It didn't take long for Woo Bin to reach out to someone who could help him sort out the mess he'd made...
...if only the said person could actually be contacted.
After several trials, however, Woo Bin let out a relieved breath when his call finally came through.
"-Woo Bin."
"Yo, my man. You okay?" He swung his chair so that it would face the window instead of the mountain of paperwork that he had not yet started on. "It only took you, what, thirty missed calls to actually answer one? You had me worried." He paused and added, quite meaningfully, "You usually call after twenty."
"Sorry." Ji Hoo sighed soulfully at the other end of the line. "Things have been crazy hectic these past days. You know, this is the first time I got to hold my phone this week?"
"It's Thursday," Woo Bin helpfully reminded him. "As in already past the mid-point of the week?"
Ji Hoo chuckled, and even in doing that he sounded tired. "Like I said. Crazy hectic."
Woo Bin grimaced. Well, now that Ji Hoo had said that, it seemed like his call came at a very bad time - like he was intruding during his friend's well-deserved moment of rest. With some reluctance he said, "You know, if you want I can call you some other day-"
"No, no." Woo Bin could imagine Ji Hoo shaking his head. "It's okay. This way, one of you can attest to the fact that I'm still alive. Remind me to call Jun Pyo and Yi Jung next; I have exactly forty-seven missed calls shared among the three of you. Imagine that."
"They're pretty good reminders that we can't live without you, aren't they?" Woo Bin smiled in what seemed like the first time these days. "Our lives are a complete mess without the good Yoon Ji Hoo serving as our beacon. Our guiding light."
Ji Hoo laughed. "I'll be surprised if that isn't the truth."
"Ass," Woo Bin chuckled.
"So," Ji Hoo said. "Are you going to tell the the reason you're calling me, or do I need to guess?"
He raised his brows as he said, "What, can't I just say I miss you? Isn't that a valid enough reason?"
"Last time it's because you're bothered Yi Jung hasn't called you yet," Ji Hoo reminded him, completely sidestepping Woo Bin's pathetic attempt to flatter. "Don't tell me it's still the same case now, several weeks later?"
"Seems like yesterday that my problem was just that, wasn't it?" Woo Bin said, leaning back on his chair and exhaling loudly. "Bro, I'd give my left arm to have that problem again. Right arm, too."
"What happened?"
He hesitated. "Yi Jung hasn't told you anything?"
"He probably would have had I answered any of his missed calls."
"Wow," Woo Bin enunciated. "I realize now what a miracle it is that you actually took time to take mine. I feel so special."
"I'm thinking things between the two of you aren't well," Ji Hoo said dryly, "since you're bothering me instead of him."
"Good thing I have you and Jun Pyo as spare friends, then." Woo Bin loosened his tie. God, he needed a drink, probably a liter or two - and someone to drink them with. Too bad those he used to share them with were either hundreds of miles away, or far worse - loathing him.
Then a realization hit him. "You know, everything's actually your goddamned fault. I followed your advice and now everything's gone to hell. Thank you."
"Which one? The one where I told you to be honest with yourself?"
Woo Bin pressed the bridge of his nose. "I'll probably be happier if I hadn't been." It was one of the things that kept bothering him, these past few days. What if he hadn't told Yi Jung his feelings? What if he'd kept Ga Eul in the dark about his intentions? Would he still be in this mess - or free of it? "Why did I even listen to you anyway?"
"You told Yi Jung the truth?"
"Yes. And it went as well as one would expect." Meaning, not at all. "He'd threatened to murder me. Rip me apart with his fragile potter hands! Can you imagine? I almost felt intimidated."
Always the voice of calm reason, Yoon Ji Hoo said, "I'm sure there must be a reason his outburst was like that."
At that moment, Woo Bin was certain he hated him for it. "Pretty sure it's because I told him I like his girl, but one can never really know with So Yi Jung."
Ji Hoo sighed. "I take it you haven't talked to him since."
"No," Woo Bin replied. "But it's not like he tried calling me, either. I mean, what are we going to talk about? The kind of moves I'm making on Chu Ga Eul? Which restaurant he thinks I should take her to, to impress her?" He rolled his eyes at the absurdity of his own statements.
"How about how the two of you would start making amends?"
Woo Bin grimaced again. Truth be told his talk with Yi Jung left a wound that only festered after some time; his best friend's words hurt, not just because they were said with malice, but also because of the grains of truth embedded in them:
I know you better than anyone else. When it comes to women, you're just after one thing. After that, they're just garbage to you. No wonder you were never in any serious relationship.
Goddamn it, Yi Jung.
"I don't know, bro," he finally said. "If he makes the first move, then I'll-" He paused, mulling the thought over no matter how impossible it seemed to him. "-I'll probably think about it." But with how things were now, Woo Bin would have to be shot first before he took the first step in reconciling with So Yi Jung.
His willingness to do so would also be greatly affected by what Ga Eul's decision would be, after he'd thrown the proverbial ball in her court. If she chose to wait for Yi Jung, then, well...
I'm not going to jeopardize our friendship over some woman.
Funny how he'd once said that, once upon a time.
"Then just-" Ji Hoo paused suddenly.
"Just what?"
"Wait."
Woo Bin could hear some muffled sounds coming from his friend's end. He was about to ask about it when the Ji Hoo said, "Someone wants to talk to you; you up to it?"
Frowning, Woo Bin shrugged and said, "Sure."
Now who could this be? Pretty sure he knew no one from Ji Hoo's part of the country.
"-Woo Bin-Sunbae?"
Ah.
How could he have forgotten? The love of Go Jun Pyo and Yoon Ji Hoo's lives; the immeasurable and immaculate Geum Jan Di. This ought to be good. Woo Bin smiled as he greeted, "Yo, beautiful. How have you been?"
"Don't ask me that," Jan Di snapped, sounding as testy as he'd ever heard her. "Don't you dare sound so- so charming! Not after what you've done to my best friend!"
-oh. Scratch that, then; this could not be good. Woo Bin found himself straightening in his seat. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, please," Jan Di scoffed. "You really think she isn't telling me things? About you and, well-you know?"
"Jan Di-" Ji Hoo said, seemingly from behind her.
"I haven't done anything to her," Woo Bin refuted. What did Ga Eul even tell her?
"Yeah? Yeah? Then why are you confusing her, Woo Bin-Sunbae?" Jan Di accused him.
"I'm not-"
"You think her waiting for Yi Jung-Sunbae isn't painful enough that you have to add to it?" she fairly snarled.
This turn of events really wasn't how he envisioned calling Ji Hoo would turn out to be. Truth be told he hadn't entertained the thought that he had to defend his intentions to Ga Eul's best friend, of all people - yet, here they both were.
You're just going to hurt her, Woo Bin. Yi Jung's tired voice drifted into his mind, making him clench his fist.
Why was everyone assuming that that was what he was out to do?
"Jan Di, listen," Woo Bin said as patiently as he could. "You have to believe me when I say that hurting Ga Eul is the furthest thing in my mind right now. I have no intention of doing it. As for confusing her, well I haven't- I'm-"
"-what?" Jan Di demanded.
He drew up breath he didn't realize he needed. "I'm letting her decide what will become of us," Woo Bin slowly said, refraining from mentioning that it was, in fact, the good doctor's advice. "I'm not pressuring her to do anything she doesn't want. You have my word that I won't. I'll respect her decision, whatever it will be. And if you don't believe that then I'm sorry. Ga Eul knows the truth as well as I do and frankly that's all that should matter."
Jan Di didn't speak for quite some time, making Woo Bin think they lost connection, somehow - or that she'd purposely severed it. Then she said, "Answer me this: do you really like her?"
He counted up to three before countering with, "Do you really like Go Jun Pyo?"
She scoffed. "Ya! That's not an answer!"
"It is if you answered 'yes'." Funny how the more people there were who knew about his feelings, the easier it became for him to admit them.
"Ugh. What a mess," she commented, seemingly calming down now - much to Woo Bin's relief. A confrontative Geum Jan Di wasn't really something he'd like to see - unless Jun Pyo was with him as the receiving end of her wrath. "You know that she really likes Yi Jung-Sunbae? I didn't think she'll get over him. She'd enrolled in pottery classes just to get close to him - not to mention the gifts she'd made for him! She's just-"
Woo Bin gritted his teeth. "Let's not-"
"But nowadays Ga Eul isn't-" Jan Di paused. "These past few weeks all she ever talked to me about is you. What you've done for her to get to school, how her parents like you so much they're practically blackmailing her to get you to come to their house again, how kind and considerate you have been to her. At first I thought it was weird. I mean, you're Woo Bin-Sunbae. You're Yi Jung-Sunbae'sbest friend!And yet-"
For the first time in what seemed like weeks, Woo Bin allowed himself to hope. Ga Eul talking kindly about him to Jan Di - that should mean something, right?
He kept it at a minimum, though, lest he get bitten in the ass for doing so. "Wouldn't you know it? People can move on." Almost teasingly he added, "I think you would know something about that."
Jan Di went quiet, and for a second Woo Bin entertained the thought that he'd offended her - which of course would Not Be A Good Thing. Then she sighed and said, "I just... I don't want her to experience what I did. Coming in between two friends, that's-"
Woo Bin leaned back on his chair. A little too late for that sentiment, he thought wryly. "For what it's worth, it's not your fault things happened like they did."
"What, are you going to say something along the lines of, 'you can't control who you fall in love with?'"
"Your words, not mine," Woo Bin said, smiling now. "I'm not that much of a romantic, thank you."
"Thank goodness for that!" Jan Di emphatically said. "I don't think I can bear hearing it from you, of all people."
"So. Are we good?" he asked her, hoping she'd say yes. Having her on his side definitely would not hurt his chances.
He could imagine her wrinkling her nose as she replied, "I don't know. How could I trust you with her? How would I know you're not just out to break her heart?"
"Why," he couldn't help himself but ask, "does everyone assume I'll do that?"
"You're Don Juan, remember?" Jan Di replied rather testily. "It's basically a given."
You're just going to hurt her, Woo Bin.
"Tell you what." Woo Bin leaned forward on his chair, earnest now. "If I do hurt her, then, as her best friend, I'll give you free rein to do whatever you want to me in return." A dangerous proposition for sure, but anything's better than empty platitudes.
"You mean... I can drown you in a pool and you won't complain?" she asked shrewdly.
Poor Jun Pyo. Did he know his girlfriend actually had a sadistic streak? Outwardly he said, "Pretty sure I can't complain even if I wanted to, since I'll be dead and all."
"Ya, Woo Bin-Sunbae! Be serious!"
"Yes you can drown me," he said, "and you won't hear a word."
"Then it's settled," Jan Di said firmly. "Better watch your back, Sunbae. I'll be on the lookout for you."
She talked as if everything was a done deal already. Wistfully Woo Bin said, "Of course, that's assuming Ga Eul will even give me half a chance."
She snorted indelicately. "Like she hasn't already? She's basically completely in love with-" Then she paused.
So did he. "What?"
"Nothing. Nothing! I didn't say anything. Uh, bye."
"No wait, wait! Geum Jan Di! Get back here!"
Too late.
Some sort of scuffle happened at the other end of the line; the next thing he knew Ji Hoo was talking to him again. "What did you say to her?" he asked. "She ran out of the room like it was on fire."
Woo Bin raked his hand through his hair. "I think the better question is what did she say to me."
She's basically completely in love with-
What could it mean, exactly?
Only one way to find out.
"Bro, I have to go. And- wish me luck, will you?"
"Why? What will you-"
Beep.