Min Ho was sipping his coffee sitting comfortably in a  big dark  armchair in his, since two days ago, temporary room.

His sister had given him the red room, with a huge baldaquin bed on the center and a glass door that opened onto a terrace with a sea view.
 

Until two days before, she would have gladly kicked him out, and, after few minutes, she had placed him in the most luxurious room of her villa ... Min Ho laughed tenderly ...she was just totally unable to be mean ...
 

He rose from his seat to go out on the terrace and enjoy the coolness of the morning ... it was his birthday, and his sister had decided to organize a small party that night, inviting some people she knew.

To his sister every opportunity was good for parties, and saw how lovely she was, he did not find  hard to imagine her making friends everywhere.

He had high expectations for that night, like a child waiting to open his gift, and it were centuries that he did not spent the day of his birthday with that spirit

... as long as there were no unpleasant incidents ...
 

In fact, In those two days, with his total disappointment, he had rare occasion to spend with Shin Hye. They were barely able to speak, with great frustration for both of them ... and all because of her hateful friend, who had introduced herself as Jung Min ah.
 

 Although he had severely scolded her for the early incident at the beach, she had developed a morbid obsession against him, which led her to come out of nowhere when he tried to get close to Shin Hye, trying to monopolize his attention with silly chat and languid eyes.

Min ho had already  categorized her as a rare species of parasite. A tick attached to his neck
 

 Being a man with bad temper  and very little patience, he had tried very hard to not yell at her or burning her with  few words. He had rather preferred to disappear as soon as she got distracted ... because he did not want to scare his little angel with those unpleasant sides of his character ...
 

But the level of stalking of Min ah had reached high  levels: he had often found her walking out of his room, inventing silly excuses about her bad sense of direction, and then assault him with some invitation to go to the sea, to make breakfast together and so on, while her necklines became more and more deep during the day.... for him it was PATHETIC.
 

His goal was to have Shin Hye, so,  if the tick  tried again to stop him, he was going to make her go back to Seoul by swimming!
 

He knew he should feel guilty towards his sister, he  had told her a lot of crap, and was about to build up a plan that had nothing honorable towards her friend  ... never mind the promises he made ...
 

But his sister would have to learn to accept him as he was, not to waste time making excuses for his every action, not to feel compassion for him, and especially not to hope for a change ... when a jar breaks, it is useless recover its pieces ...
The  soft-hearted  Min Jung, always tried to show her affection towards him ... it was showed by this sort of party that she had put on ... he knew that her only intent was to erase the memory of  the last birthday celebrated together ...  which was  also the last that Min Ho celebrated ...
 

His 22 years ...
 

Those ... in which was surrounded by faces that at that time were friends, ready to cheer and kiss the feet to the the future CEO of Athena’ empire ...
 

Those ... in which he had taken the most catastrophic  decision of all ...
 

Those ... in which he had seen for the last time his father still alive ...

*******************
 

flashback
 

" I WILL NEVER GIVE MY PERMISSION TO SUCH A STUPID !!!" Lee Song Jae shouted loudly slamming his hands on the desk of his study, his face was contorted with rage.
 

Min Ho looked at him impatiently, not intimidated at all.  He clenched his jaw and tried to not get anger.

"I don' t think that studying in Paris is a stupid thing ..." he said with a forced calm voice.
 

"It is, when you decide to be fooled by a !!!" his father continued with fierceness
 

MH looked at him with equal fierceness, clenching his fists until his knuckles got pale.
"Be careful on what you say. ..." Min ho warned.

 
"Don’t you dare to threaten me, KID !!!!" "Remember who I am, and who you are!" his father replied with contempt
"That woman  poisoned your brain ?? !! She is a greedy looking for a stupid chickens to pluck !!! But I swear ... I would rather die now, than see her act as a lady while she's enjoyng MY MONEY !!!!! "
 

MH tried to restrain himself, he wanted to try to reason with his father ...
 

"I love her." He said briefly  "... If You knew her better ..."
"If I knew her, I would see just how much you have been an idiot to be fooled by such a woman !! … Do you know what everyone say about her?  … THAT SHE HAD KILLED HER LAST HUSBAND!!! This is your lovely woman! " his father ended full of sarcasm.

"I KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT HER !!" Min ho raised his voice, then looked at his father with a challenging stare "And you believe all the nonsense said by some prudish old woman ?!" he added, almost hissing.
 

Lee Song Jae  tried to take deep breaths and calm down, "You're not going to live with that woman. Period. End of the story !! "
 

MH got up from the chair on which he had been sitting, he walked around the desk and stood in front of his father  - ... Do you really think that I let you control me like a puppet ?! Do you really think that if you force me to stay in this damn TOMB, I will be there to bow down to 90 degrees while saying "Kamsahamnida Abeoji !!" ?? No !!! ..It does not work like that, not with me ... I will make your life like as a pitiful hell !!! -
 

His father looked at him almost horrified and outraged
-YOU!!! ... -
 

Slap !!
 

The slap was so strong that Min ho thought that it had broke his jaw.

He felt his blood rushed in his veins ...  if there was anything in the world that he hated above all, that was the abuse ... his father wanted to control him, manage every moment of his life, as if he owned it ...
 

but he was not made to take command and receive orders ... he had inherited his own temper from his father as well.
He pursed his lips strongly emitting short and deep sighs
 

The anger had blinded his minds, he let out a howl of rage and began to pounce on any object in front of him knocking them to the ground ... he seemed seized with a red and blinding fury that drove him to break and destroy all the things around him.

He stopped in astonishment ... .He had to leave and regain his composure ...
 

He walked toward the door with his back to his father, who seemed to look at him as if seeing him for the first time.
 

When he put his hands on the handle was hit by his low and serious voice.
 

- .. Min ho if you go out  I swear to God that I will forget to have a son! -
 

Min ho clenched his hands on the handle, feeling his heart drop under his feet ... no ... he would not let anyone choose for him ... he had made ​​his choice, following his heart ... if his father was not good with it, he would have lost a son.
- ... I've already forgotten to have a father ...  - he said continuing to give him his back, then opened the door and walked out, slamming hard enough to shake the walls.

***************
 

The coffee had become cold in his hands ... he felt again his senses invaded by a darkness that seemed always lurking on to devour him.

 ... if only he had not left  ...

Min Jung  told him that after that night his father had started to suffer from heart ... until the day when, three years ago, his life was cut short by a heart attack.
 

He closed his eyes, leaning his head back.
 

He wanted to chase away the suffocating fog that was invading his mind, desperately seeking a light source capable of driving off that road with no way out.

Shin Hye ... ...

The memory of her smile ... brought him back to the living land ...

 

****************

 

That evening the garden was invaded by more people than he expected ... and this was not necessarily a disadvantage, if it meant continuing to keep busy Min Jung.

Unfortunately he was the guest of honor, so he was constantly invited by strangers to toast with glasses overflowing with Imiglykos, the sweet wine of the place.
 

His  sister had fixed a buffè full of typical foods of Zante , settled under the big portico made by stone  in the garden, and cooked by her talented cook Anna.
 

In the centre of the huge garden was located a band that enlivened with traditional  Greek-music  via a guitar and mandolin. Many people were displacing near the pool to dance on those cheerful and moving notes.
 

MH walked straight through the crowd making his way with decision, he turned his gaze around until he saw her ...
She was standing not so far from him, with her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, a light dress  which left bare her shoulders and wrapped around her body, emphasizing every curve. It was a dress that would re