CHAPTER TEN – CAT AND MOUSE

Jun Pyo frowned and drummed his fingers on the desk in front of him. Of all the F4, Jun Pyo was the least surprised at the news Jan Di and Yi Jung brought of Woo Bin. Having a destiny you couldn't escape was something he was intimately familiar with and due to the relationship between the two companies, he was more familiar with the true nature of Song Enterprises than the others.

It was Woo Bin's reaction that concerned him the most. He knew Woo Bin needed his friends and feared for what would happen to him if he cut them out of his life. None of them had fully understood what happened and since Woo Bin had made himself inaccessible, Jun Pyo had decided to do a little spying of his own. What his major domo reported back after his meeting with Chul Moo , had almost made him laugh. At least it now made sense why Woo Bin had been upset by Jan Di's presence outside the club. The problem now was how to get in touch with Woo Bin in a way that he couldn't avoid and his father would not be suspicious of…

Woo Bin tugged at his tie as he sat in the back seat of the limo nervously anticipating his destination. His father had ordered him to attend Jun Pyo and Jan Di's engagement party as an official representative of Song Enterprises to help maintain relations between their two companies, but Woo Bin recognized a bit of F4 manipulation when he saw it.

He could put on a good show and pretend everything was fine, but he was afraid of what would happen when the rest of F4 got him alone, which he knew they would do somehow. At least there was no way this could be a simple affair which meant there would be crowds of people present. Maybe he could still slip away unnoticed after putting in an appearance…

Woo Bin scanned the room as he entered, and the faces of his friends seemed to zoom into focus. How did they all happen to be looking at him at once? he wondered, trying to swallow his anxiety. There was Yi Jung, still a gleam of anger in his eyes, Ji Hoo's impassive countenance as unreadable as always, confusion from Ga Eul, a sympathy he could not bear to look at in Jan Di's face and Jun Pyo – smirking! He seemed to be acutely aware of Woo Bin's discomfort and almost laughing at him!

At this, Woo Bin recovered his nerve, walked straight up to Jun Pyo and, slapping him on the back, wished him an enthusiastic congratulations. As he turned away, Jun Pyo, still smiling, caught his elbow firmly and whispered, "Enjoy the party, but don't expect to be leaving early!"

After several hours of polite small talk with the rest of the guests, the strain was starting to wear him down. Woo Bin felt mentally exhausted from smiling and chatting while he and his friends glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes, all the while circling each other in an almost imperceptible game of cat and mouse. Whatever confrontation was coming, Woo Bin was ready to get it over with just so he could drop the smile!

When he felt an arm drop lightly but firmly across his shoulders, they almost drooped in relief. His unconscious expectation of seeing Yi Jung's face led him to do a double take at Ji Hoo's serene smile. "Juhgiyo," Ji Hoo interrupted, excusing Woo Bin from the mindless conversation with some elite guest. "Jun Pyo needs a short meeting with his groomsmen," he smiled as he led Woo Bin away.

In the familiar territory of Jun Pyo's suite of rooms, Woo Bin unconsciously relaxed somewhat. Jun Pyo was leisurely thumbing through a magazine while Yi Jung stood with his back toward him, looking out the window. Woo Bin stood awkwardly for a moment before Jun Pyo looked up and said, "It seems the elephant has finally joined us!"

This odd comment seemed to break the tension as no one could understand what he was talking about. Seeing the quizzical expressions of his friends he asked, "Isn't that the right animal? There's some saying about an elephant in the room, right?"

Ji Hoo chuckled as he and Woo Bin sat down. As the most neutral party, Ji Hoo took the lead in addressing the "elephant." "So Woo Bin-ah, what can we do to help you?"

Biting back his first, instinctive, defensive remark and accepting that it was pointless to fight or hide the truth that was already understood by his only close friends, Woo Bin answered, "Thanks guys, but there really is nothing to be done. My life is what it is – what it was always meant to be."

"And I was meant to marry that crazy monkey!" Jun Pyo retorted. "But you guys didn't let it happen! There is no 'meant to be' Woo Bin – only what you want to be. And it's obvious you don't want to be like your father. So the answer's simple! We just have to break you out of the mob!" Jun Pyo beamed as if he had just solved all the world's problems.

As Woo Bin's struggle with this thought played across his face, Ji Hoo spoke again. "I think I know someone who can help you…at least, Chung Ho Sunim knows someone."

"You know the Sunim?" Woo Bin asked, surprised. "Of course! I'm the one who took Jan Di to the temple to begin with!" Ji Hoo smiled. "His name is Kwon Young Sool. He's a police officer in Gangnam."

Woo Bin's posture tensed at the mention of police. "The Sunim has known him for many years – he says he's a good man," Ji Hoo rushed to reassure him.

"The Sunim knows me too – so knowing the Sunim is hardly a guarantee of goodness!"

At this, Yi Jung finally spoke up. "Shut it, Woo Bin! I thought we'd never have to have this discussion again!" Woo Bin looked away, embarrassed and Yi Jung's voice lost its edge. "What's on your arm doesn't make you what you are Woo Bin – that comes from what's in your heart."

There was silence for a moment as Woo Bin looked away and cleared his throat. "So…what could this Kwon fellow possibly do to help me?" Woo Bin finally asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely certain," Ji Hoo admitted. "But it's worth talking to him isn't it?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Woo Bin asked, frustrated. "My father's forbidden me to return to the temple and he has Chul Moo tag along with me wherever I go these days! If he found out I was meeting with a cop, I'd be as good as dead!"

His three friends paused for a moment as the seriousness of the situation finally sunk in for them. "We'll figure something out," Yi Jung said quietly but firmly. "We have to."

"Ya, are we F4 or not?!" Jun Pyo asked. "Of course, we'll figure something out!"