after the release of his album. He was in the last leg of his tour and he had called back home to check upon Min-Soe.

Mel: yes, Love.

Kai: concert is tomorrow

Mel: (sniffing) I know, it will be great as always.

Kai: What is wrong, baby?

Mel: nothing. I have caught some cold I guess.

He had bought that excuse back then but after returning he had gotten to know that Mel had been accused of stealing in her office. She had been devastated for three days and had holed up in her room without even consuming a drop of water. She hadn’t spoken a word to him during that period but on the fourth day she came out looking refreshed and determined. He still didn’t know how but the real culprit had been caught that very afternoon and she had been invited back to her position with an apology.

Mel being the hot head she was had refused their offer flatly and had sued them for all they were worth of for defamation. He had stood with her quietly supporting her. A week later she had been invited for the job by a big broadcasting channel in the country to which she had gladly agreed.

He felt the same helplessness around this time too. He couldn’t once again do anything and watch from the side-lines. He felt frustrated that his hands had been tied once again and his wife was being fed to the wolves. Truth be told he felt like she enjoyed these challenges thrown her way. They let her test her boundaries.

He wanted to be with her in any way possible but he also knew that he had to let her fight her battles. He sighed in resignation once more before it hit home in his brain.

Kai: Vic, was that false theft accusation also In-Soo’s doing?

Vic: (nodding) yes bro, luckily sis-in-law found the proof of her innocence within time.

His anger reached another level after he got the confirmation of his worst suspicions.

Kai: (clenching his fists) I’ll destroy her.

Vic: (patting his shoulder) sis-in-law will do that tonight bro. She has reached her limit this time. I’d say In-Soo dug her own grave after planning this show.