The shining glass panes reflected the evident bustle and hustle of the crowd, displaying the pour and movement of the people that never seemed to cease in the slightest.

Ga Eul walked through the crowd easily—the crowd parted instinctively for her at the sight of her suit-clad companions—subconsciously picking up the distinctions that were absent in her 3-year stay overseas.

The warble of the throng was different, far from the usual chattering encompassing the West that she had knowingly grown accustomed to.

She was exceptionally miffed about the lack of peculiar inflections, Ga Eul certainly missed the pleasant accents that the British spouted. She had found herself rather entranced with it and was proud that she could shakily adapt to that distinct emphasis. It certainly was one of the things she would miss in England.

She raised her gaze languidly, raising her sunglasses. The sky was sporting a soft hue of orange, streaking across the infinite white and blue. Yet there was a tincture of pink, providing a much more tranquil and ethereal display of beauty; in spite of the rambunctious thrumming of the mass, she remained transfixed on the sight.

"Young mistress," an unfamiliar guy garbed in a pristine suit opened the door of the car, gesturing for her to enter. She blinked, realising that it was her ride, and she complied, entering the car without any noise of protest that wouldn't be proper for a lady of her station.

She knew that her mother had arranged everything for her to arrive safely and guarded and that she shouldn't be complaining. However, she would have loved it if she was welcomed by a more familiar face.

Where was her infuriating brother anyway?

She chuckled soundlessly. It seems like she wouldn't be able to deny the fact that she had missed the oaf. There was no doubt that he would revel in this undeniable fact.

She shook her read, losing herself in reminiscence. If there was one thing that she was looking forward to in returning to this country, it certainly was her brother.

She recalled all those times wherein her older sister, Goo Jun Hee, visited her in England. Despite her intimidating aura, she had basked in his sister's warmth, drawing maternal comfort from the only female figure in proximity, knowing her own mother was unable to and would not do so, given the circumstances.

She relished in the memories, wondering when their next reunion as the complete trio would happen.

Wishful thinking, perhaps.

"Young mistress," Ga Eul snapped her attention towards the source of the voice, the old man who looked to be in his mid-50s.

"We have arrived." She nodded, giving her thanks.

"I also want to inform you young miss that your mother had tasked me to be your personal chauffeur."

Ga Eul paused and looked back, the lines in the old man's face turned more noticeable as he spoke. But overall, his aura was aloof yet pleasant. Well, since she didn't have someone in close association, excluding her brother, why not turn someone familiar. "Of course, thank you for driving me. Well then, may I know your name?"

Surprise flitted across his countenance before maintaining its previous indifference. "It's Jang Yong, young mistress."

Ga Eul nodded, "Well then, Yong Ajhussi. I look forward to be in your care." The older man inclined his head in acknowledgement before leaving the car, only to open the car door on Ga Eul's side.

Ga Eul stepped out of the vehicle, leisurely running her eyes over the Goo family main house. It's been years, almost 3 years to be precise. And as expected, the place changed a lot, displaying her mother's unwavering desire to expand and glamorised the whole place.

The corinthian columns were in pristine condition like it was somehow cleaned three times a day, though she had a growing suspicion that it might be the case. The plants were properly trimmed, and the tiled-floor immaculate without an ounce of dirt visible.

She vaguely recalled her mother's words, that a family's house is their dignity.

And apparently, with how the main house was currently fairing, their dignity needs to be all marble and exorbitant. With pricey chandeliers and vast unoccupied rooms.

How practical.

"Young mistress!" Her head instinctively whipped towards the front door, revealing an aging woman dressed in her standard uniform as their head housemaid.

Ga Eul's visage broke into a smile, genuinely filled with glee at the sight of the woman who had been a constant companion to the lonesome days in her childhood. "Ahjumma, you look well."

The old woman laughed, pleased at the compliment. Before holding her intimately at arms' length, "Look at you. Oh, my! What a woman you've become."

"Yeah, lanky and awkward." She quipped, earning a joyous laugh and a shaking head of objection.

"Oh no, on the contrary, you've grown quite exceptionally. Aigoo, look at that, what an exquisite beauty. It seems like the young master would have a hard time guarding you against potential suitors."

Ga Eul made a face at the mention of her brother and scoffed. "Tsk. Like that coward would ever get out of a fistfight alive. You know how weak he is."

As if rehearsed, there was an outcry to her right.

"Yah! I resent that!" Jun Pyo threw his keys at the valet petulantly after procuring something from the front seat of the car, a bouquet of fresh flowers constituting mainly of pink roses, pink lilies and lavender in hand.

With the bouquet in his hand, he strutted towards his sister with the same old arrogance.

Ga Eul rolled her eyes, her lips twitching in mirth.

He certainly has grown, Ga Eul noticed.

Gone was the gawky adolescent whose life mission was to protect her despite figuratively getting beaten and bloody in the process. His shoulders were broader, his cheekbones sharper, and his nose more shapely. His hair was the same old complex mass of obsidian curls, but it surprisingly appeared to be a shade darker, thicker, and if she wasn't mistaken, more curly. The flex of his muscles was also quite prominent under the thin white polo shirt he was wearing.

All in all, he was becoming more and more like their father. She smiled in bitterness.

"And I even went through the trouble of buying you flowers to appease the Goo family's youngest mistress's renowned irritability. But it seems she's been slandering my name behind my back, trampling on my good intentions." Ga Eul ignored the jab and without further ado, ran towards her brother and encompassing him in a suffocating embrace full of longing.

She rested her head against his chest, clutching his shirt as though they were children. Jun Pyo wrapped his arms around her in return, pressing her head comfortably against him.

"I knew it! You missed me." He stated smugly, balancing the bouquet precariously in his hand but not letting go, nonetheless.

"You wish, you melodramatic git." Ga Eul's voice was muffled, and it lost the usual sharpness her retorts usually possess.

"Ahh, your British self is showing." Jun Pyo jested, patting her head and understanding how lonely she must have felt in England.

Out of the three siblings, Ga Eul had always been the most affectionate. Having been uprooted from her home and into the company of strangers must have been terribly frightening. And with her return, she must have felt extreme relief over the familiarity of her surroundings, causing her to lose her composure all at once.

That or Jun Pyo was just really irresistible.

"There there crybaby. And I thought you've forgotten about me since you've been buddy-buddy with that freckled-old prince."

Ga Eul snorted. "Idiot. Harry and I are acquaintances. The paparazzi just like to concoct stories on groundless evidence." She flipped her hair for theatrics. "Besides, he's not my type."

Jun Pyo rolled his eyes, chuckling at his sister's blunt audacity. He smirked, thinking about Yi Jeong. Well, he certainly won't have it easy, having Ga Eul as a wife was no trouble-free undertaking.

Not that he would allow the marriage if he had a say in the matter.

But there was no doubt that he would have his own share of amusement while watching their relationship unfold. Indeed, Yi Jeong should prepare himself because there wouldn't be a single day in which he would remain completely sane.

"Yeah yeah, sure you femme fatale. Now let's go inside before you contract a disease, you sickly crybaby."

"Do you need help with the unpacking?" Ga Eul snorted as if the question was ridiculous, which it probably was.

"What? Like you're gonna help?" Jun Pyo rolled his eyes, cracking a small smile as he plopped down his sister's bed, rumpling the sheets that the housemaids had organised. "I was just going to say that I can call the maids downstairs to help you."

She rolled her eyes. "No thanks, I can do this by myself." She grunted, lifting her heavy suitcase and placing it near the foot of her bed. She took a deep breath before kicking her brother's legs, forcing him to remove himself from the mattress.

"Go away, you big doofus." Ga Eul attempted to push his brother off.

Jun Pyo scowled, fighting off her attempts, but ultimately ended up on the floor. "I see. You're still as irritating as ever. Fine then, I'll go and don't expect me to bring you a glass of iced tea like you used to make me when we were kids." He muttered, dusting off the fictitious dust that had clung into the cloth after he fell.

He shot one last look of absolute displeasure and slammed the door shut before he strutted down the hall, his footsteps resounding loudly.

"Put a lot of ice cubes please!" She yelled in return.

"Like I would!"

"I love you oppa!" She added for good measure, chuckling at his apparent childishness. This was one of the best things about her older brother. Jun Pyo had never seemed to cease bringing mirth and laughter to her tumultuous world.

She took a moment to observe her bedroom. Everything was in a cream-colored scale and the occasional dark purple. It was too bleak and empty for her liking, a sight for depression. She mentally decided on redecorating her whole bedroom. Her old room had been completely wiped off from its former glory, courtesy of her mother, no doubt.

She sighed before finally placing her suitcase on the mattress, causing it to remotely bounce on the sudden disturbance. She needed to unpack first before she could go and splash colour and life to the whole place.

There was a sudden knock on her door which made her scoff. She knew she had Jun Pyo wrapped around her little finger.

"Since when did you knock—" She stopped, staring at the intimidating form of her own mother.

All thoughts halted in her mind, causing her to become speechless. Although before she could make an utter fool of herself, she bowed respectfully, wary of the intense gaze she was subjected to.

"Ga Eul." Her voice was clipped and sharp with no sentiments laced beneath.

"Mother," Ga Eul's tone was more amiable as if trying to dissipate the tense atmosphere that seemed to encompass them in a sudden. Her nerves rebelled violently, sweat prickling at the back of her neck.

"I trust that your travels were comfortable." Her mother moved toward the fireplace deeper into her room, sitting comfortably against the soft couch as if asking about her daughter's feelings and well-being was a normal thing in the household.

It might be for some, but no, not for them.

"Yes," she nodded, her voice sounding a little raspy, which was probably caused by her uneasiness.

"Good. I—" Before her mother could continue, a rumpled Jun Pyo entered her room without knocking, holding a tray in his hands and an overt stain in his clothes.

"Ga Eul, your iced tea is—" He frowned at her tensed state, darting his eyes around the room only to find his mother's piercing stare. "—here."

Hee Soo pursed her lips in clear disapproval. "Goo Jun Pyo, that was incredibly impolite of you to just barge in." Although why she bothered to correct him, Ga Eul had no idea.

Jun Pyo harrumphed in a pathetic way, composing himself under the burning stare. He placed the tray on the bedside table, picking up the napkin and wiping his cloth until he was satisfied. But he placed himself near them, refusing to leave the room.

Hee Soo understood the gesture of defiance all at once. "Leave, Jun Pyo. This conversation is for your sister and I." Her eyes glinted with warning.

Jun Pyo straightened himself, like a true gentleman, face masked with impassiveness. "If this is what I think this is about then I think I needed to be here."

Hee Soo merely rolled her eyes, "You have always been so melodramatic. Fine then, suit yourself."

She straightened herself and placed a brown envelope on the table. "Read it—" she commanded, her eyes wandering to the state of her bed, "—oh and don't bother unpacking. You don't need to."

Without further ado, she upped and left.