"ANYA????"

Anya jerked and dropped the packet of chips in her hand and turned to look at So Hyun and Soyeon.

So Hyun sighed, "What is going on with you? You have been in a daze since the night Namjoon called and you have yet to tell us what he talked about. Its been 2 days since then. What is up?"

Anya shook her head at them and looked back at the Television in front of her, refusing to talk.

Mira sighed from her side, "At least tell us when is he coming back?"

"In three days." Anya replied crisply.

Wriggling his eyebrows, So Hyun bumped his shoulders with Anya, "Did you guys have a lovers spat?"

"He said he loved me." Anya abruptly announced, while stuffing her face with chips.

The three people around her blinked at that, then looked confused, "Then, Should you not be happy?"

The only reply they got was her silence.

Just then, the door bell rang.

"Huh?" Soyeon stood up, "Does anyone know about our address?"

Soyeon and Mira went to open the door leaving So Hyun alone with Anya. As soon as the girls left the room, So Hyun turned to her and propped his head on her shoulder, "Ask."

And that summarized the friendship she shared with these three.

Living in the same neighbourhood, being next door neighbours in their mansions, she essentially grew up with them. They knew each other.

Especially when the other wanted to know something they did not want to share with the rest.

"During this one year, how many times did Namjoon contact you?"

So Hyun hummed while recollecting, "Once or twice a month?"

"And in all those talks, you never found him to be a little odd?" Anya looked at him, "Never found him to be a little. . . . dangerous?"

With a smile on his face, So Hyun flicked Anya's forehead while answering, "Blueberry, Namjoon was always that way. Only you never found out."

"Why?" Anya's question rapidly shot out even before So Hyun completed his sentence. Turning her body to face him sitting on the sofa, she earnestly talked, "I don't think it was normal. His thoughts, his vehemence."

"Vehemence?" So Hyun asked, puzzled.

"I cant really explain but-"

"Anya?"

So Hyun and Anya both turned to look at the doorway of the room to find Mira standing with a livid but controlled expression, "Kang Jong Gi and Kang Tae Sun have come here."

"Huh?" Anya stood up, "How did they know about this place? The lawyer particularly said that it was stipulated that no one should disclose this address lest they wanted to incur heavy penalties-"

"Anya." Mira interrupted again, "They are claiming that this house. . . ." biting her lips Mira continued, "This house actually belonged to the Kang family up until two years ago."

What?

"THOSE SONS OF BITCH I WILL-"

"You will do nothing." The calm words cut off So Hyun's anger.

A buzz had been going inside her mind for a long time now. Somethings just were not adding up. She kept ignoring it till the point Anya could no longer afford to. But even if she tried, the feeling was so abstract that she could not put her finger on what exactly had her so restless.

Anya slowly stood up, gathering herself. A lot needed to be found in the mist of the past year she had spent focusing only in the series of misfortunes she had. Her Namjoon, was different.

Who better to question than his family?

The circumstances surrounding this house was also a mystery she wanted to know more about.

"What's more, the three of you will stay here. I will talk to them alone."

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30 MINUTES LATER :

Kang Jong Gi and Kang Tae Sun were both the sons of Namjoon's uncle who was the younger brother to his father. While not as sharp and ruthless as Namjoon's father, the sons of his uncle only seemed to achieve all that they wanted using means that their power and money could influence. Just like their father.

In the world of plain, they were two brothers who had their resumes filled with pretty impressive feats on paper, balanced over the stacks of lifeless bodies they had either killed or had removed by intimidation, manipulation and bribery.

Anya's family had money, they were rich, but nowhere rich enough to be able to even touch the level of the Kang family.

Every politician, every deputy of police, even a few players of NIS were all on Kang family's payroll.

But none of this majorly impacted the society. Because the helm of their company, was under the control of the eldest son.

Kang Namjoon.

Who had now become Kim Namjoon after the death of his father 2 years back.

Even though the Kang family estate was the most grandest estate in the society Anya lived in since birth, it was vast enough and isolated enough that Anya had not met the brothers much in her life. Partly, Namjoon had been responsible for it. He disliked her being in the presence of the scumbags he hated.

This would be the 8th time in her life that Anya sat face to face with them.

Namjoon, would not take it well.

"You have been appreciative of the house and its décor long enough to make me concerned about your future as businessmen, if you excuse my saying so. Have you perhaps taken up a side hobby of interior decoration?" Anya lightly asked.

Though considered to be handsome, the brother's vileness gave them an ugly look which shadowed any physical attributes they possessed.

Tae Sun turned back to look at her. Even though his sneer was still pronounced on his face, something about him seemed. . . . . off.

"My dear Anya, must you be so rude to me? I have nothing but love for you in my heart."

Anya just gave him a blank look.

Tae sun tsked, "Your sister will be my wife, do you think you should treat me in such a manner that it will affect her future in my household?"

"I am a little disappointed in you Tae Sun." Anya leaned forward to reach for her tea, "Being the Senior Financial Manager of the Motor division of your company must be an empty stance. How else could petty and repetitive threats coming from an obvious enough below-the-shoe low IQ be the only elocution you are capable of delivering, time, and time again?"

Tae Sun's face scrunched up in anger, at which Anya just smiled, "And so easily riled up with just a few average words." She mocked. Looking at Jong Gi she offered, "My sympathy to you for acquiring such an insipid puppet for your brother." She paused, then took a sip, "It must be hard on you."

"You little whore-"

"Tae Sun." Jong Gi slammed his hand on Tae Sun's thighs, preventing him from getting up in his anger.

"Tae Sun" Anya mocked again with a grave voice, "Listen to your brother."

Jong Gi looked at her when he heard the light laughter in her words, his eyes turning interested in a manner of a bully finding some interesting toy, "You have changed, Ms. Anya." He said.

"No Mr. Kang, I did not. Seems to me that you have stopped being blind." Anya smoothly replied.

While her answer further infuriated Tae Sun, it riled up Jong Gi's fascination of her.

Anya went straight to the matter she knew of.

Her family owned the most influential newspaper and media channel which had the power to influence the population. Being the daughter who was particularly inclined towards journalism, it had never been questioned why her father had preferred her to have majority shares and a seat at the board rather than her sister, who was genuinely not interested in the family legacy. She was the one who had been given majority of the properties her parents had along with the rest of the shares once they became independent after their parents no longer lived.

Added to that, Anya enjoyed the status of being the most popular author with an influential audience of her country and the critics in both the literary world along with the general society, having more than 8 prize winning novels to her name. Though her pseudonym gave the impression of being a male, it was simply something that could not be complained about in this era of the patriarchal society she was living in.

Current times had escalated to the success of hybrids being created in the market for the purpose of serving as slaves or pets, but the venture was still new and accessible to basically the upper echelon. Although it had high marketing value with a future overturn in billions, no company had yet been established in her country to start with the independent production.

At such a time, Tae Sun, Jong Gi and their father had plans of establishing the first lab with exclusive creating and selling rights which would no doubt be a highly lucrative project. Problem was, citizens were still a little guarded against it all.

With blood wrenching accidents of a hybrid going out of control and creating a blooming picture of violent deaths, snake hybrids lashing out worse than any natural animals, the receptibility was low. There still were ethical groups propping up, protesting against it, which did not aid matters.

As such, the Kangs needed her influence, as both a board member of the newspaper and as an author, to try and create a wave of positivity of accepting the hybrids, and fast.

It had to be fast, because Namjoon was completely against the idea.

"I don't understand why you are still pursuing these matters when you know I will not be helping you in any way. Personally I am myself against it-" Anya was interrupted by Jong Gi.

"Have you perhaps talked to your father yet?"

Anya became silent.

A sinister and polite smile fixed on his face, Jong Gi spread his arms to rest at the back of the sofa as he leaned back, "As of today, your father owes us a substantial debt Ms. Anya. With the way things look, your father will not be able to come up with the money within the time frame I graciously agreed upon. Of course, the matter will be. . . . . dropped if he were to become my father in law."

Anya blinked, amazed as the nonsense directed her way with this level of confidence. Observing the brothers, both seemed smug with a self satisfaction of perhaps having a rich imagination of thinking they had done an immensely outstanding action.

It was so pathetic, that she was for a short time, speechless.

Seriously? Debt to be forgiven by marriage? Who was she? A poor and neglected Cinderella?

Her silence was interpreted in a different light by the brothers. Tae Sun laughed merrily while Jong Gi still kept his fascinated gaze on her. "Aww brother, she is afraid! That's a bad thing! When you tell a girl you are to marry her, shouldn't the proposal trigger happiness?"

"My Bad." Jong Gi smiled, "I do admit it wasn't a very romantic proposal now, was it?"

These were the threats that helped them maintain their position and reach height?

Tae Sun got up from the sofa and put on his suit coat to ward away from the cold, "Then would you be happy to be with me? Yeah?" he came closer to where Anya had been sitting, "I am not really that interested in your sister, do not worry Anya, I will have plenty of time to fuck you too."

Taken aback by the open use of his vulgar speech, Anya just raised her brow.

That attitude of contempt rubbed Tae Sun the wrong way while Jong Gi chuckled, "She is one wild cat brother." Pausing to look at her lush lips, Jong Gi murmured, "And a beautiful one at that."

Tae Sun abruptly crouched down to her level, his anger over her repeated rejections over the years bursting forth, "Cant run now, can you? Cant just look down at me and insultingly say no." He got his face close to hers, "I will touch, lick and fuck every inch of your body until-"

"I am floored at the new level of dumb you can achieve each and every time you open your useless mouth." Anya sighed. Shaking her head disbelievingly, she flicked her gaze at the angry expression of Tae Sun and gently continued,

"Do you think I am a pauper myself who can so easily be manipulated for money in such a textbook excuse? Do you think I, by myself, cannot find solutions to any engineered and manipulated debts?" mocking them she asked again, "Or even if that is the case, has your brain shrunk down from not being used to accommodate only a single brain cell for you to not even think about Namjoon?"

Anya had expected a change in their temper, but she was genuinely shocked at the abrupt way both of them reacted to her question.

She knew that because of the past year, many who did not know them closely would not know of the strong bond she and Namjoon had, but after being blocked so many times by Joon, she guessed these two people had to have known that she and Joon were close enough for him to not only help out, but get angry on her behalf as well.

Just how dumb were they?

How could they not know?

Both of them looked badly startled with Jong Gi abruptly sitting upright while Tae Sun grabbed her with both of his hands, "Namjoon? Yo-you have been in contact with him???"

Anya vaguely thought maybe these both were afraid of her letting Joon know of the cheap stunt they tried to pull.

Anya smiled back, "Joon will be coming back in three days Tae Sun, are you afraid that I will tell him. . . ." Anya's voice faded away as she witnessed the rising alarm in Tae Sun's face.

Confused, she looked at Jong Gi only to notice he too was in a bad shape. With his eyes unfocused, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, his fingers were unconsciously clawed deeply on her sofa.

"Did you-" Anya cautiously asked, "Not know of his return?" not getting a response, she lightly poked the man in front of her, "Tae Sun?"

"AHHHHHHHHHH" Tae Sun screamed then fell back on the floor from losing his balance. Anya watched on rendered utterly speechless and majorly confused, as Tae Sun rapidly backed away from her by dragging his body on the floor.

Anya really was dumbfounded by the panic in their face. Panic. . . . and fear.

"This house. Where did you get it?" Jong Gi stood up, asking the question with a hoarse voice.

Not understanding or computing the whiplash changes in them, Anya did not think much before answering, "My Grandma bequeathed it to me in her will."

"When did your Grandma acquire this property??" Jong Gi urged her with a focused interest.

"Umm, we actually have no idea about that." Anya simply answered. Then she tried asking in a soft voice again, "Joon will call me again tonight, so do you-"

"So Hyun and our lawyer got calls from him. You did too?? Since when????" Tae Sun's voice was filled with extreme horror.

What the hell is happening? Were they jealous of her or something?

Anya was disoriented enough to reach that level of absurd conclusion.

Just then, the telephone in her house rang. The shrill ringing made both the brothers freeze on spot. The three people stayed still in the tastefully decorated seating room with both the males staring at the black telephone at distance while Anya observed them. The ringing kept echoing in the still and silent house.

After a long time, the ringing stopped.

"What is going on?" Anya asked.

Her question seemed to break whatever stupor these brothers had fallen in. Tae Sun scrambled to his feet, while a white faced Jong Gi strode away from the room. Both of them left the mansion without uttering a single word, letting the main door bang close following their departure. They never looked back, nor did they wait even a moment for her to squeeze in even a syllable.

Kang Tae Sun and Kang Jong Gi simply left.

"What's up with those dudes?" Mira came out from behind the door of the seating room, followed by So Hyun and Soyeon.

Anya still had her eyes trained on the doorway the Kang brothers had fled out from.

"It looked like they were fleeing from a zombie apocalypse." Soyeon added.

"Well, their faces were twisted enough to classify as a zombie after hearing Joon's name." So Hyun bounced as he sat down, reaching for the snacks on the table, "Joon did say that he would not talk directly to his family but would come back to meet them when the year was up."

"So you think they missed him? That much? Those fiends?" Soyeon asked with a disbelieving exaggeration.

"Are you kidding me?" Anya replied.

"Then what exactly was that?" Mira mused for a while, then looked at Anya, "Ask Joon about it."

As if answering her request, the telephone started ringing again.

Anya shrugged, then asked Mira who was the closest to the phone, "Tell him I am going to my room to answer. Don't keep it ringing for long."

She heard Mira greeting Joon on the phone and rushed upstairs to talk.

Anya, Soyeon or So Hyun did not notice the look of confusion on Mira's face, when she placed back the receiver after Anya had taken up the call in her bedroom.

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A/N : Sorry, confused still?

You shouldn't be. . .

Well, if you still are, let me drop more hints in the next chapter.

If you are intrigued or liking the story, please vote and comment.