A/N: Sorry I woke up late! Second installment...how are you liking it so far? :)

She was sitting on the couch, an ice bag on her forehead when she heard a car pulling up in her driveway. Her head throbbed more. In a split second he was knocking on her door. She didn’t have the energy to answer the door. She reached for the remote control on the coffee table and opened the door for him. She could see his face on the security console screen, his expression troubled.

“Oh, bloody! What happened to you?” Yongguk was beside her in an instant, his hand on her forehead and the other on his own. “You don’t have a fever. Are you alright?” He was relieved that she was not sick. Literally at least. He snickered at the thought.

“Yeah. What are you doing here? Can’t sleep without your car, huh?” She teased but the expression on his face told her that she can’t fool him. She went to the kitchen to put more ice on the bag. “How does it drive?” She asked him, he was holding the book that she was trying to read before headache bugged her. He ignored her question. She was not sure if he even heard it or not.

“Are you really reading this?!” His eyes wide. He was holding up the copy of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn, the Twilight Saga’s last book.

“On the fourth book, finally.” She beamed. He cringed. He didn’t handle cheesy stuff that good. “Reading it sorts of level the playing field a bit, doesn’t it?” She sat beside him.

“Oh come on Han Yi! Twilight’s hors d'oeuvres. Your books are mains. I mean, teenagers and kids read Twilight but everyone reads your books.” He explained.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence. Hey, I am just joking. Why are so serious today? I can’t be writing about vampires. Not my style.” She smiled and gave him a playful jab on his arm. “So, how does it drive?” She repeated her earlier question.

“Amazing.” His face lit up. She had Kevin Ross drive her old Lamborghini Murcielago for Yongguk to use in exchange of taking his car. She was afraid that her old car was not in good condition anymore. It was sitting in Hyde Park for god knows how long. "I really wanted a sports car but it was not convenient for us. I’ll get a 4.2 once I retire." He beamed.

"You can use the Murcielago for now. I'll give you a 4.2 after I get my royalties for Kathmandu." She told him.

"What?! Are you nuts?!" He was incredulous.

"Have I been normal all along? I wasn't informed." She glared at him. "C'mon. If you want the Murcielago, you can have it too. I haven't used that car in ages." She remembered getting a ticket for driving it without license once.

"I know how filthy rich you are but you can't just give out cars like that! I know you are always crossing boarders of being crazy and acceptable but you can at least pretend to be normal! I am not accepting anything from you if it's not consumable in twenty four hours, do you hear me?" He was standing in front of her now, he looked like his small eyes would pop out any minute and that he will strangle her if she said anything. She raised her free hand and slowly made a peace sign and smiled sheepishly. She won't take chances. He was really mad. He glared at her.

"Now, what did you do to my car?" He asked.

"I didn't do anything." She denied.

"Are you telling me that I forgot to lock my door and you just got in without any problems?" He was using a deceivingly calm tone, more like talking to a five year old.

"I already fixed the locks!" She shot back. "I'm sorry. I was desperate to get away." She told him, pouting.

"And the ignition?" In narrowed eyes.

"Did too." She faced him, hands clasped together. "Sorry, okay? Just to show you how sorry I am, you can use the car until you like. Just return it scratch free." She made puppy dog eyes.

"Fair enough. Loan. Clear?" He hissed.

"As clear as the Danube." She made a face. Then she heard another warning knock. It was Baekhyun's face on the screen. She went to get the door. Then she saw that she was not alone. Behind her was Amber with a large covered platter.

"Hey." She walked passed her and invited herself in. Amber did the same.

"You're here, Yongguk!" The princess joined them once during their small picnics near the River Cam. Amber went to kiss him on the cheek. He stiffened and Sehun wanted to laugh out loud. "Nice car."

"It was just a loaner." He was still recovering from shock. It was not everyday that you get a princess to kiss you.

"Ahem." It was Baekhyun.

"Oh. Yongguk, this is another one of my good friends, Kim Baekhyun. Baekhyun this is Bang Yongguk, the pain in my arse.” She stuck her tongue out to him. Amber chuckled.

He sent daggers to her direction. "Pleased to meet you Baekhyun-ssi."

"Nice to meet you, too. Anyway, we brought dinner. Amber and I were worried about you." She looked at her, repentant.

"You told her!" She voiced accusingly.

"Sorry." She mouthed.

"Who was that? Boyfriend?" Amber asked.

"It was not what you think it is." She said dismissively. "What's for dinner?" She took the platter after throwing the ice bag in the couch. She could smell wasabi and her stomach started growling.

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

Amber was trying to ignore the feeling that someone was always watching her. Nobody's approaching her though. Which was weird. She's always felt it whenever she’s alone like present. She knew it was wrong to feel that way and assume things but she can't help it.

She nudged the door of her sports car shut and tried to balance the books and her purse in her hands. Then she felt the unexplainable heat running down her spine again. She looked around inconspicuously, trying to see if there’s anyone looking directly at her. She found a few students lounging carelessly in the front of the Central Square busy doing their own stuff. She came to school early today to visit the library. She was determined to make the most of her normal student life. She didn't take note of the time and the central library's not open yet. She sat on one of the benches on the bank of the River Cam and decided to call her parents. She was busy talking on the phone and animatedly telling the empress her brand new experiences when someone gripped and whispered in her ear.

"Say goodbye to whoever that is on the phone. Don't try to say anything or will I break your neck." He threatened. He removed his hand from slowly and lowered it to .

She tried her best not to stutter. "Mama? Mama? I can't hear you. Hello? Bad connection. Call you later. Love you!" She spoke fast trying to talk over her mother's voice on the other line. She put her phone down slowly. She was trying her best to think of the best way to free herself from her intruder. "What do you want from me?" She whispered.

"Come with me." He ordered.

"I will. Just let me go. You wouldn't want to get attention, would you?" She asked in a deceptive calm.

"Get off her." She can't mistake that voice from anyone. "Let her go or else. . ." The man was smart enough to let go of Amber when he felt the cold steel on his nape.

"Sehyun!" Amber was instantly behind her. Terrified of the small silver gun that she was holding. Sehun looked very much at ease though. She was holding the gun like she would hold her purse.

"What do you need from her?" She asked. He didn't answer. "Who sent you?" She asked again. When he failed to respond again, she locked her free arm around his neck and in a span of a second, the guy was facing the two of them, kneeling on the grass. The gun was now pointed on his neck.

"Now, who sent you?" In a more stern voice. "You know I can kill you and I can get away with it." She stated while glaring at the man.

"You don't have to know. This just means one thing. You are slacking on your job Choi Sehun." He replied coolly. Sehun gritted her teeth. "I won't be able to even come near the princess if you are taking this task seriously. What my boss says isn't important. What your boss says is." He laughed mockingly.

Amber was left in a mixture of awe and terror when the unknown man got the gun from Sehun, anticipating her distraction. Her masterful Kung Fu was matched by his magnificent Karate. She knew she had to help but her mind was in haze. How did Sehun know who she was? She was slacking in her. . .job? Someone wanted her. Dead or alive, she didn't know. The splash of water seemed to wake her up. She saw that her supposed-to-be abductor was now swimming in the River Cam, away from Sehun who's standing rigidly on the river bank. He swam to the sidelines until he was behind Trinity College, five hundred meters away from the back of the Central Library. Sehun ran after him.

"Sehyun! Don't!" She got her gun back and saw there were a few people approaching. She ran after her. She saw the man floated again before she can think that he drowned into the river. He reappeared on the other side of the river, climbed up and ran towards the thick maple plantation.

Sehun was still glaring at the water long after he disappeared. She was panting and poised like a bull ready to charge. Her eyes wild and observant. Very different from the person she met weeks ago. That person was jolly and bubbly and extremely feminine. The person standing beside her was dangerous. Lethal.

"Who. Are. You?" She asked in a small voice.

She saw her lips tremble before she slid to the grass. She was horrified when she realized what she was trying to do. She executed the bow she'd seen all her life from their eunuchs and imperial maids in perfect reverence. Correct hand over the other under her forehead. "Dui bu qi, Your Highness. I am Choi Sehun, a worker for Princess Zian's safety. I have not done my job well, you are free to punish me."

"Sehyun! Get up, you idiot." She gathered her on her armpit and she was unexpectedly heavy. And her cheeks were stained with fresh tears. "What the hell are you doing?!" She didn't budge and Amber had no choice but to slump on the ground as well. "Why are you crying?" She wiped her tears.

"I am almost too late. What if something happened to you? I can never forgive myself for that. You are more than a job to me now, Amber. You are my friend. I am so useless. I shouldn't have accepted this job." She was sobbing. "I've underestimated this task. I even thought I was too good to be just watching you. I am so stupid!"

"But you saved me just now. And I will forever be thankful for that, you crybaby." She muttered and Sehun glared at her and that sent her laughing. "Now, care to tell me who you really are before I turn you over to the police for illegal possession of fire arms?" She cajoled.

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

"Kaye?" Chanyeol poke his head out of the inner office's door.

"Yes, Sir." Kaye sat up in attention.

"Is everything ready for tomorrow?" He's scheduled to leave for London the next day. The competition was a week from now and he was about to join mock races to be able to get an idea of how the circuit worked.

"Yes. I've registered you for two events like you requested. I've already called Hyde Park to alert them of your arrival. The driver will pick you up from the airport and your team will arrive in Heathrow a couple of hours ahead of you. They said they’ll meet you there. I had your old car checked, too, in case you want to use it. Is there anything else you want me to do?" She babbled nonstop.

"My kart?" He asked.

"Your team's in charge of that and I've called Corey and he said that everything's in order." Corey's the head of Chanyeol's racing team and the troubleshooter for his karts and sports cars.

"Alright. Good job. Appraisal's today isn't it, Kaye?" He asked while caressing his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Er, yes, Mr. Choi." She was nervous that he already noticed how indifferent she was in her job that he decided to terminate her services instead of raising her salary.

"I decided to give you a little bonus for doing an exemplary job all the time." His tone was teasing and she perfectly knew he's referring to her perpetual lying to cover for him. She wanted to roll her eyes if only she won’t look unprofessional.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled instead.

"Here it is." He fished out something from his pocket and her eyes widened when she saw a key. A car key! "It's such a pity that my secretary drives a Honda, yes?" His brows wiggled playfully like some villain from Vaudeville. "It's in the basement parking area. You won't miss it; the plate has your name on it." He turned to go back to his office but made a 360-degree abruptly. "And oh, I don't want to see your old car again, okay? It strains my eyes." He laughed.

"You have my word, Mr. Choi." She smiled genuinely this time. She already knew how generous he was but she can't help but be thankful. Well, she still didn't like his womanizing. She dialed her husband's number and told him the good news.

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

 "Hey." Kyungsoo slumped beside Jongin. "I'm sorry I'm late." She suggested that they meet at the park instead of him picking her up from school. He looked kind of disturbed. He had a faraway expression on his face even when he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"No problem." He murmured.

"Is something wrong?" She knew there was. Last night, while surfing the channels for a good show, the South Korean edition of Entertainment Live caught her attention. A divorce case filed through a local court in Daegu came to the media’s attention. It was a petition to nullify the union of Choi Yifan, oldest son of billionaire Choi Siwon and genius Chinese socialite Han Geng, to international supermodel Lay also known as Zhang Yixing. The press people all over the world were having a field day. Not only both parties were extremely popular, it turned out they were married for seven years despite the fact that they were just seen together recently because of their collective endorsement of HanTel products.

The media, being the hyenas that they were, already speculated a millions things about the couple and their separation.

"It's my brother. Maybe you haven't heard of the news." It was one of the things that he liked about Kyungsoo. He decided to . "Or you just don't care." He looked at her reaction under his lashes. Her face paled and then turned red. It was endearing.

"Excuse me?" She was shocked. And hurt. "I just figured out that if you want to share anything to me then I wouldn't have to ask." She got up to leave but Jongin caught her hand.

"You're so sensitive. I was just teasing you. That's one of the things I love about you, do you know that? You have a high regard for privacy." He hugged her. "But it wouldn't hurt to ask, you know. It helps us know each other better." He nuzzled her hair. "Which reminds me, how's your day?"

"I'm sorry. . .I thought. . ." She trailed off. "It was okay. And yours?"

"Just okay?" He ignored her question. Being with Kyungsoo made him forget all the problems at home and at work.

"Yeah. Nothing groundbreaking happened today." Because you are not with me. She wanted to add. How about you, how's your day?"

"I'll tell you but I think we must go now." He looked up and she mimicked his action. The thick gray clouds looked like they were brewing a heavy rain.

"Alright. I'll race you to the car!" And she ran away laughing. Jongin arrived seconds later. She was already leaning on his black sports car.

"Cheater." He was panting. She stuck her tongue out to him. It was already drizzling when they pulled out of the parking lot. "What do you want to do today?"

"Any suggestions?" She was quite worried that he might be neglecting his work just to be with her. "Ahm, can I ask you something?" She was reluctant.

"Fire away." He was looking straight ahead.

"You aren't brushing aside your work just to be with me all the time, are you?" She realized how stupid her question was after she uttered it. He might think she was thinking too highly of herself that he would ditch his duties just to hang out with her.

"Part of being a good leader is being able to delegate tasks." He winked at her.

"Oh no! What would your Dad say if he finds out? Or your brother?" She was referring to Yifan. He mentioned once that they were all under his supervision being the president and CEO of Han Group.

"I am not doing anything wrong and I am not brushing off work, okay? It wouldn't happen especially now that I have an inspiration." He looked at her and she couldn't say anything.

"Look out!" She pointed to the road just to avoid his gaze. She still can't believe that they're actually dating. She was yet to grasp that. "Uhm, speaking of your brother, how's he coping up?" She asked.

"It's scary." His face scrunched up a bit.

"Why?" She was genuinely concerned. She just met him once. At Nancy's when they ate together one afternoon. She and Jongin were still enemies at that time. From what she remembered, his brother was friendly and even greeted some employees that were dining at that time. Very good looking too. It was hard to believe that someone would find him lacking. "Did he do anything drastic?"

"No, no. Far from that. It was worse 'cause he seemed to be okay. That's what bothers all of us. It isn't a normal reaction. We all know how in love he is with Yixing-noona. Mama tried to find her for him but he won’t do anything about it." He explained.

"He's keeping it all to himself." She concluded. "Did he tell you what happened?"

"He just told us that they've both agreed to end the marriage. It worries our mother that he'll have a nervous breakdown if he'll not you know. . ." He trailed off. "I wasn't like that when it happened to me."

Kyungsoo was shocked. She didn't even know if she got it correct. It took her sometime to understand what he said. “Eh..?”

"What?" He snorted.

"What do you mean when it happened to you?" She asked absently.

"And here I am thinking everyone knows." He laughed an empty laugh. "I was jilted too. More than two years ago." He glanced at her briefly. "It was all in the news. It was chaotic. I am getting tired of eating out. Would you mind cooking for me tonight?" He beamed.

She was a little distracted by his request. "Sure, sure." She noticed that they were already on their way to her pad. "You got engaged before? What happened?" She can't seem to process that two of the most sought-after bachelors in the world were dumped.

"Uhuh. She called it off two days before the wedding." He breathed.

Kyungsoo noticed that he was not really comfortable discussing it. She felt a sudden pang of jealousy. "You don't have to tell me, you know."

"Thanks." He said simply.

They were already pulling up in front of her building. She felt a little fidgety. It will be the first time that Jongin will be going up her pad. She can't remember how she left it. There could be a lot of mess for all she knew. Ugh! They rode in silence to the 26th floor. Her hands trembled a bit while opening the door.

"Let me." Jongin got the keys from her and opened the door effortlessly.

She motioned him in. "Feel at home. I'll just change." She released the breath that she was holding when she saw that everything was in order. She saw him sat on the couch before she disappeared into her room. She had a hard time looking for something appropriate to wear. She settled for pedal pushers and a plain white shirt. She went back to the living room before he thought she already jumped out of the window. He was holding the framed photo of her mother when she came back. "My mom." She walked towards him slowly and stopped right beside him.

"You look a lot like her." He looked at her briefly.

"That's what everybody says. I wasn't given a chance to meet her." His brows furrowed in question.

"I grew up in an orphanage." She walked towards the kitchen and she felt him following her silently. He sat on the working island while she extracted ingredients from the fridge and the pantry. "I remember telling you that once."

"No you didn't! How can I forget revelations like that?" He pouted.

"You got preoccupied by Hyunsik." His expression went sour. "I told you I learned how to make dream catchers in the orphanage."

"Oh. But how come you grew up in an orphanage? So Auntie Nancy isn't your real aunt?" He was confused. He met Nancy once and he thought Kyungsoo got most of her physical traits from her.

"She is." Then she went on explaining how she and Nancy met and a little about her life before that. She was worried that he would treat her differently because of that.

"You're one tough cookie." The admiration in his eyes was undeniable. "I don't think I can survive half as much as you endured." Deep inside him, he felt a little sad for Kyungsoo but a larger part felt pride. Instead of wallowing in self pity and crying over spilled milk, she did her best to make the most out of it. No wonder she's brave, tough, strong and independent. He stretched his arms out. "Come here." He enveloped her in a light hug.

"Don't feel pity for me. I won't forgive you." She hissed.

"No, I don't feel that way. Sad, yes; 'cause you had to go through all that. I even admire you for braving all those." He said, caressing her hair. "Now, get back to work, Chef." He beamed.

"Thank you." She returned the smile. "Do you like chicken cacciatore?" She asked.

"Are you kidding me? That's my favorite!" He laughed.

"Liar!" She threw him one of the pot holders.

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