She arrived at the club first. As soon as Jan Di had told her the address, she insisted on arriving alone. Her excuse was that she didn't want to see the F4 member so soon.
Why hadn't she just rejected the offer? It would have made her life much easier. She could have gone out on her own to a different nightclub or maybe call up one of her other friends. But no, she needed to vent and Jan Di was the only one she trusted. If she wasn't too out of it by the end of the night, she was going to make Jan Di stay over just so she can tell her everything she had bottled up inside—maybe not the part concerning Woo Bin, but everything else. She didn't think that part was important.
Here she was at the nightclub, which she suspected was under the ownership of Song Woo Bin. Music and, mainly, alcohol kept her mind off of the things that she worried about.
She wasn't in the dance floor, rather at the bar, but she still allowed the music to free her of the stress as she drank from her glass of an expensive type of drink. She didn't have the money to pay for it but she figured her rich companions would. She wasn't wrong.
Woo Bin walked up beside her just as she lifted the glass to her lips.
"I see you're having a head start with the alcohol," he commented and she responded with a smile. He gestured for the bartender to also get him a drink, and then told him that he would pay for her drink too. "How many have you had already?"
"This is my first. I just got here," she replied. "Why? You worried that I would drink too much?"
"Well, I wouldn't a repeat of the last time."
She shook her head. "The last time never happened, remember?"
He nodded. "Right." But they had to admit that it was an elephant in the room they couldn't avoid.
"Why do you care anyway? So what if I leave with some random stranger tonight?"
It seemed he was taken aback by her question but he quickly composed himself. "We are somewhat friends. I should care. Especially because a best friend of mine cares a lot about you." Her expression darkened and she shot him a glare but he dismissed it. "He isn't here right now, so I feel a responsibility to watch over you."
"And where was that responsibility when that other night?" she challenged. They had both agreed to never speak of the incident but it seemed as though that was impossible.
"I regret it. I wasn't in the right state of mind and neither were you," he said. "The others won't find out. Especially, Yi Jeong."
She downed the rest of her drink then ordered another one. "I shouldn't care if he finds out, but I do."
"As much as you won't want to admit it, there are still some leftover feelings. Am I right?"
Ga Eul gave no answer and that was enough for Woo Bin to know that he was right.
"How about we move this party somewhere else," he suggested. "I have a table reserved." And just like that, it was as if the animosity between them was gone. They moved to the reserved corner of the club and just talked until the others arrived.
Ji Hoo arrived first, with Jae Kyung following soon after. Jan Di and Jun Pyo had arrived together and the only missing member in the circle of friends was Yi Jeong.
The three males sat on one side of the table and the females on the other, the happy couple sitting in the middle. Ga Eul was glad to be sitting in between Jae Kyung and Jan Di. That meant the other guy would not get the chance to sit next to her.
It didn't take long for the last guy to arrive and Ga Eul was not prepared. Sure, she had already seen him earlier that day but this time was under different circumstances. There had been children surrounding them when he came to visit her and she had been caught by surprise. However, she was now aware and, under the dim lights of the nightclub and dressed in a suit, he made it difficult for Ga Eul not to look his way. It wasn't that he didn't look handsome earlier but maybe it was just the alcohol making her react this way.
"And the gang is now complete! How has everyone been doing?" someone asked and they each launched into stories that they felt the others would want to hear. Ga Eul could feel a pair of eyes watching her and she tried her best to avoid eye contact. A waitress came up to them with a tray of drinks and Ga Eul didn't hesitate to grab one of the alcoholic drinks.
"Ga Eul, don't drink that!" Jan Di exclaimed when she saw the girl get the drink.
Ga Eul made a face. "Why not? You can't tell me what to do and expect me to follow."
"I agree with Jan Di, Ga Eul-yang," Yi Jeong told her. "It's alcoholic. You might not be able to handle it."
Ga Eul just snorted and drank from the glass, which caught Yi Jeong by surprise. He didn't know just how much Ga Eul had changed over the years. The ones who did know how Ga Eul was just shook their heads. "It's not that I'm worried about," Jan Di muttered. "She's not that bad at drinking. It's just she likes to leave after having a drink. Just watch. She'll leave for the dance floor then we won't see her again until the morning."
Ga Eul caught the smirk on Woo Bin's face and she knew what he was thinking about. She shook her head, sighing. "I'm going straight home after this," she promised. "If you don't believe me then you have my permission to drop me off."
"Her habit is that bad?" Woo Bin asked.
Ga Eul frowned. "It's not a habit. It's just . . . Wait, I don't have to explain to you. It's not like I always do it anyway." She sent a warning look in Woo Bin's direction and the boy just shrugged. Ga Eul's gaze moved to Jan Di and she noticed the suspicious look on the girl's face.
"Ga Eul-ssi, I've been meaning to ask something but I couldn't earlier," Yi Jeong said over the music that somehow had gotten louder. "Your students asked me if I was your boyfriend. Did you tell them about me?"
Ga Eul didn't know how to answer. She could feel it. He was trying to worm his way back into her heart, to reach out to her, but she didn't want to let him. As much as she wanted to shut him out completely, she couldn't. Maybe she was just that nice. Despite her new behavior, she still had the same heart. It just had to harden a bit.
She shook her head. "I just said because one of the single fathers tried hitting on me," she replied with a shrug. She was surprised that she wasn't stuttering in front of him, but relieved too because managed to speak to him. "I've only just started teaching. Dating would just distract me."
She looked away again, not wanting to see his expression. After a while, she stood up. "I need to use the restroom," she muttered. "I'll be right back."
"You better be," Jan Di called out. Ga Eul just nodded in acknowledgement and left.
A pair of friends walked out of the restroom just as she came in and she was comforted knowing that she was the only one inside at the moment. She used this moment alone to give herself that pep talk she thought she needed.
"It's just So Yi Jeong, Ga Eul," she told herself. "It shouldn't matter that he's here. You're over him." She stared at her reflection in the mirror.
You're over him. You're over him. You're over him, she repeated.
"I don't think you're over him," Jae Kyung muttered, startling the girl. Ga Eul had been so focused on her own reflection that she hadn't noticed when the other girl came in.
Ga Eul faced her. "Unnie, what should I do?" she asked, hoping to get some advice. The older girl just shook her head.
"Why are you asking me? I wasn't so lucky when it comes to love." She shook her head, as if remembering the time when she had liked that fool Jun Pyo.
"But you've gotten over him," Ga Eul reminded her. "How did you do it?"
Jae Kyung shrugged. "Maybe it was because I didn't love him," she said.
Ga Eul let out a frustrated sigh from that reply. "So what am I supposed to do? Forget that I ever loved him?"
There was a pause before the other girl replied. "Give him another chance."
If only the situation wasn't as complicated as it was.
a/n: not much really happens in this chapter and it's kinda crappy but i wanted to get something posted since it's been a while.. idk when i'll update next so i apologize if i take too long
