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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

VIII

Balancing her salad and sandwich on top of her books and a cup of coffee in one hand, Ga Eul looked around for an empty bench. She had exactly forty-five minutes before her last class and she intended to make good use of it. Five minutes would be spent gobbling down her food, thirty minutes spent cramming last minute information into her brain and the remaining five minutes would be spent running to the classroom so that she would be right on the dot when the period started. And then she would know if all that studying was going to pay off when she sat for the test.

Ga Eul was in the process of chewing when someone tapped her on the shoulder. The sudden touch from behind made her jump with shock and she knocked over her coffee. Not only that, she started choking as she accidentally inhaled some of her food.

"Oi! Ga Eul yang, are you alright?"

The idiot who had snuck up on her from behind was slapping her back, trying to help her. She also recognised who it was from his voice

"Woo Bin sunbae!" she wheezed. If she didn't die of suffocation, she was going to kill him. And then a particularly hard whack from him dislodged the remains of her sandwich and she grabbed a napkin, coughing into it. "You pabo..."

"I heard that. Here, drink this."

He held out a Snapple and she took it from him, downing the sweet liquid which soothed her throat. "Do you always sneak up on people like this?"

"Usually when I plan to do something nefarious and underhanded to them," he deadpanned. "And although you may think otherwise, this isn't one of those occasions. Are you alright?"

"I am now. Next time though, I may not survive," she said wryly.

Woo Bin chuckled, mostly unrepentant but relieved that she was fine. He had been about to do the Heimlich manoeuvre on her when she had coughed up the sandwich. Thankfully nothing had happened. Yi Jeong would kill him otherwise. "Point taken, Ga Eul yang. Anyway, I need to talk to you about something. You free?"

Actually, she wasn't but Ga Eul couldn't bring herself to chase Woo Bin away. He was too good a friend and he looked pretty serious too. "Is this about Jae Kyung unnie?"

"Monkey?! What does she have to do with this?"

Maybe it was just the sunlight in her eyes but Ga Eul could've sworn that Woo Bin had blushed, just for a split second. "Why do you all insist on calling her that?"

"I see Yi Jeong has told you about the nickname. Why don't you ask him? Or better yet, get him to demonstrate how someone gets a nickname like that." He waggled his brows suggestively at her.

"I'll pass. So what is this about then?"

Woo Bin hesitated for a moment before starting. "Ga Eul yang, how much do you know about Yi Jeong's family?"

Enough to know that his parents were probably responsible for his fear of commitment. "Umm, just some. I met his father actually. It's not what you think," Ga Eul hastily added when she saw Woo Bin's shocked expression.

"For a moment I thought hell had frozen over. No offence, any man serious about you would bring you back to meet his family eventually, that's what normally happens. But Yi Jeong has never thought of his family as being…I mean, like that. I think you should know by now that although his house is huge, he spends all his time either outside or in his studio."

"I think I know what you mean. His father and his mother…" She looked down at her shoes. There was no need for her to voice out what she knew about them based on that horrible date. "Is his mother ill? The other time, he mentioned that she was in hospital."

Woo Bin gave a humourless laugh. "She puts herself there Ga Eul."

"Huh?"

"Each time she finds out about Yi Jeong's father and his women. She's always been like that, even when he was young."

For a few seconds Ga Eul stared at Woo Bin in confusion until the implication of his words dawned on her. "Oh…" She didn't know what to say. But her mind was full of Yi Jeong and the way he had looked that night. That wild angry light in his eyes and that calculatingly cruel expression… Her heart squeezed with pity for him. She could not imagine growing up in a household like that. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because for the past three days, Mrs So has been warded in the Intensive Care Unit. She's been taken home today and doctors and nurses have been hired to keep a strict watch on her for an indefinite period of time. Yi Jeong knows, I've called him, Ji Hoo has too but he refuses to come back to see her. He won't even talk to her. Even Jun Pyo sent him a message but he isn't listening." Woo Bin sighed in frustration, leaning back against the bench. "She keeps asking for him. In her current state, if she tried to do something again, she just very well might…"

Woo Bin didn't have to finish that sentence. "Why won't Yi Jeong come home?"

There was just no nice way to dress up the ugly truth. "Because she'll ask him to go find his father and interrupt his dates with his current mistress. And Yi Jeong has been doing that for years until he went to Sweden. Whenever he refused she would threaten to harm herself."

He'd not said a word of this to her. In fact, both of them had acted as though that horrible third date had never happened. "Has she been calling him in Sweden?"

Woo Bin nodded. "He's not picked up for a few months. This might be the result. Ga Eul ah, I don't want to put you in a difficult position but—"

Before she knew what she was doing, Ga Eul rose to her feet. "You want me to ask him to come back. I don't think I can do that. I don't think I want to do that." Gathering her books hastily in her arms, she looked up at Woo Bin, her face pale. "It won't do him any good, if what you say about his mother is true."

"Just speak to him. He doesn't want to listen to us but he might consider what you say."

The sharp ringing of the bell pierced the air and with a start, Ga Eul realised that class had started. "I have to go. I have a test."

"Think about it," Woo Bin called after her, watching as she sprinted away from him. He hated doing this but he had made this choice after much careful thinking. Yi Jeong was furious with his mother and maybe he didn't see how serious it was this time. As much as Woo Bin despised Mrs So's behaviour and how she had damaged her son, he felt that this time, Yi Jeong should come home. If he didn't, there might be too much to regret.

…………………………………………………….

For once, reading Yi Jeong's letter left her with mixed feelings. She had been elated that he had opened up enough to share that painful event with her and at the same time, she had been horrified that her advice had resulted in his having been further hurt. But he had still been willing to make that promise to her at the kiln, in spite of her less than stellar moment at Namsan. Apparently, he was braver than she had given him credit for.

And then there was the troubling news that Woo Bin had given her. When she had been little, her mother and father had had one raging argument and she had spent the whole time huddled in her room under the covers, listening to them yelling at each other. She couldn't imagine Yi Jeong spending his whole childhood like that, having to deal with a philandering father and a suicidal mother. No wonder he would rather be Casanova, the one who did the leaving. That way, no one else would abandon or hurt him.

Would she be out of line to ask him to consider returning? In her heart of hearts, Ga Eul knew that she couldn't give him any advice; she didn't have the right to. But he at least had to consider that option and know that he wouldn't regret his decision no matter what the outcome. She wondered if he had even thought that far ahead or whether he had simply shut out the matter. Would he shut her out if she brought it up? Or worse, would they lose the intimacy that they shared in their letters? Just the thought of that caused her pain.

Ga Eul stared at the letter in her hand. She didn't know what to do.

…………………………………………………….

Sunbae,

I'll have you know that my fan club at the pottery class consists of both girls and boys. The position of president is still open though and if you want to run for that, I promise that I'll give it proper consideration. However, you have serious competition from my best student.

I've never thought of teaching as a career before. I'll keep what you've said in mind; it does sound like something I could pursue, especially if I get to teach art as well. At least I have something to say when my parents scream at me. It might console them to some extent as teaching is a respectable job.

Thank you for your advice and reassurance concerning Eun Jae. I don't know when I'm going to talk to her but I've made up my mind that it should be soon at least. I don't want to keep hiding; I'd rather get it out, and over and done with. Wish me luck.

I know you probably are going to call me a pabo for this but I am sorry that you got hurt while listening to my advice. It never occurred to me that Eun Jae had someone else in her life and I never asked. I still stand by my advice to always express your feelings to your loved one but I wish you had been spared that kind of experience. Which brings me to your question about Namsan…

That morning when you saw the sign, you asked for another chance with her. Of course it hurt to see you in pain but I remembered your words, and I thought you still loved her. And that night at your studio happened just a few days later…When I finally had a moment to carefully think of everything, I concluded that we had gotten carried away. You had made a decision which you knew was right and which made you happy. And maybe you felt grateful that I'd helped you to some extent to get to that stage.

So I decided that rather than continue to pursue you, I'd give you up. I didn't want you to feel pressured to date me because I'd helped you; that isn't what being soulmates is about. It was hard that day, to walk away from you but I was convinced that it was the right decision for us. I was sure that was what you wanted.

And then you came to look for me that day and we went to the kiln. I always wondered what made you change your mind but I didn't want to ask you at that moment. I guess I'm just glad that…that we have this.

Anyway, I think you are correct to suspect that something is going on with Woo Bin sunbae and Jae Kyung unnie. She used to be so eager to go out all the time but when I called her today, she told me she couldn't make it and I could've sworn that I heard Woo Bin sunbae in the background. I've yet to catch them together though; maybe it's time to get Ji Hoo and Jan Di involved in this matter and arrange a spying expedition.

I hope everything is fine with you. If anything happens, you will let me know? I've been told I'm a good listener, and I promise not to give advice unless you want it.

Ga Eul

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A/N: Many thanks to all who read and reviewed! Hope you enjoyed this one too. ^_^