A/N: Enjoy a little SoEul moment with me.. ^^
Chu Ga Eul was having a good dream. It was actually quite a familiar scene, seeing as how there was fireworks and ice skating, and a candlelit dinner in a hotel. All these things had been present during that fake date with Yi Jeong sunbae, but in her dream, she wasn't with him on a fake date. In her dream, Yi Jeong sunbae had asked her out for real and it had been a completely different night. She had gotten to the part where he had taken her home and she was sure he was about to lean in for a good night kiss when-
Ring!Ring!Ring!
Ga Eul groaned out loud. It had been such a nice dream! One where she would have actually felt how to kiss Yi Jeong sunbae. No matter what Jan Di and Woo Bin sunbae said, Yi Jeong sunbae had all the freedom in the world in Sweden and even his promise of her being the first one he was going to see after he came back didn't mean much if they really were just friends. Still, it had been a nice dream.
Her phone was still ringing incessantly and Ga Eul wondered if it was Jan Di again calling to complain about Jun Pyo sunbae. Ga Eul had known Jan Di long enough to know that her complaints were really her version of squealing over whatever sweet thing Jun Pyo sunbae was prone to do only for her. Still, 6 am was far too early to listen to her best friend, so Ga Eul decided she was just going to answer the call only to tell Jan Di to tell her later.
"Yobosaeyo?" Ga Eul answered her phone without looking at the caller ID, eyes still closed as she burrowed herself underneath the blankets once more, attempting to get herself more sleep.
"Ga Eul-yang?" A voice that certainly did not belong to Jan Di spoke on the other end of the phone and for a few moments, Ga Eul was confused.
"Who is this?" she asked groggily, still with her eyes closed.
From the other side of the phone, the voice chuckled. It was a laugh that was vaguely familiar.
"I should have known you would still be asleep at this time, Ga Eul-yang." Come to think of it, that male voice was actually very, very familiar.
"Yi Jeong sunbae!?" Ga Eul's eyes snapped open, all sleepiness forgotten as she sat bolt right up feeling her cheeks warm at the thought of Yi Jeong sunbae catching her half-asleep. Judging from Yi Jeong sunbae's continued chuckles, he knew exactly what she had been doing before he called.
"Yah!"She felt anger now, primarily because she had never been a morning person and didn't appreciate being laughed at so early in the morning. "I was having a good dream before you called." She huffed, choosing to act angry because that way she could ignore the fact that even from a hundred miles away, Yi Jeong sunbae could make her heart hammer away at her chest and make her blush like crazy.
"Really?" came Yi Jeong's voice from the other side of the phone pulling Ga Eul away from her sleep-muddled thoughts. "Was I in it?" came his teasing question and Ga Eul thought she couldn't get any redder than she was at the moment.
"Sunbae!" came her anguished cry and from where Yi Jeong was, he could picture Ga Eul diving for the covers in an attempt to stop her blushing. Which she was actually doing right at the moment.
"Relax, Ga Eul-yang, I was only teasing." Yi Jeong said warmly now, choosing to forgo the teasing for now. Just so he could get decent replies from her. "I do apologize for waking you up this early. I had forgotten the time for a moment. It's a little over 9 in the evening over here and I thought I would call."
"It's just like you to forget that it's 6 am here." Muttered Ga Eul, phone still clutched to her ear,making Yi Jeong laugh again. Smiling to herself, Ga Eul had to admit she missed that laugh. Forgetting her anger for a moment, Ga Eul settled into her bed once more, the blankets still over her, but no longer sleepy.
It had taken them quite a while before they even got as far as getting this comfortable talking on the phone. When he had left for Sweden, she had cried, at least where nobody would be able to see and she couldn't even bring herself to contact him first. After all, she did make that entire speech about not chasing after him anymore. Therefore it suprised her that he was the one who made contact first. It had been a one-sentence email, not really all that special but Ga Eul still had it on her inbox.
Ga Eul-yang,
Have you found your soulmate yet?
That email had plastered a smile on Ga Eul's face the whole day, and even when Jan Di teased her about it, she did not care. Despite the fact that she did say she wasn't going to chase after Yi Jeong sunbae anymore, that little gestures he showed that he cared were enough for Ga Eul to keep liking him.
She had emailed him a few hours later, a bit cheekier than she would normally. She could tell that Yi Jeong sunbae had been amused because that had been the start of emails back and forth between them. Always friendly, a bit flirtatious but never really admitting anything. And for Ga Eul, that was enough for now.
It had been two and a half years since Yi Jeong went to Sweden and he still managed to take Ga Eul's breath away. He was just as charming as he was in real life in the phone and in emails and despite everything she did to keep her feelings entirely friendly, Ga Eul could not help but like him more and course, because she was a good girl, she did not admit those feelings to him.
She did not know it, but despite the fact that he was learning a lot in Europe, it was these phone calls from her more than the calls from his friends that kept him going. Because he knew she believed him enough to encourage him, despite everything he did to her.
"How are you sunbae?" Ga Eul asked now, ever the polite and well-mannered girl. "Is something the matter?" It was quiet in the background so Ga Eul knew he was not out partying or some such. In fact, since he had arrived in Sweden, Yi Jeong sunbae was quite prompt with the emails, and there were no hints of him partying like the Cassanova that he was before. That made Ga Eul smile whenever she thought about him, thinking that he was being more the person who she really saw and not the man he often showed to a lot of people.
Speaking of which...
"Come on Ga Eul-yang, I was doing my job of making sure I'm the first person you talk to in the morning. You did say something to that effect in your last email." Ga Eul could imagine the smirk on Yi Jeong sunbae's face but she had her own response ready.
"Ah, so you were bored."
Another chuckle. Yi Jeong knew he could say something that meant he missed her, but he was not really toward when it came to his affections or whatever it was that he felt for Ga Eul. It had been an uneasy start for them, and Yi Jeong had to admit her friendship was something he had come to treasure as much as those of the other members of the F4. It was the easy familiarity that they had that Yi Jeong was apprehensive to breach. For one he was several hundred miles away and to confess feelings like that was really not his style. Even if Ga Eul was a special person to him, Yi Jeong knew that she deserved better and until she sent him away, he was not going to destroy anything that they worked so hard to build.
So for now, Yi Jeong was content with what they had, trying to stop the pangs of him missing her more than he would like to admit, and sneaking calls here and there away from the pottery master who seemed just as interested in his private life as well as his talent. He found solace in the fact that even though he had probably terribly inconvenienced her, Ga Eul was still talking to him now, giving updates of everything that was happening back at home. It was her that he learned Ji Hoo was still having some problems moving on from Jan Di, although he would never say so, and Woo Bin had his hands full with his twin sisters who conveniently decided to be independent when the mafia prince was slowly taking control of their company. And the fact that Jun Pyo calls Jan Di at weird hours of the day very much like what Yi Jeong was doing now with Ga Eul. Yi Jeong could not help but draw the similiarities between Jun Pyo and himself and couldn't help but wonder mentally if he too were going down the road of the whipped and domesticated when Ga Eul's sudden outburst made him jump.
"Ga Eul-yang?" He asked tentatively wondering what on earth that brought on making Ga Eul giggle on the other side of the phone.
"Sorry Yi Jeong sunbae, I just remembered something." Ga Eul apologized, quite embarrassed at her sudden outburst. "We were talking about your friends and I remembered what Song Yue asked me."
Song Yue? Yi Jeong asked himself before it registered that she was probably talking about Woo Bin's younger sister. "You speak with the twins?" He asked quite interested now, knowing that the Song twins rarely talked to anybody who they didn't know since childhood. Well at least, that was what he remembered and told Ga Eul so.
"Yah, sunbae," Ga Eul's voice was slightly reproachful now. "When was the last time you talked to them?"
Yi Jeong frowned. As a rule, Yi Jeong did not look at his friend's sisters in fear that they would fall in love with him. Egotistical as it may have be, it had been possible, and the reason for the rule was actually because of Woo Bin's younger sisters. Woo Bin occassionally still teased him about the fact that when they were 7 and the twins were 3, they had followed Yi Jeong everywhere and demanded he wait for them to grown up so he could pick whom to marry. At 3 years old! True, the attention had been flattering, but it had scarred him in more ways than one. Woo Bin had already enough of a big brother complex to threaten him at that age. Though back then Yi Jeong couldn't take him seriously because they all had nannies, Yi Jeong had taken precautions and did not speak to the twins more than was necessary.
He was contemplating how to explain this all to Ga Eul when she beat him with her conclusion. "I bet Woo Bin sunbae scared you didn't he? Yue did mention her twin still had a crush on you. She is asking how you are doing." Ga Eul could not help but smile and tease him just a little bit. Woo Bin sunbae told her all about what happened and instead of feeling jealous, she actually find it quite adorable. That and a little unbelievable that Yi Jeong sunbae's Cassanova's days had started when he was that young.
"Yah!" Ga Eul could imagine the scandalised look on Yi Jeong sunbae's face, making her muffle her giggles in her pillow.
"It's okay sunbae," Ga Eul said now pitying him. "I'm sure the girls couldn't resist you, and you were much too inexperienced on how to deal with it gracefully. After all you were just7." Even all the way from Sweden, Yi Jeong could imagine the smug look on Ga Eul's face. The cheek of this girl! Very well, two could play at this game.
"Ga Eul-yang," Yi Jeong spoke her name now in warning and Ga Eul stopped giggling when she recognized that tone in his voice. "Does that mean you wouldn't be able to resist me now, when I come back?"
Eeep. Ga Eul gave a squeak that made Yi Jeong smile, imagining her red cheeks and thinking he was the only one who made her feel that way. No matter how much she insisted they were just friends.
"Ga Eul yang?" He pressed his question now wondering how much he could actually push her. It had been a lonely night and listening to Ga Eul was enough for him to go through the loneliness, but he missed her still.
Deep breathing from the other end of the line before Ga Eul spoke and in such a rush of words that Yi Jeong had little to no time picking up what she said.
"Sorry Yi Jeong sunbae, I have to go, Jan Di is knocking at my door and it looks like she brought the Song twins with her. I have to go see what they came here for. It must be important. See you later!"
"Yah! Wa-!"
With that, Ga Eul shut the phone, her cheeks still red as she tried to get her breathing to return to normal. She really could not have answered that question honestly and made herself look like an even bigger fool in front of Yi Jeong sunbae. She also knew better than to lie. So she chose the easiest option which was not to answer at all. After her mortification was over Ga Eul felt the guilt for not ending the call properly. Though he might not notice it, the phone call must have been expensive and she knew better than to waste on how to apologize as she hid underneath her blankets,her phone beeped again and to Ga Eul's surprise, it was a text from Yi Jeong sunbae.
One day you will answer that question, Ga Eul-yang. I'll go easy on you for now. Good night.
Ga Eul felt her cheeks redden again and she couldn't help but give another squeak that thankfully Yi Jeong sunbae would not be able to hear. She could only hope she would haveenough strength to answer that question without giving herself away. Breathing in now, she quickly typed in a reply knowing it was rude for her not to, now that Yi Jeong sunbae contacted her first.
I can't wait to see you try sunbae. Goodbye for now.
And with bravado that she really didn't feel, Ga Eul pressed send. There really would be time to think about that later. After she had properly sorted out her feelings. Funnily enough, it seemed like two years was still not enough for her to do. Well she still had two years to go. Maybe then...
"Ga Eul-ah?" Her mother's voice floated from the other side of her bedroom door. "Jan Di is here to see you. Something about Hyun Jae-ssi?"
Ga Eul looked up at that. Since they had met Kim Hyun Jae at the porridge shop a few months ago, Jan Di had sort of adopted the younger girl as a younger sibling. It was just like her best friend to get attached to people who seemed quite helpless and needed a champion. After all, that was how their friendship had been formed. So far, Hyun Jae was a sweet girl. A little bit lonelier and lost than what would be normal for her age, but then her childhood hadn't been easy. Ga Eul agreed with Jan Di that Hyun Jae needed people around her who would be able to show her a brighter world, despite how optimistic the girl was already. It was just rather ironic that the lie she hastily told Yi Jeong sunbae was actually quite true.
"Jan Di-ah?" Ga Eul asked after she had changed and went to meet Jan Di in the living room. "Is everything all right? Omma mentioned something about Hyun Jae?"
Jan Di who was eating the fruit that Ga Eul's mom prepared for her, tried to swallow the pear she was chewing quickly so she could answer, resulting to a slight coughing fit. Ga Eul quickly gave her a glass of water to try to dislodge the fruit and after much hacking, Jan Di could breathe normally again.
"Ga Eul. You scared me." Jan Di wheezed as she continued to drink water. Ga Eul merely smiled and shook her head at her friend's silliness. Sure enough, Jan Di reached for another pear as she turned towards the Ga Eu
"Mianhe. Your mother made me sound like it was an emergency, but it isn't. It's just that I am concerned about Hyun Jae. I tried calling you to say I would come over, but I couldn't reach your phone." Jan Di's face was suspicious and Ga Eul answered with the most innocent expression she could think of.
When Jan Di realized her best friend was not going to give anything away, she sighed and turned back to the topic at hand. "She doesn't have a birthday."
Ga Eul looked at Jan Di with an expression very much akin to disbelief. Though it was not in Jan Di's personality to joke really, Ga Eul knew that maybe being around Jun Pyo-sunbae often had affected her best friend with her own kind of sense of humor.
However, when Jan Di continued to look at Ga Eul seriously, Ga Eul could only stare. "What do you mean she doesn't have a birthday? I know she's an orphan but..."
Jan Di shrugged now and her serious expression softened somewhat. "She wouldn't say. Actually, she's very tight-lipped about her past and even Song Yue's questioning hasn't gotten much. Actually, it was Yue who found out. She's planning her birthday party with her twin and wanted to know Hyun Jae's. That's when it came up. I was thinking maybe we should give her a birthday party too? Yue seemed very keen on the idea and I think a sweet girl like Hyun Jae deserves a birthday."
Ga Eul's face became thoughtful and then excited. "I think that's a great idea! Hyun Jae is such a sweet girl and nice I think giving her a party would be something she would like."
Jan Di, excited that her friend was excited nodded enthusiastically. "Yue wants to meet us at the porridge shop today. She said she wants to plan both her party and Hyun Jae, but we have to keep it a secret."
Ga Eul could only giggle. Among all of them, Jan Di was the one who had problem keeping secrets. "Okay."
Minutes later as the two left Ga Eul's house and were on their way to work, Ga Eul thought of something. "Doesn't Yue remind you a lot of Jae Kyung unnie?" She turned to Jan Di who was munching on the leftover fruit that Ga Eul's mother had insisted they take along.
"Hmmm...I never thought of it before. But yeah, I guess so. I miss her. I wonder how she's doing?"
"Yah Jan Di." Ga Eul nudged her best friend as they crossed the street towards the jjuk shop. "Have you ever noticed the kind of people you attract towards you? Chaebols and orphans and normal people like me, you really are one of a kind."
"Aniyo!' Jan Di protested but could not keep her laughter in at Ga Eul's own giggling and the two best friends entered the shop in good spirits. Only after, during their shift did Jan Di remember she was supposed to ask Ga Eul about Yi Jeong sunbae...
A/N: Here it is! I know the Ga Eul and Yi Jeong pairing has been done time and again, but it wouldn't be BOF without them too. :) Plus there are WAAAAY better fanfiction with them as the main pairing. ^^ (Check out Myrielle's fanfiction, hers are always some of my faves!) Of course, I tried not to follow the usual spiel of the Soeul Pairing because this fic is not really about them. I just thought it was time I introduced them to my fic. That and of course the friendship between Jan Di and Ga Eul! So please tell me what you think! Leave a review, please? They're my fuel. 3
