Generic Disclaimer (aka whatever I gotta say to not get sued by some moronic lawyer who has nothing better to do with his life!): No copyright infringement intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I do not claim ownership of any of the characters, settings, world, etc. as they belong to their rightful and respective owners. No profit is being made by me. Blah, blah, blah.

Glossary (to the best of my understanding; spelling not guaranteed!)

Abeoji – Father

Anyeonghaseyo – hello, informal

Anyeonghashamnika – hello, formal

Aniyo – no

Araso – I understand, got it, I see

Balugongyang – ritual meal at Buddhist temple

Chaesamnida – sorry, formal

Hajima – don't do that

Jopok – organized crime unit

Kamsahamnida – thank you, formal

Kenchana – It's ok

Komawo – thank you, informal

Mianhe –sorry, informal

Ne – yes

Oma – Mom

Pabo – fool

Sunbae – senior (as in someone above you in school, work, etc.)

Sunim – title of a Buddhist monk or nun

Ya – Hey!

A/N - This story begins a few days after the "After Story" music videos.

CHAPTER 1 – DARK WATERS

Woo Bin leaned over the cold, metal rail and stared down into the oily, black water as it slowly pulsed beneath the bridge below him. It seems almost to swallow up the lights from the surrounding buildings rather than reflect them, he thought, and smiled wryly to himself. He had made a regular habit of coming to this spot over the past few years and more and more frequently over the past few months, whenever his thoughts became as dark as the water.

He knew Yi Jung would be upset if he knew, considering their history with this particular bridge, but as his best friend had been half-way around the world for the last few years, Woo Bin figured Yi Jung didn't get to have a say in the matter.

He smiled again as he thought of his friend, of all his friends. He had been so happy to be with them again – laughing, teasing, and playing around as they looked over their old school and remarked that nothing had changed. It hadn't been returning to the school itself that had been that important – it was returning to the shelter they each found in the others company, which had always been the one safe place where they could simply be themselves.

It had felt so good to have that back again for a little while – he really wanted to believe that nothing had changed. But now, two days later as things resumed their new state of normalcy, he knew that wasn't true.

Yi Jung was back from Sweden, true, but was as busy as ever with his pottery and now with his new "official" girlfriend, Ga Eul. Jun Pyo had also returned from abroad, but his life was consumed with the running of his family's empire and of course with Jan Di. As for Ji Hoo, none of them hardly saw him anymore as he completed his medical residency training. Everything had changed, everyone had changed – except for him.

He was happy for them, Yi Jung and Ga Eul especially, he really was, but their new relationship only served to highlight his recent breakup. Thinking about it that night, he had been surprised to realize how quickly his initial anger, disappointment and hurt over the sudden ending of that relationship had evaporated once he was with F4 again and had been startled as the truth of the matter suddenly appeared so clear and obvious it almost seemed to smack him in the face.

"Kindness," she had said. She was sick of his kindness. He recognized now that she was being kind to put it like that, for the truth was that he had been smothering her. All of his constant little attentions and displays of affection he saw now had not been for her, but for himself as he used her to fill the void created by the absence of his friends.

He had clung to her with the desperation of a drowning man and had nearly drowned her himself. He never wanted that to happen again, hence this night's visit to the bridge.

Woo Bin thought again of that first night at the bridge with Yi Jung when he had told his friend of the shame he felt because of who and what his father was and what that made him in turn. It had been the only time they had ever talked of it.

Woo Bin knew that if he shared such deep thoughts and feelings that rarely with even his closest friend, it was because he so rarely admitted them even to himself. He had thought of his friends as his shelter – and they had sheltered him from much more than they might ever know.