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Warning: Alternative Universe

Summary: Ga Eul has never been keen on her mother remarrying, especially since her billionaire stepfather to be has a nasty daughter who bullies her constantly. Desperate to avoid humiliation, she decides she needs to bring a boyfriend to the wedding. To her surprise, the most unlikely person in the world volunteers for the role.

Le Petit Ami

IV.

Sweetheart, you read my mind….

…

"Ga Eul?" Yi Jeong murmured as he sat up, leaning back against one elbow while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Somewhere in the night, he had tossed part of the comforter off and now only the sheets covered him from the waist down. He was used to sleeping in frigidly cold conditions, as Woo Bin complained, but what he was certainly not used to was the sight of Chu Ga Eul sitting at the bottom of his bed, dressed in…Yi Jeong blinked rapidly. She was dressed only in his shirt with the sexiest bed head in the world. Instinctively, his eyes darted down his body and to the floor.

"That's correct, lover," Ga Eul declared with a sultry gleam in her eye that made him swallow hard. "You've only got that sheet on." Her smile was wide and Cheshire like, anything but innocent and Yi Jeong resisted the urge to scoot backwards when she started crawling forward, back arched, hips swaying with her hair tumbling over her shoulders, a tigress on the prowl. In spite of himself, his body was already in full alert mode and only their friendship was standing in the way of him ravishing her until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

"Hold on Ga Eul yang, just think for a second," he said desperately, grabbing for the sheet when she tugged on it. "You don't want to do this." What the hell was wrong with her? Not that it wasn't natural for her to want him, most women who laid eyes on him always wanted him but—

"That's what you said last night Yi Jeong sunbae."

"Huh?" If anything had happened, he would have remembered it. Right?

"I can refresh your memory if you want me to." Before he could move, she pounced, straddling his hips. Under his breath, he groaned softly, knowing all the fight was going out of him, fast. Already, his mind was making up excuses. He had tried to slow it down, he had shown an amazing amount of self control, she had practically ambushed him…

"Yi Jeong sunbae," Ga Eul purred softly in his ear and Yi Jeong was pretty sure that all brain activity had flatlined. Her hands slinked through his hair as she tilted his face up, her delectable mouth less than an inch from his. "Sunbae…"

"Just kiss me already, woman," he demanded hotly.

"Sunbae…"

…

Did Yi Jeong intend to sleep the entire morning away? "Sunbae!" she called out loudly, "Yi Jeong sunbae!" Frustrated, Ga Eul started banging on the door. "Come on, wake up!" It was already close to noon. After a thankfully uneventful brunch with her family, even though it rankled to classify Ginger under that term, they had both felt sleepy and retired to their rooms. Ga Eul had dozed off for a short while in the tub but had been raring to explore the island since an hour ago. Repeated calls to Yi Jeong's room had gone unanswered and finally, she decided to take a more direct approach.

"For the last time So Yi Jeong, open up!" Ga Eul was practically huffing when the door opened up to reveal a sleepy-eyed, somewhat irritated Yi Jeong. "What took you so long? And why are you hugging that pillow?"

Her hair was neatly combed and hidden by a cute straw hat that would have looked silly on any other female. She was still dressed in the same white blouse and peach skirt that she had worn earlier. She looked completely sweet and decent and yet Yi Jeong could feel his body responding to her presence with a vengeance as though she had turned up on his doorstep wearing her birthday suit. Minx Ga Eul from his dreams had ruined his best friend for him. And that explained the pillow. There were some things that Ga Eul definitely did not need to see. Deciding there was no good outcome to answering her, he ignored her last question. "I was sleeping."

"Yes Sherlock, I figured that out. And now, you get to take me out and play tour guide."

"Tour guide?"

"Mmm hmm. Since you know your way around, you can show me the sights."

Yi Jeong could practically hear the bed calling to him. Breakfast always knocked him out like a light and that was why most mornings, he refused anything except black coffee. He couldn't very well have told that to Choi Ji Yong, especially given the way the man had spent the entire morning scrutinising him. "I don't know…"

"If we don't leave now while Ginger and my mother are getting their nails done, my mum will make Ginger go with us."

"Give me ten minutes."

Ga Eul chuckled as she followed him into the room. "We both know it takes a lot more than ten minutes to produce perfection."

"Is there no compliment that you can give that isn't back-handed?" he called from behind the bathroom door.

"Take it or leave it." Ga Eul frowned a little as her gaze landed on his bed. The sheets were all mussed and the blanket kicked aside. Unless he had changed a lot in recent years, as far as she knew, Yi Jeong had always been a quiet sleeper. He barely moved and almost never made a sound. "Why's the bed in a mess? Did you dream?"

Standing under the shower, Yi Jeong accidentally swallowed some of the water and coughed. "A little," he managed to say.

"It must have been some dream."

That it had been, he thought almost wistfully. But the cold shower was helping to bring him back to his senses.

She was sitting on the bed looking at a map when he finally emerged. "I was thinking that we could start with…" Forgetting what you wanted to say next, Ga Eul realised, was a disconcerting experience. It was even more so when the cause of it was her best friend. "I mean, we could start with…"

Yi Jeong smirked. He knew why she had suddenly gone all tongue-tied. "Like what you see?"

He was wearing khaki slacks and the light sweater she had given him as a Christmas present last year. It was a beautiful, deep rust-gold shade with a slight v neck and he had rolled up the sleeves at his elbows. The colour set off his fair skin and ebony hair perfectly. He looked absolutely delicious, good enough to eat.

"Well…the sweater looks good on you."

Leaning down, he grinned at her and she turned pink. She knew that he knew that it wasn't the sweater at all. "What can I say? You've got great taste. After all, you've brought me along to be your boyfriend."

"Why you—"

Plucking the map from her hands, he pulled her to her feet. "Shush Ga Eul yang, just accept the compliment."

"Compliment to yourself you mean!"

"Let's not split hairs," Yi Jeong said breezily as he locked the door and slipped his arm around her waist. "Now, where do you want to go? Your wish is my command."

Half an hour later, he was regretting those words.

"My wish is your command, remember?" Ga Eul said through gritted teeth as she attempted to pry Yi Jeong out from the car.

"As long as that wish is within reason." Unperturbed, he continued to sit comfortably and let her tug at his arm. "Besides, the chauffeur knows the island very well. He can drive us to the various locations."

"But I want to take the bus service!"

"I've never taken a bus in my life and have no desire to start now."

"It's just to four or five different locations and then we can go back," Ga Eul pleaded.

When Yi Jeong shook his head stubbornly, she sighed. "Fine, I'll go on the bus by myself then. I'm sure someone will help me get around."

Before he could stop her, she got out of the car and started walking to the nearest bus stop. "Ga Eul yang, come back here!" To his great annoyance, she refused to even turn around even though he knew she had heard him. The silly girl would probably get lost. As it was, using the bus service required at least rudimentary knowledge of French as that was mostly all that the locals spoke and Yi Jeong knew that the only French Ga Eul knew was limited to 'baguette' and 'croissant'. And although New Caledonia was relatively safe, the idea of her asking around for help made him uncomfortable. She was so trusting and naïve that she wouldn't suspect anyone of having less than good intentions.

With no small measure of grumbling, Yi Jeong bowed to the inevitable and sprinted after Ga Eul. "You woman, will be the death of me," he muttered as he caught up with her. Still, the bright smile she gave him made up for the future discomfort he anticipated. Sort of anyway, Yi Jeong thought as he shuddered inwardly at the thought of public transport.

"Ah, but what a way to go," Ga Eul nudged him, her good spirits restored. "I knew you wouldn't leave me to wander around alone."

"That's because I need to spare the island from a Chu Ga Eul let loose on her own."

"I'm going to be the bigger person and let that go," she declared. "Oh, the bus is here."

Just how old was this vehicle? Yi Jeong stared, aghast at the fact that all the windows were rolled down and that meant no air-conditioning. Still, he let Ga Eul pull him up and in fluent French, asked for two day tickets. "Make sure you don't lose this or I'll call the driver and I won't hear one word of protest from you," he warned darkly as he passed the ticket to her.

"Yes, Yi Jeong sunbae," she said sweetly before claiming the window seat. Not that he wanted to sit near it and inhale all the dust and exhaust fumes. Still, it made her happy and so he would endure it.

…..

It was already five in the evening but Ga Eul still wanted to look around. Yi Jeong was no slouch but his stomach was already beginning to rumble and to be honest, he was getting tired.

"We've already seen three museums and one cultural centre, and you still want to climb all the way up that?" he asked pointedly as he followed behind her. She had persuaded him to follow her to one of the well known parks set on a high hill which offered a stunning view of the surrounding islands and sea.

"Not just that. I want to take photographs as well." Whipping out her phone with a flourish, she pressed it into Yi Jeong's reluctant hands and struck a pose.

"You know, that peace sign pose went out of fashion with the dinosaurs." When she stuck out her tongue at his comment, Yi Jeong pressed the button. "I like this one better."

"So Yi Jeong!"

She reached for the phone but he held it out of her reach. "You'll get the phone back once you tell me what this little expedition has really been about."

"Give that back here!" She jumped and made an unsuccessful grab for it. "What do you mean?"

"I'm referring to your rather transparent attempt to stay out the whole day. If I am not mistaken, you're going to suggest we have dinner at one of the nearby cafeterias and once we get back, you'll tell your mother that you are tired and that you want to rest." Yi Jeong waited for her to say something but she had gone silent. "Ga Eul yang?"

She hated that he knew her so well. Folding her arms across her chest, Ga Eul turned away and stared out at the shops and hotels that dotted the land below. Without the sound of their voices, the air seemed still, the sound of insects humming in the grasses was loud.

"What's really bothering you?" he asked softly. "Is it seeing your mother with Choi Ji Yong?"

She cleared her throat, wanting to say something but knowing the words would not come. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered finally. "Let's just go back."

It would be easy enough to do as she asked. But that wasn't what friends did. "Allow me to say something then. By avoiding your mother and stepfather to be, you're playing right into Ginger's hands. You're making it easy for her to play the rejected stepsister. Your mother must be feeling quite confused and hurt to I imagine. It isn't easy to find happiness for a second time and her only child is making it hard for her to enjoy that happiness."

Ga Eul turned her head to glare at him. "I know I'm stupid and selfish alright? Stop rubbing it in."

He moved to stand next to her, so close that his arm brushed her shoulder. "That's not what I mean. I think you're scared. It's always been your mother and you but now the dynamics have changed and you're wondering where you stand in terms of her affection. You're also scared of the world I live in, the world you have to live in now. I know you love shoes and clothes as much as the next girl but you've refused to spend a cent of Choi Ji Yong's money unless necessity dictates that you must. You still insist on working at the porridge shop with Jan Di because these are your ways of holding on to who you are."

She was blinking hard and her chin was up, telltale signs that she was battling tears. Gentling his voice, he continued. "But the Chu Ga Eul I know is fearless. She's smart and independent, and no matter which world she lives in, she'll still be the girl I respect, the only girl to be my best friend. And because of that, I'll help her in whatever way I can. So she shouldn't be scared and she will, being the clever person she is, talk to her mother as soon as possible."

It was a little scary, the way he saw right through her and addressed her secret fears. Only Jan Di knew some of those, to an extent. The others, Ga Eul had simply been reluctant to face, let alone confess to anyone else. "Since when did you get this smart?" she murmured as she swiped at her eyes.

He chuckled. "I'm going to steal Jun Pyo's line and say since forever. Feeling better?" Long minutes passed but she finally nodded. Sweet relief swept through him. "We should go back now."

"Hold on a second, I still want that photo. And because you've been such a good Aunt Agony, you get to pose with me."

Usually he would tell her over his dead body and run away but today wasn't one of those days. Yi Jeong sighed a little but let her push him into position. He even smiled when she held out the camera to get a shot of both of them. What he didn't expect was the soft brush of her lips against his cheek. There was a soft audible click and Ga Eul looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Thank you Yi Jeong, for everything."

Her heart was beating so hard that she was surprised he didn't hear it. At the back of her mind, the voice of reason was warning her that she was toying with a line that shouldn't be crossed. Long seconds of silence passed but still he said nothing. She realised his gaze though, had slipped down to her mouth. Panic and excitement seized Ga Eul as she realised that he was possibly thinking of kissing her. So she did the first thing that came to mind. She showed him the picture. "Isn't this cute?"

It was a good thing he knew Ga Eul well. Otherwise, he would have assumed she was playing hard to get. Just seconds before he would have kissed her again and she spoiled the moment. Perhaps rightly so. There was no one here to witness any playacting, and he couldn't write this one up as practice as well. "Our first holiday picture together," he commented, carefully keeping his eyes focused on the shot. "Now can we go back?"

"Is that all you can say?" She made a face and he ruffled her hair before calling the chauffeur. While he was busy, Ga Eul pressed a few buttons and set the picture as her wallpaper. Seeing the two of them together in the same frame, him smiling and her kissing him on the cheek, made her heart flutter. 'It's only for this week,' she told herself. 'Only because it's something boyfriends and girlfriends do.'