11. Depression.

Kim Mun Ho.

Three Days.

It had been three days since he stepped his feet outside his apartment after he met with Ahn Jae Hyun.

In darkness and at the corner of his bed, he tossed and turned, staring at a single place tirelessly like a soulless individual. That was the worst day of his life even for him.

He had been through so much... So many scandals during his Maknae days when he first entered the industry. Days when he was invincible to the world, days where he was blacklisted and criticized because of his looks; days where he was called talentless but pretty-faced, days where he was humiliated with roles that could destroy his career, days where he would audition for labels that just sat and laughed at his performance... But none of those scandals, those days, those humiliations could not compare to the one he faced at this point.

This was his biggest controversy. This could be the end of the road for him... This could be the last straw.

With his head resting back on the wall and tear-filled eyes, he pulled his feet to his chest, wrapping his arms around for comfort. This was much more than he could handle just casually, this was too much for him to take.

And as a single tear escaped from the corner of his eye, he exhaled in exhaustion. His head, full of thoughts of his entire journey to the present date caused a dry chuckle to escape his throat.

In a way, the state he was in felt like Deja Vu. The last time he was this way, he completely gave up on everything, on life, on himself. No hope, no dream... Just living. And just when he thought it was over for him and he was ready to die, Ahn Jae Hyun appeared outta nowhere with a contract that changed his life forever.

He took the opportunity, made a name for himself. A remarkable reputation, a life countless others could not have, a life the world dreamed of, A star among multitudes. He was the brightest. He was no longer remembered as the pretty-faced rookie with no talent, he was now Kim Mun Ho the nation's husband.

Thinking about it with his head facing up to the ceiling, he smiled wryly. There was no way in hell he would let all his hard work go to waste because of a single mistake a single night created. He will never let his career fall into the abyss when there is something he can do to prevent it from happening.

At that certain moment of flashback, that very tick in a little clock, Kim Mun Ho came to a decision.

A decision that was going to change his life forever, little did he know.

Although he was unable to predict what was going to happen, he knew what he had to do and knew he had to do it fast. Whether or not it was blackmail, just like in the past, this was kinda an opportunity for him. I mean it is not every day you get to mingle with people of the higher society and play their games; Mind games.

~~~~

After a long time in the shower, he finally stepped out, still wiping his hair before the doorbell jerked him out of an array of thoughts that flashed through his mind.

"Coming". He echoed, tying his robe as he checked the visitor through his video doorbell, trying to see who it was on the door but there was no one there.

He furrowed his brows checking again, maybe the person was at the corner? He wasn't sure.

Slowly, he opened the door slightly, taking a peek, before bringing his head out, observing from left to right if someone stood at the corners but there was no one there as he saw earlier which was odd because he did hear the doorbell ring.

Taking a step back inside, he was oblivious to the basket in front of him... He shut the door, heading back inside.

That was weird.

Nobody ever comes to the last floor of this building. It was reserved for only him and strictly prohibited from everyone except his agent.

He tilted his head in confusion sparrowed in his orbs. with wide eyes, a terrific thought crept into his mind.

Could it be that Ahn Jae Hyun has released the video and now paparazzies have discovered his apartment?

The anxiety... The panic...

His fingers began trembling.

No, no, he would never do that.

He was still in front of the door when the doorbell rang again, taking him unaware as jolted to the sound.

Shit!

Who the fuck is that?

Hesitantly, he peeked through the video doorbell with a furrowed brow before the grunt followed by a relief breath escaped his throat after seeing her face.

What is she doing here?

"Mr. Kim... It's me". Diane stood in front of the door with eyes fixed on the camera.

After the previous incident three days ago, she had not been able to reach Kim Mun Ho. She had texted, called, and left emails, but he didn't respond to any. Hell, she was scared that he had done something stupid because of the state he was in when he left the building that day.

She had never seen him like that. Never. Hell be damned if Kim Mun Ho was ever caught unkempt.

"Mr. Kim, open up... I'm worried".

"Urgh... this is so exhausting". He rolled his eyes to her words with a scroll "Go away, Diane, I don't have any business with you today." He moved past the door after his words.

The only thing he felt at that moment was betrayal to the uttermost. At this point, he wasn't even sure he would ever be able to recover from the shock of it.

When he first got to the company, Diane was the first to make him feel welcome. She spoke to him so casually and got him to smile genuinely in just a day— which was impossible. Take it from him, trusting people had always been his problem and a huge habit he could never overcome. It took years for him to be able to adjust to the company and a few people in it. The fact that people he eventually opened up to them and got stabbed straight in the chest, made his situation worse. He would never be able to recover from it.

In sluggish steps, he ran his hands through his damp hair, strolling towards the kitchen area. He stopped in front of the fridge, opened it, and took out a bottle of water before the door beeped open.

Diane strolled in.

Was he surprised? Nope.

He trusted her to the point of giving out his passcode to her.

Tsk... Stupid.

"Hah... Thank goodness you are okay, You gave me a huge scare". Her eyes remained on his back as she spoke cautiously, determined to get him to speak.

"Didn't say you could come in". Still backing her, he took a sip from the bottle, and closed the fridge, before he began towards the couch.

"You left your delivery outside". With the basket in her grasp, she gave it a little shake.

"I haven't ordered anything". He spoke blankly, still not looking in her direction, rather fixing his eyes on the large screen in front of him.

"Hmm...". Taking her eyes back to the object in her grip, she raised it slowly to her face so her eyes could observe. "It is quite an expensive wrap, looks like an invitation somewhat".

An invitation?

He rolled his eyes to her words...

As the nation's husband, being invited to countless cooperation events was something he had grown accustomed to and was tired of. Most times he just declines or leaves them unattended. He finds it annoying to an extent. The fact that he is invited to an event just for his presence and wasting his time is one of the reasons he becomes automatically lazy to go.

Kim Mun Ho never going to events he is invited to is a long-dismissed issue. It is now like a tradition... More like a jinx. Never invite Kim Mun Ho to an event and expect to see him, he would never show up... Just let it be. And then when you least expect it, he just shows up. Some call it prideful, others call it disrespectful, but he calls it 'saving time for leisure '

'Maybe it was one of those invitations... ' He thought to himself.

"Just leave it somewhere and go". His words were a little harsh, but that is Kim Mun Ho, alright... He can be like this when he wants to.

With a scoff, she rolled her eyes to his words still unwrapping the basket, only to find a golden card in it.

"Yeah, yeah, sure... I will leave when I am done unwrapping". Sarcasm at the tip of her tongue as she spoke. They both knew that she was not leaving anytime soon.

Picking up the card she mouthed an ouuu, her eyes lit up at the designs and prints. It was not like other cards she had seen... it was delicate and luxurious, with a color that screamed royalty... It was more like a wedding invitation. Slowly, she wrapped her palms around it, allowing her fingers to graze on it before opening it to see what was written on it.

As her eyes began to patrol through the letters, her jaws dropped widely accompanied by series of gasps and unsteady breaths.

"...ga uh... Ah... Buh-buh... Oh.. My... Gu-goo... Haaaah...".

She couldn't formulate words. Her brain was blank for a few minutes, and the sounds coming from her caught his attention, causing him to turn to her with lifted brows.

What's wrong with her?

With a frown, he walked to her and grabbed the card from her reading the details it carried.

Instantly, he froze from the words written on it.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

An invitation from the prince of Dubai!!!