“But what if everyone died? What would you do then?” Jinyoung thought about the situation and smoothly replied, “But how could everyone die all at once? If everyone died, should I be dead, too?”

“Dang it! You’re right! Fine, let’s say everyone expect you ate something that wasn’t supposed to be eaten. They all die and you live. What would you do to survive then?” Iseul explained further.

This had been going on for a month. They spent as much time together as they could, talking about themselves. They were getting to know each other and were growing closer mentally and emotionally with each passing day.

Jinyoung chuckled as he put the alarm system back together. “I’ll probably die. I’m not that good with things dealing with nature.” He entered the alarm code and watched the word “ALARM” flash across the little screen.

Iseul followed Jinyoung out of the living room up to her bedroom. She asked him another arbitrary question, this time about what he would do if he thought the chicken became before the egg.

“What are you doing?” Iseul and Jinyoung looked towards the staircase and saw her father staring at them questioningly. “Iseul, come down to the living room, we have to talk.” Iseul rolled her eyes with one eyebrow hitched up, “Why? I’m talking to Jinyoung. We can talk later.”

But her father sternly ordered to go to the living room. She looked at Jinyoung with a disheartened expression. She whispered that she would be back soon. Jinyoung bowed to her father and watched as Iseul left. He went back to flipping her light switch to see if the bulbs of her ceiling light were really out.

Iseul, on the other hand, grumpily followed her father to the living room and saw a familiar but unpleasant face. “What’s he doing here? Didn’t I tell you to get off my property last time?” Her father gave Iseul a stern look, “That is no way to talk to your future husband.”

She almost gagged, but she refrained from doing so. “Just because you keep saying that, doesn’t mean I’m going to marry him. We’re not even engaged. And don’t forget our little agreement about arranged marriages and relationships. The moment you decide who my husband is, I leave this house and start with you and the press.”

Her father sighed knowing how tenacious his daughter was. “Sit down, we have something to discuss.”

Iseul sat down and glared at Dean, wondering what he was up to. She looked at her father who didn’t seemed too pleased.

“Who was the shirtless young man you were with last month?” Iseul was still with disbelief. She knew Dean was petty, but she didn’t think Dean would have the gall to mess with Jinyoung, especially when she had warned him not to.

“Dean told me that there was a shirtless young man that seemed to be very close to you. I know who all of your friends are, and so does Dean. And yet, you were with someone we don’t know. Who is he? Do you know how inappropriate it is to be with a shirtless stranger? What if there were other people around?” Mr. Song practically had steam slowly coming out of his ears.

“That’s why I told you, Mr. Song. I was worried that something was going to happen to Iseul.” Dean pretended to be concerned for her well-being and safety, and it made Iseul want to punch him in the throat.

Iseul could see her father waiting for an answer, but she wasn’t sure if she should tell him the truth. She didn’t want Jinyoung to get fired or anything. But then again, if Dean saw Jinyoung working at her house, he probably wouldn’t leave them alone.

“It was Jinyoung. He was working on your car that night. It was hot and humid so he took his shirt off. He only came out to protect me. Dean came over and was bothering me. Jinyoung and I thought Dean was going to hit me, so he came out to make sure I was okay. He wouldn’t have been near me if Dean had left when I asked him to. Jinyoung isn’t at fault.” Iseul glared at Dean before looking her father in the eyes, “If you’re going to get mad at someone, get mad at Dean. He never leaves me alone. It shouldn’t matter how long we’ve known him and his family, he doesn’t know how to treat a girl right. He’s aggressive and rude. He-”

“I don’t want you hanging around that boy anymore.” Iseul was cut off by her father, “Jinyoung is my employee. He works for our family. I will not have my daughter hanging out with some low-class boy who doesn’t know how to wear a shirt around the house.”

Iseul’s heart felt heavy all of a sudden. She couldn’t believe it. Her father had completely ignored what she had said about Dean. There were tears threatening to spill out of her eyes at this point. “Dad, didn’t you hear me? Dean was bothering me. Jinyoung-”

“Do not say his name!”

“What’s going on?” Iseul turned her head and saw her brother standing there. He looked at his little sister with concern.

“Jiho did you know Iseul has been befriending the handyman?” Jiho furrowed his eyebrows as he approached Iseul. He pulled her up and held her in his arms protectively, “I’ve known since he came to our house a month ago.” At the reply, Mr. Song became furious.

“Father, Iseul is allowed to be friends with anyone, including Jinyoung. You can’t control who she likes and dislikes. And for your information, the one you should be wary of is Dean.” Iseul silently cried into her brother’s shirt as he defended her.

“Iseul is her own person. As a father, you should love and support her no matter what. If Jinyoung was felonious, then I would understand why you don’t Iseul around him. But Jinyoung is a nice young man. Let them be, father.” Jiho rubbed Iseul’s back comfortingly.

Her father gritted his teeth. He looked at Jiho and then at Iseul as he stood up from his seat. “You better not be dating him,” he whispered. Iseul flinched and gripped onto Jiho’s lab coat tighter.

When Mr. Song was no longer in the room, Jiho looked over to Dean who seemed to be trying to appear assertive.

“Excuse me.” Jiho looked over his shoulder and saw Jinyoung watching the three of them, “Am I interrupting?”

“No, you’re not. I think we need to talk, Jinyoung. Do you have time right now?” Jinyoung nodded. Jiho let go of his crying sister, and that was when Jinyoung saw she was crying. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but Jiho walked up to him and told him to follow him up to his room.

But Jiho stopped in his tracks and looked back at Iseul who was wiping her tears away. “Iseul, I want you to right there. Sit down and wait for me, okay? Don’t do anything, just sit down. I won’t be long.” Iseul nodded and rubbed her eyes.

---

Jiho asked Jinyoung to close the door behind him. Jinyoung wasn’t sure what to do as Jiho cleaned up a few files on his desk.

“Are you and Iseul officially dating, Jinyoung?” Jiho didn’t look up from the desk and continued to get the papers together.

“No, sir. We’re just getting to know each other.” Jinyoung was nervous. He was afraid Jiho would tell him to leave Iseul alone, but it was just the opposite, “When are you going to ask her out? Iseul can get pretty impatient sometimes.” Jiho chuckled softly.

Jinyoung felt a bit reassured now. “Jinyoung,” Jiho sat on his desk with a serious expression, “My father and mother are not the best people in the world. They don’t like Iseul and me to be around people who aren’t like us. And I know that’s wrong in so many ways. If you really like Iseul, you have to put up with that. I care about my little sister so much, and she hasn’t been happy with her life. She looks at you the way she used to look at the stars and moon when she was a little girl. She’s got a glimmer in her eyes when she just thinks about you like the way she did when she thought about receiving the universe from me. I need you to tell me right now if you want to stay by Iseul’s side. Are you going to continue to make her happy?”

Jiho approached Jinyoung and looked into his eyes. Without hesitating, Jinyoung replied, “I wouldn’t dare make her cry. I wouldn’t hurt her. I want to be by her side through thick and thin. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect her and put a smile on her face.”

“Good, that’s what I wanted to know. Now that that’s settled, I need a favor from you,” Jinyoung suddenly grew nervous, “I don’t know if you heard but I’m getting married in a couple of months. Obviously, Iseul is going and she’s going to be a bridesmaid. We’re having a Western style wedding, you see. And we haven’t found someone to walk with her down the aisle. I would love for you to be one of my groomsmen and walk with my sister.” Jinyoung’s eyes widened at the request, “I thought only close friends and family were allowed to be groomsmen.”

A gentle smile spread on Jiho’s face, “I know that we aren’t that close, but I would love to get to know you and be friends with the person who makes my one and only baby sister happier than she’s ever been. You’re someone I trust, and I wouldn’t want anyone else walking with my sister. Can you do this for me?”

Jinyoung wanted to say yes, but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to go. And…he didn’t really have a tuxedo that fit him.

“Are you not saying anything because of work? Money? Jinyoung, you don’t have to worry about anything. Everyone who works here is coming to the wedding, but they don’t know yet. And you don’t have to worry about spending money on anything. I’m taking all of my groomsmen to be fitted for a tux later on. My parents’ and my fiancés’ parents are paying for everything. Will you please come? I’ll go to your wedding in the future if you come to mine, brother-in-law.” Jiho gently elbowed Jinyoung’s arm with a hopeful smile on his face.

Jinyoung grew warm thinking about getting married to Iseul. He hadn’t really thought about that kind of stuff yet, but at that moment, he knew that he wanted Iseul to be his bride and mother of his future children.

“I’ll go. Thank you for inviting me…and thank you for not opposing Iseul and me.” Jinyoung’s heart grew warm and fuzzy.

“Anything for my future brother-in-law. We should hang out soon. I know you’re busy with work. Heck, I’m busy too. But we’ll work it out. I think we already have each other’s numbers. I’ll check my schedule and see when I’m free. You should check, too. But don’t tell Iseul…she’ll probably get jealous and try to punch me in the stomach.” Jinyoung and Jiho chuckled and head back downstairs.

When they got back to the living room, Dean was nowhere to be seen. But Mr. Song was back with a frustrated expression on his face. Iseul’s head was hanging low and she seemed to be crying again.

---

“I don’t know where you got the idea that your mother and I don’t care about you, but it’s absolutely absurd! We want what’s best for you and Jiho. Your mother and I pressure you to socialize with the first class because you’ll be able to live a comfortable life! Why can’t you understand that? Jiho has understood that since he was a child! You’re a wild child! That’s why your mother and I pressure you more!” Mr. Song stared at his daughter who didn’t seem to understand his point-of-view.

Jiho was about to interfere, but Iseul stood up for herself. After twenty-two years of keeping her true feelings to herself, she finally burst open like a shaken up bottle of soda.

“You don’t care about me. You and mom care about oppa and money! Never have you complimented me on anything I do while oppa gets all of the praise. You and mom and childish people who like to play with money. If things don’t go your way, you get angry and throw a fit. And guess what? Money isn’t everything. I’m your daughter! Don’t you care about my happiness? Don’t you want to see me smiling and laughing? Why can’t you see that I am always alone with no real friends in this big house? I can’t even go out and do what I want because you and mom are always nagging me to not do anything that’ll ruin your reputation. That’s not caring about me, that’s oppressing me! You don’t even know when my birthday is. You don’t know my favorite food or color. You don’t know what I’m allergic to. But guess what, the people who actually care about me, Jiho oppa, Mr. Park and Jinyoung, they know almost everything there is to know about me! It’s like we’re strangers.” Iseul’s vision grew blurry as warm tears clouded her eyes.

“I feel so happy with Jinyoung. Jiho oppa loves and cares about me. I can feel it. But he’s always busy with work or volunteering in foreign countries, so it’s like I’m deprived of the love I need. But Jinyoung makes me so, so happy. He cares about me too much for my own good. He listens to me. He makes sure I’m okay even if he isn’t. I have never felt loved around you or mom. So look me in the eyes again, and tell me that you care and love for your daughter. Look at me!”

Sorrow and regret flashed across his face when he saw the tears streaking his daughter’s beautiful face. He hadn’t even realized that she had bloomed into a graceful young woman. He knew that she wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t want to admit she was right because that would mean he was admitting to being a horrible father.

When Iseul didn’t get a response from her father, it felt like her heart had been ripped out from her chest and torn apart in front of her eyes. “That’s what I thought. You don’t care. You never did.” Iseul stood up and walked past her brother and Jinyoung and straight up to her room. Everyone flinched when they heard her door slam shut.

Jinyoung rushed up immediately and tried to talk to her. He knocked and knocked but Iseul ignored him. Jinyoung stood in front of her door and waited patiently.

Meanwhile, Jiho approached his father and sat down where Iseul had been sitting. “Give her some time. And while you’re waiting for your only daughter to come back to you, can you please think about changing the way you treat her? She’s already been showing some signs of mental and emotional issues. She’s your daughter, father. If you can’t accept what she wants and likes, then don’t say anything. You don’t have to agree with everything she does, but at least try to accept the fact that she doesn’t want to live the way you want her to.” Jiho checked his watch and sighed, “I have to go back to the hospital. Don’t talk to her until you’re both ready to talk.”