CHAPTER 30

SAIA'S POV:

"Thank you for bringing me home Woo Bin." I say as he opens the door of his car to let me out.

"No problem. I need to talk to Seo Hyun and that punk Ji-Hoo anyways." He says with a grin.

"I'm not sure if he's home though. He might still be at the hospital. He said he was pulling a double shift."

"That's okay. I can wait for awhile."

I enter the code for the gate to the courtyard and we walk through. I freeze as I see Seo Hyun and Ji-Hoo in the living room. I really don't want to see her right now. At least Ji-Hoo is here so I won't be alone with her. I don't want to do something I will regret. Ji-Hoo looks upset… It feels like the ground beneath me is falling away as Seo Hyun wraps her arms around him and kisses him. No.. No god, please… My heart shatters in my chest and I can't breathe. I feel myself being swung around and pulled into Woo Bin's arms. His hand presses my head into his chest.

"That fucking bastard…" he says angrily. My body is trembling in shock and I gasp for air. "I'm sorry baby. Easy… Shhh. Easy… Breathe, Saia. You need to try and calm down so that you can breathe." Woo Bin whispers to me.

"I-I c-c-can't." I gasp and furiously shake my head. He pulls away from me and cups my face in his hands.

"Look at me. You need to breathe, okay? Come on. Try to take a deep breath."

I nod my head and desperately force myself to take a long, steadying breath.

"Good girl. Again." He tells me as his hands release my face to rub my arms. "That's it. Shh…"

"…Saia…" Ji-Hoo's choked voice reaches me and I close my eyes, trying to focus on controling my breathing. I can feel Woo Bin's grip on me tighten but I pull away to turn to Ji-Hoo. Tell me it isn't true… Please… my heart begs. I raise my head to look into his eyes and his face is contorted with pain. I feel like a hole has been punched through my chest. I am still hyperventilating as Ji-Hoo reaches for my arm, his face slowly regaining some of its usual composure. "Easy…Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth." He says softly.

He slowly tries to reach for my other arm but I yank out of his hold. "Ani!" I gasp. "Don't touch me…"

His face contorts with pain again and a tear escapes from his watery eyes. "Saia…" He moves towards me but I raise a hand to stop him.

"I… I can't even… look at you… right now." I say between gasps. Shaking my head I turn away from him.

Woo Bin moves past me towards Ji-Hoo. "You son-of-a-bitch..." I hear him say before he punches him. I hear Ji-Hoo hit the ground of the courtyard and the back of my mind wonders why he let Woo Bin hit him. He could have easily dodged it.

Still shaking, I feel Woo Bin's arm wrap around my shoulders and he guides me back through the gate towards his car. I sink into the seat of his yellow Lotus and I cover my face with my hands, desperately seeking refuge from the horrible scene that keeps replaying through my mind. Woo Bin rubs my back for a moment before starting the car and driving off. I don't see the forlorn man watching us drive off but I can feel his eyes on me.

(^_^)

JI-HOO'S POV:

I watch Woo Bin's car until I can no longer see it. My heart is leaving in that car. Sinking to the ground in front of the gate, I place my elbows on my raised knees and bury my face in my hands. I can no longer hold back the sobs that rack my body. The look she gave me was so full of shock and anguish. She is having a panic attack and her gasps for air terrify me. I never wanted to see that kind of pain on her face and it devastates me to know that I am the partial cause of it. Her words replay over and over in my mind. My touch disgusted her and she didn't even want to look at me.I should have never agreed with Saia to let Seo Hyun stay here. I should have kicked her out the day she arrived.

I sit here for a long time but it's completely dark out now and my body is stiff as I stand up. My eyes are swollen making it hard to see and my jaw hurts from Woo Bin's punch. I deserved it. I need to make things right somehow. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without Saia. Even if she can't forgive me, I have to try. I have to explain.

Making my way back inside, Seo Hyun stands up from her chair and looks at me. "Are you alright?" She asks uncertainly.

"Do I look alright?" I ask coldly. "Take a good look Min Seo Hyun. This is what a broken heart looks like."

"Ji-Hoo-ah-"

"Get out now or I will throw you out myself." I say angrily. She tries to take a step towards me but I stop her. "Get out!" I snap at her.

Her face pales and she turns towards her room. I sit on the couch and stare at my hands until I hear her walk down the hallway with her luggage towards the front door. The door closes and I breathe a small sigh of relief that she's finally gone.

I stare at my phone trying to decide if I should try to call Saia or not. When I reach for it and dial her number, I am not surprised that it goes directly to voicemail. I don't leave a message. What I have to say to her needs to be said face to face.

I shower and slide into bed. Her scent still lingers on her pillow and on our sheets. I hold her pillow close and breathe in deeply, desperately clinging to any piece of her that I can. Please have faith in me… I would never betray you… I love you…

(^_^)

WOO BIN'S POV:

Saia has been at my house for 3 days already. Nobody knows she's here besides Jae Kyung. Hell, I wouldn't even know she's here either if I didn't insist on eating dinner with her every night. She spends all day in my sisters dance room practicing and she won't talk to me about what happened. Jae Kyung has been fussing over her the whole time till I finally told her to leave Saia alone for awhile. I am so angry at Ji-Hoo that I don't answer his calls or his texts. Seo Hyun is staying at Jun Pyo's house now which is saying something at least. I still don't get it. It makes no sense. Ji-Hoo adores Saia. I have never seen such pain on his face when she pulled away from him. So why did he kiss Seo Hyun?

Saia walks into the kitchen after her practice and I hand her a bottle of water. She looks tired and she's covered in sweat.

"Thanks." She smiles at me. She plops down on one of the barstools at the counter and drinks half of the bottle in one shot. "…Woo Bin-ah?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you take me to see Boo Ki? I need to see her." She asks quietly.

"Of course I can. Go get cleaned up."

When we reach the restaurant, I'm surprised that she hides behind me. I look around and don't see Ji-Hoo anywhere.

"He's not here." I tell her.

"Ani. It's not him I'm worried about. I'm afraid of Boo Ki."

I laugh and gently pull her out from behind me. Boo Ki's head snaps up as soon as she sees us and she instantly has Saia in an embrace.

"Oh my god! I have been so worried about you! Where have you been? Why is your phone turned off? What happened? Ji-Hoo won't tell me anything! Are you okay? Don't ever scare me like that again! Are you alright?"

I laugh at Boo Ki's barrage of questions and understand Saia's nervousness now. The only time she loses her cool is when Saia is involved. "Let her have some breathing room Boo Ki-ssi. She can't answer you like that."

I sit at the bar so that the girls can talk alone. I watch them and it still amazes me how different Boo Ki is with Saia. Her face is animated and lively, full of trust and understanding. It's obvious they are very close. She is a completely different person and her smile is bright enough to light up an entire room. My heart skips a beat when she laughs at something Saia says. She is making me feel things that I've never felt before and don't understand. She stands up and pats Saia's shoulder before making her way over to me.

"So what happened between her and Ji-Hoo?" she asks as she pours another cup of tea.

"She didn't tell you?" I ask in surprise.

"No. All she told me is that she decided she needed some space from him."

I turn to look at the girl that now sits alone at the table and shake my head. "I really don't think it's my place to say but if you could come and stay with her for a couple of days at my house, I really think it will help."

"…Okay. I'll need to grab a few things from my apartment first."

"Of course."

"Woo Bin-ssi…Thank you for looking after her. If you still need help with the investigation, I'll help where I can."

"Really? That would be great but why the sudden change of heart?"

"I owe you. You have been a really good friend to her."

I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks and I turn away. How is it that she can make a Don Juan like me blush over the simplest things? I'm supposed to be making women blush, not the other way around.

We make our way to her apartment and the girls chatter about the newest drama on TV but I tune them out. I feel on edge. Ever since the night they were attacked, I've been making sure my men watch out for Boo Ki more closely. She unlocks her door and starts to turn the handle but pauses after she hears a strange click from the doorknob. Her eyes go wide in horror and I grab her arm.

"Run!" I yell. I push Boo Ki and Saia forward but we don't get far before the blast hits. The force of the explosion knocks us down and I cover their bodies with my own. When I'm sure the worst is over, I lift myself off of them to look back where Boo Ki's apartment was. These guys are good… very good. The explosion had been controlled to only blow up her apartment and not the others around it. Only an expert can do that.

"Are you two okay?" I ask them.

Saia nods but her mouth hangs open in shock. Boo Ki doesn't answer me. She just stares at the hole where her door was.

"Boo Ki?" I take her face in my hands and force her to look at me. She's in shock. I pull her into a hug and Saia wraps her arms around her from behind. Boo Ki leans her forehead on my chest and grabs fistfuls of my shirt. Relief pours over me as I realize just how close we had been. If we hadn't come to see Boo Ki, she might be dead right now. I look down at them both. Saia's head rests on Boo Ki's back and she looks up at me.

"Thank you." She says. The complete trust and gratitude on her face floors me. God, these two amazing women were almost killed by those bastards. I grit my teeth in anger and pull the two of them closer to me. I don't care what it takes. I will hunt all of these mother fuckers down one by one if I have to. I won't let anything happen to the people I care about.

(^_^)

TAE MU'S POV:

Those two girls should be dead by now. I sigh in relief. Not just because it's two less people to worry about but because I don't like the idea of Su-Jeong's daughter running around still alive. Who knows what the crazy mother fucker might have told her. I also don't like the fact that my son still seems to have some kind of strange attachment to her. He needs to keep his head on straight.

I sip my brandy and look over the files I have on the F4. The ShinHwa CEO is my biggest concern. His company isn't something to laugh about. If it falls apart because of his death, it will mean billions of lost revenue for Korea. I will have to plan very carefully on what to do with him. I may have to resort to blackmail. As for the other three, So Yi Jung has a history of alcoholism so I can easily plan something for him. Song Woo Bin, the notorious Prince Song will be the easiest. Mafia rivalries happen all the time. Yoon Ji-Hoo is well known for riding his motorcycle. Accidents happen every day. It can be easily arranged. As for Geum Jan Di, Ha Jae Kyung, and Chu Ga Eul, I have yet to determine their danger to us. They are more valuable alive at the moment in case they need to be used against the F4. Once the F4 are dealt with, I will then decide what to do with them.

"You're still awake?"

I look up to see Kang Woo leaning against the door.

"Yes. I just have a few things to go over. How are things going at the hospital?"

He shrugs and makes his way to my desk. He pours himself a glass of brandy and sits down.

"That bitch of yours has been dealt with." I tell him as I lean back in my chair. He pauses before the glass touches his lips and looks up at me.

"Excuse me?"

"Saia Caelum. She won't be a bother to you anymore."

He visibly pales at my words but takes a sip his drink. "Oh? That's good." He murmurs. I'm not convinced. He downs the rest of his drink and stares at the empty glass. "What about Yoon Ji-Hoo? Are you going to deal with him too?"

"Of course I will."

Kang Woo's eyes grow cold and he nods his head in satisfaction. "Good."