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 14 - Valentine's Day!
Location: So Yi Jeong's Pottery Studio, 12th February 2009, Thursday, 10pm
The Korean Casanova returns to his pottery studio after sending Chu Ga Eul home, intending to retire for the night, only to find the familiar figure of his Don Juan friend leaning against the outer wall of his studio, obviously waiting for his return.
"... How long have you been standing there?" So Yi Jeong prompted, as he unlocked the gate to his pottery studio with his remote key and signaled for his friend to follow his orange lotus into the domain of the pottery studio. As he needed to park his vehicle first, the Korean Casanova threw the key to the main door of his pottery studio towards his Don Juan friend indicating for his friend to head on inside while he finished up with the parking of his vehicle at the designated parking space reserved for his orange lotus on the estate grounds.
"Long enough…" Song Woo Bin shrugged, his original intention was to drop off his lady companion and head back home for his own rest. Only, he found himself having difficulty getting the earlier scene he witnessed on the street at the Itaewon district that he decided to pay a visit to his Casanova friend instead. Catching the key pouch thrown over to him by his Casanova friend, Song Woo Bin proceed to unlock the main door to the pottery studio.
So Yi Jeong, upon returning to the insides of the pottery studio took a moment to assess his friend's appearance before shaking his head and made his way over to the kitchenette area to prepare some hot tea for them. Hot tea is a necessity judging from that reindeer nose of his friend, unfortunately, he didn't have ginger on hand. Else, he might decide to make his friend a cup of ginger tea to rid of the chills instead.
"Woo Bin, what possessed you to wait for me out in the cold? Do you know that your nose resembles the nose of a reindeer in those Christmas tales? Don't blame me if you end up with cold symptoms tomorrow." So Yi Jeong admonished his Don Juan friend as he set down the cup of hot tea in front of his friend, a tad forcefully.
"... Don't worry. I won't blame you if I did end up being stuck in bed with the cold virus tomorrow. It's my own fault for not being able to wait until tomorrow to get answers from you." The Don Juan of F4 remarked cryptically, causing Yi Jeong to throw him a questioning look.
"And just what exactly was bugging you this much that you couldn't wait until tomorrow to get answers from me, and had to do it today?" The Korean Casanova raised an eyebrow up in a questioning manner as he pours his friend a cup of hot tea, and make sure to switch on the heater function on the air-con unit installed in the pottery studio.
"...Crap! There's no easy way of getting this across, but Yi Jeong… what the hell were you doing just now in the Itaewon district?" Song Woo Bin practically blurted out his thoughts to his Casanova friend, a frown marring his handsome features.
[Itaewon…damn, Woo Bin saw that?!] - The Korean Casanova widens his eyes as realization dawns in on him about what his friend had witnessed earlier. Considering how insistent his friend had been on him about his so-called attraction towards the country bumpkin, it's no wonder that his friend wished to get to the bottoms of the issue immediately rather than holding out until the following day to get answers out from him.
"... I assumed; you are referring to the scene of me walking down the streets with Ga Eul-yang in a chummy manner?" So Yi Jeong hesitated slightly, before asking his friend back in response.
"Of course, I was referring to that scene. I nearly spit out my drink when I saw the two of you walking down the street with arms hooked, that was way too chummy. I was under the impression that you are still in denial regarding the feelings you had towards Ga Eul-yang or did that change at some point of today without my knowledge?" The Don Juan of F4 rolls his eyes in response to his friend's words.
"Woo Bin…whatever you're thinking about, it isn't true. I am not dating Ga Eul-yang, the scene you witnessed in Itaewon district? That's just an act." The Korean Casanova started in a flustered manner, as he combed a hand through his perfectly neat hair and messed it up in the process. Luckily, he's ready to retire for the night - else, it's going to be a chore to go through the process of styling up his hairdo again.
"An act?" Song Woo Bin blinked, eyeing his Casanova friend with a curious look.
"Yes. An act." So Yi Jeong nodded at his curious friend with affirmation.
"Could you explain to me why such an act is necessary because I find myself having trouble comprehending your course of actions?" The Don Juan of F4 sighed aloud, as he demanded politely for his Casanova friend to relay to him the entirety of the events that led up to such a development.
And so, the Korean Casanova end up sharing the details of how he came across the figure of Chu Ga Eul crying out on the streets in the Itaewon district, and later their conversation in his pottery studio before summing it up with the act of revenge they pulled on Chu Ga Eul's ex-boyfriend.
"Is there any point to this particular act of revenge?" Song Woo Bin found himself prompting aloud to his Casanova friend, towards the end of his friend's reiteration of today's event.
"I beg your pardon?" The Korean Casanova started, turning towards the Don Juan of F4 with a perplexed expression on his face.
"I get that Ga Eul-yang is upset about being conned by a scumbag, and then getting dumped in such a humiliating manner. I could understand why she would want to humiliate the guy back in return, given a chance… and I have to agree that your idea was a brilliant one. But there is definitely an easier way to humiliate the guy in return for what he had done to Ga Eul-yang. So, why did you choose to do what you did?" Song Woo Bin commented, effectively rendering his Casanova friend silent with his words.
"..." So Yi Jeong was indeed rendered speechless by his friend's brutal but honest comment. Indeed, come to think of it now… there are simpler ways to humiliate that scumbag in return for what happened to the country bumpkin. He could have simply paraded the doll-up version of the country bumpkin around in the nightclub, within that scumbag sighting range… so, why did he go to the extent of staging an open declaration of love to Chu Ga Eul?
"So, you think what I did was too much of an overkill?" So Yi Jeong then voiced his query across to his Don Juan friend for a second opinion.
"Completely." Song Woo Bin deadpans at his friend if it weren't for the fact that he knew Yi Jeong's skittishness when it comes down to feelings of the heart. He would have demanded to know if his friend was using that revenge ploy as a window of opportunity to confess his heartfelt feelings for Ga Eul-yang because his friend would never do so under normal circumstances.
"...Oh well, what's done is done. It's not as though I could turn back the time to undo what I did." So Yi Jeong muttered aloud, inwardly hoping that the country bumpkin would have enough sense in her to know that what happened tonight is simply a mere act.
"..." Shaking his head at his friend's reaction, Song Woo Bin sighed inwardly as he took in the sight of his friend's continuous denial about the growing feelings towards Chu Ga Eul. Downing the rest of the tea served to him in the teacup, Song Woo Bin stood to take his leave from the pottery studio.
Meanwhile, over at the Chu family residence, Ga Eul was up half-the-night rationalizing her thoughts revolving around a certain Casanova of F4. On one hand, Ga Eul was repeatedly telling herself to stop dwelling on the words of confession coming from the Korean Casanova in the nightclub because that's part of the act in the ploy of revenge against, Gong Soo Pyo. On the other hand, Ga Eul found herself thinking back on her past interactions with the Korean Casanova and thought she's doomed. Mostly because she came to the dawning realization that she's starting to feel some form of attraction towards the Korean Casanova.
[Shit… maybe I was never immune to the charms of the Korean Casanova, to begin with…?] - Chu Ga Eul found herself thinking when the thought of what happened earlier on between her and the potter of F4 brought on the sensation of butterflies fluttering in her belly, again.
Muffling the sound of a groan into her pillow, Chu Ga Eul decided to sleep on the matter and try to rationalize her thoughts again, when morning comes around. Perhaps, it would be easier to sort out her thoughts for the Korean Casanova when she's in a calmer mood. This entire day has been too dramatic, between Jan Di hitting Gong Soo Pyo on her behalf, and the revenge ploy cooked up by a certain Casanova to humiliate her ex-boyfriend… Ga Eul thought she ought to stop thinking and just go to bed, for the time being.
Location: Bangsan Baking Market, 13th February 2009, Friday, 10am
Standing in one of the stores that carry loads of baking products necessary for making chocolates, Chu Ga Eul was having difficulty in deciding the amount of cocoa powder she would need to purchase for this year's batch of valentine's day chocolate. In the past, Ga Eul usually just gets a small bag of cocoa powder, since she's making chocolates only for her little brother and her adoptive father. Last year, she added her half-brother Miyazawa Kazuki to the list and thus went for the 250g package of cocoa powder instead of the usual 100g. This year though, she's going to include the entire group of E3 into her valentine friendship chocolate list; and probably a certain Casanova of F4, too.
The idea of gifting the Korean Casanova with valentine's day's chocolates was something that sprang to mind only this morning. Ga Eul had woken up from her sleep in a relatively calmer mood as compared to the previous night when she first retired for bed. Still, she wasn't quite able to tell for certain if the feeling which the Korean Casanova was capable of generating in her was love - one thing's for certain. That's her sense of gratitude towards what the Korean Casanova had done for her, yesterday. Therefore, when a quick look at the desk calendar sitting on her study desk in her bedroom notified her that the following day is valentine's day. She made the decision to put the Korean Casanova onto her chocolate gifting list for this year, under the obligatory category.
Obligatory chocolates - a custom that begins in Japan whereby girls would gift chocolates to the opposite gender who aren't a potential love interest, but a relatively close friend or family. Ga Eul has been gifting these chocolates to her adoptive father and younger brothers for ages. This year, she is looking to include Saionji Shunsuke and Sakuraba Shuichi into the list too… and she figured, she might as well add the Korean Casanova to the list.
Either way, after taking a quick stock-check in the pantry of her family home - Ga Eul realized that the cocoa powder in her family pantry has been depleted and thus needed to be replenished. And so, the long-haired girl decided to pop over to the infamous baking market for a quick shopping trip.
In the end, she decided to get the 1kg package for the cocoa powder and grab an extra bag of 100g package just in case the 1 kg wasn't enough to cater for 6 batches of chocolates she intends to make this year in the kitchen of her family home. Knowing that the Korean Casanova prefers Espresso over Latte when it comes down to coffee beverages, Ga Eul decided to make the Korean Casanova dark chocolates instead of the typical milk chocolates which she would be making for the rest of the men on her valentine gifting list.
Upon completing her shopping for the baking essentials, Chu Ga Eul went on to pick out the suitable wrapping package for the chocolates at the counter area of the store. To differentiate between the packaging so, she wouldn't gift the wrong chocolates to the wrong recipient - Ga Eul decided to use the yellow plaid design packaging bag for the Korean Casanova while keeping the rest of the gift bag in her preferred red plaid design. Last but not least, she picked out a recipe book for dark chocolates since she has never attempted making dark chocolates by hand before.
By the time, Ga Eul has gotten everything listed on her shopping list - it's about time for her to head in for her part-time job at the porridge shop.
Location: Porridge Shop, Friday, 13th Feb 2009, 11am
"Wow… Ga Eul ah, why do you have so many baking supplies with you?" Geum Jan Di couldn't help but inquire when she noticed her childhood friend settled down at the table closest to the cashier counter with a bunch of baking supplies and a recipe book on dark chocolates.
"Well… it's valentine's tomorrow. Due to all that fuss over that scumbag over the past few days, I didn't have time to go shopping for baking supplies until now. Luckily, I have no extra-curriculum program planned today, so, I could devote my entire night to the task of making chocolates. Otherwise, I think I would have a problem presenting them in time for valentine's. While on the subject, aren't you making anything for Jun Pyo-Sunbae?" Chu Ga Eul prompted her friend back in return.
"... Who are you gifting chocolates to, this year? Based on the amount of cocoa powder you purchased today, I highly doubt you're only making chocolates for Jung Min and your dad." Geum Jan Di pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"I'm including the E3 in the list for this year's valentine as well. Mostly because they complain when only Kazuki receive chocolates from me last year." Ga Eul wisely left out the mention of a certain Casanova who's on her list this year, mostly because she wasn't quite ready to deal with her childhood friend's overreactions this afternoon. After all, this entire past week has been a bit too dramatic for her liking and thus, if possible, she would prefer to have her weekends free from drama.
"I see…" Geum Jan Di mused in response, before inquiring. "So, you really think I ought to make something for Gu Jun Pyo?"
"Yes, of course. I mean, the two of you are dating - isn't it? Thus, all the more you should gift him something on valentine's day. Here, I think I've got enough cocoa powder to make the chocolates that I need. You can have this 100g pack, and here are some chocolate molds for you in case you need them." Chu Ga Eul commented, as she promptly removes the above-mentioned items from her shopping bag and pushes them in the direction of her childhood friend.
"..."
It was at this moment in time that the door to the porridge shop was pushed open from the outside, announcing the entry of an odd customer who would later become one of their regular patrons. An old man came in and requested to eat Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce).
Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul shared a look among themselves, before turning towards the customer with a polite but confused expression. "Erm… Sir, this is a porridge shop. If you wish to eat Jajangmyeon, perhaps you might want to visit the shop opposite."
It took a bit of back and forth bargaining with the customer before the master of the porridge shop gave in and went on to prep up the dish Jajangmyeon for the stubborn old man who refuses to go elsewhere for the dish. And then, when it comes for the time to pay… instead of paying them in cash, the old man paid them with a freshly caught catfish and claimed that the next time he comes in, he would like to have the dish Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew).
"Master, do you still have leftovers for the Jajangmyeon?" Ga Eul inquires, out of curiosity especially after she had seen the emptied-out bowl left behind by that odd customer who insisted on eating a noodle dish in a porridge shop.
"Yes, Master… we would like to try out your Jajangmyeon if you do have leftovers." Geum Jan Di added, backing up her friend's request.
"..." Bom Choon-Sik, the master of the porridge shop sighed inwardly as he handed the extra bowl of the noodles, he had prepped up just in case the odd customer wanted a second serving, to his two part-timers.
"It's delicious." Geum Jan Di commented after giving the noodles a try, while Ga Eul nodded in agreement citing that the Jajangmyeon prepared by the master is even better than the shop opposite them that sells Jajangmyeon as their specialty dish.
"..." Bom Choon-Sik didn't bestow his two part-timers with a verbal response, instead, simply reaches out to take, the alive and flopping catfish from Geum Jan Di.
"Wait, Master... you aren't serious about serving him spicy fish stew the next time he came by, are you?" Chu Ga Eul started, when her employer proceeds to rear the fish in a basin filled up with water in the kitchen of the porridge shop. Needless to say, Ga Eul receives no response from Bom Choon-Sik. After all, as an employer, the master of the porridge shop does not have to explain his decisions to his staff.
Little did they know that the odd customer from earlier is actually the former president of South Korea and the grandfather of Yoon Ji Hoo. It wasn't until months later, that Geum Jan Di finally realized the fact. But that's a tale for later, now - the girls are more concerned about ending work on time so, they could head back home and start preparing the chocolates for the impending valentine's day.
Unlike Ga Eul, Geum Jan Di was still hesitating over the idea of making something for the Shinhwa heir for valentine. So, upon arriving home - the Wonder Woman of Korea actually spend up to an hour debating between the idea of making something for Yoon Ji Hoo to thank the guy for all the help he had rendered her with, or to make something for the Shinhwa heir because it is valentine day, and they are dating one another as of present.
In the end, after much debate - Geum Jan Di decided she ought to make something for the Shinhwa heir. Otherwise, that guy would throw a fit if he were to discover that she had gifted Yoon Ji Hoo with chocolates but not him. Thus, in the end, Geum Jan Di decided to make chocolates for the Shinhwa heir and gift the auburn-haired member of F4 with something else that isn't chocolates to avoid her boyfriend getting jealous for no reason.
Due to the extra time Geum Jan Di spend on debating, she ended up having to pull an all-nighter to finish with the batch of cookies she had decided to bake for both Gu Jun Pyo and Yoon Ji Hoo of F4. The only difference lies in the flavor of the cookies, for the Shinhwa heir - Geum Jan Di is baking him chocolate cookies, in a custom design of the doodled drawing version of the Shinhwa heir's expression.
The base for the cookies is made from butter, whereas the hair and the expressions on the cookie were drawn out using chocolate with the assistance of the cake decorating nozzle tool which she managed to find among the items given to her by her childhood friend - Ga Eul, earlier on in the porridge shop.
The gift for Yoon Ji Hoo was a tad easier to accomplish since it's simply butter cookies made out from the same base, she had used for Gu Jun Pyo's gift. Only, she had opted for the basic star-shaped cookie cutter for the design of the cookies. Packaging is even easier since Ga Eul only provided her with one chocolate packing gift box. Geum Jan Di decided to improvise by wrapping up the cookies she had prepared for the auburn-haired member of F4 using the clear gift wrapper bag, she had utilized some time ago as a candy wrapper bag for Ga Eul's Christmas present.
Chu Ga Eul, on the other hand, was able to finish her batch of chocolates before midnight. By midnight, everything was wrapped and labeled clearly with the name of their intended recipient. Too exhausted to think about how she would be getting the chocolates to a certain Korean Casanova, Ga Eul decided to think on it when tomorrow comes around.
When the next morning comes around, Chu Ga Eul woke to the message from her half-brother - Miyazawa Kazuki that the members of E3 would be spending the bulk of their morning in Shinhwa Country Club. So, if Ga Eul intends to drop off their chocolates in one go - she should perhaps head over to the country club in search of them.
Private chat between Chu Ga Eul and Miyazawa Kazuki, 14th Feb 2009, 8am
Ga Eul: Got your message, but why on earth are you guys in Shinhwa Country Club today? *Curious Emoji*
Kazuki: I'm in the mood for some tennis exercise, so Shunsuke offer to be my opponent while Shuichi plays referee for our private match. Shinhwa Country Club is the only place that pops in mind with both the tennis courts facility and the bowling alley as well as the billiard/pool facility available.
Ga Eul: … What about the risk of running into the F4? They had taken to hang out at the clubhouse in Shinhwa Country Club because of winter break in school, these days - I'm sure you're aware of it.
Kazuki: That's fine. The place is big, I doubt we would run into them that easily. So, as long as you didn't get either one of them to play personal escort for you… I'm sure we won't even cross paths with them. *Cheeky Grin Emoji*
Ga Eul: Fine. *Roll eyes Emoji*
Knowing that the guys probably aren't at the country club yet, Chu Ga Eul wasn't in any rush to head out. Instead, she busied herself with the task of prepping up breakfast for her family as she wasn't expected to be at work today. Her employer had told them both to take leave for today, seeing as it's Valentine… and couples aren't expected to date one another in a shop that sells only porridge and thus he was able to manage the shop on his own.
Leaving the two small package of the milk chocolates she had made for her adoptive parent and younger brother last night on the dining table, the long-haired girl proceeds to bring the rest of the chocolates back into her own room for safekeeping. After all, she didn't want to arouse the suspicion of her parents about the extra portion of the chocolate gift. Especially, since both her parents are very well aware of the fact that she had already broken up with Gong Soo Pyo, and thus there isn't a need for her to prepare an extra chocolate gift for this year's valentine.
Once done with the breakfast preparation, Chu Ga Eul decided to drop a text message to Sakuraba Shuichi, requesting a free ride to the Shinhwa Country Club. She didn't want to trouble Kazuki because she knew he would, no doubt, notice the extra bag of chocolates and started hounding her for a response. Given that she isn't dating the Korean Casanova in any sense, the last thing she needs is for Kazuki to overreact and go on to throw caution to the wind by paying the Casanova of F4 a personal visit. And since she wasn't all that close to Shunsuke, she figured the best person she could hitch a free ride off with no questions asked would be her cousin through the relations of her biological father, Shuichi.
Private chat between Chu Ga Eul and Sakuraba Shuichi, 14th Feb 2009, 8.45am
Ga Eul: Good morning, I hope you're awake. If not, I apologize for waking you up with this message of mine. Received a message from Kazuki late last night about your plans for spending the bulk of today in Shinhwa Country Club to indulge in a game of tennis… so, I was wondering if I could hitch a ride to the facility from you? Of course, I'll give you chocolates in repayment of the free ride. It's valentine's day, after all.
PS: Chocolates given are of an obligation nature (Giri Choco), please do not mistake them for Honmei Choco (chocolates for a potential romantic interest). But I'm sure as a native-born Japanese, you should know the culture more than I do. ^_^;
Shuichi: Sure, we are meeting up around 10am. Shall I swing by your place to pick you up around 9.15am? So, you've roughly 30minutes to get ready for the outing. See you in a bit.
PS: Of course, I know the culture of obligation chocolates very well. I did receive my fair share of them before transferring to Seoul. ^_~ So, no worries… I won't misunderstand.
PPS: Not sure if you intend to give obligation chocolates to the F4, but if you do - please explain the culture to them. I'm sure, Koreans seldom adopt this particular practice of obligation chocolate culture that's mostly a practice among the Japanese.
Ga Eul: … Right. I'll keep it in mind. ^^;
Location: Shinhwa Country Club, 14th Feb 2009, Saturday, 10.30am
"Woo Bin, where's Yi Jeong?" Gu Jun Pyo inquires when he glances up to see only the Don Juan of F4 entering the clubhouse. The Casanova of F4 was nowhere in sight.
"Yi Jeong…? Well, the last time I checked - he said he had some last-minute fine-tuning to do with his latest masterpiece before sending it to the kiln. So, I reckon he probably wouldn't be coming in today. While on the subject, I'm surprised to see you here… shouldn't you be out on a date with Geum Jan Di or something, given that it's valentine's day today." Song Woo Bin commented casually as he dropped himself unceremoniously onto the sofa couch in the F4 clubhouse, situated within the Shinhwa Country Club.
"Who knows what she was doing for the bulk of last night? When I call her up just now asking her out on a date, she told me that she can only meet me in the evening because she hasn't slept for the entirety of last night, and thus need to catch up on her much-needed beauty sleep." Gu Jun Pyo rolls his eyes in response to the inquiry of his Don Juan friend.
"Ah… well, you're in luck. I reckon she pulls an all-nighter to make you chocolates. It's rare for girls these days to put the effort in making valentine chocolates by hand, they tend to purchase from retail stores these days." Song Woo Bin commented with an underlying amusement in his tone of voice.
"Really?" Almost instantly, the expression on the Shinhwa heir's face lit up in anticipation as he started wondering what his girlfriend had made for him, as he started to look forward to his evening meet-up with his commoner girlfriend.
Yoon Ji Hoo of F4, was on his way to the F4 clubhouse to meet up with his friends when he chanced upon the figure of Chu Ga Eul in the lobby area of the Shinhwa Country Club.
"Good morning, Ji Hoo-Sunbae." The long-haired girl hurried to greet the auburn-haired member of F4, politely.
"Good morning, Ga Eul-yang. Are you here to look for Yi Jeong? If so, I think you would be disappointed for making a waste trip. Yi Jeong isn't here today, I reckon he's preoccupied with his duties as the heir to the Woo Sung Museum, this morning. You would have better luck finding him at his pottery studio, rather than here." Yoon Ji Hoo remarked innocently to the figure of Chu Ga Eul, smirking inwardly at the lovely flush that crept up the cheeks of the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di upon his nonchalance mention of the name of his Casanova's friend.
"Actually, I'm just waiting for my brother and his friends to get ready for their tennis game. But thank you for the information about where to find Yi Jeong-Sunbae, I'll be sure to drop by the pottery studio at a later time today." Chu Ga Eul found herself averting her eyes from the auburn-haired heir to the Su Am Cultural Group, inwardly thinking why she had opted to wait for Kazuki and the guys in the lobby. She could have waited for the at the court, at least, that way she wouldn't have crossed paths with the auburn-haired member of F4.
"Is that so? In that case, enjoy your morning with the E3. Have a good day ahead, Ga Eul-yang." Yoon Ji Hoo simply directed an all-knowing smirk to the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di, before heading for the direction of the F4 Clubhouse with a blatant look of amusement in his eyes.
"..."
"Ji Hoo, what's with that grinning look on your face?" The Shinhwa heir inquires, the moment the auburn-haired member of F4 enters the clubhouse.
"Oh… nothing, I'm simply wondering how Yi Jeong would react in the face of being gifted chocolates by Chu Ga Eul is all." Yoon Ji Hoo commented nonchalantly in response, as he joined his two friends on the sofa couch in the clubhouse.
"Wait… how did you know that Ga Eul-yang would have chocolates for Yi Jeong?" Song Woo Bin started, sounding surprised by the words of his auburn-haired friend.
"I met her outside in the lobby area earlier, she's here with the E3. Apparently, the members of E3 have booked the use of an indoor tennis court for a game or two. She had a total of four gift bags in hand, so, I assumed she's here to gift the E3 their valentine's day chocolates. But there are only three members in E3, so, I assumed the extra bag packaged slightly differently is meant for Yi Jeong." Yoon Ji Hoo responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Oh boy… knowing Yi Jeong, there's a high chance of him freaking out upon receiving chocolates from Ga Eul-yang, especially after what he had done the other day." Song Woo Bin muttered under his breath, unknowing that his comment had caught the curious attention of his other two friends.
"Woo Bin, care to explain what was that you just said? Why would Yi Jeong freak out over the idea of Chu Ga Eul gifting him with valentine's day chocolates? While on the subject, why is that girl even gifting Yi Jeong with valentine's day chocolates, to begin with?" Gu Jun Pyo, the Shinhwa heir furrowed his brows in confusion as he directed his query towards the Don Juan of F4.
And so, the Don Juan of F4 found himself spilling the beans of what happened on the evening of 12th February, to his two curious friends. Inwardly, hoping that his Casanova friend wouldn't kill him for divulging the details of their little conversation to the other two members of F4, at a later time.
"That's strange. It isn't in Yi Jeong's nature to do something like this…?" The Shinhwa heir, who still had no idea of the underlying attraction his Casanova friend had towards Chu Ga Eul was naturally baffled.
Yoon Ji Hoo, on the other hand, who had noticed this little detail wasn't really surprised by his Casanova's friend's little act of revenge against that scumbag on behalf of Chu Ga Eul. Although, like Woo Bin - he had thought going about the entire act of revenge through the means of an open declaration of love towards the girl was a tad overkill. Was his friend truly acting during that entire staged confession of love towards the girl? Yoon Ji Hoo found himself mulling over the question in his mind, as he commented. "Well… no wonder you were saying that Yi Jeong would freak out over the notion of Chu Ga Eul bestowing him with valentine's day chocolates. But I don't think it would be an issue though, Ga Eul-yang is smart enough to know how to handle him when he starts freaking out. Besides, it might not be a thing in Korea… obligatory chocolates are pretty common in Japan."
"..."
Location: Shinhwa Country Club, Bistro Bar, 11.45am, 14th Feb 2009
Chu Ga Eul was somewhat bemused when she found the Don Juan of F4 taking up the empty seat opposite her in the bistro bar situated within the Shinhwa Country Club. The members of E3 aren't present, as they are still preoccupied with the tennis match going on between Shunsuke and her half-brother, Kazuki. Ga Eul, who got bored after watching the rally between them – decided to grab an early lunch in the bistro bar of the country club.
The long-haired girl was waiting for her food ordered to be ready for collection when Song Woo Bin – the Don Juan of F4 suddenly waltz into the bistro bar and flopped into the empty seat opposite her.
"Woo Bin-Sunbae, good morning. You aren't here to request any obligation chocolates from me, are you? If you are, I'm afraid I would have to apologize as I do not have extra obligation chocolates to go around on my person." Chu Ga Eul started somewhat bemusedly, as she addressed the Don Juan of F4 seated opposite her in the bistro bar, at present.
"Good morning, Ga Eul-yang. No worries, I'm not after your chocolates. You can keep them for Yi Jeong. These are for Yi Jeong, right?" The Don Juan of F4 commented, eyeing the yellow plaid design gift bag sitting on one side of the table in the bistro bar.
"...Yes, although I'm still hesitating about whether or not to gift them to him." Chu Ga Eul eventually responded with a somewhat hesitant look on her face.
"May I inquire on the reason behind your hesitance?" Song Woo Bin prompted, as he calls out for the attention of the barista behind the coffee station and ordered a cup of coffee for his own consumption.
"Well... Yi Jeong-Sunbae can be a tad defensive at times. It's one thing for him to receive chocolates from the typical ladies' friends of his, but quite another if the chocolates were to come from me. I'm not sure if he had told you what he did two days ago at the nightclub where my ex-boyfriend works. We put up an act of being together as a form of revenge against my ex-boyfriend, and to achieve the best results – he actually staged a confession to me in the club. Either way, long story short – because of what he did, I was afraid that he might over-react and went on the defensive when I show up in front of him with these chocolates." Ga Eul allows a sigh to escape her lips, as she shared her doubts with the Don Juan of F4.
"I see... but are those chocolates for Yi Jeong really of the obligatory nature though?" Song Woo Bin couldn't help but ask, mostly out of curiosity. Even though, his Casanova friend had thought Ga Eul-yang would have enough sense in her to not misunderstand an act for reality... Song Woo Bin isn't so certain of it. Especially, since Ga Eul-yang was someone with an astute observation skill and although Yi Jeong keeps on denying the underlying attraction he had towards the girl; the Don Juan of F4 had a feeling that his friend's open declaration of love for Chu Ga Eul in the nightclub wasn't completely an act.
"... 70-30." After a moment of consideration, Chu Ga Eul responded to his inquiry with a numerical response that he could make no sense of.
"I beg your pardon?" Song Woo Bin blinked at the girl in confusion.
"70-30, that's the ratio to the question put forth by you earlier. Weren't you asking me if these chocolates for Yi Jeong-sunbae are really obligatory? 70% of my decision to gift him the chocolates is out of obligation, rather – these chocolates serve as a means for me to thank him for what he had done the other day. So, you could say that these chocolates are a gift of appreciation from me to him. The remaining 30%, on the other hand... well, let's be honest. As logical as I am, I'm not completely immune to the charms of the Korean Casanova. It is very hard to write his entire performance that day in the nightclub as a mere act, even now as I sit here and contemplate over the idea of whether or not I should gift him these chocolates – I'm feeling conflicted." Chu Ga Eul, sensing bewilderment from the Don Juan of F4, then proceeds to explain the meaning behind her numerical response.
For a while, Song Woo Bin was silent. Eventually, he responded while hoping that his Casanova friend wouldn't kill him later for what he's about to suggest to Chu Ga Eul.
"Ga Eul-yang, I would suggest for you to gift Yi Jeong with these chocolates earlier rather than later. Going by your reasoning, if you can approach him with these chocolates while he's alone and without company... he would likely accept them with some mild persuasion on your part. Make sure to leave out the fact that you do feel some form of attraction towards him after that little performance in the nightclub, that wouldn't sit well with him at this point. Yi Jeong… he's a little skittish when it comes down to romance and commitment, but considering his family situation… it's not really that much of a wonder. Anyway, don't tell him I told you that - he would chew my head off if he knows. Coming back to the main topic of conversation, go ahead and gift him those chocolates. Yi Jeong would be glad to receive them, as long as you passed them to him under the guise of the chocolates being of an obligatory nature. Albeit, it might need a bit of persuasion on your part - so, you should do it earlier rather than later."
"I see, thank you for your advice. I'll be sure to keep it in mind. In response to your helpful advice, please join me for brunch. It's kind of boring eating alone, to be honest." Chu Ga Eul responded as she flashed a beaming smile towards the Don Juan of F4.
"It's my pleasure to take brunch with you, Ga Eul-yang." Song Woo Bin grinned in response, inwardly wondering how his Casanova friend is going to react upon finding out that he took brunch with Chu Ga Eul on valentine's day, itself.
Location: So Yi Jeong's Pottery Studio, Valentine's Day, 1.45pm
So Yi Jeong, the heir to the Woo Sung Museum has been kept busy for the majority part of his morning on the 14th of February. So much so, that he had nearly forgotten that it's valentine's day. It wasn't until he got back from a morning trip to the Woo Sung Museum to find a mountainous heap of chocolates piling up on the doorsteps of his pottery studio that he realized that valentine's day is here.
"..." Wordlessly, he signaled for his family driver to assist with the task of bringing in the mountainous heap of chocolates from the doorstep into the pottery studio.
"You can leave the chocolates on one of the tables, after that, you're free to leave." So Yi Jeong instructed his family chauffeur, while he headed towards the back of the pottery studio to finish up with the final touch-up of his latest masterpiece before it goes into the kiln.
The Korean Casanova was so focused on the work that he fails to realize that someone has entered his pottery studio until he heard the voice of a certain country bumpkin speaking up.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, are you here? I'm sorry for entering without an invitation, but I'm on a tight time leash here and Woo Bin-Sunbae did say that you would leave the door unlocked if you're around." Chu Ga Eul calls out into the pottery studio, as she pushes open the door and stepped over the threshold.
"Ga Eul-yang, what brought you over today?" Looking up from his work, So Yi Jeong was genuinely surprised to find the country bumpkin standing a few feet away from where he was working with a relieved expression on her face.
"Oh, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. Good afternoon, I hope I'm not interrupting you amid an important step in your masterpiece creation." Chu Ga Eul heaved a sigh of relief inwardly at finding the Korean Casanova in the pottery studio because she had no idea where she should leave the chocolates she had for the potter if the guy happened to be elsewhere. While she did notice the heap of chocolates piling up on one of the tables, she isn't sure she would want to put her chocolates on the same table with the rest of the valentine's day chocolates the Korean Casanova had received from his ladies' acquaintances. Who knows what would happen to the heap of chocolates at the end of the day?
"It's fine, I'm just doing some final touch-up for the masterpiece before it needs to be sent to the kiln. So, what exactly brought you over today?" So Yi Jeong, the owner of the pottery studio found himself repeating his earlier inquiry as the girl had failed to answer him, the first time around.
"Erm… right, here. This is for you." Uncertain of how to get her words across without rambling, Chu Ga Eul practically lifted up the gift bag she had in hand and thrust it in the Korean Casanova's direction.
"...What's in the bag if you don't mind me asking?" The Korean Casanova sounded slightly apprehensive, unsure if he should accept the gift bag thrust in his direction by the country bumpkin. If this is on any other day, he probably wouldn't hesitate. But the thing is, today's valentine's day… and thus, there is a high chance of the girl choosing to gift him chocolates for the occasion.
"...Dark chocolates, homemade version." Chu Ga Eul answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, making sure to maintain her facade of nonchalance. Even though, her sweaty palms were a good sign of her nervousness while she presented her hand-made chocolates to the Korean Casanova.
"...Ga Eul-yang, I'm flattered to receive chocolates from you. Thank you, but I hope you know that I wouldn't be a good choice if you are looking for your soulmate. What happened the other day in the nightclub is just an act, I'm sure a sensible girl like you would never mistake it for anything else - right?" So Yi Jeong took a deep breath before responding to the country bumpkin, inwardly he was thankful that the girl hasn't come by at a later timing. After all, he has an image to uphold in front of the others and it would be somewhat difficult for him to treat Ga Eul differently while in the company of his other ladies' friends.
"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, as you said earlier - I'm a sensible girl. So, of course, I wouldn't take what you said the other day in the nightclub as the truth. An act is an act, I know that much. So, these chocolates from me to you didn't mean anything outside of being a token of appreciation. I wanted to gift you something to express my appreciation and gratitude for what you had done for me, the other day. Only, I wasn't sure what to gift you that you would require… and just nice, valentine day is approaching. So, I thought I might as well make you something to express my gratitude to you. That's all, I have no ulterior motive in gifting chocolates to you on this particular day." Chu Ga Eul had a slightly amused look in her eyes as she addressed the Korean Casanova who had appeared a little stiff, and out of his depths as he stared at the gift bag with an unreadable look.
[Is the notion of receiving chocolates from me on valentine's day this daunting? He's eyeing the bag as though something would spring up and bite him on his hands…] - Chu Ga Eul thought bemusedly to herself, as she observed the myriad of emotions that flashes through the eyes of the Korean Casanova.
"Oh… okay, so, what you're implying is that these chocolates you have for me... doesn't come with any hidden meaning but is simply a gift of appreciation?" So Yi Jeong began, looking immensely relieved after hearing the words of clarification from the long-haired girl standing in front of him. Inwardly though, the potter detected a fleeting sense of disappointment upon being told that the chocolates are simply a token of appreciation. However, as he had no intention to dwell on the reason behind his disappointment – So Yi Jeong was fine leaving things be.
"Yes. Well, if it would make you feel better in accepting the chocolates – you can just think of them as the obligatory chocolates. I know this isn't a thing in Korea, but it is very common in Japan. Just today alone, I had given out a total of 6 batches of chocolates, all hand-made to different guys. Among them, including my adoptive father, both my half-brothers in Korea at present, and also the remaining two members of E3. I admit I did put in a little more effort in the making of the chocolates for you... but that's because I know you don't exactly fancy treats that are too sweet for your taste buds. So, I made you dark chocolates instead of milk chocolates, which is what I had made for the rest of them." Chu Ga Eul responded with a nod of reassurance to the hesitant Korean Casanova.
"I see. In that case, I'll gladly accept the chocolates you have for me. While on the subject, thank you for taking into consideration of my taste preference when you made these obligatory chocolates of yours. Now then, would you like to stay on for a cup of tea, or do you have elsewhere to be?" So Yi Jeong inquires smilingly, as he finally took the offered bag of chocolates from Chu Ga Eul's outstretch hand and sets it down on the table in front of him, making sure to separate it from the rest of the chocolates he had received earlier on in the day. After all, those chocolates piling up on that table are going straight into the dumpster... but the chocolates from the country bumpkin are here to stay.
Taking a peek at the time reflected on her wristwatch, Chu Ga Eul let out an audible sigh as she commented. "As much as I would love to stay on for the cup of tea you offered to serve me, I'm afraid I need to leave if I didn't wish to be late for my piano class at Su Am Arts Centre, which would be starting in an hour."
"... Well, you can still stay for tea if the piano class is only starting an hour later. I could drop you off at the arts center later, it's only a 30 minutes drive away from here to the arts center." The Korean Casanova remarked with an inviting smile as he addressed the country bumpkin friend of his friend's girlfriend.
"Wouldn't that deter you from your evening plans?" Chu Ga Eul raised an eyebrow up in a questioning manner as she voiced her query across to the Korean Casanova.
"What makes you think I would have other plans afterward?" So Yi Jeong found himself inquiring the country bumpkin back in return.
"According to Woo Bin-Sunbae, you had a tendency to spend half the night, clubbing away in the nightclubs every valentine's day, without fail." Chu Ga Eul commented drily in response to the Korean Casanova's inquiry, with a nonchalance look on her face.
Given that her attraction towards the potter was still in the budding stage, and that they aren't even dating one another at present... Chu Ga Eul was hardly going to take offense about So Yi Jeong's routine plan of clubbing the night away because that is what the Korean Casanova usually does, and she accepted it as a fact. As long as the guy doesn't start humiliating her in front of his ladies' companions, Ga Eul likely isn't going to flinch or bat an eyelid at the Korean Casanova's behavior.
"..." It took the Korean Casanova all his self-control to refrain from rolling his eyes in response to Chu Ga Eul's words, inwardly he was cursing his Don Juan friend for sharing his routine habits with the country bumpkin behind his back. "And when on earth did you get to speak with Woo Bin on the subject, if you don't mind asking?"
"Earlier today, in fact. I was at the Shinhwa Country Club with the E3, they are playing a tennis game at the indoor court of the club. Seeing as I wasn't dressed appropriately for a tennis game, I decided to wait for them in the bistro bar when Woo Bin-Sunbae pop by and join me for an impromptu brunch session. That's when we started talking, and it was under his advice that I dropped off these chocolates for you at an earlier timing. Originally, I was going to come by only after the end of my piano class... but after speaking with him, I thought it better to drop the chocolates off before my piano class instead."
"... I see." The Korean Casanova commented, looking a tad complicated upon realizing that his friend had somewhat meddled on the matter. Then again, there's also another part of him that's glad about his friend's meddling act. After all, there's no telling how he would react to being gifted chocolates by the country bumpkin while in the presence of his other ladies' friends.
Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts, So Yi Jeong directed another smiling look at the figure of Chu Ga Eul as he prompted. "So, would you like to stay on for a cup of tea – now?"
"Well, since you had kindly offered to drive me to the arts center for my piano class later... I guess I would take you up on the offer of tea." Chu Ga Eul smiles in response, as she took a seat at the table that isn't occupied by a mountainous heap of chocolates nor loaded up with a bunch of pottery art pieces that are in a state of the half-finished state.
"Excellent. Please take a seat while I get the tea service ready." So Yi Jeong commented, setting aside his original task at hand and headed towards the direction of the kitchenette space in his pottery studio to prepare the tea service for them.
(5 Minutes Later...)
"So, have you ever visited the Woo Sung Museum?" So Yi Jeong inquires as he set down the tea service in front of the country bumpkin, at the table where the girl had chosen to seat herself in his pottery studio.
"Erm... no, not exactly. But I did go for the few pottery exhibitions held in Su Am Arts Centre in the past." Chu Ga Eul responded with a somewhat bemused expression on her face, as she wonders what had brought on this particular topic for conversation.
"Ah... is there a reason why you've checked out our exhibitions held in Su Am but not actually ventured into the Woo Sung Museum for a visit?" The Korean Casanova found himself inquiring for reasons unknown.
"Hmm... the opportunity never really arises? The tickets aren't exactly cheap, you know? However, for exhibitions hosted in the exhibition halls of Su Am Arts Centre... given my status as a student in the arts center, I can get the tickets at a discounted rate. Besides, they served as a great way to kill time in between classes." Chu Ga Eul answered cheekily in response.
"I see... given an opportunity, would you like to visit the Woo Sung Museum?" Taking the response from the country bumpkin in stride, So Yi Jeong went on to ask his next question.
"... Is that your way of inviting me for a visit to the museum owned and managed by your family?" Chu Ga Eul inquired in a bemused tone of voice.
"Sort of? I'm not asking you out on a date for certain, it's just... well, I have a workshop scheduled to take place in Woo Sung sometime next week. So, I was wondering if you would like to attend the workshop to learn a bit more about the pottery arts in general?" The Korean Casanova commented in response.
"I see. Well, send me the date and time of the workshop. I'll check my calendar and get back to you on the subject." Chu Ga Eul responded with a nod to the Korean Casanova, indirectly consenting to the invitation for her to visit the museum.
"Good. I'll drop you the information later tonight. Now though, shall we make a move?" So Yi Jeong commented as he directed his dimpled smile at the country bumpkin of his eyes.
"..." Wordlessly, Chu Ga Eul nodded in response to the words of the Korean Casanova while fighting the urge to blush and break out into a beaming smile upon the sight of that charming dimpled smile of his that Ga Eul always finds herself having difficulty in resisting.
Upon dropping off Chu Ga Eul at the passenger drop-off point outside the Su Am Arts Centre, So Yi Jeong was in no hurry to leave the place. Instead, he had lingered on behind for a little while longer until the figure of Chu Ga Eul had completely vanished from his sight before reigniting the engine of his orange lotus, and sped off towards the Gangnam district where he had an appointment to keep at a nightclub with his Don Juan friend.
In the meantime, over at the Shinhwa Country Club – Miyazawa Kazuki ended his tennis game with his childhood friend, Saionji Shunsuke to find only the chocolates for them sitting on the bench by the side the tennis court.
"... Shuichi, where's Ga Eul?" The heir to the Miyazawa F&B Group couldn't help but inquire.
"She left about 1.5 hours ago, citing the need to make a quick stopover somewhere before heading off for her piano class at Su Am Arts Centre." Sakuraba Shuichi responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, conveniently leaving out the information about Ga Eul's little brunch session taken in the bistro bar of the country club with a certain Don Juan of F4.
"... Did she say where she's going to stop over before heading for her piano class?" Miyazawa Kazuki inquires his cousin and childhood friend, back in return.
"No, and I didn't think it necessary to pry too much into her personal schedule." Sakuraba Shuichi deadpans at his friend, of course, he did have an inkling about where Ga Eul had gone off to... but he wasn't going to share his insights with his childhood friend.
Location: Outside Shinhwa Telco in Gangnam District, Valentine Day, 5.30pm
Geum Jan Di was standing outside the building of Shinhwa Telco as she waited for the arrival of her boyfriend – Gu Jun Pyo, heir to the Shinhwa Group to make his appearance.
"Why are we meeting here?" That was the first word that graced the lips of the Shinhwa heir upon his arrival at the designated meet-up point with his girlfriend, Geum Jan Di.
"I was in the area for an errand, so, I thought to meet you here for convenience's sake if nothing else." Unwilling to let the Shinhwa heir knew of her ultimate aim of wanting to meet up outside the building of Shinhwa Telco, Geum Jan Di randomly pulls out a plausible excuse from the back of her mind.
Fifteen minutes later, the duo was seated in the waiting area of the Shinhwa Telco building. Handing the Shinhwa heir a cup of water collected from the water dispenser in the building, Geum Jan Di commented.
"Nice place, isn't it? Fully indoor, sheltered from the cold, comfortable, and fun to hang out with as well."
"... You do know that my family owns the building, don't you?" Gu Jun Pyo reminded, with skepticism as he reminded his girlfriend.
"Of course, I know. I'm not that much of an idiot." Geum Jan Di rolls her eyes in response to the Shinhwa heir's words.
"Right... and what's that?" Gu Jun Pyo was originally going to comment about the weirdness of going on a date with his girlfriend in a building owned by his family business. But then, he thought about the vast number of businesses in Korea that the Shinhwa Group had dipped its hand into and promptly discarded the notion. So, unless his girlfriend were to propose going on a date with him at the Woo Sung Museum or the Su Am Arts Centre, there are practically no places in Seoul that don't have any relations to the Shinhwa Group. Thus, the Shinhwa heir found himself zeroing his gaze onto the paper bag Geum Jan Di has with her all this time.
"What? Oh... this, it's nothing." Geum Jan Di commented and tried to hide the paper bag from the Shinhwa heir only to have the guy snatching it out from her grasp.
Throwing aside the paper bag, Gu Jun Pyo who managed to get his hands on the gift box within the paper bag unwrapped the packaging onto to find himself staring down into a collection of cookies designed into a series of cartoon versions of his face with various expressions.
"It's bad, isn't it? Come on, give me back." Geum Jan Di was saying as she tried to retrieve the gift back from the Shinhwa heir, unsuccessfully.
"No way, it's mine now. So, I ought to be the one to decide what to do with it." Gu Jun Pyo insisted as he remove the packaging away from his girlfriend's reach.
Just then, the announcement came on calling upon the attention of couples who wish to get a chance to win the latest model of the 'Any pop' mobile phone to gather at the basement of the building as the activity is going to begin. When Gu Jun Pyo caught on to the intention of his girlfriend, he was beyond disbelief.
"You aren't seriously thinking about participating in the contest, are you?" The Shinhwa heir glances over at his girlfriend with incredulity as he inquires.
In response, Geum Jan Di only glances back at the Shinhwa heir with a sheepish expression on her face. Rolling his eyes heavenwards, Gu Jun Pyo stood and make a move towards the basement of the Shinhwa Telco building inwardly hoping that nobody working in this building knows of his identity as the future successor to the Shinhwa Group.
"Why would you want to do something like this? If it's a new phone that you want, I could easily gift it to you – you know?" Gu Jun Pyo muttered under his breath to his girlfriend, as Geum Jan Di climbed onto his back.
The challenge to win this contest is which couple could last the longest in a piggyback position, doesn't matter whether it's the man carrying the woman or the woman carrying the man. The couple that could last the longest without putting down their partner would win this contest.
"I wanted to get a phone with my own ability, and not through your generosity." Geum Jan Di responded causing the Shinhwa heir to scoff in response.
"Is this your ability? It's mine, okay? I was the one piggy-backing you, in case you'd failed to notice. Gosh, this is so embarrassing... do you know how embarrassing this entire thing is going to be if words got out that the son of their president is participating in such events?!" Gu Jun Pyo mutters aloud to his girlfriend in a low tone of voice.
"Stop complaining, save your energy on winning the contest." Geum Jan Di pointed out objectively, as she put a stop to the lamenting words of her boyfriend.
Little did they know that their date, on valentine's day was about to come to an abrupt end. Mostly because, Kang Hee Soo, the lady president of the Shinhwa Group has just arrived at the Shinhwa Telco building intending to see what her son was up to, after receiving word from the bodyguard team about Gu Jun Pyo's presence in the Shinhwa Telco building.
Yoon Ji Hoo was already on his way out to pick up Geum Jan Di when he received the phone call from one incredibly worried Shinhwa heir about his date with the Wonder Woman of Korea getting interrupted by his witch of a mother. The auburn-haired member of F4 had received word from the bodyguard he had sic upon the girl he had grown to care about, that Kang Hee Soo was on her way to the Shinhwa Telco building where the date between his long-time friend and Geum Jan Di is taking place at present, about 10 minutes ago.
"Don't fret, Jun Pyo. I'm on my way over to deal with the aftermath, I'll make sure to send her home in one piece." Yoon Ji Hoo responded over the phone to his worried friend, as he made his way out from his family home on his motorbike.
"Ji Hoo, are you outside now?" Gu Jun Pyo inquires, after hearing the sound of the ongoing traffic in the background from the other end of the line.
"Sort of, I was out running errands. Don't worry, I'm on speaker mode so, it wouldn't be a safety hazard. Besides, unlike you, I do not have a tendency to speed through the traffic." Yoon Ji Hoo masked up the fact that he was already on his way to pick up Geum Jan Di, and instead choose to divert his friend's attention by providing a vague excuse in explanation for the sound of the ongoing traffic around his surrounding with ease.
"Ya! I don't always speed on the road, you know?" Gu Jun Pyo protested loudly from the other end of the line.
"I know, I'm only jesting. Alright, I got to go. It's not good to split the focus between the road and the call." Yoon Ji Hoo responded on his end of the line and promptly ended the call once he received the acknowledgment reply from his friend on the other end of the line.
Geum Jan Di was kneeling by the roadside feeling miserable about how valentine's day had turned out for her when she heard the voice of Yoon Ji Hoo calling out for her attention.
"Ji Hoo-Sunbae, what are you doing here?" Geum Jan Di started, sounding surprised by the sudden appearance of the auburn-haired member of F4.
"Someone called for the emergency picked-up services." The auburn-haired member of F4 responded in a jesting manner.
"I'm sorry, what was that – again?" Geum Jan Di gaped at the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo, not quite getting the drift.
"Jun Pyo called me while he was being hauled out of the building, claiming that his mother had interrupted the ongoing date and requesting for my assistance in sending you home in his stead." Yoon Ji Hoo explained as he handed the extra helmet over to the baffled-looking Geum Jan Di.
"I see..." Accepting the offered helmet with a look of gratitude, Geum Jan Di climbed onto the back of the motorbike and accepted the ride home from the auburn-haired member of F4.
"Thank you for sending me home." Geum Jan Di said as she gets off the motorbike when it came to a stop in front of the laundry shop operated by her parents.
"Geum Jan Di..." Yoon Ji Hoo calls out for the girl's attention before Geum Jan Di could enter the laundry shop.
"Ji Hoo-Sunbae, I'm fine. You don't have to keep asking me the same question." Geum Jan Di let out an audible sigh as she responded, trying to refrain from sounding snappy but it wasn't quite working as well as she thought. The truth is she's upset, and there's no way she could fool herself into thinking she's not upset about how bad valentine's day is turning out for her.
"... I just mean to ask if you intend to go in with my extra helmet." Yoon Ji Hoo commented in a dry tone of voice, as he directed a lopsided smile towards the girl.
"... Oh... right, sorry. I forgot." Geum Jan Di appears stunned for a second, and then promptly went on to touch the top of her head. Upon feeling the hard surface of the motorbike safety helmet still atop her head, Geum Jan Di promptly allows a sheepish look to cloud her features as she hurried to remove the helmet from her person.
"It's fine. Take care and have a good sleep tonight." Yoon Ji Hoo responded as he took the helmet back from the girl.
It wasn't until Geum Jan Di went into the building that Yoon Ji Hoo realized that she had left something behind. Looking at the paper bag that was dangling on one of his motorbike handles, the auburn-haired member of F4 decided to bring it home with him for the time being. Meanwhile, Geum Jan Di arrived home to realize that in her haste to leave the presence of her former prince charming... she had left behind the gift she had made for the Shinhwa heir.
"... Oh well, I'm sure Ji Hoo-Sunbae would know what to do with them." Geum Jan Di muttered aloud to no one in particular as she headed up the stairs towards the living quarters of her family situated above the laundry shop.
Location: Yoon Family Home, 14th Feb 2009, 9pm
Yoon Ji Hoo didn't have time to sit down and have a good look at the item left behind by Geum Jan Di until he emerged out from his shower, that evening. Sliding the gift box open, Yoon Ji Hoo found himself staring into a collection of cookies that's being shaped and designed in the doodled version of his long-time friend's face. The sight of the expressions on these cookies somehow reminded him of that doodled drawing he had drawn on the wall of the emergency escape stairway in the school's ice-skating rink building he used to frequent with Geum Jan Di, during the period of the F4 friendship crisis.
"..."
[Oh well... I should have known. Of course, the gift is meant for Jun Pyo. It's valentine, and they are the ones who are dating one another, isn't it? So, why the hell am I feeling disappointed?] - Yoon Ji Hoo thought ironically to himself, as he decided to take a breather by taking a walk around his family home just to get his thoughts and feelings in check.
The auburn-haired member of F4 was heading in the direction of his front door when he noticed the approaching figure of his long-time friend in his family compound. Gu Jun Pyo, on the other hand, took out his mobile device to call up his friend as he was approaching the front door of the Yoon family home. His eyes nearly bulged out of its socket when he noticed the figure of his friend staring straight at him through the glass window of the estate.
[What the...?!] - The Shinhwa heir took a step back in shock, while Yoon Ji Hoo flicked his gaze towards where his mobile device sat ringing and couldn't resist snorting at the comical look on his friend's face.
"What brings you over at this timing?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires, as he unlatched the front door to his family home and allow his long-time friend entrance into his home.
"I could have asked you the same question, where on earth are you going at this time?" Gu Jun Pyo shot back at his auburn-haired friend in response. Honestly, he swears Ji Hoo is like a ghost sometimes, always appearing out of nowhere and scaring the wits out of him.
"Nowhere, I'm just going to take a walk in my own family compound." Yoon Ji Hoo commented in a wry tone of voice.
"..."
"So, do you want hot tea or anything?" Yoon Ji Hoo prompted, seeing as he had no servants at his beck and call at this timing. He would need to prep up the tea service on his own if his friend wanted a drink or something.
"Nah... it's fine. I didn't come here for refreshments." The Shinhwa heir declined his friend's offer for refreshments and followed the lead of his friend into the living room of the Yoon family home.
Gu Jun Pyo was about to inquire his friend about Geum Jan Di's mood when his friend went and pick her up from the Shinhwa Telco building when he noticed a familiar package sitting on the coffee table of his friend and promptly reacted. "Ya! Where did you get that from?!"
"Where else do you think I got them from?" Yoon Ji Hoo smirked at his long-time friend in response, as he took one of the cookies and eat it in front of his friend, in an attempt to mess with the Shinhwa heir.
"Ya! Whoever told you to eat that?! Spit it out now!" Gu Jun Pyo started as he tried to get his friend to stop eating the cookies, and when he realized that his friend isn't going to spit out whatever has been eaten. The Shinhwa heir promptly reaches out and removes the rest of the cookies from his friend's reach.
After spending about 15-20 minutes messing around with one another, the Shinhwa heir finally allowed himself to flop onto the sofa couch in the living room of his friend with a weary sigh. His earlier chat with his mother hasn't gone too well, his mother practically dismissed him from the study room that functions as a home office for his parents' when they are in town.
"Ji Hoo, I'm worried." The Shinhwa heir admitted somewhat dejectedly to his auburn-haired friend, the feeling of having no idea what his mother would do next, put him in a constant state of unease.
"Jun Pyo, whatever happens... we would always stand with you." Yoon Ji Hoo told his long-time friend with determination.
"Thanks. That makes me feel so much better." The Shinhwa heir admitted, knowing his friends would always have his back is really reassuring.
Back in the Gu family home, Kang Hee Soo had practically demanded her secretary to prepare for her the entire background information of the girl who was seen piggy-backing on the back of her son, earlier on at the Shinhwa Telco building. Recalling how her son had demanded her to not mess with that girl puts Kang Hee Soo in a foul mood, there's something about her son's behavior that uneased her.
Upon receiving the information, she requested, Kang Hee Soo spend only 15minutes going through the contents before slamming the folder containing the information on Geum Jan Di down on her work desk as she demanded. "Her father runs a laundry business, and her mother works part-time at a public bathhouse. How on earth did a girl of such commoner status end up attending Shinhwa? Who on earth authorize it?!"
"... With all due respect, it was you who authorize her enrolment into Shinhwa." Jeong Sang Rok, the secretary of Kang Hee Soo responded after a moment of hesitation.
"What?" Kang Hee Soo appeared perplexed for a moment before she was reminded of the scandal of a student attempting suicide on campus grounds only to be saved by a commoner girl. The moment the memory spring into her mind, she discarded the plan to expel the girl from Shinhwa and opted for another idea instead.
"Secretary Jeong, prepare 3 million Korean Won in cash without delay." Kang Hee Soo ordered in a tone that offers no room for negotiation.
Location: So Yi Jeong's pottery studio, 14th Feb 2009, 10.30pm
After sending off his two ladies' companions for the night, the Korean Casanova was finally ready to retire for the day. Pulling out his mobile device and instructed his family chauffeur to come by the next morning, to deal with that mountainous heap of chocolates piling up on one of the tables in the pottery studio. So Yi Jeong retrieved the yellow plaid gift bag he had received from Chu Ga Eul, earlier on in the day and brought it towards the kitchenette area of his studio.
Inside the gift bag was a mini card with the message, that reads:
'Yi Jeong-Sunbae, if you're reading this… thank you. Because that means you didn't throw out the chocolates from me :) This is my first time making dark chocolates at home, so I'm not sure if it could measure up to the dark chocolates that could be readily found in retail stores. Anyway, I wanted to try adding liquor into them at first… but the procedures seem a tad too troublesome, so in the end, I stick to the traditional dark chocolates. Give it a try, and let me know your feedback after. And if they are not to your preference, you're welcome to throw them out later. ^^; Last but not least, thanks for your help the other day in getting back at Gong Soo Pyo. Finally, Happy Valentine's Day!'
So Yi Jeong couldn't help but snort in amusement upon reading the entirety of the message written on the mini-card. With a shake of his head, he stashed the mini-card away and kept it alongside the memo note he had gotten the last time around at the poolside in one of the seldom-used drawer compartments of his kitchenette counter. Unwrapping the packaging for the chocolates, he took one look at the contents before keeping the entire box away in his cube fridge with the decision to try out the chocolates, on the following day.
Once done, the Korean Casanova proceed to head off to the bathroom for his nightly routines as he prepared for bed. Ever since he received the authorization from his grandfather to utilize the use of the pottery studio full-time upon his successful debut in the Biennale in Venice, he had moved out officially from his family home to live in his pottery studio full-time. Granted, he had to reconfigure the interior space of the pottery studio to convert it into a liveable environment; he had willingly gone through the hassle of redesigning the space because he would do anything necessary to get away from the toxic of his home environment.
Otherwise, between his mother's frequent hysterical fits and his father's unrepentant philandering ways… he would probably require a routine visit to the shrink for overall psychological assessment to maintain his mental well-being. How his grandfather could survive living under the same roof with those two, he had no idea… but then again, his grandfather has a wing of the house entirely to his own use. So, it's likely that his grandfather seldom crosses paths with his parents even under the same roof.
The incoming chime of a text message arrival on his mobile phone draws the Korean Casanova out from his thoughts and back into the living plane. A quick look at the message informed him that the Egypt pottery collection would be arriving in Korea, tomorrow afternoon and he is expected to be present at the exhibition hall they had rented for use at the Su Am Arts Centre to oversee the setting up of the exhibition that would begin on the 16th of February, coming Monday and lasts for three months in total. Sending a quick message of acknowledgment to the sender from his mobile phone informing the secretary of his grandfather that he had received the message, So Yi Jeong promptly flicked off the lights of the pottery studio to inform any potential visitors that he is no longer accepting social calls for the day.
~TBC~
Chapter's Notes: That's it, end of Chapter 14. What do you think of my version of the valentine's day event? SoEul alerts! XD, I forgo the idea of following the scene in the drama and came up with my own version of the events instead. So, aside from the Jun Pyo-Jan Di date scene... that got interrupted by his mother's arrival. The rest of the scenes are mostly originals.
In the drama, Yi Jeong tries to appear unfazed when one of his lady companions pointed out Ga Eul was visiting his pottery studio to drop off her chocolates for Yi Jeong. He then disregards Ga Eul's discomfit and invited her along with his two ladies' companions into the studio for tea. However, when Ga Eul changed her mind and turns on her heels to leave with her chocolates – he dashes out to catch up with Ga Eul and took the chocolates back with him to the pottery studio. I don't know how it feels to you all, but I thought he actually seemed happy to receive chocolates from Ga Eul. At least, that's the vibe I got from that scene.
Either way, that got me thinking... what if, Ga Eul had brought him the chocolates when he's alone, how would he react then? Thus, I decided to come up with my own scene instead. 😀
So, please do let me know if the new scene is good. ^_^ That's all for now, see you next chapter~ Ciao~