“Rrriiiiinnggg……….. rrriiiiinnggg……rrriiiiinnggg…….” Jiyong’s phone kept on ringing. He knows who the caller is…she’s been trying to contact him for the past weeks...his heart constricted. Guilt and anger flooded him again.

The phone call continued to echo, blending in with Chopin’s classical piano music that was being played in the whole penthouse. He didn’t bother to take his phone on the marbled bar counter. He stood quietly in front of the floor to ceiling window in the living room, gazing at the dark sea.  His stare is fixed at the flickering lights of the yachts and boats. Jiyong tilted the scotch glass he’s holding to his lips and emptied the content. He then lowered the scotch glass down to his waist and continued to gaze from afar.

His luxurious 4 bedroom three-story fully integrated smart penthouse is located on top of 28-story Ananti tower in Busan Haeundae. It has a 360-degree views overlooking the sea and the city. The first floor features a huge living room with floor to ceiling windows, a modern American style kitchen, spacious dining area, balcony with glass balustrades, wine cellar, a grand bar and a glass enclosed wine cellar. Every bedrooms in the second floor have over sized terrace facing the sea, marbled bathroom with a bathtub and a huge walk-in closet. The third floor rooftop have unparalleled water and urban views with a lavish outdoor lounge area, swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa, gym and built in braai. The penthouse interior bright elegant white walls,  grandiose crystal chandelier, high-end appliances and millions of dollars worth of sculptures and paintings displayed around the penthouse were just few of the things that makes it speak of extreme luxury.

His hold on the glass tightened as he thought of what happened four days ago. He squinted his eyes and gritted his teeth.. suddenly the glass he’s holding flew across the living room and shattered on the marbled floor…broken pieces of glass scattered everywhere..anger is evident in his eyes.

He knew he is losing control... and the thought of Dara knowing everything frightens him...He needed to be alone… to think…

“Is it better for her if I just disappear? pretend like I didn’t meet her and go back to my normal life?... maybe it wouldn’t hurt her that much if I say I will be transferred to New York...” he thought.

He ran his hand through his hair and slowly pulled it while he was lost in deep thoughts. But the thought of leaving her…not seeing her again and the others... pained him…

Due to Seungri’s demand,  Jiyong and his staff moved their operations in the Lotte building. They occupied the top floors. Jiyong made sure that he and Dara’s mom will never cross paths again, by hiring a secret agent that will report to him wherever she is in the building.  

Jiyong slowly walks towards sofa, his gaze never leaving the sea. Small pieces of broken glass got stuck under his indoor slippers while he walked.

“ you Seungri… you will never control me” he silently cursed while gritting his teeth. Seungri had been acting as if nothing had happened after the elevator incident. Seungri didn’t dare ask him anything except for business matters… but Jiyong is keeping his guard up... He knows there’s a huge storm coming his way.

MEANWHILE…

“He’s not picking up Omma…he’s not answering my texts either...” Dara gave up after three consecutive tries of calling him that night. Her tone is laced with worry. She’s been trying to reach him for weeks.

Dara’s mom sighed and sat down next to her at the kitchen table. “Jiyong did say that he’s busy... Perhaps he’s still tied up with too much work... “ she gently caressed Dara’s head.  “.... but I do hope he is eating well… “

“Jiyong… where are you?” Dara sadly thought...she blinked her eyes multiple times, trying hard not to cry.

THE NEXT DAY: LOTTE BUILDING - CONFERENCE ROOM…

Top shook Seungri’s hand and sat down on the chair beside him. “Jiyong haven’t arrived yet?” he asked.

Seungri shook his head. “He and his team are probably on their way” He sat down at the center corner of the conference table. He looked at his watch to check the time. It’s now four in the afternoon.

The other Lotte-Busan Board members and high ranking officials have also arrived. They sat down on their respective seats.

Top leaned closer to Seungri. “I don’t understand why you have to go up to this extent. You can just easily hire a detective and find out everything about that woman”

Seungri smirked “And where’s the fun in that? What you’re about to witness, will be a whole lot entertaining”

Top leaned back to his seat. He leisurely crossed his legs and rested his head on the swivel chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “You better make sure. I travelled all the way from Seoul for this”

Jiyong, Daesung and the rest of his staffs walked inside the conference room. They all stood up, including Seungri and Top. Both parties exchanged bows and pleasantries to each other. Jiyong finally reached Seungri and Top’s location at the far end of the table. Jiyong looked surprised seeing Top attending the meeting.

“What are you doing here?” he asked while frowning. He shook his hand.

“Seungri talked about the prospective plans you have for the projects… I must say… It really caught my interest. If am very pleased with the outcome of this meeting, I will propose a business partnership with the both of you”

“And what business proposal is that?” They sat down on their seats. Jiyong let Top occupy the other center seat with Seungri, since he will be meticulously studying the presentations. Jiyong sat down next him.

Top gazed in front, on the projector screen.  “A world class casino and a nightclub”

“A casino?” Jiyong frowned. Top looked at him.

“Yes.. I wanted to venture in a different business”

Jiyong kept quiet. Seungri’s assistant stood up  in front.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, My name is Kim Siyoon, I am the assistant of President Lee Seungri. I would like to thank you for joining us today for this special presentation on the joined projects of Lotte World Corporation and Kwon Legacy Empire Hotels. Both teams have spent two rigorous months in planning, designing and mapping so that the 8 square kilometers Oryukdo Island will be used in its maximum potential. Oryukdo Island, Busan is just 3 hours away from Seoul. Due to its strategic location, there is no doubt that it will be a huge success and will create a huge profit to the investors.  Aside from that, we aim for Oryukdo Island to be built for fun and recreation for all ages. We will ensure that Oryukdo Island will not be only famous in South Korea, but for the whole world as well.”

Siyoon glanced on his script and continued.

“At this time, I would like to invite our first presenter, our planning director,  to come forward and begin our session. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jung Sonho” They all clapped their hands.

Mr. Sonho started his powerpoint presentation on the main attraction of the Island,  the world renowned Lotte World Theme Park. It will be built at the very center of the island. The highlight of the theme park  are the high-technology rides such as virtual reality, 4D adventureland, iFly (which will be the world’s largest vertical wind tunnel with a fly height of 56.5 feet).  Aside from these, One of the tallest rollercoasters in Asia, a massive ferris wheel, entertainment rides and many more will be built as well.

The rest of the presenters from Seungri’s planning team followed after.  For transportation, they proposed monorails, trams, cable cars, and a ferry terminal in and out of the island. Oryukdo Nature Discovery will be built on the Southern part of the island with 1.8km long nature walk , Insects Kingdom and Kidzania, an interactive indoor theme park for children aged 4 to 7.

Top leaned closer to the table. He rested his hands on the table and intertwined his fingers as he intently watched to the presentation.

On the west part of the Island, a Lotte Adventure Park will be built for extreme sports lovers. It will feature a 3-level, 40 feet-high aerial rope course, a 50-foot high free fall simulator and a challenging 16 metre-high rock climbing wall. At over 450 metres long and 72 metres above sea level, the zipline will be Asia's most extreme zip line. Guests will descend at speeds of up to 50 kmph from the jungle canopy from Oryukdo Hill to the sands of Fox Finishing Point at Oryukdo Beach. The Oryukdo Sky Tower is an observation tower that will offer the visitors 360 degree view of the whole island. The tower will also serve as a place for Bungee jumping.

Top sat straight. He pointed at the Island map shown on the powerpoint. “We better make full use of the beaches around the island as well. If you’ll accept my offer, I will also invest on the construction of  an Adventure Water Park near the Oryukdo beach”.

Seungri smiled widely “Does that mean you have already decided to become our business partner?”

Top snickered “You’re such a devious trash. You planned all these. You needed another investor didn’t you?”

Seungri let out a soft daunting laugh. “kill two birds with one stone” he whispered.

Seungri’s team had finished their presentation. Daesung fidgetly walked and  stood in front. He nervously looked at his audience and gulped.

“He will be the only one presenting?” Seungri confusedly asked Jiyong.

“This will be a good opportunity for him to show me what he can do.” he replied in a serious tone. He crossed his arms, ready to listen. The rest went quiet, waiting for Daesung to speak.

“As you all know... the construction of the hotels and resorts will be done in honour of our President’s late Grandfather, Dr. Alexander Kwon who is also known as Kwon Chang-hoon.  We plan to have four hotels and resorts scattered around the island. Each will be unique on its own, offering different types of luxuries, relaxation and comfort for both leisure and business visitors” Daesung explained as soon as he got the courage.  

“The biggest family-oriented integrated hotel and spa will be built right inside the Lotte Theme Park. It will be named as “Chang-hoon Imperial Palace”.  The hotel will occupy 49 hectares of land and will have 1, 840 rooms for accomodation. The exterior and interior of the Hotel will be inspired by Buckingham Palace in England…”  he continued while showing the powerpoint slides and 3D models.

“I wanted my casino to be built at the the top floor” Top interrupted and looked at Jiyong. Jiyong nodded softly while fixing his eyes at the slides.

Daesung moved on and talked about “Jung-gu Sanctuary Resort”. It was named “Jung-gu” because “Jung-gu” is a place where Dr. Kwon is born. Jung-gu Sanctuary Resort  will have five-star hotel facilities, 140 guest rooms, suites, villas and mansion to offer. The Resort will be built in the western part of the island, right next to the Lotte Adventure Park

He then presented the third structure, which will be named “Alexander”. This luxurious resort will situated on 30-acres of lush grounds and gardens at the southern part of the island.  It will have 112 manors, suites and guest rooms which will be designed by world class designers. It will have 2 golf courses and a 1 kilometer private beach accessible only by the “Alexander Resort and Chang-hoon Imperial Palace VIP” guests.

“I would propose another casino to be built here” Top pointed at the slide.