Thank you for the reviews.
I am playing with the history of Yi Jeong/Eun Jae/Il Hyun in order to deal with it sooner/make it less of an issue because I need that air to be cleared, plus I want Il Hyun to play more of an integral part of the story with this brother. There were a lot of things with the guys that were never fully explained or were dropped. A perfect example is I read somewhere that Woo Bin's whole Don Juan thing was also due to a broken heart, but we never saw anything with it and frankly he deserved more. Pretty much every character in the show, except Jan Di and her family, deserved more than they got so I am trying to fix that. A new name introduced in this chapter is I named Yi Jeong and Il Hyun's mother.
Yi Jeong had never heard anything more heartbreaking and chilling in his life when he heard Ga Eul's terrified scream as she was caught in a night terror. It was barely seven in the morning the day after Ga Eul's attack when it happened. He was the last that had started to leave her room to continue to let her rest when suddenly she was screaming and her body was tossing beneath the covers before she sat up in terror. Yi Jeong had never launched himself towards someone as fast as he had before he was wrapping his arms around her trembling body, drawing her against him.
"Ga Eul, it's me," he said over her screams. He immediately felt her recognition, even as his arms wrapped around her. She clung to him as she buried her face between his neck and shoulder, sobbing. He could feel her nails digging into his back so hard that he thought she would break skin beneath the fabric of his shirt, not that he would care.
"I have you," he whispered against her ear, feeling her tremble. It seemed like forever but he knew it was a matter of seconds only after her screams started and he had gathered her close when he heard the thunder of additional footfalls before Jun Pyo, Ji Hu, Woo Bin, and Il Hyun were racing back into the room, Jun Hee not far behind them. He felt the bed dipping and shifting as Jun Pyo moved behind his sister. Yi Jeong knew he wanted to, but Jun Pyo didn't try and pry Ga Eul away from him. He probably couldn't have if he tried, judging by the firm grip her nails had on his skin. He did feel Jun Pyo's arm slip around her waist between her stomach and Yi Jeong's.
Ji Hu and Woo Bin each shifted closer and neither cared as they wrapped their arms around Yi Jeong even in order to get close to Ga Eul as well. The F4 members easily created a physical shield and cocoon around the terrified woman. Yi Jeong felt his brother rest his hands over Ga Eul's on Yi Jeong's back. He could feel the bottom of his palm moving and he could only guess that he was stroking his thumbs over her knuckles to ease the terror still rushing through her body.
"What happened?" Jun Hee asked, her voice shaking. Yi Jeong could see through slitted eyes as she reached up to stroke what was visible of Ga Eul's hair.
"She woke up from a nightmare," Yi Jeong explained, his head shifting to shush and whisper against Ga Eul's ear to calm her as he felt her shaking against him still.
"Jun Hee?" Bon Hyeong called from the doorway where he stood with Bon Ha and Lee Bin.
"Ga Eul had a nightmare," she explained. She looked at her sister. "Ga Eul, come on. Let me help you get cleaned up. We'll all head down for breakfast. You should try and eat something. We all should."
It took a moment for Ga Eul to even attempt to compose herself. Her hands were stiff where they still held Yi Jeong tightly. She was careful as she finally uncurled her fingers, knowing she had to have hurt him. She pulled back enough to look at the handsome man, her own face covered in tears.
"I'm sorry, Sunbae," she whispered. "I hurt you…"
"You didn't," Yi Jeong quickly reassured her. He cupped her face and stroked his thumbs over her cheeks to wipe the tears. "I'm okay. Go with Jun Hee-noona. We'll see you downstairs for breakfast."
Ga Eul shakily wiped her hand across the tip of her nose, wiping tears away. She glanced to her right where Jun Pyo and Ji Hu were watching her. She reached over and squeezed Ji Hu's hand as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Jun Pyo's. He shifted and kissed her forehead gently before nudging her to get up. Ga Eul took a moment to give Il Hyun a small smile before looking at Woo Bin. Woo Bin reached up and brushed his fingers against her cheek before leaning in to gently kiss it before he moved so she could fully stand. Yi Jeong shifted on the bed, turning his back from her as Jun Hee came around the end of the bed and put her arm around her sister to lead her to the bathroom.
"You boys should also get cleaned up and come down for breakfast," Bon Hyeong said once the bathroom door had closed. "Make sure to get some antiseptic on those cuts, Yi Jeong." He nodded to his sister and Lee Bin, leaving the younger men alone.
"She did hurt you, namdongsaeng," Il Hyun said.
"She could scar me for life and I'd let her, but never tell her," Yi Jeong said, his voice rough and shaking. "I've never felt anything more chilling go through me as I did when I heard her scream."
"I think we all feel that way," Woo Bin said, his own voice shaky as he spoke. "I honestly don't know how we didn't trip over each other racing back down the hall to her room when we heard."
"Pretty sure the only reason Jun Pyo beat us is that his legs are longer," Ji Hu said, trying to lighten the mood. It had the desired effect as they all chuckled, but the sound was bitter even to their own ears.
"I swear if Kang Hee Soo had anything to do with her attack, I'll rip her apart with my bare hands," Jun Pyo said. "That bitch ruined my life and Jun Hee's life. I'll be damned if she will be able to do anything to Ga Eul."
"My abeoji is right about one thing," Woo Bin said. "She is going to fight when she finds out what Bon Hyeong-samchon has done. We are going to need to stay close to Ga Eul for a while, especially in the next few days. I suspect the witch is going to try and return here as if nothing happened. Or to demand answers once she catches wind of things."
"My guess is it'll be both," Ji Hu said. "She'll demand answers but also think she still has a claim here. And her first target is going to be Ga Eul. Then probably Geum Jan Di."
"My focus is Ga Eul," Jun Pyo said. "This is personal."
"And Geum Jan Di isn't?" Il Hyun asked. "From what I heard last night, it seems like she is."
"She's not my sister," Jun Pyo said. "And since she has barely spoken to me this week since the attack, I can't focus on her right now. I'll talk to Appa about making sure she's kept safe, but Ga Eul is who needs me right now. Who needs all of us. Especially after that little display of terror."
"I give her a day before she wants to smack the shit out of all of us," Il Hyun said.
"You give her that long?" Yi Jeong asked, offering his brother a shaky smile. "Oh Hyung, you have so much to learn about Gu Ga Eul."
Ga Eul was eternally grateful for her new sister's attention as Jun Hee helped her undress and get into the massive bathtub in her bathroom. The hot water felt amazing on the aching muscles around her hips, especially the one that had been dislocated. Despite her past experiences with dislocations of the joint, it was never easy to deal with. She noticed a pair of crutches in the bathroom and knew immediately that Yun Seok Young or Song Bon Ha had insisted on them. She was actually grateful. While she had been given a pair before and had sometimes used a cane, for past dislocations, she hadn't had a chance to utilize either long by her caretakers because they inhibited her movement.
"Seok Young-harabeoji said that you are fine to take a bath like this even with the stitches," Jun Hee said. "Since they do not dissolve. Bon Ha-sungmo showed me how to dry the wounds and apply ointment to rebandage them once you are done. They both insist you use the crutches to stay off your bad leg until you are cleared by one of them."
"Is that harabeoji really Ji Hu-sunbae's harabeoji?" Ga Eul asked, resting back against the side of the tub.
"He is," Jun Hee said, reaching for a small pitcher. She filled it with warm water and gathered Ga Eul's hair in her hand. She poured the water to get her hair wet before reaching for the shampoo. "He is hoping that Ji Hu will talk to him while here, but he knows how much he hurt him when he left so soon after Ji Hu's parents' funeral."
"Why did he?" Ga Eul asked. "From what Jan Di told me, he was a little boy."
"As he said last night to everyone," Jun Hee said. "Before you joined us. Grief leads us to make some horrible choices. He blames himself for their death and he was terrified that it would lead to Ji Hu being targeted again since he survived."
"I don't understand," Ga Eul said as her eyes closed as Jun Hee massaged her scalp.
"During the investigation of the crash, they discovered that the brake lines of the car had been cut," Jun Hee explained. "Suspicion is that Ji Hu's parents, namely his father, were targeted by those who always opposed Seok Young-harabeoji when he was president."
"Wait, what?" Ga Eul asked. She tried to sit up, but Jun Hee stilled her and rinsed her hair of shampoo before conditioning it and rinsing it.
"He looks rather different now, but Ji Hu's harabeoji is the former president of Korea," Jun Hee explained. "Anyway, in his grief and discovering that information, he left Ji Hu thinking he was protecting him. He had already lost his son and daughter-in-law, he couldn't think of losing Ji Hu as well. Unfortunately, how do you explain that to a six-year-old who had just lost his parents?"
"Poor Sunbae," Ga Eul said sadly. "Ever since I met him, I wondered why he was so quiet and withdrawn."
"Of all four of them, five if you count Il Hyun, Woo Bin is the only one of them that grew up in a semi-normal childhood," Jun Hee said. "At least as much as you can when your father is one of the richest men in Korea." She scoffed lightly. "And it still wasn't enough for our halmeoni."
"What do you mean?" Ga Eul asked.
Jun Hee hesitated to tell Ga Eul about the seedier side of the Song family business, but she needed to know and understand. It seemed easier to also tell her since she was family. "While Lee Bin-samchon, and even his father before him, have begun the very long process of legitimizing a lot of their business, there is a darker aspect of it that he is in charge of and that Woo Bin will eventually inherit."
"I… heard a rumor that the Songs are a part of the Korean mafia," Ga Eul said. "It's one of the reasons Ji Hu and Yi Jeong looked to Woo Bin to find Jan Di when she went missing."
"It's not a rumor," Jun Hee said. "And they aren't just a part of it. Our samchon is the head of the Korean mafia. The Song family has been the lead family for centuries. The later generations keep tabs on things and keep things as legitimate as possible, but they step in with connections as needed. Such as when Jan Di went missing and also when I asked him to look into our eomeoni's accident after I met you."
"I wanted to ask about that," Ga Eul asked. "Why you thought I could be related."
"I'll show you once we are downstairs, you'll understand then," Jun Hee said. "But back to the Songs. Because of the mafia connections, despite all the legitimate business dealings and wealth acquired, Halmeoni disapproved, greatly, of Bon Ha-sungmo marrying Lee Bin-samchon. But Harabeoji only ever wanted her and Appa's happiness, so he refused to stop either her marriage to Lee Bon-samchon or Appa's to Eomma. Halmeoni was further angered when both Bon Ha-sungmo and Eomma broke with Korean tradition and took on their married names."
"Yet you said that Woo Bin-sunbae grew up with a semi-normal childhood," Ga Eul said as she carefully washed her body, wincing slightly at the newly formed bruises from the night before.
"Mmm," Jun Hee said, getting big fluffy towels for Ga Eul. "After Eomma died and we thought you were gone as well, Appa was grief-stricken. Halmeoni, within weeks, essentially forced him into an arranged marriage with Kang Hee Soo. Since Jun Pyo was only two-years-old, he doesn't remember Eomma and Kang Hee Soo was the worst woman ever to be a mother in name or in reality. I was still a child as well but did what I could to be a mother figure to him, but we were often left alone to servants and nannies. Jun Pyo, for all intents and purposes, is still a child in an adult body."
Ga Eul frowned as she slowly got to her feet, Jun Hee moving over to help her stand before wrapping a large towel around her slender form.
"Yi Jeong and Il Hyun's parents are a mess," Jun Hee said.
"I gathered," Ga Eul admitted. "Yi Jeong-sunbae tries to hide a lot behind his supposed Casanova personality, but I can see how much he craves something deeper than hopping from woman to woman."
"Perceptive," Jun Hee said, smiling softly. "He's earned that Casanova personality, as has Woo Bin for his Don Juan one, but for very different reasons. Apparently, which I didn't know, but Appa and So Hyun Sub were both in love with Eomma, only she obviously chose Appa. It tore apart Appa and Hyun Sub's friendship and Hyun Sub never got over losing her. From what I heard him say last night, it sounds as if the forced marriage happening so soon after her death furthered that rift. So Hyun Sub was put into an arranged marriage with a cousin of Song Lee Bin. The marriage was never a happy one. So Hyun Sub has never been faithful and Park Cho Hee, Yi Jeong's mother, has spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals because she often threatens to take her own life over the infidelities. She used to use Il Hyun to try and get Hyun Sub to submit, but when he walked away from the family after they realized Yi Jeong was going to inherit the So fortune due to his pottery talent, she began using and manipulating Yi Jeong to put Hyun Sub in line. In turn, Yi Jeong often witnessed Hyun Sub's infidelities and it has colored his perceptions of love."
"Why would parents do something like that?" Ga Eul asked. "Something I often asked even as I grew up. Despite knowing those who took care of me weren't my parents, I had hoped maybe they would love me even a little. But they didn't and I always thought it was because I wasn't blood. But knowing the blood relatives can be just as bad…"
"Not all are," Jun Hee said. "We'll show you that now that you are with us where you belong."
"Now I understand why you say that Woo Bin-sunbae had the most normal childhood of the F4," Ga Eul said. "But you mentioned his Don Juan persona…"
"Woo Bin had someone he was very much in love with," Jun Hee explained. "She was older than him, similar to the age gap with Seo Hyun and Ji Hu, though I think a bit closer than their age difference. Regardless, he adored her and suddenly she ended things with him, telling him she was in love with someone else and they were getting married."
"Oh no," Ga Eul said, looking at Jun Hee. "Poor Woo Bin-sunbae."
"Ever since then, he's guarded his heart fiercely," Jun Hee said. "Instead, he allows himself to have fun with other women, but the moment feelings start to get involved, he closes himself off and moves in. I also suspect that she used knowledge of his darker family business against him to explain why he was not a good fit."
"Any woman would be lucky to be loved by Song Woo Bin," Ga Eul defended her cousin. "I admit that it was… hard for me when all four of them didn't really seem to care after the competition, but Woo Bin and Yi Jeong in particular have always been kind. Especially Woo Bin."
Jun Hee smiled gently and brushed Ga Eul's wet locks behind her ear. "Woo Bin is much like his father. They both have big hearts and love deeply. Bon Ha-sungmo once told me it was easy to love Song Lee Bin because when he loves, he loves with his whole heart. Woo Bin is the same way."
"And Yi Jeong?" Ga Eul asked quietly. Jun Hee tilted her head, studying her little sister's face. She had a sneaking suspicion that there was something more between the two than either wanted to admit. Or in Yi Jeong's case, something more that he was too scared to admit to, but seeing how he had reacted to her nightmare, perhaps he would admit it.
"Yi Jeong, if he gives himself the chance, would love even deeper than Song Woo Bin," Jun Hee admitted. "His loyalty to his friends shows how big his heart is. One of the reasons he was so upset with Ji Hu regarding Geum Jan Di is because it would have shattered their small family unit. He is fiercely protective of those he has come to love, but he has had his heart broken so many times because of his parents, and the one time he tried to open his heart, she walked away because it got too hard for her. He only recently found out that she moved on with his brother. It put a rift between them around the same time Il Hyun walked away from the family, but as Yi Jeong and Eun Jae had not actually been exclusive, he didn't want to cut ties entirely because Il Hyun didn't actually steal Eun Jae away. She never truly gave Yi Jeong a chance and simply decided to take the path that was easier for her. Unfortunately, it was still a rejection, coupled with the mess of his parents, that scarred Yi Jeong deeply."
"It all sounds so complicated," Ga Eul said as she sat down so Jun Hee could dress her wounds before she got dressed.
"It will take a very special and determined woman to show Yi Jeong that he can be loved and loved well," Jun Hee said. "Someone who is willing to fight for him as well as fight against him and with him, because of the four he is probably the most stubborn."
"Even more than Oppa?" Ga Eul asked.
Jun Hee paused and looked at Ga Eul, slowly smiling. "He will be so happy when he hears you call him that in front of him," she said, earning a shy smile from Ga Eul. "But yes, Yi Jeong can be even more stubborn than Jun Pyo. It's probably why Jun Pyo and Ji Hu seem closer and Woo Bin and Yi Jeong do. Woo Bin and Ji Hu balance the other two when they are at their most stubborn."
"That makes a lot of sense," Ga Eul said. "When I tried to encourage Yi Jeong-sunbae to let Jan Di win the swimming competition, he stubbornly refused to do so."
"Hm, that is not surprising," Jun Hee said as she helped Ga Eul get dressed and worked at drying her hair. She left the strands damp to allow them to air dry before she reached for the crutches for Ga Eul. "Yi Jeong is not only stubborn but particularly competitive. Something he shares with Jun Pyo."
"What is it with men and competing?" Ga Eul asked, shaking her head.
"That is another topic entirely," Jun Hee said, amused. Once Ga Eul had the crutches. "I'll change and we'll head to breakfast."
Kang Hee Soo walked into the foyer of the Gu estate, annoyance filling her face as no one walked towards her or attempted to greet her. It was bad enough that she had issues with credit cards and the access cards to get into Shinhwa headquarters, but to have her own servants ignoring her was beyond unreasonable. She looked at Butler Lee as he slowed when he saw her, his face almost stony in its countenance.
"What are you waiting for? Take my coat," she said to Butler Lee.
"He will do no such thing," Bon Ha said as she came in from the dining room.
Kang Hee Soo's jaw tightened but she put on a fake smile as she turned to the other woman. "Song Bon Ha," she said. "What a surprise to see you here."
"Oh I'm sure you have had many surprises today, Kang Hee Soo," Bon Ha said. "Though I am curious what you are doing here."
The other woman scoffed, her hands sweeping out in gesture. "Am I not allowed to come to my own home, even when gangster whores are in attendance," she said, not bothering to hide her disdain for the other woman.
"Take heed how you speak to me in my family home," Bon Ha said. "Unlike you, I am welcomed here and belong here."
"Until my husband says otherwise, you have no say in what happens in my home," Hee Soo said, her voice dripping with hostility.
"What husband?" Jun Pyo said as he sauntered into the foyer, his hands tucked into his pockets. "You aren't married."
"Jun Pyo," Hee Soo tried to sweeten her tone. "Whatever are you speaking-." Her voice trailed off as she saw Ga Eul coming down the stairs slowly on the crutches with Jun Hee at her side. "What is that commoner trash doing here?"
"Call my sister trash again, you bitch," Jun Pyo snapped. Hee Soo's head snapped to stare at him.
"Jun Pyo," Bon Hyeong said firmly. "See to your sisters." Song Lee Bin wasn't far behind his brother-in-law. He looked towards the dining room and waved his hand at the occupants. Soon Woo Bin, Ji Hu, Il Hyun, and Yi Jeong walked into the foyer. The moment they saw Kang Hee Soo, they moved to the stairs to surround Jun Hee and Ga Eul.
"What is all of this about, Gu Bon Hyeong?" Hee Soo asked. "Would you care to explain the hostility in my own home? The fact that none of my credit cards and access card to the office work?"
"Well there is a very good reason for that," Bon Hyeong said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because this is not your home. Your credit cards were opened with help of my name so they have been canceled and since you no longer work at Shinhwa, you no longer have access."
Kang Hee Soo scoffed, looking away before she looked at Bon Hyeong once more. "What nonsense are you spewing?" she asked. "If you are quite done with this insanity, I would like to go change and head into the office. I have contracts I am negotiating."
"The contracts that I would even consider that you were attempting are on hold until I or Jun Hee are back in the office," Bon Hyeong said. "The others are canceled and have been informed. Butler Lee has graciously packed a suitcase that you can take with you when you leave. In fact, I believe there is a cab that will be arriving soon to take you to the closest motel. Your severance pay from Shinhwa is in the top pocket of the suitcase. While it is generous, I suggest you start looking for something new immediately because I doubt it will last you very long."
"Have you lost your mind?" Hee Soo asked. "Severance pay? Canceling contracts I've been working on? Packing a suitcase? Is this some twisted attempt to divorce me? Because I refuse."
"I suppose, then, that it's a good thing we aren't actually married," Bon Hyeong said. "So you have no rights to this house, to any of the Gu fortune, or your position at Shinhwa which is why it's now eliminated. Currently, you are trespassing in my home."
"What nonsense is this?" Hee Soo said. She looked angered, but to the few that could read her actions could see panic forming.
"A lovely bit of information I recently discovered, thanks to my yeodongsaeng and seobangnim," Bon Hyeong said. "My abeoji put this wonderful clause into the marriage contract my eomeoni forced me to sign. Until such time that a biological child was produced between us, the contract remained in the hands of the attorneys on retainer. Once a biological child was produced, then and only then would our marriage be officially registered legally."
The man slowly walked towards Kang Hee Soo, smirking into her now pale face. "So the fact of the matter is, these past nineteen years, you have been nothing but a previous Shinhwa employee that briefly shared my bed. You have absolutely no tie to the Gu fortune or to anything related to Shinhwa."
"You can not be serious about this," Hee Soo said.
"He's very serious," Jun Pyo said from where he stood just in front of Ga Eul on the step below where she and Jun Hee stood. Ji Hu and Woo Bin stood just behind Ga Eul, while Il Hyun stood beside Jun Pyo and in front of Yi Jeong who chose to stand beside Ga Eul on the opposite side of Jun Hee. "And right now I am thanking every deity possible from all over the world for learning that not a single drop of your vindictive blood runs through my veins or through Noona's."
Hee Soo scoffed once more. "So you are proud that some little commoner bitch is related to you? That you share the same blood as that trash?" she asked.
"Call Ga Eul trash again, Kang Hee Soo," Yi Jeong said, his tone taking on a dangerous tone. "Give me a reason, give any of us reason, to show you what it means to piss off the So, Song, Yun, and Gu families."
"Sunbae," Ga Eul whispered shakily, her fingers finding the fabric of his shirt at his side. Yi Jeong took the crutch from that side and handed it down to his brother as he slipped his arms around Ga Eul, turning her face into his shoulder as his own fingers slipped into her hair. Both Ji Hu and Woo Bin put their own hands on Ga Eul's shoulder, their dark gazes never leaving Kang Hee Soo. The pure power and anger radiating from all of the men surrounding the two women were terrifying. For their elders, it was the first time they truly saw their next generation as the future strength of their families.
Hee Soo's jaw tightened and her eyes slid back to Bon Hyeong's enraged gaze. She sucked her teeth a moment before she gave a sharp nod and walked to the suitcase that Butler Lee had packed and grabbed it harshly. She jabbed a finger towards Bon Hyeong.
"This is far from over, Gu Bon Hyeong." With a sharp click of her heels, she stormed out of the mansion.
"Ensure she leaves," Bon Hyeong said to Butler Lee. "And ensure that security is aware of the situation."
"Of course, sir," Butler Lee said and headed off to do just that.
"Appa, I want security on Geum Jan Di," Jun Pyo said. "She'll attempt to use her to gain footing, especially knowing she can use her against Ga Eul."
"Already handled, Adeul," Bon Hyeong said. "Not only by me but also by Song Lee Bin."
"Will there be extra security around Ga Eul?" Jun Hee asked.
"Around everyone," Lee Bin said. "We are not taking any chances with that woman. Chief Lee has informed me he has sent me further reports and that bitch is in the thick of everything."
"Find out what we can," Bon Hyeong said. "Kang Hee Soo will be punished for everything she has done to our families."