Endless Night || Heartless City Sequel
Chapter Nine – Second Act
Soo-min winced and shifted slightly against the car seat. The tenderness of her skin from her recent tattooing experience was a constant throb. The tattoo was situated high up on her inner thigh, and unless someone was peeking up her skirt, it wouldn’t be visible to others. The tattoo was still fresh enough that her skin felt rubbed raw. She hadn’t even bothered to closely examine it, just slapped a bandage over it, but not before catching a glimpse of the crimson petals spiraling along her skin. Objectively speaking, it was an exquisite work of art, but what it represented made her itch to claw it off.
She’d been officially inducted into the Lilies a few days ago when she’d gone to Vanity and let a man, with black ink twisting and weaving across every visible inch of his skin, place the mark on her. Tomorrow, she would meet the woman in charge of new recruits, Mistress Sang-hee, and learn what was expected. Soo-min knew that Vanity’s opulence couldn’t conceal the stench of something foul and rotten that oozed beneath the gilded surface. The tension was starting to get to her. She’d been overreacting, jumping at shadows, spooked by loud noises. Tonight, she wanted to just curl up in bed and seek a respite from the strain of the past few days. Facing the consequences of her decision could wait until tomorrow. But before she had the chance, her phone rang. She couldn’t deny Paksa Adeul’s order to meet. She’d avoided his previous call, and the tone in his voice brooked no argument. She didn’t deny his request – she knew that she was walking a dangerous line with her attitude towards their ‘partnership.’ They would meet immediately.
Twenty minutes later, she was on her way to his place, unable to shake the feeling that this was all a very bad idea. Her thoughts were all jumbled and she was having trouble fighting off unwelcome flashbacks. Soo-min touched the bandage one more time as the car pulled up. She stepped out and with a slight wince, walked down the stairs. The two men were already there: Paksa stood by the far wall while Soo raised an eyebrow at her slightly unkempt appearance. Soo-min resisted the urge to comb fingers through her slightly mussed hair.
Screw formality. Soo-min settled into a chair. After a brief pause, the two men followed suit, each sitting on one side of her.
“For someone who blackmailed us into working together, you’re not being very helpful. This deal was not ‘we chase you for information and you ignore phone calls’.” Soo said.
The culmination of pressure and stress that had built over the last few days loosened Soo-min’s tongue. “I’ve been busy. I’m not in the mood for your antagonistic comments. Watch it or…”
“Or? You’re in no position to be giving ultimatums. You’re the one unable to follow the simple rules, like a child. Maybe you need to be punished like one?”
“Try it and…”
“Do you have any information?” Paksa’s voice cut through the hostile exchange.
Soo-min paused in mid-threat, meeting Paksa’s gaze. It had been easier when she’d been focused on Soo… She took an unsteady breath. Tightness pulled in her chest. She willed her eyes away from his mouth. Useless. Memories of lips pressing demandingly against hers, hands drawing her close and trailing along her skin. She gulped, hoping Paksa didn’t notice her lapse in focus, and looked away into the darkened room.
“I know for sure that The Madame is a key figure at Vanity, but I’m still not sure of what her exact connection is. I have a couple of leads I will pursue tomorrow. When I find out more I will be in touch. That’s all I have for now.” She shifted uncomfortably, unable to hide the spasm of pain that the movement caused.
“Why are you wincing? And you were walking a bit stiffly. Did someone attack you?” Soo’s questions caused Soo-min to freeze.
“Are you hurt?” Paksa asked. Avoid, Evade, Re-direct. The desperate words rang through her mind and she scrambled to figure out a way to deflect their curiosity. She didn’t want Paksa or Soo to pursue the matter any further.
“I cut myself shaving. I haven’t been sleeping well.” Lame, lame, lame.
“I can see the edge of a bandage. How badly did you cut yourself ‘shaving’?” Soo asked, not convinced by her excuse. Soo-min hadn’t realized how much skin she had exposed when she sat down. Shit.
“Were you looking up my dress? No wonder you failed so miserably at Vanity.”
Soo’s ensuing violent denial changed the topic of conversation and Soo-min managed to dodge any further questions. For the rest of the brief meeting, she kept her eyes firmly fixed away from Paksa’s, and tried not to fidget under his penetrating gaze.
——
For the second time in two days Soo-min tried not to fidget while being scrutinized. Mistress Sang-hee, the woman in charge of training the Lilies, cut a stern figure. The clack of her heels echoed unpleasantly through Soo-min’s ears as Sang-hee circled her. She examined Soo-min from head to toe before dismissing her with a shake of her head.
“You’re a hopeless case, all gaunt and haggard with dark circles under your eyes. Clients won’t want you. There’s a lot of work to be done before you’re even close to being presentable.”
To her chagrin, Soo-min hadn’t been able to fall asleep after the meeting last night, and there was only so much makeup could do to conceal exhaustion. Mistress Sang-hee looked past Soo-min at the sound of a door opening, “However, you’re not my responsibility. I’ve handed you off to someone else.”
Soo-min had a sinking feeling she knew who that person was. When she turned around and saw the sharply dressed figure, her suspicions were confirmed.
“Follow me,” Min-jin ordered before leaving the room and walking down the hall. Soo-min followed, nervousness in her every step. He turned a corner and entered a room. It could have been a twin to the one where Soo-min had failed her ‘test’. Is the room choice intentional…? He motioned Soo-min to sit as he himself settled into one of the couches. Soo-min perched on edge of the seat of a couch, maintaining a careful distance. Min-jin looked at her irritably.
“That was a test. You failed.”
Soo-min blinked in confusion. “What?”
He tapped his fingers against the edge of the couch. “When you’re with a client, you don’t make them shout across the room at you. You sit here.” He gestured sharply to the empty place next to him. Soo-min stood and slowly sat next to him, feeling his irritation crackling in the air between them.
“I can feel you trembling from all the way here.” He reached out and grasped her chin, tilting her head to meet his eyes. “You claimed to have worked in this field before but veterans don’t act like a deer in headlights.”
“Don’t you think you’re laying on the intimidation a little bit too thickly?” Soo-min snapped before she thought. She tried to wrench her head from Min-jin’s grasp, only to have him tighten his grip and pull her closer.
“If you think this is intimidation, then Vanity will eat you alive.” He broke his hold and indicated to a bottle of whiskey. Soo-min poured a drink and handed it to him. In a backhanded way, Min-jin had done her a favor, she had been treading too timidly and he’d snapped her out of it. He drained the glass before setting it on the table with a resounding ‘thunk.’
“Apparently guiding newbies is now part of my job description, and your former training must have been abysmal for the number of times you’ve screwed up in the last five minutes.” He continued in his bored tone, “Normally you’d be punished for the cheek that you just displayed…” Soo-min’s face grew pale but she kept silent, waiting. She poured Min-jin another glass, watching as he lifted it to his mouth. “But, you need a spine to survive here. Don’t show it to anyone else though, or it’ll be ripped out.”
“How long will I be under your ‘tutelage’?” Soo-min asked.
In response Min-jin set down his glass and curled his fingers around the back of Soo-min’s neck, bringing her close enough she could feel the planes of his body. He spread his fingers along her jaw, brushed his thumb roughly over her lips, and looked into her wide eyes. He abruptly released her and walked towards the door, leaving Soo-min reeling behind.
“When you’ve learned how to rid yourself of thoughts of another man, then you’re ready. Men are possessive creatures. They don’t like sharing. I don’t care if he’s alive or dead, banish that man.”
——
“Mina!”
Soo-min was pulled from her thoughts at the exclamation. She’d just finished her third day as a Lily. She’d been confined to her quarters after Min-jin had bluntly listed all her many “areas for improvement”. She knew that she could be tested at any given moment, and had tried to be as mentally prepared as possible.
She hadn’t met any of the other Lilies yet, but she could feel their eyes stabbing into her back when she left at the end of each night. She’d find no allies here.
“Mina, what are you doing here?” Soo-min recognized the owner of the voice. Shin briskly walked down the hall, lengthening his strides to catch up with her. Soo-min felt a pang of remorse. She hadn’t seen Shin since she’d been ‘fired’. He had been kind to her when no one else had been. At any other time she might have even called him ‘friend.’ She owed him an explanation.
“Shin, I…” Her words died on her lips when she saw Shin’s expression. There was no sign of the smile that usually graced his face, and her skin broke out in goose bumps at the look in his eyes. She took a step back.
“Why are you still here?” Shin asked angrily. “I was actually glad when you were fired, that you were leaving the club. But, you’re still here, which means you’re one of them. You of all people.” He took a step towards her, hands tightly balled, “Why?”
Soo-min couldn’t answer, couldn’t give a reason that would wipe the betrayal from Shin’s voice. “Shin, you’re starting to scare me –”
“If it keeps you away from Vanity, then good!”
Soo-min closed her eyes and she fought to continue, “Shin, I can’t leave. Don’t ask me why, but please don’t stand in my way.”
Her breath caught in her throat at his next words. “Stay away from Vanity, stay away from The Lilies, or you’ll end up dead. I warned her too, and the next time I saw her was in the morgue.”
He violently left. Soo-min’s knees buckled and she sunk to the ground.
—–
“I hope I’m not disturbing.”
The Madame of Vanity looked up from the progress report of her newest recruit. A hopeless case indeed…
“Not at all. I knew you were coming.” She set aside the papers and indicated to her assistant to serve Chairman Choi a drink. The Chairman, his tall, powerful figure diminished only slightly by age, handed a folder to her. “I’m sure that you already have these, but these are the results from our lab.”
She skimmed the papers briefly, noted the findings, and handed the papers back.
“Is there a problem?”
“Things are proceeding too slowly. There are a few victims cropping up here and there, but nothing to cause any panic. The police are dismissing the cases as ‘overdoses’. Those fools. We’ve been all but spoon feeding them the information and they still don’t have a clue. Our sponsors aren’t satisfied, in fact, they’re very unhappy with the lack of results. Their orders were to escalate things before they decide to take matters into their own hands. We both don’t want that.”
“There’s no need for threats, especially thinly disguised ones.” The Madame signaled for the assistant to hand the Chairman another folder. His eyes widened as he read the contents.
“I’ve already got a plan in place. I’ve just been waiting for the higher-ups to give the signal.”
The Chairman nodded and then looked at her and waited. Knowing he’d never ask the question, she volunteered the information.
“Your son is handling his re-assignment as expected. He remains unattached and disinterested. More than a few girls have taken it upon themselves to try to melt that ice wall he’s got up, but everyone so far has failed. Not that he lacks for female companionship. A few times he’s been needled about being a ‘nanny’ and ‘guard dog,’ but he efficiently silenced those jeers.”
The Chairman grunted.
“He’ll do as he’s told. He’s good at following orders.” The Chairman stood up. “I’ll wait for your call when your plan has been executed.”
The Madame nodded. “Yoon-mi is waiting for you. Enjoy.” She watched The Chairman’s features rearranged themselves into a lewd expression. Just like his other son. Another single-minded fool, blinded by lust. It seems the one blessing the first son received was the dilution of his father’s blood.
The Madame looked back at the progress report.
“Bring me Choi Min-jin.”
——
Author’s Note: Finally!! My sincere apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out, there were numerous complications but at long last it’s finished! Many thanks to Vita Orlando for beta-reading, and thanks to lilahozi for the final round of edits, even with a crazy busy schedule! Next chapter is being written now (it’s Paksa centric), with Soo-min walking a dangerous path and everyone has their own agenda…
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Yay it’s out!! ^^ So happy! Thank you 🙂 I’m off to read and I’ll comment later.
Can’t wait to hear what you have to say :D.
Done reading. Love this chapter. Now that Soo-min is a lily, what wil happen to her? will she really “serve” clients? Paksa and Soo are not stupid, they’re suspicious…so OMG how will they react to this and how will they know? I did find paska’s “Are you hurt?” kinda touching, ’cause I didn’t expect him to ask this kind of question anymore.
Shin seems to know a lot, he is an insider right?
I think I’m really interested by Min-jin aka Frost (I don’t know why but I LOVE his nickname so now I should just refer him by that name hihi). He’s so perceptive, he seems so cold and yet he’s not made of ice with Soo-Min. He’s a nuanced character and I love this. Well that’s how I feel maybe I’m wrong.
==>“When you’re learned how to rid yourself of thoughts of another man, then you’re ready. Men are possessive creatures. They don’t like sharing. I don’t care if he’s alive or dead, banish that man.” ==> When I read this, I was like: Hu? Is he refering to him?! He’s gonna be possessive with Soo-min? He won’t share her?! He has an interest in her right? right pretty please? Hoo love triangle ? >.<
What a relief that Frost is not like his father or brother. Are they all tree in this business? Will we see Frost's brother?
Humm…I have so many questions xD Sorry. It’s just that this chapter feels like a introduction to so many plots: soo-min beginning her training, the Madame of Vanity’s business, Frost’s involvement in this story and Paksa and Soo-min’s difficult relationship (well not really an introduction but I love the way they interact, dunno if you inderstand what I mean), and sub-plots like Shin and Frost’ father and brother.
Cant’ wait for chapter 10 because it’s focused on Paksa. Will we have his thoughts about his encounter with Soo-min? And what about the drugs?
Thanks again 🙂
There’s a reason why this Chapter is called “Second Act.” I took eight chapters to line up things and set up this world of five years later, and now events will really start rolling.
Paksa hasn’t been idle while Soo-min has been digging into Vanity and Chapter 10 will explore that. You’re never going to get a crystal clear picture of what al of his thoughts are (it is noir after all) but I did promise steam… and not just Soo-min’s memories and ill-timed flashbacks.
Wow thanks for the extra long comment!! Now I need to make sure I answer (or pointedly don’t answer xD) all the points you brought up…
Lesse…
Welcome to the fine line I walk when I decided to make Soo-min a Lily. Will she ‘serve’ clients? And exactly who will they be if she does? It’s not like you can get away with ‘hand-holding’ here. Heartless City pretty much shied away from the issue at Jin-sook’s, but that’s not the case here. I figured out those answers a while ago, although certain things may be tweaked slightly…
Paksa’s discovery and reaction? “Intense” is about the only word I can describe for what goes down. *shivers* The thing about Paksa (or Shi-hyun really) is that he *is* affected by the events going on, I’ve let readers see into his head a few times so he’s not going to wax poetic, but he does have emotion. He keeps it bottled up so tightly though that when it spills out — yikes.
As I said, every character is grey and layered. Shin is one example, he knows something, but what exactly is the extent of his knowledge? No one knows everything, even the incredibly cunning Madame, so it’s all a careful balancing act and a race to figure out all the pieces before anyone else does.
Frost is complicated, not for the same reasons as Paksa (although there is one extremely strong similarity and it’s not just a certain female), but he’s got his own backstory that will slowly be revealed. His half-brother will make an appearance, he’s an intolerable ass. As to Soo-min… it’s complicated, again xD.
You’re welcome! It’s such a fun experience to talk abour this story with… the autor! xD You’re giving us very little pieces of puzzles, here and there, and I’m here picking them and asking many questions.
Ho, clearly I was not expecting just ” hold-handing”, “hug” or just “a passionate kiss” and I thank you for that. I want to see her facing the consequences of her actions. I want to explore this dark path she’s taking. It’s much more realistic.
“Heartless City pretty much shied away from the issue at Jin-sook’s”+1 and can I add that somes things were blurred (like sometimes knifes, Paksa sexy and beautiful back tatoo…)=>Just Booh!
Steam? Intense?Ho it’s a promise then! xD I can’t wait to see his tighly bottled up emotions spill out! He has such a cold disguise, behavior, exterior. Jung Kyung Ho was perfect as Paksa.
Shin knew the girl that died. Is the Madame of Vanity like Jin Sook, an intermediate or a big vilain? or even maybe a tool?
I LOVE greyed, nuanced and complicated characters. I guess that their common point is that they only obey themself, they are not “dogs”, and they refuse to be a tool for anyone? Cause from what I’ve read in this chapter, Frost is clearly different from his father. He’s not single-minded. I’m eager to see what is his backstory. How did he arrived at Vanity.
His half-brother..I think he’s gonna take an interest in Soo-min if she’s around Frost.(probably lust after her or taking her as a lily…oh no…)
==>I’m wondering. I really imagine your story as the drama HC so I’m picturing every character easily. You really do a good job at keeping HC’s vibes. But you introduced so many new characters. Do you and Who, are you picturing when you write about them? Who do you picture when you think about Frost? The Madame? Shin? Do you do that? or totally not xD
Ahahaha, I try to answer questions as best as I can without giving away too much! Sometime I type something to immediately delete because I’m unintentionally revealing more than I thought!
I thought a lot about Vanity and it’s workings, in particular how Soo-min will deal with everything going on. It’s a very delicate act, peeling back the layers little by little. I’m still discovering things that I didn’t anticipate. But there are definitely no blurry knives here!
Paksa is an incredibly complicated character to write (and hopefully successfully) because there’s already so much of him out that readers understand. I’ve discovered that the Paksa that dwells in my head is slightly different from that of others. Readers will identify with him because he was so powerful in the show, but I also try to make sure that the changes I put him through with the time lapse continue this. And that is one high bar that was set…
The Madame will keep Paksa on his toes, she’s not like Jin-sook at all. Let’s just say I really like strong female characters.
In a way, Paksa had it a lot easier growing up than Min-jin did. He did have happy moments in his youth and there were people who supported him. Min-jin on the other hand…
I dislike stories where everyone is chasing after the lead female for one reason or another. Yes, there are quite a few good looking guys but Soo-min really has her plate full just with dealing with her situation with Paksa. And now she’s got to handle Min-jin and Vanity. Both men aren’t idiots either. And then there’s the really big elephant in the room that Paksa is refusing to address…
I’m a very visual person so I do picture quite a few things. Regarding actors – I know what Min-jin looks like, that’s the only way I’d be able to accurately describe him. If you want the actor (for talent and looks) – it’s Kim Jae Wook. I didn’t make the choice based off of previous characters he’s been though, Min-jin isn’t pampered or spoiled. He’s not acting out and trying to please his father.
Shin? The Madame? Shin was supposed to just a side character to help Soo-min in the beginning, but I’m rather fond of him and I know his backstory as well. The Madame? She’s a beautiful woman – but it’s really about what’s inside that’s important – she terrifies me.
You’re quick to answer! ^^ Hoo I’m like “hey spills the beans!” at first xD and then, I’m like “No no no I want to read slowly this story, I want to suffer and love this story.” I hate spoilers! But I love discussion 🙂
The Paksa you write is succesfull for me. Really. I can’t wait to know what happened to him in Japan. How did he changed? I’m sure that you’ll be able to do a wonderful Paksa. Nine chapters and I’m still here, waiting every week for a new chapter.
“Let’s just say I really like strong female characters.” I am so sure you do. You made Soo-Min here more badass and I love that. Wow if she can keep Paksa on his toes, she’s surely no joke. She must be incredibly strong to survive in the world of Vanity I think, probably smart and very calculative.
Ho, Frost never had any sweet or happy moments?…Oh…what the hell of a family he has =s What a sad youth for him. Can’t wait to discover his backstory, really. You make me sooo curious. In a good way.
I don’t dislike this kind of situation but I’m not a big fan either. It’s often the case in many dramas so I just sigh a lot. This girl is really really busy. Yup Paksa totally ignore the big pink elephant but it’s not possible to ignore it forever so I’ll wait patiently for them to have their big big discussion. He cares for her, right? He won’t be able to ignore her situation when he’ll know what she’s doing.
KIM.Jae.Wook, three magic words! I love him and it’s easy to picture him as Frost. Haa my thoughts they are wandering~
Will you give us Shin’s backstory? How did he arrive at Vanity? She terrifies you? She can keep Paksa on is toes? Wow she must really be something O_O” ( something dangerous, creepy, badass,very smart, heartless hu?)
Argh – I totally started answering this then lost the rest of my reply.
I’m a freelancer and tend to live on my computer so I see notifications of new comments and usually respond pretty quickly :). I quite like discussion myself, I probably drove my editor nuts considering how many emails went back and forth regarding different plot points. Nothing here has been simple, it’s all been revised, corrected, tweaked, then tweaked again before I even started to write a chapter.
A lot of backstory will actually never make it into a chapter, even if I know the explanation. I received very good advice in the beginning when I started this series – Make sure everything you write advances the plot. Superfluous details are cut and what’s left remains concise, tight – have to leave a bit of mystery y’know?
Some characters in this world are here because of their circumstances, while others are here on their own volition. The Madame controls Vanity, she’s not surviving, she’s instigating.
Eh, don’t feel sorry for Min-jin, he’d hate that. He’s not a pitiful character, he knows exactly what his situation is and controls himself well. The Madame herself holds him in higher esteem than his father – a bit of a screwy compliment, I admit.
Paksa and Soo-min have these huge walls up, and even if one cracks the other one is still going to stand strong. Don’t think that even that Paksa can waltz in and she’s going to be Ok. She’s got her guard up and whoever is really interested in her is going to have to work, hard, for her to lower those shields. She knows Paksa isn’t being open with her, so she certainly doesn’t trust him right now…
Everyone in the end has their limits, their humanity, of how far they’re willing to push themselves and others. And it’s human nature that everyone has a weakness, no matter how depraved they are. The Madame has no limits, and she’s incredibly perceptive.
Reading this discussion was really fulfilling. It helped me read deeper into the characters introduced and anticipate what is yet to come. The characters you have created leave a strong impression – especially Frost. The tone of your writing is also more mature and adult and agree that HC left a lot of that to imagination. I also like the fact that the characters from HC while imprinted in our heads are slowing changing because of their experience over the last 5 years so it will be interesting to see how they respond to events now.
What will Frost do – how much does he know about Soo-min already ?- seems he is perceptive – but it be that simple ? To what what length will Soo-min go to at Vanity to achieve her goal? What will happen if and when Parksa finds out? What if she is caught – this is a cruel world where money and power are at stake – what will happen to her…is she in for a rough time… all so exciting…really looking forward to it…
As I mentioned, I’m all about discussion, I just have to be careful because I have a tendency to reveal more than I should! Min-jin I quite like myself, probably because he’s been through so many versions before arriving to this current one. He wasn’t at all like he is now when he first arrived in Chapter 5. To be honest I never really planned on giving him a backstory or digging into his psychology, but he, like Shin to a lesser extent, refused to be surface characters.
Lol, it’s never that simple. Min-jin’s basically exiled away at Vanity for various reasons, and at the moment he can’t quite figure out Soo-min. He knows there’s something off, he’s got years of experience and constant observation of his surroundings that are sending bells off in his head, but exactly why?
You don’t have to wait too long for Paksa to find out, the story will move quickly and Paksa is no idiot… And the lengths Soo-min will go to? She doesn’t even know yet, she drove herself to this arrangement and it’s not like being at Jin-sook’s or the consequent years really gave her any edge when it comes to this world – as Min-jin has pointed out. She’s in way over her head, but she’s a resourceful character and refuses to be a victim of her circumstances – which is why she’s more than capable of turning the tables on Paksa when it comes down to it.
To the reader, min-jin is still a mystery. We know not much about his background, we have yet to enter his head to see what he is thinking, and of course Vanity and its perations are also a pandora’s box. Parksa has been “quiet” to date so looking forward to him being the centre piece in the next chaper. Can’t wait till Monday..:)
All I can say is that Paksa is most definitely not “quiet” in the next Chapter. Chapters 9 and 10 move the story forward at a pretty quick pace. I can’t say that you’re going to get a through look inside Paksa’s head – ever – but he’s definitely going to get shaken, hard.
Love this!
So excited for the next chapter. Ever since I read chapter 9 I’ve been checking every day for the new chapter. I’m extremely pumped to finally get into Paksa’s head. Up until this point in time we’ve only got Soo Min’s view of situations, and as well as she can read him, she still can’t really get a feel for him right now because she’s still projecting how she thinks he feels or how she wants him to feel, but I think that she doesn’t really know. And she’s still incredibly angry at him for lying to her, and that issue hasn’t been cleared up. And I’m really missing Jin Suk. She was always my favorite because she was such a strong independent woman who knew what she wanted and did what she needed to in order to get it and she didn’t need a man’s help. I just can’t get over how amazingly your story fits in canon with the source material. The writers of the drama could learn a thing or two from your story.
Chapter 10 should be coming soon, it’s gone through a few beta-reads and is now waiting for a final check from my editor. In the meantime I’ve found an AWESOME beta-reader so now things should move along a bit more smooth and hopefully I can get back to more timely posting schedule.
Ahaha, Paksa isn’t the easiest person to figure out, as the original showed us over and over again. That’s been one of the more difficult parts, trying to get into his head regarding personal matters without shoving him into the melo territory (it’s happened quite a few times, those sentences just got cut.) Soo-min’s not mad so much, she just really doesn’t know where she stands and it’s a confused mixture of feeling hurt, then not sure if she even has the right to feel hurt – how much did she really mean? She’s pretty sure that she knows exactly what her worth is to him personally which is why she’s got her guard up, and right now feelings are a luxury that she can barely afford to have herself…
Jin-sook is around – she’s got a major part to play. She’s definitely not a passive character, I also loved how strong and independent she was. She’s also not an idiot, she’s perfectly capable of judging situations and drawing her own conclusions, which will come into play quite soon…
And seriously thanks for the compliment, that’s an incredibly high honor to be compared to the original writers! Although I definitely feel that I’m nowhere near that level, and thank the cohesiveness to the tons of people I’ve had commenting on the story, characters, timeline. Without them it wouldn’t be anything close to what it is now.
Chapter 10 will be out in a couple of days at the most!!
Sorry for my english. First all, I love your work.
I have a question, have you think to make a pdf file of every chapter for people like me who likes to read in a ebook??
Thank you! I actually haven’t made a PDF of every file (just because knowing me I’ll go back and keep tweaking,) but I have considered once everything is done putting it into a .epub or .mobi format for easier reading