Joon stared back at Cheondoong with wide eyes as his heart pounded against his ribcage.  His relationship with Seungho?  Why would Cheondoong suddenly ask something like that?  Was it possible that he suspected something?  The idea didn’t seem possible considering Joon and Seungho had never once done anything suspicious in front of him… had they?

“I…” Joon stuttered, his mind drawing a blank, “I’m… wh-why would you ask something like-”

“Tell me the truth,” Cheondoong interrupted, his brows furrowing into a frown.  His tightened his grip on Joon’s arm and pulled him closer.  “Please, hyung,” he said, lowering his voice, “What’s going on?  Is there… is there something going on between you two?”  His eyes searched Joon’s face for an answer.

“S-Something…” Joon said, placing a hand on Cheondoong’s grip, “Cheondoong-ah… it hurts…”

As if snapping out of a daze, Cheondoong released Joon’s arm with an alarmed expression.  “I’m sorry hyung,” he said, his frown replaced with an apologetic expression, “I didn’t mean...”  He sighed and paused before saying, “I just… I’ve noticed… Are you…”  He gestured his hands in the air as if it would help him formulate his words.  After a brief moment of silence, he asked, “Do you have… special feelings for Seungho-hyung?”

“Special feelings…” Joon repeated, lowering his gaze to the floor.  His love for Seungho… would they count as special feelings?  Surely, that was what Cheondoong had meant to ask?  How should he reply?  The truth… could he tell Cheondoong the truth?  What consequences would that bring?  Hyunsik had warned them to keep things to themselves… but Cheondoong wasn’t exactly an outsider either.  But… what about Seungho?  Did he want to tell anyone about any of this?

“I’ve noticed that you look at him differently than you do others,” Cheondoong said when Joon didn’t reply, “You have this… completely relaxed face in front of him that I’ve never seen you have with anyone else.”  He fiddled with his fingers before he looked at Joon and said, “I’m not… accusing, or blaming or… or any of that.  I just… I just want to know.”

Joon bit his lip as he looked up at Cheondoong’s face.  He didn’t want to lie to Cheondoong… but what should he do?  Taking a deep breath, Joon said, “I… owe Seungho-hyung a lot so yes… he’s special to me…”

“Hyung,” Cheondoong said, “Please just tell it to me strai-”

He was interrupted when something small plowed into him from behind with a squeal.  Joon blinked in surprise as a small boy wrapped his arms around Cheondoong’s waist and giggled with glee.

“Cheondoong-hyung!” the boy said, bouncing with happiness, “What are you doing here?”  He looked up at Cheondoong with sparkling eyes as he took one of Cheondoong’s hands and gripped it tightly.

Cheondoong looked down in equal surprise as his eyes widened like saucers.  “What-?  Wook-ah!” he said in total shock, “What are you-?”

“Cheondoong?!” came a female voice from behind them.

They all looked up as a beautiful woman dressed in a black evening gown approached them with wide eyes.  Her long hair was styled in an up-do that revealed a slender neckline.  She looked at Cheondoong with mirrored shock as she blinked several times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.  

Cheondoong suddenly stiffened at the sight of her.  He looked at her in a daze as he took in her presence.  A blush slowly crept up his neck as he stared at her with look that resembled a deer caught in headlights.  And apparently, the deer thought the headlights were quite beautiful…

“So-Soyun!” Cheondoong said when he finally found his voice.  It cracked a little as he said her name and he quickly cleared his throat.  “Why are you guys here?” he asked incredulously, suddenly having regained his senses.

“Same goes for you!” Soyun said, her own face a little red.  She laughed in happy disbelief as she turned to look at Joon, who had been standing beside them in quite bewilderment.  

Joon blinked in surprise when her smile suddenly faltered.  If it were possible, her eyes grew wider as her smile disappeared.  Her previous happy disbelief was suddenly replaced with a look of shock as she stared at him.  Her jaw dropped slightly as she took in Joon’s features from his hair down to the mole on his neck.  She looked as if she was thunderstruck, making Joon blink in puzzlement.  

Cheondoong cleared his throat irritably and said, “I’m here with KTA.  Why are you here?”  He frowned as Soyun’s gaze returned to him only briefly before she returned to staring at Joon.

“O-Oh…” she said, still staring.

“Wow!” the little boy suddenly exclaimed, shaking Cheondoong’s hand to get his attention, “You work for my mom!”

“Your mom?” Cheondoong said in surprise.  He looked at Soyun, who was still staring at Joon as if she’d seen a ghost, and said irritably, “Yah… quit staring.”

Snapping out of her daze, Soyun glared at him and placed a hand on her hip.  “Yah?  I’m your noona!” she said.  “And you,” she scowled at the boy as she glared at him, “Keep your voice down; we’re in a formal environment!”

“So,” Cheondoong repeated again, “Why are you two here?  Is Changwook’s mother a subsidiary or something?”

“Er…” Soyun said, “Something like that…”

Joon watched as the three of them bickered.  Taking a step back, he breathed a sigh of relief.  In their sudden appearance, the woman and the boy seemed to have distracted Cheondoong enough that he’d forgotten all about his interrogation.  Joon bowed politely and tried to slip away when…

“Excuse me,” Soyun called after him, “Excuse me…”

Joon turned around and looked at her in surprise.  In the corner of his eye, he noticed Cheondoong scowling as they came over to him again.

“I’m Kim Soyun,” Soyun said tentatively, staring at Joon’s face without wavering her gaze, “And you are…?”   

“That’s Lee Joon-hyung,” Cheondoong cut in, “He’s also with KTA…”

Soyun glanced at him briefly before returning her surprised gaze back to Joon.  “Lee… Joon,” she murmured, her brows furrowing together in a small frown, “Are… are you sure?”

Taken aback by the question, Joon stared at her with surprise.  What did she mean by that?  Could she possibly know about his past?  Did she know Lee Changsun?  Was that why she kept staring at him as if she’d seen a ghost?

“What do you mean by that?” Cheondoong asked with a frown of his own, “You still haven’t told me why you’re here yet…”

Soyun turned to him with a sigh and was about to speak when she was interrupted as Kim Dongmin approached them with a smile.

“Ahh… Soyun,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I see you’ve met our handsome boys from KTA.”  He smiled and patted Changwook on the head as he boy smiled back at him.  “You found your way over here as well eh?  Changwook-ah?” he chuckled.

Changwook giggled as he looked up at Cheondoong and shook their linked arms happily.

Joon kept his expression carefully blank as he looked at Dongmin.  He could feel his nerves kicking into overdrive in the man’s presence.  On the way to the fundraiser, Joon had wondered how he would feel when he came face to face with his step-mother or Kim Dongmin.  He had expected to feel anger or even fear.  However, he was surprised to find that he felt… nothing. 

As he watched Dongmin’s smiling face, Joon felt nothing.  He felt a need to be cautious, sure, but that was no different than how he had felt towards the man before.  There was no anger or fear, there was only… emptiness.  Joon vaguely wondered if the lack of feeling was still due to the fact that he couldn’t remember his past for himself.  Although he knew of what happened, he couldn’t recall his memories on his own.  Would that ever change?  And if it did… would it change how he felt towards these people?

“I’m glad you boys could make it,” Dongmin said, beaming at them.  His gaze lingered at Joon for a brief moment before he turned to Soyun.  “Have you introduced yourself?” he asked, his eyes gazing lovingly at Soyun.

“Yes,” Soyun said, nodding, “We’ve… been introduced.”  Her gaze also lingered on Joon before she locked eyes with Cheondoong and smiled.

“Good good,” Dongmin said, “But where’s Hyunsik?  And I thought there are two more new talents he was bringing…?”  He turned towards Joon as if he expected an answer.

“Yes,” Joon said, surprised that his voice was steady, “Hyun… er, Mun-bujangnim is greeting other guests.  There are two more talents with us but um…”  He trailed off as he glanced at Seungho, who was still tightly in the clutches of the woman in blue.

“Ahh,” Dongmin nodded knowingly as he followed Joon’s gaze, “They’ve been steered away by the guests.  Happens every time…”  He chuckled and shook his head.  “Oh that’s right,” he said, his face suddenly filled with worry, “How are you doing?”  He looked at Joon with a frown and said in a lowered voice, “Are you feeling better?”

Joon mentally laughed at the irony of the question.  The man who had plotted to have him killed all those years ago… was asking if he was okay.  “Yes,” he said, pulling his face into a smile, “Thank you for your help…”

“Nonsense,” Dongmin dismissed, “You are a magnificent talent; I’m just glad KTA came to their senses.”  He looked off into the distance and suddenly spotted someone he knew.  “Well I’m off to greet more guests,” he said, “Soyun-ah, keep these boys entertained will you?”  

“Yes, father,” she said as Dongmin skipped away.

Joon felt his jaw drop as both he and Cheondoong said, “Father?!”  They both stared at Soyun as she jumped in surprise.  Kim Dongmin was the father of this woman?  Joon suddenly understood why she was looking at him in the same fashion as Dongmin had the first time they’d met.  Kim Soyun… she must have known Lee Changsun.  Why else would she be so surprised to see Joon?

“He’s your father?” Cheondoong asked, staring at Soyun with wide eyes, “Since when?!”

Soyun gave him a flat look and crossed her arms.  “Since birth,” she said, rolling her eyes.  She glanced at Joon again before she said, “So um… you guys must live at the dorm right?”  She looked between the two of them.

“Noona…” Changwook said, frowning, “I want to go eat with Cheondoong-hyung…” He pulled on Cheondoong’s hand.  “Stop asking questions and go away,” he said.

Ignoring him, Soyun looked at Joon and asked tentatively, “If-If you guys live at the dorms, then what about your families?”  Again, she looked between the two of them before settling her gaze on Joon.

He knew what she was doing; it was the same thing her father had done in Hyunsik’s office.  She was trying to dig out enough information to find out if Joon was really who she thought he was.

Joon was dying to ask.  What was her relationship with Lee Changsun?  Were they friends when they were younger?  Did she know what her father had done?  Or what he had tried to do?  His mind raced with questions as he stared back at Soyun.  She was still waiting for an answer to her question…

“Ah, there you are,” Hyunsik said as he came over to them, “They’ll be starting the welcoming speech soon… where’s Seungho and Yongjae?”  He looked around before noticing Soyun.  “Oh, Soyun-shi,” he said, bowing, “Nice to see you here.  I see you’ve met my boys.”

“Yes,” Soyun said with a warm smile, “Good to see you too, Mun-bujangnim.”

Hyunsik nodded before he noticed Changwook.  Crouching down, he asked gently, “And who might you be?”

The boy hid behind Cheondoong’s leg, suddenly shy.  “Changwook,” he said quietly, gripping Cheondoong’s hands.

“Nice to meet you,” Hyunsik said, holding out a hand, “I’m Mun Hyunsik.”

Changwook glanced at Soyun quickly before he reached out and placed his small hands in Hyunsik’s palm in an awkward shake.  After the brief contact, he quickly pulled his hand back and gripped Cheondoong’s pant leg with his hands.

Joon watched as Hyunsik smiled warmly at the boy.  He had never quite seen Hyunsik behave so… tame before.  In front of the child, his usual sharp and sarcastic nature was gone, replaced by something almost… puppy-like.  It was certainly a sight to see.

Remember his image, Hyunsik quickly stood and straightened his suit.  He turned to Joon and asked, “Where’s Seungho?  And Yongjae?”

“I’m not sure about Yongjae-shi,” Joon replied, “But Seungho…”  He nodded towards the woman in blue and her circle.  It seemed to have gotten bigger than before and Seungho was now trapped in the center as people talked at him in all directions.

Hyunsik shook his head and sighed.  “They do this every time,” he muttered, “Well, I can’t blame them I guess.”  He smiled and said, “After all, I do bring the best.”  With another sigh, he walked over to Seungho and tried to intervene.

“So-” Soyun began again as soon as Hyunsik left.  She was quickly interrupted again, however, when another woman approached them.  Dressed in a beautiful red, she looked like the slightly older and taller version of Soyun.

“Soyun-ah,” she said lazily, “Where’s the brat… Oh there you are, Changwookie.”  She smiled and reached out to Changwook.  Although she looked like Soyun, her smile was extremely different.  It was devoid of the warmth that Soyun’s contained; instead, it seemed almost… cold.

Like a frightened kitten, Changwook frowned deeply at her and gripped Cheondoong’s hand tighter.  He quickly reached out and grabbed Soyun’s hand before tugging her over to him and hiding behind her.  

“Tsk,” the woman in red said as she pulled back her hand, “Brat.”  She glanced at Cheondoong and then Joon before, like Soyun, her eyes widened.  Again, she stared at Joon with shock as her eyes roamed over his face.  But unlike Soyun, who began barraging Joon with questions, the woman in red quickly wiped her face blank and replaced it with a lazy expression.  She cleared before she turned to Soyun and said, “The speech is about to begin.  Hwajangnim is looking for the kid.”

“Unnie,” Soyun said, frowning, “I told you to call him by his name.”  Sighing, she turned to Cheondoong and Joon and said, “This is my older sister, Sora.”  Turning to Sora, she said, “This is Cheondoong and Lee Joon from KTA.”

Sora narrowed her eyes as she looked at Joon again.  “Lee… Joon?” she repeated, glancing at Soyun.  When Soyun nodded, she shrugged and said, “I thought I saw Hyunsik-oppa?  Where did he run off to?”

“I didn’t run off to anywhere, Sora-shi,” Hyunsik said as he approached them with an exhausted Seungho in tow.  Hyunsik plastered on a smile as he bowed at Sora.

“Oppa!” Sora said, suddenly rosy and gushy.  She took Hyunsik’s hand and said, “I’m so glad you came!  I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Joon bit back a smile as he watched Hyunsik try and pull his hand away.  Joon had gotten really good at reading Hyunsik and right now… Hyunsik clearly showed a dislike for Sora.  Joon didn’t blame him; Sora didn’t give him any good vibes either.

“Hey,” Seungho said as he took his place next to Joon, “That was a nightmare.”  He sighed as he straightened his suit.

Joon looked at Seungho, who looked exasperated and very tired.  He felt a smile creep to his lips before he quickly straightened his face and looked away.  He glanced at Cheondoong to find the latter watching them with narrowed eyes.  Joon sighed inwardly; Cheondoong was definitely still suspicious.  He’d have to talk to Seungho about this later…

“What’s wrong?” Seungho muttered under his breath, not noticing Cheondoong’s gaze, “Who are all these people?”  He glanced at Changwook, who was still hiding behind Soyun and Cheondoong.  He then blinked at Sora, who had now wrapped an arm around Hyunsik’s arm.  He raised an eyebrow as Sora gushed at Hyunsik.

Before Joon could reply, another older woman approached them.  Unlike the other guests, she had an air of authority as she walked with grace.  And although she was shorter, she had grace and dignity in her steps.  Behind her, Dongmin followed with a proud smile on his face.

“Now now, Sora,” the woman said softly, “Let Hyunsik-shi breathe.”  She smiled as she turned to Hyunsik and held out a hand.  “Mun-bujangnim,” she said, her voice firm but soft, “I’m very pleased that you were able to attend this fundraiser.  Again, you bring wonderful new talents…” 

Joon watched as Cheondoong’s eyes widened when he saw her.  He looked down at Changwook, who had come out from hiding with a nervous smile on his face.

As Hyunsik bowed and shook her hand, Joon felt the hairs on his neck stand.  There was something terribly cold about this woman.  Like Sora, her smile seemed… ingenuine and frigid.  Joon felt goose-bumps on his skin as he took a step closer to Seungho.  The brush of their arms soothed his nerves as he stared at the woman.

“I’m very honoured to have been invited again this year, hwajangnim,” Hyunsik said, his face plastered with the same fake smile.  Turning to the boys, he said, “Boys, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the lady behind the scenes of all this magic; the CEO and owner of Lee-Song Group, Song Bangna-hwajangnim.”

Author's notes:

hwajangnim - the highest(?) executive level officer at a company

And IT APPEARS!!  Haha things get even more exciting... XD