A/N :
The following three chapters will be a bit heartbreaking and depressing. Forgive me, I can't skip them. That's why I am uploading these two chapters at once, so this times could be passed soon :)
Chapter sixteen.
One month later...
It was a month with a lot of ... changes. For Geum Jandi and Gu Junpyo it was one of the happiest of all times, but for some, it was the hardest .. life had taken drastic turns that passed month. Now, Junpyo and Jandi had got married at last after all the ups and downs, and Song Woo Bin had finally admitted that he is officially dating monkey- Ani, Jaegyeong unnie – how much that constant addressing had carved into their minds?... That thought made Ga Eul chuckle.
Though they never discussed in person, they were much concerned about Jihoo then- how he would accept everything and how he would move on with the fact of Geum Jandi getting married. It appeared that the clumsy nurse had done some good for him, in which case Ga Eul was credited though she never accepted it. She believed it was fate that made them to meet and after all it was fate that made him to come to that porridge shop in search for Jandi, and it was more than just fate to find her at the street...
Why was she thinking all of that ?
She had turned away, so her eyes could avoid him... or was it the sight of him being with another girl that she can not bare?
She shook her head to chase that thought away, despite the fact that act could make her appear weird in front of all the high class guests present at the wedding reception of Shinhwa's new CEO.
She put an apologetic smile at the guests near who were staring at her sudden reaction. And looked down in a way to avoid their eye contact as well.
But once she looked up, there he was standing across the hall, right in front of her with an arm around the other girl.
She found herself staring at them.
So Yi Jeong had brought his fiancé to the party. Yes, that was the type of girl who would be his wife, the elegant, poised and a descendant of wealthier family.
It was crazy for her to imagine a country pumpkin at the place of that graceful model. After that fateful night, after they were asked to stop their relationship by none other than her own father, the news spread wide, that So Yi Jeong, the reputed Casanova had finally made to settle down and has become engaged.
She felt the ground spinning around her once she first saw that news on TV at the porridge shop, and managed to avoid him ever since then.
But again there she was, standing and tearing and staring at them.
It wasn't his fault.. it wasn't his fault Head master.. ani.. that person had probably forced him to.. but why he would have accepted... ani why he shouldn't have...
She chased away that thought again...
After all it was her family who rejected him... and what was she expecting? Him to waite till they approve? Why should he ? When there are all these girls lined up waiting to be his wife ani.. he had the museum to take care of... he was to become the head of the So family...
There were millions of reasons flooding to her mind, for why he should be the way that he is, now, in front of her eyes..
Yet amongst all of them,
But we are soulmates...
Why was she still believing in those soulmates in the first place?
There had happened enough incidents to prove her wrong.
She blinked her eyes to normalize her blurred vision.
And found him looking at her eyes.
His fiancé was chatting with one of the guests, her arm entangled in his. But he was staring at her, straight through all the guests at her eyes.
She looked away, again to distract herself. Her cheeks were burning and her vision was again blurring with tears.
She looked at the buffet and headed towards it for more distractions, though she was not hungry or in a mood to eat.
So she filled a glass of orange juice for herself, and headed towards her previous spot at a corner of the hall, slightly glancing at the man, to see whether he was still watching.
But he was not there.
Ga Eul turned her head scanning through the hall, but he was nowhere to be seen.
" Omo! My dress ! In what sense you were ha? "
She looked at the girl she had bumped into. Probably some old student back from Shinhwa.
" Bianae." Ga Eul bowed instinctively.
" Apologize? Do you know how much this dress worth ?" the girl pushed her away causing her to drop the glass. The crowd distanced with a gasp.
" bianae.. bianae... " she apologised even more and instinctively knelt down to pick the broken pieces.
" ah !" and a glass cut her hand.
" mwo.." the girl smirked, " how stupid? " she scoffed.
"Ga Eul ra.." the crowd again aparted to make way to the new bride. Jandi took her bleeding hand and glared up at the mean girl.
"Ga Eul ra... let go of it " and pulled the bloody hand to drop the piece of glass.
Ga Eul who came back to her senses glanced at the people around her, who were staring down at her. And stood abruptly.
" I... I n-need some space.. " and shot a final smile at Jandi before running out from the crowd.
Out in the garden, which was not much warm nor illuminated as the hall back where the party was held, Ga Eul found a bench at a fare distance from the busy guests, and broke into tears.
She could not cried at the porridge shop and confuse the customers while worrying the master.
She could not have cried at the kindergarten, without being questioned by Han Jae or her students.
She could not have cried at Madam So, as she had probably knew it was Yi Jeong that was referred to as her boyfriend, and that she goes hysteric whenever reminded of her son following his father.
And,
She could not have cried at home, as she didn't want her parents to worry about her more, as they were already too worried about her workaholic behaviour and it would only increase their hate towards the person she loved.
She was letting it all out, in loud sobs.
"doesn't it feel cold out here?" a coat was dropped onto her shoulders, silencing her sobs.
"Sunbae..." it depreciated in to hiccups and sniffing.
Yi Jeong came around the bench to stand in front of her.
" Your hand.." he senselessly reached for the wounded hand.
" Ani.. its nothing..." He caught it, though Ga Eul tried to jerk it free.
" Stay still.." He murmured, before starting to lick her palm.
" Sunbae.. " Ga Eul sounded alarmed and watched side ways with fright. Her cheeks burned red and an electric shock went down her spine. She was not used to those kinds of acts. Even the days they were dating, their physical contacts never exceeded the limits of a kiss, maybe a French kiss, but not more than that. But this, felt more, alarming and wrong, when especially he was engaged.
" She's not around here..." Yi Jeong uttered calmly, before lifting himself up to face her.
"Who? Your fiancé ?" Ga Eul was blushing for the unexpected act, but managed to add some hints of hate to her tone.
" Are you Jealous?" Yi Jeong smirked amidst the licking, and smiled at her glare before taking out his handkerchief to bandage it.
As his grip held tight, Ga Eul had no choice but to let him do whatever he did.
"Arasso ." he looked up with a smile, contented about his first aid skills and chuckled at Ga Eul's glare.
"Ga Eulyang, can't we at least remain as friends?" she was shot another glare. "Does friends do these kinds of things for each other?"
"Mwo?.. this?" Yi Jeong pointed at her handkerchief- bandaged hand. " Hyung ... did it once for me... of course, when I was little..."
Oh that Hyung.. ? The one who abondoned you...
Ga Eul looked at him while he silently stared down at the ground, his figure bent, his elbows supporting his weight while resting on his knees, and his fingers entwined together. Seated besides her on the bench in the darkness, the ever shining So Yi Jeong, looked like a child lost in street.
If not for that smile though.
Or maybe he was crying too, underneath that mask.
Sunbae... do you feel lonely?
The thought struck her mind.
"Mwo?" Yi Jeong chuckled looking at her.
"Mwo?" she questioned back, glaring at his smiling face.
"What was Ga Eulyang, thinking?" he asked genuinely curious.
"Nothing.." she looked away.
...
...
...
After a long silence she again spoke out.
"Sunbae... waeyo?" Yi Jeong gave his attention back to her.
"Mwo?"
"Why did Sunbae.. remained silent, back when appa..." she trailed off back again, letting the distant chatting fill the silence.
" I don't know...maybe I was scared..." he smirked and went silent again, at the end standing up. " The only thing I know... is that, he would be one of the luckiest people... the one out there...who is Ga Eulyang's soulmate..."
It was then Ga Eul's chance to smirk.
" Soulmates ?... sunbae... I don't believe in them anymore..."
She stood up and left, leaving the coat alone on the bench.
Ga Eulyang... do not believe in soulmates anymore?...
Those words stabbed hard on him. He immediately stopped, and turned around, but it was only a shadow of a girl running to the night he saw.
He remained detached for the followed weeks, even on the valentine's day, hanging up his fiancé's call for the hundredth time and silencing his phone, before tossing it away.
He dipped his hands again and switched on the wheel, allowing the soft touch of clay to distract him from the thought;
' why did I remain silent ?...'
...
...
...
"So Yi Jeong, ... it appears.. we have got some serious matters to discuss..."
Ga Eul's appa looked weary, heartbroken, angry and sad, accompanied by her omma who sat staring at the offensive papers lied on the table, silent and shocked.
Yi Jeong and Ga Eul were frozen on their ground.
" First... take a seat.. " he gestured at the two cushions in front of him with a sigh.
"These..." the older man started still unable to think a proper way to start the conversation. " These.. were left in our mailbox... and..." he trailed off, letting a silence to follow, rubbing his temples to ease the tension.
After a considerable time he looked up opening his eyes and looked straight into Yi Jeong completely ignoring Ga Eul.
"Is- is-this y-you ?" his voice was failing his pride.
Yi Jeong looked down at his lap unable to stand his eyes.
The father nodded his head in realisation. " So... is this who So Yi Jeong is?" he smirked. " after all... they say .. an apple don't fall far away from its tree... no wonder your omma.. has_"
"_ appa!" Ga Eul interrupted. " Yi Jeong sunbae is not_"
"_ I am asking from him ! Not you.."
" but appa... " Ga Eul pleaded.
"Is this you ?is this the same So Yi Jeong, whom my daughter calls Sunbae?.."
And Yi Jeong just remained silent.
"Then... I shall take it as an Yes..." Ga Eul's appa closed his eyes tightly and nodded.
"Ani Yi Jeong sunbae is not like th_"
"_ go to your room Ga Eul!" Mr. Chu roared.
" Dadl... listen to your appa..." and her omma pleaded, standing up from her seat and pulling Ga Eul to her feet and then to her room.
"Appa.. please listen..."
Once she was away, Mr. Chu again looked at Yi Jeong,
"And you should probably go back home... and..." he let out a sigh, " it's better if these things would end up from here..." and struggled back to his feet, before dragging his leg with him to his room.
And there, Yi Jeong was left dumbfounded while his past teased him, lying in front of his eyes.
He regretted it though he had nothing to do with it now. Yet deep inside he pleaded,
Ga Eulyang... please don't let go of the soulmates... not because of me...
And he sweared to himself that he would do whatever he had to, to make her believe in them again.