Thank you for all the reviews on this story and over at "The Heart's Prism". As I said, my main focus will be this story until it's done, but I do have other 'fics I am working on along with school and work. Plus I have many other BOF 'fic ideas in the works and at least one Playful Kiss 'fic that I want to write. A new antagonist has been added to the fray, so see my endnotes regarding them. I also apologize that this isn't QUITE as long as my other chapters, but this is serving as a slight filler chapter and I didn't want to drag it out much more without smoother transitions.
"That bitch is out of her damn mind!"
Gu Bon Hyeong would almost feel amused at Song Bon Ha's outburst if it wasn't for the circumstances that incited his sister's ire. Woo Bin actually glanced over at Yi Jeong, Ji Hu, and Il Hyun with an arched brow. Unlike Bon Hyeong, he had never seen his mother so irate. While her words were harsh, her stance was calm, the antithesis of Jun Pyo who was angrily pacing, but unusually silent.
The party had dissolved shortly after Kang Hee Soo's arrival and subsequent announcement of the arranged marriage she had negotiated for Gu Jun Pyo with JK Group's sole heiress, Ha Jae Kyung. It had taken a lot of effort for violence to not break out in the middle of the party upon the announcement Kang Hee Soo had made. Kim Ju Won had arrived just in time to catch his wife as Jun Hee had advanced on her former stepmother, even as Song Lee Bin kept Bon Ha from advancing on the woman. The members of F4 had surrounded Ga Eul, mostly in protection, but knowing her tendency towards being protective of those she loved they wouldn't put it past her to take on Kang Hee Soo in her brother's defense.
"What do you think she was attempting to accomplish with that stunt?" So Yun He asked as he stood with his wife.
"It doesn't matter, because it's not happening," Jun Hee said hotly. "Who the hell does she think she is arranging Jun Pyo's marriage?!"
"His mother, that's who," Kang Hee Soo said as she walked into the living room, setting her purse on the table. "Or have you forgotten?"
"You are not and will never be my mother," Jun Pyo said, finally speaking up.
"Now, is that any way to-," Hee Soo started.
"Get out of our house," Ga Eul finally spoke up. "You have absolutely no right to be here and you are certainly not welcome."
Hee Soo slowly turned to stare at Ga Eul. Her eyes traveled over the girl, arching an eyebrow as she did so. "Well I suppose you clean up well enough, but it's apparent that you still have no manners to speak to me in such a way," she said.
"I will speak to you exactly as you deserve," Ga Eul said. "You are not welcome in this home, you have no say over my oppa's future, and you have no say when it comes to anything related to Shinhwa. Leave this house before I call someone and have you removed."
Hee Soo scoffed. "As if you have any right or say," she said, amused.
"Unlike you, I am a Gu and this is my home," Ga Eul said. She walked over and lifted the phone received, preparing to call for security.
"No need to make such a scene," Kang Hee Soo said, waving her hand as she picked up her purse. "But this marriage will happen, as Shinhwa needs JK Group. Jun Pyo will secure-."
"Stop talking," Ga Eul said. "iAppa/i will never allow this marriage to happen."
Hee Soo stared at Ga Eul before a sneer formed at the corner of her lips. "You should have died with your mother," she said. If she said it to shut Ga Eul up, it certainly did the trick as Ga Eul's face completely drained of all of its color.
Ji Hu pulled Ga Eul into his arms, cupping the back of her head to hold her close. He could feel her trembling as he shot a glare at Hee Soo, who was smirking at Ga Eul's reaction. Ji Hu lowered his head to whisper into Ga Eul's ear.
"Don't listen to what she said," he whispered. "Don't let her break you." He felt Ga Eul's fingers curl into the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. He tightened his hold on her, keeping her tucked close and his head down against her ear. He began to hum a song against her ear, one his mother used to sing to him often as a child. It was one of the things he clearly remembered about his mother.
"You fucking bitch!" Jun Pyo roared, launching himself towards Kang Hee Soo before he was caught by Song Lee Bin and Woo Bin. Kim Ju Won kept a firm hold on his wife, his arms around Jun Hee's waist. So Yun He kept a firm grip on Bon Hyeong as he made advances on Kang Hee Soo. Yi Jeong moved forward to help Lee Bin and Woo Bin restrain Jun Pyo.
"I see being around commoners has done wonders for your vocabulary," Hee Soo said to Jun Pyo. "Your marriage to-." She was unable to finish as the sharp slap to her cheek cut her off as Geum Jan Di's hand connected with her skin.
"I believe that Gu Ga Eul said you were not welcome here," Jan Di said, her voice trembling as Hee Soo turned murderous eyes to her. Jan Di cringed as Hee Soo lifted her hand to strike Jan Di, but her wrist was caught by a pair of slender fingers. She turned to look at Ha Jae Kyung, who was glaring at her. Butler Lee was standing just behind the young woman.
"There will be no marriage," Jae Kyung said. "If you think I will allow my parents to force me into a marriage with anyone, let alone to someone who you have no say in the future of, you are sadly mistaken." She harshly released Hee Soo's wrist.
"Butler Lee, see that Kang Hee Soo leaves this mansion and this property immediately," Bon Hyeong said. Butler Lee bowed and grabbed Hee Soo's arm. The woman attempted to shake the older man off, surprised at how firmly he kept a hold of her even as she struggled. Bodyguards came into the room and took each of her arms, nodding to the man, who simply turned and led them out of the sitting room, even as Kang Hee Soo protested how she was being treated in her own home.
"Ga Eul," Jun Pyo pulled away from Lee Bin, Woo Bin, and Yi Jeong to hurry over to his sister and Ji Hu. He carefully extracted Ga Eul's hands from Ji Hu's tuxedo before turning her to wrap his arms around her and letting her bury her face into his chest. He caught her as her legs gave out, scooping her up and walking to the couch where he set her down, joining her.
Woo Bin hesitated before walking over to Jan Di. "You all right?" he asked. She offered a small smile before nodding.
"Don't worry about me," she said.
"Where are your parents?" Bon Hyeong asked Jae Kyung.
"They went back to our hotel," Jae Kyung said. "But I refused to go with them because this is all ridiculous. I am not marrying your son."
"I know you aren't," Bon Hyeong said. "No offense, Miss Ha, but my son won't marry anyone unless he loves them and wants to marry them."
"No offense taken," Jae Kyung said. "I'm many things, including flighty according to my parents, but I am not someone in need of a rich husband or an arranged marriage. I won't marry anyone either unless I want to and I love them."
"Did you have any clue about this?" Jun Hee couldn't help but ask as she and her husband stood behind the couch near Ga Eul and Jun Pyo.
"None," Jae Kyung said. "I was informed we were invited to this party celebrating the return of your iyeodongsaeng/i. It wasn't until we arrived and Kang Hee Soo made her announcement that I learned of this supposed arrangement she had made with my father."
"I'll arrange a meeting with your father in the morning," Bon Hyeong said. "I recognize JK Group's place in the industry, but we are not in any need of a merger as Kang Hee Soo suggested."
"Why can't she just leave our family alone?" Ga Eul asked, lifting her head from Jun Pyo's chest. "Hasn't she done enough after kidnapping Geum Jan Di and causing Jun Pyo to get injured?"
"Wh… what?" Jan Di asked.
"That's why you've been having people protect you," Woo Bin explained. "Kang Hee Soo is the one who hired Lee Jae Ha to get close to you in the hopes of driving you and Jun Pyo apart. Only we don't think she fully did her research and knew that he was the brother of Lee Min Ha and would want revenge on Jun Pyo."
"Or she knew, just didn't care," Jun Pyo said. "That witch has never given a damn about me or Jun Hee. She always made that clear. She saw me as a meal ticket if she could mold me to be cold and unfeeling as the heir of Shinhwa."
"Lee Jae Ha wanted to kill you if he could," Ji Hu reminded him. "If she wanted to mold you into a cold and unfeeling CEO she could control, having you killed wouldn't achieve her ends."
"Can we not talk about someone wanting my oppa dead, please?" Ga Eul asked.
"I have to agree," Jun Hee said. "It's bad enough I thought I lost my yeodongsaeng for nineteen years. I don't need to think about someone wanting to kill my namdongsaeng."
"Sorry," Ji Hu murmured, abashed.
"Regardless of the uncomfortable topic, Ji Hu has a point," Bon Hyeong said. "As does Jun Pyo. I can imagine that Kang Hee Soo knew of the connection and didn't care, but probably did not realize the extent of Lee Jae He's hatred or the lengths he would go in revenge against Jun Pyo."
"Considering tonight's display, I think we need to increase security around Geum Jan Di. We know Hee Soo would attempt to use her because of Ga Eul, regardless of what happened to strain their friendship," Jun Hee said. "But Jan Di hitting her tonight is definitely going to incite her wrath further. Even if she doesn't see Jan Di as a threat to whatever her agenda is, she'll want revenge for her being close to Ga Eul and for hitting her tonight."
"Security will be increased around her and Ga Eul," Lee Bin put in. "I'm increasing security around all of us. I don't trust that woman to not attempt to harm any of our families in some way. She has something bigger planned. It actually worries me that she has involved JK Group in some way."
"You think she will use me and my family for whatever she is doing?" Jae Kyung asked.
"It's why I wish to meet with your father," Bon Hyeong said. "I want to know what it is, exactly, she has attempted to work out with him. For now, I suggest you head back to them. If you can get them to Shinhwa tomorrow at 8 am, I'll meet with both of your parents then."
"Be prepared for a fight," Jae Kyung said. "I know my father well enough to know that he is not going to be happy with what played out tonight and if he's only had Kang Hee Soo to listen to, it's going to be difficult to get him to listen to anything else."
"I'll be prepared."
There was never a time when Choi Jin Hee hadn't wanted to find herself in front of Kang Hee Soo, not when she had the hopes of landing one of the F4, and of course who didn't want it to be the wealthiest of the four of them. Though Ginger had to admit that she would probably prefer So Yi Jeong, thanks to that dimpled smile that made him irresistible to pretty much every woman in Korea. Only now, she was in front of a woman that seemingly had nothing to do with the Gu family, despite her posturing earlier and saying she had arranged a marriage with the heiress of the JK Group and Gu Jun Pyo.
"Do not look so smug, child," Hee Soo said as she swirled her glass of champagne. "I still have power you can not even imagine, despite Gu Bon Hyeong cutting me off from Shinhwa. I do have my own family wealth at my disposal and the Kang family is quite well-."
"Was," a male voice said with an obvious smirk on his face. Ginger found it interesting to watch the older woman's jaw tighten in annoyance before her dark gaze swung over to the young man before looking at Ginger once more.
"I still have considerable influence," Hee Soo said once more. "And I am sure that it is an influence that you could well benefit from."
"Why would I associate myself with someone who is obviously despised by four of the most powerful families in Korea?" Ginger asked.
"They are not the only ones with influence," Hee Soo pointed out. "And I well know that you and your two little friends have your sights set on the heirs of those four families."
Ginger straightened, her head tilting to the side. "How would you know that?" she asked. The man in the chair simply snorted.
"It's pretty common knowledge," he said, earning a glare from Ginger.
"He is not incorrect," Hee Soo said. "It's quite common that most of the young ladies, though some I hesitate to call them that, wish to be the ones chosen by So Yi Jeong, Gu Jun Pyo, Song Woo Bin, and Yun Ji Hu."
"But you've already taken Gu Jun Pyo off the market, or have you?" Ginger said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Hee Soo merely smirked. "That is a situation you need not concern yourself with," she said. "Especially since it is not my Jun Pyo you are interested in, but So Yi Jeong." She turned away from Ginger to walk to the wet bar and pour herself some more champagne.
"Only it would seem he is interested in Chu Ga Eul," Hee Soo said. She scoffed. "I'm sorry, Gu Ga Eul." She looked out the window of her hotel suite to study the Seoul skyline. "Little tramp should have died alongside her mother, yet here she is creating a wrinkle in everything."
"That bitch has no right to So Yi Jeong," Ginger snapped. "He belongs to me!"
Hee Soo simply smirked. "Well, be that as it may, dear, it will not matter if So Yun He and So Seu Ya wish to give him free rein over who he chooses to be with. A choice they did not give his father, though if they had then that little tramp and So Yi Jeong would be hyeongje jamae instead of a potential couple," she said.
"I refuse to lose to that commoner trash," Ginger said. "I will have So Yi Jeong. Sunny will have Song Woo Bin and Miranda will have Yun Ji Hu."
Kang Hee Soo slowly turned a smile that could only be described as the cat that caught the canary sliding across her face. "Good," she said. "I want you to keep that attitude because you will be instrumental in ensuring that happens. But first, you have to make sure that So Yi Jeong never wishes to sully himself with that little slut."
"Be careful who you are calling a slut, Kang Hee Soo," the young man said. "She is still a Gu." Hee Soo simply scoffed.
"And how do you factor into this, exactly?" Ginger asked him.
Park Sung Ho simply smiled, swirling the wine in his glass around the glass. "I will be the one that will ensure that you get So Yi Jeong," he said. "Because Gu Ga Eul will be mine."
So somewhere along the way, I decided that Park Sung Ho wasn't going to be just a one-off throw out a named character, that I was going to need someone to serve as a Lee Jae Ha type of character, but much more sinister. While re-reading the last chapter and given the hint of his less than stellar reputation as he is not really much of a gentleman, I realized he'd be the perfect male antagonist to serve as Ginger's foil and both to be the co-conspirators for Kang Hee Soo. I also figured that Park Sung Ho probably has always wanted to stick it to the F4, particularly Jun Pyo and Yi Jeong, so what better way than to want Ga Eul for himself. And I've decided that his "face" is going to be Mr. Sexy Charisma himself, Park Jung Min from SS501 because I think it just suits him since he has such a dark beauty. Despite the man himself being probably one of the sweetest people in the world, when he does some of his Romeo photoshoots, you could see where he could be a perfect sinister look.