"Auntie. . ." Kyungsoo started. She didn't know what to say but she glanced at Myungsoo's direction and he urged her to go on.

"Yes, honey?" Nancy looked up from the soup bowl in front of her.

"I just. . .I just want to know if your offer still stands?" She asked and she felt her stomach churning at once. She saw Nancy's face lit up and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"But of course!” She offered Kyungsoo to pursue culinary studies in Switzerland and and be a full-fledged chef. She believed, above all, in her talent and she wanted her to hone it. But last year, when she first mentioned it after her graduation, she declined. She understood that she didn't want to be away from Jongin. She wanted to mention it again after the break up but was worried that she would take it from a different light. But now that she opened her door, she'll be more than happy to support her.

"Really?" She can't believe it. "Thank you, Auntie!" She darted to her side and hugged her.

"Don't thank me yet. You have to build me a five star restaurant when you come back." She teased and Kyungsoo was thankful, more than ever that her family found her.

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

He took a deep breath before entering the revolving glass doors. It was like entering a five star hotel instead of an office building. From the Narita Airport, he went straight to KMH Steel. It was in a five acre enclosed land in the outskirts of Tokyo. The imposing structure was like a beacon in the middle of vast greenery.

"Good afternoon." He greeted and if he'll base it to the receptionist's reaction upon seeing him, he could tell that she recognized him. He suddenly felt awkward. He just hoped that coming all the way to Japan was not a bad idea.

"Good afternoon, may I help you?" She displayed her best smile. This could be the first and last time that she'll see the model again.

"I hope you can. My name's Choi Jongin. I want to see Mr. Kang." He said in an authoritative tone.

"Do you have an appointment, Mr. Choi?" She asked.

"I am afraid I don't." He admitted. Why didn't he ask Corinne to call first? Ugh!

"Let me check if he can accommodate visitors today, Sir. Please have a seat first." She indicated the comfortable sitting area. She was taught not to turn VIPs down.

"Arigatou." And sauntered to one of the cream-colored couches that complimented the goldish interiors.

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

Creases made its way to Minhyuk's forehead when he heard the name of the person who wanted to see him. "Choi Jongin?" He might have misheard it. He talked to Choi Joonmyeon before, trying to convince him to jumpship from Mittal Steel to his company for Choi Builders' metal needs. But the shrewd young businessman politely turned him down, saying Choi Group had built ties with the Indian competitor for years of doing good business together.

"Yes, Sir." She confirmed. What would the Choi Airways president want?

"Send him in." Whatever it was, it must be important. A few moments later, he was face to face with Krystal's ex-fiance. He looked as imperial as he was on the magazines. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Choi." He acknowledged and extended a hand which he accepted. He can't read his expression.

"The pleasure is mine. Thank you for accommodating my request to see you. I know you're a busy man." He tried to keep his voice straight. It was not because Kang Minhyuk’s a tall and well-built man. It was because he looked so dignified it seemed to far-fetched that he's stooping this low for Krystal. Can't he divorce his wife first?

"Not a problem. What can I help you with?" He motioned for the comfortable couch and approached the mini bar for a drink. "Can I get you one?"

"I'm okay, thank you." He won't just be driving but flying after this conversation. Though alcohol seemed to be very tempting at this moment.

"So. . ." Minhyuk started. "Are you really here to see me or Krystal?"

Jongin's head jerked up. "I am here to see you of course." He had no plans of seeing Krystal at all. He just wanted to make sure of something. "But I want to know why you are doing this."

"Doing what? Forgive me but I don't understand." He said honestly.

"Why are you doing this to Krystal? You are a married man!" His voice raised a fraction but he didn't see any indication that he was ruffled, lest intimidated.

"What do you mean by why am I doing this to my sister?" There. He just said it. He just gave away their secret. But he knew Jongin deserved to know.

"S-Sister. . ?" He was gaping at him.

"Krystal's my father's daughter outside marriage. You see, I just learned about it after uhm, you two broke up, when our father died. I took them in but she's worried about the scandal it would give to our family so she wanted to keep mum about our real relationship. Do you really think my wife would tolerate it if it's true?" He was sarcastic. His sister had her share of faults but she's still his family. And whoever insults Krystal will have to face him. It was not unknown to him that people were gossiping about them having an affair.

"I didn't know." He admitted. Krystal grew up without her father and she simply said she hadn't even met him. She talked very little of her father 'cause she was very much contented with her mother's company. He guessed that he didn't know anything about her at all.

"She would not tell anyone about it." Just before Jongin could react, a loud scream startled them both. A big smile crept up Minhyuk’s face. "Come here honey. I'll introduce you to someone." Then, limping, a cute little girl in her state-of-the-art metal crutches sauntered to where they were and hugged Minhyuk. The nanny was right behind the girl, apologizing profusely.

"Tou-chan!" She screamed again.

"Sumimasen, Kang-sama. She wanted to see you and won't stop crying 'till we told her we're coming over." The nanny said.

"That's alright, Yuriko. I'll take care of Minyoung." The nanny excused herself and left the room. He lifted the little girl and set her crutches aside. Jongin could tell the girl's no more than three years old. "Minyoung-ah, meet Jongin. Jongin, this is Minyoung." He introduced in English and the girl greeted him lively in the same language.

Jongin could tell that she's very smart. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Minyoung-ssi." He said and gave her a smile. "You have a very beautiful daughter.”

"She's Krystal's." He said again in Korean and Jongin almost choked. Minhyuk continued, "I bet you didn't know that she started taking drugs when you're still together? My people found her after the ehrm, engagement." He cleared his throat but Jongin's silence encouraged him to continue. "She's already going out with you-know-who and she's already a drug dependent then. She's just so good at hiding it that you probably didn't even notice. It was already too late when she learned that she's pregnant. Over four months, I think. The doctors allowed abortion, foreseeing Minyoung's would-be condition but Krystal won't allow it. Instead, she fought for her and told Minho she aborted the baby. She left modeling and settled here with us. It was a good thing she's just physically impaired. You see, she's really smart. Just like. . ." And he trailed off.

Jongin was speechless. For a whole five minutes. Minyoung was looking at him intently, her eyes round and probing. "Come here little girl." He stretched his arms out. This child was his blood relative. Minho's daughter. "Give me a hug."

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

"She left the other day, I'm sorry." Nancy repeated when she didn't get any response from Jongin. He just stared at her dumbfounded.

"W-Where to?" He asked in a bleak voice. This isn't happening, is it?

"She finally accepted the offer to study in Switzerland." She sighed. "She wanted to become a chef, remember?"

"But how could she leave without telling me!" He snapped and Nancy raised an eyebrow. He grabbed his keys from the table and was about to leave when Nancy grabbed his arm.

"Jongin. Hold on a second." She said and he reluctantly went back to the seat that he occupied earlier. There were a few people dining in at Nancy's and he caught their attention when he raised his voice. "I know you wouldn't lift a finger and you'll find her but please don't." She said in calm, pleading voice.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that." He said in a determined voice. How could she even suggest it?

"You don't understand. This is her home. She'll be back here no matter what. Just give her the chance to find the old Kyungsoo that she lost when she loved you." She looked at him straight in the eye. "Do you want her to be a nobody while you become richer and more established?"

"I love her and I don't care about those things." He retorted.

"You only realized now that she's gone. Men." She shook her head in disbelief. "I rooted for you, I know you're a good man like Master Siwon. But your time is up and this is the consequence Jongin. You have to face it."

He walked to his car looking like he lost his whole inheritance or something. But if ever he lost all of his fortune, he won't feel this kind of pain. The pain that he felt after Krystal broke up with him was nothing compared to what he’s feeling right now. How could he be too late? He wanted to patch things up with people he used to hate before pursuing her again. He talked to Minho then he went to Japan to have the closure that he needed.

After the things that he learned about Krystal, he thought it was time to talk to her too. And it was liberating as what Sehun's words promised. Soon, she'll be coming back to Seoul to introduce Minyoung to her father. It turned out that she was afraid Minho won't accept her if ever she turned out to have a disability. But he assured her that his cousin was a good person and he wanted his best friend not to live in pain so he decided to help Krystal.

And now that Kyungsoo's gone, it seemed that all of his efforts went to waste. Kyungsoo, please come back to me. . . He pleaded silently.

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

Kaye smiled to herself after setting up her favorite gadget in Chanyeol's office. She woke up unusually early just to beat her boss in coming to the office. Even if she hated his womanizing like she hated pimples, she still loved him because he's the most generous and most thoughtful employer she ever had. And she wanted him to realize something. She wondered why for someone exceptionally intelligent, he's incredibly dumb when it came to matters of the heart.

She checked the gadget once more and proceeded to the pantry to brew his coffee. She was whistling her favorite tune when she heard him unlock the office. His feet draggy and heavy, his movements a little noisy for someone who used to move like a cat. These past few days, he'd been temperamental and irritable. She smiled at the thought. She took a deep breath and readied a bright smile.

"Good morning Mr. Choi!" Her enthusiasm was noteworthy.

"You're early." He said in a disinterested tone. But she won't be discouraged by it.

"Here's your coffee. And I had all incoming personal mails sorted and all emails printed for your read-copy. Is there anything else that you need?" She asked and eyed gadget strategically placed on top of his bean-shaped glass table beside the interphone.

"That's it for now. Thank you." He dismissed and she sauntered to her cubicle just outside his office, humming the same tune.

Chanyeol was startled by the music that played from nowhere before he noticed the latest contraption released by HanTel, the HTMP6. It was a music player, gaming console, digital camera, and a portable video projector in one. Luhan's newest invention. It had an automatic play-alarm system.

He was about to turn it off when the song lyrics sank in.

I was inviting, her into my heart

But she was out riding in some other man's car

She was my night time, thought I was her star

Guess I was wrong, but see I'm strong

Won’t take long for me to move on

Please don't worry bout me I'm fine

(Please don't worry bout me I'm fine)

Only gonna play the fool one time

(Only gonna play the fool one time)

Trust me when I say

That I'll be okay--

The MP6 smashed on the wall before it landed onto the carpeted floor. Still in one piece. It stopped for a few seconds to reboot and played the same music.

Darn shock-proof feature! He thought dryly and pushed the call button of the interphone nonstop. Kaye appeared on the doorway after a few seconds. She's the epitome of calmness that it angered him more. "Is that yours?" He asked in a stern voice and gave the MP6 a menacing look.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I think I left it after sorting your mails." Kaye picked the gadget up and glared at him squarely. "What did you do to Lulu?" She asked in gruff tone while crouching down to examine the damage Chanyeol made.

"Lulu?" He asked incredulously.

"That's what it's called! Do you really have to throw it?" She asked, she was not expecting him to be violent. She named it after Luhan as he was the one who invented it and distributed it to the employees as a spring gift.

"Sorry." He said sincerely. "I was just. . .surprised. I'll replace it with a new one, okay?" He said apologetically.

"Okay. Now, what can I do for you?" She smiled to herself. The plan worked!

"Arrange my jet for an early flight to Busan tomorrow, okay?" He instructed and she stared at him like he just said something in Arabic. "Ms. Hong?" He called again.

Kaye jumped. "Yes, yes, Mr. Choi!" She smiled widely.

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

Sehun was tapping furiously on her phone, her expression indignant. That was what Joonmyeon saw when he came barging in her room without knocking.

"Bad hair day?"

"Aren't we supposed to knock first?"

"No. I need your help. Can you come with me?" The next thing she knew, she was being dragged by the arm (painfully!) to the underground parking garage and moments later, her SH 4.2 was speeding out of their tunnel.

"Now I am reduced to being a driver." She said, disgruntled.

"Stop being a brat and just drive." Joonmyeon snapped and leaned on the backrest.

"Where to?" She breathed.

"Songpa-gu."

Her forehead creased. Her family would only have one reason to visit Songpa-gu. "Are you treating me to jewelry shopping?" Her face broke into a smile. A very first today.

"Might be. If you're good. So just drive and stop asking questions." He closed his eyes so she would just shut up.

Song Jewelry is the largest jeweler in the country. It's like local Tiffany's and it had a wide variety of diamonds purchased directly from the mining company owned by the same family. Hankyung herself buys a large chunk of her collection from the same company. When they arrived and her brother got recognized by a few patrons, the store was silenced immediately. Some exchanged furtive glances especially when Joonmyeon started to skim over the displays.

"Would you like to sit in the waiting room while we get the designs you want?" Jung Seulgi, the manager, asked.

"That would be fantastic, Seulgi-ssi." She beamed. She walked over to her brother and snatched his arm.

"Wait--"

"The people are staring, c'mon." She said sternly. "Now, tell her what you need and let's get out of here." They were ushered to a well ventilated room with comfortable cushions. Her brother looked nothing but nervous.

"We want to see the best engagement rings you have." She said to the manager and Joonmyeon sent daggers to her direction. "What?" He swallowed repetitively.

"Okay. I want an engagement ring, yes. Thank you." He reaffirmed, avoiding her gaze. She was greatly entertained.

"So you changed your mind about Jinri, eh?" She teased.

"Hell, no!" He squelched vehemently, blushing. "It's. . .it's another. . .person."

"Oh." She watched his face twitch while waiting for what's she's going to say next. He'd have to wait in vain though.

"What do you mean oh?" He prodded.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." She tried to hold a smile in.

The store manager strode in with a couple of other employees carrying a hoard of rings in different boxes.

"Will you guys leave us for a moment while we deliberate?" She beamed at the male attendant and he melted to goo.

"Would you need some assistance, Mr. Choi?"

"My sister's a GIA graduate."

"Oh. We'll leave you two then." And she excused herself.

"You don't have to tell them that, you know?" She huffed. Much to Siwon's amusement, she enrolled in Gemological Institute of America when she was fourteen. For the sheer fun of it. So far, it had helped Hankyung purchase her beloved diamonds. "Now, who is this girl?" She launched herself in an interrogation that will surely make her CIA mentors proud.

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

"What did you take us here for?" Hankyung asked, suspicion evident in her voice. They were in Tierra Magica, their favorite Spanish restaurant in the heart of Itaewon. It’s an exclusive haven popular among the high society people. Even so, not all people who wanted to dine were given a chance. Reservations extend up to a year and paparazzo flock outside to catch the glimpse of who were inside.

"Oh c'mon, Ma, we're just having dinner." Joonmyeon replied defensively.

"Is there anything you want to tell us then?" Siwon knew it wasn't usual for him to invite them out like this.

"Shall we order first?" He asked instead, clearly evading the topic. He pressed the service button and not for long, a waiter arrived to assist them. Siwon and Hankyung exchanged knowing glances.

After the sumptuous dinner, Hankyung can't seem to hold it any longer. Joonmyeon was acting weird the whole course of the meal, perspiring profusely even if the restaurant was sickeningly cold. "Loosen up, son. What's the problem? Tell us." She commanded.

"Nothing! It's. . .It's just that I. . ."

"You're what?" Siwon prodded.

"I . . .I. . ." Hankyung watched in awe as her son lost articulation. She chortled much to Joonmyeon's consternation.

"Are you in love?" She asked, holding her laughter in.

"Mama!" He was horrified. "Can you keep it down?" He hissed. Siwon joined his mother's teasing, too, that he wanted to die in embarrassment. It was clearly not a good idea to take them out. "Okay. I met this incredible girl and I am proposing to her. Tomorrow."

"Really?" Hankyung beamed. "Lots of luck then."

"I am not joking."

"Who says you are?"

"You seriously have nothing to say to me?"

"Choi Joonmyeon, you are twenty-six years old and you're very stable. You can marry anytime you want." Siwon's eyes glistened with mischief.

His eyes widened in understanding and, "OH MY GOD SEHUN! She told you, didn't she? I'm gonna kill her! That big mouth!"

"And you still owe me for not bringing me to ring shopping instead." Hankyung added and he wanted to drown himself in a glass of water.

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

A/N: Is this too fast?