Thank you SO much to those who have already reviewed! You have blown me away with how much you have embraced this story already.
I just want to make a quick author's note: Geum Jan Di is very much going to be a background character more in this story, as its focus is the four guys, their families, and Ga Eul. There will be a point where Jan Di will actually not be shown in a favorable light either. As much as I actually dislike the character, I will eventually have things come around with her, but this is a forewarning that there will come a point in the upcoming chapters where that will happen. So if you are a huge Jan Di fan, be forewarned in that regard.
"Still no news?" Bon Hyeong asked Lee Bin as he leaned back in the plush chair in his office, cradling a cup of tea in his hands.
"Some," Lee Bin admitted. "At least on Chu Ga Eul."
Bon Hyeong lifted his eyes to Lee Bin, a dark brow arching upwards. "Such as?" He couldn't help the hope that peppered his tone as he asked the simple question.
"Those who currently take care of her are not her parents," Lee Bin said. "In fact, she shouldn't even carry the man's name as neither are legally even her adopted parents. But someone is paying them to take care of her."
A frown formed as Bon Hyeong leaned forward and set his teacup down. "Why would they care for her but not adopt her?" he asked.
"I am still investigating that," Lee Bin said. "As well as everything I can about who is funneling them the money to do so. Unfortunately, I am hitting some roadblocks, which is concerning. Whoever arranged for this is powerful enough to keep their tracks hidden. Which makes me wonder why this girl's true identity is such a secret."
"Such as if she was actually my daughter with Shan Gi?" Bon Hyeong questioned. Lee Bin simply nodded. Bon Hyeong let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose to ease the tension he was feeling. "Powerful enough… Can we rule out So Hyun Sub?"
Lee Bin nodded. "As much as I hate that son of a bitch for what he's put my cousin through all these years, as well as essentially damaging his sons, the one thing we can guarantee is that he never would have hurt Shan Gi," he said. "He might have forfeit his friendship with you when she chose you over him, but he wouldn't have ever done something to harm Shan Gi. Attempt to seduce her away if he thought he could, but never hurt her. And if Chu Ga Eul is your daughter, he would have guaranteed her being taken care of better than she is now."
"Meaning?" Bon Hyeong asked. "Is she being abused?"
"I don't think so, but if she is I am hoping the investigation will turn that up," Lee Bin admitted. "What I meant is that he would have ensured she was legally adopted by a wealthy family and cared for. In his warped head, I am sure that would have been his final gift to Shan Gi. However, if someone was behind the accident that killed her and he knew of it, I can't see him keeping it a secret from any of us, even you."
Bon Hyeong sighed heavily, leaning back in his seat, letting his head fall back against the leather. "You are aware of the… competition that Jun Pyo and Ji Hu are currently embroiled in, yes?"
"Sadly," Lee Bin said, crossing his leg so that his ankle rested on the opposite knee. "Woo Bin informed his mother and me. It saddened us both to think that history was repeating itself."
"God, I hope that is not the case," Bon Hyeong admitted. "I hope that Jun Hee's interference will keep those boys from ruining their friendship the way Hyun Sub and I did."
"One of the differences that I can see, based on what Woo Bin has said, is that Ji Hu is not nearly as invested in this Geum Jan Di as Hyun Sub was in Shan Gi," Lee Bin said. "Woo Bin thinks that had circumstances been different and Ji Hu had not gone off to Paris after Min Seo Hyun, he would have pursued Geum Jan Di before she became interested in Jun Pyo. Perhaps Jun Pyo would never have fallen for her."
"Unfortunately, that's not what happened," Bon Hyeong said. "And now the two are competing with one another that could result in Ji Hu being expelled from Shinhwa and cut off from the only family he has known."
"Jun Hee has assured me when I've talked to her that she doesn't intend on allowing it to get that far," Lee Bin said.
"Can she prevent it?" Bon Hyeong asked honestly. "Especially since she is distracted by Chu Ga Eul."
"She is holding herself well at the moment," Lee Bin said. "She's entrusting me to find out what we need to know so that she can focus on the competition and teaching Jun Pyo that he can't always have his way."
"An attitude that is all my fault," Bon Hyeong admitted. Lee Bin arched a brow at his brother-in-law. "Losing Shan Gi was the single most devastating thing of my life. The only reason Kang Hee Soo managed to get her claws into my family is because I buried myself in work to escape the pain of losing the love of my life. When I agreed to marry her, it was on the condition she would be a mother to Jun Hee and Jun Pyo. Instead, she left them to nannies and I allowed it. Jun Hee raised her brother more than anyone."
"Thankfully you have an out if you really wanted that woman out of your life," Lee Bin said.
Bon Hyeong frowned as his head lifted to look at Lee Bin fully. "What?"
Lee Bin merely smirked and leaned back, cradling his tea in hand. He took a moment to sip and savor the strong brew before answering the man. "You forget that we share some of the same lawyers, especially under the circumstances that I am married to your yeodongsaeng," he said. "And some lawyers are very good about ensuring that family matters are shared with family in case knowledge is needed. And in this case, it was very much needed when I began investigating Chu Ga Eul."
"I recognize that you often speak in riddles to some people due to your darker business matters, but you rarely have with me," Bon Hyeong pointed out. "So why not speak plainly."
"Your marriage was never registered," Lee Bin said. "Technically speaking, Kang Hee Soo is simply an employee at Shinhwa that lays claim to the title of wife, but she is not legally so."
Bon Hyeong sat straighter and shifted to the edge of his chair. "What? How the hell did that happen?" he demanded. "And how was I never told?"
"I don't think anyone read the fine print on the agreement of marriage," Lee Bin said. "And you can thank your late appa for that bit of genius."
"What fine print? Lee Bin tell me what you found out," Bon Hyeong demanded. Lee Bin couldn't help the smirk that wanted to cross his features as Bon Hyeong showed exactly where Jun Pyo got his hot head from. He lifted his hands in surrender when the other man growled.
"It's a recent discovery that Lawyer Park informed your yeodongsaeng of as she was reviewing some legal documents," Lee Bin said. "When she mentioned to her that we were looking into Shan Gi's accident, Park Hyejin asked her if it had anything to do with the marriage clause and why the marriage had never been registered."
"Marriage clause?" Bon Hyeong questioned. "Did she explain?"
"Mm," Lee Bin hummed affirmatively. "Apparently your appa ensured that when your marriage contract with Kang Hee Soo was created that a clause was put in that the marriage would not be officially registered unless the two of you had a biological child between you. Until that time, the signed registration would remain at the lawyer's office. Should a child never occur, you would never be legally married and therefore none of your assets would ever go to Kang Hee Soo. Any position she has at Shinhwa is entirely at your discretion as she is nothing more than another employee."
Sitting back once more, his face showing his astonishment, Bon Hyeong could only describe what he was feeling as being gobsmacked. He remembered the day his mother had put the marriage contract in front of him. Too tied up with grief over Shan Gi, he had only reluctantly signed because of his children. In fact, he had gone toe to toe with Hyun Sub when the man had found out because it had not even been a month since Shan Gi and their child had been lost that his mother had pushed the contract on him. He was certain there was no way his mother had known of the clause, nor would Kang Hee Soo have known. Otherwise, she would have done everything in her power to attempt to produce at least one child. As it was, the few times they had been intimate had been lackluster on his part as he had no desire to touch the woman, and she had ensured that no child would ever come from their coupling. Perhaps her ambition had finally caught up to her and his father knew that it would.
"So you're telling me that I am not legally bound to keep that woman in my life," he said.
"Exactly," Lee Bin said. "You should have seen the glee on your yeodongsaeng's face as she told me."
"I can only imagine," Bon Hyeong said, amused. "She never did like the bitch."
"None of us did, including your children. Unfortunately, she's the only supposed mother that Jun Pyo remembers," Lee Bin pointed out.
"Another of my failures," Bon Hyeong admitted. "I allowed her to remove all images of Shan Gi from the house when she moved in. If I hadn't, perhaps Jun Pyo would have seen the resemblance with Chu Ga Eul long before Jun Hee did."
"Water under the bridge at the moment, though if any of those images still exist, you may want to get them ready to be shown again," Lee Bin said. "If it's discovered that Chu Ga Eul is the child you thought you lost, you will need those for her to look at as well as to show the boys so they understand."
"Thankfully, Jun Hee saved them when Kang Hee Soo attempted to get rid of them," Bon Hyeong said. "She has them all."
"Good," Lee Bin said. He reached for his phone as it began to ring. Lifting it to his ear, he answered and was quiet a moment before speaking. "Meet me in my office in one hour, we'll discuss what you've found then." After receiving acknowledgment, he hung up and set his teacup down.
"News?" Bon Hyeong asked.
"Maybe," Lee Bin admitted. "I'll know more once I get the reports." He got to his feet, reaching to shake Bon Hyeong's hand. "In the meantime, we should make Yun Seok Young and So Yun He aware of what is going on. It's going to be time to let the boys know our connections."
"Keep me updated on what you find out." Lee Bin gave a two-fingered salute to Bon Hyeong as he left the office. Instead of rising to walk back to his desk, Bon Hyeong simply let his head fall back once more. He ignored the vibrations that started to come from his cell phone as let himself get lost in his thoughts.
Kang Hee Soo hissed as the phone once more went to voicemail as she attempted to call Gu Bon Hyeong. She threw the offending thing onto her desk and looked out the window of her office that overlooked Seoul. She had been attempting to get a hold of her husband over the past couple of days as another of her attempted acquisitions was denied by the legal department. No amount of threatening and yelling from her made them budge and they finally told her that it didn't matter what she said. That if they didn't get permission from Bon Hyeong himself, they would not be moving forward.
Jeong Sang Rok studied the woman a moment from the doorway before entering and setting requested documents onto her desk. He watched her profile a moment and made a mental note to report her annoyance to Gu Bon Hyeong immediately and to keep an eye on things to ensure that she didn't attempt, yet again, to circumvent the things that Bon Hyeong did in the company and have her own ambitions driven further. Many of the recent acquisitions she had attempted had been discovered and thwarted thanks to Sang Rok finally having enough over the years and ensuring that he reported everything he could to Bon Hyeong without question. His loyalties were with the Gu family and despite Kang Hee Soo being Bon Hyeong's wife, Sang Rok had no real loyalties to her and was simply biding his time until Gu Jun Pyo would begin working in the company and he moved over to work with the young man.
"Have you managed to get in touch with my husband?" Hee Soo snapped without looking at him, allowing him to clench his jaw in annoyance.
"No, madam," Sang Rok said. "His secretary said that he has been in back to back meetings and hasn't had time to answer any calls that were not handled by her or his personal assistant."
"I don't want to speak with either of those idiots," Hee See said through clenched teeth, her hand fisting on the arm of her chair. "Find a way to contact him and tell him I want to speak to him."
"Of course, madam," Sang Rok said. He gave her a short bow before he turned and left the office. His steps slowed as he let the door almost close when he heard her phone ringing before she put it on speaker.
"I told you never to call this line." A frown formed on Sang Rok's face at that line. It certainly caught his attention. Sang Rok shifted and peered through the crack in the door.
"Apologies, madam, but we thought you should know that Song Lee Bin is investigating the crash and the girl."
"What is there to investigate?" Hee Soo questioned. "You ensured that there was nothing that could trace back to me or anyone involved and those idiots are being paid very well for raising the brat."
"It would appear that the girl has managed to catch the attention of Gu Jun Hee after meeting her through Gu Jun Pyo and Geum Jan Di."
Sang Rok's frown deepened further as Hee Soo's palm slapped the top of her desk. "You damn idiots!" she snarled. "Why the hell did anyone allow that stupid girl to be anywhere any member of the Gu, Song, Yun, or So families could see her?!"
"Madam, there is no way anyone could have foreseen-."
"I don't give a damn what was foreseen," Hee Soo said. "Ensure that she is kept away from them and that this investigation is squashed. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, madam." Slapping her phone, the call went dead. Sang Rok immediately retreated from the door before Hee Soo could notice his presence. He had to speak to Gu Jun Hee or Gu Bon Hyeong as soon as possible.
"Yi Jeong, are you done with the preparations for your display?" Jun Hee asked the young man as she sipped her drink while they sat at the table above the racetrack where Ji Hu and Jun Pyo would be racing.
"Yes," Yi Jeong said with a smile.
"When did you say it was?" Jun Hee asked as Woo Bin took some of the appetizers being served onto his plate.
"I think it's probably going to be next month," Yi Jeong responded.
"I'll have to go see it," Jun Hee said with a soft laugh. She glanced over when she saw Butler Lee moving over to the two new arrivals. Getting to her feet, she rushed over to Jan Di and Ga Eul. "Come on in!" Jan Di was engulfed by Jun Hee's hug before the older woman also hugged Ga Eul. She clung to the young woman a moment, keeping her voice chipper as she mentioned the weather.
Yi Jeong watched the scene curiously before leaning over to Woo Bin. "Has Jun Hee-noona mentioned anything more to you about why she needed Ga Eul's picture?" he asked.
Woo Bin shook his head as he set his glass down. "Nothing," he said. "I thought maybe she had forgotten. What's even odder is that my father has had a couple of meetings lately with Gu Bon Hyeong."
Yi Jeong turned to look at Woo Bin surprised. Before he could respond, Jun Hee led Jan Di and Ga Eul to the table, immediately pulling Jan Di to sit beside her. Ga Eul took the only other available seat beside him. His head turned as he admired how lovely she looked. He had to force himself to look away, missing the young woman's glance in his direction. Immediately Jun Hee ordered two hot cocoas for the girls.
Yi Jeong and Woo Bin didn't have time to reflect on their discussion as they headed to see Jun Pyo and Ji Hu before the race, each hoping they could speak to their friends about ending things now and letting it go. Instead of doing so, the two men continued on, with Ji Hu further inciting Jun Pyo's ire while speaking to Jan Di before the race and kissing her forehead after hugging her. While Jun Pyo and Ji Hu got ready for the race, the other four returned to the upper floor to watch after Yi Jeong had followed Ji Hu and Woo Bin had followed Jun Pyo.
If either Casanova or Don Juan had thought about it, they would have realized that Ji Hu had struck the very nerve that was Jan Di with Jun Pyo in order to take advantage of the race. The gasps of astonishment when Jun Pyo had spun out and lost control sent Woo Bin and Yi Jeong down to the track in time for them to see Ji Hu cross the finish line and receive the checkered flag. The competition was now down to the final game. Looking towards that, Woo Bin and Yi Jeong temporarily forgot about Jun Hee's fascination with Ga Eul and how she had hugged the girl so fondly when she had arrived. They were only that much closer now to everything unraveling as Song Lee Bin grew ever closer to the truth of Ga Eul's identity.