Secrets

It was all wrong

Hongjoong couldn't stand to look around and check if anyone was still gawking at him. He didn't mean to be so late. He hadn't even meant to come.

"Joooooongie?"

Hongjoong's heart sank.

The one person he couldn't face right now.

The reason he wasn't going to come.

The reason he was even here.

Park Seonghwa. Son of KQ's CEO.

...

Hongjoong woke with a start as his phone buzzed violently on his nightstand, threatening to fall off. He jumped up and grabbed it, realizing it could be from his boss.

"Hello?"

"Hongjoong—we've just received big news."

"What is it?" Hongjoong answered, his knee starting to bounce in anticipation.

"We have his name. His real name. The identity of the son."

Hongjoong's heart skipped a beat.

"Wha—really?! How!?"

"Our mole has gotten pretty close to a member of his staff and he was able to get it out of him."

Hongjoong's knee was bouncing like crazy.

"Well—tell me then!!"

"Unfortunately—he's not on the staff. So we'll have to reassign you in order to find more information."

Hongjoong released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He was relieved. It wouldn't be anyone he had befriended. It wouldn't be Seonghwa. His suspicions were unfounded.

"That's great," Hongjoong smiled.

"Great? I though you liked your current position?"

"I do! I'm just relieved it isn't any of them. I've made a few friends, if I'm being honest."

"That's great. I'm sorry to take you away from those connections but we're so close."

"I understand. What is the name of the CEO's son?"

"Park Seonghwa."

Hongjoong dropped the phone.

No.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

This couldn't be right.

They were testing him.

They had to be testing him.

It was all wrong.

Seonghwa was Hwaseong's real name. If he'd lied about his first name, he probably lied about his last name.

It was him.

But it couldn't be.

Hongjoong's ears slowly stopped ringing and he heard his name coming from the phone that sat on the floor.

Realizing what this meant, his first instinct was to protect him. He couldn't tell them.

Not yet.