Chapter twenty six.

It was almost seven. The dark strips between window shades confirmed the night fall. Yi Jeong read his wrist watch before peeping out from the pile of documents that had build a fort on the front line of his desk. Mr. Lee and Mr. Min, two of the senior accountants and clerks at Woo Sung, were still engaged in preparing their budget for the upcoming fund raising project. Unless for them, the office was empty.

Few weeks after Il Hyun had left Korea, his Hurabeujji called Yi Jeong back to his residence. For a dinner—known formally—yet it ended as a business-orientated discussion.

Ga Eul was used to Head Master's cold neglecting nature, enough not to be worried, though she was glad that it didn't lead to a heated argument as before. After all, the recent events had worn both of them out— the Head Master and Young Master So— for another strike of verbal blades, that they kept their tongues sheathed in, peacefully, behind their lips.

Sure there was no other heir left to handover the Woo Sung by then, but So Yoon Hee was still not in the mood to completely forgive them. His unpleasant perspective on Ga Eul had retreated in to a more curious observation, in the meantime, holding the grip on his pride on standby. Therefore, he kept the rights to himself and assigned Yi Jeong as one of the administrators of the museum's clerical and accounting staff, taking him back to the family but demanding to cover the loss caused by his arrogant decision to break off his engagement with the Lee.

Not to say that his salary, barely enough to buy one of his own pieces of pottery, was not enough to cover his debts. Which made Yi Jeong ask back for his studio in order to hold an exhibition, and Head master gave it back, but without any of its staff. Not the cleaning nor the ones to look after the kiln. After all, Hurabeujji So was known for his creative punishments—the cleaning up the kiln—it was called among the F4.

Which left Yi Jeong with no other choice but the ' suggestion' of his dear wife, which was to clean the studio themselves. How much debate they had to go through before finalizing the decision? He did not know. The only thing that he knew was, that his wife had her own little ways when it came to make him follow her ideas. Even when it came to sending back three of their six maids at home, postponing the magazine talk and making him promise not to comment about what out fit she should wear to work, she had her ways of doing. May it be reasoning till the end or a silent treatment or a nicely cooked dinner, she had him agreed at the end. Yet for the tough ones, like persuading him to continue working at the museum, despite some annoying colleagues, in order to make up with his hurabeujji, and making him visit Madam So, every once a week, he had his 'skills and experiences' guiding her to higher rates. A night for his own preferences, and a morning with an embarrassed Ga Eulyang, still not used to being the wife of an ex-Casanova. Either one it was, he did not complain, or more likely enjoyed, especially the latter.

The accountant and the clerk had long paused their work to look up at the young man chuckling to himself. The pleasant grins, played on his face, unaware of his attentive surroundings, welcomed a chuckle on both of their elderly faces. A glimpse of the look they shared with each other had called the young day dreamer back to the present. Yet as for his cool nature, he stood up confident, without a trace of blush on his cheeks—at least not because of the public embarrassment—before he excused himself to leave.

The museum's office was at its west end. Which meant he would have to take a walk to the parking lot, through the galleries. Still with the chuckle on his face, unable to leave it behind, Yi Jeong took long steps towards the exit. Yet, way before the entrance, he found that familiar fragile figure staring at one of their exhibits, a vase from the early times of Joseon.

He took long light steps towards her, still with his grace, and went his arms around her waist embracing her.

"Missed me?" He whispered to her ear, and felt a shiver running down her body. Ga Eul gave a flinch and turned abruptly to face him. Her reaction stiffened his grin. She has gone pale, as if seeing a ghost.

She was trembling.

"Wae-gu-rae?" He became concerned.

"A-Anniyo..." she chuckled. "Sunbae, can we go home?" As she sensed that he was not ready to be satisfied from her response, "I-I'll tell you on the way, now, come! Gaja..." and dragged her still confused husband out from the museum.

He drove them out and parked the car, safely in front of a restaurant. "Wae-gu-Rae?" and asked again.

"It was Mr. Kim... that was his name right? That tall one with the square face and frightening grin?"

Yi Jeong smirked at her description, but nodded. He had known the man himself. A gloomy man in his late fifties, with exactly no sense of politeness, working at the museum ever since he was young. Even when he apologised, he had managed not to have any eye contact with anyone. Secretive and reserved, that was what he knew about him. He was the one who was in-charge of the museum's interior management and exhibit organizing—the one post Yi Jeong would have liked to have if he was to ever 'work' among its staff, but didn't, as punishments were not meant to enjoy—in -part. And in-part, as the man who already held the post, was too loyal and trusted by his hurabeujji.

"He bumped into me." Ga Eul said.

"And?"

"And held my hand in a creepy way. I first thought he was going to apologise... but then again, he grinned. I tried to snatch it away, but he held it firm, and finally let go when Soo Yeonshshi passed by..."

Yi Jeong remained silent. He himself had noticed the particular man staring at them more than once, during the museum's events. The grin he had on his face, when staring at Ga Eul was not something Yi Jeong approved, that he had to block his view by himself stepping on the line of his vision.

"Sunbae? Isn't it odd?" Ga Eul asked.

"Hmm." Yi Jeong nodded, still confused about the man's intentions.

"That was scary." Ga Eul gave another flinch, her childish expression allowed a chuckle on his face.

"So... aren't we going to the studio today?" he asked, more to divert her attention.

"Eh? Anniyo.. we have to!..." she answered, still shaken from the incident.

He reached to her hand and gave it a squeeze. "forget it now...we have better things to worry about..." and flashed a warm grin. " Like saving my collection from a savage Ga Eulyang..." and smiled.

Yi Jeong had once smirked at Gu Junpyo for laughing to himself, yet there he was now, doing the same thing himself. The mere thought of the evening before, had been able to crack So Yi Jeong into laughter. How he was dragged into the dusty studio and how he was enslaved to clean it up. Well, 'enslaved'—he called himself, as he was sure it was Ga Eul—the ' head maid'.

"Do you really need to climb up on that?" Yi Jeong held his disagreeing expression.

"Or do I look like a giraffe ?" Ga Eul snapped back, one foot on the cabinet jumping up and down trying to lift herself up. Last time, she had a bench dragged near, to serve as a step, yet back then, she did not have a husband whom she found to be completely useless when it came to matters about common sense.

"Sunbae, would you mind helping me up a bit? agh_" she grunted. And Yi Jeong took his hands out from his pockets, aiding her to climb up on the cabinet.

A couple of minutes later, as he kept commenting about his concerns over the bowls, the cabinets and lastly about Ga Eul, a filthy cloth was tossed at his face, "SSS! Don't just stand there! Bring the cleaning liquids palli!"

Yi Jeong shot a glare, one at the cloth and another at the girl who tossed it. Did he have nothing to do to get rid of this 'thing' happening around him? He obviously did not. At least he would have liked to be the one in charge—he thought, while heading to the back of the studio.

"Do we need the mop too?"

"Of course we do!"

With her eyes shouting out an 'unbelievable', Ga Eul had never thought she would have seen a mop being carried by two fingers.

"Yah! Sunbae, are you really the Yi Jeong sunbae who came to clean Jandi's house?"

"Mwo?" Yi Jeong looked up. " Ah... That was that one time, I thought of reconsidering our sixteen year friendship with Yoon Jihu."

Ga Eul chuckled, jumping off from the cabinet. Her stunts, only came to an end after few clashing sounds of porcelain filled the room. Something Yi Jeong credited Ga Eul, though he had his own part of contribution as well.

It first annoyed him a lot, his iconic bowl collection, with few bowls becoming shattered pieces of porcelain, every now and then grinning at him, like an overly irritating seven year old who recently had dropped few of their milk teeth. But then again, he chuckled reminiscing the scenes caused the lost of its teeth, the empty spaces now replaced with memories.

After they had their dinner from a restaurant they had visited many times by then when they were dating, Yi Jeong drove the car to his studio and parked it in its parking lot.

"Ga-ja?" He flashed another smile along with a peck on her cheek to comfort her.

Though it had almost caused a disaster—the cleaning mission in Yi Jeong's words—together, they had the studio cleaned up the evening before, and it was only placing his things and the pots and the vases back on their place, that was left to do.

Ga Eul got out from the car the minute she heard its trunk being opened, and accompanied Yi Jeong to the studio with a cardboard box on her hand carrying his tools and his apron. Yi Jeong had the box with his potter's wheel, which he kept on the ground while searching for the keys.

But as Yi Jeong guided them both inside, a surprise awaited them, turning his day after the incident of Ga Eul, from bad to worse.

Even before he switched on the lights, he knew who those two figures were, standing at the bar, entangled together. And he knew what sort of a thing they were doing. He stepped in front of Ga Eul before she saw anything and switched on the lights. Just as the light beams reached the far end of the room, the two engaged lovers separated themselves.

The woman, only few years older than Ga Eul herself, blinked at the new couple in the room, before she gave a confused look at So Hyun Sub. Still in his embrace, she received an assuring nod, as if greeting her Anyeong. With another look at the other couple— dismissive smile at Yi Jeong and Ga Eul—she left the studio.

Even after he had waved her off, So Hyun Sub stood still with no apparent thought to leave. He went to the sink and cleaned his lover's glass and looked up straight at Ga Eul, ignoring Yi Jeong.

"Jagi... would you mind a glass of wine?" he asked.

"Eh?" Ga Eul was still startled, after what had happened just before. But she chose to remain silent as Yi Jeong stepped forward placing the box at the table besides him.

"Wine?" He smirked. " Waeyo, abeoujji? Is there something to celebrate?"

"Your marriage there is..." he chuckled, joking the glare on him. "You haven't forgotten that already, have you?"

Yi Jeong kept glaring, his teeth gritting and his hands balling into a fist.

"So... was that what abeoujji was doing? Celebrating? Was it?"

"guarae..." Hyun sub smiled. "Though... I didn't have the luck to be with my real thing. From what I've heard, Adal, you gave a good fight on that didn't you?" Hyun Sub smirked. "Ga Eul? That was your name wasn't it dear?" he poured a glass of wine." I had the slightest of idea, that you might be the one for uri Yi Jeongah...when you..." He laughed reminiscing, "...poured that glass on his face..." and held out the glass of wine towards Ga Eul, completely ignoring the death glare Yi Jeong had on him.

Ga Eul gave a hesitant look on the outstretched hand and then at Yi Jeong, before she streched her own to accept what was offered. But just before her hand reached the glass, Yi Jeong slapped his hand, making his abeoujji lose the grip on it.

The glass flew across the pantry and crashed on the table, shattering into pieces.

Ga Eul let out a gasp, and Hyun Sub glared back at his son amazed for his rude behaviour. "You_"

"_abeoujji" Yi Jeong hissed, holding back his rage. "it is better... if abeoujji would leave now.." he said in a pretended calm voice.

Hyun sub sighed, and placed the other glass on the pantry top.

"Congratulations Ga Eulshshi...guerae... I will be taking my leave..." he bowed to Ga Eul and chuckled as he passed by Yi Jeong. " Adal, better not mess it up this time...no matter how much you want to be like me... remember," they met their eyes, " once... in a life time... it is..." and passed them both, heading to the exit.

"The real 'thing'? Is that what ...you call them? abeujjinim?"

His hand on the door, Hyun Sub paused.

"Won't it be better, if abeoujjinim would give them some respect?" Ga Eul turned around facing her confused father-in-law.

"And... once in a life time you told?" she smirked. "abeujjinim, does abeujjinim know why they are?"

Yi Jeong had now turned around as well, staring dumbfounded at his usually quiet wife who was now lecturing a Casanova older than himself. Chu Ga Eul, was lecturing So Hyun Sub, the Casanova, potter, and most of all, the father of So Yi Jeong himself.

"Abeujjinim, that real 'thing' of yours, it comes only once in a lifetime..." she glanced at her own dumbfounded husband and smiled lovingly. "Because once it comes, it would never let go..."

Ga Eul turned at her father-in-law, still with her warm smile. "Does abeujjinim remember someone? Someone who had not let go? Even after she was burned in the kiln in thirteen hundred degrees Celsius?" she chuckled, seeing how confused the man was. Not only him, but both of the men. Yi Jeong was confused too, how his usually polite wife had the strength to utter such sharp words. But then again, she was known to burst out in the least expected.

"Abeujjinim, better try to recall who she is, on your way back home..." she smiled. "guaerae" and bowed before turning around.

"Oh! And, Yi Jeong sunbae... is not like you. Abeujjinim better, keep that in mind." With that, she headed towards the store room.

Hyun Sub chuckled. " Dadl, if there's someone who is different... then it is you... and only...you".

Ga Eul paused. But by the time she had turned around, Hyun Sub had already left the room.

Yi Jeong stood there motionless, staring at the shattered pieces of the glass.

"Aish! Sunbae... we'll have to clean that won't we?" Ga Eul placed the box on the table and left to the back of the studio to get the mop.

"Ga Eul." Yi Jeong whispered, still his stare on ground.

"Hm?" Ga Eul had a happy tone as if nothing had happened. She turned to her husband.

Yi Jeong pulled her to himself and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Sunbae, waeyo?" Ga Eul giggled, when he released his embrace.

Saranghaeyo...

His heart screamed. But instead spelling it out, he chose to crash his lips on hers.

...

...

...

Sunlight crept over the armrest into Ga Eul's face, tickling her eyes with orange patterns. Ga Eul yawned, waking up, and tried to pull herself up to a sitting position. But an arm held her in place, firmly, with strength.

"It has been a long night... can we?..." and he pulled her closer... " for a little bit longer?..." Yi Jeong whispered, still not bothering to open his eyes.

He was right. It has been a long night. Ga Eul felt exhausted... and sore, in some certain places. The thought turned her red. And suddenly, as if noticing, Yi Jeong grinned.

"Waeyo?"

"Ani..."Ga Eul shook her head, sure that he felt it, though he didn't see it. A space enough to slip a single strand of hair that was, between their faces, letting them to breath the other's breath.

It was tight there, trapped between Yi Jeong and the back pillows of the sofa, that Ga Eul tried to move, to shift and turn around.

"Don't move..." he tightened his clasp around her waist. " or you are not going to push me off from the sofa, are you?..." and chuckled, giving a peck on her lips.

They had come to the studio, the night before. But after the surprise visit from So Hyun Sub, things turned into something else, that they had to spent the night in there.

Ga Eul had a peek over Yi Jeong, to have a look around their surroundings. The doors were still wide open, as the widows at the side walls lighted the room. The armchairs stayed still, along with the carpet and the little coffee table, the cupboard and the mini pantry at the left. They were in the rest room, at the back end of the studio. On its sofa, cuddled up against each other, under a white blanket.

"Blan-ket?..." Ga Eul whispered.

Ga Eul remembered she giving a lecture to her father-in-law and then after, Yi Jeong kissing her as his way of showing gratitude. Only that it deepened and they started making love in the studio. Once, twice, and then again and again. Until they somehow ended up on the sofa in the rest room, naked, and exhausted. But she did not have any memory of a blanket.

"Cozy isn't?" Yi Jeong murmured, smiling and cuddling her more towards him. "I took it out from the cupboard... you seemed shivering from cold..."

Ga Eul smiled.

But then it hit her.

"Sunbae, does that mean... did you wake up first?" Yi Jeong nodded, finally opening up his eyes, his sleepiness drifting into a clueless expression.

"Waeyo?"

"Ani... then why isn't sunbae_"

' still not dressed up? '

She again turned red, giving him a glimpse of her thought.

"Jagiya, you aren't embarrassed are you?" He chuckled. A glint of mischief played in his eyes. "Haven't we seen each other enough times by now, to know everything that is there to know?"

Her cheeks darkened. "I.. I.. wasn't _I mean" her words stammered.

Yi Jeong, now fully awake, stared at her, amused, with the slightest smirk twisting his lips.

"What if someone had seen us?!" Ga Eul blurted out, at last.

"ssss..." Yi Jeong streched a bit. "didn't think about that before..." he plastered a thoughtful face. "What if then..." and grinned, "if hurabeujji had seen us?"

Ga Eul's eyes widened. "M-Mwo?" And her cheeks burned red.

"He should have killed us both..." he pretended to sigh in relief. "This is his sacred studio after all...the fact that we are still alive... means that he hadn't seen us last night..."

Ga Eul' face had its expressions shifting fast. First horrified, then confused, relieved, embarrassed and then at last, realisation.

Yi Jeong broke into laughter, barely managing to remain on the sofa after receiving a vengeful punch. "Arasso Arasso... mianhae..." he giggled receiving another.

"Don't talk to me again! You li_"

"Mianhae!" Yi Jeong giggled even more.

"Jagiya!...Ga Eul!_"

"_He would have hated me! Even more! Do you know how much I_"

"_Arasso Arasso... It was a lie."

He caught her wrist and again broke into laughter, seeing her life threatening expression.

"I promise I would never lie about something like that... not ever again .. mianhae.." he chuckled. "Guareado...that expression of yours back then... that was priceless!"

Ga Eul glared.

"Aish!you_" and hit him hard before turning around to hide her face.

"Jagiya... mianhae..."

"Don't talk to me!"

"Ga Eulah?..."

"Don't touch me!"

"Jagi.."

"Get away from me!"

She made him beg for forgiveness for a good half an hour before finally letting him touch her, and for another half an hour before she turned around and cuddled into him, still burying her face, hiding it, out of his sight.

Few more minutes passed. she awakes her voice.

"Sunbae?"

"Hm?"

"Why does hurabeujji hate me that much?"

Yi Jeong kept silent, instead of answering right away.

"Hurabeujji..." he hesitated "his past bothers him... I think..."

"Hurabeujji's past?" Ga Eul looked up.

"hm.." Yi Jeong nodded. "Not sure if it is really hate...more like, suspense... I guess... Though, his suspicions had made him pay, long before..."

Ga Eul retreated back to her cosy position, "Sunbae, Would he believe in us, even if we..." she trailed off.

Yi Jeong waited.

"Mwo?"

No answer.

"Mwo? Even if we?"

"Ani... nothing..."

She again closed her eyes, returning back to her cosy sleep, being glad that it was a Saturday.

–to be continued.