Author's notes: Okay, I have to admit - I started this new document on a spur of a moment. I'm not even sure if I would persevere to the end with this new idea. Either way, I was reading English Fics on the SoEul couple from the TV show Boys Over Flowers [Korean Version] and thought, perhaps I should try my hands in writing something on the couple. I had my fair share of dabbling in the ship with the Chinese language but I have never tried writing it in English before.
Summary: [AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4, how would that affect the entire story flow in the Boys over Flowers universe?
Title: Secret of the Autumn
Chapter 45 - A Tangled Web, Part 2
Location: VIP room in an unnamed nightclub owned by the Song family in Hongik district, Seoul. 30th November 2009, Monday, 11pm
"Yo! Yi Jeong, finally. I thought you weren't going to show up." Song Woo Bin commented when the door to the VIP room of the nightclub owned by his family in the Hongik district of Seoul swing open to admit the figure of his best friend.
"... in my defense, I was amid of something when your message came in. Naturally, there would be some delay in my arrival since I need to wrap things up on my end before I could come by and meet up with you." Yi Jeong responded flatly as he threw his best friend a look of annoyance while taking a seat on the sofa couch in the VIP room of the nightclub owned by his friend's family.
"Oh ho~ amid of something, you say? Could it be that my message arrived while you're amid a date with the ever lovely Ga Eul-yang?" Song Woo Bin grinned as he wriggled his eyebrows at his friend suggestively while voicing the first thought that pops into his mind teasingly.
"Why bothered asking when you already know?" So Yi Jeong rolls his eyes openly at Woo Bin's query, he knows very well that his best friend is quite aware of his routine dinner dates with Chu Ga Eul, by this point. Seeing as these dinner arrangements of theirs had been ongoing even before things were made official between them. Only, he used to dub them as simple dinner appointments with a close friend as opposed to labeling the arrangement as dinner dates with his girlfriend.
"Seriously? The dinner date lasted until this late?" Song Woo Bin stared disbelieving at his Casanova friend as he flicked a look at the timing reflected on his mobile phone. It's already 11pm, even taking into consideration the time his friend had taken to send Chu Ga Eul home - it still doesn't make sense for a dinner date to last until 10pm.
"...Of course not, no dinner meal takes more than an hour to finish. It's one thing if two old friends are catching up over a meal after being apart for several months, but it's quite another thing between a couple who has been meeting up regularly for dates. To satisfy your curiosity about why the dinner date ended this late… that's because we aren't just simply having dinner today. We had a home movie date night scheduled after dinner, following the end of our routine after-meal stroll in the neighborhood. And that is the reason why there's a delay of more than an hour in my response to your message about inviting me out for a drink, tonight." The Korean Casanova deadpans as he supplied his best friend with an outline of his date with his beloved country bumpkin, this evening.
"I see… interesting. I didn't peg you for the movie type. You are likely the only one out of the F4 who doesn't own a private home theater facility in the comfort of your own humble abode." Song Woo Bin commented musingly after having digested the information he had managed to pry out from his Casanova friend regarding the event that has kept his friend busy until this hour to show up for their meeting.
"Excuse me. I'm quite certain that Ji Hoo doesn't have a home theater set up in his own family home either. And need I remind you that I'm staying full-time in the pottery studio, and while I had taken the effort to convert the pottery studio into a habitable space - it isn't exactly a proper home since it was meant to be used as a place for work when my grandfather first built it." Yi Jeong protested when his friend makes it sound as though he's the odd one out within their little group of friends.
"True, but Ji Hoo had his fair share of knowledge about movies… and though he didn't have a home theater room installed in his own family home, the theater at the Su Am Arts Center could easily be counted towards his private theater facility. Since he's known to hole up in the theater and spend his time re-watching several classic films on days whereby the theater isn't screening anything to the members of the public. As to the subject of your current place of residence isn't exactly considered as a proper home, it still doesn't change the fact that the So mansion doesn't have a private home theater facility installed." Song Woo Bin pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone of voice to his Casanova friend.
Choosing to ignore his friend's comment about his childhood family home, Yi Jeong decides to focus on the other part of his friend's observation made about Ji Hoo earlier. And then, upon remembering the few occasions whereby Jun Pyo had actually approached Woo Bin for suggestions of movie films before picking up Geum Jan Di for a date… the potter of F4 added in the second part of his comments as an afterthought."There, you said it. Ji Hoo may have a better idea about leisure films, but the films he watched are either award-winning films or classic films. It's not as though he was keeping up with the latest trending movies in the market. This is something, I believe only you are capable of knowing - given how frequently you spend your time in your family's home theater facility with your mother and your little sisters in front of that big screen installed in the comforts of your own home."
"...fine, you win." Eventually, Song Woo Bin must have realized how ridiculous it was for him to hold an open debate with his best friend over the topic of movies and promptly put an end to the ongoing topic of discussion.
Glad that Woo Bin is no longer poking fun at his lack of knowledge when it comes down to movies in general, the potter of F4 went on to pry into his friend's reason for wanting to meet him for a drink tonight. After all, his friend had just returned from Macau a few hours ago… shouldn't the guy spend the time at home resting instead?
"Anyway, what brings you out to drink your night away this evening? I would've thought you would be home resting, given the fact that you've only just returned from Macau about three hours ago. Even if there's only an hour of the time difference between Macau and Seoul, no matter how minimally the effects of the time difference is… there's still bound to be some aftereffect of jet lag. So, don't tell me you aren't feeling fatigued after returning from Macau." So Yi Jeong begins after accepting the glass of whiskey his friend had poured out for him and took a sip of the offered alcohol.
"Ah… well, if you really must know - I'm trying to get away from my mother's nagging. I was subjected to attend a matchmaking session just the day before, and my grandmother likely informed my mother about her arrangement ahead of time. So, from the moment I arrived home, mother started hounding me for details about the matchmaking session and what I think about the girl my grandmother had arranged for me to meet in Macau." Song Woo Bin sighed aloud as he proceeds to share the events of his last few days in Macau with his Casanova friend.
"No wonder you're out drinking instead of staying home to rest. Out of curiosity, what's your father's stance on your maternal grandparents' enthusiasm at arranging such matchmaking meetings between you and the daughters or granddaughters of their acquaintances?" Yi Jeong allowed a smirk to grace his lips as he pressed his friend for further details on the subject. It's not an everyday occurrence that he would get a chance to poke fun at his friend's misery, so when the opportunity does arise - it's only natural for him to milk it for all its worth.
"...Honestly, I have no clues. Personally, though, I think he's getting a laugh out of my reactions to these matchmaking meetings my maternal grandparents arranged for me whenever I'm within their reach. After all, the more I try to avoid stepping foot into Hong Kong and Macau, the more he likes to send me over as his proxy to attend various events he had no intention of attending personally." Song Woo Bin rolls his eyes after a moment of silent contemplation on his father's stance regarding his maternal grandparents' enthusiasm at matching him up with potential respectable young ladies from their fellow family friends and acquaintances alike.
Taking a moment to sip away at his tumbler glass of whiskey, the Don Juan of F4 decides to change the topic of conversion. So, turning his focus back onto his Casanova friend - Woo Bin begins to speak."Anyway, enough about me. Fill me in on what I'd missed while I'm away from Seoul."
"... well, for one - Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di are back in town. They have been back for a few days now, according to Ga Eul - they touched down last Thursday night. I had dinner with Ji Hoo on Friday evening, because Ga Eul ditched me in favor of working alongside Geum Jan Di that evening. Oh, and Ji Hoo had a change in hairstyle, just to give you a heads-up lest you blame me for not cluing you on in the fact at a later time. I can't tell you what you'd missed during the period you are on a leave of absence from school, since we aren't enrolled under the same faculty. So, this is something you're going to have to find out from your own course-mates. As for me… there's nothing much to say, except for the fact that my grandfather is now aware of the nature of my relationship with Ga Eul." The Korean Casanova responded after taking a moment to think about what he could possibly say in response to his friend's request about the recent happenings in Seoul.
"What? How did your grandfather find out? Your grandfather doesn't strike me as the type that would sic someone on you to report everything back to him. That's the witch's style of doing things…" The Don Juan of F4 was glad that he wasn't drinking when his friend let this particular information slip to him, else he might end up choking and wheezing in reaction. And even though he didn't choke on his drink, it didn't stop Woo Bin from turning disbelieving eyes on his Casanova friend.
Having witnessed first-hand how Yi Jeong had gone from denial to acceptance of his feelings for Chu Ga Eul, Woo Bin knows enough to gather that his Casanova friend isn't quite ready to come clean with the head of the So family about the true nature of his relationship with Chu Ga Eul yet. And therefore, Woo Bin was very much surprised when his friend told him that So Yoon Hee had discovered the nature of Yi Jeong's relationship with the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di.
"It wasn't by choice, I assured you. We were on our routine evening stroll after dinner in the museum, when we chanced upon my grandfather who happens to be in the same exhibition hall. And you know how shrewd my grandfather is, in terms of his observation skills. So, I had no choice but to come clean with him on the matter." The potter of F4 sighed inwardly as he thought back to the events of last Thursday evening at the Woo Sung Museum, before giving his best friend an outline of how the situation comes to be without going into the specifics.
"...and what exactly did he witness when he chanced upon the two of you in the exhibition hall?" Not quite satisfied with the vague outline of the events that transpired, Song Woo Bin decided to press for more details on the subject.
"...we were holding hands and behaving a tad too friendly with each other when we chanced upon my grandfather." Looking a tad annoyed by Woo Bin's nosy question, the Korean Casanova gritted out his response unwillingly.
"Hmm… well, looking on the brighter side of things. At least, the two of you weren't caught kissing and molesting each other in the exhibition hall by your grandfather. That would be downright embarrassing." Song Woo Bin remarked with an amused glint in his eyes after having heard from his Casanova friend about how the renowned So Yoon Hee had ended up discovering the nature of Yi Jeong's relationship with the lovely Ga Eul-yang.
"Ya! I'll have you know, I don't have a habit of making out in the middle of an exhibition hall whereby anyone could simply just waltz in. I'm not my philandering father, thank you very much." Yi Jeong huffed in annoyance as his mind jumped to the various scenes he had found himself witnessing when his mother sends him out to go in search of his father at the university where his father was working as an assistant professor to the faculty of arts - sculpting department.
"Okay… chill, don't bite my head off. I know you're feeling stressed at the moment, probably because you have no idea how your grandfather is going to react to the information about your relationship with Ga Eul-yang. But I'm sure whatever your grandfather decides to do, it's definitely nothing compared to the stunts pulled by the witch upon her discovery of Jun Pyo's relationship with Geum Jan Di." The mafia heir commented in a placating manner, as he finally allowed the subject of conversation to be dropped.
The next few minutes trickled by in silence, as the duo sips away at their respective tumbler glass of whiskey. Of course, the Korean Casanova was careful of his alcohol intake since he had a morning class to attend the following day and thus had no intentions to over-indulge in the alcohol. Upon the thought of his morning class the next morning, Yi Jeong decides to take up his girlfriend's offer of a morning call and thus proceed to drop a quick text to Chu Ga Eul, requesting for the girl to call him up tomorrow before 7am so he would have enough time to get himself out of bed and prepare for his morning class at college. Following this, the potter went on to inform his family chauffeur to pick him up at the nightclub in about an hour since he doubt he would be able to drive himself back to the pottery studio after having to indulge in several shots of the whiskey since his arrival at the club for his meeting with Woo Bin.
Once he was done sending out the respective messages to his family chauffeur and his girlfriend, the Korean Casanova tucked his mobile phone away to refocus his attention onto the figure of Song Woo Bin, his best friend among the F4 as well as his counterpart when it comes down to the reputation of being a notorious playboy in Korea.
"So, have you heard anything concerning Jun Pyo before your return from Macau?" The Korean Casanova asks as he flicked a questioning gaze at his best friend, the Don Juan of F4.
"... If it's about the latest development plans concerning the Shinhwa Group, I'm sure the news channel provides sufficient information in that aspect." Song Woo Bin responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"You know I'm not talking about the new projects which the Shinhwa Group is undertaking. So, stop dodging the question and give me a straight answer." The Korean Casanova huffed in annoyance as he threw his best friend an exasperated look.
"...right. And just what exactly do you wish to know then?" Song Woo Bin asks his Casanova friend in return, he had heard a lot of things while he was in Macau meeting, various business clients.
"I don't know…maybe something about when Jun Pyo would be returning to Seoul?" Yi Jeong shrugged as he voiced his query across to his Don Juan friend.
"Well… as of current, I've heard nothing about Jun Pyo's return date to Seoul. One thing's for certain though, he definitely isn't going to be staying put in Macau for the foreseeable future. The only question is when he's going to return…while on the subject of Jun Pyo, how's Geum Jan Di doing?" The Don Juan of F4 commented in response to his friend's inquiry before steering the conversation towards a certain Wonder Woman of Korea, out of concern.
"...as we've anticipated, she's nursing a heartbreak. Do you know that Ji Hoo managed to get Jun Pyo to agree to a meeting with Geum Jan Di?" The potter of F4 responded before asking his Don Juan friend in return.
"Really? I wasn't aware, does that means Jun Pyo's relationship with Geum Jan Di is officially over?" Song Woo Bin questioned while turning inquiring eyes upon his Casanova friend seeking clarification on the matter.
"...in a manner of speaking, yes. But Ji Hoo suspected that Jun Pyo is not truly over Geum Jan Di…" The Korean Casanova responded and then proceeded to fill his friend in on the information he had gathered from his dinner catch-up with Yoon Ji Hoo of F4, last Friday evening in the bistro of the Shinhwa Country Club after his girlfriend cancels out on him last minute to take up a full shift work at the porridge shop because Geum Jan Di was too out of sort to perform her duties.
"..."
It took about fifteen minutes for the Korean Casanova to outline the entirety of his conversation with Yoon Ji Hoo previously to his newly returned friend from Macau, and it took Song Woo Bin another few minutes to digest the information dumped upon him by his Casanova friend before he started to speak.
"...you know, I'm beginning to think that Jun Pyo's change in attitude towards Geum Jan Di and us, while we were in Macau, has something to do with the witch. It's hearsay, so I'm uncertain how true it was - but words have it among our mutual business associates that the witch is in the middle of arranging for a political union for Jun Pyo with an heiress of some big MNC (multinational corporation)." Song Woo Bin then revealed to his Casanova friend the information he had managed to fish out through the various conversations with the mutual business clients shared between Shinhwa Group and the Ii-Shin Group over idle conversations.
Although the Shinhwa Group and the Ii-Shin Group have no direct business competition, both business groups had a share in the property markets with the Shinhwa Group owning most retail buildings in Seoul and the Ii-Shin Group holding the ownership to the private residential apartment buildings and a handful of a hybrid building that houses both commercial and retail businesses. When it comes down to the hospitality industry, the Shinhwa Group owns a chain of high-end luxury hotels and resorts both in Korea, and overseas. The Ii-Shin Group, though wasn't directly involved in the hotel industry owns and managed several serviced apartments - which are mostly high-end residential buildings available for long/short-term rentals catering to both domestic and international travelers with a 24-hours concierge service available for the residents as well as a shared gym facility housed within the building for the residents' usage.
The only difference between a hotel and the serviced apartments lies in the rates, even though both the hotels and the serviced apartments go by per night booking rate. People who opted to book a stay with the serviced apartments as opposed to the hotels are mostly people who are looking to stay for more than a week in the country or a family traveling together. It can be quite costly to stay in a hotel room for an entire month since hotels don't offer a monthly rate for their guests. So, for people looking to stay in the country for more than a week, chances are they would look into the option of booking a serviced apartment for their stay as the rate is a tad more reasonable.
To cite an example, for a family of four traveling together - they could easily book a week's stay in a serviced apartment with two rooms or three rooms for a few thousand bucks per night and the total bill would still be lesser than booking two separate rooms in a hotel for the same numbers of nights. Seeing as not every hotel has the option of a family room or triple room available for booking, serviced apartments come with the 1-bedroom, 2-bedrooms, and 3-bedrooms units available for the guests picking. And in some countries, there are even 4-bedrooms options available for booking but this option rarely comes by and when it's available, the pricing is definitely on the higher-end.
Either way, as of current, the Ii-Shin Group operates and manages two of such serviced apartments facilities in Korea, one in Busan and the other within the Itaewon district of Seoul. Outside of Korea, the Ii-Shin group also owns serviced apartments facilities in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka of Japan, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca of Malaysia, as well as in Singapore.
"...I see. Well, if that's what the witch had in mind to do… no wonder Jun Pyo broke off his relationship with Geum Jan Di. The witch likely threatens to destroy the livelihood of Geum Jan Di and her family if Jun Pyo doesn't do as she says." Having heard of what the witch had done before the marriage of Jun Pyo's sister with the heir of the Malloy Hotel Group in the US, Yi Jeong wasn't in the least surprised if the witch had resorted to thinly veiled threats to get the desirable results that she seeks.
"Exactly, and with Jun Pyo's father out of commission for the time being. There's literally nothing standing in the way of the witch's path." The Don Juan of F4 sighed aloud as he downed another glass of whiskey in one go.
"..."
Location: Shinhwa Hotel in Macau, Jae-Kyung's hotel suite room. 30th November 2009, Monday, 10pm
As Macau is one hour behind Seoul, during the time whereby the two playboys of F4 met up for a drink in one of the nightclubs owned by the Song family in the Hongik district of Seoul… the heiress of the JK Group had just got back to the comforts of her hotel suite room following the end of a dreadfully long dinner session with both her parents and the representatives of the Shinhwa Group.
Technically, the dinner session begins at 7.30pm and ended at 8.30pm. The reason why Jae-Kyung ended up only returning to the comforts of her assigned hotel suite room this late in time is that they were invited to the lounge bar for further conversation at the end of the dinner. Apparently, simply showing up for the dinner on time for the meeting wasn't enough for both her parents and lady Kang Hee-Soo, the acting director for the Shinhwa Group.
[Flashback to earlier in the evening, 7pm at Shinhwa Hotel…]
Not trusting their daughter not to give them the slip, Ha Dae-Jung and his wife, Jang Bongseon specifically requested for the guards stationed outside their daughter's room at the hotel to escort their only daughter to their suite room once the girl is ready to leave for dinner. While Ha Dae-Jung doesn't exactly have much expectation for his daughter's appearance as long as the girl shows up in a presentable manner, Jang Bongseon is another matter entirely. The moment the guards escorted her daughter through the doorway to their suite room, Jang Bongseon promptly stood to give her daughter's choice of outfit an assessing look.
"Of all the available dresses in your wardrobe, you just have to pick something this dreadful?" Jang Bongseon appears unimpressed as she commented on her daughter's choice of appearance for the impending dinner session with the representatives of the Shinhwa Group.
"You did allow me the freedom to dress as I deemed fit. I was initially gearing up for a punk look, but because you had Chen informed me specifically that it's going to be in a fine dining setting… I had to scrape my original plan and come up with a different outfit for the occasion. Just be glad that I didn't go overboard with my make-up, this evening." Ha Jae-Kyung pointed out to mother flatly in response, while crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.
Detecting the undertone of an impending disagreement between his wife and daughter, Ha Dae-Jung promptly sets aside the papers he had been reading to glance over at his only daughter to assess the girl's appearance with his own eyes. And then, turning to his wife - the director of the JK Group started in a placating tone of voice.
"Honey, Jae-Kyung looks fine. The way you are reacting had me thinking that she had come in with black lipstick and purple eye-shadow… but as I see it, other than coming in with a black cocktail dress, and a pair of black leggings complete with a pair of black heels on her feet. There's nothing else too out of the norm for her choice of outfit, yes… she looks a tad dull and ordinary but at least her choice of outfit for today's dinner is still considered passable for a fine-dining setting." Ha Dae-Jung told his wife calmly as he commented on his daughter's choice of outfit with his personal opinion.
Yes, the heiress of the JK Group had opted for the color black from head to toe for her attire this evening. For a while, Jae-Kyung had even contemplated on the idea of going Gothic for her make-up… but then, she thought that might be pushing her mother's buttons a tad too much; thus she decides to go for a plain Jane looks instead. And so, the heiress went simple on her make-up.
By the definition of a plain Jane look, it basically meant that Jae-Kyung had done away with most of her accessories trinkets. Not a single piece of jewelry could be found on her person, and while she did apply make-up onto her face. She didn't take many efforts in dolling up, all she did was to apply a layer of foundation and a layer of loose powder over. As for her lips, Jae-Kyung opted for a lip gloss with a pinkish tinge.
"But dear… today's the first official meeting between the two youngsters. The way she dressed, it's as though she wasn't in the least keen to make an effort to impress the boy." Jang Bongseon argued her point, which only garnered a huff of annoyance from Jae-Kyung.
"Mom, I've already emphasized on multiple occasions that I am not interested in a political union. So, of course, I am not going to dress to impress anyone this evening." Ha Jae-Kyung deadpans at her mother since there's no way she could wriggle out of this dinner event. Not making any effort in dressing up for the occasion is literally the only thing she could do to show her displeasure over the entire matchmaking attempt.
Although Jang Bongseon is still displeased by the attire choice of her daughter, nothing she said could change Jae-Kyung's mind about not dolling up for the occasion. And so, Ha Dae-Jung took it upon himself to put an end to the ongoing debate between his wife and his daughter by pointing out the glaring fact that it's about time that they leave for the dinner appointment with the representatives of the Shinhwa Group.
In the Chinese fine-dining restaurant where the stipulated dinner session was scheduled to take place, Gu Jun Pyo felt a pool of dread sitting in his gut as he took the seat next to his mother as they settled down to wait for the arrival of the representatives from the JK Group. To be honest, Jun Pyo truly had no idea how he had managed to wade through the last few days with a sound mind. In the wake of losing it at the airport on the day of Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo's departure from Macau, he had an emotional meltdown at the airport in blatant public. Ultimately, he was coaxed into following his head secretary - Jeong Sang-Rok, to the lounge where he had bawled his eyes out like a little kid. And then, his head secretary dragged him off to Singapore for an overnight trip to complete the farce of the lie of meeting the prime minister of Singapore which they had to tell Kang Hee-Soo, to leave for the airport.
And then, on the day of his return to Macau, he ended up getting himself smashed with the alcohol. Thankfully, his brother-in-law was with him then and thus managed to cover for him by lying to his mother that he was drunk off his arse because they had been drinking together. For that, his brother-in-law ended up getting a lecture from his mother, to which he apologized promptly after sobering up. As tempting as the idea of drinking himself into oblivion was, Jun Pyo managed to refrain from the act following the departure of his brother-in-law for New York. Still, it didn't change the fact that he kept zoning out at inopportune timings throughout the day over the past two days.
"Jun Pyo." Kang Hee-Soo calls out for her son's attention sharply, when she heard from her personal assistant that the representatives of the JK Group have left the hotel and are now on their way over to the restaurant.
"..." Blinking once then twice, Gu Jun Pyo shifted his focus onto the figure of his mother upon detecting the underlying warning in the woman's voice.
"The representatives of the JK Group are arriving, I needn't have to warn you of the potential repercussions if you were to screw up this meeting, right?" Kang Hee-Soo addressed her son in a clipped tone of voice.
"... of course." Gu Jun Pyo swallowed his bitterness at his mother's dictating ways of handling things and plastered on an expression of fake optimism as he responded.
Jae-Kyung was trudging behind her parents as they were shown to the private dining room of the Chinese fine-dining restaurant situated in the Shinhwa Hotel Mall by the restaurant's waiting staff. Although she had managed to appear cheery on the outside, deep down in her, the heiress was anything but happy to be forced into attending this dinner meeting which also serves as a matchmaking attempt between her and the newly minted owner of the Shinhwa Group.
"Jae-Kyung, where're your manners?" Jang Bongseon started as she calls out for the attention of her distracted daughter after the restaurant's staff left them alone in the private dining room to mingle with the representative of the Shinhwa Group.
"Good evening, Madam Kang." Sighing inwardly, Jae-Kyung trudged forward as she shifted her focus back to the present to greet the acting director for the Shinhwa Group before shifting her eyes towards the guy whom she was supposed to be matched with. One look in the guy's direction was all she needs to feel annoyance all over again.
It took all of the heiress's self-control to refrain from glaring at the guy, still, her stiff disposition was enough to give away the fact to her father that this definitely isn't the first time she had met the young owner of the Shinhwa Group.
[Funny… did the two of them meet somewhere before, outside of our knowledge?] - The owner of the JK Group found himself wondering inwardly to himself, upon detecting the stiffening in his beloved daughter's posture upon noticing the presence of the young man in the room.
As for Gu Jun Pyo, he was completely neutral in his reaction after landing his eyes on the figure of the heiress for the JK Group. Although, that might have to do with the fact that he didn't bother to remember the looks of the girl he had previously fought in the mall for the pair of shoes he had meant to get for Geum Jan Di, in prior. And so, Jun Pyo was being his usual cordial self as he stood by the side of his mother to greet the family of three representing the JK Group, who has just entered the private dining room in the Chinese fine-dining restaurant.
"Good evening, lady Kang. I apologized for our tardiness. We didn't keep you waiting for long, did we?" Jang Bongseon plastered on a pleasant smile on her lips as she took the initiative in greeting Kang Hee-Soo, shortly after the restaurant's staff left the room to grant them the privacy to mingle among themselves.
"Oh no, definitely not. We've just arrived five minutes ago, ourselves. Come on, take a seat." Kang Hee-Soo responded cordially, as she invited the family of three to take a seat at the dining table. And then, shifting her eyes towards her son - she implores. "Jun Pyo, be a gentleman and pull out the chair for Jae-Kyung, will you?"
"..."
"..."
Neither of the youngsters spoke, as they simply stared at one another in silence. The heiress of the JK Group couldn't help but fumed inwardly when she realized that the guy didn't even recognize her going by his lack of recognition upon meeting eyes with her in the wake of Kang Hee-Soo's words. And this time, Jae-Kyung could no longer help herself as she ended up throwing a glare in the direction of Gu Jun Pyo.
Gu Jun Pyo, meanwhile, simply appears baffled by the glaring look he had received from the heiress of the JK Group. Still, no matter how much of a dread he's finding this entire dinner session, he couldn't openly show his contempt and displeasure about the meeting unlike the heiress of the JK Group. And so, Jun Pyo simply took it in stride and ventured forward to pull out a chair for the displeased heiress as per his mother's instruction before retaking his own seat at the table.
"Good evening, Jae-Kyung. How are you doing this evening?" Kang Hee-Soo inquires politely, not thinking much about the stiff posture and displeased demeanor of the girl. After all, she had heard from a couple of the JK Group on multiple occasions about Jae-Kyung's aversion to the idea of a political union and henceforth Kang Hee-Soo simply thought that the girl had behaved this stiffly and negatively towards her son because the girl was forced to attend the dinner session, to begin with.
"I'm fine but it could have been better. Thank you for asking, regardless." Ha Jae-Kyung managed to grit out a polite response while refraining from the urge to throw out several looks of annoyance at the occupants at the table in general.
Minutes later after the family of three took their seats at the dining table, the waitress of the restaurant started with the serving of the food. There is a total of six courses in today's dinner menu, it begins with an appetizer, followed by a soup dish, three main dishes (comprising of a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and the main staple dish) before ending with a dessert dish. The food wasn't served all at the same time, but with minutes of interval in between.
Conversations during the dinner meal were mostly held between the parents, while the two youngsters focused their attention solely on the food served. Since Jun Pyo was seated directly across from the heiress of the JK Group, he found himself being glared at continuously throughout the entire dinner meal.
[... why is she glaring at me so intensely? It's not as though I'm the one forcing her to attend the meal, in the first place. I'm just as reluctant as her about this entire political union thing.] - Gu Jun Pyo thought inwardly to himself as he tried to avoid the temptation of glaring back at the girl, even though the desire to do so was getting stronger by the minute.
[I can't believe the nerve of this guy! Is he truly that oblivious? The only difference between my appearance today and the other day at the mall where we fought over the rights to that pair of shoes on display lies in my choice of attire. Surely, I don't look that different in terms of appearance?! How could he still sit there looking as though he had done nothing wrong?!] - Jae-Kyung thought annoyingly to herself as she fumed inwardly at the lack of an apology from the guy seated across her in the private dining room of the Chinese fine-dining restaurant.
The more Jae-Kyung dwells on the subject, the more upset she became by the minute. And then, upon the sheer reminder that the purpose for the dinner this evening was for their parents to match them up. Jae-Kyung decides to tarnish her image in the eyes of the Shinhwa Group representatives, thinking that the entire political union idea would be called off if she were to display uncouth table manners. And so, when the waitress brought in the next dish - which is the pan-fried drumsticks stuffed with minced shrimps, Jae-Kyung forgoes the use of the chopsticks and opted to reach for the drumsticks with her bare hands.
Literally, every occupant at the dining table was left staring at Jae-Kyung in disbelief when she did so, and her mother went to the extent of demanding to know what she was doing by displaying such uncouth table manners. In response, Jae-Kyung simply retorted nonchalantly that it's easier to eat the drumstick in this manner.
"..."
The sight of the heiress of the JK Group eating the drumsticks out of her bare hands somehow brought Jun Pyo's mind down the memory lane as he recalls his last meal taken in the presence of Geum Jan Di's family. While drumsticks weren't served at the breakfast table that particular day, the mother of Geum Jan Di had served him pan-fried fish with her bare hands as well. The sheer reminder of that scene brought him to the act of mirroring the actions of the heiress by reaching for the drumsticks and eating out from his bare hands as well.
"Jun Pyo, what on earth are you doing?" Kang Hee-Soo could hardly believe her eyes as she demanded an explanation from her son.
"Eating." Gu Jun Pyo responded nonchalantly to his mother's demanding inquiry.
"..." Kang Hee-Soo was about to demand her son to stop behaving this uncouthly on the dining table, and that such commoner's eating habits aren't acceptable from a person of their status when she recalls that it has been the heiress of the JK Group who had first reached for the drumsticks with bare hands. The sheer remembrance of this little detail halted Kang Hee-Soo mid words and in the end, the entire plate of drumsticks was polished off between the two youngsters as neither of the adults wanted to reach for the drumsticks after having seen how the youngsters had ended up competing with one another on the task of who gets to eat the most drumsticks, out of the blue.
Bizarre is the only term that could be used to describe the first official meeting between Ha Jae-Kyung and Gu Jun Pyo. It's as though the duo was silently competing among themselves on who is more uncouth at the dining table, and it ranged from eating with their bare hands to the speed of ingesting the food before it progresses on to who gets the right for the last remaining drumsticks on the plate.
"Let go." Gu Jun Pyo demanded.
"No, you should be the one letting go." Ha Jae-Kyung stated in a warning tone of voice, she had already lost to the guy once in their previous competition for the shoes, and she has no intention to let the guy win against her in this round of competition for the last drumstick.
It took them an entire five minutes to reach a compromise on the last remaining drumstick, and it was through the five minutes of competition of the drumstick that Gu Jun Pyo finally recalls his last encounter with the heiress of the JK Group. And that moment of distraction was all it needs for Jae-Kyung to steal the drumstick under his scrutiny.
When Gu Jun Pyo realized that the heiress of the JK Group had won the little contest to the ownership of the last drumsticks on the plate, he felt his eyes widening at the girl in disbelief whereas Jae-Kyung only smirked at him in triumph. Not wanting to let it slip to his mother about his previous encounter with the heiress at the mall, Jun Pyo decided to let the matter go. The last thing he needs is for the girl to bring up the subject of their little competition in the departmental store about a week ago in the mall. His mother would demand to know why he was fighting the heiress for the rights to a pair of ladies' shoes, otherwise.
At the end of the meal, Jae-Kyung openly let out a loud burping sound without caring for the fact that she's amid a matchmaking session. Kang Hee-Soo felt the corner of her eyes twitching at the uncouth sound of burping coming from the heiress of the JK Group, while Jang Bongseon, the mother of the heiress simply cringed in embarrassment. Ha Dae-Jung, on the other hand, didn't show any outward reaction having already figured out that his daughter is doing this on purpose, probably as a means to deter the Shinhwa Group representatives from insisting on the arrangement of a political union.
Still, Ha Dae-Jung has to admit despite having known of his girl's hefty appetite before today. He was still stunned to see for himself the gluttony side of his wayward daughter. Usually, his daughter has taken care to maintain a perfect facade of a lady during socializing events; today's the first time his daughter had gone to the extent of not hiding her true self behind the mask of being a perfect lady. Already, he could foresee his wife's ire towards their daughter in the wake of this dinner event.
True to his premonition, his wife - Jang Bongseon started berating their daughter when they were on their way back to the hotel after the end of the meal.
"Jae-Kyung, what was that all about?!" Jang Bongseon whispered harshly to her daughter, looking very much displeased but was still conscious-minded enough to keep her tone low to avoid detection from the mother-son duo walking ahead of them towards the direction of the Shinhwa hotel.
"Well… this is supposed to be a matchmaking attempt, isn't it? I simply didn't think it prudent to keep my true self hidden, assuming that if this political union went ahead despite my aversion - I simply thought, I wouldn't be able to keep up with putting on a false facade every single day for the rest of my life. The truth is I'm a glutton for food and had uncouth table manners behind closed doors, I know you are trying to package me as a perfect lady but when are you going to get it drilled into your mind that I am not your perfect little princess?!" Jae-Kyung deadpans to her mother, careful to keep her tone low as well, partly to avoid drawing the attention of the representatives from the Shinhwa Group walking ahead of them, and to avoid causing further troubles for her father who had to placate her mother, at the end of the day.
"...Bongseon, you can't argue that Jae-Kyung does have a point to her statement about not being able to hide her true self behind a false facade every single day for the rest of her life. One of these days, she's bound to slip up, and thus, instead of dealing with the repercussions when that happens. Perhaps, it's best to let the other party see for themselves how our daughter truly is like in private. That way, they can't complain if they decide to proceed on with the political union." Ha Dae-Jung responded calmly from the other side of his wife, as they made their way back to the Shinhwa Hotel.
Upon arriving back at the hotel, instead of being allowed to go their separate ways - under the insistence for them to bond in private, Kang Hee-Soo suggested for the youngsters to take a walk in the garden of the hotel, while the adults retreated to the lounge to talk business.
"..."
Gu Jun Pyo took one look at his mother's warning gaze and knew it wasn't in his place to argue against his mother's instructions. Likewise, it was similar with Jae-Kyung… albeit, it wasn't so much of a warning gaze she receives from her parents but a pleading gaze for her to go along with the flow. So, with a huff of annoyance, Jae-Kyung allowed herself to be led out to the gardens of the Shinhwa Hotel by Gu Jun Pyo grudgingly.
"I know you aren't pleased about spending time in my presence." Gu Jun Pyo commented shortly after they have left the earshot of their parents.
"Understatement of the century," Jae-Kyung responded in a clipped tone of voice, of course, she isn't pleased about having to spend more time with the weirdo that competes with her for a pair of ladies' shoes, previously.
"..." Repeating the mantra of 'patience' again and again to himself, Gu Jun Pyo makes another effort at attempting a polite conversation with the heiress of the JK Group.
"I'm trying my best to convince your parents that a political union between us isn't necessary to safeguard their interest in the ongoing business deals between the Shinhwa Group and the JK Group." Gu Jun Pyo started once again, after a moment of tense silence between them.
"Well… you aren't trying hard enough, and for your information, it wasn't my parents that brought up the subject of a political union between us. It was your mother's idea, perhaps you should work on convincing your mother on the notion that a political union isn't necessary between the Shinhwa and the JK Group." Ha Jae-Kyung pointed out objectively to the young owner of the Shinhwa Group.
"...I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible. My mother isn't the type that would be swayed in her opinions, so if the political union between us is to be called off. Your parents are going to be the ones that need to call off the arrangement." Gu Jun Pyo said stiffly to the heiress of the JK Group after a moment of silence.
"Well… we are screwed then. Believe me, my father tried to convince your mother otherwise when the business deal was first brought up for discussion but she wouldn't budge on the subject. Though I could feedback to my parents afterward that I'm not in the least interested in marrying you at all, I'm not sure what good it would do if your mother refused to budge on the subject and insisted that we set aside our difference and try to make things work between us." The heiress of the JK Group stated flatly in response while scanning the surrounding of the gardens aimlessly.
"... I think you can make your opinions known to your parents first, at least, that way my mother wouldn't start pushing for an immediate engagement between us." Eventually, this was what Jun Pyo had said in response to the heiress of the JK Group, given that his hands are pretty much tied at present. He can't openly protest the idea of a political union with the heiress of the JK Group, because he fears that his mother might threaten the livelihood of the Geum family again. But the heiress of the JK Group could definitely express her displeasure over the idea of a political union between them, and though Jun Pyo doubts that would change his mother's mind on the matter it could hopefully prolong the time for a proper engagement to take place between them.
"What good would it do aside from prolonging the agony of us having to spend time in each other presence?" Ha Jae-Kyung questioned Gu Jun Pyo pointedly, without hiding her irritation towards this political union arrangement between them.
"It would buy us time to look for another way out if nothing else. I'm working on a plan to get my father to veto the idea of a political union between us, but that would take some time as I need to wait until my father is strong enough to counter back against my mother. Until then, I need to go along with my mother's plan." Gu Jun Pyo responded with a faraway look in his eyes, as he looked out at the garden in general.
"...and how long do you suppose it would take for you to convince your father to take your side on this matter?" Ha Jae-Kyung pressed on for further clarification, after all, this plan requires her to put her future traveling plans on hold for some time. Seeing as Kang Hee-Soo has made it pretty clear that her high frequency of traveling around the world wasn't exactly appreciated in a few words over dinner earlier.
"No idea, it may take weeks or months depending on the recovery progress of my father's health." Gu Jun Pyo sighed in response, he hates to play the long game either since patience was never part of his virtue but some things simply couldn't be rushed.
After all, every minute he wasted here in Macau under the control of his mother while pining away for the woman he loves in secret… his long-time friend might be getting closer to the woman he loves behind his knowledge. As much as Jun Pyo would like to claim that Geum Jan Di is still in love with him, he can't argue against the fact that Ji Hoo has always been strong competition for him in the aspects of Geum Jan Di's affection. That, combined with the fact that Ji Hoo's the first love of Geum Jan Di… and thus would always hold a special place in the heart of the woman he loves…is truly an unpredictable factor in this entire situation.
"..."
With that said, they return to the lounge of the Shinhwa Hotel to locate their parents respectively. And later on, when they parted ways with the representatives of the Shinhwa Group, the heiress of the JK Group made it blatantly known to her parents that she dislikes the young owner of the Shinhwa Group.
"What is there not to like about the young man?" Jang Bongseon, the mother of Jae-Kyung turns disbelieving eyes onto her daughter and asks.
"I don't know how to explain, but I just don't like him - period!" Jae-Kyung mutters aloud in response, crossing her arms defensively against her chest as she made her displeasure known.
While Jang Bongseon rolls her eyes at Jae-Kyung's response thinking that her daughter is simply protesting because the girl detested the notion of a political union, Ha Dae-Jung was thinking back to the multiple times his daughter had glared at the son of lady Kang Hee-Soo, and wonders if the two youngsters had chanced upon one another elsewhere without their knowledge. And so, he decides to get a clarification from his beloved daughter on this matter before anything else.
"Jae-Kyung, did anything happen between the two of you before the official meeting today?" Ha Dae-Jung started as the family of three settled down on the sofa couch placed in the sitting area of the suite room that was assigned for his wife and his use during their stay at the Shinhwa Hotel in Macau.
"What are you talking about?" Jang Bongseon promptly shifted quizzical eyes onto her husband and demanded an explanation.
"You're too engrossed in keeping up with a conversation with lady Kang to notice, but our dear girl has been glaring daggers at the young man since she entered the private dining room of the restaurant earlier. Jae-Kyung might detest the idea of a political union but she isn't the type that would glare daggers at the other party without a valid reason. Sure, she might bitched about it in private whenever she was forced to attend or commit to anything that she's unwilling to do in the first place, but she would always be on her best behavior during the progress of the event. Yet, that didn't happen during the dinner meeting earlier. Other than the time whereby lady Kang had her eyes on Jae-Kyung, our daughter has spent the bulk of the time during dinner throwing glares in the direction of young mister Jun Pyo." The owner of the JK Group told his wife in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, before shifting his focus back onto the figure of his daughter as he silently demanded an explanation to be given.
"... you're right to say that we had encountered one another elsewhere before tonight's dinner took place. During that encounter of ours, it wasn't a pleasant encounter. I was looking at an item on display in a store when he abruptly barged in and snatched the item out of my grasp rudely. He might have behaved like a perfect gentleman this evening, but he's not. No gentleman would snatch an item out from a lady's hands by force and without seeking permission in prior. He's rude, impatient, and arrogant, that he believes everyone ought to worship the ground he walks upon." Ha Jae-Kyung fumed as she reiterates the events of her previous encounter with Gu Jun Pyo without going into details about the exact item which the two of them fought one another for, in the store.
"..." Jang Bongseon and Ha Dae-Jung shared a look among themselves at the end of their daughter's recount of the two youngsters' past encounter that's outside of their knowledge, wondering how they should proceed from here. It's obvious that their daughter didn't have a good impression of young mister Jun Pyo, and so, it could be a lot more challenging for Jae-Kyung to accept the political union arrangement between the Shinhwa Group and the JK Group.
Of course, they could try and see if they could proceed with the business deal in the discussion by doing away with the political union… but lady Kang doesn't seem like the sort that would budge on the subject. The business deal discussion would have gotten somewhere conclusive if lady Kang hasn't been so adamant about having the two youngsters meet up before they started talking business.
While the owners of the JK Group dwells on the subject of how to turn down the political union arrangement between their daughter and the representative from the Shinhwa Group, Jae-Kyung was thinking back to the brief chat she had with Gu Jun Pyo during their walk in the gardens of the Shinhwa Hotel earlier. Although, she didn't make it a point to ask on the subject during the walk in the garden earlier. The heiress could garner from the guy's reactions during the multiple points of their conversation about the political union between them that the guy had a romantic interest elsewhere, that his mother likely disapproves of.
After all, the pair of shoes they had once fought each other for in the mall doesn't seem like the type of shoe lady Kang would favor, moreover, his behavior at the store that day hinted to Jae-Kyung strongly that he's buying the pair of shoes for his romantic interest. Anyway, coming back to the subject of his romantic interest being someone that lady Kang disapproves of, perhaps, that would explain his repeated emphasis to her about why he wasn't in a position to persuade his mother about why the political union with the JK Group weren't necessary when they were debating on the subject during their walk in the gardens of the hotel.
So, while Jae-Kyung knows that if she were to inform her parents about Gu Jun Pyo having a romantic interest elsewhere… her parents would definitely not agree to the political union arrangement. It isn't in their nature to force things, but she also knows that her parents would definitely speak to Kang Hee-Soo on the subject when asked about their reason for turning down the political union. And though, Jae-Kyung doesn't know much about Kang Hee-Soo's personality… something in her guts hinted to her that Kang Hee-Soo isn't the type that would let things go easily.
[End of flashback]
Now as Jae-Kyung lays on her bed in the hotel suite in the dark, gazing up at the ceiling of the room - she wonders if there's any way for her to get out of the political union with the Shinhwa Group. Feeling vexed and unable to sleep, the heiress reaches for her mobile phone and decides to message a certain Don Juan of F4 for a rant.
A private message between Ha Jae-Kyung and Song Woo Bin, 30th November 2009, Monday night, 10.30pm [Macau], 11.30pm [Seoul]
Jae-Kyung: Evening Prince Song, I've finally met the guy that my parents insisted for me to meet - this evening. While on the subject, I can't believe my rotten luck. *Eye-roll Emoji*
Woo Bin: Huh? What has the meeting with the guy your parents wants you to meet got to do with rotten luck?
Jae-Kyung: Remember my previous rant to you about a weirdo that I met at the mall who fought me for a pair of shoes?
Woo Bin: Vaguely… why?
Jae-Kyung: Turns out, that weirdo is the same guy that my parents have been insisting on me to meet. *Eye-roll Emoji*
Woo Bin: … By any chance, is the guy your parents insisted for you to meet … the new owner for the Shinhwa Group?
Jae-Kyung: Indeed. How did you guess? *Curious Emoji*
Woo Bin: The competition for the pair of shoes took place in the Shinhwa Hotel Mall, and you mentioned the weirdo having curly hair… it just so happens that Jun Pyo fits the description. And words have it that his witch of a mother was in the middle of arranging a political union for him… which you've just basically confirmed the matter for me by telling me that he's the guy your parents insisted on you meeting all this time. Talks about complicated… *Face-Palm Emoji*
PS: Just to give you a heads-up… Jun Pyo is the leader of F4, together with the other two guys you met that day in Venetian Macau alongside me… we are known as the F4 in South Korea.
Jae-Kyung: What?! O_O Wait… wait a minute, does that means that Gu Jun Pyo is the guy whom Geum Jan Di came over to Macau to meet?
Woo Bin: Indeed.
Jae-Kyung: *Face-Palm Emoji* So, the shoes Gu Jun Pyo fought me for at the mall… he meant to get them for Geum Jan Di?
PS: What's the deal between Geum Jan Di and that auburn-haired friend of yours? They seems quite chummy that day, so I had thought of them as a couple, to be honest.
Woo Bin: It's complicated and not exactly my story to tell. What you need to know now is that Jun Pyo and Geum Jan Di had a thing between them, though Jun Pyo had recently broken things off with Jan Di under duress, I assumed. His mother has never quite approved of their relationship and isn't above using underhand tactics to achieve her aims. With Shinhwa Group's influence in South Korea, she could easily threaten the livelihood of Geum Jan Di and her family making it impossible for them to survive in Seoul. Jun Pyo likely broke up with Geum Jan Di to protect her and her family from his mother… with that said, I hardly think Jun Pyo is over Geum Jan Di yet. And now, with the political union between your family and his family thrown into the mix, things are bound to get even more complicated.
Jae-Kyung: Right… and what do you think I ought to do now?
Woo Bin: You're asking me?
Jae-Kyung: Your friend asks to drag things out… so, I'm just seeking a second opinion. Since you know that weirdo from childhood, you probably know his mother quite well by this point. Hence, I'm asking you for an opinion about what I could do to call off this political union arrangement between your friend and me. I'm not interested in being a third wheel for your friend and Jan Di, period!
Woo Bin:… Jun Pyo's mother isn't the type to back off easily. And if Jun Pyo asks for you to cooperate with him and drag things out, he probably has a backup plan in mind. I supposed you can make it known to your parents about your unwillingness to submit to the political union arrangement for a start, that way, Jun Pyo's mother likely wouldn't rush headlong into arranging an engagement party for the two of you. She would, however, arrange for the two of you to spend more time together though…
Jae-Kyung: So, basically you're telling me to drag things out as well. =_=
Woo Bin: In a nutshell, yes. There's no easy way out of this arrangement, Jun Pyo's mom isn't the type to take 'no' for an answer.
Jae-Kyung: Damn…
Woo Bin: You have my sympathy on this. Alright, it's getting late - you'd best get to bed and try to get some rest. I'll be here to lend you a listening ear if you need to vent off some steam after dealing with Jun Pyo's witch of a mother. Goodnight.
Jae-Kyung: Goodnight. Let's just hope I'll be able to get some sleep after this…
Tucking away his mobile phone, Song Woo Bin gulped down the remaining whiskey in his tumbler glass before pouring himself a new shot. And then, shifting his eyes towards his Casanova friend - the Don Juan of F4 started in a flat tone of voice.
"Guess who decides to drop me a text message this late in time?" Song Woo Bin inquires as he directed his query to his Casanova friend in a flat tone of voice.
"Going by your reaction, I'm going to wager that it's the heiress of the JK Group." The potter of F4 responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Indeed, but do you know what she just ask me on the phone?" Song Woo Bin continues to ask, baiting his Casanova friend in a wry tone of voice.
"... that I'm afraid, I'm at a loss. Are you going to clue me in or are we going to keep playing the guessing game? I don't know about you, but I have a morning class to attend the next day… so, I would appreciate it if you stop playing the baiting game so we could call it a night." So Yi Jeong deadpans at his Don Juan friend with a flat look.
"Fine. She just let it slip to me that the guy her parents were so insistent on her to meet up with is Jun Pyo. So, I guess that meant that the information about the witch working on arranging a political union for Jun Pyo wasn't wrong." Song Woo Bin sighed in response as he downed yet another glass of whiskey in the wake of his recount of the text exchange between him and the heiress of the JK Group, minutes ago.
"..." The Korean Casanova stared at his best friend with a disbelieving look as he tried to determine if his friend was joking with him about the political union between Jun Pyo and the heiress of the JK Group. And when he realized that Woo Bin was dead serious about what was being said, Yi Jeong wordlessly joined his friend in the drinking act.
The end result, both of them got drunk off their arse. So much about not to overindulge in the alcohol, the Korean Casanova thought in dismay after he found himself having a difficult time making his way out of the nightclub without help. And it goes without saying that the potter of F4 ended up with a nasty hangover the following morning.
Location: So Yi Jeong's Pottery Studio, 1st December 2009, Tuesday morning, 6.30am
The Korean Casanova was roused from his sleep by the repetitive ringing of his mobile phone. For a while, he tried to ignore the ruckus created by the offending gadget ringing away on his bedside table. But when the sound of ringing fails to die down, Yi Jeong knows that whoever the caller on the other end of the line is not going to stop calling until he actually picks up the call. And so, the potter of F4 sighed aloud as he reaches out for his mobile phone that was ringing away atop his bedside table. Since he wasn't quite awake yet, Yi Jeong had to actually squint his eyes at the screen of his mobile device to determine the identity of the caller ringing him up this early in the day.
The recognition of the fact that it was none other than his girlfriend - Chu Ga Eul calling him up at this time, causes the Korean Casanova to stifle a groan at the headache pounding away in his skull as he answers the call.
"Hello." Yi Jeong greeted as he answers the call, still sounding sleepy.
"Morning, Yi Jeong-sunbae. I assumed you're still in bed, I would apologize for calling you up this early except that I'm simply obligating your request for a morning call. You can refer to the last chat message we had last night if you need a reminder about your own instructions given." Chu Ga Eul's cheerful voice came over the phone as it brought the Korean Casanova down the memory lane as he combed his mind for the details of yesterday's night.
"...what time is it now?" It took a while for Yi Jeong to recall the memory of his last text exchange with the girl, and when he did recall that he had indeed requested for his beloved country bumpkin to give him a morning call this morning so he wouldn't miss his morning class lecture… the potter of F4 sighed inwardly as he inquires.
"The time now is 6.30am. I know you don't usually wake until 7am, but you have a morning class at 8am to attend today… and you would also have to utilize your family chauffeur to pick you up and drop you off at where you left your car last night. Not to forget you would need to get a proper breakfast meal before leaving to pick up your car and attend your morning class. Trust me, a proper breakfast meal would help to lessen the aftereffect of a hangover, significantly." Chu Ga Eul commented over the phone in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"...right. In that case, I'd best get moving then. While on the subject of breakfast, do you have any idea about where did I stash the sourdough bread purchased last night for my breakfast?" So Yi Jeong asks over the phone, turning to his girlfriend for an answer as it's too challenging for him to sift through the memory of last evening's event when he had a terrible headache pounding away in his skull. One of the nasty aftereffects of a hangover from his heavy indulgence in alcohol last night with Woo Bin at the nightclub, he reckons.
"It should be left out on the kitchenette countertop since it's a fresh loaf, the peanut butter, and the buttering knife is in the first top cabinet from the left." Chu Ga Eul answered with ease from the other end of the line. Her frequent usage of the kitchenette in the pottery studio has provided her a clear image of the space by this point, and since she's the one utilizing the use of the kitchenette space over the past few months - she's likely more familiar with the storage compartments in the space than her own boyfriend these days.
Following the instructions given by Chu Ga Eul, the Korean Casanova successfully located the items which he needs for the preparation of his breakfast meal this morning with ease. "Thanks, Ga Eul, you're a life-saver. I'll end this call for now since I would require the use of both hands for the next part of my morning routine. We'll continue the conversation later when I'm more awake and no longer dealing with the aftereffect of a hangover." Yi Jeong said as he addressed his girlfriend through the phone, once he had managed to locate everything he would need for breakfast according to the instructions given to him by his beloved country bumpkin via the phone call between them.
"Of course. Take care and I'll see you later." Chu Ga Eul responded cheerfully over the phone, before ending the connection on her end.
Setting aside his mobile phone device on the kitchenette countertop knowing that he would be coming back out to prepare his own breakfast meal in a few minutes, the potter of F4 made his way into the bathroom of his pottery studio to complete his morning routine for the day. It took him about 30 minutes to finish up with his morning routine in the bathroom as well as picking out an outfit for the day in his bedroom. Once he was dressed up appropriately for school, the Korean Casanova finally headed back out to the kitchenette area to fix up a morning cup of coffee for himself with the use of the coffee-maker. Tucking his mobile phone into the pocket of his suit lest he forgot about its existence later, Yi Jeong continues with the preparation of his breakfast meal.
Seated at the table closest to the kitchenette area in the pottery studio, the potter of F4 started to dig into the simple breakfast meal he had managed to whip up by himself. Since he had no culinary skills to speak, his breakfast usually comprises of simple things like bread and peanut butter or croissants heated up in the oven unit completes with a cup of morning coffee. On days whereby his girlfriend offered to make him breakfast and meet up with him in the private lounge of F4 in school, he would get to enjoy a good bowl of breakfast porridge or a simple one-dish meal such as the Kimchi fried rice. But those occasions were rare, and usually occurs only if he didn't have to attend morning lectures in college.
A private message between So Yi Jeong and Chu Ga Eul, Tuesday, 1st December 2009, 7.15am
Yi Jeong: Good morning, Ga Eul. Thanks for your morning call and your recommended natural remedy for treating the hangover after a night of overindulgence in alcohol.
Ga Eul: Good morning, and you're welcome. I'm just glad that the natural remedy (eating a proper breakfast meal) for the hangover works for you. ^_^
PS: How are you feeling now?
Yi Jeong: Much better… although, I'm still nursing a mild headache it's nothing compared to the pounding headache when I was first roused from bed. So, I'll live…
PS: About dinner tonight… have you decided on a menu yet?
Ga Eul: Not yet… why? Do you have something you wish for me to prep up for you, this evening?
Yi Jeong: Not exactly, I was thinking about getting in some practice at the tennis court before the game with your brother this weekend. So, I was wondering if you are open to the idea of helping me out this evening… and while at it, we can grab dinner at the bistro.
Ga Eul: I see. Well, I'm okay with helping you out with your tennis practice this evening although I have to say I'm surprised. I had thought you would go to Woo Bin-sunbae for assistance in this aspect, to be honest. ^^;
Yi Jeong: Nah… not today, he drank a lot more than I did last night. Chances are he's home nursing a nastier hangover as compared to me, so not today… maybe tomorrow, I'll ask him to play a game with me to test my level. So, shall I pick you up at the arts center at 5pm today after your calligraphy class?
Ga Eul: Of course. See you this evening. ^_^
Yi Jeong: See you later.
After ending the text conversation with her boyfriend, Chu Ga Eul tucked her mobile device away in the pocket of her uniform's skirt and headed for the direction of the F4 private lounge. She was in a mood for having sushi during lunch today, and so, instead of prepping up her own lunch for the day she had opted to pick up a sushi platter takeout from the Miyazawa Mart while on her way to school earlier. As the sushi takeout needs to be kept chilled to maintain its freshness, Ga Eul would require the use of a fridge. And since she hardly think she could get any vendors running a stall in the students' cafeteria to lend her their fridge for the storage of her lunch, Ga Eul thought to utilize the use of the cube fridge in the F4 private lounge on campus ground. It was with that notion in mind that she had set off for the direction of the F4 private lounge.
Meanwhile, over at the F4 private lounge in Shinhwa Academy, a certain Don Juan of F4 was just waking up from his slumber on the couch which had been converted into a sofa bed, the night before. Having had a little too much to drink, and was in no condition to drive home on his own, and not wanting to inconvenience his family chauffeur whose main duty is to serve his mother and his two sisters… Song Woo Bin had ended up hitching a ride from his Casanova friend. His friend, unlike him, had utilized the use of the family chauffeur to pick them up from the nightclub the night before in the Hongik district.
The moment Woo Bin snap his eyes open to take in his surroundings, he couldn't help but groaned aloud in response as he wonders what had woken him up from his deep slumber.
"...Good morning, Woo Bin-sunbae. I apologize if I woke you, and no worries, I'm not here to meet Yi Jeong-sunbae. Classes will begin for me in 15 minutes, I'm just here to borrow the use of the cube fridge as my lunch today needs to be served chilled to maintain its freshness. Feel free to go back to bed if you are not ready to kick-start your day yet." Chu Ga Eul commented as she addressed the Don Juan of F4 without looking in the guy's direction.
Honestly, Ga Eul had been rather surprised to find the lounge occupied when she first arrived about a minute ago. But knowing that the two playboys of F4 had been out drinking last night, she figured that the Don Juan of F4 might have utilized the use of the private lounge in Shinhwa Academy as a make-shift hotel room, once more. Seeing as that guy had admitted that he had done so on multiple occasions in the past. And so, Ga Eul was careful to muffle the sound of her footsteps as she ventured into the private lounge and made her way to the kitchenette area of the lounge for the use of the cube fridge.
Although Ga Eul had taken extra care to be silent - it seems all the shifting around she had been doing to the fridge chiller compartment had still brought on some noise that serves to disrupt the sleep of the mafia heir.
Song Woo Bin isn't the type that would sleep like the dead, being the son of an infamous mafia lord - he was in constant danger since his childhood days. And so, he had never let his guards down around random people while in public. Therefore, it wasn't so much of a surprise that he had woken up at the first hint of sound indicating to him that he was no longer alone. It didn't take him long upon waking to figure out that he was in the F4 private lounge on the grounds of Shinhwa Academy.
Well… at least, that meant that whoever had entered the lounge wasn't anyone that meant him any harm since it could only be an existing student of the Shinhwa Academy… the Don Juan of F4 thought distractedly. It wasn't until he heard the sound of someone greeting him and apologizing for waking him that Woo Bin was finally able to figure out the identity of the trespasser that had entered the F4 private lounge this morning.
"Oh… good morning, Ga Eul-yang. Don't worry about waking me up, I shouldn't be making it a habit to sleep in here, in the first place. Anyway, care to let me know what's the time now?" Song Woo Bin stifled a yawn as he asks the girlfriend of his Casanova friend back in return, having no idea where he had left his mobile phone last night.
"It's 7.45am now, and I think you left your phone atop the TV console." Chu Ga Eul responded as she flicks her eyes towards the direction where the TV unit was placed in the lounge.
"Right… thanks, I was just wondering where I had left my phone last night. Anyway, you'd best get to class. I'm not Yi Jeong, so you're not under any obligations to take care of me. Hurry along now, you don't want to be late for your class. I assured you, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself even if I'm nursing a nasty hangover at present." Song Woo Bin told the hesitant figure of Chu Ga Eul, reassuringly.
"Okay… I'll just get going then. Once again, I apologized for waking you up." Chu Ga Eul responded bowing once more to the Don Juan of F4 politely before leaving the F4 private lounge for the direction of the classrooms block in the high school division building. Of course, she didn't forget to swing by the lockers area to collect her textbooks which she had left behind in the locker the day before when classes ended for the day before heading towards her classroom in preparation for her first class this morning.
And during this time, Geum Jan Di was still on her way to school in the side passenger seat of the white lotus belonging to the auburn-haired member of F4. The white lotus pulls up in front of the high school academic building in Shinhwa Academy, about 10 minutes before the bell signaling for the start of the class sounded. And just before Geum Jan Di could alight from his vehicle, the auburn-haired heir of the Su Am Group handed a little slip of paper over to the girl.
"...what's this?" Geum Jan Di took the slip of paper from her former prince charming with a look of confusion.
"It's a list of the study guides and reference books that you might want to consider getting. Some of it might be a tad too difficult for you to comprehend at present, so you might want to skip those titles for now. But those that I had indicated with an asterisk mark, it might be good for you to get them as soon as possible. They are very helpful for studying in preparation for the finals, I've heard." Yoon Ji Hoo commented as he clues the puzzled-looking girl about the reason why he had gifted the girl with a slip of paper with a dozen books titles written on it.
"Oh… thank you." Upon hearing the explanation from the auburn-haired member of F4, Geum Jan Di, who has made up her mind to start working towards her new goal of becoming a doctor promptly beams at her former prince charming as she tucked the slip of paper into the pocket of her uniform for later perusal.
"You're welcome." Yoon Ji Hoo commented in response before he steers his white lotus away from the high school academic building towards the direction of the tertiary department.
The auburn-haired member didn't offer to walk Geum Jan Di to class, knowing full well of the ruckus it would ensue if he did so. Besides, it's not as though Geum Jan Di was in any danger of being late for class this morning, and thus he didn't see the need for him to walk the girl to class. Besides, even if he did offer to walk Geum Jan Di to class, chances are the girl would turn down his offer without a bat of her eyelids. And so, all Yoon Ji Hoo did was to stay put and watched as Geum Jan Di entered the building before making his way towards the direction of the tertiary department on campus for his own classes this morning.
Heading into the high school academic building after being dropped off by the auburn-haired member of F4, Geum Jan Di took out the slip of paper with the list of books and study guides for a quick look. Upon the sight of the long list of titles listed on the slip of paper, Geum Jan Di nearly went boggled eye as she inwardly wonders how much it would cost her to get everything listed on the slip of paper from the bookstores. Eventually, Jan Di decided to ask Ga Eul over lunch to see if her childhood friend owns any of the listed titles on the slip of paper before she even patronized the bookstores to find the listed books.
After all, it's pretty much common knowledge for her childhood friend that she's living on a budget. So, whatever she could borrow, she wouldn't consider buying. With that thought in mind, Geum Jan Di proceeds to send a text message to her childhood friend seeking confirmation on the subject of meeting up for lunch today. Even though 90% of the time, Ga Eul tends to seek her out for lunch companionship, there's still a 10% chance that her friend would opt to take lunch with the E3 and the girls from the elite class. Henceforth, Geum Jan Di thought to seek confirmation from her friend about the lunch arrangement for today since it's important for her to get the books listed on the slip of paper, at the earliest possible timings so to get a head-start on her revision work. Especially since Jan Di knows that her grades weren't all that stellar, to begin with, and thus need to put in twice the amount of hard work into making sure to attain a decent grade when the end-of-year exams come around.
Location: F4 private lounge, Shinhwa Academy, High School Division. 1st December 2009, Tuesday, 11am
When Chu Ga Eul entered the F4 private lounge with her childhood friend Geum Jan Di in tow during lunch hour, they were slightly caught off-guard by the presence of the Don Juan of F4 in the room. Now, while Ga Eul was well aware that the Don Juan of F4 had slept in here last night given their brief encounter this morning when she came by to drop off her lunch in the cube fridge to keep it chilled. She had assumed that the guy would have left school by this point, especially since she knows for a fact that the Don Juan of F4 has taken another day of absence from his college classes today citing jet-lag, based on the words of her Casanova beau. And so, she was relatively surprised to find the Don Juan of F4 still in the private lounge on school grounds when the lunch hour for the high school division started.
Song Woo Bin was amid a conversation with his classmate from his business management course when the girls entered the F4 private lounge. Naturally, their conversation came to a halt when the door to the private lounge of F4 swung open without a warning in advance. For a while, neither spoke. The two girls standing in the doorway flicked their eyes between the figure of Song Woo Bin and the other unknown guy with a look of surprise coloring their features.
Okay fine - Geum Jan Di was the only one surprised by the presence of the Don Juan of F4 in the lounge. Chu Ga Eul, on the other hand, simply raised an eyebrow up at the sight that met her eyes. Slowly, her eyes shifted towards the pile of papers sitting on the coffee table of the lounge before landing back onto the two figures occupying the lounge. She was about to open her mouth to speak when her childhood friend beats her to the task.
"Woo Bin-sunbae, sorry for intruding. We weren't aware that you were using the room, we would just go elsewhere for lunch. Come on, Ga Eul… let's go!" Geum Jan Di began as she promptly apologized to the Don Juan of F4 for intruding, and then promptly tried to drag her childhood friend off elsewhere for their lunch.
"..." Song Woo Bin blinked at the words uttered by Geum Jan Di in confusion. True, his conversation with his classmate has been put on hold when the girls entered the lounge but it wasn't so much of an intrusion on his privacy seeing as he wasn't doing anything inappropriate behind closed doors. So, the Don Juan of F4 was naturally bewildered when Geum Jan Di attempted to flee from the site upon meeting eyes with him.
"Jan Di, wait a minute. We can change the dining venue but I would still need to collect my lunch from the fridge first." Chu Ga Eul spoke up, her voice halting her childhood friend's attempt to drag her off elsewhere before she could even get her hands on her lunch.
"Geum Jan Di, why do you seem so startled by my presence in the lounge? And while on the subject, why are you trying to flee upon meeting eyes with me? I'm not Jun Pyo, you know… so, surely it can't be that you find the sight of me unbearable." Song Woo Bin commented a tad too dryly at the Wonder Woman of Korea while giving the girlfriend of his Casanova friend a nod of acknowledgment.
Upon the mention of Gu Jun Pyo's name, Geum Jan Di froze in her position. Inwardly, she thought equally bizarrely to herself. Why was it that her first thought was to flee upon meeting eyes with the Don Juan of F4? Sure, she wasn't expecting to see the guy in the F4 private lounge which is situated within the high school division building given that the members of F4 had already graduated months ago. So, what was the reason behind her eagerness to escape from the lounge upon noticing the presence of the mafia heir of F4?
"How is your hangover, Woo Bin-sunbae?" Chu Ga Eul inquires and in the process, draws the guy's attention away from her childhood friend onto her person.
"Much better. Thank you for your concern. And don't worry, I didn't steal anything from your lunch… even though, I was in here for the majority of the morning." Song Woo Bin responded cheekily at the figure of Chu Ga Eul, causing the girl to shake her head in bemusement when her back is facing the Don Juan of F4.
"I know, and the cafeteria is just downstairs. Henceforth, there isn't a need for you to steal my lunch… Woo Bin-sunbae. After all, there are no fixed rules in place that states that students who had graduated aren't allowed to patronize the students' cafeteria situated in the high school academic building." Chu Ga Eul deadpans when she finally retrieved her lunch - the sushi takeout platter from the Miyazawa Mart, she had purchased earlier on this morning while on her way to school.
Song Woo Bin was about to say something else in response when the sound of a clearing throat coming from his classmate halted him mid-act. And that also serves as a reminder to Ga Eul that she had the best head out to find another place for lunch since the F4 private lounge doesn't seem to be available as an ideal lunch spot for Jan Di and her, today.
"Do you still want the lecture notes from our Economics class or not?" The unknown guy, likely from the tertiary department sounded miffed when he spoke up, interrupting the ongoing conversation between Ga Eul and the Don Juan of F4.
"Of course, I still want the notes. How am I going to catch up on the classes I'd missed without the notes?!" Song Woo Bin protested as he hurried to direct his attention back to his fellow course-mates.
"Then please pay attention to what I'm saying instead of spending the time on your habit of chatting up the girls. Unlike you who has taken yet another day of leave citing jet lag, I still have classes to attend afterward." The unknown guy harrumphed with a look of mild annoyance clouding his features.
"Right… I apologized for getting distracted, please do continue with what you were saying." Song Woo Bin hurried to placate his impatient classmate from his business management course in college.
Not wanting to disrupt the ongoing discussion between Song Woo Bin and his college classmate, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in grabbing the bag of the sushi takeout platter from the inside of the cube fridge and promptly made the move to leave the lounge with her childhood friend in tow. Too lazy to find an alternative lunch spot, Chu Ga Eul brought her childhood friend to one of the available tables in the students' cafeteria downstairs.
"What was Woo Bin-sunbae doing here?" Geum Jan Di finally thought to ask after they were out of earshot of the Don Juan of F4, and seated at one of the available tables in the students' cafeteria.
"...Catching up with the classes he had missed during his leave of absence from college, I reckon." Chu Ga Eul shrugged, 80% of the conversation between the mafia heir and that unknown guy was lost to her since she wasn't exactly focusing on eavesdropping on them. But based on the few snippets she had overheard, Ga Eul gathered enough to know that the Don Juan of F4 is looking to get a copy of the Economics module lecture notes from that unknown guy so he could do some self-study to catch up with the rest of the class.
Geum Jan Di, upon hearing the response from her childhood friend had a peculiar look clouding her features. All this time, she had been under the misunderstanding that the F4 needn't study… because throughout the entire period she had known the F4, she hasn't exactly seen them doing actual studying and revision work. Yes, she had seen them attending classes in their private classroom but outside of those hours, Geum Jan Di didn't really see them working on any school assignments.
After all, Gu Jun Pyo is always thinking about taking her out of the country for a quick getaway trip…while the two playboys of F4 tend to spend their free time clubbing away in various nightclubs or flirting with the girls. Whereas Yoon Ji Hoo… he's either off somewhere playing a musical instrument or he would be napping somewhere if he weren't spending his time with her chatting on random topics. So, yes… Geum Jan Di was a tad surprised to see the Don Juan of F4 discussing school-related subjects with his current classmate in college.
Thankfully, Ga Eul had no idea what her childhood friend is thinking about. Else, she might burst out laughing at the naivety of her friend. While she can't say for certain whether or not Gu Jun Pyo actually revised his schoolwork outside of classroom time, Ga Eul knows enough to vouch for her Casanova beau. That guy might seem to have a lot of time at hand to go clubbing, but in actuality, her boyfriend makes it a habit to stay behind in class to finish up with the class assignments on most days before leaving school to enjoy his 'happy hours' with the Don Juan of F4, and that was before the F4 graduated from high school. And that was one of the reasons why the F4 seldom leaves the school compound before 5pm daily.
These days, the Korean Casanova tends to work on his school assignments about 1-2 hours before bedtime in the pottery studio. Ga Eul knows this because she had witnessed the half-completed assignments every now and then when she happens to leave the pottery studio at a later than expected timing or when the guy decides to video-call her out of the blue, an hour before her bedtime on days whereby they didn't get to meet up for dinner in person. Anyway, since the Korean Casanova did actually squeeze out the time to study for school… Ga Eul assumed that the other members of F4 are quite similar in the aspects. Only, they do it behind closed doors and away from prying eyes.
"So, Jan Di… what is it that you wish to ask me about?" Settling down at an empty table in the students' cafeteria, situated on the ground floor of the building that housed the F4 private lounge and classroom - Chu Ga Eul said as she broke her childhood friend's train of thoughts.
Blinking once then twice, Geum Jan Di managed to shake herself out from her stupor-like disposition and started fishing through the pockets of her school uniform to locate the slip of paper she had received from her former prince charming earlier this morning. Handing over the slip of paper to her curious childhood friend, Geum Jan Di began to speak.
"Ji Hoo-sunbae gave me a list of reference books and study guides this morning, citing that I could consider getting them as they might be helpful to help me attain my goal of entering the medical school after graduation from high school. As you know, my budget is rather limited… so, I was wondering if you had any of the listed titles on the slip of paper that you could perhaps lend to me so, I could make a copy instead of purchasing them from the bookstore."
Reaching for the slip of paper, Chu Ga Eul spend a moment going through the list of titles listed on the slip of paper before taking out her mobile phone to snap a picture of it. Handing the paper back to her friend, Ga Eul responded. "Unfortunately, I can't remember if I own any of the listed titles just by looking at the list. I would need to go back home and check my bookshelf for them, I will update you later this afternoon."
"Sure, just let me know once you know for certain which are the books that you have in your possession. I will cross them off the list so, I needn't scour the bookstore for those titles at a later time." Geum Jan Di nodded in response, not expecting her friend to give her a confirmation of the books at present.
"Of course. I will update you once I had checked my bookshelf for the presence of the book."Ga Eul nodded in response, and with that said, the two girls started digging into their respective lunches.
When classes came to an end at 2pm, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in leaving the school. She had to rush home to check her bookshelf for the books on the list her childhood friend had shown her for one, and secondly, she had a calligraphy class at the Su Am Arts Center to prepare for. As her cousin - Shuichi had after-school club activities to attend, Shunsuke had been warned off from chauffeuring her around by her Casanova beau. There's only one option left - to hitch a ride from her overprotective half-sibling, Miyazawa Kazuki as her Casanova beau had classes to attend until 4pm this afternoon.
Line Messenger - Private chat with Miyazawa Kazuki, 1st Dec 2009, 2.05pm.
Ga Eul: Kazuki, I need a ride back home. Are you free to drive me home today? And while on the subject, where did you park your car?
Kazuki: O_O Shit… was it my turn to ferry you today? I'm not in school now… it would take me 15 minutes to return to the school grounds. Are you in a rush for time?
Ga Eul: … I thought Shuichi has informed you ahead of time that he wouldn't have time to ferry me around this week, as he's busy preparing for the upcoming figure-skating competition organized and sponsored by the LOTTE Group.
PS: I wouldn't say I'm in a rush for time since I'm not expected to prep dinner tonight for the family. But I do have a calligraphy class at 4pm to attend at the arts center. Before that, I had something which I need to do at home.
Kazuki: Damn… I forgot. Anyway, I'm waiting in line to pay for my purchases, once payment is made - I would head back to the school to pick you up. Meet me in front of the high school academic building? I'll be there in about 15 minutes.
Ga Eul: Noted. Please honk your car upon arrival as I'll be killing some time with a book in hand.
Kazuki: Definitely. See you in a bit.
While Chu Ga Eul settled down to wait for her half-sibling's return to the high school academic building in the Shinhwa Academy from wherever he was, over at the Pyeongchang-dong where the Gu family mansion is situated. The heiress of the Shinhwa Group - Gu Jun Hee, was finally ready to swing by the Shinhwa hospital to pay her recovering father a visit.
Although, Jun Hee's original intention was to visit her father at the hospital the day before… her plans kind of went awry when she ended up dozing off from the aftereffects of the jet lag shortly after she was done with the ingestion of her little light snack. And because she was in a delicate condition, her family butler decided against the notion of waking her after realizing that she had fallen asleep while waiting for the transport to be readied the day before. And so, she was left to nap in peace, and by the time she woke up feeling refreshed, it was already way over the hospital's regular visiting hours. Though, Jun Hee is fully aware that as the heiress of the Shinhwa Group, she needs not exactly abide by the regular visiting hours in place at the hospital… but since she didn't wish to draw additional attention onto her person while she's in Seoul, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group decided against the notion of visiting her father, the night before and instead postponed it to this afternoon.
"Young Mistress, the transport has been readied for you." Butler Lee stepped into the living room of the Gu family mansion as he announced to the figure of Gu Jun Hee, who was occupying her attention with a copy of the English newspaper delivered to the mailbox of her family home early this morning.
"Thank you, butler Lee." Gu Jun Hee responded as she sets aside the newspaper, picked up her LV clutch bag, and left the family living room for the front porch of her childhood family home.
Settling in the back passenger seat of the black sedan, Gu Jun Hee instructed the chauffeur on duty to bring her to the Shinhwa Hospital. Now, although Jun Hee's main reason for being back in Seoul was to clear up the mess created by her younger brother and to salvage the relationship between Geum Jan Di and her brother- she has yet to proceed with the plan to seek out the girl. Part of the reason why she hasn't proceeded to seek out Geum Jan Di had to do with the discovery of the information regarding the Geum family shifting out from their original neighborhood. And so, while getting someone reliable and trustworthy to look into the information concerning the new residential address of the Geum family, there isn't much that the heiress of the Shinhwa Group could do but wait in patience.
"Young Mistress, we have arrived." The voice of the chauffeur broke Gu Jun Hee out from her thoughts, and after a quick assessment of the surrounding. The heiress of the Shinhwa Group nodded as she instructed the driver to find somewhere to hang around while she visit her father in the hospital ward reserved for VIP patients.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes:
Chapter 45 is finally completed, and once again, it's a chapter full of my original scenes. I had meant to slot in that scene from the drama between Jan Di and Jun Hee into this chapter, but I ended up not finding the chance to do so. Henceforth, it would be shifted to the next chapter…
Anyway, in this chapter, we have a scene between Yi Jeong and Woo Bin at the nightclub followed by a scene in Macau featuring Jae-Kyung and Jun Pyo's first official meeting. That was followed up with a text correspondence between Jae-Kyung and Woo Bin before the scene shifted back to Yi Jeong and Woo Bin at the nightclub still.
Next up, I finally managed to fit in a scene for the SoEul. Although, it wasn't an in-person interaction scene… I hope all of you find it equally satisfactory. I had also incorporated a scene between Ji Hoo and Jan Di, as well as some Ga Eul interaction scenes with the Don Juan of F4. Towards the end of the chapter, I had my OC - Miyazawa Kazuki appearing in a cameo via a chat with Ga Eul. Finally, I ended the chapter with a brief scene comprising of Jun Hee.
That's all for now, and I hope all of you had enjoy this chapter regardless. I promised, the next chapter would cover the scene between Jan Di and Jun Hee from the original drama. See you next update! Ciao~