Disclaimer: I do not own Boys over Flowers
They had all gathered in the F4 lounge at Jun Pyo's call but no one knew what was going on; he just said he had an announcement to make. As he and Jan Di walked into the room they all stared expectantly, waiting for the news. Jun Pyo stood in front of them and cleared his throat, "Well, I was going to make it a surprise, but Jan Di found out and she's making me tell you at least a little in advance." Jan Di glared at him and they all became even more curious as to what this news could be. He began again, "Well, as you know it has been four years since we've been all together like this, with Yi Jeong in Sweden and me in the U.S. and I wanted to do something special to commemorate us being together again. I was planning to surprise you all with a trip to New Caledonia again but Jan Di said it was rude to just kidnap people and drag them places so she made me tell you in advance."
Woo Bin laughed, "Yo, my man, you most certainly have been tamed. Since when do you listen to other people or care if you're being rude?" Jun Pyo grimaced at the comment but stayed silent as Jan Di continued to give him warning glares.
Ji Hoo ignored the other boys and turned to Jan Di, "Why are you worrying about him surprising us, he's been doing this for awhile now so we're used to it."
Jan Di didn't back down, "Well, you guys might be used to it but me and Ga Eul aren't and we have jobs so we can't just drop everything and go with you."
Jun Pyo sighed, "I told you, Ji Hoo said he could get you out of the doctor's office for a few days, aish woman, don't you ever listen?"
Jan Di raised her hand as if to slap him, "Don't you ever listen! It's not just me, it's Ga Eul too, and she works at a preschool that you can't just wave your magic wand and get her out of." The boys all looked at Ga Eul as Jan Di continued, "So stop thinking about just yourself and start considering the positions of other people!"
Jun Pyo sighed, he had forgotten that Ga Eul didn't work at the porridge shop any more; it would be much more difficult to get her out of working at the preschool.
"Guys, don't let me spoil your fun, if you want to go and my working is the only thing stopping you, then don't worry. I'll be fine staying here." Ga Eul looked extremely embarrassed about the situation; her cheeks were stained with red. Woo Bin hit her on the back, causing her to rock slightly forward, "Wouldn't hear of it, we're a team, if one of us can't go then none of us go." Ga Eul looked from face to face and saw that everyone was smiling at her, nodding in agreement to Woo Bin's words.
Suddenly, Jun Pyo's face lit up, "Wait, isn't it almost summer break? Couldn't we go on Saturday, while she's off work?"
Ga Eul looked shocked, "Jun Pyo Sunbae, that's only a week away!"
Jun Pyo grinned widely, "It's perfect then, I was hoping to leave sooner but a week will be fine." He clapped his hands, "Alright, we leave the first day of summer break! F4 is back together at last!" Ga Eul groaned internally, how was she supposed to get everything ready in one week? She stayed silent and smiled with the rest of them, faking her excitement.
A few days later she was sitting at the desk in her room, furiously writing conduct reports and letters to the parents for the end of the year, when her phone lit up and began to vibrate. She heard a slight ping and looked to see who had texted her, it was Yi Jeong Sunbae. She flipped the cover up and looked at the message, "Hey, Ga Eul, could you meet somewhere tonight?" She sighed, things just kept coming up. She quickly texted back, "Is it something important?" She graded one more paper before she heard another ping, "Yeah, Woo Bin said everyone had to be there." Ga Eul wondered what could be happening now and decided she would go but return as soon as possible to finish her papers. She quickly typed; "Okay, where are we meeting?" hit send and went out the door. She was shocked to see a bright orange sports car sitting in front of her apartment building. The passenger window rolled down and she heard someone call out, "We're meeting at a restaurant but I figured I could take you there." Ga Eul walked up to the car and peeked inside, "Sunbae?"
She heard a faint chuckle, "And who else would it be, Ga Eul?"
True, who else drives this kind of car around anyways? She thought to herself as she slid into the passenger seat. As soon as he heard the click of her seat belt he hit the gas, rocketing off into the street. Once they reached the highway they meet up with the other F4, Woo Bin was driving his red sports car with Ji Hoo in the passenger seat and farther ahead Ga Eul could see a familiar black sports car that she knew now carried Jun Pyo and Jan Di. Yi Jeong once again hit the gas, speeding in front of Woo Bin and jumping ahead, towards the black car. In the side mirror, Ga Eul could see Woo Bin gaining back ground, fast. The three cars continued to speed forward, cutting each other off, and raced all the way to the restaurant. Once they got there Ga Eul was relieved to see it was casual, she hadn't worn anything special. They went inside and headed straight for an enclosed room reserved for VIPs only, it was amazing the power the F4 had. Once they were all seated and a waiter had taken their order the boys were goofing off and having fun. Ga Eul cleared her throat to get their attention and tentatively asked, "So, Woo Bin Sunbae, why are we here, exactly?"
Woo Bin laughed amiably, "Do I need a reason to call all my friends together to hang out and have some fun?"
Ga Eul blushed, "Well, no but…"
Jun Pyo reached over Jan Di and patted her on the head, "Don't worry and just have some fun." Ga Eul nodded and took a sip of her water, wishing she had stayed home and finished more papers.
Finally, the boys slid out of the booth and headed outside, stretching and satisfied with their meal. Ga Eul followed Jan Di outside, still worried about all the work waiting for her at home. Only Yi Jeong noticed that she hadn't touched her food.
The inside of the car was silent on the ride home, their individual heads to crowded with thoughts to engage in conversation. Yi Jeong worried over Ga Eul and wondered why she wasn't eating while Ga Eul worried over how she was going to be ready for Saturday. When Yi Jeong finally pulled up in front of Ga Eul's house they were both surprised at how fast the drive had gone by. Ga Eul opened the door and slid out into the cool night air, she turned and gave a slight bow, "Thank you for the ride home, Sunbae." She stepped back and went to head into the house when a soft voice stopped her. "Ga Eul?"
"Yes, Sunbae?" She turned back to the car and peeked in the open window.
"Are you alright? You don't seem yourself today." Yi Jeong stared back at her through the window, concern written on his face.
Ga Eul cocked her head, "Yes, I'm fine." She bowed again and smiled, "Thank you Sunbae, see you later!" She turned and ran into the house before he could say another word, thinking all the while about the huge pile of work to be done.
She went inside and settled herself at her desk, preparing for a long night. A cup of coffee was her only accompaniment as she pushed through piles of papers. She had to finish everything before they left on the trip, which included tying up loose ends for the current students and preparing everything for the incoming classes. She was also in charge of organizing the class lists and taking care of any extra school paper work because the trip had forced her to back out of the opening ceremony preparations. She had so much to do and now only had a few more days to do it.
Ga Eul was startled when her alarm went off. She had worked the entire night, she sighed and took another gulp of coffee, it was going to be a long day. She walked through the doors of the school, feeling the comfort it always brought to her heart. This was a place where innocence was at its best and the world was its brightest. She loved seeing the world through the children's eyes, seeing what a magical place it was to them. It always made her feel better. Soon the children began to come in, the room filled up quickly and Ga Eul found herself pulled away from all her distressing thoughts and into their world of play. She talked to the children and taught them many important things, always treating them with respect. The students loved their teacher; they clung to her skirt wherever they went, and hung on her every word. The spell was broken once with the sound of the lunch bell, but that was only temporary. Once their bellies were full and their energies refueled they began their make believe world again and with a renewed vigor. She could hardly contain their excitement when it came time to their favorite part of the day, playing with the clay. Everyone always had new and creative ideas for what to do. Sure, she had seen the classics; mud pies, grapes, worms, and snakes had all come and gone but her favorites were always the most outrageous. Boys made dragons and unheard of monsters while girls made fairies, sprites, and flowers of the most unimaginable kind. Ga Eul loved to hear the story behind each one. Then, all too soon, it was the end of the day. The bell rang, parents came, and soon she was all alone with her thoughts and with no distractions to be seen. She slowly packed her bag and headed to the door, staring longingly at the classroom before turning to leave. She went out of the school and headed straight for her house, she didn't have much time to lose. As she stood on the bus, being rock to and fro, she heard a familiar chorus coming from her purse. She rummaged around and pulled out her phone, vibrating madly in her hand. She sighed and picked it up, "Yobosayo?"
"Hello? Ga Eul? This is Jun Pyo. I have a favor to ask of you."
"Oh, really? What is it?"
"Well, Jan Di's gotten sick and she refuses to let me help her with anything so I was wondering if you could come and talk to her. Also, since I'm going to be busy these next few days I was hoping you could come and take care of her and keep her company."
Ga Eul's mind was racing, of course she had to help her best friend but there was so much work and she had to teach still…
"Sure, Jun Pyo Sunbae, I'll help."
"Great, see you Saturday then."
"Right, see you Saturday."
Ga Eul hung up the phone and stared at it dejectedly. What a mess she was in.
She watched her stop go by and sighed, she was going to have to pull another all nighter, she could feel it. She stared out the window and watched the familiar scenery wiz by. She got off the stop nearest Jan Di's house and walked over, wondering what was wrong with Jan Di. She slid in the door, letting herself in with the key she always carried with her. As soon as she walked in the door she realized something wasn't right, Jan Di's usually bright and vibrant house was now dark, even though it was only early evening. She walked around until she found Jan Di, sleeping on the floor. She knelt down and put a gentle hand to her forehead, it was hot.
Jan Di stirred in her sleep when Ga Eul placed the ice pack on her head, but other than that she had stayed completely passed out. Ga Eul paced the kitchen, fixing porridge and setting out water for Jan Di. She wiped her hands on her pants and took the food over to Jan Di; leaving it there along with a note, she headed to her own home.
The next day was very much the same. She worked on papers all through the night, played with the children during the day, and stayed by Jan Di's side in the evening. This pattern continued for two days, until Thursday, when Jan Di was feeling remarkably better. Unfortunately, Ga Eul was starting to feel remarkably worse.
Ga Eul woke up the next morning feeling awful. Her head was pounding, her stomach was rolling, and her entire body felt hot and weak. What a way to start the last day of school. She staggered to the bathroom and pulled out some medicine. She took a painkiller, a nausea reducer, and a fever reducer, hoping to get through work without an incident. Thankfully, she made it through the day without a hitch. As she waved goodbye to all the kids and gave them their last farewell hugs, she felt a tiny pang in her head and the room began to spin. Blackness.
