"Four Eights" Gandi slapped down four cards in the growing pile of cards on the table. Jun Pyo nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement. "BULLSHIT! Theres no way you can have four eights you are bull shitting Jan Di! Yah, I picked one stupid fiancé! Why would you choose such an obvious lie? It's a good thing you are marrying me or you would be lost in the world."
"Moh? Stupid? Lost? Yah, Gu Jun Pyo! I didn't lie and you better pick up those cards!" Jandi flipped over her cards, revealing that indeed, she had truthfully put down four eights. "Calling me stupid, does he want to die or something?" she muttered to her self.
"wha-wha-what?" Jun Pyo stuttered. "No way!"
Yi Jung slung his arm over Jun Pyo's shoulders,"Looks like that lovely pile is yours, Jun Pyo, lets continue playing. Ga Eul, its your turn." He shot her his trademark smile at the girl he had been observing the whole game.
'Four years of later and you still can't get over him, God, Ga Eul how stupid can you get?' She thought to herself as she smiled weakly at the man that had consumed her thoughts for past 2 weeks since he suddenly arrived at the school she taught at, bring forth all the emotions and thoughts she had believed to have locked away three years prior.
Yi Jung quirked his brow "are you going to go Ga Eul?" She flushed with embarrassment as she realized that she had been idle for a second too long. Looking at her cards, she gave an inward sigh. 'damn, I don't have any nines'. Grabbing an ace of hearts instead, she put it down with her most blank expression "one nine."
"Bullshit."
She glanced through her lashes Yi Jung, slightly surprised at the speediness of his reply to her lie. With a small sigh, she took back her card, mentally thanking Jun Pyo for having picked up all the cards before her turn. When she glanced back up, she found that Yi Jung was still looking at her.
'God, what is his deal, I just don't get him.'
Since his return, Yi Jung's actions had baffled Ga Eul. First of all, he had kept his promise. He actually came to see her first. But why? Four years. Four. Years. of not hearing a single word, not one text, email, or even a stupid Christmas card. And suddenly he is here again acting as if he had never left? Why? Maybe he is just the type to keep promises. But one thing was for sure, Chu Ga Eul grew up in the past four years and now she knew better than to think he had any interest in her. 'His flirtations where just as they appeared' she told herself firmly 'just flirtations. You do not love him and he does not love you. You are just friends of friends. a friend of a friend that just happens to make your heart beat so much faster when he smiles at you…' Ga Eul furrowed her brow at the stray thought, and shook her head as if to throw it from her mind and returned her attention to the game.
The group made it through two more rounds of turns before Ga Eul found herself again lacking the necessary card for the game. This time she chose to be bold and grabbed a two of spade and three of diamond and placed them on the growing pile in the middle of the table. "Two jacks."
Again, Yi Jung's response was almost instantaneous. "Bullshit." With a huff, she picked up the substantial pile and glared at him.
He reached over and nudged up her chin with his fingers. " Careful Ga Eul, your bottom lip is starting to poke out. Although it is kind of cute to see you pout like one of your students." He shot her another smile.
Ga Eul fought to keep a blush down, praying that she looked unaffected by his flirtations. She stuck her tongue out at him jokingly before looking at Ji Hoo. "Sumbae its your turn."
When she glanced back up at Yi Jung, he had a peculiar smile on his face, as if he knew a secret that greatly amused him. Ga Eul chewed on her lower lip as she studied his face. He had come back as such an enigma. His actions made no sense since his return. He would show up in the oddest places, like the market or at her school, offering his assistance and all the while flirting with her outrageously. But why? What was his motivation? Why was he playing this strange game with her? She shook her head. 'It doesn't matter what he is thinking because I won't play his game.'
Three more times in the game Ga Eul tried to lie about her cards and three more times Yi Jung caught her immediately before Ga Eul let her annoyance get the best of her. "Hey, why do you always call Bullshit on me? and no one else?" she glared at him.
He smirked back at her, that irritating smirk that had never failed to produce a slight blush on her cheeks in the past. Idly, she hoped that she had changed since then and wasn't flushing or that her friends would assume it was a flush from the excitement of the game.
"I know Chu Ga Eul and I always know you are bullshitting."
Ga Eul huffed before looking back at her cards. 'He knows Chu Ga Eul? Don't make me laugh. He hasn't even spoken to me for four years before two weeks ago.' She sighed 'Maybe he means he knows women', conveniently forgetting that Gandi was also present and had yet to be called out by Yi Jung.
Through the rest of the game, Ga Eul tried every possible way she could think of to try to bluff her way through the game, not intending on winning at bullshit but winning by proving that there is no way that So Yi Jung could catch her every single time.
She spent a whole round smiling like the Cheshire cat at every little thing, but when she finally lied..
"Bullshit. Does your mouth hurt yet from smiling so much?"
Next she tried pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes into very small slits every time her turn came by, hoping the odd expression would throw him off.
"Ga Eul, bullshit. Did you eat a lemon or something? I can get you some water?"
She spent the next five minutes trying to look immensely sad, as if everything had gone wrong in her cards. When she again tried to put down false cards,
"Ga Eul, no need to be sad about not having the right cards, Bullshit. But I can give you a hug if it'll make you feel better?" Yi Jung started to stand up and go around the table to Ga Eul.
"No! I don't want a hug just keep playing." She waved her arms at him as if the action could somehow blow him way from her. She glowered at Yi Jung as he sat down, wondering how it was possible for the man to guess her actions every time.
Finally, she gave up and just played normally. She was tired of having the rest of the group laugh at her many attempts at deception. Gandi reached over and lightly patted her on the arm, "Its okay Ga Eul, I couldn't tell a single time that you were lying and I have known you since kindergarten."
Ga Eul sighed. That didn't help, but rather made her irritation at Yi Jung grow. What right does he have to think he knows me so well? He doesn't. he doesn't know me and I odnt know him and all we are to each other are people who once went on two fake dates and a disasterous real one. He needs to leave me alone and chase after his other girlfriends. The last thought made her heart sink a little.
Ji Hoo glanced at the clock. "Wow its midnight already? Gandi and I have rounds tomorrow morning at 8."
"Oh no! I will be in so much trouble if I am late again! Jun Pyo! We are leaving now lets go. Woo Bin, thank you so much for having us over tonight." Gandi stood up and physically started to drag a protesting Jun Pyo out of the house. "Woman let go of me! I can walk on my own. Hey, I said let go!"
Before any of the other friends knew it, the bickering couple had left the premises. Ji Hoo smiled and bid the others goodbye before following his friends out the door.
Ga Eul looked around and realized that she was left alone with Woo Bin and Yi Jung. "Well, it was fun to see everyone together again, its been so long." She smiled. "I think I should probably be going as well, thank you for your hospitality Woo Bin Sumbae." She smiled at him and then at Yi Jung. "Good bye Yi Jung Sumbae." And turned to start her walk home.
"Ga Eul-Yah, do you really think I am going to let you walk home at a time like this? What kind of gentleman do you think I am? I will take you home."
Ga Eul turned to face Yi Jung. "Its okay, I would hate to trouble you and I am sure you have many other things to do besides taking me home." 'like playing around with your million girlfriends. I'm sure they missed you while you were away.'
Yi Jung smiled at her and grabbed her hand. "There is nothing more I want to do right now than to take Chu Ga Eul home safe and sound." Ga Eul wondered if he could feel the way her heart rate had increased exponentially at the touch of his hand. She hoped not. She was supposed to show that she was grown up and no longer had a silly school girl crush on the Casanova. Before she could protest, he led her to his car and opened the door for her. She hesitantly entered and sat down, after all, it would be rude to turn around now.
Ga Eul spent the rest of the drive staring out the window trying desperately to distract herself from the man sitting next to her. The car was so small. Was it always this small? Or maybe she grew. No.. she hadn't gown since she was 16. Why was it that she could clearly feel the heat of his body seeping into her left side? Calling her, telling her to lean over and grab his warm hand, to put her head on his shoulder and to fall asleep knowing that the man who loved her, the man who she loved would be there when she woke up, taking care of her. 'no Ga Eul, snap yourself out of it! there is no love. Just a courteous friend. He is an Chaebol, it's not like he wouldn't have learned the best of manners.'
With a start, she realized that they had arrived at her apartment complex. Ga Eul pulled herself out of the car. "Thank you for driving me Sumbae. Good night." She closed the door and walked three steps before suddenly spinning around and coming back up to the window. Yi Jung raised his eyebrows at her action but opened his window to hear what she had to say.
"One question. How did you know every time I was lying?"
"I told you Ga Eul, I just know you."
"You mean you know women."
He shook his head. "I understand women, but I know you Ga Eul. You can't hide things from me."
Her laugh was sharp, not the gentle tinkling that Yi Jung was accustomed to hearing from her. "You know me? How. We haven't seen each other in four years, we haven't talked in just as long. You don't know me at all So Yi Jung." With that, she spun once more, walking at a brisk pace towards the lobby of her apartment.
Just as she had reached the elevator, a warm hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to face Yi Jung once more. He was close. Too close. She took a step back only to discover the wall behind her. Yi Jung raised his other arm and propped it against the wall, boxing her in.
She was afraid to breath. He was too close. She could smell his cologne, it was intoxicating. It made her want to put her nose to his chest and just take a deep breath until she was so dizzy that she could almost faint in his arms. She then made the mistake of looking up at his face. His eyes burned down at her. She wondered faintly if this was what dying felt like, because her heart was certainly about to pop right out of her chest. 'It would serve you right So Yi Jung if I died right now. You have no right to do this to me.' but it didn't stop her body from trembling as she fought the urge to embrace him.
"Ga Eul, you got to ask me a question, don't you think I should get to ask one too?"
"wha-what?" she couldn't think when he was so close.
He smiled, that delicious smile that made her glad there was a wall behind her for she would have surely fallen without it. "its been four years Ga Eul. Do you know who your soul mate is now?"
'Don't look at him Ga Eul, don't you dare look at him. Be strong. You are a rock.' She determinedly stared over his shoulder. "No, I haven't."
"You haven't found your soul mate yet?"
"Nope."
Her breath hitched as Yi Jung leaned in even closer until his cheek lightly brushed against hers.
He whispered in her ear.
"Bullshit."