CHAPTER 5

SAIA'S POV:

"You have broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a punctured lung, and so many stab wounds and bruises! What did you do to make your father so angry?"

I'm not looking at her. After all, she is my father's sister. Of course she would take his side. Plus, she has never approved of my mother and in turn, never approved of me. As far as I know, my mother is still living in California with her new family. She rarely contacts me and I haven't heard from her in years. Why would she call anyways? She did leave me alone with father and I don't really want to talk to her anyways.

"Who do you think is going to pay the rent or all the other bills? I know you don't make enough money at the restaurant and the ballet studio to pay for them! Do you honestly think you will even still have a job after all this time off?"

She is voicing concerns I already have. I'm finally able to move around a little bit. The stab wounds are healing quickly but the doctors want me to stay at the hospital for at least another week and I know I am not anywhere near able to go back to work yet. I'm scared, to be honest, and my Aunt isn't helping me any. I am so glad Ji Hoo isn't here to see her tirade. It would be so humiliating. He comes to see me every day and sometimes brings the twins with him. I look forward to it….but I know that the reason my Aunt is here is to take the twins home with her. It breaks my heart.

"YA! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Auntie. How could I not?" She is glaring at me and I glare right back. "We never asked for our dad to take out his misery on us and I had to protect the twins. Believe me I don't want to be in this situation either. It's our father that created this mess. Not us."

"Noona!" "Eonni!" Young Saeng and Hye Sun burst into my room and fling themselves at me. I hug them back tightly, ignoring my body's protests, and smile at them. What am I going to do without them? Hye Sun is showing me the signatures she got on her cast as I see Ji Hoo walk in. He looks tired but handsome as always. He gives me a small smile before turning to look at my Aunt. It's hard not to laugh at her gaping expression. He seems to have that affect on a lot of women. He nods a greeting at her and comes to sit by my bed.

The twins are enthusiastically telling me all about their day. What they had drawn, who they had played with, and who had won each of the games they had played. I listen intently to their stories and can't help but laugh at their excitement. When will I have another moment like this? It has been a long time since I have seen them this happy. Even our Aunt is laughing and enjoying the moment. When my eyes meet Ji Hoo's, he smiles at me and I can feel the blush creeping up my face. I thought that being around him more would have lessened his affect on me but it only seems to get worse. I miss him when he isn't here. He doesn't talk a lot but our conversations have been on just about anything and everything. His presence comforts me and scares me at the same time. He seems so familiar but he confuses me.

"Okay children. It's time to say good-bye." I watch my sibling's faces fall at our Aunt's words.

"Eonni, do we have to go? We want to stay with you!" Hye Sun's voice is quivering.

I have steeled myself all day for this moment. Even though I selfishly want them to stay with me, I know I have to let our Aunt take them to her house. I have no job and will probably have no place to live either. I know that Auntie will be kind to the twins and take good care of them. So, I force a smile on my face and pull them close.

"I promise I will come visit you as soon as I can. Be good for Auntie, arasso?"

"Arasso." "Arasso."

They are crying and it is so hard to keep my composure as I watch them say good-bye to Ji Hoo. They look at me one last time before they leave and I wave at them. This is harder than protecting them from father. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I have hardly ever been away from them. Once they are gone, I can't stop the tears anymore and I squeeze my eyes shut. I don't want to cry in front of Ji Hoo. I know this is for the best but it still hurts. I feel a hand on mine and turn to look at him. After the night I had told him about my family, I thought he wouldn't want to be associated with someone like me but he hasn't fled in terror as I expected him to. Looking into his kind eyes right now is only making me cry harder and I look away. Why do I feel so weak around you? I can feel the bed dip as he sits down next to me and pulls my head to his chest. I want nothing more than to let him comfort me but I don't want him to see his affect on me and I remember how exhausted he looks.

"You look tired." I mumble into his chest. He nods and leans back to brush my tears away with his fingers.

"I worked the night shift." He says. I can feel him scrutinizing me and finally look up into his eyes. "Are you going to be okay?"

Taking in a shaky breath, I nod. "Yes. It's going to be hard not to see them but they will be safe with our Aunt." Even though she is my father's sister, I know she won't let him touch them.

Ji Hoo squeezes my shoulder and stands up. "I'm sorry for cutting my visit short today but I have to meet a friend before I head home and get some sleep."

"That's alright! I completely understand." I know he's a busy man and even though I do understand, a part of me selfishly wishes he could stay. I have no right to ask him to. It wouldn't be fair.

He searches my eyes for a moment and nods. "I'll come visit you before my next shift."

"You don't need to do that."

His eyes narrow and he glares at me. "I'll see you in a little while." And with that, he is gone.

(^_^)

JI HOO'S POV:

Stubborn woman! She doesn't have to be so strong all the time. I know why she tries so hard but can't she see I am here for her? The more time I spend with her, the harder it is for me to be away from her. If this meeting with Woo Bin didn't involve Saia, I would have just stayed at the hospital with her today. I could tell she was crushed when she learned the twins would be leaving with their Aunt but she hasn't complained once. It is the best thing for them and she knows it. I can tell it's killing her though.

She's an amazing woman. Accepting people for who they are, not what they are, she appreciates the smallest things and can laugh at just about anything. Though I feel a little guilty at not telling her about my family, I selfishly don't want to. It's the first time someone has looked at me for me and not for my family or status. I can tell she doesn't like that I have money (which baffles me) but whatever her reasons, she hasn't shared them with me. Even though she told me about herself and her family, she is still a big mystery to me. I can usually read people pretty well and she is the first person that I can't seem to figure out. Not to mention how my heart reacts to her every time I see her, hear her voice, or touch her.

I made sure that Saia has the best doctors and that I am not involved in her actual care. I want to be sure that I can be by her side for whatever she needs without causing her or the hospital any problems. I have already made sure all of her hospital bills are taken care of but I also know she won't be happy about it. Her pride is very much like Jan Di's when it comes to money. I wish it was simpler to just take care of her and leave it at that but even though I know she has a reaction to me, I don't know if she feels what I do. It honestly scares me. I have never felt so drawn to anyone before and I don't think I can handle it if anything happens to her. I thought losing Jan Di had been hard but I know this could be a thousand times worse and we are not even involved yet. This situation is very different from what happened with Jan Di though and I know one thing for sure: I'm fighting for what I want this time. Right now though, I'd be happy with a shower, a nap, and getting back to her as soon as possible.

Getting off my motorcycle and walking into the filthy bar Woo Bin is at, I can't help but frown at the location. He knows I hate places like this. Why meet here? But Woo Bin and I are alike in the sense that we never do anything without a reason. It better be a damn good one.

A/N: Ji Hoo is such a fun character to write about even though he doesn't talk much. Lol. I am going to try my hardest to keep my story true to his character. I noticed that I revise Saia's parts much more than his. I already am working on the next chapter so hopefully I can post it sooner than this one. Thank you for reading! It means a lot to me! ^_^