♧ TEN ♧

Seulbi was about to go out of her mind as she paced up and down the hallway. It's been awhile since she had been summoned to her grandfather’s study. The moment she received the news, she began mulling over to see what she had recently done wrong.

"Seulbi's around five here. If I remember right, this was for a formal party and I picked that dress for her!” she heard her grandfather say in a lively tone. The sound of laughter followed. The heiress narrowed her eyes the moment she recognized Sunggyu's voice, but widened them to the best of her ability at the next split second. She should cut down that habit of hers lest she’d start looking like him.

But on the bright side, she took that as a good sign: the atmosphere seemed light, contrary to what she had been assuming. Smoothing her skirt one last time, she let out a deep nervous breath before knocking thrice on the majestic oak doors. Currently, her grandfather and Sunggyu were seated on the couch, pouring over an old album. Sunggyu's eyes were shining in amusement, his fist pressed closely to his lips to keep himself from laughing too hard. Jungyeop, on the other hand, smiled fondly as he reminisced on these pictures before him.

Seulbi bowed to give her due respect to her grandfather and older cousin. “Good evening, I’m home.”

“Good evening, child! I was just showing Sunggyu some of your baby pictures. Do you remember this one?”

Curious, Seulbi leaned over to peek before flipping to the next page in her embarrassment, unable to bear seeing her younger self channel her inner Audrey Hepburn, complete with tiara, sunglasses, a black dress and gloves-- exactly like how her character from Breakfast at Tiffany's looked. “Abeonim! How could you?” she cried out in embarrassment.

"Why are you so embarrassed? You're adorable! Right, Sunggyu?"

"Right!" Sunggyu barely choked in response. If Seulbi knew any better, he had meant that as a form of ridicule.

Jungyeop smiled at his granddaughter. “Still adorable now, if I must say. You tied your hair up again? Your new hair cut looked really lovely!”

Sunggyu blinked. True enough, she was sporting a much shorter ponytail since yesterday. The tips now barely covered her nape. He wondered about what made her randomly decide to get a hair cut?

"It kept getting in the way when I was reading," Seulbi replied before tucking her hands behind her back. "By the way, Abeonim, you called for me?"

“Right. I’d like to speak with Seulbi alone, Sunggyu. It’s an important matter to discuss, I hope you don’t mind. Let’s continue this some other time, alright son?”

The boy got up from his seat, stretching his arms. “No problem. I learned quite a lot today, so it was fun while it lasted," Sunggyu reassured before turning his attention to the pile of albums on the coffee table.

Seulbi did not like the look of that devious smile on his face. Worst comes to worst, he could be sniffing out sufficient blackmail material with Woohyun and her as the obvious targets. "Don't you even dare..." she mouthed at him.

"Hey Grandpa, you think I can borrow a few of these photo albums to browse through for fun?”

“Sure! Feel free, son!” Jungyeop agreed, clapping a hand onto the younger boy's shoulder. The sly smile Sunggyu had on grew even wider.

Wow, you’re a joke, Seulbi mouthed, rolling her eyes at him.

“I'm sorry, did you say something, cousin?”

Had she belonged to a normal family, this guy would have been bed-ridden at the hospital by now, care of her. Unfortunately, a higher social status demanded that she show proper behavior at all times, especially when her grandfather was watching. "Nothing. You have a good night," Seulbi told him, giving a forced bow. Sunggyu took that as his cue to take away a couple of albums and leave.

Carefully, Seulbi took over the spot on the couch where Sunggyu had been previously sitting on, peering once again at the open album on her grandfather's lap. “Ah, I remember this one,” Seulbi mentioned fondly, pointing at one photo of her grandfather and her wearing matching giant pink bows. "Look at you, you're still so cute."

Jungyeop merely smiled at the memory. During that time, he had personally rushed a young Seulbi to the hospital after an overnight bout of food poisoning. Both Seulbi's parents had been out of the country then. In the subsequent days, his granddaughter had refused to eat in fear that she might start throwing up again. The pink bows had been his way to cheer up the young child-- for the first time in days, she had been laughing non-stop because of it.

"I think I still have mine lying around somewhere. Truthfully, I don't fancy pink," Seulbi mentioned. "Though the big bows were very cute."

"Nearly two decades since I've watched over you, you think I haven't figured that out by now?" Jungyeop chuckled. "Sungyeol would be most displeased."

"I know. And nah, Sungyeol knows better than to gift me with something pink."

"Speaking of gifts..." Getting up, the elder walked over to and pulled out a small box from behind one of the thick books on the shelf. "As my rightful heiress to Woollim, I would like you to have this," Jungyeop mentioned as he opened the small box. The immediate glint from the reflection of light caught her eye. Inside was an ornate silver band adorned with the bluest sapphire she's ever seen. "Here."

“It’s a little too big for me though,” Seulbi commented as she tried it on, “It slips off my thumb so easily, I'm afraid I'll have to start wearing it on my big toe.”

“This was mine, then your Uncle Jinki’s before it was handed down to your father. I think it is high time this old little family heirloom is passed down to its rightful new owner. I hope you understand the responsibility you'll assume once you have this on your person-- at times, it might endanger your life. Most of the times, though, this will be your lifesaver. It’s just a matter of using this sign of prestige when the time is right.”

The ring in her palm started feeling a lot heavier.

"Do you really think I can do it?" Seulbi asked quietly, now holding the ring between her thumb and index finger. "I mean, there's Woohyun. There's also Howon and Sungyeol-- now there's Sunggyu too..."

"I don't 'think', Seulbi. Rather, I know you can do it. I hope that you can see for yourself what great ability you harness; very different from the rest of your cousins. But all that won't matter if you don't even believe in yourself. Believe, Seulbi," the elder encouraged. "You know, you remind me of your Uncle Jinki back in the day. He was this hesitant to step up as well."

Seulbi forced a small smile after that. Too warm.

After that conversation with her grandfather, she was making her way back to her bedroom when she bumped into Sunggyu, who had his sly grin back on. Surely he had something irksome to say with regards to her baby pictures. "Beat it, Sunggyu," Seulbi admonished.

"Is that how you speak to your elder cousin?" he goaded.

It piqued his interest to note that Lee Seulbi never blew up at him no matter how hard he pushed her buttons. Instead of getting angry, she got especially polite when members of her family were around. That had drawn him to two conclusions: either Lee Seulbi had a very high level of annoyance tolerance or she was excellent in bottling things up for formalities' sake. Well, still props to her for not letting anyone walk over her despite her rather calm and composed way of taking things.

"I'm sorry for being rude. But please leave me alone. You've already ruined my day, don't make it even worse."

Sunggyu scratched his head after she brushed past him. “What did I do to earn this much spite overnight?”

<<<< >>>>

“You’re kidding me, right?!?”

Sungjong sighed, shaking his head in disapproval as he pushed Sunggyu’s lower jaw up to close his mouth. The older boy had come over to complain about Seulbi's cryptic attitude, so he had no choice but to drop whatever he knew about the issue. “Your intoxicated threw up on her and that’s that. Now don’t make me repeat it again. Your actions are an embarrassment to mankind! You know, you're lucky you're her cousin, otherwise she would have slapped you all the way to outer space.”

Sunggyu stood there, now a blubbering mess. He remembered throwing up a couple of times that night, but he couldn’t exactly remember how and when, let alone on who. Knowing Lee Seulbi A.K.A Spawn of Satan, there was going to be hell to pay. Add Woohyun, Hoya and Sungyeol to the mix and they probably wouldn’t hesitate to beat his sorry , cousin or not.

But there was no way he was admitting that he was in the wrong. His ego was too big to let him do just that.

“First thing in the morning, she came over seething, sporting a jagged hairdo. I helped straighten the edges out for her and asked her what happened. After she had asked the attendants to clean up after you did the unmentionable yesterday, she bolted straight to the kitchen for the biggest pair of meat scissors she could find and snip~” Sungjong narrated with matching actions. “She seemed very disappointed that a good chunk had to be cut off. Imagine, from mid back to a little past her collarbones..."

“Why is she making such a big fuss about her hair?!? It's not like it's a matter of life and death!”

“You don’t know a thing or two about women, do you?" Sungjong cried, "A girl’s hair is her crowning glory! For it to be cut off, in the wise words of Coco Chanel...”

“I don’t care about what Glen Coco has to say! It was her own damned decision to cut it, so don’t guilt-trip me! If she's so upset about it being that short, why’d she lop it off in the first place?!?”

So defensive. How hard was it for him to admit that it was his mistake? Sungjong sighed before turning to the older boy, “You really can't blame her, though. If I got my hair puked on by someone else, I wouldn’t hesitate to shave my head bald too. If I were you, I'd swallow my pride and apologize. It's not like you did it on purpose anyway, so I'm assuming she'd be much more forgiving.”

"My point exactly, which is why I don't plan on apologizing. I didn't do anything wrong."

This person was a hopeless case. "Forgive him, Lord, for his cluelessness about the female species..."

<<<< >>>>

“I’m worried, it’s been a good hour and she’s still out there brooding. What did you do this time, you greasy turd?!?”

“Such big words from a weenie like you--what did I do? I think the more appropriate question is what did you two do? I knew something was up when she suddenly decided to cut her hair shorter-- you were with her first!”

"For your information, her hair was already shorter when we met with her earlier this afternoon! Right, hyung?"

“... this is so stupid. Yeol, I don’t see the point of doing a three-way call when we’re practically in the same room—" Hoya complained. "Sshh, she’s on the move!”

From their respective vantage points, they looked on as their baby cousin drag herself towards the fountain, sighing, before plopping down to take a seat on the marble ledge. They finally noticed the purple headphones she had on. Apparently, she was listening to music this whole time.

"Heh, it losers. She's using my headphones," Hoya announced smugly.

"You still have time to think about that when your baby cousin is trying to drown her sorrow in music?!?" Sungyeol screeched. "Hold on, Woohyun-hyung, I've got an incoming call--"

Without even checking the caller ID, he accepted it.

“Hey.”

“S-S-Seulbi!”

“Put me on with everyone.”

With much hesitance, Sungyeol merged the girl's call to their on-going three way conference. Seulbi made her presence known and the other two greeted back with shaky "Hello's".

“You’re talking about me behind my back, aren’t you? Literally and figuratively."

“That's not it! We were talking about… boy things that girls aren't supposed to hear about!” Sungyeol lied. Hoya gave his brother a death glare. That's seriously the best he could come up with?

A sigh was heard over the line. "Can you three hear me out?" Seulbi began, "I'm scared. The thought of taking over the Woollim's reigns scares me-- everything abeonim and our parents have built up, what if it crumbles because of me? What if I can't do it?"

For Seulbi to admit her insecurities like this to them was new. Seulbi avoided showing them her vulnerable side because it gave them a reason to be more overly-protective of her.

"Thank you. It means a lot that you've shared this with us," Woohyun eased, his tone warm and comforting. "I know we have some really big shoes to fill in. But remember, we take after great people, people who only want what's best for us. So have a bit more faith, be yourself and just do your best!"

She couldn't help but laugh as she heard Howon and Sungyeol admonish Woohyun for such a sappy speech, and admittedly, that made her feel much better. But even as Seulbi ended the call, one question still plagued her mind: What if I don't want to do it?

If fate really willed it, she hoped her one-way ticket out of this would come quickly. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she exhaled deeply, hoping that even if she didn't get her answers now, at least a sign would suffice. Letting out a couple more exhales, she slowly opened her eyes.

You have got to be kidding me.

Kim Sunggyu was strutting towards the Lee mansion with his chin up in the air. Basing on the direction he had come from, he must have just finished speaking with Sungjong. There was a high probability that he was informed of his misdeed, judging from the way he was trying to avoid meeting her gaze. If he ignored her, she'd ignore him back and they wouldn't even have to bring up the haircut topic between them

Slipping Howon's headphones off her ears, she called out to him. "Hey."

He continued to walk on by, unable to hear her because he had his own earphones in as well, blasting music at full volume. Unsatisfied by his non-response, Seulbi splashed some water from the fountain at him, which had him roaring at cold contact.

"What is your problem?!?" Sunggyu squawked at her as he wrenched his earphones off. "If I remember correctly, you told me to leave you alone!"

She continued her barrage, splashing more fountain water at him. "Not anymore now that you're in the know. Let's hear it," she demanded.

"Hear what?!?"

"Your apology. Let's hear it."

It was embarrassing enough as it is so Kim Sunggyu continued to play defence card. "I refuse. Lopping your hair off was your own decision and I am in no way accountable for your subsequent actions. If you hate it so much, wear a wig! Seriously, why are you even so depressed over it? Like it makes you pretty in the first place."

“Ah, but that’s not what you said last night."

By now, Sunggyu was gaping at her, the events from last night finally piecing together to create one big coherent picture. His delusional mind had not been imagining them after all. , they really happened.

"I'll save you the embarrassment and stop here,” she teased with dimpled smile, sending him off with a mocking wave. "I hope you sleep well tonight."

Only a true devil would wish that. He had assumed their banter to be a cause of starting off on the wrong foot, but as they progressed, he realized that it was a long-shot for them to get along. Seulbi had that ability of bruising his ego without even trying. It didn't help that everything always backfired when she was involved, making it impossible for her to take him seriously.

“Yeah, I'll go ahead and do that,” Sunggyu scoffed, popping his earphones back on. “And I bet your playlist .”

“Like yours is any better,” Seulbi retorted, slipping the headphones back over her own ears. "It would be a miracle if we had anything in common."

Both of them had re-drowned themselves into their respective music, turning up the volume to the loudest their ears could handle. Seulbi, who had stayed by the fountain, began to nod her head along to the beat. Before he knew it, Sunggyu was humming along to the chorus as he made his way back to the mansion.

[넬(Nell) - Cliff Parade]

<<<< >>>>

“Did Sungyeol help you get everything you need?”

“Yes. Though he wouldn’t stop comparing the specs between a Macbook Pro and the one with retina display,” Sungjong informed him. “We ended up getting two 13-inch regulars to silence him.”

“Perks of having a techie brother. I hope he wasn’t too much of a hassle.”

Jungyeop thought it would be great to have both Sunggyu and Sungjong tag along on a “Woollim educational tour” for them to get to see first-hand how the system works, and as one last hurrah before the semester started. This morning started with Woohyun, followed by Sungyeol, who was also tasked to help them get a few needed things for university. Hoya and his driver had picked them up and they were now headed to their next and final destination.

Briefly, Hoya explained a few things with them during the car ride. “If you haven't noticed we’re mainly overseeing one ammenity on our own, but we do rotate every now and then, especially for the role of surveillance runner— that’s me for this week. In time, Sunggyu will have to help out too.”

Sunggyu gulped at the thought. But it was as Woohyun had told him when he pulled him aside earlier that day-- it was perfect training ground, so he'd better take advantage of it while he still could.

“And Seulbi?”

“Our Bumblebee takes over the flagship Olympus as next-in-line to the inheritance, of course.”

Sunggyu and Sungjong did a complete double take. “WHAT?”

Hoya scratched his head, his wolfish grin displaying his canines, "What, is it that hard to believe?"

Though he couldn’t discount Seulbi’s smarts, she paled in comparison to her older cousin, personality-wise. Scratch that, to her older cousins in general, who had very strong work images. He could say that Seulbi was a Plain Jane compared to the boys, now that Sunggyu's personally seen how they ran things.

“S-Sorry, it looked a little unlikely though. I would have thought for sure that it was Woohyun-hyung,” Sungjong pointed. Seems like it wasn't only Sunggyu who thought that way.

“I’m not surprised you think that. Hyung is one of the most responsible out of us four, after all. It does help that he's one of our best troubleshooters too. But really, you really have to cut Bee some slack. There's a reason why Woollim gave her the monicker of Shadow Boss, after all."

Sungjong shivered; the name alone brought a spine-chilling feeling to it. Sunggyu had to stiffle in his laughter. That was no different to being called 'Princess of Darkness'. Very befitting for the spawn of Satan.

They had arrived at the Olympus after a few minutes. A whole array of security guards had been waiting to properly greet the two as they got off. Hoya had advised them to go straight up to Seulbi as he needed to leave for something else, promising to be back after a good two hours or so.

"Good afternoon, Young Master Sunggyu. The Young Miss is in the presidential office this time. Would you like some refreshments while waiting?" Mari greeted, surprising Sungjong. This was, after all, the first time that Sunggyu had been addressed of higher status throughout the day.

"Sure, the usual iced coffee for me and my friend, and no worries. We can see ourselves in," Sunggyu replied before turning back to Sungjong, "Trust me, you won't believe what I've been through here. Weird, there are a lot more people than usual though, and to think school's nearly back in session. They're wheeling in so much baggage too."

"Enjoying their last minute vacation, probably," Sungjong shrugged, not before dragging the older boy towards the elevator whilst skipping. "Now come on! Let's go look around before meeting up with Seulbi!"

"Would you behave? We're not here for an excursion!"

"I'm in one of Seoul's most prestigious 5-star hotels, there is no way I'm passing up my chance to look around!"

After having a peep or two at the grand function rooms and restaurants, Sungjong dragged him once again to see the infinity pool on one of the higher floors overlooking Seoul's cityline. The two were now engaged in a rather friendly bickering session about taking selcas as they made their way back to the elevator.

"... I've managed to infilitrate the hotel, as planned."

Sungjong eyes widened and he had enough common sense to pull Sunggyu to the corner upon hearing a gruff voice speak up. He even covered the older boy's mouth with his hand to make sure he remained silent. Luckily, the man dressed in a suspicious-looking trenchcoat standing by the elevator didn't notice them. He was on the phone with someone in low whispers. The two had to strain their ears to make sure they didn't miss out on anything.

"Back-up will not be necessary, but it would be best to have them on stand-by for a quicker get-away. Your orders?" The man waited for awhile, pulling out something pitch black from his trench coat and after making a few adjustments, turned his attention back to his phone. "Understood. By seven in the evening tonight, it shall be done. I shall personally make sure that this wretched company will crumble and wallow in anguish, and it shall start with the death of their immediate heir."

Sunggyu felt Sungjong slide silently down on the wall beside him. He himself started to pale and break into cold sweat after overhearing such a spine-chilling conversation take place.

Lee Seulbi's life was in grave danger.

<<<< >>>>

"We can't stand here and do nothing-- we should call the police, at least! Isn't Dongwoo-hyung's family in that line of business?!? What about the rest, can't we call them?" Sungjong was in complete hysterics by now. Tremors racked his body, fearing for the safety of Seulbi and of Woollim.

Sunggyu ran a hand through his hair several times before pressing onto his temples, "Let's think this through first. We act rash and we endanger not only Lee Seulbi but also the rest of Woollim, the staff, and the hotel guests."

"Hyung, what do we do? We barely have any time left, what do we do?"

For once, no matter how hard Sunggyu racked his brains for one of those lightbulb moments, they never came. He was at a complete loss on what to do, and if ever he did manage to think something up, it came in with too many pitfalls that was too hard for him to cover up. But they had to start somewhere soon. The time was ticking and every second mattered if they wanted Seulbi out of harm's way.

That was how they found themselves in the secretary's office, looking through CCTV and guest check-in records for any lead. At first, Mari refused so they had no choice but to let her in on the know. Luckily Sunggyu was sharp enough to note the floors where the elevator had stopped, which helped cut down their search of the guest list by a whole lot.

"Bingo! That's him!" Sungjong shrieked and pointed, finally spotting the mercenary at the front desk upon late check-in. After noting the time of check-in, they managed to put the pieces together to uncover his identity. Even if he might have presented a fake one, a lead was still a lead.

"I'll call the police, Jong," Sunggyu advised. "You know what to do. Seulbi is on her way down-- the moment you see her, get her out of here quickly. Take her straight to the Jang's Central HQ, they'll know what to do from there."

The younger boy nodded once to signify he understood. "And you?"

"I have to meet up with Woohyun first. He's on his way here as we speak." Sunggyu gave him a solemn clap on his shoulder, "Look whatever happens, I'm proud of you. You've got a big job, so do well. But please, take care of yourself as well and don't get hurt. You can't help Seulbi out if you're limping around on one foot."

It bothered Sungjong. Sunggyu was never the sentimental type, but his panic-infused brain decided it was irrelevant information as he watched the older boy stalk off to who knows where. For now, still no unusual activity was noted. He had been waiting anxiously for about ten minutes before Seulbi finally made her appearance at the lobby.

"Sungjong," she greeted, half-jogging towards him. "Sorry, I couldn't get out immediately. I had to sit in on a project proposal. Where's Sunggyu?"

Although it worried him as well, it would be pointless if he didn't carry on with the plan. The longer he stalled with Seulbi, the more he was putting her life in danger. "Come on, Seulbi. We need to leave."

"Leave? Now?"

"Yes, now," he insisted, his tone sounding a bit more urgent. "Hoya-hyung plans to take us out to early dinner. Sunggyu-hyung said he needed to meet up with Woohyun-hyung first and they'll follow."

"But I just got off the phone with Woohyun and abeonim, they're both at home right now with Aunt Sooyeon. Uncle Boohyun's home from France, they're having dinner together."

That double-crossing hyung! He had Sungjong completely fooled-- knowing him, he had probably thought up of something dangerous to carry out on his own without letting anyone in on the plan, thus the unusual display of sentiments earlier. "THAT IDIOT!" Sungjong roared, aborting the previous mission, pulling Seulbi along with him as he rushed back towards the CCTV room in attempt to locate him.

Seulbi looked extremely cross, sensing the rather grim atmosphere. "Sungjong, what is happening? Where is Sunggyu?"

"I can't tell you that!"

"Anything that happens within the Olympus is of my concern, especially if it pertains to my cousin. If you want to help me help Sunggyu, I suggest you spill. Now." Business meant business, no matter how chummy they were on a daily basis. He was taken aback at how firm Seulbi sounded without her losing her temper.

"Alright, I'll explain-- but we need to find him before he does something completely suicidal!"

While keeping a close eye on surveillance, Sungjong broke the news over to Seulbi, who listened very carefully to the situation on hand. She didn't even flinch to find out that she was the one being targeted. The fact that Sunggyu acted on his own accord without consulting her ticked her off, and her seething anger overrode any room for self-concern.

It didn't take too long to find him. Sunggyu was over by the empty pool area, already face to face with Seulbi's suspected mercenary. No gun was in sight yet, meaning they still had time to intervene before things got bad. Sungjong was livid. "He says not to act rash--what the actual eff was he thinking?!? When I get my hands on him, I'll--"

Despite the sheer urgency, Seulbi continued to remain calm and unfazed as she spoke to the main security team she had called over. "We need a small team of armed men there, pronto. We don't know what this person's intentions are, or whether he has an accomplice inside the premises or not. Let's just hope it's not going to be a shoot-out. It would be best to prepare for an emergency evacuation; be quick and alert, but be discreet. Also, be careful. It will be on my conscience if anyone of you gets hurt by this ordeal."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Ah, one more thing. When the time for evacuation comes, prioritize the guests and the staff. Don't come for me until you make sure everyone is safe and attended to, even if my cousins and the rest tell you to. That is a direct order from your supervising head. Also, sorry, Jongie," Seulbi apologized, shoving the boy towards security. "Lastly, get him out of here. I don't care if you have to sedate him, just do it. 

"LEE SEULBI, WHAT--?!? HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? HEY!"

"The Captain abandons his ship last, right?" she replied with a small smile before she rushed off.

Sunggyu, I'm counting on you to buy yourself some time.

<<<< >>>>

Wow, Kim Sunggyu, you're really out of your mind. You're really, really crazy. This is by far the tiest hole you've dug yourself in.

That was the only thing running through his mind as he stared down the cold barrel of the gun aimed directly at his head. Cold sweat continued to run down his face. The dry ache in his throat was not making anything better. He was seeing his life flash before him right now, and he thought this must be it. This must be karma coming back around to bite him in the for all the swindling and double-crossing he had done in the past.

"Our misfortune started piling up after your grandfather unjustly kicked us out of this company. I'll make him pay. I'll brutally murder his beloved grandson-- I'll make him pay!"

"Why don't you think this through?" Sunggyu replied, trying to inject calmness into his tone despite its slight tremor. This was no time to show that he was afraid; that would only work in favor of the perpetrator. "Will killing me really put you out of your financial misery? I can help out. It's not too late for redemption from both our sides."

"Well that's too bad, I'm beyond saving right now. Any last words, sajangnim?" the man mocked.

Right now, despite the high risks at stake, this was the only working plan he had to keep everyone alive. He had taken Woohyun's order of protecting his baby cousin a little too seriously. By gambling his life and posing as Woollim company's heir, he managed to stall out long enough-- long enough for Lee Seulbi and Sungjong to get away, long enough as well for the police to come in and apprehend this man.

Any second now.

The glass doors swung open. Alarmed, the man named Kyung backed away and put his hands up as a defense mechanism but stopped in his tracks, seemingly confused as someone else had joined the fray. Lee Seulbi had entered the scene, breathing heavily as if she ran all the way just to get here.

Why was Seulbi here? What in tarnation was Lee Sungjong doing?

Clearing his throat, Kyung gave a victorious smirk. "This is the back-up that the almighty Lee Corporation has sent for their heir? Your little girlfriend? What a joke!"

Seulbi remained unfazed at his harsh laughter despite the harsh pounding in her chest. Knowing that she was now in this situation, she had to be extra cautious. One false move could mean instant death for either of them right now. "If you shoot him, then you're sadly mistaken. He's not the real heir..."

"Lee Seulbi, don't even--"

"... you're looking at her."

Sunggyu watched with horror as the Kyung's arm swung slowly to the right. Now the gun was aimed straight for Lee Seulbi's head. The heiress raised her arms up to show she was unarmed, lest that goaded their perpetrator to start shooting. "Do you think this some joke, girl? Do you even know what you're dealing with? If I find out you're lying, I won't hesitate to shoot."

With great care, Seulbi pulled out her chain necklace to reveal the Lee family heirloom as its pendant. The sapphire shone brilliantly, it was impossible not to notice. "Proof enough? If you understand, set him free. There's no point in taking an extra innocent life over this."

"You're not in any ing position to tell me what to do!"

"I think otherwise," Seulbi replied rather calmly. "You've never shot a person, haven't you? You haven't even taken the safety catch off."

Deep inside, Sunggyu cheered. That should be enough to throw an inexperienced gun-handler off track and buy them enough time to make their escape. Unfortunately, it only brought about the adverse reaction from the opposing party. "HAHAHA, what a joke, really! You angered me so much with your insult, I'll just kill both of you off. Shall I show you what I'm capable of? I'll start with him."

Seulbi's eyes widened in horror as the gun was aimed back towards Sunggyu. Sunggyu, too shocked, remained at a standstill. They heard a small click.

Kyung's finger pressed on the trigger.

“KIM SUNGGYU, MOVE!”

Realizing that she had no time to drag his sorry out of harm’s way, Seulbi did the craziest thing she'd ever done in her life thus far. Sunggyu was surprised when she suddenly grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Seulbi didn't even consider that she was about three inches shorter than he was when she jumped in to shield him from the bullet's trajectory. He could feel his heart thumping wildly but he wasn't sure if it was because of sheer panic or the sudden close contact. “O-Oi—“ he stammered. What on earth was she doing?

Her breathing was labored and shaky by now. She must have been extremely scared as well. “You ing idiot…” she still couldn't help but chastise at a time like this.

The shot never went through. The shot never even came-- no loud bang, no explosion, no anything. Instead they heard the glass doors to the pool area open once again before loud screeching broke through the stillness of the sunset.

"STOP! STOP, ALL OF YOU. THIS IS ALL A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!"

The two blinked. Sungjong?

Immediately, Seulbi shoved Sunggyu away and they turned to see the younger boy running towards them. The new smell of butane burning registered in their senses and they turned their attention back to Kyung. Fire was coming out of the muzzle and once their apprehender had released the trigger, the fire died out immediately. “It’s a lighter?!?” the two shrieked.

“Of course it’s a lighter!” Kyung complained. “I must be out of my mind, attempting to bring real firearms into a 5-star resort such as this one!”

This situation was no longer making any sense to them. “B-But earlier in the elevator, you were talking about murdering the heir to the company!” Sunggyu stammered.

"Of course we were! We talked about it earlier in the elevator when you helped me run through my lines-- wait a minute, you're not the acting double?!?" Kyung stammered, "You two aren't actors?!?"

Acting double? Actors?

Sungjong groaned before pulling Seulbi aside. "We would have found that out sooner had you not bumrushed up the fire exit! You bulldozed through a whole hallway of stuntmen too! All of them are hurting because you haphazardously decided to judo-throw everyone down."

Seulbi reddened. No wonder they didn't attempt to fight back. "Those were stuntmen? Sunggyu wasn't really in trouble?"

"Yes, and neither were you!" Sungjong had now turned all sass on Sunggyu. "And you. I cannot believe you effing duped me! Me, of all people?!? GOD, YOU TWO ARE THE MOST INSUFFERABLE AND STUPIDEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET!" Sungjong screamed at them before his angry expression melted. His emotions got to him and he ended up pulling the two in for a tight group hug. "I'm just glad you two're okay..."

Sunggyu laughed, patting the younger boy's head. "Lee Sungjong, I'm moved. Are you crying?"

"SHUT UP, AM NOT. I'M STILL MAD AT YOU!"

Kyung gave a hearty chuckle as he pocketed his lighter. “This really is a big misunderstanding. I play an extra in the acting business. The acting double and I planned to meet here at the filming area so he could help me run through the transition of the lines and the action scenes. I was under the assumption that it was you, because you adlibed back to me lines from the script," he informed Sunggyu before pointing at Seulbi, "So I was surprised when the little missy here made an appearance-- I thouht I had to improvise on a sudden change of script. Will all due respect, you two, you do know there’s a filming scheduled here at the Olympus right? You know, the new Won Bin movie? The Man From Elsewhere?

Ah, now she remembered. That had totally slipped her mind.

"It was rather heart-fluttering though, seeing you two hugging with the sunset in the background. You two make a cute couple, you know that?"

"We're cousins," Seulbi immediately dismissed as she dragged the two away in her embarrassment, "Sorry for the misunderstanding." Way to be a downer.

Roughly, Seulbi shoved Sunggyu away once again, prodding an accusatory finger at his chest, which he shied away from. "You. I thought you were on crack when you decided to heed Woohyun's advise, but I never imagined you to take it so damned literally and seriously! No one asked you to pose as me and carry the burden of that situation-- you're lucky it wasn't for real!"

"As if you're one to talk! No one asked you to play martyr and jump in front of a bullet for me! You're more out of your mind than I am, you crazy idiot!" Sunggyu snapped back at her before his expression softened. He was suddenly so interested in his shoes that Seulbi had to tilt her head in curiousity, wondering what had suddenly gotten into him. "To think I pick on you a lot. You could have saved yourself and left me alone, but you didn't. No one's ever done that much for me before..." he mumbled.

"Of course no one's ever done that for you, this was your first time at gun point--"

"I know that and I obviously don't mean that!"

It looked like he was too embarrassed to elaborate, but Seulbi got his point. No one's ever protected him to the point of risking one's life in doing so. He must have been too overwhelmed by the thought as it was alien to him, having not grown up with his real family in the first place.

"We're family. You did the same for me," Seulbi finished. "I think that's reason enough."

"Girls shouldn't be doing that for men."

"Does it matter? Besides, had I died then, I would have gone straight to heaven for doing one last good deed here on earth, the complete opposite of where you'll be headed. I'm still pretty mad about that barf bag incident which you never apologized for."

"You just ruined the moment. Let the damned thing go already, it was an accident!"

"Alright, I'll save you the embarrassment. You're forgiven."

Sunggyu only let out a hearty chuckle at her resilience. "Lee Seulbi, tha--"

Before he could finish his statement, it was on cue when Hoya had entered with an apologetic Mari in tow.

“Lee Seulbi, what is this I'm hearing? Director Kang is furious! The filming's delayed, his stuntmen have sustained a few injuries! This is not good treatment from the Olympus to our guests!" he nagged as he marched up to the heiress, who only bowed her head in apology.

"Sir, please don't blame the young miss. It was really my fault..." Mari wailed, her head bowed low, "I could have informed her ahead of time, I'm so sorry."

"And you Miss Mari, you should have done your job right in the first place--"

"Howon, drop it," Seulbi spoke up. "You can scold me and embarrass me in public for all I care, but not to our staff in front of other people. It's also my fault for not looking into it ahead of time. It's my turf, I'll take responsibility and fix it somehow."

"Young Miss, you don't need to, it really is my fault..."

"You must be tired, Mari. I'm sure Sunggyu and Sungjong put you through a lot of panic today, your panda eyes are showing," Seulbi eased, having none of her staff's apology because to her, it was a normal mistake that anyone put in such a tight situation could have made. "Why don't you get off early from work today and just relax? I'll handle it."

They could see bits and flecks of Seulbi's leadership style in that alone, though they wished to see more of it. But both of them had to agree. Although seemingly lackluster at first, Lee Seulbi was shining after what she had did for them today. Indeed, there was something that set her apart from her cousins, but right now, they just couldn't put a label to it yet.

"Hoya, you too, take Sunggyu and Sungjong home. Like I said, I'll handle everything. I'm terribly sorry for angering you."

With that, she made her leave, not before bowing in apology. Hoya had to be such a big softie when it comes to his baby cousin; although he was a little disappointed at Seulbi for mishandling the situation, seeing the girl apologize remorsefully towards him made him feel bad. Sunggyu only clicked his tongue as a form of mockery, intensifying his guilt.

"Hyung, I think you just dropped to the bottom of her 'Favorite Oppa' list..." Sungjong teased, sending Hoya into a state of panic.

"PRINCESS, I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING TOO HARD ON YOU! HEY, LET'S DROP BY CHEWY JUNIOR BEFORE HEADING HOME!"

<<<< >>>>

"... but Cousin Seulbi really is amazing! She managed to take out a whole floor of stuntmen with some of her wild judo throws. I would have wanted to see one!"

Seulbi bit back her tongue in silence. Yes, as usual, she was just going to take all of this in without a care. She needed to be on her best behavior now that the cousins had gathered for dinner. Sunggyu was passing himself off as the unsung hero of the day, making Seulbi appear more and more like a bumbling oaf. He had totally discounted Seulbi's last minute ditch to save him from that imaginary stray bullet too.

“And would you imagine? Cousin Seulbi has quite the potty mouth? Earlier, she called me a fu—“

Just when things between them had already gotten into transition of them getting along, he was pulling this stunt? She had been holding back for so long because she wanted to put on her best behaviour for her grandfather’s sake, but this was the final straw for Lee Seulbi. Angrily, she threw her fork down onto the ground and it clattered onto the marble floor loudly.

“THAT’S IT. KIM SUNGGYU, YOU’RE DEAD!” The cousins and Sungjong could only watch in shock. All primness and calmness had vanished in a split second. Violent Seulbi reared her ugly head, all pent-up anger exploding right there and then as she reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands. "You wanted to see a judo throw? You're getting one first-hand alright!" she roared.

"SEULBI, WHAT THE HECK?" Sunggyu screeched back at her.

“HYUNG!” the four in their worry, trying to separate the two as quickly as possible before she could even lock him into a proper chokehold.

"Hyung, that's six years of judo down the line!" Woohyun demanded of Sunggyu, who was practically choking by now. "Apologize now if you want to live!"

"Seulbi, get a grip of yourself! Stop acting like a child!" Hoya scolded as he tried to tug her away by her midsection.

“I don’t care, let me at him!“ Seulbi gritted, clawing through the air. “YOU TURD, GET BACK HERE!”

It hasn't been this noisy since his grandchildren were still, well children, and for once it was refreshing to have the serious home atmosphere broken up by friendly family banter. “Ah, I have a feeling that the household will be livelier this year," Jungyeop chuckled warmly, sitting back as he continued to watch over the bunch.

Author's Note: School's in session on the next chapter, please wait for it. And yup, that movie mention is a parody of Won Bin's movie, "The Man from Nowhere". For those who follow Infinite's guesting on the Beatles Code, you might be familiar with L's Won Bin impersonation HAHA

PS: And HAH! Of course, a Nell reference had to be dropped-- yep, for those of you that didn't know, the song that Sunggyu and Seulbi listened to (on separate music devices but hello-what-a-coincidence for it to turn up the same) is Nell's Cliff Parade. I would like to thank our resident fanboy for introducing such a lovely band to me. Please give it a listen!