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Summary: Four years and continents apart. What keeps Yi Jeong and Ga Eul's hope alive are the letters that they write to each other from time to time…

LOVE LETTER

I

Finally he had settled everything he needed to do. New books, his schedule at the university pottery workshop, appointments with a master potter he had managed to lure out of retirement (not with money for once but with his talent) and his appointments with the specialists who would try to further the recovery of his hand.

All in all, it had taken him close to three weeks. All this while, the letter had been sitting on his table. Now that he had some time for himself, he was going to read it. There would be time to savour her words to him. Yi Jeong carefully opened the envelope and slid out the paper. It was a single pristine white sheet and he could see her neat writing.

Sunbae,

I'm imagining by now you would finally have settled all the administrative matters you need to attend to before your classes start. I'm not going to ask you what Sweden is like because you're obliged to tell me anyway. I expect photos. The kind with you in them, and not some generic shots okay?

What?! She expected him to pose and take shots of himself in public? No way was he doing that. At least not until he had a couple more letters from her.

I feel a little strange at the moment, writing this and knowing that an hour from now, you're coming to pick me up. I keep thinking I'm going to forget my gloves and I'll have to borrow yours once we get to the rink.

No wonder she had been a little quiet during the ride there. And she had forgotten her gloves. "Pabo," he murmured softly. Come to think of it, he had given her those gloves at the end of their…outing. Had it been a date? He didn't know what to call it. At least this time he didn't have to pretend that it meant nothing to him.

I keep wondering what to give you as a going away gift. I can't buy you something you'll like as your tastes are out of my financial league. I thought of making you something but pottery makes me a little miserable at the moment since it's the reason why you have to leave. I'm not going to give it up though; I like it too much. Even with your nagging about the wrist.

He felt relieved to know that she would continue to pursue the art. And how dare she call him a nag? Yi Jeong smiled, in spite of himself.

Hence, I decided to give you this. If you check the envelope, there's a stamp inside. It should be enough to cover the postage back to Korea. Use it if and when you want to write back to me. If you do, I'll know that you have accepted my gift.

Ga Eul

Rubbing his thumb gently over her name, Yi Jeong looked out the window. It was in the middle of the day and the sun was out. In Korea, it would be at least midnight. She would be asleep, unaware of how much he wanted to fly back just to hold her for awhile.

This was her present, a way of keeping the line of communication open between them. And it was better than an email by far. He had something to hold, something she had touched. It was personal and intimate, and far less pressurising, given their strange neither here nor there situation.

Carefully, he put the letter away. When the time was right, he would send his reply.

………………………...

One month later

Ga Eul heaved a sigh of relief when she reached her locker. It had been a horrendously packed day and she had just finished the last of three tutorials. And on top of that, she had her pottery class to attend. It was one of those free courses students could take up at the Arts Centre and she had immediately signed up for it.

Gathering up the frilly pink apron that Jan Di had given her as a gift, she noticed a slim blue envelope sitting on top of her… Ga Eul turned a brilliant shade of red as she snatched the envelope and stuffed it into her bag and slammed her locker shut. There was only one F4 member who could pick a lock with ease but honestly, didn't Song Woo Bin have any eyes?!

Her heart was still racing when she stepped into class. It was hard to concentrate now; she knew the letter in her bag was from Yi Jeong. Time crawled and finally, when she had reached home, Ga Eul went to her room, locked the door and sat down on her bed. Then she opened the envelope.

Ga Eul yang,

I hope you don't mind but I got Woo Bin to make a special delivery. He volunteered by the way, no arm twisting involved here.

Oh, was she going to give Woo Bin sunbae an earful when she next saw him. Then again, maybe not. If the man had no idea what a box of tampons was, perhaps she should just leave him in blissful ignorance.

It's getting a bit colder over here, but it feels somehow like Korea during winter. I had to buy new gloves by the way, since you absconded with my old ones. I expect to get them back when I return but in the meantime, you had better wear them so they don't fall apart from misuse.

Don't go on skiing trips with Geum Jan Di unless Woo Bin and Ji Hoo are there to prevent you from getting into accidents alright? Yes, I am nagging.

She laughed when she read that part. That would really put a dent in Yi Jeong's Casanova image. But then again, that wasn't who he was anymore. Was it?

Classes are going well here, and once again, I'm the best student in the cohort.

She could practically see the smugness rising from his words and rolled her eyes. The next part made her smile though.

Although my mentor tells me that I've been thoroughly spoilt by praises I don't entirely deserve. It feels good actually, being taken down a peg or two. It makes me want to work harder. Did I mention he makes me clean the studio once we're done with lessons? I bet you didn't know I'm handy with the broom and mop.

"That's a shocker," Ga Eul muttered, not quite sure if Yi Jeong was pulling her leg. She was pretty sure that apart from Ji Hoo, the rest of F4 would not have been able to distinguish between a mop and broom even if the fate of their business empires rested on that.

The doctors are recommending some treatments for my hand. I'll be attending the first session next week, which should be around the time that you get this.

He didn't say anymore about that but she knew how important it was to him.

By the way, I should mention that I've found myself a nice companion. Her name is Sadie and she never leaves me alone. I've been spending most evenings with her ever since I met her at the local cafe.

For a moment Ga Eul found it hard to breathe. She wasn't one to swear but by God, what the hell was Yi Jeong thinking? Was this his idea of honesty? Not that she wanted him to lie to her. Not that he owed her anything since they weren't even in a relationship. Damn, now she was mentally babbling. Resisting the urge to toss the letter aside, she forced herself to continue.

In fact, as I'm writing this, Sadie is here. She insists on sitting on my lap and that makes writing a bit difficult. But cats are such affectionate creatures, so it's hard to say no to her.

If he had been with her at that moment, Ga Eul would have happily strangled Yi Jeong. And then she would have kissed him.

I've got to go now. By the way, in case you haven't noticed, I like your gift. Now, I have two requests.

One, I want a longer letter.

Two, I want another stamp.

Yi Jeong