CHAPTER 12

SAIA'S POV:

Aish! I'm going to be late! Frantically trying to get my stuff together, I desperately need to leave. I don't want to be late. My boss will kill me!

"This is what happens when you sleep in for that extra 5 minutes." Boo Ki laughs as I run for the door. "Just don't be late for work tonight at the restaurant!"

Working two jobs is hard but worth it. My boss at the ballet studio has kindly taken me back and even given me more classes to teach during the week. My other job is working at the restaurant that Boo Ki manages. I need the money. I want to help her pay bills now that I am living with her. The downside? I don't get to see Ji-Hoo very much. If he hadn't given me a cell phone as a gift for being discharged from the hospital, I probably wouldn't even get to talk to him. Speaking of which…

"Good Morning. Did you sleep well?" he text me.

"Yes. Did you?" I replied.

"Ani. I had to work most the night."

Stumbling down the steps of the apartment building, I see him leaning against his car.

"Need a ride?"

"Oh my god, you are a life saver!" I laugh as I run into his arms. After a scorching kiss we finally get into his car.

The ride to the ballet studio is filled with chatter since we haven't seen each other in over a week. We both can't seem to stop smiling. My fingers are intertwined with his and I love how he nibbles on my hand every chance he gets.

"Woo Bin invited us to dinner tomorrow night. Will you come? I want you to meet everyone."

This is unexpected…Me? Having dinner with the infamous F4? The idea makes me uncomfortable but then again, I am dating one of them…What did I expect? Honestly, I never thought I would meet them. Ji-Hoo must really like me a lot if he is willing to introduce me to them.

"…Sure."

He openly laughs at my reaction.

"They won't bite, I promise…Well… I won't let them anyways." He chuckles.

"I'll have to see if Boo Ki will let me have the night off."

"I already asked her. She's fine with it."

"Ya, Ji-Hoo-ah! I should be the one asking her." His face goes suspiciously blank at my rebuke.

"I really want you to come. We haven't all been together like this in a long time and I would feel better if you were there with me. Plus, Woo Bin really wants to meet you. The girls will all be there too."

Girls… Which means Jan Di will also be there. Now I'm even more nervous. Ji-Hoo has told me a little bit about his friendship with her and I can tell there is more there than he lets on. Whatever it is or was I accept it. It is a part of him. I don't doubt how he feels about me but I know she is still important to him. I want to make a good impression.

"Are you really that nervous?" He asks me.

"Of course I am! They're your friends."

Pulling up in front of the studio with plenty of time before my class, he turns off the car and turns to look at me. Uh oh… Here we go again…

"You really should let my driver take you home after work from the restaurant. It's dangerous to walk home by yourself."

"Honestly Ji-Hoo, I really don't think there is anything to worry about. He tried to kill me. Why would he care about what happens to me?"

His face darkens at my calm acceptance of the attack. Can I say I am surprised that it happened? No. After living my whole life with my father's violence, I came to accept the possibility that any day he could lose it and seriously hurt me. I only became truly afraid when the twins were born. I didn't want anything to happen to them.

"I should go in so that I can get warmed up." I tell him. His face is calm but there is a light in his eyes that makes me nervous.

"Can I watch?"

"You want to watch my class?"

He nods.

"Sure…I don't see why not."

A half hour later, I come to realize something. This was a mistake. I can feel Ji-Hoo's piercing gaze on me with every movement I make. After all the time I have spent on stage it isn't hard to hide my nervousness but he is making it hard to focus on the girls. I purposefully refuse to look at him because I know it will only make my butterflies worse. But I have suddenly become very aware of how much a ballerina's leotard, tights, and leg warmers don't leave much to the imagination.

(^_^)

JI-HOO'S POV:

"I feel like it's my birthday or something." Saia laughs.

"Why is that?" I ask.

"Because this is a really gorgeous day."

I have to admit that it can't get much better than this. Sitting by the river in the park, it's sunny, warm and I have my head in her lap. She has her back up against a tree and watching her glowing face makes the knot in my chest loosen. It's always there, this ever present fear that she will be taken away from me. Even Woo Bin thinks that her father won't risk coming back for her but I still can't shake the feeling. Trying to ignore my dark thoughts, I reach up to twirl a lock of her hair around my finger. One of her own hands is already in mine, massaging my scalp.

"You should ask Boo Ki for the night off and spend all day with me." I tease.

Her musical laughter fills the air as she looks down at me.

"As much as I would love that, I don't think she would appreciate me ditching her two nights in a row. Plus I can't really afford to be off too much."

After seeing her this morning in her dance class I am even more intrigued and enchanted by her. Her passion for ballet is evident in her skill. She is very, very good…And very, very sexy. Just remembering her in her ballet outfit sends heat pooling to my groin. Clearing my throat and shifting a little to try and hide my discomfort, I close my eyes to help me relax. As much as I would love to take that step with her, I can wait till she is ready. I want it to be perfect for both of us and even though it is still early in our relationship, I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

Focusing on her gentle fingers in my hair, I can feel myself drifting off to sleep.

"Ji-Hoo-ah?"

"Hmmm?" I open my heavy eyes to gaze up into her serious ones.

"Do you think Woo Bin will find him?"

"Yes, I do." For the first time, I can see she is starting to worry and it unsettles me. Sitting up, I tuck her hair behind her ear and cup her cheek with my hand. "We won't stop looking till we find him. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Ani. I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about you. If anything were to happen to you-"

Pressing my lips to hers, I cut her off. God, this woman…! Will she ever think about herself for once? Forcing myself to keep the kiss quick and gentle, I pull away and look into her eyes.

"You are going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that if you want to get rid of me Saia." I joke trying to lighten the mood.

"That isn't funny Ji-Hoo-ah."

"We are going to find him. I won't let anyone take you away from me… Well, I may not have any choice tomorrow night. The girls might try to steal you and grill you for information." I watch her pale at that. I know how much she hates being cornered.

"Information? What kind of information? Woo Bin didn't tell them everything did he?"

"Ani. What you want to tell them is entirely up to you."

She nods and I can see her try to relax. Smiling at her, I lay my head back in her lap.

"We still have a couple hours before you have to work so you should just enjoy the day. I intend to take full advantage of it."

"By napping in my lap…" She chuckles.

"Of course!" I smile as I close my eyes. She knows me too well.

(^_^)

WOO BIN'S POV:

Skimming the paper in front of me, I shake my head in disgust at the headline on the front page: "ANOTHER VICTIM OF HAN RIVER MURDERER FOUND". That is another asshole that seriously needs to be taught a lesson. These murders have been going on since we were teenagers, for at least 10 years. How is it that he still hasn't been caught? Even my family's quiet inquires into the case have turned up nothing. It's not something I need to focus on at the moment though. My phone interrupts my thoughts and I dig in my pocket for it.

"Yobosayeo?"

"I will have the information you requested in a couple of days."

"Excellent."

"But let me make myself clear, once I get this for you I will no longer owe the Song family anymore favors. I am risking everything and there are a lot of high ranking people that want to keep this information quiet."

"Understood."

The line goes dead and I am grateful to finally have a possible lead on Su-Jeong. Hopefully I can finally find that bastard so that Ji-Hoo can rest easy. Plus I have a score to settle with him. You think you can attack your children, me & Ji-Hoo, and get away with it? I am going to make you pay for it you son-of-a-bitch.

(^_^)

SERENA'S POV:

My heart is thundering in my chest as I grip the phone tighter to my ear. Did I hear him correctly?

"…Mrs. Knightly? Are you still there?"

"Y-yes, I'm still here. Is it true? Is it real this time?"

"It looks like it, yes. The person that gave us the tip didn't leave a name but when I checked with the hospital they were able to confirm that she was a patient there recently. I will be leaving for Seoul this afternoon to do some more digging. I have a good feeling about this. It's the first solid lead we've had."

I want to cry, yell, and laugh all at once. After all this time, all this searching, it seems too good to be true.

"Paul, doesn't it seem too easy? He has hid her from me for so long and now suddenly someone gives you a tip on her?"

My private investigator heaves a sigh and I feel a little guilty for not being more enthusiastic at the news. This is what I have been wanting but I know Su-Jeong well enough to be cautious in my celebration.

"I can understand your reluctance but let's take what we can get for the moment. I see no need to overanalyze anything just yet."

"Okay. Thank you, Paul."

"You're welcome. I'll be in touch."

Hanging up the phone, I try to reason myself out of my worry. She is an adult now after all. She probably lives on her own away from her father. He can't hide her forever, can he? After all these years, I would love to see him dead for killing my father but I will gladly settle for just having Saia back. I don't trust him or his motives. I just pray that Paul finds her safe and sound. Taking only a minute longer to think about it, I book a flight to Seoul. I'm taking a big gamble going there myself but I can't wait any longer.