She sat on the pool’s edge, gazing at her reflection.

“TAE HEE!” Seung Yeon exclaimed.

Tae Hee turned her head and smiled. “Haha, Seung Yeon! What’re you doing here?”

“Pushing you in,” she responded with a cackle.

“Huh? What?” Realization hit her as she was shoved into the icy cold waters of the pool. Tae Hee pushed her way to the surface to find herself face to face with Younha.

“Younha! Save me!”

Younha shook her head with a smile. “Sorry, I can’t.” And she pressed Tae Hee’s head under the water. “You took Yoochun away from me, and so now I’m going to tell the world that Jaejoong’s your brother. That way, you’ll never be together!”

“BUT I DIDN’T!”

Tae Hee rose to the surface as the pressure was alleviated from her head. She met eyes with Sung Hee.

Even though she knew it was helpless, she mouthed, “Help me, Sung Hee. Help me...” Her eyes were growing heavy.

“I want to save you,” a voice said slowly. Her eyes fluttered open. It was Yoochun and Jiwoon behind him. “But I can’t.”

She strained her eyes, searching for that one soul who she knew could. But he wasn’t in sight.

“Help me...”

Her eyes finally closed as she succumbed to the pool waters, letting them envelope her. Nobody was there to save her. She was alone.


Tae Hee awoke, sweat and tears were streaming down her face. She felt alone, yet again. Was she hallucinating? She breathed heavily. “Help me...help me...help me...” Why did they have to be so cruel? She was alone in the world. There was nobody that could help her, nobody that could save her. But there was still Jaejoong.

Apparently hearing his sister’s screams and wails, he rushed to her bedside and brushed away her hair. “It’ll be okay.”

She clung onto his arm. “Help me...help me...” she repeated.

“Tae Hee, it’ll be okay,” he reassured her, giving her a hug.

She was still frightened. “Jaejoong...Jaejoong...Jaejoong...help me...”

“Ok...”

He held her in his arms as he sat on the bedside. She lay her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat. She felt safe again. She wasn’t alone; she was with Jaejoong.



She closed her eyes, feeling loved and protected.

She opened her eyes, and something was missing. Jaejoong.


Next door, she heard a girl squeal.

Tae Hee prayed. Oh God, please no.


*****

Ji Eun poked Tae Hee warily. “Uh? Miss? It’s time to wake up.”

Tae Hee groaned and placed a pillow on her head. “Go away,” she muttered.

Jaejoong walked in quietly. “Let me try,” he whispered. Ji Eun returned to her work in the kitchen. He tickled his sister’s feet.

She giggled. “Stop that, Ji Eun!”

“Like it, huh?”

Tae Hee shot straight up, alarmed. “Jaejoong?!”

He smirked. “You little lazy bum, time to wake up.”

Should she kick him out or play stupid, like they had been doing for the past few days? She pasted a grin on her face. “Fine. I’m hungry anyway.”


Tae Hee headed towards the kitchen quickly. The sooner she got away from him, the sooner she could stop acting.

Her brother chased after her. “HEY TAE HEE!” he shouted down the hallway.

She stopped. “Yeah, oppa?”

He hesitated anxiously and fiddled his fingers. “Before...before you go down to the kitchen... there’s something... I want to tell you... I mean, there’s something you need to know...”

No. Not now. Not here. Not what she thought it was. “Can’t it wait? The food is calling.” She hastened her pace.



And then she stopped. At the entrance to the kitchen.

It was Kim Sung Hee, conversing happily with an equally pleased Mrs. Kim. She couldn’t have stopped by this morning; it was way too early. No, Sung Hee could’ve only been...

“Anneong, Mrs. Kim...Sung Hee,” Tae Hee said quietly.

Mrs. Kim looked up in surprise. “Oh, good morning, Tae Hee! Aren’t you proud of me? I’ve stopped calling you Jeong Hee now! And how many times did I tell you not to call me Mrs. Kim. I mean, after all, we ARE family.”

Sung Hee frowned. “Family?”

“Oh yes, dear. We’re family. Tae Hee here is actually Jaejoong’s---”

“Umma?” Jaejoong interrupted. “I think Tae Hee and I want to tell her, if you don’t mind, at the party later on today.”

“Oh yes, I understand,” his mother said. She winked at Sung Hee. “And you, you’re family too.” With that, she left for work.

Silence.

Aw screw it. She didn’t have enough bravery. She still couldn’t face it. “I feel a bit sick. I think I’ll go back to bed. Ji Eun? I think I’ll skip breakfast.” She turned and headed back to her bedroom.

Ji Eun called after her. “Miss? Would you like some porridge then?”

But there was no reply, except a slammed door.



Back in the kitchen, Sung Hee smiled at Jaejoong. “Am I really part of the family, now, boyfriend?”

He remained quiet as he poked at his pancake with a fork.

“Jaejoong?”

He broke out of his trance. “Huh?”

“Do you love me?”

He paused. “I don’t know.”

She obviously was disappointed. “Will you try to find the answer?”

“Maybe.”



Tae Hee gazed at her room. It surely was nice; she’d probably miss it dearly---especially the closet. All these amenities for such a dear price. Tears welled up in her eyes.

What was the point of finding her anyway? Either way, a Kim heir would be the CEO. Either way, somebody would get hurt. Either way, either way... she hated this arrangement. IF they hadn’t found her, she could’ve been with Jaejoong. IF they hadn’t found her, Sung Hee probably wouldn’t have backstabbed her. IF they hadn’t found her, she’d still be referred to as Jaejoong’s girlfriend, not Jaejoong’s ex... and even worse, when they found out...she’d be: Jaejoong’s sister.

A knock sounded.

“GO AWAY.”

“Tae Hee? Open the door.”

“No.”

“As your brother, I command you to open the door.”

“No.”

“Now.”

“No.”

“Is that all you can say? No?”

“Yes.”

She heard keys being jingled. The door opened as Jaejoong stepped in. “Tae Hee...”

She scrambled to the closet and slammed the door behind her. Then she pushed a drawer behind the door. There was no way Jaejoong could open it now.

“Sorry...Tae Hee...but it’s not what it looks like.”

She fought back the tears. “Oh there’s nothing to explain. Like you said, you’re my brother. So there’s no reason as to why you should apologize,” she scoffed.

“I was drunk. And she came.”

“LALALALA. I can’t hear you,” Tae Hee shouted loudly. She pressed her hands against her ears to block out the sound, but it didn’t work.

“She wouldn’t leave...and I was under the influence, so...”

“LALALA.”

The door opened, leaving only the drawer to separate the two.

“I’m sorry, Tae Hee.”

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

The drawer rocked dangerously, threatening to crash to the floor.

“Tae Hee... I’m sorry. I was drunk and so sad and confused...”

She was on her last straw. “STFU JAEJOONG! Stop making lame excuses. It doesn’t matter if you were or weren’t intoxicated. You did it. That’s all. So don’t apologize because obviously you don’t really care.” She ran to one of the sub-closets. Shoot, she was running out of places to hide.

Somehow, someway, Jaejoong was able to budge the drawer. He headed towards the Autumn closet. She heaved a sigh of relief; she was in the Winter section. Tae Hee suddenly felt dizzy. Maybe she seriously was sick.

The Winter closet door flung open. “TAE HEE!”

“Go away!” She clawed and scratched at him as he carried her out of the closets. “Go away!” she continued to shriek.

He made her sit on a chair. “We’re going to have to tell everybody later on today. It’s best if we face the truth before we tell them.”

Since when was he so wise?

“Now I’m going to leave you here, but I’m serious, Tae Hee, you’ve got to face it.”

Anger surfaced.

“Oh sure, you’re certainly facing it: BY GETTING DRUNK AND SLEEPING WITH WOMEN! Great way to succumb to reality! I should do that too, shouldn’t I?!”



His girlfriend slapped her.


Tae Hee, in shock, stared at a furious Sung Hee.

“That is NO WAY to speak to Jaejoong. I don’t know what your relationship with him is, nor do I care. But, you cannot treat him like that.”

“Oh yes. I see now,” Tae Hee nodded sarcastically. “I can finally see how you two are meant for each other. You both are such great liars---especially you, Sung Hee, the backstabber. Just because Mrs. Kim said you were part of the family, you think you’re all grand and proud. Well guess what? You’re not. So don’t be so FREAKING COCKY.” She raised her hand, ready to smack Sung Hee’s face, but Jaejoong intercepted. He ACTUALLY stopped the beginning of a B*tch War. He had grabbed his sister’s arm before she could attack.

He stared coldly at Tae Hee. “Stop it. Have you gone crazy?”

She returned the stare defiantly. “Maybe I have.” She shouted at Sung Hee. “GET OUT! GET OUT! WHO EVEN GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO COME IN! YOU INTERLOPER! OUT!” She turned to her brother and removed her hand from his grasp. “You too.” She pointed to the door.

As they left, she slumped to the ground and looked out the window at the sky. “Oppa... I miss you. Why can’t you come back?”


*****

Jaejoong turned his head back at Tae Hee’s bedroom door. “I didn’t, Tae Hee. I didn’t do it with Sung Hee. Why don’t you trust me?”


*****
A tear trickled down her cheek as something fell from the sky, a shooting star. And she wished upon it, even though it was daytime.

“I want to find true love.”

Sure she loved Jaejoong and Jaejoong loved her, but it wasn’t possible...because of that ugly word.


.