Secret of the Autumn

by xiaoj

[AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4,

15. Chapter 15

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 15 – Red Tag in the locker, again?! Part 1

Location: Porridge Shop, 15th Feb 2009, Sunday, 3pm

The first thing Chu Ga Eul noticed upon her arrival at the porridge shop for her part-time shift was the sight of her childhood friend's gloomy face.

"... Jan Di ah, are you okay?" Out of concern for her childhood friend, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but inquire.

"Honestly, I don't know." Geum Jan Di glances over to her concerned childhood friend with a complicated look on her face, as she responded.

"Huh?" Looking utterly bewildered, Chu Ga Eul decided to pry a tad deeper into her friend's troubling thoughts. "Care to share with me what's all this gloom overshadowing you, all about?"

"... Did your father tell you anything about what happened at the Shinhwa Telco building on valentine's day?" Geum Jan Di asks, deciding to check just exactly how much info her childhood friend has on hand at present, before launching into her version of the events that took place on valentine's day.

"Seriously, no. Dad has the habit of taking leave off work on valentine's day, to celebrate it with mom. So, no... I didn't hear anything about what happened at his workplace from him." Chu Ga Eul shakes her head in response, informing her childhood friend that she has absolutely no clues about what Jan Di was referring to.

"Well... long story short, my date with Gu Jun Pyo got interrupted midway by his mother. And then, he was promptly dragged off by the members of his mother's bodyguard team. I was left waiting behind on my own for Ji Hoo-Sunbae to pick me up and send me home on his behalf. But that wasn't the worst, what's even worse was the event that took place in my own home this morning." Geum Jan Di let out an audible sigh as she starts filling her childhood friend in on the events that transpired over the last 24 hours.

"Why? What happens this morning?" Chu Ga Eul thought it's already shocking enough to have Kang Hee Soo catching her friend and Jun Pyo-Sunbae out on a date. But it seems her friend had something more shocking in store for her, judging from Jan Di's reaction as of the present.

"His mother turns up on our doorstep with an entire briefcase of cash worth 3 million Korean Won, her only condition was for me to sign a contract agreeing not to meet with Gu Jun Pyo with immediate effect." Geum Jan Di commented in a dry tone of voice.

"You didn't sign the contract, did you?" Chu Ga Eul blanched as she gaped at her friend with horror.

"No. Of course not, I wasn't dating Gu Jun Pyo for his money." Geum Jan Di deadpans at her childhood friend, giving Ga Eul a look that seems to say 'Am I a materialistic girl in your eyes?'

Detecting the hidden meaning behind the look directed towards her by her childhood friend, Chu Ga Eul allows a sheepish expression to form on her face as she hurried to clarify. "No, I didn't mean to imply anything of that sort. Of course, I know you aren't a materialistic girl... I'm just concerned, you know? After all, your parents aren't the type that could remain determined in the face of monetary temptation."

"... I see. Well, under normal circumstances – that would likely be the case. However, given that Gu Jun Pyo's mother had said some insulting things about me... my mom didn't take it too well that she actually chased her out of our home." Geum Jan Di confessed, sounding uneasy as she thought of what the mother of her boyfriend would be doing in the wake of her mother's stunt, this morning.

"... What did your mom do to chase her out of your family home?" Ga Eul inquires, sounding both cautious and curious, at the same time.

"My mom dumps an entire bowl of salt over the head of Gu Jun Pyo's mother. Needless to say, Gu Jun Pyo's mother took it as an insult and left behind some threats that went over the top of my parents' heads for certain. So, now... I'm quite worried about what Gu Jun Pyo's mother would do in retaliation to my mother's stunt this morning." Geum Jan Di admitted to her childhood friend with unbidden worry on her features.

"Out of curiosity, what did lady president Kang says about you that spurs your mom into dumping an entire bowl of salt over her head?" Chu Ga Eul couldn't resist the quirk of her lips when she thought of the scenario with the aid of her own imaginative mind.

"She basically compares my existence in Gu Jun Pyo's life as a weed that grows around the grassland on the golf course." Geum Jan Di responded in a sardonic tone of voice.

"Ah..." A dawning look formed in the eyes of Chu Ga Eul as she digested the bit of information received from her childhood friend. Well, any parents who love their kids wouldn't take well to something like this. No wonder, Jan Di's mother had snapped. Her mother would likely have done the same if it had been her who was being compared to a weed.

"So, you see why I didn't have it in me to put on a smiling face today?" Geum Jan Di sighed audibly as she directed her words to her childhood friend.

"Yes, I get your point. Oh well, don't worry – I can handle the welcoming and farewell greetings to the customers on my own. You just focus on the cashier duties for today." Chu Ga Eul told her gloomy childhood friend in response.

"Thanks, Ga Eul." Geum Jan Di forced a small smile onto her lips as she responded to her friend's offer to take over the duty of welcoming the customers to the porridge shop for the day.

"You're welcome, Jan Di. This is what friends would do for each other, in times of trouble, after all." Chu Ga Eul told her childhood friend with an encouraging smile on her lips, she figured since she wouldn't be able to help her friend out in this particular aspect of her friend's life, the least she could do is to support her friend through the hardships that come bundled with her friend's relationship with the Shinhwa heir.

[Thank God, Yi Jeong-Sunbae doesn't have a witch for a mother.] - Chu Ga Eul thought inwardly to herself, before freezing up upon the realization of what she had just thought.

"Ga Eul ah, stop zoning out and focus your attention on your work." Bom Choon-Sik, the master of the porridge shop calls out from the kitchen, his voice snapping Ga Eul's attention back to the present.

"Right..." Ga Eul murmurs under her breath, as she hurried to shake her head to rid herself of such stray thoughts.

Why the hell did she think of the Korean Casanova earlier? Sure, So Yi Jeong doesn't have a witch for a mother, but he does have his own shares of family troubles. Granted, his parents wouldn't interfere too much with his social relationships because they are too wrapped up with the happenings in their own lives to concern themselves with who their son is spending his time with. Kind of like Shunsuke, in a way, but worst... since Shunsuke still has a caring parent in his life. Whereas So Yi Jeong practically had none, based on Ga Eul's understanding of the information she had gathered through her little chats with a certain Don Juan of F4 when the opportunity arises.

Yes, Ga Eul has been chatting with the Don Juan of F4, on and off since their chance encounter at the Su Am Arts Centre, a few weeks ago. Whether the Don Juan of F4 is doing it on purpose, she had no idea... but it didn't change the fact that their topic of conversation mainly revolves around a certain Casanova of F4.

For instance, yesterday's afternoon when she ended her piano class – Ga Eul left the Su Am Arts Centre intending to take the public transport home when she ended up meeting the Don Juan of F4, a block away from the arts center who then offers her a ride home.

[Flashback to 14th Feb 2009, Saturday early evening, 5pm]

Location: A block away from Su Am Arts Centre

"Good evening, Ga Eul-yang." Song Woo Bin calls out casually from the driver's seat of his yellow lotus.

Chu Ga Eul blinked, paused in her steps, and then turn towards the direction where she had heard the sound of her name being called. "Woo Bin-Sunbae, what are you doing here?" The long-haired girl began, surprise coloring her tone as she greeted the Don Juan of F4, politely.

"I was passing by the area when I noticed you walking past, where are you heading off to?" The Don Juan of F4 responded nonchalantly, before asking the girl a question of his own.

"I'm heading towards the train station if you must really know. None of the members of E3 can give me a lift home from the Su Am Arts Centre today. After all, it's valentine's day... and even though, neither of them is actually attached in a relationship at present." Ga Eul commented with a lopsided smile to the Don Juan of F4.

"Then what are they doing this evening, if not out on a date with their prospective partners?" Song Woo Bin inquires with a bemused expression on his face.

"Well... Shuichi is having dinner with his mother, Shunsuke's likely out partying with one of his girls(?) As for Kazuki... knowing him, he's likely stuck at home dealing with international calls from Japan as we conversed here." Chu Ga Eul took a moment to think about the plans that the members of E3 has planned for the evening, before responding to the Don Juan of F4 with a nonchalant shrug.

"I see, in that case, would you allow me the honor to send you home, this evening?" Song Woo Bin offered with a friendly smile on his lips.

"Of course. Anything would beat the notion of traveling on public trains at this timing." Chu Ga Eul accepted the offer of a free ride home from the Don Juan of F4, without much hesitation. Partly because she knows the trains are bound to be packed with couples coming out on a date, and partly because it's a weekend and thus the trains are mostly crowded regardless of the hours.

As Chu Ga Eul opens the side passenger seat door to the yellow lotus, belonging to the Don Juan of F4, she couldn't help but double-check if the guy has any idea about where she lives. It hasn't occurred for her to check before accepting the offer of a free ride, because she had assumed that her residential address was common knowledge among the members of F4. But then, she recalls the fact that it has always been the Korean Casanova who swing by her place to pick her up when necessary and thought it best to double-check on the matter.

"Erm… are you aware of my residential address, or do I have to give you the instructions on how to get to my place of residence?" Chu Ga Eul began, sounding a tad uncertain.

"... I'm afraid, you're going to have to give me your address as I didn't have them before. Usually, it's Yi Jeong who tends to ferry you around…so, I'm afraid only he has a clear idea about where you stay." Song Woo Bin responded a tad sheepishly, after all, he hasn't deemed it necessary to look into such information beforehand.

Song Woo Bin's decision to offer the girl a ride home was an impulsive notion on his part, his original idea was to buy the girl dinner… but then, he recalled that it's valentine's day today. And therefore, it might be a tad awkward for them both if he were to treat the girl to a fanciful dinner in some restaurant he tends to patron. And considering that the F4 tends to patron the same restaurants from time to time, the staff at the restaurant do know them quite well by this point. As such, to prevent his Casanova friend from getting onto his case about him attempting to flirt with Chu Ga Eul, Song Woo Bin thought it best to discard the idea completely.

"Ah… I see that's okay." Chu Ga Eul responded and then promptly cited out her residential address to the Don Juan of F4, without delay.

"So, how did the process of gifting chocolates to Yi Jeong goes? I assumed; he accepted the chocolates seeing as I don't see the gift bag anywhere around by this point." Song Woo Bin started, about five minutes after Ga Eul cited off her residential address to him, so, he would be able to send the girl home in his yellow lotus.

"Yes, he did accept the chocolates. Albeit, I had to do a bit of persuasion by emphasizing multiple times that the chocolates are simply a gift of appreciation for what he has done for me, the other day. Originally, when I first presented the chocolates to him - he actually looks at the gift bag as though something would spring out from within and bite him on his hands. And then, he tried to tell me that he wasn't the right person for me and all that crap. It wasn't until I told him that the chocolates didn't mean anything, and are simply a means for me to thank him for his help that he finally stopped rejecting the idea of accepting those chocolates from me." Chu Ga Eul nodded in response, and then proceed to thank the Don Juan of F4 for his helpful advice earlier on in the day.

"That's good. I'm glad my advice for you works out well. So, did anything else happen or did you simply drop off the chocolates and proceed to leave the pottery studio, right after?" Song Woo Bin inquires, out of curiosity.

"Well…he invited me for tea and offered to send me to the arts center for my piano class. Oh, and he invited me to his workshop session that would be held in the Woo Sung Museum sometime next week while emphasizing to me that it wasn't a date. He's really skittish when it comes down to matters of the heart, isn't he?" Chu Ga Eul had no idea why she's spilling the beans of what had transpired earlier in the pottery studio of the Korean Casanova to the Don Juan of F4, but the fact is she thought if there's anyone that knows So Yi Jeong truly well - it would have to be the Don Juan of F4.

"Yes, well… he's rather afraid of the commitment involved in a relationship. And I blame his parents for that, they didn't exactly set him a good example. Did Yi Jeong ever mention anything to you about his family life?" The Don Juan of F4 inquires, mainly to gauge how much information he can reveal to the girl without betraying his friend's trust.

"Erm… no, he didn't share anything with me about his family. However, I wasn't completely clueless about the philandering ways of his father. So Hyeon Seop was frequently featured in the local tabloid news, after all." Chu Ga Eul said in response to the inquiry from the Don Juan of F4.

"I see… well, given that Yi Jeong didn't really mention anything to you about his family… I don't think I should share with you the information without his permission. But, seeing as you're already aware of his father's philandering ways… I thought I ought to inform you this, at the very least. Yi Jeong's mother hasn't been stable in the mental well-being for years now, and Yi Jeong's father's philandering ways didn't help with his mother's mental well-being. As such, over the years, the relationship between his parents had taken a turn for the worse. Yi Jeong, who's trapped in the middle, bears the brunt, on most days. As such, Ga Eul-yang… please be a tad more patient with Yi Jeong." The Don Juan of F4 commented as the yellow lotus arrived at a stop in front of the Chu family residence.

"...Woo Bin-Sunbae, are you trying to warn me off from pursuing my interest in Yi Jeong-Sunbae, or are you trying to encourage me to go ahead and pursue my interest in Yi Jeong-Sunbae?" Chu Ga Eul begins, her tone sounded bemused.

"Neither. I'll leave that decision up to you. All I'm saying is that pursuing a relationship with Yi Jeong can be rather challenging, and you ought to have a lot of patience when it comes down to dealing with him." Song Woo Bin responded with a playful wink, before driving off in his yellow lotus - leaving the long-haired girl to mull over his words on the front steps of the Chu family residence.

[End of Flashback]

Chu Ga Eul was drawn out from her walk down the memory lane when a chime from the bell attached to the top of the porridge shop doorway sounded, indicating to her that a new customer is visiting the restaurant.

"Welcome, are you here to dine in or takeaway?" Ga Eul inquires, as she plastered on a polite smile to greet the approaching customer.

"Actually, I'm here to look for you. Is this a convenient time for a conversation, or would you prefer for me to come back at a later timing?" An unknown lady stood in front of the cashier counter of the porridge shop where Ga Eul was stationed behind as she commented.

"...Sorry, but who are you?" Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but inquire the unknown lady in response, inwardly thinking if the lady had mistaken her for Jan Di or not. Since she hardly thinks she had done anything that would result in unknown individuals coming in at her workplace in search of her.

"You are Chu Ga Eul, are you not?" The unknown lady prompted in response without answering Ga Eul's inquiry.

"Yes, but I still had no idea who you are and why you are here looking for me?" Chu Ga Eul forced herself to keep the pleasant smile on her features as she addressed the lady who is obviously not a customer. Still, customers or not… it didn't change the fact that customer service attitude is still warranted while at work.

"You don't have to know who I am, I'm simply here to warn you." The unknown lady responded, causing Ga Eul to feel even more baffled at the situation at hand.

"Warn me from…? I'm afraid you're going to be a tad more specific." Ga Eul responded in kind, while inwardly her mind was busy calculating the possibility of the lady in front of her being an acquaintance of the playboys from F4, or was it another girl who was crushing on the members of E3 and had misunderstood her relations to the boys(?) Seeing as there have been previous scenarios of girls interested in Shunsuke trying to get her to stay away from the athletic member of E3 before. Granted, that was during the summer season whereby she's vacationing in Japan. But who knows? Maybe the charm of the second-born son to the Saionji family has spread over to Korea, with him spending his last year on Korean soil.

"Ga Eul ah, is anything the matter?" Just then, Geum Jan Di who has been assisting Bom Choon-Sik in the kitchen with the preparation of the side-dish, Kimchi; upon noticing the odd conversation taking place between her childhood friend and the unknown lady butted in without leaving the kitchen.

"Nothing's the matter, Jan Di." Chu Ga Eul throws out to her childhood friend, before turning her attention to the unknown lady standing in front of the cashier and commenting. "I'm afraid, I'm going to have to ask for you to return at a later timing. As you can see, I'm working now. How about I meet you in the cafe down the street around 8pm later?"

"Of course. I shall see you later at the cafe at 8pm." The lady nodded, accepting Ga Eul's answer, and promptly turn on her heels to exit the porridge shop.

As it turns out, the lady is interested in her half-brother, Miyazawa Kazuki. Only, Kazuki wasn't into her, and thus in an attempt to fend her off, uses Ga Eul's existence as an excuse. Given that the lady wasn't a native-born Korean, and isn't familiar with the language to read the local news… she had completely missed out on the crucial information of Ga Eul's actual relationship with Miyazawa Kazuki being blood-related siblings through the sharing of the same paternal figure.

Seated in the cafe facing the unknown lady, Chu Ga Eul felt the start of a migraine behind her skull. Why is it that Kazuki always has to do this to her? How many times she had ended up turning these undesirable suitors away from the heir to the Miyazawa F&B Group now? But this is certainly the first time Ga Eul encountered a girl who's interested in Kazuki and dared to approach her with a verbal warning to stay away from Kazuki, given that she had already bagged the infamous Korean Casanova of F4.

Previously, the girls interested in Kazuki only approaches her to inform her of their intention to compete with her for the affections of the heir to the Miyazawa F&B Group that bemused her to no end. This time though, Ga Eul found herself more annoyed than bemused... mostly because she had come to realize this particular habit of her brother getting her to be his date at social functions in Korea is starting to become problematic. Resolving to speak to Kazuki as soon as possible, Chu Ga Eul decided to tackle the issue in front of her first.

Pressing a hand to the side of her temples, Chu Ga Eul started to address the unknown lady in front of her in a flat tone of voice and an unimpressed look.

"Miss, first of all, let me clarify that I am not Kazuki's girlfriend. If you had been following the local tabloid news, you would've known that we are actually half-siblings born to different mothers. Secondly, based on what I know of Kazuki's taste in women… you aren't exactly his type. Judging from your dress sense, you are either older than he is or have a penchant for a mature dress style. Neither of which appeals to his preference when it comes down to looking for a potential partner and honestly, I would think you had better luck going after the Don Juan of F4 than the heir to the Miyazawa F&B Group. Now, if that's all you had to say to me, I think it's time for me to take my leave. Have a good day ahead." Chu Ga Eul stated flatly to the gaping female seated opposite her in the cafe, as she stood to leave.

Once outside the cafe, the long-haired girl wasted no time in calling up Kazuki to give the boy a piece of her mind. Only, it seems Kazuki had an inkling about what may have happened and thus took to the measure of avoiding her calls.

[Fine… you can avoid picking up the calls now, but you can't possibly avoid me in school tomorrow] - Chu Ga Eul thought, huffing a breath out in annoyance as she started to stalk her way back to the porridge shop. After all, her shift doesn't end until 10pm and she's only on her break at present.

Location: Shinhwa Academy, 16th Feb 2009, Monday morning, 8am

The first thing Chu Ga Eul did upon arriving at the high school division of the Shinhwa Academy on Monday morning, the start of a new school term was to stalk through the hallways with determination as she went in search for her half-brother, Miyazawa Kazuki.

The long-haired girl was so focused on her search for Kazuki that she had failed to realize that she had stalked past the members of F4, sans the Shinhwa heir as they made their grand entrance to the academic building, under the keen eyes of the school's general population.

"..." Lagging a few steps behind, the bespectacled member of E3 - Sakuraba Shuichi, found himself abiding by the general rules as he stepped aside to allow the F3 to head-on into the building before him.

"Is that Ga Eul-yang?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires out of curiosity, seeing as he hasn't been paying much attention until he felt someone breezing past him into the academic building ahead.

"I believe so." Song Woo Bin nodded in response to the query of his auburn-haired friend.

"It is, but I don't think she intends to overtake us or to ignore our presence. I think she simply wasn't paying much attention to her surrounding, being too determined to get somewhere." So Yi Jeong commented in response, as he flicked his eyes towards the direction of the bespectacled teen lagging several steps behind them at present.

"... I would apologize for Ga Eul's oversight, but I don't think either of you would mind what she did earlier. She's just eager to locate Kazuki before he gives her the slip, again." Sakuraba Shuichi commented in response after receiving the curious looks coming from the members of F4. In hindsight, he supposed he could understand the ire of Ga Eul... it's obvious that his friend had done something to annoy the girl, and then proceeds to go out of the way to avoid any means of interaction. His cousin and childhood friend went as far as to get him to ferry Ga Eul to school this morning when it should be Kazuki's turn according to the roster, they had worked out following Ga Eul's transfer into Shinhwa High.

"I see…" The Korean Casanova nodded at the bespectacled member of E3 politely, as he acknowledges the response given to them in explanation for Chu Ga Eul's bizarre behavior, this morning.

Over at the classroom for class 2A, the elite class of their level - Miyazawa Kazuki cringed spontaneously under the hard gaze of his half-sister, much to the amusement of his childhood friend, Saionji Shunsuke.

"Kazuki, I would like to have a word with you in private." Chu Ga Eul started, keeping her tone cool and her expression indifferent but her eyes is another matter, altogether.

"..."

"Ga Eul ah, why are we here?" Miyazawa Kazuki stared boggled-eye at the nameplate with the wording 'F4 Private Lounge' written on the door, situated a floor above the students' cafeteria, and had to refrain from blanching on reflex.

"For our chat, of course. I did say I wanted to speak with you, privately - isn't it?" Chu Ga Eul shot back at her half-brother in response, her tone flat.

"Yes… but why the F4 private lounge?" Miyazawa Kazuki had trouble understanding why they would be speaking in the F4 private lounge when it's supposed to be a private chat between them.

"Don't worry, I've received permission for the utilization of the F4 private lounge for our chat. The F4 are now in their private classroom getting ready for their class, so, they wouldn't be present for our conversation." Chu Ga Eul deadpans, thinking that Kazuki is just concerned about the idea of their chat being overheard by the members of F4.

"...I'm almost afraid to ask, who exactly did you seek the permission to utilize the F4 lounge for our conversation?" Miyazawa Kazuki begins, out of curiosity.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out - in time. Anyway, I didn't bring you here to talk about me. I brought you in here to give you a piece of my mind. What on earth possessed you to go around telling people that I'm your romantic interest at present? Can't you reject those suitors of yours with a better excuse? I'm your sister, for goodness's sake!" Chu Ga Eul didn't waste another second; she tore into Kazuki by cutting straight to the core of the issue.

"Ga Eul, I swear I haven't been using that excuse since Chichiue released the official statement about you being his illegitimate daughter. Whoever finally mustered up the courage to approach you must have not been following the local news for some time." Miyazawa Kazuki insisted as he explained to his annoyed half-sister, with a surrendering pose.

"...Whatever, I forbid you from claiming me as your love interest ever again. Do you hear me? While at it, please pass the message along to Shunsuke as well. If he needs a faux love interest, I'm sure Hyo Rin-Chan would be happy to fulfill the role. As for you, I suggest you come up with another name to fend off your undesirable suitors. Better yet, you can always inform them that you are involved in a long-distance relationship with someone back in Japan. I hardly doubt those girls who are interested in you would go to the extreme ends of getting a private investigator to conduct a background check on the story you feed them." Chu Ga Eul practically snapped at Kazuki, short of coming clean to her half-brother about what had transpired in the nightclub where her ex-boyfriend works between her and a certain Casanova of F4… there's no way she could clue her brother in about the warnings she had gotten off from that unwanted suitor of his.

In the private classroom of F4, So Yi Jeong set down his mobile phone on his desk and move on to silence the device after giving a certain country bumpkin the permission to utilize the F4 private lounge above the students' cafeteria for a chat with the heir to the Miyazawa F&B Group. He wasn't even aware that he was smiling until he heard his best friend pointing out the fact to him.

"Yi Jeong ah, did anything good happen?" Song Woo Bin started, drawing the eyes of the Korean Casanova upon his person.

"I beg your pardon?" So Yi Jeong blinked, throwing a questioning look in the direction of his best friend.

"You're smiling… and right after receiving a text message on your mobile. So, I assumed you must have received good news or something." The Don Juan of F4 pointed out objectively to his smiling friend.

"...No. I was just feeling amused, is all." So Yi Jeong hurried to school his expression back into his usual mask of indifference, while he clarifies the reason behind his sudden smile to his Don Juan friend.

"Really? What brought on your sudden amusement, if you don't mind me asking?" The Don Juan of F4 prompted, still not giving the subject, a rest.

"Ga Eul-yang text me to ask if she could borrow the F4 lounge for a private chat with her brother, and it got me wondering what was the cause behind her mood towards the heir of the Miyazawa F&B Group, this morning." The Korean Casanova responded in a somewhat curious tone of voice.

"I see… well if that's all - you could simply ask her at a later point." Song Woo Bin shrugged and was about to ask his friend about the pottery workshop session taking place at Woo Sung Museum that Ga Eul-yang has been invited to when their teacher came in with the lessons material ready to begin their first class for the day.

Location: Shinhwa Academy, 16th Feb 2009, Monday evening, 6pm

Geum Jan Di was just coming out from the aquatic center when she heard the sound of the piano coming from the Shinhwa performance hall situated down the hallway that links the aquatic center to another building on the school grounds. Following the direction of the sound, Geum Jan Di found herself arriving at a stop in front of the Shinhwa concert hall which the door has been left ajar for some unfathomable reasons.

Taking a peek into the concert hall, she found herself staring at the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo playing on that grand piano placed in the middle of the stage. It took a while for the auburn-haired member of F4 to realize her presence, and when he did – the first thing Yoon Ji Hoo commented was. "Do you have a concert ticket?"

"Ji Hoo-Sunbae, good evening." Geum Jan Di greeted with a lopsided smile on her lips.

"Good evening, have you been training up your swimming skills till now?" Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 inquires, before inviting the girl to join him at the piano as a page-turner since she didn't have a ticket to his private performance.

"Sort of, as I said before... swimming helps to calm my troubling mind." Geum Jan Di responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Hmm... the chocolate cookies you left behind the other day; I had passed them over to Jun Pyo when he swings by my place later that same night." Yoon Ji Hoo commented, out of the blue startling Geum Jan Di out from her thoughts.

"Oh... thanks, I guess. That reminded me, I was thinking of giving you these earlier this morning but I didn't see you at the emergency stairway and I didn't want to venture into the F4 private lounge. Because, who knows how Gu Jun Pyo would react if he were to realize that I was there to look for you instead of him?" Geum Jan Di said as she dug through the insides of her backpack to fish out a tiny bag of butter cookies wrapped up in a clear transparent wrapping bag and handed it over to the auburn-haired member of F4.

Looking stupefied, Yoon Ji Hoo took the small bag of cookies from Geum Jan Di before inquiring on the girl's reason to gift him cookies, out of the blue. "Is there any reason why you decided to gift me with cookies, out of the blue?"

"It wasn't exactly out of the blue, I made them alongside the chocolate cookies for Gu Jun Pyo. It's something to express my gratitude towards all that you've done for me, but to prevent someone from reacting unreasonably – I can't exactly gift them to you on valentine's day. So, it has always been my intention to give them to you when school session resumes." Geum Jan Di explained, as she shifted her focus back onto the piano and fiddled around with the piano keys while the auburn-haired member of F4 digested what she has just said.

"Well... thank you for the cookies. On the subject of Jun Pyo, actually, you needn't worry about his reaction today. Mostly because he wasn't in school, I reckon he's still under the tight scrutiny of his mother's bodyguard team. He was attending his classes today through the mode of audio-visual means, while the rest of us were attending classes in person." Yoon Ji Hoo told Geum Jan Di about his long-time friend's absence from school, today.

"I see..." At the mention of the Shinhwa heir, Geum Jan Di allowed an audible sigh to pass through her lips. She hasn't been able to establish contact with the Shinhwa heir for the past 48 hours, for some reason, her calls to the Shinhwa heir always seem to go into voicemail.

"Geum Jan Di, don't worry so much about being unable to reach Jun Pyo. He had his phone confiscated by his mother, since yesterday morning. So, it isn't just you that can't establish contact with him... the rest of us are facing the same situation as well." Yoon Ji Hoo commented, as though sensing the thoughts of the Wonder Woman of Korea.

"What? Why would his mother do something like this?" Geum Jan Di seems surprised by the words of Yoon Ji Hoo, that she promptly whirled her head around to stare at the auburn-haired young man.

"Jun Pyo's mom always has the mentality that Jun Pyo doesn't need friends, so, she's likely trying to utilize this opportunity to cut off all forms of contacts between us. That's fine though because she wouldn't be staying in the country for too long. When she leaves the country, Jun Pyo can do as he pleased, again." Yoon Ji Hoo told Geum Jan Di in a reassuring tone of voice.

"And when is that going to be?" Geum Jan Di inquires, unable to hold back her curiosity.

"Soon, within the next few days – likely. After all, she's a busy woman." Yoon Ji Hoo shrugged nonchalantly in response.

They stayed on in the concert hall for another hour, before leaving the school grounds. As Yoon Ji Hoo dropped Geum Jan Di off in front of the laundry shop managed by her parents, the girl couldn't help but remark.

"Thank you, Sunbae. Somehow, you always seem to appear when the emergency alarm started sounding in my mind. And it always makes me feel so much better, afterward." Geum Jan Di commented with a small smile as she addressed the auburn-haired member of F4.

"Emergency alarm...? You mean, like the type of alarm that got sounded when there's a fire?" It took Yoon Ji Hoo a moment to think of something that would qualify as an emergency alarm.

"Something similar..." Geum Jan Di smiles in response.

"Well... go ahead and make me one then." Yoon Ji Hoo commented with a smile.

"Pardon?" Geum Jan Di blinked, looking bewildered.

"Go ahead and make me the honorable fireman of Geum Jan Di." Yoon Ji Hoo went on to clarify the meaning behind his earlier words, causing Geum Jan Di to shake her head at him with a rueful smile.

"Thank you, Sunbae. I'll see you tomorrow in school." Geum Jan Di responded, bowing at the auburn-haired young man politely before turning to head into the laundry shop.

While Yoon Ji Hoo set off for home on his motorbike with a relatively light-hearted mood, Geum Jan Di returned home to find only gloom and despair on the expressions of her family members.

"...Did anything happen while I was in school?" Geum Jan Di inquires, feeling somewhat uneasy by the way her mother was constantly crying while her father had a look of utter defeat written on his face. Her little brother simply appeared lost and confused, in general.

"Noona! You're back!" Geum Kang San promptly straightens his posture as he glances towards his elder sister.

"Yes, I'm back. Can anyone tell me what's wrong? Why is eomma crying this hard?" Geum Jan Di started, staring at her younger brother for an explanation. She figured that her younger brother is her easiest source of information at present. Mostly because her mother is currently behaving too hysterical for her to make any sense out of what was being said.

"Apparently, the landlord paid them a visit while we are at school today." Geum Kang San told his elder sister with an audible sigh.

"Okay, and...? Was the rental for the laundry shop increased?" Geum Jan Di tried to come up with a logical explanation behind her mother's crying fit, and that's the only thing that pops into mind.

"No, it was worse. The landlord wanted to take back the shop space, citing that if he does according to the instructions, his good-for-nothing son would be able to secure a job with the Shinhwa Electronics." Geum Kang San told his elder sister in a reporting tone of voice.

At this, Na Gong-Joo, the mother of Geum Jan Di started to wail aloud in distress again. "How could she do this to us?! If she didn't like what we say, she could have just told us straight in the face. How could she go and do something like this?! What are we supposed to do now, the laundry shop is our livelihood!"

"The property agent I called up earlier also says it would be difficult for us to find another place to rent for our business in the neighborhood." Geum Ii-Bong, the father of Geum Jan Di added, sounding equally distressed.

"..."

The first ten minutes after receiving the news of what had happened while she was still in school, Geum Jan Di was silent. And then, after digesting the bit of information – she started to voice the nagging question in her mind with her family members.

"Why wasn't I informed immediately after the landlord visited the shop to inform you of the matter?" Geum Jan Di inquires, looking towards her distressed parents for an explanation.

"We didn't want to interrupt you amid of classes, and we did try to contact you once classes ended for the day... but you didn't pick up." Na Gong-Joo told her daughter in between sniffs.

"...Fine, but are you two going to continue wailing like headless chickens, or are we going to put our heads together to come up with a backup plan on how to carry on our livelihood in the wake of losing the laundry shop business?" Geum Jan Di commented then, reminding them that it's more crucial for them to think of a way to maintain their livelihood than to sit around being gloomy and depressed.

Location: Porridge Shop, Monday late evening, 16th Feb 2009, 9pm

"Welcome!" Chu Ga Eul greeted automatically when she heard the chiming of the bell attached to the top of the doorway leading to the porridge shop. It wasn't until she heard the dreamy whispering from the master of the porridge shop muttering about the Andromeda Prince visiting that Ga Eul finally glances up from the cash register of the shop.

"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, what brings you over this late in time?" Chu Ga Eul began, a look of genuine surprise crossing her features as she glances up at the Korean Casanova who's waiting for her to acknowledge his presence with his ever-charming smile.

"Good evening, Ga Eul-yang. I was passing by the area and am in a rare mood for supper. Is there anything you can recommend me from the menu here that fits the criteria?" So Yi Jeong inquires, flashing his charming smile at the country bumpkin who was busied behind the cash register counter.

"Of course, would you like to give the abalone porridge a try? Ji Hoo-Sunbae tried it the other time, and claimed that it's good." Chu Ga Eul took a moment to think over the options available, before suggesting the same porridge that another member of F4 had tried and approved of its taste to the Korean Casanova.

"Sure, that sounds good to me. So, the abalone porridge it shall be." So Yi Jeong nodded, consenting to the suggestion made by Chu Ga Eul.

"Go on, and pick a seat for yourself. I will bring your porridge over once it's ready. While on the subject, the Kimchi is free-flow. Feel free to request for more, if required." Chu Ga Eul told the Korean Casanova cordially as she indicates for the heir of the Woo Sung Museum to find seating for himself, while she gets ready the side dishes and cutlery for the rare customer.

As the Korean Casanova took a seat near the window of the porridge shop, the heir of the Woo Sung Museum briefly wonders what brought on his decision to have supper in the restaurant where the country bumpkin works. Sure, he had ventured willingly into this area intending to seek Chu Ga Eul out for a brief chat. But the idea of actually patronizing the porridge restaurant as a customer wasn't exactly in his plan, yet this was what he had ended up doing.

So Yi Jeong's original intention for visiting is to check in with the country bumpkin and find out about how Geum Jan Di is faring, in the wake of the events that took place on valentine's day. While it's true that he didn't get to have dinner earlier, as he was too busy overseeing the response to the Egypt Pottery Collection exhibition going on at the Su Am Arts Centre that starts today… but the porridge wasn't exactly what he had in mind for supper, only… when the country bumpkin finally noticed his presence in the shop and inquires after the reason for his visit - the Korean Casanova ended up citing his desire for taking supper in the restaurant for some unfathomable reasons.

"Yi Jeong-Sunbae, sorry to keep you waiting. Here's the abalone porridge that you ordered alongside the Kimchi as the side-dish. Enjoy your meal." Chu Ga Eul started, her voice drawing the Korean Casanova out from his thoughts and back into the present.

"Thank You, Ga Eul-yang. What time are you knocking off today?" So Yi Jeong inquires as he directed a dazzling smile towards the country bumpkin.

"In an hour, why?" Chu Ga Eul asks the Korean Casanova back in return.

"Well... I figured since I'm already here, I might as well offer you a ride home." So Yi Jeong answered, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Ah... I see, thank you for your offer. But you are going to have to wait for a while though... since it's only 9pm now." Chu Ga Eul smiles as she responded to the comment from the Korean Casanova.

"That's fine, I'll have to finish eating as well. I'll make sure to time my eating speed, so, I don't end up finishing the porridge too fast and had to spend the bulk of my time staring at you while you busied yourself with work." So Yi Jeong remarked with an amused look in his eyes.

It was 9.45pm when the master of the porridge shop calls out for Ga Eul's attention and informed her that she's welcome to leave the shop a tad earlier.

"Really? Are you sure? My shift isn't ending until 10pm though..." Chu Ga Eul started, eyeing the master of the porridge shop with a peculiar look.

"It's fine, all that's left is the closing up. I can do them on my own, go on... don't let the Andromeda Prince wait for too long." Bom Choon-Sik, the master of the porridge shop commented as he started shooing Ga Eul towards the direction of the staff changing room to collect her belongings so she could leave work.

"..." So Yi Jeong wasn't quite sure how to react to the way the porridge shop owner tends to address him, so, he settles for a polite smile. Only, the moment he directed a polite smile in the direction of the porridge shop owner - he was greeted by the sight of the man swooning at him. It took all of his self-control to refrain from blanching on-site, but the sight of a grown man swooning at him was a tad too much for him to stomach. Inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder if the man who had employed both Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di as part-timers at the porridge shop, is someone who bats for the other team.

Thankfully, it didn't take very long for Chu Ga Eul to collect her belongings from the room situated at the back of the shop that serves as both the pantry and changing room for the staff. Else, the Korean Casanova would be very tempted to leave the shop and opted to wait outside for the girl.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. I'm ready, we can leave anytime." Chu Ga Eul begins after collecting her bag and coat from the staff changing room located at the back of the shop.

"Ladies' first." So Yi Jeong gestured towards the doorway indicating for the girl to exit the shop before he does, and later proceed to open the door to the side passenger seat of his orange lotus for the country bumpkin, out of habit.

"Thank you." Chu Ga Eul responded as she settled into the side passenger seat of the orange lotus belonging to the Korean Casanova.

"You're welcome." So Yi Jeong responded cordially, and allow a minute of silence to lapse before bringing up the topic of Geum Jan Di for conversation.

"So, how is Geum Jan Di doing?"

"Jan Di...? Well, on the outside, she's doing fine. But I know deep down she's actually insecure... mostly because she has no idea what to expect from the lady president of the Shinhwa Group." Chu Ga Eul said in response, finally realizing why the Korean Casanova was at the porridge shop, today. She had thought it weird for the guy to suddenly feel like eating porridge for supper, but couldn't the guy just say that he's there to chat with her about Jan Di? It's not as though she's going to take offense to the Korean Casanova entering the porridge shop for a purpose outside of dining... but then again, perhaps the guy just didn't wish to have the conversation in the porridge shop.

"That's odd, I would have thought Jun Pyo's mother would have acted by now." The Korean Casanova frowned as he commented, steering his orange lotus onto the route that would bring them towards the neighborhood where the Chu family residence is located.

"Actually... based on Jan Di's account, Jun Pyo-Sunbae's mother visited her family home on the following day after catching Jun Pyo-Sunbae and Jan Di out on a date at the Shinhwa Telco building." Ga Eul started to say, finally recalling this little titbit of information from the back of her mind.

"Really? What did she do over at Geum Jan Di's home?" Interest piqued, So Yi Jeong throws a quick look to the side where Chu Ga Eul was seated momentarily before redirecting his focus and attention back onto the traffic on the road.

"She brought an entire briefcase of cash amounting up to 3 million Korean Won and offered to give them over to the Geum family on the account that Jan Di signed a contract to stop seeing Jun Pyo-Sunbae with immediate effect." Chu Ga Eul stated in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Oh... so, she's going for the soft approach first. And how did Geum Jan Di and her family react to her monetary offer?" The Korean Casanova inquires, still splitting his attention between driving and listening to Ga Eul's reiteration of Kang Hee Soo's visit to the family home of Geum Jan Di.

"Although, 3 million Korean Won is indeed tempting. But Jan Di isn't dating Jun Pyo-Sunbae for his money, so naturally, she didn't budge on the issue. As for her family members' reaction, I'm not quite sure how they would react if lady president Kang had a better ability with her words... but the fact that she insulted Jan Di by comparing her with a weed on the golf course. Let's just say that Jan Di's mother didn't take it too well, in fact, she got so infuriated that she practically chased Jun Pyo-Sunbae's mother out of their home after dumping a bowl of salt unceremoniously onto the head of lady president Kang of the Shinhwa Group. So, now Jan Di has no idea what's going to happen to her family next..." Ga Eul ended her reiteration of the events that took place the day before at her childhood friend's family home with an audible sigh.

"..." So Yi Jeong had no words, he was still reeling from the fact that someone has dumped a bowl of salt over the head of his friend's mother. Once the shock passes through his system, the Korean Casanova knew that there would surely be repercussions to the acts taken by Geum Jan Di's mother. The only question now is what kind of repercussions would be involved...?

"Thank you for sending me home, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. But next time, if you wish to have a private chat with me... you could just drop me a text message and we could arrange for a meet-up in person for the chat. That way, you needn't grace the porridge shop with your presence and pretend to be a customer. It couldn't have been comfortable for you to stomach the sight of a guy swooning in your presence, or to address you by the term – Andromeda Prince, every five minutes or so." Chu Ga Eul commented with a smirk when the orange lotus arrived at a stop in front of her family residence as she prepared to alight from the vehicle.

"... Wait, are you saying that you noticed my discomfit while in the presence of your employer?" So Yi Jeong couldn't help it, he gaped at the figure of Chu Ga Eul with an astonished look on his features.

"Yes, well… I've very astute observation skills, remember? You'd said so yourself when we were in New Caledonia." Chu Ga Eul grinned in response, enjoying the look of astonishment on the face of the Korean Casanova.

"Right…" So Yi Jeong commented dryly as he was reminded of the time, he was forcefully saddled with the duty of playing babysitter for the girl in front of him.

Realizing that the Korean Casanova was engrossed in his thoughts, Chu Ga Eul simply shrugged and unbuckle the seatbelt from her person without alerting the man who was zoning out on her, as she alighted from the vehicle. Heading into her family home, Chu Ga Eul took a moment to compose a brief text message to the Korean Casanova biding the man goodnight and thanking the potter for the ride home, one final time before sending off the text message.

So Yi Jeong, who had been taking a walk down the memory lane refreshing his recent trip to New Caledonia was drawn out from his mind by the chiming of his mobile phone alerting him to an incoming text message.

Private chat between Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong, 16th Feb 2009, 10.45pm

Ga Eul: Once again, thank you for sending me home. You seem to be rather engrossed in your thoughts earlier, so, I didn't wish to disturb you with whatever you were thinking about. Either way, have a safe drive back to your pottery studio. ^_^

PS: How's the abalone porridge?

PS: I've yet to receive your feedback on the taste of the dark chocolates I gifted you on valentine's day. Have you gotten around to trying them out yet?

Yi Jeong: The porridge is satisfying, I supposed. I mean, I did manage to finish the entire bowl of porridge even if it wasn't exactly my first choice for a meal. Still, it's satisfying given that I didn't exactly have my dinner today as I was preoccupied with other matters on hand. As for the chocolates, sorry, I haven't gotten around to tasting them yet. Had been swamped with my duties as the heir to the Woo Sung Museum over the past 48 hours to actually have time for snacks.

Ga Eul: Oh… please do try not to skip meals the next time, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. Skipping meals isn't good for your overall health. I'm glad you find the porridge satisfying, master would be happy to know that. It's fine that you haven't gotten around to tasting the chocolates yet but do give me your feedback once you try them out. That way, I will know to improve on the recipe used for the next batch of dark chocolates.

Yi Jeong: There's going to be the next batch of dark chocolates?

Ga Eul: Of course, there is going to be the next batch. I'm going to include the entire group of F4 in the valentine's day chocolate list for next year… the obligatory chocolate custom from Japan, ring any bells? Of course, that's only applicable if you guys are in the country by the time the next valentine's day rolls around. =P

Yi Jeong: I see… alright, it's getting late. You'd better retire for your beauty sleep, and it's about time I get going too. I've dallied too long in your neighborhood…

Ga Eul: O_O You're still outside?

Yi Jeong: Of course, I'm still outside your home. I can't possibly reply to your messages on the phone if I'm driving, could I?

Ga Eul: Right… sorry to deter you from driving. Goodnight. ^_^

Yi Jeong: Goodnight, Ga Eul-yang.

Tucking his mobile phone back into the pocket of his suit, So Yi Jeong then turns on the engine to his orange lotus and swerves his vehicle out of the neighborhood where the Chu family residence is located, to re-join the mass traffic out on the main road.

Location: Shinhwa Academy, 17th Feb 2009, Tuesday 11am

Chu Ga Eul was just coming out from the classroom intending to head off to the ice-skating rink building to join the members of E3 for lunch since Jan Di wasn't around today to take lunch with her in the students' cafeteria when she found herself being shepherd towards the direction of the F4 private lounge by a random student who she didn't know on a personal scale.

"Ga Eul-yang, welcome to the F4 private lounge." Song Woo Bin greeted the long-haired girl jovially as he dismissed the student who had gone to fetch the girl on the orders of the F4 from sight with a waving motion.

"...Good morning, is there a reason why I was brought here today?" Chu Ga Eul started, looking around the private lounge of F4 with a look of bewilderment.

"Well… Yi Jeong here wanted to invite you to join us for lunch." The Don Juan of F4 was quick to offer up a reason to the girl, only to receive an incredulous look from his Casanova friend upon the end of his words.

"What the…? Woo Bin, I thought it was a joint decision to invite Ga Eul-yang to have lunch with us today? When did it become my idea, exclusively?" So Yi Jeong started, throwing his friend a look of incredulity.

"Erm… okay, so, what's with the sudden invitation to join you guys for lunch? I mean, it's one thing for me to be here when Jan Di is around since we're pretty much a packaged deal. But today Jan Di isn't in school, which means there isn't a legit reason for me to be invited over to the F4 lounge." Ga Eul pointed out, objectively to the members of F4.

"Actually, that's one of the reasons why we invited you to join us for lunch today. We would like to find out the reason why Geum Jan Di thought it prudent to take an entire week off from school." It was Yoon Ji Hoo that offers up the official explanation to the long-haired girl about their reason for inviting her to join them for lunch, this morning.

"I see… well, she didn't want to tell me originally but I managed to wriggle the info out from her only this morning. After I told her that I'm not going to help her put in her leave of absence application if she doesn't tell me the reason why she needs to take leave from school." Chu Ga Eul responded as she set down her lunchbox onto the coffee table in the F4 private lounge within the Shinhwa Academy, as she took a seat on the sofa couch putting her in between the two playboys of F4.

"And… what's her reason for taking an entire week off from school?" Yoon Ji Hoo nodded before prompting for an answer from the figure of Chu Ga Eul, again.

"The laundry shop operated by her father was forced to cease operations after their landlord decided to stop renting the place to them under pressure from the Shinhwa Group. They are to shutter the laundry shop with immediate effect and were given a month's notice to vacate the residential quarters situated above the laundry shop. So, right now… Jan Di is busy sourcing for a second part-time job while helping her parents come up with an alternative source of income to sustain their family livelihood, as well as apartment hunting in a new neighborhood. Because according to the discussion with the property agent, people in the same neighborhood are likely reluctant to rent them any property knowing that they had offended the Shinhwa Group." Chu Ga Eul commented dryly in response to the inquiry put forth by the auburn-haired member of F4, while she unsealed the lid to her thermal lunch box.

"I see... and did she tell you what her family is going to do next to secure a new income source for their family?" Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 inquires with a concerned look in his eyes, as he glances towards the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di for an answer.

"Unfortunately, Jan Di didn't share with me what her family has come up with during their family meeting last night. All she said is that she needs to take a week off school because she needs to help her parents out at the stall. As to the kind of stall and business they are going to attempt, she didn't say." Chu Ga Eul told the auburn-haired member of F4 with an apologetic look in her eyes, she knows Yoon Ji Hoo is greatly concerned for her friend but there wasn't much information she could provide from her end with regards to this particular matter. After all, Jan Di always tries to avoid involving others in matters concerning her family's financial situation.

For a while, nobody speaks up as they all seemed engrossed in their own thoughts over the situation. Chu Ga Eul was getting ready to dig into her homemade lunch she had brought with her into the F4 private lounge, when the Korean Casanova suddenly spoke up from her left, halting her mid-act.

"How often do you pack lunch for school?" So Yi Jeong has no idea what brought him the idea to inquire after Chu Ga Eul's frequency of bringing lunch to school from home, but when he noticed the cute layout of the food in the lunchbox of the girl this morning... he just couldn't resist the idea of inquiring on the matter.

"...It depends, I don't always have time to make lunch for myself in the morning. Since I need to wake up early if I intend to bring my own food to school. Usually, though, I would bring my own lunch on days that I'm scheduled to take lunch with the E3. That reminded me, I ought to inform Kazuki about the change of plans… if not, he might decide to send out a search party for me." Chu Ga Eul answered, as she hurried to retrieve her mobile phone from the pocket of her uniform coat and proceeds to drop a quick text notification to her half-brother, Miyazawa Kazuki.

"Hmm… by waking up early, how early are you talking about?" The Korean Casanova continues to pry into the subject, for some unfathomable reasons. And if Chu Ga Eul thought his questions odd, she didn't comment on it and instead continue to humor his curiosity.

"Again, it depends on the choice of the lunch menu. If I'm going for washoku (Japanese menu) then… I have to wake up as early as 5am to get everything ready. Korean style menu is faster, I can wake up at 6am and still be able to finish all the preparatory work for the meal on time. The western-style menu is the easiest, I could have it whipped up within 20 minutes." The long-haired girl responded with a serene expression on her face, not at all bothered by the random questions thrown her way by the Korean Casanova.

"And how long did it take for you to prepare your lunch for today? While on the subject, do you always layout your food in such a manner?" The Korean Casanova prompted, shooting another look of curiosity at the lunchbox of the country bumpkin. The food in the lunchbox is currently lined up in the image of a cute little bear.

"Ah... I don't always have the habit of making character bentos for myself, but this morning, I was in charge of making the lunch for my little brother. And because there is plenty of food used for his lunch being leftover, I decided to use them for my own lunch as well. Hence, the cute bear layout of my lunch this morning. As for the total time spent, given that it's Japanese style menu... it took me two hours to complete the entire preparation for the two lunchboxes today." Chu Ga Eul responded with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

"Yi Jeong ah, is there a reason why you are asking Ga Eul-yang so many questions about her homemade lunch? If you're curious about her culinary skills, I'm sure she wouldn't be opposed to the idea of letting you try out her food, you know?" Song Woo Bin had been feigning nonchalance for some time now, only he found himself having trouble stifling his bubbling laughter and thus decided to put a stop to his Casanova's friend random inquiries before he really loses it and starts laughing out of the blue.

"...I'm just curious, okay? It's rare for students in our school that actually bring homemade meals for lunch, most of them prefer to buy them from the stall vendors in the cafeteria. I know Geum Jan Di brings her own lunch on most days, but that's because she has to keep to a tight budget which wasn't applicable in Ga Eul-yang's situation." The Korean Casanova responded with a straight face while throwing his Don Juan friend, a look of annoyance.

Coughing twice to stifle her own bubbling laughter having witnessed yet another round of friendly banter between the two playboys of F4, Chu Ga Eul decided to change the topic of conversation to something else.

"So, Yi Jeong-Sunbae… about the visit to the Woo Sung Museum; has the details been finalized yet? I never did receive the information from you, in the end." Chu Ga Eul prompted, diverting the Korean Casanova's attention away from her lunchbox and towards the pottery workshop session to be held in Woo Sung Museum, sometime this week.

"Ah, yes… the workshop would start at 7pm this Friday. It would run for 1.5 hours in total. I apologize for not sending you the details as promised, I got distracted and then promptly forgotten all about it." So Yi Jeong responded as he shifted his attention away from his best friend, and onto the figure of Chu Ga Eul with an apologetic look.

"I see, that's alright. Sometimes, things like this do happen. Okay, I've noted down the details. Given that it's taking place on Friday, I believe I would be able to turn up for the workshop as planned. Now for the admission to the museum, are you sure I don't need a ticket to attend the workshop?" Chu Ga Eul inquires, directing her next query to the Korean Casanova.

"Yes, I assured you that ticket isn't necessary for the workshop admission. It's a free-for-all workshop session. Just inform the guard upon arrival that you're there to attend the workshop, and they will direct you to the area where the workshop would be held." The Korean Casanova responded to Ga Eul's inquiry in a firm tone of voice.

"So, Ga Eul-yang. I heard you borrowed our private lounge for a conversation with your brother, yesterday?" The Don Juan of F4 waited until his friend was done addressing the girl before he decided to engage the girl in a conversation of his own.

"Yes. I did, I need to speak with him in private. But then, the emergency stairway where Ji Hoo-Sunbae usually frequent with Jan Di is like a few minutes' walk away from the academic building, and with classes starting soon, I had to come up with an alternative site fast. The F4 private lounge was the first to pop into mind, so… I decided to ask Yi Jeong-Sunbae for permission to utilize the space." Chu Ga Eul nodded in response as a slightly sheepish look clouded her features briefly, recalling how she had brushed past the members of F4 yesterday morning without acknowledging their presence.

"Hmm… but why the need for a secluded space to converse with your brother? Previously, you have no issues chatting with him out in the corridor-way, isn't it?" Song Woo Bin continue to pry into the matter, mostly because he knew he wasn't the only one curious but is likely the only person thick-skinned enough among the members present to pry into the subject.

"Well, I was tempted to scream or rather yell at him. So, the corridor way wouldn't work. It would have attracted too much attention from the nosy students gathered in the hallway." Chu Ga Eul admitted eventually, especially after she detected the curiosity lurking behind the eyes of the F4 members in her presence.

"What did he do to garner such a reaction from you?" Song Woo Bin blinked, trying to recall if there's any point in his acquaintance with the girl that he had actually witnessed the girl yelling at someone but ended up drawing a blank.

"...He tried to use me as an excuse to fend off the potential admirers he met at some social parties. I would have thought that this ploy would no longer work, now that my relations with him are out in the open. Alas, there are still people who didn't follow the news that ends up falling for the same trick. Still, it's not every day that I get random ladies' swinging by the porridge shop attempting to warn me off from Kazuki. Last Sunday was a first, and it didn't help that the girl was among the crowd gathered in the nightclub where Yi Jeong-Sunbae staged the open declaration of his intentions towards me as a revenge ploy against that scumbag. Either way, long story short - the girl came by and warn me to stay away from Kazuki since I had already captured the heart of So Yi Jeong from F4." Chu Ga Eul sighed aloud before she proceeds to reiterate her experience last Sunday while at work to the gathered members of F4 in a dry manner.

"Seriously? Your brother has been using your name to fend off his unwanted suitors?" Song Woo Bin couldn't help it, he snorted aloud at the end of Ga Eul's response.

"Yes. But apparently, he isn't the only one doing so. Saionji Shunsuke did the same, only he didn't outright claim me as his romantic interest as Kazuki did. He only misleads his unwanted suitors into thinking so, but thankfully - most of his unwanted suitors are based in Japan. So, I only need to deal with them once in a blue moon. Kazuki though is another matter entirely. I don't understand why he had to use me as his cover story though, I would have thought the story would no longer work given the fact that my status as his father's illegitimate daughter was now exposed to the public. Unfortunately, it seems that some people are simply just not up-to-date with the current news affairs and thus had fallen for the same old story told repeatedly by Kazuki during social events." Chu Ga Eul was saying, as she ended up spilling the beans of what exactly happened that resulted in her urge to yell at her half-brother to the members of F4 present in the lounge, this morning.

"I assumed; you chew his head off yesterday during your little chat in our private lounge then?" Song Woo Bin snorted aloud at the words tumbling forth from the lips of Chu Ga Eul, looking very much amused by her ranting episode revolving around 2/3 of the E3.

"Oh, definitely. I basically tell him to revise his story and use someone else as his faux romance interest if he needs to fend off any more unwanted suitors, in the future because I do not want to end up with a mess-up situation on hand when I do finally starts dating, again." Chu Ga Eul told the Don Juan of F4 with a smirk.

"You didn't mention anything about our little act in the nightclub to your brother, did you?" So Yi Jeong started, after a moment of silence. To be honest, he had nearly choked on his drink earlier when Chu Ga Eul brought up the mention of his declaration of her capturing his heart in front of an audience in the nightclub, last Thursday. How coincidental that Miyazawa Kazuki would have a suitor amid the crowd of onlookers that gathered in that nightclub, that particular night?

"... Don't worry, I didn't mention that little tidbit of detail to Kazuki. So, he isn't going to come knocking on your door to have a chat with you, anytime soon." Chu Ga Eul responded as she eyed the Korean Casanova with unbidden amusement in her eyes.

"Good, that's relieving to know." The Korean Casanova responded as he heaved a sigh of relief that he needn't deal with an overprotective brother-figure of the country bumpkin, anytime soon.

"Now, do you guys have further questions? If not, I think it's about time that I dig into my lunch. Otherwise, the lunch hour is going to end without me actually getting to eat anything from my lunchbox." Chu Ga Eul deadpans, as she scanned her eyes around the room looking at the members of F4 sans the Shinhwa heir, respectively.

"Ah… do go ahead and eat. We apologize for deterring you from enjoying your lunch. While on the subject, we ought to finish up with the ingestion of our own lunch too." Song Woo Bin declared, and silence once more descended on the group of four as they refocused their attention back to their own lunch.

Location: Seoul Highway, National Route 6, 18th Feb 2009, Wednesday morning - 8am

Gu Jun Pyo is feeling rather vexed and frustrated at this point, mostly because he had been shepherded into his family's black sedan by his mother without any form of explanation thus far. Upon realizing that they are heading towards the direction of the Incheon Airport, the Shinhwa heir couldn't stand being in the dark anymore as he turns towards his mother, demanding an explanation why they are heading towards the direction of the airport.

"We are heading off to New York." Kang Hee Soo responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"What? Why are we going to New York, out of the blue?" Gu Jun Pyo had all but demanded an explanation from his mother.

"It isn't exactly out of the blue; the trip has been on my itinerary for weeks now." Kang Hee Soo commented nonchalantly to her son.

"...And why am I going on a trip that's on your itinerary?" Gu Jun Pyo stared incredulously at his mother, finding the entire situation incomprehensible.

"I thought that the appearance of the heir at the social function is necessary to strengthen ties with our business associates in the long run." Kang Hee Soo responded without hesitation, obviously, she had thought of the possible reactions this impromptu trip to New York would garner from her son in prior.

The Shinhwa heir found himself at a loss of words, inwardly wondering if his mother is seriously trying to cut him off from his friends, this time. In the wake of having his date with Geum Jan Di interrupted mid-session by his mother on valentine's day, he had subsequently ended up being grounded at home without access to his mobile phone device. Even during the lessons, he had attended via virtual means, he wasn't allowed to interact with his fellow friends from F4 with the camera focusing only on the class lecturer during class time. Originally, he had held out hopes that he would be able to do as he pleased once his mother left the country… but then, his mother decided to bring him along for her business trip?

Meanwhile, the Geum family is still selling commoners' breakfast treats such as popped rice crackers and canned coffee, by the roadside along the National Route 6 that links the city of Seoul to the Incheon district near the Hoegi train station in Seoul. Geum Jan Di has been calling out for the attention of the car owners who had gotten stuck in the heavy traffic that they have popped rice crackers for sale when Kang Hee Soo suddenly instructed for her secretary to purchase one of those popped rice crackers.

"Why the hell are you buying something from a roadside stall?" The Shinhwa heir blurted out in bewilderment, having not been paying attention to the happenings around him - he had failed to realize that the person calling for the car owners' attention was his own girlfriend. It wasn't until Geum Jan Di approached the black sedan that the Shinhwa heir finally caught on to the reason behind his mother's odd behavior.

Gu Jun Pyo's first reaction was to get out of the car and demand an explanation from his girlfriend about why she was selling popped rice crackers on the road. Only, he found his hand being held in a tight grip by his mother that he wasn't able to shake off.

"Eomma!" Gu Jun Pyo gritted out in frustration.

"Jun Pyo!" Kang Hee Soo snapped at her son with equal agitation.

"..." While the mother and son were locked in a fiery staring contest, Geum Jan Di accepted the 2000 Korean Won offered to her by the secretary of Kang Hee Soo for the purchase of the bag of popped rice crackers, awkwardly.

It goes without saying that by the time the black sedan moved forward with the moving traffic, Geum Jan Di was caught in a depressing mood. She had thought about the various scenarios of how she is going to cross paths with her boyfriend over the past few days, but neither of them involved a meeting on the national highway with her trying to earn a few bucks while him, being stuck in the car with his mother seated next to him.

It took the Shinhwa heir a couple of minutes to come to the awful realization that there could only be one reason why his girlfriend is sighted doing business in the middle of heavy traffic. His mother must have done something that affected his girlfriend's family source of income, how else would their entire family set up a booth by the roadside selling snacks and beverages to the passing commuters?

"Eomma, what did you do?! Haven't I already told you not to mess with her?!" Gu Jun Pyo turns towards his mother and demanded.

"Jun Pyo, you're the heir to the Shinhwa Group. You need someone that's of the same caliber next to you and not some random commoner girl in your life." Kang Hee Soo tried to reason with her son, only to receive a wordless glare in response. Never in her life, she had expected to see her son glaring at her, she was stunned. And her moment of delayed reaction was more than enough for her son to shrug off her grip on him, and promptly make his escape from the family black sedan.

"Jun Pyo, where are you going?! Come back here, this instant!" Coming back to her senses, Kang Hee Soo promptly calls out but unfortunately, her calls were either ignored by the Shinhwa heir on purpose, or it got drowned out by the sound of the heavy traffic around her. Being too dignified to actually screeched her son's name in public, the lady president of the Shinhwa Group resettles back in the family sedan with a fuming look on her face.

Meanwhile, Gu Jun Pyo who was on his way back to where his girlfriend stood earlier keep on thinking the following. 'Geum Jan Di, stay put and don't move an inch!'

"Ya! Geum Jan Di!" When the Shinhwa heir was five steps away from his girlfriend, he called out for the girl's attention.

Geum Jan Di blinked, as she slowly turns around to look at her approaching boyfriend with blatant disbelief shining through her eyes. Some distance away, her family members look on with mirrored expressions of joy as the Shinhwa heir closes the distances between them and captured Geum Jan Di's lips into a kiss.

The kiss lasted only for a minute, and then both of them promptly pull apart for fresh air. Upon the realization of what they had done in open public view, both Gu Jun Pyo and Geum Jan Di found themselves flushing crimson from embarrassment.

"Come on, let's go elsewhere." The Shinhwa heir commented as he dragged his girlfriend off towards an area without a crowd of onlookers ogling them.

Location: Dongjak Bridge overlooking Han River, Wednesday 17th Feb 2009, 10am

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gu Jun Pyo asks, leaning against the railing of the bridge as he voiced his query across to his girlfriend.

"... You don't even have access to your own phone, how am I supposed to tell you such things?" Geum Jan Di questioned her boyfriend back in response.

"..." Gu Jun Pyo had no words because it's an undeniable fact that he truly did not have access to his own mobile phone over the past few days.

"Promise me you wouldn't try to escape." In the end, all the Shinhwa heir was able to do was to try and get a promise out of his girlfriend that she would never give up on their relationship.

"... All I can say now is that your mother would never be the reason for my decision to give up on our relationship. If I ever decided to give up on our relationship one day, that's likely because I wanted to leave you on my own accord." Geum Jan Di sighed audibly before bestowing her waiting boyfriend with her response, and then she dug into the pocket of her winter jacket to withdraw a can of coffee and handed it over to the Shinhwa heir.

"Here, you can have this." Geum Jan Di started, turning to face her boyfriend with a small smile on her lips.

"..." The Shinhwa heir accepted the canned coffee with ease, only he didn't make any attempt to drink it. Instead, he stuffed it into the pocket of his coat before asking to borrow the mobile phone of his girlfriend. Luckily, his girlfriend had insisted on paying for the mobile subscription fee on her own when he first gifted the gadget to the girl. Otherwise, there is a very high chance of his mother terminating the mobile subscription line to his girlfriend's phone plan by this point.

"You aren't using the service plan provided by Shinhwa Telco?" Gu Jun Pyo took one look at the screen of his girlfriend's mobile phone and find himself staring at the wording - KT (Korea Telecom) and promptly voiced his query aloud.

"If I'm using Shinhwa Telco service, my line would have gotten terminated by this point, I'm sure. Besides, the plans offered under KT are better suited for my budget." Geum Jan Di deadpans at her boyfriend in response.

"..."

Going through the contact list on his girlfriend's mobile phone device, the Shinhwa heir was thankful that he had previously stored the contact numbers of his friends into his girlfriend's mobile phone. Else, he would have trouble getting one of them to come over and pick him up from where he was. If he had a tad more cash on his person, he could have easily flagged down a cab to bring him home but unfortunately, he doesn't have much cash on his person. When they had left the national highway earlier, it has been his girlfriend that sponsored him a public train ride from the Hoegi station to the Dongjak station. Honestly, a single experience on the public train system is more than adequate for him and he had no intentions to repeat it, thus, a call to his friends is necessary. The only issue now lies in which friend should call up for the arrangement of his transport home.

In the end, he decided to call up Woo Bin. Granted, his first thought was to call up Ji Hoo… but when he thought of the fact that he's using his girlfriend's mobile to call up his friend - he thought it better to call someone else instead.

Song Woo Bin took one look at the unknown number calling him up on his mobile and promptly shifted questioning eyes upon his Casanova friend as he inquires. "Yi Jeong, what's Geum Jan Di's contact number, again?"

"010-3xxx-7yyy, why?" So Yi Jeong responded automatically, citing out the number he had stored in his mobile since the first time he received that castration text warning from the girl, before looking over to his friend with a questioning look.

"Right… because I just received a call from this number, which is odd because she has no reasons to call me, isn't it?" Song Woo Bin question aloud rhetorically to his Casanova friend.

"Woo Bin, answer the call. For all we know, it's Jun Pyo calling you from Geum Jan Di's number." Just then, Yoon Ji Hoo who was reading something on his own mobile device spoke up drawing the attention of the two playboys of F4 onto his person.

"And you would know this, because…?" The Don Juan of F4 glances over to his auburn-haired friend with a curious look, while the Korean Casanova had a dawning look of realization in his eyes.

"Ji Hoo, you didn't…" So Yi Jeong started, staring at his auburn-haired friend with an unreadable look.

In response, Yoon Ji Hoo only smiles at the Korean Casanova before shrugging off the matter nonchalantly. Meanwhile, Song Woo Bin who finds himself at a loss with the odd communication system between his two friends ended up giving up on the idea of getting any form of logical response from them both decides to answer his phone, at last.

"Finally, took you long enough -Woo Bin. What the hell were you doing? Sleeping?" Gu Jun Pyo's annoyance could be heard channeling through the speaker mode of the mobile device belonging to the Don Juan of F4.

"Jun Pyo, why are you calling me from Geum Jan Di's phone? Because she never did call me up once before, I was naturally hesitant to answer a call coming from her number. After all, the last time she contacts Yi Jeong - it was with a castration threat. Anyway, what's up?" The Don Juan of F4 explained, rolling his eyes at the impatience of the Shinhwa heir.

"I'm at the Dongjak bridge, I need immediate transport back to my home. I have got no cash on my person, and naturally no phone either. You want to know why I'm using Geum Jan Di's mobile phone, well, get your butt over and I will fill you in on the details." The Shinhwa heir snapped through the connection before abruptly cutting off the line on his end.

"..."

"Oh well… what Jun Pyo wants; what Jun Pyo gets. I'm off to collect him from the Dongjak bridge. Yi Jeong, do take a video recording of the upcoming lecture for me. I would need it for a passing grade to graduate on time." Song Woo Bin declared as he picks up his coat and car keys, grabbed his mobile phone off his desk, and headed out of the private classroom of F4 before their next teacher could arrive with their lesson's material.

~TBC~

Chapter's notes: Phew~ after much struggles, I finally had this chapter out :D This chapter features 85% original content, the only part that follows the drama somewhat is the scene at the highway between Jun Pyo and Jan Di, and the Jan Di - Ji Hoo interaction mid-chapter. Only, I changed a bit of the content in that portion… since the original drama scene definitely doesn't involve the gifting of the cookies.

Lots of SoEul interactions in this chapter, what do you think? Like it? Love it? Let me know~ XD

I added the last bit of the original scene to the chapter because I was wondering how he got home in the drama. :P

PS: In case anyone is wondering where we are according to the drama, we are still in the events of Episode 10 in the original drama. There's still a little bit to go before episode 10 comes to an end. I'll try to wrap it up in the next chapter and move on to episode 11 content. ^^;