Guys. Is it really still only Wednesday?! I feel like it should be Friday. If anyone's looking for a good creepy but not gory suspense drama in time for Haloween weekend, check out The Village: Achiara's Secret. I started it the other day and it's really good. Also, I just finished Scholar Who Walks the Night and it's left a huge hole in my heart! I was swept away by Lee Joon Gi and one of my favorite actors: Lee Yu Bi. So, now I'm hoping The Village will fill that gap in my life... So far, so good. :) See you guys Friday!

Chapter 21

Young Do didn't know why he'd never seen Haraboji's Will or even heard about the inheritance listed in it. Had his father meant to keep it from him? The Will stated that Young Do would receive a small fortune along with substantial shares in Zeus Hotel Group upon his eighteenth birthday.

Abonim's voice floated down the hall, startling Young Do. He scrambled into the coat cabinet behind his father's desk. He'd closed himself into darkness just as the office door creaked open.

"No Esther-ssi, Why don't you talk to your daughter about that, isn't she friends with Attorney General Lee's son?" Abonim's footsteps sounded across the wood floor and stopped inches from Young Do. The cushion on his office chair sighed and so did Young Do. "Why don't we just set the wedding date for next month? . . . I told you, I can't get you those shares until he turns eighteen and it would be stupid to hold off the wedding for another three months." Young Do felt sick.

"No, I haven't spoken to him about the military yet. Lawyer Jang advised me to send him right after exams, so he won't be here much longer. Let's set the date for the twenty-fifth and you can hire someone to plan it . . . Simple would be better, we've both been married before . . . I did. She'll be taken care of today. I will send you pictures if it makes you feel better. Kurom." His phone beeped several times and Young Do started to sweat. How was he going to get out? Abonim's phone rang again and he prayed it was a call from the office.

"Ah, Secretary Jung, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you today?" His voice was sickly sweet and Young Do would wager a large sum of money that there was a woman on the other line. "It's fine dear, I told you if there was anything you needed help with, to ask me didn't I? I have an open schedule at the moment, so I will show you the right office." He got up from his chair. "No, it's not a problem, maybe afterwards you could join me for a bottle of wine. I have something to celebrate."

Abonim's voice faded as he walked down the hallway and opened the front door. Young Do waited several minutes before climbing out of the cabinet and retreating to his room. He pulled aside the window blinds carefully, watching as Abonim's car drove away. He let out a huge breath, slumping against the window frame. He dialed Omma's phone number. No answer. Was she already at the airport? He dialed again and someone answered, but she was not his mother.

"Young Do!" Yeong In shouted, breathing heavily, "Where are you? Your mother's been kidnapped. I'm heading to the police station closest to her apartment, meet me there and I'll tell you everything." The line went dead and Young Do didn't know if he'd ever be able to breath again or if he would simply die of suffocation right in his bedroom.

". . . she'll be taken care of today." Had he been talking about Omma? He scrunched his eyes shut and forced air into his lungs. It was too heavy. Everything was too heavy and the world he lived in was imploding. He held his breath, feeling like if he exhaled, he'd deflate like a useless balloon.

His phone rang. Byung Ho's name lit up the screen. With shaking hands, he connected the call. "Hello?"

"Young Do, I assume you're done with your exams, how did it go? When will you know the results?"

Exams? Oh. Yea. It felt like an age since Young Do had left the school. He tried to compose himself, to say anything that wouldn't cause alarm. He tried, but all that came out was a strangled cry. "Byung Ho, what do I do?"

OooO

Yeong In had filed her report with an officer by the name of Gang and was about to call Young Do from the front steps of the precinct when Byung Ho-ya called her name. He and Young Do crossed the street and ran up to her.

"Who took her? What did they say?" Byung Ho-ya asked hurriedly.

"They said they'd look into it. I only saw the license plates; the men who took her had their faces covered." Byung Ho-ya pushed past her into the building. Young Do looked really pale and she caught his shoulder as he sank to the concrete steps.

"It'll be alright," she soothed, "They'll find her. There said they'd look at all the CCTV footage around her apartment. It won't be long."

"You don't understand, it was my abonim, he-"

Yeong In shushed him, looking around at the passersby. "Let's talk about it at home, okay?"

~.~

Yeong In heaved Young Do into a chair at the table and went about fixing some chamomile tea. "Byung Ho-ya, would you get the teabox for me?" When he stood beside her, reaching for the top shelf, she whispered, "How much do you know?"

"Young Do told me everything on the way here. Seriously, Noona, what were you thinking?"

"That Aboji and Oppa would just get themselves into trouble if they knew. So keep your mouth shut."

"Alright, but you should have at least told Halmeonim. She might have a solution."

"I know what her solution is, and I've been working on it. I was supposed to meet with her today, but I'll probably be late."

"When?"

"Half an hour."

"Go. I'll keep him here. Just find a way to fix this." He pushed Yeong In toward the door. She looked past him to Young Do's slumped shoulders. Cold clutched her heart. They'd find her, wouldn't they?

~.~

She walked through the doors to Halmeonim's study. "Hello, dear. Did you find a solution?"

"Not quite." She sat lightly in a cushy armchair. "You said marriage was all I had to offer, but the families who have men of marrying age don't have the shares we'd need."

"Have you looked into their connections?"

"Connections?"

"Yes, connections. Even if a family doesn't show they have very many shares, they might be well connected with people who do. You really wouldn't only need to marry someone established enough in that Group's board to get Choi Dong Wook-ssi replaced. Once he's no longer the face of the company, he'll be much less of a threat and our prosecutors would have a chance at actually touching him.

"Aiesh! This is why I just want to be a simple school teacher." She rubbed her face, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"And that is precisely why you don't stand a chance at marrying most of these men." She set a stack of papers in front of Yeong In.

"What's this?" she asked warily.

"Information on the only two options you have."

She pulled the packet toward herself and flipped through the first few pages of a profile for Kim Won. "How do you have access to information like his middle school clubs?"

"An insurance company survives on information. We have insured his father's business since before he was born. Naturally, we'd need to know about the success of his family to gauge his business stability."

"What does that have to do with his favorite food or past relationships?" The more she learned, the more she hated this world. Could no one simply live their life around these people?

"Your grandfather and I have kept an eye on him in hopes that you would come around."

She sighed. "Who is this other person?"

"He is Attorney General Lee's son, Lee Hyo Shin." Halmeonim sipped from her teacup, her hands shaking slightly.

Yeong In straightened her shoulders and her assurance. "I need to marry as soon as possible. What do I need to do?"

"Well, aren't we hasty?" Halmeonim chuckled.

"Please, someone's life is on the line."

The old woman's mirth disappeared. "Very well. Your advantage will be that you have all this information on them, but no one will have any on you. Now. There is a charity dinner tonight, you'll need to attend with me so I can introduce you to this world."

"I understand"

"If you can impress their fathers, they will ask for your audience and you will be in a powerful position. I'll have Secretary Kim give you a crash course in basic edicate, but if you follow my lead, you should do fine. Just don't mention Zeus Hotel Group before they're interested."

Two hours later, Yeong In pulled at the scratchy material of her black evening gown, thankful it was at least floor length and she didn't have to worry about it being too short. She did have to worry about the four inch heels Halmeonim chose for her. Secretary Kim's crash course consisted of labeling the silverware and telling her "When in doubt, don't. If you must, mirror Halmeonim." As they approached a large building, Yeong In wondered how Young Do was doing or if they had heard anything from the police. She checked her phone. Nothing.

The car stopped and Halmeonim got out first, waving to hundreds of flashing cameras. Yeong In took Secretary Kim's hand and did her best to straighten her back and put on a confident smile beside her. Everyone was shouting questions, "Who is she?" "Where has she been?" "What about your daughter?" "Is your grandson here as well?" It was so confusing, but when Yeong In felt like her head would explode, she thought of the desolate look in Young Do's eyes as he slumped over their kitchen table. Her smile tightened and she walked beside Halmeonim into the building. Without tripping.

~.~

They stood at the edge of a huge . . . ballroom? She didn't know if it was a big party or if it was small by their standards. The room was lined with tables of food and a few tables scattered about, but mostly people mingled from group to group. "And this is my sohneyo, Baek Yeong In." Halmeonim introduced her, for the hundredth time, to an older man in a wheelchair and his wife. "This is Kim Nam Yoon and Jung Ji Sook, CEO of Jeguk Group and Chairwoman of Jeguk High School." She bowed, careful to hold her dress to her chest. Finally, Kim Won's parents.

"You look familiar," Chairwoman Jung said.

"She worked as a substitute teacher at your school several weeks ago." Halmeonim said and Yeong In smiled to mask her confusion at how she'd known such a small detail about her life.

"I remember now. So this is your sohneyo? No wonder you recommended her so highly." Recommended?

"Yes, she's such a humanist. All she can think about is children, so I let her be a teacher." Her smile faltered, but Halmeonim thread her arm around Yeong In's. To the rest of the room, it might look like they were close, but Yeong In knew it was a warning to keep her mouth shut.

"Business is doing well for you?" CEO Kim asked, "I saw your stocks were up this morning."

"Would you excuse me? I just saw our future in-laws. Do you mind?" Chairwoman Jang interrupted. Her husband nodded slightly and she left.

"Maybe it's age catching up to me, but I'd like to sit down. Yeong In-ah, would you grab some drinks for us? I believe they're over there." Halmeonim pointed to the other side of the room. She bowed again and walked as gracefully as her dress and shoes allowed. At her slow pace she wondered if she'd be able to retrieve drinks before she became a grandmother herself. It wasn't just the shoes slowing her down. Every few steps, someone greeted her and she had to stop and return their greeting, praying she hadn't gotten the wrong name or said something inappropriate.

After an eternity, she reached the champagne table and was about to down a glass of water when someone stopped and stood too close to her. She stepped to the side automatically, craning her neck to see who it was. Kim Won himself.

"By your expression, I take it you know who I am."

She didn't respond, but moved back another step so she didn't have to look up so far. He was too tall. And his nose too pronounced.

"It has not escaped my attention that your Halmeonim has been dragging you through this party for the last hour without stopping, but is now sitting down with my abonim." She wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't. He grabbed the champagne glass she'd just picked up and downed half of it before continuing. "Can I assume I'll receive a matchmaking summons sometime tomorrow?"

"You've made a lot of assumptions, Kim Won-ssi," she said. He smiled, turning to lean back on the table.

"Yes, well, it is not my first party, as it is so clearly yours." She didn't like the way he looked at her, but it was more disdain than anything remotely like a leer. Disdain she could handle.

"You're right, it is my first party, and I must say the company does not impress," she sniffed. "I'd better get back before any papers are signed without my consent. I wouldn't want to assume friendship could exist with such an arrogant suitor."

He scoffed. "Well, you should know that I do not intend to love who I marry. Any business deal involving me would be strictly that: business."

"In that case, I believe we have more in common than you previously assumed, Kim Won-ssi."

He smirked, tipping his glass toward her. "Tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow," she said before beginning her monumental trek back across the room. On some level, she'd hoped the night would end in failure and Halmeonim would pull some grand plan out of the safe in her office and she'd never have to worry about marriage or saving Young Do and his mother. Now, the weight of her impossible success weighed on her shoulders and behind her eyes. Either way, she felt like she could never face Young Do again.

But maybe it was better that way. If things worked out, she would certainly never want to see him again. Perhaps staying at Halmeonim's for the night would help prepare her for that inevitability. And steal her nerves for the possibility of seeing Kim Won-ssi again.