Author's Note: I usually have something profound to say, or a moment that happened to me during the day, or an update for the story. But at the moment I have nothing. There is nothing but a constant ramble in my head that I want to say.

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

Storm's head hurt as she woke up. She remembered coming home and going directly to bed but other than that everything else was fuzzy. She didn't know who was in her house or why they were still there, but she wanted to know because she was nosy and didn't want just anyone in her house.

She tossed the covers off and put her feet on the floor. The heated panels had been turned off so all she felt was cold. Immediately she knew it wasn't Jax because he hated cold floors. Curling her toes she walked to her door and pulled it open.

The smell hit her first. Someone was cooking in her house. It definitely wasn't Jax because there was no way he would make it smell that good. He burned everything he touched. So who was it?

Coming around the corner she saw a dark head. Instantly she knew it was Onew. Only two people had dark hair in that group, and she hadn't been around Minho a lot. Taemin had said the Minho was a character, but she hadn't had the privilege of being near him when he was acting like a moron as the prince so casually put it.

"Noona!" Taemin caught her around the waist and kisses her. "Are you okay?"

She pushed away from him and nodded. Onew turned around as she walked up to him. She looked over his shoulder at what he was making. She looked up at him and smiled.

Onew's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the woman. Twelve hours ago he had nearly killed her and yet she still smiled at him. She took the spoon from him and dipped it in the pot. She made a face.

"Is it too salty?" he asked. She nodded and he reached for pepper and another seasoning. "It's porridge. I didn't know what you liked but Ji Hoo hyung said this would be easier for you first."

"And I made coffee," Taemin said happily. He took her hand and led her over to the table. "Sit. Sit."

Storm sat and pulled the notepad to her. /Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your fiancé?/

Taemin's voice changed so Onew knew what Storm had written. "I want to choose my wife. As of right now, I don't choose that woman. She's not my type at all."

She believed him but his position was something different. His parents were going to insist on his marriage to Ji Hoon whether he wanted it or not. She was going to have to back down anyway. She might as well start now.

/What type of woman do you want?/

Taemin reached over and took her hand. "Noona, if you have to ask that, then you're not paying attention."

He raised his hand to his mouth and kissed it. His eyes were locked on hers and she could see how sincere he was. But he was the prince of South Korea and he wasn't just a prince. He was the Crown Prince, the next in line for the throne. No one was going to let him marry someone who wasn't a wealthy Korean national or a princess. Storm wasn't either so she was out of luck.

Pulling her hand from him, Storm schooled her emotions as she reached for her coffee. She couldn't deny the fact that every time he touched her, her heart raced so much it pounded in her ears. There was chemistry between them, but in the real world there was no way they could be together.

"Excuse me." Storm sat back as Onew set a tray down on the table. "I added pepper and a little bit of sugar. Eat as much as you can then put the rest in the fridge. As for us, I made bibimbap and used the kimchi in the fridge. Is that okay?" Storm nodded as she dipped her spoon in the bowl.

When the taste exploded across her taste buds, Storm started a little happy dance that involved moving her head and shaking her shoulders. It was so good she couldn't help the reaction. But it caused the two men to laugh. She didn't care really.

"Should I call you Noona or Storm?" Onew asked as he mixed his bibimbap.

Storm took the pen and jotted down her answer. /When is your birthday?/

"December 14, 1989."

She shook her head as she answered. /No. You're older than me by a day./

Taemin's mouth dropped. "You're the same age as Onew hyung? Daebak. No wonder the two of you act so alike."

"What does that have anything to do with my personality?" Onew demanded.

"You're a really fun guy but you're stubborn. You don't let me do anything fun. And if you do, you and Jonghyun hyung are always there acting like children."

"That has nothing to do with my birthday. You always want to do things you really shouldn't because it could easily ruin your reputation."

"Who cares about my reputation?" Storm raised her hand slightly, and Taemin felt guilty. "Noona, the stuff he's talking about happened when I was in high school. He uses it as a reference when he thinks I'm being too precocious."

"No, you always want to do what we think you shouldn't do."

"What I shouldn't do? Hyung, I don't want to be the heir but because my sister is too young, I have stayed. If it was my choice I would step down out of line of succession in a heartbeat. Also I don't agree with the whole arranged marriage crap. The woman looks stuck up."

"You won't know unless you try talking to her. As far as I know, she's a well-bred decent woman."

"Breeding doesn't make them decent."

Storm listened to the argument and felt horrible about everything. She had met this man while everything was being decided. If she hadn't, he would have gone along with his family's wishes and continued with the engagement.

The thought affected her appetite. She was suddenly full. Setting her spoon down, she got up and carried her bowl to the kitchen. She grabbed the lid and put it on the bowl before putting it in the fridge. She didn't want to say anything to the men so she immediately went to the bathroom.

Onew watched her disappear into the room and shook his head. This was tough for all of them. Taemin wanted to end his engagement for a woman who had no background, Onew wanted to be able to freely date Storm, and the woman was caught in the middle. He didn't know if she liked him as much as she liked Taemin, but he knew he had to try to get her to like him. It would be easier on her if she had him to fall back on when Taemin eventually accepted the engagement.

There was no doubt that he would. Byung Hun, Taemin's father, had threatened him at every angle. If he didn't accept what his father proposed, he would put his sister in the way. Tae Jin was only twelve and still in elementary school. She was nowhere near ready to take on the duties of the Crown Princess. Byung Hun wasn't a bad man; he just wanted his son to follow his footsteps and would do anything possible to make sure he did so. This wasn't in the cards.

Taemin couldn't shake the feeling that something going to happen between now and the time he told his parents he wasn't going to accept Ji Hoon. He desperately wanted to change the arranged marriage law for royalty but couldn't because no one would listen to him. Even if he told them he wasn't going to do it, his father would use Tae Jin against him. That would only work a few times and his father knew it. It was going to take something drastic for Taemin to refuse to come to his sister's rescue.

The doorbell to the apartment rang as they were doing dishes to be helpful. Onew went to the door and flipped on the camera. He sighed and pressed his forehead against the door. This wasn't something that he had ever imagined, but if he didn't open the door, it would cause worse problems.

Ji Hoon looked him right in the eye as soon as the door swung open. "Where is he?" she demanded.

Onew stood in the doorway, blocking her way entirely. "How did you find out he was here?"

"Is that woman here?" She tried to push past Onew but the man stood firm. "Move. This isn't your house."

"It's not yours either. Now, who told you this address?"

"Ji Hoo Oppa told me I'd find Taemin Oppa here. He said that woman lived here and that Taemin Oppa came here after she was in the hospital. I've come to take him to dinner."

"He's already eaten."

"Oppa!" she called over his shoulder.

Onew had never wanted to kill a woman as much as he wanted to kill this one. She was throwing gasoline on an already lightly burning fire. Now she was standing at another person's house egging it on. He wanted to strangle her right in the hallway.

Taemin wondered what the commotion was about and went to investigate. Onew was blocking the door from Ji Hoon as she tried to come inside. Instantly he had no idea what to do. He hadn't expected this at all. He had not thought about her hunting him down in any lifetime. Then the thought hit him that the paparazzi probably had followed her. If he didn't see her, she would spread rumors.

Just as he stepped into the entryway, Storm came out of the bathroom. She had heard the doorbell and had hurriedly finished her shower. She had dressed and tied her hair up so it wouldn't soak the back of her shirt.

She turned the corner and saw Choi Ji Hoon standing in her house. Her throat closed up as reality hit her smack in the face. This beautiful perfect woman had come to search him out, and it was her right. She was engaged to him with the hopes that she would one day be Empress of South Korea.

Onew turned to see Storm standing in the kitchen watching this. Her face may have been stoic but her eyes held turmoil. He turned and went to her, blocking her view of whatever would happen between Taeming and Ji Hoon. He pressed her forehead into his shoulder and stood still.

"You don't have to watch any of this," he whispered.

"Is that her?"

He cringed at the way Ji Hoon's voice went up. He heard her come into the house uninvited. She pulled on his arm, and instead of fighting, he let her pull him away. The women were eye level with each other.

"What the hell are you?" Ji Hoon demanded.

Taemin crossed the room quickly. "Ji Hoon-ah, that's rude. You don't ask someone that. Noona, I'm sorry. She doesn't know how to curb her temper."

"Noona?" The woman raked a sneer across the older one. "You call this mutt of a woman Noona? What did you do? Seduce him?"

Storm stared at the woman. There were many things she wanted to say but they lodged in her throat and refused to come out. Normal women wouldn't let another woman come into her house and talk bad about her, but there was nothing Storm could do. Her voice wasn't going to work even if she demanded it to.

She looked over the woman's head at Taemin. His hands were tied and she could see why. If he confessed to having lost his virginity to her, his reputation would be ruined. Ji Hoon would break the engagement and smear his name in the mud. He would lose the love and respect of his people and her name would be tarnished as well while Ji Hoon would be celebrated as a wronged woman. She would be so much more desirable even though her attitude sucked.

"Are you stupid or something?" Ji Hoon asked when Storm didn't answer. "Do you realize who this is? Did you think that a commoner like you could ever be with a prince? You're not Princess Kate or Cha Eun Sang from The Heirs. This isn't a drama. You will never break into this world."

Onew stepped between Storm and Ji Hoon, becoming a buffer to the snarky words that were flowing from the woman's mouth. "And who do you think you are? You weren't born in this world either. If I remember correctly you were the third choice because of the other families' rumors and scandals. I wouldn't be too excited about that."

"At least I have pure Korean blood. This wench looks like she's black, and she's a mute. How in the world would she survive in the palace where discussion is key? She wouldn't. She would be chewed up and spat out all in the same breath."

"So you come into her house to give her a taste of what would happen to her in the palace? Does that make any sense to you?"

Onew noticed Taemin refused to say anything. He would call him a coward if he wasn't so damn protective of his sister. If he outright refused this woman, she would run back to his parents. Then his sister would pay the price by being forced to do something for the crown that was Taemin's responsibility.

But not only did this affect Taemin, but Storm as well. Glancing back, he saw the woman simply watching what was going on. She didn't react, and she didn't cry. She just watched. He wanted to hold her but if he did, Taemin would react in a rampage and ruin everything. This was the one time that he hated being attracted to the same woman as his prince. If Taemin wasn't here, he would have pulled her to him already.

"Taemin, we need to go meet your parents. They want us to have dinner with them," Ji Hoon said.

Taemin winced at her words. She would hang on to that at the last moment to make the most impact. He walked over to the couch and grabbed his jacket. Looking at Storm, he felt instantly sorry for pulling her in the middle of this. He needed to get things situated but before he did, he had to know that he was making the right choice.

Storm watched the two leave her house. Onew turned to look at her but she didn't want to look at him. She turned away from him and went back into her bedroom. Seeing him leave with her hurt worse than being verbally assaulted by the woman.

Steeling herself, she walked back out of her room and handed a note to Onew. /Will you go with me to the studio? I have some things I want to work on and Ji Hoo Oppa won't let me go alone. Be prepared to be there for a few days./

"I'll set up a schedule with the others so someone is always with you since I have to be with Taemin most of the time," he said.

She nodded and waited for him to gather his things. When he was ready, she led him from the house.