Chapter 26 The Aftermath
Disclaimer: Every character that you watched in the drama is clearly not mine. But, the ones that you never heard outside this story came out of my head.
Thank you so much for my beta, ladyofthedragons1. Here is another chapter. Enjoy ;)
Woo Bin and Jae Kyung had been staying out of her parents' way during the party. They didn't want to cause trouble on Jan Di and Joon Pyo's special night. Jae Kyung's mother had been nagging her to introduce them to Woo Bin, but Jae Kyung didn't want to do that at the party. That was why they planned to meet after the party when there wouldn't be anyone, especially reporters around. Woo Bin had his men make sure that there was no reporters around.
Woo Bin and Jae Kyung walked toward the restaurant that was located on the ground floor of Shinhwa Hotel. They had arranged for her parents to meet them there. Sure enough Jae Kyung's parents were sitting at a table when Jae Kyung and Woo Bin entered the restaurant. They walked toward Jae Kyung's parents' table immediately. They bowed to her parents once they arrived in front of them.
Jae Kyung's father just nodded his head to acknowledge their bow. He still had a slight frown on his face when he was looking at Woo Bin. However, Jae Kyung's mother did smile at them. She invited them to sit at the table. After the younger couple sat down, there was silence for a minute between all of them. Jae Kyung's father was looking over at Woo Bin, trying to analyze or find something wrong with the younger man. Her mother, on the other hand, was watching and observing Woo Bin with interest. She seemed to try to find out how this young man could make her daughter fell in love with him.
The silence was interrupted by the waiters who arrived with the menu. Woo Bin ordered an orange juice and asked Jae Kyung if she wanted the same. After her confirmation, Woo Bin ordered for her too. That they knew each other preference was noticed by Jae Kyung's mother.
"Don't you drink alcohol, Song Woo Bin-ssi?" she asked Woo Bin with interest. She was testing how this young man would answer.
"Of course, I do," Woo Bin answered truthfully. "It's just I'm driving tonight, so I don't want to drink now," he explained. Jae Kyung's mother nodded her head. She seemed please with Woo Bin's honesty, but she wasn't done yet.
"So, you like to drink a lot? When do you usually drink then if you don't want to drink alcohol before driving?" Jae Kyung's mother asked curiously. But, Woo Bin noticed how carefully she was noting his answers trying get the measure of his character.
"Well, I usually drink with my friends, either at my clubs or the F4's houses. My men are usually around to drive me. I usually don't drink too much, so I can still drive after a couple of hours," he admitted truthfully. He didn't want to hide his behavior. He wanted Jae Kyung's parents to like who he really was, not some kind of perfect imaginary man.
"I see. But you do own clubs and places like that, right? So, drinking is not something that's unusual for you," Jae Kyung's father interjected. This time, Woo Bin could feel that the older man was clearly interrogating him.
"Yes. It's not an unusual activity for me. But, everyone's drinking nowadays. So, that's not strange even if they're not clubs' owner," Woo Bin answered easily. He was not ashamed about his business. On the contrary, he was really proud of them because he had built them by himself.
"Song Woo Bin-ssi.. umm.. can I call you Woo Bin?" Jae Kyung's mother asked with friendly voice. Woo Bin smiled instantly.
"Sure," he agreed quickly. It seemed like Jae Kyung's mother didn't hate him too much.
"Why did you decide to own clubs? Why didn't you just join your father's business?" the older woman asked. It seemed like she was really curious.
"At first I just wanted to work on something small. Just to practice running a business. And back then, owning a club seemed small enough, so I could handle it easily. Then, one club became two, two became four and so on," Woo Bin explained.
"What about your father's business? Don't you want to be involved with it?" Jae Kyung's father asked in an accusing tone.
"Of course I want to. I will inherit them after all. In fact I'm already involved with some of them. I'm usually the one who works on business deals with the clients, especially the foreigners. My father doesn't really like to work with foreigners, so I handle the deals with them," Woo Bin answered readily. "Actually it was my father's business that brought me to America where I met Jae Kyung," he added, grinning. Jae Kyung tried to hide the smile, but the corner of her lips lifted. She squeezed his hand under the table.
Jae Kyung's father, on the other hand, frowned hearing this. It seemed like he was cursing Woo Bin's father business internally for making Woo Bin met Jae Kyung. He suddenly looked really serious.
"I think enough with the small talk. I want to know what you can do for our family if you're together with Jae Kyung," her father asked, getting to the point. Jae Kyung and her mother gasped hearing her father's direct question. Woo Bin frowned hearing this. He took his time answering.
"You want me to tell you what I can give your family.. or let's be honest, your company, huh?" Woo Bin asked plainly. Seeing Jae Kyung's father's nod, Woo Bin scoffed. "I won't give or do anything for your company. I'm here as Jae Kyung's boyfriend, not a potential partner to your company," he said with firm and confident voice.
Jae Kyung's father frowned, but her mother raised her eyebrows. It seemed like from Jae Kyung's mother's point of view, Woo Bin just earned a brownie point. However, Jae Kyung's father still looked annoyed.
"So, you don't care about the company's reputation? The company will get bad reputation because of your connection. You don't care about that?" he demanded harshly. Woo Bin just stared at him with calm expression before opening his mouth again.
"To be honest, not really," he answered bluntly. "I don't care about your company at all. Like I said, I'm your daughter's boyfriend, not your business partner. I'm here trying to ask your permission to be her boyfriend, not negotiate about business. All I care about is Jae Kyung's happiness and safety. If in the future the company's condition makes her sad, I'll try to help the company. But, if the company has nothing to do with what Jae Kyung's feeling, I don't care about it at all," Woo Bin said confidently. He was staring at Jae Kyung's father without fear.
Jae Kyung's father's frown deepened, but her mother was smiling. It was clear to her that Woo Bin was really suitable for her daughter. Her daughter hadn't lied to her about Woo Bin's personality. It was clear that he was brave and strong. Jae Kyung squeezed Woo Bin's hand again as the sign of support from her for him.
"So, if in the future JK Group falls apart but it has nothing to do with Jae Kyung, you won't do anything for the company?" Jae Kyung's father demanded angrily.
"If she cares so much about the company, I'll help her of course. But, if she doesn't care at all, the company won't be my problem. Without the company, we still can live happily. I can take care of Jae Kyung if something does happen to the company," Woo Bin answered without care. He wanted Jae Kyung's father to like him, but not because of his money, his family's background, or even his skill. He wanted her father to like him because of things that were related to Jae Kyung.
"I like you," Jae Kyung's mother said, making the men turned their heads to her. Jae Kyung's father looked angry, but Woo Bin looked surprised.
"Mother?" Jae Kyung asked, looking slightly confused.
"I approve of him, Jae Kyung," her mother said to Jae Kyung. "He clearly cares about you a lot. He seems like a man whom you can rely on. As long he can make you happy and take care of you, I approve," she said firmly.
"Dear?" Jae Kyung's father asked, looking angry.
"What?" her mother asked challengingly. "He already told you that he only cares about Jae Kyung, he doesn't care about your company. He won't steal your money or the company's assets because he doesn't want the company. He will just take care of your daughter. Can you ask for a better man than the one who says that the most important thing to him is your daughter?" she added bluntly. Her statement made Jae Kyung beam at her mother. Woo Bin smiled politely at her, but still looked grateful. When he met Jae Kyung's mother's eyes, she continued. "It seems like Jae Kyung really trusts you. Can I trust you with my daughter's heart and safety?" she asked to Woo Bin firmly.
"Always," Woo Bin answered firmly.
Ji Hoo drove his car out of Shinhwa Hotel with Eun Jae in the passenger seat. She had been silent since they got in the car. She had acted normally in front of their friends, but she didn't say anything to Ji Hoo at all. It made him worry even more. He finally decided that he had enough of this. He pulled the car off of the main street and parked it on the side of an empty secondary road.
Ji Hoo turned off the machine and turned his body towards Eun Jae. He stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to look back at him. She was still being stubborn and just looked straight ahead even though she knew what Ji Hoo was doing. Ji Hoo finally sighed and talked.
"Eun Jae-ya, we need to talk," he said gently. He knew that Eun Jae was angry at him even though that was all a misunderstanding. He knew that he had some kissing up to do.
Hearing Ji Hoo's statement, Eun Jae flinched before sighing. She knew that she was being unreasonable, but she still didn't know what to say to him. She wanted to be angry and scream at him, but it didn't feel right even for her. She finally gave up and turned her head to Ji Hoo.
"Then, talk," she said shortly. Ji Hoo sighed seeing her attitude. She wouldn't make it easy for him.
"I know what you've been thinking, about Seo Hyun and me before. But, you have to believe me. There's nothing going on between Seo Hyun and me," he said, trying to be calm, but there was desperation in his voice.
Eun Jae didn't answer for a few seconds. Her thoughts were still tumbling around each other. She didn't know what to say or what to think. She didn't even know her own feelings. She took a deep breath before looking straight in his eyes.
"I know," she finally said. Her voice was weak. "I know you wouldn't do something like that," she added weakly.
"Then, why are you mad at me?" Ji Hoo asked, looking confused. Eun Jae took time answering.
"I'm not angry. Not at all," she answered. It didn't sound like a lie to Ji Hoo's ears, but he couldn't be sure.
"Why are you acting like this then?" Ji Hoo asked again. He still didn't understand what was going on.
"Why do you like me?" she asked, looking firmly at his eyes. "Why did you ask me to be your girlfriend?" Ji Hoo looked stunned hearing her questions. He didn't say anything, so Eun Jae continued. "I tried over and over to think of a reason. I can't even think why you'd like me in the first place. Was it because I was there? Or was it because you felt that you were responsible about the rumors? Did you think that you had to ask me to be your girlfriend because I was hurt by the rumors?"
"Of course not. Eun Jae, you're being ridiculous." Ji Hoo finally found his voice again.
"Then, why?" Eun Jae demanded. "I'm sure it's not because you find me especially pretty or something. Because you'd be back with Min Seo Hyun-ssi if that was the reason. So, why did you ask me? Why do you like me?" She sighed before continuing. "I don't feel special enough or even good enough for you to ask. Then, why?"
"I asked you to be my girlfriend because I wanted you to be my girlfriend. I like you. I really like you," Ji Hoo answered firmly. He leaned over and took her hand. He held her hand with both his hands. "Why are you asking these questions?"
"Why?" she asked again instead of answering the question. "Why do you like me? How can you like me?" Ji Hoo sighed hearing her continued questions.
"I like you because.." He tried to answer the questions, but suddenly he was stuck. He didn't know exactly why he liked her, he just knew. How could he answer the question? "I just like you. I just know that I like you," he finally said.
"But, why?" Eun Jae asked.
"I don't know how to explain it. I just.." He was stuck again. "Alright, I'll try to answer. At first, I didn't know how to treat you, but along the way I found you nice. Then, I thought you were interesting. I tried to talk to you and you were easy to talk to. I started to like you since the weekend we were on the ship. I didn't know how, but somehow it felt like you could reach me. I never felt like that with anyone before. You could reach me in a short time we knew each other."
"Then, you like me because you can talk to me and because I'm nice?" Eun Jae asked. There was a slightly skeptical tone in her voice. "I think there are many girls that can be like that. Why me then?" she asked again. This time before Ji Hoo could answer the question, she continued with sad voice. "I think I know why. Because I was there, right? You liked me and you chose me because I was always there. Jan Di always invited me out with you guys. I was always there and you could talk to me. That was why you liked me, right?" The end of her voice was broken because of a dry sob. She was looking at Ji Hoo with a sad expression.
Ji Hoo's chest felt heavy seeing her expression. He hated seeing her like that. He closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"You want the true reason?" he asked. "Yes, they were the reasons why I liked you at first. And until now they are still true. I can talk to you about everything and somehow I know that I can count on you to always be there for me," he admitted.
Eun Jae turned her head trying to hide her expression from Ji Hoo. She couldn't look at Ji Hoo like that. She bit her lip, trying to push down the sobs. She breathed in a few times to calm her emotion.
"You don't need me. Not specifically. I'm just a convenient choice. I'm here and you like me enough. Then, why not. Right?" she finally retorted.
"That's not it," Ji Hoo quipped instantly.
"Then, why?" Eun Jae asked quickly. "Why? I need to know because I don't want to be that. I don't want you to choose me because I'm conveniently available. I don't want that. Not again," she said weakly. This time she couldn't hold back the tears. Ji Hoo looked stunned seeing her like that. He reached out to wipe away the tears, but Eun Jae caught his hand and stopped him. "Why?" she asked again, looking back at him and ignoring the tears.
Ji Hoo shut his eyes, looking as if he was in pain. In a way, he felt like he was in pain. His girlfriend asked the reasons why he had chosen her, but he couldn't answer. He didn't know the exact reason why he liked her. Eun Jae waited for him, but he didn't say anything for a minute. She finally talked again.
"If you can't answer that, I think it's no use to try. I don't want this relationship. Not again," she said. "Remember my ex-boyfriend? I told you about him. He and I dated because it was an easy choice. I liked him and he liked me. Then, we thought why not. But, now I don't want to be like that anymore." Ji Hoo flinched hearing this.
"No, you're not," he quipped. "You're not in that kind of relationship. I'm not like him," he stated firmly.
"I know you're not," Eun Jae answered. "You're not like him. You won't try to control my life. I know that. And somehow it scares me more." She took a breath before continuing. "You're almost perfect and I think that there wouldn't be big trouble to break us up. If you just like me because I'm the convenient choice and there won't be anything that can threaten this relationship, we will continue to be like this. It's like being in a partnership. We're good together and we can work it out. Just like partners. But, I don't want just that. I have become greedy and feel that it's not enough. I want a real relationship. I want to love and I want to be loved," she said clearly.
Ji Hoo took his time to absorb Eun Jae's words. He wanted to assure her, but he couldn't. He couldn't explain his feeling, even to himself. He tried to arrange his words in his mind before finally answering.
"I didn't choose you because you were there. I started to like you because you were there. That was true. But, I did not ask you to be my girlfriend because of that. Listen, I can't make a list of the reasons why I want you to be my girlfriend. But, I'll try to explain something else." Ji Hoo finally decided what to say. "You want me to be honest, so I'll try. But, please promise me to let me finish this explanation first before you judge me or misunderstand, okay?" he asked. Eun Jae looked at him for a few seconds before nodding her head.
"I said that the first reason that I started to like you because you were always there. That's true," Ji Hoo admitted. "I never tried to find a girlfriend. Can't you tell with the girls that I have liked? First, it was Seo Hyun. She was my childhood friend. She was always there since I was a kid. She helped me through a lot back then. I started to like her then. But, it's all over now," he said with firm voice. "Then, I liked Jan Di. She was always around because Joon Pyo liked her. At first, he bothered her and teased her. I helped her through his mischief. I didn't like her romantically at first, but as time went by, I started to like her too. I confessed my feeling to her, but she rejected me. I didn't give up at first. But, when I saw how she fell apart when Joon Pyo got into the accident, I started to give up. Then, they got together. I gave up wholeheartedly. I knew they would always be together from that point on. I didn't want to be in the way, especially between the two people that I loved. So, I worked hard to adjust my feeling. And I'm happy to say that I succeeded," he finished with a content smile on his face.
"Can you understand the similarity between them? I started to like them because they were there. That didn't mean that I liked them any less, right?" he asked, but Eun Jae was in deep thought and didn't answer. Ji Hoo took a deep breathe again. "I have never had many friends. I'm always hanging out with F4. The closest thing I have as friends except the F4 and the girls were the people from university. But, I can't exactly call them as my friends either," he admitted weakly. "I'm the lonely one in F4. Joon Pyo is the most like me. He never hang out with other people either. That was why both of us never tried to find girlfriends. He just happened to fall in love with Jan Di. We were different from Yi Jeong and Woo Bin. They have other friends. Yi Jeong with his art and Woo Bin with his clubs. They could be around girls. That was why they used to change girls almost every day back then," he explained.
"I wasn't like that. That was why the girls that I liked were someone that I already knew," he continued. "You want me to be honest, so I'm gonna say this honestly. If you were just another face in the crowd, I wouldn't like you. Because I wouldn't notice you. I started to like you because I took time to get to know you. I'm that kind of person. I never fell in love at first sight. And to be honest, I don't believe in that kind of thing." He stopped to read Eun Jae's expression, but he couldn't find any emotion there. Eun Jae was trying to wear a neutral expression on her face. Therefore, Ji Hoo continued again. "But, the reason why I asked you to be my girlfriend was not because you were conveniently available. The reason why I want you to be my girlfriend because.. somehow you reached me. I don't know how to explain this," he admitted with frustrated voice. He took his time before continuing.
"I want you to be my girlfriend because I know I want you." He sounded frustrated trying to explain. "I hated when you told me about your ex. I don't like hearing you with other man. The first time you said that you knew about Kwon Dae Gyu, I felt protective of you. I don't like you to be near evil people like him," he tried to explain. "I never liked to chat with anyone, but I loved our chat when we spent time on the way back from the volunteer event. And I think this is the first time I desperately want to explain the reason behind my actions to anyone in this world. I have never explained my actions before. You're the first person that I want to talk to like this ever," he said truthfully.
Ji Hoo reached out to take Eun Jae's hand again. This time brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He stared at her before reaching out his hand to touch her cheek. He stroked her cheek with his thumb. Eun Jae leaned into his touch.
"Eun Jae-ya, I can't make a list of the reasons why I want to be with you. I just know," he said, looking straight at her gently. He waited for Eun Jae to say anything, but she was just silent and stared back at him. He leaned closer slowly, waiting for her to move or turn her head. However, when she just stared at him, Ji Hoo closed the distance between them and enveloped her lips with his.
Eun Jae didn't react at first. She still just stared back at Ji Hoo's eyes which were slowly closing. A few seconds later, she finally closed her eyes and responded to the kiss.
Jan Di opened her eyes when she felt the sunlight through the gap between the curtains. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to collect her mind. When she was really awake, she could feel Joon Pyo's arms around her naked stomach under the covers. She had spent the night for the first time in her fiancé's apartment. She turned her body around to see Joon Pyo's face. He was still sleeping, but he seemed reluctant to loosen his arms from around her. She smiled seeing her fiancé's innocent face. He looked like a child when he was sleeping like that.
Jan Di touched his face with her fingertips. First, she touched his closed eyes. Then, she continued to trace the line of his nose and then his lips. She finally replaced her fingertips with her lips. She gave him a light kiss on his lips. Then, she tried to get up and kissed his forehead. However, Joon Pyo's arms tightened around her. She chuckled.
"It's already morning, Goo Joon Pyo," she said, pinching his nose playfully. Joon Pyo groaned.
"Don't want to get up," he whimpered, making Jan Di laugh again.
"Then, just let me get up," she said. Joon Pyo groaned again.
"Don't want to. Not fun without you here," he said, half awake. It was funny to Jan Di that Joon Pyo could make coherent answers even in his slumber.
"Come on. I'll make you breakfast after I take the shower," she said, trying to bribe him. Joon Pyo moaned.
"Hmmm.. pancakes," he said in his sleep, making Jan Di giggled.
"Yes, pancakes. I'll make them for you. Just let me go, okay?" she asked. She knew that pancakes had become Joon Pyo's favorite breakfast while he was in America. Joon Pyo loosened his arms around her waist, making it so Jan Di could get up.
Jan Di kissed his head again before looking around the room, trying to find the robe that she had discarded the night before. She found the robe on the floor beside the bed. She got up and quickly grabbed the robe and put it around her body. She tiptoed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
When she walked out of the bathroom, she found Joon Pyo was sitting on the edge of the bed in only his boxer. He smiled when he saw her even through his half-closed eyes. Jan Di walked towards him. She stood in front of him before he pulled her closer, so she stood between his knees. He put his arms around her waist and leaned his head on her stomach. Jan Di slipped her hand in his hair.
"Good morning," he mumbled to her stomach. Jan Di chuckled and leaned down to kiss the crown of his head.
"Morning," she replied. "Come on, take a shower. I'll make pancakes for you while you do that," she added. Joon Pyo mumbled incoherently in her stomach. "Come on," she said, pulling his hand up.
"Fine," he muttered, standing up from the bed. He walked towards the bathroom before turning back to Jan Di. "Morning kiss," he said, before pecking her lips. Then, he turned to the bathroom.
His attitude made Jan Di chuckle and shake her head. She turned to the closet. She tried to find the some clothes that Joon Pyo had prepared there for her. Joon Pyo insisted on her having clothes in his apartment, so he bought some T-shirts and jeans for her. When she was done putting the clothes on, she walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen area.
When she was flipping the pancakes, Joon Pyo walked out of the bedroom with his phone on his ear. It seemed like someone had called him. He looked serious, but calm.
"Okay, I'll check it. Thanks, Secretary Jung," he said before ending the call. He smiled when he caught her eyes. He walked toward her and kissed her temple. "Hi," he said. Jan Di scoffed.
"What did Secretary Jung say?" she said curiously, still cooking another pancake. Joon Pyo pulled a chair on the dining table that was located beside the kitchen.
"There are many articles about the party last night. He just told me to check them out," he said, sipping the coffee that had been poured for him. He turned on the iPad that he had brought before checking some websites. He sipped the coffee again while reading the articles.
"The pancakes ready," Jan Di said, sitting across from Joon Pyo. She already prepared the plates for them both. Joon Pyo looked up from the iPad before setting it aside. He smiled at her.
"You know, I feel like a married couple," he said with a teasing voice. That just made Jan Di rolls her eyes.
"So, what are the articles about?" she asked, ignoring his remark.
"Well, they said that we made a good couple. They said that the guests wished us good luck. The articles talked about the guests, including our best friends. Apparently, the reporters think that F4 members are ready to settle down," Joon Pyo said before chuckling. He put a couple of pancakes on his plate before pouring the syrup on them.
"Why are you chuckling? Don't you think that our friends are ready to settle down?" Jan Di asked curiously. Joon Pyo took his time answering that.
"Well, Woo Bin and Jae Kyung maybe ready to settle down, but they still have the problem with her parents and Hwang Q. I don't think Yi Jeong's ready to propose. Besides, he still has to work for his family's approval. Ji Hoo and Eun Jae don't really have problem, but they're still new," Joon Pyo spoke his analyzes. "So, I don't really think that they're gonna settle down soon," he concluded.
Jan Di frowned, but didn't say anything to that. She couldn't find a fault in her fiancé's statement. What he said was kinda true.
"So, what do you want to do after this?" Joon Pyo asked. Jan Di shrugged.
"Dunno. What do you think?" she asked back. Joon Pyo grinned.
"Stay here all day and watch TV?" he suggested, making Jan Di rolled her eyes. But, there was smile on her lips.
"Fine," she agreed readily.
A/N: So what do you think? Hope you like it :)
Thank you for your time. Please leave comments in the box below to let me know what you think about the chapter/story. The next is The Follow Ups. See ya...