A/N My muse has discovered Korean Drama. It is eating a lot of noodles, sitting crossed legged and bowing a lot. As a result, I have been required to launch into unknown territory. I may get some cultural bits wrong, as I am neither Korean nor Italian, and neither is the muse, but feel free to correct me. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it.

Hong Cha-young closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't decide if the pounding of her heart was the result of the stressful flight, the motion of the small boat which sent her stomach lurching, or whether it was the prospect of seeing the man at the end of her long journey.

The smell of salt and seaweed caught in the back of her throat, and she coughed involuntarily. One thing was for certain, she was not going to be sick in front of familia Cassano. The Korean lawyer was not the only passenger. There were several besuited men who eyed her suspiciously, but otherwise left her alone, keeping their low conversations between themselves. There was a dark-skinned woman, dressed in a conservative manner, who had smiled at her encouragingly as they boarded, clearly noting Cha-young's face which was a picture of horror at the idea of a boat ride. And finally, and in complete contrast, there were two other women. The older was dressed in her finery, gold jewellery adorned her wrists, ears and throat, framing a painted face, which in Cha-young's opinion, had seen a little too much work. At her side was a younger woman, presumably the former's daughter. She was beautiful in a classical European kind of way, with a slender waist, but more generously proportioned in other areas. She showed off these assets with a low-cut, figure-hugging dress and impossible stilettos.

Cha-young opened her eyes and tried to focus on the hideous pattern of the loose trousers she wore. It would not do to concentrate on how she came to be wearing them. Having dressed at home with care, but also comfort bearing in mind the long journey, she had settled on a soft baby blue pant suit and white blouse outfit, together with suede kitten heel pumps. Confident that she looked practical and stylish, she had set off to Incheon airport, excited for her adventure.

The flight had been delayed, which was her first irritation. However, there was nothing she could do, so she settled down with a coffee in a cafe to practice her Italian and find her way around the new translation app on her phone. She could not help but notice a mother and father with a small boy wearing a bright blue coat. At first the child seemed well behaved, disturbingly so, but it became apparent that he was soon becoming bored, the father seemed authoritarian and irritated, and the mother was running out of ways to keep him entertained. In the end the frustrated woman seemed to resort to buying him sweet treats and ice cream, just to keep him quiet. 'That's not going to end well.' Cha-young thought to herself. Little did she know how that prediction would come to haunt her.

After what seemed an age, she checked one of the AI information robots that wander the airport, and her flight had finally been called. Grabbing her bag, she hastily made her way to the gate, and was met with an equally eager group of people, all attempting to get to the front of the queue. She quickly made her way to the business class entrance. There would be two stops on the twenty-five-hour journey, the sooner they got on with it the better.

They met again in Zurich. At the boarding gate the parents of the little boy were arguing, or rather the father was berating the mother. Cha-young gave them the side eye as she passed only to see the man raise his hand to strike the woman. Unaware really of what she was doing, Cha young side stepped so that she was shielding the victim. 'I really wouldn't do that if I were you.' She growled.

The man's face darkened. 'I will scream so loud security will be alerted from all over this airport, not to mention I am a lawyer and you will be dragged through the courts until you no longer have a pot to piss in. Do I make myself clear?'

Slowly the man lowered his arm.

'Good. Make sure you behave yourself.' She said, pointing at her eyes then back at the man to show she would be watching him. The little boy, who had been cowering behind his mother darted out and grabbed Cha-young around the legs. She flinched in horror at being so close to a child. Whether it was the stress of the situation, the travelling, or most likely, the sweets, said child then promptly vomited all over her trouser leg, just as the gate was being called to board. Even more annoying, the man smirked as he dragged the apologising woman, and green looking child away.

Cha young's only choice was to run into a nearby shop and grab the first item of clothing she saw. The hideous trousers.

'Are you alright? Would you like some water?'

Cha-young's head shot up faster that she would like. She blinked at the bottle of water being proffered in her direction, and then at the owner of the soft Italian lilt, the dark-skinned lady.

'You don't like boats?' Her companion said, slowly enough that Cha-young could grasp the meaning. She shook her head, gave a rueful smile and took the water gratefully.

'Do you speak Italian?' The woman said, once she had been allowed to drink. Switching languages she said, in an accent. 'Or English?'

'I am learning Italian.' Cha-young said, trying to smile but feeling rotten. She indicated the phone on her lap and tapped on the translation icon.

'I'm Antonia.' Her new friend said, returning once more to a slow Italian. 'I take it you will be joining us on Paglizza?'

Cha-young double checked the translator before responding, the language feeling bulky and unfamiliar on her tongue now that she was engaging with a native speaker. 'Yes, I am visiting for a while. My name is Hong Cha-young.'

'Don't worry, the journey is short. We will be there very soon.' Antonia said, patting Cha-young on the knee. Little did she know that her words of comfort were having entirely the opposite effect on the composition of her new friend who only groaned and placed her head in her hands.

The mother and her daughter who had resigned themselves to talking amongst themselves, now suddenly leapt to their feet, their conversation a babble of excitement, too fast for Cha-young to possibly understand. She felt the boat had slowed and Antonio got to her feet to see what the excitement was about. She frowned, exclaiming, 'That can't be good.'

'What's happening?' Cha-young asked.

'We've arrived.' Antonia said with excess brightness.

'Is that all?'

The smile faded a little. 'My cousin is obviously here to meet the boat.'

Cha-young continued to look blank.

'My cousin is something of a big deal. He has never been known to meet anyone arriving anywhere, no matter who they are. It's a power thing.' She snorted, her glance once more drifting back to the shoreline. 'Either someone is very special, or they are in serious trouble.' She clapped her hands and continued in her brighter tone. 'Still, I'm sure it's nothing to do with us.' There was a bump as the boat connected with the dock. 'Shall I wait for you?'

Che young shook her head. 'No, I'll need a moment. You go ahead.'

There was something of a commotion on the dock. A group of men were standing around something, talking in in an animated fashion. Antonia recognised the back of Vincenzo Cassano. Hearing the occupants of the boat disembark, he placed a hand on one of the men's back's and said something in his ear before walking away.

Antonia collected her things and made her way down the gangplank, she glanced back in concern at Cha-young, who was using her compact to try and look a little less travel weary. Vincenzo Cassano was standing next to a black 4x4 looking pensive. He nodded his head at the two Italian ladies who seemed inclined to engage him in conversation, but he was already looking past them at the boat.

Antonia approached. 'To what do we owe this honour?' She asked.

'Antonia, nice to see you, how are you?' Vincenzo said coolly, barely glancing in her direction.

'If I was alright, would I be here?' She replied caustically, but the mafia boss's attention was already elsewhere. He was watching intently as Hong Cha-young navigated the gangplank with her small, wheeled bag. The Korean tossed her hair back defiantly and strode towards them as if the hellish journey and last half an hour of intense nausea had never happened. She stopped in front of the former Consiglieri and narrowed her eyes at him.

He stifled a smile. 'What are you wearing?' He asked in Korean.

'Don't you dare laugh at me.' Cha-young shot back in her native language. I have been travelling for nearly thirty-two hours, a devil child projectile vomited all over me in at Zurich, just before boarding, after a four hour wait and so this hideous thing…' She tugged at the ill-fitting trousers, 'was all I had time to grab, I am tired, all I can smell is puke and fish and you didn't tell me there would be a damn…' she gulped. 'BOAT!' She finished, panting.

Vincenzo stared, surprised by the outburst. The smirk threatening to surface was stifled as she glared at him defiantly. 'I'm, um sorry. Let's get back to the house and you can take a shower, change and relax, ok?' He moved to take the bag, which Cha-young grabbed in her temper.

'I can manage.' She snapped.

With a look towards heaven and a shrug, Vincenzo clicked the car remote, and the boot opened automatically.

Cha-young was about to lift her bag when she noticed the men standing around, and something bright blue lying on the ground. Her curiosity peaked she slowly began to walk towards the huddle. Vincenzo moved to try and stop her but she brushed him off. She pushed her way through the men until she was at the front of the group. Lying on the warf were two bodies, a woman and a young boy. Staring as one of the men turned the boy over she gasped, realising it was the child she had seen at the airport, the one who had grabbed her and vomited over her clothes. A hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. Before she could register any further, Vincenzo's arm was around her shoulder and he was leading her back to the car where Antonia was waiting, full of concern.

'I know them.' Cha-young said, fighting the tears as she stared up into Vincenzo's concerned face. 'I saw them at the airport, that was the child who was sick, he obviously wanted help and I pushed him away.' Her eyes were round with horror at the realisation. 'How, how are they here? What happened?'

'We don't know yet, but I'm going to find out.' He said, equally shocked.

'Are you alright?' Antonia asked with such genuine concern that Cha-young's shock only allowed her to blink. She was completely overwhelmed as tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked them away. 'I know them.' She said in Korean, which did nothing to answer the question.

'She's fine, she just had a shock.' Vincenzo said, trying to steer her towards the car.

Antonia moved in the way. 'I want to hear it from her.' She said defiantly.

'Yes, thank you.' Cha-young said returning to Italian She shook herself back into the present and was touched at the other woman's concern.

All Antonia had seen was her new friend being singled out personally by the boss of the Cassano family, then launching into an unintelligible tirade at said boss , seeing something shocking and now about to burst into tears. She placed herself between the two of them facing Cha-young.

'I believe you are in Villa 3, Antonia.' Vincenzo said pointedly. 'I'm sure one of the other cars is going that way.'

Antonia ignored him. 'You don't have to go with him. If you are scared you can come with me or I will stay with you, but you don't have to do what he says.'

Cha-young looked confused and glanced at Vincenzo for confirmation.

'She thinks you are in danger and that you are here against your will.' He supplied in Korean as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

'You shut up.' Antonia said angrily, pointing her finger at her cousin, but keeping her full attention on Cha-young. 'Nothing is going to happen to you.' She said gently.

'I am ok.' Cha-young said, careful to keep her tone even. 'I have had a very long and stressful journey, but I am not in any danger, I promise you.'

Vincenzo moved around the car and took the case from Cha-young's unresisting hand. 'You heard her, she's not in any danger.'

'She would say that with you hovering over her like the portatore di morte!' Antonio snapped.

'Mr Cassano, would you mind?' Cha-young asked sweetly in her native language.

Vincenzo made an offended face and pointed to himself. She blinked once, reiterating that he should please just do it. With a huff of annoyance, Vincenzo walked to the driver's door, got in the car and slammed it behind him.

Satisfied that he was out of the way Cha-young turned her attention to Antonia. She accepted that the woman was only trying to help. 'Please.' She began, in heavily accented Italian. 'I thank you, but I promise you that Mr Cassano and I are old friends. I please would really like to rest after my journey. Ok?' She finished with an overly bright smile and a thumbs up.

Reluctantly, Antonia released her grip on her arm. Her face was a picture of suspicion. 'If you are sure, but I will be keeping an eye out for you and if you need any help, you let me know, ok?'

Cha-young nodded, eager to say anything to be off.

'I mean it, you promise?' Antonia pressed.

Again Cha-young nodded, touched by the woman's sincerity. Finally, she was allowed to leave. Closing the boot, she walked around to the passenger side door, and with a final wave, climbed inside.

Vincenzo glanced over and gave her a small, worried look as she settled back in the seat.

Cha-young turned her head slowly to look at him. 'I need you to tell me what the hell is going on?'