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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

IX

Woo Bin was sound asleep when his handphone shrilled on the side table next to his bed. Groaning, he buried his head further into the pillows, hoping that the silk covers and goose down feathers would block out the fiendish sound. Unfortunately, he had set the volume at maximum and the most expensive pillows in the world could not help.

Stubbornly, he lay there, counting down as the phone rang. After what seemed like a small eternity, it finally stopped. "Monkey really is a monster," he muttered as he pulled the covers up around him and settled back down to sleep. He had been on the brink of sweet oblivion when the phone rang again.

"Aish!" Woo Bin snapped and snatched up the offending object. "For God's sake Monkey, it's three in the morning and I got back at two!"

Silence.

Woo Bin's sleep and alcohol addled brain struggled to digest this. Had he offended her? "Oi, Monkey? Say something."

There was more silence.

"Umm, not Monkey?" Oh please don't let it be his father. That would just be too humiliating, not to mention that his father would be ever so keen to merge their company with JK holdings if he discovered that the sole heiress to that company was currently pursuing his only son. Okay, it wasn't too fair to Monkey if he put it that way. Jae Kyung seemed keen on him and he had given her the green light that day. He hadn't meant too but apparently buying her that teddy bear meant a lot to that girl. However, he did feel something…

Woo Bin realised that he had wandered off mentally while still holding the phone. "Hello?"

"What did you tell Ga Eul yang?"

Oh, it was Yi Jeong. And judging by that icy tone of voice, it was Angry Yi Jeong. "Yi Jeong ah, perhaps we could have this conversation later?"

"Now is as good a time as any."

Damn, thankfully though, he had consulted Ji Hoo and was prepared for this moment. If only he wasn't sleep deprived and semi-inebriated. Taking a deep breath, Woo Bin sat up and switched on the light, flinching from the soft orange glow. He needed to wake up. In this mood, Yi Jeong was somewhat unpredictable.

"Ah, you got Ga Eul yang's letter I'm assuming."

On the other end of the line, Yi Jeong's hand tightened on the fragile piece of paper he was holding, crumpling it. "What did you tell her?" The last thing he wanted her to know was his family's dirty secrets. Not like this. He had done enough damage that night with his own father and he wanted to bury the incident completely. Somewhere, somehow, Yi Jeong had decided that it was possible to keep Ga Eul separated from his parents and all they represented. She didn't have to know all that shameful history.

"She had to know ev—"

"No she didn't!" Yi Jeong interjected furiously. "She didn't have to! You had no right at all—"

"And when did you plan on telling her? When you come back to Korea to attend your mother's funeral?" Woo Bin raised his voice. Although he was trying to keep it in check, he could feel his temper rising.

"That has nothing to do with this." Woo Bin would never know but those words had drained the blood from Yi Jeong's face. He gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. It horrified him to think of his mother dying; he still loved her, wished with all his heart he didn't but he did. But he didn't know what to do with her. He was afraid of her in some ways.

"Well we figured if you didn't want to listen to us, perhaps you would listen to her."

"We? So the rest are in on this too?"

"Ji Hoo and I discussed this. Jun Pyo knows about it. Look, if you and Ga Eul yang become something more than friends," Woo Bin chose his words carefully, "then she'll find out eventually. You can't hide this forever."

Those familiar words brought him back more than ten years ago. Jun Pyo had told him the same thing when they had found out about his mother's latest suicide attempt. He had skipped school for four days keeping vigil by her bedside. It was inevitable that they would discover his family problems.

"But that isn't why we talked to her; we did it because we're pretty desperate. You won't respond to messages or emails, let alone calls from us about your mother. We figured that Ga Eul yang was our next best shot." After all, men in love tended to listen more to their women. Jan Di and Jun Pyo were a fine example of the woman domesticating the man. "We told her a little, mostly about why your mother is in hospital, that it's not the first time, that this is the worst incident. We didn't tell her everything but we told her enough I guess. She didn't want to talk to you about this though, so don't be mad with her."

Rationally, logically, it made sense. He might have done the same thing himself if it had been any of the other three. But unfortunately, Man did not live by logic alone. He felt betrayed and exposed, vulnerable. Worse, he hadn't been there when Ga Eul had learnt the ugly truth. He would rather have experienced her reaction than imagined it; the latter was far worse. The last thing he wanted to see on her face was pity.

Woo Bin didn't know what else to say, only that this long silence was beginning to unnerve him. It didn't help that Yi Jeong was halfway around the world although he was prepared to fly there and thrash things out if need be. "Yi Jeong?"

"You didn't have any right, Woo Bin. Not you, not Ji Hoo or Jun Pyo. You've gone too far."

Damn it. Looks like he was going to have to go over after all.

"But I understand."

In spite of himself, Woo Bin exhaled with relief. "I know. I'm sorry man, we're sorry. You're gonna call eventually right?"

Even at that moment, the idea of never speaking to his best friends again had never entered his mind. "Of course you pabo. I'm hanging up now."

……………………………………

Days passed and Yi Jeong still had no idea what he was going to do, not about his mother, not about Ga Eul. He knew that the latter would be anxiously waiting for some kind of response, but he couldn't bring himself to write to her. Each time he lifted the pen either too little or too much came to mind. Instead, he threw himself into his work and for once, his teacher had no wisecracks to make. Maybe the old man sensed something was wrong. The wall that Yi Jeong had built around the topic of his mother had been breached and now he found himself again alternating between worrying about and being angry with her.

He hoped Ji Hoo had gotten his message to tell Ga Eul that she had nothing to worry about, that he wasn't upset with her. That was all he could do at the moment.

He was working in his studio when his butler arrived with the lunch tray and then left quietly. Determined to finish, he spent another hour incising the crane into the clay before finally stopping for his meal. To his surprise, apart from the pumpkin porridge and coffee, there was a blue envelope marked 'Urgent'. It had to be Ga Eul yang's letter.

After hesitating for a few minutes, Yi Jeong pushed aside his reservations and opened it.

Sunbae,

Firstly, I'm sorry if my letter upset you. I wasn't sure of what to say but I didn't mean for it to make you angry. Ji Hoo sunbae passed me your message but I still want to apologise.

The past few days, maybe months must have been difficult for you and your family. This is the last time I will mention this if that is what you want, but please just listen to what I have to say.

If you have clearly thought through matters and realise the consequences of the decision you make, if you are able to live with it, then stand by your decision. It may not matter much, but you will always have my support.

In case you decide to return home, I've enclosed something inside the envelope. If you decide to stay, then throw it away.

Please let me know how you are doing. I miss your letters.

Ga Eul

Yi Jeong breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, finally resigning himself to what his heart had been telling him months ago. He would go home; he could not stay away anymore. He was still fearful of what seeing his mother would do to him, how much of the solid ground that he had found she would cut away. But he could not live with himself if she finally succeeded in taking her life like this.

Checking the blue envelope, he found a slimmer white one enclosed inside. A small note was the first thing he pulled out.

It's not much because I can't afford much. Jan Di once told me that Ji Hoo sunbae said that he can't sit in economy class because there isn't enough leg space. First class tickets are out of my league for the next ten years at least but I think maybe two economy tickets might make the trip a little more bearable. If you check in earlier (like us commoners), you can request for a window seat.

Ga Eul

The vase had been meant to be submitted as an assignment for his lecturer. Yi Jeong was sure that he would get an indefinite extension. After all, not many professors would say no if one had to return to visit one's suicidal mother.

Picking up his phone, he called the airport first. Not flying via private jet or first class was one thing. But his name would get him a secured request for a window seat. And just to ensure his comfort, he bought tickets for the two seats in front of and behind him as well.

After all, as the popular adage went: those who could, should.