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 9 - The Friendship Crisis of F4, Part 5
Classes at Shinhwa High begin at 8am and break for lunch at 11am, resume classes at 12 noon, and finally dismissal at 2pm or 3pm for those with elective classes to attend. Chu Ga Eul had the Japanese class to attend as an elective subject on Wednesdays and Fridays and thus was free to leave by 2pm for the remaining days of the week. Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, isn't taking an elective class and thus she usually ends school by 2pm. Although, she might leave school later if she decided to visit the aquatic center for a swim after classes ended for the day.
However, the above-mentioned schedule is only applicable on a typical school day. Today, the situation is a tad special since there is a competition event scheduled to take place at 3pm between Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo of F4 at the Shinhwa Racing Club situated on the campus grounds of the university department of the academy. The teaching staff employed in the Shinhwa High knows it would be fruitless for them to attempt to hold normal classes after lunch hours came to an end. Therefore, they decided to end classes slightly ahead of time for the regular student population. Mostly, because they figured there wouldn't be any point in carrying out the lessons as planned for there is a high percentage of the students opting to skip out of the classes in favor of attending the competition event held over at the Shinhwa Racing Club, instead.
"Ga Eul ah, would you be going home for a change of clothes before coming back for the competition event, or are you going to stay on in school until then?" Geum Jan Di inquires as they packed up their bags in preparation to leave the classroom, following the early dismissal by their teacher-in-charge at 12.45pm.
"I'm going home to change first." Chu Ga Eul answered without looking up from her packing task.
"Then, I think I'll go home and get a fresh change of clothes before coming back for the car-race event as well." Geum Jan Di responded, sounding a tad disappointed. Mostly because she wanted to speak with her friend, and find out how Ga Eul is coping with the new schooling environment in Shinhwa High. But since Ga Eul has expressed her inclinations to head home for a change of clothes before coming back to witness the car-race competition between Ji Hoo-Sunbae and Gu Jun Pyo, she isn't going to insist otherwise.
Two hours later at 2.45pm, Geum Jan Di stood waiting outside the building that houses the Shinhwa Racing Club located on campus grounds near the university department for her childhood friend to show up so, they could head inside together. At first, when a white Lexus pulls up a few steps away at the passenger drop-off point of the building - Geum Jan Di didn't think too much of it. It wasn't until the door to the side passenger seat opened and a figure that bore a strong resemblance to her childhood friend stepped out from within that Geum Jan Di finally reacted.
[Is that Ga Eul?] - Geum Jan Di couldn't help but wonder inwardly as a look of hesitance took over her features. The reason for her hesitance... well, Ga Eul looks completely different from the image that Geum Jan Di had in mind of her childhood friend's usual dress style.
"Thanks for the ride, Shuichi-Kun." Ga Eul was saying as she alighted from the white Lexus that belongs to her cousin, Sakuraba Shuichi.
"It's no issue. Being your chauffeur is my duty for the day. I'll be at the rink, come find me when you're done here." Sakuraba Shuichi responded, informing Ga Eul of his whereabouts for the rest of this afternoon.
Unlike the majority of the school population, the members of Elite 3 normally shied away from such events. Partly because they have no interest in finding out who wins and who loses among the F4, and partly because they wished to minimize contact with the F4 in general. So, while Ga Eul joined Geum Jan Di in becoming a witness to the impending car-racing competition between Yoon Ji Hoo and the Shinhwa heir… Sakuraba Shuichi would be practicing his figure skating skills over at the ice-rink instead.
"Sure, enjoy your practice, and do try not to fall while attempting any challenging moves." Ga Eul commented, flashing a quick smile at Shuichi before shutting the door to the side passenger seat of the white Lexus as before her cousin could respond to her comment.
"..." Sakuraba Shuichi could only hope that his cousin didn't jinx him with her last comment, with the national tournament coming up in a week - the last thing he needs is to have an accident on the ice while practicing his moves. With a shake of his head, the studious young man promptly swerved his white Lexus away from the racing club facility on campus and headed towards the direction of the building which houses the ice rink.
"Did a cat come by and got your tongue by any chance?" Chu Ga Eul took it upon herself to greet her childhood friend in a teasing tone of voice when it became apparent that her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di was too busy gaping at her to react.
"AH! Ga Eul… it's really you?!" Finally coming back to her senses, the Wonder Woman of Korea couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"... Yes, Jan Di… it's me. Do I really look that much different so much so to the extent that you couldn't recognize me?" Chu Ga Eul sounded rather bemused as she responded to the exclamation reaction coming from her childhood friend.
"To be honest, Ga Eul-yang. You do look somewhat different today, but I don't think it's to the extent of being unrecognizable. So, I think that's just your friend overreacting as usual." So Yi Jeong started, the sudden intrusion of his voice causes both girls to appear startled for a second before recovering.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, you gave us quite a scare by appearing out of the blue from behind." Chu Ga Eul responded, looking slightly annoyed.
"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you." The Korean Casanova responded as he directed an apologetic smile towards the figure of Chu Ga Eul.
"It's fine... just don't make it a habit." Chu Ga Eul responded as she shared a secretive look with the Casanova of F4 which only serves to confuse her childhood friend further.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside with Gu Jun Pyo and Woo Bin-Sunbae?" Geum Jan Di inquires, not really expecting a response from the man - given the current situation at hand.
And sure enough, the Korean Casanova had pretended not to hear her inquiry and was wholly set on the idea of ignoring her presence while maintaining a cordial conversation with Ga Eul. It would have been perfectly fine by Geum Jan Di if only the Korean Casanova wasn't checking out her friend with an appreciative look in his eyes every few minutes or so. And then, there's also the fact that her friend had taken special efforts in dolling up for the car race event when Ga Eul hadn't gone to the trouble of dolling up when she turned up at the horse racing event last Thursday. Throw in the fact that up until a minute ago, the two of them were practically speaking in riddles. Is there something that has happened between these two which she has no idea of? Surely, the two of them aren't secretly dating each other without her knowledge or something, right? Geum Jan Di thought as the horrible notion came to mind.
So, in an attempt to test out her theory, while hoping that her theory is wrong. Geum Jan Di turns towards her friend with a fearful look in her eyes as she inquires hesitantly. "Ga Eul ah! You… you aren't going on a date with Yi Jeong-Sunbae later, are you?"
"...What?!" Both Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong shared a look of bewilderment among themselves before turning towards Geum Jan Di with a look of incredulity in unison. Taking a deep breath, Chu Ga Eul took it upon herself to address her best friend as she has more experience in dealing with her friend's hysterics.
So Yi Jeong of F4 had been content to overlook Geum Jan Di's presence while addressing the country bumpkin. After all, with the friendship of F4 hanging by the thread at present, it's only natural that he didn't feel like entertaining Geum Jan Di. The only reason he didn't go out of the way to avoid meeting Geum Jan Di is due to the fact of him being aware that Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul come in a packaged deal. When one is around, the other is bound to be nearby. Henceforth, when he decides to greet the country bumpkin earlier, he has resigned himself to the idea of being subjected to the scrutiny of the Wonder Woman of Korea.
While Yi Jeong did prepare for the possibility of Geum Jan Di leaping to ridiculous notions following the high frequency of him checking out the figure of Chu Ga Eul after noticing the changes in the country bumpkin's outfit choices for today. What the Korean Casanova hasn't expected was - for Geum Jan Di to blatantly asks if they were going out on a date afterward. He was seconds away from snapping at Geum Jan Di for bringing up such a ridiculous notion when a look from the country bumpkin deters him from his act. Shrugging nonchalantly, the Korean Casanova decided to sit back and let Chu Ga Eul handle the Wonder Woman of Korea, herself.
"Jan Di ah… what on earth brought on such a ridiculous idea on your part, if you don't mind me asking?" Chu Ga Eul began, looking Geum Jan Di straight in the eyes as she voiced her doubt across to her childhood friend.
"Well… you had obviously taken the time to doll up which is something you never did in the past. The only thing I could think of, on short notice would be that you had a date with someone after this." Geum Jan Di responded, looking more sheepish with each passing second under the unflinching gaze of her friend.
"...Presuming that I did have a date planned after this event, what was the basis for your assumption that my date would be Yi Jeong-Sunbae?" Chu Ga Eul fought against the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation as she directed another question to her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di.
"Oh, so, you do have a date afterward! Hah! I knew it, why else would you dress up so nicely?! But if it isn't Yi Jeong-Sunbae, who are you going on a date with?! Don't tell me it's Woo Bin-Sunbae?!" Geum Jan Di had a smug look on her features momentarily before it morphed into another look of horror, having recalled several scenes in New Caledonia with the Don Juan of F4 constantly trying to chat up her friend.
"..." As another look of incredulity forms in the eyes of the Korean Casanova, So Yi Jeong briefly wonders how Woo Bin would react if the guy is present on-site for Geum Jan Di's latest insulation. Likely, his friend will protest - vehemently at that. With a shake of his head, the Korean Casanova redirect his focus back to the interaction scene playing out in front of him between the country bumpkin and the Wonder Woman of Korea just in time to witness an exasperated look in Chu Ga Eul's eyes
"Jan Di! Seriously, what is it with you and your ridiculous conclusions?! First, Yi Jeong-Sunbae and now Woo Bin-Sunbae, too? Need I remind you that I wasn't the girl who's caught in the middle of two F4 members, at present?" Chu Ga Eul snapped, finally had enough of her childhood friend's insulation, and decided to set her friend straight for the record. Surely, her friend didn't think the F4 are the only guys she had ever interacted with - right?! No, wait… on second thoughts… maybe that's exactly what her friend thought, seeing as Jan Di has never met any male acquaintances of hers', except for her little brother – Chu Jung Min, and her adoptive father – Chu Su Won.
Upon the snappy tone in Ga Eul's words, Geum Jan Di finally stops with her insulating remarks. Although, that did absolutely nothing to tame the flame of curiosity burning away in her guts and so, at the risk of pushing her friend over the edge. The Wonder Woman of Korea decided to ask another question revolving around the topic of her friend's impending date, "Ga Eul ah, I apologized for leaping to the wrong conclusions. I guess, I just couldn't quite wrap my mind over the idea of you going on a date with some guy I didn't know of…"
"... I gathered as much. You've always deemed yourself a protector of my virtue. Anyway, you needn't worry about my upcoming date. Nothing would happen, because my date is my own brother." Chu Ga Eul sighed as she willed herself to be patient before opening her mouth to speak.
"Huh? Why would you be going on a date with Jung Min?" Geum Jan Di asks in bewilderment.
There was significantly a longer pause in time before Chu Ga Eul responded to Geum Jan Di, this time. "Jung Min is not the brother I'm going on a date with tonight. Being 13-years-old, Jung Min wasn't quite at the age of requiring a date for attending a social function, yet. Have you forgotten my status as the illegitimate daughter to the Miyazawa family, again? Anyway, Miyazawa Kazuki needs to attend a party event tonight and I've been asked to be his date for the duration of the party event."
"Oh… so, this Miyazawa Kazuki… is he in Korea now?" Geum Jan Di inquires, her curiosity piqued.
"...Yes, I wouldn't be attending a party with him if he weren't in the country. Would I?" Chu Ga Eul sighed, resigning herself to the notion of entertaining more curious inquiries from her friend. In hindsight, Ga Eul supposed she should've expected this - having turn up at an event dressed up in a different style.
"And how old is he? Is he going to stay in Korea for long? Will I ever get a chance to meet him in person?" Geum Jan Di asks, directing a series of questions to her friend in one go fearing that she wouldn't get a chance to find out such information, again. After all, Ga Eul is quite tight-lipped about sharing details concerning the Miyazawa family with her. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the information is going to be out on the local news platform in due time… Ga Eul likely wouldn't have come clean to her on the above-mentioned issue while they were vacationing in New Caledonia, to begin with.
"Kazuki's 17, going to be 18 in October this year. We are born in the same year, with a difference of 6 months between our birthdays. Yes, he would be staying in Korea until he finishes college… and yes, you're going to meet him in person on an eventuality." Chu Ga Eul responded but refuses to give her childhood friend a confirmation of the exact timing that she would be introducing Kazuki to Jan Di.
Having observed the entire exchange between the country bumpkin and Geum Jan Di on the sideline, So Yi Jeong could tell that the country bumpkin was minutes away from losing patience with Geum Jan Di if the topic of conversation were to continue on for another few minutes. It was clear from the body language of the country bumpkin that she's getting exasperated by Geum Jan Di's continuous prying into the subject. Luckily, before the conversation between the girls had a chance to resume - the arrival of the Shinhwa heiress successfully diverted Geum Jan Di's attention away from Chu Ga Eul.
"Is there a reason why the lot of you are standing in the entranceway but not going in?" The voice of the Shinhwa heiress successfully snapped the attention of the trio comprising of So Yi Jeong of F4, Geum Jan Di, and Chu Ga Eul away from their thoughts and onto her person.
"Jun Hee-noona!" So Yi Jeong greeted the elder sister of his friend, with a warm smile playing on his lips.
"Jun Hee-unnie!" Geum Jan Di greeted, happy to see the Shinhwa heiress. Chu Ga Eul, meanwhile, nodded at the approaching figure of Gu Jun Hee with a polite smile of acknowledgment which the heiress responded with ease.
"Jan Di, how have you been?" The Shinhwa heiress inquires after Geum Jan Di's well-being as she greeted the girl with a friendly hug.
Too surprised by the sudden hug from the Shinhwa heiress, Geum Jan Di found herself at a loss of speech. Thankfully, the Shinhwa heiress wasn't expecting a verbal response from her, to begin with, and thus made no comments about the lack of reaction on her part. With the arrival of the Shinhwa heiress, So Yi Jeong thought that it's about time for them to head inside the building.
The viewing gallery on the second floor of the building is flocking with students from the high school department for a change, usually, it's the tertiary students that use this venue as a hang-out spot. Today, it would appear that the tertiary students have to look elsewhere for an alternative hangout spot if they don't wish to mingle with the high school students.
Butler Lee greeted them by the entrance doorway to the viewing gallery as he guided them towards the seating area reserved for their use. This time around, they have to share the same viewing space with the rest of the school population as there wasn't a VIP box area for their use. Therefore, other people were sharing the same table with them as they were shown to their seats in the viewing gallery.
"Yo, Yi Jeong… took you long enough." Song Woo Bin commented when the Korean Casanova finally join up with him at the table where he was seated.
"Apologies. I got side-tracked for a moment." So Yi Jeong responded, but didn't elaborate on the subject. Not that an elaboration on his part was needed, judging from that knowing look coming from his Don Juan friend upon the sight of the girls heading towards their direction.
"Yes. I can see that." Song Woo Bin suggestively wriggled his eyebrows to So Yi Jeong, causing the Korean Casanova to roll his eyes in response.
"Good afternoon, Ga Eul-yang. How's your first day of class in Shinhwa High?" Song Woo Bin greeted the girl who had just taken a seat in the empty chair next to his Casanova friend and decides to make an effort in engaging the girl in small talk.
"Good afternoon, Woo Bin-Sunbae. Save from the slight hiccups from dealing with the fan-girls of F4 in my class, everything else was fine." Chu Ga Eul answered, directing a polite smile towards the Don Juan of F4.
"Jan Di, would you be keen to give the hot cocoa a try? I seem to recall the catering service arranged for today's event had very good reviews for the hot cocoa they served during events." Gu Jun Hee, the Shinhwa heiress inquires.
"Sure. Hot cocoa sounds great." Geum Jan Di responded, smiling at the Shinhwa heiress in gratitude. After having waited outside the building for her friend for at least half an hour, anything that could help rid the chill from her person are very much welcome.
"And your friend as well?" Gu Jun Hee then shifted her gaze upon the figure of Chu Ga Eul, as she inquires.
"Of course." Chu Ga Eul responded, nodding to the suggestion proposed by the Shinhwa heiress.
"Excellent." Gu Jun Hee beams, as she turns towards the figure of Butler Lee as she instructed the man to assist in the procuring of the hot cocoa from the beverage bar set up in a corner of the viewing gallery for the gathered audiences for today's competition event.
So Yi Jeong hasn't meant to stare at Chu Ga Eul as the country bumpkin took the seat next to him, but somehow, he felt himself having difficulty shifting his eyes away from the girl for some unfathomable reasons. The Korean Casanova didn't even need to glance at his other side to know that his Don Juan friend is checking out his behavior towards Chu Ga Eul, without being discreet, again. His friend's penchant for observing him when the country bumpkin is around is nothing new by this point, but as long as his friend didn't start insulating some ridiculous notion of him being attracted to the country bumpkin in front of the others – So Yi Jeong isn't going to kick up a fuss over something this trivial.
Chu Ga Eul, on the other hand, found herself fidgeting under the constant stare from the Korean Casanova. Inwardly, Ga Eul found herself regretting her decision to take the seat next to the Casanova of F4 but she didn't want to sit next to someone she doesn't know. While there is always the option of sitting next to her friend, Ga Eul wasn't exactly keen on the idea at present. After Jan Di's relentless inquiries about Kazuki in general, Ga Eul thought she needs to stop talking to her friend for some time to keep her sanity intact. Thus, her decision to take the empty seat next to the Korean Casanova.
[Honestly… how long is he going to stare at me? I know I look different today, but is there a need for him to keep staring at me? Argh…I wish he could just come outright with his criticism, was it my hairstyle? It can't be the outfit in general, I make sure that the color of my scarf matches the color of my coat before leaving home earlier. So, what was it?! My hairstyle or my make-up?] - Chu Ga Eul was fretting inwardly, as she fidgets uncomfortably in her seat under the scrutiny of the Korean Casanova.
Thankfully, after some time of silent observation, the Don Juan of F4 picks up on the discomfit on Chu Ga Eul's part concerning the behavior of his Casanova friend. And so, in an attempt to rescue the discomfit Chu Ga Eul from the scrutiny of his friend – Song Woo Bin started to stand, as he announced. "I'm going to check in with Jun Pyo, are you coming – Yi Jeong?"
"... I think I'll check in on Ji Hoo, instead." So Yi Jeong announced, before turning towards the two girls and asking if they would like to visit Ji Hoo before the competition.
"I thought you weren't on speaking terms with Ji Hoo at present?" Song Woo Bin raised an eyebrow up in a questioning manner, as he directed his words to the Korean Casanova.
"I'm still annoyed at him, but at the end of the day... he's still a friend. And knowing how he feels about driving in general, I thought I should at least speak with him before the race begins." So Yi Jeong responded, before turning towards the direction of Geum Jan Di. "Feel free to follow me if you wish to visit him before the race begins."
Needless to say, Geum Jan Di didn't waste a split second before standing to follow the Korean Casanova from behind. Chu Ga Eul, on the other hand, hesitated momentarily before mirroring the actions of her childhood friend. On the way over to the locker room where Yoon Ji Hoo is using in preparation for his upcoming competition with the Shinhwa heir, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but notice the Korean Casanova sneaking glances in her direction, again.
"...Yi Jeong-Sunbae, is there a reason why you keep glancing at me from the corner of your eyes?" Chu Ga Eul finally decided to take the initiative in addressing the Korean Casanova, since the man didn't seem keen on making the first move.
So Yi Jeong widens his eyes slightly at the words coming from the country bumpkin and had to resist bashing his head against the wall. Still, thinking quick on his feet - the Korean Casanova was quick to recover his wits as he came up with a plausible explanation for his constant staring. "Erm…no, not really. I was just wondering if the replacement phone I got you were up to your satisfaction level is all."
"Really? That's what you were thinking while constantly sneaking glances in my direction? That's a relief to know, for a while I was actually wondering if my hairstyle fails to match up with the rest of my attire or it was my choice of shoes that didn't match up with my clothing choices." Chu Ga Eul heaved a sigh of relief at the Casanova's words, as she gave herself a once-over look somewhat nervously.
"Yes. That's what I had in mind to ask but wasn't quite sure how to bring it up. After all, I wasn't sure if you'd mentioned anything to your Wonder Woman friend about your new phone being a replacement gift from me… I didn't want to accidentally give away the fact if you didn't mention anything to her. And you know how she tends to react…I thought after what happened outside earlier, you wouldn't wish to deal with a repeat performance from Geum Jan Di. Anyway, there isn't a need for you to worry about your dress attire for today. You look perfectly fine for a country bumpkin, anyway." So Yi Jeong added the last bit in a teasing manner, figuring that he should at least help the girl to unwind after stressing her out with his silent stares over the past hour or so.
"..." Geum Jan Di didn't comment on the topic of the replacement phone gift her friend had received from the Korean Casanova, mainly because her friend had come clean to her that very night through a phone conversation.
Originally, Ga Eul had called her up seeking suggestions for what to get the Korean Casanova in return for the extravagant gift she received from the former. Needless to say, Geum Jan Di had overreacted then but when Ga Eul proceeds to let her in on the entire story about how the original phone had started malfunctioning to begin with… Geum Jan Di had thought it was a decent act on So Yi Jeong's part to replace the phone for her friend. After all, if the Casanova hasn't startle Ga Eul, to begin with - her friend wouldn't have dropped the phone and ended up damaging it in the process.
"Alright, here we are. I'm going in to speak with Ji Hoo, how about the two of you? Would you like to join me inside, or would you prefer to wait out here?" So Yi Jeong prompted, glancing towards the doorway that leads to the locker room which his auburn-haired friend has been allotted for use to prepare for this event.
The Shinhwa heir has been allocated another locker room for usage since he refuses to be in the same room with Yoon Ji Hoo. And currently, the Don Juan of F4 is on his way over to the other locker room to speak with the Shinhwa heir before the start of the competition.
"We will wait out here." Chu Ga Eul responded when she noticed that her childhood friend was once again zoning out and therefore isn't going to respond.
The Korean Casanova isn't wrong when he insulated that Ga Eul wasn't keen to deal with a repeat of her childhood friend's performance after what happened outside the building earlier. And so, when Ga Eul noticed Jan Di's zoning out as they arrived at a stop in front of the locker room which Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 is using to prepare for the upcoming car racing event - she didn't bother to nudge her friend back into focus.
Yoon Ji Hoo was seated on the bench in the locker room with an intense expression in his eyes, as he willed himself mentally not to falter when it comes for the time to race. When the sound of someone twisting the doorknob leading to the locker room, he was using reaches his ears, he had thought it's time for the competition to begin. However, as it turns out, there's still a couple minutes before he needs to be at the racing tracks. The sound of the doorknob turning was due to his potter friend's sudden decision to swing by for a visit.
"I'm surprised." Yoon Ji Hoo commented, after a moment of silence upon the sight of So Yi Jeong standing in the locker room allocated for his use this afternoon.
"About?" So Yi Jeong prompted, regarding the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo with underlying concern in his eyes.
"I would have thought you would be over at Jun Pyo's, to be honest." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, reminding the potter of the content of the last conversation they had in person.
"...I'm not here because I've forgiven you for what you did to Jun Pyo. I'm here because I'm worried about you as a friend. It couldn't have been easy to race Jun Pyo in your condition. Are you sure you want to go through with the race?" So Yi Jeong responded, frowning at his auburn-haired friend.
"I know there's pretty much no chance of me winning against Jun Pyo, but still, I am going to try my best to win." Yoon Ji Hoo said resolutely as he stood and collect the helmet from the bench.
"Do you at least have a strategy about how to go about winning the race?" Behind him, Yoon Ji Hoo heard his potter friend ask.
"..." Yoon Ji Hoo was silent as he pulls the door leading out to the corridor open, while he does have an idea in mind on how to go about winning the race. It was a tad unethical and thus, he didn't wish to voice the idea aloud.
Totally unprepared to see that the girls are waiting outside the locker room for him to emerge, the auburn-haired member of F4 was a little stunned when he noticed the figures of Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di standing outside the locker room. Keeping his eyes on the figure of Geum Jan Di as he waited to see if the girl had anything to say to him before the race begins, but when he realized that the girl is zoning out - he made the move to leave. Just when Yoon Ji Hoo was about to take his first step, he felt a pull on the sleeves of his brown leather racing jacket. Turning around, the auburn-haired member of F4 was met by the sight of Chu Ga Eul's hand on the sleeves of his jacket instead of Geum Jan Di.
"I know it's probably presumptuous of me to be saying this, but you do know what's at stake - right? Should you lose the race, Jan Di would be expelled. I know by telling you this, I'm putting additional pressure on you which isn't really advisable. Either way, what I'm trying to ask here is whether or not you have a strategy in place for this competition… for example, a hidden card in which you could use against Jun Pyo-Sunbae." Chu Ga Eul started while ignoring the feel of her friend nudging her from the side with a wide-eye look and the disapproving look coming from the figure of So Yi Jeong behind Yoon Ji Hoo.
"...A hidden card." Yoon Ji Hoo couldn't help but murmured thoughtfully as his mind went back to the event of the last Saturday. Originally, he was hesitant about putting his so-called strategy into use, since it could very well be a double-edged sword. But Chu Ga Eul's words brought a valid point up to his attention, instead of provoking Jun Pyo into losing focus through the means of verbal attack… surely, it would have a stronger effect if he were to communicate his message across to his long-time friend through the actual acts. After all, isn't there a saying that goes - actions speak louder than words?
And so, upon hearing the sound of Woo Bin and Jun Pyo approaching footsteps ringing down the hallway, Yoon Ji Hoo decided to pull his 'hidden card' and put his winning strategy against Jun Pyo into motion.
Taking two steps forward so that he was facing Geum Jan Di directly but also at an angle that Jun Pyo wouldn't be able to see clearly what he's doing. In a whisper, he leaned forward and speak to the confused girl. "Don't move, bear with me for a while. This is my strategy for winning this race."
Behind the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo, the Korean Casanova watches on mutely as he tries to figure out what exactly his auburn-haired friend was trying to pull, this time. Chu Ga Eul watched open-mouthed in disbelief as Yoon Ji Hoo straighten himself, pull her immobile childhood friend who's too stunned to react into an embrace for several minutes, before moving again. This time, it was to plant a brief kiss onto the forehead of Geum Jan Di.
"What the…?! Damn you, Yoon Ji Hoo! Not once, but twice… no, including the time at the airport - that's thrice! Yoon Ji Hoo, you're dead!" Gu Jun Pyo fumed as he mutters under his breath, stalking off in a fury leaving behind Song Woo Bin to gape at his departing back figure.
[Sorry, Jun Pyo. I know it's unethical of me to pull this card… but I could never win against you in a car race in a fair-and-just play. So, consider it even for that stunt you pull against me in our last competition round.] - Yoon Ji Hoo thought as he pulled away from the stunned-looking figure of Geum Jan Di and headed off towards the race track in preparation for the competition to begin.
"... What was that all about?" Song Woo Bin couldn't help but ask as he approached his Casanova friend, who was eyeing with an unreadable look on his face.
"That was Ji Hoo trying to provoke Jun Pyo, and in the process, distract Jun Pyo from focusing fully on the upcoming race. I reckon." So Yi Jeong commented, he would have been an idiot if he hasn't figured out Ji Hoo's strategy by now.
"Would his strategy work though?" Song Woo Bin inquires, glancing to his friend for an opinion as they lead the girls back towards the viewing gallery.
"No idea. I'll say it's a 50-50. it could go either way if Jun Pyo was able to remain calm throughout the race… Ji Hoo's plan would fail. But if Jun Pyo wasn't able to maintain a level-head during the race… Ji Hoo's plan is likely to work. So, it all boils down to whether or not Jun Pyo could overlook Ji Hoo's earlier actions." So Yi Jeong commented, giving his opinion to his curious friend.
"..."
Unlike the horse racing competition whereby the viewers have no idea how the competition actually went because the racecourse wasn't completely in the spectator's view. The race tracks for the car race though are different. Everything is in clear view, and thus, Ga Eul and Jan Di found themselves holding their breaths as the race kicks off between Yoon Ji Hoo and Gu Jun Pyo with a wave of the racing flag.
Originally, Yoon Ji Hoo was lagging behind but it wasn't surprising considering how long it took for him to actually ignite the engine of his racing vehicle. For Yoon Ji Hoo personally, getting his hand on the ignition key was the crucial point - once he could turn it without shaking, placing his hands on the steering wheel wouldn't be as difficult. Unlike his long-time friend who was off racing at a high speed, Yoon Ji Hoo started out driving at normal speed and slowly increasing the speed limit with the passing time.
The turnaround points for the competition came when the Shinhwa heir noticed through the rear-view mirror of his vehicle that the white racing car which Yoon Ji Hoo is using is gradually catching up to him and overtaking him at one point. Not wanting to give his friend a chance to actually win, the Shinhwa heir went on to increase his speed for another notch. But as he did so, images from the earlier scene he witnessed in the corridor way of the building flooded through his mind causing him to lose his focus momentarily.
The moment of distraction causes his vehicle to spiral out of control and skid off the racing tracks and onto the grass lawn to the side of the tracks before coming to an abrupt stop. Cursing aloud as he slammed the steering wheel in anger, the Shinhwa heir let out a frustrated yell on the sideline while watching the white racing car of his long-time friend continue on with the race. Needless to say, with the Shinhwa heir unable to resume the race - Yoon Ji Hoo who managed to complete the entire race course without any hiccups was declared the winner for this round of competition.
Back in the viewing gallery, cheers erupted from the audience crowd with Jan Di and Ga Eul being the happiest.
"Woah…that was unexpected." Song Woo Bin was grinning as he commented, while he felt bad for Jun Pyo's little incident mid-race. He was also happy for Ji Hoo's victory and achievement today. His auburn-haired friend had achieved a new milestone today, having finally conquered the phobia of driving a four-wheel vehicle.
"Indeed. Still, I'm glad to see that Ji Hoo has finally overcome his crippling fear of driving. The reason he was able to drive again, is because of Geum Jan Di. If it weren't for Geum Jan Di, Ji Hoo probably wouldn't go near a car let alone sit behind the steering wheel." So Yi Jeong remarked, shifting his glance briefly to the two girls who are now skipping around in joy for finally bagging a 'win' for their side in this little series of competitions.
"Alright, competition is over and it's about time that I leave." Chu Ga Eul began, informing her friend about her intention to leave now that the competition between the Shinhwa heir and Yoon Ji Hoo has come to an end.
"Already?" Geum Jan Di pouted slightly at her friend's words.
"Jan Di… we can speak tomorrow morning before class. I could come in earlier and meet you at the aquatic center for a chat if you want. Now though, I really do need to leave. Else, my phone is going to get bombarded with an incoming flood of messages asking me of my whereabouts." Chu Ga Eul told her childhood friend patiently and then stood to leave the viewing gallery after checking that she has her mobile phone on her person. She didn't bring a bag along this time, choosing to leave her handbag in the white Lexus of her cousin. So, all she brought with her to the viewing gallery is her mobile phone - the new flip phone gifted to her by the Korean Casanova of F4.
"Oh, and Yi Jeong-Sunbae." Chu Ga Eul calls out to the Korean Casanova, and upon receiving a questioning look from the man, she grinned and responded. "In response to your previous inquiry about how I'm finding the phone… I have to say I've been enjoying the new phone, especially its camera functions."
Having said her piece, Chu Ga Eul flashes them one last beaming smile before flouncing out of the viewing gallery leaving behind a flock of gawking audiences.
"Yi Jeong, care to explain to me exactly why Ga Eul-yang had to inform you how she's enjoying her new phone?" Song Woo Bin started, zeroing in his eyes on his Casanova friend who looks kind of stupefied at present.
"...Do we absolutely have to speak of it here? Why don't you come by my studio later tonight? I'll tell you then." So Yi Jeong sighed aloud, a quick glance around the viewing gallery informed him that literally, everyone in the viewing gallery has heard Chu Ga Eul's parting words. He didn't need to be a genius to know that tomorrow the entire school would be gossiping on the matter. Thankfully, the country bumpkin at least had the sense to not disclose that her new phone was a gift from him. So, the most are the entire school population starts to speculate on whether the phone was purchased on his advice/recommendations or that it was him asking for feedback on the product.
It wasn't exactly difficult for Ga Eul to find her way to the ice-rink on her own without a guide, mostly because, Kazuki has already guided her through the route once earlier in the day, during the school tour which the Elite 3 was giving her while they were on their lunch break. The ice-rink is being housed in a school club building that is three stories tall, and the building is also where the emergency stairway which Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 tends to frequent is located.
In this building, the first story is home to the hockey rink where the sports roller hockey is being played. On the second floor and third floor of the building, is where the ice rink was being housed. Although, there are two ice-skating rinks in the building - only one of them was being used by the members of the skating club. As for the other rink, it's reserved for the purpose of ice-hockey players and their games. So, Ga Eul's destination this evening is on the third story of the building.
The rink comes with its own spectator stand, similar to the hockey rinks situated on the ground floor as well as the ice-hockey rink located on the second floor. After checking with a few tertiary students about Sakuraba Shuichi's whereabouts, Chu Ga Eul headed off for the direction of the lockers room for guys and knocked on it gingerly.
"Shuichi-Kun, are you decent?" Ga Eul inquires, not wanting to open the door to the locker room too abruptly lest she ended up seeing something she shouldn't.
"Yes, I'm decent and ready to go. I'll drop you off at the party venue, Kazuki will meet you by the entrance. After the party, he would be sending you home in his black Lexus. As for tomorrow, it will be Shunsuke ferrying you to school as both Kazuki and I needed to attend morning training here at the rink. Both of us are entered for this year's national tournament under the men category, as the competition begins in a week. Both of us can't afford to skip the morning training, Shunsuke, on the other hand, wasn't participating in any competition this time around and thus have the time to ferry you to school tomorrow morning." Sakuraba Shuichi told Ga Eul as he packed up his belongings with the girl watching him on the sideline.
"I wasn't aware that Kazuki is competing in the upcoming national tournament… and he didn't mention to me about him picking up figure skating…" Ga Eul started, sounding surprised at the information relay to her by her cousin.
"Sorry, my bad. I forgot to clarify… Kazuki didn't enter under the figure skating category but the speed-skating category. " Shuichi, upon realizing the err on his part, hurried to clarify lest his friend got chewed out by Ga Eul for no reason.
"I see… now, that makes better sense. He can't even perform a single axel without falling and thus doesn't even make sense for him to participate in a figure skating competition. Speed skating though he might be able to do. Oh well, I'll root for you guys when the day comes."
"Really? You will come and support us in person?" Shuichi asks, directing a hopeful look in Ga Eul's direction.
"Well… I would if I'm able to, but only if you give me the date of the competition in advance so I could plan my schedule around it. While on the subject, the competition is held in Korea - right?" Ga Eul asks, just to be on the safe side.
"Yes, it's in Korea. No worries. The national tournaments are only open to high school students, and currently, both Kazuki and I are existing students of Shinhwa High. So, when I mention national tournament - I'm referring to the national tournament of Korea." Sakuraba Shuichi commented, standing up to place his skates into his locker for storage. It's a bit of a hassle to bring his skates around, so, unless he requires the skates elsewhere - he tends to leave them in his locker at the school rink.
"Alright, I'm done here. Let's go." Shuichi announced, picking up his bag and calling out for Ga Eul to follow him out of the rink and join him in his walk to retrieve his car from the parking facility situated next to the building.
Location: Gu Family Mansion, Tuesday, 3pm
"Alright, so far two rounds of competition have been held. The current count is 1-1, with Jun Pyo winning the first round, and Ji Hoo winning the second round. Now, it's time to prepare for the third round of competition. This time, it's Jan Di's pick." Gu Jun Hee commented with a smile, as she took out the last color ball that sits in the box brought out by Butler Lee and set it down on the coffee table in front of her.
Unfurling the slip of paper retrieved from the opening slot of the color ball, the Shinhwa heiress took one look at the content and the smiling look on her face promptly vanished into thin air. The reason - on the slip of paper clearly written with black ink is the word - Swimming. Considering how the Shinhwa heir has a phobia towards swimming, it's only natural that he wouldn't be able to compete.
Gu Jun Pyo took one look at the wording written on the slip of paper and promptly started to curse, turning towards the figure of Geum Jan Di - he yelled. "Ya! Woman, you did it on purpose - right?!"
Incensed by the Shinhwa heir's insulation, Geum Jan Di yell back in return. "You idiot! How could I have picked it on purpose? I don't even know what is in the color ball when I pick it off from the lotto ball machine! Do you think I'm cyborg or something with the ability to see through the color ball as I took my turn at the lotto ball machine?!"
"Alright, Jun Pyo. Calm down! You too, Jan Di. Let's talk things through in a civilized manner, okay?" Gu Jun Hee called out, clapping her hands together to draw the attention of her brother and Jan Di back towards her person.
The results of the draw are unexpected, and while a redrawn is out of the question. The Shinhwa heiress is open to suggestions from the members gathered here today, to come up with an alternative plan on how to go about this third round of competition.
"Actually, I was thinking I could do the competition on behalf of Jun Pyo." So Yi Jeong started, his words drawing everyone's eyes on him.
"Are you serious?" Gu Jun Hee prompted, eyeing the Korean Casanova in the eye.
"Yes. It wouldn't exactly be against the rule, since there's no saying that a proxy cannot be appointed to compete if the competitor wasn't able to do the activity themselves. Moreover, I still find it hard to forgive Ji Hoo for what he has done. So, I volunteered to compete on Jun Pyo's behalf. That way, he wouldn't have to forfeit the game to Ji Hoo simply because he has a phobia towards the water." So Yi Jeong responded, providing the Shinhwa heiress with his reasoning behind his decision to volunteer himself as a proxy for the Shinhwa heir in this last round of competition.
"Ji Hoo, your opinion?" Gu Jun Hee then shift her eyes onto the silent figure of Yoon Ji Hoo and prompted for a response.
"I'm fine with Yi Jeong taking Jun Pyo's place in the competition." Yoon Ji Hoo responded, finding it no issues on his part.
"Alright, if we are all in consensus on the motion. Then it's settled." Gu Jun Hee was about to declare the case closed when Geum Jan Di suddenly spoke up.
"I object! I mean, if Yi Jeong-Sunbae could replace Gu Jun Pyo in the competition. Doesn't it mean we could do the same on our side as well? In that case, I proposed to take the place of Ji Hoo-Sunbae in this final round of competition." Geum Jan Di said, bringing up her own proposal to the table.
"Ya! Geum Jan Di, are you crazy? Yi Jeong's a man, you know? How could a woman compete with a man on an equal level?" Gu Jun Pyo whirled around and stare at Geum Jan Di as though he's looking at a nutcase.
"Still, this is a competition that would decide my fate. It wouldn't be fair of me to rely fully on Ji Hoo-Sunbae to fight my battles for me. I thought I ought to contribute in ways that I could as well, and swimming happens to be my forte area." Geum Jan Di argued back in response.
"..." The Shinhwa heiress had to agree that Geum Jan Di's words did bring up some valid points. But it didn't seem fair to rely on the result from a competition between two different genders, after all, men's and women's strengths and stamina differ a great deal from one another. Thus, Gu Jun Hee found her eyes landing upon the figure of Song Woo Bin as she proposed the idea of having a 2-on-2 challenge for the last round of the competition.
Song Woo Bin blinked, as he pointed a finger at himself uncertainly. "Me…?"
Gu Jun Hee nodded, "Yes. This last round of competition in swimming would be Yi Jeong against Jan Di and then you against Ji Hoo. As for the training venues…"
"We will use the pool facility at the club, they can use the aquatic center in school for their training." Gu Jun Pyo interjected, and nobody has any objections to his suggestion.
One hour later found So Yi Jeong and Song Woo Bin stretching themselves by the side of the pool in the Shinhwa Country Club as they went through the warm-up routine before entering the water for their first round of training session under the watchful eye of the Shinhwa heir.
As they went through the motions for the warm-up exercises, Song Woo Bin couldn't help but lamented aloud. "How did it come down to this?! You are the one that volunteers to compete on behalf of Jun Pyo, but why am I also part of this madness?!"
"Woo Bin, stop complaining. You can bring your misgivings to Geum Jan Di personally when the competition is over. If it weren't for her insistence to compete, you wouldn't be implicated in this mess as you dubbed it." So Yi Jeong deadpans from his position in front of the swimming pool.
"..."
Location: Porridge Shop, Tuesday, 7pm
"Jan Di, have you officially gone around the bend?! What are you thinking about?! What makes you think you can compete against Yi Jeong-Sunbae in swimming?!" Chu Ga Eul was beyond exasperation when she heard the entire story about how the competition between the Shinhwa heir and Yoon Ji Hoo evolved into a 2-on-2 competition between the two playboys of F4 against Yoon Ji Hoo and her childhood friend.
"I don't know, Ga Eul. I'm seriously regretting it now… but it does sound like a good idea earlier." Geum Jan Di responded, somewhat meekly as she cowed under the stern gaze of her friend.
"And what do you plan to do next?" Drooping her shoulders as she leaned her back against the wall, Chu Ga Eul shoots a questioning glance at her childhood friend. No point lecturing Jan Di further, what's done cannot be undone. So, the only thing left for Ga Eul to do is to support her friend through this entire madness.
"For starters, I was thinking to increase the time of my training in the pool. I'll get Ji Hoo-Sunbae to help me time my laps, so, I would have an idea about where I stand and work from there. I supposed." Geum Jan Di offered, bringing up the vague plan she had in mind for now.
"Well… that's better than nothing, I guess. Good luck!" Chu Ga Eul said, cheering her friend on with a cheering pose.
The next few hours pass by uneventfully as the two girls busy themselves with the duty of welcoming customers, serving customers, and sending off the customers that patron the porridge shop. Finally, the flap on the door to the shop was switched to the 'closed' sign and the girls proceed to start on the last part of their job - closing up the shop with a thorough cleaning done to the floors and tables. Their employer - Bom Choon-Sik was going through the sales figures and recording them in his accounts book when he dozes off into a light nap.
"Jan Di, faster. Go faster, just a few inches more…" Bom Choon-Sik muttered aloud as he dozed, drawing the attention of both Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di on his person.
As the dream ended, Bom Choon-Sik found himself bolting upright as he blinked a few times to reorient himself with the surroundings. Chu Ga Eul waited until the man seems alert enough to comprehend her questions, before starting her line of inquiry. "So, you had a dream - did you? What did you see in the dream? Did your dream show you who was the winner?"
"Yes, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw a stadium with a lot of people. Jan Di was busy swimming in the pool… and was just a few inches away from touching the wall when it went dark." Bom Choon-Sik responded as he looked at his two employees blankly.
"What do you mean by it went dark?" Chu Ga Eul frowned as she pressed on for more details.
"No idea. The whole dark just went dark in the split second." The owner of the porridge shop answered, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Never mind. Forget it." Chu Ga Eul rolls her eyes as she returns back to her original task of cleaning the tables.
Despite criticizing the cryptic dream being useless, Ga Eul couldn't help but turn the words of her employer over and over in her mind as the days passes them by. She was dwelling so much on it that she even loses focus at one point while she was on a date with Gong Soo Pyo. Luckily, the guy hasn't minded much and actually took her offered excuse at face value.
Yes, Chu Ga Eul is still going out on dates with Gong Soo Pyo. And so, going by the norms - they are dating at present. Even though, they didn't progress further than the simple hands-holding stage. Mostly because Ga Eul is still trying to gauge if Gong Soo Pyo has the possibility of being her soulmate… and thus, until she could ascertain the fact, she is reluctant to let the guy try anything outside of hands holding with her.
Unknowingly to Ga Eul, Gong Soo Pyo is actually starting to get tired of the idea of dating her by this point. Even if he hasn't quite succeeded in his plan of getting Ga Eul to call him 'Oppa' and admit the fact that they are in a relationship, but one cannot fault him for being bored. Chu Ga Eul isn't like the girls he dated in the past, heck, the girl wasn't even his cup of tea. The only reason Gong Soo Pyo even wants to date Ga Eul was due to his bruised ego, the fact that Ga Eul looks attractive enough is a bonus point for him. If not, Gong Soo Pyo isn't even certain if he could last the idea of going on more than three dates with the girl. Still, with the warning words from his friends ringing through his mind - Gong Soo Pyo dare not attempt to sail two boats at one time. Not now, at least.
[One more date… just one more, and if I still fail to get her to call me 'Oppa' or progress things on to the next level - I'll cut things off with her.] - Gong Soo Pyo thought, having arrived home from another date with the innocent and naive Chu Ga Eul.
Location: Shinhwa Country Club, Indoor Swimming Pool, Friday
So Yi Jeong was genuinely surprised to find the figure of Chu Ga Eul standing in front of the swimming pool in the Shinhwa Country Club when he was done with his first three laps in the pool. Wiping his hands on his face as he removed the goggles from his person, in-process removing the swimming cap atop of his head as well. The Korean Casanova climbed out of the pool to take an early break while waiting to see what the country bumpkin has to say to him, this time.
"Ga Eul-yang, fancy seeing you here." So Yi Jeong began, deciding to cut to the chase as he didn't exactly have time to lose here.
"I see that you're working hard at training. Why though? Your opponent is Jan Di… when it comes down to a competition between a man and a woman, it's usually the man who would triumph. So, why are you training so hard?" Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but inquires, a frown marring her features.
"Ga Eul-yang, Geum Jan Di is training hard as we speak, isn't she? One thing about me is that I never do things by half, it's either I don't do it at all… or I make sure I do it perfectly. So, if your reason for coming here today was to tell me to lose to your friend on purpose, then you might as well leave now. I'm sure you know where the exit is, so, you can show yourself out." So Yi Jeong responded in a flat tone of voice, as he dived back into the pool and restart his training. Only this time, without his swimming cap and goggles on his person.
"..." Chu Ga Eul could hardly believe her ears. Since when did she mention anything about asking the guy to lose to her friend on purpose?! Yes, Jan Di might be her best friend and the last round of competition plays a crucial role in deciding the fate of her friend's continuous attendance in Shinhwa High. But it was her friend's own bout of insanity to compete in the last round of competition, it hasn't been So Yi Jeong's suggestion to compete with her friend. All Ga Eul had wanted to do is to find out for certain why the Korean Casanova is so serious about this competition, simply knowing the reason is enough for her. The thought of interfering with the result of the upcoming competition by asking the Korean Casanova to lose on purpose has never once crossed her mind. So, it's only natural that Ga Eul felt insulted by what the Korean Casanova is insulating.
Even though, in the wake of being insulted by the Korean Casanova in the face, Chu Ga Eul's first reaction was to leave without delay. The sudden remembrance of what she is actually here for halted her in the act. Fishing through the contents of her red clutch bag, Chu Ga Eul withdraws the slim rectangular pen box from within together with her memo notepad and pen. Uncapping the cap to her own ballpoint pen, Chu Ga Eul began to jot down a note for the Korean Casanova and throwing in a can of iced coffee she had gotten from the vending machine earlier by mistake as an omake (extra) at the end of it all, before returning her own pen into her clutch bag. Chu Ga Eul left the memo note, pen box, and the can of iced coffee onto the poolside lounge chair where the goggles and swimming cap belonging to the Korean Casanova was sitting upon, and promptly turns on her heels to leave the indoor pool of the Shinhwa Country Club.
Needless to say, when So Yi Jeong re-emerged out from the water; Chu Ga Eul was no longer in sight. Heading back to where he had left his swimming cap and goggles, So Yi Jeong picked up his towel to dry himself off while wondering if he should pop out to the hallway outside to get a drink from the vending machine when he noticed the presence of a can of iced coffee sitting on the poolside lounge chair, alongside with a slim pen box together with a note written on a memo pad.
The note read:
Yi Jeong-Sunbae, next time don't assume to know what I'm thinking. Whoever told you I'm here to ask you to lose on purpose? I'm just here to ask if you would like to join me for dinner, but since you seem so keen to focus on training for the competition with Jan Di. Then, I shan't impose my presence on you. Here's a can of ice coffee for you, to save you the hassle of heading to the vending machine while dripping wet. The item in the gift box is my return gift to you in appreciation for the replacement phone you got me some time ago. It probably isn't comparable to what you had gifted me with, but it's the thought that counts - isn't it? The phone is too extravagant to be considered as a gift of apology, so, I thought I should gift you something back in return to offset the balance.
"..." Raising an eyebrow in surprise at the content of the memo note left behind by the country bumpkin, So Yi Jeong opens the so-called gift box which is actually a pen box to find a 'Waterman Expert III Black GT Roller Ball Pen' sitting within the pen box and couldn't resist a smile of amusement from forming on his lips.
[Interesting… I've never actually received a pen as a gift from the opposite gender before. Well, at least the country bumpkin's choice in a gift is a tad more practical than the typical girls. They usually buy him chocolates from the retail mall that are too sweet for his liking, and thus 80% of the time - the chocolates went straight into the bin when valentine's day came to an end.] - So Yi Jeong thought as he set the pen aside in favor of the iced coffee for the time being.
Meanwhile, Geum Jan Di returns home after her part-time shift at the porridge shop to find herself entrapped in a barrel of questionings from her family members regarding the competition going on between the Shinhwa heir and Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 to decide on the fate of her continual attendance in Shinhwa High. After the exhausting conversations with her family members, Geum Jan Di left home with the intention to head off to school for more practice of her swimming when the Shinhwa heir - Gu Jun Pyo suddenly appear in front of her.
"...What are you doing here?" Geum Jan Di started, only to be caught in a tight embrace by the Shinhwa heir.
"Where are you going this late in time?" Gu Jun Pyo asks, choosing to put forth a question of his own than answering Jan Di's question to him.
"To practice more, what else do you think I'm going to do at this time?" Geum Jan Di retorted, without looking at the Shinhwa heir.
"Do you really want to win so much?" Gu Jun Pyo started, his voice a tad louder than before.
"We don't have a choice." Geum Jan Di shot back, equally annoyed.
"We?" Gu Jun Pyo repeated, staring straight at the girl he likes with an unreadable look on his face. "Why must it be Ji Hoo?"
"I couldn't help it…and you know what you're getting into when you first start to woo me." Geum Jan Di throws out to the Shinhwa heir, reminding Gu Jun Pyo of the fact that she has always felt an attraction towards Yoon Ji Hoo. And the Shinhwa heir had asked her to be his girlfriend, knowing full well that she wasn't quite over her feelings for Yoon Ji Hoo, to begin with.
"I know… but I thought… with time, you would…" Unable to say what's on his mind, the Shinhwa heir reaches out to grab Geum Jan Di into a tight embrace. With a somewhat shaky and emotional tone, the Shinhwa heir begins to speak. "Please tell me that you like me, just once… I just need to hear it once."
"Sorry…" Geum Jan Di's response came when she finally managed to wriggle out of his arms, but it wasn't a response that the Shinhwa heir wanted to hear.
"Geum Jan Di, do you know what you're seeing? The great Gu Jun Pyo is actually begging… Goodness, why do I have to like someone like you? "Blinking back tears, the Shinhwa heir managed to hold himself together to continue his next words. "Fine, you have just lost your last chance. Let's see how far we can go. Bear it in mind that tomorrow no matter how much you cry, I'm not going to watch over you anymore."
"...That's what I want." Geum Jan Di managed with slight difficulty, trying her best to hold back her own tears.
"Good. That's the Geum Jan Di that I know…" With that said, the Shinhwa heir forced himself to walk away from the girl he likes, without a backward glance.
Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, was left standing by the sidewalk in turmoil. Her heart was telling her that she's going to regret it later, but her mind overruled her heart on this matter. "I won't regret it… I will never regret it." Uncertain if she's trying to convince her heart or her logical sense of mind, Geum Jan Di kept on murmuring the phrase over and over again. In the end, she didn't get to practice her swimming and ended up wasting about an hour standing out in the cold trying to convince herself that she's not regretting her decision to let go of the Shinhwa heir.
Location: Shinhwa High, Aquatic Center, Saturday 10am
"Jun Pyo-Sunbae, do you mind if I join you here? I find myself not quite in the mood for socializing this morning." Chu Ga Eul began, approaching the figure of Gu Jun Pyo seated on the poolside lounge chair instead of joining the rest of the spectator crowd on the opposite side of the pool.
"As long as you don't get too vocal later, you are welcome to stay." Gu Jun Pyo responded, not really objecting to the idea of having the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di invading his personal space.
"Thank You." Chu Ga Eul responded while ignoring the annoying trio from her class who took it among themselves to form a temporary cheer-leading squad for the two playboys of F4 who are representing the Shinhwa heir in this round of the competition.
The annoying trio kept on cheering until the arrival of the Shinhwa heiress halted them in their cheering act. Frantically, the trio headed back to join the rest of the spectators gathered around to witness the last round of competition that would decide on the fate of Geum Jan Di's expulsion from Shinhwa High.
"Who do you think will win this competition?" Park Jae-In inquires out of curiosity, turning towards the figure of Saionji Shunsuke standing next to him.
"No idea. I'm not exactly interested. Speaking of, why can't you come here to observe the competition on your own?" Saionji Shunsuke commented, directing his words to Park Jae-In, a fellow classmate.
"It's no fun being alone at such events, I'm just here to observe… not to place bets." Park Jae-In responded, throwing a look in the direction where the other group of guys was gathered around discussing the matter of who has a higher chance of winning the competition.
"...You're saying that there are actually people who place bets on the results of this series of competitions between Yoon Ji Hoo and the F3?" Saionji Shunsuke sounded incredulous as he flicked his gaze towards the group of guys huddling around deeply engrossed in a discussion which he can't exactly hear from his current position.
"Yep…after all, the last two rounds of competitions turn up with completely unexpected results. So, it's only natural they would start a bet going for this round of competition." Park Jae-In responded to Shunsuke's incredulous comment with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Look, the players are out… ah, so this is what they meant by a 2-on-2 competition. They are going to do it in a relay match." Park Jae-In mused aloud as he took in the sight of Song Woo Bin and Yoon Ji Hoo getting ready on the pool pedestal numbered lane 2 and lane 4, respectively.
"On your mark, ready, go!" Gu Jun Hee calls up the exact moment she fired off a shot upward with the starter gun.
At the sound of the starter gun ringing out in the aquatic center, both Yoon Ji Hoo and Song Woo Bin took their plunge into the pool. Once they were halfway across the pool, So Yi Jeong and Geum Jan Di went into their position as they ready themselves to take over the race upon the return of their respective teammate.
It was Yoon Ji Hoo that returns first, and Geum Jan Di wasted no time in diving into the pool taking over the race. Lagging about a minute behind her was So Yi Jeong, and due to the minute difference - Geum Jan Di was able to put up a decent fight in this unequal competition. However, as they started to get neck-to-neck in the race… the Shinhwa heir abruptly stood up and headed towards the area where the light switch panel was located and flipped off the switch shrouding the entire place in the darkness just as the two swimmers are returning.
The blackout lasted no more than a minute, before coming back on. By then, both Geum Jan Di and So Yi Jeong are already back.
"Who returns first? Did you see it?" The students witnessing the race started to ask around, wanting to know for certain if anyone managed to see the winner as the lights went off bizarrely.
"..." The Shinhwa heiress glances around the place as she tried to pinpoint the cause behind the sudden blackout. Upon noticing that her brother was no longer seated on the poolside lounge chair, her eyes immediately zeroed in over to where the light switch panels are located. Sure enough, on the way out of the aquatic center is the departing back figure belonging to her little brother.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention, please?" The Shinhwa heiress stood, calling out for the attention of the students gathered on-site. Once she had everyone's attention on her person, the Shinhwa heiress announced. "Due to the unfortunate blackout earlier, I have decided to call the result for this particular round of the competition - a draw. As both sides have bagged a win each in the last two rounds of competitions, with the addition of the result to this round being a draw. I hereby declared, the expulsion order of Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di from Shinhwa Academy to be null and void."
"..."
"Thank you, Jun Hee-unnie." Geum Jan Di started, as they filed out from the aquatic center of Shinhwa Academy.
"Actually, I should be the one thanking you." Gu Jun Hee responded with a smile, as she turns around to give the girl a brief hug.
"Thank me?" Geum Jan Di tilted her head slightly to the side, not quite understanding the meaning behind the Shinhwa heiress words.
"Yes. It seems like because of a certain someone, my little brother is growing up to be a decent person." Gu Jun Hee answered, directing a smile of gratitude towards the girl named Geum Jan Di.
After the Shinhwa heiress took her leave from the site, So Yi Jeong took a step forward and calls out for the attention of Geum Jan Di. Smilingly, he extended a hand out for the Wonder Woman of Korean to shake as he commented. "You've put up a decent fight."
"You too." Geum Jan Di responded with a small smile of her own as she reaches out to grasp the hand of the Korean Casanova in a strong grip before letting go.
Turning his eyes towards the silent figure of Chu Ga Eul, So Yi Jeong started. "Ga Eul-yang, thank you for your iced coffee. But next time, get me Espresso instead of a Latte. I prefer my coffee black."
"Coffee? What coffee?" Geum Jan Di blinked, turning questioning eyes upon her childhood friend.
"Jan Di, later… I'll tell you later." Chu Ga Eul sighed inwardly as she starts fending off the line of inquiries from her nosy friend while shooting the Korean Casanova a look of annoyance. Why did that guy have to tell her his coffee preference in front of her friend?! Now, Jan Di is definitely going to pry deeper into the subject.
Shifting his gaze of amusement away from the country bumpkin who's throwing him looks of annoyance, So Yi Jeong turns towards his auburn-haired friend and promptly punched the guy deliberately on the stomach once before stepping back smilingly. "I'm going to check in on Jun Pyo, see you around."
"..." With a pat on the back of the wincing figure of Yoon Ji Hoo, Song Woo Bin laughed as he commented. "See you around, bro. You might want to ice your stomach later to keep it from bruising too badly. Yi Jeong might not be good in fighting, but he does throw a good punch once in a while."
Watching Geum Jan Di fussed over the wincing Yoon Ji Hoo, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. Still, watching how her friend is fussing over Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 makes her feel as though her presence isn't required on-site. So, she promptly decided to leave her friend alone with the auburn-haired member of F4 and headed off in search of someone to give her a ride home. She seemed to have noticed the figure of Saionji Shunsuke around earlier, so if she were to hurry, she might be able to hitch a ride off Shunsuke instead of waiting around for Shuichi to be done with his practice to send her home.
Shortly after Ga Eul has left the site, Geum Jan Di finally stops fussing over the wincing figure of Yoon Ji Hoo after ascertaining the fact that her prince charming wasn't hurt too badly. "That was unexpected." Geum Jan Di commented, having not expecting the Korean Casanova to actually direct a punch at Yoon Ji Hoo - she hasn't been paying much attention until the punch has been delivered.
Come to think of it, did the Korean Casanova purposely mention his coffee preference to Ga Eul in front of her, so to keep her attention off Ji Hoo-Sunbae to deliver that punch of his? Speaking of Ga Eul, where did her friend disappear off to now?
"If you're wondering about Ga Eul-yang's whereabouts… I believe I saw her leave a while ago." Yoon Ji Hoo, upon noticing how Geum Jan Di was looking around in search of something or someone, spoke up.
"... oh, I guess in that case, I'll just wait until this afternoon to get the explanation out of her." Geum Jan Di sighed in response.
"Don't mind me asking… but why are you always this sensitive about Ga Eul-yang interacting with Yi Jeong?" Yoon Ji Hoo couldn't help but ask, this has been a nagging doubt on his mind for days now… only he wasn't in the mood to find out when he had a series of competitions to wade through. Now that the crisis is over, he supposed he is in the mood for a little bit of gossip.
"I know I'm probably over-reacting in the eyes of you guys, but… I can't help it. Ga Eul is so innocent and naive, which I supposed I'm to blame for… and you guys have such good looks. Throw in Yi Jeong-Sunbae's reputation as the Korean Casanova… and how Gu Jun Pyo had basically put him in charge of Ga Eul throughout the entire trip to New Caledonia. I guess I'm just worried that Ga Eul would fail to resist his charms on an eventuality and ends up falling for Yi Jeong-Sunbae." Geum Jan Di sighed as she finally shared with Yoon Ji Hoo, the reason why she's always panicking when being told that her friend was with the Korean Casanova for an extended period.
"..." Uncertain of what to say in response, Yoon Ji Hoo decided to change the topic of conversation instead. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" The auburn-haired member of F4 asks in a nonchalance manner.
"Tomorrow?" Geum Jan Di mulled over her plans for the next day briefly before shaking her head in response. "No, it's Ga Eul's turn to take on a full shift tomorrow at work. So, I'm free for the entire day. Why?"
"In that case, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?" Yoon Ji Hoo asks brightly, his smile so dazzling that it makes Geum Jan Di nod dumbly in response without realizing what she has done until hours later when she received a text message from the auburn-haired member of F4 regarding the time he would be coming by to pick her up for their date.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes: Alright, Chapter 9 is done. And with this, the Friendship Crisis Arc for F4 is completed! Whee~
Moving on, the next arc would be the disastrous double-date arc. I have yet to decide how many chapters it would take. One thing is for sure, I wouldn't cover every single scene of episode 8 from the original drama. Mostly because there weren't many scenes that involve Ga Eul, but no matter - I would come up with original scenes featuring Ga Eul. Only, no guarantee that it would be SoEul scenes.
Now, in this chapter - what do you think of my version of the SoEul scene at the pool? It's a tad different from the scene in the original drama since I added my own elements into it ^^; Oh, and not to forget about my own original scene at the beginning of the chapter, before the car race event. XD And that cameo scene of Yi Jeong staring at Ga Eul without dialogue scene from the original drama when Ga Eul sat down next to him XD
At present, Yi Jeong is attracted to Ga Eul but is in a stage of denial. Ga Eul, on the other hand, hasn't fallen for Yi Jeong yet.
Okay, enough rambling from me… Time for me to get a head-start for the next chapter. That's all for now, see you next update. ^_^