Secret of the Autumn

by xiaoj

[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,

7. Chapter 7

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 7 - The Friendship Crisis of F4, Part 3

Location: Seoul High School, 8.30am on Monday

"Ga Eul ah, how did your date with Soo Pyo-Oppa go yesterday?" Kim Nari inquires, glancing towards her friend curiously.

"...It went well, I supposed." Chu Ga Eul paused for a few seconds as she thinks back to the event of her first date with Gong Soo Pyo, the day before.

[Flashback to previous day, Ga Eul's first date with Gong Soo Pyo]

Chu Ga Eul didn't really know what to expect when it comes down to going out on a date, since she didn't have any prior experience in that particular department. Her experience of being escorted around New Caledonia last week doesn't count, as the Korean Casanova is simply playing the part of 'babysitting' her as well as showing her around the island like a responsible tour guide. Besides, the conversation topics she had with the Korean Casanova while the guy escorted her around the island of New Caledonia are mostly revolving around her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di.

Even with Ga Eul's lack of experience in going out on a date, she knew enough from the scenes featured in novels and films to gather that people who go out on a proper date don't spend all their time talking about another girl or guy. After all, the main purpose for going out on a date with someone of the opposite gender is to learn more information about each other. So, no… her experience of being escorted around New Caledonia by the Korean Casanova doesn't count towards the definition of proper dates. Period.

Choosing an outfit for the occasion wasn't really difficult, considering the venue where the date would be taking place. Unlike the shopping belt in the Gangnam district that mostly caters to high-end luxury brands, Myeong-Dong is catered to the majority group of people as its shopping belt is lined with shops comprising of a mixture of mid-range to high-end luxury brands. It's literally a shopping paradise for people from all walks of life.

Taking into consideration of the cold weather outside, Ga Eul went straight for the winter dresses in her current wardrobe. Picking out a navy-blue turtleneck sweater dress with long sleeves that ends slightly above the knees, Ga Eul went on to pick out a pair of matching winter tights to complete the look. With the weather this cold, Ga Eul didn't dare to forgo the winter tights. How Miyuki could stand the idea of wearing short skirts in winter, she had no idea...but what her half-sister could handle, she definitely can't.

Finally, to complete her outfit for the upcoming date with Gong Soo Pyo in Myeong-Dong...Ga Eul retrieved her baby blue winter coat from the closet and she's set and ready to head off for her date.

Not one to arrive fashionably late, Chu Ga Eul ensures that she reached the designated meet-up point outside the train station of Myeong-Dong, at 11am on the dot. As it's a Sunday, Myeong-Dong is bound to be crowded. So, trying to find someone outside the train station could be a tad difficult and thus, the best way to locate someone is to call them up as soon as possible. Thus, before Ga Eul even tapped out of the gantry gate of the Myeong-Dong train station - she had her wonky phone ready at hand. The moment she tapped out of the fare gantry to exit the station; Ga Eul dialed up the number of Gong Soo Pyo as she waited for the guy to pick up on his end.

"Soo Pyo-Kun, I've just reached Myeong-Dong train station. At which exit point should I meet up with you?" Chu Ga Eul began, after checking that there's a total of 10 exit points for the station. And since the only thing that has been established for their meet-up point was the outside of the train station… Ga Eul thought it best to confirm which exit point they would be meeting up at to avoid the situation of waiting at the wrong train station exit.

It didn't take long for Gong Soo Pyo to pick up the call on his end, likely because he had his mobile phone in his hands when the call from Ga Eul came through. Upon hearing the inquiry from Chu Ga Eul, Gong Soo Pyo wasted no time in responding. "I'll meet you outside exit point 8. There's a noodles shop near the exit point that I think would be perfect for lunch. Words have it that it's on the Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation list."

"Really? That sounds promising." Ga Eul commented as she glances around for the signboard to check if she's heading in the right direction as she tried to find exit point 8 from the inside of the station. Luckily, the interior structure of the Myeong-Dong train station wasn't as complicated as the infamous Shinjuku train station in Japan. So, it only took Ga Eul about 10 minutes to locate the correct exit from the inside of the station.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Soo Pyo-Kun." Ga Eul greeted when she headed over to where the figure of Gong Soo Pyo stood waiting.

"It's fine. It's expected for the guy to wait for the girl while out on a date, after all. So, shall we head over to the noodle shop now? It's best to get there before the lunch crowd starts to flock in, my friend told me sometimes the queue starts forming an hour before it opens for business." Gong Soo Pyo was telling Ga Eul as he started leading the way towards the noodle shop that's rumored to be on the recommendation list of the Michelin Bib Gourmand.

"Of course, please lead the way. Soo Pyo-Kun." Ga Eul responded with a polite smile, as she gestured for Gong Soo Pyo to lead the way while she followed from behind as she had absolutely no clues about the location of the above-mentioned shop.

"Gladly, but Ga Eul-Ssi... what brought on the change in the honorifics use for my name?" Gong Soo Pyo responded, but before he started leading them towards the noodles shop for their lunch date... he thought to clarify a little something that has been bugging him since Chu Ga Eul's arrival.

"...Well... Nari told me that you aren't comfortable about being addressed as sunbae, finding it too formal for your liking." Ga Eul started to explain her reasoning for changing the honorifics for Gong Soo Pyo, today.

"That's true. Between the term 'Sunbae' and 'Oppa' - I do find that the term 'Oppa' is more appealing to my taste." Gong Soo Pyo admitted with a nod in Ga Eul's direction.

"Yes... Nari did mention to me about your preference to be addressed as 'Oppa'. However, you also have to understand that today's the first time we are going out on a date... and I don't think I'm comfortable enough to address you as 'Oppa' just yet. So, I figured I ought to come up with something else for your honorifics... and 'Kun' is the best alternative I could think of, that isn't too formal." Chu Ga Eul then said, a light flush tainting her cheeks under the watchful eyes of Gong Soo Pyo.

"I see... well, although I do prefer the term 'Oppa' the word 'Kun' doesn't sound bad too. So, I guess I'll live with it. Come on, we really ought to get going. Else, we might end up having to queue for a long time." Finally, Gong Soo Pyo shifted his gaze away from Chu Ga Eul to glance in the direction where he knew the noodle shop his friend had recommended him as a potential lunch venue for today's occasion was and commented.

The noodle shop wasn't very far from exit point 8 of the Myeong-Dong train station, the entire walk to the noodle shop lasted only 10 minutes. And during the entire period of their walk from the train station exit point to the noodle shop, Chu Ga Eul had been silently observing Gong Soo Pyo from behind.

Gong Soo Pyo had a tall built, he's about the same height as the Shinhwa heir…Ga Eul realized through her observation. But she had no idea which one of them has the taller height, it isn't as though she could place them side-by-side for easy comparison. People who are taller in height have a tendency to take bigger strides while walking too. Therefore, it wasn't quite a surprise for Ga Eul to find that she's lagging behind in terms of the pace. Especially, with the throng of people crowding the way...then again, it's Sunday. Being a weekend, there are definitely going to be crowded patronizing this part of the city... after all, Myeong-Dong is well-known among locals and tourists for being a shopping paradise.

Anyway, coming back to the result of Ga Eul's observation concerning Gong Soo Pyo's performance on the date, thus far. If the person leading the way ahead to the designated lunch venue wasn't Gong Soo Pyo but Gu Jun Pyo, the Shinhwa heir...the guy likely would have started complaining about how she is slowing down the pace, by now. But Gong Soo Pyo wasn't the Shinhwa heir, so he didn't complain. Instead, when he noticed that Ga Eul is lagging behind… he stops and waited patiently for Ga Eul to catch up to him.

Chu Ga Eul had to admit, she's glad that Gong Soo Pyo at least had the decency to stop walking while waiting for her to catch up. But this wasn't the best course of action, it would be good if Gong Soo Pyo had the sense to turn around and come back for her. That was what the Shinhwa heir had done in New Caledonia for her friend, Jan Di... when things haven't gone south, that is. However, Ga Eul wasn't going to fault Gong Soo Pyo on that... and Soo Pyo's decided course of action wasn't a bad one too. The worse thing to do would be that Gong Soo Pyo fail to realize the fact that she was lagging behind throughout the entire walk to the noodle shop. But since that wasn't the case, seeing as Gong Soo Pyo did realize it after a while and had stopped mid-steps to wait for her. Henceforth, Ga Eul decided that Soo Pyo's performance in that particular area was passable.

It wasn't intentional on Ga Eul's part to grade Gong Soo Pyo's performance against the Shinhwa heir, using her friend's experience while being out with Gu Jun Pyo as a benchmark for her date with Gong Soo Pyo, this morning. But because Ga Eul had claimed the date to be a trial of a sort, she would need something to help with her assessment, right? And since she hasn't had any past experiences in the dating department and couldn't rely on her experience in New Caledonia involving a certain Korean Casanova as well... Ga Eul ended up tapping into her observations of her childhood friend's dates with the Shinhwa heir while in New Caledonia as a form of reference materials instead.

"Thank you for waiting, I apologized for holding up the time." Chu Ga Eul started, once she arrives at a stop in front of Gong Soo Pyo.

"It's fine, and we're here – actually." Gong Soo Pyo commented in response to Chu Ga Eul, his tone amused.

Blinking several times, Chu Ga Eul glanced around her surrounding before the realization dawns in on her as her mouth formed the shape of an 'O' in shock. "You mean... we are now at the back of the queue to the noodle shop?"

With a slow nod, Gong Soo Pyo responded to his date in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Indeed. This is the back of the queue to the noodle shop. Remember what I've said earlier? People start queuing at least an hour before the noodle shop has opened for business. So, I guess we arrived a tad too late and the available seating area of the shop is already fully filled. Therefore, we are going to have to wait in line for a table to open up."

"But... there are so many people, are you sure we can make it for the movie if we were to start queuing for a table now?" Chu Ga Eul started, sounding worried.

"Ga Eul-Ssi, don't fret. It's easier for us to get a table because there are only two of us. Those people in the front came in large groups and thus needed a larger table. And in shops like this, most tables are catered for 2-4 diners. Tables that can fit up to 8 diners at one time are quite limited, as such, they likely would have to wait for a longer time as opposed to us." Gong Soo Pyo told Ga Eul in an assuring tone of voice, and sure enough – they didn't wait for long.

Fifteen minutes later, it was their turn to be shown to an available table. When the menu was brought over, Ga Eul was shocked by the sight of the minimal number of items available on the menu. The entire menu only consists of four items, all of the noodles are served along with dumplings with the differences lying in the choice of broth used in the noodles. The price reflected on the menu ranges between 8000 to 10000 Korean Won, as this is Ga Eul's first visit to the noodles shop… she decided to go for the chef's recommendation item on the menu.

Conversations during lunch were kept to the bare minimum, partly because their food came within minutes after they placed their orders with the waitress on duty. Another reason why they didn't get to converse much over lunch is that they are too busy slurping up their food.

"Now, I know why my friend recommended this place every single time he was asked to recommend a dining place in Myeong-Dong for a satisfying meal." Gong Soo Pyo remarked, shortly after he was done devouring his share of the food.

"I can see why your friend would have this place on his highly recommended list. The noodles and the dumplings served here are indeed good. I think I would revisit this place with my family, the next time they wish to dine out." Ga Eul responded, dabbing her lips with a paper napkin she retrieved from the inside of her own clutch bag.

When it come to the matter of settling the bill, Gong Soo Pyo was mentally prepared for the possibility of him having to talk Chu Ga Eul out from the idea of them going Dutch on their first date. Surprisingly, there isn't a need for him to put his persuasion skills into use because Chu Ga Eul didn't propose such a suggestion for the settling of their lunch bill, to begin with.

Upon the look of surprise that crossed the features of Gong Soo Pyo, however brief it was, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but allow a snort of amusement to escape her. "Why do you look so surprised? I thought it's the norm for guys to foot the bill when being out on a date? A trial date this might be, it's still date at the end of the day. Thus, I don't see why I shouldn't allow you the honor to fill the bill for our lunch." Chu Ga Eul remarked, amusement shining brightly in her eyes.

"... Well then, I'm glad that my reaction amuses you so. But if you are done amusing yourself over my reaction, shall we move on to the cinema? The second part of our date awaits us - two blocks away from our present location." Gong Soo Pyo deadpans, while carefully stamping down the urge to roll his eyes in front of his date.

"Of course." Chu Ga Eul responded as she stepped out from the noodle shop to wait, leaving behind Gong Soo Pyo to finish up with the bill settlement.

The film picked out by Gong Soo Pyo for their movie session was a romantic comedy titled 'Lady Daddy'. The general gist of the movie was about a transgender woman trying to juggle the role of a father and being a girlfriend to her boyfriend, at the same time, after a little boy show up claiming the main lead as his divorced birth father. Overall, Ga Eul had a good laugh with this movie choice… but she was genuinely surprised by the film choice since quite a lot of guys probably would have cringed over the idea of watching a show that focused heavily on the concept of LGBTQ. Then again, Gong Soo Pyo is a young man still… and youngsters have been known to be a tad more open-minded on these issues. So, perhaps that's why Gong Soo Pyo had ended up picking this film for their movie date instead of the other film 'No Mercy' which is still showing in local cinemas.

"I'm surprised." Chu Ga Eul commented after stepping out of the cinema when the movie session came to an end.

"Really? About what?" Gong Soo Pyo inquires, turning towards Chu Ga Eul with a look of intrigue on his face.

"Your movie choice. I was half-expecting you to pick the other local film." Ga Eul responded, sounding curious but not desperate. Although, other international films were showing in the cinema at present as well… Ga Eul had removed them all from the list as Gong Soo Pyo didn't strike her as the type that would be keen to watch a film in a foreign language, and had to rely heavily on the subtitles provided to get the entire story.

So, right from the start, Ga Eul was expecting the movie choice would be decided between the two local films presently showing in the cinema. The two films - 'No Mercy' is an action-packed thriller film, while the movie they ended up watching 'Lady Daddy' is a romantic comedy. Most guys given the choice would have picked the action-packed thriller as compared to the romance comedy film… especially the romance comedy film isn't the typical romantic comedy film but one that touches on heavily on the LGBTQ topic which is still considered a controversial subject in the present society.

"Ah… I admitted, the notion did cross my mind briefly. But after watching the trailer, I thought 'Lady Daddy' would be a better choice. While I do enjoy a good action-packed film on most days, an action-packed criminal thriller isn't exactly my cup of tea. I prefer action-packed comedies, to be honest." Gong Soo Pyo responded, sharing with Ga Eul the reason why he didn't pick the other film for their movie date.

Following the end of the movie session, the date between Chu Ga Eul and Gong Soo Pyo has come to an official end. Only, Gong Soo Pyo insisted on walking Ga Eul to the train station before heading off for his own activities planned for the latter half of the day. For that, Ga Eul was extremely glad as she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of having Gong Soo Pyo show up in the vicinity of her workplace. Mostly because she wasn't ready for the nosiness of her best friend over the subject of her not-quite existing love life, yet.

[End of Flashback]

Chu Ga Eul was jolted out from her thoughts when Kim Nari started to speak, again. This time the girl is asking Ga Eul if she would be keen to go on another date with Gong Soo Pyo.

"... How much did he pay you?" Chu Ga Eul asks her classmate - Kim Nari in return.

"Sorry, what was that?" Kim Nari started, eyeing Ga Eul with a look of incredulity. Just what exactly was Ga Eul trying to insulate by asking the above-mentioned question?!

"Never mind… tell him to message me personally for such inquiries instead of relying on another." Chu Ga Eul rolls her eyes, shifting her focus away from her stunned-looking classmate to refocus on preparing the materials needed for the next lesson. Even though she's going to be transferring out of Seoul High School soon… the notion of slacking in her class performance has never occurred to Ga Eul.

KakaoTalk Message between Gong Soo Pyo and Kim Nari

Soo Pyo: How is it? Is she open to the idea of going out on a second date with me?

Nari: Sorry, she refuses to answer that question and requests for me to pass along the message that you should bring such questions to her personally instead of going through a third party. ^^;

Soo Pyo: …

Location: Shinhwa Academy, High School Department

Unwilling to let his sister's presence in town deter what he intends to do with his long-time friend and Geum Jan Di, Gu Jun Pyo marched towards the direction of the principal's office in the Shinhwa Academy, on Monday, with a look of determination on his face. His intention for visiting the school principal today was to continue putting pressure on the man into fulfilling his orders of expelling both Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di from Shinhwa High with immediate effect.

"Expelling Geum Jan Di with immediate effect wouldn't be too much of an issue… but Yoon Ji Hoo, on the other hand…" The principal of Shinhwa Academy could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he cowers slightly under the menacing gaze of the Shinhwa heir.

"I don't care, I want them both expelled by the end of today. You'd better do as I say, otherwise, I wouldn't mind having your position replaced with another capable being. There's a long line of suitable candidates waiting in line to do your job." Gu Jun Pyo started, warningly as he threatens the poor man who's holding the position of being the principal to the high school department of the Shinhwa Academy.

While the Shinhwa heir was in the principal's office busy threatening the man with the possibility of being fired from his position if the orders to expel both Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di is not fulfilled by sunset, today… a commotion was beginning to form outside in the corridor where the principal office is located.

The cause of the commotion existed in the form of the sudden appearance of Gu Jun Hee, a former graduate of Shinhwa Academy and the Shinhwa heiress on campus grounds. Ignoring the throng of people gathering around to look at her with various degrees of awe on their expressions, Gu Jun Hee stalked towards the direction of the principal's office with a determination to halt her idiot brother from doing something incredibly stupid.

With the entry of Gu Jun Hee into the principal's office, the Shinhwa heir cringed inwardly while the principal of Shinhwa High heaved a sigh of relief upon the sight of the Shinhwa heiress. The first thing Gu Jun Hee, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group did upon entering the principal office of the Shinhwa Academy was to hit the back of her brother's head with the hard base of her clutch purse.

"Noona, stop it!" Gu Jun Pyo protested aloud, as he tried to shield his head from being hit by his elder sister. "Why must you always appear in front of me to foil my plans?!"

"How dare you!? Who do you think you are to have the audacity to threaten the job of the school principal?! Fine, if you dare to fire him from his position as the principal of this school… I'll take over the job myself. I would like to see if you can still graduate from school on schedule if I were to become the new principal of Shinhwa Academy." Gu Jun Hee commented aloud, as she lectured her idiotic little brother while still hitting the Shinhwa heir with her purse.

At one point, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group even went to the extent of nailing Gu Jun Pyo in place by stepping on the shoes of the Shinhwa heir with her heels. Finally, Gu Jun Hee decided that her brother has been humiliated enough, and settled on dragging her idiot brother by the ears to remove their presence from the principal's office.

After emerging from the principal's office dragging her idiot little brother by the ears, while ignoring the protests from the Shinhwa heir. Scanning her eyes around the crowd of people gathered in the hallway, Gu Jun Hee - the Shinhwa heiress, upon landing her eyes on the figures of F3 and Geum Jan Di barked out. "The four of you, come with me now!"

Wordlessly, the F3 and Geum Jan Di followed the Shinhwa heiress as they watched the heiress manhandling the Shinhwa heir along the way until they reached the front of the academic building where the vehicle belonging to the Gu family was waiting.

"Get in!" Gu Jun Hee barked out to the Shinhwa heir, her stern eyes warning her brother that she wasn't above the idea of shoving him into the car in a forcible manner if he doesn't cooperate on his end.

"..." Wordlessly and still wary of the possibility of being beaten up by his violent sister, Gu Jun Pyo wisely shut his mouth and climbed into the back passenger seat of the Black Mercedes Benz with his sister climbing in after him.

"I would expect you, people, to show up at our family home no more than five minutes apart. Understand?!" Gu Jun Hee directed her next words to the remaining members of F4 and Geum Jan Di in a demanding tone of voice.

None of them dares to argue against the heiress of the Shinhwa Group, as they promptly headed for the parking lot to retrieve their own vehicles to head over to the Gu family mansion.

Since neither the Korean Casanova nor the Don Juan of F4 is on speaking terms with Geum Jan Di for the moment, Jan Di was brought over to the Gu family mansion on the motorbike of Yoon Ji Hoo. Handing a spare helmet over to the Wonder Woman of Korea, Yoon Ji Hoo asks if Geum Jan Di has ever ridden on a motorbike as a passenger before.

"No…" Geum Jan Di shakes her head in response.

"Well… don't worry, I'm not one of those reckless motorists. You are in safe hands, just trust me and keep your arms around my waist to prevent yourself from falling off. Unlike a four-wheel vehicle, there's no safety belt to secure yourself with." Yoon Ji Hoo remarked as he assists Geum Jan Di in securing the helmet to the top of her head.

Back in the corridor way where the principal's office is situated, the crowd of students who had gathered around earlier when the Shinhwa heir and heiress appears one after another, had yet to disperse. Many of them were speculating on the reasons behind the Shinhwa heiress's mystified appearance on campus grounds.

"So, what do you reckon the Shinhwa heiress is here for?" Park Jae-In - a classmate of Miyazawa Kazuki who had recently returned to class after an overseas training camp trip to Malaysia, turns to his side and voiced his inquiry across to the figure of Saionji Shunsuke.

"...To halt the Shinhwa heir from doing something rash, I reckon. While on the subject, how much have you heard about the current situation?" Saionji Shunsuke responded, before directing a question of his own towards the figure of Park Jae-In.

"Actually, not much. I just got back into the country last night, so, I haven't exactly got around to catching up with the happenings in school yet." Park Jae-In responded, somewhat sheepishly. His curiosity was the ultimate cause behind his decision to drag Shunsuke along to blend into the crowd hanging around the corridor way where the principal's office is located, after all.

"... Come on, let's go. I'll fill you in on the latest updates about the situation in school on the way back to the classroom." Saionji Shunsuke commented, dragging the curious Park Jae-In away from the rest of the crowd who are still standing around whispering among themselves over the earlier commotion brought on by the Shinhwa heir and heiress forced entry into the principal's office.

Location: Porridge Shop, 3pm, Monday afternoon

"Jan Di… you're early today." Chu Ga Eul started, glancing up to the chiming sound of the doorbell to find her childhood friend walking into the porridge shop with a worried expression on her face.

"Oh… Ga Eul, I thought you shorten your working hours…? Never mind, don't answer that. I forgot, the shortened hours only apply to last week. As for the reason why I'm here early today… well, considering that I didn't attend any classes today. It's only expected for me to show up for work at an earlier timing than usual." Geum Jan Di said in response, sounding very lethargic which causes Chu Ga Eul's eyebrows to start rising in a questioning manner.

"Okay, Jan Di. Want to tell me why you didn't attend any classes today? You aren't the type to skip classes for no reason." Chu Ga Eul started, opting not to comment on her friend's lethargic behavior and instead zeroes in her focus onto the fact that her friend had skipped out on classes today.

"Remember what I told you at work yesterday about my chance encounter with Gu Jun Pyo's sister?" Geum Jan Di didn't need to be prompted twice, she started to spill the beans to her childhood friend shortly after Ga Eul inquire after her reasons for not attending classes.

"Yes, I remembered. But what has that got to do with your failure to attend classes today?" Ga Eul asked, curiosity seeping into her tone despite her attempt to keep it at bay.

"Well… I was about to head to class when I got cornered by that annoying trio from my class. You know who I'm talking about, right?" Here, Geum Jan Di paused slightly as she glanced over at her friend for a response.

"... You mean that group of girls that tricked you into dressing up as a Wonder Woman by claiming the welcome party held in Namhaedo for Min Seo Hyun, as a cosplay party? Yes, I remember them… they go by the Christian names of Ginger, Miranda, and Sunny - right? What did they do, this time?" Chu Ga Eul inquires, sighing inwardly at the thought of the need to face them regularly at some point, in the future.

The thought of needing to deal with them brought on the feeling of dread in Chu Ga Eul. Not that she's afraid of the girls, no… Ga Eul is simply dreading the regular need to entertain their taunting remarks. Their awareness of her being Jan Di's friend was enough to draw their attention upon her when she started school in Shinhwa High. Moreover, there's also the issue of her being invited along on the vacation trip to New Caledonia with the F4… as such, Ga Eul truly doubted the three girls will leave her alone.

Shinhwa isn't Hyotei nor Teiko Academy in Japan, her connections to the Elite 3 wouldn't help her in avoiding troubles with the general school population. That is unless the members of F4 interfered…but would they, though? Honestly, Ga Eul had no idea at present.

[Argh… enough, Chu Ga Eul! Now isn't the time to think about yourself. Focus on Jan Di!] - Chu Ga Eul thought, forcefully snapping her focus back to the matter on hand through the means of slapping her cheeks with her own hands.

"Woah… Ga Eul, what are you doing?" Geum Jan Di blurted out in shock, her eyes a near-bulged upon turning in her friend's direction following the sound of slapping being heard.

"Sorry, Jan Di. Didn't mean to startle you, do continue with your reiteration of today's event. I was zoning out, slapping my own cheeks was a means for me to remain focused." Chu Ga Eul explained, smiling at her friend while ignoring the aftereffects of slapping herself on the cheeks.

"... Right." Despite sounding unconvinced, Geum Jan Di didn't press on the subject. Mostly because she wished to finish telling her friend about the events that transpired earlier on in the day before the customers start to flock in for dinner.

"So, what's next? You were saying the three annoying girls from your class were taunting you about your impending expulsion from Shinhwa, weren't you? What happens afterward?" Ga Eul prompted, taking it upon herself to inform her childhood friend, at which part of her friend's reiteration that she had zoned out and stopped paying attention.

"Ji Hoo-Sunbae appears and told them off. He basically told them to shut up and mind their own business." Geum Jan Di said, a fond smile playing on her lips as she thought back to that particular scene from this morning.

"That's good, but that isn't everything that has happened this morning at Shinhwa High, right?" Chu Ga Eul commented, her words jolting Geum Jan Di back into focus.

With a shake of her head, Geum Jan Di answered. "Of course, it would be great if that's the case. Only, it wasn't. Because shortly afterward, Gu Jun Pyo showed up. He took one look in our direction and promptly started stomping down the hallway heading for the direction of the principal's office. That spurs the annoying trio to start taunting me, again. But of course, the words used weren't as vicious as before... considering that Ji Hoo-Sunbae is still within earshot."

"And when did the Shinhwa heiress comes into the picture?" Eager to get to the crucial point of the entire story that resulted in her friend's absence from classes for the entirety of today, Chu Ga Eul decided to speed things up by asking her friend the things she wished to know, with her own lips.

"I think it was 5 minutes after Gu Jun Pyo stomped into the principal's office. Jun Hee-unnie showed up with a look of determination as she too, makes her way to the principal's office. I had no idea what happened inside the office with the door closed and all... but when Gu Jun Pyo was dragged out of the principal's office forcibly by Jun Hee-unnie in probably the most humiliating way for someone of his age." Geum Jan Di said in response, upon the remembrance of how Gu Jun Pyo was being dragged around by the ears... the Wonder Woman of Korea couldn't help but allow a smile of amusement to form on her lips.

The moment of amusement didn't last for long, as Geum Jan Di was reminded of the events that follows which ultimately led to her missing the entire day of class in school. This time, there isn't a need for her friend to prompt her into the continuation of her reiteration. "Anyway, when Jun Hee-unnie noticed the presence of F3 and me in the crowd of students hovering in the hallway outside the principal's office – we were asked to follow her back to the Gu family mansion. Over there, she promptly went on to lecture Gu Jun Pyo for about twenty minutes before getting to the point of having us assembled at the Gu family mansion."

"Okay, so, she had you and the F3 gathered in the residence of the Gu family. What happens then?" Chu Ga Eul inquires when her friend fell silent mid-conversation.

"... After spending the first 10-15 minutes on the task of lecturing Gu Jun Pyo on the stereotype for men in general. She basically ordered for Ji Hoo-Sunbae and Gu Jun Pyo to settle this little dispute of theirs' through the spirits of sportsmanship via the means of participating in a series of sports competitions. Ultimately, it was agreed that a total of three games would be played between Gu Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo-Sunbae, with the party winning two rounds emerging as the winner of the competition. If Gu Jun Pyo emerged as the winner for this competition, he's welcome to do as he pleased but otherwise, he would have to retract his expulsion orders for Ji Hoo-Sunbae and myself." Geum Jan Di finished up with the reiteration of the events to her friend, feeling as though a heavyweight has been lifted off her chest. Granted, it does nothing to change the dire situation at hand... but at least, now there's a glimmer of hope that the expulsion from Shinhwa might not happen if Ji Hoo-Sunbae was able to win against Gu Jun Pyo in this series of competitions.

"That's helpful, even if she didn't manage to get Jun Pyo-Sunbae to retract his expulsion order. The sheer fact that she was able to get Jun Pyo-Sunbae to go along with her proposal was a superb feat by itself... and the idea to decide things via the means of a sports competition is interesting. May I inquire just exactly how were the games for the competition decided? It wouldn't have been fair for you and Ji Hoo-Sunbae if Jun Pyo-Sunbae was the one to decide the activity for the competition." Chu Ga Eul commented in response, after taking some time to soak in the information shared to her by her childhood friend – Geum Jan Di.

"She makes us decide on the competition item via the means of drawing lots. Do you know they actually have a lotto ball machine stashed somewhere in their home? I can't even comprehend why they would have such a device at home, but I'm not going to complain. It wouldn't have been easy for us to come up with a way to conduct the lots drawing without that lotto ball machine. Either way, what happened was that Jun Hee-unnie had their family butler wheeled out the lotto ball machine. Inside the machine were some color balls, filled up with slips of paper with the name of the sports written. We were to press a button on the outside of the machine for a ball to be separate from the rest of the balls, and upon unlatching a hatch at the top of the device – the chosen ball would be released. We all took our turn at the lotto ball machine, I went first, followed by Ji Hoo-Sunbae, and finally, Gu Jun Pyo went last." Geum Jan Di responded, filling her curious friend in on the details concerning how the lots were drawn to ensure fairness for all parties involved.

"Hmm... and what's the first activity going to be? I assumed the activities chosen from the lots weren't announced in one go?" Chu Ga Eul had a pondering look on her face as she voiced her words across to her friend. Based on what she had heard from Jan Di's reiteration, this suggestion of the Shinhwa heiress would indeed ensure a fair chance for both parties involved. Albeit, the final outcome for the competition would depend on which side lady luck decided to shine upon.

"Horse-riding. The first round of the competition between Ji Hoo-Sunbae and Gu Jun Pyo is horse riding. And yes, the lots weren't open and announced in one go. Jun Hee-unnie said that she will only announce the selected activity, three days before the next round of competition commences. So, everyone would get the same amount of time before the competition to train and practice if it happens to be an activity that they aren't good in, or hasn't attempted before." Geum Jan Di allowed an audible sigh to escape her as she responded to her childhood friend's inquiry.

On one hand, Geum Jan Di was glad that horse-riding is an activity that wasn't unfamiliar to Yoon Ji Hoo. On another hand, she's also worried because she had no idea who is better at the activity of horse-riding. The race they engaged while in New Caledonia doesn't count because none of them were seriously trying to win against each other, then. Geum Jan Di was drawn out from her worrying thoughts when she heard the sound of fingers snapping in front of her eyes.

Snapping her fingers together in an attempt to draw her friend's attention back to the present, Chu Ga Eul inquires the moment Geum Jan Di gazed questioningly in her direction. "... When's the competition?"

"Three days later, it would be taking place in the jockey club managed by the Shinhwa Group." Geum Jan Di responded, providing the venue information her friend seeks without the need of being prompted, this time.

"And the timing for the competition?" Ga Eul asks, getting out her mobile phone to note down the details so, she could set a reminder on her personal calendar to apply for a leave of absence from school, if necessary.

"10am, are you going to come to watch? I'll understand if you decided to not turn up, after all, it's a school day." Geum Jan Di told Ga Eul, her voice understanding but her eyes were another matter, altogether.

"Of course, I'll come. Attendance in school matters not, especially with my impending transfer to Shinhwa..." Chu Ga Eul rolls her eyes in response to her friend's contradicting behavior, mostly because Jan Di was sending her mixed signals through two different responses.

The verbal response was that Jan Di would understand if she chooses to attend school instead of coming by to watch the horse-riding competition between Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo of F4. At the same time, her friend was also sending her a silent pleading look that seems to scream the following message 'Please say you'll come... so, I won't be alone.

"Thank you, Ga Eul." Geum Jan Di said, looking relieved that her friend would be joining her on the trip to the Shinhwa Jockey Club in support of the Ji Hoo-Sunbae competition against Gu Jun Pyo.

"Alright, time to get that look off your face. It's about time for the dinner crowd to flock in. So, hurry up and get yourself changed." Chu Ga Eul then started to shoo her childhood friend towards the direction of the back-room where the changing room for staff use is located in the porridge shop.

Back at the Gu family mansion, the Shinhwa heir is brooding, again. This time, over his rotten luck for having drawn an activity that is the forte area of his long-time friend.

"Of all possible activities to have drawn from the lotto ball machine, it just has to be horse-riding?! Talk about rotten luck!" Gu Jun Pyo muttered aloud to his two friends, Song Woo Bin and So Yi Jeong, who had remained behind when Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di had left following the announcement of the activity for the first round of competition, which would be taking place three days later.

The two playboys of F4 shared a look of bemusement between themselves before turning towards the irate Shinhwa heir with a shake of their heads.

"Seriously, Jun Pyo... if you have the time to sit around and bitch to us about your rotten luck. Wouldn't it be good for you to spend this extra time in between to prepare for the competition? The sun hasn't set yet, so, I would think there's time for you to head over to the stable of the jockey club to start bonding with your beloved mare." The Korean Casanova deadpans, directing his words to the sullen Shinhwa heir.

"Indeed. Knowing Ji Hoo, he's probably already at the jockey club visiting his beloved horse now." Song Woo Bin added as an afterthought.

"..." Throwing a dirty look in the direction of the F2, Gu Jun Pyo stood and stormed off for the direction of his room.

"Come on, Yi Jeong. Now that Jun Pyo has made himself scarce, shall we seize the opportunity to leave? I don't know about you, but I'm not in the mood to join him at the jockey club today. Because of this little dispute between him and Ji Hoo, I haven't had much time hitting the clubs lately." Song Woo Bin, the Don Juan of F4, commented dramatically to his best friend.

"Just because the expulsion order for Ji Hoo has been put on hold for now, it didn't mean that the storm is over. For all we know, Jun Pyo could still insist on standing by his original decision to expel Ji Hoo from Shinhwa... if he's fortunate enough to win the competition." So Yi Jeong, the youngest artist ever recognized on an international level, pointed out objectively to his Don Juan friend.

"I know... but the competition at least provides me with some form of respite from getting overly stressed out by the tense situation between them. Besides, who knows? Maybe by the time the competition between them came to an end, Jun Pyo would have gotten over the entire issue." Song Woo Bin responded his tone one that laced with a dash of dry humor and an underlying hint of optimism.

"... Whatever, let's go. Didn't you just say you want to go clubbing?" Shaking his head ruefully at his friend's optimism, the Korean Casanova stood from the sofa couch in the living room of the Gu family mansion.

Yoon Ji Hoo, true to Woo Bin's prediction was indeed at the jockey club belonging to the Shinhwa Group. He was there to visit his beloved horse – Louis, and to give their horse-riding coach a heads-up with regards to the upcoming horse race between him and Jun Pyo.

"Young Master Ji Hoo, I wasn't expecting you to drop by today. Are you here to take Louis out for a ride?" The coach, upon receiving word from the staff working in the jockey club managed by the Shinhwa Group, promptly drops his task at hand to pay a visit to the auburn-haired member of F4 at the stable where the horses belonging to the F4 were kept.

"Not today. Today, I'm just here to see Louis and check on his well-being. Also, to give you a heads-up that there would be a horse-racing competition between Jun Pyo and myself, in three days. So, Jun Pyo is very likely to approach you for extra training, soon. Please take care of him, when he comes." Yoon Ji Hoo told the man, who had served the members of F4 by being their personal horse-riding coach, politely.

At first, the man who has worked as the personal horse-riding coach to the members of F4 was baffled. After all, the members of F4 have had their fair share of friendly competition in the area of horse-riding before. But the Shinhwa heir had never once approached him voluntarily to seek additional guidance before, so, he was feeling quite baffled when Yoon Ji Hoo mentioned this to him during their brief conversation in the stable exclusively reserved for the tending and grooming of the horses belonging to the members of F4. With the conversation with Yoon Ji Hoo still playing in his mind, the horse-riding coach of F4 returned back to his original task at hand.

"Coach, I need your help." Two hours later, the man who had served as the personal horse-riding coach to the entire group of F4, found the Shinhwa heir standing in front of him requesting his assistance.

"...And what exactly do you need my help with?" The personal horse-riding coach of F4 asked the Shinhwa heir in return, his tone even.

"Tell me how can I win against Ji Hoo in the race, taking place in three days." Gu Jun Pyo stated bluntly, and demandingly.

Staring into the face of the obviously uptight Shinhwa heir, the personal horse-riding coach of F4, couldn't help but wonder for the first time ever, what exactly did the auburn-haired heir of the Su Am Group had done to piss the Shinhwa heir off to this extent(?) Luckily, even when seeking assistance, the Shinhwa heir didn't lower his head. Otherwise, it would have given the coach working at the Shinhwa Jockey Club a heart attack, no doubt.

The next few days found Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo of F4 showing up at the jockey club without fail. Only the Shinhwa heir had gone to the extent of skipping school to prepare for the upcoming competition by training from morning till sunset until he reaches his limit of endurance. Yoon Ji Hoo, on the other hand, tends to show up in the late afternoon after the classes at Shinhwa High had ended for the day. With the Shinhwa heir monopolizing the training track of the jockey club, Yoon Ji Hoo mostly spends his time bonding with his beloved horse in the stable through the means of talking to the horse and patting it in a friendly manner. And if time permits, he would bring his beloved horse out on a walk around the outer vicinity of the jockey club.

Horse-riding has always been a forte area of Yoon Ji Hoo, and thus, the auburn-haired member of F4 hasn't really mind the fact that the Shinhwa heir has been monopolizing the use of the training tracks without allowing him a chance to utilize the tracks for himself. Especially since he had confidence that he could win this round of competition if Jun Pyo stick to the official racecourse during the time of the competition. After all, they had raced each other 11 times in the past on the same track that would be used for the upcoming competition, and never once did he end up losing to the Shinhwa heir. Therefore, Yoon Ji Hoo was confident that the upcoming race wouldn't be any different from the past.

Previously, it was mentioned that in an attempt to best Yoon Ji Hoo in the area of horse-riding; the Shinhwa heir has been working both his horse and himself to the bones. With the competition looming one day away, it would seem that his beloved horse – Jupiter, finally had it with his manhandling and decided to punish him in some form, one way or another. Because halfway through a routine run on the training tracks – Gu Jun Pyo found himself on the ground after being thrown off the back of Jupiter.

Jupiter is the name he had given to his beloved horse, a strong and beautiful black horse. No, don't misunderstand the Shinhwa heir taste in naming things. Despite having been only 5-years old at the point of being gifted his own horse (a foal at that time), Gu Jun Pyo didn't decide to name his horse after a planet in the solar system. Instead, the name Jupiter actually came from Roman mythology and the Shinhwa heir decided to name his horse Jupiter after finding out that Jupiter was the name of the king of the gods in Roman mythology. He had thought the name befitting for a horse that belongs to him, the heir to the multibillion business – Shinhwa Group.

"Young Master Jun Pyo, are you okay? You are too hard on yourself and the horse. Why don't you take a break from all this training?" The coach who had trained up the members of F4 in their horse-riding skills, and help raise the horses owned by the F4 to date suggested out of concern for the Shinhwa heir.

"No, if I wish to get a shot at winning tomorrow's race. I can't stop training now." Gu Jun Pyo responded, gritting his teeth as he gets himself off the grounds after being thrown off the back of his beloved horse.

Taking a look in the direction of the black horse with the name – Jupiter, the coach had a worrying look on his face, as he tentatively suggested for the Shinhwa heir to switch to the use of another horse if he wishes to continue his training. But the suggestion was shot down by Gu Jun Pyo without a bat of an eyelid.

"No, to win against Ji Hoo, another horse wouldn't cut it. It needed to be Jupiter." Gu Jun Pyo insisted, as he mounted himself back onto the back of his horse and restart his training, again.

Yoon Ji Hoo was in the stable for one last chat with his beloved horse – Louis, before leaving for the day when the coach approached him with an unreadable look.

"Young Master Ji Hoo, is there really a need for the race to take place between you and Young Master Jun Pyo? To be honest, when I raised these horses and taught you, boys, the skills for horse-riding – I wasn't expecting for you boys to use it as a means of competing against one another." The coach begins, his tone one of worry.

"Coach... I get what you mean. Given a choice, I wouldn't want to do this too. Unfortunately, with the way things are going, I don't see another way. So, the race would proceed as planned. Please take care of Louis for me. I'll see you tomorrow." Yoon Ji Hoo eventually said, addressing the coach employed in the service of the Shinhwa Jockey Club, respectfully before turning to leave the stable.

With an audible sigh, the horse-riding coach turns away from the stable and headed back out to keep a watchful eye on the Shinhwa heir who is still training despite repeated advice for the Shinhwa heir to take a break.

The first thing Chu Ga Eul did upon returning home from work on Wednesday night was to conduct an internet search on the location of the Shinhwa Jockey Club. Upon noticing that the address listed on its website was situated somewhere in the outskirts, Ga Eul promptly made the decision to call up her friend to check on how Jan Di is going to the competition venue, the next day.

Phone Call excerpt between Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di

Ga Eul: Jan Di ah… can I just do a quick check with you on your mode of transportation tomorrow?

Jan Di: Huh? Sorry, care to run that by me - again? I'm afraid I didn't catch what you said earlier. The TV unit was too loud.

Ga Eul: I asked, how are you getting to the competition venue? It's in the outskirts, quite far and inconvenient to travel on public transport. Is the Shinhwa heiress arranging transport for you, or is Ji Hoo-Sunbae going to pick you up? If it's the former, I'll head over to your place tomorrow morning to meet up with you first. And then, we can both hitch a ride to the jockey club. But if you're going to the competition venue with Ji Hoo-Sunbae, then I'll just find an alternative source of transportation for myself. ^^;

Jan Di: Oh… Jun Hee-unnie says she's going to pick me up in her family car, I'll ask her if you can tag along with us. I'll text you once I got a response from her on the matter.

Ga Eul: Good. I'll wait for your text message then.

Jan Di: Sure, bye for now. I'll text her immediately after ending this call.

Upon the end of the phone call with Geum Jan Di, Chu Ga Eul promptly picks up her change of clothes and headed towards the 'Jack-and-Jill' bathroom which was tucked in between the two standard size bedrooms, shared between her and Jung Min - her little brother. Granted, it can be a tad inconvenient when using the bathroom as whoever uses the bathroom would have to lock the doors on both sides to prevent any awkward scenes from taking place. For instance, one such example would be either party walking into the bathroom when the other party is amid a shower or a change of clothes.

By the time Ga Eul emerged from the bathroom, the message from Geum Jan Di was already in. Tapping open the text message on her wonky mobile phone, Chu Ga Eul allowed a smile to grace her lips upon the message that greeted her eyes. The reply from Jan Di read:

'Jun Hee-unnie says okay to you tagging along with us, tomorrow.'

Meanwhile, So Yi Jeong was staring at the shopping bag containing the new mobile phone he had gotten on an impulse a few days ago in Myeong-Dong as a replacement gift for Chu Ga Eul, hesitantly. Originally, he had meant to drop the phone off at the porridge shop where the country bumpkin works part-time. But then, when he thought of the possibility of meeting Geum Jan Di there …the notion of swinging by the porridge shop to drop off the item for the country bumpkin was promptly discarded.

"Yi Jeong, bro~ is there something wrong with that shopping bag?" Song Woo Bin started, finally having had enough of his Casanova ignoring his presence, that he finally decided to speak up and make his presence known.

"What the…?! Woo Bin, when did you get here?" The Korean Casanova would deny it later, but he nearly rammed his knees against the underneath of the table in his pottery studio at the moment, he got jolted out from his thoughts by the sound of his best friend's voice.

"Five minutes ago, and before you start flinging accusation in my face about how I didn't knock. The truth is I did knock, several times in fact, you can check your CCTV footage for confirmation. Finally, I got sick and tired of waiting for your invitation and thought I should just invite myself in. After all, it's a well-known fact among us - the F4, that you seldom locked the door when you're in the studio." Song Woo Bin was quick to defend himself against his best friend's possible accusations.

"...Fine. I believe you. Now, care to tell me why you're here and not partying out in some clubs downtown?" So Yi Jeong rolls his eyes momentarily as he inquires of his Don Juan friend.

"With tomorrow being the competition day, partying out with the ladies aren't exactly on the top of my mind for tonight. So, I thought we could break into your alcohol collection and drink the night away, instead." Song Woo Bin admitted, somewhat sheepishly to his Casanova friend.

"I have no objections of you breaking into my alcohol collection. But I have to warn you in advance that I have no guest room here to keep you for the night. And if you do intend to crash in my studio overnight, you probably have to make do with the idea of using a sleeping bag as a bed." So Yi Jeong deadpans at Woo Bin in response, before heading off to the cabinet where he had kept his stash of alcohol collection.

"We'll see…and, don't mind me asking but why have you been looking at that shopping bag with hesitancy when I came in, just now?" Song Woo Bin commented, before inquiring on the sight that met his eyes when he came into the studio earlier.

"...It's nothing, I was just wondering if I should bring it along to the jockey club tomorrow is all." The Casanova of F4 said vaguely in response, not wanting to go into too many details concerning the item in the bag.

"What's there to hesitate about? It's just a shopping bag, it's not as though it's going to take up a lot of space in your orange lotus. So, what's in that bag?" Song Woo Bin rolls his eyes in response to his friend's explanation, as he provided his own input on the matter. It wasn't until he was done sharing his opinions about what to do with the shopping bag, that the Don Juan of F4 finally thought to inquire about the item in the shopping bag. Unfortunately for him, his Casanova friend seems to have no intention of sharing the details about the item sitting in the shopping bag with him.

"You're right. I should just keep it in my car, it's not as though it is going to take up a lot of my car space. And whatever that is inside the shopping bag is nothing you should concern yourself with. So, please drop the subject." So Yi Jeong took a moment to consider his friend's opinion before nodding agreement. Shortly after, the Korean Casanova proceed to snatch the shopping bag; removing it from the table before his nosy friend could think to have a look inside the shopping bag. Finally, the Casanova of F4 took the shopping bag outside to where he had parked his orange lotus, before returning a few minutes later with his hands empty.

"... Fine, you can keep your secret. Now, where's that alcohol that you promised to serve me?" The Don Juan of F4 rolls his eyes at his friend's antics, before changing the topic of conversation.

Location: Shinhwa Jockey Club, Thursday Morning

When Chu Ga Eul alighted from the Black Mercedes Benz belonging to the Gu family with her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di, her first impression of the Shinhwa Jockey Club was that the place was huge. Honestly, if it weren't for the Shinhwa heiress leading them out from the parking facility to the main congregating point for the competition event, Ga Eul and Jan Di would have found themselves lost in the building.

At first, the two girls had thought that they would be able to see the stables after exiting the parking facility of the Shinhwa Jockey Club. But that isn't quite the case, because the first thing they saw after leaving the parking facility of the place was a miniature shopping mall. Well, actually it's more of a building reserved for both retail and office use. There isn't a lot of shops, and the shops here are mostly selling food and beverages and the remaining space were being used as the administration office for the Jockey Club.

"Girls, please follow me. The stable and the spectators stand are in this direction." Gu Jun Hee, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group, upon noticing the bewildered expressions on the faces of Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul then commented with a smile of amusement playing on her lips.

"So, Jun Hee-unnie… how many stables are there in this place?" Chu Ga Eul inquires curiously after passing by a few stables, before arriving at a stop in front of their destination.

"We have about five stables in total on this plot of land. One stable serves as the isolation stable reserved for the newly imported horses from overseas. We also have an international stable in the club, mostly reserved for the use of international races. The international stable also serves as an isolation stable for the horses we would be exporting overseas. And then, there's the racing stable that could accommodate up to 1600 horses. Finally, we have two resting stables with the capacity to accommodate up to 80 horses at one time." The Shinhwa heiress responded to Ga Eul's question cordially and wasn't in the least surprised by the looks of awe on the two girls' faces at the end of her response.

"Good morning, Jun Hee-noona!" Song Woo Bin was the first to notice the arrival of Gu Jun Hee with Geum Jan Di and her country bumpkin friend, in tow. Thus, he wasted no time in approaching the new arrivals with a polite greeting on his lips as he greeted the Shinhwa heiress.

"Good morning, Woo Bin." Gu Jun Hee greeted, before shifting her eyes towards the figure of So Yi Jeong who finally managed to wade his way over through the sea of girls crowding him moments ago.

"Good morning, Jun Hee-noona." So Yi Jeong greeted, but not without throwing Woo Bin a look of mild annoyance. Woo Bin, in his attempt to not deal with their enthusiastic female schoolmates this morning, had directed them all towards his direction upon their arrival to the jockey club. This was the reason why the first scene that met the eyes of the Shinhwa heiress and the two girls, was the scene of the Korean Casanova being trapped and surrounded by a horde of girls dressed in uniforms of the Shinhwa Academy.

"Good morning, Yi Jeong. You are very popular with the girls today, aren't you?" Gu Jun Hee commented in a teasing tone of voice, which surprisingly garnered no outward response from the Korean Casanova. The reason why the Korean Casanova wasn't responding to the teasing words coming from the Shinhwa heiress, well… he was too busy taking in the appearance of a certain country bumpkin to pay attention to what the Shinhwa heiress was saying.

Chu Ga Eul was dressed in a plaid design dress shirt, complete with a pair of black pants and a black beanie cap on her head. And because the Korean Casanova has never seen the girl dressed up in this manner before, he spends a little too long of the time staring at the girl. It wasn't until he noticed that his unwavering stare at Chu Ga Eul was causing the girl to fidget uneasily, that the Korean Casanova came back to his senses.

The first thing, So Yi Jeong did upon coming back to his senses was to greet Chu Ga Eul with his trademark charming smile. "Good morning, Ga Eul-yang."

"Good morning, Yi Jeong-Sunbae." Chu Ga Eul returns the Korean Casanova's morning greeting with a small and uneasy smile on her lips. Inwardly, wondering what the hell the guy was thinking about - greeting her with that charming smile of his, in front of the rabid fan-girls of F4. As though the staring from before wasn't enough... So Yi Jeong had to smile at her with that heart-throbbing dimpled smile of his.

"Ga Eul-yang, what a surprise to see you here this morning. Did you especially take leave from school today to be present for this competition event between Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo?" Song Woo Bin, the Don Juan of F4, then interjected himself into the scene and in the process, reminded his Casanova friend that there's a place, and venue for everything.

Not trusting herself to speak, Chu Ga Eul only nodded in response to the inquiry from the Don Juan of F4. All the while trying to stamp down the urge to cringe in response to the number of eyes boring holes into her back, coming from the group of female students who had been crowding around the Korean Casanova earlier.

"Alright, enough idle chatters. Let's head upstairs, we can continue the chatters in a bit." The Shinhwa heiress started, and her suggestion promptly received the approval stamp from the two playboys of F4 as they wasted no time in leading the way to the second floor of the spectators stand which has been reserved exclusively for their use, this morning.

Instead of the expected bleachers, the second floor of the spectator stand has been set up to resemble a private VIP box for VIPs guests. Albeit - a simplified version, and a quick look around at the furniture used in the set-up of the space were enough to get the message across to the members present. In place of the usually high-class furniture, what was being used in the set-up for today's event was four aluminum round portable tables with a series of matching aluminum chairs with back support. If it weren't for the flower decorations that sit in the center of each round table and the presence of the maids employed in the service of the Gu family, they wouldn't be able to tell that this is the designated VIP spectator area for today's competition event.

"Jan Di, come on. Stop fretting unnecessarily, and sit down." Chu Ga Eul started, dragging her friend forward to where the Shinhwa heiress was seated and forcibly shoved her fretting friend into the empty seat next to the Shinhwa heiress. After which, Ga Eul took a seat next to her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di, which ironically place her in between her friend and a certain Casanova of F4.

Thankfully, the Korean Casanova was been distracted by whatever is happening downstairs and isn't looking in her direction. Else, Ga Eul might find herself feeling self-conscious about her attire choice for today. Because she had kind of overslept this morning, Ga Eul hasn't put in much thought when she picked an outfit for the day. After all, to ensure that she isn't going to be late for the meet-up with Jan Di at the laundry shop operated by her friend's parents… Ga Eul practically grabbed the first attire from her wardrobe that doesn't scream 'loungewear' to her logical sense of mind.

"Girls, do help yourselves to the scones and tea. There's no need to stand on ceremony in my presence." Gu Jun Hee started, drawing both Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul out from their respective thoughts.

"Thank you." Chu Ga Eul responded, directing a polite smile towards the Shinhwa heiress before reaching for a scone. Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, was too nervous to eat anything and thus only responded to the offer from the Shinhwa heiress with a tight smile.

To be honest, the refreshments provided on-site was a god-send for Chu Ga Eul. Because Ga Eul hasn't taken her breakfast for this morning. As to the reason why she hasn't taken her breakfast, it had to trace back to how she had overslept this morning.

Having woken up late this morning, Ga Eul had to rush through her morning routine as well as to prepare for the outing trip by ensuring that her outfit choice was at least presentable and decent, without being late for her meet up with her childhood friend to catch their free ride to the Shinhwa Jockey Club. After all, it wouldn't be good to keep the Shinhwa heiress waiting for her when the heiress was already kind enough to allow her to tag along for the trip when her presence on-site wasn't exactly necessary.

"Ga Eul-yang, are the scones so delicious that you had trouble keeping your hands off them?" So Yi Jeong begins to say, after having observed the girl's actions for some time from his position at the table.

"..." Still chewing away on the bit of scone she had in her mouth, Chu Ga Eul felt her cheeks flushing pink at the words coming from the Korean Casanova. "I apologized for monopolizing the treat to myself, it wasn't an intentional act on my part. I'm just too hungry, I guess." Ga Eul eventually responded; her cheeks still pink as she flushes under the amusing gazes from the rest of the group seated at the table.

"Have you not taken your breakfast before coming over?" So Yi Jeong inquires, looking surprised by the bit of information. Albeit, Chu Ga Eul didn't mention anything about not having taken breakfast… but the fact that she was using the term 'too hungry' was enough for him to assume so.

"...Unfortunately, no. I woke up late this morning, and thus hasn't got time to eat anything." Chu Ga Eul answered, adding the last part for the benefit of her childhood friend who's eyeing her with a look of confusion at present.

"What?! Ga Eul, why didn't you tell me you haven't eaten anything for breakfast when we meet up earlier this morning?!" Geum Jan Di was shocked if she had known... she would have insisted for her friend to head upstairs with her to grab a quick bite instead of staying in the laundry shop operated by her parents, waiting for the arrival of the Shinhwa heiress to pick them up for the trip to the competition venue.

"Jan Di ah... it's fine. What good would it do for me to tell you about something like that when time isn't exactly on our side? It's one thing if your family runs a bakery or an F&B business where food is readily available, but the point was moot because it's the laundry shop business that your family is running. And with the neighboring businesses on the two sides being an electronics store, and a hair salon... the only way for me to get food would be heading up to your family residence located directly above the laundry shop which would only serve to delay time." Chu Ga Eul sighed inwardly as she turns to address her concerned friend before shifting her eyes to the plate of scones sitting innocently on the table and adding as an afterthought. "Besides, these scones are really good."

"I'm glad you enjoy the scones, don't worry about polishing them off on your own. Butler Lee could replenish the supply at any point, isn't that, right?" The Shinhwa heiress then throws a questioning look towards the direction of Butler Lee – the butler employed in the service of her family.

"Of course." Butler Lee answered, respectfully as he responded to the inquiry from the Shinhwa heiress.

In an attempt to steer the focus of her friend elsewhere, Chu Ga Eul promptly directs her attention out to the ground level and search desperately for something that could divert Geum Jan Di's attention from her person. Luckily for her, the search didn't last long. Soon, her attention was drawn towards the appearances of two horses trotting slowly to where the spectators' stand was situated.

"Jan Di, look! The horses!" Ga Eul started, nudging her childhood friend as she pointed towards the two horses that appears with the figures of Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo seated on their backs.

Meanwhile, So Yi Jeong and Song Woo Bin took that as their cue to head down the flight of stairs to meet up with their two friends who will be competing this morning. They are in charge of the duty to call for the official start of the horse-racing competition between Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo, this morning. After a quick word of greeting to the Shinhwa heir, both the Don Juan and the Casanova of F4 got into their positions at the starting point for the race.

"Ready, on your mark, and go!" The F2 calls out, and with a quick flagging motion in front of the horses – the race between Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo was off to an official start.

Upstairs on the second floor of the spectators stand, Geum Jan Di found herself squeezing the hands of her childhood friend hard as the horses sped off for the direction of the official racing course which is located on the outer perimeter of the Jockey Club following the end of a warm-up run on the training tracks.

"..." Resisting the urge to wince at the hard grip of her friend's hands-on hers, Chu Ga Eul waited until the two horses disappear completely from their sighting range before she made a move to retract her hand from Jan Di with a hard tug.

"Sorry, Ga Eul. I didn't mean to grip you this hard." Coming back to her senses, Geum Jan Di took one look at the way Ga Eul was flexing her hand and promptly apologized without delay.

"It's fine, Jan Di. No harm done, other than a minuscule fraction of a numbing sensation." Ga Eul responded as she resettles back onto the chair she has been sitting upon before the horses came into view.

Shortly after, the two playboys of F4 returned back to join the girls and the Shinhwa heiress on the second floor of the spectators stand to wait for the return of their competing friends. And although, they didn't miss the apologetic look which Geum Jan Di was directing at Chu Ga Eul... neither Song Woo Bin nor So Yi Jeong thought it prudent to inquire on the matter. Especially since neither of them was on speaking terms with the Wonder Woman of Korea, at present.

While waiting for Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo to return with their horses, which would also mark the end for this particular competition event – the entire VIP seating area of the spectators' stand was engulfed in silence.

Gu Jun Hee – the heiress for the Shinhwa Group was focusing her attention on the English novel she had brought along to occupy her time while waiting for the results of the competition between her brother and Yoon Ji Hoo to emerge. So Yi Jeong, the Casanova of F4 had his focus fixated on something taking place on the ground floor where the rest of the students of Shinhwa Academy was being accommodated for the duration of this competition event between Yoon Ji Hoo and the Shinhwa heir. Song Woo Bin, commonly known as the Don Juan of F4, was spending his time studying human behaviors, it seems... for his eyes were busily flickering between the different individuals every few minutes.

Chu Ga Eul was originally occupying her time with a text message exchange with Gong Soo Pyo, on her mobile phone but had to give up the idea of holding a proper text conversation with the guy when her phone decided to finally 'die' on her.

"..." Staring wordlessly down at the phone that wouldn't restart, no matter how many times she pressed on the power button of the gadget. Chu Ga Eul had no choice but to accept the fact that after struggling for a week, her wonky phone had finally decided to succumb to its' dying fate. Dumping the offending gadget unceremoniously back into the handbag which she had been using for today, Chu Ga Eul started glancing about her surrounding trying to find something else to occupy her attention. Eventually, she found her eyes landing upon the figure of her childhood friend – Geum Jan Di.

The Wonder Woman of Korea was understandingly nervous about the outcome of the competition between Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo of F4. After all, her own continuous attendance in Shinhwa High depends a great deal on the final outcome of the competition, too. So, naturally, she's bound to feel nervous and anxious during the period of the wait. Especially since she had no idea how Yoon Ji Hoo would fare against a race with the Shinhwa heir who seems capable of performing well in anything and everything. Well, except for swimming as that's the only thing that the Shinhwa heir can't do due to psychological reasons.

Deciding that she has nothing better to do, Chu Ga Eul decides to try and alleviate her friend's anxiety by engaging the two playboys of F4 in a conversation. But since Ga Eul didn't know them well enough to bring up a conversation topic that might be of interest to them, she decided to start off the conversation with a question that has been bugging her childhood friend.

"Erm..." Ga Eul started hesitantly, keeping her eyes on the two playboys of F4 as she wonders which one of them would be the first to acknowledge her attempt at starting a conversation.

"Yes, Ga Eul-yang?" Song Woo Bin responded, glancing towards the figure of Chu Ga Eul, a polite smile playing on his lips. Of course, he didn't fail to notice how his Casanova friend had shot him a warning look reminding him of the potential dangers of hitting on a friend of Geum Jan Di, from the corner of his eyes.

To which, the Don Juan of F4, simply return a look of exasperation to his Casanova friend. Just because he's being friendly to Chu Ga Eul doesn't mean he's interested in the girl, it's simply in his nature to be friendly with the ladies. Song Woo Bin was thinking when Chu Ga Eul began to speak, again. So, he promptly snapped his focus back to the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di.

"Out of curiosity, between Jun Pyo-Sunbae and Ji Hoo-Sunbae... which one of them is better when it comes down to horse racing?" Chu Ga Eul inquires, eyeing Jan Di meaningfully from the corner of her eyes as she broached the question to the two playboys of F4. Or more precisely, to the Don Juan of F4, since Song Woo Bin was the one who actually acknowledged her desire to start a conversation.

"Well... if we were to base it on the past records, that'll be Ji Hoo." Song Woo Bin answered, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Past records... does that means that this isn't the first time they are racing against one another?" Chu Ga Eul was quick to follow up with another question revolving around the same topic to the Don Juan of F4.

Only this time, it wasn't the Don Juan of F4 that responded to her inquiry but the Korean Casanova who acknowledge her question.

"Certainly. Granted, the races they had against one another in the past were mostly friendly competition. I think this is the first time they are racing seriously, and with the intention of not losing to the other party." So Yi Jeong responded, seizing his opportunity to answer the question before Woo Bin could beat him to the task.

"Okay... and who's usually the winner when they had those friendly competitions between them?" Now, truly intrigued – Chu Ga Eul allows a curious look to cross her features as she voiced her query across to the Casanova of F4.

"Ji Hoo." This time, the response came in unison as both the Don Juan and the Korean Casanova choose to answer the question at the same time.

"Hear that, Jan Di. They are saying that most of the time, it's Ji Hoo-Sunbae that wins. So, are you able to relax and eat something now?" Chu Ga Eul commented, directing a plain stare at the figure of her childhood friend – Geum Jan Di.

"Do we even want to know what's all that about?" Raising an eyebrow up in a questioning manner, Song Woo Bin directed the question towards Chu Ga Eul while overlooking the presence of Geum Jan Di.

"Long story short, Jan Di was too nervous to eat breakfast this morning. Hypocrite of her to chew me out for not taking my own breakfast when she didn't eat any, herself. Anyway, didn't realize it until I hear the sound of her stomach growling. In an attempt to get her to relax enough to actually eat something, I decided to alleviate her anxiety through the means of engaging the two of you in a conversation surrounding Ji Hoo-Sunbae's capability on a horse." Chu Ga Eul stated dryly in response while keeping her eyes unwaveringly on her childhood friend until Jan Di actually reaches out for the plate of scones, newly replenished as the last plate has been emptied out by Ga Eul, personally.

"..."

There was a moment of silence following Ga Eul's statement before the Korean Casanova cleared his throat awkwardly and started. "Ga Eul-yang, are you perhaps in a bad mood?"

"... Bad mood? No, not really. But I am indeed a tad annoyed, right now..." Chu Ga Eul paused briefly to consider the question for a moment, before shaking her head in response.

"Dare I inquire on the reason behind your annoyance?" So Yi Jeong asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"In a nutshell, I'm having a bad day is all." Ga Eul responded, purposely keeping her response vague. But a curious look directed at her by the Wonder Woman of Korea was enough to make Chu Ga Eul caved and so, the country bumpkin finally went into a full elaboration of her day thus far giving everyone present a brief account of how her day had gone.

"First, I overslept on a day that I cannot afford to sleep in. Then, I had to return back home for a change of shoes when I'm already running late to begin with, simply because the original shoes I had chosen for today's outing had one of its heels break off just as I was leaving the front porch of my family home. Because of that, I nearly missed the bus that would take me to Jan Di's place and had to run and yell for the bus driver to wait. Of course, I could have taken a cab but that would require me to wait for another 15 minutes as I would have to do the booking for the cab on the spot as cabs aren't exactly crawling around in residential areas. Either way, I managed to get on the bus, so, the point was moot. Moving on... I was amid a conversation with someone on my phone when it decided that now is the perfect time to die officially on me. End of story. Do you see why - I'm feeling annoyed now?!" Chu Ga Eul deadpans, looking visibly annoyed by how bad her day was turning out for her.

~TBC~

Chapter's notes: I planned three chapters for this F4 friendship crisis arc, but I think I'm going to end up with four chapters for the arc, after all. Sorry for cutting this chapter off here, but it's getting too long ...so, *shrugs*

Next, we finally have some SoEul interaction scenes. Sorry if it wasn't much... but at least, the scenes are here now, right? ^_^ More scenes between SoEul would be coming in the next chapter... coming to the scenes featured in this chapter, I think a very big portion was my own original scenes.

I had a flashback scene from Ga Eul POV about her first date with Gong Soo Pyo. Writing this part is big torture for me because I'm a solid shipper for SoEul! Oh well... but I keep telling myself it's necessary, so I gritted my teeth together and wade through it. Thankfully, I have no intention to go into details of every single date Ga Eul went on with Gong Soo Pyo. Not until the double date with Jan Di and Jun Pyo, but that's in the latter part of the story [another few chapters away]

Instead of writing out the scene for the lots drawing in Jun Pyo's house from either of the POVs, I decided to have Geum Jan Di narrate the scene/events out to Ga Eul when they were in the porridge shop. Shunsuke and Park Jae-In got a cameo off in the scene whereby Jun Pyo went to threaten the job of the principal. But other than that, not many scenes for OCs in this chapter...

For the rest of the scenes featured in this chapter, I edited them/enhanced them by giving them a twist of my own. So, what do you think of these scenes? Good, Bad? Let me know ^_^

That's all for now, ciao~