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 18 - Red tag in the locker, again?! Part 4
Location: Shinhwa Academy, F4 Private Lounge, 15th March 2009, 10am
"Yo! Yi Jeong, good morning." Song Woo Bin greeted his Casanova friend jovially when the guy makes his appearance in the private lounge of F4 within Shinhwa academy.
"Good morning, where's Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo?" So Yi Jeong inquires after failing to notice the other two members of F4, as he took a seat on the sofa couch next to his Don Juan friend.
"No idea, not here yet. I reckon. So, did you have a lovely time with Ga Eul-yang, yesterday?" Song Woo Bin prompted his Casanova friend gleefully, as his eyes sparkled with unbidden curiosity and interest on the subject.
"...Woo Bin, mind your own business!" So Yi Jeong plastered on a look of annoyance as he responded to his friend's inquiry. Truth be told, he did enjoy his time spent in the presence of the country bumpkin yesterday. Only, he was reluctant to share his thoughts with his best friend for once because he knows how insufferable his friend is going to be, afterward.
"Come on, Yi Jeong… we are bros, right?" Song Woo Bin urged, literally dying from curiosity on his end.
"Being bros doesn't give you the right to keep nosing in my personal business. Do you see me hounding you for details every single time, you dated a girl past the one-month mark?" So Yi Jeong reminded his friend pointedly about how he never poked his nose into the private affairs of the Don Juan of F4, and it's best for his friend to do the same for him as well.
"... Fine, you can keep your secret." Song Woo Bin rolls his eyes but didn't dare to push on the subject further. After all, he didn't wish to truly annoy his friend… besides, he could always get his answer from Ga Eul-yang personally at a later point in time.
When the Shinhwa heir walk into the lounge with a silly grin on his face, both the Don Juan and the Korean Casanova couldn't help but raise their eyebrows questioningly as they inquire. "What's with that silly grin on your face now? Wasn't it just yesterday that you were busy complaining about how Geum Jan Di seems to be neglecting you in favor of spending time with Ga Eul-yang and her job?"
"I've decided to change my tactics with her, instead of me going after her all the time. I'm going to make her come after me for once." The Shinhwa heir declared childishly to his fellow friends, causing them to share a look of bemusement among themselves.
Just then, Yoon Ji Hoo entered the lounge silently. Other than a nod in the direction of the F3, the auburn-haired member of F4 didn't speak a single word upon his entrance to the F4 private lounge in school. Luckily, the F3 is pretty much used to their auburn-haired friend being silent on certain days so, they didn't comment on the subject. Shifting their focus back onto the Shinhwa heir, So Yi Jeong shared his input about what he thought of the Shinhwa heir's latest ploy.
"Honestly, Jun Pyo… I doubt your new tactic will work with Geum Jan Di. If you wish to wait for her to come to the realization that she'd missed your presence, you're likely in for a long wait because, at present, she's more concerned about earning enough money to sustain her family livelihood." The Korean Casanova deadpans to his childhood friend who can be incredibly childish at times.
"I hate to agree with Yi Jeong, but he does have a point." Song Woo Bin decided to throw in his two cents as well, as he addressed the grinning Shinhwa heir.
"Ya! The two of you, can't you be a tad supportive on the matter?" Gu Jun Pyo couldn't help but lamented aloud to the two playboys of F4.
"... A show of hands - who doesn't think Jun Pyo's tactic will succeed?" So Yi Jeong prompted and raised his own hand up without delay. Beside him, the Don Juan of F4 mirrored his acts whereas Yoon Ji Hoo remained immobile. Then again, considering how that guy had missed out on a great portion of their conversation… it's only natural for their auburn-haired friend to maintain silence on the subject.
Song Woo Bin thought something seems off in his friend's appearance earlier, but didn't manage to pinpoint the crucial factor in the 'off' vibe of his friend until now. His Casanova friend is actually wearing a pair of fingerless gloves on the hands, which is absolutely a rare occurrence in his eyes. After all, his friend doesn't seem like the type to go for fingerless gloves…so, what brought on the change?
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Song Woo Bin lifted up the left hand of his friend and inquires with a bemused look on his face. "Am I seeing things or are you really wearing fingerless gloves? This isn't your usual style, isn't it?"
"... This?" So Yi Jeong glances down at the brown fingerless gloves he was wearing on his hands and couldn't help a fond smile from forming on his lips. "Well… even though this is a little tacky for my taste, but... they turn out to be rather warm."
The decision to don on this pair of gloves this morning wasn't planned, but a spontaneous decision on So Yi Jeong's part. Mostly because he found the weather this morning upon waking up from bed to be a little too cold for his liking, and thus when going about the task of picking out his attire for the day – the potter decided to give this pair of hand-knitted finger-less gloves gifted to him by a certain country bumpkin on Friday, a try. At first, he simply thought of trying it on but then when he was struck by how warm it was – he decided to keep it on instead of removing them from his hands.
"... Given your word choice, I assumed them to be a present from Ga Eul-yang? I thought it's supposed to be you to gift her something in return on white valentine's day? Why did you end up with a present from her, too?" Song Woo Bin seems befuddled by the turn of the event and thus couldn't help inquiring on the matter.
Inwardly though, Song Woo Bin was thinking that his friend really did have it bad for Ga Eul-yang... how many times has it been now? His friend making an exception for the girl...it seems ever since New Caledonia, his friend has been giving a lot of extra attention to Chu Ga Eul. Except, it seems like Yi Jeong isn't going to admit the fact anytime soon. The Don Juan of F4 had his attention drawn back to the living plane when he heard the voice of his Casanova friend speaking up, again.
"For your info, I got these gloves from her on Friday, not Saturday. Talking about Friday…" So Yi Jeong then turns towards the Shinhwa heir and comments. "Jun Pyo, because of you… I completely overdid it with Ga Eul-yang on Friday."
Deciding to avoid complicating matters, the Korean Casanova didn't inform the Shinhwa heir about Geum Jan Di little lie about Friday being the country bumpkin's birthday. So, he's allowing his friends to draw their own conclusions about how he had overdone it with Chu Ga Eul on the 13th of March.
"Hey! I simply provide you with that little tidbit of information and tell you to do something nice for her. I didn't exactly specify what you ought to do… so, everything you end up doing on that day was done out of your own accord." Gu Jun Pyo pointed out objectively to his Casanova friend.
"..."
"Yi Jeong, is this going to be a trend now?" Out of the blue, Yoon Ji Hoo spoke up. Only, his words were being directed towards the Korean Casanova as opposed to the Shinhwa heir.
"I beg your pardon?" So Yi Jeong blinked, completely caught off-guard by the words of his auburn-haired friend.
"I'm asking if the habit of Ga Eul-yang gifting you little trinkets here and there, and you returning the favor by bringing her out for meals... is this going to be a reoccurrence trend now?" Yoon Ji Hoo commented trying his best to avoid breaking out into a Cheshire grin upon the dumbfounded look on the face of his Casanova friend.
"Ji Hoo, bravo!" Song Woo Bin commented as he directed a thumbs-up sign to his auburn-haired friend before turning his attention onto the dumbfounded figure of So Yi Jeong and remarked. "First, you gifted her a brand-new flip-phone, and she return the favor by bringing you a can of coffee and gifted you a branded ball-pen. And then, you went and help her take revenge on her scumbag ex-boyfriend after she got dumped. She then returns the favor by gifting you - obligatory chocolates on valentine's day which you accepted, and went on to craft a return gift for her on white valentine's day. What do you plan to do in return for the fingerless gloves she gifted you on Friday?"
"... I gifted her a flower bouquet and a birthday cake on that same day if you wish to get down to the technicalities." So Yi Jeong pointed out dryly to his Don Juan friend.
"I thought, that flower bouquet was to thank her for bringing you dinner the other day at the museum?" Song Woo Bin inquires innocently in response.
"..." Upon the words of reminder from his Don Juan friend, So Yi Jeong was hit by the realization that it does seem like a trend was starting to form between him and the country bumpkin, over the past months since they met their acquaintances. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to mind the fact of such a trend forming between them. If anything, he actually found himself looking forward to seeing what the country bumpkin would do for him next.
Still, Woo Bin's words reminded him that he ought to think about what to gift Chu Ga Eul in return for the finger-less gloves she had knitted and gifted him on last Friday. So, unwittingly, the Korean Casanova found his mind drifting back to the events of last night – trying to see if there's anything that caught the country bumpkin's attention while they were window-shopping in the departmental store of the Shinhwa mall following their hearty dinner meal taken in the Thai cuisine restaurant in the Gangnam district.
Recalling a particular clutch bag that had caught the country bumpkin's attention from last night's visit to the Shinhwa mall, So Yi Jeong made the decision to swing by the mall later on in the day to get it as a return gift for the finger-less gloves he had received from the girl. Decision made, the Korean Casanova promptly push the matter aside and focus his attention back on his fellow friends.
Location: Shinhwa Academy, Aquatic Centre, 16th March 2009, Monday 8am
Chu Ga Eul had just changed out from her swimming suit after having joined her childhood friend for a swim in the pool when she heard the chime of an incoming text message coming from her mobile phone. Keeping a hand busy with the towel to continue the act of toweling dry her hair, Chu Ga Eul reaches for her phone with her dominant hand and accesses the text message with ease.
Private chat between So YI Jeong and Chu Ga Eul, 16th March 2009, 8am
Yi Jeong: Good morning, do you mind dropping by the F4 private lounge for a while before class?
Ga Eul: Sure, Yi Jeong-Sunbae. I'll be over in a jiffy. *Smiley Emoji*
Yi Jeong: … Are you trying to tell me you're in school already?
Ga Eul: Yep. Jan Di invited me for a morning swim, and since it's drizzling this morning. I forgo my usual morning jog session, thus I decided to swap the jog for a morning swim. Just ended my morning swim around 15 minutes ago. ^_^
Yi Jeong: I see… in that case, please do not bring Geum Jan Di with you when you come by the lounge. I'm not that patient to deal with her this early in the morning.
Ga Eul: LOL… Got it. No worries. I'll make sure not to bring Jan Di with me when I swing by the lounge later. See you in 10 minutes. ^_^
Tucking her mobile phone back into the pocket of her uniform coat, Chu Ga Eul proceeds to tidy up her appearance with the aid of the mirror in the female changing room. Leaving behind a memo note for her friend who's still practicing her laps in the pool, lest her friend freaked out over her disappearance from the aquatic center. Chu Ga Eul put on her uniform coat, picked up her backpack and the carrier bag where she had stashed her towel and swimming suit - did one last check on her appearance in the mirror, and promptly turn on her heels to exit the aquatic center.
The walk from the aquatic center to the students' cafeteria building took her 10 minutes, upon arriving at the building which housed the students' cafeteria. She was in no hurry to head upstairs to where the F4 private lounge is located, instead, she swings by the table where she sighted the figures of Choi Hyo Rin and Oh Ha-Na first. Nodding towards the figure of Oh Ha-Na politely, Ga Eul turns her attention upon Choi Hyo Rin and started.
"Hyo Rin-chan, do me a favor. Drop this off with Kazuki later, will you? It's his turn to ferry me home after school today. I don't want to bring it with me for classes later." Chu Ga Eul put on the best pleading look she had in her arsenal as she voiced her request over to the female classmate of her half-brother.
"Of course. I just have to drop this off with him, right?" Choi Hyo Rin nodded, agreeing to help Ga Eul out easily enough. It isn't as though she hasn't played messenger between the girl and the members of E3 before.
"Yep. Thanks, I'll see you later." Chu Ga Eul directed a beaming smile at the girl, before speeding off towards the stairway that would lead her to where the private lounge of F4 is located.
Standing outside the door that leads to the F4 private lounge, Chu Ga Eul took a deep breath to calm her erratic nerves. Upon ascertaining the fact that she's calm enough to handle anything thrown her way, Chu Ga Eul knocked twice on the door and waited for the acknowledgment from the occupant within before entering the room. A quick look around assured her that only the Korean Casanova is present, so, shifting her questioning gaze upon the figure of So Yi Jeong - she inquires.
"Yi Jeong-sunbae, is there a reason why you'd ask me to swing by the lounge before classes begin for the day?" Chu Ga Eul asks, tilting her head slightly to the side to indicate her bewilderment of the Korean Casanova's request for them to meet up before class.
"Well… I just wanted to give you this. It's a return gift for the fingerless gloves, you gifted me the other day." So Yi Jeong responded as he handed a paper bag marked with the wording 'Shinhwa Departmental' over to the long-haired girl.
"What?!" Chu Ga Eul widens her eyes in shock as she glanced between the figure of So Yi Jeong and the paper bag, a look of disbelief clouding her features.
"Come on, just take it." So Yi Jeong started, as he pressed the paper bag into the hands of the stupefied-looking girl. And then, using the excuse that classes will begin in five minutes - the Korean Casanova promptly pushed the girl out of the lounge and shoo her off to class.
Thus, Chu Ga Eul found herself entering the classroom in a daze-like manner with the paper bag imprinted with the wording 'Shinhwa Departmental' hugged to her chest. Settling down in her seat on an auto-pilot mode, it took her childhood friend nudging her repeatedly to jolt her mind back to the living plane.
"Ga Eul ah, are you okay? You look a little out of it, to be honest." Geum Jan Di commented as she eyed her childhood friend with unbidden concern.
"Jan Di ah… I'm fine, I'm just a little surprised is all." Chu Ga Eul responded upon coming back to her senses, setting down the paper bag together with her backpack by the side of her chair. She started preparing the things needed for the upcoming class, and in the process, cluing her childhood friend in on the fact that she isn't keen to speak on whatever had surprised her earlier, at present.
It wasn't until lunch hour that she finally had time to look at what the Korean Casanova had gifted her in return for the finger-less gloves she had gifted him on last Friday. Luckily, she was taking lunch in the company of Choi Hyo Rin and Oh Ha-Na, instead of with her childhood friend. Otherwise, her childhood friend might start hounding her for answers that she wasn't quite ready to give yet.
"Is that a Jimmy Choo clutch bag I'm seeing?" Ha-Na couldn't help but blurted out when her eyes landed upon the item in the gift box which Chu Ga Eul had just unveiled on their lunch table, in the students' cafeteria.
"Yes. I would think the logo 'JC' emblem into the middle of the clutch bag is proof enough." Choi Hyo Rin took one look at the clutch bag that lay in the middle of the gift box and commented to her friend in response.
"Ga Eul, who would gift you with a Jimmy Choo clutch bag, out of the blue?" Choi Hyo Rin turns towards the long-haired girl and inquires, out of pure curiosity.
"A boyfriend?" Beside her, Oh Ha-Na couldn't help but butted in - wanting to be a part of the conversation.
"Nope. I'm still single at present." Chu Ga Eul responded with a lovely flush of pink in her cheeks, as she covered the item up with the gift box cover and stashed it back into the paper bag, and took out her own thermal lunchbox instead.
Inwardly, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but commend a certain Casanova for his keen sense of observation. She did have her eyes set upon the ballet pink leather clutch bag from Jimmy Choo collection the other day when passing by the booth the brand had set up in the Shinhwa departmental store. What she hasn't expected though was for the guy to go back and purchase it as a gift for her, certainly the fingerless gloves she had knitted him doesn't worth this much? Hmm… maybe, she ought to bring him another homemade meal soon. Chu Ga Eul was thinking as she starts digging into her lunch with a pondering look on her face.
However, before Chu Ga Eul could have a chance to bring another homemade meal to the Korean Casanova - something else had happened that resulted in her focus being diverted elsewhere. On the 1st of April, a Wednesday - the magazine, Group 7 was released to the public. And on the front cover featured an image of the current up and rising male model - HAJE with an unknown female model. However, what's unknown to the majority members of the public isn't unknown to the students' population in Shinhwa High.
Thus, when Geum Jan Di arrived in school on that very day - she found herself on the receiving end of multiple whispering and disbelieving gazes from her fellow schoolmates.
Location: Shinhwa Academy, High School Division, 1st April 2009, Wednesday, 8am
Although the magazine was released in the morning - most students didn't manage to get their hands on the copy of the magazine until lunch hour comes by. So, except for a selected few students who had relations to the publishing company of the magazine who knew of Geum Jan Di being featured on the cover of the magazine - Group 7, not a lot of people knew of the information yet.
Moreover, the 1st of April has been known worldwide as the 'April's Fool Day' - so, it's only natural that when the Shinhwa heir first heard such whispering on his way to school, he had dismissed it as someone trying to pull his legs on April's fool day. Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about the fact that the photoshoot she participated in with her newfound friend is going to be featured in a magazine and released to the public in due time. The notion of coming clean to her boyfriend about what she had done under the lure of the attractive pay-check from the photoshoot had completely slipped from her mind, by this point.
So, the first time she saw the image featured on the magazine with her own eyes - she was stunned into silence. Turning awkwardly away from a group of girls who she doesn't know near the stairway of the academic building, Geum Jan Di hurried to scurry off before they could recognize her as the female model featured in the magazine.
[Gosh… I can't believe I forgot all about the photoshoot.] Geum Jan Di was thinking as she hurried towards the direction of her classroom, inwardly wondering what she's going to say in response to her childhood friend. No doubt, Ga Eul is going to hound her for details soon.
Indeed, Chu Ga Eul came across the information a tad earlier than the F4 did. Mainly because the F4 doesn't pay attention to such magazines, which they deemed below their standards. Magazines are something they would only use to occupy their time while waiting in a beauty salon for the stylists to be done with the hairdo of their dates if any. In private, they prefer to occupy their time with magazines that feature either automobiles - either cars or motorbikes.
"I can't believe this! Why is it that every single time we decided to forgive her, she went and do something unforgivable, again?!" Choi Jin Hee, commonly going by the name - Ginger, and the leader of the annoying trio started.
"I know, right?! This is so infuriating!" Lee Mi Sook (Miranda) fumed as she nodded along to the words of her leader.
"First, it's Gu Jun Pyo. Then, it's Yoon Ji Hoo. Now, it's HAJE! Aargh… that girl is so annoying!" Park Sun Ja (Sunny) stamped her feet against the ground in annoyance, the notion of using Chu Ga Eul's chumminess with the two playboys of F4 for comparison is tempting but she managed to stamp it down, not wanting to risk the possible ire of the Japan Trio.
So, when Geum Jan Di arrived back in the classroom after her lunch break - naturally, she ended up being the target of the annoying trio taunting, again.
"Ya! Geum Jan Di! Why is it that you always have to go and ruin things for us?! So, after Gu Jun Pyo and Yoon Ji Hoo… now, you're setting your eyes on HAJE, too?! Do you know HAJE's already our last hope?! Aargh… how could HAJE falls for a commoner like you?!" Choi Jin Hee started, tearing into Geum Jan Di without a moment's delay.
"..." Chu Ga Eul watches on from the side-line of the classroom, not interfering. Not because she thinks her friend deserves it, but mostly because she didn't wish to get implicated in the mess of her friend. Furthermore, she found herself fearing for the reaction of the Shinhwa heir when her friend's boyfriend finally learns of the situation.
As though the situation wasn't complicated enough, Lee Jae-Ha has to appear in front of the members of class 2D in his HAJE persona.
"Since when did I mention anything about wanting to give you girls hope?" HAJE begins, as he stepped into the classroom of class 2D and headed straight for the figure of Geum Jan Di, careful to not glance in the direction of a certain astute girl who is standing on the other side of the classroom watching the scene unfolding with assessing eyes.
"Come on, Sunbae. Let's go!" HAJE then reaches out to grab the hands of Geum Jan Di as he dragged her along with him, heading for the exit of the academic building.
Meanwhile, the private classroom of F4 was barged in by two random male students as they call out for the attention of the Shinhwa heir.
"Jun Pyo-Sunbae, have you seen this yet?" One of the male students hurried over to the side of the Shinhwa heir with a copy of the magazine - Group 7, featuring Geum Jan Di and HAJE on the cover, to show the Shinhwa heir that his girlfriend is now the hottest topic on campus.
"What?" Gu Jun Pyo snatched the magazine out from the hand of the unsuspecting male student, wondering what the fuss is all about as his fellow friends moved to join him as they studied the image featured on the cover of the magazine, together.
"Is that Geum Jan Di?" So Yi Jeong commented, still eyeing the image with disbelief.
"..." Neither Song Woo Bin nor Yoon Ji Hoo made a comment on the subject. Song Woo Bin simply maintain his silence on the matter, because he was too busy observing the reaction of the Shinhwa heir from the corner of his eyes. Yoon Ji Hoo, on the other hand, was thinking about the possible reasons Geum Jan Di may have to participate in a photoshoot with the model - HAJE. After all, if there isn't a convincing factor at play, he highly doubts that the girl would do something like this.
As it turns out, Song Woo Bin was right to be worried. The moment the Shinhwa heir convinced himself that it's indeed his girlfriend being featured on the cover of the magazine with the male model - HAJE, he went mad and promptly threw the magazine away from him. Following this, he went on to sweep the things on his desk to the floor in a blatant show of his displeasure.
Gu Jun Pyo isn't an idiot, even though his Casanova friend didn't outright tell him that it hasn't been Chu Ga Eul's birthday the other time. He had an inkling that his girlfriend had lied to him, but he thought he ought to be a tad understanding of his girlfriend's plight. So, he didn't press the girl for an explanation and was hoping that his girlfriend would come clean to him in time. But one thing he couldn't tolerate was his girlfriend deliberately hiding things from his knowledge, and doing things like this behind his back.
Deciding to go in search for his girlfriend to get down to the bottom of things, Gu Jun Pyo stalked out of the F4 private classroom - completely ignoring the fact that lunch break is coming to an end soon. The remaining members of F4 shared a look among themselves before deciding to go after their friend, even if they can't interfere with the matter when their friend is obviously in a raging mood.
It took the F4 a while to locate their enraged friend, and by the time they arrived at the site - the model going by the name HAJE was already on the ground being beaten up by the Shinhwa heir. Some distance away, Geum Jan Di was looking at the scene with a complicated look on her face. To say Geum Jan Di was feeling complicated is an understatement.
She knew she was wrong to lie to her boyfriend, perhaps that was why she didn't put a stop to Gu Jun Pyo's actions when her boyfriend first started to hit her newfound friend. But on the other hand, she didn't think her newfound friend's comment about her boyfriend's unfounded jealousy warranted such violent treatment. So, when Geum Jan Di noticed blood flowing out from the mouth of her newfound friend - she finally calls out for the Shinhwa heir to stop.
"Please, Gu Jun Pyo. Just stop…" Geum Jan Di literally begged, the distress in her expression clear as day for everyone to see.
Heading towards Geum Jan Di, the enraged Shinhwa heir made a grab for his girlfriend's uniform blouse as he demanded to know what is it that Geum Jan Di wanted from him. In a moment of chaos and distress, Geum Jan Di impulsively declared that she wanted things to go back to the point before she got involved with the F4.
Stunned into disbelief, the Shinhwa heir let go of his grasp on the uniform blouse of Geum Jan Di and staggered a few steps back. Not knowing what to say, the upset Shinhwa heir promptly turns on his heels to leave the site. The F3 hesitated for a moment before going after their upset friend, Yoon Ji Hoo lingered on a little bit longer before deciding that now isn't the time to speak with Geum Jan Di. With that thought in mind, Yoon Ji Hoo went after the rest of his friends.
The first thing the Shinhwa heir did upon heading back home was to pack up a suitcase of clothes and order for Jeong Sang-Rok - the secretary his mother had left behind in Korea to keep an eye on him to prepare a private jet for him. He needs to get away from Seoul immediately before his rage could overwhelm his entire logical sense of mind.
Needless to say, when the F3 finally arrived at the Gu family mansion - the Shinhwa heir was no longer in the city.
"Did Jun Pyo say where he's going?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires, voicing his query across to butler Lee who is employed in the service of the Gu family.
"I'm afraid not, young master Ji Hoo." Butler Lee responded apologetically to the auburn-haired member of F4.
"Thank you, Butler Lee. Do let us know once Jun Pyo is back." So Yi Jeong said, directing his words to the butler of the Gu family before turning to leave the Gu family mansion.
"Now what?" Song Woo Bin glanced towards his Casanova friend and asks.
"Now, we go home and wait. Hopefully, Jun Pyo would call us on his own once he had calmed down significantly." So Yi Jeong deadpans, it isn't as though they are in the position to do anything else.
Meanwhile, Chu Ga Eul was on a mission of her own. First, she went in search of Saionji Shunsuke, requesting a full account of what he had seen when he was in Euljiro-dong while her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di was visiting that area.
"Huh? Why do you want to know it now? That's like more than two weeks ago, you know?" Saionji Shunsuke throws the long-haired girl a look of bewilderment.
"Doesn't matter. Just tell me what you saw on that day would do. I'm aware you wouldn't know what happen inside the building, I just want to know what did you witness on that day before Jan Di went into that questionable building." Chu Ga Eul stated in a tone that offers no room for negotiation when she had first heard the tale from her childhood friend - she was too concerned for the well-being of her friend to take note of several oddities in the situation. Now though, the more she thought of it, the more something doesn't sit right with her.
"Wait… you mean you saw HAJE coming out from that building before Jan Di went in?" Chu Ga Eul held a hand up to halt Shunsuke from continuing his reiteration of what he had witnessed that day in Euljiro-dong, to double-check something she thought she had misheard.
"Yes. And I'm quite sure your friend walked straight into him when she was busy looking around her in search for the building." Saionji Shunsuke nodded before adding the last part as an afterthought.
"..." Resisting the urge to curse and swear, Chu Ga Eul thanked the athletic member of E3 for his help before making a long-distance call to Japan via the Line Messaging App.
The call was made to Isshiki Masashi, the notorious playboy from the Teiko Academy whose reputation could easily rival the Korean Casanova. The moment the call went through, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in making her request known.
Phone call excerpt between Chu Ga Eul and Isshiki Masashi, 1st April 2009, 4pm
Ga Eul: Masashi, I need a favor.
Isshiki Masashi: A favor? That's rare, coming from you. So, how may I be of assistance to you?
Ga Eul: Your family has relations with Korea's modeling industry, right? I need you to get me the complete background information of the model - HAJE, as soon as possible. You might have to do a little digging because he seems to have masked up his personal information through some special means, since the entire Korean population only knows him to be a model that pops out from nowhere, and rise up to fame within a relatively short period.
Isshiki Masashi: Wow… that's a really big favor you're asking from me… what would I get in return for helping you out?
Ga Eul: I don't know, why don't you think of something you would like me to do for you in return?
Isshiki Masashi: Excellent. I'll think about it and come back to you on this - on another day. I'll update you when I got my hands on the information which you seek.
Ga Eul: Good. Thank you.
Isshiki Masashi: You're welcome. I'm always pleased to serve a pretty young lady like you. For now, adieu~
Ending the call, there isn't much Ga Eul could do now but to wait for the information she requested to come in. Granted, she knew it's probably going to take a bit of time… so, she told herself to be patient and focused her attention elsewhere. The week that follows her childhood friend 'break-up' with the Shinhwa heir was rather peaceful, nothing much had happened in school but still because something about HAJE doesn't sit right with Ga Eul, she makes sure to remain as close to Jan Di as possible.
In the opinion of Lee Jae-Ha, the presence of Chu Ga Eul around Geum Jan Di is definitely a nuisance. Only because of the Japan Trio, he didn't dare to do anything to the girl either. So, he could only bide his time until Chu Ga Eul is away from Geum Jan Di before making his next move. First, he arrived early in school and seized the opportunity that nobody is around to stick the red tag issued by the F4 to his elder brother - Lee Min-Ha into the locker unit of Geum Jan Di. He can't exactly forge the red tag because a forged copy would give away the fact that someone's trying to impersonate the F4 on campus, which wouldn't go over well with the general students' population. So, the red tag has to be an authentic red tag issued by the F4.
Luckily for Lee Jae-Ha, it would seem that his elder brother didn't get around to disposing of the red tag issued by the F4 sometime back. So, Lee Jae-Ha was then able to pull off the first step to his revenge ploy against the F4.
Unlike Geum Jan Di who has a tendency to turn up in school early for a swim at the aquatic center, Chu Ga Eul tends to arrive in school with only 10-15 minutes to spare before the first official class begins for the day. Therefore, by the time she arrived on-site, all she knew was that her childhood friend had received a second red tag from the F4 and the bullying antics against her childhood friend were underway, again.
"..." Not one to rush headlong into the situation without gathering all her facts first, Chu Ga Eul took out her mobile phone to drop the Korean Casanova a quick text message to check on something concerning the origin of the red tag.
Private chat between Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong, 8th April 2009, Wednesday, 8.05am
Ga Eul: I apologize if my message interrupted you during a class. But I would like to double-check something with you. First of all, is Jun Pyo-sunbae in school today? Secondly, has the F4 issued out any red tags recently? Last but not least, when it comes down to the issuance of the red tags - who made the decision to issue them?
Yi Jeong: It's fine, our class seldom begins on time - anyway. In response to your queries on the red tag (odd questions coming from you but oh well…) First of all, Jun Pyo is absent from school today. Secondly, we haven't issued any red tags in recent months. The last time a red tag was issued was when Geum Jan Di first transferred into Shinhwa. Ever since then, Jun Pyo no longer issued red tags to the students in Shinhwa High anymore. Last but not least, only Jun Pyo would have the right to decide who gets a red tag. The rest of us have no say on the matter, does that answer your questions.
Ga Eul: Yes. It does. Thank you.
Location: F4 Private Classroom, Shinhwa Academy, 8th April 2009, Wednesday, 8.10am
"Yi Jeong, what's with that odd look on your face?" Song Woo Bin inquires, given that his desk was situated directly across from his Casanova friend - he was able to notice the odd expression formed on his friend's face as soon as it forms.
"Nothing, it's just… Ga Eul-yang message me to ask me a rather strange series of questions." So Yi Jeong confessed, as he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his suit and prepared the notes needed for the upcoming class.
"Strange questions meaning…?" Song Woo Bin continues to prompt, not giving up on getting the answers he wants from his Casanova friend despite knowing full well that their lecturer is already at the door, about to enter their private classroom within a matter of seconds.
"... She asked me about the red tags in general, and whether Jun Pyo is in school today." So Yi Jeong responded just as the lecturer stepped into the classroom.
"...That's strange. Why would she ask something like that?" Song Woo Bin commented with a baffling look on his features.
"No idea. She didn't say, and I didn't think it necessary to ask." So Yi Jeong shrugged in response, and the topic was closed for discussion as the lecturer cleared his throat to inform the duo that classes are about to begin.
"Jan Di ah… surely, you don't think Jun Pyo-sunbae would really issue you with a second red-tag. Do you?" Chu Ga Eul began as she caught up to her friend outside their classroom.
"I don't know what to think, Ga Eul…" Geum Jan Di answered somewhat dejectedly. The moment she told Gu Jun Pyo that she wishes for things to go back to the point before she knew the F4, she already knew she made the wrong call because she could feel her heart starting to crack under the pressure of her words. But it's also true that the financial issues that plague her family in the wake of her boyfriend's mother antics are starting to take their toll on them.
To her, HAJE was simply a friend who had helped her out in times of difficulties… and thus, the sight of her boyfriend getting jealous for no reason was a tad hard for her to endure. She could tolerate Gu Jun Pyo giving HAJE a punch or two in retaliation for HAJE's comment on their relationship, but not when Gu Jun Pyo seems determined to beat HAJE to a pulp like what he did with Gong Soo Pyo, the scumbag ex-boyfriend of her childhood friend.
"... Jun Pyo-sunbae isn't in school today, and I don't think the rest of the F4 would detest you enough to the level of re-issuing you another red tag for your decision to go on a break with Jun Pyo-sunbae." Chu Ga Eul commented then, her tone flat and devoid of emotions - making it hard for Geum Jan Di to tell how her friend was feeling towards this entire situation.
In Chu Ga Eul's opinion, the fact that her friend had received a second red tag from F4 sounds fishy as hell. First and foremost, Jan Di didn't sleep with HAJE. She only partnered that guy in a photoshoot for a magazine without informing Jun Pyo-sunbae in advance, and that she had lied to Jun Pyo-sunbae about her birthday date when in truth, she's off to work at the gas station that night.
Sure, Jun Pyo-sunbae might be angry and clouded with the haze of anger at being deceived by Jan Di initially… but surely when he had calmed down enough, he would have gotten over the matter just like how he did when Jan Di sort of 'cheated on him with Ji Hoo-sunbae. So, if Jun Pyo-sunbae was willing to overlook that kissing episode between Ji Hoo-sunbae and Jan Di, what's there to not forgive about Jan Di partnering up with HAJE for a photoshoot?
Secondly, with Jun Pyo-sunbae absent from school. Nobody else in the F4 would do something as childish as sticking a red tag into her friend's locker unit. In particular, Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 wouldn't have tolerated something of this sort. Then again, Ga Eul truly doubts the Korean Casanova and the Don Juan of F4 would attempt something this childish. Their way of expressing displeasure with her friend was to blatantly overlook her friend's presence in the school, which is exactly what they had done when Jan Di cheated on Jun Pyo-sunbae with Ji Hoo-sunbae, the other time.
Although, Geum Jan Di didn't respond. It was clear that her friend's words have struck a chord in her, in the process, renewing her trust in the Shinhwa heir. Thus, when she returns from lunch after class to find her desk and chair missing from the classroom and being taunted by the annoying trio - she didn't bat an eyelid and simply turns to make her way out to collect another set of desks and chairs from one of the abandoned classrooms in another part of the academic building. She had been wheeling the desk and chair collected towards the direction where her classroom was located when she suddenly heard the call for her to be careful coming from the figure - Lee Jae-Ha. Shortly after, Lee Jae-Ha sprinted in her direction and pushes her back just in time to avoid her head being smashed by a flower pot that has been dropped directly from above.
Too shell-shocked by the turn of events, Geum Jan Di stared at the debris of that flower pot that fell from above. Of all the pranks and bullying antics she had been subjected to thus far, the dropping of the flower pot is the most dangerous to date. If it hasn't been for her newfound friend's presence, her head would definitely be injured.
"It's Jun Pyo-sunbae." Lee Jae-Ha told Geum Jan Di in a firm tone of voice, trying to convince the girl that it has been Gu Jun Pyo that had dumped the flower pot from above intending to hurt Geum Jan Di.
"No, it can't be." Geum Jan Di was shaking her head as she headed back towards where her new chair and desk were located - intending to continue with her journey back to the class.
"It certainly is, that's the F4 private classroom above. Nobody else would dare to enter without the F4 permission." Lee Jae-Ha insisted to the ashen pale figure of Geum Jan Di, thinking her simply to be in denial of the acts of the Shinhwa heir.
"No... Gu Jun Pyo wouldn't do anything like this." Geum Jan Di was still denying the possibility as she wheeled her newly collected desk and chair towards the direction of her classroom, with her newfound friend assisting her with the task.
Lee Jae-Ha was completely in the dark that Geum Jan Di has already known of the Shinhwa heir's absence from school from the lips of Chu Ga Eul, earlier this morning. Thus, she's fully aware that whoever it was that threw the flower pot down from the F4 private classroom - it cannot be the Shinhwa heir, in person.
Shortly after Lee Jae-Ha and Geum Jan Di vanished from the site, Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 approached the area where the debris of the flower pot now rested on the ground and pick up a shard of the pot for inspecting.
[First the red tag, and now this…? Whoever it is, they certainly have a lot of guts to have the audacity to impersonate us.] Yoon Ji Hoo thought inwardly to himself, as he stood to go in search for his two friends in school.
Location: Shinhwa Academy, F4 Private Lounge, 8th April 2009, Wednesday, 1pm
"Guys, we have a problem." Yoon Ji Hoo started, calling out for the attention of his two playboy friends as he entered the private lounge of F4 on the campus grounds.
So Yi Jeong and Song Woo Bin glance over to their auburn-haired friend with mirroring expressions of bewilderment. And then, So Yi Jeong commented. "If you're talking about Geum Jan Di receiving a second red tag, we already know about it."
"Yes, Yi Jeong invited Ga Eul-yang over for lunch earlier and we had heard the story of Geum Jan Di receiving a second red tag in her locker earlier this morning from her." Song Woo Bin added as an afterthought, as he starts filling his auburn-haired friend in on the details, they heard from Ga Eul's reiteration of this morning's events.
"Someone threw a flower pot down from our private classroom when Geum Jan Di was passing by earlier." Yoon Ji Hoo interjected, informing his two friends of the recent event that had transpired in the last 10 minutes with a solemn expression on his face.
"What?" Both the Don Juan and the Korean Casanova straighten up as an expression of alarm clouded their features. And then, the two of them promptly start calling up the absent Shinhwa heir and the lackeys usually send out by their childish friend to execute the past bullying acts to see if anyone of them had pulled such a trick towards Geum Jan Di without their knowledge.
"I can't get through to Jun Pyo. How about you?" Song Woo Bin turns towards his Casanova friend and prompted.
"Called up every single one of them to check on the matter, neither of them claimed that they had entered our private classroom during lunch break earlier. So, unless Jun Pyo had some other lackeys that we had no idea of… it couldn't have been Jun Pyo's idea to dump a flower pot down when Geum Jan Di is walking past. And seriously, as angry as Jun Pyo might be at present - I don't think he had it in him to attempt to seriously wound Geum Jan Di. He loves her too much to cause her such harm." So Yi Jeong stated in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Coming back, Ji Hoo… given that you look solemn but not overly agitated… I'm assuming that Geum Jan Di wasn't harmed in the flower pot incident?" The Korean Casanova then turns his eyes upon the silent figure of Yoon Ji Hoo. Given how his auburn-haired friend was also attracted to Geum Jan Di, So Yi Jeong knows if anything did happen to the Wonder Woman of Korea - Ji Hoo wouldn't have been this calm, at this point.
"Yes. Her new friend saves her before the harm could be done. But he definitely hinted to Geum Jan Di that it's Jun Pyo who's behind the act." Yoon Ji Hoo stated in a flat tone of voice, it was clear as day that he didn't like Geum Jan Di's new friend and it's certainly isn't due to jealousy.
"..."
Meanwhile, the absent Gu Jun Pyo is currently vacationing on the Jeju island. He wanted to get away from Seoul, to clear his mind for a while but didn't want to fly somewhere too far out that he couldn't return to Seoul within a moment's notice. So, it was under the suggestion of his mother's secretary that he decided to isolate himself on Jeju island. Yes, he was isolating himself in his hotel room of the Shinhwa hotel on Jeju Island over the past few days, refusing to even entertain calls coming in from his friends.
Location: Unnamed neighborhood, 9th April 2009, Thursday 7am
Geum Jan Di was cycling through an unnamed neighborhood in Seoul while distributing the morning newspaper to the residents residing in this particular neighborhood alongside a packet of fresh milk that comes complimentary with the subscription of the morning edition of the newspaper when she sighted the presence of Yoon Ji Hoo at the end of the alley.
"Ji Hoo-sunbae…" Geum Jan Di started, sounding surprised by the appearance of the auburn-haired member of F4 in front of her this morning.
"Do you have time for a little chat with me?" Yoon Ji Hoo commented this is the only time he could approach her for a conversation without the need to concern himself with a group of nosy onlookers.
"... I still had another batch of delivery to complete." Geum Jan Di answered, glancing towards the basket installed to the front of her bicycle.
"I'll help you with the distribution then." Yoon Ji Hoo commented in response, as he alighted from his motorbike to assist the girl with the completion of the morning news delivery.
Shortly after, they went on to move their location to a nearby park for their little chit-chat session. After all, it would have looked odd to the eyes of the residents if they were to have their little conversation in front of someone's doorstep.
Picking up a remaining packet of milk from the basket of her bicycle, she handed it over to the auburn-haired member of F4. "Thank you for your help earlier."
"15 years." Yoon Ji Hoo suddenly commented, causing the girl to glance over at him with a quizzical look on her face.
"That's the total number of years I had known Jun Pyo. Although, there's a saying that goes one cannot truly know someone regardless of the amount of time that passed. I'm still inclined to believe in Jun Pyo. What about you? Do you believe in him?" Yoon Ji Hoo then remarked, shifting his eyes onto the figure of Geum Jan Di as he waited for a response from the girl he had grown to care about.
"... I wanted to believe in him, but the red tag in my locker isn't forged. Having received it before, I know exactly how the red tag should look like. Although, he hasn't been in school… he could have easily sent out one of his lackeys to put it in my locker. I believe that's how it usually goes; you guys wouldn't have gone down to the level of sticking red tag into the lockers of the students personally." Geum Jan Di remarked in a wry tone of voice.
"And the flower pot incident?" Yoon Ji Hoo prompted, wanting to know for certain what Geum Jan Di thought of that particular incident.
"I know it couldn't have been an authorized act from the members of F4, on the whole. However, I wouldn't discount the possibility of someone acting out on their own. Haven't there been a previous occurrence whereby some guy thought attempting rape on campus is the same as giving me a fright, and teaching me a lesson?" Geum Jan Di commented as she reminded the auburn-haired member of F4 of the first time he had saved her in school.
"..." Yoon Ji Hoo had no words because what Geum Jan Di had just pointed out to him was an undeniable fact. So, with an inward sigh - he decided to change the subject.
"Geum Jan Di, the reason why I didn't start anything with you is because of Jun Pyo. So, don't make me regret my decision." Yoon Ji Hoo ultimately commented as he stood to take his leave from the site leaving behind Geum Jan Di alone to mull on his departing words.
"..."
On the 10th of April, Friday - Chu Ga Eul was absent from school with a bit of a cold. And that provided Lee Jae-Ha with the perfect opportunity to execute his last part of the ploy against the F4 and carry out his part of the deal strike up with Kang Hee Soo, the mother of the Shinhwa heir.
The day started out for Geum Jan Di as per the other days in the wake of her receiving the second red tag. It begins with the public taunts from her fellow classmates, in particular, from the annoying trio. Without Ga Eul around as a 'stopper', their words tend to be a little more vicious than usual. After all, when Ga Eul is around - they try not to use words that are too degrading that would risk the ire of Ga Eul. Because when Ga Eul thought it necessary to interfere in their taunting episode, it would usually bring the attention of the Japan Trio onto them - which they had no desire to incur.
The turning point came when Geum Jan Di return from her lunch to an empty classroom, to find the note written in chalk on the blackboard of the classroom with the message of the class being shifted to take place in Science Lab 2. Despite feeling odd about the sudden change in classroom venue, Geum Jan Di proceed towards the science lab as instructed. If she had been paying a tad more attention, she would have noticed something odd about the science lab.
First of all, the lunch break is coming to an end. And if the class has really been shifted to take place in the science lab, the lab shouldn't be this empty. There are bound to be one or two students who had arrived early to prepare for the upcoming class, and yet… when Geum Jan Di arrived at the lab. The entire place was empty of life. Another telling sign that something isn't right, is the fact that the windows of the lab have been screwed shut from the outside. While the standard protocol indicates that a science lab shouldn't have operational windows… most schools would install windows that can be opened, when necessary, given that the lab is used as classrooms 80% of the time. Students are mostly handling harmless experiments since they don't even need to wear a lab coat while in the science lab.
Anyway, because Ga Eul was absent from school today, Geum Jan Di has no way of verifying if the class has indeed been shifted to take place in another classroom or it has been canceled for the day. After all, Geum Jan Di wasn't close enough to any of her classmates outside of Ga Eul to have their contact information.
When Geum Jan Di entered the science lab to find it empty, she didn't think it odd and instead simply thought the rest of her classmates have yet to arrive. Thus, she decided to wait for them to show up in the lab. Only, they never did - instead, what she found greeting her was the treatment of someone trapping her in the science lab with a smoke bomb.
Initially, Geum Jan Di thought she smelled something odd. So, she started sniffing the air trying to pinpoint where the pungent smell is coming from. Turning around, she found herself staring into a smokescreen with the smell of the smoke getting stronger with each passing minute. The pungent smell from the smoke bomb caused Geum Jan Di to wheeze and found herself having trouble with breathing.
It wasn't until she headed for the door to find it locked from the outside that she starts thinking of the possibility of her falling into someone's trap. She tried the windows next, but it refuses to budge and thus she started hammering on the window panes hoping to catch someone's attention. That was when Lee Jae-Ha made his glory appearance to save her, again.
Having inhaled too much smoke from the smoke bomb, Geum Jan Di was unable to maintain her conscious state of mind. The last thing she recalled doing was to press on the fire alarm in the science lab causing an immediate evacuation of the school building. Naturally, having fallen unconscious, Geum Jan Di was also unaware that Lee Jae-Ha had carried her out of the school building in his arms with the majority of her classmates around as witnesses.
While this is going on, Yoon Ji Hoo is still trying to get into contact with his absent long-time friend. Gu Jun Pyo, on the other hand, seems determined to ignore the calls coming from his fellow friends from F4. When he got frustrated by the relentless calling from Yoon Ji Hoo, the Shinhwa heir went as far as to remove the battery from his mobile device to avoid having to endure further ringing of his mobile device.
Location: Lee Jae-Ha's place of residence, 10th April 2009, Friday evening.
Tucking the unconscious figure of Geum Jan Di into his bed, Lee Jae-Ha spend a moment staring at the unconscious girl resting on his bed and felt the temptation to kiss the girl. Only, before he was able to drop a kiss onto the girl's head - he felt a buzzing coming from the pocket of his school uniform. Standing up so, he could reach for his buzzing phone from the pockets of his uniform - Lee Jae-Ha pulls out his phone to take a look at the Caller-ID.
As expected, it was an incoming call from Kang Hee Soo checking in on him on the progress of his ploy to separate Geum Jan Di and the Shinhwa heir. Not in the mood to speak too much to the lady president of the Shinhwa Group, Lee Jae-Ha simply smirked as he told the woman that Geum Jan Di is now sleeping in his bed. And the lady president simply needs to prepare for the money to be transferred to his bank account.
Over in New York, Kang Hee Soo was impressed by the performance of Lee Jae-Ha. Being in a good mood, she didn't reject her new secretary's suggestion to open a bottle of champagne in celebration of the fact that her son and Geum Jan Di had finally been separated. At this point, she was completely unaware that Lee Jae-Ha's ultimate aim was to revenge his elder brother who was forced to the brink of suicide by the F4, and the only reason he had agreed to separate Geum Jan Di and the Shinhwa heir was because he didn't wish to have to hurt the girl who had saved his brother in the process.
Over in Jeju island, Gu Jun Pyo spend his time walking around the vicinity of the hotel to reminisce on the events that took place in Namhaedo where the welcome party for Min Seo Hyun has been held sometime last year during their school trip. The layout of the hotel in Namhaedo was similar to the layout of the Shinhwa hotel in Jeju island, as such, the Shinhwa heir had no issue remembering the events that took place in Namhaedo as he conducted his walk-through of the place.
As he took a seat by the poolside, Gu Jun Pyo found himself thinking back to the words thrown his way by HAJE. Now that his mind wasn't flooded with jealousy, the Shinhwa heir was finally able to look at things from an objective point of view. Something HAJE mentioned struck a chord in him, mostly the part about him having to stop and consider his girlfriend's situation. This particular train of thoughts brought him back to the point where his girlfriend and her family were selling snacks on the roadside. So, maybe in hindsight, he shouldn't have thrown a big fuss over the idea of his girlfriend taking up an ad-hoc photoshoot job which pays relatively well based on what he had come to realize after speaking with the Jeong Sang-Rok, the secretary his mother had sic on him to oversee his every move while she's away in New York.
Deciding that perhaps it's time for him to finally head back to Seoul, he dialed up the number to Jeong Sang-Rok and instructed the guy to get his private jet ready.
Location: Shinhwa Academy, F4 Private Lounge, 11th April 2009, Saturday morning 10am
Due to the cold ailment, she's suffering from, Chu Ga Eul has taken to put on a surgical mask before leaving home for the Shinhwa Academy in search of the F4 – this morning. However, it is also because of the surgical mask covering up the majority part of her face leaving only her eyes exposed... the annoying trio wasn't able to recognize Ga Eul when she approached the F4 private lounge. The end result is that they had a bit of a disagreement outside the door of the F4 private lounge.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Choi Jin Hee practically demanded as she proceeds to block Ga Eul from the doorway that leads to the F4 private lounge with her own body.
"... Gees, you girls are really idiots. Aren't you?" Chu Ga Eul rolls her eyes idly in response, as she took off her surgical mask to let the annoying trio take a good look at her features. "So, can I go in now?"
"..." The annoying trio had no words, now that they knew who exactly it was who's trying to access the F4 private lounge. They had no right to stop the girl from going in to look for the members of F4, mostly because they are now fully aware that with or without Geum Jan Di – Chu Ga Eul is always welcomed to swing by the F4 private lounge because of her chumminess with So Yi Jeong of F4.
Pushing past the annoying trio, Chu Ga Eul reaches for the door handle of the door that leads to the inside of the private lounge of F4. Pushing it open, she was met by the sight of three sets of eyes staring straight at her. As it turns out, the earlier commotion taking place outside the door had caught the F3 attention, and thus, they were curious to see who it was that dares to barge their way through to come in search for them.
"Sorry for barging in uninvited." Chu Ga Eul started and was about to say more, paused for a moment to retrieve a paper napkin from her handbag, and promptly took a moment to sneeze into it. Once done, she replaced her surgical mask back onto her face to prevent spreading her cold symptoms to the members of F3.
The few moments without her mask on her face were enough to clue the F3 in about how terrible she looks at present. Bloodshot eyes due to not sleeping well, and the reindeer red nose from the constant sneezing fit due to her cold ailment – and because she's feeling unwell, she didn't even bother with the task of putting on make-up this morning.
"Ga Eul-yang, what are you doing here? I thought you were on sick leave?" So Yi Jeong began as he took in the obviously still unwell figure of Chu Ga Eul, with a concerned frown marring his features.
"I need your help. I received a call from the master at the porridge shop just now telling me that Jan Di hasn't been to work both yesterday evening and this morning, which spurs me on to contact her family to check in on her whereabouts. I thought she was out sick or something, given how much she had overworked recently. However, what I was told by her parents sent alarm bells ringing through my head. According to her little brother, they had received a call late last night from the master at the porridge shop informing them that Jan Di is out on a trip with the F4. But the thing is… the master at the porridge shop never called them up in the first place." Chu Ga Eul took a moment to sneeze into the paper napkin she had in hand and blew her nose into it, before explaining her reason for barging into the F4 private lounge, uninvited this morning.
"..." The F3 shared a look of dread among themselves, as they promptly spring into action. Song Woo Bin reacted first, by calling up the men of the II-Shin Gang telling them to go out in search of his absent friend and Geum Jan Di.
Yoon Ji Hoo left the lounge next, heading in the direction of the parking lot to pick up his motorbike as he calls up butler Lee telling him to try and get into contact with the missing Jun Pyo about Jan Di being in danger.
"You should go home and rest." So Yi Jeong started, frowning when Chu Ga Eul insisted on joining him in the searching process.
"No. There's no way I could have rested well at home without knowing for certain whether Jan Di is safe. It isn't like her to spend a night outside without calling up her parents personally. And with her being on a break with Jun Pyo-sunbae, there's no way you guys would spirit her away on an overnight trip. Taking into consideration how someone has been going around impersonating you guys at present, I thought something sinister is at play here." Chu Ga Eul responded in a tone that offers no room for negotiation, she might be down with cold symptoms but since she wasn't running a fever, she sees no reason why she couldn't join the Korean Casanova in his search for her childhood friend. Granted, the cold ailment is also contagious... but she thought, as long as she kept her mask on – it would greatly minimize the possibility of passing on the cold to the Korean Casanova.
"Fine." So Yi Jeong relented eventually but decided to make a detour to his pottery studio to swap his orange lotus for a red Lexus instead. After all, the weather is still a tad chilly, and given that the country bumpkin is already down with cold symptoms - he didn't want to risk worsening the girl's health by going all over the city in a vehicle without anything to shield the girl from the chilly weather.
Conversation during the drive was kept to the bare minimum, mostly because Ga Eul was busy sneezing away into her surgical mask during the entire ride to the pottery studio in the orange lotus. After swapping the orange lotus for the red Lexus vehicle, Ga Eul's sneezing fit toned down for a little bit as she didn't keep sneezing every minute. Still, So Yi Jeong made sure to add a scarf around the neck of the obviously unwell country bumpkin and handed her an entire new box of tissue paper; to blow out her nose and swap her soggy surgical mask for a new piece before finally allowing her to take up the side passenger seat of his red Lexus.
"I didn't know you have a red Lexus readily available in your garage." Chu Ga Eul commented as she settled down in the side passenger seat of the new vehicle belonging to the Korean Casanova.
"That's because I've only just gotten it shipped over recently. This is the first time I'm bringing it out on the road." So Yi Jeong responded as he flicked a glance over to the figure of Chu Ga Eul, to check on the girl's well-being. He's still against the idea of Chu Ga Eul tagging along with him for the search, to be honest. But he also knew he can't deter Chu Ga Eul from joining him for the ride. As the girl had mentioned earlier, she wouldn't be able to rest well at home without knowing for certain if Geum Jan Di is alright.
"This is so worrying, where could Jan Di be?!" Chu Ga Eul fretted as she starts calling up her ex-schoolmates from Seoul High School trying to see if anyone had any inkling about where her childhood friend could be, while the Korean Casanova started calling up places where the Shinhwa heir tends to frequent to see if anyone had seen his friend today.
"One could only hope that Geum Jan Di is with Jun Pyo…" So Yi Jeong mutters aloud in response to the fretting of Chu Ga Eul. At least, if Geum Jan Di is 'kidnapped' by his friend - then, probably nothing too drastic would happen. But if not… he shudders to think of the possible fate that might await the Wonder Woman of Korea. Because if there's anything he had agreed with the country bumpkin, it would be that whoever trying to impersonate the F4 is out to get them, on the whole.
First, their impersonators issued Geum Jan Di with a second red tag and then, came the descending flowerpot incident, followed by the science lab mishap. All of the above-mentioned acts involved Geum Jan Di as the victim, it seems whoever their impersonator is - they are trying their best to smear their reputation and image in the eyes of Geum Jan Di. Either that or their impersonator has a personal vendetta against Jun Pyo and is trying to hurt him by making an example out of Geum Jan Di.
If Geum Jan Di ended up getting hurt physically from either of those stunts, Jun Pyo would be hurt and upset because he isn't around to protect Geum Jan Di from harm. And if Geum Jan Di truly believe Jun Pyo to be the mastermind behind these recent events, and ended up hating the Shinhwa heir for it - Jun Pyo would be heartbroken. Either way, Jun Pyo gets hurt and the actual mastermind behind the ploy gets a win on his side of the court.
While the F3 and Chu Ga Eul were going all over the place in search of the missing Geum Jan Di, the Wonder Woman of Korea found herself waking up in an unknown place.
[Where is this place?] Geum Jan Di thought as she sat up in bed, still surveying the unfamiliar surroundings. The last time she woke up in an unknown place, she was set up by an unknown guy and Oh Min-Ji, so… forgive her if she appears to be a tad cautious about her present circumstances.
It was then that the figure of Lee Jae-Ha appeared with a food tray in hand for her, upon realizing the Geum Jan Di was awake. Lee Jae-Ha plastered on a smile as he greeted. "Good to see that you're awake, Sunbae. This is my home. I brought you here after rescuing you from the science lab yesterday. You must have inhaled quite an amount of smoke; this is the first time you had woken up since I brought you here."
"Yesterday? You mean, I haven't been home for an entire night?" Geum Jan Di seemed aghast over the idea of not having gone home for the night and was about to leave in a panicky rush when Lee Jae-Ha spoke up, again.
"Don't worry, Sunbae. I figured your family would be concerned about you not returning home, so I called them up last night to inform them that you've gone out on a trip with your friends. After that, they seemed assured that you would be fine." Lee Jae-Ha commented nonchalantly to the puzzled-looking Geum Jan Di.
"My friends?" There was a questioning look in Geum Jan Di's eyes as she repeated the words she heard from her newfound friend.
"The F4. It seems when I brought up the mention of the F4, your parents don't seem to be concerned about your well-being anymore." Lee Jae-Ha commented in a wry tone of voice.
"..."
"I apologized for troubling you last night, I think it's high time for me to take my leave." Geum Jan Di emerged out from the bedroom fully dressed up in her school uniform a couple of minutes later to thank her newfound friend for his hospitality, over the night.
"Do you still trust him?" Behind her, Lee Jae-Ha suddenly spoke up. There isn't a need to clarify who her newfound friend is referring to; it could only be the Shinhwa heir.
"Yes. I do trust him because I know he would trust me in return. Once again, thank you for hosting me overnight." Geum Jan Di said as she took her first step towards the doorway of the apartment unit, only for her newfound friend to halt her in the act.
"Why are you still heartbroken over him? Why do you still trust him after what he had done to you? He tried to make an attempt on your life, not once but twice." Lee Jae-Ha pressed on, unwilling to let the subject rest - going as far as to bring up the flower pot incident and the smoke-bomb incident in the science lab to Geum Jan Di.
"There's no evident proof that he's behind the flower pot incident and the science lab incident." Geum Jan Di stated flatly in return, her brows furrowing slightly at the way her newfound friend seems to want her to believe the Shinhwa heir as the culprit behind her recent suffering in school.
"It's definitely him, I already knew what kind of person he was before you met him. He isn't the type of person to be considerate of others. He viewed people outside of the F4 like insects." Lee Jae-Ha stated flatly, trying to refrain from sounding too agitated.
"No, there are things about him that I know and you don't know. Yes, he used to be that way… but he isn't the same now. So, don't you dare stand there and talk about things you have absolutely no clues about?" Geum Jan Di responded weariness creeping into her voice, she wonders why she's standing here arguing with Lee Jae-Ha about such things.
"Sunbae, can't you see that a relationship between the two of you would never work? Your world is too different. You should stay with me on this site, we are the ones who are living in the same world." Lee Jae-Ha commented in a last-ditch effort to stop Geum Jan Di from leaving, he was starting to sound a tad exasperated about how the girl's trust in the Shinhwa heir never seemed to waver - no matter how much he tried to smear the image of F4 in the girl's eyes.
"Enough, I'm done speaking to you on this matter. I'm fully aware of what I've done wrong, and I've spent the past week regretting it all. Lee Jae-Ha, I've only thought of you as a friend." Geum Jan Di said as she headed towards the doorway but then thought to add on another statement. This time, she reused the words she had once heard from a certain auburn-haired member of F4.
"Jun Pyo's world, Jae-Ha's world… such things don't exist as long as they are looking at things from the same angle." With that said, Geum Jan Di starts stalking down the hallway towards the doorway of the apartment unit. However, before she could place her hand on the handle of the door - Lee Jae-Ha approached her from behind and promptly pressed a handkerchief laced with chloroform to knock her out.
"I wished I didn't have to resort to this, but you leave me with no choice." Lee Jae-Ha murmurs as he caught the unconscious Geum Jan Di in his arms, again. Only this time, his handling of Geum Jan Di was no longer as gentle as before.
Carrying the unconscious figure of Geum Jan Di to the underground parking facility of the apartment building where his apartment unit is situated, Lee Jae-Ha approached an unknown vehicle. As he climbed into the back of the van, with the unconscious figure of Geum Jan Di in his arms - he nodded at the driver behind the steering wheel indicating that it's time for them to move on to the next destination.
The destination turns out to be an abandoned warehouse in the Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province), once arriving on site… Lee Jae-Ha wasted no time in handing Geum Jan Di over to the guys stationed at the warehouse. He didn't stop them from putting a gag on Geum Jan Di nor to tying the girl up with rope securing her to a chair in the warehouse, rendering her immobile. Once done, he handed a Polaroid camera to the guy to snap a picture of the unconscious Geum Jan Di in a gag and tied up position. Once the photo came out alright, together with a letter written out using the wording from newspapers cut-out. Lee Jae-Ha placed both the letter and the photo into an envelope and signaled for one of the lackeys to come over and send it to the Gu family mansion, on his behalf.
All the guys gathered here in the warehouse have some kind of feud against the Shinhwa heir in one way or another. Some of them, similar to his brother was bullied to the brink of mental fatigue and ended up transferring out of the school; whereas for some - their business has gone bust from the pressure of the Shinhwa Group. Among these guys included the two men whom he had engaged to stage that entire 'Enjoy Production' fiasco, which would allow him the perfect opportunity to get himself acquainted with Geum Jan Di.
Location: Inside So Yi Jeong's brand-new red Lexus, 11th April 2009, Saturday afternoon 11.30am
So Yi Jeong was about to ask what the country bumpkin would like to have for lunch when the silence in his car was broken by the sound of a melodious chime of an incoming call from the mobile phone of Chu Ga Eul.
Taking a look at the Caller-ID, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in answering the call upon reading the name of the caller.
"Yes, Masashi. Given that you're calling me now, I assumed you have the information that I seek." Chu Ga Eul responded as soon as she picks up the call.
"Huh? My voice sounded off to you… well, that's because I'm down with the cold symptoms hence the heavy nasal tone. Anyway, cut the crap and get straight to the point. Yes, I'm in the middle of something. Sure, you can send them to my email. Thanks." Chu Ga Eul found herself nodding to whatever was being said on the other end of the line, despite knowing full well that the caller wouldn't be able to see her reactions.
Once she ended the call, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time downloading the information pack sent to her email address by Isshiki Masashi and scanned through the entire PDF file swiftly. Upon landing her eyes on the name of the next-of-kin listed, Chu Ga Eul starts to feel dreadful. The name listed under the next-of-kin for HAJE's profile with the modeling agency he was affiliated to, which Isshiki Masashi had somehow managed to get his hands upon was the name 'Lee Min-Ha'.
On the next page, Isshiki Masashi proceeds to give Ga Eul a brief summary of the relationships between the two brothers. The reason why nobody makes the connection between Lee Min-Ha and Lee Jae-Ha in Shinhwa High is due to them being raised separately following their parents' divorce when they were mere toddlers. However, their relationship as brothers has always been close-knitted. Therefore, when Lee Min-Ha had a mental breakdown following the bullying treatment by the hands of his fellow schoolmates after receiving a red tag from the F4 for his careless remark… Lee Jae-Ha has been overcome with rage.
Given that the news reaches Lee Jae-Ha when he was in Japan for his debut photoshoot as a model, and the modeling agency HAJE was affiliated with was actually a subsidiary company branching off from one of the modeling agencies under the management of the Isshiki family. Masashi was able to get his hands on the classified information of the model HAJE. Either way, because Lee Jae-Ha was in Japan then - the workers on site were able to testify on his raging mood. Even though, none of the workers on site knows what he was muttering about… but Masashi harbor a guess that it's likely nothing good.
"Damn…" Unable to help it, Chu Ga Eul cursed aloud which causes the Korean Casanova to arch an eyebrow up in response.
"Alright, what brought this on? You aren't the type that would curse aloud for no reason." So Yi Jeong prompted, as he reminded the girl of his presence.
"Right… an acquaintance of mine had just sent me the information I requested over the email. And the information had just confirmed my hunch about the fact that HAJE is up to no good. According to Shunsuke's account of what he had witnessed in Euljiro-dong, about one week before the white valentine's day… everything Jan Di experienced that day in that neighborhood was just an elaborated ploy of HAJE." Chu Ga Eul was saying when So Yi Jeong held a hand up to halt her mid-words.
"Wait… pause for a second, and rewind for me. What happens to Geum Jan Di in Euljiro-dong? What is she doing there, and which day was it - again?" The Korean Casanova begins, given that he was completely out of the loop for this particular part of Ga Eul's reiteration.
"... Right, I forgot you have no idea what I'm talking about. Darn… this is going to take a bit of time. Why don't we stop for lunch at the porridge shop? I'll tell you the entire story over there, it's about time we stop for lunch anyway. I apologized if porridge isn't exactly on the top of your lunch consideration list, but given that I'm a patient here… please accommodate my taste buds for the day?" Chu Ga Eul commented, directing a pleading look of her own towards the Korean Casanova.
"Sure, I'm fine with stopping over at the porridge shop for lunch. I was just about to ask you what you intend to eat for lunch anyway." So Yi Jeong agreed easily enough, as he starts swerving his red Lexus towards the direction where he knew the porridge shop that the country bumpkin and Geum Jan Di works are located.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes: Wee~ Chapter 18 done, and I covered the entire episode 11 with my original scenes added even. No, wait, on second thoughts… I still have one last scene from episode 11 to cover… I nearly forgot about the Shinhwa heir return ^_^
Sorry, I had to make Ga Eul sick… but I can't see how Jae-Ha could put his ploy into motion with Ga Eul around to hinder his plans. So, he had to strike when Ga Eul is not in school… so, I put her on MC. ^^; but because of that we also get some original SoEul moments despite the brief appearance of her in the original drama whereby she barged into the F4 private lounge XD
Let me know how you find my version of the events; XD I'll start working on the next chapter soon :P See You~ Ciao~