Empress Of The Lost Kingdom

Lee Tae Joon and Cha Soo Hyun looked at each other helplessly, how far did this monster hear their conversation?

They were discussing removing Tae Yang from the position of CEO, not to mention that they did all the talking in front of his girlfriend who remained clueless about the entire situation. 

The young man who is sending murderous glares at them was their son, but whom to blame? 

While both of them were busy with their own careers, Tae Yang was the one who took care of his little brother.

Growing up under the shade of a brother who always loved and protected little Minmin like a guardian angel, the ice-cold prince of Lee family held huge pride for having Tae Yang as his Hyung.

Their personalities and temperaments were different, yet their brotherly bonding was great enough to make others swoon over them and be jealous. 

For Tae Min, his brother was everything, 

A friend

A hero

A role model,

He was practically devoted to his Hyung.

He hated everyone who talked against his Hyung.

He was so possessive of his Hyung that he could not bear to watch Tae Yang being closer to anyone else than.

Though his possessiveness has turned down a little, his loyalty and devotion remained intact, even after becoming an adult. 

Lee Tae Min walked over with a brooding face. His usual stone-cold eyes, burning like firestones, sending shivers down to everyone present in the room. 

"Lee Tae Min," Cha Soo Hyun called his name before he explodes in anger. 

Lee Tae Min pointed towards the woman who sat in the sofa, wondering why the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed hostile, 

"Why is she here?" His cold voice rang,

Last night, Lee Tae Min came to know about his grandmother who has thrown a ruckus at home, complaining about his brother who didn't show up for the blind date she has arranged for him.

As a person who had a clear idea about Tae Yang's disinterest in women other than a certain "someone", Lee Tae Min tried to warn his family members numerous times, especially his grandma who is dying to have a granddaughter in law. 

He could not control himself when he found that his family is trying to force Tae Yang who was already heartbroken over Li Juan. That's why he decided to come home and warn them in person. However, he never expected to run into their discussion about overthrowing Tae Yang from his CEO position and a familiar silhouette of someone whom he least expected to see in the house.

"Why Juan Noona is here?" He rephrased and tosses the question to the people who remained frozen at the very sight of him. 

Wait a minute, did they hear the term "Noona"? 

Hearing his form of address, for a moment, Cha Sei Ryeong was left dumbfounded,

What in the name of heavens? 

Apart from his family, her ice-cold cousin version 2.0 never acknowledged a woman with such an intimate form of address.

"Do you know this girl?" Lee Tae Joon who was equally surprised as Cha Sei Ryeong asked in a dubious voice,

However, none of the words fell into Lee Tae Min's ears, who stood there flaring like a Spanish bull as he repeated his question. 

"Why is she here, dad?" He glanced at his father, "Tell me, did brother bring her here or,"

Lee Tae Min stopped for a moment as he pondered over the possible situations that could have happened. 

His Hyung made it clear that he will wait until Li Juan regains her memory. If it is not Tae Yang, then who else?

He was well aware of his family, the supreme power which Lee family held in the business world was not created in a single day. It was a hard-earned fruit of their hard work. To survive in a ruthless world were dog eating dog, violence and fear were necessary evils. 

His brother who had a bright and warm personality like a morning sun earned the nickname "Dark Emperor" was the greatest example of the fear which Lee family inflicted on their enemies.

Did they try to inflict the same fear on Li Juan to threaten her?

"You didn't bring her here, did you?" Lee Tae Min asked in a raised voice, as he hoped that the speculations in his mind go wrong,

"Lee Tae Min, lower your voice!!!" Cha Soo Hyun scolded her son.

Lee Tae Min's was temperament and cold behaviour was far worse than anyone in the family. The only person who could control and tolerate his nasty temper was his elder brother.

"Don't tell me that you asked Juan Noona to break up with Hyung," His eyes burned as he huffed,

"Where is brother? Did he know that you people, treated her like this?" He gnashed his teeth and spit out the words in a threatening, 

"I will tell him, I will tell him everything,"

Lee Tae Min fished out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialled his brother's number.

"Lee Tae Min," Lee Tae Suk raised his voice. "What do you know about this girl? "

"Hyung loves her... he loves her more than anyone in this world," He said in an unswerving tone,

"That we know," Grandpa Lee said casually and narrowed his eyes as he interrogated his second grandson, "I am asking you, how do you know her?"

Lee Tae Min let out a sigh and ignored his grandfather as he crouched down beside Li Juan.

She raised her pair of crystal clear eyes, the look on her stoic face lacked any endearing emotions. 

Looking at her indifferent face, a pang of pain arose in his heart.

She was his noona, an important part of his life.

Lee Tae Min never thought that there will be a day in his life that he would love and cherish someone other than his Hyung until he met a nerd girl in the library of Jing University, immersed herself in stacks of books. 

"Do you remember me?" He asked in a low voice,

Li Juan squinted her eyes, as she traced the young man looking at her with misty eyes.

She clearly remembered meeting him when her colleagues came to visit her in the Yu palace, after the accident. Though she had no memory of them, from the way they treated her was enough to understand that they were like a family for her.

While Professor Han and Cheng Tao talked to her, there was a person who remained silent with a tormented look on his face.

He did not speak for the entire time. However, when they were about to leave, he hugged her in front of everyone and wept like a child,

Li Juan had no siblings, but in her journals, she evidently wrote that she had two brothers.

One of them was Qiao Chu and other was,

"Aren't you...Lee...Tae...Min?"

He nodded in agreement with a placid smile, "Noona, who brought you here?"

"Tae Yang," Li Juan stopped for a moment and widened her eyes in bewilderment, "You are related to him?"

"He is my brother," Lee Tae Min confessed and prepared himself for answering her queries. For the last few months, he hid the truth from everyone that he joined professor Han's research team, only for Li Juan, to keep an eye on her.

However hearing his words Li Juan was unusually calm,

"Why you never told me that he is your brother?"

"I am sorry, Noona, 

Tae Min touched her slender arms that are resting on her lap,

"I am sorry...I want to tell you, but I couldn't-" His voice trembled and teardrops started to fall down his cheeks,

Every moment he spent with Li Juan, Lee Tae Min always wished to tell her the truth, that he was Lee Tae Yang's brother. 

Yasook, who has been sitting near Li Juan's foot all the time, moved over to Lee Tae Min who was beginning to weep. The golden retriever whom Tae Yang brought home one day, has become their family member and he couldn't bear to see someone crying.

"Tae Minah..." Li Juan stroked his unkempt hair with doting eyes, "Why are you apologizing, it is not like that you purposefully hide the truth to hurt me,"

"You are not angry at me?"

"Why should I be angry at my little brother?" She wiped his tears with her palm and smiled, "I am glad that he is your brother,"

"Really?" His eyes lit up in happiness,

"Yes, Tae Yang must be really lucky to have a brother like you," 

As Li Juan's soothing voice filled his ears, Lee Tae Min felt an overwhelming sensation in his heart, 

The burden that he has been carried in his heart has vanished into thin air,

The rest of the family members were startled to death when they witnessed the hell monster who was fuming in anger, just a moment ago, was kneeling and crying on the lap of a random woman.

Cha Soo Hyun nudged her niece who was left immersed in the duo's conversation. 

"It seems like Tae Min Oppa knows her..na..he is really closer to her," Cha Sei Ryeong interpreted the heartwarming scene which has been running before their eyes.

A while ago, her big brother acted out a romantic movie and now her second brother shown his tear-jerking performance as if he is acting out a melodrama.

Who is this extraordinary heroine who brings out the unknown side of the superheroes she always have been idolised?

Along with the young masters of Lee family and even their dog has shown its love to this woman.

Who exactly is she?

"If you are done crying, would young master Lee Tae Min be kind enough to tell how you know this girl in person?" Kim Myung Hee said in a mocking tone,

She feared her grandson who is a monster in disguise for nothing,

It was a common story that whenever Grandma Lee and second young master Lee are together, a clash was bound to happen,

Hearing his grandmothers words, Lee Tae Min wiped the tears and turned back with fierce eyes,

"Sei Ryeong ah!"

"Oppa," Cha Sei Ryeong jumped straight into her feet as if she heard some military command.

"Take Noona somewhere else," Lee Tae Min ordered as he sat on the sofa, "I want to have a conversation with grandma,"

"Ah, Why..." Cha Sei Ryeong whined and stomped her feet in refusal, "I want to know how you knew sister in law,"

"Sister in law," Lee Tae Min nodded and smiled faintly, "hmm at least you have some sense, unlike someone else," He glanced towards Kim Myung Hee and twitched his lips,

"Noona, can you take Yasookie for a walk, he seems bored,"

"Heh," Li Juan looked at Lee Tae Min with a perplexed face,

"Ah I forgot, we do have a large ginkgo tree, would you like to see it? He asked with a charming smile,

Li Juan swept a glance across the room and met with everyone's curious eyes, 

Is he trying to say that she should give them a moment of privacy so that he can explain their relationship with his family? 

"Sure," 

Lee Tae Min turned towards the maid standing next to the door, "Can you take my sister in law to the garden," 

"Yes, young master," 

"Noona, she will take you to the garden," 

"Okay," Li Juan stood up and bowed before walking out of the living room,

Once Li Juan has vanished from his sight, Lee Tae Min turned back to his usual cold self and glared at his grandma. "Why did you say like that, grandma?"

"Like what?"

"What does Hyung saw in Noona that he decided to abandon his family? Why did you say like that?" 

"Did I say something wrong?" Kim Myung Hee tilted her head and glanced at others before continuing,

"She has no family, neither a job nor wealth. She didn't even know how to dress. She came to meet us in a rundown sweater and plain clothes. Is this the kind of woman you wanted to be the daughter in law this family?" She scoffed in disinterest,

"Not to mention that she is darker than him, where did Tae Yang find such a girl?"

Hearing Kim Myung Hee's words Lee Tae Suk's eyebrows creased in a deep frown,

No matter how hard he tried he was unable to correct his wife's attitude,

"How long are you going to judge people with their external appearances? Do you think people who wear branded clothes and has snow-white skin are angels in disguise?" Lee Tae Min exploded all at once,

"It is true that both of her parents are no more, but how can you say that she got no family? She has Hyung, she has me...she got so many people to call her a family, not just people who appear for dinners and functions," He didn't try to control his tongue. His grandma was a typical example of wealthy people who always looks down upon others. 

"She is a person who has been working from a young age, If she cared about money and wealth, with her abilities she must have become a successful entrepreneur or doctor or anything. But she chose to become a research scholar and she fulfilled her dream despite every hardship. The clothes she wears, it not just rundown clothes. It is her favourite clothes which are gifted by her loved ones. She repeatedly wears because of the good memories behind it. Noona is someone who cherishes and values every single thing she owns,"

Lee Tae Min concluded and picked up the beige trench coat which Li Juan left behind. 

"If you are so worried about the brand of clothes, then look carefully," Lee Tae Min said a condescending sneer, 

"At least, mom, you can recognize your own design? Can't you?"

There was a shock in Cha Soo Hyun's face.

She stood up and walked over to take a closer look at the coat,

On the collar of the jacket, the name "Chosen," was stitched in golden coloured thread. It was her fashion brand,

She took the coat and fervently searched for something,

On every button of the jacket, the letters L&L was engraved, 

It was a customised trench coat which is Lee Tae Yang personally asked his aunt to design for someone.

Cha Soo Hyun clearly remembered the day when her nephew asked for some couple themed clothes, with a shy smile and a pair of reddened ears,

Tae Yang confessed that he has a girlfriend and wanted to gift something meaningful on the 100th day of their love.

With a pair of glittering eyes, Tae Yang explained his girlfriend's likes and dislikes,

She doesn't like edgy or cutesy designs but a fan of simple designs and plain colours,

She is lean and thin, so she always layers her clothes,

Her palms are always cold, so she always keeps her palms in the pocket to keep them warm,

But more than anything else, she values and cherishes the things which she owns, whether it is a tiny bead or a person, she loves it with all of her heart,

He went on describing her, making his aunt doubting whether this love-stricken person is her nephew or not.

When she asked him to bring her home, Tae Yang made Cha Soo Hyun swear to keep it as a secret from others,

He promised that he will bring her home one day,

"Is it her?" Cha Soo Hyun asked in disbelief, "That girl whom he used to love while he was in S city?"

"Yes!!!" Lee Tae Min affirmed and turned towards her grandmother,

"Juan Noona.... she is my hyung's girlfriend, the woman whom he is going to marry. Whether she is unemployed or poor or an orphan, it doesn't matter to him. He will always love her…Whether she wears shabby clothes and torn shoes... He will cherish her. So please, don't you dare to use that kind of words on her," He warned,

"Grandma, if I ever see you looking down upon my noona, I swear, I personally send them abroad and make sure to keep you away from your great-grandchildren," Lee Tae Min's lips curled into an evil smirk,

"Choice is yours,"