Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. - Niccolò Machiavelli

Sungho was nowhere to be found for the next week. Soojin was left in an empty penthouse, trying her best to try to figure out how to solve the mess he made. He had left her without any instructions, so he probably assumed she would wait for him to return. And unfortunately, he was right. She was still on retainer, so she couldn’t just leave, even though she wanted to. Shuhua hadn’t spoken to her since Taeha’s arrest, and Soojin couldn’t help but feel guilty for how things turned out. She was a key part of Sungho’s plan, after all.

Early on a Saturday morning, when Soojin hoped she could disappear into the darkness of her room, a call woke her up. At first she hoped it was Shuhua, but the caller ID was unknown. A familiar voice greeted her soon after she answered.

“Soojin! How are you doing? I saw what happened on the news. I’m sorry I couldn’t call right away, we had an issue with another employee and—” Soyeon spoke so fast that Soojin was having a hard time hearing her.

“It’s fine… I’m doing ok.”

“There’s another reason why I’m calling…” Soyeon sounded worried, and Soojin felt her anxiety grow. She sat up in her bed, feeling dizzy from the suddenness of the call.

“What is it?”

“I got a phone call from the front desk at your apartment… someone left you a package there.”

“What? Who?”

“I’m not sure. All they said was that someone came to drop something off.”

Not many people knew where Soojin lived. Soyeon and the agency only knew because of safety reasons, and even Soojin’s closest acquaintances had never been to her apartment. This was dangerous.

“I’ll go check it out now.” Soojin said, quickly gathering up her things.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if it’s not safe?” Soyeon fretted.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve dealt with worse situations before.”

Soyeon didn’t seem convinced. “I worry about you, Soojin. This assignment has been different than the others. Something isn’t right.”

“I know. But this won’t end until I finish it myself.”

“Stay safe.” Soyeon said, voice wavering.

“I’ll try.”

Soojin tipped the driver extra as she left the taxi in front of her apartment building. She hadn’t been here in months, and it felt strange to remember her old life before she met the Park family. It was safe, but so lonely. Now, she was playing a dangerous game with an unpredictable man, but even more worrying, she didn’t care about the risk as long as she could stay close to Shuhua. All her logic and rationality had left her the moment they first kissed.

After a nerve-wracking elevator ride, Soojin finally arrived on her floor. As she approached her front door, she looked for a package, but none were there.

Was she being pranked? Would someone do that to her?

She took out her keys, and tried to ignore how her hand was shaking as she put them into her lock.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the overwhelming scent of flowers.

Her entire apartment was decorated in white and blood red roses. The flowers were strown across her table, her couch, and even her kitchen counters. A wall of flowers covered her window, creating a claustrophobic darkness. The entire apartment smelled sickly sweet, just like the flowers at Jinhyung’s funeral. It was a smell she hoped she would never have to experience ever again, and now it was smothering the one place she ever felt safe.

A trail of rose petals led the way from her front door to her closed bedroom door, and Soojin could feel her anxiety rising every step she took, terrified at what she would find in there.

When saw what was waiting for her, she felt sick. Her only sanctuary was violated for some cruel trick.

Her entire bed was covered in flowers, these ones even more extravagant than the ones in her entrance way. All these flower arrangements must have cost thousands of dollars. Soojin looked to see if any of her things were missing or moved, but everything looked untouched, other than the flowers. They looked like blood-stained snow on her sheets.

In the very middle of the flowers on her bed lay a crisp white card. Soojin slowly reached towards it, knowing whatever was written there would change everything. Her hands were shaking even more now, and it took her a moment to gather the courage to open the card.

Dear Miss Seo Soojin,

Would you be so kind to accompany me to the Annual Gala at the National Art Museum next week? I’ll need your services during this difficult time. I hope you enjoy the flowers, I curated them myself.

P.S: Send my best wishes to your dear parents. I’ve heard they been dealing with quite a troublesome financial situation recently.

Best wishes, Park Sungho.

The card burned her fingers where she held it.

Seo Soojin. He knew her real identity. He knew where she lived. And he knew about her parent’s debts as well.

Soojin collapsed onto her bed, crushing the flowers as she took this all in.

Sungho could have just asked her to accompany him to the gala or at least left a note at the apartment they shared. For him to leave this at her own house… It felt like an intrusion. It was a threat.

Soojin wanted to destroy the flowers, tear them down with her hands and stomp on them until they were no longer recognizable. But she just couldn’t find the willpower. Sungho had them all wrapped around his finger, and Soojin didn’t know how she could come out of this unscathed. Soojin, Taeha, and Shuhua were all just playthings to Sungho, and he enjoyed making their suffering last as long as possible. Soojin wondered how long he had known her true identity. Had he known the whole time, and was just playing with her when he prodded her for information? Was he always going to use this as his trump card, or was he worried he was losing his grip on her? Soojin had so many questions, and no answers could make her feel any better.

But there was one thing she knew. This was probably going to be her last assignment.

Soojin could barely breath. The dress Sungho had picked out for her for the gala was constricting, never letting her have anything deeper than a shallow breath while she greeted the biggest businessmen, celebrities, and politicians in Asia. It was probably by design, knowing Sungho. It was a warning to her.

I own you, and I can trap you in whatever binds I want.

Soojin understood the message as soon as the boutique attendant secured the buttons on the back of her neck. She may be dressed in a twenty-thousand-dollar dress, but she was nothing more than a prisoner. Sungho’s smile was reflected in the mirror as he stood behind her, examining the dress like one would inspect a prize horse. Every fold and lace were moved into position by the attendants, trapping her within its perfection. A single wrong movement could ruin it, and Sungho seemed to take great pleasure seeing her struggle in such luxurious restraints.

Soojin had found herself in difficult situations before, but she never felt more imprisoned than she was now.

A few hours passed, and Soojin found herself hanging on Sungho’s arm, sipping lukewarm champagne while Sungho spoke to a multitude of vapid one-percenters. None of the chats were particularly interesting to her, as it seemed that Sungho had purposely found the shallowest conversation partners during the gala just to torture her. He knew she was always listening for information, so he besieged her with conversations about superficial wealth and petty drama. All the others did was kiss Sungho’s boots and give their fake condolences to him about his mother’s arrest.

However, Sungho’s current companion drew her attention away from her worried thoughts. This woman had long dark hair, sharp stilettos, and a predatory gaze. Soojin’s eavesdropping told her that the woman, Kim Yujeong, was the wife of a famous film director who had won countless awards overseas. She looked like she was a few years older than Sungho, maybe thirty-five, and her beauty was mature and pointed. She looked like a panther who wanted to devour Sungho alive.

“You’re looking quite handsome, Sungho.” The woman’s eyes narrowed, focusing on Sungho’s loose hold on Soojin before returning to Sungho’s face.

“And you’re a vision tonight, Yujeong. Your husband never seems to skimp on the expenses for your outfits.” Sungho challenged, and it was obvious to Soojin that there was some sort of history between these two. She didn’t remember anything about Yujeong in her research, but the woman was obviously different than the others Sungho had spoken to tonight. The rest all fawned over him, up to the only Park left standing after the death of Jinhyung and the arrest of Taeha. It was obvious they wanted to get into his good graces, but Yujeong was different.

“Ever since I saw on the news that your mother had been arrested for forgery, I worried about you.” Soojin could see through this woman in a second. Her concern was just as fake as her veneers. Yujeong’s hand rested on the crook of Sungho’s elbow, sensually rubbing his Armani jacket with no care that his supposed fiancée was standing right beside him.

Sungho put on a sad expression, one of a betrayed son, which he had pulled out multiple times that night already.

“It’s certainly been a difficult time for my family, but I trust in the justice system. Wrong doings must be punished, of course.”

“I agree.” Yujeong purred, amused by Sungho’s performance.

“But thankfully, I’ve had my fiancée to rely on during these trying times. You’ve heard of her before, right? Soojin Kwon.”

Yujeong finally turned to her, but didn’t give her any greeting bow or anything. Her fake smile barely covered her sneer.

“Of course! I remember seeing your work in Vogue Italia. Or was it Collezioni?”

Soojin had obviously never had a photoshoot feature in any magazine, but this woman seemed to want to play along.

“It was Vogue Italia, of course.” Sungho offered before Soojin could answer. “Soojin is quite well respected among the fashion industry in Europe. They’ve even invited her to Paris Fashion week next season.”

“Oh really? Maybe my husband can work with her one day.” Yujeong said to Sungho like Soojin wasn’t standing a foot away from her. “He is also quite renowned in Europe. He’s actually staying in Spain right now for a film shoot, so I’m here all by myself.”

Soojin didn’t have to be a genius to know what Yujeong was up to. Perhaps her and Sungho had an affair before, and this was just a nice little reunion for them. Yujeong obviously didn’t see her as a threat, despite her status as Sungho’s fiancée. Which meant Yujeong must know the real Sungho, the one who slept with married women and threw his own mother in jail.

Their flirting continued longer than Soojin could bare, so she distracted herself with thoughts of a better place. A lit fire, rustic wool blankets, and a warm body that held her tightly. It had been two weeks since she had last seen Shuhua, and Soojin felt lost. Shuhua took Taeha’s arrest badly, and wouldn’t even respond to Soojin’s texts. Sungho had briefly mentioned how Shuhua had looked gaunt at the press conference they were both forced to attend, but he didn’t seem to be concerned enough about her to mention anything else to Soojin. He still didn’t see Shuhua as any sort of threat, and Soojin could tell he was feeling invincible after the defeat of his mother. She worried he had more hidden up his sleeve, as the problem of the will still hadn’t been fully solved. With the real will still missing, Sungho must have planned something for his next step if he ultimately planned to take full control of the Park family assets. Soojin knew he was behind Taeha’s arrest, but she just couldn’t prove it yet. Taeha didn’t seem like the type of woman who would use lies and forgery to win.

“Soojin.” Sungho said as he squeezed her forearm, rudely awakening her from her thoughts. His touch burned, but in all the wrong ways. She hated it.

She looked at him blankly, waiting for whatever request he had for her now. Yujeong was still watching them, and Soojin didn’t feel like speaking in front of her sharp gaze.

“My driver will take you back to the penthouse. I have further business to discuss with Ms. Kim that would only bore you.”

Soojin tensed her jaw, anger shooting through her as Sungho looked at her with a mocking smile. She wasn’t even Sungho’s real fiancée, but she still felt like she was being thrown away like used trash. Was Sungho trying to embarrass her on purpose? She was sure others around the ballroom were watching them like vultures, enjoying whatever scandal was occurring in front of their eyes. Sungho was proving his dominance in front of his peers, that he could cheat on his fiancée right in front of her eyes and not pay a single price for it. And it was working, just as he planned. Here she was, looking extravagant in the dress he chose for her, and she was being rejected for an older, married woman. Soojin pitied whoever had dated Sungho before she met him, because she was sure this kind of power play was a common occurrence for him. It was obvious he saw women as toys and got off on their attempts to compete with each other just for a chance at capturing his attention. Even though she felt nothing but contempt for Sungho, it still felt demeaning to be played with like this in front of a crowd of scavengers.

She didn’t want to play this game anymore.

“I’ll head out now. I wouldn’t want to distract you from your business discussions.” She said, keeping her expression sweet but her words sharp. She began to separate herself from Sungho, but he grabbed her wrist before she could walk towards the exit.

“And Soojin?” He said, his glare cutting through her like a knife.

“What?” She responded, worried at what he was going to say.

“Don’t wait for me.”

He smiled, and Soojin felt even more threatened than when his eyes were cold. He really was a wolf in designer clothes.

When she finally returned to the empty penthouse, Soojin collapsed onto her bed, with no care for ruining the delicate gemstones on her dress. She wanted to rip the dress up, but despite the sheer material, it was so well made that she couldn’t even make a single tear. She threw the dress on the ground instead. She had no idea how her life had come to this.

All she wanted to do was find Shuhua and escape this nightmare, but the girl refused to talk to her. Soojin was a coward, she knew that, and she let herself fall into Sungho’s trap because she was too afraid of ruining the fragile relationship she shared with Shuhua. And now that Sungho was threatening her parents, she felt even weaker.

Time passed by slowly in her dark room as she lay on her bed with her hands pressed against her eyes, trying to keep the tears in. But for the first time since she had met Sungho, another emotion was building within her, overtaking the despair and helplessness that weighed her down. Indignation flared within her, burning away her misery.

She was angry. No… she was furious.

Soojin knew she was a passive person who just let things happen to her, but she couldn’t let that happen anymore. She realized that now. Her life was for her and her alone, not for the pathetic men who paid to own her. She was always told what to wear, how to act, and what to want. But she now knew what she truly wanted.

She rose off of her bed and threw on the nearest clothes she could find. It didn’t matter that it was already the middle of the night. She had to talk to Shuhua.

Soojin ran out the front door of the penthouse and didn’t look back.

Sungho summoned her for tea in the mansion courtyard a few days after the gala. It reminded her of their first meeting, but something told her this one would end much differently. She hadn’t seen him since the gala, but it was a good thing. She finally had some time to breath.

It was a cold January day, and even though it was still the early afternoon, the sky was dark with grey clouds. The fall leaves that reminded her so much of stolen moments had been completely buried under the frozen snow. Winter was here, judging by the grimaces of the people who hurried past her on their way to warmer refuges. Spring would come soon, as it always did, but it never felt farther than it was on days like this.

Soojin braced herself as she walked through the mansion’s entrance towards the centre of the house. She had to execute this perfectly. There was no room for mistakes anymore.

She could see from the foyer that Sungho was sitting in the courtyard with his back facing her, allowing her some time to compose herself before she had to face him.

As she approached the table at the centre of the courtyard, she started noticing things she had been blind to up until this moment. The contrast between the mansion and the cold Seoul day brought her to her senses.

The courtyard really was nothing but an artifice. All its colors and scents didn’t reflect the reality of nature outside its walls. Life was meant to be harsh, almost unlivable when you were going through a dark winter. Pretending to thrive like the sharp roses that grew behind Sungho’s chair only flaunted how disconnected this garden was from the toils of life.

Sungho was much like this courtyard, Soojin concluded. Perfectly planned and pruned, but without the touch of authenticity, the mud and the dirt of life. He was empty, with no substance or empathy. Sungho hid his true self behind pretentious draperies and perfumes, but in the end, all he amounted to was a flower with no scent. He had no depth, no deeper meaning.

She didn’t even bother to greet him as she sat in the wrought-iron garden chair across from him, coldly matching his pleased gaze as his eyes settled on her.

“I’m pleased you could make it, Soojin. I apologize for being absent for the past few weeks. As you probably already know, business never sleeps.”

“Of course.” Soojin replied, playing along with Sungho’s shallow pleasantries.

“You look lovely today.” Sungho said as he took a sip of his tea. “But I’ll cut to the chase, since I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I need you to do something for me.”

“And what would that be?” Soojin was unsure where this request was going to lead.

“I need you to help me keep my mother away for as long as possible.” Sungho said slowly, like Soojin would have a difficult time understanding him. He was patronizing in all the worst ways.

“How would I do that?”             

“As you know, she’s only on trial for forgery and fraud right now, and I’m sure her lawyers will find a way to get her off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.” He explained as he leaned forward, eyes zeroing in on Soojin. “But if enough witnesses came forward, the police might have to start reinvestigating my father’s death…”

No…

“What are you implying?” Soojin said coolly, trying to keep calm despite her growing unease.

“My father had lung cancer, that much is true. But the public didn’t know about it, and I’m sure they woul