Chapter two

The song of the ocean played while the sea breeze soothed the atmosphere. It was at a beach resort the F4 and Jandi chose to hold their gathering. Food was served and the glasses were filled. All were cheering for the newly engaged couple. Junpyo was baffling around and Jandi was swinging in between smiles and glares. Ji hoo was enjoying the sound of the waves while Yi Jeong and Woo Bin commented about everything around.

"When are you planning to have the wedding?"Yi Jeong asked.

"I was thinking…." Junpyo shifted in his chair. "How about a June wedding?" he uttered the last part with his infamous forefinger wiggling.

"NO WAY!"Jandi shook her head in disapproval. " I'll …. Have to finish my exams first!"

"Exams?" it was Woo Bin.

"Jandi has to repeat her third year." Ji hoo answered.

"Boh?" Yi Jeong smirked.

"Ae!... Forget about the exams! Haven't we waited long enough?" Junpyo shot a look.

"Gu Junpyo…" Jandi turned to face her fiancé "Do you have any idea what you are talking about?"

"You'll go through it .."his voice went a bit low "no matter what ."and he looked aside as if he did care about nothing.

"How am I suppose to go through it no matter what I'd do?"Jandi questioned back while nodding her head and Junpyo pretended to ignore her furthermore. Jandi, as for being slightly doped continued nonetheless. "Do you know how hard it is to pass the exams?... of course, how could you know? When all the greasy food has spoiled your brain!"

"What did you say?" Junpyo shot a glare at her.

"Whoah…. Junpyo…" it was Woo Bin and all in while Jihoo enjoyed the drama. Yi Jeong let out a smirk before having a sip from his wine. "Shall we hold a bet? Think how long this engagement would last?" he grinned.

"How about. …. A week?" Woo Bin bided.

"Aish..you guys! Is that how you congratulate? "Junpyo complained. And Yi Jeong Woo Bin and Ji hoo broke into laughter.

"How am l going to get through it no matter what?"Jandi kept on talking to herself while having weird facial expressions."Not even Ga Eul ra _"She was cut off by a kiss on the cheek."WILL YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF!" she again yelled at Junpyo. The other two laughed but Yi Jeong held his own.

"What about Ga Eulyang?"he pointed out.

"Eh?...deh?" Jandi looked like a deer caught in a trap. The question was buried by another few compliments and a lot more bickering, yet after the gathering ended Yi Jeong had a word with Jandi. He began with the formal congratulations and guided the way to the buried question.

"Ga Eul ra had to drop out from college"

"Wae?" Yi Jeong swallowed.

"After her abeojji lost his job it was hard for them… he was a different person, didn't take the job even if Junpyo offered it back…they had a small grocery store which covered her fees but it was leased after her huramoni fell ill."

Yi Jeong went all silent. He recollected the conversations they had once in a blue moon while he was back in Sweden. He remembered how excited she was when she asked about his studies.

"Yi Jeong sunbae… don't worry, Ga Eul ra ….. though she works as an assistant for now, is gathering her expenses for an external course."Jandi forced a smile.

Even two days after the said conversation he was disturbed. Yi Jeong was lost in thought. Though his hands touched the wet clay, his sight fixed on a distant nothingness. It was his vibrating phone which pulled him back to his senses.

Yi Jeong was used to avoid his calls as for his household affairs, he was indeed. How much he enjoyed the undisturbed life he had back in Sweden? Now that he is back in Korea, those days would be gone forever. He glared at his phone still vibrating on the table and let out a sigh before cleaning his hands and stopping the wheel. He was guessing the caller might address him as 'young master' though for his delight it wasn't from the one he expected. His lips twisted into a smile while he answered the call but as for the next unexpected it wasn't the usual 'youbusaeyo' that greeted him. It didn't take long for him to recognize the peril in which the caller hung up the call and made another for the person he knew that was the most resourceful in this kind of occasions. Then without any more hesitance he tossed the apron ,grabbed the keys and ran out of the studio.

"Agh! Let me go ! " Ga Eul tried her best to release herself. As the other men approached laughing like hyenas, the fear incresed resulting her to swing her bag across the face of the one who held her captive. The act made him let go her wrist and she ran away as fast as she could. But the heels she wore weren't made for such fast movement and as for the theory of everything going wrong, it broke. Her leg twisted and she tripped over landing on the ground.

"Ooh!...jagiya…. Are you hurt?" more laughs followed. She kicked away the shoes and gathered herself to stand up and run. As for the running, it ended with a blind wall as the dead end. She was cornered and she was alone.

"Wha…What do you want? Her voice was trembling and there was nothing more than more hysteric laughs in response. She tossed her belongings at them but nothing came much useful. After she was left with nothing more than fear one of them pulled off her coat and another pinned her to the wall. Though she dodged the kiss he intended to place on her lips it exposed her neck as a more vulnerable trace. Another two held her hands firm on to the wall so the other could enjoy his prey. She was helpless and left with nothing to do but yet again as for the good deeds done in her past life her predator didn't get to touch her dress's zip.

She first fell the two strong grips loosening which pinned her hands to the wall . And with a matter of seconds the predator was pulled off from her. Even in her blurred sight she could have recognized the two particular men with another few at their aid beating the five drunkards. If not for her brain was swelling from fear, she could have indeed. She collapsed to her knees and her fingers clutched the hardness of the street.

"Ga Eulyang, gwaen-chana?" The question was silly though the voice gave her piece of sanity. She looked up to see an Yi Jeong kneeled in front of her with an expression far beyond than a mere worry. More tears rolled on her cheeks. He wasn't wearing a coat to take off and put on her, but a shirt and a loosened waist coat over it. She didn't know when she started sobbing that loud nor when he pulled her to him self giving her a place to let go her worries.

"Young master, what should we do with these men?"

"Take them to the base . We might not be done with them yet." Woo Bin glared at the beaten men before he shifted his sight at the couple in embrace.

Yi Jeong did not leave her side not even when she was taken to the hospital and the doctor was examining her. It was when he was specifically asked to leave the room so the doctor could examine her in advance. Out of the room Woo Bin accompanied him and as soon as the door was opened he went back in not sparing time even to hear his comment. So he definitely didn't notice a Yoon Ji hoo walking around the corner of the corridor.

Ji hoo patted on Woo Bin. "What happened?" he asked in his usual calm voice.

"Some drunkards tried to do wrong with Ga Eulyang."

"How is she? " he shifted his attention to the doctor.

"Apart from a few bruises she's not harmed… physically. But she's in a bit mental shock."

"Where's Yi Jeong?"it was again Ji hoo.

Yi Jeong and Ga Eul was seated on the hospital bed besides each other.

"Gwaen-chana?" he asked for the tenth time. Ga Eul blankly stared at the the floor and Yi Jeong tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. She flinched a bit before noticing that swollen hand which touched her own.

"Yi Jeong sunbae…. Your hand…"

"Ah… it's nothing much." He ignored.

"Boh?" Ga Eul shot a look at him. "what do you mean it's nothing? Isn't it the most precious thing to sunbae?" she uttered in a rather firm and a loud voice.

Yi Jeong's lips twisted in to a smile seeing her out of the mental blizzard at least after the three long hours.

"This hand … would be like this even after a day's work" Ga Eul went all silent again.

"sunbae… sunbae told that it was healed."

"It is…. As far as it could be." He let out a smirk. " At least the pain has made my pottery better." They met each other's gaze. Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Yoon Ji hoo, what brought you here?" Yi Jeong exclaimed.

"Ga Eulyang's parents had called Jandi…." He shared a warm smile.

"Jandi?" Ga Eul wore a confused look.

"She was asked to check on you.."

"Geum Jandi...isn't she in Hokkaido with Junpyo?" Yi Jeong asked.

Ji hoo gave a nod " neh, but she's worried about Ga Eul."

A nurse knocked on the door and Yi Jeong went to settle the bill. Just when he was going out Woo Bin entered while giving him a nod.

"Ga Eulyang.. I've brought your things but…. " He hesitated."… but I didn't bring your coat."

"Ani!... Anniyo…. I don't want that!" Woo Bin regretted his words immediately. A silence followed and it was Ji hoo who uttered a word at the end.

"It wasn't only the pain…" Ga Eul looked up at him.

"That made him better….." he exchanged a look with Woo Bin who let out a small laugh before looking at a more confused Ga Eul.

"We held an F4 gathering eight months ago in Sweden… and that So Yi Jeong came late to that as well." It was Woo Bin

"Wae ?" Ga Eul whispered.

"Though he knew that his hand is not going to be as before,…." Woo Bin continued, "He was working his butt off…" he exchanged another grin with Ji hoo.

"Yi Jeong…. Knew that there was someone waiting for him to return as a great potter…." The ever smiling Ji hoo explained.

When Yi Jeong returned back, they patted him on his shoulder and left the room giving them some space. Yi Jeong forced a smile." Ga Eulyang, I'll drop you at your place."

The ride back home was mostly silent except for Yi Jeong's phone which rang non-stop. It made him park the car and as for his politeness, excuse himself for a moment before picking up the call.

"Young master…your mother has again….."

"What happened?"

"Please….. come as soon as possible…or else this time…. This time she'd probably…."

Yi Jeong hung up the call and shut his eyes as tight as possible as if not letting the tears leak away. It was just a word or two Ga Eul had heard yet it was enough for her to understand that something was wrong.

"Ga Eulyang…." Yi Jeong uttered in a husky voice without bothering to open his eyes. "Would you not mind_"

"_Anniyo I won't."

With that the engine roared and the car sped into the opposite direction.

After a ride about for an hour the car turned in to a parking lot. On the sign read 'Sung-won -roh mental Asylum'. Yi Jeong parked the car and spared a moment to look at Ga Eul, "stay in the car." . The order was firm and clear. Ga Eul nodded before he left. She waited for another hour before she chose to discard the order. As soon as she entered the asylum she was frightened to see all those people with peculiar behaviors staring at her. She went straight to the help desk and when she mentioned the name 'So' the nurse was taken aback and stared at her for a moment.

"So Yi Jeong….. is a friend of mine.." and the nurse kept staring at her for another minute before shooting a smile and told her the directions.

It wasn't much hard for her to find the way as just when she entered the directed corridor she saw an Yi Jeong dragging a taller young man by his collar out if a room with a pleading woman followed them.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU WOULD EVEN SHOW UP? Don't you have anything called shame?" Yi Jeong pinned the man to the wall.

"Yi Jeong ah.. let him explain…" the woman pleaded. Even from a distance Ga Eul recognized the woman as none other than ' Eun Jae saseongnim'.

"WHAT IS THERE TO EXPLAIN? ISN'T OMMA SUFFERING BECAUSE OF YOU?" Ga Eul had never seen such fury in Yi Jeong.

"Yi Jeong ah…. I couldn't_"

"_ I went after him all these years alone… it was only four years you had to do! " he said in a husky voice. "AREN'T YOU A CHID OF THEIR'S AS WELL?" He punched him on his face. Eun Jae who could not hold it any longer a parted the two brothers and slapped Yi Jeong on face.

"You don't know the whole story here…" With that she dragged the other man out from the scene. She slightly paused when passing by Ga Eul.

"Go ON ! TRY TO BLAME IT IN ME AGAIN ! CAN'T I AT LEAST HAVE A BIT OF SPACE FOR RECOVERY? AREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO LEFT ME WITH ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES?" Yi Jeong kept on yelling at them which made them move as fast as they could.

"Go AND ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM ! … YOU BUSTARD !" He let out a final scream before collapsing to the ground and break in to tears. Ga Eul came to him and knelt in front of him just the way he did a few hours ago. When she took both if his hands he looked up at her . It was then she saw the real child he was. Yi Jeong couldn't bare her eyes so he looked back at his own lap.

"Sunbae….." . He was trying to stop his own wailing; not infront of a girl he ever wanted to be such pathetic. His eyes shut tight and when Ga Eul leaned in it was only her breath he felt. He expected a bit of warmth on his cheek or perhaps on his lips but it was on his forehead that he felt….. So Yi Jeong must have been kissed on the cheeks for millions of times and on the lips for hundreds, but it was the first time he was kissed on the forehead. His eyes widened with amazement as he looked up at her. Ga Eul smiled in return " Sunbae…. Everything's going to be alright…" she forced another smile before wiping out his tears. And for the second time for that particular day he pulled her to himself this time for his own sanity. She was tearing and he was wailing, yet none of them noticed a surprised So Yoon Hee staring at them from a distance.