Chapter 2:

Notes: I just wanted to thank everyone who took time to read and review. Thank you for the favourites and followings, it's a major inspiration boost. Also, I appreciate your patience.

So, this chapter is not necessarily taking the story forward but more in lines to make up for the lack of Yi Jeong`s presence in the last chapter.

As I said in the first chapter, I am relatively new to this writing process, so I figure that it will take me quite some time to balance everything to resemble a flow much needed in story writing.

Pain was nothing new to Yi Jung. He had his fair share of that particular emotion from a very long early stages of his life. Between a philander father and suicidal mother- it was a rare feat that he has not gone insane. Yet.

Added to all this was the pressure of being the 'So' heir. Sometimes Yi Jung wondered what if he walked away from all of these, just like Il-Hyung did. Looking at his brother all happy and so wonderfully in love with Eun Jae, Yi Jung wondered if it was that simple to turn his back on everything and forge a new life.

Perhaps he could also follow that path, but there was one thing that held him. His only solace- his craft. Pottery. His gift and his curse.

Yi Jung`s happiness was limited to his pottery and then of course his friends. No, His brothers- the F4. Then he should have realised soon enough that even that would be taken away from him.

The arrival of Guem Jan Di into the life of F4 was nothing short of a flash flood of various emotions. If Yi Jung started to think of all those incidents, he might end up getting a whiplash. But somehow everything has cleared up now. He will never admit it out loud, but he could use less of the triangle drama between Jun Pyo- Jan Di- Ji Hoo or the quartet it turned to with the arrival of Jae Kyung. Aish. What a mess.

Then again F4 was his family. He could handle all these dramas if it meant that they invariably end up happy. And Guem Jan Di made Jun Pyo and Ji-Hoo happy like he had never seen before and made them better people too. So now her happiness mattered to Yi Jung.

Yi Jung knew what his next thoughts are going to lead him to. Or rather who its going to lead to. Lately all of his thought had a tendency to gravitate towards Chu Ga Eul- both consciously and sub-consciously. He knew that he wanted her in his life. That girl with her innocence, her naivety, her unsophisticated attitude, sometimes feisty sometimes soft. Everything about her drawed him to her. He had tried to ignore her, but he just couldn't.

If Yi Jung could categorize the pains and problems of his life. He could and it's a very neat list if he could say so himself;

Would be his parents. By extension his blood family. His grandfather could very well make a whole document on how to emotionally torture your own family.

The wrist problem. He was not even sure if he could excel at his craft anymore. That shattered him. But then he now has learned the lesson of regrets too

His regrets- regarding his brother, Eun Jae ... hell the way he has lived his whole life.

All of these. All of these did cause him grief but it could not equate to the now prominent pain which seem to have surfaced with Ga Eul`s withdrawal in that unfortunate day in Namsan Stairs. He thought that place with an abhorrence now.

'I wont trouble you from now on. 'Her words kept replaying itself in his mind like some broken record. He had wanted to shout, to yell and if he was honest to himself to beg her to not to give up on him. Yet. That she meant something to him. That for her, he was willing to mend his ways. To change.

If he was a romantic, he would have told her that even though his craft was his greatest passion for years, he gave it up in a slightest setback, but now that she has taught the lesson of regrets. He would work for his craft again. Not for him. But for her. Because now even his craft didn't hold half the appeal as she did. She was his single greatest muse now. That even pottery doesn't give him the happiness her mere presence does for him.

But he couldn't. He was frozen in that point in time where she chose to walk away from him.

How he had wanted to say all of this and more to her but what could he offer? His status? A girl like her could never be held with material things. He knew that he was not the man she deserves by any means. She believed in soulmates.

Yi Jung needed time to work on improving his craft and also to become a better human being. Until then he couldn't afford the luxury of loving her. It felt like an immensely selfish thing to ask her to wait for him while he undergoes therapy and classes in Sweden. It was not fair for her. And Yi Jung had always been unfair to her, that incident with his father… to think that she has not breathed a word of it to anyone. He was sure that even Jan Di or Woo bin caught the wind of it, he would have been buried alive.

He had acted foolishly, and still she forgave him. He really didn't deserve her.

All of these thoughts were going over and over in a loop in his head that he missed the question Woo Bin asked.

"What?" Yi Jung asked turning his attention to Woo bin.

"I asked – how you holding up?... Are you okay? We could leave, I am sure Hyung will understand." Woo Bin said.

"No. Its fine. I should be here. Its for my brother and my childhood friend."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Woo bin asked.

Yi Jung sighed as he answered," Me and Eun Jae. We were not meant to be. I have made my peace with it. So, has she. We also reached a closure of sorts. Besides, look at them." Yi Jung said indicating the couple on the dais, "they look so happy together. They deserve each other."

Woo bin nodded in understanding, "Well then let's all go and congratulate them. Shall we?" He asked rest of the gang and Jan Di.

"Yes. Look Ga Eul is already with the couple. Let's go!" Jan Di exclaimed excitedly.

Of course, Ga Eul would be here, Yi Jung thought. He shouldn't be overly surprised cause Eun Jae and her had some kind of friendship between them. Yi Jung was contemplating on how to approach Ga Eul again. Perhaps he could at least strive for her friendship.

Guem Jan Di abruptly stopped on her path and said "No way" under her breath.

Yi Jung was about to ask what was wrong, but they were near the engaged couple and Ga Eul. He couldn't quite see Ga Eul`s face due to this one guy who was standing in front of her.

Yi Jung was about to nudge then guy but Jan Di beat him to it and was suddenly at Ga Eul, `s side turning her attention to the guy saying 'Jae sun Sunbae! Long-time no see."

The guy was still staring at Ga Eul when he uttered something about being in military service and such. Yi Jung was more focused on Ga Eul now that he could finally see her. She looked flustered and she was also staring t this stranger. The way the stranger openly started at Ga eul made the blood in Yi Jung`s veins boil.

"So, you guys know each other?"

Yi Jung was gad Eun Jae asked this question because he was dying to know the answer himself but he couldn't trust himself to ask the question and maintain the politeness needed.

Ga Eul`s eyes widened to the question and she was engaged in some sort f silent conversation with the guy through her eyes. Then the guy nodded his head in affirmative and said," Ummm, me and Ga Eul...used to date each other."

"What?" Yi Jung couldn't stop himself from asking it. 'Who the hell was this guy?'