Secret of the Autumn

by xiaoj

[AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4,

51. Chapter 51

Author's notes: Okay, I have to admit - I started this new document on a spur of the moment. I'm not even sure if I would persevere to the end with this new idea. Either way, I was reading English Fics on the SoEul couple from the TV show Boys Over Flowers [Korean Version] and thought, perhaps I should try my hands at writing something on the couple. I had my fair share of dabbling in the ship with the Chinese language but I have never tried writing it in English before.

Summary: [AU] Chu Ga Eul has always been a country bumpkin in the eyes of the F4. Especially so, in the case of So Yi Jeong, the renowned Korean Casanova. But what if… Chu Ga Eul wasn't really a country bumpkin, nor was she the ordinary commoner friend of Geum Jan Di that everyone thought her out to be? And this secret side of hers was revealed unintentionally to the Korean Casanova of F4, how would that affect the entire story flow in the Boys over Flowers universe?

Title: Secret of the Autumn

Chapter 51: Interlude - Christmas Break, Part 3

Location: Mapo district, Italian Restaurant - Aldente. 24th December 2009, Thursday, 1.30pm

Chu Ga Eul entered the restaurant to find her Casanova beau studying a copy of the restaurant menu provided by the restaurant's waiting staff, near the food takeout collection point. Heading towards the Korean Casanova, Ga Eul greeted the guy with a gentle tap on the shoulder.

"Oh, you're here." So Yi Jeong blinked as he acknowledged his girlfriend's arrival with a pleasant smile donning his lips.

"Yep, so… have you placed your order yet?" Chu Ga Eul asks, seeing as her boyfriend was standing near the food collection point of the restaurant catered for their takeaway customers.

"Not yet. I was waiting for you to arrive before placing the orders. You mentioned that you can't decide on what to order for lunch until you get to see the menu for yourself. Anyway, here - you can have a look at the menu. I have already decided on what to order for my own lunch." So Yi Jeong answered as he handed the copy of the menu he was holding over to Chu Ga Eul, who had just arrived at the Italian restaurant.

"Thanks." Ga Eul beams as she took the copy of the menu from her Casanova beau to browse through the contents. She didn't take too long to finish going through the menu, though she did spend a couple of minutes going back and forth between the pasta selection and the risotto selection before making up her mind on what to order for her lunch takeout.

"Okay, I've decided. I'm going for the mushroom risotto." Chu Ga Eul eventually said, after having spent about 10 minutes browsing through the menu selections.

"Duly noted. I shall go and place the orders with the waiting staff then," So Yi Jeong said, and headed in the direction of the food ordering counter.

While placing the lunch orders with the restaurant's staff, the potter of F4 also took it upon himself to order a serving of the dessert - Panna Cotta, to be takeaway alongside the mushroom risotto and the pasta - garlic butter prawns linguine. With the orders placed and payment made at the cashier, the Korean Casanova headed back towards the food collection point with the receipt issued by the cashier to re-join his girlfriend as they waited for their food to be prepared by the kitchen.

While waiting for their food to be ready for collection, Chu Ga Eul seized the opportunity to ask if the Korean Casanova already had a film in mind for them to enjoy this afternoon, in the privacy of the pottery studio.

"Not exactly. As you know, I'm not very educated when it comes down to movies that aren't documentaries. So, I was thinking of letting you pick the film for our movie session today." So Yi Jeong responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Right… I assumed we would be watching a movie from the Netflix platform, again?" Chu Ga Eul double-confirmed before she starts looking through the Netflix movie titles.

"Indeed." The Korean Casanova nodded and then left the task of picking out a movie film for this afternoon entirely to his country bumpkin beau. And so, Chu Ga Eul wasted no time in tapping into the Netflix app installed on her IPAD device and start looking through the movie titles listed for streaming in South Korea while waiting for the food they'd ordered for takeouts to be prepared by the restaurant staff.

"Alright, the food has been collected. We may go now." Several minutes later, Chu Ga Eul was drawn away from the task of scrolling through the movie listings available on Netflix and onto the figure of her Casanova beau.

"Sure, let's get a move on then." Ga Eul nodded as she tucked her IPAD back into her tote bag, and start heading for the restaurant's doorway.

The group of a passerby who has been ogling the orange lotus and speculating on the owner's identity was still hovering near the vehicle when the Korean Casanova returns with Ga Eul in tow. Thankfully, neither of these passersby dared to approach him for conversations and instead were smart enough to back away from his vehicle without being cued to do so.

"After you, my dear." The Korean Casanova started as he held the door of the passenger seat open for his beloved country bumpkin, before heading to the other side of the car where the driver's seat is located and taking up the position behind the wheel. Of course, he didn't forget to hand the bag of food over to his girlfriend for safekeeping during the process, so he could settle down in the driver's seat and get the car engine started for the journey back to the pottery studio.

"Thank you." Chu Ga Eul smiled in response as she climbed into the passenger seat of the orange lotus, fasten up the seatbelt, and then collected the bag of takeaway food from the potter of F4. As there wasn't any space for her to set down the bag of food except for the leg space, which Ga Eul had no intention to keep the takeaway food - she decides to leave the task of picking out the movie from the Netflix platform for later.

Meanwhile, over in the Seongbuk district, Geum Jan Di barely had enough time to get herself changed into a decent outfit befit for an outing and left behind a penned note for her absent parents and younger brother, before finding herself being dragged out of her family rental apartment by the auburn-haired member of F4.

Location: Seongbuk district, Samseon-dong, Seoul. 24th December 2009, Thursday, 2pm

"Ji Hoo-sunbae, just where exactly are we going?" Geum Jan Di inquires out of curiosity, as they approached the nearest public parking facility in the neighborhood, about five minutes away from the apartment building where she currently resides with her family members.

The apartment complexes where Geum Jan Di presently resides with her family don't come with their own parking facility, instead - the residents make use of a public parking facility located not far away from the building itself, which is shared between a few blocks of the apartment buildings. The parking facility holds 80 parking lot spaces for various vehicles and is an open-air facility. The lots are available at a standard rate of 600 Korean Won per 30 minutes of use for members of the public. Of the 80 lot spaces, 20 of them were meant for motorcycles with the balance of 60 lots of space catering for the four-wheeled vehicles. The lack of shelter meant that it's a bit of a chore during the rainy season, but it beats the idea of having nowhere to park the cars when the need arises.

Either way, Yoon Ji Hoo was glad that the weather isn't too bad this afternoon. It isn't raining or snowing, and thus there isn't a need for him to borrow an umbrella from Geum Jan Di since he didn't have the insight to bring out an umbrella with him when he left home earlier.

"We are going shopping for a start." Yoon Ji Hoo answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice after hearing Geum Jan Di's inquiry, and proceed to lead the girl towards where he had parked his white lotus in the public parking facility, this afternoon.

"Eh? Is a shopping trip really necessary? I mean, I still have the party outfit which I've worn for Seo-Hyun unnie's birthday party some time ago. I could always reuse the same attire…" Geum Jan Di remarked with a frown, finding the notion of shopping for a new party dress unnecessary.

"...I know you could always reuse the same dress but… that dress is anything but low-key. So, unless you wish to be the center of attention this evening, I thought it best to get you another outfit for today's event." Yoon Ji Hoo thought back to the design of that evening party dress that Geum Jan Di had donned for the birthday party of his childhood sweetheart and cringed momentarily. In truth, he had meant to comment that the outfit isn't exactly suitable for the girl on the whole and that the dress practically scream - 'Gu Jun Pyo's taste' aloud to the crowd… but he didn't wish to dampen Geum Jan Di's mood by bringing up the mention of his friend's name and thus decides to find another reason to support his idea of bringing Geum Jan Di out to shop for another attire.

"..." Geum Jan Di was silent for a while as she thought back to the design of that party dress before nodding grudgingly in agreement with Yoon Ji Hoo's comment. "Fine, I supposed that dress is indeed a tad too extravagant and not exactly my style. I wondered why Seo-Hyun unnie sent me that dress though…" Geum Jan Di couldn't help but murmured aloud as she climbed into the side passenger seat of the white lotus belonging to Yoon Ji Hoo when they arrived at a stop at the vehicle in the parking facility.

"..." Yoon Ji Hoo had no words to say in response to Geum Jan Di's comment, inwardly though, he had to fight against the urge to roll his eyes at the girl's words. Was that why Jun Pyo had seemed so smug that day when Geum Jan Di made an appearance at Seo-Hyun's birthday party? He was a tad surprised to find that the girl had shown up dressed up in a party dress that was obviously decked out in Jun Pyo's personal taste, given how negatively the girl had thought of Jun Pyo then… but it wasn't in his nature to pry into matters that don't concern him personally then. Thus, he didn't comment on it… now though, it seems Jun Pyo had sent that outfit off to Geum Jan Di under the pretense of Seo-Hyun's name? No wonder Geum Jan Di had shown up at the party in that party dress, she had assumed the dress to be a gift to her from Seo-Hyun.

Knowing that Geum Jan Di is likely to argue if he spends a tad too much on dolling her up for the occasion, Yoon Ji Hoo opted to bring the girl shopping in Myeong-dong as opposed to the upscale, high-end Gangnam district. The main purpose for this afternoon's shopping spree is to dress Geum Jan Di up for the Xmas Gala event this evening hosted by the Shinhwa Group.

Finding an appropriate evening dress for Geum Jan Di turns out to be more challenging than expected. Then again, Yoon Ji Hoo supposed he had himself to blame for the challenge since he made the decision to bring the girl out to shop for the dress, instead of buying a dress for Geum Jan Di without taking the girl's opinion into consideration. Twice, Geum Jan Di turns down the dress he picks out citing that the pricing for the dress is too atrocious. Three times, she refuses to step foot into the boutique store they pass by claiming that the shops are too high-end and intimidating for her to step foot within. And seeing as Yoon Ji Hoo isn't Gu Jun Pyo, he definitely isn't going to make Geum Jan Di bend to his will by demanding the girl's cooperation. Thus, eventually, they stick to the idea of patronizing stores that falls under the mid-range class tier.

The next part of the challenge comes in the form of finding something that would seem befitting for the girl and suits the occasion. Because of Geum Jan Di's height, long dresses were ruled out for a start. Deciding to stick with short dresses for the occasion, Yoon Ji Hoo picks out several available designs and colors of the dresses suitable for this evening's event and makes Geum Jan Di try them out in the boutique store's fitting room.

As to the reason why Yoon Ji Hoo didn't pick out a dress for Geum Jan Di himself but opted to bring the girl along for the shopping trip. Simple - first, he's not Jun Pyo and thus would prefer to buy a dress that Geum Jan Di personally prefers rather than dress the girl up in a dress that he likes but the girl might not appreciate. Secondly, he's neither Yi Jeong nor Woo Bin who simply seems to know how to dress a lady up without seeing the effect of the attire on someone in person. Henceforth, he thought bringing Geum Jan Di out to shop for an evening dress is the best way to ensure that the girl is dressed appropriately for tonight's event.

It took them 2 hours going from store to store to find a dress that suits Geum Jan Di, and another hour to patronize a well-known beauty salon in the area to doll up the girl for this evening's gala event. The dress which they ultimately agree upon is a simple design white short dress with a flounce hem and puff sleeves. And because the dress itself is a tad plain in terms of design, Yoon Ji Hoo insisted on getting Geum Jan Di - a handbag to match the attire and occasion.

"I still don't see why I can't simply wear the dress that I've worn for Seo-Hyun unnie's birthday party, the other time around." Geum Jan Di lamented aloud after they departed the boutique store, dressed up in her new evening dress picked out by her auburn-haired companion, this afternoon. Though she had inwardly agreed with Yoon Ji Hoo that the dress she had worn for Min Seo-Hyun's birthday party was a tad too high-key for her preference, the task of getting her fitted for this evening's gala event was a tad too tedious in her opinions and thus, her off-handed remark after finally leaving the boutique store behind.

"Technically, you can but it isn't advisable. After all, there are likely plenty of guests invited for tonight's gala event having been presented at Seo-Hyun's birthday party, outside of the F4. While we certainly could understand why you would wear the same dress again this evening, the others would not. Moreover, if your ultimate wish tonight is to maintain a low profile - that dress gifted to you by Jun Pyo which you'd worn for Seo-Hyun's birthday party wouldn't work in your favor." Yoon Ji Hoo stated in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, and somewhat distractedly. It wasn't until he heard the gasp coming from his companion that he realized that he had unintentionally let it slip to Geum Jan Di about Jun Pyo being the sender of that party dress, gifted to the girl a couple of days after Geum Jan Di received the birthday party invitation from Seo-Hyun, approximately a year ago.

"What?! That dress is from Gu Jun Pyo?!" Geum Jan Di's first reaction to Yoon Ji Hoo's words was to gape in shock, given that the dress was sent over to her in the name of Min Seo-Hyun, it's only natural that Geum Jan Di was shocked by the discovery that the dress was gifted to her by the leader of F4.

"...Yes. Are you trying to imply that you have no idea that the dress was gifted to you by Jun Pyo, all this time?" Yoon Ji Hoo sighed inwardly in response, before asking the baffled Geum Jan Di back in return. Honestly, he finds it rather surprising that Geum Jan Di hasn't realized this little detail all this time given how frequently Jun Pyo had dressed the girl up in attires of his personal taste. Then again, considering how dense Geum Jan Di could be at times… Yoon Ji Hoo supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Geum Jan Di didn't realize it, all this time.

"Of course, I haven't had any idea about the origin of the dress. It was sent to me under the guise of the dress being a gift from Seo-Hyun unnie. Seeing as the dress I'd worn during the welcome party for Seo-Hyun unnie in Namhaedo after showing up at the event in the gears of the Wonder Woman was indeed an attire that came from Seo-Hyun unnie's wardrobe… I've got no reasons to suspect that the dress sends to me before the birthday party event wasn't from her." Geum Jan Di answered naturally in return.

"... right. Either way, I can say for certain that the attire you wore to Seo-Hyun's birthday party was indeed from Jun Pyo. Since the invitations to Seo-Hyun's birthday party were drafted out and sent out uniformly to the entire school population without Seo-Hyun's personal input, she definitely wouldn't have the sense to think so far ahead to get you, a dress for the occasion given the number of things she had on her mind to do, then." Yoon Ji Hoo eventually responded in a dry manner.

"..." Geum Jan Di had no words to rebuke the above statement. She needn't wonder why Gu Jun Pyo didn't choose to send the dress to her in his name either, knowing full well that she clearly despised the guy then. As for why the guy didn't come clean to her after they got together, Geum Jan Di figured that something this trivial had likely slipped from Gu Jun Pyo's mind by then. As such, Geum Jan Di decides to simply drop the subject altogether as she shook her head to rid her mind of all thoughts relating to Gu Jun Pyo.

Refocusing her attention back to the present, Geum Jan Di started. "Anyway, where are we going next?"

Yoon Ji Hoo mentally went through the list of things to do during this shopping trip, before leading the girl in the direction of the shoe store - intending to find a new pair of shoes to match the new attire for tonight's event. After all, the sneakers which Geum Jan Di is wearing on her feet now definitely aren't suitable for the attendance of the event which they would be attending later this evening held in the Shinhwa Hotel.

Of course, after finding Geum Jan Di a pair of shoes to match the outfit - they would still have to stop by a beauty salon to get the girl's hairdo and make-up done by a professional. But that can come later, for now, they are going shopping for shoes.

Location: Shinsegae Departmental Store in Myeong-dong district, 24th December 2009, Thursday, 3pm

After bidding farewell and parting ways with Yi Jeong at the family cemetery grounds, So Ii-Hyun was in no hurry to head home. Instead, he took a cab to the nearest subway train station before hopping onto the local train service and headed straight for the Myeong-dong district to perform some last-minute Christmas shopping. He had a dinner date planned with Eun-Jae, but he has yet to get the lady a gift for the occasion.

Not that he had the habit of leaving the shopping errand to the very last minute, but given how Ii-Hyun had been focusing the bulk of his attention on the operations of his newly start-up cafe business… it's only natural that he hasn't exactly been keeping track of time. In fact, if it hasn't been the text message from Yi Jeong requesting to meet up with him over the Christmas holidays… the notion of Christmas arriving would have escaped him altogether. Anyway, as he's meeting with Yi Jeong for the first half of today, Ii-Hyun had taken the liberty to close off the cafe for both today and tomorrow, business would resume as usual from boxing day onwards. His dinner date with Eun-Jae is scheduled to take place later this evening around 7pm, and thus he decided to utilize the time between his meet-up with Yi Jeong and Eun-Jae to conduct his Christmas shopping.

Ii-Hyun's Christmas plans are rather simple. For a start, his Christmas eve began with a breakfast/brunch meet-up with his younger brother - Yi Jeong at his place of residence, and later a trip to the family cemetery grounds to pay respects to his late grandmother. And then, he would spend a couple of hours in the Myeong-dong shopping district to pick up gifts for Eun-Jae whom he will be meeting up for dinner later, and Eun-Jae's parents who are expecting him to join their family for dinner on the following day and of course, a couple of his college friends who had invited him to join them tomorrow to celebrate the festive season over lunch.

Deciding to get the gifts without the need to run all over the place, Ii-Hyun headed straight for the Shinsegae Departmental Store in Myeong-dong. His first stop is the section selling liquor and wine in the departmental store. Over there, he picks up a bottle of wine for Eun-Jae's parents, so he didn't have to attend the Christmas dinner held at Eun-Jae's family home empty-handed tomorrow night. Afterward, Ii-Hyun proceeds to go in search of a suitable gift for Eun-Jae, the girl who held his heart to this day. It took a while for Ii-Hyun to decide on a gift for the girl, mostly because he isn't sure if he should gift Eun-Jae something that would spell his feelings clear to the girl or settle on a gift that wouldn't result in an awkwardness between them. After all, despite all the previous get-togethers they had over the past couple of months, Ii-Hyun hasn't quite confessed his feelings for Eun-Jae yet. Heck, he might have been the one to suggest a dinner meet-up with Eun-Jae for tonight, but he had broached the subject using the excuse of not wanting to spend Christmas eve alone. So, yeah… he's kind of at a loss of what to get as a Christmas gift for the girl.

Ii-Hyun was wandering around the shopping mall aimlessly when he crossed paths with the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo, coming from the direction of the public washrooms.

"..."

For a while, there was silence as the duo stood unmoving outside an electronics store on the 12th floor of the departmental store. Eventually, it was Ii-Hyun that broke the silence. Nodding towards the figure of Yoon Ji Hoo with a smile etched on his lips, Ii-Hyun greeted the young man cordially. "Ji Hoo, nice to see you. How have you been?"

"Ii-Hyun Hyung, I'm doing fine. How about you?" Yoon Ji Hoo responded politely as he returns the words of greetings coming from the estranged elder sibling of Yi Jeong. Inwardly, he wonders if he could take his leave soon as he didn't wish to keep Jan Di waiting for him at the shoe store. At the same time, he also wonders if the girl had already decided on which pair of shoes to buy. Earlier on, he had picked out a few pairs of shoes that he thinks would suit the girl's attire for this evening and later leave it entirely to Jan Di to make the final decision. When he left the shoe store to visit the washroom, the girl was having difficulty deciding between a pair of heels and a pair of pumps.

"I'm doing as well as I could given my situation." So Ii-Hyun responded casually before an idea occurs to him to seek out a second opinion in regards to his gift-hunting errand. And so, before Yoon Ji Hoo could take his leave from site… Ii-Hyun started. "This might sound a tad random, but Ji Hoo… what kind of gifts would you consider getting for a lady friend?"

[Random indeed…] Yoon Ji Hoo thought as his mind registered the question coming from the elder So sibling. In Ji Hoo's opinion, this isn't exactly a question that Ii-Hyun should ask him seeing as they didn't really know each other well enough to share tips on what to get for the ladies. Still, it's obvious that the elder So sibling is at a loss and so, Ji Hoo thought he could perhaps offer some suggestions from the general viewpoint.

"Well…coming from the general viewpoint, when it comes down to selecting a gift for a lady… the typical choice is usually fashion accessories. For example, an elegant design hair accessory, or earrings. Of course, getting the lady friend some limited edition leather goods such as a handbag or a clutch from one of the esteemed brands is also an option. Cosmetics and skincare products aren't advisable unless you know for certain that your lady friend doesn't have any sensitive skin conditions. Fragrances/perfumes is also another suitable choice of gifts for ladies who are working adults." Yoon Ji Hoo answered citing a few possible gift options for Ii-Hyun's consideration.

"Ah… thank you, at least, now I have a better idea of where to start for my gift-hunting process." So Ii-Hyun nodded in acknowledgment to the response given to him by the auburn-haired member of F4.

"I'm glad that you find my advice useful. Have a good day ahead." Yoon Ji Hoo said, as he took his leave politely from the site and headed back downstairs to the lower floors where he had left Geum Jan Di alone with her own device. He had to use the washroom located on the higher floors because the washroom on the floor where he had left Geum Jan Di was temporarily closed for cleaning purposes.

There wasn't much to explore on the 12th floor of the departmental store, as most of the shops located on this floor are either F&B outlets, electronics stores, or mascot characters' exclusive merchandise stores (E.g. Kakao friends). With the paper bag containing the bottle of wine in hand, So Ii-Hyun set off for the lower levels of the departmental store intending to find a gift for Eun-Jae, and his college friends.

Ultimately, Ii-Hyun decided to get Eun-Jae a bottle of fragrance from the Louis Vuitton store situated on the 8th floor of the Shinsegae Departmental Store in the Myeong-dong district. Originally, Ii-Hyun had thought of getting Eun-Jae the hair accessories from the store but after going through the hair accessories collection, nothing manages to catch his eyes and so, in the end, he had to settle for the idea of getting Eun-Jae a bottle of the fragrance from the Louis Vuitton collection instead. Before that though, he had managed to find the gifts for his college friends - he got them all a pair of sunglasses from the store - Versace, located on the 9th floor of the departmental store.

With the gift for Eun-Jae purchased, figuring that he still had some time to spare… Ii-Hyun decided to head over to his cafe that's closed for business today to get some paperwork done. He distinctively recalls that it's almost time to place orders for his inventory soon, and thus, he figured he might as well get the stock-taking procedure done today than have to close early next week on one of the weekdays night to complete the stock-taking task.

Location: So Yi Jeong Pottery Studio, 24th December 2009, Thursday, 3pm

During the time whereby Ii-Hyun was out conducting some last-minute Christmas shopping, the potter of F4 and his country bumpkin girlfriend had just arrived back at the pottery studio after getting their lunch takeouts from the Italian restaurant - Aldente in the Mapo district. It took them about an hour to finish taking their lunch including the dessert - Panna Cotta which the potter of F4 had bought as a hidden surprise for his beloved country bumpkin. Subsequently, So Yi Jeong volunteered to clear up the table towards the end of their lunch allowing Ga Eul to pick out a film for their afternoon home movie date.

"Are you sure you don't need me to help with the clean-up process?" Chu Ga Eul inquires, somewhat hesitantly. Not that she doubts her boyfriend's capability at handling basic housekeeping tasks, but more of the fact that she's too accustomed to the task of tidying up the place after a meal that she felt odd about idling about the place.

"I'm sure. Today's lunches are simply takeouts, and so, all I need to do is to dispose of the disposable containers used for the food. There's literally no washing involved, so, I'm pretty sure that I'm capable of performing the clean-up task alone. Why don't you spend this time looking through the Netflix movie list and pick out something for our afternoon home movie session instead?" So Yi Jeong responded, his tone firm as he shooed his girlfriend towards the direction of the home entertainment corner he had set up earlier this morning before leaving to meet up with his elder brother for breakfast.

"Oh… alright then." Chu Ga Eul sighed in resignation over the idea of her assistance in tidying up the place deemed unnecessary for today and shifted her gaze towards the home entertainment corner put together by her Casanova beau sometime earlier situated at the back of the pottery studio. A quick look around informs her about the presence of an oddly familiar tablet device that sits on the table tucked to the side of the wall, which was hooked up to the home entertainment system via a cable connection to the portable projector unit. The tablet device appears to be the same device they had utilized for their last home movie session, it seems.

[... did Yi Jeong-sunbae ever get around to returning the device to his brother or did he simply holds on to the device without returning it?] - Chu Ga Eul thought bemusedly as she took the tablet device in hand to start browsing through the movie list available on the Netflix streaming app.

Chu Ga Eul was still going through the Netflix movies list available on the tablet device hooked up to the screening projector of Yi Jeong's home entertainment system when the Korean Casanova returns after disposing of the trash bag full of the takeout boxes from the restaurant - Aldente.

"So, have you picked out the film for our afternoon movie session yet?" So Yi Jeong inquires as he enters the area where he had set up the portable home entertainment system this afternoon to rejoin Ga Eul.

"Yes, I was thinking of watching the film - Love Actually. That's the only film with Xmas vibe that isn't targeted at young audiences." Ga Eul answered as she handed the tablet with the film synopsis page open and passed it to her Casanova beau for a good look. Although, there are a couple of Christmas-themed movies listed on the Netflix streaming platform the majority of such movies are mostly animated films catered to families, targeting the kids. For instance, one fine example would be the film - The Grinch. While Ga Eul personally is fine with the idea of watching an animated film, she isn't so sure if her Casanova beau would be open to the notion of it. For all she knows, the Korean Casanova might find it a tad too childish for his taste, and thus, after much consideration - Ga Eul decided to watch the film - Love Actually, instead.

So Yi Jeong, on the other hand, took a moment to scan through the page of synopsis before nodding in agreement with his girlfriend's choice of the movie for this afternoon. Granted, he mostly agreed with the choice of the film because he isn't all that educated in films that aren't documentaries in general and thus would simply have to trust his girlfriend's instinct when it comes down to the task of selecting a movie film for their home movie date session this afternoon.

Love Actually is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy-drama film that is set during the Xmas season, beginning five weeks before the Christmas holiday, and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that took place a month later. There's a total of ten separate stories delving into the different aspects of love throughout the screenplay, involving a wide variety of individuals.

The film opens with a scene at the Heathrow Airport, with a voice-over by Hugh Grant commenting that whenever he gets gloomy about the state of the world, he would think of the arrival gate at the airport, about the pure uncomplicated love of friends and families welcoming their loved ones. From there, the first story of the film begins.

The entire film lasted 136 minutes, which is about 2 hours and 16 minutes. Albeit, it took the SoEul couple 2.5 hours to finish watching the show because they had to put the film on hold for about 15 minutes when they got distracted mid-movie. Luckily for them, they are watching the film not in the cinema but on Netflix instead. And so, they have the option to put the film on hold as and when they deemed it necessary.

As for the reason behind the distraction that resulted in a need for the film to be put on hold, well… it started with the potter of F4 requesting for a toilet break mid-film, and later sparked off a discussion about the possibility of someone falling in love with another person so soon after having the heartbroken. At that point, they had just finished watching the story about the character Jamie (played by Colin Firth) and Aurelia (played by Lucia Moniz - a Portuguese actress and singer).

In that story, Jamie was asked to attend Juliet and Mark's wedding alone because his girlfriend then (played by Sienna Guillory) is ill. Feeling concerned for his girlfriend, Jamie left after the wedding ceremony ended to check in on his girlfriend before the wedding reception took place only to find his 'ill' girlfriend having sex with his brother. Feeling crushed, Jamie withdraws to his French cottage where he met the Portuguese housekeeper - Aurelia, who doesn't speaks English. But despite not sharing a common language, they are mutually attracted to one another. And upon returning to England, Jamie realized that he was in love with Aurelia and so, he begins to learn Portuguese. And shortly after, he returns to France and proposed to Aurelia after declaring his love for her using his grammatically incorrect Portuguese. Of course, as per the typical romance story - Aurelia accepted the proposal in front of a gathered crowd of people.

Following the end of the above-mentioned scene, the Korean Casanova requested a brief toilet break and Ga Eul wasted no time in putting the film on hold temporarily as she didn't wish for her Casanova beau to miss out on any scenes while on the toilet break. Just as the potter was coming out from the washroom, he found himself questioning the logic behind the earlier story. While he could comprehend the logic behind the mutual attraction between Jamie and Aurelia, what Yi Jeong doesn't understand was how fast it took for Jamie to realize that he was in love with Aurelia. Not only that, Jamie actually proposed to Aurelia a few months after Christmas when he went back to France to seek Aurelia out. Isn't that a little too hasty when it comes down to matters such as marriage?

With that nagging thought in mind, the Korean Casanova directed a query towards his beloved country bumpkin shortly after he exited from the bathroom of his pottery studio. His innocent query about the logic behind that entire scene they had just watched on screen then resulted in an impromptu discussion about the story that took place in the film thus far between Ga Eul and him prematurely. The discussion was considered impromptu and took place rather prematurely because usually, they reserved such discussion to be held at the end of the movie session. As per the norm, Ga Eul waited for him to finish speaking his mind about what he thought of the story that took place in the film before reminding him pointedly that the contents featured in the film are fictional and therefore should only be taken into consideration with a pinch of salt when comparing the story with reality. Though, Ga Eul did agree with him at the end of the discussion that the proposal scene featured in the story was indeed a tad too hasty, and exaggerated even considering the circumstances.

Such marriages are typically classified as 'shotgun marriages' in reality, and these marriages usually never last for long. Either way, because of that impromptu discussion that took place mid-film, they ended up resuming the streaming of the movie only after the break, and thus, by the time the movie session comes to an end - it's already 5.30pm.

"So, what should we do next?" Chu Ga Eul inquires, voicing her query across to her Casanova beau when the ending credits for the film start rolling on the projector screen. Having already spent time debating on the contents of the film with the Korean Casanova, Ga Eul didn't bother to inquire about her boyfriend's thoughts in regards to the film in general since she has already heard enough of it earlier and decided to steer the topic towards the next part of their Xmas eve itinerary plan instead.

Ending the streaming of the film using the tablet device which he had once again borrowed from his elder brother, So Ii-Hyun, earlier in the day when they met up… Yi Jeong took a moment to survey the outfit of his beloved country bumpkin before answering.

"Now, we go shopping." So Yi Jeong commented as he led Ga Eul out of the pottery studio towards where he had parked his orange lotus, with his car keys in hand. He didn't bother to pack away the portable home entertainment system which he had set up in the pottery studio, intending to leave it for a later time.

"... shopping?" Ga Eul raised an eyebrow questioningly at her Casanova beau, who in turn, nodded firmly in her direction as he commented.

"Yep. I'm in the mood to doll you up for this evening. So, would you please allow me the honor of picking out your outfit for tonight's event?" So Yi Jeong said, voicing his request to his beloved country bumpkin.

"Ah… I see. Well, in that case, I shall gladly take you up on the offer." Chu Ga Eul commented aloud in a musing tone of voice as she nodded her consent to her boyfriend about taking her shopping for a new outfit.

Unlike Geum Jan Di, Ga Eul didn't bother arguing with the Korean Casanova about the necessity of getting a new outfit for the upcoming event. Even though, she's quite sure that she could have easily got a change of attire by making a trip home first. Still, if shopping is what her Casanova beau had in mind for them to kill time this afternoon until it's time to head to the Shinhwa Hotel for the Xmas Gala event - she isn't going to argue.

Now, although both Yoon Ji Hoo and So Yi Jeong has taken their respective date for this evening's event out on a shopping errand - they didn't get to cross paths until they arrived at the Shinhwa Hotel in Gangnam district, where the Xmas Gala event hosted by the Shinhwa Group would be taking place. As for the reason why they didn't get to cross paths earlier, that's mostly because they had chosen different areas for the shopping errands to be conducted. Taking into consideration of Geum Jan Di's budget-conscious mindset, Yoon Ji Hoo had opted to have the shopping errand take place in the Myeong-dong district whereas the Korean Casanova of F4 had brought Chu Ga Eul to the high-end shopping district in Gangnam, this evening.

Location: Shinhwa Hotel, Gangnam district, Seoul. 24th December 2009, Thursday, 6.30pm

Being single, and dateless this evening - Song Woo Bin was the first among the members of F4 to arrive at the Xmas Gala event hosted by the Shinhwa Group. When the mafia heir arrived at the Shinhwa Hotel, the time was only 6.30pm - a good hour before the Xmas Gala event was due to begin.

"Good evening, young master Woo Bin. You're quite early today, would you like to chill out in the lounge bar for the time being?" The bellboy on duty this evening who recognized Woo Bin as a member of the infamous F4 started, knowing full well that the ballroom is still being set up and isn't quite ready to admit any guests for the event yet.

"Sure." Song Woo Bin nodded his consent without much hesitation, given a choice he would have left home a tad later or make a detour elsewhere before coming by. Unfortunately for him, his maternal grandparents had called up his mother about half an hour ago. And in an attempt to avoid having the need to deal with their nagging borne of the good intention for him to settle down, the Don Juan of F4 had decided to leave home slightly ahead of schedule. The end result, he had arrived literally an hour before the Xmas Gala event is slated to take place and thus had to find something else to occupy his time until the event hall is ready to accept guests.

Heading to the lounge bar under the suggestion of the bellboy on duty, Song Woo Bin ordered himself some chips to go along with a pot of tea from the waiting staff on duty in the lounge before taking a seat at one of the comfy seating areas. Knowing that he had quite a fair bit of time to spare until it was time for him to show up at the Xmas Gala event, Song Woo Bin decided to use this time to catch up on the emails on his personal account. Ever since he started taking up a bigger role in the management of his family business, he has been neglecting to catch up on the emails in his personal inbox. Therefore, to avoid having to deal with his fellow college friends complaining about how the emails they send him always ended up being bounced back by his email server - the mafia heir decided to seize this opportunity to perform some cleaning up tasks on his personal email account.

Song Woo Bin was mid-way through the clearing of the spam messages from his personal email account via his mobile email application app installed when his phone suddenly buzzed with an incoming text message from the heiress of the JK Group - Ha Jae-Kyung.

A private text message between Jae-Kyung and Woo Bin, 24th December 2009, Thursday.

Jae-Kyung: Hello~ Prince Song, how are you doing? Have you been enjoying your Xmas eve thus far? ^_^

Woo Bin: Hello to you too. I'm doing fine, how about you? Have you been enjoying your Xmas eve? I bet you did, what's with Jun Pyo's mother being away from Macau… I bet you've been making good use of the time she's away to explore the city as you deem fit.

Jae-Kyung: Bingo! You're right on the account that I've been enjoying myself these few days. ^_^ Do check out my Instagram account for the pictures I've taken while exploring the city earlier this morning :D I'm truly enjoying the brief respite of freedom thus far, and am absolutely dreading the day I would have to return to the cage.

Woo Bin: LOL~ I'll check out your Instagram account shortly I'm currently cleaning up my personal inbox, as I've been neglecting to tidy it up recently and thus quite a fair bit of spam messages have been accumulated. Speaking of, what do you have planned for this evening? Would you be attending the Shinhwa Gala Event hosted in Macau or would you be goofing off elsewhere?

Jae-Kyung: I would prefer to goof off elsewhere if I could, unfortunately, my mother ordered for me to show up at the party this evening threatening to let it slip to Madam Kang about me sneaking off during the time she's away from Macau to get away from the prospect of bonding with that friend of yours. *Roll Eyes Emoji*

PS: So, I'm on my way back to Shinhwa Hotel for the preparation of the party event tonight as we conversed.

Woo Bin: I see… good luck. As dreadful as the notion of attending the party tonight is, I'm sure it's still better than attending a party event under the watchful eyes of the witch. Feel free to banter with Jun Pyo during the event, I'm sure he wouldn't mind the bantering since he doesn't enjoy attending such events as well. He finds these events equally dreadful, especially since he had to sit through the event alone without us, to keep him company.

Jae-Kyung: *Cheeky Emoji* I'll take you up on the suggestion, just don't blame me if he complains to you about how I'm driving him up the walls. I could be rather annoying at times :P

Woo Bin: LOL~ please do your best in annoying him. I'm looking forward to hearing about your achievements in this area.

Location: So Ii-Hyun's cafe in Itaewon district, Seoul. 24th December 2009, 6.30pm

So Ii-Hyun was startled from his task of stock-taking procedure by the sound of an incoming text notification on his mobile device. A quick look at the screen of his mobile phone informed the cafe owner that he had just received an incoming text message from his childhood friend and love interest - Cha Eun-Jae.

A private message between Cha Eun-Jae and So Ii-Hyun, 24th December 2009, Thursday, 6.30pm

Eun-Jae: Ii-Hyun, I'm on my way over to meet you now. Where are we meeting exactly?

Ii-Hyun: Oh… right, why don't you swing by the cafe? I'll meet you at the cafe, as I'm still amid something.

Eun-Jae: The cafe? *Surprised Emoji* I thought the cafe is closed for business today?

Ii-Hyun: You're not wrong about the cafe being closed for business today. I just thought since I had some time to spare, instead of closing the cafe for another few hours later this month-end for the stock-taking procedure, I might as well bring forth the routine stock-taking procedure to this afternoon. Hence, my reason for being in the cafe today.

Eun-Jae: I see… well, in that case, I shall see you at the cafe shortly.

Ii-Hyun: See you.

It took another 15 minutes before Eun-Jae finally arrives at the cafe owned by So Ii-Hyun, and by then, Ii-Hyun has already completed the stock-taking of his inventory and had settled down in one of the cafe's seats with a cup of coffee sitting in front of him as he starts compiling the list of items to restock for his cafe's inventory.

Noticing the 'closed' sign clearly displayed on the glass door of the cafe upon her arrival, Cha Eun-Jae decided to announce her arrival to the cafe owner with a phone call. After all, there's simply no way for her to tell if the door leading to the inside of the cafe has been locked or not. And thus, to prevent any embarrassment on her part, she decided to give her childhood friend, and the elder sibling of her first love a call.

"..." So Ii-Hyun's first reaction to the incoming phone call from Eun-Jae was a quick raise of an eyebrow. Though baffled about the reason behind the incoming call from Eun-Jae, it didn't stop him from picking up the call on its third ring.

"Eun-Jae, is there a reason why you're calling me this close to our meet-up time?" So Ii-Hyun started as he picks up the call, sounding a tad apprehensive while hoping inwardly that Eun-Jae isn't calling him up to cancel their dinner meet-up on a last-minute basis.

"Ah… I'm just calling to inform you that I've arrived, so you can do me a favor and open the door for me." Cha Eun-Jae responded while stamping down the urge to smile in amusement upon the detection of the apprehensive tone in Ii-Hyun's voice.

Blinking once then twice, So Ii-Hyun glanced up from the purchase order form he was filling up and shifted his glance towards the direction of the cafe's entrance. Sure enough, the familiar figure of Cha Eun-Jae was standing outside. "Oh… of course. Give me a second." So Ii-Hyun was quick to respond as he headed towards the doorway to greet the lady.

"Hey, thanks for agreeing to meet up with me for dinner tonight. Give me another few minutes, let me finalize the purchase order form and fax it over to my supplier and then we can leave for dinner." So Ii-Hyun said as he answered the door for Eun-Jae, and lead his childhood sweetheart into the cafe.

"Sure, take your time. Out of curiosity, where do you intend for us to have dinner tonight? And have you reserved us a table at the restaurant in advance?" Cha Eun-Jae inquires out of curiosity and concern, after all, today's Christmas eve… and therefore, there's bound to be a lot of people looking to dine out. Henceforth, she's concerned about the possibility of either having to wait for a prolonged period for a table availability if reservations weren't made in advance. If it's Yi Jeong, she supposed she needn't worry about that account since that guy would always have everything planned out ahead of time. But since it's Ii-Hyun that she's meeting for dinner this Christmas eve, she thought it best to check before heading to the restaurant. That way, she could call up the restaurant to check if there's any table availability before heading over. And if the restaurant is already fully booked, they can then decide on an alternative dining venue for this evening.

"..." For a while, Ii-Hyun didn't speak but his sudden halt in motions was enough to clue Eun-Jae in on the situation at hand. As So Ii-Hyun started to dial up the fax number of his coffee beans supplier with his purchase order on his fax machine in the back office of the cafe, situated behind the counter area… he sheepishly told Eun-Jae that he hasn't thought of placing a reservation at the restaurant ahead of time as he isn't sure what type of cuisines Eun-Jae would prefer to have for dinner this evening.

"I think it's a bit too late to ask me for an opinion on the preferred choice of cuisines at this point, isn't it?" Cha Eun-Jae commented in a wry tone of voice, before pulling out her mobile phone and conducting an internet search on a list of restaurants within walking distance from the cafe. Based on the list of restaurants listed out on the search results, Eun-Jae shortlisted a couple of the restaurants with favorable reviews by the patrons recently and start calling up the restaurant individually to check if they allow last-minute reservations for dine-in.

For a start, she called up the high-end BBQ restaurant in the district - Maple Tree House. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant is already fully booked for the day, so, she moved on to dial up the number for the two Thai restaurants in the area. She first tried the restaurant - Buddha Belly, but the restaurant doesn't allow reservations on holidays and weekends. And so, they would have to queue in person at the restaurant if they are keen to have their dinner there. Only the tables are available on a first-come-first-serve basis, and based on the staff response - the waiting time for an available table is currently about an hour. And so, Eun-Jae decided to forgo the idea of dining at the renowned Thai cuisine restaurant - Buddha Belly in the Itaewon district and opted to call up the second Thai restaurant on the list - Wang Thai. Even though, Eun-Jae has never dined at the restaurant - Wang Thai before, unlike the Buddha Belly, and so she has absolutely no clue about the standards of the food served at the restaurant - Wang Thai.

Eun-Jae ended the call just as Ii-Hyun is done faxing over the purchase order for the coffee beans to his local supplier. As they met eyes with one another, Cha Eun-Jae told Ii-Hyun in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Okay, we have a few options available. Option 1 - we can try out the food served at the restaurant - Wang Thai. Only, I have absolutely no clues about their menu items and the standards of their chef as I have never dined at that particular restaurant before. The good thing about dining over at Wang Thai would be - they have ready tables available for us upon arrival. Especially, since that restaurant is only a 10 minutes walk from here. Option 2 - we get takeouts from the restaurant - American Manimal Smokehouse situated just down the street, and bring them back here to eat. I can personally guarantee the taste of the food served on the menu for this restaurant, as I had the privilege of trying out their food previously. Option 3 - we head over to the Itaewon Kitchen, located about 20 minutes walk away for some Malaysian food. Just like Wang Thai, they also have ready tables for us. The only downside for option 3 would be that they are only left with outdoor seating as the indoor seating area is fully utilized, so if we decide to go for option 3 - we probably would have to keep our coats on throughout the entire meal and we would have to eat hastily to ensure that the food wouldn't get cold." Eun-Jae said as she listed out the available options to Ii-Hyun.

"Before I decide, can I just clarify something… when you say outdoor seating, you aren't referring to an open-air seating area… are you? Because I'm quite certain that none of the restaurants would be crazy enough to seat their customers in the open-air seating area during the winter season. Even if the cuisines served at the restaurants are from the South-East Asia region which is known for their tropical climate." So Ii-Hyun commented in a bemused tone of voice.

"Right, my apology. I should be a tad more clear about what I meant by the outdoor seating area. Okay, so what I meant was - they have an outdoor dining area with a roof and shelter. Only, there aren't any windows to block out the chilly wind. What the area has to offer is just the transparent PVC curtain drapes, which to be honest, though offers the patrons a clear view of the outside scenery wasn't too helpful in blocking out the chilly wind. And since it isn't snowing yet, the area is still open for the patrons to be seated for dine-in." Cha Eun-Jae shrugged as she explained to Ii-Hyun in detail about the outdoor dining area of the restaurant - Itaewon Kitchen, serving Malaysian food to the local community.

"I see… in that case, I think I will cast my vote in favor of the restaurant - Wang Thai," Ii-Hyun said after taking a moment to consider the available options carefully. Though, like Eun-Jae… he has never eaten at the restaurant - Wang Thai before, he has heard about the restaurant from others. Based on what he had heard from the various individuals in his business network, it would seem that the restaurant has garnered a high level of positive feedback from the general public and professional critics. The restaurant has recently been crowned 'Thai Select' and was listed as one of the Thai restaurants in Seoul that serves authentic Thai cuisines.

"Alright, in that case, let's get a move on then. It's best to get there before they run out of tables." Cha Eun-Jae responded, and with that - the duo wasted no time in heading for the doorway of the cafe.

As Eun-Jae and Ii-Hyun left the cafe to head over to the Wang Thai restaurant, Chu Ga Eul and a certain Korean Casanova had just arrived at a stop in the parking facility of the Shinhwa Hotel in Gangnam.

Location: Shinhwa Hotel, Gangnam district, Seoul. 24th December 2009, 7.15pm

"Alright, where do we go from here?" Chu Ga Eul prompted shortly after the Korean Casanova had killed the engine of his orange lotus, and alighted from the driver's side of the vehicle.

"The lift lobby is in that direction if memory serves me correctly. Come along, my dear… I'll lead the way." So Yi Jeong responded, smiling charmingly at his beloved country bumpkin and date for this evening's gala event.

While on the way over to the lift lobby situated at the underground parking facility of the hotel, the Korean Casanova took note of the familiar-looking yellow lotus parked a few lots away from his orange lotus and thought bemusedly to himself. [So… Woo Bin's already here eh? I wonder what brought him over this early? And if memory serves me accurately, for him to secure a parking lot space so close and near to the lift lobby… he must have been here since an hour ago.]

During the time whereby Yi Jeong and Ga Eul were making their way to the venue of the Shinhwa Christmas Gala event, Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di were still on the road. They were about five minutes away from the Shinhwa Hotel in Gangnam when Geum Jan Di started getting cold feet about attending the Xmas Gala event as the date of the auburn-haired member of F4.

"Ji Hoo-sunbae, is it really necessary for you to attend the event with a date?" Geum Jan Di started apprehensively. Though this technically isn't the first time she would be attending an event with the F4 involved… this is most definitely the first time she's attending an event held in a luxury hotel ballroom without an invitation in hand. And since she has never attended any event using another person's invitation, Jan Di was quite apprehensive about showing up at the event uninvited.

"Certainly, you aren't bailing out on me this last minute - are you? The efforts of going to the extent of dolling you up for the occasion would be wasted if that's the case. Anyway, we have arrived and so, it's too late for you to change your mind about showing up at the event in my arms, this evening. If it's the fear of catching the media attention that you're concerned about, there's nothing for you to worry about. This year's Xmas Gala event is just an occasion for people to mingle and interact, there aren't any plans to announce anything important and so, Jun Hee-noona has pretty much ensured that there aren't any media-related personnel invited to the event - this evening. And so, there isn't any risk about us attending the event together being publicized to the members of the public. Furthermore, I've been informed ahead of time that your friend - Ga Eul has been invited to the Xmas Gala this year. Are you sure you want to let your friend spend the entire evening in the company of Yi Jeong and Woo Bin without supervision?" Yoon Ji Hoo commented, going to the extent of using the attendance of Chu Ga Eul to deter Geum Jan Di from backing out on their previously agreed arrangement.

"What?!" Geum Jan Di didn't even have to look into a mirror to know that her eyes had widened significantly at the words that spilled forth from the lips of her former prince charming. For a while, she didn't speak and when she did - it was with sheer incredulity. "Why on earth is Ga Eul attending the event? And why was she invited to the event in the first place?"

"Well… I'll say her status as the illegitimate heiress to the Miyazawa F&B Group plays a part in her attendance of tonight's event. After all, people are still very much curious about her in general. And every year, an invitation for the gala event would be sent out to the Miyazawa F&B Group. In the past, it was mostly the CEO of the Korean branch office for the F&B Group who attends the event. This year though, I suspect Ga Eul would be the representative sent forth to attend the event. Especially, since she had received a personal invitation to the event this time around, to begin with." Yoon Ji Hoo flashes Geum Jan Di a lopsided smile as he responds to the girl's previous inquiry behind Chu Ga Eul's reason for attending the event, at the same time, he wasted no time in steering his white lotus vehicle into the underground parking facility of the hotel.

"..."

When Yoon Ji Hoo shows up at the ballroom where the Xmas Gala event hosted by the Shinhwa Group was taking place with Geum Jan Di in tow as his 'plus-one', Chu Ga Eul was amid a conversation with the host of tonight's event - Gu Jun Hee, with the two playboys of the F4 flanking her sides.

Song Woo Bin was the first to notice the arrival of Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di, when he did - the first thing he did was to prod his Casanova friend on the side as he hinted to Yi Jeong about the impending arrival of the Wonder Woman of Korea. And then, he calls out brightly to the attention of his newly arrived friend with his signature greeting phrase.

"Yo! Ji Hoo, we're over here." Song Woo Bin begins, his words of greeting slipping forth from his lips cheerfully.

"Ah… I think that answers your question about the whereabouts of your friend." Yoon Ji Hoo commented as he started leading Geum Jan Di towards the direction where he had heard the sound of Woo Bin's voice.

Ever since Jan Di arrived at the ballroom under the escort of Yoon Ji Hoo, the girl has been on a constant lookout for the whereabouts of her childhood best friend - Chu Ga Eul. Unfortunately for Jan Di, there were simply too many ladies in attendance at the event which posed a bit of a challenge in locating her friend's whereabouts. Therefore, she had distractedly allows herself to be led away by Yoon Ji Hoo towards where the F2 was standing in the event hall.

As Geum Jan Di approached the area where Song Woo Bin and So Yi Jeong stood in the ballroom, her attention was slowly drawn towards the direction where she thought the voice of her childhood best friend could be heard. And that was soon followed up by the sound of the Shinhwa heiress' voice, which was equally familiar-sounding to her ears.

"Ga Eul!" Geum Jan Di wasted no time in greeting enthusiastically, before turning to face the figure of Gu Jun Hee with a small smile playing on her lips as she greeted. "Jun Hee-unnie."

"Jan Di, good to see you. How are you doing?" Gu Jun Hee smiles warmly as she greeted the arrival of Geum Jan Di. Though she had entrusted Ji Hoo with the task of inviting Jan Di to the Xmas Gala event hosted by her family business group, she isn't certain if the guy could pull it off. After all, Geum Jan Di could be rather stubborn at times, and there's no point in forcing the girl to do something she had no intention of doing.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for your concern." Geum Jan Di managed a small smile in the presence of her former beau's elder sister.

"Good. I'm aware that this event might not be your ideal way of spending your time this evening, but still, I hope you would at least find the food served here enjoyable. And though, I would very much love the idea of hanging around to catch up with you - I'm afraid that I have elsewhere to be at present, given my status as of today's event host." Gu Jun Hee remarked as she directed her words aloud to the group gathered around her, and promptly excused herself to join her husband who seem rather desperate to escape a conversation with her relatives from her mother's side of the family.

"Hey, Jan Di… I have to say I'm surprised to see you here this evening." Chu Ga Eul admitted as she turn her eyes upon the figure of her childhood friend. Though she's aware that Yoon Ji Hoo has been tasked with the duty and responsibility to invite Jan Di to the Xmas Gala event hosted by the Shinhwa Group, she wasn't certain if her friend is going to accept the invitation. So, the fact that her friend is not only present at the event but also appeared to have dolled up specifically for the event was truly surprising in Ga Eul's opinion.

"Yes, well… I've thought of chickening out on the idea of showing up. Believe me… but then Ji Hoo-sunbae talks me into attending the event citing that you're going to be here." Geum Jan Di said smilingly to her childhood friend, before turning suspicious eyes upon the two playboys of F4 and starting in a warning tone of voice. "You guys didn't do anything to Ga Eul behind my back, did you?"

"..." The Korean Casanova and the Don Juan of F4 shared a look among themselves before rolling their eyes in unison as they turn towards Geum Jan Di and responded as one. "Of course not, we wouldn't dare rest a finger on your friend without seeking your permission in prior."

As soon as they said the words, Geum Jan Di nodded in satisfaction and directed her focus and attention back onto the figure of Chu Ga Eul. As soon as Geum Jan Di's attention was diverted away from the playboys of F4, the Don Juan of F4 look at his Casanova friend as he mouthed the word 'Liar' mutely. To which, So Yi Jeong simply shoots his Don Juan friend a warning look before repeating the same motion with the silently amused-looking Yoon Ji Hoo. He didn't fancy getting a high kick in his face from the courtesy of Geum Jan Di, and especially not in public.

Once Ga Eul led Geum Jan Di away to explore the buffet table, So Yi Jeong turns towards his auburn-haired friend and demanded to know how the guy managed to talk Geum Jan Di into attending the party(?) because he didn't think Geum Jan Di would agree to show up at the event, until now.

"I would have thought her reasons for agreeing to show up were obvious. She did sort of announce it aloud earlier." Yoon Ji Hoo commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"...wait, seriously? She isn't joking when she says you talked her into the idea of showing up here at the event by mentioning the presence of Ga Eul-yang?" Song Woo Bin eyed his auburn-haired friend incredulously as he speaks.

"Well, yes. Although, I make sure to highlight to her the dangers of leaving the innocent Ga Eul to the two experienced playboys for the entire evening. That was ultimately what talks her into the idea of attending the event as my plus-one this evening." Yoon Ji Hoo nodded slowly in response before allowing a smirk to form on his face.

"..." Upon Yoon Ji Hoo's statement, both the Don Juan and the Korean Casanova allowed a look of disbelief to cross their features momentarily. In particular, the Korean Casanova was quite irked by the little detail since that means he would be subjected to tighter scrutiny from the Wonder Woman of Korea whenever he's around his beloved country bumpkin, throughout the progress of the Xmas Gala event.

[Damn you… Ji Hoo!] So Yi Jeong thought, feeling slightly irked that his plan for sneaking off earlier with Ga Eul alone when the party is in mid-progress is being ruined. Never mind the idea of sneaking off undetected, he probably wouldn't be able to get a moment of privacy with his girlfriend alone for the rest of this evening with how Geum Jan Di kept hovering near Ga Eul like a mother-hen.

"Is anything the matter?" Geum Jan Di inquires innocently upon returning from the buffet table with Ga Eul in tow, just in time to notice the look of daggers thrown Yoon Ji Hoo's way by the irate-looking Korean Casanova.

"Nothing, he's just annoyed that I'd brought up the mention of his estranged brother for discussion is all." Yoon Ji Hoo plastered on an unfazed smiling expression as he directed his gaze back onto the figure of Geum Jan Di as he responded to the girl's inquiry.

"...Oh… erm, wait… Yi Jeong-sunbae has a brother?" Geum Jan Di blinked, sounding a tad confused as she voiced her words aloud.

"Of course, Yi Jeong has a brother. He wouldn't be the second-born son of his family if he didn't have an elder brother. I thought this was common knowledge?" Song Woo Bin couldn't help it, he blurted out the response while directing an incredulous look in Geum Jan Di's direction.

"..." So Yi Jeong had no words to describe his current feeling at best, talk about being thrown off. That's exactly what he's feeling at the moment, and how on earth did the subject of his elder brother come up for discussion again? Fine, he gathered that Ji Hoo must provide an alternative reason to placate Geum Jan Di if he wished to keep the knowledge of his relationship with Ga Eul under wraps… but still, must Ji Hoo bring up the mention of his elder brother there?

"Hey! I'll have you know that until I transferred into Shinhwa High, I have absolutely no clues about you guys - okay?!" Geum Jan Di retorted defensively as she zeroes in her gaze onto the figure of Song Woo Bin.

"Maa… Woo Bin-sunbae, please forgive Jan Di for her naivety in the family backgrounds of the members of F4. You must understand that until she crosses paths with you guys, she doesn't really pay much attention to the news revolving around the F4 in general… so, it really isn't that much of a surprise that she didn't know that Yi Jeong-sunbae has an elder brother." Chu Ga Eul said, offering her input on the matter.

"Fine, I supposed you do have a point." Song Woo Bin eventually let the matter rest, and with that, the topic was closed for discussion.

"Okay, so… Yi Jeong-sunbae has an estranged elder brother and I know Gu Jun Pyo has an elder sister. What about you, Woo Bin-sunbae? Do you have any siblings?" Geum Jan Di then started, deciding that she might as well take this opportunity to find out a tad more general information about the F4 in general lest she ends up asking stupid questions again in the future. She didn't bother to inquire into the family background of Yoon Ji Hoo, because the guy has already shared such information with her on various occasions in the past.

"Well… Woo Bin has two sisters." Yoon Ji Hoo began, sharing the bit of information with Geum Jan Di before the Don Juan of F4 even had time to react.

"Oh… younger or elder?" Geum Jan Di piqued, her interest aroused.

"Younger, and they are twins." So Yi Jeong said, glad to have an opportunity to sell out information about his best friend.

"Twins?! Wow… how old are they?" Geum Jan Di breathed aloud in wonder, she has never known anyone with twins children or siblings who are twins before.

"Hmm… now? About 9 or 10, I guess… I didn't exactly keep track of their age, they aren't my sisters - after all." So Yi Jeong shrugged in response, before poking his friend in the ribs as he tried to get his friend into participating in the conversation instead of staring at them with blatant incredulity.

"What?" Song Woo Bin blinked as he came back to his senses upon feeling the poking sensation by the side of his ribs, an act of courtesy from his Casanova friend.

"How old are your sisters, this year?"The Korean Casanova prompted upon catching his best friend's attention.

"... they're 10 years old this year." Song Woo Bin sighed inwardly as he resigned himself to the idea of satisfying Geum Jan Di's curiosity about his twin sisters for the next few minutes.

Meanwhile, So Yi Jeong kept half his attention on the conversation flow going on between his Don Juan friend and Geum Jan Di, so he would be able to react timely when required. At the same time, he took out his mobile gadget to send a quick text message to his girlfriend. It seems a tad silly for him to resort to using such a manner of communication when they are standing only steps apart from each other. But then again, holding a text conversation on the mobile phone seems to be the only way he could interact with his girlfriend without rousing the suspicion of Geum Jan Di, at present.

A private text message between So Yi Jeong and Chu Ga Eul, 24th December 2009, Thursday.

Yi Jeong: I know, this is silly since we are literally only a few steps away from one another but this is the only way we can speak about our meet-up plans for tomorrow without rousing the suspicion of Geum Jan Di.

Ga Eul: LOL~ no worries, I understand. Truly, I do comprehend where you're coming from. Jan Di's presence can be rather stressful for you, isn't it? :P

Yi Jeong: Of course, it's stressful. Every time I tried approaching you, she would pop out of nowhere and attach herself to your hip. Anyway, enough about her… about the Xmas gathering with the E3 tomorrow… what time are they expecting us?

Ga Eul: No later than 6.30pm, I reckon. Since that's the usual dinner time for the Sakuraba family.

Yi Jeong: I see, and what time should I meet up with you? While on the subject, what exactly do you have planned for tomorrow if you don't mind me asking?

Ga Eul: Xmas Brunch with my family members followed by a family movie session. I can meet up with you by 4.30pm if you wish to meet up earlier instead of meeting up with me directly at Shuichi's place.

Yi Jeong: In that case, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 4.30pm at your place. We can then swing by the mall in Gangnam to pick up some Xmas hampers for your aunt before heading over for the Xmas gathering held at the Sakuraba residence. I know it isn't necessary to bring anything over for the gathering, but I don't feel comfortable attending the dinner event empty-handed.

Ga Eul: Ah… well, we can do that if that would make you feel more at ease. Speaking of which, my aunt is here this evening too. ^^;

Yi Jeong: Is she? Where's your aunt's position at present?

Ga Eul: Yep, she's invited to the event as the business partner of the Shinhwa Group. The Miyazawa Group does have a couple of projects that tie in with the Shinhwa Group to a certain extent, e.g. the supermarket sector, as far as I know… the Miyazawa Group took over a portion of the neighborhood franchise chain of the supermarket business that used to be under the Shinhwa Group, a few months back after the Shinhwa Group decides to downsize their supermarket business for cash-flow purposes, I believed. Anyway, she's currently mingling with a couple of people about ten steps away from our group.

Yi Jeong: … you've got to be a tad more precise, is she ten steps ahead of us or behind us?

Ga Eul: About 45 degrees to the left of our group position, near the entrance of the ballroom where Jun Hee-unnie is standing with her husband as they welcome the new arrival guests.

Yi Jeong: The lady dressed in a gray matching business suit for ladies? Is that her? Why's she attending the event in office wear?

Ga Eul: Yep, that's aunt Shinobu alright. As for the reason why she's attending the event in her business wear, well… I reckon she came straight to the event from the office just now. Unlike the Shinhwa Group, there's no 1/2 day work for the Miyazawa Group on the eve of Christmas.

Yi Jeong: I see…

Ga Eul: So, are you going to pop over and introduce yourself to her? *Playful Emoji*

Yi Jeong: Nah… I'll leave the official meeting and introduction for tomorrow. For now, I'll just stay put… besides, it's not as though I have a valid reason for approaching her now.

With the above message typed out and sent, So Yi Jeong tucked away his mobile gadget to return his full attention back to the conversation going on between Woo Bin, Ji Hoo, and Jan Di. It seems his silent communication with Ga Eul on the sly was noticed by Ji Hoo and thus the guy had taken extra steps to ensure that Geum Jan Di wouldn't notice anything amiss with the lack of input from both himself and Ga Eul during the period whereby they were having their own conversation on the messaging app of their phones.

Location: Wang Thai Restaurant, Itaewon district, Seoul. 24th December 2009, Thursday, 7.30pm

Arriving at the restaurant, Eun-Jae and Ii-Hyun were met by the sight of the visibly long queue of patrons waiting to be seated in the restaurant. Thankfully for them, they were spared from the trouble of having to wait around for a table to be available as they have a smaller dining group size. Within a matter of minutes, they were waved into the restaurant by a waitress on duty and shown to an available table. The table is tucked away in a corner towards the front of the restaurant, directly next to the cashier counter. Given an alternative, Ii-Hyun probably wouldn't have picked this table as his preferred choice of seating area but seeing as the restaurant is more than 90% full at present… it's best not to test his luck and just accept the offered seating presented to him by the restaurant's staff.

As soon as they sat down at the table, the waitress handed them both a copy of the restaurant's menu.

"Just signal to any of our staff once you are ready to order." The waitress said as she handed the copies of the menu over to Ii-Hyun and Eun-Jae before taking her to leave from their table to serve another group of customers seated in the next aisle.

Since this was Eun-Jae and Ii-Hyun's first visit to the Wang Thai restaurant, they took a bit of time to browse through the entire menu before making up their mind about what to order for their dinner. Ii-Hyun was browsing through the main dish section of the menu when Eun-Jae started hesitantly.

"Are you open to the idea of trying out the papaya salad? I'm kind of interested in the salad dish but I'm not sure if I could finish everything on my own as I wanted to get dessert as well." Eun-Jae said, voicing her words across to the figure of So Ii-Hyun seated across her at the table in the restaurant.

"Hmm…? Well, I'm open to the idea of trying out the dish if you're keen on ordering it." Ii-Hyun answered after he took a moment to flip to the front of the menu where the appetizer section was being listed to have a look at the illustrated image of the mentioned dish.

"Excellent, in that case, I've decided on what to order. Have you?" Eun-Jae beams in response as she voiced her words aloud, announcing to Ii-Hyun that she's now ready to place her order.

"Hold on, give me another minute. I'm trying to decide which main dish I would like to have for dinner." So Ii-Hyun hurried to comment before Eun-Jae could start signaling for the attention of the waitress. Eventually, between the two fried rice dishes that caught his attention on the menu - Ii-Hyun decided to give the crab fried rice a try as opposed to the pineapple fried rice which he had eaten on various past occasions in other restaurants that caters to Thai cuisines.

"Okay, so crab fried rice for the main. What about the beverage? Would you like to order anything from the beverage section?" Cha Eun-Jae prompted before she signals for the waitress to approach their table for their orders.

"I think I'll just stick to the complimentary plain water." So Ii-Hyun said after sparing the beverage section of the menu a glance.

Cha Eun-Jae nodded and then raised her hand up in the air to signal for one of the waiting staff lingering around in the area to approach indicating their intention to place the orders. One good thing about being seated near the cashier counter of the restaurant is that there is no lacking of staff to attend to their needs since there's always someone in the cashier area. And so, it's incredibly easy to catch the attention of the staff on duty.

"Yes, madam?" The waitress that approached their table plastered on a smiling expression as she greeted Eun-Jae, professionally.

"We would like to place our orders," Eun-Jae said, voicing her words across to the waitress attending to their table and then waited momentarily for the waitress to ready the pen and memo pad at hand before she started citing off the dishes they had decided to order for their dinner meal. "I would like to place an order for the papaya salad, and for the main dishes - I would like to have the crab fried rice and the shrimp's Pad Thai. Oh, and I would like to order the mango sticky rice for dessert, to be served after the meal." With that said, Cha Eun-Jae flipped closed the menu and have it returned to the waitress who is taking down their dinner orders.

"Is that all? Would you like to order any beverage to go along with the meal?" The waitress double-confirms before retrieving the copies of the menu from the duo seated at the table.

"That's all for now. We'll signal for you if we require anything else. Thank you." Eun-Jae responded firmly to the waitress attending to them at their table.

"I've to say that I'm surprised. I was under the impression that you were going to order something from the beverage section given what you'd asked me earlier." So Ii-Hyun began shortly after the waitress departed with their food orders and the copies of the menu which they had returned after placing their orders.

"Well… originally, I was going to order something but then I thought there's nothing too eye-catching in the menu under the beverage section. Besides, why bother to spend money on a simple glass of iced tea when I could get it at a cheaper rate from the supermarket?" Cha Eun-Jae shrugged rtheoretically in response to Ii-Hyun's query.

"...I see." Taking a sip of water from the complimentary glass of plain water served earlier after they had settled down at the table by the restaurant's waiting staff, So Ii-Hyun commented.

While waiting for the food to be served, both Ii-Hyun and Eun-Jae took a moment to survey the interior decor of the restaurant. Now that they had decided on the menu of their dinner meal, their focus has been steered away from the thought of satisfying their taste buds, and is in a better mood to assess their surrounding environment.

The restaurant is decked out in warm tones, be it the coloring scheme chosen for the walls, furniture, and fitting or the lighting. And so, it provides the patrons with the feel of a cozy and warm ambiance on the whole. Overall, both Ii-Hyun and Eun-Jae find the ambiance and atmosphere of the restaurant - a good place to dine and relax.

It didn't take long for their food to be served, and the papaya salad was the first dish to be brought to their table. With the papaya salad served, both Eun-Jae and Ii-Hyun didn't waste a single second in dallying. Both of them reached for the fork placed in front of them on the table and start attacking the dish in unison. After all, it's already 7.30pm and they are more than ready to get some substances into their empty stomach by this point. And therefore, even though it was only the appetizer that was being served - it did nothing to dampen their gusto to satisfy their taste buds and the empty stomach.

Shortly after the appetizer was served, the shrimp's Pad Thai and the crab fried rice ordered by Eun-Jae and Ii-Hyun from the main dishes section of the menu were served respectively, one after another within a matter of minutes. Under usual circumstances, Eun-Jae probably would spare a moment to snap some photos of the dishes served before digging into the food but today, she decided to do away with the hassle of blogging about her dining experience. Mostly because she's too hungry to consider the notion of food blogging. And therefore, the only picture she had posted from today's visit to the Wang Thai restaurant was of the dessert dish - the mango sticky rice that was served after the meal, and before the settling of their bill for their dinner meal.

For Ii-Hyun, he had only remembered to hand the Christmas gift he had picked out for Eun-Jae over after they took their leave from the restaurant. And he had only remembered the gift's existence after Eun-Jae inquires about the shopping bag he had been carrying on his person all this time. Originally, Eun-Jae had tried not to dwell too much on the presence of the shopping bag for she had cast it off as a simple storage bag for Ii-Hyun's personal belongings, such as the wallet, mobile gadget, umbrella, and keys to the cafe. But when she noticed how Ii-Hyun had retrieved his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans when settling the bill payment of their dinner meal at the restaurant's cashier counter, she knows she had assumed the reason behind the presence of the shopping bag wrongly.

And so, shortly after they left the restaurant - Wang Thai, to make their way back to the cafe owned by Ii-Hyun. Cha Eun-Jae finally had it in her to inquire about the shopping bag Ii-Hyun had on his person, all this time.

"Oh… this? Right, thanks for the reminder. I've almost forgotten about it." So Ii-Hyun mumbled under his breath, before turning to face his childhood sweetheart with a rather sheepish expression on his face as he handed the shopping bag over to Eun-Jae. "Here, this is for you. It's Christmas eve, so I'd decided to get you a little something in appreciation of your agreement to dine with me this evening. Merry Christmas!"

"Oh… thank you," Eun-Jae responded as she took the offered bag from the hands of Ii-Hyun, inwardly she was berating herself for not thinking ahead of time to get the guy something for Christmas. But then she recalled the little detail about how Ii-Hyun is going to join her family for dinner the following evening at her family home, and thus wonders if she could make a quick trip to the convenience store on her way home to pick something up for the guy. Albeit, the most she could get for the guy at this late in time would only be chocolates… it beats the idea of having nothing for Ii-Hyun, this Christmas. Next year though, she would definitely put a bit more thought into choosing a gift for Ii-Hyun, Eun-Jae vowed mentally to herself.

"You're welcome." So Ii-Hyun answered, heaving a sigh of relief inwardly when Eun-Jae didn't unwrap the gift on the spot. After all, he had gathered enough from the delayed reaction on Eun-Jae's part when he handed the gift over to know for certain that the girl hasn't thought of getting him anything for Xmas ahead of time. Thus, likely Eun-Jae is thinking of getting him something on a last-minute basis in return for the gift he had just given her. And so, it would be downright awkward if Eun-Jae had unwrapped the gift on the spot because that would mean that whatever Eun-Jae choose to gift him in return later wouldn't match up to the value of his gift to her, ultimately. And that would no doubt result in a brief moment of awkwardness between them, as they made their way back to his cafe. No doubt, that would also mean ending tonight with an ugly note which isn't welcoming at all in Ii-Hyun's opinion.

~TBC~

Chapter's notes: Apology for the extremely long delay. I didn't update anything for the entire month of May 2022, that mostly stems from the misfortune of having the laptop charger/adapter burnt out/damaged. Though I ordered the replacement soon enough and the replacement charger arrived the following week… after testing it out and finding that it works, I decided to overhaul the chapter on the whole. That causes further delay in the writing progress, and then because these days I only have time on the weekends to write… I wasn't able to churn out the chapter fast enough. Thus, delaying the chapter to today…

Anyway, I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter is likely the last part of the Xmas Break Arc, but I'm not giving a specific deadline for my next update since I can't tell for certain at present. Regardless, thank you for all your patience. That's all for now, see you next time.