"No. I don't know whom you're talking about, but no."
"It is that guy right? The one that kept calling since morning, right? You spent the night at his place his place because you had another episode, isn't it?"
Byeongho remained silent but if Areum had observed him well, she would've seen the sweat forming on his forehead or heard his heart palpitations.
Areum subconsciously sat on the edge of his bed, thinking to herself.
"But I don't think he is part of your usual group of friends that I know. A new one perhaps? Or it's just a good samaritan that helped you out yesterday?"
Byeongho heaved a sigh of relief, that his sister hadn't joined the dots together and he could lie his way through it. "Hm. He's just a good samaritan, don't know him."
"Then who gave you the marks then? Which crazy girl did you sleep with it last night? Was that before or after the guy took care of you?
Wait, what if the two of them are working together? What if they had plan to lure you and take a video of your hot night together, to use it against you, later?"
Byeongho rolled his eyes, 'There goes her her and her wild assumptions again.'
"No. I was already done with the woman I slept with, and was on my way to the car park, when I collapsed.
He just helped me to my car, I couldn't remember anything else till now."
"Then why did he sound so apologetic?" Areum pried again.
"I'm sure it might be because of how he reacted very angrily, when I broke a picture frame, that his late great grandmother left for him." Byeongho lied smoothly, surprising himself also.
This was believable because she already knows that he would usually black out when he experiences an episode.
Areum knows that her older brother isn't that good of a liar, so he was definitely telling the truth. "Mhmm. Then you would call him back, right? He did seem worried."
"Maybe. Now let's drop this and talk about something else." Byeongho turned and held his sister's shoulders.
She was also tall, too tall for a girl even, just a slight inches below her twin.
Areum looked at her brother disinterestedly.
Byeongho takes his hands off her shoulders, and took her right hand in his, smiling as he asked in a shaky voice,
"I hope, you would not tell your friend this, right? Please? Hm? Please?"
Areum pulled out her hand, "If you don't want her finding out, then stop sleeping around with all those women."
"Oh, Areum a. How can you tell your own oppa this? I have needs you know, and my love still has more years to study over there.
How then do you want me to take care of those needs? Hm?" Byeongho tried to act with aegyo(cuteness),
She and his love, Jiah, are the only ones that have seen this part of him. It's a charm he uses on the two, whenever he wanted a favour from them, and it always worked.
Areum tried to stop the laughter that was threatening to burst out. If only that those that cowered at his feet were to see him releasing lots of aegyo on her.
"Ai, ait, it's alright." Kim Areum finally gave in.
"But oppa, you know that she would definitely find out one day, even if it's not from me, right? So you need to think about how you would fix that."
"I know. I'm not dating any of those women. It's just to take care of my needs, I'm sure I'll tell her someday when the time is right. Just not now."
"Hm. If you say so. I'm leaving then, but where are you going again, all dressed up for the evening? Isn't last night's enough? Considering those marks?
Aren't you even embarrassed for others to see the ones exposed on your neck? Or would you want to tie an handkerchief on that?"
"I'm going to see Choi Yong Woo. We planned to make time and meet this weekend, since the others are away."
"Oh okay. Stevie already told me how busy he's been since you guys came on vacation. I'm glad that you two at least have each other, with the others gone. Well, I'm setting off now."
"Hm." Byeongho said and got up to leave the room also. The boy's texts and his chat with his sister has put him back in a good mood.
Tonight, he is going meeting Choi Yong Woo, to have fun at his friend's club, which is attached to the Choi hotels, Soeul branch.
As for the plan to shut that younger boy's mouth, he doesn't think that it's necessary anymore.
He doesn't think the boy even knows who he is, and the texts made him to believe that this boy isn't one to spread anything to anyone.
Byeong Ho checked and fixed his messy black hair and left.
***
The time was 8:15 pm by the time Doyun was done dressing up. He sprayed some perfume on himself and sets off. He doesn't want to keep his "mommy" waiting.
Woman on dates, can be late for as long as they wanted; but you as a guy, just be a minute late and see if you would even get to enjoy the rest of your date with them.
****
After her children left, Lee Baram has been thinking a lot about her conversation with her sister-in-law, since her visit this morning.
She was feeling quite guilty towards her kids as a series of questions filled her head.
Has she and her late husband been so selfish by insisting on raising their kids themselves?
Was their decision made out of genuine love and belief that they could raise them well, or was it just out of their sheer pride of proving themselves to their families, that they do not need them for anything?
What would her late husband, Lee Beom Seok do, if he was here? Would he still insist on keeping their kids away from his family or would he give in this time, considering how worse things are for them now?