Areum woke before Jungkook and left him to sleep. After what Secretary Park told her about the strain of the job and all those people who relied on Taeyang, she couldn’t bring herself to disturb him. Also, she had a funny feeling he’d be grumpy if she interrupted him. She’d kept him up most of the night, or had he kept her up? When he started touching her like that, she felt like it would never be enough.

“You’re up early.” Jungkook’s mother was surprised when Areum entered the dining room and found them in the middle of breakfast. “I thought you two would sleep in,” she whispered to the butler to bring in the porridge she’d made especially for the two youngsters of the house.

Areum vaguely recalled giving Jungkook a hard time and his mother and aunt scolding him, “I want to pop over to my parents.”

“What a good idea!” Harabeoji smiled warmly, “Would you have time for an old man after that?”

“If you’re the handsome man in question, then how can I refuse?” Areum responded matching his warmth.

The elders laughed. It was so nice to have Areum back in the house, especially because of the noticeable change in Jungkook. He thought they were old fools who he could lie to, but they’d raised him. They knew every new worry line on his face, every sigh of loneliness, every missed meal and every forced one too.

 “It’s so nice that Jungkook is sleeping in. He never does that anymore, even on the weekends.” His aunt noted.

“Yes, let’s leave him to rest properly.” Areum suggested as she finished her porridge and stood, “It was delicious. I’m off across the street. Hey old man, should we go for a walk this evening then? You can show me your local hangouts”

“It’s a date.”

Areum slipped out the garden door but instead of going straight to her parent's house, she knocked on the door of the next house.

“Well, I was wondering when you’d pitch up on my door.” The woman who answered the door had a petite face that looked perpetually displeased. It was a pretty face but Areum couldn’t find ease in the fine almost cold features. So this was Jungkook’s type. The complete opposite of her large, wild features. This girl was well-bred, cultured, put together and like a perfect little ballerina doll. When Areum studied her reflection all she was this wild long hair, dark, thick eyebrows that just did their own thing, large eyes and a full mouth – okay she liked and she was lucky to have a kickass body. She worked hard for this body and Jungkook seemed to like it to. Or so that’s what his hands had communicated last night.

“Eun-ji ssi?”

“Crazy agassi.” Eun-ji returned and stepped outside. “I was just going to the hairdresser, if you came to talk then you can tag along.” She eyed Areum’s mass of curls, “Maybe do something with that hair. Oppa always complained about it.”

“He did?”

“You don’t remember anything do you?” Areum shook her head. Eun-ji smiled softly, “Don’t worry unnie. I’ll try and help you where I can.” She said as they got into the car.

Areum didn’t know what to expect when she met her love rival as it were, but she found she liked Eun-ji. The girl obviously knew a lot about her, and it might be useful to find out what she could without Jungkook being around.

He said the man who attacked her was dead, but how did she know for sure? She’d stayed away for so long and she thought she wouldn’t need to face this ever again, but he was insisting and now she had to face the possibility that maybe he had ulterior motives.

Eun-ji chatted away on the drive to the hairdresser. She told Areum how she earned the nickname crazy agassi. She even spoke candidly about Harabeoji pushing the marriage onto Jungkook, “but I’m okay now.” She smiled over at Areum, “I have a new beau. He’s a Director too. So I don’t even need Jeon Jungkook to love me anymore.”

She sounded sincere enough.

“I’m happy for you Eun-ji ssi. What’s he like?”

“He’s tall, much taller than oppa, with the kind of face that is good-looking anywhere you go in the world.”

They’d arrived at the hairdresser. It was one of those fancy places with pictures of celebrities on the wall and gleaming white workstations and lit up mirrors.

“Unnie is also going to do her hair…” Eun-ji grabbed Areum’s hands, “And her nails?”

“For Eun-jiyah, of course!” the receptionist gushed, “right this way. We are going to transform you!”

“Make sure you straighten that hair out!” Eun-ji called as she was led in the opposite direction.

Areum didn’t know what to expect, she didn’t really pamper herself on the island. There were beautiful boutiques on Jeju, but what use did she have for any of that and it’s not like she could afford it on her research assistant salary.

But, by the time they had washed her hair and started the massage on her scalp, she was in heaven.

Areum breezed into the house, excited to show everyone her new lo