Because of You

YO CHUL's POV

"And the winner for this season's Show Me the Money is…" The emcee paused to build up the excitement.

It wasn't helping me though. I was pretty much nervous. Knowing myself, I think I didn't do well on the last performance. It kind of bummed me off. Well, whatever. At least it'll help me get things off my mind for a while.

Everyone in Alpha has been busy the past few weeks. JayB-ya has been busy with recording for the Christmas album, promoting their song with Ji-Eun-ie, AND filming for his drama. I don't know how he does it, but the guy is practically a workaholic. Or maybe he's just trying his best to distract himself. I know that there's a lot on his mind right now, that's why he's doing it. It works though. That's why I asked PD-nim to be on this show. Everyone else had schedules every day. I, on the other hand, was just staying at home and waiting for our schedules.

Thankfully, PD-nim agreed and I was able to participate in this show. Ever since I saw it on TV during my days off, I was interested in coming over. Zee was really a fan of the show. When he heard that I was going to be in it, he got so jealous and was practically begging me to switch places with him. Apparently, he was filming a commercial and promoting it with some other idol groups. I'm happy for him, but I can't just trade this gig over for a CF. Not in a million years. Not even when I'm reincarnated in another world. If there's such a thing. I doubt that there is though.

"Hey…" I turn towards the person who was calling me and gave him a nervous smile.

"We're still friends no matter what the result is, right?" Jooheon-ah said as he patted my back. He was from Monsta X and was from our company. They were able to debut in Show Me Your Case this year.

It doesn't matter who would win between the two of us, it would still bring honor to our groups AND our company, so it's a win-win situation. Still, I have do well for my group and make them proud. Everyone in Alpha except for JayB was in the audience. He was flying to America today for his drama. He was about to cancel it but I told him not to. I didn't want to burden him over this. Besides, he was the one who constantly monitored my practices for this event.

I gave a smile to Jooheon and patted his back in return. "Yes, of course."

"I've never seen you smile in this show before. Are you mocking me?" He joked.

"Ya… know your place Jooheon-ie. I'm your sunbae. Don't forget that." I replied with a joke of my own.

We both chuckled before focusing our attention on the MC as he asked. "Who do you think is the winner for this season?"

The crowd responded in yells and cheers. I could hear my name being chanted but it was divided between me and Jooheon. But the MC then cut them off as he stared onto his cue card again to check the name before finally making the announcement.

"The winner for this season's Show Me the Money is…" He paused again to build more anticipation from the crowd.

I could feel my nails digging through my skin as I balled my fist hard from the nervousness. If this was in a cooking show, I would be very confident. But in this industry, nothing is certain.

The MC then smiled at the crowd as he announced, "Park Yo Chul! Congratulations!"

The next thing I knew, the rest of the contestants on this show who were eliminated rushed to the stage to carry me. Sounds of confetti machines firing were heard but was drowned out by the cheers of the audience. I was being thrown into the air by my members and with the rest of contestants. I was worried for Jooheon but when I saw that he was also joining in on the fun, I relaxed. I could see the sadness in his eyes, but he did his best to cover it. Well, that's how it is in this industry. You win some, you lose some.

Finally, an achievement of my own. It truly is revitalizing. After being put back on the ground, I was bombarded with congratulatory handshakes and hugs. But my eyes were focus on a person who was applauding for me together with her members – Jeongyeon.

She and I have been close ever since New York. After… Victoria broke up with me, I found out that she pursued fashion and proceeded to date a French model. I guess I wasn't good enough for her. Jeongyeon on the other hand comfort me all through out my... for the lack of better term "tantrums". I felt bad for yelling at her and shooing her away when she tried her best to care for me. Because of her persistence, my heart softened towards her and we became closer.

As soon as I was done being the center of attention for everyone, I immediately went to where they were together with my members. "Hey guys."

"Oppa! You were great today!" Sana said excitedly.

I waved her off. "Nonsense, it felt like I needed to do more."

"Oh come on, hyung! You were amazing! You were spitting fire the entire night!" He said.

I rolled my eyes. "You're exaggerating, Zee-ya."

"You were amazing. No need to beat yourself over it." Jeongyeon said as she tapped my arm.

The rest of the members of Twice and Alpha were looking at us weirdly. It was as if they were excited about something. They were eyeing me and Jeongyeon as if they were waiting for something to happen. I'm pretty sure it's nothing. They probably were just happy for me.

"Jeongyeon-ie!" A voice called from behind us.

"Oh great… it's him." Dahyun said in somewhat a dissatisfied tone.

The rest of turn to see who it was. When Jeongyeon saw who it was her tone suddenly felt distant. "Ah… Jimin-ssi."

"Why are you acting all formal?" He asked with an amused smile on his face.

"Jimin-ssi. We're kind of busy here." Jihyo said in a cold manner and I could feel Seiji-hyung holding her back as he whispered something to her.

What is up with these people? Jimin-ie is a kind person. That's according to JayB-ya though. They were really good friends. I wonder why these people were cold towards him. Nayeon-ie on the other hand was okay with him. I guess it's because she's also part of the 95 line.

Jimin frowned at Jihyo's comment. "I was just trying to talk to Jeongyeon-ie. Is that so bad?"

There was a heavy tension in the atmosphere we were in.

Before everything gets out of hand, Jeongyeon dismissed him. "I'll contact you later. Okay?"

"You've been saying that a lot, and yet you haven't." He said and I could tell that he was starting to get angry as he stepped forward towards Jeongyeon.

I went in between them and stopped him. "Look, man. She says she will contact you later. Just let it go, will you?"

Zhang grabbed the helm of my shoulder as he slightly shook his head. Matt also turned to look at me and signaled that there were a lot of people watching.

He glared at me. "Hyung, I'm being nice to you because you are JayB-ya's friend."

"And if I wasn't? What are you going to do about it?" I said as I stepped a little closer and glaring down on him in return. He was much shorter than me so it would seem like I was bullying middle schooler. I won't back down in a fight just because I have a reputation to protect. It doesn't matter to me one bit. Even in the culinary world, everyone knew my temperament. I've been into fights with chefs a million times over, and I never backed down. THIS stare down won't even compare to THAT. The people in that industry gave me a nickname, "The Devil's Jester". Because of that, no one would dare defy me.

He slowly stepped backwards and sighed. "Whatever. I'm out of here."

Jeongyeon then pinched the helm of my hoodie. "I'm sorry about that."

I gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry about it. Tell me if he bothers you again."

She smiled in return. "You don't have to worry about it. Thank you."

Mina then cleared her throat. "So… congratulations, Yo Chul-oppa."

The rest of the members from both groups also snapped out of their thoughts and congratulated me. I was pretty much in a good mood. "So… my members are busy with their schedules and I'm kind of hungry. Want to grab a bite with me?"

"We are?" Zee asked as I eyed him. His eyes widened in realization. "Oh right! We ARE! Come on guys. We have to go to that... that... THING we're supposed to do."

Zhang nodded as he realized what was happening. He then started pushing the rest of the members away to give us some space.

"Bye baby! I'll see you later!" Jiwoo said as he was being pushed away. Tzuyu blushed at what he said and just waved her off.

Jeong Do just chuckled and gave Sana a peck on the cheek. "I'll call you. Okay?"

Sana just smiled as she too blushed from the sudden gesture. Dominic turned to Mina and gave her a smile which she happily reciprocated. Seriously, these two should just date already.

"Oh… would you look at the time? I think we have to go to THAT schedule." Nayeon said in an obvious sarcastic tone.

"We are?" Jihyo said before Nayeon eyed her. She then continued to say. "Oh right! We ARE! Come on girls let's go."

"Really? I didn't know we had a schedule." Momo said.

"Me too. Do we really have a schedule?" Jeongyeon asked.

Sana probably got the gist as she went with the rest of the members. "Right! I forgot. Only Jeongyeon-unnie wasn't informed by it because she wasn't part of it."

"Really? But I-" Momo wasn't able to finish what she was saying because Chaeyoung covered her mouth while dragging her away.

Tzuyu who suddenly caught on then turned to me and said, "Yo Chul-oppa, do you mind bringing Jeongyeon-unnie along?"

"What are you saying, Tzuyu-ya?! I'm coming with you." Jeongyeon protested.

Knowing what her members were doing for us made me chuckle. "Not at all. Unless she doesn't want to come with me."

The rest of the members glared at her which made me almost burst out laughing. She then sighed and said. "Fine. Let's go."

She grabbed my hand and started dragging me out of the place. I turn to face her members and waved at them before mouthing a "thank you" to them they responded with smiles and a thumbs up.

"Be careful you two! Don't forget to use protection!" Nayeon joked which made Jeongyeon curse at her before she started running towards the exit.

__________

"So if you don't mind me asking… what's up with you and Jimin-ssi?" I asked in a serious tone.

We were now in one of my restaurants. She was actually starving and because she was fasting and was preparing to go on an intense diet in order to look fit for the year end shows, she was starving herself. Luckily, I was here and I knew what type of food she can have that would help with her diet without starving her. As our dinner was coming to an end, I was still curious as to what was going on with her and Jimin so I mustered up the courage to ask her.

"It's been bothering you all night, hasn't it?" She gave me a sad smile which made me nod in response.

She sighed before she continued speaking. "We used to be friends when we were trainees."

"Friends? As in?" I then asked out of curiosity.

" Friends, as in 'I even thought that… he liked me' type."

She turned to face me making sure that I was okay. I gave her a smile to tell her that I was fine and that she could continue. She sighed before continuing. "After he debuted with BTS, he stopped communicating with me. I thought that it was just the busy schedule or he wasn't allowed to communicate with girls. But I was wrong."

There was a hint of melancholy in her voice that made me regret asking about this. She then took a deep breath before she continued speaking. "One day, I saw him in a restaurant with his members. I went to him and greeted him. When his members asked if he knew who I was... but... he…"

She stopped talking for a while and I just sat there waiting for her to speak up. It must have been a painful memory to recall. After a while she then continued. "He told his members that he didn't know me and I had to get lost. It broke my heart seeing how he treated me. I thought that he was just kidding and was just playing a prank, but he actually meant it. When I finally debuted, he started talking to me again as if that day never happened. He didn't offer an explanation nor an apology. He just... came in to my life again as if it never happened. That's why I've hated him ever since."

Hearing her talk about her painful past "love interest" hurt me. Not because I was jealous, but because it didn't happen. I know it sounds weird coming from me. But I after spending some time with Jeongyeon, I realized that she was a very kind girl who would really be patient towards the people around her. She deserves to be loved.

I reached for her hand across the table. "Hey… it's okay. You don't have to think about it. It must have been painful for you to remember. It was inconsiderate of me to ask about it. I shouldn't have done so. I'm so sorry."

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm just glad that you took it well."

"Are you kidding? You've been patient with me. It's the least I can do for you." I offered her a smile.

She gave me a smile of her own. "Thank you."

We sat there in silence, and I wanted to ask her out on a date in the States. I heard that she had a week off and I wanted to take her out on a date abroad and maybe confess to her if that was okay. But I'm pretty sure she won't agree if it's just the two of us. Heck, the company would probably disagree with this.

I tried to gather up the courage to ask her. But then just as I was about to speak, her phone rang. I told her to answer it because I thought that it might be important.

"Yo Chul-oppa, we really DO have a sudden schedule. Do you mind if I go ahead? I'll make it up to you one of these days since it's my week off." She started feeling apologetic.

I chuckled. "You don't have to worry about it. Go ahead. I'll see you soon."

She thanked me for the meal as she bowed and started heading for the door. Then, I just thought of something. "Wait, Jeongyeon-ie."

She turned around with a curious look on her face. I approached her and grabbed her bag. "I'll drive you to where you need to go."

She frantically waved her hands. "You don't have to, oppa. Your fans might mob me if they see us together. Besides, the company is just nearby. I'll call for my manager to pick me up."

I didn't take that for an answer and just grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Let's go."

The next thing I knew, we were already in front of the company as I slowly parked my car in front of it. The drive itself was quiet. She was looking down the entire time. What? All I did was grab her hand, opened the door for her, buckled her seat belt for her, and drove her back. Is that too much?

"Thanks again for driving me here, oppa." She said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"No problem. You know you can call me anytime if you need a ride." I told her.

She giggled. "We're both busy, oppa. So I can't just bother you all the time."

"It doesn't matter. Just call me when you need a chauffeur." I joked.

She laughed. "Thanks again, oppa. I'll go now."

"Jeongyeon-ie… Wait…" I finally mustered up enough courage.

She turned to me and asked, "What is it oppa?"

"Do you… want to go to the Miami this coming weekend?" I finally said it.

__________

"Wow! I didn't know that Miami could be this awesome!" Jeongyeon yelled as we got out of the car.

It's been 4 days since Alpha and Twice went to Miami to have our vacation. I originally intended it to be just the two of us but the company wouldn't allow it. So she had to bring at least two members with her, but ended up having to bring all her members. And of course, since most of the members of Alpha are dating Twice's members so I had no choice but to bring them along too. Zee even brought Yuna along.

It was still okay though. Because of them, the trip became more fun. And because I was the one who invited them, we ended up staying in my rest house in Miami, it was near JayB's rest house as well. We both bought our houses here at the same time because of a nearby food truck alley that sells delicious food.

And oh…

Jeongyeon and I are finally dating.

That's right.

She finally said yes!

You don't need to know the details of what happened but here's the short version of it. I know that it hasn't been months since my relationship with Victoria ended but it was worth the shot. When I told her about this, she didn't even mind. She even told me that she was waiting for me to ask her out, otherwise she would be the one to do it herself. Fortunately, I was able to do the asking. I wouldn't be a man if I didn't do it first.

"Slow down, Jeongyeon-ie. You might trip!" I said as I got out of the car.

"Aye… stop it you too. My fingers are curling because of how sweet you two are." Jeong Do joked.

I lightly punched his arm. "Ya. Look who's talking? I couldn't even cuddle like you guys did in the car because I was driving." This made Sana blush madly which made her members tease her.

Suddenly Jeongyeon hugged me from behind. "Should we do it now instead?"

"Ugh… I can't watch this." Dahyun said as she walked past us.

"I told you that you should get a boyfriend too, Dahyun-ie." Jeongyeon said before she planted a kiss on my cheek.

"And get my heart broken? No thanks." She said.

I turn to Jeongyeon. "Is she always like that?"

"Not always. Just when it comes to boys." She replied.

"By the way, are you sure this café is really good?" Sana asked as she pointed towards the café we were heading to.

Jeong Do then held her hand. "Yeah. If Yo Chul-hyung says it is. Believe me… it is."

We all laughed at what Jeong Do said. By now, all the members of Twice knew us very well and have gotten used to us being the prodigies too.

Dominic then butted in. "Hey. Have you contacted JayB-ya? We've been here for days now and we still haven't heard from him."

I shook my head. "I haven't gotten a hold of him as well. He must be busy with filming. You know how it is."

"But his filming ended yesterday. I saw it an update from their crew member on Twitter." Zee said as he intertwined his hand with Yuna's.

"That's odd. He would have called us by now if that's the case." Matt said as he placed his cap on Nayeon's head to protect her from the heat.

"I think I know why." Dahyun said in an angry tone as she glared at one of the windows of the café.

We went over to her and try to see who she was staring daggers at.

"Oh crap. Why does it have to be her?" Tzuyu asked in a concerned tone.

"What are you doing there with her, JayB-ya?" Dominic asked in a concerned and worried look as well.

Mina then turned to ask him. "What's going on? Who is she?"

"Isn't that Kim Jiyeon from Lovelyz?" Jihyo asked.

"Jiyeon? You mean Kei?" Nayeon asked in surprise.

Me and the rest of the members of Alpha nodded at her. We could not believe what we were seeing. She was the last person that JayB wanted to sit with. Especially at a fancy cafe like this. Definitely.

"Is she JayB-oppa's new girl?" I could feel Dahyun's tone getting colder as she spoke. She must have hated two-timing guys. Or guys who had plenty of girls around her... or... guys in general. Whatever.

"Not JayB-ya's NEW girl." Seiji-hyung answered.

"So… an ex?" Chaeyoung asked.

"Kind of." Zhang answered. I could tell that there was tinge of fear in his voice.

"You guys don't need to know much about her. All you need to know… is that JayB-ya absolutely despises her. And she is a threat to him." I answered them bluntly.

But Dahyun was having none of it. "Oh yeah? If she's a threat, then why is JayB-oppa smiling at her like that?"

When we looked a little closely, we saw his smile. The moment we did, a shiver ran down each of our spines. Alpha knew what this was.

Jiwoo gulped. "You don't understand, Dahyun-ah. That's not a smile he just gives to anyone…"

Dahyun then scoffed. "See… I told yo-"

"That's the smile he gives when he's about to destroy someone's life." Jiwoo's words just made the hot temperature outside suddenly drop.

__________