"Hey Choi! So my personal hell is back, eh?" It was Bang Yongguk, one of her classmates at The Farm, when they bumped into each other in the CIA headquarters in Langley, ia. She gave him a hug.

"I missed you too!" She said sarcastically. He was one of her most trusted colleagues and the only friend she made while training for the agency. Everyone else in the class she belonged to either wanted to bed her or ignore her completely. Nobody believed that a seventeen year old would be an asset to one of the most adroit organizations in the world.

"Ha. Ha. Miss my ! You didn't even return my emails and my calls." He retorted. He's behind her, hands on her shoulder and pushing her towards the director's office.

"I got so busy! And when did you become so obsessed about me? Are you in love with me?" She jested. His face displayed an indulging grin.

"You know I am!" He played along before his face become rather serious. "Welcome back, buddy." He said sincerely.

"Thanks." She replied silently. “See you later!" She was already in the front of the director's office. She made a warning knock and pushed open the door and saw the director talking on the phone. He motioned for her to wait. She removed her coat and sat on one of the couches inside the room and crossed her legs daintily. She was more appropriately dressed for an afternoon stroll in the park. She was wearing light yellow strapless sundress under a flimsy white cardigan and ballet flats, her hair, now straight, parted in the middle and she wore no jewelries except from the silver Pasha on her wrist.

He placed the handset back in its cradle and turned to her, a disapproving look on his face. "Good to see you, Sir." She beamed at the middle-aged man in front of her. General Xander Raymond, one of the most powerful figures in the country and her father's most trusted friend. He found her wandering the streets of Tibet, hungry, dirty and exhausted from taking down a group of gang members trying to get the necklace that Hankyung gave her. He helped her and took her to his own villa and fed her. It turned out that he had been tailing her for hours before he approached. She had been apprehensive about everything but also very thankful that he was the one who found her.

"I honestly do not know what to do with you. You are the biggest headache I acquired in my entire career." He sighed.

"But I am your biggest achievement too, aren't I?"

"That could be true." He gave in. A playful grin on his face, making him less formidable.

"Could?" She asked.

"Yes. If you would accept my proposal." He said.

"I do not have plans of getting married yet." She said straightly and smiled in victory when she noticed his face flush.

"Be serious kid. I am placing you on training before you proceed to your next assignment." He went straight to the point.

"Training? I'll love that. What is it this time? Bomb making? Tactical Interrogation?" She was ecstatic. Trainings at The Farm proved to be very challenging and challenges she loved.

"Not as a trainee though." He paused and gauged her reaction. "But as a trainer."

"Over my dead y brain." She said incredulously. Her earlier excitement died in a flash.

"That is an order Choi Sehun." He said, matter-of-factly.

"But Uncle! I am leaving for London in two months! I just dropped by to say hello." She whined. Public speaking had always been her waterloo. And handling training will mean enduring the scrutiny of new recruits a lot of years older than her. And maybe a lot more experienced in the field. She felt like her head will explode any minute.

"All we need is just a month. And you owe me this, remember?"

"I don't owe you anything!" She almost yelled at her superior.

"Before I dismiss you from service because of insubordination, let me remind you that you're not supposed to be working on your brother's case in Athens. I let you off the hook when they should be skinning you alive in Fort Bragg now because of what you did."

*************************************

When she was brought to his house the same day she went to his office, Yixing hadn’t seen Yifan at all until the photo shoot. A week had past since then and Taemin almost finished the individual shots he needed of Yixing but he still hadn’t shown up until today. She was left with a house help for her beck and call and though she was wondering why, she was kind of relieved. She didn’t even know how to act around him after what she did in front of his mother. He called her and asked if he could pick her up around 6pm and thinking that she had already wasted a lot of time procrastinating and putting off the inevitable, she agreed.

"Where exactly are we going?" Yixing broke the silence. She thought they were going to have dinner somewhere but she noticed that they already passed by Seoul’s commercial district and were heading towards the more affluent part of the city.

"Home." He said simply.

"Are we going around in circles?” She said snottily. Was the house she was staying at not his? Then a thought came to her and she began to panic. He was not bringing her to his parents' house, was he?

He slowed down and soon enough he stopped the car on the side of the road. It looked like a view deck, landscaped to accommodate people who wanted to marvel at Seoul's evening elegance. He stepped out and went to her side to open the door for her.

"What are we doing here? It's cold." But she stepped out, hugging herself. Yifan shrugged out of his jacket and placed it on her shoulders.

"I want to ask for a favor, Yixing." He was not looking at her. He was looking at the glimmering lights from downtown. He bent down and placed his elbows on the railing for support, leaving her in awe while staring at his magnificent back. It was visible from the turtle neck long sleeved ribbed shirt he was wearing. It was hugging his well-toned torso like a second skin. He continued when she did not react. "I don't want to file a divorce."

"W-what?" She shook the unnecessary thoughts away from her mind and looked at him with unbelieving eyes. "What did you say?"

"Yet. I do not want to file a divorce yet." He repeated patiently.

"Let me get this straight, you wanted to stay married to…me?" She then laughed humorlessly at her own question, finding it so ridiculous. Yifan looked at her for the first time. He looked like he was struggling for the right words to use. He spoke after what seemed like eternity.

"You see, I was the first one to get married in the family. Without their knowledge. That alone hurt them big time. And now I am filing a divorce even before they have a chance to meet my wife." He was gauging her reaction from under his thick lashes.

"Stop beating around the bush." She said when he stopped talking.

"My parents discovered our marriage and they wanted to meet you.”

“N-No…I can’t do that! I shouldn’t even be meeting your family if you were helpful enough! I shouldn’t even be here! I have a life in Milan and I should be going back soon!” She was near hysteria and she was trembling from unshed tears. Why was it so difficult? Why was everything about this man so complicated that she can’t keep up?

“Yixing,” Yifan held her arm and forced her to face him. “Please hear me out first.” He begged. Distress was visible in his eyes and the thought that she was not the only one suffering from this situation comforted her a little. She calmed down a bit.

“I was thinking that maybe," He took a deep breath. "Maybe we could try to make this work and may—“

"Choi Yifan, I don’t know what you’re trying to do but I know for sure that it’s not a secret to you that I have a fiancé waiting for me in Italy." She cut him off. She didn’t want to get any ideas from whatever it was that he was trying to say. It was unfair to Christian. She was already lying to him as it was and she didn’t even know if she can live with the guilt.

"Just give it a month. You still have to stay here for HanTel, so what difference does it make?” He continued like she didn’t say anything and that set Yixing off.

“I won’t do it! And you can’t force me!”

“You owe me this after that stunt you pulled in front of my mother!” Red crept up her neck and face after being reminded of the day of the photo shoot. The staring contest started and nobody wanted to give up. “Everything was under control until you thought it was a good idea to endorse phones by our company and act like that in front of my family. After a month, we’ll tell them it didn’t work out and that we finally called it quits.” His tone didn’t allow for any more arguments.

“Fine.” She gritted her teeth. One month won’t make any difference. How many times did she have to see them anyway? A couple of dinners maybe? Or a picnic? She cringed at the thought. “Just keep your end of the bargain.”

"Xie xie ni." A wide sincere smile crept up his face. "I am sorry I won't be able to give you much time to brace yourself. They'll all be there tonight." She groaned. "Don't worry, they don't bite. And they'll love you." He smiled again.

Please stop smiling! "I doubt." She started to the car having a silent debate in her head. One part telling her that it was the worst idea since Britney Spears but the other one convincing her that she somehow owe it to him after disappearing hours after—Stop it, Zhang Yixing! She couldn't dare to think about it. She concentrated on her impending ordeal of meeting his family. She was lucky she was able to meet some of them days ago but not as Yifan’s wife.  

She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she was startled when Yifan stopped the car again. Now, in front of an enormous mansion. Maybe six times the size of Yifan's five-bedroom house. The front garden alone was almost the size of a nine-hole fairway. Even in the faint garden lights, she could see the well-tended lawn and the captivating arrangement of ornamental plants. In the middle of the garden was a huge Renaissance fountain with two cherubs sculpted in gleaming marble. Yifan turned the engine off and went to her side to open the door for her again. He offered his hand and looked at her eyes to silently tell her it’s time for the show. He guided her to the front porch like a gallant cavalier. He genially placed his strong hand around her waist, pulling her close. She stiffened a bit in his touch.

Before they could reach the lavish-looking hardwood double doors, it opened and a middle-aged lanky man came into view. He was wearing black pants, white undershirt and black vest. His hair was gelled generously. He was wearing a small smile. "Good evening, Doronim." He bowed and then looked at her, examining her discreetly before he bowed again. "Good evening."

"Good evening, Max. This is Yixing."

"Nice to meet you, Ahgassi." He bowed again, lower this time. Yifan didn't bring any females in any parties, let alone private dinners with his family. "They’re waiting for you. May I get your coats, please?"

"Thank you and nice to meet you too, Max." Was all she managed to say and gave him a small smile after removing her jacket. It was the first time that she ever entered a house with a butler. She didn't know anyone who would bother to hire one, not even in Europe. She was slowly getting a grip of how rich the man she married seven years ago. She fought her urge to shudder. She busied herself looking around the house. The interior was a mixture of post modern architectural design and Neoclassic European furniture and fixtures. The stark contrast fit perfectly together more than she thought it would. She instantly felt lacking. She even felt like a midget beside him and under the high metal beams overhead.

"Like it?" He asked when he noticed that she was gawking at the great room.

"It's beautiful." She said sincerely.

"The house underwent several remodeling since it was built twenty five years ago." They moved from their old house on the other side of the city when he was four and Luhan was two. Hankyung was pregnant with Joonmyeon. "Anyway, it's time to meet them." He guided her to a hallway adorned with several paintings, this time, holding her hand. It felt so natural that she almost missed it. They stopped outside a swinging double doors and she felt him press her hand slightly. He looked at her and she saw the silent thank you in his eyes. For the first time, she smiled at him and he smiled nervously back.

She can hear several voices inside but couldn't make out of their conversation. He pushed open the double doors and six pairs of eyes darted to their direction. To her particularly. And then to their still-entwined hands. She bowed her head and murmured a "Good evening." to avoid their piercing gazes. She felt her knees wobble slightly and Yifan must have felt it too. He freed his hand from her hold and placed it on her waist again.

"Everyone, meet Zhang Yixing, my wife." Yifan sounded real proud that Yixing almost gave him a round of applause. He was such a good actor. The dining room was enveloped in pin-drop silence. Nobody moved a muscle.

Yixing thought she’d never have to do anything like this ever but life had other plans for her. She pinched Yifan’s palm harshly but discreetly and let it go. She knelt in front of Siwon and Hankyung. “Please let me greet you properly, Gonggong, Popo.” She bowed three times, almost kissing the plush carpet.

“Omo! Get up, Lay-ah!” Hankyung, who looked scandalized by her actions, took her by the shoulder and helped her to her feet.

The head of the Han household stood up and hugged her, too. "Welcome to our family."

"Thank you, Sir." She managed to say. She was still in a daze. Soon after, his brothers were crowding her, they all kissed her cheeks, welcoming her warmly without much questions. The one he called Chanyeol, with unruly hair and boyish features, even asked her to take good care of Yifan.

"You fulfilled my wish to have a daughter-in-law this Christmas." What Hankyung said made Yifan cough. Yixing smiled weakly. "And please call me Mama." And she guided her to sit in an empty chair.

“Then please call me Yixing.”

“You are not starting without me, are you?” Sehun entered the room, her dark brown curls framing her bare face carelessly. She was wearing tattered jeans and white graphic Mickey Mouse tee. She went to kiss Hankyung, threw her haversack on top of the antique bureau and sat clumsily on an empty chair beside Yixing. "Annyeong, Yixing-hyeongsu! And oh, did you know?” She turned to Yifan. “They are running a congratulatory message for you and best wishes to your wife." She said playfully. "You do have an excellent taste, Ge. I couldn't find fault with your choice." She winked at Yixing. "I do hope you feel the same about your choice, Unnie." Yifan sent daggers to her direction and Yixing flustered helplessly.

"I would wring Rachel's neck." He said while making sound using the bones on his fingers. He noticed the growing panic on Yixing's face.

“It was my idea. Not your secretary’s.” It was Hankyung. “It’s about time the world knows you’re off the rack, right?” Yifan bit his lip. He should have known his mother won’t let him go easily. He could feel Yixing tense beside her.

Soon, Joonmyeon lead the prayer and the happy chatter ensued. All were relatively about their union and Yixing relaxed a bit. "So, where and when did you two meet? It’s seven years overdue but I’d like to hear the story.”

Yifan took the liberty to answer for both of them. It would be a lot easier as she didn't know what to say either. "Her sister was a patient of mine.” Yifan practiced Neurosurgery for a few years before training formally for the company. “And—“

“I went to Italy when my sister passed away. We just started talking again a few months back.” At least it wasn’t a complete lie. But she didn’t have to tell them she was talking to him regarding the divorce.

“I’m sorry about that, Yixing.”

“It’s okay, M-Mama, it happened a long time ago.” She gave them a small reassuring smile.

"What do you do, Noona?" It was Chanyeol.

“Hey, didn’t you know, Unnie is the new face of Han Phones.”

“Really? Did you know you’ll be working with hyung when we signed you up?” Chanyeol’s huge eyes were even bigger because of this new revelation.

"No, I did not. At least not until I signed the contract with Luhan-ssi and Onew-ssi.” Surprisingly, Luhan was silent. He just acknowledged Yixing when they arrived but he seemed to be out of it and chose to watch the happy exchange on the sidelines.

"We assume you are staying in Seoul for good then?" Joonmyeon asked the question but he didn't wait for her to answer. "There would be a lot of opportunities here for you." Yixing smiled awkwardly.

"Are you in any way related to the Zhangs of Hong Kong?" Jongin asked out of nowhere. His face nostalgic. He remembered the day when he met a young girl that looked a lot like her.

"Oppa, there are a lot of Zhangs not just in Hong Kong but also in Singapore and China." Sehun smiled warmly but her eyes said something.

"Of course. I was just asking. I am sorry." He amended.

"That's fine but no, I grew up in Seoul." She answered.

The dinner ended and they all proceeded to the den to have coffee. Yixing excused herself to go to the bathroom but instead of going back to the den, she went to the garden for some fresh air. She was feeling guilty for not remembering to call Christian. She dialed his number but she was not able to reach him. It was early morning in Milan.

"Yixing." Hankyung's voice startled her that she almost dropped her phone. What if she was able to reach him and she caught her talking to him on the phone?

"Mama." Why did it sound so appropriate?

"I hope we did not leave a bad impression on you." She smiled but the creases on her forehead showed her concern. "We maybe a big family but we are very much close as you can see."

"Oh no! Not a bit. You have a wonderful family. I dreamt of having a big one myself." She said sincerely. She and Christian were planning to have a big family.

"Where's your family, by the way? Your parents, I mean.” It was a topic she didn’t want to discuss to anyone. Good thing she saw Yifan approaching.

"There you are. I thought you got lost and Ma, are you interrogating my wife?" Yifan was beside Yixing in a split second.

Hankyung rolled her eyes. "I was just asking her some things. I'll go ahead. Why don't you take her on a tour of the house?" She left after bidding them goodnight.

"I know you had a long day, would you like to rest now? I'll take you on a tour tomorrow." She didn’t answer him but started walking back to the house. "By the way, thank you very much for all that you did tonight, Yixing. It meant so much to me."

"I'm always true to my words. You have to keep yours too." She said indifferently. Yifan was visibly taken aback from her sudden change of mood. "I want to go home."

"We are spending the night here. All of your things were brought to our room." He informed.

"Our room?! Are you out of your mind? Why would I share a room with you?" She ranted.

"We are husband and wife. What would my family think if we are not going to sleep in the same room?" He countered.

"Why did I ever agree to this stupid arrangement!?" She hissed and stomped back to the house.

*****************************************

Yixing squinted her eyes. Yifan's room in the Han mansion was facing the east and the East Asian morning sun was blinding her. She let her eyes adjust and roam around. He's nowhere in sight. He told her last night that they do not have to worry about any family member or house help barging in so there won't be any problem if he slept on the couch. She didn't believe at first that she'll be able to sleep soundly but she did. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was seven in the morning. She got up and fixed herself in record time and went downstairs.

She bumped into Yifan on her way out. He looked sweaty but he smelt like woodsy aftershave rather than sweat. He was wearing a navy blue tracksuit that emphasized the fairness of his skin. His relatively long hair tied in a ponytail. "I was about to wake you up. Did you have a good sleep?" He said while catching his breath.

"Yes. Thank you. Went jogging?" She's unbelievably friendly in the morning.

"Yup. We usually have breakfast in the lanai around 8am. You can wait for me there or you can go to the kitchen, Mama's there." He informed her.

"Sure. I can manage."

He smiled too. "Great. See you." Yixing almost went ballistic when Yifan kissed the corner of before sprinting towards his room. She was frozen in the landing. Then in the corner of her eyes, she saw Joonmyeon pulling the door behind him. She's sure he saw what Yifan did.

"Good morning." He smiled slightly. He looked quite boyish and less intimidating with his khaki cargo shorts, white sports shirt and sneakers.

"Morning." She held onto the railing for support. She felt like she's going to roll down the stairs if she didn't. "I'll just go to the kitchen and see if there's anything I can help Mama with." She picked her pace up and went ahead of him to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. She understood why Yifan had to do that. What her mind can't seem to pick up was why her heart was still hammering on her chest when she knew very well that he did that for show. The set up sure was driving her crazy!

The enormous kitchen occupied almost a quarter of the floor area. It had an ultra modern aura with a homey feel. It was empty when she opened the metal double doors. There were pots and pans simmering on the stove and she took the liberty to inspect her most favorite part of any house. She loved to cook and she can only dream of a kitchen this expensive. On her right were two closed metal doors with a porthole. She tiptoed to inspect what's inside. The first door with airtight edges was a walk-in fridge and the other one was the walk-in pantry. Is this a freakin’ hotel? She sat on one of the bar stools around the large working island and picked the knife and started chopping the peeled onions.

"Yixing dear...you don't have to do that. I can take care of that." Hankyung entered with a bundle of fresh herbs.

"I don't mind helping." She smiled at her.

"That would be for lunch, you know. I have to cook early, we are feeding an army." She laughed. "If you've only seen them growing up, you'll definitely wonder how they manage to look like that. Yifan really has a big appetite. And he loves lasagna in the morning."

"Lasagna? That's weird.” She chuckled.

"It's actually polite to call him weird." She laughed again before becoming serious. Yixing wanted to squirm in her seat. "Yifan is the most level-headed one. He always thinks before he acts." She's now staring outside, to the back garden that's visible from the floor to ceiling glass walls, her face nostalgic. "So imagine our surprise when we learned about the two of you." She wiped a drop of tear that escaped her eye.

Yixing stiffened in her seat. She didn't know what to say at all. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. Going to the kitchen was clearly not a good idea.

"Oh no! Now that I think about it, he might be worried we’ll oppose to the marriage since you were both very young. I won’t ask why you left but I hope that you’ll both work it out now that you found a chance to be together. Besides, I can’t wait to hear pitter-patter of small feet in this house soon.” She looked at her with puppy dog eyes very similar to what Yifan did at the view deck. Yixing wanted to scoff.

"Who knows?” There's nothing for you to wait. She thought.

"Now, if you can get those plates, we can get the food ready. I bet they’re all hungry!" She wondered why despite the number of house help, nobody's there to help Hankyung. She might have read her mind. "Nobody steps in here except if I requested them to. But of course that excludes you. I can teach you any dish you want."

"You always cook for them?" She's amazed that this woman of high society still had time to personally attend to things as trivial as food.

"Taking care of them is my passion. Besides, my kids are hardly home ever since I can remember. When they all settled here or should I say, semi-settled," She laughed. "We made a promise that we are going to spend each and every weekend here at home. Friday night dinners are very important. We get updates on each other's lives, work, love life, problems, anything. Whatever misunderstandings we have, we settle it in front of food. You may find that weird but that's how it is. That is the reason why lunches or dinners during weeknights aren't plausible. We spend too much time on the table!" She passed Yixing a large platter of sliced fruits and pushed a button hidden under the kitchen island. Seconds later, a uniformed maid entered pushing a cart. She loaded all the food and guided her to the lanai where the whole family was seated. Chanyeol and Sehun were having a hushed conversation; Jongin was glaring at both of them.

Yifan pulled a chair for her. "They want you to lead the prayer, can you?" Yifan whispered in her ear. She nodded.

She looked around and when she saw that they were just waiting for her to commence, "Dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful morning. Thank you for the bountiful food, for the nice weather, for the jobs, for the love. Thank you. Amen." She ended and when she looked up, she saw the smile in Jongin's eyes who's seated across her on the table. She can't help but be wary of him. It seemed that he knew something that she didn't. They proceeded with breakfast while the rest of the family grilled her thoroughly as they become more comfortable with her.

**************************

"Good morning, everyone! My name is Sehun. I would like to welcome all of you. Congratulations for passing the first stage of screening. For your protection, we will be using our first names to address each other. I will be handling most part of the training but you will also have different instructors that are no less than experts in their chosen field. Though I must admit that not all of you will make it, still, we only expect your best. While you are here, you will receive only the best training possible to hone the qualifications that made your superiors recommend you to become one of us." Her voice flat and businesslike.

"I know you know what you are putting yourself into but let me reiterate once more that the moment you step in here, you already vowed in secrecy. You are not to discuss any details of your work to your family, friends, or anybody. You should take that oath very very seriously and we would not expect anything less. I would not go into details on what you'll be facing in case you fail to abide. I am sure you all have an idea. In the whole duration of the training, you are not allowed to communicate with the outside world but everything you need will be provided by the facility. Any questions?" She addressed the crowd of no more than twenty people. Two of them were females and the one was looking intently at her, questions flooded her eyes but did not make any effort to raise them.

"Very well. It's time for me to turn you over to your first instructor for the day. But before I do that, I'll leave you with something to work on your free hours. "Find something trivial about me. If you can. And report it to class the next day.” She smiled slyly before exiting the room, her footsteps deliberate. Before long, she's knocking on Gen. Raymond's office.

******************************************

"Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years. Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart." Hankyung read the letter from George Matthew Adams. They all sat in front of the fire place, beside the huge Christmas tree. Looking around her, she still can't believe that all of her kids had grown to be wonderful individuals. One of them was even married now. How fast time flies. "I think it's time for us to give our gifts!" She announced happily. "Your father and I will go first." She went under the huge tree that you only see in Neiman Marcus. And the Choi mansion. She then handed each and everyone a box with variety of sizes and gorgeous wrapping. "Why don't you guys open it?"

Sehun tore the box open and she literally got a piece of paper. "You did not! Oh my God! Thanks Mama! Thanks! I love you so much!” She hugged Hankyung tightly. Everyone was giving her a weird look. Yixing was gaping at her thinking she had gone crazy.

"You might want to tell us what your exquisite present is." Chanyeol said sarcastically.

"Here. Take a look. Don't touch it!" She yelled when Chanyeol was about to grab it. "You might crumple it!"

"Aren't you overreacting for a piece of...paper?" Joonmyeon mused. But when he saw Chanyeol's eyes widened when he saw what was written on the piece of paper, he got curious too. "What is it?"

"Enlighten us please." Siwon roared and everyone laughed.

"Alright." Sehun tried to calm herself down despite the excitement. "You wouldn't guess who Mama found." She saw Jongin's head jerked in attention. She shook her head lightly. He knew she had people she’d wanted to find badly. He relaxed in his bean bag. "She found Lea for me!" She shrieked.

"Are you doing a remake of Saigon?" Yifan knew Sehun had been trying to cast the theater legend in one of her plays before but her schedule was too tight for Les Miserables 25^th anniversary tour. His sister got obsessed when she met her in New York.

"I bumped into her agent in one of the parties that I attended in Hong Kong. She's married to one of the Chiens of Wan Chai council. She just gave birth and trying to lose weight and promised to take the job after a year or so. She still had pending concerts. I know you'll be working hard in London if you have an inspiration." Hankyung explained when her daughter can't seem to digest the present she got.

"A remake of Saigon?" Yixing croaked. She might a get a toothpick and did not know if she should act happy too. Yifan's family was weird.

"Oh. He didn't mention to you that our sister is Han Yi, did he?" It was Chanyeol giving Yifan a look of mockery. "Your husband sure is forgetting a lot of things."

"You’re Han Yi?! You are...wealthy." She instantly felt idiotic. She just read in a picture-less article of Time Italy that the world-renowned playwright and author was on her way to publishing her 18th book after more than three years of unexplained aperture. Penguin Publishing disclosed the amounts they pay the sphinx-like author. Her brain can’t seem to deduct how much money this girl makes on her own.

"It’s a secret though. But since you are family, you ought to know. And I'm not rich! Yifan-oppa is." She smiled blithely.

"My turn." Luhan announced as he opened the gift his mother gave him. It was an envelope and when he got to read the card inside, he can't help but shed a tear. He's becoming awfully emotional these days. "Thanks Ma, Appa. I have put up exhibits all over the world but not in Seoul. They organized one for me." It will be on the fifteenth of January. Everyone cheered him and hugged him.

Jongin's already perusing his gift from their mother. It's a laboratory goggles. "Thanks, Ma." He smiled meaningfully.

"We had your laboratory rebuilt on the east side of the property maybe a hundred yards away from the dojo. You can start working anytime soon." Hankyung explained. She missed her old son too much. Like their mother, Jongin had a degree in Chemistry and was helping Hankyung synthesize expensive medicines for mass production. But he got too fervid once and whacked everything in his old laboratory adjoining his room. It almost set the whole house on fire.

"Good job in putting it outside the house Mama!" Siwon cackled. He knew very well what happened. Jongin sent daggers to Siwon's direction. Everybody was laughing again.

Everyone gave and opened their respective gifts and when Yifan received an empty jewelry box from Hankyung, he got red all over.

"I guess you knew what that meant. C'mon son, you can't be that old to forget that you have to buy Yixing a ring. Or rings. You don't even wear a wedding ring yourself."

"Uhm, I'll take care of everything Ma. And stop embarrassing me in front of my wife!" He whined. Yixing was laughing her heart out. She can't even remember the last time that she celebrated Christmas.

"Why don't you open your gift, Yixing?" Siwon prompted.

Yixing obliged. Her eyes widened upon opening the envelope Hankyung handed her. There were tickets for two to Italy, to Ischia in particular. It will be exclusive for just the two of them for two weeks! She was speechless. Yifan peeked and smiled.

"Thanks, Ma. I think my wife is too shocked to say anything." Yifan jested. Yixing shook her head in disbelief. How can he laugh at something as ridiculous as this?

"I thought Ischia would be most convenient so that after your honeymoon, you can just go to Milan and fix everything up before going back to Seoul.” Hankyung smiled fondly and Yixing did not know how to react. She had never been to Ischia even if it's just a boat ride from Milan. Everything in that island's unreasonably expensive and she's not living like a princess in Italy. But that's not all she's worried about. Freaking honeymoon?! They're not husband and wife in the truest sense of the word for crying out loud! And now they were bound to spend two weeks together. Surely, this was all getting out of hand.

***************************

She entered a heavily soundproofed room with dozen or so computers whirring. She found Sean sitting on one of the office tables scattered around. He stood up when he saw her. "Condor." He addressed. He already knew that she's not someone to be messed with. And he finally realized that the admiration he was harboring would only give him future body pains.

"Call me Sehun." She smiled. "Would you mind," She looked briefly at her Navitimer, "Having brunch with me?" It was unfair to flirt with someone who already fell for her charms but he's the only person who could help her at this time. Yongguk’s out in an assignment.

"No. Not at all." The excitement lit his face up.

They went into one of the few diners inside the compound and talked about trivial things. "Would you help me about something, Sean?" She asked out of nowhere and she could see that he was taken aback.

He hesitated for a second before, "It depends."

Good answer. "I would like to know everything about this person.” She brought out an old photo of Yixing and a piece of paper with her name.

"Your brother's wife?" He asked and Sehun was not a bit surprised.

"I can see that you did your assignment very well." He smiled sheepishly, eyes darting everywhere but her. She was not pleased that she was being investigated behind her back but she kept her face blank. "Yes. Her. Would you?"

"I don't see any problem with it. Expect the full report this afternoon." He didn't make any effort to keep the photo and the paper, indicating that he would not need as much.

"Thanks Sean." She kept the picture and crumpled the paper before dropping it inside the glass that's half-empty with water. "I owe you one."

They separated in front of the main building and Sehun went to walk the short distance to the BOQ. The conversation between her and Xander kept replaying in her mind. She made it clear that she wanted to go private after serving her sanctions but he disagreed and almost begged her to take this one last assignment. She remembered Hankyung. Her mother would definitely hate her if she ever agreed.

"How's your Cambridge application?" General Raymond asked casually in between sips of his favorite coffee.

"Everything's all set. They’re just waiting for me to ruin their reputable record." She mocked herself. She tapped her fingers on his table impatiently.

"So you've made up your mind, huh?" He stated the obvious.

"I owe it to my family." She said thoughtfully. "And I promised Mom."

"Would you mind taking this one last assignment for me?" Before she could open , he added, "This is much less dangerous and would require minimal work. I am sure your mom wouldn't mind."

"Oh no! She would. That I can assure you. It's not as if you don't know her. You have a lot of agents here. I am sure anyone would not hesitate to take it." She said.

"I am afraid you are the only one who can do it. I already sent my recommendations and the president himself appointed you for this job." He faced the tinted glass wall behind him.

The creases on Sehun's forehead marred her face slightly. She was in deep thought. What less dangerous assignment would require interventions from the President of the United States? It sounded half-baked in her ears. "Why on earth would he pick me? A novice?" She asked instead.

"This assignment would be in London." He disclosed.

"And so? British government cannot handle it? Why do I have this feeling that you are throwing me into the crocodile lake?" She eyed his back suspiciously.

"I am afraid they can't. You see, our country's been establishing good relationship with other emerging powers including China." He turned around only to find himself under her scrutinizing gaze. She is the only person who can get away with it.

"And how do I get into the picture?" She's dying in suspense.

"There are threats to the remaining members of the Imperial Family and the Chinese government asked for our help."

"I'll be joining the Chinese Royal Guards then?" She was sarcastic. "Uncle, will  you stop beating around the bush?" She said, totally exasperated.

"As an initial measure to minimize chaos in case the news broke out, they are sending the Emperor's youngest daughter to London in guise of granting her request of having further studies abroad. She'll be taking her masters in Anthropology and Sociology in Cambridge." He explained.

Holy .

She didn't give Xander a final answer yet. She's weighing the pros and cons carefully. She would be able to proceed to her assignment without giving up her original plans of studying abroad. She could not say no to Xander. He saved her life many times in the past, covering her for the mishaps that she had. But how about her promise to her family? She hated it when she had dilemmas like this. Maybe a great sparring with one of the boys would help. She went straight to her room and changed to her gray sweatpants and white t-shirt and headed to the combative training room.

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone!