Hilary's POV

Incheon International Airport.

"Why am I here?"  I asked myself.  I stopped in front of the glass sliding door and hesitated.

Seoul.

A place where I was born and lived before my father sent me to boarding school in Paris when I was 13.  During all these years, I only came back to visit my father during holidays.   But he died 4 years ago, a week before my 21th birthday.   Since then, I haven't set foot in Seoul.  If I had a choice, I wouldn't have come back today.

I took a deep breath before I pushed the trolley forward and stepped out to the arrival hall.

"Miss Kim, welcome back to Seoul.  Let me take the trolley for you."  DaeSung Oppa bowed to me politely and pushed the trolley from me.

I grabbed my Birkin bag from the trolley and walked alongside with him, "DaeSung Oppa, how many times do I have to tell you not to bow to me?  I'm younger than you."

"But you are my boss!"  DaeSung said with a smile as we walked to our car.  He was my brother's secretary and his father worked for my father for 30 years.  We knew each other since I was 3.  He used to come to our house almost every weekend.  He was like another brother to me.

I shook my head with a smile, "I'm your boss's sister.  Not your boss!"

The driver gave me a 90-degree bow and took the trolley from DaeSung.  DaeSung opened the door for me and said, "Either way, you are still my boss!"

I let out a soft sigh before I got into the car.   He got in the front seat and I said, "Also, stop calling me Miss Kim!  Call me Hilary or EunHi.  Why do you have to call me Miss Kim?"

He turned around and said, "Coz you are my boss."

"Well, we knew each other since I was 3.  You didn't call me Miss Kim then."

"I wasn't working for Shinhwa then."  He said.

I let out a heavy sigh and said, "You said I'm your boss.  So, I order you not to bow to me from now on.  And don't call me Miss Kim.  Alright, you can call me Miss Kim when my mother's around.  But other than that, you have to call me by my name."

"But..."

I cut him off, "No buts!  Take me to the hotel."

"Hotel?  You are not going back to the mansion?"  He looked at me with opened eyes.

I looked up at him and said, "Who said I would stay at the mansion.  And don't tell my mother I have arrived, OK?"

He sighed and told the driver to go directly to our hotel, "But Mrs. Kim will know sooner or later."

"Well, the later the better."

I let out a soft sigh and looked out at the window.  Our Group had ten 5-stars hotels in Korea and another five in Japan, Paris and Canada.  I normally stayed at our hotel everytime I came back to Seoul.

"How's my grandfather?"  I asked.

DaeSung hesitated.

"What is it?  His condition really is that bad?  Let's head to the hospital first then."  My grandfather called a week ago and begged me to come back to see him in his weak voice.  He said he was ill and not sure if he could live any longer.  Especially, his 80th birthday was around the corner and he wanted me to come back and celebrate with him.  So, I came back even though I didn't want to.

"Hwaejang Nim is at the vacation house."  He said softly as if he didn't want me to hear what he said.

"Vacation house?  What do you mean he's in the vacation house?  I thought he was ill.  That's why he asked me to come back immediately."

DaeSung hesitated again and said, "I..."

"Take me to the vacation house."

*  *  *

I haven't been to the vacation house for at least 6 years.  It still looked exactly the same outside.  The maids were already at the door to greet me.  They all bowed to me as I walked pass them.  I really hated people bowing to me.  They might work for my family but that didn't mean they needed to bow to me and I was not that superior to them.

I slightly turned my head to DaeSung and said, "Tell them not to bow to me again!"

"Yes, Miss Kim."  I threw him a sharp stare since he called me Miss Kim again.

"Miss Kim, welcome back to Seoul."  Head of maids swept to my side and said.  She has worked for my grandfather for more than 25 years.  She was like a family member to me as well.

"Is my grandfather in his room?"  I stopped and asked.

She looked at me and hesitated.  I let out a soft laugh and said, "He's in the garden, isn't he?"

She nodded her head.  I sighed and gave her my bag, "DaeSung Oppa will go with me.  You go back to your work."

"Yes, Miss Kim!"  She took my bag and bowed to me again.

"Ajumma, no more bowing!"  I said with a smile.  She straigtened her back and slightly lowered her head with a smile.

*  *  *

Right at the second I set foot in the garden, I heard my grandfather's laughters.  He didn't sound a bit ill to me.  I turned around to DaeSung and said, "You should have told me he is not ill."

He shrugged with a smile.

I walked over to my grandfather and said behind him, "Grandpa, glad to know you are healthy as a horse!"

He jumped on his feet and turned around to look at me, "EunHi?"

"Hello, Grandpa!"  I smirked as I stepped close to him and gave him a hug.

"Oh my...  Kang DaeSung, you should have told me she is arriving today!"  He drew his brows together and said.

DaeSung bowed and said, "Hwaejang Nim, I already told you two days ago."

My grandfather pulled away from me and said, "Oh, did you?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "I thought you were sick.  Do you know how much I worried about you?"

He laughed and took my hand, "If I didn't tell you I was sick, you wouldn't have come back to Seoul.  Do you know how much I missed you?"

I sighed and didn't know what to say.

"Sit down.  Let me look at you."

We sat and he looked me from head to toe, "Look at you.  Whose grand-daughter is this?  I bet no one can find anyone prettier than this young lady here."

I laughed softly.  He looked at DaeSung and asked, "Whose grand-daughter is this?"

"Hwaejang Nim's."  DaeSung bowed a little and said with his signature eyes-gone smile.

"Arhh...  Mine!"  He smiled proudly.

I shook my head with a smile, "Well, since you are not sick, I will leave now."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to my chair, "Where are you going?  You are not thinking of flying back to Paris, are you?"

I laughed, "Grandpa, I just landed.  I don't plan to get on a plane this soon.  I just want to go back to the hotel and rest.  I'm really tired."

He smiled and said, "Good!  Then, stay!  I mean, STAY!"

I put away my smile instantly.  He squeezed my hand and said, "Grandpa is 80 years old.  I won't live for too long.  I want to be able to see you whenever I want.  You are almost 25.  It's time for you to take over the Group."

"Grandpa, WooBin Oppa is doing a great job.  I can never do better than he does.  Can you not see how hard working he is?  Be fair, Grandpa!  He is Dad's son too.  Can you try to treat him as your grandchild as well?"  I took both his hands and said.  I didn't know what I could do to make him change his mind and treat WooBin Oppa like family.  25 years now and he never once treated Oppa as family and I hated that.

He looked away and pretended he didn't hear what I said.  I let out a heavy sigh and said, "Grandpa, I'm leaving tomorrow if you keep on treating Oppa like a stranger."

He looked at me at once and asked, "Will you stay and work in the Group, if I agree to try to treat him like a grandson?"

"Grandpa!  How can make me choose between Oppa and myself?"

He swung off my hands and said, "We all make choices in our life.  If you don't promise me to stay, I will never treat him like my grandson.  Never!"

I pouted and didn't know what to say.  I glanced at DaeSung and he lowered his head pretended he didn't hear anything we just said.  As my brother's personal assistant, he really shouldn't have heard what my grandfather said.  As our childhood best friend, he really should pretend he didn't hear any of these as well.

I let out another heavy sigh and said, "I'll think about it."  I sure didn't want to stay.  But I couldn't say no to my grandfather right away either.  And for my poor brother, I owed him to at least think it through before I made my decision.

*  *  *

SeungHyun's POV

"Hyeong, why are you still working?  Let's go!  It's about time."  SeungRi burst into my office and said.

I glanced at him and said, "What are you talking about?"

"Today is Kiko's birthday!  JiYong Hyeong is holding a party for her, remember?"  He sat down on the sofa and put his legs up on the coffee table.

"Put your legs down."

He put his legs down immediately and straightened his back, "Hyeong, hurry!  We're going to be late."

"Who said I'm going?"  I said without looking at him.  I was not interested in this kind of parties at all.  Not to mention, Kiko was just one of the many girlfriends of JiYong's.  Why should I go?

"JiYong Hyeong asked me to take you with me."  He stepped to my desk and said.

I turned off my laptop and stood up to put on my jacket, "Why should I go to celebrate Kiko's birthday?"

"Well, just treat it as JiYong Hyeong's party.  After all, we don't have to bring any birthday present for her anyway.  We just go and party with the y girls there.  Who cares about Kiko?"  He grabbed my phone for me.

"Give me my phone!"

He stuffed it in his pocket and said, "I'm not giving it to you unless you are coming with me."

"Choi SeungRi!"  I glared at him.