Thank you to those who are still sticking around and reviewing. I'm ignoring bad reviews that I see, but I don't allow to see the light of day. I don't have the time to argue with people over things. I apologize it has taken so long to update. I recently got a promotion at work and my work schedule has been absolutely insane. Finding time to write has been pretty rough and it's only going to get worse as I head into work 12 or more hours a day. I'll do my best to write as I can, it just means that updates will be pretty slow. However, I am determined to get all my WIP stories finished as well as work on others. Also more was supposed to happen in this chapter, but it was getting long, so the next chapter will be pretty much a direct continuation. Hoping to start working on that immediately so it won't be as long of a wait for the next update.
There are times when the very air around you seems charged with a variety of energetic waves that could immediately set a person on edge or let them know that something was going on. That was the exact feeling that Ga Eul felt the moment that she stepped onto the grounds of Shinhwa Academy. She paused as she looked around, wondering why everything seemed so eerily quiet and yet the atmosphere felt so energetically charged at the same time. It was a juxtaposition that was confusing her in its own way and she did not know why.
"Ga Eul?" Jan Di asked from behind her. She turned to glance at the other woman. "Are you all right?"
"Does something feel off to you?" Ga Eul asked.
Jan Di tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Ga Eul frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know," she said. "But something just feels... off. Like everything is too quiet right now, but something is going on at the same time."
Jan Di looked over and frowned when she saw people racing into Shinhwa. She noticed that some had things in hand that they normally would not have with them and it brought back memories of when she was bullied by the other students, especially when receiving a red card from the F4. She reached for Ga Eul's wrist. "Come on."
The two women headed in the direction Jan Di saw people racing. Their gait was not rushed, but something was sending a chill up both of their spines as they started to hear laughter. A piercing scream filled the air that caused both of them to hurry their steps into a run towards the sound. They came around the corner to see a figure huddled on the ground, attempting to protect their head as various objects were thrown at them. Whoever was laying there was filthy from the variety of food items that had been thrown at them, but there was also blood intermingled as it was obvious the crowd had started using rocks or other objects to inflict torture on the person.
"Sunny!" Ga Eul exclaimed horrified as she raced forward when the young woman's head turned and Ga Eul was able to see her bloodied features. Jan Di was right behind Ga Eul as the two dove into the fray of flying objects to protect the other girl.
"Stop!" Someone in the crowd yelled as objects continued flying, some bouncing off of Ga Eul and Jan Di both.
"Who said to stop?!" Ginger demanded, standing beside Miranda with items in their hands to throw at their former friend. "It was clear!"
"Do you want to face Gu Jun Pyo's wrath if you hit his yeodongsaeng?" one of the boys nearby hissed at her. "We all know you don't like her, but even you can't be that stupid to think you can get away with it."
"She's gotten in the way of the F4's proclamation," Miranda said to the boy. "If she gets hurt, that's her fault."
Ga Eul's head snapped around as she held Sunny close to her to shield her. "What the hell are you babbling about?" she demanded.
Ginger merely smirked. "Ask your precious friend there what she did to deserve the red card she got," she said, pointing at Sunny.
"The F4 do not do that anymore," Jan Di said, hovering over Ga Eul and Sunny. "They stopped after me."
"That's what you think," Miranda sneered. "She had a card in her locker, a clear mark of what they wanted done to her. Who are you to stand in the way?"
"Go on," Ginger said, her tone gleeful. "Ask her if she got one."
"Sunny?" Ga Eul asked. The other girl's fingers gripped Ga Eul's forearm and she lifted her head. She had a small cut near the corner of her left eye, her lip was split, and blood flowed from her nose as well. Her entire uniform was destroyed and her hair disheveled. Ga Eul looked down and saw that her ankle was swelling and her leg was scraped up.
"It doesn't matter, Ga Eul," Sunny said. "Please, just let it be."
"Is this my oppa's responsibility?" Ga Eul asked. "Did the F4 demand this?"
"Are you that stupid?" Ginger demanded. "We follow their lead here. If they give someone a red card-."
"Shut your mouth, Choi Jin Hee," Ga Eul snapped before focusing on Sunny.
"How dare you, you stupid bitch!" Ginger said, moving forward before she was stopped by Miranda.
"Harassing Sunny is one thing, but Gu Jun Pyo will not accept you touching Ga Eul," she hissed at her. Ginger shrugged Miranda off, pissed that she could not retaliate. Her eyes lifted to where she saw Park Sung Ho standing out of sight from the others, especially Ga Eul. Immediately she felt her phone vibrate as she received a message. Lifting it, she noticed it was from Sung Ho.
Play the game. Everything is right on track. Make sure to be ready to take advantage.
Ginger frowned as she read the message, lifting her head to see the man was no longer standing where she had seen him. She rolled her eyes at his apparent dramatics. She was getting tired of his proclamations, but she would wait to see how his plan evolved.
"Answer me, Sunny," Ga Eul said, breaking into Ginger's thoughts. "Did the F4 really red card you?"
"Ga Eul, please," Sunny said, her voice filled with a plea. Ga Eul's jaw tightened and she looked around, seeing Sunny's discarded bag. She reached over and grabbed it, keeping it from Sunny's grasp when she tried to retrieve it. Opening it, she did not have to look far to find the very thing that made her blood run cold. Reaching in, she pulled out the infamous F4 red card, staring at it. It broke her heart to see it, her entire body going numb. She lifted dark, stormy eyes to Jan Di, who had paled and looked pained at the sight. She ignored Sunny's weak cry as the other girl tried to reach for the card. Ga Eul held it away from her and got to her feet before she slowly turned to the crowd.
"I will handle this," she said in a low, dark voice. She looked over the crowd and she did not know what emotion she was giving off, but she felt some satisfaction as some of the girls along the edge stepped back. "Sunny is under my protection. If any of you dare to touch her again, I'll make whatever you did under the flag of the F4 red card seem like child's play."
"You will really undermine your oppa?" Miranda demanded. She flinched at the dark glare Ga Eul gave her.
"If you dare touch Sunny again, you will learn that Gu Jun Pyo is not the Gu sibling you need to be afraid of," was all she said before she grabbed her bag and stepped over Sunny's legs before storming off, the crowd giving her a wide berth in the wake of her anger.
"Jun Pyo, I have a broken leg, I am not going to starve to death," Jae Kyung said as Jun Pyo brought over another plate of fruit for her to eat. "I can't possibly eat anything more."
"The more you eat, the healthier you are," Jun Pyo said. "The healthier you are, the faster your leg will heal."
Woo Bin glanced at Yi Jeong with a smirk as he straightened where they were playing pool. "Never thought I'd see this day," he said to his friend.
Yi Jeong only shook his head. "Who knew Jun Pyo would be the one to settle down first?" he said. "I always expected it to be Ji Hu with Seo Hyun." He cringed and immediately looked over to where Ji Hu was standing with a cup of coffee he had been stirring. He had paused when he heard Yi Jeong's words, feeling a slight twist in his chest. Regardless of how they parted, a part of him was always going to love Seo Hyun. He let himself shake it off quickly before he finished stirring his coffee and setting the spoon down. He tilted his head to Yi Jeong to let him know he was okay. Four sets of eyes turned towards the stairs as they heard the door to their lounge open and slam shut before they saw Ga Eul storming down the stairs.
"Ga Eul, shouldn't you be in-," Jun Pyo started to ask, but he was stunned into silence when his sister reached up and struck him across the cheek.
"Ga Eul!" Woo Bin said as he tossed his cue stick onto the pool table and ran down to his cousins.
"How dare you!" Ga Eul hissed at her brother. She turned her hard gaze on the others. "How dare all of you!"
"What the hell is your-?" Jun Pyo asked as he held his cheek.
"I thought you had matured, Gu Jun Pyo!" Ga Eul yelled at him. "I thought you had actually started to grow up and learned from your antics with Geum Jan Di and had actually grown away from the need to bully! Or rather to get those to do it for you!"
"What are you talking about?" Jun Pyo demanded.
"I'm ashamed of you, Gu Jun Pyo," Ga Eul said. "I'm ashamed of all of you!"
"Ga Eul, what is going on?" Woo Bin asked. "You are making no sense."
"Ga Eul, please don't!" Sunny's voice came from the stairs. The members of the F4 looked towards her voice and Woo Bin felt the blood drain from his face at the obvious wounds and blood on the woman's body as Jan Di helped her down the stairs. He saw how she favored her ankle, seeing the limb was swollen. What in the hell was going on?
"No, Sunny, this is unacceptable!" Ga Eul said. "They claimed to change after Geum Jan Di's bullying, but obviously they haven't!"
"They obviously had their reasons," Sunny said. "I won't let you destroy your relationship with your oppa and sachon because of me."
"There is no reason for what happened to you!" Ga Eul said. "You have done nothing wrong, and if they gave you that damn card to scare you away from me, this is too far! If Jan Di and I hadn't stepped in, Ginger and Miranda would have gladly allowed all of those idiots that were pelting you with things to hurt you until you ended up in the hospital!"
"They are looking out for you," Sunny tried to plead. "I told you they wouldn't want you to be friends with me. I understand why most of them hate me, especially Song Woo Bin, but this is about me and not you. Please!"
"Wait," Yi Jeong said. "Card? Do you think we sent her a red card? The last person to get a red card from the F4 was Geum Jan Di."
Ga Eul turned and arched a brow at Yi Jeong. "Oh really? You are so certain?" she asked. Her tone was so dry and angry that Yi Jeong actually stepped back in shock.
"He's right," Ji Hu said. "The last time Jan Di was given a red card was even before I went to Paris, let alone the trip to New Caledonia you went on."
Jun Pyo turned to glare at Sunny. "What crap are you pulling, Sunny? Is this some game to turn my iyeodongsaeng/i against me?" he demanded.
"Jun Pyo," Jae Kyung said as she managed to push herself to her feet, especially as Sunny flinched away from Jun Pyo's cold glare.
"No," Sunny said. "I didn't even want her to know, because I refuse to come between you. I know I am not worth being her friend, but she still insisted we be friends. I'll stay away from her, but please revoke the card."
"Sunny, we never sent a card," Woo Bin said, his tone harder than he intended. He flinched when he saw her shy away and move closer to Jan Di, who was still supporting her.
"Okay, everyone needs to calm down," Jae Kyung said. "What is this about a card?"
"The infamous F4 are nothing but a bunch of immature bullies that get their way by lording over Shinhwa because they think they are untouchable," Ga Eul said, staring at her brother. "With my wonderful newly discovered oppa as their ringleader."
"Ga Eul," Ji Hu said. "Stop."
"I will not," Ga Eul said, turning her glare on him. "I thought you, above anyone else, would never allow him to do this sort of thing again or even be a part of it considering how he treated you and Jan Di both after New Caledonia. The lengths you went through and the friendship you and Jan Di almost ruined because of one stupid kiss." Ji Hu looked away, gutted.
"You are going too far, Ga Eul," Jun Pyo said.
"Am I?" Ga Eul questioned. "I saw how your actions hurt Jan Di when she was given that stupid card. I know why she was brought to Shinhwa because of saving Lee Min Ha when he tried committing suicide because he received one of those stupid cards. None of you may have actually done any of the physical bullying yourselves, but that card was synonymous to the rest of the school to do whatever the hell they wanted and to whatever extent that they wanted in your names!"
"Ga Eul, please," Sunny tried again. "This is not worth your relationship with your family!"
"No one deserves what was being done to you, Sunny!" Ga Eul said. "And I refuse to allow my family to be the reason for it." She lifted the card in her hand, waving it. "I refuse to allow this to start happening again and hurt anyone else!" She turned her gaze on Jun Pyo again.
"I honestly thought you had changed and grown, especially since meeting me as you said. Knowing what eonni said about you wanting nothing more than to be an oppa, I thought you were maturing, but this proves you haven't changed," she said, her voice growing thick with tears that were starting to clog her throat. She shook her head as she looked at him, then at Woo Bin, before she looked at her brother once more.
"I am so ashamed to call you family right now," she said as a tear slipped from her eyes. Her gaze shifted to Woo Bin. "You too." She shook her head as she looked at Ji Hu and Yi Jeong. "I'm ashamed to know all of you right now." Before any of them could comment past their own feeling of pain, she spun away from them, the card slipping from her fingers as she ran up the stairs to leave the lounge.
"Ga Eul, no!" Sunny cried weakly, leaning into Jan Di. "Please, you have to stop her from doing this!"
"What did you do to my yeodongsaeng or say to her that has turned her against me?" Jun Pyo asked Sunny darkly. He started to advance on her when Jan Di shifted as Jae Kyung grabbed his arm.
"I didn't do anything or say anything, I swear," Sunny said as she cringed away from his anger. "I didn't even want her to know I got the card! Please, I'll stay away from her, just please revoke it and tell everyone to leave me alone. Please. I don't know what I did to make-."
"Shut up!" Jun Pyo bellowed at her.
"Gu Jun Pyo!" Ji Hu snapped. He walked over and knelt down, picking up the discarded card, flipping it over to study it, a frown crossing over his handsome features. He looked at Jun Pyo and extended his hand. "It looks just like the ones we used to send."
Jun Pyo took the card and studied it, frowning deeply. Ji Hu was right, it was identical to the ones they had sent, but they never had anymore made after everything Geum Jan Di and had not sent any to anyone since her either. His dark gaze lifted to Sunny. "How'd you get this?" he demanded.
"Jun Pyo," Jae Kyung said.
"It was in my locker a few weeks ago," Sunny whispered, shaking behind Jan Di. "I don't know what I did to-."
"Stop," Ji Hu said. "This is not going to get us anywhere, Jun Pyo." He looked at him. "We have more important things to worry about." Taking on leadership, he looked over to Woo Bin. "Woo Bin, take care of Sunny's wounds."
"What are you-?" Jan Di and Jun Pyo both started to say, but Ji Hu simply held up his hand. Woo Bin walked over and felt his heart pinch when Sunny flinched from him. He carefully picked her up into his arms, avoiding the cuts as best he could while taking her off her injured leg. He turned and walked to the back of the lounge where they had a spare room in case any of them did not head home so he could see to her injuries. Once the door clicked shut, Ji Hu looked at everyone else.
"Geum Jan Di, head back to Shinhwa and keep your ears open, see if you hear anything about this and text any of us if you do," Ji Hu said. "If you see Ga Eul there, stay with her."
Jan Di nodded. "I got it, Sunbae," she said.
"Ji Hu," Jun Pyo said. "What-."
"We know we didn't send that card," Ji Hu interrupted. "Regardless of what Ga Eul thinks, we haven't even thought of those stupid things since we stopped sending them. However, someone is trying to make it look like we targeted Sunny and the rest of the school, particularly Ginger and Miranda, took advantage of it to torment her."
"Neither of them has the means, or the brains, to have thought of this though," Yi Jeong said.
"That's what concerns me," Ji Hu said before looking at Jun Pyo. "Someone is being very strategic against Ga Eul."
"Against Ga Eul?" Jae Kyung asked. "Why do you say that and why would they?"
"And why do you think this is towards Ga Eul?" Jun Pyo asked, his anger shifting to consideration. Of the four members, Ji Hu was often the most analytical in situations, always looking at every angle of a situation. While Jun Pyo was very business-minded and could be analytical in that capacity, there were times when his penchant for quick reactions was a hindrance. Woo Bin was also particularly analytical in situations such as this, but even he would defer to their more 4D-minded member as they all realized that his way of seeing and thinking often picked up on things that the others missed.
"Think of how she reacted," Ji Hu said. "She offered an olive branch to Sunny, yet someone wants her to think that we are targeting Sunny, which-."
"Would lead to Ga Eul being royally pissed off at the F4," Yi Jeong concluded.
"I suspect whoever created that red card, pretty much to perfection, did it with the intent to make sure that it seemed legitimate enough so that when Ga Eul found it, it would start to drive a wedge between her and the rest of us," Ji Hu said.
"But why?" Jan Di asked.
"That's what I am hoping you can start to find out," Ji Hu said. "Why I want you to head back and see what you hear over the next few days, maybe even weeks."
"Did Ga Eul do or say anything before heading here?" Yi Jeong asked Jan Di.
"She said Sunny was under her protection," Jan Di said. "When Miranda asked if she would really undermine Jun Pyo, all she said was that if anyone laid a finger on Sunny that they would learn that Jun Pyo was not the Gu sibling they needed to be afraid of."
Yi Jeong smirked. "Guess she's finding her voice as a Gu," he said.
"She's always been scary if you give her the chance," Jan Di said with a small grin. "She was a bit quieter when we were younger and thought she had to put up with the bullying she got, but as she's grown she's gotten stronger."
"To put up with the things she said she had to from those caregivers, she had to," Jae Kyung said sadly, slipping her arm through Jun Pyo's. "But back to the matter at hand. Ji Hu has a point, someone is purposely trying to drive a wedge between you and your yeodongsaeng."
"Trying to?" Jun Pyo questioned. "More like did. She honestly would think-."
"If I saw that card, I would think the same," Jan Di admitted. "And I know you all have changed. I know I visibly paled when she pulled that out of Sunny's bag."
"Sunny said she found it in her locker," Jun Pyo said.
"And none of us who have found it keep it there," Jan Di said. "I kept the one I got in my backpack before I got rid of it after the incident with my bike."
"We'll tackle the puzzle of who is behind that card later," Ji Hu said. "Jae Kyung, Jun Pyo, stay here on the chance that Ga Eul does come back. Jae Kyung shouldn't be on her leg anyway."
"You think she'll come back here?" Jun Pyo asked.
"It's possible, but it's more likely she'll head elsewhere. Regardless, just stay here in case," Ji Hu said before looking at Yi Jeong. "You and I are going to go look for her."
"She's been spending a lot of time at the art center," Yi Jeong said once he nodded. "Start there?"
"Probably the best guess," Ji Hu said. "Meet you there?"
"Let's go."
With how often Woo Bin had to dress wounds he sustained during fights over the years, he was thankful for the well-equipped first-aid kit they had at the lounge as he carefully cleaned and wrapped Sunny's injured ankle. He was fairly certain it was a minor sprain as he wrapped it, but he would try to convince her to let him take her to the hospital later. He knew she would fight him because of the minor cuts on her face, as it was she was going to have a hard time explaining it to her parents. The idea that someone had used the F4 to cause her injury made his heartache. She had been on his mind a lot lately and he was starting to realize that she meant a great deal to him. She probably had for some time, but he had kept himself at a distance after the fiasco with her sister and her acquaintance to Ginger and Miranda.
"Do you hate me that much?"
Woo Bin's head lifted quickly, staring into pain-filled eyes that he suddenly wanted to get lost in and ease said pain. He swallowed the sudden lump he felt when a tear slipped down her cheek. He slowly lowered her leg and stepped closer. He reached for the warm washcloth he had gotten and started to clean the blood from her face.
"I don't hate you," he finally said.
"Then why the red card?" Sunny asked, more tears slipping down her cheeks. "Everyone knows the F4 stopped using them, why me? Why now?"
Woo Bin set the washcloth down and cupped Sunny's face, making her look at him. His thumbs brushed along her skin as he wiped the tears away, ignoring the tingling of his palms when he touched her. "You know I am an honest man, even despite my connections," he said.
"I never cared about that," she murmured, lowering her eyes.
"Look at me," Woo Bin demanded gently. When her eyes lifted, he stared at her. "I swear to you, Sunny, we did not send that red card. We do not do that anymore."
"Then who? Why? Why me?" Sunny asked, her hands coming up to curl around his wrists. "Woo Bin, why?" Woo Bin could feel her body tensing and knew she was heading into a panic attack. He shifted and his body pushed her legs apart enough for him to step closer as he pulled his hands from her face and drew her body against his. He could feel her trembling as she pressed her face against him, willing his body to not respond to the feel of her lips brushing against his collarbone through his shirt as her fingers wrapped around his waist and gripped the fabric. A sob escaped her and he tightened his hold as he cupped the back of her head as she wept against him. He said nothing, simply holding her through the sobbing panic attack. He let her gain strength from his embrace and did not speak until he felt her body relax into him more as she calmed down.
"I don't know who is behind this," he finally said against her ear. "But I promise you I will find out and take care of it. Until then, I'll protect you."
Sunny pulled away from him, brushing tears from her cheeks, pressing her cool palms to her flushed face. "You don't-," she started but stopped, her eyes finding his when his finger pressed against her lips to silence her.
"Someone is using the name of the F4 to create havoc and hurt you, as well as Ga Eul," Woo Bin said. "I won't let that happen. You don't deserve what was done to you and neither you nor Ga Eul should be hurt further. And I also won't allow anyone to blame the F4 for something we didn't do."
"You don't have to protect me," Sunny said. "Ga Eul I understand. The rest of the F4 I understand, but me?"
Woo Bin shifted closer, fisting his hands on either side of her hips, leveling his face with hers. A soft smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he saw her swallow hard and lean back even a little. He supposed it was unfair to seemingly tease her, knowing how she felt about him, but the memory of how he used to tease her came to his mind. Even then he loved to do so because he had an inkling she had a crush on him, but it was a line he would never cross when he was dating her sister. That particular barrier was no longer there and he suddenly had to wonder how Sunny would react to him teasing her in a much less platonic way. Deep down, he knew he had actually missed the young woman and was inwardly glad for a chance to rekindle what once had been. If he had been smarter, Sunny should have been the sister he had fallen for, not Park Sun Lee. Perhaps both he and Sunny deserved a second chance.
"I decide who I want to protect," Woo Bin finally said before reaching up to tap her nose in the way he used to when they were closer. He grinned when she blushed, pleased that she seemed to remember how he had often done so. Thinking back, he did it to see how pretty she looked when she would blush when he touched her. He ignored the memory of how pissed Sun Lee would get over his closeness with Sunny. At the time he had told her it was because he considered Sunny a friend. It was not a lie, but maybe his subconscious and heart had been trying to tell him something even then.
"Am I going to win this argument?" Sunny asked, avoiding his eyes.
"Nope," Woo Bin said. "Just like you aren't going to win the argument about going to the hospital to get your ankle properly looked at."
"But I'm fine!" Sunny said. Woo Bin simply arched his eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I'm only going because you are making me."
"Think of it more that you are going to get it checked out so I feel better," Woo Bin said. "You want me to feel better, right?"
Sunny's eyes narrowed and she poked a slender finger into his chest. "That is emotional blackmail," she said.
Woo Bin simply grinned before he swung her into his arms, chuckling at the startled squeal that slipped past her lips. "Yup. Exactly."