Secret of the Autumn

by xiaoj

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

47. Chapter 47

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 47 - A Tangled Web, Part 4

Location: Shinhwa Academy, High School Division - Lockers' area. 2nd December 2009, Wednesday, 7.30am

"Good morning, Jan Di. You're rather early today." Chu Ga Eul said as she greeted her childhood friend upon arriving at the lockers area, 30 minutes before classes begins.

"Yes, well… Ji Hoo-sunbae has a morning lecture to attend today, so he swings by to pick me up earlier as well." Geum Jan Di then proceed to unload her swimming gears into her locker as she explained the reason behind her early arrival for school to her childhood friend.

Upon noticing the drawstring bag containing her friend's swimming gears, Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but inquires. "Is that your swimming gears? You haven't got around to telling your family members about your inability to swim in the future?"

"...Kind of? I was intending to speak to them about it this morning, but Ji Hoo-sunbae pops by earlier than expected to fetch me for school today… so, I had to shelve my plans to update my family members in regards to the loss of my swimming capability." Geum Jan Di admitted to Ga Eul eventually, with a slightly sheepish look on her face.

"I see… in that case, I suggest you inform them over the weekends. Knowing them, they are bound to react to the matter dramatically. So, unless you wish to be late for school, the better option would be to come clean to them on the matter on Saturday or Sunday whereby your class attendance wouldn't be affected if the conversation with them ended up overrunning." Chu Ga Eul responded then as she offers her genuine opinion concerning her friend's plan to confess to the rest of the Geum family members about the matter of the torn muscles injury that affected Jan Di's capability to swim in the future.

The thought of how her parents are going to react to the news hasn't even crossed Geum Jan Di's mind until Ga Eul brought it up to her attention. And the moment she heard Ga Eul's comment on her plan to reveal the severity of her muscles injury to her family members, Geum Jan Di found herself nodding slowly in agreement to her friend's words. "You're right since neither of them is aware of the severity of the pain in my shoulders yet… as well as the 'compensation' made to me by the Shinhwa Group thus far, they are bound to overreact when the point comes for me to reveal to them about the hard truth concerning my inability to swim again in future. I can't believe I didn't stop for a moment to think of their reactions until now. Anyway, thanks - I'll take your advice to heart and speak to them about the subject over the weekends when school isn't in session."

"You're welcome. Oh, and before I forgot, here's the Chemistry study guide that you requested for me to lend you yesterday." Chu Ga Eul then said, reaching into her school bag to retrieve the copy of the study guide her friend had requested to borrow from her the day before and handing it over to Geum Jan Di.

"Thanks, Ga Eul, I'll make sure to make a copy as soon as possible, so I could return it to you without disrupting your own revision plans." Geum Jan Di beams in response as she accepted the Chemistry guidebook with gratitude. Although she still has no idea which stationery shop in her current residential neighborhood offers photocopying and book-binding services, Jan Di was determined to find time over the weekend to walk around her current neighborhood to try and locate such a store. If she can't find any shop that could provide the above-mentioned service, she would make a trip back to her old residential neighborhood to patronize an old neighbor of her family's laundry business to have the book photocopied and bound for her own reference use.

"Take your time, Jan Di. There's still a couple of months until the finals, as long as you return the book to me before then - it wouldn't have disrupted my revision plans. Alright, I've got to go now… I'll see you at lunch later." A quick look at the screen of her mobile device informs Ga Eul that there are only 10 minutes until the start of her first class this morning, and thus, she wasted no time in biding farewell to her childhood friend - Jan Di, and making her way from the lockers area to the classroom of Class 3C.

Behind Ga Eul, Geum Jan Di followed at a slower pace. Unlike Ga Eul, Geum Jan Di was in no rush to get to her classroom. After all, with Ga Eul now in a different class… Jan Di no longer had friends in the same class as she, as such if she were to arrive at class earlier than the teacher. Chances are, she's going to find herself at the end of Miranda's taunting words, again.

Yes, Miranda - it seems that girl had taken up the role of being her main antagonist ever since her return from Macau. Ginger, on the other hand, seems to have taken a backseat in the taunting game, recently. Instead of taunting her, Ginger seems to have found a new interest in flirting and chatting up the guys in their class for some unfathomable reasons. Albeit, sometimes Miranda would still drag Ginger over for support if the leader of the annoying duo, formerly trio is within reach.

Anyway, to avoid the necessity of having to deal with the annoying duo every morning, Geum Jan Di had taken to arrive for class on the dot and would make sure to step into the classroom a few steps before the teacher-in-charge did. That way, she gets to avoid being penalized by the teacher for being late for class, and avoid the necessity of interacting with the members of the annoying duo.

Location: Baskin-Robbins Ice-Cream Parlour Myeongdong, 2nd December 2009, Wednesday, 3pm

"Thanks for letting me hitch a ride, I'll see you two in school tomorrow. Enjoy your movie date." Sunny Park Sun Ja said cheekily as she alighted from a red KIA Spectra (2009 Model), from the back passenger seat outside the Myeongdong branch of the renowned ice-cream parlor - Baskin-Robbins.

The red KIA Spectra belongs to Baek Dong-Jun, a fellow student from Class 3B as well as a member of the study group formed under the initiative of Lim Areum of Class 3C, back in their first year of high school education. At the same time, Baek Dong-Jun is also the boyfriend of Jessica Sim Ae-Ri, another student from Class 3C.

Both Areum and Jessica are part of Sunny's new friends' circle after she made the decision to part ways with Ginger and Miranda, officially. Sunny first befriended Areum in the school library back in early May, when she decides to get a head-start in the revision for the end-of-year examinations. And subsequently, Sunny got acquainted with Jessica and Baek Dong-Jun as well as Kim Nari, the childhood friend of Areum during the study group session which Areum had invited her to join about two weeks after they first got acquainted with one another in the school's library.

These days, the girls have gotten much closer than before, though still not to the level of being thick as thieves they have both started to consider each other like comfortable friends. For instance, during the beginning of their acquaintanceship - Jessica would never allow her boyfriend to give Sunny a ride anywhere without Areum in the picture. Today though, she had graciously allowed Sunny to hitch a ride off them back home while Areum is unable to travel home with Sunny as Areum had an elective class to attend whereas Sunny had some prearranged appointment to keep with her visiting cousin from Busan.

"You're welcome, see you tomorrow in school." Jessica Sim responded somewhat stiffly at Sunny's teasing words. Her boyfriend, who's seated behind the steering wheel was a tad more at ease with the teasing comment coming from Sunny as a wide grin started to form on his lips.

"Well… I certainly hope Jessica would appreciate the movie that I've picked out for our date this afternoon. Alright, off you go - see you tomorrow in school, and may you have a nice day ahead." Baek Dong-Jun grinned in response before driving off towards the direction of the underground parking facility of the next shopping mall where the cinema is housed within.

Turning around, Sunny spend a moment staring at the ice-cream parlor before shrugging and making her way into the ice-cream shop. Entering the ice-cream parlor, Sunny headed straight for the fridge that offers a range of ice-cream pints for takeaway sale and snapped a picture of the flavors available for selection on her mobile device. And then, she forwards the image taken to her visiting cousin - Gye Sun Hee, who's likely waiting for her return at her family home.

A private message between Sunny and Gye Sun Hee, 2nd December 2009, Wednesday, 3.15pm

Sunny: Sun Hee-unnie, I'm at the Baskin-Robbins ice-cream parlor in Myeongdong now. I know it's Winter season, so it might seem a tad odd for me to make such a suggestion… but I'm in the mood for some ice cream. Would you like to join me at the ice-cream parlor or would you prefer for me to get takeout and share the treat with me back home? [Insert image of the ice-cream pints in the fridge]

Sun Hee: Thanks for the invitation, Sunny. I think you can just grab a pint and come back home. We can enjoy the treat from the comfort of your own home, I'm amid some research work at present… and so, would prefer not to move from my current spot. *Apologetic Emoji*

Sunny: I see… that's fine, I can get takeout then. Are there any specific flavors of the ice cream that you would prefer for me to get?

Sun Hee: I'm not too picky with the ice-cream flavors, so just pick whichever suits your mood. ^_^

Sunny: Noted. Will do. See you in a while. ^_^

Ending the text message with her cousin, Sunny proceeds to pick out a pint of the cookies & cream ice-cream and brought it over to the cashier counter for payment. While there are quite a variety of unique flavors offered by the ice-cream parlor, the flavors offered in pints are the more traditional flavors. And hence there isn't even a need for Sunny to hesitate much when it comes down to picking out a pint of the ice cream to bring home to share with her visiting cousin. Inwardly, Sunny couldn't help but wonder what kind of research work her cousin is amid, at present.

Upon arriving home, Sunny found her cousin lounging on the sofa couch of her family home with a Samsung Tablet at hand looking through various property websites for apartment units available for rental.

"Ah… so, this is what you mean by being amid some research work." Sunny nodded as she mused aloud in realization.

"Yeah, I did mention looking up some apartments for rent in the area where I would be starting work as an intern earlier. Of course, I'm only just looking through the listing to get a rough idea about the cost to involve in renting a place of my own at present. Until I receive the words of confirmation regarding my internship application being successful - I'm not going to actually approach any property agents to help me out in the sourcing of an apartment unit." Gye Sun Hee told her cousin in response after her attention was drawn away from her Samsung tablet to the figure of her newly returned cousin.

"I see… I've got the ice cream with me here, do you mind bringing it into the kitchen and getting me some spoons and bowls for them? I'll get a change of my clothes while you collect the items required from the kitchen." Sunny started as she set the pint of cookies & cream ice-cream onto the dining table situated in the cozy little dining space of the 2-bedrooms apartment unit belonging to her family in Seoul.

"Sure." Gye Sun Hee shrugged as she set aside her Samsung tablet and headed towards the kitchen to collect the requested spoons and two small bowls for the ice cream.

One pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream contains 2 cups/4 scoops worth of ice cream, which makes it perfectly suitable for two persons' consumption. As there isn't any ice-cream scoop available in the kitchen, Gye Sun Hee opted to scoop out the ice cream from the pint into the two small bowls she had collected from the kitchen using a tablespoon instead.

By the time Sunny was done changing into her lounge-wear and came back out to rejoin her visiting cousin, Gye Sun Hee was already done with the task of serving the ice-cream purchased by Sunny from the ice-cream parlor minutes ago.

"Here, I can't find any ice-cream scoops in your kitchen… so, I make do with a tablespoon instead. Therefore, the distribution of the ice cream in each bowl isn't exactly even… so, take your pick from the two bowls. I think the difference should only be about one or two spoonfuls difference, so it's hard to tell visually." Gye Sun Hee told Sunny as she gestured towards the two bowls of ice cream that are now sitting on the dining table waiting to be ingested by them.

"That's fine." Sunny commented as she reached out to grab the bowl nearest to her as she took a seat at the dining table of her family home. "So, how did your interview go?" Sunny inquires after she took a moment to enjoy a bite of the yummy ice-cream treat with the spoon her cousin had handed over to her after she made up her mind on which bowl of ice cream to claim for her own ingestion.

"Hmm…?" Gye Sun Hee blinked at her cousin's words, as she took a bite of her own ice-cream treat. Taking a moment to savor the sweetness of the ice-cream treat, Gye Sun Hee responded casually with a shrug. "Personally, I would like to think that I had performed well during the interview process. I tried my best to appeal to them during the interview process, but no matter how good I feel about my own performance during the interview session. It still doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't be able to tell if I would be getting the internship offer at this point. After all, I counted at least five other applicants for the internship position when I was there for the interview."

"I see… out of curiosity, where did you go for the interview? I know you mentioned that it's for an internship position at a central kitchen of some established F&B Group, but which company are you applying to, for the internship?" Sunny nodded in response to her cousin's reply before voicing her next query across to Gye Sun Hee, a cousin on her maternal side of the family.

"Ah… I applied to the internship position offered by the food catering business - MZ Kitchen." Gye Sun Hee responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

It took a while for Sunny to place the name of the food catering business in her mind, mostly because there were quite a few food catering businesses in the market, and her family seldom hosted buffet parties at home. While they do arrange for buffets during corporate events, it wasn't her duty to oversee the arrangements for the F&B catering for those parties and thus, Sunny seldom had the chance to liaise with the F&B establishments that offer food catering services. The only reason Sunny found the name 'MZ Kitchen' familiar is only because one of her new friends made in school, after she had cut off her friendship ties with Ginger and Miranda had engaged the MZ Kitchen catering services for a birthday party some weeks ago.

"MZ Kitchen… that's a food catering business under the management of the Miyazawa Group, isn't it? I thought, they had the practice of arranging accommodation for their employed staff? So, why are you still looking into apartments to rent on your own?" Sunny asks her cousin, out of sheer curiosity.

"...How did you know that they have the practice of arranging accommodation for their employed staffs?" Gye Sun Hee blinked as she directed her confused gaze upon her cousin.

"I heard it from a friend, who, in turn, heard of the information from her boyfriend whose parents work for the parent company of the MZ Kitchen." Sunny responded, inwardly thinking back to a conversation she had with Kim Nari, the same friend who ordered food from MZ Kitchen for the birthday party event hosted sometime last month.

Kim Nari's birthday party wasn't a very big event, in fact, it's just a cozy little gathering that took place in the comfort of Kim Nari's family home - a 3-bedrooms apartment unit in the Myeongdong district, completely within walking distance from Sunny and Areum's place of residence. How Nari managed to fit a total of twenty over people into her family home which is about the same size as Areum's family home, Sunny truly had no idea(?) Yet, Kim Nari had indeed achieved the feat. Aside from the members of their study group, which comprises Sunny, Areum, Jessica, and her boyfriend - Baek Dong-Jun… Nari had also invited her boyfriend, Park Jae-In to the party event.

And since Nari used to be classmates with Chu Ga Eul before the girl transferred into the Shinhwa Academy, Chu Ga Eul was also invited to the party alongside three other friends of Nari from the Seoul Metropolitan High School. In addition to Nari's group of friends, other attendants at the party event included members from Nari's extended family. Honestly though, if it weren't for the fact that the party event took place during the period whereby Geum Jan Di is out of town, Sunny had an inkling that Nari might just invite Geum Jan Di to the party out of basic courtesy if nothing else. After all, it wouldn't do to simply invite Chu Ga Eul without extending an invitation to Geum Jan Di, since those two are always seen together in school.

Sunny was jolted out from her memory lane by the sound of fingers snapping in front of her eyes, snapping her attention to the owner of the fingers. Sunny was met by the sight of a concern-looking expression on her cousin's face.

"Penny for your thoughts, Sunny… what caused you to neglect your ice-cream treat and zone out on me like this? Your ice-cream is melting, in case you'd failed to notice." Gye Sun Hee deadpans at her distracted-looking cousin.

"Oh… right, an apology for zoning out on you mid-conversation. I was just thinking about something." Sunny directed an apologetic look to her cousin as she responded somewhat sheepishly and promptly shifted her focus back onto the task of finishing up the ingesting of her melting ice-cream treat. Thank god, she's eating the ice cream out from a bowl and not from an ice-cream cone. Else, she might have made a mess on the dining table by this point.

"...right, anyway, in response to your earlier inquiry about why I'm looking up accommodation site for myself when it's been known of the company to provide lodging for their employed staffs. I guess it's because the lodging arrangements only applied to long-term staff employed in their service. As an intern, I'm only obliged to work for them for six months… so, I'm not exactly entitled to the lodging benefits provided by the company. Of course, I could always appeal to them on the basis that I'm not native to Seoul… but I was concerned about the fee that would be imposed on my remuneration package if I were to request for them to assist me in finding accommodation, under the scenario that I was to be selected for the internship position." Gye Sun Hee responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"I see…" Sunny nodded as she mused aloud in response to her cousin's words, inwardly, she was thinking about contacting the HR department of the Miyazawa Group in regards to the accommodation arrangements for interns with their subsidiary businesses. It doesn't make sense for the company to only arrange accommodations for full-time staff and neglected the interns, who are also employed full-time but only for a brief period. But that can wait until her cousin heard back from MZ Kitchen about the application status of the internship position.

Shifting her focus back to her cousin, Sunny started. "Unnie, you would inform me if you received a favorable outcome with regards to your internship application, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, is there a reason why you thought to seek clarification with me on this particular matter?" Gye Sun Hee blinked as she directed a look of bewilderment towards her cousin's way.

"Nothing, I just wish to know for certain is all," Sunny answered with a casual and nonchalant shrug, as she continues to polish up the remaining ice cream in the bowl.

And then, on the following day, which is also Gye Sun Hee's last day in Seoul for this period… Sunny brought her visiting cousin around the Myeongdong district for some last-minute shopping errand. And then, just before they call it a day - Sunny turns towards her visiting cousin and inquires. "Unnie, are you sure you don't want to visit Namsan Park? It's completely within walking distance from Myeongdong, you know?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I know that Namsan Park is one of the infamous tourist spots in Seoul, but this isn't going to be my last visit to Seoul. So, considering the present time… I seriously doubt that there's a need for you to show me around Namsan Park for now. We can always visit that place at a later time. Come on, let's go. It's almost time for dinner, I don't know about you… but I'm not exactly in a mood to deal with your mother's nag if we were to turn up late for dinner this evening." Gye Sun Hee told Sunny in an absolute tone of voice.

"Alright then, let's head home for dinner in that case." Sunny eventually conceded to her cousin's suggestion of heading home for dinner for the time being and leaving the visit to the infamous Namsan Park for another time.

The following morning, Park Chung-Ho took some time off from work to drive his niece related through his marriage union with his wife to the bus interchange while his daughter is off at school.

"Thank you, uncle, for taking time off to drive me to the bus interchange." Gye Sun Hee said as she unbuckled the seat belt on her person to alight from her uncle's vehicle upon arrival at the Seoul Gyeongbu Bus Station, otherwise known as the Seoul Express Bus Station.

There are a couple of ways to travel between Seoul and Busan, among them including taking the trains and the buses. Of course, one can also choose to fly. Still, Sun Hee personally prefers traveling via trains or buses as opposed to flying. Yes, flying between Seoul and Busan is definitely faster in terms of traveling time but it also costs a lot more than taking a train or a bus. Ultimately, the train tickets would cost more than the bus fare but a train ride would offer more space for baggage storage as opposed to a bus ride. So, ultimately Gye Sun Hee would decide on her mode of travel after taking into consideration the number of baggage she's traveling with.

This time, because she's traveling light - she had opted to use the bus service that plies between Seoul and Busan as opposed to the KTX trains (the Express fast train), or the slow trains (ITX, SRT, or Mugunghwa) which traveling time ranges between 2.5 hours to 5.5 hours. All the trains and buses that ply between Seoul and Busan would arrive at the Busan station, which is why Sun Hee doesn't really care about the mode of transportation she's using to commute between the two cities.

"You're welcome, do drop your aunt a text to inform her of your safe arrival back home later. And as per usual, do give us a heads-up in advance when you're due to drop by Seoul, again. Have a safe trip home, Sun Hee… and I'll see you again on your next visit." Park Chung-Ho remarked to Gye Sun Hee as the girl alights from his personal vehicle after retrieving the folding travel bag from the back passenger seat of his car.

"Sure, I'll send aunt a text upon arriving home safely so to set her mind at ease if nothing else. Once again, thank you for the ride. Goodbye, uncle." Gye Sun Hee bowed at Park Chung-Ho in gratitude for the hospitality he had provided her with over the past few days, before turning to make her way into the bus station.

During the period while Sunny was busy spending time bonding with her visiting cousin, a certain Korean Casanova of F4 was busy brushing up his tennis skills to the best of his capabilities. On Wednesday, the 2nd of December, whereby Ga Eul wasn't available to meet him for dinner - he had resorted to inviting his best friend, Prince Song of the Ii-Shin Group out for a tennis game at the Shinhwa Country Club after classes ended for them in school. And naturally, the duo went on to take dinner together in some bars after their tennis game before hitting the nightclubs.

While in the past, their visits to the nightclubs would comprise of a group of hostesses hovering near them. This time around, they had opted to chill over some vodka and gin in the privacy of a VIP room within the club and do away with the entertainment provided by the hostess employed in the service of the clubs they are visiting.

"Is there a point to visit the nightclubs when you don't seem too hyped up by the idea of mingling with the ladies?" So Yi Jeong, who prided himself as the reformed Casanova couldn't help but remarked after his Don Juan friend turns down the suggestion of having a group of hostesses in the VIP room to serve them.

"... there's no underwritten ground rules that say that it's a must to unwind and chill in the presence of a group of ladies. So, I don't get why you have to appear this surprise by my instructions of keeping the hostesses away." Song Woo Bin, the heir to the Ii-Shin Group rolls his eyes as he deadpans to his best friend from childhood.

"... you aren't still suffering from the aftereffects of your visit to the infamous Nana Plaza in Bangkok during the summer, are you?" So Yi Jeong raised an eyebrow up at his friend in a questioning manner as he reached out for the bottle of vodka to pour himself a shot.

Song Woo Bin threw his friend a look of annoyance while trying to avoid turning green at the reminder of the events that took place when he was forced into escorting a certain wilful heiress to the infamous red-light district in Bangkok. Okay, fine - he admitted, he's still suffering from the repercussion of being served by a group of trans hostesses at the go-go bars in the infamous Nana Plaza of Bangkok. So much so that despite having known that trans hostesses aren't exactly a thing in Seoul, sometimes he couldn't help but wonder. And whenever he starts to wonder about such things, he would find his interest in the hostesses diminishing. As such, these days he found himself mostly holing up in a VIP room with only his best friend and alcohol for company, instead of spending his time flirting with the hostesses when he visited a nightclub.

"Enough about me. How long has it been since you make things official with Ga Eul-yang?" Eager to change the topic of conversation, Song Woo Bin pulls out the first topic that pops into his mind and directs it to his best friend.

"About four months or so, I reckon?" The Korean Casanova responded after spending a moment to think on the matter. The lines are a little blurry on the matter because it might have been after the summer break that Yi Jeong finally make things official between him and Ga Eul, but they might very well be considered dating way before then. Which brings him to another question - when exactly should be considered their dating anniversary date? Maybe, he ought to consult Ga Eul on the subject and see what the girl thinks of it(?) Filing the question away to the back of his mind for another day, So Yi Jeong shifted his focus back onto his best friend as he inquires about the reason behind his friend's sudden interest in the matter of the duration he had been dating Chu Ga Eul officially.

"Either way, what exactly brought this question on?" So Yi Jeong prompted as he zeroes in his eyes onto the figure of his best friend, Song Woo Bin - the renowned Don Juan of F4.

"Curiosity, I guessed. On a scale from 1 to 10, how likely do you think the Miyazawa heir would trash you on the court?" Song Woo Bin then asks, not bothering to hide the gleeful glint in his eyes as he regards his Casanova friend.

"Is there even a need for you to ask? I'm 100% sure that he would trash me on the court this coming Sunday. I highly doubt I'm capable of besting someone who has been selected for a representative of Japan's U-15 National team. Even if he's only on the team as a reserve member, it still doesn't change the fact that he made it onto the National team." So Yi Jeong deadpans to his best friend, with an air of resignation surrounding him.

True, Yi Jeong was adamant about not giving up without a fight but he knows his own limits. As someone who isn't a big fan of athletic sports, there's a limit of how much he could do when going up against someone who's on the national level. This isn't like the time he was competing against Geum Jan Di, because no matter how good Geum Jan Di was at swimming before she lost the capability to swim… that girl was still nowhere near the level to represent the country. So, his competition against Geum Jan Di after their return from New Caledonia during the entire friendship crisis of F4 is simply a competition between amateurs.

The Miyazawa heir, on the other hand, is anything but an amateur when it comes down to tennis. His achievements in sports are widely recognized and could be easily found online through an internet search. Heck, the guy's name could also be found under the Japan Tennis Association website under the youth category representing the Kantou area of Japan. And so, Yi Jeong already expected himself to lose the game against the Miyazawa heir on Sunday. The only thing he could ensure now is to minimize the losing margin as much as he could. He could handle losing to the Miyazawa heir with the final game count of 6-4 or even 7-5, he would even suck it up if he ends up with a score of 6-2 or 6-1, but he'll be damned if he allows the Miyazawa heir to completely shut him down in the game.

"I hate to say this, but if you wish to brush up your tennis skills… shouldn't you, I don't know - get Ii-Hyun Hyung to train with you instead of me? I might be a tad more sporty than you and Ji Hoo combined, but my forte area lies in the rifle range, and to a lesser extent on the soccer field. Jun Pyo, on the other hand, is better at golf and squash as well as car racing. Ji Hoo is good at horse-riding, whereas you're pretty much average in everything relating to sports since you don't exactly have a preferred sport in mind, to begin with. Your brother, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. I recalled having seen him representing Shinhwa High in some inter-school tennis games before he graduated, so shouldn't it be easier for him to provide you with pointers as opposed to me?" Song Woo Bin was silent for a moment before he decided to risk it and brought up the mention of So Ii-Hyun, the estranged brother of his Casanova friend.

"..." Yi Jeong had no words, of course, he knows his brother's capability in the area of tennis sports. But going to his estranged brother for pointers would mean the need to provide his brother with some logical explanation behind his sudden interest in the tennis sports itself, which Yi Jeong wasn't willing to do. That was the reason why Yi Jeong didn't approach his elder brother to help him out in the task of brushing up his tennis skills, to begin with

Eventually, Yi Jeong sighed and responded. "Fine, I'll think about it. Come on, let's drink up."

In the end, Yi Jeong still didn't approach his estranged brother for pointers because a phone call with his brother informs him that there's no shortcut to victory when his opponent is at a level that's way more advanced than him. And so, Yi Jeong decided to approach the game with the mindset of leaving everything to the hands of fate. As long as he tried his best, it would have to do and before he knows it, the day of the game with the Miyazawa heir has arrived.

Location: So Yi Jeong's Pottery Studio, 6th December 2009, Sunday, 8.30am

So Yi Jeong had just gotten out of bed when his mobile phone blared to life with an incoming call. A quick look at the screen of his ringing phone informed the Korean Casanova that the incoming call was from a certain country bumpkin that has grown to become an important part of his life. And so, there wasn't any hesitation on his part when he picks up the call.

"Good morning, Ga Eul." The Korean Casanova greeted as he answers the call on his mobile.

"Good morning, Yi Jeong-sunbae. I didn't wake you, did I?" Chu Ga Eul's cheerful greeting came through from the other end of the line, before it was followed up with a question laced with slight unease.

"Huh? Oh… no, you didn't wake me up with your call. So, no worries on that part. I was just about to start getting ready for the day when your call came in." The Korean Casanova hurried to respond and set his girlfriend's mind at ease.

Chu Ga Eul heaved a sigh of relief on her end, before carrying on to inform her Casanova beau about the meet-up time at the Shinhwa Country Club. "Glad to know that I didn't once again wake you up from your sleep. Anyway, I just thought to call you up and inform you of the meet-up time at the Shinhwa Country Club… the game would begin at 10am at the Indoor Tennis Court 2."

"Okay, 10am at Indoor Tennis Court 2. Noted, thanks for calling me up to provide me with the details. While on the subject, how are you getting to the venue later?" So Yi Jeong grabbed the pen sitting on the desk tucked to a corner of his bedroom and jot down the details on a memo note pad since he can't note down the details on his personal calendar via the app installed on his phone while he's on the line. Once he had jotted down the details concerning the tennis game with the E3 and his girlfriend which would be taking place later this morning, the Korean Casanova went on to ask after his girlfriend's plan on getting to the venue where the tennis game would be taking place shortly.

"Hmm…? As per the norm, I expect Shuichi to swing by and pick me up when he's on his way over." Chu Ga Eul responded nonchalantly, the thought of her Casanova beau might be keen on coming by to fetch her didn't even cross her mind until she heard the sigh of disappointment coming from the other end of the line.

"...I see, and here I was thinking of inviting you out for breakfast before heading off for the game." The potter of F4 allowed a sigh of disappointment to escape his lips, as he remarked in a disappointing tone of voice. He would have plastered on a crestfallen expression on his face if he could, but seeing as this is simply a voice call and not a video call - there's no point trying to appear crestfallen since his girlfriend can't even see his reaction.

Upon detecting the underlying tone of disappointment in her boyfriend's response through the phone, Chu Ga Eul promptly changed her plans for this morning. And so, she extend the invitation for her Casanova beau to join her for breakfast at the Miya's Cafe situated in the Songpa district, near her place of residence.

"Yi Jeong-sunbae, why don't we meet up for breakfast at the Miya's cafe near my place of residence around 9am? In the meantime, I'll call Shuichi up to cancel the arrangement of hitching a ride from him to the Shinhwa Country Club. That way, you would get to meet me for a breakfast date before having to meet the E3 for the tennis game." Chu Ga Eul begins as her mind promptly starts to put together a new plan for the next 2 hours.

"Really? You would do that for me?" The Korean Casanova started while trying to avoid sounding too gleeful when he heard of his girlfriend's decision to amend her plans for this morning.

"Yes, well… this wouldn't be the first time I decides to cancel out on Shuichi in favor of spending time with you. So, I think he wouldn't mind much. Anyway, I'd best give him a call before he left home. See you in half an hour. Do you need the address to the Miya's cafe in my residential area?" Ga Eul asks before she ended the call on her end of the line.

"Ah, yes. Having the address to the cafe would be great, it would save me the hassle of having to find the place via GPS. I might be familiar with the route from my place to your place of residence, but outside of the Lotte World which is the landmark for the Songpa district, I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with your residential district on the whole." So Yi Jeong admitted to his girlfriend over the phone.

"Sure, I'll buzz you the address to the cafe in a bit. For now, I'd best ring up Shuichi before he left his home." Chu Ga Eul answered and then promptly went on to disconnect the ongoing call with her Casanova beau, so she could call up her cousin - Sakuraba Shuichi without delay.

Staring at the sight of the disconnected call screen of his mobile for a second, the Korean Casanova shrugged and went on to input the details for the tennis game into his personal calendar app of his mobile device. And then, the potter of F4 went on to tuck his mobile phone into the pocket of his pajamas bottom so he could make his way into the bathroom of his pottery studio to start getting ready for the day ahead.

So Yi Jeong was midway through the task of brushing his teeth at the vanity sink of the bathroom when he felt a buzz indicating an incoming text message on his mobile device coming from the pocket of his pajama bottom. Reaching into the storage place for his mobile device, he retrieved the gadget from within to find an incoming text from his beloved country bumpkin with the address to the Miya's Cafe branch in the residential district where his girlfriend resides with her family. Sending a quick word of 'thanks' back to his girlfriend, So Yi Jeong tucked his phone back into the pocket of his pajamas bottom and continues with the rest of his morning routine.

Deciding that time was limited this morning, the Korean Casanova forgoes the idea of a morning shower and proceeds to get changed into the outfit he had picked out the day before for today's occasion and was ready to leave for the breakfast date with his girlfriend within a matter of minutes.

On the other hand, Sakuraba Shuichi was just about to leave his family-owned apartment unit for the underground parking facility of the apartment building when he receives an incoming text from his cousin - Chu Ga Eul via the Line App.

Line Messenger - Private chat between Chu Ga Eul and Shuichi, 6th December 2009, Sunday, 8.45am

Ga Eul: Erm… you haven't left home, have you? ^^;

Shuichi: No, not yet. I was about to leave home for the parking facility though.

Ga Eul: Good. There's no need for you to leave home this early. I'll be meeting Yi Jeong-sunbae for breakfast shortly, and I reckon I would travel to the Shinhwa Country Club with him after our breakfast date. So, there isn't a need for you to make a detour to my place to collect me this morning. ^^; *Relieved Emoji*

Shuichi: … I see. In that case, I'll laze around at home for a while longer. See you later.

Ga Eul: See you later, and once again, sorry for bailing out on you last minute.

Shuichi: It's fine, I'm used to it by now…

Tucking his mobile device back into the pocket of his Adidas sports jacket, Sakuraba Shuichi sighed as he settled down onto the couch in the living room of his family-owned apartment unit in the Gangnam district of Seoul. Suddenly finding himself at a loss of what to do next, the bespectacled young man of the group - E3 eventually ended up scrolling through the news feed of his social media accounts aimlessly.

"Ara? You're still home? I was under the impression that you had a tennis game scheduled with the boys today?" Sakuraba nee Miyazawa Shinobu, the mother of Sakuraba Shuichi was on her way into the kitchen to fix up a quick breakfast meal for her own consumption when she noticed the silent figure of her son lazing about the living room. Since 80% of the time, Shuichi was already out by the time Shinobu finished getting ready for the day… it goes without saying that the woman was quite surprised to find her son still lingering in the apartment on a Sunday morning.

"Yes, well… Ga Eul cancels out on me last minute citing that there's no need for me to play chauffeur for her this morning. As such, I have no need to leave home too early today." Sakuraba Shuichi shrugged in response to his mother's inquiry about his presence at home this morning.

"I see, since you have some time to spare this morning - why don't you make yourself useful by going through my schedule book and letting me know what's exactly on my itinerary for today? That way, it would allow me to focus fully on fixing up a proper breakfast as opposed to having to split my attention between fixing up the breakfast meal and going through my personal schedule for the day." Sakuraba nee Miyazawa Shinobu commented as she directed her words at her idle-looking son.

"..."

Location: Miya's Cafe in Songpa district, 6th December 2009, Sunday, 9.05am

When So Yi Jeong finally found his way into the Miya's Cafe outlet in the Songpa district, Chu Ga Eul was already seated at a table in the cafe.

"Good morning, I haven't kept you waiting for long - have I?" The Korean Casanova started as he came to a stop in front of the table where his beloved country bumpkin was seated.

"Not really, I've only been here for about five minutes. So, have you thought about what to get for breakfast this morning?" Ga Eul responded as she flicked her eyes away from the book she has been reading earlier, to land on the figure of her boyfriend.

"Of course, I've thought about what to order for my breakfast. How about you?" The Korean Casanova inquires his girlfriend in return,

"Is there a need for you to even ask? I thought you ought to have known my preference when dining at the Miya's Cafe by this point." Chu Ga Eul responded drily as she set the book she has been reading earlier aside, now that her date has arrived.

"... while I do have a fairly good idea about what you tend to order here at the Miya's Cafe, there's no telling that you wouldn't change your mind. After all, based on what I could remember - you did recommend a few options to me on my first visit to the cafe branch outlet near the area where our school is located." So Yi Jeong eventually said, as he took his seat at the table where his girlfriend had picked for their breakfast date, this morning.

"Hmm… fair enough, I supposed. Alright then, my choice for today's breakfast would be the spinach and mushroom quiche. Can I trouble you to place the order for me?" Chu Ga Eul nodded slowly in agreement as she gave her breakfast order to her Casanova beau, knowing full well that the guy has the intention of placing the orders on her behalf without the need to ask.

"Of course, I'll place the order for you." So Yi Jeong remarked as he stood to make his way over to the cashier counter of the cafe to place the breakfast orders for him and his girlfriend.

Shortly after, the Korean Casanova returns to the table where his girlfriend was seated with two cups of coffee in hand and a number tag for the ordered food. Setting down the cup of Cappuccino in front of Chu Ga Eul and the cup of Espresso in front of himself, So Yi Jeong retook his seat at the table in the cafe.

"Thank you, and what did you order for your own breakfast today?" Ga Eul thanked her Casanova beau for the cup of cappuccino which the Korean Casanova had taken the liberty to order for her without the need for her to mention anything about it, before inquiring after her boyfriend's breakfast choice for today.

"I ordered the sausage and egg breakfast casserole." The Korean Casanova answered with ease as he took a sip out of the coffee mug imprinted with the logo of the cafe. Seated opposite from him in the cafe, Chu Ga Eul mirrored his acts of savoring the taste of the breakfast cuppa.

As Chu Ga Eul savors the taste of the cuppa in hand, she also spares some time to observe her Casanova beau from the corners of her eyes. Today, her Casanova beau had surprised her immensely with his choice of outfit. Usually, the guy would appear in front of her in some immaculate suit-wear that's suitable for all functions except for sports. Today though, the guy was clad up in Nike sportswear from head to toe in the color combination of blue and white.

"Is there a reason why you keep glancing at me from the corners of your eyes?" The Korean Casanova smirked behind his cuppa as he directed his query to his girlfriend, despite knowing full well that the girl was actually studying his appearance all this time.

"..." Flushing crimson at being caught in the act of staring, Chu Ga Eul hurried to avert her eyes away from her Casanova beau as she answered. "Nothing, I was just thinking that it's rare to see you dressed up in anything that isn't a suit-wear, I guess."

"Is that so? I was under the impression that you've seen me in other attires outside of the suit-wear though…" Yi Jeong remarked as he thought back to the times he was bribed into playing 'babysitter' for Chu Ga Eul under Jun Pyo's insistence during the trip to New Caledonia.

It took a while for Ga Eul to catch on to the meaning behind the words of her Casanova beau, and when she did - she couldn't help but pout. "Mou! Yi Jeong-sunbae, why do you always have to tease me so?! I know, I've seen you in attires that aren't suit-wear… but it's rare of you to show up in front of me clad up in full sportswear, first thing in the morning - you know?"

Setting down his cup of Espresso onto the table, So Yi Jeong responded with a smile. "Yes, I know. I was just teasing you, and enjoying your reactions is all. Anyway, I figured that I'll be spending the bulk of my time today in the presence of the E3, and therefore had taken the liberty to clear off my schedule for today ahead of time. And since I do not foresee the need for me to be attending to any formal businesses elsewhere today, I figured there's no need for me to prepare a change of attire for today's occasion."

"Ah… I see, now that makes better sense. While on the subject, today's dinner would be hosted by Shunsuke at his bachelor pad. And therefore, you can rest easy… there's no risk of you running into any of the adults in my family this evening." Chu Ga Eul responded with a nod, finally comprehending the reason why her Casanova beau had shown up this morning in front of her clad up in his sports attire instead of the usual suit-wear.

Location: Shinhwa Country Club, 6th December 2009, Sunday, 9.45am

"Good morning." Saionji Shunsuke greeted his two friends at the foyer of the Shinhwa Country Club upon his arrival with Choi Hyo-Rin, in tow.

"Morning, Shunsuke." Miyazawa Kazuki greeted lazily back in response to his childhood friend before shifting his eyes to land on the girl standing next to his friend and nodded as he greeted the girl politely. "Good morning to you too, Hyo-Rin."

"Good morning, Kazuki-kun, Shuichi-kun." Choi Hyo-Rin hurried to respond to the words of greeting coming from the Miyazawa heir.

"Where's Ga Eul?" Shunsuke inquires after failing to notice the half-sibling of the Miyazawa heir around the vicinity.

"Still on her way over, I reckon. She's traveling over with her Casanova beau this morning, apparently, they have a breakfast date scheduled before meeting up with us for the tennis game." Sakuraba Shuichi shrugged his response.

If Hyo-Rin had any questions in concern to the Casanova beau of Ga Eul, she certainly didn't show them. Instead, the girl wisely maintains her silence as she listens in to the ongoing conversation between the members of E3, attentively. Although, Hyo-rin hasn't exactly been invited to join them for today's game Shunsuke had still decided to bring the girl with him after he accepted the invitation to join the girl's family for breakfast, this morning.

Now, as previously mentioned, Hyo-Rin's mother had taken to the habit of fattening him up whenever possible. As such, twice a week, Shunsuke would find himself being invited to join the girl's family for meals. Sometimes, it's breakfast, and other times, it's dinner. On some occasions, the girl's mother would even prep him lunch during the school week. Though it was a tad awkward in the beginning, he had learned to grow accustomed to these random meals invitation extended to him by his landlord through the lips of Hyo-Rin, a fellow classmate and a not-so-secret admirer of him.

Coming back to Shunsuke's decision to invite the girl along for the tennis game today, his decision stems from the belief that his usual opponent - Kazuki would be playing the Korean Casanova of F4 on the court, during today's game. That would mean he wouldn't get to play anyone if there's an odd number of participants, but he didn't wish to spend the entirety of his time in the court playing referee for the game between Kazuki and the Korean Casanova. Thus, Shunsuke thought, he might as well bring his student along for today's game.

That way, he could either play Shuichi while leaving the two girls to play against one another or he could spend his time playing an instructing game with Hyo-Rin, who had somehow ended up being his student on the court even though it has been Ga Eul who had first offered to teach the girl how to play tennis.

The group of four hangs around the foyer of the Shinhwa Country Club for another few minutes before they finally sighted the approaching figures of Chu Ga Eul and her Casanova beau - So Yi Jeong of F4.

"We aren't late, are we?" Ga Eul started when she noticed how everyone had zeroes in their eyes upon her and her Casanova beau when they finally arrived at the foyer of the Shinhwa Country Club.

"No, the meet-up time is at 10am. So, you two are most definitely right on time." Sakuraba Shuichi responded on behalf of his cousin and childhood friend, Kazuki, who's busy regarding the Korean Casanova with an unimpressed expression.

"I see, well… although I don't think that an introduction is necessary but since this is the first time meeting for some of us here. Let me just introduce you guys to one another properly for once." Chu Ga Eul begins, and thus she first gestured to the members of E3 and the figure of Choi Hyo-Rin as she turns to address her Casanova beau.

"Yi Jeong-sunbae, from the left to right - Sakuraba Shuichi, my cousin from the Miyazawa side of the family. Miyazawa Kazuki, my half-brother, whom you knew as the heir to the Miyazawa Group. Saionji Shunsuke, the second-born son to the Saionji Spa & Wellness Group, and Choi Hyo-Rin. Shuichi, Kazuki, and Shunsuke are members of the E3 from Japan, and together with Hyo-rin - they are all from the elite class in Shinhwa High. Oh, and Hyo-Rin is related to Ginger Choi Jin-Hee from my former class, but rest assured that her personality is way better than Ginger's. More importantly, she doesn't fawn over the F4 as Ginger did… so you have nothing to worry about from her presence here today." Chu Ga Eul said, before turning towards Choi Hyo-Rin and the E3 to introduce the Korean Casanova to them, as her beau.

After the brief introduction, Miyazawa Kazuki took a moment to observe the attire choice of everyone before commenting. "Looks like nobody needs to visit the changing room this morning since everyone seems ready to begin the game without delay. In that case, let us stop wasting time and make our way over to the indoor court."

Setting down his tennis bag on the bench, So Yi Jeong retrieved his own racquet from within and make his way over to the E3. "So, how are we doing this? Do we play each other straight away?" The Korean Casanova started, directing a questioning look in the Miyazawa heir's direction.

"No, we would play against someone else to warm up first. After that, then we will start playing against one another." Miyazawa Kazuki responded he isn't dumb enough to play someone without warming up significantly. And then, without wasting another second, Kazuki drags his cousin off towards the other court in the indoor court facility for his warm-up.

"..." The Korean Casanova sighed inwardly as he turns towards his girlfriend and ask if the girl is willing to play a round of the warm-up game with him. Knowing that Saionji Shunsuke is equivalent to Miyazawa Kazuki in terms of tennis skills, the Korean Casanova definitely isn't willing to play the guy, not even for a warm-up game.

"Sure." Chu Ga Eul shrugged as she picks up her own racquet to join her boyfriend on the other available court while leaving Hyo-Rin behind with Shunsuke to go through the basic swinging motions of the tennis game.

Saionji Shunsuke, on the other hand, shrugged and focused his eyes on his 'student' as he remarked. "Well, neither of the courts are free at present. So, why don't we work on your ball control capability for now? See that wall over there, I'll demonstrate for you once and you try to mirror my actions later on your own."

Moving towards the area, Shunsuke starts hitting a ball towards the wall by pinpointing the position where the ball hits the wall consecutively for a few minutes. And then, he stopped and turns towards Hyo-Rin and prompted. "Now, it's your turn to try. For a start, I'll throw the ball in your direction to make things easier for you to start hitting it against the wall."

There's nothing fanciful in the warm-up game between Kazuki and Shuichi, nor between Ga Eul and the Korean Casanova of F4 in Shunsuke's opinion. After all, Shunsuke had witnessed enough times of his two childhood friends playing against one another on the court since his younger days. As such, he had long grown accustomed to the various possible outcomes when those two play against each other in an unofficial sense. Whereas Ga Eul and the Korean Casanova are both amateurs in tennis based on Shunsuke's opinion, and therefore the game between those two could only be dull making it pointless for Shunsuke to even both pay any attention to it. Henceforth, he decides to occupy his time by instructing Hyo-Rin on the basics of ball control as opposed to watching the warm-up games going on out there on the two courts.

All in, the warm-up game lasted only 25 minutes for Kazuki and Shuichi before it was wrapped up nicely. Whereas the warm-up game between Ga Eul and So Yi Jeong of F4 lasted another few minutes before it came to an end, mostly because Ga Eul wanted to get an idea of how much improvement her boyfriend had made over the past few days of extra training with the Don Juan of F4. After all, her boyfriend had rescheduled all their dinner plans for the past couple of days in favor of training up his tennis capabilities by meeting up with Song Woo Bin of F4 after school daily.

Once the warm-up game between Ga Eul and the Korean Casanova of F4 came to an end, there were a few minutes of a water break in between before it was time for Yi Jeong to go up against the Miyazawa heir officially.

Unlike the warm-up game earlier, it was decided that someone would be playing referee for the upcoming game between So Yi Jeong and Miyazawa Kazuki. So, between Sakuraba Shuichi and Saionji Shunsuke, the two of them end up having to draw lots to decide who would be refereeing the game since neither of them is keen on the idea of refereeing the game between the Korean Casanova of F4 and the Miyazawa heir. In the end, Sakuraba Shuichi had the bad luck of drawing the shorter stack of the lot and ends up as the referee for the game and thus allowing Saionji Shunsuke to do as he pleased during the next hour whereby the game between Kazuki and the Korean Casanova is taking place.

Yes - an hour. That's exactly how long the game between those two had lasted. It could have lasted longer except the Miyazawa heir had decided to change his play tactics when it becomes apparent that the Korean Casanova is obviously no match for him and thus doesn't make sense to drag the game on when he could easily trash the guy on the court. The final game count was 6-1, and the one game that the Miyazawa heir had allowed the Korean Casanova to win has been the first service game that was performed by the potter of F4 for the purpose of observation and to gauge the level of expertise of his opponents on the court.

"How are you feeling?" Chu Ga Eul started as she approached her Casanova beau with a towel in hand, and with a look of sympathy on her face.

"Dreadful, your brother really shows no mercy to his opponents on the court. That much is certain." So Yi Jeong sighed in response, as he took the offered towel from his girlfriend with grace. Thankfully, he had already expected himself to lose against the Miyazawa heir on the court, and thus, he was able to accept his failure with grace instead of behaving like a petulant child in the wake of his inability to win.

"Well… the fact that you're able to handle the fact that you can handle losing with grace puts you way above Jun Pyo-sunbae. Because if he's the one in your position today, he would definitely refuse to accept his failure and would suggest for a rematch over and over again." Chu Ga Eul commented as she thought back to how Gu Jun Pyo had performed during the disastrous triple-date event.

"Yes, well… I'm not so much of a sore loser as compared to Jun Pyo. He isn't used to the idea of losing to anyone in anything, even within the F4. Whereas, losing to Jun Pyo is something we are all accustomed to, except in a few areas. Such as, in the area of horse-racing whereby 9 out of the 10 times we competed against one another, Ji Hoo would end up victorious as opposed to Jun Pyo." So Yi Jeong remarked in response as he took up a seat on the bench and watch on as the Miyazawa heir returns to the court with a new opponent.

Two more games were played, the first game is played between Saionji Shunsuke and the Miyazawa heir and then the winner of that game played against Sakuraba Shuichi before the slot booked for the court came to an end.

"...Ga Eul ah, out of curiosity, between Saionji and your brother, who's better in the game of tennis?" The Korean Casanova asks on the sly when they are getting ready to leave the court for the bistro of the Shinhwa Country Club for their long-overdue lunch.

"It depends, they're about the same level in terms of singles. But in doubles, it's definitely Shunsuke that's better… because Kazuki for all his capabilities on the court isn't cooperative enough to play doubles. And honestly, if it weren't for the fact of him having played Shuichi and you before he played Shunsuke, there's no telling how the game between him and Shunsuke would turn out." Ga Eul shrugged as she responded to the curious inquiry coming from her Casanova beau.

Perhaps, it's the fact that he gets to trash the Korean Casanova on the court, but ultimately Miyazawa Kazuki was able to stop broadcasting his negative vibes towards the potter of F4 when lunchtime finally comes around. With the leader of E3 mellowing down his attitude towards the Korean Casanova in general, Sakuraba Shuichi was able to engage the potter of F4 in a conversation revolving around the fine arts in general over lunch.

After lunch, So Yi Jeong treated the E3 to a round of shooting game at the rifle range in the club. His status as a member of F4 allowed him the incentive to book the use of any facility in the club without advanced booking. And though, he isn't an expert in rifle shooting as his best friend was - it still didn't change the fact that his skills in the shooting are still better than the E3 combined. After all, shooting ranges though could be found in Japan, aren't so much of a popular activity among the youngsters in high schools.

Afterward, they moved on to the bowling alley whereby they separated out into three teams and competes against one another for an hour. By the time they exited from the bowling alley of the Shinhwa Country Club, it was already 4pm in the afternoon. Saionji Shunsuke then gave the Korean Casanova the directions to his bachelor pad while he made a move first with Choi Hyo-Rin in tow, citing the need to run some personal errands.

"Dinner would be at 7pm, from now until then, it's free time for all of us. See you guys later." Saionji Shunsuke announced before he led Choi Hyo-Rin away towards the parking facility of the country club to collect his vehicle, so he could be off to run his personal errands.

"Alright, Kazuki - let's go. It's time for the routine inspection checks around the new cafes set up in Seoul." Sakuraba Shuichi reminded as he drags his cousin off for the 'official' business on his cousin's itinerary for today.

"So… what do you suggest we do for the remaining time until dinner?" So Yi Jeong inquires as he shifted his questioning eyes onto the figure of his beloved girlfriend.

"Hmm… how far are we away from the jockey club?" Chu Ga Eul paused for a moment before asking her Casanova beau in return.

"About half an hour away, why?" So Yi Jeong prompted, having an inkling but didn't want to voice his speculation aloud lest he got it wrong.

"Why don't we go and visit your horse, in that case?" Chu Ga Eul suggested, halting herself before she could blurt out that undignified name of her boyfriend's beloved horse.

"...I supposed we could, if that's what you want to do." So Yi Jeong eventually nodded his consent to his girlfriend's suggestion of visiting the jockey club.

In hindsight, the Korean Casanova supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised by the sight of his girlfriend's Nikon camera making its appearance upon their arrival at the stable, given how the girl likes taking photos of everything in general. Still, it didn't change the fact that he was caught off guard when he heard the click of the camera shutter when he was busy petting his beloved mare in the stable of the Shinhwa Jockey Club.

"...where on earth did you pull that camera out from?" Yi Jeong started upon noticing the camera held in his girlfriend's hands.

"Hmm…? Oh, this? I had it with me since the beginning." Chu Ga Eul responded nonchalantly, and then proceed to show the photos she had taken of her Casanova beau at the Shinhwa Country Club.

"..." So Yi Jeong look through the photos in the gallery of the Nikon digital camera and found himself at a loss for words. How could he have missed out on the presence of the camera in his girlfriend's grasp all this time? With a sigh, the Korean Casanova held the camera in his hands as he commented. "You know, it's not fair that I'm the only one with pictures taken for the entirety of today. So, it's now my turn to hold the camera."

"Eh?" Chu Ga Eul blinked at the Korean Casanova in surprise, "Is that your way of telling me that it's now your turn to play photographer for me?"

"In essence, yes." So Yi Jeong nodded in agreement with his girlfriend's words.

"...seriously? Because I was under the impression that you don't really enjoy going around with a camera in hand as you find the act silly." Chu Ga Eul remarked innocently, as she quoted his previous words to her from a past occasion during the New Caledonia trip.

"Yes, but that has never stopped you from making me play photographer for you before. So, why stop now? Besides, there's nobody around to witness me doing so aside from the horses in here and since the horses can't speak human, it's not going to end up as public knowledge." So Yi Jeong responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

And thus, Chu Ga Eul found herself posing for several photos while playing with 'Clay' - the mare that belongs to her Casanova beau in the stable of the Shinhwa Jockey Club. And then, just before they took their leave from the jockey club, her boyfriend decides to let her go on a ride on the back of his beloved mare.

"Clay seems eager to leave the stable for a walk outside, would you care to join us for the ride?" So Yi Jeong suggested after his horse-riding coach pops by and suggested for him to bring his mare out on a ride given how long he has not been coming by the stable to visit his mare.

"Can I?" Chu Ga Eul piqued up with interest at his suggestion, before flicking her eyes back to his mare in wonder.

"Of course, unlike Jun Pyo's stallion - Jupiter, my horse is pretty docile in terms of temperament. Then again, mares are usually more docile as compared to the stallions." The Korean Casanova responded before he left Chu Ga Eul for a moment to grab the gears required to get his mare ready for a ride outside.

After taking the mare back to the stable following the end of their ride, it's time to mark the end of their little private escapade and headed back to civilization. On the way to the city hall district of Seoul where the studio apartment that serves as the bachelor-pad of Saionji Shunsuke is located, under the suggestion of Chu Ga Eul, the Korean Casanova make a pit-stop at the Baskin-robbins ice-cream parlor to pick up several pints of ice-creams of different flavors for dessert.

Line Messenger - Group Chat with the E3, 6th December 2009, 6.30pm

Ga Eul: We're on our way over to your place, Shunsuke. And we are bringing ice-creams for dessert from Baskin-Robbins. ^_^

PS: What's for dinner? Is it going to be pizza, again?

Shunsuke: Oh, no. Not for today. Today's dinner would be takeouts/delivery from Yoogane. Hyo-Rin's suggestion.

PS: Noted on the ice-cream desserts, in that case, I can keep my Hagen-Daz ice cream for another day. By the way, we are ordering side dishes from Yoogane as well. Between the Soy chicken wings, honey butter chicken wings, and the spicy chicken wings - which do you prefer?

Ga Eul: I'm voting for the soy chicken wings or the spicy chicken wings. Either is fine ^_^

Shunsuke: Noted. How much longer until you arrived with your beau in tow?

Ga Eul: Hmm… we are in Myeongdong district now, so, give or take another 5-10 minutes. Are the rest of them there already?

Shunsuke: Of course, Kazuki is now hogging my game station on the TV unit, that's why you don't see him reacting to the messages on the GC.

Ga Eul: Right, and Shuichi?

PS: You mentioned the Yoogane takeout being Hyo-Rin's idea, is she staying for dinner too? BTW, is Jae-In coming over for the dinner gathering too?

Shunsuke: Shuichi's in the bathroom. Yes, Hyo-Rin is staying for dinner. And yes, Jae-In is invited and he's bringing his girlfriend along for the dinner gathering too. I figured, since your boyfriend is invited for the dinner this week, Jae-In might as well bring his girlfriend along for the occasion.

Ga Eul: Noted. See you soon. ^_^

Meanwhile, Kim Nari was taken by surprise when she realized that this wasn't so much of a typical dinner date but more of a dinner gathering whereby she would be meeting the friends of her boyfriend in the official sense.

"Don't worry so much, my friends don't exactly bite. Besides, you've already met them before." Park Jae-In commented as he led his girlfriend into the lift elevator that would bring them to the bachelor-pad of Saionji Shunsuke where the dinner gathering would be taking place in a jiffy.

"I did? When?" Kim Nari blinked in surprise at her boyfriend's words about her having met his friends already once.

"I believe it's during a party event hosted at my friend's place for your friend - Ga Eul-yang, and it's also when we'd first met if my memory serves me correctly.." Park Jae-In answered in a nonchalance manner.

"...right, now that you mentioned it. I recalled being dragged over the threshold during that party by you because I was kind of blocking the entranceway." Kim Nari remarked as the memory pops to the front of her mind after being prompted.

"Welcome to my humble abode, I apologized for the lack of space but this is what happens when you stay in a studio apartment. Anyway, please make yourselves comfortable." Saionji Shunsuke greeted as he answers the door at the sound of the doorbell ringing.

By the time the SoEul couple makes it to the studio apartment for the dinner gathering, they were just in time as the food only arrives minutes before they did. With the arrival of the SoEul couple, it also meant that everyone invited for the dinner gathering is now present in the tiny and cramp apartment unit where Saionji Shunsuke is residing at present.

"Here, the ice-creams for desserts. Where should I leave them?" Chu Ga Eul took the carrier bag with the ice-creams and handed it over to the figure of Saionji Shunsuke as she started.

"Right… thank you for bringing desserts." Saionji Shunsuke responded as he took the bag of ice cream away from Chu Ga Eul and handed it over to Hyo-Rin who was standing behind him and said. "Ga Eul and her beau brought us ice cream for dessert, so we can keep the Hagen-Daz ice cream to ourselves. Do me a favor and help me store these away in the freezer, will you?"

"Of course." Choi Hyo-Rin nodded with ease as she took the bag of ice cream towards the full-size fridge a few steps away from the entranceway to the studio apartment unit and store them away into the freezer before returning to where the rest of the party attendants stood.

With the addition of Jae-In and Kim Nari, another round of the introduction was carried out among the group of attendants gathered in the bachelor-pad of Saionji Shunsuke before a toast was proposed to start off the 'party' officially.

For the Korean Casanova of F4, he had to say that the dinner gathering was very different from the dinner parties he was accustomed to attending. Because first of all, it wasn't a formal party event whereby all attendants for the event were expected to dress up in formal wear. And it's not similar to any of the social events he had attended in the past either, because nobody is expected to take up a spot on the dance floor and sway the night away on the arms of different dance partners. If there's anything that could be used, to sum up, the dinner gathering that took place in the bachelor-pad of Saionji Shunsuke, So Yi Jeong would say that it's the word - rowdy.

Why rowdy? Simple - on one side of the room were the sounds of video games blasting away with the Miyazawa heir hogging onto one game controller while fighting off different opponents throughout the night playing against him on a Naruto game via the play-station unit. And then, on the other side of the room, the three girls including his beloved country bumpkin girlfriend was busy holding an idle chit-chat of their own revolving around their respective college plans, and to a certain extent, the Korean Casanova suspected that the girls might be gossiping about him in general. Seeing as he could easily notice the high number of times whereby the girls started to sneak glances towards where he was seated.

So Yi Jeong wasn't wrong in his assumption that he was one of the main topics of conversation for the girls, because Ga Eul was indeed being interrogated by Hyo-Rin and Nari combined about how she had managed to catch the renowned Korean Casanova of F4 in her bag for the most part of the conversation. Neither Hyo-Rin nor Nari allows Ga Eul to change the subject until they managed to get their curiosity sated on that front.

"So, it's true then… you're really dating the Casanova of F4?" Choi Hyo-Rin started after the girls gathered around in a corner of the cramped and tiny studio apartment unit to hold their own conversation while the guys busied with taking turns at the games controller on the play-station unit.

"Okay, wait a sec… you mean to tell me that Ga Eul's boyfriend is the infamous Korean Casanova of F4?" Kim Nari blinked as she directed her confused gaze onto the figure of Choi Hyo-Rin for clarification.

"Yes. I thought the F4 are quite famous within the country?" Choi Hyo-Rin turns her confused gaze onto the figure of Kim Nari then, finding it incomprehensible for the girl to have not recognized So Yi Jeong of F4 by mere looks alone.

"... I admit, the F4 is pretty much a well-known name among the local community but that's strictly just names alone. I might know what the name stands for, but in actuality, if you make them appear in front of me separately, all I can say is that aside from Gu Jun Pyo… I could barely tell the rest of them apart." Kim Nari eventually admitted sheepishly to the girl - Choi Hyo-rin whom she had only just gotten acquainted with during this dinner gathering event.

"Are you serious?" Choi Hyo-Rin found herself gaping at Kim Nari in surprise, after all, it's very rare of her to come across someone who can't recognize a member of F4 simply by looks alone. The fact that Kim Nari knows the F4 by names but can't put a name to their face except for Gu Jun Pyo is really a surprise to Hyo-Rin, on the whole.

"Maa…considering how Jan Di hasn't even heard of the name F4 when she first transferred into Shinhwa, I think Nari's lack of recognition of the F4 simply by looking at them isn't too far-fetched to believe. Most people who aren't from the upper echelon likely wouldn't know too much about the F4. Gu Jun Pyo is likely the only exception, because of how influential the Shinhwa Group is in general. After all, Shinhwa Group had a hand in basically everything in the Korean market. So, it is very difficult for the members of the general public even commoners to not have heard of the Gu family that owns the Shinhwa Group. The fact that Jan Di didn't at least know Jun Pyo-sunbae is really a miracle…but considering how rarely Jan Di spends her time watching TV, I'm not surprised by her lack of recognition about Jun Pyo-sunbae when they first met in person." Chu Ga Eul interjected then, sharing her own opinion on the subject of how recognizable should the F4 be in general.

"In my defense, I wouldn't have known the looks of Gu Jun Pyo if it weren't for the high exposure he had on TV recently. Anyway, coming back to the subject of your boyfriend - how did you manage to bag a member of F4 as your beau? Furthermore, it's not just any member of F4 but the infamous Korean Casanova?" Kim Nari remarked putting an end to the topic of how uneducated she was in regards to the F4 in general and focused her attention on Ga Eul's relationship with So Yi Jeong of F4.

"... honestly, I have no idea. It just happens naturally is all I have to say on the subject. But it's true that we first became acquainted with one another through Jan Di." Chu Ga Eul responded while flicking her gaze briefly in the direction where the guys are and had to refrain from snorting when she noticed her half-sibling baiting her Casanova beau into taking up the game controller to play a round of the Naruto fighting game.

[Does Yi Jeong-sunbae even knows how to play the game?] - Chu Ga Eul couldn't help but wonder as her boyfriend took over the game controller from Shuichi to play against her half-sibling, the heir of the Miyazawa Group.

"Enough about me… have you given any thoughts about your college plans?" Deciding that she had enough with the conversation that revolves around her relationship with a certain Casanova of F4, Chu Ga Eul decides to forcefully change the subject of conversation to something more academic-focused for a change.

"... not really. Have you?" Kim Nari was stumped for a second before asking Chu Ga Eul back in return. The question from Ga Eul reminded her of the still empty career progression pathway form that she ought to fill up and submit to her class teacher in another few days.

"Of course, I've given it some consideration. While it wasn't fully mapped out yet, I do have an idea about what I would like to study after graduation from high school." Chu Ga Eul nodded firmly in response to Nari's query.

"...out of curiosity, has Jan Di decided on her future career pathway too?" Kim Nari inquires, turning curious eyes onto Ga Eul.

"Yes, she did already have something in mind for her future after graduating." Ga Eul nodded in response.

With a wistful sigh aloud, Kim Nari commented. "Well…since even Jan Di had something in mind for the immediate future, I guess I ought to start putting some thoughts onto the subject now. But with the vast disciplines of study offered in colleges, it's really difficult to decide which pathway to go after graduating."

"Can't you, I don't know, go for some disciplines of studies that interest you to an extent?" Ga Eul started trying to offer her own input on the matter for her aimless friend.

"That's the thing, there's nothing in particular that interests me." Kim Nari sighed in response before fixating her gaze onto the ceiling of the apartment, finding the entire conversation about future career paths very much dreadful to deal with.

"In that case, why don't you ask after Jae-In's college plans and then work on your own plans from there?" Choi Hyo-Rin suggested out of the blue, drawing both Chu Ga Eul and Kim Nari's attention onto her person.

"...is that what you planned on doing?" Ga Eul prompted, as she tried to fish for more information concerning Hyo-Rin's college plans and how it relates to Shunsuke's own college plans.

"I guess, but not exactly. As you know, my grandfather founded the Choi Foundation… but Ginger doesn't seem interested in succeeding in the business based on her behaviors. So, it's either she abides by the expectation and married someone who could one day take over the management of our family business, or I proved my worth to my grandfather and uncle so they would consider making me the future successor for the family business instead of letting an outsider took over the management of the business." Choi Hyo-Rin responded with a shrug, as she confirmed Ga Eul's speculation about her going into the business management course upon graduation from high school.

"That's a sound decision coming from your position." Ga Eul nodded after Hyo-rin confirmed her speculation on the subject before she let it slips to the girls that she's considering taking up a degree in education. The only issue now is that she hasn't quite decided whether she wants to do education in general or early childhood education.

"..."

~TBC~

Chapter's notes:

Chapter 47 is done. I thank every one of you for staying with me until the end of this chapter, I apologized for the shorter length but this week is really a busy week for me. So much so that I didn't get much time to write and it didn't help that I have trouble getting my ideas straight during this week's writing progress.

Either way, this is an entire chapter full of my own scenes. I'm not quite sure how enjoyable this chapter is in general, cause my mind is like a state of mashed potato. So, I apologize if the flow isn't too smooth for this chapter.

SoEul scenes are available in this chapter, but not very romantic - for that, I apologized. I didn't go into details of the match between Yi Jeong and Kazuki as I didn't want to bore you guys out with the details of an actual tennis game. Originally, I wanted to fit in the conversation between Yi Jeong and his grandfather in this chapter, but unfortunately, my mind isn't quite cooperating with me at present. So, I had to end the chapter here… I would have held back the release of this chapter and further edited it if possible, but I didn't want to screw up my weekly update plans and so, I decided to cut short this chapter and have it posted by this point.

That's all for now, see you next update ^_^