The pain is sudden - a bolt that scorches its way through her veins with an intensity that could buckle her knees. Eun steadies her, his hand cold against her elbow, brows frowned in concern.

“Noona why don’t you sit down for a bit?” He asks mildly, looking worried. “I’m sure your friend will take time to arrive.”

His hand is insistent, steering her away from the corridor, bowing to an occasional acquaintance until he reaches a door.

“It’s my office temporarily -” he flashes a grin of a indulgent child showing his toy cupboard before pushing in. “Come - you can wait here.”

“You have an office here?” In spite of her worries, there is a hint of surprise in her tone.

“Mu hyung has been good to me - aish, I should call him chairman Hwang or something right?” He bustles around, while Soo settles herself on the couch. “Since I supposedly revived his brother, he wanted me to wait around and monitor his progress.”

“You -” Ha Jin bits back the question. Was it Eun who revived So, or hadn’t it been Wook? Was not he the one that went back with her, taking the antidote?

“So hyung called me up after the little run in with your uncle.” Eun says, taking a seat himself. “That’s how I knew exactly where to find him. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t worry about him Noona, he is many things - but not a fool.”

She had already known he drank it willingly, the poison her uncle set for him. Her heart aches to think that he came looking for her rather than saving his own life - Eun continues, gently taking hold of her wrist.

“I thought it was Wook -”

“Senior Hwang?” Eun’s expression darkens at the mention. “One of these days I’d love to talk to him about his diagnoses at length. He has been playing with too many people…” So Wook had just let her believe he was helping - trying to win back her favor. “Which brings us back to my original purpose, I’d like to have some tests conducted on you - noona,” he says seriously.

“Tests? What kind of tests?”

He pats the back of her hand, before quickly taking her pulse and drawing away.

“Your accident happened long back - you should be properly healed by now.”

His words leave her throat burning, and her eyes prickle with unease.

He wouldn’t find out I’m dying or something once again would he… she thinks, reflecting back to the encounter with the royal physician thousand years ago. The man had told her she had only a decade left of her life. The need to live burns inside her with a renewed vigor and she realizes it has little to do with her own greed for life.I want to live with him - a little longer. Her own thoughts of yore comes back to haunt her recollections.

“So hyung believes they’ve been poisoning you as well - and honestly after the TUE fiasco I have little trust in that brother of his.”

**

Woo Hee fiddles with her thumbs, confessions - she realizes - are not conjured out of thin air and she had been carrying around her guilt for far too long. She had always been running away, she admits reluctantly. It was one of the reasons why she did not appreciate running into her childhood best friend, who used to be her flatmate during university, after all these years taken to overwrite their hurtful parting.

He had accused her of trying to drive a wedge between him and his new found sweetheart. More than his words - the enlightenment had broken her. For until that moment she had been giving self - made excuses, justifying that what she had been doing was to protect her friend - for his own interest. The girl had been too secretive and aloof for his own good - she had convinced herself that she was trying to protect him from a possible heartbreak.

It was only after he had gone home for vacation did Woo Hee found out that she was in fact an engaged woman - the knowledge had only made her feel surer about what she had done.

It was too simple to waste a thought over - with her technical prowess it had taken some part of a minute to make sure Baek Ah would not receive any more messages from this virtual girlfriend he had made. The girl had not simply stopped there - but restored to post, a package she had hidden at the bottom of her own trunk. He didn’t even know her real name for lord’s sake - Woo Hee had thought, shaking her head - when instead it had been she who unearthed everything there was to know about this PrincessRed21, whose offline name was Hae Myung Hee. The heiress to Haes who was going to marry one of the Hwang sons. Baek Ah wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Of cause she had never gone around telling him all that for when he found out why he had not been getting any communication from his virtual sweetheart - it is a underestimation to say he had been livid. Afterwards - he had never given her a chance to speak to him.

But she knew enough of what there was to know - even after she had revised the block, she had not reached out to contact him. She had not thought much of it - knowing at her heart that their relationship (if you could call it that) had an expiry date set even before it started. But it was only after hearing the hurtful words he hurled at her - with her conscience rubbed raw, she could see clearly what a monster she had been.

The girl had died and Baek Ah still did not know because she was cruel enough to withhold what she knew - which could have probably guided him to her as a compensation for her own broken heart. She had not even realized she loved him until she had started to hate him - until she had unknowingly hurt him far more than she would have been allowed to.

And she did the only thing she had always done. Instead of facing her guilt, looking into his eyes and finding distaste in them, she had left to pick up the pieces of her life elsewhere. Had her job and that of his own had not crossed paths, Woo Hee wouldn’t be here today.

Baek Ah had came after her, after their joint search operation for Hwang So and apologized for everything he had said, thanking her for still considering him a friend enough to help. She could hardly stand listening to his profound apologies, while her own guilt clotted her airway. He was offering her an unconditional friendship again - the poor man had no idea what a snake she had been.

So it had came around that she had decided to come clean once and for all.

“Hae Myung Hee,” she says - walking up to him where they had decided to meet.

“Pardon?” He says.

“Her name was Hae Myung Hee - that girl, PrincessRed21. I’ve known - I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you - didn’t tell you. It’s - I’ve been horrible. I was angry that she was going to marry one of the Hwangs and she kept it secret from you. It wasn’t my place to judge - I was wrong.”

When he doesn’t say anything she dares to look up, prepared to see the utter disgust that might have contorted his features. Instead her eyes widen in surprise.

“You knew?”

“I found out,” he says slowly. “It’s been a while since her death.”

“Do you still…” she lets her voice trail off unable to phrase her question.

“Have you managed to move on yet?” He asks skeptically and then shrugs. “I guess it’s same for both of us.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I’m trying to find out how she died. Some say it was an accident - some say a suicide - some say a murder. I want to know who is right.”

“Is that why you got yourself attached to Hwang So?”

“At the beginning…” he confesses looking a little ashamed. “He has no connection to it. So hyung is a good man.”

“Why would somebody…” it clicks to her as the words leave her mouth. Why would somebody want her dead - could it be that she already had the answer. But before she could divulge that to Baek Ah her mobile begins to vibrate displaying Ha Jin’s contact. A beat later Beak Ah’s phone rings from his pocket.

**

His phone has gone out of range - Ha Jin thinks tossing her own between her hands staring at Woo Hee’s ceiling lighting up with first rays of sunlight while lying on her couch. She had been battling demons old and new all through the night and still feels wide awake, worry eating her away. With distant sounds of Woo Hee’s prepping for breakfast (which Ha Jin had offered to help for the dire need of occupying her mind elsewhere - and got refused ) an old memory surfaces unbidden.

Her hand on his hair, his head heavy on her shoulder. She has forgotten that place - it might have been Myung Hee’s green house - where they sat against one of the isles leaden with orchids, shortly after Tae’s ban was announced.

“I didn’t complain - I didn’t mean it that way,” his voice is muffled against her skin and she continues to stroke his head lost in her own thoughts. She was responsible of bringing it about - Ha Jin thinks. It was she who had urged So to take Tae’s behaviour to his father - who in turn had unearthed that his older son was addicted to a banned substance which was responsible for his deteriorating personality. They had not anticipated it - but were instrumental in Tae’s downfall nevertheless.

Greed - she recognizes - fills her to the brim. She holds the secret inside her for a minute longer, basking in the feeling of So leaning against her. When she speaks - once she finds her courage - he would not want anything to do with her.

But he interprets her silence differently. Pulling back, So stares at her with a sinking expression.

“You believe me don’t you?” He sounds insecure - scared. Her eyes brim with tears, she had never felt so wanted before.

“Your dad came to see me after school...” she hears her own voice confessing. “Why didn’t you tell me about the US transfer offer?” He blinks at her stupidly, before squaring his shoulders.

“I’m not going.” He announces.

“But it’s a once in a life time chance - So! You could graduate from a State’s university, get trained there - not to mention the sponsorship -”

“I’m not going!”

“Aish - here I was imagining having a US return boyfriend.” She tells him with a pout, folding her arms. He pulls at her ponytail - earning a glare.

“Here I thought my girlfriend wouldn’t be so eager to pack me off to states.” He imitates her tone.

“It’s not like you are going to Mars,” she tries to laugh it off, but he catches the prickle in her eyes, his grin dims off before his hand reaches out to cup her jaw.

“What’s wrong?” He asks with a frown. “He didn’t blame you or something right? I thought - wait - does he know?”

“He doesn’t.” She shakes her head. “He thinks I’m your best friend - who could drive things into your thick head. It’s not about your father.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s -” She swallows. “It’s your brother.”

“Tae?”

“He came over to see uncle yesterday - during the family dinner. I heard them argue.” His hand squeezes hers and she inhales deeply. “He accused uncle for doping him. Saying he was the one who - introduced - that stuff.”

“I’m not surprised.” So says darkly. “He was their race horse.”

“Don’t you - don’t you hate him for it?”

“Ha Jin - ah,” he flicks her forehead. “Do you think I’m blind not to see you have nothing to do with your uncle?” He snuggles closer, an arm around her waist and head back on her shoulder. “Your uncle and my father has nothing to do with us.”

“Let’s go somewhere -” She says suddenly as the idea occurs to her. “We both need a break from your father and my uncle.”

As the memory shifts and dissolves into her much darker thoughts, Ha Jin sits upright, a decision made. She dials a number she used to know by heart a long time ago and takes a route of exchanging lines from the Hwang manner to finally the personal office of Assemblyman Hwang.

He picks up before one ring is completed, catching her off guard and speechless.

“Go Ha Jin Ssi?” he says without preamble. “Where is my son?”