Chapter 20 The Plans

Disclaimer: BBF characters are not mine, obviously. But, I do create some of my own characters to accompany them in this story.

Thank you to my wonderful beta, ladyofthedragons1. Here is another chapter. Enjoy :)

Ji Hoo stepped inside his grandfather's house that night. He had promised to have dinner with his grandfather after he got home from the university.

"Grandpa," he called out while looking around for any sign of him. His grandfather had been staying at the house more often. Ever since Ji Hoo began working part time at the clinic a few days a week, his grandfather stopped coming everyday.

"Ji Hoo, I'm on the back porch," Yoon Seok Young called out for his grandson when he heard his name. Ji Hoo walked out of the house and found his grandfather sitting on one of the chairs on the back porch.

"Hello, grandpa," he greeted politely. Yoon Seok Young stood up from the chair to hug his grandson.

"Come, come to the dining room. The housekeeper prepared the dinner earlier today," he said to Ji Hoo while leading him inside the house.

Once they arrived in the dining room, they found that the dinner was ready on the table. Yoon Seok Young took a seat on the head of the table while Ji Hoo took one at his right.

"How's university?" Yoon Seok Young asked in the middle of the dinner. Ji Hoo swallowed his food first before he answered.

"Fine. Everything's good. I like the classes so far." Yoon Seok Young nodded his head.

"That's good. Have you thought about working at the hospital?" he asked again carefully.

The hospital had become a sore topic of discussion between the two, despite necessity of it. Ji Hoo preferred working at the clinic to working at the hospital. The Yoonbyong Memorial Hospital that Yoon Seok Young owned was to be inherited by Ji Hoo when he died. However, it seemed like Ji Hoo had no interest to work there. He had tried that when he had worked for his residency, but he decided that he didn't like it. When he inherited, he would need to deal with the organization of the hospital. And he didn't like that part the most. Ji Hoo sighed.

"I don't know, grandpa," he answered honestly.

"Fine. Just keep thinking about it, okay? For now, grandpa is still here, but later you have to be prepared," Yoon Seok Young advised calmly. They were silent for a couple of minutes and just ate their dinner.

"Why do you want to have dinner with me, grandpa?" Ji Hoo suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Why? Can't a grandfather ask his grandson to have dinner together?" Yoon Seok Young said without answering Ji Hoo's question. Ji Hoo rolled his eyes hearing a slight teasing tone in his grandfather's voice.

"Grandpa," he said warningly. Yoon Seok Young sighed.

"Fine.. fine. Yes, I want to talk to you about something," he admitted. "But, I think we should finish this dinner first and then talk when we drink the tea later." Ji Hoo frowned slightly.

"And it's not about the hospital?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, it's not. Don't worry," Yoon Seok Young replied. "The hospital can wait."

Ji Hoo didn't reply and kept eating. After another ten minutes, they finally finished their dinner. Yoon Seok Young had ordered the housekeeper to prepare the tea at the back porch. He liked to drink his tea there because he could enjoy the view of his garden. They took seats once they arrived there. Yoon Seok Young sipped his tea slowly.

"What do you want to talk about, Grandpa?" Ji Hoo asked impatiently. The longer his grandfather took, the more tense Ji Hoo got. He became more anxious every second he waited to find out what thing his grandfather wanted to talk about.

Yoon Seok Young chuckled a little when he heard the impatient tone in his grandson's voice. Once he was done chuckling, he suddenly got serious.

"I heard that Min Seo Hyun is back in Seoul," he started carefully. Ji Hoo looked slightly relieved. No matter how awkward it was, it was easier to talk about girls than anything else with his grandfather. At least, if they talked about girls, Ji Hoo could try to stall.

"Yeah," he replied slightly.

"She called you?" Yoon Seok Young asked again. Ji Hoo nodded to answer the question. "Did you meet her?"

"Hmm.. yes, a few days ago," Ji Hoo replied simply. Yoon Seok Young sighed. He knew it would be hard to try to dig some information from his grandson about girls. It seemed like his grandson was always reluctant to talk about this matter.

"Ji Hoo, I don't want to interfere with your life, but I'm just curious. Do you still like her?" he asked Ji Hoo carefully. Ji Hoo sighed. Why did everyone keep asking that question? First his friends and now his grandfather.

"No, Grandpa," he answered simply. Yoon Seok Young sighed again.

"Ji Hoo, I'm worried about you. It seems like you haven't dated anyone for years. I'm worried seeing you alone like this," he said sadly. This time it was Ji Hoo's turn to sigh.

"Grandpa, I'm fine," he said trying to convince his grandfather.

"And that's the reason I'm worried," Yoon Seok Young replied. "Ji Hoo, I'm still here for now. When I am gone who will nag you about finding someone?"

"No, Grandpa. Please don't.."

"No, Ji Hoo. Listen!" Yoon Seok Young said cutting Ji Hoo's words off. "I'm already too old to wait longer. I don't want you to be alone, Ji Hoo. If you keep avoiding this matter, you will be just like what I'm afraid you will be. I know you're independent. You can live alone and you did before you met me again. However, I'm afraid that you'll be back being alone. You are comfortable living alone now. That's why I'm afraid that someday you will forget how it feels to love and be loved by a girl."

"Grandpa, that's ridiculous," Ji Hoo said quickly, grimacing.

"Is it though?" Yoon Seok Young asked back. "Ji Hoo, you like being alone. When I'm gone later, you won't have someone who will nag you over and over again to get a girl. Later, you'll be busier, either with the university or being a doctor. And then what? You're already used to being alone. When that time comes, you will prefer being alone to dating a girl," he pointed out. Ji Hoo sighed.

"Grandpa, I'm still young," he pointed out back.

"But, I'm not," Yoon Seok Young quipped back. "I can't put my mind at ease when you're still alone like this, Ji Hoo," he added. "I like Geum Jan Di. I thought that even though she was in relationship with Joon Pyo, eventually she would break up with him and get back to you."

"Grandpa, that won't happen," Ji Hoo disagreed quickly.

"I know. I saw the news about their engagement a few days ago. I guess that they're really serious, huh?" Yoon Seok Young said.

"Yeah," Ji Hoo muttered.

"Are you okay with that?" Yoon Seok Young asked curiously. Ji Hoo wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked back. Yoon Seok Young shrugged.

"I don't know. I just thought that you still love her. That's why you never dated anyone these last few years," he admitted.

"I still love her," Ji Hoo confessed and made his grandfather raised his eyebrows. "But, not like that anymore. Over the years, I have learned to adjust my feeling for her. And now I just see her as a sister," he continued.

"Really?" Yoon Seok Young asked with slight disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, Grandpa," Ji Hoo said firmly. "I'm close to her because she's like a little sister to me. Besides, Joon Pyo asked me, and Woo Bin too actually, to keep an eye on her when he was still in New York," he explained. Yoon Seok Young's shoulder slumped.

"Then the hope of you getting back with her is dead?" he asked again. Ji Hoo chuckled hearing his grandfather's expression.

"Yes, Grandpa."

"Ji Hoo, it's not funny," Yoon Seok Young scowled. "That means you have to look for another girl to be your girlfriend." Ji Hoo smiled simply.

"Fine, if it can rest your mind at ease, I'll confess. I think I'm starting to like someone else," he admitted. Yoon Seok Young's face suddenly brightened.

"Really? Who is she? Why didn't you just tell me that you already have a girlfriend?" he scolded his grandson.

"No..no.. no.. she's not my girlfriend.. yet," Ji Hoo added reluctantly.

"Then what is she to you?" Yoon Seok Young asked impatiently.

"Well, she's a friend.. still. Her name is Han Eun Jae. She's a good friend of Jan Di actually. She's a third year student in the faculty," Ji Hoo explained. Yoon Seok Young smiled.

"It seems like you really like her," he pointed out. Ji Hoo smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, I think so. It's just she was always there. Jan Di keeps asking her to come to our activities. Well, since I'm the only single in the group, it felt like it was my job to keep her company. And it's just so easy to talk to her. Even easier than with Jan Di," he explained shyly.

"Really?" Yoon Seok Young looked surprised.

"Yeah," Ji Hoo admitted. "With Jan Di, it's comfortable to just stay silent. However, with Eun Jae, it feels like she forces me to continue chatting with her. And the weird thing is I like that situation." Yoon Seok Young nodded his head, smiling.

"Then, when will you ask her out?"

"Soon," Ji Hoo replied simply. Yoon Seok Young's smile got wider.

"I'm happy if you finally find someone. As long as she loves you back, Grandpa approves of her."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Ji Hoo answered happily. It seemed like his relationship wouldn't be too difficult once he could convince Eun Jae to be his girlfriend.

Eun Jae was walking toward the copy place. Her name was called from the direction of the library. Eun Jae turned her head and found Ji Hoo walking toward her. She couldn't help, but start smiling when she saw him. Ji Hoo smiled a little when he reached her.

"Hey," he greeted her awkwardly. Eun Jae looked confused, but she tried to conceal it.

"Hey, Ji Hoo-sunbae. How are you?" she asked him nicely.

"Hmm.. Fine. Thanks. Listen.. I.." Ji Hoo was trying to say something. Eun Jae looked concerned.

"Do you need anything, sunbae?" she finally asked.

"Hmm.. no. Yes. I want to ask you something," Ji Hoo finally started. "Are you free this weekend?" Eun Jae looked slightly shocked. She didn't know why, but she felt kinda nervous when Ji Hoo asked her that.

"Yes. Umm.. why?" she asked back.

"Yi Jeong gave me a couple of tickets for this art show at one of his family's museum. It's just.. umm.. maybe you would want to come with me?" Ji Hoo finally asked. Eun Jae tried to hold back a goofy grin that was threatening to erupt on her face. She cleared her throat to ease the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Umm. I'd love to, really. But, I don't really understand art. I don't know if I would be a good company," she finally said regretfully. She really wanted to go out with him, but she didn't want to lie to him. Ji Hoo grinned sheepishly.

"That's great! I don't understand it either. We could be two clueless people trying to figure the art out together. What about that?" he asked again trying to convince Eun Jae. Eun Jae giggled.

"You don't understand art too, sunbae?" Ji Hoo chuckled.

"Not really. It just feels such a waste to not use those tickets," he admitted. Eun Jae grinned and nodded.

"Alright, then," she agreed.

"Great! What if I pick you up at two in the afternoon?" Ji Hoo asked again. "And maybe we can have dinner after?" Eun Jae smilled.

"Sure. On Saturday, right?" she asked back.

"Yeah," Ji Hoo replied. "See you later?"

"Okay. Bye, sunbae," Eun Jae said before walking away from that place.

Eun Jae and Ji Hoo were walking on the side of the road after they got out of the art exhibition. They were discussing the exhibition which they didn't understand very well. Eun Jae was laughing while Ji Hoo tried to express his feeling about one of the sculpture there.

"I have to admit," Ji Hoo finally said. "I couldn't find the beauty in the sculptures. I told you I like sure things. Most of the sculptures were abstract, how can I understand that," Ji Hoo confessed.

Eun Jae laughed loudly. "I know, right? I mean if they were paintings, maybe I can understand them a little. As long as they're not abstract," she quipped, making Ji Hoo laughed too.

Suddenly he stopped in his steps. He was frozen when he saw who was standing a few feet in front of them. Eun Jae didn't realize it at first, but when she saw the direction of Ji Hoo's eyes, she found a very beautiful face that was looking at them with shocked expression. That person walked toward them slowly without taking her eyes from Ji Hoo.

"Ji Hoo," she greeted him with a small smile.

"Seo Hyun," Ji Hoo greeted back with cold expression on his face.

"It looks like you're having fun," Min Seo Hyun commented while glancing at Eun Jae.

Eun Jae felt out of place. She always felt confident before, especially if she was talking about her appearance. She always thought that she was pretty enough, smart enough, and lady-like enough. However, when she was standing in front of Min Seo Hyun, she felt really unattractive and inadequate. She felt really unqualified standing beside Ji Hoo with Min Seo Hyun stood there. That was why she was just silent when Min Seo Hyun talked to Ji Hoo.

"We were," Ji Hoo answered, still coldly. "We should go, Eun Jae," he said, taking Eun Jae's hand and trying to step around Min Seo Hyun. The hand-holding part made Eun Jae's heart skip a beat. She never thought that Ji Hoo would do that.

"I didn't know you have a girlfriend. You didn't tell me that when we met," Min Seo Hyun commented again. It seemed like she was trying to get some response from him. Ji Hoo stopped in his steps, making Eun Jae stop as well. He glanced at Min Seo Hyun. Eun Jae felt nervous, waiting for his reply.

"I didn't know that it was your business," Ji Hoo finally answered before walking away and leaving Min Seo Hyun behind. Little did he know that Min Seo Hyun wouldn't give up on him that easily.

Eun Jae was trying to calm her heart after hearing Ji Hoo's answer. He didn't deny the accusation of her being his girlfriend. Did that mean he wanted her to be his girlfriend or was he just trying to make Min Seo Hun angry? Eun Jae tried not to think too much about it.

Ji Hoo sighed and finally relaxed when they had turned around a corner. He, also, finally realized that he was still holding Eun Jae's hand. He looked down at their hands before letting her go.

"Sorry. It's just a shock to see her again," Ji Hoo said to Eun Jae. He felt slightly shy. Eun Jae swallowed her disappointment as her hand was released.

"It's okay. I understand. It must be hard to meet an ex unexpectedly," she replied kindly. Ji Hoo looked around the street before he finally spoke again.

"What about eating there?" he said indicating a seafood restaurant.

"Okay," Eun Jae agreed immediately.

After they were seated and ordered the meals, they were silent for a moment.

"I'm really sorry that you had to deal with that situation," Ji Hoo finally apologized again.

"It's okay. I can understand something like that happening," Eun Jae said. Ji Hoo frowned and then raised his eyebrows.

"With your ex boyfriend? 'Mr. Always Right'?" Ji Hoo said using air quotes with his hands when he said the name. Eun Jae chuckled.

"Yeah. His family is really good friends with mine, so we have mutual acquaintances. Sometimes, we are invited to the same parties. And the encounters? Wheew!" Eun Jae whistled. "They are really awkward. Your encounter with Min Seo Hyun-ssi earlier looked pretty normal when compared to mine." Ji Hoo chuckled.

"Thanks. That kinda makes me feel better." Eun Jae smiled.

"You're welcome," she said. Suddenly she looked serious and nervous. "I don't want to pry, but I'm kinda curious. Why did you break up with her?" she asked carefully. Ji Hoo smiled understandingly.

"I was wondering when you would ask that question. You're as quick as I thought you might be." He chuckled a little while Eun Jae sent him a sheepish grin. "We kinda grew apart after she went abroad. She came home and I expected her to be the same, because I was always trying to stay the same. However, over the years she had changed. And not only that, she had also changed her vision, her dreams. She wanted different things from me. That was why she went away again. I tried to follow her, but it was just stupid thing to do. I had lost her the moment she left the first time around, I just hadn't realized that yet," he explained. Eun Jae wasn't satisfied. She wanted to ask if Ji Hoo still liked Min Seo Hyun or not, but she wasn't sure. Instead, she asked something else.

"Did it start as a real relationship or an arrangement between your families?" she asked, again carefully. Ji Hoo chuckled.

"It was kinda like you and your ex. Our families are good friend and we were close."

"I see. I was just wondering. I mean, who knows right? With upper society like this arranged marriages are not uncommon" Eun Jae stated. Ji Hoo nodded.

"Yeah. But despite of that fact, I've only ever witnessed one arranged marriage. And that was between Jae Kyung and Joon Pyo," he confessed.

"Really?" Eun Jae asked looked surprised. "What about you or the other F4 members?" she asked looking confused.

"We have never been in one," Ji Hoo answered. "My parents died when I was little and I wasn't close with my grandpa. That's why no one has ever tried to arrange a marriage for me. Yi Jeong is different case. He was some kind of Casanova. His father liked him that way. That's why he never tried to arrange a marriage for Yi Jeong. And Woo Bin is another case too. He and his father made a deal to not interfere with each other's lifestyle or love life. That's why he's free to choose a bride for his own." Eun Jae giggled when she heard the explanation.

"Wow. That's really something. All of you have different reason, but they have a same result," she commented. Ji Hoo smiled and shrugged.

"What about you? Do your parents try to arrange something? Maybe for a business deal?" he asked back. Eun Jae shook her head.

"No way. My parents will never do that," she said firmly. Ji Hoo raised his eyebrows.

"How do you know?"

"My parents believe in love," Eun Jae said before giggling. "Alright that sounds really corny," she admitted. Ji Hoo chuckled.

"Actually yeah, that kinda did," he agreed.

"What I meant to say is they just want their children to be happy. No matter what we want to do or who we choose to be our life partner, they will support us," Eun Jae explained softly.

"That sounds nice," Ji Hoo commented, making Eun Jae giggled again. "No, seriously. That sounds amazing. How can your parents think like that? Especially being in the middle of this society," Ji Hoo wondered. Eun Jae smiled sheepishly.

"You don't know my family. We're kinda new with this society?" she confessed.

"What do you mean?" Ji Hoo asked looking confused.

"My father built our business from nothing. It started to kick off when I was in the kindergarten. We started to become well-off when I was almost in middle school. And we're finally loaded when I started college. That's why we are a nouveau riche family," Eun Jae explained shyly. Ji Hoo nodded.

"Okay. But, still. Shouldn't your parents.. I don't know.. try to find some rich guys for you?"

"Nope," Eun Jae answered. "Like I said, we're new to being rich. We knew how it is to not be rich. And we were fine like that. I mean, we were not really poor, you know? Just not this well-off. When I was in kindergarten, my family just owned a couple of beer breweries. My father had only about 30 employees. We owned a couple of cars to distribute the beer bottles to some local stores." Ji Hoo nedded his head, enjoying the story. "I remember when I started the elementary school, my brother used to hold my hand when we walked together to school."

"You walked to school?" Ji Hoo asked curiously. Eun Jae chuckled.

"I know, right? You, little masters, must have been driven around in limousines since little, right?" she teased.

"No," Ji Hoo replied, looking serious. "Not limousine, just some kind of Mercedes or something," he said trying to act arrogant but failed miserably when he laughed. Eun Jae chuckled.

"Whatever. They're still the same," she said.

"Continue the story," Ji Hoo asked. "Why did that have anything to do with your parents' want?"

"Because we knew how to feel and act when we didn't have this much money. We were used to that. Besides, my mother, well actually all of us, learned the hard way that money wasn't everything. It couldn't give you everything," Eun Jae said weakly.

"How?" Ji Hoo asked again.

"I had a grandpa from my mother's side. He had lung cancer," Eun Jae started. "When I started the elementary school, he started the treatment. That was really expensive, you know? My father couldn't help much because his business just started to kick off. My grandparents had some convenience stores. They finally sold them to pay for the treatment. That kept my grandpa alive for a few years. When my father's business started to be recognized more globally, the business was getting bigger. My father finally could help paying for the better treatment. However, a couple of months after my grandpa got the treatment, he passed away," she explained sadly. "That makes my mother realize that money couldn't give you everything. Even though we finally had more money than what we needed for grandpa, we still lost him." Ji Hoo nodded his head. He reached out his hand to touch Eun Jae's hand.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. Eun Jae, who had been looking down, looked up when she felt Ji Hoo's touch and heard his words. She smiled a little.

"That's okay. There are so many fond memories of my grandpa, but it was a long time ago," she said.

"It sounds like you have a really good family," Ji Hoo commented. Eun Jae smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, they're the best. My mother is really gentle and my father is really wise."

"So, if you find a guy that you really love, but he is kinda poor. Your parents won't mind that?" Ji Hoo asked hypothetically.

"As long he loves me too and he's a good guy, not just some fortune hunter, my parents will accept him," Eun Jae said with confidence.

"Really? How can you be so sure?" Ji Hoo asked with skeptical look.

"Because that's exactly what happened to my brother. Well, in his case, he found a girl, not a guy," Eun Jae replied.

"Explain." Ji Hoo demanded. Eun Jae chuckled.

"My brother, Hyun Jae-oppa, met his girlfriend, well fiancée now, in village. She's not from rich family, just some farmer family. She's simple and typical village of the people. She's really kind and nice though. I think oppa fell in love at first sight with her. She's a really beautiful woman. However, it took almost a year for him to woo her."

"Really?" Ji Hoo looked surprised.

"Yup. And they're actually getting married in a couple of months," Eun Jae added.

"Wow. A year? That's long time. Why was your brother at a village for that long of a time?" Ji Hoo asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, that's because Hyun Jae-oppa was working at our brewery there. We have some breweries there," Eun Jae explained.

"Why did your brother work at the brewery?" Ji Hoo asked in confusion.

"Well, he's gonna inherit the business, right? So he had to learn about the business," Eun Jae explained matter-of-factly.

"By working at the brewery? For a year?" Ji Hoo still looked confused. Eun Jae smiled when she realized why Ji Hoo looked confused.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that my father's way is strange to other people. My father wanted Hyun Jae-oppa to understand the business from the very beginning. My father started the business by brewing his own beer. That was why he wanted my brother to learn the same way. He worked at the brewery for a year. Then, he got promoted and started to work at the office in the brewery to understand the small scope of business. A year later, he got promoted again to the main office. He started off from being the low paid employee and now he heads the marketing section in the main office. And of course, later he'll be the CEO when my father finally retire," she explained the complete story. Ji Hoo was in awe.

"Wow," he breathed. "That's really amazing. Your father is really brilliant and your brother is really patient doing all of that." Eun Jae nodded.

"My father is the most amazing father in whole world. Or maybe I'm just biased," she said, giggling. Ji Hoo chuckled hearing that. "He taught us that even though we always have what we want, that doesn't mean that it'll always stay that way. That's why he wanted his children not to be spoiled and take everything for granted."

"That's really a good way of learning," Ji Hoo said. "What about you? Why did you get into medic?" Eun Jae smiled sadly.

"I want to be oncologist. Looking at my grandpa's state when he was in treatment, I just felt like I wanted to help him, but I couldn't," she said.

"Sorry," Ji Hoo said sympathetically. "I'm sure you'll be a good oncologist." Eun Jae chuckled.

"Hopefully. Joon Hee-ssi said that as well. Hopefully with many people pray for me, it can help me to really become one."

"You met Joon Hee-noona?" Ji Hoo asked looking surprised.

"Yeah, once. When she came to the university to meet Jan Di," Eun Jae nodded.

Ji Hoo just nodded his head. They continued to finish their dinner. After Ji Hoo paid the bill, they walked out of the restaurant. Ji Hoo called his driver to pick them up at the bus shelter near the restaurant. They sat in silence while they waited for the car. Ji Hoo was trying to find the courage to ask Eun Jae out again.

Ji Hoo finally cleared his throat, trying to get Eun Jae's attention. She turned her head to look at him.

"Do you want to go out again next week?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Eun Jae smiled and nodded her head.

"I'll love to," she answered honestly.

Woo Bin was giving some orders to his men about the security at one of his clubs. He was having the meeting in his office when a knock interrupted. Woo Bin called out for the knocker to open the door. His assistant peeked inside the room. Woo Bin nodded his head as a signal of agreement for his assistant to come in. His assistant came into the room and walked toward where Woo Bin stood.

"What is it, Ji Hyuk?" Woo Bin asked his assistant.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Boss. But, Kim Man Dok-ssi came and requested to use his usual room," Ji Hyuk reported. "You asked me to inform you if he came, Boss," he added. Kim Man Dok was one of the mafia leaders that often came to Woo Bin's clubs. He and his friends were the clubs' most frequent customers. That was why Woo Bin could befriend them all. Woo Bin frowned before nodding his head.

"Yes, I did," he admitted. "So, he's in his room, I take it?" he asked to make sure.

"Yes, Boss," Ji Hyuk answered readily.

"Go there and inform him that I want to meet him. Ask him if that's okay," Woo Bin commanded. He was close with Kim Man Dok, but they both knew that they couldn't interfere with each other's business. It was an unwritten rule between them, which is why they treated each other with respect.

"Yes, Boss," Ji Hyuk agreed and left the room.

Woo Bin finished his works with the guards before asking them to leave. He walked back to his seat and sat down. He set his elbows on his desk and put his chin on his intertwined fists. He was lost in thought, trying to arrange the words that he wanted to say to his mafia friend later.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, his assistant finally came back to his office. Ji Hyuk informed Woo Bin that he could go to Kim Man Dok's room in an hour. It seemed like Kim Man Dok was doing his own business that time. Woo Bin just nodded his head as a sign of understanding and asked Ji Hyuk to leave. Then Woo Bin was back to his thoughts.

After an hour, Woo Bin found himself standing in front of Kim Man Dok's room. He knocked the door before opening it. In the room, there was Kim Man Dok and a couple of his mob members. Kim Man Dok stood up and came toward Woo Bin.

"Woo Bin, my man. Come on.. come in," Kim Man Dok said, throwing his arm across Woo Bin's shoulder and brought him into the room. "Sorry, I had to finish the business first before meeting you," he said apologetically.

"No, it's fine. I'm in no hurry," Woo Bin answered nonchalantly.

"Good.. good," Kim Man Dok replied, nodding his head. Then he turned to the other two men. "Guys, you can go now," he ordered them. The two men stood up from their seats and bowed down to Kim Man Dok and Woo Bin before leaving the room. Kim Man Dok's attention was back to Woo Bin. "So, what is it that you want to talk about with me?" he asked quickly and to the point.

Woo Bin sat on the couch across from Kim Man Dok. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees. His fists were intertwined with each other in nervous manner. However, Kim Man Dok didn't seem to notice it because he was busy sipping his beer. Woo Bin took a deep breath.

"I have a problem with some people," he finally admitted. Kim Man Dok stopped sipping his beer. He pulled away the glass and looked at Woo Bin with raised eyebrows. Then he smirked easily.

"Do you finally need my help? You want me to handle these people? Who are they?" he asked in enthusiastic behavior. Although they were friends, Woo Bin had never really asked his help before. Woo Bin was hesitant at first, but he finally answered.

"I have problem with Azawa Clan," he confessed. Kim Man Dok's smirk was gone in a second. It was turned to frown when he heard the name.

"Azawa Clan?" he asked in disbelief which Woo Bin answered with a nod. "Woo Bin, are you crazy? What did you do to get yourself involved with them?" he asked, almost scolded Woo Bin.

"Well technically, I'm not involved with them, yet. I just need to prepare myself if I have to face them later," Woo Bin replied. Kim Man Dok scowled.

"Woo Bin, my man, you're a great guy. You're a really good friend to me," he started. "I'd love to help you if you have to face some people, but not a mafia family. I'm really sorry, but I can't do that. I can't risk my men to face those people," he finally admitted.

"That's why I didn't ask you to face them for me. I just need your help to get information about them. I need to be prepared," Woo Bin replied.

"Man.. seriously, you're pretty strong and powerful. And your men are amazing. Really. But, you and your men are not built, are not trained to face a mafia clan. You're not strong enough for them," Kim Man Dok reminded strongly. "And seriously, how can you get involved with them?" Woo Bin sighed. He already knew what Kim Man Dok had told him about their strength.

"Well, remember my girl?" he asked. Kim Man Dok smirked.

"Why, of course I do. Little Miss Ha Jae Kyung? What about her?" He and Jae Kyung had met a couple of times when Jae Kyung had accompanied Woo Bin at his clubs.

"Well, her parents arranged a marriage for her," Woo Bin started.

"With the Azawa Clan?" Kim Man Dok cut him off by asking the question with shocked expression. Woo Bin grimaced.

"No. Not with them," he replied quickly, shaking his head. "They arranged the marriage with Kwon Dae Gyu, the heir of Hwang Q Inc. However, his family has a daughter who is married to Akira Takazawa," he explained. Kim Man Dok looked thoughtful.

"Their daughter married Akira? The heir of Azawa Clan?" he asked to make sure.

"Yup," Woo Bin answered readily. "And I'm pretty sure that Hwang Q will use the clan to handle me if I try something to cancel the arrangement. That's why I need all information that I can get about Azawa Clan and Hwang Q." Kim Man Dok didn't reply immediately. He took his time to think first.

"I can try to get information about Azawa Clan for you, but I'm not sure that you can use that when you face them," Kim Man Dok started thoughtfully. "However, I heard some dirty things that Hwang Q has done before. I'm sure you can use them," he finished with a smirk. Woo Bin looked thoughtful for a moment before smirking.

"Dirty things? Like what? My men tried to dig out information, but they didn't find anything," Woo Bin asked curiously. Kim Man Dok chuckled.

"Your men are not dirty enough. I can do some more digging for you. I'll give the information to you when I finish, okay?"

"Sure. Thank you, Man Dok," Woo Bin said gratefully.

"You don't have to thank me. After all of your help by letting us use your clubs, I'm the one who indebted to you," Kim Man Dok replied. Woo Bin chuckled.

"Thank you anyway. The information will help us for sure," he said with certain voice.

Yi Jeong was sitting on one of the chairs at his studio. He was frozen and starred at nothing particular. He was trying to make something with his pottery equipment, but his mind was filled with other things. He stood up from his seat and looked for his cell phone. He needed to talk to someone. And only one person who could understand his problems. He grimaced when he imagined how that person would act if he called.

The dial tone sounded through the phone. Once the tone was cut, Yi Jeong spoke up.

"Joon Pyo, you busy?" he asked.

"Hm.. no, not really. Just the usual," Joon Pyo answered. "Why?"

"I just want.. um.. I need to talk to you. Can we meet?" Yi Jeong said, feeling a bit nervous.

"What? Like right now? I'm actually working, you know? And I have a meeting scheduled in an hour," Joon Pyo replied lightly.

"You said that you're not busy," Yi Jeong pointed out, feeling slightly annoyed.

"I said it was just like the usual. 'My usual' usually includes meetings and so on," Joon Pyo retorted back. Yi Jeong groaned.

"Fine then. What about after you get off the work?" he asked again, trying to be patient.

"Okay. I'll just call Jan Di to let her know that I can't meet her tonight," Joon Pyo replied easily. Yi Jeong frowned when he heard Joon Pyo's words.

"Wait, you've got a date tonight?" he felt bad because he knew how it felt to get a date that suddenly had to be canceled.

"I pick her up from campus everyday and then we go anywhere we want," Joon Pyo explained.

"Then it's okay to not meet her tonight?" Yi Jeong asked, feeling slightly relief.

"That's fine for tonight. Meet you at the base camp later?" Joon Pyo asked.

"Okay," Yi Jeong replied before they ended the call.

Joon Pyo was in the living room eating the snack that Yi Jeong had brought to base camp. It seemed like he was hungry. Joon Pyo finally looked up from his snack when he realized that the room was too silent. He found Yi Jeong who was deep in thought. Joon Pyo frowned a little.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked. Yi Jeong sighed. He was trying to prepare himself for this talk.

"Okay, I never thought that I would come to you for this matter, but you're the only one who knows how it is."

"Are you asking for my help?" Joon Pyo asked arrogantly, chuckling. Yi Jeong grimaced before scowling at Joon Pyo.

"Don't laugh like that!" he complained. He had known that this part would be difficult. "I need advice," he finally admitted. Joon Pyo stopped the chuckling for a second before suddenly he burst out laughing.

"Wow, So Yi Jeong is asking me for advice! That's unexpected," he said, still laughing. However, Yi Jeong didn't laugh at all, and it made Joon Pyo felt slightly bad. "About what exactly?" Yi Jeong sighed.

"About how to get my family to approve of Ga Eul," he said. If he wasn't this desperate, he wouldn't come to Joon Pyo for advice like this. Joon Pyo smirked.

"Well, you've come to the right man," he said arrogantly.

"Don't smile like that!" Yi Jeong yelled angrily. "I'm serious. I need to know how to get them to like Ga Eul. I need your advice!" he said seriously. Joon Pyo sobered up quickly.

"Fine, let's be serious. You need my advice, I'll give you some," he said. He decided to cut Yi Jeong some slack.

"Then, start!" Yi jeong pointed out.

"The first thing you have to do is finding which member of your family who will like her," Joon Pyo answered seriously, holding up his index finger. Yi Jeong looked confused, staring at Joon Pyo's finger.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not understanding.

"You have to observe each of your family members. You have to get as many supporters as you can get. Hopefully, there will be many members you can get on your side. I had Joon Hee-noona, but my family was only my mother and noona. Basically I got 50% approval within my family. Can you think of any member of your family that would support you in this matter?" Joon Pyo explained. Yi Jeong was silent for a minute. He was deep in thought trying to think of anyone who could help him.

"Il Hyun-Hyung," he suddenly said. "He will support anything I want to do. Besides, Cha Eun Jae had met Ga Eul and she likes her. It'll be easy to convince Hyung to like Ga Eul too," he elaborated.

Joon Pyo looked thoughtful for a moment. He was frowning a little.

"Okay, who else?" Joon Pyo asked. "Because you'll need more than Il Hyun to support you. No offense to him, but he's basically the black sheep of your family. It'll be hard to get his opinion listened," he said carefully. He didn't want to offend Yi Jeong because this family matter was complicated.

Yi Jeong flinched. He hated to hear that statement, but he couldn't blame Joon Pyo because that was true.

"Fine, hmm.. let me think about it," he said, getting lost in thought again. "My mother, I think. She hated my behavior before because I was too much like my father with the girls and my Casanova ways," he finally said. "She would like anyone who can change me and make me give up my Casanova ways."

"That's great," Joon Pyo nodded. "Who else? We all know that your father won't approve of Ga Eul easily. What about your grandparents?" he asked again, trying to help his best friend to think. Yi Jeong didn't answer immediately.

"My grandparents Joo would like Ga Eul, I think. They're not too strict or difficult. They like nice and polite people and Ga Eul is one."

"What about your grandparents So?" Joon Pyo didn't stop. Yi Jeong shook his head.

"They're both like my father. It'll be difficult for them to even approve of Ga Eul, let alone like her," he informed Joon Pyo. Joon Pyo nodded.

"Alright. So basically you have your mother, Il Hyun, and your grandparents Joo to help you. Next move is you introduce Ga Eul to them. Let them meet her and get to know her, so they can learn to like Ga Eul too. This will make sure that they will be on board to support you with your relationship," he advised. Yi Jeong nodded.

"Okay, let them meet and learn to like Ga Eul. It will be a challenge, but hopefully it won't be too difficult. What else?" Yi Jeong asked again. Joon Pyo thought for a moment.

"You have to find out what would make your grandparents So and your father not like Ga Eul," he said.

"What? How do you think I can do that?" Yi Jeong complained.

"I don't know. Just find out," Joon Pyo ordered stubbornly.

"Why?" Yi Jeong asked in confusion.

"You have to know the problem in order to be able to solve it," Joon Pyo answered wisely. "For example, my mother wanted to get profit for the company. And it was clear that Jan Di or her family wouldn't be able to give my mother that. That was why she disapproved of us. I know my mother was softened by my accident, so she could be civil to Jan Di. However, she wouldn't approve of Jan Di easily if I didn't handle Shinhwa problems. Once I succeeded solving every problem that Shinhwa had, my mother didn't mind my relationship anymore. And that's what you'll have to do," he explained.

Yi Jeong was silent, trying to absorb that information. He finally nodded his head a minute later.

"Okay. Say, I can do all of that. What else will I have to do?" he asked Joon Pyo again. Joon Pyo chuckled.

"Then you propose to her and get married," he said teasingly. Yi Jeong was silent for a minute before laughing.

"That's what you did," he pointed out after his laughter died. Joon Pyo frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't you want to marry Ga Eul?" he demanded. Yi Jeong chuckled.

"Well, I do want to marry her. Just not for three or four years, at least," he said lightly. Joon Pyo's frown deepened before he sighed.

"Be careful to what you say, Yi Jeong," he advised calmly.

"What do you mean?" Yi Jeong asked with confusion on his face.

"If Ga Eul heard what you said, it could hurt her," Joon Pyo said.

"What? That's ridiculous. There's no way Ga Eul would feel that. We're new couple. We just started dating practically a few weeks ago," Yi Jeong replied.

"But she had to wait four years for you to get your mind around that," Joon Pyo pointed out. "Once you started dating, you had to hide her from your family because they wouldn't like her. For a normal couple, all of that would be a deal breaker, you know?" he explained. Yi Jeong wrinkled his eyebrows.

"It's kinda creepy seeing you all serious like this," he said teasingly. Joon Pyo rolled his eyes.

"This kind of matter is serious to me. I know what it feels like to have too many obstacles to be with Jan Di. I learned that the hard way. I just don't want you to have to learn the same way," he said calmly.

"You're really growing up. I can't believe I'd say this, but you're finally mature," Yi Jeong said as if he was praising a little boy. Joon Pyo just shrugged.

"Like I said, I've been through many problems. I'd lost Jan Di more times than I'd want to count. I had to lose her because of so many things. First, it was because she didn't want to be with me. Second, because of my mother. And third, because I had to leave her. And there's so many things that happened in between those," Joon Pyo told his best friend. "Your case is different, of course. You never chased Ga Eul. It was her who liked you first. You practically never lost her. That's why I want to give you this advice. Don't take her presence for granted. Don't let it be losing her that'll make you finally realize how precious she is."

Yi Jeong looked thoughtful while trying to absorb what Joon Pyo had said. At first, he thought that Joon Pyo was overreacting, but now he realized that Joon Pyo was really serious.

"But, this is a really new relationship, you know? I barely know how to be a boyfriend. I'm not ready to be a fiancé yet," Yi Jeong defended himself. Joon Pyo sighed.

"I know. I just said that you should be careful if you have to talk about this matter with Ga Eul. If she asks this, you have to be able to explain it to her calmly. And don't blame her if she doesn't understand your reason."

"Why not? I mean it's really hard for me to get used to the idea of a relationship," Yi Jeong argued stubbornly.

"But, you did get four years to think about that idea," Joon Pyo pointed out. "When you're sure that you really love someone, you just know that you want to spend the rest of your life with her," he advised wisely.

"Did you know? With Jan Di?" Yi Jeong asked curiously. Joon Pyo chuckled.

"I'd fallen for her practically since the first time she kicked my ass," he admitted, making Yi Jeong chuckled too. "And since then, so many things happened. I know how it feels like to lose her. That's why once I got my mother out of our relationship's way, I proposed to her."

"You didn't propose when your mother left you alone. Your mother did that four years ago. You didn't propose that time," Yi Jeong pointed out. Joon Pyo smirked.

"Actually I did," he replied.

"You can't be serious," Yi Jeong exclaimed making Joon Pyo raised his eyebrows. "But how can you just be engaged now?"

"Because she rejected me," Joon Pyo answered, shrugging. Yi Jeong barked a laugh.

"Hah! So you did mess up!" he said mockingly.

"Actually no," Joon Pyo replied smugly. "There were just things that we still had to do. I had to solve Shinhwa problems, so I had to leave. I asked Jan Di to come with me, but she couldn't. She still had to reach her dreams of becoming a doctor. That was why we couldn't be together yet," he explained.

Yi Jeong didn't reply. He didn't realize that his best friend was really serious when he said that he had gone through a lot.

"But, you don't expect me to propose to Ga Eul now, right?" he finally asked, changing back the topic.

"Of course not," Joon Pyo replied instantly. "When you finally succeed going through these problems with your family, you may be more comfortable with this relationship stuff. You may be ready to propose then. I just advise you to be careful with this matter. Don't rush anything, because you may regret your decision later." Yi Jeong nodded his head.

"Thank you. I really never thought that I would come to you like this, you know? But, really thank you for your advice," he said sincerely, chuckling. Joon Pyo smirked.

"I'm great, aren't I?" he said making Yi Jeong rolled his eyes. Suddenly Joon Pyo became serious again. "I just want to remind you. I'm not that close to Ga Eul. However, she's like a sister to Jan Di. I'd hate to see her get hurt, so I hope you can keep her from getting hurt." Yi Jeong nodded firmly.

"I'll do everything to keep her from getting hurt," he promised.

"And that means that's also applied to you," Joon Pyo said making Yi Jeong looked confused. "I mean don't let her getting hurt because of what you do or say. That will hurt her more than your father can ever hurt her." Yi Jeong looked thoughtful.

"I know. Thank you."

A/N: So what do you think? Hope you like it :)

Thanks for the people who reviewed for the last chapter. ladyofthedragons1, ritz2012, DRIisskipbeatlover, Marce, Mikaelv, Yhangbelle, missshay16, iamsunshine18, and a guest. Thank you so much guys.. I'm so happy reading your comments.. You're awesome..

Thank you for your time. Please don't forget to write a comment in the box below to let me know what you think about this story/chapter. Next is The Relationships. See ya..