Welcome Back.

"anyone home?" Seol Yoon-ah's voice resounded down the dark hallway as she dragged her luggage. She looked around as she walked past the hallway. Picture frames of her family over the years. One picture in particular stood out like a sore thumb to her. She stood in place while fixated on it. A picture of her younger self some years ago days before she was discharged. She looked terrible and depressed but she was smiling in the picture and her younger brother was sitting right next to her bawling his eyes out. She smiled and shook her head before looking away. She didn't even bother turning on the lights.

She walked to the living room and left her luggages there and sat down on the floor. From the look of things, she was home alone. She had asked her mom and dad if they would pick her up from the airport days before she had landed in Korea and they told her they would be waiting for her at the airport. Imagine her surprise when they called and told her they had to go to their son's tournament and would meet her home with her brother afterwards when she had just landed in the airport. She sighed before standing up to go outside to get the rest of her stuff. Uggghhh...

Walking back outside and into the neighborhood, she saw a lady holding a dog while walking down the street. She stared at the gorgeous white Pomeranian with a cute pink bow tie around its neck. It was so cute and white and she wanted a dog just like that. She couldn't help but stare. She absolutely adored cute little creatures like it. She sighed, completely ignoring the load of baggages and boxes she needed to carry inside.

"Are you this family's first daughter?" Seol Yoon-ah's attention that had been so bewitched by the cute little dog found that the dog's owner was talking to her. She hurriedly greeted the middle aged lady. The dog was staring at Seol Yoon-ah and she quickly came to her senses. "Ohh! Good morning ma'am" she smiled.

"Good morning dear" The woman replied. Her face was so stern and stoic, Nelly would say that she had an ever-resting bitch face if she was here. She laughed at the thought. "I'm this Family's only daughter. I came back from school today and I'm moving my things back inside" it was a wealthy neighborhood, everyone recognized everyone. It wouldn't do for her make this woman suspicious of her presence in front of her own home.

"Aigoo. You're the one I heard would be returning today right? You graduated from Oxford right?" The placement of a stiff smile on the woman's face was a bit unsettling. It made it seem like it was hard for her face to make human expressions. This conversation wasn't one she would like to discuss with a stranger too. She forced a laugh to seem courteous "Haha..haha that I did" The dog started barking and she found herself staring at the dog again. "You've made your parents quite proud. Welcome back. I won't hold you back from doing your thing" She replied while looking and the heap of boxes Yoon-ah needed to take inside. "...haha.." Seol Yoon-ah laughed nervously " thank you ma'am" the woman nodded at her before walking away with her dog. The woman's face was a bit scary for Seol Yoon-ah. She sighed again. She quickly made her way inside after carrying some boxes. She opened the door and walked into the hallway again. "I have so much to do by myself"

Dropping the items, she walked to the kitchen to get water, She was a bit parched.

"What's a cake doing here in the fridge?" While reaching for a bottle of water in the fridge, she noticed a cake. She didn't pay any mind to it as she quickly closed the fridge to drink water. She took big gulpes as swallowed the water. She was still in the middle of drinking her water when she was attacked by the sudden brightness in the kitchen.

"Surprise!!!" At this point, Seol Yoon-ah was choked up on her water. Her family that she had thought was absent were actually hidden under the same roof as her bidding their time to assault her with a surprise attack. Okay she was exaggerating things a bit but you get the point. "Dad!" She rasped in utter disbelief at the fact that her dad who was all about time efficiency and cool headedness would agree with her mom to do this. He laughed. He looked absolutely joyful and happy that his daughter had finally come back. He was the first one to hug her before her mom who had been blowing the party poppers threw them to the floor and lunged for her. Her mom was in tears, happy tears of course. She squeezed Yoon-ah in a tight embrace as she began bawling her eyes out. "My princess is back.." she cried.

Yoon-ah patted her back. Her eyes were a bit teary, she didn't realize that her morning would end with her almost having a heart attack and then having an emotional moment with her parents. "Mommmm" she hugged her mom back too as she cried tears of her own.

"Welcome back Noona" There he was, the snooty nosed cheeky brat she called her brother. "Hyun-ie.." the brat was as tall as James. This hunk of a twenty year old couldn't be mistaken as a child, he had gotten more handsome over the years. She had seen pictures of him while in school but it was a quite humbling to see the real thing. She walked to him and opened her arms wide. It didn't take two seconds for him to drop the cake on the kitchen counter and lunged for her arms. Acting like this made her realize that no matter how much of a man he's become, he would still be Seol Hyun of the Seol family and her one and only baby brother. She ruffled his slicked back hair as she hugged him.

"I'm glad to be back"

~~~•••~~~•••~~~•••~~~•••~~~•••~~~•••~~~

The city lights were bright and everyone minded their business. It was an extremely busy night in Seoul as usual. The neon lights in the night was a stark contrast with Oxford. It was a place with a different language of its own. Yoon-ah stared and took in the difference in scenery between the two places. The never ending sounds of engines and the never ending movement of thousands of people. The night breathes in hurried footsteps, exhales the scent of winter and ambition. Seoul never sleeps—it only shifts gears, chasing dawn through tangled veins of light. It was a huge difference indeed.

She inhaled the scent of Seoul in night, eyes shut in utter bliss at the thought of herself returning back home. Her brother stood in front of her and they stood in front of a pub. They went out to get drinks together. He stared at her for long while, his hands in his pockets, absolutely rocking the winter jacket she had gotten for him like a supermodel. He had changed a lot, he wasn't impulsive and loud as he had once been, he had gotten quiet and laid back. He was no longer a brat but more of a responsible and mature young adult. She was still in her thoughts while staring at the busy roads. One thing about him that would never change was how he always liked following her wherever she went. She had previously told her parents how she wanted to have a stroll out at night and he didn't hold back at expressing his need to follow her. She finally looked at him. He looked cool and calm. He noticed she was staring at him. "Finally done staring, Noona?" He asked. She smiled at him.

She walked to him and crossed arms with him as they walked closer to the pub. "Wanna get some barbecue too?" She suggested. The pub also did barbecue and the likes. "Sure why not" he answered and then they walked inside.

The interaction between brother and sister was being watched from a black car on the other side of the road. Who would have thought that in such a busy road where everyone was minding their business, there would be someone who would be able to notice them from such a distance. The car was a sleek phantom black Rolls Royce. Inside, the luxurious leather seats embraced their occupants— A beautiful man, sat back in the plush comfort of the car's interior, gazing out at the familiar urban landscape. In front of him, his secretary kept his hands steady on the wheel, the faint hum of the engine the only sound between them. They had stopped on the road when he noticed that woman.

His secretary's voice broke through his reverie. "Almost home, Mr. Kim, shall I continue?" He said, a soft and professional tone to his words.

He nodded absently, but his attention was drawn to the place she had been standing. He had seen her standing on the sidewalk, bathed in the glow of a streetlamp—Seol Yoon-ah. He had watched her as she was looking around, her gaze swept the surroundings with that trademark curiosity. He remembered how his breath had hitched when he thought that they'd made eye contact, how his pulse quickened as he watched her. He rolled down the window, to speak to her, but it was always the same—too late, too soon.

But then, something strange happened. She stopped. Her gaze shifted—no, not just curiosity—there was recognition in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat. The world seemed to slow as she turned and walked toward another man, someone he had no recollection of, someone he had never seen before. A stranger to him, yet there was something so intimate about the way she approached him. He looked young too and absolutely handsome.

The man was tall, with a cool look about him, and when Seol Yoon-ah had reached him, she didn't hesitate. She crossed her arms with his, a casual but affectionate gesture. The closeness, the easy familiarity. He didn't understand. She finally came back and she had someone waiting for her already at home? The way they interacted… so natural, so comfortable. He was left on the outside looking in.

A slow, gnawing jealousy twisted in his chest when he saw them together. His fingers tightened imperceptibly around the armrest, but his face remained composed, professional. The last thing he wanted was to appear vulnerable, especially not in front of his secretary who no doubt had noticed his subtle shift in demeanor.

Seol Yoon-ah and her friend stood there for a moment, sharing a quiet, almost private exchange before they both turned towards a nearby pub, walking with confident strides. Her hips swayed gently, her long coat trailing behind her, and his gaze followed her every movement, completely ignoring the person she walked with. She didn't look back at him. How could she? Not possible.

The sound of the car's engine hummed again in the silence, but it felt somehow distant, muffled by the emotions swirling inside him. His jaw tightened. He should have said something. He should have—

"Mr. Kim," his secretary voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if sensing his discomfort. "Shall I drive you home?"

Without looking at him, Kim Tan gave a terse nod. He could feel his heart pounding, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on the sting of jealousy.

Daniel slowly turned the steering wheel, guiding the car down the road. In the rearview mirror, Seol Yoon-ah's figure grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the warm glow of the pub. But in Tan's mind, she remained.

And as they drove away into the night, the fleeting moments from the street replayed in his mind, the unanswered questions gnawing at him like a wound that would not heal.

We'll see each other soon enough.