CHAPTER 29

SAIA'S POV:

Surrounded by a group of thugs isn't exactly how I envisioned my night with Boo Ki. As the first guy reaches me, I slam my fist into his nose and hear the sickening crunch as it breaks. He stumbles back and I slam my elbow behind me into the mouth of the second guy as he tries to grab me from behind. My shoulder aches from the force but I ignore it. It's still a little weak but I don't need a lot of strength to beat these guys. I just need speed and to hit them where it counts. The third guy takes a swing at me but I easily dodge to the left and back hand him. The first guy comes at me again, his nose dripping with blood. I hit his nose again and while he's doubled over in pain I slam my knee into his sweet spot. He falls to the ground as the other two approach me again. The second guy lunges for me but I dodge and put all my strength in slamming my foot into his behind to help propel him head first into the wall. The last guy manages to grab my arm but I slam my fist into his left eye. He yelps in pain and lets me go. As he's hunched over I connect my knee with his gut and then fisting my hands together, I slam them down hard on the back of his head.

As he falls unconscious to the ground, I hear a roar of rage behind me. Spinning around in alarm, I see a furious Woo Bin pummeling one of our attackers in the face. Boo Ki is desperately trying to pull him off of the unconscious man.

"Stop! Woo Bin stop it! He's already unconscious! What are you doing?"

He pauses to look at her. "They hurt you!" and points at her cheek. "You're bleeding!"

She looks away awkwardly. "They never touched me. I did this to myself at the restaurant." She says quietly.

He blinks, trying to comprehend what she just said. "…What?"

"I did this to myself! Let him go!" She says in exasperation.

He finally releases the guy and stands up to look around at the seven guys lying unconscious around us. Two of Woo Bin's men are staring at us with their mouths hanging open. I know Boo Ki had taken the other four out herself. Woo Bin probably launched himself at whoever was barely conscious.

He shakes his head. "Where did you two learn how to fight like that?"

"I learned when I was a kid." She says uncomfortably.

"Boo Ki taught me." I say with a shrug. He looks us both up and down in disbelief.

"…What?" we ask him in unison.

(^_^)

Woo Bin looks around Boo Ki's apartment curiously as she cleans up his hand. He seems used to it and doesn't even flinch when she dabs alcohol on his bleeding knuckles.

"Honestly. What were you thinking?" She grumbles at him. "What were you doing there anyways?"

"I came to see you." He says finally looking at her.

"Why?"

"You aren't answering my calls. I need your help on the investigation."

"No."

"Why are you being so difficult?"

I smile at their banter and shake my head. My phone goes off and I reach for it. Moving towards my old room I answer it.

"Hey are you still at work?" I ask Ji-Hoo.

"Yes but I do get a break once in awhile." He chuckles. "Did you and Boo Ki have a good night?"

"I guess you could say that. She's bandaging up Woo Bin's hand at the moment. I might stay with her tonight."

"…Why? And why does Woo Bin's hand need to be bandaged?"

Uh-oh… I realize too late that telling Ji-Hoo about what happened tonight is going to upset him. Damn… I hesitate and clear my throat uncertainly.

"Saia…" He says warningly.

"…Well Boo Ki and I kind of ran into a little bit of trouble walking home and Woo Bin overreacted is all."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Just some guys bothering us." I hedge and nervously bite my pinky nail.

"…I'll call you back." And the line goes dead but seconds later I hear Woo Bin's cell phone go off and lean my head against the wall in dread.

"Yo, Ji-Hoo…" I hear Woo Bin say. Damn it… These guys sure can be overprotective.

(^_^)

As soon as Ji-Hoo enters Boo Ki's apartment his eyes are on me, searching me for any sign of injury. I give him a shy smile and he hugs me in relief.

"Who were they?" He asks.

"I'm not sure yet. My men took the least injured guy to my place for questioning but these girls did a lot of damage. It was hard to pick one." Woo Bin says with a shake of his head.

"…What?" Ji-Hoo asks.

"If you had let me finish explaining over the phone before rushing over here, these two managed to kick their asses before my men and I got to them. Seven guys against two women and they don't even have a scratch on them." Woo Bin says with a shake of his head. Ji-Hoo's eyes narrow on Boo Ki's cheek and she shakes her head.

"I scratched it on a chair at the restaurant." She says.

"I thought you had guys watching over them." He says to Woo Bin.

"I do. They just didn't get to them in time." He says uncomfortably.

"I don't need any protection. Tonight should be proof enough of that." Boo Ki says stubbornly. Woo Bin turns to argue with her and Ji-Hoo looks down at me curiously. He sees me rubbing my sore hand and reaches for it to take a look.

"…You beat up seven guys?" He asks as he studies the bruises already forming on my small fist.

"I only got three of them." I say with a shake of my head. "Boo Ki took down the other four."

"Aish! You are so infuriating!" Woo Bin says angrily. Ji-Hoo looks at me knowingly, his eyes bright with laughter and I hide my grin in his chest.

"You should get back to work. I want to stay here with Boo Ki tonight." I tell Ji-Hoo. I can see he wants to argue with me but sighs in defeat.

"…So you're going to make me sleep alone tonight?"

"I probably would be sleeping by myself most of the night anyways." I say smoothly.

"True." He says with a grimace. "I really need to change my schedule around."

I glance at Boo Ki and she looks nervous. I can't hear what Woo Bin is saying to her but he probably doesn't see her reaction. She is very good at hiding her emotions. Pulling out of Ji-Hoo's arms, I make my way towards them.

"-use your help with this. We need to stop these guys. You notice things that other people don't." He says to her.

"I don't know Woo Bin-ssi. I'll have to think about it." She says uncertainly. Woo Bin opens his mouth to argue but Ji-Hoo stops him.

"Come on Woo Bin-ah. These girls have been through a lot tonight. Let them get some rest."

"Yeah. Of course…Goodnight." He says softly. She gives him a small bow with her head and looks away. Ji-Hoo leans down and gives me a quick kiss before he turns to follow Woo Bin.

"Call me if you girls need anything." He says. I smile and nod in agreement.

Boo Ki and I spend the rest of the night watching silly movies with a big bowl of popcorn between us. We don't talk about what happened, even though my body shudders as I remember the sickening crunch of that guy's nose against my fist. But we mostly avoid the one subject that I know is bothering her…Song Woo Bin.

(^_^)

KANG WOO'S POV:

Dropping my bag on the floor after a long night at the hospital, I rub my neck in exhaustion. I really hate that place. Dr. Park and Dr. Yoon think they are so special. I hate how everyone goes out of their way to make them happy. It makes me sick.

I sit down on my bed and stare at the picture on my nightstand. I'm not really sure what compelled me to dig it out and place it there again. Or why I even held onto it after all these years. She has always been beautiful though, both inside and out. But that doesn't mean anything compared to status or money and she has neither. I thought that she would be a nice new challenge when I asked her out. She resisted at first. It was a new experience for me. I had never been turned down before. But I figured that just like all the others, I would date her till I fucked her and then I would dump her. It would take a few months at most. But she was different. She was sweet, naïve, and kind with a fiery temper when provoked. She intrigued me. I found myself unable to let her go. A year passed and my father finally woke me up.

"She's a commoner and she's the daughter of that crazy Eon Su-Jeong. She's trash. Get rid of her. She's bad for your reputation." He told me.

So I did. I hurt her badly and for the first time in my life, I actually felt guilty. And I missed her. I found myself watching her from a distance till one day she disappeared completely from school. I told myself that it was for the best so I moved on…till she showed up that day at the hospital. When I heard the name I could hardly believe it. That bastard Su-Jeong had finally gone off the deep end. I tried to stay away but I still went to see her during her surgery. There had been so much blood. It was bad and it turned my stomach.

I was angry when I heard Ji-Hoo was looking out for her. It pissed me off so much that I went to see her to find out if she actually liked the guy. She hates me, that much had been obvious and she did like him. In my anger, I wanted to hurt her and I succeeded. The sting of her slap had been proof of that.

I wasn't prepared for Ji-Hoo's reaction. I never expected to see any emotions from that cold bastard. I thought he was more like me. I was wrong and I hated seeing him touch her. She wasn't supposed to be with anybody. I didn't understand my feelings. I didn't understand why I was so angry.

The only reason I knew she had disappeared was because I overheard my father talking about it to one of his "associates" one night. Su-Jeong kidnapped his daughter and ex-wife. I was scared for her. I knew how crazy that old man was. I may be an asshole but I never wanted anything bad to happen to her. I was relieved when they found her and I wanted to see her but Boo Ki and Ji-Hoo wouldn't let me anywhere near her.

I finally was able to see her when she came in for a check-up. I didn't expect to apologize. It just happened and I realize that I meant it. She does deserve better. I just wish it wasn't Ji-Hoo. The only reason I hate him is because he has her. Other than that, I could care less what happens to him or his F4 friends.

So here I am, staring at a framed memory. It's all I have left of Saia. I took the picture when she was trying to learn how to play the guitar. I had been teaching her and managed to sneak a picture of her when she wasn't looking. Her smile always makes my chest ache. It's a strange feeling and she is the only one that does that to me. I shake my head to try and clear my thoughts as I make my way towards the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" I hear my father's voice in his office and I slow down to listen. "You mean to tell me that Caelum girl and her friend kicked the asses of seven grown men? How is that possible?"

I smile to myself and continue towards the kitchen. Obviously my father hasn't done his research on Boo Ki. That girl has a mean kick and Saia has a mean right hook. My jaw hurts just thinking about that experience. You definitely are going to need more guys than that. I chuckle to myself.

(^_^)

JI-HOO'S POV:

I rub my face in exhaustion. After pulling a double shift at the hospital, I finally drag myself home. The thought of coming home without Saia being here had been so unappealing that I pulled another shift today. I still can't believe she beat up her attackers last night. She truly is amazing and she always surprises me.

It's getting late and the sun is starting to go down as I step inside my house. Min Seo Hyun is sitting in the living room drinking tea.

"Ji-Hoo! Where have you been? I was worried about you! Why didn't you answer your phone?"

She is the other reason I didn't want to be here. I don't know what she said to anger Saia yesterday but enough is enough. I won't let Seo Hyun upset her. My exhausted brain feels like mush and my patience is completely gone.

"You need to leave." I tell her.

"What? Ji-Hoo-ah why-"

"You need to pack your things and go. I want you out of here tonight."

"Why? Because I made Saia uncomfortable? Ji-Hoo, she isn't what she seems. Why does she only date Chaebols? Why is it that she managed to get into the Seoul Ballet Company only after meeting you? How do you know she isn't a part of this whole plot against you and the other F4? You can't-"

"Enough!" I say in exasperation. "You don't know her like I do. She isn't like that. I belong with her. Say whatever you want about me but don't insult her."

"Ji-Hoo you don't even know what you are saying. You once believed that we belonged together too and you were right. We do belong together. It has always been you and me."

Suddenly she has her arms wrapped around me with her lips pressed against mine. It takes a minute for my foggy mind to realize what she is doing before I grab her shoulders and push her away.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I say angrily at her. Movement in the courtyard catches my eye and I look out the window. Woo Bin is looking at me with pure murder in his eyes but it's the woman in his arms that has my full attention. Saia has her face buried in his chest and I can see her body trembling. My heart practically stops.

Oh my god… they saw everything…

A/N: I think I am the world's fastest updater or something. Lol. I notice that all of my favorite stories are taking forever to update and here I am updating… well, a lot. Lol Anyways, to all of my awesome readers: gomawo (Thanks). ^_^