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 46 - A Tangled Web, Part 3
Location: Porridge Shop, 1st December 2009, Tuesday 3.45pm
Geum Jan Di was busy wiping the tables in the porridge shop where she was working part-time when she felt a buzz in the pocket of her uniform skirt. While she didn't make it a habit to wear her school uniform while working in the porridge shop, Jan Di had no choice but to do so this afternoon as she didn't realize that she had forgotten to pack a set of casual wear attire into her school bag last night. So, upon arriving at the porridge shop for her shift, the Wonder Woman of Korea had to make do with simply donning the porridge shop's apron over her school uniform for work this afternoon since there is no way she's able to rush home for a change of the attire by then.
Of course, before donning on the apron which is the only piece of designated uniform for the porridge shop…Geum Jan Di had to make sure to remove the uniform coat of Shinhwa High from her person. The reason was - she didn't have an extra uniform coat lying around at home which she could change into for the next day of school if she were to accidentally get it soiled at work. Although Jan Di had two sets of the uniform coats in her possession, the other set is currently sitting in the laundry basket waiting to be sent to the laundromat for washing/cleaning.
Due to the lack of a washing machine unit in their current place of residence, they had to bring their laundry to the nearby laundromat for the cleaning since it's simply too expensive to invest in a brand new washing machine according to the budget work out by her parents. And because of the pricing charged for each use of the laundry and dryer machine, their family had taken to visit the laundromat only once per week. As such, Geum Jan Di had to take additional care in making sure not to dirty her school uniforms carelessly because unlike the F4, who are free to attend classes in their own clothes - the rest of the students are expected to attend class in the school uniforms, no exceptions allowed.
To avoid staining the uniform blouse, Geum Jan Di had also made sure to roll up the sleeves of both her hands after she had donned on the shop's apron in the staff pantry, which also serves as the changing room for the female part-time staff. Originally, Jan Di and her childhood friend, Chu Ga Eul are the only two part-timers employed in the service of Bom Choon-Sik, the master of the porridge shop but recently, with Ga Eul cutting back her shift hours at the porridge shop and Jan Di's tendency to take time off from work for various reasons. E.g, visiting the hospital for the rehabilitation treatment of her torn muscles in her shoulders; attending tutoring sessions with the auburn-haired member as her private tutor, etc… the master had decided to get in another helper or two for the shop which has seen an increase in the customers' crowd. And right now, Bom Choon-Sik is occupying the pantry room for an interview with another girl who had walked in minutes ago to inquire about whether the porridge shop is still hiring part-timers.
It is still a tad early for the dinner crowd to flock in, which makes it an ideal time for the interview session to be conducted. The hiring help advertisement is still up on the glass pane door of the porridge shop, which explains the reason why there are still people walking-in to inquire about the advertisement over the past few days. With the master preoccupied in the pantry room, Geum Jan Di has been entrusted with the duty of overseeing the porridge shop during the period whereby the interview is ongoing between the applicant and the master. Since there aren't any customers in the shop at present, Geum Jan Di had taken to busied herself with the task of wiping the tables in the shop. Recalling the vibration buzz coming from the pocket of her uniform skirt, Geum Jan Di reached a hand into the pocket to retrieve the vibrating gadget from within.
Upon the retrieval of her mobile device from the pocket of her uniform skirt, Geum Jan Di was met by the sight of an incoming text message from her childhood friend - Chu Ga Eul.
A private message between Chu Ga Eul and Geum Jan Di, 1st December 2009, 3.45pm
Ga Eul: Jan Di, regarding the list of books on the slip of paper you showed me during lunch earlier today. I've just run a quick check of my bookshelf, and these are the titles that I have on hand which you can borrow to zap a copy to save cost.
Titles that I own include the Maths Handbook and Study Guide for Grade 12, Chemistry Handbook & Study Guide for Grade 12, and the Geography Revision Guide for Grade 12. I don't have the biology study guide because I'm taking Physics/Chemistry science combination for my science modules.
Jan Di: Oh okay… that's fine, I'll just buy the biology study guide on my own in that case. Do you have the social study reference guide?
Ga Eul: I'm using the older edition of the social studies revision guide, not quite sure if it's relevant for you. ^^;
Jan Di: O_O Why are you using the older edition of the revision guide?
Ga Eul: I bought it 2 years ago, but they recently had a syllabus overhaul so it might not be completely relevant to our syllabus now. But it's fine for me since I'm just using the book as an additional reference, but mostly studying for the subject using the main textbook. ^^;
PS: The social studies guidebook is under the 'good to have on hand' list, which I reckon means that it would be fine even if you don't have it…? Maybe you would like to check with Ji Hoo-sunbae. Anyway, I'm due for my calligraphy class soon, so ciao~ will talk to you at a later time. Update me when you would like to have the books I owned for photocopying purposes, I will drop them off at your place then.
Jan Di: Right, thanks. I will update you on the matter soon.
Ending the text message, Jan Di took out the slip of paper with the titles listed and went through the list as she checks off the titles that her childhood friend owns before coming to the realization that aside from the Chemistry study guide, the rest of the titles owned by Ga Eul falls under the 'good to have on hand list' and not the 'must-have' list.
A good look at the 'must-have' list, Geum Jan Di couldn't help but sweat-dropped in response. It would seem like her former prince charming had figured out which is her weakest subject after requesting to have a look at all her graded assignments which she had obliged shortly after accepting the guy's suggestion to tutor her. Because at the top of the 'must-have' list is the title of an English study guide book, and English is definitely one of Jan Di's weakest subjects to date.
And the second subject which Jan Di isn't good at is the science modules. Yet, getting a decent grade for the science module is the so-called entry pass to the medical school and therefore, by hook or by crook - Geum Jan Di has to ensure that she can graduate from Shinhwa High with a decent grade in her science module. By decent, meaning her grades reflected on her graduating certificate must be at least 75% on average. And since Jan Di isn't sure which subject that makes up her overall science module is she truly bad at, Yoon Ji Hoo had listed both the biology and the chemistry study guide book under the 'must-have' column on the slip of paper he had given her.
The Wonder Woman of Korea was jolted out from her thoughts when the door to the porridge shop chimes as it swings open. Almost immediately, Geum Jan Di plastered a bright smile onto her lips as she flicked her eyes towards the direction of the doorway. The words 'welcome' was on the tips of her tongue when she realized that it wasn't a customer that just walked into the shop by the arrival of Jeong Mi-Sun, a new part-timer employed by the master during the period whereby she was away in Macau to help the master in the operations of the porridge shop on days whereby Ga Eul isn't available to handle a full shift work.
"Oh… good afternoon, Mi-Sun. The master is in the pantry room interviewing another walk-in applicant. So, if you are thinking of dropping off your things in the lockers - you're probably going to have to wait out here for a while." Geum Jan Di greeted her new colleague at work with a pleasant and polite disposition.
"That's fine, I can wait. There's still another few minutes before I have to clock in for work." Jeong Mi-Sun responded politely to Geum Jan Di's words of greeting.
Jeong Mi-Sun is an existing 2nd-year student from the renowned private girls' school, Gangnam Girls' High, who was one of the latest employees added to the existing working roster of the porridge shop. The girl was hired on by Bom Choon-Sik during the period whereby Geum Jan Di was off in Macau and had to spend an entire week training for the job under the guidance of Chu Ga Eul, the childhood friend of Geum Jan Di, and another part-timer working for Bom Choon-Sik.
Jeong Mi-Sun is one year younger than Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul, and the daughter of Jeong Sang-Rok who works as the current head secretary for Gu Jun Pyo. Of course, this little bit of details is unknown to the girls' and probably only the master of the porridge shop had any ideas about the family background of Jeong Mi-Sun. And that's only because the staff must fill-up the emergency contact section on the job application form.
Anyway, it wasn't a deliberate choice for Jeong Mi-Sun to apply for a part-time position in the same place where Geum Jan Di works. She was just looking into the options of getting a part-time job with flexible hours and reasonable pay to gain some working experience to enhance her resume before the time comes for her to step officially into the working society. It's just a coincidence that she noticed the 'hiring help' advertisement a few weeks ago while walking past the porridge shop with a group of her fellow classmates. In fact, Jeong Mi-Sun didn't even know that she was working in the same place as Geum Jan Di did until she landed her eyes on the girl, following Geum Jan Di's return from Macau.
Being the daughter of Jeong Sang-Rok, it's only natural for her to hear about Geum Jan Di before she even met the girl. Because it has been her father that dealt with the aftermath of the Lee Min-Ha incident at the Shinhwa Academy, which ultimately resulted in the transfer of Geum Jan Di into the Shinhwa Academy shortly after. Jeong Mi-Sun, however, had no idea about the relationship between Geum Jan Di and Gu Jun Pyo, her father's current employer because it's not in her father's habit to share such private information concerning his employer with his family members.
On the other hand, Geum Jan Di was quite curious about the reason why Jeong Mi-Sun decides to join the porridge shop as a part-timer given the fact that the girl is studying in the private girls' school - Gangnam Girls' High. It's common knowledge that the Gangnam Girls' High is privately owned and charged a higher amount of school fees than the public schools managed and operated by the government sector. The fees are about as high as the fees for Shinhwa High, and so, it doesn't really make sense for the girl to require a part-time job on the side while attending class at the Gangnam Girls' High. While there is also the possibility of the girl being a commoner allowed to attend the Gangnam Girls' High on a private scholarship… Jan Di didn't think it was her position to pry into the subject since she didn't know the girl too well, given how recently they had just gotten acquainted with each other.
"So, is there anything you need me to help you with?" Jeong Mi-Sun inquires after a moment of awkward silence between them.
"...erm, well… maybe you could get the glass cleaner and clean the glass window panes?" Geum Jan Di suggested somewhat hesitantly, she's not quite used to giving instructions to her new co-worker yet. She usually leaves it to the master to determine what the new part-timers ought to be doing.
"Sure." Jeong Mi-Sun shrugged as she headed towards the back of the porridge shop to get the cleaning supplies for the glass windows.
"Thank you, I will update you on the results of your interview in a few days." The sound of the master's voice draws the attention of the two girls working silently on their respective tasks to his person.
"Master, you're still hiring help?" Geum Jan Di couldn't help but inquires shortly after the applicant who had walked in for the interview about half an hour ago, left the shop.
"Yes, I'm looking to employ two more part-timers for the shop. I'm thinking to offer food delivery to more areas and neighborhoods to increase the business for the shop, for that reason, I would need to expand the manpower for the shop by getting in a part-timer to handle the food delivery to the customers and another staff to help out in the shop during the peak hours. After all, once I launched the food delivery service online, I'm expecting the customers to increase and the number of orders requesting for delivery to double. Therefore, just two waitresses can't handle the phone calls requesting for deliveries and serving the walk-in customers at the same time." Bom Choon-Sik told the nosy Geum Jan Di easily, not thinking twice about revealing to the girl in regards to his business expansion plan.
"I see…" Jan Di nodded in response, and while she's curious about whether or not the master would be able to cope with the additional workload in the kitchen alone… she didn't pry. It's not as though she's the one running the business, so if the master thinks he can cope with the additional orders as he expanded his business onto the online delivery platform - who was she to argue otherwise? Still, that is a plan that the master of the porridge shop had yet to launch officially. So, for now, the shop is still not quite busy since its main source of income came from the steady flow of walk-in customers.
While Geum Jan Di and Jeong Mi-Sun are busying themselves at work in the porridge shop, Chu Ga Eul had just arrived at the Su Am Arts Center in the black Lexus belonging to her half-sibling, the Miyazawa heir - Miyazawa Kazuki.
"Thanks, Kazuki, I'll see you tomorrow at school." Ga Eul said, thanking the Miyazawa heir as she stepped out of the car with her pink and white tennis bag in hand.
While Ga Eul usually attends her calligraphy class with her tote bag, today she had opted for the use of her tennis bag because she had a date scheduled with her Casanova beau at the tennis court of the Shinhwa Country club later this evening before their dinner meal.
"I take that this means I'm not needed to fetch you at the end of your calligraphy class?" Miyazawa Kazuki commented as he directed the inquiry towards his half-sister.
"Yep, Yi Jeong-sunbae would be coming by to fetch me after my calligraphy class. We are going to play one round of game before getting dinner together." Chu Ga Eul beams in response, and then hurried off into the building of the arts center for her calligraphy lesson.
Meanwhile, the Korean Casanova had just arrived back at the pottery studio where he was using as his humble abode from school. The first thing Yi Jeong did upon reaching the pottery studio was to locate his tennis gears from the storage compartment space in his mini walk-in closet. His mini walk-in closet is only half the size of the walk-in closet of his friends, namely Jun Pyo and Woo Bin. He had an entire drawer compartment dedicated to the storage of his ties, a storage space dedicated to his shoes and socks. Two rows of wardrobe space with hangers for his clothes for every season and occasion, and then finally, he had a storage closet space tucked to the far end corner of his walk-in closet dedicated for the storage of his sports equipment.
Previously the potter of F4 had dumped this equipment into the storage room outside of his bedroom space but then realized that it's a bit of a chore to locate this equipment when needed when they are tucked in between the raw materials for the pottery arts. So, during the last spring break, he had finally gotten around to reorganizing his storage room as well as his mini walk-in closet space.
A quick look at the timing reflected on his mobile device informs the Korean Casanova that he still had a bit of time to spare before he would need to leave for the arts center to pick up his girlfriend. Not wanting to get started on any unfinished pottery projects he had at hand lest he ends up losing track of the time, the Korean Casanova decided to sit down with his laptop and get a head-start on his new thesis about the current outlook of the fine arts industry. Of course, before he start working on the thesis, he had also made sure to set an alarm for 5.10pm to ensure he would have enough time to make it to the arts center and pick up his girlfriend before the calligraphy class came to an end at 5.30pm.
Location: Su Am Arts Center, 1st December 2009, Tuesday, 5.35pm
Chu Ga Eul had just finished cleaning up the table which she had been using for her calligraphy class when her attention was drawn towards a commotion that was taking place in the doorway of the calligraphy classroom at the arts center owned by the Su Am Group.
Widening her eyes slightly at the figure of the Korean Casanova that met her sight, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but blurt out in surprise. "Yi Jeong-sunbae…"
"Good evening, Ga Eul. Are you ready to go?" So Yi Jeong began as he flashed his charming dimpled smile at his beloved country bumpkin who was staring at him in surprise.
"...yes, of course. Give me a minute, I just need to grab my things." Chu Ga Eul responded as she hurried to refocus her attention on packing her belongings. All the while wondering why the Korean Casanova had opted to pick her up from the classroom instead of waiting outside the arts center. Inwardly, Ga Eul wonders if the Woo Sung Museum had an impending exhibition coming up at the arts center, again.
"So, care to explain what brings you over to the calligraphy classroom?" Ga Eul started shortly after they came to a stop next to the orange lotus belonging to the Korean Casanova, parked outside the building.
"Well… I was picking up something from the admin office of the arts center, and figured that since I'm already inside the building - I might as well pick you up from the classroom." The Korean Casanova responded nonchalantly as he unlocked the car boot of his orange lotus for his girlfriend to stash her tennis bag into it.
"I see." Chu Ga Eul nodded in acceptance of the response provided by her Casanova beau and was about to ask if the guy had booked the tennis court for their use with the Shinhwa Country Club when a chime notifying her of an incoming text message sounded from the pocket of her pink coat.
Digging her hand into the pocket where she had stored her mobile device, Chu Ga Eul pulls it out to find an incoming text from her childhood friend - Geum Jan Di. Thanking her Casanova beau for his gentlemanly mannerism for holding the car door to the side passenger seat open for her, Chu Ga Eul flashes a beaming smile to the Korean Casanova as she boarded the vehicle. Once fully settled in the side passenger seat of the orange lotus, Chu Ga Eul buckled up her seatbelt before refocusing her attention on the text message she had just received from her childhood friend.
The text exchange between Ga Eul and Jan Di, though short on the overall length, took about 20 minutes to complete. Mostly because Geum Jan Di was splitting her focus between responding to the message and attending to the customers patronizing the porridge shop. As such, responses on Geum Jan Di's end aren't as prompt and timely as compared to Chu Ga Eul who's simply riding in the side passenger seat of her boyfriend's personal vehicle.
A private message between Geum Jan Di and Chu Ga Eul, 1st December 2009, 5.40pm
Jan Di: Hey, Ga Eul… do you know if there's any second-hand bookstore in the Mapo district near where we work? I was thinking of getting time off to visit the bookstore to go in search of the study guides that I'm advised to procure. ^^;
Ga Eul: … I don't think so. And even if there is, I doubt you would be able to find study guides in a second-hand bookstore. At least, not in the brick-and-mortar stores. Based on my understanding, most brick-and-mortar second-hand bookshops only sell fiction books. You're better off finding used copies of the textbooks and study guides online, e.g - Amazon.
Jan Di: I see… in that case, which would be the bookstore you would recommend for me to visit later?
Ga Eul: Try the bookshop near the Sinchon train station, it's 1-2 stations away from the Mapo train station and about 20-25 minutes walk from the porridge shop. The bookshop is located at [insert shop's address] and its signboard is labeled - Hongik Books.
PS: They have one of the largest collections of study texts and reference guides, and are one of the bookshops in Seoul that's popular with college students. The other bookshops are the Kyobo bookstores.
Jan Di: Right, thanks. I'll check it out later on. Oh, and can you lend me the Chemistry study guide tomorrow morning? I'll meet you at the lockers area to collect it from you tomorrow before classes begin.
Ga Eul: Sure.
Chu Ga Eul tucked away her mobile device just in time to notice that the orange lotus has just turned into the open-air parking facility of the Shinhwa country club. There are two indoor tennis courts, and four outdoor tennis courts in the Shinhwa Country Club. The indoor courts are very well sought-after and therefore to ensure the availability of the indoor court facility, advanced booking needs to be made. Today though, instead of the indoor court, they would be using the outdoor tennis court facility.
"Oh, we are using the outdoor court today?" Chu Ga Eul blinked in surprise when she noticed that her Casanova beau was heading towards the direction of the changing room that serves the outdoor courts facility.
"Yes, as the idea of playing a game only came to mind yesterday night. I was told that the indoor courts have been fully booked until next week when I attempted to make a booking for the facility. And so, only the outdoor court facility is still available if I wanted to book a slot for today. You don't mind playing in the outdoor court, do you?" Yi Jeong turns towards his girlfriend's direction and asks as they came to a stop in front of the building that housed the public changing rooms and washrooms catered to the usage of the patrons utilizing the outdoor sports facilities.
"Seeing as it's not snowing yet, I don't mind using the outdoor court." Chu Ga Eul shrugged, inwardly thankful that she had the insight to pack the long sleeves sportswear with pants as opposed to the standard ladies' tennis attire for this evening's game.
"Great, in that case, let's go and get ourselves changed and I'll meet you out here in about ten minutes? And don't worry, since we have dinner plans shortly - I've only booked the use of the court for an hour and no more." The Korean Casanova flashes a quick smile at his beloved country bumpkin before turning to head into the changing room for the gents, and likewise, Chu Ga Eul mirrored his acts by entering the changing room meant for the ladies' use.
The tennis game between Yi Jeong and Ga Eul begins with a warm-up rally whereby they simply hit the ball back and forth between themselves over the net without too much force with their respective tennis racquet. After spending fifteen minutes doing so, both of them determined that they should have warmed up enough by this point and thus put a stop to the warm-up rallying routine. Since it's not an official game, they didn't bother with the proper procedure to decide the serving rights, and instead, the Korean Casanova allows his girlfriend to serve first by being the perfect gentleman.
Ga Eul, unlike her half-sibling, didn't have many fanciful moves under her belt and so, the service play she used is also the pretty standard serve. Therefore, before serving, she calls out to her Casanova beau and said. "I do have to warn you though, playing against me is nothing like playing against Kazuki. Unlike him, I do not have as many fanciful nor winning plays, so… please don't use the game with me as a gauge to how you would perform against Kazuki on this coming Sunday."
"I know, I had looked into your brother's prowess in tennis earlier. The sheer fact that he had achieved above-average results in the National tournaments when he was still on the Hyotei Academy's tennis team was enough to tell me that he isn't going to be an easy foe. Anyway, today's just a refresher course for me in terms of tennis - it has been years since I pick up a racquet for a tennis game. So, I simply need to get my body in tune with the game before I played your brother this weekend. Do let me know if any of my moves isn't legit in a tennis game, so I would know not to do it again this coming Sunday." The Korean Casanova responded as he directed his words across the court to his girlfriend, who's starting to get into the position to serve.
"Of course. Alright, get ready because I'm ready to serve" Chu Ga Eul nodded and then promptly refocused her attention to the ball and the racquet she held in hand.
As per the normal game rules, the duo take turns with the serving right throughout the next forty-five minutes as they played a one-set match. The final game count is 6-4, with Ga Eul winning the game. Despite the difference in the strength of the hits, Ga Eul had higher stamina and tolerance level given her regular exercise routine as well as plenty of experience playing against the opposite gender on the court. While she might be no match when it comes down to playing against the E3, it's quite different when her opponent is the Korean Casanova of F4.
After all, as her Casanova beau had mentioned before - it has been quite some time since he had played a tennis game as such he does require a bit of a refresher course in the sports. Twice, Ga Eul had earned points when her boyfriend failed to get the ball over the net and onto her side of the court. Thrice, the Korean Casanova had ended up sending the ball into the 'out' zone of the court.
Ga Eul, on the other hand, utilizing her experience under the belt had managed to score several times with feints as she tricked her Casanova beau into believing that she was aiming for one side but ended up hitting the ball towards the other side of the court. And then, she promptly took a page out of her half-sibling's favorite tactic by sending her beau running from end to end on his side of the court during the game to deplete the guy's stamina before hitting her winning move. So, when the game came to an end, the Korean Casanova was visibly out of breath but Ga Eul still looked relatively fine, on the whole.
"... I can't believe I fell for your feints." The Korean Casanova lamented aloud as he stared at his girlfriend with a disbelieving look clouding his features after he gulped down several mouthfuls of the water from the bottle of mineral water he had gotten earlier from the vending machine placed near the building that housed the public changing room/washroom facility.
"Yes, well… I can be really convincing if I want to, and besides, this is your first time playing against me and so, you aren't quite aware of my playstyle yet. If it's Kazuki, I can guarantee you - he wouldn't have fallen for my feinting act anytime soon." Chu Ga Eul shrugged casually in response, as she retrieved her towel from the inside of her tennis bag to wipe away the beads of perspiration that forms across her forehead.
"...right, and do you have any advice for me on how I can perform better this weekend against the Miyazawa heir as an opponent?" The Korean Casanova inquires after a moment of silence, and while it's kind of a blow against his ego that he had lost against a girl, he's also logical enough to know that his girlfriend does have a point. There are quite a few factors contributing to his loss against his girlfriend this evening, first - he isn't familiar with his girlfriend's level of skills in terms of tennis sports and thus has been a tad too laid-back during the progress of the game. Secondly, he shouldn't have made assumptions that his girlfriend, as a lady, would have a lower endurance level on the court. Not when he was already fully aware of how frequently his girlfriend had played against opponents from the opposite gender. More importantly, his girlfriend might have lost every single time she played against the E3… but he had failed to take into consideration that 2/3 of the E3 members used to be on the school team before they left Tokyo for Seoul to pursue further education.
Whereas, he, on the other hand, hasn't touched a tennis racquet for years. Even if he did bring his racquet into the sports store to restring every so often, he hasn't actually played a proper game in ages. Topping it off, he wasn't a big fan of outdoor exercising or the gym, and therefore he hasn't been keeping up with his stamina training. That, ultimately, was the reason why he had ended up losing the game to his girlfriend earlier.
"Well… I can guarantee you that it's quite difficult to win against Kazuki, considering the amount of experience he had under his belt when it comes down to tennis matches. But what you can do to prevent losing too badly is to brush up on your stamina training and endurance level. Although, given the fact that there are only a few more days until the game, I'm not sure how much progress you would be able to make in terms of increasing your stamina level." Chu Ga Eul said, her voice breaking her boyfriend out of his thoughts and back to the present.
"Would participating in a marathon helps?" The Korean Casanova started as a contemplative look clouded his features momentarily.
"It might, although I'm not quite sure how effective it would be for increasing your stamina… it certainly would help to raise the level of your endurance level. The question though is whether or not you would be able to persevere through the marathon session." Chu Ga Eul responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"Hmm… I'll think about it, I guess. Alright, it's about time to leave the court. Why don't we get changed and meet outside the changing room before heading to the bistro for dinner?" So Yi Jeong suggested after darting a quick look at the time reflected on his mobile device.
"Sure." Ga Eul nodded, as she started packing up her belongings and preparing to leave the court at the end of her boyfriend's words.
Later on, as they sat down in the bistro and placed their dinner orders with the waitress… seizing the moment of opportunity whereby the waitress left their table to convey their orders to the kitchen, Yi Jeong started to fill his girlfriend in on the information he had gotten off from Woo Bin, the night before at the nightclub where they had met up for a drink.
Chu Ga Eul was immensely glad that she wasn't drinking when her Casanova beau decides to let it slip to her about the political union plan Kang Hee-Soo had in mind to arrange for her son and the heiress of the JK Group, else she might end up making a mess of the table, one way or another. "Hold up a sec, what was that again?" Turning incredulous eyes upon her Casanova beau, Chu Ga Eul decides to ask, again.
"I said, Jun Pyo might have broken up with Geum Jan Di under duress and that his witch of a mother had plans to match him up with the heiress of the JK Group." So Yi Jeong appears bemused by his girlfriend's incredulous reaction as he repeated his words from before.
"...how did you come across the above information? I was under the impression that Jun Pyo-sunbae hasn't been keeping in contact with you guys?" Finally recovering from the surprise, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in seeking further clarification on the above-mentioned subject.
"Indeed, Jun Pyo hasn't been keeping us in the loop about the happenings in his life lately, and if the above information came from other people - it might not have been as reliable. But since the above information came straight from the other party involved in the political union plan suggested by Jun Pyo's witch of a mother, I thought it's an accurate account." So Yi Jeong shrugged in response as he took a sip from the cup of Espresso that was just served to him by the waitress, about a minute ago.
"...the other party involved in the political union. Are you saying that the information came straight from the heiress of the JK Group? I thought she wasn't aware of Jun Pyo-sunbae being part of the F4? So, why did she let you guys in on the above-mentioned information?" Chu Ga Eul sounded slightly confused as she tried to piece the puzzles together to form a bigger picture of the situation.
"To be exact, she only told Woo Bin. In turn, Woo Bin told me about it last night. As for the reason why she ends up telling Woo Bin about it… let's just say that she's very upset about being subjected to a political union arrangement and thus she decides to find someone to rant at, in an attempt to let off some steam since ranting at her parents wouldn't change the situation at all. Either way, Woo Bin had struck her as a good listener since he's always so patient with her so she decides to rant about the meeting she had with Jun Pyo to Woo Bin. From there, Woo Bin finally managed to get the entire story and ends up giving her an account of Jun Pyo's relationship with Geum Jan Di as well." The Korean Casanova responded as he explains to his girlfriend how they managed to get hold of the information concerning the political union between Jun Pyo and the heiress of the JK Group when it's apparent that their friend isn't keeping them in the loop by cutting off the communications between them recently.
"Woo Bin-sunbae told the heiress of the JK Group about Jan Di's relationship with Jun Pyo-sunbae? Why?" Chu Ga Eul blinked as she furrowed her brows in confusion, not quite sure why the Don Juan of F4 thought it prudent to share such information with the heiress of the JK Group.
"Two reasons. One - Jun Pyo's being evasive on the subject, and his behavior hinted to the heiress of the JK Group that there's a bigger story at play. Two - Woo Bin thought it prudent to inform her about Jan Di's role and importance in Jun Pyo's life… so the heiress of the JK Group would be mentally prepared for the awkwardness to come in time when they came face-to-face with Geum Jan Di soon. After all, Jun Pyo couldn't remain in Macau forever and is bound to return to Seoul eventually. As his political union partner, unwilling or not, matters not - the heiress of the JK Group is definitely going to be tagging along Jun Pyo when he returns to Seoul. The witch would make sure of it…" Yi Jeong commented as he continues to explain the reasoning behind his best friend's decision to inform the heiress of the JK Group of the relationship between Jun Pyo and Jan Di, to his bewildered girlfriend as they waited for their dinner meal to be served up.
"... I see, and when do you suppose Jun Pyo-sunbae is going to return to Seoul?" Chu Ga Eul nodded slowly in acceptance of her boyfriend's words, before asking the next question that pops into her mind.
"Either this month-end or early next month, knowing the Shinhwa Group - they had the habit of hosting annual Xmas Gala event. Ultimately, it depends on whether or not Jun Pyo can show up at the Xmas Gala event this month's end. If not, the witch is definitely going to have Jun Pyo back in the country by the time his birthday rolls around. Since this is the first time he would be celebrating his birthday as the owner of the Shinhwa Group, the witch is likely to host a bigger birthday celebration event for him - this year." So Yi Jeong shrugged his response in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, to his girlfriend.
"...well, at least, there's still some time until then. I probably ought to forewarn Jan Di ahead of time, so she would have ample time to mentally prepare herself for the possibility of crossing paths with Jun Pyo-sunbae on campus grounds." Chu Ga Eul murmurs in response before she was shaken out from her thoughts by the approaching waitress with her dinner meal in hand.
With that said, the rest of the dinner meal passed by in silence as both Yi Jeong and Ga Eul appears to be deep in thoughts. Granted, over completely different things - the Korean Casanova was thinking about the impending tennis game scheduled on this Sunday with the Miyazawa heir, while Ga Eul was thinking about how to bring up the subject of Gu Jun Pyo with her childhood friend without sending her friend into tears.
As the dinner meal came to an end, the Korean Casanova glanced over to his girlfriend and inquires if the girl wanted to go elsewhere or that they should call it a day for tonight. Chu Ga Eul took a moment to mull over the question put forth by her Casanova beau before responding. "If you don't mind, I think we should just call it a day for now. I don't know about you, but I do have some homework assignments to complete… that are due for submission over the next few days."
"I see, in that case, let's get you home without delay." The Korean Casanova responded with ease, thinking that he might as well head straight back to his pottery studio after sending his girlfriend home. After all, he does have a thesis to finish writing which he had left half-done earlier as he didn't want to be late for his date with the girl.
Location: Sunny's family home in Myeong-Dong, Seoul. 1st December 2009, Tuesday, 7pm
While Chu Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong of F4 were off at the Shinhwa Country Club for their dinner after a game of tennis, Geum Jan Di is busy serving the customers at the porridge shop alongside Jeong Mi-Sun, a new part-time employee employed by the master of the shop. The former member of the annoying trio, Sunny Park Sun Ja, was enjoying a family dinner meal in her own family home with her parents and her cousin, Gye Sun Hee, who was once again visiting Seoul.
"So, how long were you thinking of staying in Seoul - this time?" Sunny inquires her cousin, out of curiosity. The last time her cousin visited, she was off on a skiing trip with Ginger and Miranda in Hokkaido, Japan, and thus, didn't get a lot of chance to mingle and spend time with her cousin. This time though, she vowed to fit in some time to bring her cousin around Seoul for sightseeing purposes.
"Hmm…? Well, my application to intern at the central kitchen of one of the more established F&B Group went through, and I'm here this time to attend the interview session scheduled to take place tomorrow. If everything progressed smoothly and according to plan, I'm looking to begin my internship from January onward. The internship program would last six months in total." Gye Sun Hee responded in between bites.
"...right, and just exactly how many days are you looking to stay in Seoul, this time around?" Sunny rolls her eyes briefly at the evasive response given by her cousin and promptly starts pressing for more details.
"... give or take about 3 days? The interview is scheduled for tomorrow, I'm not likely to hear back from them until next week - I reckoned. But since I'm already in Seoul, I'm looking to pick up a few things for my friends in Busan, and while at it, I'm going to do some research into the rental rate for an apartment unit in Seoul. I know I'm always welcome to stay here, but it's one thing if I'm just looking to stay for a few days. But supposedly I managed to get the internship position I had applied for, I would prefer to get a place of my own near the place where I'm supposed to intern." Gye Sun Hee responded, her tone slightly apprehensive and apologetic when she brought up the mention about her intention to look around for a place to rent if she were to land the internship opportunity in Seoul.
"I see, is there anything specific you are looking for in terms of the accommodation expectations? I could keep a lookout for you." Park Chung-Ho, Sunny's father then spoke up.
Unlike his wife, the man didn't really mind the idea of not hosting the girl in their own home while the girl's in town. Because he knows it isn't realistic to expect his daughter to give up her personal space for a prolonged period, and, indeed, they don't exactly have a guest room in their apartment that they could offer to a long-term guest. But perhaps, he could look into the idea of asking around to see if anyone staying in the same building as them is looking into the idea of letting out a room for some extra income.
"Yes, Sun Hee… are you simply looking for a room to rent, or are you looking to rent an entire apartment? Depending on what you want, the pricing for the rental might differ quite a bit. If you are simply looking to rent a room to stay, we could ask around our neighbors to see if anyone of them is looking to rent out their extra room for additional income. That way, you can come by and join us for meals regularly and saved on the food expenses. While on the subject, what's your budget for the accommodation? Your uncle had a rather wide network of friends who works in the property industry, so, he might be able to get you some good deals if he knows what you're looking for exactly." Sunny's mother, Gye Baram then told her niece, with an understanding look on her face.
As much as she wished for her niece to continue staying with them, Gye Baram also knows that it's not realistic. It's one thing for her daughter to accommodate the idea of sharing a room with her niece for a day or two, but it's quite another thing if her niece is looking to stay around for months. With only two bedrooms in their apartment, they can't really house her niece in their home for a prolonged period. Even if the girls do seem quite chummy and friendly with each other at present, one would never know for certain if any conflicts would arise between them if they were asked to share a room for the foreseeable future. So, Baram understood the reasoning behind her niece's intention to look for another place to stay, if the girl did manage to land the internship opportunity in Seoul.
"Oh… I haven't thought so far ahead yet. I'm just looking to ask around and get a rough gauge of the cost of renting a place to stay in Seoul at present. I wouldn't be able to come up with a proper budget until I know the remuneration package for the internship position. So, for now, I'm just conducting research about the average price range for a room or a studio apartment in different parts of Seoul." Gye Sun Hee responded to the query put forth by her aunt and uncle.
"I see… well, do let us know if you need any assistance in that aspect." Park Chung-Ho nodded in response, and proceed to drop the topic for now.
"No worries, I'll definitely seek out your assistance when the time comes for me to actually rent a place of my own. After all, I do need a guarantor when the time comes for me to sign the rental agreement contract. Seeing as I'm not working full-time yet…" Gye Sun Hee answered with a cheery smile, before steering the topic of conversation towards Sunny's school life in general.
Later, as the dinner meal came to an end… the matriarch of the family roped her husband in on the cleaning task and send her daughter off to help her niece with the unpacking. Since Gye Sun Hee is looking to stay for only three days this time around, she didn't really have much to unpack. All in, she had only brought along with her - one set of pajamas, three sets of smart-casual attire and underwear, a pouch holding all her travel size essential items (e.g, oral hygiene set, skin-care set, etc.), her wallet, and her mobile phone. She didn't bring along her mobile phone charger this time, since she had discovered from her last visit that her aunt is using the same phone model as she, and thus could easily borrow the charger from her aunt when it comes down to the time for her to charge her mobile device.
"So, how much storage space do you require? Currently, I only had the bottom two drawers of my wardrobe empty which you could readily utilize for the storage of your things. But if you need more space, I can reorganize my wardrobe again to free up more space for you." Sunny told her cousin as she flicked on the lights to her bedroom to allow her cousin to get settled in.
"Ah… it's fine, I mean, I'm only staying for three days at most and thus didn't think to bring with me too much stuff. So, the bottom drawer is enough… but I do need to borrow a hanger from you to hang up the clothes which I'm going to be wearing for the interview session tomorrow." Gye Sun Hee responded halting her cousin before Sunny proceed to reorganize the wardrobe to free up more storage space for her items.
"Right… hold on a sec, let me check if I have any extra hangers in my wardrobe," Sunny answered as she opens up the double doors to her wardrobe space and started sifting through it. It took a while, but eventually, she managed to locate one of the hangers that didn't have anything hanging on it and took it out from her wardrobe unit. Handing over the hanger she found to her cousin, Sunny asks if a hanger is all her cousin needs to borrow from her, at present.
"Here you go, unnie. Would this do?" Sunny asks as she handed the hanger over to Gye Sun Hee.
"Yes, it would do nicely. And can I use the hook installed behind the room's door to hang up my interview attire or is there somewhere else I could use to hang up the clothes?" Gye Sun Hee took a quick glance around the room, looking for a place to hang up her attire choice she had selected to wear for the interview session tomorrow as she voiced her query across to the legit owner of the bedroom - her cousin, Sunny Park Sun Ja.
"Yes, the row of hooks installed behind the door could be used. Though I usually used them to hang up my bath towel… you can use them to hang up the clothes you intend to wear for the interview session tomorrow if you think that would allow you easier access to the attire when tomorrow morning comes around." Sunny responded, she would have offered to share her wardrobe hanging space with her cousin if required but she does have a tad too much clothing that requires hanging, and if her cousin were to hang the interview attire into the wardrobe storing it alongside her clothes. It might take a bit more time to locate the attire when the following morning comes around, and so, she didn't object when her cousin asks for permission to hang the attire onto one of the hooks installed at the back of the bedroom's door.
"Thank you." Gye Sun Hee responded and hurried to hang up her choice of the interview attire onto one of the hooks installed at the back of the room's door. Following this, she went on to store the rest of the things she brought with her from Busan into one of the bottom empty drawers of her cousin's wardrobe unit. Last but not least, she folded up the folding travel bag she had utilized for her trip to Seoul, this time around, and stored it into the same drawer compartment with the rest of her belongings.
Location: Porridge Shop, 1st December 2009, Tuesday, 7.45pm
Meanwhile, over at the porridge shop - the dinner crowd is just thinning out. And once the dinner crowd came by and left, Geum Jan Di and Jeong Mi-Sun are finally allowed to take a 30 minutes dinner break each by taking the staff meal provided on the house. Since it wouldn't do for both of them to take their dinner break together, they usually take turns to have their meal in the pantry room.
Today, Geum Jan Di who had the intention to take the last 1.5 hours off to go shopping for the study guides in the bookstore favored by the majority of the students' population in the district told her new co-worker - Jeong Mi-Sun to take her meal in the pantry first. And once Jeong Mi-Sun went off for her dinner break, Geum Jan Di approached the master of the porridge shop to bring up her request for time off from work to run some personal errands.
"Master, can I take the last 1.5 hours off from work today?" Geum Jan Di started asking her employer - Bom Choon-Sik, hesitantly.
"... and what's your reason for wanting to take time off, today?" Bom Choon-Sik blinked as he questioned Geum Jan Di neutrally in return. He had already taken note of the stipulated days whereby Geum Jan Di was expected to visit the hospital for the treatment of her torn muscles in the shoulders, as well as the days whereby Geum Jan Di had to leave work early to attend tutoring session with Yoon Ji Hoo of F4. Today though wasn't part of the deal… which brought on Bom Choon-Sik's curiosity on the matter of Jan Di requesting additional time off.
"Ah… I intend to swing by the bookstore nearby to pick up a couple of the study guides necessary for my revision work as recommended by Ji Hoo-sunbae." Geum Jan Di responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice while directing a pleading gaze onto her boss.
"... fine. But you aren't allowed to leave until your new co-worker returns to the shop front." Bom Choon-Sik deadpans at Geum Jan Di in response.
"Of course, I understand. Thank you for your understanding, master!" Geum Jan Di flashes a relieved look at the master of the porridge shop before returning her attention to the shop front where there's another group of customers coming into the porridge shop by bringing them the menus for their perusal.
Location: Hongik Books near Sinchon station, 1st December 2009, Tuesday, 8.30pm
Standing in the entrance way of the largest bookstore in the Mapo district of Seoul, the first thing that Geum Jan Di did was to check out the operating hours of the store listed on the sliding door of the bookshop. Nothing that the bookstore closes at 9.30pm, Geum Jan Di was relieved to find that she had about an hour to scour through the bookshelves of the bookstore looking for the study guides that she needs.
While the size of the bookstore - Hongik Books isn't comparable to the Kyobo Bookstore in the Gwanghwamun Plaza. It is still relatively big in terms of the scale of the shop space as compared to the other bookstores within the Mapo district in Seoul. More importantly, Hongik Books carries a whole lot of books and guides relevant for college students and students preparing for college entrance exams.
Granted, Jan Di's original intention was to check out the second-hand bookstore in the area, but her childhood friend vetoed the idea citing that while the books in second-hand stores come at lower pricing, there's no guarantee that the books mentioned in the slip of paper provided to her by Yoon Ji Hoo of F4 could be found in it. After all, these second-hand books can usually only be procured from existing college students looking to let go of the books. And so, unless Jan Di knows of any existing college students who wish to let go of the study guides, it would be quite difficult to land her hands on a second-hand/pre-owned copy of the books listed on the slip of paper.
Following the signage hanging from the ceiling in the bookstore, Geum Jan Di eventually managed to find her way to the section of reference books and study guides. Since Jan Di has a limited budget, she retrieved the slip of paper from the pocket of her uniform coat and skipped out on the titles which her former prince charming didn't highlight in yellow and stated it's a must to get. Following this, she retrieved her phone to check out the last text message her childhood friend had sent to her with the list of books Ga Eul had in her possession. Most of the books Ga Eul owns aren't on the 'must-get' list, but the 'helpful to have on hand' list. There are three titles listed under the 'must-have' list provided on the slip of paper given to her by Yoon Ji Hoo of F4.
First on the list, is an English Comprehension study guide which Jan Di managed to find on the shelves in the bookstore relatively easily. Upon locating the book, Geum Jan Di wasted no time flipping it open to have a look at the content. English is a subject that often gives her a headache, mostly because she seldom used the language at home since both her parents aren't that well-educated enough to read an English newspaper at home. Even when watching TV, her family, on the whole, prefers to watch the local TV channels. Without the chance to use the language, her oral skills in English are barely adequate, and likewise for her written and comprehension level of the language itself.
One look at the contents of the book was enough to make Jan Di's head swell, continuing to flip through the book - she found that the book comes with both the multiple-choice comprehension passage and the open-ended comprehension passage questions, and an answer booklet attached to the back of the book. A quick check on the pricing informs Jan Di that it's still within her budget, and so, she took the book with her as she continues to scour through the shelves for the other two titles that her former prince charming had listed under the 'must-have' book list.
Geum Jan Di found the second book three shelves away from where she found the first book, this time around, the guide book is written in Korean much to her inward relief. The second book is a study guide for the biology science module, which is about the same thickness as the English study guide book. But the pricing differs a great deal, it's double the price of the English study guide. And if Jan Di thought the second book was costly, when she finally found the third book in the bookstore - her eyes nearly bulged out from the sockets when she took note of the price tag for the third book.
The third book isn't a study guide but a reference book for extra reading, and the reference book could also be considered as an entry-level medical science book. While Jan Di does find the contents of the reference book a tad more interesting, given her newfound aspiration and goal in life. Jan Di also knows that the book is outside of her budget at present. Besides, even though it's listed as one of the 'must-have' books on the list - it hasn't been marked with an asterisk mark by the auburn-haired member of F4.
Recalling that her former prince charming had told her earlier this morning when he dropped her off at the high school building that the titles that aren't marked with an asterisk while important weren't so pressing that she needs to get her hands on a copy at the earliest possible timing. After a moment of debate, Geum Jan Di decides to buy the two study guides which are essential and crucial for her exams revision, and leave the reference book for another time. After all, before she even gets a head-start on doing the extra reading on medical knowledge in her free time, her main priority at present is to ensure a passing grade for her year-end school examinations and smooth graduation from high school.
While Geum Jan Di was scouring through the bookshelves in the bookstore, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group - Gu Jun Hee had just ended a dinner appointment with her college friend from Shinhwa Academy. The dinner appointment wasn't arranged ahead of time, but a spur of a moment arrangement. What happens that brought on this impromptu dinner appointment was due to a chance encounter in the corridor way of the Shinhwa Hospital.
As it is, her college friend despite having graduated from Shinhwa University with a degree in Business Accountancy… had quit her job as an accountant after working full-time for two years in the finance sector citing stress overload. After that, instead of finding a new job in the finance sector, her college friend had decided to switch career paths and took up the private nursing diploma course offered by the Shinhwa Hospital, full-time.
Since Jun Hee was on her way to visit her father at the point of their chance encounter in the corridor way of the hospital to fully catch up with her college friend, they decided to meet up for dinner at a later time. Thankfully, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group didn't exactly have a planned itinerary to stick to so, can fit in a dinner appointment this particular evening to catch up with her college friend.
They spend their dinner mostly catching up on the happenings in each other lives following their graduation from Shinhwa University. And Jun Hee apologized for not inviting her college friend to her wedding, two years ago which her friend who's now training to become a full-fledged nurse waved off easily. Having originated from different family background, it's only natural for her college friend's name to be missing from the guests' list of her wedding reception. Not that she didn't want to invite her college friend, but it's simply a matter of her mother's insistence to only invite people from the upper echelon society.
[Flashback to earlier in the afternoon at Shinhwa Hospital…]
Location: Shinhwa Hospital, Hospital Ward Building Ground Floor, 1st December 2009.
The Shinhwa Hospital spans a total of five blocks of buildings, they are the outpatients' clinics block, the emergency & treatment block, the hospital rooms block, a maternity & children hospital block as well as a rehabilitation and hospice care building. Gu Jun Hee's destination for today is the hospital rooms block situated next to the emergency treatment block that serves the A&E department wholly. The building that housed the hospital rooms comprises three different wards - the VIP class wards, A Class wards, and the B Class wards. In government-funded hospitals, there are no VIP class wards but simply, A class, B class, and C class wards.
As for the differences between the hospital wards, it mostly lies with the costs and pricing of the hospital rooms. C class wards are usually the cheapest wards in the government-funded hospitals, as it usually involves one big hospital room separated into a different cabin with each cabin housing up to 8 patients at a time. But since the Shinhwa Hospital is privately funded, the rates and charges are significantly higher as compared to the government-funded hospitals. And so, the Shinhwa Hospital doesn't offer C-class hospitalization wards. Instead, its' cheapest ward is the B class wards.
Even B class wards differ from the government hospital in the sense that - it doesn't come with B1 and B2 tier wards. Usually, the B2 wards refer to the second cheapest rooms in the government hospital as it usually comprises of 6 beds in a room while the B1 wards offer 4 beds in a room set-up. However, in Shinhwa Hospital, the B class wards refer to rooms shared between 4 patients only. There are no 6 beds rooms available in the Shinhwa Hospital, and the A-class refers to rooms shared between 2 patients at any one point in time. As for the VIP class wards, well - it resembles more like a hotel room as compared to a hospital room for one, and it's basically an entire suite with only one patient using the room.
Needless to say, as the founder of the Shinhwa Group - Gu Bon-Hyeong is naturally staying in the VIP class ward. The name Shinhwa might have been founded by Gu Bon-Hyeong's late father, the grandfather of both Gu Jun Pyo and Gu Jun Hee, but it has been Gu Bon-Hyeong that expanded the business scale changing it from mere supermarket incorporation to a globally known business group - Shinhwa, in today's time.
Gu Jun Hee, upon arriving at the hospital was in no rush to visit her father just yet. Instead, the heiress decides to swing by the office of the Shinhwa cardiology department first to see the doctor-in-charge of her father to find out how her father is faring in the recovery stage before visiting her father in the hospitalization ward. She was on the way to the elevator lobby to take a lift up to the floor where the VIP class wards were located in the building when she chanced upon a familiar figure in the corridor way of the hospital block.
"Excuse me, miss…" without intention to, Gu Jun Hee reacted on impulse by calling out to the familiar-looking lady that just passes her by.
"Yes?" The lady dressed in the nurse uniform of the Shinhwa Hospital paused mid-steps as she turns back around to face the heiress of the Shinhwa Group.
"...are you Bada, by any chance?" Gu Jun Hee began somewhat uncertainly, seeing as she was under the impression that her friend - Gan Bada, was working as an accountant for one of the international banks based in Seoul, and therefore finding it hard to comprehend the reason why her friend (if her memory serves her accurately) was now dressed up in the nurse uniform of the hospital owns by her family.
It took a while for Gan Bada, the nurse who was halted mid-steps by the heiress of the Shinhwa Group to recognize the heiress. After all, they haven't met for years…especially since Jun Hee had been married off shortly after their graduation from college.
"Yes…are you Jun Hee?" Gan Bada started hesitantly, it has been nearly five years since they last met one another in person. Henceforth, it wasn't too far-fetched to claim that Bada had nearly forgotten the looks of her college friend, to be honest. Therefore, if it hasn't been Jun Hee that has taken the initiative to call out for her attention, she probably wouldn't have thought much about the identity of Jun Hee as they passed by one another in the corridor way of the hospital.
"Yes, I am. What are you doing here and in a nurse uniform, no less…? I was under the impression that you are an accountant for the Citibank Group based in Seoul, Korea?" Gu Jun Hee began, surprise coloring her tone as she addressed her former college friend whom she happens to chance upon in the corridor way of the Shinhwa Hospital.
"Ah… it's a long story, but to put it simply. I found the job of being an accountant too stressful and decides to switch career paths. I would love to stay and catch up with you, but I'm afraid I do not have time for idle chit-chat at present. I'm kind of in-between something now." Gan Bada admitted to her former college friend as she darted another look at the time reflected on her digital fob watch clipped to her uniform.
"Right, and what time does your shift end for today? We really ought to catch up over a meal or a cup of coffee." Gu Jun Hee was quick to suggest, it's not an everyday occurrence that she would get a chance to meet up with old friends of hers. Her mother was quite controlling of the kind of acquaintances she kept, and she wasn't so fortunate as compared to her brother - Jun Pyo, who managed to find friends in the F4.
True, Jun Hee managed to make friends with Min Seo-Hyun as well as Yi Jeong's elder brother, Ii-Hyun to an extent, when she was younger. But it still doesn't change the fact that they aren't of the same age. Seo-Hyun is a year below her and Ii-Hyun is two years below her, making her literally the oldest among their group of family friends. Therefore, most of the time, she found herself losing contact with her school friends within a few months after graduation. Especially, mobile devices aren't all that common back in the days whereby she was a student. So, most of the time, communications rely heavily on the landline which her mother could easily change from time to time. That's one of the reasons why Jun Hee ended up losing contact with her former school friends because they aren't able to reach her by traditional means.
Even if they were to opt for sending her letters in the traditional mail, her mother would ensure that no letters get to reach her by removing those letters out from the mail pile before it gets distributed to the rest of the household. It wasn't until the late nineties that mobile phones are more commonly seen, but even then, most students aren't allowed a mobile phone device in schools. And only 1 out of 5 students who aren't earning a proper income can get their hands on a mobile phone, of course, Jun Hee is the only one in her class that owns a mobile phone once it becomes readily available in the market given the fact that her family owns a Telco company in Korea.
Either way, coming back to the present, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group was shaken out from her reverie when Gan Bada began to speak, again.
"Well… my shift will end around 7pm. If that timing is fine with you, we can catch up over dinner as you suggested." Gan Bada responded after giving the matter some thoughts.
"7pm is fine. That settles it then, we would meet up for dinner and catch up later. What's your contact number? I'll drop you a text closer to your knock-off time with the venue to meet up for the dinner. I assumed that you do own a mobile phone now that you're working full-time officially." Gu Jun Hee then pull out her phone, unlocked it, and hand it over to her friend to fill up the contact details, she knows enough to gather that nurses don't usually keep their phones on their person during working hours.
"Here, this is my contact number." Gan Bada hurried to punch in her contact number into the phone before handing it back to the heiress of the Shinhwa Group. And then, she promptly picks up her steps and hurried off to where she was supposed to be heading for in the building as she was already running late.
Tucking the mobile phone away into her clutch after saving the contact details of her college friend, Gu Jun Hee then resumed her journey to her father's private hospital room.
[End of flashback]
The heiress of the Shinhwa Group had been looking out from the window of the back passenger seat of the black sedan she was seated in aimlessly when she caught sight of the familiar figure of Geum Jan Di standing on the pavement of a nearby shopping belt in the Mapo district. Thinking that this is a chance not to be passed up, Gu Jun Hee calls out for the chauffeur to pull over.
One of the main reasons Jun Hee had decided to return to Seoul, this time around was to clear up the mess her brother had created and that includes finding an opportunity to meet up with Geum Jan Di. But it might be a tad too deliberate if Jun Hee were to wait until the person she had tasked to find out where the girl and her family had relocated, and so, the chance encounter with the girl on the street sounds all the more appealing to the Shinhwa heiress by the second. And so, Gu Jun Hee halted the chauffeur from moving on and instead instructed for the guy to find a place to pull over so she could alight and approached the forlorn-looking girl staring at the TV screen where her little brother had just made an appearance on.
Location: Shopping belt in Mapo district, near Sinchon station. 1st December 2009, Tuesday, 8pm
Geum Jan Di, on the other hand, had just finished her books shopping at the bookstore and was on her way to the train station of Sinchon, within the Mapo district when her attention was drawn to a TV screen of an electronic store. On the TV screen was news footage of an interview with Gu Jun Pyo talking about the latest development plans for the Shinhwa Group. Without intention to, Geum Jan Di found herself being halted to the spot as her focus zeroes in onto the TV screen. The sight of Gu Jun Pyo on the TV screen was enough to cause a hitch in her breath, as she felt her heart being squeezed painfully by an invisible hand.
"Gu Jun Pyo…" Geum Jan Di whispered in a barely audible tone of voice as she felt her eyes watering up at the image of the young man on screen. In fact, she would have broken down on the spot if it hasn't been the sound of someone calling out her name from behind that jolted her focus away from the TV screen and back to her present surroundings.
"Jan Di, is that you?" Gu Jun Hee began calling out for the girl's attention in a tone of hesitance, behaving as though she wasn't certain that it was Geum Jan Di that she had just chanced upon on the streets in the Mapo shopping belt district.
Startled out from her thoughts by the sudden sound of someone calling for her, Geum Jan Di turns around to land her eyes on the approaching figure of Gu Jun Hee, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group and the elder sister of her former boyfriend(?)
"Jun Hee-unnie! When did you get back?" Geum Jan Di started in surprise as she voiced her query across to the approaching figure of Gu Jun Hee.
"I got back yesterday afternoon. How have you been, Jan Di? I'm so glad I got to meet you this evening, come on - do join me for tea. We can sit down and have a proper chat that way."The heiress of the Shinhwa Group said as she pulls Geum Jan Di along with her towards the direction where the black sedan car belonging to her family was parked.
"..." Not knowing if she should turn down the suggestion for tea, Geum Jan Di allows herself to be led away by the heiress of the Shinhwa Group. Originally, she had assumed that the heiress is simply going to find a cafe to have the tea session but when Jan Di realized that the vehicle is heading in the direction of the Gu family mansion, she started fidgeting uneasily in her seat.
As though sensing the underlying stress coming from the girl seated next to her in the back passenger seat of the black sedan, Gu Jun Hee turns towards Geum Jan Di with a look of assurance as she comments. "Don't worry, Jan Di. My mother is still in Macau with Jun Pyo at present, so I get to call the shots at home. Nobody is going to bat an eyelid about your presence in our family home, this evening."
"Oh… okay." Relieved to know that she wouldn't be subjected to any scrutiny from the witch of the Shinhwa Group, Geum Jan Di finally allows herself to breathe easier when the vehicle finally came to a stop in front of the magnificent mansion that belongs to the Gu family in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul.
Butler Lee greeted them both at the front door, and if he's surprised to see Geum Jan Di - he certainly didn't show any outward reaction to the girl's presence.
"Welcome back, young mistress." Butler Lee greeted respectfully when Gu Jun Hee led Geum Jan Di over the threshold and into the mansion.
"Butler Lee. Please prepare a tea service and have it sent up to my room." Gu Jun Hee instructed and then promptly proceed to lead Geum Jan Di upstairs to the second floor where the bedrooms are situated.
Location: Gu family mansion in Pyeongchang-dong, 1st December 2009, Tuesday night, 9.30pm
Seated in the sitting area of the bedroom suite belonging to the heiress of the Shinhwa Group, Geum Jan Di feels incredibly awkward. Even though this wasn't the first time Geum Jan Di was visiting the Gu family mansion but this is definitely the first time she had ventured into the bedroom suite of the Shinhwa heiress. If this was any other time, Geum Jan Di probably would have spent some time admiring the interior decor of the suite but because she had no idea why the heiress decided to invite her back for tea… Geum Jan Di found her mind swarming with questions that she finds it hard to simply admire the size of the room in general.
Gu Jun Hee was in no hurry to break the silence, in fact, she spend a bit of the time studying the body language of Geum Jan Di to get a gauge of the girl's mood before finally speaking up. And she didn't cut straight to the chase either, instead, she started out making small conversation by asking general questions.
"Have you been visiting the hospital for your rehab? If you haven't, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. Don't worry about the cost of the treatment, I have already made arrangements with the hospital to charge a lower fee for your subsequent visits. I mean, it's only fair that the Shinhwa Group bears a portion of your treatment fees since your injury was a direct result of saving Jun Pyo from harm." The heiress of the Shinhwa Group began, recalling the contents of the last text exchange she had with her younger brother, the day before.
"Thank you for taking the effort to arrange the discounted fees for my treatments at the hospital to lessen my financial burden, it helps me a great deal. And no worries, this time, I make sure to show up at the scheduled rehab appointments, every single time without fail. I have learned my lesson for not doing so…" Geum Jan Di managed a small smile of gratitude at the heiress of the Shinhwa Group when the topic of her rehab treatment at the hospital came up for discussion.
Although Jan Di had to admit - she did initially think of seeking treatment elsewhere but a quick comparison of the treatment costs was enough for her to change her mind. At least, the Shinhwa Hospital is willing to subsidy 75% of her treatment costs and that she would only need to pay 25% of the fees. With the other hospitals, the amount she would have to pay for each visit after the government subsidy rate is still higher than the amount she's expected to pay for receiving treatment at the Shinhwa Hospital.
"Good to hear that, and have the school informed you that your scholarship wouldn't be affected by the loss of your swimming capability?" Gu Jun Hee nodded in satisfaction before bringing up the next topic - this time, it was to reassure Geum Jan Di that her scholarship sponsorship from the Shinhwa Group for her education in Shinhwa High would not be affected despite her losing her capability to swim in the future.
"Yes, I've heard, they called me up a day after I visited the admin office to inform them of the results of my medical report concerning my torn muscles." Geum Jan Di nodded as she responded to the words from the heiress of the Shinhwa Group.
For a while, Geum Jan Di wonders briefly if the heiress had invited her to the Gu family mansion for tea just to inform her of these 'compensations' made by the Shinhwa Group in regards to her injury which was a result from her saving Gu Jun Pyo, just in case, she wasn't aware of it yet. But the thought was thrown out of the window when she heard the next question that tumbles forth from the lips of the heiress of the Shinhwa Group.
Butler Lee had just left after coming by with the tea service requested to be prepared earlier when Gu Jun Hee finally decided to bring up the topic of Jan Di's trip to Macau for discussion. "I've heard that you went to Macau sometime back?"
Geum Jan Di found herself faltering when the elder sister of Gu Jun Pyo brought up the subject of her Macau trip for discussion, setting down the teacup back onto the saucer and placing it back onto the coffee table. Geum Jan Di tried to school her expression into one of nonchalance before answering. "Yeah, I did go to Macau. I thought it's time to get proper closure so I could move on."
"..." Gu Jun Hee was silent as she studied Geum Jan Di's behavior to her inquiry, it was apparent from the brief moment of hands shaking that the girl wasn't completely unaffected by what transpired in Macau. Still, it seems Geum Jan Di wasn't willing to show her vulnerable side and instead was trying to maintain a strong front.
Sighing inwardly, Gu Jun Hee started to speak, again. This time, with an undertone of regret lacing her tone. "Jan Di, I apologized for the turmoil my idiot little brother had put you through. Honestly, I really like you and would love for you to remain by Jun Pyo's side. Jun Pyo… he's a little lost, right now. But I'm sure with time, he would find his way back to you once more. And I hope when he finds his way back to you… you would do me a favor and give him another chance."
Not knowing how to respond to this particular request coming from the heiress of the Shinhwa Group, Geum Jan Di simply nodded mutely in response.
"Thank you. Moving on to a lighter topic of conversation, how are your family doing? My mother hasn't tried to pull any more stunts on your family, has she?" Gu Jun Hee inquires as she steers the topic of conversation away from her little brother in specific to focus on something else, instead.
"Oh… no, at least I don't think so." Geum Jan Di frowned as she tried to sift through her memories concerning her family's financial situation over the last two weeks before responding to the inquiry put forth by the heiress of the Shinhwa Group.
"Ah… that's a relief to know." Gu Jun Hee nodded thinking that perhaps her little brother's decision to break up officially with Geum Jan Di, did serve to placate their mother for now. And after spending a few more minutes speaking with Geum Jan Di about the girl's school life in general, in particular, whether or not Geum Jan Di was subjected to further bullying experience in school - the tea session finally came to an end.
Turning down the offer of having the heiress walk her to the front door of the mansion, Geum Jan Di decides to make her way out of the house on her own. Jan Di was confident of finding her way out without assistance since she has been here several times before, but what she hasn't factored in was for her to get distracted by the ajar doorway that led to the bedroom suite of her former boyfriend.
Unable to withstand the lure of the ajar doorway, Geum Jan Di found herself stepping foot into the bedroom suite belonging to her former boyfriend - Gu Jun Pyo.
[... honestly, what was I thinking? Of course, Gu Jun Pyo isn't going to be here - he's still in Macau if the news report shown on TV earlier is accurate.] - Geum Jan Di thought, berating herself momentarily when she felt the jab of dejection upon finding the room empty.
Logically, Geum Jan Di knows she ought to leave the room since it isn't polite to enter the room without permission but somehow she finds it extremely difficult to walk out of the room. It seems every corner of the room serves as a common reminder of her relationship with Gu Jun Pyo. The sight of the bed in the room reminded her of the time Gu Jun Pyo had brought her home to dress her wounds after rescuing her from the school bullies after she was betrayed by Min Ji. And the more areas she explored in the bedroom suite of her former boyfriend, Geum Jan Di found herself thinking and remembering more things about Gu Jun Pyo.
Gu Jun Hee was feeling restless staying in her room after her chat with Jan Di, and so, had been contemplating on the idea of taking a walk in the garden when her attention was drawn to the open doorway leading to her little brother's room. Thinking that the housekeeping staff employed in the service of the family had forgotten to shut the doorway after performing the routine cleaning duties in the room, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group thought to close the ajar doorway herself. However, as she approached the doorway that leads to her younger brother's room - she realized that the room wasn't exactly empty.
"...Jan Di?" Recognizing the girl that stood in front of the spot where her brother had placed his telescope near the study corner of the suite, the heiress of the Shinhwa Group couldn't help but approached as she calls out for Geum Jan Di's attention.
Turning around to meet eyes with the elder sister of Gu Jun Pyo, Geum Jan Di could no longer hold back her tears as she finally broke down in tears. "I lied, I didn't go to Macau because I want to put him behind me. I went because I missed him…"
Knowing that there isn't much she could do to change the present situation between Jun Pyo and Jan Di, Gu Jun Hee simply stepped forward and pull the depressed girl into a comforting embrace. It took Geum Jan Di a couple of minutes before she managed to pull herself together and regather her wits.
"I'm sorry." Geum Jan Di began after realizing that her tears had resulted in a blotch of wetness on the front of the top donned by the Shinhwa heiress.
"Why are you apologizing?" Gu Jun Hee blinked in confusion, all things considered - it should be her that should apologize. After all, it's her mother's meddling that ultimately resulted in her brother's decision to push Geum Jan Di away and break the girl's heart in Macau.
"I've ruined your clothes with my tears." Geum Jan Di eventually said, her eyes flickering to the spot of wetness on the heiress attire before glancing back down at her own feet. She hasn't meant to break down in tears, but she was trapped in memory lane when the heiress approached. And the look of concern in the eyes of the elder sister of her boyfriend was all it needs to cause a break in the dam that holds back Jan Di's emotions and tears.
"Ah… don't worry, this is nothing that a wash in the laundry wouldn't resolve. Come on, it's late. Let's get you clean up and then I'll get the chauffeur to send you home." Gu Jun Hee responded as she brought Geum Jan Di out of her brother's room, and down the hallway to the common bathroom for guests use to clean up. Afterward, she brought Geum Jan Di downstairs to the foyer and beckoned for butler Lee to get one of the family chauffeurs on duty over with the instruction to send Geum Jan Di home.
Though the temptation to send Geum Jan Di home personally was strong, Gu Jun Hee managed to stamp down the urge of doing so. After all, she wouldn't put it past her husband to call her up shortly to check in on her as soon as the sun rises in New York. Therefore, Jun Hee had to settle for getting one of the chauffeurs that work for her family to send Geum Jan Di home in her stead.
Location: Geum family home, Seongbuk district, Samseon-dong. 1st December 2009, Tuesday.
It was approaching 10.45pm when Geum Jan Di finally arrives home, and the moment she crossed over the threshold of her family home - she found herself surrounded by her nosy family members.
"... is there a reason why you lot are staring at me in such a manner?" Geum Jan Di felt the corners of her lips twitching uncontrollably when she noticed the curious eyes of her family members upon her person.
"Is young master Jun Pyo back in town?" Na Gong-Joo started as she zeroes in her curious eyes on her daughter.
"No…what makes you think Gu Jun Pyo is back in town?" Geum Jan Di couldn't help but furrow her brows at her mother's words.
"No? Then why are you coming home in the car that belongs to young master Jun Pyo?" Na Gong-Joo frowned as she pressed for an explanation from her daughter.
"...To be exact, the black sedan belongs to the Gu family on the whole. So, it's not exactly Gu Jun Pyo's personal vehicle… as for the reason why I was sent home in a vehicle that belongs to the Gu family. Well… long story short, I met Gu Jun Pyo's elder sister on the streets earlier and she invited me to join her for tea. And since it's getting late, she then instructed for her family chauffeur to drive me home." Although, Geum Jan Di was baffled when she realized that her mother actually recognized the black sedan as the same vehicle Gu Jun Pyo had often utilized to send her back home after their dates from the second floor of the apartment building looking down through the balcony… it didn't stop her from responding to her mother's inquiry.
"Oh… so, young master Jun Pyo isn't back yet…" Na Gong-Joo sighed in disappointment, and here she was thinking about the possibility of getting to see the handsome young man on her doorsteps, again.
"... see, I told you earlier. It couldn't have been young master Jun Pyo that's sending our dear daughter home tonight. That news footage shown on TV earlier was filmed live, and the background featured in that video footage is most definitely not in Seoul." Geum Ii-Bong then butted in, and engaged his wife in a mock bickering act while shooting his daughter a look that says 'get out of here while you can'.
Jan Di, to an extent, was glad for the interference run by her father. After all, she didn't know if she could continue to keep the information of her 'break-up' away from her mother's knowledge if her mom starts hounding her for details about when Gu Jun Pyo would be coming back to Seoul, or worst still, try to get her to drop that guy a text message to ask that particular question. Talking about keeping information away from her family members, it seems she has yet to get around to inform her parents about her inability to swim anymore…
Originally, she was thinking about coming clean to her family about her loss of the capability to swim after she found a new goal in life. But between her impromptu decision to leave for Macau to see Gu Jun Pyo in person, and later coping with her heartbreak situation - the notion of informing her parents that she's no longer able to swim in the future had completely slipped her mind.
[Perhaps… it's high time that I come clean to them about my inability to swim anymore…] Geum Jan Di thought inwardly to herself as she made her way to the bedroom which she's currently sharing with her younger brother, Geum Kang San.
"Noona… are you alright?" The sudden sound of her little brother speaking up from behind startled Geum Jan Di for a moment, and she faltered slightly before turning around to face her brother with a bewildered look on her face.
"Whatever makes you think that I'm not okay?" Geum Jan Di turns around and addressed her younger brother, looking bewildered.
"You've been exceptionally down for some time now. And then, there's also the fact that you suddenly decide to stop idolizing Park Tae-hwan…" Geum Kang San deadpans as he gave his elder sister a look that says 'you aren't fooling me.
Park Tae-hwan was one of the swimmers that had represented South Korea in various international and major swimming competitions since the year 2006. Jan Di had the honor of watching one such event on the TV screen a few years ago when she was still in middle school. That was when she first aspired to become a professional swimmer.
"...Alright, I admit. I did have something troubling on my mind for some time, but the matter is resolved now. So, there's no need for you to worry about me… now get out, so I could get changed." Geum Jan Di commented as she made a shooing move at her younger brother, trying to get her brother to leave the room for the time being so she could get herself changed out of her school uniform.
In response to her words, Geum Kang San simply rolls his eyes in exasperation before commenting. "Why are you shooing me out of the room when you can simply bring your clothes into the bathroom with you and get changed after showering? You were intending to hit the shower before bed, either way - weren't you?"
"..." Upon Kang San's words, Geum Jan Di found herself rendered speechless as she thought her brother did bring up a valid point. And so, she set down her backpack and the books she had purchased earlier at the bookstore, collected her pajamas set, and made her way towards the common bathroom out in the hall of the apartment for a shower, and to get herself changed for bed.
While in the shower, Geum Jan Di vowed to come clean with her family members about giving up swimming for good and to share her newfound goal over breakfast the following day with her family. It's a conversation that's long overdue to be had, she had procrastinated long enough on the matter. Since she has already made up her mind to work towards being a doctor by this point, she figured it's about time to share this information with the rest of her family now. And crossing her fingers behind her back, Geum Jan Di could only hope that her mother didn't think it prudent to bring up the subject of Gu Jun Pyo again at the breakfast table, tomorrow.
~TBC~
Chapter's notes:
Alright, this is chapter 46… finally, after one whole week of working on the chapter, it's ready to be updated. Albeit, slightly shorter as compared to the last two chapters… well, all things considered - I do not have much time to work on it. But since I thought to keep up with the weekly update, I figured the length for this chapter would suffice for now.
In this chapter, I finally managed to cover the scene between Jun Hee and Jan Di from the original episode of the drama. The rest of the scenes are once again, my original scenes. New OC is introduced...
First of all, I introduced Jeong Mi-Sun into the story because I thought it wouldn't make sense for the porridge shop to only have 2 part-timers on the whole. Especially, considering how frequently Jan Di took time off from work in the original drama, and in the latter part of the drama - Jan Di was even seen working full-time at the Gu mansion as a maid for some time. And Ga Eul, in my story, had too many side activities to be working at the porridge shop to cover for Jan Di all the time… so, I thought it necessary to have the master employed a couple more part-timers to cope with the porridge shop business. It isn't logical for the master to run a one-man show every single day, he would collapse from fatigue otherwise. It's one thing if he didn't have much business but I highly doubt his business is that bleak, especially after the F3 sort of came by to advertise for his business. Even if the F3 seldom shows up at the porridge shop, there are bound to be fan-girls of them coming by hoping to catch a glimpse of the F3 around.
The second OC I created is Gan Bada, a nurse working at the Shinhwa Hospital who's also a former college friend of Gu Jun Hee. Oh, and I finally named Sunny's mother in this chapter. This isn't Sunny's mother's first appearance in the story, but in the previous chapter which she had made a cameo, she had no names. ^^; so, I finally decided to name her.
Gye Sun Hee made another cameo in this chapter, I figured there are few time skips in the original show within episode 15 itself. While I'm not looking to cover everything in my story chronologically, I'm bound to insert some original scene into the story before the scene whereby Yi Jeong piled up multiple gift boxes in Ga Eul's hand for Jan Di and Ga Eul to attend the party event of Jun Pyo's birthday in the drama. It's also the scene whereby Kang Hee-Soo announced the engagement between them to the F3 and Jan Di in the original drama.
That's all for now, I'm going to start thinking and planning for the contents of the next chapter. See you next update ^_^ Ciao~