AU: My promised Heirs story. I took the characters as they were presented to us first. Eun Sang is sometimes pessimistic and has sense of humor (at least she thinks she does). Tan is a former bad boy, flung out to a foreign land where he cultivates his thoughtful side. Young Do is very smart and gets bored easily. He is also very damaged and his entertainment is of peculiar kind. He likes to toy with people.

I am loosely following the show, but you will see differences immediately.

America greeted Cha Eun Sang with plenty of sunshine and little of comfort. She had a minor misunderstanding with a fellow Korean girl, who was ditched by her guy and lied about it on the phone. Eun Sang should have known better than to be amused by the situation. Because karma was real and it swiftly kicked her for being mean even in her thoughts. Her sister has lied about her life in America - something that Eun Sang suspected, but hoped wasn't true. Unni also took all the money from Eun Sang and ran. Further misfortunes fell upon Eun Sang like it was a monsoon season and she was penniless, passportless, and had no place to sleep by the nightfall. The one guy who spoke Korean was very suspicious and she trusted him as far as she could throw him. Which wasn't very far: the guy was way taller than her...

She huddled on the porch of the house that unni shared with her fiancé, but no one was there and Eun Sang was realizing that all her horror movie watching didn't prepare her for the reality of being in a foreign country with no means. How did it happen? How did the practical and responsible Eun Sang ended up in this situation? It must be because she dared to dream beyond her situation. She thought she might get a break from the drudgery of her life by joining unni. She should have known - it was too good to be true. She hugged her knees close and tried to reason with herself. Navel-gazing was for the more fortunate than her. She had no such luxuries as self-pity and indulgence. She had to work for every little bit in her life and dreaming was limited to things attainable and practical.

Then the suspected drug dealer returned in his sports car and offered a place to spend the night. Eun Sang was very conflicted. On one hand, he might be a drug dealer with the side business of harvesting human organs. On the other, she had very little options other than sleeping on the porch and he was helpful earlier in the hospital and with the police...

"May I use your phone?" she asked instead.

"Why? Trying to call your unni? From what I've seen, she isn't keen on welcoming her sister," he spoke lazily and there was a hint of smirk in his eyes.

"Right... And now I think that you don't have siblings. If you did, you'd know siblings squabble, but that's just normal cause you can't help but love them. So, the phone?"

The guy was strangely affected by her words: the hint of amusement was gone and he looked away from her briefly.

"Who are you planning to call? Parents? Friends? Boyfriend?"

"If you don't want to lend me you phone, just say so. What's with the interrogation? Are you trying to prevent me from telling someone about where I am? You know, you aren't making yourself more trustworthy."

"I was trying to help you, but you're so ungrateful."

"Duh... I'm just being cautious. Also, it was your friend who tried to take my bean paste and got himself an allergic reaction. And then the police apparently know you too well. Which, I wonder, why?"

Kim Tan ignored this hint and sighed, "Are you suggesting I must help you now, because it's my fault?"

"Well, you are here now. Maybe it's your guilty conscience." Eun Sang shrugged, "Anyway, the phone?"

More sighing and finally he pulled his phone out, "If I let you use it, are you coming with me?"

"If my contact isn't available to pick me up, then - yes."

He rolled his eyes hard and gave her the phone. Calling Chang Young was a good idea. He was in America and would be able to get her soon. She only had to survive two more days. She was going to ask him to lend her money for the return ticket, but it wasn't a phone conversation.*

They drove in silence and Eun Sang was almost nodding off as the long flight and even longer day were catching up with her.

"Was it your boyfriend?"

"Huh? Oh, no! Nope!" Eun Sang almost laughed. If only Lee Bo Na heard it. She'd cause a royal row if anyone thought Eun Sang was Chang Young's girlfriend. That girl was jealous with capital J. "He's a good childhood friend."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I've got zero time to waste on boyfriends."

"Waste? Are you a love skeptic then?"

"Nah... I meant it literally. I am always busy and have little time for dating and such."

"Sure, sure..." he sounded like he was mocking her.

She shrugged it off. She had no intentions to get deep with this guy: he was a temporary housemate and that was it.

His house was impressive. Large, spacious, airy, it had that sheen of wealth in everything. Expensive furnishings and details of design were spare, but tasteful. What was weird though was the fact he obviously lived here alone. Now that she had spent time with him, she realized he was fairly young. Maybe her age. So, what was his family situation? Just as quickly as the thought came, she shook it off: he was just a temporary housemate.

She managed to call her mother and lied through her teeth that everything was fine. She thought she'd be able to fall asleep immediately, but the time difference was keeping her tired, but awake. She wondered out of her room in search of food and found her host awake too. They awkwardly shared cold sandwich and he commented on her ease in telling white lies to her mother.

Eun Sang shrugged, "It won't help anyone if mom knows the whole truth. She won't be able to do anything about it either. Why burden her?"

He was quiet for a while and then, "Do you really believe it? That families members just quarrel, but always love each other?"

"I always thought that one may not like their family, but one always loves them. If you grew up with them, have shared meals, holidays and ordinary disasters, then it is part of that shared family history that makes up the indefinable connection of where mere fights don't break the bond."

"So you are mad at your unni, but..."

"But if she is in trouble and needs me, then I guess I'll be there. Mom always said that once she's gone, unni and I have only each other left in the world. I don't want to lose that one person in the world just because I happen to be mad at her over something."

He looked wistful, "Your mom sounds like a great woman."

Eun Sang sighed, feeling a little guilty recalling how often she was secretly disappointed with her lot in life, "She is my mom. By definition, she's the best. And your mom is the best for you. That's how it works, right?"

It was his turn to sigh, "Right."

Eun Sang finished her late meal and collapsed on the bed.

Next morning she wondered if Kim Tan, who turned out to be a wealthy student, was homesick or something. Cause why was he talking about taking her to his school with him? She gave him an impressive raised brow, but he smirked back and reminded her that she was new to America, didn't have money or a car, and wasn't she interested in some sightseeing?

She was, so she agreed to come to his school.

The day was actually not bad. Eun Sang was amazed by the campus and was wistful thinking things like that were out of her reach. Kim Tan knew the area and after his classes, they did the tourist-y stuff. Too bad she didn't have her phone with her to take pictures...

Of course, all good things come to end and when Eun Sang was back at his place alone, because he went to get her passport from the police, she found out he had a fiancee. Karma ensured that it was the girl from the airport. Yoo Rachel was tall, glamorous, and bitchy. She was like the meaner version of Lee Bo Na in that she was very possessive of her man and extremely rude to Eun Sang.

"An acquaintance?" Rachel drawled the word with so much disbelief that Eun Sang understood all possible meanings of it, i.e., Eun Sang was too beneath them, Eun Sang was too ugly, Eun Sang was too uncouth, Eun Sang was too inconsequential, to be an acquaintance to Kim Tan.

"I am. As of yesterday," Eun Sang decided that karma had its fill with her and sassed back.

Rachael frowned at her downmarket t-shirt and jeans combination as though she disapproved and Eun Sang was fine with that: she disapproved too, but 'visit America dress as an American,' and while she managed to scrounge up money for the one way ticket, it left her with no clothing allowance.

"He didn't tell me anything about houseguests," Rachael said just before the disapproving pause stretched into bite me territory. "How do I know you didn't break in here and steal stuff?"

"Well, he didn't tell me he had a fiancée. How do I know you're telling the truth?" Eun Sang wasn't trying to provoke the other girl, but it was reasonable question.

Rachael pursed her lips and marched towards the sofa. "I should call the police on you."

"You totally should. Say hi to Officer Brown for me. He knows Kim Tan, and I met him yesterday. Ohh! Maybe Kim Tan is still there? He went to the police station." Not that Eun Sang was keen on the have more police encounters, but after the whole bean-allergy-hospital-passport thing she was not fazed by the the threat of the police. Plus, she figured, people like Rachael didn't want police attention.

Rachael sniffed at Eun Sang and called someone on her phone. Whoever it was, they didn't answer, which made Rachael's mood even worse if it were possible. Eun Sang was about to ask her if she called Kim Tan only to be ignored, but she wasn't a bitch, so instead she tried to be polite.

"So... While we are at the impasse here, do you want something to drink? I think there is juice and soda in the fridge, although the milk is out. Huh... I guess I should tell him to buy some more."

Rachael was livid now. She glared at Eun Sang with enough hatred to fuel a small town, "Yah! How shameless! Are you taunting me that you live here with another woman's fiancee and playing domestic with him?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter! I am just a fellow Korean, stranded by circumstances at this place until my friend shows up. Don't you trust your fiancé?"

"How dare you speak to me like this?" Rachael was clearly an adept of the 'offence is the best defense' tactic.

"It's easy: I treat people as they treat me."

Rachael got up from the sofa and Eun Sang did too, because if this girl was going to throw punches and pull hair, Eun Sang was going to fight back. They stood facing each other and Eun Sang lamented that the other girl had a height advantage, but she quickly revised her opinion. Rachael's heels were so high, she might as well have been standing on stilts. One good kick and she might just lose her balance in those.

That theory couldn't be tested today though. Before anything could happen between the two girls, Kim Tan showed up and his expression at seeing them together was priceless.

"Hi!" Eun Sang said brightly. "How was your day?" She was intentionally provoking Rachael with her smiles and familiarity, but the other girl kinda pissed her off.

Seeing that Kim Tan still hasn't recovered his wits, Eun Sang sighed. It was fun to enrage Rachael, but if these two were actually engaged, she shouldn't be butting in, even in jest. "Alright, I'll leave you two to it. I'll be... over there," she made an encompassing motion towards the back of the house and left the room.

The next day couldn't come soon enough...

She walked to the balcony that overlooked the front yard and saw that there was only Kim Tan's car in the driveway. She guessed Rachel took a cab here. Eun Sang cast her glance over the neighborhood that was sprawled at the foothills, enjoying the pretty views. It was so beautiful here. Picturesque. She wondered if one could see the stars here at night. It must look magnificent and magical. She should try to stargaze while she was here. She imagined it then: dark skies, glimmering glow of stars, city lights in the distance. It would be peaceful...

Only her imaginings were interrupted when she heard a commotion and she saw two agitated men arguing with a girl in front of Kim Tan's house. They yelled and moved closer to the gate, so she heard that they asked the girl repeatedly if this was 'his' house. One of them looked up and saw her and immediately his yelling was directed at her. Unfortunately her English was not good enough to follow, but she could tell that the guys were not friendly at all and obviously were here for Kim Tan.

She ducked back into the house. Rachael and Kim Tan stood apart with a coffee table between them and the atmosphere there was... frosty.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but there are two very unfriendly men there with a girl and, I think, they are here for you," she turned to Kim Tan. "Did you shortchange them on something? Did Jay tried some of their stuff without asking, too?"

Kim Tan cursed in some very creative combination of Korean and English. Rachael looked frozen from shock. He made a dash to the window and looked at the scene in front. There was even more creative cursing.

"So... How is the security at this place? Can you arm it now? Or should we just call the police?" Eun Sang decided that being pro-active was better that to simply react.

This somehow startled Rachael from her stupor and she turned to Kim Tan in anger, "Who are these people? What have you done? Who is that girl? What is going on?" Kim Tan just waved her off and the girl was clearly not having it. "I asked you a question!"

"These are all good questions and you should get him to answers them. Absolutely. But, maybe later?" Eun Sang tried to reason as Kim Tan ran to the front door and was fiddling with the security alarm panel. Rachael hissed at her like a startled cat and Eun Sang scoffed at the other girl. "You know, after those angry folks left. Cause this is America - chances are they might be armed. Armed and angry at your guy. You want him alive to answer you questions, right?"

Rachael paled a little and turned to face Kim Tan, who finished arming the system as it gave a beep of readiness.

"All done. If they try to break in, the police would be notified," he announced as he stepped into the room.

"Great. Now, since we are under siege, should we play games? Watch movies? Stare moodily at the walls?" Eun Sang thought that it would be particularly interesting to play the game of truth or dare with these two. Interesting and dangerous to life and limb. So, maybe not today...

Rachael scoffed and studied her nails in a disinterested fashion. Kim Tan avoided looking at both of them. Eun Sang sighed.

"So 'staring moodily at the walls' it is," she nodded.

"You don't have to stay here if you don't like it," Rachael said acidly. "You can leave. In fact, you should."

Kim Tan glared at his fiancée, "Last I checked, it's still my house, not yours."

Eun Sang was marginally secure that she wouldn't be kicked out of the house just yet.

"Wow, you concern for a fellow human is overwhelming,' she told Rachael and turned to walk towards the kitchen addressing Kim Tan. "I am planning to raid your kitchen. I think I will 'stare at the walls' more comfortably, if I ate."

She walked to the kitchen and began her search for food. Last night there was a cold sandwich and some condiments in the fridge. This time around she checked the cupboards as well, looking for anything edible and cook-able. She found a box of dry pasta and a can of tomato sauce. This would do. Soon enough there was a pot of water on the stove and Eun Sang looked for anything else that could be used.

Kim Tan appeared by the counter looking at her progress. "I had no idea there was anything useful here."

"Don't tell me: there is a cleaning crew or some caretaker, who cleans this place and fills the fridge?"

He only shrugged, which, she figured, meant she was right. She thought wryly that her mother was doing that service to a rich lady right now. Search of the bottom drawer of the fridge produced one slightly soft onion, a bell pepper and a head of garlic.

"So, what's for dinner?" Kim Tan asked cheekily, watching her movements with avid interest.

"Pasta. I can't say more, because we only have these ingredients, so it will be like a version of aglioli-tomato sauce."

He looked at garlic and onion on the counter, "Garlic... Wouldn't it make one's breath smell?"

"It only matters if you plan to kiss tonight. In that case I suggest you feed your girl the same sauce, then you'd be even. She wouldn't complain if her breath smells the same," Eun Sang said distractedly as she peeled the onion.

He snorted and she looked up: his eyes were cast in the direction of the living room and she knew what he was thinking - feeding garlic to Rachael. Then his snort turned into laughter at her commentary and she was momentarily taken aback by how gorgeous he looked. His good looks were obvious from the beginning, but Eun Sang was distracted by all the unpleasant events to notice. Right now, when he laughed so carefree, his hair falling over one eye, and dimple appearing on one cheek, she stared at him like a girl with a crush.

Good thing that Rachael decided to appear as well. Right, Eun Sang thought, he was engaged and his fiancée was surly and entitled.

"You expect me to eat this?" Rachael said scrunching her nose at the meager food ingredients on the counter.

"Depends. Are you the type that orders salad with dressing on the side? If so, then you won't eat all these carbs. If not, then you should pitch in and help," Eun Sang said calmly, glad that the girl was here and was being difficult. It took her mind off the good-looking men with complicated family situations.

"Yah! Why isn't Kim Tan helping, then?"

"It is his fridge that I raided. He is contributing the raw materials and equipment. I'm cooking. Maybe you can set up the table for us?"

Rachael scoffed again and stomped moodily away. Eun Sang sighed: she really felt like the situation was only getting worse.

"You should go and help her," she said quietly to Kim Tan. "In case she hasn't been here before and doesn't know where things are," she elaborated and he reluctantly left.

Whatever his or Rachael's family situations were, Eun Sang felt a little sorry for both of them. They were stuck in an engagement clearly arranged by their families and, at least, one of them wasn't happy about it. Eun Sang had little options because she was so poor, but she could decide things for herself. Those two had little personal agency both despite and because they were rich.

It had got to be frustrating.

When pasta was ready, Eun Sang joined the other two at the dining table. Turned out there were some nice dinner plates and cutlery here, on par with the rest of the décor. Kim Tan's face was impassive, but Rachael was looking a little more amiable. When they sat down to eat, she turned to Eun Sang.

"So, what brings you to America?"

"I came to visit my sister: she is getting married." It was mostly accurate: that was why she came to America.

"So, why aren't you staying with her? Her place is too small?" Rachael's smile was barbed and voice dripped hints at her poverty.

"It's complicated. You know how it gets sometimes between siblings, right?" Eun Sang said and didn't miss Kim Tan's clouded look. Huh, she guessed he knew this kind of complications. "Do you have siblings?" she asked the other girl.

Rachael's face turned even more surly and her mouth quirked in a grimace.

"...No." This was said with such hesitation that Eun Sang had to wonder if this was some sort of minefield, because Kim Tan also looked very affected.

"So how did you two meet? Kim Tan said something about you losing your passport..." the interrogation continued. Eun Sang was fine with that: clearly, Rachael was making sure there wasn't anything between her and Kim Tan and Eun Sang understood that.

"That's a readers' digest version of events. In actuality, his crazy friend Jay tried to steal the bean paste my mother made for unni and got himself an allergic reaction. He ended up in the hospital and my passport was confiscated by the police until they tested doenjang to see if it's some sort of drug. Why are you friends with him?" Eun Sang asked Kim Tan, who was smirking to himself. "It's not funny."

"It is to me. That's like free entertainment."

"It's not free: it was at the expense of my passport."

"Did I tell you that Jay is smitten now?" he teased Eun Sang and she shuddered.

"Thanks, but no, thanks," she deadpanned and Kim Tan laughed even more, which made Rachael narrow her eyes at the two of them.

Just then there was a chime of the phone call and Kim Tan answered his. Quickly, his laughter died and he passed the phone to Eun Sang, "It's for you."

It was Chang Young, checking in on her like the best friend her was. "Are you alright where you are?"

"I am super. And you?" Eun Sang answered with a bright smile because hearing her friend's voice always put her in good mood.

"I am good too. Listen, where should I pick you up tomorrow?"

Eun Sang looked at her host, noticing the return of his impassive expression. He was always so hard to read, like he hardly bothered to react to anything in life. Maybe, it was his resting 'I don't care' face?

"I need to know the address here," she told him and he recited it with the same apathetic expression. "Got it?" Eun Sang asked Chang Young after she repeated it. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow."

"Is that your boyfriend?" Of course Rachael had to ask this question.

"Better than," Eun Sang answered honestly, because it was the truth. Chang Young and her went way back and no matter what their respective love and family lives threw at them they managed together as friends.

Both Kim Tan and Rachael were silent in response. Rachael looked satisfied and Kim Tan... Well, once again it was hard to tell with his stoic expression, but Eun Sang thought he was irritated. Maybe having too many girls in his house was getting to him.

*I wondered how was it that Eun Sang didn't know Chang Young's phone number by heart when they are supposed to be besties. Also, the whole plot line of thugs showing up when Eun Sang is digging through trash was intended to force some sort of closeness/intimacy between them. And why did Kim Tan ran from his house to get away from thugs, leaving Rachael inside? I get that there is no love lost between them, but that's just ungentlemanly. And running away on foot from the suburb to the center of LA? Just shoddy writing.

A/N: What do you think of this Eun Sang? And of this story? I am not sure there is a great appetite for it, but I have already written several chapters...

I have to admit that I am not Korean and I understand that English can't convey the formal/informal quite the same way, but I chose for Eun Sang to be comfortably informal with Tan and Rachael without speaking in outright jargon.