Hi everyone!  Sorry, that it's been a while, but I am up at my country house with no wifi.  Sorry, but here's an update.  Please remember to comment!  Love those!

***

“This is probably one of your most stupid ideas yet.”

 

Taeyeon rolled her eyes, not that her co-worker could see since Taeyeon’s upper body and head were underneath a car. She had her wrench in her hand was trying to fix the last problem to this vehicle she was working on.

 

“America, Taeyeon-ah?” Her co-worker, and Boss, asked.

 

Her name was Kwon Boa.  On the outskirts of Itaewon, she ran a local and well-off garage.  Boa was older than her, and her brother, making her in her mid-to-late twenties.She was a very classically pretty Korean young woman with pale skin, sparkling almond eyes, and a thin body.

 

“It will cost more money to go there than actually just pay the 700 weekly,” Boa said shortly.

 

Taeyeon finished the last screw and rolled out on the dolly.  She looked up at her boss with furrowed eyebrows and a displeased frown.  “Unnie, can’t you have some faith in me?”

 

“SM is one of the biggest gangsters in Seoul.  He even has people in New York watching after your brother now.  Don’t you think that going to New York City would piss him off even more?”

 

Taeyeon looked at her boss cautiously as she began to wipe her hands on a towel.  She bit her lip and shrugged, “I can’t just keep waiting for him to call me back.  It’s been four days since I’ve heard for him, unnie.  He might be in trouble.”  She threw her dirty towel onto the hood of the car she had just fixed.  “What other option do I have?”

 

“Have faith in Minjunie,” Boa said sternly, putting her hands on her hips.  She pointed a finger at Taeyeon.  “Minjun left me to look after you-“

 

“He never asked you to do that,” countered Taeyeon.

 

Boa waved off that notion.  “Your brother left, and I’m an old family friend.  Naturally, I’m here to help you out and give you advice in his absence.  And here is me telling you that you’re being dumb.”

 

“Unnie!  What if Minjun-oppa is in trouble?”

 

“You have no proof!”

 

“He texts me every morning and night!” Taeyeon argued impatiently. “I haven’t received one.”

 

Boa sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to get through to the stubborn eighteen year old.  She too was worried about Minjun, a troublemaking playboy that she had grown to adore as a little brother, but she couldn’t let Taeyeon, his hardworking naïve little sister, go off to a foreign country.

 

“How is your English anyway?  It’s not an easy language.  Do you do well that in subject?”  Boa asked quickly.

 

“I get all 90s on my test,” Taeyeon nodded. “I’m fifth in my class overall.”

 

Boa let out a huff.  “And money?  That’s an expensive ticket, Taeyeon.”

 

“I have most of it. I just need a bit more to make it there.”

 

“Where did you get that?” Boa asked curiously.

 

Taeyeon shrugged as she let her hair down. “I had a lot of money hidden that they didn’t know about. But, it was just enough to last me a month, but not enough for a single trip.”

 

“Are you going to stay there?” Boa asked with wide eyes.

 

“Hopefully, no,” Taeyeon whispered shyly.

 

“Aish, Taeyeon, you haven’t thought this through,” Boa groaned irritably.

 

“I was hoping that Nichkhun and his dad could take care of the rest.  I’ll pay him back-“

 

“Khunnie’s dad?  Ha,” Boa snorted.  “If you tell him your already failing plan now, he’ll never let you out his sight.  How much more do you need for the ticket?  Do you have any living expenses money?”

 

“I need 450 more for the ticket,” Taeyeon said in sort of an oblivious tone.  “Wait, unnie, what are you doing?”

 

Boa began walking to the backroom of the garage.  Taeyeon followed, now realizing that Boa was intending to give her the rest.  “Unnie, I cant ask that from you-“

 

“But you’ll ask Khun’s father?”She asked sharply.“I’m offended, Taeyeon.”

 

Boa went into a small box on her desk with a lock.  She dug through the box and pulled out 850 dollars.  She passed it Taeyeon and said, “You’ll need some money to get around too. Be safe.  Text me when you get him.  And if you need money to come back to the country, call me.  I’ll try to send you some.  Understand?”

 

“Unnie…” Taeyeon murmured as she stared at the money, still in disbelief.

 

“Aish,” Boa groaned, pushing her shoulder.  “Don’t get emotional on me.  Please.  I’m bad with those-“

 

“Thank you so much!”T  aeyeon said as she squeezed Boa into a tight hug.  “Seriously, thank you, Boa-unnie.”

 

Boa sighed as she patted Taeyeon’s head.  “Mmhm… Just be safe, okay?  And please, god please, don’t do anything stupid.”

 

After Taeyeon finished up her late shift, she made her way over to Nichkhun’s apartment, where she was having dinner tonight.  Tomorrow, she would go to the travel agency and pay for a one way ticket to New York City.

 

***

Jessica Jung walked out of the high-end boutique of Gangnam, carrying two shopping bags, and towards her shiny black limousine.  She looked like a socialite with her designer outfit, bag, and sunglasses.S  he wore a white blazer over a gray undershirt and black high-waisted shorts.  Her heels were tall, making her already lean legs look even longer and thinner.

 

Jessica let the driver open the door for her as he took her shopping bags to put them in the trunk.  She opened her phone and began texting her friend in America.When the driver sat in the front of the car, Jessica immediately said, “Gucci next.”

 

“I’m sorry, Miss Jung,” said the driver, “but your mother ordered me to take you to dinner after this last shop.”

 

“Dinner?” She asked, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

The driver nodded.  “You will be having dinner with the Ok family at Hotel Platinum.”

 

Jessica rolled her eyes and was about to step out of the car, just to avoid this dinner.  She didn’t have a problem with Ok Taecyeon or his strict father – she just didn’t want them to be her step-family.But before she could get out, the doors locked.

 

“I’m sorry, Miss Jung,” apologized the driver before driving off onto the road.

 

Jessica let out an aggravated huff.

 

It wasn’t a long ride to the beautiful hotel that the Ok family owned.  Once she got there, she saw her to-be step-brother just getting off his motorcycle.

 

Jessica and Taecyeon were sort-of friends in school.  They got along when they spoke, but rarely did.  He was sort of a bullying young man and took pleasure in it.  She wasn’t much better, but for Taecyeon it was more of a constant thing.  There were rumors about why he was such an : his father beat him, or his mother left him a few years back.  Something like that, but Jessica didn’t know for sure.

 

The only reason she knew why Taecyeon got away with it is that he was from the top hierarchy class at school, like her, and ridiculously handsome and naturally talented.  He was a centimeter above 6’1 with a muscular yet lean build.He had dark perfectly quaffed hair, bright white teeth, and a very masculine jawline. He spoke three languages fluently (Korean, Japanese, and English) and two conversationally (Mandarin and Spanish). And not to be mention, he had a motorcycle.

 

Jessica could’ve bullied or have been as much of an as Taecyeon.  She was gorgeous to say the least with dyed-to-perfection dirty blond hair and bright white skin.  She had a thin body, but maintained a healthy look.  Her intelligence was notable as well: she was second in her grade and spoke the same three languages as Taecyeon.  However, she was rather lazy in that department.  She didn’t find as much as find as much joy in being a as him apparently.

 

“Sister,” Taecyeon smirked as she slipped out of the car.  He straightened his leather jacket that was over a simple white button up shirt.  He wore dark jeans and fancy sneakers.

 

“Brother,” Jessica countered with a nonchalant tone.  She slipped her designer bag over shoulder and looked at her bad-boy to-be step-brother an appraising look.

 

Taecyeon offered her his arm and said, “Shall we?”

 

Jessica scoffed.She was about to walk right past him, but she ended up taking it.  Her mother often told her she had to be cordial with Taecyeon at least, ideally friends, but her mother wasn’t going to push it.  Friends were not a simple thing for Jessica.

 

They walked through the lobby together, causing many stares from the people who were staying at the hotel.  The receptionists nodded at the two, motioning their way to the elevator.

 

Once they reached the circular glass elevator, Taecyeon pressed the 49^th floor.  He looked down at Jessica, who was just taking off her sunglasses.  “How was your summer, sister?  Making friends finally?”

 

“Why break with tradition?”  She said coolly as she slipped her sunglasses into her purse.  She looked up at him and called his bluff.“  What about you?  Making peers want to throw themselves off buildings during the summer break?”

 

“It’s only the beginning of August  .I have, what, two more weeks.  We’ll see what I can do,” Taecyeon smirked.

 

If someone had been listening, it would’ve sounded awful.It even did to them, but hell, they didn’t care.  They didn’t have to; indifference about something that “petty” was a luxury that only the rich could experience.

 

They walked together to the Le Grand Restaurant that looked out onto Seoul.  The host nodded when the two entered.

 

“Your parents are in the private dinning room,”She said, pointing the room to them.  The two teenagers released each other’s arm as they walked in.

 

The room was lit with the natural evening light of Seoul.  There was a dark table in the middle of the room where Jessica’s mother and Taecyeon’s father sat.

 

Jessica’s mother, Eugene, was a beautiful woman, who still looked young.  She was in her late thirties with black hair that reached the tops of her shoulder, cat-like eyes, and skin similar to her daughter’s.  She wore a pair of black slacks and violet silk short-sleeved blouse.  She sat across from Taecyeon’s father, Jingu.

 

Jingu was shorter than his son with tanner skin and smaller eyes.  He also wore dark-rimmed glasses.  He was once a handsome man – that was clear, but age took over; he was most likely in his early-to-mid forties.  He wore a simple, yet classy, black suit.

 

Jessica and Taecyeon both bowed to their parents before sitting down.  The family began to eat their salads that were already there before the two teenagers have arrived.

 

“Taecyeon-ah?” Ms. Jung asked in a gentle voice.

 

“Hm,” Taecyeon asked without looking up.  Taecyeon wouldn’t lie – he was not a fan of Eugene.  He was not a fan of any of the women that his father brought.

 

Ms. Jung smiled, “How is your summer going?”

 

“Boring,” he shrugged and leaned back in his seat while he took a sip of water.  A mischievous smile spread slowly across his face.  “Unlike yours, I imagine.  Is my father good to you?  Better than the es who run out crying before you.”

 

Jessica and her mother nearly choked on their food as Mr. Ok froze.  He glared at his son threateningly, a dark gleam was in Mr. Ok’s eyes.

 

“Watch yourself, Taecyeon,” Mr. Ok threatened.  “We are in company, don’t make this look bad for you.”

 

“Right, I’m sorry,” Taecyeon apologized lightly, definitely not meaning it though.  “It was a long time ago.”  He then looked to Jessica and asked, “How is your fiancée, Wooyoung-goon?  The American life is still good for him?”

 

Jessica her teeth.  She wasn’t necessarily mad at Taecyeon for asking the question about his ex-best friend and her distant fiancée.  Generally she didn’t want to talk about him because Wooyoung refused to talk about or talk to her.

 

“Fine,” she lied.  He could’ve been in burning in the fiery pits of hell for all she knew.

 

Taecyeon smirked, knowing something that she probably didn’t.  “It’s your anniversary in a couple of days, isn’t it?”

 

Jessica nodded, not entirely sure where this was going.

 

“Going to visit him?”

 

Jessica hadn’t thought of that before.Maybe she should.  “Perhaps,” she shrugged.

 

“He probably his hoes too in America.”

 

Mr. Ok gave his son another look.  “Ok Taecyeon!”

 

Taecyeon scoffed with an innocent shrug.  “Okay, I’ll just leave.  I’m not being a very good dinner date.”  He stood up and bowed his head to Eugene and Jessica.  “Good night, Ladies.”

 

Mr. Ok stood up and grabbed his son by his arm, pulled him back to face him, and slapped him across the face.

 

Eugene and Jessica both expected the remarks from Taecyeon.  Dinner with Taecyeon was never easy, but the slap scared the two Jung women, making them freeze.

 

Taecyeon looked down at his father with an unamused look.

 

“You will sit down and eat.  You will not speak another word unless it is yes or no.  Unless you want to get hit again,” Mr. Ok threatened in a deadly voice that caused shivers to run up and down Jessica’s spine.

 

So the rumors about his father are true… Jessica thought in the back of her head as she watched Taecyeon stare down at his father with a tight jaw and serious eyes. 

 

“Understand?”  He asked. 

 

After a long moment, Taecyeon answered in a dry and somewhat even sarcastic tone.  “Yes.”  He sat back down as everyone continued to eat their food.

 

Another minute into the awkward dinner, Jessica heard her phone ding, alerting her that she got a text message.  She bowed her and apologized for looking at her phone.  She gave a confused when her phone notified her that it was from Ok Taecyeon, who was stuffing his phone back into his pocket.  He gave her a raised eyebrow look, which meant to read his message.

 

Jessica clicked it open.

 

“Sorry about that.  I thought he would kick me out of this dinner.  Not make me stay against my will.  No offense.”

 

Jessica rolled her eyes.  Of course, it was an act.  Taecyeon wouldn’t have it any other way.  He’d rather look like a jackass and get kicked out than ask himself.

 

She quickly texted back:

 

“It was a nice try.  Next time, involve me in the plan.  It’ll work better... for both of us”

 

Taecyeon looked at his phone and smirked at his soon to-be ice cold step-sister.

 

***

The LA morning sky was beautiful and blue on this August day.  And the beach scene made it that much more beautiful.  It was seven in the morning, and barely anyone was at the Malibu beach, giving Tiffany the tranquility she desired desperately.

 

She flipped back her wet hair as she walked back towards her towel and bag, coming out of the cold Pacific Ocean.  She wore a peach colored bikini top and a pair of navy swim shorts. She set her pink surfboard next to her and sat down on her towel.  She leaned to the side and twisted cold hair, to get all of the water out.

 

Tiffany leaned back on her towel and slid her sunglasses as on.  She peered at the sun as she listened to the crushing of the waves.  How she would miss this when she went back to Seoul, if that’s what she decided to do-

 

“Tiffany~!”

 

Tiffany turned around to see her friend, Choi Sooyoung who went by Summer for Americans, approaching her.  Sooyoung was in a big T-shirt that looked like she had slept in and a pair of jean shorts.  Sooyoung was a Korean-American that was born and raised in LA, had a house in Diamond Bar, but attended Malibu Private like Tiffany and her cousin, Chansung.  She was naturally much tanner than Tiffany and had dark wavy that reached down to her ribcage.  She was thin to the extreme too, but it was her natural stature.  She actually ate like an obese male truck driver and it didn’t help that her parents owned a chain of Korean BBQs around LA.

 

“What’re you doing up so early?”  Tiffany asked her friend as she peered over the top of her sunglasses.  “Shouldn’t you be knocked out cold after having with my cousin all night.”

 

“No need to be so crude,” Sooyoung scolded as she pushed her friend’s shoulder.  She sat beside her.

 

“What?  Like it’s not true.”

 

“We don’t do that stuff!”  Sooyoung whined.

 

Tiffany snorted as she ran a hand through her hair.  “Yeah, bull. Don’t lie – I’m fully aware of the that you two have.”

 

Her friend grimaced at the thought, hiding her head between her legs.  “Not everyone can talk about as liberally as you, Hwang Tiffany.”

 

Tiffany shrugged as she looked back out onto the blue ocean.

 

“Hey, what have you been up to the last few days.  I haven’t heard from you since your birthday,” Sooyoung asked worriedly.

 

“What’re you? My husband?” asked Tiffany.

 

“Ha,” Sooyoung scoffed, “Like you’ll ever get married. But seriously, Fany, you seemed pretty upset after that talk with your step-mom.”

 

Tiffany closed her eyes at the thought of reliving that conversation.  It started out fine with her step-mother saying the normal happy birthday and your present is in the mail.  But the way it ended… with her step-father possibly becoming the new CEO of her birth father’s company.  It made Tiffany angrier, more agitated than she cared to feel.

 

Tiffany has hated her step-father since the moment he walked into her life.

 

She looked to her friend and said, “I think I’m going to move back to Seoul.”

 

“WHAT?!”  Sooyoung shouted loudly.

 

The noise freaked out of some of the other beach dwellers, staring at Sooyoung as if she had cried “bloody murder.”  But Tiffany continued to look out onto the Pacific Ocean, as if she were trying to see Seoul on the other side.  She expected the over-dramatic reaction.

 

Sooyoung back speaking rapidly.  “Oh my god.Why?What was the phone call about?  Seoul?  You haven’t been back in forever!  Why so suddenly?”

 

Tiffany sighed as she lied all the way down on her towel.  She rested her hands behind her head and said, “My Step-Mother wants to make her husband the new CEO of my company.”

 

Sooyoung knew how Tiffany felt about her step-father and the whole entire history.  She and Chansung were the only ones.  And knowing Tiffany, Sooyoung was so completely aware that Tiffany was never going to let that happen because of the past.

 

“But why do you have to go back?”  Sooyoung asked cautiously because the step-father was a touchy subject.“You’ll have to see him again.  And coming to America was the result of trying to run away from him.”

 

Tiffany shook her head.  “I’d rather see than have him take over the business that my family created.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Tiffany gulped.  She wasn’t sure.  How could she be sure? She “ran away” from home just so that she would never have to see that man again.And now all of that was going to because her bloody step-mother was giving him a new job.

 

Dammit… and she liked her step-mother sort of too.

 

“I can’t let him, Sooyoung,” Tiffany muttered.  “It feels wrong.  The only way I can prevent it is if I move back and get the reigns back on the company.  Even though I’m not even of age yet.  And when I turn 19, I’ll have the company as mine for sure.I have to secure it until then.”

 

Sooyoung sat up and looked down at Tiffany. “But he took everything away from you!  Your happiness, your home, your first relationship and as a result you almost lost Wooyoung, and your purity!”

 

“I know what he did, Sooyoung!”  Tiffany shouted back as she sat up abruptly.  She took a deep breath, not meaning to be sound so harsh.  “I know that he took everything away from me.  But I won’t let him take this from me.”  She ruffled her hair and then pushed her friend.  “And leave Wooyoung out of this.  We would’ve broken up eventually.”

 

“He was still your first love…” Sooyoung grumbled as she crossed her arms stubbornly.

 

“We weren’t in love.  We were just middle schoolers who thought we were on top of the world,” explained Tiffany.

 

“I saw the pictures on Facebook,” countered Sooyoung.  “You two were still pretty cute.”

 

Tiffany just chuckled lowly as she rested her arms on her bent knees.

 

“Did you tell him yet?  He probably has good advice about all of this.”

 

Tiffany shook her head.  “I don’t want to bother him.He has his own problems.”

 

***

Taeyeon rang the doorbell and waited to be let in.  Nichkhun lived in a nice apartment building.  With the money his mother left him, he could’ve lived in a mansion.  However, Khun and his father chose a little more simplicity: a small penthouse...

 

His place was in Gangnam – one of the fanciest areas in Seoul with its high-end botiques, expensive restaurants, and cloud-reaching skyscrapers.  Taeyeon let out a tiny sigh.

 

The door opened and Nichkhun was standing on the other end.  He wore a usual crisp outfit of his, but with a yellow apron over it and a wooden spoon in his hand.  Taeyeon giggled into a closed fist at the sight.

 

“What?” Khun asked curiously.

 

Taeyeon smirked and said in English, “Trying to domesticate ya?”

 

“That was such a bad attempt at a reference,” Khun said as he rolled his eyes, letting her in, trying to accept te fact that she tried to sing "Blurred Lines". He pointed at her, “Don’t ruin a perfectly good song-“

 

“But you’re an animal,” Taeyeon began singing as she slipped off her shoes.  She gave Khun a cheesy grin and began poking at his sides as she began to sing again.  “Baby, it’s in your nature.Just let me liberate cha…”

 

Nichkhun could pretend to be annoyed, but he enjoyed it.  Taeyeon was rather talented in many areas: car mechanics, school work, house work, but most of all, singing.  She sounded beautiful when she sang – you couldn’t stop her.  Her voice was low and soulful, in comparison to her dorky personality.

 

“Is that Kim Taeyeon I hear?”

 

It was Khun’s father.  He was a man who just hit forty with short black hair, tan skin, and big brown eyes like his son.  He was a cute man, who was once as handsome as his son.  He too was wearing an apron, a pink one, and mixing something in a large metal pot with a wooden spoon.

 

The living room, kitchen, and dinning room were all combined into one big room.  There was a table set up for three people tonight right in front of the counter.

 

“This is seriously too cute,” she said as she bowed her head. “Can I take a picture?”

 

“Khun, come here, let’s look pretty for Taeyeonie,” Mr. Horvejkul said as he motioned over to his son.They went behind the counter to take a picture.

 

Taeyeon pulled out her phone.“1,2,3! Cheese!”

 

She took the picture and smiled, “You two are so cute.  I’m putting it up on facebook.”  She posted the picture up to her wall and tagged Khun in it with the caption:The Horvejkul men are so cuteeeee~!

 

“So what’s for dinner?”  Taeyeon asked curiously, peering over the counter.

 

“Chicken Ramen with kimchi, tofu, cabbage, carrots, egg, and bean sprouts.Sounds okay?” asked Mr. Horvejkul.

 

Taeyeon nodded happily, “Mmhmm.  Sounds delicious.I’m so hungry.”

 

“Have you been working too much, Taeyeon-ah?” Mr. Horvejkul gave his god-daughter a serious look with raised eyebrows and stern face.  However, Taeyeon found it rather difficult to say the least with that pink apron.

 

Before Taeyeon could about how she’s been working, Nichkhun answered for her.  “Yeah.She works so late and barely sleeps or eats properly.  Her work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday ends at 1am.”

 

“No, no,” Taeyeon countered.  She didn’t want to worry Mr. Horvejkul.“I’m okay.I promise.”

 

“And Boa-noona has long hours for her too,” he added honestly.

 

“Boa-noona needs workers,” she argued.“And that’s not as late.  Only until 10:30.”

 

“Taeyeon,” Mr. Horvejkul said as he brought the big batch of soup to the table.  “You work too hard.”  He motioned for the two teenagers to sit down with him.

 

“It’s just this way until Minjun oppa and I pay off the debts,” Taeyeon said as she held out her bowl for Mr. Horvejkul to put some soup in her bowl.  She smiled at him, trying to change the topic, “It looks yummy.”

 

Mr. Horvejkul nodded as he poured some soup in her bowl, “I hope so.  Khunnie and I worked on it for a long time.  I hope it’s yummy.”

 

“I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Once everyone had soup and a side bowl of rice, they began to dig in.  Taeyeon loved it – her cooking was good, but there was not much variety past the crappy cup of ramen or kimchi “sandwiches.”  Nothing ultimately healthy or that tasty.  This however was so good.

 

“How is Minjun hyung by the way?” Khun asked.

 

“Ok – I think,” she shrugged.  “He does odd jobs in New York City.  Hopefully, he will come back soon and find a job here.”

 

Mr. Horvejkul’s mental light bulb dinged and lit up.  He looked up at Taeyeon after slurping down some more noodles.  “Is too hard for Minjun-ah in America? Be honest.”

 

Taeyeon shrugged, not wanting to give too much away to make them excessively worry.  “It’s… difficult.”

 

“If he comes home within the month, I have a job for him.It’s not great, but it’ll pay,” he offered.

 

“What’s the job?”  Taeyeon asked curiously.

 

“Chauffer and car mechanics,” Mr. Horvejkul explained.  “The family who owns the company I work for needs a new Chauffer and personal mechanic.  Also someone who can also do odd jobs in the house.  Minjun is the perfect man for that.  It pays well – I think the family is willing to pay 1,200 a week.”

 

Taeyeon’s eyes lit up with hope.  Maybe everything would work out now.  She could get her brother back, pay off the bills a bit more easily, and pay off the debt.

 

“Appa, seriously?  That’s amazing – if you can, can you hold the job.  I’ll talk to Minjun soon and convince him to take the job.”

 

“I’ll talk to the family,” nodded Mr. Horvejkul.  “They’d be glad to hear.”