“Choi Young Do!” Chairman Choi’s stern and angry voice cut through the wind swept gallery, rudely interrupting the awkward silence that was about to receive a moment’s reprieve. Cha Eun Sang almost jumped out of her skin and dropped her hand to her side and then almost immediately withdrew it further within the folds of the jacket that she was still enfolded in. Choi Young Do’s reaction was more unhurried but he could not ignore the raised voice. He knew that he was addressed not to beckon him but to censure him. He knew the drill by heart. The standoff of the evening was about to explode into an all-out war. His ears burned at the implied insult as anyone could perceive the disrespect that was clearly heard in the tone of his father’s voice. He did not want Cha Eun Sang to witness his impending humiliation. He was almost ready to go back to the dark days of his teenage years, for those, at least, afforded him some or rather, relatively some, privacy.

He had to try and remove either Cha Eun Sang or himself from the volatile situation. He looked at Cha Eun Sang, who stood at a very respectable distance away to one side. Her eyes were wide and full of trepidation. She was not large by any measure, but now she seemed even smaller, as if attempting to minimize her presence by withdrawing all her limbs within her body. It killed him to see her cower in front of his father. He mentally willed her to stand up straight and hold her ground. He wanted to put his arm around her and protect her from his father’s clearly scornful gaze that was sweeping over her. Suddenly, Choi Young Do forgot his own fears and the terrible dark memories those fears always invoked in him. He wanted to change the course of the history of his strife with his father. He was not going to let him terrorize Cha Eun Sang.

“Abeoji, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?” Choi Young Do was surprised himself that his stiff, even voice did not betray the edge of fear that s in the pit of his stomach.

Chairman Choi was an old hand at the game that he was playing-intimidation and decimation. He was perhaps just a touch surprised to see that Choi Young Do was holding up pretty well on the outside. He guessed that his bravado was due to the presence of the woman standing next to him, wearing his jacket. He recognized the cause of Choi Young Do’s show of machismo. Cha Eun Sang, Kim Tan’s widow. They all were batch mates in high school but now, Chairman Choi’s shrewd mind wondered if she was more than just that. Could it be that she was ‘that girl’?

Chairman Choi ignored Choi Young Do and gunned for his present weakness instead. “Cha Eun Sang, isn’t it? I hear you are the latest member of the Kim family to join the Jeguk Group. Is Chairman Kim still in the US? How is that… project…. coming along? Been quite a few months now, isn’t it?” Chairman Choi’s voice was clipped but low, his emphasis on the word ‘project’ was meant to fish……to see if he could rattle her and get at the truth behind Kim Won’s unusually long absence from the country, close on the heel of his secret ‘vacation’.

Cha Eun Sang did not miss the underlying disdain in Chairman Choi’s voice. She had half a mind to excuse herself hurriedly and leave. But as much as she wanted to flee the presence of that frightening man, she did not want to leave Choi Young Do behind. All the stories, half stories and vague allusions to that man that Kim Tan had recounted to her in bits and pieces, had her peg him as a less than a stellar father. Now his tone clearly seemed to foretell a serious confrontation on the cards with his son. She wasn’t sure that Choi Young Do was in his form to take on his father right then. She had to try and diffuse the tense situation.

“Hyuang….Chairman Kim…is still abroad. I do speak to him often and he assures me that everything is on track and the……venture capital firm……” she made it a point to look into Chairman Choi’s eyes as she enunciated those three words,”…….will be launched on the scheduled date. It is never quite easy to transfer large sums of money from one business entity to another, let alone across the continents, isn’t it? It is all about understanding the rules and regulations down to the greatest detail, so that once in business, we do not run into any road blocks.” She finished with a half-smile that she fought to keep from turning into a smirk.

Choi Young Do’s eyes never left his father’s face as he listened to Cha Eun Sang’s explanation, deliberately vague and yet with just the right touch of precise business terms to make it sound truthful. He wanted to reach out and give her a high five. But he settled for uttering an “Atta girl!” in his mind. His paralyzing fears forgotten, he was fighting to keep himself from beaming like a proud parent of a late bloomer. Suddenly, he found the strength to stand up a little more straight and hold his head a little higher.

Chairman Choi was equally impressed with the audacity of the low class girl, who had managed to bag a rich husband from one of the most prestigious elite families of nation. Of course, he surmised, she had to be rather driven, ambitious and wily to do that. In a twisted way, he appreciated such girls. They were so much fun to toy with before he ultimately brought them down to their knees, savoring his victory one slow torment at a time.

He scoffed and sneered, “Wow! Look at you. You are one cool customer. You are already speaking the language of money. That is some achievement since you don’t come from it.”

Cha Eun Sang’s eyes hardened but she managed not to show her shock or embarrassment at such a direct attack on her family background. Even after all these years it always cut her. But she knew it was futile to deny her impoverished upbringing. After all, her very public marriage was hailed as a fairy tale romance by the media, where a rich, good looking and kind hearted man had rescued a poor, sweet girl from a hard life.

“Kim Tan must have taught you well. Poor thing! He died so young. And you are still so young.” Chairman Choi’s eyes sparkled for a second and Choi Young Do’s jaws clenched and so did his fingers around the glass he was holding, which did not escape Cha Eun Sang’s peripheral vision.

Chairman Choi continued like a well-wisher, “You also have a son, right? In fact, you are doing the right thing by getting involved in the business. After all, you have to safeguard his future….as well as yours. I hope that you have the Power of Attorney over Kim Tan’s shares. Family by marriage can never be as reliable as blood relations. In fact, I say this as an elder, after all you are my son’s……school mate….which I assume was your first introduction to ‘our’ world……..that hold on to everything with a tight grip. And don’t risk losing what you have by chasing after” he waved his right hand in the air to gesticulate his next word, “Shall we say….unnecessary distractions?” He finished soft and casual but his eyes were fixed on Cha Eun Sang’s and they were anything but.

Cha Eun Sang’s confidence crumbled and her cheeks flamed. She knew without a doubt that he had seen her touching Choi Young Do and had concluded that she was trying to seduce his son. In one fell swoop he had slandered her character, her morals and her intentions, without raising his voice or using a single word of profanity. She wanted to turn and run blindly but presently she held onto her last shreds of self-respect and bent her head to hide her flushed face and tearful eyes. And perhaps somewhere she knew that he was not entirely wrong for she had indeed been physically more familiar with Choi Young Do than ever before. Though they were fully clothed and in a semipublic place, she had crossed a boundary that they both knew had existed before.

Chairman Choi smirked to see the chit of a girl crumble. She was no match for his skills and believing that he had swiftly put her in her place, he refocused his attention on his son, who had stood by mutely during the entire conversation. Choi Young Do’s eyes were fixed on the top of Cha Eun Sang’s lowered head and Chairman Choi could see that his eyes were contemptuous and angry. He applauded himself that he had managed not only break the girl but also turn his son against her. Any budding or resurfacing ardor on either’s part was history now.

“Choi Young Do, follow me.” Chairman Choi issued his command and turned towards the dining room, soon leaving just the two of them together.

Cha Eun Sang was still trying to pull herself together after the vicious attack, when she was hit by another.

“Why are you such a loser?” Choi Young Do almost hissed out as he took a threatening step towards her.

Cha Eun Sang was shocked beyond words. This was a direct assault and Choi Young Do’s face mirrored the hostility of his words. She could only mumble, “What?!!”

Choi Young Do was seething with rage as he witnessed Cha Eun Sang cave like a house of cards in front of his father’s crude insinuation. He hated that Cha Eun Sang, the one person, who had stood up to his scathing words and careless manhandling, in the process earning his admiration for her courage, had buckled at his father’s veiled insults. What was worse was that it happened in his presence, under his nose, on his watch! He felt impotent and less than a man for failing to protect her and it galled him to no end.

His eyes blazed with frustration and anger, “You know, you will always be the pitiful, poor little girl. No matter how long you live among us, you will never be one of us.”

Cha Eun Sang felt his words strike at the very core of her being. She was back in high school and Choi Young Do was her terrifying, relentless tormentor, reminding her that she was a non-entity. She felt the old, pent up rage work its way back up her spine. She balled her fists and her eyes flashed, not with tears but with vengeance.

“You, Choi Young Do, are the worst scum of the earth! The most evil person that ever existed.” Cha Eun Sang poured out the hatred, old and new, without any care. She was too far gone for any restraint.

Choi Young Do apparently was unfazed, in fact, he seemed to relish this ‘no-holds-barred’ side of feisty Cha Eun Sang. He lips formed a mocking smile and his voice had a dangerous teasing tone.

“Temper! Temper! Wow! So, little miss, where was this temper a few minutes ago? Cat got your tongue then?”

Cha Eun Sang felt like there was something in his cruel words that she was failing read. But for the present, she was going to give as good as she got. Offense was the best defense, right?

“No. It’s called respect for the elders. R