Joonmyun woke up from the sound of frying. Immediately, the smell of eggs, sausage, and bacon stimulated his senses. How strange, he thought to himself, the hospital's cooking breakfast in front of me. He inhaled deeply and stretched on the comfortable microfiber bed. Usually the hospital beds were stiff so he'd wake up with an aching back, but this time he woke up fully rested. He got out of his bed and slipped on the slippers on the side. He walked to the kitchen and saw his mother casually cooking an American breakfast–exactly what he had guessed.

"Mom?" 

She looked up and smiled at him, "Good morning, Joonmyunnie." She gestured to the high bar chair, "Sit down, I'm almost done with breakfast."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Since when did you come back from your trip?" He remained at his spot, "What am I doing here?" He looked out the window and saw green grassland, "Where are we?" He asked. 

"Hampyeong," she replied back with the same cheerful voice, casually flipping the sausages on the frying pan.

"Hampyeong?" He scoffed a chuckle, "What am I doing here in Hampyeong? I've got to go back," he turned to leave. 

"No you're not Joonmyun," she stopped and looked at her son. She put her cooking utensils down and placed her hands on her hips, "I'm not letting you go back to that woman."

He turned around, "Excuse me?" His tone changed.

She put her hands on her hips, "I am not letting you get hurt by that conniving piece of trash woman again, Joonmyun." She turned off the stove and placed them breakfast sausages on a plate, "Also, you're not well."

"I have my wife Yirin to care for me," he argued back. "Mother," he emphasized the title change, "This is ridiculous. Where did you put my stuff?"

"Kim Joonmyun," she calmly shouted, "You come sit down this instant and eat this fresh breakfast." She brought a plate of food and a glass of orange juice on the table, "If I hear you talk about that woman one more time Joonmyun, I am going to be very upset at you." She grabbed her own serving and sat on the table to eat. 

He scoffed, "Are you threatening me? Mother, I'm 25 not 15 anymore," he stated.

She laughed and pointed at him with her fork, "But you have the mentality of a 15 year old, blinded by lust over that ." She swallowed her bite and nodded to his plate in front of him, "Come eat, now."

Joonmyun scowled at his mother, "I'm not hungry," he replied arrogantly. He turned around and walked back to the room. 

Never has he ever felt so dumb, being treated like a damn teenager. He was a man, not some indecisive adolescent! He thought that as he grew up, he would be able to escape the smothering force field that his mother had over him. However it only seemed to quadrupled in strength after Yirin's affair. 

Yirin's affair. 

Yirin. 

Affair. 

Kris Wu.

It's been a while since they've battled, Joonmyun almost missed the verbal attacks that they shared together. Joonmyun laid on the bed and put his arm on his forehead, "Bastard," he scoffed. 

Then his thoughts went to Yirin. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just leave her like what she did to him, but the thought of it was so peculiar. No matter what she did, no matter how she wronged him, he still loved her. He felt like a fool for continuing to love her, but he couldn't let her go. 

Joonmyun looked at the ceiling and then lowered his gaze elsewhere, "Why is it so hard to leave you?"

The sound of loud construction and the sound of large trucks backing up quickly caught on to his ears. Joonmyun turned his head and looked out the window. From afar, about a few acres from the house, he saw bulldozers and other building equipment. He sat up and saw he could see a crew with their neon jackets and hard hats. Wanting to get out of the house, he quickly changed into what the closet had to offer and ran down stairs. 

"I'm going out," he quickly said as he adjusted his jacket. Before his mother could respond to him, he slammed the door shut.

Completely unfazed by him, Hyesul sipped on her tea and continued reading her novel, "He won't be out for long."

Yirin arrived at the beautiful plot of land and inhaled the fresh country air. She looked out and saw luscious green grasslands and smiled. She's been to many places but her heart was content in the country side like Hampyeong. 

"Yirin!"

She looked and saw her good friend. She waved back and grabbed the blueprint from the back seat. She walked over to him and gave him a hug, "Hey Sangwon," she smiled at him and shook his hard hat, "It's been a while."

"No kidding." He nodded to the blueprint, "Show me what you've got."

She unrolled the blueprint on the hood of her car. "The exterior is going to look like a two story, but really it will be three stories. The third will be underground, kind of like a basement but more lively and less creepy." She pointed to a sketched area, "My client wants a balcony, so the back of the house must be faced towards the mountains so she can wake up to a beautiful view of Hampyeong." Yirin looked at Sangwon, "Catching everything so far?"

He clicked his tongue, "This is way too easy, Yirin. I thought you were gonna give me a challenger this time!"

Yirin lightly laughed, "That's what I want to hear." She continued, "She wants the exterior of the house to look very comfortable and tradition yet modern at the same time."

"Don't forget about the windows."

"Yes and she—wait," Yirin turned around and saw Minrin. 

Minrin held a playful smirk and walked to the man and Yirin. "I like big and stretched windows. If possible, I'd like a part of the house to be covered in windows to create a warm aurora around the house," she paused, "What was your name?"

"Sangwon, Lee Sangwon."

Minrin smiled with a nod, "Sangwon-sshi, I want breath taking gardens and a large—perhaps willow—tree in the front or in the back. I'm letting you decide here since I am comfortable with both options." She sighed, "I want this house to be as amazing and family-friendly as possible." She turned to him, "Could you do that for me Sangwon-sshi?"

The man nodded, "They don't put me in charge for no reason. I will do my job and give you the house that you've always dream of."

Yirin smiled and pat Sangwon on the shoulder, "Sangwon is my good buddy, I don't trust anyone else when it comes to executing my projects other than him." She rolled up the blueprint and gave it to him, "Since Hwang Minrin-sshi is here, you can ask her other questions pertaining to the house. It was a long drive here so I'm gonna go before traffic gets unbearable." She smiled at both of them and left to her car. She fished her keys out of her coat pocket and unlocked the car with a press of a button.

She opened the driver door and got in. She turn on the ignition and began backing her car out. From her rear view mirror, she saw a guy wearing a striped sweater blocking her view and sighed. "Excuse me," she called out her window, "Could you please get out of the way, I'm trying to back out! Thank you!" She crawled back into her seat and began driving again. As she completely backed out, her eyes widened. "Wait, was that?" She turned back to look for the man in the striped sweater but he was gone. She looked forward and deeply sighed, "Han Yirin, you're just, ah," she gently hit the side of her head, "Just go get some breakfast, you're hallucinating."

This is ridiculous. He felt like a child again. So far, the day was spent so frivolously and whimsical. First his mother had the audacity to lock him up like some sort of Disney princess and now he's rebelling against her by leaving the house to watch construction workers doing their job like Bob the Builder. He felt so pathetic. The whole situation felt like a deja vu of his adolescent years. Once he got there, he stood at his spot and looked at the excavator dig up the land and place it in a pile of earth.

"Excuse me," he heard, "Could you please get out of the way, I'm trying to back out! Thank you!" He looked around to find who the owner of the voice came from and saw a car instead.

He yielded the car and continued to mindlessly walk around. He stopped and looked at the car drive from a distant, "That car looks like Yirin's..." He laughed to himself, "Really Kim Joonmyun? Hundreds of people have that car, it can't be her. What would Yirin be doing here in Hampyeong anyway?" He raked his hands in his hair and sighed, "This place is making me go crazy." He turned back to go back home until he saw a rather familiar woman in front of him. 

"Kim Joonmyun-sshi?" Minrin looked at him, absolutely astonished that he was here. His attire was so casual and unlike him. Ever since they've met, she's always seen him in a dress shirt with a suitcase in his hands. But now he was wearing a red and white striped sweater with jeans and casual sneaker. He look really...young in a way and somewhat more attractive. 

"Hwang Minrin?" He lightly chuckled, "What are you doing here in Hampyeong?" He asked, barely audible from the loud construction.

"They're building my house." The construction workers began doing their jobs as the area got louder. She grabbed his arm and looked around, "Let's go talk somewhere else!" She shouted over the noise, "It's too loud here!" With his arm in her hands, she led him to the open grassland where the empty street was. "Okay, now we can talk." She smiled and turned to him, "It's definitely nice seeing you. You look," she scanned him again, "Youthful." She saw his unpleased face and laughed, "It's a good thing though!"

He sighed, "My mother is grasping onto me again as if I were some incapable teen." He plucked the sweater, "My only source of clothes is an abundant supply of childish clothing wear." 

"I don't see what the problem is. I think you look extremely handsome in that."

Joonmyun looked at her and saw that she was casually gazing at the early morning sun. He cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward. He put his hands in his pocket, "I don't even know what to do, I've got work and a case coming up. I don't have the time for her nonsense."

"Maybe she was doing you a favor." Minrin picked up a dandelion from the side of the road and blew it out, "Don't you think it's nice to get away from all the stress and clutter that work provides you?"

He groaned, "Yes but I have my own responsibilities that she shouldn't be involved in. I just wished she understand that I've grown up and don't need her assistance anymore," he said truthfully.

Minrin curled the dandelion stem with her fingers and dryly laughed. "Just be grateful you have someone to call mom." She flicked the stem away, "Some people are forced to support themselves with such limited resources." She looked at him and saw his desolated expression. She exhaled a breath at the common response and pointed to the large mansion in front of them, "Correct me if I'm wrong but I think we've reached your destination." She turned to him, "It was nice seeing you Joonmyun-sshi, maybe if I come back, I'll give you a visit."

He stepped out of his momentary trance and nodded, "Of course," he smiled, "Thank you, Minrin-shhi." His eyebrows raised in a concern manner, "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you back? Wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

She laughed aloud, "What's the worst that can happen? Getting chased by a cow?" She pat him on the shoulder whilst chuckling, "I'll be fine, don't worry."

The door opened and Hyesul lips curled into a pleased grin upon seeing Minrin, "Joonmyun," she called as she evaluated the girl from head-to-toe, "Who's this?"

Minrin bowed, "Hello, I'm Hwang Minrin."

"A friend," Joonmyun clarified as he stepped into the house, brushing his mother's shoulders.

Minrin looked at the elder woman, "I'll get going now." She bowed again, "It was nice meeting you."

Joonmyun forced the door shut and walked away.

Her tongue slithered the top row of her teeth from her son's rude behavior. "You should've invited her to brunch." She turned and paced towards him.

"You just had breakfast," he said without turning to look at her, "Brunch doesn't start until a few more hours."

"Brunch, breakfast, lunch, dinner; does it really matter?" She took a step before her son and crossed her arms, "She seems nice, and she has a lovely face. Why don't you talk to her?"

Joonmyun rolled his eyes, "What do you suppose I was doing with her just a second ago? Sign language?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Kim Joonmyun, you know exactly what I meant."

He narrowed his eyes, "Well in that case let me remind you that I have a wife at home that I need to tend to."

She scoffed, "I think we both know who's doing that for you."

Joonmyun kept a stern glare at his mother, "If you don't have anything else to say, I'll be leaving." He made his way to the staircase.

"Joonmyun," she called, "I'm being serious. Considerate her or else you'll be forced to."

"Mother!" He shouted, completely appalled by her outrageous behavior, "Are you serious right now?"

"Mother this, mother that." She said while rolling her wrists in a mimicking manner, "I gave birth to you, at lease call me mom." Her face grimaced, "Mother just sounds so bitter to anyone's ears." She returned to her indifferent tone of voice, "And yes I am serious Joonmyun." She walked towards him, "I only want the best for you and I could tell that she has some unrequited feelings for you."

He shook his head, "You're being unreasonable." He took a few steps until she spoke again. 

"Have you ever consider why Yirin cheated on you?" 

He stopped walking and paused.

"Ah, did I hit it? Was that the million dollar question?" Joonmyun turned around and gave a look of disgust to her. She smirked, "Are you finally listening now? Do I really need to bring up her filth to get you to listen to the words I have to say? Do you think I enjoy doing this to my one and only son?" He remained silent. "If she really loved you, she would have never done it." She scoffed,"But you and I both know what the results were." She paused and walked to him, "If she really loved you, she would have felt guilty about it instead of continuing that lifestyle." She pat him on the shoulder, "I am so confident that if she were to choose, she would choose Kris instead of you." She said, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Stop."

"Everyday, you go defending people and win all these cases but what about you? In your life, you are both your own victim and lawyer, yet you go defending the wrong person." She lifted up her chin, "Get your head attached and start using it."

Joonmyun looked at her hand on his shoulder and swiped it off of him, "How was your trip to Thailand?" He asked with fiery eyes, "It must have given you much time to think right?" He looked at his mother's threatened expression and gave her a challenging stare, "Well I've done my share of thinking also." It was his turn to rebuke. "A million people will give me a million reasons why I shouldn't be with Yirin. But those million people will never know of the memorable time that we shared together." He scoffed, "Your ignorance will never see it even if it were played in front of you."

She laughed in a tantalizing manner, "Oh you naive little thing you," she squealed. "You don't even know that she's only kissing your because of your disease given by your father's infested genes."

He chuckled, "That's funny because I do know that. I know Yirin only came back because I was dying. And you know what," he gave her a resentful look, "Unlike you, Yirin chose to stay." His mother's face relaxed, clearly growing offended by his words. Joonmyun felt like he had just semi-won a case. But now it was time for his last verdict. "She could have let me rot and die alone but she chose to stay with me and help heal any wounds that were created by her. You and dad had your problems and what did you do? Divorce. Unlike you two, Yirin and I were willing to work things out. Stop acting like you're so high and mighty like you know what's best. In the end it just makes you look like a dumb hypocrite who doesn't practice what she preaches." He shot the final venom in his prey, and he knew that she was paralyzed. He in his cheeks, "Think about that, then try giving me marriage advice." He walked up the stairs and slammed the door to his given room.

Hyesul stood there completely and utterly speechless. She opened to protest, but shut it. She deeply sighed, lips forming a half grin afterwards, "No wonder he's one of Seoul's best." She looked at his door, "Well played, my son." She walked down the stairs and grabbed her cellphone from her purse. She dialed a number and was instantly greeted. "Jeon, I want you to keep a close watch on Yirin. Make sure the hospital staff does not give any information of Joonmyun's whereabouts, understand?" She looked out the window and saw Minrin's distant body, "Things just got very interesting."

Yeah I don't know what to discuss here. It's all so much O u O Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

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