Thank you for the reviews. I apologize for how long this update took to post. Things have been INCREDIBLY busy for me at work and nothing is slowing down right now. So I am just powering through. With that in mind, I've decided that I am going to focus solely on this story until I finish it. So Mend These Shattered Pieces and The Heart's Prism are currently on hold until I can get this one finished. If inspiration suddenly strikes and the muses demand I write an update for one of those I will, but as things are start to really ramp up in this story, I need to focus on it so I continue telling a good story. As it is, this chapter was getting extremely long so things that were GOING to happen in this chapter will now be in the next, but that's probably for the best so I am not rushing those scenes just to get it done. I also want to say thank you again for the reviews and encouragement. Because of that, this story is now the longest fan fiction I have ever written. The last one I wrote that was super long was like 75K. This one is about 85K and still growing. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will work hard to get the next update done faster.
"You're really going to leave?" Ga Eul asked Geum Jan Di as they walked side by side up the pathway to Shinhwa Academy. They two had slowly been rebuilding their friendship, especially since the accident a couple of weeks prior.
"Appa keeps getting into trouble with debtors," Jan Di admitted. "And eomma loves him too much to leave him. So she thinks we need to start somewhere new."
"So uprooting your entire life when she was so happy you were here is the key?" Ga Eul asked with a confused expression. "I just do not understand that."
"Actually," Jan Di started as they entered the academy's front entrance. "She wanted Kang San and I to remain here, but I refused."
Those words gave Ga Eul pause, even physically. She stopped walking as she stared at Jan Di. The other girl slowly stopped when she realized that Ga Eul was not still walking with her. She turned and looked at Ga Eul. "You refused?" Ga Eul asked.
Jan Di nodded. "Not until the end of this school year," she said. "Kang San deserves to finish this year and I do as well. But at school break, we will be moving to the United States. Jun Hee-eonni arranged it for us. Plus some of the best doctors for shoulder injuries are there and she thinks it's really the best thing for me to not lose my swimming career. Between her and your appa, we will be all right. They've arranged for a job for both appa and eomma as well as school for Kang San and me once we get there. Jun Hee-eonni is certain that I can get a swimming scholarship to an American university easy enough as long as I follow my doctor's instructions and physical therapy."
"So at least you aren't leaving for a few months," Ga Eul said. She looped her arm through Jan Di's. "Thankfully, I'm a member of the Gu family so it means I can travel over there easily to visit."
Jan Di had to laugh as they continued walking. "Are you sure your oppa would like that?" While Jan Di tried to keep her tone light, Ga Eul could hear the longing there. She still had feelings for Jun Pyo.
"I made it clear to him that I choose my friends," Ga Eul said. "I'm sorry things didn't work out for you two, despite what I said when we had our disagreement."
"You don't need to apologize," Jan Di said. "I deserved what you said after what I accused you of." She gave a small shrug. "And honestly? You were right. It doesn't matter if I have feelings for Jun Pyo, I didn't deserve him. Even after realizing I did like him, I still held him at arm's length and instead of embracing his emotions, I automatically looked for every negative thing I could. I was too absorbed in my own insecurities and my own issues to think of anyone but myself. You were right about that too. I should have contacted you when you were sick, but I didn't. I should have contacted Jun Pyo when he was recovering, but I didn't. I only thought about myself."
"You've apologized for that," Ga Eul reminded her.
"I don't think I could ever apologize enough for the things I said," Jan Di admitted. She stumbled as she was bumped into by someone. Ga Eul glanced over and frowned, seeing that it was Sunny, but her head was ducked down and she was hurrying, which is why she bumped into Jan Di. She heard the other girl murmur an apology as she rushed past them towards the restroom.
"Have you noticed she has been different lately?" Jan Di asked as she watched the other girl.
"From the sounds of it, she's no longer friends with Ginger or Miranda," Ga Eul said. Jan Di looked at her surprised. "Come on." She pulled on Jan Di's arm and the two headed for the restroom. They entered the restroom, glancing at one another when they heard quiet crying in a stall. Each girl checked the other stalls, but they were empty save one which meant the crying was coming from Sunny.
"Sunny?" Ga Eul called. The sounds immediately stopped and the two heard shuffling as if Sunny was trying to find something to dab at any tears that had fallen.
"It's okay, it's only us," Jan Di said. "No one else is in here."
"Then please go," Sunny said, her voice hitching. "You'll be late to class."
"So will you," Ga Eul said. "So we'll just be late together."
There was a long pause from the stall before they heard Sunny lightly blowing her nose. "You don't have to wait for me," she said. "Really. Don't worry about me."
"Too bad we are stubborn," Jan Di said, leaning against the sink counter. Ga Eul smiled lightly. Even though she was the one that dragged them in here to check on Sunny, she was glad to see that Jan Di was picking up on Ga Eul wanting to find out what was going on and give the other girl a potential chance.
"You can hide in there if you want," Ga Eul said. "We'll just wait out here until you are ready to come out." Ga Eul heard the other girl take a shuddering breath and finally opened the door after another few moments.
"You are as stubborn as your oppa," Sunny said, but there was a hint of hurt laced through her tone that gave Ga Eul pause. Jan Di took note of it as well, the two girls wondering at the hurt tone in her voice. As far as they knew, Sunny was not overly close to the F4, with only Ga Eul knowing a small bit about Woo Bin's past with Sunny's sister. Both would have to be blind to not see how Sunny felt about Song Woo Bin, so perhaps that was where her tone came from.
"Is everything all right?" Ga Eul asked as she moved to Sunny's side, resting a hip on the sink's counter. "You have seemed very closed off lately."
"Really, it's nothing," Sunny was quick to say. Perhaps too quick.
"You've not been around Miranda or Ginger," Jan Di said. Not known for being subtle, she ripped off the crux of the curiosity like a band-aid. Ga Eul gave her a look, earning a shrug from the other girl. Ga Eul only rolled her eyes and shook her head, realizing that Jan Di would never change and perhaps her bluntness could be a good thing, though she hoped one day her friend would learn that some bluntness did need to be softened.
"To be honest, my acquaintance with them was shaky at best," Sunny admitted with a sad smile. "And based on growing up around one another. When I thought I had to be a certain type of person in order to get noticed."
"Noticed by the F4 you mean," Jan Di said.
"Jan Di!" Ga Eul hissed, waving her hand at her.
Sunny could not help but let out a slightly watery chuckle. "No, it's all right," she told Ga Eul. "She is not wrong and, frankly, Geum Jan Di has every right to judge me considering how I acted when she first came here. You do too, Ga Eul. So neither of you has to act as if I matter right now."
"People can change," Ga Eul said, giving Jan Di a hard look before focusing on Sunny. "And it's obvious you are. Which is why we came to check on you when you hurried past us so quickly. I thought maybe something was wrong with your grandmother."
"Grandmother?" Jan Di asked under her breath, lifting her hands in surrender when Ga Eul waved one of hers to hush her. Sunny laughed a little again as she watched the two.
"No, my grandmother is fine," Sunny said. "But you aren't wrong. If something had happened to her, I would be quite upset. No... things have just been rough lately."
"Ginger and Miranda?" Jan Di asked, moving to Sunny's other side, her voice finally showing some sympathy for the other girl.
Sunny gave a small smile, looking down at the tissue in her hands. "I always suspected that my relationship with them was only on the surface and that the minute anyone, even me, went against things Ginger said that there would be hell to pay," she said. "So I knew it was inevitable that my life would turn to hell the moment I stopped following her lead."
"Why did you?" Jan Di asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "I mean, you all seemed so close and now suddenly you aren't."
Sunny let out a soft sigh before looking into the mirror, staring at her reflection. So much had changed over the past few weeks, even her own reflection. Gone was the overly made-up girl attempting to fit in with two people who only thought of clothes, make-up, and looks. Instead, she wore just enough make-up to enhance her features, which she did not think were extraordinary. Of the three girls, she had only had dental surgery to fix the damage to her teeth that braces could not fix from when she was younger. The loss of some of her teeth had been due to her sister, but she had never told anyone. Only one person had a clue, but otherwise...
"Ginger, Miranda, and I only started hanging out together because it was expected," Sunny admitted. "I suppose with our family names we were considered the female version of the F4, though without the amount of money they have. My eonni actually hoped to become the new version of Gu Jun Hee here, but no one could ever be anything close to her." She looked at Ga Eul. "Except maybe you."
"Only by name association," Ga Eul said. "But I wasn't raised the same way my eonni was, so I could never compare to her."
"You would be surprised," Sunny said with a soft smile. "I would give anything to have an eonni like yours instead of the one I have."
"She didn't seem like a very pleasant person. Just the way she talked to Woo Bin, alone, that day at the hospital was enough for me to think that," Ga Eul admitted. "But I suspect there is more to her relationship with Woo Bin. All my eonni said was that his current reputation is because of her. Woo Bin is staying pretty tight-lipped."
Sunny lowered her head, her shoulders lifting as a sigh escaped her. When she lifted her head, she offered a sad smile to both Jan Di and Ga Eul. "I'm not surprised," she said quietly. "He really cared for my ieonni/i. Despite how much it hurt to think of it, I think he wanted to marry her."
"Marry? Woo Bin?" Jan Di said. "But I've never seen him in a committed relationship since I met him. Yi Jeong either."
"So Yi Jeong is a different puzzle altogether," Sunny said. "Though I am sure Ga Eul has seen more of that than I have." Ga Eul nodded in affirmation. Sunny shifted and rested back against the sink, crossing her arms over her chest. "Woo Bin really cared for my eonni, as I said. I had a small crush on him even before they got together, but despite all I did, it grew instead of went away. I got a chance to really see what an amazing man he is while he was with her."
"What happened?" Ga Eul asked.
Sunny's lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "Sun Lee claimed she was in love with someone else and that they were getting married. She also said that our family would never approve of the son of a known mafia boss," she explained.
A conversation with Jun Hee the day after Ga Eul's attack came back to her mind and her eyes widened. "That's who Eonni was talking about," she said.
"Ga Eul?" Jan Di asked.
"The day after I found out who I was," Ga Eul explained. "Eonni was telling me that Woo Bin was very much in love with someone despite an age gap between them and had his heart ripped out when she suddenly ended things with him." She looked at Sunny. "But your halmeoni looked very upset with the choice your eonni has made and it sounds like his family is also associated with the mafia."
"Sun Lee's words to Woo Bin were all lies," Sunny explained. "She used the words that she knew would hurt him the most, particularly about his family, to end things because she is a cold-hearted bitch. Plus I don't think she was actually ever faithful to him. He was a toy to her and then she got tired of that toy."
"Woo Bin is not a toy," Ga Eul growled. Sunny lifted a hand, easing the other girl.
"I know this, but my eonni is not a nice person," she explained. "Anyway, the difference about the Songs compared to the Kengs is that the Songs have legitimate businesses, which is how they have grown their fortune over the years to be one of the richest families in Korea. I know I say nothing you do not already know when I mention their place in the mafia's hierarchy. The Keng family are more lower-level gangsters amongst them. Many of their dealings are known to be less than legitimate. Essentially Sun Lee wanted that sense of danger and got involved with the heir of the family. Because of it, she became pregnant and halmeoni, as well as the Keng family's halmeoni, insisted that the only way to save face was to make them get married as quickly as possible."
"That explains your halmeoni's reaction at the hospital the other day," Ga Eul said.
"She adored Woo Bin," Sunny explained. "When she found out what Sun Lee said to him... let's just say I have never seen my halmeoni so angry. That was the first time in my memory seeing her so formidable. I also learned that the reason she is so fond of the Songs is because her appa was a good friend and associate of Song Lee Bin's own harabeoji and appa."
"Your family is a part of the mafia too?" Jan Di asked. "And yet your eonni said that to Woo Bin?"
"Apparently my halmeoni's family was associated with them, but not one of the families," Sunny said. "At least that's the impression I get. She doesn't talk about it much, so I don't push. As for my eonni, as I said, she's not a nice person."
"You haven't been either," Jan Di said.
"Jan Di!" Ga Eul exclaimed.
"No, Ga Eul, she's right," Sunny said. She shifted and bowed to Jan Di. "I am sorry for how I treated you. I can't even blame that I was following Ginger and Miranda. I'm my own person and should have started forming decisions about people without their influence long ago instead of just thinking I was better than anyone."
"Sometimes it's easier to take the path of least resistance if we think it'll keep us in the good graces of those we care about," Ga Eul said.
"I also owe you an apology," Sunny said to Ga Eul. "I was not exactly welcoming to you either. Simply following Ginger's example is not an excuse for how I acted. It took too long for me to realize how toxic and wrong she is. Even without that, it was wrong to simply dislike either of you for not being rich. At least until I found out you were Gu Jun Pyo's sister. And I should never have judged you, Geum Jan Di, for not being from a rich family."
"This is so odd to hear," Jan Di said. "I never expected to hear an apology from you."
"Jan Di," Ga Eul admonished.
"Well it's true," Jan Di said. "And I can't believe you are being quick to excuse her behavior and seem to be offering her your friendship."
Ga Eul arched an eyebrow at her. "Isn't that what you wanted me to do after you accused me of going after Jun Pyo and the other members of the F4? Excuse your behavior, accept your apology, and go back to how our friendship was?" she questioned. Jan Di had the decency to blush and duck her head in embarrassment.
"Huh?" Sunny could not help but vocalize her confusion.
"I am sure you noticed that Jan Di and I didn't seem... close when I started here," Ga Eul said. Sunny simply nodded. "We had a falling out because she jumped to the conclusion that I was after Jun Pyo and the other members of the F4."
"I didn't know he was your oppa!" Jan Di defended herself.
"Do I need to remind you that you didn't bother finding out what was going on before leaping to that conclusion?" Ga Eul said. "Especially after not reaching out to Jun Pyo when he was injured or to find out what was going on with me when you hadn't seen me and was told I was sick."
"I apologized for that," Jan Di murmured.
"Hm mm," Ga Eul said, crossing her arms. "And I've come to accept that apology. But you wanted me to accept it pretty quickly after the fact, but you are condemning Sunny for apologizing and asking me about being quick to excuse what she did? Isn't that a bit hypocritical of you?"
"Oh," Jan Di said.
Sunny waved her hand. "I... I don't want to cause further trouble between the two of you," she said. She reached down and picked up her bag. "Just please know I'm sorry. I should-."
"No," Jan Di said, reaching out to rest a hand on Sunny's arm. "Ga Eul's right. I did want her to accept my apology quickly and I really have no room to talk badly about her forgiving you. Honestly, what I did and said is worse."
"I think it is an equal thing," Sunny said. "At least in offenses, but I am positive your ioppa/i and isachon/i would not want you to forgive me or be friends with me."
"Jun Pyo didn't want her to forgive me or be friends with me either," Jan Di said. "But Ga Eul makes up her own mind about things."
"She's right," Ga Eul said. She moved and linked her arm with Sunny's. "So from now on, I'll handle my ioppa/i. Consider yourself under the protection of the F4 now through me." She gave Sunny a grin before linking her other arm with Jan Di's and led the girls towards the door. She never noticed the crestfallen and broken look that had briefly passed over Sunny's face at her words before she let her mask fall back into place as they exited the bathroom.
Ga Eul felt a strange energy at the dinner table as she sat down, smiling across the way at Jae Kyung as she sat comfortably beside Jun Pyo. She knew that there was a stool beneath the table so that her leg could be propped up as she healed from her surgery and injury. She waved at her younger cousins down the table where Ae Cha and Jin Ae sat on booster seats between Lee Bin and Bon Ha. Woo Bin was across from them beside Jun Hee and Ju Won sat at the end of the table opposite Bon Hyeong. Lifting her eyes, she noticed that Jun Pyo kept giving her a strange look before looking away or leaning in to whisper something to Jae Kyung. The looks continued as Bon Hyeong signaled for dinner to start and the first course had been served.
"All right, spit it out," Ga Eul finally said to her brother as the servants removed the dishes from the first course and had started bringing out the next one.
"Spit what out?" Jun Pyo questioned as he tried to sound innocent. However, Ga Eul had gotten to know her brother well enough to know it was a facade.
"Whatever it is you want to either ask me or say to me," Ga Eul said as she leaned back in her seat. "You keep giving me strange looks and I can just sense you have something to say."
"Who said I have something to say?" Jun Pyo continued trying to sound innocent.
"You aren't subtle when you have something on your mind, Oppa," Ga Eul said. She set her fork down. "So come on, out with it."
Jun Pyo twisted his spoon in his hand, eyeing his sister before setting it down. He carefully wiped his mouth before speaking. "All right," he said. "Why are you suddenly best friends with Park Sun Ja?"
"Best friends is a bit of an overstatement, but yes, I am offering an olive branch of sorts to her," Ga Eul said.
"She made your life hell when you started at Shinhwa," he said.
Ga Eul shook her head. "No, technically, Ginger did," she said. "Yes, Sunny was amongst that group, but she apologized to both Jan Di and I."
"She apologized to Geum Jan Di?" Woo Bin asked.
"What does that matter?" Jun Pyo asked. "Who gives a-."
"Don't finish that sentence," Ga Eul said firmly, pointing her chopsticks at her brother. "We know you are not fond of Jan Di anymore because of what happened, but I am mending my friendship with her and the fact is, Sunny owed her an apology just as she owed one to me. Sunny was never directly the one that hurt either of us, though it doesn't excuse her actions either way and she recognizes that and admitted it."
"But why? It's probably just a ploy so that Ginger can get to you and hurt you," Jun Pyo said.
"Hard to do when she's no longer friends with her or Miranda," Ga Eul said.
"She's not?" Woo Bin and Jun Hee both questioned. Ga Eul arched a brow at Woo Bin, who waved his hand.
"Yes, Madame Kim hinted at it the other day, but it's confirmed?"
Ga Eul nodded. "She said their relationship was shaky at best and seemed to expected because their families ran in the same circles, but she didn't specify exactly what happened, she did say that she figured the moment she went against anything Ginger said or did that her life would become a living hell," she said. "Based on how frazzled she seemed and withdrawn, my guess is neither Ginger nor Miranda is making things easy for her."
"Add in that Park Sun Lee always adored Ginger even more than her own yeodongsaeng, I'm sure that things are pretty rough for her right now," Jun Hee said. "Poor girl."
"Poor girl? She bullied Jan Di and Ga Eul!" Jun Pyo said.
"Didn't we also bully Jan Di?" Woo Bin questioned him. "Did we ever really apologize to her for giving her a red card back when we still did that?"
"Yah!" Jun Pyo protested.
"Woo Bin has a point," Jun Hee told her brother. "As someone that used to be at the forefront of bullying others, you haven't a leg to stand on when it comes to condemning Sunny."
"Because I don't want to see Ga Eul get hurt because of her?" Jun Pyo questioned.
"Jun Pyo," Jae Kyung said gently, moving her hand to rest on his forearm.
"Oppa, while I do appreciate your protective nature and wanting the best for me, you can't protect me from everything simply because you think it might be bad," Ga Eul said. "And I can make judgments about people on my own, which is what I am going to do. Just like I gave Jan Di a chance to rebuild our friendship, I am going to give Sunny a chance. I truly think she is a good person."
Jun Pyo let out a long sigh before picking up his chopsticks to resume eating. "All right, all right," he said. "I don't like the idea of her as your friend, but I will trust your judgment. I will be watching though and if I even think she's going to hurt you because of those other two idiots, I will step in."
"You will let your yeodongsaeng handle her friendships, adeul," Bon Hyeong said. While his words were stern, there was a fondness in his voice for his children.
He was enjoying seeing his son's evolution from the lost little boy who relied on bullying and his status to get what he wanted to a maturing young man as he became the one thing he always wanted to be, a big brother. He was enjoying seeing his eldest daughter relaxing into life more now that Kang Hee Soo was not in their lives and his heart pinched with regret at the time she lost in her youth to be a mother figure that Hee Soo never was to Jun Pyo. He loved having his own sister back in his life on a more full-time basis and getting the chance to see how much his nephew was also maturing into a strong young man.
He was grateful to have Lee Bin in his life and be a rock in the most trying times even before their children knew their familial relationship. He was grateful for the chance to truly watch his nieces grow into confident women like his sister and his daughters. Finally, he was beyond ecstatic to know that his youngest daughter was not lost as he had thought and that despite the conditions she had been raised in, she was still a good and loving young woman. He had all of his children in his life and he could not be happier. He only hoped that the relationship between his children remained as strong as it was currently.
"Was this part of your plan?" Ginger demanded of Sung Ho. "Sunny becoming friends with Gu Ga Eul?"
Sung Ho smirked as he poured a drink into his tumbler. "So they did become friends, hm?" he asked. "Good."
"What do you mean "good"?" Ginger demanded. "She was given a red card to be destroyed!"
"You are so narrow-minded," Sung Ho said as he turned to the woman. "Everything is moving along right on track."
"What?" Ginger asked. "How?"
"You do not need all the details, but trust me when I say to continue the torment of Park Sun Ja based on that card. In fact, I think the torment should be increased and made worse. Really put her in her place."
"And her friendship with Ga Eul?" Ginger questioned, narrowing her eyes.
Sung Ho smirked. "The perfect catalyst to begin breaking down the F4, allowing you to make your move on So Yi Jeong," he said. "As I told you before, keep your eyes open and keep watch for your opportunity. I'll handle the rest."