*cough* Apparently, I have to defend my throne. So, here it is; the fluffiness for the Valentine's Day Challenge. Since it's my own story... I'll just make the banner later, I'm lazy heheh... One-shot!
Ga Eul sighed as she cleared the blackboard before her. It had been a week since she last saw Yi Jeong, a week since his departure to London for the annual exhibition held by the Woo Sung Museum there. She hated it, being away from him, especially when they had been inseparable since his return from Sweden almost a year ago. It was suffocating, trying to go through day by day, trying not to think of him and yet he was the only thing that was on her mind. It was hard to fake a smile when all she wanted was just to sulk over a tub of ice cream. Ga Eul's eyes traveled to the calendar to the left of the blackboard. The number fourteen stared by at her, as if mocking her. She groaned inwardly, she hated it. She wished she could just rip the number off the page, but, that would be vandalism. Grunting, Ga Eul continued to clear the blackboard harshly; she needed to get out before she lost her mind.
"Mister So," A tall blonde woman called, walking towards a man in a crisp Prada suit. He was staring at a beautiful white vase. Slowly, he turned to face the woman. "Yes, Christine," He answered in English. His tone was polite but, deep down, he was getting tired of the strange land and speaking foreign language. He wanted nothing more than to just fly back home, alas, there were some delays caused by incomplete papers that kept him stuck London longer than he had hoped for. The woman before him flustered, rewarding him unnecessary smile. Yi Jeong could only groan inwardly, but, politely return the smile. "I was just wondering, if you have any plans tomorrow," The woman named Christine asked. "Tomorrow?" Yi Jeong asked indifferently, checking his watch as he spoke, trying to recall the date. It had been hectic that he can no longer tell which day it was. However, he failed to search for his answer in his chaotic mind. "What's tomorrow?" He rephrased his question.
Yi Jeong noticed how the composure of the woman before him faltered slightly, but it was only for a split second. "It's..." Christine began, tossing her over her shoulder. "It's Valentine, I was wondering if you'd like to spend it with me," She added. There were undeniable confidence in her tone and Yi Jeong didn't miss it. Valentine. The term rang in his mind and his thoughts traveled. "Oh..." He stated, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. Part of him cursed his decency for leading the woman before him on. "Are you going to tell me you can't because you have someone waiting for you back home?" Christine asked easily. Yi Jeong was taken aback; he wondered how transparent he had become ever since he started to go out with Ga Eul. Woo Bin had even caught him smiling to himself more than he'd like to admit. "I'm not looking for a relationship Mister So, and she doesn't have to know," Christine added after not getting an answer from Yi Jeong.
"I'm just looking for a fun time," Christine went on. Jeong smiled slightly. If he was the old Yi Jeong, he would have taken the offer of the woman before him without a second thought. He could even guess why the woman before him had to make such an offer. No one wants to be alone on Valentine's; Ji Hoo had pointed out to him before his flight. Considering all variable, apparently, Ji Hoo had oversaw the probability of him being held back in London. A sigh betrayed Yi Jeong. "I'm not," He stated easily, declining the offer. At the back of his mind, he hoped that Woo Bin would never find out he turned down an offer from a woman because he would never hear the end of it. "And she is important to me, more than life itself,"
"Yah!" Ga Eul yelled. "Geum Jan Di, you'll never fit into your wedding dress if you keep eating like a pig," She added, pulling the bowl away from Jan Di, earning a deadly glare from her friend. "Leave me alone, I need energy, medical school is insane," Jan Di stated, trying to pry the bowl away from Ga Eul. "Who told you to take medicine anyway?" Ga Eul rebuked, driving the bowl father away from her friend. "Do you want Jun Pyo-sunbae to come back and see that you've turned into a whale?" She added, smirking. That did it; Jan Di slumped into her chair. "Aish..." Jan Di murmured, placing the spoon in her hand back onto the table. They were pathetic, alone on Valentine's Day. Just great, she should have known Jun Pyo would have forgotten. All those years and he still can't get anything right and she was still thinking about marrying him in June. She must have been crazy.
Ga Eul's face changed. She placed the bowl onto the table gently before turning to her friend. "I'm kidding, I'm sure Jun Pyo-sunbae would still love you regardless," She stated hopefully. Honestly, she knew almost close to nothing about Gu Jun Pyo. They might hang around the same circle of friends, but, they never really talk. Well, given the fact that conversation with Jun Pyo would probably end up turning her into a homicidal person. "It's not that," Jan Di stated, sounding defeated. "That idiot, not even a phone call and it's Valentine's Day," She added, crossing her arms over her chest, huffing. Ga Eul had to suppress a laugh. "I'm sure he hasn't, it's probably the time zone difference confusing him," Ga Eul stated, trying to cheer her friend up even though she was crushed at the thought that Yi Jeong didn't even bother calling her either. Still, she smiled. "You know Jun Pyo,"
Yi Jeong paced, he wasn't sure whether he was crazy or completely insane. Either way, he knew he was going to hear quite an earful from his grandfather. Regardless, he was pretty sure there was a remedy to that, as long as his grandfather would not chase him around with a stick before he had a chance to explain. He sighed, looking at the time, tapping his chest lightly, double checking, and making sure that the package he had placed carefully inside his jacket pocket was still there. "Mister So?" A male voice called, catching Yi Jeong's attention. "It's time," The man added and Yi Jeong could only nod and started to follow the man who had taken the lead.
Ga Eul sighed as she walked through the street. For some reason, Jun Pyo had returned to Korea ahead of time and surprised Jan Di (the both of them, really) when he showed up at the porridge shop with that smug look on his face. Needless to say, after a quite some exchange, the two left, hand in hand leaving Ga Eul by herself. Fantastic. Ga Eul groaned, watching a couple walking, hands intertwined. She wasn't envious, she kept telling herself that, but, she knew she was lying. She wished she was one of those couple, she wished she was holding hands with Yi Jeong, alas, she wasn't. He was too far away, she could have gone after him, but, she didn't want to distract him from his work. She knew how Yi Jeong would drop everything just for her, as much as she loved that he would, she knew that the exhibition in London was important. So, she gritted her teeth, there'll be more Valentine's Day.
As the night grew colder, Ga Eul wrapped hand around herself, walking still. There was nothing she could do. Without thinking, she found herself ending up in the Namsan Staircases. She remembered how she walked away from Yi Jeong in that staircases, she remembered how it became their place after they started to date. She remembered the almost kiss and playing around like they were kids. She missed it, she missed him around her. She missed it a lot that her heart could burst. The ringing sound of her cellphone broke her melancholy as she took the first step up the staircases. "Yasebo?" She answered without looking at the screen, but, glance at her watch. The day was ticking away, only an hour before it was due to end. "Ga Eul," The voice stopped Ga Eul in her track. "Sun-Sunbae?" She stuttered. She had just lost all hope of hearing from him and then...
A small laugh traveled through the line, warming her heart. "Aren't you busy?" She asked quickly, scared that the fact that he took the time to call her might affect his work. Another laugh graced her ear. "I'm just about to go into a meeting," Yi Jeong answered truthfully and Ga Eul found herself nodding. "Are you fine, sunbae?" Ga Eul asked quickly. "Have you been eating properly?" She added before she could stop herself. At the other end of the line, Yi Jeong could only smile. Typical Ga Eul; He thought privately. "Yes, I have," He answered easily, a small smile dangling from his lips. "I –" Yi Jeong began but stopped. "Mister So, it's time," A male voice interrupted their conversation. From the other side of the world, Ga Eul's face fell as she tried not to sigh. "I've got to go," Yi Jeong stated apologetically, he had hoped to find time to speak to Ga Eul, but, sneaking time in to call her had been impossible, the time zone difference had not made it any easier either.
"Go," Ga Eul replied, trying to sound cheerful when she was anything but. Still, neither of them ended the line, contented to hear each other breathing through the line, worlds apart, yet, it felt like they were standing next to each other. A few seconds passed before Yi Jeong spoke, "I love you" And Ga Eul could only smile. "I love you too," She replied, motioning to end the line but stopped when Yi Jeong muttered "And Ga Eul, Happy Valentine's Day"
Happy Valentine's Day, Ga Eul. Yi Jeong thought privately as he pocketed his cellphone and followed the man again. He tapped on his jacket pocket yet again.
Mwahaah... I knew you're expecting him to come back. But, I'm evil. Still, don't you just love me for writing this? Three guesses on what's in Yi Jeong's pocket :)
Originally posted on "Lovers Unparalleled" 1st February 2012