Chapter 186 - EXOTIC (XVIII): Homecoming

Mirae got out of the car to stare at the huge mansion standing in front of her. It was still the majestic place that she remembered. Even though she could not recall exactly what she was doing there that day, she still held memories of the large mansion. She was crying that day and her father took her on a stroll around the place, showing her the grounds. She remembered how mesmerizing the mansion grounds were. Years had passed and she could still envision it.

"I thought you did not want to live here anymore?" Mirae questioned KJ. 

"It's the only place which can keep us safe from the Cartel," KJ replied. "My grandfather's men guard it all the time. And if Abyss agrees to add extra security, then it is a formidable fortress for us."

"But didn't you give up your inheritance?" Mirae frowned. 

"I did," KJ answered. "But my grandfather's lawyer held on to some of the properties on my name. He told me that he won't sell this house off under any circ.u.mstances since it's my grandfather's legacy. So he kept it like this. There are a few servants here who take care of the place."

"Where is Butler Shin?" Mirae frowned. She knew Butler Shin very well since he used to accompany Grandpa Kwon whenever he visited her.

"I tried to find him," KJ said. "But I could not locate him anywhere. He was estranged from his family, so they had no idea either. I'll keep looking for him though. He'd be happy to hear that I have returned home."

Mirae was slightly disappointed. It would have been nice to see a familiar face in this large mansion.

"Shall we?" KJ asked, offering her his arm. Mirae hesitated before taking it and he led her towards the mansion. The door flew open and a series of servants stood there to welcome them. A woman in her mid forties stepped forward.

"Welcome, Sir," she greeted KJ, bowing down. She then turned to Mirae. "Welcome, Madame. My name is Kim Sejong. I was appointed as the caretaker of the mansion after Butler Shin left."

"Do you know where he is?" Mirae asked.

"I am afraid not, Madame," Sejong replied. "He left for his hometown but we did not receive any news from him."

KJ and Mirae glanced at each other. Those words worried them because Butler Shin was a loyal employee of the Kwon family. He held many secrets about Kwon Jinhyung and if the Cartel got to him then it would be a disaster.

"Your room has been prepared," Sejong went on. "And your luggage has already been sent upstairs."

"Where is Jade?" KJ asked. 

So Jade is here too," Mirae thought. Ever since that day, Mirae did not get a chance to ask KJ about Jade and his secrets. She knew that KJ communicated with it and was hiding the cat's secrets. But she must meet that cat and try to get some answers.

"He is at the dining room," Sejong answered. "The head chef is feeding him specially prepared cat food just like you have instructed."

KJ nodded and turned to Mirae. "You should go and freshen up," he suggested. "I'll take care of the luggage."

"Hmm…" Mirae nodded. Sejong led her towards the master bedroom.

"This room used to belong to the old master Kwon," Sejong informed her. "But now that Master KJ had returned, we redecorated the room for you two."

"Uh...thank you." It was all Mirae could say. The sheer size of the house was overwhelming her. She knew the Kwons were among the most influential families in Korea but she did not expect them to be this intimidating. Even though she also grew up in a wealthy family, they lived a simple life in the heart of the city. Their apartment was posh but since they were a small family, her parents kept their lifestyle down to earth. They did not splurge unnecessarily on luxuries.

Kwon, on the other hand, went completely overboard. Their mansion was located on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by a magnificent green landscape which stretched till the hills. Some areas of the mansion had glass ceilings for the light to shine through. As Mirae walked through a long corridor, sunshine fell on her. It felt as if she could touch the sky.

"Whose idea was it to include the glass ceiling?" Mirae asked Sejong.

"It was designed by Master KJ's grandmother," Seojong replied. "In her later years, she could not go out much due to her ill health. So she requested to have glass ceilings placed on certain rooms of the house so that she could look at the sky. Old Master Kwon heeded to her wish and built the ceilings. At night, you can see the starry skies. In fact, there is a double ceiling over the Master Bedroom. You can open the upper ceiling anytime you want to see the night sky through the glass roof."

Mirae stared in awe as they walked on. Even though the mansion was new to her, it had a homely touch which made her nostalgic. 

"What else is here?" Mirae asked curiously. 

"There is a greenhouse right next to the garden," Sejong explained. "Then there are two study rooms downstairs. You can use any one of them if you want, Madame. Also, there is Master Jiwon's old room, which is on the East Wing. There is a kitchen downstairs which is divided into two. The dining room is right next to the Study Room you just passed downstairs. There are around eight guestrooms-"

"E-eight?" Mirae gasped.

"Yes, Madame," Sejong went on. "Additionally, there are three other rooms which used to belong to Master KJ's father and sisters."

Mirae lost track of how many rooms the mansion had. And knowing Grandpa Kwon, she was sure there were plenty of secret passages as well. She decided to take a tour of the mansion by herself once she settled down.

"This is your room, Madame," Sejong said. Mirae thanked her as Sejong bowed to take her leave.

Mirae stepped into the room. It was quite...fancy. Unlike her own apartment which had a lot of technological touches, this one was quite cozy. There was a small living room attached to the main bedroom. A set of sofa set made of mahogany wood sat near the chimney while a large window overlooked the whole garden outside. A large piano was situated on the side. Mirae edged towards the piano. 

Even though the piano looked old, it was spotlessly clean just like the other furniture in the room. There were some scribbled carvings on the piano, as if someone used a sharp object to write on it. 

"This belongs to Kwon Jiwon," she read out loud. The handwriting was quite childish which only meant KJ had written it when he was younger. Typical KJ, she thought with a smile. 

She scanned around. The main bedroom was adjacent to the living room. She slid the door open. There was a king sized bed in the middle of the room with a multipurpose desk right next to it. On the side was a set of coffee table and chairs which, too, overlooked the scenery outside through the window. On the opposite side of the room was a large bookshelf. Mirae strode over to the shelf to see that there were a lot of non fictional books about great businessmen and influencers. There was also a walk-in closet right next to the bookshelf. 

She opened the closet to see that her clothes have already been neatly arranged inside it. She felt a little embarrassed to think that the mansion's staff had to go through her personal items in order to set up the closet. Everything was categorized according to her needs so she easily found her towel and fresh clothes. After getting all the things she needed, Mirae headed for the bathroom.

Once she was inside the hot tub, she laid her head back and began to replay the events of the past few days. Life was very unpredictable. Only a few days ago, she was planning a life with the man she had once loved. The man who broke her in the worst way possible. And now...now she was married to a man whom she considers a friend. The person who had taken a bullet for her sake. She felt guilty for barging into his life like this. He did not deserve that. 

"I'll make it up to you, KJ," she decided. "Once all this is over, I swear I'll leave and let you chase your happiness. I promise."

With that, she took a deep breath and submerged into the warm water, hoping to forget the thoughts that were plaguing her mind.