Alex was spent. She cried in Joon Pyo's arms for a good hour. When she was finally able to speak, she told him of Joo-Won's death. She'd never even known… She agonized over whether or not her father had known. And if her father was capable of being involved in something like this, or even covering it up, she feared what else he was capable of. Though, it couldn't really get much worse. She knew that her father could be selfish, cold-hearted, and even a bit unethical at times, but she never expected that he could be connected to any criminal activity.

Joon Pyo had continued to hold her and do his best to comfort her. It simultaneously pained and enraged him to see what Hyun-Woo had done to her. When she appeared to have calmed, he released her. She simply stared out ahead. Joon Pyo suggested she get out of her wet dress and offered her a pair of his pajamas. Alex took them and changed. He offered her his bed for the night. Alex thanked him graciously and collapsed onto the bed. Physical and mental exhaustion overtook her, and she fell into an immediate sleep.

Joon Pyo covered her up and gazed upon her for a moment, as she slept in his bed. Her face was slightly reddened and stained from tears, but still lovely, nonetheless. A sad smile crossed his face. The strength of emotion he felt while holding the distraught Alex in his arms had surprised him, as did the tenderness he was feeling for her now. Somewhere along the line he'd come to care for her very deeply. He sighed and prepared a bed for himself on the couch.

Alex woke the next morning. Her head was aching and her eyes were sore and puffy from crying. She looked around the room, realizing where she was. The events of last night immediately returned to her. She'd desperately hoped that it was all a terrible nightmare, but no, it had been real.

She smelled something cooking. She reluctantly left the comfort of the bed and went to the kitchen nook to find Joon Pyo cooking breakfast.

"Good morning," he said, as he fried an egg.

"Good morning," she mumbled. "I didn't know you could cook, Joon Pyo."

"Yea, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."

She smiled weakly and sat down. She rolled up the sleeves of his pajamas, which hung too long on her. She clutched her head. Joon Pyo looked over at her. "Aspirin?"

"Yes, please." He brought her aspirin and water. She swallowed the pills and took a drink.

"Thanks," she said. He nodded.

"How are you feeling?" He asked after a moment.

She sighed. "I don't know…I guess I'm still a bit in shock."

"That's understandable." Joon Pyo continued with breakfast.

"Now what do I do? I can't see him; I can't possibly work with him…"

"You won't have to," Joon Pyo assured.

She looked at him.

"There's no way I'd go through with this merger now."

"I don't think he's going to give up on me. Especially now that I know what he did…" She looked at Joon Pyo like a frightened rabbit. "I'm afraid…," she admitted. She never thought she would say those words before him.

Joon Pyo stopped cooking and sat beside her. "You don't have to be afraid." She met his eyes. "I'll protect you."

She smiled at him tenderly. "Thank you…" Then she scoffed and wiped the hint of a tear from the corner of her eye, despising this damage to her pride.

"But I'm not really so afraid for myself…" she began. "No, that's not true. I am a little bit afraid for myself, but I'm actually more afraid for you…"

"Me? Why?" Joon Pyo asked, incredulously.

"Well, Hyun-Woo threatened you last night when he told me about…that person…," her voice trailed off at the end.

Joon Pyo nodded. "Yea, he threatened me to my face, too."

"What?"

"I spoke with him yesterday."

"You what?"

"Yeah, he asked me to meet him at his penthouse to discuss something, so I went there." Joon Pyo returned to cooking.

"What happened?" she exclaimed.

Joon Pyo recalled his conversation with Hyun-Woo, not a conversation he wanted to remember. He felt himself unconsciously tighten his fists. This was not lost on Alex.

"He tried to re-negotiate the merger, and then he told me to stay away from you," Joon Pyo gave the watered-down version, leaving out anything about Jan Di or Ji Hoo. "I don't know why he said what he did. It's not like there's anything between us."

Alex felt the sting of the reality of the comment. Her expression saddened a bit. "Right. Well, he was always unnecessarily jealous."

Joon Pyo placed a plate of breakfast before her, and she thanked him.

"Joon Pyo, please be careful," she glanced downward, surprised by the emotion that came out in her words. She paused, wishing to say more, but it seemed fruitless.

"Apparently, you don't know who I am," Joon Pyo bragged. This made her smile.

"Oh, I know…you're the one and only Goo Joon Pyo," she smirked.

"That's right. So, don't worry about me. He doesn't intimidate me one bit."

"Do you think we should go to the police? I mean, I know he has mafia connections, and I'm sure he has someone at the police station in his pocket… It's not even like we can prove anything that he did at this time, but it's worth a try…"

"Don't worry. I already have my guys on it. They've been looking for Hyun-Woo, but they haven't found him yet. Looks like the coward may have fled, but don't worry they'll find him."

Alex grew pensive. She hoped this were true. Still, she couldn't shake the unsettled feeling. Alex took a bite of her breakfast. She coughed and spit the bite back out into her napkin.

"What is it?" Joon Pyo asked.

"Joon Pyo, I'm sorry to say this, but that was…terrible." She laughed.

"What? You're crazy! Let me try!" He grabbed a fork, took a piece off her plate, and put it into his mouth. He chewed for a moment and a strange expression crossed his face. Alex looked on and raised a brow. He chewed deliberately and finished the bite.

"How was it?" she asked, leaning forward and resting her head in her hands.

"OK, fine, we'll go out for breakfast!" He stammered. Alex laughed.

Alex stormed into her father's office without knocking. Joon Pyo was right behind. He waited outside and listened at the door.

"Father, I need to speak with you, right now!"

Mr. Lee examined Alex and sighed. "What is it?"

"Did you know about Joo-Won's death?" she demanded, her voice quivering slightly.

Alex watched her father's expression change. He put a hand to his head and rubbed. "I did," he admitted without looking at her.

Alex gaped at him and unconsciously stumbled backward slightly. She began to tremble from grief and rage.

She hesitated before asking the question she feared the answer to. "Did you…have something to do with it?" she asked shakily.

Alex's father sighed and looked at her. He appeared older somehow. "I didn't approve of Joo-Won, as you know..."

She began to tense all over.

"I admit that I wanted him out of your life… I mentioned this in passing to a mutual acquaintance of mine and Hyun-Woo's. Hyun-Woo found out and took that statement to the extreme… I didn't know what he had planned until after the fact. When I confronted him about it he insisted that I keep it to myself or he would reveal it to you, as well as impliacate me in the murder…"

Alex released her breath heavily. She stumbled again and clutched at the wall. "I can't believe this!" She tightened her trembling fists at her side.

"I'm so sorry, Alex. I didn't mean for that to happen. I just wanted Joo-Won to quietly disappear from your life…" He buried his head in his hands in shame.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Father!" Alex exclaimed. She felt tiny needles stabbing her all over.

Mr. Lee hung his head.

"So, why then did you try to marry me off to him?"

Mr. Lee exhaled sharply and rubbed his head. "Hyun-Woo has been blackmailing me," he finally said. "…Not only for Joo-Won but for some other disreputable dealings I had years ago…"

"I don't believe this!"

"Alex, you don't realize how dangerous this man is… You don't realize the depth of his connections. We don't want to be on his bad side. He could ruin this company or worse…"

"We?" She glared at him. "There is no we anymore, Father! No, I can't even call you that anymore! Mr. Lee!" Alex turned and stormed out. Her father slumped heavily back into this chair.

Alex rushed past Joon Pyo, and he had to jog to catch up with her. "Alex," he attempted to get her attention to no avail. He said her name once more and she turned to look at him.

"I need to get out of here…," she blurted out.

"OK, fine, and go where?"

"I don't know, just somewhere, far away…"

"OK…" Joon Pyo led her back to her office and sat her down. "I'll take you somewhere. Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere, it doesn't matter."

"OK."

Jan Di finished up at the porridge shop. It was near closing. She and Ga Eul wiped off the tables, as Master did dishes in the back. They heard the bell and a man walked in. Jan Di and Ga Eul turned to welcome the customer. Jan Di noticed that the man looked familiar. After a moment she recognized him from the business dinner Joon Pyo had invited her to. Kim Hyun-Woo was his name, she thought.

Hyun-Woo sauntered up to her slowly, wearing a debonair smile.

"Geum Jan Di, right?" Jan Di nodded. She bowed and offered a small smile. "Kim Hyun-Woo, right?"

"Yes, very good. It's so nice to see you again." He took her hand and placed a burning kiss upon it. Jan Di shrunk back and smiled nervously.

She reclaimed her hand. "Uh, would you like a table?"

He smiled and nodded, as she showed him to a table. The place was empty. Jan Di took his order. Master grumbled a bit about it being so near closing but made the food, and Jan Di brought it out to him. Hyun-Woo ate, and Jan Di and Ga Eul went back to their cleaning. Hyun-Woo watched Jan Di from across the room.

Jan Di's phone rang. "Oh, Ji Hoo Sunbae. Yea, I'm almost done. I'll see you in 10 minutes. OK, bye."

Jan Di hung up her phone. Jan Di glanced back toward Hyun-Woo's table and began to ask him how he was doing but noticed that he was gone. Jan Di and Ga Eul looked at each other curiously and shrugged. They picked up the money he'd left on the table, far too much.

Ji Hoo picked up Jan Di from work, as he often did. Sometimes he'd pick her up on his bike and sometimes in the car. Today he had the car. He still opened the door for her. He did so, and she got in. Hyun-Woo watched them drive off from a nearby alley.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Fine, thank you. And yours, Sunbae?"

"Fine. There was a little mishap at rehearsal, though…"

"Oh really?" Jan Di turned to him.

He recounted the incident. They always exchanged stories about their day, just like a married couple.

"And what about you, Jan Di? Anything interesting happen to you today?"

She supposed that the meeting with Kim Hyun-Woo could qualify as interesting or strange, but she was hesitant to tell Ji Hoo. He was always so protective, and she recalled how he'd reacted to Hyun-Woo at the dinner. She thought it best not to mention it. Still, something really unnerved her about Kim Hyun-Woo. He made her feel very uneasy.

"No, not really," she said, deciding to let it go.

Jan Di grew silent. She looked down at her hands, then out the window. Ji Hoo glanced over at her.

"Something wrong?" He knew her far too well, every gesture, every facial expression, every mannerism. Sometimes it was tough being so translucent to him.

She shook her head and smiled. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just a little tired."

The next evening Jan Di finished up at the porridge shop again. She was slipped a note by a customer toward closing. It was a message from Kim Hyun-Woo, asking her to meet him at the indicated address. The message said it was urgent and involved Joon Pyo. It also demanded that she come alone with a not-so-veiled threat. Jan Di stared at the note, feeling highly anxious. Ga Eul looked over and asked her about it. Jan Di blew it off as nothing. Jan Di looked at her phone and then insisted that she needed to leave a little early and apologized.

"Isn't Ji Hoo Sunbae picking you up in 15 minutes?" Ga Eul asked. Jan Di made up the excuse that she needed to meet him somewhere a bit early. Ga Eul and Master didn't question it.

Jan Di studied the address and then took off her apron. She went to slip the note in her pocket but it dropped to the floor. Jan Di left the shop and headed toward the location in the note.

She wandered the street looking for the address. She had to be close now. She knew of the area, and it hadn't been far away. All that she could see now were run-down buildings and an old warehouse. Every sign was telling her that this was dangerous and a horrible, horrible idea. Her head was screaming at her to turn back and call Ji Hoo to come and get her. Coming to her senses, she pulled out her phone to call him. Just then, she was grabbed by someone from behind, and everything went dark.

Ji Hoo had arrived at the porridge shop on his bike. He waited outside for a few minutes and glanced through the window. When Jan Di didn't come out, he went inside. Ga Eul and Master were preparing to leave for the night. "Oh, Ji Hoo Sunbae, what are you doing here?" Ga Eul asked.

"I'm here to pick up Jan Di…" He looked around. "Where is she?" He asked, perplexed.

"She said that she was meeting you somewhere."

"But I never talked to her about that…" A look of concern spread across Ga Eul and Ji Hoo's faces simultaneously. Ji Hoo suddenly had a terrible feeling.

"Something's wrong, Jan Di's in danger!" Master shouted, as if he'd just had one of his psychic visions.

Ga Eul smacked his arm. "Yeah, we kinda figured that out already!"

"Did anything strange happen today, Ga Eul?" Ji Hoo demanded.

"Well, Jan Di got a note from a customer. She acted kind of strange after that and then told me she had to leave to meet you. She left about 15 minutes ago." Ga Eul began to pick nervously at her lip. "And yesterday a strange man came in. He knew Jan Di… His name was…" Ga Eul thought about it.

"Kim Hyun-Woo?" Ji Hoo asked.

"Yes, that was it! Do you know him, Sunbae?" Ji Hoo exhaled sharply and put a hand to his forehead. Why didn't she tell me?

"Yes," Ji Hoo grumbled, suddenly looking very distressed.

"Oh Ji Hoo Sunbae, do you think she's really in danger? What should we do?" Ga Eul whimpered.

Master noticed a slightly crumpled piece of paper on the floor. He picked it up and and looked at it, then handed it to Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo read it and the color left his face. He immediately rushed out of the restaurant. Ji Hoo jumped on his bike and pulled out his phone. He called Woo Bin.

"Woo Bin, Jan Di is in danger! I need you to bring your guys to this address." Ji Hoo read off the address.

"I'm on it, but it's going to take us about 30 minutes to get there," Woo Bin replied.

"I can't wait that long, I'm going myself!"

"Ji Hoo-yah, Ji Hoo-yah!" Woo Bin shouted into the phone, but Ji Hoo had already hung up. "Ahhh," Woo Bin clenched his mouth and pulled out his phone to contact his guys

Ji Hoo drove his bike toward the address. Jan Di, what were you thinking? Why did you go? Why did you keep this from me?

It didn't take him long to reach the location. It was a dilapidated old warehouse, figured. He parked his bike a ways away and slowly approached, glancing warily around. He reached the building and heard voices. He was able to see inside through a dirty, cracked window.

He saw Jan Di, tied to a chair and gagged. She appeared to be unconscious. A group of men were standing around her. One of them was Kim Hyun-Woo himself. Ji Hoo tightened his mouth and clenched his fists hard at his side. A wave of terror washed over him, and he felt sick to his stomach. He was trying to devise some plan but his mental faculties had temporarily left him. Suddenly, he felt something sharp against the back of his head, and it all went black.

Ji Hoo awoke. His head was throbbing and his vision was blurred. He looked around, and everything slowly came into focus. He was inside of the warehouse. He noticed that Jan Di was in a chair in front of him, close but just out of reach. Though it didn't matter, for his hands were not free. He too was tied to a chair and gagged. Jan Di was conscious now. She looked at him helplessly, her lovely chocolate eyes were dilated from fear. Ji Hoo did his best to reassure her with his own eyes. Don't worry, Jan Di… I'm going to get you out of here… I'll protect you, no matter what…

Hyun-Woo approached them and crossed his arms over his chest. He smiled satisfactorily."Two-for-one bargaining chips, excellent! That was entirely too easy!" He clapped his hands together. "Well, well, well, Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo. We meet again."

Hyun-Woo approached Jan Di and began to run his fingers through her hair. Jan Di shrunk away, and Ji Hoo glared at him and made a muffled sound through his gag. He struggled with his binds.

Hyun-Woo approached him and leaned down to look him in the eyes. Ji Hoo's eyes blazed back at him. "Did you want to say something, Yoon Ji Hoo?" Hyun-Woo took off the gag.

"Don't touch her!" he snarled hoarsely. Hyun-Woo approached Jan Di once more and ran the back of his hand down her cheek. "Like this?"

"I said DON'T TOUCH HER, you bastard, or I'll kill you!"

Hyun-Woo shook his head. "Now, now…that wasn't very nice. You're usually so well-mannered, Yoon Ji Hoo. You sound more like Goo Joon Pyo now."

"Go to hell!" Ji Hoo growled. Hyun-Woo shoved the gag back into his mouth. Ji Hoo did his best to calm himself, so as not to fuel Hyun-Woo and endanger Jan Di.

Hyun-Woo pulled up a chair and sat near them. He crossed a leg over the other casually. "Oh, that's right… I guess you're angry with me for kidnapping your precious Jan Di…" Hyun-Woo pulled off Jan Di's gag.

"So, have you confessed your feelings for one another yet?" Hyun-Woo asked, almost giddy. He looked between the two. Ji Hoo glared at him. Jan Di frowned and looked down, avoiding eye contact. "I feel like I'm watching my own little drama here. Which guy will you choose, Jan Di?" Hyun-Woo mocked, as he leaned toward her. They were both silent, refusing to participate in Hyun-Woo's sick game.

"Ji Hoo is obvious, but what about you, Jan Di? How exactly do you feel about him? Hmm?" Hyun-Woo rose and approached Ji Hoo. He swifly backhanded him across the face.

"Stop it!" Jan Di screamed and struggled in her chair. Tears began to escape and ran down her cheeks. Hyun-Woo looked over at her and smirked.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried out.

"Because your boyfriend pissed me off… And you also make for a good bargaining chip, Jan Di. You, on the other hand, Yoon Ji Hoo, I don't know how much Joon Pyo will want to save you, considering well, you know…" he smirked.

"This would be so much better if I had Joon Pyo tied up here, too…but you take what you can get, I guess…," he mused smugly. "I must admit, I was on Joon Pyo's side for awhile, but seeing you two together…well, it's just so darn cute…" he mocked, putting a hand to his heart. "I might be switching sides…" Ji Hoo glared at Hyun-Woo. Jan Di looked down helplessly.

"What do you want?" Ji Hoo demanded.

Hyun-Woo rubbed his chin. "Well, to put it simply, I want Joon Pyo to cooperate with me. I want him to give me what I want."

"And what's that?"

"I want a large stakehold in Shinhwa, for one."

"Joon Pyo and Shinhwa don't negotiate with criminals…" Ji Hoo said.

"Oh, I think he will, with the right motivation." Hyun-Woo approached Jan Di and grabbed her face roughly. Ji Hoo clenched his jaw tightly. His chest was rising and falling heavily. He was rapidly losing control, but he attempted to remain composed. He fumbled with his binds subtly.

"OK, OK, let's work something out here. I can get you what you want and more…" Ji Hoo replied, killing time. "Just let her go and we'll talk about this man-to-man."

Hyun-Woo released Jan Di's face. He put his hands in his pockets and paced back and forth. "Joon Pyo should've just minded his own business and stayed away from my woman…"

"What?" Ji Hoo asked. Jan Di blinked and looked down.

"Alex. He got in the way!"

"Joon Pyo isn't interested in her," Ji Hoo said, as much to reassure Jan Di as to disarm Hyun-Woo.

Hyun-Woo turned from them and fumed silently.

Ji Hoo, Jan Di, Hyun-Woo, and his subordinates all turned simultaneously upon hearing the door being kicked in. Suddenly Woo Bin appeared with a group of guys dressed in black standing behind him.

"Song Woo Bin!" Hyun-Woo exclaimed.

Woo Bin looked to Ji Hoo and Jan Di and clenched his jaw. He turned back to Hyun-Woo and glared at him menacingly. "That's right. So, you've heard of me, huh? Well, if you know who I am, then you know I'm gonna kick your !" Woo Bin pulled on his black gloves and cracked his knuckles. "You made a huge mistake going after my friends…" Woo Bin bid his guys to attack and rushed to Ji Hoo. Woo Bin freed Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo in turn freed Jan Di. "You guys, OK?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ji Hoo said. Jan Di nodded.

Ji Hoo pulled Jan Di to her feet and put himself in front of her. Ji Hoo glared at Hyun-Woo, who stared icily back. Ji Hoo focused on Hyun-Woo and began to approach him, but he was jumped by one of Hyun-Woo's guys. Ji Hoo flipped the guy, and he landed on his back. Ji Hoo, Woo Bin, and his guys engaged Hyun-Woo's guys in a fight, as Hyun-Woo watched on. Woo Bin lined up three guys and took them out one at a time. Woo Bin tossed a guy to Ji Hoo, and he punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Woo Bin released a deadly spin-kick, and back-kicked an attacker who approached from behind.

Ji Hoo caught sight of a guy approaching Jan Di and shot her a concerned glance. Another pulled a knife and swung at him, catching his side. Ji Hoo winced in pain. Woo Bin and Jan Di simultaneously yelled his name. Ji Hoo quickly disarmed the man and took them both down in turn. F2 made short work of Hyun-Woo's sycophants. Ji Hoo and Woo Bin noticed that in the chaos Hyun-Woo had fled. As the lackeys ran off, Woo Bin shouted a warning to them from the Song clan.

Ji Hoo rushed back to Jan Di. He cupped her dirt and tear-stained face in his hands. "Are you OK?" he whispered tenderly, as he looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, are you? You're hurt…" she noticed the tear in the side of his shirt.

"No, I'm fine. But I've never been so terrified in my life…don't ever do that to me again!" He exclaimed fervently and took her in his arms. He held her tighter against him as if he'd never let her go and d her hair. "You certainly keep me on my toes…what am I going to do with you, little otter?" She said nothing but clutched lightly to him. As her body pressed against him, he felt pain where the knife had went in, but he endured it.

Woo Bin looked on. Finally, he broke the moment. "Hey, let's get out of here, guys."

They drove to the safe house, a precaution Ji Hoo had insisted upon. He'd also insisted upon protection for Grandfather and had asked Woo Bin to arrange for Grandfather to be taken somewhere safe. Joon Pyo had been notified of the incident and was on his way.

Jan Di and Ji Hoo sat together in the back seat as Woo Bin drove. The pain in Ji Hoo's side was becoming increasingly worse. He winced slightly but attempted to downplay it.

"Sunbae, are you OK?" She asked. He nodded, but the pain continued to worsen. He looked away, hiding the look of anguish on his face. Jan Di looked over and touched his arm. Woo Bin glanced back.

"You OK, man?"

"Yea," Ji Hoo mumbled.

"Maybe we better take you to the hospital," Woo Bin suggested.

"No, it's OK, just keep going. It barely grazed me."

Not long after, Ji Hoo slumped down slightly. Jan Di looked over at him, concerned. His face had grown white. She put a hand to his head, and he was feverish.

"Woo Bin, he has a fever."

At this time, they were far from a hospital. "Ahh, OK. Hang in there, Ji Hoo-yah," Woo Bin replied.

Ji Hoo's head began to roll back. Jan Di pulled him into her lap. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. Jan Di d his forehead.

They arrived at the safe house. Woo Bin helped Ji Hoo out of the car. He put Ji Hoo's arm around his neck and Jan Di supported his other side. Woo Bin and Jan Di helped him inside and lowered him onto a couch.

"Jan Di-yah, can you take care of him?" Woo Bin asked. "My guys and I are going to secure the area. I don't think we were followed, but we'll stay here tonight to be on the safe side."

Jan Di nodded. She gathered what supplies she could find in the house. Fortunately, there were first aid supplies in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Jan Di brought the supplies and wracked her brain to remind herself of what she'd learned about first aid in school. She was all too aware that he would need to remove his shirt, or at least it in order for her to see the wound and minister to it. It was either that or rip his shirt the rest of the way.

"Sunbae, I'll need you to your shirt," she said as steadily as she could muster. He began to fumble with the buttons, but he was shaking too badly from chills and couldn't seem to undo them. She put a hand on his and offered to do it for him. She felt her own hand shaking as she began to slowly undo one button at a time, working her way down. He watched her silently, his eyes partially closed and barely gripping consciousness. She felt her breathing increase. She could barely do this with him watching, despite his current status. She reminded herself that this shouldn't be something to feel shy or uncomfortable about. She did her best to calm her racing heart and remember her purpose here. And her only purpose was to help relieve his pain.

Jan Di noticed the laceration on his left side just below his ribs. She winced at the sight of the wound, not because of the wound itself, but because her Ji Hoo Sunbae was suffering… "I think it's becoming infected," she said. "We should have taken you to the hospital…"

He shook his head. "I wanted to make sure you were safe first…" She stared at him with moistened eyes, berating herself for her stupidity that led to him getting hurt.

She couldn't think right now, but she began to act on instinct. It was no longer bleeding, so she began to clean it. He groaned slightly, and she looked at him tenderly. "I'm sorry, Sunbae. I know it's painful, and I know I'm not very good at this… I've never done this for real before."

"On the contrary, you're doing great…" he mumbled hoarsely.

"Well, I had a good partner to practice with," she said, with a smile. He smiled weakly back.

She returned to focusing on the wound. She put antibiotic cream on her finger and rubbed it in. Then, she prepared a dressing and placed it gently on the wound. "All done."

"Thanks," he murmured and leaned back against the arm of the couch. She watched his dark, full eyelashes flutter closed.

Jan Di attempted to make him as comfortable as she could. He continued to shiver from fever, so she found acetaminophen to give him. She wet a damp cloth and dabbed his forehead. She hesitated only briefly before dabbing at his neck and chest to get his body temperature down. Then she put the cloth on his forehead. Woo Bin checked in and then stood guard in the next room. Jan Di continued to tend to Ji Hoo throughout the night.

Jan Di sat on the floor beside him, leaning against the couch. She finally drifted off. During the night, he began to mumble incoherently in his sleep. This woke her, and she looked up at him. She watched him toss and turn and heard him call her name, as if having some kind of nightmare. She checked his forehead and then rewet the cloth and put it back. He continued to mumble something in his sleep. She put her hand over his and he stirred slightly. "It's OK, I'm here," she whispered.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her with both arms and pulled her against his chest. Her lips parted, and she was suddenly very aware of how she rested against his bare chest, his soft skin still warm from fever. She felt her heart skip a beat. His eyes remained closed, but he held her in a tight bear hug. She resisted for only a moment, but her presence seemed to calm him, so she remained there. She relaxed against him.

"Jan Di-yah, Jan Di-yah," he continued to say her name in his sleep, but he now called out tenderly and appeared comforted.

"Jan Di-yah," he said again. "I love you, Jan Di," he murmurmed and hugged her tighter like a teddy bear. Her lips parted, and she felt her heart begin to thump wildly against his chest. Then, she felt herself succumb to him and relax, as she listened to his now steadying heartbeat. She felt her eyelids grow heavy, as she fought back sleep. Despite her initial shyness, it was comfortable. Finally, she relaxed and her eyelashes fluttered closed.

Jan Di had fallen asleep against Ji Hoo's bare chest. As the morning sun glistened in through the window, they remained snuggled against each other. She remained in a seated position with her torso draped over him and her hand resting against his chest. His right arm was strewn loosely across her back, and his left had fallen limply to his side.

Woo Bin came in and noticed them lying there. He smirked and gave a loud throat clear. The two of them stirred. Jan Di's eyes fluttered open, and he opened his in turn. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Jan Di's eyes widened and she blinked wildly.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Woo Bin teased, reminding them of his presence.

Jan Di quickly pulled away, mortified. "Oh! No, this isn't what it looks like! I, uh, we…" she stammered and rose quickly. "Excuse me!" She ran from the room. Ji Hoo watched her leave.

Woo Bin looked at Ji Hoo quizzically. Ji Hoo looked back at Woo Bin, equally confused. "I guess I have that effect on women…" Ji Hoo joked, and Woo Bin smirked. Ji Hoo groaned slightly, as he attempted to sit up.

"You feeling OK, man?"

"Yea, better, thanks…"

"So, what happened last night?" Woo Bin grinned, glancing toward where Jan Di had run off to.

Ji Hoo shook his head. "Nothing. I don't think…" he scrunched his forehead trying to recall the events of the night before. "I can't really remember much." Ji Hoo put a hand to his still aching head. He had the odd feeling that he'd said some things, though…

Ji Hoo looked down at the bandage covering his wound and smiled, recalling Jan Di's caring touch. He pulled at the bandage, grimacing slightly. He checked his cut, which appeared to be healing. Then he began to button his open shirt. His bangs were dampened and his skin was clammy from the broken fever.

"I think things are secure. Maybe I should get you to the hospital now?" Woo Bin said.

"No, I think I'm OK now…"

Jan Di returned, appearing composed. "Sunbae, I'm going to change the dressing." He shifted and propped himself up on one arm. "Can you, um, your shirt again?" She asked without looking at him. He cleared his throat and did so, this time succeeding on his own.

Jan Di began to fuss with his wound again, methodically checking it and preparing to re-dress it. "Jan Di-yah, I'm fine, really," he said, tensing up and pressing his back into the couch.

"This is no time to be macho, Sunbae. It has to be kept clean to prevent further infection, you should know that. Just let me do this."

Woo Bin smiled to himself and left the room.

Ji Hoo looked down at her and smiled sweetly. "Thank you for taking care of me, little otter," he replied in a tender whisper. "You're going to make an excellent doctor one day."

She smiled shyly. "Thank you." She quickly looked away and then returned to her task. She applied a fresh bandage. Her hand lingered there and she ran her fingers lightly over the bandage, smoothing it down slowly, thoroughly. He watched her as she took her time, even a little too much time, smoothing his bandage in place. He noticed the hint of a smile on her face. His lips parted and he quivered at her touch, shocked by the loving way she was caressing him right now. He felt his breath catch and he looked down at her.

"Jan Di-yah…," he whispered. She hesitantly lifted her eyes toward him, and they gazed into each other's eyes. Overcome with emotion, he leaned in slowly toward her, as if drawn in by some invisible force. She bit her lip and remained mesmerized, as he moved closer. Their foreheads brushed lightly against each other. Suddenly, she made a noise as if the wind had been knocked out of her and shrunk back. He stopped. He watched her tear up, and she dropped her head in shame. Ji Hoo sighed.

She quickly excused herself and ran from the room for the second time that morning. Once alone, she leaned heavily against a wall and clutched at her chest. Her heart was beating madly.