Secret of the Autumn

by xiaoj

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

40. Chapter 40

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?

Author's Note: This chapter was originally longer, but I have to axe the last portion of the chapter and bring it over to the next because it's too long and too big a file to fit into Grammarly for the editing process ^^; Without further ado, enjoy today's update!

Title: Secret of the Autumn

Chapter 40 - Time flies, Jan Di's Trip to Macau, Part 8

Location: Geum Family Home, Apartment in Seongbuk-gu, Samseon-Dong. 24th November 2009, Tuesday, 8.30pm

During the time whereby Geum Jan Di is still away in Macau, Chu Ga Eul is out on her dinner date with So Yi Jeong of F4. A family emergency situation has arisen in the Geum family, the emergency situation that arise had to do with Geum Kang San's collapse from abdominal pain.

Now, in Kang San's defense - when the first sign of discomfit strike him. He had written it off as intestinal discomfit which he occasionally suffers from after eating something that doesn't agree with him and simply has to wait until it's time for him to visit the washroom for a proper discharge when he feels the urge to do so. Usually the discomfit would vanish off on its own, once he was done with the bowel discharge. How was he to know that the pain he feels in his abdomen isn't the usual bowel discomfit but appendicitis without having learn of the proper symptoms of appendicitis condition from the science class in school?

The discomfit struck him about an hour after dinner that evening, his mother was doing some last QC checks on the toy cat plush that's going to be collected by the seller in a few days with his father doing the packing of the toy plush. Originally, he was helping as well but then what initially begin as a dull ache in his abdomen started to become more intense by the minute. By the time 8.30pm rolls around, Kang San was not only whimpering from the discomfit in his abdomen but also breaking out in cold sweat as his face and lips turns ashen pale.

"I wonder how Jan Di is doing in Macau. Is she faring well?" Geum Ii-Bong commented in a melancholic tone of voice as he packs the toy plush into the plastic wrapping properly after his wife is done with the inspection check on the item's condition. The seller for these toys plush would be coming by to pick up this last batch of goods from them, and once the goods were handed over to the seller - it would mark the end of this home assignment his wife has taken up to replenish their income when she has yet to land a part-time cleaner job with the Su Am Arts Center.

"I'm sure she's doing fine, rather she would be fine upon meeting up with young master Jun Pyo." Na Gong-Joo, the mother of Geum Jan Di and Geum Kang San responded aloud optimistically as she threw a toy plush she had inspected to find nothing amiss over to her husband so the guy could proceed to pack it up properly for the seller to come and pick them up in a few days.

It was at this particular point that Kang San could withhold his whimpering sound no longer, as he start groaning aloud in pain as he hugged his abdomen in a hunch-over position trying to lessen the pain to no avail.

"Kang San ah, if you need to use the toilet - just go. There's no need for you to hold it in." Geum Ii-Bong started after hearing the sound of his son whimpering, without turning to observe his son with his own eyes.

"Kang San, are you okay?" Na Gong-Joo knows it's not in her kids' nature to whimper for no reason, and so, she darted a look towards her son's direction. The moment she noticed the beads of perspiration on the forehead of her son, she knows something is amiss. Sure enough, shortly after her son blacked out and start falling onto his back. Luckily, there were cushions placed behind the boy so Kang San didn't hit his head when he loses consciousness from the pain in his abdomen.

"Kang San ah… don't frighten me, wake up please!" Na Gong-Joo dumped the remaining toy plush aside, now isn't the time for a QC check on the merchandise. Her son is more important, as she hurried over to check out her son's condition.

"Dear! Don't just sit there, get moving. We need to get Kang San to the doctor!" Na Gong-Joo snapped, losing her temper at her dumbfounded husband in exasperation.

"Right… the doctor, Kang San need the doctor. But dear, do you know where's the clinic in this neighborhood?" Geum Ii-Bong inquires as he leaned down so his wife could place their unconscious son onto his back since there's no way Kang San would be able to walk his way to the doctor by himself in his current condition.

"Damn if I know… but there bound to be people downstairs. Surely, someone would tell us if we ask for the information?! I mean, Kang San obviously needs a doctor… and unless the people staying here in this area are blind - they ought to know that they must point us to the nearest clinic." Na Gong-Joo sounded exasperated as she gritted out her words to her husband.

"Right… let's get going then." Geum Ii-Bong responded, neither of them even stop to think about the cost of their son's medical bill at present because they are more anxious about the well-being of their son.

As it happens, they are in luck. No sooner have they stepped out onto the street, the vendor selling fruits opposite them took one look at the unconscious boy on Geum Ii-Bong's back, pointed them towards the clinic situated near the main road of the alley where their residential building is located, and said.

"There's a clinic near the main road, the doctor might be old in age but is very skilled in handling emergency cases. And his charges are definitely more reasonable as compared to the emergency department at the hospital, but he closed at 9pm. You may want to hurry." The fruits vendor told Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo as she helpfully supplied them with the directions to the clinic her own daughter-in-law had patronized frequently for chronic conditions.

"Thank you!" Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo call back to the fruits vendor as they rush towards the direction where the clinic is situated, hoping that they would be able to reach in time before the clinic closed for the day.

The clinic turns out to be manned by a single nurse and a kind elderly doctor. The kind and elderly doctor was none other than Yoon Seok Young - the former president of South Korea, and the grandfather of Yoon Ji Hoo. Following the relinquishment of his title as the president in the wake of the fatal car crash that took the lives of his only son, and daughter-in-law… Yoon Seok Young had gone back to practicing as a doctor. He spend the first few years practicing in places like Cambodia, and Vietnam operated by the voluntary red cross society for free to atone for his sins.

It wasn't until eight years ago that he finally return to Seoul, but due to his inability to face his remaining living direct kin - his grandson, Yoon Ji Hoo. The former president had not returned home once and instead taken to reside elsewhere and started a new clinic of his own in the Seongbuk-gu, Samseon-dong serving the lower and middle-income families that reside in the neighborhood.

At present, Yoon Seok Young is attending to a female patient in her mid-thirties who had brought along her young daughter to the clinic with her. After taking the woman's blood pressure to find it within the normal range, Yoon Seok Young nodded in approval. "It seems like your blood pressure is now under control. So, I think we can continue with the usual medication at its usual dosage."

Shifting his attention towards the little girl, Yoon Seok Young asks. "Hye-Na, is it? How old are you now?"

The little girl nodded in response, before answering by holding up her palm for the doctor to see.

"Five years old? Good girl, would you like a candy?" Yoon Seok Young smiles kindly at the little girl, as he held out his candy bowl placed atop his desk to the little girl indicating for the girl to pick one out for herself.

"Thank you, doctor." The little girl beams at Yoon Seok Young in response, under her mother's nod of approval for her to accept the offered candy treat.

Hye-Na and her mother were just leaving the clinic when Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo barged their way into the clinic calling out for assistance. The nurse took one look at the unconscious Kang San and make the decision to postpone the registration procedures required for new patronizing patients. Yoon Seok Young also rushes out from his treatment room to usher the anxious parents and the unconscious patient into the treatment area.

"Can one of you come out front to fill up the patient registration form?" The nurse inquires after the doctor had started assessing the unconscious boy's condition in the treatment room.

"Dear, you stay here with Kang San. I'll head outside to fill up the registration form." Geum Ii-Bong volunteered to follow the nurse outside for the paperwork procedures while leaving his wife in the treatment room to listen to the doctor's assessment.

"How is my son, doctor?" Na Gong-Joo asks anxiously when the doctor ended the assessment.

"I'm quite certain it's appendicitis, but to double confirm - I would need to perform an abdominal ultrasound. So, can you please wait outside for a moment? I will call you in once I ascertain the cause of his ailment." Yoon Seok Young told the anxious mother hovering by his side in a polite but firm tone of voice.

"Of course…I'll just wait outside then." Na Gong-Joo nodded understandingly as she removed her presence from the treatment room so the doctor could conduct further assessment checks on her unconscious son.

"Dear, how is Kang San?" Geum Ii-Bong who was done with the patient's registration then moved to join his wife in the waiting area of the clinic as he inquires about their son's well-being.

"The doctor suspects that it might be appendicitis, so he's doing an ultrasound on Kang San now to ascertain his assessment." Na Gong-Joo answered, wringing her hands in anxiety as she awaited further verdict from the doctor attending to Kang San in the treatment room of the clinic.

"Appendicitis!? Does that means Kang San would need surgery?" Geum Ii-Bong blanched at his wife's words, knowing full well that surgery would need to be conducted in a proper hospital environment and that would usually cost a bomb.

"Actually, it depends on the severity of the appendicitis condition. If it's mild appendicitis, treatment with an antibiotic for a period might prove to be sufficient but in most cases, surgery is usually required. But if your son's condition isn't so bad that open surgery is required, the clinic is well equipped to handle laparoscopic surgery which is a minimally invasive surgical procedure. For laparoscopic surgery, the patient can usually be discharged within a few hours after surgery." The nurse interjected from the clinic reception counter then, providing the anxiously waiting couple with information regarding the treatment and surgery procedures for the appendicitis condition.

It was at this point in time that the doctor called Na Gong-Joo back into the treatment room, and this time Geum Ii-Bong joined his wife in the doctor's treatment room.

"So, how is it - doctor?" Na Gong-Joo inquires anxiously as she awaited the response and verdict from the doctor.

"It is indeed acute appendicitis, we would need to perform the laparoscopic surgery without delay to remove the appendix while it has yet to burst. If the appendix has burst, the clinic would not be capable of handling the treatment as it would require open surgery to remove the appendix and to clean the inner abdomen to prevent any infections from taking place. So, if both of you are agreeable to having the surgery performed right away - the nurse would prepare the relevant documents for your consent and explain to you the details of the procedures. Likewise, she will also brief you on the cost for the treatment and the payment methods available." Yoon Seok Young told Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Dear, what should we do?" Na Gong-Joo turns towards her husband for an opinion, logically she knows the appendix needs to be removed as soon as possible but she's also concerned about the cost of the surgery treatment.

"Doctor, please proceed with the surgery." Geum Ii-Bong turns towards the doctor and responded in a firm tone of voice.

"Good." Yoon Seok Young nodded in approval, and immediately start preparing for the surgical procedures with his only nurse acting as his assistant the surgical procedures.

Geum Ii-Bong squeezed the hands of his wife in an attempt to reassure her, before stepping out of the clinic to call up his supervisor at the convenience store where he works to request an advance paycheck citing his son's medical emergency. Once his supervisor responded that he would submit the request on behalf of Geum Ii-Bong to the store manager, Geum Ii-Bong thanked his supervisor for the assistance and headed back into the clinic to join his wife in waiting for the surgical procedure to be completed.

Yoon Seok Young didn't request for the payment for the treatment to be settled immediately, what he did following the end of the procedure was to inform Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo that their son would be kept overnight in the clinic for observation and that they are welcome to stay and keep their son company. When Geum Ii-Bong brought up the matter of the medical expenses for the procedure, Yoon Seok Young says they can settle it after the patient is deemed fit enough to be discharged. For now, they ought to stay with the patient.

"Thank you, doctor." Geum Ii-Bong expressed his gratitude to the doctor, before rejoining his wife by the side of the treatment bed where their son is now sleeping off the effects of the anesthesia from the surgery procedure.

Leaving the worried parents to tend to their son, Yoon Seok Young went back to his seat in the consultation area of the clinic and start filling in the patient's record on the computer system. Due to the urgency of the boy's condition earlier, he hasn't gotten around to filling up the details of his last patient for the day. Reaching for the patient's registration form left on his consultation table by the nurse before she left for the day, Yoon Seok Young start creating the patient record card for the boy who he had conducted the laparoscopic procedure upon.

Upon the first sight of the name - Geum Kang San, Yoon Seok Young found his mind wandering off towards a girl who shared the same surname as his young patient who visited his clinic for the first time today. At this point, Yoon Seok Young had absolutely no idea that Geum Kang San who was his last patient for today is actually the younger brother of Geum Jan Di, the girl who his only grandson adores.

This particular information didn't dawn on him until a later point in time when the girl started volunteering in his clinic as a voluntary clinic assistant which then led to his reunion meeting with his only grandson. But that's a story for a later time, for now… Yoon Seok Young was dutifully keeping an eye on Geum Kang San's recovery condition after the laparoscopic procedure while allowing his mind to roam towards the direction of his only grandson.

Location: Executive Suite in Grand Emperor Hotel, Macau Peninsula. 24th November 2009, Tuesday night, 9pm

Meanwhile, back in Macau - Geum Jan Di remains oblivious to her little brother's acute appendicitis condition and is just returning to her hotel room after spending an entire day out with her former prince charming. Actually, deep down in her - she knows that her former prince charming was actually trying his best to cheer her up and distract her from dwelling too much on her heartbreak. This could be seen from the way of how reluctant he has been about the idea of them spending their second half of the day shopping in the Shinhwa Hotel Mall. Luckily though, neither of them actually cross paths directly with Gu Jun Pyo and so, they were both able to enjoy their afternoon activities in the mall.

"Thank you, Ji Hoo-sunbae. I have fun today." Geum Jan Di told her former prince charming as the guy walked her to the Executive room which the Don Juan of F4 had booked for her stay a couple of days ago, after rescuing her from the group of local thugs in that deserted alleyway where she nearly got her luggage and chastity stolen.

"It should be me that thanked you for keeping my company, this entire day." Yoon Ji Hoo corrected as he held up the few shopping bags he had in his hands to prove his point.

"..." Allowing a smile to grace her lips, Geum Jan Di decided to drop the subject and steer their conversation towards something else instead. "So, are we going to wait for Woo Bin-sunbae to be done with his work before leaving for Seoul, or are we going to leave Macau on our own?"

"That's entirely up to you, I believe. Ga Eul-yang has extended your leave of absence until this weekend, so technically we needn't rush back to Seoul if you wish to take some time to truly explore the city. There's probably a few more places we could explore in Macau, I think you haven't gotten around to see everything in Macau yet." Yoon Ji Hoo pointed out objectively to Geum Jan Di.

"...Well, I think it's about time for us to return to Seoul. I mean, I've already fulfilled my purpose of coming here… even though the result weren't exactly considered ideal. I thought, there isn't any particular reason for me to linger on in Macau." Geum Jan Di admitted somewhat dejectedly to Yoon Ji Hoo of F4.

Nodding in understanding at Geum Jan Di's words, Yoon Ji Hoo decided to go along with the girl's decision and so, after doing a quick check on the commercial flight available for the next day. Yoon Ji Hoo told Geum Jan Di that they would take the flight home to Seoul, the next morning. Geum Jan Di nodded as she smiles at Yoon Ji Hoo in response, she didn't bother asking what time's their flight though figuring that the guy would probably come by to fetch her when it was time for them to leave. All she needed to do is to have everything packed by the end of today, so she would not have to rush around the next day when it comes for them to leave for the airport.

Although, Yoon Ji Hoo didn't specifically book the return flight tickets through online means. He had reserved two seats on the first-class tier with the Shinhwa Air, after having checked the flights' schedule departing for Seoul the next morning. With his identity, he need not actually secure the seat by making advanced payment to the airline and could simply wait to pay at the airport. Which in hindsight, he supposed works out for the best since they ended up delaying their return trip to Seoul a day later.

As for the cause of their delay in the return trip to Seoul, well… it has to do with them chancing upon Min, a friend of his who's a resident of Macau that insisted on hosting him for a night so they could catch up properly as they haven't met each other for a couple of years.

As Yoon Ji Hoo bid Geum Jan Di goodnight and leave for the direction of his own hotel room, over at the Shinhwa Hotel… Kang Hee-Soo had just summoned the presence of Jeong Sang-Rok, her former secretary who's now mainly serving her son, Jun Pyo to her private office for a chat.

"Madam, you requested to see me?" Jeong Sang-Rok calls out after he was granted permission to enter the office of Kang Hee-Soo.

"What's that girl doing now?" Kang Hee-Soo wasted no time in cutting straight to the chase, and luckily Jeong Sang-Rok was well-prepared to answer these questions. Carefully, withholding the information about his young employer chancing upon the figure of Geum Jan Di in the hotel's mall earlier on in the day. Jeong Sang-Rok proceeds to give an outline of what Geum Jan Di's doing at present.

"Geum Jan Di is now back resting in the hotel room which Young Master Woo Bin had helpfully booked for her stay." Jeong Sang-Rok answered truthfully to his former employer, when he was still working as the woman's secretary - he's liable to report everything to Kang Hee-Soo. But now that he's been reassigned to serve Gu Jun Pyo, his loyalty remains with the young man and so, he has learned to withhold certain information from Kang Hee-Soo which he believes Gu Jun Pyo does not wish to have the woman finds out.

"I see, and which hotel would that be?" Kang Hee-Soo inquires having double-checked on the guests' list of the Shinhwa Hotel beforehand to ascertain the fact that neither of her son's friends is staying with the Shinhwa Hotel, this time around.

"Geum Jan Di is lodging with the Grand Emperor Hotel, Madam." Jeong Sang-Rok sees no harm in revealing this little bit of information, it's not as though there's anything Kang Hee-Soo could do about the matter. The Emperor Group that owns the Grand Emperor Hotel doesn't answer to the Shinhwa Group, after all.

"...I see, and when are they leaving?" Kang Hee-Soo was silent for a moment, before voicing her next query across to her former secretary. While she's mostly concerned about Geum Jan Di's presence in Macau, she didn't appreciate having the F3 in the city any longer than necessary. After all, she might be able to stop her son from meeting up with Geum Jan Di with her thinly veiled threats… the F3, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.

"Young Master Yi Jeong has already departed from Macau earlier this afternoon. Young Master Woo Bin is likely to remain in Macau for another few days, as he has some business meetings scheduled with the suppliers of construction materials operating in the city. As for Young Master Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di, they would be leaving tomorrow morning." Jeong Sang-Rok responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as he reported the information he had gathered on hand to his former employer.

"Good. Looks like the girl has finally learned her place. And what about Jun Pyo? What is he doing at present?" Kang Hee-Soo nodded as she finally dropped the subject of Geum Jan Di to focus on her own son's activity.

"Young Master Jun Pyo is still in the conference room." Jeong Sang-Rok reported simply without going into details about what his current employer is doing in the conference room.

"I see that he has finally understood his position as well." Kang Hee-Soo nodded approvingly before dismissing Jeong Sang-Rok from her sight.

Standing outside the private office of Kang Hee-Soo, Jeong Sang-Rok finally allowed a sigh of relief to escape his lips. Thankfully, his former employer didn't pry into what exactly his current employer is doing in the conference room and simply assumed that the young man was looking through the materials for the business meeting scheduled for the next day. So, what exactly is Gu Jun Pyo doing in the conference room, at present?

The newly-minted owner of the Shinhwa Group was looking through the photos he had stored in his digital photo gallery that comprised of Geum Jan Di, the woman whom he loves but had to cut ties with. The more he look through these pictures of Geum Jan Di, the more certain he was of the fact that he wasn't willing to give up on the girl, on the relationship he had with Geum Jan Di just yet. If he's ready to give up on Geum Jan Di, he wouldn't have bought the shoes the girl desires earlier on in the afternoon.

But now that the shoes are finally in his possession, the question of how he's going to gift them to the girl finally came to the forefront of his mind. Certainly, he can't waltz up to the girl personally and bestow the shoes to her. Not with his mother keeping an eye on his actions for one, and that he had just broken the heart of Geum Jan Di very recently for another.

While the thought of sending someone to deliver the shoes over to Geum Jan Di anonymously did occur to Jun Pyo briefly, he decided against the notion eventually. Likewise, it was the same with the idea of gifting it to Geum Jan Di in the name of his long-time friend or any of their common friends. With how close Geum Jan Di and Ji Hoo are, the girl would certainly express her gratitude towards Ji Hoo if he were to gift the pair of shoes to Jan Di in Ji Hoo's name.

And Ji Hoo is far from being an idiot, he figured it out that it had been him who had gifted Geum Jan Di with the party gown when the girl received the invitation to attend the birthday party of Seo-Hyun before. Certainly, Ji Hoo is going to realize that he had employed the same tactic if Geum Jan Di were to receive a pair of shoes she had her eyes set upon but is outside of her budget, out of the blue from another common friend of theirs.

[Well… there's always the option of sending the shoes to Ji Hoo and seek his help in bestowing it to Geum Jan Di,] - Gu Jun Pyo thought with a sigh of resignation, but that would mean coming clean to Ji Hoo that it wasn't his true desires to break off his relationship with Jan Di.

Gu Jun Pyo was just about to throw caution to the wind and approached the girl on his own with the notion of bestowing the shoes to her with his own hands when the slideshow of Geum Jan Di came to an end and a video clip send to him through the hands of his elder sister started to play on the screen. If he had thought it's bad enough when he was looking at the still images of the woman he loves, nothing strikes him quite as hard as the video recording of Geum Jan Di speaking to him through a screen. As he heard the words from Geum Jan Di asking when he's going to go back to Seoul for a quarrel with her, he very nearly raced out of the conference room to go in search of the woman he loves who he knows resides in the hotel building not far from Shinhwa Hotel in Macau.

Only, Gu Jun Pyo was halted in his acts by the next video clip that starts playing on the screen. It was a video clip from his childhood days featuring his father and him as a kid, his father was giving him a lesson on how to fly a plane in theory then. Towards the end of the video, his father and he had a conversation with him making a promise to his father that he would take up his responsibility to protect his mother, his sister, and the Shinhwa Group when his father is no longer around. And while his father hasn't exactly ceased to exist at present, it didn't change the fact that his father isn't capable of keeping up with the business anymore. The video clip shown on the screen now serves as a reminder to Gu Jun Pyo of his promise made to his father when he was still a child.

On one hand, it was the woman who he loves with all his heart and on the other hand, it was his father. Both are people he cherished a great deal, how was he able to pick one over the other?! And so, instead of heading out of the conference room to go in search of the woman, he loves to salvage things between them… Gu Jun Pyo ended up pulling at his hair in agony as he let out a cry of anguish while he sank to the floor in tears of frustration.

Jun Pyo truly had no idea how long he had stayed in that position on the floor of the conference room, at some point he must have fallen asleep because when he came back to his senses - the projector which had been functional earlier on, had its power supply cut off. So, someone must have come in and found him asleep in here. Whoever it was that chanced upon him falling asleep in the conference room, he certainly hoped that it wasn't his mother.

Location: F4 Private Lounge, Shinhwa Academy, Seoul. 25th November 2009, Wednesday morning, 7.15am.

Chu Ga Eul poked her head into the F4 private lounge briefly, before stepping foot into the room fully. For a while, she was worried that she was late for the meeting with her boyfriend but it seems, it wasn't just her alone who was running late this morning. Setting down the food container - a single-tier rectangular lunchbox onto the table in front of the couch in the private lounge belonging to the F4 when they have yet to graduate from the high school division of the school. Chu Ga Eul proceeds to take a seat on the comfy sofa couch as she waited patiently for her boyfriend to show up at the lounge.

"Good morning, I didn't keep you waiting for too long. Did I?" So Yi Jeong begins when he waltzed into the private lounge belonging to the F4 on campus grounds, about five minutes later.

"Good morning, Yi Jeong-sunbae. No worries, I've only arrived five minutes ago. So, I haven't been waiting for too long." Ga Eul admitted as she turn her eyes to glance in her boyfriend's direction with a bright cheery grin on her face.

"Oh… so, I wasn't the only one running late this morning?" Yi Jeong remarked in a bemused tone of voice as he handed the bag of souvenirs he had brought from Macau over to his girlfriend. "Here's the bag of souvenirs from Macau, I'm not sure what the Miyazawa heir would like, so I'll leave it to your discretion to decide which of these items to gift to him."

"Wow…this is a lot of souvenirs. You sure weren't joking when you mentioned buying a variety of the snacks home as souvenirs." Chu Ga Eul commented wryly as she accepted the bag of souvenirs from the potter of F4.

"I simply thought that you might appreciate receiving snacks as opposed to the random items found in the upscale malls or the random trinkets found in the airport gift shop when it comes down to souvenirs." So Yi Jeong responded with a shrug as he dropped himself onto the empty seat next to his beloved girlfriend on the sofa couch in the lounge.

"You aren't wrong in your judgment on this, because I do find receiving snacks way better than the pointless trinkets one might find in a souvenirs shop at renowned tourist spots. Not that I'm trying to insulate that those trinkets are useless but it gets a tad too much when you have a bunch of coasters sitting around idle in the kitchen cabinet with no particular use for them." Chu Ga Eul commented with an exasperated roll of her eyes as she thought back to the collection of coasters she had gotten from her classmates before her transfer into Shinhwa Academy accumulated over the years. To date, she still has yet to find a proper usage for all those coasters.

"Judging by your response, I'm going to assume that you'd received a lot of coasters over the years?" So Yi Jeong sounded amused as he took in the sight of the exasperated look on his girlfriend's features upon the mention of the pointless trinkets from infamous tourist spots, overseas.

"Yes. I have coasters from the Maldives, Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia which I have absolutely no clue about what to do with them. Coasters - a good one can last for years, and I certainly don't need to replace them every few months. Throw in how my mom's colleagues always gifted her coasters after coming back from their holiday trips as well, I'm sure you can imagine the vast collection of the coasters I have stored away in my kitchen's storage compartment. So, yes - I would definitely appreciate getting snacks as souvenirs. So, thank you for the abundance of lovely snacks from Macau." Chu Ga Eul nodded resolutely in response before turning towards her boyfriend with a smile of satisfaction at his choice of souvenirs from Macau.

"Well, I'm glad that my choice of souvenirs met your approval, Ga Eul." So Yi Jeong commented in response, and spend a moment staring into the eyes of his beloved country bumpkin with a silent questioning look. He wanted to kiss the girl, but he didn't wish to voice his query aloud and thus, decided to resort to dropping hints with the look in his eyes as he inched closer to the girl seated on the sofa couch. While it did take a while for Ga Eul to catch on to what the Korean Casanova intends to do, she didn't make any attempts to stop the guy. Perhaps, somewhere deep down in her - she's also looking forward to sharing another kiss with her charming boyfriend.

The kiss that they shared this time around was a brief one, unlike their first kiss that took place some time ago in the pottery studio of the Korean Casanova. While their first kiss was a memorable event, both of them had to admit they liked this kiss better than the last. The last time they kissed, Yi Jeong instigated it on impulse - conveniently neglecting the fact that they had only eaten moments earlier and didn't even have the sense to gargle with mouthwash before the act of kissing. As such, during that entire kissing session - what stands out to them both was the taste of the spicy fish stew they had eaten for dinner prior.

This time though, the experience is significantly better since there isn't any lingering scent from the food they had ingested. Yi Jeong would have continued on with the kiss if it weren't for the fact that he could sense the reluctance on his girlfriend's part to prolong their kiss further. So, it was with great reluctance on his part to put an end to their little lip-locking act and steer his focus away from the lips of his beloved country bumpkin.

"Yi Jeong-sunbae, I know you missed me a lot over the period while you're away from Seoul. But you're going to have to let go of me at some point, you know? I have brought you breakfast as promised, and you're going to need both your hands for the ingestion of the food. I seriously doubt that you can eat when you have your hands around me. And I'm sorry for cutting short our kissing session, but I thought it best to put a stop to our kiss before we got too carried away and forgot that we both have classes to attend." Chu Ga Eul commented cheekily as she leaned over to plant a quick peck on the left cheek of her boyfriend, as she smooth-talk the Korean Casanova into letting go of her person.

To say Yi Jeong was reluctant to break off the kiss with Ga Eul was an understatement, after all, the few days he was away in Macau… other than missing the taste of the homemade food that his beloved country bumpkin made for him literally every other day. The other thing that he found himself missing the most was the feeling of having the country bumpkin near him and in his personal space. Still, he knows his girlfriend is right to put a stop to their little kissing act because time is ticking, and he does need to get some food in his belly before sitting through the upcoming lecture that would last for an entire two hours before he would get a chance for a coffee break of 15 minutes before another hour of lecture in college.

"Right… breakfast, and what did you prepare for me this morning?" So Yi Jeong inquires when he finally let go of his girlfriend to focus his attention on the lunchbox sitting on the coffee table of the lounge.

"Why don't you open it up and see for yourself?" Chu Ga Eul prompted in response, reaching for the lunchbox and handing it over to her boyfriend personally.

Raising an eyebrow up at Ga Eul's response, Yi Jeong shrugged and unlatched the cover-lid to the green wheat straw lunchbox and take a look at its content with his own eyes. The first thing he noticed upon unlatching the cover lid to the lunchbox was a sunny-side-up fried egg, and upon closer inspection, he found his breakfast this morning to be a Fried Rice dish.

"Is this fried rice?" So Yi Jeong inquires as to the way the dish appears to him, reminded him oddly of the Nasi Goreng they both had at the Indonesian restaurant yesterday evening. Only the color of the rice kind of differs, as the color of the rice for Nasi Goreng, was brownish whereas the rice he had in the lunchbox this morning seems to lean towards reddish.

"Yes, it's fried rice. But it's the Kimchi Fried Rice, the Korean version of the fried rice dish." Ga Eul explained in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Ah… I see." The potter of F4 nodded in response then, finally comprehending the reason behind the color of the rice leaning towards reddish. That's probably due to the presence of Kimchi being used in the dish. Being a native Korean, Yi Jeong has quite a high threshold for spicy food and so, he didn't even hesitate before reaching for the cutlery that comes with the lunchbox that was stored in the storage compartment of the cover-lid to start digging into the meal.

While the Korean Casanova digs into his breakfast meal, Ga Eul opted to reach for the bag of souvenirs and inspect its content to have a better idea of what her boyfriend had gotten for her to share with her family members from Macau. Of course, she didn't forget that she had to pick something out from the snacks brought home by her Casanova boyfriend to gift to her overprotective half-sibling.

Although Yi Jeong was busy eating the breakfast prepped up for him by his lovely girlfriend, he still kept half his attention on the actions of Chu Ga Eul. So, when he noticed the girl reaching for the bag of souvenirs, he knows Ga Eul likely wanted to utilize this time to pick out something for the Miyazawa heir on his behalf as he had requested of the girl earlier, without the need to ask. Deciding to leave his girlfriend to the task of picking out a souvenir snack for the Miyazawa heir on his behalf, So Yi Jeong returns his focus to his breakfast meal for this morning.

Kimchi fried rice is a dish that Yi Jeong had heard of but never tried personally before today. After all, something as simple as the Kimchi fried rice is never going to turn up on his family breakfast table when he was a child. And because his childhood friend - Jun Pyo had labeled this dish as the typical commoner food, Yi Jeong never bothered to try out the dish when he was growing up, and therefore until today - Yi Jeong has never tasted it before. And even though his girlfriend has made it a habit to prep up piping hot meals for him even before he had made things official between them, fried rice wasn't commonly seen on her planned dinner menu for some unfathomable reasons.

The last time he had the chance to savor a fried rice dish that was prepared by his girlfriend for his consumption, it was the Chinese-style seafood fried rice. And the only reason Ga Eul had made him that particular dish, was because it's one of the few dishes that he could safely reheat using the oven without the risk of burning anything. The difference between the Chinese-style seafood fried rice and the Kimchi fried rice he was having this morning for breakfast varies in the sense of taste mostly.

Due to the use of the Kimchi in the dish, the fried rice he was having this morning is spicier than the Chinese-style seafood fried rice. Another notable difference between the two dishes lies in the fact that the egg served along with the Kimchi fried rice was a sunny-side-up, whereas for the Chinese-style seafood fried rice… the egg existed in the form of shredded omelet. And between the two fried rice dishes, Yi Jeong found himself enjoying the Kimchi fried rice more than the seafood fried rice.

While So Yi Jeong was busy savoring the taste of the Kimchi fried rice and doing a comparison between the two fried rice dishes that he had the honor of tasting which was prepared by his beloved girlfriend. Chu Ga Eul was busy inspecting the variety of snacks the Korean Casanova had brought home from his Macau trip for her, intending to pick out something suitable for her overprotective half-sibling, a certain Miyazawa heir.

After looking through the contents in the bag of souvenirs in detail, Ga Eul decided to gift the Portuguese-style cookies to Kazuki because she doubts he would appreciate the more traditional signature snacks from Macau. After all, Kazuki isn't fond of almonds… and therefore anything with almonds isn't going to suit her half-sibling's taste. Shuichi, on the other hand, might appreciate the almond-flavored snacks better.

Decision made, she retrieved the box of Portuguese-style chocolate cookies from within the souvenir bag and tucked it into her own school bag. Following this, Ga Eul went on to pick out the box of almond cookies from the souvenir bag as well. As for the almond cakes, cashew cookies, and the jerky - she's going to bring it home to share with her family. The chocolate cookies were what she has picked out to gift Kazuki on her boyfriend's behalf, whereas the almond cookies - she decided to gift it to her cousin, Shuichi. Ga Eul had just set aside the almond cookies and was trying to reorganize her school bag so it could fit in the almond cookies she had decided to gift to her cousin when her attention was drawn back to the figure of her boyfriend.

"Thank you for the meal." Yi Jeong commented when he was done ingesting the content in the lunchbox. Reaching for a paper napkin from the tissue box that sits atop the coffee table, the potter of F4 went on to wipe at his mouth with the paper napkin as he expressed his gratitude for the meal provided to him by his lovely girlfriend this morning, once again.

"That's faster than your usual ingestion speed." Ga Eul remarked after taking note of the time reflected on the screen of her mobile phone.

"Yes, well… your class begins at 8am, I wouldn't want to delay you from showing up in class on time. But don't worry, I'm not going to speed through all my meals at this speed. It isn't good to rush when eating, I took all your advice to heart - I swear!" So Yi Jeong explained after taking note of the slight frown clouding the features of his girlfriend when she remarked on his ingestion speed of the food this morning.

"...fine. Just don't try to rush through a meal, the next time around. Come on, hand the lunchbox over so I could rinse it off and head off for my class. Oh, and I'll be working at the porridge shop today… so, you've to settle your dinner tonight on your own." Chu Ga Eul commented as she stood from her position on the sofa couch in the private lounge of F4 on campus grounds, and brought the empty lunchbox over to the kitchenette's sink for a rinse.

"I know, I'm very well accustomed to having settle dinner meal on my own on Wednesday nowadays." The Korean Casanova responded simply as he also stood from the sofa couch to approach his girlfriend who's rinsing out the lunchbox at the kitchenette of the private lounge of F4 on school grounds.

"Yes, but this time… neither Woo Bin-sunbae nor Ji Hoo-sunbae is around to join you for dinner. And with your brother busy with his cafe, it's questionable whether he would have the time to meet you for dinner tonight." Chu Ga Eul reminded her boyfriend in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, having known how the guy dreaded the notion of dining on his own.

"True… but I have plans to dine in the presence of my grandfather today, so I think it'll be fine." Yi Jeong shrugged in response as he moved to tuck a strand of his girlfriend's loose hair behind her ear to keep it from obstructing her view while rinsing out the used lunchbox at the kitchenette's sink.

"Hmm… speaking of your grandfather, is he aware of the nature of your relationship?" A thoughtful look crossed the features of Ga Eul briefly as she pondered on the question of how aware that old man was in regards to her relationship with Yi Jeong-sunbae.

"I don't think he's aware of us dating, why? Is there anything you find concerning about this?" Yi Jeong went on full alert mode almost immediately, as he tighten his hold on the hands of Ga Eul.

"...Yi Jeong-sunbae, calm down. I'm simply wondering if he knows about our relationship. And seriously though, after looking at Jan Di and Jun Pyo-sunbae situation… it's natural for me to wonder how your grandfather's going to react to the idea of us dating. Your parents, on the other hand, I honestly doubt they're going to have any issues on the matter because they don't care enough for you to bother interfering with our relationship. Your grandfather, though… is another matter entirely. I know he has no issues with me being a close friend of yours, given how he's always turning a blind eye to the frequency of my visits to the museum with food for your dinner meal. But is he going to be this welcoming of my presence if he were to discover the true nature of our relationship?" Ga Eul inquires, turning towards her boyfriend with a serious look in her eyes.

"That's a very good question. I honestly had no clues about how he's going to take the news about us dating. But I seriously doubt that he's going to react as negatively as how Jun Pyo's mother did when she finds out about Jun Pyo's relationship with Geum Jan Di because Geum Jan Di and your situation differs and varies too much on the fundamental level. Moreover, unlike Jun Pyo's mother who has set high standards about the qualities of Jun Pyo's future significant half, I doubt my grandfather had standards and expectations as high as Jun Pyo's mother in this aspect. I mean, he already has a positive impression of you, and he knows your background quite well by this point - I dare say. So, he jolly well knows that you aren't after my money since money is something you aren't exactly lacking. My only concern now is whether or not he would find your status as the illegitimate daughter of Miyazawa Hideaki a blemish that he can't overlook… but I guess, that's something we would only find out when he figures out the nature of our relationship." Yi Jeong admitted with a sigh, as he spend some time looking at the country bumpkin who has now taken up a very important spot in his life.

If it weren't for the bell that sounded over the PA system of the school, reminding him of the fact that they both have morning classes to attend - Yi Jeong probably would have pulled his girlfriend into his arms for a tight embrace and spent the next few hours remaining in that position.

"Yi Jeong-sunbae?" Tilting her head quizzically at the potter of F4, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but inquire when she noticed how her boyfriend had chosen to follow her out of the lounge heading for the direction of her classroom instead of turning the other way to make his way to the direction where the tertiary department of the school is situated.

"My class doesn't begin until 9am today, so allow me the honor to walk you to class this morning." So Yi Jeong commented charmingly at Ga Eul while flashing her the dimpled smile that he knew she wouldn't be able to resist.

"... is this your way of going public with me in front of the rest of the school population?" Chu Ga Eul raised her eyebrow up in a questioning manner as she voiced her query across to her Casanova beau.

"Hmm… it could be, I supposed. But since I'm not going to announce it openly like what Jun Pyo has done with Geum Jan Di beforehand, I guess it'll have to depend on the speed of uptake among the rest of the school population in regards to the nature of our relationship." So Yi Jeong smirked in response, making sure to escort his girlfriend to her class without openly staking his claim on the girl. By not openly staking his claim meaning he isn't escorting his girlfriend to class with his hands on the girl's waist nor is he holding hands with the girl during the entire walk from the F4 private lounge to the classroom of 3C in the high school academic building.

Needless to say, the presence of a member from the graduated F4 in the high school division causes a bit of a ruckus among the students' population. As the girls swooned and yelled his name as he passes them by in the corridor way, So Yi Jeong didn't bother glancing in their direction. Instead, during this entire time, he only had his eyes on one single person and that's his beloved country bumpkin - Chu Ga Eul, who's walking about two steps ahead of him.

And when they finally came to a stop in front of class 3C, Chu Ga Eul stopped and turns towards the figure of her boyfriend and commented. "Alright, I'm here. Thank you for walking me to class this morning, Yi Jeong-sunbae."

"You're welcome, Ga Eul." So Yi Jeong grinned and then reached out to grasp one of the hands of Chu Ga Eul. Slowly, under the widening eyes of his girlfriend - Yi Jeong brought the hand he was holding up to his lips and pressed a light kiss upon it before turning on his heels to leave the high school academic building for the tertiary department on campus ground.

"..." Chu Ga Eul fought against the urge to roll her eyes at her boyfriend's antics, while inwardly thanking her lucky stars that she's no longer in the D class because that means she needn't deal with the screeching sound of Miranda's voice in the wake of the actions taken by the potter of F4. Although, it did nothing to stop the wide-eyed looks directed towards her by the rest of her curious classmates Ga Eul had no intention to explain why the Korean Casanova deemed it necessary to behave in such a manner.

"What's with the commotion?" This was Areum Lim's first words upon her arrival at the classroom of 3C, a few minutes later with Sunny Park Sun Ja in tow. The two of them had popped by the school's library earlier to drop off some books at the returning counter manned by the school's librarian before coming to class, and so they had completely missed out on the scene of Chu Ga Eul being walked to class by the infamous Korean Casanova of F4.

"Oh… it's nothing, it's just… So Yi Jeong of F4 walks our class top student to the doorway of our class earlier, and before he left he bestowed upon Chu Ga Eul a kiss on the hands. So, now the other girls in our class are shooting Chu Ga Eul looks that's a cross between jealousy and curiosity." Jessica Sim Ae-Ri, a close friend of Areum in school commented with a shrug as she fills the two newly arrived girls with the reason behind the commotion in their class.

"I see…" Areum Lim nodded understandingly in response then, she ought to have known that the commotion likely had something to do with the F4. After all, only the presence of the F4 would create such a commotion these days.

Sunny, on the other hand, was thinking if this meant that Chu Ga Eul has gotten together officially with So Yi Jeong of F4. After all, she isn't blind to how accommodating the Korean Casanova was towards Chu Ga Eul on multiple occasions. And she had seen how those two look at each other during the skiing trip to Sapporo, some time ago. Of course, their mutual attraction towards one another pales in comparison with Gu Jun Pyo and Geum Jan Di in the picture. Naturally, Miranda and Ginger didn't catch on to the dynamics hidden between So Yi Jeong and Chu Ga Eul before the F4 graduation from the high school division. But now… Miranda's probably screeching next door, and thank goodness she's no longer in the same class as that girl. Otherwise, her eardrum might get damaged from the consistent screeching from Miranda by the end of today.

True to Sunny's suspicion, Miranda had indeed started screeching about So Yi Jeong's behavior towards Chu Ga Eul, the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di. Of course, she isn't dumb enough to label Chu Ga Eul as a mere commoner… she didn't want to offend the Japan trio, not when the influence of the Miyazawa Group is growing stronger in South Korea with each passing day. Still, Miranda couldn't help the feeling of jealousy burning at the pit of her stomach upon the sheer remembrance of the Korean Casanova's behavior towards Chu Ga Eul, earlier.

"Aargh… this is all Geum Jan Di's fault!" Miranda eventually screeched aloud, as she turns her demanding gaze upon the figure of her childhood friend - Ginger Choi, for reaffirmation.

"...yes, Miranda. This is all that commoner girl's fault. After all, if it hasn't been for her - Yi Jeong-sunbae probably wouldn't have gotten a chance to get acquainted with Chu Ga Eul, to begin with." Ginger echoed her friend's sentiment, even though her heart wasn't really in it - at the moment.

Unlike Miranda, who's still clinging onto those hopeless wishful thinking about being a future prospective half for the members of F4. Ginger has started to face up to the reality that such dreams are completely out of her reach, and with graduation approaching now that they are in their third year of high-school education… it's about time for her to start coming up with a more realistic plan for her future. Succeeding the family business definitely isn't what Ginger had in mind for her future, and besides her cousin probably understands the family business more than she does, all things considered. Marrying a rich guy has always been her top desire since her childhood days, and it hasn't changed in the slightest. But the F4 are completely outside her reach, perhaps it's time for her to take a second look at the potential pool of guys that fits the bill. Better she picked someone on her own than have her parents decide someone for her - isn't it?

Location: Yoon's Family Care & Surgery, Seoul. 25th November 2009, 10am

When Geum Kang San regained consciousness, he found himself lying on a gurney in a foreign environment with his parents dozing in two chairs placed by the side of the gurney.

"Appa? Eomma?" Kang San started and winced in discomfit when his movement was a tad too big that ended up jostling the incision wound where the laparoscopic surgery was performed on him to remove the appendix.

"Kang San?! Kang San ah… you're awake! How are you feeling now?" Geum Ii-Bong was the first to wake from his doze, the moment he woke and realized that it was the sound of his son's voice that woke him. He wasted no time in voicing his concern for his son.

"Appa… where am I?" Geum Kang San glances about the foreign environment with a bewildered look as he voiced his inquiry across to his father.

"You are at the clinic near the main street in the neighborhood where we reside, you collapsed last night from abdominal pain. Do you still remember?" Geum Ii-Bong responded looking at his son with a look of relief on his face.

"Oh…" Upon the words of reminder from his father, Kang San finally recalled what happened the night before. "Did you and Eomma bring me here to see the doctor?" Kang San then asks, glancing towards the figure of his mother who wasn't quite awake but has just started to rouse.

"Yes, I piggyback you over the entire way. Are you feeling alright now?" Geum Ii-Bong pressed on as he reached out to caress the top of his son's head.

"I see, you've finally awake." Yoon Seok Young allowed the moment of bonding between the father and son to pass in the treatment room, before announcing his entrance.

"Doctor!" Geum Ii-Bong, upon noticing the presence of the doctor rose to his feet to greet the savior of his son's life. Meanwhile, Na Gong-Joo who had just woken up also bowed respectfully to the doctor upon realizing the man's arrival.

Both Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo took a step back to allow Yoon Seok Young to give Kang San an assessment check. Yoon Seok Young bestowed a kind look at his young patient and ask, "How are you feeling now? Is there still any pain in your abdomen?"

Kang San spends a moment to dwell on the question before answering hesitantly. "Not as painful as the night before, but I do feel some pain in the area of my tummy when my movements are a tad too big."

"Ah… that's expected, to remove your appendix - I had to make a few incisions in your tummy, after all. Be a little careful over the next few days, and come back daily for the cleansing of the wound after your shower. In about a month, the stitches on the wound would be dissolved into the healed skin on their own and by then, the pain in your tummy when you move shouldn't be an issue any longer." Yoon Seok Young told Kang San, before turning towards the awaiting parents and instructing them on the caring procedures for their son over the next few days. He would also prescribe the boy some antibiotics to help with the treatment.

"Of course… about the payment for the procedure…" Geum Ii-Bong began hesitantly, although he has applied for an advance paycheck request it hasn't been granted approval yet. So, if they had to settle the medical bill today when Kang San discharged… he might find himself having a bit of an issue forking out the amount. After all, the laparoscopic surgery for the removal of the appendix cost about three million which he definitely doesn't have so much cash on his person at present.

"Today, all you need to pay is the medication cost. As for the surgery procedure cost, you're under the National Health Insurance Scheme, aren't you?" Yoon Seok Young commented as he addressed the hesitant-looking father of his patient. Having been the president of the country at one point, Yoon Seok Young was more than aware of how the National Health Insurance scheme works - having gone through the entire policy from front to back during his term in the political office.

"Yes, but I thought children aren't covered under the scheme?" Geum Ii-Bong frowned as he inquires in confusion.

"The national health insurance comes in two portions. The first portion of the premium is based on workplace premium, which is the regular premium being deducted from the regular paycheck. The second portion is based on household premium contribution, and so, for children who are below a certain age - their medical expenses are claimable from the insurance subject to certain conditions and limits. One of which is that only 25% of the medical expenses are claimable, and only for surgical procedures. Normal outpatient consultations aren't claimable, but laparoscopic surgery for appendix removal is certainly claimable. So, I would have the nurse assist you in filling up the national health insurance claim form first. After the claim is approved, we can then work on the balance settlement of the medical expenses for the surgical procedure. And if both of you are working, the claim form can be submitted separately. That way, 25% of the expenses could come from each of your health insurance claims and all you need to do is to fork out the remaining 50% of the surgical cost which amounts up to about 1.5 million, I guess?" Yoon Seok Young then went on to give the confused parents a crash course on how the national health insurance scheme works, knowing full well that not a lot of people, in particular under the lower-income group pay attention to such details when they were mandatory enrolled under the health insurance scheme.

"I see, thank you." Geum Ii-Bong and Na Gong-Joo finally allowed a smiling expression to took hold of their features, as they expressed their relief at not having to fork out a lump sum of money for their son's medical expenses in one go.

Nodding towards the nurse for her to take over from here, Yoon Seok Young headed back into his consultation room and wait for his first appointment to arrive.

Just like the time they visited the clinic last night, neither member of the family had bothered to take a good look at the signboard of the clinic. If they did, they probably wouldn't think too much about the coincidence of the clinic being named - Yoon Family Care & Surgery, either. After all, the surname Yoon wasn't all that uncommon in Korean society. Besides, how many people of the public would actually recall the fact that their former president - Yoon Seok Young was not just a politician but also a very capable doctor/surgeon, these days?

Location: Lobby of Grand Emperor Hotel, Macau Peninsula. 25th November 2009, Wednesday morning, 10am [Macau Time]

Due to Geum Jan Di's suggestion of using the complimentary shuttle bus service, Yoon Ji Hoo didn't bother to book them a ride on the cab to the airport on the morning of their scheduled departure for Seoul. The two of them were waiting around in the lobby of the Grand Emperor Hotel after checking out from their hotel room with their baggage in tow for the arrival of the complimentary shuttle bus when they crossed paths with an old friend of Yoon Ji Hoo.

Min - a friend of the auburn-haired member of F4, was a native resident of Macau. He was visiting the area because he had nothing better to do, this morning after his movie buddy decides to cancel out on him, at the last minute due to some family emergency. The urge of using the washroom was what brought Min into the Grand Emperor Hotel because he's picky about the hygiene of the public washroom - he thought the washrooms in the hotel are likely the cleanest in the area, and that's exactly what brought him into the hotel building this morning.

The moment he steps into the hotel building though, his eyes zeroes in on the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo. And upon landing his eyes on the auburn-haired member of F4, Min completely forgotten about his original purpose of entering the hotel building is to look for the washroom facility. He spend a while studying the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo from afar before coming to the conclusion that he didn't mistake someone else for his friend, and once he had ascertained that it was indeed Yoon Ji Hoo who's hanging around in the lobby of the Grand Emperor Hotel - he calls out to the auburn-haired young man enthusiastically.

"Yoon Ji Hoo!"

The auburn-haired member of F4 was keeping his gaze on the figure of Geum Jan Di discreetly from the corner of his eyes while surveying the area to see if there's any chance of his long-time friend showing up on site. He's sure that his friend isn't oblivious to the fact that they would be leaving Macau today for Seoul, after all, that's the main reason why he had made a reservation with Shinhwa Air when other airlines are plying between Macau and Seoul. He could, by all means, book seats with Air Macau like his Casanova friend, and nobody could fault him for not choosing to fly with Shinhwa Air, after what his friend had put Geum Jan Di through. Still, he had opted to reserve their return flight with the airline operated and managed by the Shinhwa Group.

Ji Hoo was drawn out from his thoughts when he heard someone calling out for his attention, and he knows it was not the voice of his long-time friend. Hence, out of curiosity, he shifted his eyes over to where the voice calling for his attention originated from and blinked for a couple of seconds before the realization dawns in on him.

"Min…"

"Yes, Ji Hoo. It's me, Min. It's been a long time, how long have you been here?" Min responded cheerfully as he captured Yoon Ji Hoo in a loose embrace out of joy, before inquiring out of sheer curiosity.

"Ah… I've been here for a few days already, and today's actually the day I'm set to depart…" Yoon Ji Hoo responded smilingly while flicking his gaze momentarily towards the figure of Geum Jan Di to signal to the girl that he didn't forget about her presence.

"What? No way, I'm not letting you leave when we've only just got to meet. You've to come to my place, so we can catch up properly." Min insisted plastering on a pouting look upon Ji Hoo's comment about leaving Macau, completely ignoring the presence of Geum Jan Di even though he has obviously heard Ji Hoo introducing him to the short-haired girl standing near them with a blatant look of curiosity on her face.

"...Min, sorry to say this. As happy as I am to meet you, I kind of have company this time. So, I don't think I can afford to stay on and delay my return trip to Seoul just so, we could catch up properly." Yoon Ji Hoo responded somewhat apologetically as he flicked his gaze once again to the figure of Geum Jan Di.

This time, Min didn't miss the presence of the girl next to Yoon Ji Hoo. Turning towards Geum Jan Di, Min gave the girl an overall assessing look as he started. "Are you Ji Hoo's girlfriend?"

"..." Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di shared a quick look between themselves before Geum Jan Di ducked her head down with a sheepish look. How is she going to answer this question? And why isn't Yoon Ji Hoo rectifying anything about his friend's idea on the nature of their relationship? Geum Jan Di was busy thinking, while Yoon Ji Hoo simply directed a wordless smile at Min.

Min appears thoughtful for a second, before turning his attention back to Yoon Ji Hoo and commenting. "Does that means that you would agree to stay on for another day if she's agreeable to the idea?"

"..." Ji Hoo was stumped speechless by his friend's words, while Geum Jan Di was looking utterly bewildered by the turn of events. And before Geum Jan Di could react, she found herself being dragged off by the friend of her former prince charming.

"Ji Hoo and I are old friends, but you see… I'm sick now. And it's really very rare for me to get a chance to meet up with Ji Hoo, so I'll really appreciate it if we could get a proper chance to catch up with one another. Therefore, can you please wait for just one more day?" Min started to plead his case with Geum Jan Di, plastering on a pitiful look, and upon sighting the look of hesitance on the girl's face, he knew his ploy was near succeeding.

"A day… you say?" Geum Jan Di started hesitantly, figuring that since Ga Eul has already extended her leave of absence from school until the weekend on a technicality. Returning to Seoul one day later wouldn't hurt her case, and she could see that the guy was really keen on catching up properly with Ji Hoo-sunbae.

"Yes, a day is all I'm asking. That's fine with you, right?" Min nodded in affirmation, and when he noticed the hesitant nod on the girl's part - he turns around and beams in satisfaction. Inwardly, thanking his lucky stars that the girl is so gullible that she fell for his lies of being sick without a doubt. And so, he promptly started heading towards the direction of Yoon Ji Hoo and grabbed hold of his friend's luggage as he made a beeline for the taxi stand outside before his friend could protest to the idea.

Geum Jan Di had on a sheepish look when she returns to where her former prince charming stood and commented. "Well… it wouldn't hurt to leave a day later, right?"

"Of course." Yoon Ji Hoo nodded as he reassured the uneasy girl with a smile playing on his lips, and then he starts pulling the suitcase of Geum Jan Di's towards the direction where his friend is heading.

Min, after walking some time ahead, realized that Yoon Ji Hoo was still following him from behind at a slower pace while keeping the bulk of the attention on that short-haired girl and huffed inwardly in annoyance. And then, like a childish little kid, he went back towards the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo and forcibly shouldered Geum Jan Di out of the way, so he could link arms with the auburn-haired member of F4 as they continue the walk towards the taxi stand.

"..." Geum Jan Di had no words to describe her feelings of being brushed off by the friend of her prince charming this abruptly, again. If her memory serves her accurately, that guy had ignored her presence when Ji Hoo-sunbae first introduced them to one another as well. Now if Geum Jan Di has a dirtier mind, she might be tempted to ask if the guy harbor a secret crush on Yoon Ji Hoo of F4… but since Geum Jan Di was exceptionally naive in this area, all she thought was that the guy probably is the type who's exceptionally possessive of his friends and didn't exactly enjoy the idea of his friend splitting attention between him and someone else at the same time.

[Funny… I thought only girls are prone to such behavior…] Geum Jan Di mused inwardly to herself as she followed the two guys walking ahead towards the taxi stand outside the hotel building.

During the cab ride to the family home of Min, the friend of Yoon Ji Hoo - Geum Jan Di found herself shoved into the side passenger seat of the taxi just so the two guys could ride together in the back. Luckily, she wasn't expected to give the directions to the taxi driver… that was all Min's doing. Her only job was to sit at the side passenger seat and smile politely when the taxi driver glances in her direction as she has completely no clues about what was being said by the taxi driver throughout the entire ride to the family home of that Chinese friend of Yoon Ji Hoo.

Min's family home is situated on Macau Peninsula, it's a three-story villa house with three bedrooms that comes with its' own parking lot space in the basement of the house. But since they were traveling in a cab, the taxi driver dropped them off at the gate of the villa house.

Since there are only three bedrooms, the master bedroom suite is meant for Min's parents' usage. The presence of Geum Jan Di meant that she would be getting the use of the only guest room in the house, which suits Min just fine because that means he gets to fulfill his wish of having a sleepover with Ji Hoo since they would be sharing a room for tonight.

With that in mind, Min plastered on a smiling expression as he turns towards Geum Jan Di and says. "Come on, I'll bring you to the guest room to get settled in." Turning towards Yoon Ji Hoo, Min added as an afterthought. "Since there's only a single guest room in my home, Ji Hoo - you would be bunking in with me in my room tonight. That's fine with you, right?"

"Of course." Yoon Ji Hoo nodded, unlike the rest of his friends - he isn't so particular about sharing a room with friends outside of their usual social circle.

Meanwhile, over at the Shinhwa Hotel, Gu Jun Pyo finally called up the receptionist of the Grand Emperor Hotel situated some distance away from the hotel owned by his family business to check on the room number of Geum Jan Di.

"Hi, good morning. Can you check for me - the room number of Geum Jan Di?" Gu Jun Pyo asks over the phone when the line got connected and was picked up on the other end of the line.

"Hold on, sir. Let me verify and check on the information for you." The receptionist working for the Grand Emperor Hotel responded on the other end of the line.

It took a while, but when the receptionist got back to him on the phone - he was informed that Geum Jan Di had checked out from the hotel room a few hours ago.

"I see. Thank you." Gu Jun Pyo responded as he ended the call, before flicking his eyes to the shoe box seated on the sofa couch of his private office in the Shinhwa Hotel management office.

"..."

Later when he was informed by his head secretary that it was time for him to meet up with his brother-in-law for lunch, Gu Jun Pyo casually made an inquiry towards the figure of Jeong Sang-Rok.

"When did Ji Hoo leave?" Jun Pyo inquires trying to find out the whereabouts of Geum Jan Di without mentioning her name. Knowing how much his friend cared for Geum Jan Di, Jun Pyo knows it's likely for them to move about together. Henceforth, wherever Ji Hoo is… Geum Jan Di is bound to be nearby.

"Young Master Ji Hoo is still in Macau." Jeong Sang-Rok responded to the inquiry of Gu Jun Pyo in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"What? Then why did he check out of his hotel room earlier today?" Gu Jun Pyo started sounding surprised by the response he had received from his head secretary.

"Originally, Young Master Ji Hoo did have the intention to leave for Seoul this morning but after checking out from the hotel room, he met up with a friend of his. So, now he's at his friend's house and is likely to spend the night at his friend's place. He has called up the airline to postpone his return flight to the afternoon flight, tomorrow afternoon." Jeong Sang-Rok answered citing the information that his young employer desperately wish to know without a bat of his eyelid.

"... His friend? Which friend?" Gu Jun Pyo frowned as he commented aloud. Originally, he was puzzled but then he recalled that Ji Hoo's likely the only ones with friends all over the world. Due to Seo-Hyun's influence, Ji Hoo has plenty of experience mingling and interacting with people outside their usual social circle. So, it really shouldn't surprise him to find that his auburn-haired friend has other friends outside of the F4.

"No idea, should I have someone look into the matter?" Jeong Sang-Rok inquires out of goodwill.

"... No, it's fine. Where are we meeting Dong-Min Hyung for lunch, again?" Gu Jun Pyo then went on to steer the topic of conversation away from the whereabouts of his long-time friend and onto his visiting brother-in-law.

"At the Fantasia Kitchen." Jeong Sang-Rok answered, while Gu Jun Pyo nodded and hasten his steps towards the VIP entrance of the hotel building. His transportation for the day is already waiting for him at the pick-up point.

Fantasia Kitchen is a western bistro situated in the St. Lazarus district of Macau, pricing-wise - it's more in line with the residential Macau restaurant as opposed to the restaurants located in the hotels. Why his brother-in-law wanted to pick such a restaurant for their lunch meeting, Gu Jun Pyo has utterly no clues. Due to the lack of space in the restaurant, Gu Jun Pyo has to leave his team of secretaries and bodyguards outside while he heads in for lunch alone with his brother-in-law upon his arrival at the dining venue.

"I don't understand why you would want to take lunch here, to be honest." Gu Jun Pyo commented when he dropped himself into the seat opposite from where his brother-in-law, Lee Dong-Min was seated.

If it weren't for Gu Jun Pyo's previous experience at attending a commoner double-date or was it triple-date(?), he honestly can't recall. What he could recall by this point was that it ended up in a disaster. Regardless, that particular experience had taught him that mid-price restaurants aren't below his level. After all, if he could survive dining among a bunch of commoners in a rundown eatery… taking lunch in the presence of his brother-in-law in a mid-price restaurant isn't going to kill him.

"It's cozy for one… and secondly, don't tell me you enjoy dining with a dozen pairs of eyes staring at you from behind? There's no need to worry about such things if we dined here, nobody is going to spare you a second look in this place which makes it easier for conversation to be carried out casually." Lee Dong-Min pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"..." Gu Jun Pyo had to agree, it's good to be able to have a conversation without people eavesdropping at every single moment.

"Right… and what is it exactly that you want to speak with me about that you do not wish for anyone to eavesdrop on?" Gu Jun Pyo prompted flipping through the offered menu casually while trying to see if there's something that would fit his appetite for this afternoon.

"Your happiness for instance." Lee Dong-Min deadpans at the brother of his wife with a knowing look.

"... what exactly about my happiness was it that you wish to address?" Gu Jun Pyo halted briefly before responding to the words of his brother-in-law, inwardly wondering just how much of his affairs did his elder sister shared with her husband.

"One - I'm aware of your mother's plan to match you up with the heiress of the JK Group. Two - I'm also aware that you're in love with another girl who your mother disapproves of. Three - Your sister wanted you to marry for love, not for duty."

"Right… and what kind of advice do you have in store for me then? Dear brother-in-law of mine?" Gu Jun Pyo sit back and waited, after placing his order for a pasta dish with the waitress on duty.

"First - it is crucial that the Shinhwa Group gets the financial support of the JK Group for the upcoming resort project taking place at Incheon. So, you have to work hard on selling your proposal to Ha Dae-Jung, doing your best to convince him that they needn't rely on a political union between you and their daughter to safeguard their benefits from the deal. Secondly, don't provoke your mother unnecessarily until you're able to reach an agreement with the heiress of the JK Group to call off the political union between the two of you. Third, try to find some ways to let the girl you love to form some sort of bond with your father. If she can get your father on her side, your mother would no longer be an issue because when your father put his foot down, your mother would definitely cave to his demands."

"...Easier said than done. Mother has tightened the security around father in the hospital, how am I going to create an opportunity for Jan Di to meet him without the bit of information reaching the ears of my mother the moment they made contact?" Gu Jun Pyo lamented aloud, sighing inwardly at the words coming from his brother-in-law.

"Idiot. The first thing you ought to ensure is that when they meet, you are nowhere in sight. The last thing you need is to let your mother discover that their meeting was engineered by you. Secondly, that girl's visiting the hospital regularly for her physio treatment - right? Your father is entitled to take evening walks around the hospital grounds, it's very easy to have them chanced upon one another while your father's on the walk. But please, don't engineer their meeting too early - better wait for a few weeks until your mother's guard is lowered before attempting the stunt." Lee Dong-Min rolls his eyes at his brother-in-law as he states his piece.

"Right… and why are you the one telling me this? I thought Noona's usually the one that gave me this kind of pep talk? And while on the subject, what exactly brought you over to Macau. It isn't the time for your hotel group to report the financial year figures to the Shinhwa Group yet if my memory serves me accurately." In an attempt to steer the conversation away from her personal life, Gu Jun Pyo brought up the mention of his brother-in-law's sudden arrival in Macau.

"...Your sister send me over as her proxy to address some matters with your mother. She's preoccupied with the organizing of a fundraising charity ball event in the states, at present." Lee Dong-Min answered leaving out the mention of his wife's current delicate condition, and instead brought up the mention of the annual fundraising charity ball hosted by his hotel group as an excuse to fend off his brother-in-law's curiosity on the subject of his sudden arrival in Macau.

In the meantime, back at the villa house owned by Min's parents. Min was busy whipping up a Chinese meal in his family kitchen, while Geum Jan Di browsed around the living room area of the villa house. Yoon Ji Hoo had taken this time to excuse himself to the outside of the house to make a phone call to the airline postponing their return trip.

"Your Korean is very fluent." Geum Jan Di commented trying to make a small conversation with the friend of her former prince charming when the guy emerged from the kitchen with another ready dish in hand and sets it down onto the dining table of the house.

"Yes, well… Ji Hoo's Korean, isn't he? So, I thought I should learn the language as well so we could communicate better." Min answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, leaving out the little detail about how he hasn't enjoyed not understanding what was being communicated between Seo-Hyun and Ji Hoo, the last time they were hanging out together.

"I see…" Geum Jan Di nodded, and feeling thirsty - she started to reach for the water jug and pour the drinking water into one of the mugs sitting around. Just before she could lift the mug up to her lips and drink out from it, the mug was rudely snatched out from her grasp by Min.

"No, don't use this mug. Use another one if you wish to drink. This mug is meant for Ji Hoo's use exclusively." Min remarked, turning the mug around so Geum Jan Di could have a look at the customized printed image of the auburn-haired member of F4 with him hovering in the background on the front of the mug.

"..." Geum Jan Di couldn't help it, her eyebrows rose significantly upon the fact that the guy actually had a customized mug designated for the use of her former prince charming exclusively. She was about to reach out for the mug again, to inspect the image in detail when the sound of clearing throat halted her mid-act.

If she thought that was bad, what happens during lunchtime at the dining table was worse. She had her eyes set on the spare-ribs dish because it had looked so appealing with the enticing smell emitting from the dish. However, just as she reached out for the dish with her pair of chopsticks in hand - she was halted once more by Min, who in turn shot her a triumphant look before spinning the lazy Susan, so the dish is now within direct reach of Yoon Ji Hoo.

With the dish she was aiming for out of her reach, Geum Jan Di settled for eating plain rice. Yoon Ji Hoo darted his eyes between his friend and Geum Jan Di, before smiling as he spin the lazy Susan again. This time sending the dish directly in front of Geum Jan Di while shooting her a look that says 'help yourself to the dish'. Upon comprehending the hidden meaning behind the gaze of Yoon Ji Hoo, Geum Jan Di finally beams in response as she reached out with her chopstick to pick up a big piece of the spare ribs.

The look of utter blessing clouding her features as she took her first bite of the dish was enough to make Ji Hoo grin in response. Satisfied with the cheerful look on Geum Jan Di's face, Yoon Ji Hoo then reached out for a chopstick of the stir-fry baby kale (Chinese Kale) for his own consumption. During this entire time, Min was carefully observing the little moments of interaction between Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di. After having seen how Ji Hoo had let the girl take the first bite of his favorite dish, Min stopped trying to let Ji Hoo be the first to eat any signature dishes served on the dining table, this afternoon. Because it's quite obvious that Ji Hoo would let that girl try everything first before he took a bite from any dishes served.

"Ji Hoo, you like her," Min commented later when the two of them were hanging out in the balcony of his bedroom on the second floor while Geum Jan Di was left to her own device on the ground floor of the villa house.

"...What makes you think so?" Yoon Ji Hoo prompted his friend in response, neither confirming nor denying his friend's observation of his feelings for Geum Jan Di.

"The way you look at her, it's similar to how you used to look at Seo-Hyun," Min responded with a childish pout on his lips.

"Hmm…" Yoon Ji Hoo mused thoughtfully under his breath but didn't elaborate on his feelings for Geum Jan Di to his friend. Ji Hoo wasn't surprised that Min has caught on to his underlying feelings for Geum Jan Di, having known his Chinese friend to be exceptionally sharp on such things. It has been Min who pointed out to him his romantic feelings for Seo-Hyun the last time too, so, Ji Hoo isn't surprised to hear Min pointing out his romantic feelings for Geum Jan Di, this time either.

"...just what exactly do you like about her? She's not exceptionally pretty, and she doesn't have a sexy figure either…" Min frowned as he voiced his confusion aloud to his auburn-haired friend, when compared to Min Seo-Hyun, Geum Jan Di seems to pale in comparison. So, how exactly did Ji Hoo go from loving Seo-Hyun to liking such a common girl?

"It's hard to say… besides, there isn't any logic when it comes down to matters of the heart. Anyway, thanks for inviting me over. I'll catch up properly with you tonight, for now - I intend to bring her around Macau Peninsula for some sightseeing." Yoon Ji Hoo told Min with a smile, before heading downstairs to go in search of Geum Jan Di.

"Jan Di, let's go." Yoon Ji Hoo announced to the figure of Geum Jan Di after coming down the stairs.

"Go? Where are we going?" Geum Jan Di appears bewildered for a second, as she voiced her query aloud to her former prince charming.

"Sightseeing. You've seen Cunha street in Taipa district, Venetian Macau, and the red market. But you haven't been to the historic tourist spots in Macau, have you? Min's home is within walking distance of the Ruins of Saint Paul and the Macau Protestant Chapel. So, let's go and have a look around - shall we?" Yoon Ji Hoo suggested to the girl he adores with a cheery tone of voice.

"Eh? But… what about your friend? I thought the two of you were going to catch up?" Geum Jan Di started flicking her gaze between him and the staircase behind him.

"We can catch up after the end of the sightseeing trip I'm bringing you on. He had waited this long, certainly a few hours more isn't going to hurt him." Yoon Ji Hoo pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"...right." Geum Jan Di nodded slowly in response, thinking that the words of her former prince charming did make some sense. And so, she stood from her seated position on the sofa and followed Yoon Ji Hoo out from the villa house towards the few renowned historic tourist spot nearby.

Their first stop for the sightseeing trip is, of course, the Ruins of Saint Paul. And upon arriving at the site, Geum Jan Di suddenly remarked. "Oh… so, this is the Ruins of Saint Paul."

"Yes, why do you sound so surprised?" Yoon Ji Hoo prompted in curiosity.

"I got a postcard a few days ago from the red market, and the image featured on the postcard just happens to be taken from this angle." Geum Jan Di responded as she fished out the postcard to share it with her former prince charming, before asking. "It's this place, right?"

Yoon Ji Hoo took the postcard and compared the image printed on the postcard with the actual site, before nodding in agreement. "Yes, it should be portrayed from this particular angle."

"So, this is how it looks like… in reality." Geum Jan Di breathed in awe, as she spend some time simply staring at the beautiful image of the ruins.

As Geum Jan Di stares at the view in awe, Yoon Ji Hoo found himself taking out his mobile phone to snap a few pictures of the girl without Geum Jan Di noticing his acts. Moving on, he brought Geum Jan Di to visit the Church of Santo Antonio. And they stopped by the Casa Garden briefly, whereby they went on to visit an art gallery in the park. They paused briefly at the Fire Services Museum, where they sighted a street performer performing a song on the guitar attracting plenty of onlookers. Their last stop before stopping somewhere for dinner was a visit to the Macau Protestant Chapel.

Instead of heading back to join Min for dinner, Ji Hoo messaged his friend ahead of time that he's taking dinner with Geum Jan Di outside before returning. Mostly because he knows Min's parents would be home for a dinner meal, and he didn't want Jan Di to be lost in the dinner conversation since the conversation is bound to take place in Cantonese which Jan Di has no knowledge of the language.

The text message came in on Min's phone just as he ended his practice on his cello, and upon taking a look at the text message content. Min couldn't help it, he stared wide-eyed at the message with a look of blatant disbelief as he remarked with a gaping look on his features. "Seriously? Did Ji Hoo not realize that his wallet wasn't on his person?"

True enough, Yoon Ji Hoo wasn't aware that his friend had nicked his wallet before he left to meet Geum Jan Di for the sightseeing trip around Macau Peninsula. It wasn't until they passes by a shop that sells Portuguese egg tarts which Jan Di had commented that the tarts looks delicious that Yoon Ji Hoo finally realized that his wallet is missing.

"It's fine, Ji Hoo-sunbae. I had the money to pay for the tarts myself." Geum Jan Di commented after having seen how her former prince charming couldn't find his wallet on his person. Pulling her wallet out from her sling bag, Geum Jan Di glanced towards the shop vendor - a nice and friendly lady as she asks in broken English while pointing to the egg tarts. "How much?"

"Six for thirty dollars." The lady tending the shop responded when prompted.

"Okay." Geum Jan Di then pulls out the exact amount of money and passed it over to the lady vendor. The lady vendor then packed six egg tarts nicely into the box and handed it over to Geum Jan Di, before asking in Chinese - where are they from?

Having heard the question but failing to comprehend the meaning, Geum Jan Di glances questioningly at the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo for help. With a smile, Yoon Ji Hoo responded in Chinese to the lady vendor and answered. "Korea."

"Ah… what a lovely couple on honeymoon." The lady boss commented causing Yoon Ji Hoo to laugh but didn't explain the meaning of the lady boss's remarks to the confused-looking girl. The lady boss then handed Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo another egg tart each citing it as service on the house. Thanking the lady boss for the treat, Geum Jan Di conveniently left her wallet on the counter of the shop as she tried the tart by biting down into it.

"This is really delicious. Thank you." Geum Jan Di then proceed to leave the site with Yoon Ji Hoo, completely forgetting about her wallet sitting innocently on the counter of the egg tart shop.

It wasn't an hour later, that Geum Jan Di who wish to buy a good luck charm realized that she had misplaced her wallet. Having no money to buy the good luck charm, she turns towards her former prince charming and asks. "What should I do now?"

"...wait here for me." Yoon Ji Hoo commented while sending Geum Jan Di a look of reassurance, and then he rushes back out towards the place where they spotted the street performer earlier. Approaching the street performer, Yoon Ji Hoo asks in English if he could borrow the guitar for a moment and offered to use the egg tarts as payment for the usage of the guitar.

The street performer pondered over the suggestion for a minute before nodding his agreement, handing the box of egg tarts over to the street performer - Yoon Ji Hoo took the guitar over and test out a few notes on the instrument before he started performing a Korean song on the guitar. As he sang and strum on the guitar he borrowed from the street performer, what originally comprises as a few onlookers slowly grows to a big crowd. And by the time Geum Jan Di made her way through the throng of people gathered around, there's already plenty of money gathered in the guitar case by then.

As the song came to an end, Geum Jan Di walked to a stop in front of her former prince charming and smiles at the guy's resourcefulness. Noticing the arrival of Geum Jan Di, Yoon Ji Hoo playfully commented. "Do you think the money is enough for the purchase of that good luck charm you want, as well as our dinner tonight?"

"Well… if you aren't picky about the dining places, I'm sure it would be sufficient to tide us until the end of the day." Geum Jan Di remarked in jest.

Handing over the guitar to the street performer in gratitude, Yoon Ji Hoo gathered up the money his song had garnered from the onlookers and stashed them into the pocket of his coat before leading Geum Jan Di back to where the stall selling hand-drawn good luck charms is at to pay for the good luck charm which Geum Jan Di had wanted to purchase earlier. With that done, they proceed on to find a place for dinner in the same area.

Since they have a limited budget to spare for their dinner, they went to a Chinese-style cafe selling wok-fried dishes priced between 30 to 60 dollars per dish. And the menu is only available in Chinese, so Jan Di left it entirely up to her former prince charming to do the ordering but made sure to remind the guy that they have to keep to the budget that they have.

"How much do we have to spare for the meal?" Yoon Ji Hoo inquires before he proceeds to give the orders to the cafe staff.

"About 150 dollars." Geum Jan Di responded after counting out the cash she has on hand, that's the amount which Yoon Ji Hoo had given to her earlier citing it as their dinner expenses after paying for the good luck charm that cost only 10 dollars.

Yoon Ji Hoo earned a total of 2800 dollars from his song performance earlier. But the auburn-haired member of F4 also knows that there's a pair of shoes which Geum Jan Di likes in the departmental store of Shinhwa Hotel Mall, he had meant to go and get it sometime today but since he didn't have his wallet on him. He had to forgo the idea, but since he had managed to earn some money from his song performance earlier on. Ji Hoo had counted out the exact amount and set it aside for the shoes which he intends to get tomorrow before they departed from Macau. And so, he had passed the balance amount of cash to Geum Jan Di for safe-keeping by claiming that it's better to play safe and keep the cash separately lest they ended up misplacing the money elsewhere or end up being pick-pocket without their realization.

Yoon Ji Hoo has to admit, this is pretty much the first time he had to try to stick within a certain budget for a meal. He has never been this cash-strapped before, so he finds it refreshing. But he also knows that his other friends would only find the experience troubling. Shaking his head to rid his mind of how his friends are going to react in his current position, Yoon Ji Hoo did some quick mental calculations before ordering himself a plate of pork cutlet rice with egg ($40), luncheon meat rice with egg ($36) and ordered a cup of hot chocolate for both Geum Jan Di and himself ($16 each). Total up, the cost for dinner is $102 and they still have a balance cash amount of $48 left at the end of their dinner meal in Geum Jan Di's hands.

While waiting for their food to be served, Yoon Ji Hoo asks if there's anything important in the wallet that Geum Jan Di has misplaced. If there is, he could call up Woo Bin and have the Don Juan of F4 send out some people to look for her missing wallet.

"Huh? It's okay, no need to trouble Woo Bin-sunbae to send someone to go in search of the wallet. My ID card is still in Seoul, I didn't want to bring it with me on this trip figuring that with my carelessness I might end up losing it somewhere. As for my passport, it's kept in another compartment of my sling bag so it's safe as well. What's in the wallet is just my remaining cash, a combination of the HKD and the MOP I have on my person which isn't much, since I have a budget to stick to. I kept the Korean currency separately in another pouch which I left in my suitcase. As for the wallet itself, it's a gift I received from Ga Eul a few years ago as a birthday gift. It's nothing too valuable as well… she was keeping her background a secret from me then, so it's not from any of the established brands but a no-brand wallet bought in one of the thrift stores in Myeong-Dong, I suspect." Geum Jan Di waved off her former prince charming suggestion of getting Woo Bin-sunbae to send someone back to the egg tart shop in search of her misplaced wallet. That's the last place she had her wallet with her, so it ought to be where she had misplaced it as well.

Meanwhile, Gu Jun Pyo finally had his head secretary look into the location of Ji Hoo's friend's home when his lunch meeting with his brother-in-law came to an end. It's apparent that he's no way near ready to give up on his relationship with Geum Jan Di, and then he still had the shoes to gift to the girl. It was with that thought in mind that he finally got Jeong Sang-Rok to procure the information of Ji Hoo's friend's residential address for him.

~TBC~

Chapter's notes:

Chapter 40 ends here, and I'm down to the last spurt for the Macau trip. All that's left is the airport scene and the brief moment of an interlude at the beginning of episode 15 XD

No Woo Bin/Jae-Kyung in this chapter, but SoEul did get a scene of their own in the middle of the chapter. SoEul in this chapter is still the happy and sweet moment, but when Eun-Jae appears officially - tension is bound to exist between SoEul. After all, Yi Jeong had yet to share the information of his past with Eun-Jae with Ga Eul… but for now, they are still a very happy couple ^_^

The rest of this chapter is mostly scenes from episode 14 and some beginning scenes in episode 15. including an original scene between Jun Pyo and his brother-in-law, ^^; I know Jun Hee has another scene featuring Jan Di in the drama later, and at that point, she doesn't look pregnant in any sense. But well… there's still some time from now until that particular scene, so ultimately it depends on how much time has passed between now and that particular scene in the drama. So, don't pry too deep into the matter… I'll be sure to figure something out when I reached that particular point of my story.

There are also two scenes taking place in Seoul involving Jan Di's family, in particular, her little brother. Last but not least, Ginger, Miranda, and Sunny both get a cameo scene in this chapter ^_^

Now, while it is true that there's a National Health Insurance Scheme that's mandated by the government in place for working adults in Korea. I'm not sure if it's extended to children, can't find any details about it. So, I'm basing it on the Singapore Medisave scheme. Medisave isn't insurance, but it's part of the central provident fund that all working adults would hold an account. The Medisave account is what's being used to fund the government-mandated health insurance - medishield. But the monies stored in the Medisave account can also be used for family members' medical expenses subjected to a cap, outside of own medical expenses. Either way, this is the concept I'm going for in the National health insurance scheme for my story universe ^^; I mean, how else is Geum Ii-Bong able to fork out the cost of the treatment cost for Kang San's condition?

Alright, that's all for now. See you next update, and I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter ^_^