"You know, you should tell me the reason why you're not certain if you'll return to Korea."

Eri looked up at Yi Jeong as she felt his belly rumble. They were lying in his studio floor, her head on his stomach. She had stayed with him all night working on random projects. They were covered in paint and clay and not too inclined to move. It hadn't been too long since they had collapsed on the floor in their current positions.

Since the night they had confronted her father, Yi Jeong had become a constant. He texted her almost every day asking if she wanted to visit his studio and do something or if she wanted to get something to eat. He never asked if she was okay, but it was all implied.

When she had left Woo Bin after seeing her father the night before, he had caught her as she walked right by her house. There was no reason to go home so soon so she had just walked right on by. Yi Jeong had fallen into step with her and followed her straight to nowhere. Then he had steered her in the direction of his studio. There had been no need in arguing so she just went with him.

Yi Jeong recognized the look that told him she wasn't going to answer him. He ran his fingers through her loose hair, something he had taken to doing to let her know he was fed up with her silence. But he didn't push the issue.

The door to his studio chimed and he lifted his head thinking it was Ga Eul. Boy, was he wrong. The woman that stood above him was certainly not his girlfriend, nor was she Ji Hoo's. She looked around briefly then looked down at him, eyebrow skyrocketing as she saw the cozy scene.

"I thought you were with that social reject. Glad to see you're back to your old ways," she said.

He slapped his hand on the floor. "Don't talk about Ga Eul that way, Seo Ka. I've already told you that once. One more time and I won't be so lenient."

The girl sneered a little. "Where's Woo Bin? I need to talk to him."

"Leave him alone. He's already told you the answer. Pissing him off won't make it change."

"I heard he's dating someone. Do you know who it is?"

"Of course I know who my best friend is dating. She's a surgeon and a wonderful person. If he finds out you're looking for her, he won't be too happy."

"That's why he's not going to find out. Tell me where she is."

Yi Jeong's fingers tightened in her hair and Eri looked up at him. Since she had her hearing aids out, she couldn't hear what was being said, but by Yi Jeong's tense muscles, she could tell he was upset. He swiped his finger across her head in a request for her to be quiet. Normally she wouldn't listen, but Yi Jeong didn't have a habit of telling her what to do. She looked up at the woman, focusing on her mouth.

"Look, I just want to tell her to stay away from Woo Bin. She should know that he's already engaged, that his parents set this up. Even if he disagrees with it, he can't go against his parents."

Yi Jeong sat up, pulling Eri against him as he did. His arm tightened painfully around her shoulders, his fingernails digging into her flesh. "He broke that engagement due to outside affair, or did you forget that you told him he wasn't as good as your lover? Let's not forget that it was on your anniversary when you told him you couldn't marry someone from the mafia."

"All that is petty."

"It may be petty, but you said it."

"Do you even know who Woo Bin is?" Eri asked suddenly. She had put her hearing aid in when she realized something was going on. "Do you know what he likes to eat, or how he acts when he has work he has to do but doesn't want to do it? Do you know that he sleeps by the door because he wants to be the first one someone attacks if they break in? Do you know that he will go toe to toe with your father if he thinks he's wronged you?"

"Who is this person, Yi Jeong?"

Eri felt him smile before he pressed his temple to hers. "This is Woo Bin's surgeon. Now please leave."

Seo Ka sneered at Eri before turning on her heel and clicking away. Yi Jeong squeezed her shoulders before standing up. He poured some water into her forgotten glass and nudged it towards her. He sat on a bench as he watched her.

"Do you like Woo Bin that much that you would defend him against a crazy ex?" he asked. She looked at him with a quizzical expression. "It seems like you like him."

"He lives in my house. I have to tolerate him," she replied.

Yi Jeong smiled at the phrasing. He swirled his glass around, watching the water dance. "Are you serious about possibly not returning to Korea after the arraignment?"

She set the glass on the table as she stood. "It's not my home. Ever since I got here, nothing good's happened. The people at the hospital, Georges, my father. It's all been a little too much. I don't have the energy to stay and fight by myself."

"Haven't you figured out that you're not by yourself? F4 doesn't accept people lightly. It took seven years for Jan Di and Jun Pyo, and Ga Eul and myself to be classified as a couple. We had our friends to give us strength when we were apart."

"I don't have friends."

"Then what are Ji Hoo and Jan Di? They accepted you way before the rest of us. And Woo Bin has fallen head over heels for you, so what does that make him. I consider you a friend, so does Ga Eul. Jun Pyo is a different case but I'm sure he feels the same way."

Yi Jeong noticed that she had stopped tracing patterns in the table and was listening fully to what he had to say. He smiled to himself then stood up. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I understand, Eri. You've never had someone on your side before so you don't know how to express how you feel about them. We're all here, your first real set of friends. We don't abandon each other when things get tough and we don't look down on each other because one of us can't hear. We accept each other's shortcomings and differences because we can't live without each other." He turned her around to take her face in his hands. "No matter what you decide, we'll be behind you, but understand that if you don't come back, Woo Bin will be hurt."

As they cleaned up, Eri thought over everything he had said. To finally have friends seemed more like a burden than a relief. Now she had to worry about offending them. Would everyone else understand her deficiencies with emotions as Ji Hoo and Yi Jeong had.

Yi Jeong read her thoughts as if he were in her head. He handed her coat to her and waited until she was ready before escorting her out of the studio. He hailed a cab and put her in the backseat, telling the driver where to take them when he shut the door.

His plan was to shop for something that would surprise the hell out of his friend and finally get him to admit how he really feels for the woman beside him. Woo Bin had been very agitated lately, ever since he had met Eri actually. He had been in love only once and that had gone horribly wrong. Now they all wanted to keep it from happening again.

When the cab stopped, he paid the fare and escorted her into a store. He talked to the clerk and explained their situation. He made sure she understood that Eri couldn't hear and that if she got irritated with her for not listening, he would tell everyone he knew not to shop there anymore. The woman listened immediately. She took Eri into the back, much to the other woman's concern.

After an extensive battle – and it was a battle because Eri came out of the dressing room three times – Yi Jeong was finally able to pull a few outfits and send them to the dressing room. He wanted to wring her neck but she wasn't used to someone doing stuff like this. Food was one thing but clothing was a complete different story.

The first outfit didn't fit her well so he sent her back for the next one. That one too didn't work so she went back again. Yi Jeong was fiddling with his phone when she came out in the last outfit. He looked up and his mouth dropped. The dress was light blue with gold trim that highlighted her eyes. The woman had put a light tan slouchy hat on her head that matched the trim on the dress. She was wearing a pair of low heels but they were enough to make her taller than Yi Jeong. The woman had braided her hair loosely and tossed it over one shoulder.

Eri felt awkward as she stood there in the store. She had never dressed this way before and it was a little revealer. The skirt was too short for her taste. She looked at Yi Jeong but his face was full of appreciation. The same look Georges had that…

Her knees buckled and she grappled for a hold. The mirror was too smooth so she hit the floor hard. Yi Jeong was there first, grabbing her shaking hands in an effort still them.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Please don't make me wear this," she whispered.

It was the first time he heard her beg. He motioned for the clerk to find something else. He pulled her head against his shoulder and let her shudder. He didn't realize what would happen, but as soon as it did he understood.

The clerk came back quickly with a pair of pants and a shirt. Yi Jeong helped her up and into the dressing room once again. This time he waited outside the door until she was finished. The door opened just a bit and she allowed him in.

"How do you feel?" he wondered. The jeans were dark wash and fit her like a second skin. The shirt was the same color blue as the dress but without the gold. The shoes had been changed to boots that were just a little bit bigger than her calves.

Eri looked at herself in the mirror, and Yi Jeong could see the tension melting form her shoulders. She was so much more comfortable in pants than in skirts. He filed that away for later when Woo Bin asked for her preferences.

"I like this," she said after a little bit.

Yi Jeong nodded and handed the woman his card. He didn't leave Eri alone in the dressing room because he was afraid something would happen. His card was returned to him and he escorted her from the room.

Instead of taking a cab, they walked down the sidewalk casually, but there were so many people around that they were getting jostled. Yi Jeong took her hand and linked it through his arm to keep her close to him. People shopping were always the worst at paying attention to who was where and what was around them.

"Where are we going?" she asked a little ways into their walk.

"Since we've been out of school, we always meet a week or so before Christmas to have dinner together. We planned tonight before we all met you. It's kind of a classy affair at the best restaurant in Seoul. Jun Pyo cannot be denied."

Eri disappeared into her thoughts. A Christmas dinner with friends sounded fun but if Woo Bin brought up France again, she was going to leave. She didn't want to think about it. But she also knew that three of them knew. Ji Hoo hadn't asked about it since she had told him, Yi Jeong had asked briefly, but Woo Bin had been the one to take it drastically. She didn't know what to do about it, so if he brought it up, she would just leave.

They walked into a restaurant and waited for the maître d to show them to their table. It was already packed with everyone else so they took the seats that were open. Eri sat beside Ji Hoo and across from Woo Bin.

Woo Bin nearly fell out of his seat as Yi Jeong escorted Eri in. He had never seen those jeans before or that top. Yi Jeong must have taken her out before coming that was the only explanation. As she sat down, he noticed her hands shook ever so slightly. Ji Hoo had as well as he reached over and took her hand. He squeezed it once and smiled gently.

Dinner was served by a cute waiter who tried to hit on her. As he was passing by, Ji Hoo caught his sleeve and asked him nicely if he would cut it out before they got him fired. Nervous about his job, the young man apologized and went on his way.

It was a four course dinner, but Eri wasn't very hungry. She picked at her food most of the time, not even eating the roast duck with lemon butter sauce. Normally she would have gotten up by now, but she had already promised Yi Jeong she wouldn't.

"Eri," Ji Hoo said, "are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm just not hungry."

He didn't look convinced but it really didn't matter to her. She wasn't going to eat. Not even the sweet dessert that was set in front of her looked appetizing and it was chocolate cake. She watched them eat it without any problems but she couldn't force herself to eat.

When dinner was finished there were talks about going dancing but that was shot down immediately. Woo Bin could tell Eri wasn't up to doing much that evening. Her mind was elsewhere and being near people she didn't know wasn't a good idea.

They opted for an arcade. As soon as they walked up to it, Eri flinched and pulled at her hearing aids. She tucked them in their case and sighed as everything settled down. Jan Di asked if she was all right. She nodded even though she didn't look it.

That didn't last long as Jun Pyo lost four games in a row and lost his temper. He stormed out with Jan Di following closely behind him. The rest of them went for a walk until Ga Eul broke her heel. Yi Jeong led her home after that. The three left decided that it would better for them to go home.

They rode silently in the elevator. Eri stood in front of the guys and waited for the doors to open. She stepped out first and hurried to her door, punching in the code quickly. Woo Bin had to hurry to get the door and let himself in. He said a quick goodbye to Ji Hoo and waited for his friend to go in before closing the door.

"Eri, is everything all right," he asked when she faced him.

She nodded as she pulled her shirt over her head without second thought. He was face to face with that white scar that haunted his dreams. He grabbed her wrist and dropped to his knees in front of her. She stared down at her, not quite sure what he was doing until he pressed his mouth to the scar.

"I should have killed him," he muttered to himself. He brought his hands up until they held her right under her bra. His thumbs smoothed over the raised white line.

Gently, Eri pushed his hands away and stepped back. Woo Bin caught her hand and pulled her towards him as he stood. He pressed his face into her neck and inhaled deeply. Clay and paint and whatever scent she used assaulted his nose. He didn't ask permission as he kissed her behind her ear, along her jaw and finally kissed her mouth. She pushed against him, but he was tired of being pushed away. He used one hand to steady her head as he kissed her and the other to pull her against him.

When he pulled back, he ran his thumb along her cheek as he watched her face. "I'm done waiting for you to make the first move."

He closed the distance again, but this time he leaned down and picked her up. Firmly cementing their mouths together, he dropped her to the bed, his body covering hers instantly.

Woo Bin woke the next morning to sun streaming through the window. He stretched like a languid cat then reached across the bed only to find it empty. He sat up immediately and looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. All the drawers were closed and everything was in order.

He got up, pulled on pants, and walked into the kitchen. Normally coffee would be ready and smelling up the place but it was empty. He scratched his head as he looked around the quiet empty house. He went to grab his phone and found a piece of white paper folded up on his computer. He picked it up and unfolded it.

"Woo Bin,

I'm sorry for leaving like this, but I didn't have any other way. If I had told you when I was leaving you would have wanted to come. Thank you for defending me against everything that came my way. You didn't have to do any of it but you did. But most of all, thank you for being my friend…"

"Idiot," he muttered, "I didn't want to be your friend."

"If it hadn't been for you and your brothers in F4, I wouldn't have made it through any of this. I would have retreated into silence. Thank you for everything.

Eri."

Woo Bin tossed the paper on to the desk again and ran his hand through his hair. Why did every woman leave him? He used his thumb to wipe away the tear as it slid down his cheek.