CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 126. ONE BULLET IS NOT ENOUGH

The moment Sarah mentioned the heir of Mirae Group, Henry turned rigid. His eyes twitched and his fist curled tightly, showing his displeasure. "Kang Daniel?"

"Uh-huh," Sarah nodded relaxedly, as if nothing was wrong with her statement.

The usual scowl returned to Henry’s face. "You have the nerve to talk about him in front of me?"

"Huh? Why?" Sarah tilted her head, looking completely clueless and innocent. She blinked a few times before covering her mouth, letting out a soft gasp. "Oh, don’t tell me..."

And then she laughed--not the pretty rich girl laugh, but one which made her slap the table and shed a bit of tears. "Oh, my God! You actually believe those rumors!"

"What?" Henry was too surprised by the girl’s antics to maintain his anger. "So you’re not actually in a relationship with him?"

"Oh, God..." Sarah laughed again. "Do you know who Kang Daniel is? If someone like him is in a relationship, do you think there wouldn’t be any official release? Hell--do you think my father and those geezers would just stay still instead of pushing for an engagement?"

"Hmm..." Henry tilted his head up in contemplation. What Sarah said made sense, though. Any parents would immediately try to secure a marriage with Mirae Group, and there was no way Mirae would want a girl as wild as Sarah as their daughter-in-law.

Henry didn’t mind. It was more satisfying to tame a wild girl than to take an already submissive one.

"Anyway, we’re friends--he was my senior in the academy, you know?" Sarah continued. Her eyes darted around for a bit before leaning forward to whisper, "If you have to know, he let the rumors spread so his parents won’t press him for marriage--but don’t tell anyone, okay?"

"Hmm..."

"If you want, I can talk to him about putting in some money. It’ll be like spending some pocket money for him...probably," Sarah shrugged.

Henry exchanged glances with the assistant, who shot him an eager gaze. Who could resist taking investment from Mirae? The amount didn’t even matter. Just using the name, calling it a project that Mirae’s heir invested in, would already be enough for future marketing.

"Well...no harm in trying," Henry said, although there was a layer of annoyance beneath it.

"Right? I don’t know if he wants to anyway, so might as well ask just in case," Sarah said lightly, slipping in a soft giggle. "I’m playing golf with him next weekend anyway."

Henry and the assistant raised their brow in surprise. Having a meal was something, but not everyone could play golf with the members of Mirae Group. Daniel and Sarah must have been really good friends then.

"Oh! Please make sure the contract is concluded before the weekend, okay?" Sarah clasped her hands, deliberately looking at the assistant instead of the dubious Henry. "I need something to be shown to him after all."

"Yes, Miss."

The assistant nodded firmly. He couldn’t care less about Henry’s desire; it didn’t even matter if Sarah actually had a fling with Kang Daniel. Securing a connection to Mirae Group, in the end, took precedence.

"Okay, okay," Sarah clapped lightly, a soft laugh spreading inside the room with mixed interest. "This is a nice talk, isn’t it?"

* * *

"A filming studio complex?" Kang Jun arched his brow after hitting the ball far into the course. "Like in Hollywood or something?"

"Maybe? I don’t read the plan or anything," Sarah shrugged, giving up on following the ball with her eyes. "Besides, what does it matter if I’m going to foil it anyway?"

"What a naughty princess," Kang Jun wiggled his stick, a smirk across his lips. Seemed like he also gave up on the game--it really wasn’t a good idea doing it while the sun was fighting its way to stay longer at the end of summer. "So, how much do you want me to chip in?"

Deciding that the weather was too much for a full course, Sarah and Kang Jun walked back to the buggy, where Daniel had been relaxing after giving up a while back.

"Enough to bankrupt them--is what I want to say," Sarah said after taking a big gulp of water that Hajin gave her. "But let’s say an amount enough to be in Daniel’s pocket money."

Too big, then they might grow suspicious. Besides, it was a birthday gift for her--half of it--so she didn’t want to be unreasonable.

"Hyung doesn’t give me pocket money, though?" Daniel chimed in while sipping his iced americano.

"This rascal," Kang Jun smacked his heir’s head, which Daniel received with resignation like he was used to it--even grinning while at it. "Asking for pocket money when you’re already an adult?"

Daniel pursed his lips and whined. "Why not? Give me some for real, Hyung!"

"Don’t act cute," Kang Jun grimaced. "It’s a good look for Sarah, but looking at you doing it is just disgusting."

"Waaah...this discrimination."

Turning the buggy into a picnic site of some sort, Sarah chuckled while watching the younger cousin get chased around and caught in a headlock by the much older one. They always acted like a stoic pair of king and crown prince in public, but they acted like close brothers behind the scenes. It was relieving, honestly.

They only returned from their chasing game after some food had already been laid by Hajin and attendants from Mirae, panting and groaning from the heat. Boys.

Sarah chuckled and corrected her request. "Enough to be given as a birthday gift, then."

"What do you want me to ask as collateral? Money? Building?" Daniel asked before stuffing himself with some mini cream puffs.

"Money would be easier, wouldn’t it?" Sarah tapped her chin in contemplation. Generally, a company would be worried about putting its building as collateral, even for a bank loan. "If they can’t return it, they would have given up on some assets anyway."

"Alright, just tell them to call me," Daniel nodded. "But you’re going to send me the money, right, Hyungnim?"

"It’s a birthday gift anyway," Kang Jun said, exhaling slowly while hiding within the shade of the buggy, enjoying the artificial breeze from the electric fan.

Truly, age didn’t lie.

"You should give me a birthday gift too," Daniel whined again, poking his older cousin from the side, which rewarded him with a flick on his forehead.

"I’ll give it to you in bulk when I retire," Kang Jun rolled his eyes, ignoring his sulky heir. He shifted his gaze to Sarah, who was charging her blood sugar with Hajin’s dessert. "What about this art exhibition you talked about the other day?"

"You don’t have to make it grand or anything, but--"

Kang Jun arched his brow. "You want me to make something that is not grand?"

"I misspoke, Orabonnim," Sarah bowed her head and laughed softly. "Please make it as grand as you wish."

Kang Jun scoffed. "You gave me a list of names the other day. Your target is one of them?"

Sarah smiled deeply. "The one at the very bottom."

"May I know why?"

"An artist whom the first madam always bought art pieces from," the black eyes curled in a cold light, and Kang Jun smirked at that. Of course, someone like him would have caught what was implied.

"Very close, aren’t they?"

"Indeed," Sarah smirked. "Isn’t it too bad if they could only meet a few times a year?"

Kang Jun tilted his head. "So, you’re going to give him the center stage so he can come home nicely?"

Sarah smiled--a deep and rather sinister one. Immediately though, she tapped her cheeks lightly to fix her facial expression. She felt like she had been slipping out more often recently--which wasn’t good. Not yet, anyway.

"The center stage needs an audience, right?" Kang Jun got up from his seat and beckoned to Sarah to follow him. "The more reason to make it as grand as possible, don’t you think? I need to give invitations to a lot of people after all."

As expected, she didn’t need to explain in detail. Sarah curtsied while following the man to a big tree overlooking a small lake in the middle of a course. "Very wise, Orabonnim."

Kang Jin arched his brow, asking teasingly. "You don’t call me Oppa anymore?"

"My puppy doesn’t like it," Sarah shrugged helplessly. It was fine before, but it was harder for her to scold Hajin when he was being sulky.

The man just got cuter in her eyes and everything became more difficult.

"You don’t call him that, huh?" Kang Jun laughed at Sarah’s resigned expression. "You and Hwa...you’re all the same."

Sarah tilted her head. "He doesn’t call you hyung?"

"You know him," the old lover smirked. "He talks politely, but never uses honorifics with anyone. People can’t accuse him of being rude since he’s not, but it was also insufferable. He truly drove people mad."

"Including you?"

"Evidently," Kang Jun laughed again, a softer sound formed by affection. "He knows how to play with people, that cruel man. And you seem to learn that from him."

Sarah looked up in wonder, staring at the sunlight streaming through the leaves. "Is that so?"

"But, Sarah..."

"Yes?"

Sarah straightened her back in reflex. Kang Jun was speaking softly, but there was something in his tone that made Sarah feel like she was going to get lectured. The kind of feeling she got from Song Yonghwa from time to time.

"Hwa can do that because he’s almost heartless. It’s hard even for me to see what he truly feels," Kang Jun continued, looking into the horizon where his lover might be. "You’re not like that; you’re not that hard."

Suddenly, Sarah remembered all the times Hajin called her soft-hearted. Was she, really?

Well, if someone she had only met for the second time could see that, perhaps it was true.

"So, be careful," Kang Jun warned her quietly. "What you’re doing now is like holding a sword without the hilt. You hurt yourself while hurting your enemy."

"I...understand that," Sarah let out a sigh. She didn’t know about soft or hard, but the part of hurting...she knew that very well.

"At least, use some gloves, huh?" Kang Jun smirked, easing up the serious atmosphere.

Sarah bit her lips, before replying shyly. "I have one...I think?"

Kang Jun raised his brow in surprise and glanced at the buggy, where an obedient puppy’s grey eyes had never left the girl’s form. He laughed and gently patted her shoulder.

"Well, I’m glad."