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.
PS: Reuploaded the chapter, due to an amendment to a typo error. Nothing else has been changed for this chapter.
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 39 - Time flies, Jan Di's Trip to Macau, Part 7
Location: Shinhwa Hotel, Macau Peninsula. 24th November 2009, Tuesday morning, 10am
Shortly after meeting up with Geum Jan Di and telling her that she's simply a stain that he hopes to forget even existed in his life, Gu Jun Pyo left Venetian Macau for Macau Peninsula with his mother and his entire team of secretaries in tow.
Therefore, it was effectively several hours later that Gu Jun Pyo finally caught hold of the information that his mother had not just sent out an observer to spy on his meeting with Geum Jan Di earlier on in the morning. In fact, his mother had hired a professional photographer to observe their meeting on the bridge over the San Luca canal where they met up and snap several photographs of their interactions. In particular, the photos were zeroed in and focused upon the reactions of Geum Jan Di.
As to how Gu Jun Pyo had uncovered this little detail, well… he was curious about the identity of the guy loitering in the lobby of the hotel chatting up one of the female receptionists on duty. At first, he had assumed the guy with the camera to be a reporter trying to fish for information about one of their celebrity guests residing in the hotel, at present. Only, it turns out that instead of being a reporter fishing for information about the Hong Kong celebrity who was lodging with Shinhwa Hotel - Macau, at present. The guy turns out to be a hired photographer by his mother to spy on his meeting with Geum Jan Di earlier this morning in Venetian Macau, and that he was here to deliver the results of his observation to the acting director of the Shinhwa Group.
The more Jun Pyo stood hidden in a corner listening to the conversation between the guy and the receptionist, the more upset he gets by the minute. And then, his temper finally gets the best of him and he shrugged off the hold of his head secretary, Jeong Sang-Rok as he barged his way into his mother's private office in the hotel management office.
Kang Hee-Soo was looking through the stack of photos delivered to her perusal while seated on the sofa couch in her private office within the management office of the Shinhwa Hotel in Macau when her son came barging in while trying to shrug off the hold of Jeong Sang-Rok, a previous member on her secretaries team who she had later reassigned to lead the team of secretaries serving her son following her husband's early retirement after overworking himself to the state of collapsing from ill-health.
"It's fine, you may leave us." Kang Hee-Soo told Jeong Sang-Rok, dismissing the man from her office while she focused her eyes upon the figure of her obviously upset son.
"Are you satisfied?" Gu Jun Pyo glared at his mother as he state his piece, to say he was feeling upset is an understatement.
Given the fact that he'd already given his mother his words that he would cut ties with Geum Jan Di during their meeting earlier this morning, and he could also live with the idea that his mother isn't willing to take his words at face value and insist on sending an observer to the scene from a distance. Still, what he finds absolutely displeasing was the fact that his mother had someone taking pictures of his meeting with Geum Jan Di. Not only that, what annoys him the most was upon finding out that his mother is not just simply keeping tabs on him but also on the movements of Geum Jan Di as well.
"Not really, given that we are still having a conversation about that commoner girl." Kang Hee-Soo responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"She isn't just a typical commoner girl. She's in fact the first and only girl that your son ever loved irrevocably." Gu Jun Pyo retorted sharply and in an agitated manner.
"Right. What exactly do you intend to do now? Are you going to give up everything and run to her? Are you going to give up on the Shinhwa Group, your birthright, and your employees? Is that what you want to do? Do you really want to force my hand? I'm sure that you are very well aware that all it takes is one word from me, and I could ensure that the girl is no longer able to survive in Seoul." Kang Hee-Soo reminded her son in a harsh tone of voice before softening her tone but still maintaining her reprimanding stance as she continues stating her point.
"And have you stopped for a moment to think about your father? Your father spends his entire life building up the Shinhwa Group into where it stands today, until the moment his health deteriorate and no longer allow him to continue leading the company. Are you going to forget about him as well? Or were you expecting for him to take over the running of the business in his ill health just so you could goof off from your responsibility to chase after Geum Jan Di?" Kang Hee-Soo throws back at her son in a stern and reprimanding manner.
"Stop… why are you bringing Appa into the conversation, again?! And since when did I say anything about goofing off from my responsibility to go and chase after Jan Di. Yes, I'm upset but given the fact that I'm being forced to cut ties with the girl that I truly love, I think I'm entitled to feeling upset for some time. Regardless, that isn't what drove me to barge into your office this afternoon. What I want to know is why do you feel the need to have someone keep tabs on her movements, when I'm already under your thumb and control?!" Gu Jun Pyo demanded in a softer tone of voice as though remembering that he was speaking to his mother, but still didn't drop the glaring look on his features.
"Simple. You do not have a perfect track record in my eyes. There have been multiple occasions in the past whereby you'd shaken off your team of bodyguards to meet up with the girl on the sly. And so, I thought it best to have someone else monitoring the movements of the girl while she's in town. But so far, it would appear that you'd kept your promise to me about not seeking her out. At least, not until this morning." Kang Hee-Soo responded in a deadpan tone of voice.
"... Fine, call off your men now. Having seen the photos, I'm sure it's clear as day that I have officially cut ties with her. So, there isn't a need for you to have someone keeping tabs on her movements around town now. I doubt, she would want to be anywhere near me at this moment in time. Last but not least, I kept my words to you and I expect you to keep your promise to me as well. Do not attempt to mess with her or her family, again." Gu Jun Pyo eventually gritted out to his mother, before turning towards the door of his mother's office intending to leave.
The newly-minted owner of the Shinhwa Group was five steps away from reaching the door handle when he recalls something Yi Jeong had thrown to him in their confrontation a day ago at the indoor basketball court - something about Geum Jan Di no longer being able to swim was his fault. And so, Jun Pyo turns back towards his mother and comments.
"I've been told by Yi Jeong that Geum Jan Di was no longer able to swim and that it was my fault. While I haven't gotten around to ascertaining the facts with Ji Hoo, I assumed it to be an aftereffect from her taking a blow for me in that warehouse where that entire fiasco with Lee Jae-Ha took place. So, I'll be instructing the school to keep Geum Jan Di on the sports scholarship scheme until the day comes for her to graduate from Shinhwa High. At the same time, I'll also have the Shinhwa Hospital allow her to continue the physio treatment at a discounted rate. Just thought I should give you a heads-up before you decided to scrutinize too much into the matter, and end up making a mountain out of a molehill." With that said, Gu Jun Pyo finally left the private office of his mother for his own private office in the management office of the Shinhwa Hotel in Macau.
"..."
Kang Hee-Soo had no words, did her son think so little of her? In the first place, the entire reason for offering that girl a sports scholarship to enroll in Shinhwa High was for PR purposes. Since it was a measure done to rectify the image and reputation in the public eyes following the incident of Lee Min-Ha attempting suicide on campus grounds… whether Geum Jan Di could swim or not, hardly matters in her opinion. If it weren't for the borderline grades of Geum Jan Di in the academic aspects, the scholarship offered to her wouldn't be based on sports - to begin with. And if she didn't have the school expelled Geum Jan Di when it was first made known to her that her son is dating a commoner, why would she even bother to do it now?
As for the matter of allowing Geum Jan Di to seek treatment for her shoulders at the hospital at a discounted rate, well… it is a fact that the girl did save her son from suffering a serious injury to the head. And if her actions did result in permanent damage to the muscles of her shoulders which then end up with the loss of the capability to swim in the future, Kang Hee-Soo wasn't so cold-blooded that she would deny medical attention and compensation to the girl. As long as the girl isn't dating her son, Kang Hee-Soo personally had no issues with the notion of keeping Geum Jan Di on the scholarship scheme and receiving medical attention at discounted rates. After all, Shinhwa Group participated actively in charity fundraising events… and Geum Jan Di's situation could jolly well be classified under a charity case on the books as well.
Meanwhile, Geum Jan Di after disembarking from the gondola ride headed towards the public washroom situated in the shopping complex of the resort ground. After spending some time washing her face in the ladies' room, Geum Jan Di took a moment to inspect her appearance through the mirror. Satisfied that there are no obvious signs of her having spent the last hour or so crying from her broken heart, Geum Jan Di finally left the washroom to face up with the reality outside.
Even though she's no longer crying, it still doesn't change the fact that Geum Jan Di is feeling heavy at heart. And so, she found herself slumping down onto a bench as she stared at her feet wondering about what she ought to do next.
Yoon Ji Hoo, on the other hand, was never too far away from Geum Jan Di even though he makes sure to remain out of sight, the entire time the girl was on the gondola ride. When Geum Jan Di alighted from the gondola ride, and make her way to the public washroom… Yoon Ji Hoo spend a moment thinking about what he could do to cheer up the girl. Eventually, he decides that he would take the girl out on a date without labeling it as a date. In short, he would 'buy' Geum Jan Di time for today with a treat and plan an entire day of an itinerary to distract Geum Jan Di from the thoughts of his long-time friend who had just broken her heart.
"Hey, pretty lady. Would you like to buy ice cream from me?" Geum Jan Di was wallowing in her misery on the bench in the shopping district of Venetian Macau when she heard someone approaching her from behind with an ice-cream cone in hand while speaking to her in Mandarin, a language that she absolutely couldn't comprehend.
"Sorry… but I'm not very good at the language…" Geum Jan Di started glancing away from her feet to land her eyes on the figure holding out the ice cream to her and found herself stunned speechless. Meeting her eyes was the familiar figure of her former prince charming, with two ice-cream cones in hand and a hat featuring the mascot character from the anime series - One Piece, of which her brother is a fan.
"Ji Hoo-sunbae!" Geum Jan Di appears surprised for a moment, she had thought the guy had left earlier to allow her private time with Gu Jun Pyo. Did he come back for her? Jan Di couldn't help but wonder but didn't voice her query aloud. She had already grown accustomed to having her former prince charming showing up when she's feeling absolutely miserable by this point in time. And so, Geum Jan Di directed a bemused smile towards the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo as she inquires. "So, what exactly was it that you were saying earlier?
"Hmm… I was saying - ugly girl, would you please buy the ice cream from me." Yoon Ji Hoo grinned mischievously at Geum Jan Di as he took the empty spot next to the girl on the bench, still holding out the ice-cream cone to her.
"And how much would this ice cream cost?" Geum Jan Di asks jokingly in return, knowing full well that her former prince charming isn't going to collect any money from her for the ice cream treat.
"Your time." Yoon Ji Hoo responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Huh?" Geum Jan Di blinked at Yoon Ji Hoo in confusion, not quite getting the meaning behind his words.
"Your time for today, that's the payment I requested for the ice-cream treat." The auburn-haired member of F4 commented in response until it was time for them to check out from Venetian Macau Hotel… they still had about two hours to spare. His intention was to keep the girl entertained and make good use of the time they are still on the resort ground, to forget all about Jun Pyo.
And so, with that silly mascot hat atop of his head - Yoon Ji Hoo starts bringing Geum Jan Di around the plaza of Venetian Macau. They posed for a picture with a street performer who was pretending to be a statue with their ice cream in hand.
Geum Jan Di originally hasn't known that the statue isn't exactly a statue but a street performer, if it weren't for the fact that the street performer had blinked in front of her very eyes - she would have mistaken the street performer for an actual statue.
"Penny for your thought?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires when he sighted the look of amazement in the eyes of Geum Jan Di after they left the plaza of the resort ground and start heading towards the Kid's zone of Venetian Macau.
"Ah… I was just wondering how that street performer was able to remain unfazed when people starts poking at them to see if they were real or simply statues." Geum Jan Di commented in response after having her train of thoughts interrupted by her former prince charming.
"Hmm… well, it just goes to prove how professional they are in their profession of being a street performer, I guess." Yoon Ji Hoo shrugged in response as he led Geum Jan Di into the kid's zone on the resort grounds.
The kid's zone comprises several arcades and game centers, which the auburn-haired member of F4 brought Geum Jan Di to try out a couple. They only left the kid's zone after the lunch hour came around, and with the arrival of lunch hour - it also indicated that it's time for them to check out of the Palazzo suite.
"Shall we proceed back to pick up our things and complete the check-out process? I believe, we can store our belongings with the reception of the hotel as we head out to grab lunch." Yoon Ji Hoo suggested turning towards Geum Jan Di for her opinion.
"Sounds good to me, and where are we going to have lunch?" Geum Jan Di nodded in response to the suggestion brought forth by the auburn-haired member of F4.
Yoon Ji Hoo flashed a smile to Geum Jan Di in response, before leading the way back to the Palazzo suite to get their things so they could proceed to check out of the hotel room.
"I meant to ask before… what's with that silly hat atop of your head?" Geum Jan Di finally broached the subject of the 'Chopper' hat as they made their way back to the hotel building of Venetian Macau to proceed with the checking-out procedure for the Palazzo suite.
"Well… it was my way of cheering you up, I supposed." Yoon Ji Hoo commented with a nonchalant shrug as he reached out to remove the hat from his person.
"Right… and you thought putting on a silly hat and acting like a clown would fulfill the purpose of cheering me up?" Geum Jan Di sounded bemused as she commented on the logic behind the explanation provided to her by the auburn-haired member of F4.
"Hmm… but judging from how you're smiling now, I thought my attempt to cheer you up by acting silly does work to an extent. Wouldn't you agree?" Yoon Ji Hoo asks Geum Jan Di wryly in return.
"Fair enough… I supposed. And what are you going to do with that hat now that it has fulfilled its' role in cheering me up?" Geum Jan Di inquires objectively as she eyed the 'Chopper' hat with unbidden interest. Not that she wishes to try it out on her own head, but she thought if it's going to be discarded - maybe she could bring it back to Seoul for her brother who's a fan of that particular character in the anime series - One Piece.
"I haven't exactly decided what to do with it, to be honest. I kind of bought it from a merchandise store on impulse… why?" Yoon Ji Hoo flicked his eyes down onto the mascot hat he now holds in his hands before shrugging as he responded to the question put forth by the Wonder Woman of Korea.
"Well… my brother's a fan of the mascot character, so… I was wondering if I could have it if you no longer want it." Geum Jan Di admitted to her former prince charming in a somewhat sheepish tone of voice.
"I see, you can have it then. It's not as though I would have any proper use for something like that back home." Yoon Ji Hoo answered as he handed the mascot hat over to the girl he had grown to adore over time.
"Thank you!" Geum Jan Di beams up at the auburn-haired member of F4 as she tucked the mascot hat away in her sling bag, the only bag she has on her person since she had left the rest of her baggage in the Executive suite back at the Grand Emperor Hotel.
Since Geum Jan Di knows practically nothing about how to proceed with the checking out procedures for the suite room which the Don Juan of F4 had booked for their stay for the last two nights, it's only natural that she left her former prince charming to handle the procedure on his own while she waited patiently in the lobby of the hotel building. Shortly afterward, Yoon Ji Hoo was done with the checking out of the Palazzo suite as well as filling up a form to store their belongings temporarily at the reception.
With the belongings safely entrusted to the care of the hotel staff on duty behind the reception counter, Yoon Ji Hoo made his way back to where Geum Jan Di stood waiting and brought her out for lunch at a restaurant specializing in noodles - Red Dragon Noodles, where they proceed to try out the signature Wanton noodles which were priced reasonably.
Following their lunch at the noodles restaurant, Yoon Ji Hoo decided to bring Geum Jan Di to try out a foot relaxation spa at the Spa retreat of the resort before leaving Venetian Macau for Macau Peninsula.
While Yoon Ji Hoo was busy cheering up Geum Jan Di by bringing her to try out various activities on the resort grounds of Venetian Macau, So Yi Jeong has just arrived at the Macao International Airport for his baggage check-in and is waiting around for the boarding of his return flight to Seoul operated by Air Macau - the flagship carrier of the city.
The Korean Casanova was mentally going through the list of things he ought to do upon his arrival back in Seoul. Of course, one of the things on his list of the to-do list was to bring his girlfriend out on a dinner date but before that, he has to pop by his family home to visit his mother first, followed by paying his philanderer father an unpleasant visit. That literally means, he needs to get two more souvenir items for them since his mother knows he's out of town at present, and thus it doesn't make sense for him to show up for a visit to his mother empty-handed.
And so, having two hours to spare on hand - the Korean Casanova decided to pop into the duty-free shops for a look to see if he could find anything suitable for his parents. The thing is, he realized that he didn't really know his parents well enough to buy them anything that they would like. Then again, considering how self-absorbed they have been throughout the years of his growing up - it's only natural that Yi Jeong knows his grandfather better than he dares says he knows them. All he knew of his parents since young was that his father is an unrepentant playboy or rather, a philanderer in this case whereas his mother is fragile at heart and prone to hysterics and suicidal whims.
"..." Therefore, at a loss of what to do about the souvenir items for them - Yi Jeong decided to buzz his estranged elder brother on the phone to seek advice.
A private message between So Yi Jeong and So Ii-Hyun, 24th November 2009, Tuesday, 10.45am [Macau Time], 11.45am [Seoul Time]
Yi Jeong: Hyung, I hope I'm not disturbing you when you're busy at work but I need to ask. What would you usually get for those parents of ours, when you traveled out of town before you left the family?
Ii-Hyun: Hmm… very good question. For our father, it's easy enough. Just get him a bottle of wine/liquor from the duty-free shop and he would be fine with it, he's quite easily pleased in that aspect. Our mother though is a tad challenging. No point getting her snacks since she never bothers to eat them, very mindful about her weight - you see. Not that it has ever helped her in getting that father of ours to spare her a second look… regardless, if you really have to buy her something to show that you still care for her… just get her something from the branded/luxury products meant for ladies even if she has no actual use for them.
Before I got myself disowned, I usually buy her perfumes which she might/might not have ended up smashing at the door when our father got into another disagreement with her when he finally did returns home on the rare occasions that our grandfather demanded his presence at home.
PS: Trust me on this, Yi Jeong. It's better that you buy her something than not get her anything. If you show up empty-handed, it would trigger off another hysterical episode from her accusing you to be just like that father of ours.
Yi Jeong: Noted. Thanks for the advice… I'm sure I'll be able to find something for her from the duty-free shops regardless.
Ii-Hyun: You're welcome. I'd best return my focus to serving my customers now. Do drop me a text ahead of time if you intend to swing by for a visit after your return to Seoul from Macau, was it? That way, I'll be able to tweak my cafe's operating hours to accommodate your visit. It wouldn't do to keep you waiting on the side while I busied myself with work.
Yi Jeong: I know, so I'm probably stopping by before your cafe operating hours. I'll let you know the exact day of my visit at a later time. I shan't deter you from your work now, thank you for your suggestion.
Tucking the phone away, Yi Jeong proceeds to the wine & spirits section to pick out a bottle of wine for his father. Given the fact that he had absolutely no clues about how strong his father prefers his liquor to be, and had no intention of finding out such information - Yi Jeong opted to go with the safer option by picking out a bottle of red wine produced in Bordeaux, France. Following this, he proceed to the ladies' department of the duty-free shop and bought his mother a limited edition of the newly released Coach ladies' handbag. Perfume is too fragile and could be easily broken in one of his mother's hysteric fits, and thus Yi Jeong decides to buy his mother something that isn't so easy to break upon smashing it at his father in a fit of hysterics.
With the souvenirs purchased, Yi Jeong finally went to the designated boarding gates allocated for his flight and took a seat at the waiting area while looking through the photo gallery of his mobile phone. Thoughts of his parents never fail to sour his mood, and so, the potter of F4 decides to spend some time thinking about his lovely girlfriend waiting for him back home in Seoul as he looks through the videos and photos he had taken in Macau under the request of his beloved country bumpkin.
Aside from the pictures of the Palazzo Suite in Venetian Macau, and the video as well as the Royal Suite images taken in the Grand Emperor Hotel. Yi Jeong had also taken the pictures of the grand entrance of the Grand Emperor Hotel decked out in the authentic gold bar, as well as the carriage stationed outside of the hotel as a photo spot for tourists. In the photo gallery of his phone, he had also a video clip of the guards standing outside the Grand Emperor Hotel during the change of shift as they were decked out in the uniforms of a royal guard.
Other images found in the photo gallery of his phone included a few generic shots of the resort grounds in Venetian Macau and a few night views of the city he took from the window of his Royal Suite room in the Grand Emperor Hotel on his last night of stay in Macau. Of course, the potter of F4 also included a few snapshots featuring Geum Jan Di on their sightseeing trip in Venetian Macau to show his girlfriend that Geum Jan Di was doing fine.
Unfortunately, Yi Jeong didn't have any photos featuring Geum Jan Di after he let it slip to the girl that Jun Pyo wasn't willing to meet up with her in person. Not that he didn't have a chance to snap photographs of the girl during their dinner that evening in the Palazzo Suite after he ordered their dinner meal via the room-service provided by the hotel, but that he didn't wish to have to explain to Geum Jan Di about why he's taking pictures of her during dinner.
Location: Grand Emperor Hotel, Macau Peninsula. 24th November 2009, Tuesday afternoon, 2pm.
It was 2pm by the time Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di return from Venetian Macau to the Macau Peninsula, where the Grand Emperor Hotel is situated. Due to the close distance between the Grand Emperor Hotel and the Shinhwa Hotel, Yoon Ji Hoo had inquired Geum Jan Di if she wished to change their lodging location to another hotel just in case they were to cross paths with his long-time friend by chance.
"Nah… it's fine. It's not as though we are lodging in the Shinhwa Hotel, he has no business venturing over to the Grand Emperor Hotel either way. So, even if we were to cross paths - I reckon it would be somewhere in the mall attached to the Shinhwa Hotel. And honestly, I'm not that weak in the mind that I'll avoid visiting the places where he might be hanging around. If he's fine with ignoring my presence, I'm sure I'm able to do the same as well. So, it isn't really necessary to switch our lodging venue to another place." Geum Jan Di told her former prince charming resolutely as she stepped foot into the entrance of the Grand Emperor Hotel and allowed her focus to be dazzled by the posh and extravagant interior design of the hotel's lobby once again.
No matter how many times Jan Di stepped foot into this hotel lobby, she still finds it incomprehensible for the hotel's grand entrance to be decked out in authentic gold bars. Aren't they afraid of being robbed by the local thugs?
"I assured you, Miss - the local thugs does not have the guts to rob the hotel. Not when it's a common knowledge that the Ma family has connections to the hotel." The familiar sound of someone speaking up next to her, causes Geum Jan Di to feel a sense of deja-vu. Turning around to face the owner of the voice, Geum Jan Di found herself staring into the figure who had helpfully provided her with the instructions to get to Shinhwa Hotel on her first day in town.
"Oh… I blurted out my thoughts, again. Did I?" Geum Jan Di flushed in response upon the realization that she had once again, spoken her thoughts aloud. Only the last time she did so, she was commenting on the ceiling of the hotel lobby, and this time, she was talking about the pillars of the hotel in general.
"That you certainly did." Victor Ma remarked with an amused smirk.
"Good afternoon, Victor. Are you here to inspect the Casino business again?" Yoon Ji Hoo interjected himself into the conversation between Geum Jan Di and the cousin of his Don Juan friend then.
"Yes, I'm here to inspect the casino business again." Victor Ma nodded, something tells him that his cousin's friend wasn't too happy to see him chatting up Geum Jan Di. But isn't Geum Jan Di the girlfriend of the newly-minted owner of the Shinhwa Group? So, why is the heir of the Su Am Group annoyed at him for chatting up the girl? Unless the heir of the Su Am Group likes the girl too? Man… this is truly complicated, no wonder his cousin was so adamant about setting him straight on the account that Geum Jan Di wasn't his secret love interest.
"Ji Hoo-sunbae, who is that guy exactly? Judging from the way the two of you interacted earlier, you guys are acquainted with one another?" Geum Jan Di inquires out of pure curiosity.
"Yes, well. We are sort of acquainted with each other, he's Woo Bin's cousin on his maternal side of the family - actually." Yoon Ji Hoo responded with a shrug, coming clean to Geum Jan Di about the identity of the man who has a penchant for wearing floral-printed design shirts.
"Eh?!" Geum Jan Di went wide-eyed in response at the end of the words coming from Yoon Ji Hoo, as her mouth formed the shape of an 'O' in surprise.
"Right… and speaking of Woo Bin-sunbae, where exactly is he and Yi Jeong-sunbae? I meant to ask earlier this morning, but it kept slipping my mind to inquire." Geum Jan Di finally asks as the thought pops into the forefront of her mind now that the name of the Don Juan of F4 came up in the conversation.
"Yi Jeong is probably at the airport waiting to board his return flight to Seoul by now, something crops up at home which he had to return without delay to settle. As for Woo Bin… well, he's likely off to meet up with some business contacts of his family business. After all, unlike us - he's here partly for business on behalf of his father. That's his father's condition for us to utilize the use of their family private jet." Yoon Ji Hoo admitted as he filled the curious girl in on the whereabouts of his two friends.
"I see…" Geum Jan Di nodded in response, before asking after the plans that the auburn-haired member of F4 had in mind for them to do for the latter half of the day. She figured that since her former prince charming had requested payment for the ice-cream treat in the form of her time for today, the guy likely has the plans for the entire day decided ahead of time.
"I thought we could go shopping, there are a few things I would like to get from the malls." Yoon Ji Hoo told Geum Jan Di with a smile.
"Oh… but I thought you didn't have anyone to buy souvenirs for?" Geum Jan Di blinked at the auburn-haired member of F4 in curiosity, using his own words against him in the wake of his decision to gift her the phoenix egg rolls after the end of their souvenir hunting trip in the Cunha Street in the Taipa district of Macau.
"Yes, so… I'm not exactly talking about souvenirs. I want to check out shops that carry the apparel for men, it's about time the winter collection came out for sale as well. I would like to expand my winter accessories collection, care to join me on my shopping trip to the mall?" Yoon Ji Hoo commented as he directed his gaze towards the figure of Geum Jan Di.
"Ah… I see. Well, you did request my time for today as the payment for the ice-cream treat, earlier - didn't you? So, of course, I've got to keep my words of promise and join you on your shopping trip to the mall." Geum Jan Di responded with a smiling expression and started heading in the direction of the mall attached to the Shinhwa Hotel.
To be honest, Yoon Ji Hoo certainly wasn't thinking about the mall attached to the Shinhwa Hotel when he first suggested going shopping for the latter half of the day. But he couldn't argue against Geum Jan Di's assessment that the mall operated and managed by the Shinhwa Group did carry the brand which he and the rest of the F4 preferred, as compared to the brands offered in other malls situated within the neighborhood. And so, they entered the mall owned by the Shinhwa Group that comes attached to the Hotel - commonly known to the locals in Macau as the Shinhwa Hotel Mall.
In one of the apparel shops, they spend a bit of time fooling around with the mannequin by repositioning the cap which the mannequin was donning on its' head by changing the direction of the cap several times. Geum Jan Di had a bit of fun pretending the mannequin as a person with Yoon Ji Hoo responding to her words as though the mannequin was truly speaking, it wasn't until the hand of the mannequin got pulled off by Geum Jan Di in an attempt to shake the mannequin's hand that they finally stop fooling around.
"I didn't break it, did I?" Geum Jan Di gazed down at the hand of the mannequin as she turns towards the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo with a questioning look in her eyes.
"No, I think the hands of the mannequin come in detachable parts so you can just screw it back on." Yoon Ji Hoo shakes his head in amusement as he responded.
"Right…" Nodding in response to Yoon Ji Hoo's words, Geum Jan Di proceed to screw the hand of the mannequin back onto the arm of the mannequin. It took a while but eventually, she managed to get the hand and the arm attached together again. Heaving a sigh of relief, Geum Jan Di decided to avoid fooling around with the mannequins in the shop again. After all, who knows if the mannequins in every store are the same types… she didn't want to risk the chance of actually breaking a mannequin while fooling around and had to end up compensating for the breakage of the mannequins.
It was completely by chance that Gu Jun Pyo chanced upon the figure of Geum Jan Di in the mall, but they didn't really meet eyes with one another. Mostly because Geum Jan Di was looking at a shoe on display in a departmental store, while Gu Jun Pyo was conducting his routine inspection check in the mall. He found himself stopping mid-steps when he noticed the figure of Geum Jan Di in the shop, staring unmoving at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes… Gu Jun Pyo knows Geum Jan Di likes the shoe with the way she was caressing it as she inspects the shoe in detail. However, he also knows that the shoe was not within the girl's budget especially after Geum Jan Di had turned the shoe over to look at the price before balking and replacing the shoe back onto the display rack.
One of the main reasons why Geum Jan Di was browsing around in the shoe section of the departmental store was because Yoon Ji Hoo was trying out some accessories over at the men's section of the store. Seeing nothing that interests her, Geum Jan Di has taken to roam about freely in the store.
"Young Master?" Jeong Sang-Rok prompted as he jolted Gu Jun Pyo's attention back to the present. At first, he didn't understand why Gu Jun Pyo had stopped mid-steps during the inspection tour of the mall, but when he followed the eyes of his young employer towards the direction of the store and landed his eyes on the figure of Geum Jan Di, he finally understood the cause of Gu Jun Pyo's dalliance. However, they had a schedule to abide by and it wouldn't do for Kang Hee-Soo to realize that Gu Jun Pyo was still pining for Geum Jan Di and so, he decided to speak up and remind his young master of his presence.
"Let's go." Gu Jun Pyo snapped his attention back to the present and continues on his inspection tour of the mall. Inwardly, he decided to patronize the store at a later time to buy Geum Jan Di the shoes she desires. The thought of how he's going to gift Geum Jan Di the shoes in the wake of his decision to cut ties with the girl didn't even occur to him, let alone the fact that he didn't really know the shoe size of his supposed girlfriend all this time.
Location: Shinhwa Hotel Mall departmental store, Level 3, Macau Peninsula. 24th November 2009, Tuesday, 3.30pm
It was significantly an hour later, that Gu Jun Pyo returns to the departmental store after completing his inspection tour to purchase the pair of shoes Geum Jan Di desires. Of course, by that point in time, Geum Jan Di was already occupying her time elsewhere. Instead, it was another girl that now stood in front of the shoe inspecting it in detail. Without a warning, Gu Jun Pyo stepped up front and attempted to remove the shoe held in the unknown young lady's hand by force.
In the opinions of Ha Jae-Kyung, the heiress of the JK Group - her first encounter with the owner of the Shinhwa Group, wasn't a pleasant encounter. She has been inspecting the shoe on display in the departmental store alone when her bodyguard, Chen was preoccupied elsewhere when the guy who later on ends up as her fiance for a time shows up to fight her for the pair of shoes that caught her attention in the store.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jae-Kyung protested when the guy abruptly tried to remove the shoe she was inspecting in detail out from her hands.
"I wanted it, of course. Now, would you let go of it?" Gu Jun Pyo addressed the heiress of the JK Group, who he didn't know at present in a demanding tone of voice.
"Huh? What?! I was looking at it first. How could you just barge in and try to snatch it out from my grasp." Jae-Kyung tried to reason with the guy despite her mounting annoyance.
"Yes, but I decided I wanted to buy it first." Gu Jun Pyo throws back at the unknown Korean girl in response.
"No!" Refusing to let go of the shoe, Jae-Kyung maintain her tight grip on it as Gu Jun Pyo tried to snatch it away to no avail.
"Excuse me, Miss. Could you please just share for this time?" Jeong Sang-Rok naturally knows who the young lady was, having known of Kang Hee-Soo's plan to unite the JK Group and the Shinhwa Group together in a political union between his young master and the heiress of the JK Group. Going by the Chinese belief that if one were to gift a pair of shoes to their significant half, it's almost an inevitable fate for the couple to part ways - he didn't object to his young master's decision to procure the shoes for Geum Jan Di. Not that he had attempted to voice such superstitious beliefs to his young master though, since the youngsters likely would scoff at him if he were to share such beliefs with them.
Turning towards the direction of his young master, Jeong Sang-Rok inquires. "Do you know the size?"
"Size…?" For a while, Gu Jun Pyo didn't get it and when he did, he promptly shifted his eyes onto the figure of the unknown Korean young lady fighting him for the right to the pair of shoes he intends to buy for Geum Jan Di.
"Lend me your feet for a while." Gu Jun Pyo started and promptly starts removing the shoes on the feet of Jae-Kyung and having the girl try out the pair of shoes he now held in his hands abruptly.
"Wait… what are you doing?!" Ha Jae-Kyung could hardly believe it, first, the guy show up to fight her for the shoes and now he's getting her to try out the shoes because he apparently didn't know the shoe size of the person he was going to buy the shoes for? Is he an idiot? Even if the shoes fit her feet, it doesn't mean that it would fit the feet of whoever he's buying the shoes for! Did this particular train of thought even occur to the guy?!
"Excellent." Gu Jun Pyo declared when the girl was able to fit into the shoes perfectly, and then told the girl that she could remove the shoes now.
"No." Jae-Kyung huffed in annoyance as she responded, just who the hell does the guy thinks he is? Coming in here and fighting her for the rights to the pair of shoes which she had her eyes set upon first, and then forcing her to try them on without seeking permission in prior. Now that the shoes fit perfectly, he wanted her to take them off so he could buy them for the person he intend to gift the shoes to without sparing a thought for her feelings on the matter? And so, she stood her ground by refusing to budge to the inclinations of the rude guy.
That prompts a start to an impromptu game of hide-and-seek in the store, with Jae-Kyung running around the store trying to avoid being captured by Gu Jun Pyo. But eventually, she got cornered by the guy and had the shoes ripped off her feet in a moment of distraction. Seated on the couch in the store, having replaced her own shoes onto her feet while watching the guy and his personal assistant(?) leave the store had the heiress of the JK Group fuming inwardly to herself. So much so that when Chen finally shows up minutes later, she vented her frustration on her dutiful bodyguard.
"Are you alright, young mistress?" Chen started, breathless after running from the ground floor of the mall to the third floor where the GPS location signal of her young mistress emitted from upon receiving the SOS signal on her phone.
"What took you so long?!" Jae-Kyung huffed in annoyance, she initially called upon her bodyguard's assistance in helping her stop the guy from purchasing the shoes that she wanted. But because her bodyguard didn't show up on time, she wasn't able to escape being cornered by the guy and ended up losing her rights to the pair of shoes. A quick check with the store assistant informed her that the shoes on display are the only set available in her sizing, and unless she's fine with another color - the shop doesn't carry another pair of the same shoes in the same sizing and color.
Chen, upon discovering the reason why the SOS signal was sent out to her on the phone fought against the urge to roll her eyes at the childishness of her young mistress. Still, she's glad that nothing untoward happens with the heiress of the JK Group. Having ranted to her bodyguard about the weirdo that fought her for the pair of shoes, the heiress of the JK Group stood from the couch in the store in a huff as she declared that she wants to go to the beach.
"The beach? Are you talking about visiting the Coloane district? But Sir and Mistress ask for you to join them for dinner with the acting director of the Shinhwa Group, tonight." Chen started trying her best to talk her young mistress out from the idea of wandering off, again but naturally, her persuasion yields no results as Jae-Kyung could be rather adamant about getting her way with things.
Ignoring the nagging words of Chen, the heiress of the JK Group decided to call up the Don Juan of F4 for a rant. This time, she spend the bulk of the conversation complaining to the Don Juan of F4 about the weirdo she met at the departmental store attached to the Shinhwa Hotel who fought her for the rights to a pair of ladies' shoes.
Song Woo Bin's first reaction to the reiteration of the events that took place at the Shinhwa Hotel Mall from the heiress of the JK Group was a twitch of his lips on reflex, as he wonders about the possibility of the weirdo being his childhood friend - Jun Pyo. Especially, after the heiress describes the weirdo who fought her for the rights to the pair of shoes being a guy with curly hair. That coupled with the fact that the encounter took place in the Shinhwa Hotel Mall makes Woo Bin wonders if it has been Jun Pyo that fought the heiress of the JK Group for the pair of shoes.
"Are you listening to me?" Jae-Kyung questioned across the line when the Don Juan of F4 fails to provide any form of response in the wake of her ranting episode.
"Yes, I'm listening to you. I'm simply waiting for you to complete your rant, before commenting on anything." Song Woo Bin was quick to placate the girl who sounded rather annoyed over the entire situation of not getting her hands on the pair of shoes.
"Right… I'm done with the rant now." The heiress of the JK Group announced, after having ranted about her earlier encounter with the weirdo - Jae-Kyung finally let the matter drop.
"Okay, and what are you going to do next? Continue to shop in the mall?" Song Woo Bin inquires, signaling for John, the assistant he had sort of 'borrowed' from his cousin - Victor, to help with the arrangement of the meetings with his father's business contacts to hold back the guests from entering the room until he was done with the conversation with the heiress of the JK Group.
"Nah… the earlier encounter with that weirdo had spoilt my mood, so I'm going to visit the beach next. Is there any lodging site you could recommend me in the area where the beaches are located?" Ha Jae-Kyung inquires habitually, she had gotten accustomed to the trend of asking the Don Juan of F4 for recommendations whenever she's visiting a new place. Naturally, this time it was no different.
"Hmm… most lodging sites are boutique hotels in that area if my memory serves me accurately."Song Woo Bin reminded after having combed through his mind for the list of hotels available in the Coloane district of Macau.
"That's fine, it's not as though I've never lodged in boutique hotels before," Jae-Kyung responded with a shrug, she isn't a fan of day trips… and if it allows her to avoid meeting the business partners of her parents - all the more she's willing to spend the night in a place outside of her parents' reach.
"Hmm… in that case, try the Pousada de Coloane. It's an old Manor house with 28 rooms repurposed into a beach hotel in the 1970s. It's located right on the Cheoc-van beach, so it would give you a perfect view of the sea." Song Woo Bin recommended the first hotel that pops into his mind.
"Really? Would the mention of your name there allows me any privilege?" The heiress of the JK Group went on to press for more details from her end of the line, at the end of Woo Bin's words.
"Yes. The hotel is owned by a family friend, so I'm sure they would be very accommodating to your requests." Song Woo Bin commented in response, knowing full well that the owner of the beach hotel was a friend of his mother in her schooling years. And that particular hotel was where his parents had thrown their wedding dinner reception, as his mother had insisted upon the notion of having a beach wedding which his father was very much willing to fulfill.
"Excellent. Let's hope the hotel management would take my words for it, without me having to call you up again to verify the authenticity of my words with you."The heiress of the JK Group commented before cutting off the line on her end.
"..." Song Woo Bin was silent for a second before motioning for John to show the visiting guests into the meeting room he had booked with the Grand Emperor Hotel for his business meetings with the business contacts of his father. Before John stepped out of the meeting room to invite the guests in, Woo Bin told the guy casually. "Contact the beach hotel and inform them that a friend of mine would be patronizing this afternoon, have them give her a discount for the room fee when she checked in at the reception of the hotel."
"Of course, young master Woo Bin. Is there anything else that you require from me?" John, the guy who was assisting him temporarily in handling the scheduling of his business meeting while he's in Macau inquires in return.
"No. That's all I required from you at present." Song Woo Bin shakes his head in response, as he silent his mobile phone in preparation for the meeting with the tiles supplier which his father had wanted him to meet in Macau.
Location: Boutique Hotel - Pousada de Coloane, Macau. 24th November 2009, Tuesday afternoon, 4.30pm
"Young mistress, your mother is going to be very displeased with you when she discovered that you had wandered off on your own again." Chen, the bodyguard told Jae-Kyung in a disapproving tone of voice shortly after they checked into the superior twin room at the beach hotel located on Cheoc-van beach, in the Coloane district of Macau.
"I know, Chen. But you have to understand from my perspective as well, I'm on a holiday trip. Why should I spare time for a meeting with their business associates? And something tells me that this isn't an ordinary meeting with the usual business associates. They have never insisted on me to meet their business contacts before, what's so different this time? I have a suspicious feeling that they are actually trying to match me up with someone, despite my continual insistence on not being keen on a political union." The heiress of the JK Group confessed to her female bodyguard, who is also her closest female friend in a sense since she doesn't exactly click with the girls schooling with her in the same class back in the UK.
"Still, there's a limit of how long you can evade the subject. Sooner or later, they are going to resort to forceful means to keep you in one place, you know?" Chen pointed out objectively to her young mistress.
"I know… but as I've always said, we'll cross the bridge when we get to it." The heiress of the JK Group shrugged as she took a moment to assess the room she would be lodging over the next two days or so.
The Pousada de Coloane is a boutique hotel with a four-star rating, equipped with a pool of its own for the guests' use as well as an in-house authentic Portuguese restaurant as well as a terrace that accommodates events and a fine dining experience. There is a total of 28 rooms available for booking, but since it's a boutique hotel - the rooms available are mostly the standard or the superior room. They do have one single-family suite available for booking, but certain conditions need to be met for the room to be booked. For example, a family of five traveling together or a group of five friends who are interested in lodging in the same room.
Since Jae-Kyung is only traveling with Chen in tow, she had opted to book the Superior Twin Room for her stay. She didn't mind sharing a room with Chen, her bodyguard, since this was exactly what she had done when she was visiting Cambodia and Vietnam. The only exception was when they were visiting Bangkok, instead of staying in the same room, they were staying in rooms with a connecting doorway between them.
Another notable trait about the Pousada de Coloane boutique hotel is that it used to be a manor house built in 1930, which was converted and repurposed as a hotel in the 1970s. it officially started operating as a beach hotel in 1977 and is located on the Cheoc-Van beach on the southern bay of Macau. Since visiting the beach was on Jae-Kyung's bucket list while in the city, it has been her idea to book into the boutique hotel - Pousada de Coloane.
The superior twin room offers her a spectacular view of the sea, and the sight of the breathtaking view from the balcony of the room makes her all the more eager to go out and explore the beach. And so, turning towards Chen - she piqued. "Come on, let's head out to the beach!"
Unlike the typical tourists, Jae-Kyung's intention of visiting the beach isn't to swim but to take a walk down the sandy beach barefoot. Of course, she didn't forget to snap some photos of the view and the beach itself with the camera function of her phone. Since she's avoiding any forms of contact with her parents, Jae-Kyung ended up sending off a message to a certain Don Juan of F4 with an image of the beach with a greeting message.
A private message between Jae-Kyung and Woo Bin, 24th November 2009, Tuesday, 4.30pm
Jae-Kyung: [Insert Cheoc-Van Beach. IMG] - Hello from Coloane! ^_^ Thanks for giving me tips on how to access the district. I'm now at the Cheoc-Van beach on the southern end of Macau, and lodging with Pousada de Coloane as per your recommendation. Thank you for calling up ahead to inform them of my arrival, I got a discount on the room rates ^_^
Woo Bin: Hello to you, too. I thought it best to inform them ahead of time, so you needn't call me up to have them verify the authenticity of your words. Sorry to cut this short, but I'm kind of amid a meeting now.
Jae-Kyung: Oops, sorry. In that case, I shan't deter you from your meeting further. But I might send you messages every now and then, feel free to ignore them until you have time on hand to reply to me. ^^;
Woo Bin: … you aren't thinking of bombarding my phone with pictures, again - are you? If so, I recommend that you upload them onto your Instagram account and simply share the link with me. I'll look through the pictures when I have more time on hand.
Jae-Kyung: I do have an Instagram account but it's in a private setting, you would need to request to follow me before you could see the posts.
Woo Bin: … What's your Instagram account?
Jae-Kyung: JaeKyung_Ha
Woo Bin: Noted, would drop you a follow request by tonight. FYI, my username on Instagram is W_Don_Juan_B.
The Don Juan of F4 tucked away his phone and ended the text message with the heiress of the JK Group, just as the sedan car he was riding in came to a stop in front of the villa house belonging to his maternal grandparents in Macau.
Location: Macau Peninsula, Santo Antonio, Ma's family villa. 24th November 2009, Tuesday afternoon, 3pm
"Madam, young master Woo Bin is here." The housekeeper employed in the service of the Ma family attending to the maintenance of the villa house knocked on the door leading to the living room of the property as he informed the occupant within of the visiting guest.
"Show him in, and please get the tea service ready." Josephine Ma, the maternal grandmother of the Don Juan of F4 responded to the words of the housekeeper.
"Of course, madam." The housekeeper bowed respectfully and excused himself to the kitchen to get the tea service ready for his employer and her guest.
"Grand-Mama, you summoned?" Song Woo Bin greeted the old lady cheekily as he stepped into the living room of the villa house owned by the Ma family in Macau, on the Macau Peninsula within the Santo Antonio district.
"Yes, dear grandson of mine… why is it that you never show up voluntarily unless I were to summon you over in person?" Josephine Ma commented in a sardonic tone of voice as she eyed the son of her middle child - and her only daughter.
"I apologized for the delay in swinging by for an official visit, but I was preoccupied with other things at hand. Father send me over to meet up with a few suppliers of the flooring tiles for our upcoming construction projects for one, and then I had some personal errands to run while in Macau as well. But now that I'm done attending to that business, I'm here at your first summoning call. Surely, the fact that I showed up without delay is good enough for you?" Song Woo Bin commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as he addressed his maternal grandmother.
Woo Bin wasn't very close to his grandparents on both sides, mostly because the grandparents on his father's side of the family passes on when he was still a toddler. And his grandparents on his mother's side of the family reside literally in another country full-time, henceforth it's only natural for him to not feel close-knitted with his maternal grandparents. After all, outside of the Lunar New Year period and during the summer break in his childhood days… he doesn't get to see them much.
And once he reached a certain age, he tries to avoid coming over to Macau/Hong Kong for a reunion meeting with his maternal grandparents because they always like to ask if he is dating anyone. If he answers 'no', they would ask if he needs them to introduce some respectable young ladies to him for consideration and if he were to answer 'yes', they would then ask him when would he bring the young lady home to meet the family. Faced with the above-mentioned scenarios, Woo Bin tries not to show up during the Lunar New Year festive period.
Honestly, if it weren't for Geum Jan Di… Woo Bin probably wouldn't even show up in Macau voluntarily because he knows his mother wouldn't let him off the hook if he pops by Macau without paying his maternal grandparents a visit. Luckily for him, it's only his grandmother that's in Macau for now… his grandfather is currently in Hong Kong. It would be quite challenging for him to handle if both his maternal grandparents decided to gang up on him on the subject of his practically non-existent love life, at present.
Josephine Ma scrutinized her grandson with an assessing look before grudgingly letting the matter slide, and when the tea service arrived. They both spend a minute in silence enjoying their respective cup of tea.
"How old are you now, Woo Bin?" Josephine Ma began, at her age - sometimes she tends to mix up the ages of her grandsons unintentionally.
"...21 going on to 22, next February." Song Woo Bin responded as he braced himself inwardly for the onslaught of the usual questions from his maternal grandparents. Sure enough, the next thing he heard was his grandmother asking him if he has a girlfriend.
"Ah… just having reached the age of maturity, I see. So, are there any significant young lady in your life yet?" Josephine Ma nodded thoughtfully at her grandson's response.
"...Not yet." Woo Bin hesitated for a moment before shaking his head in response, pushing aside the thought of a certain heiress that pops into his mind after recalling the offhanded remark made by his cousin- Victor, about how the heiress of the JK Group would make an ideal significant half for him.
"Was that hesitance I detected in your response? Are you sure there's no one present in your life at present that could fit the role of being your significant half?" Josephine Ma wasn't so dim-witted that she would miss the hesitancy reflected in her grandson's delayed response to her query.
"While I do admit that I was hesitant about responding to that question of yours, I assured you that it had nothing to do with a girl that's present in my life. I'm hesitating simply because I was fearing for the possibility of you trying to match me up with the daughter or a granddaughter of your acquaintance." Song Woo Bin eventually said, masking up his actual thoughts by bringing up the mention of his cousin - Kelvin Ma's experience, several months ago.
"...I see, Kelvin wasted no time in sharing with you about his attendance of a match-making experience under my insistence." Josephine Ma deadpans with a roll of her eyes, why is it that none of her grandsons are willing to settle down properly? If either of them is willing to settle down in a stable relationship of their own, she needn't be rushing them all the time.
"Yes, well. He did. But in his defense, Kelvin's only 25… still a tad young to be settling down and starting a family, isn't it?" The Don Juan of F4 commented sharing with his grandmother about his own opinion on the matter.
"I know he's only 25, and still has plenty of time to get settled. However, if he didn't start going out on his own to expand his social circle of friends - when exactly would he be able to meet his significant half? I'm not sure if your mother had mentioned anything to you about our family policy, but the thing is - unlike the other prominent families out there, we always married for love and not for anything else." Josephine Ma told Woo Bin in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Oh… I see." At this, Woo Bin finally understood why his parents behaved so differently from his friends' parents. When compared to Jun Pyo's parents, his parent's interactions with one another are way too intimate. Woo Bin recalls the multiple times he often gagged in front of his friends when his mother picks up a call from his father while fetching him from school.
Yes, Woo Bin's mother fetched him from school personally instead of sending the family chauffeurs to do the rather rare job. Even Ji Hoo's mother didn't do that before that fatal car crash took away the lives of his parents… and going by Woo Bin's opinion, Ji Hoo's parents seem to be quite in love with one another as opposed to Jun Pyo and, of course, Yi Jeong's parents.
Before today, Woo Bin was under the impression that his parents were also a product of a political union - only they got lucky and ends up falling in love with one another. But now he knows he had gotten it all wrong, his parents had actually married for love. And so, out of curiosity, the Don Juan of F4 ended up spending the better half of his afternoon taking tea in the presence of his maternal grandmother as he tried to uncover the story of his parents' union.
Location: Seoul, South Korea. 24th November 2009, Tuesday.
Due to the one-hour time difference between Macau and Seoul, with Seoul one hour ahead of Macau. It was 5pm when the flight Yi Jeong boarded for his return to Seoul operated by Air Macau landed in the Incheon International Airport, adding in the time spent to collect his baggage from the luggage belt and clearing the immigration customs. It was approaching 5.45pm when he finally emerged from the arrival hall of the airport.
The first thing the Korean Casanova did was to proceed to the parking facility of the airport to collect his orange lotus and load his baggage into the car boot of his personal vehicle.
Not in any rush to visit his hysteric mother, Yi Jeong decided to head back to the pottery studio where he was utilizing as both his workspace and his bachelor pad for a shower and to unpack the things he had brought home from Macau. Separating out the souvenirs he bought from Macau and repacked them into the respective shopping bags he had brought home in his newly purchased suitcase, Yi Jeong left the two duty-free shopping bags and the bag of phoenix egg rolls he had gotten for his grandfather on the table out front in his pottery studio while bringing the rest into his room for temporary storage. He figured that since he's already heading back to his family home for a visit to his hysteric mother, he might as well bring the souvenir he bought for his grandfather along.
Once done, Yi Jeong proceeds to hit the shower for a quick rinse to refresh himself before he picked out an outfit for his dinner date with Chu Ga Eul, later this evening. But before he could even prepare for his dinner date with his lovely girlfriend, there's some family drama waiting for him to sort out first. And so, grabbing the two shopping bags from the duty-free shop he had gotten from the airport of Macau - the Korean Casanova headed back out of the pottery studio to set off for his family home situated in the Seongbuk-dong.
Seongbuk-dong is a village within the Seongbuk-district of Seoul, it is a quiet and quaint neighborhood where the wealthy resides. It is also where the Yoon family home was situated, only the Yoon family home is located closer to the main road where the main traffic is while the So family home is situated in the deeper end of the village. His pottery studio, on the other hand, is situated in the Gwangjin district of Seoul; which is about 20 minutes away from his family home via driving.
All in, Yi Jeong spends less than 10 minutes in his mother's presence before being sent off to check in on the activities of his father. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his mother's hysteric act, Yi Jeong stood from the chair he had been seated on that's placed in the master bedroom of the So family mansion and took that as his cue to leave.
"Mr. Lee, you wouldn't happen to know where that father of mine could be, at present - would you?" Yi Jeong begins lowering his tone of voice lest it garners the attention of his near hysteric mother, again.
"Seeing as it's only 5.30pm, I reckon he would still be in his office at the Seoul National University." Mr. Lee, the personal assistant of his grandfather responded.
His mother's suicidal whims are no longer news to his grandfather, and so, it's only natural that instead of coming by in person to check things out on his own - his grandfather had resorted to sending his personal assistant in as his proxy to oversee things. And usually, Yi Jeong didn't even bother showing his face but simply stick to a phone conversation with his mother's caretaker. Today though, he had shown up in person because his mother's suicidal whims are a little too much for the caretaker to placate the day before and he had to be called on the phone as he promised to check in on her upon his return to Seoul. That, ultimately, was the reason behind his showing up at his family home this evening.
"Right, thank you. This is for my grandfather, please ensure that it's delivered to him and that reassured him that I'll be showing up at the museum tomorrow, even if a visit to my father is bound to sour my mood for the rest of today." Yi Jeong told the personal assistant of his grandfather with a sigh as he handed over the bag of almond cakes he had brought home from Macau for his grandfather as a souvenir.
Leaving the So family mansion, Yi Jeong darted a quick look to the time reflected on his mobile phone before reigniting the engine of his orange lotus and sped off for the direction of the National University of Seoul to go in search for his philanderer father - So Hyeon Seop.
Upon arrival at the outside of his father's office, instead of simply barging in - Yi Jeong makes sure to knock on the door seeking permission to enter first before turning the doorknob on the door to enter the office of his father in the university. The knock also serves as a warning to his father so the man could avoid being caught in a compromising position with his lady friend if he did have someone else in his office with him at present.
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, So Hyeon Seop commented when the door opens to admit the entry of his second-born son, who has been selected as the rightful heir to succeed his father's business empire in the arts industry.
"This is truly surprising, it's usually me that seeks you out. So, what brought you over to my office this evening?" So Hyeon Seop, the assistant professor employed in the service of the National University of Seoul for their art faculty in charge of the sculpting modules commented with a questioning look directed towards Yi Jeong.
"I think you know very well what brings me over this evening, dear father of mine. And I have to say, I'm equally surprised that you didn't have an outsider in here with you, this evening." Yi Jeong deadpans to his philanderer father in response.
"... Your mother sent you over to check in on my activities again, did she?" So Hyeon Seop responded dryly in the wake of hearing his son's unamused response.
"Why bother to ask when you already know? Regardless, I'm glad for once - I'm not seeing anything that would dirty my eyes. Oh and before I forgot, here's a little souvenir for you from my trip to Macau. Enjoy the rest of the evening, and do try not to get caught by the paparazzi - this time. I just had my vacation in Macau cut short by eomma's hysterics that her caretaker has difficulty dealing with, and I'm hoping that I would get a few days of peace before I have to deal with her next bout of hysterics." So Yi Jeong remarked drily at his father, before setting down the duty-free shopping bag on his father's work-desk in the office and turning to leave the place without a moment's delay.
Yi Jeong didn't bother to report to his mother about what his father is doing at the point of his visit, knowing his mother - that woman would call him up on her own after some time. Deciding to deal with it when the call comes in, Yi Jeong then sets off for the nearest florist to pick up a flower bouquet of orange roses for his beloved country bumpkin before dropping the girl a text that he's on his way over to pick her up for their dinner date.
Knowing that he could hand the souvenirs over to his girlfriend on the following morning in school, Yi Jeong didn't bring the bag of souvenirs he had for the girl out with him - this evening. Instead, he had left the bag of souvenirs sitting on the table of his pottery studio when he left for his family home earlier.
Location: Outside Chu Family Home, Songpa-gu. 24th November 2009, Tuesday, 6.30pm
Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but beams when she noticed the approaching orange lotus that belongs to the potter of F4 pulling up in front of her family home.
"Welcome back to Seoul, Yi Jeong-sunbae." Ga Eul greeted when the owner of the orange lotus stepped out from the driver's seat to approach her with a fresh flower bouquet in hand.
"Thank you, Ga Eul. This is for you." So Yi Jeong smiles upon the sight of his cheerful girlfriend and felt instantly at home. If only, he didn't have to deal with all that family drama upon his return to Seoul, today would have been a perfect day for him.
"Thank you, Yi Jeong-sunbae. So, where are we going for dinner today?" Ga Eul inquires as she slides into the side passenger seat of the orange lotus after her boyfriend held the door open for her.
"We are going to have Indonesian food, there's a restaurant near the Hongik University area that serves authentic Indonesian cuisines." Yi Jeong responded with enthusiasm as he responded to the query directed to him by his lovely girlfriend.
"Indonesian food? That's rare coming from you, it's always me that suggested to go for such cuisines." Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but comment cheekily.
"Yes, well… but the past few days in Macau - I had been eating Chinese repeatedly, so it's getting a bit old for me. I also had my fair share of Italian in Macau, and I know you aren't a big fan of French cuisines… whereas I'm not a fan of American food. Too fatty and oily for my liking, so…I thought we should go for Asian cuisines. But then, I already had Chinese for several days in a row… while Thai cuisines are an option, we have patronized that particular restaurant a tad too frequently. If we patronize them every other week, they are going to realize the nature of our relationship sooner than I would've preferred. So, I thought I ought to expand the options for a bit and that's when the restaurant - Lilin came to mind." The Korean Casanova explained as he steered the orange lotus onto the route that would bring them towards the area where Hongik University is located.
"Why? Have you dine in that restaurant before?" Ga Eul inquires out of curiosity.
"...Only once, and I was dragged there by someone." Yi Jeong fell silent for a moment as he thought of his last visit to that particular restaurant, it had been several years ago and he was dragged there forcefully by Eun-Jae. The thought of Eun-Jae reminded him that he probably need to come clean with Ga Eul about the existence of Eun-Jae, and what Eun-Jae had meant to him at one point in his life. But perhaps, that could wait for a few more days. Why tarnished their first dinner date following his return from the trip to Macau by bringing up the subject of his first love with Ga Eul? It's already bad enough that he probably has to relate the tale of Geum Jan Di and Jun Pyo's potential break-up to his girlfriend when their dinner date comes to an end, the last thing he wishes is to burden the girl with more troubling thoughts.
"Hmm…and does the food served in that restaurant meet your standards of expectations?" Although, Ga Eul did sense the fact that her boyfriend was hiding something from her about his last visit to the restaurant. She decided not to pry into the issue now, sooner or later, that guy is going to come clean to her - that much, Ga Eul is certain. And so, she zeroed in on the guy's verdict about the food served in the restaurant.
"The set-up and interior decor of the restaurant definitely bring a sense of the culture and atmosphere from Bali, Indonesia to Korea. Menu-wise, it's a little limited in terms of choice but the food isn't so bad. The pricing is between 6000 Korean Won to 18000 Korean Won, so pretty much considered mid-price. Most of their patrons are university students from Hongik University, and the restaurant is small compared to other restaurants in the vicinity but they are staying true to the Indonesian culture in that sense since most restaurants in Indonesia tend to be small-sized as well." Yi Jeong commented as he shares his opinions about the restaurant with his curious girlfriend.
"Interesting, I guess I'll just have to see the place for myself to form my own opinions then." Chu Ga Eul beams in response.
"I'm sure you won't be disappointed, and the restaurant makes a good photo spot with their unique decoration." Yi Jeong remarked wryly upon the remembrance of his girlfriend's habit of taking pictures about anything she finds appealing.
"Really? Now it got me even more curious about the restaurant." Ga Eul piqued up in anticipation as she started looking forward to dining in the Lilin Indonesian Restaurant, after hearing all about it from the Korean Casanova who's known for his pickiness when it comes down to food.
"Wow…" That was Ga Eul's first reaction upon stepping foot into the restaurant, and the Korean Casanova sure isn't lying when he claims that the restaurant is Instagram-worthy. Almost from the moment, they entered the restaurant, Ga Eul feels as though she has been transported away from Seoul to Bali, an infamous island of Indonesia that brings in loads of tourists each year.
Due to the size limit of the restaurant, the table sizing in the restaurant are literally all meant for 2 person use. This means large group gatherings aren't possible in this restaurant - which makes it a perfect dating spot for university students. In fact, Ga Eul spied at least two separate couples outside of them who are dining in the restaurant, this evening. Of course, university couples are a lot more open with their public display of affections as compared to them. Then again, her boyfriend wasn't just a nobody… but still, her boyfriend was gentleman enough to pull out the seat for her when they were shown to an available table in the restaurant.
The menu is indeed limited in choices, both Ga Eul and Yi Jeong went for Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice. Aside from the fried rice dish, they also ordered crab with tomato seafood curry to share between them. As for the beverage, both of them went for the cider.
With the food orders placed, So Yi Jeong took his phone out and starts showing Ga Eul the pictures and videos he had taken in Macau to satisfy his girlfriend's curiosity about the city before anything else came up for discussion. Ga Eul took her time looking through the photographs and video clips her boyfriend had taken on his mobile phone and found herself grinning as the memory of her forcing him to be her exclusive photographer while they were vacationing in New Caledonia came to the forefront of her mind. It wasn't until she came across the various snapshots of her childhood friend, that Ga Eul finally brought up the topic of her friend's visit to Macau for discussion.
"Thank you for showing me these lovely pictures. And please send them to me if you intend to discard them after showing them to me, I want to save them somewhere so I could look at them in the future." Ga Eul commented as she returned the mobile phone to the Korean Casanova, and waited until her boyfriend gave her his words that he wouldn't delete them from his phone memory until he had sent her everything at a later time.
"Now, what exactly happens between Jun Pyo-sunbae and Jan Di?" Chu Ga Eul inquires as she reminded her boyfriend to start relating to her the tale about their friends. She didn't forget how the Korean Casanova had mentioned that Jan Di isn't doing too well at present, and she's very curious to find out the reason why.
"... Long story short, Jun Pyo's extremely reluctant to meet up with Geum Jan Di in person. During the meeting of the F4, he was behaving weirdly as well. Something in his words gives me the feeling that he might be on the verge of giving up this relationship he had with Geum Jan Di, maybe Woo Bin is right - the pressure of taking on the Shinhwa Group onto his own shoulders has gotten to him. While nothing is substantial at this point, it's quite obvious that things between Geum Jan Di and Jun Pyo wouldn't be doing too good at present." Yi Jeong sighed as he reiterates the events that have come to take place in Macau that's within his knowledge, as for what happens after he left Macau - he had absolutely no clues.
"I see… poor Jan Di. Do you reckon that Jun Pyo-sunbae would truly break up with her?" Ga Eul inquires with a frowning look on her features.
"Hard to say. If Jun Pyo caved into the pressure placed upon him by his mother, chances are he would break off the relationship with Geum Jan Di. But if you're asking me if Jun Pyo is completely over Geum Jan Di… if Ji Hoo's words were to have any truth in it - Jun Pyo is far from being over with Geum Jan Di." The Korean Casanova shrugged, inwardly hoping that this conversation about his friend and Geum Jan Di isn't going to continue for the rest of the evening. He truly didn't wish to spend his first dinner date following his return from Macau with his girlfriend speaking about something that is not relevant to them, and their own relationship.
"Hmm… alright, I guess I wouldn't know more of the situation until Jan Di got back from Macau. Anyway, you mentioned Jun Pyo-sunbae pissing you off in one of our earlier text conversations. What happen?" Ga Eul asks then, steering the subject of conversation towards how Gu Jun Pyo had managed to piss off the potter of F4, instead.
"His uncaring attitude, I supposed. We ask if he has met Geum Jan Di, and instead of telling us that he can't meet up with Geum Jan Di for certain reasons. He was insulating to us that he has no reason to meet her. And when I ask to clarify if he didn't send Geum Jan Di any words of contact on purpose, he give me the impression that it was an act done on purpose. I guess his uncaring attitude sort of got to me or hits a nerve in me, which ended up with me losing my cool and delivering a punch to his face." Yi Jeong sighed as he repeat the event of him losing his cool in Macau at Jun Pyo to his girlfriend with a shrug.
"You punched him in the face and he actually lets you get away with it unscathed?" Chu Ga Eul was amazed, to be frank. She was expecting that Jun Pyo-sunbae would retaliate with a punch of his own or something.
"I guess, he's still reeling from the fact that I actually lose my cool at him. Usually, I'm the sensible one that doesn't resort to violence and he's the one that tends to fly off the handle at every little thing." Yi Jeong shrugged nonchalantly in response, and paused in his speech when the food ordered was delivered to their table.
"Or maybe he knows you were right, and so he decided to let you off the hook for punching him in the face without giving you a punch in return." Chu Ga Eul commented after taking a moment to savor the taste of the curry dish.
"Pardon?" Yi Jeong blinked shifting his eyes towards his girlfriend in confusion.
"I bet you lecture him about how irresponsible and how much of a scumbag he was being with his behavior towards Jan Di when you lose your cool at him - right?" Ga Eul piqued up, keeping her eyes on the figure of her boyfriend as she waited for the guy to respond.
"Ah… I admit I might have said something along that line to him in my rare show of anger." The potter of F4 nodded slowly, as the memory of that particular confrontation he had with Jun Pyo came flashing to the forefront of his mind.
"I think that's why you escaped unscathed. I mean, he practically labeled Gong Soo Pyo - a scumbag in private when he went MIA on me without any forms of contact. Yet, this was exactly what he was trying to do with Jan Di - this time. I think, your berating words got through to him in that sense and so, he decided to let the matter of you punching him go unscathed. The only difference lies in that Jan Di is truly in love with Jun Pyo-sunbae, and is bound to be heartbroken by his act. Whereas, in my case, I'm simply frustrated when that scumbag of an ex went MIA on me because I wasn't in love with him." Ga Eul responded while going to the extent of bringing up the mention of her ex, in front of her current boyfriend to prove her point.
"..."
The rest of the dinner lapsed in silence, as they focused on finishing the food so they could pay and leave the restaurant and free up their seats and table for the waiting customers who were outside forming a long queue to enter the restaurant. As per their routine, after finishing their dinner - they went for a walk in a nearby shopping mall treating it as their after-meal exercise. And during this entire time, Yi Jeong was holding on to the hands of Ga Eul. If it weren't for the fact that they're in public, he probably would have pulled the girl into an embrace by this point. He truly missed the feeling of having the girl in his arms over the past few days whereby he was off in Macau, after all.
"Yi Jeong-sunbae, let's go in there for a while." Chu Ga Eul suggested as she pointed towards a store that sells stationery.
"Sure, is there anything you wish to pick up from the stationery store?" The potter of F4 inquires as he entered the stationery shop with his beloved country bumpkin girlfriend in tow.
"Yes, I do have to pick up a few things that are running low in my stationery supplies." Ga Eul responded and tried to get a certain Casanova to let go of her hand so she could locate a shopping basket for the shopping errand. Only, instead of letting go of Ga Eul's hand - Yi Jeong tighten his grasp on the girl's hand and reached out for the shopping basket himself.
"Come on, I have the basket. Let's go and pick up the stationery supplies that you wish to replenish, shall we?" Having been away from his girlfriend for the past 72 hours and more, there's simply no way that the Korean Casanova is going to let go of Ga Eul anytime soon. Not until it's time for him to send the girl home at the end of their date, at least.
"Are you sure you want to be seen sticking this close with me? We are in a district that's mostly patronized by university students, you know? For all we know… there could be girls who patronized the nightclubs you tend to visit." Ga Eul turns towards her boyfriend and reminds him with a meaningful look in her eyes.
"I admit that you do have a point, but given how I've declared my love for you in front of an entire crowd in a nightclub in Itaewon district… people are already talking about us. So, why bother to hide the fact that we're together? As long as they aren't going to march up to my grandfather or your family members about them seeing us shopping together in an exceptionally chummy behavior, who cares if they see us holding hands as we shopped?" Yi Jeong responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, causing Ga Eul to roll her eyes momentarily at his words.
"Just how thick-skinned could you be? If memory serves me accurately, that confession you proclaimed for me in that nightclub was simply a farce to take revenge on that scumbag whom I was dating for a time." Chu Ga Eul reminded her boyfriend with a pointed look, before turning away to browse through the notebook section of the stationery store.
"Well… I admit that was a staged confession as part of the revenge ploy against that scumbag you had dated at one point, but it didn't change the fact that I was already attracted to you then. Only, I was too busy being in denial to admit the truth to myself, at that point." The Korean Casanova sighed in response, as he gave the hand of his girlfriend which he was holding onto a quick squeeze to state his point.
"I know, I wouldn't have allowed myself to fall for you if I hasn't sensed the teeny bit of your true desires hidden in those words of confession - you know?" Chu Ga Eul responded as she turns around to meet the eyes of her boyfriend briefly, before pressing a quick kiss to the corner of her boyfriend's mouth. She didn't dare to instigate a proper kiss at this point, not simply because they are in public but also because of the fact that neither of them have even gargled using mouthwash after finishing their dinner meal.
"..." To say that Yi Jeong has been rendered silent by the words tumbling forth from the lips of his girlfriend was an understatement. What exactly does she mean by having sensed the teeny bit of his true desires hidden behind those words of confession?! He knew Ga Eul is rather astute in her observation, but still… does that means she knows of his attraction towards her before he did?
[Ya! Enough, So Yi Jeong! No point dwelling on the past… it's best to focus on the present, and think of the future!] - The Korean Casanova berated himself silently in the mind, as he refocused his attention back to the present.
Meanwhile, seizing the moment of distraction on her boyfriend's part, Chu Ga Eul successfully freed her hand from the grasp of So Yi Jeong. With both her hands-free, she could now inspect the notebooks available for sale in the stationery store as she pleased. Ga Eul likes to inspect the notebooks with both her hands as it makes it easier to do a comparison when she has both hands available for use, but she can't do that if her Casanova boyfriend maintains a tight grip on her other hand. And so, Ga Eul resorted to the act of kissing her boyfriend on the corner of his mouth on an initiative to distract him for a moment. And judging from his stunned reaction, it seems like her ploy to regain the use of both her hands had worked splendidly.
It took Yi Jeong an entire five minutes to realize that he was no longer holding onto the hand of his girlfriend, and when the realization hits - he couldn't help but roll his eyes at his girlfriend's wittiness at employing such an underhand strategy at distracting him. Still, he couldn't resist grinning though because this is the first time his girlfriend had taken the initiative to instigate a moment of intimacy between them. Although, he has to say that Ga Eul was quite daring to attempt doing so in a public place… well, at least, he ought to be thankful that his father had kept most of the paparazzi busy with his philandering lifestyle. So, it's very likely that nobody would be stalking him for any juicy news for the tabloid news or the gossips rags that members of the public seem to enjoy reading in their free time.
Ga Eul ended up picking out several notebooks, a new set of ballpoint pens for her own use as well as some highlighters essential for her notes taking. Finally, she drop a box of colored pencils into the shopping basket and in response to the silent questioning look she receives from her Casanova boyfriend - Ga Eul answered simply. "The color pencils are for Jung-Min."
"I see, is that everything you need from the store?" Yi Jeong inquires as they made their way towards the cashier counter for the payment of the items.
"Yes." Ga Eul nodded in response, as she start queuing for the payment at the only cashier counter in the stationery store.
Naturally, when it's her turn to pay for the items - she found the Korean Casanova beating her to the task of paying the cashier. "Thank you for paying for my purchases, but I hope you do know that not everything in the basket is for my own personal use."
"I know, the color pencils are for your little brother but since the majority of the items in the shopping basket are for your own use. I don't mind paying for them." Yi Jeong responded as they stepped out of the stationery store, and continues their stroll down the street. They continue walking down the street for another fifteen minutes before turning back to where he had parked his orange lotus earlier on when they decide to patronize the Indonesian restaurant for their dinner meal, this evening.
As Yi Jeong reignited the engine to his vehicle to take them back to the Songpa-gu where Ga Eul's family home is located, he asks if the girl would mind meeting up with him in the private lounge tomorrow morning before classes begin for the day.
"I don't mind meeting you in the lounge before classes begin tomorrow, but do you mind telling me why?" Chu Ga Eul inquires as she turns to regard the Korean Casanova with a questioning look.
"I brought you some souvenirs from Macau to share with your family, and yes - I've included the share for the Miyazawa heir. Only… I'm not certain of his preference, so I ended up buying quite a few varieties of the snacks. Anyway, I was thinking of bringing them to you tomorrow and giving them to you in school since you probably wouldn't have time to come by the pottery studio to pick them up from me tomorrow as you would be working in the porridge shop. And Thursday, I'll be stuck at the museum and hence I can't give the bag of souvenirs to you, because I didn't want to hear the staff at the museum complaining about how I wasn't considerate enough to get them something from Macau." Yi Jeong responded casually to his girlfriend's inquiry.
"I see. Hmm… since you'd requested for a meet-up tomorrow in the lounge before classes begin for the day, would you like me to bring you something to eat for your breakfast as well?" Chu Ga Eul inquires glancing out from the corner of her eyes for her boyfriend's reaction to her suggestion.
"If it's convenient for you to do so, I certainly wouldn't mind having you prep up breakfast for me. It would save me from the hassle of making a detour at the convenience store later on after I dropped you off. After all, I've just got back in from Macau this afternoon and hence haven't got the chance to stock up my fridge with anything that might serve as my breakfast meal for tomorrow yet." The potter of F4 responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Of course, it wouldn't be an inconvenience. Either way, I'll be making breakfast for my family tomorrow morning. So, all I needed to do is to prep up an extra set for you and bring them to you in school tomorrow." Chu Ga Eul responded with a nonchalant shrug.
"In that case, I'll gladly take you up on the breakfast offer." The Korean Casanova replied then, flashing a quick smile towards his girlfriend before refocusing his attention on the road, again. He was, after all, driving on the road so it wouldn't do for him to get too distracted with the task of charming his beloved girlfriend.
The rest of the journey towards the Songpa-gu was taken in silence, with Ga Eul thinking about what to make for breakfast the next morning and Yi Jeong speculating on whether or not, there would be a chance of him sneaking in a goodnight kiss for his girlfriend without being caught in the act by his girlfriend's adoptive parent. As it turns out, lady luck is apparently on his side this evening. Because when his orange lotus pulled up in front of the single-family home that housed the Chu family, the adoptive parent of his girlfriend is nowhere in sight.
"Ga Eul." Yi Jeong calls out for the attention of his girlfriend, and when the country bumpkin turns in his direction with a quizzical look. He seized the opportunity to press a quick peck to the forehead of his girlfriend, as he commented. "Goodnight, my dear and sweet dreams."
Flushing pink in response as a look of surprise crossed her features momentarily, Chu Ga Eul beams cheerfully in response at her boyfriend as she echoed the sentiment. "Goodnight, Yi Jeong-sunbae. Have a safe trip home, and I'll see you tomorrow in the F4 private lounge on campus grounds."
With that said, Chu Ga Eul unfastens her seat belt and took the bag of stationery purchased from the stationery store along with the bouquet of orange roses she had received from her boyfriend earlier on when the guy swung by to pick her up and stepped out of the side passenger seat of the orange lotus to make her way into her family home.
So Yi Jeong remained unmoving in the driver's seat of his orange lotus until the sight of his girlfriend completely vanished from view before sighing aloud and steering his vehicle out of the neighborhood where his girlfriend resides and headed for his own pottery studio in the Gwangjin district to retire for the day. The notion of visiting the nightclubs didn't even occur to him, and without his Don Juan friend around to invite him out for a session of happy hour. The nightclubs are starting to lose their appeal to him, now that he has committed himself fully to the relationship he had going with a certain country bumpkin by the name of Chu Ga Eul.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes:
Chapter 39 is done! And I'm only left with the final part of the Macau trip to cover, which will feature the last part of episode 14 in the original drama. So, what do you people think of this chapter?
SoEul fans, I hope you people enjoy the scene between them in this chapter. Even though, they only reunite towards the last part of this chapter. ^^;
Also, in this chapter, outside of the Jae-Kyung scene featured in the drama involving Jun Pyo and the pair of shoes… I had also incorporated an interaction scene between her and Woo Bin, via the phone, of course. ^^;
Now for the modifications made to the story, for one - I skipped out on the scene whereby Ji Hoo and Jan Di went to watch the circus show performance. I believe that to be the performance of Zaia, that was performed in the Venetian theater but because in my story - the F3 already took Jan Di to the performance and so, I don't see a need for Ji Hoo to bring Jan Di to the same show again and so, I left it out in my version of the events.
Moving on, it was never indicated in the drama about what Ji Hoo did with that 'Chopper' hat he was wearing while cheering up Jan Di. So, in my story - he gifted it to Jan Di after she request for it to be brought home for her little brother.
Oh, and Victor Ma got another cameo screen-time. This time featuring interaction with Geum Jan Di. A little background of Woo Bin's parents was also mentioned in this chapter, and also, an interaction scene between Woo Bin and his maternal grandmother.
Also, the saying that when you gift a pair of shoes to your girlfriend - it would signify the possibility of a future break-up is something I heard from someone in my family. Typically, it meant you are giving your other half shoes to walk away from you - something along this line. ^^; I can't recall the exact phrasing, but I decided to use it as an analogy in this chapter from Jeong Sang-Rok POV either way. :D
Last but not least, this chapter is likely going up on the 30th/31st of January depending on your time zone. So, Happy Lunar New Year to everyone reading this story who is celebrating the Lunar New Year! This chapter is my CNY gift to all of you. ^_^ And so, I hope all of you enjoy my SoEul scene in this chapter - there's a reason why I end the chapter with a scene of them because I want it to be on a happy note :D
That's all for now, see you next time!