(This hair)

(with this suit)

Choi Junhong smiled at Yeeun-ssi as she gushed over the ornate dining room table. She trailed her fingers over the polished wood as he informed her of the year and make of the table, the famous artisan who had created it, and its value. Of course, he didn’t really know half of the information he’d told her on the house tour so far. He was actually getting all his facts from Daehyun who told them to him through a microphone and earpiece. Having such a knowledgeable servant was very beneficial especially in unexpected situations like these.

“What was the inspiration for so modern a design for your home? Like I said before, the outside of your home is so different than the interior.” Yeeun put on an adorable aegyo expression as she glanced up at him.

“I had the place remodeled to suit my tastes a bit more,” Choi Junhong shrugged indulgently as he led her further into the room.

Kim Sunggkyu trailed behind them both, snapping pictures of the details that Yeeun directed to his attention. Choi Junhong watched him. He seemed pleasant enough. As he watched the man snap some pictures of the table and layout of the room, Choi Junhong felt his smile fade. He didn’t know why he felt uptight about this man in his home. Perhaps it was the fact that he had been close to Kim Myungsoo…but still… there was no way he could possibly know. He couldn’t suspect, could he?

Choi Junhong focused on Sunggkyu’s features. The man appeared to be concentrating on his work. He lowered the camera from his face and glanced over at Junhong. Their eyes met and Sunggkyu smiled good-humoredly. Maybe Junhong was just imagining danger where there wasn’t any? Either way, he wasn’t about to give anything away.

Choi Junhong turned and began to lead them down a hall with many rooms along the walls.

Immediately, Yeeun’s attention was directed to the simple sliding internal crittall doors hidden down a side hallway.

“Choi Junhong-ssi,” she called out forcing him to stop and turn to look back at her, “What’s in this room? It looks incredible!” And with a toss of her long hair, she began to make her way to them. With a quick swipe of her hand, the doors slid open, and Yeeun found herself in an elegant looking office. Her eyes made a quick sweep of the room. A large desk, a carpet laid across the wood floor, a black, sleek bookshelf, a small closet just beyond and some light furnishings.

She was about to stride further into the room, but she froze as a strong hand reached out and grasped her upper arm, rather tightly. Crying out in surprise, she turned to face Choi Junhong’s whose face was deadly serious, though it was still very much a poker face.

“Park Yeeun-ssi,” Junhong said staring intently at her, “I’m sorry, but my private office isn’t a part of the tour today. Please follow me.” He didn’t let go of her arm as he towed her from the room. Once they were out of that vicinity of the house, he let go and she rubbed her arm where he had grabbed her. She glanced over at Sunggkyu to see if he’d thought that Choi Junhong had acted suspiciously as well. He gave her the barest of nods to show he had noticed.

Choi Junhong continued briskly leading them through several guest rooms, an exercise room, bathrooms, the library, and the kitchens. But after the encounter at the office, he felt a bit off. He felt he wasn’t concentrating as hard about what he said, and he watched his ‘guests’ more closely. They didn’t seem suspicious as he continued his observances of them. They praised, and took pictures as though the little office incident hadn’t even occurred. He felt his racing heart slow a fraction, but he knew he would never fully relax until they were out of his house.

It felt like too long before Park Yeeun and Kim Sunggkyu bowed as they made their respectful goodbyes and left the house. Choi Junhong watched them through an upper window as Cha Hakyeon, his butler, led them back out to their car. In moments, the car slid smoothly from the driveway out into the encroaching evening. Choi Junhong watched them disappear into the distance; his eyes hard. Reaching up, he silently loosened his necktie and rolled his head in circular motions to loosen the tension that had built up in his muscles from the interview.

A noise behind him had him turn to see who approached. He relaxed as he saw it was Choi Gaein’s maid…the girl he had assigned to take care of her.

What was her name been again? …Ah right… Kim Sohyun.

“Oh, I’m sorry sir. I didn’t realize you were here.” Kim Sohyun cried as she hurried to bow to him.

Choi Junhong waved his arm indifferently indicating for her to straighten back up. She did so, and began to turn and walk past him towards the stairway that would lead towards the kitchens.

Choi Junhong watched her walk away not daring to look in his direction. He strode toward her.

“Wait,” he called. She froze. “Where are you going?”

“To the kitchens sir,” the maid turned back to him, her eyes lowered. Her dark hair was swept into a slick, high ponytail giving him no obstruction from viewing her face. She seemed nervous…her face was flushed. Had she been…crying?

“Oh? And why is that? Is Gaein-ssi hungry?” he eyed her closely as she shook her head quickly…too quickly?

“No.” Kim Sohyun clasped her hands together as she responded, “She said she didn’t need anything at the moment. So I was going to see that her dinner was prepared and take a lunch break…unless you need me for something else?”

Suspicious…was she being suspicious? Most of his servants seemed calm and collected around him; professional…though there had been a sense of weariness from them lately… except for Daehyun. Was he being paranoid about his servants now? Was this still because he felt the after effects of the tour he’d just had? He didn’t know.

Nodding, he waved a flippant arm, excusing her to leave. The maid turned and disappeared around the corner. Choi Junhong pressed his palm to his forehead and sighed. The fact that Kim Sungkkyu had showed up and gone through his house…he didn’t like it. He felt like it was suddenly too hot. It was a struggle for him to take a steadying breath and he felt his heart starting to beat a little faster. What was this? Perhaps it was because the man was close to Kim Myungsoo? Perhaps it was because he didn’t like the fact that strangers had poked around his home. Perhaps it was because that girl had gone into his office.

His office. Gaein-noona. He suddenly felt like if he saw her, he’d be