Chapter 18 The Strategy
Disclaimer: I don't own BBF characters. I'm just borrowing them for the moment.
This story is just a fiction from my imagination. If there are some mistakes or weird things, I apologize in advance and ask for your understanding. The characters that aren't from BBF are just my creation. And also, I'm sorry for the grammar mistakes. Here is another chapter. Enjoy :)
Yi Jeong walked toward the passenger side of his orange Lotus and opened the door. Ga Eul stepped out of the car and thanked him. They walked toward the base camp together hand in hand. The F4 had decided to have a meeting together today. In the parking lot, there were already Woo Bin's car, Ji Hoo's car, and even the black Cadillac that were used by Joon Pyo's bodyguards. It seemed like everyone had gathered at the house.
Yi Jeong opened the front door and let Ga Eul stepped inside first. They were greeted by loud noises from their friends. It seemed like Woo Bin and Jae Kyung were teasing Joon Pyo and Jan Di who looked like they were still in their pajamas. Jan Di looked embarrassed while Joon Pyo looked annoyed. "Just shut up, will you?" he finally yelled in annoyed voice.
That only made Woo Bin and Jae Kyung laughed more. Even Ji Hoo looked like he was holding the laughter in. Yi Jeong wrinkled his eyebrows and asked, "What's happening?"
Everyone turned their heads to the direction of the couple. "Hey, bro!" Woo Bin greeted them and hold up his hand to Yi Jeong for a high five.
Yi Jeong clapped his hand with Woo Bin's, but he still looked confused. "So what is it all about?" he asked again.
"It seemed like somebody was taking the advantage of the empty base camp and stayed the night together," Woo Bin said to answer Yi Jeong's question and also teased Joon Pyo.
"Oooohhhh.. did you finally do the deed?" Yi Jeong asked Joon Pyo in teasing voice.
"SHUT UP!" Joon Pyo screamed, standing up from his seat and hitting the table with his fists. "We had some urgent troubles, that were why we decided to stay here," he answered seriously.
The other boys finally realized that Joon Pyo was really serious, so they decided to cut him some slack. "Sorry," Yi Jeong responded understandingly. "I watched the news. What will you do about that?" he asked in sympathetic manner.
Joon Pyo took his seat back, but he was still scowling. He was still trying to control his annoyance and took his time to answer the question. "The Public Relation Manager of Shinhwa will give the confirmation statement this morning to the media," he finally answered.
"What's the statement?" Woo Bin asked seriously.
"Maybe we should watch the television and find out how that'll work out," Jan Di suggested quietly.
"That's a good idea," Ji Hoo agreed and went to the television and turned it on. The others turned their heads to the flat screen as well. Ji Hoo reached up the remote control and tried to find the channel that showed about the news. After a minute, they finally could find the channel that showed The Public Relation Manager of Shinhwa talking to the reporters in front of Shinhwa Headquarters.
The camera showed Kim Seok Jong being surrounded by the reporters. He was holding a card and was ready to read it. "I, the representative of Shinhwa Coorporation, wanted to verify about the engagement news. CEO of Shinhwa Corporation, Goo Joon Pyo-sajangnim, is engaged to Miss Geum Jan Di," he read the card out loud. The reporters tried to ask questions, but they were silent when Kim Seok Jong continued."They will celebrate the engagement party next month at the ballroom of Shinhwa Hotel."
"When did the engagement happen?" one of the reporters asked.
"About last week," Kim Seok Jong answered simply.
"Why weren't there any news about their relationship before?" another reporter asked.
"Since when did they know each other?" another one asked.
"They have been dating since four years ago," Kim Soek Jong answered clearly.
"But four years ago, Goo Joon Pyo-ssi left the country and went to America," one of the reporters pointed out.
"They were dating before Goo Joon Pyo-sajangnim left. When he was in New York, they kept maintaining their relationship. The moment he came back, they got engaged," Kim Seok Jong explained.
"What is the response from Goo family about the engagement?"
"Master Goo Joon Hwa and Mistress Kang Hee Soo have approved about the union of Goo Joon Pyo-sajangnim and Miss Geum Jan Di," Kim Seok Jong replied simply. (A/N: I don't know Joon Pyo's father's name. So I just make it up.)
"You let him talk about those details?" Woo Bin asked Joon Pyo in disbelief.
"How does he know about those anyway?" Yi Jeong added.
"I gave him some details last night, so he can tell the reporters about that. Hopefully, the reporters will be satisfied with the answers and leave us alone after this," Joon Pyo answered smartly.
"Will that work?" Ji Hoo asked skeptically.
"I hope so," Joon Pyo replied seriously. "I'm just a figure in economic world. They're interested in me because of the rumors that are currently going around. More than that, they won't care. That's why I think they will stop pestering about this news. Once they get some facts, they won't care about gossips," he explained, smirking.
Woo Bin nodded his head. "Well, I hate to admit, but that's kinda good plan," he said, feeling reluctant to compliment Joon Pyo.
Joon Pyo's smirked widened. He looked so smug. "Of course they're good. I'm a genius after all," he said arrogantly.
The others sighed. "Here we go again," Yi Jeong said groaning. "You shouldn't say that statement," he added to Woo Bin.
"I know. I should've known better. Can I take the statement back?" Woo Bin replied teasingly.
"Shut up! You wanna die?" Joon Pyo yelled angrily making the others chuckled.
"Alright. One problem is solved. Another problem's waiting," Jan Di said weakly, reminding her fiancé.
"What problem?" Woo Bin asked in concerned voice.
"Choi Seong Jo," Joon Pyo replied.
"Who the hell is that?" Yi Jeong asked in confusion.
At the same time Ji Hoo asked other question. "What did he do this time?"
"He was the jerk whom we argued with at the volunteer event. He was also the one who bad-mouthed Jan Di in front of the reporters yesterday," Joon Pyo answered the questions all at once.
"What? Does he want to die?" Woo Bin asked angrily using Joon Pyo's usual phrase.
"This is the guy that you were talking about, Jan Di?" Ga Eul asked her best friend in concern. Jan Di nodded her head as the answer of the question.
"I think he's suicidal," Jae Kyung commented, snorting.
"Nah, he's just an idiot," Joon Pyo said.
"Well, I have to disagree with that. In the campus, he's really popular because of his brain and his look. So I disagreed if you say he's an idiot," Ji Hoo responded warily.
Joon Pyo smirked. "Then maybe you should read these papers," he said throwing a stack of papers to Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo frowned, but he read the paper like Joon Pyo wanted him to.
"What's the plan? Do you need our help?" Yi Jeong asked Joon Pyo.
Joon Pyo was ready to shake his head, refusing the help, when suddenly a thought came into his mind. He suddenly smirked. "You know what? I think I do," he said mischievously.
"Really?" Woo Bin asked in disbelief. "I thought I saw him yesterday at the afternoon news. And I think he's not that good," he commented, remembering a guy who had been looking more like a nerd with the glasses and all.
"Nah, I don't need your help if I want to fight him," Joon Pyo objected. "If I want to handle him that way, I can do that in a couple of minutes. Five minutes top. And then he'll be dead," he continued smugly and confidently.
Yi Jeong frowned. "Then what do you want us to do?" he asked curiously.
"I want to see him being scared when we show up together at the campus on Monday. We will intimidate him and say some threats and blackmails," Joon Pyo said easily.
Woo Bin and Yi Jeong looked confused. "That's it?" Woo Bin asked in disbelief.
"That doesn't sound bad enough after what he had done to you both," Yi Jeong commented.
Joon Pyo chuckled arrogantly. "Don't worry. The important part is being done right this minute," he said smugly.
"What's the important part?" Jae Kyung asked curiously.
"Some of his dark secrets are being sent to the professors he is involved with," Joon Pyo explained gladly.
"What are the secrets?" Ga Eul asked still not understood.
Joon Pyo didn't answer immediately. He was just smirking before turning his head to Ji Hoo who was still reading the papers. "What do you think, Ji Hoo?" he asked.
Ji Hoo was frowning. "This was for my class," he answered in disbelief.
Joon Pyo smirked. "Oh yeah, I noticed that one when I read that the professor's assistant was Yoon Ji Hoo."
"I remember this paper because it was pretty good. I can't believe it's the result of plagiarism," Ji Hoo responded when he was still reading the paper in question.
"Plagiarism?" Ga Eul asked with shocked voice.
Woo Bin whistled. "Wow. If I see the amount of papers Ji Hoo holds right now, I'd say he was being really bad," he commented.
"I can't believe it," Ji Hoo muttered more to himself than to the others.
"Tell me about it," Jan Di grumbled. "I was pretty shocked too last night when I read all of those papers."
"Say, Joon Pyo. If you're sending those facts about the papers to the professors, what will you blackmail him about?" Yi Jeong asked curiously.
Joon Pyo chuckled arrogantly. "You won't believe what my team found when they hacked his emails."
"What is that?" Jae Kyung asked feeling interested.
"Besides all of the emails about those papers?" Joon Pyo started. "My team found more than a couple of dozen emails about him asking his past girlfriends to do his assignments," he stated gladly. Then suddenly he turned serious. "He bad mouthed Jan Di in national television, I'll ruin his image. No one cares about his reputation if I showed it in the media, but someone will if it's being handled academically. And he'll be sorry if he doesn't listen to my threat because I will ruin his image in front of the entire population in Shinhwa University."
The room was silent for a moment before Woo Bin finally opened his mouth. "Nice plan."
Yi Jeong nodded. "Nice plan," he agreed.
"I think I need some drink. I can't believe one of the most brilliant students is like that," Ji Hoo suddenly said abruptly. He threw the papers to the table before standing up from his seat.
"Yeah, let's grab some drinks," Woo Bin agreed before following Ji Hoo to the kitchen to brink some drinks for all of them.
The others fell silent when they were waiting for Ji Hoo and Woo Bin to come back. Once the boys came back and brought three packs of soda, they delivered the drinks around until everyone got one. They took their time to sip their drinks until Joon Pyo finally broke the silence. "How are you?" he asked Ji Hoo suddenly.
Ji Hoo looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked back.
"How are the things about Min Seo Hyun?" Joon Pyo clarified.
"Oh," Ji Hoo mumbled before shrugging. "Fine, I guess. I met her yesterday. I demanded explanation why she suddenly appeared after all of these years. She said that she wanted to come back to me," he explained, frowning.
Jan Di, Jae Kyung, and Ga Eul caught each other's gaze and looked nervous. They were concerned if their plan about setting Ji Hoo up with Eun Jae wouldn't work. They hadn't been informed about Ji Hoo's revelation to the boys the day before.
"I said she blew up her chance the moment she stepped on the plane years ago," Ji Hoo continued. "Then she asked me if there can be any feeling left in me to accept her friendship again, but I told her that I still need time to think about that and space to be able to forgive her. After that, I asked her not to call me again."
The girls finally looked visibly relieved when they heard the explanation. Yi Jeong, who noticed the girls' act, tried to hold back a smile. He cleared his throat. "That's good to hear. I hope she won't bother you again," he commented.
Ji Hoo nodded. "I hope so," he mumbled, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then he looked up to see Woo Bin. "What about you two?" he asked Woo Bin and Jae Kyung.
Jae Kyung grimaced while Woo Bin frowned. "My men found some information about Kwon Dae Gyu and Hwang Q, but they're still working to find more," he answered weakly.
"And they couldn't find anything worth blackmailing?" Ji Hoo asked curiously.
"In trade for an engagement?" Woo Bin started. "Nope. There is something about questionable bank accounts or police record about speeding or some kind of rumor affairs, but there's nothing really big that's worth of an engagement," he explained.
"Do you bring the papers?" Joon Pyo asked. "Maybe we can try to find something more," he suggested.
"I'll ask my men to send them here," Woo Bin said readily.
"Good," Joon Pyo exclaimed. "Now while we're waiting for the papers, why don't we order some food? I haven't had breakfast yet," he said innocently.
Jan Di smacked the back of his head.
"What?" Joon Pyo asked abruptly. "I'm starving," he whined making the others chuckled. No matter what happened, there was still a kid somewhere inside his body.
After they all ate the breakfast, Jan Di and Joon Pyo went to clean themselves up. They went toward the office to meet with the others. They were planning to start to work on Jae Kyung and Woo Bin's problem. Woo Bin's men had already delivered the papers that contained every information they got about Kwon Dae Gyu and Hwang Q. The papers were divided into some sections. Woo Bin decided to give each section to one person. Yi Jeong would deal with the family history and news. Joon Pyo would handle the economic part of the family. Ji Hoo would check the police records about them. The girls handled any kind of gossips or news from any articles. Woo Bin himself would try to find more about Kwon Dae Gyu.
They were so deep in thought until Joon Pyo suddenly made noise. He got everyone's attention. "I think I finally understand why Hwang Q needs Shinhwa and JK Group all at once," he informed the others. He was still holding the copy of Hwang Q's proposals.
"Why is that?" Yi Jeong asked.
Joon Pyo put the proposals on the table that was located in the middle of the room. The others came closer to the table. "They're planning to build another car factory. At least, that's what their proposal to Shinhwa says. Now, look at this," Joon Pyo said indicating the proposal. There was some kind of map on one of the papers. "This land, you can see it right?" He circled the boundary of the land on the map. "This is pretty big land, you know?" he pointed out.
The others just nodded their heads, but they still didn't get the point of what Joon Pyo was talking about. However, Jae Kyung suddenly widened her eyes and stood up straight. She grabbed the paper to see it more clearly. "This is mine," she said suddenly. "I mean JK Group owns this land," she corrected.
Joon Pyo nodded his head. "That's right," he agreed. "That's why they want to connect with JK. But, this project is really big. JK won't want to do the business when they'll have too much to lose. That's why Hwang Q also proposed to Shinhwa. Hwang Q can get the land from JK and they can get the money from Shinhwa's investment."
"Is it possible for your parents not to notice this?" Ji Hoo asked Jae Kyung.
"No way," Jae Kyung replied instantly. "My father is a really thorough man. He'll notice this kind of thing."
"Then, there is something else that Hwang Q can offer to your father that makes him want to consider their proposal," Joon Pyo pointed out to Jae Kyung. "It's not just about business if their proposal won't bring much more benefit for JK. There's something fishy here."
"You're right," Woo Bin agreed quietly. "I think we should continue to search more about them," he reminded the others. Everyone went back to their seats and continued their research.
After a while, Yi Jeong finally sighed after reading about the family history. "Your men are right. There's nothing strange with that family. The most extraordinary thing about them is their daughter married a Japanese man, Akira Takazawa," he said in frustrated tone.
The others didn't react, but Woo Bin turned his body to Yi Jeong sharply. "What did you say?" he asked in panic tone making the others focused on him.
"What?" Yi Jeong asked in confusion. "Their daughter married Akira Takazawa?"
Woo Bin looked panic. "Let me see that!" he said reaching out for the papers that Yi Jeong held. Woo Bin read the papers with widened eyes.
"What's wrong about this Akira guy?" Joon Pyo asked curiously. "Do you know him?"
Woo Bin didn't answer for a minute. "He's the heir of Azawa Clan," Woo Bin muttered.
"Azawa Clan? What about them? I never heard about them," Joon Pyo said in confusion.
Woo Bin snorted hearing Joon Pyo's statement. "In your kind of crowd? No, you wouldn't hear about them. But, in my environment, I heard little about them from my friends," he said quietly.
"What about them?" Ji Hoo asked carefully.
"They're one of the mafia families in Japan," Woo Bin answered. "They're not too big, but they still have some influence, especially in Tokyo and Osaka," he elaborated. The other fell silent hearing this.
"Then we find the deep dark secret," Ga Eul said gladly.
Joon Pyo frowned feeling suspicious. "No, wait a minute. Let me see that paper," he said to Woo Bin. He analyzed the page for a minute. "Where did you get this news?" Joon Pyo asked Woo Bin.
Woo Bin frowned and shrugged. "Some kind of online newspaper, I guess."
"Then it's not a secret. Hwang Q didn't try to keep this information from public," Joon Pyo pointed out.
"But, that's not exactly common knowledge, you know?" Woo Bin argued. "Not many people notice who Akira Takazawa is."
"No, Joon Pyo's right," Ji Hoo interrupted. "We might not notice it, but you can notice that. This is not a secret."
"But, still. People, who don't know about Azawa Clan, still won't know that Hwang Q has connection to a crime organization," Yi Jeong pointed out.
Everyone was deep in thought when Jae Kyung suddenly stood up. The others looked at her in confusion. She looked shaken. "What is it?" Woo Bin asked with concerned expression, putting his hands on her shoulders.
Jae Kyung looked up at him in wariness. "I think I know what's going on," she muttered.
"What?" Woo Bin asked; feeling slightly panic seeing Jae Kyung acted like that.
Jae Kyung gulped. "I know that your business is legitimate. They're just shady because you organized the night life of Korea and your connection to the mafia. That's why in public's eyes you're practically the mafia prince of Korea. Because of your connections, you have different kind of power from what we have. You can't be touched by us," she said slowly. "My parents don't want to have anything to do with you, but they can't do anything to you. That's why they bring up the arrangement with other family. Hwang Q is clear in public's eyes. They don't have shady reputation like you do. But, they have connection to mafia too. My parents can't touch you, but the mafia can."
Woo Bin widened his eyes when he realized what Jae Kyung talked about. "You're right," he breathed. The others looked concerned when they heard Jae Kyung's explanation.
"This is bad," Yi Jeong muttered. The others nodded their heads in agreement.
Jae Kyung grabbed Woo Bin's shirt and hold it tightly in her hands. Woo Bin could see some frustrations, anger, and even sadness on her face. He grasped Jae Kyung's hands to bring her closer to him before putting his arms around her body. The minute Jae Kyung leaned her head on his chest; sobs were sounded from her mouth. "Why? Why?" Jae Kyung wailed. "Do they even have to do something like that just to prevent me for being happy? Why do they have to do this? Why can't they just let me be happy with you?" she cried closer to be hysterics.
Jae Kyung continued to sob into his chest while Woo Bin tried to calm her by stroking her back. Ga Eul walked closer and patted Jae Kyung's shoulder gently. "Unni," she whispered sympathetically.
Jan Di and the other boys just watched the scene for a few minutes before Jan Di finally spoke up. "Why don't we take a break?" she suggested to the others.
The others nodded as a sign of agreement while Woo Bin looked over to Jan Di. He looked at her for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah, let's take a break," he agreed. He looked back to Jae Kyung. "Come on, baby. Let's get out of this room for a minute," he said trying to coach her into his arms. Jae Kyung went willingly, throwing her arms around Woo Bin's neck. Woo Bin succeeded carrying her bridal style on his hands. He brought her out of the room, leaving the others. They were silent for a few minutes.
"I think we should continue the research," Ji Hoo suggested which was answered by some nods from the others.
They fell silent again and kept busy by reading some papers. After a while, suddenly some grumbles were sounded from Yi Jeong's direction. The others looked over to him and looked amused. Yi Jeong looked embarrassed while the others started to laugh.
"You know, I think we should order some food," Ga Eul said between her laugh.
Before the others voiced their agreement, Joon Pyo spoke up. "You know, why don't you two just cook some ramen for all of us?" he suggested to the girls.
Jan Di looked at him for a minute before smirking. "Just say that you want ramen," she teased him.
Joon Pyo looked sheepish. "Yeah, well.." He shrugged.
Jan Di sighed. "Fine," she finally said making Joon Pyo looked almost giddy. "Let's go to the kitchen, Ga Eul," she added to Ga Eul.
After the girls left, the boys continued their research again while waiting for the ramen to be done. Woo Bin came back to the room half an hour later. He looked so frustrated. His best friends stared at him with concerned expression on their faces. "How is she?" Ji Hoo finally asked.
Woo Bin looked up and sighed. "She fell asleep. She cried herself to sleep," he muttered. He groaned loudly. "I feel so helpless," he whined to his friends.
Joon Pyo patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I know the feeling," he said understandingly. "Just talk to us about everything that bothers you."
"Yeah. Maybe we can help to ease the feeling," Yi Jeong said.
"Her parents are crazy," Woo Bin exclaimed angrily. "I understand if they don't approve of me. I do! I don't like thinking that, but I do understand. However, it's so reckless if they want to involve Hwang Q for that purpose," he yelled angrily.
"Maybe they finally realize that you're not going anywhere," Ji Hoo quipped. "That made them desperate to eliminate you from the equation."
"I think that's right," Joon Pyo agreed.
Woo Bin moaned. "I don't know what to do. She looked broken, so lost. I can't see her like that," he complained. "What should I do?" he asked more to himself than to his friends.
"If, God forbid, things get too far, can your men handle them?" Joon Pyo asked carefully.
Woo Bin was deep in thought for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he decided. "My men are trained to guard. They can handle drunken idiots, kidnappers, robbers, or even murderers. But, they can't handle war, or even brawl. They are trained to defend, not attack."
The others nodded their heads. Before they could say anything, Jan Di and Ga Eul stepped into the room with two trays containing a few bowls each. They put the trays on the table before distributing the bowls. Only Joon Pyo got a small pan with a lid.
Yi Jeong frowned. "Wait a minute. Why is Joon Pyo's different?" he complained.
Joon Pyo smirked. "Because I'm special," he said smugly.
Jan Di rolled her eyes. "The content is the same. Joon Pyo just likes to eat his ramen like that," she corrected. "Trust me, you won't like eating like that. It's not proper," she consoled Yi Jeong.
"Yah! Are you saying that I have no manner?" Joon Pyo protested.
"Yes," Jan Di replied challengingly. The others just chuckled.
"Why aren't you girls eating?" Ji Hoo asked curiously.
Jan Di and Ga Eul glanced at each other. "We think we should check on Jae Kyung-unni first," Ga Eul answered. The boys nodded understandingly.
"She's in my suite," Woo Bin informed them.
The girls nodded and walked out of the room. They headed to the north wing, the house part where Woo Bin's suited was located. Ga Eul peaked into the bedroom and saw Jae Kyung had already woken up. She was sitting on the bed with her arms around her feet and her head leaning on her knees. Ga Eul and Jan Di came into the room and walked toward her slowly.
"Unni," Ga Eul and Jan Di said simultaneously.
Jae Kyung lifted her head up. She looked at Jan Di and Ga Eu with sad expression. There were tears on her cheeks. She sniffled. Jan Di and Ga Eul surrounded her and put their arms around Jae Kyung. They pulled Jae Kyung into a group hug. "Unni," Ga Eul said stroking Jae Kyung's back.
Jae Kyung's sobs got louder. "I just don't understand. Why can't my parents act like parents for once?" she complained. "Why can't they let me choose my own husband? First with Joon Pyo and now with Kwon Dae Gyu. I can understand why they wanted me to marry Joon Pyo. I do! The business plan was really good. But with Hwang Q?" Jae Kyung continued. "They consider the business plan just because they want Hwang Q to help them handling Woo Bin. That's ridiculous. They just want to prevent me for getting my happiness," she ranted between the sobs.
Jan Di and Ga Eul hugged her tighter. "Everything's gonna be okay, unni," Jan Di tried to calm her down.
"How do you know?" Jae Kyung demanded.
"Because we won't let them to do anything bad to both of you and Woo Bin-sunbae," Jan Di said convincingly.
"That's right. You and Woo Bin-sunbae won't handle it alone," Ga Eul added.
Jae Kyung smiled weakly. "Thank you," she whispered before she sniffled again. "I just don't understand why they want to do something like that. I mean, even Joon Pyo's mother have some mercy and sentiment for your relationship. Even after those things that she had done to you, she finally can see that your relationship is fine. Why can't my parents be more like that?"
"They will," Jan Di said firmly. "We will make sure that they'll be able to see that your relationship with Woo Bin-sunbae is good. For you and even for your company," she assured Jae Kyung.
Jae Kyung nodded her head weakly before putting it on her knees again. She continued to sniffle quietly. Ga Eul and Jan Di looked at her with concerned expression. "Do you want us to call Woo Bin-sunbae for you?" Ga Eul offered.
Jae Kyung didn't react immediately. However, she finally nodded her head. Ga Eul and Jan Di stood up from the bed. They patted Jae Kyung's shoulder gently before they left the room. They walked back to the office and found the boys were looking at the computer with serious expression. "Woo Bin-sunbae, Jae Kyung-unni asked you to go there," Ga Eul informed Woo Bin. Woo Bin looked up from the computer and nodded his head. He stood up immediately and went out the room. "What are you guys looking at?" Ga Eul asked curiously.
"The financial situation of Hwang Q," Yi Jeong answered before walking toward her seat and sat down beside her. Ga Eul and Jan Di were eating their portions of ramen.
Ji Hoo and Joon Pyo were staying in front of computer. They looked really serious. It was rare for Joon Pyo to be serious. However, if he was working on something of his expertise, he worked seriously. "You know, for a company which wasn't that powerful, their financial situation is pretty good," he commented while still looking at the screen.
"You're right," Ji Hoo agreed solemnly. "That means it's worse for Woo Bin."
"They're really clever, you know. On paper they appear very clean with no big records of crimes. But, in reality they are strong enough because of their connection to that clan," Yi Jeong pointed out.
"Yeah, it's like they become undefeated on both sides," Joon Pyo added.
"You forgot something," Jan Di interrupted making the boys looked over to her. "On paper, Woo Bin-sunbae is also clear. The reason his image looks bad is just because the shady reputation about his business and his connections," she pointed out.
"She's right!" Joon Pyo exclaimed proudly. "Woo Bin's business; even though they look shady, they're still legitimate."
"Yeah, but the most important thing for JK is the reputation. And Woo Bin looks bad for that part," Yi Jeong argued.
"Besides, his connection with the dark side is not as strong as Hwang Q's," Ji Hoo pointed out. However, he suddenly fell silent as if he was deep in thought.
Woo Bin and Jae Kyung suddenly stepped into the room. The others looked over to her. "Are you okay, monkey?" Joon Pyo asked teasingly. Jae Kyung rolled her eyes but the corner of her lips was lifted slightly. Only Joon Pyo could do something ridiculous in serious situation like this.
"What were you guys talking about?" Woo Bin asked them while sitting down in one of the couches. He pulled Jae Kyung to sit on his lap before he threw his arms around her. Jae Kyung leaned back and put her head on Woo Bin's shoulder. Yi Jeong retold everything to Woo Bin. Woo Bin looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "I can't ask my friends' help from the mafia. I don't want to involve them in this personal matter. But, I don't think my men are strong enough to face Hwang Q and Azawa Clan all at once," he analyzed. "I can ask my father for help though. But, I still don't think that it will be enough."
"We can help, you know," Yi Jeong reminded him.
"Yeah. I do have some power, you know," Joon Pyo pointed out, smirking. "I may be can't handle Azawa Clan, but I can take care of Hwang Q for you," he offered.
Jae Kyung looked at the boys with awe and fear. She could see the strong bond the boys had for each other and admired it about them, but it also made her worry more. "Wait. I can't ask you, guys to do things like that. It will be too dangerous," Jae Kyung protested.
"Unni, I've told you. We won't let you and Woo Bin-sunbae to handle this problem alone," Ga Eul reminded her.
"You know, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves," Ji Hoo suddenly interrupted after his thinking. His friends looked over to him with confusion. "Jae Kyung, where did you hear about the arrangement from?"
"I heard my parents talked about that. Why?" Jae Kyung asked back, still looked confused.
"Have they decided for sure that they will try to marry you off to Kwon Dae Gyu?" Ji Hoo asked again.
"Well, I don't think so. But, they're really considering the possibility," Jae Kyung replied.
"Then we can do something to change that," Ji Hoo started. "Let's get this problem straight. I think that Jae Kyung's parents don't like Woo Bin's reputation and they're thinking about breaking your relationship. Kwon Dae Gyu and his family got a word about that news. They offered their service to Jae Kyung's parents to take care of Woo Bin. Woo Bin has different kind of power. Even the most powerful family on Korea, Shinhwa, can't touch him easily. That's why JK has difficulties to handle Woo Bin. But, having connection with Japanese mafia, Hwang Q can handle Woo Bin. That about sums it up, right?" Ji Hoo asked. The others nodded their heads as sign of agreement.
"But, we forgot one thing. They are still considering the arrangement. It hasn't been finalized yet," Ji Hoo pointed out. "We just have to convince them that it's a bad idea to involve themselves to Hwang Q."
"But, what can we do about that?" Yi Jeong asked, voicing the others' question.
"We can't do much, but.. Jae Kyung can," Ji Hoo said mysteriously. The others still frowned. They were silent for a few minutes.
"I get it!" Joon Pyo suddenly said. That surprised the others.
"Really?" Jan Di asked in disbelief.
Joon Pyo rolled his eyes. "Your trust in me is so convincing, baby," he said sarcastically making the others chuckled and Jan Di smirked. "I was in her position, remember?" he pointed out to the others.
"Ahh, right," Yi Jeong said. "So, what's the big plan?" he asked mockingly.
Joon Pyo ignored the tone. "Your parents are like my mother. For them, company comes first, so you should follow my footsteps. You have to dance to their tune," Joon Pyo said seriously.
"Meaning?" Ga Eul asked still feeling confused.
"Like Ji Hoo said, Jae Kyung can do something about the upcoming plan. She can try to talk her parents out of it," Joon Pyo started. "But.. don't try to ask for their pity," he said to Jae Kyung sharply. "When you talk to your parents, don't try to talk about love or any touchy feely stuff. Talk about facts! Talk to them about how bad it will be if they try to involve with Hwang Q. Talk about the effect to the company."
"But what if they're still stubborn about the arrangement," Jae Kyung asked.
"Give them anything," Joon Pyo said making the others shocked. "Anything they want!"
"What? You can't be serious!" Woo Bin protested.
"No. I'm serious!" Joon Pyo said firmly. "If they ask you to break up with Woo Bin, do that."
"What?" Jae Kyung yelled.
"Joon Pyo, that's crazy," Jan Di protested.
"You have to lose this battle if you want to win the war. Just this once, do what they want as long as you don't have to marry anyone. That's the strategy. I've done it before," Joon Pyo insisted.
"When?" Yi Jeong asked drily.
"When I went to New York and left Jan Di here," Joon Pyo answered seriously. The others fell silent hearing this. "Why do you think I left? I needed to handle the company's problem. But, I also needed to prove to my mother that my relationship with Jan Di wouldn't interfere with my work. And I did that. My mother can finally see that, so she has no objection about our relationship anymore," he explained. "Jae Kyung, you have to do that as well. You have to prove to your parents that your relationship with Woo Bin won't interfere with the company. To do that, you need more time," Joon Pyo advised.
"And you will get more time if you're able to convince your parents to cancel the arrangement," Ji Hoo finished the explanation. The others nodded their heads as sign of understanding, except Jae Kyung.
"But, breaking up with Woo Bin is ... is out of question," Jae Kyung stuttered. Woo Bin pulled her into his arms tighter and kissed her head.
"Well, you don't have to really break up with him," Ji Hoo suggested.
"What do you mean?" Woo Bin asked in confusion.
"You have your own control, right?" Ji Hoo asked Jae Kyung. "Your parents won't really check wherever you're going, right? So lay low. Like what you've done so far. Just be more discreet. Keep your relationship just within this circle. Don't flaunt it to public. As long as people don't know about you, your parents can't find out about it and they won't do anything about it."
"But, we can't keep doing that forever," Jae Kyung whined.
"No. But, we can do something about that," Joon Pyo interrupted. "As long as you buy us time, we can do something about Woo Bin's reputation in the mean time."
"What do you mean?" Woo Bin asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"The one thing that your parents mind about Woo Bin is his reputation. So we clear his reputation," Joon Pyo offered.
"How?" Woo Bin demanded. "My reputation is given by nature. The bad reputation is caused by my business of night life, the image of my men that look like bad guys, and my connections in mafia. I can't really change them just like that," he pointed out.
"No, but we can prove something else," Yi Jeong suddenly interjected. It seemed like he finally got the epiphany. "We can prove to Jae Kyung's parents that despite all of those things, Woo Bin can still look like a hero."
"How?" This time, it was Jae Kyung who asked warily.
"Make him a hero," Joon Pyo, Ji Hoo, and Yi Jeong said simultaneously making the others raised their eyebrows. The three guys glanced at each other and smirked.
"Let's plan some charade to make it look believable," Yi Jeong suggested.
"I think the most urgent thing that has to be done is Jae Kyung convincing her parents to cancel the arrangement," Ji Hoo reminded them all.
"Can you handle that?" Joon Pyo asked Jae Kyung.
Jae Kyung was silent for a minute before nodding her head. "I can," she said firmly.
A/N: So what do you think? Hope you like it :)
Thank you for the people who wrote reviews for the last chapter. I'm so happy when I read your reviews, guys. Camy, ladyofthedragons1, DRIisskipbeatlover, lorafairy, ritz2012, Mikaelv, treble, uria, Marce, iamsunshine18, and Ani. Thank you so much for the review.. Love you guys..
And for the idea about interview, I tried to write a little of it for the next chapter. Hope I won't be too disappointed :D
Thanks for your time. Please don't forget to write the comment in the box below to let me know what you think about the story/chapter. Next is The Confrontation. See ya..