♠ TWENTY TWO ♠ 

"Sunggyu-sunbae?"

Psychologic studies show that humans have this special sensitivity for hearing out their own name even in the noisiest room. Kim Sunggyu did not get to experience getting called out a lot eversince he had taken on the job of playing Henry, lost heir of the prestigious Woollim group of companies. He kept stranger interaction to a downlow and only associated with the people he was supposed to in this world of aristocracy, namely, the rest of the Woollim kids and their part-of-the-family friend Dongwoo, Sungjong (who he was pleased to have close), and apparently Jeguk heir Myungsoo and his bandmates. So it was a surprise to hear a random someone calling out to him all of a sudden in the middle of the university hallway.

The girl who had called him was actually pretty cute, but what struck him the most was the brilliant underdye of pinks and reds and oranges. "Hey, great job last weekend! Your singing was amazing! It's got everyone talking!" she chirped.

That only spelled bad news for him. He didn't know how to react to that, so he thanked her awkwardly and went on his way. It was only then that he noticed whispers were surrounding him as he made his way through the hall. Were they perhaps talking about him?

"You're right. He really does look handsome up close!"
“Even without the eyeliner, he still looks extremely hot!”

He supposed that he could let himself bask into the glory, even if just for a little while. Woohyun could worm this out for him anyway. Sunggyu’s ego swelled up a bit more and he began taking confident strides.

"Ehem." Someone had cleared his throat, snapping him back to reality. The sound seemed to be coming from right behind him. "The last time I checked, this was a free hallway, not a parade. What's taking you so long to walk?"

L was standing behind him, his hair all messed up in a way that still looked so cool. His royal arrogant-ness was sporting a bruise on his left cheek and a small cut on his lip and brow. Sunggyu's ego instantly deflated when he realized that the people had been talking about this bigshot behind him all this time.

"Those injuries look serious. Did he get himself into another gang fight?"
"Did you hear? It's because he was caught sleeping around with the other gang boss' current girlfriend."
"L-oppa is such a bad boy and player! He's completely my style!"

From what he knew, despite how shady their underground practice area looked, Eye Candy were a bunch of sensible guys who liked to bum around, play pool and make music. He's been around the practice room lots to ascertain that there were no clues there that hinted any gang-related affiliation. Their personalities alone were too cheerful and calm. To top it off, he's never seen L associate himself with any other girls, save for Seulbi and cutie Dasom. But who was he to assume about the guy's personal life after a few encounters? For all he knew, their rumors could have basis he never knew about.

Sunggyu had been so caught up in his own personal analysis of the Jeguk heir that he had failed to realize that the crowd was slowly starting to zone in around them, with him and Myungsoo at dead center of that circle.

"Hey. If you want to live, you'd better move and get out of here," Myungsoo advised as he started to walk rather briskly, easing through the throng of people that would still allow him to pass. Sunggyu still stood there, dazed by the sudden swarming crowds. As much as he didn't want to, Myungsoo had no choice but to grab the guy by the hem of his jacket. "Come on! Move faster!" he hissed.

The nearest safehaven the two ended up crashing into was the library and they quickly sifted for an empty row of shelves. It was practically a dead-lock from here on out. The moment they stepped out from here, who knows what kind of end they would meet with the sheer number out there waiting for Myungsoo? But Sunggyu knew that they couldn't stay hidden in between these aisles of books forever-- the lovesick mob would manage to find their way inside for sure.

He had been racking his brain for awhile now when the idea finally hit him. "Let's swap jackets!" Sunggyu ordered as he peeled off the maroon hoodie he was wearing. The heir shot him a quizzical look in response but Sunggyu only urged him to do as he was told. "Swap jackets with me, hurry! If you refuse to wear it just because it's not black, I'll scream bloody murder."

Myungsoo hesitantly peeled off his own jacket as well before handing it over, groaning with distaste at the shade of maroon. Sunggyu had fitted his own snapback onto the guy's head. "What are you trying to do?"

Sunggyu's expression was serious as he looked at the Jeguk heir. "If you want to see the light of day tomorrow, trust me. I have a plan!"



"It's L-oppa!" one of the girls screamed as a hooded figure in all-familiar black rushed out of the library's second exit.

It seems that Sunggyu's plan was working-- they were falling for the whole jacket switcharoo. Sunggyu only pulled the hood lower over his face in hopes that they wouldn't recognize him and continued to move forward with confidence and nonchalance through the crowds. There were lots of whispers, shrieks, catcalls and what-not, but he didn't dare utter a word else the whole plan would fall into ruins.

"He's getting away, girls!"

Losing all sense of rationality, Sunggyu clung onto his hood and broke into a wild sprint-- probably the fastest he's ever run in his entire life. He had no definite idea in mind as to where he was headed, all he knew was that he needed to get away from here. Triggered by his attempt to escape, the crowd followed suit and chased after him, their loud squeals for their "L-oppa" to wait up filling the air.

His pullover was drenched in sweat by now and he felt that his legs were about to give out underneath him but Sunggyu continued on, the crowd hot on his heels. With his last burst of energy, Sunggyu sped up, managing to pull off from the bigger group. From a distance, there was a huge throng of people over by the Arts and Sciences building where he could blend into. Redemption at hand was so close...

... and in his hurry, he ended up tripping over a rock he had failed to see. It was not the most flattering thing that could have happened today-- L was definitely going to kill him for ruining his public image. It was as if a supreme being had passed by. Everyone stopped running and grew dead silent, stunned after seeing someone as ethereal and god-given as L Kim fall and trip.

"Oh my! Oppa, are you alright?"

"I'M NOT YOUR L-OPPA!" Sunggyu bellowed, annoyed by all the cooing, yanking the hood down to reveal his face to the crowds. The girls only booed and yelled at him in spite and disappointment at the fact that they had been tailing a dud this whole time, and it only insulted Sunggyu and his ego all the more.



As soon as the huge throng of people disappeared after Sunggyu, Myungsoo quietly stepped out of the library exit, pulling down at the rim of the snapback before heading off into the opposite direction. People started piling into their classes as the school bell rang, signalling the start of their next period. Myungsoo snuck away into the empty corridor leading to the fire escape. After looking both directions to make sure no one was following nor watching, he opened the door and slipped in.

Although the place always looked deserted of any form of life, Myungsoo knew that he wasn't the only one present at that very moment. “If you seriously come here one more time, I’m going to find a new place to stay at," he called out, his voice loud enough to echo across all floors.

True to his suspicion, Lee Seulbi was already here, seated on top of the stairwell. “You always say that but look at you, you’re still here whenever you’re free,” she pointed out. There was an amused smile on her face, which somehow irked him. But he'd take it any day over scrutinous, judgmental eyes and lovesick stares. "You don't look too good."

Her eyes fell on the jacket that he was wearing and at that instant, Myungsoo knew that she already had her suspicions just waiting to be confirmed. "He's not with me," he sighed, cutting her off before she could vocalize the question formulating in her head.

"Ah, I thought it was obvious. I came here for you," Seulbi replied, motioning for him to sit by patting the empty space beside her. On her lap was a little first aid kit and on top of it, wrapped in a towel was one of those gel-filled icepacks. If she had those on the ready, then she really wasn't lying when she said that her main concern was him.

“I’m not your charity case. Get lost,” Myungsoo snapped, brushing her off rather coldly.

Sighing, Seulbi stood up, taking with her the stuff she had prepared, not wanting to force him. “Okay then. Will you be alright, at least?”

He didn't say anything in response and kept to himself, making it clear that he wanted to be alone. Besides, he was in no way obliged to answer her question. Knowing that she wasn't going to get anything out of him, the girl gave him a small bow before turning to leave. Seulbi knew that this reversion back into non-speaking terms had something to do with Sunggyu. He was just beginning to warm up to her recently, it was a real shame that they had gone back to square one.

Seulbi had just walked past him and placed her hand on the door latch when he spoke up, his words surprising her. “I didn’t get myself into a gang fight," Myungsoo reasoned.

“I know," she admitted softly.

“Also, I didn’t sleep around with anyone.”

“I know.”

He found her nonchalance disconcerting. He knew that she trusted his answers, but for once, she wasn't trying to dig deep for an explanation to his situation. “You aren’t going to ask about my injuries?”

“You're only going to give me one of your excuses again anyway. Besides, would your pride allow you to answer me if I did ask you about it? So for now, I'll take it at face value and go with the you-took-a-bad-tumble-down-the-stairs reason."

"To be honest, I was looking at you and I noticed. You seem a little bit off... pained, even. I don't know how to go about asking anything after seeing your expression like that. I don't think I'll ever find the right words to say without the possibility of reopening wounds, so I'll wait. My offer still stands Myungsoo. When you feel like talking... when you're finally ready to tell me, I'll gladly listen." 

"I already told you, the more I'm around you, the more dangerous it is for Kim Sunggyu."

"I know."

It was clear how firm the girl was on her stance despite the huge gamble. Myungsoo could only sigh in response. If there was anyone as bullheaded as he was, it was Lee Seulbi who was worthy to be deemed his female counterpart.

"Then you'll probably know that your cousin is a complete idiot as well," Myungsoo told her, secretly amused at how offended Seulbi looked after that jab. Calmly, he handed Sunggyu's jacket and cap over to her before taking his leave. "You should go check on him instead of running to me."

<<<<< >>>>

“First fake grandson, then fake cousin, and now apparently I’m the fake heir of Jeguk too!” Sunggyu grumbled as he limped up the remaining flight of stairs to the MT. It had been a frustrating morning and running around the entire perimeter of the campus wasn't the best way to start the day. To top it off, his knee was stinging pretty badly.

Serious props to L Kim, though. He had real talent if he managed to ditch unscathed from crowds that big on a daily basis. Sunggyu, on the other hand, had ruined a perfectly good jacket in the process. God knows how much this was going to cost him to replace it!

Pained, he continued to drag himself towards the entrance doors, only to find Lee Seulbi already seated on one of the couches. “Oh good, you're here," she greeted him casually, as if she had been expecting him to appear all this time. He felt uncomfortable at her scrutinizing head-to-toe stare that had followed. "Pants off. Now.”

“E-E-EXCUSE ME?!?” Sunggyu squeaked. Seulbi didn’t see the need to explain herself and only raised the first aid kit she was holding. “That doesn’t even make any sense! Besides, y-you can’t just tell me to drop my pants so casually!”

“How am I going to treat your wound then? I can’t roll your pants that far up your leg." Sunggyu scratched his head in confusion after that. Wound? Ah, no wonder it had been stinging the whole time! "Hoya’s duffel bag is over there, and he usually brings at least three spare sets of gym clothes and socks daily. I’m sure he won’t mind if we borrow a pair of shorts for the meantime," the heiress continued. "If you're going to insist on not getting that treated, I'm calling abeonim.”

The last thing he wanted was the CEO of Woollim coming over and threatening to send people to court for harrassing and bringing harm to his precious grandson. Sunggyu decided that he'd rather take Lee Seulbi playing nurse over that. “Alright,” he accepted timidly. “But don’t you dare look when I’m changing! I’m warning you!”

“Does it even matter? I’ve already seen you—“

“LEE SEULBI, WE HAD A DEAL TO NEVER SPEAK ABOUT THAT AGAIN!"

So there the two were, with Sunggyu swapping his pants for Howon’s baggy basketball shorts in the meantime. He was still refusing to let Seulbi take care of his wound and was adamant in holding onto the hemline of his shorts. “I can do it myself, really! It’s probably just a tiny scratch.”

“I still want to have a look,” the heiress insisted. Eventually, she won out on their little tug-of-war and rolled up the hemline. "This isn’t 'tiny', Sunggyu, it’s terrible! I can’t believe you even managed to walk all the way up here!” Seulbi exclaimed. Sunggyu was ghastly pale right now, his eyes fixated on the ugly, raw and still bleeding scrape on his knee. There was an bluish-greenish-purplish bruise adorning it too. “You look like you’re seeing this for the first time.”

“It is! I didn’t know it was even bleeding until you pointed it out!”

"That's what you get for bum-rushing into things! You shouldn't have played hero today."

That told Sunggyu that she was pretty much aware of what had happened and of the little stunt that he had pulled to cause him this misery. Even so, he decided to feign ignorance. "Pardon, I'm not quite sure what you're talking about?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't recognize Myungsoo's jacket? He may look like he's doing a fashion runway 24/7 but people would be surprised to know that most of his clothes aren't branded. I'm also pretty sure you wore a different jacket when you left the mansion." Sunggyu was about to retort back in protest, but her no-nonsense tone made him shrink into his seat instead. "Don't even push it Sunggyu. Your jacket was returned to me earlier."

Seulbi did an Indian squat on the floor to inspect the wound. Although the scraped area was pretty big, it wasn't deep. "Myungsoo practically owns a big chunk of the university stocks so unlike us, he has several bodyguards lurking around. They would have gotten him out safely if you were a bit more patient. What were you even thinking?"

"Wow, sorry! I was only trying to help your friend out!"

"But even helping out should have its limits, right?" She made her point clear by flooding the wound with sterile water, causing him to groan out in pain and glare daggers at her. Ignoring him, she grabbed a clean cotton swab with some antiseptic. "Don't give me that look, I have to clean it properly if we don't want it infected."

"Well, at least warn me before you do something! OW!!! STOP THAT!"

"You're overreacting! I haven't even dabbed it fully! If you'd just stop squirming--"

"YAH! THAT HURT! CAN'T YOU BE MORE GENTLE?!?"

"This is all your fault in the first place, so stop complaining!" Seulbi was loosing patience fast but she continued to dab away at the wound, all while ignoring a rather whiny, fidgety Sunggyu. "Next time, think a little before rushing into things head first, will you?!? And would you be more careful about yourself? Look, you even ended up getting hurt in the process!"

"I'm the one hurt here, why are you the one getting angry?!?"

"I'm not angry," Seulbi eased after noticing that she had indeed raised her tone with him. "It's just that you always have this great ability to attract trouble your way, I can't help but worry over you."

He's never had anyone care for him like this except Sister Mi-nyu, and that was a pretty long time ago. Sunggyu had stopped moving around despite the sting of the antiseptic and the ocassional grimaces of pain, his gaze focused on the girl diligently tending to his wound. Seulbi's brow was furrowed in concentration as she worked in silence. The weird fluttery, fuzzy feeling was back and no matter how hard he tried to dispel it, this time it sort of stuck.

Seulbi couldn't help but smile once she finished, taking pride in her handiwork. She gently blew on the wound to ease the stinging before placing the plaster over it. "There, all done! You've been a brave boy!" she teased. Instead of snapping back like he usually did, the guy had grown uncharacteristically quiet. "Want me to kiss it better?” Seulbi tried once more in pure jest after hearing his little sniffles.

She was expecting him to retort on how her saliva would only burn a hole through his knee but he kept to himself and refused to stare at anywhere else but the bandage. "... No."

The silence that ensued between them was awkward. Seulbi gave an awkward whistle as she got up to pack the things back into the kit, intending to return them to the school infirmary. Sunggyu's uncanny silence made her question her own actions. Hoya never complained when she put medicine on his wounds and was always smiling dopily at her in the process. Did it hurt that bad?

Sunggyu looked like a pouty baby octupus, sitting there miserably with his lips pursed. It must have been such a rough day. Fortunately, thanks to Sungjong's recent intel, she knew just the thing to cheer him up. "Hey. Are you free later?" Seulbi asked all of a sudden, catching Sunggyu's attention.

"Well... sort of. I have the afternoon off, and I don't think I've made plans. Why?"

"Do you want to catch a movie or something?"

His reply caught her off-guard as well. "S'long as I get to pick the mall. Movie's on me." Sunggyu kept the cool act up and leaned back against the couch. It was sad that he had to resort to this method to thank her instead of saying it outright-- but conversations between them were never normal anyway, considering the amount of bickering they do daily. "Consider it as my equivalent exchange for this... and for what happened on my birthday."

"You mean my birthday gift? It's a gift, Sunggyu, you're not morally obliged to reciprocate it."

"You know I don't mean that." It was obvious that he was referring to her little birthday card. "But if you insist, it's fine. I have no problem with that."

"No, no, you can pick! Like I'd miss this for the world!" the girl exclaimed. The corners of Sunggyu's lips were twitching as if he were trying very hard not to smile and show how pleased he was with her answer. “But wow, seriously, did you hit your head when you tripped? It's a little hard to believe that the great cheapskate Kim Sunggyu is finally deciding to shoulder expenses from his own pocket," Seulbi teased.

“Nah, I have two free passes which the guys of Eye Candy gave as their thanks for helping out last weekend. Now I only promised to cover the movie, so since you offered, you’re taking care of popcorn and drinks. Extra large soda, and extra large, extra cheesy popcorn please.”

"Wow, and here I thought-- on the contrary, you've gotten extra stingy!"

<<<<< >>>>>

For awhile, everything seemed fine. Sunggyu was looking forward to catching a good movie and hanging out, maybe enjoy bossing the heiress of Woollim around using his wounded knee as an excuse on that cool spring afternoon when his phone rang. It was a call from Woollim's CEO, summoning him to the hotel as soon as he was free. Job priorities settled, he elected to present himself to the head of the Lee household lest he face his wrath and quickly typed up an apology message to Seulbi.

He's been to the Olympus several times already to familiarize himself with the CEO's office, but this time, he found himself escorted by the family guards. Lee Jungyeop, decked in full business attire, was seated on the desk, occupied by work on his desktop. "Good afternoon, I came as soon as I could," Sunggyu greeted with a polite bow, not daring to step past the doorway. "You requested to see me? Is there a problem?"

Jungyeop motioned for Sunggyu to come in. "I apologize for calling you on such short notice, son, but I'll need your help in going through this presentation file today." If this was business-related, wasn't Woohyun or Seulbi more qualified for this task? Why him, all of a sudden?

Wary, Sunggyu made his way towards the CEO's desk with his fingers clasped together before he leaned over to view the iMac's wideview screen. Instead of sales charts, stock graphs and what-not, this file was filled with several pictures of ladies more or less his age. "This is a listing of all the eligible bachelorettes that Woollim is in association with! I've done a background check on their family finances, education and social reputation and have approved each and everyone of them. I'd like you to go through it and pick one so I can set a date," Jungyeop continued.

"What is this? A menu?" Sunggyu chortled, sifting through each of the profile slides. He had to admit-- they were all pretty charming at first glance alone, so it was hard to choose just one. "Grandpa, pardon my words, but aren't they a bit too young for you?"

"Silly, they're for you! I'm setting you up on that date!"

Sunggyu's jaw dropped in disbelief. Jungyeop took the liberty to explain himself. "There are really a lot of times when I catch you spacing off into the distance. You don't seem to associate with anyone else at the university other than your cousins, Dongwoo and Sungjong. I thought that perhaps, you might be... well, lonely. I only want to help you meet new people, make new friends, possibly potential love interests in the long run!"

"Uhmmm...." Sunggyu was at a complete loss for words. This was the exactly how it felt like to be stuck between a rock and a hard place-- should he refuse, it would only upset the old man. But say this dating strategy progresses into something life-binding, that would tether him to the Lee family for good! And so Sunggyu's next plan of action was to consult the one person he knew who could weasel him out of this tough situation.

"Nam, we have a problem!" Sunggyu hissed the moment the person on the other line managed to pick up. He had quickly excused himself after an unsure exchange and made his way somewhere out of earshot. "Your grandfather is trying to set me up on a blind date!"

"What?!?" Woohyun burst out in loud laughter over the phone. His face fell-- he shouldn't have called in the first place to save his face and whatever was left of his dignity, and now he would never hear the end of it from the Namstar himself, especially if he got the other devil children in on the joke. "God, Kim Sunggyu, this is something that I definitely have to see with my own two eyes! So who's the unlucky girl?"

"Nam Woohyun, I want out! Right now!"

"Look! On the bright side, it isn't an arranged marriage. Actually, a quick hitch might be a good thing for you now that I think about it-- it'll get you out of Grandpa's responsibility since you'll start your own family-- heck, you can disappear intoTimbuktu while you're at it and it'll solve your problem! You'll be marrying into riches!" 

"YOU ARE NOT HELPING, NAM!" Sunggyu bellowed into the receiver. "If worse comes to worst, so help me God, I will definitely let your grandfather in on the details of our little deal--"

"OKAY, OKAY! I'LL TRY TO TALK HIM OUT OF IT! GEEZ, CAN'T A GUY HAVE ANY FUN AROUND HERE?"



“Grandpa requested for me, says it's an urgent issue and I'm currently on my way to the Olympus. About that movie... sorry. Enjoy my popcorn for me!”

Seulbi sighed as she read the text message. "I knew it. That stingy idiot decides everything and ends up bailing out on his part of the deal,” Seulbi sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face before glaring lightly at the giant tub of popcorn sitting on her lap. “I’m the real idiot here. I already sensed something was wrong, but I still decided to come anyway and buy him his stupid popcorn.”

She had been contemplating for awhile now whether to head home or somewhere else on her own when her phone rang again for an incoming call from Sungyeol. "I overheard Woohyun-hyung talking on the phone earlier-- would you get a load of this?!? ABEONIM IS SETTING SUNGGYU-HYUNG UP ON A DATE!"

By the looks of how hard Sungyeol was laughing, Seulbi could tell that her cousin was pretty amused by the news. She ended up a chortling along with Sungyeol-- who cared if she was prestigious Lee Seulbi, heiress of Woollim? This was too laugh-worthy to just pass off. "Really now? So who's the unlucky girl?"

It was no wonder that he had been suddenly summoned by her grandfather and Seulbi would have killed to see the bewildered look on Sunggyu's face once their grandfather announced that he was setting him up. Suddenly, she didn't feel so bad about beeing flaked out on on such short notice.

Well, since I’m already here, might as well go off and look around on my own.

Her self-exploration of the place started with light, cautious steps and with hesitant peeking into different stores. Seulbi has been to a few high-end malls in the past, just a few mall groundbreaking and preopening events here and there as one of the representatives of Woollim. She had not even imagined herself casually strolling about on a regular basis and now here she was, munching on a whole tub of triple cheese-flavored popcorn while looking around. Seulbi thought she could get used to this leisurely lifestyle— no boutique attendants catering to her every need, no overly-perfumed stores, no Woohyun making her try out clothes for the nth time.

Footsteps turned into light skips and window shopping turned into actual browsing through shops for a good purchase. Who needed Sunggyu anyway? Seulbi was playing well by herself already!

She decided that she was going to spend her time at the mall wisely and purchase something for her cousins. Several boutiques she had entered had Kim Myungsoo as their brand model. Most of his endorsement shots were up, and he looked extremely charismatic, clad in his all black ensemble. One particular spread at a boutique she was in had Seulbi staring for quite sometime, and she didn't realize that she had been staring so much until someone pointed it out.

“Handsome, huh?"

Embarrassed, Seulbi tore her eyes off the photospread and turned to the direction of the voice. She found herself unable to peel her eyes from her new companion as well. A woman, probably in her late thirties, was also looking at the direction of photospread. She was dressed very fashionably with her white blazer draped over her shoulders and carrying an expensive handbag, indicative of her high economic status. Despite that, she had such a warm and caring smile on. "I couldn't help but notice your lanyard. You go to the same university, so you probably see him around a lot.”

Seulbi nodded and smiled politely. “Well, we do have the same major and we are in the same year. I guess to say that I know him would be an understatement.”

The woman's brilliant doe-eyes lit in recognition, as if she’s known her all her life. “You’re a friend of our Myungsoo!" she squealed in her excitement, taking Seulbi aback. "I’ve heard so much about you from my daughter as well! Dasom has been begging her brother non-stop since she arrived in Seoul because she wanted to see you.”

Seulbi froze. Our Myungsoo? Dasom?

Then that could only mean that the beautiful person standing before her right now was none other than Myungsoo's step-mother, and also the matriarch of the Jeguk group of companies. Myungsoo as rival heir was a different story, but she had to be wary of associating with the higher-ups of the rival company, especially if she was alone and in public. It could lead to petty and unnecessary fights, and it could also probably sully the Woollim name if she wasn't careful. She could have easily passed off as a nobody at school, but unfortunately for her, it seems that the woman already knew who she was.

Before she knew it, she had been quickly ushered into one of the dressing rooms, her face hidden by a random pile of clothes that the lady picked up along the way. Seulbi prepared herself for whatever heated encounter that was bound to follow, but there was none of that. "I'm so sorry dear, you must have been surprised. I'm Kim Reina. I know you're Lee Seulbi-ssi and that you're a good friend of Myungsoo and Dasom. It's nice to finally meet you in person! You're as lovely as my daughter says you are!"

Instead of getting slapped and threatened to stay away from her family, Seulbi found herself encased in a warm hug, which took her by surprise. "H-Huh? But then you'll know I'm--"

"Yes, which is why I had to pull you in here because I have family bodyguards tailing my every move and I wanted to talk in private," Reina explained, flashing one of her captivating smiles once again. "I wanted to personally thank you for accompanying Dasom to see the Gyeongbok Palace. I hope she didn't give you too much of a problem."

"Ah, no, no, not at all! In fact, I should be the one apologizing; she ran away from her brother to find me herself," Seulbi replied shortly. Reina, on the other hand, was really holding onto their conversation, seemingly without a care for the names "Jeguk" and "Woollim" for the time being. By now, warning bells were blaring in her head, screaming at her to disengage as soon as possible. "I should really get going--" Seulbi tried, but she found it terribly hard to refuse Kim Reina when she asked for advice regarding some gifts for Myungsoo.

This wasn't right. She'd probably be scolded to no end if anyone knew that she was being this chummy with Jeguk's first lady, nontheless. From a societal point of view as well, this really wasn't right.

But if it wasn't, why did she feel so secure?

<<<<< >>>>>

"Young master, forgive me for interrupting, but your mother requests that you join them for dinner."

Myungsoo looked up from presentation that he was studying before turning to his attendant Leo, who was stationed by the doorway of his room. Right, he had been so busy with his non-academic activities that he forgot his stepmother and sister had decided to come to Seoul from London for a visit. "She's not my mother, Leo," he softly reminded his attendant to kick the habit of calling her that for the nth time, "But yeah, I got it. You may take your leave."

Leo only bowed politely in response, excusing himself to cater to other tasks. After mulling it over, Myungsoo decided to set aside his repercussions for his stepmother and join the rest of the family for dinner, all for the sake of his baby sister. "Good evening," he greeted curtly, taking his seat, not before giving Dasom's hair an affectionate little ruffle.

"It's nice of you to join us, Myungsoo. I had some of your favorite food ready today," Reina greeted. The boy didn't comment on that, remaining silent as the nearby attendant poured in water into his glass.

This was the first time in awhile that the dinner table of the Kim household was filled with people. Meal time at home was uneventful for Myungsoo; most of his meals home were by himself. Whenever his father did decide to join him for dinner, he sat at the other end of the table, putting their interaction to a minimum. Despite the addition of two more people this time, the dinner table remained silent, save for the clinking of cuttlery. Even chirpy Dasom was on her best behavior that night. It wasn't until they nearly ended their meal when a conversation was finally struck.

Kim Minjoon, CEO of the Jeguk group of companies, spoke up, his tone intimidating, almost domineering even. "Jeguk's Grand Anniversary Ball is coming up this weekend. I see to it that all preparations of the event are underway, Myungsoo?"

"The preparations have already been completed just as you have instructed," Myungsoo responded as he locked his gaze with his father, maintaining his stoic and serious expression. "I have personally seen to all of them."

"Good. With the potential pool of investors and associates we have invited, we cannot let our image sink lower than our competitors. Jeguk needs to be in top condition this weekend. Therefore, I expect no failures from you on that day. We cannot afford any screw ups, am I clear?"

"Yes, father."

"Pick up a new suit within the week and make sure that you don't look like a used foot rag. Accompany your mother and sister to their gown fitting as well. That will be all," Minjoon declared, getting up from his seat. He curtly excused himself, reasoning that he had urgent matters at the hotel that he needed to get back to as soon as possible. He didn't even stop to give Dasom the kiss on the cheek that she requested for. It was always like that with him. Nothing-- not even his family-- could peel him away from matters of the company.

"It's alright, sweetie. Mommy and your brother are here," Reina eased, but Dasom was too upset to be consoled and excused herself to head to her room. That left Myungsoo alone with his step-mother and he was inclined not to finish whatever was left on his plate at the thought. Just as he was about to excuse himself as well, the elder lady spoke up, addressing him. "By the way, Myungsoo, I know this isn't the right timing and all, but I have something for you."

A gift was passed over to him from across the table. Myungsoo sighed, knowing that this was one of her usual strategies to try to win his affection over. Wary, he opened the box. It was a brand new jacket, as black as night, not branded and just the way he liked it. Also included were two new boxes of Instax film and different tiny lenses for his iPhone. Reina noticed the way his eyes lit up in appreciation-- recruiting Seulbi's help was for the best after all.

“I’m glad you like it somehow. I heard your favorite jacket had been torn in an accidental mishap, so I thought of getting you one myself. Also, your friend helped me choose those. You two do share a lot in common, I realized. She had a similar spark in her eyes when I mentioned photography.”

Friend?

Reina seemed to have heard the question in his head and continued to explain. “I met your friend while shopping at one of the malls today,” she began in hopes of starting some small talk with her estranged step-son now that she had his attention engaged. ”You know, the granddaughter of the Woollim company?”

There was a loud clatter of utensils, as Myungsoo hastily stood up. His usually listless gaze was different now, replaced by something that was more alive. Reina didn't think that the mere mention of Lee Seulbi would affect her step-son so much. "Look, I have no qualms in running the company in however you and father would damn well please. But if you directly intervene into my life and other people's lives, it's a whole different story." Myungsoo's tone was dangerously low, his breathing harsh and uneven.

"Myungsoo, calm down, I didn't mean--"

"Lay a finger on her, you'll be dealing with me. Leave her out of this," was Myungsoo's final warning before he stormed out of the dining hall.

<<<<< >>>>>

"Sunggyu, good morning! I was just about to ask for you!"

He was just about to make his way to the dining hall when the sudden appearance of Woohyun's mother caught Sunggyu off-guard. After all, it wasn't everyday that she had asked to see him personally this early in the morning. Worst-case scenarios were running through his head as of the moment and he couldn't help but stammer even after he had steeled himself in to address her formally. "Y-Yes, auntie?"

An envelope was passed onto him and he looked up at the lady with confused eyes. "I hope you're free later this evening. These are extra tickets to that new Dracula musical father wanted to watch so much. Unfortunately, he can't make it tonight, so he wants you to go for him."

"There are two tickets," Sunggyu pointed out. "Who am I watching this with?"

On cue, Seulbi walked into receiving hall of the house, preparing to leave for school with Hoya and Sungyeol as they had earlier classes scheduled for the day. She stopped to greet the two of them politely and that gave Sooyeon her winning excuse. "Our Seulbi!" the matron of the Nam family chirped happily. "Seulbi will be watching the play with you after she gets off class, right, sweetheart?"

Seulbi's jaw dropped in utter confusion as she looked to her aunt for answers. Play along, her aunt suddenly mouthed to her. "Yes, that's right," she agreed. "Abeonim requested me to narrate the story line for him, and I don't have anything planned tonight."

"Great. So we'll have the family drivers arrange for both of you to be picked up. To make it more convenient, you'll meet there at the venue," Sooyeon explained happily. "Son, make sure you look extra dashing today!"

Muddled, Sunggyu only nodded in agreement and excused himself as he beelined to the dining hall for breakfast. Once he was out of earshot, Sooyeon immediately handed the other ticket to Seulbi. "I'm sorry, dear, you must be utterly confused. I needed you as an excuse so that Sunggyu wouldn't figure out that it's a date set-up that father has arranged. He wanted to make it as spontaneous as possible so as to not make it awkward for them, so it's just the two of them meeting up tonight without any of the family members," she explained in hushed whispers while giggling. Seulbi's eyes lit up in amusement and she couldn't help but join her aunt in laughter as she finally made sense of the situation. "Now, I need you to hand this over to the Jung heiress sometime today."

"Don't worry, I'll deliver this to Mijoo-ssi in no time!" Seulbi promised, sealing it off with a little salute.



Despite it being the weekend, Seulbi ended up at the university library and managed sneak the ticket and fake note into Jung Mijoo's book bag when she wasn't looking. Her job accomplished, she waited by the School of Business building's steps for Shimgoon to bring the car over to pick her up and drive her home. Meanwhile, a sleek black limousine had slowly pulled over, stopping dead smack in the center of the driveway.

"HI UNNIE!"

Seulbi was surprised to hear a familiar voice yell out and looked up instantly. Her eyes widened as she recognized the little girl who had stuck herself halfway out the rolled-down limousine window. "D-Dasom? What are you doing here?"

The little girl didn't come on her own though. Although her brilliant eyes were hidden behind huge sunglasses, Seulbi was able to recognize the person sitting with Dasom and was instantly wary of her presence there. “There you are, sweetheart!" Reina called out. "Take her in boys!”

Before Seulbi could even process the meaning of that remark, Seulbi found herself being flanked on both sides by two burly men. Her feet lightly dangled off the ground as she was picked up and dragged off towards the direction of the limo. "W-Wait, what's happening? P-P-Put me down! Where are you taking me?!? WAIT! HEY!"



The weekend came faster than expected, and before he knew it, it was time for the Jeguk Ball. Myungsoo avoided the fire escape for the whole week; whenever he wasn't busy with school work, he devoted himself to the preparations and made sure that everything was set for the day. He had done his thorough double-checking, and it seems like his hard work was paying off as the event ran smoothly so far.

There were about five hundred people in, not counting media personnel and hotel staff. After the little family introduction earlier, his father and CEO Kim Minjoon had taken making sure that all his guests, mostly prominent associates of the conglomerate world, were personally greeted. After the short program, Dasom had been allowed to rest up at the presidential suite, and Reina had probably gone up to check on her after she had momentarily joined her husband with the personal greetings. Myungsoo, on the other hand, was forced to flit from table to table as well, and frankly, it was getting tiring.

It had been awhile now and Reina had yet to come back, making him wonder if Dasom was alright. Myungsoo had thought of calling his baby sister just to check on her, when his phone rang. He excused himself before taking the call. "Hey princess, is everything alright? What are you doing right now?"

"Playing!" came her chirpy reply over the line. "Oppa, when you're free, do you think you can come up here to the helipad to play too?"

"You're where?!?" Myungsoo paled at the mere mention of the word helipad. That was a dangerous place for an eight-year old girl to be playing around at, alone nonetheless. "Kim Dasom, be a good girl and do NOT try anything funny! I'm coming up to get you!"

All his responsibilities for that night were forgotten in exchange for making sure that his baby sister was safe and out of harm's way. Myungsoo found himself racing all the way to the topmost floor of the building, where he could access the helipad via a short stairwell. He could not even fathom how the little girl managed to find this place on her own.

The moment he got to the helipad, his eyes immediately scanned for his sister, and to his relief, Dasom wasn't hurt and had not fallen of the building. However, she wasn't alone. There, dressed in a cream-colored halter gown, was one Lee Seulbi. Her hair was parted to the side and was simply kept in a low ponytail. The light contrast her flowy gown provided made her stand out against the dark night sky and she was smiling at him.

“You—" he stammered, unable to find the right words to say. Light, hesitant steps became quick strodes as his surprise quickly melted into anger... worry, even. "What are you doing here?!? You, of all people should know best that you can't just come waltzing into Jeguk whenever you feel like it-- it's not safe for you to be here!"

"She's my honorary guest for the night. I was the one who insisted to bring her here, Myungsoo." It was Reina who had spoken up this time.

“Although it was a little bit scary to be picked up from the road only to be stuffed without warning into a limousine and driven off to a hair dresser, I'm alright,” Seulbi shrugged, reassuring him that she was in safe hands. "I just couldn't turn Reina-ssi down after she asked so nicely."

Still, it wasn't enough for Myungsoo and he pulled his step-mother aside to talk in private, demanding for an explanation. "What are you trying to play at?"

“It's as I said, Myungsoo, she's my guest for tonight. This was why I particularly requested your father for this event to be a masquerade ball. Your father barely has time to greet and associate himself with all five hundred guests in. He’s not going to notice if we sneak in just one more. I also have Leo on standby to help whisk her away if necessary,” his stepmother explained.

"But why--?"

"Because I know that she makes both Dasom-ie and you happy, but given the circumstances, you can't spend as much time with her as you please," she smiled knowingly. Although her step-son's actions and words remained cold, his eyes told her a different story. She noticed; there was always that twinkle of longing whenever Dasom mentioned Seulbi... the same twinkle when his real mother was mentioned. "The only thing I'm apologetic about is that I can't guarantee that she'll be here for long."

This was rather nice of his step-mother. Myungsoo felt guilty for snapping at her and for once decided to throw his apprehensions after seeing her in a new light.

"Also, think of it as my late birthday gift!" Reina added a small wink before giving him a light shove. "You can thank me later, now go. Don't waste time."

Meanwhile, Seulbi and Dasom had pulled out a cake they had hidden, with his baby sister leading the birthday song. The cake had several sparkling candles put together to make a giant one, and it looked familiar, as if he's seen it before. "A cream puff tower, really," he sighed after the second round of singing ended. "Is it my birthday or yours?"

"Croquembouche, Myungsoo!" Seulbi insisted, deciding to ignore his jab, and it was hauntingly familiar to Myungsoo too. "Your candle won't blow itself, bud, time to make a wish!"

"My birthday was more than a month ago though."

"Still not a reason why we shouldn't celebrate the day you were born," Seulbi mused. "Then make more than a month's worth wish to make up for it."

Just for tonight, he decided to let his feelings resurface through the walls that he had built to steel in his heart. Grateful for the gift of being surrounded by warm-hearted people, Myungsoo blew his not-really-his-birthday birthday candles. Although a month-delayed and less extravagant, it was enough for him, and he realized he preferred this over his real birthday anyway.



Myungsoo still could not believe this was actually happening. They were all on the rooftop balcony of one of Jeguk's finest hotels, enjoying the croquembouche that Seulbi had brought for him. No Jeguk, no Woollim-- it didn't matter that there was a ball going on at the grand ballroom downstairs. Mother and daughter alike were fawning and cooing over said girl. Things escalated to another, and suddenly, they were requesting that the two share a dance.

“I don’t think that would be necessary," Seulbi politely declined. "Knowing Myungsoo, he already has a long line of eligible bachelorettes waiting to dance with him. It would be too troublesome for him to add one more.”

Due to mother and daughter's persistence, Seulbi was just about to oblige when her ringing phone cut through the crisp nighttime air. It was from Shimgoon, and the heiress knew it had to be important if he decided to call rather than text the information to her. Myungsoo noted the furrow in her brow as the person over the line relayed his message. "Young miss, updates regarding the young master Sunggyu. It seems he has made a detour from the theater and is currently on his way to the Olympus as we speak."

Seulbi's face fell. "WHAT?!?"

"Something wrong?" Myungsoo decided to voice out.

"I--I have to go!" Seulbi stuttered as she ended the call, bowing in apology, first to Myungsoo then to Reina and Dasom before bunching up the skirt of her gown. Leo, who was on standby at the entrance, was ready to her exit. "I'm really sorry, something urgent came up-- I really need to go! Thank you for having me Mrs. Kim, I'll have the gown dry-cleaned and sent back. I'm sorry."

Playtime was over and it was back to their regularly scheduled program of company rivalry. As they watched the girl's retreating figure, Reina put a hand over her step-son's shoulder as a sign of her apology. "Thank you, really, I appreciate the effort," Myungsoo told her with a small smile, "But next time, you don't need to go this far for me. This mess is already complicated as it is-- Dasom nor you can't be in the crossfire."

For the rest of the evening and eventually until she headed back to London, Reina remained unsure of what her step-son meant when he said that.

<<<<< >>>>>

Seulbi was thanking her lucky stars that she had managed to change out of her gown beforehand. By coincidence, the car that Sunggyu was on had just left the driveway and he was walking to the grand lobby. The moment her sedan pulled over, she practically leapt out of the backseat and stormed up to Sunggyu as fast as she could in her heels. "Sunggyu, what on earth are you doing here?!? Aren't you supposed to be on a date right now?"

"Date?" Sunggyu repeated, looking confused. "What date?"

"The musical tickets Auntie Sooyeon gave you earlier today?!?"

"I gave mine to Sungjong, he's been dying to catch that Dracula musical live for ages now!" Sunggyu replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Besides, you made it so obvious earlier that you were just forced to watch with me so I didn't think twice when I gave my ticket. You'd have more fun with Sungjong anyway. Wait-- wasn't that tonight? What are you doing here then?"

Seulbi was pinching the bridge of her nose now, trying to calm herself down after making sense of the situation. "Sunggyu, that was an excuse Auntie Sooyeon made up. You were supposed to be watching that musical with someone else tonight, not me! Abeonim and Auntie Sooyeon were setting you up on a date, and now you left Sungjong--"

She found herself unable to finish her sentence, racking her thoughts on how she was going to go about explaining to her grandfather and aunt. She practically didn't notice that he phone was ringing again until Sunggyu had pointed it out. Out of focus, she still took the call anyway.

"Seulbi, has hyung left the house already? I've been scanning the area for thirty minutes now and I still don't see him nor his lady of the night around here!"

"Woohyun?" Seulbi asked, surprised. "Where are you exactly?"

"At Blue Square Theatre. I thought I might enjoy watching hyung mess up on his little date. Do you think he chickened out?"

"Wait, what?!? You bought a ticket just for that?" The girl didn't want to break it to her elder cousin, but Sunggyu wasn't going to show up at the theater that night-- in fact, he was standing right beside her, straining his hearing as he tried to listen in on their conversation.

"Got one from Joo-ie-- lovely gal! She said she couldn't make it and willingly gave me her ticket for free when I was asking around for one. Do you know how hard it was to get one? This musical is sold out!"

Seulbi thought a little. If Woohyun's benefactor Joo-ie was in fact Jung Mijoo, Sunggyu's supposed date for the night, then... "Woohyun, what row are you supposed to be seated in?"

"I'm in the middle section, Row 9-- YOU?!? WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?" Seulbi heard two simultaneous (and familiar) screeches over the phone line, followed by a muffled "SHHHHH!". People must have scolded them for being too loud. "What is Sungjong doing here?!?" Woohyun hissed into the receiver afterwards.

"If I knew I was watching this with Woohyun-hyung, I wouldn't have accepted the ticket! My night is ruined!" came Sungjong's loud complaint over the phone line. After making several reassurances and promising to explain the situation in full detail later, Seulbi ended the call... but not before reminding the two to play nicely and enjoy the show.

"Well, that solves it! Those two are in for a lovely night," Sunggyu sniggered, thoroughly amused at the sudden twist of events. "So if you weren't at that musical, where did you come from? And what's with the heels?"

"I--" Seulbi paused, thinking of the most credible and valid excuse she could use for her recent arrival, "I had a meeting arranged for Sungyeol with possible investors from Destin-E Technology Corporation... something about the new security system. Very, very important-- and hey, I needed to look presentable!" Before Sunggyu could break down her statement and discover ten things wrong in it, she decided to steer the conversation back to him. "What about your date?"

"What about it? I'm really in no hurry to settle down nor start seeing someone. As for meeting people, I believe that should come spontaneously and in the right time as well. You can't force anyone to like you after the first meeting after all. I plan to bring it up tomorrow, and I hope Grandpa would understand my sincerity regarding the matter."

The heiress looked at him in amazement as she hung on to his every word. "You. Just how do you manage to do that and get away with it so easily?"

"Do what?"

"You're brave. I wish I could be as outspoken as you," Seulbi mused as she tucked her hands behind her back. Sunggyu wasn't sure what she had meant by that remark. "So... since we're both out of commission for the night, what do you want to do, Sunggyu?"

"Let's just head home."

"That's the problem. You can't. It's still too early to head home. Abeonim would be wondering why you were back so soon."

Now that Sunggyu though about it, although he was sure the old man would listen to his sincere explanation eventually, showing up too early back at the mansion tonight would only cause massive upset to both the CEO and to Nam Sooyeon. "Then what am I going to do?"

A knowing smile lit Seulbi's face as a brilliant idea hit her all of a sudden. "You think you've already escaped trouble because I pulled you out of this disaster? You're still going out today, mister."

"What?!?" Sunggyu exclaimed, unable to believe his ears. Wasn't she listening to his little monologue earlier? Didn't 'spontaneous' and 'right time' sink into her skull? Worse, she already though of a proxy date for him this fast? "With who?!?"

"You'll have to settle for me this time. Now, come on!"

A/N: Hi there! Soooo after trolling you with the popcorn fiake out... they're about to go out on their first ever (unofficial) date! I just had to cut you off on the good part, didn't I? I can already hear the frustration and spazzing from shippers already-- I still don't have  couple names for these two ships!!! Feel free to suggest a few and if the response is good, maybe I'll put up a poll for it sometime in the future to make it official. Also, we finally get to meet Jeguk's CEO/Myungsoo's father and his stepmother. There's a stark contrast between the Kim and the Lee families, isn't there? Just to clarify, nope, no evil stepmothers for this fic-- REJOICE PEOPLE! Hate those, really. But someone has to be evil, so... yeah, stuck-up father it is.

Once again, thank you for patiently waiting for this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Also thanks for leaving messages and comments. It's nice hearing from you guys! Questions? Clarifications? Feel free to ask away, I'd be happy to answer to your queries. Until next time! :)

PS: So Infinite Showtime just ended and I am devastated! No more seven idiots to entertain my busy life on weekends. Nothing can cheer me up now-- oh wait, Nam Woohyun always will!

DORK.