No secret is truly hidden; a small breach could trace its path toward the truth. The amount of ample information in one’s possession was enough to gain access to other facts relating to it. Therefore, it was with great surprise when an unannounced guest knocked on the front door early morning.   Jangjun was the quickest to the door, hoping Rika made a surprise visit to declare her sully affections void. Instead, the person who appeared was the main cause of his sullen anger.   “Mr. Kim,” he muttered the name through gritted teeth, feeling his grip tighten around the door knob. He couldn’t help the lack of hospitality as he continued growling. “What business do you seek here?”   “I wish to speak to Miss Jang. Is she here?” Myungsoo asked, eyes hesitantly trailing toward the inner corridor of the house.   “Well, this house is property of Miss Jang and her brother. I see no reason other than your act of sheer folly to presume her absence,” Jangjun said, stressing his great apathy through his reply. If possible, he wished to find every fault with Myungsoo and pass on his discovery to Rika.   The disdainful response made Myungsoo raise an eyebrow, but he maintained the composure when Hyunmi sauntered her way to him. She must’ve heard the commotion.   “Mr. Kim? What a surprise,” Hyunmi spoke, her voice inflating with a nervous pitch. She had been made aware of his last visitation, though neither Dongwoo nor Woohyun provided its detail. The secrecy of their conversation made her weary, and she tried maintaining her calm by clutching the side of her dress.   “I deeply apologize for coming on such short notice, however, there is an issue of utmost urgency I wish to discuss with you,” Myungsoo spoke, his eyes restlessly scanning the surrounding.   “May I inquire to what it is in regard of?” She asked.   Myungsoo’s eyes fell on Jangjun who continued to keep a close ear to their conversation. “I prefer if we may speak in private. It is not something for the public to hear,” he whispered.   The urgency in his tone alerted Hyunmi’s understanding, and she welcomed him into the house, leading him to the office he was already familiar with.   “Oh, what sort of a snivelling greasehorn has entered our house? First he steals my woman from me, and now he intends to steal from Mr. Nam,” Jangjun loudly lamented, adding a dramatic flair to publicly humiliate the culprit. Having been in Youngtaek and Jineul’s company for too long, he learned an ample amount of rich vocabularies.   Luckily, none of it were heard by Myungsoo and Hyunmi who had isolated themselves in the privacy of the office room. They both sat on opposite ends of each other, meeting each other’s gaze with equal tension.   “I wish to speak regarding the orphan you have taken in, Daeyeol.”   Immediately, a sickening feeling twisted inside Hyunmi’s stomach. The judge couldn’t possibly have known about Daeyeol’s true identity, could he?   “When his name was mentioned during my previous visit, it brought a certain familiarity I may have encountered during my early years as a judge. Therefore, I inquired the help of my dear friend Lee Howon—who is also a police officer—to assist me in obtaining past cases regarding this certain name.”   Hyunmi’s fingers curled underneath the table, holding her dress in a manner it nearly ripped. Her breath may have hitched to a small pause.   “Upon further interrogation, he retrieved the file of a missing child. Nearly a decade ago, a family lost their son without a trace. They used their wealth to urge law enforcers to search for their son, to no avail. Their loss encouraged the family to adopt a young boy and fill in the missing child’s void. I believe you know this family. You’re even acquainted with the two sons of the family, Lee Sungyeol and Sungjong,” Myungsoo spoke, halting to gauge her reaction.   Hyunmi swallowed her saliva, daring herself to pose the next question. “And the missing child? Have you found him?”   “Why, indeed. You are well acquainted to him as well. It is Daeyeol! Or should I say, Lee Daeyeol?”   A barely audible gasp escaped her lips, one which would have remained silent had the room not been as quiet as a cemetary. She couldn’t meet Myungsoo’s eyes, or he would see the truth. Everything he spoke had been correct, but they did not know her side of the story.   “I have reasons to believe the young orphan may be the missing child. His features resembles that of his older brother, and their height is a genetic gift from their parents. In fact, I don’t doubt it. He is the missing child!”   Hyunmi wetted her lips before proceeding her speech in a hesitant tremor. “What do you intend to use this knowledge for?”   Myungsoo’s face cleared up with a certain pride, believing he was implementing a good cause. “Mr. Daeyeol will be reunited with his family, and his parents will resume full custody of their child.”   Yet another feeling sank her heart, and her fingers continued to clench tighter onto her dress. Myungsoo’s suggestion was the lawful solution, one she would protest against if she were a fugitive to her crime. A battle of morality fought off in her mind, determining her next course of action.   “Has it occured to you, Daeyeol may be happy in this place? That if given the choice, he would not want to return to his family? His brother, Mr. Sungyeol does not know how to treat a human being. Do you suppose I could relentlessly encourage Daeyeol to return to such an environment?”   Hyunmi allowed her emotions to overpower the rational thinking. She had planned to discuss the issue diplomatically, but her love toward Daeyeol prevented her from choosing any other scenario that did not involve his stay at the house.   Myungsoo looked struck, taken aback by her sudden outburst. The image was a stark contrast to the composed woman standing by Woohyun’s side during Seulyi’s party. He cleared his throat and shifted a little in his seat.   “Miss Jang, I understand your concerns for him. However, his biological parents have the right to take full custody of him. Now that he has been found, the Lee family will be notified, and further course of actions shall be taken based on their request.”   The judge was getting up on his feet, ready to tip his hat off as a formal farewell courtesy when Hyunmi gasped. It finally dawned upon her what this would all lead to.   “You’re planning to hold a court trial regarding this issue,” she whispered, but the words were loud enough for the judge to hear.   “It is the lawful thing to do, Miss Jang. And unless you want to cross my path, I suggest you to coher in a civilized manner,” Myungsoo spoke, smiling.   Hyunmi’s face was pale, nearly asphyxiated when words of protest were taken from her. She watched Myungsoo leave the room, and her state of desperation prevented her from uttering a proper farewell.   The judge did not seem to mind it, for someone else had taken the courtesy to show him to the door—someone who was more than enthusiastic to slam the door against his handsome face.   “The next time you plan to visit us, do bring Rika with you,” Jangjun told him with a low mumble of utter hatred. His fingers rested on the door handle, fidgeting a little at his request.   “That is a great idea. She deserves that much. I wished I would’ve thought of it sooner. Have a pleasant day, young man,” Myungsoo spoke, once again tipping his top hat as a formal courtesy. However, as he was about to set foot outside the front porch, Jangjun stopped him with a question he would hurt himself with.   “Tell me, Mr. Kim, you seem to treat Rika with a certain benevolence that exceeds the usual affection from the likes of you aristocats,” he began, twisting his fingers around the door knob to keep his thoughts occupied. “In what manner do you regard her as?”   “Why, Rika is an excellent student and a joy to be with. I very much enjoy her company,” Myungsoo answered.   To one who viewed the judge as a rival, Jangjun noticed the changing elation in his voice. It was the cadence when speaking of a loved one, further confirming his concerns.   “You must love her, I suppose?” Jangjun kept pushing, hoping the word bore a weight too powerful for one to simply admit to.   “I certainly do! I adore her,” Myungsoo spoke, letting the smile linger on his face. The fondness could be detected by his curving lips and softening gaze; he did not lie. “Now I must leave before problems ensue at home. My wife tend to scold me for being away too often. Good day, young man.”   Jangjun did not exert any energy in uttering a pretentious farewell. His entire mind was clouded by the one revelation he obtained today, courtesy of his own faults.   Rika loved Myungsoo, and he loved her too.   Even if Myungsoo was a married man, their era considered a married man sleeping with es the common norm. He was lawfully allowed to have as many mistresses as he wanted, and Rika would become one of them.   Jangjun’s fingers grabbed tighter unto the door knob like a proverbial anchor, hoping it would stop the itching between his fingers. He had repented from it. He hadn’t engaged in such activities ever since he had joined this household.   Yet, here he was, contemplating on an action that would bring temporary bliss, and permanent regret. He would go back to his old days—to the time when he made the biggest mistakes of his life.   ***   Woohyun had been out with the others to run some errands, a common simpleton activity he had taken joy in. Listening to Jineul and Youngtaek bicker while trying to maintain the purity of Donghyun’s hearing added more purpose to his trip. He could hardly wait to relay the news to his beloved, feeling a newfound similarity they could both engage in.   By the time the house came into view and Myungsoo passed them by on a retreating carriage, panic sunk in Woohyun’s stomach. The judge had only visited recently. Despite his request to keep Dongwoo’s offer from Hyunmi’s knowledge, Woohyun did not have complete faith over the judge.   “Excuse me, children. I can’t waste another precious second away from your mother,” he told the rest as soon as they arrived home. His trained eloquence allowed him to withhold his true emotion. Through their awestruck and disgusted reactions, he managed to conceal the panic of his rigid movements. He sprinted upstairs to Hyunmi’s room, each step filled with raw desperation.   “My love,” he called out, readying his mind for a logical explanation regarding Dongwoo’s offer. He had not fully made up his mind yet, and pondered upon a soluti