I'm gonna kill that fucker!
Who? The guy who crashed Ga Eul's car?
No. Bill Cosby.
OF COURSE THE FUCKER WHO TRY TO MESS WITH GA EUL!
And maybe your stupid best friend for putting Ga Eul in danger in the first place.
Awww come on now, babe, you know it's not his fault
I am still angry.
At Yi jeong?
At him. At the whole situation.
And a little bit at you.
At ME?
Yes. Why did you not insist on my staying in Korea instead of letting me off to NY!
Babe…
Now I have a jetlag AND can't rush off to see Ga Eul.
But you said..
I KNOW WHAT I SAID!
OK then. Well.
YOU GET BACK HERE NOW AND FORGET ABOUT ALEXANDER WANG! HE'S NOTHING MORE THAN AN OVERRATED DESIGNER!
WHAT THE FUCK!
Yes exactly.
ARGHH!
Calm down babe.
Yi jeong is staying with Ga Eul at the hospital now. He's not going anywhere.
Jan Di and Jun Pyo have visited as well. Jan Di was thisclose to gift a nurse with a flying kick for suggesting only closest person should stay with Ga Eul, and she wasn't that person. You should see her face.
I have a few things to sort out at the office but will be in close contact with them at all time.
Send my love to Ga Eul. I'm so worried. I think she switched off her phone.
I love you.
Love you too.
The wedding dress is going to be beautiful, btw.
As beautiful as Alexander Wang's forehead.
YOU FUCKING GET BACK HERE NOW!

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#

When Yi Jeong was still but a young boy -this was before he met his three best friends, obviously- he idolized his one and only brother So Il Hyun. Like any other little boys with older brothers, he would follow him everywhere, tried to catch his interest. Most of the time Il Hyun would alternate between tolerated or ignored him, left him alone at home and played with his 'big boy' group. Sometimes, though, Il Hyun would allow him to come and play soccer with him, taught him to swing the bat correctly as they played baseball in the huge backyard of their family mansion. So Il Hyun was a hero in his young mind.

Although the detail was hazy in his mind, there was one incident brought about around the time Yi Jeong started his second year elementary. He was already making friends at school, and as a result would spend his time doing play dates at his school mates' house and not following his brother as much as before.

Il Hyun, for his part, started to venture outside the stifling rules of So household. Even from his young age he had shown his streak of rebelliousness. It was becoming a common occurrence for him to run off the gate after the driver dropped him home from school and out somewhere. To the park, mall, cinema, or playing ball with other kids who didn't fit in their social circle. A fun game, a harmless fun until it became not so harmless anymore.

One particular afternoon, he didn't come back home. Then the afternoon slowly passed, and dusk became dark, and people started to get panic. That was the first time Yi Jeong saw his father comforted his mother with more than just a courteous necessity. He knew something bad had happened then, because his father usually acted like a bully asshole to his emotionally fragile mother.

The police came that very evening to assess the situation (because frankly, who would have said no when the renowned So family asked the police force to come to the house). Their fear was justified, however, as they got a call that very night from someone identified himself as the kidnapper asking for a ransom note. The panic mode was set in alarming high as his mother fainted in the middle of the phone call and had to be sent to the hospital. Truly, a dark night in his family history.

The kidnapping ended up in happy note when Il Hyun was found a day later in an abandoned garage downtown, gagged and bound, but nonetheless healthy and unharmed. At least physically. The police later called it a triumph since they never did pay the ransom, and it looked like the kidnapper failed to follow through his plan for fear of the police force pressing in. The kidnapper though was never found.

The harmless fun stopped that day. Gone was the after school soccer fun. In place were taekwondo and kendo sessions, history and pottery lesson.

Sometimes Yi jeong wondered how would their life now be different had that incident never occurred in the past. He was sure the trauma was one of the reasons why Il Hyun denounced their wealth and decided to live as a commoner. But this was a story for another day. What he remembered now was that panic feeling, spreading in his little body, the fear that there's a possibility he would never have seen his brother again for the rest of his life. It made him indescribably angry, desperate, and numb all at once. Exactly the same feeling he experienced as Ga Eul's voice spoke to him on the phone, hysterical amidst the sob, telling him that someone just tried to cause her harm.

It was horrible.

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#

Yi Jeong was having his drinks in one of the clubs downtown, his usual hanging out place when he didn't want to be disturbed. It was almost like a gentlemen club with younger crowd and better choice of music, where not many female patrons attending the venue. Maybe it was because of the wall to wall hard liquor as the drink of choice instead of wine and cocktail. Yi Jeong liked it there for the peace and quiet it offered him. Soft jazzy music was playing and it fit his somber mood perfectly.

He had been thinking about his and Ga Eul's encounter a few nights before, the kissing and drunk confession. He had wanted to address it, talked about it, made a conversation on the issue, but couldn't quite decide on how to approach her. Was it OK to just blurt it out during breakfast time? Saying something like, all acting nonchalant, Oh, about that time you kiss me, remember that? All the while buttering their toast and sipping orange juice. He thought it would be fine if she did remember, but what if she didn't? The thought gave him headaches, and they had not even had the conversation yet.

There's another thing to address as well. The bit where Ga Eul say all those things about her hating him and yet she was the one initiated the kiss. Which one should he take as a sign? The hating one or the kissing one? And why on earth would she hate him in the first place? He's a decent person inside, really. Why are women so difficult to understand, he sighed and sipped his drink. A couple of empty shot glasses lined up in front of him already.

'Hey Bro,' a friendly hand tapped on his shoulder. He lifted his head to see Woo Bin took a seat next to him. He motioned the bartender for another drink for his friend.
'You'll have the same, right?'
'Yeah, whatever you're having is fine.'
They waited until their drinks were served and the bartender stepped away from their seat at the bar.

'Any news?' Yi jeong asked his friend as he sipped the amber colored liquid in his glass.

Woo Bin shook his head. 'Not a damned thing beside what Ga Eul had told us last time. It's really baffling. Either the perpetrator is a genius for hiding all his misdeed or he is someone outside your art circle. Which means that we are looking at the wrong crowd all this time and it has nothing to do with art industry at all.'

Yi Jeong frowned.
'But this is even more confusing,' he started. 'I have nothing to do with things outside the museum or the resorts. I don't think we have any conflict with the locals in any of the hotel expansions.'
'Yeah, well, when we have exhausted the possibilities in one direction, that means we have to start looking at the other option.'
'This is depressing,' Yi jeong groaned.
'Did you clean someone out in a casino or something?' Woo Bin asked offhandedly.

Yi jeong glared at him.
'What?' Woo Bin shrugged, 'Just asking.'
'I don't gamble, jeez, you know that.'
'Well maybe you picked up a new hobby without telling me.'
'I hardly have hobbies these days.'
'Except for babysitting your ladylove.'
'I need more than just babysitting.' He sighed.

Woo Bin barked a laugh until Yi Jeong shot him a warning glance.
'Sorry,' he said, clearly not a little bit sorry and took a sip of his drink. 'It's just too funny coming from you.'
'Glad to be your source of entertainment.'
'Oh come on man, drink! You need more than just a glass.'

'Damn right I need more than just a glass,' Yi jeong signaled the bartender for another round when his mobile phone rang. 'Hang on,' he glanced at the screen.

Woo Bin laughed; he quite enjoyed watching his friend walked blindly when it came to his relationship with Ga Eul. There is always a new side of people, even those you have known for almost all your life, he thought rather amusedly. He was still smirking when Yi jeong's rather tensed tone alarmed him.

'What did you say?' Yi Jeong voice was serious. 'What? Where are you?' Woo Bin looked at his friend getting paler as the call went on. 'Oh Ga Eul, have you called the police?' Yi Jeong ran his fingers through his hair, looking helplessly at Woo Bin. 'No? Ok don't worry. Listen, I'm going to call the police now, OK? You wait for me over there.' He paused. 'I'm with Woo Bin, we'll be there in about twenty minutes.' He listened some more. 'Oh honey, please don't cry now. Wait for me OK? I'm going to hang up now, because I need to speak to Woo Bin about what happened. But I will call you back, OK?' He listened some more, 'Yes, I will be there. Just you wait.'

He hung up and put his hand over his face for a second before took a few bank notes from his wallet and put them at the bar.

'Hey what happened?' Woo Bin asked his distraught friend but soon fell quiet as Yi Jeong's face hardened, his jaw clenched so hard like he was trying not to scream in frustration.
'What happened man?' Woo Bin asked again.
'Ga Eul got into an accident. Come on, take me there. I'm in no shape to drive.' He walked out without waiting for an answer. Woo Bin swiftly followed him.

It was already late in the evening, a typical sultry summer weather when the wind seemed to stop, gathering force for the next day's rain.

Woo Bin drove his car quietly while Yi Jeong kept talking on his phone to Ga Eul after calling the police first. Comforting her, he guessed, until at last the police arrived on site and he hung up his mobile.

'They are going to pay for this, Woo Bin. You mark my words, they are going to pay for all these,' Yi Jeong spoke through clenched teeth. His face pale, his fist opening and closing, tensed, like he couldn't wait to punch someone, anyone.

'We'll be there in five. Calm down, man. Don't let her see you being upset like this.'
'Of course I'm fucking upset! How can I not be upset!' he glared at his friend next to him, but it didn't have any effect on his friend. Woo Bin kept his calm, his hands steady on the steering wheel.
'I'm not saying you shouldn't be angry, man. But don't let her see you like this. It will just upset her further.'

Yi Jeong leaned his head back on the head rest. 'I'm getting crazy, Woo Bin-ah. Help me find the bastard who did this to her.'

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#

When they arrived at the accident site, a series of criss-crossing orange and white tape had been put in place surrounding Ga Eul's car. The quiet road had transformed into a swarm of police activity. One wondered whether this was a common occurrence that so many police officers showing on site for this kind of accident, or was it because it was So Yi Jeong who made the call. A police woman was standing in front of Ga Eul, taking her statement. A small note book was in her hand, while she was busy writing with a rather large ballpoint.

Yi Jeong and Woo Bin parked the car just behind the police vehicle where Ga Eul sat. They quickly stepped out of their car and approached her.

She turned her head as they came nearer and gave them a brave small smile. Close up, they could see her tear streaked eyes, smudges of hastily wiped mascara evident in the harsh light of the police car. Yi Jeong felt something like a tug in his heart, helpless, worry, mixed with anger at the thought of someone had done this to his precious Ga Eul.

'Yi Jeong Sunbae, Woo Bin Sunbae,' she greeted them from her seat, her voice still a bit shaky but the hysterical sobs had gone. She was eerily calm as they quickly made their presence known to the police woman.

Woo Bin nodded his greeting and whispered quietly to Yi Jeong before he walked over to the detective conducting the investigation whereas Yi jeong moved closer to Ga Eul, his arm stretched out to reach her.

'Are you OK?' he pulled her into a calming hug.
She nodded, her face felt cold under his touch despite the warm evening.
'Sorry for calling you like that,' she whispered. 'I just, I just couldn't think straight and you were the only person I could think of.' She bit her lips and paused, seemingly to stop getting emotional yet again.

'Oh that's OK darling,' he ran his hand on her hair. Another hand stayed on her back holding her close. 'You have nothing to apologize.'

Yi Jeong stayed with her until she finished giving her statement to the police. Afterward he approached Woo Bin who was still talking to the detective in charge; he wouldn't be too surprised if Woo Bin knew every high ranking policeman in the field right now.

'Do you think it is OK to take her home?' he asked.

'Hello Mr. So,' the detective nodded at him. 'Yeah, it's fine, although it's probably better if you took her to the hospital first. She said she feels OK but do you see the state of her car? The airbag helped but also knocked her quite hard from the steering wheel. I would check her just to be extra careful.'

'Yeah, thank you.' He made a quiet signal to Woo Bin. 'Shall we?'

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