How It Should Have Ended (A Ji Hoo and Jan Di Story)

Chapter 4

Summer went by, and then fall, and then winter. Jun Pyo was becoming concerned. He had been doing a lot of damage control lately, but their stocks had still been dropping like crazy. Their corporate headquarters had started talking about layoffs, and this greatly concerned him. He needed to form a strategic alliance to strengthen their presence again and to put the public's faith back in Shinhwa.

He needed to break into the American market. But how?

He was getting ready for his next meeting – one that the board had set up as of critical importance – when he received a text message.

He glanced at it. It was from Jan Di.

Have a good day today, Jun Pyo! Fighting!

He tossed his phone aside.

She never texted him messages that said she missed or loved him so he had stopped sending those kinds of messages either. She was never open about her feelings for him even before, but now it was starting to annoy him.

Jun Pyo looked at the time and started walking to the board room. He stepped in and stopped, shock registering on his face when he saw the person sitting in the middle of the board room.

The woman stood up, smiled and bowed her head.

"Gu Jun Pyo", she greeted. Her hair had grown to her shoulders, and she was wearing an expensive business suit, with matching shoes.

"Monkey?" he said, in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Jae Kyung smiled. "Well, nice to see you again too!" She rolled her eyes. "I heard you needed help so, here I am!" she exclaimed.

At first, he was hesitant to work with her again. They had parted amicably, but he was afraid it was going to be awkward. But the JK Group was big in America, and they could use their help right now. His business partners had explained that they had been trying to reach other companies to form an alliance with, and only the JK Group had given them a definitive answer. He wondered if Jae Kyung was here because she wanted to, or because she was forced to.

They talked about strategy and business plans for the rest of the day. Jae Kyung seemed to be taking it seriously, giving out ideas now and then. He looked at her, curiously. She seemed to have matured since he last saw her.

He wondered if she still had feelings for him. He felt sorry for her at the time, because she was actually a great person. If he hadn't met Jan Di perhaps it may have worked out for them.

They wrapped up their meeting late in the afternoon. The other partners had left, and he was left alone with her. Jae Kyung yawned and stretched.

"Man, that was a long day," she complained. "This suit is itchy, and these shoes gave me blisters." She took off her shoes.

Ah. This was the Jae Kyung he remembered. He couldn't help but laugh. She stood up, brushed her skirt and started walking out the door.

"Nice seeing you again," she called out.

He stood up and hurried after her. "Hey, you hungry? I hate eating alone."

She shrugged nonchalantly and followed him out.

They went to a quaint little French restaurant about 5 minutes from his penthouse. It was quiet, and served only high-end clientele. They made idle talk as they waited for their food. Jae Kyung acted like they had no past history. She kept it professional.

Jun Pyo decided to bring up the past though.

"I don't know how to thank you for what you did," he began.