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 34 - Time flies, Jan Di's Trip to Macau, Part 2
While Yi Jeong is enjoying yet another homemade dinner meal prepped up by Chu Ga Eul in his pottery studio with the girl, Song Woo Bin has just decided to pop by the pottery studio to borrow a car charger from the Korean Casanova. Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 was booking an appointment with the Shinhwa Hospital Diagnostic and Radiology department for Geum Jan Di to go in for an MRI scan to determine the cause of her recurring shoulder pain issue.
Once receiving the official notification about the appointment at the department being confirmed, Yoon Ji Hoo decided to not inform the girl about the appointment until the day of the appointment arrived. Given how the girl had previously hoodwinked him into believing that she had indeed gone to the doctor beforehand, Ji Hoo thought it best for him to bring the girl to the hospital personally for the check to take place.
Knowing that for Geum Jan Di to be able to take time off from work, the appointment at the hospital would need to be on a day whereby Chu Ga Eul would be able to work a full shift at the porridge shop. Yoon Ji Hoo had consulted the class schedules at the admin office of the art center before proceeding to book the appointment for Geum Jan Di's MRI scan at the diagnostic and radiology center of the Shinhwa Hospital.
Following this, Yoon Ji Hoo went on to drop a line of text messages to his Casanova friend - So Yi Jeong, via the Skype app, requesting for his friend not to plan for a date with the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di on that day. Despite Yi Jeong not having said anything to him in that particular aspect, Ji Hoo was observant enough to gather that his friend has finally made things official with Chu Ga Eul. One of the most telling signs of his friend had decided to make things official with the girl lies in that Yi Jeong no longer denies his words when he dubbed those meals his friend took with the girl four days out of the week - a date. That was how Ji Hoo got to know of his Casanova's friend decided to make things official with Chu Ga Eul.
Skype Message between Yoon Ji Hoo and So Yi Jeong, 13th November 2009, Friday, 8pm
Ji Hoo: Apologies if I'm interrupting you amid a date with Ga Eul-yang. But I just thought to check in advance with you. Are you planning anything on coming Monday afternoon with Ga Eul-yang?
Yi Jeong: Yes. You're interrupting me amid an evening stroll with Ga Eul in the neighborhood after our dinner meal. And no, I haven't got anything special planned for the coming Monday. Why? Do you need me for something?
Ji Hoo: No, but I need Ga Eul-yang to cover Geum Jan Di's shift at the porridge shop on Monday. I'm bringing her to the hospital to get her shoulders checked out. Apparently, she had skipped out on the routine medical review appointment with her doctor after the kidnapping incident. I've only found out after calling up the hospital to see if she has gone in for the follow-up appointment as scheduled two days ago.
According to the hospital's record, other than the first follow-up appointment; she has not been turning up for the subsequent appointments. I have reasons to believe that even for the first appointment at the hospital in the wake of the kidnapping incident, she only turns up because Jun Pyo had forcibly dragged her in. So, needless to say, once Jun Pyo is no longer in the country - Geum Jan Di, out of concern for the check-up costs at the hospital, decides to not show up for the subsequent follow-up appointments.
Yi Jeong: Why? What's wrong with Geum Jan Di's shoulder?
Ji Hoo: She has been experiencing pain in her shoulders for months now, it seems. I told her to go to the doctor, but she didn't go. So, I told her to tell the doctor-in-charge of reviewing her follow-up appointment at the hospital about the pain in her shoulder. She told me she went, but in actuality, she didn't show up for her appointment. So, this time, I decided to go around her back to book her a diagnostic check at the hospital and I'm not going to tell her to show up herself at the hospital. Instead, I'm going to be bringing her in for the medical check personally. That way, she wouldn't be able to give me the slip. But for that to happen, I would need Chu Ga Eul to cover her shift at the porridge shop so the shop wouldn't be left short-handed during the peak hours.
Yi Jeong: I see. Noted, I'll make sure not to plan anything for Monday then. As for my dinner meal on that day, I'm sure Ga Eul would think of something.
Even though the Korean Casanova had learned of his friend's plan to have his girlfriend cover the shift of Geum Jan Di at the porridge shop on the coming Monday - he didn't let anything slip to his girlfriend until he was sending the girl back home in his red Lexus.
"Ga Eul, I think your upcoming week's schedule needs to be tweaked for a bit." The Korean Casanova started as he stops his car at a traffic junction, acting accordingly to the traffic lights signal.
"Huh? Why?" Chu Ga Eul blinked as she directed a confused gaze towards the figure of So Yi Jeong, wondering why there would be a need for her to tweak her schedule. She highly doubts it's because the guy wanted to bring her out for a getaway trip. After all, there aren't any long weekends upcoming up and Yi Jeong-sunbae isn't Jun Pyo-sunbae. An impromptu getaway trip wasn't exactly his thing to do… because it requires too much rescheduling of his personal schedule as well.
"Ji Hoo messaged in earlier, he said he had booked Geum Jan Di a diagnostic scan appointment at the Shinhwa Hospital on the coming Monday and thus would need you to work a full shift at the porridge shop, so your friend would be able to take time off from work. Speaking of your job at the porridge shop, you don't seem to be working full shifts anymore - do you?" The Korean Casanova commented, after taking a moment to think back on his girlfriend's schedule since her return from Japan in July.
"I'm glad to hear that Ji Hoo-sunbae has a solid plan in place on getting Jan Di to the doctor. I kept telling her that she needs to get her shoulders checked out by medical staff but she kept on brushing me off, saying that it'll pass in time. As for my job at the porridge shop, well… given that it's Jan Di that needed the money - not me. I had graciously allowed her to take on longer shift work at the porridge shop. As such, now… I'm only working full shift once per week and that's only because according to the employment act in place - staff employed in any organization needs to be entitled to at least one rest day per week. Depending on which day the master schedules her for an off-day, that would be the day I'll be working the full shift. Thus far, her off-day has been scheduled on Wednesday though." Chu Ga Eul rolls her eyes briefly when she spoke about her friend's stubborn stance on the subject of seeking medical help for her aching shoulders before providing the curious-looking potter of F4, the reason behind her lesser shift work at the porridge shop.
"Oh, was that why - I'm no longer getting the chance to see you on Wednesday evening for dinner these days?" The Korean Casanova clarifies, the question has been bugging him for months now. Seeing as it's only after Ga Eul's return from Tokyo that instead of Wednesday, it's Thursday that he gets to see the girl now for their mid-week dinner session.
They have the routine of meeting up for dinner meals four days out of the week, even before they had to make things official between them. Previously, their dinner appointment is scheduled on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. After Ga Eul's return from Tokyo, the dinner appointments were shifted to Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Except for Saturday, whereby they tend to dine out… the rest of the time, they usually dine in the pottery studio of Yi Jeong enjoying the homemade dinner meal brought over by Ga Eul. But occasionally, Yi Jeong would suggest dining out - such as yesterday. Of course, to prevent any food from going to waste - if Yi Jeong does intend to bring Ga Eul out for dinner elsewhere, he would inform the girl ahead of time so Ga Eul needn't prepare his dinner meal on that specific day.
On days whereby Ga Eul isn't coming by with dinners for him or meeting him for dinner - Yi Jeong usually had to get dinner elsewhere for himself. Occasionally, he would join his grandfather for a meal back at his family home but usually, he would just check in with Woo Bin to see if his friend is free to meet up with him for a meal. On the rare chance that he ended dining alone, his dinner is usually just a sandwich that he had grabbed from the cafe nearby or the convenience store.
Thankfully, these days aside from Woo Bin and Ji Hoo, he could also seek out the companionship of his elder brother if he needs a dining companion. Albeit, most of the time, that would mean bringing takeout to the cafe owned by his brother and eating with his elder brother in the cafe. Seeing as his brother had no additional staff employed at the cafe, and is running the entire cafe business on his own for the time being.
"I see…so, should I be expected to settle dinner on my own that day?" So Yi Jeong inquires, as he restarted the engine of his vehicle upon the traffic light signal turning green for the vehicles to get moving.
"Hmm… if you don't mind the hassle of heating up the food I prepped up for you in advance on your own with the use of the oven. I can easily whip up something a day ahead and store it away in your fridge, you just have to remember to heat it up before ingesting them. Or I could drop it off at your pottery studio on Monday morning before school…since it's Shuichi's turn to chauffeur me to school on Monday, I could have him drop by your pottery studio while on the way to school." Chu Ga Eul pondered over the issue for a few minutes, before offering up the two options for the Korean Casanova's picking.
"Personally, I preferred the first option. My classes begin earlier on Monday, and so, I might not be at the pottery studio if you decide to drop by before school starts for you on Monday." So Yi Jeong interjected firmly as he provided his input on the matter.
"Okay, in that case, I will prepare something for you ahead of time and drop it off at your pottery studio on Sunday night. Oh, and I should be coming clean to Kazuki about the nature of our relationship this coming Sunday. So, he might decide to be the one ferrying me over to your pottery studio on Sunday night when I swing by to drop off your dinner for Monday." Chu Ga Eul begins as she dropped the second bit of information onto the head of her boyfriend, nonchalantly.
"...Oh, okay." Yi Jeong didn't realize it but he actually sounded faint at the thought of meeting up with the Miyazawa heir this soon, after he had given clearance to his girlfriend for revealing the nature of their relationship to her overprotective brother.
"Yi Jeong-sunbae, don't fret. If he decides to have his chat with you on Sunday night, at least, I'll be here to intervene and pull rank on him, should the need arises." Chu Ga Eul commented after detecting the underlying anxiety in the body language of her boyfriend over the thought of meeting her overprotective brother.
"Thanks, Ga Eul. I'm sure your presence on Sunday night would be helpful." Yi Jeong commented as he turns to throw a quick look of gratitude towards Ga Eul, as he still needs to keep the bulk of his focus on the road given that he's driving at present.
In response, Chu Ga Eul directed an encouraging smile towards the potter of F4 before shifting her focus onto the dinner menu for both the upcoming Sunday and Monday. Sunday - because it's her turn to host the weekly dinner session for the E3, and though she has decided to serve them, Chinese cuisines. There is quite a wide variety of Chinese dishes that she has in her recipes collection, the question now is how many dishes she would be whipping up for dinner on that day. As for Monday's dinner menu, well… it's mostly for the benefit of her boyfriend who has zero skills in the culinary department.
Song Woo Bin definitely wasn't lying when he claims that the kitchenette space in the pottery studio was simply there for showing until she came into the picture. So, whatever food she prepped up for her boyfriend's consumption for Monday's dinner meal needs to be simple, and easy to reheat with the use of the oven unit.
[Fried rice or fried rice vermicelli? Rice bowl? Oh well… let's see what I could use for his dinner when the Sunday dinner came to an end. If there's leftover steamed rice by the time dinner came to an end on Sunday, I'll prepare either a rice bowl or fried rice for Yi Jeong-sunbae. Both dishes are easy to heat up with the oven unit.] - Chu Ga Eul thought as she decides to finalize the dinner menu for Sunday first, before fretting about what to whip up for her boyfriend's microwave dinner on Monday.
"Ga Eul, I hate to interrupt you when you're deep in thoughts but we've arrived." Yi Jeong begins speaking up to draw the attention of his girlfriend from her thoughts, after having parked in front of the Chu family home for a few minutes. If it's up to him, Yi Jeong would gladly stay put and wait for Ga Eul to snap out from her deep thoughts but unfortunately, he had sighted the adoptive parent of his girlfriend peeking out of the window just now and knows that if Ga Eul still fails to alight from his vehicle in the next few minutes. The man is likely going to come out and collect his girlfriend from his vehicle in person.
"Hmm…? Oh, right. Thanks for the ride, Yi Jeong-sunbae. I apologized for zoning out during the later part of the car ride. I didn't miss anything, did I?" Ga Eul blinked as she came back to her senses appeared a tad sheepish for having zoned out mid-ride.
"It's fine. I pretty much left you alone to your thoughts after realizing that your mind had gone somewhere. So, you didn't miss anything important but it's probably best for you to start alighting from my vehicle now. I spotted your adoptive parent peeking out from the window earlier, so… I wouldn't put it past him to come out personally to collect you if you fail to alight from my car in the next few minutes." So Yi Jeong commented a tad wryly at his first official girlfriend, as he enjoys the wide-eyed look on the face of Chu Ga Eul.
"Right, I'd best get going then. See you tomorrow." Chu Ga Eul calls out to the Korean Casanova as she hurried to unbuckle her seatbelt and alight from the red Lexus before her adoptive parent could come out to collect her in person.
"See you tomorrow." Yi Jeong echoed in response, as he flashes another charming dimpled smile of his towards the figure of Chu Ga Eul. Smirking in satisfaction when he noted the blushing reaction of his girlfriend, So Yi Jeong then steered his red Lexus out of the neighborhood while keeping his speed at a constant despite the temptation to hightail out of the area. In particular, after he noticed the sight of his girlfriend's adoptive parent stepping out of the house from the rear-view mirror of his vehicle.
"I take it that things are official between the two of you now?" Chu Su Won commented with a raise of his eyebrow as he glances towards his adoptive daughter.
"...Indeed." Chu Ga Eul admitted, seeing no point in hiding the fact from her adoptive parent. With how well-versed her adoptive parent is when it comes down to the language of the flowers, the man likely had caught on to the fact the moment she stepped through her family home's doorway with the bouquet of orange roses in hand, earlier on in the month.
"And when would I get to officially meet this elusive boyfriend of yours?" Chu Su Won prompted, not letting Ga Eul off the hook easily even though the girl looks as though her face had just caught fire.
"Whenever he's mentally prepared, I supposed. I think he wanted to deal with the meeting with Kazuki first before anything else." Ga Eul told her adoptive parent eventually while sending the man a pleading look for the subject to be dropped for the time being.
"Ah… the desire to get rid of the overprotective brothers first. Understandable, I supposed. Alright then, I'll wait for my turn to meet him for now. Anyway, Ga Eul - are you going to come into the house anytime soon? We have been standing out here on the porch for ten minutes now…"Chu Su Won reminded, causing Ga Eul to flush crimson once again.
"Of course, I'm heading in. Come on, appa! Let's go in before eomma decided to send Jung Min out to see what we were doing out here on the porch." Ga Eul started as she pulled her adoptive parent into the house after her.
Location: Ii-Shin Construction, Song Woo Bin's private office, 14th November 2009, Saturday morning, 10am
When the Don Juan of F4 stepped into his private office within the building owned by his family, housing the corporate offices under the Ii-Shin Group. The last thing he expected was to receive an incoming call from Hong Kong, China. Now, when the receptionist on duty informed him over the company's intercom system that he had an incoming call from Hong Kong, China specifically requesting to speak to him. Song Woo Bin's first thought was that his absent friend - the Shinhwa heir had finally thought to contact one of them with an overseas call and thus, he had told the receptionist on duty to put the call through to his private office.
"Hello from Hong Kong, I'm not sure if you still remember me. We met briefly in Bangkok, I'm Jae-Kyung. I'm so glad that you are reachable through the office number, cause I seriously doubt the receptionist would be open to the idea of divulging your personal mobile number to me if you weren't in." The heiress of the JK Group commented the moment the call gets connected to the private office belonging to the heir of the Ii-Shin Group in the corporate building owned by the Song family, which serves as the headquarters for both the Ii-Shin Construction and the Ii-Shin Property Group.
The standard greeting Woo Bin tends to use with his friends was on the tips of his tongue about to be uttered when he realized that the caller isn't Jun Pyo, as he had assumed previously but someone else. Staring disbelievingly at the phone receiver, Song Woo Bin took a moment to recover his speech ability when he finally put a face to the name uttered by the caller on the other end of the line? Honestly, if the girl hasn't mentioned - Bangkok in her greeting message, he would not have recalled the identity of his surprise caller this morning.
"Wait… Jae-Kyung as in the heiress to the JK Group, that - Ha Jae-Kyung?!" Song Woo Bin repeated incredulously into the phone, as he inwardly wonders how on earth the girl had managed to get her hands on the number to establish contact with him. Given that he's quite certain that he didn't provide the girl with any forms of his contact information.
"Bingo! Congrats on getting it right, but unfortunately there isn't any prize for your correct guess." The heiress of the JK Group responded cheerfully over the phone, from the other end of the line.
"How did you get the number, if you don't mind me asking?" The heir of the Ii-Shin Construction inquires, sounding absolutely incredulous by the absurd situation at hand. Inwardly, he was wondering why on earth is the heiress of the JK Group calling him from Hong Kong, China at this timing.
"Prince Song… need I remind you that this isn't your private number I'm calling but the corporate hotline number? The main office number was published openly on the corporate website of your family business group. All I had to do is to access the internet and do an internet search for Ii-Shin Construction online, and I could easily get the inquiry hotline to the company. After that, it's just a matter of luck and the necessity of the call to be transferred from the reception to the relevant department." The heiress of the JK Group reminded Woo Bin from the other end of the line, drily.
"Right… and why are you calling me out of the blue? Based on my recognition, we have met only once in person while in Bangkok and the encounter was a brief one too. I hardly think we are considered close enough for you to be calling me up for an idle chit-chat for no apparent reason." Song Woo Bin pointed out to the heiress of the JK Group objectively. Somehow, he doubted the girl simply called him over a long-distance international call because she needs someone to provide her with a sightseeing guide. That could easily be found in most tourists spots in Hong Kong, itself.
"Okay… take a chill pill and relax. I didn't exactly call in looking for you with no valid reasons. In fact, my bodyguard - Chen, was quite insistent about me making this call. You see, I was in Hong Kong sightseeing recently and one of the places I had decided to check out was the nightlife entertainment spot in the city - which is the Lan Kwai Fong, for this instance. I was having a bit of fun by engaging some tourists like myself checking out the clubs and bars in the area for a bit of idle chit-chat, when I kind of, unintentionally mentioned your name a tad too casually when sharing my sightseeing experience in Bangkok with a group of tourists who intends to pop over to Thailand for a visit soon. With the tourists, it was fine but the bartender serving us kind of turned his wide-eyed look on me. The next thing I know, I needn't pay for my expenses and one of the staff even escorted me out of the bar's door when I decided to take my leave, in an extremely polite manner. Chen later told me that she overheard a few staff conversing about your family being well-known in the area? Because the conversation she overheard was in the native tongue of Cantonese, she didn't comprehend the entire contents of the conversation. What she gathered though was that the staff in the bar seems to know your family quite well?" The heiress of the JK Group sounded absolutely curious over the phone, causing the heir of the Ii-Shin Construction Group to palm his face on reflex.
[...Of all places, it just has to be LKF that she ends up blurting out my name? And not just any bar, but the bar owned by the relatives on my mother's side of the family too?! Damn… let's just hope the staff didn't go blabbing unnecessarily to my maternal grandfather on the matter. My mom would start getting on my case about a non-existent girlfriend, if she were to catch wind of the rumors that's no doubt spreading in Hong Kong like fire now.] Song Woo Bin, the heir of the Ii-Shin Construction stamped down the urge to groan aloud in response, while inwardly expressing his thanks to the bodyguard of the heiress to the JK Group for insisting on the girl to call him up and give him a heads-up on the matter. It would be easier to clean up the mess at this point, than at a later time. He seriously doubt his mother would believe him that nothing is going on between him and the heiress of the JK Group if she had caught wind of the rumors spreading around in Hong Kong before hearing his side of the story first.
"I thanked you for your insight to inform me on the matter. Not that it is of any concern to you, but my family is indeed acquainted with the owner of the bar you patronize last evening in Lan Kwai Fong. And therefore, I supposed I had some form of damage control to do…in the wake of your casual mention of my name in the bar. Anyway, is that everything you wished to inform me?" Song Woo Bin inquires, keeping his tone even and calm even though his mind is starting to put up a quick plan on how to stop the rumor mill going on in Hong Kong from reaching the ears of his mother.
"Yep, that's everything. Oh, and what's your contact number? Give me a number that can reach you directly. It's quite a hassle having to go through the receptionist every single time. And what do you mean by damage control?" The heiress of the JK Group commented cheerfully over the phone, before her curiosity gets the best of her, again.
"...02-xxx3-8x9x, remember to add the country code +82 if you are calling from another country. Of course, omit the 0 if you aren't in Seoul. As for the damage control, well… unless you wish to end up irrevocably linked to me on your entire touring trip in Hong Kong and its neighboring city, there's some clearing up I have to do with my family friends based in that city." Song Woo Bin rolls his eyes as he cited off the landline number of his private office to the persistent heiress of the JK Group, before satisfying the curiosity of the girl in a mocking tone of voice.
"... Oh…okay. Thanks for providing me with a number that I could reach you directly! But that's the landline number, isn't it? What about your mobile number?" The heiress of the JK Group continues to pry.
"... 010-xx8x-6x9x, omit the 0 and add the country code if you intend to call this number from overseas." Song Woo Bin sighed aloud as he cited off his personal mobile number to the heiress of the JK Group, even though he has absolutely no clues about why the girl even wanted his contact number for.
At this point, all Woo Bin wanted to do is to end the ongoing call fast so he could proceed to clean up the mess created by the heiress of the JK Group for him with her casual and mindless comment in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong. The earliest he could halt the rumor mill in its act, the better. Because he really does not wish to end up explaining to his mother why she wasn't informed about his 'girlfriend', when he didn't have one - at least, not one that's official given his reputation as the Don Juan of F4.
"Excellent. Thank you, Prince Song." The heiress of JK Group chirped cheerfully over the phone, before finally ending the call.
"You're welcome." Upon ending the call, Song Woo Bin spend a moment mulling over the situation in silence before picking up the phone of his office to call up one of his cousins from his mother's side of the family. He figured the best way to stop the rumors from reaching the ears of his mother was to ensure that it never reaches the earshot of his grandfather, and to do that, the best person for the job would be his cousin.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, the heiress of the JK Group ended the call with Song Woo Bin with a satisfactory grin playing on her lips. Her bodyguard - Chen, was shaking her head at the young lady with an unimpressed look.
"Honestly, Young Mistress. I told you to call him up and give him a heads-up about what you had said and done in Lan Kwai Fong last night. I didn't ask you to get your hands on his personal contact number though. And what do you intend to do with his personal contact number? You aren't thinking of inconveniencing him further than what you'd already done, are you?" Chen, the bodyguard deadpans to the figure of Ha Jae-Kyung with a disapproving look in her eyes.
"Nay…I just thought the number might come in handy in Macau. After all, there are lots of casinos in that place - isn't it? And considering that Macau is on my list of destinations to visit, who knows - I might be able to receive VIP treatment at one of the casinos with his influence. After all, he did say earlier that his family has friends that were based in Hong Kong and its neighboring cities, didn't he? Furthermore, appa has banned me from spamming his phone with my sightseeing pictures… so, I need someone else to share the pictures with." The heiress of the JK Group declared smugly at her bodyguard.
"..."
"Come on, the Ocean Park is waiting!" The heiress of the JK Group beams at her bodyguard as she promptly decided about where to go sightseeing next in the city of Hong Kong, and proceeded to waltz out of her hotel room in the Shinhwa Hotel based in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong.
With a shake of her head and a sigh of resignation, Chen - the ever responsible and dutiful bodyguard of the heiress stood from her position at the foot of the bed in her Young Mistress's hotel room to follow the heiress out of the room preparing to hit the streets for another day of sightseeing in the city of Hong Kong.
Location: So Yi Jeong's Pottery Studio, 14th November 2009, Saturday night, 9pm
So Yi Jeong returns to his pottery studio after sending his beloved country bumpkin back home following the end of their dinner date in a high-end French restaurant in Gangnam district, to find the figure of his best friend waiting for his return outside his pottery studio.
"...You know, Woo Bin - next time if you intend to drop by for a visit, do send word ahead. You're lucky this isn't in the middle of the winter season, else you are going to freeze your arse off by waiting out here." The Korean Casanova deadpans as he unlocked the main gate to his pottery studio with the auto-gate remote control he had on his person. A quick look around informs him that his friend's yellow lotus isn't anywhere around, which means - his friend arrived via his family car, and right now… the vehicle is likely on the way back to the Song family home.
"Sorry, I'll make sure to send word ahead the next time I'm dropping by. Anyway, I need a drink - so, let's break into your liquor cabinet without delay." Song Woo Bin commented as he followed the lead of his friend into the domain of the pottery studio.
"...why do you always break into my liquor cabinet? I'm sure you have your own liquor collection somewhere in your own family home that you can break into." So Yi Jeong inquires in a dry tone of voice, as he took out his keys to unlock the doorway that would lead them into the inside of his studio space.
"While it's true that I did have my own liquor cabinet at home… it's no good if there isn't a drinking buddy. With you cutting back on the time spent in clubs, it's only natural for me to seek you out at your pottery studio when I find myself in need of a drinking buddy." Song Woo Bin commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"..." The Korean Casanova had no words for his friend, after that and thus wordlessly headed towards where he had stored his liquor collection and picked out a bottle on random before bringing it over to the table where his friend had chosen to sit
They drank in silence for a few minutes, before So Yi Jeong took it upon himself to break the silence by addressing his moody friend. "So, what brought you into the drinking mood this evening? It can't be due to work reasons, this time."
"Aargh… you recall the tale about how I'm forced to escort someone to one of the three infamous red-light districts in Bangkok when you ask after my experience in Thailand, earlier?" Song Woo Bin begins with a groan.
"Vaguely… why? Did someone nosy photograph it and send it to the press?" So Yi Jeong questioned his friend in return as he removed his suit coat from his person and hang it up on the coat hanging rack sitting in a corner of his pottery studio.
"What? No… that wasn't the cause of my drinking mood this evening. What brought on my drinking mood was the mess I had to clean up after receiving a phone call from that same girl earlier this morning in my private office at the corporate building of my family business. Apparently, she's vacationing in Hong Kong now and went on an exploration trip to the Lan Kwai Fong area. Either way, she just has to patronize the bar owned by my mother's family in that area. A casual comment from her with the mention of my name during one of her idle chit-chat with a fellow tourist caught the attention of the bartender serving them. The end result - she got VIP treatment at the bar, with her expenses fully waived off for her visit. She thought it was weird and thus decides to call me up to inform me of that odd experience she had the previous evening. As she has no way of contacting me, she resorted to calling up the corporate hotline listed on the website of my family business group." Song Woo Bin lamented aloud with a sigh, as he downed the shot of whiskey served to him by his best friend before continuing the narration of his day's event at the office.
"Either way, she might not have a clue why she got such preferential treatment at the bar - I'm not. There's only one reason why she would receive such treatment from the staff at the bar, they likely mistook her for my girlfriend or something. Regardless, I was eager to get off the phone with her so I could do some damage control before the rumor mill reaches the earshot of my grandfather, who will then inform my mother through the means of an overseas call. So, in a moment of folly, I didn't just provide her with the landline number of my private office in the Ii-Shin Group but also my personal mobile number. And now, I'm getting bombarded on my personal mobile phone with a dozen of pictures she took on her sightseeing trip in Hong Kong." Song Woo Bin complained to his friend, and to further prove his point - he actually placed his mobile phone out onto the table in the pottery studio, which is still buzzing with activity.
"... Okay, and did you manage to halt the rumors in the mill?" So Yi Jeong had to refrain from quirking up his lips in amusement at the glaring look his friend is throwing at the offending piece of gadget vibrating on the table they were seated in his pottery studio. Inwardly, the potter of F4 was thankful that although Ga Eul does have the habit of taking photos - she didn't have the habit of spamming his phone with the photos she had taken. Instead, the country bumpkin would simply upload all the photos she had taken on her phone onto her Instagram account and later send him a link to her latest Instagram post to check out the photos of any scenic views she found alluring.
"Kind of, but not before my cousin pries deeper into the subject of how I got myself acquainted with such an interesting girl. As it turns out, he was the bartender who was serving the group of tourists that evening. And it was his instructions that the girl had gotten VIP treatment at the bar." Song Woo Bin filled his best friend in on the information he had gathered from his cousin through the earlier phone call with a roll of his eyes.
"What a coincidence. By any chance, is there a name to the girl that stresses you out this much?" So Yi Jeong remarked as he masked his smirk of amusement behind his own whiskey tumbler.
"... and why on earth would you want to know her name?" Song Woo Bin was instantly wary, something tells him that he shouldn't let his friend gets his hands on that info.
"Curiosity, I supposed. And why are you so guarded against the idea of me finding out her name?" So Yi Jeong questioned his friend back in return, with a questioning look.
"..."
Location: Porridge Shop, 16th November 2009, Monday, 3pm
The odd regular customer of the porridge shop is here again. This time, he ordered yet another royal court dish - Gujeolpan, literally a nine-sectioned plate. This elaborate dish consists of several different vegetables and meats served with thin pancakes.
The old man uses the chopsticks to put the vegetables and meat onto the thin pancakes before wrapping them up and eating them, in that manner. Before he eat the pancake though, he couldn't help but be criticized. "Gujeolpan is all about the colors arrangement and visual effect for the consumers, but yours is just… lacking in comparison."
"...It looks delicious though." Geum Jan Di murmurs under her breath, and Bom Choon-Sik, the master of the porridge shop who overheard her comment then gestured towards the extra set of the same dish he had prepared in the kitchen earlier and said. "You girls can have a taste of it too."
And so, Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di went over to the extra set of the same dish prepared by their employer and feed each other with a pair of chopsticks. The girls chewed and swallowed before sharing a look among themselves and remarked. "This is delicious!"
Over at the table where their odd regular customer sat, the old man simply shakes his head at the girls' response. The only reason why they would find the dish satisfying is that they didn't have a chance to taste the cooking of their employer's father, his former head chef at the blue house. Bom Choon-Sik's culinary skills when compared to his father who has been employed at the blue house as the head chef are still lacking somewhat.
Keeping his eyes on Geum Jan Di, the old man started. "So, young lady - have you done your homework yet?"
"...homework?" Geum Jan Di felt herself sweat-dropping in response to the old man's words, if the homework refers to the cryptic comment he had dropped at her the last time he came by… then, it's a no. After all, she didn't exactly have time to dwell on such random matters when she already have enough on her plate to handle daily.
Just when Geum Jan Di was about to admit that she hasn't exactly done her homework on the lotus remark, her mobile phone starts ringing in her pocket. Shooting an apologetic look at the customer waiting for her response, she dug out her phone and took a look at the name of the caller on the screen of her phone. Upon noticing that it's Yoon Ji Hoo who's calling, Jan Di decided to pick up the call. After all, the auburn-haired member of F4 would not call her up randomly.
"Yes, Ji Hoo-sunbae?" Geum Jan Di answered the call with a tone of curiosity, completely missing out on the brief moment of surprise that flashes in the eyes of the odd customer of the porridge shop upon the way she had addressed her caller through the phone.
"Eh? Now?" Geum Jan Di blinked glancing towards her friend who nodded discreetly at her to head off to meet the auburn-haired member of F4, another look in her boss's direction informed her that the man had no issues with her leaving work early for the day as well. So, with a shrug, Geum Jan Di removed the apron of the porridge shop from her person and collected her sling bag from the cashier counter as she took an early leave from her part-time job this afternoon.
The old man who has been eating halted mid-act, unable to keep his curiosity at bay - the old man decided to leave the porridge shop as soon as Geum Jan Di left the shop. While it could be a mere coincidence of the caller sharing the same name as his estranged grandson, the former president of the country was unable to keep his curiosity at bay.
Just before he could leave the shop after citing his appetite being spoiled, Bom Choon-Sik stepped forth and inquires. "Erm… what should I serve you on your next visit?"
"...Make me something that you are most confident in serving, something that you think wouldn't lose out in comparison with your father's skills." Yoon Seok Young, the old man and former president of the country responded.
"Of course." Bom Choon-Sik beams in response, while Chu Ga Eul simply finds the entire situation a tad too bizarre for her to make sense of. It seems the master is craving for the approval of that old man, why though? But then, judging from what the old man had just said… could it be that the old man has been testing out the skills of the master all this time, by comparing the results of the master's culinary skills against the skills of the master's father?
[Good lord… that old man was a former patron of the master's father? No wonder, the master always goes out of the way to please that old man whenever he came in and order things that aren't on their menu.] Chu Ga Eul widens her eyes as the realization of the strange behavior of her employer finally dawns on her.
Meanwhile, outside the porridge shop, Geum Jan Di stepped out of the shop to find her former prince charming standing in front of the shop with a white Lincoln stretch parked directly behind him.
"Ji Hoo-sunbae." Geum Jan Di greeted the guy while flicking her eyes at the extravagant car behind the auburn-haired member of F4 as she inwardly wonders what's the occasion. It's not every day, one gets to see a Limo running on the roads. And that guy seems quite dressed up, is there some party event that Yoon Ji Hoo was going to attend? Was that why she was asked to leave work immediately to meet up with him out front? Because he finds himself in need of a date for the occasion?
One cannot blame Geum Jan Di for overthinking the situation, given that the auburn-haired member of F4 had mentioned absolutely nothing of the reason why he had needed her to meet him outside the porridge shop immediately. Henceforth, it's only natural for Geum Jan Di to make assumptions simply going by the sight of the guy's attire choice and the presence of the white limo vehicle parked outside the shop.
Yoon Seok Young, on the other hand, exited the porridge shop just in time to see Geum Jan Di climbing into the white limo and the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo entering the vehicle shortly after the girl. His curiosity sated and suspicion confirmed, Yoon Seok Young then starts to wonder about the nature of his grandson's relationship with that young lady.
Meanwhile, Geum Jan Di takes a while to realize that they are actually heading towards the direction of the Shinhwa Hospital. A feeling of dread starts to pool in her guts when she realized what this actually means.
"Ji Hoo-sunbae, where are we going?" With dread pooling in her guts, Geum Jan Di decides to ask the question that she suspected she likely already knows the answer for.
"Somewhere you need to be visiting." Yoon Ji Hoo commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as he keep his gaze to the front of the vehicle, not glancing towards the direction of the girl seated next to him for fear that it might soften his attitude on the matter.
"..."
In the hospital, Geum Jan Di first underwent a CT scan ordered by the doctor before moving on to the MRI scan. During this time, Yoon Ji Hoo stood behind the radiologist working on Geum Jan Di's case as he observed the results with his keen eyes. Even though most of the results went over his head since he had yet to study them in medical school given how he's only a first-year, he had learned how to read the overall result for the scan from his classes to know that it definitely isn't looking good for the girl.
Sure enough, when the doctor in charge of reviewing Geum Jan Di's case took a look at the results from the CT and the MRI scans. Based on the results of the CT scans, it would appear that there isn't any fracture in the bones and so, they could eliminate the cause of Geum Jan Di's pain issue being the result of a fractured bone. Since the muscle tissues don't show up clearly on a CT scan, the doctor went on to take a look at the MRI scan result which was the next image to look at that lies in the folder delivered to his office from the radiology department. The doctor took one look at the MRI scan result belonging to Geum Jan Di and instantly frowned.
"Young lady, what have you been doing all this time?" The doctor had all but turns towards Geum Jan Di with a stern expression as he demanded.
"I beg your pardon?" Geum Jan Di blinked, looking quite bewildered by the stern look on the doctor's face.
"Your shoulders! The muscles have been torn quite severely. Why haven't you come in and sought treatment for your shoulders earlier? And you were saying that you swim frequently? Looking at the state of your shoulders, even with immediate treatment - I can only ensure that you wouldn't have any issues living a normal life and performing the daily routines. As for swimming, I'm sad to inform you but you're going to have to give it up if you didn't wish for the state of your shoulders to worsen." The doctor told Geum Jan Di in a tone that offers no room for argument nor negotiation.
Standing behind Geum Jan Di - the auburn-haired member of F4 had closed his eyes briefly upon the doctor's verdict of Geum Jan Di not being able to swim again. He had feared that this might be the case after that glimpse of the MRI Scan result earlier while he was observing over the shoulder of the radiologist at work.
Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, appeared shell-shocked by what the doctor had just told her. When the verdict of her being unable to swim ever again finally got through the haze of her mind, Geum Jan Di felt an overwhelming sense of self-loathing directed to herself. Why hasn't she gone for her follow-up appointment in the wake of the kidnapping incident that resulted in her taking a hit meant for her boyfriend dutifully? Why did she let the pricing of the follow-up appointment daunt her in the path? If she had gone for her follow-up appointment obediently and dutifully, the condition of her shoulder muscles being torn might have been detected in time. Why had she ignored the pain in her shoulders even when people around her kept telling her to go to the doctor?
Her headstrong personality holds true as she refrain from breaking down in the doctor's consultation room, she sat through the instructions given by the doctor with a strong front. It wasn't until she left the doctor's consultation room that Geum Jan Di finally started to tear up, and responded to the 'death penalty' of her life as a swimmer given to her by the doctor reviewing her case.
Behind the figure of Geum Jan Di, Yoon Ji Hoo followed silently like a guardian. The auburn-haired member of F4 didn't intervene in the actions of Geum Jan Di, not even when she instructed the driver of the white limo vehicle to drive them to the aquatic center of the Shinhwa Academy. Geum Jan Di knows that her former prince charming is worried about her, but she isn't in too much of a conversing mood, not at present.
Entering through the double sliding doors that lead to the school's aquatic center where the pool is situated, Geum Jan Di stared out at the blue calming water of the pool as she took a seat on the poolside chaise morosely. Finally, Geum Jan Di begins to speak.
"I know I'm not pretty, neither do I have a nice body figure. I'm not rich either…. but there's just one single thing that I'm good at, and I really enjoyed doing well in. Yet, now I'm being told that I'm never supposed to swim again. What should I do?" Geum Jan Di questioned aloud to no one in particular, and then before her silent guardian figure could respond - the girl added as an afterthought.
"Everyone seems to have something lying ahead in the future. You have your music, and Yi Jeong-sunbae has his pottery. Woo Bin-sunbae and Gu Jun Pyo would be inheriting the family business. Even Ga Eul… she's likely to have plenty of things she could look forward to pursuing a future in. But what about me? Originally, I could still aspire to become a swimmer… now? What am I going to do from hereon?"
"..." Yoon Ji Hoo first reached out a hand to rub the back of the distressed girl in a comforting manner, before standing and shifting his position so he's now kneeling in front of the girl. Slowly, he raised a hand up to wipe the tears off the face of Geum Jan Di as he commented firmly to the girl. "I'll help you."
"It's okay if you're feeling lost now. After all, you've just lost the goal you've been working towards over the past decade of your life. But as the saying goes, when a door closes on you, another one will open. It's just sometimes we are too focused on the closed door that we neglected the open window, so… why don't we search for that open window that lies ahead in your life together?" Yoon Ji Hoo said as he brought the girl out of the aquatic center and back towards the white limo waiting for them outside in the nearest parking lot from the school's aquatic center.
Location: Yoon family home, 16th November 2009, Monday late afternoon 5pm
After leaving the school's aquatic center, Yoon Ji Hoo instructed the limo driver to bring them to his family home. After that, the driver is free to leave for the day. Leading the morose-looking girl through the hallway of his family home until they reach the living room, Yoon Ji Hoo left Geum Jan Di to her own device while he headed towards the kitchen to prepare a tea service for his guest.
Left to her own device, Geum Jan Di did the next logical thing. She started snooping around the living room of the Yoon family home again, and this time, she didn't even hide the fact that she's inspecting every photo displayed in the living room of the family home of Yoon Ji Hoo. When the auburn-haired member of F4 returns to his living room, it was to the sight of Geum Jan Di looking at his family photo.
"... It was my fault." Yoon Ji Hoo commented out of the blue, causing Geum Jan Di to glance over at him in bewilderment.
"I was being playful in the back passenger seat, I covered the eyes of my father when he's driving. It was said that my survival was a miracle from that accident, they were shielding me and protecting me even when the car crashes. After the funeral, my grandfather left this house and didn't return ever since. Maybe, he didn't want to see the grandson that causes the death of his son." Yoon Ji Hoo was saying, sharing his inner thoughts on the fatal car crash that took the lives of his parents and spared only him to the figure of Geum Jan Di.
"..." Geum Jan Di remained silent, how was she supposed to react to something this private coming from the auburn-haired member of F4? Just when Jan Di was about to awkwardly inquire why the guy is suddenly telling her these things, the auburn-haired member of F4 begins to speak up again.
"It was that person that reaches out and help me then. And now, I supposed it's my turn to extend the helping hand to you." Yoon Ji Hoo then said, zeroing in his gaze upon the silent figure of Geum Jan Di.
There isn't a need for Jan Di to ask who 'that person is - as soon as Yoon Ji Hoo finished speaking, Jan Di found her eyes landing on the photo of a young Ji Hoo with the horse - Louis, and a girl that could only be the younger version of Min Seo-Hyun.
"...Thank you, Ji Hoo-sunbae." Geum Jan Di eventually said, finally deciding that crying wouldn't change the fact that she could no longer swim. But before she even starts searching for a new purpose in life, perhaps the first thing she ought to do is to say goodbye properly to her dreams of being a professional swimmer.
"Now, are you calm enough to have dinner? Or do you still need some more time?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires the girl he adores, with his version of a charming smile.
"I believe I am calm enough to head out for dinner now. So, you needn't worry about me breaking down in tears mid-dinner." Geum Jan Di commented in a bemused tone of voice.
"Excellent, let's make a move then." Yoon Ji Hoo beams, as he stood and leads Geum Jan Di back out of the house towards where he had parked his white lotus.
Always one to take into consideration of the girl's comfort in any environment, Yoon Ji Hoo didn't pick any restaurant in the high-end district of Gangnam. Instead, he opted to bring Geum Jan Di out to the Myeong-dong district for dinner. They ended up dining in a restaurant that serves pig's trotter as their signature dish. Needless to say, they ordered the original flavored pig's trotter dish to share between them since the serving is meant for 2-3 persons, to begin with. And with the set came along with the complimentary spicy sliced noodles and salad to complete the meal.
"That's really fulfilling." Geum Jan Di commented after stepping out of the restaurant with a belly full of food.
"Here, you can bring this back for your brother." Yoon Ji Hoo then stepped out of the restaurant after settling the bill payment for their dinner with a takeout box for the Wonder Woman of Korea.
"What's this?" Geum Jan Di seems a tad puzzled by the takeout box held in the hands of her former prince charming.
"Dinner for your younger brother. Your mother's on night shift today at the arts center, and if I recalled correctly… your father isn't exactly adept in the culinary department. So, I thought your little brother would appreciate eating something that isn't cup noodles. Don't worry, it's the cheapest item on their menu - the bibimbap, so please don't stand on ceremony with me. Your brother is a growing boy, he needs all the nutrients he could get. If it bugs you this much to accept the treat from me, you can always pay me back the amount later. The receipt for the takeout is in the bag, either way." Yoon Ji Hoo commented as he continue to hold out the takeout bag at the dumbstruck girl.
"Thank you, Ji Hoo-sunbae." Geum Jan Di took the offered bag of food for her little brother a tad sheepish, she can't believe she had literally forgotten to pick up some food for her family until now. Well, at least, the bibimbap isn't too expensive - costing only 6,500 Korean Won which she could literally just fish out from her wallet to pay the guy back. But she kind of doubted that her former prince charming would accept the cash from her, after all, 6,500 Korean Won likely didn't mean anything to the guy. And so, Geum Jan Di decided to repay the auburn-haired member of F4 in the only way she knows how - by treating the guy to an ice-cream treat in a dessert cafe in the area.
The dining trip made to Myeong-dong somehow did lift up the spirit of Geum Jan Di in a matter of speaking, because by the time she returned home in the white lotus owned by the auburn-haired member of F4… she no longer feels like she would break down at the sight of her swimming gears. The first thing she did upon arriving home was to drop the takeout box of bibimbap in front of her little brother, who cheered upon the fact that he needn't slurp up Nongshim cup noodles for dinner that evening.
For her father, Jan Di picked up some street food from the Myeong-dong food street after leaving the dessert cafe. That way, her father would at least have some meat to go along with the cup noodles he's eating for his dinner this evening. Leaving her father and brother to enjoy their late dinner, Geum Jan Di entered the bedroom she was sharing with her younger brother and starts removing the poster image of her idol - a former national swimmer that represented the country in the Olympics from the walls of the bedroom.
Rolling the posters up and stashing them somewhere inconspicuous for the time being, Jan Di decided to leave the rest of the packing concerning to the sealing of her past dream in another day or two. For now, she would simply remove the posters that's originally in her visible range upon waking every morning. After all, it's already depressing enough to know that she's never going to be able to swim again… so, why keep the posters where she could see them visibly when their existence only serves to remind her of a dream that's no longer attainable?
While Geum Jan Di was slowly coming to terms with the loss of her swimmer dream, Chu Ga Eul was taking her dinner break in the pantry of the porridge shop while engaging in a text conversation with her secret beau.
A private message between Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong, 16th November 2009, Monday evening, 7.30pm
Ga Eul: Evening, Yi Jeong-sunbae. I do hope you had eaten already. Anyway, I kind of forgot to leave behind the reheating instructions for you yesterday night. Were you able to get the food reheated in the oven unit successfully? ^^;
Yi Jeong: Evening, Ga Eul. I thanked you for keeping me in mind even while you're working. Yes, I've taken my dinner. The seafood fried rice isn't too bad, although the lack of instructions did leave me at a loss of how long I should set the timer for the oven unit. Luckily, these days even reheating instructions could be found easily online. So, with the instructions provided on the Wiki-how, I had managed to reheat the fried rice with no issues.
PS: How about you? Have you taken your dinner yet?
Ga Eul: I'm taking it now… can't eat anything earlier due to the peak hour crowd. I'm glad you managed to figure out how long the timer should be set on the oven for the reheating of the fried rice. I would have left you the instructions if it hasn't been for Kazuki's insistence for me to leave the area so he could have his talk with you in private. *Roll Eyes Emoji*
PS: So, what did he speak to you about yesterday when I'm shooed outside to wait? *Curious Emoji*
Yi Jeong: … Nothing much, just the standard speech I've been expecting from an overprotective sibling. First, he confessed to me that he had absolutely no idea what you sees in me. And then, he mutters something about you being a magnet for playboys in general but eventually agreed that I'm a tad better than the previous scumbag you had dated briefly. Next, he went on to point out that I'd yet to pass his assessment as the perfect boyfriend material for you. However, since you appear to be quite happy at present - he's putting me on probation it seems. Of course, he also warned me of the potential repercussions if I were to break your heart.
Ga Eul: Hmm… and what did you say in response to his words of warning? *Curious Emoji*
Yi Jeong: I told him that while I can't say for certain that I would never say/do anything that might bring you to tears, I did give him my word that I would never attempt to hurt you in deliberation. And that if I ever did so, he's more than welcome to punch me in the face.
Ga Eul: … How good are you at the sport - tennis?
Yi Jeong: Passable, why?
Ga Eul: Just got a text from Kazuki inviting you to join us for our routine tennis game day this weekend at the Shinhwa Country Club. I think he's looking forward to trashing you on the court since he can't really beat you up for dating me despite his disapproval. ^^;
Yi Jeong: … Right, and how good is your brother in the sports - tennis?
Ga Eul: He was selected to be part of the U-15 training camp when he's still studying in the Hyotei Academy - middle school division, alongside Shunsuke. Both of them made it to the reserve players list for the friendly matches between Japan, the UK, and the US teams. But neither of them were given a chance to play against the players for the UK and the US teams since reserve players are only given a chance to play if the main players selected for the team are unable to do so due to unforeseen circumstances.
PS: He was captain for the Hyotei Tennis Club - middle-school division, and has been playing Singles 1 during his entire three years of middle school education. His ranking in the school's internal competition for the regular spots among the team has always been within the top three since his first year of a middle-school education. Based on his past results in the fields of tennis, I would think he's quite good at playing the sport.
Yi Jeong: I see… I guess I'll just have to play him once and see how I'll fare against his skills then.
Ga Eul: Oh, trust me… he will most certainly pick you as his first opponent this coming Sunday.
Location: Geum family home, Samseon-dong, Seongbuk district. 17th November 2009, Tuesday.
The notion of leaving Seoul to visit her boyfriend in person didn't occur to Geum Jan Di until the following evening after she was done packing away the rest of her things that would serve as a reminder to her about her shattered dream and goal of becoming a professional swimmer following her graduation from high school. The image of the Shinhwa heir came to the forefront of Jan Di's mind when she opened the drawer compartment to retrieve a swimming cap with the autograph of her idol - the former national swimmer representing the country. This swimming cap was the first thing she had received from Gu Jun Pyo. Of course, at that point, the Shinhwa heir wasn't exactly her boyfriend yet. If anything, that happens when she was still nursing the crush she had on Yoon Ji Hoo of F4. Come to think of it, that might very well be the first time she had met the witch of her boyfriend's mother in person. But that encounter was a brief one since an auction was taking place in the Gu family home.
The swimming cap happens to be one of the items on auction, and the F3 was around - called in to provide assistance to hide the fact that she had been kept overnight at the Gu family mansion after Gu Jun Pyo had saved her from the rest of the school after she was set-up and betrayed by a supposed friend of hers - Oh Min Ji. Anyway, with the F3 assistance - they managed to dress up her as a respectable young lady on the outside, and using a combination of half-truths… they managed to get her out of the Gu family home in time. The swimming cap was then stuffed into her hands by Gu Jun Pyo, citing that she's there for the auction event and was just leaving. Later, she learns that Gu Jun Pyo had actually bid on the swimming cap with his own pocket allowance because he knows of her inspiration to become a professional swimmer just like the owner of that swimming cap. The sheer memory of that particular scene brought a bittersweet smile onto the face of Geum Jan Di.
[Gu Jun Pyo… just when exactly are you coming back to Seoul?] - Geum Jan Di found herself wondering wistfully as she sealed up the box containing the items that reminded her of the shattered dreams of becoming a professional swimmer. It's probably good that her little brother isn't in the room because she didn't really want to explain to her brother the reason why she's sealing up these things. Not wanting to worry her family members, Geum Jan Di hasn't actually shared with them about the fact that she could no longer swim, again.
The thought about her family then reminded her of the residual handicraft work her mother has taken on before getting the cleaner job at the Su Am Arts Center. Thinking that she should perhaps help her mother out in finishing those cat plush toys, so they could be sent back to the seller who had consigned her mother to make the toys so her mother could finally get the payment for this particular project… Geum Jan Di left the bedroom for the living room area of the apartment unit.
"Sunbae! Is that all you are capable of doing? Does the love that exists between the two of you matters so little to you?"
It took a moment for Geum Jan Di to realize that the words she had just heard actually came from the TV unit. It seems her mother had been splitting the attention between stuffing the plush toys with cotton and watching a drama on the TV unit at the same time. Although, Geum Jan Di has absolutely no clues about the show's name nor the plot of the show. It didn't stop the scene from catching her attention, and thus she stood rooted to the spot and watch the ongoing scene play out on the screen of the TV unit that came furnished with the apartment unit when they moved in sometime in the middle of July.
The scene that caught her attention took place in the airport, and the female actress start yelling at the male actor about how he ought to chase after the person who he loves instead of just standing rooted to the spot and waiting. Ironic enough, the scene sort of reminded her of something she had once said to her former prince charming as well… but it got her thinking. If her boyfriend wasn't able to return to Seoul to see her at present, why couldn't she be the one to head over to where her boyfriend was for a meet-up?
There were things she desires to tell her boyfriend but wasn't quite able to convey via video footage, but might be possible through in-person interaction. Although, it's a bit challenging to take a leave of absence from school so randomly… a weekend getaway trip might work in her favor. After all, the flight time from Seoul to China wasn't really that long… but first things first, she needs to calculate how much she has to spare for the air tickets and to confirm the location of her boyfriend before anything else could come into the picture.
And so, forgoing the task of helping her mother in the completion of the remaining cat plush - Geum Jan Di headed back inside to the bedroom she now shares with her brother to send Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 a text message.
A private message between Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo, 17th November 2009, Tuesday, evening 5pm
Jan Di: Ji Hoo-sunbae, sorry to disturb you at this timing. Out of curiosity, are you aware of Gu Jun Pyo's present location and address?
Ji Hoo: Present location of Jun Pyo? Hmm… I'm not certain, I would need to double confirm his location with his sister. I've been told that he would be touring the hotels his family owns in China staying in each prominent city for about a month. He's either in Hong Kong or in Shenzhen now… but he might be moving soon. Why?
Jan Di: Hmm… nothing, it's just a passing thought for now. But can you please update me if his location has changed?
Ji Hoo: Of course. I will let you know his whereabouts after getting the information from his sister. Is that all you require of me, at present?
Jan Di: Yes. That's all for now. I will let you know when I need further assistance from you. Thank you, sunbae.
Geum Jan Di's next step was to conduct research on the cost of the plane ticket, as her mobile phone came with a limited data plan. Jan Di was reluctant to tap into the use of her mobile phone data too much, and thus she decided to wait until she reaches school on the following day to start her research work into the air tickets pricing.
Location: Shinhwa Academy, shared library facility between the middle-school and high-school divisions. 18th November 2009, Wednesday morning, 7.30am
Wednesday morning found Geum Jan Di stepped foot into the school's library for the first time ever since her transfer into Shinhwa High. With only an hour to spare before classes officially begin for the day, Geum Jan Di decided to visit the school's library to utilize one of the computer stations in the library facility as she has heard that the computer stations are easily accessible during the morning hours as opposed to the afternoon hours. Since the middle-school students seldom visited the library in the earlier part of the day. They prefer to visit in the afternoon, and so if one were to visit the library to use the computer stations at the library. It's better to visit in the morning, as chances are the computer stations would be occupied by the middle-school division students by the time classes ended for the day.
Sunny Park Sun Ja was in the library returning a couple of the books she had borrowed home for leisure reading - mostly novels that were written by Anne Rice since her cousin had gotten her hooked on the 'Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy. Given that she didn't particularly want to invest too much money on leisure reading materials, upon finishing the first book in the trilogy - The Witching Hour, which was gifted to her by her cousin. Sunny has taken to explore the fiction section of the school library and found the remaining two novels for the trilogy successfully on the shelf.
Either way, Sunny has finished the second book in the series - Lasher and is currently mid-way through the last book - Taitos. But since she had finished reading the second book in the trilogy, she thought she might as well return it to the library first. After all, she didn't want to stash it somewhere and later forgot all about it and end up missing the deadline for the books to be returned. The late penalty fee for books that weren't returned on time was 500 Korean Won per week delay. Although, not exactly outside of the affordable range for Sunny - she simply didn't wish to accrue such unnecessary expenses. As such, she decided to return it while she still remembers.
The heiress of the boutique hotel chain group - Park Enterprise, had just finished dropping off the book at the return counter of the library facility when she noticed Geum Jan Di's presence in the library. Partly out of curiosity, and partly because of the force of habit - Sunny begins to approach the figure of Geum Jan Di from behind. Of course, since Ginger isn't around - Sunny wasn't in any rush to address the commoner girl of their school. Instead, she simply stood behind Geum Jan Di in silence as she observed what the Wonder Woman of Korea is doing.
When it comes to Sunny's realization that Geum Jan Di is actually researching the air ticket pricing for flights between Seoul and China. It didn't take Sunny too long to arrive at a conclusion behind Geum Jan Di's research, and so, after a mere moment of hesitation - Sunny decided to make her presence known to Geum Jan Di by speaking up.
"Neither Shinhwa Air nor Korean Air is going to be within your budget. If you wish to venture overseas without relying on the charity of the F4, you may want to look into the option of getting an air ticket from a budget airline. Try the Jeju Air or Air Seoul for a lower-priced ticket, but budget carriers seldom include checked baggage - so if you are going to have any checked baggage, you probably have to buy baggage space separately. Likewise, for meals…the pricing for the budget carriers is mostly just the seat itself." With that said, Sunny promptly turns on her heels to leave the library.
"..." Geum Jan Di was left gaping after the departure of Sunny Park, a former member of the annoying trio from her class. Of course, now the annoying trio has reverted to the annoying duo and Sunny is no longer a member of Geum Jan Di's class as well. But still, Sunny's decision to share such valuable information with her was completely outside of Jan Di's expectations.
Still, Jan Di couldn't argue against the fact that Sunny's words have reignited a spark in her that was starting to diminish earlier on. Why hasn't she thought of exploring the options of low-cost carriers for the air tickets? Maybe, if she set her budget as part of the searching criteria - budget airlines options would show up in her search for the flights between Seoul and the prominent cities of China? Given that she still has no clues about the current whereabouts of her boyfriend, Jan Di is looking into the pricing of the air tickets between Seoul and various prominent cities of China for the time being.
When Sunny entered the classroom of 3C, she didn't mention anything about meeting Geum Jan Di in the school library to Chu Ga Eul. Believing that the long-haired girl likely already knows of Geum Jan Di's research into the pricing of the air tickets, when in actuality - Geum Jan Di has yet to mention anything about her intention to fly out of Seoul to visit the absent Shinhwa heir to her childhood friend yet.
In fact, Chu Ga Eul would have remained blissfully oblivious about her childhood friend's plan to visit Gu Jun Pyo in person if her friend hasn't approached the master of the porridge shop asking for an advance of two million Korean Won.
Location: Porridge Shop, 20th November 2009, Friday, 3pm
Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di both reported in for work on Friday at the same time, and while the master of the porridge shop calls for Ga Eul's attention as soon as the girl came in through the door. Geum Jan Di was pretty much left to her own device, and thus Jan Di took the shop's calculator unit and start working on the figures of her budget and see if she could come up with the cash needed for a trip to Macau, China to visit her boyfriend in person. Yoon Ji Hoo has finally gotten back to her on the whereabouts of her boyfriend, according to the words of Jun Hee-unnie; Gu Jun Pyo is on his way to Macau and likely would be in Macau until mid-December.
And so, Jan Di now had a better idea of the price range of an air ticket to Macau on a low-cost carrier. Working repeatedly on the figures of her budget, Geum Jan Di tries to find a way to come up with the cash needed for the air ticket. But given the fact that a partial amount of her monthly salary needs to go to fix expenses such as her mobile subscription fee and her daily transportation fee from home to school, and later to her workplace. Atop of her own expenses, she is also covering the school lunch fee for her little brother. Previously, she also needs to provide the household allowance but now that her mother has gotten a stable part-time job, that part of the money from her paycheck could be used for other purposes. Still, the amount isn't quite sufficient because her boyfriend would only be in Macau for a month at most. Jan Di didn't wish to postpone her trip, and thus when she heard the voice of her boss asking Ga Eul for her opinion and feedback on the new porridge recipe he came up with - Geum Jan Di headed towards them with a somewhat embarrassed look.
"Excuse me, but… is it possible for you to give me an advance?" Geum Jan Di begins, fidgeting slightly under the curious gaze of both her friend and her boss.
"...An advance? Your father isn't in trouble again, or is he?" Chu Ga Eul's mind promptly flashes towards the direction of her friend's father, given that the last time her friend had to ask the master for an advance it was due to Geum Ii-Bong's problem with repaying the amount he borrowed from the loan shark.
"No… it's not him, this time. I actually need the money for something else." Geum Jan Di flushes pink in the cheeks slightly as she clarifies the matter of why she needed an advance to her childhood friend.
"Right… and how much do you need?" Ga Eul inquires, thinking that if the amount isn't too hefty - she might be able to help her friend out without the need for the master to give Jan Di an advance.
"Two million." Jan Di answered and promptly received two pairs of wide-disbelieving eyes in her direction from her friend and employer.
"Why do you need this much money?" Chu Ga Eul openly gaped at her childhood friend, two million definitely isn't a small amount. It might mean nothing to the F4, but is definitely quite a lot for the middle-income group and although Ga Eul does have that amount of money stashed away in one of her bank accounts, she's reluctant to use it - given that the bank account is the one set up for her by her birth parent. It likely would raise a lot of questions from various parties involved if she were to suddenly withdraw this much money from that particular bank account.
"For the plane ticket…" Seeing no way of hiding this information from her friend, Geum Jan Di finally let it slip to Ga Eul about why she needed two million this urgently.
Upon Jan Di's mention of the word 'air ticket', Chu Ga Eul finally allows a smile to curl on her lips. "Jan Di ah… by any chance, were you thinking of heading off to see Jun Pyo-sunbae in person?"
"...Ga Eul, it's good that you've caught on but do you actually have to spell things out in the open?" Geum Jan Di flushed red in the cheeks as she lamented aloud to her childhood friend who is now eyeing her with a teasing look in the eyes.
"Well… master, what do you say? Is it possible for you to give Jan Di the advance that she needs?" Chu Ga Eul then shifted her attention to the master of the porridge shop as she inquires.
The master of the porridge shop sighed in response, as he turn towards Geum Jan Di with a sad look and said. "As much as I would love to give you an advance right away, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to - unless this new menu item sells out fast."
"..."
Half an hour later, Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di stared at the table full of the takeout box filled up with the new menu item - healthy abalone porridge, improved recipe. It looks daunting at first glance, but reminding themselves that with every takeout porridge sold - they would get 2000 won in commission. So, if they can sell 1000 bowls of porridge - the two million Korean Won of advance Jan Di is seeking wouldn't be too hard to attain.
"Jan Di, I'll help you! Fighting!" Ga Eul told her childhood friend with a cheery vibe, as they starts to prep up the booth to be set up outside the shop. There's only two hundred and fifty takeout porridge box available on the table placed outside the shop, if they managed to sell them out; they could ask for more stocks from the inside of the shop where the master of the shop is on standby to assist if the crowds start flocking in.
Knowing that it would be difficult to lure in customers on their own without employing some tactics, Chu Ga Eul left the master to help Jan Di set up the booth by citing an excuse that she needs to use to the washroom. Once safely enclosed in the washroom, Ga Eul wasted no time in pulling out her mobile phone to drop her secret beau a quick text message.
A private message between Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong, 20th November 2009, Friday, 4pm
Ga Eul: Yi Jeong-sunbae! Jan Di is trying to raise money for an air ticket to go visit Jun Pyo-sunbae in person. The master says he won't be able to give Jan Di an advance unless his new menu item sells out fast, with every bowl of the new item on the menu sold - a commission of 2000 won would be payable to Jan Di/me. To get the 2 million won Jan Di wanted, we need to sell 1000 bowls of the new menu item within today.
Yi Jeong: Sounds like mission impossible to me… and why didn't she come to us for assistance? Woo Bin could cart her off to Macau on his family private jet… if she were to approach us for help in the matter.
Ga Eul: Her pride got in the way, I reckon. Anyway, she didn't want charity from you guys - I suspect. Regardless, it might sound like a mission impossible to you… but if we were to factor in the appearance of F3 in the flesh. The mission might end up being possible to complete, after all, ^_^
Yi Jeong: Are you telling me to rope in my friends to be the advertisement board for the porridge shop?
Ga Eul: Bingo! So, are you going to help us or not?!
Yi Jeong: Let me check in with them on the matter. In the meantime, good luck getting in customers on your own.
Ga Eul: Excellent ^_^ See you later!
As the potter of F4 ended his text exchange with his country bumpkin girlfriend with a shake of his head in amusement, he quickly drop a text message off to his two friends - Yoon Ji Hoo and Song Woo Bin of F4 via the Skype messenger without delay.
Skype Message with Song Woo Bin
Yi Jeong: Woo Bin, are you free?
Woo Bin: Yo! What's up, bro?
Yi Jeong: Are you in school still? If so, let's meet up in the lounge in 10 minutes.
Woo Bin: Sure.
Skype Message with Yoon Ji Hoo
Yi Jeong: Ji Hoo, are you free? Meet me in the lounge in 10 minutes. I'm calling a meeting for the F3.
Ji Hoo: Noted.
Location: F4 Private Lounge in Shinhwa Academy, 20th November 2009, Friday, 4.15pm
"Yo! Yi Jeong, what is it that you wish to speak about in person?" Song Woo Bin inquires the moment he entered the F4 private lounge situated in the high-school division of the academy grounds.
"Hold your horses, Woo Bin. I'll tell you when Ji Hoo is here." So Yi Jeong rolls his eyes at his best friend's words as he waved the Don Juan of F4 into the room, to take a seat while they waited for the last member to arrive.
"Oh… so, this is a group meeting then? Rare of you to actually suggest for a group meet-up." Song Woo Bin commented in a bemused tone of voice as he eyed his best friend questioningly.
Thankfully, they needn't wait long for the auburn-haired member to arrive. And the moment Yoon Ji Hoo walked through the doorway, Song Woo Bin promptly zeroes in his curious eyes onto the figure of his best friend.
"Alright, Ji Hoo is here. Can you share your reason for calling upon an impromptu meeting of the F3 with us now?"
Throwing the Don Juan of F4 a look of annoyance, Si Yi Jeong responded. "Long story short, Ga Eul has requested our assistance in taking on the role of the advertisement board for a new menu product her employer came up with - so, they would be able to hit the sales target of 1000 bowls of the new menu item."
"...Since when does the job of a waitress at a porridge shop comes with a sales target requirement? And while at it, why 1000 bowls?"Song Woo Bin looks absolutely baffled at the end of his friend's words.
"With each bowl sold, the girls would get a commission of 2000 Korean Won. 1000 bowls would then mean two million Korean Won, which is exactly the amount of money Geum Jan Di would need for the air ticket to visit Jun Pyo, wherever he is - I supposed. According to Ga Eul, Geum Jan Di originally requested to get an advance from their employer but their employer says he can't give Geum Jan Di the advance she seeks unless his new menu item sold out within a day. So, Ga Eul decides to seek our assistance in helping them achieve the goal." Yi Jeong then went on to explain how the sales target actually comes into play.
"..."
"Well… she isn't wrong. The two of you just need to stand there, and the female passer-by would definitely flock over to support the business of the porridge shop. After all, the two of you are incredibly popular among the female population." Yoon Ji Hoo commented with a smirk.
"Drat! Well… although it's a bit of a chore to play advertisement board for the porridge shop if it would help Geum Jan Di achieve the goal of flying to wherever Jun Pyo is at present for a meeting… I supposed I could suck it up and deal with the crowd of fan-girls flocking my way for a few hours." Song Woo Bin sighed as he resigned himself to the idea of being the advertisement board for a porridge he had yet to taste in prior.
"Excellent. I'll tell Ga Eul to expect our arrival shortly then." So Yi Jeong commented as he dug his phone out to send the response to his girlfriend, despite knowing full well that the girl might not get the chance to see the message.
"But why did Geum Jan Di feel the need to visit Jun Pyo suddenly? They have been apart for six months, and yet all this time - she has never pondered over the idea of visiting Jun Pyo in China?" Song Woo Bin brought up a valid inquiry while Yi Jeong was dropping the text response to his girlfriend on his phone.
"...I have an inkling, although I may be wrong. I suspect she needed something to remind her that her future isn't all that bleak." Yoon Ji Hoo eventually said, and when his words garnered him the curious gazes of his two friends - he went on to share the doctor's verdict on Geum Jan Di's aching shoulders issue.
"Ah…with how much she loves to swim, being told that she could never swim again must have been really devastating. No wonder she felt necessary to see Jun Pyo in person." Song Woo Bin winced at the end of Ji Hoo's reiteration of the doctor's verdict.
"..." So Yi Jeong, meanwhile, maintains his silence on the subject. Mostly because his first thought after hearing about Geum Jan Di being unable to swim again was whether his girlfriend is aware of the fact. Likely not, Yi Jeong answered his own question after a mere minute of consideration. Knowing his girlfriend, if Ga Eul did have any inkling about Geum Jan Di's inability to swim in the future - she would likely appear depressed for some time but that hasn't happened. Hence, Yi Jeong thought Geum Jan Di has likely not shared this little tidbit of information with anyone else for now.
Heck, they only know of the situation now because Ji Hoo was the one escorting Geum Jan Di to the doctor and had stayed throughout the entire doctor's consultation session with the girl.
"Yi Jeong, what are you doing. We are leaving!" It was Woo Bin's voice that jolted the potter of F4 back into the living plane, it seems he had zoned out shortly after Ji Hoo told them of the doctor's verdict concerning Geum Jan Di's shoulder pain issue.
"Alright, I'm coming." Yi Jeong calls back in response, as he hurried to catch up to the pace of his friends as they headed towards the parking lot to retrieve their respective vehicles so they could make their way to the porridge shop.
Rather, Woo Bin and he went to the parking lot to retrieve their own lotus while Ji Hoo simply went looking for the white Lincoln vehicle that he had a penchant for utilizing these days. While it is true that the auburn-haired member of F4 has gotten over his crippling fear for driving a four-wheel vehicle, he still finds it easier if he wasn't the one behind the steering wheel and thus he had ended up calling in the service of his family chauffeur more frequently these days. Especially since he stops riding his motorbike everywhere, after coming to the realization that a car is still more practical than a motorbike when rushing for time.
The three vehicles - the white Lincoln, followed by the yellow and orange lotus slowly came to a stop in front of the porridge shop. While Yoon Ji Hoo stepped out of the white Lincoln after his family chauffeur opened the door to the back passenger seat for him to exit, the other two members of F4 simply kill the engine of their cars and stepped out to join the auburn-haired friend who's now glancing at the two girls who seems to be desperately trying to get in customers only to fail miserably at the task as neither of the passers-by seems willing to hear them out.
Upon hearing the words tumbling forth from the lips of his girlfriend about how she's willing to guarantee the taste of the porridge, So Yi Jeong couldn't help but make his presence known by commenting. "Are you really going to bear the responsibility of your words?"
The familiar sound of the potter's voice causes Chu Ga Eul to pause, and flick her gaze away from the random passer-by towards the direction where she thought she had heard the voice of her secret beau. Upon meeting eyes with the Korean Casanova of F4, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help it - she blushed pink in the cheeks as she smiles happily at the appearance of the F3 on site.
[Yi Jeong-sunbae shows up, and he brought Ji Hoo-sunbae and Woo Bin-sunbae along too! Looks like there's hope for the mission impossible to end on a good note.] Chu Ga Eul thought happily as she felt the blush in her cheeks deepen at the charming dimpled smile directed at her by her secret beau, in the broad daylight. Thank goodness, Jan Di isn't focusing on her reactions to the F3 appearance… else, her friend might find it odd for her to keep blushing every single time she met eyes with the potter of F4.
The appearance of the F3 is truly a god-sent for the porridge shop and Geum Jan Di because no sooner has the F3 turned up outside the porridge shop. A group of female passers-by starts crowding over to find out what exactly brought the F3 over to the area. Thinking this was an excellent chance to advertise for the new menu item whipped up by the master of the porridge shop, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in signaling for the F3 to join Jan Di and herself behind the booth counter. And then, without warning, she took one of the ready-packed abalone porridge that's still warm to her touch and retrieve a plastic spoon from the side of the table.
"Yi Jeong-sunbae." Chu Ga Eul calls out for the attention of the potter and seized the moment that the guy turns around to face her to push the takeout box containing the abalone porridge in the direction of the Korean Casanova and urged. "Eat up while it's still warm. I've tested out the taste earlier, so I can most definitely guarantee you that this improved recipe is better than the previous abalone porridge available on the shop's menu."
"..." So Yi Jeong felt the corners of his lips twitching, as he thought - so, this is what Ga Eul meant by having us over as the advertisement board for the new menu item. She literally wanted us to taste the porridge out here for the curious onlookers to see… after all, if the F3 is willing to give the menu item of such a small cliche porridge shop a chance. Then, all the more reasons for them to patronize the porridge shop.
"Yi Jeong-sunbae, please… just one spoonful will do and then a nod from you would suffice." Chu Ga Eul whispered close to the ears of her boyfriend while pretending to reach for something behind.
"...Fine, you'd best reward me at the end of everything." The potter of F4 sighed inwardly, as he thought of the number of times he had bent his rules for the girl since New Caledonia. Plastering a smile on his face, Yi Jeong took the offered spoon and dig into the porridge under the wide disbelieving eyes of Geum Jan Di and his two friends. Luckily, his friends were a tad better at masking their reactions, and in fact, Woo Bin caught on to his girlfriend's idea of having them advertised for the porridge without his need to verbally cue his friend into mirroring his antics.
"I can eat first and pay later, right?" Song Woo Bin then turns towards the figure of the dumbstruck Bom Choon-Sik as he inquires.
Still too dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of F3 on-site, the master of the porridge shop could only nod mutely in response to the inquiry coming from the Don Juan of F4.
"Excellent." Upon receiving the nodding response from the dumbfounded porridge shop owner, Song Woo Bin promptly retrieved a takeout box from the booth and collect a plastic spoon for himself as he dig into the porridge openly in public, following in the example set by his Casanova friend.
"This is surprisingly good." Song Woo Bin commented after ingesting a few mouthfuls of the porridge. His initial idea was to try a bite and stop at one spoonful, but then the first spoon of the porridge somehow revitalizes his appetite and makes his stomach rumble in response. Recalling that he didn't get the time to have a proper lunch this afternoon due to back-to-back lectures for his course of study, the Don Juan of F4 ended up finishing the entire portion of the new abalone porridge prepared by the master of the porridge shop with a newly improved recipe.
Needless to say, Woo Bin's reaction alone was sufficient to lure in a bunch of fanatic girls into getting the porridge so, they could get a taste of the porridge that had earned the stamp of approval from the infamous Don Juan of F4. Leaving his friend, Woo Bin to retain the focus of the fanatic girls who have started to flock over to the booth and seizing the opportunity that Geum Jan Di's attention was occupied elsewhere - So Yi Jeong wasted no time in feeding his girlfriend a spoonful of the porridge she had forced him to ingest earlier.
Not much of a fan to eat on the street, So Yi Jeong has taken to use his girlfriend as a shield while he ingested the remaining porridge in the takeout container. When he noticed that most people's attention has been kept on the incoming flock of patrons, Yi Jeong tapped gently on the shoulder of Chu Ga Eul to draw the girl's attention away from the crowd and onto his person.
Thinking that perhaps the potter of F4 needs something from her, Chu Ga Eul left her friend alone to cope with the influx of female patrons and shifted her attention towards her back where the potter of F4 has been finishing up the porridge. The moment she turns around, she was met by the sight of an expecting look on her secret beau's face followed by a hovering spoon where her mouth was.
"..." Rendered speechless, Ga Eul could only stare at the guy incredulously as she silently inquires the potter of F4 with a wordless look. 'Seriously? I thought you weren't ready to let people in on the fact that we're official? Yet, you decided to do this now?'
"Come on, Ga Eul. Just one spoonful, while nobody's looking! Hurry up!" The Korean Casanova plastered on the best pleading look in his arsenal and urged the unmoving country bumpkin who is still looking at him as an alien on exhibit. Okay, fine - it's not in his character to do this, but he wanted to leave space in his stomach for a proper dinner with his girlfriend later. And so, he didn't want to finish the entire portion of the porridge on his own. He figured the fastest way to clean up the porridge is to share it with his girlfriend and thus the reason why he's attempting to feed the girl while nobody is looking in their direction.
"..." With a sigh of resignation, Chu Ga Eul ignores the hot flush creeping up her cheeks and hold back her hair so it wouldn't get in the way as she opens her mouth to ingest the spoon of porridge her boyfriend is feeding her with the plastic spoon she had provided the guy with, earlier. Originally, it was one spoonful but when Ga Eul realized that her boyfriend intends to feed her the remaining porridge because he wasn't able to finish it on his own. The long-haired girl rolls her eyes as she deadpans to the potter of F4, "You can just say that you can't finish the porridge on your own, I would gladly assist you in polishing off the remaining porridge. You don't have to resort to feeding me, and risk having Jan Di catching us in the act of sharing food."
With that said, Chu Ga Eul took the takeout bowl of porridge from the potter of F4 and finish the porridge on her own soon after. Because it's easier to eat on her own than to let the guy feed her in public, even if no one appears to be looking in their direction but it's still a tad embarrassing. Yes, it's a sweet gesture but given that their relationship isn't exactly broadcast information - it would be a tad difficult to explain things away if someone, in particular - Jan Di were to notice it and bring it up for discussion later.
Luckily, by the time Geum Jan Di turns her attention onto Ga Eul - the porridge has already been finished, although the long-haired girl is still blushing from the feeding act imposed on her by her secret beau.
"Ga Eul, why is your face red?" Geum Jan Di couldn't help but ask when she turns around intending to enlist her friend's help in retrieving more takeout containers of the porridge for the flock of patrons who wanted to order takeout of the new abalone porridge.
"Nothing… it's the excitement if the crowd keeps on flocking in. It wouldn't be too hard to attain the goal of selling a thousand bowls of the new abalone porridge by the end of the day." Chu Ga Eul responded to her friend's inquiry while trying her best to ignore the sounds of her secret beau's snickering from behind her. The guy is not too accustomed to eating in public, and so has taken to finish slurping up the remaining porridge while staying behind her and out of the direct view from the members of the public.
[I can't believe the audacity of Yi Jeong-sunbae! It's him that wishes to keep our relationship under wraps, and then he had to go and do something like this in public. It's a miracle that nobody except Ji Hoo-sunbae saw him feeding me the porridge with his spoon.] Chu Ga Eul thought inwardly to herself, as she tried to stamp down the urge to flush crimson yet again.
During the time Yi Jeong was sneaking in the opportunity to share a moment of intimacy with Chu Ga Eul, Woo Bin was busy keeping the fanatic group of female patrons entertained and endorsing the abalone porridge. Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 was simply standing by and observing how Geum Jan Di makes herself busy by instructing the new customers to enter the shop for dine-in if they are looking to try the porridge on the spot. For the customers who are looking to get takeout of the item, they were to queue in front of the booth.
Yoon Ji Hoo had his observing act interrupted briefly when the master of the porridge shop approached him with a piece of dried persimmon in hand. Blinking at the man with a look of confusion, Yoon Ji Hoo was offered the dried persimmon by the master of the porridge shop who seems rather adamant for him to accept the treat.
"Take it, you liked eating these - didn't you?" Bom Choon-Sik commented as he handed the dried persimmon over to the auburn-haired member of F4 before turning to head back into the porridge shop.
"..." Yoon Ji Hoo stared at the dried persimmon that's now in his hand and couldn't help snorting aloud in bemusement over how exactly did the master of the porridge shop knows of his penchant for snacking on dried persimmon? The thought of the master of the porridge shop having heard the information direct from his estranged grandfather didn't even occur to Yoon Ji Hoo, all he thought was perhaps the guy is indeed psychic as Geum Jan Di had once mentioned to him briefly in passing. After all, if Geum Jan Di's account was true - the man did happen to predict their trip to New Caledonia accurately.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes:
Alright, this is it - chapter 34 comprising of the next few scenes in episode 13, with my own twist. ^_^ Let me know what you think of the chapter.
SoEul - I fitted in my original scenes, and added my own twist to the part whereby F3 shows up at the porridge shop :D Sorry, no kissing or holding hands yet - but YJ fed GE with his spoon when nobody is looking, feel free to imagine the above scene :D
I had Jae-Kyung making a cameo in a conversation with Woo Bin as well :D
I kept the scene between Jan Di and Ji Hoo intact as according to the drama, but added additional scenes to the timing in between as well ^_^
Oh, and I gave Sunny a cameo screen time as well :D last but not least, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
Finally, I apologized for the long delay between my last update to this update. I would love to update earlier if I could, but as I mention in the last chapter - my back pain on the 4th of Jan screwed up my plans, and then I took the vaccine booster jab on the 8th. While there isn't a very bad side effect for my jab, my writing pace got another setback on the following day when my GP calls me up and says my report is a tad urgent. So, I went down to the clinic to hear what was the urgency about - turns out my liver enzymes are crazily high so, I was referred to the A&E. spent about 2 hours plus in A&E, and now I have a pending appointment to follow up at the gastro and the cardio on separate days next month. Had to visit the polyclinic next Monday for a follow-up appointment as well.
Either way, the past few days is a tad crazy and thus resulting in a delay in my writing plan. Still, I persevered and pull through with this update. So, I think… I still can keep to the weekly update. It's just I'm uncertain of which day the story I'll be able to update unlike before ^^;
That's all for now, see you in the next chapter.