Lesson #3

No Man is An Island

[ The pain is still there, don't fight it, let it all out. A talk with a friend can never go wrong. Friends, they are there for you. You wouldn't be calling them friends if they will leave you in your miserable state. Talk about what happened in one sitting or two, maybe even with the company of alcohol too. Do anything, just don't shut them out. Remember, even beggars need someone to look after them too. ]

Ga Eul waits as the noiseless machine in front of her prints multiple copies of her updated resume.

Slowly, she's breaking out of her zombie phase and had finally decided to start her life again. She quit her job at the club, Jan Di's been persuading her to apply at the hospital. She promised to pass her resume but her heart's not really into it. She doesn't really know what her heart wants to begin with.

"Did you pass it to HR?" Jan Di asks eagerly as she sits down in front of Ga Eul at the hospital cafeteria.

Ga Eul smiles at her and nodded. Medicine is not really her forte, but it's better to have a job than nothing.

"You'll love the Pediatrics Department, I know you like taking care of kids." She said as she takes a big bite from her food.

"Thank you, Jan Di-ah."

"Pfff! It's nothing. You know I missed working with you, right? It will be just like old times when we're working at the porridge shop."

Ga Eul looks down at her own food, a sad smile lingers in her lips, just realizing how she had lost herself because of him.

"Your interview is next week but before you get ready for that we'll go to Jeju Island this weekend first, okay?" says Jan Di, changing the subject, sensing that Ga Eul is going back to her sad mode.

"Oh yeah, your reservation for the wedding."

"Yi Jeong sunbae will be with us but don't mind him. I'll make sure he won't take advantage of you."

Ga Eul chuckles because of this. "I told you Yi Jeong sunbae is a good person. And don't worry about me, he's not interested with me anyway. Never did.

"

"I still don't like the way he smiles at you. And the two of you almost became an item back then."

"Once a Casanova always a Casanova. That's how he looks at women in general." she answered, purposely not commenting on her best friend's last remark.

Jan Di covers her hand in her mouth, her eyes wide open in shock. "Oh my gosh Ga Eul, you're defending him now! Don't tell me you still like him?!"

Ga Eul started laughing, her best friend had always been quick in jumping to conclusions. "I'm not defending him, it was a long time ago and it was just a crush."

Jan Di narrowed her eyes at her, scrutinizing if she's telling the truth.

"What if you fall in love with him?"

"Jan Di I just came from a heartbreak, I don't think I'll be looking for a new one so soon."

Jan Di folded her arms in front of her, slowly nodding her head, eyes still suspicious. "Hmmm, good to know. Trust me, you don't wanna fall in love with So Yi Jeong. Again."

Yi Jeong and Jun Pyo follows the two ladies as they leisurely walk around the shore of Jeju Island.

"It will save you all the trouble if you just hire a wedding planner. I can recommend a good one if you want." Yi Jeong said as they just let the two best friends take pictures of almost everything in sight.

"Don't you think I already told her that? That woman refuses to let anyone prepare this wedding. She said she'll only get married once so she wants to experience everything." says Jun Pyo.

"If she's wants to do it herself then why am I being drag here?"

"Because you're the best man! You need to be on the loop especially that most of the time I won't be able to accompany her."

"I'm busy too, you know."

Jun Pyo widens his eyes, mouth already shaping into a perfect O. "Some kind of best man you are! Do you even know what best man means?! I knew I should have picked Ji Hoo or Woo Bin, maybe they would do it for me without complain." He said while shaking his head in disappointment.

Yi Jeong rolled his eyes, chuckling softly to himself. Gu Jun Pyo strikes his acting skills again. I don't even think heknows what best man means.

They had let the girls ahead, they are so into taking those pictures, even the sands on their feet were being documented.

"And also …Jan Di keeps on tagging Ga Eul-yang along. I need someone to keep her busy so I can have alone time with my fiancée."

I knew there's more to this than being the best man.This feels like New Caledonia all over again.

"Jun Pyo you're getting married in a few months, give her some time with her best friend, especially that Ga Eul-yang needs her now more than ever."

"You know I'm always busy and Jan Di's always busy at the hospital, we barely had time to ..you know." says Jun Pyo. Yi Jeong noticed his best friend's ears are getting red. "And Ga Eul-yang's been depressed for a month now! How long will she be like that?! She didn't learn her lesson the first time. This is what she gets! "

"She's heartbroken, bro. Remember when Jan Di left you? How long had you been depressed? You were a mess back then." Yi Jeong's eyes follows Ga Eul as she happily takes pictures of Jan Di playing along with the waves. "Losing someone you love is always the hardest. It's a relief she can now smile again."

Jun Pyo nods his head, remembering that painful part of his life, finally understanding how Ga Eul feels.

Ga Eul's hands slides up and down her bare arms as the cold ocean air brushes through her skin but instead of feeling cold, she even smiles at the sensation. Her heart feels warm despite of the cold, watching the soft waves dance through the horizon.

"I hope you're not planning on drowning yourself again."

Ga Eul's too mesmerized at how beautiful the ocean is even in the dark, didn't look up at the newcomer but she knows who it is anyways.

Yi Jeong sat the sand near to her. She's too absurd watching the ocean, he wonders what she's thinking. I hope it doesn't involve midnight swimming, he thought to himself.

"Look at the ocean, sunbae. Didn't you ever wonder why it looked so peaceful yet it is one of the most dangerous thing in this world?"

"Yah! Don't even think of going into the water Ga Eul-yang!"

To his surprise, Ga Eul looks at him and started laughing. "Sunbae it's so cold out there, why would I go in the water?"

"Just…just stay dry here in the sand." He commanded.

She shook her head, turning her eyes back at the sea. "No one in their right mind would swim in the dead of the night."

Yeah, but you're not in your right mind, Ga Eul-yang.

Both were quiet for a while before Ga Eul spoke again. "Yi Jeong sunbae, if a fishing boat sails at midnight, will they caught a sleeping fish or a wide-awake fish?"

Yi Jeong stares at her with a weird expression on his face. He shook his head. He's going to pretend he didn't hear her ask that.

"Are there sharks in Jeju waters, sunbae?"

"That's it Ga Eul-yang!" he stood up and called someone from his phone. Ga Eul stares at him puzzled.

Not a few minutes later, an employee from the resort they're staying approached them and gave Yi Jeong a paper bag. The employee bowed down at them then went back inside the resort. Yi Jeong went back to the sand, this time a little closer to her, placing the paper bag between them.

"What's that?"

"Spill it."

"Spill what?" she shifts her body facing him, curiosity's killing her. Yi Jeong's acting weird tonight.

"Whatever you have inside your chest. Take it all out. When you were at my house all you did was cry. Hours and hours of crying but you never said anything. It would be a big help if you release that big lump in you." He said will full sincerity.

Ga Eul stares at him in disbelief. Is he really asking me to rant about my breakup?

"Go on, I'm here to listen."

Her eyes fall at the mysterious paper bag. "What's in the paper bag?"

Yi Jeong showed her his signature lopsided smirk. He dipped his hand inside the bag and slowly pulls up a black bottle. "Ga Eul-yang meet my dear friend, Jack Daniels."

She chuckles nervously. "So basically, you're planning on intoxicating me with alcohol."

"Liquor will loosen you up. I know I'm not Jan Di but you can try confiding in me. I'll take her place for the meantime since she and Jun Pyo's busy as we speak."

With only the moonlight and the distant lampposts, Yi Jeong can tell she's blushing.

Ga Eul covers her ears. "S-Sunbae! I did not need to know t-that!" She can feel her checks burning, her mind remembering those disturbing sounds.

He chuckles. Sweet innocent, Ga Eul-yang.

"Our buddy Jack will help you imagine I'm the noisy Geum Jan Di, without Gu Jun Pyo attached to her of course."

She shut her eyes tightly while still covering her ears shaking her head. "Sunbae!"

Teasing Ga Eul is always fun. Yi Jeong brings out two shot glass from the bag, gave one to Ga Eul and poured a shot for her and for him as well. He raised the shot glass. "Here's for Chu Ga Eul."

She copied him, clicked their glass together and shared a toast. She cringed at the taste.

"Too bitter?"

"A little bit but it's hot to the body. It's good."

Yi Jeong raised an eyebrow. When did Ga Eul got used to drinking?

With an impressed grin, he poured another shot for them. "Come on Ms. Chu Ga Eul, let's do this."

Several shots later and hundreds of words had already escaped Ga Eul's lips, she stood up. Raising the almost empty bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand before drinking it. Yi Jeong lays on his back at the sand, elbows supporting his upper body so he can still look at Ga Eul, surprised that she can still consume more alcohol.

"That …that moron!" Ga Eul yells after wiping her mouth from the back of her hand, continuing their current conversation. "Who does he think he is anyway?! He thinks he's so mighty just because he got girls around him all the time?! They only like him because he has money! They don't care about him like I did! Why did I even let him in my life again?!"

She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. She's done crying over him. Enough is enough. All she can feel right now is anger. Her body feels weird after her fourth shot but it's surprisingly good weird. She feels lightheaded and carefree.

"You know sunbae, he's not even as good-looking as Yi Jeong sunbae!"

Wow. He never thought he would see sweet innocent Ga Eul get drunk. Maybe that's enough for the night. Yi Jeong grabbed her free hand so he can reach for the bottle when a hand landed on his face.

Ga Eul had slapped him. Again.

"Who do you think you are, huh?!

Ga Eul grabbed the collar of his shirt. "How dare you cheat on me and on the night of our anniversary! How long have you been doing it behind my back, huh?! And to think I was ready! I was suppose to give myself to you that night! I've decided I'll finally give you what you want but what did you do?! You're doing it with her! Why?! Why?! You said you've changed! You said you're a different man now!"

Ga Eul chugged a mouthful of Jack Daniels again.

"Come on Ga Eul, that's enough." Yi Jeong said weakly. The effects of the alcohol had started to rub on him too. That's why even though she had slapped him, he can't really feel the sting that much. He tries to take the bottle from her but she yanks it away.

"NO! You can't tell me what to do! I'm not your girl anymore!"

Ga Eul dropped the bottle on the sand. She lunges on him, sitting on his lap.

"Yah! Chu Ga Eul!"

Another slap.

"Shut up! Shut up! You listen to me! I'm happy I didn't give my virginity to you, you bastard! That was my first time wearing a matching lacy black thong and bra because you said it looks good on women even though I feel awkward I did it for you because you said it will bring out my round butt! You pervert!"

Another slap on his right cheek.

Okay, Ga Eul is reallydrunk.

Yi Jeong had to bury his hands inside his short pockets to prevent his self on touching even Ga Eul's hands. If it's any other woman slapping him, they wouldn't even dare but Ga Eul had already slapped him thrice tonight, not to mention the slap he received from bad mouthing her ex. But he can't do anything to stop her. He's afraid he might do more than just stopping her hand.

And she's moving too much on top of him too. He'd been drinking the same amount that she does but his body's in high alert because of this girl on his lap. Her description of herself in sexy lingerie is not helping Yi Jeong's battle with himself either. Added by that said round butt is wiggling on his front.

Yi Jeong opened his mouth to politely ask Ga Eul to get off him when she had suddenly stopped moving and closed her eyes.

Did she fall asleep?

His eyes intently staring at her small face. Is she really sleeping? He's never been this close to her before. Despite his slightly dulled senses due to the alcohol, he can still perfectly smell her lavender scent. Just like the smell of her milk bath.

Oh no, don't go back on that memory.

No matter how terrified he was at that time, there were some things that didn't escaped from his observant eyes and the image of her naked body would not be a good help on this losing war.

"Sunbae…"

Yi Jeong swallowed hard. He had never heard Ga Eul in that sweet yet seductive voice.

"Sunbae…"

"G-Ga Eul-yang."

Ga Eul opens her eyes and looked straight into his. A smile spread across her slightly parted lips, a smile he had never seen before.

A sexy smile.

He moves his head forward, still holding eye contact. Ga Eul parted her lips and dampened her lower lips with her pink tongue. Yi Jeong gulped again.

Closer and closer and …

Her head fell to his shoulder.

Yi Jeong was frozen. He don't know if he should move or what.

"Ga Eul-yang?"

No answer.

"Ga Eul?" he shakes his body to shake her too.

"Aish." He finally faced the reality. He brought out his hands from his pockets, deciding it's finally safe as Ga Eul sleeps soundly on top of him.

*89*