The trend started inconspicuously - and privately - enough.
Barely more than a month after the shooting incident, Song Construction Inc. had decided to discontinue their business with the Parks, and finally did what Woo Bin had recommended all those months ago: source their steel from somewhere else. A tiny blip in the Parks' economic radar, considering that Song Construction Inc. was only one of the many companies doing deals with them. A small loss, really, in the scheme of things.
Except one by one those other companies, too, started disassociating with the family.
And they all had very little in common, so there wasn't any noticeable thread linking them together-
-if one didn't delve too deeply into their backgrounds, that was.
If one did, one would find that all those companies had Shinhwa as a major stockholder, or were directly - and covertly - owned and controlled by them.
Which meant-
"Thanks, bro," Woo Bin told Jun Pyo over the phone. "What can I say? You're the best."
"Don't mention it," the Shinhwa heir replied. "Seriously, don't mention it. I don't believe in praises when they're coming from you."
"Now you're just breaking my heart," Woo Bin said, fighting to sound serious when he was feeling anything but. Gingerly he tried moving his arm - already half-expecting the shooting pain from his shoulder because of it - and felt relieved that it was no longer as awful as it had been just weeks before. "Anyway-"
"You know how difficult it is to convince everyone that letting go of the contract with the Parks is in the best interest of the company? Especially since our family had been working with them for decades?" He grunted. "Mother had wanted my head for that. Called me all the way from-"
"Well, they are a staple in the industry," Woo Bin replied, highly amused with how highly annoyed Jun Pyo sounded just then. Leaning forward, he tapped on his butler's shoulder, signaled left - then watched as the butler inform their driver about his silent command. "But not for long. I'm sure someone will take over the Parks' place in the world once it's vacant."
"Who?" Jun Pyo scoffed. Then, to his credit he asked next, "You?"
Woo Bin leaned back on his seat, tried not to feel offended at the disbelief in the Shinhwa heir's voice - as usual. "MMMMaybe." A pause. "But it won't just be me. I'll be tapping both Yi Jung and Ji Hoo to help with the takeover." He paused again. "Or their pockets, to be more precise."
"Seriously?" Jun Pyo asked, louder this time.
"My family's already in the construction business anyway," Woo Bin said. "Branching out into using our own steel - or becoming the source of the material for other companies - isn't that far-fetched an idea, don't you think?"
"So," Jun Pyo said after some pregnant moments, "you wanted to run their business to the ground then make sure that they can't ever get back up again. That's your plan?"
Woo Bin grinned. "Isn't this something we F4 specialize in? Hitting enemies where it hurts the most?" He moved his shoulder again, felt an echo of pain - as well as vindication. "This way, they'll live knowing the true cost of hurting me - and those I love."
Which was kind of him, to be honest - particularly since this way, Woo Bin would still allow them to live.
A stark contrast to how his father wanted the Parks to end up as.
They should be grateful, Woo Bin thought.
"Ya," Jun Pyo said, breaking into his musings. "Didn't they hurt Yi Jung's girl, though? So why are you-"
Wincing a bit, Woo Bin cut in with, "Speaking of Chu Ga Eul - you still owe me that report about her in your school."
"Aish! It's your revenge, but why does it feel like I'm doing all the legwork?" Jun Pyo groused.
Chuckling a bit, Woo Bin said, "Don't worry. I'll make sure to make a sizable donation to the school - again - for all your efforts."
"Double the amount this time," Jun Pyo said. "Better yet, triple it. My staff had difficulty compiling the report, don't you know? Apparently the students didn't really want to talk at all."
"Which says a lot, doesn't it?" Already Woo Bin could foresee what could be in the report. Perhaps Park Yo Na's influence was so great that the other students have become deathly afraid of saying anything against her - much less do anything to antagonize her. Which... practically spelled disaster to anyone she targeted.
And should Jun Pyo's report confirm his suspicions that Park Yo Na actively tormented Chu Ga Eul while in school-
I'm saying you're something they both have in common. If this woman wanted to hurt you - maybe she chose to do it through Ga Eul.
He closed his eyes. Goddamn it, Yi Jung.
"I'll email it to you," Jun Pyo said, bringing him back to the present. "Though you should know - my staff told me that Park Yo Na's been absent for quite some time now."
Woo Bin drummed his fingers on his knee. "Maybe they're already running away," he said coolly. "I won't blame them if they do." He paused. "Not that they actually could."
"Ya. What do you mean-"
Beep.
Sorry, bro. Some things you're better off not knowing.
His butler then chose that moment to hand him a folder. As Woo Bin thumbed through the document, his butler reported, "You'd be pleased to learn, Master Song, that the Chu family did not encounter anything suspicious this past week."
"Both at home and in school?"
"Yes."
"Good," he replied, browsing a bit before setting the report aside. "Good. Be sure it's kept that way." Then, he leaned forward and added, "I want everyone assigned to be close enough to the family that they can act immediately if and when necessary - but without ever being noticed. Am I understood?"
"Of course."
Woo Bin then settled back on his seat, saw that he'd finally arrived in Ga Eul's neighborhood - and felt his mood instantly brightening. "I don't want to be caught unawares again."
For her sake.
Moments later, and his butler was opening the car door for him. "What time should we come back for you, Master Song?"
Woo Bin grimaced. Imagine, a grown man like him needing to be driven around and fetched from places like a child? Another reason to get back at the Parks, more like. "Wait for my call," he replied as he straightened his suit, before the sound of the house's front door opening made him look to the side - in time to see Ga Eul come out of her own home, followed oh so closely by her parents.
The image easily pushed the frown off his face.
"Master Song!"
Ga Eul's mother hurried past her daughter just to get to him. "Oh, let me look at you." She placed both hands on his cheeks and inspected him up and down. "My, but you've grown thinner! What have they been feeding you? We wanted to come visit you in the hospital to bring you something to eat but-"
"Um-"
"Eomma!" Ga Eul said, grabbing her mother's arm to pull her off Woo Bin. "Please, just-"
"There's just no safe place anywhere anymore, is there?" Ga Eul's father lamented - first to Woo Bin, then to his butler. "Imagine, someone like Master Song getting mistaken for someone else and shot out of the blue. What has this neighborhood become?"
Woo Bin met Ga Eul's eyes - don't they know? - and she subtly shook her head.
"Let us feed you, Master Song- I mean, Woo Bin," her mother said, attaching herself to his good side and all but gently pulling him inside the house. "As thank you for..." She blinked quickly, then cleared her throat. "For everything you've done, and then some. Let's put meat back into your bones-"
"Well-"
"I'll do it." Ga Eul tried - again - to dislodge her mother's hold on him. "You have somewhere else to be, remember?" She then shot a look of pure desperation towards her father. "Appa, please."
Ga Eul's father laughed. "Come on, Ga-young. Leave these kids be. We still have to buy our weekly lottery tickets today, remember? That ten million won's not going to win itself."
"Eomma," Ga Eul beseeched. "You promised."
"Oh-" Her mother looked absolutely reluctant as she finally let go of Woo Bin. "Oh, all right. But! You have to make sure you eat everything I cooked for you today, Master Song, or else I'll be very disappointed."
"Of course," he replied, dimpling at her. "I've been looking forward to this meal ever since I got discharged."
"As you should." Ga Eul's mother smiled right back at him. "And, and- Ga Eul!" Turning to her daughter, she said, "Make sure he takes home everything I set aside for him, all right? They're in the containers in the refrigerator... just put them all in a bag and-"
"Goodbye, Eomma, Appa! Have fun on your walk!" And with that, she practically pushed her parents farther away from him.
Woo Bin sighed, then caught his butler - who was still there, apparently - looking highly amused at the situation unfolding in front of him. The latter saw him, delicately coughed into his hand, got into the car, and drove off without another word.
Well.
Ga Eul looked adorably red-faced as she approached him afterward. "Sorry about that," she said directly to his shoes. "I both made them promise not to act like that around you, but I guess only one can keep their word."
"I don't mind," he replied - and it was the truth, plain and simple. "It's... it feels nice, to have people worry about me."
"Why?" she asked, inching her chin up indignantly. "You think I'm not?"
Grinning, he took her hand to kiss the back of it. "It's more like... how do they say it? The more, the merrier?"
She rolled her eyes, went behind him, and pushed him forward. "Whatever makes you happy, Sunbae."
He laughed.
Only later on when he was seated and with heaping food in front of them did Woo Bin bring up what had been on his mind. "Earlier, Ga Eul. Your father said something about... mistaken identities?"
Her mouth thinned considerably.
He stopped her from adding viand to his rice as he asked, "Do they know? What really happened?"
"They know... that you got shot while you were with me," she replied carefully, looking at his hand on top of hers. "That everything was just... an accident. A horrible, terrible misunderstanding."
"Why?"
"Why not?" she asked back, pulling away and moving to sit opposite him. "Why should I bother telling them that, what, a rich family wanted me dead? That you got shot, but the man was there to get me?" Her shoulders hunched down. "I don't want to worry them any more than they already are." Then, as if cloaking herself with courage, she straightened her spine and added, "Besides, I'm fine. I'm still here. I think after that... happened... they won't be trying again, especially since they failed and got you, instead of me."
"Thank goodness for small favors," he said - and meant them.
She gave a small shake of her head. "Don't, Sunbae. Seeing you hurt like that, it's not..." She shook her head again. "Just don't."
"Sorry," he replied. After a moment he added, "Will you ever tell them the truth?"
Ga Eul bit her lip. "I don't know. Probably. Maybe? When it's... safe, I guess. Or... safer."
Damn the Parks for causing her this much trouble.
"You don't have to be afraid, you know," he assured her, wishing she sat close enough to touch. "I told you I'll protect you. The Parks won't try to hurt you ever again; I won't let them."
Ga Eul glanced at him. She waited a while before she asked, "Have you... I mean. Did you... or your father...?"
He raised his brows at her, telling her silently to continue.
"It's just... Park Yo Na hasn't been to school after that whole incident," she said, sounding a bit reluctant to divulge this fact - which, thanks to Jun Pyo, he already knew. "So there were... talks."
"Talks?"
"Of... of your family doing... things. To the Parks. As payback." She paused. "And that they... may be dead already or... or even worse than dead."
Woo Bin took the chopsticks from his side, bidding his time before he responded.
Ah.
Of course.
While Ga Eul might be seemingly innocent to the ways of how his world operated, it was no secret to the rest of Korea what his family could - and would - do to people who wronged them.
It was where they got their power, after all.
Except this time, he hadn't even begun with his revenge against the Parks, so hearing all these questions, all these speculations from her-
-hurt.
"Do you believe them?" he asked, opting to sound intrigued, rather than insulted.
"No!" she replied quickly. "No, of course not."
"But it left you wondering," Woo Bin said - wanting to know what she thought while at the same time, dreading it. "That's why you're asking me, isn't it?"
She shook her head. "I've met your father. I know you. And you're not-"
Woo Bin just stared at her.
She bit her lip again. "Sorry. Don't mind me; I shouldn't have said anything. Let's just-" Ga Eul gestured at the food her mother painstakingly cooked for him and said, "Let's eat. Please."
To oblige her - and to have something to do to occupy both his mind and his mouth - he did.
I know you, she'd said, point-blank.
Except-
Did she?
Author's Note: SORRY IT TOOK THIS LONG T.T I hope you're all doing okay, darlings!