Min Ho paid the cab driver and got out of the car, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. As soon as he closed the door, the guard who was manning the gates approached him hurriedly.

“Young master, you came?” He subtly gave him a once over and eyed the taxi he came out off. Min Ho caught the confusion in his expression. He was rarely seen looking shabby, and he certainly wasn’t one to use public transportation. Ever. But he was too drained to care about what the guard thought of him.

“I’m here for my car. I left it here last night,” he told him. Most of the personnel at the Ahn estate knew who he was. Even as kids, they hung out a lot in each others’ homes.

“Ahh yeah,” the guard nodded and gestured for his companion at the guardhouse to open the gates. “Would you like me to—“

“Anya, I’ll walk,” he replied, devoid of any emotion, and strolled through the entrance without saying anything more. He knew that the guard was going to suggest to bring him inside, but he really just wanted to be alone. He was still reeling from everything that has happened to him in the last 12 hours, and he wanted nothing more than to take a breather from all the madness. A walk was hardly comforting, but at least it would give him that time to think in silence. He hoped that chilly morning air and the smell of freshly cut lawn would at least ease the anxiety he felt.

As soon as he heard Son Ah Young’s name back at the police station, he knew that it was the same Son Ah Young Shi Yoon and Lady  talked about last night – the client who came to them saying that he had her. Min Ho didn’t know what to think of her ‘suicide’, but he had an eerie feeling that there was something more to her death than just that.

He was already scared coming into the police station, but now he was just petrified. If there was foul play involved in her death, then this was probably bigger than he had originally imagined.

Officer Park Hyung Sik was able to tell him that she had been dead for almost six hours before the neighbors found her, which ruled out Lady as the suspect. For a moment there, he considered the possibility that it might have been Shi Yoon. Anya, he said he was a hacker. And he didn’t exactly scream ‘killer’ to him so it couldn’t have been him either.

But what bothered him more than anything was how in the world his life was turned upside down in less than one day. Before all this, his biggest problem was how he was going to spend the last days of his freedom before he has to be chained to the WG Group. He couldn’t leave earlier because of his parents’ memorial but just last night, he was trying to make up his mind between a last-minute vacation in either London or New York, or something more exotic like Bora Bora.

But now, he finds out that he was the target of an assassin; his friend gets shot because apparently, apart from said assassin, somebody else wants to kill him; his pad gets ransacked; and the person he never knew existed who accused him of suddenly drops dead.

And to top it all off, it seemed like he’s now in cahoots with a couple of criminals. Because when Officer Park asked him again if he knew Shi Yoon, instead of telling the truth, he told him that they were acquaintances. They weren’t exactly friends but because he was from the Suh family of the Amore Pacific chaebol, they ran into each other a couple of times on different occasions. Why he lied? He wasn’t sure. But when he heard the name, Son Ah Young, his gut told him that he needed to talk to Lady and Shi Yoon again.

That’s why he was here now. After suffering the misfortune of walking a long distance in the cold dawn just to get away from the house where that woman was, he needed his car to go back there again. He winced at the thought.

WHY ME? He honestly didn’t know why this was happening to him. What has he done to deserve all this?

He let out a loud groan and kicked the ground in desperation. He hated feeling helpless.

“Lee Min Ho?”

A voice interrupted his inner rant. When he lifted his face to see who had called him, he was surprised to see a white Bentley in front of him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice a car coming towards him. But what was even more surprising than that, was who was driving it.

“Shi Yoon,” Min Ho mumbled, eyeing his car. A Bentley Continental GT? It wasn’t exactly considered an ‘expensive’ car for most chaebols, but he was still surprised a hacker would own a 200,000 dollar car. “What… what are you doing here?”

He instantly stepped out of the vehicle and faced Min Ho. “What happened to you? Why did you disappear?” He asked, ignoring his question.

“I…” Min Ho started to say, but he wasn’t really sure how to answer that.

“Dwaesseo,” Shi Yoon held up his hand when after a while, Min Ho still couldn’t answer. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get my car,” Min Ho replied blankly, his mind still preoccupied with other things. Like how to tell him that intruders had gone into his pad, and that Son Ah Young was dead.

“Did you see Lady?”

Min Ho tilted his head. “Eh?”

“Lady. She’s over there,” he pointed at a black car not too far from where he was standing. He must have passed it without noticing. Min Ho squinted, unable to see clearly through the windshield because of the reflection of the sunlight.

He looked back at Shi Yoon without responding. He was relieved he didn’t have to drive all the way to that house they went to last night because he wasn’t really confident he’ll find it. He’ll just take bumping into them again as a sign that he was going in the right direction. He’ll have to trust his instincts from here on out.

“Look, I know you don’t trust us,” Shi Yoon started to say. “That’s probably why you left. And maybe you’ll feel the urge to tell people about what happened last night, and who we really are. But you have to understand that we’re not going to…”

“I’ll come with you,” Min Ho said, cutting Shi Yoon’s monologue off.

“Meo?” Shi Yoon croaked, looking bemused.

Min Ho squared his shoulders and sighed. “I’m coming with you. This morning, I left because I just wanted to go home. But now that I’ve seen my home has been broken into by some intruders who likely want me dead, I don’t feel safe there anymore. It’s weird but I somehow feel safer with the people who tried to kill me in the first place.”

Shi Yoon’s eyes widened. “Someone broke into your place?”

He nodded. “So that’s why I’m coming with you. You still owe me for all of this so I expect you won’t say no. I’ll get my car and follow you guys.” Min Ho didn’t wait for his response and walked over to where his car was parked. He stepped inside and leaned against the seat for a while before doing anything. He still wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing or trusting the right people. But at this point, he was desperate. He came with them last night and still managed to not die. He was going to take that as another good sign.

He started the engine and drove slowly. He saw the two cars side by side, and he figured that they were probably talking to each other. As he approached the two cars, he managed to hear a bit of what they were saying.

“…dangerous!” Shi Yoon said to her.

“Trust me,” she replied. She was wearing a cap and sunglasses, but he knew that her gaze had fallen on him. He looked away and onto the empty passenger seat next to him, still feeling a bit guilty about what happened last night. Part of him didn’t want to admit it but one of the reasons why he left the house was so he wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath of that angry kiss.

“Ya. Chaebol,” he heard her icy voice. He turned back to her and saw that she had driven her car forward so her window was now aligned with his.

He couldn’t help but scowl at the way he called her. “What?”

“If you want to come with us, you gotta do something first.”

He scoffed. “Weren’t you the ones who dragged me along against my will yesterday? Why do I suddenly owe you a favor?”

She pursed her lips and Min Ho instantly knew she was getting a little testy, but was trying to suppress her annoyance. He knew this because she did the same thing when he was taunting her last night. “Are you going to do it or not?” She asked through gritted teeth, impatience dripping from her tone.

Min Ho let out a sigh and scrunched his eyebrows. He didn’t feel like he had any choice at this point. “What do I have to do?”

Shin Hye couldn’t stand him. As soon as she realized that he was the one approaching from the gate, she actually let out a curse. What rotten luck, seeing him again after he voluntarily left. Without thinking, she sank deeper into her seat when he neared the car, hoping he wouldn’t notice her inside. As he walked past her, she realized she didn’t have to do that. He was deep in thought and looked like he couldn’t be bothered.

But Shi Yoon just had to talk to the guy. She wanted to strangle her friend, but decided to look on the bright – or in this case, least dark – side. She needed someone who can get her sniper rifle. Besides, just because she despised the chaebol doesn’t mean he couldn’t be useful. She had no choice but to ask for his help. He was the only one who could come in and out of the mansion without raising suspicion. And right now, getting that rifle was the priority. She’ll have to set her issues with him aside for the time being.

They had gotten out of their cars and were huddled together as Shin Hye told them the plan.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to get a deadly weapon from under a bed and leave with it?” Min Ho exclaimed incredulously, like he couldn’t believe what she was telling him was real.

Shin Hye rolled her eyes. “It’s in a guitar case so you don’t have to worry about it looking like a deadly weapon.”

“Is that the gun you were supposed to kill me with?”

“If you must know, yes. But we don’t have time to dwell on that,” Shin Hye replied, restraining herself from putting the man on choke hold. She’s always been impatient when it came to dealing with other people. No matter how much she held it in, she had a breaking point. And looking at his smug face, she was dangerously close.

But of course, Min Ho was unaware of this and glared at her with a lethal expression. “I’m sure if you had only done your research right, you wouldn’t jump into the ridiculous conclusion that I’m a , and find out real facts like how much I hate guns,” he said bitingly, crossing his arms.

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST DO IT!” Shi Yoon cried out. “She doesn’t like it when people whine! You may hate guns but she doesn’t! More importantly, she has one in her glove compartment and won’t hesitate to use it!”

Shin Hye couldn’t help but suppress a smile at Shi Yoon’s outburst. He looked genuinely worked up and Shin Hye figured it was because he hasn’t had a wink of sleep since last night. Shi Yoon may say the most unnecessary things at the most inconvenient times, but there were instances when his timing was pitch perfect. She was glad she didn’t have to respond to that remark by Min Ho because she had a feeling it could end in a swollen eye.

She watched Min Ho transfer the glare originally intended for her to Shi Yoon. But he also let out a dejected sigh. “What room again?”

Shin Hye eagerly told him the location and he nodded, knowing what room she meant. “Just tell whoever asks that you left the guitar the last time you were…”

“YEAH, YEAH,” Min Ho didn’t let her finish. “I started learning how to play the guitar three months ago as a way to unwind from work. And the last time I was here, I brought it with me to show off to Jae Hyun just how good I had become. But I left it here, and now I need it so I can play the guitar for him while he’s at the hospital. To help him recover faster. Music therapy,” Min Ho babbled on.

When Shi Yoon and Shin Hye just looked at him in surprise, he shrugged. “You’re not the only ones who are experienced liars.” He let his frosty gaze linger on Shin Hye before walking to the direction of the mansion.

“He never lets us forget, huh?” Shi Yoon muttered to her, pertaining to the fact that every chance he gets, Min Ho keeps bringing up their transgression against him. Especially hers.

Shin Hye could only sigh. Min Ho had every right to be angry, but he didn’t have to be such an about it. Especially when saving his life was supposed to make them even. If someone really wanted him dead, even if she didn’t take the job, someone would eventually kill him. And it was the fact that she took this job and changed her mind in the end that kept him alive.

Of course the spoiled rich jerk wouldn’t see it that way. And she hated that she couldn’t seem to just spit it out to his face because she still felt guilty about misjudging him.

I’ll just be the bigger man, she told herself.

They waited by the cars, never tearing their eyes away from the mansion. After a few minutes, Min Ho came out of the house with the guitar case in his hand. Shin Hye sighed in relief, glad that the cops weren’t able to get it.

“Here,” Min Ho handed the case to Shi Yoon hastily, as if it were something toxic he couldn’t wait to get rid of it. “Where do we go now?”

Shin Hye and Shi Yoon looked at each other meaningfully. She had agreed to bring him along, but mostly because she was desperate to get the rifle back. But now that they had it, she realized how risky it would be to bring Lee Min Ho along. Last night, she was confident because they went to the Shack. It was a hideout they could do without. But the Cabin was a different story. It was even more sacred and more top-secret than their house had been.

“Hey, we had a deal!” The chaebol exclaimed, sensing their hesitation.

“Fine,” Shin Hye gave in. She never goes back on her promises. “But breathe a word of our location to anyone and you’re dead.”

Min Ho smirked. “How many times do you have to threaten to kill me before actually going through with it?”

He climbed into his car nonchalantly, letting his statement hang in the air. Shin Hye’s jaw slacked, stunned by his bold and patronizing response. He was obviously talking about how she threatened to kill him last night after the incident that she tried to forget, but now remembered all over again. Whatever relief she felt at the rifle being back or luck that the chaebol was there to help, dissipated quickly. Anger was fast rising, showing in her cheeks that were now burning scarlet. How dare he act like that when last night was totally his fault! She has never met anyone more infuriating in her life.

Shi Yoon shook his head. “Wow, it’s like he’s really begging to get killed,” he patted Shin Hye’s shoulder. “Don’t let him get to you. If he keeps that up, I’m sure you’ll follow through with your threat soon,” he smiled mockingly before getting into the Bentley.

Shin Hye scoffed, angrily getting into her car, too. “Men are the worst,” she muttered under her breath before driving off. Shi Yoon was driving in front, while Min Ho followed her behind. She slowed down as Shi Yoon’s rental car approached a warehouse. Pulling over, she observed as her friend drove the Bentley inside. Shi Yoon came out minutes later and walked to her car.

“Don’t even think about it,” Shin Hye snapped at him as he was reaching for the door handle of the passenge