Things have been strained with Jae Joong ever since...

And that was totally because of my own outburst....

I am now at a photoshoot, to do coverage on Jae Joong.

"What's the matter, Jiyoon?" Marsha asked. "You're sighing. Your hapiness will escape when you do that."

"Oh Marsha...I had a little fight with Jae Joong.."

Marsha gave me a sad look. "My, my, my. With Joongie?"

"And I flipped on him too. I just hate myself so much right now.."

"Joongie probably wasnt thinking about your feelings again," Marsha said in understanding. "Dis he say anything childish?"

I shake my head,"I was the childish one.."

Just because I didnt recognize it...

I yelled at Jae Joong, when he throws his all into his acting work.

"Oh, what a drag!" Marsha said and patted me on my shoulder.

Oww. Marsha's mind is a woman's but his strength is still a man's .....

"Then, how about a change of pace?"she suggested. "I've been invited to the Diamond brand press party as a guest. Come along with me!"

"Diamond?"

"I'll coordinate our party dresses too. C'mon, it will be fun! And the best part is that you'll get the coverage, to boot. How about it?"

Coverage, too boot huh? Still working like this might be a good distraction...

Several days later, I scheduled some time with Marsha and we went shopping together.

"Oh, I like this too! It would fit you perfectly Jiyoon!" he said excitedly.

"Its adorable but I dont think this kind of dress would look right on me."

"I think it would look just perfect. Not a doubt in my mind! I'll even give you a makeover to match."

"Marsha, have you always been so interested in fashion?"I asked curiously.

"Mm, I first came into it around high school I think,"she answered."My mother worked as a club hostess. She was always so gorgeous, I admired it a lot."

"A club hostess huh?"

"Back then Joongie's dad was a regular customer."

"Jae Joong's dad?"

"Oh yes, he came by all the time and grumbled a lot about Joongie. Saying how good for nothing he was,,,"

How is Jae Joong good for nothing?

"Oh, but he'd talk about how Hyun Joong was going to a great university...He even went to graduate school at Harvard while Joongie went to Hawaii University studying about acting. With that kind of dynamic, I can see how he might feel obligated to compare them."

I was feeling sorry for Jae Joong.

"Compared to someone going Harvard, nearly everyone else is 'good for nothing', wouldnt they?"

"And Joongie took after his mom's lovely face and figure, But his dad...He's gripe about what an unmanly actor he was and things like that, when he came to the club."

Come to think of it, he once said that he took after his mom...

"So my mother would be like...Every child has their good traits. You should strengthen those.. Stuffs like that but that apparently made his dad a little mad...."

"So the reason Jae Joong's doing his best as an actor right now...Is because of your mother huh?"

She laughs."Well, with Joongie's personality, I think that even if he were to fight with his dad and runs away from home, he's keep doing entertainment work."

"Aha, you got a point.'

"And back when I was just starting out, I worked part time at my mother's club...I've been a friend of Jae Joong's ever since."

So Marsha goes that far back with Jae Joong and Hyun Joong.....

"Those brothers have been thru a lot. Its rough on them."

"What do you mean a lot Marsha?"

"The truth is back when they were at the Swiss boy's boarding school, they once had a thing for the same person at the same time."

Jae Joong's words came to me....~Well, we are brothers. There's bound to be a resemblance or two. Our taste in women ~ So that's what he was talking about.

"Umm, Marsha? Is Jae Joong still worked up over that person?"

"Mm, most likely not. Thios was years ago."

"I see.."

"If anything was still bothering him, it wouldnt be his feelings for that person, I think it would be the lingering resentment towards Hyun Joong." she continues.

'Because they both liked the same girl?"

"Not just that, she apparently had a crush on Hyun Joong but ended up going out with Joongie."

"Did Hyun Joong withdraw himself?"

"Yeah, he did but the girl couldnt get Hyun Joong out of her mind. She ended up quitting her job at the florist and left."

"That's terrible.."

"That's why they both tend to defer to each other, I think."

So that's why they seems so cold and formal to each other even when they get get along..

"They might even have had more incidents like that..Joongie cant stand being compared to his brother."

"It sure seems that way."

But he always end up comparing himself to Hyun Joong for his own merits. He's got quite a Hyun Joong complex, doesnt he?"

He might smile in the face of being told unpleasant things...But Jae Joong must nurse his own unpleasant thoughts....

"Well, of course Hyun Joong gets plenty of attention but Jae Joong gets his own attention from Hollywood these days thru his acting. So comparisons between them might be unavoidable."

Hearing that, my heart aches for Jae Joong. It must been hard for him living on a life of forever being compared and looked down.

"And this time they're both attending the Diamond brand party. So they are likely to get more of that"

"What? They are both coming?"

Marsha smiled. " Oh I didnt mention it? This party is for a brand that Hyun Joong had established."

Wow, Hyun Joong is in that industry too?

Several days later, I attended the press party with Marsha.

"Wow, they are so many women guest,"I whispered.

"Pink diamonds are  woman's passion after all." 

Displays of accessories made with pink diamonds were scattered across the reception hall. It was fun by just looking at them all.

"Oh, I should be covering this......"

But Marsha stopped me. 

"You can worry about that later. Lets admire the diamonds first. Oh my Jiyoon, loo, over  there...."

"What?"

"The press wasted no time in swarming the Kim's brothers." 

"No kidding..."

They must really stands out together. Look at the size of that press mob...well, I guess, I'm a press too.

I havs no idea what to even say to them.

"Jiyoon, what are you doing? C'mon, lets go!"

Marsha dragged me all the way up to them by the arm.

"Umm, good evening."

Hyun Joong seems happy to see me. "Jiyoon, I'm glad you could make it"

"I hope I havent imposed?"

"You've hardlg done Nything of that sort."

Hyun Joong is talking to me but Jae Joong'snot even looking at my direction....

"What are you doing here?"he asked, looking irrate.

"Er.."

"Whats the problem? She's with me. Right, Hyun Joong?"

"Of course, I'm glad you could bring her."

"I know right?"

Hyun Joong's being welcoming and friendly bug Jae Joong.....

"Jiyoon, you're looking even lovelier than usual today," Hyun Joong commented. "Your dress, your accessories, its all just so you!"

"Thank you,"

"Of course," Marsha said proudly. "I picked it out myself.;"

I stole a glance at Jae Joong again but he was looking around with a bored expression.

Jae Joong...Look at me...I want you to say something....anything please.....

"Check it out Jiyoon!" Marsha said excitedly. "There's a pink diamond on display over there worth millions!"

"Millions?" I say.... No wonder the security here is so tight.

"We'll have to go and see it later! Oh, Hyun Joong press conference is starting."

When Hyung Joong stepped up the stage, everyone's camera started flashing en masse.

"Jae Joong's being photographed over there too,"Marsha said. "Those two really had it rough."

"Jae Joong, about your brother's company, its financing new projects to mine pink diamonds, yes?" a male reported asked.

"I'm strictly hands-off where my brother's business is concerned,"he answered coldly.

That's right. This has nothing to do with him but why is he being swarmed so much?

"The Kim's brothers have a strong balance, with your brother as the brain and you as the publicity, don't they," another reporter said.

Wh-What kind of question is that?! Why would that reporter say something so mean spirited?

"You're exactly right. I could never wrap my head around the complicated business my brother is in."

Looking at Jae Joong's face as he answered with a smile, I felt so sad......

"Hey, Jiyoon,look! Isnt that the diamond? The one worth millions?" Marsha exclaimed.

Whoa, it surely is. There's so many securities around it.

In the center of all the security, lay a diamond on display in a large glass case.

"Wow, its gorgeous!"I gushed.

"Its super rare. They say that pink diamonds over one carat large are only mined but the dozens each year worldwide,"she explains.

"What?! So one that big would be....."

"Yeah, I'd say this one's around three carats.. I hear only a few of those get mined in a year's time."

"So that's why its worth millions..."

"And you can only mine them at a tiny, tiny number of mines across the world. Hyun Joong's so impressive, embarking on a project like that. Oh, that one's another darling! I'm going to check it out!"

"Okay, I'll handle coverage.."

We went seperate ways.

Oh, I love this ring... The diamond looks like a flower from the right angle....

Then I noticed a silhoutte being reflected in the glass of the ring's display case.

Someone is behind me....Jae Joong?!