In-ho saw Elizabeth go through a range of emotions as the week went by. She was still exhausted from what had happened and she would wake up from nightmares often. He hadn't pushed her on what had happened while she had been homeless for almost a month, but he figured that she'd found it difficult. She'd seen things that had clearly terrified her and she didn't want to go outside again. She had been cooped up in his apartment, mainly sleeping in his bed. She'd been ill for a bit, coughing and sniffing loudly. He'd brought her medicines and cooked for her. He had looked after her as best as he could, but she wasn't entirely certain what was going on between the two of them.

He'd gone out and bought her some clothes while she had been laying in. He'd come back with numerous bags in his hands. She'd finally moved from bed and was sat on his sofa, staring out of the window to the left of her, arm bent and hand cupping her chin. Kicking the door closed behind him, he walked towards the sitting area and placed the bags down on the floor. Elizabeth looked over to him and he shrugged out of his coat, laying it over the back of the sofa.

"You're up," he commented, almost like he was stating the obvious.

Elizabeth smiled at him, but it seemed like a weak smile. He sat down on the other end of the sofa, giving her some space. He'd been mainly sleeping on the sofa during the week while she'd been sick. She'd tossed and turned, coughing and groaning loudly. He'd stayed with her until she fell asleep, but then he'd carry a pillow and a blanket to the sofa and gave her the space she needed.

"I figured I should try and move from one room to another at least," Elizabeth told him.

She was wearing another one of his shirts and a pair of shorts. They were too big on her, but she didn't care, tying the drawstrings tight around her waist. He'd noticed that she'd lost weight, her face seeming gaunt and her stomach flat, ribs poking out when she stretched. He'd tried to feed her as best as he could, but she hadn't had the stomach for much while she'd been sick.

"How're you feeling?" he asked her.

"Okay," she replied with a gentle nod. "I mean, I don't know what I'm going to do, but at least I've stopped coughing everywhere. I just…well…I know that I need to go out there eventually and find something, but I just don't know what."

He shook his head at her and she coughed loosely. He reached for the bottle of water that was on the coffee table and handed it to her. She took a gulp and looked over to him and managed a soft 'thanks'. She put the lid back on the bottle and set it down on the floor next to her.

"You can stay here as long as you need to."

"We both know that's not…I don't know if I can," Elizabeth confessed to him. "I need to try and work on clearing my name and getting my licence back. I just don't know how to do it. I yelled at the police…begged them to see reason…that this wasn't who I was. I cried in front of my boss. He knew me. He knows the work I do. He knows I wanted to make partner. He just looked right through me and didn't believe me. I feel like I'm stood in the middle of a busy street, screaming at the top of my lungs and no one is listening to me. No one cares about me."

In-ho saw her quickly wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffed loudly and just shook her head at him. "Sorry," she said. "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to apologise for?" he wondered from her.

"Because look at me," she said, motioning to herself. "I'm pathetic. I'm worthless. I can't do anything. I claim to be this independent woman who can look after herself and it's all bullshit. I can't do any of that. I can't do it and I hate myself. I hate myself for being like this."

In-ho could hardly believe what was coming out of her mouth. His heart broke for her, wondering just how much damage her husband had done to her. He didn't think he could let that go. He didn't want to let it go. He wanted him to suffer and he wanted Elizabeth to see it. He wanted her to see him in pain and he wanted her to have her revenge.

He wasn't sure if she would push him away, but he knew that he had to take a chance. He slid along the sofa towards her, a hand moving towards her, waiting for her to take it. She looked down at his outstretched fingers and she knew she shouldn't take hold of it. She knew that she shouldn't keep letting herself get closer to him, but a part of her didn't care. He'd told her everything about him. He'd shared it all and she had still sobbed with relief when she'd gone back to his apartment and he'd been there. And she'd been thinking more about what he'd told her and the games. She'd thought about it and she knew it was wrong. She knew it, yet a small part of her didn't care.

She'd probably have done anything at that point to try and get some money and clear her name. She'd probably have welcomed death. And she probably wouldn't have cared who she hurt to get it. She'd spent her entire life surrounded by people who had never cared about her. Why should she care about anyone else?

But then there was Young-il, or In-ho, as he had told her was his real name. He was the only one who had actually seen her for who she was. He'd seen the good side and the bad side. She knew that she had a dark side. She was well aware of that. She'd imagined hurting her husband so many times and making him pay for what had happened.

And so she gave in. She gave in and, for once in such a long time, she forgot having a conscience. No one else had bothered to protect her so why should she protect them? She took what she wanted and so she put her hand into his.

In-ho could see her internal struggle with whether or not she should grab his hand, but he'd been more than relieved when she'd taken hold of it. He tugged her gently towards him and he grabbed hold of her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap. She moved a leg either side of him, settling down on top of him. His hands kept hold of her waist, cupping it gently and he moved his forehead down towards hers.

"I care about you," he told her in a whisper. "I care about you. I've spent the last several weeks unable to think…concentrate…sleep…because all I wanted to do was find you. You're not worthless. You're not pathetic. The things you've gone through have been enough to break anyone, but you're still here. And you're going to come back from this. You're going to be stronger than before because that's who you are. You're a fighter, Elizabeth. You think I don't see that in you? I know things might seem hopeless right now…but they won't be…in time, they will get better."

Elizabeth wasn't sure if she shared his optimism, but for a change it was nice to hear someone speak about her with fondness as opposed to telling her that she had no value

"Why did you tell me the truth?" Elizabeth questioned from him and he tilted his head. "I know that I went digging, but why did you tell me the truth?"

"Because you…" he trailed off, wondering what he should tell her. He could think of another lie. He could think of something that didn't match up with why he'd told her. But he couldn't. He didn't want to because he knew that the time for lies was over. "When my wife died, I never imagined that I would get closer to anyone else," he told her. "I never thought that I would meet anyone. I never dated. I ignored women who made advances in bars. I shut down completely. And then you strode out of your office and I didn't know what to think. At first, I didn't know if I could trust you with the legal business, but you were so witty and smart…and you…it ended up that visiting you at that law firm became a bright spot in my life when I had nothing."

Elizabeth moved a hand to his cheek, stroking it gently in her palm and he kept on talking.

"When I found out what your husband was doing, I didn't know how to bring it up. Meeting you in the bar had been purely coincidental, but it was one of the best coincidences I could've imagined. When I asked you back here that night, I thought that it would just be sex," he confessed to her. "I thought that you were attractive and yes, a part of me was lonely and I…I'd never done that before. I'd never gone home with someone I hardly knew. But after that night, I knew that it wasn't just a one-night stand that I wanted. I wanted…I wanted you. You've consumed me, Elizabeth. Everything about you intoxicated me and I couldn't get you out of my mind. I can't seem to do anything because you're the only thing I can think of and this feeling, it's new to me. It's new because I don't think I've had it before, not really."

Elizabeth could feel her face warm up and her stomach continue to flip as he spoke. Her husband had never said anything like that to her. She didn't think she had the ability to make someone feel this way but, clearly, she did because she believed everything he was saying. Elizabeth moved her hand from his cheek to sit by his neck and he shuddered at the feeling.

"I don't know why I went back home with you that night," Elizabeth confessed to him. "I knew that it was a risk and it wasn't as if I'd done anything like that before. I'd never been with anyone except for Robert and then you...I found myself telling you things I've never dared to tell anyone before. I felt as though I could open up around you and, no matter what I said, you wouldn't judge me. You understood me. You saw me like no one else ever did and all I wanted to do was come back here and spend time with you. I used to count down the minutes until Robert had gone and I could come and see you because you…you're the only one who has listened to me and had faith in me. And I don't just like you because you take care of me and I haven't had anyone do that in such a long time. I like you because you…you're smart…you have this ability to make me laugh like no one has done in such a long time…you listen to me…you make me feel comfortable and like I can just be me. And I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to feel this way, but I do. I…just…when you told me everything…I think you broke my heart because I knew that I had to walk away. A part of me wished you hadn't told me."

A part of him wished that he hadn't either, but he knew that it was imperative that he told her. He couldn't keep secrets. It would do neither of them any good to keep secrets from each other.

"I had to because I couldn't let you keep living a lie," he said. "You deserved the truth and even if it meant you wanted to go and never see me again, I had to tell you the truth. Besides, lies have a way of rearing their head, Elizabeth. Breaking your heart…I hate that I did that. I hate that I hurt you."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully and she looked over his face, studying his features and drinking in the expression on his face. She knew that she was maybe about to make a big mistake, but she was tired of doing the right thing. She was tired of being who people expected her to be. And so she just bent down, angling her face towards his. He kept still, seeing her close her eyes as she moved towards him. Her lips pressed to his gently for a moment and he then closed his eyes, savouring her mouth against his. A part of him had thought that he'd never have this moment again.

But here she was, in his arms and kissing him gently. Was it a goodbye kiss? Was this her way of leaving him? If it was then he didn't want it to end. She pulled back from him, her lips parted and he reached for her cheek, fingers tangling into her hair that had fallen into her face.

"I don't want to stop," she told him. "I want you…I don't want the fake version of you that you pretend to be…Young-il…I want you…I want it all."

"You mean that?" he asked from her. "You really mean that."

"So long as you still want me."

"I want you, Elizabeth. You're all I want."

"Then you have me," she said and moved to kiss him once again.

…

Sitting at the dining table, In-ho wasn't entirely sure when this had become normal for the two of them. He had told her that he was in the middle of preparing for the games and she had asked him what that meant. He'd shown her all of the plans that he had and she'd looked over them with him. He had expected her to run again, disgusted with what was going on. But she hadn't. She had just kept asking him questions and he had answered them honestly.

"You never had a game like that?" he asked her.

She was dressed in one of the shirts and skirts that he had bought her, a glass of orange juice in front of her and one leg curled up on the chair beneath her. She shook her head. He rolled up the sleeves of the dark blue shirt he wore and folded his arms on the table.

"I mean, when I was a kid I grew up in England. We had childhood games, but none like this…there was duck, duck, goose…and what time is it Mr Wolf…I guess that one is a bit like red light, green light."

"What time is it Mr Wolf?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she said. "So someone would be the wolf and then the rest would stand at the other end of the playground. You'd ask the wolf what time it is. So say if he said it's five o'clock then you had to take five steps towards the wolf…and then at any point the wolf can just shout it's lunch time and then you have to run back to the start line before the wolf grabs you and makes you the wolf."

His brows rose on his forehead and he shook his head. "That's not similar at all."

"Yes, it is," Elizabeth retorted. "You have to run towards something and stop at certain times."

"Yeah, but you then have to run back to the start line which is counter-productive."

"To avoid being eaten by the wolf," she confirmed.

"It's a completely different game," he said and Elizabeth just rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. "And what is duck, duck, goose?"

"Okay, so this is actually quite easy…although it's difficult to play with just two people," she said and then she stood up. "So imagine that there's other people around this dining table. Someone walks around and pats the heads of everyone and when it gets to goose that person has to stand up and race them around the circle of people to get back to their spot. The person who makes it wins and then the other person has to go round patting the heads of everyone else and choose who the goose is…humour me…okay?"

She patted his head and said 'duck' and then patted the rest of the chairs also saying 'duck'. He knew as soon as she came back to him that she'd get him to move. He watched her speed up and slow down before she got where he was stood and she patted his head and went 'goose'. He'd been anticipating that and he chased her round the table, not caring that it was immature to play childish games. She was almost ready to take his seat, but he lunged forwards. He grabbed her round the waist and she laughed loudly as he picked her up and turned her around so that he could sit back down, but he let her fall into his lap, an arm going round his shoulders.

"I think that's cheating," she said.

He shook his head at her, still smiling. "I don't think it's cheating when you never clarified particular rules of the games," he replied. "Unless you're just a sore loser?"

"Oh, I am definitely a sore loser," she promised him that much. "I used to sulk as a kid whenever someone beat me at a game. I think I got my competitive streak from my dad. He hated seeing anyone get ahead of him in anything. I think that's also why I studied so much."

"Nothing wrong with wanting to win," he assured her of that. "But that game is also ridiculous."

"That game used to be a staple on the playground," she told him and he felt her shift slightly in his lap, peering down at the blueprints on the table. He watched her as she moved a hand towards them and picked a piece up. "Do you think that's the best decision?"

"What's that?" she asked him.

"Well, if you're so convinced that this player is going to come back into the games then yeah…he's going to have an advantage if you just redo all the games so I get why you're changing them, but maybe you should just leave the first game as it is."

In-ho couldn't quite believe that they were talking so freely like this. He had tried to keep work from her, but she had gotten invested in what was going on and any sense of her being repulsed seemed to have vanished. He didn't question it, but a part of him wondered if he had done this to her. Had he corrupted her? Had he taken someone innocent and turned them into someone like him? But then he reminded himself that she had never been entirely innocent, not really.

"You think so?"

"Just think about. He'll go in there with an advantage. He'll probably tell other people to try and save them and then they'll just follow him blindly…thinking that he can get them through the games," Elizabeth said. "Imagine their surprise when they find out in the second game that it's all changed and he can't help."

In-ho smirked at that. He could imagine that it would cause issues. He could see that it would get them to turn on each other. He wanted that to happen, however. He knew that there was no hope for those in the games, not really. And he had a job to do.

"Interesting point," In-ho told her and she reached for her glass of orange juice, taking a sip of it as he brushed his fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her shoulder. "And you think that would work?"

"I think I'd follow someone who told me they'd won the games before," Elizabeth said with a nod of her head, putting the glass back on the table and leaning her head back against his shoulder. "But why are you so sure that he'll come back to the games? I would've thought once you compete once then that'd be enough. Why go back?"

"Because he's naïve," In-ho told her. "He still has faith that people will do the right thing, but we both know that's not how the world works. He wants to stop them…shut them down…but that won't happen."

"You're sure?"

"The people in there only want one thing and that's money. They'll never follow him," he told her. "Either way, he is still in Seoul and looking for me. He won't find me, of course, but I'll find him in time if he keeps hunting."

"He has no idea who you are?" Elizabeth asked.

"We wear masks. It's important that we don't reveal our faces in the games," he said. "It keeps things equal and that's imperative. Out in the world, there's no equality, but in the games there has to be. There has to be a sense of justness."

"And that man…the one I met in the park…"

"He's a Salesman," In-ho said. "He works for me and he finds people to join the games. He gives them a choice to join…that's the thing, Elizabeth, it all comes down to choice. People can choose to join or they can choose to walk away. No one forces them to do anything. Of course, not everyone sees it that way, but the Salesman…he's been employed for quite some years now. I had him searching for you every day instead of doing his job. I think that annoyed him."

"He seemed smarmy," was all Elizabeth said and In-ho chuckled. He guessed that was an accurate assumption. "And the island, how do you get there?"

"Only few know how to get there and those who do are sworn to secrecy of its location," he said. "At the moment, the island is empty. I was going to go over there and do some work. I had a bag packed before I heard about what happened to you and then I didn't bother going. I stayed here instead."

"What's it like?"

"The island?" he checked and she nodded on his shoulder.

"Remote…peaceful…quite a feat of engineering, to be honest," he said. "I have my own quarters and residence with everything I could desire including a private pool and sauna."

Elizabeth would've scoffed. He was living a life of luxury while everyone else fought for their lives. She moved a hand to his chest, playing with the buttons of his shirt in her fingers. "Will you take me?" she wondered from him and he looked down at her, chin moving into his neck. He watched as she kept on running a finger over a button of his shirt.

"You want to go?"

"I want to see," she said. "And if you were going to go over there and work then I can just come with you."

"I don't want to overwhelm you," In-ho told her.

She was quiet for a moment then and he felt her shift against him, his chin now brushing her forehead as he moved both arms around her waist to stop her from slipping. She found a loose thread on his cuff that was rolled up on his forearm. Reaching for it, she threaded it between her fingers.

"When I was wandering the streets…I think it was maybe a week after Robert kicked me out…I was so hungry that I constantly felt sick. I swore that I'd never known hunger like it. All I'd had was this protein bar that I'd had in my bag. I'd rationed that for as long as I could and drank water from sinks in public bathrooms…and I ended up wandering behind these restaurants…there was this Italian restaurant and I saw them throwing out fresh bread. I tried to sneak some out of the bin…and I'd never felt so pathetic…but then someone came out…a waiter or manager and he just yelled at me…told me to get lost and I left. I thought I'd been embarrassed getting food from the trash, but that…that took the humiliation to another level. I just tried to find somewhere quiet and I cried. I wasn't even hungry anymore."

In-ho closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head softly.

"And there were guys who were down and out on their luck too. I get that people suffer, but one night…I thought the park was empty and I was so tired. I'd lost my heels and I just walked bare foot around this park for the entire day. I knew people were looking. I heard some of them laughing because I looked like some corporate businesswoman who'd had a breakdown. I thought that I'd be safe to sleep for a few hours because I hadn't sat down in such a long time…and then I woke up…his hand in my bra and then under my skirt…and he…he kept touching me and I just tried to fight him off…and then do you know what he did? He stood up and threw some notes down to me and walked away laughing with his friends."

Elizabeth finished playing with the thread of his shirt and she lifted her head up so that she could look him in the eye. He was angry, she could see that much, but it only took a moment for his gaze to soften for her and it turned to hurt.

"So, yes, I'm sure," she said to him. "I'm not going to be overwhelmed because I'm done with it all. I'm done with caring for anything or anyone but myself and…and you…just us."

In-ho bent down then and kissed her sweetly. If her husband thought he'd gotten away with what he'd done then he had another thing coming.

…

For all intents and purposes, Elizabeth Jacobs had vanished. She was a ghost. She enjoyed that though. She enjoyed the seclusion that she had. And she enjoyed the speculation a lot more that came with her disappearance. In-ho had taken her to the island. They'd packed their bags and taken a cab to the ferry terminal together. He had spoken with the captain who had left them on the port and he'd driven one of the cars along the dirt track up towards the private residence that was away from where the games were held. He'd told her that he would give her a full tour in time, but for now, he had other things he needed to finish.

She'd been in awe of his clifftop summerhouse when she'd first walked in. It had sleek marble floors with an infinity pool overlooking the sea. There were modern appliances in the kitchen and granite worktops and units. There was a floating fireplace and a large l-shaped sofa opposite it. The bathroom had a standalone tub and walk-in shower with two sinks and a large mirror above them. The bedroom had double doors leading out to the pool with two chairs next to it. It was more luxurious than most of the places where Elizabeth had stayed in the past.

He had left her in the apartment while he had gone to the main building to check on things. She had gone for a swim then, grateful that he'd bought her a black one-piece with white piping around the edges. Elizabeth hadn't gone out in Seoul with him. He knew that he couldn't be photographed with Seoul's most notorious lawyer. It would destroy his reputation. She also didn't want to be seen. She had looked through the news on her phone that he'd bought her, reading the news articles and the names they called her.

But then there started to be articles about her disappearance. Apparently, no one could get hold of her. That was when talk had started. Elizabeth's PA had come forward and said how she would turn up to work with bruises. There was someone in the embassy who had said that she'd caught Robert yelling at his wife when she had visited one time. He came out and said that they had just been arguing, as married couples do.

"You know that it's not healthy for you to read the news."

In-ho found her sat on a sun lounger, legs stretched in front of her and skin damp from the pool. Her hair was also wet down her back, but she let the sun dry her off. In-ho tried not to stare too long, noticing the way the costume clung to her body. He perched on the side of the sun-lounger next to her.

"Then you haven't seen it?" she wondered.

"About the news articles surrounding your disappearance?" he asked from her. "I've seen them."

"I thought it wasn't healthy to read the news?" Elizabeth shot his own comment back at him and he rolled his eyes at her but took the phone from her hand, locking the screen and setting it on the table next to them.

"It's not healthy for you to obsess over news about you," he clarified. "I've been keeping up-to-date with it and…well…I've had some thoughts."

"Care to share those with me?" Elizabeth wondered and he turned his upper body to the side so that he could face her. He moved a hand to the strap on her shoulder, slipping his finger beneath it and running his hand up her shoulder, swiping away beads of water that had settled on her skin.

"There's rumours swirling that he was abusive towards you and no one can find you," he said. "Eventually, things will start to escalate. People love nothing more than mystery and your disappearance is quite the mystery, Elizabeth. I think…eventually…people will start digging even further into you vanishing and they'll find the truth. They'll find out that your husband was abusive…in debt…used you to cover his tracks and then, well, they'll question where you are…did he do something to you? Did he threaten you? Suspicion will increase surrounding him."

Elizabeth knew he had a point and she had thought about that herself.

"I might've wanted to frame him for killing me at one point, but now I don't know if I want that. Why should I have to hide because of him? Why should I have to run away and play dead? No. I want my reputation back. I want what he stole from me."

"And you'll have it," he assured her of that. "But just give it a little more time. Let the heat stay on him and see how things play out."

Elizabeth relented and shrugged. "Okay," she said. "But I do want my revenge, In-ho."

"And I assure you, you will get it," he told her, already knowing just how he was going to give it to her.

…

Cooking in the kitchen, In-ho had let Elizabeth go and shower after her dip in the pool. She came back out in a slip of a dress, the green material a soft silk and trailing to the floor. She'd blow dried her hair and tucked it behind her ears and out of her face. She found him at the hob, glass of scotch next to him and sleeves rolled up on his white shirt. He turned around when he saw her approaching, doing a double-take at the dress on her body.

"I don't remember buying you that during my shopping trip," he told her.

She smiled and stood next to him, picking up his glass and taking a sip for herself. "I might've left this at your apartment before…in the hope that I might wear it if we went for dinner one night."

"I have to say, it is quite the dress," he confessed, noticing the low cut of it and dipping his hand into the small of her back. "I might even think that you're trying to seduce me."

"Do I need to try and seduce you?" she wondered.

"I'm only a man, Elizabeth, and believe me, before the end of the night, that dress will be lucky not to be ripped," he said, moving down to whisper into her ear and then kiss the side of her neck. "But, I am a gentleman first and foremost, so I insist on wining and dining you."

"And I'll even let you," Elizabeth said.

"There's a record player in the corner, feel free to pick out some music," he urged from her and Elizabeth moved to the corner where it sat. She crouched down and looked at the vinyl records beneath it. He glanced over to her, taking his eye off the food for a few seconds and he noticed the way the dress caught around her legs.

"You know, most people just stream music nowadays," she called back to him.

"And where's the fun in that?" he asked her.

"Makes it easier to find music?" she suggested. "And is this all of yours?"

"I might be a man of simple taste, but I enjoy music," he told her. "And you?"

"I'd say that I have quite embarrassing tastes really…American pop over everything…but I do quite enjoy some classics…Elvis…oh and…no…is this…Billy Joel?" she questioned, voice rising higher and In-ho's lips arched upwards a little.

"Not one of my most played songs, but I also don't mind some of his songs."

"I loved Billy Joel growing up," Elizabeth said, putting the vinyl on the turntable. "I went to watch him at Madison Square Garden when I was twenty-one. All my friends thought it was lame, but I've always loved his music. You could say it's a guilty pleasure."

She lowered the needle and he heard the music begin then.

"If it's a pleasure then it doesn't need to be guilty," he said. "You should enjoy what you enjoy."

"Embarrassing reality TV?" she questioned and walked to the drink cart, pouring herself a scotch. He placed the dish into the oven and set the timer, hands going to his hips and he turned to face her.

"You do not watch reality TV," he said.

"I do," she said. "You name it, I'll watch it."

"I did not expect that."

"Glad to know I can still surprise you," Elizabeth said and he stepped towards her. He took her glass from her hand and set it on the cart behind her. Taking hold of her waist in one hand, he picked her other hand up and held it by his shoulder. "What's this?"

"You're not the only one who is full of surprises," he said to her and Elizabeth smiled at that as She's Always a Woman played in the background. "And I would hate for your memory of Billy Joel to be tainted by people saying that you're lame."

"So chivalrous," she said jokingly.

"Always," he replied and she finally placed her free hand onto his shoulder, curling around it and letting him sway them from side to side. She moved closer to him as the song continued until her chest was brushing his and she could lay her head on his shoulder by her hand. He moved to peck her on the forehead, seeing that her eyes were closed.

"I think I might be falling in love with you," she confessed to him and he never thought he'd hear anyone say those words to him again. But here she was, openly telling him how she felt and he knew, as Billy Joel crooned about how dangerous a woman could be, that he felt the same way. And he didn't care how dangerous Elizabeth might be to him. He knew that she could ruin him in more ways than he cared to admit. But none of that mattered.

"I think I might be falling in love with you too," he whispered, his hand pushing against her back just a bit more forcefully as he let himself languish in the moment.