Seungho felt his breath hitch as he watched Jin and Bangna stare at each other in silence.  Why was Jin here?  The last time Seungho saw him was when he had confronted Joon outside of the agency.  That had been many months ago.  And though Jin had told Joon about his past, Seungho still wasn’t entirely trusting of the older man.  But even he hadn’t expected Jin to personally pay a visit to the woman who had framed him and sent him to jail!

“Actually, I don’t know why you’re here,” Bangna said, though her voice was slightly muffled by the closed doors.  Seungho could barely make out her words as he gave up watching and pressed his ears against the door.  “I haven’t seen your face for… how long now?” she asked, her voice both musical and icy.

“Not long enough,” Jin replied, his voice almost snarky, “I was hoping you’d just go away like a bad dream.”

Seungho heard Bangna laugh dramatically before replying with, “I see you haven’t changed much.”

“You sure have,” Jin said, “You’ve aged like a wrinkled prune, Bangna-yah.  What’s the matter?  Is the company too much for you to handle?”  He paused before he added, “Or… is it the guilt of murder that’s keeping you from your beauty sleep?”

Seungho let out a breath of surprise at the confrontational tone of Jin’s voice.  Had he come to pick a fight?  Why?  And it sounded like the two hadn’t been in touch in a while… so why would Jin appear now?

“Please, sweetheart,” Bangna said dismissively, “Your accusations are getting boring.  If you’re here to dig up old dirt then you’re wasting my precious time.  Sungsu will see you out.”

Seungho held his breath as he waited for the sound of footsteps.  But none echoed against the walls.  Instead, there was brief moment of silence before…

“Stay away from him,” Jin said in a barely audible murmur.

It was followed by another moment of silence before Bangna replied in an airy tone, “From whom dear?  Did prison mess with your sanity?”

“You know who I’m talking about,” Jin snapped, all friendliness gone from his voice, “Don’t touch him.”

Seungho felt his heart race as he listened intently.  Though they hadn’t mentioned a name, he was certain he knew who they were talking about.

“I’m afraid I’m not following,” Bangna said, “If you’d like, I can recommend a great therapist-”

“Lee Joon,” Jin hissed, “Sound familiar?”

Seungho’s brows twitched at the mention of Joon’s name; he had been right.  They were talking about Joon.

“Not particularly,” Bangna said breathily, “And whom might he be?”

“You were always a pretentious ,” Jin said quietly, “But you could never fool me.  Only I knew the real you, Bangna-yah.”

Seungho frowned.  Only he knew the real Bangna?  What did that mean?

Bangna laughed dramatically before saying, “The real me?  Please, Kang Sangki, you never knew anyone but yourself.”  The sound of footsteps echoed through the doors as Bangna stood from her seat. 

This time, it was Jin who laughed loudly.  “I knew you enough to know you’d try and get rid of Changsunnie.  Too bad you failed.”

“I didn’t fail, Sangki-yah,” Bangna replied softly, “Lee-Song’s mine, isn’t it?”  She laughed as her footsteps echoed through the walls. 

Seungho peered through the keyhole again; Bangna was now leaning against the window as she looked outside.  Jin remained at his perch against the couch but his face was hidden as he looked at Bangna.

“Not for long though,” Jin said, “Now that he’s back.”

“There’s no proof that this Lee Joon,” she said with skepticism, “Is Lee Changsun.” 

“You’re right, there isn’t,” Jin said, crossing his arms, “Not yet anyways.”

There was a moment of silence before Bangna replied, her voice suddenly venomous, “Leave Changwook out of this, Kang Sangki.  You know what I’m capable of.”

Seungho swallowed as he pressed his ear against the door.  Changwook… Song Bangna’s son.  They were, no doubt, talking about the DNA test.  But why?  Why would Jin reveal all of this to her?

“Leave him out of this?” Jin replied incredulously, “You’re the one that brought him into this, Bangna-yah.  Your greed brought him into this.  It wasn’t enough that you murdered my best friend and stole his company; you had to kill his son too to make sure your son could succeed what you stole.  You’re the one who brought him into this, not me.”

“I’m warning you,” Bangna said quietly, “Stay away from my son.”

“You won’t be able to protect him from the truth,” Jin said softly, “Don’t forget, there are others like you who want to take everything you have from you and make it their own.”

A long silence settled in the room; Seungho strained his ears to make sure he was catching the entire conversation.  After what seemed like a minute, he heard Bangna say in a shaky voice, “It was you…”  There was a shuffle of footsteps and then… “Kang Sangki, you son of a .  You tried to kidnap my son… you sent those people at the amusement park, didn’t you?”

Seungho gasped silently, his eyes wide in shock.  He could feel his heart racing as waited for Jin to deny it.  Surely, Bangna was wrong… right?  Jin seemed so hell-bent on protecting Joon; there was no way he’d turn around and hurt someone else’s child right? 

“You should keep him on a shorter leash,” Jin said quietly, his voice filled with a venom Seungho had never heard before, “You wouldn’t want him to get hurt.”

Seungho jumped as a slap rang across the room.  Peeking through the keyhole, he wasn’t surprised to find Bangna standing face to face with Jin practically breathing fire as Jin’s face was turned to the side from the force of her slap.

“Leaving you was the best decision I ever made,” Bangna said quietly, her voice barely audible, “You sick son of a .”

Seungho’s jaw dropped further as he let the words sink in.  Leaving him?  Song Bangna left Jin?  Wait a minute… what was going on here? 

“Ironic,” Jin said, “Coming from you.  Cheater… gold-digger… murderer… I’d say you’re the sick one.”

“I didn’t cheat on you,” Bangna said, her voice steely, “I never loved you to begin with so how could I cheat on you?”  She laughed but it was forced.  “You were delusional in your love,” she said, “No… your obsession.  You were obsessed with me… and you still are.”

Seungho couldn’t believe his ears.  So there had been a history between Jin and Bangna.  Somehow, Jin had conveniently left that detail out when he told Joon of the past.  Did it simply slip his mind?  Seungho highly doubted that.

Jin laughed loudly and said, “Listen to yourself!  Of the three things I called you, cheater is the one you’re going to deny?”  His laugh faded and his voice quieted again.  “You had your fun these past ten years,” he said, “Time to say goodbye.”

“To you,” Bangna said, “If I ever see you again, Kang Sangki, it won’t be jail where you’re going.  And if you so much as think about Changwook again, I’ll make sure you become fish food.”

Seungho heard Jin sigh in response.  “There you go again,” Jin said in a mocking tone, “Threatening to kill people again.  You really should get that fixed…”

“Um… can I help you?”

Seungho jumped as someone spoke from behind him.  He whirled around in surprise, his heart about to jump out of his throat.  Behind him stood a maid with a small cart of tea and snacks.  She looked at him in confusion as she waited for his reply.

“Uh…” Seungho said, drawing a blank. 

But before he could respond, the door to the study swung open.  Turning, Seungho came face to face with Bangna, who looked at him without a trace of trace of her usual kindness.  Instead, the look she gave him was one of surprise and anger.

“What’s going on here?” she asked quietly.  She looked from Seungho to the maid, who dropped her head in a scared bow.

“I… I was…” the maid stuttered, gripping her cart with white knuckles.

“I was looking for the washroom,” Seungho interrupted, giving Bangna a smile, “I got lost so…”  He mentally sighed in relief at his steady voice.  He glanced at the maid, praying that she wouldn’t sell him out on his eavesdropping.  To his relief, the maid kept her head down and nodded timidly.

Bangna glanced between them again before nodding.  Her face broke into a smile as she looked at Seungho and said, “I see…”  Seungho blinked in surprise as she reached forward and straightened his blazer jacket.  Reaching higher, she adjusted his collar and tie, her fingers purposely brushing his neck.  “The house is quite big,” she said softly, brushing her hand along his shoulder, “I wouldn’t want you to get lost… you might stumble across something you shouldn’t be…”  She gave him a look that sent shivers down his spine.  Her eyes were piercing and her smile was icy as she ran a hand across his face.  “Ignorance,” she said quietly, “Is quite blissful… especially when knowledge can be dangerous.”

Seungho felt the hairs on his neck stand as he looked back at her.  He felt as if death was whispering a warning in his ear; it sent chills down to his bones.  Her message was clear; he was to keep his mouth shut about whatever he’d heard… or he, too, would become fish bait.

In the blink of an eye, Bangna’s face warmed as she turned to the maid with a kind smile.  “Show him the washroom, will you dear?” she asked, patting her hand on Seungho’s chest one last time before letting him loose, “And show him the way out afterwards.  Wouldn’t want our dear guest to get lost again.”  She gave Seungho her usual smile before turning around and walking back into the study, closing the door behind her tightly.

The maid gestured for him to follow her down the hall.  As Seungho entered the washroom and closed the door behind him, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.  He had come out of that unscathed and for that, he was grateful.  Of the things he’d found out, one thing was certainly confirmed: Song Bangna was capable of murder.  And he had been right; Jin hadn’t been telling the whole truth. 

Despite her chilling warning, Seungho wasn’t going to keep his new found secrets to himself. He had to tell Joon.

Joon pushed through the door to the dorm, exhausted from a day of work.  After lunch, the photographer had pulled him back onto the set.  After a relentlessly long photo-shoot, Joon was finally allowed to go back home.  Fortunately, it was still barely six o’clock; he would be able to prepare some dinner before Seungho got home… assuming he’d be home before dinner.  Minah’s therapy had helped ease his mind a little, but he still hadn’t been able to completely shake his anxiety.

Joon blinked in surprise when Seungho met him at the door looking both relieved and upset.

“You’re home,” Seungho said, pulling him inside and closing the door behind him.

“Hyung!” Joon said, suddenly feeling as if a large weight lifted from his chest, “You’re home!”  Smiling, he pulled Seungho into a hug and gave him a long and tender kiss.  Sighing, he nuzzled his face against Seungho’s and let the warmth spread through his body.  He hadn’t realized that he was cold until he pressed himself against Seungho’s warmth.

“Mmn,” Seungho replied, wrapping his arms around Joon, “What’s wrong?”  He placed a gentle kiss on Joon’s temple.

“Nothing,” Joon said, “Just… glad you’re back.”  He didn’t want to pass his anxiety on to Seungho; he was sure the latter already felt nervous having to visit the lion’s den so often.

“Me too,” Seungho said, pulling away, “I need to tell you something.”  Taking Joon’s hand, Seungho led him to their dining table and sat him down.

Joon felt a sliver of anxiety return as Seungho grabbed a chair and pulled closer to him.  He felt butterflies in his stomach as Seungho bit his lip.  “What?” he asked, feeling dreadful of what Seungho might tell him, “Did something happen at the estate?”  Did Song Bangna do something?  Did she hurt Seungho? 

“Jin was at the estate,” Seungho said.

Joon blinked in surprise at the news.  “What?” he asked, “Why…?”

“He was there to see Song Bangna,” Seungho said, frowning, “I was eavesdropping on their conversation.  He warned her to stay away from you… did you know he was responsible for Changwook’s near-kidnap at the park?”

Joon’s jaw dropped as his eyes widened in shock.  Jin was behind that?  But… why?  “No,” Joon said, “I didn’t… why would he…”

“He made it sound as if he wanted to hurt Changwook,” Seungho said grimly, “To do what Song Bangna did to you.”

“My God…” Joon whispered, unable to believe what he was hearing, “It’s so contradicting… to want to protect one child but hurt another?”

“That’s what I thought too,” Seungho said, “I wonder if he tried to kidnap Changwook as a means to have you test your DNA.”

“He doesn’t have to kidnap Changwook to do that,” Joon said, recalling his conversation with Jin, “Apparently there were some people already who’ve requested to test because they claimed they were Lee Changsun.”

“Well, Jin spilled the beans on what he plans to do,” Seungho said, shaking his head, “He threatened her with a test to prove that you are Lee Changsun.”

Joon looked at Seungho with disbelief.  Why would Jin do that?  Why would Jin reveal that Joon might be Lee Changsun?  Wasn’t this like giving Song Bangna a heads-up of their ambush and giving her time to take Joon out?  “I don’t get it…” Joon murmured, running a hand through his hair.

“There’s more,” Seungho said grimly.  He fell silent briefly while he contemplated his words.  He his lips and asked, “Did you know that Jin and Song Bangna were involved in the past?”

“Involved?” Joon asked, his mind reeling with the possibility, “You don’t mean…”

“As in romantically,” Seungho confirmed, “From the sounds of it, her and Jin were a couple before she left him for Lee Sukgyun.”

“Oh my…” Joon whispered, “I had no idea.  He didn’t say a word…”  Did Jin have a personal vendetta against Song Bangna?  Was that why he wanted Joon to take back Lee-Song?  So he could finally exact revenge on the woman that left him for money?

“I didn’t think so,” Seungho sighed, “I was discovered before I could hear more.”

“Discovered!” Joon said, his heart racing at the news, “Are you okay?”  He felt terror at the thought of Seungho being discovered by Bangna in such a situation; the things she could’ve done to him made Joon quiver with fear.

“I’m fine,” Seungho reassured him.  He took Joon’s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “Although…” he said hesitantly, glancing at Joon before falling silent.

“Although what?” Joon asked, his heart in his throat.  His eyes scanned Seungho’s face and body; there were no visible injuries…

“She kissed me,” Seungho said awkwardly, grimacing at the thought.

Joon blinked at the news.  He stared at Seungho with surprise.  What did he just say?  “She… kissed you?” Joon repeated slowly.

“Twice,” Seungho said, wrinkling his nose, “If we weren’t interrupted by her butler, she probably would’ve wrestled me on to her bed.”  He shivered at the thought.

Joon’s jaw dropped as he suddenly jumped to his feet.  Song Bangna… made a move on Seungho?  The idea infuriated him more than probably should have given the circumstances.  Sure, she was an old woman and sure, her target was gay… still, Joon couldn’t help the suddenly burst of fury at the thought of that old witch putting her hands over Seungho.

“And in case you’re wondering why I was in her bedroom,” Seungho said in slight amusement as he tugged Joon back into his seat, “She collapsed after dinner and needed help to her room.”

Joon looked at him and tried to hear the words he just spoke.  He hadn’t even bothered to question why Seungho was in her room; he was still trying to get over the fact that she laid her paws on him.

“Anyway,” Seungho said, “That’s not important.  What’s important now is figuring out what you’re going to do.  Jin must’ve found out that I was at the estate; he’ll know that I’ll be telling you these things.”

“What are you saying?” Joon asked, gripping Seungho’s hand with his own.  This was all so much to take in…

“I’m saying he might force your hand,” Seungho said grimly, “He wants to take Lee-Song away from her; I’m worried that he’s using you to do it.”

“So I won’t,” Joon said, biting his lips, “I won’t go back.”

“I’m also worried about what’ll happen if you don’t go back,” Seungho said, sighing heavily, “Now that she knows you’re probably Lee Changsun, it’s almost certain she’ll try and get rid of you.”  He ran his free hand through his hair and scratched his head in frustration.  “Jin’s visit put us between a rock and a hard place,” he said darkly, “Regardless of what we do, we’re playing by his rules now.”

Joon sighed as he looked down at his hand that held Seungho’s hand.  It was true that he was now between a rock and a hard place.  But he couldn’t help but feel comforted by how Seungho referred to them as ‘we’ and ‘us’.  It was, once again, a reaffirmation that he was in this with Joon and that brought Joon peace he didn’t think he could find.

“Let’s think about this over a hot shower and a dinner,” Joon suggested, “I’m starving and I want to wash Song Bangna’s dirty grime off of you.”  He found it both amusing and disturbing that he was more concerned about washing Seungho then anything else they’d talked about so far.

Seungho broke out into a chuckle as Joon pulled him to his feet.  “Maybe I should let her touch me more if it means you inviting me to showers,” he teased as he followed Joon’s lead to the bathroom.

Joon threw him a disgusted look, causing him to burst out in laughter as he tugged on Joon’s blazer.  Joon shrugged out of his shirt and began to unbuckle his pants when his phone rang in his pant pocket.  Taking it out, he gasped audibly as he read the name flashing on the screen.

“What?” Seungho asked, peeking over his shoulder.

Joon felt his heart beating faster as he turned to Seungho in horror and whispered, “Jin!  It’s Jin!” 

Seungho’s eyes widened in shock as he looked back at Joon.

“What do I do?” Joon whispered, as if Jin could hear them through the unanswered phone, “Do I pick up?”

“Yes,” Seungho said, getting over his shock, “Answer him.”  Determination crossed his face as he took a step closer to Joon and reached out to touch his elbow.

The contact helped sooth Joon’s frazzled nerves as he took a deep breath.  He clicked the answer button and placed the phone to his ears.  With steady voice, he said, “Hello?”

Author's notes:

OH SNAP!  The shiznit is goin down!  Stay tuned for more, next chapter coming up real soon!!