♧ TWO ♧

Lee Seulbi, amazed at her rotten luck, could only watch in horror as the person she had just run into slipped into unconsciousness. It seemed as if life decided to enroll her into some sort of rigorous bootcamp to toughen her up on such short notice-- tests and trials were just piling in one after the other. Frankly, she was unprepared and was taking things head-on for the time being.

"Agassi!" her personal assistant, a middle-aged man by the name of Shimgoon, cried. "Young miss, are you alright?"

The girl immediately got up on her feet and dusted her clothes. "Don't worry about me. He's unconscious, Shimgoon. Help me get him into the car. Quickly."

It was Seulbi who had filled up the necessary forms once they had gotten to the nearest hospital, which proved to be a rather difficult task considering that she didn't know him on a personal basis. The only thing she was sure of was that his name was Kim Sunggyu (care of the nameplate he had been wearing). She even felt bad for snooping through his backpack, where she managed to gather the necessary data she needed from a set of resumés he had on hand. It was extremely late and her grandfather had already called her up several times now to ask her why she wasn't home yet. Although it pained her to do so, she had to lie through her teeth that she was still busy fixing some business-related things. After a good hour or so, the attending resident finally came out to greet her and update her on the patient's current status.

"The patient is showing signs of fatigue and mild dehydration but it doesn't seem to be due to hypovolemic shock as his blood pressure reading is well into the normal range and the rest of his vital signs are normal. Apart from the small bump on his head, there are no other signs of physical trauma, broken bones or internal bleeding, so I guess it's safe to say that the patient must have fallen because he was overwhelmed by the situation. Also, the bump is really nothing serious-- the swelling will definitely go away if iced enough," the resident informed her. "Not to worry, Miss Lee, the patient is fine. If tomorrow's physical assessment shows normal findings, he can be discharged by the end of the day. Currently, he is asleep in one of the general wards."

Seulbi let out a big sigh of relief. "Thank God."

Now she could go home in peace. For sure, her doting grandfather could not catch a wink of sleep at the moment not unless she returned home safe and sound. "Umm, I've already settled the initial billing for the tests with the head registry nurse, she said she would forward it to accounting first thing tomorrow. Now that that's already out of the way, I should really get going. I'm being doted on back at home," she explained. "Would it be okay with you if I left my phone number here instead? Please pass it on to the patient once he wakes up, alright?"



When Sunggyu came to the next morning, he couldn't but help but smile a little as the pristine white walls and furniture of the hospital greeted him. His plan had completely worked, though it was regretful that he wasn't able to fully enjoy the whole experience. Really, no thanks to girl wonder who had clumsily threw her whole body weight on him and knocked him into unconsciousness.

He could feel some sort of swelling on his head and reached up to feel a rather sizeable bump. Great, she had left him a little present too.

"Good morning, sir, how are you feeling?" one of the ward nurses greeted him.

That was his cue to keep the sick act up. "A bit sore. My head still hurts," he groaned. The nurse kindly handed over an icepack, which he had put over the bump on his head and he listened patiently to all her nursing instructions. Minutes later, his breakfast had been wheeled in. Sunggyu's eyes widened in genuine hunger-- there was so much food for one person alone, it was practically a feast for a king. When his caretaker nurse had been out of sight, he proceeded to wolf down his breakfast with such gusto, anyone who saw him right then and there would immediately see through his sick act.

He was just getting ready to go back to sleep after his dishware had been cleared, planning to laze around and maximize the whole day of comfort here, when the caretaker nurse came back. "Sir, our resident doctor will attend to you shortly for a physical reassessment," she informed him. "Also, about the billing..."

Well, .

If billing concerns had been raised, it only meant that fees had not yet been settled for. Sunggyu felt extremely wronged; he, the 'victim', had to pay for all these expenses from out of his own pocket? A ward room per night was tantamount to an overnight stay in a hotel and to add to his misery, he had eaten what had probably been the deluxe set on the menu, which clearly wouldn't come in cheap. All his initial rent downpayment (which would have lasted him for a month or so) would end up getting uselessly squandered on one night of false-comfort.

He needed to make a clean getaway, and fast, which he thought was highly feasible. There were no records anyway. He hadn't been filling any forms up too.

"I'm sorry but I really need to use the bathroom," he grimaced, faking a pained descent from his bed before limping away. Luckily for him, she had directed him to the nearest one which was sort of placed outside the wards and conveniently close to the emergency exit, aside from it being at the farthest opposite end of the nurse's station.

"Sir, do you need any help?"

"It's fine, thank you. I can get there myself."

Once he turned towards a blind corner, his fake grimace relaxed into something more casual and smug as he straightened up and casually strolled towards the emergency exit.

<<<< >>>>

That sense of sentimentality did seem to grow with age. Lee Jungyeop found himself staring a lot more frequently at family photos as of late, his attention often drawn to that particular one of his late first born son Jinki and his beloved wife Sunyoung, and their son Henry. In this picture, Henry had just turned two. The boy would have been well in his early 20's by now, slightly older than Woohyun was. There was nothing but regret for that petty argument that had sent his son packing and leaving the household. Before any reconciliation could take place, an untimely accident had taken Jinki and his wife away. And somewhere out there, his grandson was experiencing hardships on his own thinking that he was completely abandoned by his own blood relatives. Jungyeop could completely understand if his grandson bore deep anger and hatred for them over such matter, but despite that, he still wanted to bring the whole family back together. 

He wanted to provide some closure and make up for the wrong he had done-- if he couldn't show it to Jinki, it was still possible with Henry. He so badly wanted to reconnect with his grandson and make up for lost time.

Sighing, Jungyeop continued to stare with deep regret at the frame he was holding. "Son, I'm sorry I couldn't take care of Henry. Your father is truly sorry."

What started out as heaving sighs due to what he had thought was just mild depression turned into something more serious. Sharp pain radiated through his entire chest and torso, reaching his shoulders and at the back of his neck. It was debilitating enough to loosen his grip on the frame he was holding, bringing him down to his knees. Jungyeop staggered, grabbing onto any piece of furniture that he could get his hands on just to steady himself, but to no avail. The pain was excruciating and getting more unbearable as each second passed.

Meanwhile downstairs, Seulbi found her cousin already waiting for her by one of the couches in the living room. "Ready to go, princess? Abeonim asked me to drive you straight to the resort but I guess we could make a quick detour at the nearest Starbucks without him having to know about it. My treat of course," Woohyun greeted, holding out his arm for her like a gentleman would.

Scoffing in jest, the girl decided to take it anyway, locking her arm around his. "Most of the time I'm dying of either Namu-induced cholesterol or diabetes, but when you're nice... well, it's nice. I suppose I can live with that."

"Even if you shun me, I know that deep down you really love me, don't you?" She only gave him a sheepish smile in response. Woohyun decided to take that as a yes and he laughed, ruffling her hair with his free hand as a sign of affection which she returned with equally playful resistance.

The sound of breaking glass and dragging furniture was definitely not missed by the attentive Seulbi.

"Abeonim."

Letting go of Woohyun's arm, the girl raced up the stairs, not even bothering knocking. Seulbi's own heart dropped straight into her stomach the moment she had seen her grandfather crumpled into a miserable heap on his bedroom floor. Her Uncle Jinki, Aunt Sunyoung and her cousin Henry's family photo lay to his side, the frame's glass having completely shattered after it had slipped from his hands.

"Abeonim?" she choked, trying to remain as calm as possible in the face of an emergency situation. He was clutching his chest, his breathing was labored and his facial expression betrayed that he was going through a good deal of pain. Woohyun had entered by then, his own breathing hitching uncomfortably as he willed the panicked drumming of his heart to go away.

"Woohyun, call an ambulance." Her cousin just stood there in complete shock, his brain still processing the urgency of the situation. "WOOHYUN, CALL AN AMBULANCE! PLEASE!"

The emergency response was quick, and Woohyun and Seulbi boarded the ambulance with their grandfather. Woohyun's mother sounded as equally panicked on the phone, saying she would meet them at the hospital. The Lee brothers were still far off, having come from the airport after sending their parents off on their flight to the United States.

Minutes later, the ambulance pulled up into the emergency driveway. Jungyeop was fleeting in and out of unconsciousness as they transferred him onto a gurney. Nam Soyeon, who had gotten there before everyone else did, could not help but burst out in tears the moment she had seen her father in that state being wheeled towards the emergency room. Woohyun could only hug his sobbing mother tightly as an attempt to calm her down, hot tears streaming down his face.

Seulbi was there with him every step of the way, practically refusing to let go of her grandfather's hand. "You're going to be alright. Don't give up on me, abeonim-- we still have to find Henry-oppa together, so hang in there," she whimpered. He wasn't responsive, but she just felt the need to say that, not caring if she looked like a fool in front of these medical personnel. I've already lost dad and mom-- I can't lose you too, Abeonim. "Please, hang in there."

As the gurney was rushed through the emergency room doors, a pair of stern hands latched themselves on her shoulders. One of the interns pulled her back and she was forced to let go of his hand.

"I'm sorry, we can't allow anyone else in beyond this point, miss," said the intern regretfully.

"Abeonim--"

"I'm sorry. We'll do the best we can," he apologized again before making his way inside, shutting the doors behind him.

"Seulbi! Hyung!"

The two Lee siblings finally made it after having run down several blocks just to get there, unwilling to sit through the traffic while this kind of emergency was ongoing. Sungyeol was already in tears, frustrated that he hadn't ran fast enough to make it in time to see his grandfather in. Hoya felt more expressive about it and angrily pounded and kicked away at a nearby wall, trying to hold back his own panicked tears.

"Howon-oppa, it's okay. You don't have to be strong," Seulbi soothed, pulling him in for a hug and it was all it took to break him. Hoya began sobbing uncontrollably into her arms. Sungyeol also put his arms around the two, giving, as well as seeking comfort.

"He can't go just like that. He can't. What's becomes of us, Bee?" he sniffed, perfectly voicing out what had been plaguing her mind since earlier. Her ascent to presidency would be hastened. She wasn't ready to become head of the family and the company at all.

What becomes of us? What becomes of me?

<<<< >>>>

Good news greeted the Lee family the moment the team of doctors stepped out of the emergency room. "For the most part, Lee-sajangnim is out any immediate life-threatening harm from that heart attack. He had been currently stabilized and is responding adequately to the reperfusion treatment. We have him on thrombolytics for now and we had just finished an emergency catheter insertion to unclog his coronary arteries."

Everyone let out a big sigh of relief, releasing the deep breaths they haven't realized they've been holding. Puffy eye smiles and hoarse laughter was shared amongst the family. They were tired from a long day of worrying and praying, but hearing that their grandfather was out of immediate danger took all that away.

"However, we can't relax just yet," the head doctor informed them. "What we want to avoid now are complications from other organ systems going into failure or injuration from the impaired blood supply, so we'll need to keep him under intensive observation for the meantime. Even if he does progress into the recovery state-- if we're not too careful, a second one could occur that could be even more potentially deadly. As much as possible, have him thoroughly rest. Don't stress him too much. If it's okay with all of you, I would like to take this discussion further as to how we're going to manage the patient for long-term care."

"I will see to it," Soyeon volunteered, getting up from her seat. "The kids are tired, doctor. I will be the one to relay it to them once they've rested enough."

"Will you be okay, mom?" Woohyun asked, standing up with the intention of accompanying her, but she merely smiled at him, easing him back into his seat.

"Yes, son. I need you here to take care of your cousins, alright?"

When their grandfather came to, the four grandchildren decided to visit him ahead on their own. Lee Jungyeop, albeit looking weak, managed to smile at them. Seulbi was first to speak up.

"Hey," she greeted with so much gentleness in her voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Numb," Jungyeop responded honestly, "I hope I didn't worry everyone too much."

Woohyun smiled, "Mom's going to start crying buckets again when she sees you."

"Mother called," Hoya told his grandfather. "She says Father was hysterical and was almost about to threaten the pilot to turn the plane around from their Hongkong layover, had she not stopped him."

Sungyeol laughed in attempt to lighten the mood, "And these two were bawling like a bunch of babies. You should be ashamed of yourselves-- Seulbi wasn't even crying even though she was extremely worried."

"As if you're one to talk Sungyeol! You were definitely crying too! Our baby girl Seulbi had to hold onto your hand the entire time because you started tearing up once she started loosening her grip," Woohyun snapped. Now that danger was over, they returned back to their usual light and familiar banter.

Everyone managed to settle down into the whole situation. Howon had been completely knocked out by his earlier tantrum and was currently asleep, taking up the whole couch, his coat neatly bundled up into a pillow. Woohyun was currently attending to his mother and Sungyeol had decided to check on the resort to inform the company about their grandfather's current status. Seulbi was over at bedside, about to doze off as well, with her arms crossed on the bed.

"Seulbi, my dear," Jungyeop croaked, reaching out for his granddaughter's hand.

"Yes, Abeonim?"

The elderly man sighed, "I honestly think I'm not going to do much better in the days to come."

"Abeonim, don't say things like that, please. You'll be better, I know it. It's still too early for you to give up. You have to fight," Seulbi encouraged.

But he became firm, unmoving, his resolve hardened by the situation he was currently pressed in. There was not much time left for him, he could feel it, and as much as he wanted to do a lot more things on his own, he couldn't. "Please find Henry for me, Seulbi," he whispered, holding her hand tightly. "Please find Henry and bring our family back together again. It's my last request."

It was a heavy responsibility which normally no sane person wanted to shoulder. But out of deep respect for her grandfather's wishes, she would. "Yes, Abeonim."

As she watched her grandfather sleep, she regretted making such a big promise, knowing it was extremely hard to fulfil. If they had spend about eighteen years trying to find her lost cousin without managing to procure any leads, what seriously made her think that she could do it in a short matter of time?

Her musings were interrupted by Shimgoon, who looked hesitant in doing so. "I apologize for bothering you at such an inconvenient time, agassi, but the Gangbyeon Hospital just phoned in. It seems the patient had suddenly run away before he could complete reassessment."

<<<< >>>>

"Hi, I'm looking for Kim Sunggyu?"

It looked like the name left a bad taste in the lady's mouth for her face scrunched up in disgust. "He's gone. He's been kicked to the curb earlier this morning. If you're lucky, you'll probably find him housed in one of those carton boxes three or four blocks down," Mrs. Choi spat as watered the sprouts in her apartment plant box.

She didn't have time to scour each and every cardboard box she could find starting three blocks down. "Is there any other way I can reach him that's well... uh, stationary?" Seulbi asked, her tone sounding a bit desperate.

"I'm afraid I can't help you there, missy. Why? Does he owe you money too? Let me give you a head's up, miss. Don't expect to be paid back. EVER," she screeched before holding herself back. "Unless... you're here because he's the father of your love child! I knew it! That brat is nothing but trouble..."

Shimgoon, who had been patiently standing and listening in on the conversation this whole time, was this tempted to lash out at the landlady for insulting the Lee heiress. Seulbi put a hand up to ease him. This lady could think whatever she wanted. Explaining the situation to her wasn't even worth the girl's time and decided it was time to try her other options. But just what had Kim Sunggyu done to merit himself this much hatred?

With the help of his resume, Seulbi managed to lead them to a convenience store somewhere in Yeongdeungpo-gu, which he had listed under his work experience, only to find out that he had missed his morning shift. After hearing that Sunggyu had almost gotten himself into an accident, the kind store owner had nicely directed them to the barbecue restaurant he worked at. They arrived and had missed him by a good hour or so though they were advised to check out the bar in Hongdae next.

Is this person THAT much of a workaholic? Seulbi mused, getting more and more frustrated as the hours passed. She could only imagine the man-hunt she was going to have to immerse herself into in attempts of finding Henry-- she couldn't even find 'Kim Sunggyu' or what's-his-face around a small vicinity!

"This is about money again, is it?" Byunghyun sighed, blowing his bangs out of his face after Seulbi had asked to speak to him. After all, this was no new occurrence-- every once in awhile, his landlady would come barging in, demanding to speak to Sunggyu for money matters.

Seulbi tilted her head in confusion. "You must be mistaken. I wanted to personally return his backpack. He left it this morning and I happened to collect it for him."

"Well, he's currently out, either still looking for a new place to rent or still at his other part-time. I'm filling in for him in the meantime, but he promised he would show before seven in the evening-- well, speaking of the devil..."

Into the bar appeared Sunggyu alright, cornered by the same two girls that had been running after him yesterday. He had been completely oblivious to Seulbi's presence there, her face unfamiliar as of the moment (he's only met her once anyway).

"If this is about your drinks, I'm terribly sorry and I promise to return everything--" Sunggyu gulped.

However, the two had their selective hearing on again and completely ignored what he had just said. "Why didn't you call me that night, huh, Byunghyun?" the same girl who had tried to seduce him two nights ago shrieked. "I waited and waited but not once did you bother to ring me up! After I had our whole romantic date and evening together planned out too! You were flirting with other girls, weren't you?"

So they weren't even mad about him ripping them off for their drinks? She sounded like an overly-attached and bitter girlfriend. This girl was probably out of her rocker-- they weren't even dating! There were no flirting attempts from his side too!

"Aren't you interested in me anymore, Byunghyun?" she huffed. "Where am I lacking? Tell me! Is that why you didn't call back?"

He guessed the high heavens were on his side today. There, as signalled on by the strange converging focus of the bar's lights, was his way out of this messy situation. Another girl with her back turned was standing over by the counter talking to the real Byunghyun. Sunggyu didn't know what compelled him to do the unthinkable (maybe out of desperation) but  he did it anyway.

"Babe! You made it!" he called out lovingly, surprising the people that were within earshot. Walking over towards the counter, he confidently grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her close to him.

A stunned Seulbi was definitely not pleased with the initiation of sudden skinship. "Hey--"

"I would like you two to meet..." Sunggyu began, wrapping one arm around Seulbi's waist in a rather possessive manner, "... my girlfriend. I'm taken, girls, I'm sorry. I love her so much and it would have been wrong of me to respond to your advances. I didn't want to tell you so you wouldn't embarrass yourselves..."

Before Seulbi could even lash out in protest, the girl called Hara started breaking down into tears in the middle of the bar, unfazed by the weird stares Sunggyu, Seulbi and Byunghyun were giving her. "I'm sorry. I feel so horrible about myself-- I tried to get in the way of your relationship. The two of you look super cute together too!"

"We wish you two well," her friend sobbed too. And just like that, they left the premises. Sunggyu laughed, secretly pleased with his wit and lying ability. He was so busy praising himself that he totally forgot he still had his arm around Seulbi, who had crossed her arms together in displeasure.

She cleared loudly to capture his attention. "If you're done playing pretend boyfriend, you can let go now."

It was the girl who had run him over. Sunggyu quickly jerked his arm back, embarrassed by his actions. "You!"

Well, this was awkward.

Seulbi didn't want to waste any more time and cut directly to the chase, crossing her arms in front of her. "The hospital called to say you've run away without even picking up the contact number I left for you, so I opted to approach you myself. How are you?"

"Okay, I guess."

"I've already covered all your expenses for you-- all your ward fees, your testing fees and other miscellaneous things such as your medications-- if that's what you were worried about," the heiress explained to him. "Also, I've collected your backpack from the hospital-- I hope you don't mind that I've looked through it to fill out hospital records. You didn't seem to realize that your phone is there too."

"T-Thank you," he couldn't help but murmur, amazed by her kindness, as the elderly man who was with her presented his backpack back to him. He completely regretted dissing her earlier. This person was probably the only one he met in his life that was willing to completely shoulder all responsibility.

"It's no problem. A physical reassessment was requested for you, but you left before they could administer it. If you still want it, that could be arranged."

"I-It's fine. Thank you."

"Then I guess that would be all, Kim Sunggyu-ssi. I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you," she concluded in such a business-like manner, it amused him a little. This girl sounded a little too prim and proper. "Should you wish to contact me in the case that any accident-related problem arises, feel free to do so. I'll leave this with you."

She had pulled out a small card. Now that was the proper way to offer someone's number-- no shirt ing and chest- whatsoever. Sunggyu thought it would be rude not to accept it in a formal manner and so he did. And just like that, she left.

Byunghyun whistled in amusement, "You. Where did you manage to snag such a pretty girl like that?"

"She's not really my girlfriend, doofus! She's not even close to my ideal type. I just needed to get the two out of the way."

"Well, if you're not having her, I'll be taking this then!" Byunghyun joked, wrenching the card out of his hands. "Holy , Sunggyu. Are you really sure you're letting a jackpot prize like this slip through your fingers?"

"What? Give that back," Sunggyu demanded, pulling the calling card back to inspect it and his jaw couldn't help but drop. It was completely embossed in gold, the familiar infinity symbol sticking out-- this was the mighty Woollim Group's insignia. The girl's name had been printed out somewhere below it. Lee Seulbi. No wonder why she could confidently cover for everything. Girl wonder looked a little younger than him, but she was practically rolling in a huge amount of dough at her age!

He decided to keep the card for emergency purposes. He had a feeling that it would do him some good one day. Sighing, he went through the contents of his bag to see if everything was in order, even if he wasn't suspecting her of theft. These things were probably as good as trash to her anyway. When he was assured that everything he needed was still there, he pulled out his phone to check on it.

50 missed calls and 20 voice messages from Lee Sungjong. Something was definitely wrong back at Jeonju.

He hadn't expected that calling card privilege to be exploited this soon.

<<<< >>>>

"Let's try to think this through, Shimgoon. Uncle Jinki had his last name legally changed to Lau after they moved all the way to North Jeolla Province. It was in Jeonju where they got into an accident after the car they were in slipped off the highway and fell down a ravine. Cousin Henry's body wasn't found in the wreckage, and there are no leads to his whereabouts after that. If he did manage to survive, I guess it's safe to say that he could have either been taken in by some family that was able to witness the accident or sent into the custody of a nearby orphanage. What do you think?"

Currently, Seulbi and Shimgoon were at the office, wracking their brains for ideas on how to go about with the search.

"Seems plausible enough, agassi."

Seulbi unclasped her hands, leaning her back onto the chair. "Then we'll take our lead from there, starting from the area closest to the wreckage site going outward. I don't care if they managed to check them through before-- we'll re-check hospital records, orphanage logs and churches-- even ask around if we have to. Anything for a tiny lead. Please arrange for a trip to Jeonju the day after tomorrow and kindly get a copy of all pertinent files that we have for Uncle Jinki and Aunt Sunyoung. We'll accomplish this on our own. There is no need to further inconvenience my cousins.”

"Yes, agassi," her assistant bowed before making his way out to do as he was tasked. Before he was about to leave, he turned back. "If it's okay to ask, what shall we do if we really can't find the young master Henry? What if it isn't possible to find him anymore?"

She hadn't even thought about her plan B yet despite knowing there was not much time to relax. Her grandfather didn't have much time left. "I don't even want to entertain the idea of presenting to abeonim a fake Henry Lau. We'll work with what we have at the present, Shimgoon, until everything leads us to dead ends."

"Yes, agassi. If you'll excuse me."

Just as she was going to close her eyes for some peace of mind, her quiet time was interrupted by loud shrieking and yelling down the hallway. Into her office stormed Kim Sunggyu, followed by a panicked Mari.

"Miss Seulbi, I'm terribly sorry. I tried to hold him back saying that you can't just accept visitors that are not on appointment, but he was persistent, so--"

Seulbi kindly resolved the situation. "It's alright, Miss Mari. No harm done. I told him that he could come and see me anytime." Sunggyu gave the attending secretary a smug grin in response. "I've sent Shimgoon to do some sorting, could you kindly assist him?" Once the secretary had left, she turned her attention to the person standing impatiently in her office. "What brings you here, Kim Sunggyu?"

"I'm not too sure since this is the first time I've gotten into an accident, but I think it's only right that I demand extra monetary compensation from you. I told you I was okay earlier because I was embarrassed, but now my symptoms have gotten worse," Sunggyu complained. There was a big and immediate need for money right now and he needed to pull this off because God knows where else could he gain such a huge amount in such a small span of time. "I need to seek more medical attention."

"All your results have been forwarded to me and you have been deemed clear of any physical trauma or internal bleeding. What more could you want?"

"I don't trust what the doctors have been telling me. It's not matching up. I still feel sore all over. Especially my head, it's been throbbing non-stop. Moreover, the mental stress that accident has left me-- Miss Lee, I can't even close my eyes in the dark because all I hear is the screeching of your car onto the pavement! It almost took my life!"

Seulbi sighed. Is this person sure that he doesn't need a psychiatrist? Because she could definitely refer him to one, pronto! "Well then, should I decide to do so, how much would you most likely be demanding from me?"

"I believe for that, I should receive as much as 25 million won."

"I'm not too sure since this is also the first time I've experienced getting someone into an accident, but since I've already covered for your primary medical expenses and you've come up normal I don't think it should be that much. In any case, I'll speak to my lawyer about it."

"Who are you to tell me that I'm perfectly okay based on primary results-- I've been suffering from nausea and non-stop vommitting for unexpected reasons, Miss Lee! I'm scared because there must be something wrong with my brain from that accident that the doctors missed out!"

She still looked wary about it. Did she really want him to throw up in front of her to prove it? Because that could definitely be arranged.

Eventually, Seulbi gave in, reaching for her phone to call the family secretary. "Miss Mari, please issue a check worth 25 million won to be addressed to Mister Kim Sunggyu. Take it from my account. That would be all, thank you." She turned her attention back to Sunggyu, "That should be enough to cover for at least an MRI or CT scan and doctor's consultation. Once I see the results, I'll add more if I need to. Would that be enough?"

He nodded in appreciation. Oh, it's definitely more than enough.

<<<<< >>>>>

Sunggyu practically opened the bank the next morning, waiting an hour outside before opening hours just to have his check encashed. Once he had the money on hand, he boarded the next bus back to Jeonju, to where he had lived before he moved to Seoul to seek better opportunities.

Lee Sungjong, his long time friend and dongsaeng, met up with him at the bus terminal. "Hyung, what is intrinsically wrong with you? Of all the times for you to NOT pick up your phone, you chose yesterday-- just in time for a BIG emergency!" the boy screeched at him, not even bothering to greet him with any 'Hello' or 'Good morning, hyung! How are you?'"

"I'm sorry Sungjong, believe me when I say a lot of things came up and I didn't have my phone on hand. I'm here now, aren't I?" Sunggyu gritted before his tone softened, "Is Sister Mi-nyu okay?"

"She's currently at the hospital, resting. Some of the children are there watching over her for me."

"Then what are we still doing here? Let's go!"

They had arrived at Namkang Hospital a few minutes later. While Sungjong went back up to attend to the elderly nun, Sunggyu decided to take charge of all her fees, rushing to the billing office to have everything accounted for. When everything had been settled, he brought along a few kids to the nearest grocery store to purchase boxes and boxes of snacks for them and the rest of the children, who were probably starving by now.

He had been heaving a heavy box of juice and snacks as he boarded the elevator. Two people were already on it, that much he could tell by counting the pairs of legs he could see beneath the box he was carrying. He didn't get to see their faces. "I'm sorry this is inconvenient for you," he murmured as the doors shut behind him. "If you'll excuse me."

"To what floor, sir?" a lady asked him.

"Fifth. Thank you."

Sunggyu was extremely bothered during that elevator ride. The person behind him seemed to be boring holes into the back of his head with such intense staring. The elevator beeped, signifying that it was time to get off, but before he managed to do so, the person behind him latched a hand onto his shoulder, effectively trapping him there.

"Hey."

He turned around. What on earth was girl wonder doing here in Jeonju? And of all places, at this particular hospital, in this particular elevator? He had to admit, she was even scarier than the ing overly-attached-not-his-girlfriend girl. "Miss, are you stalking me?!?" Sunggyu screeched at her in complete disbelief.

He was only met with a cross and angry expression on her face. "If you don't want me to call the police to have you apprehended right now, you better start owning up," Seulbi demanded, her temper flaring up.

"Kim Sunggyu-ssi, are you actually trying to extort money from me?"

A/N: Uh-oh, I smell fried hamster for dinner. Not that it actually is edible... in any form.