Chapter 14

(EPILOGUE)

...

"Wait, we're playing what?"

Yi Jung stood inside the arena, his hands on his hips. Woo Bin and Ji Hoo stood beside him, all of them wearing track pants and t-shirts. Ji Hoo had a red bandana tied around his head to keep his hair away from his face. He had grown his hair long again. Woo Bin's leg had completely healed by now, and he had been going through physio-therapy to get it functioning back to normal.

Jan Di grinned widely, although she was feeling a bit nervous inside. Ga Eul stood beside her – both of them wore shorts and a loose shirt, their hair up on ponytails.

The door opened and Hye Jin walked in, bright eyed and smiling, wearing the same outfit as them.

Jan Di recollected running into the girl a week ago while she was out at the supermarket.

...

"Hye Jin!" she called out, as she ran to hug the small and petite girl. She had just finished buying groceries as she promised to cook supper for Ji Hoo and Grandfather that night.

Hye Jin flashed her a wide smile. "Jan Di! How have you been?"

"I'm good," she smiled back. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you around the coffee house lately."

"Oh, I don't work there anymore," the girl replied, her eyes bright. "I got a job at an engineering firm downtown. I'm a career woman now!"

That's why, Jan Di thought. They'd been to the coffee house three times since and hadn't seen the girl. She knew Woo Bin had been too shy to ask where she was, and Jan Di had just assumed the girl was taking a break.

"Does that mean we won't see you around anymore?" Jan Di thought about how Woo Bin had been so quiet every time they met at the coffee house lately. Even Yi Jung's teasing had not gotten a rise out of him.

A plan slowly began to form in her head.

"Hey, Hye Jin, do you want to hang out sometime?" She asked, hopefully. "With, you know, me and the gang?"

Hye Jin's eyes lit up. "Really? For sure!"

"What do you like to do?" She wasn't much into planning things anymore, but she didn't want Hye Jin to feel left out in case they decided on something she didn't feel comfortable doing. "Is there anything you enjoy doing?"

Hye Jin grinned widely at her and nodded.

"Soccer."

...

"Are you girls sure you want to do this?" Yi Jung called out, as they stood out on the soccer field. All of them wore running shoes, with the exception of Hye Jin, who was wearing soccer cleats.

Jan Di nodded. "Boys versus Girls. Loser buys dinner."

The boys raised their eyebrows, and Woo Bin shook his head in amusement.

Ga Eul wrinkled her forehead and called Jan Di aside.

"Jan Di," Ga Eul whispered, with Hye Jin huddled beside her. "If we lose, we'll need to chalk up a lot of money to pay for their dinner – because I'm certain they'll make us pay. But if they lose...well, they buy us dinner all the time! We could go to the most expensive place and those boys won't even bat an eye. It's not really much of a punishment, you know?"

Jan Di considered Ga Eul's words. She had a point. She turned back to the boys, who were patiently waiting with their arms crossed.

"Okay. Here's the thing." She looked at each of them in turn – first Woo Bin, then Ji Hoo and lastly Yi Jung. "If you win, we buy you dinner. Anywhere you want."

Ji Hoo's eyes widened while Yi Jung smirked. Woo Bin raised his eyebrows.

"But if we win...you guys do whatever we want for one entire day."

Ji Hoo chortled, while Woo Bin simply stood there, looking amused.

"Hey, no fair!" Yi Jung complained. "Ji Hoo already does whatever you tell him to do."

Jan Di lifted her chin up at Yi Jung. "Are you afraid you'll lose?"

Yi Jung narrowed his eyes in response.

"Game on."

...

Jan Di decided to put Ga Eul as their goalkeeper, while she and Hye Jin would try to run and score against Yi Jung, who was the boys' goalie. Since they were only playing for fun, they moved the goal posts closer than where they normally were. They also had no referee, and decided they didn't need one. They both agreed that the first team who scored 5 goals wins the game.

"I haven't played since high school," Ga Eul whispered nervously, as they huddled around before the start of the game.

"Just do your best," Jan Di encouraged her. She hadn't played for a while also, but she had faith in Hye Jin.

Hye Jin was doing stretches and warm up exercises beside them, and she had never seen the girl look so alive and excited before.

Ji Hoo went over to the girls' side and handed Jan Di a bottle of water. Hye Jin's eyes went wide when she saw Ji Hoo up close.

He smiled at her and bowed his head in greeting.

"I'm Yoon Ji Hoo. Nice to finally meet you, Miss Park Hye Jin."

Hye Jin gawked at him, eyes wide and mouth even wider.

Jan Di chuckled and leaned over to whisper in Hye Jin's ear.

"That one is mine," she said, while Hye Jin turned redder than a tomato.

Ga Eul jogged over to them. "And the annoying one is mine," she grinned. "Woo Bin's up for grabs though."

For a moment Jan Di thought Hye Jin would dash out of the arena and hide, as her face was ridiculously red. But Hye Jin just stood there, rubbing her left shoe on the grass. Jan Di figured she was trying to compose herself.

...

Yi Jung blew the whistle and the game started. Jan Di ran to gain control of the ball, with Ji Hoo close behind her. Woo Bin was guarding Hye Jin.

Yi Jung stood there, arms crossed, looking bored.

Jan Di managed to kick the ball over to Hye Jin, and then she was off. Hye Jin maneuvered deftly around Woo Bin and Ji Hoo and then kicked the ball straight in between the goal posts, much to Yi Jung's astonishment.

"What the -" Yi Jung exclaimed, unsure of what just happened.

Hye Jin was a pro on the soccer field.

She weaved in and out and was so fast, most of the time it took Yi Jung a few seconds to realize she had scored again. And again. And again.

"How in the world could someone so small be so fast?" Yi Jung exclaimed. He gave Woo Bin a dirty look. "Are you letting her win just because she's cute?"

Woo Bin put his hands up in defeat. "Dude, she's fast." He looked thoroughly impressed. "She's like a soccer ninja."

...

"We might be in trouble," Ga Eul said, as the girls huddled around during time out. She looked over to where the boys stood. "Ji Hoo's really good. I can't stop them from scoring."

Jan Di wasn't surprised. After all, Ji Hoo did own a European soccer team. Why was he good at everything? She pursed her lips and gave a sly smile. "Leave Ji Hoo to me."

They were running after the ball, Jan Di frantically trying to steal it from Ji Hoo.

"Honey, slow down!" she called out, and Ji Hoo froze. He stood there, hands on his hips, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

"Honey?" He repeated.

Jan Di flashed him the cutest smile she could muster. She had never called him that before. She leaned closer to his ear. "Okay, hubby then." She stole the ball from him as he stood there, grinning like an idiot, his mind somewhere far away in dreamland.

All this happened in a span of a few seconds.

"Earth to Ji Hoo!" She heard Yi Jung call out.

Jan Di was kicking the ball on her way to Yi Jung, when out of nowhere Woo Bin stole it from her. She groaned and went back after Woo Bin. Hye Jin suddenly materialized in front of him, and she skillfully took the ball, running all the way to an alarmed-looking Yi Jung.

In the end, the girls won by one point. Hye Jin scored all their goals, of course, so she gave her a huge hug. All three of them were jumping up and down, thrilled at their victory.

"You were amazing out there!" Jan Di complimented, and Hye Jin beamed at her. "For a moment there I thought I'd have to use up a month's salary to pay for dinner." It was a close game, so it was such a relief when Hye Jin scored the winning goal.

The boys came over to shake their hands. Yi Jung looked suspiciously at Hye Jin.

"Why didn't you tell us you're a mini-Beckham?"

Hye Jin suppressed a giggle. "What fun would that be?"

Woo Bin chuckled. He gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Good game."

Jan Di saw Hye Jin blush a deep shade of red again. She smiled inwardly and decided to give the two of them some time alone together.

"Ga Eul," she whispered, so only Ga Eul could hear. "Let's detain Ji Hoo and Yi Jung in the locker room later, ok?"

...

Woo Bin and Hye Jin waited outside the arena for the rest of the gang.

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Woo Bin wondered out loud. He looked at Hye Jin, who stood there, silent as a mouse. "Did you have fun tonight?"

She nodded and then looked straight up at him. "Thank you."

Her big brown eyes were so full of life and childlike innocence that Woo Bin swallowed hard. He didn't know why being around her unnerved him so.

"I wonder what punishment you girls have in store for us." He gave her a crooked grin and stared at her, while she flushed, unused to being stared at.

Just then, two men in black suits appeared. They were huge; both over six feet tall, both wearing dark sunglasses, and their faces were hard and expressionless.

Woo Bin froze in place, uncertain of what to do. Hye Jin looked at him, then at the men, and her eyes narrowed.

She stood protectively in front of Woo Bin (all five feet of her), and put her fists up in the air. She was poised and ready to attack.

"If you're looking for trouble, go look elsewhere," she warned, seemingly unafraid. "Leave him alone."

The men looked at each other in confusion. They took a step forward, then hesitated.

Woo Bin shook his head from behind Hye Jin and wordlessly urged the men to leave.

Both men gave a slight nod, bowed and then left.

...

Yi Jung watched in fascination through the glass window of the arena as Hye Jin tried to protect Woo Bin.

"Umm...anyone want to tell her that those men work for him?" He pointed at Woo Bin.

Jan Di hushed him and peered closer. Hye Jin's face was fearless, while Woo Bin looked too shocked to move.

It was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

...

After the men left, Hye Jin gave a huge sigh of relief.

"I can't believe I scared them away," she said, as she relaxed her stance. She looked at Woo Bin with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Uh..." Woo Bin was speechless. He recovered after a few minutes and looked at her amusedly. "Why did you think those men would hurt me?"

Hye Jin looked away, slightly abashed. "I heard your friend ask if you broke your leg beating up some guys before. And I just assumed those were the guys he was talking about." She looked at him doubtfully. "They look like they beat people up for a living, you know?"

Woo Bin would have laughed out loud if he hadn't seen how serious and worried Hye Jin was for him.

He grinned at her. "You think you could have taken them?"

She shrugged. "Well, I do have a black belt in Karate." She looked at the arena doors. "And I was kind of buying some time hoping your friends would arrive and help."

Just then, the doors opened and Ji Hoo, Jan Di, Ga Eul and Yi Jung came out.

"Sorry," Ji Hoo said, apologetically looking at both of them. "Yi Jung ate some bad sushi earlier so we had to wait for him to finish in the bathroom." He shook his head while pinching his nose, though his eyes had a mischievous glint on them. "Be thankful you weren't in there."

Yi Jung looked mortified. Before he could speak though, Ga Eul pulled him aside. Jan Di heard Yi Jung mutter "I'll get you back for that" to Ji Hoo while Ji Hoo just chuckled.

...

"So," Yi Jung began, as they sat at a nearby noodle house eating dinner. "Have you girls thought of what kind of horrors to put us through as punishment for losing the game?"

Jan Di looked at Hye Jin. "I think since Hye Jin won it for us girls, she should decide."

Everyone turned to look at Hye Jin. She shrank back in her seat, unused to all the attention, looking even smaller than possible.

"It's okay," Woo Bin urged, giving her a small smile. "We all agreed to the consequences of the game."

Hye Jin sat up and a huge grin appeared on her face. "I think I have an idea."

…

"We're doing what?" Yi Jung exclaimed, as he sat in the clubhouse with the rest of the gang.

The former F4 clubhouse wasn't just a man cave anymore. The girls hung out there frequently with them too.

"We're doing a Kdrama marathon," Ga Eul grinned at him excitedly.

"So we're just going to sit here and watch a show nonstop for an entire day?"

The girls nodded in response. Jan Di was excited. Since she got into medical school, she hadn't had time to watch shows on tv. The fact that she managed to pull Ji Hoo into this doubled her excitement.

"Sitting with the girls watching a show doesn't sound so bad," Woo Bin remarked, and Jan Di saw Hye Jin give a shy smile.

"As long as we have refreshments, I don't mind," Ji Hoo stated, and Jan Di beamed at him.

They planned to get food delivered to the clubhouse throughout the day.

"How long is this supposed to be?" Yi Jung asked, still unconvinced.

"Well, it's 16 episodes so...around 16 hours?" Hye Jin replied, holding up the dvd boxed set.

Yi Jung scowled. "That's 16 hours of my life I'll never get back."

"You've wasted more hours than that on lesser things," Woo Bin reminded him.

"At least they didn't ask us to wear dresses or follow them around while they did girly things all day," Ji Hoo told him, while he sat beside Jan Di on the couch.

The girls all looked at him, and Yi Jung could see the wheels turning in their heads.

"Ji Hoo, stop giving them ideas!" Yi Jung scolded, as he sat down beside Ga Eul. "What are we watching again?"

Hye Jin held the dvd up for them to see. "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon."

…

Woo Bin stood up to stretch and get a drink of water. He looked back at the couch and saw the rest of them fast asleep. It had been a long day – they had to take a few breaks in between – but they managed to finish the show anyway.

"What did you think?" he heard a small voice say, and he turned around to find Hye Jin standing behind him.

"I liked it," he said, truthfully.

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah." He gave her a playful grin. "I like short, fearless, and strong women."

...

Jan Di lay snuggled on the couch with Ji Hoo. They had a blanket draped on top of them. Her head rested comfortably on Ji Hoo's shoulder, and she stared at him as he slept soundly, a small smile frozen on his lips.

She had overheard Woo Bin and Hye Jin's conversation, and she couldn't help but feel excited at the thought of what the future might hold for the both of them.

She looked over on the other side of the couch and saw Yi Jung and Ga Eul also snuggled comfortably together. She knew that no matter how much Yi Jung joked around, he was seriously in love with her friend.

Her eyes saddened as she thought of Jun Pyo. She had no idea how he was doing, but she hoped he was happy, at least. She said a silent wish for him, as she remembered the guy she once loved.

Gu Jun Pyo, I hope you find someone who brings out the best in you, and makes you appreciate and love yourself even more. And I hope that when you finally find that person, they will stay.

Ji Hoo shifted slightly, and Jan Di thought for a moment that he had woken up. His hand found hers subconsciously, and he took it and gave it a light squeeze before he relaxed his hold. She stared at the rings that adorned their fingers.

Their promise to have a future together.

She gazed at his serene face and silently reaffirmed her love for him.

My Ji Hoo,

You are the love of my life...and the life of my love.

You are my today, and all of my tomorrows.

I love you, and I will love you until I die.

And if there's life after that, I will find you and still love you then.

...

~ The End of Part 2 ~

***Author's note: 5 Bonus Chapters have been added for your reading pleasure. So click the next button and read on! Enjoy!**

Thank you, dear readers - and fellow writers!

~cutestuff024