Yn's pov

(18 months later)

Rodericko's idea of a diner turned out to be great. Within the next two months, after receiving a small business loan I started to make preparations for my diner.

It was not all pink and checkered table cloths like Rico suggested but it was homey and quite plushy for people to come in and have a nice meal with this family on the weekends.

We mostly served native cuisines and deserts.

In a mess of thousands of foreign restaurants with foreign cuisines I felt like something native and country like would bring back people the home-like feeling. And so that's what we did. We served handmade wine from Sangiovese grapes and all types of pasta and rice dishes in 'Buona Volontà' which in the literal English translation meant Goodwill.

Rico and papa and I while looking for the name of the diner started finding random English words and translated them to Italian...which in a few days started to become a bit of fun activity.

Then at last papa suggested 'Papa Goodwill' in a half joking manner.

Rico said only goodwill translated to Italian would be Buona Volontà. And that was fine by me so I picked that and in some more days after the loan was sanctioned I started the business.

The loan was unnecessary in my father's and Rico's eyes. Papa said he had enough money to buy a chain of restaurants and Rico said I could just use my shares that papa insisted I had on the business, I declined...because for once in my life I wanted to be someone of my own.

I wanted to do something on my own without any help from anyone, so I applied for loan, mind you Rico kept singing about much interest I had to pay to the bank and it would be too much loss then profit and with an eye roll I ignored him every time which in return he said "You're fat."

Rico was with increasing time being more annoying. Everyday for lunch he'd show up to ask for something and won't pay but flirt with Isa, a young waitress who was only eighteen, still studying and working to pay her school bills.

But every lunch I came out of the little plush office to the kitchens to make Rico's lunch since he throws a fit every time one of the elderly chefs who are so good in making native dishes then me will make something for him...of course that would be after I went home. He won't do that kind of kid-like behaviour in front of a number of people.

On the other hand he would have the cakes and pastries made by the chefs to heart's content because according to him I didn't have the talent for 'heavenly tasks'

Sometimes I feel Rico was still a teenager then a grown adult. And it drove me nuts quite constantly

And as to my normal routine I went up to the kitchen, tying up my dust-pink apron over my blue shirt as I found an entry counter and decided to make Arancini which was basically fried rice balls.

The chefs of the diner was as good a family to me by now, they were some elderly housewives who were looking for some pass time in the old age...and in this was they can add some savings on their part and if asked me I think that's a great way to do what you love to and earn out of it, it's refreshing.

"Are we out of breadcrumbs?" I ask Sicilia, one of the chefs.

"I'm not sure sweetheart, I think they're in the storage. I'll get them." She replies, dimming her stove about to dash to the storage.

"Oh, wait. I'll get it." I roll my eyes playfully walking to the storage at the back of the kitchen. Surely the carton of the breadcrumbs has only two packets, so I add breadcrumbs to the list of needs on the wall of the storage.

It takes me a while to make Rico's lunch as I keep finding out items that are almost over and keep writing them down on the list. The list will go to our grocer who in the early morning delivers the raw ingredients.

"I've made an extra tiramisu, make sure you take it home before you leave, Yn." One of the pastry chefs called out from the far corner of the kitchen.

"I will, thanks." I call out as I plate Rico's lunch and take it out where he is sitting already, his chin resting over his palm, looking annoyingly bored.

"You're late, sister." He rolls his eyes as I place the plate of his lunch and a water bottle in front of him.

"Unlike you, I have work." I roll my eyes back as I take a seat in front of him on his table. "Why the long face?"

"Do you think I am gay?" He asks, putting half a riceball in his mouth, chewing.

"Why, what happened?" I ask.

"You know the guy who talked to the bank for your loan? Geret?"

I nod. "What about him?"

"He asked me if we could go out for dinner." He said with a huff. "Like a couple you know? He thinks I am gay."

I bite my lip to suppress the laughter that's about to bubble off me. "Oh."

"That's all?" He sounds offended. "That's all you got to say for someone calling your brother a homosexual?"

"Nothing is bad being a homosexual." I reply with a shrug.

"What? So you think I am gay?"

"Well...you did flirt with Greet when he came to discuss the loan, didn't you?" I state as a matter of fact but in reality he didn't flirt, that's just the way Rico talks.

"What?" He whispers.

I nod.

"No, I didn't."

"How can I know, I am not homo." I shrug.

"I am no longer your regular customer." He says stuffing the rest of his food in his mouth and getting up to leave.

"That's okay, you don't pay anyway." I shrug.

"I am leaving."

"Okay."

"And you better cook dinner to make up for all the insults you threw at me and tell Sicilia to bake me a choco-mint cake that I will eat ALONE!" He points his finger to emphasize his speech.

"Okay."

"I'm leaving!"

"Then leave!" I point at the door.

"You're just fat, Yn." He grins before breaking out in a run leaving the diner. Through the window I see him sticking out his tongue at me before getting into his car and driving off.

Shaking my head I clear off his table and walk into my small office only to find my phone ringing.

Papa. The screen says I pick up the phone.

"Hello, papa." I greet and remember that he left before I woke up this morning and so we didn't get a chance to talk or anything.

He gets really anxious these days not seeing me or Rico for a long time, especially after the bombing in the outhouse.

A month or two ago somebody planted a bomb in the outhouse, it was almost dinner time and all of us were home and Rico was out for a walk in the gardens when the bomb went off and the air was all smoke and brick-pieces.

And the worst part was they weren't still able to find a suspect. But Rico is guessing it's the rival families.

"Hello, Princess. How's your day?”

"Va bene, papà, come va?" (It's good, papa. How's yours?)

"Bene." (Good.) He says. "Is the diner going okay today, too many customers that you forgot to call papa, princessa?"

"No, papa. Just Rico was here and had to make him lunch." I reason.

"Per caso hai tempo di farmi un risotto, amore mio?"

("By any chance do you have time to make me some Risotto, too my love?")

"I'll send it to you right over by someone." I laugh at his request.

"God bless you my child, he knows I've been starving." He laughs.

"You should have called sooner." I admonish.

"Well...I did but you wouldn't pick up." He reasons.

"Sorry papa."

"It's alright, amore. Just send in a hurry and no cheese." He says.

starving." He laughs.

"You should have called sooner." I admonish.

"Well...I did but you wouldn't pick up." He reasons.

"Sorry papa."

"It's alright, amore. Just send in a hurry and no cheese." He says.

"Sí, papa." I say and the call gets disconnected.

Surely there had been five missed calls and like that life was good enough.

It was normal.

●●●●●●●

Jungkook’s pov:-

The whole basement shook as the bullet pierced the skull of the traitor hanging to the ceiling by chains in front of me.

Unlike the first time I killed someone, my grip wasn't loose nor did my hand tremble.

It's been a while since they did though.

Putting the gun down on the table I took off my leather gloves, threw them on the table and called the guard to clean up the mess and burn the body.

The elevator brought me up to the main floor of the office building where a meeting was held with the iron and steel manufacturing company. Unfortunately the company was limited by doing business only in Italy and some minor parts in Europe and it has been facing a loss for quite a time now, it was cheap and iron and steel meant a legal way to manufacture weapons.

Knives, blades, daggers and what not. It was a win-win situation. In a matter of weeks the company would be in possession of The DeJeon family, and I would officially take over as the new CEO.

Inside my office room I wash my hands with soap in the adjoined bathroom and change to a different shirt before shrugging on my blazer. The same-unchanged un-wanted reflection of my face stares back at me.

I had facial hair now covering my jaws and chin, like a thick layer of bush, as if trying hard to cover my face that I was so tired of seeing. My hair was a bit longer than I would have liked it, at some point and a small almost invisible scar rested under my right eye that I received recently in a fight with one of the rival families.

Absolutely horrible was the only way to describe how I looked and how I felt these days.

Horrible, devastated, depressed and sad. Definitely sad.

And the looks of pity my family kept giving me since she left only added to the silent flame of self loathing burning inside me. If anything Yn proved by leaving was my hatred toward myself.

I sigh dragging my wet hand through my hair in an attempt to push them back but they never stay. Frustrated, I leave it at that and walk out of the bathroom only to find my PA standing with a couple of files in her arm in front of my desk.

Wordlessly she hands them to me when I take a seat.

After the meeting and a quiet lunch of chicken-rice later I was on my way to the dock to collect shipments. Though Diego was in charge of the cartels but I had better looked into the crates myself, for certain reason I started to believe that Diego was no longer fit for a job like that, especially after he just woke up from a month long coma that was the result of getting shot in the chest which had raptured his cardiac artery or something of that sort.

He was tired and didn't bother to look inside the crates separately which resulted in a great loss last time when thirteen crates of cocaine were supposed to arrive and five of the crates contained white flour instead of cocaine.

I couldn't believe my brother had done such an irresponsible job, but he had his justifications, his meds made him half high and half drunk neither of which was healthy for a working environment so I just asked him to take infinite time off until he read fit so that's what he did.

My father was angry-upset-mad and had all kinds of negative emotions with me. He couldn't believe what I had done to the girl and to myself. He still was angry and his anger increased day by day for the way I treated myself.

Sarah and Ariana kept me sane, when I was about to lose my marbles and that was the only way I kept going and coffee and sex.

But I still miss her, everyday. Every second while I was alone with my thinking, all I could see was her, even after a year all I could hear was her laughter, sometimes her sobs.

And to realise that I was the reason for which her tears escaped killed me on the inside every time.

If I could just make things alright.

After she left I tried to contact her, but the phone I had given her was switched off and the card had stopped functioning after two months. She was in Italy that I could be sure of.

I kept asking papa for some time being but he wouldn't volunteer any other information then she was well and fine.

But that was not what I wanted to know. All I wanted to know was if she was as lonely without me as I was without her? Was she dying inside without me as I was without her?

Did she miss me? She loved me, still? Or ever? I like I loved her with every ounce of life left in me?

But I never asked the questions nor did I ever treat her right. One time I almost killed her.

And cheated countless times with the common whores of the family twice of which she saw and the last time she had enough.

And she left. She never even gave me the time to apologize to her. And trust me, if I could turn back and say sorry...but I doubt it would have made a difference.

She's had that plan to leave for long. But I feel like I ignited that want more. And for me she left.

Around eleven at night I enter the estate and walk through the front door, still finding the sitting room lit. Ariana sitting on one of the sofas with baby Audrey curled next to her.

It was the same every night. One of them would wait up for me, make sure I ate dinner before going to sleep. Sometimes it would be my father who wouldn't stay mum about the machine I had turned into.

He'd tell me countless times to move on, like she did. Get a wife and what not.

But inside something told me that she might have moved on but she was still at the page where I was. She was still mine.

And I hers.

My shuffling around the room woke Ariana up. "You're late again." She mumbled putting the blanket around the baby.

"You don't have to stay up for me every night." I say as I drop my office bag on one of the empty sofas.

"And see you kill yourself from a distance?" There was a slight seriousness in her voice as she moved herself to the kitchen and popped something on the oven. "How was work?"

"Usual." I mumble taking a seat on the chair of the kitchen table.

"Did you make the deal?”

"Hm." I replied. "How's Aless?"

"Won't shut up about the mountains."

I nod as Ariana places a bowl of pasta in front of me.

"You're sad." She stated.

I shrug. "Been for a while."

"Maybe you should just clear things up, you know?" She suggested.

"Didn't she clear everything up when she left?"

"Shouldn't you too?"

"Meaning?"

"She's moved on Jungkook . She's happy and having a life she always wanted."

"You talk to her?"

"We have a DM group."

"We?"

"Me and Sara and her." She shrugs. "But the "Me and Sara and her." She shrugs. "But the point is, maybe it's time, you know...to settle down."

I look at her blankly. Not her either! I've had Papa and Eunwoo bugging me in that subject more than enough times. "What do you mean?"

"I think it's time for you to get a new haircut...be Don De'Jeon once again." She says with a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"A DeJeon gets what he wants, doesn't he?" She says before clearing off the table.

●●●●●●●

Yn pov

The ornate around the bed fluttered as the morning air entered through the open windows.

The little clock said five thirty in the morning making me sigh a little and roll over to the other side only to meet with the coldness of the sheets.

Though in mid June the weather was quite bearable and the ceiling fan rotating at full speed did the favour.

But the other side of the bed was still empty, it was still cold. I still couldn't sleep, no matter how the time passed. It was the same everynight, I would lay down and try to sleep but only his face would pop up inside my head, haunting me.

Trying hard enough to make me admit that I made a wrong choice, no matter how hard I tried to make myself understand that what I did was the right thing to do. Leaving was the right thing to do, but somewhere in my heart the sobs of my pain would still be heard.

But they were not loud enough to bring tears anymore.

A ping of my phone indicates a text so I roll over again and open the group DM, Ariana had made some months ago, I have no idea how she got this number but when I asked all she did was give me a wink emo.

And I had left it at that though we conversed rarely. I was pretty updated about the family, the only thing they never talked about was Jungkook nt.

It was mostly Ariana sending pictures of the baby and Aless. Sarah who had adopted a dog and like that. But like I said it was rare, like once or twice a week a text would appear and we'd talk...after all we all had lives to attend now.

I see the text was nothing about what I wanted to hear instead it said Aless's hound died with a sad face.

'Well he's in heaven' was Sarah's response.

'Sorry to hear that' I wrote before turning the power off and putting it under my pillow trying to get an hour more of sleep.

Around seven my eyes opened once again only to see the light coming like radiation through the windows. Groaning, I shove my face further into the pillow and close my eyes.

Ten seconds later the heavy pounding on my door makes me groan and huff once again.

"Wake up!" Rico screams from the other side of the door. "I am hungry! Wake up, Yn!"

"Shut up!" I holler back in hopes he'll quit but in the end it's the same everyday. He's so lazy that he can't pour milk onto his cereal. And that's saying something.

"I am fucking hungry, wake the fuck up, you fat little duck!" He hollers back.

That little bitch! With an angry huff I climb down from the bed wrapping my silky dust blue robe around my shoulder.

"Yn!" He shouts again, pounding the door with what it looks like, his fist. "I said..."

He doesn't get to say the rest as I open the door and he almost falls on his face but manages to balance himself once again.

"What are you talking about?" I huff.

"I said I was hungry, didn't I?" He grins.

"You don't need to tell someone you're dead." I roll my eyes and walk out of the room with Rico trailing behind me.

"What are you going to make for breakfast?" Не asks as we climb down the stairs.

"Cereals." I say.

"I want pancakes."

I sigh. "I don't want to make pancakes."

"And I also want biscotti."

"I don't want to make biscotti."

"But I want to eat biscotti." He pouts like a five year old, plopping himself down on a kitchen chair as I pour cereal in his bowl and put milk, handing him a spoon.

"Why'd you have to be so lazy?" He mumbles in bed re-shoving the door down his throat like the uncivil animal he is.

"Papa wants to make a deal with the diner of yours." He mumbles.

"What type?" I ask for milk on my corn-flakes.

"You know...for the annual gathering of the families. We're hosting it this year."

"Gathering of families?"

"Yeah? You know in the middle of the year one of the five families will host a grand get-together, good food, expensive wine...girls." He says dreamily.

"What about it?" Surely back in the states I had heard about the gathering, once the DeJeon family had hosted the event and it was grand. But it was probably three years ago.

More royal than anything I had ever seen in my eyes.

And that means...they will be here.

Jungkook nt will be here.

I feel myself go stiff and numb all at once as I imagine what it would feel like...when he'd be here.

"Are you even listening?" Rico snaps his fingers to gain my attention.

"Yup. What was the deal?" I put some food in my mouth.

"And you know the gathering is in a month and so on and so forth. The guest will arrive a week earlier and so The Pearl Palace shall be cleared for ten days and all."

The Pearl Palace was the hotel Papa owned right at the centre of the town.

"The deal, Rico. What's the deal?" I sigh.

"The deserts. Pop wants your lot to make desert for the guests. And all their courses while they stay at The Pearl Palace."

"Oh. Okay."

"And he also told me, before he left..."

"Where'd he go?"

Rico shrugs "Korea?"

Korea? In a matter of one night? How can he do that! Especially with his health!

"What?" I snap. "When? Why would he not tell me?"

"Apparently there was some problem with the oil factory that you know pop shares with the Old Don, so he just went to solve all that."

The oil factory? But didn't Jungkook nt's papa own it all by himself now?

But both of them stayed in touch quite normally, so that might be the least of issue now! But why wouldn't papa tell me before leaving the country?

How irresponsible is that?

"But why didn't he tell me?" I sigh.

"Because he didn't want to worry you." Rico half yells. "You worry like a bamboo."

What? That isn't even a thing?

"I'm gonna call him."

"Well... What he told me was for us to go and select the wine." He says with a bright smile. "And the ice sculpture guy and the hall and all that stuff."

"What?" I gasp. "Who will manage the diner?”

"You." Rico grins.

"Are you insane?" I say with horror.

I mean... honestly? How am I with a guy like Rico going over the plans of such a luxurious event?

Surely there are planners to do that?

And I know next to nothing about these grand events.

He's got to be kidding.

"What about the planner? Do we not have a planner?"

"She's a good for nothing whore." Rico says with a shrug.

I sigh. "Then hire another planner who is good at her job." I am annoyed.

"Well...Pop wants you to do the job!"

"Whatever, Rico." I yell.

"Go on, be a lazy duck and leave to suffer and to do the boring jobs!" He huffs. "At least the planner is good in bed."

"You need a life, Rico.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)