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 13 - The Disastrous Double-Date, Part 4
Location: Outside Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink, Saturday 5.30pm
The three girls exited from the ice-skating rink to find a crowd of people gathering on the outside perimeter of the skating rink whispering among themselves. And based on the words of these onlookers, it would seem like a fight between two guys is the cause of this particular commotion.
"..." The three girls shared a look among themselves, but before Choi Hyo Rin and Chu Ga Eul could say anything in response. Geum Jan Di was heading straight towards the source of the commotion and squeezing her way through the crowd of onlookers with a pool of dread in her guts.
Sure enough, upon squeezing her way through the crowd of onlookers, Geum Jan Di found herself staring at the scene of her boyfriend - Gu Jun Pyo plummeting Gong Soo Pyo to a pulp. Without stopping to consider whether her boyfriend had a valid reason for resorting to the act of violence, Geum Jan Di promptly wasted no time in reacting with a yell for her boyfriend to stop hitting Gong Soo Pyo.
"Ya! Gu Jun Pyo! What the hell is wrong with you? How could you hit someone without reasons?!" Geum Jan Di yelled, sounding incensed.
"..." The Shinhwa heir did stop upon the sound of his girlfriend, as he backed away from the scumbag lying on the ground. However, he makes no moves to explain the cause of his actions taken against the boyfriend of Chu Ga Eul.
[Oh shit…] Chu Ga Eul thought, her eyes widening in shock. A quick glance around informed her the Saionji Shunsuke is standing upright, and currently leaning against the bark of a tree. That means the person currently being hit by the Shinhwa heir was none other than Gong Soo Pyo - her boyfriend. Turning towards Choi Hyo Rin, Ga Eul instructed the girl to wait on the outsides while she made her way through the crowd to locate Jan Di and the two guys who were the culprit behind this particular commotion.
"Excuse me for a moment." Chu Ga Eul started, worming her way through the crowd with slight difficulty. Upon arriving at the center of the commotion, the long-haired girl took a quick look at the members gathered on-site. Her boyfriend was lying on the ground cradling his jaw gingerly, wincing every now and then. Standing a few steps away was the Shinhwa heir with a dark look, and leaning against the bark of a tree watching the scene playing out with cold, unfeeling eyes was the figure of Saionji Shunsuke. Her childhood friend stood by her side glaring coldly at the Shinhwa heir, as she demanded an apology from Gu Jun Pyo looking visibly upset.
"What happened?" Chu Ga Eul asks calmly, trying to get someone to tell her just what exactly was the cause behind this commotion(?)
"How the hell would I know? I was just trying to be friendly with him when he suddenly punches me out of the blue!" Gong Soo Pyo was quick to react, cradling his jaws as he lamented to Ga Eul that his jaws are likely going to be sore for weeks.
"...And what exactly did you say to him while attempting to get friendly with him?" Chu Ga Eul pressed on for an elaboration, ignoring the pitiful looks being directed her way by her boyfriend. Unlike her childhood friend, she wasn't the type to leap to any conclusions without getting all the facts first. Based on her boyfriend's earlier behavior, she had reasonable grounds to suspect that her boyfriend must have said something that pushes the Shinhwa heir over the edge. How else would the Shinhwa heir loses it completely and proceeds to plummet him out on the street pavement in Myeong-Dong for everyone to see?
"Gu Jun Pyo, I'm warning you now. You'd better apologize to Ga Eul and her boyfriend immediately." Geum Jan Di shouted to the unresponsive Shinhwa heir, getting steadily upset with each passing minute when the Shinhwa heir did not acknowledge her request.
"Jan Di ah! Aren't you reacting a tad too hasty?! Considering the way Soo Pyo has been acting throughout today, I'm hardly surprised that he got beaten up by Jun Pyo-Sunbae. I reckon Soo Pyo must have said something that pushes Jun Pyo-Sunbae over the edge. Else, Jun Pyo-Sunbae wouldn't have reacted in violence." Chu Ga Eul felt herself wanting to tear her hair out from frustration at her childhood friend's impulsiveness trait. Why couldn't her friend remain calm and level-headed under such circumstances and always have to react first and think later?
"Whatever it is, I do not condone the act of violence without a valid reason. Your boyfriend has been making mistakes with his tactless comments since the beginning of this outing, I don't see why Gu Jun Pyo cannot endure it through the end of the outing and must lose it with the outing only minutes away from coming to an official end." Geum Jan Di argued her viewpoint to her childhood friend, before shifting her demanding eyes back onto the immobile figure of Gu Jun Pyo and demanding for the Shinhwa heir to apologize about hitting the boyfriend of her childhood friend.
However, instead of an apology - what the Shinhwa heir did upon shifting his eyes towards the figure of Chu Ga Eul was to comment. "You… I suggest that if you want to date someone, at least, find a better guy. For someone as smart as you, I can't comprehend the reason why you would agree to date a scumbag like him."
With that said, Gu Jun Pyo spun on his heels to remove his presence on-site.
[...Scumbag, to have resort to using such a word choice. What the hell did Gong Soo Pyo do?] - Chu Ga Eul frowned as she mulled over the words of the Shinhwa heir in her mind, as she split her attention between fussing over her lamenting boyfriend and her upset childhood friend.
"Ya! Gu Jun Pyo, if you leave now. We are through." Geum Jan Di yelled at the departing back figure of the Shinhwa heir, looking tremendously upset.
"Jan Di!" Ga Eul shouted at her childhood friend in exasperation.
"What?! It's his fault for not apologizing. And Ga Eul, how could you take his side when it's your own boyfriend that got beaten up?!" Geum Jan Di then turns towards her childhood friend with a look of disbelief clouding her features.
"..." Not knowing what to say in response, Chu Ga Eul could only palm her head at the current mess of the situation.
Turning towards the figure of Gong Soo Pyo who's still on the ground cradling his fragile jaw after being hit by the enraged Shinhwa heir, Chu Ga Eul snapped. "Gong Soo Pyo, what the hell did you say to Jun Pyo-sunbae that sets him off in such an enraged mood?!"
"Hey! Ga Eul, how could you say this of me?! I'm your boyfriend who had just gotten hit for no reason, you know?" Gong Soo Pyo started, eyeing the girl he was currently dating with an incredulous look on his features.
"... Never mind. You aren't the only one I could get an answer out from." Chu Ga Eul stared at the guy who she had considered her boyfriend, and for the first time since she went on dates with, Gong Soo Pyo, she wonders if she had made the right decision to date him. Deciding to leave the question for later consideration, Chu Ga Eul zeroes in her gaze on the figure of Saionji Shunsuke and demanded.
"Shunsuke, tell me what you hear when you arrived on-site. I do not need a word-for-word account, just the gist of the story would do. Only, I do not want you to sugar-coat your words." Chu Ga Eul stated in a voice that gives no room for argument.
"... I must say, I didn't hear the entirety of their conversation. But what I did hear upon arriving on-site was, your boyfriend there was insulating to the Shinhwa heir that they should ditch you, girls, here and go clubbing together. He also commented that someone with looks as good as the Shinhwa heir could get better catches in the club and that he knows some girls who could put your friend to shame, on any day, and offered to introduce those girls to the Shinhwa heir." Saionji Shunsuke responded, his tone matter-of-fact conveniently leaving out the bit that he suspected Gong Soo Pyo to be sailing two boats at one time to Ga Eul. After all, he didn't have proof - only a gut feeling after hearing what the Shinhwa heir had said while plummeting Gong Soo Pyo to a pulp on the roadside.
"Thank you." Chu Ga Eul commented to the figure of Saionji Shunsuke, before turning back to her so-called boyfriend. "What do you have to say for yourself? I've already told you, it's none of your business why Jan Di and Jun Pyo-sunbae would want to date one another? What were you trying to pull here? Do you know who it was that beats you up just now? I think not, if you know - you probably wouldn't have the guts to do what you have done throughout this entire day."
And then, turning back to Geum Jan Di - Chu Ga Eul told her friend in a softer tone of voice. "Heard that, Jan Di? Shunsuke was speaking in Korean earlier, so you don't get the excuse of claiming that you fail to understand his words. My boyfriend dared to suggest for Jun Pyo-Sunbae to ditch us here and go clubbing with him? I would say he got off easy with that beating up he received from Jun Pyo-sunbae."
Chu Ga Eul wasn't upset about Gong Soo Pyo visiting clubs regularly, mostly because she knew her boyfriend is working part-time at a club to pay for his tuition in college. At least, that was what Gong Soo Pyo had told her when she inquired about the nature of his part-time job after overhearing the sound of another girl speaking in the background when they had their phone conversations during the hours before her bedtime. Now though, Ga Eul couldn't help but wonder how much of what Soo Pyo had told her was the truth, and how much of those words uttered through his lips were blatant lies(?)
"..." Judging from the look on Jan Di's face, Ga Eul knew her friend had regretted somewhat but still refused to go after the Shinhwa heir to apologize for her explosive reaction earlier. With a sigh, Ga Eul decided to give her friend some time to cool off and work on getting her boyfriend off the ground.
"Are you alright? Do you need to see a doctor?" Chu Ga Eul asks, finally focusing her attention on her boyfriend. It isn't as though she could do anything to help her friend's relationship at this point, both her friend and the Shinhwa heir need to cool off their head for a bit.
"Of course, I would need a doctor. I think I need to take an X-ray even, who knows if that crazy guy broke any of my ribs?!" Gong Soo Pyo lamented aloud, as he hoists himself up from the ground with Ga Eul's help.
"Fine… let's get you to the doctor right away." Chu Ga Eul said in a placating tone of voice, before turning to regard her childhood friend with an apologetic look.
"Jan Di, sorry to cut this short. But I need to get Soo Pyo-Oppa to the doctor first." Ga Eul started, addressing her friend with an apologetic look on her face. For a while, she thought of urging her friend to go and apologize to the Shinhwa heir and make things right between them … but a look at Jan Di's guilt-ridden face had her discarded the thought.
"It's okay, just go ahead to bring your boyfriend to the doctor. Do let me know if there are any long-lasting ill-effects from Gu Jun Pyo's earlier actions." Geum Jan Di said, making a shooing motion with her hands as she urged her childhood friend to hurry and bring Gong Soo Pyo to the doctor for a medical check.
"..."
Location: Shunsuke's Blue Lexus, en route to the Choi family residence, Saturday 8pm
Following the visit to the doctor, Gong Soo Pyo had rejected Ga Eul's offer to send him home in the blue Lexus belonging to Shunsuke. Instead, the guy had opted to hail a cab home. Ga Eul, who's effectively alone ended up seated in the back passenger seat of the blue Lexus belonging to Saionji Shunsuke as the guy was left in charge of sending the two girls home, respectively.
"I'll drop Hyo Rin-Chan home before sending you back, is that okay?" Saionji Shunsuke inquires, glancing towards Ga Eul through the screen of his rear-view mirror.
"Sure. While at it, I probably should also apologize for being the third wheel this evening." Chu Ga Eul responded in an apologetic tone of voice.
"..." Choi Hyo Rin shared a quick look with Saionji Shunsuke, uncertain of how to respond to Chu Ga Eul's comment about being a third wheel for them. Because, the truth is... unlike Geum Jan Di and the Shinhwa heir, they weren't exactly a couple. No, they were simply entrusted to go on this double-date turns triple-date under the instructions of one over-protective Miyazawa Kazuki.
"Ga Eul-San, there's no need for you to worry about inconveniencing us this evening. To be brutally honest with you, the two of us aren't a couple. We were simply pushed together to attend this particular event, under the instructions of Kazuki. Speaking of which, there's one thing I absolutely agree with the Shinhwa heir. What on earth were you thinking of, when you agree to start a relationship with that scumbag? I would have hit him if Gu Jun Pyo hasn't... and I'm sure Kazuki would have done the same if he was here to witness and hear what that scumbag boyfriend of yours was spilling out from his lips, outside your earshot." Saionji Shunsuke commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"... Well, after today's event – I find myself wondering the same. What exactly possessed me to agree to date Soo Pyo?" Chu Ga Eul sighed wearily in response to the brutal but honest comment coming from the childhood friend of her half-brother, from Japan.
"And...?" Saionji Shunsuke continues to prompt, knowing for a fact that Kazuki is bound to hound him for answers at the end of the day.
"I think... it's time to rectify the err in my judgment." Chu Ga Eul deadpans, throwing a knowing look at the figure of Saionji Shunsuke.
"Does that mean that you're breaking up with that guy?" Saionji Shunsuke prompted, sounding somewhat gleeful.
"Yes, I believed so." Chu Ga Eul nodded in response. Something tells her that this would be the right thing to do, especially since she had a feeling that while she does harbor some form of positive feelings for Gong Soo Pyo. It certainly wasn't love, considering that she wasn't in the least upset about the Shinhwa heir beating up the guy. If anything, she had thought her boyfriend had it coming with those words he spills without thinking things through.
"Fantastic!" Saionji Shunsuke beams in response, glad to have the confirmation of a break-up between Ga Eul and that scumbag. That means, he would have an easier time dealing with Kazuki's hounding later tonight over the phone.
Location: Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Cafe, Myeong-Dong, Tuesday 11am
It was two days after that disastrous triple-date that Geum Jan Di finally get a chance to meet up with her childhood friend - Chu Ga Eul. As the long-haired girl was on leave for the entirety of Sunday, and Jan Di was on leave the day before from work. And while they are both scheduled for work this evening at the porridge shop, Geum Jan Di was too anxious to speak to her friend that she decided to meet up with her friend before the time comes for them to report for their work.
"So, have you made things up with Jun Pyo-Sunbae yet?" Chu Ga Eul asks, feigning cheerful as she took a seat opposite her friend with her ice-cream cone in hand while handing over another ice-cream cone to her friend.
"Not yet. How about you? How are things between you and your boyfriend?" Geum Jan Di inquires, looking at her childhood friend with unbidden concern as she accepted the offered sweet treat from Ga Eul with a smile of gratitude.
"...He hasn't been picking up my calls or responding to my text messages. It's fine though, I'll give him another few days to get over it. Should he still continue to pull the MIA act on me, I'm going to visit him in person so we can talk things through and break things off in a clean manner." Chu Ga Eul told her childhood friend with a look of resolution and a firm tone of voice.
"Ga Eul ah… you aren't seriously thinking about breaking up with your boyfriend, are you?" Geum Jan Di inquires, the sense of worry in her multiplying in folds. If her friend really breaks up with Gong Soo Pyo because of her boyfriend's earlier actions, she would be wracked with guilt forever.
"...Jan Di, let's be clear on one thing. If I did break up with Soo Pyo-Oppa, it's probably not Jun Pyo-sunbae's fault." Chu Ga Eul sighed aloud as she decides to come clean to her childhood friend about how Gong Soo Pyo and her had ended up as a couple, to begin with.
"How could it not be Gu Jun Pyo's fault? If he hasn't plummeted your boyfriend that day, your boyfriend probably wouldn't pull an MIA act on you now." Geum Jan Di argued her point, looking at her friend with a disapproving expression.
"... Jan Di ah, do you know how I ended up being a couple with Soo Pyo, to begin with?" Chu Ga Eul deadpans, knowing Jan Di… her friend likely believes her to be very in love with Gong Soo Pyo, which is completely untrue.
"Because you like each other?" As expected, Geum Jan Di responded with the typical response that would apply to most couples in existence. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't quite the case for Chu Ga Eul's relationship with Gong Soo Pyo.
"No, you're wrong. I first agreed to date Gong Soo Pyo because he pleaded for me to give him a chance in the email, he sent to me while I was vacationing in New Caledonia. We first met during a speed-dating event, where he attempted to chat me up with some cheesy pick-up lines that I didn't waste a second shooting him down. He later turns up at the school gate of the Seoul High School on consecutive days, trying to catch a glimpse of me. Too bad, I wasn't in the country then. So, in an attempt to stop him from showing up consecutively outside the school gates of Seoul High School… Nari gave him my email address. Either way, because he sounded so sincere in that email to me - I decided to give him a chance and agree to go out on one date with him. His performance during our first date was adequate, and thus we continue to meet up for subsequent dates. That was how we eventually ended up being a couple… so, really… it wouldn't be the end of the world for me if we do really end up breaking up at this point. Besides, realistically speaking – I've only been dating Soo Pyo-Oppa for like a month at most? How strongly do you think my feelings were for him at present?" Chu Ga Eul responded as she took in the sight of her friend's gaping expression with a somewhat amused reaction.
"So, what you're saying is… you don't even like him when you went on your first date with him? And to date, you have only dated him for like a month?" Geum Jan Di finally asks when she regained her speech ability, after digesting the information her friend just unloaded on her.
"In a nutshell, yes. I didn't like him when we went on our first date. I continue going out on dates with him because I wasn't against the idea of spending time with him, and thought I could grow to love him in time. And while my feelings for him now weren't completely indifferent, it wasn't comparable to what you feel for Jun Pyo-sunbae for sure. Heck, I'm not even sure my feelings for Soo Pyo-Oppa could compete with how you feel for Ji Hoo-Sunbae even." Chu Ga Eul confessed to her childhood friend, in a brutally honest manner.
"...And now? Do you like him? On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your feelings for him at present?" Geum Jan Di inquires, pressing on the subject further. Depending on her friend's response, she might think about forgiving Gu Jun Pyo for his actions the other day.
"Honestly? Before the disastrous triple-date, I would rate him a 5. After the disastrous triple-date, he's down to 3." Chu Ga Eul answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"..." Geum Jan Di found herself at a loss of words, this certainly isn't what she was expecting from her childhood friend. She had thought her friend start dating Gong Soo Pyo because of a sense of mutual interest between them, but now her friend is telling her that she's completely off the mark. Her friend is basically treating this entire relationship as a learning experience to boot.
In Ga Eul's opinion, she probably wouldn't be overly upset if this relationship of hers with Gong Soo Pyo ends up in a failure. Sure, she would feel demoralized and perhaps depressed for a time since she did put in considerable effort in maintaining the relationship. But it wouldn't be so devastating that she would spend the bulk of her time crying over the lost relationship like what her childhood friend had expected her to be. Besides, in revelation to the recent developments - Ga Eul could safely claim that she wasn't in love with Gong Soo Pyo, not in the least.
Her performance after witnessing her boyfriend being beaten up by the Shinhwa heir was proof enough. Instead of fretting and fussing over her supposed boyfriend, she was more concerned about getting all the facts before arriving at a conclusion. Sure, she did fuss over Gong Soo Pyo on an eventuality, but that's only after she had gotten the story of how the altercation between the Shinhwa heir and Gong Soo Pyo began, from Shunsuke.
Her mother later told her that her behavior was too logical and level-headed, which she probably wouldn't be able to perform if she was truly in love with her current boyfriend. After all, love has a tendency to make people do foolish things in the eyes of others, and it also has a tendency to make people blind to the flaws of their significant partner. So, whatever it is that she felt towards Gong Soo Pyo, it certainly wasn't love.
With this thought in mind, Chu Ga Eul dropped another text message to her supposed boyfriend - Gong Soo Pyo, requesting a meet-up in person to talk things through. Even though, the message of a break-up could be conveyed through the means of text messages… Ga Eul thought it better to do such things in person. And thus, she persisted with the repeated phone calls and text messages to her boyfriend who decided to go MIA on her.
Gong Soo Pyo, on the other hand, seems determined to ignore the voice messages and text messages sent to him by the girl he was supposed to be dating still. The notion of breaking up with Chu Ga Eul has been circulating in his mind for days, weeks even… but he has never quite found the chance to instigate a break-up; especially when Ga Eul hasn't done anything wrong. The girl has been pretty accommodating to his eating habits and had willingly gone along with him in activities that never interested her before. With how much effort Chu Ga Eul has been putting in to maintain their so-called relationship, Gong Soo Pyo has no solid grounds to instigate a break-up thus far. He couldn't even attempt a break-up on amicable terms by saying that he didn't feel anything for the girl, not after his relentless efforts made in wooing the girl during the initial stage of their acquaintance.
Thus, the beating he had suffered under the hands of the Shinhwa heir presented to him - a window of opportunity to finally break things off with the girl. Henceforth, Gong Soo Pyo was determined to ignore the calls and messages left for him by Chu Ga Eul and hoped that his silent treatment and decision to go MIA on the girl would get the message across to his so-called girlfriend that things are coming to an end between them.
Location: Itaewon District, Seoul, Thursday, 12th February 2009, 2pm
Unfortunately for Gong Soo Pyo, Ga Eul isn't the type to leave things hanging by the thread. She wanted a clean break between them, and thus when all her messages fail to garner a response from the guy. She decided to go in search of Gong Soo Pyo in person to clear things up between them.
Letting her childhood friend tag along with her on the trip was a decision she made after considerable contemplation, and her friend's presence would serve to remind her that this wasn't the time for her to chicken out. Uncertain of what she would come to discover, Chu Ga Eul led her childhood friend through the district of Itaewon, Seoul in search of the nightclub where Gong Soo Pyo had mentioned as his part-time workplace.
There are mostly three areas where nightclubs and night entertainment venues are being operated in Seoul, the three areas are the Hongdae district, Itaewon district, and the Gangnam district. The Hongdae district is popular among the youngsters, and the Gangnam district is popular with the riches as that's where most of the high-end luxury nightclubs were situated. In comparison, the nightclubs in the Itaewon district are sort of, in between.
It was completely by chance that Ga Eul and Jan Di chanced upon the figure of Gong Soo Pyo in the company of an unknown female. A hostess working at the same nightclub, judging by the flow of their conversation.
"You remember the high-school girl I was dating as a means to kill time?" Gong Soo Pyo was heard commenting to his female companion as they walk towards the club where they work.
"Yes. What about it?" The unknown female was heard responding.
"The other day I went on this double or was it a triple date with her friends, and it turns out to be a complete disaster in the making." Gong Soo Pyo lamented as an audible sigh passes through his lips.
"Why? What happen?" The unknown female was quick to prompt, sounding piqued with curiosity.
"The boyfriend of her friend turns out to be some aristocrat, who can't even take a joke. I was just trying to be friendly by suggesting to introduce some girls to him that would put that girlfriend of his to shame on any day, and then suddenly he started beating me up for no reason. That girl he's dating had the body of an elementary school kid, I can't even fathom the reason why he would like the girl." Gong Soo Pyo was scoffing as he relays the tale to his female companion, completely unknowing that his words have been heard by Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di who were walking on the opposite side of the canal that separated the pedestrian walkway.
"And what of the girl you are dating?" The unknown female prompted yet again, her curiosity getting the best of her.
"Her? I don't even like her. The only reason I'm dating her was to kill time and also, to soothe my bruised ego when she shot me down the first time, I tried to chat her up during a speed-dating event. But the good thing is she does have a pretty face, if it weren't for her pretty face - I doubt I would be able to stomach the idea of going out on regular dates with her." Gong Soo Pyo was commenting in a scoff-like manner before his attention was drawn to the opposite side of the pedestrian walkway by a sound of yell.
"Ya! Gong Soo Pyo, do you want to die?" Geum Jan Di calls out to the attention of the jerk her friend had dated and promptly decided that Gu Jun Pyo was right to beat up the guy. And she had thought her friend's reason for agreeing to date the guy was bad, but this guy's reason for dating her friend was worse.
"..." Gong Soo Pyo widen his eyes at the appearance of the two girls in front of him and promptly swallowed nervously on reflex. But then, he thought this was also good timing to completely break things off between him and Chu Ga Eul and thus he turns his eyes upon the silent figure of his supposed girlfriend and stated in a flat tone of voice.
"It's just as well that you are here. Could you stop with the constant calls and text messages? Honestly, they are getting quite annoying."
[That sums it up... my mom is right; I am really not in love with Gong Soo Pyo.] Chu Ga Eul thought resolutely as she stood rooted to the spot and listen to the degrading words spilling forth from the lips of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, without feeling a prickling sense of hurt in her heart. If anything, she felt angry. Part of her anger has to do with the degrading words spilling forth from the lips of Gong Soo Pyo, finding the fact that the guy only appreciates her pretty face was quite insulting. Whereas the other part of her anger stems from her lack of ability to see through the lies and pretense of her supposed boyfriend, and she was supposed to be smart.
"Is that so? Well… I thank you for the lovely insights behind your motives in wooing me a while back. So, dating me over the past month was simply a means to heal your bruised ego? Were you planning on dumping me on an eventuality? If so, I'm glad I managed to chance upon you at this moment, because I was on the way over to find you in person to clear things up and hoping for a clean break between us. That was the reason why I was constantly trying to establish contact with you, being clingy to someone isn't in my nature. You must have been delusional if you think all that text messages and voice messages you probably didn't get around to check, was me getting desperate to hold on to this relationship of ours." Chu Ga Eul started as she addressed Gong Soo Pyo in a cold and hard tone of voice.
If originally, Ga Eul was concerned about having led the guy on during their relationship - that minimal level of guilt has been put to rest with the degrading words flowing out from the lips of Gong Soo Pyo earlier.
Turning towards her enraged friend, Chu Ga Eul commented while trying her best to keep her voice calm. In actuality though, Ga Eul was rather upset - not with her former boyfriend, but with herself. "Come on, Jan Di. Let's go, I've fulfilled my purpose of being here today. It's good that I needn't ventured into the nightclub to get my message across to him."
"Ga Eul ah, hold on a sec." Geum Jan Di commented, as she promptly leaps across the barricade where the canal was and proceed to jump across the canal to reach the other side of the pedestrian walkway. Heading straight towards the figure of Gong Soo Pyo, Geum Jan Di first delivered a kick to the shins of the guy sending Gong Soo Pyo straight to the floor before stepping onto the stomach of the guy with her sneakers.
"Ya! You listen to me carefully; you'd better stop showing up in front of Ga Eul in the future if you know what's good for you! My boyfriend is right, you're a scumbag! A guy like you doesn't deserve to receive any form of affections from my friend." Geum Jan Di throws out as she harrumphs, before removing her feet from Gong Soo Pyo and storming off from the site.
"..." Gong Soo Pyo had no words, the only thought resonating in his mind at present was that no wonder that aristocrat who had beaten him up that day and this girl is a couple, they are equally violent.
"Jan Di ah… you don't actually have to do that, you know?" Chu Ga Eul had a lopsided smile playing on her lips as she remarked to her friend after Jan Di had gone and delivered a flying kick to her ex-boyfriend.
"I know… but I couldn't help it. Those words that came sprouting off from his lips… just made me so mad. But Ga Eul ah… are you sure you're, okay?" Geum Jan Di inquires, as they took a seat on a bench in the memorial park within the Itaewon district, about 4 minutes bus ride away from the bus stop outside the Itaewon train station.
"Yes. I'm sure I'm fine. I'm upset, true… but it was more at myself for failing to see through his lies and pretense. Given the fact that I wasn't in love with him, no heartbreak was involved. So, you can stop dallying and go in search of Jun Pyo-Sunbae. It's been long enough, this dispute of yours - you need to apologize and make things right with him, again." Chu Ga Eul urged, till now - she had trouble understanding how the mind of her friend works. Why put the relationship with the Shinhwa heir on hold because of her crumbling relationship with Gong Soo Pyo? Especially, since she has already come clean to Jan Di that breaking up with Gong Soo Pyo wouldn't devastate her to the brink of dying.
"Alright then. I'll call you tonight and check in on you, again. Take care, Ga Eul." Geum Jan Di relented to the urging words of her childhood friend and decided to go in search of her own boyfriend to patch things up between them.
As the departing back figure of Geum Jan Di vanishes from Ga Eul's immediate sighting range, the long-haired girl finally allowed herself to slump back onto the bench with a dejected sigh. While it's true that she didn't feel much agony over the idea of the end of her first relationship, it is still a tad demoralizing and depressing for her. In particular, after having heard Gong Soo Pyo's reasoning for dating her. How could she have been so blind to not see through the guy's act? To think she'd prided herself for her astute observation skills… the more she thought the more upset she was.
So Yi Jeong was not having a good day. His day was off to a bad start since this morning when he was rudely interrupted by the presence of his father in his pottery studio, who decided that today's a good day for an impromptu breakfast session with his second-born son. And then, less than half an hour ago, just when he was about to make his way to the F4 clubhouse to meet up with her friends - he received a call from his hysterical mother threatening him with suicide if he didn't go and check in on his father's planned activities for the rest of the day.
"..." So Yi Jeong found himself rolling his eyes in response to the words of his hysterical mother in the backseat of his family car. He was utilizing the use of his family car and driver today as he goes about running the errands assigned to him by his grandfather because, after the morning visit of his father to the pottery studio, he found himself no longer in a mood to drive.
"Is it going to be my turn now? In the wake of father and Hyung, is it going to be my turn to be subjected to your suicidal whims?" So Yi Jeong snapped into the receiver of his mobile device, directing his frustration towards his hysterical mother who simply cannot be reasoned with when she's in one of her hysterical moods.
As frustrated and annoyed as he was with his mother's hysterical fits, he wasn't capable of hardening his heart to the extent of ignoring his mother's demand. Mostly because, deep down in his heart - he was still a little boy who fears the idea of losing his mother for real. As such, the Korean Casanova found himself instructing his family driver to head for the Seoul National University where his father works as a professor for the faculty of arts in charge of the pottery-related disciplines.
Instructing for the driver to find a place to park the vehicle and wait for his return, the Korean Casanova stalked into the building of the University of Seoul with determined steps. A check with the admin staff on duty in the faculty building informed him that his father - So Hyeon Seop, is amid a class. Following the instructions given to him by the admin staff, So Yi Jeong found himself coming to a stop outside the pottery classroom of the university as he took a peek into the class in session under the guidance of his father.
The class appears to be progressing well, at least, his father had the decency to avoid causing a scandal by openly flirting with the female students of the class. Deciding to come back after the class had ended, the Korean Casanova left the corridor way of the classes and headed downstairs to the cafeteria for a cuppa.
While seated in the cafeteria nursing his cup of Espresso, So Yi Jeong took out his mobile device to drop a text message to his Don Juan friend - Song Woo Bin, seeking his friend's assistance in conveying the message of not being able to turn up for the gathering at the clubhouse today to the remaining two members of F4.
A private message between So Yi Jeong and Song Woo Bin, Thursday 2.30pm
Yi Jeong: Inform Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo that I would have to bail out on you guys this afternoon. Something crops up at home that requires my attention.
Woo Bin: Roger~ will inform them.
Ending the brief text exchange with his Don Juan friend, the Korean Casanova left the cafeteria to head back upstairs in search of his father. The earlier class in session has ended, and thus he headed straight for the direction of his father's office. Standing outside the office, So Yi Jeong took a deep breath before placing his hands on the door handle and pushing the door open slightly. Just enough that he could get a clear picture of the happenings behind the door, without actually alerting the owner of the office of his presence.
Inside the office, So Hyeon Seop had his hands on the chin of an unknown young lady as he commented. "Do you know you have lips that seem very kissable?"
The young lady giggled in response, and promptly wrapped her arms around the neck of So Hyeon Seop, completely unaware that someone was watching them from the doorway.
[...Why am I not surprised to find him flirting with another young woman?] The Korean Casanova thought, promptly turning on his heels to leave the area after witnessing the philandering ways of his father.
Initially, So Yi Jeong thought of leaving the campus grounds of the university immediately. But then, he changed his mind last-minute. Thus, the Korean Casanova found himself hanging around near the exit of the faculty building waiting for his father's latest fling. When the lady appears to approach where he had stood hiding, So Yi Jeong plastered on one of his charming smiles and reached out to touch a corner of the lady's cheeks as he echoed his father's earlier comment about her lips being kissable. Upon the stunned reaction of the lady, So Yi Jeong promptly removed his hands from the lady's cheeks as he commented. "Your lipstick got smeared."
"Thank you." Believing that the young man is just assisting her to remove the excess lipstick that got onto the sides of her mouth, the lady directed a sweet smile in response to the young man in front of her.
"For a woman as pretty as you, I'm sure you could do better with the man you choose to date. Are you aware that you're his fourth girlfriend, this year?" So Yi Jeong remarked nonchalantly, before turning on his heels to leave the area with a displeased look on his person.
Over at the F4 clubhouse, Song Woo Bin called upon the attention of both the Shinhwa heir and Yoon Ji Hoo as he announced casually to the duo about their Casanova friend's inability to turn up for their gathering, today.
"Alright guys, just got a message from Yi Jeong. He's not coming to join us today, apparently, something crops up at home that requires his attention."
"..."
The Shinhwa heir and Yoon Ji Hoo shared a knowing look among themselves, before shrugging off the matter nonchalantly. This was pretty much a common occurrence over the years, seeing as they are all aware of their friend's mother's suicidal whims that tend to occur multiple times in a year. In fact, the Shinhwa heir was quite certain that there's a VIP hospital room in the Shinhwa hospital with the name of his friend's mother written on it, by this point in time. Between his witch of a mother, and his friend's suicidal mother - the Shinhwa heir couldn't tell who had lucked out in the department of having the worst parents to date.
"Anyway, Jun Pyo… haven't you settled whatever disputes that are between you and Geum Jan Di yet?" Upon noticing the approaching figure of Geum Jan Di at the doorway to the F4 Clubhouse, Yoon Ji Hoo couldn't help but inquire.
"No. I would have thought that's obvious given that I'm here hanging out with you guys rather than being out on a date with her." Gu Jun Pyo rolls his eyes in response to his auburn-haired friend's words.
"Hmm… and what would you do if she were to show up here?" Yoon Ji Hoo continues to ask, causing the Don Juan of F4 to follow his line of sight and land upon the figure of Geum Jan Di hesitating in the doorway of the clubhouse.
"Well… I guess it depends on whether or not I would get an apology off her for what happened last Saturday." Gu Jun Pyo responded with a pondering look on his features.
"Oh, so… you're saying that you would let bygones be bygones if she took the initiative at apologizing to you?" Song Woo Bin had a secretive smile playing on his lips as he voiced his inquiry across to his pondering friend.
"More or less, why?" Gu Jun Pyo asks, not knowing that Geum Jan Di had heard his response and is now approaching him from behind. Thus, when he heard the familiar voice of his girlfriend addressing him from behind - he got the biggest shock of his life that he literally jumps out of his seat on reflex.
"When did you get here?" The Shinhwa heir uttered with his eyes wide as he jumps out from the armchair he had been sitting in before.
"About five minutes ago." Geum Jan Di responded as she withdraws an apple out of the pocket of her winter jacket and handed it to the Shinhwa heir. "Here, a gift of apology. I'm sorry and I'm reflecting on my actions the other day."
"... You brought me an apple and utter a word of apology to me, and expect me to just forgive you like this?" Gu Jun Pyo begins, staring at the offered apple with an incredulous look.
"Then, what else do you want me to do? Besides, weren't you the one who said that if I took the initiative in apologizing, you would let bygones be bygones?" Geum Jan Di pointed out objectively to the Shinhwa heir, reminding him of the words he had uttered some minutes ago.
"...Three wishes. I can forgive you if you agree to fulfill three wishes of mine." Gu Jun Pyo took a moment to consider the words of his girlfriend before he allowed a smug look to form on his features as he shifted his focus back to the figure of Geum Jan Di.
"..."
While Geum Jan Di was in the F4 clubhouse working on the task of apologizing to her boyfriend, the Shinhwa heir, and the leader of F4. Chu Ga Eul was wondering about the streets of Itaewon district on her own, with a gloomy vibe emitting off her person. With Jan Di off in search for the Shinhwa heir to apologize, Ga Eul who has been left alone to her own device with nothing better to focus her attention upon ended up getting stuck in her own mind. The more she dwells on how she had failed to see through the motives behind Gong Soo Pyo's relentless pursuits, the more upset she was with her shortcoming.
So Yi Jeong was trying to distract himself with the scenery outside the moving vehicle when he noticed the figure of Chu Ga Eul walking on the streets. Considering how the girl was wearing a bright yellow coat today, it makes it rather difficult for him to not recognize the girl. Still, no matter how bright the color of the coat is - it fails to disguise the fact that Chu Ga Eul was not in a good mood, if anything she appears depressed. Unwittingly, the Korean Casanova found his eyes focusing on the long-haired girl who appears to be out of sort on the streets of the Itaewon district.
Originally, the Korean Casanova was content to simply observe the girl from the back passenger seat of his family car. But when he noticed how the girl had simply slumped down in front of a shoe shop, and break down into tears… So Yi Jeong finds himself having difficulty ignoring the girl further.
"Stop the car." The Korean Casanova instructed his family driver, an impulsive act on his part - he knows. And considering his own bad mood at present, he really ought to simply mind his own business. Still, despite knowing that, So Yi Jeong found himself having difficulty ignoring the girl for some unfathomable reasons.
"Aren't you a little too old to be crying on the street?" So Yi Jeong started when he came to a stop in front of the long-haired girl with a yellow coat. Forcing a smile onto his face, the Korean Casanova continues to speak. "Some girls might think that they look attractive when they are crying, but in actuality – they're not."
"...Yi Jeong-Sunbae. Do you always have to sneak up on me? For your info, I'm not crying...I'm simply upset." Chu Ga Eul retorted as she hurried to wipe off the tear tracks from her features, and put on a strong front as she glances up at the Korean Casanova who had once again, startled her out of her wits.
"The visible tear tracks on your face would claim otherwise." So Yi Jeong pointed out, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"..." Seeing as the Korean Casanova has already seen through her strong front, Chu Ga Eul decided that she might as well let her camouflage go for once and weep to her heart's delight. Only, the moment she allows her walls to fall and broke into a full-blown crying fit. So Yi Jeong started glancing about their surrounding with a look of horror.
[Oh my God, she wasn't crying this hard before… what exactly sets her off?! Damn… now I'm getting weird looks all over.] The Korean Casanova thought as he hurried to indicate to the curious onlookers that he wasn't the one to blame for the crying girl in front of him.
"It's not me. It's really not me." So Yi Jeong hurried to inform the curious onlookers who were eyeing him and the crying girl with unbidden curiosity. To say, the Korean Casanova was feeling awkward is an understatement. It's one thing if a girl cried after being dumped by him, it's quite another thing when the girl started crying when he had absolutely no clues what was it that he said that sparks off the crying episode.
"Ga Eul-yang, can you please stop crying?" So Yi Jeong pleaded with the most pitiful looks in his arsenal as he addressed the crying girl.
"..." Too stunned by the sight of the Korean Casanova pleading in front of her eyes, Chu Ga Eul found herself choked back a fresh bout of tears as she suddenly found the entire situation hilarious. And then, the next thing she knows she's breaking out into a fit of laughter causing the Korean Casanova's eyes to widen further.
[What?! Now she's laughing? Good gods… does she knows she looks like a lunatic with how she was crying and laughing at the same time?] So Yi Jeong fought against the urge to face-palm, as he continues to glance around their surrounding environment with a watchful eye.
Upon realizing that the onlookers are starting to stop and stare in their direction, the Korean Casanova decided that this isn't the time for him to wait things out. Thus, he did the first thing that sprang to mind - which is reaching out to grab Chu Ga Eul by the hand and pull the half-crying, half-laughing girl towards the direction where his family vehicle was parked waiting for his return.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae?" Chu Ga Eul started, in a questioning tone of voice when she found herself being pushed into the back passenger seat of a black sedan.
"Let's change the venue to somewhere a little more private, and then I'll let you cry and laugh to your heart's content if needed." So Yi Jeong responded to Chu Ga Eul in a tone that sounds both weary and exasperated.
"... Thank you for your consideration, but I think I've cried enough. And I apologize if I startle you with my slight hysteria out there. It wasn't on purpose, I assured you." Chu Ga Eul sniffed in response as she dried her tears with a paper napkin, she had pulled out from the inside of her handbag.
"Really? I could have sworn you did the crying on purpose though, given that you were trying to maintain a strong front before my comment about the visible tear-tracks on your face earlier." So Yi Jeong deadpans at the country bumpkin who seems to have recovered her wits to converse with him like a normal human being.
"Yes, well… that I do admit. I was trying to put up a strong front, but then you had to come barging in and tear down those walls… with your comment. I thought since you'd already see through my act, I might as well just let the tears flow. But then, you had to look at me with that pitiful expression and pleaded for me to stop crying… I thought that was hilarious. And thus, without intention to, I started to laugh." Chu Ga Eul responded looking a tad sheepish under the piercing gaze of the Korean Casanova.
"I hope you know; how much you'd looked like a lunatic earlier with that laughing and crying stunt you pulled in public." So Yi Jeong commented drily, as he indicated for his family driver to bring them back to his pottery studio.
"Oh… trust me, I'm very well aware of the fact. I'm not blind to the stares from the onlookers, contrary to what you may think." Chu Ga Eul answered somewhat cheekily, enjoying the look on the face of the Korean Casanova now.
So Yi Jeong was caught between incredulity and exasperation upon the words of Chu Ga Eul, eventually, he settles on a wordless shake of his head instead of deigning the girl with a verbal response. Funnily enough, after this brief little chat with the country bumpkin – it seems the irritation, he had of his parents during the earlier half of the day had simply evaporated into thin air and disappeared without a trace.
"So, care to share with me why you were crying on the street before I've gone and picked you up?" So Yi Jeong inquires, as he set down a tea service in front of Chu Ga Eul at a table situated towards the back of his pottery studio.
"... It's nothing, or rather… you will just think me silly." Chu Ga Eul muttered aloud as she took a sip of the tea offered to her by the Korean Casanova while attempting to avoid answering the question.
"Silly or not, let me be the judge for that." So Yi Jeong commented as he took a seat opposite from the country bumpkin with an encouraging smile playing on his lips.
"Fine… I'm not sure whether Jun Pyo-Sunbae has mentioned anything to the F4 about how disastrous the triple-date has been…?" Chu Ga Eul begins, glancing over to the Korean Casanova to see if he has any inkling about what had happened during the triple-date, so she would know how much information she would need to reiterate.
"I thought it was a double-date?" So Yi Jeong inquires, curiosity getting the best of him.
"It was, originally, anyway. But Kazuki took a peek at my text communication with Jan Di and the overprotective streak in him rear its head. Thus, he ended up sending Shunsuke along with Hyo Rin-chan to chaperon me and to keep an eye on the guy I'm dating. And that was how a double-date ended up as a triple-date. Anyway, the entire arrangement was a disaster for the recipe in the making. Jun Pyo-Sunbae ended up losing his cool and beat up the guy I was dating, and that causes Jan Di to overreact as per the norm." Chu Ga Eul responded as she starts to launch into an explanation of the happenings during the disastrous triple-date outing, to the curious Korean Casanova.
"Wait…what do you mean by Geum Jan Di overreacting?" So Yi Jeong blinked in confusion, and thus he thought to clarify the situation with the country bumpkin.
"... Jun Pyo-Sunbae didn't tell you guys about how Jan Di demanded him to apologize for hitting my boy… excuse me, I meant my ex-boyfriend or she would break things off with him?" Chu Ga Eul raised an eyebrow up at the Korean Casanova in surprise as she elaborated on her earlier statement about her childhood friend overreacting on the day of the disastrous triple-date outing.
"Was that what happened? I mean, we all noticed Jun Pyo's dark mood after returning from the outing… but he didn't mention anything about Geum Jan Di threatening to break off their relationship with us. So, we just assume they had a lover's spat or something." The Korean Casanova responded, realization finally dawning in on him about the reason behind the Shinhwa heir's bizarre and unexplained bad mood over the past few days.
"Yes. That's exactly what happens. Either way, coming back to our original topic of conversation. Long story short - in the wake of the disastrous triple-date outing, my ex-boyfriend decided to go MIA on me. So, today I took Jan Di along with me intending to seek him out for a talk with him in person. I don't like to leave things hanging, you see. I wanted a clean break, and not just leave things hanging by the thread. I didn't wish to give him any rooms to interfere in any of my future relationships because we didn't break things off properly." Chu Ga Eul then went back to her original summary of the event leading up to her earlier breakdown on the street.
"Okay, so, you were planning to break up with him… I guess that rules out the possibility of you breaking down on the streets due to suffering from heartbreak syndrome." So Yi Jeong nodded in acceptance, before going back to his original inquiry. "Since it wasn't the effects of having your heart broken that resulted in your crying episode by the street, what brought on your little emotional breakdown in front of a shoe shop of the Itaewon district?"
"Either way, we kind of chance upon him on the streets and he was sharing with a female co-worker about how he was only dating me to kill time and that he didn't even like me. That wasn't the most infuriating statement though, what's even more infuriating for me is that he only likes me for my pretty face. Going as far as to claim that if I didn't have a pretty face, he wouldn't have been able to stomach the idea of going out on multiple dates with me. The more I thought about it, the more upset I was with myself. Because, really… I've always prided myself as someone with astute observation skills, so, the fact that I didn't see through his pretense and lies of being interested in me was really maddening. And effectively a hard pill to swallow." Chu Ga Eul lamented aloud with a fuming expression on her face.
"Wait… hold up a sec. Judging from your reaction, can I take it as you're not romantically invested in this ex-boyfriend of yours? But why even date him if you aren't interested in him, to begin with?" So Yi Jeong inquires out of sheer bewilderment, he thought girls usually date people they are interested in, to a certain degree.
"... For an experiment I guess, besides if I didn't date anyone before… how would I know when the right guy finally appears in front of me?" Chu Ga Eul responded, her tone matter-of-fact.
"..." So Yi Jeong found himself effectively at a loss of speech, to be honest, he was genuinely expecting to have to play counselor to a heartbroken country bumpkin but now, he finds himself surprised by the words of the country bumpkin instead.
"Ah… I see I've managed the impossible." Chu Ga Eul commented with a grinning look on her face.
"Which is…?" The Korean Casanova prompted, trying to stamp down the quirk of his lips as he waited for the response from the country bumpkin. Somehow, he had an inkling about what the girl is going to say, and turns out, his premonition wasn't too off the mark.
"I've rendered the Korean Casanova speechless." Chu Ga Eul smirked in response.
"Indeed, but this isn't the first time you'd stunned me into speechlessness. You've pretty much rendered me speechless on your first visit to my pottery studio as well." The Korean Casanova deadpans, before pouring the country bumpkin a new cup of tea from the teapot as he commented. "So, I take it as you're done crying already?"
"Yes. That crying fit earlier on the streets has released all my pent-up frustration at one go. So, I'm done crying over the issue." Chu Ga Eul nodded in response.
"Excellent, shall we get going then?" So Yi Jeong flashes a beaming smile at the country bumpkin as he reached out to make a grab the girl's hand.
"Huh? Wait… where are we going?" Chu Ga Eul blinked at the Korean Casanova in confusion.
"To take revenge on that scumbag former boyfriend of yours. But before that, let's go and give you a makeover." The Korean Casanova declared with a confident smile on his lips.
"Why a makeover?" Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but inquire.
"Well… I assumed you had never really dolled up for your dates with him, right? If he thought the usual you are pretty, let's see how he would react to a doll-up version of you." So Yi Jeong commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, as he drags the long-haired stupefied girl out of his pottery studio and towards his orange lotus.
Too stunned to react, Ga Eul allowed herself to be led out of the pottery studio and into the orange lotus belonging to the Korean Casanova without protests. By the time Ga Eul came back to her senses, she was already seated in a chair within a high-end beauty salon situated within the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea.
While Chu Ga Eul was being attended to by the stylist on duty, So Yi Jeong spends the first few minutes surveying the handiwork of the stylist before shifting his focus to a fashion magazine he found lying around. While So Yi Jeong was occupying his attention with the fashion magazine in hand, he was completely unaware that a certain country bumpkin was constantly checking his reflection out, in the mirror every few minutes.
"Miss, I'm done. Would you like to inspect the result of your makeover to see if you're satisfied with your new image?" The stylist started, drawing Ga Eul's focus away from the Korean Casanova and back onto her own reflection in the mirror.
"Wow… is this really me?" Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but breathe out in amazement upon the image that meets her eyes. The perming done by the hands of a professional really differs from the perming she had done on her own, and the color palette chosen for her make-up for the day is also different from the make-up she used on herself.
"All done?" So Yi Jeong glances up from the magazine that he has been flipping through earlier to survey the makeover result of Chu Ga Eul with his professional eye, before allowing a satisfied smile to form on his lips as he turns to nod at the stylist in approval. Leaving behind a generous tip for the stylist who had attended to Chu Ga Eul this evening, So Yi Jeong went on to lead the country bumpkin out of the salon and towards a high-end fashion boutique several doors down the street.
"Young Master Yi Jeong, how may I be of assistance for you today?" The lady manager of the fashion boutique came forth and greeted the Korean Casanova upon his entry into the store.
"Nice timing, see this young lady standing next to me here? Help me find her some suitable attire for tonight." So Yi Jeong instructed the lady manager of the fashion boutique, of course, he didn't just leave the task of picking out attire to the manager of the boutique but also browse around the store on his own.
When the lady manager returns with a heap of attires, she deems suitable, So Yi Jeong took one look at the heap of dresses held in the lady manager's hands and promptly shakes his head at the choices. Deciding to pick out the attire for the country bumpkin personally, So Yi Jeong begins to run his fingers across the selection under the new arrival section before coming to rest on two different pieces of dresses.
Removing the two pieces of dresses off from the new arrivals' clothes rack, the Korean Casanova went on to test out the dress pieces on the country bumpkin by holding it up in front of the girl so he could determine which piece would better suit the girl's image for the day. Finally, he decided upon the bareback dress in a pinkish purple hue and hold it out to the girl.
"Go on, try this one." The Korean Casanova urged, pressing the dress with the hanger into the hands of the country bumpkin and then personally shoo her off towards the direction of the fitting room in the boutique.
Staring at the bareback dress, Chu Ga Eul hesitated momentarily before deciding to heed the words of the Korean Casanova and changed out from her original attire. While Ga Eul had worn dresses without sleeves or even off-shoulders at times, this is the first time she was wearing a dress that's bareback. For a while, she worries about what to wear under the dress since she can't continue wearing her current bra with a bareback dress. Luckily, upon closer inspection - she realized that the dress comes with its' built-in cups. Only then, Ga Eul finally dare to change out of her current outfit and into the attire picked out for her by the Korean Casanova of F4.
Still, because she didn't have a habit of wearing bareback dresses - Ga Eul was a tad apprehensive when she first stepped out from the fitting room. So Yi Jeong who was amid the task of scanning the other dresses selection available under the new arrivals category when Chu Ga Eul finally reappeared in front of his eyes dressed up in the pinkish-purple hue bareback dress he had picked out for the girl. Allowing his eyes to scan the appearance of the girl from head to toe, So Yi Jeong allowed a smile of satisfaction to form on his lips as he gives the country bumpkin his stamp of approval in the form of a thumbs-up sign.
"You look perfect, now… put this on, and then we can go." So Yi Jeong told Ga Eul in a whispering tone of voice as he held out a new black winter coat to the girl, before turning towards the lady manager of the boutique store to request for a paper bag to store the original clothes and to settle the payment for the new attires picked out for the country bumpkin.
Seated back in the passenger seat of the orange lotus, Chu Ga Eul hesitated slightly before voicing her doubt across to the Korean Casanova, "Yi Jeong-Sunbae, just what exactly do you mean by taking revenge on my scumbag ex-boyfriend?"
"Hmm… for starter, we are going to make him realize what he's missing out on by putting on an act. Oh, and please pretend to not know him when you see him in person later." So Yi Jeong directed a grinning look at Chu Ga Eul as he swerved his orange lotus into the parking lot facility of a building in the Itaewon district.
With a dumbfounded look on her face, Chu Ga Eul allowed herself to be led down the street heading for the nightclub that she knew Gong Soo Pyo was working part-time. At first, she had thought that the guard on duty would ask for her identification document to verify her age as there's an unwritten rule that only people who have reached the legal age of 19 could be allowed entry into the nightclub. But it seems rules don't exactly apply to the members of F4, because the guard simply took one look at So Yi Jeong and promptly turn a blind eye to the age verification procedures as required by the law. Instead, he simply waved them both into the establishment and even had a valet to attend to their needs. E.g., to take care of the coat Ga Eul removed from her person under the instructions of the Korean Casanova.
It didn't take long for Ga Eul to spot the figure of Gong Soo Pyo, seeing as the guy was standing in front of the bar counter which is only a few steps away from the entranceway to the club. And the Korean Casanova upon noticing how the country bumpkin was focusing her gaze in a certain direction, managed to catch on to the situation fast enough.
"Is that him?" So Yi Jeong inquires in a whispering tone of voice next to Ga Eul's ear, causing the girl to startle for a second before ducking her head to hide the blossoming blush creeping up her cheeks. Granted, with the dark lighting in the club – it probably wouldn't be easy for the Korean Casanova to notice the flush in her cheeks. Still, Ga Eul couldn't help but end up being affected by how close the Korean Casanova was standing to her.
"Yes. That's him, alright. What are you going to do?" Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but ask, glancing over to the figure of So Yi Jeong with unbidden curiosity.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out. Stay here and wait, don't move until I'm back." So Yi Jeong instructed, as he did a walkthrough of the club to get an idea of how he could go about his plan. Seeing as he has never patron the clubs in the Itaewon district before, he thought it best to conduct a walkthrough of the place before putting his plan into motion.
"..."
A quick walkthrough about the place informed him that there are still people who recognized him as So Yi Jeong of F4, despite how he wasn't commonly seen hanging out in this part of the city. Granted, those who do recognize him are mostly the ladies' patrons but that's fine. As long as there are people who know him as a member of F4 around, his plan would work.
"Who's that?" Gong Soo Pyo couldn't help but ask when he noticed a commotion taking place among the ladies' patrons, revolving around a newcomer with a boyish but handsome look.
"Hmm…? Oh, that's So Yi Jeong of F4. I wonder what he's doing here, usually, he doesn't patron establishments like this." The female co-worker of Gong Soo Pyo who works as a hostess in the club responded while admiring the Korean Casanova of F4 with a dreamy look on her face.
"Huh? F4? What's that?" Gong Soo Pyo inquires, still having a look of bewilderment on his face.
"How could you not know the F4? The F4 refers to the four heirs of the top families in Korea!" The female hostess looks at Gong Soo Pyo like an alien, before launching into a brief explanation about the F4 to her clueless colleague.
It was at this particular point that So Yi Jeong started to approach the area where Gong Soo Pyo stood with his female colleague. Chu Ga Eul who was observing the scene with the corner of her eyes, found herself raising an eyebrow slightly at the Korean Casanova's actions as she wondered what the guy is going to do by approaching the duo.
Ignoring the presence of Gong Soo Pyo, the Korean Casanova focused his full attention on the hostess as he inquires. "I would like to play a song, is that okay?"
"Of course, it's okay. You are welcome to play as many songs as you like." The hostess responded with a beaming look, as she promptly left Gong Soo Pyo's side to start leading the Korean Casanova towards the area where the resident deejay for the nightclub works. Retrieving the saxophone from the counter where the DJ live-set was located, the hostess handed the saxophone over to the Korean Casanova with a swooning expression on her face.
"Thank you." So Yi Jeong responded, directing his trademark charming smile towards the hostess that causes the lady to start swooning at him, again.
Putting on the saxophone strap onto his person, So Yi Jeong glances out into the crowd scanning the faces of the ladies in the club before landing upon the figure of Chu Ga Eul as he started to speak with his charming smile in place and with an underlying tone of sincerity in his voice. "There's someone here tonight who has captured my heart, and so, I'll be playing my heart out to the lady tonight."
Needless to say, the Korean Casanova's proclamation of someone capturing his heart in the club has caused a bit of a commotion within the ladies' patrons as they started speculating on the person who had succeeded in capturing the heart of the infamous Korean Casanova among themselves. When So Yi Jeong went on to claim that he will be playing his heart out to the lady who captured his heart tonight, the crowd starts going nuts with various degrees of envy cries.
"..." Standing at the furthest back of the crowd, Chu Ga Eul stood unmoving as she observed the performance of the Korean Casanova on the stage platform of the club. Completely unknowing of the fact that her ex-boyfriend had noticed her and is now checking her out with minimal discretion.
Gong Soo Pyo's first thoughts upon landing his eyes on the figure dressed up in the pinkish-purple bareback dress were that the lady has a great figure shape. As Chu Ga Eul was standing with her back facing where the scumbag of her former boyfriend stood, Gong Soo Pyo had no way of telling who it was that he was constantly checking out in the club, at present. It wasn't until he started to approach the lady, he was checking out that he realized that the lady bore an uncanny resemblance to the girl he had just dumped officially, earlier in the day.
[Surely, it can't be… Ga Eul, could it?] - Gong Soo Pyo was thinking as he took another step forward as he tried to get a look at the face of the lady dressed in the pinkish-purple bareback dress.
Still reeling over the words and the performance of the Korean Casanova, Chu Ga Eul failed to realize that her ex-boyfriend had crept up on her until she heard his unmistakable voice speaking up next to her and the feel of his hands on her back. Unconsciously, Ga Eul felt herself stiffening under the touch of Gong Soo Pyo's hands on her back.
"Hi, you must be new here. I'm…" Gong Soo Pyo begins only to turn speechless when the lady finally shifted her attention to him.
"Wow~ Ga Eul, you looked stunning in this outfit. You should have dressed up like this more, you know? What do you say about joining Oppa here for a drink? Oh, right… you aren't of drinking age yet, are you? Never mind, I'm sure there are juices options available… or would you like to go out with me instead?" Gong Soo Pyo was ogling his ex-girlfriend in a new light, who knew Chu Ga Eul could transform this much with a slight makeover?! Why didn't the girl dress up in this manner when they were together? If she did, he probably wouldn't have gotten weary of the girl this fast. Gong Soo Pyo was thinking inwardly to himself.
Over at the stage platform of the club, So Yi Jeong was keeping an eye out on the happenings in the corner where he had left the country bumpkin waiting for his return while he plays the tune of the song 'I Know' on the saxophone. Upon the sight of the scumbag that Chu Ga Eul had once dated started to approach the girl, the Korean Casanova couldn't help but smirk inwardly at what was about to happen. Ending the song with the last note played on the saxophone, So Yi Jeong wasted no time in removing the instrument and set it back down on the counter where the resident Deejay for the club works and ignore the approaching female hostess as he stepped down from the stage platform, heading straight for the direction where he had left the country bumpkin waiting.
Unsure of the exact plan the Korean Casanova had in mind to take 'revenge' on her ex-boyfriend, Chu Ga Eul wasn't able to bestow Gong Soo Pyo with any form of response. Just then, So Yi Jeong had finally returned to where he had left the country bumpkin unattended.
"Ga Eul-Ssi, do you know this guy?" The Korean Casanova inquires, as he discreetly shakes his head at the country bumpkin as he reminded her of the brief conversation they had in his car before they arrived at this club.
"...No, I do not know him." Catching on to the hint from the Korean Casanova, Chu Ga Eul shakes her head in response with a firm tone of voice.
On her other side, Gong Soo Pyo could hardly believe what he was hearing. His eyes keep on darting in between the figure of his ex-girlfriend and the unknown guy from F4, before refocusing his gaze on Chu Ga Eul as he demanded to know the relations between his ex-girlfriend and the new guy.
"Ga Eul, what exactly is your relationship with this bastard?" Gong Soo Pyo practically demanded to know, conveniently neglecting the fact that he had just dumped the girl earlier on in the day.
"..." Chu Ga Eul could hardly believe what she was hearing, what makes Gong Soo Pyo thinks he has the right to make such demands from her? Has the guy conveniently forgotten about the fact that they are no longer a couple?
While Chu Ga Eul didn't respond, So Yi Jeong, on the other hand, did answer Gong Soo Pyo's inquiry. Plastering on a charming smile, the Korean Casanova turns to regard the gathered crowd in front of him and announced. "The someone who had captured my heart and won't return it to me is this young lady over here."
Following his announcement, the crowd of the ladies' patrons who had gathered around to watch him promptly let out cries of disappointment. And then, turning back towards the dumbfounded figure of Chu Ga Eul. The Korean Casanova smiles as he held his hands out to the country bumpkin of his eyes and prompted. "Ga Eul-yang, please stop making me suffer and come to me."
Chu Ga Eul is very glad that she wasn't drinking or eating anything at present, else she had an inkling that she might end up spitting out whatever is in her mouth. Of all things she had expected for the Korean Casanova to pull, this certainly wasn't within her expectations. Sure, she garnered that So Yi Jeong might claim her as his 'girlfriend' or something to provoke her ex-boyfriend… but for the man to declare his 'intentions' in front of a gathered crowd definitely wasn't what she was expecting. Throw in that earlier saxophone performance and its preceding comment, Ga Eul thought the Korean Casanova was making it rather difficult for her to treat this entire display as a simple act of revenge against her ex-boyfriend, who's undoubtedly a scumbag.
[Gosh… does he have to make the act seem so convincing? I'm having trouble reminding myself that everything that's happening now is just an act…] Chu Ga Eul was thinking as she held her hand out to the Korean Casanova of F4, allowing the man to lead her out of the club and onto the brightly lit street.
Coming to a stop a few feet away from the nightclub where Gong Soo Pyo works, Chu Ga Eul proceeds to let go of the Korean Casanova's hand. It's one thing for them to hold hands while departing from the nightclub to pull off a convincing act of them being together, but it's quite another to continue doing so now that they are no longer in the sighting range of her ex-boyfriend, or rather the scumbag she had dated over the past month.
The moment So Yi Jeong noticed that the country bumpkin had let go of his hands, he wasn't sure why but he felt slightly dejected. Not wanting to dwell too much into these feelings that the country bumpkin was generating in him, So Yi Jeong paused in his steps and turns around to look at Chu Ga Eul in the eyes.
Stopping to think for a moment, the Korean Casanova proceeds to remove his scarf from his person and wrap it around the neck of the country bumpkin instead. At the same time, he directed another charming smile of his towards the country bumpkin as he commented. "I know it's supposed to be an act, but I thought we should bring this performance of ours to a perfect end."
"... And how do you intend to go about bringing this act of ours to a perfect end?" Chu Ga Eul stamped down the sensation of butterflies fluttering around in her belly and focused on being logical for the time being.
"Ga Eul-yang, please allow me to take you out for a dinner date." So Yi Jeong responded, flashing the dimpled smile that he knew the country bumpkin would always have trouble resisting.
"...Alright, I shall indulge myself on the rare chance of going out on a dinner date with the infamous Korean Casanova for tonight." Chu Ga Eul eventually responded as she allowed the Korean Casanova to hook her arms through his, as they walked down the street towards the building where So Yi Jeong had parked his orange lotus earlier so, they could proceed with their dinner date at a restaurant of the Korean Casanova's picking.
Inside the club, Gong Soo Pyo found himself kicking a bar stool in annoyance when his female colleague return to his side mooning over the fact that his ex-girlfriend is really lucky to have captured the heart of a member of F4.
Back out in the streets, the Don Juan of F4 – Song Woo Bin nearly choked on his coffee when he noticed the sight of his Casanova friend walking down the streets with the country bumpkin friend of Geum Jan Di, in an exceptionally chummy manner.
[What the hell...? Was that Yi Jeong with Ga Eul-yang walking on the opposite street with their arms hooked? What brought this on? I thought Yi Jeong was in constant denial of his feelings for Ga Eul-yang?] - The Don Juan of F4 found himself staring stupidly at the scene that meets his eyes, it wasn't until the duo walking on the opposite street completely vanished from his sight that Song Woo Bin found his focus returning to the present.
"Oppa, is anything the matter?" The lady companion of the Don Juan of F4 started with a look of bewilderment as she voiced her query across to her distracted date, this evening.
"No... nothing's the matter. I just thought I saw someone I know walking past is all. Come on, baby – shall we move on to the next part of our itinerary?" Song Woo Bin hurried to snap his focus back onto his date for this evening. He can dwell on his Casanova friend's bizarre act later on when he's alone in bed. For now, he ought to focus his full attention on his date.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes: Here's it, the end of the disastrous double-date arc. ^_^ SoEul alerts in here, modified from the scenes in the original drama. What do you think of the modifications made to the scene? Let me know, okay? ^_^
I scrapped the original conversation Yi Jeong had with Ga Eul at his pottery studio, mostly because it doesn't apply to the Ga Eul in my story. After all, she wasn't exactly heartbroken... since she didn't love Gong Soo Pyo. Her crying stems from her feeling upset over her own failure in being unable to see through the true motives of Gong Soo Pyo's wooing attempts on her. She had allowed the guy to fool her into thinking he was genuinely interested in her romantically, and thus her guilt when she thought of her leading the guy on during the time they were dating.
Other than that, I kept the rest of the scenes about the same as the drama. I hope you enjoy the new scenes/modified scenes I came up with within this chapter. As I wanted to keep this chapter focused on SoEul, I cut down on the Ji Hoo-Jan Di interaction scenes from the drama, as well as Jan Di's interaction with the Shinhwa heir.
Additional scene of my originality at the end of the chapter XD The next chapter would be focusing on the events that took place on, valentine day in the drama.
That's all for now, Ciao~