"WHERE are we going today, phi?" King asked as he came to pick me up for today’s plans.
 
Yesterday, Iliana called to say she was free for the whole day. She mentioned that she’d be returning to the Philippines soon to process some documents but would come back again. Before she leaves, she asked me to hang out with her. I decided to invite King along to chill with us—he’s been really stressed these past days about starting his novel.
 
"Let’s go and see Iliana first. Oh, but we have to pick someone up at the main house," I said as I buckled my seatbelt.
 
"Who?" he asked, frowning.
 
"You’ll find out when we get there."
 
"Okay," he said with a shrug and started driving. Even before we reached the main house, I could already see her standing on the front porch.
 
"Alai wa?" I heard King mutter under his breath, but he still pulled up in front of the house. "Don’t tell me she’s coming with us, phi?" He asked, clearly hoping I’d say no.
 
Sorry, King.
 
Yesterday, I thought I was going to have a peaceful day, but then the doorbell rang. Lindsay came to give me an invitation card from Miss Amanda. Unexpectedly, we ended up having a real conversation. That’s when I started to understand her a little better.
 
---
 
"Can I help you?"
 
"Amanda-unnie asked me to give you this." She handed me a fancy envelope. I didn’t need to be clever to figure out what it was—it was the invitation to their wedding. "You don’t really need it, but she told me to give it to you anyway."
 
"Okay, thanks," I said, taking the invitation and opening it. I expected her to leave, but she just stood there.
 
"Do you need anything else?" I asked, puzzled.
 
"Is King-oppa still here?" She finally asked.
 
"They left hours ago. How’d you know he came here?"
 
"I heard Minwoo mention that you might be able to help him. Anyway, if he’s not here, I’ll go."
 
"Wait," I said, stopping her. "Do you want to come inside for some tea or coffee?"
 
She looked surprised but eventually shrugged. "Sure. Coffee would be nice."
 
I let her in and seated her on the loveseat in the living room while I went to get coffee. When I returned, she was staring at my unfinished painting on the other side of the room—the one I’ve been working on when I feel down.
 
"Here you go."
 
"Thanks," she said, eyes still fixed on the painting.
 
"Is something wrong with my painting?" I asked, confused.
 
"Huh? Oh, no. I’m just amazed by how you painted that one. It might look like an ordinary picture to others, but they wouldn’t know how you made it. You don’t use regular paints, do you?"
 
"How’d you know that?" I asked, surprised.
 
"The brush strokes and the vibrancy of the colors, the pigmentations—it’s different from your previous paintings I saw at the main house. Those looked norma, but this one feel… heavy. Like you used something solid."
 
"And how do you know that? Are you a painter?"
 
"I used to be an animator, but I quit to take over our gallery. I worked as a curator before being promoted to Art Director."
 
"Really?" I said, genuinely surprised. Considering her behavior when we first met, I never imagined her in such a serious profession. "Curators are meticulous, especially about what they exhibit. You don’t come off that way."
 
"My personal life has nothing to do with my work. I admit I wasn’t pleasant when we first met, but that’s because I didn’t know you were their sister."
 
"I already explained my side of that."
 
"I know. I’ve been childish and totally lose my sanity when I fall in love. At least, that’s what my siblings say. I should be more respectful. But you can’t blame me either—so many women have tried to seduce the Han brothers for money or fame. I thought you were one of them."
 
"I don’t think I dress like a gold digger. Anyway, have any of my brothers ever brought a woman here? I thought that was against the rules."
 
"It is. And no, not here. This place is exclusive to your family. We can visit, but we’re not allowed to stay long."
 
"But you said you saw them bring women?"
 
"Yes, but at gatherings—either here or out of town. We’d stay at their hotels. Some women they brought were clearly fake, cunning, and vicious. That’s why I always did something to expose them."
 
"How?"
 
"I acted even bitchier than them. It made them furious and they’d show their true colors in front of everyone. My image got ruined, but it always worked. I made sure your brothers were there to witness it."
 
"Clever, but not smart. It just makes you the bad one."
 
"Doesn’t matter. Everyone already thinks I’m crazy."
 
"Have you met women who tried to get close to King, too?"
 
"Plenty of fangirls, but none that vicious. Not yet. I make sure no one messes with him. Once, a girl used him for fame. He bought her everything she wanted. I realized he easily falls for girls who confess. But it didn’t work on me. That’s when I started protecting him."
 
"King doesn’t know about this?"
 
She shook her head.
 
"Instead of throwing yourself at him, why not show him your serious side?"
 
"I’ve thought about that. But I’ve been acting like this for so long, it’s become a habit. When I try to stop, it feels weird. Like my siblings said, I’m crazy when I fall in love. Anyway, thanks for the coffee."
 
"You’re welcome. By the way, how did you notice the difference in my painting?"
 
"My mom loves art. I grew up around it. During my studies and work, I met a lot of artists who taught me how to understand different techniques, especially in painting. I didn’t think I’d remember so much. What did you use in that one?"
 
"Flowers."
 
"You used flowers to paint flowers?" She asked, amused.
 
"Yes. I used the petals and just added a little paint for vibrancy."
 
"That’s cool."
 
"Thanks. Lindsay, do you want me to help you spend a whole day with King—without him running away?"
 
"Out of the blue? And wait… why are you being nice to me? That’s scary."
 
I laughed. "Do you want to or not?"
 
"Okay. How?"
 
"I’ll invite him to hang out tomorrow—and you can come with us. But… you have to promise to behave. No clinginess, no crazy stunts. Be the sane Lindsay I just talked to like today."
 
"I don’t know if I can behave when I see him. He’s like a switch for my childish self."
 
"Just keep your distance. Don’t confess your feelings or cling on him. I’ll be there to keep things in check. So, are you in?"
 
"Super."
 
---
 
"I asked her to join us. Don’t worry, she won’t do anything you’ll hate," I assured King before he could protest.
 
Lindsay came closer, and I told King to roll the window down.
 
"You’re sitting in front?" She pouted.
 
"Distance, remember?" I reminded her. She pouted again but got into the back seat silently.
 
"Let’s go meet Iliana at the hotel," I said, turning to King. He stayed quiet but drove off.
 
When we reached the hotel, King handed the car keys to the valet, and we went inside. I messaged Iliana to say we were in the lobby. She was there for meetings with her team, so we waited.
 
"Nong?" Someone called.
 
We turned to see Heath and Mr. Min approaching, both looking surprised.
 
"Guia, what are you two doing here?" Heath asked.
 
Last time I heard, Brian asked Heath to work on the construction of a new AH Hotel branch. He resigned from his job in Thailand and took the offer to work here instead. That’s why he’s been busy with Mr. Min lately.
 
"You finally left your cave, Mr. King. Finished your book yet?" Mr. Min teased.
 
King just shook his head.
 
"We’re waiting for Iliana. She wanted to hang out before leaving. Mr. Min, do you know a fun place nearby?"
 
"Mr. Min? You still call him that?" Heath said, amused.
 
Mr. Min didn’t respond but looked thoughtful.
 
"We were about to check out a nearby amusement park for business reasons. You guys should come too," Mr. Min suggested.
 
"An amusement park? Sounds fun. I’ve never been to one. What do you think?" I asked King.
 
"Anywhere, I guess," he replied.
 
"Hey, I didn’t know you had more people with you!" Iliana arrived with a big smile.
 
"Hi," Heath greeted, noticeably cheerful for a second before acting casual again.
 
Iliana turned to me. "So, who’s she?" She asked, nodding toward Lindsay.
 
"This is Lindsay—Miss Amanda’s soon-to-be sister-in-law. She’s one of the Oh siblings. Lindsay, this is Iliana, my best friend. And of course, you already know Mr. Min and Heath."
 
"Anyeonghaseyo," Lindsay said with a polite bow. Iliana returned the gesture.
 
"So, are you guys coming with us?" Heath asked.
 
We all nodded and followed them. It was a short drive. Mr. Min got our tickets before he and Heath left for their business meeting. The rest of us headed inside and looked around.
 
"Have you been in a place like this before?" I asked King.
 
He shook his head.
 
"This is my first time too. I never went anywhere while studying—just stayed home."
 
"That’s boring," Lindsay said bluntly.
 
"That’s what people say," I replied. "But not for me."
 
"My friends and I always went to amusement or adventure parks, even in high school. The rides were fun—some boring, but still great," Lindsay said.
 
"Okay, so you can lead us then?" Iliana suggested.
 
"Hmm…" Lindsay looked around. "The fun part is wearing props and getting souvenirs. Come on!" She dragged us to the souvenir shop with cute bunny ear headbands and more.
 
"Phi, you said this trip might help with my writing. What does this have to do with that?" King whispered while holding a lion-ear headband Iliana handed him.
 
"Lots of couples and friends come here. Watch them, imagine their stories. It might inspire your love story. And you’ll have fun too."
 
"This isn’t fun," he grumbled, still holding the headband.
 
I took it and placed it on his head. "Cute," I said, then wore my own—pink pig ears.
 
"So, what’s next?" Iliana asked Lindsay.
 
This morning, I told Iliana about helping King find inspiration and also helping Lindsay spend time with him. She agreed to handle Lindsay while I focused on my brother.
 
"Let’s start with… bumper cars?" Lindsay suggested.
 
We all nodded and headed that way.