Chapter one
"You've still got too much pressure on your wrist."
Ga Eul blinked for a moment and stood up when she recognized the voice.
"Yi Jeong sunbae!"
"Anyeong". They exchanged a slight smile.
"Who are you?" A little boy turned to look at Yi Jeong. "Are you saseongnim's boyfriend?" He asked.
"Ajushshi, by any chance have you just come from another country?" It was a girl with short hair and a pink apron.
"Oh! How did you know?" Yi Jeong questioned her back in answering.
"Then… could it be from Sweden..?"
"Kumaolashshi you are really amazing." . Yi Jeong smiled at the girl and she clapped her hands in excitement.
"Then you are him…. Uri saseongnim told that uri saseongnim's boyfriend is in there_"
"_Ae… you can't tell that to him….". Ga Eul who finally got into her senses immediately covered the girl's mouth and let out an embarrassed lough at Yi Jeong. She exchanged another smile with him before another girl in a purple apron grabbed his hand. She shook it wildly while asking: "Ajushshi, is it really uri saseongnim you first came to see?". Yi Jeong looked down at the girl and pecked his nose trying to hide his blush.
Ga Eul let out another uncomfortable lough. She did not notice his blush as she was busy trying to take off her own. "Seongmiya ,why would you ask such kind of questions?... Neh… neh ..come here" She tried to reach the girl while keeping the other's mouth covered. Yi Jeong was half blushing and half enjoying the drama.
"Ajushshi, "he paid his attention back to the little girl. Uri saseongnim told that if you would keep the promise then you are probably her sou_" she was cut off in mid sentence as the door slammed open by a woman in her early thirties.
"Ga Eulshshi, principle Choi is ….."she looked up from her papers and froze when she saw Yi Jeong. There for a moment the time stopped while the children Ga Eul and Yi Jeong started at the woman and she stared back at them. Especially at the very handsome stranger.
"I mean …I was going to say ...that….that…"
Yi Jeong chuckled and looked down shyly. But Ga Eul awaked her voice.
"Han jaeshshi , what about principle Choi?"
The woman clapped back into her senses."Principle Choi is holding a staff meeting." . The woman uttered in one breath and dragged Ga Eul out from the class. When she passed by Yi Jeong she greeted him numerous times as "Anyeongsaeyo…Anyeongsaeyo" and Yi couldn't help but chuckle at the older woman's over polite reactions.
At last when they were out of the class leaving Yi Jeong with the children, Han Jae let out a high pitched squeak.
"Say it! Is it him?"
"Boh?". Ga Eul gave an annoyed smirk.
"Ah! He's so handsome as if he has come from another star.!" Han Jae continued, "Ga Eul ra you should date him every single day or someone else would grab him away…" . Ga Eul was now more than annoyed enough to roll her eyes. she was very pleased to hear Mr Lee yelling at them asking why they were not attending the meeting yet. Han Jae hissed at him and again gave Ga Eul a tight hug. "GaEulra, I don't know what kind of good deed you have done in your past life."
On the other hand Yi Jeong was left in the googly eyes of Ga Eul's students without any warning nor any way to get out of their tacky questions. It was obvious that Yi Jeong was regretting calling Ga Eul 'tacky' , as then even the 'tackiest' won't be enough to describe her students.
"Ajushshi, are you going to take saseongnim for a date?" Yi looked at the girl who had cought his hand.
"Is it going to be….. the skating rink I guess?" the short haired girl winked at him.
"Ajushshi, how is your hand? Does it still hurt?" it was another girl wearing pigtails.
"Ajushshi, is it this one?"Seong Mi tugged from his hand.
"Anniyo, isn't it the right handa" a boy answered back.
Yi Jeong chuckled and gave his right hand to Seong Mi."its this one "he spoke for the first time after Ga Eul left the class. The little girl kept staring at his crown like ring for a moment.
"Omo! Ajushshi your ring is so beautiful!"
"Gumao." Yi Jeong smiled.
"Can I burrow it?"
"Boh?"he smirked.
A little boy tugged his jacket. "Ajushshi, why are you still wearing your jacket?"
"Neh! Take it off and take a seat." The short haired girl gestured at the chair in which Ga Eul was seated before. Yi Jeong obeyed them or more apparently he was forced to obey them.
"Ajushshi we'll prepare you some tea." another boy exclaimed and then he took some unlikely looking tea cups out. The girl wearing pigtails poured some hot water in it after washing them in the sink. Then they served the tea which was actually nothing more than hot water. Yi Jeong wasn't used to play with children though he was polite enough to accept their 'tea' and thank them in return.
"Ajushshi, it was us who made the cups!" the ever excited little Seong Mi exclaimed. Yi Jeong couldn't help but smirk, " I see …"He pretended to take another sip from his supposed 'tea'.
"Are they beautiful?"
"Neh" Yi Jeong answered.
" Uri saseongnim told that ajushshi is the greatest potter in the world!" the girl's unexpected compliment made him choke even in his act.
"Wae?..."the girl with the pigtails wore a worried look. "It isn't bitter as the tea ajushshi serves. Is it?"
"boh?"
"Uri saseongnim told that ajushshi serves bitter tea."
Yi Jeong was now a bit interested. "Kumaolashshi, what else your saseongnim has told you about me?"
"Uri saseongnim told that ajushshi has got a beautiful house filled with pots!" the girl exclaimed.
"Didn't saseongnim called it something like a….."
"A studio?" Yi Jeong completed.
"Neh!"the boy exclaimed.
"And uri saseongnim told that ajushshi has got a racing car!
"a racing car? Yi Jeong mimicked.
"Is it really the same as Woo Bin oppa's?"
"Hmm.." Yi Jeong nodded at the little girl.
"Aigooo….. doesn't ajushshi have another one? we've already been in Woo Bin hyungnim's"
"Boh?" Yi Jeong was genuinely surprised for that.
"Kumaolashshi " Yi Jeong turned back to the short haired kindergartner who was very resourceful. "How many times did Woo Bin oppa visited here?"
"About…. Twice or thrice."the girl answered and Yi Jeong recalled a conversation he had with Woo Bin when he was back in Sweden: "Don't worry buddy . Your Ga Eulyang is heavily guarded by a whole army and it is quite impossible even to reach her." Yi Jeong smirked at last understanding what his friend meant back then. He was brought back to his senses by a kindergartner who was holding a tray with a clump of clay on it with both of her hands as if she was offering a sacrifice for some kind of a god. "Ajushshi, will you do us the honor?"
Yi Jeong couldn't help but lough at her offer while accepting it with a nod.
When Ga Eul and Han had returned back to the class they found a little crowd of kindergartners gathered around an Yi Jeong who was vastly concentrated in a piece of molding clay on his hands. Han Jae, as for not having any sense about the calmness required for pottery clapped her hands and exclaimed: "WHAT ARE YOU LITTLE RASCALS STILL DOING IN HERE?ISN'T IT TIME FOR YOUR RECESS!"
It wasn't only the children who flinched to her scream though they were obedient enough to leave the room. Han Jae winked at Ga Eul at last giving them some space. Ga Eul and Yi Jeong exchanged an awkward smile before Yi Jeong straightened from his work and Ga Eul chose to clean the mess her students had made.
"So… it is recess?" Yi Jeong's eyes followed Ga Eul who was walking all over the room while gathering the things been thrown around.
"Neh."She answered.
"Would Ga Eulyang be allowed to go out?"
"Deh?"
"I mean for lunch?" they met each other's gaze.
"anniyo" it was almost an exclaim. "I mean …I am, but I've brought lunch from home."
"Arasso ,then I'll call my driver."
"Didn't sunbae_"
"_ I send him home with the luggages." Ga Eul nodded in realization and smiled to herself.
"Sunbae.."
"hmm?"
"If sunbae won't mind we could share mine." She looked at him with hesitance.
"Arasso." Yi Jeong grinned.
Ga Eul lead them both to a little open space behind the kindergarten. There was a wooden outdoor table accompanied by two benches under the shade of a Willow tree. They sat opposite to each other and Ga Eul offered him one of the compartments of her lunch box. He was given a pair of chopsticks and Ga Eul took another extra pair and the other compartment of her lunch box. They shared the content with each other while giggling and grinning. It was Yi Jeong who found a way to begin a conversation.
"Then this is where Ga Eulyang works?"
"Neh" she smiled looking at the distant building." It was the same kindergarten me and Jandiya went when we were young. It feels a lot homely to work in here." Yi Jeong grinned in response.
"Have I told sunbae how me and Jandi became friends?"
"Anniyo." He smirked.
"Jandiya saved me from the son of the kindergarten owner."
"Boh!" Yi Jeong exclaimed.
"He was a bully, he told me that l look like a cow with my pigtails!" she stabbed her rice ball.
"boh?"and Yi Jeong almost choked.
"Uri Jandiya.. sunbae, have you seen her kick?" she gave an imitating gesture with her fists.
"Ah! We found it very hard to forget that!"
"We?"
"F4" they both laughed.
"Neh ,"Ga Eul continued amidst the laughter "It was the first time she used it. ..Uri Jandiya… she was the wonder girl even before attending to the Shinhwa School."
"What about Ga Eulyang?" it was the firmness of his voice that made her come back to the present.
"I…. I wasn't to be much noticed." She forced a smile and looked down at her lunch box compartment. "…..won't even survive the kindergarten if not for Jandiya."
Yi Jeong couldn't help but notice the hints of inferiority in those words. So he became silent and allowed Ga Eul to continue if she wanted to do so.
"Sunbae… how is your hand now ?"she asked while tugging a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Better now." He smiled in response.
"And the studies back in Sweden ?"
"Not much interesting"he pursed his lips.
"Is it on child education Ga Eulyang took the degree?"
"eh?..neh, neh "she nodded and forced a smile. She was more than delighted to hear the sound of his phone ringing distracting them from the conversation.
"Give me a moment" he answered the phone.
"Ah! Woo Binah, …. Arasso"He grinned while hanging up the call.
"Ga Eulyang, will you be free on this evening? If so you could join us in our little surprise."
"Surprise?" Ga Eul wore a confused look.
"For the two 'dorks' of course."he smiled and Ga Eul joined with him.
"L would like to, but we are going out of Seoul to visit my aunty and uncle. " Ga Eul smiled in an apologetic way.
"Arasso ….then ," Yi Jeong stood up with a sigh, finishing his lunch. Ga Eul who had finished her own long before stood up after him."Geum Jandi will call you for sure. So Ga Eulyang would have to keep your phone in reach."
When Ga Eul came back to her class right in time the recess was ended, her students gathered around her.
"Did he leave already?" it was Han Jae and Ga Eul nodded in response.
"Saseongnim…" a confused Seong Mi tugged from her dress.
"Wae?..."Ga Eul bended down.
"Then…. Did ajushshi forget this?"
She handed over the ring. Ga Eul took it though she was taken aback as she knew that Yi Jeong was not the type to forget things not to mention that he never asked back for the scarf nor the handkerchief, yet a ring was much more worth than those pieces of clothing after all.
She was wondering about it even during the trip to Busan. In all the leisure time she had during the weekend that ring played around her fingers. She wasn't sure to wear it though she always kept it with her. As she had to attend school she returned back to Seoul before her parents.
She opened her purse to notice that she had to take the next stop as for the amount of cash she had with her. It was when she heard the sound of the drunken men she recalled the advice she was given. She walked pass through the noisy atmosphere without getting noticed. She hurried and headed towards home with a pounding heart. But her heart almost stopped when she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.
"What a cutie she is…" Ga Eul did not stopped to look back
"oh! Is she running away?" a lough followed.
"oi! Jagiya…..what's the hurry?" there was another two unfamiliar laughs. Ga Eul searched for her phone while taking steps as fast as she could. Just as she dialed the first number that came to her mind someone grabbed her wrist loosing her grip on the phone. "what's the hurry? Jagiya… don't you wanna spend some time with oppas?" Ga Eul slapped the man who was holding her wrist with hope to release herself, it was useless though. "let me go, Agh! Let me go..please let me go!" She was pleading and crying while the loughs continued. But as for the good deeds done in her past life some one was listening on the other side of the line.