Disclaimer: I don't own these BOF characters but the new ones.
Published: July 18, 2018
Chapter 8: What Really Happened Years Ago – Part II
"Come, Yi Jeong. Let's go home." Woo Bin lightly squeezed Yi Jeong's shoulder. The latter had been kneeling in front of the tombstone for almost an hour. Everyone else had left.
"She's gone, Woo Bin. She's finally gone."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"She's really finally gone. I can't believe it and do you know what the last thing I said to her? You're a bad crazy mother of evil who doesn't deserve to be loved."
"You know you didn't mean it, Yi Jeong and it's not your fault that she's gone. Mr. Jung told us that she had a big fight with your father and not long after he left, she…"
"But maybe the fight was because of me?"
"Yi Jeong, we all know what their fights were always about. Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."
The distraught man kept his eyes on the picture on the stone. She looked old and there was no shine in her eyes.
"Am I a bad son for also feeling relieved that she's dead?"
"No, you're not, Yi Jeong. Maybe it was best that she's gone since she'd been sick and suffering for so long."
"That's not why I feel relieved." It was a whisper.
Woo Bin did not say anything to that. He could guess the reason.
"How is it possible that I hate my Omma but at the same time love her?"
"Yi Jeong…"
"She was my mother and for that I love her but she was so crazy Woo Bin. I hate her for ruining my life."
"I'm sorry, Yi Jeong."
"Do you think she loved me?"
"Yes, Yi Jeong."
"But why did she do this to me? Why?"
"I don't know."
"Why couldn't she be like any other loving mother?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry, Yi Jeong but I think she loved you. All mothers love their children."
"Hahahahahaha!" The laughter caught Woo Bin by surprise.
"You're just saying that to please me, aren't you? If she was your mother and did all those things, would you have loved her?"
Woo Bin did not know what to answer.
"See, even you can't answer that so I'm guessing you won't love her?"
"Yi Jeong, come on. Let's go home. You're not thinking straight. You need to rest. You haven't slept since she…"
"I'm fine, Woo Bin."
"No, you are not. Come on. I'll get you home."
"Give me a minute. I need to say something to her."
Woo Bin nodded and respected his best friend's wish. "I'll be at the car."
Yi Jeong waited until Woo Bin was out of hearing distance.
"Omma, you finally did it. Are you happy now? Or did you wish you didn't cut your wrist too deep? Or are you excited that now you get to haunt us?"
He stared at her picture, so many feelings were conveyed by his eyes.
"Thank you for bringing me into this world, Omma though I wished that you'd shown Hyung and me more love. I can't remember when the last time we were happy as a family unit was. And until now I don't get why you couldn't let your husband go when it was as clear as crystal that he does not love you. Why, Omma? Why? Why did you torture yourself in a loveless marriage?"
A drop of rain splattered on the stone. He looked up to the grey and dark clouds but he was glummer.
"I also don't understand why you were so evil, Omma. How could your heart be so cold that a human's life is nothing to you? How did you become to be one? If you could love Appa so much that you couldn't let him go, that meant you did have a heart, right? But how could that loving heart dare to want to kill my Ga Eul and her parents? Why Omma? Why? Why did you ruin my life? Why couldn't you just be happy with who I love? Why couldn't you see that I'm happy with Ga Eul? But that doesn't mean I don't love you, Omma. Why did you want to compete with her?"
A drop turned to drizzles but he did not care.
"I hate you, Omma. You made the one I love ran away. I hate that you had that wide smile when I told you that she had left. I hate that you were so crazy, Omma."
"Yi Jeong!"
He did not care that Woo Bin was calling for him. The drizzles turned to pouring rains.
"I hate you, Omma but I still can't make my heart really hate you because you were my mother. I have no one left now. Appa? Hah!"
He snorted sarcastically at the thought of his father.
"He never cares about me. Hyung? He's happy with Eun Jae. Sure he told me that he loves me but why isn't he here with me right now? And now you. What a perfect family we are, right, Omma? Whoever said that wealth means happiness is one delusional guy."
He was drenched but it did not matter. What was some rain compared to the drowning feeling that he was in?
"Did you really love me, Omma?"
A few seconds later, Woo Bin came with an umbrella and shielded him from the rain.
"Come, Yi Jeong. You'll get sick. We can come again next time."
He slowly nodded although there were so much more to say. He was getting exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally.
"I'll be back soon, Omma. I hope you are finally at peace. Goodbye."
"Yi Jeong, you need to stop this."
Woo Bin held his grieving best friend's hand. Yi Jeong had already gulped down almost half of the scotch bottle. There were also a few empty bottles on the bar counter.
"Yes, Sunbae. Please." Jan Di added.
The F3 and Jan Di had come by his studio to check up on him. It had been a few days that he avoided their messages and calls. Everybody was worried sick.
But he just shoved off Woo Bin's hand.
"If you don't want me to do something crazy, let me be," as he glared at his best friend.
"Yi Jeong, you're wasting yourself."
Jun Pyo hissed when Jan Di elbowed him right after he said that. "What?" He mouthed to her but was only replied by a roll of the eyes.
Ji Hoo placed a hand on the desolated man.
"Yi Jeong, talk to us. You can't keep your feelings bottled up like this. It's not healthy."
However, Yi Jeong simply brushed Ji Hoo's hand off.
"Leave me alone, all of you."
"No, Yi Jeong."
"We're not leaving."
"Let us help, Yi Jeong Sunbae."
"Come on, Yi Jeong."
The potter's face turned red and he looked at the four people closest to him. He was getting annoyed.
"ARRRGGGGGHHHHHHH! YOU'RE ALL SO FRUSTRATING. JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"
And threw the bottle to the wall in front, shocking the four.
"Yi Jeong!" "Yi Jeong Sunbae!"
"OUT! OUT! OUT!" His arms flailing to chase them away but suddenly darkness befell.
"Yi Jeong Sunbae…"
The voice was soft yet full of concerns.
"Ga… Ga Eul?" Trying to open his eyes were difficult for the light was blinding.
"It's Jan Di, Yi Jeong Sunbae."
He closed his eyes again. He needed his Ga Eul. He missed her so very much that it hurt.
"Yi Jeong." Ji Hoo sat down on the bed.
"You need to take these pills." The doctor gently patted Yi Jeong's forearm.
"Please go away." He turned to the other side, his back to them.
"We are not going anywhere, Yi Jeong." Jun Pyo's voice was stern.
"Take your pills, bro."
He pretended that he did not hear anything. He did not want to face them. He wanted to be alone. Why couldn't they leave him be?
"Yi Jeong Sunbae, you need to get up and be healthy. You need to go find Ga Eul. She would be sad if she sees you like this."
His eyes flew open from her name.
I need to find Ga Eul. I need to find Ga Eul. I need to find Ga Eul. I need to find Ga Eul. I need Ga Eul. I need Ga Eul. I need Ga Eul. I need Ga Eul. Wake up, Yi Jeong. Wake up.
He then turned around and saw the worries in his friends. He slowly sat up and looked at each one of them. Woo Bin handed him the pill and a glass of water to which he accepted.
"Go clean yourself and we'll wait for you outside, alright?" Ji Hoo patted his shoulder and he simply nodded.
In the shower, his mind was everywhere though he tried to focus on his mother and Ga Eul, the two most important women in his life. Both whom he loved: one for being his mother and another for being his soulmate. Both were gone: one deceased and another, nowhere to be found.
How did his life come to this?
From his early childhood Il Hyun, the F3 and Eun Jae were his only companions. They were there when he was down, stressed by the continuous fights between the parents. They made him forget about his sorrows.
When he grew older, he vowed not to be like his mother. He vowed not to let his heart be broken by the other gender and so he built up his reputation. It was easy. He had the above than good look, the gifted hands, the fame and most importantly the money. Together with Woo Bin, they built the reputations as the infamous Casanova and Don Juan of South Korea. Women were playthings, nothing more, nothing less. He steeled his heart from falling for them.
However, Eun Jae was different. She was the only girl who had a special place in his heart at the time. He knew that she did not like his playboy reputation. He did not miss her discomfort and uneasiness when she saw him with other women but she did not say anything. Furthermore, there was no official agreement between them to say that they were an item, only a childhood pact that they would be there for each other. She was his best girl friend. Only when she left after he failed to show up at her requested venue did it hit him. She was more than just his best friend. She was his soul mate. He searched high and low for her but to no avail. Where could she be? Not being able to find her drove him crazy. Once again his heart was broken. Since then, he buried the belief of soul mate deep inside, closed his heart, locked it firmly and threw the key away.
Then, Ga Eul came into his life through her friendship with the girl that his best friend was after. He did not like her at first for she had a smart mouth and dared to scold and challenge him yet as they kept meeting and exchanging words, views and verbal fights, he became intrigued. Her strong beliefs in soul mate irritated him at first but gradually made him rethink about his own.
Later on, he sensed that she started to harbor a feeling for him after he helped her to 'avenge' her broken heart. He knew then that he should not lead her on hence his 'warnings' that what he did that night was just an act and nothing more. Truth was, the lock to his heart was somewhat breaking for this girl. Somehow she managed to slip through the cracks in his heart. Still, he tried hard to fight it but there was just something about this girl that reeled him to her.
What he did not expect was when she braved herself and asked him for a date. Deep inside he was pleasantly surprised. However, a voice in his head warned him about getting his heart broken again. Moreover, would she accept him when she knew about his wrecked family? She was this girl with a fairytale, perfect, happy ending dream which he would not be able to provide. He had to make her hate him. And so, he rejected her, supporting his decision with the three dating rules, crushing her in an instant.
Taking her to his father and offered her to the older man was the ultimate move in getting her to hate him. However, his skill, one that he liked to boast: that he knew women, failed him for the first time. When other normal decent women would hate him to the moon and back for what he had done, she came back and even helped him in his drunken state. Why wouldn't she just go away and save her heart?
Yet she taught him the most valuable lesson of all: regret. You should do your best so that you won't feel regret later on. The pain from regret, it struck him in the heart.
It took him a few days to process what had happened and to reevaluate his feelings, both for Eun Jae and for this relentless girl. He now accepted the fact that Eun Jae was a passing wind that would never turn back. Ga Eul was his now and future. He was going to wait for the right time to tell her his true feelings.
Unfortunately, fate had another plan. Just when he had gathered enough courage to tell her, she had made her decision, one that left him stunned. She was not going to look for him anymore. She had tried her best and she thanked him for giving her that chance. She was sacrificing her heart for she thought that he was still in love with Eun Jae. How could she love someone who loved someone else? No. She would rather watch the person she loved to be happy even if she was not part of that equation.
He watched her walked down the stairs with an aching heart. Why couldn't he chase her and tell her how he felt? Why did he let her leave? He hated himself for being such a coward.
He was miserable. She was constantly in his mind. His grandfather then told him about Sweden. He was to further his study and at the same time go for hand therapy. The So Museum's future was partly on his shoulder. He was the So Heir. He should be in prime condition. But it was going to take him four to five years. Four to five years is not a short period of time. Could he be strong to be far apart from her? How would he spend four to five years without her by his side?
He had to do it. Didn't she teach him about regret?
The invisible heavy boulders on his shoulders lifted off immediately after he uttered those words. He knew she understood his indirect confession from her beautiful smile and those loving eyes. He, an ex-Casanova had just told her that she would be the first person that he would seek for when he comes back from Sweden, that was if she had not found her soul mate. He wanted to kiss her to seal the deal but had to abstain for he did not trust himself if he did. He did not want to scare her.
After the confession and promise at the kiln, they exchanged phone calls but only met twice: one during the farewell party for Jun Pyo and second, for his. He wanted so badly to kiss her but Jan Di made sure that he did not get the chance despite the Wonder Girl telling him that she 'approved' their relationship.
Departure time came soon, sooner than he had wanted to. She could not come and send him off since her grandmother was sick and she had to go back to her hometown but he promised to always keep in touch.
Four years in Sweden. He busied himself to avoid missing her too much but they communicated via emails, Facetime, and other social media. He was not taking any chances if he stopped being in contact with her. He did not want her to find another guy. He wanted her for himself.
Four years had passed and he could not wait to come home to her.
He purposely kept his homecoming date a secret from all. How would she react when he surprised her with his arrival? As he walked out of the airport he may look cool but inside the chest, his heart was hammering wildly.
She was definitely surprised to see him at the kindergarten and he surely got an earful once they were alone but he just loved to listen to her scolding and all. The next day, he took her on their first real date. It was one of the best days of his life and the feeling was indescribable. "So this is what a real date felt like?" He had asked her and she just smiled and nodded.
Things sailed smoothly between them and they were the happiest in their lives. Until that day with his mother's ultimatum. He hated the day to the core.
And now that his mother was gone, there was no one to threaten him and her any longer. His prime mission now was to find her.
Under the shower, he closed his eyes. "Ga Eul, where are you?" and his mind wandered to a memory.
"Hey, what are you doing?" He dropped the bag and coat on the couch.
She was at the kitchen island sorting bags of colorful chocolate buttons. Other utensils were also scattered on the counter.
"Oh, hi. Welcome home." She turned around and he leaned in for a kiss.
"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day. I'm making some chocolates for the children at school," and returned her attention to the bags.
He took a seat next to her.
"What about me?" He asked.
"Hmmm?" She opened a bag of milk chocolates and pour it in a bowl.
"Don't I get some?" He took one button from the bowl and popped it into his mouth. Chocolates were not really his favorite but he loved to tease her so he had to endure it.
"Yah!" and was rewarded with a swat on his hand. He laughed out loud at her instant reflex. She glared at him and pouted.
"I want a Valentine's Day gift too."
"After that stunt, you won't be getting any, Mister."
"Awww, Ga Eul. But I'm your fiancé. I want my gift." Two more chocolate buttons went into his mouth.
"Yah! Stop eating the chocolates."
But he just kept taking one by one.
"So Yi Jeong!" She was now standing with hands on her hips.
"What are you going to do?" He challenged her as his hand crept into the bowl.
She tried swatting his hand but he was quicker this time and she missed it. Instead, she hit the bowl and it went spiraling toward the edge of the counter. Fortunately, he was also quick to catch it.
"Phewww! That was close."
She surprised him with a kiss.
"What was that for?" Not that he was complaining.
"For being a hero and saving my chocolates."
He chuckled and pulled her by the waist and trapped her in his arms. "Anytime, Ga Eul. For you, anytime."
She placed her arms on his shoulders and looked at him in the eyes. Their eyes darkened and they knew what they wanted at that moment. Immediately, his lips brushed hers and he started to untie the apron's knot on her back while she held the sides of his head.
"Wait… wait… we have to stop… If… not…" their foreheads, against the other.
"The chocolates can wait, Ga Eul but I can't. I want you now." He tightened his hold on her.
"I want you too but not now. If not they won't be ready for tomorrow." With great reluctance, she stepped back but not before giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"Awww, Ga Eul…"
"I'll make it up to you later, I promise."
He then helped her with the chocolates. Laughter and banters filled the air as he continued to tease her. These were among the many moments that would be engraved in his memory.
"There, done. The last of it." Her smile was the widest as she clapped her hands.
"Great teamwork." He made the thumbs up sign.
She then put the boxes of chocolates in the fridge. Once she closed the door, he was next to her, startling her.
"You have chocolates all over your face. Let me clean it for you."
Her heart pounded faster when he stepped closer and licked the chocolates on her right cheek.
"Yi Jeong…"
"Hmmm? It tastes good. You taste good. There's another one here." Another lick down on her neck.
She had to hold his arms for her legs turned to jelly.
"Let me clean you up, in the shower…" and swiftly picked her up and headed to their vast bathroom, kissing her all the way.
"Ga Eul!"
He panted wildly as a hand rested on the shower wall.
After half an hour in the shower, he got dressed and came out to meet his friends. They were all in the smaller lounge area of the studio.
"Hey," greeted Woo Bin who was the first to see him entered. The others then turned to look at him.
"You cleaned good," commented Ji Hoo.
Jun Pyo and Jan Di nodded in agreement.
"Do you anything to drink, Yi Jeong Sunbae?"
"A glass of water, please. Thanks, Jan Di." He then took a seat next to Woo Bin.
Everybody was silent while waiting for Jan Di.
"Thanks, Jan Di."
"How are you feeling, Yi Jeong?" queried the doctor.
"Better…" It was a low whisper.
"Are you ready to talk?" The doctor asked again.
The potter took his time in answering. He just stared at the empty glass on the coffee table.
"I guess."
There was a collective relieved sigh from the four.
"Why don't you start from the beginning?" suggested Jun Pyo.
"I… I don't know where to start though." He then leaned back and watched the white ceiling.
"One at a time, Yi Jeong Sunbae."
"Which one?" questioned the said man.
"Whichever you want," replied Woo Bin. "We're here to help, bro."
Yi Jeong continued to keep quiet, trying to gather his jumbling thoughts. Everybody else waited patiently, even the ever impatient Jun Pyo.
"I miss my Omma." A tear rolled down from each eye.
"Am I crazy to miss my evil mother? After all that she'd done, why do I still love her and miss her?"
"No, Yi Jeong." It was Jun Pyo. He understood the feeling. His mother had done similar things when he started to fall for Jan Di. The only thing different between his mother and Yi Jeong's deceased mother was that his mother was not suicidal.
"Because she was your mother. Good or bad, she was your mother." The Shinhwa owner added.
"Maybe…" The So Heir's voice was low.
"I still see her face on that last day, you know. When I said those words. She was hysterical but I could also see disappointment and sadness."
"Do you blame yourself for her passing?" Ji Hoo was afraid of the answer.
Yi Jeong took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yi Jeong Sunbae." "Don't be, Yi Jeong."
"I'm a bad son."
"No, Yi Jeong." "You are not."
"But I also hated her so very much for what she did to me and Ga Eul."
He wiped away the tears.
"I miss Ga Eul the most." Jan Di had to hold her tears.
"I chased her away. I thought I was protecting her and her family."
The others just nodded.
"I'm so ashamed of myself," and suddenly sobbed harder.
Woo Bin quickly patted his shoulder to calm him down but the sobs became louder and Jan Di too lost to her tears.
"Everything's going to be alright, Yi Jeong. We promise," whispered the Don Juan.
They let him cry and let go of all the bottled up feelings.
A few minutes later, he had stopped crying. He looked terrible.
"I don't feel good. Can I go to rest, now?"
"But you have to eat something. I'll order us some food," offered Jun Pyo.
"No. I don't feel like eating."
"Yi Jeong, you have to. You need to be strong and healthy so you can go find Ga Eul," said Ji Hoo.
"Ga Eul…"
"Yes, Yi Jeong Sunbae. You don't have to eat a lot. Just some to at least get something in you."
"Ga Eul… OK… but can I go lay down while we wait for the food?"
"OK, Yi Jeong. Here, let me help you."
"No, I'll be fine but thanks, Woo Bin." With that, he stood up and went to the bedroom.
When they were sure that he had retired, Jun Pyo made a call for the food.
"I'm worried about Yi Jeong Sunbae. Ji Hoo Sunbae, he's depressed."
"I know Jan Di. He has all the symptoms. It's a natural process when you lost someone but we have to keep a close check on him and not let him drown in it."
"I don't know what to do." Woo Bin pulled his hair. "My men can't find Ga Eul and her parents. I don't know why. It's like they really don't want to be found."
"Jan Di, what did she say the last time you talked to her?" asked Ji Hoo.
"Like I said before, I can't really remember but I'm sure there was nothing about her leaving or about the problems with Yi Jeong."
"I'll ask around for them again," offered Jun Pyo.
"Poor Yi Jeong Sunbae."
Thirty minutes later the food arrived and Woo Bin went to wake Yi Jeong up. He knocked on the slightly opened door and peeked inside. To his surprise, his best friend was not asleep. Instead, he sat right in the middle of the bed holding a photo frame and talking to it.
"Hey, is that Ga Eul's picture?" He carefully approached the bed.
"Oh, Woo Bin. Yes. I took this when we went to the beach last year." He showed Woo Bin the frame.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?"
"Yes, Yi Jeong. She is."
"She's mine. Remember that."
Woo Bin laughed. "Yes. I will. I don't want you to kill me if I dare take her away from you."
Yi Jeong smiled but it faded right away. "But she left, Woo Bin. It's all my fault."
"But YOU are going to find her and get her back. I believe that she's just mad at you and will forgive you when you tell her the truth."
"I hope so…."
"The food is here. Come. Let's eat. Jun Pyo ordered your favorites."
"I don't have the appetite."
"Just a little then. So you can then go find Ga Eul. And look at you. You're getting thinner. Ga Eul won't like it. I bet she'd give you a long lecture if she sees you like this."
The grieving man pondered for a while as he kept his eyes on the picture.
"OK."
"So Yi Jeong! You'd better get yourself here in an hour or I'm going to go there and drag your ass out of that room!"
So Woo Sung slammed the phone down. It had been almost three months since his daughter-in-law passed away and his grandson had not once come to work. The investors and the other members of the board of directors were hot on his heels, demanding that some actions were to be taken for the youngest So's long absence.
The old man slumped down on his leather chair, massaging his forehead. His grandson was spiraling down and out of control. Their faithful butler's reports on the young man were alarming. Yi Jeong lost a lot of weight drastically, had trouble sleeping, felt hopeless all the time and talked to himself and Ga Eul's picture most of the time, lost interest in meeting people as well as becoming easily irritable and had turned to alcohol.
The failure to find Ga Eul was killing him and making him more depressed and the existing guilt only added more to his condition. He did not understand how with Woo Bin's organization's intel and Jun Pyo's large network, they could not find a girl and her parents. How was that possible? How hard could it be to find them? Did they change their names? Did they leave the country? Where could they be?
The family doctor mentioned severe depression and if he was not treated soon, the doctor feared if he would do the unthinkable and commit suicide.
"What am I going to do?"
"Harabeoji, please don't be rough on him. He's depressed. We need to be patient with him but at the same time help him get through this," said Ji Hoo.
Master So had called in Ji Hoo to discuss his grandson.
"Doctor Lee recommended that he goes to an institution up north. It has the best facilities and doctors for his case."
"No. Please. Don't. It'll only worsen his condition."
"Then what do you suggest, son?"
"I have a cabin up in the mountain. Let me and Woo Bin take him there and we'll help him heal. Give us some time, say three months."
"That's a long time. I don't know how long I can handle those investors and BOD."
"I'm sure you can think of the best way, Harabeoji."
"Three months, Ji Hoo."
"We'll try our hardest and best."
"Hey, bro. Ready?"
"Do we really have to go? I don't feel like going." He pulled the blanket over his head.
"Yes, we do. It's been a long time since we go on a vacation. Come on. You need fresh air." The Mafia Prince sat on the bed, trying to peel off the blanket from his friend but the said friend held on tighter.
"There's nothing to do there. Just trees and wild animals."
"There're lots of things to do. You'd be surprised."
"No. I don't want to go. Leave me alone, Woo Bin."
"Ga Eul, please tell Yi Jeong what he's going to miss if he doesn't go."
In an instant, the man sat up and scanned the room.
"Ga Eul? Where's Ga Eul? Is she here? Where did she go? GA EUL!"
"Here," Woo Bin handed him the picture frame.
"Ga Eul would have wanted you to go. In fact, you can tell her about the trip when you meet her and then maybe take her there yourself?"
"Do you, Ga Eul? Do you want to go?"
"Of course, Yi Jeong. Now get out of bed and get ready. Ji Hoo's coming in ten minutes."
"Yo, Ji Hoo."
"Morning, Woo Bin. Is he ready?"
"He's in the shower. Are you sure this is going to work?"
"We have to try. I'm not sending him to a mental hospital, Woo Bin."
"I don't want that too."
"Too many things happened and his mind can't take it. We just have to be patient with him."
"Do you think we'll be able to find Ga Eul?"
"I believe so. Maybe we're not looking in the right place now but we will, one day."
"What if we never find her?"
"Woo Bin, don't let him hear you say that, ever."
"I'm sorry but what if?"
"Let's not even think about it, please."
"I don't want to lose him, Ji Hoo."
"None of us do Woo Bin. That's why we also have to be strong and be here for him. I think this is not only a test for him but also for us all."
Woo Bin could only nod.
"I need to make a stop at the gas station. Potty time," Woo Bin grinned sheepishly.
"Urgghh… I don't need the extra information, please," said Ji Hoo. "Are you going too, Yi Jeong?"
"No." The potter just looked out of the window.
Woo Bin parked the car in front of the small restaurant attached to the station and practically ran to the toilet.
"How are you doing so far, Yi Jeong?" Ji Hoo glanced into the mirror.
"OK, I guess."
"Were you able to sleep last night?"
"No."
"So what did you do to kill the time?"
"I talked to Ga Eul."
"Oh, what about?"
"A lot of things."
"Such as? If you don't mind me asking."
"Can't tell you. That's our secrets."
Ji Hoo softly laughed. "Ooo, secrets. OK."
Yi Jeong just shrugged as he continued watching the people outside.
"Ga Eul? Ga Eul… GA EUL!"
He immediately opened the door and dashed out toward the restaurant.
"YI JEONG! HEY, WAIT UP!" Ji Hoo struggled with the seatbelt and when it finally came off, he ran into the restaurant too.
"JI HOO? YI JEONG?" Woo Bin saw them and followed suit.
"Hey, Mister. Let go of your hand." A pretty girl was trying to pry her hand from Yi Jeong's grip. Some of the customers in the restaurant had already stood up to help. To Ji Hoo and Woo Bin's surprise, the girl did look like Ga Eul, only her eyes were smaller.
Ji Hoo and Woo Bin quickly approached them and pulled Yi Jeong back.
"Ga Eul. It's me. Where have you been? I've been looking high and low for you."
"I'm not Ga Eul, you crazy man."
"Sorry, Miss. Our friend here mistook you for another friend. We apologize, Miss."
"Come, Yi…"
"Hey, aren't you guys the F4?" A woman near the window called out, garnering attention from a few.
"No, we're not but we get that a lot. Sorry to disappoint. Bye." Woo Bin quickly pulled Yi Jeong out of the restaurant and into the car.
"Let's get out of here."
Ji Hoo couldn't agree more.
"That was close."
"I… I thought that she was Ga Eul. Sorry."
"That's alright, Yi Jeong. She did look like Ga Eul. It's not your fault."
"If you're tired, you can sleep, Yi Jeong. We'll be there in two hours."
"I'm not tired."
"OK. Do you want me to switch on the radio?"
"Yes, sure. Thanks."
"Any particular station? Or your favorite?" Woo Bin further asked.
"Anyone will do."
"OK."
The three of them were quiet as they listened to the songs. Ten minutes later, Ji Hoo glanced back and saw that Yi Jeong had fallen asleep.
