A/N: I kinda missed the marathon updates. LOL

"Siwan." Minseok kissed him on the cheek. Im Siwan is the CEO of Im Investments and Kim Corporation's partner for their latest resort venture. They were building a seven-star resort and casino in Bali.

"You look gorgeous today." He flashed a smile worthy of toothpaste commercial.

"Thank you." She smiled in return. Siwan was an ardent suitor and the truth that she already gave birth to Minkyung didn't change a thing. Well, aside from him being more persistent. He even told her that her daughter’s another reason why she should accept his proposal. He said she needed a father and that he's more than capable for the part. "You don't look bad yourself." She followed it by a cultured chuckle and saw him lost his concentration for a split second.

"Thanks." He pulled a chair for her and sat across her on the table. "What would you have?" He indicated a drink in front of him and motioned for the waiter to come to their table.

"Just give me a shot of espresso, please." She handed the drinks menu to the waiter. She was really sleepy. Minkyung was vaccinated the other day and caught a slight fever and she can't leave her side. She's doing okay this morning and she was able to meet Siwan. Anything can go down the drain and she will not leave her daughter if she's not feeling well. "So, what's our agenda?" She asked. She's dying to get to Minkyung's side again.

"Well, I found the perfect company that will take care of the security and communication devices for the resort." He told her.

"That's great! I was worried that'll delay the opening. Thank you." The waiter placed the espresso in front of her and she took it straight up.

"I've done my research and they work really fast. They can give us discounts too." He winked at her.

"How'd you do that?" She beamed. Now, he's talking! She always envied Siwan's ability to close great deals without an effort. The one that he dealt with must be a woman.

"I just pulled some strings. An internal job posting." He laughed and her forehead creased.

"Who helped you?" She asked. So one of their people knew the company.

"Uncle Yesung." He divulged.

"Appa? How? Why?" She was really curious. Yesung didn't tell her anything. He already gave her free reign on the business as he was busier about Minkyung.

"Don't be mad. He didn't want me to tell you but I guess you'll know soon. He's friends with the chairman of HanTel and he can make amends so that they can finish the job before the turnover this December." He drank from his rock glass and Minseok wanted to snatch the glass from him.

Did she hear that right? HanTel? Of all the companies that offer GPS devices and computerized security systems, why did it have to be HanTel? She wanted the ground to swallow her alive.

"Hey, your face's void of color, are you alright?" Siwan asked worriedly. He stood and was beside her in a split second.

"No. Actually, I lack sleep. Minkyung was sick and--" She was explaining frantically.

"It's okay. Let me take you home, alright?" He guided her up.

"You don't have to. Ah Hao's waiting for me." He walked her to the parking lot though and she can see that he was reluctant to let her go. “Sorry I really can’t stay long.”

"Don’t worry about it. I'll just call the HanTel people and have the meeting rescheduled. We can all meet them in Bali. Kiss Minkyung for me." He closed the door of the car and the 'thud' made her wince.

She knew she won't be able to avoid seeing Luhan forever. They were practically moving in the same circle but she didn't expect it to be so soon. She instantly had a headache. She didn't know what to do. She had to be there at the meeting, Siwan's right. It's inevitable. Her father would definitely ask why she would not want to go if she'll refuse. Whatever clothes she wear, even if she goes there fully made up, it would be impossible for Luhan not to recognize her. She was just hoping he'll just send someone to close the deal. She closed her eyes tightly and forced herself to sleep.

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Luhan put on his US Navy sweatshirt, the only memento he had from his mandatory military service when he was in Harvard. He wanted to catch some fresh air before the meeting with Im Siwan. It was one of the biggest deals of the year for HanTel. Siwon asked him to supervise the project personally as he was very good friends with the client.

Margrethe Hotel Resort and Casino is not just your simple resort. It's the first seven-star resort in South East Asia and will rival Macau as the new Las Vegas of the East.

From their private villa, he jogged his way to the site of the resort. It was less than a mile from their vacation home and according to his secretary who came with him, he won't miss the resort in any way as it occupied eight large blocks of the beachfront community.

He stopped right across the resort entrance. Construction people were working twenty four hours, he figured. He read the large letters made of brass that dominated the archway to the Mediterranean style haven. It says MARGRETHE and under it in smaller letters says A Bene Placito, Latin phrase meaning at one's pleasure. And a pleasure sanctuary indeed. It will definitely give Monte Carlo a run for their money. It had its own charm that will definitely draw the people's attention.

He wanted to do his own ocular inspection of the place to make better judgment of the security plans that he had to make and deliver the best proposal later at the meeting. He was about to cross the street to ask permission to tour the place when a black limo pulled up in front of the resort followed by a couple of Town Cars. Four men in uniformed suits got off the first town car and one of them opened the limo's passenger door. A female stepped out of the car, a little overdressed for the unfinished resort. She was wearing a red wraparound dress and black high-heeled pumps. She stopped in front of the archway and scrutinized the brass signage. He saw her turn to the man carrying a black folder and he thought oxygen was knocked out of his lungs the same moment.

It was the same profile. The same peaches and cream complexion. Same mahogany-colored locks. Same smile. Same shapely legs. Same almond eyes. "Xiumin." He whispered.

He was glued to where he was standing and when he realized what had happened, she was already getting in the car. The car proceeded inside the resort and before he knew it, he was running after the convoy. "Xiumin, Xiumin-ah!" He hollered but he was stopped by the guards. Two big men were holding his two arms and to struggle was futile. "No, no. You don't understand. I have to talk to that lady in red. Yang Xiumin. That is her, right?" He was near hysterics. They looked like they don't understand him. He must admit that his Bahasa was not that good but he tried. Then he saw one of the Lincolns pull up just a few yards away from the gate. The limo and the other Town Car drove straight away. One of the men got off and went to their direction.

"What do you need, Mister?" He asked in English but Luhan could tell he's Korean.

"Let go of him." The man ordered in Bahasa. The two followed suit but stayed in such a close proximity that he can hardly breathe.

He spoke in his native tongue. "I am here to see Yang Xiumin."

"Xiumin? You're in the wrong place. We do not know any Yang Xiumin." He was sure this one's dreaming if not crazy.

"Who are you kidding? That's the woman in red! The one in the limo!" He was already raising his voice before he can get a hold of himself.

"That's our boss and she's not Yang Xiumin. Now, please leave before I call the police." He dismissed and went back to the waiting car but not before nodding to the two bouncers who carried him like a toddler and threw him outside the gate.

Luhan was panting helplessly and tears were falling helplessly from his eyes. What is happening to him? Did he really take that girl as Min? Was he hallucinating? He must be. The bodyguard was clear that she was not the one he was looking for. It was really embarrassing. It was not the first time that he would mistake someone else for her. He walked absently towards their villa. It was almost time to prepare for the meeting. Onew was supposed to go but Key fell sick and he can't bear to send his cousin out of the country when his wife's not well.

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Chanyeol thought his eyes were just playing tricks on him. He stepped back and observed the girl visible from the glass walls. She was too early for a regular employee and she was occupying one of the vacant offices. He was there early in preparation for the company's annual board meeting.

He shook his head and proceeded inside his brother's office. He needed some documents to back him up at the presentation. But he decided to pay Baekhyun a visit first. He made a warning knock and opened the door to her office without waiting for a response.

"It is simple courtesy to let me decide if I want you inside my office or not." She said without looking up from whatever it was that she was reading, her face dim.

The smile that he readied froze. "Look who's talking!" He remembered the airport incident and gritted his teeth.

"Excuse me, Mr. Choi?" She put her fountain pen down and faced him. She already saw him watching her like a goldfish outside her office and she felt violated.

"You were rude to me at the airport and now you're trying to lecture me about simple courtesy?" He was gaping at her.

"Was I ever with you at the airport?" She can't remember meeting him before the race itself.

"It doesn't matter. What are you doing here anyway?" He asked, tone acetic.

"If you only bothered to read the sign beside the door before you came in here uninvited, it says, Kim Baekhyun, Head of Program Management." Yifan thought she was over qualified for the position of a manager and gave her the operations command. According to Yifan, he handled that department but since she was there, he wanted to unburden himself a little. She was very thankful that he gave him a more challenging job.

"Is this the reward that you asked for saving me?" He smirked while narrowing his eyes. He didn't even know. "Look at how far you can go."

"Maybe I owe someone for my being here but it's certainly not you, Mr. Choi. And is there anything that I can help you with today?" Her tone remained uninterested. The plan's working perfectly fine. She wanted to jump in victory. According to what she heard from Yifan's assistant, which she befriended first and foremost, Chanyeol's first love completely ignored him since they were kids. How Ruth was able to get that information, she didn't bother to ask. After studying his behavior for the last few days, she declared a psy-war with Chanyeol. She didn't study Psychology for nothing.

"There is. Can you bring your resume and follow me to my office?" He gave her a saccharine smile.

"I beg your pardon?" She blinked twice thinking she just overheard what he said.

"I think you missed some important rite of passage, Ms. Kim. Every person to occupy any key position in the company should get my approval first." It was true. He was sort of the head of Human Resources since he’s a Doctor of Psychology.

"I was endorsed by no less than Chairman Choi." She told him.

"Even if I you are endorsed by the Queen of England, I don't give a damn. We follow procedures here and that was created by no less than the person who endorsed you." He was panting after his speech.

"Fine. I get you." She smiled. "But why don't we save time and have a panel interview instead? We'll be late for the board meeting. You can ask me anything you want to know in front of everyone." She gathered the papers from the table and sauntered to the door, walking past a fuming Chanyeol. "And oh," She took a few steps back. "Here it is. My resume." She handed him a six-page comprehensive resume and left.

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Jongin went to their computer room and shut the door. It was large room with all of communication gadgets possible. It housed the main security console, a number of videophones directed to different Choi Group offices around the globe. One side of the rectangular room was a large screen that they use mainly for the World Panorama—the very first GPS navigation system in the world. It can track any entity that can be viewed through the satellite cameras scattered in space. The CIA’s the sole authorized user of the World Panorama aside from his family because Siwon invented it.

He pushed buttons in front of it and it virtually changed to a giant gaming console. He withdrew a large toy gun from one of the automated drawers that looked no different fom an M16 rifle. It was a stress-fighting computer game that Joonmyeon and Luhan built when they were kids. He was trigger happy for the next hour or so. He killed each and every character in the goddamn computer game with no effort. The room sounded like being trapped into war zone. It was a good thing that the room was heavily soundproofed or else the house help would definitely throw a fit. After winning six games in a row, he threw the toy gun carelessly aside and slumped in one of the high-backed chairs.

He felt exhausted and wary. And confused. He touched his lips unconsciously and groaned in despair. It was 3am and he can't sleep because of that kiss! The last kiss that he and Kyungsoo shared. It was mind-boggling. He didn't know how long he was standing outside her pad, looking at the door after that kiss. It's been weeks after their breakup but he can't even push her out of his thoughts for a second. But he can't go see Kyungsoo. Not now. Hell, he was not even sure if she will take him back.

He had to do something. As soon as possible. He remembered what his sister once said. Die in one's life before entering another. And what would a person do when he's about to die? He just had to figure that out.

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

"Wow. You look awesome." Amber caught the magazine from her hand to get a good look.

"I think disguising's useless since you wanted to announce to the world that I am indeed Han Yi." She hissed and snatched the latest issue of Vogue magazine and shoved it inside her carryall. She looked around to check if anybody heard Amber.

"Don't be coy. With those photos, nobody can recognize you, okay?" She snorted.

It's true. If she didn't do the photo shoot, she won't believe she's the same person. The photos that Taemin took highlighted the chameleon-like quality of Han Yi. Looking at it, she seemed like a different person. She grew up being picture shy in spite of being so close to Taemin who was born with a camera. She will always find fault in her appearance. But the half a dozen photos in the special spread of the magazine gave her a boost of confidence. He was right; she can look good in photos.

The woman in the photos exuded femininity and strength. How Taemin was able to capture two seemingly contradicting characteristics, she didn't know. Her cousin's not only good. His talent's exceptional.

The photos were all related to her six most favorite works. Taemin tried to capture the main character or the gist of the story and embody it in a photo. The first photo, she was in full body painting. She was wearing nothing but psychedelic paint and orange hair. It took him a lot a cajoling to convince her to pose but it really became her favorite photo afterwards. The second photo, a profile shot with a large hybrid hibiscus on her up do. Then another profile shot set in the 1920s. The fourth one was a close up shot, she wore a bandana, large vintage shades and bright red lipstick. Then the last one was nothing but a silhouette shot in sepia, the one that Hankyung decided to blow up.

"Thank you. My cousin’s really amazing." She knew instantly that Taemin’s going to make it big in photography. He can make a very simple subject stand out in his photos. All of the pictures were taken in Seoul. From their mock photo shoot. All of the photos were approved by his editor so they didn't have to do another. But instead of sending someone for the interview, Vogue sent a sheet that she filled out. She loved Taemin more because of that.

"He really is." Amber nodded and swerved to overtake the car in front of them. They were on their way to the airport for the Anthropology department's African trip.

"I am scared, Amber." She said after a companionable silence. She had a gut feeling that being in Vogue will be the day that she'll be sent to hell.

"I know. It shows." She replied without looking at her. "So, you're human after all." That earned a whack from Sehun.

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

Joonmyeon almost panicked when he saw that he'll be hitting a boat. He desperately led the boat into another direction before jumping into the water. He heard the muffled sound of the explosion while he's underwater and when he rose to the surface, he saw the fiery display several feet away from him. The damn speedboat was lying upside down. He remembered the boat that he almost hit and uttered something unprintable. He almost got killed and worse, he almost killed somebody. He swam towards it and saw a girl and a black dog lying limply on the boat's floor. The girl, like the animal, looked shook up from the explosion. She was still covering her ears.

"Hey!" He called her attention. "'You alright?" He asked in a weak voice. He was shivering from the cold water. She looked up and traces of fear were in her face but got up alertly and offered him a hand to let him on the boat.

"Omo! Gwenchana?'" She asked. "What happened to your boat?"

"E-Engine failure." And he was not even wearing a life jacket! He was testing the boat that he built himself, trying to win the bet with his sister. She said that he could be the proponent for the tallest building in the world but he can never build a vehicle. And that he could not accept. Sehun made a high-powered speedboat months ago for herself to prove to everyone that she's a full-pledged engineer too. And it was even fancier than James Bond's. Now, he should admit that he's no engine-builder like Chanyeol or Sehun. He panted when he finally got onto the boat. "Were you hurt?" He can't forgive himself if somebody got killed because of his carelessness. Marion, his yacht’s captain was reluctant to allow him to go boating alone. The boat might be built from the highest quality of parts but it had not undergone its mandatory tests first. He was trying to work on it during his free time and today was its voyage. And it failed miserably.

He saw her shaking her head. "We were just shocked and. . .a little deaf." She smiled slightly and that smile did wonders to her somewhat ordinary face.

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

Jongdae wanted to whack herself for acting like star-struck teenager. She was wondering if she had died from the wreck and the one in front of her was an angel. She had never seen a man as gorgeous as he is. He was lean but muscular, skin a little red from being under the sun and totally perfect features. He shrugged the wet Hawaiian polo off and laid it carefully on the side to dry. "How about you, were you hurt?" She managed to ask in between delusions.

"No, I guess I'm--nah, I am not." He closed his eyes tightly, giving her more opportunity to stare. If he's not an angel then he must be Poseidon. He really looked like a god from the mythical Olympus. Then he stood abruptly that she made a step back. "Let me um, drive this boat." He said.

"You sail." She muttered while smiling stupidly.

"Excuse me?" He looked like he noticed her for the first time.

"You don't drive a boat, you sail." She corrected.

"Whatever." He said in a bored tone. Then she noticed that they were in a relative stop. She didn't turn the motors off, did she? He tried to turn it on but the motor just emitted a 'gwark' and died again. He took a long stick that was lying on the floor and opened the fuel tank. He soaked the stick and took it out after a few seconds. He looked at her and she was too stunned to speak. "Extra fuel?" He asked.

She just shook her head slowly. So she really was bound to be stranded in the middle of the ocean! How could she be so careless not to check if the tank was full or if she had brought extra fuel?

"What do you mean," Then he mimicked her action. "You don't have extra fuel?" He asked in a stern voice then he muttered something in different language. She's quite sure he's cursing her. She let out an exasperated sigh.

You ungrateful--  She thought drily. "I am sorry. I was in a hurry I was not able to check." She can't believe she's explaining to this stranger! To think that he almost killed them.

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

"You have the guts to take this out without fuel?" And how could your parents allow you to sail alone? He wanted to ask but chose not to. He's wondering what a high school girl doing in the middle of the ocean, aboard a large fishing boat only with a useless dog as a company.

He's out of the yacht for over an hour now and the glaring sunshine was hurting his skin. And the utter stupidity of the girl pissed him more. But before he exploded, he restrained himself. His crew will send a search party if he's not back after a few hours anyway. He just sat on the boat's floor and ignored the girl completely.

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

"What time is it?" He heard her ask. For the nth time. He rolled his eyes in irritation.

"Are you going to ask me that every ten minutes?" He glanced at his diver's watch. "It's ten minutes after six." He's starting to get worried. Why weren't they looking for him? They were stuck in the middle of the ocean for over three hours now.

"What can I do? You won't even talk to me? Hello? It's just the three of us here." She told him in a bored tone. It amused him that she really would include the dog in the us. How childish.

"Didn't your parents tell you that you're not supposed to talk to strangers?" He asked mockingly.

"Well, you're not exactly a stranger. I saved your life." She declared nonchalantly.

He looked at her in disbelief. She saved his life? "Well, thank you. But it could have been another boat, you know? One with fuel."

"Why you--! It's not really my fault that you almost hit me, is it?" He saw that she was gritting her teeth. Feisty girl. He thought. How many girls tried to get his attention with the same attitude? Thinking it would be the only way to make him notice their presence. Acting hard-to-get and not interested. He smirked. "What the hell are you smiling at?" Her high-pitched voice seemed to be echoing throughout the ocean walls.

"What? Am I not allowed to smile now?" He growled. Won't she stop?

"It's rude to be laughing behind someone else's back, you know." She stood in the middle of the boat, arms crossed. For someone so small, she's a little overconfident.

"First of all, I am definitely not behind you and second, aren't you thinking too highly of yourself to be concluding that I am thinking about you?" He let irritation lace his voice this time.

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

"Hmpf." She hated herself for not being able to retaliate. But how can she contradict what he said? She sat on the metal cooler that her father uses for the fish that he catches. She watched him as he stood in the same spot that she occupied, looking directly at a white ship anchored a few miles away from where they are. She examined his back, now covered by the blue Hawaiian polo that dried from the sea breeze. He looked so strong that she even thought pirates would think twice before robbing their boat. Then she remembered there really wasn't anything to rob in their boat. She smiled to herself.

"Now who's laughing behind someone else's back?" She was startled by the chocolate voice.