Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
…..
I know I'm a lousy updater. Seeing it's summer vacation here, I could have updated more but I didn't and that's what makes me suck. Sorry about that! How I only came up with an update now is a long story but to make things short: we moved houses = no internet connection (for a month), I changed universities = paperworks and the like (for a month too).
Anyway, I'm only updating in for obvious reasons. To all LU-mates out there, yes, I do hope LU would be up soon!
MUST READ: Since LU is down right now, I came up with a form letting people, who do not have a account, know when I update. It's simple. Fill up the form and I'll email you whenever I update. I plan to update more after this chapter since I have a lot of making up to do. No promises though. If my life is going to intervene again, I'm saying sorry in advance.
Anyway, the form's link is here: (just erase the spaces before the periods, I don't know why links doesn't work here anymore, even in my profile)
moonie94sonata .blogspot .com
Go to my writer's blog (link above, just copy and paste to a new tab) then click on the FORM tab at the right just below the header. I'm willing to put in the effort to have story alerts for you guys.
If you do put all the effort in doing this, well, it lets me know how much my fic is loved. Thank you very much for that!
…
Yi Jung tentatively knocked on the door of the studio. He left early from the estate because he thought he was going to be lost on the way there. To his surprise though, he didn't have any difficulty going there. It's as if he knows, by heart, how to get to the studio… to his studio. Well, he assumed that maybe it's because he loves pottery that much that he spends most of his time there before he had amnesia.
When he heard no response, he knocked again, louder this time. He waited and after a few seconds, he heard little footsteps that he could only assume belonged to the twins.
"Mr. Angel!" The twins cheerfully said as soon as they opened the door. They ran to him, both of them taking each of his legs and hugging them. Yi Jung only laughed and ruffled their hair.
Yi Jung heard a fake cough in front of him and he immediately looked up. In front of him was a man in his late 60's. He looked stiff and gruff but Yi Jung could see that his eyes brightened when he realized who Yi Jung was. Maybe he was someone who knew him well? He could tell by the look on his face that he was surprised and happy to see him.
Smiling, Yi Jung held out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm So Yi Jung." He knew it was stupid to introduce himself but what should he do? The man knew him but he had no idea who he was.
Sort of what he had expected, the man smirked at him and slowly shook his head. He held the door open and gestured for him to come in. The twins happily pulled him inside and Yi Jung allowed himself to be dragged by them as he looked around.
In an instant, his head ached. He tried not to wince but the images in his mind keep coming and it was hard not to feel the pain.
"Sunbae! That's beautiful!"
"Eh? You're going to give that to me? But you gave me so many of your pieces already!"
"Why do I feel like what you're making right now emits sadness? Are you alright?"
"Teach me how to paint it! Please!"
"The way you carve that vase so perfectly… It's breathtaking."
"Sunbae, why don't you take a break? I'm making some coffee and I brought cake with me."
Her voice, that voice in his head didn't stop from echoing. He couldn't see her clearly. It was all a blur. He could see her smile but not her face. Why was it so dark? But he could hear her sweet voice. It was echoing so beautifully that he could only stare into space. He didn't close his eyes when he felt the pain but he listened carefully. He heard that voice… He knows that voice…
But where?
~3
"Omma, is this alright?" Chun Hei said with a frown as she concentrated on the mixture in front of her.
"Yes, I think that's alright. Put one cup of chocolate chips and that's it. Don't put more than what I said please." Ga Eul smiled at her as she pulled a tray of chocolate cupcakes from the oven. "How about you, boys? Are you alright there?"
Chin Ho nodded enthusiastically and gave her the thumbs up as he cut different shapes from the dough while Yi Jung tried his best to roll another set of dough thin just enough for a cookie.
"Alright, we already have 100 cupcakes ready. As for Chun Hei's chocolate chip cookies, we already have 20 so we still need 30. And as for you boys…" Ga Eul jokingly frowned at them in disappointment. "You haven't done anything yet. You still need 50!" She scolded them lightly.
"We know, omma." Chin Ho laughed and Yi Jung joined in. They high-fived before Yi Jung ruffled Chin Ho's hair playfully.
"Oy oy! Don't joke around. You still need to design those for tomorrow!" Ga Eul said but her lips were turned into a smile at the sight of them. She shook her head once before turning to the oven to check Chun Hei's cookies.
"You should listen to omma, Chin Ho!" Chun Hei, however, wasn't pleased with her brother. She frowned at them, her hands on her hips. "If you don't finish that, teacher would be mad."
Chin Ho frowned at his sister and stuck his tongue out. He was about to retort something back but Yi Jung stopped them. "Why don't we try one of your mom's chocolate cupcakes? I think we have an excess of 5, right Ga Eul?"
"Eh?" Ga Eul blinked in surprise when he called her. She shook her head when she caught Yi Jung's wink at the back of the twins. She sighed in surrender and nodded in agreement. "I'll make some icing for the cupcakes. Finish that or you won't get any!" Laughing, Ga Eul pinched her twins' cheeks when they pouted at her condition. Glancing at Yi Jung, she tried not to blush when he too was pouting like the twins. She could feel her heart beating in her chest. He was too adorable for her and she could remember how he used to do that when he wants to eat a cake she made but she refused to give him a slice.
Very much like now…
~3
Shaking his head, Yi Jung grinned as he watched the twins and their mother sleeping soundly on the couch. It was already past ten when they finished baking the cupcakes and cookies. Since he saw how tired Ga Eul's eyes were after she tucked in the twins, he insisted that Ga Eul should sleep even after she said that she still needs to decorate the cupcakes and cookies. Since she also refused to wake up or bother Butler Kim or any of the maids, he volunteered in cleaning up the kitchen for her.
Softly laughing, Yi Jung remembered how Ga Eul tried to insist helping him but after Yi Jung forced her to sit down, she instantly fell asleep together with the twins.
He turned around and was about to walk to the kitchen but then, he heard the doorbell ring. Who could that be at this time of the night? Yi Jung furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to remember if Yuuki told him something about going home late and he pretty much remember her being stuck in her room the whole afternoon. When he couldn't recall anything of that sort and when he didn't hear any ring again, he took a few steps towards the kitchen.
Maybe he hadn't heard right? The doorbell couldn't ring at this time of the night, right? Besides, the guards would've given them a heads up, right? But then, the doorbell rang again. So almost running, he quickly went for the front door (which was located a few meters from where he is), afraid that anyone would wake up any moment now, especially since Ga Eul and the twins had just slept a while ago.
Opening the door slowly, he was surprised at what greeted him.
"Yi Jung-ah…" She gave him a weak smile as Yi Jung noticed her tired eyes. Yu Mi was carrying Sang Hee who was sleeping so peacefully in her arms while on her right hand was a small luggage. He blinked his eyes, still shocked at what greeted him.
Going back to his senses, Yi Jung immediately took Sang Hee and the small luggage from Yu Mi and gestured for her to come in. He didn't say a word. He understood that Yu Mi was collecting her thoughts and he patiently waited for her to speak up.
"Is Ga Eul here?" Yu Mi inquired softly. Yi Jung noticed the break on her voice as she asked this. He noticed her swollen eyes and all he could do at the moment was offer her his listening ear. He didn't know what happened but for Yu Mi to come here with Sang Hee at the middle of the night, something really bad might have happened between her and Ji Hoo.
"She's already asleep with the twins at the living room." Yi Jung offered a gentle smile before proceeding his way back to where Ga Eul and the twins are. "Let's settle both you and Sang Hee there."
Yu Mi murmured a soft thank you as she quietly followed him.
~3
Ga Eul attempted to open her eyes as she tried to stretch her arms and legs. She grunted when she felt the heavy weight on both her arms. She tried hard to open her eyes but whenever she did, her head begins to ache and her vision starts to spin.
She groaned out loud before she tried again and forced her eyes to open. Though her vision was blurred, she knew it still wasn't morning. It might still be midnight, or dawn, she figured as she gazed at the glass doors leading to the balcony. Her arms were getting numb and she glanced at what caused the weight on her arms. Smiling, she carefully and slowly removed her arms under the twins' heads.
Ga Eul quietly stood up as she gazed around the room. Her eyes caught a small sleeping figure on the couch opposite her. It can't be Yi Jung, can it? Ga Eul shook her head at her silliness. Of course, it isn't Yi Jung. The figure was too small. But who was it? She looked around and saw light coming from the kitchen. She then remembered that Yi Jung said he's going to clean up their mess. Maybe he knows what was going on…
With her quiet footsteps, Ga Eul walked to the kitchen. She opened the door slowly as it silently creaked.
"Yi Jung-ah?" She called out as she peeked in the kitchen.
"Ga Eul? I'm still here." With his reply, Ga Eul fully opened the door. Her eyes widened at what she saw. "Eh?"
"Morning, Ga Eul-ah." Yu Mi greeted with a weak smile. "Sorry for coming here so late."
"Yu Mi-yah!" Ga Eul exclaimed as quietly as she could. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Guam?"
Ga Eul blinked as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Yi Jung was still washing the dishes by the sink, trying to ignore the surrounding atmosphere while Yu Mi sat by the counter with a cup of coffee in her hands, trying to look calm.
Yu Mi sipped her coffee as, Ga Eul noticed, she tried to hide the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Since when have you been here? What happened?" Ga Eul asked, concerned.
"We had a fight." Yu Mi's voice croaked. With this statement, Ga Eul was immediately by her side. She hugged her friend comfortingly and patiently waited for her to start talking.
Of all her friends, Yu Mi was the quietest one. She wasn't exactly that close to Ga Eul, unlike Ga Eul is to Jan Di, but it was just right to treat her as one of the people she could run to when she has problems.
Ga Eul didn't really have a lot of chances to get to know Yu Mi back then. She only met her during college when Ji Hoo and Yu Mi started dating. What she knew about her then was Yu Mi would only talk when necessary. She was quiet like Ji Hoo. But when the gang started having outings, Ga Eul noticed more on how Yu Mi interacted with them. She was glad that she started opening up, even though it was gradual, she appreciated her efforts to be close to them. She would voice out her opinion when needed and she would reason out when everyone's having an argument. She speaks so comfortingly when someone is down and she's always there when someone needs a helping hand. She's very much like her husband and everyone agreed that they are a perfect couple. They rarely have fights or arguments. And Ga Eul knew, whenever they do have a fight, it was always about something big.
Ga Eul could vividly remember the first time the couple had a fight. Yu Mi was still pregnant with Sang Hee and she arrived at her house around dinner time. Yu Mi was trying her best not to cry in front of her and she took her time collecting her thoughts before finally sharing what their fight was all about.
"Hey…" Yi Jung's voice interrupted them. He fidgeted slightly since he knew he was interrupting something important. He gave the girls an apologetic smile before stating, "I'm just going to go check on the kids." Giving him an understanding smile, Ga Eul and Yu Mi replied with a silent nod.
"I just arrived yesterday afternoon from Guam." Yu Mi started after she saw Yi Jung close the door behind him. She glanced at Ga Eul who only smiled and encouraged her to continue. "Jun Su, one of my colleagues, was already there with Ji Hoo. They were having a heated argument in the living room. I don't have any idea what it was all about. Then, Jun Su stormed off and I tried to stop him to ask what was going on but Ji Hoo… he suddenly shouted, stopping me and glared at me. It was the first time I saw him like that." Yu Mi paused and Ga Eul heard her sniff. Ga Eul took her hand on hers and squeezed it gently. Yu Mi whispered a thank you before continuing. "Ji Hoo was talking dangerously calm, telling me that I shouldn't talk to Jun Su again, or I should ask to be transferred to another medical team. I was so confused. I was tired from my trip from Guam and I didn't know what else to say. I kept asking him what happened and from what I understood, Jun Su was spreading rumors about me and him having an affair. Ji Hoo confronted him about it and told him to stop spreading rumors like that. I appreciated that he didn't believe any of it but then Ji Hoo started yelling about things I don't even know about so I started yelling too. I can't even remember now what I told him. We only stopped arguing because Sang Hee suddenly arrived, crying. She started shouting at Ji Hoo, saying he was bad because he made me cry." Yu Mi bit her lip and Ga Eul saw her tears falling from her tired eyes. "I can't forget the look of hurt in Ji Hoo's eyes at that moment. He stormed off and I don't have any idea where he is now. I tried to look for him. I was going to search for him all night, really. But I realized Sang Hee was alone. I went back for her and she was sound asleep in her room but I noticed her swollen eyes. I couldn't bear to stay at our house any longer so I decided to come here." Yu Mi finally broke down. She cried on Ga Eul's shoulder as Ga Eul hugged her and rubbed her back soothingly.
"It's all going to be okay, Yu Mi-yah." Ga Eul whispered. After a few minutes, Ga Eul could feel Yu Mi starting to calm down. When she did, Ga Eul pulled back and smiled gently. "Why don't you go and rest first? You need to have the energy before we talk things out. You're still confused on what happened and I think it's best that you rest before you start thinking logically about things." Ga Eul paused then added, "On second thought, I assume you haven't eaten anything yet. Want to eat first?"
Yu Mi let out a chuckle before shaking her head. She bit her lip before standing up. "I think you're right. I need to go sleep first."
"You can take the guest room just beside the living room." Ga Eul suggested as she quietly accompanied Yu Mi back to where the kids and Yi Jung are.
"Thank you, Ga Eul-ah. And sorry again for coming so late. It's a good thing Yi Jung was awake or else I might have cried in front of the guards." Yu Mi let out a chuckle at the thought.
"It's no problem. Come here any time you want. You guys are welcome here, you know that." Ga Eul assured her as she watched Yu Mi carefully carry Sang Hee in her arms.
Yu Mi slightly bowed before walking towards the room Ga Eul just told her. After she left, Ga Eul looked at the time, 3:50am. Figuring she won't have any time later, she then decided to go back to the kitchen and decorate the cupcakes and cookies for the twins' fair that would take place in the afternoon.
She glanced at the twins and Yi Jung and she couldn't help but feel happy at the sight of them sleeping.
~3
"Yu Mi came to the estate last night." Yi Jung informed them as he closed the door behind him. He was right after all. He found the three of them at the F4 lounge in the Shinhwa University. After he found out that Woo Bin wasn't at the Song estate and Jun Pyo wasn't at the Gu estate either, he guessed that they might have known that something was going on between the Yoon couple. He looked for them at the F4 lounge near the Gu estate but when he found no one there, he figured they could only be at the other lounge.
Ji Hoo raised his head slightly while Woo Bin and Jun Pyo remained silent by the pool table. Yi Jung calmly walked to where Ji Hoo was and sat opposite him. He waited for him to speak up. He knew he would and after a while, he was proven right.
"Are they alright?" Ji Hoo asked quietly. His face was impassive. Yi Jung couldn't tell whether or not he was in the mood to talk about it but he was taking his chances. It's for the good of his friends after all.
"They are alright... physically. I don't think Yu Mi is in a great shape though. But they're just at the other side. Yu Mi is helping the kids right now with their pastry sale." Yi Jung informed him to which Ji Hoo just stiffly nodded.
Woo Bin and Jun Pyo were just watching them talk in the background. They didn't dare make a noise. They don't know what happened to Ji Hoo but they already found him at the lounge when they arrived. They tried to talk to him but he remained stiff and quiet and they knew he needed time. But if he's talking to Yi Jung now, maybe then they could get a hold of what's happening and try to help him.
"Yah, Ji Hoo-yah…" Yi Jung called out softly. When he didn't get a reaction from Ji Hoo, he sighed, closed his eyes and leaned back into the couch. "Remember that time in college? When you punched me because you thought Yu Mi and I are getting together behind your back?"
All of his best friends, even the calm Ji Hoo, snapped their heads up and looked at him, surprised. Has Yi Jung gotten his memory back?
"I think… I think I remember her." Yi Jung said as he finally opened his eyes to look at their reactions. "Yu Mi, I mean."
"What? Why? How—?" Woo Bin spluttered. Maybe, just maybe, Yi Jung remembers Ga Eul too? It could be possible, right? Since most of the time Yi Jung ever talked to Yu Mi was when she's with Ga Eul, right?
Unfortunately though, it was all wishful thinking.
"Well, I don't remember everything about her. But when she came to the estate last night…" Yi Jung furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to remember what happened. "I just began thinking that I saw her in that state before. I can't remember when, how or why exactly but then, when I listened to her talk, I just suddenly remembered." He paused, shrugged and looked at them. "The great thing was my head didn't hurt that much at all unlike the last times."
"What exactly do you remember Yi Jung-ah?" Ji Hoo asked quietly again, although he didn't show it, it was obvious he wanted to know more.
"I remember finding Yu Mi in that staircase you used to go to. I think I was looking for you that's why I went there. I saw her crying. And I think she was embarrassed so she went running but I stopped her." Yi Jung paused and scrunched up his face, thinking hard. "She told me you two broke up." Yi Jung glanced Ji Hoo, who for a brief moment showed signs of pain like he didn't want to remember that little detail. "I planned all of it, I think. I confronted you about it, didn't I? And you said you don't love her anymore but I thought otherwise, right?" Yi Jung continued, his smirk visible on his face. "I proved you wrong and made you jealous. You had enough, I guess. That's when you punched me."
"Ohoho! I remember that part!" Woo Bin chuckled despite the serious atmosphere. He and Jun Pyo, who remained silent the entire time, high fived.
"Yeah, when we started laughing after Ji Hoo punched Yi Jung, he punched both of us too." Jun Pyo chipped in. He chuckled after recalling one of those times that the Yoon doctor lost his calm. They were in on the plan with Yi Jung, he happily recalled.
"Yeah, that's what happened. Do you remember that Ji Hoo?" Yi Jung questioned him. "And do you remember the things you told me afterwards? And also the things I told you?"
"I love Yu Mi. I don't know what you're playing at, Yi Jung. But if you're playing with Yu Mi as I'm pretty sure you are since I saw you and Ga Eul together last night, you're dead. I don't care who you are, or what you are in my life so if you dare go near Yu Mi again, I swear you're dead! If I see her crying because of—"
"But she isn't crying because of me, you asshole! She's crying because of you! I should repeat your words for you if you don't mind. 'I don't know what you're playing at, Ji Hoo.'"
"…"
"What? You don't have anything to say? Tell you what, why don't you just go and pick your guts up, call Yu Mi, apologize and bring her back."
"It's not that simple."
"What's not simple? She told me everything. Why, as far as I know, Ji Hoo, you're the most reasonable among us. But what? You two broke up because you were so afraid you'll mess up with her. You were so afraid to make a commitment. If you don't start calling her now, I'm sure what you're afraid of might come true in a matter of minutes."
"You said some pretty harsh words back then and I really thought you were playing with her." Ji Hoo stated. Yi Jung thought he was going to blow up. He thought Ji Hoo was going to punch him the second time when Yi Jung saw Ji Hoo stand up. But to his surprise, he didn't. He looked at him and gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Yi Jung-ah." Ji Hoo patted his shoulder hard before heading to the door. "I need to bring my family back. See you later."
All three of them burst out into fits of laughter as they watched Ji Hoo wave once from behind.
~3
"You're pushing yourself too much, Ga Eul." Yi Jung told her, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes filled with concern.
It was now four in the afternoon and almost all the pastries each of the kids from the kindergarten made were sold. Yi Jung was there to help Ga Eul since he noticed that morning that she wasn't feeling well. He would have helped earlier but he felt that he needed to at least help the Yoon couple. When he arrived to the sale though, Ga Eul wasn't at all better. She was even looking worse than the last time he saw her.
Smiling, Ga Eul sniffed as she shook her head. "I'm fine, really. Just a slight fever. That's all." She waved her hand as a sign of dismissal as she continued taking the box of cupcakes left at the back.
"Let me take that." Yi Jung offered but Ga Eul simply shook her head.
"It's okay, Yi Jung-ah. I can handle this." She assured him.
"But—" When Yi Jung noticed Ga Eul plainly ignoring him, he just sighed in resignation. There's no point in arguing with her especially when she's already sick.
After a couple of more cupcakes and cookies sold, they were now cleaning and packing up. A lot of the other teachers were already sending off the kids but Ga Eul and three more were left behind. Yi Jung and the twins too were left helping them clean up.
"Hey Ga Eul, are you alright?" Yi Jung heard one of Ga Eul's co-teachers ask. He didn't really plan on listening in to their conversation… really, he didn't. But he couldn't help but notice how friendly the two of them are.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Geun Suk. Just a little cold."
"Yeah. You seem to be freezing." Geun Suk shook off his jacket and forcefully handed it to her. "Take this. You really need it. Your hands are turning white from the cold, you know. No buts." He grinned at her before resuming what he's doing.
Ga Eul just softly smiled in return as she wore his jacket.
"Hey! Mr. Angel?" One of the twins, Chun Hei perhaps, he didn't really notice, shook him.
"Huh? What?" Yi Jung snapped to their direction and noticed them looking at him weirdly.
"Are you okay?" Chin Ho frowned. It was the first time they saw their Mr. Angel like that. He could only wonder what happened to him.
"Yeah…" Yi Jung muttered.
But he knew that what he was feeling was far from being okay…
…..
End notes: No previews. Just a gist of the chapters ahead. The man mentioned at the end.
Oh yeah, as for the reviews, I'm trying and trying to reply to the reviews here in . I'll find a way for you to read my reply! I'm really sorry but my writer's blog is just not working for me so I'm still figuring out how my thoughts would get back at you. As for the reviews in LU, I don't know if I replied yet but I'll reply as soon as LU's back.