Thank you for the reviews. This chapter took a bit longer due to being busy at work and needing to get homework done. I also struggled a little with it, but things will start ramping up more as well (I hope). There are two links in the story (I hope) that show the image of Ga Eul's gown. I didn't link Jun Hee's gown (I didn't find a picture, I just described a gown), but I wanted an actual visual for Ga Eul's gown.
"How is Ga Eul holding up for today?" So Yi Jeong asked Gu Jun Pyo as he fastened one of the cufflinks of his tuxedo.
"Good question," Jun Pyo grumbled as he buttoned his shirt. "Noona took her after breakfast and I've not seen them since. I was told I wouldn't see her until she walked out for her debut officially as a Gu on Appa's arm."
"You act like that's a bad thing," Ji Hu said as he pulled his own shirt on. The four men had decided to all get dressed at the Gu mansion and had congregated in Jun Pyo's room to make it easier for those assisting them.
"What if Noona makes her look too grown-up?" Jun Pyo asked.
Woo Bin arched an eyebrow, glancing at Ji Hu and Yi Jeong before he looked at his cousin. "You realize Ga Eul is only a year away from being of majority, right?" he asked, amused.
"Yah," Jun Pyo said. "Who's side are you on?"
"Where have I heard that before," Woo Bin mumbled. "I'm on Ga Eul's side and frankly I don't want to be on the bad side of her side. Especially after she's proven how much of a spitfire she is over the past few weeks when we started hovering too much."
"I still have a bruise where she bit me," Ji Hu grumped.
Yi Jeong snorted. "You too, huh?"
Jun Pyo glowered at them. "Why did either of you get bitten by my yeodongsaeng?" he asked.
"You were there," Ji Hu reminded him. "You were the one that told me to grab her when she tried walking away."
"And you were the one that suggested I pin her with a leg when she tried to get up in the lounge another day," Yi Jeong said.
"Oh…" Jun Pyo said before turning to the mirror once more. "That's right. Would it make you feel better to know she's bitten me three times?"
Woo Bin snorted. "Am I the only one that hasn't been bitten?" he asked.
"Pretty sure that it is because you have two yeodongsaengs so you know how to avoid pissing them off and therefore getting bitten," Ji Hu said as he finished tucking his shirt in before adjusting the cuffs around his wrists.
"Don't worry," Woo Bin said. "I am sure that a time will come when she'll bite or hit me because I did something stupid to incite her wrath." He adjusted the collar of his shirt to start tying his tie.
"Why are the women in our life so violent?" Jun Pyo asked.
"The only way to keep you in line was for Jun Hee-noona to beat you," Yi Jeong pointed out with a grin. "Obviously it's in Ga Eul's blood."
"Yah!" Jun Pyo said, which only made Woo Bin and Ji Hu laugh. They looked over as a knock sounded and Il Hyun walked in, fully dressed. He arched a brow at the other four.
"I realize the four of you always strive to look your best, but I figured you'd be ready. Guests are already starting to arrive," he said.
"You know Bon Hyeong-samchon won't introduce Ga Eul until we've arrived," Woo Bin said with a grin.
"Still doesn't mean you should be overly late," Il Hyun said. He glanced at Yi Jeong. "Can we talk?"
Yi Jeong glanced at his brother, a soft frown forming. "Sure," he said. He grabbed the jacket of his tux, having just finished getting ready otherwise. He followed his brother to the hallway just outside of Jun Pyo's room. Once outside, Il Hyun turned to him.
"I…" the older man started but hesitated. He knew it was going to be a sensitive subject for his brother.
"Hyung, is this about Eun Jae?" Yi Jeong asked, his voice slightly rough. "I know you intended on inviting her tonight."
Il Hyun slowly nodded. "She's here," he said. "But I am also worried about…"
Yi Jeong reached up and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't," he said. "I won't lie, it'll probably hurt to see her, but the fact is… I never had a claim on her. As much as I thought initially, the fact is, I had too many demons and we were too different."
"Namdongsaeng, I know how much you cared about her," Il Hyun said.
"Of course I did, we were friends before I ever had feelings for her," Yi Jeong said. "But if Eun Jae had ever really wanted to be more than just friends with me, she would have pushed more. Would have found a way to get through to me. Not that I am saying everything was on her, but…"
"I know," Il Hyun said. "It's something I've admitted to her myself. For a long time, she said if you had tried more, but it takes two. You were younger than her by a year and had so much put onto your shoulders that you didn't know which way was up. I wasn't there to help when I walked away, which I'll always regret."
"You had your reasons and I don't blame you," Yi Jeong said.
"Maybe not, but I blame myself," Il Hyun said. "Especially the past few weeks, with our families coming back together and seeing the lengths that both Jun Pyo and Jun Hee-noona have been going through to show Ga Eul how much she is wanted in the family. I blame myself because I see how Woo Bin is with the twins, and I blame myself because I see how lonely you and Ji Hu both are at times, though you try to hide it behind your smile."
"How can I be lonely with everyone around me?" Yi Jeong tried to deflect with a smile.
Il Hyun smirked a bit. "Do you know I've always hated your smile?" He chuckled at Yi Jeong's startled look. "Your smile has gotten you out of so much trouble, it's gotten you your way so many times with the ladies, and it's gotten our parents and grandparents to fold to your whim so many times," he explained. "But I've seen so often how you hide behind it and use it to deflect the pain you feel so no one worries about you. You worry more about others worrying about you, that you forget that it's actually okay for those that care about you to want to help you. You hide it all behind that dimpled smile and you have since the moment you could understand the fights that abeoji and eomeoni had. Long before eomeoni started using either of us to try and get her way."
"Hyung..." Yi Jeong started.
"As your hyung, it's not fair of me to let you shoulder everything anymore," he said. "I've talked to harabeoji and halmeoni. I'm not returning to the family as the So heir, but I am going to be here more now so it isn't you handling everything. I don't have the skills you do to be the heir and I enjoy having my own cafe and my own path. But that path doesn't mean walking away from our family. But that includes me worrying about you, especially on a night you are going to be face to face with Eun Jae and your past."
"Perhaps I need to come face to face with her," Yi Jeong admitted. He offered a sad smile to his brother, allowing him to see the sadness and loneliness that Il Hyun said Yi Jeong kept hidden normally. He realized that his brother wasn't wrong. One of the many reasons he never was with the same woman for longer than a date or two, or only dated women that weren't interested in commitment, was due to his parents' tumultuous relationship and losing someone he thought he could love.
Thinking back on it, Eun Jae was a safe choice for him. She was someone he knew, someone he had already loved. But if he was honest with himself, Cha Eun Jae was to him as Min Seo Hyun was to Ji Hu. His eyes took on a slightly distant look as that full realization slammed into him. Ji Hu had returned from Paris, and once he had a chance to talk to him, Ji Hu admitted that much of his love for Seo Hyun was young love, the first person outside of the F4 he had in his life to push him to go beyond his limits. Unfortunately, she was also a woman who, now, knew so little about Ji Hu. However, he had listened to her when she had encouraged him to go after Jan Di even though Ji Hu's interest didn't really lie there. Jan Di was more of a younger replacement to Seo Hyun, but only as a woman that made him think beyond his limits and nothing when it came to emotion or attraction. He had told Yi Jeong the moment Ji Hu's lips had met Jan Di's that he had made a horrible mistake and not just because of Jun Pyo seeing them.
"Namdongsaeng?" Il Hyun broke into Yi Jeong's thoughts.
"Just realizing some things," Yi Jeong said, his gaze refocusing on his brother. "I won't lie. It'll sting to see her on your arm, but Cha Eun Jae was never mine to have, and honestly, we never would have worked. She was the first woman, outside of Jun Hee-noona and iHalmeoni/i to truly care about me. But she was never going to be my forever."
"Eomeoni loves you," Il Hyun said. Yi Jeong smiled sadly.
"Eomeoni does not understand love that isn't selfish or self-serving. Neither does Abeoji," he said. "To them, love is a weapon and a tool. It's something to use against someone to get their way. Perhaps if things were different, it wouldn't be for them, but from what we heard when we found out about Gu Shan Gi, it was never meant to be like that for our parents."
"Then we look to Song Lee Bin and Song Bon Ha to see that love that we deserve," Il Hyun said. "Considering our relation to them and your friendship with Woo Bin."
"Our friendship," Yi Jeong said. "You are included in that, you know?"
"Not at the same depth as you, namdongsaeng," Il Hyun said, his lips quirking up sadly.
"Not yet anyway," Woo Bin interrupted. The two So brothers looked over as the rest of the F4 emerged from Jun Pyo's room, all completely dressed for the night. Yi Jeong realized he still had not put on his tuxedo jacket. He swung it around and settled it around his muscular frame, completing his look as he buttoned it shut.
"Something we can discuss after the party," Yi Jeong said. He eyed his brother. "And we will." The statement had the rest of the F4 smiling knowingly. "For now, shall we head down to the festivities?"
Ga Eul's stomach felt like a thousand butterflies were slamming their wings against the walls of her abdomen as she twisted and tugged at her fingers nervously. Despite everything over the past few weeks, she suddenly felt very out of place dressed as she was, preparing to enter a party that was meant as a coming out to rich society as she was officially introduced as Gu Ga Eul and they would celebrate her return to her family. She had spent the entire day with her sister, being primped and pampered for that night. She ran a hand down the front of her gown, amazed at how she looked. It was a mermaid style gown that was off the shoulder with a deep V in the back, a deep, yet modest sweetheart neckline. The entire thing was covered in lace with small rhinestones peppered across the entire gown and it was a rich sapphire blue that complimented her skin tone very well.
Ga Eul's hair had been curled and swept up along one side to let the rest of her curls fall delicately over her left shoulder. She wore a pair of diamond and pearl earrings that Jun Hee had given her that morning, explaining they had been the same earrings their mother had worn the day she and Bon Hyeong had married. Tears had filled Ga Eul's eyes when she had received them, wishing once more she could have had the chance to meet their mother, but eternally thankful to finally know who the rest of her family was after so long of not knowing where she came from.
"Nervous?" Bon Hyeong asked Ga Eul as he walked over to her. She offered a small smile.
"A little," she admitted.
"No need," Bon Hyeong said as he took her hands, squeezing her fingers gently. "You look absolutely stunning."
"Thank you, Appa," Ga Eul said, blushing lightly. "I'm worried what everyone will think of me."
"In the end, all that matters is that you are loved by your friends and family," Jun Hee said as she walked over. She pressed a kiss to her sister's temple. "And we are all here to support you."
"She's right," Bon Hyeong said. "Downstairs are people you may never see again or you will only see in passing. Those that are down there include your brother, your cousin, the rest of the F4, and those who love you because you are you."
Ga Eul took a steadying breath before giving her father and sister a stronger smile. "Shall we go and greet them then?"
The fanfare of coming out in society was as opulent as a grand wedding it would appear. It was something that was both boring and awe-inducing, depending on who was throwing the festivities. Given the fact that the head of Shinhwa was throwing a grand affair to welcome his youngest daughter back and show her off, no expense was spared on the decor, the food, the drinks, or anything else needed for the party.
"Why is Geum Jan Di here?" Jun Pyo asked in a low voice.
"Because she attends Shinhwa," Ji Hu said. "However, I think she has properly dressed for the occasion thanks to Jun Hee-noona, despite knowing how tense things are between Ga Eul and Jan Di."
"Why would she come knowing that?" Jun Pyo asked, grabbing a flute of champagne, draining half of it. Seeing the girl still made him angry over her words to Ga Eul, even weeks later.
"Because despite what she said and attempting to apologize, she still considers herself Ga Eul's friend and wants to support her," Yi Jeong said grudgingly. "We all agreed that if their friendship is repaired, it'll be because it's what Ga Eul wants. She can't avoid Jan Di forever and the fact is, because of her admission to Shinhwa, she has every right to be in attendance since everyone from school was invited."
"I'd prefer Ga Eul-," Jun Pyo started.
"You can't dictate that," Woo Bin cut in. "You know that." Jun Pyo merely grumped, staring at the normally dowdy young woman, who was currently dressed in a long black dress, looking very out of place despite being made up similar to every other woman in attendance, though not nearly as gaudy as those such as the three idiots who thought they were better than Ga Eul. Their presence made Jun Pyo even more livid, as Ginger, in particular, had continued to be a thorn in Ga Eul's side at Shinhwa and she refused to let Jun Pyo or the other members of F4 handle them. He knew she needed to handle it herself, but it didn't make him any less irritated.
"Holy shit…" Il Hyun's soft declaration brought all of their attention to the balcony where Bon Hyeong now stood, but Jun Pyo immediately knew what had caused Il Hyun's reaction as he stared at his sisters behind his father, their fingers interlocked as they held hands. Jun Hee was radiant as she always was in a strapless red Grecian style gown that clung to her upper body and flowed out elegantly around her hips. Her long locks were slicked back slightly from her face that fell in soft waves down her back. She wore dangling ruby and diamond earrings along with a matching necklace. However, it was Ga Eul beside her that was beyond stunning.
"You know, I knew Ga Eul was a beautiful young woman the moment I saw her in Caledonia when I first met her, but I never imagined just how beautiful," Ji Hu admitted as he looked at the two Gu women side by side.
"Something tells me we are going to be fighting men off with sticks from now on, Jun Pyo," Woo Bin said as he stared at his cousins.
"I plan on breaking the arms and legs of any man that approaches her," Jun Pyo growled.
Il Hyun glanced over at his brother, who was remaining suspiciously silent at that moment. He watched Yi Jeong as he narrowed his gaze at Ji Hu and his statement before he pulled his dark eyes away and focused solely on the vision in sapphire blue that waited as she was introduced by her father. He saw Yi Jeong's throat work convulsively as she released Jun Hee's hand and reached for her father's and walked down the steps, a slender leg peeking out of the slit of her gown as she moved. Il Hyun had never seen his brother more captivated than he was at that moment, not even when he had looked at Eun Jae when he had first started to like her. It was something he was going to have to keep in mind and keep an eye on as time progressed.
Ever since he had met Ga Eul, even seeing his brother's reaction the morning after her attack and she had awoken from a nightmare, he had wondered at his brother's feelings. He could see that there was something special about her and the very real possibility was there that she could be the only woman who could love Yi Jeong the way he deserved while pushing him to be the best version of himself that he could be. Il Hyun already knew that Ga Eul didn't accept any of Yi Jeong's crap and pushed back when she thought he was being unreasonable or overly stubborn. There was a give and take already in their relationship that could eventually be more. If only Yi Jeong didn't run because he thought he was unworthy.
Ga Eul never knew that bone-weary exhaustion could be worse from a single event than healing from a traumatic one. However, she could officially say that she was even more exhausted after three hours of mingling, dancing, smiling, and talking than she was in the days after her attack and even in the first few days of starting at Shinhwa. She was proud that she had managed to even avoid Ginger, Sunny, and Miranda all night, despite every attempt that Ginger made to move in her direction to harass her. The other girl was getting angrier and angrier at the constant attention that Ga Eul was getting that evening. Did the twit forget that this was technically an entire party for Ga Eul?
"You look like you could use this," Woo Bin said, slipping an arm around his cousin's shoulders and pushing a glass of wine into her hand.
"What I could use is a moment to just be and breathe," Ga Eul admitted, leaning into Woo Bin's side, slipping her arm around his waist, and letting her head drop to his shoulder. She smiled softly at the rest of the F4 closing ranks, along with Il Hyun, Eun Jae, Jun Hee, and surprisingly, Jan Di, in order to give Ga Eul that moment of peace she needed.
"You look stunning tonight, by the way," Ji Hu said. Ga Eul smiled gently.
"Thank you, Sunbae," she said.
"How many men did you count, Jun Pyo, that you were ready to rip apart?" Il Hyun teased the taller man. Jun Pyo's only response was a low growl, which only made everyone laugh.
"Don't worry, Oppa. None of them was my type," Ga Eul said with a conspiratorial smile. "Except for maybe Park Sung Ho."
"Yah!" all four of the F4 members exclaimed over the name of the Shinhwa senior who was considered to be almost as handsome as the F4 were but held an arrogance even worse than Jun Pyo did. He also believed himself more of a playboy than Woo Bin and Yi Jeong combined and had a less than stellar reputation when it came to the ladies he dated.
Jun Hee laughed at her sister's expression and the boys' reaction. She shook her head, realizing how Ga Eul had the four young men wrapped around her fingers. It was something even Eun Jae noticed upon meeting Ga Eul and it was something Jan Di had started to see more and more at school and during the party.
Ga Eul couldn't help the peals of laughter that slipped past her lips at the F4's reactions, however, dodging away from Woo Bin when he poked her side with his finger, letting her brother wrap his arms around her, wiggling from his fingers dancing along her sides to tease her. Thankfully, Ji Hu plucked the wine glass from Ga Eul's fingers to avoid any of the wine from being spilled or the glass being dropped.
"That's it, I am locking you in your room until you are sixty," Jun Pyo finally said, tucking Ga Eul back against his chest, his arms firmly around her as his chin rested on top of her head. Before Ga Eul could make any comment after she laughed, an uneasy murmur made its way over to them. The group turned and stared at the group of people that had just arrived, including an older couple with a young woman approximately the age of the F4 who was most likely their daughter. With them was Kang Hee Soo.
"So sorry we are late," Kang Hee Soo said. "I hope we aren't too late for the festivities."
Links to Ga Eul's gown: /p/2kwHtEE & /p/2kwM9Py