Next morning Jae Kyung woke up very early and went out with her camera. She wanted to take photographs of the sun rising over the horizon from the hilltop. It was still quite dark, although the eastern sky was brightening up as the sun was about to rise. She hiked up the rocky path of the hills and came to a vantage point where the view was breath-taking. She placed her tripod and started adjusting her camera just at the edge of the cliff. The cool breeze, accompanied with the chirping of the little birds welcoming the dawn made Jae Kyung smile and take a deep breath.
As she spotted the faintest of the sunrays coming up, she looked through the view finder and started adjusting the focus. Suddenly a bird flew very close over her head, hooting shrilly through the silence of the dawn. Jae Kyung was so stunned by the suddenness of the noise, that she lost her footing close to the cliff and stumbled to her side, very close to the edge of the cliff.
It all happened in a flash of a moment. Jae Kyung threw her hands in air, trying to hold on something in vain as she slipped over the cliff edge, when a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back on the cliff.
"Are you ok?"
Jae Kyung was breathing heavily and her eyes were shut. Her throat was dry and mind completely hazed. The strong hand left her wrist and touched her shoulders.
"Jae Kyung, are you ok?".
Jae Kyung opened her eyes to see the face of the voice. It was Woo Bin, looking intently at her face. She straightened herself and got herself free from his hold.
"I am fine. Thanks!"
She turned her back and started picking up her camera and tripod.
"The sun is just coming out. You will miss this view if you do not capture it right now. Who knows, tomorrow it might rain and you miss the sunrise," said Woo Bin while walking back few steps.
Jae Kyung turned to him and looked with a mixed expression of confusion and annoyance. The so-called 'Don Juan' was the last person she would wait to be rescued by.
Looking at her frowning face, Woo Bin raised his hands and walked back even further, smiling.
"I am leaving. Carry on with your photography."
He turned back and continued running down the rocky path. It was then Jae Kyung noticed that he was in his sportswear, must have been running on the hills when he found her falling over the cliff edge. She felt ashamed of her judgemental attitude towards him, despite being saved by him from a major accident, or even death.
I am sorry, but I could not help being sceptical.
Rich and handsome guys like him barely regarded commoners like her as human beings, and could easily play with their emotions. She had seen several likes of him in her career as a fashion photographer. So many times, she had been tempted to fall for such gorgeous guys, but good for her, she had known about the dark side of the picture too soon in life. She had become sceptical, always doubting sugar-coated words and charms from men of money and success.
Nevertheless, today her behaviour had been unwarranted for. She decided to apologise and sincerely thank him when they meet next time.
….
Ga Eul and Ha Jin were at the breakfast table when Jae Kyung joined them.
"Hey, how was your sunrise photography?" asked Ga Eul.
"Hmm, could not get many. I was late in the morning," lied Jae Kyung while taking her food.
"Oh ok. Wake up early tomorrow."
"Hmm."
"Ha Jin, when did you come back last night? I waited for you and then fell asleep," asked Ga Eul.
"Uhmm. I got lost on my way back."
"What?!"
"Yes, I had to find the way to the reception and then came back from there."
"Ha Jin, you will never grow up! You always need a chaperone to take care of you," laughed Jae Kyung.
"No, I don't!" huffed Ha Jin and stuffed her mouth with a pancake.
She was keen to talk to Ga Eul about her last night's misadventure. But knowing Ga Eul's no-trash-talk nature, she did not have the courage to bring up the topic.
"Good morning girls!" greeted Jan Di as she joined them at their table, "So, what's the plan today?"
"Bathing in the sea," commented Jae Kyung dreamily.
"Not bad, not bad. I am going to join you girls as well. The boys are going for diving all day," replied Jan Di gleefully.
Ha Jin scrutinised Jan Di with a neutral expression on her face. How could someone seemingly so much in love with her husband be crying in another man's embrace, looking for consolation? Ha Jin's orthodox upbringing did not allow her to think of any premise where a lover and a soulmate were not the same person.
"And there is something special to follow in the evening."
"What is that?"
"Despite wanting this trip to be very private, Jun Pyo's very close business associates and some other friends wanted to celebrate our anniversary with us. They will be arriving here just for the evening and there would be a masquerade party on the yacht. You have to join us there."
The girls all looked at Jan Di with their eyes and mouth wide open.
"A masquerade? On a yacht? Could this be any fancier?" asked Ga Eul.
"I know. Life with F4 can be over the top at times. But who cares? We all will be in masks. So, no one will recognise us," replied Jan Di excitedly.
….
All day the girls swam in the sea and enjoyed the sunny weather. Ha Jin's reservation about Jan Di also faded away as she got to know the latter closely through the day. After having lunch and lazing out in the sun, they again went in the water to play ball.
It was almost sundown. The sky flaunted myriads of colour strewn over its vast expanse. The sea crashed with its golden waves on the four girls, as they jumped and fell over each other to grab the ball. Right then, they heard male voices calling at them.
"Do you call that a ball game in water? Looks more like a 'fall' game to me," shouted Jun Pyo as the F4 approached them in the water.
The girls stopped their game and glared at him.
"Guys, let's teach them how to play," commented Jun Pyo and all of them joined the girls in two groups.
Ji Hoo and Woo Bin joined Ha Jin and Jae Kyung. They started playing and in no time the game became very exciting. To prove Jun Pyo wrong, the girls gave their best to grab the ball and throw it back to the opponents.
Despite her short height, Ha Jin tried to jump and grab the ball and suddenly fell on Ji Hoo standing by her side, crashing together on the sands, as it was difficult to keep the footing in the advancing and retreating waves.
"I am so sorry," mumbled Ha Jin and tried get off from Ji Hoo's wide chest when another big wave came crushing in and rolled them together over some distance.
Ji Hoo embraced her protectively so that she did not bump against the sands while rolling. Ha Jin's eyes were shut in fear of getting hurt and hurting Ji Hoo in turn. So, when they stopped rolling she still had her face hidden in his embrace.
"Are you hurt?" asked Ji Hoo while holding the side of her face delicately.
"Ji Hoo! Ha Jin! Are you two ok?" shouted Jan Di as she came running towards them with the others.
Ha Jin just nodded her head and tried to sit up. Ji Hoo waited for her to relax and pulled her up on her feet.
"I am sorry for my clumsiness," mumbled Ha Jin and stepped back from Ji Hoo. He did not say anything but kept on staring at her for a few moments more, to check that she was not hurt in any way.
"I think we should just head back now. We have to be ready for the masquerade," said Jun Pyo and turned to Jan Di who nodded in agreement.
….
"Why do you look so flushed, Ha Jin?" asked Ga Eul while adjusting her dress in front of the mirror.
"Are you still thinking about rolling on the sand with the handsome Ji Hoo?" chipped in Jae Kyung while applying her make up.
"No! Not at all!" protested Ha Jin and turned her back in the pretense of checking her attire.
Jae Kyung smiled wickedly and winked at Ga Eul who glared back at her not to tease Ha Jin any further.
"Let's go. I suppose Jan Di is waiting for us."
….
The yacht was parked at the harbor, beautifully decorated with lights. The masquerade party was way more extravagant than these girls could even imagine. They were thankful that everyone was wearing a mask, so that they would not have to make a fool of themselves in this crowd of filthy rich and opulence. It was a big party, with people occupying every corner of the deck, clothed in very expensive attires, with glasses of wine or spirits in their hands and freely mingling around.
"What are we supposed to do here?" asked Ha Jin to her equally flabbergasted friends.
"Absolutely no idea!"
They took their drinks from the bar and stood at a corner, watching the spectacle around them.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this masquerade party celebrating our beloved Gu Jun Pyo and Guem Jan Di's first marriage anniversary! We will start the masquerade ball now. All the ladies and gents are requested to stand in two concentric rings and start dancing with each other in turn. And then if you find your partner or the person you would like to dance with again in the evening, you can come in the centre and dance," announced the MC and the music started playing.
Even before understanding what was happening, the 3 girls were ushered into the ladies' circle and the dance started.
Initially, it was quite awkward to get used to the male dancer's cue and then change to a new partner in few minutes. Eventually they started enjoying themselves as most of the men were good dancers, directing them efficiently.
Ha Jin was in between dances to grab a drink when her phone started vibrating in her clutch bag. As she opened it the screen showed her fiancé's name. She hurriedly walked away from the din and entered a quieter cabin to receive the call.
"Hi So Bin, how are you?"
"Where are you right now? What are you doing with those notorious F4?" barked the voice from the other end.
"So Bin, I told you I would be in New Caledonia with Ga Eul and Jae..."
"Stop lying to me, Ha Jin! Your mom told me you are at the Shinwa resort, revelling with those bunch of womanisers! How dare you overstep your limit and do things without my permission?!"
Ha Jin was stunned at his accusations and took some moments to ponder over them. It was true that she did not specify to him before coming to New Caledonia about their stay at the Paradise Resort. She did not feel the need to. In anyway, So Bin would not have believed that her friends had connections to such high-class people, and may have ridiculed them. It was also true that she was literally 'revelling' with the F4 and their friends right now, but before coming here she had never even imagined about the level of lavishness and power F4 entailed with themselves. In fact, being born and brought up for most of her life in Tokyo she did not even know what is meant by F4. And permission? She was programmed from the childhood by her parents that she had no right to make choices on her own. It was either them or the man they would choose for her, who would give her 'permissions' to live her life. But despite the truths in all his accusations, she felt the helplessness, the rage and the suffocation surfacing, which she had been suppressing all her life.
"So Bin, I think I have to go now. The girls are waiting for me. Will talk to you later."
"How dare you think of hanging up when I am the one to make the call, Ha Jin? Have you forgotten…"
Even before he could finish his rant, Ha Jin hung up. She looked at the screen for few seconds and turned off her phone. Her whole body was trembling with rage and frustration. So Bin always succeeded in ruining her fun moments that he was not a part of. She stomped her way out of the cabin and reached the bar counter. She glanced at the dance floor once more to locate her friends who were still swaying to the music merrily. She did not want to rub off her bitterness on them. Impulsively, she picked up a full bottle of red wine from the counter and headed down the steps on to the harbour.
….
Ji Hoo was sitting on an abandoned sail boat left on the beach. He had silently avoided his friends who were busy preparing for the masquerade and came to this quieter part of the resort with a crate of beer cans. He was sure that he would not be missed at the party; thanks to the masks that provided him a good disguise of not being there. He opened his third can and drank a gulp of beer. It all felt like a déjà vu. Few years back, he was sitting at the same place when Jan Di had come to talk to him. And after that his life had changed forever. Would he wait all his life for a moment like that again? Or would he want to turn back time and make all the right decisions at the right time?
With a heavy sigh, he finished his beer and reached out to get another can, when he noticed a figure walking on the beach with stumbling feet. He narrowed his vision to see that it was a woman in a long dress and masked face, with a bottle in her hand. Dismissing her as some drunk party reveller, he resumed his brooding with beer.
Suddenly there was a thud sound. Ji Hoo turned his gaze back at the women, who seemed to have tripped over her long dress. She was on her knees on the sand, with her head bent low. The bottle rolled out of her clutch, and looking at it Ji Hoo knew it was empty.
He kept staring at her to see what she did next. She stayed on her kneeling position for few minutes more, and then let out a shrill cry. Startled by her cry he stood up and hurried to her, and knelt beside her.
"Are you hurt?"
The woman held her head low again and heaved a sigh. Ji Hoo was worried that she might have hurt herself with the fall, so he touched her shoulder lightly and asked her again, "Are you hurt?"
She lifted her face very slowly, and her eyes glistened through the mask when she looked at him straight.
"Isn't it funny that you had to ask me the same question twice in the same evening? Could I be any more pathetic than this?"