Author's Note: I have worked on this all day. It has taken all day to figure out where I wanted this to go. Here it is!
Hana sat on the balcony and watched the sunset, cup of coffee sending wisps of steam into the chilly night air. For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace. Not because Minwoo had just listened to things she hadn't told but three people. It was because she actually had people who could talk through the insanity that was her life.
Growing up she had known she was completely different than all the other rich girls. She didn't mind getting manicures and pedicures but she had always ruined them with paint or clay. She had always been very hands on and had destroyed her hands doing woodwork or something that would get her one step closer to an art degree.
Much like Hyo Shin, her mother had forced a tutor on her. To this day their mother didn't know she had dated the tutor, even going so far as to sleeping with him when her parents hadn't been home. Obviously Hyo Shin had known because he had always been the one person she could tell anything to, even at a young age. Luckily he hadn't taken after her in the physical aspect. At twenty-seven, he hadn't touched Rachel without her permission, and she always permitted it.
When Hana had refused to take the tests to the three big campuses in Korea, she'd had a knock-down, drag out fight with her mother about things she really wanted to do. She hated law. Not because it was something her parents had made a life out of, but because she didn't want to make money off people's pain. She would have rather made money off making people happy. But they hadn't seen it her way and had tried to force her to take the exams. When she had missed it, her mother had rescheduled for her, but she had simply talked to the board of directors and had explained why she wouldn't be taking the exam.
The way she'd gotten her father on her side had been the art show she had set up through the school. She hadn't told anyone but Hyo Shin what she had been doing that Saturday. He had promised to come. She had been pleasantly surprised to see her father there with him. Hyo Shin had wanted to go alone, but Chan Hyuk has insisted he go along.
That was when her father had seen what she could do. It was before computers had been developed for graphic design. Hana had done everything by hand, from woodworking to painting. She had displayed all of it and had decided to auction it off for a charity that would distribute rice to countries that had so little.
He hadn't said anything to her, watching as people had looked over and bidding on her pieces. She remembered being very cordial to them even as the bidding hadn't gone very well. Surprisingly by the end of the day, she had raised enough money to support three families for an entire year. But the most surprising thing was who had bought the final pieces. To this day, the universe piece still hung in her parents' living room over the mantle.
After that, her father had paid for her to go to school in New York. She had made friends with Cory, Daehyun, and Rise. They had traveled all over the United States and Europe as college artists and crazies. She had known that for the rest of their lives they were going to be close. Even when Hana and Cory had started sleeping together, nothing had really changed. No one had judged or said anything derogatory. In fact they had defended each other.
Then Cory's grandmother had died and they had all returned to Korea together. Cory had taken the helm of the publishing company and had signed Rise and Daehyun under the company. He had asked Hana if she had wanted to come, but she hadn't wanted to design the covers of books. She had much rather work for a company that would make the lives better for others. Won had called and had asked her to come in for an interview. He had hired her right then and there.
For the last ten years she had worked with Jeguk things hadn't gotten any better. The rumors had died down after she had proved what an excellent asset she was, but it hadn't eased her reputation. Not that it had mattered to her. She had and was probably getting more sex than even the married ladies. And her relationship with her parents had even gotten slightly better with all the blind dates she had gone on.
But everyone knew how that had ended. Now she was stuck with a mother who blamed her for their loss of station and a brother who was going to reap the destruction of that.
Nowhere in anything that had happened had she felt that something good would come out of all of it. Glancing back in the dim room, she caught a glimpse of Minwoo's back as he slept on his stomach. She didn't know if she considered this love, but it was well into the like area. He wasn't intrusive and demanding. He was patient and gentle, watching what he said and did to make sure it didn't hurt her.
Her phone rang. She fished it out from under the blankets, shivering when the cool air hit her bare skin.
"Hey, Cory," she said.
"Is everything okay?" he asked. "You haven't talked to me in a little bit."
"I'm fine."
Cory sniffled on the other side. She knew he was thinking hard about asking what was really on his mind. "Are you dating him?" he finally asked.
She shook her head on her side. "No, but if you tell me not to, I won't."
"Hana, do you love me?"
"No."
"Then date him. Hyung says he's protected you through everything that has gone one since they have started working with Jeguk. If he can do that, then he deserves your undivided attention. Besides, I've met someone myself."
"Oh, I know. I'm the one who gave her your number."
Cory laughed on the other end. "Only you. I'll let you get back to your trip. I'll be down in a few days to help out."
She tucked the phone back under the blanket and stared out over the darkened area. To have Cory support her no matter what she did meant a lot. She knew he had her back.
Shivering, she grabbed the cup and hopped back into the room. The fire was going out. This was one of her favorite hotels because of the fire places on the top floor. She stoked the fire, happy that it was burning again. It warmed the room up quickly. She stood staring into it, just watching the flames leap about.
"What are you doing?"
She turned around to see Minwoo rubbing his head, eyes still full of sleep. He looked somewhat lost as he looked around the room. It made her laugh. She shook her head and tightened the blanket around her.
"Minwoo, I've never said thank you," she said.
He propped his head up on his arm and looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "What for?"
"No matter what has happened in the last month, you were always there to pick up the pieces and make sure things went the way I wanted them. You just don't know how much it helped."
He sniffled. "Say what you want to say."
She shook her head. "I don't have anything to say."
He motioned her over with his hand and she did without argument. He adjusted the second blanket over the bed as she snuggled in next to him. His fingers were slightly rough against her smooth skin.
"How did you become a photographer?" she asked.
"My mother was one before she passed away. I decided that I wanted to follow her career," he explained.
"Who was she?"
"Choi Bo Ram."
Hana lifted her head quickly. "Your mother was Choi Bo Ram? The Choi Bo Ram who took pictures for Elle Korea and CeCi?" He nodded. "I did my thesis paper on her and how she has inspired female graphic designers. I passed the class with flying colors because of it."
Minwoo smiled and tucked her head under his chin. His mother had inspired many women to become models and fashion designers but never a graphic designer. She hadn't wanted him to become a photographer but after she had passed, he had only wanted to be close to her. And photography had come naturally to him. Eric had decided that he would work with the best one he knew, and that was Minwoo. He had made sure he had the same possibilities as his mother.
Hyo Shin sat by the hot tub with Rachel and Bo Na. Hana and the others were busy with work so he had to keep Bo Na preoccupied. It was fine. As long as they could stay by the pool without getting their hair or makeup messed up, they were satisfied. Hana didn't want to deal with them so she left them with him.
He had seen his sister be herself more here than she had in Seoul. Here she was in Jeju living like she hadn't in years. Her ears and cheeks were red with delight. She hadn't been this happy since she had returned to Korea. Here she was able to be herself. No one was able to talk down to her.
He heard her talking and looked up. Hana was supremely relaxed now. Minwoo and Dongwan flanked her on either side. Dongwan was able to talk freely with the people who had come to renovate the kitchen while Hana kept up with the graphic side of the things. She and Minwoo would disappear for hours taking pictures and creating slideshows as the renovations went about.
But it wasn't the times they worked that made Hyo Shin feel so comfortable about it all. It was the times when they two were away from work, when they didn't know anyone was watching that things were right. Minwoo allowed Hana to be herself and didn't try to curb her insane sides. He let her do what she wanted and went along with some of her crazier ideas, like rolling down a snow covered hill because she wanted to.
As he watched them through the glass, he saw Minwoo place his fingertips on the small of Hana's back. She looked at him and he said something that had her nodding in agreement though the look on her face wasn't fully accepted. She was thinking over something. But it was that hand that made Hyo Shin smile. Hana would usually shy away from someone's hand, but here she didn't mind it. In fact, she was comfortable enough with this man to be seen in public with him.
"Oppa." Rachel smacked his arm. "Look."
Bo Na and Rachel stared in shock across the spa. Nam So Jin and another woman slipped out of their robes and dropped into the far end of the hot tub. No sooner had they done so than they started kissing and making out. Hyo Shin didn't buy it. Nam So Jin wasn't here to simply relax. He was here to prove a point. He wanted Hana to hurt and he was going to do his best to make sure she did.
"Hyo Shin-ah!" Every head turned when Hana walked through the spa, her heels clicking confidently on the cement. "I have a meeting at three. Are you going with me or are you girls going to stay here?"
Rachel looked up and played the so-so card. Hana's smile as reassuring as she understood the woman's plight. It was hard to make a decision. Stay by the warmth of the hot tub or put clothes on and go to a meeting.
"Is Chan Young going to be there?" Bo Na asked. Hana nodded. "Bye!" She hopped up and took off.
"I'll see the two of you at dinner."
"Jagiya!" Minwoo's voice was crystal clear as it rang out.
Hana blew air out through her nose then turned to look over his shoulder. "What?!"
His laugh was fun as he squinted. "We have to go."
She made a face at him then looked back at her brother. "He thinks he's in charge."
"If you would quit sleeping with him, he wouldn't think he was in charge," Hyo Shin quipped.
All she did was smile. Hyo Shin found himself smiling in return because his sister was finally back. She was smiling like she had when they had been kids. She was happy. There was no wariness behind her eyes. She was like she had been when she had gone off to school. This was his sister he had missed for the last sixteen years.
She waved at them then stood and turned towards the door. She never paid a lick of attention to So Jin and the girl who was sucking on his neck. Hana strode right up to Minwoo and started yelling at him for yelling at her. They walked by the big window wall, talking and cutting up.
"He's not happy," Rachel muttered.
Hyo Shin looked over her shoulder to see So Jin fuming. He shoved his girl away from him and hopped up out of the hot tub. He didn't even wrap a towel around himself. He just stormed out the door. Hana and Minwoo were about to meet a beast.