>_____<;;

Namjoo stopped by the little corporate law office and stepped in through the nice wooden door with a piece of long glass in the middle. She could still smell the freshness of the furniture inside. A green carpet covered the whole office making it look eccentric and she caught sight of the tall fake bamboo tree before the brown door to the private office opened.

“Hi, there. What can I do for you?” a tall man in a handsome blue suit walked out.

Namjoo caught sight of the empty secretary desk and asked, “Changmin at the police station sent me. He said you need a secretary?”

“Ah…yes, I do, welcome,” he greeted and held out his hand, “Lee Jaeho.”

Namjoo smiled back and introduced herself before he offered her some coffee. They sat down and talked for a few minutes before she walked back out of the law office with a job in hand. She walked around for a while before she thought about Victoria and how she had been working hard for them as a family. It was at this thought that Namjoo stopped by a corner mart and bought some sandwiches and snacks before arriving at the police department.

“What is this?” Changmin looked up from his desk.

“To thank you for the job,” Namjoo replied.

“Ah…” Changmin nodded.

Namjoo was silent for the remaining minute she stood there before telling, “You’re probably not a bad guy, but you holding the title of criminal investigator makes us uneasy.”

“Well, thanks for your honesty,” Changmin croaked unsure if he should be flattered or not.

“You know Victoria doesn’t trust just anyone,” Namjoo told. “If you want to get close to her; she likes teasing even if she’ll act angry, she also likes wine – but I don’t think it’ll be a good thing to use in this case, and she also likes pretty flowers. My sister might not look it, but she’s feminine. Victoria…isn’t that hard to understand if you get to know her some.”

“And…why are you telling me this?”

“Oh…because it looks like you’re interested,” Namjoo answered. “I think my sister might be interested too, if you show her you are first.”

“Well, thanks for the advice, I’ll remember them.”

Namjoo glanced at Changmin once more before she finally left the police station. She walked around a little, sat around for a few minutes, and pondered about the weather before she finally got up and took a cab home. Honestly, she already felt tired. She wanted to head home and lay next to Luhan or talk with him, but the thought that he wasn’t there made her want to cry and barely sent her through hurls of sobs before the cab stopped.

She started up the stairs to her home blind to the car she knew well and only stopped when she heard someone stand up. A tall shadow immediately loomed over her before she craned her neck back to see Chanyeol standing on their front porch.

During this duration of time he’d been completely dismissed from her mind. Namjoo hadn’t thought about him at all. Everything had been Luhan this and that the last few days. Even if she thought it was right to feel guilty, she couldn’t feel the emotions pouring through her. Namjoo was immune to everything, but the ache deepening inside her heart for Luhan, who she’d lost and missed for centuries.

“Namjoo,” Chanyeol called.  

Her eyes darted toward the stairs and she stood there for a long time. She didn’t want to talk to him or see him. What was he doing there?

Upon noticing that she wasn’t moving Chanyeol came down the steps until he was in front of her, but Namjoo didn’t want to look up into his face. So turning away she sat down on one of the lower stairs and felt him sit beside her a second later.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?” Chanyeol first asked.

“What are you doing here?” her voice was quiet, low, and unexcited.

“I wanted to see you.” Chanyeol was honest. “Are you ok? You look tired.”

When he reached a hand out to touch her face Namjoo moved away. His hand paused midway unsure of what to do next before pulling his hand away.

“I’m tired,” Namjoo told before getting up to walk inside the house.

After the door closed behind her she walked up the stairs and walked into her room before falling onto her bed. She didn’t want this; she didn’t want anyone if they weren’t Luhan. And she heard herself sob again before burying her face into her pillow.

>_____<;;

Chorong was stupidly stunned. Her mind was a blank course of empty obstacles as she drove her way home.

 Suho slightly laughed, but smiled again, “I like you, Chorong, in a boy likes girl kind of way.”

That had to mean what she thought it meant, right? But why was it that she felt like she couldn’t fall for it? Because out of all the capable, better looking women…her?

Chorong shook her head as she braked at a red light. No, it wasn’t possible.

If it was…then what was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to do!?

First of all, she didn’t know how she felt toward him at all. Who was Suho to her? How did she think of him? In what way did she want him to be to her? No! Nothing. Chorong didn’t…she didn’t…

She was scared…

Chanyeol was walking down the stairs when she pulled into the driveway. For whatever reason was he there?

“Hey,” Chorong greeted getting out of her car. “Are you here for Namjoo?”

“I just saw her,” Chanyeol answered and pointed his thumb toward the house, “she just went inside.”

Chorong nodded and started toward the house, but stopped when Chanyeol asked a question.

“Is Namjoo all right? Did something happen I don’t know about?”

Yea, a lot happened, was what Chorong wanted to say, but nothing came out of . She stood there staring at Chanyeol for the longest time. What should she say to him?

“Just…something happened,” Chorong replied, “I won’t lie to you, but I think Namjoo would do better if no one pesters her for a few weeks.”

“Why?” Chanyeol immediately wondered. “I mean…it’s not like Namjoo’s a stranger to me. I know her, she knows me. Why can’t you just tell me?”

“She’s under a lot of emotional stress,” Chorong hardened her voice, “as her sister, I’m asking you…give her some space,” she paused then added with strong enunciation, “please.”

Chanyeol looked back at her with disbelief before she turned to walk into the house.

“Namjoo?” Chorong called out and walked around the rooms downstairs. When she didn’t find Namjoo she headed upstairs and opened the door to Namjoo’s room to find her lying on her bed.

“Namjoo?” Chorong said quietly and walked in to peer over Namjoo’s back to see that she had fallen asleep.

Chorong adjusted Namjoo’s head on the pillow unable to help herself, but feel apologetic for the situation she was in. She could only imagine how painful it had been for her to let go of Luhan. She left Namjoo’s room and headed downstairs to carefully think over the many things that were happening and wait for Victoria to come home to talk to her.

>_____<;;

“Oh I’m so annoyed by this,” Victoria mumbled at their table of two inside the casual restaurant she’d been ordered to drive to.

“Are you two ready to make your orders or should I come back in a few minutes?” the waiter asked with a smile plastered onto his face.

“Just get me a soup.” Victoria told.

“No, we’ll take the number 3 entrée course meal, and take your time,” Changmin piped up.

Victoria shot him a glare with a narrowed brow. When the waiter walked away Changmin turned to look at her with a smile.  

“I was almost wondering why you weren’t coming in today. You usually make a lot of visits to the police department.”

“Don’t think I come for you.”

“Well you might come to get a good peep of me.”

A contorted expression of disbelief filled Victoria’s face. With a roll of her eyes she turned to look out the window to her right. She would do anything to be home right now.

“So what’s been going on, Victoria?” Changmin asked swirling his straw around in his cup of water. “Care to share your life events with me?”

“Not as much as you wish.”

“Oh, come on. Just relax and lay back a little,” Changmin tried. “Doesn’t being uptight all the time make you tired?”

“Not as much as seeing you does.”

Changmin slightly snorted before leaning forward, “Why?”

“I think that would very much be my personal business.”

“Fine, that’s very fine,” Changmin told. “I like cunning girls.”

“Don’t categorize me.”

“Didn’t say you were, but ok. You can’t really hate coming out with me as much as you want to show me you do.”

Victoria slightly laughed, “You’ll never know.”

“You’re fun,” Changmin commented. “Like a maze where I can’t find a way out or a code hard to decipher. If you get what I’m saying.”

“I don’t think I want to.”

“Eh…you’re so negative. I’m sure you’re not like that around your sisters.”

Victoria blatantly stared at him without much interest.

“We’re making conversation here, why is it so hard for us to talk about anything else of interest?” Changmin wondered. “I really have no bad intentions, Victoria. Or…is it because I’m a criminal investigator and that scares you?”

Victoria wanted to slam him in the face with her cup of water, but obviously that would be a bit too much. Changmin was partially innocent after all, but no matter how nice he showed her he was she wouldn’t trust him. Not after he came to her house with the sketch of Chorong. He was onto them and Victoria couldn’t think otherwise than that.

“No,” Victoria replied shooting him the eye. “What scares me isn’t just that, but the fact that you came to my house with that sketch of Chorong and assuming she’d been the one involved with Kim Daesung. The moment you came to my house claiming that, my trust in you has already died, Changmin. After you made a clear assumption about a family member of mine, do you really think I’d have the heart to want to call you a friend or acknowledge that I know you?”

“That was clearly a case investigation.”

“Sure,” Victoria nodded acceptingly, “a case involved with your job, ok. That’s fine too, but the fact that you keep trying to come onto me shows something else and I don’t like it. At this point, it’s pretty hard to say whether I still like you or not.”

“So you set a grudge against me because of that?”

“No, I wouldn’t call it a grudge, but huge distrust. I don’t trust you, I won’t, and I never will. Changmin, you are an investigator. You’re a person who wants to find out the questions behind the unexplained and you’ll go to no cost to get those answers. I can only believe that you’re still definite on finding out what ‘things’ Chorong supposedly did if she was the one who’d gone to Kim Daesung. And with no circumstance, you’d bring my sister in to question her. I believe you’ll go as far as that, and I can’t befriend you for the fact you will turn your back against me,” Victoria expressed. “Is that clear? I have no interest in you. Give it up.”

Victoria stood from her seat just as the waiter was coming their way with their plates of food. She dug out a few big dollar bills from her purse and placed them on the table before walking out without a farewell. And that was the truth. She couldn’t trust Changmin because he would still relentlessly come after them. Victoria wouldn’t risk the safety of her family or expose them for a friendship because of some silly feelings residing in her heart.      

Chorong was waiting for her in the kitchen when she got home. She had a cup of tea sitting in front of her and a bag of crackers sitting beside it. Through Victoria’s eyes, she looked really relaxed; too relaxed that Victoria felt a tiny bit of jealousy.

“Chanyeol was here today,” Chorong started.

“I know,” Victoria walked over to the fridge to pour herself a glass of water. “I told him to come.”

“You,” Chorong stated before raising her voice and twisted around to follow Victoria with her eyes, “what!?”

Victoria shrugged, “I thought Namjoo also needs to be reminded that Chanyeol is still here for her.”

“How could you do that!?” Chorong raised her voice even more. “It hasn’t even been a whole day since Luhan was taken away! How could you tell him to come here when Namjoo is like that!? How do you expect her to respond to him when she’s in such misery!?”

“I’m not forcing her to,” Victoria spun around to Chorong. “I just want to let Namjoo remember in what world she is in. No matter what, Chanyeol came to her first in this lifetime.” 

“Consider Namjoo’s feelings, Victoria! She’s agonizing, grieving! Think about all she’s been through! If you keep doing this without thinking of her, you don’t know how much farther you can push her to the edge!”

“What are you talking about!?”

“I’m talking about our sister attempting suicide again! Don’t you think she’s already depressed enough!? Chanyeol is not a part of this. It is up to Namjoo whether she wants to go back to him or not, and now is not that time in which she wants him. Just…leave her alone.”

Victoria bit her bottom lip.

“You are not the only one worried, Chorong,” Victoria calmed herself before speaking softly again. “I am worried too, but I do not want our sister mourning over Luhan’s leave. She needs to remember who she is and where she is and who we all are to her. I want her to remember Chanyeol, not just for myself, but for Luhan who asked a favor of me. I care about Namjoo too, ok? And I only want the best for her during this time. Maybe we can’t ease the pain that’s settled there, but I believe Chanyeol can and he will because he won’t leave her. Do you get what I’m saying?”

Chorong lowered her head, “Yea. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

>_____<;;

Namjoo had awoken from her slight slumber suddenly feeling thirsty, but as she slowly made her way downstairs she could hear Victoria and Chorong’s raised voices yelling at each other. It didn’t take long for her to understand what was going on. She could hear her name and Chanyeol’s being tossed around.

Her heart sunk upon realizing the depth of their argument and her sisters’ intentions behind their words. Of course, Namjoo knew they were worried but she had no idea they were that concerned over her well-being. She suddenly felt a large amount of disappointment flood through her and knew she had to try even harder now. And when she heard Luhan’s name her eyes opened a slit wider. Her heart stung again before something shadowy popped out from the corner of her eyes.

She felt her lips fall apart and turned to see someone who looked almost familiar to her. Those ugly boots finally triggered the memory of seeing him that one morning and instead of calling out for her sisters she immediately held her hand out to summon a fireball. It appeared weakly in her hand and extinguish itself a second later leaving nothing, but a steam of gray smoke. Confusion immediately fluxed through her before she was sent flying back into the stairs.

A few seconds later she could hear Chorong and Victoria’s hurried footsteps as they ran out of the kitchen. Namjoo had slid down the rest of the stairs and was sprawled at the bottom of the staircase by the time she saw them approach. However, with a wave of the minion’s arm Chorong and Victoria were sent spiraling against the large dining room table they barely used for anything. The chairs crashed against the ground noisily as they slid off the table and groaned.

Namjoo only pulled herself up again and once more summoned the fireball. It appeared as nothing, but a flicker before it died out on her and she repeatedly called for it back. The flame never returned and she looked up when she heard the minion laugh.

“Should’ve came with me when I told you to, but it’s too late now,” he held out his hand and dark swirls appeared before it formed into a threatening power ball.

The words in her mind became choked in before he threw it at her. Namjoo felt a wave of tremendous heat and sharp little things scorch against her collarbone and neck as she slid up the rest of the stairs. She hit the wall with her back and felt a sharp pain shoot up her back as she doubled forward. 

***Ha! If you've noticed the pattern, Victoria's leading Namjoo back to Chanyeol & Namjoo is leading Changmin to Victoria xDDD