“So what are you and Jae-Yeong hyung?”

Ha-Jin was surprised with Tae-Won’s sudden question. She cast him a look, wondering if the question is a result of his weariness or of the 8 o’ clock PM rush was happening. He didn’t seem tired nor interested; you’d think he just asked about the weather.

“I’m sorry?” she asked.

Tae-Won wasn’t looking at her. He was too busy filing up the last batch of papers that needed his signature.

“You and Jae-Yeong hyung,” he repeated, “Are you guys…together?”

It’s been weeks since Ha-Jin set foot regularly at their building. Since the launch was drawing near, her manager told her that she had to drop by again to help the company out. Tonight was one of the first and it was with Tae-Won.

They hadn’t seen each other much since that Christmas accident. It was an occasional hi-hello whenever they did run to each other. He always looked like he wanted to say more, but they were so pressed for time.

Tonight was the first time they were alone again and he seemed out of it.

Ha-Jin didn’t know how to respond. The question was too sudden and to be honest, she wasn’t capable of answering properly. So many thoughts crowded her mind—the launch, Jae-Yeong, past lives, Jae-Yeong, her mother and brother, Jae-Yeong…and oh, did she mention Jae-Yeong?

“Where did that question come from?” she asked.

“I have eyes and ears, you know,” he answered, “I mean…Jae-Yeong hyung doesn’t say much but the people around here talk.”

Ha-Jin racked her brain for any moment Jae-Yeong showed affection or anything remotely romantic when they were in the office. He always maintained that professional persona wherever and whenever they went in the company; even if they were alone, he’d try to keep his posture…except for some times.

So, Tae-Won’s question seemed very out of place.

“So…are you…going out?” he asked.

“I…yes,” she said, “I mean…I guess so.”

“You guess so? You’re not sure?”

To be honest, things were complicated for Ha-Jin. Ever since Ji-Hyun asked her to sort out her feelings for Wang So and Jae-Yeong, she has been teaching herself to recognize which feelings are which. But it hasn’t been easy.

“Why are you asking me this?” she asked him.

“I’m…interested,” he said, still not looking at her, “I mean…he’s my brother. I should know, right?”

“Doesn’t he say anything?”

“Jae-Yeong hyung is never the type to tell stories; he did so rarely,” said Tae-Won, “I’m afraid to ask him. He might smack me on the head.”

“So you’re asking me?”

“For entirely different reasons,”

She couldn’t answer immediately. Instead, she busied herself printing the proposals and editing a few picks here and there.

The mere thought of people talking about here and Jae-Yeong, as revealed by Tae-Won, explained some of the weird things that happened. When she got to the office that morning, a bunch of employees grouped nearby were talking to themselves; they abruptly stopped when Ha-Jin was within earshot.

Some of the people she worked with before were also too polite for her liking. One of them actually called her sunbae…and that wasn’t normal.

And here was Tae-Won, all distant and busy—far off from the friendly face she used to know.

What was happening?

“Do you like him?” he asked.

“What?”

For the first time, he looked at her straight in the eye. “Do you like my brother?”

His tone sounded as if he was accusing her or something. But at the same time, she knew he was also curious.

“Honestly,” she began, “I…I want to know him better.”

That’s all she said.

Tae-Won gazed meaningfully at her; it was then Ha-Jin realized that he said the same thing to her before their coffee date. He said that he wanted to get to know her better. Right now, she just echoed the words he told her.

Oh my god—

A small smile spread on his face. “Is that so?” he asked, “That’s…interesting.”

She didn’t know if he was hurt or something. He just nodded his head, pursed his lips, and continued signing. It was the same look the 8^th Prince gave whenever he wasn’t totally okay with what was happening.

What’s that supposed to mean?

“So…you do like him,” he concluded.

--

(A week ago)

“So…what are we?”

Ha-Jin remained frozen on her spot as she racked her brains for the right answer. Jae-Yeong, on the other hand, stared at her, hands in his back. She hoped he would just drop it, but it’s been a full minute and he was still looking at her.

He was waiting for an answer.

“I…well,” she started, “I’m…I…”

Ha-Jin didn’t want to lie at his face, but she didn’t know what to say either. If she told him she liked him, she wouldn’t be sure if she liked him as Jae-Yeong or as Wang So. If she said otherwise, she could offend him—and that was the last thing she wanted to do to him.

But her silence was too long for anyone’s comfort.

Jae-Yeong, realizing he wouldn’t get a solid answer from her, laughed.

“Remember when I said I wouldn’t force you to like me back?” he said, “This is one of those times I have to remember I said that.”

He knocked gently on her forehead, smiling as he did.

That’s it? He’s not going to push it? He’s just…going to let that go?

“Come on, I’m really hungry,” he said, “You’re not against burgers, right?”

“No, burgers…sound great,” she said.

He nodded and walked ahead of her, leaving her stunned with his calm demeanor. Ha-Jin was surprised he didn’t even bother to bug her. He just let her go that easy. For someone who could’ve had the answer if he just insisted, he didn’t.

A warm feeling settled in her heart as she stared at his retreating back. He definitely wasn’t that cold and heartless CEO-to-be she once met.

Jae-Yeong stopped walking and looked back at her, “Are you coming?” he asked, “Or are you busy staring at my attractive back?”

She scoffed but was grateful for his humor. “What a joke,” she said.

He winked at her. “Come on, before the good burgers sell out,” he said.

Jae-Yeong proceeded to his motorbike while Ha-Jin speedily followed, still in that warm bubble of appreciation for his respect. As he loudly wondered if he should have cheese on his burger or will his diet kill him for it, Ha-Jin couldn’t help but think of one thing:

He’s different.

--

“So, the launch will happen approximately two weeks from today, yes?”

“As long as the products are good to go, we won’t have a problem,”

“Who will we invite?”

“Ask the iSOi people for their guest list. We’ll have to prioritize theirs since this is their event,” said Jae-Yeong. He then cast a look at Ha-Jin, “Miss Go, I’m leaving that responsibility to you. Ask Manager Park who should come on your side.”

“Noted, sir,” answered Ha-Jin promptly.

 “Who else should our side invite?” asked Tae-Won, who was rapidly typing in his laptop.

“Beauty bloggers and models, they’re the ones we need,” said Jae-Yeong.

“Oh, then we’ll need to ask Nari for help,”

Ha-Jin’s stomach churned at the mention of Nari’s name. Fortunately, her face didn’t reflect any annoyance or irritation.

Jae-Yeong didn’t even think about it; he just nodded his head. “Okay, that’s right. We do need her on board. You tell her about it,” he said, “She can invite all her model and beauty blogger friends. She’s got plenty of them.”

“Should I tell Il-Sung hyung?”

For a moment, Jae-Yeong thought about it.

“Yeah, why not?” he said, “He’d want to make new friends wouldn’t he?”

Both Tae-Won and Ha-Jin looked at him with surprise. Jae-Yeong, on the other hand, was too busy signing papers and answering emails to notice them.

“All right then,” finished Tae-Won, “I’ll text Nari tonight. Maybe if I bump into Il-Sung hyung, I’ll tell him.”

“You do that,” said Jae-Yeong.

There was an uncertain air of silence between the two brothers. Ha-Jin still wasn’t familiar with Tae-Won and Jae-Yeong’s relationship outside the office. She knew that being professional in the office was a must, even between brothers. But were they even close in real life?

“I will,” answered Tae-Won, “Will we see you at the house by the way?”

Oh my god, they’re too formal.

“Yeah, I might drop by,” said Jae-Yeong, “After that meeting with the gas people from Busan. I’ll try to make it soon.”

Tae-Won nodded and gathered his folders, sorting them out according to files. He hasn’t said anything to Ha-Jin since he asked her if she liked his brother. Fortunately, a phone call from Jae-Yeong interrupted them, halting her from answering.

He just smiled at Ha-Jin and went his way, leaving her with Jae-Yeong. She couldn’t explain it, but there was a sense of guilt lurking somewhere. As he walked out of the room, part of her wished to follow.

“Are you alright?”

Jae-Yeong was looking at her with concern. He must’ve noticed that blank expression on her face.

“Ah, yeah,” she answered, “I’m just tired, I guess.”

He looked at his watch. “Wow, is it that late already?” he asked, “I got so caught up with everything today, I didn’t notice the time. I’m sorry. You should be resting by now.”

“No, it’s okay. Manager Park told me to get things done anyway,” she said, gathering her folders.

“How will you get home?”

“I can always take a cab,”

“What? It’s nearly midnight,” he said, “I’ll take you home.”

“No, don’t,” she told him, “You look tired; you should get some sleep. Besides, I’ve taken the cab at later times like these. I’ll be fine.”

“But it’s not safe—“

“Nope, I’ll be fine,” she insisted, keeping that smile on her face but deep inside wondering why he was so stubborn. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to ride with him; there were people outside, she didn’t want them to talk about him.

Jae-Yeong didn’t bother arguing. It seems as if he knew when to give up.

She bowed. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, “Get some rest.”

He didn’t even bother to say goodnight when she stepped out of the conference room. Ha-Jin hoped he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. It was for his own good anyway.

The week wasn’t good to him—that she knew. The bad press was enough to tell her. Lately, apart from his adopted status being brought up again, business experts disagreed with Jae-Yeong’s decision to focus more on small businesses than the big ones. “Investing in the wrong kind of people will get you nowhere,” said one of them.

She didn’t want to talk about him anywhere. He didn’t deserve that kind of bad press.

Ha-Jin bowed to the guard by the exit, bidding him goodnight. She looked at the skies; fortunately, rain wasn’t going to happen tonight. She figured she could walk to the train station and hope she could reach the last trip. A cab was her last option.

Before she could reach the bottom step, a black car pulled up in front of her.

The window rolled down.

“You better get in,” said Jae-Yeong, “Otherwise, I’ll throw a fit…and not the pleasant one.”

“But I told you I’ll be fine,”

He smirked. “You really think I’ll believe that,” he said, “You might be stubborn, Go Ha-Jin, but I could be more of a brat than you. If you don’t come in, I’m just going to wait in front of here until you get in.”

Ha-Jin hoped no one would see it was him. She approached the window.

“Why are you being like this?”

“Why are you being like this?”

He held on the brakes, determined to stay if she doesn’t go in.

“You can go home by cab and leave me here,” he told her, “But I’m not going home until you let me take you home. Your choice.”

He wasn’t going to make this easy on her; she could see it.

With an exasperated sigh, she immediately got in the car, slamming the door. The windows were tinted enough anyway; no one would know it was them.

“God, take care of the car, won’t you?” he complained, “No need to get angry at it.”

As Ha-Jin put her seatbelt on, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at his stubbornness. She was just trying to steer him away from trouble; who knows what the press could say if they were caught together? They were none too kind to him already.

But she couldn’t help but feel a little good as well.

“I don’t know why you’re so stubborn,” remarked Jae-Yeong, “I’m not the type of guy who lets women go home on their own at night. Remember that one time you went home alone and almost got harassed by thugs?”

“That was one time!”

“You want another?”

With one hand on the steering wheel, Jae-Yeong kept his eyes on the road, but she saw the smidge of annoyance on his face.

“I don’t even do this a lot to women so that’s saying something,”

“That’s because you don’t like women,”

“Correction: I’m just not too friendly with females,” he told her, “You’re just an exception. And here you are, rejecting my sudden difference. God, Go Ha-Jin, don’t you know how privileged you are?”

She scoffed. “What a joke,” she said.

“Hey, you keep telling me that I’m a joke. I’m wounded,”

“Because you are!”

“Every time?”

The stoplight had turned red so Jae-Yeong’s attention was directed to her. His joking face turned into a serious one.

“I don’t know which one is more of a joke: a guy offering a girl a safe ride home or a girl refusing the guy who offers her a safe ride home,” he shot back, “Let’s not forget that said girl was almost harmed when she went home on her own that one time.”

His teasing tone returned as the light went green.

“What about your brother?” she asked, “Why don’t you offer him a ride home?”

“Tae-Won’s got his own car,” replied Jae-Yeong, “Besides, he likes doing things on his own.”

The image of Tae-Won’s face as he told Ha-Jin about his family’s old Christmas traditions; his eyes were filled with longing that time. She couldn’t imagine that Tae-Won in Jae-Yeong’s short description of the youngest.

“Really? He seems like…he doesn’t,”

“My youngest brother is very independent, Go Ha-Jin. He’s smart; graduated with honors. Smarter than me or Il-Sung combined,” said Jae-Yeong, “He likes tinkering on his own so driving alone shouldn’t be a problem to him.”

“He’s still your little brother, though,” she reminded him, “Shouldn’t you still look out for him?”

Jae-Yeong made a right. “Since when have you been concerned with my family affairs?” he asked.

She was stumped. “I…well, I figured you’d be that kind of older brother.”

Jae-Yeong heaved a sigh. “Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to be a responsible older brother?” he asked.

He made a quick stop, allowing an elderly woman cross the street. Ha-Jin, on the other hand, stared at him with a confounded expression. Once the old woman made her way, the car moved again.

“I’m not the best older brother; I have my faults—especially to Tae-Won. But given the situation we’re in now, it’s hard to be responsible for him,” he explained, “Family drama is a thing, but I don’t think it changes how I look at them; well, for me, at least.”

His phone lit up. Ha-Jin saw him glanced at the message and roll his eyes.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Just the usual,” he said, “Press hounding our publicist, asking about the so-called stupid decisions I made again.”

His tone was a combination of tired and bitter. It was one of the reasons why Ha-Jin didn’t want to be seen with him recently; he’s had a rough week—always hounded by press, judged by critics, and filled with work. If anyone saw them, she was sure he’d have to face another round of those times two.

“Why do they keep doing that?” she asked, “It’s not like you’re destroying the country with your decisions.”

He smiled bitterly. “It’s because they hate me, I guess,”

“Hate is a strong word.”

“There’s no other word that perfectly describes what they feel. It’s obvious, they’re not exactly pleased with anything I do,” he explained, “Whenever I think out of the box, they think I’m being an idiot. It comes with being an adopted ‘street rat,’ as one of the newsmen once fondly called me.”

“That’s rude and very unprofessional. How could they do that to you?”

“Money and power have the capabilities to bring out the worst out of people. In this case, some people can’t stand the idea of an undeserved individual receiving what they should have,” he said, “They don’t agree with my decisions, especially when I focus on undeserved individuals such as myself.”

Ha-Jin remembered the news about him focusing on small-scale businesses than on the larger ones. He got a lot of flack for it; they said he missed countless opportunities for always giving the smaller guys a chance.

“For them, it’s a waste of time—like how I was a waste of my father’s time,”

She heard not one hint of resentment from his voice; it’s as if Jae-Yeong has long accepted how others see him. As he made a right, she wondered if he had been enduring such speculation for long now…and how did he cope with it?

“I don’t think you’re a waste,” she said.

“What makes you think that?”

“A lot of big corporations focus too much on the big guys to earn more money. It’s all about the money,” she explained, “You’re different. You look at the small people and think of them as investments, as well. It makes all the difference in the world.”

Jae-Yeong passed by another street, taking a left.

“If only the big people get the attention, no one will notice the little people—no one will see the potential they have. But you took the time,” continued Ha-Jin, “Goes to show how greedy people are and how stupid they could be. They think good opportunities always come in big packages. But the way I see it, they’re the ones missing out, not you.”

“You’d make a good commentator, Go Ha-Jin,” commented Jae-Yeong, “You should come during the meetings.”

“It’s just annoying…how they push you around for being adopted and that,” she added, “I mean, can’t they see you’re actually making a difference? Sure, you’re not exactly the best person in real life…and you could be an idiot sometimes—“

“Hey!”

“…but you’re actually working for the greater good. They’re too hung up on that one aspect of your personality, they fail to see you’re actually better than they initially thought,”she continued, “They don’t see you for who you are and I think that’s a pity.”

Jae-Yeong said nothing further as he parked in front of her apartment. She was shocked at the fast travel; but since it was midnight, it wasn’t much surprising.

“Thanks for the ride,” she told him, “Get some rest, you deserve it.”

With a small smile, she got out of his car and took her keys. It was another night—it was time to go to bed.

“Go, Ha-Jin,”

The slamming of the car door startled her. Jae-Yeong got out from the car and walked towards her.

“Yes?”

He was just staring intensely at her; she couldn’t get a good read of his expression.

Without another word, his arm quickly wrapped around her waist and pulled her towards him; her body bumping to his chest.

Under the streetlight, she saw that, apparently, his eyes were a shade of chocolate brown.

--

A/N: I’m sorry it took so long again but a lot has been going on. Still, it’s here.

I would like to thank you all for your gracious comments. I love reading them and I enjoy learning more about your preferences and speculations. One common thing I noticed was you feared I’d leave. I’m here to finish what I started—as long as you give me good ideas and comments. I also want a good ending for SHR—that’s why I’m here.

Would appreciate it if you comment and upvoted the story. See you soon.

P.S. If you do comment, tell me what you want to happen. I've already got the story set in my mind, but I'm curious as to where my readers think the story is going :)