"Stay By My Side" | Chaeyoung x Male Reader

“Maam, we’re now here.”, the driver said after slowly driving toward the front of a very large mansion after entering through the gates.

The woman behind him who is sitting in the passengers seat, heard him. She slowly removed her back from leaning and reached for her bag to grab.

The driver stopped the car and went oitside first to open the door for her boss. The long blonde haired woman stepped outside and then walked through in front of a door where a familiar figure is standing, crossing his arms out.

“Let me guess, bad day?”, her brother Jeonghoon said, tracing her from head to foe but he focused most on her sister’s face.

“Did it ever changed whenever I come here?”, her sister raised her eyebrow.

“ That confirms it.”, then Seunghoon released a sigh. “Cmon inside, the dinner’s already set.”, he signalled his sister to enter the house and the older immeditiately followed.

While walking, she caught the glimpse already of her parents preparing the table for dinner. “Evening, mom and dad.”

“Good evening too my dear baby beast.”, then she pulled her for a peck to the cheeks.

“When will you guys listen that I’m not a baby anymore?”, she said after groaning in annoyance.

“You still is and always will be to us, daughter.”, her father just chuckled. All four of them took a seat around the table and they started to place some food on their plates.

As they’re finished, Mr. Son started some topic to talk about.

“How’s the company?”

“Still the same. Being surrounded by a bunch of pathetic people.”, she said unenergetically while stabbing the beef with her fork.

“For how many times I told you this, they’re doing their best, Chaeyoung. Ofcourse, it’s normal for them to fail, everyone has their own limits.”, Mrs. Son reminded.

“ Well, I can’t see it.”, Chaeyoung just shrugged.

“Because you definitely rely on your high standards.”, Mrs. Son side-eyed Chaeyoung. “I suggest you set it down, daughter.

“I appreciate the advice mom, but no thanks.”, Chaeyoung finally raised her head and turned her eyes at her mother with a small smile. “They won’t gonna improve if I will be like that.”, she shook her head.

“Then atleast don’t be too tough for them.”, Mrs. Son said in concern not just for her but the employees too.

“So back from what even made my day worse...”, she said, ignoring her mother and moving on to her story today. “...is that my “former” secretary. Yes, “former” who is living to her idiot self, messed up again.”

“Again? Wait, you fired Ms. Bae?”, her father looked at him in shock, eyebrows nearly meeting at each other.

“I just gave her a lesson, since I’m at my limit... I did what I had to do.”, Chaeyoung said that in a proud tone, but also with a mix of frustration at what her secretary just did a while ago.

“Jesus, Chaeyoung that was like... the 4th secretary you had.”, Mr. Son exclaimed in disbelief. “So, you’re gonna find again?”

“As much as I want not to anymore, I don’t have a choice but to have someone who will serve me again.”, then she scooped another rice in her spoon.

“Oh, so that means you have a vacant position in our company.”

“A cursed one.”, Chaeyoung said after taking a spoonful in her mouth. “It’s their choice. To work for a witch like me.”

“You just call yourself that because he made you like-”, Mrs. Son was about to finish her words when Chaeyoung quickly interrupted her, dropping both her spoon and fork for a free fall through the table.

“Don’t mention that bastard again.”, Chaeyoung said, not looking at her mothet’s eyes. Her lips twitching furiously.

“Chae. Stop it. Hon, let’s forget about it.”, Mr. Son tried to calm down her daughter and stop this already which he felt that it might lead to something not good and ruin the dinner.

Meanwhile, Chaeyoung’s brother is just watching them... feeling bad for her parents, especially to her sister. What her ex did to her in unforgivable, and he could’ve wished he did something to that man that will make him regret what he did to her sister.

“How could I?! LOOK WHAT HE DID TO OUR DAUGHTER! UNTIL NOW, I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER WE’VE RAISED.”, Mrs. Son complained to her husband, voice raising a bit more this time.

“I SAID STOP!”, Chaeyoung shouted, making all three of them flinch at it. Her brother looked at her in fear and worriedness. He’s seeing right now the damage that man had caused to her daughter and he doesn’t even know if she will change again.

“Please... I-I just don’t want him on my mind again.”, Chaeyoung lowered her head, heaving a huge sigh then sucking much amount of air after to calm herself down. She’s trying not to cry in front of her family. She doesn’t want to look like she’s being affected of pain anymore. “I chose to be like this, then so be it.”

All four of them went into pure silence, her parents looking at the other direction, thinking how unfortunate of an event her daughter experience to be like this. For them, she didn’t deserved this at all. She’s just a woman who gave her whole trust that her lover will fulfill what she only wanted from him.

To be loved.

To be there on her side when he is being needed.

But it all didn’t happen. That man made Chaeyoung disappointed, especially hurt and broken when he left their daughter like their relationship was nothing.

They can’t blame Chaeyoung turning into this. They were wishing and hoping that she could have somehow help herself to be okay again, but hearing it from their daughter that this is her way to do it... they know there’s a better option to do so.

Jeonghoon just hold her sister’s hand on the table. Chaeyoung nodded and smiled very slightly to show her appreciation for her brother’s affection of comfort. She has to. She loves her brother that’s why.

“I wish you found someone to make you back at yourself again, my daughter. Say it over and over that you are okay with this, but you’re not. This isn’t you.”, Mrs. Son said, this time in a low tone.

Chaeyoung can hear still what her mom is saying, and deep inside of her, she knows that it’s the truth.

She’s still not perfectly fine.

She just wants to recover and move on, that’s all.

“I miss the Chaeyoung I knew. If we, your parents and your friends can’t make you... then I hope someone will.”

“I miss myself too, mom.”, she muttered to herself.

“Ok let’s get enough of this, shall we?”, Mr. Son said, trying to change the atmosphere this time so he thought of some new topic to talk about. He hummed while he’s thinking.
Then he remembered that her daughter mentioned just a while ago that she fired her secretary.

“Since you actually don’t want to find anymore... why don’t you take a break for this one and... let me do it by myself?”, Mr. Son suggested which caught her daughter’s attention at this one.

“You’re gonna search a new replacement as my secretary?”, Chaeyoung questioned her father. The latter just hummed as an answer.

“That sounds great.”, Chaeyoung said. She thought of that because she ain’t gonna be more stressed this time. She can now only focus on her paperworks while her dad take care of this one. “But, you know what I want and what’s the huge violation to me, Dad. “

“I know, my daughter. Trust me, you won’t gonna be disappointed with this one.”, Mr. Son said, feeling confident and proud at this time. He doesn’t refer at whoever might get the position, because has SOMEONE already in mind. He is smirking secretly too becaude he knows that this is a perfect job for that someone he will give the position at.

“You have my word, this is definitely gonna be your last.”