Ji Hoo and Jan Di settled the tab of the karaoke bar and walked towards the boutique to fetch Ji Hoo’s car which was parked in front of the boutique.

As they got closer to the bar, Mandy and Woo Bin could be seen standing in the front and talking. Ji Hoo saw Mandy looking at someone and then she hugged Woo Bin and kissed him on the cheek. When he identified the person in hiding, he was shocked and furious and stepped on the brakes.

Mandy laughed at the shocked reactions around her. She dragged Woo Bin by his hand as they entered the backseat of the car.

“Go, go, go” she told Ji Hoo, but the look he was giving her said that he needed an explanation about what he had seen.

“I’ll tell you all afterwards, first drive. Take us to the lounge, I’ll tell you there.”

Ji Hoo faced the road again and drove as he was told. The atmosphere in car was heavy; Jan Di , who was riding shotgun, was sneaking glances at everyone from time to time but kept quiet; Woo Bin was a bit shocked in the start and had recovered but also kept quiet sensing the mood; Mandy was thinking of the reason why Ji Hoo had acted the way he had. ‘Probably a kiss on the cheek is a big deal around here, but then I also kissed him on the cheek that day, so why is he so upset?’ she thought.

When they reached the F4 lounge, Ji Hoo was the first to get out of the car. He slammed his door shut and stomped inside the lounge.

Woo Bin, Mandy and Jan Di got out of the car and Mandy took out the keys which Ji Hoo had left in the ignition. “What happened to him?” said Mandy as she locked the car.

“The bigger question is ‘what the hell were you thinking’?” said Woo Bin

“Huh?”

“In front of the bar, why did you kiss me?”

“I solved your problem” she simply said and started towards the door but was held back when Woo Bin caught her by the arm

“Explain” he demanded

“Unnie, I would like to know too” interjected Jan Di, looking at Mandy expectantly.

“You guys didn’t see him?”

“Who?” asked Woo Bin and Jan Di in unison

“The photographer who was hiding behind the post box”

“Huh?” both again asked together

She then first explained to Jan Di the reason why Woo Bin had been upset.

“And when I saw the photographer, I came up with the perfect plan to solve your problem. Only we all know that your relationship with me is strictly platonic, but the rest of the world doesn’t know that, including the girls that you ‘entertain’. So whenever you feel like being alone; refer to me as your girlfriend and tell them to leave you alone.”

“But how would anyone of them know about you; you are not that famous around here” said Woo Bin

“Yes but you are, and your popularity will ensure that the pictures that the photographer I know would have clicked would be seen by everyone in at least the Seoul area.”

“Wow, you are a genius!” exclaimed Jan Di

“I know sweetie, but I still don’t understand why Ji Hoo reacted like that” Mandy said as they entered the lounge.

Ji Hoo was shooting darts as the three entered. Mandy went over to him and just stood on the side, looking at him continuously.

“What?” he asked in an irritated voice

“I think I should be the one asking that. What happened?”

“What happened was that you kissed the person you call your brother, that too in public.”

“Yeah so” now Mandy was also getting irritated by Ji Hoo’s childish behavior.

“So you don’t just kiss anyone”

“What’s the big deal? When I was in the States I used to hug and kiss a lot of my friends, in public.”

“Then you should have stayed there only” he shouted at her. “Why did you even come here, huh? This is not the States; you can’t just kiss anyone and then say it meant nothing. And you are such a hypocrite; yesterday you were telling Yi Jung and Woo Bin to be considerate of other’s feelings and today only you are toying with Woo Bin’s feelings. You know that he was interested in you in the beginning but you put him off but now you start giving him mixed signals; is this way to treat someone?”

“I am not answerable to you. What my relationship is with other guys is none of your business” she shouted back

“It is my business if the guy is my best friend who is just being manipulated by some selfish ” he regretted the words the moment they came out of his mouth, but he didn’t apologize or even try to correct himself. He just kept looking at her furiously.

Mandy was shell-shocked at what Ji Hoo had just called her. She felt like she was in a nightmare where her scars from her stay in the States were now starting to kill her internally. Tears had started flowing down her cheeks as she ran towards the exit.

Till now Woo Bin and Jan Di had not interrupted because they thought that the close friends would solve the matter themselves. But when they saw Mandy leave crying, Woo Bin followed her to see if she was alright and Jan Di went over to Ji Hoo.

“Sunbae, why were you so harsh to her? You didn’t even get to hear the whole reason behind it”

“I know the whole reason behind it. I don’t know if both of you saw it or not, but I saw her looking in the direction of a photographer who was hiding behind a post box and then afterwards she hugged and kissed Woo Bin. She is just trying to use us all. Now that I think about it, it has always been obvious. I mean she has all the same classes as me; what are the chances of that?” it had felt like he had been punched in the stomach, when he had seen Mandy kiss Woo Bin, even thought it was on the cheek. Why he was feeling this way? He didn’t know himself

“That is not something very unbelievable, 5 other people share the same classes as you. And not everyone is trying to use you” And she told him the whole story.

“I am an idiot” he said sitting on the floor with his face in his hands

“Damn right you are” said Woo Bin

“Where is Mandy unnie?” Jan Di asked

“I went after her, she was crying so much and told me that she would not contact us anymore and that we should forget her and not try to contact her too” Woo Bin said. He then turned to Ji Hoo “I seriously feel like punching you right now”

“I know that I deserve it” replied Ji Hoo

“You have to apologize to her” said Jan Di

“I know; I’ll go her house, that’s where she probably is.”

“Do you know what you are going to say?” asked Woo Bin

“No, but I don’t think I am in a position to say anything anymore. I’ll just have to beg her to forgive me for my stupidity.”