Author's Note : I had stopped reading or writing FanFiction for years, and I still feel bad I never finished my one and only story. But a bout with the flu over the holidays got me hooked on Hana Yori Dango and Itazura na Kiss. And being unsatisfied with the endings for HYD (I watched the Taiwanese, Korean and Chinese versions) because I have second lead syndrome, I decided that Ji Hoo (who is my favorite portrayal of the Hanazawa Rui character) deserved his own happy ending. Hence this story. Thank you to the awesome writers still publishing BOF stories to this day for inspiring to get back to writing.

Chapter One

Black Knight White Knight

She wandered through the crowds, but felt alone. Isolated from the throngs of happy tourists, desperate gamblers, hustlers, entertainers and the gamut of souls who walked the streets of Macau. She could not even hear the buzz of activity, the occasional peals of laughter and the loud chatter of the hordes of people around her — so broken was she that she could hear nothing, see only a blur of color. She wished though, that the same dulling of her senses applied to her heart, for each with step she took away from him, she felt pieces of her heart stretch and tear. She had always thought that when people suffered from a heartbreak, that it happened in one blow. That once that blow was dealt, that the pain would be intense and sudden but that it would over. But it was not to be.

Earlier that day..

It had been late afternoon. Yoon Ji Hoo, So Yi Jeong and Woo Bin had been trying to reach him since they had arrived in Macau, trying to arrange a meeting between Gu Jun Pyo and herself. It was the third day and Jan Di sat listlessly in the cramped room, in the dingy motel that was all she could afford. The rest of F4 were staying in luxurious new Shinhwa resort — the new development that Jun Pyo had been sent to manage the launch of, the reason he had left Korea over a year ago. Ji Hoo had escorted her to this place — his lips thin with disapproval as he saw how rundown the place was, the drunk gamblers sprawled in the faded furniture in the dingy lobby when he went with her to check in. Yi Jeong and Woo Bin had been vehement in their insistence that she move to their suite with them — they could get her her own room in the Shinhwa resort they argued. Money was never an issue for any of them.

Just as vehemently, Jan Di refused. She was fine she said firmly. The door had sturdy locks and they were only a phone-call away. They had hovered around like so many mother hens and despite her nervousness, Jan Di felt a small twinge of happiness. When did they become her friends? Was she not simply the girl that Jun Pyo had singled out to torment?

"Are you sure about this Otter? Ji Hoo asked, taking her small face between his gentle hands and looking into her eyes. She nodded. And he understood without her needing to speak a word that this was something she needed to do on her own terms. Stretching her meagre funds to buy the cheapest plane ticket, the most inexpensive room to stay in — because she did not want to be a burden to anyone, and because she would rather die than become the gold digging opportunist that Jun Pyo's mother repeatedly accused her off.

Ji Hoo sent a look in Woo Bin's direction and the latter gave a small nod, ushering the still protesting Yi Jeong out of the room.

"I'm moving out of the other hotel and I'll check if there's a free room here. I'm not leaving you here by yourself." Ji Hoo said, in a voice that brooked no disagreement.

"No Sunbae. This…this is not a place fit for you…" Jan Di argued. "It's not much but if I lock the doors and stay in my room, it's safe."

"I'll be next door."

"Sunbae…" Jan Di protested, embarrassment colouring her pale face red.

"I understand if you want to be alone and I won't bother you — but please let me do this Jan Di-ah. For my peace of mind." Ji Hoo said shutting down her arguments. He smiled softly and stroked her hair. It was almost to her shoulders now, and with the stress of the past year, her face had lost some of its baby faced roundness. It felt like silk against his fingertips and the young man with the golden hair had to stop himself from pulling her into his arms. Instead, he sat her down gently on the sagging bed and knelt before her. "I'll be back for dinner ok? You need to eat some time. Meanwhile, please lie down and rest — it was a long flight. If you need anything, use this to call me. It has Woo Bin and Yi Jeong's numbers too." He pressed a small mobile phone into her limp had and closed her fingers around it as he stood up to leave.

Three days passed since then and despite F3's efforts to distract her, Jan Di could only fret as the despair slowly grew bigger and bigger with each rejected telephone call. Yi Jeong, Woo Bin and Ji Hoo had been haunting Jun Pyo's office every day, calling all the numbers they had for him and even trying to get through to Secreatary Jung, to no avail.

A knock at the door roused Jan Di from her stupor. She had been lying on the bed unable to rest, simply staring at the ceiling and waiting. Waiting. After all, what were three more days when you considered the whole year that had passed?

She stood and opened the door to find Ji Hoo standing in the dimly lit hallway.

"It's time." He said and she nodded. Frantically smoothing out her clothes and her hair with shaking hands.

"I'll take you to him." Ji Hoo continued, taking her small hand in his and locking the room door after her shaking hands seemed unable to fit the key into the lock.

They walked in silence until in the distance, standing in the middle of one of the less busy bridges that spanned the man made canal, they saw the tall, unmistakeable figure of the person she had traveled thousands of miles to see.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Ji Hoo asked softly. Then he mentally berated himself – who was he to assume an unhappy ending? Perhaps they would get back together and waiting would be unnecessary. But a year of silence..the odds were not promising for a happy end to this story. Or was this his own wishful thinking? Perhaps. Part of him, the part that was Jun Pyo's best friend, the one that wanted to see Jan Di happy even at the cost of his own happiness desperately wished for a happy ending. And yet, a part of his heart whispered insistently — I could make her happy. I would love her and protect her. I would…

Jan Di's soft voice called him back from his meanderings.

"No Sunbae..I'll be fine..however this ends, I'll let you know…" Jan Di lifted a shaking hand, the small metallic phone gripped tightly in her fist.

And he watched her, the girl he loved, walk away.

Jun Pyo turned around as he heard her footfalls on the bridge. His face was blank. She didn't really know what she was expecting — but certainly, it was not this stone statue of the man she loved.

"What do you want? Why did you come here?" He said. His voice cold and devoid of emotion.

"I…I came to see you…It's been a year…I hadn't heard from you.."

"And the fact that I haven't contacted you in a year, that didn't send you the message clearly?" His voice grew even colder if that were possible.

And she felt pieces of her heart, the parts that belonged to him, cracking and tearing away slowly.

"I thought maybe…that..maybe you were busy and maybe your mother…"

"My mother had nothing to do with it. Can't your little commoner mind understand? You were never good enough for me. It was fun to play with you while it lasted — but it's not fun anymore."

He was no longer the man she loved. He was not the one she had waited over a year for. Not the one she fought to be with. She barely recognised him, this caricature wearing Gu Jun Pyo's face, but speaking in the voice of a stranger.

"Just to make it very clear — you are nothing to me. All you are is an episode I want to forget. A stain I want to erase."

"But..you said..you asked me to wait."

"You wasted your time Geum Jan Di. And you're wasting mine. I suggest you return to you Korea and live out the rest of your commoner life. I never want to see you again."

She was silent now. Her eyes stinging with the effort of holding back her tears. She had traveled far. She had worked until exhaustion overwhelmed her, packed her best (yet threadbare clothes) in the battered suitcase, she had skipped meals and scrimped and saved to come here. The rest – Yi Jeong, Woo Bin and her Sunbae had offered repeatedly to pay for her fare, but she had refused. Her pride demanded that if she were to come here, she would do so on the sweat of her own efforts. She was Geum Jan DI after all, a weed that can survive the harshest of adversities — she would accept no handouts.

"Don't get me wrong .." Jun Pyo continued "You were...fun...fun while it lasted. And I'm not totally heartless and I do feel sorry for you. Tell me where you're staying and I'll send my secretary with a free return ticket to Seoul."

She shook her head vehemently.

"No. Gomawo but it will not be necessary."

And as she bowed farewell, she could feel the pieces of her cracked heart breaking off, piece by piece – drifting off into the slowly darkening sky of early evening.

She turned and walked down the bridge.

Jun Pyo watched as she walked away, his face still impassive but now his eyes turned stormy and the setting sun etched harsh lines into this face. He would not. He could not ask her to stay.

"Are you sure about what you've done?"

Jun Pyo turned around and there, approaching him from the other side of the bridge was the man who had been his best friend for most of his lonely life. But instead of the usual bemused, somewhat sleepy and bored expression he usually cloaked himself with like a mantle, Ji Hoo's eyes were burning, his jaw set into a hard line.

"What?" Jun Pyo asked angrily. "What are YOU doing here?"

"I'm here for her."

Jun Pyo laughed sardonically, but then was silent. A spasm of what Ji Hoo thought could have been pain crossing his face. But as quickly as it came, Jun Pyo shuttered his face again. Impassive. Unyielding.

"Are you sure?" Ji Hoo asked again, his hands balled into fists. How could he stand there so unfeelingly? So cold and disconnected. How when he had just broken the heart of the girl they had both loved?

"What is it to you whether or not I'm sure?" Jun Pyo said, a sarcastic smile on his face now. "Since when did you start collecting my cast off toys?"

Ji Hoo felt such a powerful rage that he had never experienced in all his life. HYe had always been the rational one. While Woo Bin had always been the peacemaker of the group, woo Bin had never really had to use his considerable peacemaking skills on Ji Hoo before. Because he prided himself on his calm. And the fact that he could detach himself from any situation an control his temper. Because he was always, always rational and he never let his emotions rise to the surface. It was only after he met her - the exasperating, challenging, stormy, adorable Geum Jan Di that Ji Hoo had ever felt he was not in full control over his emotions. And even more strangely, that it was not an unwelcome feeling.

Before Jun Pyo could speak again, Ji Hoo delivered such a strong blow that Jun Pyo staggered back and had to brace himself against the stone railing. He felt a trickle of blood, and a stinging on his lip where Ji Hoo's punch had hit him. He glared at his former best friend struggling to find the words to explain why he had had to do this.

But he could find no words because his heart was full.

"I gave her up to you before — because you are my best friend. And I thought that you really loved her. And I've stood back, watching you and your crazy mother hurt her over and over and over again…but that stops now. I'll take your silence as a yes." Ji Hoo said. He felt his anger drain as he saw the hopeless look in Jun Pyo's eyes. But his resolve did not waiver.

"Geum Jan Di is not your play thing. And if I made the mistake of stepping aside and leaving her to you before, I'm back. And I'm not leaving her again."

With that, Ji Hoo walked past Jun Pyo and began walking in the direction that Jan Di had gone. He had made it almost to the end of the bridge.

"She's never going to get over me you know." Jun Pyo said, his arrogant voice carrying over the few feet between them. "She was always mine."

"Not anymore."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Has she called you? Or Woo Bin?" Ji Hoo frantically asked Yi Jeong, his panic rising. It had been hours since she had walked away from Jun Pyo and the three had been unable to find her. It was already dark and to make matters worse, the skies decided to open up. Not a strong violent rain that would go as quickly as it came, but slow, steady drizzle that muddied the streets and made the humid air even stickier.

"No." Yi Jeong replied, the worry evident in his voice as well. He and Woo Bin had been waiting anxiously in their suite. It had been him who had finally gotten through to Jun Pyo and succeeded in arranging a meeting between their friend and the girl who had become like a sister to him and Woo Bin. "She's not even in the hotel anymore. Woo Bin even had them check the CCTV footage…we can't find her anywhere! He's still talking to security now.."

"I'm going to look outside the hotel, she can't have gone far..."

"What happened Ji Hoo? Why did she run away?" Yi Jeong asked for the nth time. He and Woo Bin had no details of the meeting from Ji Hoo. They knew only that the meeting had taken place and that Jan Di had run off.

"He told me he sent her away. Then he compared her to a cast off toy…a toy he had gotten tired off." Ji Hoo's voice shook again with remembered anger as he hung up the phone.

Yi Jeong was stunned into silence. That was cruel, even from Jun Pyo. And yet, should they have been surprised? Since they were little boys, Jun Pyo only wanted what he could not have. And once he had taken it, he lost interest. Did he not become interested in Jan Di only because she had resisted him? Because unlike all the other girls in Shinhwa, she seemed oblivious to him?

Or worse, was it because it had been so obvious that she was attracted to Ji Hoo first?

And once he had gotten her, just like everything that attracted him because they were initially unattainable, was it not like all the other times when Jun Pyo got bored because the thrill of the chase was gone?