Chapter 39

It had been two days.

Two days since the incident at the Orange happened. Chaeyoung had been edgy and jumpy for two days now. Chahee and the rest of her crew in the bar were starting to get anxious and suspicious. They tried to talk to her, asked her if anything was a problem, but she was quick to downplay their growing curiosity, including her own growing anxiety, by saying that she was just tired and had never fully recovered from what transpired two nights ago.

"Never had I experienced anything quite like that before. It was a bit traumatic on my part being the one who, well, actually instigated it. You know what I mean?" she would tell them.

Of course, they would never believe her. But nobody dared telling her that to her face. Chaeyoung was doing a poor job convincing them, anyway. She knew. But at least no one wasbrave enough to oppose her or even raised further questions. That itself was actually a relief. Because then she'd have to tell them the truth and that was where the problem lies. She didn't know the whole truth, either. Sure, Jisoo told her. Bits of it. But what Chaeyoung wanted to know was how overwhelming the truth was and what had it got to do with her. And with Lisa. Especially with Lisa.

"How's Jisoo? Is she okay?" Chahee once asked her, when she was finally cornered inside her office after all the thwarting and dodging she did just to avoid her crew and their conspicuous looks they were throwing at her. And all she ever did was act like she never heard anything until Chahee slammed her hands on the surface of her desk and regretted it because the bartender knew she had crossed a line. Chaeyoung told her that Jisoo was fine and everything's fine. That she was fine and she was smiling the brightest smile she could muster and told her precious bartender to "never do that again, please? I love this table," and it only made Chahee more suspicious.

"What time is the evening news? " Chaeyoung had asked Ji-In the other day after their rehearsal, whenshe thought she ought to watch the news and Ji-In said something that didn't help Chaeyoung at all.

"A wise person once said: news aren't news until someone thinks it's worth their time," Ji-In told her with a shrug, and Chaeyoung asked, "Who said that?" and Ji-In said, pointing her chest, "Me. And if you ask me personally what I really think about it, wise or not? I'd say that nothing on TV is worth anything anymore. We have Internet, for god's sake, Chaeyoung Park! Ours is the fastest in the world, you know? 28.6 Mbit/s, four times faster than the world's average of 7.0. Go figure," Ji-In told her, with a look on her face that Chaeyoung could only translate as an unspoken insult to her lack of interest in keeping up with the Mbit/s.

And so Chaeyoung did what Ji-In was subtly, but nonetheless obvious, telling her. She spent her morning today browsing every Korean news website, from The Korea Herald and The Korea Times, to the most absurd satarical sites about anything and everything Korean. But there was nothing. She couldn't find anything about the incident two days ago. She even tried searching it on Google but found nothing about the incident. Jisoo was perhaps right about a possible news blackout. She said something about her father's company being efficient in doing such things, especially when it involved Jennie and the future of the conglomerate she was heading.

She found Jisoo's LinkedIn, though. And some other articles where Jisoo's name was mentioned. There was also a website about a foundation that Jisoo was running. And there was Kim Group. Jisoo only told her about it in passing, but somehow it left an impression on Chaeyoung. And here she was, staring at Jennie's powerful look behind a desk, the Seoul skyline behind her. Mesmerizing and intimidating were the only words that Chaeyoung could come up with while staring at Jennie's formidable photo. No wonder Lisa was drawn into the enigmatic character of Jennie Kim. It was magnetic. Like, Jennie's cat-like eyes would pull anyone who would dare stare longer than necessary and she'd have them wrapped them around her fingers, doing her bidding, falling down on their knees under her mercy. Okay, so maybe she was exaggerating, but it honestly felt like it.

She tried calling Lisa to talk to her about it. About Jennie and Jisoo, about what Jisoo told her, the fake incident, the possibilities of what could happen--everything. But as usual, Lisa was unavailable. Bobby told her for the fifth time when she tried to call Lisa's landline (because the idiot wasn't picking up her phone, dammit!) of her studio again today.

"Busy about what?" Chaeyoung asked irritably. Why was she so bothered about the possibility of Lisa being dragged into a whirlpool of angry conglomerate--and herself, also--when Lisa was 'busy' doing her thing and seemed unperturbed about it?

"You know? Her stuff?" Bobby told her skeptically.

"What stuff?" she asked Lisa's assistant angrily.

"Films, mostly?" Bobby replied in his most dragging, boring voice, sounding like he wasn't sure himself if Lisa was, indeed, dealing with films or whatever.

And there was no point asking Bobby further questions because Chaeyoung  knew that Bobby would only answer her like he was asking her and it was annoying. Although, deep inside, Chaeyoung knew that Bobby was only telling her the truth about Lisa. She knew Lisa. That idiot would bury herself deep into the darkness of her lab for days and forget the world.

Chaeyoung hastily stood up, almost knocking the cup of tea she had left cold on her desk. She took a set of key from one of the drawers, snatched her jacket lying on the red couch and quickened her steps towards the door, but only to gasped loudly and almost toppled backwards because Chahee was standing there, with her knuckle raised, looking like she was about to knock the door. She had almost rammed in to the slender body of the bartender.

"Jesus!" Chaeyoung said, clutching her chest to pacify the fast beating of her heart. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Just now? I was about to ask you to join us in the hall," Chahee said with a curious look on her face.

"Join what?" Chaeyoung asked while inserting her arms on the holes of her jacket one after another.

"Lunch. We're having ramyun--they insisted. And you haven't eaten anything today. Are you going somewhere?" Chahee asked, her eyes wandered and settled on the set of keys that Chaeyoung was holding.

"I'll be back before the opening," Chaeyoung said, obviously dodging the question.

"It must be far? You haven't used your car for a while now," Chahee commented. "Are you sure it still works?"

Chaeyoung stopped from fumbling on the buttons of her jacket and chuckled, and eventually laughed. It was the first time that she laughed after what had happened because Chahee had a point. She had not been outside Hongdae for awhile now that there was no need for her to drive around when she could just walk. Besides, her daily routine had always been the bar and her place. She would, of course, visit vintage shops and music store, drop by some coffee and pastry shops for food, sometimes. But she was so familiar with the intersections, curbs and blocks of Hongdae that she knew in herself that a car was never really necessary.

"I haven't thought about that," Chaeyoung confessed and added, "I'm such an idiot." She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Are you okay, Chaeng?" Chahee asked, genuine concern was on her voice.

But it wasn't the genuine concern on Chahee's voice that took Chaeyoung offguard. It was the look that the bartender was giving her. The kind that which was clearly speaking volumes, curiosity and confusion were two of them, that it made her feel guilty and a bit ashamed of herself. She had been keeping everything to herself fthat she had forgotten the fact that she had Chahee and the rest of her crew.

"Yeah," Chaeyoung said and closed her hand around Chahee's hand. "Hey. I'm sorry, Chahee. There's just. . . There's a lot of going on in my head lately and I'm trying to make sense of everything right now. I know it's not fair. I'm not being fair to you and the girls. But--"

"Hey. I'm just glad to see you laughing, you know? You've been acting weird and distant lately. We haven't heard and seen you laugh, it was quite unusual," Chahee said. "The girls miss it. I miss it."

"I promise to let you in once I know what's going on. All of you," Chaeyoung assured her trusted confidante.

"I know you will, Chaeng. Now, about your car? Let's ask A-yeon for help, shall we? I'm as imbecile as you when it comes to fixing it," Chahee said and pulled Chaeyoung outside her office, down to the narrow hallway and in to the hall, itself, where the rest of the crew was there. Gathered and cramped in a single table, huddling over a casserole of smoking hot ramyun. The delicious scent of spices and seafood filled the hall, it made Chaeyoung realize how hungry she was. It was, after all, lunchtime already.

"A-yeon-ssi? Chaeng needs your expertise," Chahee told the curvy drummer.

A-yeon raised her head, a pair of chopsticks on her hand and threads of noodles were still hanging on her mouth. She slurped it and swallowed it without even chewing and said, "Yes, Chaeyoung Park. You and the chaebol girl look cute together. I have nothing against it, I promise," and added quickly as an afterthought, "Don't kick me out of the band." And went back to the noodles.

Everyone dropped their chopsticks and raised their heads to have a look at Chaeyoung, expectantly. They were waiting for a rebuttal, obviously. Or perhaps they, too, were just as curious and worried, like Chahee.

"I-it's not about Jisoo," Chaeyoung said to everyone's dismay. A-yeon even shamelessly groaned like it was the most disappointing news she ever heard in existence. On a different and lighter occasions, Chaeyoung would probably have explained herself to them. And then would've exchange friendly banters with A-yeon and they would laugh about it after, over a bowl of smoking hot ramyun. But now wasn't the time. She had more pressing things on her mind at the moment and she needed to have her car checked, pronto. "Can you take a look at my car, please? It has been a while since I last used it and I need to use it today," she told A-yeon.

"On it, boss!" A-yeon yelled, like how a soldier would when obeying a command from the higher-ups. She dropped her chopsticks on the bowl with a clang, jumped from her seat noisily and bolted towards the backdoor, where Chaeyoung's car was parked. Everyone knew that A-yeon had a penchant for cars and it was not secret that she had been dying to lay her hands on Chaeyoung's car. Tinker its compexity, so she could fully drool and admire its beauty. It was, after all, a gorgeous Bentley.

"Are you okay, Chaeng?" Jiyeon asked.

"Yes, Jiyeon. I'm really sorry I can't join lunch with you, guys, today," Chaeyoung said apologetically.

"No worries, Chaengie," Jin-Ah told her and Jiyeon and Ji-In agreed by nodding. "But, are you going somewhere? You haven't used that car for ages, have you?"

"Uhm, yes. I just need to see someone today. It's rather important. I'll be back before the opening, though," Chaeyoung replied and started heading towards the backdoor, Chahee was behind her, after she heard the roaring sound of her car's engine when it came to life. Thank God! "I'll see you guys later. Enjoy your food, guys. Bye!" she told her crew and waved her hand to them. They waved back in return, telling her to take care and grab some food, wherever she was going.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chahee asked when they were out of everybody's earshot.

Chaeyoung nodded and forced a smile on her. She was deeply touched by how the girls were showing concerns for her. They were, indeed, family.

Chaeyoung nodded and said, "Yeah, I am," and turned around to face Chahee. "Hey, if Lisa will ever drop by while I'm gone, please tell her to call me?" she told the bartender.

Chahee nodded. "Okay, I will. But is Lisa okay, though?" she asked. "We haven't seen or heard about her since, you know, after that night."

"I'm pretty sure she's okay. I've called her landline a few times today and her assistant told me that Lisa's been spending a lot of her time inside her lab. I mean, we all know Lisa. She does that all the time. She doesn't want to be disturbed when she's inside her red room," Chaeyoung answered and took her time to do her hair--she tied it in a ponytail rather clumsily, with strands hanging loose on both side of her face--while they were both waiting for A-yeon to give her the go signal.

"Yeah. But it isn't just Lisa that's been acting weird lately, is she?" Chahee implied.

Chaeyoung sighed. "I know. I'll explain things, soon. I promise," Chaeyoung said, forcing a reassuring smile. "I have to go," she added when she saw A-yeon emerging from the driver's seat, wiping the grease on her hands with dirt towel she probably found buried inside the car's compartment.

"Okay. See you later?" Chahee asked.

"Yep, definitely. And keep an eye on this one for me. She'll probably burn the whole place down when no one's looking," she said jokingly as she took the key when A-yeon handed it to her. "Thank you, A. I owe you," she told the sexy drummer.

"My pleasure! And if ever you'll find your bar already in ashes when you get back? Well, that's 'cause I'm hot. Sizzling, scorching. . ." A-yeon said laughing. "Anyway, there was nothing to worry about the car. It just a need a lot of lovin'. Meaning, use it frequently," she told Chaeyoung when she saw the confused look on the redhead's face. "It's like a human's body, Chaeng. It needs a lot of s--"

"Okay! Yes!" Chaeyoung interjected and raised her hands in front of her. "I got it. Thanks, A! And tone down the sizzling, scorching hotness, will you? Don't burn my bar while I'm gone, okay?" she joked.

A-yeon laughed out loud and said, "I was supposed to say sweet tender lovin', though. But okay. Got it, boss!" She winked and gave the redhead a thumbs-up.

"Call me boss one more time and I might actually consider kicking you out of the band," Chaeyoung said without looking at both Chahee and A-yeon as she was making her way to her frequently unused car.

"She's bluffing," A-yeon told Chahee, her confidence slightly faltered when she asked, "Right?" because Chaeyoung had never issued a threat like that and not laughing after.

Chahee said, "Obviously," and called out to ask Chaeyoung who seemed to had been spending quite an amount of time doing the seatbelt. "Hey! Do you still know how to drive?" Chahee she asked in a worried voice and Chaeyoung's hand flew outside the window and raised a thumbs-up sign as an answer.

"She definitely doesn't look okay to me right now," A-yeon said. She was close to offering her driving service when she how Chaeyoung was having a hard time maneuvering her way out away from the narrow alleyway and almost hitting her bumper on the trash bins on the side of the street.

"No. Our Chaeyoung obviously isn't okay. And I'm pretty sure Jisoo has something to do with it. I mean, have you seen how Chaeng has been acting weird and bold eversince she met that woman?" Chahee said.

"I think fierce is the right word, though? It suits her," A-yeon commented. "Anyway, with regards to your speculation about Jisoo having to do with Chaeng's attitude nowadays? If she can't be with Lisa, then I think it's high time for her to try things with someone else. She deserves to be happy," she said with a shrug.

"I know. I'm just worried about her," Chahee replied with a sigh.

"We all do, Chahee. But she'll be fine. She's a Park. She's ome of those Parks," said A-yeon and chuckled. "Come on, let's finish that damn ramyun before it gets cold," A-yeon said, dragging back the bartender by the elbow inside the hall, where the rest had already finished half the ramyun.

...

Chaeyoung parked her car, a silver Bentley Mulsanne, that looked quite obsolete compared to the flashy car next to it at the basement of a building which she had not paid a visit to for the last months. It had been a while. But she was still too familiar with all the columns and the blue and white numbers painted on each column, the black and yellow lines on the ramp, the placement of the cars next to each other. There might have been some few changes, though. Like new cars being parked in a slot she knew was reserved for specific important people or a newly-replaced incandescent bulb or fluorescent light here and there. There was some changes in the air, too. It smelled of lemon, a bit of lemon grass and detergent today. Chaeyoung stifled a chuckle as she made her way towards the elevator. Alice had overdone herself again, apparently.

If she would have been just anyone, she knew she would need to present herself on the main reception desk on the fifth floor. She'd have to ask for an appointment, logged in on their database, get a visitor's badge, and be guided by one of the Park & Park Law Firm's efficient non-attorney staff to show her where she should be going, wherever she planned to be going. She would be told the do's and don't's, and she would be asked "Why Park & Park?" like it was a hurdle that she would need to overcome to pass through the glass doors and hallways.

But she wasn't just anyone. And she didn't need anyone to tell her where and what to do, whom to talk to. She knew the whole floor plan by heart of every storey, because she had spent quite an amount of time running around all over the thirty-storey building in this prominent street of Jongno when she was just a kid and had frequently visited the place while growing up. She had even attended annual and bi-annual meetings, company parties and functions for non-staff and non-attorneys for five years. Chaeyoung pressed the nineteenth button of the elevator and decided to go straight up towards where Alice's ginormous office was.

When the elevator pinged and its doors had opened, she was greeted by the elegant hallway that would lead to Alice's office. The hallway smelled of flowers. Perhaps because Alice would always make sure to have fresh bouquets of  flowers of different varieties set up next to the glass door panel of her office. She wondered what it looked like today, the ridiculously humungous bouquet that Alice would always insist.

Chaeyoung had walked by this hallway perhaps a hundred times before and everything still felt weird how it felt like she was walking in an expensive hotel hallway rather than a law firm, the way the floor was heavily covered with soft African carpet and the hallway being lit by elegant Victorian lamps hanging on the walls, which she knew was Alice's personal pick, like everything else inside her office. Alice would always aim elegance and would sometimes outdo her own agenda by doing extra mile of redefining her own version of sophistication.

Chaeyoung smiled to herself when she saw the familiar lady sitting behind the slick table. A wireless Bluetooth earbud on her right ear, her eyes were concentrating on the screen, while her fingers were dancing frantically on the keyboard of the latest Mac computer and did not notice Chaeyoung's presence at all.

"That's not possible. I told you already, Attorney Park wants the documents by tom--Oh! Hello, Rosie!" Alice's secretary greeted her jovially the moment the middle-aged woman raised her head and was meet by Chaeyoung's smile. Surprise was all over the secretary's face. "Hold on a second," the secretary told whoever was on the other line and offered Chaeyoung the friendliest of smile. One that Chaeyoung was most familiar and fond with. "It's always so good to see you, Roseanne. You look beautiful as ever!" Mrs. Nam said, smiling up at her and looking like she meant every word that she said. Mrs. Nam had never once called her by her Korean name. It had always been Rosie or Roseanne.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nam," Chaeyoung replied with a beam. She had always liked the older woman. Mrs. Nam used to be their--Alice and her--father's secretary and personal assistant back in the days. And when Alice had finally decided to join the firm, she personally asked for Mrs. Nam's service and gave their father a heartbreak because Mrs. Nam was efficient and they all agreed, including their mother, that she deserved a hefty amount of pension once she retired. "Is Alice inside?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," Mrs. Nam nodded. "But she's in a video call meeting right now, Rosie. You can go in, though. She'll be delighted to see you," Mrs. Nam told Chaeyoung and smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nam. It's good to see you, too," Chaeyoung said before making her way towards the glass door panel of Alice's office, where a template bearing Alice's name in elegant gold cursive, and a context under it stating Alice's position in the firm was pinned on eye-level.

Chaeyoung ran her fingers on the white tulip within a bunch of a variety of flowers, wild lilies, including, in an intimidatingly huge glass orb vase on the table beside the door panel before she pushed the large door open and was greeted by the most fragrant and luscious scent of red roses and of DKNY perfume that she knew Alice loved to wear.

Mrs. Nam wasn't kidding when she said that Alice was on a meeting. Because there, sitting behind her desk, with her back on Chaeyoung, was Alice Park. With her long, shiny hair tied in a high bun and wearing a white-collar, talking to, probably, a high-profile client on the screen of her laptop about a legal case that Chaeyoung could only assume because Alice was speaking in legal jargon. Something that Alice was definitely good at.

So, Chaeyoung entertained herself while Alice was still oblivious of her presence by scanning her eyes around the interior of her sister's office. There was a bit of changes, she had noticed. The set of leather couch was new and the blinds, too. There was a stack of business and legal magazines above the ottoman in the centermost of the new set of couch and jars of sweets were next to it--gummy worms and M&M's. Those were the only juxtaposition inside the ginormous office that highly speaks of power and elegance. Those and her. Her long mane of red, her leather jacket and tight-fitting denim jeans, her black army boots were looking out of place inside Alice's domain.

Chaeyoung opened one of the jars' lid and took a gummy worm, picking the orange one. She almost choked on it when Alice suddenly spoke in her most Alice-voice--soft but velvety, articulate and with dignified conviction--startling her.

"Oh my god! Who died this time?" she heard the utmost concern on her sister's shrieking voice that Chaeyoung wheeled herself around almost immediately and sought Alice's eyes. Indeed, there was grave concern in those brown orbs and some other things.

"What? Nobody!" Chaeyoung replied in an instant, before chewing the gummy worm and swallowed it guiltily, as though she was caught in the act of stealing it.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked and left her desk, striding her long, slender legs, the soles of her stilettos were making a soft sound against the carpet. She made her way to Chaeyoung and pulled the younger Park for a hug. "Are you okay, hun?"

"Yes, Alice," Chaeyoung said, hugging her big sister back as tightly as she could, because Alice would definitely think something was wrong if she wouldn't do it tightly. "Why would you even ask me that kind of question? It's silly," she asked when they parted.

"It wasn't silly to you back then when you came over the last time you were sneaking inside my office, looking exactly like--" Alice gestured her hand from Chaeyoung's head to toe, her eyes particularly lingered on her sister's face, "--this. It was when your tenth goldfish died and I had to cancel all my appointments so I could console you the whole day that day because you were bawling your eyes out. Remember?"

Yes, Chaeyoung remembered it vividly. It was embarrassing.

"Do I look like I'm grieving?" Chaeyoung asked curiously and laughed.

"No. But you definitely don't look happy, either," Alice answered and settled herself in the leather couch, patting the space beside her for Chaeyoung. "What's up, hun?" she asked.

Chaeyoung hesitated for a moment. She had thought of confiding everything to Alice, like she always would even when they were both just children. They were bestfriends. They grew up together and Alice was the best sister in the world for her. Also, she had been rehearsing on her mind all the things that she wanted to tell Alice, all the questions that she would ask Alice, on her way there. She had planned to tell Alice her woes, but her voice was drowned by the sudden and booming voice of the man Chaeyoung knew could only come from one person.

"So, I had a dream that a redhead angel would land and grace us with her presence today. Of course, I didn't believe it at first because it was too good to be true. But Mrs. Nam called my office a minute ago to tell me that my prodigal daughter is in the building. Is Joohwangie XI okay?" Mr. Park had made his presence welcomed unceremoniously through such an introduction. Saying 'so' like he was in a court room, cross-examining the supect.

"Hi, Daddy!" Chaeyoung walked over and hugged and kissed the tall, lean, handsome man on his fifties. "I know that you only made that dream up on your way here and my goldfish is thriving. Thank you very much," she told her father, which made Mr. Park laughed and planted a kiss on Chaeyoung's temple. "And it's Joohwangie, Dad. No Roman numerals."

"Well, you should, sweetheart. It's hard to keep up, especially when you get the same kind of goldfish all the time," Mr. Park laughed and playfully rolled his eyes. "So, what brings you here then if little Joohwang is alive and thriving?" he asked.

"Can't I visit without an agenda?" Chaeyoung pouted and settled herself beside Alice.

"Oh. My bad, sweetheart. Of course, you can," Mr. Park feigned an apologetic look. "But you don't. Not lately, anyway. Your mother thinks you've already emancipated yourself from us, legally. The way you keep on skipping family dinners on Fridays. So, how are you, Pumpkin? Or should I start calling you Ginger now? You changed your hair color again," Mr. Park said good-naturedly, taking a few streaks of Chaeyoung's hair only to let it slip between his fingers.

Chaeyoung was on the verge of blurting out whatever was bothering her but she hesitated and settled to: "I'm. . .good," she said, raising her tone a little after the 'd' and made her sound unsure.

Chaeyoung saw her father, the famous and most sought-after lawyer in South Korea and the nearby countries, exchanging meaningful looks with his eldest daughter, Alice, who was as equally famous and sought-after as their father in the legal field, being one of the best young lawyers in the country and because of her looks--Alice was voted the most beautiful attorney in Seoul, which she thought was the most ridiculous recognition she had ever received but was pleased to received it, anyway--and both looked at her with quizzical looks.

"Do you think your sister is doing 'good', Alice, darling?" Mr. Park asked, eyeing Chaeyoung and then looked at Alice like they were discussing how to sniff out a lie inside a court room.

"Nope. She's definitely not looking 'good', Dad. Little Rosie here looks like she's got something to say. Or ask. Depends on how she'll do it for us," Alice replied, with a hint of humor.

"So, what is it, Roseanne?" Mr. Park asked. His beautiful salt-and-pepper hair was gleaming like a halo on his head.

"Oh my god! Why do I feel like I'm in a courthouse with the two of you ganging up on me to say 'nothing but the truth, so help me God'?" Chaeyoung groaned and chuckled.

This was nothing new, of course, Chaeyoung thought. She was so used to it that whenever Alice and their father would subject her to such interrogation, she would just laugh it off. This was how her family would talk over dinner and mostly she'd be the subject of coaxing and teasing. Probably because she was the youngest and her family claimed that they loved her that much and they felt the need to tease her. Especially her father.

"No pressure, sweetheart. Take your time. Your sister and I have all day," Mr. Park said as he sit languidly on his seat. "Do you want anything? Shall I ask Mrs. Nam to call the cafeteria to bring us something up here? We're actually going organic for a month now. You will love the new menu," he suggested. His legs were crossed and his eyes were looking at his youngest offspring dotingly.

"Thanks, Dad. But I'm not hungry," Chaeyoung lied.

"Of course, she would decline the organic food, Dad. She already had a gummy worm," Alice said.

"See? This is exactly what I've been telling Alice here," Mr. Park told Chaeyoung. "She can't just use gummy worms and M&M's to lure you in. This is unfair on my part, darling. I don't resort to bribery--"

"What? I did not bribe Roseanne to drop by here first, Dad. She was sneaking in, actually," Alice pointed out. "Took me by surprise."

"But perhaps I can ask Mr. Baek to lay out candies and chocolates from the basement all the way up to my office next time our Little Rosie comes over--if it's not too much to ask from him, of course--if it's the only way to lure her there first before you can," Mr. Park said. Mr.Baek was his secretary.

"It's a competition, hun. Dad and I have been betting on it. I guess I win this time," Alice told her with a wink.

"Oh my god! Mom will kill the both of you when she finds out," Chaeyoung said, laughing. Her family might be few of the most intelligent people she ever met but they're immature and funny most of the time.

"No, she won't, sweetheart. She's putting her own bet, too," Mr. Park said.

"Unbelievable!" Chaeyoung said, shaking her head and in mirth. "And for the record, I did not sneak it, Alice. Mrs. Nam told me I can come in. So I did."

"I missed that. That laughter of yours," Mr. Park told Chaeyoung, with those brown eyes of his that could only speak the truth and love.

There was longing, too. And that was the reason why Chaeyoung chose to drop by Alice's office first. Because Alice would never make her feel her guts twisting in complicated knots because of guilt. Guilty of every life choices and decisions she had made, including not being a lawyer like Alice and their father. And his father before him. And their forefathers before them. Like almost everyone in their family.

She had been called the 'Park black sheep' during family reunions, especially after most of their relatives had found out that she had put up a bar in Hongdae, brought her own place and a car, after she sold her share in the firm.

"Such a waste," one lawyer uncle told her disdainfully after learning that she had dropped out of college to finally pursue her passion in music and formed a band of college dropouts like her. She, Ji-In, Jin-Ah and A-yeon. 'The Droppings', they used to call themselves. "Like bird poops," A-yeon would describe themselves in full sarcasm to anyone who would ask why they were called 'The Droppings'. Until they dropped the name few years ago because it became boring. And now, they were 'The Nameless'. Because they haven't decided yet what to officially call themselves.

"I think he's about to cry anytime now," Alice whispered on her ear and laughed.

"We literally are living in the same city and yet you can't pay your old man a visit. You're Mom thinks your keeping things from us? A boyfriend, perhaps?" Mr. Park suggested.

"Oh my god! No, Dad. No, I don't have a boyfriend. You know that," Chaeyoung said. "I'm just. . .I'm--I've been busy. I'm really sorry."

"Apology accepted, Pumpkin. Ginger. Besides, had you been paying us frequent visits, I'd have to stop calling you my 'prodigal daughter', then. And I can't do that because I've been telling my friends that I have a prodigal daughter and she's absolutely thriving in her field of choice," Mr. Park said, there was pride in his voice.

"He's been telling everyone lately that you'd fill an arena someday," Alice told Chaeyoung.

"What? Oh, no. No, Dad. I'm just. . .I haven't thought about going bigtime, yet, actually," Chaeyoung told her father.

"But what's the point of letting you go and allowing you to pursue music when you won't go bigtime, sweetheart?" Mr. Park groaned.

"So you and Mom could finally sleep at night?" Chaeyoung suggested sheepishly.

And all three of them laughed. Their father was the loudest. Because he knew it was partly true. They had initially pushed Chaeyoung to pursue her music because they couldn't sleep in the middle of the night while Chaeyoung, on her highschool years back then, would spend her sleepless nights on her piano, singing and belting out Beyonce songs.

"So, are you going to tell us what's going on, Roseanne Park?" Alice asked after their laughter had died down.

Chaeyoung hesitated and said, "You ever heard of the Kim Group?"

Alice and their father exchanged looks. They were probably wondering why their Roseanne was suddenly interested in something that wasn't involve in music.

"Everyone heard of the Kim Group, hun. I mean, everyone within the corporate and legal circle. They're that group. If you know what I mean?" Alice told her and asked, "Why?"

"What do they do?" Chaeyoung asked.

"Hmm. A lot of things. They're a big conglomerate. Mostly made up of rich, influential families in the business field. They do exporting, mainly textiles and car parts, to Europe and the US. They're also in partnership with a big tech company. . ." Alice replied.

"But I heard they've been a little shaky lately after the passing of Chairman Kim. What with the other Kims fighting among themselves, trying to get hold of the chairmanship, his wife being the interim CEO while their daughter was refusing the chairmanship. The group was in shambles for a year, I think. Until the younger Kim finally stepped in and accepted her fate just a week ago. She'd be leading a group of older businessmen who mostly cannot accept how the world works nowadays. Poor girl," their father said, shaking his head.

"You mean, Jennie?" Chaeyoung asked and she could swore how Alice and their father's eyes almost did a double-flip when they both looked at her in utter shock. "What?" she asked them.

"How do you Jennie Kim, Miss Roseanne Park?" Alice demanded.

"Well, I--but why do you look so shocked, Alice?" Chaeyoung asked. She was intrigued by her sister's reaction.

"Because Jennie Kim has always been an elusive character. She'd been MIA for months after the death of her father. She had been sheltered from the public eye almost all her life, until recently, of course. And I believe that you have never been interested with anything about other people's businesses at all, except the Orange," Alice explained. "So, what's up, hun? What's going on?"

"I did something stupid and I'm worried about Lisa," Chaeyoung said, biting her lip.

"What happened, Roseanne?" Mr. Park asked. And Chaeyoung knew that she was in a possible verge of grave telling-off when her father would call her by her name.

And so she told them what happened at her bar two night ago, skipping some details, especially about the parr where Jisoo kissed her and she kissed the idiot back to get even and the bickerings that she and Jisoo had shared. She told them about Jennie and Jisoo's relationship with the Kim Group and what Jisoo had told her about what the Kim Group would do if things would get worst. She told them about Jennie and Lisa, but left the part about the two being romantically close because it wasn't her secret to tell. She told them about her woes. "What if they'll come after me? Or Lisa?" she told them more than once.

Alice and their father were listening intently. Mr. Park would nod his head or furrowed his brows sometimes. Alice, on the other hand, probly thought everything was funny because she had that funny look on her face. But turned grim when Chaeyoung got to the part about Jisoo's assumptions. And when Chaeyoung was done talking, her father was the first to clear his throat to speak.

"But I thought you're in love with Lisa, sweetheart?" he asked. "How come Lisa is involved with Jennie Kim now? I don't understand."

"Freakin' Jennie Ruby Jane Kim, of all people. Wow!" Alice gasped beside her.

"Dad!" Chaeyoung exclaimed, red in the face. "Oh my god! Out of all the things I told, you still think about that?" she groaned.

It was an open secret, of course. They had never really talked about it but her family knew that she was in love with Lisa since forever. And that was one of the reasons why Chaeyoung would always run towards them when something was bothering her. Because she knew they would never judge her and the choices that she would make.

"Honey, your mother thinks that the reason why you've been skipping our weekly family dinner for months now is because you and Lisa are living together and you both aren't ready to share the happy news with us," Mr. Park said.

Chaeyoung looked at Alice, ready to burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea. Because she had never once welcomed the idea of her and Lisa living together in one roof and being romantically involved. Which was strange for someone who had been harbouring secret feelings for her bestfriend for years. But Alice only nodded, affirming what their father had said.

Chaeyoung sighed. "There's no Lisa and I, Dad. We're just bestfriends," she said. "I mean, yes. I was in love with Lisa. I still do love her. But it's a lot different now. Besides, she's. . .she doesn't feel the same way. And it's okay. I'm okay."

And that was the weird part, actually. That she just woke up one day and suddenly came to realize that it wasn't the same anymore. That the love she was having for Lisa wasn't the kind that would break her heart again. Too soon, she told herself too many times. Too soon to let go of the love that had been keeping her heart beating in frantics everyday eversince she found out that she was in love with Lisa. But it wasn't the same anymore.

"What about this Jisoo?" her father asked.

"What about her?" asked Chaeyoung absent-mindedly.

Her father shrugged.

"I don't know, sweetheart. You tell me. What about her?" Mr. Park said with a smile hinting on his eyes.

"I think she's my sworn enemy, Dad," Chaeyoung said and chuckled. "I'm not even sure if Jisoo and I are friends, actually. We kind of annoy each other," she said.

"So, what do you want us to do, hun?" Alice asked. "I mean, I'm sure you're here for a reason. Right?"

"I don't know. I just. . . Maybe I just wanted you, guys, to know what's going on? So that if anything weird ever happens, you will know," Chaeyoung replied.

"I'll ask my team to look into the national security law. And if Jisoo's father's security company is violating you and Lisa's privacy, then we'll have to take legal action, okay?" Alice said.

"But will the law cover Lisa's privacy, though? I mean, she's not Korean," Chaeyoung said.

"I'll personally make sure that she will be protected by the law, sweetheart. Don't worry about it," Mr. Park said. "But I don't think Lisa will ever need it. She's got the whole Thailand to do that for her."

"I still can't believe that Lisa is involved with Jennie Kim. Holy crap! This is going to be crazy if anyone will ever find out," Alice said.

"Why?" Chaeyoung asked her elder sister.

"Look, hun. We have people from all the departments in the government. We are provided with legal documents and access to look into people's assets. We're asked to protect them, defend them. You know the drill. And people tell tales, hun. When Chairman Kim passed away, the revenue was looking into his net worth and it was worth more than a trillion won. It's huge! Their family is one of South Korea's richest. If the media will find out or anyone from the Kim Group will find out about them, it's going to be a huge scandal. Especially when they find out who Lisa is," Alice explained. "Does Lisa know about this?"

"Jennie had probably told her already. I haven't talk to her about this, though. She's busy working on her lab. The idiot," Chaeyoung said, rolling her eyes.

"You and Lisa. The rebel duo," Mr. Park said and chuckled. "You shouldn't worry too much about Lisa, sweetheart. If Lisa is working on her lab right now, then you should know that she knows what's happening and she knows what she's doing. Lisa is smart and a strong woman. And I'm going to say this again: She's got the whole Thailand to back her up when the going gets tough. Okay?"

"Don't worry too much, hun. We'll take care of it. I promise," Alice said, holding her hand reassuringly. "I'll call you as soon as my team finds anything. Okay?"

Chaeyoung nodded and said, "Can we please go down to the cafeteria? I'm hungry. I haven't eaten a proper meal for two days now."

Alice and their father both laughed at her predicament.

"Come on, let's go. We'll call your mother and let's dine out together," Mr. Park said as he heaved himself up from the leathered seat. "I miss eating with my three beautiful girls."

Chaeyoung should be relieved from her growing anxiety. She knew that Alice, their father and more than a thousand of attorneys that their firm was employing--theirs being the best and largest law firm in South Korea and was included in the list of top 100 best law firms in the world--would do everything to protect her and Lisa. But there, seated deep inside the caverns of her anxious mind was the looming fear that one day, things might get ugly because of her. Because of her recklessness and impulsiveness of claiming that equally impulsive and reckless Jisoo Kim in front of everyone. It was suppose to be a joke. But why did it feel like the joke was on her?