CHAPTER 11

BOO KI'S POV:

After spending most of the day with Luis and his family, I'm still not ready to go back to the house. So his wife Anna lets me borrow some of her clothes and helps me get ready. I told Luis everything that happened to me since I last saw him and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. He's the first person I have been able to talk to about it outside of Saia and my Aunt. Just telling someone else makes me feel a little better. Plus Luis knows what my life was like.

"There is something else you should know. I don't get involved with your family but there is a rumor floating around that they got offered a lot of money for a job in Italy. Since one of the guys you are after happens to be there, I don't think it's a coincidence. Please be careful, Boo Ki. I want us to be able to watch our kids and grandkids play together someday." Luis says as he drops me off at the hotel.

"Don't worry. I will." I say with a smile and ignore the kids comment. I never thought about having kids because I don't plan on getting involved with someone. I guess that gives me my answer when it comes to Woo Bin. He probably wants the whole fairytale ending. He won't get it with me.

Seeing Alejandro, I smile and wave at him as he makes his way over to me.

"Wow! You look amazing!" He says with a smile and offers me his arm. He looks very handsome in his expensive black tux. The long strapless black dress I am wearing is accentuated with maroon beading in subtle leafy patterns along the skirt. Anna has great taste.

"Thank you! You don't look too bad yourself." I tease and he laughs.

"I am so glad you are here. I hate these parties. Everyone tries to show off and talk about the same shit over and over again."

"Well I have no reason to show off and since I don't know what people talk about here, I can promise I won't bring up the same topics… At least I hope I don't."

"I'm sure you won't." He says with a laugh and leads me inside. The party is being held at a hotel and the banquet hall is already full of people. I don't see Woo Bin or Ji-Hoo yet. I sent Ji-Hoo a text earlier, telling him that I was on my way here but I turned my phone on silent after that. I haven't looked at it since then.

The party is everything that I've come to expect from stuffy, rich people and Alejandro keeps his sarcastic remarks to himself till the people walk away.

"I am trying to be on my best behavior for my mother's sake but some of these people make it very hard." He says under his breath at me. Hiding my smile behind my champagne glass, I nod my head.

"I can understand why."

"Would you like to dance?" He asks and holds his hand out to me. I look up at him in surprise but nod. He's a great dancer and it's easy to move with him. Even though I am here for work, I realize that I am enjoying myself. Alejandro is funny and easy going. I feel at ease with him. Plus it doesn't hurt that he's so deliciously hot.

"Mind if I cut in?" I hear a voice say and Ji-Hoo holds his hand out to me. Alejandro lets me go with a reluctant smile and Ji-Hoo shyly pulls me into his arms.

"Is it okay for me to be dancing with my best friend's fiancé?" I ask with a smile. He chuckles and nods his head.

"I think she would be more upset if I didn't ask. What happened last night?" he bluntly asks. I love this about Ji-Hoo. The guy knows how to get right to the point.

"What did he tell you?" I counter.

"He told me enough to have a general idea but he's been unusually silent most of the day. I'd rather hear your side of things."

"…This really isn't the place to be talking about it…" I say. He nods.

"You look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks." I say with a smile and he looks at someone behind me as he lets me go.

My heart starts to pound as I turn to see Woo Bin standing behind me. He doesn't say anything but takes my hand and pulls me into his arms to dance with me. I swallow hard and look over his shoulder at the other people in the room but I don't notice any of it. My whole body is on high alert to everything about him. He smells wonderful, his hand on my back feels like it's burning through my dress, and his breath on my bare shoulder is threatening to send a shiver of pleasure down my spine. He's too quiet though. It's making me more nervous. He turns his head towards mine and I feel him breathe in my scent as he pulls me closer. I swallow hard and force myself to keep my composure. As the song comes to an end and he lets me go, I see that look in his eyes again and their intensity causes me to take a step back. I see the hurt in his eyes before he hides it. But he still manages to smile at me.

"You look as gorgeous as always." He says quietly and walks away.

"Is everything alright?" Alejandro asks by my shoulder. He looks at me in concern before giving Woo Bin's retreating back a suspicious look.

"Yes. Everything's fine. We had a disagreement earlier and we haven't talked about it yet so dancing with him was awkward." I say smoothly and take his arm. He nods and accepts my explanation without another word. I spend the rest of the night at his side, pushing all thoughts of Woo Bin away for now. I dance and laugh with Alejandro, completely oblivious to the jealous and hurt pair of eyes that watch us.

(^_^)

WOO BIN'S POV:

I understand why she left so early this morning. I saw the flash of fear in her eyes before she went in her room. She's afraid for some reason. I get it. What bothers me is that she doesn't even tell us where she is or what she is doing and it's all my fault. When I went to talk to her after I woke up and realized she was gone, I panicked. She needs to let me explain. She has no reason to be afraid of me. I won't hurt her.

Ji-Hoo calls her himself when he realizes she isn't answering me. When she hangs up on him, I tell him what happened. I spend the rest of the day going through files and thinking about last night. I want to understand her. I really do. It hurts though when she pushes me away and is afraid of me. I know that's why she hasn't come home yet. She doesn't want to face me. Ji-Hoo has been concerned about both of us all day but I don't feel like talking. I don't know what to tell him. I am completely lost with Boo Ki. Even though our kiss had been the most amazing kiss I have ever experienced, I am starting to regret it because I don't want to lose her. She warned me but I didn't listen. I was too angry and wanted to taste her too badly.

The moment I see her at the Senator's party, I can't breathe. She looks gorgeous. I have a hard time paying attention to Sergio because I keep watching her. Ji-Hoo is doing most of the work tonight and I finally manage to force myself to talk to some of the people here about the Senator. But when I see Ji-Hoo dancing with her, I know that this is my chance to be near her.

Dancing with Boo Ki is heaven. She feels so good in my arms. I can feel how tense she is and keep quiet. I don't want to make things worse. As the song comes to an end, it tears me apart when she takes a wary step away from me. Plastering a smile on my face, I shove my hands into my pockets in frustration.

"You look as gorgeous as always." I honestly say and force myself to walk away. Not here… not now… I tell myself. I need to talk to her at home. This isn't the place. But when I see her dance and laugh with Alejandro, I can't stop the jealousy that rolls through my gut. Why can't she do that with me?

"I don't remember seeing you around before." A woman's voice purrs in my ear and I turn to see a very sultry looking Juliana Dias smile up at me.

"I haven't been in town very long." I say with a smirk. I smile and flirt with her until Miguel comes to take her tipsy ass home. It's actually a relief. I've had to force myself to be charming to her because there isn't a thing about her that I like. She reminds me a lot of the snobby bitches I used to party with at home. It's funny how much Boo Ki has changed me in such a short amount of time. All I can see is her.

(^_^)

JI-HOO'S POV:

It's been a long day. This whole mess between Woo Bin and Boo Ki is a problem. Woo Bin isn't his usual playful and focused self. He's confused and the fact that Boo Ki avoided us all day is making it harder to do our job. Thankfully Alejandro seems to have taken an interest in Boo Ki and Juliana in Woo Bin so at least we have a way to get close to Sergio one way or another. My biggest worry though is Miguel. That guy is one mean bastard. No one can touch him and he knows it. So far, I don't see any way to bring him down. All night I've listened to him harass people into voting for his father. He isn't afraid of anyone. It disgusts me to hear him threaten families and children. He doesn't care about anything except what he wants.

Once Woo Bin and I return home, I gratefully drag myself to my room and tug at my tie. Saia hates it when I wear ties. She always pulls it loose if I wear one. I don't think she would have minded tonight though since I wore a tux. Closing my door, I slump down on the bed and stare at my cell phone. I haven't called her since we left New York because I miss her too much. It sounds kind of crazy but I know that if I call her too soon, I will be on the first flight back to Seoul.

Dialing DK's number, I wait for him to answer and when it goes to voicemail I frown. I dial again but there's still no answer. This doesn't make any sense. DK always keeps his phone on him. What on earth is going on? We agreed it was safer to call him to talk to her because we know she is still being watched. But I am willing to risk calling her to be sure that she is safe. After the fourth try to DK, I dial her number.

"Yobosayeo?" I hear Jae Kyung say. I freeze and keep silent. I can hear noises from a hospital in the background along with voices. It sounds like Jun Pyo and Jan Di are arguing again.

"Ya! If you have something to say then say it!" Jae Kyung says irritably.

"May I speak with Saia please?" I ask after I clear my throat. I hope she doesn't recognize my voice but what are they doing at a hospital and why is Saia not answering her damn phone?

"Ah… She's kinda busy at the moment…" Jae Kyung says.

"Who is it?" I hear Saia say in the background and breathe a sigh of relief. At least she sounds alright.

"Who is this?" Jae Kyung demands.

"Tell her it's Kim Hyun Joong." I say in amusement.

"He says it's Hyung Jun or something. Who's that? Do you have a new guy?" She shouts at Saia.

"Give me that!" Saia says in exasperation. I wait patiently and hear the voices of my friends gradually grow quieter as Saia moves away from them.

"I am so sorry about that. I never thought you would call me." Saia says.

"You don't have much confidence in your fiancé do you?" I tease.

"You know that isn't true." She says with a smile.

"What's going on? Why isn't DK answering his phone?"

"Where's your phone?" I hear her ask him. After a second she answers me. "He must have left it in the car. He doesn't have it. As for what's going on, Ga Eul went into labor last night and we all came to visit her. I was holding the baby so I couldn't answer my phone."

"Really? That's wonderful! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Boy. They named him Min Jae. He's so adorable! I wish you could see him!"

"So do I and Woo Bin will be happy to hear the news. He sure could use it right now." I say and massage my temple.

"Why? What happened?"

I tell her everything that happened between the two of them and how Boo Ki acted all day.

"Shit… Nothing is ever easy with those two is it?" She says with a sigh.

"No. I honestly don't know what to do. It isn't my place to get involved but it's starting to affect our work. This is the worst place for us to make mistakes and we will if this keeps up."

"Se Ne wasn't idle today, I guarantee that. She may have needed space but she will keep her mind on the game. I agree though that it is affecting your work. Will Choi Young snap out of it?" She asks. I wish we could just talk normally without using our aliases. It's only adding to my frustrations for the day. I want to go home without having to look over my shoulder or wonder if the people I love are safe. I want to marry Saia and be able to see or talk to her whenever I want without having to watch what I say.

"Ji-Hoo?" I hear her softly say when I don't answer. "Tae Mu's trial starts Monday. We can't charge him with your "deaths" because when you come home, he could use it to get out of jail. Jun Pyo is furious about that but we've convinced him that there isn't any evidence to prove Tae Mu did it. But if you were to come back alive, it may scare them into leaving us alone. Why don't you all just come home?"

It's very tempting. It would be so nice to just walk away and finally end this whole thing… But something about Angiolo Botticelli has Woo Bin spooked. He keeps saying he will tell me when he's able to confirm it and it makes me uneasy. Woo Bin usually doesn't keep things from me anymore. His broken engagement to Jae Kyung was understandable. He was embarrassed about the whole thing. The fact he doesn't want to tell me yet is proof that it's something bad.

"…No." I finally say with a resigned sigh. "We have to finish this. God… I just want to knock some sense into Woo Bin & Boo Ki so that we can hurry up and get this over with."

"Now you sound more like the man I know and love." She says gently. I smile and rub my face tiredly. "I loved the flowers you sent last week. Thank you!"

"You're welcome. You didn't think I would forget did you?" I tease.

"No. But I didn't expect that. They were beautiful. I can't believe it's already been a year! It feels like we just met yesterday but it feels like I've known you forever. Does that make any sense?" She asks with a laugh.

"Yes. I understand what you mean." I chuckle.

"…Listen. I know that you don't know much about "Se Na" but… she knows what she's doing when it comes to your work. She won't do anything without a good reason no matter how insane it may seem. I hope you trust her."

"I do. She has good judgment but… I know there's more that you aren't telling me. What is it?"

"I'm sorry… but I can't tell you. It isn't my place to say and I made a promise to her. She will have to tell you herself."

"Okay. I understand."

(^_^)

ALEJANDRO'S POV:

"Who was that guy?" Miguel asks Juliana. After I dropped off Se Na, I came home to check on mother. I know that nights like this are hard on her physically. I didn't expect to find Miguel giving our sister the third degree.

"He's just some guy. Why do you care?"

"He looks Asian. I don't want you anywhere near him."

"God, I knew you were a pig but when did you become such a racist too? I've seen you dealing with Asians before. What's the big deal?" She sneers. He angrily grabs her arm and she yelps in pain.

"Yes I have and that's exactly why I want you to stay away! You don't know anything about him!" He snarl's at her.

"Let go of her Miguel." I warn him.

"Stay out of this!" He snaps at me. Grabbing his hand I pry it off of her arm and I can already see the bruises forming.

"Go check on mom." I quietly tell her. She nods wide-eyed at me and walks away. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm looking out for my sister which is more than I can say for you." He growls at me. "What if he's one of them? Do you want something to happen to her?"

"He isn't one of them. He's just a photographer. Besides, whose fault is it that dad got involved with the Maeng family? You have been playing a dangerous game with them for years. Whatever happens is on you."

Miguel clenches his jaw but walks away from me without a fight. He knows I'm right and he's scared. He's a fucking fool…

A/N: To my unnamed guest: Thank you for your review! I am thrilled you like my stories! ^^ I try to think them all through very carefully before I write.

To all my readers: I try to reply to all of your reviews through PM if I can. If I ever missed anybody, I am so sorry. All of you are important to me, including my silent readers. I can never say thank you enough. ^_^