Lee Ji Hoon

"President Lee, your back" I went into Ri An's office after a long day of working. 

"Sorry, my secretary told me you were looking for me earlier." I looked apologetically at her. I remembered what had happened earlier today. I had seen Ha Na's son. He was alive. And Joon knew all along. The thought quickly came to mind....did she know???....

"Have you eaten Miss Jung?" I asked. She looked suprised that I asked her that. "If you're hungry, we can go to dinner…" I suggested.

"Are you asking me on a date President Lee?" she smirked.

I laughed. "I suppose I am." 

Ri An laughed. She stood from her chair and went to put on her coat and grabbed her bag.

"Hmmm…well in that case I accept." 

I was happy, no doubt. 

"Shall we, Miss Jung?" I opened the door for her and we set off for dinner.

__________________________________

JUNG RIAN 

The resturant Ji Hoon chose was a very expensive one. For some reason it seemed familar. Like I had been there before...with him?

"We will have wine please" Ji Hoon told the server. They brought it quickly. The server poured it elegantly.

"This seems a little over the top if it's just for me, don't you think President Lee?" I took a drink from my glass. 

"Nonsense. You are now part of the Boosung family. You deserve this and much more." 

I tilted my head. "Oh?" 

Ji Hoon cleared his throat. He must of realized how it came out. He was a married man after all.

"So you've never been here?" he changed the subject. I eyed him carefully. Was he expecting me to say something so I would give up my secret? I had to be careful. This place seemed familiar but I couldn't really say i had been here. Could it be a special place of Ji Hoon's that he took me when we were sopposibly engaged? 

I guess this was as good as any time to see if he would tell me about that time. 

"I haven't." I said. He just nodded. 

"President Lee. I might be crossing the line here but, you always seem to be at Boosung. Do you ever go home?" I asked daringly. He didn't look like the question bothered him.

He sighed. "That is the one place where I feel like I can escape my demons. I guess I am what people call a 'workaholic'." 

"Your demons?" It peaked my curiousity. 

"I- I've done many wrong things in my life." he half smiled.

"Wrong? From an outsider looking in, you look like a good person. You seem to have it all. Wealth, a family..fame. A perfect life." 

"It is true...I have a family. A wife that I neglect. A daughter that has lived most of her life without me. There is just too many things that I continue to do that are wrong, but I can't help it. I don't even know how to be there for myself..." 

"What could you have possibly done to feel like that?" I asked. He simply smiled but he looked sad.

"Ever since my father died, things began to go downhill. I was left with the very big responsiblity of being the next heir to Boosung. I don't think I was ready for it at the time...Also--" 

I listened carefully. "there was things going on with my younger brother. It almost became too much for me to bear. I turned to alcohol and became a violent person. I became someone I didn't recognize. I began to envy my brother and his carefree life. He never once had to be responsible for anything yet he always seemed to complain about why everything about his life was tragic.

I would get so angry. He had no idea it was like to live with such a heavy burden and grieve and have to worry about him all at the same time. That's when I had enough. I didn't see him as my brother anymore...I wanted to hurt him... My own brother.." he looked disgusted in himself. He took a deep breath. "That's when I thought about hurting the person that he loved." 

I looked away. That was me. I couldn't belive that he was telling me all this. 

"To me, it didn't make sense how someone could be so cold and arrogant and have someone as pure as that girl. He had not once in his life done somthing to earn her. Why did she love him?"

"Did you hurt her?"

He nodded. I closed my eyes for a brief second. Why was Ji Hoon telling me all of this? 
"She didn't deserve it...she was such a good girl...underserving of this world." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"After everything I did to her, she still found it in her heart to forgive me." 

This is probably what Byunghee was talking about. I had no memories of this.

"I always loved her...but she only saw my brother. After I found out that my brother had thrown her out, I began to make it my mission to beg for her forgiveness. With time, she forgave me and we had even gotten engaged to be married." he said. I couldn't have forgiven him...could I? 

"Thats when my misfortune continued. During that time I was having dealings with China and I had to leave. When I came back...she had disapeared."

My eyes widnened. "Disapeared?" 

He nodded. "I never saw her again." 

"and...that is my life story." he said and took a big sip of his wine. I just looked at him. How is it that he seemed like the Ji Hoon that I had met back then? The Ji Hoon that helped me with my cuts and scrapes the first time I met him? 

The warm and kind hearted Ji Hoon. His gentle demenor...his soft voice. Could it actually be true that I had forgiven him? I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't know wheter to reply to him as Choi Ha Na or Jung Ri An. 

"I am sorry. I have overwhelemed you with all this. All you did was ask a simple question and I spilled more than I should have" he said. 

"No...I am grateful you told me all of this." 

"Grateful?" 

"You trust me, or you wouldn't have told me this." I took his hand in mine. He flinched at my sudden movement. "You can see me as a friend from now on Ji Hoon-ssi" I said. 

I wasn't ready to reviel myself to Ji Hoon. Not yet. I needed to know more about this. 

LEE JI HOON

As I told her my story there was times I saw the pain in her eyes. It tugged at my heart telling her but I felt like I needed to say it, to confirm if it was Ha Na. She was holding on to her tears. 

Yes, there was alot of things I left out but I didn't want to go into detail. I couldn't open her wounds again.

"And that is my life story." I took a sip of my wine. I looked at her and she seemed lost in her own thoughts. 

I'm sorry Ha Na...

"I am sorry..I have overwhelmed you with all this. All you did was ask a simple question and I spilled more than I should have." I said. 

"No." she looked up at me, her eyes seemed different. They no longer looked at me with distrust. "I am grateful you told me all of this."

I was shocked. "Grateful?" 

"You trust me, or else you wouldn't have told me this." She reached out for my hand. "You can see me as a friend from now on Ji Hoon-ssi" 

Ji Hoon-ssi....what she use to call me. Hearing it made me go back to the time when we were both happy. There was such a time...long ago. 

JUNG RIAN 

"President Lee. Miss Jung." The moment was cut short when I heard that voice. It was none other than Lee Joon. I looked up to him. He was starring at our hands. I didn't move it. 

Joon was with that girl.

"Ah, what a surprise Mr. Kim." I said. I could tell he was beyond mad at what he was seeing. This moment was not planned yet it made me really happy. 

Ji Hoon retracted his hand from mine and greeted them. I stood up and greeted them too.

"How nice to see you again, Rin." I said. She looked nervous. 

"Miss Rian.." she said and bowed. 

"Ji Hoon-ssi, you remember Mr. Kims's girlfriend. Rin..." I said.

"Ah, yes. We met at the Boosung Ball."

Rin looked uncomfortable. She should be. This little thing didn't need to be here.

"You two seem close.." Joon said. So he really was bothered. 

"We are buisness partners, ofcourse we are close." Ji Hoon was the first to speak. 

"I hope we didn't interuppt a buisness meeting" He scoffed. He was jealous indeed.

"No, we were just about to eat." Ji Hoon said. 

"Then perhaps we can join you?" Joon suggested. I raised my brows. That...I was not expecting him to suggest that.

"Ofcourse." Ji Hoon had no other choice but to say.

"Changsun, I need to go to the bathroom." Rin stood up and left. 

I raised my head arrogantly, happy at the mess I was creating. 

"I can't help but think I interrupted something." Joon cross his arms and said. 

"We don't mind your company Mr. Kim" I said. "We are coworkers are we not?" 

I decided to go to the bathroom too. I had never had the chance to speak to Rin just by myself and I wanted to see what kind of person she was. 

I excused myself and left. When I heard the girls soft cries I stopped. She was looking at herself in the mirror by the sink, crying. 

"Is something the matter? Rin…is everything okay?" I noticed Rin jumped at the sound of my voice. She was looking down, trying to hid her tears. 

"Yes…everything's fine" she tried to hold her tears in. I smirked. 

"Oh, don't cry…you'll ruin your makeup. What good would getting dolled up like this do if you ruin it now? Although I have to say, makeup really doesn't suit you. It doesn't look good on a weak person. A person that always cries shouldn't wear makeup. Instead of it making you look pretty, it smears and it makes you look ugly. Beats it's purpose don't you think?" I laughed. 

I walked closer towards Rin and leaned down to be at her level. She was still crying. "Don't waste your time trying to look good for a man that doesn't love you. Especially for a man that is in love with another women. Nothing you do will make him look at you in the way you desire." 

"That's enough" Joon came into the bathroom and took Rin's hand. I wasn't done.

"You will just be disappointed in the end." 

Joon gave me a strange look. It were almost as we connected for a brief moment. As Joon and Ha Na.

Rin couldn't take it anymore and ran away from us. 

"Such a weak girl. She reminds me of someone I use to know." I said. I was exposing myself so much tonight. 

"Look, you have no right to talk to Rin like that. She is--" I didn't let him finish. I slid my hand up his arm. Those strong arms….that use to hold me in a tight embrace. 

"Why are you with her? Do you even like her?" I whispered. 

"She reminds me of someone I use to know."

"Oh? Could it actually be that you are in love with another women?" I laughed. 

"Yes, I am in love with another women…" 

Bastard.

I smiled. "So let me get this straight. She reminds you of an ex, that women you love. That's why you're dating her. How unfortunate. Although, to be honest with you…you don't seem like the kind of man that would settle for just anyone…let alone some one like her."

No ofcourse not, you weren't even happy with me.

"That was me before I met you." 

What a liar. 

"Don't offend me. Was I average like that girl?" I looked at the direction Rin left. 

"Don't offend her. Choi Ha Na. She is nothing like you. At least, not anymore." 

How dare he?!

"We are the same person" 

"No...your not. Ha Na would of never behaved like this. She was a compassionate person and hated people getting treated in an injust manner. You humilated Rin and made her cry for no reason at all. Choi Ha Na would of never done that" 

The way he talked about me struck something in me. I went into a jealous rage.

"Sounds like she really does have you wrapped around her little finger."

"You are so far gone...nothing like the girl I remember."  

"Maybe you shouldn't have tried to kill me"

His eyes shot opened in surprise. That's right Joon...I am going to remind you of what you did to me.

He nodded. "You're right. I did this to you...

If there is anything I regret in my life is not letting my desire for revenge go. I had everything but because of my own selfishness, I couldn't live with the love that you gave me, I wanted more..." 

I stayed quiet. I just listened to Joon. At this point i didn't know what to believe. He sounded sincere. 

"Joon…" I whispered. 

Joon touched my cheek so gently. I was falling for his lies again! No Rian! This man lied to get his way! 

"I have to go" I tried to leave but Joon grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Is it you…is it really you Ha Na-yah?"