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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

II

From all appearances, Chu Ga Eul looked like the most industrious student in the lecture theatre. She had her highlighters out (pink, green and yellow), her textbook open and she was writing diligently on the notepad on her table. She looked like the most hardworking student in the lecture theatre.

"Looked, being the key word here," Ga Eul thought as she glanced around at her batchmates who were shamelessly sleeping, talking or surfing the web on their handphones. Not that she was paying any more attention but hey, her professor was at the podium giving a useless lecture to no one in particular and if he couldn't be bothered, it was hard for her to stay focused, especially since she could easily go to the library and do her own self studying.

Carefully, she punctuated her last sentence and scanned the notes she had made for next week's test. Yup, she'd just about covered everything. "Now to return to the Land of the Droning," she sighed softly as she tapped her pen on the notepad in front of her.

A glance at the clock revealed that there was at least an hour more to go. And since it would be rude to take her bag and leave… A sudden thought struck her and she smiled. It had been almost a month and a half since Yi Jeong's letter arrived.

Surreptitiously, she tore a clean sheet of paper out of the notepad and started writing.

………………

Yi Jeong's heart skipped a beat when he opened the mailbox and noticed the pale blue envelope inside. His days were full and during his nights, he had become very well acquainted with Swedish television programmes and also cable. More often than not, he also spent nights working on his pottery, determined to squeeze some praise out of his mentor who seemed to believe that the occasional nod and grunt were sufficient encouragement. But even in the midst of all the activity, he wondered when she would write again.

He'd never done this before, exchanged letters with anyone, let alone a girl. And this was not just any girl. Sometimes he wondered if she was his once in a lifetime, or his second shot at love and redemption. And as always, he came to the conclusion that it didn't matter anyway. She was important to him, period.

Chucking the rest of the mail on the counter, he sat down and proceeded to read her letter.

Sunbae,

I always knew you were a bad influence. See, now you've got me writing to you in class while my professor is attempting to teach. Attempting, that being the key word here. I'm trying to pay attention but it's very hard especially when he insists on dimming the lights (since he uses nothing but PowerPoint slides) and has a voice that is more suited for a hypnotist.

Writing letters during class was Ga Eul yang's idea of misbehaving in class? Yi Jeong thought of all the pranks that F4 had pulled over the years, all led by Jun Pyo of course. He had merely followed along because he had been bored and there was nothing to do. Of course, if his teacher had been as pretty as Ga Eul yang…

Before he could stop himself, a picture of Ga Eul with her hair tied in a loose chignon, wearing a tight knee length skirt and white shirt, and saying "You bad, bad boy" while leaning over him in a dimly lit classroom popped into his head.

Damn, the withdrawal symptoms were getting worse. Whether it was withdrawal from his hedonistic lifestyle or from her, he couldn't tell. Maybe it was both. But he had found a way of dealing with that. That was why his workshop was full of tiny delicate tea cups and pots. They were hard to make and reminded him of his first encounter with her.

Anyway, life in university is really hectic. I'm not too sure if a business degree is the way to go though. My parents think it's a good thing and switching faculties is apparently a taboo dinner topic. Jan Di says I should pursue my dream. The thing is, I'm not too sure what I want to do. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.

Pottery classes are fun though. I've enrolled myself in one of the free courses at the Arts Centre and it helps that my teacher is such a nice man. He's even offered to let me sit in for extra sessions at another studio where he works. Isn't he great?

Yi Jeong's brow arched as he read that line. Normally he would have been happy that she had found a nurturing mentor but this sounded too much like an excuse to get close to her. Ga Eul yang was so innocent; she wouldn't even spot a come-on until it was too late!

Nope, he had to look out for her best interests. As her friend, he was morally obligated to ensure her well being.

"Jun Pyo?"

"Yah! Now you call. When was the last time we talked or you emailed?"

Yi Jeong flinched and held the phone away from his ear. "I need a favour. Who is the pottery instructor that offers free courses at the Arts Centre?"

"Huh?"

"The Arts Centre at Shinhwa University," Yi Jeong said impatiently. "Who is he?"

"How the hell should I know? And just what is this about?"

"Just check it out for me will you?"

Ignoring the steady stream of grumbling that issued from his best friend, Yi Jeong waited.

"Okay, his name is Jun Kim Sang." And that was apparently it because Jun Pyo went silent.

Yi Jeong resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall. "And?"

"Does this have anything to do with Chu Ga Eul by any chance?"

Oh why did Jun Pyo suddenly have to grow a brain now? "Maybe," Yi Jeong muttered, not wishing to know how Jun Pyo had arrived at that conclusion.

"I told you to date her officially before you left. If you'd only listened, you wouldn't be calling because you are jealous of a seventy-five year old ajjushii who has been married to the same woman for the past fifty years."

"Oh." Now he felt stupid but at least he knew that there wasn't any man waiting to pounce on Ga Eul. That made up for his embarrassment. "Thanks."

"See, I was right. Whoa, do you know how many children this guy has—"

Yi Jeong hung up. He would donate some ceramics to Jun Pyo the next time Shinhwa had a charity auction. There were better things to do at the moment.

I'm sure that by the time you come back, I will be a better potter (as will you. Remember, fighting!). Then you could teach me some of the techniques that you've learnt in Sweden.

"Think of the pottery, the pottery." Yi Jeong shook his head, trying to block out the list of techniques he wanted to teach Ga Eul, none of them having to do with pottery.

By the way, I'm still waiting for my photos.

What was with Ga Eul yang and photos?

It would be…nice, to see you. I wonder what it's like over there and I can't imagine you in Sweden, even though I have seen pictures of the place. Send me a picture of Sadie. I want to see the competition.

He chuckled softly. Distance was making Ga Eul yang bolder. He liked that.

I think I have to stop now. My professor seems to have realised that I'm not taking notes after all. See? You've gotten me into trouble. You owe me sunbae.

Ga Eul

P.S. Is this long enough for you? You know what they say about having too much of a good thing.

Was she afraid of writing too much? Yi Jeong leaned back and read her letter again. It was unusual for him to feel out of his depth. He had no experience to guide him here, just these words, the moments they shared with each other.

Slipping her letter back into the envelope, he grabbed his jacket and car keys. He had an hour to spare and there was a camera to buy and pictures to take.

A/N: Hey hey, thanks for reviews! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.