Sehun’s heart palpitated abnormally. He was gushing so hard. This was so utterly dreamy and perfect he could think of nothing more.

The heat flushed through him uncontrollably. He hadn’t been kissed seriously before and he hadn’t realized it was so good. Urges cameto the core and he wished they weren’t in the pool. All he could think about was seeing and feeling her out of her bikini.

Sehun regretted thinking it by the time it was too late.

His eyes popped open when his arousal touched her leg. Namjoo giggled with amusement when she released him and moved away. His face flushed red with shame. Not only did his stomach tighten, he wanted to curl up and hide forever from the embarrassment he was experiencing.

“I’ll head out first,” Namjoo said.

He listened to her swim toward the edge behind him and pull herself out of the water, leaving him to wither with humiliation.

Several minutes later one of the housekeepers called from the door, “Young Sir, your father is home. He’d like you to get out of the pool now.”

If drowning was possible he would have already done it. Groaning, Sehun pulled himself out of the pool and raced up to his room.

A cold shower did the magic trick. Once he was dressed he hurried down the stairs curious about why his father was home and not at work. He found his answer when he stepped into the dining room.

Namjoo and his father were sitting together, chatting happily as if they’d known each other a long time. Sehun noticed she was dressed in her clothes again.

“There you are. What took you so long?” his father scolded.

When Namjoo turned to look at him with that smile on her face, he suddenly knew why she’d come.

All attention was spent on his father by the time he joined them at the table. “Your home is really neat, sir. The pool is just as you said. I really like it.”

“Is it?” his father laughed gladly. “I’m surprised you got this person,” his dad gestured his head toward him, “to swim with you. He’s always up in his room or at his restaurant. I’m always telling him to be more active. Come more often and keep him company.”

Like hell he needed company. A mother who couldn’t get off his back about not getting married and a nosy father who rarely spent time at home was all he really needed. And now Namjoo? Who was his father to decide that? What did the old man know about him to think that this liar was his match?

Namjoo giggled respectfully and nodded, “I will do that and I’ll also visit his restaurant when I can.”

“Stay and eat before you go,” Haejin said.

“I will do so, sir,” Namjoo promised. “I was starting to get hungry after that swim.”

“Look at her,” his father mused looking at him, “she speaks so well.”

Brows in a flat line Sehun merely stared at his father before pulling on a half-assed smile. He was suddenly intent on finding out why Namjoo had arrived on his doorstep in the first place. What an idiot he was for not realizing it earlier.

By the time he walked her to the door Sehun was as bitter as ever. He wouldn’t dwell on the embarrassment he’d experienced in the pool. Most likely Namjoo had expected it to happen. He wasn’t going to lose to her. Namjoo was after something and he wanted to find out what it was, because he wasn’t going to be her pawn.

“I had a nice swim,” Namjoo said as she stepped out the door. “I’ll stop by your restaurant sometime. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No,” he replied. “Come.”

Whatever happened then would be a real treat to him.

“Then, until next time,” Namjoo turned to smile at him, “Sehun.”

Their family chauffeur was waiting for her just outside. He couldn’t let her leave before he finished what he wanted to say. Sehun wanted to agitate her.

Confident, he asked, “Do you do that to every man you meet? You flirt and you kiss them?”

A wave of victory splashed through him when Namjoo halted.

Proceeding, Sehun said, “Is that how you got him? Jongin?”

Namjoo turned her head before fully shifting around to face him. Her expression was cool and controlled. He hated how she didn’t look affected by him at all.

Her lips mercilessly smiled. It was taunting. “I do it to everyone. It worked, didn’t it?”

Sehun’s jaw tightened. Damn her. He was already losing.

“How cute,” Namjoo teased. “Don’t think about what happened too much, Sehun. We’re barely friends yet. I’ll pretend nothing happened if it makes you feel better.”

She was so pretty, but that smile was laughing at him. Sehun despised it. He spent a few seconds repeating a silent mantra to himself. He needed to stay calm and under wraps. If one single word from Namjoo moved him there would be no reason for her to ever be intimidated by him.

“No, I don’t care about that,” Sehun assured.

Namjoo’s brow rose. Overlooking him curiously one more time she slightly nodded her head, “If you say so.”

He watched her turn around, prepared to finally walk away from him. All at once he felt his silent world flying in on him from all sides, crushing him beneath its weight. Courage, fear, and bravery suffocated him where he was trapped. Chorong’s voiceless echo demanding his participation in her scheme entered his mind at the speed of light. Sehun saw himself repeatedly opening his drawer to take a look at Namjoo’s handwritten confession hidden in his journal. He recalled passing her in the hallways. She never once noticed him.

“You have a second chance with the one you like. It’s kind of pitiful if you don’t grab the hand of opportunity when it’s right before you.”

Chorong may have manipulated him but the rest was for him to toss and roll. He would just have to play his chances and see how everything went. High school was too far gone now. He wasn’t the same person and he needn’t relive what he once experienced. All he had to do was handle Namjoo the same way she handled him.

“I like you.” He blurted.

Namjoo halted again and angled her head back to look at him. Sehun only caught that coy smile on her face before she walked away.

Holding his gaze on her Sehun pressed his lips together. A moment later determination sped down to his core at the upturn of his lips. He was going to make her fall for him far more passionately than with Jongin.

≈≈≈≈≈≈

It was a little after noon when Jongin was finally released from the crew meeting. Like many others of his age he’d been left with no option but to enter his father’s business. A well renowned marketing business passed down from his grandfather and onto his grandfather from his great-grandfather and so on. The line of inherited owners traveled so far back Jongin felt like his eyeballs could roll back.

From right after college he’d been quietly placed into the company, told to work his way up to prove his ability because his father was just like that. Instead of handing him the baton directly the old man Jihu wanted Jongin to sweat his way up. It was a way of preparing him for the world, a method of teaching him discipline. In order to be generous and righteous he needed to suffer like daily employees.

Jongin had been brought up with strict codes. Not only had he gone through manner and etiquette classes, his parents had assigned him curfew from since he was eight, even now they were still unyielding, demanding to know his place of location and the estimated time he would be home. Kim Jihu and Jiae devoted their years of child rearing to lecturing and paving Jongin’s future perfectly; what school he was to attend, which college and department he would study in, who he would marry and whose daughter he perfectly matched.

That was their life though, not his. Jongin did dream of going far. He would climb to the top of the business, throw his father off his seat, and take control of every marketing department all the way down to sales. Only when he had enough power would he be free from his parents. That was his aim, and when that happened he could live the way he wanted with the person of his choice happily. Jongin couldn’t afford any roadblocks right now and if there were, he wouldn’t show mercy.

After buying a sandwich from a vending machine he grabbed his bottle of water and headed into the lounge room. Namjoo answered on the first ring. Her voice was never a disappointment to his ears.

“Hey,” he greeted, “what are you doing?”

“I’m on my way home.”

“You went somewhere?”

“Just to visit a friend.”

“Did you have fun?”

“I did,” she replied. “Have you eaten? I can stop by with something.”

“I have food right here.”

“Really? How was your meeting?” she wondered.

“It went well. It’s nice hearing your voice. Now I feel energized.” He laughed cheerily upon hearing her make noises of disgust. “I’ll see you later at our usual.”

“Ok. Don’t work too hard.”

“Love you,” he said before hanging up and looked at the door just as a Head of Department walked in.

Great. Jongin wasn’t quite in the mood to be listening to the advice coming from forty-year-old Ki Taek, a man superior to him and who floated on his father’s boat.

“Enjoying lunch?” he asked sitting down across from him. “You did quite some research on that presentation. Good job, Supervisor.”

“Thank you,” Jongin forced himself to mumble for the sake of being polite.

“I heard an interesting rumor about Sunjin Marketing,” he lowered his voice even though the two of them were the only ones in the room.

Whatever it was, Jongin wasn’t interested. He knew the business solely belonged to Namjoo’s deceased father and she had nothing to do with it. Though her mother had dealings with the business, Jongin didn’t view them as a threat. What harm could Namjoo possibly inflict on him?

“Four years ago, was it?” the elder man asked. “He should be back by now. It’s a wonder they haven’t announced his return, unless they’re planning a surprise. Boy, would that throw us off our feet.”

“What are you talking about?” Jongin looked at the man with an irritated frown.

“And once he injects himself into the company, who knows just what he has planned,” the elder continued teasingly, “especially for you. Isn’t it unfair that you’re still stuck as Supervisor while he immediately becomes the head and face of their business? Who knows what’s to say. Sunjin might even surpass us. Your chance to become big, Jongin, would fall flat.”

Irate, Jongin wrapped up the rest of his sandwich to leave. He’d had enough of listening to this man’s garbage. Whether he was here to taunt him for self-enjoyment or if his father had sent him to put pressure on him, Jongin wasn’t going to have it. Not today.

“Your girlfriend, ah…yes, that pretty lady,” the Head of Department jeered with a smile Jongin deemed sick. “If I was a little younger…”

Suddenly overwhelmed with hot anger Jongin shot up from his seat noisily. Warning, he hissed, “You better shut up, you ert. Don’t you dare talk about her.”

The elder man raised his brow as if amused then continued, “I was going to say, if her brother’s back, you best watch your back.”

≈≈≈≈≈≈

Joonmyun knocked once on the door before opening it and poked his head in. He spotted Namjoo rummaging through her closet. Walking in with hopes of talking to her he said, “Getting dressed for mom’s gathering?”

“I’m not going.” Namjoo replied without turning around.

“Then where are you going?”

“I have a date.”

Jongin thought back to the man his mother had spoken about yesterday. “Who is he?”

Namjoo didn’t answer.

“Namjoo,” he urged but she only turned around with a dress in hand. Turning around she held it against her while peering into the mirror on the closet door. “How long have you been seeing him?”

“A few months,” she replied free spiritedly. “Oh, good luck if you’re staying for mom’s gathering. It’ll probably be easier for you since you’re a man.”

He frowned at her confused. He was honestly more curious about whom Namjoo was seeing, because witnessing her head over heels for someone was something he hadn’t expected. Her head seemed occupied with this person almost 24/7. Did she not have any plans for herself, her future? Where were her goals, her dreams?

The letters he received while abroad were majorly addressed from his mother who kept him updated with home events. All of them boasting about how outgoing and what a bright child Namjoo was becoming. Comparing them to now, those letters seemed to have built a different illusion of her than what he was seeing.

“I’m going to change,” Namjoo turned to look at him before walking away toward her bathroom.

It definitely was not the makeup she was wearing that made her feel different. Where was the warm welcome back hug he had expected? Why wasn’t Namjoo making time to catch up with him?

≈≈≈≈≈≈

At the ring of the door bell Jongin peeked through the door hole before opening the door cautiously.

“You’re here?” he greeted as he pulled Namjoo in and kissed her.

“I smell food,” she smiled as he closed the door and led her into the hotel room, their secret meeting place for the past few months. Jongin didn’t want his father’s followers to know what they were doing. He hated having eyes on him when he was on dates. It was disturbing and it foiled the peace of what he wanted with Namjoo. Although they were already found out, he didn’t want further speculation.

“You better be hungry,” he said seating her before slipping into his.

They ate and chatted happily over several cups of wine. Ditching the table they moved over to the veranda to admire the scenery below. The sun had set low into the sky streaking it with blue and green. City lights were coming to life and like usual, traffic was heavy with impatient drivers honking below.

Jongin felt able and reliable when Namjoo slid her arm around his and leaned her head against his shoulder. She made him feel invincible and important, not the pathetic loser he was under the eyes of his parents.

Kissing her head he asked, “Shouldn’t your mother be looking for you?”

“She’s busy with a gathering,” Namjoo answered. “Those men are up to her again.”

“Aren’t they always,” he laughed breathlessly.

“Don’t do that. It tickles.”

“What, this?” he asked teasingly huffing against her head. He laughed enjoyably while Namjoo squirmed in an effort to free herself.

When they calmed he finally said, “Namjoo, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

“Your brother,” he felt uneasy, “is he home?”

He felt her head bob against him, “He got back yesterday. Why?”

“It’s nothing,” he shook his head.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll ask again if there’s anything else.” he rustled her hair playfully. She was so lovely that for a moment nothing else seemed to matter.

“If you say so, handsome,” Namjoo grinned then turned around to face him, “then I also have a question for you.”

“Yea?” Jongin raised his brow and pulled her against him. Eyes locked on her he her face before gently pinching her cheek. “And what might that be?”

“Do you know someone named Sehun?” 

***Jongin craves for power, but will that make him enemies with Joonmyun? /drum rolls/ Namjoo has pricked Sehun's nerves. They're out to get each other

***Get that Namjoo doesn't know Jongin knows who Sehun is, but once she links them drama is going to whirl up

***Oops, I forgot I had this chapter up but didn't post it