"What's the meaning of this?" Suji scowled at her mother. She watched her face constantly pinch and relax as her masseuse rolled out the aches on her neck and back. She lay face down on the couch with Suji standing akimbo over her with arms crossed and Suho splayed on the carpet asleep although one eye was still eerily open and lazily staring at them from beneath his pillow.

"What's the meaning of what? Did you expect me to homeschool the boy? He needs to socialise and learn the ways of the world. It's a jungle out there."

Suji scoffed and retorted, "You had the pick of every school in Seoul. Why in the world would you choose mine?"

"Be reasonable Suji ya." Her mother mumbled, the cushion forcing her face sideways, "I need you to look after him. Make sure he doesn't get into any fights and doesn't bite the teachers." At Suji's look of disbelief, her mother shrugged and attempted a small smile, "Besides, I made sure to enroll him under a different name so as to hide his identity."

Suji was frustrated beyond belief. She had sacrificed her time, comfort and energies on Suho and longed for the days before his sudden appearance. How would the school react when they find out she had a twenty year old brother who couldn't read, write or even speak?

She doubted that Minhyun would let this slide. Her reputation was crumbling about her and it was all she had in the world other than Minhyun.

He was the only one she could count on. Her other friends would give her hell for this.

Suho suddenly stirred and sat upright, his head dangling drowsily as he watched the front door with an unusual intensity. Moments later, the familiar sound of keys turning and the front door opening turned both Suji's and her mother's heads.

They both froze and at the sound of her father's hoarse coughs, her mother quickly sat up and rushed to Suho, grabbing him under the armpits and heaving him onto the sofa, manually straightening his posture and placing his hands on his knees in a position of calm civility.

Suji herself straightened up and watched her father, a well dressed man nearing his fifties, entered the room, allowing the maid to take his coat and dropping his keys into a decorative porcelain bowl beside the shoe cupboard. Suji had always been a little afraid of her father.

His strict demeanour and extensive work hours did not allow him to spend quality bonding time with his daughter. His upright nature turned any rare conversation between them into a lecture and he nitpicked upon Suji's every action, demanding perfection from her posture to her speech to even her sleeping habits. "A late sleeper and early riser makes a productive citizen".

It wasn't long before Suji learned to avoid him; sneaking out of rooms when he entered and avoiding his gaze as they passed each other in the hallways. No matter how hard she tried, nothing was good enough for him. He was rarely home, opting instead to spend what little sleep he had in his office at the hospital.

Whenever he did come home, Suji made sure to be out.

She was too late this time though.

"Welcome home Abeoji." Suji bowed in deference, having been taught to show formal respect to her parents as her seniors in the workforce. Her mother, however, was never a stickler for formality. She saw far too little of her daughter to care whether or not Suji greeted with a low bow or a disinterested grunt while lounging on the sofa in her underwear. Any greeting was all the same to her as long as Suji showed her father the respect he demanded.

She could always trust her to be first to her feet in his presence. She had been taught well.

Suho, however, was a whole other story.

Suji's father nodded wearily, acknowledging the greeting and gave her mother a light kiss before his gaze finally travelled to Suho. The boy sat in confusion, having been forcefully dragged to his seat and manhandled into an erect position.

He gave the aura of a soldier, frozen in the presence of his superior with only his eyes moving as he glanced at Suji and her mother in a silent questioning. A rich soldier with a ridiculously pale and smooth complexion.

Too bad nobody's ever heard him utter a single word.

"Suho gun. Look at me." Her father began his strict military disciplining, just as he had done with his daughter, "Whenever I come home from work, you must greet me just as Suji had done. Do you understand?" He spoke with an air of authority, assuming that Suho fully understood what he had said.

Suji resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Suho nodded. She doubted that he understood even half the words her father had said.

"Stand up then." He commanded. Suho stood up. "Back straight. Shoulders back. Chin up. When people look at you, the first thing they notice is your posture. If you bend your back like an Ajumma, you'll be treated like one." Her father lifted Suho's chin with a finger and clapped his hands on Suho's shoulders hard. Suho didn't buckle under the sudden force, his expression unchanging. "Good. Stand like a man and everyone will acknowledge you as one. Now bow and greet your elder like Suji did. Nice clear voice."

Suho bowed rigidly at the waist, going down a full ninety degrees while calling out, "Welcome home Abeoji." Suji exchanged a glance of disbelief with her mother, the jaws open with shock. Not only had Suho spoken in a distinct Seoul accent without a hint of hesitation, he had high clarity and his tone was determined yet gentle.

The kind of voice that Suji's father would describe as 'the voice of a born leader'.

It seemed to be his second miracle that night after he had received a compliment from her father in their first meeting. Suji could recollect very few praises received from her father in her lifetime. Earning them was harder than acing school examinations. Even Minhyun's perfect appearance and manners allowed himself only a few approving comments, so for Suho to gain one in the first few words spoken between the two…

"You have the voice of a born leader." Her father nodded approvingly, "Greet your elders and sunbaes in such a manner all the time. How you act will reflect upon our family, your mother's company and my hospital. In fact…" He watched Suho thoughtfully as he stared back confidently, "I'd like for you to join me at the hospital this Saturday. I want to introduce you to the business side of the workforce. This is an industry which your mother and I share, so you must learn to be proficient at it." He clapped Suho's shoulder one more time before retiring upstairs.

Suji felt betrayed, brows twitching together in indignation yet her teaching reminded her to hold her tongue. She ignored it just this once, "Abeoji!" He paused halfway up the stairs, "You told me that you would take me to the hospital some time this year. Am I to go too?"

Her father didn't turn, "You have to focus on your studies. Without a proper education, one cannot find work in these times." He continued upstairs. He was being cryptic but Suji needed no help to determine his underlying message.

I have no need for you any longer. We have found a more suitable heir.

"Suho ya! I'm so proud of you." Suji'