I apologize for how long it's been since updates. Honestly, things have been so insanely busy that writing has had to take a back seat and because of that, I hit a huge wall of writer's block that I have been literally FIGHTING for the past couple of months. My intent is to finish his 'fic before the end of the year, but I hope it won't take that long. However, real-life has to take a front seat so that means writing gets pushed to the side. Thank you for remaining with me on the journey. With that being said, this is a chapter that mentions Ga Eul, but she does not appear. I know this is a Ga Eul 'fic, but I needed these scenes to push the plot forward, especially for people to start working together to start unraveling the plot that Sung Ho has put into place.
"Isn't that what got you into trouble in the first place?"
The question irked So Yi Jeong, but it had the desired effect as it halted the ascent of the tumbler full of scotch that had been headed to Yi Jeong's lips. His dark eyes shifted to glare at the individual who spoke. Song Woo Bin took no mind at the glare before he sat down across from one of his best friends and leaned back in the chair, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankle. His own gaze at Yi Jeong was almost lazy, though concerned.
"I drink because we have gotten absolutely nowhere this week regarding what exactly happened that night," Yi Jeong grumbled. "And you will notice I am not drinking where I can be taken advantage of again."
"Until you attempt to go home while drunk and don't get there," Woo Bin said. "You have got to be careful right now until we know what the hell is going on."
"How do you expect me to not drink under the circumstances?" Yi Jeong asked, starting to lift the glass again. He blinked when the tumbler was yanked from his hand and thrown across the room before Woo Bin was in his face.
"You are an idiot," Woo Bin growled. "Do you not learn at all? Your drunk ass is the reason you potentially slept with Ginger and you broke Ga Eul's heart!"
Yi Jeong's eyes flashed angrily before he shoved Woo Bin away and got to his feet. "How dare you," he snarled.
"I dare because she is my sachon and I love her," Woo Bin snapped. "I dare because you are my bro and I love you. However, you are currently doing yourself no favors by ignoring what is in your heart and relying on that damn bottle. Especially when that bottle is why you are probably in this entire mess!"
"Ji Hu-," Yi Jeong started.
"Stop blaming Ji Hu for your shortcomings," Jun Pyo's voice cut in. Yi Jeong spun to look at their leader. Jun Pyo only arched an eyebrow as he looked back at the younger man. "What? Am I wrong?"
"Is this gang up on Yi Jeong day?" he demanded.
"Stop making stupid decisions and we won't have to," Woo Bin said. He simply shrugged when Yi Jeong glared at him.
"Jun Pyo said to stop blaming me for your shortcomings," Ji Hu said as he walked down the stairs to their lounge, his hands tucked into the pocket of his trousers. "Maybe what you also need to do is stop blaming everything around you for the stupid decisions and actually take responsibility for the things you do."
"What the fuck?" Yi Jeong said, incensed. Despite having eased off of his jealousies some when it came to Ji Hu and Ga Eul, it still remained, especially as Ga Eul would only open up to Ji Hu right now and it was obvious the two were growing closer as she did so. What was not helping at all was how Ga Eul also seemed to be growing closer to Park Sung Ho and he was worried that because of an apparent mistake he lost his chance with Ga Eul. Not getting any answers was starting to weigh on him greatly.
"I say this because I am your friend, brother, and cousin, but the fact of the matter is one of your biggest shortcomings is how you place a lot of the blame for your own actions on others," Ji Hu said. "You blame your lack of desire to commit on your parent's relationship. While understandable, you can not let their fucked up relationship determine your own. You blame your drinking at various intervals on their relationship as well and how it has affected you throughout your life. Still understandable, but drowning every one of your sorrows to forget in alcohol is what has gotten you into the situation we are currently trying to help you resolve, yet you once again continue to drink and therefore blame it on me."
"If you had-," Yi Jeong started.
"Shut it and shove it," Ji Hu interrupted him. "We hashed this out already and I refuse to allow you to keep blaming me because you did not step up and tell Ga Eul how you felt about her. And instead of sticking around to either hash out what you thought you were witnessing with us and declaring your feelings then, you ran off and stuck your head in a liquor bottle and may have slept with Ginger."
"I didn't sleep with her!" Yi Jeong snapped. "Why doesn't anyone believe me?!"
"It's not that we don't believe you," Jun Pyo said. "We know how much you despise that bitch and would never touch her. However, right now, the evidence strongly points to the fact that you did, and the fact that we are having issues with finding evidence to deny it proves the point that because of your need to bury yourself in a bottle instead of facing shit head-on, you may have done the unthinkable with her as well as hurt my yeodongsaeng. So if you want to take all of this and see it as gang up on Yi Jeong day, so be it. Otherwise, you need to seriously step up and make some changes to yourself so this doesn't happen again, and if you have any hope at all of not only making amends with Ga Eul but also pursuing her as you apparently want to. But I will be perfectly blunt with you, if you don't make some changes, I will never approve of you dating her."
"Nor will I," Woo Bin said. Yi Jeong looked at two of his best friends hurt before leveling a gaze at the third.
"And you?" he asked.
Ji Hu simply shrugged. "I am not her oppa or her sachon, so technically I don't have a full say. As one of her close friends, I will say that no I won't approve either."
Yi Jeong scoffed and looked away from them, hurt lancing through his body. "So that's it? Years of friendship and suddenly I'm not worthy?" he asked.
"Seriously? That is your takeaway from this?" Woo Bin asked. "Pabo."
Ji Hu put up a hand as Yi Jeong whirled angrily. "Yi Jeong, stop and think from our perspective. Honestly stop and analyze the situation," he said. "Put yourself in Jun Pyo's shoes or Woo Bin's. Hell, even mine. It's obvious that Woo Bin told you some time ago to tell Ga Eul how you felt or lose her and yet what did you do? You continued to go out carousing and drinking. Granted, not as much as you used to before you met her, but you still did it. You ignored your own emotions and for what? Because you don't think you are worthy of a relationship?"
"Because I'm-."
"I'm not finished," Ji Hu said. "When it came down to it and you witnessed Ga Eul and I almost kiss, instead of making yourself known, as well as your feelings, you ran and buried your head in a bottle. As the evidence stands right now until we can prove otherwise, you got blackout drunk and slept with someone. On past occasions, it's been someone random, but this time it seems that someone random turns out to be someone you absolutely despise. Someone who also hates Ga Eul and is doing everything within her power to hurt Ga Eul and humiliate her at every turn. She is obsessed with you and obviously sees your connection with Ga Eul, and most likely both of your feelings, and can now use this supposed act as fuel to hurt her. Starting with images of the two of you in bed together."
"I did not sleep with her," Yi Jeong said darkly through gritted teeth.
"Honestly, Yi Jeong, we do believe you," Woo Bin said. "At least we believe that you think that, but Ji Hu has a very good point as he did shortly after the debacle of seeing those images. We have no definitive proof yet that you were set up or that those images were doctored. As of right now, all evidence points to it happening until we can prove otherwise. And believe me, I am digging as hard as I can to prove it didn't actually happen, but we can only go with what we have on hand right now."
"In the meantime, Ga Eul is the one most hurt by all of this," Jun Pyo said. "So Ji Hu has a point. Instead of thinking we are ganging up on you or throwing away a relationship, look at it from our angle. Ga Eul is my yeodongsaeng and she is hurting. She is vulnerable and has that asshole Sung Ho sniffing around her and she's letting him remain around her. However, I have no legs to stand on at the moment to tell her to stay away from him because he hasn't done anything to hurt her and has been nothing but supportive."
"You'd let her date him?" Yi Jeong asked.
Jun Pyo simply arched an eyebrow. "I don't have a say in who Ga Eul chooses to date, because if I tried simply because I don't like a person, she'd rip me up one side and down the other before turning me over to Noona to let her have a go," he said. "I'd rather she date you if I had my druthers because I think that despite all of your misgivings about relationships, you genuinely care for her and would love her with everything in you."
"I hear a but, considering you said just moments ago you wouldn't approve," Yi Jeong said with speculation.
"The way you are right now? You are right. I wouldn't approve and for the reasons I've already stated. You constantly need to bury your head into a bottle whenever things get too rough. You hide from your feelings and blame others, namely your parents, for why things are so screwed up for you. Instead of stepping up and changing things for yourself, you make excuses and self-destruct. I don't want that for Ga Eul. I want a man in her life who is going to put her needs first and love her deeply," Jun Pyo said. "I do think that can be you, Yi Jeong, but you need to stop the self-destruction before it gets worse and you end up in a worse situation than you currently find yourself in."
"Jun Pyo and Ji Hu are right," Woo Bin said. "Bro, listen to us before you get yourself pissed. "We are not ending our friendship nor are we saying you aren't worthy of being with Ga Eul. What we are saying, finally, is that you need to stop this downward spiral that is going to inevitably destroy you. Maybe it's our fault in a way because we didn't try to intervene sooner, but we thought... at least I thought, you would start to see that the path your parents took is not your path and that you can be different."
"I think we all thought that," Ji Hu said. "But we, admittedly, all have our own screwed-up lives we have been dealing with. None of us have learned to navigate them well, some of us are just better at wading through this hell most of the time than others are."
"Is that some sort of superiority crack?" Yi Jeong questioned.
"Pabo," Ji Hu said but offered a small smile to soften the insult. "If I were superior to you, I wouldn't have sleepless nights because of nightmares and flashbacks."
"What?" Jun Pyo asked.
"What? You thought I took the naps in odd places because I have something like narcolepsy?" Ji Hu questioned. "I sleep because my body essentially shuts down because I don't sleep well at night. I haven't for years. My skills with music aren't solely from being a musical prodigy. It's also from sleepless nights where the only thing to keep me from panic attacks was practicing music."
"You never let on," Woo Bin said.
"Neither did you when you started having night terrors from some of the things you've seen and done," Ji Hu pointed out.
"Especially after the last big issue you had to be a part of that almost found you in the hospital if not for Yi Jeong pulling you back," Jun Pyo said. Woo Bin turned his head and arched a brow at Yi Jeong.
Yi Jeong lifted his hands in surrender. "I never said a word," he said.
"You didn't have to," Jun Pyo said. "I may be narcissistic at times, but I'm not blind to what happens in my best friends' lives. I just figured you didn't reveal anything to Ji Hu or me because you didn't want to burden us with it or you thought we'd view you differently."
"None of us are blind to the others," Ji Hu said. "Not revealing feelings for people notwithstanding." He pointed his finger at Yi Jeong. "The point of all of this is that we are brothers. Actual familial relations aside, we chose to be friends and blood brothers long ago. We are all the others have had for most of our lives. Despite what happened with Jan Di, I don't think any of us will get to a point where we can turn our backs on each other easily."
"Even then, Jun Pyo still managed to find a way to give in without seeming like he was giving in," Woo Bin said, grinning at their leader.
"Yah," Jun Pyo said before shaking his head at Woo Bin's snicker. He focused his dark gaze on Yi Jeong. "I need you to promise me something, Yi Jeong."
Yi Jeong eyed him dubiously. "What?" he questioned wariness in his tone.
"I need you to straighten your life around, especially if you want to be in Ga Eul's life as more than just a friend," Jun Pyo said. "I won't let you do to her what your abeoji has done to your eomeoni. And you need to stop thinking that you do not deserve to have any sort of happiness because your bumonim have made each other miserable over the years. You are not either of them."
"Jun Pyo is right," Ji Hu said. "You can not compare yourself to either of your bumonim. You need to realize that you are a better person who can move forward. But you have to want to do that as well. You have to stop living in the past and break away from the perception that you are just like your abeoji."
"I never-," Yi Jeong started.
"Since you hit puberty, you have always been compared to him," Jun Pyo said. "Especially by your eomeoni. Unfortunately, because you started to witness all that he did, you took that to mean that you would end up like him. The thing is... you are not him. You never have been. I have no idea how he was when he was our age before he met my eomma and fell for her and had the falling out with appa, but for as long as I have known the man you could never be him."
"Jun Pyo's right," Woo Bin said. "You care too much about people, for as much as you try to hide it, to ever be like So Hyun Sub."
"And yet-," Yi Jeong started.
"If you say and yet you hurt Ga Eul, I'll hit you," Ji Hu said. He lifted his finger at Yi Jeong's glower. "Yes, you have hurt her. That does not make you So Hyun Sub. It just makes you an idiot."
"Yah!" Yi Jeong said.
"He is not wrong," Jun Hee said as she walked down the steps to the lounge. The four men turned, surprised at her entrance. She simply shrugged at the glare Yi Jeong sent her way. "Glare all you want, but he is not wrong."
"What are you doing here?" Jun Pyo questioned. Woo Bin smacked Yi Jeong's arm for glaring at Jun Hee.
"I was looking for Ga Eul and hoped she was here," Jun Hee said. "Because I really did not want to believe what I heard upon returning to Korea after I was gone to handle some things in the States as I arrange to move back."
"What did you hear?" Ji Hu questioned.
"That she is dating Park Sung Ho because Yi Jeong stupidly got drunk and slept with Choi Jin Hee when he thought that Ga Eul and Ji Hu had kissed," Jun Hee said. "Does that about sum it up?"
"Sung Ho and Ga Eul are dating?!" Yi Jeong demanded.
"Not a chance in hell!" Jun Pyo proclaimed.
"Then care to tell me why she was leaving in his car with him as I was heading here?" Jun Hee asked.
"After the incident where it seems to prove that Ginger and Yi Jeong did sleep together, Ga Eul grabbed Sung Ho's arm and asked him to get her out of there," Ji Hu said. "That was a week ago. Since then, he has been around her more but she's made no mention of dating him."
"Would she?" Woo Bin questioned. "Since she knows how we feel about him?"
Ji Hu shrugged his shoulders. "To you and Jun Pyo? Probably not, but she'd at least mention it to me," he said. He gave Yi Jeong a pointed look when the other man bristled. "Knock it off."
"Let me guess?" Jun Hee questioned. "Jealous idiocy?"
"Would seem that is how this whole mess came about," Ji Hu commented.
"I am standing right here!" Yi Jeong said. Jun Hee walked over and smacked him upside the head. "Jun Hee-noona!"
Jun Hee arched a brow. "What? You deserved it, pabo," she said. "Yi Jeong, it's obvious how you feel about Ga Eul, yet you have said nothing, but you act the jealous boyfriend? And instead of talking it through, you end up in Choi Jin Hee's bed?!"
"I didn't sleep with her! I swear!" Yi Jeong said.
"The problem we are running into," Woo Bin told his cousin. "Is that we can't find evidence that the picture was either tampered with, staged, or if something was done to Yi Jeong. He has no memory of that night."
Jun Hee frowned as she glanced at Woo Bin. "So they knew who to hide from," she said.
"Noona?" Jun Pyo asked.
"If it was staged and Yi Jeong was messed with in any way to stage it," Jun Hee said. "Then they knew that they were going to need to hide their tracks from the Song family definitely and at least Ji Hu, Yi Jeong, and Jun Pyo all together because you would find out easily."
"Which means it's going to be almost impossible to find evidence otherwise," Yi Jeong said sullenly.
Jun Hee smirked. "You think so?" she asked.
Ji Hu narrowed his eyes slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You have something planned," he said.
"Don't I always?" Jun Hee asked. "I said whoever did this knew that they needed to hide their tracks from the Song family, you, Jun Pyo, and Yi Jeong. I never said they knew they would need to hide their tracks from others within our family who have just as much pull."
"Meaning?" Woo Bin asked.
"Leave Yi Jeong's situation to me, the rest of you keep a close eye on Park Sung Ho and his attention to Ga Eul," Jun Hee said. She gave Yi Jeong a look. "And you step up when it comes to Ga Eul. I can tell you care for her, but if you do not do anything about it because you think you are like Hyun Sub-sachon, then I reserve the right to beat you with a stick."
"The women of your family are violent," Yi Jeong said to Jun Pyo.
"But effective," Jun Pyo pointed out.
The last thing Sunny expected to see as she exited her house was Song Woo Bin leaning against his yellow Lotus, his legs crossed at the ankle. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse as she watched him. Ever since the incident where he had told her that the red card had not been initiated by the F4, he had kept his promise of protecting her. It had been driving Ginger and Miranda crazy when the F4 had made it clear to the school after the incident with Yi Jeong's current scandal that anyone dealing with the cards that pretended to be from the F4 would be severely punished and that if anyone hurt Sunny again in the name of that card, there would be issues to be had, namely with Woo Bin. Since then, he had made himself almost a permanent fixture in her life.
Unfortunately, this also meant that it brought the attention of her sister as well, who was suddenly making Sunny's life hell at home. Despite her impending union to the father of her unborn child, Park Sun Lee had thrown a tantrum over Woo Bin involving himself in Sunny's life since the day he drove her home from the hospital after making sure she was fine after the incident at school where he had learned about the red card. Despite Sunny assuring Woo Bin that she was perfectly fine, he had simply given her a look before bodily carrying her into the house and to her room without even a pause. She had seen the pleased look on her grandmother's face and the curiosity on both of her parents. It also meant she saw the absolute fury on Sun Lee's face. Once Woo Bin had left, Sun Lee had stormed Sunny's room demanding answers. It had led to a loud argument over how Sun Lee had no say in who Sunny spent time with nor did she have a say over if Woo Bin was welcome or not. While their grandmother had brought the manner to a close, Sun Lee had been getting in her licks to Sunny outside of the family matriarch's watchful eye.
"You know, you could look happier to see me," Woo Bin teased her as she came down the steps.
"Who would be happy to see a gangster?" a shrill voice questioned from behind Sunny. A deep chuckle followed the statement and Sunny watched Woo Bin's body tense as Sun Lee had followed Sunny out and the chuckle meant that her fiance, Keng Wook Shi, was with her.
"My guess is you considering who you are presently beside," Woo Bin managed to say, still lazily leaning against his Lotus. He tilted his head. "Right, Wook Shi?"
Sunny had to bite back a small smile as she ducked her head from Woo Bin's words. Unlike the Songs, who made it very clear that any dealings they did with the mafia were kept downplayed and were only done as necessary, the Kengs openly displayed their own connections. In fact, it was no secret that the Kengs hoped to one day knock the Songs from their place as head of the mafia. The unfortunate thing was that none of the men of the Keng family had the means, nor the trust of the other families, in the way the Songs did. They underestimated the Songs at every turn and Sunny knew that eventually, it would catch up to them.
"Watch how you speak to my fiancee, Song Woo Bin," Wook Shi said.
"No worries," Woo Bin said pushing himself off the side of his Lotus as he walked over to Sunny. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, smirking at the other couple. "Personally, I'd rather not speak to her at all if I can help it. I'm just here to pick up Sunny."
"Her name is Sun Ja," Sun Lee snapped.
"I prefer Sunny," Sunny said as she looked at her sister. "And since Woo Bin respects that, especially as I've encouraged him to call me that, it's perfectly fine for him to address me as such."
"Your name-," Sun Lee started through gritted teeth.
"You aren't my mother, Park Sun Lee," Sunny said, annoyance creeping into her tone. "And you certainly never act like my eonni, so frankly I don't give a damn what your thoughts are regarding what I prefer to be called or not. You certainly have no say in who I spend my time with. I'm tired of this argument with you, especially after halmeoni firmly stated such."
"Show respect to your eonni, Park Sun Ja," Wook Shi said, reaching to grab her arm. "Until you do, you aren't going any- ah!" Before Wook Shi's fingers had managed to wrap around Sunny's arm, Woo Bin's own hand was wrapped around his wrist.
"Dare to touch her and you'll regret it, Keng Wook Shi," Woo Bin said, his tone darkening.
"Typical gangster, resorting to violence," Sun Lee said, smacking Woo Bin's arm. "Let my fiance go, you brute!" She cringed when Woo Bin shifted dark eyes to her.
"But he can grab your iyeodongsaeng/i and it's fine?" Woo Bin questioned. "Like hell."
"Woo Bin," Sunny said, touching his arm.
"Get in the car, Sunny," Woo Bin said sharply. "I'll handle this."
"Woo Bin, please," Sunny said, wrapping her hand around his upper arm. "They aren't worth it."
"He tried to grab you," Woo Bin said.
Sunny had to bite her tongue to keep from mentioning that it was not the first time. "Tried, but you stopped him. Please, they are not worth this. Let's just go," she said. There must have been enough hesitation in her voice before she spoke for Woo Bin to realize what it was she was not telling him. He gave her a sharp nod but stepped closer to Wook Shi.
"If you touch her again, I will break you," Woo Bin said in a low, dangerous tone. He stared Wook Shi down with enough dangerous intent that he saw the man pale as he realized the severity of the situation and how serious Woo Bin was about protecting Sunny. When he gave a single nod, Woo Bin released his arm and turned, gently taking Sunny's arm and leading her to the car. He opened the door for her and closed it once she was firmly seated in the passenger seat.
"You are nothing more than a thug, Song Woo Bin!" Sun Lee screeched at him as he rounded the front of his lotus. Woo Bin arched a brow at the couple.
"You allow a piece of trash like that to put hands on your yeodongsaeng, Park Sun Lee," Woo Bin said. "That makes you just as much trash as he is and if protecting Sunny from trash makes me a thug, I'll gladly be one any day." He opened the door before pausing and looked at Sun Lee again. "By the way, Sun Lee. Thank you. Thank you for breaking my heart and showing me your true self when you did. You have certainly opened my eyes to what matters more and I'm thankful to not have myself tied down by trash like you." He patted the top of his car before folding his long frame into the driver's seat, closing the door on Sun Lee's screeching before driving off.
The ride was silent for a good ten minutes while Sunny tried to figure out what to say to the man who was still fuming beside her. Despite his words, she wondered if he truly was thankful for being shown Sun Lee's true nature or not. Every time she attempted to open her mouth, words escaped her and she had no idea what to ask. Instead, she twisted her fingers in her lap as she looked out the window of her side of the car.
"How often has he touched you?"
Sunny turned and stared at Woo Bin's profile. "What?"
"Wook Si," Woo Bin said, his knuckles tight around the steering wheel. "How often has he touched you?"
"Don't," Sunny said, looking away. "It doesn't-."
"If you say it doesn't matter, I will turn this car around and go beat the shit out of him," Woo Bin snapped. "As it stands, you are not going back to that house."
"You can't say that!" Sunny said, shifting in her seat. "You can't tell me I can't go back to my home!"
"Is he living there right now?" Woo Bin demanded.
"Well... sort of," Sunny admitted.
"Then you aren't going back there. And if I have to call your halmeoni myself to explain why I will," Woo Bin said.
"Song Woo Bin, you are not my boyfriend, fiancee, or husband!" Sunny said. "You do not get to tell me what I can or can not do or where I can or can not live!"
"Well, maybe I should be!" Woo Bin snapped. They were five words that stunned Sunny into silence as she stared at him. His eyes never left the road as he continued to drive. His cheekbones were slightly flushed and she was not sure if it was due to anger, embarrassment, or a combination. Sunny had absolutely no clue how to even respond to what he just said.
"At least," Woo Bin said, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to break the silence. He cleared his throat before trying once more. "At least stay with Ga Eul for a couple of days. Just... just say you want to spend more time with her or something."
"I doubt Gu Jun Pyo will-," Sunny tried to say, looking down at her hands.
"Gu Jun Pyo won't say a word," Woo Bin said. "Especially if I spin it that you are also on board for ensuring that Sung Ho can't get his claws into Ga Eul."
"She and I are becoming friends, but I don't know if I have a lot of clout to keep her from going out with him. Especially when he's been so kind to her in light of Ginger and Yi Jeong, according to her," Sunny said with a frown. "Even if I don't think his intentions are pure, I don't know if she'll listen."
"He wouldn't know pure if it smacked him in the face," Woo Bin grumbled. "Wait, you don't think his intentions are pure either?"
Sunny scoffed. "As you said, he wouldn't know pure if it smacked him in the face," she said. "Plus, I overheard Miranda talking to Ginger about how she had also been spending time with Sung Ho."
"What?" Woo Bin asked. "When was this?"
"Yesterday," Sunny said. "Actually, once I realized you were picking me up, I intended on telling you once in the car. But then the entire situation with Sun Lee and Wook Shi happened and you suddenly came forward with the outburst that maybe you should be my boyfriend and have the right to-."
"The status of our relationship is something to be discussed later," Woo Bin interrupted. "First, we deal with this Ga Eul and Sung Ho situation."
"What?" Sunny questioned. "What do you mean the status of our relationship is to be discussed later? There is no-."
Woo Bin swerved his Lotus to the side of the road and threw the car into park before he turned in his seat. Reaching over her put his hand on the back of Sunny's head and drew her forward before claiming her lips with his own. He felt her tense and heard her squeak against her lips, but instead of pulling away, he simply massaged her lips with his own until he felt them part and he immediately let his tongue slip past her lips to mingle with her, tasting a mixture of chocolate and strawberry from something she obviously ate before coming out of the house. Two of his favorite flavors mingled with the taste that was purely Sunny was suddenly intoxicating to him and he immediately drew her into a deeper kiss. He was too absorbed in the feel of their mouths moving together to feel triumphant when the fingers of one hand slid into his hair and the other curled into the lapel of his jacket at his chest. After a few moments, and needing air, the two parted. The only sound at first was their breathing as they each worked to catch their breath.
"You were saying about the status of our relationship?" Woo Bin asked, brushing some of Sunny's hair away from her face before resting his forehead against hers. The husky tone to his voice caused Sunny to shiver and he chuckled, even as she smacked his chest.
"That was unfair," she said. She swallowed hard, smacking him again. "Don't... don't toy with me, Song Woo Bin." He heard the soft plea and tears in her voice. He lifted his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I'm not," he murmured against her skin before he moved and pressed their foreheads together again. "I promise. We will discuss this more, I am not toying with you. But I do want to resolve whatever is going on with Ga Eul and Sung Ho first because frankly, you deserve all of my attention when we have that conversation."
Sunny took a shuddering breath, lightly smacking his chest again before her fingers curled into his jacket once more. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her pounding heart to settle. Once she felt a little more grounded, she pulled back, cursing the single tear that slipped down her cheek. She shook her head at Woo Bin's suddenly worried look even as she wiped the tear from her cheek and cleared her throat.
"Okay, we'll table the discussion of us for later. So what do you need from me regarding Ga Eul and Sung Ho?" she asked.
Woo Bin smiled softly and reached a hand up to brush his thumb over her cheekbone to finish wiping the stray tear. "She is avoiding the topic with Ji Hu and refuses to discuss it with me or Jun Pyo. As her friend, do you think you can find out how serious she is about Sung Ho?" he asked.
"I'll see what I can do."