Chapter 196 - Shopping Spree

Sunye approached her. "How are you feeling now?" she asked. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to your wedding despite the lovely invitation you had sent me." After the ordeal at Sunny Daze, Sunye, too, figured out that Mirae was the CEO of Abyss. Based on that day's incident and their previous interactions, it was not that hard for her to find out. But they remained on good terms and developed immense respect for each other. "I'm fine," Mirae smiled. "And it's alright! KJ told me how you helped us that night and I really hoped you could come. But too bad you had to go out of town then. I'm glad that I ran into you here! Is it your day off?" "Yes," Sunye said. She was carrying a shopping bag. "I'm looking for some nice handmade crafts to gift my staff and I heard that you were inaugurating a mall in the area. So I thought of doing some shopping and also hoped to run into you." "I'm glad you're here," Mirae said sincerely, grabbing her hand. "I need some serious help." "With what?" Sunye asked. "I want to buy KJ a gift, but I'm not sure what to get him," Mirae pouted. "He already has tons of clothes and accessories. So those are a big no no. He's got millions of perfumes, creams and I can't think of something he doesn't have. I don't know what to get him!" Sunye thought for a while. "It is hard to buy a present for someone who has almost everything," she sighed. "Why don't we look around? I'm sure we'll find something." Mirae nodded and they began to window shop around the mall. They went from shop to shop, looking at gift items. "Handmade crafts?" Sunye suggested as she held up a vintage vase. "He's not much into art," Mirae sighed. "Says they bore him. I should just get him a cleaning appliance kit. That would keep him happy for a while!" "Is he a clean freak?" Sunye snickered. "A big one!" Mirae said exasperatedly. "This morning, I left a towel on the bed and he lectured me for twenty minutes straight." They burst into giggles. "Let's get him a broom as a joke," Sunye laughed. "Sure! But let's get him something else as well," Mirae agreed. They visited all the shops but nothing seemed to click with Mirae. She wanted to get him a present which he could use forever. But nothing seemed to be satisfying her. "It's so hard to buy him a gift!" she sighed as she put down a rare perfume.  "You'll get something," Sunye assured her. "But let's sit down and grab some food first." "Oh yeah, it's lunchtime!" Mirae remembered. She realized that she was famished. "I think there's a food court upstairs." They went towards the elevator and rode it all the way up to the top floor. "Pizza?" Sunye suggested, pointing towards a small pizza joint. "My treat!" "I don't say no to free food!" Mirae joked as she followed Sunye. They ordered a beef salami pizza and cheesesteak pizza with soft drinks. "So how long have you been practicing law?" Mirae asked as she dug into her cheesesteak pizza. "Almost nine years," Sunye replied.  "Your interrogation of Shun Oguri was impressive," Mirae complimented. "But if you don't mind me asking...why do you work for a man like Song Tamlin? I mean...I'm pretty sure you know he's not a good person." "He's not," Sunye agreed. "He's a vile and evil human being. I did it for Soyeon. She is close to someone I hold very dear to my heart." Mirae was curious. "If I may ask...who…?" "I was forced to move to Seoul when I was six years old," Sunye narrated. "My foster parents died in an accident and I was later assigned to another foster family. There, I became close to the family's only son, Kim San. Unfortunately, my time with them did not last long because the entire family perished in a fire." There was a hint of sadness and bitterness in her voice. She felt it difficult to swallow her food.  "Soyeon was Kim San's cousin," she revealed. "And I took up this case for her sake." Mirae reached over and gave her a hug. "You're brave," she whispered. "Thank you." Sunye smiled a little and returned the hug. Mirae let go and held her hands. "If there's anything I can do for you," she said. "All you have to do is say it. I'll try my level best to aid you." "If you don't mind," Sunye said. "There is something I would like to ask of you." She pulled out a locket and opened it. "This is my foster brother," she said. Mirae looked at the picture. It was a picture of a little girl around five years old, holding a toddler in her arms. The boy seemed around three years old. "What's his name?" Mirae asked. Sunye bit her lip. "I can't remember," she said sadly. "I can't even remember my parents' name. I was so young. I only remember their faces. This is the only thing I have left of them." Mirae was worried. Without names, it would be nearly impossible to track down her brother.  "I'll try my best," she said sincerely. "But it will take a lot of time. There's little information available. If there's any other clue which you can give me…" "Uhh…" Sunye tried to remember. "I can't," she said in despair. "I really can't remember anything much except for my brother." "Let me take a look at that locket," Mirae frowned. She took it in her hands and turned it around. There was a faint logo of a tulip imprinted on it. She observed it carefully. "I think I can find your brother!" she exclaimed. "This...this is a very rare item." "What do you mean?" Sunye asked hopefully. Mirae pointed at the tulip logo. "That logo belongs to a renowned jewelry maker, Jeon Shin," she explained. "He only made this piece of jewelry for a limited number of customers. My mother's bridal brooch was made by him!" "Is he still around?" Sunye asked. "Unfortunately he did a few years back," Mirae said. "But his family is still around. I'll send word to them and ask for how many people he made this locket. His clientele was small. I'm sure he has a list." For the first time in years, Sunye felt a surge of hope. She tried to look for her brother based on the picture but never did she think that the locket itself was the biggest clue! "I don't know how to thank you," she said gratefully. Then she recalled something.  "You don't have to-" Mirae was saying but Sunye was searching inside her bag. "I can't believe I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. In her excitement, she nearly forgot the real reason why she really came to meet Mirae. Mirae looked curiously as Sunye pulled out the familiar silver box from her bag. "That…" she frowned. "KJ dropped this box on the day you…" Sunye trailed off but Mirae understood. "Anyways, I wanted to return it earlier, but I had to go out of town for an emergency. And then I didn't get a chance to return it. But when I heard you'll be here today, I thought of giving it to you." She held out the box. "I'm guessing this box must be very important," she said. "It...is…" Mirae whispered. KJ did not tell her that he had lost it. "KJ didn't tell me he lost it," she said quietly. Typical of him, she thought warily. "But he had many things on his mind that time. He probably did not want to worry me…" "He really loves you," Sunye commented. Mirae looked up. "The way he carried you that day when you collapsed. He didn't let go of your hand all throughout the ride to the hospital. He was waiting outside the operation theater all that time, waiting for your recovery." Sunye smiled at her. "You're really lucky," she said. "Uh, thank you," Mirae returned the smile hesitantly. Her words made her feel unsettled. KJ was merely fulfilling his promise to her mother. It was hard to explain it to the people around them. His actions were being misinterpreted as love and it made her feel sad. He did not deserve all this. "You know…" Sunye said thoughtfully. "KJ has not made any new music for a while. Why not get him something which can help him make new songs?" Mirae reflected on her words. A sudden idea lit up in her head. "I know!" she exclaimed, standing up. "I know what to get him!" ..