But everybody in your year is getting an internship! Madeleine, are you sure this is a good idea? Why don’t you just volunteer at your grandfather’s nursing home on the weekends and worry about this robot idea after you get settled into a full-time job?

Well you are definitely the youngest person I’ve ever spoken to about a loan. I must warn you that for someone like yourself, a business venture like this is a considerable risk. I’m afraid I can’t do any better than a premium series of interest payments.

Maddie you’re always working, why don’t you take a break and come out for drinks! We hardly see you anymore… 

The last time Maddie had felt this exhausted was her senior year of college. She was a top student at Carnegie amongst a sea of fiercely competitive classmates. It took every ounce of willpower she had to persist each night in the library, but she had graduated valedictorian. 

But why? Why had she gone through so much hardship? 

It was because others insisted she did. That was always the path that had been laid out for her since she was a little girl. Always the smartest, with a bright future. So she would study hard to please everyone but herself. All the plaques, certificates, trophies, and awards she had won felt hollow. She didn’t really care about them. Nor did she care for the ‘path’ her parents demanded she follow. All of that work just to spend the rest of her life working on things she didn’t care about. Design artificial intelligence systems for massive corporations where she was simply a tool to be used. Or create robots to be sold at a premium for the ultra-wealthy. So she defied every expectation when she left Carnegie. Burned practically every bridge of her network to start fresh. 

I will make a difference. I will help people who need it. Those were the words that kept her going all week, and trudged past the finish line Christmas Eve when Eren offered to help her.

Truthfully, Eureka should have been doomed once the resignation letters began to roll in the week before. Even with all her talent and skill, alone she could not possibly hope to finish all the work left behind by her dissatisfied former employees and still meet the New Years deadline she promised her investors and the bank. The company would have bankrupted before it produced a single product, and Maddie would have been forced to walk shamefully back home as an utter failure.

Maddie laid back in bed, destroyed from fatigue with a pillow draped over her face. Her bedroom was pitch black. For the first time in a full week her desktop was turned off and she was ready to sleep and not take a thirty minute long catnap. Somehow, she would be able to spend Christmas with her family. The project was back on schedule.

All because of Eren. Her newest employee turned savior, who offered aid at the moment she needed it most like the climax of a cliche Christmas movie. 

His work ethic was incredible. He endured the full fifteen hours it had taken to finish all the leftover tasks without a single break or molecule of caffeine. Although she was the boss, he brought much needed energy and vigor to the all-nighter. 

Why is a genius like him wasting time with my little company? Maddie ruminated to herself sleepily. Maybe he’s like me. He wants to help people and not be the cog in a machine. Or maybe he sees a lot of potential with Eureka for rapid growth… Either way this company owes him everything. 

Maddie turned to the side and glanced at her phone, which was perched on a nightstand next to her bed. In the evening when she woke up, she would send a daily update email to all the Eureka employees.

The team has worked really hard. Maybe for New Years we can all meet up in person for the first time? Go to a bar or tavern? Maddie considered as she felt sleep began to take over. Hmm. Norwich honestly isn’t that far and a lot of employees are in the New England area. Since Eren is the one we have to thank, maybe we could host a get-together in his city? 

With those thoughts in mind, Maddie’s eyes shut and she mercifully eased into a much needed deep sleep. 

The medicine concocted by Amrita was truly incredible. By Christmas morning, the injuries that Tae had sustained from her encounter with Thomas the night prior had completely healed. Although Eren had been awake when she slinked back into her apartment, he was far too preoccupied with some late-night project for his boss to notice her condition. 

However the damage inflicted to Tae’s pride remained. And of course, a few aches here or there that lingered after the anodyne bath. 

It’s been a long time since someone overpowered me like that. The strength from the Peach of Immortality must be wearing off after all these years. Tae thought to herself as she went about her morning skincare routine as usual. Unlike most mornings Eren was not with her, since he desperately needed sleep after him and Madeleine worked throughout the night. 

She flexed in the mirror, and observed how her once sculpted physique had faded significantly from time spent away from the gym and active work. Hmph. Either that or I just let myself go… American food isn’t exactly the healthiest. After today I’ll get back into shape. 

That could be something Eren would be interested in. He worked out several times a day, but never with weights or equipment since public gyms barred specks from entry as a safety precaution. Perhaps she could have some things custom built?

A few hours were left until they would depart for Grace’s hotel for Christmas dinner. At a guess the final touches of his Christmas gift were being put together there also. Once Tae finished up in the bathroom she returned to her bedroom where Eren was still fast asleep. Gingerly she crawled onto the bed next to him, careful to not shift her immense weight around too much and disturb his slumber. 

Nightmares had plagued Eren, just as they had kept her awake for the months since her exile. But when they were together, things were different. His features softened as the horrible plight faced by specks on a daily basis vanished. He could always rest easy knowing that she was his guardian, ready to do anything it took to keep him safe. Likewise Tae found it easier to sleep with the knowledge there was one person in this world who didn’t see her as the monster she knew she was. 

Tae-yeon used to watch me like this from time to time. When I came home from school in tears or after dad finished screaming at me for whatever reason he could come up with. The world seemed a much brighter place knowing my big sister was there for me. Tae reminisced. 

For so much of her adolescence, Tae wanted nothing more than to be like her big sister. Usually it was just small things. Getting the same haircut, dressing the same way, using the same make-up, trying to play the same sports. Much to their father’s disdain. Tae-yeon was his true daughter. His pride and joy. Whereas Tae was just a thing that tarnished his reputation in more ways than one.

It was common knowledge that only a speck parent could produce specks. Therefore in the eyes of many, Byung-ho was not just a man of low-class for having a speck infest his home; he was also a disgusting adulterer who knocked up a speck prostitute. That was the story Tae and everybody else was led to believe. It was the story Byung-ho explained to his wife twenty-six years ago when he returned home one night with a crying baby speck. He had been unfaithful to the mother of his then two-year old daughter Tae-yeon and fostered another girl with a speck woman ‘in a moment of weakness’. 

And when he refused to flush his bastard daughter down the drain to save their marriage and put the entire affair behind them, Tae-yeon’s mother left. She left Byung-ho to raise his two girls alone. 

I remember everybody in school would make sure to remind me that even if my father was a ‘Brob’, my mother was still a nameless flesh-light speck whore. Tae recollected. I had no idea she was actually the daughter of the woman who changed the world. Or that she was pure evil to the core.

She clenched her fists.

Perhaps everything wrong with me… is because of that horrible woman. That evil witch who tried to destroy everything my grandmother and Grace’s great grandmother worked towards to fix this cruel world. I am a monster because her vile blood pollutes my heart. 

Clearly the night spent hard at work had taken a toll on Eren. He desperately needed sleep and Tae decided not to interrupt it too much. It was just a casual dinner with Grace, any clothes would do. When it was time to go she roused him simply to slip into something warm to wear outside then encouraged him to return to sleep. 

Kovit made sure to drive extra carefully on the way to Grace’s hotel to not disturb him. However the motion of the car must have done something to alarm Eren as it was not long after they reached the highway Tae felt him stir beneath her coat. She held back a giggle as he began to move, and tickled the skin of her bosom where she kept him under the cozy fabric of her sweater. 

Carefully she undid a few of the buttons on the coat and reached into the festive sweater beneath to pluck him from between her breasts where he had been slumbering. It was a surprisingly apt place to keep him. Insulated and out of sight from prying eyes beneath her clothes, she could easily feel him to ensure he was alright, and the chances of being squished if she bumped into someone was cushioned by her flesh and the outer-lying coat.

Still, her body heat made it rather humid in the crevasse so when she pulled him out a thin film of moisture had formed on his forehead which he lazily wiped away. 

Eren’s eyes slowly blinked open and he realized he was currently held in her palm. “Hmph. Good morning, beautiful.” He greeted and yawned, dark bags still beneath his eyes as if painted on.

“It’s a little past morning actually.” She chuckled and affectionately stroked his torso with a finger the same girth as a tree trunk to him. “We are on our way to Grace’s right now for dinner.”

“Oh…” He said numbly, and looked around. Evidently he had just realized they were in a car, which explained why he had woken up when it picked up speed on the freeway. 

Eren furrowed his brow and glanced around the backseat, as if looking for something. “Hey Kovit? Did you bring that thing I worked on?” He suddenly called out to the driver’s seat.

To Tae’s surprise Kovit responded in affirmative and reached for something that had been on the passenger’s seat. 

“Merry Christmas.” Eren murmured as Kovit passed a meticulously wrapped present to Tae. 

He got me a present?! Tae thought to herself, shocked. She inspected the luminescent green gift wrap. Had he managed to do it himself? How long had that taken? 

She held the box dumbly, still confused as to how Eren had accomplished such a thing. “I… Thank you. I didn’t expect you to get me anything…” Tae mumbled in disbelief. “What is it?” 

“Open it and find out.” He suggested coyly. 

It was a shame to undo what must have been incredibly arduous work over the course of the week for Eren, but nonetheless Tae began to unwrap the gift. As the box moved around she could hear something inside shift around slightly, it sounded like glass of some sort. 

There was a narrow cardboard box within. Tae removed the lid and rifled through some gift tissue paper. Immediately she recognized the item that was underneath it. Her favorite brand of scotch whisky. Aged for almost two decades in an oak barrel. 

This has been out of stock for months! How did Eren get his hands on this?

She ran her fingers along the smooth seal emblazoned to the front of the bottle. It was certainly genuine, and the dark golden spirits were testament to the liquor’s quality. 

“Eren I don’t know how you managed this but thank you so much! I haven’t had this scotch since I left Singapore.” She beamed. He smiled and hugged her thumb as she carefully returned the bottle to it’s container and set it on the seat beside her. Tae brought him to her lips and planted a kiss right on Eren’s torso, which lingered for many blissful moments.

“I love you.” He managed as her gigantic lips massaged his torso possessively. 

She mumbled back. “I love you too.” 

Xiangling watched the hotel staff tasked with preparation of her client’s dinner reorganize the penthouse living room to serve as a dining room. The pool table was set aside and replaced with a large wooden dining table to fit several dozen platters of food, drinks, and utensils. The aroma of the meal prepared wafted in from the hallway, which made her stomach rumble enviously. 

Ordinarily such services were not offered on Christmas. The staff would typically be given the day off and be allowed to spend time with family. However, nobody could reject the compensation offered by the Chen family. Their version of a holiday bonus for some exceeded half a year’s salary. 

Sometimes it dumbfounded Xiangling just how far the power of the Chen family reached. Just yesterday Grace Chen had strolled into the state Attorney General’s office and subjugated him like one might a petulant child. At the waggle of her fingers, even the most powerful politicians would move mountains if it meant appeasing her. 

And to think she’s only an operations specialist in the family. Xiangling thought to herself as the hotel staff finally departed, the feast set out. Her aunt has prime ministers and chancellors on their knees, like peasants before a god. 

She thought back to some of the things she had seen since her employment with the Chen family began. Although… with everything this family has done, perhaps they actually are just that. Gods. How else do you explain what they do?

Grace sauntered into the now empty kitchen, dressed casually in an untied bathrobe which exposed her bare torso and intricate tattoos. Of course draped around her neck, suspended from a necklace in a painful and intentionally awkward position was the troublesome police officer they had acquired the day prior. She bobbed up and down on her mistress’s bosom painfully, her joints bent and contorted to their physical limit.

The heiress explored the various dishes to pick from. “This all looks yummy.” Grace mused and plucked a cherry tomato from a garden salad and tossed it into her mouth. She beckoned Xiangling over, to which she obeyed. 

It was all local cuisine, nothing like the food Xiangling typically partook in but she thought a few things looked tasty. Grace perused the various options until she found another fruit, this time a brightly colored berry. 

“I do hope I wasn’t too forward with you yesterday, Xiangling.” Grace replied and slipped the fruit into her mouth. She licked her lips clean of the juice. “It wouldn’t affect your career in the slightest if it made you uncomfortable. I wouldn’t be offended.”

“It was actually… It was very enjoyable, ma’am. For me.” Xiangling replied sheepishly, unsure of how to express herself to her boss. She chose her words carefully, but expressed her true feelings.

Grace smiled. “I am very happy to hear that. However please understand this is strictly, well, shall we say pleasure. No strings attached.” She stated.

I figured as much. Xiangling thought with a very slight tinge of disappointment. Of course she had not expected Grace to enter a relationship with her, but admittedly some part of her found the idea of an easy life as her ‘favorite’ quite alluring. Really I’m just her plaything, I suppose. But it definitely has its perks… Her gaze shifted to the tiny woman imprisoned on a chain hanging from Grace’s neck, oblivious to what the two giants were saying. 

“I understand ma’am. I don’t have any complaints about that either.” Xiangling replied dutifully. 

Grace took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her waist. She was considerably taller than Xiangling, even while standing barefoot compared to herself who was in two-inch heels. Truly the woman was a marvel. Xiangling felt blessed to be considered even worthy to pleasure such a godlike being. 

Claire let out a gasp as she was sandwiched between the two women’s gargantuan bosoms, squished between the soft mammaries. Chills went down Xiangling’s spine. It was just a little taste, an extremely small fraction of the enormous power wielded by this woman and her divine bloodline. To bend and twist the people of the world into toys to be used, and savored. She could feel the pitiful excuse for a ‘woman’ squirm around between the two indomitable walls she was crushed between, and feel her pathetic struggles. 

Grace pulled away from their kiss. “We understand each other. Then, would you mind doing me a small favor?”

“Of course.”

“I have guests coming over. Please, keep this one hidden.” Grace stated and removed the necklace that Claire was attached to. She passed it to Xiangling. “And while you have her, I encourage you to enjoy yourself.” Claire shivered as she passed hands, and her new owner glanced down at her with ravenous intent.

Eren had never seen so much food in one place before. Literal mountains of buttery mashed potatoes, deserts of warm casserole, and forests of leafy salads seemed to stretch for miles. It occurred to him that since he had woken up so late, he had completely missed both breakfast and lunch. His stomach growled in voracious hunger and he eagerly began to dig in.

After such a long and difficult night, it felt great to be able to unwind like this. Between bites, he thought of something that had not occurred to him in some time. 

Northside will be shut down on New Years Day. By now it’s probably run through the last of it’s rations for the people left behind not relocated yet. And it’s a particularly brutal winter. Eren thought remorsefully. While I’m here, gorging myself silly everybody I’ve ever known is suffering.

He shook his head and bit into some roasted squash. That was his past. It was probably best for his own sanity and conscience if he moved on from those awful memories. A simple fact of life was that it was unfair. Accept it. Make the best of it. Not everybody could be saved. Eren turned his attention back to Tae, who was in the middle of a conversation with her cousin. 

“…so you’ll stay in the states a little longer then?” Tae asked after a sip of wine. They both spoke in English so Eren could follow along. 

Grace nodded and wiped her lips clear of crumbs. “Yes. I think I need a break from Singapore. I’ve already received permission from Aunt Min.” She stated.

So Min Chen is Grace’s aunt. Eren thought. Out of curiosity he had done a bit of research into the Chen family, the owners of the Amrita Corporation. Min Chen was the current matriarch of the family, and the wealthiest human of all time even adjusted for inflation throughout history. Much of that wealth was inherited from her grandmother, the founder of the Amrita Corporation. 

A woman named Baochai Fang.

Before he met Tae and Grace, Eren, like most people, only knew the Chen family as a whole for their accomplishments. Individual members and their shenanigans were better left for tabloids and the paparazzi to care about. After all, the family was quite large and the important members kept a low profile with a very skilled team of bodyguards. Even their names were not well known to the general public.

By comparison, practically everybody knew of Baochai Fang. A brilliant scientist who in her lifetime developed effective medicinal treatments for practically every disease known to man. If she lived any longer, some scientists believed she would have developed the perfect panacea. Her extreme wealth had always avoided controversy. It was difficult to argue that the woman who cured cancer should not be well rewarded for her work. 

And here he was, dating that woman’s descendant. He wondered how she would feel about that. Some people were disowned for even associating with specks, but so far her family were the nicest people he had ever encountered.

“I’ll be glad to have you around. Admittedly I’ve been missing home recently.” Tae lamented. “Norwich is nice, but it still feels foreign to me.”

“Well the door is always open to return.” Grace replied. She glanced over to Eren, who she noticed had just tuned into their conversation. “And Eren, I think you would love it. I think it would be good for both of you, honestly.” She suggested.

I’ve never even left this city, let alone thought about leaving the country… Eren said to himself. “What is Singapore like for specks?”

“It’s one of the safest places for them, if not the safest. Specks are considered full citizens and provided all the same protections and rights as everybody else. Crime against specks also carries severe punishments.” Grace explained.

Eren raised his brow. “Wow. That sounds… a little hard to believe in all honesty. Specks being treated like people.”

“You are people. And if you come to visit me in China or Singapore and anybody tries to tell you otherwise, I promise I will take care of it.” Grace declared. 

After they finished up it was time to open gifts. Eren’s was ironically the largest box, which Tae unwrapped for him with a giddy expression. His eyes went wide as she revealed a miniature house. Similar to a dollhouse, but with functions normally reserved for a real home. It included a functioning kitchen, bathroom, air conditioner, closets, and many other features. 

Eren strolled into the new home numbly, almost in disbelief to see such a luxurious space designed specifically for someone his size. He thanked Tae and Grace both, received a kiss from one and a big hug from the latter.

Grace murmured something in Mandarin to Tae, and she set one of her gift boxes aside to be opened later, presumably. The other one she received from Grace was in a small parcel, which as luck would have it happened to be another bottle of whiskey. 

Tae’s cheeks went bright red as her boyfriend and cousin both shared a laugh at her expense as she now sat on the couch with two top shelf liquors. “Okay! I have a drinking problem. I get it.” She mumbled and set the bottles down.

Grace inspected the scotch whisky that Eren had procured. “Wow, I know this brand. Haven’t they been out of stock for a while now?” She asked aloud. “This must have been a pain to get.” Grace remarked to Eren, who was perched on Tae’s thigh.

“It was for Tae, so it was absolutely worth it.” Eren replied genuinely.

The gigantic woman let out a chuckle and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Tae, please marry this man.” Grace quipped.

“You know, since I evidently drink too much according to you two, why don’t we use up one of these now? That way I am only bringing home one bottle.” Tae suggested and nudged Eren with her finger tenderly. She held up the whisky that Eren had given her as a gift. “What do you say?” Tae offered with a wide grin.

I forgot how damn strong this brand is… Tae thought to herself. With her higher constitution and alcohol tolerance, she was still lucid. The same could not be said for her cousin or boyfriend, who had not realized just how potent the whisky would be. Even with the large meal in their stomachs, both were clearly drunk. Tae watched Grace closely. Although she trusted her cousin, she didn’t want to risk any accidents with Eren while she was inebriated and plucked him off the couch for safekeeping. 

He stumbled and almost plunged off her palm, in his current state it was considerably harder to balance. “And you’re the one who teased me about holding my liquor.” Tae mused and playfully poked him in the chest. 

Eren toppled over in her hand onto his back from the impact. She giggled as he tried in vain to stand up, the slightly uneven surface too much for him. 

“Ugh… careful now… or I’ll puke all over you.” Eren warned and clamped a hand over his mouth. “At least I’m doing better than her.” He quipped and jabbed a finger in Grace’s direction.

“Grace had three or four glasses of wine with her dinner, she gets a pass.” Tae chuckled and coaxed him into a sitting position. She sat across from Grace, who was sprawled out on the couch lazily and ignored most of their conversation. 

Eren bristled and brushed his hair away from his eyes. It was a bit of a mess, more like a mop than anything currently. Dissatisfied, he removed the bobby-pins and hair bands which kept the ensemble together and let it flow freely past his shoulders. Sometimes it was easy to forget Eren’s hair was actually slightly longer than her own, proportionately, since he always kept it in a well-maintained bun. 

They sat in silence for a few moments until he piqued up. “You miss your home a lot.” Eren said pointedly. “If you want to go back, I completely support you.”

“You’ll come with me? Leave everything you’ve ever known behind?” She asked quietly. Tae tried to keep her voice neutral, but it was clear that she desperately wanted him to say yes.

He shrugged. “What has this city ever done for me? Or this country for that matter? Maybe it’s best to just leave it all behind and forget it ever existed.”

“I empathize with you. That’s honestly how I feel about Korea at times.” Tae murmured and took another sip of her whisky. She felt the fiery warmth flow down her esophagus and spread within her stomach. The bottle was almost empty now.

“You never said why you left in the first place, come to think of it.” Eren noted and scratched his chin. 

No. I never did. I haven’t told you much honestly. Tae thought. He’s willing to travel to the other side of the world to be with me. He loves me. He deserves to know. She sighed and checked to see if Grace was awake. Her stomach rose and fell at regular intervals, and she appeared to be asleep. 

Tae felt a chill go down her back. She was thankful for the whisky in her system, it gave her courage. “It has to do with my father… and my sister.” She admitted.

Her hands involuntarily clenched. She had to pick her words carefully. Once she spoke something into the world it could never be taken back. How would he react to the truth? Or rather, the extent of the truth she told him?

Eren blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know you had a sister.” 

“Well I was adopted into the Park family. But we used to be very close.” Tae replied longingly. “It doesn’t matter anymore I suppose.”

“What’s her name?”

Tae paused. There was no easy way to skirt around the reality of the situation if she wanted to answer that question honestly. Of course she could make up a name, lie about everything that happened, and fabricate it all. 

But I’m tired of pretending to be something, and someone that I’m not. I want Eren to love the real me.

She took a deep breath. “Her name is Tae-yeon. When I came to this country… I decided to use her name in place of my own.” She finally admitted.

For a few seconds there was total silence. Eren took a bit of time to register that bit of information, in his still drunken stupor that had slowly worn off as the conversation shifted it took time to process. She waited patiently to gauge his reaction. 

“So Tae… that’s not your real name then?” He eventually asked. She shook her head a few times. “If that’s the case, what is your real name, and why did you use your sister’s instead?” He asked curiously.

His tone did not seem angry. Or upset. That greatly surprised her. Did it not hurt that she had deceived him about something so simple as her own name? Perhaps this entire time she had completely misjudged the situation and could have trusted him with the truth from the beginning?

That thought encouraged her. “I chose to use Tae for a few reasons. It’s easier for Americans to pronounce. More than anything, I idolized my sister when I was growing up. She was everything I ever aspired to be.” She revealed. “So when I left home and had a chance to start over, I took it one more step and started to go by Tae.”

“As for my real name… my real name is Jisoo.” She said, the word after so long now sounded almost alien. Improper. Wrong.

Eren considered what she had said. “Ji-soo.”  He mused carefully. It felt odd to hear it come from his lips. “Am I saying that right?” Eren inquired, to which she nodded. “It’s a beautiful name. May I call you that from now on?”

“If you like. Honestly I don’t have a preference. I will respond to both.” Jisoo replied. Gradually the anxiety she had felt dissipated. Eren seemed remarkably calm about the reveal, so she felt no need to be quite as guarded. “As for why I left, it’s a long story. To summarize, I did something truly awful to my adoptive father. And I did many things that hurt my sister.” She went on. “I doubt either of them will ever forgive me. I wouldn’t blame them either.”

“I regret it dearly. If I could go back in time and stop myself from doing it I would. But needless to say, I don’t really see Busan as home anymore. The people there are not my real family anyways. Grace, and my other cousins are.” Jisoo declared. 

Eren listened closely. “I understand. And I appreciate your candor.” 

“You aren’t mad that I never told you?” Jisoo asked, curious to know why he seemed so relaxed about it all. 

“Not in the slightest. I figured you would tell me when you felt the time was right for me to know. And even if you didn’t, it wouldn’t change how I see you. Whatever you did to your adopted family in the past has no bearing on the wonderful person you are now.” Eren stated and nuzzled against her tummy. “I’m just thankful you trust me enough to tell me. Really.”

Tears welled up in Jisoo’s eyes. She wrapped her fingers around Eren like a blanket perched on her thigh. She had dreamt of nightmare scenarios which saw him dump her on the spot in this conversation. Somehow this had exceeded even her most optimistic expectations and fantasies. 

They sat on the couch together, and watched the lights on the Christmas tree across the room twinkle festively. Snow billowed outside in the clear night sky. It was too perfect, Jisoo thought. Too surreal to be the reality of her life. Cozy and warm with her boyfriend lounging on her lap and family cuddled next to her. 

Grace was right. I do need to marry him.