Una Mattina - You or Nothing

Chapter 2: Old Friends

Ji Hoo drove his motorcycle faster than he usually did as he sped through the busy roads of the city, going nowhere in particular. At the back of his mind, he knew he had to go home, but at the same time, he didn't trust being by himself at that moment.

Jan Di was here. His love. His bane. His Achilles' heel.

He decided he needed company. Parking at the side of a ramen shop, he pulled out his cellphone and looked for the only person in Seoul he was sure would keep him from doing anything stupid.

"Hello?" the husky, familiar voice said, sounding both surprised and worried.

"Let's meet."

Woo Bin rarely had his hands dirty recently, which was supposed to be a good thing. After all, his father had officially retired and passed the helm of Il-Sim Construction solely to him two years ago. As the face of the company, he had a certain legal image to maintain.

If he was being honest with himself, however, he missed being just Prince Song. The reckless young man who was more hands-on to the company dealings, while still having room to make mistakes without much consequence. While he thought of himself as a man with good intentions, he was never afraid to deal with things the easy way before.

He supposed even the F4's Woo Bin had to grow up some time.

When the corruption claims over wages at one of the company's construction sites was brought up to him, however, he felt bad that he felt a bit giddy. It was another chance to play hero. And possibly beat someone up, after being on the sidelines for so long. God, his fists were practically pristine now.

"Are you sure you don't want us to handle this ourselves, sir?" His secretary had asked him as Woo Bin and a handful of his goons turned the corner.

"No, I want to make a statement," he shrugged.

The group entered the fence of the empty four-story construction site. A guard by one of the pillars raised his hand to salute upon recognizing Woo Bin.

"Where's our dear foreman?" Woo Bin asked him, opening the zipper of his dark leather jacket. He pulled out a pair of straps from one of the pockets.

"Upstairs on the right, sir. He––er, he may be a little woozy."

"But not unconscious, right?" He was wrapping the straps around his fists. When the guard nodded in confirmation, Woo Bin patted him once on the shoulder. "Thanks, man. We'll take it from here."

While the group ascended the stairs, Woo Bin whistled a tune of a song he'd been listening to back in the car.

The foreman was tied to a wooden chair in the middle of the unfinished second floor. He didn't look wounded, but there was dirt and sweat in almost every crevice of his off-white dress shirt. As soon as Woo Bin came into view, the foreman's eyes widened with horror.

"P-Prince Song––"

"You know what really ticks me off?" Woo Bin started, strutting towards the center of the room. "People who steal from me. It's lazy and stupid. But like I said, it just ticks me off. I have money to spare, after all. Easily forgivable under the right circumstances."

"I'm sorry! I concede, Prince Song," the foreman blabbered, tears forming at the corner of his eyes as he squirmed underneath the rope.

"But unfortunately, that's not what you did, Mr. Foreman," Woo Bin sighed, stopping in his tracks a foot away from the chair. "No, you didn't steal from me. You're too much of a pussy to do that. Instead, you stole from the wages of our good and honest workers––the men who do three times the work you do around here. And that, my man, is unforgivable."

The foreman let out a pathetic whine.

"I protect my people," Woo Bin continued, adjusting the strap on his left knuckles. "That was the promise I made when I was given the full responsibility for this company. And I intend to keep it."

"Please, I understand, sir," the foreman pleaded.

"Good," Woo Bin said, grinning widely. "So, you'll pay them all back for the cuts you stole for the past six months? By, let's say, tomorrow?"

That stumped the foreman. "I––Er, sir, yes, I will. But tomorrow…I can't––"

The foreman was interrupted by Woo Bin's left fist hitting his nose. "Can't?"

The man was sobbing now, and his nose was beginning to bleed. "Sir, it's too much. I can––I can fully pay it back in the next few months––"

Another hit across the foreman's face, this time with Woo Bin's right fist. "Not good enough. Now, choose your next words carefully. I think you're starting to get what happens when I don't like what comes out of that mouth."

"Sir, please! It's impossible!"

Before he could hit the foreman again, Woo Bin's ringtone––a Wonder Girls song, naturally––began to play loudly. Woo Bin pulled back his hand and smiled apologetically, pulling out his phone. "You don't mind, do you?"

The foreman shook his head quickly.

"Thanks," Woo Bin winked. His eyes flitted across the caller ID, and immediately, his smile disappeared. It was a name he hadn't seen or heard from in a long time.

He accepted the call and put the phone against his ear. "Hello?"

"Let's meet."

Woo Bin let out a sharp breath, both surprised and happy to hear the voice of one of his closest friends––well, he wasn't sure Ji Hoo even considered him a friend anymore, since he hadn't returned any of his calls in a year. "Yo, it's great to hear from you, Ji Hoo. Unfortunately, I'm a bit busy at the moment…"

"It can't wait?"

Woo Bin paused, staring at the bleeding foreman in front of him. Both snot and blood were coming out of his nose. In a split second, Woo Bin made his decision and sighed as he pulled off the bloodied straps around his knuckles.

"Of course it can, man," he assured Ji Hoo. "Text me where you're at, I'll be there."

He put his phone back into his back pocket and looked at the foreman apologetically. "Sorry, I know we were having a great time here, but duty calls." He reached out to clutch the foreman's face by the chin, forcing him to look up at him. "One week. Or I'm hunting you down again, and this time, no one's calling to save your ass."

Woo Bin kicked the foreman by the shin for good measure, before turning around to leave the site.

Ji Hoo was sitting down in the middle of an empty, cheap ramen shop, staring at an untouched bowl, when Woo Bin made his presence known by clearing his throat.

"Yoon Ji Hoo," he said slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're alive."

"Hi," the auburn-haired man responded, barely looking up from his food.

Woo Bin raised a finger to call the attention of the waitress––who had been staring at them with starry eyes from the back of the register––and said, "I'll have what he has."

"Yes, sir!" she said quickly, disappearing to the kitchen.

"You look well," Woo Bin commented as he sat down across his old friend. "Your hair's different. The shortest I've ever seen it."

Ji Hoo looked up at him, his expression unreadable. "You don't like it?"

Woo Bin chuckled. "It's my new favorite."

"What was keeping you?"

Woo Bin puckered his lips as he thought about it. "Er, you know, business. Nothing I couldn't put off for a good friend."

Ji Hoo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Really? I don't think I've been a good friend to you."

"I disagree," Woo Bin said sincerely. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "No one can blame you, Ji Hoo. With everything that's happened…"

"She sought me out." Ji Hoo didn't blink. "Geum Jan Di."

Woo Bin scoffed incredulously at the news. In the same moment, the waitress had arrived to set down his ramen. He took a bite of the noodles before speaking again. "What do you mean? She's in Korea?"

Ji Hoo nodded once. "She was at the cemetery. Today's…My grandfather…"

"That's today? Ji Hoo, I'm sorry––"

"What do I do?" Ji Hoo twisted a chopstick between his fingers. "I don't understand why she's here. I'm doing okay on my own, and she just…" He looked up at Woo Bin, and the latter saw a glimpse of desperation in his eyes. "Why is she here?"

Woo Bin felt for his friend. "To be honest, Ji Hoo, I haven't spoken to Jun Pyo in a couple of months. And he never brought up anything about Jan Di. I thought everything was okay and, you know, finally peaceful."

"Well, what should I do now?"

Woo Bin hesitated, pondering over Ji Hoo's possible options. "It really depends on you and how you feel. I remember how much you valued Jan Di––it's always been more than a simple romance or friendship. She said it herself, didn't she? That you're…soulmates?"

For the first time, Woo Bin watched Ji Hoo crack a half-smile. "You don't sound convinced."

"I don't know, man, it's not my thing," Woo Bin said. "But since it happened to everyone else…I'm beginning to think that it's possible, for some people at least. And I believed in you guys."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that, if you want, you can try to be friends," Woo Bin sighed. "Maybe that's why she sought you out. She could miss you being in her life."

"And what's the other option?"

It was Woo Bin's turn to smile. "The second option is to see things more like me, the only remaining F4 member who thinks with his head and not his heart. Jan Di's a good person, but I value you more as my friend. And I can see that this attachment is not good for you."

Ji Hoo nodded slowly. "I should…let her go?"

"You said you're doing okay on your own, right?" Woo Bin took another mouthful of ramen. "As a doctor, wouldn't you recommend an addict to keep off his vice to fully recover?"

Ji Hoo nodded slowly, as if digesting his words. He finally took both chopsticks and had his first mouthful of ramen. Woo Bin noticed him make a face afterwards.

"It's gone cold, hasn't it?"

Ji Hoo laughed.

"You know, Jan Di issue aside, your timing to reach out is impeccable. Yi Jeong's finishing up a few gallery showcases in Sweden and will be back in a few weeks. We could finally get together again." Woo Bin paused, studying his companion's expression. "Unless, of course, you're not up for it."

"I'll be there."

Woo Bin raised a brow.

"I know I almost never show it, but I appreciate you as my friends. I think it's time I gave back." While his tone was flat, Woo Bin could tell Ji Hoo's words were sincere.

"That's what I like to hear." Woo Bin reached out his fist. "Yoon Ji Hoo––alive and kicking again. The citizens of Korea are grateful for this news."

Ji Hoo met his companion's fist with his.

Ji Hoo was driving his motorcycle home with a genuine smile on his face for the first time in a long time. It was a good idea to reach out to Woo Bin. He felt a sudden surge of gratefulness that even with his introverted and aloof personality, he still had genuine friends who had his back.

Moreover, his friend's advice regarding the Jan Di situation was sound. Perhaps it was time to think more logically now. Jan Di was a vice that he had to quit.

He was pondering over this while he passed by an empty street a block away from his house. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud bark.

Ji Hoo immediately hit the brakes and came to a stop in front of a large, Nureongi dog in a sitting position in the middle of the dark road. He stared at the animal for a few seconds, jumping when the dog barked once again.

He hopped off his motorcycle and cut the engine. It didn't take long for him to realize that the dog was friendly, as it immediately walked up to him to lick his hands.

"Hello," Ji Hoo greeted softly, patting his head. "Who might you be?"

He noticed a collar around the dog's neck. Haru. Upon flipping the pendant, he found the dog's home address. He realized it was along the road.

Haru followed Ji Hoo as he walked up to the only house on the street. His area was mostly secluded, save a handful of large houses scattered along the few acres. This house was a modern wood-and-brick two-story one, with a similar open area to his own, set up with full-length glass windows and well-maintained greenery.

It was dark inside, but he decided to try the door anyway. "Hello? Anyone home?"

Silence.

Ji Hoo turned to Haru, who whimpered at his side. "Is this your place?"

Haru barked once.

Ji Hoo pondered over his options on what to do with the dog. Perhaps the owner purposely let the dog free? Maybe Haru was a yard dog. But…Ji Hoo had an affinity for animals––sometimes even more than humans––and Haru looked too sad and hungry to be left alone outside on purpose.

Sighing, he pulled out a sticky note from his satchel and a pen.

Haru is safe at the hanok house, he wrote. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to add his contact number on the note as well, before sticking it on the door.

"Come on, Haru," he said as he saddled back on his motorcycle. Sure enough, Haru followed him dutifully until they reached his house together.