Hello darlings,
How are you doing? I hope you are all fine.
I'm terribly sorry about not being able to update as fast as I wanted, but life gave me a blow this past month with several stressful weeks at work, only to be laid off in the end. No warning, no previous conversation. They just told me "sign this and good bye" and I was stunned. I have a two year old baby who is the light of my life, so you can imagine, I'm very worried about how things will look like from here on. So, I don't mean to make you sad with all of this, but I do think you all deserved a bit of an explanation about why I haven't been as active as before. Hopefully I'll get a job soon and I'll be less worried. If you can send me some positive energies, I would greatly appreciate it.
Well then, on with another chapter. For this, and the previous ones, I finally made a Pinterest board. You can all go to my profile and get the link and I'm leaving it here too for the first time (remember to erase all of the spaces) www. pinterest nerwentasartir/ part-of-me/
I hope you enjoy it and also let me know what things you'd like to see there.
For those who read my first "promp" in my Prompts fic, I promise I'll get back to that soon. It really has been a bad month for me and writing helps me get distracted so I'm hoping to be able to write a bit more these days and also hoping to get a new job soon.
Without further ado, here it is, the newest chapter!
Previously on Part of Me: Jan Di met Ji Hoo and was greatly surprised. He called the rest of F4 to let them know he had found her. The gang is meeting in Woo Bin's apartment. When Jan Di arrives, she has a very emotional reunion with her friends. When Jun Pyo couldn't hold back his tongue and asked her for the reason for being absent all those years, Ji Min came running to the room, promptly introducing himself.
The room was eerily silent after little Ji Min's presentation. Several seconds passed by before he asked his mother if they were playing freeze tag, and Jan Di answered that they weren't.
"Woo Bin, did you plan this?" Yi Jung asked his friend, who was recording everything with his cell.
"Nope, not one bit."
"Jan Di, is this really your son?" Yi Jung appeared to be in shock.
"Yes, Yi Jung, he is. And he's the reason you were asking about, Jun Pyo." Jan Di turned to the man in question, who seemed to have really been playing freeze tag; he was frozen on the spot.
"Don't worry, Jan Di; he'll react in a bit," Woo Bin told her, still recording. "Little Ji Min here is Jan Di's son; he goes to school, had a mean cold not too long ago-Don't worry Jan Di, he didn't eat any ice cream when I found out-and lives with his grandparents, his uncle, and his mom on a faraway island to the south. Trust me, I know my geography, and I don't know this place's name, so you did a really good job at hiding, Jan Di."
"I wasn't hiding…," she muttered.
"Why don't I take Ji Min to the playroom here while we talk?" Woo Bin pointed to the room across from the one Jan Di was in. It had glass doors so she would be able to see her son, though she didn't need to worry. With the huge plasma TV, PlayStation, games and DVDs in that room, the problem would be getting Ji Min out of it.
"Ji Min, love. Would you like to go watch a movie while Mom talks with her friends for a bit?"
"Can I watch a scary movie?" he asked, excited.
"No. You'll have bad dreams later."
"Ommaaa…"
"No."
Ji Min knew that voice, so he didn't battle with her further, and defeated, took Woo Bin's hand again and went to the other room.
Jan Di turned on the sofa she was sitting in to her friends. Ji Hoo was smiling at how well Woo Bin and Ji Min seemed to get along. Yi Jung appeared to be adding numbers in his head, and Jun Pyo finally found his voice.
"YOU ARE A MOM!? What? But when!? Are you married? Where's his father? How did it happen?"
Jan Di was taken aback by his sudden questions and was momentarily speechless.
"Do you really want her to tell you how it happened, Jun Pyo? I think it would be best if we revisit the Birds and the Bees tale later tonight." Yi Jung tried to lighten the mood.
"What did I miss?" Woo Bin entered quickly, and Jan Di could see from behind her friend that her son was enraptured by some movie on the TV.
"He's not watching something scary, right?" she asked him.
"Nah, I put on Transformers. What did I miss?" Woo Bin asked again.
"The usual, Jun Pyo just blurted out whatever he was thinking without using the filter that's supposed to be between his brain and his mouth," Yi Jung replied.
"Damn it, I wanted to record that."
"But he is right, Jan Di. We were kinda wondering the same, minus the 'how' part."
Jan Di smiled a bit, even though she was feeling pretty nervous inside. Her heart trembled inside her chest, and her mouth felt dry. Woo Bin went to sit among his friends, and she suddenly thought this was like being in front of a jury of some sort.
"Um, well… As you know I left school early in December because of my family issues. Many things happened after I moved, and then, well…Ji Min was born on August 10th, 2011."
"It was quick then," Yi Jung stated.
"Yeah, it was. I couldn't contact you because I lost my cell phone, and I lost your contact information. Besides that, even if I wanted to come back and look for you guys, it wasn't possible. Having a brand new baby really turns your life upside down. The first month of Ji Min's life was really, really hard on me; I knew nothing of being a mother or having a baby. My mom helped me a lot, surprisingly; she didn't let me stay down for long, and she made me do the job. She said if I was smart enough to get pregnant, I needed to be smart enough to be a mother to my kid."
"Where's the father?" Woo Bin asked.
"He's not with us right now; he-"
"Did he abandon you?" Ji Hoo asked something for the first time, and Jan Di found it really hard to answer, just as when Jun Pyo asked the questions.
"No, he didn't abandon us. The situation with his father is complicated, and I can't tell you all of it."
"He's a scumbag. If he left you alone with your son and didn't man up to take responsibility for his actions, he's trash," Jun Pyo said.
"No, he's not!" Jan Di cut him off, surprising him by the rudeness in her voice. "Listen, I know it's really difficult for you to understand this, but I'll try to clarify it. Ji Min's father is not a bad man; he didn't abandon me or him, and he's one of the best men I've ever met. Our relationship was complicated; many things happened so we can't be with him right now. Don't badmouth him if you don't know the whole story."
"You won't tell us the whole story."
"I can't tell you the whole story."
"Why?" Jun Pyo insisted.
"Because she can't Jun Pyo, just leave it at that." Woo Bin came to her rescue. "Just tell us he didn't mistreat you or do anything bad to you or Ji Min, and that's enough for us. Don't feel as if you need to protect him; we can protect you, Jan Di, you're like our little sister."
Jan Di felt her heart swelling. Woo Bin had not only talked about her, but he included Ji Min too, even though he had only met him for a few minutes. "No, Woo Bin, he didn't do anything bad to me or Ji Min; it's just a complicated situation."
"Enough for me. So the thing now is, what are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" Jan Di was confused.
"Well," Yi Jung interjected, "We wouldn't be here today if Ji Hoo hadn't found you by mere chance, so we want to know if you're going to go or if you're coming back."
Jan Di could see 4 pairs of eyes set on her, waiting for her answer. Again, she felt moved. Here she was, after an eight-year disappearance, and her friends still wanted her among them. She had to fight back her tears.
She opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly, everyone heard a feminine voice calling for…
"Jun!" A young woman came running into the room and launched herself at Jun Pyo.
"Yah! Do you always have to do that?" he asked, flustered by her sitting on his legs.
"You know you like it." She giggled. "Hey guys!" The rest of the F4 answered with small smiles on their faces; apparently, this was a usual situation. "Oh, hello!" She looked at Jan Di.
"Um...hi."
"Have we perhaps met at some function? I'm sorry, I don't remember your face."
"You wouldn't because she doesn't attend those sort of parties. Would you please get down?" Jun Pyo answered while grabbing the woman on his lap by the waist and forcing her to stand up, but after that, he gave her the sofa he'd been sitting on and took a seat on the armrest.
Before she could ask something again, another beautiful woman entered the room.
"Hello, guys," she greeted, and when her eyes landed on Jan Di, she addressed her as well. "Hello," Jan Di replied to her in the same way.
"So, who are you?" The woman beside Jun Pyo asked again.
"Oh, my name is Geum Jan Di, nice to meet you."
"Oh my God! You're Geum Jan Di? Jun has told me so much about you!" She sprung up as if jolted by electricity and went to hug her. Jan Di could only stay still as she received the hug. "I'm Ha Jae Kyung; I'm Jun's girlfriend. Nice to meet you at last!"
"Mm, yeah, nice to meet you, too."
"I think I've heard your name before, too. You were all friends in high-school, yes? I'm Heo Sun Mi, nice to meet you." The second woman bowed, and Jan Di tried to return the greeting, but she was still engulfed in Jae Kyung's arms. Sun Mi just smiled, understanding her situation, and then turned to walk to where Ji Hoo was and sat next to him.
Jan Di saw how Ji Hoo didn't seem uncomfortable about how near she was, and she looked at him with a question in her eyes. After all this time, she still worried about her friends, and she knew how Ji Hoo was with nearness in the past.
Ji Hoo noticed her eyes, catching the inquiry and her worry for him. He looked down for a few seconds but then looked back at her while saying, "Sun Mi is my girlfriend."
Jan Di's eyes widened slightly, but just for a beat, and she slowly smiled and nodded at him.
"And what about you, Yi Jung? Woo Bin? Where are your girlfriends?" Jan Di asked, joking.
"Why? Are you interested in the position?" Woo Bin teasingly asked her.
"Of course, I've been secretly in love with you for years!" Jan Di sardonically answered, and Woo Bin laughed in good humor. "What I'm really impressed about is that you, Jun Pyo, managed to find a saint." Jae Kyung smiled widely at her description and finally let her go.
"What?" Jun Pyo asked, confused.
"She must be if she's willing to put up with you and your antics." She smiled. Jun Pyo was going to retort, but Jae Kyung cut him off.
"You're so right! Jun is a little difficult sometimes, but you know, I really love him!"
"Yah! Stop saying things like that!" Jun Pyo was red up to the tips of his ears.
"And he's so cute, too. Don't you think, Jan Di-ah?"
"Well, excuse me if I can't find the same charm in him that you do, but still, I can tell he really loves you, too, just from the way he's blushing right now."
Jun Pyo just managed to blush harder at her words.
"Well, I made Woo Bin flirt with me, Jun Pyo blush, and Yi Jung turn serious for a bit. I think I'm almost done here."
"What about Ji Hoo? Won't you do something to him?" Yi Jung asked, amused. It was true that Jan Di made them behave in a way that most people couldn't, and she had seen sides of them usually only bared to each other.
Jan Di thought about it for a bit. She felt lighter than she had felt in years; she was laughing and having a good time with friends that she thought she might have lost forever. Perhaps she could score one more with the F4?
"I could make you smile," she said to Ji Hoo with a smile of her own.
All F4 knew that even though Ji Hoo started to loosen up after Jan Di entered their lives, his smiles were still rare.
Ji Hoo turned a bit serious then; he knew he could resist whatever joke or funny face she might pull on him. He scooted forward a bit on the couch, rested his elbows on his knees, interlaced his fingers, and adopted his business stance. "Really?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I'm sure I can."
It was then that Woo Bin and Yi Jung started hooting and stood up, one going for Ji Hoo and the other for Jan Di.
"What do you say, Yi Jung? My money is on Ji Hoo here." He moved to massage Ji Hoo's shoulders as if he was some kind of boxing trainer.
"I trust Jan Di; she's the Wonder Girl, after all," Yi Jung countered, standing next to her.
"Wonder Girl or whatever, it's been too long. Perhaps she already lost her touch." Woo Bin winked at Jan Di.
"I'm in," Jun Pyo suddenly said. "My money is on Ji Hoo."
"Me too! Me too! I bet for Jan Di!" Jae Kyung excitedly claimed.
Sun Mi had been watching the whole interaction with rapt interest. She had been going out with Ji Hoo for about six months, and of course, during that time, F4 had been present often, as well as Jae Kyung. But she had never seen the guys behaving as they were now. And what about her boyfriend? Was he...daring Jan Di to make him smile?
"You're not going to back down from a challenge, right, Ji Hoo?" Jun Pyo taunted him.
"Of course not," he answered.
Sun Mi knew then that this was serious, so she also contributed to the fun. "I'll bet for you, too," she told her boyfriend sweetly. He just nodded back, keeping his calm expression.
As for F4, each felt as if they had suddenly traveled back in time to school, when they would joke and laugh at the F4 lounge with ease and no worries about the immediate future.
"Give it your best shot, then." Ji Hoo was already fighting the urge to smile, but he was set on doing his best.
Jan Di held his gaze, and everyone watched in suspense of what she was planning to do. Ji Hoo tried not to even blink.
"Fight it, man. You got this," Woo Bin whispered.
"You didn't used to be so close for nothing, Jan Di; you can do it," Yi Jung encouraged.
Jan Di just leaned back and stayed silent for a few seconds. She then lowered her eyes and cocked her head to the side. When Jan Di returned her gaze to Ji Hoo, she just smiled and said one word.
"Sunbae."
Ji Hoo tried; he really did. He could even feel his muscles trembling at his effort, but not two seconds later, he lost the battle. The corner of his eyes crinkled; his head raised, and his lips parted in a full-on smile.
"That was a low blow, Geum Jan Di," he told her, rewarding her with that angelic smile of his.
The room went nuts.
"Oh man! Just one word? How!?" Woo Bin was lamenting.
"I'm sorry," Ji Hoo apologized to his brother and then directed his gaze to a now equally radiantly smiling Jan Di. While he heard Woo Bin still ranting and Yi Jung gloating, he directed his words to her, "I guess I just couldn't help it." Jan Di's smile broadened even more, but then she saw Ji Hoo muttering a word just loud enough for her to hear, "Cheater."
"Yah! You know it was totally fair!" Ji Hoo just laughed that boyish laugh he sometimes had, and Sun Mi looked at him, a bit shocked. "I needed my A-game; I wasn't going to let the guys bully me if I failed."
"Wonder Girl, Geum Jan Di, you still have it." Yi Jung gave her a high five.
"Jan Di, you're amazing! You broke through Ji Hoo's armor!" Jae Kyung fawned over her, and Jun Pyo just sighed and chuckled at what he had just witnessed.
The room was filled with laughter, and they were all having a great time; although, one person had a nervous smile on her face.
"I've never seen Ji Hoo smile like that," Sun Mi told Woo Bin when Ji Hoo stood up to get something to drink.
"Well, yeah. Jan Di tends to bring that out in us. It's impossible not to smile when you're around her," he explained.
Sun Mi just nodded, and Woo Bin patted her head before joining his brothers again.
"So…," Yi Jung said after a minute, "Jan Di, the question remains. Will you stay?" Everyone in the room paid attention to her then.
"I don't know. I do have some vacation time accumulated, and Ji Min isn't due to return to school until the end of the month."
"Who's Ji Min?" asked Jae Kyung.
"Oh, he's my son; he's in the other room." Jae Kyung looked as if someone had told her Santa Claus was real.
"Can I go play with him? I just love kids!" Jan Di was a little surprised but thought nothing bad of it.
"Sure, he's watching a movie." And after those words, Jae Kyung went running to the little boy, but not before asking Sun Mi if she wanted to come along.
Now Jan Di understood, bubbly personality and all, Jae Kyung was perceptive and felt the need to leave F4 alone with her. Sun Mi accepted the offer, and soon, Jan Di watched her son get excited over having two pretty ladies wanting to know about him.
"So, getting back on track," Woo Bin said turning towards Jan Di again, "You still have time."
"Yes, but the tickets were bought for tomorrow, and they're non-refundable."
"We can get you new tickets for when you go back. Scratch that, you'll go on my jet," Jun Pyo said.
"And the lodging, it's just until tomorrow noon…," Jan Di continued.
"We'll put you in one of our hotels; don't worry," Yi Jung told her.
"But...guys. Look, I really would like to stay longer, but I have a life back there. I don't know if I'll ever come back to the city."
"So, just stay for a week, then. Later, if you want, we can talk about coming back here, you and your family of course," Woo Bin offered.
"I…" Jan Di was still hesitant. She felt as if she was horribly imposing on her friends, even though they were the ones asking her to stay.
"You owe us," Ji Hoo said, surprising Jan Di. That little sentence made her heart wilt a bit. "Seven birthdays, Christmases, and New Years...Not including Ji Min's birthday, so you see, we missed a lot, Geum Jan Di." He felt a little bad about emotionally blackmailing her like that, but he knew Jan Di also wanted to stay; she just didn't want to be an inconvenience. "You have to let us make up for it," he added, trying to soften his words.
Jan Di looked at each of the F4 and couldn't help the smile that came to her lips.
"Okay, the powerful F4 win, as usual…"
"Hell yeah! This is going to be so much fun! Man, I'm excited!" Woo Bin exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Jan Di. I promise you'll have a great time," Yi Jung tried to reassure her.
"With you guys? Worrying is the first thing on my list."
"So, how are we doing this?" Woo Bin asked everyone. "Jan Di's staying for a week, so we should make the most of each day she has. Maybe she can spend a couple of days with one of us? We could go overseas, Jan Di! Does Ji Min have a passport?"
"Hold on, why is it that you get to spend two days with her?" Jun Pyo indignantly asked. "I can also take them overseas."
"No one is going overseas; I'd like to stay within the city limits, please," Jan Di piped in.
"Omma, I want to go to the bathroom," Ji Min's voice suddenly made everyone stop.
"I told him I could show him where it was, but he wanted to tell you first, " Sun Mi explained to Jan Di.
"Yes, well, after his little stunt today, he's going to have to notify me even when he goes from room to room." Ji Min lowered his head, for he knew his mom was still mad at him. Jan Di stoiod up and went to him "It's okay, you can go with her. Call me if you need me?" Ji Min nodded and took Sun Mi's hand.
"What were you guys doing?" Jae Kyung asked after Sun Mi left.
"Just trying to decide how Jan Di is going to spend her next week with us," Yi Jung told her.
"You're only staying for a week? Why not longer? I want us to go shopping together!" Jae Kyung full-on pouted before Jan Di.
"Um, well, as I was explaining them, I have my family there, also a job, and Ji Min has school. We can probably play hooky for a week, but no more that that…"
"So, now they're trying to decide what to do with what little time you have here, right?"
"You got it."
"Let's draw lots!" Jae Kyung jumped a little bit in place. "Let us put the days of the week on pieces of paper and draw them out. That's how we'll decide."
"Why are you saying 'we,' Monkey? This is between F4 and Jan Di, " Jun Pyo told her.
"Excuse me, Your Highness, but I already said I wanted to go shopping with her, so I'm also in."
Jan Di watched them discussing for a bit while they searched for some paper to write on. She couldn't help but think that things hadn't really changed much. There she was, listening to them talking about her as if she wasn't present, making decisions about her next 7 days in the city. She just chuckled. She did owe them, so she'd bear with it.
They were still discussing by the time Ji Min came back, so Jan Di sat down and propped him on her lap.
"What's going on, Omma?"
"Well, Baby, it appears we're staying for another week."
"You are?" Sun Mi asked, a bit surprised.
Jan Di sighed and let out a laugh. "It's the F4. Have you ever tried to tell any of them 'no'? It's nearly impossible." Sun Mi just nodded; she did know how stubborn F4 could be.
"Are we really staying, Omma?" Ji Min looked really excited about that prospect. "What about Chul Moo hyung? Is he staying too?"
Oh damn it…
Jan Di had totally forgotten about her friend who was probably sending her a million texts.
"I don't think so, love, no. Chul Moo has work, so it's going to be just you and me." She went to get her purse so she could check her cell phone. It wasn't really modern, but it fulfilled her needs.
"Sun Mi-noona and Jae Kyung-noona are really pretty! Did you see their clothes? They're so fancy; they look like those models from the magazines Grandma reads."
"Yes, I did see them, and you're right, they are really pretty." Jan Di groaned internally at noticing 10 texts from Chul Moo; he was worried.
"But still, you're the most beautiful, Omma." Ji Min resolutely said to her, making Jan Di's heart melt a bit.
That was her son, honest and blunt. He was really caring of his family, and of course, her. She was still amazed at how powerful and immeasurable Ji Min's love for her was. Having him was one of the most difficult things she had to do but also the most rewarding. If Ji Min liked you, he will make you his friend, was really smart, loved music, and enjoyed going to the park, especially going down the slide, but at the end of the day, what he wanted the most was his omma.
"Thank you, Baby. And you're by far the most handsome man I've ever met." Ji Min just laughed and gave his mom a hug. "Give me a second to write to Chul Moo, okay?"
"Okay!" he said and went running to Woo Bin. He tugged on his pants and asked him what he was doing.
Hi, sorry I didn't contact you before. We're okay, and we will probably leave soon, so we should be in the lodging in an hour or so. I'll let you know if there's a change of plans.
Jan Di put her phone away, and when she looked up, she was startled for a second. Jun Pyo was carrying her son while waiting for Jae Kyung to finish doing something. Apparently, they had finally decided what they were going to do.
Jan Di never thought she'd see the day when 'the great' Goo Jun Pyo would willingly carry a child. He looked at ease, almost comfortable with her son in his arms, but still he retained that prideful demeanor of his; that was truly inborn. She couldn't help but smile a bit before going to them.
"Are you okay, Jun Pyo? Ji Min, come down; you're heavy, love."
"It's fine. He's kinda cool," Jun Pyo answered with one of those rare honest smiles he used to give, and Jan Di felt truly amazed at how good he looked with a child in his arms.
"Be careful or you're going to jumpstart Jae Kyung's biological clock," Yi Jung teased him.
"What clock?" Jun Pyo asked, confused, and Jan Di had to laugh, more so when Jae Kyung turned around and visibly swooned at the scene before her.
"You look so good like that, Jun Pyo. Do you think he'll make a good daddy, Jan Di?" She asked.
"This one? He's super arrogant and acts like he knows everything." Jun Pyo glared at her, and Jae Kyung laughed, but then Jan Di's features softened. "If he likes something, he ignores everything else and goes for it all the way, like a bulldozer. He's really scary when he's angry, but when he treats you well, he's tender."
Everyone gradually quieted down when Jan Di started speaking. "So, you see, I know he'll be a great father, but you'll probably end up with a mini version of him. So, if you're ready for that, yeah, go for it."
Jun Pyo was visibly moved and quite embarrassed by Jan Di's words. Jae Kyung, on her part, decided then and there that she really liked Jan Di.
"Thank you for that; I can see you know Jun a lot."
"Just a bit, though he annoyed me to no end when we were younger." And at that, everyone laughed again.
"Did you make my mom sad?" Ji Min asked Jun Pyo seriously, and he found himself without words.
"No, love. We were children, so Jun Pyo here didn't know better sometimes; he, along with these guys here, made Mommy's life at high-school really interesting."
"Okay." Jun Pyo relaxed visibly; Ji Min's glare had scared him a bit.
"Okay, guys, I've written the days here so we can all draw a lot. It's you four, me, and Sun Mi."
"Eh? I'm sorry, but I don't know exactly what we're doing here," Sun Mi told her friend.
Jae Kyung quickly explained it to her. Sun Mi didn't want to sound rude, but she barely know Jan Di so she wasn't sure about planning a day with her. Jae Kyung was different; she had no problem at all, but she wasn't Jae Kyung. Sensing her friend's distress, she decided to make it easy.
"Listen, Sun Mi and I will share a day, so that leaves 5 days to pick for the lots and two to do whatever we want. Does that sound good?" They all agreed, and Ji Min asked Jun Pyo to put him down. Jan Di thought her son would come to her, but instead, he went to ask Ji Hoo to pick him up this time.
"Ji Min, don't do that, love." She tried to warn him, but Ji Hoo just smiled and swiftly picked him up, holding him by his side and over his hip. Jan Di was, once again, surprised.
"Hyung-nim, you're so tall!" Ji Min exclaimed.
Jan Di stared at them, awed at how Ji Hoo seemed to be so comfortable holding another tiny human being so close to him, and her heart felt a small, familiar twinge.
"What, and I wasn't?" Jun Pyo asked.
"Does everything have to be a competition with you?" Woo Bin laughed.
"I guess another bio-clock will start ticking soon," Yi Jung whispered to Jan Di, but she seemed distracted by the sight of Jun Pyo and Jae Kyung; she looked back at them in a daze, the hint of a smile playing on her lips as Jae Kyung teased Jun Pyo about what a good daddy he'd be. "Jan Di?" He tried again after watching what she was looking at.
"Huh? What?" She shook her head.
"I was saying that maybe another bio-clock will start ticking soon." He pointed to where Sun Mi was.
Jan Di turned to see if perhaps Ji Hoo's girlfriend was sporting the same expression Jae Kyung had showed just a minute ago, but the woman in question was actually looking at her friend and son with a bit of uneasiness? Although, she smiled at her when their eyes met.
"Okay, who'll go first?" Jae Kyung asked.
"Obviously me," Jun Pyo answered.
Woo Bin got Day 1.
Ji Hoo got Day 2.
Yi Jung got Day 3.
Jun Pyo begrudgingly got Day 4.
Jae Kyung and Sun Mi got Day 5.
"I have the perfect plan for tomorrow, you guys! I'll let you know by LINE," Woo Bin said.
"Could you text me the place we're supposed to meet? I don't have LINE on my cell," Jan Di asked him.
"Worry not, little sis, I'll let you know." Jan Di was truly moved by Woo Bin's words, and he noticed. "Aw, Jan Di, you know you're like my sister. Let me prove my love for you!" He went to hug her, and Jan Di squealed a bit at being engulfed in Woo Bin's wide frame.
Ji Min just laughed while watching his mom. She seemed to be relaxed and happy, so he was happy, too.
"Hyung-nim." He turned his head to Ji Hoo.
"Yes?"
"Omma says we're staying for a week. Can you come visit one day before we go again?"
Ji Hoo smiled at his words. "Worry not, Ji Min, your mom is staying so that we can have more time with her, and of course, with you."
"Really!?"
"Yes, really, you'll probably see me tomorrow, too."
"That's so cool!" He said while hugging his neck.
"Ji Min, why don't you come with me for a bit? I haven't had the chance to talk to you," Yi Jung asked the boy.
"Sure," Ji Min said, and Ji Hoo let him down so he could go to the sofa and sit next to Yi Jung, who seemed to be really interested in whatever it was Ji Min was telling him.
"I guess that's all for today. I should go back and ready my things if you guys are going to get me a new place," Jan Di said while catching all the F4's eyes, "You do know I can stay in the same lodging, though, right?"
"Geum Jan Di, you'd be staying in one of our homes if it weren't for Ji Min, you know that," Woo Bin told her, "He's way too small to face some things from our lives."
"Yeah, I know." She probably still was persona non-grata at Jun Pyo's; Woo Bin's 'job' wasn't what you show a kid; Yi Jung still had issues with his father, and Ji Hoo probably wanted privacy with his girlfriend.
"Don't worry about that. Tomorrow, you just need to be ready, and we'll take it from there."
"Okay. Well then, I guess I better get going."
"You need to leave so soon?" Jae Kyung asked her.
"Yeah, it's not too far from where I need to go, but it'll still take me some time, and I need to tell my family and Chul Moo I won't be coming back tomorrow."
"Who's Chul Moo? Your husband? Ji Min's daddy?" Jae Kyung dared to ask the question Ji Hoo had been holding in since he first saw her, so he waited for her answer.
"What? No, absolutely no. Chul Moo is a good friend, and he offered to accompany us while we were here. And he is most definitely not Ji Min's father."
"Oh, ok then." Jae Kyung cowered a little under Jun Pyo's gaze; she might have asked a bit too much, she realized.
Ji Hoo approached Jan Di and quietly spoke to her, "Wait for me for a second, and I'll take you back." Jan Di turned around and asked with her eyes if that was okay; Ji Hoo just ruffled her hair a bit.
He then went to his girlfriend and holding her hand, he led her into the hallway. "I'm going to take them back. Do you want to wait for me here, or do you want me to ask one of the guys to take you home?"
"Sure. Can I wait for you at your place, though?"
"Yeah, but it'll probably take at least two hours for me to get there...You okay with waiting that long?"
"You'll take that long?" Sun Mi asked with puppy eyes.
"The guys were talking about some gifts they want to prepare for today, so I'll probably leave Jan Di and Ji Min and come back here."
"I'll stay then; I'll wait for you here."
"Okay, I'll see you then." Sun Mi gave him a quick peck, and he smiled softly at her before going back inside the room. "You ready?" he asked Jan Di.
"Yeah, Ji Min was just about to finish saying goodbye." Jan Di was smiling at how her son was trying to imitate a 'secret greeting' Woo Bin and Yi Jung were trying to teach him.
"There you go, give it a day or two, and you'll know it by heart. Practice it with your mom."
"Okay, uncles, thank you." They both ruffled his hair and felt that they were starting to really like the kid.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then." Jan Di waved back one last time before going back into the elevator.
Inside, Ji Min started telling Ji Hoo about the 'secret greeting' and trying to wow him with it. Of course, Ji Hoo also knew it, but he paid attention, anyway. Jan Di just let out a breath she felt she had been holding since she entered the building.
"You okay?" Ji Hoo asked.
"Yes, I'm okay," she replied with a small smile.
Back in the apartment, Jun Pyo and Jae Kyung were currently discussing what to give Jan Di while the rest amusedly watched; Yi Jung gave some suggestions from time to time that weren't really helpful, but that made the situation even funnier.
Sun Mi seized the opportunity and tapped Woo Bin's shoulder.
"Yes, Sun Mi?"
"I was just wondering about Jan Di. You guys seem close to her, but she doesn't seem to be…" She was trying to be tactful by choosing the correct word.
"From our social circle?" Woo Bin offered after watching her expression.
"Yeah, although from what I've heard, you all went to school together."
"What have you heard?"
"Nothing much. Jae Kyung once told me about this girl that was important in Jun Pyo's life or something…" Sun Mi watched as Woo Bin seemed to be thinking about something for a bit.
"Geum Jan Di came to our school under special circumstances; she was a scholarship student, so as you can imagine, she's what you would call a commoner."
"Oh, I see."
"And well, she's the first girl Jun Pyo ever liked, so that's probably why Jae Kyung told you that."
"Oh, so Jun Pyo and Jan Di dated?"
"No, they didn't get that far. He liked her, but she didn't like him back, at least not like that."
"Oh, so you were okay with that? I mean, usually guys tend to side with their own after a girl rejects one of their group."
"Yeah, well. There were certain circumstances, and it wasn't Jan Di's fault. We all liked her-like her, very much. When I said she's like a little sister to me, it's true."
"What did she do for you?" Sun Mi asked with curiosity.
"She told me I didn't have to be like my father," Woo Bin said with serious eyes. He loved his father, but being the heir of a mafia group was a really big responsibility, and he didn't want to fully descend down that rabbit-hole. No Wonderland was expecting him on the other side. "She literally beat some sense into me when I was feeling down."
"She did?" For Sun Mi, violence against another wasn't something she could do, but Woo Bin just chuckled.
"Yeah, I think I still have a trace of the bump she left me with."
"That's amazing." Sun Mi tried to even her voice for her next question, "So, I guess she also did something for Ji Hoo?"
"Yeah, she did something for all of us." By now, Woo Bin could guess what Sun Mi wanted to know, so he didn't prolong her suffering. "She helped Ji Hoo move on from his first love."
Sun Mi was shocked to hear this. She remembered the gossip about how Ji Hoo was going out with Min Seo Hyun, but after that article about her going out with a French diplomat, girls all over the country thanked their stars and waited for a chance to catch the Su-Am heir's eyes.
"You're talking about Min Seo Hyun-ssi, right?"
"Yeah. Min Seo Hyun was the one who saved Ji Hoo as a kid, but Jan Di was the one who broke his shell."
"I see…"
"Don't tell me you're jealous, Heo Sun Mi?" He nudged her shoulder with his while smiling.
"Me? No, nothing like that." She was just trying to remember if Ji Hoo had ever mentioned Jan Di's name; she was sure he didn't. Not that Ji Hoo was the most chatty person, but she also knew he didn't like to talk about his past. Sun Mi had found out about his parents with lots of effort, and he had mentioned it only one time. "I was just curious."
Woo Bin thought for a minute about how much he could say about the F4 and Jan Di's past, but he didn't want Sun Mi to keep thinking about things that weren't there. "Look, I won't deny that Ji Hoo and Jan Di were...close, but that's all in the past now. Ji Hoo has you, and Jan Di has a child; they're just good friends that have met again. Same with all of us, actually. Don't worry about it."
"I won't; I promise." Sun Mi felt better, and she nudged Woo Bin back. They both shared a laugh and went back to paying attention to the gifts they were going to prepare.
Did you like it? I hope so! I'm hoping to read your reviews! =D
Coming up in Part of Me: Jan Di explains to Chul Moo she has decided to stay, and among her explanation, she will receive some gifts from F4. An amazing spread of food is also sent to her and along with Ji Min, she enjoys a delicious dinner. The night finds her reminiscing about how her life changed eight years ago and we get a first glimpse on how that affected not only her but all her family.