School is slowly dragging me into the abyss of Hell. Someone please stop time so I can take a nap.
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On Saturday, as Soo had predicted, Wook stayed home with his wife, helping her garden on the second storey balcony. The two pruned the trees, picked the fruits and vegetables they had grown together, and remained on the second storey of the apartment, reading, listening to music, and generally enjoying each other's presence. So had noticed his brother looking stupidly happy as he led his wife upstairs and wondered if something good had happened to the two. Wook seemed to adore his wife in this life and So was happy Myung Hee had found peace and love in the future.

It was on Saturday morning that So stared at his closet and noted that he had packed nothing in regards to taking someone out on a date. All he had were black, gray, and blue business suits and a few casual outfits to wear at home.

Faced with a dilemma, he crossed his arms before shaking his head and choosing a blue suit with one of his black shirts, leaving the top two buttons undone. It would hurt his pride to call one of the more fashionable members of the family for advice and he had already endured an unfortunate incident involving hair dye at Baek Ah's request years ago. So had no wish to have blonde hair again.

After collecting his wallet and car keys, So stepped out of his room to see Soo standing in the living room. She wore a blush colored dress with black stockings and carried a sparkly purse, her hair loose down her back. Her smile lit up So's day and he looked around the quiet house before kissing her forehead.

"We'd better leave before I can't help myself and drag you to the bedroom," So murmured, dragging a knuckle down the zipper on Soo's back. She pressed a hand to her forehead before playfully pushing So away.

They crept through the house and into the foyer where the shoes were located. While Soo pulled on a pair of flats, So looked through the shoes he had brought in distaste. Once again, the only options available were formal or business. His business shoes would have to do until he could either buy a pair of casual shoes or have someone send his clothes up from Ulsan.

There were no staff to be aware of on weekends except for one maid and the cook. So knew they would not be missed, and if they were, they could make up some excuse as to why they were both out of the house.

Riding the elevator together, So kept an arm around Soo's waist and she leaned against his chest. "I like your outfit," she said. "You still only wear dark colors, don't you?"

So pretended to be offended. "Excuse me, I own multiple white shirts and I happen to have a hideous yellow scarf my mother sent me for Christmas six years ago."

Mirthfully, they made their way to the parking lot and So helped Soo into his car, opening her door and shutting it once she had boarded. He sat down beside her in the driver's seat and started the Ferrari. "Still riding horses, I see," Soo commented with a sly grin. "I hope your driving skills have gotten better since Goryeo," she poked his cheek and So mocked injury, attempting to bite her finger. His teeth clacked together as Soo darted away.

"In my defense, you were in the way and I didn't let you fall." Pulling out of the underground parking lot, So drove out of the apartment complex and onto the road.

They drove to a shopping area where people were in abundance. Shops, cafes, restaurants, and stalls of every product imaginable lined the plaza. There were roads that led to a shopping mall as well as ways that immediately led to a park. So avoided honking his horn as people made way for the car, allowing him to slide past foot traffic and locate a place to park.

So pulled into a lot and parked his car before handing his keys to an attendant, moving to open Soo's door for her. Giving a fifty to the attendant, So nodded to the man and told him to take good care of his car.

Then, taking Soo's hand, So led her toward the clamor of people. "I want to spend the entire day with you," he declared as they crossed the street and entered the controlled chaos. "We're going to do anything and everything!"

Soo seemed not to want to buy anything and instead, walked around sight-seeing. She gazed through store windows, looked at trinkets in stalls, and marveled over a man making candy with molten sugar. "Do you remember when we sneaked out of the castle for the exorcisms?" asked Soo. "When we wore masks and had the most amazing time?"

Grinning, So thought back to memories of Goryeo, slinging Soo's purse over his shoulder. "How could I forget?" Wrapping an arm around Soo's torso, he looked around and sighed, breathing in the city air. "Being here with you, with no crown on my head and no reason to aspire to take my father's position… I couldn't have asked for a better fate," he looked down at Soo whose wide eyes were happier than he had ever seen them.

"Thank you."

So purchased cotton candy from a vendor and held it up to Soo's head, snapping a picture on his phone and snickering when some of the floss caught on Soo's forehead. The blue, green, yellow, and pink flower was twice the size of Soo's head. He kissed the sweet confection off of her skin and then gagged at the taste. "Ugh," So groaned as Soo laughed into her hand. "Why do people eat sweets?" he stuck his tongue out. "They're foul."

"Sweet people eat sweets," Soo said matter-of-factly as she watched So purchase a bottle of water from the same vendor to wash his mouth with.

Raising his eyebrows, So leaned close to Soo. "Oh really?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Then what foods should I eat?" His lips were wet from drinking water and they glistened in the bright sun.

Soo pursed her lips as people stared at their antics. "Spicy foods," she decided before cheekily adding, "because you're the spice in my life." Satisfied, So pulled away from her but not before nabbing a kiss on the lips. A passing man whistled and a few women "aw"ed. "So!" Soo exclaimed, blushing. "We're in public!"

Retreating from the marketplace, the two found themselves walking by running water as they strolled through the park that adjoined the line of stores. The calm, slow atmosphere of the park was a drastic change from the hectic, fast paced world that was the outer Gangnam area.

The trickling river provided background noise that half drowned out the bustle of traffic and birds sat in the few trees that were sparsely planted throughout the park. It was the same riverside walkway that Soo had broken up with her past boyfriend, but Soo felt that she did not need to mention that to So.

A distant pounding could be heard and Soo frowned when a stage came into sight, a thrumming bass line matched with lasers and a smoke machine. There was a large crowd gathered around the stage and someone sang from beneath a banner dedicated to a charity.

"The Impromptu Series," So read aloud, squinting without the aid of his reading glasses. "A set of surprise concerts meant to raise money for the charity of each singer's choice." Turning to Soo, he pointed to the stage. "Shall we see what's going on?"

When Soo agreed, they averted their course to the right and crossed a bridge to reach the other side of the river, making their way toward the screaming fans. Music blared and people seemed to lose their minds as a man sang on stage, his backup dancers choreographed in perfect sync with the music.

"Is that…" Soo squinted her eyes at the singer, raising a hand to her forehead so she could see against the sun. Once they reached the outskirts of the crowd, the thrumming music made it hard for her to concentrate. Holding her hands against her ears, she focused on the singer who had just broken out into a dance routine. "I think that's your brother!" she shouted to So. "It's Eun!"

"How can you tell?!" he called in return. "He's a K-Pop star! They all look the same!" That comment sent dirty looks flying toward So and he looked away from the angry fans that glared at him.

Shaking her head, Soo pointed to the singer. "He's wearing the same clothes Eun was wearing when he left the house! How many people do you know have pink and blonde hair?"

Realization washed over So and he immediately turned his back to his brother. Soo did the same and hand in hand, they averted their eyes and walked away from the stage, slowly feeling their hearing return as the distance between them and the stage grew.

Once they were safely out of sight, Soo turned to So. "Do you think he saw us? Did it look like he recognized us?"

"I doubt the kid could have seen us if we were right in front of him," So shook his head, his messy hair falling over his eye. "I don't know if he saw us, but he didn't look like he did." He allowed Soo to reach forward and push his hair back into place. "Since we aren't going to be going to Eun's concert any time soon, would you like to get lunch?" So offered his arm to Soo.

"I think that's a good idea," she said, placing her hand in the crook of So's elbow. "Let's get away before Eun recognizes us from the backs of our heads."

Soo looked up and down So as they walked together and noted that he looked more healthy than he had in Goryeo. His pale skin had more color and his stiff hands seemed more flexible. His cheeks were fuller, now that he was not skipping meals to brood in the mountains. She thought he looked more beautiful than he ever had.

When they arrived back at the apartment, So allowed Soo to enter first, watching her from his car as she walked into the lobby, bowing to the doorman. Her dress fluttered behind her and So gazed at her as a member of the building's staff led her to the elevator and pressed the button for her.

Sitting in his car, So pressed a hand to his mouth as he contemplated his situation, counting his variables and assessing his options.

He knew that with the movement of power going on, he could not marry. A marriage would divert attention away from Mu and shift it to So. Remembering the rain offering, So shook his head and refused to allow history to repeat itself. He would not become CEO, he had vowed to himself and to Soo that in this life, he would be her husband and only dip his feet into the company- not rule it.

It just happened that Soo was eleven years younger than him, making it difficult for him to frame their marriage as something other than Soo making a power grab. He knew the rumors that would fly around were not going to help Soo in the slightest.

There was also the problem of Wook and his wife. Soo was protective of her cousin and So knew Wook and Myung Hee reciprocated that emotion. They saw Soo as a direct family member- if not their own child. If So were to be caught with Soo before they could announce their relationship, there would be consequences.

So also had to consider Jung and Yo. Yo had made it clear that he had wanted for their father to arrange in Jung and Soo's marriage, but So did not know why. If Soo's family chose to back anyone for the position of CEO, it would be Wook through Myung Hee, but why Jung? Did Yo think a marriage to a minor orphan of a good family would raise Jung? Or did he think it would neuter Jung's claim to power? Why did Yo want anything to do with their youngest brother?

Shaking his head, So frowned at the people that got out of their own sport cars and chauffeured vehicles to enter their own homes. His memories of his brothers had yet to piece together and each passing moment of uncertainty only made him more antsy. "If Yo wants power," he said aloud. "Why give it to Jung? All he has to do is get rid of Mu and he's set…" Then, it clicked.

Sitting forward, So realized that with the return of his past memories, he had grown to despise his older brother in a matter of hours, but this lifetime's Yo was not the past lifetime's Yo. In the past, Yo had wanted to murder their oldest brother. He had only cared for himself and did not want to share power. But in this life, So remembered that Yo had cared for him when their mother had not. Yo had protected both him and Jung in times of need, even allowing So to stay in his college dorm when he had run away from home as a young boy.

So fell back against his seat and found himself even more conflicted than before. Yo still craved power, but his preferences of siblings had changed over the centuries. He favored his full brothers over his half-siblings and So shook his head, remembering how it had not been Mu who had protected him like he had in their past lives. It had been Yo.

But, no matter how Yo felt about So, the elder had no idea about the younger's relationship with Soo. So knew that he had to act before Yo proposed an arranged marriage between Soo and Jung- something he abhorred to even think about. He needed a way to keep Yo from intervening… and unfortunately, it required the aid of one more powerful than his second brother.

Soo kicked her shoes off and entered the quiet house only to look up and see the worried faces of Wook and Myung Hee staring at her. She froze.

"You've been gone for six hours and haven't been answering your phone," Wook crossed his arms. "Do you know how close I was to calling the police? Soo, no one saw you leave the house. Where the hell have you been?!"

"Husband," Myung Hee laid a gentle hand on Wook's elbow to placate his temper as she gave Soo a stern look. "Wook is right, Soo, where were you?"

Blinking, Soo cleared her throat and fiddled with the straps of her purse, trying to come up with a story. "I- um, I was just- I went to the… the makeup store I used to work at," she said lamely.

Nodding, Wook motioned for her to continue. "And you stayed there for six hours? I doubt it." He leaned forward and sniffed. "You don't smell like alcohol…"

"I went out with my friends… we hung out together…" Soo berated herself for being such a bad liar. She could tell from the disbelieving expressions on Wook and Myung Hee's faces neither seemed to believe her. "I, um- I couldn't answer my phone because we were at one of those Impromptu Series concerts- you know, the one with your younger brother…"

She rocked on the balls of her feet, holding her hands behind her back and feeling like a teenager again. Soo would have only continued to stumble through her words if Myung Hee had not reached forward to hug her, her eyes glistening. Soo's eyes widened at the embrace and she looked over at Wook whose glare faded. "What matters is that you're home and you're safe."

Soo gave her cousin's husband a sheepish look as he sighed audibly. Wook's arms uncrossed and he nodded. "She's right."

The door opened behind Soo and she turned to see So walking in, yawning. He took his shoes off before stopping in his tracks and taking in the scene of Myung Hee hugging Soo. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

Soo and So met eyes as Wook shook his head. "And where have you been? What is with this household and randomly disappearing family members?"

So raised an eyebrow and held his car keys up. "I went to Incheon to take care of some business. Why? Am I interrupting something?" he gestured toward Myung Hee who released Soo while wiping her eyes. "Is she alright?" he mouthed to Wook who rubbed his temples and nodded.

So crept past his sister-in-law and Soo, being sure not to touch either woman.

Wook sighed again and grumbled something about gray hairs and a house full of children. "We were just discussing Soo's newly upgraded security." Holding his arms behind his back, Wook stood straight. "Soo, because of today and due to the mounting unrest within the family, I think it would be best if you had a full time security guard with you whenever you leave the house. Myung Hee's usual guard will be assigned to you; you seem to get along with him better than others."

Soo's mouth dropped to the floor and she shook her head. "Why?!"

Myung Hee gave her cousin a small smile as her husband walked away without another word. "Wook was very worried that you weren't answering your phone. The security is only temporary. Just… behave and I'm sure we can tell Wook to loosen up. He's just being unnecessarily paranoid."

So stood by Soo as Myung Hee turned to follow her husband. His heart plummeted. No more secret dates. They would only be able to see each other at night.