Chapter Six

---

“So…” Hyun Ah started.

She could feel Joon’s glare piercing into her.

“Did you do it on purpose to force me into something?” Joon asked.

“How could I ever have known that he was your brother? For starters, you’ve never introduced me to any of your friends or family members!” Hyun Ah retorted hotly.

She rubbed her temple with the end of her right palm, feeling her headache acting up.

“Fine,” Joon replied.

“So, what are you planning to tell your brother about us?” Hyun Ah questioned.

She was curious, and she wouldn’t deny it. While she really hadn’t known beforehand that Ki Kwang and Joon were actually brothers, she did actually want to use Ki Kwang to make Joon jealous. Not that she actually wanted Ki Kwang to know of her relationship with Joon, but now that it was somewhat exposed, she wondered if it was time Joon gave her some sort of status in his life.

“I’ll tell him the truth. He’s my brother, after all,” Joon said.

“But I thought you didn’t want anyone to know, even your family?”

“I was referring to my parents. I think Ki Kwang is capable of keeping a secret,” Joon shrugged.

“Do as you deem fit then,” Hyun Ah replied.

She was angry, but she had no right to be angry. She was the one who caused the situation, after all.

“What were you doing with Ki Kwang, anyway?”

“Nothing, just lunch,” Hyun Ah answered as she closed her eyes to block out the light.

“Don’t have ‘lunch’ with him again,” Joon said.

Hyun Ah sat up. “Is that an order?”

Joon glared at her, “You know what I mean.”

“Well, whatever I promised you had nothing to do with restricting the friends I have,” Hyun Ah replied defiantly.

“Just don’t ever see him again!” Joon shouted.

“I’m sick and I don’t feel like quarrelling about this with you today,” Hyun Ah stood up and retreated to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Joon grabbed his hair in exasperation. Grabbing his coat, he left the apartment, and remembered to slam the front door just as hard as Hyun Ah did with her room door.

---

Ki Kwang spent his whole trip travelling back to work wondering hard about what just happened previously. It seemed like he was really tied to Hyun Ah by a strange twist of fate, yet that was hardly anything good. He’d probably like it better if he wasn’t fated to meet with Hyun Ah at all.

Yet, a strange emotion bugged him.

It wasn’t that he was hung up on Hyun Ah, but weird as it may sound, all his life Ki Kwang has always had what he wanted. Not only material comforts due to his rich background, but also in terms of opportunities, company, girls… It seemed like he couldn’t remember a time when he wanted something yet couldn’t have it.

He didn’t even need to put in much effort to get what he needed, but that didn’t mean he didn’t work hard at all. He did work hard, but at the same time, whatever he wanted mostly ended up in his life without him even needing to lift a single finger.

He couldn’t get over the fact that he just lost Hyun Ah to his brother.

He never fought with his brother over anything, because their parents always made sure there was no bias or privilege for any of them, and also because whatever he wanted rarely coincided with what his brother wanted. Perhaps that was one reason why he was on good terms with his brother, other than the fact that he looked up to his brother like a role model.

Ki Kwang was confused, and he couldn’t untangle his stream of thoughts. He was sure he wasn’t sad, but at the same time there was a worrying tug on his heart whenever Hyun Ah’s face floated into his mind.

He tried to shrug it off, but he couldn’t.

He told himself that now Hyun Ah belonged to his brother, she could never be his, but it only seemed to make him feel worse.

Maybe all he needed was some advice.

“Doo Joon! Free for some drinks after work?”

---

“I was going to make you treat me, but looking from the crappy look you have on your face, maybe you’re the one who needs a treat,” Doo Joon started.

Ki Kwang gave a bitter smile while pouring the alcohol into his glass and took a sip.

“What happened?” Doo Joon asked.

“My brother’s dating Hyun Ah.”

“Hyun Ah? Not that…” Doo Joon trailed off, perhaps too shocked by that realization.

“That man,” Doo Joon gave a pat on Ki Kwang’s shoulder. “What a small world.”

“Yeah, I know. I would do something if it was some random guy, but it had to be my brother,” Ki Kwang curled up the right corner of his lips and gave a sigh.

“Maybe you should just move on, or maybe that just means Hyun Ah isn’t the right girl for you if you were thinking all about fate again,” Doo Joon advised.

Ki Kwang guessed that would be the best logical advice even before Doo Joon said it, but now that Doo Joon actually vocalized it to him, it made sense to follow that advice.

Doo Joon held up his glass, “Let’s drink all unhappiness away.”

“What unhappiness do you have?” Ki Kwang asked.

“Nothing, just some pesky woman who rejected my charming self,” Doo Joon muttered.

“Your blind date?”

“Yeah, what an insult. For women who actually needed to find partners on blind dates, I’m probably the best she could get but she actually turned down my advances!”

Ki Kwang smirked, “Did she look abominable or something?”

“Nah, if she were really that bad, do you think I’d even make a move on her?” Doo Joon joked.

“Blind dates aren’t your kind of thing anyway, just stop using blind dates to hook girls up,” Ki Kwang replied.

Doo Joon shrugged and held his glass up again, “Whatever. Women are trouble anyway.”

“Yeah,” Ki Kwang said, and downed his glass of alcohol.

---

“Let’s go,” Ki Kwang said as he dragged Doo Joon out of the bar.

“That darned woman!” Doo Joon muttered angrily under his breath.

Ki Kwang wondered wildly about what kind of woman Doo Joon’s blind date could possibly have been to make him so bothered by her and her actions.

“If I ever see her again, I will-”

“Mr Lee! What a coincidence!”

Ki Kwang turned and came face to face with Ji Hyun, still dressed in her office wear, with another lady who was eyeing Doo Joon with a weird expression.

“Yeah, what a coincidence. Out with your friend?” Ki Kwang asked, while nudging Doo Joon violently.

“Oh, Ji Hyun?” Doo Joon said, giving a drunken smile. “And who’s that?”

Ji Hyun smiled, and introduced her friend, “This is Ga Yoon, she’s my friend from high school.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ga Yoon extended her hand, which Ki Kwang shook politely.

“Ga Yoon?” Doo Joon repeated and took a good look at her.

“Do you know each other?” Ji Hyun asked curiously.

Ga Yoon scoffed, “That’s the guy I was telling you about.”

“Yeah, and you’re the one I was telling Ki Kwang here about,” Doo Joon retorted.

“Okay…” Ki Kwang glanced at Doo Joon and Ga Yoon and decided to stop matters before it got worse. “So I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Ji Hyun. Nice meeting you, Ga Yoon!”

“Wait,” Doo Joon said, but Ki Kwang scooted him away and flagged a cab for him already.

“Nice meeting you Ga Yoon!” Doo Joon repeated in a loud voice, waving his right arm wildly.

“Was that supposed to be sarcastic?” Ki Kwang whispered while pretending not to see Ga Yoon’s dirty looks at Doo Joon.

Doo Joon apparently hadn’t heard, but went head first into the cab and immediately slumped on the seat.

After giving Doo Joon’s home address to the taxi driver, Ki Kwang swung the door shut and heaved a sigh of relief. Nights when Doo Joon was drunk were never pleasant, and he was glad he finally ended the ordeal without stirring up any big trouble.

Then he remembered it was time to go home, and there was a worse ordeal waiting for him back at home.

---

“You’re back,” Joon appeared in the corridor just before Ki Kwang could make it into his room.

Ki Kwang merely nodded, inviting his brother into his room.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I realized.”

“So…” Joon sat on the end of Ki Kwang’s bed. “Well, I’ve no idea how to start the conversation.”

Ki Kwang loosened the tie around his neck and sat at the chair across his bed.

“Was… Hyun Ah the girl you were telling me about?”

Ki Kwang had a flash of thought that made him wonder if he should deny, but he decided to be honest with his brother.

“Yes.”

“Sorry,” Joon apologized.

“What are you sorry about?”

“You should give her up, Ki Kwang.”

Ki Kwang had a short pause of silence before letting out, “I know.”

“Please treat her well,” Ki Kwang continued.

Joon looked up and stared at Ki Kwang in a weird way. “I think you’re mistaken about something.”

“About?”

“Hyun Ah and I… we’re not attached.”

Ki Kwang raised his eye brow, “But she said you two were together!”

“We are together, but we’re not attached,” Joon explained.

Ki Kwang watched his brother curiously, observing Joon’s subtle struggle to spit out the next few words.

“Hyun Ah’s not my girlfriend. She’s my underground lover.”

---

Hi! Hope you guys understand now why the story’s called Her Clandestine Life, if you didn’t already guess it. ^_^

Also, unveiling of new character! Heh. I’m becoming such a DooYoon shipper these days~

C/Cs are appreciated!