I That evening, Rae came back from work without Youn. He had a meeting with the organizer of The Symphony Competition. So, she took a cab home.

When she arrives, she sees two cars parked outside. She recognizes both of them and immediately sighs. Looks like they already met.

"Well, look who's back?" she heard Taylor's voice coming from the kitchen. That voice.

"Rae, you never told me you got an interesting friend! He's a good cook too.." Taylor shows her his plate with steaks and some veggies. Mint is there too, along with Cole who has a huge grin on his face.

She glares at the person who's wearing her apron, using her pot and spatula. She couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"Jack, I believe you have a place to stay, right?" she asks him with a not-so-sweet smile. She needs to, she has to. Those boys will turn their back against her if she treats this man badly.

Jackson has a specialty in him. He can make people love him in just a second. He is an open book, and whatever you ask, he doesn't mind discussing it with you. That's why he's so successful in business.

"I don't mind him staying here for tonight. We got plenty of room and.."

"He will leave soon. He has some business in town.." she quickly glances at Jackson, trying to make him understand that he isn't welcome here. But these three beagles make things harder.

"Can he stay at least after dinner? We already prepared so much food! It's such a waste," says Taylor. He looks at Jackson, hoping to persuade her.

"Tay.." Taylor grabs her wrist and pulls her close to him.

"Is it rude to let him go when he already prepared all of this for dinner? I mean, he is a guest, not a hired chef.." Taylor whispers to her. She sighs heavily as she looks at Jackson's face. He just looks back at her with his puppy eyes.

"Fine.." she finally gives up. They cheer and quickly prepare the table.

-------------------

She took some initiative doing the dishes tonight. First, because Taylor is quite busy playing games with the rest of them. Second, because she certainly wants to avoid a certain uninvited guest. So she slumps herself in the kitchen, scrubbing some pots and pans.

She scrubs so hard, almost killing the sponge with her delicate fingers. She's annoyed actually, but she feels powerless when she sees Jackson enjoying these boys' company. She knows The Yu House so well. There's no way he could ever mingle with people inside it like this. All of them fear him. Nope! Fear is quite a cruel word. They respect him as The Young Master of Yu, the owner of the house. She understands how Jackson misses the feeling of having a family. He has one, actually, but it's not as warm as her family.

"You're making your hands rough. You shouldn't do it.." damn, why he never leaves me alone!

"I am not a lady anymore. This is my house, and this is what I want to do," she keeps her fingers cleaning the plate. She drains them and rubs her hands with a clean cloth.

"I won't let you touch even a toothpick if you come to Yu House," he grabs a glass of water and takes a seat in front of her.

"Jackson, which part are you not understanding? I already said no. I even introduced you to my boyfriend!" she smacks the countertop with her palms.

"He is your boyfriend, not a husband.."

"Soon to be my husband! And, from what I remember, the last time we met, you were already remarried again, am I wrong?" she says.

"We didn't even reach the wedding hall. I drove away and left her," she doesn't understand why he's laughing about it. Is he making a joke about his marriage?

"Okay, let's talk seriously now. You still remember the reason why we got divorced, right? So just stick with that! Even if I don't have anyone in my life, there's no way I would come near the Yu House. And do you think your mom will be happy to hear this? I don't think so!" Rae hopes he can understand the situation right now. Once she stepped out of the house, there's no turning back for her again. She is aware of it and she never regrets it.

"Mom passed away two months ago, Rae.."

"What?!"

"Yeah, she passed away. Cancer. She forced me to marry Viv. But Viv is not the woman that I want. She only wants the title but never deserved it. She made my mom suffer quite a lot," there's sorrow in his voice. He is sad right now.

"Sorry to hear that. Wait, if Viv is your wife, what's the purpose of you coming here? And I think the last time we met, she got pregnant with your kid!"

"She's lying. She never got pregnant. I never touched her... We got divorced after two years. Couldn't hold it. I can't get rid of you from my mind. I couldn't commit to anyone after that," said Jackson.

"Why?"

"As I told you before, Viv only thinks about the title. She never cared about me either," hearing that makes Rae's heart crushed. How can Jackson end up married to a scumbag like Viv? It must be dreadful for him!

"I see you had a tough life,"

"That's why I want you back in my life. I never forgot you, not even once! Even when Viv was next to me. You are the most eligible person for the title. Not only for my house but also for my heart. Rae, no one could ever replace you," he tries to reach her hand, but she avoids him.

"Jack, I'm giving you some advice. Because I am your friend. Please stop loving me and move on. There are plenty of women out there who are eligible to be Lady Yu. I can't love you, I tried before, but as you can see, it never worked. We never worked!" Rae is done with his melodramatic temperament.

"I hope there's still room for us to fix this. I hope there's a chance," said Jackson.

"If I did want to fix this, I might still keep in touch with you. But, I never did that and that's enough for me to tell you that you should move on. Stop asking about me to Joe. You need to have your own life!" said Rae. She hates to say this, but she needs to, so there's no problem in the future with Youn. They just got rekindled, and she loves him so much.

"I'm sorry if I bother you. It's just... I thought we had a chance, at least a little. I guess I was wrong. But we're still friends, right?" said Jackson, smiling at her. Rae nods and smiles back.

"Yeah. You are my friend. Still.."

"Then, can I have a hug? A friendly hug?" Rae feels torn apart. She doesn't think it's appropriate for her. But on the other hand, she thinks about it as a clean closure between them.

She steps forward, reaching out to him with her hand. Jackson immediately puts a huge hug on her. He misses this lady so much. The feelings can't be easily described by words. It's beyond that. For him, Rae is his everything. For the past five years, he never let anyone touch his heart. Not even once. He wants Rae. He only wants her.

Rae pulls back from the hug as she can feel Jackson is overdoing it. She clears her throat and moves away from the kitchen, leaving Jackson alone there. When she arrives in the living room, Youn is sitting silently on the couch. He watches the 'beagles' playing the game console.

"Baby, when did you arrive?" Rae smiles and sits next to him. But Youn doesn't bother her, pretending to focus on the game. She lays her head on his shoulder, playing with his finger. Soon, Jackson comes and cheers up with them, continuing to play games with them. Youn just glare at him, fuming inside.

"Youn, can I sleep here tonight? I feel tired already.." Cole whines at his brother. Youn is looking at the phone; it's almost ten.

"Okay, we'll sleep here tonight.." says Youn, glaring at Jackson. Cole claps excitedly and hugs Taylor at his side.

"Mint, you too, okay? Call your mom and inform her.." says Rae. The little boy quickly grabs his phone and calls his mother.

"What about you, Jack?" asks Taylor.

"He has booked a room, right?" says Rae, looking at him with a sharp glare. Youn, who sits next to him, slowly puts his arm on her shoulder and looks at him too.

You better say yes, or I'll kill you!

"Yeah, I think I should leave.."

"Don't bother, Jackson. Just sleep here, okay? We have plenty of room for everyone.." says Taylor.

"It's too many of us. I don't think so.."

"It's fine. Me and my friends will sleep in my room. Rae and Youn will sleep in their room. We have three more guest rooms," he couldn't help but feel heartbroken when Taylor mentions Youn and Rae sleeping together.

Their room, huh?

"No, it's fine. I have some important business tomorrow. I need to be there on time," he quickly grabs his key and bag.

"Okay then... it's nice to meet you!" Taylor sends him to the door. He waves at him and smiles. Rae and Youn join Taylor later, standing at the door frame.

From afar, he sees how Youn tightly hugs Rae from the side, kissing her forehead over and over again. Seriously, he feels so broken right now. But he knows he still has a chance. All he needs is time and some strategies.

"I'll make you come back to me, Lady Raehannah Yu!" he thinks to himself.