This is a fluffy one-shot, slight re-write that came to mind as I was watching the scene in the club where, essentially, Yi Jeong and Ga Eul's romance began. This was literally another brain dump type of story so that I could have something lighthearted I wrote before getting back to my other WIP stories.
Everything seemed so incredibly surreal since that afternoon when Chu Ga Eul had started to wander away from Geum Jan Di after reassuring her best friend that she was all right after being humiliated by Gong Soo Pyo. She had plopped herself down on a step, allowing the tears that had been held back by the barest hint of control had finally won the battle they had been waging against her control. The final sledgehammer to her emotions had been So Yi Jeong arriving and teasing her about being too old to sit on a step in public and crying. The sobs she had been barely managing to hold in started to escape her. Had it been anyone else, she probably would have found amusement in the look of terror that had slowly crossed over Yi Jeong's face as she had sobbed, especially as people glared at him because they simply assumed that the handsome man was responsible for her emotional breakdown. She had been barely aware of his pleas as he begged her to stop crying. He had finally put his arms around her and get her to rise before escorting her to the vehicle that had been waiting for him to return, even as he handed her a handkerchief to dry the slowing tears that still dripped onto her cheeks. She had heard him tell the driver to take them to an unfamiliar address. It was not until they had arrived that it was not unfamiliar, she simply had never heard it before, but she knew his pottery studio after the last time he had brought her there.
After telling her she would be stronger from this heartache, he had gotten a mischievous grin on that cute face of his before he proclaimed they had to go and she was swept away by him. He didn't reveal any of what he had in mind, only stating to trust him even as he took her shopping and gave her a makeover. She remembered peaking at him while being made up after seeing how different she looked from normal and being disappointed when he was not paying attention. Oh, how she would have loved to have seen his look moments later when he looked up and took in the transformation with awed appreciation. Once she was fully dressed with hair and makeup done, she was a vision in pink. As she looked down at herself, unable to recognize that it was actually her and not someone who simply looked similar, she missed the bob of Yi Jeong's throat as he swallowed hard. He had not anticipated the sudden rush of something filling his chest upon seeing her. It was not simply a matter of attraction either, which is what was troubling him at the moment. He had not felt this instant punch of whatever it was since Eun Jae.
Yi Jeong immediately straightened and got the black jacket she was going to wear to ward off the chill after giving her the affirmative that the dress was the right choice. He had to hide just how much seeing her dressed as she was affected him. What did not help is how silky the strands of her hair felt against his fingertips as he pulled the dark locks from beneath the coat he had just put around her. He simply offered a smile before leading her out of the boutique and towards his car before they were driving off towards the club he had discreetly discovered was where Gong Soo Pyo was currently holed up with the club's manager, who just happened to be the same woman that Jan Di and Ga Eul had seen with the cheating bastard earlier that day.
Upon arriving, after removing her jacket, Yi Jeong left Ga Eul to stand on the platform near the bar where Soo Pyo sat with his recent conquest. Yi Jeong slipped off to the back of the club near the DJ in order to make his entrance for full effect. It certainly did the trick as the entire crowd swooned and tittered about his entrance as he made his way across the dance floor before he found himself standing directly in front of the Soo Pyo and his girlfriend, or whoever she was to him.
"Excuse me..." he started with his gaze focused on the woman.
"Me? Yes, please tell me!" she asked, quickly shoving off Soo Pyo's arm. Yi Jeong inwardly smirked, though a part of him hated what had to come next, because he knew the sleaze would eventually see Ga Eul. However, it was a necessary step to help her see her independence and that she was better without him.
"Could I play a song?" Yi Jeong asked the woman. Her eyes brightened.
"Playing? Sure! Go up, please," she all but begged of him. Yi Jeong smiled, though it did sicken him a bit.
"Thank you," he said. While the woman was not unattractive, there was also something about her that left a bad taste in his throat, even as he offered a hand to her. She tried to play coy as she set her drink down and gingerly took his hand. He barely let his eyes brush over where Ga Eul stood before he was leading her down the steps and back across the dance floor to where the DJ stood. He left the girl off to the side, giving her a smile that made her swoon. It took everything for him to not roll his eyes or gag at her reactions before he turned and nodded to the DJ. It was the same club he and Woo Bin had come to take a look at during their investigation into Geum Jan Di's supposed infidelity, so the DJ knew him and had already prepared the saxophone he normally used so that Yi Jeong was comfortable using it, knowing that no one else had before him.
Slipping the saxophone around his neck, he surveyed the crowd before giving them all one of his heart-stopping smiles. Even his eyes dared to look towards Ga Eul, seeing immediately that Soo Pyo had already turned his attention to the woman. It did not sit well in Yi Jeong's gut, but he had a role to play and would ensure that this game played out exactly as he intended.
"There is someone here who has completely stolen my heart," he said to the crowd that awed in response. "I am going to play my heart for her." He began playing the song that he knew would leave all of the women in the crowd hoping that she was the one he was speaking of. His eyes fell shut as he began to play, letting the music wash over him. Occasionally he would open his eyes to check on Ga Eul, but it was not lost on him at the other women that were praying and wishing for his attentions. The moment he saw Soo Pyo walk over to Ga Eul, he had to stop himself from throwing the saxophone to the side and rushing over to jerk the piece of scum away from her.
They each had their roles.
Soon the song came to an end and he smiled at the crowd, slipping the saxophone off his neck. He handed it back to the DJ who bowed. He noticed the woman giving a coy look as she lowered her eyes and held her hand out, but Yi Jeong simply glanced at the hand before he ignored it and walked down the steps alone. Soo Pyo's voice carried to him as he crossed the distance between himself and where Soo Pyo stood talking to Ga Eul.
"Ga Eul, you came to see Oppa? You should have worn things like this earlier, I didn't recognize you," the sleazy man was all but oozing as he spoke to the woman. Yi Jeong was waiting for the man to make even a small attempt to lay a finger on her. "Shall we go out?"
"Ga Eul?" Yi Jeong said as he got level with them. He let his dark eyes rake over Soo Pyo coolly before looking at Ga Eul. "Do you know this person?" He watched Ga Eul lower her eyes a moment before meeting his. He gave her a small shake of the head, indicating how she should respond and it did not take her long to realize just what it was Yi Jeong was doing. Like the teacup he had shattered, indicating her heart, he was showing her that she was going to be stronger after all of this.
"No," she finally said, looking at Soo Pyo's face as she spoke. "I don't know this person."
"Ga Eul," Soo Pyo said, shock evident in his voice. He looked at Yi Jeong before looking at Ga Eul once more. "What is your relationship with this bastard?"
Yi Jeong simply smirked, his eyes lowering before he looked out over the crowd to speak. "The one who has stolen my heart and never returned it back," he said. "Is this lady right here." The women in the crowd immediately groaned in disappointment at the idea that the Casanova of the F4 was officially unattainable.
"Ga Eul," Yi Jeong said, drawing their attention again as he focused on Ga Eul's face. He raised his hand, palm outstretched to her. "Stop making me wait. Please?"
Soo Pyo shook his head. "Ga Eul..." He went to shove Yi Jeong's hand down, but Ga Eul took it. The moment her fingers touched his, Yi Jeong added a new addition to his plan into the mix to put the final nail in Soo Pyo's coffin.
Intending to step up to the woman before leading her off, Yi Jeong chose to draw her closer to him until she was pressed to his chest. His arms came around her and his head lowered until his lips brushed over hers. While the kiss was originally meant to only be a chaste brushing of lips, he knew he made a calculated error as lights exploded from the feel of her against him and his mouth immediately sealed against hers, his tongue slipping to brush against the seam of her lips. He felt her lips trembling and knew this had to be her first real kiss, but it seemed that instinct was taking over as her lips parted. Never one to give up the advantage he was being given, his tongue immediately found hers as he deepened the kiss slowly. It might have been meant to be a show, but he did not want either of their roles to be broken. Not to mention he had to show some restraint, because the moment his tongue tasted hers, he knew that his calculated error was worse than he thought.
The kiss was not long at all, but Yi Jeong had to admit that he wanted it to be. Had they been alone, he would have done much more than just simply kissed her, especially judging the amount of desire flowing through his veins from the taste of her. The scent of her had surrounded him as well, but once again he knew he needed to show restraint. It was especially true when he heard the amused chuckles of the men in the crowd and the chittering of jealous women. Ultimately the need for air is what had him lifting his head from Ga Eul's. It took a lot for him to not reclaim her lips when he saw how swollen they were from his own or how dark her eyes were from her blown pupils. Instead, he tucked her into his side and looked at Soo Pyo.
"You lost your chance with her the moment you played her," Yi Jeong told him. "Your loss is my gain and I don't take kindly to others trying to steal what is mine. So I will be straightforward with you. Stay away from Ga Eul." He did not give the other man even a moment to respond before he slipped his arm more firmly around Ga Eul's shoulders and led her out of the club.
The moment the pair were away from the crowd, he quickly grabbed her coat and slipped it around her before walking up the steps as she trailed along behind. Once they got to the street level and the fresh air hit his face, he was able to think a bit more clearly. When he turned to glance at Ga Eul, seeing her looking melancholy once more, his heart twisted. It was probably risky, but he was already walking to her before he could stop himself as he undid the cravat around his neck and looped it around hers as a scarf, pulling a lock of her dark hair loose. Smiling at her and offering his arm, he was amused at her hesitation before he took her hand and looped it through his.
"Although we are just acting, wouldn't it be better to act perfectly until the end?" he asked her, his tone light. Despite the pounding of his heart as he started to feel himself drown in the dark depths of her eyes, he was glad when she seemed to take his actions at face value before she offered a stunning smile and placed her free hand on his arm and they strolled off down the sidewalk, continuing to act out this romance he had fabricated even as he ignored the screaming of his heart to actually claim her and not just for the sake of letting her get revenge on Soo Pyo. In for a penny, in for a pound, it would appear.