*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 11
*~*~*~*~*~*

           “Ugh!” Susan shrilled, shattering the silence.
           She threw herself onto her bed, with the encounter she had with Jiwon yesterday still stuck in her mind. She rolled her eyes at the ceiling, trying to clear her thoughts but with avail.
           “Er! Jiwon!” she screamed, frustrated.
           She had pushed Jiyong to the very end of her brain and Jiwon just had to come along and dig all back out. She jumped off her bed and sauntered to her full length mirror, making funny faces.
           “Damn you, Jiwon. I hate you.”
           Although she was saying that, but at the moment she know she can’t deny the fact that she used to have a crush on him. His exotic, dark, sexy eyes and cute mouth drawing a smirk. His thin frame, not too tall like Jiyong and not too short displayed an arrogant and haughtiness of him. His moves made him look even more gorgeous. Slick and clean cut. Definitely a player.
           Before she started dating Jiyong, she met Jiwon through Soowon and Miyoung. At the time, Soowon and Miyoung made the cutest couple Susan had ever laid eyes on and still to this day, Susan still thinks they’re the most compatible match.
           Jiwon, who was about seventeen or eighteen at the time was a straight up player. Red convertible, shades, hats, flowers, his lines, his flows, his smirk, his eyes....To think she would ever end up with him was a dream, until her parents decided to pair her up with Jiyong.
           It was a complete ‘mission impossible.’ Jiyong was like an ‘oppa’ to her, being a few months older and so...so...unmanly-like like Jiwon. It took Soowon and Miyoung and Seonghoon’s and Jaeduk’s loud mouths to convince the two to give the relationship a try.
           Jaejin, being the quiet guy he is, just wished Jiyong luck and never spoke to her. He continued about with his business with his dance group and his other friends, always ignoring her.
           She finally give into all the nagging and found herself growing quite fond of Jiyong. But picturing herself with him wasn’t the way how she saw herself with Jiwon.
           As time went on, she got closer to Jiwon, knowing him first hand. But what she learned of him wasn’t pleasing to the ear. He snapped at her too often and was always cold to her. She never fully understood the reason why nor know what the reason was. Whatever it was, it was bad and ugly. Soon the rest of Jiyong’s friends were being rude and mean to her. It wasn’t obviously shown, but they’ve hinted it. Even Miyoung, who she wasn’t even familiar with, showed a little difference.
           While she reminisced the old times, the cell phone on her dresser table rang forever. Finally jolting back to the present, she strode over to her dresser and picked up her phone. “Yeboseyo?”
           “Susan?”
           “Miyoung?”
           “Yeah, have you talked to Jiyong lately?”
           Susan rolled her eyes at the question. “Of course I have,” she replied sarcastically.
           “I’m serious, Susan.”
           “No. I haven’t spoken to him since the accident.”
           “Why not?”
           “Why do you want to know everything?”
           “Why can’t I know everything?”
           “Miyoung, get a life.”
           “Susan, get a personality.”
           Susan pursed her lips, ready for the next attack.
           “Has he called you?”
           Susan ignored Miyoung and held the phone away from her ear.
           “Fuck you, bitch.”
           Susan brought the phone to her ear once again upon hearing silence. “Hello? Miyoung?”
           Miyoung slammed the phone down and whirled around to face Jaejin. “Some nerve!”
           “What happened?” Jaejin asked softly.
           “She’s being her usual bitchy self,” Miyoung said scathingly.
           “She’ll call him.”
           “How would you know?”
           “I just do.”
           “How?”
           Jaejin just shrugged. “I just do, don’t ask me.”
           “I wonder how Chomee’s doing?”
           “She’s good.”
           “How - ”
           “Jiyong didn’t beat her up...Yet.”
           “Yet?!” Miyoung shrieked.
           Jaejin nodded, looking up from his drawing. “I think Jiyong may come to like that girl. She’s quiet.”
           “You haven’t even met her!”
           “No, but Jaeduk was mocking her when I was over at Seonghoon’s house earlier.”
           “That boy is so cruel.”
           “He scared the living hell outta her. She actually thought he had a heart attack.”
           “It’s not funny. Her mother’s ill.”
           “Oh.”
           “Just tell him to stop. He’ll have a heart attack soon enough if he keeps on doing that.”
           “Uh-huh. Jaeduk tells me she’s cute.”
           “He met her?”
           “So did Seonghoon and the rest. They were taking turns telling me on my way here.”
           “Soowon met her too?”
           “Yeah. Trust me, he still likes you.”
           Miyoung shook her head, disagreeing. “Nah-uh.”
           “Yesuh. He won’t say it, but it’s the solid truth. He likes you.”
           “Jiyong’s finally opening up?” Miyoung asked, ignoring his comment.
           “Nah. They’re only going to meet Chomee. I can’t go.”
           “Why not?”
           “I dunno.”
           “You’re strange.”
           “I know. I dunno.”
           Miyoung giggled.
           “Well, my job here is done. How ya like it?”
           Miyoung gasped.
           “Is it really that bad?”
           Miyoung gawked at the sketch Jaejin made and choked, trying to speak. “Cho-Cho- ”
           “What?”
           “Chomeeeee,” she hissed, grabbing her throat.
           “Chomee?”
           “Uh-huh.”
           Jaejin stared hard at his drawing, perplexed. Chomee?
           “How do you know she looks like that?”
           “I dunno. I seriously don’t.”

*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 12
*~*~*~*~*~*

           “What’s taking Jaejin so long?” Jaeduk cried impatiently, jumping up and down.
           “Jaejin?” Chomee murmured, looking up from her tray of lemonade.
           “Yeah, he said he going to get something over at Miyoung’s house and it’s taking forever,” Jaeduk whined, stomping on his feet.
           “Miyoung? You guys know Miyoung too?”
           “Yeah, why you know her too?” Seonghoon asked, watching Chomee’s wide eyes.
           “She’s my roommate!”
           “Roommate?” Soowon said slowly.
           “When was this?” Jiwon asked curiously, sipping his glass of lemonade.
           “Uh...way back in - ”
           “Jaejin sir’s here!” a servant announced.
           “He’s here! He’s here!” Jaeduk cried, running to the door.
           “Where is she? Where is she?!” Jaejin hollered, running into the room.
           “Whoa! Calm down my boy! She’s cute, but hold your horses!” Jaeduk laughed.
           Jaejin froze at the sight of Chomee, dropping the box he carried as she turn around to face him.
           “Jaejin,” Seonghoon began, getting up from his seat.
           “Yoo-Yoo-Yoon,” Jaejin stammered uncontrollably.
           “Jaejin, are you alright?” Jiwon asked as he set down his glass and strode over to his friend.
           “Hey, hyung, what’s going on?” Soowon whispered, jabbing Jaejin.
           “Cho-Cho-Chomee?” Jaejin managed to mumble weakly.
           Chomee looked around at Jiyong’s friend uneasily before nodding.
           “Jaejin,” Seonghoon repeated, stepping in front of Chomee.
           “Yoon...Yoon...You’re the girl,” Jaejin muttered unbelievably.
           “Cute, huh?” Jaeduk smirked.
           “JAEDUK!” Jiwon’s voice rang out angrily.
           Jaejin made a move towards Chomee, but Seonghoon backed away. “What are you doing?”
           Chomee buried her face into Seonghoon’s shoulder as frightened tears sprung to her eyes. Jiwon reached for Jaejin’s arm before anything else happens.
           “You...”
           Seonghoon stepped further away, nearly stepping on Chomee’s feet.
           “You...”
           Chomee’s lips trembled at Jaejin’s wild look.
           “Hyung,” Soowon called out softly.
           “You’re that girl in my picture. Yoon Shikbae’s daughter,” Jaejin finally let out.

*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 13
*~*~*~*~*~*

           “Yoon Shikbae?!” the five other voices cried out in unison.
           “Yeah. She’s Yoon Shikbae’s daughter,” Jaejin confirmed.
           Chomee stared wordlessly at the strange man.
           “Aren’t you?”Jaejin asked, the wild look still on his face.
           Chomee could only utter a cry similar to an animal and lifted her face from Seonghoon’s shoulder.
           “Your father’s the one that got beaten by the public?” Jaeduk asked in awe.
           Chomee nodded, her father’s bruised face flashing in front of her.
           “Wow. You just disappeared,” Jiwon breathed, his face glowing.
           “I had to,” Chomee replied thickly.
           “What’s all this racket?”
           All six of them whirled around at the voice. Jiyong, dressed in his baggy jeans and a t-shirt, towered over them on the landing of the stairs.
           “Jiyong!” Jiwon and Seonghoon chorused.
           Jiyong cocked his head to one side, recognizing his best friends’ voices. “Jiwon and Seonghoon?”
           “Me, too!” Jaeduk squealed like a little boy.
           “Who let you in?” Jiyong demanded.
           “I did,” Chomee answered, anchoring her head.
           “Who asked you to?” Jiyong asked angrily.
           “I-I-I...They said they wanted to see you.”
           “Without my permission, you are not to do ANYTHING! Hear me?!” Jiyong screamed with rage.
           Chomee bit back her tears. “Yessir.”
           “Jiyong, be fair. Chomee - ”
           “I don’t care,” Jiyong cut off.
           “HOW DARE YOU?!” Jiwon thundered, his voice shaking the floor.
           Chomee shrunk behind Seonghoon again and Seonghoon reached for her hands.
           “How dare you talk to your hyung like that?” Jiwon stated, his voice low and dangerous.
           “Easy,” Jiyong responded mildly.
           “Don’t think just because you are a TAD richer, you can be an ass when you want to be,” Jiwon fumed furiously.
           “You’re in my house! You abide my rules! I don’t give a rat’s a - ”
           “Would you all just SHUT UP!!!!” Soowon exploded.
           Silence took over the room and everyone stood around looking grim.
           “I’m sorry,” Chomee apologized, her hands tightening Seonghoon’s.
           “It’s not your fault,” Jiwon croaked, wiping a tear off Chomee’s face.
           “First you take over my servants, now you invade my home. What next?! My life!??”
           “I’m sorry,” Chomee apologized again, pushing Seonghoon and Jiwon to the door.
           “Cho - ” Seonghoon started to whisper.
           “Just go. It’s only getting worse. Just go,” she choked, shoving Seonghoon away. She turned around to pull Jaeduk to the entrance of the room and had to slapped his hand off her in order to break away.
           “Chomee...”
           “I’m sorry, Jaejin. You have to leave.”
           “It’s not that. Miyoung asked me to bring that over. She said you might need them,” Jaejin explained, acknowledging the box.
           “Oh!” A weak smile. “Thank you. Tell Miyoung I said ‘hi.’”
           “I will. Be careful.”
           “I will,” Chomee vowed, walking them to the door.
           “Chomee.”
           Chomee closed the door after Jaejin and went back to the living room.
           “Yes?” she replied, raising her head.
           “Who are you?”

           “I am positively sure! She is Yoon Shikbae’s daughter!”
           “But how?! I thought she’s dead!”
           “I thought so too! But isn’t it obvious that she isn’t?! She looks just like him!”
           “No. She looks more like Jinjoo.”
           “But she has his cheekbones.”
           “True, true.”
           “But where’s her mother?”
           “Dead, possibly?”
           “No. If she’s dead then why would Chomee come all the way out here? There has to be a reason. Jinjoo can’t be dead.”
           “So what if she isn’t? What’s it to us? They don’t have anything to do with us!”
           “Oh, boy.”
           “Are you kidding?”
           “Who knows what that michinom Jinjoo’s thinking! She’s probably out for revenge!”
           “Revenge?! For what?”
           “Do you think she knows?”
           “I think so.”
           “Knows what?!”
           “That’s why Chomee’s here?”
           “I dunno.”
           “What’s going on!!!?!”
           The two men looked over at a baffled Mrs. Ko. She glared at them furiously, dragging from her cigarette occassionally.
           “Yoon Shikbae? You have to remember him. He was that guy - ”
           “Of course I do!” Mrs. Ko snapped at her husband.
           “Chomee’s his daughter.”
           “So? What does that have anything to do with us?”
           “Jiyong. She’s probably out to kill Jiyong.”
           “KILL JIYONG!!!!?? WHY?!”
           “You remember how it was all over the newspapers that Yoon Shikbae was beaten to death?” Mr. Ko’s friend piped.
           “Yes,” Mrs. Ko hissed, shaking uncontrollably.
           “Because he - ”
           “GET ON WITH IT!!!”
           “Well...we lend him some money like the rest of the people,” Mr. Ko quickly finished.
           Mrs. Ko remained silent at the new discovery and very slowly and quietly, she asked, “You know Yoon Shikbae?”
           “Used to go to school together,” Mr. Ko answered.
           “And you lent money out to him?” Mrs. Ko asked, her voice growing softer.
           “Thinking he would repay me.”
           “And at the end?” Mrs. Ko whispered.
           “He couldn’t.”
           “And so you decided to be idiotic and beat the stupid man,” Mrs. Ko murmured inaudibly.
           “Say wut?” Mr. Ko’s companion asked.
           “SO NOW YOU PUT MY SON’S LIFE ON THE LINE!!!!?” she scream with blinding fury.
           “I thought we killed them,” Mr. Ko frowned, exchanging glances with his friend.
           “No, we followed to see if they got killed. We didn’t kill them,” his friend corrected.
           “I don’t care. You! You’re a hitman, aren’t you?” Mrs. Ko pointed at her husband’s friend.
           “Sure. Your - ”
           “Kill her.”
           “Whaaa?!”
           “Kill her. Tonight, before she kills my son.”
           “But Miss! We’re not cer - ”
           “What if you are?! What if you’re certain at the very end and my son’s dead?!”
           “Alright. I’ll do it,” the friend said reluctantly, giving in.
           “Do it at night. Smother her with a pillow, make it clean and keep the noise level down. Here’s the address,” Mrs. Ko commanded, scribing down her son’s address. “There’ll be a handsome reward when you’ve completed it.”
           “Do, did and done,” the friend smiled, pocketing the address.