Sparing a final glance in the tall glass mirror, Yi Jeong straightened his tux once more. There was nothing wrong with it, but Yi Jeong couldn't help but fix and refix the black suit, tweak his cufflinks, or move the stray hair that dared fall out of place. Today had to be perfect.
Scuffling about, his butler wondered at Yi Jeong's strange behavior. It wasn't often he'd seen the young master so preoccupied. It seemed the rumors he had reprimanded one of the upstairs chambermaids for spreading just the other day were true. The young master was indeed serious about someone, and he was glad for it. He'd watched Yi Jeong waste too many years punishing himself for his parents' mistakes and couldn't help the rare smile that found its place on his weathered face as he offered the man his jacket. Reaching for the dresscoat with a slight nod to butler Park, the young man left in a hurry, barely registering the snickering maids in the hallway who whispered and grinned at each other behind Yi Jeong's back as he passed. The house had been a lot more interesting since his return, and not even the stern butler Park could put a damper on their amusement.
Although the old butler in question had already begun busying himself with unpacking suits into the nearby walk-in closet, the maids would be shocked to learn his mind was occupied with similar thoughts. Yi Jeong certainly had been acting differently of late. It had been months since his last tabloid scandal, and his grandfather hadn't needed to contact him once, leaving the estate empty once again except for Yoon-hee and his insufferable vagrant of a son who returned home drunk more often than not. All things considered, the house had been dull, relationships strained.
Perhaps this was why the old master had called Yi Jeong back to the mansion so soon after his discharge from the hospital. Yoon-hee had done more than one thing out of character in the past few weeks the gruff servant mused, though, perhaps even stranger still was the young master's ready obedience to the summons. Both were quite out of character. But who was he to judge? He was just a servant that had been with the family for over thirty years…
Butler Park turned back to the task at hand, his face resuming its usual strict expression as another servant entered the room, though an unmistakable twinkle sparked in his eye. He might have stopped the idle imaginings of the upstairs maid, but that didn't stop his own imagination from running rampant with the pleasant thought of young love bringing new life to the place. This old house needed it! If only the old master shared the same opinion, life would be a lot easier. The staff might even get a night off here and there when they didn't have to tend to their old master's finicky mood fluctuations, which butler Park strongly suspected came from loneliness. But, any positive change in the family unit was a feeble hope given Yoon-hee's stubborn nature and willful pride.
Yi Jeong had similar thoughts as he caught a glimpse of his grandfather in passing out the door. He was dressed sharply and looking down as his chauffeur led him to the vintage Bentley he favored, unaware of Yi Jeong's presence or his grandson's stare. Yi Jeong had hoped moving back into the So mansion would give him opportunities to convince his grandfather to accept Ga Eul while at the same time allowing him to monitor his grandfather's movements. Yet, strangely, the old man had stayed out of his way since his return to the mansion and Yi Jeong hadn't had a chance to talk with him besides in short greetings, let alone speak with him about Ga Eul.
He didn't know what he was up to, but his grandfather's sudden disinterest in interfering in Yi Jeong's life made him suspicious. Regardless of the powerful man's schemes, Yi Jeong would not let his grandfather hurt Ga Eul as Madam Kang had hurt Jandi and her family. He had promised to protect her, and protect her he would.
Turning the key sharply in the ignition, Yi Jeong felt his frustration melt away with the wind as he sped off, tires screeching on the pavement filling him with a familiar exhilaration. He'd missed his Lotus while hiding his identity and, even now that Ga Eul knew who he was, he had kept a relatively low profile, adopting Woo Bin's penchant for black SUVs to give her time to adjust to things—he knew how she hated drawing attention to herself. But today was a special occasion, and special occasions called for special rides.
A nervous excitement caused Ga Eul's hands to shake as she pinned her hair up once more before frowning in her mirror and letting it back down. That was the third time changing her hair in twenty minutes and Ga Eul just couldn't settle on anything! She was too excited and far too nervous to make such crucial decisions about her hair. Today was the art exhibit!
She had worked so hard to get here, and now that the day had come, she struggled to still the nerves pulsing through her veins. It had been six long weeks since the fire, and things were finally starting to get back to normal. Or, rather, as normal as they could be with Yi Jeong watching her every move and three older brothers hardly less so as if she were a china doll that could break at any moment. She chuckled at the thought of the overprotective friends she had gained so recently as, looking down at her dress, she turned to her closet piled high with clothes and her bed cluttered with gift boxes. Warm memories swept in as she began stacking the numerous presents different members of the F4 had randomly dropped off at her place over the last few weeks. They were absolutely incorrigible and each worse than the other when it came to spoiling her.
The first time Jun Pyo had dropped a package off, saying he had accidentally ordered too many for Jandi and didn't want her yelling at him, so he had decided to "just dump it at her place." Woo Bin had had a similar excuse, he'd intended it for his girlfriend, but she'd broken up with him, so now what need did he have for a designer dress? And, of course, Ji Hoo had long commutes to and from the hospital and often passed store shop windows on his way, so what was wrong if he saw something and happened to think of her? Not to mention Yi Jeong's extravagant dates she'd had to put a stop to, honestly, how much had he spent on fireworks? So what if it had worked on Jandi!
Really, for four intelligent men, their antics were hilarious—though she had to give them credit for their thoroughness as she stared at the mound of clothes around her, they were all in her favorite colors and all exactly her size, she wondered how they had managed that.
Even if Ga Eul saw through their shenanigans and normally wouldn't have accepted a thing, it was a matter of principle…and pride… she soon gave that up when she realized how much hurt her rejection would cause. She had tried it once and couldn't bear the crestfallen expression it had given Yi Jeong's face.
So here she was, in her tiny dorm room surrounded by clothes, with nothing, absolutely nothing to wear! She glanced in the mirror in despair. Yi Jeong would be here any minute! Maybe she'd go with the green dress after all…
Waiting outside his car, Yi Jeong again wondered if it was too soon. This was a major event and he didn't want Ga Eul getting exhausted with the showing and tedious crowd that was likely to show. She had returned to class much sooner than Yi Jeong would have liked and worked tirelessly to complete the pieces for the exhibit. But Ga eul wouldn't hear of him delaying the show just for her. Not only did she insist it wasn't fair to the other students who had also worked hard in the past weeks, but she needed to prove to herself that she could do it. That she wasn't a victim. That she wasn't weak. Understanding she wouldn't budge, Yi Jeong had reluctantly agreed not to interfere, and today on such a crisp sunny morning, Yi Jeong couldn't help but feel it was the right decision as his girl appeared on the landing smiling brightly, her face more radiant than the sun.
Yi Jeong couldn't hide the grin that spread across his features. She looked like a princess out of a fairytale. Long dark curls flowed freely about her shoulders, cheeks glowing with excitement, and nothing but the faint scar above her left eyebrow to hint that she had been so close to death mere weeks ago.
Ga Eul hesitated at the top of the concrete steps for a moment till she caught his gaze. Lighting up, Ga Eul quickly gathered the red swirl of her dress's flowing skirt and rushed down the steps to meet him. He swept her around in a wide circle the minute she reached him and Ga Eul felt every bit the princess as she laughed and patted his arm "we're going to be late!"
Putting her down in a sweep, Yi Jeong gestured to the car,
"After you," he said with mock gallantry opening the door to his Lotus with a smirk.
"What's this?" Ga Eul's eyes were wide as saucers as she sat in the luxurious car. She was far too easy to surprise, and Yi Jeong had fun teasing her that it was his "baby," or at least had been, before she'd come along. This earned him a playful punched to the arm, but he paid this no mind, rather enjoying the rosy flush to her cheeks, and they bickered playfully the entire ride.
Their lighthearted mood was cut short upon seeing the mass of reporters lining the steps of the museum.
Ga eul looked at Yi Jeong and noticed he was just as surprised as she as he calmly pulled into a reserved spot and got out to open her door.
Perhaps they were just hoping for an interview? Ga Eul mused, but that thought was soon dashed as they entered the large building, among the expected important guests, reporters were everywhere. Even during casual showings, the museum had never opened its doors to journalists, so to see them at such an important event was alarming. Who had called them? The answer to this question made Ga Eul feel alittle sick…it'd have to be someone with great authority.
"They aren't supposed to be here" Yi Jeong muttered distractedly as he eased his grasp on her elbow, "hold on a second, I need to go talk to security." He hesitated slightly as if he'd changed his mind, but Ga Eul anticipated what he would say and quickly reassured him.
"I'll be fine Yi Jeong, just go. See, a few of my classmates are right over there." Ga Eul gave him what she hoped was a calm smile but he didn't look much reassured.
"I'll be right back." And with one last glance, Yi Jeong quickly disappeared into the crowd towards the back hall where Ga Eul could see two serious looking men in all black standing.
Observing the two, a trio of girls followed Yi Jeong's retreating form with bitter eyes. Ga Eul's name had been on the tip of many a gossiping tongue at school since the events that had taken place and there were those who rather wished she had died in that fire. How dare she take Yi Jeong! The very thought of a peasant like her stealing Korea's Cassanova. The dirty little gold digger, she was no worse than a mosquito desperately trying to drain its prey of blood. The taller of the three girls noted the growing press with glee. There was more than one way to squash a mosquito.
Yi Jeong bristled as he heard the man's words. So, this was his game, pressure him to reject Ga Eul right in front of the press…he wanted Yi Jeong to throw her away like she meant nothing at all. To humiliate her in front of the world. Rage filled Yi Jeong's chest at the thought. This was low, even for his grandfather, but the guard had made no mistake, the journalists were invited by his grandfather and they were now probably waiting for the big scoop they had likely been promised. Like vultures eager for fresh prey. Yi Jeong struggled to remain calm and collected in front of the people milling around as his brain painted the many unpleasant scenarios his grandfather could possibly throw at him. He wouldn't even be surprised if his grandfather announced an "engagement" to some socialite's daughter or turned this into a "going away party" before he shipped him off to some far corner of the world. Regardless of what repulsive trap his grandfather had laid for him, there was nothing else to do but ensure the event went on without a hitch. He'd play the game—but his grandfather would be the loser. Clenching his already tight jaw, Yi Jeong made his way towards the center of the room, fully intending to make an announcement of his own, but before he had taken more than three steps, the scene before him froze his blood.
Ga Eul didn't know what to think of the throng of cameras that was suddenly thrust towards her face, she hated the spotlight and any attention. And now, here she was, right in the middle of it. Where was Yi Jeong?
Are you really dating the So heir?
Has he been disinherited?
Is it true you were involved in the Shin University fires?
Ga Eul's head spun as the increasingly unpleasant questions were flung her way. It was suffocating and Ga Eul couldn't see any way of escape, they had now formed a tight circle around her giving her little room to breathe.
She was seriously contemplating a mad dash for it when something drew their attention away for a second. An elderly gentleman had walked forward to save Ga Eul and she struggled to hide her astonishment as a reporter addressed him as Chairman So. Yi Jeong's grandfather!
His mere presence seemed to create a stillness among the crowd as they waited with bated breath to hear what he would say. Clearing his throat slightly, the old gentleman merely smiled disarmingly at the crowd before giving a rather charming welcome to those present—he'd made this speech before, Ga Eul couldn't help but guess as she noted the easy way he handled the press. Ignoring their rudeness, he simply redirected their attention to the exhibit as a welcoming host would do before turning towards Ga Eul again.
"I also hope you will all come to know this young lady in the coming future, she's not only a promising artist—I think you'll find her works quite exceptional when you get the chance—but I hope to one day call her family if my grandson plays his cards right." He ended the speech with a slight wink in Yi Jeong's direction and the tension in the room diffused as those present laughed good-naturedly at his teasing.
Far too stunned to make any form of reply, Ga Eul stared at the man who had so kindly come to her rescue. The gentlemen smiled gentle at her before lightly squeezing her shoulder and adding in a low voice meant only for her ears, "I'm sorry little lady, that was not my intention in bringing the press here." He gave a withering glance towards the trio of girls who hadn't escaped his notice as they shrunk into the shadows, desperately wishing for the floor to swallow them up, knowing full well they had effectively just closed any door into the art world they had dared to dream of.
Effectively deflecting the attention away from her, Yoon-hee led the group down the hall where the students' pieces lined the walls while Ga eul could do nothing but stare gobsmacked at the back of his waistcoat, was this the man Yi Jeong had warned her about? Hardly less shocked, Yi Jeong joined Ga Eul watching the retreating crowd, his mind turning summersaults. Instead of trying to humiliate them in public, his grandfather had not only welcomed Ga Eul with open arms but showed her kindness Yi Jeong didn't know he possessed…
Ga Eul snuggled against Yi Jeong's chest as she happily replayed the events of the day in her head. Everything had gone wonderfully: her pieces were widely praised thanks to Chairman So's attention and, even more importantly to her, it seemed Yi Jeong's relationship with his grandfather was on the mend. Ga Eul was convinced nothing could ruin this beautiful day. She felt so safe and cozy in her little dorm room, finally free of the annoying roommate whom a certain member of the F4 had persuaded to leave. She could still remember the girl's disgruntled face as she huffed out of the room! Stifling a laugh, she peered up at the man whose deep breathing told her he had drifted off to sleep. Not tired indeed, she thought with a smile as she snuggled in more closely and turned down the volume of her favorite movie.
Yi Jeong often spent evenings here with her now and with his comforting presence the vivid nightmares that had once plagued her sleep had gradually dwindled away. She shivered slightly as she thought of the man responsible for those nightmares and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
It was needless to worry. Although Dae Sab had yet to be tried, there was little doubt he would spend the rest of his days wasting away in a cell and not even Ga Eul's forgiving nature could pity him. He had tried to murder her, hurt Yi Jeong in the process, and endangered the lives of countless others due to the sick twistings of his brain. The man was a demented sociopath and she was thankful he hadn't been able to do more harm as her mind once more reminded her what could have happened if Yi Jeong hadn't spotted the fire in time.
But here, snuggled up, playing with Yi Jeong's fingers, those terrors were far away and a deep contentment settled over Ga Eul. Regardless of what tomorrow brought, all was right with the world in this moment. They had weathered the storm, and Ga Eul couldn't imagine life getting any better than this.
A cold windless night sent its black shadows gaping long and dark over a deserted corner of Seoul's tourist district. A scream cut the still air as bloodied hands steadied themselves against graffitied walls, a smashed security camera joined the trash littering the ground as a masked figure melted back into the shadows. Elsewhere, a security worker noted the white noise flickering on his monitor and scratched his chin in bewilderment, that was the second camera this week...
