"Hmm…"
I looked at my plain attire as water continued to drip down from my still damp hair.
"Maybe I should put a bit of effort into my appearance if I'm gonna be getting my house back."
I slipped into some light clothing and drove my way to get a suit tailored. If I was going to do things in a car this expensive, I'd have to at least look the part.
__________
"Oh my!" The young lady covered her mouth with both hands as she blushed profusely.
"I like the color. How'd you guys come up with the color scheme?"
I looked at myself in the mirror, fitted with a black and white suit and my hair tied back into a high ponytail.
I noticed a set of rounded frame glasses and a pair of white gloves hanging
"Can you hand me those glasses and that pair of gloves over there?" I asked the girl, pointing to the pair of gloves and the glasses hanging next to each other.
"Of course, sir."
She grabbed the two and handed them to me as I slid the glasses up to the bridge of my nose.
I then slipped my hands into the gloves as I adjusted it to fit my hands perfectly.
"It's a nice addition, don't you think so?" I asked the girl.
"Quite so, sir! Paired with your pristine white hair, the gloves and glasses especially stand out!" She complimented.
I looked at myself in the mirror, my features seemingly magnified according to the girl.
"You look good," a voice rang.
I turned, strangely familiar with the voice. My eyes widened at the realization.
"Mrs. Young."
She smiled. "You've grown, Andrew. And how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Rebecca?"
I turned back, caught off guard at the sight of my best friend's mother.
"Uh… W-what are you doing here?" I asked.
I could hear her heels clack as she neared me, step by step.
"I always come here for my clothes. Did you forget already?"
I chuckled awkwardly, unable to keep conversation after so long.
"Right. Adam always said you came by here. It's just… three years in the military really wore me down. Part of me, at least."
I saw her smile solemnly in the reflection of the mirror, as if her son's name was a bitter reminder.
"Mrs. You- Mrs. Rebecca. Did… something happen to him while I was gone? I called a few times, but he never answered."
She looked at me, as if unsure of what to do- or worse- say.
"I think it's best if we take this conversation somewhere else."
__________
As I drove on the way to the address I was given, I had Adam's mother accompany me.
"So, what happened? It's not like him to ignore me, and seeing how you reacted, it has to be something bad."
She nodded, looking ahead through the window of my car with emotionless, cold eyes.
"About a year and a half ago while you were still in service, Adam had finally begun to move on from his then recent heartbreak. I'm sure you remember Anna."
I nodded, continuing on. Questions could come later. I wasn't concerned with how the two broke up or why.
"He got a job working as a mechanic for one of the manufacturers of the new hypercar prototypes. While he was getting his life back together, Anna had been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
One of her personalities had a particular hatred for him, it seemed.
He was working on one of the cars when she came from behind him with a knife. He never saw it coming. There were at least 30 knife wounds, with several numbered among his lacerations."
I clenched the wheel in anger at the information.
'That bitch.'
"As if it wasn't bad enough, his body had been crushed. She shoved him under the car and dropped it on his dying body.
18 of his ribs were crushed and both of his lungs were pierced. His funeral was a closed casket, due to the damage he suffered.
She was charged with first-degree murder, fined $50,000 and sentenced to life in prison without parole."
Silence lingered as she gave me time to process everything.
"Where was he buried?" I asked.
"What place did you two call your 'third home'?" She smiled at me sadly, her cold eyes gazing into my own with such pain that I couldn't ever forget.
"So it was there…"
__________
"Thank you for telling me. I'll be sure to pay a visit when I get the chance to settle back into a normal life."
I pulled her into a warm hug, patting her back.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."
She shook in my arms as silent sobs could be heard. She pulled away, sniffling heavily.
"I know you loved him like a brother, Andrew. That's more than enough for me to know you've always remembered him in your heart."
As we parted ways, I walked inside the building as a man met my eyes with a confident smile.
"Welcome. Mr. Verone, I presume?" He asked, sticking his hand out in greeting.
"Correct. And you must be Ryan." I returned his greeting.
"Yes, I am, sir. Today, I'll be overseeing the purchase of the mansion you intend to buy."
__________
"And that concludes your purchase, Mr. Verone. It was a pleasure doing business with you." The man, though on the thinner side, shook my hand with a firm, solid grip as he guided me to the doors.
"Likewise, Ryan."
Walking out of the building, I stopped in my tracks as I saw a woman in an all grey suit with a brown trench coat and beautiful black hair flowing down her thin frame.
I sighed, picking up my pace once more.
"Chairwoman Yoo." I greeted, stopping right next to her as she met my eyes.
"Andrew. It's been awhile."
I saw a smile tug ever so slightly at her lips, but had been suppressed.
"So why are you here? I'm sure coming all the way from Koran just to see me wasn't your only goal."
I invited her into my car as I took her for a ride.
"While I did come here for official matters, I'd recently heard that your family's been going through some debt. I wanted to bring you to my side."
"Wow. So the Luciel Family loses power because of an idiot decision made by the youngest son and now the Chairwoman of Ilhwa Group can't bother wasting the talent of the returning heir."
She chuckled slightly, a rare occurrence for someone who'd normally been so stoic.
"I'll admit I did think it would be a waste to lose you, but that's not it. I didn't want you because your family lost its power."
I drove up to the driveway of my new house. The mansion still looked the same on the outside, but there was a strange, almost alien feeling to it.
"It's been awhile since I've come back to this place." I walked around the empty house, free of its furniture, and a lingering silence wafting in the air.
"You know, me and my best friend used to hang out a lot in this place. We'd play games upstairs in one of the rooms, drink whenever we wanted. We even used to work out together downstairs in the basement. Some of my life's best memories were made here with him."
I ran my hand across the wall that used to be covered with our pictures.
"You know, sometimes, I wonder where I would've been if I never met him. 15 years, down the drain."
"I offer my condolences."
I turned back to the woman, loosening my tie.
"No need. Considering your offer, I'll think about it. Send me the specs and what part of Ilhwa you want me to work under. If my family really has no way out of this, I just might accept it. Until then, why don't you keep a spot open for me?"