“Mommy, please keep going,” Hana begged.

            Yoona frowned as she glanced at her wristwatch again.  It was getting late, and she had to send them off back to their father the first thing in the morning.  She could already hear Seunghyun’s whining about how cranky the twins would be because of their lack of sleep.  Vick added onto the begging as he pouted out his lips with hopes that his mother would continue on with the story.

            “Your father is going to kill me,” Yoona sighed.

            Vick defended, “No, he’s not.  Just continue on with it, mommy!  Tell us more about you and daddy!  Tell us about daddy’s family!”

            Yoona pitied them because they were closer to her side of the family.  Seunghyun’s side of the family was so busy with their work that the twins hardly saw them.  Hana and Vick were so young that they didn’t even remember some of their names.  In fact, the only one they actually liked and spent a lot of time with was Sulli.

            “Okay, I’ll tell you more about your father’s family.  I’ll tell you about first real encounters I had experienced with the Choi family,” Yoona agreed, “but after this part, you two need to sleep!” 

            They immediately vowed, “We promise, mommy!”

____________________________________

“He’s weak,” Misook glared, “Your brother is a weak man.”

            Misook was in front of the large flat-screen television as she brought her lips towards a glass of white wine.  Sulli looked at her and nervously swallowed.  Sulli was never close to her mother, and she hated every single second she was with her.  They were in the television room of their grand house as Misook continued to judge Seunghyun.

            Seunghyun’s face was plastered on every television screen in Korea as he revealed that he was in a relationship with Yoona.  He claimed that he had fallen head over heels for her, and to Misook, it was a sign of weakness.  Men who were powerful like him were never supposed to show signs of weaknesses by confessing his love for a woman in public.  Misook rolled her eyes; she felt embarrassed and a bit ashamed.

            “He’s in love, mother,” Sulli said quietly, “We should let him be happy.”

            “What did you say?” Misook snapped.

            Sulli lowered her head and breathed out slowly.  She couldn’t even voice out her opinions to her own mother.  She nervously swallowed and looked at her mother.  She seemed even more irritated and annoyed.

            Sulli shook her head, “It’s nothing, mother.”

__________________________________________

            “I just don’t understand why he did that,” Yoona revealed, “I didn’t think he would be the type to do that.  He didn’t even consult me first!  He should have!”

            Yoona and Hyoyeon were the only members in the dorm, and because Hyoyeon had spent the whole day in the dance studio, she fell asleep right away.  Siwon was watching a movie with Yoona, and the two had gotten closer over the few days.  He was no longer just a neighbor and physician to her anymore.  He was someone who she could trust. 

            Siwon told her, “Well, he just wants to proclaim his love for you.  It’s not like it’s necessarily a bad thing.”

            “I’m just confused.  I wanted to talk to him, but he told me to wait until tomorrow because he’s really busy today,” Yoona frowned, “I don’t even want to go out in public because of all the reporters and fans…and also the anti-fans.”

            “Trust me, Yoona,” he chuckled, “You have less anti-fans now.  No one in his or her right mind would even antagonize the woman who holds the heart to the most powerful man in the country.  I know I wouldn’t.”

            Yoona frowned and then sighed to herself.  She didn’t want others to treat her differently.  She was already tired of people treating her differently because she was the front woman of SNSD.  Now she was the face of SNSD and the girlfriend of the leader of the business world in Korea.  It all seemed a bit too much for her.

            She hated to admit that she was starting to doubt it all.  Was she really cut out for this kind of life?  If she continued on with her relationship with Seunghyun, she would have to change drastically.

            She bit her lip, “What if I change for the worse?  I don’t want to change.  I like the way I am now.”

            “No one is asking you to change, Yoona,” Siwon sighed, “I’m sure that’s why Seunghyun fell in love with you.  He fell for you because of the way you are.”

            It still wasn’t enough for her.  She remembered reading an article about the background to the Choi family.  They weren’t rich until Seunghyun started his own company.  Misook was a schoolteacher, and Seunghyun’s father was pretty much out of the picture.  The books and articles hardly talked about him. 

            “What if I become bitter?” Yoona asked in hesitation.

            Siwon studied her.  She was a complex woman; she wanted to be with Seunghyun, but she wanted to keep her identity.  She didn’t want to be labeled as Seunghyun’s woman but only as Im Yoona.  She wanted to be recognized because of her own accomplishments.  Most of all, she wanted to keep her morals and beliefs.

            “You’re not going to be like his mother,” Siwon nonchalantly stated, “I met her before.”

            “Really?” Yoona raised an eyebrow, “How?”

            He confessed, “I was her student in middle school.  She was a nice teacher, and I know you’re afraid that you might transform the way she did.  She was once pleasant and kind, and now, she’s pretty much ruthless and rude.  You’re not like her.”

            “How do you know?” Yoona asked.

            He pressed his lips together and looked at her.  She was worried, and it was because she was afraid of the future.  She had just taken a big leap by accepting Seunghyun’s love. 

            “Money changed Misook,” Siwon informed her, “You already have money.  You make so much more than an average woman your age, and yet, greed is not present in your heart.  Your heart is still pure.  You’re a better woman, Yoona.  I hope you know that.”

___________________________________

            “I’m sorry for disturbing you,” Sulli apologized again.

            “It’s fine,” Yoona smiled, “I always wanted to have dinner with you.”

            Yoona had blown Seunghyun off to have dinner with his own little sister, and he didn’t even know it.  Sulli was still wearing her school uniform even though it was nearing 7 pm.  They were at an exclusive restaurant, and because everyone knew who Sulli and Yoona were, the staff gave them a private room in the back. 

            Sulli swallowed, “You’re not nervous that oppa announced to the world that you two were together?”

            “I’m actually…kind of mad,” Yoona admitted, “He didn’t even consult me.  He just did it because he felt like it.”

            Sulli nodded in understanding.  Seunghyun had always been like that; he was headstrong, and he did whatever he wanted at his own discretion.  Yoona knew that he was already like that, but she wanted him to know that she had a say in things, too.  For the past day or so, she had seemed a bit distant from him.  Reporters were lining up in front of the company building.  The media seemed as if they were now afraid of her because of the lack of scandals she had been dragged into, and the security at her new home had to work double time just to keep all of the hungry reporters away.

            “Oppa is different because he has freedom and his own will,” Sulli said as she blew on her hot soup, “When we were children, it was bliss, but when our father died, our mother turned into a monster.  She worked three jobs so that she can put my brother and me into private school.  She was overjoyed when Seunghyun oppa made it big in the business world.  Now, all she cares about his her reputation and money.”

            It was still hard to believe that Seunghyun and his family used to be in the middle class.  She could not picture Seunghyun, Misook, and Sulli cramped in a conventional apartment.  They had transformed completely after all of that.

            “I hope you and oppa don’t break up over this,” Sulli suddenly blurted, “I hate to sound sudden, but you’re the first and only girlfriend of oppa’s that I actually like.”

            Yoona smiled at Sulli as Sulli smiled back.  Of course, Yoona wasn’t planning on breaking up with Seunghyun over something as little as this.  She was already starting to fall for Seunghyun, and even if Seunghyun got on her nerves, he was the only one on her mind.

Yoona was one of the few people who knew how Sulli really was, and it seemed as if she trusted Yoona.  No one, even Seunghyun, knew that Sulli was a rebel at school.  Misook never paid attention to the teacher’s calls for conferences, and because she was Choi Seunghyun’s younger sister, no teacher dared to keep her unruly behavior on record.

            “You’re bright and willful.  You’re completely different in front of your mother though,” Yoona spoke, “Why is that?”

            “She scares me,” Sulli confessed, “It feels like she’s not even my mother anymore.  She’s just someone who gave birth to me.  I know all she cares about is oppa.  He’s her proud and joy because he is the reason we are no longer poor, and I’m just…me.”

            “I think you’re exceptionally talented and intelligent,” Yoona grinned, “Your oppa told me that you love to paint and draw.  I’d love to see some of your work one day.”

            Sulli smiled shyly as she admired Yoona.  She did not understand why Misook hated Yoona so much.  Yoona had manners, ambition, and she was absolutely beautiful. She was the dream daughter-in-law.

            “My art is nothing compared to oppa’s,” Sulli informed her, “He draws and paints every single day.  Even if he’s tired and exhausted, he’ll find time to paint or draw.  His work usually revolves around natures, but I think it’s changing.”

            “It’s changing?  Even I didn’t know that he drew everyday,” Yoona frowned.

            “He does, unnie!” Sulli grinned, “You’ll love his work.  Ask him about it…but don’t tell him that I am the one who told you.  He might get angry with me.”

            It felt good for Sulli to call Yoona her unnie.  Yoona knew that she had Sulli’s appro