Danbi puts a hand over her stomach, having been fitting herself right in thanks to the help of food served to them. She's more relaxed after stuffing herself full of different dishes, and she chuckles when she sees her bodyguards racing to eat their food as if they won't be given a chance to eat again.

After Wonshik had joined her at the table with a few awkward lines of conversation, she had turned to her bodyguards, bid them to come closer and invited them to eat. Despite Wonshik looking uncomfortable that the VIP seats were now occupied with her bodyguards, even more so when his guests started to chatter around them, Danbi paid no heed to him and happily asked them to sit together with her.

Her bodyguards looked uncertain at first, pushed away by Wonshik's unwilling expression, but she had assured them that they could join her and eat all they want.

"What do you think you're doing?" Wonshik whispered to her, sharp eyes darting towards the bodyguards who were starting to pull their chairs to sit. "Do you have any idea how many people are watching?"

She pressed her lips together, feeling the texture of her matte lipstick before feigning innocence. She didn't whisper, but she said it slowly so that only her father can hear. "What do you mean? I'm only inviting my bodyguards who have been working so hard to eat; is that so bad? Basic human decency. Let them have a day off, it's a happy day." She smiled mockingly, "Don't tell me that in this society we don't do it because we have a hierarchy to keep."

"Bae Danbi," he gave a warning, but knew that he's in a bind. It's a give and take; if he wants to keep the front of having Danbi as his daughter, she would need to stay. People would start talking if the daughter he had shown to the world once he became prime minister turned up missing.

How ironic.

"I'm not forgetting my promise," she pressed on, "but let me do things my way once in a while too. Don't worry, I won't smear your picture with dirt for having an insolent daughter. I'll become the daughter you're proud of."

He grunted but said nothing more as he turned to his food, standing up not long after while putting on a show to tell her that he's going to talk with some of his acquaintances.

She had chirped with a fake tone of "no worries" before she was left at the table with her bodyguards. Right now, all four of them are, on average, on their third plate of food but they're not looking like they're about to slow down any time soon.

Jongho is stabbing the salad on his plate with his fork, picking the leaves up as much as he can before he shoves them into his mouth, while Yunho on his side is rushing to cut up the steak before he groans in satisfaction as his tastebuds register the taste of expensive meat. San and Seonghwa are sipping on their drinks calmly, but not long after they are already ladling more soup in their bowl while scooping up a mountain of rice. They say a silent "we will eat well" for what seems like the fourth time before diving into their meal.

Danbi rests her left elbow on the table before pushing her cheek against her palm, smiling as she sees them gobbling up the food. Her gaze travels to the environment in the ballroom, the air thick with the exuberance, but it's something that might take her a while to adapt to. So far, no one has approached to talk to her because she knows that they're still careful around her, an unknown person who happened to be the daughter of the prime minister.

Yeosang is nowhere to be seen, while Wooyoung is sitting at a table with what she assumes is his family, face obviously forced into a fake smile. She can sense it; it's not the same smile Wooyoung has when he's with the others his age. This smile lacks sincerity, someone made rigid by the status of himself and his parents. Even his younger brother looks to be bound by the chains their parents have set for him, trained from such a young age on how he's supposed to bring himself.

Jongho notices her looking at somewhere far forlornly, so he puts his cutlery down before placing both his elbows on the table and linking his fingers. "Are you feeling pity for them?" He refers to both Wooyoung and Woosung. "The two brothers?"

When she realizes that he's talking to her she bites the inside of her cheek, mulling over her answer. "I'm feeling a lot of things actually. Overwhelmed, for one. I never thought there would come a day where I could compare my life before and after."

Yunho is the one to drop his cutlery next, even though his mouth is still full as he chews on the meat. He tries with all his might to make his question understandable. "What makes you say that?"

She looks like she's about to lean forward and rest her chin on the table but knows that she has to mind her manners and posture at an event like this. Especially one that is celebrating her dear father. "It's... something different to see people in this bubble eating their expensive steaks and vegetables, knowing that it's their rights any time, while to people like us," she refers to herself as she points a finger to her chest, "we could only dream to eat it, a luxury for us. If we're lucky we could maybe get a taste of a portion of the food before we die. But when I get involved with this 'rich people' world, I get a new set of eyes that see differently. Everything comes with a price, I guess. Get a family like Wooyoung's, filthy rich, but you have to learn how to act. Look at him."

Their heads simultaneously turn to Wooyoung's table, and the latter catches them staring at him from far. The latter slightly moves his head as a gesture to ask why they're looking at him, but he doesn't get an answer. They turn back their attention to Danbi.

"You even said he talks like a robot, but that's only because he had to grow up with it. He must have been trained about businesses the moment he could walk, not being able to experience what a normal childhood would be like. His younger brother too, so much is taken away from him in exchange for wealth. Is it even worth it?"

"It's not," San says suddenly, and they shift their attention to him briefly. "In life you have to make sacrifices. To people like them, it's their 'normal life' in exchange for money. Most of the time too, you'd require to act according to your parents' needs. Only lucky children get to escape that mold."

"Stereotyping," Seonghwa can't help but add.

San shrugs. "I guess, but from what I know it's a common thing. You have a legacy to keep, an image to maintain. So a mould is set for you and you'll have to follow, despite you liking it or not."

She stares at San, who, for the first time since they hugged yesterday locks eyes with her. She says, "Why do you sound so sure?"

The three bodyguards freeze in their spots, carefully watching as San chuckles slowly. "I just watch a lot of dramas. Dramas nowadays are pretty relatable and realistic aren't they? Having-" He stops when his phone vibrates in his pocket and he gives a tight smile before he glances at the phone and without hesitation, hangs up the call.

He's about to put his phone away when for the first time ever since the persistent calls started, he receives a message from the person. He briefly reads the unopened message from the notification bar, but it's already enough for him to know the contents.

They can see you from their seats. How much longer are you going to pretend that you don't know them?

San grips the phone in his hand before deleting the message, attempting to look around the ballroom before spotting them. His face is as expressionless as it can get, even as he looks straight at one of them. Then he breaks the eye contact.

"What I'm trying to say is," he continues, "life while you're buoyed by money is not as amazing as you'd think. It's riddled with so much things in between that you'd wish you were just a normal person, doing an office job or some part-time jobs to get by."

She exhales. "Ironic isn't it? How people like me wished that I was a daughter to some rich person so I don't have to work a day in my life, yet the vice versa is also true."

"People can never be happy with what they have," Jongho adds. "You only realize something's worth when you actually lose it. By then it's too late to turn back and fix things."

"Appreciate your current moment," Yunho nods as his cheeks get stuffed with mashed potatoes. "Got it, the lesson for today."

"And oh boy," Seonghwa utters as his eyes are directed somewhere. "I think Wooyoung is coming here, but his parents are coming along."

"So this is what he's saying," Danbi mutters under his breath. "Interesting."

"Danbi," Wooyoung approaches the table, already apologizing through his eyes to her as his heart prays silently for the conversation to go on without much problems; and when he says much, that means there will be. He just hopes that it won't become as bad as he'd expected. "They're my father and mother, they just said that they wanted to make some conversation with Soyeon's twin."

"Of course," Danbi is already putting on the mask, the one where Yeosang has been tirelessly training her to put on. This is how she should act, to not bring shame to her family and herself. Most importantly, to not let others have the upper hand and trample you whenever they have a chance. Be strong, be strong, be strong, is what she keeps repeating to herself. "It's a pleasure to meet the parents of my twin's boyfriend," she pauses, "Sir and Madam Jung."

"Oh please, no need for such high formalities," Madam Jung is laughing as gracefully as she can, a hand put over her mouth. "Mr. and Mrs. would be enough," her eyes travel to the bodyguards, who are already standing and keeping their heads low as the meeting is happening. "Someone who's of your level should be able to call us that. We are simply in the same field."

Danbi gives a fake smile as Wooyoung discreetly looks at her reaction. She knows exactly that the old woman is lying through her teeth; hearing her call them Mr. and Mrs. is probably grinding her gears at this moment.

So she'll feed that ego.

"Oh no," Danbi replies while trying her best to put on a slight amount of disdain on her face. "How can I address you as such when both of you deserve something even more, considering your status? I'll be glad to call you Sir and Madam, it's the least I can do."

The bodyguards look at each other, impressed by Danbi's quick change of attitude, that even Jongho gives a thumbs up to the rest while nodding slightly.

The flattery seems to be working, because she sees a change in her expression, this time sincerely taken by her words.

"Oh my." Madam Jung's hand flies to her chest next, just slightly below her diamond-encrusted necklace. "You're so different than your twin I wonder whether you're actually related." Then she laughs while waving a hand over her face, "Ah, how is that even a question when you look exactly like her? Silly me. Say, where have you been all this while? If you're the twin my son is marrying, I wouldn't mind. Oh, such a pity that Soyeon is the one who showed her face first."

"Mother," Wooyoung butts in, but he's ignored. He can already feel the impending doom and he has no idea on how Danbi would deal with it.

"Oh Madam please," she says through gritted teeth. No one does notice her irritation coming up as she offers a seat to the two elders. "Please take a seat and we can talk all night." Lies, another second with them and I can puke. "It's impolite of me to have you standing when there are places for us to sit. Please do." She does a show of pulling the chairs for them, gesturing so that they'll take their seats first.

Both his parents are clearly impressed with her attitude, their minds already comparing between the twins and Danbi is standing at a much, much, much higher spot than Soyeon is.

Wooyoung looks unsure on whether he's allowed to be sitting together with them, but surprisingly, in which he'd never imagine his mother would do if it was Soyeon instead, she invites him to sit together with them.

The bodyguards stay put in their places, but they finally move away when Danbi does a gesture while her eyes are apologizing, signalling to them that this is a private conversation.

When they're already out of earshot does Sir Jung turn to the table, finally opening his mouth to speak. "Is it only your twin staying at the house beside your father's? Imagine our surprise when Wooyoung told us she has a twin yet we've never seen you before."

Danbi racks her brain for the appropriate answer, one that she's forced to say even though there's not a truth to it. "It's because I've been living my whole life overseas; I've been living with the family on my mother's side ever since."

"Oh dear, is there any particular reason why you were separated from your twin even when you were a baby?"

Frankly, I'd like to know too but I have yet to be given an answer.

The script she has been rehearsing comes right off the bat. "There were some complications when we were born, I believe. Some things happened and I was brought away to Bayu to live with my mother's family." She smiles, the lies flowing from her tongue so easily yet it's giving her the unbearable pain she has to hide. "I grew up and went to school there. I believe our personalities could be different due to our environment."

"And don't you resent your family?" Madam Jung asks, and Wooyoung is already groaning inwardly as his mother has started her attack. It's like she always tries to find ways to get on the bad side of people no matter how much she likes them. "How come Soyeon was given a life by staying here in Mekar but you had to live somewhere else without your own family? That enormous land shouldn't be a problem to fit in another child. How fair is that?"

Danbi can already feel her blood boiling and all she wishes now is how she can deal with people like she always does when they get on her nerves; sending her fist flying their way. But right now her father's image is on the line and she can't risk making her first headlines as the daughter of the prime minister who punches an old woman - a wealthy and influential person at that. No matter how irritating the woman is.

Instead, she plays the next trick she has to bring the topic away and eventually to a close. She breathes in and out slowly, still keeping the demeanour of an elegant and composed daughter.

"That isn't an issue anymore, Madam. Even our family has put that topic behind us and it was my decision to come back here; they accepted me with open arms. It was my decision," she emphasizes, "and they were more than happy to follow. I could've stayed back in Bayu but I wanted a change of scenery." She tries to make it sound like it's fully her choice to come here, that if she were to pack her bags and fly away again they couldn't do anything but respect her choice. She wants to appear to be the one in control; not the one being controlled.

"I see," the old woman replies, but it's clear that she's not done playing her cards yet. Not until she gets a hold of the situation. "How does it feel though, to have your mother pass away yet you're not by her side, away in some country, and even during her funeral you weren't there? We had no idea that Hyerin has another daughter. Were you prevented from coming to the funeral?"

That's it; that's the line that Madam Jung has crossed.

"Mother!" Wooyoung shouts, unable to restrain himself. A few other people has their chattering ceased, pulled in by the sudden outburst at the table. "That's not a polite thing to say."

Sadly, this doesn't disturb Madam Jung at all, as she seems to be enjoying the fact that she has managed to grab negative attention to the daughter of the prime minister. She's trying to evoke something within Danbi, hoping that she'll snap, much like what she knows Bae Soyeon would do if she were in Danbi's position.

However, if she's expecting some kind of violent reaction that hopefully would tarnish the image of the prime minister even on the first day, she turns up disappointed. She seems to forget; Bae Danbi is anything unlike Bae Soyeon.

"Ah," Danbi says, an unfaltering smile plastered on her face like it's her natural state. "Of course, I can't deny there were some regrets and anger for not being able to be there. But I had given enough reaction at that time, so now nothing would provoke me anymore, if you'd like to have that satisfaction of seeing me giving the appropriate reaction, Madam Jung." She does it sarcastically that Wooyoung's jaw automatically drops; the first time someone is actually up and against his mother confidently.

Doing a great job at it, if he may add.

"I see," Madam Jung replies with a tight smile, surprised that this girl is stronger than she looks. She might have underestimated her too much. "You must have a big heart then, to be able to forgive your family just like that. If I were you, I won't be able to forgive my family. They abandoned you-"

"Abandon is not the word, Madam. I was never abandoned. I was well taken care of, if you had listened carefully." She smiles in satisfaction seeing how she has managed to jostle the old woman's feathers.

"You're completely different than your twin, if it were Soyeon she wouldn't even last a minute without breaking down. Surely you'd like to teach your ways to your twin somehow, so that she doesn't cower at the thought of a social interaction."

Danbi almost scoffs at this, but she holds herself back. It looks like Madam Jung has run out of bullets to shoot, yet he's using whatever she can say to bring her down further.

"There's nothing wrong with my twin," Danbi says calmly, taking the teacup as she sips on tea that has gone cold. "Everyone has their own ways, and my twin is comfortable being that way. You have no rights to say anything about what she does."

"She doesn't even work-"

"Yet our father has provided us enough money. He may be a government servant now but he still has a string of businesses to support us with. So even if we don't work, we'll have enough money to get by. You don't have to worry about us so much, we know how to take care of ourselves."

Danbi hates this; she hates the fact that she's defending herself using the topic of wealth, boasting about how much they have. It doesn't sit right with her, yet as she faces off Wooyoung's mother she feels like that's the only way to shut her off.

This is how the big people play, Yeosang's voice rings in her head. You must know how to play your cards to make sure you're the one on top. Learn how to become the predator, learn how to trample on people, because that's how you survive.

"How lovely of you to be protective of your twin. You can't deny that there'll be competition between the two of you, but now I'm seeing that you're better than her in a lot of aspects." It looks like Madam Jung still hasn't given up talking to her in a condescending tone, looking to find a weak spot and making her cave in. "If I were your twin, I'd be really worried about my position."

What Danbi answers next manages to make their jaws drop, something that they wouldn't expect to come out of her mouth. It has managed to make Madam Jung run out of comebacks, with Sir Jung quickly asking them to leave the table while there's a secret smile of satisfaction etched across Wooyoung's face at Danbi's reply.

"Worry about your own businesses, Sir and Madam Jung. I'm glad that she's not anything like you, and I sure do hope she won't grow up to become someone as spiteful as you. Soyeon is as perfect as she is."