"Ow!" Sungjae exclaimed, holding his nose. When he removed his hand, it was covered in blood.
"Stay the hell away from Suzy!" Vincent warned him, "or you'll end up with way worse than a broken nose or a cracked lip."
"Why do you care? She's just your ticket to living the American dream. And you're just her ticket to a promotion."
"I hear you've been talking to Richard Bae," Vincent scoffed. "Did he tell you to go on a fishing expedition? Try to dig up some dirt on your big brother? I bet you just jumped at the chance, didn't you? Anything to even the score, right?"
"I'm not keeping score, Hyung. But if I was, I'd say I am a hell of a lot closer to getting into Suzy's pants than you are."
"Oh, you're asking for it," Vincent growled and lunged at Sungjae, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
"What are you doing?" a voice exclaimed. "Vincent!"
The two men, currently acting more like boys than adults, froze at the sound of Suzy's voice. Vincent got to his feet first, pushing Sungjae down in the process.
Suzy took one look at the two of them and tended to the most wounded. "You should go get that cleaned up before it gets infected," she said and helped Sungjae to his feet.
"Gomawo, Suzyssi," Sungjae said, "I honestly don't know what came over him."
Suzy looked at Vincent, who was seething, and didn't know what to think.
"When you leaned against that tree, it stained your dress, and Hyung thought..."
Suzy's jaw dropped.
Vincent didn't say a word, simply clenched his jaw.
"I'll be right back," Suzy said to Vincent and helped Sungjae inside, calling for Soo-young to help him get cleaned up.
In the kitchen, she grabbed a washcloth and wetted it before returning to Vincent, who was waiting by the car. Without a word, she walked up to him, took his right hand and wiped the blood from his knuckles. Then she tossed the towel at him and got in the car.
Vincent looked at her as if demanding an explanation.
"You're taking me to lunch, right?"
Vincent didn't reply, he simply tossed the cloth in the backseat and got behind the wheel.
They were halfway to the nearest town before Suzy broke the silence. "So, you wanna tell me what that was really about?"
"No."
"Fine. Then how 'bout this... When exactly did you start seeing me as whore?"
If Vincent had been sipping a glass of wine, the inside of the car would have been sprayed with red liquid. "Excuse me?"
"I suppose it's my fault for agreeing to this arrangement in the first place - letting you buy my cooperation - but I can't believe you would think I'd give it up for your brother. Do you really think that little of me?"
"You don't know my brother, Suzy."
"This isn't about him, Vincent. It's about what you think of me."
"Does it matter?" he said coldly.
"No, I suppose it doesn't. But if we're going to fool people into thinking we're in love, you better start acting like you trust me."
"Fine," he huffed.
"Fine." She crossed her arms and pushed back against the seat.
They drove in silence the rest of the way. Vincent parked the car outside a small restaurant and got out. Suzy remained in the car and so he walked around and opened her door.
"You coming?"
"I'm not really that hungry," she said curtly.
"Fine!" Vincent slammed the door and got back in the car.
They drove for what seemed like hours, and eventually the tension became too much to handle. One of them would have to cave if they were going to be able to go on with the charade, and it clearly wasn't going to be Vincent.
"How is your father?" Suzy asked, keeping her voice calm and compassionate.
"Dying."
"I'm sorry, Vincent."
"It's not like we have the best relationship." He shrugged.
"I get that. But you can make things right with him."
"It's not that simple, Suzy."
"He wants you to take over the business, doesn't he?"
"Yes."
"Are you considering it?"
"My life is in New York. My father dying doesn't change that."
"And Sungjae?"
"What about Sungjae?"
"How does he feel?"
"What do you care?"
"He's your family, Vincent. Your brother. He needs you."
"He's a grown man. I'm done cleaning up his messes."
"Even though Sander's married now, he's still my brother, and I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about him."
"Sungjae isn't Sander, Suzy."
Suzy didn't really know what to say to that, so they sat in silence for a little while longer.
It was Suzy's rumbling stomach that broke the silence, and even earned a chuckle from Vincent.
"Not hungry, huh?"
"Okay, so maybe just a little bit..."
"There's a town just up ahead."
They stopped at a small restaurant and ordered jajangmyeon, enjoying their food on the small patio. About halfway through the meal, their mood lightened.
"I'm sorry," Vincent said. "I overreacted. Sungjae was being a jerk, but I should have controlled my temper. I'm a grown man. Still, when I'm around my family..."
"They push your buttons?" Suzy guessed. "Yeah, me too."
"Sungjae and I were best friends growing up, but I wanted more out of life. When I went to the States to be with my mother and to eventually study there, I promised that I'd send for him as soon as I got settled. But then... I was working around the clock, and the time just never seemed right, you know? When I came back to visit, he had changed. I think he resented me for leaving him behind. We were never the same after that. He felt obligated to take over managing the winery, I suppose."
"But he could have left." She frowned. "If he didn't want this life, he could have gone someplace else."
"Abeoji is a very controlling man..."
"But you stood up to him. You chose to make a life for yourself."
"Maybe I should have stayed. Maybe things would be different if I had."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Listen, I don't know much about your family, but you're not responsible for their actions any more than I am responsible for my family's. We're all individuals, and we make our own decisions and suffer the consequences."
"Everyone except my brother," he muttered under his breath and took a bite of his food.
"Sorry?"
"Never mind." He shook his head. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah."
"I don't really feel like going back just yet... would you mind... could I show you something?"
"Of course."
xxxxxx
Suzy gasped when they turned onto the scenic road and saw breathtaking sea to their right, sparkling in a clear blue that reminded her of the sky. The cliffs looked almost pink in the glow of the setting sun.
"It's amazing, Vincent."
"I have an old friend here, he owns a villa overlooking the sea. He's usually travelling this time of year, but his housekeeper knows me. Would you like to stay here for the night?"
"I'd love to."
"Good. I'll give him a call and set it up." He smiled and pulled into a parking lot. "I'd like to take you to my favorite ice cream parlor since I was a kid. They have the best ice cream here."
Vincent wasn't lying. It was the smoothest ice cream Suzy had ever tasted. The fine chocolate shavings melted on her tongue along with the vanilla cream. Vincent enjoyed watching her eat her ice cream so much that he forgot his own serving was melting.
"This is delicious," Suzy said and frowned when her eyes fell on his untouched portion. "Aren't you going to eat that?"
"Huh? Oh... yes," he said and dipped his spoon in the less-than-firm substance.
Suzy giggled and he frowned. "What?"
"You're a messy eater," she laughed, and reached out to wipe a smear of ice cream from the corner of his mouth.
Vincent caught her hand, though, and licked the vanilla off her finger. Suzy froze, her eyes locked into his. Eyes that darkened with unspoken desire. He let go of her hand and averted his gaze. She suddenly found the table extremely fascinating.
"Uh... I'm just gonna... go make that call," Vincent excused himself and Suzy nodded, relieved to be left alone to collect her thoughts.
When he returned moments later, Suzy had managed to calm herself down enough to face him without blushing.
"We're all set. The housekeeper will let us in."
"Great."
"The house has plenty of guest rooms, so you won't have to sleep on the floor," he said flippantly.
"Thanks," she rolled her eyes.
xxxxx
The villa was indeed gorgeous. It had a large terrace overlooking the sea, with a built-in swimming pool. The rooms inside were spacious and cool, with sheer fabrics for draperies and marble bathrooms. Suzy found a beautiful, feminine guest room with a small balcony and a canopy bed.
"Do you like it?" Vincent asked from the doorway.
"It's beautiful, Vincent. Thank you for bringing me here. And please, thank your friend for me, as well."
"I will. Dinner's ready, if you're hungry," he said and headed downstairs.
They ate in companionable silence and when Suzy finished the pasta Vincent had prepared, she felt the long day having taken its toll on her.
"Thank you for dinner, Vincent. I'm really exhausted. Do you mind if I just go to bed?"
"No, go ahead. There should be extra toothbrushes in the bathrooms."
"Thank you. Good night."
It was a warm night, and Suzy wasn't exactly prepared for a sleep-over, so she crept under the covers in her underwear.
She had almost dozed off when she sensed a presence in the vicinity. "Vincent?" she peered at the figure in the doorway.
"I could never think of you as a prostitute," he said sadly. "I hate that you would think that for even a second." With that, he headed towards his bedroom, leaving Suzy to her thoughts.
Suzy tried to go back to sleep, she really did. But his words kept nagging at her. At least for a split second, he had thought that she might actually sleep with his brother. And she had agreed to marry him for a promotion. She felt like she was selling herself to further her career, why wouldn't he?
After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, Suzy threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. She had to know.
"Vincent?"
Apparently, he hadn't been sleeping, either, because he sat up in bed at the sound of her voice. "Suzy?"
She walked around the bed and climbed in beside him. "How do you think of me?"
"Suzy... are you sleepwalking?"
"I've been tossing and turning because I can't stop thinking about... us."
"Us?"
"This... arrangement that we have... I... I don't want you to think that I'm doing it for the promotion. It... it started out that way, but..."
"What are you saying, Suzy?" Vincent asked softly, his voice filled with fragile hope.
"I'm asking... how do you feel about me? Am I your ticket to a green card or..."
Suzy didn't get to finish her sentence before Vincent's lips crashed down on hers.