Yi Jeong whistled a lively tune while he walked towards the gazebo at the edge of the school gardens. Hands in pockets and Cheshire cat grin lighting up his face, he thought of the girl he was going to meet; she'd probably have a bit of a hangover today after last night's shenanigans. The silly girl had decided he needed to "widen his circle of friends"—oh if she only knew—and therefore had made it her mission to introduce him to a couple of hers. Although he had been quite panicked at first, fearing someone would recognize him, these fears proved to be ungrounded as he met the foreign exchange students who quickly welcomed him into their little group, none the wiser as to who he was, and Yi Jeong eventually relaxed and enjoyed the evening.
Catching sight of his reflection in one of the tall windows they had passed on their way downtown, Yi Jeong could easily see why he'd been able to keep his cover. He doubted even his own grandfather would spare him a second glance if he passed him on the street. With his hair grown out of the usually perfectly kept do and the less than designer clothes he had adopted in the past weeks, he blended in perfectly with the crowd, and except for the occasional attention from girls at the handsome man, Yi Jeong had kept under the radar for the most part. Ga Eul had also been a great help at discouraging unwanted advances. Catching their gaze, she'd glare at them before hurrying him along.
She was adorably protective of him, and Yi Jeong fought to push down the nagging guilt he felt at lying to her. He wasn't exactly lying to her, he tried to assure himself, just not exactly clearing up her misconceptions about him. He really hadn't intended on keeping his identity quiet so long. But, then again, how precisely did one go about explaining they were not, in fact, a timid art student afraid of social interaction but, instead, a member of the infamous F4 whose very presence demanded the spotlight? That he did not need her worrying about him making ends meet or subtly paying the karaoke tab before he could offer. That he was a man whose earliest remembrances circled around private tutors, extravagant parties, and emotionally detached relatives who could give him anything he wanted, but never what he desperately needed?
Conflicted as Yi Jeong was, he had yet to build up the courage to tell her, and if he was honest, he didn't really want to…not yet at least; he enjoyed the way they could talk about anything with hardly a reservation and feared this would change if she knew he hadn't been completely honest with her. Plus, it was just too much fun watching her 'protect' him. Not quite the shy girl he had taken her for at first, more than once he'd had to hide a smile and hold her back from giving students "a piece of her mind" when she caught them whispering among themselves or staring at the two. She didn't seem to mind what others thought of her, but she'd fight tooth and nail if anyone touched her friends.
Though she was a tiny little thing, Yi Jeong felt unexplainably safe, or maybe, protected when he was around her. Like she could shield him from the hateful world that had shaped his upbringing with nothing more than a look or word. Indeed, the past few weeks he had felt more like the real Yi Jeong and not the persona he had created in order to tolerate his life, nor the showy playboy he had used to keep others at bay, but the side of himself which he hadn't allowed to show itself in years.
If forced, he'd have to admit that he'd had more fun than he would have thought following the group around the tourist district of town. Granted, he had been forced to attend more than one cheap karaoke room—something he'd never done before in his life—yet the light, easy manner of what some would have called "commoner entertainment" was a breath of fresh air. As the night had worn on, the rest of the group proceeded to get rather drunk and leave for more karaoke while he and Ga Eul had wandered off in search of what she had called "drinking snacks." These turned out to be rather interesting "delicacies" at a dirty little hole in the ground vending stand attended by an old, smiling Ahjumma who kept winking at Yi Jeong and gave them extra portions of everything. He'd have to tell Ga Eul about the good luck note the lady had slipped him now that she was likely to remember. Sitting down, he checked his watch once more. She wasn't usually late…
Smoke filled Ga Eul's lungs as thick haze stung her eyes and nose. She could hardly breathe in the cramped space that was swiftly filling with smoke, clouding her senses, and making her weary head dizzy with pain. She felt herself slipping back into sleep and jerked herself awake; no matter how much it hurt, she couldn't sleep. If she gave in to the welcoming arms of unconsciousness, she'd die. She had to get up. Struggling to stand, Ga Eul stumbled against the wall only for it to give slightly with her weight. A door! Fingers fumbling along the wood to find something, anything that would give her a way out, her heart leaped out of her chest when they landed on the latch.
Tugging at it with all her might, relief washed over her as she felt it unlatch easily, only for all hope to be dashed when the doors swayed but failed to open. It was chained closed from the outside. She pounded her fists over and over against the padlocked door, using all her strength to batter the wood baring her from the welcomed air outside, it shivered with the force but to her dismay, wouldn't move. Struggling not to panic, she refocused her brain on the interior of the room. She needed air. There had to be a window somewhere, there just had to be. Forcing her eyes to focus, she stumbled around, giving the fire in the corner a wide birth as she edged along the wall till she saw it, the light. Small and dim far up on the furthest wall, a small circular window sat letting in cold light against the hot blaze of fire beneath it. If she could just reach it she'd have desperately needed air, but to do so would mean getting closer to the blazing fire ravaging that side of the small room, and even if she could reach it, there was no guarantee she could break it. She had to try. Shuffling through the cramped space, her knee knocked against something that clattered to the concrete ground.
Feeling the weird mesh of cord, Ga Eul held up the odd object squinting in the faint light to try and make out what it was. Though old and rusty, there was no mistaking the broken tennis racket or the faded insignia. It belonged to Shin University. Examining the long metal handle, a thought sprang in her head. Maybe she could use it to break the window! As she made her way carefully to the window, Ga Eul pieced together what she knew so far. She was in a supply shed of some sort, and judging by the insignia on the racket's handle, she was still on campus grounds. The faint relief at this thought gave her renewed strength as she fought towards the small window.
"Yo, bro! The busy dr. actually made an appearance to see his immature friends?"
"Immature?"
"That's what you called us the last time I saw you."
"may I remind you; you were drinking jello shots off someone's shoe?"
"Ahh, good times, good times," Woo Bin gave an impish grin remembering the less than sober night they had thrown Ji Hoo a going away party "but seriously, where have you been? Barely a phone call or word to say you're still alive. Medical school can't take that long."
"Unfortunately, it can. At least if you want to go by the right channels," Ji Hoo pinched the bridge of his nose, "and I'm just one of many working resident hours." Despite his friend's chiding, he knew that Woo Bin had likely kept tabs on him—as he had all the F4 members—even in the states and probably knew his schedule better than Ji Hoo did himself.
"Don't tell me no one knows of your grandfather's generous donations to the hospital?"
"Heard of the F4?"
"No?" at Ji Hoo's continuous silence, Woo Bin had grown quite incredulous and was about to question further, but his tirade was interrupted when an arrogant voice pipped up,
"Is anyone going to call Yi Jeong?" Jun Pyo did not like waiting.
"Why don't you call him yourself?"
"Jandi swiped my phone, remember? Lost hers on the subway or something." Ji Hoo glanced up at this mention of their common friend who had decided to study nursing in South Korea.
"She's still using the subway? Would've thought she'd switch to a driver by now."
The man shrugged, "I don't understand women, always losing stuff, insisting on doing things 'their way,'" Jun Pyo huffed in annoyance, but his friends noted the way his face lit up at the mention of his wife—like it always did when the high-spirited woman was brought up—and smirked at each other over his head.
Wanting to have a little fun with his friend, Woo Bin ventured into dangerous territory.
"Guess nothing's changed then" at the questioning glance thrown his way, Woo Bin continued deviously, "You're failure to understand women of course" this earned him a laugh from Ji Hoo and a pillow to the face from the other individual in the room. He was lucky it was just a pillow, he still had a scar from the time Jun Pyo had thrown a paperweight his way in high school after a similar remark.
Deciding to end the childishness radiating around the room with Woo Bin's teasing and Jun Pyo's retaliations, Ji Hoo grabbed his phone with a grin. He'd missed his friends, however immature they were.
Deciding to walk back to the dorms and see if Ga Eul had gotten held back by something or possibly find out from her roommate where she'd gone, Yi Jeong had just turned a bend in the garden path when he caught sight of an all too familiar figure. Something didn't sit right, it never did when he saw that man, and Yi Jeong couldn't explain the dread that rushed over him. About to continue down the path, Yi Jeong froze at the sight of the white scarf with its blue embroidered cornflowers—Ga Eul's favorite—hanging from the man's pocket. Without a second thought, Yi Jeong was on the man, grabbing him roughly by the jacket.
"I told you to stay away from her!"
"What the fuck man?"
Yi Jeong snatched the oil, soot-smeared scarf from the man's pocket, holding it up to his face.
"Where the hell did you get this?"
The man stared at Yi Jeong, an expression of injured innocence planted smugly over his features making Yi Jeong want to pummel his fists into his flesh as it was replaced with a cocky smirk.
"Maybe you should look for your friend if you're so worried. Hell isn't kind to little whores."
Feeling his fists beat again and again as he ripped into the bastard that had dared touch her did nothing to ease the panic and anger that had gripped Yi Jeong's chest. The man's maniacal laughter turned to groans of pain as Yi Jeong struggled to control his furry. Finally casting the bloodied creep aside, Yi Jeong rushed towards where the man had come, desperately searching the grounds for something though he knew not what.
"What? Nothing?" Jun Pyo asked, seeing Ji Hoo toss his phone on the table, a puzzled look spreading across his usually neutral expression.
"He's probably still with his date," Woo Bin remarked casually.
"Date? Since when did Yi Jeong blow off his friends for a date? And at 11AM no less."
"Since he met the love of his life."
"The what of his life?!" Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo both stared at him like he had grown a second head.
Having both of their full attention now, Woo Bin enjoyed being a step ahead of his friends for once and decided to try their patience a little longer.
"Oh, you know, a once-in-a-lifetime type of love. Some call it 'destiny?' Surely you've heard of soulmates before?"
Jun Pyo rolled his eyes and simply stared in exasperation at his tiresome friend while Ji hoo turned back to his phone to scroll through his messages. Had Yi Jeong mentioned a girl?
"You mean he's actually serious about someone?"
"Oh he's serious all right, flakes on all my plans to hang out at the usual clubs, spends all his time at the university, even got himself a new phone so he wouldn't be bothered by calls from former flings.
At this, the other two raised their eyebrows, waiting for further explanation, which Woo Bin gave readily as he dived into the topic with gusto.
"You sure he's not just parading her around to get his family off his back about marriage or something?" The disbelief that their friend could turn over a new leaf so quickly wouldn't die easily, and Jun Pyo couldn't help but add, "It might sound outrageous, but there's no telling what someone might do if they're desperate enough, you know how Yi Jeong is about his family."
"Believe me, this is the real deal. He's head over heels in love with the girl, even if he doesn't know it himself yet. He's changed his whole life like he's having this whole identity crisis and doesn't want her to know about his family or what he comes from. Heck, I can't even visit him without parking a block away and dressing in bum clothes." Woo Bin ended with a laugh, thinking about the talking-to he'd received after showing up unannounced at the school a few days ago.
"Besides, she's not exactly the type his family would approve of. They'd probably force him to cut things off if they found out he was seeing a girl with no family connections, wealth, or status to speak of…" Woo Bin trailed off, somber thoughts intruding as the three looked at each other in quiet concern for their friend at the coming storm if Woo Bin's predictions were correct. Jun Pyo, perhaps with more understanding than his friends in this one area, nodded gravely at the thought of what his friend would go through.
"So, what's she like?" Ji Hoo broke the silence, attempting to lift their thoughts from the pain that had surrounded them when Jun Pyo's mother relentlessly persecuted Jandi and all the destruction it had caused.
"She's a lot like Jandi, actually," Woo Bin thought for a moment. It was hard to compartmentalize the girl.
"There's no one quite like Jandi…" Ji Hoo prodded for more information.
No, I guess not...there's just something…you just get the vibe that she sees the world differently.
"How?"
"Well," rather than answering their questions, Woo Bin left his friends hanging, thinking back to an earlier encounter when he had chanced upon Ga Eul a couple days ago.
Walking towards the school's rotunda entrance, Woo Bin was having a simply wonderful day avoiding the men of another corporation who were set on persuading him to agree to a merger. As if! The nerve of some businessmen. To think the powerful Song conglomerate could be bought was insulting, to say the least, and their competitors' efforts downright annoying at best. Regardless of what they thought could be gained, the men had hounded him at the golf club, the lounge, and even his personal yacht. He'd normally send his men to "persuade" them to leave, but his father had made it clear they needed to keep a low profile until certain contracts were signed, leaving nothing but to simply avoid them in the meantime.
In high bad humor and on a whim, Woo Bin had decided to visit the friend who had been avoiding his calls for several days now. He mentally dared Yi Jeong to avoid him this time. He'd go right to the university if he had to. Climbing the steps faster, he noticed, in a spot of luck, his friend's familiar figure a little ways ahead, walking with someone towards the entrance. Great, he wouldn't even have to go into the school! But who was he with? he didn't have to wonder long as the girl turned her head quickly as a gust of wind tore at her gauzy scarf, sending it flying in the spring air.
Catching the material before the wind could send it soaring again, Woo Bin recognized the girl who had turned to retrieve it. "you're scarf, madam," he said with a flourished bow in mock gallantry. Ga Eul smiled at his lighthearted gesture, "thanks," about to turn back, she saw Yi Jeong's surprised expression and halted. Did they know each other? They certainly seemed to, given the familiar way they greeted each other as the stranger threw an arm around Yi Jeong's shoulders and said something she couldn't quite catch. Surprised to see this physical contact was allowed given how shy Yi Jeong usually was, Ga Eul was intrigued though she thought she could detect a flicker of annoyance cross his face as the man shrugged his rather flamboyant friend off.
The stranger was a rather interesting person Ga Eul mused, taking in his extravagant clothing and wounding how Yi Jeong knew him. She worried the man might be a bad influence; hopefully Yi Jeong wouldn't feel the need to match the taste of this obviously fashionable, well-off young man. With these thoughts swirling inside, Ga Eul couldn't help but squint at him quizzically but chided herself, who was she to judge someone she didn't even know, heaven knows she'd endured enough of that in her own life. Woo Bin noted the way she had looked at him, as if summing him up and not quite liking what she saw. But, if these were her thoughts, it was only there a moment before the girl's former bright expression returned and she thanked him again for his help in returning her scarf.
"We're going to be late," Yi Jeong stressed, ushering the girl away with a hand on her back while looking behind to give Woo Bin a look that said he'd talk with him later. More like scold him later Woo Bin thought, his friend was growing up, that was for sure.
"It was nice to meet you," Ga Eul smiled back at the man before turning a withering glance at Yi Jeong who had now grabbed her arm and was steering her away, "Maybe another time," Woo Bin laughed as he heard her lightly berating the man who was once the Casanova of Korea for being rude, she'd have no trouble holding her own with him, that was for sure.
"Well?" Jun Pyo's impatient voice brought him back to the present.
"She's just different. The effect she has on Yi Jeong is something I haven't seen before. Even with Eun-Jae." Woo Bin paused, the surprise at this admittance evident on his friend's faces. It had been a long time since Yi Jeong's heart was broken by his childhood friend, a wound they had doubted would ever fully heal.
"Then she's a special girl indeed." was Ji Hoo's quiet remark.
Ga Eul stifled a scream as another shelf collapse in the heat, sending glowing embers flying through the air towards her hair and face before scattering to the floor, burning small black circles where they landed. Although breaking the window had let in a small amount of air, it was so far up Ga Eul couldn't get close to the small amounts of fresh air wafting in to mix with the haze. Adding to her troubles, the fire had taken on a new life, now refreshed with fresh oxygen. How stupid of her! She berated herself of course the air would fuel the fire.
Fully exhausted and losing hope as her pounding fists failed to batter the unyielding door, Ga Eul felt herself slipping between reality and hallucinations as she collapsed into a heap. Had a man really appeared, black silhouette outlined against the fresh sunlight beaming in from the open doors? Or was it a dream? The light that now blinded her eyes after so long in the darkness completely engulfed her as if it was taking her away somewhere. Somewhere where nothing but peace existed in its deep ravine of nothingness.
Olamy—We'll get to see Ga Eul's reaction to finding out his true identity pretty soon:)
Violetswasabi—thank you!:)
Myslawer—I'll be careful with our favorite potter's heart;) Ga Eul definitely has a mind of her own but I think she's forgiving when it comes to people she cares about:) Don't want to give anything away, but let's just say the stalker won't be laughing in coming chapters.
