Saturday 8:00 p.m.

Young- do sat stiffly at the table in the large dining room of his house, waiting for the dinner to be served . His legs squirmed nervously under the table. He hated those Saturday- dinners. He hated being forced to spend that time waiting for his father started to enumerate all the reasons why he thought his son was an inept, an incompetent . For his father anything was enough, he criticized and looked sternly at everything he did ... simply Young-do  was tired about all this , and usually  ended up  leaving intact the food in front of him, suffering from nervous gastritis … while he kept his head bowed and prayed internally that he would stop at one point ...

That Saturday, his father, as usual sitting at the head table, seemed strangely quiet, and  Young-do  hoped with all his might  that silence could last for all that damn dinner ... lately all the attention from the older man seemed to have focused on his failure to hold on to the daughter of Park Ho Jin ...

... As if it was his fault ... he thought pursing his lips

He knew Shin hye from when they were little, he had always regarded her  as his little sister, he loved her ... but obviously not in a romantic sense ... when her father had come to tell him about  the engagement, to  Young do  was like a natural conclusion for both of them. Shin hye for him was the best choice, the best woman that could happen to him ... always sympathetic, kind, spontaneous, always ready to give him a pat on the back during his blacks moments, to make him laugh when he thought he couldn’t.

He was amazed that she had accepted ... knowing her well ... too idealist and dreamer to quietly  submit to  that imposition ... too stubborn. But apparently her devotion to her father had got the better over her spirit ... until she had returned from that stupid  holiday ... he thought bitterly.

She had first come by him, to inform him that she no longer wished to continue that charade  ... firm and resolute ... as always. And with the same resolution she had told the same things to the elderly, cutting cleanly through any protest or questions that they wanted to ask her ... he  envied her  a lot for that ... he was not capable to do so.

His father obviously had not dared to say anything to the daughter of Park Ho Jin ... It would have been a sacrilege ... then he turned all his frustration on him.

The ajumma served him food, and he thanked her with barely audible voice, to avoid attracting the attention of his father on him ... in fact he  seemed strangely quiet, and Young-do  hoped to get out of that house as soon as possible and go to take few drinks  with his friends ... even the thought of spending the whole night throwing up in the basket of champagne was better to that agony ... being always on the defensive, expecting the worst ...

"How was the charity dinner yesterday, Young do?" Choi Dong- Wook asked casually 

Young do clenched his jaw, closing his eyes briefly, "mmhh  ...  it was fine" he tried to say, mimicking the neutral tone of his father.

"Fine? … It means that you finally managed to convince the daughter of  Park Ho jin to reconsider her engagement with you? … It’s not that I could hope so ... who could blame her ?! "he added sharply.

He froze. His eyes remained glued  on his plate ... he heard his mother across the table  released a low sigh of exasperation ... not strong enough to be heard by her husband ...

He and his mother were the favorite targets on which his father loved to shoot his venomous rancour ... his mother in particular, was the most miserable woman in the world in Youn-do’ eyes ... if he had the chance, he would take her away from that monster ... but he was also an ambitious guy, and  wanted to get to achieve his  goals... to get so high in that mountains of power, where he can easily throw down his own  father ...

He started to play mindlessly  with the food on his plate, resigned to put up with his insults ...

... And here  he began…

"Abeoji ... Shin hye is a tough girl ... once she made up with a thing, she hardly take it back  ..." he said as if he were reciting some kind of memorized chant.

His father laughed shortly, with every intention to make him realize how ridiculous he was "It’s  what you say to yourself?" he Snorted indignantly "... The way I see it  … the problem is that you are even unable to hold on a woman! "he retorted in a low and icy voice 

"I can’t  believe you got to be maneuver like a puppet by the whims of that little girl!"

"Abeoji ... I beg you ..." he tried to stop him with distressed and tired voice, resting limply his back on the chair.

"You beg me?! "His father laughed cruelly," You're still a weak and inept kid! "

It was at that moment, almost near the end of his strength, that he heard his phone ringing ... he took it almost frantically, attached to the hope of being able to put an end as soon as possible to that dinner.

He saw an unfamiliar number on the screen ... it was the same one who had tried to contact him that morning, but he usually did not answered  to calls from anonymous numbers, so he had refused it... but that night, in that moment ... that number seemed like a little miracle.
He rose quickly from his seat by shifting decisively his chair.

"Sorry I have to answer ... it's an important call!" He said as he bowed respectfully and proceeded almost running towards the door ... regardless of the loud protests from his father.

He Just came out and took the call.

"Yeoboseyo?"

"Oh ….  Finally, honey!"

it was a not familiar female voice .

Young-do frowned confused, trying to put a face to that voice ... but nothing

"Who ... who are you?"he  Said uncertain

He heard the woman emit a low and mischievous  chuckle "You ask the wrong question, sweetie! ... The problem is not who I am ... but what I'm about to tell you ! … "

"Listen, I'm not in the mood to deal with this game so ... I'm going to hang up," he said resolute

"What a rush! Ok then … I'll Make it short ... so ... last night I saw your pretty little girlfriend dressed like Little Red Riding Hood, while she was about to  enter  to the wolf’s lair! "She replied pointing out those words with a erse pleasure.

Young do was even more confused ... what the hell was saying that woman? ...

"Who ... what? ... "He continued almost lost for words.

"I'm talking about Lee Min ho ... there are not many wolves in this area!"
 
His jaw nearly fell to the ground for those words ... his mind began to swirl between one thought and another ... it was impossible! That woman was lying ... it was not possible! She was by Min ah ... well at least that was what she had said to him, before saying goodbye the night before ... he thought frantically ... but at the same time he was hit by a set of images ... fragments of memory that began to unfold in front of his eyes like a slimy and scary snake  ... the night of the engagement he was there, he had caught a glimpse of him... the strange behavior of her, that sort of escape with the sister of the bastard in question ... and most recently the night before ...  even the stones knew  well that that man didn't  attend those parties  ... everything had seemed strange to him ... now that snake embodied all the suspect that slowly seemed to crush him between his scales ..

"Are you still there?" Asked quite smugly the unknown woman.
"... It makes no sense what you say!" he seemed to say more to convince himself than her.
"As you wish! ... The next move is up to you, sweetie ... you can choose to believe me or not ... in all cases I will send you a text with the address of that man ... your will! " She abruptly hang up the call, leaving him without words ... that mellifluous  voice of her had send to him cold shivers throughout his spine.


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

Young do pressed even more on the accelerator, anger and worry alternated  on his face which was  almost always impassive.

What  was in that mind of her?
What the hell she was doing?

He continued to repeat to himself those questions, trying to find some sort of answer for the irresponsible behavior that did not fit completely to the girl he knew from childhood.

He had called Min ah, had brutally threatened her, screaming at her on the phone until  she had started to tell him the truth ... he knew that Min ah was not the epitome of the perfect and unselfish friend, but knowing that Shin hye had been able to threaten her, to lie to him and her own father ... for that man ... let him speechless and with a growing disappointment in his heart.

… He had to put in that  hard head of hers  a bit of sanity! ... he told himself, as he gave a sharp blow on the  steering wheel.

He was heading directly to that bastard’ apartment, after that unknown woman, which he was determined to care about  only after fixing that mess, had sent him a message.

He parked nearby the building, and went out like a hurricane, avoiding fiercely the doorman,  who was   trying to run after him and stop him  when he was already inside the elevator.

It still smoldered within him the hope that it was all a bad joke ... that the sweet and attentive girl, widely considered to be a model to follow ... which had never doing errors , never dirtied her hands, which always kept her back straight and always smile in front of everyone, which was perfect without forcing anything about herself, was thousand miles  away from that place ... from those hands.

He get out almost running . He walked to the right door  and began to ring the doorbell and knocking up, almost breaking  that damn door ... until when he finally saw appearing that hateful bastard with a wry grin on his face.

"What we have here? A lost sheep! ... You're too high to speak to me, but you can throw down my door, little prince? ... "

Young do clenched his fists, trying to curb the craving that he felt to punch him ... to wipe that hateful  grin from that face.

"Where is she?" he said through clenched teeth, trying to control his painting due to that mad rush.

"She? ... Who is “she”? ... "He asked in a falsely amazed voice " Ohh ... you mean my Shin hye-nie? "Min ho emphasized those words with immense pleasure," She's resting on my bed! "He added, expanding the satisfied grin on his face. "... And I would ask you to lower your voice ... I would not want to wake her up while  her fake ex- boyfriend is  doing  the stalker!"

Young do lost completely  his temper, feeling a huge disappointment invaded  his chest ... every single damn word had hit the mark, wounding more than he thought .

He lashed out at him, trying to punch him straight on his face ... but Min ho was faster  .. with a quick move, he took his arm and twisted it behind his back, dragging him in the small hall of his house, and slamming him  hard against the wall  … he putting himself behind, blocking him by pressing his body against it, literally smashing him, while he continued to strongly wring his arm, causing him excruciating pain.

"... Do you want to play the boss, little prince?" he angrily hissed into his ear, while with the other hand held him by his hair, squeezing  even more his cheek against that wall "... ok ... I'll teach you how to play ... you do not knock on my door, you do not yell right on my face ... and mostly , you did not dare to ask me anything about my woman! "he continued with fury, while he highlighted  those words twisting more and more Young do’ arm and making him groan painfully  and squeezing  his eyes even more.

"... You got it baby boy ?!  … My woman " he let out a short  and cruel laugh " Do not ever think you have any stupid  right over her!  … Arasso ?! "He added dry

Young do was overwhelmed by lancinating pangs in his arm, which looked like it was about to fall off at any moment, he tried to contain his moans of pain, breathing heavily as he was pressed hard .
"You'll be happy then ..." he said with difficulty between the short sighs due to the continuous crippling pain. " … As you are turned her ... ugh ... in your !" he ended almost at the end of his might.

Min ho just wanted only to take away that arrogant smirk from him... but at that point, all those intentions were replaced with red , blinding fury that overwhelmed him as soon as he heard that word in regards to that innocent girl who was sleeping peacefully in his bed.

He tightening his grip on his hair bringing it back, with every intention of smashing it on that wall ... how dare that son of a ?! ...

“STOP IT! LEAVE HIM! "

He stopped hearing  her worried and trembling  voice behind him, but he could not yet  let him go, still fighting  that obscure impulse .

"Oppa ... please ..."

He sighed through clenched teeth and abruptly let him go, trying to get away and covered the ferocious instinct  that  was asking him to give a lesson to that boy.

Young do turned resolutely towards Shin hye, masking a grimace of pain, and stretched out his arm to her as to want to grab and drag her away from there.

"Don’t you dare to put an hand on her, or I swear I'll make sure that your eyebrows got  stuck on that damn wall!"  he threatened by pointing his finger at him, trying to hold his anger.

Shin hye waved his hand away as she continued to look at him with sad expression and bright eyes.

She was wearing his shirt, which covered only up to her mid-thigh, and Min ho  felt a pang of possessive jealousy,  which resulted in yet another resentful glare towards Young-do ... probably at that point he would  have started to snarl like a dog ... he thought bitterly.

Young do stared at his childhood friend, and for the first time in his life he  did not seem to recognize her ... all  her body and her own blush was talking for her ... her wet  and wounded eyes, her  trembling lips and her arms folded on her chest, as to want to protect from  him ...  from the old friend he was, her unrelated brother  ... that awareness left him disoriented, suffering from an unfamiliar distressing pain, felt  knowing that she already belongs to another man ... something close to disappointment, broken hopes .

"Shin-hye ya ... what's gotten into you?" he began with a weak tone ...  wanted her to understand that he was the only man she had to trust, on which shoulder she could rest her head and find comfort ... "In what mess you're going to put yourself  ara? ... " his eyes reddened  while he was  trying to hold her gaze ... he didn’t want to deceive