A/N: Thank you for all the reviews:)

I've been procrastinating again… But anyways, hope this was still able to make someone's day:) Review responses are at the bottom of the chapter this time.

And because of something that happened recently to one of my classmates, I'd just like to say that whatever happens, remember that you aren't alone. Everyone's here to catch you if you fall so close your eyes, and fall bravely.

Enjoy~

(Ga Eul)

"What?" Ga Eul didn't miss the momentary horror that contorted his features, like he couldn't believe his words. Almost like he regretted it. Dense fog clouded her mind, rendering her incapable of coherent speech. Averting his piercing gaze, in the most literal sense of the word, she tried again to sort out her thinking.

Number 1. He's Song Woo Bin sunbae.

Number 2. He's a player, or a Don Juan.

Number 3.

Number 3.

Number 3. He has just asked me out.

Number 4. Impossible.

"Woo Bin sunbae? Are you even listening to yourself?" She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it.

"I mean… Look, I'm just your friend. Maybe these past few weeks made you confused about your feelings about me but – I don't know – I'm Ga Eul. You shouldn't be doing this – confessing, because it's wrong. You're a good friend to me, and that's it. I don't feel anything more than that—"

The words stuck in her throat as Woo Bin raised his unflinching dark eyes to her hesitant ones. "Are you sure? Nothing?"

A second ago, it was her that was unyielding, the brave one, the sure one. But now… The words confidence and certainty were scrawled across his features. Her fingers pinched the edges of her shirt nervously and she worked to keep the doubtfulness off her face. She was wavering.

"Yes. I feel nothing beyond friendship for you." The butterflies in her stomach and her flipping heart betrayed the sentence. In truth, the abrupt "Be my girlfriend?" stirred something within her. She didn't know what, but it was simply that. Something. Perhaps she had thought of him too long as a friend, and the idea of more was overwhelming.

Or maybe, you just can't forget Yi Jeong… A traitorous voice sounded inside her.

She tuned back to what Woo Bin was saying. Absently, she noted that he had let go off the controls on the hot air balloon. Maybe there was an autopilot option? "You're lying and you know that."

Ga Eul felt her ears turning red. Since when did he become a lie detector? "How do you know that?" Aggressively.

"Maybe because I'm not exactly blind. Your ears are crimson, as are your cheeks, and your fingers are about to tear the hem of your shirt. And your nostrils are flaring. Aren't those Ga Eul-ish signs of lying?"

Now her neck was growing hotter. "They are not! Why—"

Woo Bin cut her off impatiently. "Listen, Ga Eul. If I made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. Just… listen to this, okay?"

"Before, I always saw you as Yi Jeong's girl, and supposedly my good friend. The only female friend I ever had that actually respected my views and offered advice when I quarreled with my friend. It also helped that you weren't trying to get into my pants the whole time."

"Then, both of you kind of broke up, considering he didn't officially announce you as his girlfriend, and I comforted you at the porridge shop. I finally saw you that day. As Chu Ga Eul, not Yi Jeong's sort-of girlfriend, not Jan Di's best friend, not anyone's. Just you."

"I suppose that was what attracted me. You're the kind of blend-into-the-background sort of girl, not the glamour girl that females around me seem to be. So to cheer you up, I took you around on tours. If you must know, those dates were a novelty to me, a game. A game of how long it took for me to grow sick of the dates, the fun."

For the first time, she interrupted. "Of me."

"No. Trust me, never of you. I saw how much the regular dates meant to you, and the effort you seemed to put in in every one. I saw they made you happier. So on those days, I tried harder. To be myself around you, not what everyone expects me to be. And somewhere along the way, it just happened. I don't know how, or why, but I fell for you."

"So… today happened?"

"Yeah, because. Ga Eul-shii," He used the familiar form of address and that somewhat pulled her back to reality. "Do you want to reconsider my offer of being my girlfriend?"

"I understand if you're not ready. I wasn't exactly prepared myself, so tell me if you want to think about it. I don't mind, I really don't." His eyes sparkled with excitement. "But don't tell me you don't like me, because that's lying, and I don't appreciate it when I'm being lied to."

He meant it as a joke, but she took it as a warning.

Ga Eul opened her mouth, and then hesitating, she shut it. It was like an unbidden fantasy. She wondered what it would be like to start again. She knew that he wasn't like him. He was humorous if not witty, rash, caring, romantic and open. He was open because he had nothing to hide. He shared almost everything.

On the other hand, he was sarcastic, hurting, uncaring and guarded. So much that she wasn't sure which and when was the real him. But he was perfect. He felt correct. Because you still like him. She told herself no. But like always, she was indecisive. Because you still can't forget him. The voices pounded relentlessly. Because you hope that one day he'll be back with open arms. Because you still wish.

"Yes. Yes, I will. I'll be your girlfriend."

She felt herself being enfolded into Woo Bin's arms, and she breathed his heady scent in and relaxed. This moment was more than anything else she could have wanted, and yet it was still incorrect. The place was wrong, the time was wrong, the weather, even though it was bright and sunny, was wrong. Most of all, as she stared unseeingly past his shoulder, the unfamiliar shoulder, the person was wrong.

The butterflies, the heart gymnastics was not, she now realised, for Woo Bin. It was for the thought of finally leaving him, even though she knew that he had done that much more easily than her. In his gentle embrace, her heart thudded deceitfully. Not for the man within reach, but for the one beyond her fingertips on the other side of the world.

As Ga Eul willed her arms to push him away, she found they had turned to lead. She could not reject him. She didn't want him to feel the crushing disappointment she had once felt herself. The closeness that she had once expected to be pleasantly intoxicating was now painfully suffocating. Now, she was surer than ever. She felt for him simply, merely as a friend, nothing more.

The voices would not go away. Because you still like him.

(Yi Jeong)

Eun Jae laced her fingers through his as they strolled along a garden path. "Yi Jeong ah?"

"Yeah?"

"Just now, Jun Pyo mentioned someone. 'Ga…' You know who she is?"

He tensed up, his fingers tightening around her hand. "Why are you asking?"

She pulled away, frowning slightly. "That hurts. You didn't have to sound so hostile, I'm just curious."

Trying for an apologetic smile, he took her hand gently. "I'm sorry. No, I don't know who she is. Improvising wildly, he continued. "Woo Bin's friend or something." The girl that Woo Bin likes; that backstabber. There was a sour taste in his mouth. Maybe he had imagined it.

"Oh. Because I once had a student in my pottery class with the name Ga Eul, so I just thought of her." Tilting her head slightly, she remembered. "She was a very nice student, almost the same age as me, I think. And I was wondering why she would take up pottery when the rest of the students were middle-aged housewives wanting to learn something to pass time." She laughed lightly. "We got along really well."

Yi Jeong clenched his fist, only this time, he remembered to do it with his free hand, which he stuffed into his coat pocket. Surely that country bumpkin didn't mention my name to Eun Jae…

"She told me why she picked up pottery. It was to impress this guy she met. After a while, she got really good at it. Her only flaw was that she used too much strength to shape the clay. But you know what the interesting thing was?"

"What?" Stop it, Eun Jae. I really don't want to know.

"The description of the person she liked? It fit you exactly!" Another delighted laugh. "I actually thought it was you, but since you said you don't know her, then… I guess it's your doppelganger."

"Like me?" He spoke through clenched jaws.

"Yes, like you. She said he was very charming, with messy black hair and captivating dark brown eyes. He was a skilled potter and had long, nimble fingers. Oh, she said he was a player."

"So she learned pottery because of that person?"

"Mmm." Her lips stretched into a dreamy smile. "That's so sweet of her, wasn't it? It was quite obvious that she liked him a lot but she didn't dare to go after him bravely. Every time she saw him, he would be around girls far better than her, and she always felt inferior. Besides, he scared her sometimes."

I scare her? "He scared her?"

"She said his eyes were bottomless pits of ice, especially when he was with her. And he never told her anything about himself, or his family. She didn't know his favourite colour, his favourite food, or whether he had siblings. It was like there was a rift between them, an invisible wall he built to keep her away. She couldn't cross that line."

"And… and did your student tell you that person's name?"

"No, but she quitted class recently. I wonder if they got together already. It would be a shame if that person missed out on Ga Eul; she's too nice." She paused, contemplating. "Yi Jeong, if it were you, would you go out with her?"

His heart stopped. Would you go out with her? "Eun Jae," He snapped her name, his sigh coming out as an angry hiss, "Would you stop this? Honestly, I'm not interested in the private affairs of your student or your friend or whoever she is. So just leave it, will you?" In his agitation, he let her hand slide from his.

Eun Jae stopped. "Fine, if that's what you want. Besides," her voice took on a frosty tone, one that she had never adopted while talking to him, "even if you wanted, she wouldn't have accepted you. She's too good for you."

Bringing her shoulders up in a half-shrug, she continued. "Sometimes, even I don't understand you. One minute you're fine, and the next you just… lose it. I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

He felt his anger ebb away. "Eun Jae, I—"

She cut him off. "I just thought you should know."

As he watched her walk off into the distance, mindless fury took hold of him again; fury which caused him to swing a punch into the trunk of a tree. It wasn't at Eun Jae, or Ga Eul for that matter, it was simply him.

He wanted to call Eun Jae back, and tell her sorry. Tell her he was sorry they argued, sorry he lost his temper over a small matter. Apologise for being a moody bastard recently, for not giving her the attention she deserved. Most of all, he wanted to ask forgiveness for lying about Ga Eul.

But he couldn't. He didn't want to ruin the fragile trust that now hung between the both of them. The trust that was built upon his lies. Or maybe, he thought morosely as he turned towards the other direction, I'm just a pathetic coward.

(Jan Di)

She stared as Ga Eul dragged herself into the shop. "I'm back."

"I can see that. Care to say what's wrong?"

The girl took her apron from the hanger. "Woo Bin sunbae asked me to be his girlfriend and I agreed."

Apart from the ticking clock, there was a moment of silence as Jan Di chewed over her words. "So now you're his girlfriend?"

"Aren't you angry." It was a statement.

"I don't have the heart to be when I see you in this state. Your eyes are literally dead and you've worn your apron back to front." She wrestled the piece of clothing from her friend. "So sit down and tell me what happened."

Ga Eul put her head in her hands. "I don't know. I'm supposed to be happy, but I'm not. And don't tell anyone," sounding like a little kindergartner again, "but I think I still like Yi Jeong sunbae. I don't want to tell Woo Bin sunbae that. Because he'll be so upset."

She regarded her almost sadly. "You don't make yourself uncomfortable just to let others be happy, Ga Eul. If you feel you're dying inside, which you look like outside, then tell him."

"I can't… Jan Di, I just can't forget Yi Jeong sunbae. What to do? I tried, really I did, but I just… can't. You understand?" The last part came out as a broken whisper.

Reaching over, she gave her a little shake on her shoulders. "I understand. Sometimes it gets really hard, but you learn. You learn to deal with it, because that's the only way out. I understand, but you need to understand too. Life isn't just about this, okay?"

"Yeah." The smile was hollow. "I get it. Thanks, Jan Di. I'll try." Then the tears started flowing. Jan Di moved over to pull her into a hug.

"The tears won't stop. They won't!"

"It's okay." She patted her back. "It's okay. I'm here; just let them fall."

Oh gosh, I can't believe I wrote that chapter. I'm sorry if it made you feel depressed or anything, because it made me too. Trust me on this, I wasn't planning to go this way, but the story just pushed me along.

By the way, I'm sure no one checks my profile page, so I'm just putting it here. For Spanish readers, I gave Zurita Saotome permission to translate this fanfiction into Spanish so if you wish to, you can check out the translated version. But please remember that it's written by me!

Momo-yang: I'm sorry I made you wait so long, but here it is!

AnimeApprentice: I hope you find this as enchanting:)

Erza Fullbuster LOVE: She accepts him, but it isn't always happy for the both of them.

AdrianaTavarez: Yay I updated! And like I said, I think Ga Eul's in a lot of pain over this proposal.

Jenny Lie: Wow, 2 long reviews. Thank you for rating my story as fantastic and awesome :D I love you too for reviewing!

Satomika: Not a cliffhanger this time! We all have rough times, so I hope you've passed yours (as I have mine)! And sorry I wasn't able to complete this earlier to cheer you up.

chelita: Yup, I was… busy for really long.

angel0014: Thank you! But don't hate Yi Jeong… I think he's in pain too. Now this sounds weird, why would I be defending him?

MKyara: Yes I know! Like finally Woo Bin does it! I bet you've been waiting for forever:)

leeyuri41: Thank you! I'm glad you love the fanfiction and the way I shape Woo Bin's character:)

Andantecantabile: Happy ever after… I'll consider that maybe:)

Guest: No cliffhangers this time! Here's my update:)

Selenite Andromeda: Yes, I'll definitely continue. Thank you for making an effort to read this and I hope you improve in your English soon!

B12Gaby: Haha XD Well, I updated!

Patricia Bustos: I'm sorry but I don't think I can do this in Spanish:( I don't know Spanish at all but you can check out Zurita Saotome's profile page. I gave her permission to translate this entire thing into Spanish.

To end off this gloomy chapter, I have a quote for you to cheer you up!

Today you are you, and that is truer that true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.

-Dr Seuss

Don't forget that you're unique just the way you are:)