Mr. Kim did not even bother going down to breakfast that morning. Why go through all the bother, all the show if his son was going to be too busy to eat again? He had ordered his breakfast to be brought up to him in the study.

                He rested in his silky nightwear in his large bed and waited for the maid to bring him his tray. A knock sounded at the door.

                Mr. Kim didn’t pause from the newspaper he was perusing and eyeing the latest article about a new fashion franchise opening in Paris that he was investing heavily in, he called, “Come in.”

                The door opened and the elderly Kim glanced at the entrance. Instead of his maid, he was surprised to see Ji Sung enter with his breakfast.

                “What in the world are you doing here and carrying my breakfast tray at that?” demanded the shocked Kim. “Have some dignity. You are my personal assistant after all. How would it look if you were to bring me breakfast? There are lots of maids here, you know.”

                “I may be an employee,” Ji Sung flashed a smile that any maid would faint over, “But surely friends shouldn’t be forbidden to give nice gestures to each other. I intercepted your maid outside your door so it’s not like I brought it all the way from the kitchens anyway.”

                “Ah, you and your flattering words.” The older man shook his head and resignedly accepted his tray of fresh, steaming rice and an assortment of colorful side dishes, “Remind me to be careful of you. You could end up flattering me into dangerous situations. Ah, right. What brings you here Ji Sung?”

                Ji Sung settled himself into a chair near the bed and steepled his fingers together, resting his elbows on his knees. “Your son of course.”, he said matter of factly, his deep voice reverberating through his chest.

                “Eh? What is it this time?” Mr. Kim set his newspaper aside and put his chopsticks back down on the tray as he gave Ji Sung his undivided attention.

                Mr. Kim had employed a week ago a security employee and Ji Sung to keep him informed about his son. They’d done well informing him of his friends, his tendencies, and his unusual obsession with a noodle shop owner’s daughter. He knew everything that was going on. That was why he’d been able to stay composed when he’d seen his son injured the other day.

About that girl though…he’d taken special liberties to be made aware of the girl’s financial circumstances and of the facts about her family, job, and practically every other bit of her life. At first he’d been concerned. What if Myungsoo was really starting to form an attachment with her to the point he continued to skip breakfast to see her, to the point where he neglected his duties as the rising heir of the Kim family legacy?

But as he’d voiced his concerns to Ji Sung, his friend had wisely pointed out that Myungsoo was young and impulsive. He was at the age where he wanted to test the waters, experiment, if you will. He wanted a sense of adventure and if for the time being, this Gaein girl was his way of being ‘rebellious’, the older Kim felt he could give his son that much. A year or so of sowing his wild oats, would allow him later to return to his place ready to fully take on his responsibilities.

                Ji Sung persuaded him that it was a small fling and would soon fade away. So Kim Myungsoo’s father didn’t worry too much about it. Even when Ji Sung sitting there next to his bed, continued to inform him that according to their suspicions, Mhyungsoo was, indeed, going to take the Gaein girl to the ball as his date.

The elderly Kim didn’t feel good about it. It felt too much like his son was pushing the boundaries between wanting to take a wild fling and his duties. One was supposed to keep those two sides of life private and separate, but here his son wanted to flaunt both on the same stage. A girl of no means on his arm at one of the highest class parties the nation would see in a long time…

                But if he let his son do as he pleased in this regard, then later when his father demanded he step up to the plate and let her and any other silly ideas go, his son would know he’d been given a chance to do what he wanted and it wouldn’t make Mr. Kim the evil villain.

                Mr. Kim nodded as Ji Sung finished his report. “Alright. I understand. This girl seems to becoming a more integrated part of the puzzle. We’ll have to keep an eye on them.”

                “As you wish, sir.” Ji Sung nodded, “I also have organized all your business files and gotten caught up on all your paperwork from this weekend. All that’s left are the final arrangements for the ball coming up this weekend and everything seems to be running on schedule.”

                A rueful smile lit the old man’s face as he looked at his friend and sighed, “Ji Sung-