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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

X

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be arriving at Incheon International Airport in about fifteen minutes. On behalf of the crew, I would like to thank you all for flying with Korean Airlines…"

The captain's voice faded into the background as Yi Jeong lifted the window screen. He had just woken up minutes before and was feeling slightly befuddled and amazed that he had actually managed to sleep. If not for Ga Eul yang, he would not have been subjected to this ….unique learning experience.

Firstly Ji Hoo had been spot-on about the lack of leg space. At least his country bumpkin had had the good sense to buy two seats for him. And buying the seats in front of and behind him had helped immensely; he was free to lean his seat back as much as he wanted and there was no one around to disturb him.

Secondly, Yi Jeong had learnt that if one person coughed, everyone coughed. To his dismay, it had for some unfathomable reason been a rather fully booked flight and the result, to him, was nothing short of a health hazard. He had toyed with the notion of releasing the oxygen mask but had decided to tough it out when good sense prevailed.

To distract himself from dwelling on the unspeakable number of germs in the air, he had read the thick crime novel he had picked up on a whim while waiting to board the flight. It had involved art theft and he had thought it would at least keep him occupied. The saucy and explicit love scenes hadn't been something he had expected though. And before long, his fertile imagination had started superimposing Ga Eul yang's face over that of the blonde and blue eyed heroine's. It made the story so much more interesting when he thought of it that way.

He finished the novel before half the flight had been over and spent the rest of the time attempting to play the computer games they had offered. He must have fallen asleep during his eleventh attempt to slay the dragon.

Looking out of the window, through the veil of clouds, he could see the city lights shining below.

He was home.

……………………………

Nothing had changed. The house was as it had been when he had left it. The only thing that had shown signs of any change was his studio.

Gently, Yi Jeong picked up a shallow bowl that she had made. Shaped like a young lotus leaf, it was pure white with one single blue-grey lotus flower decorating the base. It was beautiful, not perfect to his expert eye but she had made amazing improvement.

She had left more signs of her presence: the potter's wheel, a pink apron, a pale gold shawl. Gently, he touched the soft wool. He would buy her pure silk next time. The thought of her in his studio comforted him somehow; it felt right envisioning her here.

A soft knocking on the door alerted him to the butler's presence. "Sir, your mother is awake now. I've informed her that you have returned."

Fear and affection collided as he left the sanctuary of his studio. Later Yi Jeong would realise that he barely recalled the walk through his colossal house. Along the corridor to her room, he barely nodded at the doctor and nurses who passed him by. The butler must have told them to leave. Stopping at the dark polished mahogany doors, he took a deep breath, placed his hand on the handle, felt the cold invade his skin. Then he made himself turn it and entered the room, slipping in swiftly and shutting the door behind him.

The room was, surprisingly, not dark but rather bright. The day curtains had been drawn, there were fresh flowers in tall plastic vases. And there she was, sitting up in her bed, dressed in a bright blue silk robe and smiling as she held out her hands. For a moment he was five again and it was just an ordinary morning, he was just saying good morning to his mother. She would hug him and hold him close and he would smell the fragrance of her night cream. Then he would put his hand in hers and they would both go down to the kitchen, and she would make him pancakes. He would ask for heart-shaped pancakes and insist she make some for herself. He would always put butter and honey on hers before handing her the plate he had made as a present for her.

"Yi Jeong ah," she called and the spell was broken.

"Mother," he greeted her and took her hands in his. He didn't want to hug her but he couldn't help holding tight when she hugged him. Then she let him go.

"Yi Jeong ah, I know you've just gotten back but…"

"I'm not looking for him." The words gushed out before he could stop them. "I won't do it again Mother. I can't, not anymore." He couldn't look at her; he knew he would see those dark brown eyes, a mirror image of his own, filled with the hurt of his betrayal.

"How can you say that? I have no one else. Your brother abandoned me and your father is out there with his…with her!" Her voice was getting higher and higher, her nails digging into his forearms as she shook him.

"Mother, please. He's not worth it." Yi Jeong grasped her arms, trying to calm her down, forcing himself to speak in a controlled tone when he felt like shouting. "Let him go." Already he could feel the cold bite of guilt inside as he watched her lovely face contort in agony. The years had only enhanced her fragile beauty. Any man on earth would be moved to protect her and she was married to the one man who felt nothing for her.

"I can't, I love him. It's my curse but I can't. Just this once, please Yi Jeong. Help me…" Tears stained her cheeks and fell on the sleeves of his jacket.

His eyes burned as he watched her. How far she had fallen, those mornings would never come back again. "I'll always be here for you," he said and flinched as her eyes lit up. "But not like this anymore. It hurts you and it's tearing me apart Mother. I can't go on like this—"

"No! No you have to help me," she interrupted hysterically, clinging to him. "You have to help me…" And then she started wailing.

The sound of the door opening made Yi Jeong look back. The doctor and nurses were hurrying into the room. The former was holding a syringe. They were going to sedate her. She was still weeping when the nurses prised her away from him. He couldn't do anything, he couldn't move, only watched as they restrained her.

"Sir, maybe you should leave." He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and blindly, he let the butler lead him out of the room, the cries of his mother as she called for him ringing in his ears, deafening him. He didn't know his eyes were full of tears until he blinked and felt the warm liquid on his cheeks.

He was right: nothing had changed.

………………………………………

Ga Eul was at home watching television when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ga Eul ah, Woo Bin here. I'm outside your house now. Can you come out?"

Not in her pyjamas she could. Woo Bin's voice sounded tense though. Something must have happened. "S-sure, give me five minutes." Running upstairs, she changed into the first blouse and skirt she pulled out of her closet. Yanking on her black tights, she snuck quietly down the stairs and then dashed for the door. Normally she would have informed her parents but she doubted that they would believe she was meeting Jan Di at this late hour.

Woo Bin leaned over and opened the door for her when he saw her coming. "Woo Bin sunbae, is something wrong?" She sounded slightly breathless, her eyes somewhat wide with apprehension.

He hoped she wouldn't take the news too badly. "Ga Eul ah, Yi Jeong is back."

Adrenaline spiked through her and her heart slammed against her ribs as she took in the news. He was back. He had come back. Her letter had worked.

"Ever since Ji Hoo told me what you had done, I've been keeping watch to see if he would return. He came back this evening. My men tell me he was picked up by the family chauffer and he was taken to his home at once." Now came the hard part. "He was seen leaving the house about two hours ago. He went to a club."

"Oh." She felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her. Before she could stop them, an image of Yi Jeong surrounded by women rose like a spectre in her mind. Had anything really changed?

"He's been there ever since. Ji Hoo and I have tried calling him but he won't pick up the phone. God only knows what happened and we've never been able to help him when he's like this…" Woo Bin felt so frustrated he felt like hitting the steering wheel to vent his feelings but he held himself back. Ga Eul was already so pale and suddenly she looked so small, hunched over with her hands in her lap, looking down.

"Do you know where the club is?" she asked quietly. If she squeezed her hands any tighter she was going to cut off the circulation to her fingers. But she knew what she had to do.

"You don't have to go. I only wanted to tell you personally that he's back. If he doesn't pick up soon, Ji Hoo and I will go get him."

Looking up into Woo Bin's concerned face, Ga Eul managed a small smile. "I know I don't have to. But I want to. Please drive me there Woo Bin sunbae."

As fate would have it, Woo Bin dropped her off at the same club that Yi Jeong had brought her to. Perhaps if he had known what had transpired during that third pretend date, Woo Bin would have refused. Or he would have insisted on waiting outside for her. He would not have given in to her firm persuasion that he leave Yi Jeong to her.

Swallowing hard, Ga Eul stepped into the smoky, semi darkness. Bright lights flashed dizzyingly across the dance floor as bodies gyrated in sync with the pounding beat of the music. She could smell the alcohol that pervaded the air and tried to avoid looking at anyone. Ascending the familiar steps, she walked towards the booth that they had occupied before.

To her relief, he was alone. There was a bottle of opened wine on the table and his glass was half filled. He didn't notice her. She was about to approach him when a pair of women brushed past her and called out to him. To her horror, they slid into the seat, one on each side. It was like a replay of a nightmare and she was helpless to stop it.

………………………….

If he looked at his watch, it would tell him that he had been here for three hours. It felt longer than that though. Old habits die hard and this was the first place he could think of as he had driven away from the house. Something was different though. The music, as always, had numbed his senses; it was too loud to think properly. He had hardly drunk any wine though, the alcohol tasted bitter. And he had not enjoyed the company of any of the women. Some had invited themselves over and initially, he had let them stay. He had even let them pour drinks for him and had made some small talk. But the longer they stayed, the more restless and irritable he felt. Instead of assuaging his emotional wounds, it felt like he was rubbing salt in it. In the end, he had told them to leave.

The sound of their voices announced their presence even before they got to him. Before he could tell them to go away, the women had leeched themselves to him. "Oppa! It's been so long! Don't you remember me…"

He always made it a point to be gentlemanly towards women in terms of his manners, but tonight had been trying, to say the least. Almost roughly, he brushed their hands away. "I don't recall saying you could stay," he said coldly, staring straight ahead without bothering to look at them.

"Oppa, don't be like that. You've been moody the whole night but we know how to cheer you up—"

"Get out."

For a moment, both of them were paralysed by the quiet fury in his voice. And then he glared at them and they scuttled away, shooting him dirty looks while exchanging whispers. Well, since everything else was shot to hell, his reputation as Casanova might as well go down in flames too. A bitter smile twisted his lips as he lifted his wine glass.

Yi Jeong was about to take a sip when he noticed another woman was standing there in the shadows. "If it isn't already clear, I don't want company. So get lost."

"Sunbae."

Yi Jeong froze, the wine glass halfway to his lips. Then slowly, he put it down and stood up. He couldn't breathe. The air seemed electrified. "Ga Eul yang?"

She stepped closer and finally he saw her. She looked so pale, her dark eyes huge with concern for him. Were those tears? How had she known? "Why are you here?" he finally asked, his voice sounding distant to his own ears. He didn't want her to see him like this but he couldn't tear his gaze from hers as he drank in the sight of her.

She didn't say anything at first, only stared at him. And then she lifted her arm and held out her hand to him. "Sunbae, let's go."

He could refuse, could choose to stay here and let himself wallow. Chances were that he would go back to his old ways and Ga Eul yang would leave him forever. Or, he could take the lifeline she was offering him.

………………………….

For the longest moment, he just stood there, his expression unfathomable. The short distance between them seemed like a chasm.

Just as she thought he would reject her offer, Yi Jeong moved towards her and Ga Eul exhaled. She hadn't even known that she had been holding her breath. He never took his eyes from her face, not even when he slipped his hand into hers. She smiled tremulously, she could feel herself trembling with relief.

Her hand was so cold in his. He wanted to hug her, to feel her hold him. Instead, he asked softly, "So now what?"

"My teacher's studio is not that far away by car. We could go there. Is that alright?" She hadn't planned on this but now that he was here with her, she didn't want to leave him. There was an overwhelming urge to keep him safe.

He squeezed her hand gently, and finally returned her smile. "Lead the way."