Paul POV

"Eomma!" I pleaded, my mother slapping my shoulder over and over again as she scolded me in the grand foyer of her house. "Ouch!"

"You finally visit after a year, and this is how you enter our home!" She yelled.

Tightlipped and with his arms folded, my stepfather stood next to the round table that showed off an elegant vase overflowing with flowers in the center of the home's entrance.

"How are we supposed to take you to the Lee household in this condition?" Mom continued. "You reek of alcohol, and look at your face! It's all red and flushed!"

"I didn't know we had somewhere to be, tonight. You didn't say a word about a dinner party!"

"It doesn't matter! This is not how you should show up in front of your mother, Ho-seok! Especially after all this time! How could you?"

"I'm barely drunk. I likely smell and look worse than I actually feel." I hiccuped, Johnny laughing on the other side of me before he endured a beating from my mother next.

"And you! You're his elder, Johnny! You should set a better example!"

"Eomma, I'm sorry!" He apologized. "I thought we were in the clear to enjoy ourselves with a boys day out. My mother didn't tell me about this supposed Thanksgiving dinner party either. It's so random - Koreans don't even celebrate this holiday!"

"We don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but we always look for an excuse to show off our success and you know the Lees have a lot to brag about right now!" She groaned looking back to me. "Any Korean of relevance in this country is going to be there tonight, Ho-seok! This is a great opportunity for you to meet someone, and finally settle down!"

"Eomma." I whined. "I already told you, I'm not getting married!"

"Ya!" She yelled, just before she went on her typical Korean tangent about me.

How did she birth such a handsome and smart son who doesn't want to get married? What is it she's done so wrong, I can't see the joy in starting a family of my own? Do I want to live like my father, a lonely workaholic with nothing but money to show for my sacrifices?

Little did my mother know, I wanted the life she desperately wanted for me. However, I wanted it with the daughter of the household she was determined to drag me to this evening.

"Why are you doing this, Ho-seok?" Mother proceeded as she fanned herself. "Do you want to see me die early from heartbreak? How can you expect me to keep letting you live like this?"

"Yeobo, I think he's had enough." Her husband stepped in, placing his hands on her shoulders as he began that annoying act of being the sensible stepfather.

"Why are you being so easy on him?" Mom asked. "On top of showing up to our home drunk, he ditched his younger siblings at the mall!"

"I didn't ditch them." I argued. "They're teenagers now, not babies. They got there on their own, why should I have assumed they couldn't get home on their own? I said my goodbyes and I even took all the shopping bags with me, so their commute back home would be easy. Cut me some slack for once, goodness."

My mother shook her head at me, clearly disagreeing with my perspective.

"Ho-seok, why don't you go get changed for the evening? Your mother bought a new suit for you to wear tonight." My stepfather said. "Johnny, you look about the same size as Ho-seok. You can borrow one of his other suits. We'll let your mother know, you're coming with us."

"Thank you, sir." Johnny responded.

"We'll leave in an hour then. Go wash up, boys."

We bowed to my mother and stepfather as the left us in the foyer.

"I forgot how scary your mom is when she's pissed off." Johnny said, draping his arm along the back of my shoulders. "You good, little brother?"

"As good as one can be, in this very shitty situation." I replied.

Johnny patted my back wearing a remorseful smile before we began making our way through the large single family home I once lived in as a teenager.

When we entered my childhood bedroom, Johnny and I took turns showering in my bathroom before we got changed into our suits for the evening.

Mom chose a slim fitted black suit for me, whereas Johnny went with a navy blue one he picked out of my closet.

"As expected, Corneliani suits fit like a glove." Johnny praised, checking out his handsome appearance in the full-length mirror. "Did you leave this suit behind in Canada on purpose? This is top quality Italian material, Ho-seok!"

"I know, but it's always been tight on my shoulders so I never wear it."

"So I can keep it then, right?" He partially joked.

"It's all yours, hyung."

"For real?" He gaped, the smile on his face widening. "You're truly the best, little brother!"

I took my place beside him so I could straighten out my tie, and finalize my look in the mirror.

"So did you really not know about tonight?" Johnny asked. "I thought you were with Sam the past few days. She didn't mention her family was hosting a party of this size at all?"

I shook my head. "No, she didn't. But she also didn't tell me a date for the wedding was set so at this point, I can't put anything past her."

"Wow, no wonder she's such a promising lawyer." He scoffed. "Her ability to lie to your face, sleep with you, and then host a party of this size beside her family and fiancé in the same 24 hours is kind of terrifying."

My silence confirmed I agreed as the heartache I spent the day trying to drink away resurfaced.

"What are you going to do?" Johnny continued. "Are you going to wait for her to tell you about the wedding date herself? To be honest, I still can't see Sam being this bad of a person. Do you think there is a possibility Kang Yu-Jun just said all that to get under your skin?"

I sighed, my arms falling to my sides as I turned to face Johnny.

"Hyung, I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. Okay?"

Hearing my frustration, Johnny took the hint and allowed the conversation to end there.

"Come on. We shouldn't keep my family waiting any longer." I advised.

Johnny placed a smile on his face, and followed me out of my room so we could join my family in the foyer again.

My mother was fully dressed in a emerald belted jacquard shirtdress gown, and fortunately for me her anger vanished as soon as she saw me wearing the suit she bought me.

"Oh my goodness, there's my tall handsome boy!" She gushed, meeting me at the bottom of the stairs. "Look at you!"

"Better?" I chimed as she cupped my cheeks with her tiny hands.

"Much better. No matter what, you'll always be the most handsome man in the room!"

"Ouch." Johnny responded.

My mother and I looked around, and I had to keep from laughing seeing the annoyed reaction from Andy, and even her husband.

"Eomma, you shouldn't show favoritism like that!" Jenny teased, wearing an elegant high low scoop neck evening gown - it's color a soft pink.

"Forgive me!" Mother chuckled, looking back to me. "I don't get to put my eyes on him every day anymore. Seeing your big brother dressed up like this after all this time, it makes me so proud. When did you become such a fine man, Ho-seok?"

"Thank you, eomma. It's all because of your love and care, of course." I winked, buttering her up even further before my stepfather cleared his throat.

"Alright, lets get going." He encouraged. "Ho-seok, I got a separate car for you and Johnny. It'll follow closely behind us. That's okay, right?"

"Of course." I responded.

This wasn't a surprise after all. My stepfather always took any chance he could get to isolate me from the family at outings like this.

"I want to ride with, Ho-seok!" Jenny begged, her young gaze fixated on Johnny.

"Jenny." Her father warned her.

"Appa!" She whined, making the man groan. "Please, please, please!"

"Fine, but behave yourself. When we get to the party, there are people you and Andy need to meet tonight. Understood?"

She squealed and ran to Johnny before locking arms with him.

"Oppa! I've grown up a lot, right?" She beamed. "I'm the class beauty at my school!"

"Wow, you don't say." He replied, forcing a smile on his face. "There must be so many boys chasing you around. Your father must hate it!"

"Aniyo! I'm very mature for my age, so dad doesn't have to worry about that." She pulled him down closer to her as we followed the family out of the house. "Older men are my style."

I burst out laughing seeing Johnny's shocked facial expression and as we entered one of the two black BMWs parked in my family's long driveway, Johnny did his best to nicely escape Jenny's hold. However, it was no use by time they were seated in the car. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to endure the clingy girl long since it was less than a 10 minute drive to Sam's house.

When we arrived, staff helped us out of our vehicles and guided us into the humble mansion.

We walked down a wide hall that led to the open living area that was lined with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors. While there were many people talking inside, we saw the main event was in the backyard.

As soon as we stepped through the open backdoors, we entered a customized party tent with a hard frame and glass rooftop. It covered at least 1000 square feet, the roof held hundreds of small circular LED bulbs that provided plenty of lighting this evening, and about 15 white clothed high-tables with subtle center pieces occupied much of the space.

In the back corner, a collection of a violinist, violist, cellist, and harpist playing soothing classical music, and to our left was a elegantly decorated buffet and a fully stocked bar.

My family weaved our way past champagne and orderv baring waiters and through a crowd full of the most influential Koreans in Canada - many of whom were seasoned politicians, filthy rich businessmen, renown doctors, lawyers, and professors, and famous artists, musicians, models or actors.

"As expected, the Lees certainly know how to throw a last minute gathering." Mom said.

"Last minute?" I asked.

"The invites came out this morning. Talk about power. Lee Mi Hi wakes up with an itch to throw a party, and this many important people show up. She's impressive, no?"

I nodded, feeling a little relieved Sam didn't intentionally hide this bit of information from me.

"Kim Eun Ae!" A woman enthused, calling for my mother. I also noticed an average sized man and a young woman who I could guess was their daughter approaching us.

"Cho Yun Hee!" My mother replied while greeting her friend with a quick cheek-kiss.

"Kim Min-Soo." The woman's husband said, sharing a firm handshake with my stepfather.

"It's nice to see you Cho Minho. I was hoping I'd bump into you, tonight." My stepfather schmoozed. "How is the case at your clinic coming along? Was my consultation helpful?"

"You provided great information, but the patient's family is still claiming malpractice. I don't think we will be able to settle the matter so I am anticipating things will go to court."

"Well isn't it your lucky day." My mother intervened. "My son and his best friend are visiting for Fall Break. They are both partners at AHS Law Group. Ho-seok, come introduce yourself."

Hearing my mother's queue loud and clear, I stepped beside her and bowed to the doctor before I handed over the first of many business cards this evening.

"Hello, my name is Ahn Ho-Seok. This is Johnny, our most Senior Partner at AHS Boston."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cho Minho." Johnny added, providing his business card next. "We handle some of the largest cases around medical malpractice accusations, sir. I'd be happy to provide free consultation while I'm here this weekend, and then we can set you up with a local AHS representative before we leave as well."

"I'd be very grateful for that! Thank you!" Cho Minho enthused, looking at both of our cards. "You've just saved me so much time looking for a proper legal representative. I've only heard amazing things about AHS Group!"

"Of course! It's one of the top international law firms!" His wife chimed, her gaze shifting to me. "Kim Eun Ae, I'm so happy you've finally brought your eldest son to a gathering! I've seen pictures, but they don't do him nearly enough justice! How can he be so tall, well spoken, and handsome!"

Mom basked in the compliments as she took a hold of my bicep. "I was just asking myself the same thing, earlier this evening."

"Boram." My mother's friend called to the young woman beside her. "Come introduce yourself to Ahn Ho-seok. You two are the same age! You should get acquainted."

I placed a smile on my face, and watched as her beautiful daughter bowed to me.

"I'm Cho Boram. It's a pleasure to meet you." The young woman beamed. "Though you don't live here, you're quite famous. I've heard a lot about you. You just started at Harvard, right?"

I nodded, but my mother replied on my behalf.

"He's already a top student in his first year!" Mom gloated. "Though he's the successor of AHS Group, he's never been one to take anything without earning it fair and square."

"Oh, that's so lovely to hear!" Mrs. Cho Yun Hee enthused. "You must have saved a nation in your past life, Kim Eun Ae! You're lucky to be blessed with such a good son!"

I glanced around to find my stepfather and stepbrother showing their frustration, Andy glaring at the ground while his father drank a glass of champagne with one gulp.

This was why my mother's husband preferred to isolate me at these gatherings. To his dismay, attention followed me wherever I went. Which was a harsh reminder that while he may have won the girl, no matter what, he would always live in my father's shadow.

"Ho-seok, why don't you take Boram to the bar and enjoy some refreshments?" My mother recommended. "Boram's mother is right, you two should get acquainted!"

"Of course."

Like a good son, I did as I was told and offered my arm for the young woman to take.

Johnny subtly laughed at me. However, his mother found him in no time and made sure he was also exposing himself to eligible women.

I spoke with Cho Boram over a drink for a while before we were interrupted by other guests that wanted to meet me.

Some were men who were interested in doing business with AHS Group or having me in their network, some were entertainment managers who wanted to recruit me, but for the most part the majority were mothers who were determined to set me up with their daughters.

My mom was on Cloud 9 since I was doing my filial duty and entertaining these "matchmaking opportunities." However, while I did what was expected of me, my attention had been divided and a large chunk of it had been fixated on one person most of the evening.

Sam looked stunning, wearing a navy blue evening gown that had cape sleeves. Her silky hair was straightened along her back and her make up was natural since the diamond earrings and necklace she was wearing made such a strong statement. She looked like literal royalty.

"There you are." Johnny said, stepping beside me at the bar. After hours of making small talk with strangers we couldn't care less about, we were finally reunited and alone. "I should have known I'd find you here, first."

I scoffed. "I can't believe how drunk we were hours ago, and now we're here putting on quite the show."

"Yeah, this is a bummer. I thought I was getting a break with visiting home for three days, but this is no different than all the ass kissing I have to do in Boston." Johnny sighed. "I'm supposed to have a FaceTime date this evening, but it looks like I'll have to cancel."

"With who?" I asked. "Dr. Brown?"

He beamed, nodding his head. "I really like her, Ho-seok."

"You said this about the last one. What was her name? Heather?"

"No it's so different this time. I've seen Madison every day since we met."

"What?" I gasped. "She's a surgeon. How is that even possible?"

"I'll bring her breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or she'll meet me in my car for a few minutes when she can get a break. It's not hard to make time for someone when you sincerely like them.

"That's how I know she's different. I've never been like this before. I'm always curious about her, and I've even cancelled meetings to see her already."

I looked away from Johnny and easily spotted Sam.

Like she had been this entire night, she was arm in arm with Yu-Jun as they mingled with her family's guests. She was all smiles, and looked head-over-heals for her fiancé despite who's arms she was laid in less than 12 hours ago.

"You're right." I uttered. "When you're sincere about someone, you can do anything to see them. Even belittle yourself, like I've been doing."

Johnny sighed. "I know this is tough to witness but just like we have to put on an act, I'm sure Sam does too. Before believing Kang Yu-Jun, talk to her directly. I'm still not convinced Sam has agreed to marriage before she graduates, Ho-seok. It's not like her."

Undecided about what my next steps should be, I took a sip of my neat bourbon before I heard the sound of a spoon clanking against a glass.

"Excuse me." Sam's mother said, grabbing the guests' attention. The small ensemble she was standing before stopped playing their instruments as well. "Thank you all so much for coming, and though the holiday is actually tomorrow - Happy Thanksgiving!"

The attendees applauded the petit woman, her husband standing beside her.

Sam and Kang Yu-Jun joined them in front of the crowd, as did his parents.

"As many of you know, our daughter Samantha and Yu-Jun have been engaged for many years now. Truthfully, they might as well be married, but my daughter is stubborn and too ambitious." The audience laughed with Mrs. Lee as Sam smiled to the ground. "All that to say, she found a man who is patient and crazy about her. My husband and I are excited to support our future son-in-law this evening, in his brave attempt to finally seal the deal with Samantha."

The room gasped, my eyes widening as I stood up straight.

"Son, take it away." Sam's mother encouraged.

I watched Yu-Jun kneel before Sam, startling the excited audience.

"I know I've done this before, but it seemed fitting to propose to you again with a better ring, and a more mature proposal now that we're adults." Yu-jun revealed the large oval diamond I witnessed him purchase. "I understand how important your career is to you. So I'm willing to move to Boston while you finish law school. That is, if you'll agree to marry me this summer."

Sam gasped, her hands covering her lips as she stared at Yu-Jun with wide round eyes.

"Say yes!" Many witnesses encouraged, others capturing pictures and videos of this surprising re-proposal.

"What do you say?" Yu-Jun continued. "This August - Will you marry me, Sam?"

Sam looked to me, confirming I wasn't the only one who had been fixated on the other tonight. However, the look in her glistening eyes and the tremble in her lips told me the decision she had made in response to the ultimatum I had given her this morning.

"Yes." She replied, shifting her gaze back to Yu-Jun. "Okay. Let's get married this summer."

The room applauded the soon to be newlyweds as Sam accepted her new ring and embraced her fiancé in a tight hug.

I on the other hand zoned out, suffering a heartbreak for the second time in one day.

"Ho-seok." Johnny tried, but I felt another panic attack approaching. I had to get out of this tent.

I ditched my drink and Johnny, weaved my way through the packed party, and stormed out of Sam's family home as quickly as possible.

"Sir, did you park with us today?" The valet asked.

Instead of answering the man - I rushed past him, down the long lit driveway, and outside of the gated household before I found a curb I could sit on and no one could see me.

I loosened my tie to aid the control of my breathing, but this panic attack was much worse than earlier. My face was burning, my heart was aching, and tears had built up in my eyes this time.

I rubbed my face, just to push my fingers through my hair and grab fistfuls of it.

"Fuck! You said you'd have no regrets, Ho-seok." I scolded myself.

I closed my eyes, my elbows rested on my knees as my head fell between them.

Even after five years of expanding my experience with women, studying my ass off in the best business school Korea had to offer, getting into Harvard Law School, and sincerely presenting my heart to Sam - I wasn't enough for her.

Kang Yu-Jun was right. I was nothing more than a puppet she could control, and now that I stomped on that control, I was getting abandoned again.

"You knew the risks." I uttered. "You did this to yourself."

Despite knowing how pissed my mother would be, I decided to call it a night and began the two mile walk back home.

It was hard not to reflect on this awful day.

I lost the girl of my dreams, which I frankly never had in hindsight. Somehow, my relationship with my mother's family was getting even worse and to think by time I leave Canada, I was going back to even worse circumstances in a city I was miserable living in.

"I shouldn't have left Korea." I mumbled, missing my brothers more than words could explain.

I felt alone again, and while I wanted to call on my best friends back in South Korea I had too much pride. I didn't want them to know how awful I was doing, but also this was a side of me I never openly shared with them after all these years.

They had no idea Sam was the reason I never dated, or who she even was, and I never cared to open up about my hardships with my mother's family either. The last four years I spent with them at SNU, I was so happy - I just never saw the point in doing so.

I moped along the familiar streets of Toronto in silence for at least an hour until I walked inside my mother's house, my dress shirt sticking to my chests since I broke a sweat.

As soon as I entered my bedroom, I closed the door behind me and stumbled on to my bed before I looked to the ceiling and zoned out for quite some time. However, I felt my phone continuously vibrate in my jacket again, and I knew it was another call from my mother.

I ignored it, and then saw a flood of texts come in from her next.

I felt the anxiety forming in my chests just from reading her messages where she confirmed her disappointment about my silent departure from the party. Like any normal son who cares about his mother, of course that bothered me and I knew I had probably put her in a position where she'd have to make up an excuse to her friends since so many of them wanted to meet me.

I closed my eyes, feeling a second panic attack approaching when another phone call came in.

"Why are you so persistent?" I groaned, and I decided to just cave and accept the scolding. "Eomma, I'm sorry. I'm not feeling well, so I decided to leave."

"Hello?" A familiar voice replied on the other end of the line. My eyes widened, and when I actually took the time to look at the screen, I was taken aback to see I was on a call with Makayla. "I thought you knew this already, but I don't speak fluent Korean like Danny."

I sat up straight, hearing Makayla chuckle while I shifted back to English.

"Hey." I answered. "Sorry, I thought you were my mom."

"All good. How is your break going?"

"It's going alright. How are you?"

"I'm good! Just getting ready for the night shift."

The call fell silent, and felt pretty awkward. But I knew that was mainly on me, and the fact that I wanted to be to myself at the moment.

"Is everything really okay?" I proceeded. "Do you need something?"

"No. I just-..." She paused. "I just wanted to check in on you."

"Check in?" I questioned.

"To be honest, I've been thinking about you a lot since you left for Canada. Playing WORDLE was my subtle way of checking in, but then you suddenly stopped guessing."

I sighed, pushing my fingers through my hair. "Sorry about that. Something came up."

"You don't need to apologize. I just wanted to make sure you're okay is all."

I again fell silent, and while a part of me wanted to open up to her I felt so embarrassed.

"You said you don't have the best relationship with your mom's family in Canada." Makayla proceeded. "And then I know that Sam's fiancé and her family live there and they're also rich like you so I imagine you're forced to see them often when you're there. No matter how I look at it - It just seems like it's bound to be a really hard time for you, when you visit your mom."

My lips parted, realizing how wholeheartedly she had listened to me the past few weeks.

"All that to say, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I know what it's like to feel alone."

Touched by her sincerity, a few tears slip past my eyes.

"It's been hard, but I'm good." I assured her. "Thanks for checking on me."

"Of course, isn't that what friends are for?"

I nodded, wiping the tears off my cheek. "Since you have the nightshift, I'm assuming you were off this afternoon. What did you do, today?"

"I spent the day with Jackson and our friend, Miguel. It was a really good time!"

"How are things progressing with Jackson?"

"They're going." She shyly giggled. "I think we're talking?"

"You think? Why don't you know?" I teased.

"He's really the worst at flirting!" She admitted, making me laugh as I got comfortable on my bed. "We've seen each other a few times this week, but he's not made a real move."

"But he's made a lot of effort to see you?" I asked.

"Yeah. He visited me at work on Monday during my break, and we had a late night dinner that same night. He also cooked a Thanksgiving brunch today, which was amazing since I can't visit my family in North Carolina for the holiday."

"You're just as bad at dating if you think the man isn't flirting, Kayla." Knowing I was right, she didn't respond while I continued to laugh at her. "I'm realizing the biggest sign that someone is genuinely interested in you is if they make time for you. Even if it's only for a few minutes - those few minutes are that precious to them. You found a good one."

"Thanks, Ho-seok." She replied.

We both fell silent, though I could tell she was trying to figure out what she should say next.

"I saw this meme that I really liked a few weeks ago." She continued. "It said HOPE, can stand for Hold On Pain Ends. I don't know what happened to you today, but whatever it was I promise you it's for the best. Even if it hurts right now, it'll only get better."

I smiled to my ceiling and took comfort in her reassuring words.

"You have no idea how much this one call has helped me, tonight." I replied. "I'm thankful for you, Makayla."

"Same. You were the first person to believe me about London when no one else did."

Grateful for one another, we embraced this moment for a bit.

"Do Korean's celebrate Thanksgiving?" She suddenly asked.

"No, why?"

"How about I show you what it's all about when you return to Boston? I'll cook you a yummy Southern Thanksgiving dinner. It can be our own little Friendsgiving. What do you think?"

"That sounds amazing." I beamed, but soon I heard someone call for Makayla on the other side of the line.

"I have to go, Ho-seok. They need me in the OR."

"Duty calls. Go save lives, Dr. Pearson." I joked. "I'll see you when I'm back in Boston."

"Lets plan for dinner on Monday night. I'll cook for you then, deal?"

"Deal." I confirmed, smiling at the screen of my phone as I ended the call with Makayla.

"Hope." I softly said, placing my arm behind my head as I laid on my back. "Hold on, pain ends. I like that."

I smirked, and though I was definitely in pain - I already felt the hope she mentioned.

Makayla was right. This storm sucked, but I was still on the right path to getting back to me.

Today Sam chose to stay in my past, but this was also the day I'd move on from someone who didn't respect or ever love me.

Going forward, I'd focus on those deserving of my time, my compassion, and my energy, and while the list was growing smaller by the day...

I knew those that remained would reciprocate the loyalty and sincerity I deserved. 

____

Author's Note: Happy Sunday! I hope you enjoyed the double update, this weekend!

What are your thoughts on the reality of Ho-seok's life in Canada? Probably pretty shocking given how confident and happy he always was when he lived in South Korea! 

Do you think this is the last we'll see if Sam? Will such a touching gesture from Makayla cause another shift in their relationship? How will Ho-seok interact with The Elite when he returns to Boston?

Please remember to vote and comment! Thanks for your support!

- Zelene