A/N: Happy October everyone! I am happy to announce that I and a few fellow SoEul writers (KLSoEul, InHwa, and LilisLittleRose) have been secretly working on a spooky and romantic SoEul fic for you guys. The lovely cover art was designed by KLSoEul! :)
Originally, we wanted to update twice a week so that the story would finish in time for Halloween (we were ambitious 😆 ), but due to real life getting in the way, we will be updating every Friday instead. That means one new chapter every Friday throughout October and November for a total of eight chapters.
Each chapter will be written by a different author except for this first chapter which includes sections by all of us.
At the end of each chapter, I will credit the author who wrote that chapter.
We hope you enjoy! :)
After my heart became unsettled
Every single thing distracted me.
In these shrouded mountains
What prospect of a visit?
The falling leaves in the autumn wind
Mimicked my lover's approach.
- Seo Kyung Duk to Hwang Jini
Somehow, Yi Jeong's intentions had been totally misunderstood the day he spoke with Ga Eul on the stairs at Namsan. Or, rather, he hadn't been able to get out what he'd wanted to say to her once she'd firmly announced that she wouldn't be chasing after him anymore. Indeed, he'd been so shocked by the statement that he'd only been able to stand there, senseless and speechless, watching as she walked away.
In the few months since then, Ga Eul had started her college classes; Yi Jeong had progressed with the therapy for his hand; Jan Di had returned to Seoul; and Jan Di and Jun Pyo had gotten back together and were bickering as much as ever. There had been a lot of changes among their group, but these two facts had not changed: Yi Jeong still wanted to confess to Ga Eul that he liked her, and Ga Eul was still avoiding him like a sickness.
Thus, he had devised a plan.
Surely, Ga Eul would once more be filled with awe at his appearance if he did something as impressive as giving a special lecture on ceramics for the art classes at her university. Specifically, art classes that included her beginners' ceramics class. It helped that he personally knew the head of her art department. Another impressive fact about himself.
When he arrived at the art building on the day of the lecture, Ga Eul wasn't anywhere to be found in the crowd of screaming fangirls at the building's entrance, and though he was disappointed, he'd sort of expected that. Of course, Ga Eul would be sitting quietly in the lecture hall already, as unbothered by his celebrity status as she'd always been. He liked that about her. He missed that about her—that he knew when she said that she liked him, she truly meant that she liked him, and nothing about his status could have persuaded her to like him—or stand outside of a building cheering for him—if she didn't like him as a person first.
This was not to say that he didn't want to use the loads of cheering fangirls to make her notice him because he did, and he was using them. He let the chorus of girls follow him down the hall, making such a commotion that his arrival to the lecture hall couldn't go unnoticed throughout the building.
Yi Jeong wore a classic three-piece black suit with his signature earring; he'd had his hair freshly cut and perfectly styled for the occasion. As he strolled into the lecture hall, he smiled charmingly at everyone he saw and kept a languid, confident pace. Surely, if he stayed in his usual luminous element, he would lure Ga Eul back into his orbit in no time.
He saw Ga Eul sitting in the middle of the lecture hall, and as she turned her head in his direction, he began heading confidently towards her, intent on stopping right next to her chair and saying her name; a ripple of jealousy would wash over the crowd, and Ga Eul would blush in that cute, innocent way she had and fall for him all over again just as she had that night when he'd played the saxophone for her, then picked her out of the crowd in the club.
Unfortunately, none of that happened. He didn't get very far at all before a professor came rushing over to him, eager to discuss his lecture topics.
Yi Jeong internally grimaced but acquiesced to the professor's request. He would just have to find some other way of making Ga Eul notice that he had noticed her. He would also talk to her after the lecture, of course.
"Before I begin my lecture today, I would like to take a moment to talk about my recent injury," he began from the lecture stage a few minutes later, looking deliberately at the section of the lecture hall where Ga Eul was seated. An encouraging smile crossed her face, and he continued, more boldly, "When I was first injured, the doctors only gave me a thirty percent chance at recovering the full use of my hand. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do pottery the way I have been since childhood, and since this is my life's passion, that was very distressing to hear. I despaired for a while, but someone close to me told me not to give up on my one chance at life. It is because of that person that I have decided to still work on my craft while my hand is recovering, and I hope to make that person proud by continuing to move forward. I hope to give an even better effort in the future, so please anticipate my next projects."
Yi Jeong paused and gave a small bow, and the room broke into applause. Ga Eul clapped as well, still smiling, though it was more of a friendly smile than it was an awe-filled, So-Yi-Jeong-just-thanked-me-in-his-art-lecture smile. He hoped she understood from his words how important she was to him. He thought about pointing her out to everyone but wasn't sure if she'd kill him if he did that. It was one thing to talk to her or appear to romance her—he talked to and seduced a lot of girls, so that was no cause for much speculation. But if he made such a serious public declaration, the rumor would probably spread that she was his girlfriend before he even had a chance to ask her properly. Which could either work in his favor or make her extremely upset with him.
It had definitely backfired in Jun Pyo's case.
He decided not to risk it and launched into his lecture, with that effortless charisma and charm that always made girls swoon over him, and it worked. Kind of. The other girls in the audience leaned forward in their chairs, giggled quietly among themselves, and made eyes at him while he paced the stage. Ga Eul, on the other hand, kept her eyes on her notebook as she scribbled notes for almost the entirety of his lecture.
Notes! When she could easily ask Yi Jeong in person about anything she couldn't remember. How could she not lift her eyes to him even once?
He tried taking questions from the audience. He tried cracking a few jokes. Ga Eul barely raised her head the entire time, and as he kept glancing at her, he lost track of what he was saying several times and had to restart his train of thought. All in all, it wasn't the best presentation he'd ever given, distracted as he was by Ga Eul's infuriating red headband bobbing up and down as she bent over in her chair.
Despite his uncharacteristic fumbling, when the lecture was over, a bunch of the female students crowded around him, asking questions about ceramics with more enthusiasm than even he would have given the subject and questions about his personal life with thinly veiled suggestions in their eyes.
Ga Eul said nothing to him. She gave him a small smile when their eyes met across the vast hall, then quickly retreated up the stairs and out the back door.
A smile? He'd just given a whole speech about her, and all she could give him was a smile?
Even for a commoner, Ga Eul was too stubborn sometimes.
Keeping his well-practiced charm in place, Yi Jeong smoothly excused himself, citing his busy schedule, and followed Ga Eul out of the lecture hall as quickly as he could. Jan Di had mentioned that she had an education class after her art class on Tuesdays, so he attempted to find her in the crowd of students heading towards the education building, but he walked all the way there without seeing any sign of her.
And now his plan to be as conspicuous as possible was backfiring—a crowd gathered near him when he stopped in front of the education building. A few girls took out their phones to snap his picture, and for once, Yi Jeong was in no mood to smile and play along.
He actually wished to be invisible so he could sneak into the building and find Ga Eul and tease her mercilessly for not even saying 'hello,' and Yi Jeong wishing to be invisible was as rare as him wearing casual clothes.
Sighing, Yi Jeong realized that his rendezvous with Ga Eul would have to happen another day. He'd just have to think up a better way to get her to notice him.
The recent setback had dented Yi Jeong's confidence, but not enough to stop him from another attempt to win Ga Eul over. He had made the mistake of using his public persona to impress her, which ironically prevented him from even meeting her. Thankfully, Yi Jeong had an ace up his sleeve.
His phone buzzed, with a message from Eun Jae: She's on her way.
When Eun Jae had heard of Yi Jeong's predicament, she had been more than eager to help him. Ga Eul was a student she was particularly fond of, and she had resoundingly approved of the match. Just now, Eun Jae had sent Ga Eul on an errand that led to his studio, where he was sure everything would work in his favor.
He waited in anticipation for the moment Ga Eul would accept his confession. Then Yi Jeong would finally be able to do what he had been secretly wanting to do since the moment they met. Her eyes would flutter closed as he leaned in and…
Snapping back to reality, he estimated that Ga Eul would arrive any minute. He pressed the button on his stereo remote to cue the music, a playlist of romantic ballads that he had used when he was dating around, something he had stopped many months ago when his life had almost shattered if not for a certain bumpkin. He dipped his hands into a bucket of water, and went to work on the nearly completed pot on his wheel. His right hand felt stiff, but he could still manage a simple vase with his eyes closed.
He smiled to himself knowing there was rarely any woman who could resist the sight of him at his pottery wheel. In fact it had worked its magic on Ga Eul once before. He remembered with pleasure the dreamy look she had in her eyes as she had watched him work. This would be easy.
He had just gotten into his rhythm when the door creaked open and he heard the familiar click of her shoes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two feet clad in dark socks and girlish heels. The feet stopped and faced him. Perfect. He just needed to stay in this pose for a few more minutes to get the full effect. Yi Jeong concentrated on his work as the sweet melodies played in the background.
His smile is sweet as candy
and makes me forget to breathe
How many times, how many times
must I fall for him really?
That was funny. He didn't remember putting "Candy Man" by the Brown Eyed Girls on his iPod queue. The lively techno beat broke the mood he was trying to set, but he would have to make it work. Yi Jeong kept his eyes glued to his pot.
Don't knock me
I hate, hate guys your type
I know that you're the type that'll leave
once you get what you want.
Horrified, Yi Jeong's hand slipped. In the blink of an eye, the vase folded in on itself, its neat lines deformed. Wet clay splattered everywhere.
Your weapon of choice is the dolla dolla bill yo
I hate your overly sweet honey dripped words
I thought there would be no way
You would get to me, but suddenly I'm chasing you
Yi Jeong quickly grabbed the stereo remote and hit the stop button, but clay jammed the button. He hastily wiped his hands on his towel and tried to clean as much as he could off of the remote, but the peppy music only got louder, booming in his studio.
All the women on their knees
in front of you, dressed up and exhausted
So what? I'm okay with that
I've fallen so no matter what you do, I love it all
Giving up on the mangled remote, he rushed towards the stereo. There was a clatter and splash as he tripped and fell, knocking over his stool and water bucket.
"Sunbae, is everything okay?" Ga Eul shouted above the blaring music.
Yi Jeong scrambled to his feet, lunged at the stereo, and yanked the power cord. Unfortunately, the iPod itself continued playing the offending tune.
Watch out little girl, I hope this never happens to you
Watch out little girl, I hope that you won't cry
Watch out little boy, I hope this happens to you
Watch out little boy, I hope you cry as much as I have
Fumbling a bit, he finally managed to press the stop button on the iPod.
"Sunbae, is everything okay?" Ga Eul repeated.
No, everything was NOT okay. It was a disaster. Yi Jeong took a deep breath, pasted on a confident smile, and turned around. "Hi, Ga Eul yang."
Ga Eul's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. She pointed one finger at his face.
With dread, Yi Jeong wiped his cheek with the back of one hand. It was smeared with clay.
Ga Eul giggled. "No, you're making it worse. I'll help you. Let me go find some towels."
While Ga Eul went to find the towels, Yi Jeong surveyed the room. There was water all over the floor, clay splattered on nearby objects and on himself. The ruined pot was still spinning off kilter, as if in mockery. He turned off the wheel, dejected. He had been anticipating showing Ga Eul how much progress he had made, but his work was completely mangled. There was no way to recover from this.
Ga Eul came back with a wet cloth and gestured for him to lean down. She gently dabbed at his face, holding him by the chin with her other hand.
Though Yi Jeong was embarrassed, his heartbeat quickened at this unexpected intimacy. They hadn't been this close since that time he had almost kissed her. In fact, it was also the first time she had ever touched his face. With that small touch, Chu Ga Eul somehow managed to beguile him more than any other woman had ever done.
"Uh, Ga Eul yang. I don't usually listen to that song, so I was just surprised. I think Woo Bin was playing with my iPod." In fact he was sure of it. The Brown Eyed Girls was Woo Bin's favorite group.
"Oh, I see," Ga Eul said, looking into his eyes briefly. Her face was slightly flushed. Perhaps he could still salvage this situation.
He was going to kill Woo Bin at some later time, but Yi Jeong's ire quickly dissipated under Ga Eul's ministrations. He couldn't stay angry while she was being so sweet to him.
"There, all done. You'll have to take a shower when you get home, but I think I got most of it." Ga Eul stepped back. She glanced around. "Do you want some help cleaning up?"
"No, that's okay. It's not so bad," Yi Jeong lied. He would have to carefully clean all the nearby pots that were only half done.
"Did you make all of these, sunbae? They look really good. I bet you'll be back to your old self in no time." Ga Eul smiled at Yi Jeong encouragingly. Her eyes glowed with warmth.
"Thanks, but I still have a long way to go," Yi Jeong replied. "But I'm not going to give up. This is thanks to you."
There was a meaningful silence as they gazed at one another.
Yi Jeong started, "Ga Eul yang, I…"
Ga Eul looked away abruptly. "Oh, Eun Jae seonsaengnim says hi. The tools she borrowed are in this bag. It's too bad she couldn't come see your work herself. She'll be happy to know that you're doing so well."
"Ga Eul yang, I need to tell you—"
"I'll tell Eun Jae seonsaengnim to come visit you in person. Then you can show it to her yourself." She fiddled with the strap of her purse.
Why did she keep mentioning Eun Jae? Did she think he was still hung up on her?
"I'm sorry I interrupted your work, sunbae. I'll let you get back to it." Ga Eul walked towards the door. Then she turned and bowed her head slightly. "Bye, sunbae."
"Wait, Ga Eul yang!" Yi Jeong called out as he watched the elusive girl exit.
He sighed. Yi Jeong now realized why she had misunderstood him that day. But how was he supposed to explain with her avoiding him like this? With this plan being a complete failure, he'd have to go back to the drawing board. Yi Jeong once thought he only had one chance at happiness, but that wouldn't be the case with Ga Eul because this time he wouldn't stop trying.
Leaning against his bright orange Lotus, Yi Jeong stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched as a trio of customers entered the little porridge shop. He'd been standing there for some time now, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ga Eul, but in vain. Streaks of pink and purple had started to stain the sky, and now, with the dinner rush, the restaurant was so crowded he could barely see the bright red apron she always wore blurring about the room. He wondered if he should have come; he'd overheard Jandi complaining to Jun Pyo earlier that day about how stressful the shifts had been and couldn't deny he was glad for an excuse to drive over to the little shop…not that he wanted Ga Eul to have a bad day…He just wanted to be there to pick her up if she did…
Word must have gotten out that members of the F4 had been spotted in the little restaurant, and Yi Jeong was only furthering those rumors by standing outside in plain sight. Still, he waited. It didn't exactly fit his image, but he'd done many things that didn't quite fit his image since meeting Ga Eul.
Readjusting his hair for the fifth time, Yi Jeong shifted into a cooler-looking pose and watched the door as another group of customers arrived. He was rewarded this time when a familiar swish of dark hair bobbed into view, followed by a pair of warm chocolate brown eyes that turned into little half-moons as Ga Eul smiled at the customers. She was smiling, but Yi Jeong noted the way she tucked her hair tiredly behind her ears and found himself glaring childishly at the backs of the men who'd just entered. Did all of South Korea have to come here for dinner?! Maybe he should call up a favor with a few of his friends again and give Ga Eul a break…Yi Jeong cringed as the thought crossed his mind; reminding Ga Eul of his extensive list of female contacts was the last thing he needed now.
She already misunderstood about Eun Jae, and Yi Jeong knew it was his fault she'd been keeping her distance. Maybe this was a bad idea, especially after their last run-in; he was still fishing pieces of dry, crusted clay out of his hair. Still, if she was having a bad day, maybe this was the perfect time to swoop in and…
And what, Yi Jeong?
Do you think she'll look at you again after everything that's happened? That you'll just fly to her rescue, and she'll forget everything?
If only it was that easy. He stared at his designer shoes, wishing money could buy him a second chance.
"What are you doing here?" Yi Jeong jerked his head up to see Ga Eul staring at him. She was holding two garbage bags and had her red apron draped over one arm.
"I, uh"—Yi Jeong quickly resumed his practiced pose, searching for the words that had suddenly fled him—"I was in the area. Thought I'd stop by and get some porridge."
Ga Eul quirked an eyebrow, dropping the garbage bags next to the bin.
"Porridge?"
"Well.." Yi Jeong cringed inwardly at how feeble the excuse sounded now.
"Well, they're open for another hour if you want to—" Ga Eul gestured towards the door in confusion and moved forward a step.
YI Jeong pushed off his car, rushing to salvage the moment.
"Well, you see, I wanted porridge, but I saw an ice cream shop on the way over and thought maybe…." He attempted a carefree smile, nodding to his car.
Ga Eul stared at him, unused to seeing him so flustered. She wanted to say no. An ice cream date with Yi Jeong? She'd had enough fake dates to last a lifetime, and now with Eun Jae in the picture…but this unassured version of the usually cool Yi Jeong was hard to resist. He tugged slightly at his collar, still waiting for an answer.
Yi Jeong looked suspiciously at the ice cream in his hand. He'd let Ga Eul pick the flavor, and she'd returned with a neon pink concoction topped with silver sprinkles. This definitely didn't fit his image.
"Come on, just try it. Pink won't kill you."
Yi Jeong looked unsure but tentatively took a lick. It was good, surprisingly. "I guess it's alright—" He froze mid-sentence, watching as Ga Eul, satisfied with herself for convincing him to try it, licked a stray drop before it could drip down the side of her cone.
A warm rush crept over his face. Why was his heart pounding at something so simple? Could Ga Eul really have reduced him, the renowned Casanova, to a puddle of jumbled hormones in the short time he'd known her? Ga Eul, quite oblivious to his internal suffering, flipped her hair away from her face and took another lick. Yi Jeong gulped and glanced away, focusing intently on a painting on the wall behind her head. It was a caricature of a banana split with the loopy, scrolled words: "I scream because you are driving me crazy." Never had he related more to a piece of art. He wondered for a fleeting moment if Ga Eul was doing it on purpose, refusing to believe this seduction could be so effortless…
Yi Jeong was so focused on not focusing on a certain chocolate-eyed country bumpkin that he failed to notice the small crowd beginning to gather near him.
"It's him, right?"
"Is it really him?!"
The twitters and snickers floated around the small shop, and Ga Eul twisted her face slightly, looking uncomfortable as a group of girls took out their phones.
"What's wrong?" Yi Jeong leaned back casually, hoping Ga Eul noticed the brilliant effect the streaming rays of sunset had on his handsome features. He allowed the hint of a pout to maximize the effect—if Ga Eul could resist this, she was, well, Ga Eul.
"It's nothing, just—" The words suddenly died in her mouth as a girl's purse collided with Yi Jeong's elbow, sending his cone flying into the air. In a split second of horror, Yi Jeong watched Ga Eul's eyes widen as the ice cream hung suspended mid-air before crashing towards his chest. Yi Jeong froze, mouth hanging open as he looked down at his gray designer shirt now taking on a flattering shade of strawberry surprise, the cool sludge of the ice cream seeping into his shirt…
Perhaps Operation Win-Ga-Eul-Over was best left for another day…
Yi Jung slumped on the wooden bench as he stretched out his arms on the backrest and leaned his head back.
'It has been a crazy week. All those attempts, and Ga Eul isn't any closer to being with me. I would just snap my fingers, and girls would be flocking towards me. Why am I even wasting all this time for her? She thinks I don't like her, so let her be. It's better off—'
"No!" Yi Jung yelled in response to his own thoughts. Luckily, the park was filled with people having loud conversations, and no one heard him yell. Confirming with a quick glance that no one had heard him, he looked at his right hand.
'No. I can't give up. Not like this. Ga Eul is worth all the effort. Even if I have to get on my knees for her, I will. She is worth it all.'
As Yi Jung finished his train of thought, he set his elbows on his knees and put his face in his palms. Before he could have any other thought, something flat landed on his head. Yi Jung grabbed the object and looked at it with curious eyes.
"Can I have my frisbee back?" Yi Jung turned his head towards the little kid.
"Frisbee? What in the world is that?"
"You are joking, right? Have you never played Frisbee as a kid?"
Yi Jung gave the object another look and shook his head, causing the child to fold his arms in front of his chest and scan Yi Jung from head to toe.
"Makes sense. Rich meanies like you probably only throw around gold bars."
"Yah! What does that mean?"
"Listen, can I have that back? I need to get back to Ms. Chu, or I'll miss getting a popsicle."
Everything else became a blur; only one word echoed in Yi Jung's mind.
"Ms. Chu? Where is she?" Yi Jung looked towards the direction the kid pointed out, and his heart started to race at the mere sight of Ga Eul standing near a group of kids and handing out popsicles, that beautiful smile of hers growing bigger each time she handed one over. Her smile tied up all the knots in his stomach and made him at a loss for words.
"Umm...If you are done drooling over my teacher, can I have my frisbee back?"
"Teacher? She is teaching you?" As the question left Yi Jung's mouth, the little boy hit his palm on his forehead.
"Yes, that's what teachers do, right? She is volunteering for our class."
"Listen, I'll give you this thing back if you do me a small favor." Yi Jung lifted the disc in the air as he smiled towards the little boy.
"Aren't you too old to ask for favors?"
"Aren't you too young to show this much attitude and talk back?" Yi Jung rolled his eyes. He knew why he never got along with kids; he just couldn't stand their attitudes. But, for Ga Eul, even this he was willing to do.
"I am eleven and a half, practically a man. Now give it back!" As the little boy sprinted to grab his frisbee, Yi Jung quickly stood up and stepped back.
"Come on, just a small favor!"
"Fine, what is it?" The boy sat on the bench, defeated. Yi Jung took the spot next to him and spoke with much joy. "I am trying to take Ms. Chu on a date. So I want you to ask her for me. She loves kids. I am sure she won't say no."
Throwing his arms in the air, the little boy ran towards where Ga Eul stood. Yi Jung watched from the bench. One minute she seemed shocked, and the next she was all smiles.
'Yes, it worked!' Yi Jung gave himself a mental pat on the back. He quickly straightened himself as he saw Ga Eul come towards him with the little boy.
"Yi Jung sunbae, thank you." Before Yi Jung could respond, Ga Eul moved closer to him and grabbed the frisbee.
"Soo Oh is very grateful you found his frisbee and wanted me to tell you how grateful he is."
Yi Jung furrowed his brow as he looked over at the little boy.
"Is that all he said to you?"
"No, he also mentioned he wanted to have a picnic date with me because you told him that if you want to thank someone you take them on a date. Soo Oh really loved all the activities we have been doing and wanted to follow your advice to thank me. Little goofball, how cute. Thanks again, Sunbae!"
Yi Jung's mouth was left hanging open as Ga Eul walked away with the little boy.
'What in the world just happened?'
Before Yi Jung could deepen his thoughts, Soo Oh turned his head towards Yi Jung, passing him a quick wink before turning his head back.
Yi Jung got into his car and drove off. All the failed attempts kept taunting him, and sweat dripped down the side of his forehead as a strange feeling of uneasiness washed over him. All this, and now Ga Eul was even further away.
Yi Jung slammed his palm on the steering wheel and let the air drain out his thoughts for now.
A/N: This chapter was written by:
First Section: JodiMarie2910
Second Section: InHwa
Third Section: LilisLittleRose
Fourth Section: KLSoEul
