My dear, dear readers! I'm so so so so so sorry for not updating for so long... work has been busy and crazy and I never seemed to have enough time to write! Don't worry, I didn't forget about the story and in fact I'm making some changes to how I want the story to go. Things will definitely get more interesting from here on! But before we get ahead of ourselves, here's a little treat, not so different from Chapter 7 but definitely much longer. I hope you all enjoy it.. and please leave a comment if you're reading! *muacks*

ChapterEight

The enormous grandfather clocked chimed eight times, and Siwon tore his gaze away from the door that he had been staring at for the past hour. The offending device stood tall and proud in one corner of the Parks’ living room, offering no apologies for the time it announced.

It was two hours past the agreed upon time, and Siwon forced himself to face the reality that Soo-Kyung probably wasn’t coming. For the past two hours, he had tried giving all sorts of excuses for Soo-Kyung’s tardiness – she was, after all, a hospital social worker and an emergency could have cropped up at the last minute. But it was becoming painfully obvious with each passing minute that she wasn’t going to show up.

He sighed, looking around the room. It was filled with the usual suspects – Donghae, Heechul, Kyuhyun and all their close friends. He usually enjoyed spending time with his friends; it was a pleasure that he seldom got to indulge in, courtesy of his long hours in the office.

But today, he just wasn’t feeling up to snuff. He wanted to escape the company of his friends, and nurse a beer quietly by himself in one corner of the large house. That, of course, was not possible. His absence would be noted immediately, and In-Young would personally berate him.

So he had no choice but to endure the party. It was just as well that all the guests present were family friends; at least he didn’t have to make small talk and engage in mindless social chatter, which he hated to do.

Siwon looked at the clock again, and then his gaze stole down to his watch. The second-hand on the timepiece seemed to mock him as it moved slower than usual, or so Siwon felt. He silently willed it to move faster, wanting the party to come to an end so he could head home.

“Ms. Park! Dr. Shim!”

Siwon’s head snapped up as he heard Jung-su’s voice, and his eyes opened in astonishment as he spied the two newcomers entering the living room on the heels of the Parks’ housekeeper.

Shim Kang Dae made his way towards Jung-su, shaking his hand, and behind the doctor, Soo-Kyung followed. Her hair was not in its usual bun; she had let the tendrils loose and now they loosely framed her heart-shaped face. Soo-Kyung was still wearing the outfit she had on earlier, but she had shed the jacket. She looked tired, the dark circles under her eyes already becoming more prominent, but Siwon thought Soo-Kyung never looked better.

As Kang Dae and Soo-Kyung conversed with his cousin, Siwon looked around the room, noting the curious glances his friends were giving the newcomers. Beyond mentioning that Kang Dae and Soo-Kyung were guests of his father, Jung-su had not told the rest of the guests about them, so no doubt the rest were wondering who they were.

His gaze landed on Oh Jin Ah, the daughter of his mother’s college classmate, and he saw her eyes narrow in obvious resentment. His senses pricked in alarm; Jin Ah was snobbish and elitist, and she didn’t like being upstaged by anyone. And with the way Jung-su and In-Young were warmly welcoming their new guests, Siwon guessed that Jin Ah was not too happy about the attention being lavished on them.

Siwon turned his attention back to Soo-Kyung and Kang Dae just as Donghae joined them, and he watched as introductions were made. Smiling slightly as Donghae, then In-Young, teased Jung-su over his nickname, Siwon glanced at Soo-Kyung. She was biting her lip to hold back her laughter, and her eye wandered around the room, before landing on him.

They held the other’s gaze for no more than a few seconds, yet Siwon felt a familiar tingling in his spine. She had smiled shyly at him, acknowledging his presence. He still wasn’t sure why Soo-Kyung had the ability to affect him so much, why her mere presence cheered him up, but he just knew it did.

So he was content to continue leaning against the wall, sipping his glass of red wine and keeping an eye on the guests, watching in silence as Jung-su introduced Kang Dae and Soo-Kyung to their other friends.

A sudden presence by his side interrupted his concentration.

“Oppa!”

Inwardly, Siwon groaned as the high-pitched voice reached his ears. He hated that sound, hated the way it always seemed to grate on his nerves, and he wondered, not for the first time, why he always allowed his mother to talk him into tolerating the owner of the voice.

“Yes, Jin Ah?” Siwon tried to feign enthusiasm, but he was a bad actor.

“Did you see them?” Jin Ah indicated Soo-Kyung and Kang Dae with a slight tilt of her head. Her eyes were gleaming, and not in a good way. Siwon was instantly on his guard.

“What about them?” He asked warily, eyeing Jin Ah with caution. What was she up to now?

“Do you know who they are?” Jin Ah peered closely at his face, studying his reaction.

Siwon gave a casual shrug. “They’re staff at the hospital samchon was in.” He didn’t want to say too much, for fear that he would inadvertently say something about Soo-Kyung that he’d regret.

“Staff? What sort of staff?” Jin Ah obviously wasn’t one to give up once she started an interrogation, and Siwon sighed.

“Why does it matter?” Siwon demanded, his tone annoyed.

“Because samchon should know better than to invite random people to the house,” Jin Ah replied haughtily, lifting her chin.

Siwon felt his blood boiling over the insult. “They aren’t just random people,” he said through gritted teeth.

Jin Ah eyed him, an expression of false innocence on her face. “What do you mean? They’re obviously not part of our circle.”

She meant not part of her circle of rich, well-connected friends, and Siwon resisted the urge to give her a verbal flaying. He was about to lash out a retort, when he felt Jung-su’s hand on his arm. It was a silent signal from his cousin to keep calm.

“This is Oh Jin Ah,” Jung-su introduced, and Siwon belatedly realized that his cousin was now introducing Jin Ah to their guests. Siwon stared at Jung-su, wondering what the older man was up to. Didn’t he know what a bad idea it was?

Jin Ah straightened up, then tried to look down her nose at Soo-Kyung and Kang Dae. If Siwon wasn’t already furious with her earlier insults, he would have laughed at the ridiculous picture. Jin Ah was a petite woman, even when wearing four-inch heels; Soo-Kyung on the other hand, was only a little shorter than him. Physically, Soo-Kyung was the one looking down at Jin Ah, a fact the latter seemed to realize.

Jin Ah plastered a sneer on her face instead. “You must be the hospital workers,” she scoffed.

Siwon saw Kang Dae glance quickly at Soo-Kyung, before he offered his hand. “Shim Kang Dae. I’m Mr. Park’s doctor.”

The sneer on Jin Ah’s face lessened, but didn’t completely disappear. Apparently, doctors did make it onto her list of prestigious professions.

“Ah, the surgeon,” she gushed. Siwon mentally rolled his eyes, and from Jung-su’s expression, he knew his cousin was doing the same.

But it wasn’t over. Jin Ah turned to Soo-Kyung, who had remained silent until now. “And are you samchon’s doctor too?”

Siwon’s gut tightened, and a frown creased his brows. He didn’t like the way Jin Ah was questioning Soo-Kyung.

Soo-Kyung’s facial expression, however, was serene. Either she didn’t know that Jin Ah was being condescending with her question, or she did but didn’t care.

“No I’m not. Park Soo-Kyung. I’m the social worker assigned to Mr. Park.”

Soo-Kyung didn’t offer her hand for Jin Ah to shake, a slight that was noted by everyone, including Jin Ah. The lack of action incensed Jin Ah, since she was used to being treated like royalty.

Her claws came out. “Social worker, huh? You must be over the moon to be invited to our party.”

Siwon was about to step in and end the conversation, to prevent Jin Ah from leveling more insults on Soo-Kyung, when a glance to her face stopped him. Far from looking angry or offended, Soo-Kyung was calm, and she was even smiling.

“I’m grateful Ms. Park and Jung-su extended the invitation,” she replied. Her voice was even, pleasant. There wasn’t a hint of anger or irritation, and that surprised Siwon. It surprised his friends too, going by the raised eyebrows Siwon saw. The only one who didn’t look surprised was Kang Dae.

But Jin Ah wasn’t done. “Oh yes,” she answered. “The Park siblings are always very charitable to the less fortunate.”

Soo-Kyung was still smiling serenely, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, and Siwon knew that had to be irritating Jin Ah, who always preferred a reaction when she made an insult.

Before Soo-Kyung could say anything though, Jung-su quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation. “Appa was the one who extended the invitation.”

He was, however, no match for Jin Ah’s acerbic retort. “Where else would you and In-Young unni learn to be kind to the lesser beings if not for samchon?” Jin Ah’s smile was now laced with malice as she looked at Soo-Kyung.

That’s it, Siwon decided. Daughter of his mother’s closest friend or not, he wasn’t going to allow Jin Ah to continue insulting his uncle’s guests. He opened his mouth to say something, but Soo-Kyung’s quiet statement stopped him.

“You are right. Mr. Park obviously taught his children well enough to be nice to all kinds of people, including the ones they don’t like.”

She’d left the words “like you” unsaid, but Siwon – and everyone else – knew she had meant that. Soo-Kyung had just delivered an insult to Jin Ah in good measure, only she wasn’t as overt as the other woman. But the insult was understood, and it stung badly.

He stared at Soo-Kyung in amazement, as did Jin Ah, Jung-su, and the others standing in their little group. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heechul and Kyuhyun also paying close attention to what was taking place.

Jin Ah’s expression turned murderous, and she looked like she was going to slap Soo-Kyung. Siwon held his breath, preparing to stand in front of Soo-Kyung if the blow came. At the last minute, Jin Ah seemed to remember where she was and how she should behave. Without saying a word, she stormed off.

The moment Jin Ah’s back was turned, Jung-su let out the laugh he had been suppressing. Donghae  chuckled and patted Soo-Kyung on the back. “I’ve never seen her speechless!”

Hyo Rin was over the moon. Donghae’s girlfriend and Jin Ah had never gotten along, even though they had once been classmates in high school. “Well done!” she told Soo-Kyung, her eyes gleaming in admiration and happiness. “I never thought I would ever see the day when someone got the last word with her.”

Soo-Kyung looked uncomfortable with their praise, and she shrugged. “Does she always have such an acid tongue?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Jung-su frowned a little as he answered. “We only put up with her because her parents and my parents are extremely close friends, and they are always pestering us to include her in our gatherings.”

Soo-Kyung shifted again, rubbing her hands against her arms, as if trying to generate some warmth. Siwon studied her, and he realized that she was beginning to worry if she had overstepped her boundaries as a guest by saying that to Jin Ah.

He couldn’t care less; as far as he – and his friends too, he was sure – was concerned, Jin Ah deserved whatever she got. But Soo-Kyung didn’t know that, so he sought to reassure her.

Siwon reached for her hand, feeling her cold fingers in his palm. “Let’s get you a drink,” he told her, pulling her away from the rest of the group. Jin Ah had already been forgotten, and the men were now talking about cars.

They reached the drinks table, where various different bottles had been laid out. Siwon reached for an empty glass, and held it out in front of Soo-Kyung. “What would you like?”

She looked dazed for a moment, just staring at the bottles in front of her. Siwon shook the glass in his hand, attracting her attention. “Another champagne? Punch? Or wine?”

Soo-Kyung blinked, as if just remembering that he was standing in front of her. Siwon wondered that she had been thinking about. “Wine is fine,” she finally said.

Siwon turned away from her to pour the drink, and then held up the glass to her when he was done. As she reached out to take the glass, their fingers brushed against each other. Siwon shivered from the chill emanating from her hand.

Sipping his drink, he took the opportunity to wonder at its cause. Soo-Kyung continued to surprise him; he had never met anyone who didn’t seem to be offended at Jin Ah’s antics. Soo-Kyung behaved as if insults like that were thrown her way all the time, yet she was polite and firm in rebutting them.

His companion was sitting her wine gingerly, and although he doubted that she knew how good a wine it was, she looked like she was enjoying her drink. He studied her features, noticing how she looked perfectly at home with a glass of wine in her hands as she did with a patient’s file.

Siwon studied her carefully, noticing the long lashes that shaded her eyes, and the gentle curve of her nose. Something clicked, and he found her features familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

He thought for a while, trying to place the memory, but failed. Breaking the silence, he said, “You know, you look kind of familiar.”

“Yeah, you’ve only seen me about ten times since we first met,” she retorted.

“No, I’m serious,” Siwon told her without a smile. “You do look like someone I know.”

Once again, Soo-Kyung surprised him. “I bet you say that to all the girls you meet.” Her quiet chuckle told him she was joking.

He was attracted to her wit. Laughing with her, he teased back: “And how would you know that?”

Soo-Kyung turned serious at his question. “I’m surprised you even have to ask. Isn’t that in your chaebol handbook or something?”

Siwon hadn’t been expecting that answer. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the insinuation that he was a playboy, and that he was treating Soo-Kyung as another of his playthings. “Of course not!” he protested.

Soo-Kyung seemed to sense that he took offense at her words. She leaned forward and lightly touched his arm in a gesture of apology. “I was kidding,” she offered contritely.

Siwon barely heard her words; his senses were focused on the point where her fingers had grazed his arm. The contact lasted barely a second, but he felt as if he had been branded.

He worried that Soo-Kyung would sense his reaction to her, so he pretended to be unconvinced by her apology. “I can’t believe you think I’m that sort of man.”

Now she looked curious.  “So what sort of man are you?”

He was truly caught. How was he to answer that question? Siwon wrecked his brains for an appropriate answer that was witty. But just as he opened his mouth, he was cut off by Hyukjae’s loud exclamation.

Siwon watched as Soo-Kyung turned her attention to his friend, all but forgetting the question she had asked him.

He found that he didn’t quite enjoy how someone else was monopolizing her attention. He didn’t like how her eyes sparkled in response to Hyukjae’s question, as if she knew a secret that she wasn’t sharing. And he didn’t like how her easy answers to Hyukjae’s questions bordered on friendly teasing, even flirting.

But he did appreciate her sense of humor, and couldn’t resist the smile that formed on his lips as Soo-Kyung told Hyukjae with a straight face that he could date Kang Dae. Knowing that Hyukjae’s question had been more of a cover to find out whether Soo-Kyung was romantically available, her deadpan humor told him that she knew exactly what Hyukjae was about, and she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.

She turned back to look at him, their gazes meeting in silent understanding. Soo-Kyung’s lips softened, the lushness enticing him, and Siwon found his own smile widening in response.

Caught up in a common joke, neither paid any attention to who was watching.

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