Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: This is part of a series of one shots called 7 Heavenly Virtues taken place at Lovers Unparalleled. Hope you guys like it!
…
What's she like?
What's she like?
It had only been three months since he met her, yet he couldn't get her out of his mind.
Normally, he wouldn't even take a second glance at a girl like her. This is different though. He thought he had her figured out the first time he had laid his eyes on her.
From her clothes to her looks, she's too plain and simple. She isn't his type.
He could tell from those childish prints on her t-shirt that her attitude matches that of a ten-year old. Too childish for his liking. She isn't his type.
She's too naïve. Too innocent. Her eyes say it all. She isn't his type.
And yet, right after he met her, she already gained that place in his mind. He's too curious that everyday she makes him wonder…
What's she like? What is she really like?
She's full of surprises. She's the only girl that's too unpredictable for him.
Like that time when they met…
"Yo Yi Jung-ah! This is Chu Ga Eul." Woo Bin tried to introduce with a voice loud enough to hear in the noisy hall. And then, in a whisper, he said, "She's Geum Jan Di's best friend. That tough grass didn't want to be here without a friend. Jun Pyo asked me to drag her all the way here." So Yi Jung scoffed at that. Typical Jun Pyo. He thought.
He then watched Woo Bin turn to Ga Eul and say, "This is So Yi Jung. It's his exhibit."
With a raised eyebrow, he looked at the girl. She was staring at him with those innocent doe eyes. What was with her eyes that made him feel chills down his spine? It made him frown even more.
With a smile, the girl greeted. "Congratulations on your work. It's nice to meet you, sunbae."
Normally, he would politely say 'thank you' but Yi Jung did not reply. He merely looked at her, still with an eyebrow raised. The girl seemed to be waiting for his answer but his lips did not move. He only smirked and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to deal or be pleasant with her.
A call from beside him shook off the tension that was surrounding them.
"Ga Eul-ah! What are you doing here?" So Yi Jung stepped aside as Jan Di, followed by the lovesick puppy Jun Pyo, pass by him. Jan Di's eyes were filled with worry and concern while she held Ga Eul's hand in her own.
Yi Jung watched as Ga Eul only laughed it off and waved her hand. "It's okay Jan Di-yah. Woo Bin-sunbae told me you didn't want to be here because you'll feel out of place so he brought me here."
"He did?" Jan Di frowned and turned to look at Woo Bin. The latter only raised his hands in defence.
"Woah! Woah! I did nothing wrong! Gu Jun Pyo made me!"
Jan Di spun and glared at Jun Pyo who was already glaring at his traitor in return.
"Honestly, Jan Di-yah! It's okay!" Ga Eul attempted to ease out her friend's anger. She then gazed around with delighted eyes. "At least I had the opportunity to see this collection of pottery."
"Oh, yeah. Now that I think about it, it's good that you came. I almost forgot your love for pottery. How'd you like it so far?" Jan Di asked with a small smile.
Yi Jung's ears piqued in interest. So this girl loves pottery? He could only laugh. Maybe she loves pottery but she doesn't know how to appreciate it at all. Let me listen to what she has to say. He thought.
"…and I love that vase. It makes me feel happy just by looking at it." The two girls were looking at a vase Yi Jung made when he first heard the news that his grandfather would turn all the duties of the museum onto him. He was really glad back then that he incorporated all the feelings he had unto the vase. Ga Eul continued judging the vase and Yi Jung realized then that she really does know pottery well.
Sort of pleased that they were talking about his art in front of him, he decided to join the conversation. Maybe this could lighten his mood. But before Yi Jung could say something, his ears caught Ga Eul say something that made him dislike her even more.
"If only the vases and pots were as beautiful as their maker." She said in a voice that Yi Jung almost didn't hear.
"Mwoh? What did you just say?" Indignant and annoyed, Yi Jung pulled her arm to make her face him. But Ga Eul did not show any signs of fear.
She stared straight into his coal black eyes, smiling. "You heard me." She coolly said.
So Yi Jung never had a girl insult her like that. Let alone give him that challenging face.
And that time Jun Pyo made him babysit her…
Yi Jung could not believe it. Out of all the people he would see in a great day like that, why her?
"What is she doing here?" Yi Jung roughly asked Jun Pyo though he wasn't really looking at him. His attention was directed towards the irritating girl he met a month ago at his exhibit.
Really. He thought he would never see her again. But of course, how could he not see her when Jun Pyo's object of affection is her best friend? And now he realized how stupid he had been for falling for Jun Pyo's trap.
He rolled his eyes when Jun Pyo roughly nudged him and murmured to his ear. Here goes… "Yah! Go and distract her so I could have some time alone with Geum Jan Di."
"Mwoh? Why me? You could have asked Woo Bin or Ji Hoo. Why me?" He scoffed.
"I'll give you that Les Petit antique white collection you really want from the estate." Jun Pyo annoyingly hissed.
That caught Yi Jung's interest. That collection was something he wanted for years but Jun Pyo always resisted in giving it to him no matter how much he offers. Now, he's giving it for free in exchange of babysitting her? Hmmm, he could live with that.
"Deal."
As soon as Yi Jung agreed, Jun Pyo didn't waste any time and dragged Jan Di inside the mall. Screams of protests were heard and Ga Eul's worried gaze followed the two.
"So where do you want to go?" It took all his willpower to make it sound polite and nice. And it took another batch of willpower not to frown at her. To his irritation, Ga Eul made no effort to hide the scowl on her face.
"I go right there." She replied as she pointed to the park across the street. "You stay here." She didn't even look back at him as she walked towards the park.
Yi Jung sighed. "Antique collection. Antique collection." He repeated that like a mantra in his head as he ran to follow her.
"Why don't you go inside the mall?" Yi Jung asked once he finally caught up with her.
"And what would I do there?" She asked in return without looking at him.
"I don't know. Shopping? Isn't that what girls find relaxing?"
Yi Jung was surprised to see her scowl again. What? It was usually what the girls he dated do. A weird weird girl. He thought.
"I would find shopping more stressful. I'd buy stuff I don't need and later on regret it. I'd rather have a walk around a park like this. It's quiet and soothing." She replied with a hint of smile on her face before she turned to face him. "See? It's relaxing!" Ga Eul twirled once. Yi Jung watched as her hair swayed gracefully with her, matching her smiling and laughing face.
Yi Jung found himself smiling too. She looks so happy and peaceful. And he hated to admit it but she looks rather… pretty.
Shaking his thoughts off of his mind, he embarrassedly turned his gaze away from her. They walked in comfortable silence, enjoying the soft cool breeze, the quietness and the gentle rustle of the trees until Yi Jung heard something just a few meters away from them.
And it seemed that her companion heard it too.
They both turned to the direction of the noise. It was a crying kid with an ice cream in one hand, looking like he didn't know what he's going to do.
Yi Jung watched as Ga Eul ran to the kid. She took the kid's ice cream from him and Yi Jung could hear the soft whispers she was telling him.
"Hey… Don't cry. We'll find your omma…" It was gentle and warm that he felt a tug in his heart. What was that thing she's doing that made him like this?
If it was another girl Yi Jung was with, he's sure that she would not even acknowledge hearing the kid. Let alone comfort him. He could only imagine their snobbish faces as they walk away.
"Sunbae!" He heard her call him.
Surprised that she called him, he only stared and watched her wave and smile at him. He watched as the breeze gently hugged her long silky hair and dance with her peach summer dress. He couldn't really process what she was telling him because he was too caught up with what he's currently seeing.
And Yi Jung was stunned when he realized that Ga Eul was gradually approaching him together with the kid.
"Sunbae?" Ga Eul tentatively called him.
"Eh?" This time, Yi Jung shook her head and focused on the situation at hand. What was happening to him? He never lost his focus like this in front of a girl before.
"I asked you if you could help this lost kid find his mother too? Are you okay?"
No. He was definitely not okay.
Never in his life had he lost his composure like that. He was usually focused and he's known to be cool and collected. But how could that simple girl turn him otherwise?
What is she really like?
After that incident, Yi Jung sees her regularly. Jun Pyo always insists on going to the porridge to 'kidnap' Jan Di and it would always be Yi Jung ending up with Ga Eul.
Every time he was with her, she would always make him think. She would always correct him about something he believes in.
She believes in soul mates, that there's always this one person for you in this world. But Yi Jung was quick to tell her that it was rubbish. That it was not something she should waste her time thinking about. But Ga Eul surprised him again by telling him that he believes in it too even though he insists he doesn't.
And it made him think, does So Yi Jung, the infamous play boy, believe in soul mates? It was a crazy thought. But Ga Eul was different. She made him doubt his own judgment.
So Yi Jung sighed. Why was he thinking about her again?
Thoughts and thoughts about her is making him go crazy.
Like right now, he's thinking about her and when he took a glance at the sidewalk, he saw her. Why was it like this every –?
Wait…
He abruptly pulled over by the pavement and blinked once, twice, thrice…
It really is her, Chu Ga Eul.
Currently, she's wearing a white flowery dress and a pair of plain white flats. Her hair was up in a ponytail and her face is void of makeup like always. What made him wonder though were the white roses enclosed in her hands.
Yi Jung saw her walking, slow and graceful. Curious, he followed her slowly by car.
Again, Ga Eul amused him. She gave the roses one by one to every person she passed by— a little kid with a blue balloon, a man in a business suit, a boy on a skateboard, a girl in a pigtail, a pregnant woman eating a bagel. To each different person, she gave a rose and Yi Jung heard her saying while smiling, "Have a lovely day." It wasn't something Yi Jung sees every day.
Yi Jung scrunched up his nose in confusion. What was this? Her new job? As he followed her more, he noticed the ribbon and a tiny card tied up to each stalk but as he is far from her, he couldn't read the scribbles on it.
Then came down with the last white rose. Yi Jung saw Ga Eul pull out her phone and push a few keys. As soon as she put the phone on her ear, Yi Jung was momentarily interrupted by the ringing of his own phone. He looked away from her to see who was calling him and again, surprise, surprise, it was the girl he's following (he wouldn't want to call it stalking) right this second.
After staring at his phone for one more minute, he then turned to look at where she was… but Ga Eul was gone. He looked left and right and there was no sign of her.
His phone was still ringing on his hand. Thinking that maybe he could sneakily get out her location from her, he immediately picked it up.
"Hello? Ga Eul-yang?" He answered nonchalantly.
"I was wondering when you'll pick it up." It was her knowing voice that sometimes annoyed him.
The end of her sentence was followed by a soft knock on his window. Quite amused and stunned, he stared at the window. There she was, grinning and waving at him. How could she have known he was there? Slowly, he opened his car window, unable to speak, unable to explain himself.
Smiling radiantly, Ga Eul abruptly handed out the last white rose to him while saying, "Have a beautiful day, sunbae."
Dumbstruck and mouth hanging open, he robotically accepted the white rose. He opened his mouth to speak but no words were coming out. How? When? Why? What? Questions filled his mind and he had no way of answering them. How could that happen? Did she know he was following her the whole time? He felt his cheeks warm up when he thought about it. It was embarrassing that she caught him. Now he feels like a stalker. The great So Yi Jung, a stalker. That's a sight to behold.
When he didn't say anything, Ga Eul waved goodbye, still smiling. She turned her back and walked away from his car.
Unable to believe everything that just happened, he looked at the white rose and read the tiny card tied to it.
Life is full of challenges but despite it all, you should smile and calmly take it all in.
After reading it three more times, Yi Jung quickly opened his door and jumped out of his car. He looked left and right and saw Ga Eul about to cross the street.
He didn't know what he was doing. Why was he running after her? But he did.. with all his might.
He reached her just in time. He gently pulled her arm and Ga Eul, astounded, only stared at him.
"I…" Yi Jung started. He tried to catch his breath before continuing, "I… Let me give you a ride."
She gave him a small smile and shook her head. "It's okay, sunbae. I prefer walking."
"How about I accompany you?" Yi Jung didn't know where all his words were coming from but it was too late to take it back now. Ga Eul pursed her lips, obviously thinking, though after a few more seconds, she smiled and agreed.
Both of them silently crossed the street. Yi Jung thought about the things he wanted to ask her but he could only think of one as of the moment.
"What were the roses for?" He blurted out.
Silence.
He looked at Ga Eul but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking forward, silently walking and peacefully smiling. She indicated no signs of hearing what he just asked. Maybe she didn't really hear it or she didn't want to answer it. Either way, Yi Jung just stayed silent and waited for her to speak up.
After a few more steps, Ga Eul quietly started. "When I was a kid and my mother is upset, my mother always gives out flowers to people because according to her, it lifts her spirits up when she sees people happy and smiling." She looked at Yi Jung with a small smile on her face. "And my mother used to tell me, when she and my father are having an argument, my father would say sorry when he's at fault and my mother wouldn't say a thing. She'd only look at him, smile and give him a white rose from our garden and it would all be okay."
Right there, Yi Jung let out a smile. He realized then that it was another thing he uncovered from her, Chu Ga Eul.
~3
His father did it again and his mother… When would she wake up from that delusion that it would be normal again? That it would be like it was used to? For several years, it wasn't. So why couldn't she accept?
So Yi Jung groaned. He downed another glass of soju then he poured himself another one. He thought about it. The way his mother pleadingly looked at him. The words the doctor tells him every time he comes there. The people talking behind his back when he enters his mother's room.
Is it so hard to accept? That she needed to take those pills every time she caught him cheating? Isn't she used to it yet? Again, it's been like that for years.
He could hear the music in the club and it didn't help his throbbing head. It made him feel sick even more. He didn't care though. He needed this. He needed this to forget the look in his mother's coal black eyes. Pain and suffering she was feeling because of his bastard of a father.
The girls beside him kissed him on his neck, on his cheek. Everywhere they touched him but Yi Jung didn't respond to their advances. He's too frustrated. His mind it too occupied.
"Sunbae?" He heard her voice. He groaned loudly. He doesn't have the power to deal with this right now.
He looked at where it came from and through his blurry vision, he saw her. Her eyes were filled with worry and concern and it heightened his frustration.
Yi Jung doesn't need pity. He doesn't need a girl like her to feel sorry for him.
So he told her just that, "Go away! I don't need you here! What are you even doing here?" He shouted. He could feel everyone near them staring but he didn't care. He doesn't care anymore.
"Sunbae… I…" Her voice was soft and gentle but Yi Jung wasn't comforted.
He continued. "What? What do you want? You want me? Is that it?" Yi Jung abruptly stood up. He pushed away the girls around him. He walked towards her, swaying a little. He grabbed her blouse and roughly kissed her. Ga Eul struggled in his weak hold. She slapped his hand away before slapping his cheek.
She widened her eyes right after her hand touched his cheek. Tears were falling from her eyes while she said, "I just want to see if you were okay. I was passing by and saw you coming out of the hospital."
When he saw those droplets pouring from her eyes, it was like a bucket of ice cold water poured over him. He felt bad and he instantly wanted to take back everything he just did. But it was like he was frozen. He couldn't say anything. He stood there and stared at her.
And he didn't stop her when she slowly walked away…
~3
It's been two months since it happened but Yi Jung didn't have the courage to apologize. Every day, it ate him. Inside, he felt guilty and stupid. Why did he have to do that? Why can't he control his feelings?
He thought about it. He never cared if some girl was mad at him before. But this was, like her, different. From the beginning, she always was an exception.
What had she done that she had this effect on him?
It needs to be resolved. He couldn't take the guilt anymore. Firstly, he needs to lower his pride. And secondly, whatever happens, he'll take it. Yi Jung let out a small laugh. If he was saying this before he met her, he would think he's gone crazy and immediately see a psychiatrist.
On such a short amount of time, she changed him. How did she, Chu Ga Eul, a naïve childish girl, do that? She made him feel warm when she smiles. She made him feel different when she talks.
Would she forgive him? After all he did to her?
Letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding, he opened his door and hopped out of his car. Holding the single white rose, he gently clenched it in his hand and walked towards the swings where he saw her quietly thinking and enjoying the breeze.
Step by step, he quietly approached her. He knew she noticed he was there but she gave no sign. She didn't utter a word.
It was quiet. Peaceful. Like what Ga Eul wanted and Yi Jung couldn't help but smile. He knew very little about her, yet he's making an effort of apologizing.
What was it about her?
Slowly, he sat down on the swing beside her. He took a deep breath and held out the rose he's holding to her. He didn't say anything else and hopefully, Ga Eul knew what he wanted to convey.
Without saying anything, Ga Eul took it in her hand and to Yi Jung's relief, with a small smile on her face.
"You know, sunbae." She whispered, barely audible. "It should be the other way around." She looked at him, smiling. Yi Jung saw her eyes twinkling.
He never missed anyone's smile like this before.
Chu Ga Eul, what is it with you that made me curious?
Yi Jung decided that he wants to know her. He wants to know every bit about her.
What's she like?
Yi Jung doesn't know her well though he knew this.
She's warm-hearted. She's forgiving. She shows what she is in every chance she gets. She has kindness he never saw in other girls before.
And right now, it was enough.