Stunned by surprise, Namjoo immediately slammed the door in his face and locked the door. With back against it all she was conscious to was the intense drumming of her heart against the thick of her .

Who was he? How did he get into the house? Why was he there in front of her – Choonhee’s room? Who was he to be able to come upstairs?

Gulping, Namjoo struggled to calm herself. Leaping forward she drew open the closet and searched through every clothing hung up before slipping into pants and a blouse she felt was casual enough to walk around in. Too bad that even for such a luxurious bedroom it lacked a personal bathroom. Her insides screamed in frustration about this.

Her dyed hair was limp and lifeless along her shoulders. Namjoo wasn’t sure whether to be worried about that part of her appearance or not. How did Choonhee do her hair in the mornings, on days when she was home, when she woke up? Alone on that matter Namjoo searched for her hair tie and pulled her hair back into a low and messy ponytail.

Hayoung had said she’d be here, she recalled. Since she’d be woken she would be expected to be downstairs. Namjoo didn’t want to risk looking strange by keeping herself holed upstairs until the so-called friend’s arrival. Momentarily sighing at the fact that she would have to go entertain this guest whose name she couldn’t remember, she reached for the doorknob.

Whatever happened would happen, she convinced herself and finally opened the door. To her very surprise that man was still standing there, now glancing down at her through the narrow slit of his eyes. He looked mean, cold, ruthless, almost like he was ready to start spitting criticism into her face for being rude about earlier.

Namjoo continued to peer up back at him, her mind dead. There was no way of forming a plan out of this or a counterattack for her own safety – not like she was in some danger, at least she didn’t think so.

Then his dark expression lifted and he spoke, “I thought you were feeling better. Still sick?”

At least, she was able to muse, he didn’t sound like a . If Kai was a friend so as Tao this meant this guy had to be the ex – Choonhee’s ex. His voice was smooth. A tune of formality flowed through his voice. He didn’t sound friendly but he didn’t sound mean either, maybe a little in-between that gray line. They had, after all, been familiar with each other after all.

He was more dangerous than Tao or Kai. Lovers always knew each other up to a par no one else did. Namjoo realized she was going to have to be very careful speaking with him.

“You’re up unusually late,” he turned to start down the stairs. Namjoo about turned to quickly head to the bathroom to brush her teeth, but he turned with a hand in his pants pocket, “Coming down for breakfast?” Then turning started down without her, as if he expected her to follow. Unsure what to do Namjoo hesitated before her legs moved to follow him.

What was she going to do? Eat with the night’s grim stained on her teeth? Didn’t he realize she’d just woken up?

Namjoo wanted to bite her lips till they bled and excuse herself, but she barely panicked when she realized he wasn’t alone in the kitchen. The housemaid was back and busy at the stove. An air of freshly cooked food – soup and eggs – flourished through the air. She was a middle aged woman nearing her forties considering her appearance. Hair pulled back into a tight bun so no free strand of hair fell loose. Years of work and hard effort lined her skin. She was in slacks and an old blouse, a white apron wrapped around her.

The table was set with plates and food. All that was needed in order to complete it were the main dishes. The man from earlier was about to sit down, but he turned to glance at her. Standing in the doorway he watched her for a second before inquiring, “What are you doing? You’re not sitting?”

Quickly scurrying forward trying to keep her nervousness under wraps, she pulled a chair out and sat down. Her eyes roved over to the housemaid. The woman lived here with the Lee family. She would be first to notice that she – Choonhee supposedly – was weird. Forget Kai, Tao, and the ex. The housemaid lived with Choonhee!

Namjoo’s insides belted the loudest scream she could summon. Her fingers brushed against the hem of her shirt as it bundled up into a fist. She wanted to be calm and poised, she really did.

“Why are you sitting in your father’s chair?” Sehun questioned. “Thought you liked everybody sitting in their ‘own’ chairs.”

Subconsciously biting her lower lip she peered at him. She’d messed up. Jesus Christ, she was so tense her muscles felt sore.

Dismissing her silence he placed an item in front of her, “I saw it in a window store when I was in Paris. It reminded me of you.”

It was a silver piano trinket with rhinestones dotted along the keyboard. A pretty little thing. Then she instantly wondered if Choonhee would have liked it. They’d broken up, but he still thought of her. Namjoo wondered if she should question that or not.

“You used to play the piano,” he reminisced.

So she did. Namjoo mused over it, but she wasn’t Choonhee and had no particular interesting talent whatsoever. Probably the only most talented thing she had within her body was lying her way through trouble. It had been a really helpful skill for her on the streets.

“I was kind enough to encourage you about venturing into music instead of business,” he reminded, “but you sold your piano. Regret it yet?”

Namjoo had almost felt her heart flutter from his words until the question. Choonhee had chosen business over music, something she could have enjoyed? Why?

Silence droned on. The only noise floating around them was the housemaid busy with preparing breakfast and the boiling soup nearly ready for them to eat. Namjoo didn’t know what to say in the place of her dead twin. Did she regret her decision? Throwing away her talent for something she may not have been compatible with?

“I don’t know,” she breathed the words out. If he was here like this, did it mean something? Had he and Choonhee decided to remain friends? Or did he stick around because he had leftover feelings for the sister?

There were so many things Namjoo had to muse over. She wanted to ask Hayoung all her questions, but Hayoung too, may not have the answers for her. This, Namjoo was saw, was Choonhee’s private life – matters Hayoung may have not been part of. How much did Hayoung know and didn’t know?

So much confusion spun her back and forth, right and left. Namjoo didn’t know what to do. All the information remained jumbled up within her head. The statement called out even more vividly and louder to her. Something had happened.

“Sorry for being late,” the housemaid leaned over to set the bowl of soup onto the table, “I was meaning to come and clean up a little earlier. Did you sleep all right these days?”

Namjoo glanced up into the woman’s eyes. They were the deepest of brown she’d ever seen. Immediately she thought of the grandmother who once bought her bread on the street when she’d gone without a meal the whole day. Her heart oozed nostalgia.

Quickly averting her eyes she replied, “Don’t worry. I can look after myself.”

“I don’t know if you’re bluffing or if you really mean it,” Sehun remarked, leaning forward with chopsticks in hand and dug into the food. Namjoo watched him go and quietly stuffed to make herself incapable of talking. A part of her felt the awkwardness of sitting sharing a breakfast with her sister’s ex. It was nearly suffocating, but what was she to do when she looked just like her dead sister?

“Sehun,” a voice broke the silence and Namjoo immediately spun around to find Hayoung in the doorway. She caught the act of how the woman clamped fingers even tighter around her brand name bag before stepping forward. “You’re here.” It was a statement rather than a greeting or question.

Head tilted back Namjoo stared at the woman before turning to look at Sehun as he spoke. “I wanted to drop of a gift, so I dropped in. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be overlooking the move?”

Namjoo’s eyes swung back to Hayoung. Her eyes ignored her, but remained intensely on Sehun. “I thought you were heading there. You should have told me you were coming here.”

“Oh?” Sehun asked quite nonchalantly.

There was an air between the two Namjoo couldn’t describe. The way Sehun replied to the so-called friend brought on the aura that he could care less about anything. Hayoung, on the contrary, carried with her concern. They brought on friendliness and something else.

“I just wanted to chat with Choonhee. Why? Did you girls have something planned?” Sehun raised a brow.      

Hayoung’s eyes wavered, as if she were nervous. “The President returns today. Choonhee and I are going to pick them up later. You want to come along?”

“Have a seat, I’ll bring a plate out,” the housemaid told and shortly came back with a plate. Hayoung sat down beside her, but didn’t touch the food.

“I’ll pass. Old people bore me.” Sehun replied and tossed a slice of white kimchi into his mouth.

“Hey, watch what you say,” Hayoung cautioned, her tone light without the depth of scorn. It sounded more like she was saying “Hi” than anything else to him. Namjoo wanted to roll her eyes at how kind she was being to the ex.

Noticing the trinket on the table she asked, “Oh…what’s this?”

Namjoo watched Hayoung pick it up and turn it around within her fingers, as if observing a foreign item never before seen to her human eye. Snatching it from the friend Sehun handed it to her. “It’s a gift.” Namjoo; however, found herself staring at the trinket before shooting Hayoung a glance. The woman peered back at her with slightly irate eyes before picking up her spoon to taste the soup.

The trinket clinked against the table when Sehun set it down. “Looks like we’ll be having fun in the future, maybe even get tired of each other.”

“Why would you say that?” Hayoung asked, now filling her plate up with food. She seemed comfortable, as if this was her own home. Namjoo watched curiously. Usually she wouldn’t hold back from taking advantage of the food, but this morning she couldn’t find her appetite.

“We’re going to be working together soon, aren’t we?” Sehun asked. “Or does Choonhee have other plans I don’t know about?” Namjoo watched him eye her mischievously. She could only ponder over what Choonhee’s prior decisions had been.

“The grand opening, will you be there?” Hayoung broke in and Sehun turned to her.

“If Kai and Choonhee will be there, I shouldn’t miss out.” By then Namjoo was awkwardly sipping the soup and glanced up when she felt his eyes burn on her again. Goodness, what was with him?

\\\\\

When the door closed behind him he turned around to glance back at the house. Choonhee had been rather quiet with him. It left him confused, off-putted by her. She would have been more adamant about joining their business to solidify the cozy relationships between their families. Then she had said nothing more.

What had she been thinking about? Kai? How far was their relationship?

His eyes shot up to the second floor. Whatever was going on, he would get down to the root of it. He would be ousted if Choonhee and Kai decided to get closer. This Saturday at the opening of the new building he would have to keep an eye on her.

\\\\\

“What was that? Did you say something funny to him?” Hayoung immediately turned to her after Sehun left. It sounded like an attack.

“I didn’t say anything.” Namjoo hissed.

“Oh? Then explain why you two were sitting here chatting in such a friendly manner.”

Namjoo frowned at the strange friend then caught the trinket out of the corner of her eye. “Ah…” she nodded, “why? Because I got a gift and you didn’t? Are you two supposed to be friends too?”

Hayoung quickly turned to find the housemaid watching them go at it. As she stood intending to talk with Namjoo elsewhere, Namjoo too, shot up from her seat. Snatching the trinket into the palm of her hand held it out to her.

“Want it? Then take it,” Namjoo said. “Don’t be fussy with me, because if there’s some explaining to do I think you’re the one who should be doing it.”

Hayoung ended up gritting her teeth annoyed by the bold girl. Plucking it out of her hands she ordered while walking away, “Follow me.”

\\\\\

Namjoo watched Hayoung disappear around the corner and glanced back toward the curious housemaid. Gulping, she followed Hayoung to find her heading up the stairs. She really did treat this house like her own, going wherever she pleased, Namjoo thought climbing the stairs after her.

Hayoung had gone into Choonhee’s bedroom. Closing the door behind her Namjoo started, “Are you hiding something?”

“Hiding something,” Hayoung repeated, made it sound like a statement. “I put you in Choonhee’s place, not to get any funny ideas but to do what I tell you to.”

Scoffing she pointed out, “I can’t be Choonhee unless I know what’s going on around and in her life, and you’re the closest person to her there is that would know something. You tell me, was Choonhee supposed to have done something other than join the merge to keep all your asses on the high chair? Why? Who made her?”

“What nonsense. Choonhee was always determined to join the family business.” Hayoung stated defensively with the utmost confidence.

“Oh?” Namjoo stepped toward her. Hayoung was standing nearest the window, just a few steps away from the foot of the bed. “Then why am I getting the feel that the opening this weekend is something I shouldn’t attend?”

“Who told you that?”

“What aren’t you telling me?” Namjoo pressed on intensely, the heat raging within her chest because she could feel through the silence words needed to be said weren’t coming to light. “Tao said Choonhee was so sick to the point she collapsed. Choonhee’s ex is telling me she should have gone for piano instead, and Kai is saying Sehun won’t show up for the grand opening? Why would I need them by my side? Why is it important? Who are they, what are they supposed to be to me – to Choonhee? Just what kind of pressure did you all put her under that made her do something that cost her life? Was she so sick she had to find me? Use me for a Plan B? And when everything about came crashing down you got her killed at the clinic and covered it up by using me?”

A sharp sting left her cheek in bright pink. The woman stared at her with fiery eyes as her hand dropped to her side. “Don’t you ever assume anything.” She warned with voice raspy, voice a mere whisper. “You will attend the grand opening as Choonhee. Sehun and Kai will be there. So will their parents and yours. I will not allow you to mess this up. Choonhee planned to see the merge all the way through, and you will do what your sister wanted. Do you understand?”

Namjoo stared at the woman with fire coiling within her chest and her cheek burning from the slap. She was lost and even more confused, but she didn’t know what to do.

“I asked you a question.” Hayoung hissed with command.

Biting her tongue Namjoo forced herself to nod.

“Good. Your parents’ flight will be landing in two hours. I’ll be downstairs, come down when you’re ready.”

Her fingernails clawed up into her palm as her hand formed a tight fist and it shook while she listened to Hayoung walk out.

\\\\\

“The housemaid, Auntie Shin, will be suspicious of you if you act up like earlier. The other maids who drop in around late morning won’t mind you attention, so watch out for how you act around Auntie Shin.” Hayoung spoke. She was currently driving and Namjoo was prisoner in the passenger’s seat. Her cheek still burned and was slightly red now. What kind of excuse they would give her parents was something she didn’t know.

“Choonhee was a calm person. She always knew her manners, so around the elders don’t talk unless spoken to. You get me?” Hayoung asked.

“Yes.” Namjoo merely whispered in reply. Her heart ached with suppressed anger. She wasn’t sure why she had to get hit. Maybe she had gone overboard with what she’d said, but she didn’t feel that she was wrong.

It was still confusing – Choonhee’s life, the men around her, and this friend.

Now was all the after effect of what had happened shortly before her death. Namjoo was certain that period of time just before Choonhee died had been the most crucial, and was exactly what she needed to figure out. Kai, Sehun, and Hayoung most definitely had been a part of it. And Tao…he may know something nobody else knew.

Tao…

Namjoo stole a glance Hayoung’s way. If this woman wasn’t going to share anything with her she would have to find her own means to sort this life out now that it was supposedly hers. Without anyone knowing she would have to meet Tao secretly.

“Butler Yoo will be there to chauffeur you around. Before you go anywhere, let me know. You’re not sabotaging this plan by doing things to your heart’s content. Choonhee may have lived well, but she wasn’t as free as you imagine. I said before, there were standards she had to meet. Your days on the streets are over,” Hayoung looked at her. “You won’t be any more different from her now than she was from you.”

The car came to a stop and Namjoo’s body slightly shifted forward. The words sounded like hell in her ears.

What had she gotten herself into?

“We’re here.” 

***Namjoo's in trouble. No going back now. I did say Choonhee lived an oppressed life, right? Namjoo's freedom days are about to be erased into history. 

***I'm going to twist things with characters. The dark side will go up a notch. I always held back from being mean with my idol characters. I'm going to get rid of that thought here. Know I love Hayoung, Kai, and Sehun despite how I write them.