A week passed without any trouble and Joon was grateful for the peace.  After everything that had happened, he wanted nothing more than for this peace to continue endlessly.  But, of course, he knew that was impossible.

“Lee Joon-shi,” the photographer called, slightly irritated, “Please focus.  Look this way.”

“Ah, yes,” Joon replied, snapping of out his daze.  He gave himself a little shake and tried to focus on his work.  He had been distracted since morning, when he’d found out that Seungho would be going to the estate again to keep Song Bangna company.  It was becoming a weekly occurrence and that made him very nervous.  Fortunately, now Seungho was aware of the dangers and would be on his guard.  Still…

“Why don’t you take a break?” his manager said as the photographer sighed in frustration, “Grab some lunch.”

Joon nodded and bowed apologetically as the staff dispersed from the set.  His worry was interfering with his work; he needed to find a way and put it to rest before it caused any more trouble.  The only way to do that, though, was to have faith in Seungho’s vigilance and pray that Song Bangna didn’t have anything bad planned.  Joon sighed in irritation at how helpless he was and absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair.

“Tsk, tsk,” Minah, his stylist, said as she came over and gave him a teasing frown, “No touchy.”  She pointed to his hair and wagged a finger at him.  “Never,” she said dramatically, “Touch the hair.  Even if it’s the zombie apocalypse, you run with style, you hear?”  Her face cracked into a warm smile as she tugged him over to her station and sat him down.

“I can see why you’re friends with Hyunsik-hyung,” Joon sighed as she began fixing his hair.

“Please,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I have much more style.”  She ran a comb meticulously through his hair as she stared intently into the mirror.  “So,” she said, twisting a lock of hair in her fingers, “Spill the beans.  Why did you touch the hair?”

Joon let out a small laugh.  Ever since getting Minah as his stylist, her hair and makeup sessions often morphed into counselling sessions for him.  She had a sisterly feel about her that made him want to lay his heart out for her to see.  

“I’m…” Joon started, unsure of how to tell her without really telling her, “I’m worried about someone but I can’t do anything to help.”  

“Help?” she replied, grabbing her hairdryer, “Is he in trouble?”  

“I don’t know,” Joon said softly, feeling his heart skip nervously at the thought, “He might be.  Even if he isn’t now… he might be in the future.”

“Hmm,” she hummed.  She swung forward and gave his hair a good stare from the front before moving to his back again and picking up the comb.  “Does he know?  That he might be in trouble?” she asked, working on a particularly stubborn lock of hair.

“Yes,” Joon said, sighing, “He’s aware.  It’s just… frustrating for me that I can’t do anything to prevent it from happening if it does happen.”  He frowned into the mirror as he stared mindlessly at himself.  “He’s… in a situation where he can’t really remove himself from the danger,” Joon murmured, “That’s my fault too.”

“Why is that your fault?” Minah asked, nodding satisfactorily at her work.

“He’s doing what he’s doing because of me,” Joon said quietly, “If I wasn’t here, he wouldn’t be either.”

“Hmm…” Minah said, looking at him through the mirror, “But it’s his choice, isn’t it?  To be here?”

Joon looked at her.  Was it his choice?  Was it Seungho’s choice to be working at KTA?  “I guess so,” he said, “But he did it to protect me…”

“But he still could’ve chosen to let you come alone, right?” she said, giving him a pointed look.

Joon fell silent as he contemplated the thought.  She was right… Seungho could have let him come to KTA alone.  But…

“Instead, he chose to come with you.  And I think,” she said, taking out her make up bag, “He’s smart enough to keep himself out of trouble.”

“But… what if something happens that he can’t…” Joon asked, again feeling helpless.  He closed his mouth as Minah ran a brush over his face as if she was dismissing his words.

“That’s like saying what if the zombie apocalypse suddenly descends upon us,” she said, “I’m sure he’ll survive.  He’s one of the most capable people I’ve ever met; if he can handle school and this job at the same time, he’s pretty darn capable.”  She gave him a warm smile.  “So stop your worrying,” she said, snapping her foundation shut, “And go eat something.  You’re starting to look like a zombie yourself and I will shoot you if you come after me.”  With that, she packed her things and sauntered away towards the cafeteria.

Joon blinked as he stared after her.  It was no wonder Minah and Hyunsik were close friends; the two shared the same strange sense of humor and both were just plain weird sometimes.  He sighed and sat back in the chair.  Slouching forward, he leaned his head back against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

Minah was right; Seungho was a capable person.  He knew the risks and was fully capable of watching out for himself.  He was intelligent, wary, and a cool thinker so he would be able to watch his own back.  

Feeling better, Joon stood and stretched.  It wasn’t until he entered the cafeteria that he realized Minah had been very much aware that they were talking about Seungho.  As Joon grabbed a bowl of soup, he couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.  There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that Minah had channeled her inner Hyunsik.

Lunch tasted much different, now that Seungho knew he may be dining with the devil.  As he warily cut into his steak, he could feel her piercing gaze on him from across the dining table.

“I’m so glad you could come again today,” she said as she swished her red wine around in her glass, her food once again untouched, “I haven’t been feeling well and I really needed your beautiful music.”  She sighed softly as she smiled at him, her gaze gentle but piercing.

“Of course,” Seungho said, setting down his utensils; he had little appetite despite the heavenly food.

“You can’t be finished?” she asked, her voice laced with concern, “You’ve barely touched your steak.  Is it not to your liking?”

“No, it’s wonderful,” Seungho replied, “I just had a big breakfast today.”

“I see,” she said, nodding, “My steak is a little overdone today; I like a little pink on my steak.  I guess I’m a fan of blood.”  She laughed at her own joke as she set her wine glass down.

Seungho smiled awkwardly; her statement was almost ironic given some of the things she’d tried to do.  A fan of blood indeed… as long as she wasn’t the one doing the killing.

“Well then, if we’re both done,” she said, standing up, “I’d like to show you some more photos.”  

Seungho nodded and stood as well; this was what he’d been waiting for.  He wanted to see more photos of Joon’s childhood before the kidnapping.  Maybe he could bring back something that would be useful.  He followed her as she lead the way out of the dining room.

As she reached the doorway, however, she suddenly wobbled on her feet and fell to her right.  Without thinking, Seungho sprung forward and caught her as she fell to her knees in a huff.  Her right hand clutched her shirt over her heart as she tried to calm her suddenly uneven breathing.

“Are you alright?” Seungho asked in surprise; he glanced around to see if the butler, Sungsu, was around but they were alone in the dining room.

“Yes,” she said breathlessly, “I-I’m fine…”

“Should I call someone?” Seungho asked as he made to get up but her right hand reached forward and kept him in his half crouched position.

“No,” she said, her voice almost panicking, “I’m fine.  Can you please help me up and take me to my room?”  She held a hand to her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

Nodding, Seungho helped her up and let her steady herself.  She seemed weak in the knees as she stood, her left hand placed over her heart.  Her face looked pale but her grip on his arm was tight.  Slowly, he led her towards the grand staircase but was surprised when she shook her head and took him down a narrow hall.  He refrained from rolling his eyes when he spotted the elevator at the end.  Of course they had an elevator in their house.

As the two rode the elevator up, Seungho noticed the color returning to her face.  As she led him down the hall towards some French doors, Seungho couldn’t help but take in the beautiful building structure.  The halls, like downstairs, were liked with beautiful and expensive-looking paintings.  The hallway had finished hardwood flooring and her master bedroom was padded with soft white carpeting.  

Her bed room was at least three times the size of his dorm room.   A large king sized bed sat to the left while large bay windows faced the East.  A large white marble vanity sat by her bed and carried a small collection of perfumes.  Seungho was pretty sure anyone of them would be more expensive than everything he owned combined.

Gingerly, he helped her to her bed.  Feeling oddly like a mother, he reached across her and pulled over the covers.  It was a strange feeling, especially since he knew of her past misdeeds.  As he finished tucking her in, he heard her chuckle.  He glanced at her, feeling both embarrassed and awkward.

“You’re a darling,” she said softly.  

Seungho blinked in surprise as she reached out cupped his cheek with her hands.  Caught off guard, he froze, unsure of what to do.  He felt her thumbs caress his cheeks as she smiled at him warmly.  

“Thank you,” she murmured gently, her smile fading.  With strength Seungho hadn’t expected, she sat up and pulled his face towards her.

Seungho couldn’t help but flinch as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips.  It was only the lightest brush of lips but Seungho felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand as she pulled away with heavy lidded eyes.  Stunned, he reeled from what just happened.  He stared with wide eyes as one of her hands trailed down his neck and while the other settled around his tie.  He gasped as she tugged him forward using his tie and placed another kiss on his lips.  

Shocked out of his daze, he reached up and wrapped his hands around her thin wrists.  Giving them a warning squeeze, he tried to pull away but was stopped when she tightened her grip on his tie.  Instead of backing away and apologizing for her actions, she pulled him forward with an even greater force.  Stumbling with shock, Seungho reached out and pressed his hand against the bed to stop himself from falling on her.  His heart raced in his chest as his mind screamed with rejection.  What did she think she was doing?

A sudden knock on her door made Seungho jump with surprise.  Fortunately, she released his tie and neck.  Seungho straightened up quickly, taking a few steps away from her.  He tried to calm his breathing; he hadn’t realized that he was holding his breath.  He felt his skin crawl as he looked at her.  His entire being was tingling with wariness.  What had she just done?  Did she really just try and pull him onto her bed?  And wasn’t she ill only a moment ago?  What just happened?  

“Hwajangnim,” Sungsu, the head butler, said as he bowed in the doorway, “You have a visitor.”  He fell silent as he gave her an expressionless look.  When she nodded, he walked over to the side of the bed and held an arm out.

As if nothing happened, Bangna pulled back the covers and slipped out of bed.  Placing a hand on Sungsu’s arm, she straightened her clothes and nodded.  Taking that as his cue, Sungsu led the way out of the room.  As they passed Seungho, she stopped and gave him a smile.  This one, however, was quite different from her usual warm smile.  The smile she gave him now was coy and almost… cold.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said calmly, “I have to tend to my visitor.  I trust you know your way out?”

Stunned by her reaction, Seungho nodded mutely.  He watched as she continued her way out of the door.  Letting out the breath he’d once again been holding, he followed her out into the hall.  He wasn’t surprised to see that she was already nowhere to be found.  She had, no doubt, taken the elevator down already. 

Deciding to skip the elevator, Seungho sighed and walked towards the end of the hall.  Turning the corner, he spotted the grand staircase and made his way towards it.  As he descended, he ran his hands over the polished Maplewood railing and tried to make sense of what just happened.

They were having lunch… that part made sense.  As they got up to leave, she fell down and looked ill.  That made sense too.  Everything made sense… until she suddenly kissed him.  What was going through her mind when she did that?  Why would she do something like that?  And then, as if once wasn’t enough, she did it again.  And when he tried to get away, she made sure to send him the message that leaving was not an option.  But… why?  Why would she do that?

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Seungho sighed and looked around the foyer.  Not a single person was around; he was alone.  Scatching his head, he began to make his way towards the large front doors when he heard voices down the hall to his right.

“… see you here…”

Seungho blinked and turned towards the voices.  He was sure it was Bangna speaking.  From the sounds of it, it was coming from the study.  Curious, Seungho looked around quickly before he followed the sound to a set of large mahogany doors.  Styled like traditional arched Victorian doors, there was a dramatized key hole beneath the door handle.  

Seungho could feel the curiosity tickling his throat.  Who was this visitor?  Was he so important that she would see him even though she hadn’t been feeling well?  Well… assuming she wasn’t pretending to get Seungho into her bedroom.  He shuddered at the thought. 

“…know why I’m here.”

More of the conversation floated through the cracks as if tempting him.  Biting his lips, he glanced down the hall one more time before he leaned forward and peeked through the keyhole.  Squinting, he tried to make out what he was looking at.  A window must have been on the opposite wall because most of what he could see was only a blinding light.  Blinking, he closed one eye and tried to focus.  It appeared to be a large library.  He could make out the silhouette of two people, one of them a woman sitting at her desk with her arms crossed.  That had to have been Bangna.  The other, a man, leaned against the back of a couch, his face in the shadows as his back faced the window.  Squinting, Seungho tried to make out his face.  Luckily, the man turned to face Bangna, his face suddenly lit up by the sunlight from the window.  What Seungho saw made his eyes widen and his mouth drop.

Leaning against the back of a couch, was the weary but smug face of Jin.

Author's notes:

O.O As the lion preys on the lamb!  But fear not, Seungho will not be taken advantage of!  Not unless it's Joon's tears!  But did you like this?  If you're surprised now... just you wait >:)