“It’s been three months,” Jin said, concern evident on his aged but handsome face.

Joon nodded as he shifted in his seat.  It was nearly two in the morning and yet here he was, in a café again with Jin.  He’d left Seungho fast asleep in bed; it was extremely reminiscent of the night he’d found out the truth about his identity.

“Judging by the fact that you’re still working at KTA,” Jin sighed, “I take it you don’t plan on leaving any time soon.”

Joon bit his lip and looked down at his coffee.  It was hard to believe three months had passed since their last meeting.  So much had happened that he hadn’t really even thought much about leaving KTA.  But… why would Jin suddenly contact him again?  After staying silent for three months?

“She suspects you,” Jin said as if reading Joon’s mind, “Song Bangna… she suspects you and she’s going to take action soon.”

“Action?” Joon whispered, his heart pounding, “What do you mean?”  His mind instantly went to Seungho; could that be the action Jin was talking about?  Was Song Bangna going to hurt him through Seungho?  But… even if she suspected him to be Lee Changsun, she should have no idea of their relationship so…

“She’s a cunning woman,” Jin murmured, playing with his cup, “Although the ends were slightly different from what she’d originally intended, she got her wish of making you disappear.  Now that she thinks you’re still alive...”

“You think she’ll make me disappear again,” Joon said, his throat constricted with fear.  His hands shook as he gripped his pants under the table.

“Now that she already knows of your existence, there’s really no point in leaving KTA,” Jin said, his face dark, “She’ll chase you to the ends of the earth to make sure you stay good and gone.”

Joon took a shaky breath as he let the words sink in.  If leaving was no good now… then what?  Was he doomed to die at her hands?  And what about his loved one?  What about Seungho?  He couldn’t help but feel a sense of looming dread, as if he was being suffocated by the future before him.

“I thought about your options,” Jin said, “You only have one left.”

“And what’s that?” Joon asked, trying to keep his voice somewhat steady.  

Jin paused and contemplated his words carefully.  After a brief moment of silence, he leaned forward and said quietly, “Take back what’s yours.”

Joon sat in stunned silence as he stared, wide-eyed, at Jin’s determined face.  Take back what was his?  Surely Jin wasn’t suggesting…?

“Lee-Song belongs to you; Sukyun left the business he’d poured his life and soul into to the son he so very much loved,” Jin said, his voice touched by heartbreak, “Everything she has… belongs rightfully to you.”

“You want me…” Joon whispered, “To take the company?”  He reeled from the simple and yet, incredibly complex, suggestion.

“Not just the company,” Jin said, “The estate, the control… all of it.  Take back the life that you were meant to live.”

Joon couldn’t help the hysterical laugh that burst from his lips.  “And…” he said, incredulously, “How do you expect me to do that?”  He shook his head and sighed in disbelief.  “Besides, if I went back, she could kill me with her own hands if she’d wanted to.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Jin said, leaning back again, “If you go back… she can’t touch you.”

Confused, Joon looked at Jin’s confident face and frowned.  “I don’t… what do you mean?” he asked, not sure if Jin was out of his mind.

“Ten years ago, it was announced to the world that the heir of Lee-Song had disappeared… not dead; disappeared.  If you return, the media will explode with news reports and she’ll have no choice but to step down and give the throne to you,” Jin said, “Any attempts at your life will be viewed by the public as an attempt to steal what’s not hers; she will put that into jeopardy.”

“How do you know that?” Joon asked, still in shock over what he was hearing, “She could always stage another car accident and-”

“I know her,” Jin said grimly, “She is many things but she is not a loser.  Her pride refuses to let her act rashly and ruin her reputation as an important figurehead at Lee-Song.”  He sighed and sipped his coffee.  “I’m not saying she won’t try and get rid of you; she will try until the day she dies to steal Lee-Song and pass it on to her son,” Jin said, “But by announcing your return, you take away her options of removing you by physically hurting you.”

Joon stared at his hands in silence as he contemplated Jin’s heavy words.  If he went back… she couldn’t physically hurt him.  But what about threatening the ones he loved?  She could always use that as leverage, right?  In a way, wasn’t she doing that now by calling Seungho back to her estate over and over again?  She couldn’t possibly have pure intentions could she?  Besides… she would never stop.  Even if he returned, she will always be after the company.  Living while constantly watching over his shoulders… that would be a terrible way to live.

“You say that announcing my return will give me safety,” Joon said, frowning, “What makes you think the public will believe me?  Couldn’t anyone claim to be the missing heir and take Lee-Song then?”

Jin shook his head and chuckled.  “Don’t think people haven’t tried,” he said softly, “She always believed that you were dead even though she could never confirm it; her reasoning was that you would’ve come back to claim what’s yours a long time ago if you were still alive.”  He sighed and said, “I told you, she’s a proud woman.  She believed so strongly that you were dead that anyone who claimed to be Lee Changsun were put through a DNA test.  It was part of her public campaign to make people think she was still looking for the rightful heir.  And, of course, none of them passed.”

“You think I would pass the DNA test?” Joon asked.

“I know you would,” Jin said firmly, “Because I know you are who she fears the most.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Joon said, “How can I get a DNA test to prove that I’m my father’s son when he’s been dead for a decade?”  He shook his head and murmured, “It would be impossible…”

“You would do it the same everyone else did,” Jin said simply, “You forget… you’re not the only Lee that’s still alive.”

Joon furrowed his brows as he tried to understand the hidden meaning behind Jin’s words.  The same as everyone else?  How did everyone else do it?  To complete a proper DNA test, you needed cells from both parties.  It was impossible to save the DNA of Lee Sukgyun for a decade and still have it be relevant.  So how did they do it?  The last Lee…?  

Joon’s eyes widened as he suddenly felt his breath leave him.  Of course he wasn’t the last Lee still alive.  There was one more… “Changwook,” he whispered, his heart banging against his ribcage, “His DNA…”

“That’s right,” Jin said, “You are Lee Sukgyun’s son, but you are also Lee Changwook’s older brother.  All you would need to do to prove to the public of your identity is to match your DNA against Changwook’s.  Both of you share the same father so it would work just the same.”

Stunned, Joon stared at Jin with his mouth open.  He had never considered the possibility of matching his DNA, much less with his younger half-brother.  Though the idea itself sent him reeling, it made perfect sense.

“Besides,” Jin said, throwing the last of his coffee back, “Not a single soul will doubt that you’re Lee Sukgyun’s son; except maybe your lips that you got from your mother, you’re his spitting image.”  He leaned back and sighed.  “I think… this is the best way to ensure you’re safety,” he said, “Before she has a chance to hurt you.”

Joon sat in his seat lost in his thoughts.  Although all of this seemed ridiculous, it did make some sense.  But… would going back really stop her from hurting him or his loved ones?  What’s to stop her from finding other ways to get rid of him?

“You said she would never stop,” Joon said apprehensively, “Even if she couldn’t hurt me immediately, once the excitement over my return dies down, couldn’t she still hurt me?  Like, kill me and make it look like an accident?”

Jin didn’t reply right away; instead, he stared at his cup with a dark expression on his face.  After a long pause he said quietly, “The reason I want you to go back… isn’t just to claim what’s yours.”

Joon blinked, surprised at his words.  What else could he possibly have in mind?  The first idea was crazy enough!  He stayed silent and waited for Jin to continue, his stomach fluttering with anxiety.

“The only way to stop Song Bangna… is to kill her or send her away for good,” Jin said quietly, raising his gaze to look Joon in the eye.

Joon felt his jaw drop as he stared back in shock.  He wasn’t suggesting… “You… there’s no way you’re saying that I…” Joon stuttered, his heart palpitating in his chest.

“No,” Jin said, waving a hand to dismiss him, “Of course I’m not saying you should kill her.”  He looked at him and said quietly, “What I’m suggesting… is that you put her away behind bars.”

Joon frowned, thoroughly confused.  “Put her behind bars?  As in get her arrested?  I can’t do that unless…” he trailed off as Jin nodded, sending shivers down his spine.  He couldn’t send her to jail… unless she committed a crime.  “What did she do…?” Joon whispered, not sure if he even wanted to know.

Again, Jin fell silent for a long pause before he replied, “Your father’s death… I have always been suspicious about it.”  He shifted in his seat and sat up straight, leaning his weight into the table.  “He fell ill shortly after the birth of Changwook; that had always seemed strange to me.  He was under stress from the business but not enough that it would suddenly cause him to fall ill so quickly.  To my knowledge, he hadn’t suffered any acute illnesses that could cause such a quick death nor did he have any long-term illnesses to begin with.”

Joon listened with his mouth open in shock.  “You… what are you suggesting?” he asked, his voice shaky.  Jin couldn’t possibly be suggesting…

“I think Song Bangna had a hand in his death,” Jin said darkly, his fingers gripping his coffee cup tightly, “It’s too much of a coincidence.  As soon as she gave birth to a boy, Sukgyun began getting sick more often.  Soon, he became too ill to work and eventually, he was bedridden.  Before his death, he worked with a lawyer and finalized his will to leave everything to you.”  Jin looked at Joon with narrowed eyes.  “Don’t you think that’s a bit strange too?  He had a wife, albeit his second wife but a wife nonetheless, and yet he left the company to his barely ten-year-old son?”

Joon leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of the situation.  It all seemed surreal… that his step-mother not only tried to kill him but may very well have killed his father.  But… what if Jin was telling the truth?  But even if all of this was true… what could he do?  “Even if it is as you say,” Joon said, suddenly feeling exhausted, “What do you expect me to do?  How could I possibly prove that it was her who’d killed him?”  He shook his head and gripped his coffee cup so tight that his knuckles turned white.  “What can I do?” Joon whispered.

“When your father died,” Jin said quietly, “Bangna fired all the staff from the estate, including the head maid, and hired an entirely new set of maids and butlers.”  He tapped the table with is finger nervously and said, “That is where we would start.  The maids and cooks would have had to have seen something…”

Unsure of how to respond, Joon sat back and gazed at Jin’s dark face.  Everything was so difficult to take in… he was still reeling from all the new information.  But if he did take the route of going back to Lee-Song, he knew lots of difficulties would be waiting for him.  He would be constantly looking over his shoulder, while searching for clues to his father’s death.  Was he up to the task?  It all seemed so… daunting.

“I… This is all so…” Joon said, biting his lip, “I-I need time to think…”

“I know this is a lot to take in,” Jin said, “But I’m afraid time is not on our side.  At any time, she could have someone-”

“I know,” Joon interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest, “I just… I don’t think I can do this.  It’s… it’s too much.”

Jin sighed and stood.  “I will give you time to think but… I hope you change your mind,” he said softly, “If you don’t do this, you will never be free from her.”  Taking out a few bills, he placed it onto the table.  “Remember, this is your last option,” he said quietly, “Think about it carefully.”

Joon watched as Jin walked out of the café with heavy footsteps.  He felt a heavy weight settle on his shoulders as he gathered his coat and followed.  The walk back to the dorm felt long and treacherous, though the weather was warm and breezy.  

He hadn’t expected anything like this when Jin had asked to meet up again.  Now, nearly two hours later, he was once again reeling from the meeting.  His mind was a jumbled mess and his thoughts were flying around his head like flies.  His chest felt heavy from the burden and it was as if he’d suddenly shouldered the weight of the world.  The future before him suddenly seemed grim and filled with darkness.  As he climbed the stairs to the dorm, each step felt more difficult than the next. 

Standing outside of his door, Joon leaned his head against it and took a deep breath.  Everything would be okay, he told himself.  Regardless of his decision, everything would be okay… right?

Pushing in his key, he gingerly opened the door and sighed in relief to see the room still dark.  Kicking off his shoes, he padded his way farther inside when a shadow to his left suddenly moved towards him.  Jumping back, Joon yelped in surprise as the light suddenly flicked on.

Seungho stood in front of him, dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants looking absolutely furious.  

Author's notes: Uh oh, 's about to hit the fan!!  Stay tuned for what happens next!  And I apologize for the slow(er) updates!  Still working to balance life and AFF!