Chapter Text
“Hyung and noona are a couple.”
“Are you certain?”
Han Seo nodded and said, “I don’t know when they became a couple. It was definitely not during the hot air balloon ride. It was earlier than that.”
“How early?”
“I don’t know. One day, I just realized that they are a couple. I don’t ask my hyung these things. It doesn’t really matter to me as long as hyung and noona are happy.”
Miri got excited, this is the confirmation she’s been waiting for. So she prodded for more. “Would you say they’re in an established relationship?”
Han Seo looked like he was thinking so Miri rephrased her question.
“Would you say that they are comfortable with each other?”
“But they’ve always been comfortable with each other. Those two can communicate without words.”
“You’re right. Terrible question. I guess tell me about how they are then. What do you know?”
“I don’t really have any stories about them,” was Han Seo’s quick response. It was a flat out lie of course. There is one story that immediately came to mind but he decided that it is not for him to tell.
“Okay, how about this, I’ll go through Ms. Hong’s posts and then you can just tell me if there is a story behind them.”
Miri opened the app. When she clicked Ms. Hong’s account, she found a recent post, a very suspicious one.
“A new post! It’s on July 7th. And this one...was liked by you and Luca.”
The post was a nicely plated steak. And the captions says: “First meal” and a black heart at the end.
“What’s this post about?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you and Luca liked the picture.”
“It looks mouthwatering, that’s why I liked it. I guess Luca thinks the same. Why do you think this has to do with hyung and noona’s relationship?”
“It has a black heart. And it was posted on July 7th.”
Han Seo didn’t ask what the black heart meant as Miri told him about it a few days ago.
“What’s on July 7th?”
“Korean Valentine’s day.”
“Oh right,” said Han Seo, purposely keeping his answer short. Thankfully Miri didn’t ask anymore questions.
They went through the posts that Miri and the other two women identified, but Han Seo doesn’t know anything about those, and so wasn’t able to provide Miri with the information that she was looking for.
“I’m sorry Miri-shi. I wish I could tell you more, but I really don’t know anything about those posts,” Han Seo said truthfully. “I’ll tell you this much though, hyung and noona are important to me. I think they went through so much to be together and I’m really happy that they are together and finally happy.” He went a little pensive and continued, “I remember before hyung came back to Seoul, noona wasn’t her usual self. Once, I met with her and she gave me the list of books that hyung suggested I read, and there was a look of sadness and frustration on her face. Of course she tried to pretend that she was okay but I could easily tell she was not.”
“So the two lawyers were in contact with each other when Mr. Cassano was away?”
“Huh? What?” was Han Seo’s response as he started to panic. He realized that he said something that he shouldn't have.
“You just said that Ms. Hong gave you a reading list that was made by Mr. Cassano.”
“I did?”
Miri’s gave him an ‘if looks could kill, you’d be dead by now’ face.
“Um...right...uh...I did say that.”
“So they were in contact.”
“No. They weren’t. Hyung was worried about noona’s safety so they didn’t contact each other.”
“But the reading list...how did Ms. Hong receive the reading list then?” She said, impatience evident in her voice.
“They um…met,” he said, whispering the last word.
“The corn salad and Ms. Hong met before he came back to Korea!?”
Han Seo winced at how loud she said that sentence.
“Please don’t say that out loud?!? I’m already breaking their confidence by telling you this. You know you can’t tell another soul about this right?”
She nodded.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” she said as she had her pinky finger out. Han Seo followed suit and they linked it and laminated the promise with their thumbs.
Taking a deep breath, Han Seo decided to tell Miri what happened more than two years ago.
-----
Seoul Medical Centre
April 2021
Han Seo remembered waking up to the feeling of pain. His entire body is achy from lack of use, but it is the pain in his stomach that is unbearable. His movement alerted the person by his bedside. He immediately recognized her.
“You’re awake,” she said as she got up, and walked towards the door.
“Byeon…ho…sa…nim,” he said, his voice hoarse from the lack of use.
Hong Cha Young went back to his bedside, and said, “Try not to move too much okay. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Han Seo nodded.
“Hang in there. I’ll let the nurse know.”
He didn’t want her to leave. He has so many questions, but the pain he’s feeling is unbearable. So he closed his eyes, the last thing he saw was Ms. Hong with a sling on her arm, walking towards the door.
During his waking moments, he wasn’t able to think of anything else other than the pain, until the next time he found Ms. Hong sitting by his bedside again. He wasn’t expecting her to be there, or anyone for that matter.
“Byeonhosanim.”
“Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Better than the last time I saw you.”
“The doctor said that your wound and liver are healing well.”
Han Seo tried to get up so he could talk to her properly.
“Let me move the bed for you,” she said as she got up and pressed the buttons that would recline the bed.
“Thank you. For this, and for coming to visit me.”
Cha Young noticed the sadness in Han Seo’s voice and said, “I should be the one thanking you. You saved me and Vincenzo-shi.”
“I would do it in a heartbeat. Anything for hyung.”
“You two have grown close eh.”
“Yeah. He’s like the brother I always wanted to have,” he said as a smile formed on his lips. “He doesn't show it, but I know he cares. And I haven’t had that in so long...someone who cares about me...you know what I mean noona…”
There was silence.
“I can call you noona right?”
“Of course, I’m older than you,”
“Thank you noona.”
“For what?”
“For being here and keeping me company.”
-----
Han Seo’s Residence
May 2021
Han Seo heard the doorbell, and slowly walked towards the door. He was hoping it’s the delivery man, but was surprised to find his noona when he checked the security camera.
“Noona, what brought you here? This is a nice surprise,” he said as he opened the door.
“Why are you up and walking around?!” She looked around and found that his apartment was a mess. “Where is your househelp? You should still be resting,” she said, guiding him towards the sofa.
“It’s their day off today noona. And the substitute had an emergency. I’m okay. I’m stronger than I look.”
Cha Young was about to tell Han Seo the repercussions of overexerting himself, when the doorbell rang. She went to the door and picked up the food that he ordered.
Han Seo asked his noona to eat with him, afterall he ordered several dishes. They were halfway through their meal when Cha Young opened her bag, a smile was on her lips. She then fished out a postcard and handed it to him.
“I received that this morning. He’s well Han Seo,” she smiled.
Han Seo took the postcard and looked at it, a smile formed on his lips.
“I’m glad hyung is okay. It’s a relief.”
-----
Han Seo’s Residence
June 2021
“How’s your wound?”
“It’s getting better noona. I’m almost good as new. Still hurts from time to time though. “
“I’m sure you’re hyung will be proud of the progress you’ve made. I hope there is a way to tell him that you’re okay.”
“Do you think he checks instagram? Maybe once I am better we can take a picture together.”
“You know we’re not supposed to be seen together, at least that was Mr. Ahn and Cho’s advice. The press might speculate about your hyung’s involvement with you know...”
“You’re right. Maybe when more time has passed.”
“But I like your instagram idea. Communicating with him through instagram and telling him how we’re doing. We could both have accounts.”
“By the way, what brought you here noona?”
Cha Young fished the postcard from her bag and handed it to Han Seo.
“Didn’t you show me this last month?”
Cha Young shook her head and said, “That’s a new one. It arrived this morning.”
“It looks the same as last month’s.”
“It is identical if you’re going to overlook the slight variations in his handwriting. The message is the same as well.”
“That’s no fun!” he complained. “Well, at least we know he’s okay.”
More postcards came. It has always been the same picture, the same message, only his handwriting varies. Some are tidy, some are hurried. And everytime Cha Young receives a postcard, she meets with Han Seo. Several months passed, and Han Seo asked his noona to have dinner with him. A little celebration of his full recovery. He took her to a restaurant that can ensure their privacy. The view is magnificent, and the food is phenomenal.
Han Seo was savouring his medium rare steak when he noticed his noona moving her food around her plate.
“Noona, do you not like the food?”
“Ani. It’s good.”
“But you barely ate anything.”
She sighed and put on a smile. “I’m probably just tired from the case.”
“You should take a rest noona. You’ve been taking a heavy caseload since hyung left.”
“I wanted to keep myself busy.”
“You probably just want to miss him less, that's why you’re doing this. At least that’s what I do these days. I want him to be proud of me. I miss him a lot too, noona, especially when the postcard arrives. Sometimes I wish he could at least change the messages. I understand why he keeps the messages consistent, but sometimes, I get angry and curse at the Cassano family. It’s their fault that hyung can’t come back.”
“He has a responsibility to his family.”
“I know. But you shouldn’t keep it all inside. I miss him too noona. We can miss him together.”
Cha Young gave him a weak smile. The rest of the dinner was quiet.
-----
Han Seo’s Residence
September 2021
Another month, another postcard, but this one came with something else - a business card of a travel agency based in Seoul. Hong Cha Young went to the travel agency and found that a trip was booked in her name. Accommodations were all paid for by an Inzaghi Park. Similar to the previous months, she met up with Han Seo to tell him the news.
“I guess this is my super belated birthday present.”
“I would like to join you noona, but I don’t think I can take a vacation just yet. I just came back from extended leave,” he said and gestured towards the part of his stomach where he got shot.
Cha Young smiled. “I guess I’ll be flying solo. We’ll take a trip sometime then.”
“Enjoy your trip noona, and be sure to relax. You’ve been working really hard.”
A couple of weeks later, Cha Young was back from her trip and she met up with Han Seo to tell him what happened. Han Seo immediately noticed how happy she was when he opened the door to his home.
“How was the trip noona?”
“It was great. More than great. Your Hyung was with me. When I arrived at the hotel, he was already there. He’s alive. He’s well. He said that there are a lot of things that need to be done that relate to his family, but it is getting better that’s why he was able to go on a trip.”
Han Seo was all smiles. He is happy for his noona. And he is happy that his hyung is well.
“Oh, he wanted me to give this to you,” she said as she fished a paper out of her bag.
It was a list of what he assumed are book titles and their authors. At the bottom of the list was a message that said, “I hope you’re recovering well and you’re not falling behind on your studies.”
“Looks like you have homework.”
“Yeah it’s a long list. How does hyung expect me to finish this before he comes back. He did say he’s coming back right? Now that his mafia family is doing better?”
Cha Young put on a brave smile and said, “He didn’t. We didn’t talk about it.”
Months passed and postcards came. Cha Young showed them to Han Seo over dinner and then the postcards were pinned to her wall at Jipuragi. The postcards were the same as the first one; the same picture, the same message, until one day another one arrived with a business card to another travel agency in Seoul. This time, a Mr. George Anderson was the one responsible for the booking. Cha Young asked Han Seo if he wanted to come, but he declined.
“Hyung booked this trip for you and I’m assuming he booked it through secure means. So if I book something similar and someone somewhere puts two and two together, I might risk yours and his safety. I don’t want to do that.
Cha Young had a proud smile. “Where did you learn all this?”
“It’s from one of the books that hyung included on the reading list.”
“Maybe I should start reading some of the books he suggested.” she then paused and said. “He’ll be so proud of you Han Seo.
“Thank you noona! I really want to make him proud.”
A week later, CY was back from her trip and found herself in Han Seo’s apartment. Han Seo might not have the highest EQ, but he can tell right away that something was wrong.
“How was the trip noona? Is hyung alright? He did come right?”
“The trip was...okay. Your hyung is doing well. He asked a lot about you, your recovery, your studies. Oh, here’s another booklist.”
“More homework.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure you’re okay noona?
“I’m okay Han Seo,” she said as she gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
-----
Han Seo’s Car, Seoul
July 2023 (Present Time)
“So Ms. Hong was not happy when she came back the second time?”
“It seemed like it. Noona looked sad so I didn’t ask anymore questions.”
“And that’s the last time they met? Until Mr. Cassano came back?”
“Yeah.”
Miri nodded. “So that means...they probably got together right after Mr. Cassano came back. I wonder why Ms. Hong was sad when she came back from her second trip.”
“Miri-a, I hope you won’t tell anyone about that time. And please don’t look into it. It’s in the past and noona and hyung are happy now. That’s all that matters right? They’re together.”
“You’re right. Now that you’re confirmed that they’re together, I think my shipper heart will be at peace.”
Later that night, Han Seo recalled his conversation with Miri. Thanks to his hyung, who kept pushing him on his studies, he was able to end that conversation well. So well in fact that he was able to prevent himself from telling Miri more lies.
That second trip that Han Seo told Miri wasn’t the last trip that his noona took before his hyung came back to Seoul. He can’t recall his noona telling him that she received another business card, but the day she came back from the third trip was still vivid in his mind. He has never seen his noona so happy. She has a nice tan, her cheeks are flushed, and there is a glow about her. At the end of their conversation, she handed him a card. Han Seo opened it and found a date and time. He gave his noona a questioning look.
“Your homework. Your hyung was hoping you could pick him up and drive him home.”
“He’s visiting us?”
Cha Young shook her head, “He’s coming back for good.”
Han Seo was overjoyed. Han Seo counted down the days with excitement. When the day finally came, he asked his most trusted driver to drive him to the airport. Dressed down in track pants, plain shirt and a cap, he waited at the arrivals area. He immediately spotted his hyung as soon as he got out. His hyung looked the same as the last time he saw him - impeccable in his three piece suit.
“Hyung!” he said loudly, capturing the attention of several people in the waiting area. He was waving his hand like a kid waving at a character at a Disneyland parade. It didn’t take long for Vincenzo to notice him. The latter smiled at him and walked towards his direction. Han Seo immediately embraced Vincenzo when he was near enough, and the latter embraced him awkwardly as he’s still not used to physical contact. Han Seo rolled the luggage as they walked towards his car. He asked about his hyung’s flight and Vincenzo asked about his gunshot wound.
As Han Seo settled down on his seat, he made a comment that the tenants will not likely be able to sleep from excitement when they see him.
“Good thing they won’t.”
“But aren’t I driving you home? That’s what noona told me.”
“You are. But I will not be living at Geumga Plaza anymore.”
A few minutes later, Han Seo found himself in the foyer of a sleek housing unit in a posh neighbourhood. He was going to wheel the luggage towards his hyung’s room, but abandoned it when he smelled food. His nose led him to the kitchen.
“Noona?”
Cha Young turned as she heard her name spoken.
“Hey you’re here. The two of you are just in time. I just warmed up the food,” she said. She dried her hands and walked towards the man behind Han Seo. She reached for the blazer on his arms. Vincenzo raised his eyebrows as he handes the blazer to her. Facial expressions were exchanged between the two, before his noona walked away with his hyeong’s blazer. They were communicating using only facial expressions, so Han Seo decided to check out the food. He had his back to the couple when he heard his hyung say, “Han Seo-a, feel free to start eating without me. I’m just going to walk your noona to her car.”
Han Seo, forced out of habit, is unable to eat until everyone he is dining with is present. And so he decided to admire the view from his hyung’s living room. It was a cloudy night. He was unable to see the stars and the building where his hyung lives is not tall enough to see the bright lights of the city. Since there wasn’t much to see, he decided to grab a beer from the kitchen. He was about to walk away from the window when he saw his hyung and noona in the parking lot. They were by her car. His hyung was laughing, while his noona had her hands to her ears. She then hit his hyung playfully, which made his hyung laugh harder. His hyung then grabbed her hand to stop her from hitting him further, and then pulled her to his embrace. His hyung gave her a kiss and she kissed him back. She said something to his hyung and his hyung nodded, gave her lips a peck and released her from his embrace. Hand in hand, they walked to the driver’s seat of her car. His hyung opened the door for her to get in, gave her another kiss, before taking a few steps back and closing her car door. His hyung waited until her car was no longer in sight before walking towards the building.
Han Seo decided to walk towards the kitchen. He has a grin on his face. “I guess hyung finally acted on his feelings,” he thought. He remembered he used to tease him about Hong Cha Young Byeonhosanim when they played hockey, resulting in him winning some games.
When his hyung came back to the unit, he noticed that his hyung lips were redder than usual. He grinned wider because he can tell based on his hyung’s lips that the kisses he witnessed were not the only ones his hyung and noona shared.
The rest of the night was spent catching up with his hyung. He told him how much he missed him. His hyung asked him what he has been up to. And he told him about the progress he made cleaning up Babel, which earned him a pat on the back from the older man.
Vincenzo also asked about his studies and he said he is halfway through the books on the first list and he read a couple of the books on the second list that he found really interesting. Thinking that Vincenzo expected him to finish the foot long list, he said defensively, “It’s a long list hyung.”
Vincenzo gave him a look so he added, “I’m not complaining though.”
A few hours later, Han Seo was inebriated and his filter was non-existent. He had a silly grin on his face when he said, “So you and noona eh? You finally asked her out. Good for you hyung! Good for you.” He then raised his glass as if toasting to the air before passing out on the dining table.
The following day, he found himself in what he’s guessing is the spare bedroom in his hyung’s home. After using the bathroom adjacent to the room, he walked out to find his hyung dressed in his pyjamas, sitting at the dining table. His noona just served him a bowl of rice and hangover soup. He sat next to his hyung and got served the same thing. While they were eating, his noona was sitting in front of them, watching them eat and chuckling at how miserable the two of them looked. She said that they deserve it for drinking too much the night before.
——-
Han Seo’s Residence
July 2023 (Present)
Han Seo chuckled at the memory. That hangover was one of the worst he experienced, but it was all worth it. The last three years have been all worth it. A lot has happened. There were some painful moments but overall, his life is better than he could have imagined. He is finally free from the bullying and abuse of his brother, and he has a family now-his hyung and noona.
His hyung and noona…The thought of them made him grin. Those two are completely in love with each other. His hyung is very tactile with his noona and his noona doesn’t mind at all. And so he’s not really surprised if the tenants suspect something is going on between those two. He wondered when his hyung and noona will admit their relationship to the tenants. He’s hoping soon, because there’s only so many lies he can make up. At least though he’s not the only one lying to everyone else around them just to keep his hyung and noona’s relationship a secret. He remembered his conversation with Luca a few days ago.
-----
Côte d'Azur
July 2023
After Han Seo and Luca discover that they are both fluent in English, they immediately hit it off. Han Seo found that the two of them are very similar; both have no more immediate family left, were somehow saved by Vincenzo, and now the two of them considered Vincenzo as an older brother and would do everything to help him.
They decided to go to a beach before Han Seo flies back to Seoul. Night had fallen. To Han Seo’s amazement, Luca created a bonfire. As Luca settled on his recliner, Han Seo handed him a can of beer.
“Thank you!”
“Cheers!”
Luca tipped his can towards Han Seo, and took a gulp of his beer. “I’m surprised you drink beer. I swear, after the consigliere went to Seoul, the only other thing he wanted was makgeolli.”
“That’s probably because of noona. When hyung drinks with noona, that’s all they drink.”
“Noona?”
“Oh Hong Cha Young...I call her noona. Noona means older sister in Korean.”
“Aahhh...speaking of Ms. Hong...what was your post about? I noticed that she posted a cloud today as well.”
“I had to post that Instagram story because noona posted that heart-shaped cloud. One of the tenants, Miri, sent me a message asking me what noona’s post was about. Miri asked if I noticed that the cloud on noona’s post looks like a black heart. I said that I did, and she asked me if I knew why noona posted that. She said she’s asking because she thinks it’s related to hyung and noona’s relationship. I asked her why, and she said that noona has been posting things on Instagram with a black heart on it. She said that she thinks it’s related to hyung.”
Luca chuckled and shook his head, amused. He was about to say something but Han Seo continued.
“I wasn’t aware that noona posted something. I thought she was…er…busy. I had to check it out when Miri asked. Good thing we were driving by that scenery and I was able to take a video and post it. I told Miri that there is a cloud challenge going on and that the rule is if you see the person you’re following post an entry for the cloud shapes challenge, you should as well.”
“Good thing you’re able to think fast and cover for them.”
“Yeah. I wonder how long I need to cover for those two. It was easy before. No one asked about them. But then before I left Seoul, the tenants were having dinner, and I sort of invited myself in. Apparently they are celebrating the fact that hyung and noona are finally together. When they said that I nearly choked on my food. I didn’t know what to do.”
Upon hearing what Han Seo said, Luca let out a belly laugh.
“Why are you laughing? I didn’t know what to do. It was stressful.”
“You weren’t the only one who was in that kind of situation my friend,” he said and Han Seo looked at him inquisitively.
“Right before Ms. Hong visited Pagliuzza, I was summoned by the Capo.”
***
Milan, Italy
June 2022
From time to time, Luca is summoned by the Capo. So when he got the call that day, he didn’t think much of it.
“How can I help you Capo?”
The Capo motioned for him to sit down. Once he’s seated, the capo said, “I want to know what is happening with the consigliere? Not the other one, Vincenzo.”
Luca looked confused. “I’m not sure I understand your question Capo. He’s been his usual self, and doing his usual duties. Are you referring to the fact that he no longer plays with his victims?”
“I’ve noticed that, but I don’t really care for it. He always gets the job done. Whether he delays the death of our enemies or not is all up to him. I’m talking about the woman. The one he invited to the island.”
Luca grimaced, whoever in their staff that blabbed about his boss will be a one plus one fertilizer before the day is over.
The capo chuckled upon noticing Luca’s expression. “Before you start hunting down the gossip among his staff, let me save you the trouble by telling you it’s not any of them. It was Vincenzo who kept mentioning her. My nephew never mentioned a woman’s name before other than his adopted mother and grandmother’s name. And that is with me prying. You know how he is, he never mixes business and pleasure; and he was never serious with women. Work always comes first. So this…,” The Capo gestured with his hands before continuing, “…this is new.”
Luca, knowing that he is in a lose-lose situation, sat there like a statue. He knew that if he didn't answer the capo’s question, he would be in trouble. But if he did, Vincenzo would castrate him before feeding him to his pet reptiles.
With Luca still not saying anything, the capo continued, “A few weeks ago, we were talking about the potential consiglieres. He got a little frustrated and said, ‘none of these candidates are even close to how good byeonhosanim is. She’s cunning and talented and feminine at the same time. Simple yet complicated. And would not back down in a challenge.’ When I asked him who this woman is and why he didn’t put her name forward when we were discussing potential consiglieres, he just looked at me dumbfounded. By the looks of it, he didn’t realize that he mentioned her. When he came to his senses, he stuttered ‘he can’t join us’. And then he was quiet for the rest of the evening.”
The capo inhaled his cigar, expecting a response from the man across from him. When none came, he looked at him and noticed him sitting like a statue.
“Luca! Are you paying attention?”
“Yes Capo.”
“Tsk, out with you. I guess you’re not going to spill anything. Go and tell Vincenzo that the Capo is asking about his lovelife, and that his uncle wants to meet his woman once she visits the island. And tell him I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Yes Capo,” he said. He bowed and left. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the door to the Capo’s smoking room closed.
-----
Côte d'Azur
July 2023
“Was the Capo upset that hyung kept mentioning noona?”
“Not at all,” Luca chuckled. “He was actually amused. The Capo is fond of the consigliere. He was merely inquiring to tease him as this will be the first time he was affected by a woman. The consigliere doesn’t do relationships...well, until he met Ms. Hong. If you ask me, I think one of the reasons the consigliere wanted to keep their relationship a secret is because he has a lot of admirers, and had countless acquaintances with benefits. I’ll bet that a lot of them still carry a torch for him. And trust me, those women...I wouldn’t want to be the receiving end of their anger, especially their jealousy. They will make the Cassano Family men look like kittens.”
Han Seo chuckled. Luca continued as this is his chance to air out his grievances about his boss.
“If the capo incident isn’t bad enough, I was faced with questions from the beach house staff not long after. You see, when the consigliere’s beach house was under construction, he was very particular with everything, from the design to the furniture. But his exacting standards were worse when it came to a particular room. No one thought much of it, until the consigliere announced that a guest is coming to the island and that she will be staying in that room. When he told the staff this, he also told them that everyone will be on vacation of some sort. The staff were asked not to do their daily tasks. The only duties they had to perform was to make sure that iced americano is prepared daily, and the fridge and pantry are stocked with all the ingredients, including Korean ones. He also told them that they are not to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary. The staff didn’t want to ask the consigliere questions, so they ended up asking me and sharing their theories.”
“Theories?”
“Theories who the woman visiting is. Someone said that she’s the consigliere’s wife. The others said that they are not yet together, he is bringing her here to try and impress her so she would date him. Another said she’s his long lost little sister whom he reunited with when he went to Korea. The most ridiculous one was that the woman was a member of the Lucianos and that the consigliere is probably hiding her on the island until she gives birth to their child.”
“I had to stop them before it got out of control, and the insane theories reach the consigliere. So I said that I’ve met the person visiting and although she’s a lovely woman, I can assure you that they’re just friends. I further added that the consigliere worked well with her while he was still in Korea. And they’ve been apart, so he likely just wants to catch up with her without any interruptions or people prying on their business. I told them that I can assure them they’re just great partners.”
“When I said that, everyone had their eyes as big as saucers. Of all the things that I said, all they remembered was partners. I corrected them and said that they are work partners. But Giulia, the youngest househelp said, ‘so they’re work partners, and she’s his work wife?’”
Han Seo laughed at Luca’s expense. The poor guy had to deal with worse when it comes to concealing his hyung’s relationship.
“I told them to stop bringing the word wife in the conversation. They’re not married...and they’re not together. FRIENDS...they’re FRIENDS!!! I thought that would be the end of it, but then someone was like, Friends? but you said they’re work partners.”
“Yes… work...they used to work together...I would like to be WORK partners with her as well because she’s that amazing.”
“That last sentence resulted in an awkward silence so I just...left.”
Once Luca was done recounting his story, Han Seo was laughing a lot. When he was able to stop himself from laughing and catch his breath, he said, “ I swear your staff at the beach house is as bad as the tenants at Geumga Plaza, if not worse.”
“I really can’t blame them if they’re curious. The consigliere must have talked about her to them. I mean, the capo experienced it. And I did too. We could be at a cafe and he spots a dessert that Ms. Hong loves and he calls the cook to make sure he makes it when she visits. We’re eating something spicy and he smirks and tells me that Ms. Hong will laugh at me because she won’t even think it’s spicy and how her jjampong is ten times spicier than what we’re having and yet she still adds chili oil on it. It’s Ms. Hong this, Ms. Hong that.”
“One day I finally told the consigliere what’s happening and what I’ve observed, including the ‘I would like to be partners with her’ part. I thought it was my end that day. But he ended up just chuckling. He said, ‘Thank you for trying to protect our privacy my friend, I guess I do mention Ms. Hong a lot. Well, the next time she visits, and when it’s safer, I will make sure to introduce her to everyone. And don’t worry about zio Emanuele. I’ll take care of him.. It’s about time the capo meets the reason I am moving to Seoul.”
Han Seo laughed out loud because he had a similar experience.
“Sometimes I don’t know if we’re still supposed to help the consigliere hide his relationship, when he is clearly not trying to do that.”
“Actually, both of them are not trying to hide it as much. Recently, noona was featured in a magazine and she was asked about a case she worked on with hyung. She said that she is fortunate to find someone who she works well with. The two of them have great chemistry, and he is the best partner ever.”
“She said best partner ever! Good thing that happened before the tenants told me about their suspicion or I might have to do a lot more than post some random video on Instagram. We are trying to keep our mouths shut and those two either blabs to everyone or post suspicious stuff on their social media.”
“I have a feeling the two of them will soon tell everyone about their relationship. I mean, they’re not even trying to hide it anymore. So, it will only be a matter of time before we no longer have to lie.”
“I hope so...I really do.”
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Han Seo’s Residence
July 2023 (Present)
Han Seo smiled remembering how he drank the night away with Luca. And not only that, he finally met someone who shares the same experience when it comes to his hyung and noona. Both of them saw how difficult it was for Vincenzo and Cha Young to be apart, and were happy when they finally got together. But now that they’re together, they’re back to waiting again...waiting for them to admit their relationship to everyone so that they can stop lying.
“Oh well, it will only be a matter of time,” he thought. He is fairly certain that his hyung and noona will tell the tenants about their relationship once they are back in Seoul. With that thought, he was able to calm his restless mind and sleep.