Kim So wasn’t sure what he was thinking when he’d first gotten the idea of buying Bella Bella. He needed a reason to see Go Ha Jin again; just coming out and telling her who he is had to be the epitome of bad ideas. If she honestly didn’t remember her life as Hae Soo then she would think he was crazy and that really wasn’t the best start to a relationship. He could just ask her out right there in the middle of her workplace; it was the kind of thing that happened in romantic comedies, right? He’d seen it before while on dates in the past, and girls seemed to like that kind of thing; at least his dates had. But he’d run into Ha Jin twice now, and while there seemed to be a mild fascination with him she was more hesitant than anything else. He couldn’t be sure that she’d say yes if he asked her out, and if she said no then he didn’t want to come off as some kind of stalker (as if tracking her down like this wasn’t leaning in that direction already). No, he needed a reason to be around her every day, let her get to know him. It seemed like divine inspiration when the idea hit to buy the company. It was perfect; he’d buy Bella Bella and make her his assistant (because what the hell did So know about cosmetics?  He spent most of the time in travel working on his own and Kim Corporation’s investments in Asia, South America and Africa). He’d , she’d talk back to him, he’d remind her of who they were to each other and they’d fall in love all over again.

But in the dark of night the doubts crept in. Suppose somehow he could make Ha Jin remember Goryeo; was that really a good thing? That long ago world was a nightmare. They were trapped in the roles that birth and palace politics carved out for them. The stress and heartache of that life was literally a heartache for her. Hae Soo had slowly withered and died from the crushing weight of life in the palace. And the last words he’d spoken to her, the pain in her eyes…they’d pledged their lives and hearts to each other but if that final parting was the last thing she remembered of him was it any wonder she couldn’t remember him now? If those memories came back, just how much would she remember? If he had any kind of say he’d only want her to remember their love, but there was so much pain tightly entwined with that love that he didn’t know if it could ever be separated. Ha Jin had a life now, a job and a family and things seemed to be going well for her. Would it be fair to her to dredge up those memories? She deserved a life free of the bonds of the past, she deserved joy and love and every happy thing. And So wanted to be the one to give her those things, to make up for every promise he couldn’t keep before. But he could do that without helping her remember, couldn’t he? This was a different time, they didn’t have to be the same people they were. So remembered the past, but maybe that was his punishment. Ha Jin didn’t have to share that burden, he could keep it on his own. This was a chance for them to start over and do it properly this time.

Yes, So thought to himself as he straightened his tie and walked into Bella Bella the next day. This would work. It might be a little awkward at first, but they had all the time in the world, a whole life to be together. Yes, this would be good.

Bella Bella’s corporate office was a little surprised, first at the offer and then how quickly he wanted to move things along, but money moved the world and the amount he was offering made them take him very seriously, agreeing to have him meet their head lawyer the next day. The fact that him trying to buy the company might make things awkward for him to try to chat up Ha Jin didn’t really occur to So; he just wanted to see her again. But as he looked around he didn’t see her, and when he asked one of the other clerks he was disappointed to find out that she was at lunch. He’d hoped to see and talk to her a little before the meeting, but that was okay, he’d find her afterwards, maybe ask her a question or two about his skincare regimen and…and….ugh, and just see her again. Was it crazy to meet someone and wonder just how you’d managed to live without having that person in your life? Fine, he was crazy then. It felt too natural to love her, and even if she wasn’t completely Hae Soo he sensed enough of Soo about her that it just felt right.  And that was okay; he wasn’t completely Wang So. He’d lived a modern life and there are things he would have done differently even though he understood why his past self did them. There was enough of a connection between his past and present self though that he accepted that they were the same person. The same soul carried on through both lives, so wouldn’t it just make sense that that soul could continue to keep the same love?

Yes, yes it would. Some things were eternal after all.

The secretary who stashed him in the conference room to wait for the lawyer was very polite. Mr. Hong was so sorry, but he was running late. At least the coffee she left him with was decent. So barely touched it though, more interested in the view of the city from windows. He’d always liked being able to have a good view of the world around him, even in the past, and while the view from this room wasn’t as good as at his apartment, it wasn’t bad. He wondered what the CEO’s office looked like, and how the view was from there. Well, if he didn’t like it he certainly didn’t have to come here very often. He could see who the most knowledgeable person here was, put them in charge of running things and leave them to it. So would just go back to his other companies, taking Ha Jin with him of course. Soo had always wanted to travel, and one of his regrets as Wang So had been not being able to show her the world, even when he ruled it. Well that could change in this life. He travelled a lot now, and Ha Jin could join him. Nevermind the lantern festival, So would take her to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. He’d buy ropes of beads and talk her into earning them from him the traditional way…in private of course. An image of Ha Jin on his bed, hair spread out on his pillows, her creamy skin draped in nothing but brilliantly colored beads filled his mind, and he coughed, almost spitting coffee on his dress shirt. Wow, certainly was getting ahead himself, wasn’t he? Not the best time to be having those kinds of thoughts, sheesh.

Coughing again, Kim So cleared his throat and took another swallow of coffee before turning back to the window again to try to distract his overly vivid imagination. A few minutes later, the door opened behind him.

Time to get started…he thought to himself, putting on his best business poker face before turning to meet his opponent.

The man introduced himself but the name he gave was not the one that sprang to So’s mind, and every trace of his customary poker face, the cold expression that spiked fear in the hearts of businessmen the world over, was driven away by complete and utter shock.

Finding Hae Soo in this life was miraculous enough, and it felt like fate was bringing them together again to start over and heal the hurt of their previous lives. But fate was a vicious mistress it seemed, and it simply had not occurred to So that if he could meet the love of his life again that his path could cross with that of others as well. There was no question about this being coincidence; the expression on the face of the man who had once been his eighth brother was too clear.

What was fate trying to do to him? Here he was again an outsider, with his love under the protection of Wook’s ‘household’, in this case his company. From So’s research he knew that Bella Bella had once belonged to the Hong family; and while there was some mild surprise that a member of that family was now working for the current owners, he’d never expected it to be the adversary of his former life.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” The former Wang Wook said, the polite smile on his face now containing a bitter twist to it. “I was curious why the Kim Corporation wanted to purchase Bella Bella, but now I know the reason is right in front of me. Or rather, she’s downstairs.”

Hong Chan Ki was as smoothly put together as his past self ever was. The hair was shorter of course, given the modern fashion, but the same bangs still fell across his forehead and the déjà vu that So felt was still strong. Also too now, was a sense of concern for Ha Jin that he didn’t feel until that door opened. Chan Ki remembered his past life, that much was clear, just like So did. And it was just clear that Ha Jin did not, for whatever reason. What had he started, coming to Bella Bella like this? What would have happened if he’d left it alone, let Ha Jin just walk away when he’d seen her at the club the other night? Wook had loved Soo, So knew that. And once upon a time she had loved him. But towards the end that love had twisted and Wook had used it as a weapon to drive them apart. What remained of the Eighth Prince in the man in front of him? What would he do, when presented with his former love who was defenseless without the memory of their shared past?

The thought of Chan Ki having access to Ha Jin in this world, of him taking advantage of her relative innocence now and using her for…whatever. So wasn’t sure what havoc could be wreaked by them being together but just the thought of this man anywhere near and having opportunity to be close to her created a rage in his heart that startled him with its intensity.

“Did you bring her here? Is that how she got this job?” So asked, wondering now how long the two had known each other. Was he too late? His assistant’s research didn’t turn up anything about a husband or boyfriend, but were they lovers already? The thought that he’d found Ha Jin just to see her happy in the arms of another man; no not just any other man, the reincarnation of his enemy, was painful beyond belief, and he wondered if when he’d spotted her the other night she was not being presented as a gift from the heavens but as the last, deepest knife in his soul before he went to hell.

“I should tell you that I did, shouldn’t I?” Chan Ki said musingly. “I should tell you that we are madly in love and she’s expecting my baby. It would be worth it just to see the expression on your face. But no, we’ve just met, and I was just as surprised to see her as I’m sure you were.”

He paused by one of the chairs. “She doesn’t remember you either, does she? I wonder how she got so lucky, to forget when obviously neither of us did.”

“She deserves some peace.” So said, his anger fading a little at the knowledge that Wook and Soo were not lovers in this time. “How long have you known?” he couldn’t help but ask. It was the first time he’d found someone that he couldn’t deny had experienced memory of a past life, and curiosity was getting the better of him.

“You mean we’re not going to break out into a fight?” Chan Ki asked. “Oh wait, this is the twenty-first century, we don’t walk around armed anymore.”

“Not yet. And you haven’t given me a reason to.” Yet. So thought to himself.

“Yet.” The other man replied, seeming to pick up on that thought. With a shrug, he sat down in the chair and placed the files he held on the table. “It was years ago. I thought it was just nightmares at first, from watching too much television. Then later it became clear it was more than that.”

He paused. “It’s funny. I’ve lived most of my life not really thinking about the past. It didn’t really seem important to the man I am now. I probably would’ve been content to leave it alone too if Ha Jin hadn’t shown up. So much like Soo; I thought I’d gone crazy when I first saw her. She always has had a way of changing things, hasn’t she?”

So remained silent, waiting to see where this was going.

“The fact that you’re here today shows you’ve never forgotten, even if she has. How does that feel by the way, knowing the love of your past life has forgotten all about you while you’re still clinging to memories? And buying the company she works for just to be near her, talk about big romantic gestures!” Chan Ki laughed. “Are you going to tell her, the lengths you’re going to for her?  Should I?”

So gave a brief, bitter laugh at having his plans rubbed mockingly in his face. “If she doesn’t remember, why would she believe you?”

“True. If I just flat out told her she’d think I was crazy. But if she thought that you were the crazy one. That would have to be disturbing, to have a rich man stalking you because he’s got this wild idea that you were lovers in a past life. Sounds like the plot of a movie, right? Great onscreen, but in real life things like that are scary and an easy way for a poor girl like Go Ha Jin to wind up dead. Who’s she going to believe? Her friendly coworker who’s just looking out for her, or the millionaire who waltzes in, buys her company and tells her he’s been in love with her for a thousand years?”

So was fuming inside. How dare this man take the love he’d had for Hae Soo, his desire to start over and give her a happy life, take that and mock him for it like this? He never would have told Ha Jin who he was. They would have just met normally, and he’d court her like every other man in this time. If she ended up not wanting to be with him, well, it would hurt but at least he would have had the chance to do things right and love her freely. But once again his past was here to throw a wrench in things. Twisted in just the right way, Chan Ki could take So’s pure intentions and make Ha Jin mistrust him. And a businessman simply did not have the power that a prince did. He could not tie Ha Jin to him the way he did Soo. He didn’t know if he could stand to see fear in her eyes when she looked at him. This was supposed to be his second chance, and he wasn’t going to have things ruined before he even began.

“What do you want?” So demanded. Chan Ki did not seem emotionally invested in Ha Jin; he seemed to want to amuse himself by taunting So more than anything else. That didn’t mean anything of course; there were always ulterior motives to anything Wang Wook did, and being a lawyer Hong Chan Ki was probably the same way.

“Take back your offer to buy Bella Bella.” The other man’s answer came faster than So expected, but he really shouldn’t have been surprised.

“And why would I do that? Even if there weren’t other reasons, Bella Bella is a very profitable company, and my accountants are always telling me to diversify my assets. I could make them and the shareholders at Kim Corporation very happy by taking it on. Besides, if I took back the offer, your employers would want to know why I changed my mind. I don’t think they’d be too happy if I told them you asked me to. It’s not a very nice way for you to pay them back after they were good enough to hire you.  Keeping one of the Hongs on board probably wasn’t easy for them to defend, given your uncle’s track record.”

So turned away from him and looked back out the window. “You want to buy this company back, don’t you? You just need time to build up the money to make an offer. I can understand that; your family started it years ago, it’s part of your history. It must grate at you having to work for the people who bought it. Well your plans don’t have to change just because I’m buying it.”

“Is that right? What are you offering?” The lawyer’s voice sounded wary, but So was willing to bet he’d be open to negotiation.

“Stay away from Go Ha Jin and once I buy Bella Bella you can run it, and I will sell it to you when you’ve raised the funds. It has to be a legitimate offer; I still have to justify it to Kim Corporation, and I’m not going to have my family questioning my sanity by buying a cosmetics chain just to turn around and sell it for a song. I have to make a profit. I’m sure you understand.” So said, turning around to give Hong Chan Ki a smirk. “Of course if you breathe just one word about Goryeo or our past to Ha Jin then the deal is off and I’ll sell Bella Bella to the highest bidder. I’m sure many of your competitors would love to take it.”

Chan Ki was silent for a moment, looking like he wanted to argue, but finally he nodded. “You’ve got a deal. You know you do. As much fun as it would be to mess around with you…for old times’ sake…”he commented with a laugh. “Business comes first. At least for some of us.” He shook his head. “You really are something else, brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any man go to the lengths you’re willing to for a woman.”

“If you don’t understand, then I guess you didn’t love Soo as much as you thought you did.”

“Me? You’re talking as though this was still Goryeo. My name is Hong Chan Ki, not Wang Wook, and I’ve never even met a woman named Hae Soo, let alone loved one. The past is the past for a reason, otherwise we’d collapse under all the accumulated baggage.” Chan Ki leaned back in his chair and took a pen out of his suit pocket. “Now unless there’s anything else we have a deal to complete. The size of the offer you made pretty much guaranteed that they’d agree to it, but they wanted me to put up at least token resistance just for formality’s sake. I don’t think that’s really necessary, do you?”

So shook his head, pleased that he was getting through this so easily. Well, maybe not easily. It still irked him that Chan Ki was here and in Ha Jin’s life, but the opportunity to get his family’s company back would be the leash to keep him in line and out of So’s hair.

“No. Let’s get started.” He said, and sat down across from his former brother to make the deal.

0-o-o-o-0

Hours later, after all the paperwork was read through and signed, all the copies made and the calls placed to the various accountants and lawyers whose job would be all the dirty work of transferring the company, Bella Bella was pretty much sold and Hong Chan Ki sat by himself in his office, wondering what he’d done. The day had started off so well; he’d looked forward to exploring the possibilities in his life and past that Go Ha Jin presented him. She was as sweet and funny as Hae Soo ever was, and it would be so easy to fall for her again; to reach out for those feelings his heart remembered and let them in again.

But everything changed when he stepped into that conference room and met his former brother. Kim So had offered him what he needed, and all Chan Ki had to do was leave Ha Jin alone. Their past grudge made it hard for him to accept, he didn’t want to give in to So this easily, but after how hard he’d worked to save his family business, even to the point of it destroying his marriage…well, it was too much to give up just for a chance at remembered love.

So he’d made the promise that Kim So asked for. Not on paper of course, but he had no doubt that So would hold him to it regardless. The bitterness inside of him was impossible to drive away though. Why should that arrogant bastard win again? As Wang Wook he’d lost Hae Soo in his attempt to take the throne, and ended up with nothing for his efforts. Why should it play out the same this time?

if you breathe just one word about Goryeo or our past to Ha Jin then the deal is off…

What if he didn’t tell Ha Jin about the past? There was more than one way to mess up a relationship, especially a fledgling one, and Chan Ki didn’t have to mention Goryeo at all in order to Kim So. He and Ha Jin already had lunch together once, with a promise of a repeat tomorrow. They seemed to be getting along well together. All Chan Ki had to do was keep on the road he was on, and the opportunity to open Ha Jin’s heart to him would be there.

Speaking of which…

Chan Ki looked at the clock and saw that it was closing time. Grabbing his suit jacket, he left his office and hurried downstairs, wanting to catch Ha Jin before she left for the day. He found her at the employee lockers, collecting her purse.

“Ms Go!” he said, walking up to her. “I’m glad I caught you. I just wanted to make sure we were still on for lunch tomorrow.”

The look that Ha Jin gave him was coldly polite. “I don’t think that would be a good idea Mr. Hong. I’ll have to pass on lunch tomorrow. I wouldn’t want your wife to misunderstand. Goodnight.”

And with that she turned and left.

Chan Ki groaned and slumped against the lockers.

Damn it.

0-o-o-o-0

“Men are scum, Jae Yoon.” Ha Jin said, taking another swallow of soju. They were lying on a blanket spread out on the grass of the backyard. She was on her second bottle while her brother was still nursing his first.

“Hey!”

“Present company excluded of course.” Naturally her brother wasn’t scum, but then again she probably wasn’t fully informed about his love life. Brothers usually kept things like that from their sisters, right?

“Thank you.” Taking a drink of his own, he glanced at her. “Are you sure you should be drinking so much? You haven’t been out of the hospital for very long.”

“Just don’t become a scum and cheat on your wife. Or your girlfriend, when you get one. And I’ll be fine.” Ha Jin said, blowing off his concern.

She still remembered how the other clerks looked at her when she got back from lunch with Hong Chan Ki. Like something that had crawled out from under a rock. It had grated at her until she finally asked one of them what the problem is.

“You know he’s married, right?” the other woman asked as they stocked shelves together. The look of surprise on Ha Jin’s face must have given her the answer though, because her coworker relented a little.

“Her name is Park Ye Seul, she’s a cultural writer for the Korea Times. I met her once at a company party. Her family owns a couple of hospitals. Mr. Hong is usually polite to us, but doesn’t talk too much. Their marriage must be in trouble if he’s taking the new girl out to lunch.”

“I had no idea.” Ha Jin said, stunned at the news.

“I can see that. Look, you seem like a nice girl. You don’t want to get involved in something like that. Dating one of the higher-ups is just asking for trouble, especially if he’s married.”

Her coworker must have spread the news that Ha Jin was an innocent party in this, because the other clerks’ looks for the remainder of the day became more sympathetic, but Ha Jin was still furious. It was just lunch, but Chan Ki had seemed so nice, and she’d enjoyed talking to him. It was enough to make her consider dropping her self-imposed ban on dating.

But now? UGH! She was such a fool. He was like her ex-boyfriend, except now Ha Jin was obviously the potential other woman. She felt sorry for his wife.

“No way. I’d never cheat on my girl.” Her brother said, bringing her mind back to the present. “I’m still pissed off at that creep you dated. It’s a good thing he left town before I got back, or he’d still be in the hospital.”

“I know. You’re the best brother.” Ha Jin smiled, and reached over to pat his head.

“Don’t you forget it either.” Jae Yoon said. “What’s this guy’s name anyway, this lawyer? Do I need to go have a few words with him?”

“No, it’s not worth it. With our luck he’d probably sue you or you’d land in jail. Or both. Just leave it alone. And I’ll leave him alone.”

“Fine. But if he tries anything, you let me know.”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“Fine, I promise.”

“Good.”

They lay quietly for a while, which was normal for them. Ha Jin had missed this; lying in the back yard with her brother. In the summer they’d count fireflies, in the winter they’d watch the snowflakes fall on their faces. Tonight she just watched the stars in the skies, thankful to have her life back. For some reason though she couldn’t help but think that there were too few to see; there should be more stars, she remembered seeing more stars…

Maybe she was just remembering doing this as a child. Everything was bigger and grander when you were a child. Maybe it was just because she was an adult now that the sky didn’t seem the same. She wouldn’t mention it to Jae Yoon, he would just worry. He’d worried more about her ever since she came home from the hospital, and while part of her wanted to reassure him that she was fine, part of her appreciated his concern. Because she wasn’t sure if she was fine. The nightmares were just a part of it; sometimes it seemed like there was something she should be remembering, and she was divided on whether she wanted to or not. If she couldn’t remember then it couldn’t be that important, right? Her life was functioning just fine without whatever it was. And maybe she was better off not knowing. But still, it bothered her, the not knowing…

..it was with these thoughts that Ha Jin drifted off, and she didn’t notice when her brother picked her up and carried her inside.