CHAPTER 7

Country Mouse

"Jan Di-yah!" Chu Ga Eul exclaimed, rushing to embrace her friend from the plate glass window in front of the porridge shop where she and their boss had been shamelessly watching the short yet somehow intimate leave taking between Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo.

Ga Eul was equal parts worried, confused and curious — ok, maybe the curiosity outweighed the other two emotions at this point. The last she had seen of Jan Di was a few days back, when she had seen her off at the airport bus stop, on her way to Macau to confront Gu Jun Pyo. Even then, she had had a really bad feeling about the trip but Jan Di would not be dissuaded. Jun Pyo had left her in limbo she said, and whatever else, however the trip ended, Jan Di was determined to get answers.

But…Yoon Ji Hoo? When did that happen? Ga Eul wondered, exchanging a secret smile with the Master. They were united in their preference for Jan DI's first love over her erstwhile boyfriend. Gu Jun Pyo was like a typhoon – the few times he had visited Jan Di at the porridge shop, he was like a hurricane, imperious, destructive, totally uncaring of whoever got in the way of what he wanted. It was not as if he was directly unpleasant to her or to the Master — it was more like he didn't really see them, they were just…there. Yoon Ji Hoo on the other hand, if not exactly warm and friendly, had always been unfailingly polite and quiet. If Gu Jun Pyo was a typhoon, Yoon Ji Hoo was like an afternoon wind on a summer afternoon – the kind that sort of just wove around you, not enough to ruffle your hair but just enough for you to know it was there and to feel better for the coolness it promised.

But Chu Ga Eul had always been perceptive and she was one of the few who knew Jan Di so well that she could read between the lines. Sometimes, Ga Eul could understand Geum Jan Di better than Jan Di could understand herself.

Ga Eul had never been convinced that Gu Jun Pyo was Jan Di's "one true love" — Jan Di was stubborn and when she set her mind on a course of action, she would not veer away, but she never really stopped too examine her motives. So in Ge Eul's mind, it wasn't that Jan DI was madly in love with Gun Pyo, it was more that having agreed to be in the relationship, she would make it work or die trying.

Ga Eul had actually often suspected that Jun Pyo was just a rebound – he had been so quick to jump in when Yoon Ji Hoo had left for Paris — she had never seen Jan Di truly happy in that relationship. It seemed to her that Jun Pyo's persistence had worn her down and once Jan Di committed, the challenge posed by the numerous obstacles thrown their way by Gu Jun Pyo's mother activated Jan Di's stubborn streak. Had she really been in love with him or was she just fighting so hard because she was determined to prove a point?

(When Jun Pyo had left for Macau, she had not seen the same deep sadness in Jan Di that she had seen when Ji Hoo went after Min Seo Hyun. But by contrast, she had seen the tender smiles Jan Di got on her face when in Jun Pyo's absence, Ji Hoo called or when Jan Di spoke of her firefighter.)

"Are you alright? What happened in Macau? And was that Yoon Ji Hoo?" Ge Eul asked after she released Jan Di from the tight hug she had wrapped her in — practically dragging her to an empty booth near the kitchen.

Ga Eul's voice had risen slightly – luckily the dinner crowd was slow that evening and there were no customers other than the crotchety old man whom they called "Grandfather" sitting in his usual corner. He seemed to be dozing but at Ga Eul's exclamation, he raised his head – a strange look coming over his usual stoic face. He exchanged a look with the Master but this went unnoticed by the two friends who were busy catching up.

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"And so it's over?" Ga Eul asked her best friend. She still seethed with anger and had Gu Jun Pyo been anywhere nearby, he would probably have been attacked by Chu Ga Eul. She was small, smaller than Jan Di — and normally quiet and oh-so-ladylike, but she had a temper and was fiercely protective of the ones she loved. He would have been surprised at her ferocity. Luckily for him, he was too far away and he didn't get to see the country mouse transform into a tiger.

"Well, you're well rid of him." Ge Eul comforted her friend. "I'm just happy Yoon Ji Hoo was there to bring you back and take care of you — he's always been there for you…" Ga Eul said, unsure how to broach the topic she dearly wanted to ask about.

A small smile crossed Jan Di's face and crimson stained her cheeks. "Yes, he was. I'm very lucky."

"…and?" Ga Eul asked, her eyes twinkling, leaning closer. Master was in the kitchen right behind them, eavesdropping unashamedly.

"And well…I decided that I'm going to move on — maybe I was looking too far away, when the one I loved was right next to me all along." Jan Di replied, smiling shyly. The first real smile Ge Eul had seen from her friend in the last year.

Ga Eul squealed and jumped out of the booth to embrace her friend. "Be happy Geum Jan Di…you deserve this…you deserve Yoon Ji Hoo."

"But meanwhile…" Jan Di's face fell as she remembered that she had bigger problems. "I need your help Ga Eul. I need to find a second job right away…or a loan…we're getting kicked out of our house in six days…"

"Omo Jan Di! What did your parents do now?" Ge Eul asked, exasperated. She and Jan Di had been best friends since they were in kindergarten and she had always had a front row seat to the constant problems that Jan Di's parents had.

"Just the usual…" Jan Di sighed heavily "Gambling…but it just seems to have all come to a head – the gambling debts and the loan sharks, and then the banks called in our mortgage…I don't know what to do Ga Eul..if we can't pay them, they're taking the business and the house and we have nowhere to go.."

"I wish I could help…" Ga Eul said. Her family was poor too – but unlike Jan Di's father, hers didn't have a gambling habit, and her mother did not have Guem Go Hee's strong belief that a rich husband for her daughter was the easiest solution to all their problems. That being said, Ga Eul wished she could help more. She thought of advising Jan Di to ask F3 for help – but quickly dismissed the idea. They were both poor girls but they both had their pride. She understood quite well that that was never going to be a solution acceptable to Jan Di.

"I know Ga Eul-yah…I'll find a way…my father has relatives in the islands, the worst case scenario is we move there after the bank takes our house…" Jan Di sighed heavily. "But even then, we would need to pay off the gambling debts before we could go anywhere…I'm scared Ga Eul…they're dangerous people..I'm afraid for Kang San…he's just a little boy.."

"Don't worry Jan Di – we'll find some way…maybe they'll take payment in installments?" Ga Eul said timidly.

The Master shuffled over, the moment of pretending that he was not eavesdropping was obviously over. With an exchange of looks with the old man in the corner, who gave a small nod and then returned to dozing...Master handed a sheaf of bills to Jan Di.

"Whaaa..what is this Master?" Jan Di asked, bewildered.

"This is all the profit we made the last two weeks — I'm sorry it's not more…but if you need it, I can spare it." He said.

"No…no..I couldn't possibly…" Jan Di argued. She knew he had a sick mother at home and the porridge shop was their only source of income.

"Take it Jan Di-yah.." the Master said gently. Over the years, he had come to love Jan Di and Ge Eul like the little sisters he never had. "let's do this.." he smiled, thinking of a way to make her accept. "Think of it as a loan."

"Yes Jan Di-yah!" Ge Eul exclaimed, putting her arm around the Master's shoulders. "And I can help you pay Master for it…I can't give up my salary because I need it for tuition…but everything I get as tips will go towards helping you pay off your loan! And if you find another job, maybe you'll have enough to at least pay off the loan sharks.."

Jan Di was floored. She felt like crying - overwhelmed by her fear and worry but also by the knowledge that she had such good friends.

Just then, the bell over the door rang and the three sprung into action. The dinner rush had begun.

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It was almost 10 pm when Ge Eul flipped the sign over the door to "Closed" and with a sigh, turned back into the shop. It had been a long night, a football match in the school nearby had increased the turnout of usual customers so it had been a busier night than usual. As she turned, she noticed the single headlight of a motorcycle approaching and slowing down.

"Jan Di-yah!" She called out to her friend who was clearing the table for the last stragglers for the evening. "I think your Prince Charming approaches!"

"Aish! Ga Eul!" Jan Di exclaimed, hurriedly depositing the last tray of dirty dishes at the sink and washing her hands.

"Ha ha. Are you blushing?" Ga Eul teased, grabbing the red apron from Jan Di who looked over at the Master for permission to go.

"Yah Yah Geum Jan Di! Just go already." The Master said with a smirk.

"Gomawo Master! Bye Ga Eul! I'll see you tomorrow!" Jan Di called out as she ran out the door, already feeling lighter and lighter the closer she got to the tawny haired boy holding out a motorcycle helmet to her with a smile.

Ge Eul and the Master looked out fondly as the taillights of the motorcycle got smaller in the distance. They were happy for Jan Di — if anyone deserved some happiness, it was her.

"Aheeerrmmm…" a gruff cough interrupted the two, they turned around to see Grandfather behind them.

"Mianhae Harabeoji…For blocking the door…"Ga Eul apologised, moving aside to let him through. Jan Di and Ga Eul had grown fond over the old man who had been coming over forever it seemed. Often they forgot her was there until he asked for some outlandish order that wasn't even on the menu. But despite his gruffness, the old man was always kind and seemed to enjoy Ga Eul and Jan Di (especially Jan Di eho had a motherly streak) fussing over him.

"Was that Jan Di-yah's boyfriend?" The old man asked Ga Eul, exchanging a look with the Master that made her puzzled.

"Yes…well…at least we think so."

"Good, good." The gruff old man muttered "She's a good girl….like a lotus that one."

"Ne Harabeoji. She is at that." The Master said, patting the gruff old man on the back as he left the shop.

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"Where to Otter?" Ji Hoo asked as they stopped at the corner waiting for the light to change. "Home?"

"Will you take me somewhere Sunbae…I don't want to go home just yet." Jan Di replied, laying her head against his back. She didn't want to go home at all – but she couldn't run away from her problems. Yet she needed some respite after her long day.

"Will you be comfortable coming to my house?"Ji Hoo asked, a bit nervous. It was a bit late and he wanted to spend time with her alone and yet didn't want her to think he was pushing boundaries she wasn't ready to cross.

"Ne Sunbae…if it wouldn't be too much trouble." Jan Di answered.

The rest of the ride was quiet, the streets were emptying of traffic as it grew later and colder. In a few minutes they had pulled up to the driveway of Ji Hoo's house, it was empty but the lights were on and the glow made it look welcoming and warm. Ji Hoo unlocked the door and led Jan Di in to the big living room, leaving her for a few minutes only to return with a pot of tea and china. She was sitting somewhat stiffly in the middle of the couch, deep in thought when he returned.

"Are you ok little one?" Ji Hoo asked, reaching for her automatically. He didn't know what had happened to change him so much, but for someone who used to so jealously guard his personal space, he now craved some physical connection with this slip of a little girl every time he saw her. It didn't need to be much, the simple touch of her hand or the feel of her cheek against his shoulder was enough — it was as if, after longing for her for so long, he needed some physical confirmation that she was really there…that this wasn't just another of his dreams and that he would reach out and she would vanish at a touch.

"Am I so transparent Yoon Ji Hoo?" Jan Di asked, a sad little smile on her face as she willingly sank into his embrace. "That you can always know if I am not ok?"

(Did she not know that he had loved her for so long, watched and learned every emotion that crossed her face and catalogued every expression?)

"It's just that the alarm seems to be on red alert Geum Jan Di." He replied. "Are you sure you're not hiding something from me?"

"It's just..well..family problems." Jan Di said ashamedly. "I know that if I told you, you're going to try to help and I don't want you to keep rescuing me —- keep rescuing them. My parents and I need to sort out our own problems without being a burden to other people."

"Jan Di-yah…" he began, wanting to argue but Jan Di stopped him.

"Sunbae…is it ok if you just well…Uhmmm…"

She was poking up at him, and her eyes were liquid pools of ink. And he knew.

"Kiss you?" He teased. She blushed.

"Happily." Yoon Ji Hoo said as lowered his face to hers. He knew she was distracting him — but he was a young man in love and could not resist for long.

It was a long time before they separated, the need for air parting them.

(And Ji Hoo's pragmatic side telling him to slow down before Jan Di noticed how much their closeness was affecting him.)

"Is it time for you to be getting home?"he whispered to her. Jan-Di shook her head — her parents were used to the late hours she kept, mostly when she took odd jobs. In fact, she thought that if her mother knew where she was and more importantly, WHO she was with, she would probably be the first to volunteer that Jan Di could stay as late as she wanted.

She shook her head. "Sunbae…I need to tell you something…" she started, unconsciously wringing her hands nervously.

Ji Hoo froze. Was she going to tell him she had changed her mind? (Part of him had already started to believe that THIS was happening — that finally she was his. But the other part, the one that feared she was just caught up in the drama of the last few days, unconsciously was preparing for a blow to come — that she would tell him she had made a mistake being with him).

He nodded, not wanting to speak.

"No…no…it's not..bad.." Jan Di said, holding his face between her hands. "It's just that.."

"What little one?" He finally asked. Whatever it was, he knew he needed to know. She was so agitated and nervous, he had never seen her this way before.

"It's just that…well..I have never said this to anyone before…" Jan Di explained. It was now or never and knowing how quickly her situation could change, she wanted to be sure he knew in case something…anything..happened.

"Saranghae Yoo Ji Hoo." Jan Di said. And the minute the words left her lips, she felt free. "Whatever happens — I wanted you to know."

Ji Hoo let go of the breath he did not even know he was holding. He wanted to to tell her so many things. He wanted to tell her that hearing the words fixed everything that was wrong, everything that was broken in him. That he would never let her go. That he would love her all his life. But words never really came easy for the quiet young man. So he did the best he could and told her everything he wanted to say in a kiss.

"I love you too Geum Jan Di. More than you could ever know."

He was so happy – he couldn't remember ever feeling this way in his whole life. He held her close and basked in the happiness he felt. And then after a while, Ji Hoo rose from the sofa and quickly returned with his precious violin.

"I was saving this…for this day." He explained

"You were so sure of me Sunbae?" Jan Di teased. Now that she had told him what she had been keeping inside for (what she realised was years) a long time, she felt almost giddy.

"No." Ji Hoo answered. "But I…I hoped. And I prayed. I wrote this for you — that week after I returned from Paris. When Min Seo Hyun forced me to face my feelings — that I loved you. That she had been and always would just a placeholder, until the real thing – until you – came along."

And without another word, he began to play a beautiful song. It was difficult to describe, it was both sad and joyful and expressed every single hope the young man had.

"Does it have a name?" Jan Di asked as the last note faded.

"Forever."

And hours later, in her cold bedding on the hard floor of their empty house, Jan Di closed her eyes and could still hear the beautiful song as if it were engraved on her memory note for note.

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Jan Di rushed to the F4 Lounge hoping to catch Yoon Ji Hoo. She knew that he had to be in the Suam Foundation the whole afternoon but had hoped to see him even for a little while before he left. Unfortunately she had been detained by yet another teacher giving her more make up work for the days that she had missed. She didn't know why she even bothered, in less than a week, she would probably have to quit school and move to the islands with her parents. But the weed in her that refused to be stamped down — even by life – persisted. Even if she left this school she was determined to continue her studies and everything she did until the day she was forced to leave would count.

She almost collided with Woo Bin as she entered the lounge. She had been here a few times in the past but still was tempted to shake her head in disbelief how privileged these boys were. The lounge was not only large, it also had every creature comfort anyone could possibly want, need or think of – including a state of the art entertainment system that dominated an entire wall.

"Yah Wonder Girl! Where's the fire?" Woo Bin said, a smile breaking out on his face, genuinely glad to see her. ( He didn't know when it happened but somewhere in the drama, Jan Di had turned from an non-entity, to an annoyance, to Jun Pyo's girl and to a friend and now he felt almost brotherly towards her).

"Woo Bin Sunbae!" Jan Di exclaimed, giving him a smile as she tried to peek over his shoulder. Playfully, Woo Bin moved this way and that, deliberately blocking her view. "I knew it — you can't stay away from me huh?"

"Aish!" the girl said exasperatedly "Actually….I was…"

"Looking for lover boy?" Woo Bin finished with a smirk, ushering her in.

Jan Di hit his arm. "Yah Woo Bin Sunbae! That's so crass!" she complained.

"Geez wonder Girl…violence…always this violence.." he teased, rubbing his arm exaggeratedly.

"Hello Jan Di-yah." So Yi Jeong greeted her from across the room, lifting a glass in mock salute. "You just missed him. He told us to tell you he had to go to the Foundation and might not be able to see you today."

"What's up with your phone anyway?" Woo Bin asked, pulling her along and depositing her in one of the plush sofas. "He said you couldn't be reached by phone and actually ordered me to find you…geez. So pushy that one." He complained.

"Uhmm..well..I dropped it coming back from Macau and it hasn't been fixed yet." She answered uncomfortably.

"Just buy a new one." Yi Jeong said offhandedly as if it were so incredible that she couldn't see the obvious solution. Woo Bin frowned at him, seeing that Jan Di was fast moving from being flustered to being annoyed.

"Well not everyone can afford that Yi Jeong Sunbae." She said sarcastically. "You know…poor people problems."

"Yah yah, I apologise for my insensitive friend Jan DI-yah." Woo Bin interjected before the situation got worse.

"Sorry Jan Di." The potter sheepishly said "I'm being a jerk as usual." Yi Jeong flashed his dimples at her. She lightened up a bit but the glare she shot him told him the dimples didn't work.

(What the hell was wrong with this girl? Was she BLIND? Or..god forbid, was he losing his touch?!)

Putting such impossible thoughts out of his mind, Yi Jeong started fiddling with the sound system. Ji Hoo had been using it all afternoon and playing a song over and over again on his violin until Yi Jeong wanted to punch him. Not that it was a BAD song. It was just soo…soo sappy sounding. He hated love songs. He had asked him what it was and the alien had just smiled that annoying mysterious smile at him.

"Anyway, I've been ordered to make sure you got to work safely." Woo Bin was telling Jan Di.

Yi Jeong pressed the play button —- "Aish! There it is again! What did Ji Hoo do to this thing?" Yi Jeong thought exasperatedly.

Suddenly, Jan Di stopped in the middle of convincing Woo Bin that she was fine to walk to work — and stared at the speaker with a goofy grin on her face…it was her song! Her heart soared and the other two exchanged looks. It was the same besotted look Ji Hoo had been wearing all day. Something had definitely happened the night before.

("For crying out loud, I hope our Yoon Ji Hoo got some action." Yi Jeong thought. "His self-imposed celibacy while Jun Pyo was dating Jan Di had to have long term adverse effects..)

(For his part, Woo Bin thought "I must be getting soft in the head…when did this all this true love shit start getting cute to me?")

"Omo! Not you too!" Yi Jeong exclaimed.

Jan Di just smiled and waved as Woo Bin dragged her out of the room to his car.

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The drive was a short one (Clearly, traffic signs were mere suggestions to Prince Song) and before she knew it, the Lotus was pulling up to the curb in front of the porridge shop. "Woo Bin-ah, can I ask you a favor?" Jan DI paused before she got out of the car.

"Sure Wonder Girl, what's up?" The handsome young man answered. His usual sardonic grin vanished as he noted how pale and serious she suddenly looked. "What's wrong Geum Jan Di?" He asked, a more serious tone colouring his voice.

"Nothing…nothing. It's just..well, if something happened to me…and don't tell anyone I told you this…" Jan Di stammered. She was such an idiot. What possessed her to even initiate this topic?

"What do you mean if something happened to you?" Woo Bin asked, zooming in immediately on the words that raised alarm bells. Everyone saw him as nothing more than a pretty face, but in fact, that was just a façade Woo Bin used to disguise his very analytical mind.

"Nothing…forget it." Jan Di said, starting to open her door. Woo Bin pressed the lock button and suddenly Jan Di found herself locked in.

"No. Tell me."

"Uh well…you know.. just take care of Yoon Ji Hoo ok? If something did happen? Don't let him hide from the world again…and remind him to remember what I said last night."

"I'm confused here Geum Jan Di." Woo Bin said, his eyes narrowing. "What happened last night."

"Nothing..that is…well…" Jan Di continued to stammer, embarrassed now.

"I'm not letting you out until you tell me." Woo Bin warned, pointedly turning off the engine and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine." Jan Di said exasperatedly. "I told Yoo Ji Hoo I loved him" she said in a rush. "And I'm afraid he thinks I'm just on a rebound…but I'm not. If anything, Gu Jun Pyo was my rebound from Yoon Ji Hoo…and I meant every word I told him last night Song Woo Bin, and if you're his friend, you'll make sure he realises that. Now can I go?"

Woo Bin was not convinced. That is, he was convinced Geum Jan Di loved Yoon Ji Hoo, it was so easy to read her, her face seemed to reflect every emotion she felt. And that morning they flew out of Macau, there was something incandescent about her, even with her heartbreak and the ugly clothes — she looked transformed, almost beautiful. Not his type of course. But beautiful.

(He actually never bought into the whole Jun Pyo-Jan Di love story – it was more like Jun Pyo bulldozed the girl into liking him — but that was Jun Pyo for you…)

So yes, he believed she loved Yoon Ji Hoo but he had a strong gut feel there was more she wasn't telling him. But he wasn't about to hold her captive in his car in broad daylight so he decided to let her go. He would find out eventually. He always did.

"Yah! Tell him yourself Wonder Girl!" He said, breaking the tension with his usual debonair smile and unlocking the doors.

Jan Di smiled back – relieved that she had gotten that out of her chest – and went into the porridge shop ready for another long night of work.

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Author's Note : Well that kind of just poured out of me. Sorry for inflicting such a long chapter on you.

Reviews are love! I think the number of reviews is directly proportional to how fast I type, ha ha.