CHAPTER 1

BOO KI'S POV:

How did I manage to let Saia talk me into this? I don't have time for a vacation! What was I thinking!

I shake my head as the taxi takes me to my hotel. Pushing my short, dark red hair behind my ears I look out at the city. I've never been to the United States. This will definitely be a new experience for me but I don't understand why Saia insisted that I come to New York. I would have preferred something quieter like a warm, sandy beach somewhere. New York just looks like a bigger, American version of Seoul.

Arriving at the hotel, I am looking forward to getting some sleep. I didn't sleep very well on the plane. Unlocking the door to my room, I leave my luggage by the door. Turning to survey the room, I scrutinize the two men that I sensed where in here before I unlocked my door. Who are these idiots? Do they seriously want to die? One man stands looking out the window and the other stands up from his chair to face me. He looks familiar and I suddenly feel like I can't breathe.

"Yo Boo Ki! How are you?" Woo Bin quietly says. I stare at him in shock. It can't be him! They told me he was dead! I even went to his funeral! His shoulders are broader as if he has been working out more and his hair is very short. Only a little on the top is left and it's spiked up. His 5 o'clock shadow gives him a more rugged appearance and I shake my head in disbelief. No. This has to be some kind of sick joke. This man cannot be Woo Bin…

"Who are you? Do you have any idea how rude it is to come into someone's room uninvited?" I manage to ask in a bored tone.

The second man turns away from the window and I don't recognize him at first. The muscles on his arms and chest are broader and more defined. His hair is a dark brown and cut a lot shorter than it was before. It's still longer in the front and falls along his right eye. His voice hasn't changed one bit though.

"It's us Kim Boo Ki. This isn't a trick." Ji-Hoo calmly says. I've always prided myself on my logic. I can't deny what is right in front of me but I don't understand why they let everyone think they are dead. I suddenly feel my anger start to boil. Turning towards Woo Bin I can see him watching me warily. He already knows how angry I can get when I'm crossed... Only Woo Bin and Saia know that… I don't show that side of me very often.

"You son-of-a-bitch…" I hiss at Woo Bin and march towards him. He holds his hands up and backs away from me.

"Now listen Boo Ki, I will explain everything…"

"Do you have any idea how upset everyone is? Yi-Jung and Jun Pyo are devastated! If Ga Eul wasn't pregnant, Yi Jung probably would have fallen apart! And you!" I point at Ji-Hoo. "Do you have any idea what Saia has been through? How dare you!"

"I know I've put her through a lot. I'm sorry." Ji-Hoo quietly says.

"You won't get off that easy! She has been through hell these past five months! She is about ready to collapse because she has been pushing herself so hard! And she does it all because of you!" I snarl. He looks uncomfortable at my words and looks away from me.

Turning back towards Woo Bin, I am torn between wanting to knock him out and wanting to hug him. Like it or not I've missed him but there is no way in hell that I am going to let him know that. Finally putting a cap on my anger, I regain my cool composure and cross my arms.

"Where the fuck have the two of you been?"

He sighs and shoves his hands in his pockets. "If you will give us a chance to explain, we will tell you everything. Sit down Boo Ki-ssi."

Taking a deep breath, I sit down and glare at him. "Fine. Explain away."

The night of the explosion, one of Woo Bin's men had discovered the bomb under Ji-Hoo's car before it went off. Woo Bin and Ji-Hoo managed to run but Woo Bin's man got caught in the blast. Woo Bin realized that if the Associates that were trying to kill the F4 thought that he and Ji-Hoo were dead, then they would be able to look for ways to bring them down without anyone knowing about it. With the help of Woo Bin's father they made everyone, including all of us, believe that they were killed in the explosion. For the past five months they have been hunting down the Associates one by one. Thanks to Kang Woo and Saia, Tae Mu had been captured and was preparing to go to trial. Woo Bin and Ji-Hoo discovered that there are nine Associates total and all of them hold important political positions across the globe.

"We have managed to discover and bring down 5 of them so far, including Tae Mu. That leaves four left. One here in the US, one in England, one in Italy, and one in Colombia." Woo Bin says.

"Colombia? You realize how dangerous that is, right? If any of the wrong people discover who either of you are, you will be held for ransom regardless of who believes you are dead or not." I say.

"We are aware of the danger. We will take every precaution to be sure that doesn't happen." Ji-Hoo says.

"Why are you here? Why are you telling me all of this?"

"We need your help Boo Ki-ssi." Woo Bin leans forward in his chair and locks his eyes with mine. I feel my heart speed up but narrow my eyes at him.

"My help? What can I do? Besides, I need to get back to the restaurant. I can't afford to be running around after these bastards."

"That's why I want to hire you as a "consultant" of sorts. My father will make sure the restaurant will be taken care of and you will still have an income. Plus I will be paying you more than you make there. There are some things only a woman can do, like talking to wives and daughters or flirting with the sons of these guys. We need all the information on them we can get." He says.

"You're going to hire me?" I scoff. Suddenly realizing something, I turn to Ji-Hoo. "Saia already knows the truth, doesn't she? That's why she sent me here."

Ji-Hoo nods. "I met her in Tokyo. I explained everything to her and she agreed to help us. She also gave us a lot of useful information from Kang Woo."

"Well that explains her change in attitude… Wait… Oh my god… Did you propose to her?"

Ji-Hoo's expression remains impassive but I see the blush rising to his cheeks and his gaze falls to the floor.

"You did what? Ji-Hoo! Why didn't you tell me?" Woo Bin looks at him in surprise.

"…We can't get married till I go home so I just kept it to myself." He calmly says.

"Congratulations Ji-Hoo!" Woo Bin says with a grin and pats his friends shoulder. Ji-Hoo smiles at his friend and nods.

"I'm her best friend… She should have told me!" I say in disbelief.

"I asked her not to tell you anything for both of your safety. Even though Tae Mu is in jail, he still hasn't gone to trial yet and he still has people working for him. You don't know who could be listening in." Ji-Hoo says.

"Okay. I have another question then. Why me? Why not Jae Kyung? She's tough and she's rich. She could probably help you easier than I can. Plus she is your fiancé." I pointedly ask Woo Bin.

"Maybe but she can't be as discreet as you. You're more elegant than she is, your English is way better, and you have a talent for talking to people. Plus you have more street smarts than her which is what we need. " He says.

I look at the two of them and my head is buzzing with all the information they've given me. First I find out they are not dead, then they ask me to help them with their investigation, and then I find out that my best friend is engaged… I want to help them but I hesitate and not for the reasons they may think. I swore off this kind of life 7 years ago. They don't know about my past and I don't want them to. I've put it behind me for a reason. I never want to go back to it. Plus the thought of spending months in close proximity to Woo Bin makes me uneasy. If I help them though, the faster Ji-Hoo can get back to Saia and I very much want to see my friend happy. I will just have to guard my heart very closely and try to keep as much distance from Woo Bin as I can.

"…Okay. I'll help you." I say with a nod.

WOO BIN'S POV:

I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn't realize how nervous I was about her answer till she agreed. I can't believe she is actually here. When I first saw her come in, I thought my heart would stop. It seems almost unreal. These past five months have been hard on Ji-Hoo and I. Not because of the work but because we have had to be away from the people that are important to us.

Boo Ki has become a big part of my life and I didn't realize just how much till after we left. She is a good friend and I've really missed her. She infuriates the hell out of me, challenges me, pushes me, and accepts me for who I am. She doesn't judge me. No woman has ever treated me the way she does and I trust her as much as I trust Yi Jung, my closest friend.

Ji-Hoo and I have become really close because of this situation. We are closer than we have ever been and thanks to Saia he has become much more open to people. He is still very private though and I will always be the closest with Yi Jung. We have been through a lot together. More than Ji-Hoo or Jun Pyo will ever know. I am happy to be closer to Ji-Hoo though. We have always had a quiet understanding between us and I am glad that he is helping me with this. I know he is putting his life on hold and it means a lot to me. I'll find a way to repay him someday.

He has always been someone I could count on when I didn't want to go to Yi Jung. He was the one I went to first when I wanted to know more about pleasing women in bed when we were teenagers. I wasn't fooled by Ji-Hoo's cool exterior. It's always the quiet ones that have the hottest sex lives and I was right. Even though he wasn't a player like Yi-Jung and I were, he is still a man. I knew that him and Seo Hyun were sleeping together long before anyone else knew. I caught them once when I showed up unannounced at his house. Her cries of pleasure were no joke. If Yi Jung ever found out I went to Ji-Hoo for sex tips he would probably choke. Yi Jung believes that Ji-Hoo is too cold for such things.

I am sad though that I can't be home for Yi Jung and Ga Eul's first child. It makes this whole ordeal that much more frustrating. I intend to keep an eye on our wager though. Unknown to either Jun Pyo or Ji-Hoo, Yi Jung and I made a wager on who would get their girl pregnant next. I said Ji-Hoo and Yi Jung confidently took Jun Pyo. He doesn't realize how passionate Ji-Hoo and Saia are. I highly doubt the constantly quarreling Jun Pyo and Jan Di's "make up" sex is anywhere near Ji-Hoo and Saia's level. As for me, my relationship with Jae Kyung isn't what anyone thinks.

Watching Boo Ki talk to Ji-Hoo I wonder if we are doing the right thing. I know that I am the one that insisted we use her and I know that she can handle herself in a fight but this situation is still very dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to her.

"Okay since we are in New York, I am assuming one of the Associates is here?" Boo Ki says.

"Yes. His name is Bill White. He is a Senator in the US Senate. We need you to get close to his wife. She may be able to tell you what he is up to once you gain her trust. She loves to travel and has been to South Korea many times so she will take an interest in you. She doesn't trust men so Ji-Hoo and I won't have much success in talking to her." I tell her.

"Okay, so how am I going to meet her?" she asks.

"She will be attending a charity auction tomorrow night. I already got you a dress and everything thanks to Saia."

"Am I going by myself?"

"Ani. I'll be going with you but once we get there, you will be on your own for the most part. I will have to keep a close eye on the Senator. I'll be watching to see who he talks to and hopefully listen in on his conversations." Ji-Hoo says.

"What about you?" She asks me.

"I'll be checking out the Senator's estate while they are away. Hopefully I can find a way in and find something damaging."

Boo Ki nods and rubs her eyes. "Okay. Well if we are going to do this, you guys need to leave and let me get some rest. I'm tired, I have jet lag, and I need to absorb all of this."

"Of course." Ji-Hoo nods and gives her a small smile before he turns to leave. Walking over to her I hand her a cell phone.

"If you need anything just call us. Our numbers are already in there. Get some rest." I smile at her. "And… I'm really glad you are here Boo Ki-ssi. I've missed you."

A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone who is reading this story. ^^ I hope I didn't overwhelm this chapter with too much information. See you next chapter! ^^