Secret of the Autumn

by xiaoj

[AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4,

36. Chapter 36

Author's notes: Okay, I have to admit - I started this new document on a spur of a moment. I'm not even sure if I would persevere to the end with this new idea. Either way, I was reading English Fics on the SoEul couple from the TV show Boys Over Flowers [Korean Version] and thought, perhaps I should try my hands in writing something on the couple. I had my fair share of dabbling in the ship with the Chinese language but I have never tried writing it in English before.

Summary: [AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4, how would that affect the entire story flow in the Boys over Flowers universe?

Title: Secret of the Autumn

Chapter 36 - Time flies, Jan Di's Trip to Macau, Part 4

Location: Red Market, Macau. 21st November 2009, Saturday, 1.30pm

While the F3 is still on the way over to the city of Macau via the private jet of the Song family, Geum Jan Di has just started to explore the red market of Macau. The red market is where one is expected to find lots of cheap food bargains, it is technically a wet market with the third floor of the building selling fresh meat, the second-floor selling fish, and the ground floor selling a variety of vegetables and poultry. Other items such as dried food, fresh fruits, flowers, and other perishable items could also be found on the ground floor of the red market building as well as the surrounding red market pedestrian street.

Since Geum Jan Di isn't specifically looking to buy market products, she's exploring the pedestrian street near the red market building mostly. The heiress of the JK Group, on the other hand, spends a bit of time browsing through the stalls located on the ground floor of the red market building before moving on to explore the pedestrian street. By this point, Chen - the female bodyguard of the heiress has finally caught up to her young mistress.

"Young mistress, you really shouldn't have gone off on your own." Chen reprimanded the heiress of the JK Group with a stern expression.

"I apologize for running off without a word, but I wanted to explore the red market before dad and mom got here. And you were taking too long with the phone call…" Ha Jae-Kyung responded nonchalantly to her stern bodyguard as she continues to browse through the products available in the dried food store.

"..." Chen had no words to describe the amount of exasperation she's feeling at present. So, with a shake of her head, she followed behind her young mistress dutifully. Not venturing too close as she knows the heiress didn't want the local to stare in their direction too much, but she didn't dare to put too much space between them as well as she didn't want to go through the hassle of locating her young mistress via the GPS tracking function, again. Henceforth, Chen makes sure that there aren't more than five steps apart between her and the heiress of the JK Group as they maneuver through the throng of people crowding in the area.

Some distance away, Geum Jan Di was seen lugging her suitcase behind her as she explored the pedestrian street surrounding the red market building with enthusiasm. The Wonder Woman of Korea didn't let the inability to meet her boyfriend for a chat earlier dampen her spirits. At least, not this early into her Macau trip. It was her own lack of insight to factor in how busy her boyfriend might have been, and that she should have the insight to send word ahead. That way, even if her boyfriend doesn't have time to meet her immediately following her arrival - she could at least have someplace to settle in for a rest. Still, what happens has happened… short of turning back the time, there's nothing else Jan Di could do to change the current situation.

And so, Geum Jan Di decided to explore the city for now before heading back to the vicinity of the Shinhwa Hotel and thinking about how she could meet up with her boyfriend without being halted in the act by the tight security measures in the areas where her boyfriend had been sighted entering earlier. Eventually, Geum Jan Di was lured to a stop in front of a stall that sells hot steamed meat buns.

The aroma emitting from the steam basket reminded Geum Jan Di that she had yet to take her lunch, and because she was taking a budget flight from Seoul to Macau, her breakfast was just a sandwich bread she had grabbed at the airport's convenience store. Feeling the rumbling in her belly, Geum Jan Di makes the decision to venture closer to the stall that sells the meat buns.

"How much does this cost?" Geum Jan Di asks in broken English, communicating her query across to the lady behind the stall with a combination of hand gestures and her poorly commanded English ability.

"Nine dollars." The lady situated behind the stall responded, without a moment's delay.

"Okay, give me one." Geum Jan Di was quick to respond, compared to the taxi ride that costs 100 dollars. Nine dollars doesn't seem that bad in her eyes, and so she handed over a ten dollars note she has on her person to the lady and received her change back in coins.

Collecting the piping hot steamed bun from the vendor, Geum Jan Di smiles as she continues on her way down the street with her suitcase and bites into the juicy and hot bun.

[My goodness, this bun is really juicy!] - Geum Jan Di thought as she took the first bite of her lunch on the first day of her Macau trip.

Continuing on her walk down the street, Geum Jan Di kept her eyes out on the various street food she chanced upon but other than the meat buns, she didn't make any attempt to purchase other treats. Mostly because she knows she has a budget limit on how much she could spend, and thus unless absolutely necessary - she didn't wish to spend thoughtlessly.

Finishing up the meat bun, it took Geum Jan Di a while to find a trash can where she could drop the packaging of the meat bun into so she wouldn't be caught holding on to the trash the entire way. Stopping in front of a shop that sells jerky, she first tried out the samples on offer for the tourists in bite-size before deciding to try another sample of the jerky made of other meats. There are two kinds on sale in the shop, the standard original jerky made with marinated pork and later manually barbecued, and the alternative version made out of chicken meat. So immense in the sampling of the tasty treat, Geum Jan Di didn't even notice that a thief is approaching her from behind intending to swipe her wallet from the zipper compartment of her backpack.

The heiress of the JK Group was initially making her way through the throng of people crowding in the red market pedestrian street minding her own business when her sharp eye caught sight of a guy stealing a wallet from a young lady who's preoccupied with the task of sampling jerky treats outside of a shop. Reacting purely on instincts, the heiress of the JK Group calls out aloud to the guy as she reaches out to grab the hand of the thieve holding on to the wallet of the unknown young lady.

"Ya! Return the wallet to her immediately!" Jae-Kyung calls out in Korean, alerting the thieve to the knowledge that he had been caught red-handed in the act of stealing and also to alert the unsuspecting Geum Jan Di onto the fact that she had just been thieved upon.

It took Geum Jan Di a moment to make the connection between the stolen wallet and herself, and upon realizing that it was her wallet that has been stolen. Geum Jan Di promptly yelped aloud on reflex, "he… he's a thief!"

Coming to the realization that his ploy to steal had been foiled by a busybody woman, the man started to struggle against the hold the unknown woman had on his person. When the woman twisted his hand into letting go of the wallet, he seized the opportunity to leap away from the woman, and then, without thinking he reached for the pocket knife he had on his person and start heading towards the poor unsuspecting Geum Jan Di.

Needless to say, poor Jan Di was frightened out of her wits after being held hostage by the thieve. Meanwhile, the heiress of the JK Group could hardly believe what she was seeing.

"Mr, do you know you are making a worse mistake as compared to earlier? Previously, you're simply a thieve who stole from unsuspecting poor tourists. Now, you are taking it up a notch by holding someone hostage." The heiress of the JK Group begins to address the agitated thieve with her not quite authentic Chinese language ability.

"Shut up!" The thieve hollered back in Cantonese, still holding Geum Jan Di at knifepoint.

Rolling her eyes at the situation at hand in general, Jae-Kyung shifted her attention to the hostage - Geum Jan Di instead.

"On the count of three, bite him on his hand and the moment he let go makes a run for it." The heiress of the JK Group instructed the shell-shocked figure of Geum Jan Di.

When Jae-Kyung fails to receive any response from the hostage, she couldn't help her exasperation as she snapped. "Don't tell me you don't understand Korean."

Blinking rapidly as her mind rebooted as she recovered from the shock of her present situation, Geum Jan Di hurried to respond. "No, I mean… I do understand Korean!"

"Excellent. On the count of three, bite him and make a run of it." Ha Jae-Kyung instructed, willing herself to be patient as she repeated her words from before.

Just before she could start counting though, Geum Jan Di felt it prudent to ask. "When you say bite him on the count of three, do you mean before or after the count of three?"

"...Seriously?!" Jae-Kyung could hardly believe it, under such circumstances, the hostage is still going to seek clarification with her on such mundane issues? "One, two… and now!" Jae-Kyung huffed aloud as she counted aloud.

[Eh?! Now?] - Geum Jan Di blanked out in her mind, but luckily her body still remember what she ought to do and so, she bite down on the hand of the man holding her hostage hard. The man who had stolen from her and later held her at knifepoint yelped aloud as he loosen his grip on her person. Reacting purely on the adrenaline rush, Geum Jan Di leaps away from the guy and makes a dash for where the unknown woman had saved her stood.

Needless to say, the man reacted even more agitated than before as he tried to lunge in the direction of the busybody who just had to poke her nose into the matter. Jae-Kyung, who had been very well prepared for his lunging act then promptly swiped her feet out at the guy sending the man off towards the direction of the shopfront where the sampling booth had been set up by the shop vendors.

Retrieving her fallen wallet from where it had dropped after the thief let go of it, Geum Jan Di headed towards the young lady who had rescued her from her earlier plight of being held hostage expressing words of thanks to her savior.

"Thank you so much." Geum Jan Di told the heiress of the JK Group and was about to say more when she noticed the fallen man getting back up on his feet and this time he's charging towards the direction of her savior with the knife in hand. It goes without saying that Geum Jan Di yelped aloud again, only the man didn't get too far before he was sent sprawling onto the ground again - this time by another lady. Only, this lady is dressed fully in black and looks like a properly trained fighter that reminded Geum Jan Di oddly of the bodyguards surrounding her boyfriend from time to time.

The commotion didn't die down until the local police officers arrived with the sirens of the patrol car, the shop vendor then directed the officers towards the man that now sprawls on the street outside his shop. Chen, the bodyguard who had finally caught up to her young mistress signals for her backup team to stay hidden while she handles the aftermath of the entire fiasco. Reaching for her own wallet, Chen compensated the shop vendors for the trashed booth and the samples that has gone to ruin when the thief crashes into it, bringing down the entire booth with him.

Afterward, Chen make sure to remain out of sight of her young mistress with the rest of the bodyguard team dispatched over by her employers after it became known to them that their daughter had wandered off unsupervised on her own, again. Meanwhile, Geum Jan Di and the heiress of the JK Group started a conversation of their own after leaving the area where the commotion was still going on.

"Now I finally know why people are always talking about how great it was to meet a fellow country-mate on foreign land. Thank you for your assistance earlier, I would have been at a loss of what to do if it weren't for your clear instructions earlier on." Geum Jan Di commented, flashing a quick smile of gratitude to the young lady walking next to her.

"You're welcome. I would have helped anyone in the same situation, it's simply a coincidence that we're both Koreans. While on the subject, what brings you over to Macau?" The heiress of the JK Group inquires, her curiosity getting the best of her - again.

"Ah… well, I'm actually here to see someone." Geum Jan Di answered vaguely.

Still, Jae-Kyung managed to catch on to the tell-tale signs in Jan Di's body language to garner the fact that she's here to visit her boyfriend. "I see… here to see your boyfriend, I supposed? That's a great reason for being here."

In the case of Jae-Kyung, her original plan of visiting Macau for mere sightseeing went to hell after receiving the information that her parents are coming over to meet up with her and later, they are to attend a function where they are supposed to be meeting up with the representatives of the infamous Shinhwa Group. And so, she didn't share her reason for being in the city with her new acquaintance.

"You were thinking of getting the jerky just now, weren't you?" Eager to change the subject, the heiress of the JK Group suddenly brought up the mention of the jerky snack which Geum Jan Di had been sampling before the entire fiasco of being thieved and held hostage.

"Huh?" Geum Jan Di blinked completely caught off-guard by the sudden change in topic and could only dumbly follow when her savior led her down another alley to arrive at a new shop that sells the same product. Just like the other shops selling similar products, the shop also had someone handing out bite-size samples of the jerky to the passer-by.

Both Jan Di and Jae-Kyung naturally tried it out, and Geum Jan Di felt her eyes lighting up upon tasting the sample. This was even more delicious than the jerky she had tried in the other shop, and it seems that Jae-Kyung shared the same sentiment for she started to bargain with the stall vendor, out of the blue.

"This is good. How do you sell these?" Jae-Kyung inquires the shop vendor with her not quite fluent Mandarin tongue. Not that the vendor is in any position to complain, as 85% of the population migrated over from the Guangdong province of China in the early days. The native language in Macau tends to be Cantonese, with English and Mandarin being the other two languages used on most occasions.

"It comes with 500g and 1kg package, the 500g package is selling at $50 while the 1kg package is selling at $70." The vendor responded to the inquiry in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Give me 1 kg then, but pack them separately in 500g per package. I'll give you $70 for it." Ha Jae-Kyung told the vendor, it took a moment for the vendor to comprehend the meaning of the girl's words, and when he realized that the girl is basically telling him to sell her two 500g jerky packages at the pricing of a single package of 1kg jerky. He promptly shakes his head in response.

"Is that a no? Well, in that case, I'm not buying from you anymore." The heiress of the JK Group daringly declared, giving off the vibe that she would be able to get the jerky of similar quality at her offered pricing from elsewhere.

It took a while but eventually, the vendor caved in to the pressure, mostly because he knows there are plenty of shops selling jerky in the area, and his shop, unlike the others aren't located in areas with the most footfall and so, if he were to let the customer who came by leave empty-handed. He likely wouldn't be able to earn anything for the rest of the day, after all, shop vendors like him tend to rely on the blog of tourists to promote their business.

"Fine, $70, and I'll pack them separately into a 500g package for you." The shop vendor eventually agreed to the pricing offered by the heiress of the JK Group.

Turning towards Geum Jan Di with a triumphant grin, Jae-Kyung declared smugly. "I've just managed to save $30 by getting both our jerky together."

Staring wide-eyed at the girl next to her, Geum Jan Di was really at a loss for words. So, not only was she saved by the girl when she was on the verge of being robbed… now, she's getting the jerky free-of-charge? Thanking the shop vendor for the service, the heiress of the JK Group removed one of the individually packed 500g jerkies from the carrier bag she was given and handed it over to her new acquaintance.

"Here, this is your share of the jerky," Jae-Kyung said, nodding at the hesitant Geum Jan Di to accept the offered package.

"Thank you. Are you sure I don't need to pay you back for this?" Geum Jan Di inquires hesitantly.

"Nah, it's fine. Just take better care of yourself and be on your guard around here. Macau might be a good place to visit, but it isn't wise for girls like you to be going around without an escort." The heiress of the JK Group reminded as she responded to Geum Jan Di's comment.

"I will, thank you so much for helping me today." Geum Jan Di smiles cheerfully at the heiress of the JK Group in response.

"You're welcome, and it's nice getting to know you too. Take care and have fun." Jae-Kyung said, turning to leave as she parted ways with Geum Jan Di.

"Erm… wait up, may I know your name?" Geum Jan Di then calls out again to the girl before her savior could completely vanish from her sight.

"Jae-Kyung, my name's Ha Jae-Kyung!" The heiress of the JK Group waved cheerfully at Geum Jan Di before continuing on to explore the opposite side of the area - where it's been said that one could find cheap electronic gadgets at a bargain price.

And although Geum Jan Di later tried to convey her name to her savior, she wasn't certain if the girl had heard her or not. With a shrug, Geum Jan Di then stuff the jerky she received from her savior into her backpack before continuing on her way back to the area close to the Shinhwa Hotel. She dare not venture too far out on her own, after her experience of being held hostage at knifepoint by the local thug. Because really, who knows if she could be so lucky to have someone coming in to save her when she's in trouble. So, she thought her safest bet is to remain close to where Gu Jun Pyo is… and try to find a way to meet up with her boyfriend without drawing the attention of the security team on her person.

Geum Jan Di was feeling a tad bored out of her mind sitting outside the entrance of the Grand Emperor Casino Hotel building when she noticed a tour group alighting from the shuttle bus. The tour group seems to be heading into the building behind her, and out of curiosity to see what the hotel looks like - Geum Jan Di followed behind the tour group and stepped into the building of the Grand Emperor Casino Hotel.

"Wow… this is really… is this truly a hotel and not the Vatican church or something?" Geum Jan Di was awe-struck as she gazed up at the ceiling and the extravagant decoration scheme in place for the hotel.

"This is indeed a hotel, I guarantee you this much." Victor Ma hasn't meant to make his presence known to the girl whom he had been told to keep an eye on, by his cousin who's on the way over from Seoul earlier today. But the jaw-slackening look on Geum Jan Di's face when she gazes up at the ceiling of the Grand Emperor Hotel amuses him too much for him to maintain his silence.

Realizing that someone had overheard her a rather silly comment, and even responded to her rhetorical question… Geum Jan Di found herself flushing pink in the cheeks from embarrassment. And when she realized that the man addressing her actually spoke in a language she could comprehend, Geum Jan Di couldn't help but inquire out of curiosity. "Out of curiosity, are you a fellow Korean like myself?"

Of all things Victor Ma has been expecting, engaging the girl his cousin had entrusted him and his men to keep an eye on in a conversation wasn't in his expectation. But seeing as he's the one that makes his presence known to the girl, he supposed he could only continue to keep up with the idle conversation for the time being. And so, with a shake of his head - Victor Ma responded. "No, I'm 100% Chinese but my aunt married a Korean man, so… I managed to learn the language over the years for the sake of keeping in contact with my extended family based in Seoul if nothing else."

"I see… your Korean is quite fluent then, in this case." Geum Jan Di commented with a polite smile, as she continues to follow the crowd heading in a certain direction. Too awe-struck by the interior decor of the hotel, Geum Jan Di hasn't even realized that she had crossed into the boundary of the Casino situated within the hotel until she started seeing numerous amount of roulette tables and gambling chips, as well as a myriad of ongoing games with the use of the poker cards.

"... Is this the casino?" Geum Jan Di felt the corners of her lips twitching on reflex, as she wonders inwardly about how she had ended up entering this place without being asked by the guards at the door for her age. She thought, only people that are above the age of 21 are allowed entry into the casinos? She might not have done her research work before her trip, but this is something she had managed to learn from her family idle chit-chat the night before when she announced to them that she's traveling to Macau over the weekend to meet Gu Jun Pyo.

The casino of the hotel doesn't implement a strict dress code, and while the legal age to step into the casino is 21-years old which Geum Jan Di certainly isn't. She wasn't being halted by the security of the casino at the hotel because someone had vouched for her that she was just here to have a look at the environment and not to actually indulge in the act of gambling. As for the person that had interceded and allowed her to get a good view of the casino environment - well, it was none other than Victor Ma, the cousin of the Don Juan of F4.

Given the fact that Woo Bin didn't exactly explain who Geum Jan Di was, and simply send out a photo of Geum Jan Di to his contacts in Macau citing the need for them to keep an eye on her whereabouts but not to interfere with her movements in the city. It's only natural for his cousin to leap to the wrong conclusions, although the casino is owned by the Ma family on a technicality. Woo Bin, too is entitled to the shares of the casino upon the passing of their shared grandparents… and because Victor had assumed Geum Jan Di's relationship to the mafia heir of the Ii-Shin Group, he thought it might do the girl some good to have a rough idea about the sort of business her significant half would be having a hand in.

Of course, since Victor had sort of invited Geum Jan Di into the casino for a tour… he also made sure that Geum Jan Di didn't interfere too much with the games ongoing at the gambling table.

"Young lady, you are free to observe but please try not to interfere with the games. Otherwise, I might get into trouble for letting you in here when you shouldn't be allowed entry." Victor Ma commented from the side, reminding the girl of his presence.

"Oh… do you work here or something?" Geum Jan Di blinked, as she shifted her focus away from the ongoing game and onto the guy who had come up to her side and spoken to her.

"Kind of. Come on, I'll give you a quick tour and send you on your way." Victor Ma started, very much eager to get the entire thing over and done with.

"Thank you for the brief tour. At least, now I'll have something to tell my father when I headed home if he were to ask me about what the casinos in Macau look like. Anyway, I'm trying to get to the Shinhwa Hotel… someone told me that it's about 20 minutes away on foot from this building but when I tried to enter the building earlier, I was thrown out by the security citing that the entrance I was trying to access is a VIP restricted area. How do I get to the Shinhwa Hotel from here?" Geum Jan Di finally decided to ask, the question has been bugging her for some time now. And since the guy works here in the casino, Jan Di thought she might as well try her luck in asking. Who knows, maybe the guy would be able to provide her with the exact directions of how to access the Shinhwa Hotel from here?

"Ah… I see what you mean. The access way for the general public is through the entrance situated within the Shinhwa Mall. The Shinhwa Mall and the Shinhwa Hotel are linked to one another, hence the reason why the building looks so huge from the outside. As for the entrance to the Shinhwa Mall, well… it's just located on the opposite side of the road. You should be able to see it from the entrance of the Grand Emperor Hotel actually." Victor Ma helpfully supplied Geum Jan Di with the proper directions to the Shinhwa Hotel via the Shinhwa Mall entrance.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Geum Jan Di beams at the unknown but helpful man in response as she bowed politely to the man dressed in a flora-printed shirt, before scurrying off towards the direction of the hotel's entrance intending to get to the Shinhwa Mall as soon as possible.

Location: International Airport of Macau, 21st November 2009, Saturday afternoon, 3pm

Meanwhile, over at the International Airport of Macau - the F3 had just disembarked from the private jet owned by the Song family. And they had just cleared through the customs when the Don Juan of F4 suddenly let out a loud sneeze. The urge to sneeze came on too abruptly that the Don Juan of F4 barely had time to pull out a napkin to sneeze into and ended up having to sneeze into his own hands instead.

"...Here, you can have this." Yoon Ji Hoo handed his Don Juan friend a piece of wet sanitizing wipe to clean up the hands after the impromptu sneeze.

"Thanks, and I'm not even going to ask why you had the anti-bacterial wipe on your person." Song Woo Bin commented in a deadpan tone of voice at his auburn-haired friend, before turning to his Casanova friend and saying.

"Don't worry, Yi Jeong. I'm not coming down with a flu bug, so you needn't stand so far away from me. I have the habit of sneezing whenever people talk about me behind my back." The Don Juan of F4 remarked dryly to his best friend, as he made his way over to the exit of the airport to meet up with the guy send over to fetch him under his grandmother's instructions, most likely.

"...who said anything about my distance from you has got to do with your untimely sneezing fit? For all you know, I could simply be typing out a message for Ga Eul that I didn't want you to be privy into." So Yi Jeong shot back at his best friend, reflexively. And he wasn't lying when he said he's typing out a message to Chu Ga Eul, he did kind of promise to send word upon his safe arrival in Macau to his girlfriend before they boarded the private jet bound for Macau that's owned by the Song family.

A private message between So Yi Jeong and Chu Ga Eul, 21st November 2009, Saturday, 3pm

Yi Jeong: Not an update about Geum Jan Di, no… this is just me reporting that we've landed in Macau. Woo Bin is now meeting up with one of his contact at the exit of the airport, so hopefully, we would be able to get some substantial information about Geum Jan Di's whereabouts soon.

Ga Eul: Noted. Glad to hear that you guys have safely landed in Macau. I'll patiently wait for your next update about Jan Di's situation. Thank you for going after Jan Di personally to set my mind at ease, I really appreciate your effort made on this matter. ^_^

PS: I'll make sure to make it up to you upon your return from Macau.

Yi Jeong: I'll hold you to that promise of making it up to me then. Alright, it seems we are off to meet up with another contact of Woo Bin that has been placed in charge of the task of keeping tabs on Geum Jan Di. I'll update you again when I have more info, talk to you later.

Ga Eul: Sure. *Hearts Emoji*

Upon receiving the latest text response from his girlfriend, So Yi Jeong couldn't help but shakes his head as his lips quirked up in amusement. As much as he wished to return the sentiment, it isn't quite his style to utilize emojis in his text messages and therefore, he responded with an image of the view of the Macau skyline instead. And if his friend thought it strange for him to suddenly snap a photo of the skyline using his mobile phone, they certainly didn't comment on it. With the photo sent out to a certain country bumpkin waiting for him back in Seoul, the Korean Casanova of F4 proceed to tuck his mobile phone away in the pocket of his suit as he returns his focus to the scene in front of him.

"Young Master Woo Bin, welcome to Macau. Transportation has been arranged, please follow me." The young man who had provided Geum Jan Di with the instructions to catch the free shuttle bus to the Grand Emperor Hotel stepped forth as he greeted the arrival of Song Woo Bin, and the other two members of F4.

"Thank you, John. Pardon me for cutting straight to the point, but where is the girl I'd asked for you guys to keep an eye out on?" Woo Bin didn't waste any time on socializing and simply cut straight to the point.

"According to the last report, she was last seen entering the casino in the Grand Emperor Hotel for a look under the escort and authorization of Young Master Victor." The young man responded as he guided the F3 towards the vehicle arranged to collect them from the airport and bring them to the CBD district of the city.

"... What? Wait… just how on earth did that particular scenario exactly come into play?" Song Woo Bin turns his gaze of incredulity upon the young man, wondering if he had misheard but based on the expression on the guy's face - chances are, he didn't mishear and so, it was his cousin that misunderstood again.

"...That, I'm afraid is something only Young Master Victor can answer." John, the young man who has been sent out by Victor to welcome Woo Bin's arrival to Macau responded with a somewhat awkward expression on his face.

"Fine… I'll just ask him myself later." Song Woo Bin huffed aloud in annoyance, just what exactly was his cousin doing?

Not only did his cousin fails to mask his presence around Geum Jan Di, that guy somehow is playing escort to the girl? And of all possible things to show the girl around, his cousin just had to bring Geum Jan Di into the casino for a tour? What the hell is Victor thinking?! Wait… don't tell me… Victor, like Kelvin, earlier had leaped to the wrong conclusions? Come to think of it, he hasn't been very clear when he calls up his cousin earlier this morning to leave behind the instructions for them to keep an eye out for Geum Jan Di when her flight landed in Macau. So, there is indeed a possibility of his cousin arriving at the absurd conclusion of the nature behind his relationship with Geum Jan Di.

The moment Woo Bin came to the realization that in the wake of having the heiress of the JK Group being mistaken as his beau, it's now Geum Jan Di's turn… the Don Juan of F4 had to bite down on his tongue to avoid the temptation of groaning aloud from sheer frustration.

"Woo Bin, what's with that look of annoyance on your face?" So Yi Jeong eventually asks, allowing his curiosity to get the best of him after boarding the vehicle sent to the airport to bring them to the CBD district of the city by his friend's family based in Macau.

"Because of my lack of insight to explain who Geum Jan Di is to my contacts in Macau when I had them on a lookout for Geum Jan Di… my cousin who's based in Macau was now under the misconception of Geum Jan Di being my significant half. I could only hope that Jun Pyo doesn't kill me when he learns of the matter." Song Woo Bin huffed out at his Casanova friend in annoyance.

"... How on earth does your cousin even come to such absurd conclusion? No matter how one looks at it, Geum Jan Di doesn't seem to be your type at all - isn't it?" So Yi Jeong was beyond baffled by what he had just heard coming from his Don Juan friend.

"Who knows? Perhaps my maternal grandparents' eagerness to see me settled down is contagious enough to pass down to them, at some point." Song Woo Bin rolls his eyes in response, deciding to set his cousin straight on the subject once they get to meet up in person, which judging from the direction where the car is heading, could be really soon.

As the F3 made their way towards where Victor Ma is presently at, the guy had just pointed Geum Jan Di off to the Shinhwa Mall that's linked to the Shinhwa Hotel in Macau. So, apparently, that was the reason why Geum Jan Di wasn't able to find the proper entrance into the hotel building owned by the Shinhwa Group earlier. The entrance for the members of the public is actually hidden in the Shinhwa Mall building, and the entrance she had chanced upon earlier and tried to barge her way through was meant for VIP guests only.

It was completely by chance that Geum Jan Di finally chanced upon the figure of her boyfriend - the new owner for the Shinhwa Group, Gu Jun Pyo. The previous owner of the Group - Gu Bon-Hyeong was forced into early retirement with the collapse of his health condition. As of current, the man is back in Seoul recuperating under the care of a private team of medical personnel in the VIP room of the Shinhwa Hospital.

Geum Jan Di has been browsing around, doing some window shopping in the mall when she came across some kind of social party going on in the atrium of the mall. Usually, Geum Jan Di probably wouldn't have placed so much attention on such events going on but it just so happens that she thought she glimpse a view of her boyfriend mingling among the crowd. Therefore, Geum Jan Di, in an attempt to get a better look ended up stopping and focusing to observe the ongoing social event. And sure enough, there he is - her boyfriend who has been absent from her life since 6 months ago. The guy is now carrying on a cordial conversation with a maturely dressed lady standing next to him with a glass of wine in hand.

Too focused on the task of staring, she cracked her mind trying to come up with a better way of drawing her boyfriend's attention on her without screaming the name of Gu Jun Pyo at the top of her lungs. Given the nature of the social event going on, if she did try to catch her boyfriend's attention by shouting the guy's name - it would only draw the guy's ire onto her person. After all, her boyfriend is now the owner of the Shinhwa Group, and hence image and reputation matter a lot more as compared to before.

It was at this particular moment in time that an unexpected collision occurs between Geum Jan Di and the wine glass of another party attendant.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" The party attendant hurried to inquire, as she apologized for spilling her glass of wine onto Geum Jan Di's blouse.

"It's okay." Geum Jan Di awkwardly responded, but this is also when Gu Jun Pyo finally glanced in her direction.

[Geum Jan Di?! What is she doing here in Macau?] Gu Jun Pyo could hardly believe his eyes, and so, he ended up staring at the figure of the woman he loves for a little longer than he would like to admit. It wasn't until the lady standing next to him inquired of his present thought, that snapped his focus back onto the present.

Forcing himself to keep it cool, Gu Jun Pyo averted his eyes away from his girlfriend and return his attention back to the ongoing conversation he had going with the lady next to him. Deep down in him, he hated to have to feign ignorance of his girlfriend's presence and arrival in Macau but he knows he had to do it, else he might risk provoking the witch of his mother into doing something drastic to Geum Jan Di and her family, again.

Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, could hardly believe that her boyfriend had blatantly disregarded her presence and continued on with whatever he has been doing earlier. Shock and disbelief clouded her features for a moment, but the sheer remembrance that her shirt was now stained with a red blotch from the red wine that splashed onto her attire during the earlier collision - Geum Jan Di raced down the corridor way of the mall in search for the public washroom facility.

As the Wonder Woman of Korea made her way to the washroom facility, her mind started creating plausible excuses that would explain why her boyfriend had reacted in that manner earlier.

[Okay, don't panic! It might simply be the case that Gu Jun Pyo didn't see you. Or if he did, he probably didn't think it's you. After all, you didn't send a message ahead to inform him that you're coming to Macau.] - Geum Jan Di told herself as she entered the washroom facility, muttering aloud to herself. Looking at it realistically, she had come over in-person to see her boyfriend without letting the guy know ahead of time. That guy probably didn't think her even capable of flying out to Macau, on her own… so, there's always a possibility of her boyfriend didn't think it was actually her when they meet eyes briefly outside at the atrium.

Repeating the above-mentioned reason she had come up with to explain away her boyfriend's lack of reaction to her presence, Geum Jan Di finally recalls her reason for visiting the washroom in the first place. A quick look at her blouse informed her that she ought to wash the stain off soon, otherwise it's going to be very hard to remove the stain at a later time.

Geum Jan Di reached out for the tap, only to find that there isn't any knob for her to turn on the water for the tap and neither is there any button for her to press to get the water out. So, it took her some scrambling around by randomly placing her hands around the tap to get the water out. Eventually, she managed to figure out that the tap is activated via some kind of sensor. It took her some time but eventually, she did manage to rub off most of the stain from the red wine that got spilled on her blouse.

[Okay… next, I need the hands' dryer… where is it? There ought to be one in every washroom.] - Geum Jan Di thought as she scanned her eyes around the unfamiliar washroom facility as she tried to locate the hands' dryer unit in the washroom, so she could use it to air-dry the portion where she had wash off the stain of the red wine.

Outside at the atrium of the Shinhwa Mall, Jeong Sang-Rok who had recognized Geum Jan Di hurrying off towards the direction of the washroom approached Gu Jun Pyo as he inquires. "Are you alright? That's Geum Jan Di…right?"

"... My feelings at present aside, when's the representative from the JK Group coming? All I know is if I screwed this meeting up, the witch is not going to be happy with me." Gu Jun Pyo casts aside his personal feelings on the matter of his girlfriend's impromptu arrival in Macau and avoids speaking to his head secretary about his feelings on the matter. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the next important thing on his agenda for the day - the meeting with the representative from the JK Group.

"..."

When Geum Jan Di came out from the washroom, Gu Jun Pyo is no longer present at the atrium. With a sigh, Geum Jan Di decides to start thinking about a plan B. Obviously, her original plan of relying on her boyfriend to arrange the accommodation for her isn't going to come to fruition. While she did heed Ga Eul's advice and exchanged a tad more currency than she'd preferred for contingency purposes. Geum Jan Di was somewhat reluctant to spend it all on a hotel room… fishing out the city map and guide for tourists, Geum Jan Di starts looking for suggestions of cheap accommodation options.

After finding out that there's a couple of budget accommodations about 15 minutes walk away via foot, Geum Jan Di decided to venture over to check things out for herself. Without internet access, she figured she likely has to venture into each and every inn located along the mentioned street to inquire about their pricing for a single night.

As Geum Jan Di lugged her suitcase with her and stepped back out onto the streets in search of her accommodation for the day, the F3 have arrived at a stop in front of the hotel building - Grand Emperor Hotel.

"...Woo Bin, don't tell me your family is in the hotel industry as well?" The Korean Casanova stared at the hotel building in front of them and asks his best friend with a complicated look in his eyes.

"What? No, none of my family are in the hotel industry. It's the Casino inside the hotel that my maternal family has a share in." Song Woo Bin blinked as he hurried to set his friend straight for the record.

"Ah… now that makes better sense. Since we're here, I supposed this is where your cousin is waiting to meet up with us?" So Yi Jeong nodded understandably in response then, relieved to know that Woo Bin isn't competing with Jun Pyo for business and clients for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, inside the casino, Victor Ma has finally received words from his men about the arrival of his cousin - the mafia heir of Ii-Shin Group, in Macau.

"Excellent, and where is he now?" Victor Ma inquires, directing his query to his bodyguard.

"Outside the building." His bodyguard answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Alright, let me finish up dealing this hand and then I'll head out to meet them." Victor Ma responded as he signals for his bodyguard to leave him for the moment.

Outside, the F3 was shown to the lounge of the hotel after Woo Bin has informed the staff at the hotel that they are here to meet up with Victor Ma. The meeting between Woo Bin and his cousin didn't last more than an hour, after all, the F3 is mostly here for Geum Jan Di's benefits. And while Woo Bin did have other reasons for being here in Macau, he thought that could wait until they had found Geum Jan Di and got the girl settled in. So, after Victor Ma finally emerged from the Casino - the first thing Woo Bin did was to demand the whereabouts of Geum Jan Di.

"...Don't fret, your little girlfriend is safe and sound. My men are tailing her and ready to intervene at the first sign of danger." Victor Ma told his cousin with an underlying tone of smugness in his words.

"... About that, Victor. I think you'd misunderstood. Geum Jan Di is not my girlfriend, she's just a friend of mine. She already has a boyfriend, who's one of my best pals. Anyway, we are concerned about her coming to Macau alone because she has never traveled overseas solo, before. And this time, she acted on impulse by hopping onto the first plane out of the country without giving either of us a heads-up. Furthermore, she isn't contactable via phone because she wasn't on the international roaming service hence the reason why I contacted you ahead of time to have your men keep an eye out on her and track her whereabouts. So, with that said, it would be very much appreciated if you could let me have the information which my friends and I were seeking, without delay." Song Woo Bin sighed as he launched into the prepared speech that he had come up with along the way while traveling over from the airport to meet up with his cousin, and clear up the 'misunderstanding' his cousin had about the nature of his relationship with Geum Jan Di.

"I see… grandma would be so disappointed to learn that this is yet another misunderstanding. Oh well, I supposed you and your friends are worried for valid reasons. Given what I've heard from my men, it seems that girl had been held hostage at knifepoint earlier on in the day… but due to the intervention of the other girl that Kelvin has mistaken for your beau; the crisis was safely averted after creating a mass commotion." Victor Ma then dropped the bombshell piece of information concerning Geum Jan Di's dangerous position that took place hours ago, in the red market district of Macau.

"..." Song Woo Bin didn't know what he should do in response to the information he had just received from his cousin, Victor. On one hand, he was frankly at a loss of words about how fast Geum Jan Di managed to get into trouble upon arriving in Macau. On the other hand, Woo Bin was still reeling from the fact that it has been the heiress of the JK Group that had saved Geum Jan Di during the earlier incident whereby Geum Jan Di had found herself being held hostage at knifepoint by a desperate thug.

[What are the odds of that girl ringing me up while I'm in Macau…?] Song Woo Bin couldn't help but wonder inwardly to himself, upon hearing from his cousin that the heiress of the JK Group is also in town.

Whereas for Yoon Ji Hoo and So Yi Jeong of F4, their reactions were a tad more direct - both of them literally went wide-eyed when they heard of the little detail of Geum Jan Di being held hostage at knifepoint earlier on in the day.

"Pardon my interruption, but how exactly did Geum Jan Di end up being held at knifepoint by a thug?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires in a somewhat forceful manner, drawing the attention of Victor Ma onto his person.

"I believed the thug was simply looking to steal from the girl, but his ploy got foiled by another girl…growing upset, the thug went on to seized your lady friend as a hostage with his pocket knife. My men were about to intervene when your lady friend somehow managed to escape from the thug with some assistance from the other girl." Victor Ma summarized the earlier incident Geum Jan Di had encountered at the red market to Yoon Ji Hoo of F4, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Speaking of the other girl, that's a real gem. She has guts, I'll give her that. She didn't even flinch when the thug attempted to charge at her with the pocket knife in hand, granted - it might simply be that she's confident of the skills of her bodyguard. But really, I've never quite seen a girl as daring and gutsy before. Personally, I think she's rather befitting for the future lady of the Ii-Shin Group… are you sure you aren't going to consider snatching her up for yourself?" Victor Ma commented wryly as he threw his cousin - Song Woo Bin of F4 a shrewd and calculative look.

"...Victor, mind your own business!" Song Woo Bin gritted out in irritation. Yes, the heiress of the JK Group is most definitely daring. After all, the girl dares to step foot into one of the three infamous red-light districts of Bangkok purely to satisfy her own curiosity about the rumored 'lady-boys'. Forcing his thoughts away from the heiress of the JK Group, and the fact that the girl is also in Macau at present… Song Woo Bin forced his focus back onto the subject of Geum Jan Di.

"Now, Victor… care to share with us - where exactly is Geum Jan Di now?" Woo Bin deadpans, no longer in the mood to find out why his cousin has escorted Geum Jan Di on a tour of the hotel's casino earlier. And so, he decided to plunge straight into the subject that he and his friends are most concerned about, at present.

"Right… the time now is about 4pm, it's around 3pm that I pointed her off towards the direction of the Shinhwa Mall where the public accessed entrance to the Shinhwa Hotel is located. As for whether or not, she's still in the mall… I have no idea." Victor responded, before turning to beckon his bodyguard over and ask. "Has there been any updates from the men tailing her?"

"Not yet, but we have a team shadowing her while she's on the move. So, if she happens to leave the mall - the team ought to have left someone behind to clue Young Master Woo Bin about the girl's whereabouts, in case they missed one another by chance." The bodyguard of Victor Ma responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Well… Woo Bin, you heard him." Victor Ma shrugged, glancing over to his cousin to see what Woo Bin and his friends is going to do now.

Thanking Victor for his help, Woo Bin stood alongside his friends as they started moving towards the Shinhwa Mall while hoping for the best. The best scenario is no doubt, Geum Jan Di and Jun Pyo have safely met up and Jun Pyo was able to take care of her. Still, considering how busy their friend has been as they haven't received any updates from the secretary team of their friend about when a meet-up between the F4 is possible… they genuinely have doubts about Geum Jan Di having met up with Jun Pyo, by this point.

So, what exactly is the Wonder Woman of Korea doing at present? In the wake of having her presence completely disregarded by Gu Jun Pyo, the Wonder Woman of Korea decided to source a cheap accommodation for herself this evening. And so, the girl is now looking into the available budget accommodation options situated in an area near the Shinhwa Hotel and Shinhwa Mall. The area is located approximately 15 minutes away via foot from where the Shinhwa Mall and Hotel are located.

Geum Jan Di was seen entering and leaving several inns along the stretch of street well-known for providing budget accommodation for backpackers and the likes. Unlike the district where the Shinhwa Hotel and Mall is situated where the surrounding environment basically screams posh and trendy, this particular area is lined with buildings with an older look. More importantly, it gave off the typical civilian vibe. Now although, Geum Jan Di had technically shortlisted a few inns for consideration with rooms that were within her budget she wanted to try and see if there were any cheaper accommodation options and therefore she had thanked the owner of the inn and stepped back out onto the street as she continues on with her search for cheaper accommodation.

What Geum Jan Di wasn't aware of was that she was now a target of a local thug group that aims to steal from the unsuspecting tourists visiting the country. As for the reason how she had ended up being the target, well… first of all, she was lugging her suitcase with her as she walked down the street without an escort. Secondly, from the way she was entering and leaving various accommodations sites - it's apparent that she didn't have accommodation booked before making her trip over to Macau, which is a rather rare thing for tourists these days. And so, a young boy about the age of her younger brother back home who was given the task of making his first steal without assistance decided to make her his target because she seems like the type that would fall prey to scams easily. Anyway, Geum Jan Di has been keeping an eye out on the signboard of more inns around the corner when she suddenly heard the sound of someone calling out for her attention.

"Hey, you! Come with me!" A young boy, not much older than her little brother approached her as he beckons for her to follow him.

"You mean, you have a cheap room for me?" Geum Jan Di clarifies as she directed her attention to the boy.

The boy is actually part of a local thug group looking to prey on naive tourists by stealing their belongings, when the boy asks Geum Jan Di to follow him - he was actually planning to lure Geum Jan Di off to somewhere without much traffic so it would be easier for him to make his escape after robbing the girl of her belongings. Since the boy was aiming to steal the belongings of Geum Jan Di, it goes without saying that he went straight for the suitcase of Geum Jan Di offering to carry it for the girl. Only, Geum Jan Di is the type who doesn't like to trouble people unnecessarily and so, she told the boy that she could carry it on her own in Korean.

The boy, though failing to comprehend a single word, was smart enough to mimic her words back at her. And then, seizing the moment of Geum Jan Di's surprise - the boy managed to get his hands on the suitcase. As he leads Geum Jan Di down the alley where he knows his fellow thug friends are lying in ambush, the boy finally turns around and told the girl following him that she's an idiot. After this, he promptly grabbed the suitcase and flee down the alley.

Upon realizing that she's been had, Geum Jan Di reacted in the only way she knows how - she gave chase. All the while yelling for the boy to return her the baggage and even went to the extent of delivering a lecture to the boy as she would her younger brother, since the boy looks about the age of Kang San, in her opinion.

The boy must have gotten exasperated with her lecturing words, despite not comprehending a single word of it but it's annoying. And so, frustrated with the girl's relentless pursuit of him - he signals for his fellow friends to come out from hiding by calling aloud.

"Not bad… although, I think her things are worth at most a thousand to three thousand bucks, for a first-timer, your performance isn't as bad as I'd presumed to be." The leader, in his twenties, said to the boy in Cantonese as he give the boy a firm pat on the shoulder. The rest of the thugs, on the other hand, were focusing their leering eyes on the girl who had dared to follow their 'buddy' down the alley without backup.

Geum Jan Di might be a tough nut to break, but being on foreign land and surrounded by men who definitely aren't looking at her with friendly gazes… it's only natural for Geum Jan Di to balk. Soon, she found herself backed into the corner.

"What do you guys want?" Geum Jan Di tried to act tough, but it didn't change the fact that she doesn't understand a single word coming from the guys surrounding her, combined with the leery looks she kept receiving from them. After finding herself backed into a corner and cowering as tears start to prick at the corner of her eyes - Geum Jan Di finally caved to the pressure and scream out for her boyfriend, out of sheer distress.

That was how the F3 found her, ironically. They had gone straight for the Shinhwa mall first, after parting ways with Victor Ma. Only to chance upon one of the men keeping tabs on Geum Jan Di's whereabouts that she had left for the area where the lower-priced accommodations are congregated in the district.

"...You guys didn't let her venture over there, alone - did you?" Song Woo Bin eyed the man with an unsmiling look, giving off the vibe that he's not happy with the knowledge that they had let Geum Jan Di venture out and away from the safe bubble.

"Of course not, Prince Song. I had two guys keeping tabs on her…at a distance, we can't follow her in too close proximity - she might get suspicious and try to shake us off, otherwise." The guy responded meekly in response to Woo Bin's demanding words.

Thankfully, Woo Bin has his fair share of spending time in Macau when he was younger and thus had a fairly good idea about which area in this district houses the cheaper accommodation options. As he turns to make his way out onto the streets with his two friends following him from behind, he was muttering something about - figures that Geum Jan Di would try to get a cheaper accommodation when her original plan of getting Jun Pyo to arrange accommodation for her fails to come into fruition.

[Well… Victor isn't wrong either. He couldn't have kept Geum Jan Di in the Shinhwa Mall without a valid reason, and it's not as though Geum Jan Di would accept his assistance in getting her boarding in the Grand Emperor Hotel, out of the blue. Seeing as the girl didn't know Victor in person before today, she would only feel odd-out further if Victor brought his name up when offering to put the girl up in a room at the Grand Emperor Hotel. Aargh… this is so maddening, and let's not even think about the nagging I would have to endure when I find the time to meet dear old grandma for a meal while in Macau.] - Song Woo Bin thought as he brisk-walked towards the area where the cheaper accommodation options are congregated in the neighborhood.

The walk lasted fifteen minutes for most, but Woo Bin managed to guide his two friends over in just ten minutes as he knew all the shortcuts around the place. They had just arrived at a stop at the start of the stretch of buildings that houses various low-priced guesthouses, inns, 2-stars hotels, and backpackers' hostel, ready to split up for the search of Geum Jan Di when they heard it. The screaming sound of Geum Jan Di in distress, calling out for their common friend - Gu Jun Pyo.

[Geum Jan Di!] - Yoon Ji Hoo wasted no time in rushing towards the source of the distressing call, he has never run so fast in his life before.

[Damn… the Miyazawa heir might be right, after all. Geum Jan Di is indeed a magnet for trouble!] - So Yi Jeong's mind raced as he too, broke out into a sprinting run towards the alley where the distressing cries of Geum Jan Di calling out for the name of his friend could be heard coming from.

[Darn it! Who the hell dares to mess with her when Victor's men are already keeping tabs on her?! Damn Geum Jan Di and her tendency to get into trouble when one isn't looking or paying attention.] - Song Woo Bin closed his eyes briefly as he thought when he opens his eyes again - gone was the usual jovial vibe of the Don Juan of F4, and replacing it is the menacing vibe that represented the heir to the mafia group - Ii-Shin Group.

Although Yoon Ji Hoo was the first to arrive at the scene - he wasn't the one that managed to rush to Geum Jan Di's side because his presence brought the attention of the gathered thugs on his person and he soon found himself having to fend off two men at one time.

[Well… it's good that I'm not exactly untrained in physical martial arts, though incomparable to Jun Pyo. I think I can hold my own against local thugs like them.] - Yoon Ji Hoo thought as he send a guy away with a kick and bash the other incoming guy with a good punch on the face.

For the potter of F4, though he didn't enjoy the act of violence on most days. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so while taking good care of his potter's hands - Yi Jeong managed to dodge an incoming blow from his opponent and send a kick to his opponent's torso.

Song Woo Bin fares even better holding up his own against three different opponents after all the local thugs have been sent crashing onto the ground rolling around from the impact of the hits they received. Song Woo Bin finally spoke in mandarin as he addressed the crowd of local thugs, though his mandarin appears shaky at best since it wasn't his native tongue - it didn't fail to get his message across to the group gathered on-site.

"Are you people aware of the Ii-Shin Group?" Song Woo Bin asks, keeping his eyes on the thugs trying to see if there's anyone who's really that much of an idiot to not know about his family's background in the mafia world.

"..." The leader of the group of local thugs blanched in the wake of Woo Bin's words, before swallowing nervously as he inquires. "You…you're Prince Song?"

Song Woo Bin didn't bother responding and simply stared the guy straight in the face with a flat and unimpressed look. Almost immediately, the entire group starts kowtowing to him and begging for his forgiveness.

"We're so sorry, we didn't know she's an acquaintance of yours. Please forgive us for our impetuous acts." The entire group of local thugs kneel on the ground and start apologizing to Woo Bin, on the whole.

"You mean to say you have no idea that she's not to be touched? Are you guys blind to the fact that she had Victor Ma's lackeys shadowing her around? Do you think Victor Ma is so idle that he frequently look out for the well-being of unguarded tourists if it hasn't been for the sake of doing me a favor?" Song Woo Bin berated the group of local thugs with incredulity while Yoon Ji Hoo ventured closer to where Geum Jan Di was cowering and calm the girl down.

"Geum Jan Di, you can calm down now. The danger's over…" Yoon Ji Hoo started as he squatted down in front of the girl he had grown to love with all his heart.

"..." With tears track running down her face, Geum Jan Di slowly shifted her eyes up and turned towards the person addressing her. Upon finding herself staring into the face of her former prince charming, Geum Jan Di finally allowed the sense of relief to flood her senses. "Ji Hoo-sunbae…"

"Yes, I'm here. You're safe now." Yoon Ji Hoo directed a smile to the distress-looking girl, as he used his hands to wipe off the tears falling from the corner of Geum Jan Di's eyes. "Somehow, I just knew you would be crying like this if I were to leave you alone to your own device…"

"Ya! Geum Jan Di… you okay there?" So Yi Jeong calls out then, drawing the focus of Geum Jan Di away from Ji Hoo and onto his person. Somehow, he had a feeling that if he didn't interrupt that moment between Geum Jan Di and his auburn-haired friend… there's a very likely chance of Geum Jan Di breaking down completely in front of them. And if there's anything Yi Jeong has difficulty handling, it's a meltdown episode from a lady.

While the Korean Casanova does understand deep down that after the apparent scary experience, Geum Jan Di does deserve a moment of vulnerability. But the girl had always appeared strong-willed in front of them… and thus, Yi Jeong didn't think he would be able to handle it if he suddenly get to see the vulnerable side of Geum Jan Di. So, he'd much rather Geum Jan Di broke down in private when he wasn't around to witness the scene.

"Yi Jeong-sunbae… and Woo Bin-sunbae. How? Why? What are you guys doing here?" Geum Jan Di eventually managed, completely losing her ability to think. Too many questions are running through her mind at present, to be honest.

"Yo! Good to see that you weren't harmed and we appear to have arrived in the nick of time. Anyway, I know you have questions so I suggest we get somewhere more comfortable for the conversation. And you look like you need a cup of warm tea to soothe your frayed nerves." Song Woo Bin butted in then, his mood still a tad dark even after the thugs have flees from his sight following the end of his lecturing session.

"Woo Bin's right. Can you stand, or are your knees still weak from the near-scare experience?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires, shifting inquiring eyes towards the girl that's still rooted to the spot where she has been cowering in fright earlier.

"Yes. I can stand." Geum Jan Di nodded in response, accepting the help of her former prince charming by grabbing onto his extended hand and pulling herself into an upright position. Directing a shaky and watery smile at the F3, Geum Jan Di collected her nearly stolen suitcase back from the Don Juan of F4 as she followed them out of the alley and back onto the main street where a black sedan car awaited for their return.

Location: Outside Su Am Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea. 21st November 2009, Saturday evening 5.45pm

The sound of a car honking draws Ga Eul's attention away from the book she has on hand, and towards the passenger pick-up point outside the arts center.

"Evening, Kazuki." Chu Ga Eul greeted her half-sibling when the black Lexus pulls up in front of her, she has been sitting outside the arts center on the bench next to the passenger pick-up/drop-off point as she waited for her ride to arrive.

While the usual arrangement would involve the Korean Casanova, who's now her boyfriend picking up her after the end of her piano lessons at the arts center. Today, it's a little different because her boyfriend isn't in town and thus she has to call in her half-sibling to give her a ride home after the end of her piano class.

"I've to say I'm rather surprised to receive a text message from you just now requesting a ride home from me. I was under the impression that your newly minted boyfriend would be taking you out for dinner, before sending you home." Miyazawa Kazuki commented as Chu Ga Eul climbed into the side passenger seat of his black Lexus.

"Yes, well… under usual circumstances - that would be the arrangement. However, given the fact that he's out of town at present. Alternative arrangements would need to be made. While my initial idea was to get Shuichi to pick me up, I thought I ought to alert you ahead of time that Yi Jeong-sunbae wouldn't be able to join us for the tennis game tomorrow at Shinhwa Country Club. And before you leap into any hasty conclusions about him attempting to avoid you, let it be known to you that it was actually me who had sent him off to Macau in a hurry, this morning." Chu Ga Eul took her time fastening up the seatbelt before finally responding to the words of her half-sibling by giving him her utmost attention.

Miyazawa Kazuki was about to reignite the engine to his black Lexus when he heard the response from his half-sister, and promptly he reacted by throwing the girl a look of bewilderment. "What?! What do you mean by you sent him off to Macau earlier this morning in a hurry? Why?"

"Long story short… Jan Di wanted to head over to Macau and visit Jun Pyo-sunbae in person." Chu Ga Eul began, as she paused momentarily thinking how to summarize the entire situation to her half-sibling by simply highlighting the main points. Because she doubt Kazuki would have the patience to hear the lengthy explanation from her about why she had thought it prudent to send her boyfriend off to Macau.

"Okay… but isn't Yoon Ji Hoo alone enough if she needs an escort for the trip? Why must your boyfriend tag along for the trip too? Don't tell me he actually put the reunion meeting of the F4 over the tennis game that we already agreed upon, ahead of time?!" Miyazawa Kazuki gritted out, looking rather displeased at the notion of losing his chance to trash that guy on the tennis court.

"...That's under the normal circumstances. If Jan Di has the insight to inform us of her intention to hop onto the first plane out of Seoul to Macau, I'm sure Ji Hoo-sunbae would have been able to work something out. But the thing is, Jan Di didn't inform anybody about her intention to hop onto the first plane out to Macau today. So, when I received a text message from her before she became totally out of reach via mobile communication… I did the next best thing I could think of, I dialed up Yi Jeong-sunbae in a hurry and send him and his friends off to Macau hoping to catch up to Jan Di before she wanders too far out on her own." Chu Ga Eul deadpans at her half-sibling, before adding on as an afterthought.

"And before you ask why it's necessary to send the entire group of F3 out in search for Jan Di in Macau, let it be known to you that Jan Di isn't on the international roaming service, hence when I say she's totally out of reach via mobile communication - I wasn't bluffing. Moreover, she didn't have a room booked for her stay in Macau upon her arrival and is banking all her hopes on Jun Pyo-sunbae without even considering if she could meet up smoothly with Jun Pyo-sunbae on her date of arrival in the city. I thought, this is something severe enough to warrant the act of sending the entire group of F3 after her, don't you think so?" Ga Eul sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead as she lamented to Kazuki about her childhood friend's acts of impulsiveness.

"...That friend of yours, I swear… is really nothing but trouble!" The Miyazawa heir mutters aloud as he finally steered his black Lexus away from the arts center and towards the main route that would bring them to the neighborhood where the Chu family home is located.

"Anyway, Yi Jeong-sunbae ask me to apologize to you on his behalf for having to cancel out on a last-minute basis." Ga Eul commented as she sat back and continue checking for updates from her boyfriend on the phone every so often. She's still waiting for an update on the situation in Macau from her boyfriend, thus far, there haven't been any significant updates.

"Yes, well… given that he left Seoul for Macau under your request, what else can I do but forgive him for canceling out on the tennis game scheduled with me, this last minute?" The Miyazawa heir responded drily as he swerved his black Lexus around the corner, and turns into the district where the neighborhood that houses the Chu family home is located.

Upon arrival at the Chu family home, instead of simply dropping Ga Eul off and leaving without a moment's delay. The Miyazawa heir opted to park his vehicle outside the house and followed his half-sister into the house instead.

"Ah…Noona, is Hyung staying for dinner today?" Chu Jung-Min inquires as he flicked his questioning eyes onto the figure of his elder sister, upon noticing the presence of Miyazawa Kazuki.

"I don't know… are you going to stay for dinner?" Chu Ga Eul blinked upon the query put forth by Jung-Min and shifted her eyes onto the figure of the Miyazawa heir as she inquires.

"Of course, I'm going to stay for dinner. After all, you ruined my plans for trashing that guy on the court tomorrow. And so, I demand compensation in the form of a homemade dinner meal from you." Miyazawa Kazuki huffed in response, and then promptly ignored his half-sister and move to join Jung-Min in front of the TV unit in the living room of the Chu family home.

"..."

With a shake of her head, Chu Ga Eul headed into her bedroom to get changed into her comfy lounge-wear before heading into the kitchen to see what is available in the kitchen pantry and fridge for her use in preparation for this evening's dinner meal. A quick text message to her absent parents informed her that neither of them are going to be home for dinner, this evening. Both of them had to clock overtime work at the office, as such, Ga Eul decided to whip up something simple for dinner since it's only going to be a meal comprising of her two half-siblings and herself.

"Boys, are you guys fine with having stir-fry chicken noodles for dinner? Appa and Eomma have to clock OT so, they aren't coming back for dinner. Therefore, I thought to go for something simple… any objections to having stir-fry chicken noodles for dinner?" Ga Eul calls out to the attention of the two boys gathered in front of the TV unit in her family's living room.

"Well… if you're going to do stir fry… can I request that you make the Japanese version of the dish?" Miyazawa Kazuki interjected before agreeing to the idea of having stir-fry noodles for dinner.

"You mean, the Chicken Yakisoba? Well, that's fine… it just means I would need to take some time to create the Yakisoba sauce from scratch. But if you are fine with waiting, I'm fine with making the Japanese version of the stir-fry noodles dish." Ga Eul answered nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Then, please do! I've been dying for a taste of the Yakisoba for ages… but making it from scratch is a tad too tedious for my liking and none of the Japanese restaurants in Seoul has that item on the menu. Even the restaurants under the management of the family business don't have that item on the menu." Miyazawa Kazuki lamented with a pout, obviously unsatisfied with the fact that short of making it himself, there isn't anywhere outside where he could get a taste of the Japanese version of the stir-fried noodles. The version serves at the Chinese restaurant, though similar, doesn't really satisfy his taste buds because the sauce used for the dish is completely two different things.

"..."

Location: Executive Suite Room Grand Emperor Hotel, Macau. 21st November 2009, Saturday, 4.45pm

Seoul is one hour ahead of Macau, and therefore when Ga Eul was picked up by the Miyazawa heir at the Su Am Arts Center… Geum Jan Di and the F3 were seated in the living room space of the Executive Suite within the Grand Emperor Hotel in Macau that has been booked by Song Woo Bin for his stay while in Macau. Okay, technically - the room is booked by Woo Bin for Geum Jan Di's use… since he's expected to stay at the holiday home owned by his maternal grandmother while in Macau. However, Woo Bin has no intention of staying under the same roof with his grandmother and so, he's looking to crash on the couch in either Ji Hoo or Yi Jeong's room later this evening.

As to the reason why he had booked the rooms for their stay at the Grand Emperor Hotel instead of the Shinhwa Hotel… well, two reasons. First of all, he knows Jun Pyo's mother is in Macau and he wanted to minimize the chances of Geum Jan Di crossing paths with the witch. And so, he thought it safer to book their accommodations in another hotel instead of the Shinhwa Hotel. Secondly, why make do with a standard hotel room when he could get the use of the suite accommodation at the Grand Emperor Hotel?

There's a total of four types of suites available for booking - the Emperor, the Queen, the Royal, and the Executive Suite. The Executive Suite is the least extravagant in his opinion, and therefore he decided to book this particular suite for Geum Jan Di's usage. Ji Hoo went for the same option it seems, whereas Yi Jeong opted for the Royal Suite. Both the Executive and Royal suite comes with a sofa set in the living room space, and the Royal Suite has an additional day-bed in the bedroom area of the suite. So, technically… if he wishes to get a tad comfier while crashing in his friend's room for the night - opting to spend the night in Yi Jeong's room does seem like a more appealing idea than to make do on the sofa couch in Ji Hoo's room. Oh well… there's still time for him to work out the logistics. Woo Bin thought as he shifted his mind back to the matter at hand.

Geum Jan Di has more or less calmed down by now, after having taken some warm tea prepared by Ji Hoo with the use of the complimentary tea bag and water kettle available in the suite.

"Alright, I'm ready now." Geum Jan Di begins, plastering on an attentive look as she waited for the F3 to lecture her on her impulsiveness.

"Ready for…?" Yoon Ji Hoo prompted fixating his curious eyes upon the figure of Geum Jan Di.

"The lecture from you guys…" Geum Jan Di responded as a repentant look clouded her features.

"Ah… so, you do know that you're due for some lecture - huh? But never mind, neither of us are the lecturing type… so, I guess you're just going to wait until I send an update to your childhood friend for the lecture to take place. I'm almost certain that she's going to nag your ears off when I finally got back to her about having located you in Macau." So Yi Jeong deadpans at the Wonder Woman of Korea with a smirk of amusement.

"... I guess that answers my question about how you guys know to find me in Macau then. I presumed, Ga Eul went to seek you guys out for help after receiving my text message this morning?" Geum Jan Di inquires as she finally realized how the F3 knows of her presence in Macau and flies over to seek her out this swiftly.

"Indeed. To be exact, I was woken up by a frantic phone call from your friend early this morning at 6.30am… which is way too early for me to wake, by the way. After that, I went to Ji Hoo, and together we went to Woo Bin. No choice, outside of Jun Pyo… Woo Bin's the only one with access to a private jet and because you weren't on the international roaming service, and have absolutely zero experience in traveling overseas solo. We were under the impression that we need to fly over to Macau without delay if we wish to track you down before you wander too far out on your own." So Yi Jeong told Geum Jan Di with an unimpressed look on his features, his tone completely flat and devoid of emotions.

"Yi Jeong… I thought you said you aren't going to lecture Geum Jan Di? But that's exactly how a lecture would sound like, in my opinion." Song Woo Bin couldn't help but interject in a jovial tone of voice.

"...Fine, I shall stop talking now." The potter of F4 rolls his eyes in response to his best friend's words and decided to leave his two friends to continue sharing the tale of how they came after Geum Jan Di on their own. In the meantime, he shall work on establishing contact with Jun Pyo and see if a meeting could be arranged between them.

"Please pardon Yi Jeong for his unfriendly behavior earlier, he's just grouchy because he didn't get enough sleep. I mean, he usually doesn't wake until half-past seven or eight on weekends… to be dragged rudely out of bed by an incoming phone call must have annoyed him more than he expected. And so, he vented his annoyance on you." Song Woo Bin explained wryly as he addressed the figure of Geum Jan Di.

"Oh no, it's fine. I mean, in hindsight… he isn't wrong. Ga Eul must have been very worried about me traveling overseas alone. And truly, after having arrived in Macau - I realized the folly of my error. I was too optimistic about my own ability to navigate around the city." Geum Jan Di responded with a sigh of resignation, inwardly she was berating herself for not listening to Ga Eul about securing boarding for herself before boarding the plane.

Sure, the room booked might not end up being utilized if her plan to meet up with Gu Jun Pyo works out nicely… but there's always some accommodation that offers the option of room booking without payment upfront. That way, she needn't worry about wasting money on a room because she would only need to pay after arriving at the accommodation site. If she had done just that, chances are she wouldn't have ended up in that exact predicament which the F3 had chanced upon earlier in that alley.

As Geum Jan Di reflected on her poor choice of actions, So Yi Jeong has taken to call up his absent childhood friend - Gu Jun Pyo on his mobile. As expected, the call was answered by Jeong Sang-Rok instead of his friend. Leaving behind a message with the secretary originally sicced upon his friend by the witch, for a meet-up between the F4 to be arranged once Jun Pyo has a free slot on his schedule - Yi Jeong proceeds to end the call and shifted his attention back to his friends and Geum Jan Di.

"Jun Pyo must have been really busy. Even after we had come all the way over to Macau from Seoul, he still wasn't able to tweak his schedule and make time for us." So Yi Jeong commented as he told Woo Bin and Ji Hoo.

"His father collapsed and had to retire prematurely. Under such circumstances, Jun Pyo has to grow up and reset his priorities - I reckon." Yoon Ji Hoo answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, while Woo Bin commented that even though he could understand the need for Jun Pyo to grow up - it just makes him feel melancholic in a sense as it seems that Jun Pyo was no longer part of the F4.

"Woo Bin, just because we are part of the group - F4, it doesn't mean we need to do everything together. Jun Pyo has his circumstances, we just have to be a tad more understanding of his position. Being the owner of Shinhwa group and being the heir are two different things, I'm sure you know this deep down. One of these days, we are all going to be following in his footsteps… it's just a matter of time." So Yi Jeong responded to his best friend's remark about feeling as though Jun Pyo had drifted apart from them.

Deciding to shift the topic away from the matter of Jun Pyo drifting apart from them, Yoon Ji Hoo decided to focus his attention on the figure of Geum Jan Di instead. "So, have you managed to meet up with Jun Pyo yet?"

The moment Yoon Ji Hoo voiced his query across to the girl seated on the sofa couch, he knows something must have had happened outside of their knowledge. The way Geum Jan Di fidgets around told him that the girl had indeed met Jun Pyo, but for some reason, she's denying the fact that they had met. So, what exactly was the cause behind Geum Jan Di's fidgeting behavior? Was it because of Jun Pyo's mother being in attendance when Geum Jan Di met Jun Pyo? It would appear that they didn't get to converse at all when they met, so it might just have been a brief encounter…

"No… not yet. He seems kind of busy." Geum Jan Di responded while averting her eyes from the observant Yoon Ji Hoo.

"If you haven't met up with him yet, how did you know that he's busy?" Yoon Ji Hoo wasn't fooled though, and so, he pointed out objectively as he directed a flat look at the figure of Geum Jan Di.

"... Well, I did chance upon him briefly at the atrium of the Shinhwa Mall. He seems to be attending some social events, and although he did glance in the direction where I stood briefly - he'd shifted his attention away soon after. So, I'm not sure if he's blatantly disregarding my presence or that he didn't actually notice me. And because someone spills their drinks on me accidentally, I was busy heading off in search of the washroom facility. By the time I reemerged from the washroom, he's no longer at the atrium… so, I wouldn't say we get a chance to meet up properly since my arrival in Macau, this morning." Geum Jan Di eventually caved to the pressure of Yoon Ji Hoo's penetrating gaze and comes clean to her former prince charming about the experience of her brief encounter with her boyfriend - the owner of the Shinhwa Group, Gu Jun Pyo, a few hours ago.

"..." A frown marred the features of Yoon Ji Hoo momentarily at the end of Geum Jan Di's recount, as he inwardly wonders what the hell is his friend thinking about? Judging from the way Jun Pyo had still paid him for the expenses he had been spending on Geum Jan Di, e.g. the furnishing cost when the Geum family shifted residence… Ji Hoo knows his friend still cares a great deal for the girl. So, why did Jun Pyo disregard Geum Jan Di's presence when they finally get the chance to meet up in person? Was it truly because he's preoccupied with the important task of expanding his networking for the business or was it because of something else? The auburn-haired member of F4 had his train of thoughts briefly interrupted when So Yi Jeong begins to speak.

"Anyway, since Jun Pyo isn't free for a meet-up with us anytime soon. Why don't we head out for some fun while waiting for his response? I left a message behind with his secretary telling him to make time for a meet-up with us at the earliest possible time. So, while waiting… let's go out for some sightseeing, shall we?" So Yi Jeong suggested, sensing the awkwardness in the air following Geum Jan Di's recount of her previous encounter with Jun Pyo at the atrium of the Shinhwa Mall.

"Fair enough. Alright, let's go then!" Song Woo Bin declared as he stood to make his way out of the room, being the only person among the group who had visited Macau more than once. Naturally, it falls upon him to play tour guide to his two friends and the Wonder Woman of Korea, this evening.

Though Yi Jeong had suggested sightseeing Woo Bin decided to bring them out for dinner before the sightseeing trip. After all, it's approaching dinner time and if they are still in Seoul - it's literally dinner time already.

Sure enough, So Yi Jeong received his meal reminder text from his girlfriend shortly after they had just seated themselves in a Chinese cuisine restaurant housed within the hotel building.

A private message between Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong, 21st November 2009, Saturday evening, 6pm [Macau Time], 7pm [Seoul Time]

Ga Eul: Good evening, Yi Jeong-sunbae! ^_^ Just to remind you to take your dinner… and also to check in with you. Have you guys found Jan Di yet? *Worry Emoji*

Yi Jeong: Evening, Ga Eul. Your message came in just in time. I've just sat down for dinner with the guys and your friend. Yes, Geum Jan Di has been found. And you would never believe the trouble she managed to land herself in… I'll fill you in on the details later tonight after the end of the sightseeing trip which Woo Bin is going to bring us on. After that, you are welcome to call over and berate your friend if the need arises.

Ga Eul: Ah… shall I expect a video call from you tonight then? ^_^

Yi Jeong: I'm leaning towards a voice call since it's likely quite late at night for you when I finally have the time to call you up. But if you intend to let me catch a good look of you dressed up in your nightgown, I'm not opposed to the idea of video-calling you tonight.

Ga Eul: *Blushing Emoji* I forgot… there's an hour time difference between Macau and Seoul. Never mind, a voice call would suffice.

Yi Jeong: That's what I thought. Anyway, have you taken your dinner?

Ga Eul: Yep. I made Japanese fried noodles for dinner. Kazuki's request, says I ought to compensate him with a homemade meal. After all, my decision to send you off after Jan Di screwed up his plans to trash you on the court tomorrow ^^; anyway, my parents aren't coming home for dinner this evening due to OT at their respective workplace, so I just need to feed myself and my brother… or brothers, in this case since Kazuki invited himself for dinner ^^;

PS: [Insert image of Japanese Fried Noodles. IMG] - Dinner for the day ^_^

Yi Jeong: That looks good on the image, I wonder if I will get a chance to taste it too.

Ga Eul: I'm sure the opportunity would come up in time. Alright, I shan't deter you from your dinner. And I awaited your call tonight to hear all about the troubles Jan Di managed to land herself in before you guys managed to locate her whereabouts. ^_^

Yi Jeong: Just to set your mind at ease. [Insert snapshot of Geum Jan Di and Ji Hoo. IMG]

Ga Eul: Thanks for the snapshot captured image. ^_^ Enjoy your dinner with the F2 and Jan Di.

Tucking away his mobile phone, Yi Jeong finally shifted his focus back to the ongoing conversation at the dining table.

"So, what did I miss?" Yi Jeong inquires as he took a sip of the water placed in front of him by the waitress earlier on when they were shown into the private dining room of the restaurant.

"Hmm… nothing much, I was just asking if they have any places in particular which they would like to visit. I assumed you're just done with your daily reporting to your meal supervisor then?" Song Woo Bin inquires his Casanova friend with a wry grin on his lips.

"Why bother asking if you already know?" Yi Jeong rolls his eyes openly at his best friend while throwing his auburn-haired friend a warning look. He didn't want Geum Jan Di to know just who exactly is his meal supervisor, and he certainly didn't want the Wonder Woman of Korea to catch on to the nature of his relationship with her childhood friend, at present. He had his hands full of dealing with the Miyazawa heir currently and didn't wish to further add on to his stress level of handling people who are over-protective of his country bumpkin girlfriend.

"Hey, there's no need for you to get snappy with me. Anyway, Ji Hoo says he's fine with any place and Geum Jan Di has no personal preference about what we should do after dinner. What about you? Any suggestions?" Song Woo Bin inquires throwing the ball into the court of his Casanova friend since he has been to Macau far too many times to count and thus had already run out of places to explore.

"... hmm… well, Geum Jan Di has already explored the red market earlier on before our arrival, so I say we continue with the trend. With her hostage experience in the red market pedestrian street earlier on in the day, likely, she hasn't got much souvenir shopping done." So Yi Jeong commented with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Ah… in that case, we will visit the Cunha Street in the Taipa district then." Song Woo Bin nodded in response, and this was also when the waitress starts bringing in their food orders.

As with the typical Chinese cuisines, to simplify matters and to prevent Geum Jan Di from trying to convert the amount of money the food costs in this restaurant. Song Woo Bin didn't even bother to let her get a chance to look at the restaurant's menu, and so, he makes the decision to order the six-course set menu for 4 people. The menu comprises of a Dim Sum platter; double-boiled chicken soup with Hokkaido sea cucumber and Matsutake; steamed grouper with fish roe, bean curd, ham, and egg yolk; wok-fried pork with garlic and gravy; crispy noodles with fresh shrimps and the in-house dessert.

The moment the aroma from the food hits Geum Jan Di's nose, her stomach starts growling on cue. Flushing pink in the cheeks as the F3 shifted their eyes towards her direction, Geum Jan Di laughed sheepishly as she commented. "Looks like I'm hungrier than I thought…"

"Well… what are you waiting for then? Let's dig in!" Song Woo Bin prompted as he nodded towards the waitress for her to start serving out their dinner.

"Thank you." Geum Jan Di thanked the waitress politely when the waitress set down her portion of the dish in front of her.

Since it's a course menu, the food wasn't all being served at the same time and so, every time Geum Jan Di polished off the food in front of her - the next dish would then be served out to them. This is a completely different dining experience for her in that she's too busy thanking the waitress for the service provided then to concern herself with the cost of today's dinner. Then again, considering that dinner is sponsored by the Don Juan of F4… there isn't exactly a need to stand on ceremony with the guy. Only, Jan Di felt rather bad that she had once again ended up being a charity case for the F4 - especially when she realized that the executive suite room they had gathered earlier for the conversation was in fact, booked especially for her stay.

Dinner took about an hour to complete, and although the portion is eaten weren't a lot… miraculously, Geum Jan Di actually felt full at the end of it.

"So, ready to go sightseeing?" Song Woo Bin prompted as he shifted his attention onto the figure of Geum Jan Di, after having settled the bill payment for their dinner meal with his card.

"Yes." Geum Jan Di nodded at the Don Juan of F4 as she directed a small smile towards the guy in response. She knows they were trying to cheer her up, and the least she could do is to show some enthusiasm in the sightseeing activity.

"Alright, let's go then!" Song Woo Bin declared jovially as he led them to the awaiting sedan car outside, as there were four of them… Woo Bin decided to drive himself so to prevent the need for his Casanova friend to cramp up in the back passenger seat alongside Geum Jan Di and Ji Hoo. And so, the chauffeur on duty was dismissed under the insistence of the Don Juan of F4.

While the F3 and Geum Jan Di set off for the Taipa district for the sightseeing trip, Gu Jun Pyo - the recently minted owner for the Shinhwa Group was meeting up with different clients going over the details of various ongoing projects, and busy signing documents. Following this, he was seen hopping onto his family-owned private jet to Hong Kong for a meet-up with another client who is unable to come over to Macau for the meeting. As such, he had to take his dinner meal with Jeong Sang-Rok, his head secretary on the plane.

It was at this moment that Jeong Sang-Rok finally had the chance to convey the message left by Yi Jeong earlier through the phone call to the leader of F4.

"What? Yi Jeong called earlier and said he's in town?" Gu Jun Pyo blinked as he wonders what the hell is going on? First, Geum Jan Di shows up without a warning… and now Yi Jeong, too? Is this a surprise Jun Pyo day or what?

"Yes, apparently - Young Master Ji Hoo and Young Master Woo Bin are here in Macau at present, too. And they are requesting for a meet-up with you in person, at your earliest convenient timing." Jeong Sang-Rok responded, conveying the message Yi Jeong left behind for his new employer without holding back any information from the young man seated opposite him on the plane.

"... we'll revisit this topic later." Gu Jun Pyo eventually said as he dig into his in-flight dinner meal, and split his focus on the document lying open in front of him. With him being on the flight out to Hong Kong for a meeting with a client, it's not as though he could do anything about his schedule for the rest of the day. There are only hours until the day ended either way, so perhaps… the meeting with his friends could wait for another day or two. There are things he needed to get out of the way before a meet-up with his friends could be arranged, else the witch is going to start bitching about his subpar performance again.

His witch of a mother was always going about how friends weren't necessary for him, but it seems his sister has a different opinion. Anyway, with his father out of commission for the time being - he's doomed to get stuck in between his witch of a mother and his sister as they argued over how he should live out his life as the owner of the Shinhwa Group.

~TBC~

Chapter's notes:

Chapter 36 of my story covers the last part of episode 13 basically… with my own modifications to the scenes. Not much SoEul in here, but I managed to fit in some brief chats between them. ^_^ And I had Ga Eul featured in a cameo scene in Seoul with Kazuki and her little brother, Jung-Min.

The rest of it is mostly Jan Di focused, and Jae-Kyung meeting with Jan Di ^_^ Woo Bin's cousin gets screen-time too :D Finally, we have Jun Pyo appearing in the story after being missing for the last few chapters :D

Slight changes to the scene - for the jerky purchase scene in the drama, Netflix translated it as 5 pieces and 10 pieces which doesn't make sense. As far as I know, jerky usually comes in a 500g or 1kg package, and judging from the package held in Jan Di's hands before she parts ways with Jae-Kyung in the drama, that is most definitely more than 5pieces/10 pieces. So, I decided to go with common sense I know for jerky [commonly known as Bak-Kwa]

The next scene I tweaked is the casino scene where Jan Di was seen looking around, based on the laws - only people aged 21 and above [includes tourists] are allowed into casinos. The F4 definitely would have been 21 by then, but Jan Di is a year below them so… she's likely at most 20, so the fact that she's allowed in the casino doesn't make sense, and thus, I had to pull some strings to let her into the casino. So, instead of Jan Di giving free rein to roam about in the casino… my OC was guiding her through the casino.

Last but not least, I truly had no idea which hotel in Macau was the one being used for the filming… ^^; it might have been infamous Venetian Macau, the exterior looks like it. Venetian Macau is accessible via the Taipa line… anyway, because in the last chapter - I've already mentioned Grand Emperor Hotel & Casino, so I'm going to stick to what I've written thus far. I would have them visit the Venetian in the next chapter though, but it will probably be set on the following day of my story. Since it's already night-time in my story at present :P

Other than the above two scenes, the rest of it - I kept it more or less the same as the drama. Outside of my original scene featuring Ga Eul in Seoul with Kazuki, the SoEul related moments in the chapter, as well as the Chinese dinner scene between F3 and Jan Di. I thought, they probably had dinner before heading off for the sightseeing and so, I put it in the chapter ^_^;

Regardless, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter… all that's left from episode 13 is the sightseeing trip. I've never been to Macau personally, but I thought from the scenes featured in the drama - that should be in the Taipa district, so… that's where I'm going to set the stage ^_^;

That's all for now, see you in the next update ^_^