Soyun drummed her fingers nervously on her legs as their car stopped at a red light.  She looked outside the window at the amusement park just a few blocks now from where they were.  Beside her, Changwook bounced in his seat with excitement as he pressed his face against the glass and looked outside.

After a week of listening to Changwook’s excited chatter and worrying about how she should go about questioning Lee Joon, the day had finally arrived.  And as relieved as she was that things were finally happening, she didn’t feel any more prepared than when she had first planned the whole outing with Changwook a week ago.  She still had no idea how she would even broach the subject and only hoped that things would go smoothly.

She glanced at the excited boy beside her and smiled.  Well… even if she didn’t manage to get any useful information today, at least Changwook would have fun.  He’d been talking about going on rides and playing games with Cheondoong all week.  It was enough to almost make her ears bleed.  If she heard him talk about the haunted house one more time…

Luckily, Changwook buttered up to Soyun’s father enough that he got both Cheondoong and Lee Joon a day off.  Even though Lee Joon had a photo shoot that day, they were able to reschedule it to a later date.  Sometimes, Soyun was amazed at the things her father could do with his executive power.

As the car turned the corner towards the front gate of the amusement park, Soyun spotted two handsome young men standing near the ticket area.  Even though they were still a distance away, Soyun immediately recognized the taller one to be Cheondoong.  As the car drew closer, she felt her heart thud in her chest as she laid eyes on Lee Joon for the second time.

She couldn’t help the overwhelming sense of nostalgia as she looked at him.  Within the safety of her tinted windows, Soyun’s eyes widened and her jaws dropped as she took in Lee Joon’s features.  His resemblance to her childhood friend was uncanny.  There was something about the way he smiled when talking or the way he waved his hands around that was exactly the same as Lee Changsun.

Her confidence suddenly restored, she opened the car door as the vehicle stopped in front of the park gates.  The two boys turned to look at her as she climbed from the car.  Wiping her face of any odd expressions, she flashed them a smile and waved.

Cheondoong smiled back at her and also waved.  He looked handsome as usual; although he had looked simply stunning in a suit the night of the fundraiser, Soyun definitely preferred him in faded jeans and a T-shirt.  With his windswept hair and soft smile, he looked both chic and simply adorable.

Beside him, Lee Joon bowed politely and gazed at her with apprehension.  The smile that she had seen in the car had disappeared, replaced by both wary and curiosity.  He must’ve been so curious as to why Soyun would invite him to their day in the park.  After all, they barely knew each other.  Taking a deep breath, Soyun put on her kindest smile and approached them.  But before she could say a word, Changwook flew out of the car and bulldozed his way into Cheondoong’s arms.

“Hyung!” Changwook said as Cheondoong laughed, “We’re going to have so much fun today!  There’s this haunted house-”

“Yah, Changwook-ah,” Soyun interrupted, “Where are your manners?”  She tugged Changwook away from Cheondoong by his ears gently and placed a hand on his head.

“Ow,” he scowled at Soyun, “I know!”  Slapping away her hand, he bowed towards Lee Joon and said, “Hello, I’m Lee Changwook.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah,” Joon replied, bowing himself, “Nice to meet you… Changwook.”  He looked at the boy with a strange mix of curiosity and fondness.  “I’m Lee… Joon,” he said softly, “I hope we can be friends.”

Soyun watched as his face softened into something unreadable.  The way he looked at Changwook was incredibly strange.  She bit her lip as she studied him; his reaction go Changwook was very suspicious.  If he really was Lee Changsun, he would know that Changwook was his brother…

“Hmm,” Changwook replied, studying Changsun himself, “Me too.  But you shouldn’t think of taking other people’s stuff.  They’ll get angry…”

Soyun blinked as she looked at Changwook.  What the…?  Other people’s stuff?

Lee Joon and Cheondoong were equally surprised and puzzled at his comment.  Lee Joon looked at Soyun briefly with confusion before he looked back at Changwook.  He opened his mouth to speak but Changwook interrupted and turned away from him.

“Let’s go already,” he said impatiently, “I want to go on rides!”  He pulled on Cheondoong’s hands towards the gate.

“Then let’s go,” Soyun said, smiling at Joon.  Whatever Changwook had meant by his cryptic comment, she’d find out later.  In the meantime, she had to get on good terms with Lee Joon and hope that he’ll start talking.

“Yes,” Joon said, nodding shyly as he followed.  

As they were admitted into the park, Changwook’s excited chatter continued non-stop, leaving Soyun no time to speak.  Soon, he had pulled them in line to their first ride.  It was all they could do to keep up with his excitement as he led them on ride after ride.  Cheondoong seemed conflicted as the boy dragged him around the park.  He turned several times to look at Soyun and Joon with a strange expression on his face as the two began to trail behind.

Things were going according to plan.  Whether Changwook did it intentionally or not, he was beginning to pull Cheondoong away from them.  This was what they had planned originally and it would give Soyun enough privacy with Joon to start asking questions.  Now the problem was how to start…

“Changwook,” Joon said suddenly as he gazed after the two, “He’s pretty excited about this trip.”  He looked at Soyun and smiled slightly.

Soyun caught herself staring and cleared .  She had to focus; she couldn’t let herself get lost in the nostalgia!  “Yeah,” she said lightly, “He’s been looking forward to spending time with Cheondoong all week.”  She smiled and tried to collect her thoughts.  As the two of them walked at a much slower pace, she mentally rehearsed lines that could lead them to the topic of Joon’s identity.

“He really likes Cheondoong,” Joon said softly, still looking at the boy as Changwook pulled Cheondoong along in the distance, “It’s almost like they’re brothers…”

Soyun blinked as Joon murmured the last words.  That was it!  This was her in!  “Yeah,” Soyun agreed, her heart thudding in her chest, “Do you have any siblings, Lee Joon-shi?”  She was relieved to find her voice steady and light.

Joon looked at her with a sad expression and said, “I grew up… by myself.”  

Soyun smiled sheepishly and nodded.  What the heck was that supposed to mean?  Did he just dodge her question?  “I have a sister,” she continued, “You met her at the fundraiser.  Her name is Sora… do you remember?” 

“Yes,” Joon said, nodding, “You look alike so I remember.”  

Soyun smiled and fell silent as they continued walking.  She bit her lips as she tried to think of a way to continue their measly conversation.  “Ah… so,” Soyun said, “How did you become a part of KTA?  I heard that place is really hard to get into without any connections…”  She looked at him and watched his face for anything that might give her a clue.  It was true that KTA was near impossible to get into without connections.  So what was Lee Joon’s connection with KTA? 

“I guess I got very lucky then,” Joon said, smiling bashfully, “I was scouted by Hyunsik-hyung when I was working part-time at a café.”

“You… worked part-time?” Soyun asked, relieved that Joon was giving her something to work with.

“Yeah,” Joon replied, “And Hyunsik-hyung offered me a job…”  He trailed off as his gaze returned to Changwook and Cheondoong a few meters ahead of them.

“I see…” Soyun said, mentally sighing in exasperation as the conversation died again.  Now what?  Should she just straight out ask?  But wouldn’t that be incredibly weird?  But… how else could she ask him?  And… how was she supposed to confirm if he was or was not Lee Changsun anyway?  Clearly, he didn’t recognize her nor did he recognize Sora at the fundraiser.  Although they were just kids when Changsun disappeared, Soyun doubted that her looks had changed drastically enough that he wouldn’t remember them if he saw them.  So did that prove already that he wasn’t Lee Changsun?  Clearly she hadn’t thought things through…

“Soyun-shi,” Joon said suddenly, stopping in his tracks and looking at Soyun with a small frown, “Why did you invite me today?”

Taken aback, Soyun stopped and stared back at him in surprise.  She knew he’d be curious but she hadn’t expected him to ask her so bluntly.  Her mind temporarily blank, she opened and closed like a goldfish as she scrambled to come up with an excuse.

Joon looked at her with guarded eyes as he waited for her to respond.  The way he stood clearly expressed his apprehension.  And yet, he seemed almost hopeful that she would say something he was waiting to hear…

Sighing in exasperation, Soyun gave up said, “Because… as strange and ridiculous as this sounds, I think you’re my lost childhood friend Lee Changsun.”  She rolled her eyes as she listened to the words coming out of .  They sounded ridiculous to her own ears; she could only imagine what was going through Joon’s mind at the moment.

But to her surprise, Joon didn’t burst out laughing like she thought he would.  Instead, he shifted uncomfortably in his spot and his frown deepened.  Her hope suddenly restored a little, Soyun took a step closer to him and said, “But you’re not… right?”

Joon met her eyes with wary and stayed silent for a brief moment before saying, “You said Lee Changsun was a lost childhood friend… what happened to him?”

Once again taken aback by his question, Soyun blinked and bit her lips.  “He… was kidnapped when he was ten,” she said slowly, searching his face for any kind of reaction, “He’s been gone since.”

A flicker of emotion flashed across Joon’s face before it quickly disappeared.  There was definitely something strange, Soyun was sure of it.  But before she could think of another question to ask, Joon spoke up again.

“The police never found him?” he murmured, “Did they at least arrest the kidnapper?”

Soyun stared him with suspicion.  She was now almost a hundred percent sure… but how could she explain the fact that he didn’t recognize them?  Or was he just pretending?  But… why?  If he really was Lee Changsun, why would he deny it?  Why wouldn’t he come home?

“They did,” Soyun said, “They arrested him on charges of kidnap and attempted murder but he was only sentenced for a few years for kidnapping before he was set free.”

“Attempted murder?” Joon asked, wiping his face blank and continuing his walk, “Did he try to kill your friend?”

“He was going to,” Soyun said, feeling bitterness sprout in her chest as she began walking with him, “He was going to kill him so he could take over the company.  Fortunately, my friend was able to escape before he got the chance.”

Joon frowned as he looked at Soyun, his face full of confusion.  “He… was going to kill your friend for the company?” he asked, “Why would he kill a child to get a company?”

“Changsunnie’s father had just passed away at the time,” Soyun said, reminiscing.  She wasn’t sure if sharing all of this was a good idea but… she wanted to confirm her suspicions and it was far too late to turn back now.  “He was the next in line to take over the company when he got older,” she said, “Sangki-samchon was the interim leader at the time.  He decided that he liked his position too much to give it away to Changsunnie so he…”

“He plotted to kidnap and have him killed so he could maintain his position,” Joon finished, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Surprised, Soyun nodded.  “Yes,” she said slowly, “That’s exactly it…”  

The two fell silent as they continued walking.  Up a few meters ahead of them, Changwook was gesturing animatedly at Cheondoong as the two chatted.  Soyun glanced at Joon as the latter walked in silence with his gaze to the floor.  

The story sounded far-fetched and dramatic; most would laugh at the absurdity of such fictitious scenarios about one of the largest corporations in the world.  But Joon neither laughed nor called her ridiculous.  Instead, he looked as if he was lost in thought.

Taking a deep breath, Soyun stopped in her tracks and grabbed his arm.  Snapped out of his daze, Joon turned around and looked at her with surprise.

“Just… tell me,” Soyun said, frustrated with all the vague answers, “You’re Lee Changsun… right?  Why are you pretending as if you don’t know me?  Where have you been all these years?  Why didn’t you come home?  And… why are you here now?”  

Why was he here now?  That was a good question.

As Joon gazed back at Soyun’s face, he asked himself the same question.  She had a point; after all these years of being ‘missing’ and not knowing who he was or where he belonged, how did he get to where he was today?  Was it a random of luck that Dara had decided to move back home all those months ago?  And was it really inevitable that she would save him from that house?  What about the café?  What were the odds that Hyunsik, an important figurehead from KTA, would choose to have breakfast when Joon had been on shift?  And what of luck landed on Joon’s doorstep when Hyunsik offered him a job at KTA, one of the hardest agencies to get into?  What were the odds of being able to attend a fundraiser where the CEO of a larger partner company would attend?  Was it all just a coincidence?  The sequence of events that had led up to this moment seemed almost pre-planned.  How else could he explain it?

Joon’s head spun as he considered the new side of his story.  Soyun had spun him a story that was quite different from what Jin had told him.  During their conversation, Jin had explicitly told him that the culprit behind Joon’s kidnapping and disappearance was Song Bangna.  And yet… Soyun, who claimed to be his childhood friend, told him that it was Jin who had planned the kidnap and murder for the sake of maintaining ownership and power of the company.  Who should he believe?  Who was telling the truth?

Joon wasn’t sure and until then, he couldn’t reveal who he was… right?  “I…” he said as Soyun released him, “I’m not who you think I am.”  And it wasn’t a lie; he wasn’t the Lee Changsun from Soyun’s childhood.  Without his memories of his childhood, he would always be Lee Joon… the boy that grew up in the basement of a stranger’s home.

“You’re lying,” Soyun accused, stepping in front of him when he tried to walk away, “You’re lying… right?”  She gazed at him with hopeful eyes as she searched his face.  She sincerity seemed true… but her version of the story stuck a splinter of doubt in Joon’s mind.

“I’m not,” Joon sighed, “I’m really not-”

“Then why do you look like him?” Soyun asked, visibly upset by his answer, “You look… so much like him.”  As she said the last few words, she subconsciously reached out and touched his face.

Joon blinked in surprise as she cupped his cheek with her hand.  Feeling flustered at the sudden contact, He took a hold of her wrist and quickly removed her hand.  “We… we should get back to the others,” he said, looking over her head at where Cheondoong and Changwook were.

Perhaps it was the need to separate himself from the situation but… Joon’s eyes fell on two men that were trailing strangely behind Cheondoong and Changwook.  They were dressed in casual clothing but the way they walked slowly and silently were disconcerting.  It was as if… they were following Cheondoong and Changwook.

“Soyun-shi,” Joon said, suddenly worried, “Did… is there anybody else from the company here today?”  He let go of her wrist, his eyes following the two men.

“Don’t change the subject,” Soyun said, trying to get his attention again, “Answer my-”

“Soyun-shi,” Joon said, looking at her with a frown, “Did you have anybody follow you guys today?  Like… as bodyguards or something?”

Soyun frowned as she looked at him strangely.  “No,” she replied, looking in the direction that Joon was now looking again, “Why?  What’s wrong?”

“Those two guys…” Joon murmured, watching the two men.  

At that moment, a large looking rabbit mascot walked by with a cart filled with deflated balloons and a balloon pump.  Joon’s eyes widened as one of the men purposely bumped into the mascot as the other grabbed the balloon pump from the cart.  The mascot muttered a few words of disgruntlement before going his way; he hadn’t noticed the missing balloon pump.

As the two men continued their slow walk behind Cheondoong and Changwook, Joon suddenly began walking faster.  He had a bad feeling about this…

“What…” Soyun said as she struggled to catch up, “Lee Joon-shi, what’s wrong?”

Joon’s mouth dropped in horror as one of the men sped up his pace and quickly reached Cheondoong’s back.  The man raised the balloon pump high in the air and took aim.

“CHEONDOONG-AH!” Joon suddenly screamed as he broke into a run.  But it was too late.

As Cheondoong turned his head at the sound of his name, the man swung the pump like a baseball bat and struck him cleanly in the head.  

Author's notes:

GASP!  Kekeke...