♧ SEVEN ♧

"YOU FRAUD!"

Sunggyu tried to avoid a series of blows as the Nam family matriarch rained continuous fists down his back, having been brought to a cowering position with his arms over his head. "You liar! You big cheat! You have this much guts to lie to people like us? You were in this to swindle us off our fortune, weren't you? How dare you do this to our family? HOW DARE YOU?!?"

While he whimpered muffled apologies, Seulbi and Woohyun watched with victorious expressions as their aunt continued to unleash her fury down on him. "That's it, Mom. Don't be afraid to hit him," Woohyun cheered, enjoying the sight of a suffering, helpless Sunggyu.

"More, auntie. He has to be punished more for his wrongdoings," Seulbi agreed in glee.

The police had arrived so quickly. He later found out that an arrest warrant had already been procurred by Woohyun beforehand, and that the police had been on standby this whole time. "Please don't take me to jail," Sunggyu pleaded, struggling to free himself from getting hands cuffed. Having had it, the police officer who had arrived forced his hands down to fit in and lock the hand cuffs. "I have a family that needs my care-- without me, they'll suffer! I can't let that happen!"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the judge," one of them gritted. "As if I haven't heard this excuse over and over and over again."

"You should have thought about that before doing something as idiotic as this," the other one scolded. "Now let's go. Off to the car."

Sunggyu continued yelling as he was dragged out of the estate by the same pair of policemen. "I'm not the mastermind behind this, I swear! I was set up by Lee Seulbi! Lee Seulbi hired me to do this!"

"Auntie, believe me, I was just an unfortunate victim to his money extortion schemes!" Seulbi told her aunt. "There is absolutely no way that I would lie to Abeonim and the family by taking part in something this fraudulent. I can't do that to you, even if I was desperate enough."

The Lee family looked like they didn't believe the name-dropping one bit. Sunggyu gritted his teeth as he continued to struggle against his restraints. Where was justice in this? "You-- I knew that when push comes to shove, you wouldn't hesitate to throw me under the bus! But I have an eye-witness to testify! Nam Woohyun, you said you saw the checks Lee Seulbi issued, didn't you?!?"

"I have seriously no idea what you're talking about," Woohyun snapped back.

"Yah, Lee Seulbi, thank you for totally selling me out! I hope your conscience still lets you sleep properly at night!"

The girl remained unfazed. "Take him away, officers, before I even think about filing a complaint for slander."

"OI, LEE SEULBI, YOU TRAITOR! LEE SEULBI!!!"

That was how Sunggyu expected the whole scenario to play out following the big "DNA result" reveal. Either that, or some host from a variety show would randomly pop out from nowhere, revealing that this was all a hidden camera prank.

Instead, this storyline was taking a trajectory for the bromance department with Nam Woohyun suddenly hugging him. "Welcome home, Henry-hyung."

Soyeon had tears in her eyes as she took him from Woohyun's arms, clearing away the bangs that had stuck to Sunggyu's forehead in a motherly fashion before pulling him into a warm hug of her own. "We've missed you dearly, our Henry. It's been nineteen long years," she cooed, small sobs wracking through her thin frame. Sunggyu had no choice but to return the gesture with a couple of awkward pats on the back. Soyeon had then composed herself, wiping her tears away before turning to her niece. "Seulbi, thank you so so much. You've brought great joy to our family."

A still-stunned Seulbi could only nod in her confusion. That spelled really bad news for Sunggyu. That had meant that all this wasn't a set up. This was the real deal! He, Kim Sunggyu, who had lived in hardship and struggle for as long as he could remember, was the long-lost grandson to the CEO of one of the biggest multinational conglomerates based in Seoul!

This was the biggest piece of bull he has ever heard this year!

After the whole hug-a-palooza, he excused himself and retreated back to his room. Circumstances had allowed him to find his own family, so why wasn't he feeling the least bit happy? Sunggyu threw his empty luggage trolley onto the floor, kicking it all the way to walk-in closet. He couldn't take this nonsense anymore. There was absolutely NO way he was going to live the rest of his life with these looney bunch of people, let alone accept the fact that he was related to them. There was only one family in his heart, and that was Little Haven.

A curt knock interrupted his thoughts. "Don't bother me," he snapped, thinking it was Lee Seulbi again.

"You're leaving now that they believe you?"

Sunggyu looked up from what he was doing. It was Nam Woohyun who was leaned by the doorframe with his arms crossed. "I underwent through so much pain just to procure that kind of proof. Don't waste my efforts by bailing on me, Kim Sunggyu."

He stopped chucking clothes into his luggage. What on earth did he mean by that remark?

Smirking, Woohyun pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, flinging it towards Sunggyu. "Here are your real DNA crossmatching results. Read it carefully." Sunggyu quietly unfolded it, scanning over everything. His eyes hovered over the final box at the bottom in light blue.

Statement of results: Alleged relationship is excluded. No sufficient genetic markers shared.

Now he wasn't sure on what to feel regarding this new piece of information. This sheet of paper had done nothing but confuse him even further and add to his already growing frustration. If he really wasn't part of their family, then why the hell was Nam Woohyun still even bothering to cover him up? And to think he had been the most vocal about his mistrust since day one! A little while back, he had been threatening him too before the whole 180-degree personality flip.

"What are you trying to play at, you asswipe?" Sunggyu demanded.

"I just saved your sorry behind, Kim Sunggyu, but I've yet to receive any form of gratitude. Instead, you seem a bit ticked off," the Nam heir jeered before chuckling heartily. "Ah, if only I knew you were this excited to get altercated, then I wouldn't have tried so hard--"

Angry, Sunggyu yanked the younger boy roughly by his front collar. "If you don't want to get seriously beaten up, you'd better start explaining things to me right now," he growled in such a low tone that Woohyun decided to back down after hearing it, not without forcefully removing Sunggyu's death grip on his shirt, of course.

"It’s simple. I've decided to let you go on with your little bluff. It's as Seulbi has probably been telling you to get you to stay longer: our grandfather really needs Henry to give him the will to make that full recovery. Our grandfather still needs you."

"Our deal was for two weeks only. After this week, I'm really through-- I'm already fed up as it is."

"I'm afraid that's no longer possible."

"Of course, it isn't! Not after the bull you pulled earlier! Your family is practically going to have me tethered to this household for as long as I live!"

Woohyun was glad that they decided to take this argument in somewhere private as this walk-in closet, because the whole household would practically be hearing their whole conversation, no thanks to small-eyes over here. "You," he called out, "Calm down. Then we'll talk."

"I AM CALM!"

Letting out a loud sigh, Woohyun pressed down on the older boy's shoulders in attempt to have him seated on the floor and Sunggyu begrudgingly complied. The Nam heir immediately followed suit, sitting Indian-style on the floor as well. It was just for a few minutes anyway. Still, he'd probably have to throw these khaki slacks away later.

"Your real DNA results came in three days earlier," Woohyun began. "I managed to intercept them before Seulbi got her hands on them. I also found out about her hiring you. It seemed impossible to believe at first, but then I came to the realization that Seulbi's white lie was innocently intended for the betterment of our grandfather and it seemed to be working. It's a heavy thing to pull off, but she managed it. When I found out that you weren't the real Henry-hyung, I knew I had to help her cover for you. So I gave the Lee siblings' household a visit..."

"Hyung?" Hoya asked, wiping the sweat off his brow after he had sunk that last ball into the basket. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to sit-in at a lunch meeting with our newest investors from China?"

"Why? Am I not allowed to pay my baby cousin Howonnie a sudden visit?"

Hoya gave him a wry smile as he resumed his free throw drills. "Save that Nam-grease of yours for Seulbi and the rest of the female population, hyung, it's disturbing. And please, you're only a month older, so don't baby me."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still older than you~" came his singsong response.

"Ughh. Go bother Sungyeol instead."

"Sungyeol's probably busy making out with his laptop again! You know how he is when he gets too absorbed in World of Warcraft," Woohyun whined, flailing his arms in attempts to tap the ball away to draw Howon's attention back to him. His actions were practically screaming "LOVE ME" outright, which really bothered the younger boy.

Shaking his head, Hoya finally gave in to the elder's wishes. "Okay, hyung, let's get straight to the point before I deem you as completely off your rocker. Did our Seulbi give you the cold shoulder again?"

"Nothing, I was just skimming through a few childhood pictures-- you were so cute back then! I just suddenly really missed you so I drove all the way back here just to say it! You've grown up so fast, our Howonnie!"

Hoya's eyes could only widen in horror as Nam Woohyun rammed into him for a big overly-sickening hug. He struggled against the elder boy's snake-like grip and there was a tangle of arms everywhere as Woohyun tried to latch onto him. "WHAT THE--? GET OFF, YOU BIG LEECH!"

"I MISSED YOU!"

"I DON'T! NOW GET OFF! OW!"

Hoya was now rubbing a sore spot on his head. It felt as if Woohyun had yanked off a whole chunk of hair on purpose. Woohyun only grinned guiltily, mouthing his apologies for the so-called 'accident' as he backed away slowly. "Err. I'm going to go now. Have a meeting to catch. Bye."

That was seriously all he came for?

"DON'T COME HOME UNTIL YOU'VE REGAINED YOUR SANITY, YOU RETARD!" Hoya yelled out to him in his frustration as he watched his elder cousin's retreating figure.

That whole time, Sunggyu's jaw had been hanging open in disbelief. He could have sifted through combs and brushes if he wanted stray strands of hair (he guessed this was how Seulbi got some samples from him) but this idiot over here had to be completely idiotic about it. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who had cracked the code to his identity after snooping around and putting his collected clues together.

"I had Howon's DNA samples rushed after that and of course it was going to turn out positive. That was what Seulbi had received today," Woohyun concluded.

The elder boy still had his suspicions as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. For all he knew, this could have been a secret ploy to set him up. There was still a high chance of Woohyun throwing him under the bus when the timing was right.  "Still you haven't answered my question. What is your motive, Nam Woohyun?"

"First off, I want you to return Seulbi's money to her," the heir told him, "Everything she's paid you thus far, down to the last cent. Don't accept anything more from her as well. I'm only doing this to protect her; I don't want her involved in this kind of under-the-table mess anymore. It's too dangerous."

"This is a difficult thing I'm doing and I completely demand compensation--"

"You don't understand. All this time, Seulbi has been paying you with money straight from her personal savings account. That account isn't supposed to be tapped before she's turned twenty-one and it contains her inheritance from her deceased parents, Kim Sunggyu," Woohyun sombrely narrated. He seemed to have noticed the other's eyes widen slightly in surprise and continued, "They've been gone when Seulbi was eleven. Uncle Shin and Aunt Ga-eul were involved in a tragic accident as well. Ever since then, our grandfather has been the one taking care of her."

He remembered Dongwoo mentioning about Seulbi's parents back on their way to Jeonju. Still, this was a little sad to hear. Never had Sunggyu imagined Lee Seulbi to be orphaned, just like him. It didn't seem to show in the first place.

"Alright, I'll do it," Sunggyu finally agreed after much mulling.

For the first time since they've met, Woohyun flashed him a genuine smile. "Good, now onto our main agenda," he began again. "I would like to hire you for the same job of pretending to be Henry Lau."

So it was back to this again.

"I can't do that anymore. Originally, my deal with Lee Seulbi was to carry it out for one night. This two-week deal was pushed on to me because I had no choice after my attempt to sneak out was foiled by your grandfather. If I stay any further, I'll have much higher chances of slipping up in the long run."

"If Seulbi believed in your ability to turn things around for our grandfather, then I should too. I can see it's working, Kim Sunggyu; you've made everything believable to everyone else thus far. I'll use whatever amount Seulbi has promised you as the initial lump sum for these two weeks. For the subsequent time after that, I'll peg you to same starting wages as that of a regular employee at Woollim. Once Grandfather makes his full recovery, I'll even promote you to managerial status. You'll receive a bonus at the end of the year too. I'll even let you enjoy a fully-paid leave after that; you'll be properly compensated for according to length of employment and that would be until our grandfather decides to let you go. I honestly believe it won't take long, seeing you're already of age anyway."

Sunggyu's imagination was off the charts now after hearing the proposed deal. If Lee Seulbi could make it rain money, Nam Woohyun could will money into mere existence from mere particulate matter.

Woohyun smirked, knowing that the guy was practically 99% sold on the idea. "I know that you need the money; I'm a very fair employer, Sunggyu."

"There's something else you're not entirely telling me. What's the catch?" he asked. This was really too good of an offer if there was nothing else asked for in return.

"All this on a few conditions, of course: now you’ll have to fool Seulbi herself into thinking that you really are our long-lost cousin Henry. The moment she finds out, our deal is off. I may or may not expose your lies to the whole family depending on the situation. And while you're in this role as our cousin, you will do everything in your power to protect our Seulbi. And most of all,  you cannot fall in love with my precious baby cousin in the process,” Woohyun proposed firmly.

That should be easy. "What even made you consider that last one? Your cousin isn't even my type!"

"Then it's good that we're clear. It's really that simple, Kim Sunggyu. Do we have a deal?"

"Does it even look like I have a choice?" Sunggyu scoffed, but shook his outstretched hand anyway to seal the deal.

The Nam family household, more specifically, Woohyun’s study had been deemed as their temporary HQ. Upon Sunggyu’s insistence, a legal and binding contract had been formulated and printed out (for future reference and proof) despite the risks of it being discovered. The poor boy had been so traumatised by his assumed play-out of events earlier that he thought it was better to be this paranoid than sorry.

Woohyun lazily scribbled his signature onto the blank assigned for him before sliding the piece of paper forward. “There. Happy?”

“Now where are we going to hide it?”

All this time, Sunggyu had been expecting something like a vault or a secret loose floor board or brick in the wall. Woohyun broke all that assumption and casually strode over to the bathroom that connected his study to his bedroom and casually stuffed the neatly folded piece of paper onto the topmost drawer. “You’re just going to stash it in there?!?” Sunggyu shrieked in disbelief. 

“Believe me when I say it’s the safest place in this household.”

Curious, he managed a small peek and caught sight of the contents. “Skin care products?!?”

“My skin is really sensitive.”

There had to be a multitude of bottles in that drawer, all in different shapes and sizes and widths and kinds. One would be crazy trying to find face moisturizer so-and-so in that sea of bullcrap. "I purposely made it this way so no one’s going to ever bother looking through that drawer. The younger ones always know better than to rummage through it-- not that it's off-limits in the first place."

That day, he had come to a very standstill conclusion: Nam Woohyun, sans his greasiness and all, was one scary, scary guy.

<<<< >>>>

Things had gotten a bit awkward between Sunggyu and Seulbi after the whole one-sided "surprise-we're-really-cousins" reveal. It was as if she was keeping their interaction to a minimum. But he had less of that to worry about-- most of the time, girl wonder would only come back in time for dinner or late at night. His main concern, however, lay with the fact that Sunggyu's "bonding time" with Woohyun had increased ten-fold over the past few days. It seems like the two have finally met their match, embodied in each other. In private, they were constantly clawing at each other's throats because the other's attitude infuriated them to no end.

Today's argument on the way to visit Jungyeop didn't fair any better.

Woohyun threw his hands up in the air, having had it with their current conversation. “How on earth did Seulbi put up with you?!? I've never found anyone so difficult to work with! I should have really punched you in the face a long time ago when I had the chance! The mere sight of it angers me.”

“Likewise,” Sunggyu spat, returning the favour. “If it weren’t for the sake of helping your grandfather out, I’d never have to put up with you, you asswipe.”

"What did you call me?"

The two had one last stare down before pulling away, deciding to be mature about it. There was absolutely no need to resort to fist fighting to resolve any problem amongst themselves (though they sorely wanted to). Schooling their angry expressions, they entered the hospital room.

Jungyeop was already seated up on his bed. “Were you two having an argument?” the elder asked out of concern. “I heard you yelling from outside.”

“No, no, no, nothing’s wrong!” Sunggyu casually reassured as if it were true. “We were just arguing about which soccer team is better and got a little too passionate about it. Nothing too serious!”

“Sunggyu and I are getting along fine! Right, hyung?” Woohyun added, even putting a chummy arm around the elder’s shoulders while faking a laugh. Sunggyu gave off an equally fake chummy laugh in return.

For people who couldn't seem to settle their differences, they didn't even seem to see the few striking things they had in common.

They were too busy playing their best-buddy game that they almost forgot what they were here for in the first place. Woohyun practically had to nudge Sunggyu in the ribs with his elbow when Jungyeop had been preoccupied elsewhere. "If it's alright with you, grandpa, I'd like to ask for permission to head back to Jeonju. Just for a day? A good friend is graduating from highschool, I really can't miss it."

“Ah. Sungjong, was it?”

"I'm asking for permission as well, Abeonim," Woohyun added. "I'd like to try convincing him otherwise about his scholarship decision. With hyung's help of course." Sunggyu looked at Woohyun, surprised in his firmness to really help out. He knew that Sungjong turned up a few days earlier to formally turn the offer down, much to Woohyun's parents' dismay. 

"Very well then, since you two asked so nicely. Take one of our family drivers with you this this time," Jungyeop agreed, clapping them both on the shoulder. "As much as possible, I want you two back well before your cousin Seulbi’s graduation.”

Woohyun gave the happiest grin he could muster. “Thank you, abeonim. And we wouldn’t miss it for the world, not when our baby’s garnering several special awards.”

So that was why she had been missing a lot lately. Girl wonder had been off practicing for the graduation ceremonies. It was a little hard to believe that Seulbi was just graduating from high school when she was already rolling around in so much dough and practically played a part in the actual management Woollim and its numerous new projects. The girl had mentioned about it being a “summer job” of sorts once in passing. Sungyeol had further explained it to be some sort of facilitated learning experience— more like a guided hands-on where the Lee kids were supervised by the respective department or project heads. Now that the kids were of age and were already (about to, in Seulbi’s case) attending university, the company has decided to gradually back off and lessen the spoon-feeding, allowing the future inheritors of the company to take their own initiative with corporate matters.

“Also, Woohyun, why don't you take a sidetrip today and bring Sunggyu to visit his parents?" Jungyeop advised. "I'm sure he'd like that."

Great. Just when they thought they'd be gaining a break from each other, life had decided to mandate them a few more hours of them being stuck together. Sunggyu expressed his fake gratitude and Woohyun faked his enthusiasm as well. The chummy act was kept up until they had made their way back to the car; that's when all temporary ceasefire had now been called off.

“We’re just going to go and pay our respects, don't even complain,” the Nam heir snapped as he stuck the key into ignition. "Besides, it's been awhile since I've visited Aunt and Uncle. And you might as well take time to apologise for taking their son’s identity."

"Yes boss. If you want, I could go and apologise to your whole clan of ancestors too, lest them come and haunt me in my sleep,” Sunggyu whistled in pure sarcasm.

Even Woohyun had to chuckle at that remark. "Now that I can add to my list of why I should start liking you."

"Sorry, I don't swing that way."

Woohyun abruptly turned the car, nearly sending Sunggyu flying face-first onto the passenger window after that. "God, I hate you."

<<<< >>>>

“Lee Seulbi.”

The boys had been this tempted to howl and cheer loudly as they watched the youngest of the bunch take centre stage to accept her high school diploma. Every second that Seulbi was on stage was captured in photos too: Hoya's trigger-happy finger just kept snapping away for multiple burst shots regardless of blurring or loss of focus.

Also, the school population, particularly the females, was pleased to see Dongwoo, Woohyun, Hoya and Sungyeol once again. They were practically restraining themselves from fan-girling every time any of the four came up to the side of the stage to help don on the medals Seulbi has received in their grandfather’s stead. Who wouldn’t be happy having four of the most good-looking alumni attend your high school graduation? It didn't matter if they weren't there for you, as long as they were there.

“Congratulations,” Sunggyu mumbled as he came up to help her don on her fifth one.

“Thank you,” was all Seulbi had meekly said in response. There was awkward silence again as they snapped a photo together.

Everyone listened intently as Seulbi delivered her speech as Rank 1 of the graduating batch. Her aunts and uncles couldn't help but smile as they watched their sons mouth along perfectly to every word; they've helped Seulbi run through her speech these previous nights after all. Sunggyu, on the hand, was thoroughly creeped out by it. Before they knew it, the several-hour long graduation ceremony was over and the Lee heiress happily made her way towards them with her diploma in hand.

"OUR BABY!"

The three showered her with hugs. Dongwoo had given her affectionate pats on her head as well while Sunggyu looked on, feeling it would get too awkward if he suddenly approached. She was struggling against them at first but in the end, she let them do as they wished. After all, this wasn't a daily occurrence, graduating from high school. If they were happy then so was she!

Sungjong, who had come all the way from Jeonju, was there to greet her as well. “Seulbi, congratulations!”

“Congratulations to you too, Sungjong," Seulbi replied. "Woohyun told me you bagged nine medals, yourself, Mr. Class Valedictorian."

Sungjong managed a pretty shy laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Though I could have wished for a lesser number. I almost couldn't feel the back of my neck that night due to the sheer weight, I swear."

"It's good that Woohyun and Sunggyu managed to convince you to come. Thank you for reconsidering my aunt and uncle's offer-- you really deserve it! I heard you'll be living with the Nam's for the meantime.”

He nodded in confirmation. "Yup! We'll be attending the same university too!"

"I'll be seeing you around more often then!"

To her aunts and uncles, the girl gave her bow of gratitude. But Seulbi forgot all formalities the moment she saw her grandfather attempt to get up from the wheelchair he had been on, rushing to give him a hug instead of waiting for him to come to her. "Abeonim," she mumbled like a child, allowing herself the comfort of her grandfather's embrace.

"Congratulations, I'm so proud of you," Jungyeop cooed. "I wish your parents were here to see this."

"Me too, Abeonim. Me too. But you're okay and you're here. That's all I could ask for right now."

"Your father would have been so proud and so jealous at the same time, knowing that his daughter managed to outdo his highschool achievements," he managed to chuckle in response. "But he'd have them framed or encased in glass anyway, I know it."

“Speaking of awards, these should be yours,” the girl mumbled, taking off and donning all of her medals onto her grandfather instead. Jungyeop was almost teary-eyed at the touching gesture of honour. “You fought well in these past days. Besides, I wouldn’t have gotten these if you hadn't helped me through.”

"Remember Seulbi, most of this was through your own effort and hardwork."

"Yes, but you're the superhero in my eyes, always taking time out of your busy schedule to come and check on me and my schoolwork. I think that merits medals of honor."

Hoya had ushered grandfather and granddaughter for a few photos thereafter. Laughing, the girl gently tugged the dSLR her cousin had been holding away from him. "I'll be borrowing this, thank you. Now everyone smile for the camera please!"

“The new graduate shouldn’t be the one taking our pictures!” Sungyeol screeched, reaching out to pull his younger cousin in towards the group. “Come here at centre and have someone else take it.”

“I insist. Please? I think this camera has had enough of my face right now. Just a few group shots of all of you?”

The family obliged and posed for a couple of photos Seulbi took with the dSLR they had been bringing along. After which, she had handed it to one of the family bodyguards so she could join in at the center. Sunggyu and Sungjong felt a little jealous, yet happy, to see Seulbi surrounded by such a loving family despite their social status. The two felt that warmth, even temporarily, as Soyeon pulled them in closer, telling them not to be shy and encouraging them to smile wider. Gone was their stereotype of ashen-faced formal family photos for rich people-- this family here knew how work their way with the camera.

And then, there it was again.

The hair on the back of Seulbi's neck tingled; she had felt this same notion of being intently watched every time she was called up on stage earlier, even as she was seated quietly waiting for her turn up on stage. She turned her attention towards the direction where she had felt that same pair of eyes staring at her from a distance. Seulbi had almost missed it— a moving blur whisked itself towards the fire exit which was conveniently situated nearby. She wasn’t able to catch the person’s face.

No matter how scary the experience seemed, she wasn't the least bit creeped out from it. The feeling induced was that of warmth and familiarity, as if she was being watched over from a distance.

“Is everything alright, Bumblebee?” Dongwoo asked in concern after noticing how she had suddenly spaced out.

The heiress shook her head, looking off at that particular fire exit. “Nothing,” Seulbi reassured as she turned towards him. “I just thought I recognised someone. An old friend.”

<<<< >>>>

When they arrived later that night, all the staff members-- the family maids and attendants, drivers, bodyguards, kitchen personel, gardeners and the like were all present to welcome the returning Lee Jungyeop. "Welcome back, sajangnim!" the whole ensemble greeted enthusiastically with a bow as he got off from the limousine with Sunggyu in tow, just in case he lost his balance. Seulbi had subsequently gotten off the car escorted by Shimgoon.

"I hope that everyone is well and that things have been running smoothly in this household during my absence. It feels great to be back home!" Jungyeop announced, taking in the nostalgic scent of home as Sunggyu dutifully led him inside. The whole ensemble hovered around grandfather and grandson, ready to attend to their needs; some of them still outside had congratulated Seulbi on her graduation.

"I thought I'd never be able to come back here ever again!"

"Enough of that, grandpa. We're here now, aren't we?" Sunggyu eased.

Jungyeop cleared his throat, signifying that he had an announcement to make to the whole staff body present. "It's great to see each and every one of you once again, and I sincerely apologize for worrying all of you in these past few weeks. My life, I now owe to my grandson Sunggyu, who has come home to us after nineteen long years of his absence. I hope that you're taking care of him well as a member of this household. Whatever care you're showing to me and Seulbi, I hope you're showing the same for Sunggyu."

"Yes, sajangnim!"

"Alright, I'm sure everyone is tired and it is getting rather late. Shall we call it a day?"

And with that, everyone else cleared out, either to resume on their last household tasks for the night or to head back into their living quarters. Jungyeop smiled at his two grandchildren, "You two go on up and rest as well. Sunggyu, please see to your cousin. And come, Shimgoon. I'll be needing your assistance up the staircase."

That left the two alone in the vast grand hallway lobby of the household. Awkward.

"There's no need to. I can see to myself, thank you. Good night," Seulbi finally spoke up, dismissing his help.

He watched as she made her way up the stairs; Sunggyu did not know what came over him when he decided to stop her, blurting out a few curious words. "Lee Seulbi, are you avoiding me?"

Bingo. The girl had stopped her ascent and had visibly tensed. So far, she had not said anything to confirm or deny his declaration, but he took that as a yes, seeing she made no move to turn around or even look at him.

"You are avoiding me," Sunggyu declared, walking forward with his hands in his pockets. "I wonder why though. Are you angry about finding out we're blood-related?"

So far, his guesses were spot on. "Somewhat," Seulbi replied in all honesty. "But there's nothing I can do about it, can't I?"

"True, you can't avoid me forever. Let me guess, you're worried about sweetie-pie-cuppycake-gum drop?" He was now laughing at the absurdity that had poured out of his mouth. Sunggyu had been guessing that this was the current issue Seulbi had with him: an additional cousin meant a possible additional cult worshipper. Therefore, less interaction equals less attachment and less fawning over. Sunggyu guessed that it was by this logic that Seulbi referred to her elder cousins on a first-name basis.

"Woohyun's already attempted to coax me towards the dark side, but relax-- none of that overly-sick stuff. I'm not the type to do that. I don't even look like the type to do that."

Seulbi managed to crack a smile after that, picking up the sarcasm in his tone. "True," she commented, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry-- it must have been unfair to pile my apprehensions onto you, but I'll hold your word for that. Even if I'm not entirely sure if you're having your way with words again. Not the best way to make a good first impression, don't you think?"

"And you know that goes both ways. Thank God you didn't completely run me over, right? It would have been the biggest screw up of the millennium!"

That struck a nerve-- he would never let that down now, would he? "Irritant," she gritted. "I hope you slip on your way or something like that."

"You know, for someone who doesn't want other people calling her cousin a prick, you're pretty harsh yourself, cursing ill-wishes onto cousins."

"Good night, Kim Sunggyu!"

Sunggyu laughed as he watched her stalk off to the direction of her bedroom. The girl was surprisingly fun to tease-- a rather refreshing change from Woohyun whom he perpetually wanted to beat up just for breathing (and he was sure the feelings were reciprocated).  

<<<< >>>>

He had been here for almost two weeks now but the sheer size and interior of the bathroom still amazed him. Sunggyu, with just a towel wrapped around his waist, lazily dragged himself towards the tub, ready for a nice warm bath after such a long and busy day. He had taken to drawing himself a hot bath and soaking in the tub for hours just to mull things over and do his regular conscience-check every now and then.

These past turnout of events had been even crazier compared to when Seulbi had first hired him for the job. It was a big relief that Sungjong was staying over at the Nam's, even if the stay was transient. At least there was someone close to run to for the meantime whenever he needed his sanity checked. Dongwoo, Sunggyu realized as well, proved to be a very comforting presence, always ready to give him tips about the family's different quirks and habits to help him get used to things.

He managed to knock over the shampoo bottle as he already had one foot in the tub. The open bottle rolled away, spilling some of its contents onto the pristine black marble floor as it went along.

"Great," Sunggyu complained, getting out to chase after it. His wet foot had stepped on a puddle of shampoo goop, causing him to slip. Lee Seulbi must have been so happy had she caught that right now because her ill-wishes onto Sunggyu from earlier had just come true. Luckily, he managed to catch himself with the help of the bathroom counter before he completely keeled over.

"Not today, Lee Seulbi. Not today," he mused in victory, confidently making his way back to the shampoo bottle after he had steadied himself. Just when he thought the primary scare was over, he misstepped on the bathroom rug, causing him to slip again. And this time karma finally got to him.

Sunggyu fell backward with a loud yelp and a dull thud. Pain shot through his neck area thereafter and he groaned out after realizing that he couldn't really feel his fingers. The tub was still running and was already overflowing.

Worst comes to worse, he might have broken his neck due to whiplash.

"Help!" he managed to choke in high hopes that someone in this vast household would hear him. Another series of guttural, pained groans escaped his mouth. With much difficulty due to several numbing areas, he managed to at least flip himself over on his belly, his towel long gone in the process, knocking into the nearest bathroom cabinet and sending some of the plastic and glass bottles crashing onto the marble floor. "Somebody, help!" 

Seulbi, who had just come from checking in on her sleeping grandfather, was able to pick up those sounds coming from Sunggyu's room as she passed by. Curious, she rapped onto his door, entering when no one responded. "Hey. Is everything alright in here?" Sunggyu was nowhere to be seen but she could now hear muffled pleas for help and pained groaning.

The bathroom and walk-in closet door was closed but not locked. "Sunggyu?" Seulbi called out as she knocked on the door several times. He sounded like he was in serious pain. "Hey, Kim Sunggyu, this isn't the least bit funny-- are you alright?"

Meanwhile, Sunggyu felt a wave of relief washing over him as he heard his front door click open, thinking it was Shimgoon who had heard his cries. Oh, thank God! "Over here! Help!"

"Sunggyu? Hey, Kim Sunggyu, this isn't the least bit funny. Are you alright?"

Of all the wonderful people in this world, it had to be girl wonder who had to come to his rescue. And for Pete's sake, he was in real and extreme pain over here! This was no time to be joking around.

"I'm coming in to check!"

Sunggyu panicked. With him in this state?

“NO,NO,NO! LEE SEULBI, YOU CAN'T COME IN HERE! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE--”

Too late. Seulbi had wrenched open the door. Her eyes widened after seeing Sunggyu sprawled out on the bathroom floor, bottom-side up, as the day he was born.

“YOU ERT, GET THE OUT OF HERE!” Sunggyu practically screamed at her in his embarrassment to save himself from any more loss of his own dignity. The last lady to see him like this was Sister Mi-nyu, and that was a rather long time ago when he was still a child who couldn't bathe himself properly. Thoroughly embarrassed as well, Seulbi shut the door with an almighty slam, willing herself to pretend that she saw nothing, but she was doing a pretty bad job. Sunggyu was still screaming at her from inside while letting out sharp yelps of pain in between.

She couldn't leave him like that. Thinking quickly, she ran up the second landing and yanked off his bed’s comforter before running back to the bathroom (making sure to close her eyes this time). Sunggyu was screaming at her again at the new sudden intrusion, but she ignored it as switched the lights off and thew the whole thing over where she assumed Sunggyu to be.

Well at least that solved the noise problem. The comforter muffled a whole load of screaming.

She then scrambled her pockets for her phone, dialling the first person she could think of. The person on the other line had immediately picked up. “Woohyun?!?”

However, it was Sungyeol who had answered on other end. "Hey Bee! Woohyun can't attend to his phone right now. We're all over here, hanging out at the Nam's, why don't you bring hyung along and come over here?"

“That sounds really nice, Sungyeol, but I've got more pressing matters as of the moment!"

"What's wrong? We're coming over-- what's wrong?!?"

"I'll explain later. HELP!”

A/N: So I'm here to give you a little FYI on the grandfather-grandson (Y chromosome) DNA testing used. A lot of people might be confused as to why our resident tree had to go through the hassle of grabbing samples from elsewhere when he could have used his own (because he technically is a grandson).

Let's look at Jungyeop --> Jong-in --> Hoya & Sungyeol as compared to Jungyeop --> Soyeon --> Woohyun. Technically, this is a test of the Y chromosome being passed down from generation to generation among males along the same line of ancestry. That being said, the Y chromosome DNA test works better under the premise that there are higher chances of accuracy with grandsons tested against their paternal grandfathers. Hoya and Sungyeol would result to higher chances of compatibility as compared to Woohyun, whose father comes from a different lineage. Our Namu isn't a village pabo after all!

Sorry for the nerd moment. Hope this clears everything up! Til the next chapter, folks! (: