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 8 - The Friendship Crisis of F4, Part 4
Location: Shinhwa Jockey Club, Thursday
When someone from the ground level suddenly announced that the Shinhwa heir is back, pretty much everyone seated on the VIP area of the spectators' stand was surprised by the news. The surprise mostly stems from the fact that they all knew how good Yoon Ji Hoo was when it comes down to horse-riding and that it's very difficult to triumph over Ji Hoo in this particular area. Thus, when it was announced that Gu Jun Pyo has emerged as the winner for this round of the competition - everyone had a look of surprise reflected on their face.
Gu Jun Hee, the elder sister of the Shinhwa heir though, was another matter. Instead of an expression that indicates elation or pride of the Shinhwa heir achievement at defeating Yoon Ji Hoo for once in the area of horse-riding. The Shinhwa heiress had an unreadable look on her face, sticking her bookmark into the half-finished novel - Gu Jun Hee stood from her seat and headed downstairs fully intending to find out just what exactly her brother had done in an attempt to win the competition.
It was sometime later that Yoon Ji Hoo finally return to the stable with his beloved horse - Louis, halfway through the race he already had an inkling that he might have lost this round of competition. Despite having started off the race at the same time with Jun Pyo, and the fact that they had been racing neck-to-neck for a fair bit of time… it's likely that Jun Pyo has realized that winning against him is impossible if, a certain percentage of risk wasn't taken. And thus, when they reached the cross-roads whereby the racing course split off into two… and that Jun Pyo wasn't anywhere behind him when he uses the approved racecourse as dictated by their horse-riding coach; he knew that Jun Pyo has gone for the other route in an attempt to beat him.
Yes - that other route serves as a shorter route to the ending point of their race, but it wasn't an easy route for the horses to race through. After all, if one wasn't careful enough… the horse might end up getting hurt from using that particular route. There's a reason why jockeys are banned from using the route without supervision. Thus, when Yoon Ji Hoo reaches the stable and noticed that most of the spectators are off elsewhere instead of crowding around the spectator stand - he knew that Jun Pyo has indeed won this round.
With a sigh, Yoon Ji Hoo unmounted from the back of his beloved horse and led it back into its' paddock within the stable reserved exclusively for the horses belonging to the F4. noting the presence of the two brown horses belonging to Yi Jeong and Woo Bin, and the empty paddock belonging to Jupiter - the black stallion Jun Pyo had used for today's competition. The auburn-haired member of F4 allowed another sigh to pass through his lips, inwardly hoping that Jun Pyo didn't damage Jupiter too badly.
Jupiter - the black stallion that belongs to the Shinhwa heir collapsed moments after Gu Jun Pyo unmounted from its back. The coach took one look at the stallion's condition and promptly knew what the Shinhwa heir had resort to do to win this competition. With a disapproving look in the Shinhwa heir's direction, the horse-riding coach of the F4 gestured for the veterinarian to come forth and attend to the ailing horse.
So Yi Jeong and Song Woo Bin were originally coming over to congratulate the Shinhwa heir for winning against Ji Hoo, and also to find out how Jun Pyo had managed to overtake Ji Hoo in the race. But now, the two of them didn't even need to ask to know for certain what their friend had done to emerge as the winner for this round of the competition.
"Now what? Do we still approach or shall we take a rain check?" Song Woo Bin commented, turning towards his Casanova friend for a second opinion on whether or not, they should approach the Shinhwa heir, at present.
"I think it's best to leave him alone for now. Even if we were to approach him now, I doubt he would be in the mood to entertain us with Jupiter's current condition." So Yi Jeong responded, turning on his heels to leave the site without delay.
"Well… at least, now we know how Jun Pyo had ended up winning Ji Hoo in the latter's forte area. I'm going to ensure that none of the girls present for today's event would come and bother Jun Pyo, what about you?" Song Woo Bin commented, turning towards his friend for an answer.
"Nay, after what happened this morning… I think it's time you try keeping them entertained for a change." So Yi Jeong deadpans, reminding the Don Juan of F4 about how he had to wade through a sea of girls crowding him before he could greet the Shinhwa heiress, and a certain country bumpkin. At the thought of the country bumpkin, the Korean Casanova recalled what the girl had mentioned before… about how her phone had finally died on her, today.
[Now might be a good time to gift her the new phone I bought as a replacement gift for her…] So Yi Jeong was thinking, as he parted ways with Woo Bin. Decision made; the Korean Casanova promptly headed back towards the spectators stand to go in search for the country bumpkin - Chu Ga Eul.
"Jan Di… just approach him if you are so worried about how he would feel, losing to Jun Pyo-Sunbae in an area of his expertise." Chu Ga Eul started, having had enough of watching how her friend was hesitating between the idea of staying with her or to approach the auburn-haired member of F4 who had finally returned only to be informed that the Shinhwa heir had bested him in this round of the competition.
"... Are you sure you're going to be fine, alone?" Geum Jan Di started, sounding uncertain as she took her first step towards the direction of Yoon Ji Hoo of F4.
Rolling her eyes openly, Chu Ga Eul deadpans at her hesitant friend. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm not five years old, I'm 17. Soon to be 18 in another few months. I'm sure I can handle being alone. Yes, I might not have a functional phone on my person… but that doesn't mean, I can't ask my way around the place as I explore the jockey club on my own. There isn't even a need for you to fret over the notion of how I'm going to head home from here, it's my phone that dies… I still have my wallet of cash with me. I could always get the staff working in the main office to help me book a cab home using the office landline. See, I do have a logical plan. So, stop worrying unnecessarily about my plight and go over to your prince charming already!"
Finally convinced that her childhood friend would be fine, Geum Jan Di started off towards the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo. This time, with no hesitation in her steps.
Ga Eul smiles as she took in the sight of her friend interacting with the white horse under Ji Hoo-Sunbae's instructions and was all the more certain that the auburn-haired heir to the Su Am Group is the soulmate to her friend. Glad that her friend is having a good time for once, Chu Ga Eul decided to leave them be and explore elsewhere on the grounds. She was about to turn to leave for the stable on the opposite side of the training tracks when a neigh from a chestnut-brown horse caught her attention.
"Oh…hello, who do you belong to? Are you Woo Bin-Sunbae's horse or do you belong to Yi Jeong-Sunbae?" Chu Ga Eul began, asking the horse with a curious tilt of her head. Since the stable was reserved exclusively for the use of the horses belonging to the F4, and knowing that the two horses that races earlier are in the colors of black and white, respectively. She gathered that the chestnut-brown horse that has caught her attention now, must have belonged to either one of the playboys of F4. Only, she wasn't sure which one of them is the owner of this beautiful horse that's constantly neighing for her attention.
"Such an attention seeker… with how much you are neighing for my attention, I'm almost certain that you belong to Woo Bin-Sunbae." Chu Ga Eul commented to the horse, not expecting that anyone is around and thus she is genuinely shocked when she heard the sound of a snort of amusement coming from behind.
Whipping around in shock, her face went beet red when she realized that the Korean Casanova was standing behind her with a blatant look of amusement. "Ga Eul-yang, are you seriously trying to have a conversation with a horse? Need I remind you that it wasn't capable of human speech and thus wouldn't be able to provide you with an answer to the question about its owner?" So Yi Jeong started, sounding absolutely amused by what he had unintentionally overheard thus far.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae… how long have you been standing behind me?" Chu Ga Eul started, going beet red in her face from pure embarrassment. All the while thinking that she must have looked silly while trying to hold a conversation with a horse, the more she thought about what she said to the horse… the redder in the face she became. Just when Ga Eul thought the Korean Casanova is going to continue teasing her on the subject, she heard the man responding to the question she had to inquire about while trying to hold a one-sided conversation with the horse still neighing at her from behind.
"Sad to disappoint you, Ga Eul-yang. This horse that's trying constantly to get your attention by neighing doesn't belong to Woo Bin, but me. Oh, and one more thing… it's unlike for this horse of mine to constantly try and catch someone's attention… but since he's doing it to you. Then, you must have something that caught his interest on your person." So Yi Jeong commented to the girl whom he had fondly nicknamed 'country bumpkin' with an amused smile playing on his lips, enjoying the blushing reaction from the girl.
"Eh?!" Chu Ga Eul snapped her head up at the sound of the Korean Casanova words, as she flicked her eyes disbelieving between the figure of So Yi Jeong and the horse. Upon receiving the nod of affirmation from the Casanova of F4, Chu Ga Eul promptly starts digging through the pockets of her plaid design dress shirt. It took her a few minutes, but eventually, she retrieved a pocket-size pack of 'Sun maid' raisins from the left pocket of her plaid dress shirt.
"..." So Yi Jeong was quite speechless when the country bumpkin managed to produce a pack of raisins from her person, literally. No wonder his beloved horse was constantly trying to catch the girl's attention, it has a particular penchant taste for raisins.
Chu Ga Eul was at a loss of what to do next when she heard the Korean Casanova asking if she would like to feed his horse. Sounding intrigued by the idea, Chu Ga Eul nodded as she asks in return. "How do I go about feeding him? And while on the subject, does your horse have a name?"
"You pour some of the raisins out from the pack onto your hand and hold it out to him by placing your hand somewhere near his mouth. It will feed automatically from your hand. And yes, my horse does have a name. All of us were asked to name the horses on the first day we were gifted them." So Yi Jeong responded, providing the instructions on how to feed the horse to Ga Eul readily but seems rather reluctant when it comes down to sharing the name of his horse with the girl.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, thanks for your clear instructions on how to go about feeding your horse. However, you had yet to inform me of its name." Chu Ga Eul deadpans to the Korean Casanova, shifting her eyes momentarily away from the neighing horse to its owner - So Yi Jeong.
"And why would you wish to know its name?" The Korean Casanova tried to convince the country bumpkin that it wasn't necessary to know the name of his horse. Unfortunately for him, Chu Ga Eul refuses to budge on the subject judging from that unimpressed look on her face.
No, it wasn't because So Yi Jeong has lied about his horse having a name… instead, it's more of the matter of him cringing at the naming sense of his 5-year-old self. Not only was the name given to his horse when he was five totally uncreative, but the name had also sounded lame to his logical sense of mind over the years. Yet, despite the multiple occasions in the recent years that he had tried to give his horse a better name, it would seem the name he picks out when he was only five had stuck in the mind of his beloved horse. So, now… his horse refuses to answer to any other name aside from the name - Clay which frustrates him to no end, much to the amusement of his friend - Woo Bin.
"Fine, I'll tell you but please don't laugh at the name of my horse." So Yi Jeong began, resigning himself to the fact that there is no way he could wriggle out of the current situation without revealing to the country bumpkin – the name of his beloved horse. Closing his eyes briefly, the Korean Casanova took a deep breath and spoke with a torturous expression on his face as he revealed the name of his beloved horse to the country bumpkin standing in front of him with an expectant look on her face. "Clay… his name is Clay."
"I beg your pardon?!" Chu Ga Eul started; the expectant looks on her face morphing into one of incredulity. Certainly, the Korean Casanova wasn't trying to say that he had named his beloved horse - Clay?! Wow… no wonder the guy was so reluctant to tell her the name of his horse.
[Should I be glad that she isn't laughing but eyeing me with incredulity instead?] - So Yi Jeong thought as he observed the reaction of Chu Ga Eul, discreetly.
"Ga Eul-yang, your ears aren't playing tricks on you. Clay is indeed the name of my horse, bear it in mind that I was only five when I named him. Either way, my reputation is at stake here... so, I would prefer for you to keep this particular knowledge to yourself. Can you promise me that?" So Yi Jeong responded, sounding both resigned and hopeful as he directed a pleading look towards the figure of Chu Ga Eul.
Inwardly, the Korean Casanova was starting to recall the reason why he has never brought his past dates around to The Jockey Club for horse riding. If it got out to the public that the Korean Casanova had actually named his beloved horse after the material used in his pottery art…he would never get to live it down.
"Fine, I promised I won't tell another soul about the uncreative name of your horse, as well as the terrible naming sense you had when you were five." Chu Ga Eul responded, stamping down the urge to snort aloud at the visibly relieved look that crosses the features of the Korean Casanova then. However, she wasn't quite done with her prying into the subject yet... because she still had some lingering curiosity concerning the reason behind the Korean Casanova decision to name his horse after a raw material used in pottery and ceramic art. And so, after a moment of blissful silence – Chu Ga Eul began to speak, again.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae…I'm curious, why did you choose to name your horse - Clay?" Chu Ga Eul inquires with a curious look in her eyes while trying her best to stamp down the urge to laugh aloud when the expression on So Yi Jeong's face morphed from relieved to dread, at the end of her latest inquiry into the subject.
[Seriously? She's going to pry deeper into the subject?!] - So Yi Jeong could hardly believe what he's hearing, but one look in the direction of Chu Ga Eul – he knows, the country bumpkin isn't going to give up on the idea of satisfying her curiosity on the subject. Although, there is always the option of him simply turning on his heels and leaving the site to put an end to the current topic of conversation. But that would have defeated the purpose of him coming in search for the country bumpkin, to begin with, and thus, after some considerable thoughts about his next course of actions concerning the subject... So Yi Jeong decided that he might as well come clean to the country bumpkin about the story behind the naming of his horse.
"The story began from the point we were brought to the stable to meet the horses for the first time, after giving us a background about the horses we were bestowed with as our reliable partners for the years to come in our horse riding lessons. We were instructed by the coach to give a name to our respective horses, and that we could name them after something we like. Jun Pyo wanted to be a king at five years old, so, he thought it would be good to name his horse after a king. Thus, the name 'Jupiter' because it's the name for the king of the gods in Roman Mythology. Ji Hoo thought the name Louis is befitting for his white horse, and I was just starting to learn the art of pottery then. Of course, at that age… all I was taught in the lessons was to mold clay. And I do find the lesson I had with my grandfather enjoyable since he was a tad more lenient back then…it wasn't until I really showed my talent in pottery that he started getting strict with me. Anyway, coming back to the original topic at hand – originally, I wanted to name my horse 'Baekja' - the Korean term for Porcelain. But Jun Pyo vetoed the name on the basis that the horse isn't white, so it's not a suitable name. What Jun Pyo wants; what Jun Pyo gets – that's how wilful he was at the age of five. So, I had to come up with an alternative name...and 'Clay' is the only name I could think of if I were to factor in the color of the horse when coming up with a suitable name for the horse, on short notice. Not a very ingenious name, I know… but that's the best I could do then." So Yi Jeong responded drily as he reiterates the entire story of how the name of his horse came to be while combing the mane of his horse and watching the country bumpkin feed his horse from the corner of his eyes.
"Hmm… and what about Woo Bin-Sunbae? What name did he pick for his horse?" Chu Ga Eul inquires, deciding that she might as well ask about the name of the horse belonging to the Don Juan of F4 seeing as she already knew the names for the other horses.
"Champion. Woo Bin named his horse 'Champion', and don't ask me why he picked this name because I don't remember. The only reason I could remember the details about how Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo named their horses so vividly is that Jun Pyo was quite vehement about our insulation of him naming his horse after a planet in the solar system and that left quite an impression on me. As for Ji Hoo… he quoted some fairy-tale about the cliche setting of 'Prince appearing on white horse' and that since his horse is white, it deserved to be named after a prince in real life." The Korean Casanova quipped, remembering the happy memories from his childhood days with his friends from F4.
Of course, they weren't known as the F4 when they were still kids… the nickname didn't come to fruition until they were halfway through their middle school education. And it happens out of the blue too, it's like one day before they are still the heirs to the top four families in Korea… and the 'boom' overnight they became known to the entire school as the F4.
"I see…" Chu Ga Eul mused aloud in response, and when the horse 'Clay' was done ingesting the last bit of the raisins from her glove-clad hand… Ga Eul promptly straightens up her posture as she turns to address the Korean Casanova. "Yi Jeong-Sunbae, would you mind letting me know of the time now? I'm afraid without a functional phone, I wasn't quite able to tell the time on my own."
"It's slightly after 1pm. Speaking of your phone, do you mind coming with me for a while? I think I have the perfect solution to your little problem about not having a functional phone at hand." So Yi Jeong commented, directing his words at the country bumpkin glancing over at him with a questioning but curious expression.
A quick look over at the area where Geum Jan Di is still playing with the white horse while conversing with Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 assured Chu Ga Eul that her childhood friend would be fine in the presence of the auburn-haired member of F4. So, after hesitating for a few seconds - Ga Eul decided that there's no harm in going along with the whims of the Korean Casanova for a while longer. Besides, she had to admit that she's indeed curious about what the Korean Casanova had meant by claiming that he had the 'perfect solution' to her little problem of not having a functional phone at hand.
Ten minutes later, Chu Ga Eul watched on curiously as So Yi Jeong retrieved a shopping bag from the leg-room of the passenger seat of his orange lotus and handed it over to her with a slightly apprehensive look.
"... Erm, what is this about?" Chu Ga Eul glanced at the offered shopping bag with equal apprehension, unsure of whether or not she should accept the offered item from the Korean Casanova. Something tells her that whatever was in the shopping bag, likely wasn't cheap.
"A replacement phone for you, it's sort of an apology gift from me… for startling you into dropping your phone in New Caledonia. I bought it a few days back but haven't quite found the opportunity to present it to you. So, when you mentioned that your phone died on your today… I thought now's the perfect timing to gift it to you." So Yi Jeong explained nonchalantly to Ga Eul, pressing the bag directly into the hands of the country bumpkin when the girl seems a tad too shocked to react.
Chu Ga Eul was at a complete loss of words, of all things she was expecting… getting a brand-new phone from the Korean Casanova as a gift of apology was most definitely not IT. Topping it off, the guy had to gift her the phone on the same day her original phone choose to die on her, officially. How on earth is she going to turn down the offered gift of apology, now?! Even if, the gift was too extravagant for her to accept.
"Aren't you going to test out your new phone?" So Yi Jeong prompted, very much enjoying the gobsmacked look on the face of the country bumpkin.
"... I'll test it out later when I'm home." Chu Ga Eul responded, realizing a split second too late that she had already insulated in her response that she would be accepting the phone gifted to her by the Korean Casanova.
"..."
Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 was observing the way Geum Jan Di interacted with his beloved horse - Louis when he felt a buzz of vibration coming from the pocket of his coat. Reaching into the pocket, he pulled out his mobile device to find himself staring at a text message from So Yi Jeong, the Casanova of F4. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, the auburn-haired heir of the Su Am Arts Center tapped into the text message to read it in full. The message from the Korean Casanova read:
'Ji Hoo, let the Wonder Woman of Korea knows that her friend is with me and that I'll be sending Ga Eul-yang home today since she doesn't have a functional phone to make arrangement for her own transport home. Yi Jeong.'
"..." Knowing how sensitive Geum Jan Di was when it comes down to the matter of leaving her friend in the presence of Yi Jeong for a prolonged period, Yoon Ji Hoo of F4, was naturally at a loss of how to get across this little bit of information to Geum Jan Di without causing any overreaction in the girl.
"Ji Hoo-Sunbae?" Geum Jan Di, upon noticing the look of hesitation on Yoon Ji Hoo, took it upon herself to inquire.
"It's nothing. I was just wondering if you would like to join me for lunch." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, directing a smile at Geum Jan Di who's eyeing him with concern.
"Sure. I mean, I don't mind having lunch with you." Geum Jan Di responded only to widen her eyes at the remembrance of her leaving her childhood friend unattended for some time now. She was about to suggest that they could invite Ga Eul along for the lunch break when Yoon Ji Hoo dropped the startling news of her friend had left with the Casanova of F4 moments ago.
"What?!" Geum Jan Di whirled around to stare at the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo in blatant shock.
"I said, your friend is with Yi Jeong. He found her roaming about aimlessly and offer to send her home in his orange lotus. I reckon they're on the road back to the city, by now." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, calmingly in contrast to Geum Jan Di's panicky mood.
"Ji Hoo-Sunbae, Yi Jeong-Sunbae wouldn't dare try anything on Ga Eul, right?" Geum Jan Di asks in a panicky tone of voice, as she turns towards the auburn-haired member of F4 for reassurance.
Feeling the corners of his lips twitching as he took in the panicky side of Geum Jan Di, Yoon Ji Hoo briefly wonders what Yi Jeong even did to make Geum Jan Di think so badly of his Casanova friend. Was it simply a case of Yi Jeong's reputation as the infamous Casanova of Korea, that resulted in Geum Jan Di's unwillingness to trust the man? Oh well... that isn't anything he ought to concern himself with, now the pressing issue is to calm his female companion down before she ended up popping a vessel from overthinking on the matter of Yi Jeong being left alone with the innocent and naive Ga Eul-yang.
"Calm down. Your friend would be fine. Think about New Caledonia, Yi Jeong was entrusted by Jun Pyo to keep your friend entertained for the most part of the trip. Did anything untoward happen to Ga Eul-yang, then?" Yoon Ji Hoo commented, placing his hands on the shoulders of Geum Jan Di and speaking patiently to the panicky Wonder Woman of Korea.
"..."
In hindsight, it was probably for the best when her phone decided to die on her when she's at the Shinhwa Jockey Club. Why? Simple – because the moment Ga Eul switched her sim card from the damaged phone over to the new flip-phone gifted to her by the Korean Casanova. Her phone promptly started vibrating with a dozen incoming text alerts and missed calls alerts, all of them from her fellow classmates in Seoul High School seeking clarifications on the matter of her impending transfer to another school.
Of course, there are also a few messages from Gong Soo Pyo – the guy she had previously gone out on a date with. Considering how she has been involved in a text conversation with the guy before her phone decided to die on her abruptly, it's only understandable for Gong Soo Pyo to leap to the wrong conclusion when she suddenly stops responding to his text messages.
There isn't even a need for Ga Eul to think about the priority order of her next course of action. The first thing she did after going through the incoming flood of texts and missed calls alerts was to reply to the latest message, she had received from Gong Soo Pyo.
To Soo Pyo-Kun: Didn't mean to ignore you. My phone dies on me before I could reply to your message earlier on in the day. I've only just gotten my hands on a new phone, and the first thing I did was drop you this message. Either way, don't overthink things... and yes, the date for tomorrow is still on.
To Ga Eul: Phew~ *Relieved Sigh* I was thinking I had pissed you off unintentionally. Thank God, it wasn't the case. Would you like me to pick you up from school or are we to meet up at the train station, again?
To Soo Pyo-Kun: I will meet you outside the train station of Myeong-Dong, as per the arrangement of our last date. So, there isn't a need for you to pick me up from school... after that stunt of you showing up at the gate for consecutive days, the security guard stationed in Seoul High School is extremely wary about you showing up at the gate, again. He said, and I quoted 'all that screaming from the girls who recognized you as a former alumnus of the school was a nightmare to deal with'
To Ga Eul: Really? I'll be sure to apologize to him for the inconvenience caused, the next time I decide to visit. Alright, shall we meet up around 3pm at exit point 4 of the Myeong-Dong station, tomorrow?
To Soo Pyo-Kun: Sure. See you tomorrow at 3pm.
Finding it too much of a hassle to reply to each of her classmates who decided to contact her personally to find out the details concerning her transfer to another school, Ga Eul opted to send a mass reply via the chatroom function of Facebook messenger app instead. Considering that she isn't using the KakaoTalk messenger app, and not a lot of her classmates are using the Line App which is more popular among the Japanese community... Facebook messenger is the only social media platform that Ga Eul knew would allow her to establish contact with literally all her classmates in one go.
Granted, there is always the option of her signing up for a KakaoTalk account and joining her classmates on the social media platform. But Ga Eul doesn't want to have so many social media apps installed on her IPAD device, and thus, she decided to find an alternative way to go about conveying the message regarding the issue of her pending transfer to another school to her fellow classmates. Still, it's ironic that her homeroom teacher had to pick the day she's on leave from school to drop the bit of information to her classmates.
If the teacher had picked to make that announcement tomorrow in school, she likely would be able to clarify the circumstances about her transfer issue with her classmates on the spot. That would have made her life easier, but alas, it was not to be. So, to avoid being ambushed by the members of her entire class upon reaching school tomorrow – Ga Eul had to clarify the matter with them before the end of the day.
Location: Gu Family Mansion, Friday 3pm
While Chu Ga Eul was meeting up with Gong Soo Pyo in Myeong-Dong for their second date, Geum Jan Di and the members of F4 have gathered once again in the family residence of the Shinhwa heir. They are gathered this afternoon in the living room of the Gu family home because the day has come for the second competing activity to be announced. As per the agreement decided before the first competition event, there will be a three-day preparation period for both parties following the announcement of the competing activity.
"Now, I will proceed to announce the sports activity that is to compete between Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo, three days from today." Gu Jun Hee started, looking at the members gathered in the living room of her childhood home with a smile.
Butler Lee then came in with a box in hand and set it down in front of the Shinhwa heiress. Opening the lid to the box, inside lays two color balls – one red, and one blue. The red ball was drawn by Yoon Ji Hoo of F4, and the blue ball was drawn by Geum Jan Di – approximately four days ago when the group arrived at the consensus idea that the disputes between the Shinhwa heir and Yoon Ji Hoo would be settled through a series of competitions comprising of three rounds in total.
Yesterday was the first round of the competition, and the Shinhwa heir has emerged from the competition as the winner after going to the extent of sacrificing the future of his beloved horse. Jupiter – the beloved horse belonging to the Shinhwa heir, in the aftermath of the ordeal, though manage to pull through its' ailing condition after being treated by the veterinarian on duty has completely lost its' future ability to race.
In wake of yesterday's event, the Shinhwa heir has been oddly silent for the duration of today. Whether he is still reeling from the aftereffects of Jupiter's condition after the end of yesterday's competition or is he actually self-reflecting on his actions – no one can tell.
Yoon Ji Hoo, on the other hand, has been feeling tense all day long. There's this constant feeling of dread pooling in his guts since he woke up this morning. So, he wasn't all that surprised when the Shinhwa heiress unfurled the roll-up slip of paper withdrawn from the opening of the red ball he had drawn several days ago to reveal the words of 'Car-Racing' written on it.
The moment the activity for the second round of competition was revealed to the members gathered in the room, Geum Jan Di was bemused by the reactions from the people around her. The Shinhwa heiress had on an unreadable expression which Jan Di couldn't decipher, while the expression on the face of the Shinhwa heir could only mean pure elation. The Don Juan and Korean Casanova of F4 shared a quick look among themselves before glancing over to Yoon Ji Hoo with unbidden concern, while Yoon Ji Hoo simply closed his eyes in silent resignation.
In hindsight, Yoon Ji Hoo supposed he should have expected the possibility of him picking an activity he would have issues performing but Jun Pyo would excel in. After all, hasn't Jun Pyo picked an activity that is considered his area of expertise? Still, with the lingering effect of his childhood trauma... that still affects him to date, Yoon Ji Hoo found himself wondering if a mere three days was enough for him to overcome his phobia when it comes down to driving.
Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, with no knowledge of Yoon Ji Hoo's childhood trauma. So, even though, she finds it a tad weird that the mood had taken a turn for the solemn following the reveal of the second competition event, she didn't think much of it. As for the unusually happy mood of Gu Jun Pyo following the end of the announcement, Geum Jan Di had chalked it up to the fact that the Shinhwa heir had prior experience in participating in a car race. That, she would know, after all, hasn't she witnessed first-hand of how the Shinhwa heir had ended racing the Shinhwa heiress on the highway, the other day?
"Erm... Ji Hoo-Sunbae, you do own a driving license – right?" Geum Jan Di asks, hesitantly when the auburn-haired heir of the Su Am Group dropped her off at the porridge shop for work, that afternoon.
"...Yes." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, after remaining silent for an odd amount of time.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Geum Jan Di directed a beaming smile at the auburn-haired member of F4 and commented. "That's relieving to know."
"Huh?" Yoon Ji Hoo blinked as he directed a puzzled look towards Geum Jan Di in response.
"Well... even though the F4 are influential enough to hold sway over a lot of matters in the country, but I doubt the power of F4 can sway the government into bending the rules. It's illegal to participate in a car-racing event without a valid driving license, isn't it? So, if you hadn't owned a driving license... is there still a need for the competition to take place?" Geum Jan Di responded, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"..." Yoon Ji Hoo had no words to describe how he felt about Geum Jan Di's latest comment on the subject. Of all the possible things for Geum Jan Di to worry about, she had to focus on the point of whether or not does he own a driving license?! What good is the point of owning a driving license if just the idea of sitting behind the wheel of a four-wheel vehicle would cause his entire body to start shaking uncontrollably? Still, not wanting to burden Geum Jan Di with his personal issues – Yoon Ji Hoo mentioned nothing about his phobia towards driving to the girl. Inwardly, he vowed he would try to get over his phobia about driving even if the chances of him winning against Jun Pyo in this round are pretty much slim to none.
Later on in the evening, the members of F4 without Yoon Ji Hoo were gathered in the private clubhouse of F4 in the Shinhwa Country Club for a game night. Song Woo Bin and So Yi Jeong was engaged in a game of pool, while Gu Jun Pyo keep himself entertained on the PlayStation playing a car-racing game using the game controller connected to the TV unit installed in the clubhouse.
"Seriously, Jun Pyo... is there a need for you to be so elated about this?" Song Woo Bin couldn't help but ask when he heard the Shinhwa heir laughing while playing on the car-racing game. Apparently, Gu Jun Pyo has been using the virtual version of the car-racing game as a stimulation for the upcoming competition between Yoon Ji Hoo and himself.
"Of course, I'm going to be happy about this. I mean, it's my area of expertise this time. And Ji Hoo had no one to blame but his own devil's luck, he's the one that picks the activity of car racing. Looks like the goddess of luck is on my side, this time around." Gu Jun Pyo beams as he punches a fist into the air in victory as the wording 'You Win' appears on the screen of the TV unit which he had been using to play a virtual game of car-racing.
"Still, Jun Pyo... you know how Ji Hoo feels about driving in general. With that in mind, you still want to go ahead with the competition?" So Yi Jeong started, trying to make it sound like he was being objective instead of worrying outright for Ji Hoo.
"Well... if he can't do it, there's always the option of him pulling out from the competition. Of course, if he does that – I would automatically win this round, making me the overall winner and thus wouldn't even be a need for a third round of competition to be held." The Shinhwa heir answered, still sounding gleeful over the prospect of winning the competition on the whole.
"..."
While the F3 was hanging out in the clubhouse together, Yoon Ji Hoo had just woken up from a nightmare in his own bed. The nightmare wasn't unfamiliar to him, for it was an old traumatic memory from his childhood – the night of the fatal car crash that took the lives of his parents.
In the nightmare vivid as day, he was seated on the roadside bleeding from a scratch on his forehead crying non-stop as the car his parents were using overturned on the road and later exploded in front of his eyes in the wake of the brakes losing its' functions. The only reason he managed to escape his brush with death, was due to his mother's quick reflex in throwing him out of the car in the nick of time. That has been how he ended up with the bleeding wound on his forehead actually when his mother threw him out of the car in a violent manner – he had scraped his forehead against the rough surface of the side-walk resulting in a cutting wound.
When he was thrown out of the car by his mother, he had assumed that his mother was fed-up with his childish tantrum so, he hasn't cried then as he was simply shocked by the actions of his mother. Yet, when he witnessed how the car had skidded away for another few feet before overturning – he knew things weren't quite right. He was about to cry for help for his parents when the car literally exploded and burn in front of his eyes terrifying him to the core. That was when he finally starts to cry in distress.
Needless to say, after a reliving of the traumatic car crash that leaves him an orphan... Yoon Ji Hoo was no longer in the mood to try and return to sleep. Thus, he found himself sitting behind the driver's seat of his white lotus car as he tried to keep his hands from shaking while reaching to turn on the engine for the car. The white lotus car was a gift to him from Min Seo Hyun, following in his successful attempt at attaining his driving license. Yet, he has never actually put it to actual use after receiving the vehicle.
There isn't any point, Min Seo Hyun had departed for France to further her studies in law then... and without Seo Hyun around, Ji Hoo simply didn't see the need for him to force himself to actually drive a four-wheel vehicle when he had his motorbike serving as his regular mode of transportation. And thus, the white lotus remained unused since the vehicle was delivered to him and had been left parked in the original position for the entirety of the past year.
Location: Shinhwa High, Saturday morning
When Geum Jan Di swing by the emergency stairway situated in the building that housed the school's ice-rink and found the auburn-haired member of the F4 missing from his usual spot, she was disappointed but didn't think much of it. After all, it's a Saturday... and since the usual rules don't apply to the members of F4, there isn't a need for Yoon Ji Hoo to be present in school that day. Trudging her way back to the main academic building of the high school department in the Shinhwa Academy, Geum Jan Di expectedly came face-to-face with the annoying trio from her class.
Choi Jin Hee, commonly known as 'Ginger' to the student population in Shinhwa Academy and the leader of the annoying trio, threw Geum Jan Di a look of disdain as she commented. "Commoner, have you packed your bag yet? You are going to be expelled real soon. So, if you haven't packed your bag... I would suggest for you to start packing."
"Don't be so hasty. The competition isn't over yet." Geum Jan Di responded while throwing the three girls that stopped her in the hallway with a look of annoyance.
"Stop daydreaming! There is simply no way for Yoon Ji Hoo to win this round of the competition." Lee Mi Sook, commonly known as 'Miranda' in Shinhwa Academy snorted aloud in response.
Taking in a deep breath, Geum Jan Di hardens her voice as she snapped at the trio. "Ya, just because Gu Jun Pyo is exceptionally good at car-racing. Who is to say for certain that he would win on the day of the competition? What if, by some stroke of luck - an upset did happen on the competition day?"
Here, the annoying trio promptly broke into airy laughter. And then, Park Sun Ja - the last member of the trio, commonly known as 'Sunny' in the school finally found it in her to cue the clueless Geum Jan Di in on the harsh reality behind their certainty about how Yoon Ji Hoo would never be able to win against the Shinhwa heir in a car-race.
"Geum Jan Di, I'll put you out of your misery and tell you exactly why we believe that the Shinhwa heir would be the one to win this round. Everyone in Shinhwa knows that Yoon Ji Hoo doesn't drive, but considering how he has been the sole survivor from the fatal car crash that took the lives of his parents… nobody could fault him for developing a phobia towards driving upon growing up." Sunny commented while enjoying the sight of Geum Jan Di growing ashen pale with every second.
Too troubled in the mind to focus fully on attending classes, Geum Jan Di decided to skip her remaining classes and head off to the porridge shop for work at an earlier timing. It was about two hours later that Ga Eul finally arrived at the porridge shop for her shift, and this time, there isn't even a need for Ga Eul to press her childhood friend for a reason behind the gloomy mood. Geum Jan Di spills the beans to Ga Eul without the need of being prompted, for the first time ever.
Funnily enough, though, this time - Bom Choon-Sik, their boss was oddly silent throughout the entire time that Jan Di was filling Ga Eul in on the details concerning the second round of competition, as well as Yoon Ji Hoo underlying phobia towards driving a four-wheel vehicle in general. Not only was the man silent, but he also went on to the extent of prepping up free porridge and storing them nicely into a food jar before wrapping it up with a fabric wrap. Later when Jan Di is done sharing the latest updates concerning the competition to Ga Eul, and the two of them were staring up at the skies from the doorway of the porridge shop… the man suddenly appears with the fabric-wrapped food jar and dangle it in front of Jan Di.
"...What is this?" Both Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul glanced between the man who's their employer and the fabric-wrapped food jar, before asking in bewilderment.
"Porridge, on the house. Go on, bring it to him." Bom Choon-Sik told Geum Jan Di, encouraging the girl to go in search for Yoon Ji Hoo with the porridge that he had always claimed would help heal the sick, and poor souls.
Yoon Ji Hoo was sitting in the viewing gallery located on the second floor of the Shinhwa Cars Racing Club situated on campus grounds, within the university department of the school when Geum Jan Di found her way over with a fabric wrapped food jar in hand.
"You can stop trying so hard. I'm fine with getting expelled if it means that you can stop forcing yourself to do the unmanageable." Geum Jan Di began to say, she had thought long and hard on the subject.
Sure, telling Yoon Ji Hoo to withdraw from the competition is equivalent to sealing the fate of her expulsion from Shinhwa. But if she were to base her belief in what everyone was saying, whether or not - Yoon Ji Hoo was able to compete, he wouldn't be able to defeat Gu Jun Pyo. After all, it isn't an easy feat to get over a phobia and even if he managed to get into a four-wheel car without shaking uncontrollably, it would still be difficult for him to overtake Gu Jun Pyo in a race.
In particular, Yoon Ji Hoo's phobia of driving originated from the traumatic car accident that took the lives of his parents when he was only a child. Under these circumstances, even if Yoon Ji Hoo was able to drive on the competition day, he wouldn't be able to increase his speed to the level that it would outrun the Shinhwa heir on the racing tracks. And therefore, Geum Jan Di thought there isn't a need for Yoon Ji Hoo to try so hard for her sake.
Contrary to what people may think, Geum Jan Di wasn't so much of an idiot that she couldn't tell that the reason why Yoon Ji Hoo was even competing with Gu Jun Pyo, to begin with, is because of her. Yoon Ji Hoo had vowed to her that he will protect her from the wrath of Gu Jun Pyo before this competition between them has even come to exist. Therefore, Geum Jan Di knows… the expulsion order hanging over her head was the only reason that the auburn-haired member of F4 was trying so hard to get over this crippling phobia of his. Otherwise, there isn't a need for Yoon Ji Hoo to try so hard.
Because even if the expulsion order was directed to the two of them initially, she's the only one who would actually end up being expelled from Shinhwa if Gu Jun Pyo does win the competition. After all, Yoon Ji Hoo couldn't be expelled from the school on the whims of the Shinhwa heir, otherwise, the school would have difficulty explaining things to the stakeholders. And among these stakeholders included Yoon Seok Young, the former president of South Korea, and the grandfather of Yoon Ji Hoo. Even if, the man has been absent in the life of Yoon Ji Hoo for at least a decade now.
"No. I'm still going to race Jun Pyo on the competition day. The chances of me winning might be slim, but I'm not going to give up without a fight. Still, the fact that you're actually telling me that it's okay for me to give up… means that you've finally heard the story of my traumatic childhood, huh?" Yoon Ji Hoo commented, his tone complicated.
"... Ji Hoo-Sunbae, don't mind me prying… but how did you manage to get your license if you can't even stop shaking at the mere thought of driving?" Geum Jan Di hesitated for a moment, before mustering up her courage to ask the nagging doubt in her mind.
"...It's Seo Hyun. She makes me do it by teaching me how to drive herself, and to not disappoint her - I gritted my teeth and wade through it." There was a brief moment of silence before Yoon Ji Hoo finally responded to Geum Jan Di's inquiry about how he had come to attain his driving license when his fear of driving a four-wheel vehicle was to the extent of crippling.
"I see..." At the mention of the name Seo Hyun, both of them fell silent. Part of the reason why they are even having this competition was due to them being caught kissing by the Shinhwa heir in the wake of the news report concerning Min Seo Hyun's engagement with a French politician in France. So, it's only natural for a moment of awkward silence to hang between them following the end of Yoon Ji Hoo's confession of how his driving license came into existence when he can't even go near a four-wheel vehicle without shaking.
Eager to find something to rid them of the awkward silence, Yoon Ji Hoo landed his eyes on a fabric-wrapped object. Upon a closer inspection, the shape of the object reminded him oddly of a food jar. And so, the auburn-haired member of F4 cleared his throat awkwardly and reminded Geum Jan Di of the item she brought along with her to the viewing gallery.
"Erm… aren't you going to give that to me? You did bring that in here with the notion of giving it to me, right?" Yoon Ji Hoo started, pointing towards the fabric-wrapped food jar as he directed his words of inquiry towards the figure of Geum Jan Di.
"Oh yes, of course, I was going to give it to you. You want to eat it now?" Geum Jan Di responded, flickering her eyes between Yoon Ji Hoo and the thermos food jar.
"Yes. That's okay, right?" Yoon Ji Hoo asks, smiling at Geum Jan Di.
"Of course, it's okay." Geum Jan Di beams in response and promptly starts unwrapping the fabric wrap from the food jar. Thanking the boss's insight to pack along with cutleries, Geum Jan Di handed the cutlery provided by her boss to Yoon Ji Hoo before she unscrewed the lid to the food jar to remove the inner compartment from the outer layer of the food container. The food jar comes with two compartments, a smaller portion that's been used to store the side dish (Kimchi) and the bigger portion that contains the porridge itself.
"This is good." Yoon Ji Hoo commented, after taking a spoonful of the porridge to taste.
"I'll be sure to pass the message along to my boss." Geum Jan Di smiles in response at the words of praises coming from Yoon Ji Hoo, as he inhales the porridge prepared by her employer.
The sight of Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo conversing among themselves in a state of chumminess somehow causes the Shinhwa heir who is amid a test run on the vehicle he would be using on the day of the car-racing event to lose his focus momentarily. The thought of Geum Jan Di bringing Yoon Ji Hoo comfort food causes a spark of jealousy to flare in the Shinhwa heir, and the end result is - Gu Jun Pyo loses control of his speeding vehicle and ended up crashing the entire vehicle to the side of the racing tracks.
The loud screeching of the tires from the racing tracks below draws the attention of both Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di who are in the viewing gallery amid a conversation of their own. A silent look of contemplation crosses the features of Yoon Ji Hoo briefly as he flicked his glances between Geum Jan Di and the racing tracks below where the staff-on-duty were checking the Shinhwa heir over for possible signs of injuries.
It started out from a mere thought 'it looks like Jun Pyo isn't quite over Geum Jan Di yet. It's unethical, but…I might just be able to win this round if I could work this in my favor.' Even though, Yoon Ji Hoo managed to get some kind of inspiration off Jun Pyo's performance on the race tracks after noticing his behavior towards Geum Jan Di… he still hasn't quite decided if he's going to put that particular strategy into use.
Location: Shinhwa High, Monday
So Yi Jeong was just stepping out from his orange lotus and was about to head towards the academic building of the high school department in Shinhwa Academy when he noticed the figure of Chu Ga Eul alighting from a white Lexus, that has just parked into a lot-space situated diagonally from his orange lotus.
"Ga Eul-yang, what a surprise to see you this early! The competition isn't starting until 4.30pm, I hope you're aware?" So Yi Jeong greeted the girl with his ever-charming smile when they happen to meet eyes in the parking facility situated next to the academic building of the high school department.
"Good morning, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. I would have thought that the uniform on my person is enough to confirm the fact I'm actually here to report for my first day of classes, and yes, I am very well aware of the fact that the competition between Ji Hoo-Sunbae and Jun Pyo-Sunbae is actually scheduled to take place 3pm this afternoon." Chu Ga Eul responded, greeting the Korean Casanova with a polite smile as she corrected the guy's misconceptions about her presence on the school grounds of Shinhwa Academy this morning.
"... You're right, I apologized. While I do know that you're transferring in, I wasn't exactly aware of when the transfer would actually take place. I would offer to be your guide around the campus, but I see that you already had someone to guide you around the school." So Yi Jeong commented, upon noticing the guy that has stepped up to the side of Chu Ga Eul and was currently watching their interaction with unbidden interest.
"Thank you for your offer to show me around the school, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. But as you can see, someone else has beaten you to the task." Chu Ga Eul commented in response, before proceeding to introduce the guys to one another.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, this is Sakuraba Shuichi - a guide to bring me around the school for the day." Gesturing towards the studious young man standing next to her, Chu Ga Eul directed her words to the Korean Casanova of F4. Originally, Ga Eul was going to introduce Shuichi as her cousin but decided against the notion in the end. Following this, she turns her attention back onto the figure of Sakuraba Shuichi and remarked.
"Shuichi-Kun, I believe there's no need for me to introduce him to you… or do I need to?" Raising an eyebrow up in a questioning manner, Ga Eul addressed her cousin - a family relation through the Miyazawa family of Japan.
"Don't sweat it. There isn't a need for you to introduce him to me, the F4 is quite well-known in this school, I assured you. Come on, let's make a move… it wouldn't look good for you to be late on the first day of class. Shall I pick you up from your classroom during lunch break to give you the tour around the school, as promised?" Sakuraba Shuichi told Ga Eul, reminding the girl that, unlike the F4, they need to abide by the regular school rules.
"Of course, let's get moving then." Chu Ga Eul nodded in response, before turning back towards the figure of So Yi Jeong with a polite smile on her lips as she speaks. "I'll make a move first, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. See you later at the race tracks."
"See you later, Ga Eul-yang." So Yi Jeong nodded as he remains rooted to the spot in front of his orange lotus in the parking facility until the departing back figure of Chu Ga Eul could no longer be seen in his sighting range, before turning to leave for the academic building himself.
Sakuraba Shuichi brought Ga Eul to the staff room to report to her homeroom teacher, before leaving to head off for his own classroom. The class size in Shinhwa High was capped at 25 heads per class, as such, even though Ga Eul's grades were excellent… it's too late to slot her into the same class with Kazuki and his two friends, at this point in time. Since most of the class sizes were already full, with only the D class having the capability to fit in another student - the school board decided to put Ga Eul into the D class, for the rest of the school year in session. Depending on Ga Eul's grade at the end of the year, the class register for the following school year would then be adjusted accordingly.
The D class of their level turns out to be the class of Geum Jan Di and the annoying trio. In hindsight, Ga Eul supposed she should have expected this outcome as a possibility. After all, Oh Min Ji had transferred out of Shinhwa before the expulsion order from the enraged Shinhwa heir could be put into effect. With the departure of Oh Min Ji from Shinhwa, it goes without saying that the class size of her childhood friend's class went from the original 25 students to the current 24 students. And since there haven't been any students who left Shinhwa aside from Oh Min Ji in their level, it's only natural for Ga Eul to take over the spot belonging to Oh Min Ji because there aren't any other classes available to take her in at this point.
The only other student who had transferred out from Shinhwa during the earlier part of the school year was Lee Min Ha - the guy who had a nervous breakdown after being subjected to the never-ending chain of bullying antics from the rest of the school after receiving a red tag from F4 and nearly committed suicide by jumping off the roof of an academic building on school grounds. Lee Min-Ha was the guy that Geum Jan Di had saved and went viral on national TV, which spurs a series of events into motion arriving at today's situation. Either way, as Lee Min-Ha was a year above them... and so, his transfer out of Shinhwa doesn't really offer a second option for Chu Ga Eul's transfer into Shinhwa. Henceforth, when Chu Ga Eul entered the classroom following the homeroom teacher's announcement - the entire class fell silent.
It was both similar and different when it comes down to the class reactions, concerning the transfer of Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul into Shinhwa. Similar because both of them had received their fair share of news articles report before the transfer took place. Different because the nature of the news report coverage on Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul is completely different on the fundamental level. Earlier on in the year, when Geum Jan Di transferred into Shinhwa - the silent reaction from the class mostly stems from the feeling of disbelief over the notion of a commoner being accepted into Shinhwa Academy, a school purely catering to the elites, or the riches in some cases. In the case of Chu Ga Eul's transfer into Shinhwa, the class is mostly silent because they are still deciding on their next course of action.
Unlike Geum Jan Di who is a mere commoner without backing from any influential families, Chu Ga Eul was another case altogether. The fact that Miyazawa Hideaki - the director of the Miyazawa F&B Group had openly acknowledged the girl's identity as his illegitimate daughter in front of the press, means that the Miyazawa family, on the whole, is backing Chu Ga Eul. And then, there's also the fact of the Japan Trio's existence on school grounds. Granted, none of them knew if the relationship between Chu Ga Eul and the Japan Trio is good or bad… at present, since they haven't gotten a chance to witness any forms of interactions between them yet. So, should they take a wait-and-see approach before deciding on the attitude and behavior they should take with Chu Ga Eul? These were the thoughts going through the minds of the majority group of students in this class, as they welcome Chu Ga Eul as a fellow classmate under the homeroom teacher's instructions.
Why only the majority, and not the entire class? Well… mainly because the class has Geum Jan Di and the annoying trio in attendance. In the case of Geum Jan Di, she could only feel happy about the fact that she's once again in the same class with her best friend, after being apart for nearly six months. To say the Wonder Woman of Korea is feeling overjoyed at the prospect of being able to see her best friend every day not just at work, but in class as well is an understatement.
As for the annoying trio, the background of Chu Ga Eul aside… the mere fact that she's a friend of Geum Jan Di was enough to aggravate them into not thinking straight. Alright, perhaps it is Choi Jin Hee 'Ginger' that wasn't thinking straight. Lee Mi Sook 'Miranda' and Park Sun Ja 'Sunny' are a tad more level-headed under the present circumstances. They, unlike their friend 'Ginger' who only reads the school newspaper, are a tad more well-informed about the background of Chu Ga Eul. Thus, they aren't as brainless as their friend who had actually lumped Chu Ga Eul together with Geum Jan Di as a packaged deal and labeled them both 'commoners'.
"Oh my god, I can't believe this! Having Geum Jan Di in our school is already bad enough, and now the school decided to bring in more of her kind?" Choi Jin Hee 'Ginger' started, her voice ringing out clear in the classroom when the bell signaling for the lunch break sounded at 11am.
Behind Ginger, both Miranda and Sunny shared a look between themselves before palming themselves on the face. Seizing the moment of their distraction, the remaining students of the class managed to make their way out of the classroom and head off for their respective lunch breaks. Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di weren't so lucky, since it's a tad hard for them to sneak out of the classroom when they were the main focus for the annoying trio.
"..." Chu Ga Eul stared wordlessly at the leader of the annoying trio, before turning towards her childhood friend with an incredulous look. Wordlessly, she mouthed 'Our kind? Just what exactly does that refer to?'
Geum Jan Di shrugged, giving her childhood friend a look that says 'No idea.'
"Erm… Jan Di ah, what's her name?" Chu Ga Eul opens her mouth to address Ginger, only halt mid-act upon the realization that she didn't know the girl's name. As such, Chu Ga Eul found herself turning towards her childhood friend for the enlightenment of the name that belongs to the leader of the annoying trio.
"She goes by the name Ginger, I believed." Geum Jan Di helpfully supplied the name of the girl currently standing in the doorway of their classroom preventing them from leaving for lunch.
"Ms. Ginger, would you care to elaborate just what exactly do you mean by 'the school decided to bring in more of her kind' to me?" Chu Ga Eul began, maintaining her polite disposition. After all, it's her first day of school in Shinhwa High… and if possible, she didn't want to draw too much attention on her person.
"Of course, I'm referring to your commoner status. What else could I be referring to?!" Choi Jin Hee who prefers to go by the name Ginger rolls her eyes in exasperation as she responded snobbishly.
"...Jan Di ah, is she serious? Does she ever pay attention to the local news?" Chu Ga Eul felt the corners of her lips twitching uncontrollably, as she turns towards her childhood friend and asks.
"Seriously, I have no idea as well." Geum Jan Di was equally speechless, after all, the mother of her childhood friend has been featured on the headlines for multiple days before it ends with the official press release statement given by her friend's biological father on the day of their return to Seoul from New Caledonia. Yet, it seems like Ginger wasn't aware of the background story of Ga Eul? How is that even possible?
"I think I can answer that for you." Just then, a new voice sounded - coming from the back of the classroom where the other doorway was situated.
Originally, Lee Mi Sook 'Miranda' has been entrusted to the task of blocking the backdoor of the classroom by Ginger, so they could trap both Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul behind when the rest of their classmates has left for their respective lunch breaks. Now though, Lee Mi Sook 'Miranda' was standing by the side with her head bow - a sign of deference to the newcomer.
"..." Park Sun Ja, Sunny wisely followed in Miranda's actions and kept her head down… despite not knowing the reason. Unlike Lee Mi Sook who usually goes by the name 'Miranda', Sunny wasn't a childhood friend of Ginger and thus had no idea of the relations between Choi Hyo Rin, a member of the elite class in their level in Shinhwa High, and Ginger - their leader when it comes to everything that related to the F4.
"You are…?" Chu Ga Eul cocked her head slightly to the side, as she tried to put a name to the face… but ended up drawing a blank and hence the inquiry on her part.
"Choi Hyo Rin, an acquaintance and classmate of the Elite 3." Choi Hyo Rin responded, directing a polite smile at the half-sister of Miyazawa Kazuki.
"...Any relations to Ms. Ginger over here?" Chu Ga Eul prompted, not that she actually cared… but just wanted to know for certain. Especially judging from the way Miranda is behaving at present, Choi Hyo Rin seems to have some form of authority over Ginger.
"We are cousins. And although, her father is the next-in-line to succeed the family business… I dare say I outrank her at home, and probably in school as well." Choi Hyo Rin remarked, throwing her cousin a look of irritation.
"What are you doing here?! While on the subject, why are you interfering with my plan this time? I don't see you running interference when we attempt to corner Geum Jan Di before, so why now? What's so special about Chu Ga Eul that brought on such a change in your behavior?!" Ginger yelled at the figure of Choi Hyo Rin like a petulant child.
"... If you had bothered to pay attention to the local news properly and not just focusing on the news reported and published internally by the Shinhwa News Club, you wouldn't have made a fool of yourself in front of the members gathered here this moment. Chu Ga Eul isn't a mere commoner, she's the illegitimate heiress to the Miyazawa F&B Group. The news article came out 11 days ago, in the evening edition of the printed papers. The online news platform released the news even earlier, you can check the website for confirmation if you don't believe me." Choi Hyo Rin deadpans at her cousin, rolling her eyes when a flabbergasted expression starts flashing on the face of Choi Jin Hee 'Ginger'.
Stunned by the piece of information dropped upon her head by her not-very-close cousin, Choi Jin Hee 'Ginger' promptly zeroes in her gaze onto her two friends, who also serves as her cronies when it comes down to bullying Geum Jan Di, as she seeks confirmation on the matter from them. Upon receiving the questioning look from their leader, both Miranda and Sunny nodded wordlessly in response.
"Sunny, Miranda! If you know this, why didn't you two tell me about it before I went and make a fool of myself?!" Ginger exclaimed, looking upset.
"Ginger, believe me. I tried to tell you, but you refuse to listen." Miranda responded, palming her face for real, this time.
"...When?" Ginger appeared lost for a second, before recovering as she demanded from Miranda.
"Last Thursday, at the Shinhwa Jockey Club." It was Sunny that responded this time.
"..." Ginger had no words, now that she thought back on the events of that particular day. It does seem like both her friends had tried to convey something to her multiple times that day, but she was always not listening. Her attention is either focus on the fact that the Shinhwa heir had come in first for the race, or that she was busy ranting about how unfair it was for an outsider like Chu Ga Eul to be invited as a guest to the competition when it's supposed to be an internal event for the students of Shinhwa High.
"Either way, get it drilled into your mind - Chu Ga Eul is presently attending Shinhwa High with the backing of the Miyazawa F&B Group. So, if you know what's good for yourself and your family…don't ever make Chu Ga Eul a target for your bullying antics. Should you want to target Geum Jan Di? Fine - but don't implicate Chu Ga Eul into it. The Elite 3 or the Japan Trio from my class wouldn't stand for it. The Miyazawa F&B Group might not be on par with the Shinhwa Group in terms of influence in Korea, but it's entirely a different matter in Japan. So, unless you want the business venture our family is investing in Japan to fail… don't make Chu Ga Eul a target for your bullying antics." Choi Hyo Rin told off her cousin with a frosty look in her eyes, before turning back to the figure of Chu Ga Eul.
"Ga Eul-San, you may wish to hurry. The Elite 3 are waiting for you outside our classroom to give you a tour of the academy grounds." Choi Hyo Rin started, gesturing towards the direction of the backdoor where she had entered the classroom from and sending Chu Ga Eul off to go in search for the Elite 3.
Choi Hyo Rin didn't say anything to Geum Jan Di, not that she needed to, anyway. Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 is approaching the classroom to speak, and so, Choi Hyo Rin figures that there's nothing else left to be done on her part. Throwing one last warning look at the annoying trio, Choi Hyo Rin turns on her heels to leave the classroom without a backward glance.
"Done with your impromptu errand already?" The cousin of Oh Min Ji - Oh Ha-Na inquires when Choi Hyo Rin finally shows up in the cafeteria for their lunch session after disappearing for about twenty minutes.
"Yes. I've said my piece, whether or not that idiot cousin of mine is going to listen, I had no idea." Choi Hyo Rin responded with a weary sigh.
"I know… I've been there, too. Having a female cousin who tends to behave irrationally when it comes down to the F4 can be a tad of a headache at times. At least, your cousin worships the entire group of F4 on the whole; and therefore, there's a limit to what she can do to her victims with her bullying antics. Unlike my cousin…what Min Ji did was really over the top. I can't believe she actually paid a random guy to pretend to sleep with Geum Jan Di, just so she could take a dozen of misleading photos to slander the image and reputation of a potential friend, out of sheer jealousy." Oh Ha-Na responded, the thought of her cousin - Oh Min Ji still gives her a headache to date.
As Ga Eul left to meet up with her half-brother and his friends for that campus tour which they promised her, Geum Jan Di was saved from the task of having to argue her way out of the classroom with the annoying trio when Yoon Ji Hoo arrive at a stop outside her classroom. Yoon Ji Hoo might have been ousted from the F4 one-sidedly by the Shinhwa heir, but his influence among the students as a member of F4 isn't going to diminish so easily. As such, people still found themselves standing aside and allowing Yoon Ji Hoo to pass through them with ease.
"Ji Hoo-Sunbae, what are you doing here?" Geum Jan Di perks up in surprise but also feels a tad quizzical since the auburn-haired member of F4 seldom comes by her classroom in search of her.
"It's lunchtime, and I seem to recall someone mentioning about joining me for lunch but didn't show up at the designated point of meeting. So, I thought I should perhaps come by and see for myself the cause of delay." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, greeting Geum Jan Di with a smile as the girl makes her way over to him.
"I apologized for not showing up for our lunch appointment on time. Ga Eul transferred in today, and in my excitement to speak to her. I, sort of, forgotten about our lunch appointment today." Geum Jan Di responded, somewhat sheepishly as she sneaks glances at the auburn-haired heir to the Su Am Group.
"Really? And where's Ga Eul-yang now?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires, purely out of curiosity.
"Meeting up with the Elite 3, according to the words of Choi Hyo Rin. Ji Hoo-Sunbae, do you know them?" Geum Jan Di inquires, looking befuddled as she tried to understand just who exactly are the members for the Elite 3(?) and why is it that she has never heard of that group in Shinhwa High until today.
"...I've heard of them, but I don't know them. At least, not in person. Based on my understanding, the group name - Elite 3 originated in Japan, they normally go by the nickname - Japan Trio, in Shinhwa. As for the reason why, you've never heard of them in Shinhwa… well, I think that's just them trying to keep a low profile around us, the F4." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, after a moment of silence as he contemplated on the best way to go about addressing Geum Jan Di's queries.
"Do you think I would ever get to meet them?" Geum Jan Di nodded, before voicing her next question to the auburn-haired member of F4.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Ga Eul-yang would introduce them to you in time. Come on, let's pick up the pace. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." Yoon Ji Hoo commented, reminding Geum Jan Di yet again about their delayed lunch appointment.
Ga Eul's school tour with Kazuki and his two friends ended with them having a picnic lunch out on the lawn space in front of the academic building of Shinhwa High, despite it being in the middle of winter.
"Kazuki, are you serious about having a picnic lunch out here? It's winter, don't you feel cold?" Chu Ga Eul gaped, staring at her half-brother with a disbelieving look.
"It didn't snow yesterday, so…it should be fine if we finished up the food real fast?" Miyazawa Kazuki responded, averting his eyes from Ga Eul - an indicative sign that he didn't actually think things through when he makes plans for them to have a picnic lunch following the end of the tour on school grounds.
"Ga Eul-Chan, you would have to forgive Kazuki. He does things on the whim at times… he didn't think things through when he was left in charge of planning our lunch plan. Either way, luckily, I thought he might have suggested something like this, and thus had prepared in advance a thermos flask of hot tea for us each." Sakuraba Shuichi rolls his eyes at his friend's words before he took out the insulated bag containing the flasks of hot tea and sets it down onto the picnic cloth which Shunsuke has helped spread over the lawn for them to sit upon.
"Fine. Let's just hurry up and finish the food. If we dally any longer, the lunch break would be over." Chu Ga Eul sighed, resigning herself to the idea of eating outdoors in the cold. Thank God, she has the insight to retrieve her coat from her assigned locker space before they left the academic building for the school tour which the Elite 3 has promised to give her on the first day of her transfer into Shinhwa Academy.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes: So, the arc drags on... it wasn't on purpose, I swear. It would have been done by this chapter (the coverage of episode 7 scenes) if I didn't decide to throw in the curveball of having Ga Eul transferred in on the same day that the car-racing competition between Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo took place. ^^;
Oh well... since I made Ga Eul transfer in on the competition day for that car race... means that I had to work new scenes into the story. Therefore, the original car-race scene will take place in Chapter 9 instead.
First of all, the chapter begins with a continuation from the last chapter – and a cut from the original drama as well. What do you think of my version of the scene? SoEul alerts! I had to admit, I got the inspiration for the stable SoEul scene from chapter 4 of another fic titled 'Yi Jeong Suitcase' on FFN by author 'InHwa'... but giving it a completely different twist of my own. I think the only similarity between the two versions was Ga Eul talking to the horse, even then, the contents of the one-sided conversation between Ga Eul and the horse are completely different.
Coming back to my own story, I apologize for the lack of creativity in coming up with the names of the horses. Specifically for Woo Bin and Yi Jeong's horses, had to come up with my own because the original drama only provided names for Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo's horses. ^^; So, what do you think of the SoEul scenes in this chapter? Mostly the part in the stable, and the tiny portion that took place in the parking lot at Shinhwa High. ^^
Most of the scenes in this chapter are original, with only the Ji Hoo and Jan Di scenes in the viewing gallery being taken from the original drama, and the porridge shop scene when the boss gives the food jar to Jan Di.
As for the OCs appearance in this chapter, well… the highlight is Choi Hyo Rin for this chapter. Shuichi got a cameo in the parking lot scene featuring Ga Eul and Yi Jeong. Oh, and Oh Ha-Na appears briefly in a conversation with Hyo Rin in the school cafeteria during lunch.
That's all for now, and see you in the next update! Ciao~