The Other Half: Chu Ga Eul

A/N: This is the 'original' article referenced in the story 'Still in Love?'.

If you ask Chu Ga Eul what it's like to be the wife of Seoul's most famous potter, don't expect to hear about her living the high life or having to keep up appearances at social events. Instead, her answer might just surprise you.

'Our days aren't as glamorous as some try making it out to be,' she says matter-of-factly, 'We do the dishes, we take out the trash, we take turns changing diapers. It's probably like any other household.'

But this isn't just 'any other household', or any other relationship, for that matter – this was the very union that shattered female hearts all over Seoul when news broke that the then-26-year-old kindergarten teacher was marrying pottery prodigy, So Yi Jeong.

Now 30 and a full-time mother to the couple's two-year-old daughter, Mi Yun, Chu has been happily married to So for the past four years – and she definitely embodies it. The blissful glow that radiates from her hardly wavers. However, during the hour-long interview held at their family home in suburban Seoul, her cheerful expression darkens just once, as she recounts the media circus that erupted at the news of the couple's engagement back then.

'The backlash from the public was phenomenal,' she recalls with a sigh, 'I was completely caught off guard. I didn't know what to do. I mean, we're just two people in love, and we just wanted to be together. What was wrong with that? But it's inevitable, I guess, since Yi Jeong is such a public figure. It always comes with a price.'

And a hefty price this union does come with. So, 32, whose family owns the Woo Sung Museum, has been a prominent figure in both the local and international arts scene from an early age. At 16, he was the youngest person to make his artistic debut in Vienna, and at 19, was chosen by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as one of the year's up and coming young artists. His works are permanently displayed in museums all over the world, and he recently staged his fifth solo international exhibition in Berlin.

With all these achievements under his belt, doesn't Chu feel overshadowed by her famous husband? 'Should I be? Just because he's So Yi Jeong?' she says with a laugh, 'He's good at what he does, and I'm proud of him. I'm happy to be a part of his life, and privileged that he can be a part of mine.'

At this point, So, who had been quietly sitting beside his wife, with their daughter on his lap, is quick to interject.

He says, with a serious look on his face: 'The truth is that without her, I wouldn't be the man I am today.'

Modesty Is The Best Policy

For the home of an artist, the Sos' residence is surprisingly subdued. Yet, one notices immediately upon entering the suburban townhouse that it is clearly Chu's homely, practical touch that resonates within. Their modest, tastefully decorated home has certainly no lack of warmth – through the natural sunlight that streams through their glass ceiling, and through the numerous pictures of family and friends (most recognizably, the famous F4 - of which So is a part of - and their partners) that adorn walls and cupboards. The couple has also proudly framed up and displayed drawings by Mi Yun, who looks set to follow in her father's artistic stylings.

Aside from having a few of So's original works displayed in various parts of the house, the only other hint of opulence around the house are So's two cars, an orange Lotus Elise and a black Porsche, tucked away in the adjacent garage.

It turns out that the couple had the option of staying in So's family home, which is about four times the size of their current house. 'But, it's always been my dream to have a place to call my own, and this is truly my dream home. Also, Yi Jeong and I want Mi Yun to grow up in a more personal, practical setting,' Chu says matter-of-factly, affectionately reaching over to brush her daughter's hair, 'We want her to appreciate what she has, to be thankful in every circumstance, and to not grow up being served everything on a silver platter.'

Chu's practical nature traces back to her modest roots. An only child born to a factory supervisor father and a teacher mother, Chu had learnt to be responsible at a very early age. While most 8-year-old girls then were into playing with dolls, or pretending to 'keep house', she was doing it for real, often tasked with household chores like buying groceries, sweeping the floor, and cooking simple meals.

'My father used to work long hours at the factory, and I hardly got to see him,' Chu says. 'Being the only child, I had to help my mother out where I could, to relieve some of her burdens.'

'Ga Eul never once complained about the responsibilities she had,' says Dr Geum Jandi, a general practitioner, and Chu's best friend since kindergarten. 'She always took pride in her work, and took all of it in her stride. And that's what I admire about her: her strength, her tenacity and her positive outlook on life.'

Her tenacity was what saw her through her studies, all the way through university, where she graduated with a degree in early childhood education. To supplement the family income, she worked part time at a porridge shop with Geum.

Following her graduation from university, Chu continued on to be a kindergarten teacher at Shinhwa Kindergarten, where she taught art. A popular teacher with the kids, she was voted 'Favourite Teacher' three years in a row, an accolade that is now proudly displayed on the walls of their home.

This doesn't come as a surprise to Song Woo Bin, CEO of Ilshin Construction, F4 member, and So's best friend. 'Ga Eul has had such a profound effect on everyone she's met – especially Yi Jeong. There's something about her that is special, and everyone could see that he was so taken with her, even if he didn't want to admit it then.'

Long Distance Lovin'

There is a great deal of comfort and closeness between the couple, something that is easily felt through each tender glance and each loving touch. Chu is sensitive to her husband's needs, making sure his teacup is never empty, and shifting cushions when she notices his posture beginning to droop; So finishes his wife's sentences on occasion, and reassures her of his presence by holding her hand, or putting a protective arm around her.

Surprisingly, however, it turns out that things didn't start out as comfortably when they first met (see side column). But just as feelings were finally starting to develop between the couple, So dropped a major bombshell: he was to leave for Sweden for four years to further pursue pottery.

Chu recalls the time he broke the news to her. It was the start of spring, and they were sitting side by side at a pottery barn, watching as flames licked at newly made pots in the kiln. She could feel much more than just the heat from the fire.

'Four years was a long time,' Chu says simply, a distant look in her eyes, as she took herself back to that moment. 'It really wasn't easy for me to accept the distance between us, but we managed, eventually. I didn't want Yi Jeong to go, but yet I also really wanted him to take his craft seriously, and if it meant that he had to go elsewhere to do that, then so be it. As long as he came back a better potter, it was really all that would've mattered.'

So says: 'It was hard to leave Seoul for so long, and it was harder to leave [Chu], even though there was nothing between us at the time. It really was a trying period then, but looking back now, I think we each needed that time to grow as individuals, and for us to develop our individual interests.'

And came back he did, four years later, in turn fulfilling a promise he'd made to her before he left.

So says: 'I told her then that she'd be the first person I'd see upon my return. So once I'd touched down at Incheon International Airport, I immediately went to the kindergarten she was teaching at to see her. I think I caught her in the middle of an art class.'

'His first words to me were, "You're still applying too much pressure [to the clay]",' Chu recalls with a smile, 'I was quite shocked to see him, actually. I didn't expect him to remember that promise to me, let alone fulfill it.'

'Your students revealed quite the opposite,' So remarks to his wife, with a wink and an impish grin on his face, 'Which one was it that said I was your boyfriend?'

Chu playfully nudges So in his side. 'The one who didn't listen when I told her to keep it a secret,' she giggles, 'But I think you liked hearing that, didn't you?'

He reaches over to give her a kiss on the cheek. 'I think I liked it better when you said you'd spend the rest of your life with me.'

The statement makes Chu blush. She leans against So's shoulder as he puts an arm around her. 'I liked it that you asked,' she replies, a contented smile on her face.

So and Chu were married in a private ceremony on a field of wildflowers on Jeju Island, surrounded by close friends and family.

Four years on, has the couple found married life as they'd expected it to be? 'We didn't really have any expectations of it to begin with,' Chu admits, 'It hasn't been all that smooth going, of course, but we're learning every day. I'm still learning to be as understanding as I can with Yi Jeong, since his job takes him away from me and Mi Yun quite a bit.'

'I think we've learnt along the way that marriage divides everything by half,' So quips, 'We each have half the bed, half the bathroom, half the closet… but at the same time, Ga Eul's the half that makes me whole. She's truly my other half.'

Side Column: How They Met

Their first meeting happened, of all places, in a porridge shop. But neither Chu Ga Eul nor So Yi Jeong were customers there at the time.

'Ga Eul worked there while she was in high school, and I came in one evening to talk about her best friend [Dr Geum Jandi], who was being pursued by my friend. I was roped in to test the waters,' So says with a laugh. He eventually lets on that this 'friend' was Shinhwa Group CEO Goo Jun Pyo, his childhood friend and leader of the famous F4, who is now married to Geum.

Chu says: 'Yi Jeong's reputation as part of the F4 preceded him, and I knew who he was the moment he walked into the shop.'

Both admitted that sparks didn't fly instantly. 'He was known as the 'Casanova' of F4,' recalls Chu, 'And he was quite a playboy then. I didn't like him one bit.'

'And I didn't like that she was such a country bumpkin,' he adds cheekily, much to his wife's chagrin.

What changed their opinions of each other then? So is quick to give an answer. 'I liked how loyal she was to her friends. She was never afraid to stand up for them, and to speak her mind. She still does. And even later on, when we finally got more acquainted, she was my strength through many difficult points in my life. I don't think I'd have made it if not for her constant encouragement.'

And for Chu? The turning point came when So took her on a fake date one night, after she was unceremoniously dumped by her ex-boyfriend. 'He made a big show out of it, playing the saxophone in front of all these fangirls, and then proclaiming that the girl who stole his heart was in the room, before walking over to me,' she recalls with a laugh. 'He was quite the gentleman, and a really good actor.'

'But didn't you wish that I'd really meant it? Because it was just acting, you know,' he says to her teasingly, to which she merely answers by hitting him on the shoulder.

After So's return from Sweden, the pair took about a year to get reacquainted with each other as friends, and then as boyfriend and girlfriend. So then left shortly after to enlist in the military, where he served as an interpreter.

So says: 'It was the toughest 21 months of my life. But,' he adds with a laugh, 'It also gave me a lot of time to think about how I wanted to propose to Ga Eul.'

It was hard for So not to work what he loved into his proposal, which was executed two months after his release from the military. 'I told her one day that I had to make a cast of her hand for a new artwork, and the next day, I brought that to the jeweler's to measure the ring,' he recalls with a smile, 'It was the only way I could get her measurements without her being suspicious.' The cast and ring then went on display at his exhibition in Seoul a few weeks later.

Chu says: 'He took me there on opening night, and when we passed that very exhibit, it didn't occur to me at first that it was… well, what it was. I thought it might have been a product placement of sorts.'

It was only upon reading the description, which said 'The Hand Of The Woman I Hope Will Agree To Marry Me', and having So kneel and declare his love for her in front of all his guests, that Chu realized that he was serious.

'How could I say no?' she says, looking over to her husband and squeezing his hand, 'It was kind of embarrassing, but it was the most amazing feeling at the same time.'

'It was such a thrill taking the ring off the clay finger, and putting it on hers,' So admits, 'My hand was shaking the entire time. All I could think about was how everything had come full circle, and how it was finally happening. The girl I love, and who taught me to love… she's finally mine.'

'I've always been yours, silly,' Chu says, caressing So's cheek, 'It just took you a while to realize that.'