Narrator

Sekyung exhaled heavily as she exited the elevator. Her eyes scanned the vast lobby before proceeding to the exit doors. She slipped inside her car and sat there in silence, eyes closed and unmoving.

A small tear escaped her eyes as she started the engine.

Shim Hanbyul

That was her name before she became the Jeon Sekyung she was now. That was her name before the Jeons took her in as a little girl and placed food on her plate.

She had vague memories of her past. All she could remember were the nights she spent at the orphanage, leaning her head on the window and wondering when she would have a family. As a child, she was strong in belief. She believed she’d find her true parents someday. She believed they had some reason why they left her in the first place.

The nuns told her she was picked up at their doorstep, in a basket with no note or anything. All she had were her protective layers of blankets to keep her warm, and her name neatly woven onto one of them.

Some kids would maybe hate their parents for leaving them at some doorstep, but she knew there was a reason. There had to be. So, she vowed to find them.

And she finally did.

She was Shim Taekyung’s daughter. He was quite a business tycoon himself.

She smiled a little at the thought. Now I know where I got my skills from.

Three days ago, she received all details about him from the private investigator she had hired. For years she had been almost hopeless; it was her first lead.

It should’ve brought a smile to her face. It should’ve made her jump for joy.

But no. Kim Taekyung, as she found out, is dead.

Jungkook handed his keys to the valet as he opened the door to the passenger seat to let Sera out. She gave the valet a curt nod before they entered the hotel lobby together.

“Have you met her before? She’s… Sekyung eonni’s best friend?” She asked as they stepped in the elevator. He nodded, in his breath. “They have a quite complicated history though. But I really admire their friendship.”

“What history?” Her brows furrowed.

He extended her his elbow and she took it without hesitation as they waked the long hallway.

“Sekyung noona used to date hyung. Everybody thought they’d get married, but they broke up. Noona got caught up in the business and hyung squandered his money on his… vices.”

They reached the entrance of their private dining room. He opened the door and led her to her seat. They were the first ones to arrive, so he went on with his story.

“Anyway,” he continued after pulling out a chair for her. “We never really stopped hyung from his… lavish activities. He knew he had a limit. But we got surprised when he suddenly took interest in helping out in the company. That was a few months ago.”

She nodded in understanding. “And?”

“Turns out he was already engaged to Haena noona. That took me by surprise cause you know, she and Sekyung noona are like sisters already. It must be awkward. I’ve been observing Sekyung noona, and it seems like she’s not really bothered.”

Sera was about to reply when the doors opened and Junghyun strolled inside, followed by a lady who Sera assumed as Haena.

“Hello, little brother and little sister.” Junghyun whistled as he wiggled his brows at Jungkook, who sighed and rolled his eyes. “And oh, Sera, this is Haena, my fiancé. Haena, meet the great Park Sera.”

Sera chuckled modestly and offered a polite smile. “Hi, I’m Park Sera. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“I’ve heard so much about you from Hyun here. Please, don’t be too formal with me. We’re going to be sisters soon.” Haena smiled warmly as she gave her a little knowing wink. Sera couldn’t help but smile back. She wasn’t really a good judge of character, but she felt that Haena was as kind as she was pretty.

She noticed how she looked at Junghyun with sincere affection, smiling a little as he made his silly jokes when everybody else just wanted to strangle him. She was also well-mannered, and clearly brought up with exceptional breeding.

“So, do you plan to continue the family business, or are you eyeing some profession?” Haena turned to her as Jungkook and Junghyun got engaged in a conversation about cars. Sera wiped her lip and thought for a while. “Actually, I’ve been thinking of getting a doctorate degree or maybe pursuing law. But I don’t think I can do it while I am working for the company.”

Haena chukled. “Oh I know you could. I did it myself. My parents wanted me to help, you know, learn the ropes and everything. My father used to nag at me all day for being useless.”

“Oh,” Sera groaned in agreement. “My father was like that when I was just a child. He told me that if I could not help them, I’d better pack my bags and find another family.”

“Korean parents can be tough, but they do love us, right?”

Sera nodded in approval. “So, how did you do it, eonni?”

Junghyun cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Sekyung couldn’t make it. She got caught up in a meeting. She apologizes.”

Haena pouted a little. “Kyungie is always busy with work nowadays.”

Sera and Jungkook glanced at each other, before resuming their respective conversations.

“Oh right.” Haena said after sipping from her water glass. “I wanted to help out in the company, but I also wanted to pursue my professional dream. So I did both. I asked my dad if he could assign me to the legal department. There I spent my days analyzing cases, so it helped out in my studying. At night I attended law school. It worked out well.”

Sera looked at the woman across her in admiration. She always thought each and every person on the world had potential within them, but she had never met someone who used it to the last bit to fulfill their aspirations. She longed to be that person, and meeting someone who already succeeded in doing so inspired her.

“Daebak.” She mouthed. “You’re just… daebak, eonni.”

“You could do it too.” Haena briefly squeezed her hand. “You’re the known Park dragon lady. You’ve achieved a lot for your age, what could possibly hinder you from achieving more, right?”

Sera couldn’t help but smile in embarrassment. Jungkook, who happened to hear those words, smiled proudly. He placed his hand on her shoulder and grinned. “Of course, anyone would be lucky to have her.”

“That would be you.” Junghyun teased, to which his younger brother responded with a warning glare. Junghyun snorted at him and turned to Sera. “So sis, my brother treating you right?”

Sera pressed her lips together and looked at Jungkook. He frowned and poked her cheek.

“Hey!” He protested. “Are you seriously thinking that I haven’t been treating you right?!”

Sera chuckled and shook her head. “Aside from his being annoying sometimes, he’s okay.”

Junghyun cracked his knuckles. “Of course. If he treats you badly he’ll get it from me.”

“Hyung!”

Sera and Haena looked at each other, shaking their heads.

Namjoon pinched the bridge of his nose. It was past office hours, but he was still in the company finishing some due papers when his personal security head called.

Lately a lot had been happening. Just earlier he found out from Sehun that the press releases about Sera— the party pictures from her US days and her pictures with Kai— were all just part of more. A whole folder of rumors and misleading issues all about Sera were set to be released within the next months. Not only would it damage the business, but his cousin as well. Now he received a report about a security breach on their system, where all of Sera’s company files were accessed by some unknown group of hackers.

All these just to target his cousin and he really couldn’t find a reason why. But he couldn’t say anything, especially to her. It was out of the question; she need not know.

“Who the hell would do that?” He muttered as he looked up and grabbed the report file. The man standing in front of him shook his head. “We’ve been trying to track them but it seems that they’ve hidden themselves well with multiple accounts. Professional hackers, I suppose.”

He sighed, placing the paper back on the coffee table. “And how could our system be breached this easily?”

“We apologize, Young master. We’ll triple the security on our system as soon as possible.”

“You should.” He mumbled and stood up. “You can go.”

He was left alone, sitting in his revolving chair and staring at the city lights ahead.

Who in the world would hack their system and retrieve Sera’s files?

Sehun stepped inside the big office alone. Three men were already seated, but they stood up and bowed out of respect as the Samsung heir gave them a curt nod.

“Young Master. We thank you so much for—“

“I don’t beat around the bush, Mr. Kim. I respect your company, but I don’t like what I found out.” He started immediatey, pulling his chair out and taking his place at the front.

The men looked at each other, confused. “We don’t—“

They stopped talking when Sehun raised his palm, closing his eyes briefly. He motioned for them to open the folder in front of them. They did, and their faces turned white as snow.

“I know an anonymous source has been sending these… information to you. The Ohs and the Parks have been great friends over the years. I simply don’t tolerate rubbish spreading around about them, especially the Park heiress.”

“Young Master, we do what is best for our company. People crave for news.”

Sehun stared at the man before replying monotonously. “I believe you’ve scheduled the releases of these baseless rumors. You’ve already released the first two.”

The men remained silent.

“I guess I have no choice but to pull out Samsung’s support for your company.” He concluded as he pushed his chair back and gave them a curt nod. They all stood up in response, eyes wide. “B-but, Young Master!”

Sehu stopped by the door and tilted his head a little.

“You can’t do this…”

The faintest sign of a smirk played on Sehun’s lips. “Want to bet on it? With your jobs, maybe?”

They all bowed in resignation. “We’ll cancel the releases for these issues, Young Master.”

Sehun nodded and left the room, clenching his jaw. It was the first time he had to use his position and identity, but things had to be done.

Jungkook pulled over in front of the Park mansion. He and Sera had been laughing all the way home, talking about anything and finding reasons to laugh, even at the silliest things.

He finally caught his breath and turned to face her. She was still grinning, her head leaning on the seat comfortably. “I’m craving for some Belgian waffles. Maybe I could ask Jang to get us some. Would you like that?”

He shook his head and chuckled. “We just ate. What is wrong with you?”

She shrugged. “I want something, I get it.”

“As expected from the Park Sera, right?” He teased, and she rolled her eyes. She opened the door and urged him to go out. They walked inside the house wordlessly, smiles on their faces.

“So Jeon, when are we going back to school?” She asked as they entered the living room.

He rolled his eyes. “Do we need to—“

“Oh, J-Jongin.”

Jungkook turned around to see Kai standing by the windows, his hands in his pockets. He was looking at Sera worriedly, not even sparing a glance at Jungkook.

“I’ve been trying to reach you since since the other day! What happened?” He asked, squeezing her shoulders in worry. She managed a smile and his arm. “I’m fine. Jeon and I had to work on some… things. Right, Jeon?”

“Yup.” He replied, popping the p. Jongin acknowledged him with a nod and turned back to Sera. She raised one questioning brow and he sighed, tapping his foot uncomfortably.

“I…” He started, and Jungkook began to tense. “I want to talk to you.”

“Okay… What is it about, Jongin?” She replied, taking her shoes off and proceeding to the couch. Jongin glanced at Jungkook and smiled apologetically.

“If it’s okay, I’d like to talk to you alone.”

Sera’s lips parted in understanding. Her eyes met with Jungkook’s, who smiled and walked to the door. “I have some things to work on too. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Sera gave him a thumbs up. “See you, Jeon!”

Jungkook walked out of the mansion and slipped on to the driver seat of his car. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, biting his lip. He feared the worst would come.

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hai