Author's notes: Okay, I have to admit - I started this new document on a spur of a moment. I'm not even sure if I would persevere to the end with this new idea. Either way, I was reading English Fics on the SoEul couple from the TV show Boys Over Flowers [Korean Version] and thought, perhaps I should try my hands in writing something on the couple. I had my fair share of dabbling in the ship with the Chinese language but I have never tried writing it in English before.
Summary: [AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4, how would that affect the entire story flow in the Boys over Flowers universe?
Title: Secret of the Autumn
Chapter 3 - Trip to New Caledonia, Part 3
On day 3 of the New Caledonia trip, Chu Ga Eul woke up to the feeling of pressure on her bladder. A quick look at the timing reflected on her mobile device informed her that she had woken up at least a good hour before her usual waking time. Deciding that she might as well get a head start this morning, Chu Ga Eul opted to stay awake after she visited the toilet facility instead of heading back to bed. Especially since she had already overslept yesterday, she thought it best not to have a repeat of yesterday's event.
Recalling her previous resolutions to take some pictures of the beautiful water view from the balcony of her room which she has yet to do so, due to her having overslept the previous day… Chu Ga Eul supposed she might as well do it today before the idea slipped from her mind as the day progresses. And so, after a quick round of stretching exercise to loosen up her muscles as well as the completion of her morning routines in the bathroom… Chu Ga Eul took the Nikon camera from the desk it was sitting upon and headed straight for the direction of the balcony in her assigned hotel room while still dressed in her modest sleepwear.
"Good morning, Ga Eul-yang. It's a pretty day this morning, isn't it?" The sudden sound of the Korean Casanova's voice sends a jolt down the spine of Chu Ga Eul, as she was startled from her task of taking pictures of the beautiful water-view that she almost loses her grip on the Nikon camera. Heaving a sigh of relief, when she managed to retain her hold on the equipment… Chu Ga Eul promptly set the gadget down on the nearest solid surface where she could find, while being out on the balcony. Once ascertain that she is no longer at any risk of dropping her precious camera, Chu Ga Eul promptly zeroes in her gaze towards the direction where she thought she had heard the voice of a certain Korean Casanova.
"... Yes, it is indeed a pretty day... Yi Jeong-sunbae. And what exactly is on the itinerary plan today, if you don't mind me asking?" Chu Ga Eul returned a morning greeting of her own to the Korean Casanova, cordially while wondering to herself just how long has the guy been standing out there on the balcony of his own assigned room. At the same time, Ga Eul was really thankful that she was dressed in one of her modest sleepwear instead of a skimpy nightgown- the night before. Otherwise, she might not be able to remain calm after realizing that So Yi Jeong can get a clear view of her attire from where he stood.
"Hmm… let's see, I believed Jun Pyo mention something about going to the beach after breakfast followed by a horse-riding activity in the afternoon?" So Yi Jeong responded, the charming smile of his never vanishing from his lips.
In So Yi Jeong's mindset, as much as the idea of babysitting Chu Ga Eul wasn't on the top of his list. He's determined to not let the extra duty sic upon him by the Shinhwa heir tarnished his vacationing mood, although he had to admit there are times whereby interactions with the country bumpkin aggravate him to an extent.
Likewise, it was similar with Chu Ga Eul when it comes down to interacting with the Korean Casanova. The girl knows she would likely not have a chance to visit New Caledonia if it hasn't been for the F4 invitation, so she's going to enjoy every single second of it. Even if she has to endure the presence of the Korean Casanova while at it.
Ga Eul's outfit for the day is a pink off-shoulder blouse completed with a pair of short jeans of the brand - Levi's. When it comes down to the hairdo, Ga Eul decided to go with a side ponytail instead of leaving it down as she did for the majority of the previous day. By the time Ga Eul left the comfort of her assigned room to find a certain Casanova waiting for her outside the door, she was no longer surprised.
"... Come on then, Yi Jeong-sunbae. Let's not keep the rest of them waiting." Chu Ga Eul spoke up after allowing a minute to lapse by in silence.
And so, the two of them made their way towards the restaurant where the rest of the group has gathered around for the breakfast meal. Upon arriving at the restaurant, So Yi Jeong went on to pull a chair out at the table for Chu Ga Eul as per his habit as a gentleman.
"Thank you." Chu Ga Eul murmured softly in response, as she slid into the seat pulled out by the Casanova of F4.
So Yi Jeong said nothing but smiled in response, as he headed towards the other remaining empty seat at the table and settle himself onto it. Needless to say, the seat is the one opposite from where the country bumpkin had sat.
Breakfast conversations were kept light over breakfast, probably because not everyone is fully awake and functional yet. In particular, Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 - the guy looks as though he hasn't quite gotten enough sleep and was forcibly dragged out of bed this morning. Just like the previous day, Geum Jan Di had been splitting her focus between dealing with the whims of the Shinhwa heir and on her childhood friend. The members of F4, except for the half-awake Yoon Ji Hoo has already caught up with the news development back in Seoul over the night and therefore is fully in the knows about the latest accusations flung in the way of Chu Mi Young, who they now realized is the mother of Geum Jan Di's friend - Chu Ga Eul.
As such, neither of them made it a point to discuss Korean news on their breakfast table this morning. After all, none of them care for a repeat of the previous day's event whereby Geum Jan Di started overreacting and began to fuss over Chu Ga Eul in a smothering manner, again.
The first stop after breakfast was a visit to Mwara Beach, which is two hours away from Noumea - the capital city of New Caledonia.
Upon arriving at the beach, Ga Eul was charmed by its exotic view. So, while the majority of her traveling companions decided to spend their time lounging around on the beach. Chu Ga Eul decided to do some exploring of her own. While at it, she thought she might as well take some selfie-shots in the process. She has been making some weird and kissing faces at the lens of her Nikon camera when she heard the sound of the Korean Casanova approaching her from behind.
"Ga Eul-yang, is taking selfie-shots that fun for you?" So Yi Jeong started to say, as he approached Chu Ga Eul. Again, he has to say - it wasn't his decision to follow the country bumpkin. Given a choice, he would prefer to lounge around on the beach with his friends. However, Geum Jan Di looks as though she wants to follow her friend and that causes the Shinhwa heir - Gu Jun Pyo to send him off in search for the country bumpkin who had decided to split off from the main group, by doing explorations on her own.
Feeling irked that her private time on the beach has been intruded upon, Chu Ga Eul promptly stops what she has been doing and headed off towards the direction where the pedaling boat meant for tourists' use was parked. Settling down in one of the closest pedal boats, Chu Ga Eul started to pedal hard to bring the boat out to the water from where it was sitting on the shoreline. Needless to say, there is only so much distance one could cover while pedaling on their own since the boat was meant for two persons' use to begin with. So, it didn't take long for the Korean Casanova to catch up with her.
"... I know you have been assigned as my babysitter for the duration of this trip, but still… is there a need for you to follow me everywhere all the time?" Chu Ga Eul asks in a huff, sounding rather annoyed that she couldn't even get a moment away from the Korean Casanova.
"Hey, I know you don't like having me following you around. Heck, I didn't want to do it too. But if I don't keep an eye on you, Geum Jan Di is going to try and do it herself and that would upset Jun Pyo. So, to save all of us from the ire of Jun Pyo… I figured I might as well continue with what I have already been doing thus far." So Yi Jeong responded, as he moved to join Chu Ga Eul on the pedal boat.
"..."
After spending a few minutes pedaling the boat in silence, So Yi Jeong decided to start another session of intel gathering through the tactic of fishing with the country bumpkin. "So… shall we continue our conversation from last night?"
"Huh?" Chu Ga Eul was confused for a second, before the events from the night before rushes back to her mind. And immediately, her face took on an awkward expression.
"So, who is it?" The Korean Casanova asks, smiling as he glances to the side where the country bumpkin was seated.
"What do you mean?" Ga Eul asks back in return, feigning innocent while berating herself for the slip of the tongue last night at the party, once again.
"The person Jan Di likes... and Ga Eul-yang, playing dumb doesn't suit you." So Yi Jeong added as an afterthought before the country bumpkin could attempt to act clueless, again.
"I bet it's someone from the lowly life. I would say I know girls pretty well, and Geum Jan Di seems like the type who prefer guys with a bad boy vibe." So Yi Jeong started to speak again when Chu Ga Eul didn't respond. This time, he makes sure to spin his words and fill them with baiting traps that would serve to infuriate the country bumpkin into loosening her tongue.
By this point in time, the Korean Casanova had a pretty good understanding of the type of buttons to push for Ga Eul to reveal to him the things he wanted to know. Sure enough, his ploy works, and Ga Eul promptly went on to reveal to him about the person Geum Jan Di likes has a pretty high chance of being the soulmate to her friend.
"... Soulmate?!" Snorting aloud while muttering something about women not knowing better, the Korean Casanova turns towards Chu Ga Eul and asks. "Do you believe in the concept of soulmates as well?"
"I beg your pardon?" Chu Ga Eul blinked, turning towards the Korean Casanova with a questioning look. She was too busy berating herself about being baited into revealing information about her friend's romantic interest to pay attention to what the Korean Casanova had said earlier. Thus, the questioning looks in the potter's direction.
"The concept of soulmates, do you believe in it too?" So Yi Jeong questioned, repeating his words from before with a tight-lipped smile.
"Of course, although I haven't met my soulmate yet." Chu Ga Eul answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"And what would you do when you finally meet your soulmate?" So Yi Jeong asks after a moment of silence, inwardly he wonders why he had asked the question. It isn't as though it has anything to do with him. But he had to admit, he was curious. How could Chu Ga Eul still believe in the concept of soulmate with that kind of family background she has?
Of course, at this point, whatever information the Korean Casanova had known about Chu Ga Eul are the ones that are in the open. When it comes down to the dynamics and logistics of the type of relationship between the parents of Chu Ga Eul – So Yi Jeong had to admit, he has absolutely no clues. Still, that didn't stop him from forming his own idea about the background story of the country bumpkin.
Either way, because he had already formed some kind of conclusion about Ga Eul's background story... So Yi Jeong found it hard to believe that Chu Ga Eul is still naive enough to believe in the concept of soulmates. Just when he thought he had once again rendered the country bumpkin into a state of speechlessness, the girl surprised him again by speaking up in response to his earlier inquiry.
"I guess if I were to meet my soulmate... I'll hold on to the person and never let go. Otherwise, I think I would likely regret not acting upon it, in the latter part of my life." Chu Ga Eul eventually responded with a wistful look on her face.
"..." The rest of the time spent on the pedal boat was engulfed in silence. Chu Ga Eul was still deep in thoughts about the idea of meeting her prospective soulmate, while So Yi Jeong was plainly not in the mood for conversation.
Although, by the time they return back to where their friends were lounging by the beach - So Yi Jeong has more or less recovered from the after-effects of that disturbing discussion on the theory of soulmates that had spooked him to a certain degree. Still, his strange behavior wasn't overlooked by his fellow friends. In particular, Song Woo Bin of F4 had noticed the oddity in his mood and thus made it a point to check in on him when lunch break comes around.
"Bro, are you okay?" Song Woo Bin asks, slapping him lightly on the shoulder when they were picking up food from the buffet spread in a buffet restaurant situated along the shopping belt near the beach where they had spent the majority part of their morning.
"Of course, what makes you think that I'm not well?" So Yi Jeong seems baffled by the words of his friend.
"You've been oddly silent since coming back from that pedal boat ride with Ga Eul-yang. Did anything happen between the two of you?" Song Woo Bin asks, his eyes showing genuine concern for his friend.
"...Nothing happens, my silence mostly stems from the after-effects of an impromptu discussion with Ga Eul-yang on the concept of soulmates." So Yi Jeong shrugged off the concern of his friend, as he revealed the reason behind his oddly silent mood to the Don Juan of F4.
"...I see, but how on earth did that discussion come about?" Song Woo Bin sounded bemused as he spoke his mind, no wonder his friend had been oddly silent following the end of the pedal boat ride. The topic of soulmates is a rather touchy subject for his friend since that has been the belief of Yi Jeong's first love as well.
"Seriously, I have no clues as well. We were discussing Geum Jan Di's love interest when the topic suddenly comes up for discussion. Either way, there's no need for you to worry about it. I'm fine, I just need a bit of time to get my thoughts into order is all." So Yi Jeong responded, and put an end to the conversation with Woo Bin as Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di returns from their visit to the washroom.
Other than a smile of gratitude here and there, the rest of the afternoon progresses on in relative silence between the Korean Casanova and Chu Ga Eul. Aside from Song Woo Bin, none of the others had picked up on the subdued and pensive mood surrounding the duo. Sticking true to his promise, So Yi Jeong continues to play escort to Chu Ga Eul wherever they go. He had also wordlessly assisted the country bumpkin in the task of getting onto the horse during their horse-riding activity at the local stable.
In Ga Eul's opinion, after having been harassed by the Korean Casanova at every turn with relentless questions about her friend's love interest. An afternoon of silence with the Korean Casanova for the company was a huge relief. She had hoped that the silent treatment from the Casanova would last, but alas the guy was back on speaking terms with her by the time evening rolls around.
"Ga Eul-yang, would you care to join me for dinner?" So Yi Jeong asks, after hesitating for a moment when his friend - Jun Pyo, had once again dragged Geum Jan Di away from the country bumpkin.
"...Sure." Chu Ga Eul responded, seeing no harm in the idea of having dinner with the Korean Casanova.
"Have you spoken to Geum Jan Di about your impending transfer into Shinhwa Academy?" So Yi Jeong started, after having placed the orders for their dinner with the waiter at a restaurant of his choosing.
"No. With the way Jun Pyo-sunbae has been dragging Jan Di around, I haven't quite gotten an opportunity to address the issue with her yet." Chu Ga Eul answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, she didn't ask how the guy knew for certain about her transferring into Shinhwa Academy.
"I see. In that case, I'll make sure to distract Jun Pyo at some point tomorrow so you can get Geum Jan Di alone to speak on the subject." So Yi Jeong suggested then, based on his speculations… he thought it best for Chu Ga Eul to come clean with Geum Jan Di before they headed back to Seoul.
"Thank you." Chu Ga Eul nodded at the Casanova in silent gratitude. She does need to speak with Jan Di on the matter soon, and doing it while still vacationing in New Caledonia is the best option thus far. Especially since there's a high chance of her getting caught up in the task of trying to avoid the media attention than to deal with Jan Di's interrogation by the time they returned to Seoul.
With that, the rest of the dinner session lapsed in silence. When they return to the hotel from their dinner outing, Jan Di was still out with Gu Jun Pyo. Thanking the Korean Casanova for escorting her to dinner, Chu Ga Eul headed back to her assigned room leaving behind So Yi Jeong to mingle with his own friends.
That night found Chu Ga Eul nesting up in bed with her IPAD device in hand, chatting with Miyazawa Kazuki on the Line messenger app speculating about just how many days more would the local news spin tales about her mother's infidelity before bringing up the mention of her name and her existence as the illegitimate daughter of the director to the Miyazawa F&B Group.
Private chat with Miyazawa Kazuki - Line Messenger App
Ga Eul: I'll be telling Jan Di about my impending transfer into Shinhwa tomorrow.
Kazuki: Really? All the best to you then. Honestly, I thought you would have procrastinated longer on this matter. ^^;
Ga Eul: Yes, well… the thought did occur to me briefly but I thought it wouldn't have helped things in the long run. Besides, any day now the news would bring up the mention of my existence as the illegitimate daughter of the director to the Miyazawa group. The sheer thought of the interrogation to come is enough to bring on a migraine, and thus I decided to come clean to Jan Di before that comes into play. *Shrugging Emoji*
Kazuki: That sounds wise… alright then, I shan't disturb you from getting the rest time which you need any longer. With that exhausting conversation in the plan, you need all the rest that you could get. Ciao~ TTYL.
Ga Eul: Night, TTYL.
Location: Seoul, South Korea
"I'm done, let's go." Miyazawa Kazuki announced as he stepped into the living room of the villa house owned by his family in Seoul, and call out for the attention of his two friends - Saionji Shunsuke and Sakuraba Shuichi.
The three of them were childhood friends, just like how the F4 was. And similar to the F4, they were known as the E3 back in Japan. E3 stands for the term Elite 3, and they were given this group name because the three of them were always together, and were always taking up the top 3 positions during the school term exams. When Kazuki was asked to transfer to the Shinhwa Academy for the remaining period of his education, his two friends promptly made the decision to follow him to Seoul without questions.
The heir to the Miyazawa family has always been subjected to a so-called 'exiled' period whereby they would be thrown out into the world into somewhere new and foreign. They are then expected to try and survive without the protection of their family name. In a way, Kazuki is lucky because instead of dumping him off into a country in which the Miyazawa family has no connections, and expects him to either sink or swim… Miyazawa Hideaki had opted to put Kazuki in Seoul, South Korea.
As the Miyazawa Group has set up a satellite office in Seoul, a decade ago… Kazuki was fortunate enough to not have to earn his own keep, unlike Miyazawa Hideaki when the man was experiencing the same 'exiled' period. Basically, this entire 'exiled' period is a test of independence for the heir of the family. When Miyazawa Hideaki was undergoing this phase, he really had nothing to his name because the name Miyazawa doesn't have any hold in South Korea then. Now though, it's different and so, Kazuki's challenges lie in a different area.
The two things which Kazuki was expected to do while in exile from Japan were to ensure that he was able to stay under the radar of F4 until he graduated from Shinhwa, and to try to live independently without relying on external household help. Meaning – no domestic helpers to take care of his daily necessities, such as cooking his three meals and doing his laundry. He was expected to handle it all on his own.
The only staff employed in the service of the Miyazawa family in Seoul, South Korea is a middle-aged Japanese man named Takeda. Takeda has spent the bulk of his time wandering across the world through the means of backpacking before he decided to settle down in Seoul, South Korea. His main job is to tend to the villa house that belongs to the Miyazawa family in their absence, and then his secondary job to the family is being the family chauffeur. As an unmarried man, Takeda was given permission to live in the servant's quarter within the villa house belonging to the Miyazawa family.
Kazuki, upon his arrival in Seoul, following the start of his 'exiled' period only received assistance from Takeda in the form of being a chauffeur. Takeda would drive him around town as well as to and from school, every day. It wasn't until that Kazuki attained his own driving license that Takeda ceased the need to ferry him all over the country. As Kazuki wasn't allowed any form of domestic assistance, Takeda simply leave Kazuki to his own device despite staying under the same roof with the young man. Without the need to ferry Miyazawa Kazuki to and from school, Takeda could only serve Kazuki in the only other possible manner - which is to help stock the villa house with groceries by making regular trips to the local supermarkets. This is the only loophole Takeda could exploit without going against the instructions given to him by his boss - namely, Miyazawa Hideaki.
Anyway, for Kazuki - aside from the fact that he needn't do his own grocery shopping since Takeda has it covered. For the rest of the household chores, he would need to learn to do them on his own. Laundry is easy enough, he could simply follow the instructions given on the user manual of the washing machine. Cooking his three meals involved some references to simple recipes he could find online and banking on the limited knowledge from the home economics classes he had once attended before his transfer into Shinhwa Academy.
Unlike students in Shinhwa Academy, elite school or not - the students are subjected to the three years mandatory education in the home economics department. So, Kazuki had his fair share of learning basic culinary skills while he was in middle school with his two childhood friends. It's only a matter of whether or not he could produce edible food by the time he graduated from his middle school education. Luckily for Kazuki, being part of the group with the label 'Elite 3' - his culinary skills is passable, though not to the level of restaurant chef standards… he could still prepare a decent meal with some references to a recipe provided.
As for the task of staying under the radar of F4 while in school... well, it might sound easy but it most certainly was not - Kazuki had learned upon his official transfer into the Shinhwa Academy. Because unlike him and his two friends who were known as the E3 back in their former school in Japan...the F4 literally rules the Shinhwa Academy. Anyone who dares to go against them, or specifically Gu Jun Pyo – the leader of F4, would be subjected to bullying treatment from the entire school population. So, Kazuki is really thankful that he had his two friends with him during this little 'exile' period although his friends are most definitely welcome to leave at any point without repercussions. He, on the other hand, unless summoned by a senior member of his family wasn't allowed to show his face in Japan anytime soon.
"...Already? That was fast." Sakuraba Shuichi commented, setting aside the game controller he had in hand to focus his attention on his friend – the heir to the Miyazawa F&B Group.
"Indeed. I distinctively recall you clearing two stages of the game before Kazuki emerged from the study room, on the previous day. Yet, you haven't even finished clearing a single-stage and he's already done with his Line conversation with Ga Eul-San, this evening." Saionji Shunsuke smirked in response at Sakuraba, before turning his attention back onto Kazuki as he commented nonchalantly. "I would have thought your conversation with Ga Eul-San would last for a while longer, after all, haven't you been updating her with the latest news development surrounding her mother while she's away in … New Caledonia, was it?"
"Yep, it's New Caledonia that Ga-Eul is vacationing at present." Sakuraba Shuichi responded, smilingly.
"...!" Upon the reminder from his friend, Miyazawa Kazuki promptly started cursing aloud. "Shit, I forgot. What's the time now?"
"...If you are thinking of messaging her now, I strongly urged you to think again. Based on my understanding, Ga Eul-San doesn't like it when she was roused from her bed only moments after falling asleep." Sakuraba Shuichi reminded his childhood friend with a flat look.
"...What should I do then?" Kazuki wails as he turns towards his cousin and friend - Sakuraba Shuichi, with a pleading look on his face.
"You wait, and then message her first thing in the morning to apologize for your oversight." Sakuraba Shuichi told his cousin in a deadpan tone of voice.
Yes – cousin, Sakuraba Shuichi, and Miyazawa Kazuki were cousins and therefore Shuichi is also related to Chu Ga Eul through the relations of Miyazawa Hideaki. Shuichi's mother was formerly a member of the Miyazawa family before marrying his father, Sakuraba Manabu, a commoner. His parents met one another when his father was still a junior clerk working for the Miyazawa Enterprise, while his mother has just joined the family business and is at the stage of learning the ropes about the businesses under the guise of a college intern with the company. His father was then entrusted to the task of guiding his mother in the day-to-day operations of the company, and in-process – the two of them fell in love. Today, his father is still working in the same company, only his position is now several ranks higher than the time when his parents first met one another.
Currently, his mother – Sakuraba nee Miyazawa Shinobu is the CEO of the Miyazawa F&B Enterprise satellite office in South Korea. His father, on the other hand, is still being based in Japan working at the headquarters of the Miyazawa F&B Group as the manager for the research & development (R&D) department. Although his parents are living separately in different countries at present, they are both too busy with their work commitments to feel lonely. And while he's here in Seoul with his mother, his father has his younger sister – Misaki with him back in Japan.
"Right… and if she has already seen the news elsewhere?" Kazuki inquires, somewhat uneasily as his voice draws Sakuraba Shuichi's focus away from his thoughts and back into the present. Blinking, Shuichi was about to respond when his other friend, Saionji Shunsuke beat him to the task by addressing Kazuki's uneasiness.
"Then you beg for her forgiveness. Although, I doubt she would be overly upset with you. This is nothing too drastic, and besides...with her away in New Caledonia, there wasn't much that she could do to you." Saionji Shunsuke commented while stifling his urge to laugh aloud at the fearful look on his friend's face.
"Yes - the worse that could happen would be her calling you up for a ranting session," Shuichi added, as an afterthought trying not to smirk at his cousin's current plight. Although, he couldn't quite figure out the reason why his cousin held so much fear in the face of being lectured by Chu Ga Eul. Was being on the receiving end of Chu Ga Eul's sharp-tongue so daunting? He supposed he wouldn't know, since he has never been on the receiving end of the girl's tongue-lashing lecture before.
"..." Throwing both Shuichi and Shunsuke a dirty look, Miyazawa Kazuki gritted out at his two friends. "You guys are enjoying every second of this, aren't you?"
"Yes, well… it's not common for you to make mistakes. So, of course, we are going to get a good laugh when you do end up making mistakes. Even though, it's something as trivial as forgetting to update your half-sister who is currently out-of-town of the latest news development." Both Sakuraba Shuichi and Saionji Shunsuke shared a look among themselves, before turning to grin at their friend in unison.
"..."
Location: New Caledonia
The fourth day of vacationing in New Caledonia seems like a roller coaster ride to Ga Eul. Why a roller coaster ride? Well, because things practically went from positive to negative within the time frame of 24 hours.
The morning had started out fine, with the group of them taking breakfast together in the in-house restaurant of the hotel. Following this, they headed off to the Anse Vata Bay - one of the beaches in Noumea, the capital city of New Caledonia. Sometime in between, Ga Eul felt the vibration of her mobile phone but she didn't quite have the time to check it… so, she decided to put it off until later.
Upon arriving at the beach, Chu Ga Eul went on to get herself changed into the swimsuit that was recently purchased for her by the Korean Casanova. As for the reason why the Korean Casanova has to buy her a new swimsuit… well, that's mostly because she only came to the awful realization that her mother had failed to pack her a swimsuit when her friend - Jan Di, invited her to a swim in the sea. So, when she rejected Jan Di's invitation after informing her friend about her lack of swimming wear in her baggage… her friend had suggested that they go and purchase something immediately.
This suggestion of Geum Jan Di then led them to the Shinhwa Shopping Mall in New Caledonia, and later evolved into a situation whereby the entire group of F4 was involved in the task of the selection of a suitable swimsuit for Chu Ga Eul. In the end, Ga Eul was made to pick out her swimsuit from the proposed selection presented by the members of F4. After spending time looking through the selection, Ga Eul ultimately picked out the swimsuit selected for her by the Korean Casanova. And since Ga Eul hasn't come clean with Jan Di about her complicated family situation, needless to say, the person who made the payment at the cashier is once again, the Casanova of F4.
So Yi Jeong allowed his eyes to roam appreciatively over the figure of Chu Ga Eul when the girl emerged from the changing room at the beach, dressed up in the swimsuit he had helped to pick out for the girl. Meanwhile, Song Woo Bin who happened to pass by and caught the sight of Chu Ga Eul emerging from the changing room ended up whistling in appreciation.
"Ga Eul-yang, this swimsuit really suits you well." Song Woo Bin commented, causing Chu Ga Eul to flush pink in embarrassment.
"...Thank you." Ga Eul responded, and after meeting eyes briefly with the Korean Casanova… Chu Ga Eul promptly makes her way back to where she had left her bag with a tinge of pink in her cheeks.
"Jun Pyo-sunbae, thank you for tending to my belongings. Where's Jan Di?" Ga Eul inquires when she arrived back to where she had left her bag only to find the Shinhwa heir present and her friend missing from sight.
"She's too eager for a swim, so she decided not to wait for your return." Gu Jun Pyo answered, his eyes never leaving the sea where he knew his girlfriend is out there swimming. He would have loved to be with his girlfriend if it weren't for the fact that he has a phobia for the water.
"I see…" Ga Eul nodded in response, and then wordlessly took her bag to another bench with more room so she could start applying the suntan lotion on herself.
"Shall I assist you in what you're doing? It can't be easy trying to apply suntan lotion on your own." So Yi Jeong inquires as he approached the figure of Chu Ga Eul.
"No need, I've got it covered." Ga Eul responded, still trying to reach her back by adjusting the angle of her sitting position.
"Are you sure you've got everything covered? Even if you could apply the lotion to the back of your neck, and shoulders to some extent. It shouldn't be possible for you to apply the lotion onto the back… and even if you did manage it, there would be spots that have been left exposed. Just let me help you, the sun today's very strong… without the application of the suntan lotion, you are bound to get a sunburn." The Korean Casanova had insisted on helping, and thus Ga Eul relented as she can't argue against the fact that a sunburn might indeed happen with today's heat level from the sun.
"Alright then, but you are only allowed to apply lotion onto my back." Chu Ga Eul warned as she handed the bottle of suntan lotion over to the Korean Casanova.
However, before the suntan lotion could be applied… a commotion out at the sea ended up drawing their full attention. "Oh shit!" Ga Eul cursed aloud, inwardly berating her friend for treating the sea like a pool.
"Ga Eul-yang?" So Yi Jeong turns a questioning eye upon Chu Ga Eul upon hearing the sound of a curse escaping from the girl's lips.
"That's Jan Di out there flailing in the water. Likely she'd miscalculated the water pressure in the open sea, and thus ended up with a leg cramp. While on the subject, is anyone heading towards her yet?" Ga Eul explained if it weren't for the fact that she's still on the shore and too far away from where her friend is flailing about - she would have jumped in to save her friend by now.
"It seems like Ji Hoo has everything covered." So Yi Jeong commented, upon noticing the conflicted emotions warring on the face of the Shinhwa heir.
Sure enough, a few minutes after Yi Jeong's words… Yoon Ji Hoo arrived back with the unconscious Geum Jan Di in his arms. Immediately, Chu Ga Eul headed straight for her unconscious friend and start to pat on the face of Geum Jan Di to wake the girl up. "Jan Di, come on... wake up." Ga Eul mutters aloud as she continues to call out the name of her friend, anxiously but not hysterically.
During this time, Gu Jun Pyo was nowhere around – too entrapped in his self-loathing mood. Mostly because he was unable to do a single thing to save the girl who he loves, and had to rely on someone else for the job. It certainly didn't help that it was Yoon Ji Hoo, his long-time friend, and the person whom he knows his girlfriend had a huge crush upon until a few months ago that ended up diving into the sea to help save his girlfriend from drowning.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when Geum Jan Di finally regained consciousness and started wheezing as she spits out the mouthfuls of water, she had unintentionally ingested while flailing in the water as she struggled to avoid drowning. Relieved to find her friend still alive and kicking, Chu Ga Eul finally allowed the words of beratement to spill forth from her lips.
"Jan Di, next time – don't overestimate your capability as a swimmer, and underestimate the sea. Need I remind you of the difference in the water pressure between the sea and the pool?" Chu Ga Eul said as she straightened up her posture, looking down at the lying figure of her friend with a stern expression on her face.
"..." Geum Jan Di didn't have it in her to argue against her childhood friend. If anything, the Korean Wonder Woman looked wholly chastised and repentant by the time Chu Ga Eul was done giving her a piece of her mind on the near-drown incident.
"Ya, Jun Pyo – what are you doing standing so far away? Geum Jan Di is fine, nothing some good rest wouldn't cure. So, get your butt over here and tend to your own girlfriend." Song Woo Bin calls out to where the Shinhwa heir was standing rooted like a wooden block, snapping Gu Jun Pyo out from his shell-shock state of mind.
"Right..." Gu Jun Pyo started, finally coming back to his senses. Ridding his mind of unnecessary thoughts, the Shinhwa heir decided to bring Geum Jan Di back to the hotel for some rest and his long-time friend could also do with a change of attire.
Due to the state of urgency earlier, to prevent Geum Jan Di from really drowning... Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 didn't even have time to change into his swimming trunks. Because the auburn-haired member of F4 didn't intend to spend his day in the water, Yoon Ji Hoo hasn't bothered to wear his swimming trunks on his person. Therefore, when they noticed the near-drowning state of Geum Jan Di earlier... he simply reacted by diving into the water to save the girl in the T-shirt and shorts which he had opted to wear for their morning visit to the beach.
When lunchtime comes around, Gu Jun Pyo was literally spending every moment hovering over Geum Jan Di like a mother-hen. Taking into consideration the fact that Geum Jan Di nearly got herself drowned in the sea about an hour ago, So Yi Jeong decided to postpone the plan of distracting his friend to allow Chu Ga Eul a chance to engage the Korean Wonder Woman in a girls talk for the time being. After all, the day is still hours away from ending – he probably could wait for another few hours, hopefully, by then Jun Pyo would be more partial to the idea of letting Geum Jan Di go unattended. And that would be when he would deliver on his promise to the country bumpkin made over dinner, the previous evening.
The news about Min Seo Hyun getting engaged to a Frenchman came over the news on TV when they were midway through lunch. Almost immediately, the members of F4 zeroed in their gaze of concern onto the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo. It is no secret among the members of F4 that Yoon Ji Hoo is in love with Min Seo Hyun for ages. Therefore, their first reaction upon hearing the news was to look over to their long-time friend in concern.
"Ji Hoo, are you okay?" Gu Jun Pyo, the heir to the Shinhwa Group started. Beside him, Geum Jan Di was also staring at the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo.
"Yes, Ji Hoo. Are you alright? Was this the reason why you'd return to Seoul on your own, last week?" Song Woo Bin follows up with his own question while showing concern for his auburn-haired friend.
"Are you in the knows for this engagement between Seo Hyun-noona and that Frenchman?" So Yi Jeong asks, frowning slightly when he noticed the lack of reaction on Ji Hoo when the news came over the TV unit.
"Yes, I was in the knows. Seo Hyun brought him to me while I was in France to introduce us, and to ask for my blessings when Pierre proposed to her." Yoon Ji Hoo answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, choosing to acknowledge the question that comes from the potter while ignoring the questions from the other two members of F4.
"Pierre?" Gu Jun Pyo repeated questioningly as he glanced at his long-time friend in confusion.
"The Frenchman Seo Hyun is engaged to." Yoon Ji Hoo stated flatly in response to the Shinhwa heir's confusion. The auburn-haired heir to the Su Am Arts Centre is too accustomed to the idiocy of Gu Jun Pyo to take any offenses when it comes down to the lack of tact from the Shinhwa heir, by this point in time.
During this entire conversation revolving around Min Seo Hyun and her engagement to the Frenchman, neither Geum Jan Di nor Chu Ga Eul attempted to inject themselves into the conversation. Geum Jan Di didn't say anything because she didn't want to risk upsetting Yoon Ji Hoo further, honestly, if she could turn back time – she would gladly do so. Especially since she had just rejected a flower gift from Yoon Ji Hoo the night before when she took a walk at the beach after failing to find Ga Eul. Not only that, she had turned down the flower gift from Yoon Ji Hoo because she had heard of the meaning behind the flower from the locals about how it was always given as a gift of love. Furthermore, as though turning down the offer wasn't enough – she had told Yoon Ji Hoo that he should gift the flower to Min Seo Hyun.
[I'm a Pabo...] Geum Jan Di thought dejectedly to herself, wishing that a hole would just open up under her feet so she could hide in it.
Chu Ga Eul, on the other hand, chooses to maintain her silence on the matter because she didn't know Min Seo Hyun at all. Most of what she knew, she heard them from her friend – Jan Di... and to a lesser extent, from Isshiki Masashi – the notorious playboy from Teiko Academy in Japan who has a reputation that rivaled the Korean Casanova.
The Isshiki family is in control of about 80% of the media and entertainment industry in Japan. They own one of the biggest film-making companies in Japan, and they have a couple of modeling agencies under the names of various members of the family as well. Isshiki Masashi has a father who is a well-known film director, and a mother who's an actress. As such, he was always living in the limelight.
[Talk about speaking of the devil...] Chu Ga Eul thought with a bemused expression when her mobile phone suddenly pings with an incoming text message from Isshiki Masashi, minutes after she had just thought of the guy.
From Isshiki Masashi: To the beautiful lady whom I had the fortune to escort to a party last summer, I know Kazuki is supposed to provide you with updates on the latest news in Korea. But I reckoned he wouldn't know until the news actually came out in print. So, here I am... providing you with the latest scoop on the news development. Be mentally prepared, your existence as the illegitimate daughter to Miyazawa Hideaki has been discovered. It will likely be featured in this evening's news.
PS: In case you're wondering how I came across the information, well... I'm in Korea this weekend for a CM shoot and overheard some staff talking about it. Good luck dodging the media, Ciao~
PPS: Got your number off Ichiro, hope you don't mind. ^_~
So Yi Jeong was just coming out from the washroom in the shopping mall owned by the Shinhwa Group after their lunch session when he found himself being ambushed by a certain country bumpkin.
"... Ga Eul-yang, is there a reason why you're ambushing me outside the gents' room?" The Korean Casanova inquires, somewhat bemusedly.
"I just want to remind you about that promise you made me yesterday evening. It has come to my notice that my talk with Jan Di cannot be delayed any further." Rolling her eyes momentarily at the teasing look apparent in the eyes of the Korean Casanova, Chu Ga Eul stated flatly in response.
"Right... if that's your motive for ambushing me outside the washroom, you can rest assured that I deliver on a promise made. So, don't worry. You are definitely going to get a chance to talk to Geum Jan Di tonight." So Yi Jeong responded, with a tightly controlled smile.
"Good." Chu Ga Eul nodded, before turning on her heels to head back to the restaurant where the rest of the group are gathered.
It wasn't until after dinner that Chu Ga Eul finally gets her chance to speak to her childhood friend in private. Seizing the window of opportunity when So Yi Jeong invited Gu Jun Pyo for a game of pool in the VIP lounge of the hotel, Ga Eul makes a move to approach her childhood friend.
"Jan Di ah… you haven't gotten a chance to visit the hotel room which I'm staying in, right? Would you like to come by for a visit now? We can have a session of girls talk while at it." Chu Ga Eul suggested to her friend with an inviting smile.
"Sure, let's go." Geum Jan Di beams at Ga Eul in response, sounding quite eager at the prospect of having a girls' talk.
Back in the privacy of Chu Ga Eul's hotel room, the girl allowed Geum Jan Di to spend some time surveying the interior of the room while making notes of comparison between their assigned hotel rooms before getting Jan Di to sit down on her bed. At first, the conversation started out simple enough - with Ga Eul inquiring about her friend's feelings on this vacation trip to New Caledonia.
"So, what do you think about New Caledonia thus far? We have visited quite a few places on the island over the past few days, is there anywhere in particular that you enjoy?" Ga Eul started, deciding to abide by her friend's desire for a girls' talk and ease the mood before bringing up the topic of her impending transfer into the Shinhwa Academy with her friend.
"Hmm… I have to say I'm finding this vacation trip quite enjoyable even though I was forcibly dragged to the airport by Gu Jun Pyo at the beginning of this trip." Jan Di responded, after admitting to her friend that despite the misgivings she had against the Shinhwa heir overbearing tendencies - she has found herself enjoying this little impromptu vacation trip thus far.
"Right… and your favorite spot so far in New Caledonia?" Ga Eul prompted, partly out of curiosity and partly because she still hasn't quite found the words to start her confession about her family situation to her friend just yet.
"I would say it's the helicopter ride. Despite the awkward moments at a certain part of the ride, I have to say that the views while on board the helicopter are breathtaking. What about you, Ga Eul? Do you have any favorite spots on the island? I know Yi Jeong-sunbae has brought you to quite a couple of places, but are there any spots that you enjoy after discounting the fact that you are being entrusted to the care of the Korean Casanova?" Geum Jan Di responded to her friend's inquiry about her favorite part of the vacation trip thus far, before asking her own question about her friend's experience on the island.
"Hmm… let's see if I have to pick a favorite spot. I think that would be the visit to Coconut Tree Square. After all, that's the only time I get to boss the Casanova of F4 around." Chu Ga Eul answered with a cheeky grin as she thought back to the events of that day.
"Wait… what do you mean by you get to boss the Casanova of F4 around? What did you make Yi Jeong-sunbae do?" Geum Jan Di turns towards her friend with a wide-eye look.
"Oh… nothing much, I just appointed him as my personal photographer for the day." Chu Ga Eul grinned in response, admiring the look of amazement in her friend's eyes as she confessed about making So Yi Jeong her personal photographer for a day.
"How did you manage to achieve that?" Geum Jan Di couldn't help but question tried as she might… she can't envision the scene for herself.
"Well… I told him that since he's going to be following me around, he might as well make himself useful." Chu Ga Eul shrugged in response, smiling at her friend.
"And he's okay with all that?" Geum Jan Di asks next, oddly curious.
"Well… he grumbles a lot, constantly muttering about how unsophisticated the entire situation was in general but he still complies to my whims. So, I think he's okay with it in the end?" Chu Ga Eul sounded bemused at the end of her recount.
The two girls spend the next minute or so giddy with laughter before the atmosphere turns solemn as Geum Jan Di brought up the subject of the scandalous news which Chu Mi Young is embroiled in. "Ga Eul ah… how's your mother doing?"
"... I would assume that she's coping well since I haven't received any calls of distress from her thus far." Chu Ga Eul responded; her expression equally solemn while she thought she could use this as an opening to come clean with her friend.
"And you? How are you coping with this entire situation? It couldn't have been easy for you to witness such a thing… the news headlines lately are always filled with accusations slandering your mom's reputation." Geum Jan Di began as she started to look at Ga Eul with concern, once again.
"... Jan Di ah, how much do you know about my family?" Deciding that there's no easy way to get her message across, Chu Ga Eul decided to start with what her friend has already known and work from there.
"Hmm… I know that your mother works for a Japanese company and has recently been promoted to a managerial position before all this scandalous news broke out." Geum Jan Di responded, frowning as she wonders why her friend thought to ask her this question, out of the blue.
"And what do you know about my family's financial status?" Chu Ga Eul continues to prompt while toying with a strand of her hair.
"... I know your family is quite well-to-do, likely better than my own family finance situation since your mom probably earns a lot from her job. Your father works for Shinhwa Telco, and I had heard that the salary package for the employees of Shinhwa group is quite good. Overall, I think your family finance is somewhere above average going by the ranking criteria employed by the government bodies." Geum Jan Di responded with a frown, as she tried to understand the reason behind her friend's sudden decision to quiz her on these issues.
Chu Ga Eul nodded absent-mindedly as she listens to her friend's response before she voiced her next question to her confused friend. "But is what they are earning good enough to afford to send me to the weekly piano, swimming, calligraphy, ballet, skating, and a series of language classes?"
At this, Geum Jan Di fell silent. Swimming lessons aside, the fees for the rest of the classes Ga Eul has been attending since kindergarten isn't exactly cheap. And although, she hasn't known it before… Jan Di now knows that her friend has been attending calligraphy, piano, and ballet lessons in the Su Am Arts Center owned by the Yoon family. The same Yoon family to which Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 belongs. Anyway, after getting acquainted with the members of F4, Jan Di has done some research into the kind of fees charged for taking classes in the arts center owned by the Yoon family and the response given to her by the members of F4 is an amount that is beyond her imagination. And that is the cost for attending only one class, yet Ga Eul was attending up to three classes that are being offered at the arts center. The fact that Ga Eul has been attending those classes since her kindergarten days makes Geum Jan Di wonders just how her friend's parents could have afforded it with their paychecks then.
Here – Geum Jan Di's mind starts to wonder, for she was recalling the number of accusations thrown at Ga Eul's mother over the last few days. Unconsciously, she starts to wonder if there's a degree of truth to the news article...especially since her friend hasn't seemed quite upset by the article which is unthinkable in Jan Di's mind. Because, if their positions were reversed, Jan Di would have been quite upset to the point of demanding to cut the holiday short. Yet, Ga Eul was still calm enough to enjoy the vacation as it is.
It was with this particular thought in mind that Geum Jan Di nervously licked her lips, and voiced the nagging doubt in her mind across to her friend. "Ga Eul ah… certainly, you aren't telling me that the news about your mother being the mistress of a Japanese businessman is true, are you?"
"... Mistress? Was that what was being reported in last night's news? Anyway, no... I can safely assure you that my mother is most definitely not a mistress to Miyazawa Hideaki. If anything, she's the ex-lover of Miyazawa Hideaki." Ga Eul responded after a moment of silence; she wasn't aware of the latest accusations thrown at her mother because Kazuki hasn't updated her on the subject yet.
While usually her half-brother currently staying in Seoul would have updated her on the news development, it would seem that the notion had escaped Kazuki last night. Perhaps it was her decision to inform Jan Di about her family situation that caused Kazuki to forget about the fact that he need to keep her updated on the news development? Come to think of it, she seemed to have received a text message from Kazuki earlier this morning that she hasn't gone around to reading… perhaps that was the update Kazuki had meant to provide her last night but forgotten until this morning? Oh well, either way… it's too late to do anything about it.
"Sorry, I think I misheard you. What was that, again?" Geum Jan Di gaped as she repeated her words incredulously to her childhood friend.
"I said, they are ex-lovers. Oh, and before I forgot – I'm their daughter, illegitimate – that is." Chu Ga Eul commented then, nonchalantly.
"Wait... What?!" Geum Jan Di snapped her head towards her friend's direction so fast that Ga Eul wonders how her friend could have not sprained the neck in the process.
"I'm the illegitimate daughter of Miyazawa Hideaki with his ex-lover, my mother – Chu Mi Young." Chu Ga Eul reiterated, calmly as though she was simply commenting on the day's weather.
"...How could you have been their illegitimate daughter when you claimed that your mom wasn't cheating on your dad?" Geum Jan Di continues to frown, her brain resembling a lump of goo at present as nothing seems to make sense to her.
"... Haven't you been listening to what I've just said? They are ex-lovers! Meaning they used to be a couple, but they later broke up with each other and move on to marry someone else." Chu Ga Eul explained then, putting the entire matter into simple words so her friend could have an easier time comprehending the situation.
"I get that part, what I fail to understand is how could you have been the illegitimate daughter of them when they first broke up, and then move on to marry another person." Geum Jan Di responded, the look of confusion still visibly displayed on her face.
"Ever heard of the term – marriage of convenience? That's exactly what happened... my mother realized she's pregnant after breaking up with Miyazawa Hideaki, my biological father. My father – her current husband is her childhood sweetheart whom she dated briefly while in middle school. Whereas she was in a relationship with my biological father throughout the entirety of her high-school and college education. Either way, long story short... at some point in their relationship, they must have gotten intimate. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come into existence. Coming back to the topic at hand, since unwed single mothers are highly frowned upon in Korean society... my father offers to marry my mother after she discovered that she's pregnant. My biological father, meanwhile, went back to Japan to marry a childhood friend of his, through the arrangement of my biological paternal grandparents." Chu Ga Eul sighed wearily before she decided to give her friend a summarized rundown event of her parents' history.
Of course, Ga Eul had skipped through most of the details when providing her friend with the summarized version of the events concerning her mother's relationship with her two fathers. Because things like this are private and not meant to be shared carelessly. If it weren't for the fact that she wishes to clear things up with Jan Di, so her friend wouldn't leap to some ridiculous conclusions... Ga Eul wouldn't have bothered to share anything about her mother's past romances with her friend. Not that Ga Eul knows everything about her mother's relationship with the two men, to begin with, but she gathered she knew enough since her mother did have to sit her down and explain certain things to her along the way while she's growing up.
For several minutes after Ga Eul dropped the information about her status as the illegitimate daughter of Miyazawa Hideaki, Geum Jan Di was silent. And when the girl spoke up again, it was with hesitancy and a mild level of fear. "Right… and your brother? Is he...?"
"I would ask you which brother, but I think you're referring to Jung Min. Anyway, before you thought to ask – I can very well assure you that Jung Min is most definitely the biological child born to my mother and my father. As for whether or not is he aware of my status as the illegitimate daughter of Miyazawa Hideaki... the answer is no." At this point, Ga Eul paused for a second before correcting herself. "Well... he was still in the dark when we set off for New Caledonia... Now though, I would think my parents would have informed him of it. They do need to prepare him for the onslaught of media report when the truth came out in the form of an official press release issued by my biological father, after all."
"...When you put it in this manner, it makes me wonder just how many brothers you actually have…?" Geum Jan Di commented weakly in response to the end of her childhood friend's words.
Glancing over at the figure of her childhood friend, Geum Jan Di wonders for the first time ever just how much does she actually know of her friend. She knew Ga Eul knows pretty much everything about her, but can she say the same for herself? Other than knowing that her childhood friend has been attending a variety of extra-curriculum classes outside of attending school and that her friend's family makes annual trips to Japan in the Summer... what else does she know about Ga Eul? Sure, she knew where her friend resides, and how good her friend is when it comes down to studying – but those are things that could be considered as public knowledge. While on the subject, did she ever try to find out why her friend travel to Japan every summer without fail? Has she made an effort in getting to know more about her friend, or did she simply assume what she had seen on the surface which is simply a tip of an iceberg but take it as the entire truth about her friend? With an inward sigh, Geum Jan Di thought she should perhaps make a better effort in getting to know her childhood friend.
"Three if you include Jung Min. Other than Jung Min, I have two other brothers - Kazuki who's the same age as me, and Tsubasa who's 10-years-old. They are born to my biological father - Miyazawa Hideaki and his wife - Miyazawa nee Takahashi Midori. Oh, I also have a half-sister who's 14-years-old this year… her name's Miyuki, in case you're wondering." Ga Eul responded then, her nonchalance tone of voice drawing the attention of Geum Jan Di – breaking the Korean Wonder Woman away from the mass of thoughts swirling around in her mind.
"... Tsubasa as in that boy who gate-crashed our dinner on our first day in New Caledonia?" Geum Jan Di questioned, her friend's latest response triggering something in her memory from their first day in New Caledonia. While she didn't have much comprehension about the conversation her friend had with that boy who gate-crashed their dinner session that day, she distinctively recalls Gu Jun Pyo mentioning something about the boy addressing her friend as 'sister'.
"Yes." Chu Ga Eul nodded firmly in response.
"But… I thought you said he's a relative of your mom's boss?" Geum Jan Di commented weakly, as her mind started to turn into a substance that resemble the mashed potato.
"... He is because my mother's direct superior is a cousin of my biological father. My biological father's family owns the company which my mother is working for, by the way." Ga Eul concluded, wondering if her friend's mind still has room for more shocking news or not. After all, she hasn't gotten to the part about her impending transfer into the Shinhwa Academy yet.
"One last thing… does your biological father knows of your existence?" Geum Jan Di took a deep breath, before voicing her last question across to her friend.
"... Of course, he knows about my existence. He's the one to fund my education expenses, after all." Chu Ga Eul deadpans, inwardly wondering if her friend's brain has reached the maximum quota. How else would Jan Di asks her something so obvious, when it has already been established that the total fees for her extra-curriculum lessons were above the total amount in the paycheck brought home by her mother and father, combined.
"Right… I apologized. What I meant to ask is actually if his other family knew of your existence…" Geum Jan Di could hit herself in the head for asking such a redundant question, and thus make it a point to rephrase her inquiry soon after.
"Yes, they know. The entire Miyazawa family knew of my existence, and that included his wife. And yes, I've met them in person. Again, including his wife. What do you reckon I was doing every summer in Japan?" Chu Ga Eul sighed aloud before directing her friend with a flat look while responding in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"I see... and is there anything else that you wish to share with me?" Geum Jan Di finally said, having caught on to the fact that her friend had requested this particular girl talk session for a reason.
"Well… I supposed there are two more things. The first thing would be that my illegitimate daughter status to Miyazawa Hideaki is likely to be out in the open, soon… probably in the next few days. So, don't be too surprised if you see my name in any articles over the next few days. Two - I would be transferring to Shinhwa Academy for the remaining of my high school education once my biological father released the official statement about me being his illegitimate daughter." Chu Ga Eul eventually responded, practically announcing the last two things she had in mind to share with her friend without hesitation.
Honestly, Chu Ga Eul is beyond caring if her friend's mind is in any danger of being fried with the overwhelming load of information by this point in time. Because it wasn't easy for her to come clean with her friend about the complicacy of her family background, so if she doesn't finish unloading all of this information to Jan Di by the end of today... she probably wouldn't be able to explain things this clearly on another day.
In the meantime, over at the VIP lounge in the hotel - the game of pool suggested by So Yi Jeong was just coming to an end. Gu Jun Pyo who had just emerged as the winner for the game, was about to turn around and boast his successful win to his girlfriend when he found Geum Jan Di missing from the room.
"Where did that woman disappear to, again?!" The Shinhwa heir muttered aloud in annoyance, causing the Korean Casanova and Don Juan to share a look of bemusement among themselves.
Yoon Ji Hoo was missing from the room because he had turned down their offer for the pool game, citing his need to be alone. After receiving the news of Min Seo Hyun's engagement to the Frenchman, neither of the members wish to push their obviously heartbroken friend too hard and thus they decided to give Ji Hoo some breathing space.
"Jun Pyo, if it's Geum Jan Di you're referring to… she's with Ga Eul-yang at present." So Yi Jeong took it upon himself to respond, seeing as he's the one who had helped distract Jun Pyo so Chu Ga Eul can get Geum Jan Di alone for a private conversation, to begin with.
"... Why is she with Chu Ga Eul? While on the subject, Yi Jeong - which part of keeping Chu Ga Eul entertained so she wouldn't get in between Jan Di and me is unclear to you?" Gu Jun Pyo, upon remembering the task he had set upon his Casanova friend promptly start demanding an explanation from the Korean Casanova.
"Jun Pyo, Ga Eul-yang has expressed her wish for time to have a private conversation with Geum Jan Di. If the time for a girls talk is what they want to do, why should I interfere in it? Besides it's not as though Geum Jan Di is in danger of drowning herself while engaging in a girls talk with Chu Ga Eul…" So Yi Jeong pointed out objectively, inwardly thinking - that is, unless Geum Jan Di in a moment of folly decided to try and drown herself in the bathtub of the en-suite bathroom in Chu Ga Eul's hotel room.
"And just exactly what kind of conversation needs to be had in private between them?" Gu Jun Pyo frowned, still sounding displeased over the idea that his girlfriend had missed his moment of glory.
"The confession kind, I surmised." Song Woo Bin interjected then, without looking up from the screen of his mobile.
"Huh?" Gu Jun Pyo then turns his attention towards the Don Juan of F4, looking confused.
"Yi Jeong, bro… how much of the content in today's evening news is true?" Song Woo Bin asks, turning the screen of his mobile device towards the direction of the Korean Casanova.
"...And why are you asking me that?" So Yi Jeong felt the corners of his eyebrow twitching on reflex, as he shot an incredulous look in his friend's direction.
"I would ask Ga Eul-yang if she's here, but since she's not… I figured I might as well ask you." Song Woo Bin, the Don Juan of F4, shrugged in response.
"Which brings me to my original question… what makes you think I would know anything about this?!" So Yi Jeong throws back at his Don Juan friend, looking quite annoyed at the situation in general.
"Hmm… with all the secretive looks that have been going on between the two of you thus far, I was under the impression that the two of you have some secretive agreement going on." Song Woo Bin finally said, sharing with his friends about the observations he had been taking notes slyly over the past few days.
"..." So Yi Jeong hissed inaudibly under his breath for a second, before taking a good look at the content of the latest article reported by the Korean press surrounding Chu Mi Young, the mother of Chu Ga Eul and responded. "Except for the part that she has a daughter with Miyazawa Hideaki, the rest of it doesn't have a penny of truth in them."
Gu Jun Pyo, who has been silent all this while as he tried to make sense of Song Woo Bin's earlier comment finally spoke up, after much hesitation. "Wait…wait a minute, you don't mean that the reason why Chu Ga Eul had requested for a private conversation with Jan Di was to address the matter of her status as the illegitimate daughter of Miyazawa Hideaki to Jan Di?!"
"Bingo! That's exactly what I thought, right - Yi Jeong?" Song Woo Bin snapped his fingers together as he beams at the Shinhwa heir who had finally caught on to the point he was driving at.
"... Woo Bin, why do you keep bringing me into this topic of discussion?" The Korean Casanova dropped himself wearily onto the couch in the VIP lounge of the hotel in New Caledonia, as he addressed his Don Juan friend with a tone of utter exasperation.
Realizing that the Korean Casanova is seconds away from snapping at him, Song Woo Bin finally stops teasing his Casanova friend about Chu Ga Eul. Instead, he shifted his full focus back onto the Shinhwa heir who had a look of incomprehension on the face, still.
"Yo, Jun Pyo… what's with that look on your face?"Song Woo Bin asks, his tone jovial.
"I was just finding it hard to believe that Geum Jan Di would have no knowledge about Chu Ga Eul's illegitimate status as the daughter to the director of the Miyazawa F&B Group is all." The Shinhwa heir admitted this particular thought has never occurred to him until now.
"... I don't see why you would have trouble believing it though, I mean, Geum Jan Di didn't even know us - the F4 when she first transferred into Shinhwa. And considering that Ga Eul-yang has taken steps to hide that bit of information away from Geum Jan Di, it's only natural that Geum Jan Di had no idea about the matter." Song Woo Bin pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Woo Bin is right, none of us managed to make the connection the first time we met Ga Eul-yang, too. Although, Ji Hoo might have an inkling… considering how frequent Ga Eul-yang turns up at the Su Am Arts Centre for classes. However, Ji Hoo being Ji Hoo - well, he would never say anything even if he did suspect some connections between Ga Eul-yang and the rumored illegitimate daughter between Miyazawa Hideaki and his ex-lover." So Yi Jeong finally spoke up, this time in agreement with Woo Bin's opinion.
On the matter of Ga Eul being the illegitimate daughter to Miyazawa Hideaki, the F4, on the whole, took it pretty well. While most of them sans the Korean Casanova had not met Chu Mi Young in person, and therefore had no idea that the woman involved in the scandalous news is actually the mother of Chu Ga Eul. But when Geum Jan Di had overreacted on the matter when the first scandalous news article make the headlines on the digital copy of the Korean news delivered straight to the mobile device of Gu Jun Pyo via the news subscription app installed on the phone, all they thought in their mind at that moment in time was - 'Ah… so that's the rumored commoner whom Miyazawa Hideaki used to date.'
Sure, the F4 might not have been personally close to the heir of the Miyazawa F&B Group. Heck, aside from Gu Jun Pyo – none of them had even an idea about the looks of Miyazawa Kazuki. The only reason that the Shinhwa heir even know how that guy look like was simply that they had the opportunity to chance upon one another during a Christmas party organized by some mutual business partners. Only the Shinhwa heir was forced to attend the event, while Miyazawa Kazuki was expected to attend the event on behalf of the CEO for the Korean branch office of the Miyazawa F&B Group. Either way, the name of Miyazawa Hideaki wasn't unknown to the members of F4 because he has been the only outsider to expand his business successfully into the Korean market when most of the other business owners had balked in the face of needing to compete with the Shinhwa Group for a place in the market.
Of course, it had helped that Miyazawa Hideaki used to be classmates with Gu Bon Hyeong – the father of Gu Jun Pyo, and the owner of the infamous Shinhwa Group. Even though, Miyazawa Hideaki's relationship with Gu Bon Hyeong isn't comparable to the friendship bonds between the current members of F4... the sheer fact that Miyazawa Hideaki is a friend to the owner of Shinhwa Group was enough to help the Miyazawa F&B Group lay its foundation in South Korea.
Anyway, because of that, the members of F4 have at least heard of the name – Miyazawa Hideaki, at some point while having to attend some parties or events at the behest of their parents, or grandparent in the case of So Yi Jeong. When it comes down to parties of such nature, sharing gossiping news seems to be the norm. In particular, among the ladies' attendants. That was essentially how the members of F4 ended up hearing about the rumor of Miyazawa Hideaki having dated commoners before getting hitched to the heiress of the Takahashi family, renowned for their franchise chain of artisan bakeries in Japan.
In hindsight, Ga Eul thought perhaps she shouldn't have dumped so much information at her friend in one shot. But there is always no guarantee that the same thing wouldn't have happened if she opted to go easy on Jan Di with the information load about her complicated family situation. Besides, time isn't something that she has to spare. Especially, after the text message she had received from Isshiki Masashi that tipped her off about the content of an upcoming news article with the illegitimate daughter of Miyazawa Hideaki being mentioned.
So, in an attempt to prevent an interrogation session from her friend, Ga Eul decided that she needs to come clean to her childhood friend about the entirety of her family situation as soon as possible. Either way, her attempt to inform her friend of the entire family background seems to have caused a malfunction in her friend's brain capacity and sense of logic. Because apparently, her friend had been caught kissing Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 in the middle of the night, by the Shinhwa heir personally. The end result - the Shinhwa heir took an overnight flight back to Seoul without anyone knowing.
'Brainless and Foolish' was what Chu Ga Eul had thought when she finally heard of the events that transpired between her friend, the Shinhwa heir, and Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 - through the lips of her distraught friend, the following day.
~TBC~
Chapter notes: Here's it, chapter 3 fresh from the oven. What are your thoughts on this chapter? I introduced the E3, my OCs as an interlude scene so to provide some form of background for Miyazawa Kazuki. :D Kazuki needs his own friends to survive in Shinhwa, after all. XD
Of course, those two would be getting more screen time as Ga Eul transferred into Shinhwa. :P
Oh, I also decided to add in a cameo scene for my other OC – Isshiki Masashi, the playboy with a reputation that rivals Yi Jeong from Japan. He's from Teiko, while the E3 are from Hyotei. I had also made Ga Eul's biological father a friend of Jun Pyo's father. As for the part about Kazuki staying under the radar of F4, well... no rule says that Kazuki and Jun Pyo has to be friends because their father is sort of, friends? So, Kazuki has his own friends and Jun Pyo has the F4. They run in similar but different circles.
Coming back to the New Caledonia scenes, okay… it's been a long time since I watched BOF. So, I'm sure the scene sequences have been jumbled up. Hell, I might even end up using scenes of another version of BOF, unintentionally. Either way, as per the last two chapters - I've tweaked scenes from the original to fit my plot.
For now, this is all… ciao~
PS: The next chapter would likely feature days 5 and 6 in New Caledonia. In the original drama, the trip to New Caledonia is a weekend trip… but in my story, I make it a full week instead. And what's included in the next chapter, well… another of the girls' talk between Ga Eul and Jan Di is for certain. And then, there are the morning reactions from everyone when they discovered that Gu Jun Pyo went missing. Of course, I would have scenes featuring Yi Jeong and Ga Eul too. :D