Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Published: July 7, 2017
"Sorry bro. My father wants me to go to Hong Kong. Urgent matter. I might be there for a week."
"There's an important procedure on that day. I'm sorry Yi Jeong. I don't know what time it'll end. But I'll come join if it finishes earlier."
"My Omma wants me to accompany her to the meeting with the Prime Minister. I know it's at night, but you know my Omma. It won't be just a meeting during the day but she had to invite him for dinner as well."
"I'm sorry, Yi Jeong Sunbae. We interns have to watch and learn the procedure that Ji Hoo Sunbae's performing."
"Yi Jeong Sunbae, I'd love to and you know how much I wanted to but my uncle and aunt are coming to visit. Omma and Appa want me to stay at home. I'll see you the day after, I promise. I'm really sorry, Yi Jeong Sunbae but I love you?"
Yi Jeong laid frustrated on his bed. What such luck. All his friends were not going to be here on his special day. And his girlfriend? At least the one person that he thought would want to be with him was also bailing out on him. He had to cancel the plan to take his friends to a posh restaurant for a private birthday party.
Yi Jeong let out a heavy sigh. Why? Why? Why would it be this way on his first birthday after he came back from Sweden? He wanted to celebrate it with all his friends and Ga Eul. He sighed again. It seemed that he had to accept the fact that each of his friends now has his and her own responsibilities that they would not be as free as they wanted to like when they were younger way back when. But Ga Eul? Why could she not ask her uncle and aunt to come a day later? Why, Ga Eul, why?
"This is not how I want to remember my birthday, Ga Eul. This should be my first birthday with you as my girlfriend. I want it to be special."
He then forced his eyes to close. His birthday was just a day away.
The next morning, he went to work as usual. Since the birthday party was canceled, there was no need for him to hurry with work. After the many meetings during the day, he decided to go to his workshop and do some pottery. Maybe he could drown his frustration and sadness of having to spend his birthday alone in his craft. If the vase turned out good, he might auction or sell it off. He might name the vase "Alone". Hopefully, his friends and Ga Eul would get his message.
It was 8 in the evening of his birthday eve. Yi Jeong went to change into his black working shirt and wore a black headband. He then prepared the spinning wheel and clay and all. He switched on his audio system and put in an old CD. Soon after, his favorite song came up. "I'm Going To Meet You Now / Running To You" would always be his favorite. It reminded him of his sweet yet feisty Ga Eul. It told his love and longing for her.
He wondered how she was doing. She must be busy preparing things to welcome her uncle and aunt. He missed her since their last call yesterday. He did not call or drop her a message today since he was too busy at work and he was kind of in a sulk a little for the canceled plan. But he still missed her. He wished that she would call him. He missed her voice, sharing stories with him, telling him her day and most importantly, telling him that she loved him. "Oh, well. I'll just have to be patient. It's not like I won't be seeing her forever."
One and a half hours had passed. He was immersed in his own world. Pottery would forever be his way to relax and release him of all stress and pain. He was free to let his mind go and to let his emotions create great pieces of art. Each of his vase and pot held a story, his story.
Suddenly, the workshop turned pitch black. He instantly stood up and wiped his hand. A blackout? A power trip? How could it be possible? He then searched for his cell phone so that he could switch on the flashlight function. Thank goodness for the smart cell phone. Thank you, Sir, whoever created it.
But before he could do so, two strong hands grabbed his arms, one covered his mouth and another held his shoulder. He struggled hard and tried to kick anything or anyone in front but they were too strong. Not long after, he felt an inward pressure on his jaw line just below his ear and collapsed.
"My head… What's going on?"
He could not see anything for his eyes were blindfolded. He was now seated on a wooden chair. What angered him more was that his hands were tied at the back and his legs were also tied up. When one sense was crippled, he focused his hearing. Unfortunately, there was nothing. It was as quiet as a graveyard.
But he smelled burning woods. His heart beat wild. Where was this place? An old abandoned warehouse? He remembered the place when Jan Di was kidnapped by the crazy Jae-Ha on the order of Jun Pyo's evil mother.
Why was he taken here? Who were these people? He admitted that he had received some threats, but only from heart-broken girls and women whom he had played years ago before he went to Sweden and before he met Ga Eul. Would they still be holding grudges against him? He prayed not.
"Hey! Let go of me! Who are you? How dare you! Wait until I get you! Let me go!" He screamed and screamed.
He shifted left and right, rocking the chair with the intention to loosen the tie on his legs. He also tried to undo the rope around his hands.
About a couple of minutes later, he heard heavy footsteps coming nearer and nearer. He stopped moving and his heart began to pound faster. He prayed that this person will not harm him. Being blindfolded only heightened his anxiety and fear. This feeling, fear, was killing him.
Then, the person went behind his back and put his hands on his shoulders. Yi Jeong shrugged hard and cursed.
"Who are you? If you want to kill me, be a man. Take off this blindfold and ropes and we'll fight like real men." If he was to die, at least let him fight for his life.
The man laughed out loud. The voice was coarse and deep.
Then, Yi Jeong heard more footsteps approaching and if he was correct, they began to circle him. Sweats started to form on his forehead.
"You are all going to regret this. My friends are not going to let you live peacefully."
He heard snickers and small laughs and his blood boiled more.
Just then, the person behind him took off the blindfold. He tried to open his eyes, but the lights were too glaring. He winced and shut his eyes again. Then, slowly, he opened them and blinked repeatedly to adjust to the lights.
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
The F3 and Jan Di threw colorful, glittering confetti at him. All of them had wide grins. Jun Pyo and Woo Bin blew party whistles. Yi Jeong nearly had a heart attack.
"Whaaa… You guys?"
They laughed at him.
"What the… Let me out of this ropes please, so that I can kill all of you."
They laughed louder. Ji Hoo then untied his hands and legs. The moment he was free, he playfully strangled the doctor's neck and then aimed for Woo Bin and Jun Pyo. He chased them around the living room while Jan Di laughed at their childishness. It was good to see the F4 having fun and acted like children. She missed their playfulness and teases.
After a round of strangling and punching Woo Bin and Jun Pyo, Yi Jeong went to Jan Di. The girl shrieked and ran away. She did not want Yi Jeong Sunbae to strangle her too. But he managed to grab her arm and wiggled his index finger. "Naughty Jan Di." All of them laughed their heart out.
They then sat down. Woo Bin went to get him a drink.
"Yi Jeong Sunbae, are you going to make your friends kill us now? Ooh, I'm so afraid," teased Jan Di.
All of them laughed.
"So, all those excuses were all crap? Made up?"
All of them nodded with a wide grin on each face.
"Right, so whose brilliant idea is this?"
"Who do you think it is?" asked Ji Hoo.
"Woo Bin's?"
Woo Bin shook his head. "If it was mine, I'd take you to my club and have a party with the women."
"Jan Di?"
"Nope."
"Ji Hoo?"
"You think? Ji Hoo? All he thinks about are sleep and his needles. He's boring," stated Jun Pyo.
"Yah!" protested the doctor.
"Then it's your idea, Jun Pyo?"
"Of course… Not!" answered Jan Di. "He's boring too. His ideal birthday surprise would be: grab your wrist and drag you somewhere boring."
"Yah! I'm not boring. I can be fun too."
"Then whose?" Yi Jeong had a puzzled look.
"The person who's not here," said Ji Hoo.
Yi Jeong stiffened before looking around. Sadly, he realized that the person who he missed very much was not here.
"Ga Eul… my Ga Eul…" there was a note of sadness in his voice.
"Sorry, Yi Jeong Sunbae but she sends her love."
Yi Jeong slowly nodded and soon smiled at the people around him. He loved them too. Even though he was sad that Ga Eul could not join them he should not let his sorrow ruined the effort by his friends. He should appreciate them too.
"So, the men at the workshop?"
"My men," admitted Woo Bin. "Did they hurt you?"
"No. Not really. But they were good. I didn't realize that they had entered the workshop. They were superbly stealthy."
"Where are we?"
"My old man's private cabin. An hour from Seoul," said Woo Bin.
"Nice."
"Hey, I'm hungry. Yi Jeong, time for cake," exclaimed Jun Pyo.
"Right. I'll get it. It's in the kitchen," said Jan Di and left.
The F4 enjoyed each other's company as they waited for Jan Di. Yi Jeong's eyes widened when Jan Di came out pushing a large cake on a trolley. It was 7 layers of white icings with hints of earthy colors, his favorite colors.
"Whoa! That's a huge cake and there're only 5 of us. Whoaaa!" commented Yi Jeong.
"Well, Ga Eul said that 7 is your lucky number. Your birthday is today, July 7th. So, the 7 layers," explained Jan Di.
Yi Jeong missed Ga Eul again. He wished that she was there. He made a mental note to tell her that she must tell her relatives that no visits were allowed on his birthday, ever.
Yi Jeong came closer to the cake. He marveled at the decoration. Yes. This was definitely Ga Eul's idea and he loved it.
"SURPRIIIIIISEEEEE!" "AAARRRRKKKK!"
Yi Jeong almost had a heart attack, again.
Ga Eul had burst out from the cake.
"Happy birthday, Yi Jeong Sunbae!" She then stepped out of it and kissed his cheeks. The F3 and Jan Di were still laughing at Yi Jeong's shocked expression.
"Ga… Ga Eul?"
"Yes, Sunbae. It's me." Ga Eul then held his arm.
"Why you…." He pinched her nose then kissed her cheek.
"Were you in there this whole time?"
"Yes, and I don't want to do that again. It's so hot in there. Trust me." She fanned her face, earning more laughs from their friends.
"All these are your ideas?"
"Yes, Sunbae. Do you like it?"
Yi Jeong nodded. It was so different with how he had celebrated years and years before. They were meaningless nights of booze and random women and girls and a major hangover the morning after. But now having Ga Eul with him changed all those. She had changed him into a better man without her even realizing and he loved her for it.
The F4 and the girls continued to enjoy the nights. They played games, drank and ate. They were having fun. It was a long time that they had this much fun. It was a good night for everyone.
At 2 a.m., one by one, they excused themselves and retired. All of them were staying there and had one room to each.
Ga Eul was still in the kitchen, cleaning up some plates and glasses when a pair of arms snaked around her waist and soft lips planted light kisses on her neck.
"Yi Jeong Sunbae." Her heart started to beat faster.
"Thank you, Ga Eul. Thanks for tonight. I love it. This is definitely a day to remember." He kissed her shoulder.
"Oh, you are welcome. I… I thought that you need some break from work. You've been… complaining about it after you started work… at the Museum. Since your birthday was near, I… I thought that it would be a great idea… for all of us to celebrate… it away from… the city and you could… unwind…" She was getting breathless from his 'assaults'.
When she could not stand it anymore, she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. They then locked eyes as he held her waist firmly and pulled her closer if that was even possible. Both could see the love in each other's eyes. Both could also see something else. Their hearts beat wilder and butterflies started to invade.
"How long are we going to be here?" He asked first to calm his racing heart so that he would not do things to her in that kitchen.
"Until Sunday." Three days and two nights
"What are we going to do here until then?"
"Woo Bin Sunbae suggested hiking. There's a beautiful waterfall one hour from here."
"Is that all? Hiking?"
"And much more but I can't remember…now." His deep gaze was wiping everything that was in mind. All that she thought now were his mesmerizing eyes, inviting soft lips and his warm burning hands on her waist.
"Are you tired?" He blew on her nose.
"A little." It was a whisper. "Are you tired?"
He nodded a bit. "But I know a way to refresh," and gave her the most heart-melting smile. "But you need to help me."
Ga Eul's eyes widened and she felt like her heart was about to burst.
Yi Jeong chuckled and finally kissed her, knocking all her senses away.
"I love you, Ga Eul."
"I love you, Yi Jeong Sunbae. Happy Birthday."
…and he gently carried her to their awaiting bedroom.
T. H. E. E. N. D.
A.N.: Happy Birthday Kim Bum (July 7), though doubt he knows about this website. Anyway, a girl can dream, can't she? ^_^. Happy Birthday to readers who are celebrating it today, too! Have a great birthday with the ones you love.