A/N: Uhm, Happy New Year? Yehet.

Just as promised, a thick manila envelope was waiting for her when she arrived in her office. It was sealed and labeled confidential and the secretary even readied the sharp letter opener beside it. Sehun fixed herself a glass of orange juice from the pantry before she sat down and opened the report that Sean sent her.

Documents were fastened accordingly—school records, medical and dental records, driving licenses from Madrid, Salamanca, Florence and Milan. But the next set of papers was what got her attention. It contained medical records from Seoul National University Hospital dated more than seven years ago but they’re not for Yixing. It's for a certain Zhang Yixuan. She heard a light knock and her secretary poke her head in the slightly-ajar door.

"Lt. Patrick wants to see you." She informed.

"Send him in. Thank you." She smiled a bit. Soon after, Sean's sitting in front of her desk.

"So, how was it?" He asked.

"I am confused actually. Tell something about Zhang Yixuan?" She was not even done reading personal information about the patient.

"Yixuan was Yixing's younger sister and your brother's patient." He pointed. "She died seven years ago.” Sehun nodded. That as much she knew. Yixing told them that the first time she had dinner with them.  “It was caused by multiple organ failure as a complication of Cooley's Anemia." Sean was in deep thought. "Because of that, I decided to narrow down my research from a few months before she and your brother met," He was caressing his chin. "Only to learn that you'll be more interested in her life before she came to South Korea." He picked a newspaper clipping from the pile of papers on her desk. "Look at this one."

"She told us she grew up in South Korea." She said but lowered her eyes to the clippings.

"She did. Technically." He said but Sehun was already absorbed by what she was reading. He spoke again when she was done reading the documents and seemed to be in deep thought while staring blankly on the wall. "I am not sure if she knows that she's a daughter of a triad leader in Hong Kong."

"I knew it! My brother Jongin asked her if she's related to the Zhang's of Hong Kong. I just didn't pay any attention to it." She remembered the night when Yifan brought Yixing home.

"Your sister-in-law, her mother and sister moved to Seoul when she was barely five. Yixuan was less than a year old. So there is a possibility that she can't even remember that they lived in Hong Kong. They left her other sister though—Yilian, Yixuan’s twin." Sean had a point.

According to what she'd read, Yixing’s mother left Yilian under her father’s care. The triad led by Zhang Yong Rui was dismantled more than a year ago and Yilian was abducted by one of his cohorts who went astray and brought her to New Mexico. The US government took care of it and Jongin was part of the team sent to rescue the girl. Unfortunately, she didn't even make it to the nearest hospital. She didn't survive the forty-nine days of torture. Yong Rui was also killed from a simultaneous operation in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Li Xun, Yixing’s mother, got hit by a car when she was still in junior high which left the latter a big responsibility of raising Yixuan on her own. Yixuan had been sickly since she was a kid but eight years ago, she had been diagnosed with Cooley's Anemia—traitor blood disease even worse than Leukemia. After months of staying in the hospital, her condition worsened. It even crawled to her nervous system; damaging her neurons. That was when they met Yifan. Her brother handled the case and developed a special connection with the girl. After a year of battling the disease, her frail body gave in but two days before she died, Yifan and Yixing got married secretly in Daegu. After the funeral, Yixing disappeared. Records said she stayed in Spain as an illegal alien for a year and moved to Italy where she gained amnesty after three years.

It bothered her that Yifan didn't even look for her. It would be difficult because of the country-hopping that Yixing did but with their money and connections both in South Korea and abroad, what kept him? And Yixing actually went home to ask for a divorce? They even agreed to go on a honeymoon. But there’s one thing she was sure of. Yifan's in love with Yixing. And as a devoted sister, she won't just sit down and watch her brother self-destruct.

"If you’ll excuse me Sean, I need to make a phone call. And oh, will you have dinner with me tonight?" She saw him grin from ear to ear.

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

"Oppa? Are you there?" Sehun knocked on Jongin's laboratory. She stepped to the foyer and removed her shoes and changed to sanitized espadrilles and put on a lab gown stored in one of the closets. She opened the metal door half-expecting it was locked. She proceeded inside when it pushed open. She saw her brother watching the liquid in a beaker over a glass burner.

"Close the door and be quiet. Or else I'll throw you out." He added when he sensed she had no plans in obeying. He preferred working alone but since she invited herself in, he knew he can't send her out without breaking a couple of his bones. Ever since he can remember, Sehun had always been physical in her otherwise odd ways of showing affection. And Luhan had always been the receiving end of her pranksters. She kept silent for a while but before long, she was picking things up and putting it down. He got really distracted.

"How old are you Choi Sehun? I swear to God kids stay in one place when they’re told to do so." He walked to the island sink and washed his hands. He removed his goggles and walked towards her. He saw her pouting but he noticed the waggish glint in her eyes.

"What?" He decided to play innocent.

"You must be inspired." She declared.

"C'mon. Surely you didn't walk half a kilometer just to tell me your fallible observations about my nature." He crossed his arms in front of his chest trying very hard to read his sister's face.

"I used the golf cart and I'm seldom wrong." That statement from her made him scoff. And that scoff earned a whack from her.

"How could you snag a boyfriend with that kind of attitude? No wonder nobody wants to date you." He said while rubbing his arm.

"For your information Choi Jongin, I, I repeat, I," She pointed to herself. "Refuse to date them!"

Jongin knew very well that was true. In their circle of friends alone, not a few men wanted to date her. But she had always been aloof to the opposite . It was partly their fault, he must admit. They've been very protective of her apart from the truth that men really got intimidated by her mere presence. And they don't even know that their sister was one of the most lethal agents CIA had ever produced. "You're becoming conceited." He countered.

"Do not change the topic. So, were you surprised that Seohyun’s now dating Yonghwa?" She asked and smiled to herself when she saw that she caught him off-guard.

"A bit, yeah." He said honestly.

"Just a bit? Everybody expects her to enter the convent when you got engaged." She exaggerated.

"Well, I know for a fact that Seohyun's a good person and it wouldn't be difficult for her to find someone who will love her the moment she set her eyes on a different direction." He really felt that way. He only wished that she was able to do that before he had hurt her indirectly.

"You're not even bothered by the thought?" She interrogated. Jongin flashed her a look.

"Why would I be? We know Yonghwa like the back of our hands. We know he'll take care of her." He explained patiently. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was going.

"So you are bothered by other matters then." She affirmed.

"I don’t know what you are talking about." He went back to the working island and turned the burner off while watching the bubbles in the blue liquid disappear.

"That smells good." He transferred the royal blue liquid into a flask but the sort of sweet fruity smell lingered inside the whole laboratory. She's was sure Jongin's not working on a medicine.

"That's the plan. It's a perfume." He said sarcastically.

"Ow. That must be intended for the other matter then." Jongin narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that a...peace offering, huh?" She touched his earlobe very lightly causing his blood to rush to his face. It was his most ticklish part. Before he could attack her, "Hey! This is newly built! You don't want to knock everything off!" She stuck her tongue out. She will surely miss this. In less than two months, she'll be going back to her real world.

“You’re becoming a pest!" He said loftily.

"I take that as a compliment." All Jongin could do was shake his head. "So the girl's not even enamored by your charms, eh?" She teased.

Jongin closed his eyes and started to count from one to ten to calm himself. "I was not trying to charm her, okay?" He could not say that it was the other way around. He didn't know if the girl's doing it deliberately or not. But the effect was just the same. "Will you be honest, Hunnie?" He became serious all of a sudden and he saw that Sehun did, too.

"Do you like the me that you see?" He asked.

"Now? No, I don't." Jongin winced. "I like the old you better." She added in haste when she saw his pained expression.

"Am I really that bad?" He asked awkwardly. Usually, he didn't care about what people think of him but it's not very good hearing it from someone he loves.

"It's not your fault that you changed though. But we must die in one's life to enter another. Just don't leave the better part of yourself behind. I have to get back to work. I just dropped by to see your new hide out." And she was out in a flash.

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

Luhan was looking at the blank canvass for almost an hour now. But he can't think of anything to paint at the moment. And that rarely happens. He could get inspiration from barely anything that captures his fancy. The other day, he thought it was just an ordinary case of painter's block—if there's such a thing. Or he was just trying to deny what the real problem was. His exhibit's due in a couple of weeks and he didn't have enough material yet. He's sure his parents invited all their friends and he can't let them down. The other day, his mom's Girl Friday called and asked for the theme of his exhibit. He told her he'll get back to her. He just can't think of any at the moment. Then it struck him like lightning. He went to the cupboard and got his keys.

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

Kyungsoo narrowed her eyes when she saw Jongin enter the cafeteria yet again. He's here to pester me again! Bianca immediately moved aside from the food selection counter. She climbed down the stool behind the cashier and tried to retrieve her composure. She can't understand why whenever he's near; her heart would start to beat erratically.

After he and his siblings left Nancy's the last time they dined, she announced to all of their employees that she’s the only one allowed to entertain him. She already declared an all out war against him after what happened on her way to school. She walked towards the food selection counter, taking her time. She could see his impatience as she closed in. She cleared and didn't even make an effort to smile.

"What would you have, Sir?" She asked him while holding the large white plate and food thong. Clack clack. She played with the thongs as he seemed to be making his revenge for making him wait.

"Eggplant lasagna and watermelon shake. Plus strawberry shortcake." He added as an afterthought.

Kyungsoo didn't say anything but she placed the lasagna and the fruit shake on his tray. She carried it to the cashier and punched his bill. When she was done and was handing him the invoice, she saw his eyes narrow in slits.

"Where's my cake?" He knew very well where this conversation was heading.

"I make those so I have every right to choose who eats them." She smiled at him slyly before putting on a blank expression.

Jongin shook his head. "Can't we put an end to this useless banter, Kyungsoo?" Despite his annoyance, her name felt like chocolate sundae on his tongue, saying it for the first time.

Kyungsoo was surprised too that he recalled her name. She's not even wearing her nameplate today. She did not say anything.

"Aren't you getting tired of this? For all the things that I said and done, I am very sorry. I was very rude." He looked at her eyes and tried his best to convey his sincerity.

Kyungsoo could feel that this time, he meant everything that he said and this time, nobody's listening but her. Still, she kept silent.

"To really show you how sincere I am, why don't I treat you to lunch?" He smiled awkwardly when he saw Kyungsoo's expression softened a bit.

"Where are you going to feed me?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Food is great here, you know? Especially the mango cream pie and all other desserts." He said, smiling fully. Now that they were finally okay, he felt like something heavy was lifted from his chest.

His smile was contagious. She can't help but smile back. A sincere, forgiving smile. "Araso. Have a seat first. I'll join you in a bit." She was really starving as she forgot to eat earlier when a group of executives from Han Auto had their lunch catered at the 90^th floor. One of their crew was absent and she volunteered replace him.

She took a plateful of food, a serving of strawberry shortcake and a slice of mango cream pie at his table. She took a deep breath and sat across him at the table. "You really are stingy, you know." She said while emptying her tray. "This is our first date and my meal is free." Kyungsoo was surprised how she can go back to her usual sunny self in front of him. Didn't they just reconcile? And she was already teasing him!

"We’re dating now, huh?" He decided to play along.

"Yeah. This is a sorry date remember?" She beamed. "Here." She pushed the plate of strawberry shortcake towards him. "You can have it. Don't you dare pick on me again or I will ban you from eating here!” She threatened while smiling.

"That wouldn't happen again, I promise. Now, would you let me have some of the mango cream pie too?" He shoved his fork on her dessert plate.

"Hey!"

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

Luhan took a deep breath before unlocking the door of his penthouse. It had been months since he last came here. Hankyung was delighted when he told his family that he'll be staying home again. He was glad that she was too happy to ask the reason why he decided to move back. He opened the door and fumbled for the switch with his eyes closed. He was not afraid of the glare but of the emptiness of the place that he once called home. The room screamed of Xiumin's absence. It was fairly maintained, yes, the cleaning lady still comes twice every week to clean the relatively dustproof penthouse. It looked so immaculate that it felt like stepping into a hospital.

He can't bear to linger in his own house. He went straight to his room and unlocked his safe. He extracted a canvass roll and hurried for the door. The longer he stays, the harder it would be to leave. He gave himself a one last look of once the happiest place on earth for him before he closed the door.

Before starting the car, he brought his cellphone out and dialed a number. Someone picked up after two rings. "Doctor Han's office. Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Ma Li. It's Luhan." It was his mother's assistant. "I just want to check the progress of the preparations."

"I was about to call you, Mr. Choi. Everything’s all set and all you have to do is be there on the day of the exhibit. I already called your chosen charities and they are all very grateful." She blabbered nonstop.

Luhan was speechless. His sister sure worked fast. Wait, wasn't she in the US right now? How can she do that? Oh well, Sehun's Sehun. "That's awesome." His tone was far from being awed. "Thank you Ma Li. Good job." And he dropped the call. It seemed that he won't need the thing sitting on his lap. He fought the urge to unroll it and opened one of the glove compartments to keep it when something fell from inside the roll. He picked it up and what he saw nearly took all the air from his lungs.

He literally found himself gasping for air while wishing for the earth to open and swallow him alive. What did he do in his past life that he was being punished gravely? He banged his head several times on the steering wheel without noticing the ear drum-busting sound it created throughout the parking area. Before long, one of the uniformed guards knocked on his heavily tinted window. Instead of opening the window, he sped off the parking area without knowing where to go.

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

Everyone was awed at the collection of paintings that hung on the wall of the Astoria Hotel's grand ballroom. There were a hundred or so paintings by Luhan that he showcased in an exhibit themed Boyhood. It was a stockpile of his work from the early years that he started to paint. The oldest one would date back twenty years ago.

"Your son is a master. When was this painted?" Kim Yesung was looking at an oil painting. It was an expressionist painting of a man on top of a large brown stallion. The colors were in bright orange, brown, and crimson. It was titled Padre et Polo.

"Oh. He painted me when he was six." Siwon could still remember the time that Luhan was recuperating from a Polo accident. He broke his ankle when Sundance, then a pony, went into a fit in the middle of the game and dropped him on the field screaming in pain. Good thing was, his bones were still young and his ankle was able to heal completely in a couple of months. But during that time, he was reduced to just watching Siwon and his brothers play in their private polo field. After that accident, he thought he would give up playing Polo but he was wrong. Luhan was the only one in the family who actually excelled in the said sport aside from him. It was a passion that they both shared.

"Really? I can't believe this was a work of a six year old!" Yesung exclaimed. He flew from Busan because of Choi’s invitation to their son's painting exhibit. Siwon was a good friend from Harvard and he could not afford to ignore the invitation even if he was busiest this time of the year. He could have sent his daughter Minseok but she went with Baekhyun to London to help her sister look for a decent place to stay while earning her master’s degree. She told him that she should take advantage of her last chance to ride the plane before she gave birth. "Where is he anyway?" He asked while trying to search for Luhan in the crowd without any clue how he looks like.

"I am afraid he won't be able to make it. He’s really sick." Last night, Luhan came home shivering under his rain-soaked clothes running a very high fever. He was near delirium and the doctor had to sedate him after giving him medicines. He woke up midday, crying, but would not tell them the reason why. He still had fever but since all invitations were sent out and all of their friends not just in South Korea but also from nearby countries will come, they had to push through with the event without Luhan.

"It's such a pity that I won't be able to meet him. I hope he gets well soon." He said and really meant it.

Before Siwon could react, Chanyeol came over and whispered to his ear. "Will you excuse me for a second, Yesung-ah? Chanyeollie, accompany Uncle Yesung, will you?

"Of course, Appa." He assured him.

"Take your time." Yesung seconded. "You are his youngest, I believe?" It was a question.

"No, Sir. I have a younger brother and a sister." Chanyeol answered promptly.

"Of course. Uncle is getting old." He laughed. "Anyway, I am having a grandchild soon." He remembered Minseok. Pregnancy really became her. Regardless of the circumstances, he was really happy that there will be an addition to their family soon. If only his wife was still alive, she would really be happy to spoil their grandchild.

"Really, Sir? Congratulations!" Chanyeol flashed a smile.

"Call me Uncle Yesung, boy. And thank you. My eldest daughter will be giving birth in two months. We are all very excited. If Siwon knows that I beat him to it, he won't be pleased." The big smile on his face made him look ten years younger.

"That wouldn't be long, Uncle. My brother Yifan just got married recently and he's still on his honeymoon in Italy. They should be back with a grandson, too." He laughed like a buffoon at his own joke when he saw Taemin entering the hall. "Uncle, will you be fine walking around on your own? I just saw someone I know. If you see something you fancy, approach that girl in blue." He pointed to Ma Li from across the room.

"Sure, sure. I'll be fine." He waved him off. He was eyeing a watercolor painting of the Big Ben in its early morning glory. He’d like to give it to Baekhyun to celebrate the start of her new school year in London.

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

Gong xi fa cai!!!

Everyone hugged and greeted each other. They watched as the magnificent display of pyrotechnics lit up the whole sky with an array of different colors. The Choi mansion's backyard was lavishly decorated. Paper lanterns were hung and dragon dancers roamed the private polo field.

A lot of their friends came to celebrate. Onew and his wife Key, the Lee family, Seohyun and her sister, Yonghwa and his parents, and Heechul, one of the Choi Group executives that they treat more than an employee.

There were a lot of reasons to be thankful for and more reasons to look forward to this coming year. Onew and Key just announced that the latter's already eight weeks on the family way. Taemin will be accompanying Sehun in London while trying his luck in Vogue UK. He was commissioned to do a photo spread of their 20th anniversary issue. The new HanTel products, the food allergies vaccine that Hankyung formulated and all sorts of different things.

Everyone was in a festive mood except from Yifan. Luhan wasn’t even there. He came back from Ischia without Yixing and he wouldn't tell anybody why. Hankyung can't even talk him out of it. He would spend most of his time in the office, going home only to change his clothes. He went home one day, his hair cut very short to his family's surprise. He stopped seing the barber years ago. Anybody could tell that he was devastated. He was drinking alone inside the house when everybody else were outside, celebrating the Lunar New Year. Wherever he looked, he could only see red—a perfect contrast to the black lump of tears forming behind his eyelids whenever he closed his eyes.

All his life, he was the envy of his playmates, classmates, and friends. He's a genius, a brilliant doctor, a topnotch businessman, and a complete failure. He lost the only woman he loved all his life twice in a row and he can't do anything about it. Certainly, dying would be sweetest at this time.

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

"What. Is. Your. Problem. Choi. Lu. Han?" Siwon thought that his eyes were just playing tricks on him when he opened the envelope that he handed him a few moments ago. He threw the resignation letter carelessly and his swivel chair was knocked off when he stood abruptly. He walked towards Luhan and stopped right in front of him. They were in his office at the top floor of Seoul Trade Tower. Luhan was standing stiffly in front of his huge mahogany table, eyes wild and directed to the foggy Seoul skyline visible from the floor to ceiling glass walls. His dark lashes were a contrast to his very pale skin. He looked like he didn't sleep in days. Since the day of the exhibit, he rarely talked. He spent most of his free time in the garden, facing the blank canvass but will carry it upstairs again after too many hours of staring at it, still blank.

He summoned Harold the other day and asked him about Luhan's performance in the office. He learned that he would always send Onew or the other executives to business meetings and conventions that he should be attending. He would not entertain any visitors and would not come out even for lunch. Though Luhan's business decisions were exemplary as usual, he was still worried about his son. Or sons. Yifan's another story. What's happening to his family?

"I’m going on vacation. You can appoint Onew for the position." He answered without looking at him.

"You know it's not as easy as that. You cannot just leave everyone hanging just because you want to have a vacation. Have you forgotten about the provision?" To protect the family corporation, there's a provision that only direct family members were to be appointed to key positions in the company.

"Onew's my cousin. He's family." He countered stupidly. His cousin didn't even know what he's putting him into. He would not like it, he very sure about it. Onew still had responsibilities to his inheritance from his own father. It might not be as big as HanTel but it's his birthright. "Besides, he's very capable."

"Whether Onew is capable or not is out of the question!" Siwon rarely raised his voice, especially to his children. He firmly believed in diplomacy in dealing with things. "If you can only tell us what the problem is, we will understand. Do you know how much ordeal you’re putting your mother into everyday that she sees you like that? You wake up every morning, you eat, you respond when we talk to you but Sundance does that even better." He was referring to Luhan's horse. "You said you just want to have a vacation, then why do you have to resign?"

Luhan took a deep breath. "It's because I do not know when I'll be coming back, Appa. Hell, I don't even know where I am going!" To Siwon's surprise, Luhan fell on his knees, sobbing helplessly on the carpeted floor. "I am so sorry, Appa. Dui bu qi! Jeongmal mianhe! I am not a good son. I am a failure. I am not a good person! That's why He took everything away from me. He took her away and then now He took my child away." He was shaking uncontrollably. Siwon hugged him tightly.

"Please tell me, huh, Xiao Lu?"

Luhan stared blankly at his father. What would he tell him? That he just learned that the child Xiumin's carrying was really his? That he disowned his own flesh and blood even before the baby was born? And that he didn't even know where to look for her? Should he tell Siwon that he raised a complete bastard and a gutless mongrel? That he's not even worth a cent of the company that's why he's quitting?

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