Hello there!
Yes! I am updating because I know the prologue was really short, so I'm here to deliver the first chapter. Now, not all updates will be this quick, I have a two year old, work and a small business to run so my life is hectic, but I still love to write and love the BoF characters.
Thank you so very much for your kind reviews, I've replied to all of them except for Guest. And to you Guest, I have to say thank you! I'm really glad you've been captivated from the prologue. I'll keep up the good work.

See you in the next update! Fighting!

Ji Hoo's day unfolded as usual. He woke up early, donned a suit, had a coffee, was driven to the company, and began his routine. He signed documents, held two meetings, reviewed some purchase proposals, and checked that things were going smoothly for the next gala at Su-Am Art Centre.

And then, as sometimes happened, there was nothing left to do.

He didn't feel like riding his motorcycle today; instead, he called Secretary Park and let him know he was going for a walk so he could arrange the necessary covert security. He entered his adjoined bathroom and went to the closet to find something comfortable to wear. He decided on some black jeans, a white shirt and a double neck zip-up brownish jacket. He finished his look with a pair of Versace sunglasses and left.

Yoon Ji Hoo was 27 years old, soon to be 28; he'd finished an International Business degree and was now the president of the Yoon Empire. That meant he had way more responsibilities than he ever thought possible in his life; however, after a couple of years and the experienced guidance of Secretary Park, he had gotten the gist of it. Of course, his brothers, the F4, had also helped him along the way.

All of them were slowly being groomed to take over their respective families' businesses, but because Ji Hoo had no parents, his time came much quicker than the rest.

Woo Bin began making more decisions within the Song clan and was also introduced to many of the other mafia bosses of different turfs and countries.

Yi Jung had just recently returned from Sweden; he left after his second year of college to pursue a different kind of sculpting technique and had started implementing it into his recent works. Ji Hoo had obviously asked for the rights to present this newfound art of his in his art centre, though it wasn't necessary; Yi Jung wouldn't have had it any other way.

The two of them weren't womanizing so often, and their respective fathers were already on the lookout for suitable bridal candidates.

The story with Jun Pyo was that he was just a few months away from taking control of Shinhwa with a beautiful girlfriend at his side. He had also successfully completed an International Business degree, and President Kang had seen fit to throw him into the rodeo as soon as he was done with college. She'd also managed to present a girl to him that wouldn't back down to his negative responses. Ha Jae Kyung was a force to reckon with.

She, as many others before her, had met with the impenetrable wall that was Goo Jun Pyo, but instead of forfeiting, she had stayed and proven she was not just a piece of arm-candy. Little by little, Jae Kyung had cracked Jun Pyo's shell, and the rest of the F4 had enjoyed immensely watching their leader fight against this girl.

In the end, she won.

Ji Hoo could surely say that Jun Pyo truly liked his girlfriend even if he didn't admit it out loud.

And it was a good thing because after the incident with Jan Di and since she'd left Shinwha high-school, Jun Pyo hadn't involved himself with any other girl.

Ji Hoo could understand him; he also missed Jan Di. What he couldn't fathom, to this day, was why she had decided to leave, scratch that, disappear.

After beating the trials Jun Pyo had put them through after catching them kissing in New Caledonia, Ji Hoo had invited Jan Di on a date, and things had gone really well between them. Ji Hoo took her riding, to the museum, to the art centre. They had a great time.

And then one day, she was gone.

She left a note saying her family was going through some really tough problems and that they needed to leave the city to try to solve them.

Ji Hoo had immediately gone to her house after reading the note and found it deserted. The neighbors told him the family had left the day before and that was all they knew. He summoned the rest of the F4 and they all looked everywhere, and he meant everywhere. He couldn't remember how many times he called Ga Eul begging for some information, to no avail; she knew nothing and had also gotten a short message. Yi Jung had tried to coax her, too, thinking she might be lying, but the answer was the same.

Truth was, they all thought Madam Kang had tried another one of her tricks because she had found out Jun Pyo had taken Jan Di to New Caledonia, and of course she didn't want her son involved with a commoner. Trusting Jan Di was only after her son's wealth, she offered her an outrageous sum of money to leave Jun Pyo alone.

Jan Di threw the money right back in her face.

Literally.

And the F4 had to protect her once more from another enemy.

So, because of that previous incident, they thought of Madam Kang, and Jun Pyo went right ahead and destroyed her entire office for answers. His mother was shocked but ultimately happy that 'that commoner shrew' had left for good.

Finally, they gave up. Jan Di was gone, and they needed to accept it. It might seem weird that the F4 would react like that over the disappearance of a girl they only knew for a couple of months, but Jan Di had instilled a deep change in all of them, if in different ways.

While thinking on this, Ji Hoo found that his feet had taken him to a part of the city he never visited; it was one of the commoner parts, although the high-end part of the district. He saw boutiques and a mall, a little flea market in a park; it was Friday, after all, so the street was very much alive, even though there were only two hours left before normal closing time.

His ears led him to a music store on a street corner. It wasn't one of those high class ones he was used to, but it still looked well-stocked. Inside, there was a girl of perhaps thirteen years old trying a cello, and Ji Hoo recognized she had talent; it sounded beautiful. Even if that song would've sounded better on a Cecilio, the young girl was doing an amazing job.

Out of nowhere, he suddenly noticed a small presence with hands and face plastered to the window glass, totally enraptured as far as he could tell. It was a little boy, probably six or seven years old. From his clothes, one could tell he led a very modest life.

Ji Hoo didn't know why, but after a minute of watching the boy listening to the music, he smiled. One just had to look at the kid once, and you could tell it was as if Christmas had come early for him. He remembered that was how he used to feel about music in his younger years, too.

"Hey you!" A shop attendant suddenly came out. "How many times do I need to tell you to get out of here? Don't you know you're scaring the customers?" He was growling at the little boy.

"I'm sorry, but it's just so beautiful. Would you please let me enter so I can listen? I promise to stay really quiet and-" The boy found himself being tossed aside from the glass.

"There's no way I'm gonna let a little thief like you come into our shop!"

"I think there's no need for violence." Ji Hoo stepped forward, catching the boy before he fell.

The shop attendant went to rant again, but he noticed the clean, high branded, luxurious clothes of the man in from of him and closed his mouth.

"He is bothering the customers, sir." He tried to control his voice.

"I don't see any customers being bothered by him; if anything, that young girl who was playing is being bothered by you." Ji Hoo pointed to the inside of the store, and as he said, the girl was looking pretty uncomfortable with the whole ordeal, and a woman next to her, probably her mother, was beginning to gather her things.

"Now," continued Ji Hoo, taking off his sunglasses, "I think it would be best if you go back inside and try to stop them from leaving."

The shop attendant before him seemed to be thinking hard about something. He looked again and did a double-take, recognizing exactly who was in front of him.

"Sir, my apologies, I-"

"Back. Inside. You're not needed here." But as Ji Hoo said these words, the girl and her mother opened the door to leave.

"Please, ma'am, it's just a misunderstanding." Another man was following her.

"This man," the woman pointed to the shop attendant, "is supposed to be helping my daughter, and he just storms off to chat with someone? I don't think so, sir, no. I will go somewhere else."

"Mom," the girl immediately recognized who was in front of her and was trying desperately to let her mother know. "Mom, this isn't just someone. It's Yoon Ji Hoo."

Her mother quickly turned to see the man in question, and her daughter was right. In front of them, in that little music shop, was one of the best violin performers of Korea, not to mention the president of the Su-Am Centre.

"Yoon Ji Hoo-ssi, to what do we owe this honor?" The man, who followed the customers out, asked. On his chest, there was a nametag that read 'Manager'.

"I came to do some research on different stores in the area, and someone recommended this one to me," he easily lied. "Although I have to say the quality of the instruments seems to be good enough-Thank you for that performance, by the way," he directed his words to the girl, who seemed a step away from fainting, "I have to say the service of the employees is…poor."

"My apologies, sir. We'll see that this incident is not repeated," the manager said.

"I was just trying to get rid of that kid. He was staring at the instruments as if he was hungry!" And the guy clearly didn't know when to shut up.

It was then that every eye fixed on the child who was now hiding behind one of Ji Hoo's legs.

"What were you doing?" Ji Hoo asked him.

The boy's cheeks went red, and he seemed to be struggling to get his words out.

"I'm very sorry. The music that noona was playing sounded really beautiful. I have never listened to a cello first hand; I've always watched performances on TV, so to hear one so close, I couldn't help but listen. I'm sorry I bothered you, Noona and Mister Manager."

The little boy bowed from behind his hiding place and truly melted the women's hearts.

"Don't worry, you didn't bother me." The young girl assured him, and her mother nodded.

"If you ever want to listen again, come and find me, okay?" The manager promised, and the smile the boy gave him back was angelic. "Well then, now that this problem is solved, can I convince you ma'am to please enter again? I assure you, I'll personally help your daughter find the best cello we can offer."

The issue seemed to be resolved, though the shop assistant got such a glare from his manager that he knew a punishment was sure to follow later. The young girl asked Ji Hoo to shake hands, and he gracefully accepted.

Finally, the door closed, and Ji Hoo looked down at the boy still clinging to his leg. And then it dawned on him–this boy was alone.

"Where are your parents?"

"Um, I kinda didn't obey my mom and wandered here alone."

"Do you know your name and address?"

"My name is Ji Min; I'm seven, and I do know my address, but I don't live here, so I don't think you can take me home."

Ji Hoo sighed; this was not how he thought his afternoon would go. "Do you remember where you came from? I bet your parents are really worried and looking for you."

"Yes! I came from that street over there. And I don't have parents; I have Omma."

Great.

"Okay, let's go that way then." Ji Min stopped grabbing his leg, and Ji Hoo began to walk but suddenly noticed Ji Min wasn't following him. "Are you coming?"

"Hand."

"What?"

"Hand. I need to hold onto an adult's hand if I'm going to cross the street."

Ji Hoo looked at the boy again, with his big brown eyes, serious expression, and hand held out to him, and he laughed.

"Are you really seven years old? You seem much too mature for your age, Ji Min-ssi." Ji Hoo took his hand, and they started walking again.

"Omma always says I get my matureness from my dad."

"Didn't you just say you only had Omma?"

"Oh yes, I don't know who my dad is, but if I have questions about him, my mom always answers them."

"So where is your father?"

"Mom says he's on a long trip. She doesn't know if he'll be back, but I know he will. He's just working hard for us, I'm sure. Mom works hard, too, for me, so I work hard for Mom."

Ji Hoo felt a bit sad for the little boy. Maybe his mother really didn't know who his father was, or maybe the father didn't want anything to do with them so she invented a story. Because that 'long trip' thing surely wasn't true.

They kept walking, and Ji Hoo listened to the boy talking about everything that happened since he, his mother, and a friend had come to the city.

"It's my first time here; it's so exciting! I was sick, you see, and they couldn't cure me back home, so Omma brought us here to the city. I know she didn't want to come; I heard her talking with Grandpa, but she did in the end. I think she was worried about the money. Omma works a lot, and I didn't want to get sick, but I did. I'm all better now, though. I was in the clinic for a checkup, but I went out." Here, he subsided a lot, "Omma is going to be scary."

Ji Hoo didn't have any parents or son's experience, except for his memories, and the F4 parents were definitely not the best examples to be based on. However, he knew how most parents loved their children fiercely, and if this woman was alone, she was going to be twice as worried and angry.

"Be honest and apologize, and promise not to do it again because a stranger could come and… By the way, Ji Min, didn't your mother teach you not to talk to strangers?"

"But Hyung-nim!" So I'm Hyung-nim? "You protected me, and you look really cool. Besides, I really, really like you!"

"You barely know me." He tried to reason with the little boy.

"I know that, but…I don't know, I just do!" Ji Min replied with a smile that could probably get him anything he wanted.

Ji Hoo had to give it to him, he never got himself involved in anything, and even if his aversion to strangers had toned down a lot through the years, he still preferred to be left alone. But Ji Min had come and with nothing more than a smile, made him want to help. His eagerness for music was something he hadn't forgotten, either.

"So, tell me, Ji Min, you like music?"

"I DO!" he all but yelled. "I love the cello the most, and Omma says someday she'll buy me one so I can learn!"

Ji Hoo smiled at Ji Min's enthusiasm. "So, who's your favorite cellist?" He knew the little boy probably only knew the most famous songs but not the players.

"Well, if male, I would say Yo-Yo Ma and Mischa Maisky, and female, Natalia Gutman and Alisa Weilerstein." Ji Hoo was impressed; no, he was astonished. He knew he had asked before, but now he was asking again. Was this kid really seven years old? "And of course everybody loves Cello Suite No 1, The Prelude from Bach, but I think my favorite would have to be Cello Sonata No. 1 from Brahms. I actually like the one interpreted by Mstislav Rostropóvich and Rudolf Serkin; the piano accompaniment just really makes your heart race."

"You are full of surprises, Ji Min-ssi." And he got a full smile for an answer.

They walked a couple more minutes through the streets Ji Min remembered when, suddenly, they could hear a male voice yelling.

"Ji Min! Ji Min, answer me if you can hear me! Ji Min!"

"Ah! That's Chul Moo's voice!" Ji Min told Ji Hoo.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go."

"But Hyung-nim, aren't you coming?"

Ji Hoo thought about it and decided it would be best if he left Ji Min in his family's hands. Tightening his grasp on Ji Min's little hand, he went ahead.

"Chul Moo Hyung!"

"Ji Min!" The man in question came running and crouched to the boy's level, hugging him and patting him everywhere. "Where did you go? Where have you been?! Do you know how worried your mother is?" Each question carried concern but anger as well. "Why did you leave the clinic like that?"

Ji Min looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I just followed a man who was selling candy and ended up on another street, and then I saw more people and I listened to this noona play the cello, and then I met Hyung-nim."

"Hyung-nim?" Chul Moo looked puzzled but just then noticed Ji Min was holding on for dear life to another man's hand. He stood up and faced him. "Thank you for bringing him here. I'm Ga Chul Moo." He offered his hand to Ji Hoo, and he took it.

"It's no problem. I also told him he shouldn't worry his mother like that. Where is she, by the way?"

"Oh yeah! Wait a second!" While Chul Moo took out his phone and called Ji Min's mother, this time Ji Hoo crouched in front of Ji Min.

"Well, it seems like your mother is on her way. Be sure to apologize to her and reflect on your actions. It was me today, but you never know who might be out there. Not all people are good, Ji Min, you must be aware of that." The little one was on the verge of tears now.

"Yes, Hyung-nim, I'll be more careful, I promise."

"Hey, it's okay, there's no need to cry. You're a man, right?"

"I am."

"Good, then dry those tears." And he offered Ji Min his handkerchief. He was about to say goodbye when a voice from behind told him the mother had arrived.

"JI MIN!" a female voice yelled.

"Omma!" Ji Min ran to his mother and left Ji Hoo in the same position.

Muffled words and crying could be heard, so he stood up and turned so he could wait to say his good-bye to the little boy. The mother's back was to him, and Ji Min was currently being hugged, or more like smothered by his mother, who was giving him some stern but loving words about not leaving on his own like that.

"I'm sorry, Omma, but come meet Hyung-nim! He helped me lots!"

The woman laughed while drying her tears and stood up to face Ji Hoo.

What happened next could only be described as complete and utter shock.

Ji Min ran to Ji Hoo and grabbed his hand, but he didn't budge. Why wasn't Hyung-nim going with him to meet his mother?

Ji Hoo was paralyzed, eyes opened wide, and he could feel the blood running cold through his veins. The woman before him was no different; the color from her cheeks had disappeared, and an ashen tone had come to her face. Her hands went to her open mouth as if trying to silence a scream.

Was this real? How is it that fate works its antics so brazenly to put together such a scenario on a seemingly quiet afternoon that Ji Hoo had wanted to enjoy by himself?

But it couldn't be denied. Ji Min had gone back to her and started asking her what was wrong, calling her 'Omma'.

After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke.

"Ji Hoo?"

It was the same voice, the same eyes, the same girl…except now, she was a woman.

His voice carried a longing he didn't know was still in him.

"Jan Di."

And what now?

A very huge shout to JHsgf82, my dear friends who's always helping me check my grammar. Love ya, girl! :*