A/N: Thank you glorialopezgl534.03 and the Guest reader for your review. Reviews make my day and give me the motivation to continue writing.

glorialopezgl534.03: I'm glad you enjoyed the F4 friendship scenes. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The Guest Reader: I'm so glad you loved the chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Special thanks to my beta Vnillachamomile for helping out with this chapter.

Yi Jeong gripped the steering wheel. Woo Bin loved grape juice. Everyone knew that. What everyone didn't know? The reason behind it.

After Yi Jeong's various mishaps with alcohol—ruining his girlfriend's debut party, passing out and missing an exhibition, almost getting arrested, and so on and so forth—he finally decided to quit drinking. Which was easier said than done, given his unique circumstances: a suicidal mother and a philandering father.

So, Woo Bin offered to do it with him. They spent many nights at Song Manor, drinking grape juice as a poor substitute. By the end, Woo Bin had developed a taste for it.

In summation, Yi Jeong was a shitty friend.

Parking his car, he walked up to Woo Bin's house. Two weeks ago, he'd easily attributed Woo Bin's outburst to misplaced anger. But it wasn't misplaced at all, was it? He thought Yi Jeong had called to check up on him.

But he hadn't.

Yi Jeong had called to demand a favor. Because Yi Jeong was a self-centered douchenozzle.

He climbed the steps to the courtyard. Sure, Woo Bin didn't tell him about his father. But the truth of the matter was, when the tables were turned, Woo Bin never had to be told.

He opened the door leading to the basketball court and froze. A few feet away stood his best friend, laughing his head off.

"Wait. Not like that." Woo Bin raised both his hands in the air. "Fling your arms like this."

Jae Kyung copied the hand movement.

"A little higher. A little more. Great. Now try it with the ball."

The ball flew off the court.

"I may have used too much force this time," she said. "I'll go get it."

"Hey, at least it went somewhere. I call that progress," he said, running behind her. "You know what I don't get?" Picking up the ball, he spun it on his index finger. "How can you be such a graceful dancer but have no hand-eye coordination when it comes to sports?

"What can I say? I'm a woman of many mysteries."

Yi Jeong turned away from them. Turns out, Woo Bin did just fine in his absence.

Which was a good thing.

He was glad Jae Kyung managed to cheer Woo Bin up. Maybe, her being his best friend wasn't complete bullshit. Them being 'just friends' though, was. Nothing about what Yi Jeong just witnessed was platonic.

Woo Bin put the ball down. "Yi Jeong? What are you doing back? I thought your project ended next month."

"I got done early," said Yi Jeong, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Patrica and Clarrise missed you."

Yi Jeong patted him on the shoulder. "I missed you too, bro."

"Don't know what you're talking about." He walked towards the house. "I'm hungry. Let's get some lunch."

"Wait for us," said Jae Kyung.

Yi Jeong tapped her shoulder. "Any news on his dad?" he whispered.

"They've got some leads. But nothing definite yet."

_oOo_

Yi Jeong found the perfect apology gift. It took him three days, but he did it. Carrying one carton in each hand, he entered the lounge.

Ji Hoo took one look at his arms. "Woo Bin isn't here."

"Still in the hospital?" asked Yi Jeong.

Jun Pyo nodded.

Yesterday, they finally found Woo Bin's dad. He wasn't in the best shape. But at least he was alive.

After storing the boxes in the fridge, Yi Jeong joined them on the couch.

"I'm glad you got here when you did. He was ignoring us for weeks," said Jun Pyo.

Yi Jeong stated at the carpet. "It wasn't me."

"So it was her then," Ji Hoo mumbled.

Jun Pyo gave him a strange look but didn't comment.

Beep, beep, beep—someone's phone went off.

"Break time's over," said Ji Hoo, shutting off the alarm. "Catch you guys later."

"I should go too. Today's date night."

With both his friends gone, Yi Jeong switched the TV on. Since there was no one left to argue, he could peacefully watch what he wanted. For once.

A half hour into his movie, the door creaked open.

Woo Bin slumped down next to him. "That's what you do when you're alone? Watch pottery documentaries?"

Yi Jeong took a second to study him: dark circles, drooping eyelids, messy hair.

"How's your dad?"

"Fine. A few broken ribs. But alive."

"That's great to hear. Not great—I mean, broken ribs are obviously not great—it sucks. It's painful, and—what I'm trying to say—"

"Think I got it, bro," said Woo Bin in between chuckles.

Yi Jeong twisted his ring. "I brought you something."

Opening the fridge, he pointed out the carton of grape juice and the dozen bottles of Macallan 55.

Woo Bin poured them both a glass of juice.

"Do you want to blow up watermelons?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Seriously? The guilt is that bad, huh?"

Looking away, Yi Jeong feigned interest in his beverage.

"I suppose there is one thing you can do for me."

The look on Woo Bin's face made Yi Jeong uneasy. And a little terrified. He'd seen that exact expression before. It was always followed by something insane.

But there was nothing for it. "Sure. What do you need?"

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Woo Bin headed for the door. "To buy some art supplies."

It took a second for his words to sink in. That was not even in the ballpark of what Yi Jeong was expecting.

"Come on. We don't want to keep Byung Ho waiting."

"Who is Byung Ho?"

_oOo_

Byung Ho turned out to be a Shinwa scholarship student and an amateur painter.

"So let me get this straight: oil paints create nice textured effects and vibrant colors," said Woo Bin.

"But it takes time to dry. And you'll have to buy a canvas. So it can get a bit expensive," said Byung Ho.

"Watercolors dry quicker and are cheaper?"

"Yes. Since they can be used on plain paper."

Byung Ho went on to explain the pros and cons of the different types of paints on display.

"Yi Jeong, what do you think?"

"Pottery paint is an entirely different beast, bro. Sorry"

Woo Bin turned to Byung Ho. "What do you generally do?"

"I buy different things from different shops."

"We'll just do that then."

"Are you sure, Sunbae? We may have to visit ten or more."

"We can come back some other time. If you're busy. Or do it in installments. Whatever works better with your schedule."

"No. It's not that. Well, it's not only that."

Byung Ho was making that expression again—the one he probably made the first time Woo Bin approached him. Yi Jeong sympathized. Having an F4 member enlist your services to buy cheap, but good-quality art supplies was surreal. Even by Shinwa's standards.

"I don't mean to be rude… but why are you looking for a bargain? Is it some kind of dare?"

"It's a gift for a friend." He picked up the three sketch pencils Byung Ho had selected. "I'm trying to respect her budget."

"You're sure about this, then? It might take several trips. And a whole lot of haggling."

"Not a problem. Like I said, whatever works with your schedule."

Byung Ho added the four different colors of oil paint to the cart. "We better get going then. Have lots of places to hit."

Opening his phone, Woo Bin jotted down the item details, shop name, and price. "So she can restock," he said in response to Yi Jeong's questioning gaze.

Yi Jeong shook his head. Maybe he'll gift Woo Bin a dictionary on his birthday. That way, he could look up the definition of Platonic.

_oOo_

Su Ho Sunbae explained the next problem.

"So the number of monkeys—complete distraction. The principle remains the same."

She drew the free-body diagram. "So, I just add an extra step here?"

"Yep." He checked her work. "All good. You're a quick learner."

"Aww, that's so sweet." She gathered her books. "Thanks for all your help. I think I understand enough to make the quizzes now."

"Jae Kyung." He stared down at the book. "Such a lovely name. Jae Kyung."

"Thank you. The credit goes to my parents, though. Or Chen. Or maybe it was Nancy? I'm not entirely sure who named me."

"Well, it's very pretty. Anyway. What I was saying earlier…" He fussed with his sleeves. "I can stay back and help you. With the quizzes. If you want."

"No need. I wouldn't want to keep you. I'm sure you've things to do."

"It's no trouble. How about tomorrow we—"

He stopped talking. She followed his gaze to find Woo Bin standing at the door. For a few seconds, both men stood around, staring at each other.

"Introductions. Right. Su Ho Sunbae, Woo Bin. Woo Bin, Su Ho Sunbae," said Jae Kyung. "He's teaching me physics."

"Pleasure," said Sunbae.

"Same," said Woo Bin. "Jae. Ready to go?"

"One minute." Turning towards Sunbae, she said, "I owe both you and Hana lunch. Let me know when you're free. And we'll set something up."

"I would like that very much. Any day is fine. Really. I've time, or I'll make it."

_oOo_

An hour later, Jae Kyung was sitting on her living room floor doing homework. Or at least trying to.

Woo Bin sipped his tea. "So Jae. Your new physics tutor…"

"He's great, right? Thank God for Hana. I was so desperate, I thought I'd have to call that girl from our roommate interview."

"The one working on the death-ray?"

"Like yeah, on one hand death-ray bad. But on the other, it does require a masterful understanding of physics." She swung her pencil. "And maybe shutting down her evil plan at the last second was my true calling. But I'm glad it didn't come to that."

"Me too. I've seen the movies. It never turns out well for the minions."

She agreed. While working with an evil scientist-type would be the adventure of a lifetime, it was an adventure she was happy to skip.

There was silence for a few minutes. She worked on her microeconomics paper; he sipped tea and browsed his phone.

"So." Woo Bin cleared his throat. "He's Hana's friend?"

"Yeah. She introduced us."

"And a year ahead of us?"

She nodded.

"Judging by his general demeanor, I'm guessing an honor's student."

"Where exactly is this going?"

"His schedule must be jam-packed. Especially with those job interviews."

"I know. It was awfully nice of him. I did try to keep our lessons as short as possible. But still…"

"Short? Bet he loved that."

She shot him a confused look.

He watched her for a second, a smile on his face. "You know he has a huge crush on you, right?"

"He does not. He's Na Bi's neighbor. He's doing this as a personal favor."

"Of course, he is." Woo Bin shifted closer. "Asked for your number yet? Sent you tangentially physics-related texts."

"He's just being friendly."

"Most guys are, when they want to date you."

Rolling her eyes, she returned to her work. Could some of Su Ho Sunbae's actions be interpreted that way? Sure. But it was rude to make such assumptions, especially about someone doing her a huge favor. Besides, both Hana and Na Bi had nothing but nice things to say about him.

"I should have him checked out. Just to make sure he's not a serial killer or something."

"He's been Na Bi's neighbor since forever. He's not a serial killer."

"How do you know Na Bi is also not a serial killer?" He leaned closer. "How do you know both of them don't behead dolls in his basement? Then replace the heads with those of their victims."

"That's oddly specific." She flashed him a smile. "Got a secret you wanna share?"

He tilted his head. "We all have our crosses to bear."

"Drink your tea. And let me work," she said with a lopsided grin.

"Okay." He gulped down his tea in one swift motion and asked, "Is that your type?"

She looked up from her book.

"Dork?"

She regarded him, a playful sparkle in her eyes. "Depends on the dork. Now drop it."

"I will. He won't, though." He extended his palm. "Thirty bucks says Hana won't show up for your lunch treat."

Ignoring him, Jae Kyung continued reading. Eventually, he'd get bored of teasing.

She dropped her pencil. "You were joking about the background check, right?"

"Let me wash this," he said while taking his cup to the kitchen.

She chased after him. "Woo Bin."

"If you don't want me to, I won't." He picked up the dirty saucepan. "The background check. Not the dishes."

She cracked a smile, then picked up a plate to scrub. At least he changed the topic.

_oOo_

Settling down at the back of the cafe, Woo Bin waited for Ji Ah. She sounded standoffish on the phone. Not that he blamed her. Given how he behaved over the past few weeks, he was expecting a breakup.

She didn't greet him when she entered. Instead, she took the seat across from him and hid her face with the menu.

"I'm sorry. For my behavior the past few weeks." He handed Ji Ah an assorted bouquet. "I had a situation to take care of."

"What kind?"

"A family matter. It's all sorted now."

She studied him for five seconds before returning to the menu.

He touched her hand. "How can I make it up to you?"

She peaked her head out but didn't give him an answer.

"Anything you want. Really."

"Show me the F4 lounge game room."

He forced a smile. "Of course."

"Great. Let's go." Picking up the bouquet, she headed for the door. "Thanks. By the way, for the flowers. They're beautiful."

He mentally thanked his butler. The guy had excellent taste.

_oOo_

Despite his initial reservations, introducing Ji Ah to the game room wasn't half bad. It significantly improved her mood. She played most of the arcade games well, and could hold her own at table tennis.

She served the ball towards him. "I'm so jealous of you guys right now. Wish I had Asteroid at my house."

"I'm surprised you don't." He hit the ball back into her court.

"I used to. Back in Hong Kong."

Now he regretted asking. She always got a melancholy look on her face whenever that topic came up. It made sense. As someone who spent his whole life in one city, he couldn't imagine leaving it all behind. She must feel so lonely here. He threw the ball far back, hoping to distract her.

She made the shot. "Come on. That's your best."

"Nice shot," said Jun Pyo. He turned to Woo Bin. "So glad you took my advice."

Woo Bin rolled his eyes and focused on the game.

"Like the lounge?" Jun Pyo asked.

"It's the dream. All my childhood favorites. Could live here for life."

"Your boyfriend chose most of them."

Woo Bin swung his racket back, but ultimately missed the shot. Jun Pyo's fault, of course. Why did he insist on using that word?

"Sounds about right. Which one's his favorite?"

"Halo," said Woo Bin.

Jun Pyo shook his head. "It's actually Apples Vs. Caterpillars."

"Seriously?"

"Though he hasn't played for ages. Not after ArtilleryAiden65 beat him. He took the loss hard."

"The game was getting stale. I simply moved on to greener pastures."

"I had no idea."

Ji Ah missed an easy shot. Again. At this point, it didn't look like she was even trying to win.

"What else can you tell me?" she asked.

"How about we focus on the game? You two can talk later."

"I'm focusing." She turned to Jun Pyo. "So?"

Woo Bin did not like where this was going but couldn't think of any way to stop it.

"Let me see. He loves The Lion King. Is the only person I know who puts chocolate on pizza."

"Once that happened."

"Loves his friends more than anything."

Woo Bin suppressed a smile. That one was kind of sweet.

"And even though he won't say it, he's crazy about you."

"I tell her that all the time."

She blushed. "Is that so?"

"Definitely. You're the only girl to step in here since Kiarra." He tapped his foot. "Then there's the hot-air balloon thing. And the fact that he turns to you in moments of crisis. I mean, he ignored me the past two weeks."

Ji Ah's face fell.

"Jun Pyo. Stop interrupting our date." He pushed him towards the door.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about. Girls like hearing all this stuff. The fact that he let you in means a lot."

"Out you go." Woo Bin bolted the door. "I can explain."

Ji Ah crossed her arms. "It was her, wasn't it?"

"It's not what it looks like. The hot-air balloon wasn't a date. Just a sweet gesture for a friend."

"Jun Pyo doesn't seem to think so."

"He's crazy."

"And the last thing he mentioned. Is he 'crazy' about that too?" She gripped the table. "You completely ghosted me for weeks. But her you talk to?"

"She camped outside my door and refused to leave."

"And you let her in? You balk at showing me your house. Hell, you didn't even let me see your room here. But she can just waltz into your bedroom whenever she wants?"

"They're two entirely different things. We are romantically involved."

She stomped towards the door.

"Listen." He placed a hand on each shoulder. "I know how it looks. But Jae and I are just friends. I like you. A lot." He held her gaze. "More than I've liked anyone for a very long time."

She shoved him away. "You like me? You like me?" She took a step forward. "Then tell me this: why am I not your girlfriend yet?"

"It's too soon for that."

"Soon? It's been three months."

"That's not that long."

She scoffed.

"I want to do this properly. From prior experiences, rushing in when you still have unresolved issues—"

"Issues? We only have one issue that I can see. That your so-called 'best friend' is in love with you."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Is it? She's so damn busy, but somehow magically finds time to see you. Every. Single. Day."

"Because we're friends."

"She texts you every morning."

"I started that. We carpool to class together, so—"

She glared at him. He shouldn't have said that. It was dumb. Very dumb.

"I'll text you in the morning too."

"And the late-night calls? Night-time is for couples and family."

"That's the only time she can talk." He rubbed his neck. "I'll call you more. I promise."

"And how are we supposed to get to know each other if you spend all your evenings playing her driver? What, she's too good to take the bus?"

"She gets off near midnight."

"So do a lot of people. Yet they all manage just fine. Imagine."

He took a deep breath. "I can see where you're coming from. But Jae Kyung is my best friend. I'm not abandoning her. To fend for herself. At midnight."

"Right, because millions of people—"

"And if you can't accept that. Then, no matter how much I like you, we can't be together."

Her face crumpled up. "Just like that. It's that easy…"

Great. Now he made her cry.

He put his arms around her. "I didn't mean to be that harsh. I'm sorry."

She wiped her tears. "You said you liked me."

"I do." He brushed her hair back. "I think we're both a little riled up right now. Let's pick this up when we've had some time to think."

A/N: Hi guys! I love Jun Pyo so much. He's such an agent of chaos. Did you all enjoy the chapter? What was your favorite part? Where do you think things are headed next? Tell us in the reviews.