A/N: Hi everyone, here's another update to Stand By Me. I apologize for the delay on this one. In early December, my laptop malfunctioned, and it wasn't until this past weekend that I was able to get it repaired. I appreciate everyone's patience, and I hope to continue updating relatively quickly.
For future updates, I will try to update this story either weekly or bi-weekly. So you can expect chapters released within this time span.
Thank you all again very much for your continued support. Here's to our favorite couple, Jan Di and Ji Hoo! :) Hope you all enjoy.
Young Jae pulled Jan Di up onto her feet and gestured in a certain direction with a nod of his head. "I know this good restaurant nearby. It's not expensive, but it's not too cheap either. I think it's a good balance," he told her, slipping his hands into his pocket.
Jan Di rubbed her cold hands together, smiling slightly in response. "I think cheap is the best way because you usually get a lot of food for a good price."
"Quantity over quality, right?" Young Jae replied, laughing. He glanced ahead of him, seeming to stare up at the night sky. "I have to say, Jan Di.. I'm really, really surprised. I never figured that we'd be so much alike."
She was puzzled by his comment. "What do you mean? Why would that be so surprising?"
"Can you blame me? You walked into the restaurant I worked at with the former president's grandson, so am I to think you're not high-class? I mean, granted, I didn't know at first, but now I can't believe it.."
"Oh.." Jan Di chewed on her bottom lip. "You're right.. When Ji Hoo and I went to the restaurant, it was sort of my idea to go. I've passed by it so many times that I couldn't help but want to taste it. The food...it smelled delicious every time I walked by."
"Look at that. You inspire people, Jan Di." Young Jae led her further down the street before stopping in front of a brightly-lit restaurant, though one of the letters hanging off the sign went out. It was a Korean BBQ. From outside, Jan Di peered through the glass windows, noting the red booths that cluttered the restaurant. He opened the glass door for her, gesturing with a single wave of his hand for her to go in first. She obliged hesitantly, still not used to people being kind to her. Usually, most people she encountered would let the door close behind them. But Young Jae insisted in a manner similar to Ji Hoo.
Stop thinking about him, she told herself. You're hanging out with Young Jae. That's rude.
She stepped inside the restaurant, relaxing as the warm air enveloped her. She pulled off her scarf and hat while Young Jae stepped in beside her. He gestured to a waitress who led them to a booth right in front of the window. As she placed the menus in front of them, she clasped her hands together.
"Thank you for choosing our restaurant. Tonight we have a few specials, including a couple's deal," the young waitress told them.
"A couple's deal?" Jan Di replied, peering up at her with a puzzled expression.
"Yes! It's a deal we have every Friday," she replied. "It comes with a large order of beef, kimchi, rice—"
"We'll take it," Young Jae replied, not bothering to look at the menu.
"Great." The waitress took their menus. "I'll put your order in right now." She left their table.
Jan Di glanced over at Young Jae, frowning slightly. "But that is a couple's deal—"
"It's a deal, isn't it?" Young Jae replied, leaning back into the cushioned booth. "I don't really think much of the meaning behind it. If I can get a meal half off, you can bet that I'll take it any day." He paused, pursing his lips. "Unless...am I making you uncomfortable? I didn't mean to—"
"No, no," Jan Di cut him off, nodding her head in agreement. "You're right. I would have done the same." That much was true. Back when she was with Jun Pyo, she always took advantage of deals, although he didn't really like it. But she really was the same as Young Jae. Besides, she reminded herself, this isn't a date. I'm simply grabbing dinner with a new friend.
"I'm relieved. I was almost worried that you were upset with me," he replied.
"Not at all." She glanced out the window and peered into the darkness of the outdoor world. She watched passerbys, presumably lovebirds, holding hands and sweet talking. There were a couple vehicles driving by. A sleek white car parked behind a black van, and a couple of young adults around her age stepped out and walked across the street to a bar with a neon sign.
For a while, Jan Di and Young Jae talked about their favorite foods and hobbies. Jan Di confessed that studying for medical school was rough and that she preferred swimming. She sighed softly at the memory of swimming, which she couldn't really do anymore due to an injury within the last year. Maybe one day, but her hopes were dim.
Soon, their food arrived, and while Young Jae cut up the sirloin beef and grilled it, he peeked over at her. "So then why become a doctor?"
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I think I was inspired by Ji Hoo's grandfather. He's good at what he does."
"And Ji Hoo? What is he doing?" he asked.
"Well, Ji Hoo is a wonderful musicianist. He plays the violin so beautifully," she said, watching as he flipped the beef over on the grill. "He's also decided to study and become a doctor."
"Ah, that's so sweet," Young Jae commented. "It must be nice. I bet he helps out financially, too."
"Yes… I couldn't afford it without his help," she murmured.
"I'm happy for you. I wish I could go to university, but I can't afford it." A half-smile appeared on his face. "Maybe one day, eh?"
Jan Di felt sorry for Young Jae. He was so alone in the world it seemed like. "Well, don't stress over it. Sometimes, I think school is overrated," she said jokingly. He laughed at her bad attempt of a joke, shaking his head. He placed a couple strips of meat on her plate. As she grabbed her chopsticks, she took another glance over at him. "Enough about me, though. What were you doing out at this time of night?"
"Oh.." He frowned. "I...I was just fired from my convenience store job."
Jan Di winced mentally. There I go again. "Sorry to hear about that."
"It's fine. I was able to pick up an extra shift at the bar thanks to it," he replied, shrugging it off as he stuffed beef and rice into his mouth. "By the way," he began, swallowing his food. "How's Ji Hoo doing? I hope he's feeling better after last night."
Jan Di almost choked on her food. "What?" she asked, setting down her chopsticks. Her brows furrowed, her stomach twisted. "What do you mean? What happened with Ji Hoo?"
Young Jae seemed to notice her tense up. He set down his bowl of rice and took a sip of his water to clear throat. "I just saw him last night at a restaurant where I work at.."
Jan Di's throat tightened. Her heart pounded heavily, increasing the ache in her chest. "You...you don't happen to know why he was there, do you…?"
"Not really. I didn't ask him about it, it didn't feel like my place. But I did see him with some lady last night. I just assumed they were friends, 'cause she looked real fancy, too." Young Jae scratched his cheek, looking away from Jan Di. "They had something to drink I guess, 'cause he was hungover by the time I saw him outside. He couldn't make it home himself, so I took him to my place. He seemed relieved that I didn't call the hospital or anything."
"I.. I see," she replied as she looked down at her food. Suddenly, she lost her appetite. She didn't know what woman Ji Hoo could possibly be with or why he didn't tell her if it wasn't anything scandalous. She continued to eat her food, though; she didn't want to appear ungrateful to Young Jae or make him feel as though he did something wrong. But a part of her felt hurt that Ji Hoo was hiding something from her.
"Shame on you. I can't believe you would even dare, especially with me right in front of you and your girlfriend at home."
Ji Hoo tensed at Min Ji's words and kept quiet.
She rested her hand atop his, which startled him. "Thinking about other girls at a time like this? I thought you were more loyal than that."
He didn't reply. While she chatted away for what felt like forever, he listened absentmindedly. He couldn't ease his anxiety that ate away at him and his mind. All he could think about was how much he despised this woman in front of him, who kept him away from his girlfriend, who threatened their love, who tore them apart bit by bit. Our fighting.. It's all because of her. If she didn't drug me last night, Jan Di and I would have been okay.
But maybe he was just making excuses. Maybe—just maybe—he was causing the problems in their relationships. Why am I hiding this from her?
"I can tell you're thinking quite a bit about her, aren't you?" Along the way, she ordered a couple drinks, both for herself and Ji Hoo.
As they waited for their drinks, Ji Hoo finally looked her in the eye, noticing the smile she wore so easily. Then, he began to wonder, did she feel anything? Did she understand what her actions were doing to Ji Hoo and Jan Di? Or did she simply not care? He decided he might as well ask and discover her true intentions.
"Why are you doing this?" Ji Hoo asked, crossing one leg over the other. "Do you realize how damaging this could be to my relationship with Jan Di?" After we've been through so much together—all the heartache, the pain, the trouble, all for Min Ji to come by and ruin it. He first had to uncover who she was exactly. One piece of information he did know was that she knew about the incident that went down back when F4 saved Kang San. Apart from giving them the tip, how did she know? Why? Furthermore, how much did she know? She clearly knew about Yi-Jeong helping Woo Bin escape Jan Di's previous apartment.
Their drinks arrived. She had a margarita, and for Ji Hoo, a couple shots. He could already taste the bitterness in his mouth. But then she spoke up, "It's not right. Your relationship with that girl is wrong."
"How is it wrong?" Ji Hoo was growing sick and tired of everyone criticizing his love life; he wasn't one to lose his temper, but he felt as though he would burst any moment. He slipped his hand from her grasp.
"What has she done to deserve you?" she replied. "I know that she killed a man. Do you really need a girl like that staining your image?"
So she knows even about that. It was true; Jan Di killed a man by slamming a large rock against his skull. But Ji Hoo knew she intended to knock him unconscious. Jan Di was not a cold-blooded killer.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Jan Di would never—" Ji Hoo began.
"But she did. I have the evidence," she murmured as she took a sip of her margarita. Ji Hoo felt his blood turn cold when she mentioned having evidence. "Wow, this really hits the spot. Go on Ji Hoo, have a drink." Min Ji winked at him and pushed the shot in his direction.
He snatched the drink off the table and downed it in an instant. But he felt sick to his stomach. It wasn't because of the alcohol intake, but out of the anxiety that boiled in his blood. Still, he played it off as well as he could, simply shrugging off her comment.
"You think that means anything to me? Evidence can easily be tampered with, if you have the right equipment. Furthermore," Ji Hoo murmured, shifting his gaze back to the bar counter. Woo Bin was nowhere to be seen, but his fellow female friends continued their drinking game. "You do realize who you are speaking to, correct? Petty threats don't work on me."
"Oh, maybe not. But you care an awful lot about the poor girl. It's obvious from that day, you know?" Min Ji scowled to herself, appearing irritable now. "Great, now I'm getting angry. Why do you have to talk about other women in my presence, huh? You'd avoid it for her sake.."
Ji Hoo didn't reply. He sat in silence. Even now, the alcohol continued to take its effect. The neon-colored lights flashing in the darkness of the bar began to feel overwhelming. Even his thoughts, which he could typically handle as well as his drinks, were starting to feel impossible and filled his head with 'what-ifs'. That's when he heard her voice again.
"All four of you were willing to take a bullet for her," she murmured, taking another sip of her margarita. "But why? Why are you all so drawn to her?"
Ji Hoo didn't have an answer. Even he was mystified by the idea. All of F4 were so ready to lay their lives on the line if it meant to protect Jan Di, and for several occasions, they helped her out. They shielded her from the bullying, the heartbreak, the violence, and even from the all-powerful and wealthy like Madam Kang. Each time it only grew more dangerous, yet their efforts didn't cease. More than ever, Ji Hoo wanted to see Jan Di. He was tired of the fighting, of the miscommunication, of the emptiness he felt whenever he wasn't beside her.
"I...need to use the restroom," Ji Hoo mumbled.
Without waiting for an answer, he left the table and strolled to the restroom. All around him were blinding flashes of light, people dancing, and couples kissing on the booths. The music blared throughout the establishment, but the lyrics were muffled. All he could hear was the pounding his ears. As he entered the restroom, he planted himself at the sink, leaning against it with his palms pressed against the marble counter. After a couple seconds, he heard the toilet flush. He glanced up into the mirror, and relief flooded over him. Through the reflection, Woo Bin exited the stall to wash his hands. He looked startled to see Ji Hoo there.
"Ji Hoo—what the heck are you doing here? I thought you were going to go see Jan Di?" Woo Bin dried his hands with a paper towel. Then he glanced over at his friend. "Did...did it not go well after all? Wow.. Jan Di can be a scary lady when she's tough."
"That's not it," Ji Hoo replied. He glanced at the clock in the restroom. He only had a couple minutes before Min Ji would get suspicious. "Listen, Woo Bin, I need a favor."
Ji Hoo figured that his tone of voice gave Woo Bin the idea that the situation was somewhat grave. "Sure, what's up buddy?"
"I haven't mentioned this to anyone yet, so I ask that you keep this information private for now." Ji Hoo leaned against a wall in the bathroom, rubbing the side of his head. "Recently, a woman has approached me and has started making bold threats. I need you to check out the severity of the situation. You can start by checking the license plate on the black van parked outside."
"Whoa, Ji Hoo. How long has this been going on?" Woo Bin asked.
"I'll give you the details later. Right now I don't have time to waste, otherwise she might get suspicious." Ji Hoo kept his eyes on the ticking clock. He had already been in there for five minutes. Time to get back to her. For now, he had to play it safe; after all, she had the upper hand.
He waved to Woo Bin, indicating he had to leave. Ji Hoo turned away and left the bathroom. He returned to the table where she waited, and he noticed that she garnered several more drinks. Min Ji smiled when he sat down, but he didn't plan on staying for longer. Rather, he had enough of the games for the night.
"I'm feeling tired, so I'm going home," he muttered. He pulled his wallet out from his pocket and dropped money on the table, which would be enough to cover the expenses for the drinks she ordered.
"Aw, what a bummer. I wonder why you can't be exciting like your other friends, Ji Hoo," she sighed. "But that's fine. First, though, you have to negotiate the terms with me."
"What might those terms be?" Ji Hoo replied coldly.
"Well, for starters, I want to keep seeing you." She stirred her drink with a straw. The ice cubes swirled around, knocking lightly against the glass. "I'm sure you're wondering why you would even begin to do that, so let's just put Jan Di's life on the table. You want to keep her safe? Simple, just give me a call once a day, and I'll make sure nothing happens to her. But if you fail to contact me or see me whenever I request it, well...let's just say we'll have problems."