Why aren't you picking up?

Mingi was this close to throwing his phone across the wall, after Ara had failed to pick up the call for the past two hours. Surely she would have noticed they were missing someone from their trio the second they had exited the Faerie portal? Or did something worse happen and they couldn't reach him? There were too many possibilities to be certain, for all he knew they could have ended up in the Alps and their plan had gone terribly wrong-

"Have you seen the news, Mingi?!" Eric practically screamed through the call the second Mingi had held the phone up to his ear.  

Mingi grimaced, "No, you can tell me without screaming into my ear, Eric. What is it?"

"I-it's Chairman Jeong, he's dead."

Mingi raced to grab the remote control and the TV screen lit up, he changed to the city's news channel and low and behold - Chairman Jeong's face was plastered onto the screen as the news anchor announced his death. "According to reports, the Adamas CEO was found dead on 11th street at 4 a.m. this morning. So far investigations show no evidence of murder and no traces of drugs were found-"

"..." Mingi cursed out loud. He pulled on a proper shirt and sprinted across the lounge to leave the suite. "I gotta go, Eric. Does my mom know-"

He threw open the front door and stared at the sight of his mother, wearing full black. "Mom?" he blurted. "I-you're back?"

Silently, the Chairlady entered the suite. She sighed, "I arrived this morning, I'm sure you've heard the news." She walked past him and towards the glass panned windows, staring out into the city skyline after pouring herself a glass of water.

Mingi closed the door behind him again, "Yeah, Chairman Jeong's dead," there was so much that his mom didn't know, and for sure would never believe even if he told her. "Mom, I know you'll probably ignore what I say but I'm going to say it anyway - the Chairman dying, this isn't as simple as it seems."

"What are you suggesting, Mingi?" 

He his lips, "I'm saying...Sofia Jeong isn't as innocent as she seems. From Yunho to his dad, she's somehow behind all this-"

"And what proof do you have?" his mother turned around, distraught. "I attended the funeral earlier before! I saw Sofia there, she was heartbroken,"

"Mom, you're a businesswoman so you should know better! Once the Chairman dies, who benefits the most from it? Who?" 

"Anyone but Sofia - which is no one at all," she snapped. "I know what you asked Eric to do for you, he still works for me, Mingi. I was planning on asking what was your motive for searching this information that doesn't concern you - but since you've seen it, the money won't be inherited by her but to charity. I don't see how you're planning on twisting your way around this,"

"That's because it's part of her plan! She's going to ratify that will so all the money will go to her,"

"And how is she going to do that?"

"Because Yunho isn't dead!"

At that moment his mother looked like something had been taken away from her, she stared at her son and shook her head. "Have you been taking your medication, Mingi? Tell me you have,"

Mingi tensed, this was the thing he had been keeping from her. "Mom, I've been trying to tell you this whole time. I was never sick," he sighed. "You just don't know so many things-"

"Don't know what?" Yejin cried. "That you have been refusing medication all this time? Is that the nonsense you choose to believe in? That poor Sofia has been scheming for nothing-"

"SHE TRIED TO KILL ME!" Mingi shouted, startling his mother. He was shaking, "Twice, mom. And yet you still choose to believe in that woman when so many suspicious things have happened rather than your own son? I was old enough to know what I saw, I almost drowned in that pool, I was the one you shipped off to another country just because you thought I had been going crazy!"

"I was protecting you, Mingi!" his mom replied. "Imagine the press, how much scrutiny you would be under at that age? What I did, I did for you. I hurts me to see you like this," she choked. "I thought you'd get better and understand my intentions-"

"No mom," Mingi held up his hand, pained. "You don't understand." 

And with that he grabbed his jacket and exited the room. 

"What could this be about, Chairlady Song?" asked Mr. Shu. 

Song Yejin shrugged, "Not sure, but all the shareholders are here so I'm guessing they're going to officialize the transfer of company assets to the charity fund," Mr. Shu was a well-known man who ran an insurance company, the biggest one in the city in fact and he had always loved small talk - in which Yejin was not much a fan of. And so for the past ten minutes she had let him ramble on about the stockmarket and how badly economy was these days, throwing in random terms regarding tailored suits he believed would be of her interests. 

Of course they were not, Yejin had other things on her mind: How her son had lashed out. 

She tried to kill me, twice. It could have been all in his head, like how his doctors had assumed. But the clarity, the firmness of his when he said that disproved it and Yejin needed to remind herself that Mingi was most definitely lying. It brought her back to the the accident so many years ago and she rememberd it crystal clear as well; she had called Mingi who was at Yunho's house, soon later the driver had arrived to pick him up but he had gone missing, and then a few hours later near midnight both her son and Jeong Yunho were found in their school swimming pool. How the cops did not trace that, or the school security guard not noticing, not a single person who knew what exactly had went down that night - Yejin always had her suspicions but chose not to say anything. 

It was for Chairman Jeong's sake, for old times sake as well. I had my reasons too Mingi, she thought.

"Do you think Sofia Jeong will be attending today?" Mr. Shu asked, bringing her back to reality. 

"Surely not," Yejin frowned. "The funeral was only this morning, she should be having a representative here today right?"

Mr. Shu peered around and leaned closer, "Well I did hear rumours from an acquaintance of mine who was attending only an hour or so ago told me she wasn't present to greet the visitors, quite odd isn't it? And holding a press conference at this hour, very peculiar indeed," he tapped on his wristwatch that showed the time, 7:00 p.m..

He had a point, Yejin had to agree. In fact, things had been odd when she attended as well - the casket had in fact, been closed and everything had happened so quickly. Not even a post-mortem that by right, should have taken at least a day to complete. She didn't even get to see her old friend one last time. "I'm sure there's a reason behind this," she said curtly. "We'll just have to wait and see."

And right after she had said that, the entire hall was brought to attention by the appearance of the speaker at the podium adjusting the microphone. "A very good evening to all attending members at this hour, we know this may be an inconvenience on such short notice. I'd like to invite Ms. Sofia Jeong, to continue the conference. With all due respect," 

A wave of murmurs echoed throughout the hall, cameras began flashing when Sofia Jeong emerged from the door next to the stage. Wearing a black dress and shades, it hid half of her face but above it all, Yejin didnt think she looked like a mourning widow. Perhaps this was facade she had put on for the sake of looking strong. But why?

Sofia Jeong stood at the podium, "A very good evening to all, and thank you for attending despite this late. With a heavy heart, I represent my husband, Chairman Jeong, who has recently passed to express my gratitude for all your condolences and support you have given to our family. He was...the light of my life and I am still adjusting to his absence, but he would agree that more important things needed to be attended to,"

"Is she talking about the will?" Yejin heard someone to her right mumble to another person.

"But so soon? Is it happening tonight?" 

"Isn't she supposed to be at home mourning?"

Yejin rolled her eyes at that comment, she can mourn however she wants, taking matters into her own hands and being professional was simply something Yejin herself would do even if forced. She continued to listen to Sofia's speech. 

Sofia sighed, "Most of you may have guessed that the reason I'm holding this press conference today is regarding the dissolution of the company in wake of my husband's passing, as stated in the will he had prepared prior. It is to my knowledge you have received this bit of information beforehand - and therefore immediate ratification must be conducted,"

Even more murmurs of speculation and confusion. Reporters were already on their phones, texting and recording, while the shareholders were in a state of bewilderment - Yejin felt the same way. 

"What ratification?"

"Is she going against the will? Is this possible legally when she has no power to do so?"

"The will cannot be ammended, his son has been dead years ago-"

"I, we, apologize for keeping secrets from you all and causing such inconveniences but it was in the best interests and safety of our family." Sofia Jeong took a step back from the podium, turned towards the security guards standing in front of the door, and nodded briefly. 

On cue, they gave way for whoever it was on the other side to pass. There was a collective gasp, the nonstop flashes of the camera, reporters already on their feet as they held out their mics asking question after question, even some of the shareholders had stood up in dismay, adjusting their glasses and holding up their phones. But all Yejin could do was stare in frozen shock at the person walking up the stage.

You were telling the truth...

'The number you have dialed is currently unreachable, please leave a message after the beep-'

Mingi groaned and tossed his phone onto the bar table before drinking the glass of whiskey the bartender of the hotel he and his mother were staying at had served. It had been ages and Ara was nowhere to be found, not even at her house when Mingi visited hours before after leaving the suite. He had searched everywhere else she would go too, from Aurora Square to Rocco's flat that was also empty. Where the hell were they all?

"Fancy seeing you here, drinking all alone at a hotel bar."

He spun around and was taken aback, standing next to him was Elise Pevensie, whom the last time they met was at the faerie revel that she wouldn't have remembered. "W-what a coincidence," he blurted as he fumbled with his drink. "What brings you here?"

Elise shrugged, "My dad had dinner with his clients, I thought I'd do some exploring - and I found you here. It may be fate?" cheekily, she leaned against the bar, the pastel pink lace of her long sleeves sprawled across the counter top, her silver blonde hair tied up in a high tail exactly like how he remembered when he had asked her to dance. 

Mingi blushed and cleared his throat, "Would you like a drink? It's on me,"

She grinned, "Sure, but I'm a wine type of person,"

Flustered, Mingi helped her order as she settled into the seat next to his. In the awkward silence that followed, Mingi figured he could at least listen to her go on with her smalltalk and make it look like he was listening to her daily woes and annoying daughters of some CEO of a textile company-

"And I didn't expect to see you at the revels that night."

Mingi tensed and he stared in shock as Elise sipped on her wine as if she had said something normal. "I-I thought no, no, one was supposed to remember-" 

Miraculously, she winked. "Not everyone, you seem to remember it too," she examined the red liquid in her glass. "And I saw you running off not long after that, can I ask why?"

I should be the one asking questions, he thought. But before he could say anything else, the loud crowd gathered in front of the lobby TV drawn him in more, or more precisely what they were talking about. "Mingi?" Elise frowned, but he was already on his feet.

"Holy he's back from the dead!" he pushed past the man who had said that. 

"I don't think he was even dead in the first place all this time!"

Displayed on the LED screen was Jeong Yunho, very much alive and not dead.