Gyeum department store was located in a prime location in downtown Seoul. It was a 5 story grand building with an underground parking garage on the lower level. It screamed fashion and expensive and was a very beautiful, upscale, exquisite building. Yong Guk's father rode his private elevator up to the 5^th floor, as he got off and walked down the hallway, he was met with Kim JongMin, the assistant to his Vice President Mihn SeungJoo.  Jongmin opened a briefcase and began to brief the President on various reports and meetings for the day.

“Where is Mihn Seung Joo today?” Yong Guk's dad questioned.

The man seemed a little nervous and stated that the VP had an urgent matter at home and would surely be in a little later. Yong Guk's father frowned, he should have called me, he thought, and made a mental note to scold the man later. He continued on past all the stores and as he passed each store, the owners and all employee's came out to greet him and bow.

He soon arrived at his office and Jongmin followed him inside. The assistant showed Yong Guk's dad the lastest financial reports and he scanned them briefly before handing them back, the man smiled and bowed before turning and striding briskly out of the office.

Yong Guk's father busied himself with his normal morning duties and was taking a quick break when his phone line beeped.

“Your wife is on the line Mr. President” his secretary's voice sounded thru the intercom.

“Please put her thru," he said.  The line beeped again and he picked up the telephone receiver and immediately heard crying in his ear, he stood quickly.

“Yobo, y-yobo, what wrong? What is it?” He said, feeling very worried and scared, she was crying so hard.

“What is going on?” She sobbed “They are taking everything, yobo, they said we didn't own it anymore, I can't stop them. They are taking everything!” She broke down and Yong Guk's dad felt a chill run down his spine.

“Who is taking what, call the police! I'm coming home now” Could it be thief's? He thought.

“Where are the boys, where are all the servants!” he screamed into the phone.

“They are gone, they are not here, “ she cried, “Oh nooo!! “She suddenly wailed “not my picture, Yobo, they are taking my picture.” She wailed louder and then Yong Guk”s dad heard a rustling noise and a strong voice speaking kindly to her.

Her picture, the picture the boys got for her birthday? Yong Guk's dad thought. Suddenly another voice sounded, it was Minsoo, his master butler.

“What is going on?” Yong Guk's dad demanded, he was in his car by this time being driven home. “I don't really k-know, sir” the man stammered. “there came a knock on the door and I answered, some gentleman trust some papers at me saying they were here for a repossesion.

I-I was flustered sir, I immediately went to get the madam and they began removing everything, the furniture, pictures, from every room, yours and the madams, and the boys. They are still removing things. I told them they must have made a mistake, but sir, the paperwork looks legitimate it says everything is past due by 12 months!! How can that be!” The man gasped into the phone breathing hard.

Past due?  Yong Guk's dad eyes were wide and he felt sick, 12 months!! No, no,no,no,no,no. There was no way, someone made a mistake somewhere. “I'm on the way,” he said hoarsely.

He hung up without waiting for a reply and dialed SeungJoo's number with shaky hands, his heart beat was loud in his ears and shook as he waited. The line rang, and rang, no answer. He hung up and dialed again...no answer. He leaned back and looked around, scared. His mind refused to accept what his heart was telling him, but he could not deny that something was very, very wrong. Never in the 20 years that his VP has worked for him has he not been able to reach the man. Never. He leaned forward slowly and held his head in his hands. He closed his eyes and waited for the car to arrive at his home.

As the car drove up and came to a stop, Yong Guk's dad leapt out and saw big burly men entering and leaving his home. His home. Carrying his stuff. “Now wait and damn minute.” he yelled, striding up to one of the guys and tried to grab the lamps the man had.

As the men tousled his wife appeared and ran towards him, her eyes were red. “y-yobo” she cried weakly.

He pushed the man roughly away and gently scooped her into his arms “Are you ok?” he said gently. She seemed so tired.

“Who is in charge here?” he demanded looking around wildy.

A tall lanky man approached and smirked. “I am.” he said smoothly.

“Listen, you have made a mistake, my items are paid for” Yong Guk's dad glared angrily at the man.

The man just grinned widely. “Well then, I wouldn't be here then.” he laughed and shoved a fistful of papers at Yong Guk's dad.

The man read the papers and his heart sank. He read them again, and fell to his knees. 12 month's past due, repossesion ordered, the house was next, it read and the cars.

“Oh my God!” he sobbed, “Oh God, how is this happening.” He began to cry when a ferrari pulled up and the boys jumped out.

“What the is going on?” Him Chan demanded looking around. “Is that my ing bed?!” he pointed a shaky finger at two guys struggling with his large bed.

Yong Guk and Young Jae ran over to their parents. “Eomeoni, abeoji, what the hell is going on?” Yong Guk asked, his brows furrowed.

Their mother could only cry, he father looked up at him hopelessly “Someone has ruined me,” he sobbed, “everything is being repossessed, our house is next, our cars...I-I don't know what to do.”

He began to cry and Yong Guk saw the paper's in his hand and grabbed them and read. His face fell and he looked around.  He showed the papers to Him Chan and the boy was speechless.

“Abeoji” Yong Guk said “We have to find out what is going on. We have to find out why our things are being repossessed. We can get them back, maybe someone just forgot to send in the money. I'm sure there is a mistake somewhere.”

Yong Guk's father stood, red faced. “Neh” He said sadly, “I'm going to my store”.

He ushered his family into their car and it sped off. Noone said a word, they were in too much shock, faced with the reality that their once plush lifestyle might come to an end. They arrived at the department store and rode the elevator up in silence.  The boy's stayed with their mom in their private suite and their father continued on.  As he approached his office, he met with the secretary.

She was in a frenzy, “Mr. President I have been calling sir, we have a situation” she said worridly.

“I know, he growled, “My home is being taken apart as we speak.”

She blinked, “Your home?”

“Yes, repossesion, they took everthing.  Where is Kim JongMin?" He said darkly.

The secretary stared at the ground. “He's gone and so is your money” she said quietly.

The president stared at her unbelieving. “What” he gasped.

"He left a message that he left with Mihn SeungJoo and to check your bank account sir. There is nothing there sir. It's been closed out."

YongGuk's father staggered a bit, trying to process this information. He had a net worth of 300 million won, there was millions in that account, millions..and..it's. Gone. Gone. Gone.  Gone? Everything swirled around him and he felt like the world was crashing on him.

“Sir, there is more.”

More! he thought. What more can I take, what more has happened that will crush my heart even more.

“The store, everything is behind, all the plans to expand, there was never any money for that. They cleaned it out sir, they left just as everything was about to fall apart.

Yong Guk's dad staggered to his desk, stunned. How could I have missed this? I looked at the books, I looked everyday and they looked fine.

“I. Checked. The. Books,” he whispered hoarsely “How could I have missed this?”

His secretary put her hand gently on his arms, "It's because they were showing you fake books."

She placed a small black book on his desk and he thumbed shakily thru it. It was all there, the truth, the fact that his company was falling apart under his nose and he didn't have any clue. It had been falling apart for the past year. They lived blissfully unaware for a whole year, there was no idication what so ever that anything was wrong. He also read how the VP and his assistant had been leeching off of him, fattening their pockets.

“Call the police! He yelled furious. “I want to file a report” The secretary hurried off. He slumped on his desk all energy drained. “I'm ruined” he moaned.