"I can't believe you're teaching at this school, sunbae." Jandi repeated for what seemed like the tenth time. She recovered a bit from the shock but still kept switching her glances from Yi Jeong to Ga Eul. "For how long?" she asked.
"For a couple of weeks." Yi Jeong answered.
"Wow. I still can't believe you're teaching." Jandi said again. Ga Eul could not help but laugh.
"Jandi, it didn't take long for me to recover from my initial shock. I thought you wouldn't take so long too. But it seems I am mistaken." Ga Eul said, chuckling. Yi Jeong couldn't help but chuckle along with her.
"Okay, fine you guys. No need to stop laughing on my account." Jandi said with false sarcasm, feigning hurt. "The thing I wanted to tell you about," she started, turning to Ga Eul, "is that I wanted to invite you to a party. There's this party that Junpyo's mom insisted upon and you can already guess who the attendees would be. I need my best friend there, Ga Eul."
"Of course, Jandi. I'm there, one hundred percent." Ga Eul answered.
"Ahem." Yi Jeong cleared his throat loudly.
"Don't worry, sunbae. You'll get an invitation too." Jandi reasoned.
"Oh, well alright then. I thought I'll be left out."
"Ya, sunbae. Didn't think you were the sensitive type." Ga Eul teased.
"I'm not." He answered. "I'm the really sensitive type," he added. At that, both of them laughed.
"Okay." Jandi started, again glancing between the two.
"By the way, Jandi. What's the occasion this time? It's not your birthday and neither is it Junpyo sunbae's. Is it his mother's birthday?" Ga Eul inquired.
Pause.
"Well, actually…" Jandi hesitated. Yi Jeong could tell she was having difficulty telling them the reason. Both he and Ga Eul continued to look expectantly at her.
"Well, it's not his mother's birthday." Jandi said. "It's actually…" she tried one more time but then gave out a sigh. She just raised her left hand to both of them. There it was: an empire cut diamond ring on one of her fingers. He heard Ga Eul gasped in surprise. His eyes widened in surprise as well.
"Oh my god, Jandi!" Ga Eul exclaimed. "Oh my god, congratulations!" she said excitedly and engulfed her best friend in a tight hug.
"Wow. Jandi, you and Junpyo, engaged. To be married. Wow." He couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew this was coming sooner or later but for some reason it still surprised him a little. Maybe it was because of the ring. It was a tangible proof. He wondered what Ga Eul would like as an engagement ring. And his breath hitched a little. Stop right there, So Yi Jeong. You're getting way ahead of yourself. Again.
"I know." Ga Eul seconded.
"I actually didn't want an engagement party. But you know Junpyo's mom. Ever since she resigned herself to the fact that her son is pretty much stuck with me in this lifetime, she seems to have made a silent vow to make this relationship as extravagant and prominent as the Shinwa Empire."
"And so with the big and extravagant engagement party." Ga Eul surmised.
"Exactly. She has invited close to seven hundred people, almost all of whom I do not even know. That's why I need my close friends there."
"And that's why we'll be there Jandi." He reassured her.
"Thanks you guys." Jandi said. "Now, Ga Eul, you have to help me pick out a dress. Junpyo's mom already recommended or shall I say ordered me to pick out a dress in the shop of her choice. And also, I can ask the driver to pick you up on Saturday night at your house, okay."
"I can take her." Yi Jeong suggested immediately. "I mean, if that's alright with you, Ga Eul-yang." He added, glancing at Ga Eul.
"Well, I… it's fine with me, sunbae. Thank you for the offer."
"Okay, that's all settled then." Jandi said.
"Speaking of the devil." Yi Jeong heard Woobin say when he entered the F4 lounge.
"Where have you been all this time, Yi Jeong?" Junpyo inquired.
"Here and there."
"Here and there. We barely see you ever since you came back." Woobin mused.
"Careful Woobin. You're starting to sound like a nagging girlfriend." Junpyo teased.
"How's your plan doing? Jihoo asked suddenly. Trust Jihoo to go directly to the point.
"It's a work in progress."
"You know, Yi Jeong, I heard something very strange from Jandi the other day. Do you want to know what it was?" Junpyo asked.
He couldn't help but smile almost sheepishly, which did not go unnoticed by his three best friends.
"Woah, is there something you're not telling us, Yi Jeong?" Woobin asked.
"Apparently, our friend here has taken a stint as an art teacher and guess where he's teaching." Junpyo expounded.
"Please, that would be a no-brainer especially with the love-struck grin on Yi Jeong's face right now." Woobin said.
"That was the first thing Jandi said to me. It was kind of funny how she kept saying she couldn't believe you're teaching at the same school as Ga Eul." Junpyo recalled.
"Keep the spirit alive, my man." Woobin cheered.
"I'm happy for you, Yi Jeong." Jihoo admitted.
"Yes, we all are." Junpyo unexpectedly added.
"Thanks guys."
"Just don't screw up." The F3 chorused. He laughed at that.
"I won't. Not this time." He replied, his conviction etched in his voice and in his heart.
Ga Eul couldn't decide which one she preferred: to have her parents at home and be hounded by the questions and the inquisitive looks or to not have her parents at home (which was the case now since they went on a holiday vacation for the next two weeks) and be alone with Yi Jeong. At her house. Not that she had not been alone with him before. But somehow, this time felt different. Maybe it was the fact that they have been apart for a long time. Or maybe it was the fact that she has been seeing him almost everyday lately, as if their time apart was but a vague memory.
In yet another dilemma, she couldn't decide which was more embarrassing: having Yi Jeong wait for her while she finish dressing up in her room or seeing the look on his face when she came down the stairs to meet him. She didn't know if she was simply imagining things or if she was simply deluding herself but she thought she saw raw admiration in his eyes when he had looked at her. Or more like stared at her.
She couldn't help but blush when she saw the look on his face. She didn't think she dressed extravagantly, as Jandi first suggested she should. In fact, she thought her dress was modest, simple but elegant. She was wearing a short knee-length emerald green dress with a single ruffled strap that goes from one side of the dress, over the opposite shoulder to the back. She decided to pull up her hair in a simple chignon with a silver hairclip.
"Look who dressed good tonight." Yi Jeong teased, to lighten the air, she supposed, as he came towards her at the end of the stairs and offered an arm to her.
"Thanks sunbae. You're not bad yourself." She teased back. Her answer was clearly an understatement when she had looked at So Yi Jeong. He came dressed in an all-black three piece suit. He looked gorgeously handsome and she couldn't deny it one bit even if she wanted to. Not that she would.
The car ride to the party went by in comfortable silence. She didn't feel the urge to talk just to break the silence. She no longer asked herself why this is and just simply accepted that with Yi Jeong, it just is.
When they arrived at the Gold Palace, Shinhwa's premiere luxury hotel in the country, she couldn't believe her eyes at the lines of expensive car after expensive car dropping guests at the lobby entrance. And when they entered the Grand Ballroom, she was speechless with the sheer extravagance and beauty that the place exuded. This was probably the most extravagant party out of all the parties that the Gu family has hosted and that she has attended. It was even more extravagant than Junpyo's birthday celebrations.
"Wow." Ga Eul manage to say as she looked up at the high ceilings adorned with huge ornate chandeliers, to table after table with chairs both lined with gold fabrics and linens. The room was alive with sounds of glasses tinkling and people talking.
"Junpyo's mom really knows how to throw a party." Yi Jeong said.
"I wonder how the wedding would look like." Ga Eul softly whispered, her eyes still scanning the room.
"Ah, there's Junpyo and Jandi." Yi Jeong informed her. They crossed the room to the other side and went to meet their friends.
"Now, there's the happy couple." Yi Jeong greeted when they reached them.
"I can say the same about you two." Junpyo teased, which earned him a not so light jab in the ribs from Jandi.
"Ga Eul, you look gorgeous." Jandi exclaimed, giving her a hug.
"You too, Jandi. The dress really looks amazing on you. I guess it's safe to say that your future mother-in-law really knows what she's talking about when it comes to picking out a dress." She said.
"Don't tell me the party has already started without me." A familiar voice chimed.
Everyone looked to where the voice came.
"Jaekyung-unni." Jandi exclaimed excitedly and went to hug her other friend.
"Monkey. Glad you could come." Junpyo acknowledged.
"I still can't believe you're still not over that horrible nickname. It doesn't suit me at all you know."
Cough. "Yes, it does." Cough.
"I would appreciate not being made the object of your amusement, Woobin." Jaekyung reprimanded.
"Then how about the object of my affection?"
"Haha. Funny doesn't suit you at all Woobin-ah."
"But I suit you, right?"
"Please, enough with the flirting. I'm going to gag anytime now." Junpyo remarked. That stopped the two for a moment.
"Wow. My girls are looking great tonight." Jaekyung said, putting her arms around Ga Eul and Jandi, inadvertently changing the subject.
"Long time no see, Jaekyung." Yi Jeong greeted.
"So Yi Jeong, is that you? When did you come back from the dead, I mean, from Sweden?" Jaekyung greeted, albeit differently, back.
"Just a couple of weeks ago." Yi Jeong said.
"I thought you'd never come back."
"Well, you thought wrong." Yi Jeong answered mildly.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, mister." Jaekyung suddenly reprimanded.
"I know," answered Yi Jeong.
"Really? Then do you know that Ga Eul used to cr…"
"Unni, let's go find our table now, shall we?" Ga Eul immediately interjected, grabbing hold of Jaekyung's arm and dragging her away. Ga Eul was afraid Jaekyung would start spilling the beans about her state before she coped with his absence. She didn't want to go there at all. Not now, when everything's light and breezy. She would enjoy this phase while it lasts. Then, she'll deal with the aftermath later.
"What the hell is Yi Jeong doing here?" Jaekyung asked, slightly irritated.
"I think he also has the right to be here, unni. He's Junpyo's best friend after all." she answered.
"That's not what I meant, Ga Eul. I mean, what is he doing here, back in Korea?"
"Well, he did say he would come back."
"Yeah, yeah. After four or five years and come look for you first right? That's crap."
"Unni."
"Well, the least he could do in all those years he was gone was to contact you. In any way he knew possible. But did he do that? No. That's why it's crap."
"I think I would know about that the most, unni, don't you think," she joked.
"I'm sorry, Ga Eul, for taking it out on you. I was just surprised that he's here. And you're here. And you seem okay. And everything seems okay." Ga Eul chuckled.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Well, it is, if it's the truth." Jaekyung said and paused, maybe to let her words sink in her. And her words did sink in but before she could explain, the others came and they all sat around the table near the stage where Junpyo and Jandi are now seated.
Yi Jeong's eyes seemed to have a mind of its own. As much as he would like to control them, they kept straying to Ga Eul's direction every ten seconds. And it didn't help that Woobin and Jihoo kept giving him their amused looks and knowing smiles. Or that Jaekyung is still eyeing him with something in between irritation and amusement and how she manages to do it, he did not need to know.
But he can hardly blame his eyes for not being able to look away. Anyone can see how gorgeous she was tonight. When he went to pick her up at her house earlier, he found out that her parents had left for a holiday trip. He had waited for her downstairs while she finished preparing and had to thank the family photographs that lined a whole wall in Ga Eul's living room for the distraction. Entertaining inappropriate thoughts about Ga Eul and him, while being alone in her house, would not have been healthy at all.
And what a distraction it had been. He couldn't decide which one of Ga Eul's pictures was his favorite. He was still caught between a 7-year-old Ga Eul with pigtails carving an angel in the snow or a pretty recent picture of her working on clay on a potter's wheel, hair pulled back and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He was still looking at the pictures when he heard her come down the stairs.
He turned to look at her and his whole body went rigid for a moment. He was staring at her like a hypnotized man and in a way, he was. He was mesmerized by the Ga Eul he was seeing now. He watched her cheeks turn a darker shade of red and at that moment he had decided that making Ga Eul blush was one of the most exciting and fulfilling things he will ever do in his life. Because he felt that when he makes her blush, it meant something. With Ga Eul, it always means something.
He was trying to think of something clever to say but nothing coherent seemed to come to mind. When something did however, he was surprised that he had to close his mouth. Apparently, not only had he been staring, his mouth had also been hanging open.
"Look who dressed good tonight." He managed to say. He was rewarded with a smile and a comeback, "Thanks sunbae. You're not bad yourself." He had offered his arm and he smiled to himself when she accepted. He instantly felt her warmth and his heart beat faster.
He felt a nudge at his side, bringing him back from his reverie. "Man, could you be any more obvious." It was Woobin. He couldn't think of a good comeback at that so he just lightly scratched his right eyebrow and muttered, "Shut up, Woobin."
"Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests," Madam Gu's voice reverberated across the hall. Everyone from their table now turned towards the stage. "Thank you very much for coming. We have invited you all today for a very important announcement. In behalf of my whole family, we are happy to announce the engagement of my only son, Gu Jun Pyo, to his long-time girlfriend, Geum Jan Di." The whole room echoed with applause and cheers.
Yi Jeong watched Jun Pyo and Jandi as they stood on the stage, smiling and holding hands while thanking the applauding crowd. 'Finally.' He thought, happy that his best friend is getting the ending he had wanted from the very start. Although he knew for a fact that when it came to Jun Pyo, there would have been no other ending, no other option, rather than what is happening at that moment. Since that fateful day when Jun Pyo got his face stamped with ice cream, there had been no other ending but Jandi.
He turned his gaze to Ga Eul and just reveled for a moment on the happiness that was so transparent on her face. She was smiling so widely and clapping her hands in earnest. And if he wasn't mistaken, he thinks he can see moist forming at the corner of her eyes. 'She's such a softie.' He thought, and still a believer of soul mates, he hoped.
"You couldn't even dance if your life depended on it, Junpyo," Woobin teased. All seven of them are now seated together at a table. Dinner has been served and there were all talking about random things over desserts. The topic at hand was Junpyo's dancing skills or lack thereof.
"Well, there is nothing that I can't do once I set my mind to do it. And my feet are going to learn to dance even if they don't want to, before the wedding. Jandi made me promise to dance with her." Junpyo said.
"You're talking nonsense again, Junpyo. I said promise me you won't step on my feet and murder all my toenails." Jandi defended. Everybody else laughed at that.
"Well, Geum Jandi," Junpyo started, rising from his chair and offering his hand to Jandi, "I'll prove to you that your toenails are safe with me. Dance with me?"
"My, my, my, Jandi's really turning you into someone else, isn't she?" Jaekyung teased.
Jandi turned to smile at Jaekyung and then faced her fiancée and accepted his hand. The rest watched as Junpyo lead Jandi to the dance floor. When the other guests noticed the couple had started dancing, they started clapping and some grabbed their partners and started dancing as well.
"So Jihoo, I heard our cute couple has asked you to play for them at their wedding?" Jaekyung asked.
"More like demanded, but yeah, I guess I'll be playing for them, as my wedding present to them." Jihoo answered.
"Well, I have an early present for them." Jaekyung announced. "I planned an engagement trip slash vacation for them. With us." She added, smiling mischievously.
"We're coming with them? That's not even a gift, monkey." Woobin berated.
"Nobody asked you, Woobin. And who said you were coming?"
"Aww, don't be like that, monkey." Woobin said, rising from his seat and walking towards Jaekyung. "C'mon, let's just dance."
"I am not dancing with you."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Fine." Woobin said then turned to Ga Eul. "Ga Eul, may I…"
"Not a chance." Yi Jeong cut him. "Ga Eul, let's leave this two weirdoes alone." He added, offering his hand to her.
"Yah." Jaekyung and Woobin shouted at the same time.
Ga Eul laughed and joined in on Yi Jeong's joke. "I'd love to, sunbae." She placed her hand on Yi Jeong's and they both headed to the dance floor.
"Jihoo, would you like to dance?" Jaekyung asked.
"No chance, too. Let's go, monkey." And with the typical Korean guy hand-grab, Woobin took Jaekyung's hand and almost dragged her to the dance floor.
Jihoo who's left alone at the table just smiled at his bunch of weird friends. He looked at Junpyo and Jandi and thought back to their story. It still makes him wonder sometimes how they have managed to stay together even after so many things that had happened. He looked at Junpyo, who was smiling widely while looking down at Jandi. In all the years that he'd known his best friend, he would always look the happiest when he's looking at Jandi.
Jihoo then turned his gaze towards Jaekyung and Woobin, who are still not dancing, more like arguing, on the dance floor. Woobin kept trying to hold Jaekyung so they could start dancing but she kept on swatting his hands away and trying to leave him on the dance floor. 'What a pair of morons', he thought mischievously. Theirs is a serious case of 'the more you hate, the more you love' kind of story. It was obvious they have feelings for each other, feelings that have long crossed the borderline of friendship but still so vague that both of them can't seem to recognize it and both have therefore resolved to channel their energies into riling each other up and pressing each other's wrong buttons. Jihoo cracked a little smile and thought, 'these two have a long, long way to go.'
Finally, he looked at Yi Jeong and Ga Eul. These two are almost there. Happiness is almost within their reach but he understands that things are much more complicated now. Time and distance can change a lot of things. Being separated from each other for a long time was bound to complicate things in one way or another. He understands why Ga Eul feels the need to be wary of Yi Jeong now that he's back. If he didn't know his best friend and wasn't fully aware of how strongly Yi Jeong feels for Ga Eul, then and now, he also would have advised Ga Eul to be wary. But he knows that what the two needs is a second chance. And he's glad that Yi Jeong has set out his heart to get the both of them just that. He watched as Yi Jeong pulls Ga Eul closer, his eyes never leaving her face. 'Hmm, maybe their happy ending is closer than he thought?'
'I have a bunch of weirdoes as friends.' He thought to himself, breaking into a small smile at his personal joke but he also couldn't help but let out a sigh and then a shout of pain. "Oww." Somebody had just hit him on the head.
"Shoot. I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't see you. Ah, I mean I saw you but didn't think I would hit your head. I'm so sorry. I don't have the least bit of skill in gauging distances." It was a waitress holding a big round tray, who was now bowing and apologizing to Jihoo.
"I don't think you injured your head. Did I hit your head hard? Wait, let me just get some ice, sir." The girl turned around, causing her tray to collide with Jihoo's head for the second time.
"Aww." Jihoo cursed unexpectedly. The second hit harder than the first.
"Shit. I'm really sorry, sir." The girl finally put down the tray she was holding and hurriedly placed some ice from the water glass to the table napkin. "I'm a klutz you see. And it's always been a struggle for me to minimize any damage I might cause." The girl chatted while placing the napkin on Jihoo's reddening forehead.
Jihoo looked up at this girl who's now holding a napkin against his forehead and thought, 'what a strange talkative girl.'
"Those two are idiots." Yi Jeong joked, motioning to Woobin and Jaekyung, who seemed to be wrestling rather than dancing. Ga Eul laughed at that.
"Not so much as idiots but it's just silly, what they're doing." Ga Eul said.
"I know, right?" Yi Jeong added. He heard the song come to an end and had a hard time relinquishing his hold on Ga Eul. They pulled apart just as the next song started playing.
"Aww, I love this song." Ga Eul said, almost dreamily. Yi Jeong stared at her, appreciating the fact that she was able to retain a sense of innocence even after all these years. He tuned his ear, trying to guess what song was playing. Ah. Ga Eul will always be Ga Eul. And he has no objections to that at all.
"Moon river." They said in unison. And they both laughed.
"Can you still dance this song with me, Ga Eul-yang?" Yi Jeong asked, offering his hand to her for the second time.
"Sure, why not?" Ga Eul accepted.
Yi Jeong stepped closer to Ga Eul, taking her hand in his and placing her other hand on his shoulder. He then placed a hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. He breathed in Ga Eul's scent, almost on reflex.
"This is a nice song." Yi Jeong whispered, looking down at Ga Eul's face.
"It is, isn't it?" Ga Eul replied, raising her eyes to his. Their gazes locked and both seemed unable to look away.
Two drifters off to see to the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end
Just around the bend
My huckleberry friend
Moon river and me…
Yi Jeong took Ga Eul's hand and held it against his heart. He felt a shiver but at that moment he didn't know if it was him or Ga Eul. And before he could stop himself, he had already raised his other hand to slightly brush his knuckles against Ga Eul's cheek. He started pulling her closer to him until he felt the side of her head against his. His eyes closed on their own and he couldn't help but inhale the smell of her hair.
He felt his heart fill up. With happiness. With peace. With contentment. With love. All because of the girl he was holding at that moment. It was still a miracle to him how he was able to live without this. Without her. For all those years in Sweden. 'I love you, Ga Eul. I know this much.' He thought to himself, not having the courage yet to voice it out to her again.
"I've missed you, Ga Eul." He just went with the closest thing he could say at that moment. "I've missed you so much." He added, gathering Ga Eul closer to him still. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, his voice a little coarse, his hand squeezing Ga Eul's hand slightly. He didn't hear any reply from Ga Eul. But a few seconds later, he felt a soft pressure on his shoulder.
We're after the same rainbow's end
Just around the bend
My huckleberry friend
Moon river and me…