RIN:

Rin looked over the business card that Roy had given her last night. She seemed to be in the right spot.

ZHOUMI

She had visited his branch in Korea.

She took her phone out and dialed the number.

“Yes?” it sounded like Roy. It was weird that he was the one to respond. Had he given her his direct number?

“AH yes, this is Rin! I met you yesterday at the hospital.”

“Miss Rin, of course. How are you?” he sounded friendly.

“I am good thanks. I came to talk to you...do you have time?” Rin said.

“I am about to go out for lunch, perhaps we can meet up to eat together?” he suggested.

“I am standing outside of the company...ZHOUMI right?”

“I will be out, wait for me. I will pick you up.” he hung up.

Rin was just left there, confused. How was she to know what car he drove or where he was coming from? She sat by the water fountain waiting. After a few minutes of waitng a black car pulled up in front of her. The back car window rolled down.

“Miss Rin?” Rin looked up to see who was calling her. It was Roy.

She stood up quickly and bowed.

ROY ZHOU:

"Is that the young lady President?" my driver pointed out Rin. I smiled and nodded.

She was wearing her typical long flowery skirt, boots and a big lumpy sweater. This time her hair was curled, it looked nice. She looked presentable. That could only mean she took what I had said seriously.

“Miss Rin?” I called to her as I got out of the car. She looked caught off guard but stood up and bowed. I bowed too.

“Good to see you Mr. Zhou!” she said cheerfully.

“Please call me Roy.”
She nodded and pulled her hair behind her ear. I could tell she was nervous.

“Shall we?” we walked over to my car. My chaffer opened the door for Rin then me.

“Where to sir?” the chaffer asked when we were situated.

“Are you okay with anything Miss Rin?” I asked Rin. She nodded. “Yes anything is fine Mr. Roy!” I smirked. This girl was not just going to call me Roy.

I told him to drive us to my favorite restaurant that wasn’t too far from the company. One the way to it, Rin kept fiddling with her skirt.

“I can’t wait to hear what you’ve decided Miss Rin.” I said.

RIN:

When we walked into the restaurant, the workers looked panicked as he saw us coming in. The place was unlike anywhere had ever been to. It was very fancy. I kept getting lost in how beautiful everything and everyone looked.

Especially Roy. He looked even more refined and unbelieivably handsome. He didn’t look like an ordinary person. I tried not to stare even though it was really hard not to.

“Miss Rin?” Roy called my name. I snapped back into reality and followed him to our table. I kept my eyes on the floor so I wouldn’t embarrass Roy any more. I felt stares on our way into the restaurant. When I looked up I noticed that we were no longer in the main part, it was separate from the restaurant. The tables where divided by really beautiful panels with Chinese art. What exactly was this place?

When we reached our table/room, Roy pulled out the chair for me and I sat quickly.

He smiled.

“Than..thank you!” I said.

“I hope this restaurant is to your liking. I am very fond of it.”

“I have never been to a place like this. It’s amazing”

Roy nodded. “Kim Yoon Jae doesn’t spoil his youngest daughter?”

That made me feel very uncomfortable.

“I am only adopted sir. Not only that but I don’t expect that sort of thing from him. I am very lucky that he even considered to give me a home” the waitress didn’t even ask- she was already pouring us wine.

“How very humble of you Miss Rin.” Roy said as he sipped on his wine.

“I don’t want to take a lot of your time since I am sure you are a busy man, so I’ll get to the point.” I said. Roy looked straight at me with his intense gaze. “I’ll do it”

Roy looked please with himself. “You will?”

“Yes. I thought about it and I can’t live with myself thinking that Leo is in a place where we doesn’t know anyone. He's probably so confused and scared about the whole situation.”

“I assure you Miss Rin, Leo is in the safest place he could be.” he continued. “It does ease my mind that you will soon reunite with him. It will make the transition a lot more calming to him.”

“May I ask you a question Mr. Roy?”

“You may.”

“What if Miss Jung Ri An never accepts Leo?”

“Then I will raise him as my own successor.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“I don’t have any children of my own. Leo is my only blood related nephew. I will teach him everything about ZHOUMI so he will inherit everything.”

“But…”

“Ofcourse, if she so happens to realize the stupidity she is doing and wants to be Leo’s mother, I will gladly hand him over to her.”

“That simple huh?” I looked down.

“Tell me something.” he set down his glass and looked at me. “Would you cling on to an illusion of love rather than that child?”

I didn’t have to think about it. No matter how much I loved Changsun, I would never do what Ha Na was doing. If only she knew Leo, she would never be putting up such a fight.

“I would not.”

Roy thought about my answer. “Why?”

“Leo is unlike anyone I have ever met. He is so sweet and caring...so forgiving and pure. Anyone that is around him feels so happy. I would give anything to protect him and continue to be around him. I would do anything to be his mother.”

When I looked up at him he looked, stunned.

“Mr. Roy??”

“Ah, I apologize. I suddenly felt a bit of sadness.”

“Sadness? Why sir?” I asked. I had no idea his man could feel anything like that after the hospital.

“I long to hear those words from my dear sister.”

“Make sense.” I looked down.

“To be honest with you, I have not spend a lot of time with Leo since he came into my home. If it’s not too forward of me to ask, does Leo know who his mother is?”

“Unfortunately Changsun-ssi decided not to speak about her to him. Back then, he didn’t know how to even go about raising a child as a single parent, let alone explaining to him what happened to his mother. He didn’t even know if she was alive.”

“That sounds something he would do” he said annoyed.

“Mr. Roy...I know he isn’t a person you like at all, but aren’t you being too harsh with him?” I noticed the shift in his demendor but I kept going. “You trust me do you not? Would you believe me if i told you he isn’t the person you make him out to be?” I dared to tell him all this.

“The person I make him out to be?” he raised a brow.

“You make him seem like he is a heartless man that cares only for himself. Some one that wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me just for him own gain”

“My dear, you have much to learn.”

“I know plenty about it! I never want to be so untrusting like you. Yes Joon has made a lot of bad decisions in his life, but he is paying for it now! I believe in seeing beyond the bad--”

“Lee Joon hurt my family. Can’t you understand my feelings, Rin?”

Rin looked down.

“I don’t expect you to understand how I feel. Truthfully, I am not a person that likes to share my feelings openly, but I trust you. I feel alot of pity for my sister. You see...I recently learned that she is my blood. I was adopted at a young age so I never met her. I grew up my entire life thinking that I was Roy Zhou.”
“You...were adopted?”

“My real name is Choi Byun Chul. That was the name I was given by my birth parents. I am not Chinese...I am not anything special. I am the product of two ordinary people that couldn’t make ends meet so the next best thing was giving me up.”

“I had no idea…”

“When my adoptive father died, my mother told me the truth. I felt so lost...my entire life was turned upside down. As I dug into my past...I found out I had 2 sisters.” I took a sip of my wine. “Choi Ha Na...Choi Yi Ryeong.

Those girls...I suddenly felt so guilty for the life I was handed. My sisters lived a hard life..” he laughed. “One is a very prominent Leader of the Yakuza”

Rin almost choked on her sushi. “Don’t tell anyone, I ask this of you Miss Rin.”

She nodded. “And the other changed her entire identity to seek revenge. You see, I hold a heavy burden of guilt. All I wish is for my sisters to live happily with no worries. I want to give them everything they lacked growing up. I can provide that now”

“You are generous indeed Mr. Roy”

“I most definitely do not feel like I am Rin. Nevertheless, that is what I wish for.”

“It will take some time” I dared say. He looked surprised at me. I don’t think he was expecting me to continue or add to the conversation. “Miss Jung and Miss Choi had a hard life…they have been on their own for a long time.”

“Can you relate to them Miss Rin?”

I nodded. “Before I met Kim Yoon Jae, I was lived in the countryside of Japan...stealing to live…to survive.” I looked at Roy, he was completely invested in what I was saying. “I was an orphan. Chased out of houses, thrown water, called names…The world can be a cruel place. ” My eyes got teary. “I don’t know my parents…I never wanted to look or find out who they were. Sometimes, I think that if they would appear in front of me, I would curse at them for not being there for me…for not protecting me” I was full on crying at this point.

Roy remained silent.

“I understand your sisters Mr. Roy…it’s not easy” I wiped my tears with my sweater sleeve. Roy took out his handkerchief and handed it to me. I took it. I was so embarrassed that I had just told this person something that I hadn’t even told Changsun.

“Thank you for confiding in me Rin. You have given me much to think about.” Roy stood up. It was time to go. I did the same but nothing could of prepared me to what happened next. Roy grabbed me hand and pulled me to him. I crashed onto him. He was hugging me. I was completely dumbfounded.

“I am sorry you had to go through that as a young child. Your pain is so great, I can only imagine how much my own sister’s are suffering.”

He smelled nice. His voice was so soothing. It had been a while that I had felt the warmth of someone like this.

“I added to your pain…I am so sorry”

“What do you mean?”

“Now you are going to worry more about how to approach them”

He remained hugging me. For some reason I didn’t push him away. It still made me feel nervous. This man that was so important and here he was, hugging me out of all people. Right in the middle of a restaurant.

“Do not w–” a phone rang, interrupting him. He stepped away from me and took the call. I felt my cheeks hot. I made some distance from him and stood behind my chair. Just what was going on with me? Why was I getting all flustered with this man?

It was just a hug. Right?

My eyes wandered to him. He looked so professional while on the phone.

When he hung up, I looked down to the floor. I didn’t want him to notice I was looking at him.

“Rin, it seems like I can call it a day from the office. Since you gave me your answer, why don’t I take you to meet with Leo?”

“R-Right now?” I stuttered.

“Do you have another appointment?” he raised a brow.

“No! I don’t…I am just surprised. I didn’t think I would be meeting him so soon”

“I am a man of my word Rin. Let us go now.”