A/N: Finally! SuChen, everyone! I hope this is worth the wait. *Crossing fingers* Also, this is KaiSoo soooo..... IDK anymore. Hahaha

Nancy stared at Kyungsoo from across the dining table. "Kyungsoo." She tried to get her attention for the second time and she didn't budge a bit.

Myungsoo nudged her. "Do Kyungsoo." He said loudly.

Kyungsoo blinked twice before waking up from her daydream. "Yes?"

"You're spacing out." Sungjong pointed out the obvious.

"He must be really busy. We can invite him some other time." Nancy told her.

Kyungsoo sighed heavily. She invited Jongin for dinner with her family three weeks ago and since she didn't have any chance to bring the subject up again, she trusted that he won't forget. Which he didn't. He called ten minutes before the dinner to cancel, telling her that something came up and he can't make it. She wasn't really feeling good about it at all. Not after seeing him with a very beautiful girl the day he didn't show up in school to pick her up. It was like they were drifting apart. "I'm sorry." She swallowed a lump in . "Would you mind if I don't join you for coffee?" She asked in a pleading voice.

"No. Not at all. Chalja." Nancy gave her a reassuring smile and waved her to go.

She even thought it was an opportunity for her to ask him the questions that had been bugging her sleep for the last few days. If this is going to end then she didn't want to be left hanging. She stared at her phone for a good hour before she decided that it would be best if she'll face it now.

She dialed Jongin's number and it went directly to voice mail after two rings.

Hi, Jongin here. Can't pick the phone at this time. Please leave a message and I'll call you right back. Ciao! The yearning that she was feeling for him went overdrive upon hearing his voice. When was the last time that she talked to him? Oh yes, it was her graduation day. The day he made her the happiest girl before he trampled on her pride by having another woman in his room. She found herself sobbing. She ended the call without leaving a message.

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

"Where's Kyungsoo-unnie?" Sehun asked after securing herself another glass of cold drink. She was dying to meet her brother’s new girl.

"Have you been drinking?" He asked instead, not wanting to answer her question. Truth was, he cancelled the dinner plans with Kyungsoo's family for the party. Which was quite reasonable. If he invited Kyungsoo to the party. But for some unknown fear, he didn't.

"Nope." She sniffed the chocolate martini and her stomach churned by the smell of alcohol. She'd been holding different wine glasses all evening without drinking them. "So, didn't you invite her?" She asked again.

"No." He looked at his sister under his lashes.

"And why is th--oh. Yeah, I get it." She nodded in agreement. They were both looking at the same direction. "Oppa," She tapped Jongin lightly on his shoulder. "Finish all unfinished business first so you won't have qualms about getting the things that you really want." She saw Seohyun entering the tent and hollered, "Seo! Here!" And ran towards her.

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

"I didn't see Yonghwa. I have to congratulate that punk." She grinned. She kissed her best friend's cheeks and in the dimly lighted tent, her trained eyes noticed Seohyun's slightly swollen eyes. "Hey, what happened to you?" She held her arm and ushered her out of the party. They went straight to her room wordlessly. Seohyun's came to the party alone and very much late. It's already half an hour past midnight and the highlight of the celebration's already over. "Yongguk's here, you know." She tried to start a conversation.

"Really." She said absently.

"Is there a problem between you and Yonghwa?" She went straight to the point.

"I think we have a problem but he won't tell me." Tears were threatening to fall. Again.

"Why don't you ask him?"

"I did. He said nothing's wrong but something's really really wrong! I can tell." Her voice quavered.

"Hey, easy. Take his word for it. If this ends up in a sour note, at least you made an effort to fix it." She replied nonchalantly.

"How can you say that!" Seohyun exploded. "Do you think I can live without him?"

"Without who?" A voice asked.

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

"Kyungsoo, we have to talk."

That's all that he said on the phone. It was enough to break her heart. She knew this was coming. But was it a sin to hope? She was incredibly flighty all day. She'd been displaying big smiles and she was unusually loud. Her aunt and Bianca were giving her weird looks but they looked contented seeing her all happy from sun up to sun down.

It was around 6pm when he showed up at Nancy's looking very business-like in a dark suit. He greeted Nancy first when he saw her talking to one of the busboys then proceeded to the counter. She motioned for him to wait and disappeared through the locker room to change.

"Where do you want to have dinner?" He asked as soon as they were inside the car.

"Um. . .I am not in the mood to go out, can we just go to the pad?" She asked. He nodded reluctantly and Kyungsoo gave him a wide smile.

She worked in the kitchen as if there were wings on her feet. She prepared his favorite cuisine. An all-American combo. Bacon mushroom melt burgers, farmer's pasta, shepherd's pie, fried chicken, and s’mores for dessert. He was staring at her wide eyed when she called him for dinner. Truth was, she already prepared all the ingredients the night before. She wanted this night to be memorable. She swallowed an invisible lump in and started eating even if everything tasted like paper.

She smiled sadly when she saw him ate with gusto. This could be the last time that she'll feed him. He's her number one fan. The Guinea Pig of her new recipes. They ate in silence as he seemed to be preoccupied with what he was thinking too.

They transferred to the living room for their after-meal coffee. Jongin eyed her when she sat on one of the armchairs instead of beside him on the loveseat in which where she will usually will.

This is it. She took a deep breath. "So, what is it that you want us to talk about?" She took a swig of her coffee and the boiling liquid stung . But physical pain's a lot better than the pain on her chest. More so when she saw him hesitating, a great deal of confusion etched on his beautiful face. "C'mon. I told you you can tell me everything."

He took a deep breath too. "It's just that I don't know where to start."

"Just tell me what the problem is and I promise I'll understand." She told him and tried hard to maintain her composure.

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

"Kyungsoo. . ." He attempted again. Before he picked Kyungsoo up, he was decided on what's the best thing to do but after seeing her carefree demeanor and happy mood, he surely had a hard time making his point. Not after the sumptuous dinner that she prepared. He cleared his throat. "I--"

"Do you want to break up with me?" She asked.

"W-what?" He blinked twice.

"Do you want to break up with me, I said." She repeated in the same calm, happy tone.

"I. . .ahh. . .It's not you, it's me. . ." He started. Now that she brought it up, he didn't have any excuses or he will surely end up embarrassing himself more.

"Of course not. We were both in the relationship. If we end up like this, it's both our fault." If there’s even a relationship. She said. He can't help but notice the past tense were in there. Did she really see this coming?

He found himself struggling for words. "Okay." He heard her say again after the long moment that he didn't say anything.

"Excuse me?" His eyes were as wide as saucer. Did he hear that right?

She laughed an empty laughter. "Your ears aren't working properly today." She jested. "I said it's okay."

"I just need spa--" He thought the room was spinning.

"I told you I'll understand, right? Look, you don't have to sugarcoat it by looking for the appropriate words. I even doubt if there are any." She said.

"I don't know what to say." He can't believe it would be as easy and one two three.

"Then don't say anything." She retorted. There was nothing in her voice but a hint of impatience. From his stupidity maybe. Okay? That's it? He wanted to shake the daylights out of her because of that. He was expecting anything but a calm okay from her. He knew how sharp her tongue is and how temperamental she can get. Could it be that everything they shared was nothing but a joke to her? He found himself gritting his teeth.

"Okay? That is all that you have to say?" This was what he wanted in the first place, right? But why was anger building up inside him? An unadulterated fury that he wanted to strangle her right there and then. Was she playing with his feelings from the start? All that he wanted was space and time to think things over and to take care of the unfinished business like what his sister told him. Never in his wildest dreams that it will end up like this.

"What do you want me to say?" She asked and he had nothing to say either. What was it that he really wanted to hear? Would he rather talk to a difficult Kyungsoo about this? Wasn't it good that she was calm and composed and easy to deal with? He tried to read her face. It was the same intelligent face that drew him in. He thought she was bluffing but she wasn't. For a moment, he wanted to take his words back.

"Alright. So I guess this is goodbye, huh?" He said smugly. "Thank you for everything then." He stood up and walked towards the door, feeling all the more like the loser that he really was. He felt her following him.

"Thank you for everything, too." She opened the door for him and he fought the urge to glare. So she can't wait to kick him out of the house. Out of her life.

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

She held the door knob for support. She saw him hesitating on the doorway for a second before he was out of the door. The hallway was deserted at the moment.

"I better get going." He turned his back on her.

"Jongin." She called him.

"Yes?" He raised his brows in inquiry when he turned to her.

She crossed the distance between them and put her hand on his nape. She kissed him fully on the lips. She nibbled his lower lip and pushed her tongue inside his mouth. It took him sometime to respond to her bold move. She didn't even know how long they were kissing when the warning tone of the elevator coming up woke her up. She ended the kiss abruptly and felt quite victorious after seeing Jongin's flabbergast expression. "Goodbye. Take care of yourself always." She entered her unit and closed the door in haste, leaving him on the hallway before he can react.

She closed her eyes tightly before she slid on the floor. Her whole body was trembling including her lips. The kiss was mind-blowing and she told him everything through that kiss. Her tears flowed silently. It was good while it lasted. "Goodbye, love." She mumbled.

Would the time come that she'll be able to tell him she loved him? Loved him to the point that she'll make everything easy for him if she can? Even the break up? There were a lot of questions that she wanted to ask but chose not to. Like, did he ever love her? Or like her to say the least? Or he was just stuck in the joke that started it all and was not able to find his way out until today? She thought of all the sweet things that he did for her. Could it be. . ? It was easy to live in a make-believe world. In a world were she loved Jongin and he loved her in return. It was easy but it was not right.

Again, like what she did in the stairwell, she cried until she can cry no more. For the same reason: Choi Jongin.

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

Tao was running out of breath. He should know better than accepting the invitation to play Polo with the Choi siblings. They're all maniacs! He knew he's getting killed. Even his horse was about to give up. He grew up playing the sport but Sehun's brother sure is something.

Her brothers were all been giving him death glares when they thought he was not looking since the day after the party! Even the one that picked them up from the airport was displaying unexplained animosity towards him but was very accommodating when it came to Amber. Her family doesn't want him. It was so obvious. Well, her mother was another story.

They were all gathered in the lanai for breakfast and it was funny how his sister seemed to be so at ease with the life outside the palace. She was cracking jokes and was throwing her head back laughing while his actions remained calculated.

"Tao." He was startled when Hankyung called his attention.

"Yes, Ma'am." He straightened his back and paid full attention.

"How old are you and what do you do?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"I am turning twenty-six next month, Ma'am and I am a doctor." It was one of the most difficult things to answer. He had so many titles and so many responsibilities. He's a doctor, yes. Both an Endocrinologist and an Oncologist at that. The late Emperor Yuanchang, his grandfather, died in his arms when he was twelve because of acute pancreatic cancer. And he was not just a grandfather to him. He was his teacher, his friend, his confidante and when he died, he felt that part of him went with the Emperor. After that, he promised himself that he'll be a doctor so he can protect his loved ones. Aside from being the Royal family's doctor, he also treats the eunuchs, imperial maids and guards and their families if someone falls sick even if it was very much against the protocol. But apart from that, he's a prince, a diplomat, China's honorary ambassador to the United States, and next line to the Imperial throne.

"Really? In which field do you specialize? Yifan and I are both doctors." She smiled warmly and for the first time, he really felt welcome.

"Endocrinology and Oncology, Ma'am." He said humbly.

"Wow. That's a little difficult. You calling me ma'am all the time, I mean. Just call me Aunt Hankyung, okay?" She laughed daintily. How could someone as polite as this lady be the mother of Sehun? Then he noticed lots of intense gazes on his way. And he understood. He cleared his throat and noticed his sister giggling beside him.

"What is so funny?" Sehun asked Amber.

"Nothing. I just remembered something funny." His sister turned to him and winked. He wanted to erase the perpetual grin on her face. He perfectly knew what she was so happy about. It--"Ow!"

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

"What? Are you kidding me?" Sehun was staring at Taemin, shock on her face. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No. I am not." He slumped beside her, his face serious.

"It would be a big opportunity for you, don't you think?" He was explaining fast that she barely understood what he was trying to say.

"It would be the end of my career, Lee Taemin!" She shook her head and walked towards the mini bar and poured a drink.

"Hey." He said in a reprimanding tone.

"This is for you." She handed him the drink, rolling her eyes. "I think this will help you clear your mind." She smirked.

"I really need your help. C'mon Pet, you are not going to die by posing in front of the camera!" He whined.

"You know my rules. I am already tired of my agent always trying to lure me into doing some stupid book signing activity and all that jazz and I don't want you to add to my burden." He was asking her to be a part of Vogue UK's special issue for International Women's Month. Not as the heiress Choi Sehun but as Han Yi.

"Do you really believe I am going to expose you like that?" He sounded hurt. "We are going to do a mock photo shoot before we leave and if you don't like it, you can back out."

Sehun sighed heavily. It was so difficult saying no to Taemin 'cause it was the first time that he actually asked a favor from her. And it doesn't sound so bad of a deal. "Alright. You win."

"Great! Gomawo!" This project will make or break his international career. He hugged her but Sehun's attention was no longer with him but outside the floor to ceiling glass walls. They were in one of the numerous sitting rooms of the mansion, the one facing the western part of the property. It overlooked the private Polo field.

Sehun saw Tao, Woobin, and her brothers playing Polo. And she also saw Tao not able to dodge the ball, hitting him on the face and falling from her very own horse, Fireball. "Gah!" She left Taemin and sprinted downstairs.

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

"'You alright?" She asked him when he opened his eyes. She was sitting on one of the comfortable couches, feet up, chin resting on her knees.

"What happened?" He asked her. His head throbbed when he spoke and he closed his eyes again. He felt a hand unburdening his head with whatever it was that's on it.

"I think the swelling subsided. Are you hungry?" She asked him. She removed the ice bag resting on his forehead.

"Are you going to cook for me?" He asked instead.

"Who's going to do it? It's two in the morning." She rolled her eyes but smiled nevertheless. "Does your body hurt? I mean, you fell from Fireball." She knew there were no broken bones. Yifan already performed all necessary tests and x-rays for him while he was unconscious. She felt guilty that her brothers were ganging up on him. First, they let him use Fireball, her Arabian thoroughbred. Her horse's not trained for playing Polo and the mare did not even engage in no more than a trot in three years. And she learned from Amber that he's the worst Polo player she had ever known but since Luhan insisted (lied) that it's a family tradition that guests play, he did.

"No. I am alright. I guess." He was experiencing some body pains but he believed it was no more than that. He was looking at her intently as it was the first time that they were talking without trying to annihilate each other.

"That's good to know. Let me get you something to eat." She left him and went straight to the kitchen, a perfect excuse to get him out of her sight. She can't stand his gaze. She cooked abalone congee for him and saw him already sitting on the bed when she got back. "Here. Eat this before you take your meds." She saw him move with difficulty so she decided to feed him. "What on earth were you doing playing Polo with my brothers? They were all champion Polo players in case you didn't notice the hoard of trophies in the den." She blew on the spoonful of congee. "Say ahh." She commanded.

"Well, I just lack practice." Of course that was a lie. Horseback riding's not for him. He was three when he fell from a pony and that made him the worst rider in the world. But since Polo's one of the most popular social sport, he was forced to learn or he'll be the laughing stock of the royal circle. But still, he's not the best player in the world. And it was really foolish of him to put himself on top of an unfamiliar horse just to please her family.

Then it hit him.

He really was trying hard! What for?

"Yeah, right. Maybe a hundred years more of practice will do." She smirked.

He decided to let that pass. "Why are you the one taking care of me?" It would be logical to see Amber beside him.

"Nobody wants to watch you." She said. Too late to realize what that meant. She already saw him grin from ear to ear.

"So, you wanted to watch over me?" His eyes were dancing with laughter. "Did you, by any chance, take advantage of me?" He teased.

"Do you want to die?" She mimicked his playful tone. She shoved three spoonfuls of congee in his mouth with second intervals that he choked. "See, it's so easy to kill you." She laughed but handed him a glass of water.

"It runs in the blood, isn't it?" He said after his breathing became even.

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" She asked flatly.

"The good manners. Your brother didn't purposely hit me with the ball, right?" He smiled.

"You--! You were not paying attention! I saw you, you were out there to lose!" She came to her brother's defense. Even if she saw Luhan laughing his heart out after he fell from the horse.

"You're defensive, my dear." He raised his hand in surrender and winced in pain. "Aw. . ."

"Serves you right." She stuck her tongue out.

"Why do you dislike me so?" He asked. And winced more for realizing that any negative answer from her would be detrimental for him.

"I refuse to answer that question. Now, take this and go back to sleep." She left the pain reliever on the bedside table and left.

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

"Teacher?" The boy's face scrunched up when Seohyun did not respond at all. He already called her attention twice. His hand was bleeding when one of the strings of his violin gave up. His eyes started to water. The teacher had been staring at nothing. "Teacher Seohyun!" He yelled.

"Huh?" She was startled by the loud voice. "Why?" It was like she noticed the class for the first time. She'd been spacing out.

The boy sniffed and raised his hand. Blood oozed from one of his fingers and Seohyun's eyes widened in horror. "Omo! Come here," She guided him to her office and took the first aid kit out of the cupboard. She treated the little boy's wound and after securing the bandage, she called the maintenance man of her school and ordered to fix the broken violin. She really was not in the mood to teach and her mind was flying elsewhere. She turned her class over to one of the teachers and locked herself inside her office.

She remembered the night of the Choi couple's anniversary party. Onew overheard their conversation and got really worked up.

"You can't live without who?" He repeated in a stern voice.

"Er. . ." She said awkwardly. Onew and Yonghwa were family. Onew's married to Yonghwa's older sister Key.

"It's Yonghwa, isn't it?" He asked again and his usual intimidating aura doubled and her best friend wasn't much of a help.

"Ge. . ." She treats Onew and Taemin like brothers and they're always protective of her as well. Even more since she'd always been a weakling unlike Sehun. "It's just a small misunderstanding. Calm down, alright?"

"Did he hurt you or was he unfaithful?" His tone was menacing, his brows conjoined.

"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just we seem to have a problem but he insists that we don't. He's. . .a bit cold to me these days and I am starting to worry." She explained, trying to hold her tears. If Onew saw her cry, he would run amok for sure and she didn't want to be the cause of his and Key's understanding.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" He asked in a calmer voice.

"No!" They chorused.

"Oppa, it's between the two of them. You can't in." It was Sehun. "Give them a chance to fix this problem themselves."

"But you are my sister!" He insisted. Onew could be unreasonable sometimes when it came to their welfare. She knew he meant well. They all meant well but it could be annoying, really.

"And Yonghwa’s your brother-in-law." She retorted. "Oppa, I'll bring him to talk. In one way or another. Let him be for now."

"Yeah. Like I said, take his word for it. No problem he said? Then so be it!" Sehun crossed her arms in front of her chest and engaged her in a staring contest.

"You can be cruel at times. Wait till you fall in love and I'll be happy to see you eat your words." She glared at her.

"I am not a dog, thank you." She stuck her tongue out.

"Go back to the party, you two. Before you kill each other." Onew shook his head and went out of the room.

But can she really bring Yonghwa to talk? She already tried a couple of times but to no avail. And now Choi Builders sent him to a two-week conference in London. The desire to talk to him once and for all was nagging her. She tried to rewind all the things that happened in the last few weeks. She really can't remember doing anything that would make him mad. . .or jealous for that matter. He admitted before that he could be a green monster. She found it really sweet. She never really had a boyfriend before because she thought Jongin was way beyond compare. And now that she found Yonghwa, she found the feeling really cute. And essential. If someone's jealous then that person really cares about you, right? She sighed heavily and went over the list of young adults that they will bring to South Korea to study music.

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

"When are you going to leave?" Joonmyeon asked Sehun when he her saw climbing up the upper deck. They were on his yacht, celebrating his twenty-sixth birthday. Aside from a traditional dinner that's exclusive for close friends and family, he held another party aboard his prized yacht for some friends and business associates. His sister was kind enough to join him before she heads back to London.

"Tomorrow morning." She said and occupied the lounging chair beside him. "What happened to Jinri?" She asked. Joonmyeon's girlfriend for more than a year was with her friends in the party earlier that night. Then out of nowhere, she appeared in the control room ordering the captain to send them back to the mainland right away. Joonmyeon didn't even stop her. Now, aside from the few people that Sehun helped in cleaning up, it was just the two of them in this big water craft.

"She wanted me to announce our engagement." He said in an austere tone. He loved Jinri. At least that's what he wanted to believe. They’d been dating for more than a year and that's a record. And he'd been faithful to her ever since. But that night, she wanted him to announce their nonexistent engagement. He didn't know why he can't find it in himself to marry her. He's not getting any younger anyway and he knew she'll be a good wife. She's intelligent, beautiful and she came from a good family too.

"Tell me Joonmyeon, do you have any plans of marrying me?" She asked in a small voice, her face ashen.

He just looked at his feet, can't even bring himself to pacify her.

"That's what I thought." She let out a bitter laugh. "Then there's no point in being together." She stormed out of the cabin.

What's happening to you? Go after her! But he was like glued to where he was.

"I thought she's the one." She said in a neutral tone. She observed her brother discreetly. He'd been drinking alone and the bottle of vintage Chardonnay on the table was half-empty.

"I thought so too. But I am a bastard." He mocked himself.

"Don't blame yourself, Oppa. You don't love her and that's reason enough not to marry her." She said. "One day, she'll thank you for that."

"How can you say that? That I don't love her, I mean." He managed to ask. He felt bad that he can't even contest what she said.

"Look at you, if you really love her, you have proposed to her first before she even heard wedding bells inside her head." She was making hand gestures to emphasize her point. She then poured herself some wine and sat beside him. "Oh. Wait." She gave him the wine glass and went back to where she came from. She reappeared after a few minutes holding a small white cake with a lot of lighted candles on top.

"Saengil chukahamnida. . . Saengil chukahamnida. . .Saranghaneun dear Joonmyeon. . .Saengil chukahamnida.” She sang slowly while approaching him. He laughed at her silliness. "Chukkahae, Oppa! Make a wish." She ordered and he complied obediently. Trust her to make him smile in worst situations. He closed his eyes and made a wish before blowing the candles.

"What did you wish for?" She asked nosily.

"I am not supposed to tell." He beamed. He dipped his finger on the cake and tasted it. "Coconut cake!"

"Of course. Your favorite." She did the same and soon enough, they were sharing the cake with their bare hands. "Don't worry, you'll find the right one soon." She said after a companionable silence.

"I hope so." He indulged her but he doubted it himself. He wiped her hand with his handkerchief before wiping his own. "Now, let's make a toast." He raised his wine glass. "To singleness!" He screamed against the cold dark ocean.

"To singleness!" She yelled too before taking a sip of the wine and they laughed together. "Some siren might hear you and fulfill your wish! Wait, no. They can't hear us, can they?" She asked playfully. "We have to send them a message!" She declared happily and much to his surprise, he saw her throwing the contents of the wine bottle to the sea.

"Hey! That's a thousand dollars!" He yelled but she didn't listen. She even turned the bottle upside down on the table to make sure all the liquid's out. She fished out something from her purse and removed the bottle's label.

"What are you doing?" He approached her and his eyes widened upon seeing what she wrote on the label using an eyeliner pencil. "I am rich but lonely. If you have the heart to find me, I'll take you to the ends of the earth." He read out loud and broke into a laugh. "Now, that's the height of childishness, Choi Sehun!"

"Shhh. Now, can I have business card, please." She tapped the table impatiently.

He took his business card holder from his pocket and gave her one. He wouldn't win anyway.

Sehun took the card that Joonmyeon gave her. She smiled when she saw that it was the kind that he wouldn't just give to anyone. She rolled the label together with the card and shoved it inside the green bottle. She replaced the cork and made a few steps back before throwing the bottle in full force to the ocean.

"You're polluting the waters!" He yelled and she stuck her tongue out. "That's what you get from watching too much TV." He shook his head.

"Hmn. Let's go, what do you think?" She asked, all the playfulness gone. She yawned.

"Go home, Princess. Tell Mama I'm going to sail south for a few days, okay? Ask anyone to send you." They were just a few miles away from Mokpo Harbor and their cars and bodyguards would be waiting for them there.

"Alright. I'll radio as soon as I get home. You take care, okay? Happy birthday!" She kissed both of his cheeks and requested one of the crews to lower her speed boat down.

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

"Aish!" Brutus snatched the fried chicken drumstick from her hand and ate it. Her dog already ate most of her packed lunch. "You honestly don't have any manners at all." She fished the banana out of the basket and peeled it. It was eyeing the fruit again. "Uh ah. Don't look at me like that! This is all that's left!" She reprimanded and it sat on the wooden dock with a sad face. "And you still have the heart to look like I maltreated you." She tsked. Then it barked and jumped onto the water.

"Hey! Come back here!" She hollered and it came swimming back to the private dock after a few seconds, a green wine bottle was on its mouth. "What the hell is that?" She asked the dog like it would really answer. It just stared at her when she didn't budge from where she was sitting. "Alright, alright." She lied on her stomach on the dock and reached for the bottle. Brutus sat beside her after shaking the water off its body, looking more curious than she was. "Omo! It has something inside!" She exclaimed. She removed the cork and turned the bottle upside down and used her pinky finger to pull the contents out, a couple of pieces of paper. She read the label. "I am rich but lonely. If you have the heart to find me, I'll take you to the ends of the earth." She snickered. "Can someone get cornier?" She muttered then noticed the calling card. It was made of high quality pale blue paper and the print was power-embossed.

"Jongdae!" Jongdae heard her Aunt Jieun calling from the house. She shoved the calling card into her back pocket in haste. "Aren't you losing track of time?" She appeared a few seconds later. "Are you done with your food?" She asked and picked the basket beside her.

"No, Auntie. Actually, we are about to go. C'mon, Brutus!" He tapped her dog and its large ears snapped in attention. Brutus was a Newfoundland she adopted from a nearby pound. According to the pound volunteer, they found Brutus all wet and very hungry near the Mokpo Fish Market. And looking at it now, she couldn't see the paper-thin dog it once was. It was her fault that it has gotten so huge. It jumped to the water while she untied the rope that secured their large boat and jumped onto it from the dock.

It was two in the afternoon and she had to pick her father up from the Mokpo Port. Kyuhyun went to a three-day seminar in Seoul and his ferry will arrive in two hours. Brutus climbed to the boat and shook the water off from its body. The water wetted her sports shirt and walking shorts. "Brutus?!" She screamed in frustration. "You won't have dinner tonight, did you hear me?" She wiped the water off her arms and legs with her handkerchief in disgust.

She walked towards where the motor was and turned it on. Few moments later, they were sailing smoothly. She learned to use the watercraft even before learned how to tie her own shoe lace. Though their main source of income would be the fish storage facility and the fish processing company that her parents built, her father goes fishing for fun and she will always tag along.

Brutus galloped to her side, stopping her reverie and rocking the boat that she was thrown to the other side. "Oh god! Will you calm down? You're going to kill us both!" She got up slowly, dusting her short pants off. Then she felt the card that was still in her back pocket. She took it out. "Hmn. Choi Joonmyeon, President and CEO, Choi Builders International." She saw the office address and the several phone numbers. "Seoul Trade Tower. Wow. Unless he's crazy, then someone could be playing tricks on him." She shook her head. "Judging the position that he has, he should be a dirty old man, right Brutus?" She caressed the dog's head while laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea.

She shoved the card on her jacket pocket this time and when she looked up, she saw a boat moving towards their direction in a crazy speed. She just stared at it as the important events of her life came playing in front of her like a silent movie.