A/N: So here we are on the second part of Ga Eul and Yi Jeong's second fake date. I wanted it to be extra special, hence it took me some time. I'll also post some pictures from the drama on Instagram under my account inhwase. I hope you enjoy the SoEul cuteness!
Please also check out my collaboration with KLSoEul, LilisLittleRose, and JodiMarie2910 called Sorrows of a SoEulmate, published by JodiMarie2910. I'm excited to say the next chapter to be published this Friday was written by me, and it promises some spookiness to spice up your October! We've all worked hard on it, so please follow/favorite/comment to show your support!
Episode 16: A date to remember, Part 2
There was a key to unlocking each woman, and usually it was one of a few tried and true techniques that Yi Jeong had figured out early on. By now it was almost second nature for him to win any girl over within a short time, and yes, sometimes in a matter of seconds. He wasn't called Casanova for nothing.
However, with Chu Ga Eul those same techniques hardly drew a real smile. When he took her shopping, she had been thankful but made her best effort to refuse his extravagant gifts. He had flirted with her but even the most subtle moves seemed to make her somewhat uncomfortable. He knew she thought him handsome and talented—who could argue otherwise—yet since the very beginning, he could never get away with anything that she thought was wrong.
Instead, it was things that weren't that impressive that made her eyes light up like eating a simple meal together, having a relaxed conversation about their friends and family, or acting silly with one another. He had a feeling she especially enjoyed it when he looked silly.
His suspicions were confirmed by Ga Eul's overly broad grin when she plonked a pair of fake glasses onto his nose.
"Sunbae, these are perfect!" she gushed enthusiastically.
Yi Jeong peered into the mirror on the table of the vendor at the street market. "Ga Eul yang, I don't know about these. How about those? They look more my style." He pointed at a pair of cheap plastic aviator sunglasses, which he frankly wouldn't think of wearing if it wasn't for the circumstances.
Ga Eul put her hands on her hips and said with a stern look, "Sunbae, don't you know what the problem is? You need to not look like yourself. You're drawing too much attention."
She had a point. Ever since the burger restaurant they had been attracting the whispers and stares of strangers. Fortunately, no one had taken pictures but it was a matter of time before they got into trouble. However, these glasses were too much. The thick black frames were too large and made his nose look huge.
"Sunbae, it's either this or a hat, and you said you didn't want to mess up your hair." Ga Eul narrowed her eyes at him. Her whole demeanor was one that wouldn't accept any argument.
Yi Jeong sighed in defeat and pushed the goofy looking glasses up his nose. Immediately, Ga Eul's bright smile came back. He would have been annoyed at her smugness, but she looked so pleased, it felt like he had done something to be proud of.
It turned out Ga Eul was right about the glasses. As they wandered through the busy market no one took a second glance at him. Not having to play the role of a famous chaebol, and being with someone who was quite uninterested in that status, Yi Jeong felt himself relax. He was able to really look at his surroundings and take everything in. The street market was full of a variety of wares that wouldn't have interested Yi Jeong, but there was a lively, bustling energy about the place that had its own appeal. There were vendors yelling out deals to attract attention, customers haggling for bargains, smells of street food wafting from all directions. It was actually quite liberating to be ignored in public for once.
Except at that moment, his date was actively trying to ignore him too.
"Sunbae, don't follow me too closely. I'm going to go buy some stuff and it would be better if we pretend we don't know each other," Ga Eul ordered him.
Yi Jeong was dumbfounded. "Why would it be better if we weren't together, Ga Eul yang?"
"Just look at you! You reek of money. If you're with me, I won't be able to get a good deal." With that decree, Ga Eul abandoned Yi Jeong in the middle of the street.
Yi Jeong shook his head. He had never had a date like this before in his life. Usually his dates were trying to show him off, but this one? Ga Eul had basically told him to get lost. Having no other choice, he followed her from a distance, watching her go from stall to stall examining items and purchasing a few along the way.
At one stop, she seemed to be getting into a bit of an argument with the middle aged woman behind the table. Having nothing better to do, curiosity got the better of Yi Jeong. He approached them and overheard their conversation.
"15,000 won is my price. I'm not selling it for even ten won less," the vendor stated firmly.
"Ahjumma, this can't be worth more than 8,000 won." Ga Eul was pointing at a black velvet headband.
"8,000 won? I made that by hand. Do you know how long that took me? Go ahead and look around. You won't find quality like that anywhere else."
"Okay, 10,000 won then."
"I have a family to feed. If I cut the price, how am I supposed to live?" The woman gave Ga Eul a sorrowful look.
Of course, the 5,000 won difference wasn't a big deal to Yi Jeong, but their bargaining interestingly reminded him of the deals he made on the art pieces he traded for the So family collection.
Ga Eul hesitated, eyeing the headband. Yi Jeong could tell she really wanted the headband and that was a negotiation killer.
"Why don't you get your boyfriend to pay? He looks like he has money." The older lady pointed directly at Yi Jeong.
"What?" Ga Eul whipped around and spotted Yi Jeong a few steps behind her. She frowned at him then turned back. "Ahjumma, that's not my boyfriend. I don't even know him!"
"He's been following you and watching you this whole time. He seems to like you." The woman looked at Yi Jeong. "Hey young man, why aren't you paying for your girlfriend?"
Ga Eul gave Yi Jeong an exasperated look and stomped away to Yi Jeong's bemusement.
"Young man, are you going to buy it or not?" The ahjumma waited expectantly.
Yi Jeong pulled out a crisp 50,000 won bill from his wallet and handed it over. The ahjumma efficiently wrapped the headband in a paper bag and handed it to him along with the change. She cackled, pleased with herself. "I knew it! Your girlfriend's a tough one. You'll have to work hard to keep up with her."
Yi Jeong smiled back. "She is. But she's cute."
This elicited another guffaw from the vendor. "Good luck with her!"
As he walked away, he heard the same vendor haggling with the next customer. "It's really 15,000 won but I'll make you a deal for 12,000 won."
Yi Jeong closed his eyes and sighed. He'd been played by a sales expert. No wonder Ga Eul was so annoyed with him. He quickly caught up to her a few stalls down, and she was still fuming.
"Ga Eul yang, are you angry?"
Ga Eul folded her arms and scowled at him, but it only made him chuckle. She really was rather cute when she was mad.
"Ga Eul yang, look this way." He held her shoulders and gently turned her towards him. He unwrapped the black velvet headband and placed it on her head, tucking the stray hair behind her ears. It was a very Ga Eul look. "It looks pretty on you. Next time, you should let your boyfriend buy things for you, especially if he has money."
Her eyes went round with surprise. She pressed her lips together as if she was trying to hide a smile.
"It's been a while since lunch, how about I buy you some food?" He pointed at a nearby food stall.
She nodded, pretending to be reluctant. "Well, a trip to the street market wouldn't be complete without some ddukbokki."
"Ddukbokki? What's that?"
Ga Eul gasped and looked at him like he had grown horns. "You don't know what ddukbokki is? It's only the most popular street food in all of South Korea."
She grabbed him by the arm and ushered him to the food stall where she ordered a dish of white oblong rice cakes swimming in red sauce and a set of fried dumplings that he paid for.
It was crowded, but they found a small table with two plastic stools for seats. Ga Eul speared a rice cake with a short skewer and blew on it a few times. She held it out to him with her hand underneath. "Sunbae, say ah."
Yi Jeong hesitated. It looked like it had a lot of carbs and he'd just had a greasy hamburger for lunch.
"Jandi and Jun Pyo are watching. Remember we're on a date," Ga Eul teased.
Nevermind that she had pretended that he didn't exist when she was shopping. But their friends were watching and it wouldn't look good to be arguing, so Yi Jeong opened his mouth wide for Ga Eul to feed him. The rice cake was chewy while the sauce was both spicy and sweet.
"It's good isn't it?" Ga Eul asked expectantly.
Yi Jeong nodded, still chewing. It was quite tasty.
Ga Eul smiled happily and she started to eat as well. One of the keys to unlocking Ga Eul was definitely food, Yi Jeong concluded with amusement.
When they were finished with the rice cakes and dumplings, Ga Eul gave a sigh of contentment. "That really hit the spot."
She looked at Yi Jeong, eyes full of mirth. "There's something on your face."
This girl really loved it when he looked awkward, but two could play that game. He leaned forward until his nose was just a couple of inches away from hers. She froze and a blush creeped onto her face. He asked in a low voice, "Ga Eul yang, can you wipe it off for me?"
She blinked, then dabbed at his lips gently with a napkin. "There."
"Thank you." He sat back down with a self-satisfied smirk. She still looked bewildered and was now staring at his lips. Perhaps she wasn't as immune to his charms as he'd thought.
"Looks like we're not the only ones who enjoyed the food." He gestured towards a food stall across the street. There Jandi and Jun Pyo were gorging on skewers of fish cakes and they were still going strong. Then he had an idea.
"It looks like they're going to be there for a while." He grinned at Ga Eul mischievously and grabbed her hand. "Let's get out of here."
They ran down the street until they got to the end of the market and stopped, a little out of breath. When they looked around, Jandi and Jun Pyo were nowhere in sight.
"Sunbae, didn't you want them to follow us?"
"They're enjoying themselves without us, so we might as well take a break. They'll find us soon enough." Yi Jeong looked around the area. "The river's not far from here. Want to go for a walk?"
At Han river they strolled leisurely, having escaped their friends' watchful eyes, and enjoyed the last of the autumn sun's rays before it set. Being the weekend, the riverside was fairly busy with families on picnics, couples on tandem bicycles, and boats out on the water. They stopped occasionally to observe a few street performers such as a band, a violinist, and a juggling clown. Ga Eul seemed to not have noticed they were still holding hands, but Yi Jeong didn't mind. If they were going to act, they may as well do it completely.
"Sunbae, let's do that!" Ga Eul tugged on his hand and led him to an old man bent over a flame, stirring a tiny pan of liquid. "Have you ever played the dalgona game before?"
Yi Jeong shook his head.
She exchanged money for two flat, round candies the size of her palm with shapes imprinted on them. "These are dalgona candies. Pick one."
He picked the one with the heart, leaving her with the triangle. He didn't like the gleeful expression on her face. She handed him a metal sewing needle. "What you want to do is cut out the shape in the middle. Whoever manages to do it first without breaking it wins."
"Let me guess, the loser gets a punishment?" Yi Jeong was getting used to Ga Eul's style by now.
They sat at the table nearby and went to work. Yi Jeong had been sure that it would be an easy task for someone as skilled with his hands as he was. Alas, it was harder than it looked. Ga Eul was much faster, sometimes licking the needle or nibbling on the candy. Yi Jeong quickened his pace but as he was breaking off the last outer piece, the heart cracked into two.
"Ah-ssa!" Ga Eul exclaimed triumphantly. She proudly held up her triangle, still in one whole piece.
Yi Jeong couldn't believe he had been bamboozled twice in the same day. Then again, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd been tricked by the seemingly innocent girl.
While Ga Eul went to retrieve her extra candy prize from the dalgona vendor, Yi Jeong's phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Woo Bin: Sorry, bro, but I can't do this anymore.
Yi Jeong: What's going on?
Woo Bin: I didn't know it was going to be this hard to teach the Monkey how to dance. My feet are bruised from her stomping on them.
Yi Jeong: We haven't gotten to the highlight yet.
Woo Bin: I don't care. Jun Pyo and Jandi are on their own!
Yi Jeong: We're the F4, you can't just give up on a friend.
Woo Bin: You don't understand, we're going to a musical now.
Yi Jeong: That actually sounds like fun. You can just sit and relax.
Woo Bin: But we're not just sitting. Monkey's trying to bribe them so we can be IN the musical. She thinks she can sing.
Yi Jeong: Dear god. I never want to hear "Nobody" again. She was terrible.
Woo Bin: Bro, you gotta save me.
Yi Jeong: If you wear enough makeup, no one will know it's you.
Woo Bin: You can't be serious.
Yi Jeong: Just hang in there a bit longer, I think they've almost made up.
Woo Bin: HELP
Yi Jeong: Good luck!
Ga Eul came back from retrieving her prize with an evil grin on her face. "Yi Jeong sunbae, are you ready for your punishment?"
Yi Jeong closed his eyes tight. His forehead had been sore for almost a whole day after she had flicked it on the ski trip. Instead of pain though, he felt something soft on his nose. As soon as he opened his eyes he heard a click. Ga Eul had her phone aimed straight at him with her other hand covering her mouth. She had just taken a picture.
Yi Jeong put a hand to his nose in dread, and removed a squishy red foam ball. This was much worse than getting a forehead flick.
"Chu Ga Eul!" He reached for her phone, but she was too quick and took off running with a squeal. He had no choice but to chase her. After all, his reputation as F4's Casanova was at stake.
Yi Jeong had longer legs so he soon caught up to her. Grabbing her by the arm he hauled in a giggling Ga Eul. As much as he tried to swipe the phone away, she outmaneuvered him.
"Sorry, sunbae, but you lost!"
"You tricked me again. Erase that picture right now, Chu Ga Eul!"
"I never took you for a sore loser. Shouldn't a member of the F4 take it like a man?"
"You'd better not post that photo anywhere."
"Why would I when I could use it for blackmail?"
"Oh really?" There was no way he was going to let her get away with that. Yi Jeong attempted to place the red clown nose onto her face, as Ga Eul shrieked with laughter while turning her face back and forth.
She escaped his hold and was about to run away again when her phone rang. She held it up to show that it was Jandi. At the same time Yi Jeong's phone rang too with a call from Jun Pyo. They must have finally noticed that they had lost track of Yi Jeong and Ga Eul. The break from their spies had been fun while it lasted, but it was time to be found.
Yi Jeong answered his phone. "Jun Pyo-yah. What is it?"
"Where are you now?" Jun Pyo was never one for subtlety.
"Why are you asking? I'm on a date."
"Just… I want to know where you are."
"We're at the Han River, but we're heading to dinner soon."
"Dinner, where?"
"Momo Sushi." It was the sushi restaurant Jun Pyo had once taken Jandi to. "It's down by—"
Jun Pyo hung up on Yi Jeong before he could finish his sentence. Yi Jeong rolled his eyes. If he were on a real date with Ga Eul, he could have easily shaken his friend off hours ago.
Presumably having had a similar conversation with Jandi, Ga Eul rejoined Yi Jeong.
"So I guess now we let them find us," Yi Jeong said. "Any chance you could delete that photo?"
"Never," said Ga Eul smugly. "When am I ever going to get another picture of F4's So Yi Jeong with glasses and a clown nose?"
Ugh. Yi Jeong had forgotten about the glasses. He ripped them off and looked at the ugly black frames. He must have really looked like a clown.
"Don't worry sunbae. You make a very handsome clown." Ga Eul's eyes twinkled with merriment.
Seeing how delighted she looked, Yi Jeong couldn't help but laugh. If Chu Ga Eul was a puzzle, then he may have just found another key.
#####
The rest of the evening passed like a dream for Ga Eul. Yi Jeong had toned down his flirtatiousness and they both became at ease in each other's company. It was almost shocking how different their worlds were, but somehow their conversation was natural with no awkwardness. He never made her feel like he looked down on her, but listened with genuine interest, sometimes curiosity.
At dinner Yi Jeong regaled her with stories about his adventures with the F4. Being among the wealthiest heirs in the country, their escapades were fantastical in nature. She wouldn't have believed it, except she had been on one of them herself.
While they were being eavesdropped on, Yi Jeong took advantage of the opportunity to roast his friend, to Ga Eul's amusement.
"There was one time that Jun Pyo's pet python got lost in his house," Yi Jeong told her, his voice a little louder than usual. "It was over five or six meters long and they couldn't find it for days. Jun Pyo was so scared he even hired a snake charmer—I remember the guy walking around Jun Pyo's mansion all day playing flute. One morning Jun Pyo got out of bed and something grabbed his leg. It turned out, the snake was hiding under his bed and thought Jun Pyo was breakfast. He screamed and almost fainted."
They could hear Jandi laugh from several tables over. "Gu Jun Pyo, the snake must have been really hungry to want to eat you."
Jun Pyo tried to defend himself. "It was more like ten meters long. You know it can eat a whole antelope."
"That's what you get for being crazy enough to have a pet python," Jandi scoffed. "What was the snake's name?"
Jun Pyo hesitated, then said, "Po-ong Po-ong."
Ga Eul tried hard not to laugh along with Jandi. Who would name a deadly snake "huggie huggie"?
Ga Eul couldn't resist joining in, so she told Yi Jeong, also a little louder than usual, "One time, Jandi's mom gave her a perm. Her hair was already short so everyone called her ahjumma—even some of the grown ups in the neighborhood did it by accident. It was like this for months until Jandi's perm had grown out."
Jun Pyo guffawed loudly, pointing at a pouting Jandi. "And you made fun of my hair. At least I've never been called ahjumma!"
"Yah, do you know how much trauma I had from that?" Jandi scowled at Jun Pyo.
Ga Eul felt a little bad, but teasing her friend was too much fun. The best part was, she and Yi Jeong wouldn't get in trouble for this unless their friends confessed to their meddling. At the very least, Ga Eul and Yi Jeong had succeeded in making the quarreling couple laugh.
Yi Jeong winked at Ga Eul. He whispered, "It serves them right for following us this whole time."
Ga Eul wholeheartedly agreed.
#####
Once dinner was done, they headed to the ice skating rink. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul had decided that it would be a good idea for Jandi and Jun Pyo to go somewhere they had pleasant memories.
To Ga Eul's puzzlement, when they got to the rink, Yi Jeong didn't put on skates.
"Sunbae, aren't you skating?" she asked.
"Just trust me," he said to her with a smile.
Instead he led her to the center of the rink and held both of her hands. He explained it was easier to learn to skate this way, something his brother had done for him when he was just starting out. He pulled her along as he walked backwards, sometimes swinging her around in slow circles.
Indeed it was much more fun to skate this way. Ga Eul hadn't been swung around like this since she was a child, and she found herself laughing and feeling freer than she had in a while. When she almost lost her balance, Yi Jeong was there to keep her steady.
Oh, but his smile… Yi Jeong was extremely handsome to begin with, but his smile that lit up his eyes was enough to melt her heart into a puddle. Even though they were putting on an act, for today she could look at him to her heart's content. She delighted in watching Yi Jeong laugh with her as he guided her across the ice, and she wondered if he enjoyed the moment as much as she did.
She pushed the thought away that she wouldn't be able to do so again—she would take what she could for now. She pretended his care was real when he put his jacket around her when she was cold. She imagined that the fireworks he surprised everyone with were only for her. If it were real, she had never been on a date she enjoyed as much as this one.
"Are you ready?" Yi Jeong asked, as the fireworks died down.
Ga Eul said yes, but honestly she wasn't. From the high story hotel room, as she gazed down at the ice skating rink, the distance between the two of them fully hit her. The world of So Yi Jeong, Casanova of the F4, was up here, and her world was down there.
She avoided looking at the bed in the center of the room, and tried not to think about how Yi Jeong's dates usually ended. She tried, but failed not to think about what it would be like for him to kiss her, something that had already dangerously intruded her thoughts a few times that day.
"Our operation was a success," Yi Jeong said, coming back after spying on their friends through the peephole in their door.
Ga Eul turned to face him. "Will everything be alright?"
"I'm not sure. As a couple, they have so much going against them. We've done all we could, so we'll just have to wait and see. You did great today, Ga Eul yang."
The compliment made Ga Eul feel warm inside. They had shared a day that was like no other. The two of them made a good team in conspiring against their unwitting friends.
Yi Jeong's phone rang and he answered. "Woo Bin-ah. Yup, we're about to finish up here."
Yi Jeong gestured the way out for Ga Eul. As she passed him, her heart couldn't help but flutter at the way he was looking at her, as if he was pleased with her. He must have definitely enjoyed their day together—she would bet on it. Whether it was something more, could she dare to hope?
#####
Yi Jeong had always enjoyed making Ga Eul blush. But today, he had discovered he enjoyed making her smile even more. The funny thing was, it didn't require a lot of effort—he didn't have to think about his next move, or calculate how to achieve his conquest. Rather, she seemed to smile more when he stopped trying, and he found himself relaxing more as the day progressed. Her positive energy was infectious. They had laughed the most when she almost slipped on the ice while skating. Indeed it had been a better idea to hold two hands rather than one.
Granted, it hadn't been a real date to begin with, and most of the day had been tailored to Jandi and Jun Pyo. However, a date with So Yi Jeong had to impress. He had been gratified by her look of delight when he had surprised her with the fireworks display.
She was always genuine and open, which was refreshing compared to the coy and boastful people he was usually around. With her he knew she wasn't trying to manipulate him or get something out of him. He had spent all day with her, yet he wouldn't have minded if it had lasted a little longer.
There was one thing he was realizing that troubled him, and it was how much Ga Eul sacrificed for her family. He knew a little bit about sacrifice and how heavy it could weigh on a person. He had wanted to offer to help with her brother's condition, but there really wasn't a way to do so without making it awkward between them. He didn't have that kind of role in her life.
When Yi Jeong finally brought Ga Eul home, her house was dark and quiet. The street light cast a yellowish hue on their surroundings as they stood outside her gate. They stayed smiling at each other in the dim light for a while, almost as if time had suspended.
The silence was broken when Yi Jeong's phone buzzed. It was a text from Woo Bin, who had finally been relieved of his tortuous duties.
Woo Bin: Hehe, I tricked Monkey out of the musical and took her to my club instead. It's too loud to hear her sing. We'll see who out drinks who now.
Hmm, that was interesting. Who would have thought Woo Bin would voluntarily spend more time with the hyperactive heiress, Ha Jae Kyung?
Ga Eul's phone rang. When she looked at it, she frowned and answered it. "Mm, Jandi, what is it?"
It was probably Jandi trying to interrupt their date again. Hopefully things had gone well with Jun Pyo.
"What? Calm down Jandi, it's hard to hear you… He did take me to a hotel, but it was only to look at the view… No, Yi Jeong sunbae just brought me home," Ga Eul said. It was an innocent explanation that they had planned in advance.
She continued. "No, it's not serious. You know we're not a good match. We both agreed that it's not going to work out. I think Yi Jeong sunbae was just being nice, and took me out for fun."
Yi Jeong felt his mood deflate at this, though he really shouldn't have had a reason to be disappointed.
"Yes, I'm okay. I knew from the beginning he didn't really like me that way… You're right, I'm not his type."
Yi Jeong was annoyed. What business was it of Jandi's what his type was?
"But, is everything okay, Jandi? You don't sound so great… What? You were with Jun Pyo, and his mom took him away?" Ga Eul met Yi Jeong's eyes.
The Witch. Of course she would interfere. Though you could escape for a day, there was no way to avoid the ones pulling the strings. Yi Jeong knew this all too well.
"Where are you now?... Oh, you're home?" Ga Eul sighed in relief. "Do you want me to come over now?... No? Well, then I'll see you tomorrow at the shop… Mm, bye."
"Sunbae, what should we do now?" Ga Eul asked Yi Jeong with concern.
He shook his head. "We gave them a chance and hopefully they didn't waste it."
Ga Eul nodded to herself. "Maybe now they'll remember how much they like each other."
Even if they remembered, Yi Jeong wondered if it would be enough to overcome their obstacles.
She smiled at him. "Sunbae, thank you for taking me out today. I had fun."
"Mm, me too." It was true. Yi Jeong had surprisingly enjoyed their whole day together.
"I'll go inside now. Goodnight, sunbae," she said with a slight nod.
"Sleep well, Ga Eul yang."
With one last look back, Ga Eul went through her front gate.
Alone under the streetlamp outside her home, Yi Jeong recalled a different night much like this one, when a naive bumpkin had turned his day around. In fact, he was learning that she wasn't so naive or foolish as he had first thought. Ga Eul was brave, honest, warm, loyal, and caring. He knew a little bit about women, and she was a rare one.
#####
A/N: In Kim Bum's song "I'm Going to Meet You Now", part of the Boys Over Flowers OST, there is a line that says "The streetlamp where we first spoke, still shines a light in my heart," thus the last scene.
Unfortunately after this, Yi Jeong's life takes a major downturn. I haven't quite decided where I will pick his story back up, but the disaster date will definitely be coming up soon, so expect a lot of drama!
References:
- ddukbokki: chewy rice cakes cooked in a red, spicy broth. It's a popular Korean street food.
- dalgona: a type of honeycomb toffee which is made with sugar and baking soda. It was a popular street snack in the 1970s and 1980s, and is still eaten as a retro food. Typically, the creamy beige liquid is poured on a flat surface, pressed flat, and stamped with a patterned mold. Eaters try to trim their way around the outline or picture on the snack without breaking the picture. Dalgona was recently featured in the hit Netflix show "Squid Game."
- "Ah-ssa!": an exclamation meaning "Yay!"
