Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
All morning long, Ga Eul heard the giggled disruptions in class and hushed whispers through the halls. Much different from the usual dull atmosphere, it was as if some unknown phenomenon had come down, giving interest to the most tedious lecture and shaking even the most devoted student from their studies.
Perhaps the school got a new investor Ga Eul wondered absentmindedly, eyeing professor Yu who was usually strictly impassive but at this moment could be seen whispering among the front row and adjusting his tie nervously. Not entirely convinced by her guess, but also not one to care much for gossip, the exhausted girl put her earbuds back in and attempted to study the work in front of her.
A rustle of paper broke her concentration as something landed on her desk—a crumpled-up note.
"Rotunda, 4:15!" it read.
The senders, a pair of girls giggling at the other end of the lecture hall, didn't seem to care who received the note as Ga Eul spied more than a few papers strewn about the room and more than a few students bending over similar missiles. Sighing, she returned to her book using the paper as a bookmark. Whatever the cause for the disturbance, Ga Eul dearly hoped it would die down soon so she could study in peace.
Shin University was indeed abuzz with more than the usual activity that morning, and for good reason. It wasn't every day a member of the F4 was said to be taking private classes at the school and, even more thrilling, staying in the dorms!
In Su, the created and sole instigator of this particular piece of gossip swore he saw one of the four wandering the hallways long after dark. Though he wasn't exactly known for his honest reputation and the chances a member of the F4 was actually attending a public school slim to none, the rumor spread like wildfire.
As the hours passed though, anticipation dwindled and the crowd of students milling about the main entrance gradually dissipated. With no sign of a fancy sports car, or, more importantly, the devilishly handsome man they hoped would emerge from it, many returned to their classes though a few hopeful remained behind. It was the F4, after all!
The F4's reputation was well known, especially as they branched out into the "real world" and distinguished themselves as able businessmen while also distancing themselves from their less-than-mature high school days when they had ruled their school and often bullied those they considered beneath them.
Things had changed with the arrival of Jun Pyo's now wife. Although specifics were unknown to the general public, Jandi had changed the F4, making them more humane and less of the harsh and sometimes cruel figures of the past. In those days, many a rumor had speculated just what tricks Jandi had used to capture one of the most eligible gentlemen in the country, and many a bitter soul had pronounced her a seductress whose charms wouldn't last more than a month. Yet hopes gradually dwindled as the years passed and the F4 leader remained devoted to the girl who had stolen her way into his stoney heart. Now, with Jun Pyo married and Ji Hoo away studying in the U.S., Woo Bin and Yi Jeong had been claimed as the personal property of many fiercely loyal fans, college students included.
Two such college students were busy lamenting their misfortunes to each other.
"Just my luck, how am I supposed to make Yi Jeong fall madly in love with me if I'm stuck in classes all day!?" one girl commented to her friend, who was only slightly less crestfallen herself.
"I don't know," her friend replied, shoving tortoiseshell glasses up the bridge of her nose in defeat, "but if my hubby Woo Bin comes into sight, no class is going to stop me getting his autograph this time!"
"That's fine with me. I'll be busy just trying to get Yi Jeong to notice me. You know So Ah almost broke her arm in that crowd last month, and he didn't even look at her!" she said it with shock, but whoever So Ah was, the girl speaking didn't seem all that sad for her "friend."
"Besides," she continued, "So Ahs gorgeous, what chance do I have if he won't even look at her twice?"
It was true, more than one girl had set her heart on Yi Jeong, and more than one had been politely, but coolly, rejected. While Woo Bin seemed fairly open and warm with everyone, Yi Jeong remained a mystery; his charm and good looks causing others to naturally gravitate towards him, his cool demeanor keeping them at arms-length.
"See now, my Woo Bin would never do that," glasses commented smugly.
At the suspicious glance from her friend, she continued, "He'd at least give her a second look."
The two shared a look before collapsing into giggles. Calming down, Woo Bin's self-proclaimed wife proceeded, "You shouldn't have fallen for that Jack Frost of a man anyw—"
"Yahh! Don't talk about him like that. I can dream, can't I?"
"Well, I wouldn't buy wedding invitations just yet, Yi Jeong's not settling down anytime soon."
Similar whispered conversations were held amongst the many students milling around the university's rotunda entrance. All acting like they normally hung around the steps to the building on a rainy Monday afternoon.
Making her way through the school grounds, Ga Eul hurried as light rain misted around her, muddying the earth and turning her once straight hair into curly wisps. So much for a good hair day she thought miserably, reaching the gazebo just beyond the school gardens as another downpour drenched the earth.
Pulling a sketchbook and pencil from her long woolen sweater, Ga Eul settled into her favorite little corner and stared at the world around her. She never failed to find inspiration here, and with midterms coming up heaven knew she needed it!
Her friend Na Ri would soon be here and undoubtedly dump all the latest gossip, but for now she savored the quite, uninterrupted peace with no one but a lone bumbled for company as it wobbled in seeking shelter from the rain.
Standing near one of the windows lining the eastern wall of his personal studio, Yi Jeong noted with curiosity the lone figure sheltered within the distant gazebo. He had grown used to seeing her silhouette, book in hand more often than not, and the familiar figure brought some comfort to his troubled mind.
Why did everything have to be so complicated?
He turned from the window, running a hand across tired brows. It was raining quite hard now and storm clouds were brewing, but Yi Jeong wished he was outside instead of cooped up inside working on the tea set for his grandfather's museum.
Selecting some clay from a nearby shelf, the potter continued his work, the events of the morning replaying like a broken record in his mind.
"You good for nothing-"Yi Jeong's grandfather stopped abruptly, grabbing his heart with one hand while his son, Hyeon-seop, rolled his eyes in annoyance. "How dare you drag this family's name in the mud!"
It did little good. Yi Jeong's father argued back, placing the blame of yet another scandal on the woman's family, but old So Yoon-hee was having none of it.
"Out, I want you out of this house!"
"So you're just going to throw me out again? Why not just announce to the world that the great So family has fallen to the trenches, it's not my fault that whore ran after me-"
"You..!" In a fite of rage Yoon-hee cracked his cane over the tea setting, shattering it to the floor. "You're a disgrace to the family name! Get out!"
...
Futilely blocking out the images, Yi Jeong ran his fingers over what would be the base of a teapot, the cool sludge of watery clay doing nothing to calm his frustration. He knew the privacy of his own studio in such a large university was likely bought by his grandfather's influence, but resentment still tainted every thought of the old man. He could be so difficult... even if things were once again his father's fault...
At least here he didn't have to listen to the constant fighting...The little mound of clay he had been coxing into shape suddenly collapse into itself, the thin walls seeming to feel the restlessness of the potter's spirit. Leaning back with a sigh, Yi Jeong glanced towards the windows as the rain poured down.
"Why are you waiting outside?" Na Ri questioned incredulously over the phone, "It's raining you weirdo!"
"You try sitting inside all day with annoying classmates" Ga Eul rose from her cozy spot and started hurrying towards the back doors of the University, "I needed a break to get my creativity flowing!"
"Yah, try that on someone else. I've been surrounded by idiots all day," letting out a dispassionate sigh Na Ri continued, "is getting into the right circles really worth it? Maybe I'll switch to computer tech instead."
"Yeah, right, you know you'd quit the first week, besides imagine the idiots you'd have to work with fixing their tech issues." Ga Eul heard a bitter chuckle on the other end.
"Just hurry up, I'm already at the studio door, and you STILL have the only key." Having lost their argument, Na Ri emphasized the last point for good measure.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Ga Eul hung up in a huff, shifting her things into one arm as she reached for the double doors with the other.
On the 70th floor of one of Seoul's many towering business buildings, a wizened old man sat behind his mahogany desk waiting patiently as the young man before him continued his report.
"Are you certain?" The old man asked at last, laying the papers down and studying the man before him.
"Yes sir," the man's sharp business suit crinkled slightly as he scattered some files across the desk, "he was the only one apprehended at the scene. Our sources confirmed he acted alone."
Reaching for the reports, the old man rubbed his brow tiredly, saying nothing.
"We could continue the investigation. Officer Cheng is ready to notify Chief Park if their involvement is requ-"
"No," president Choi passed a hand over his graying hair. "No, continue with the plan. I will not let one little misstep derail everything. We did everything legally...there's no need to involve the police yet."
"Yes sir." Business suit answered promptly, accustomed to following directives no questions asked...but that didn't mean the man had no opinion and a slight smile creased his face as he exited the chairman's office. Nodding slightly to the security to his left, the two left without a word. By nightfall, whoever had dared stalk the boss's granddaughter would be sorry...
Tired and clay splattered, Yi Jeong had just reached the doors leading out of the building when the scrap of chairs alerted him the halls would soon be swarmed with students. Anxious to avoid the crowd and more than a little loath to reveal his identity, the potter yanked the door handle just as something or, rather, someone came barreling through the other side.
For a split second all was confusion as the person he'd collided with flared out desperately trying to rebalance. Reaching out instinctively, Yi Jeong went to grab the girl's arm before she could fall backward. Face flushed with cold and curls blowing in the wind, the startled girl stepped back swiftly, knocking his hand off while she struggled to catch her phone. It slammed to the pavement. Thrown by the encounter but maintaining his ever-suave persona, Yi Jeong stooped to pick it up, noting the cracked screen as he held it towards the slightly familiar girl.
Who was she?
He was about to speak-maybe offer an autograph if she promised not to scream-but the girl interrupted him before he could get a word out.
"I-"
"Don't worry about it" snatching the phone out of the strangers hand, Ga Eul yanked the other door handle with her free hand and left as quickly as she'd appeared.
Hurrying down the hall, Ga Eul failed to notice the handsome stranger still standing in her wake. Na Ri's gonna kill me! How could I fall asleep outside!
The girl had hardly noticed him, Yi Jeong mused curiously watching the quickly retreating form...perhaps this school wouldn't be so bad after all...
Later that night
Somewhere in one of Seoul's back alleys, a man-battered, broken, and left for dead-gasped through bloodied lips...
