It was early Saturday morning when Ji Hyo drove her car into a luxurious apartment complex in the Seongdong area. She carefully parked her car not too far from the entrance to the apartment, making sure that it was an open public area where there would be people around. Just in case, she assured herself when she began to doubt whether or not she was being paranoid.

The area seemed to be quite devoid of people, save for some elderly enjoying their morning walk. Perfect, Ji Hyo thought, pleased that so far everything went the way she’d wanted. She’d borrowed her father’s car the night before without telling him where she’d be heading the next day (he didn’t ask, either—only giving her a knowing look when she’d asked for the key) and purposefully left the house before her mother even finished cooking breakfast. She wanted to get everything over with as quickly as possible.

She took some time sitting in the car to steady her breathing and calm herself. She could feel cold sweat began to form in her back, and her hands grew damp. Ji Hyo reached for the hidden pocket of her jacket where she’d tucked her father’s note. Have courage. Having her hand on the door handle, she took one last deep breath. Then she stopped.

Somehow her instinct told her she had to have her phone with her. Now, where was that thing? She hadn’t turned it back on since she got it back from her dad last Monday, but she knew she had it somewhere in her bag. Ji Hyo rummaged through her tote and found it tucked into the side pocket. Hesitantly, she pressed the power button, hoping that the battery was still enough.

Notifications upon notifications came in the moment the phone sprang to life; Ji Hyo hoped it didn’t immediately go into an overdrive and froze. She couldn’t afford to have any more delays. She tapped on the phone to put it on silent, but her finger slipped and tapped on a new pop-up notification instead.

“Ah, damn it,” she cursed out loud when she realized whose message she accidentally opened. She wasn’t even surprised when it was from Jong Kook. Who else? She read only the last line before hitting close.

‘Anyway, whatever you’re doing now, you can do it. Fighting!’

The message was dated Thursday morning. It seemed that after that the man had given up trying to contact her. But the message was still heartfelt, and it fueled Ji Hyo’s determination. She put her phone in the pocket she knew would provide easy access if needed be. Ji Hyo stepped out of her car and walked with her head held high into the building.

***

“What do you want?”

Ji Hyo appraised the young woman opening the door with raised eyebrows, quite startled on getting such rude treatment from someone who couldn’t be much older than her younger sister. She schooled her expression and kept a straight face as she told the woman she wanted to see Baek Chang Joo.

“Ajumma, have you got no manners? This is too early to visit somebody’s home, you know?” the woman said flippantly. She opened the door wider, though, and left Ji Hyo at the door while she walked back into the apartment calling Chang Joo’s name with so much aegyo it hurt Ji Hyo’s teeth.

Ji Hyo entered the room and pondered for a second whether to leave the door open. She decided to close it and instantly regretted it when she heard footsteps behind her. Ji Hyo tensed, gripping the door handle to yank it open again. She couldn’t do it.

“Ah, if it’s not the ever so famous Song Ji Hyo herself,” Baek Chang Joo sneered before she could move. “I never thought you’d have the guts to see me yourself—when Ah Young-i said ‘ajumma’ I thought it’d be your mother I saw.”

Ji Hyo steeled herself and turned around to finally come face to face again with the person that haunted her nightmares for months. To her credits, Ji Hyo managed to look impassive. “Baek Chang Joo-ssi,” she greeted coldly.

Chang Joo laughed mockingly at her. “Drop the tone, Ji Hyo-yah, you’re not scaring me.” He took a step forward; for a split second, he looked surprised when Ji Hyo didn’t back away as he’d expected. He glared at the woman and took another step. She still didn’t move.

“You’re not scaring me either,” Ji Hyo replied without missing a beat. Have courage. She kept her chin high in defiance. “Not anymore.”

The change in attitude clearly displeased Chang Joo. “Well, well, well—look who’ve grown a pair…” he commented spitefully, “So, what brings our little Ji Hyo here?”

Ji Hyo was unaffected with the comments. “Didn’t I tell you just now? I’m not scared of you anymore.”

“You’re here to tell me you’re not scared of me? Ha! Priceless!”

“That, and that I’m terminating my contract with CJES Entertainment. You’ll hear from my lawyer on Monday.”

Now Chang Joo was furious. His face was drained of colors and his lips were drawn into a thin line. “What did you say?” he growled, challenging, “Repeat that again.”

“I said, I’m terminating my contract with your company,” Ji Hyo complied, deadpanning as if she was talking about the weather despite the thundering of her heart and the roaring sound of the blood rushing in her veins. She moved too little too late when Chang Joo walked towards her in three big strides, grabbed her by her shoulders and slammed her back into the wall. Stars danced in front of Ji Hyo’s eyes, but she blinked it away quickly.

“You can’t do such a thing!”

“I can,” Ji Hyo hissed, hating the small tremors in her voice. “I can—and I will.” She flinched when the man punched the wall right next to her head. But she didn’t waver; she glared back boldly at Chang Joo. “I’m not afraid of you, Baek Chang Joo.”

“Aren’t you?” Chang Joo laughed mirthlessly. “Have you forgotten what I can do to you?”

Ji Hyo was past caring. She was too tired to care. “No, I haven’t. But I don’t care anymore—what worse can you do than kill me? Bring it on, Chang Joo-ssi.”

He tightened his grip on her arms and moved his face so it was only inches away from Ji Hyo’s. “What about your Jong Kook Oppa, then? Do you not care about him, either?”

She knew he’d bring up that name for leverage; still, her resolve crumbled a bit at the mention of Jong Kook’s name. Even if the sky falls, there’s still a hole to get out of. “You will not touch him.”

“Is that a wish or a promise, Song Ji Hyo?”

“That’s a command.” Ji Hyo gritted her teeth. “And he’s a big man anyway—he can take care of himself. He is not afraid of you, either.”

“Let’s not talk bull. He won’t even know what hit him. He’s getting out a new album, isn’t he?”

This was so typical Baek Chang Joo—he’d threaten someone’s career when he knew he couldn’t touch them physically. Ji Hyo had known this trick too well.

“Won’t it be a shame if something happens to the album production and launching?”

“Hmm… won’t it?” Ji Hyo asked back, smiling. “Do what you want, Chang Joo Oppa, there’s nothing you do that can hurt him or his career.” She felt his grip loosened because of her offhanded reply. Ji Hyo used the momentum to push him back, away from her. From the corner of her eye she saw the young woman from earlier standing at the back, watching them warily. To her, she said, “Watch and learn, Miss—you will be in my position once he gets bored of you.”

“Shut up,” Chang Joo roared, stretching his arm to grab Ji Hyo again.

This time, Ji Hyo was quicker. She stepped away from him, moving towards the front door. She only hoped that it didn’t need a key combination to open from the inside. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she snarled.

“I’ll kill you, Song Ji Hyo,” Chang Joo threatened. “I’ll kill your family.”

“Go on—do your worst.”

“I’ll ruin your career.”

At this, Ji Hyo burst out laughing, letting out all her pent-up frustration. “Career, huh? What career?” She turned around and quickly opened the door, almost sobbing out of relief when it opened without resistance. She heard Chang Joo’s footsteps behind her as she started running to the emergency stairs, turning a deaf ear when Chang Joo’s voice calling her name followed the sound of her own footsteps as she fled.

Ji Hyo didn’t stop running until she got in her car. Her hand was surprisingly steady as she the ignition and started driving away from the apartment complex without checking her rearview mirror to see if she was being followed.

She didn’t know where she was driving—all she knew was that she had to get away, and she had to do it fast. She kept on driving until she decided it was far enough, and that no one was following her. Carefully, she pulled over and parked her car near a park.

Ji Hyo’s hands were shaking when she turned off the ignition. The adrenaline rush had ebbed away and now she was trembling like a leaf. She felt pins-and-needles prickling her from head to toe, and her head was spinning. She stared blankly at the windshield, thinking about what she’d just done. It could have gone so wrong. It could have turned out so, so badly. She hadn’t thought well of the consequences before she confronted Chang Joo. And now what? Had she brought more problems to herself? To her Family? To Jong Kook? She was nauseated.

A drop of hot tear rolled down her cheek when Ji Hyo realized that maybe the only thing that had stopped Chang Joo from physically hurting her then was because there was a witness. Ji Hyo’s blood ran cold. That young woman—something Ah Young had saved her… and Ji Hyo had left her alone with a furious, explosive Baek Chang Joo. Oh, world—what have I done?

A/N: The last sentence actually expresses my own thought as I wrote this chapter: What have I done? Ahh.. now I have to find a way to fix this mess. Anyway, isn't it great that JH finally stands her ground? Go girl!