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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

XXII

Yi Jeong knew that he could not stay in his room forever. In one week his engagement would be splashed all over every society magazine and column in the country. Ga Eul might receive the news in advance from any of the other F4 members because they would hear the rumours first. Mergers, he thought bitterly, did not stay secret for the long in their world.

Thoughts swirled in his head, a mesh of memories, plans, hopes, fears and images. He recalled a cool day on Jeju Island, standing in a field of bright yellow flowers with Ga Eul. He had looked for her, had wanted her company even as he had to stand helplessly by and watch Jun Pyo, of all people, be forced into a loveless marriage.

"Sunbae, do you accept this as your fate too?"

He had known why she was asking. Deliberately wanting to crush any hopes she harboured, and now looking back, the secret hope that he had been trying to deny, he had given her the worst answer possible. One woman or another, it didn't make a difference, it would not affect his future.

The irony of it all sank in and Yi Jeong felt suffocated. What he wouldn't give to take that back; he knew now how much difference it made, now that he had her. Burying his head in his hands, he inhaled deeply, not bothering to look up even as he heard someone unlock the door and enter his room. There was only one person who would dare to intrude.

Hyun Sub closed the door quietly behind him, his eyes taking in the figure of his son, his head in his hands, hunched up on the chair before the table. He could see that there were photographs strewn across the surface, a crushed ball of white paper lying next to a pen.

"Did you come to gloat?"

Was he crying? Hyun Sub selected a chair on the other side of the room, opposite his son. The distance was not close enough to cause discomfort to either of them, yet it allowed him to observe his son.

"If you have nothing to say, then leave." This time, Yi Jeong looked up and those angry brown-black eyes full of pain reminded Hyun Sub of his wife. That was the primary reason why he could not stand his youngest. The latter looked too much like the woman who had taken away his happiness.

"Before I do that, I need an answer from you. Are you going to agree to this marriage or not?"

There was a long pause and for a moment Hyun Sub thought that he had been wrong, that the gutsy Chu Ga Eul who poured a glass of water on Yi Jeong's head had meant nothing, that Yi Jeong was going to roll over for his grandfather.

"When I do marry, it will be to a woman who says yes to me because I asked. So what am I to be threatened with now?"

If nothing, at least the So heirs knew the drill. "The same thing that I was …advised with—your grandfather's words, not mine—when I was only a little bit older than yourself. Like I said, things don't change."

…………………..

Ga Eul was not in the habit of getting into strange cars but the chauffeur had handed her a card with a simple request to meet her and an address at the back. She recognised the latter; it was Yi Jeong's house, the one he shared with his parents.

It seemed that going to work was not a sufficient reason to turn down this appointment and Ga Eul was beginning to suspect that the request was more like an order. After texting Jan Di to let her know what happened, since she firmly believed it was better to err on the side of caution, Ga Eul sat back and tried to unsuccessfully relax while she was driven to the house. In spite of her many trips there, she had only ever been to Yi Jeong's workshop, and never inside the house itself.

It seemed a little farfetched to imagine that either of Yi Jeong's parents would want to meet her, and to be honest, his father was the last person that she wanted to see. However, it had to be either of them. 'Or maybe both of them.' The thought made her slightly queasy. She wondered how Yi Jeong would feel about this and made a note to mention it to Woo Bin or Ji Hoo. If they thought it was a big deal, they would tell Yi Jeong. And if he thought it was a big deal, he would call her. At least there was a silver lining somewhere in all this.

When they reached the house, there was someone there to escort her to the door and into the hall. "Miss Chu, please follow me." A maid curtsied to her and proceeded to lead the way. Ga Eul would never remember much about the place even as she tried to take in all of it. She remembered thinking that it was so much bigger than Ji Hoo's place, so much more imposing. She recalled paintings adorning the wall but could not recall what they were about. The one thing she would always remember was the nervousness that kept gnawing away at her. It was so bad that at times she thought she was going to be sick.

"Here you are Miss Chu," the maid said sweetly as she pushed open the door. "Please go in."

Gulping hard, Ga Eul clutched her little bag tightly in her hands and walked in. Behind her, the heavy mahogany door closed with a thud that sounded all too final to her. It was a large room, a very large one. And seated on an expensive looking sofa, was a man. It wasn't Yi Jeong's father.

"Good-good afternoon," she said, wincing at the obvious stutter in her voice. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't know who you are."

"Miss Chu, please have a seat." Ignoring her question, he raised his hand and indicated that she should sit opposite him.

Ga Eul obeyed. If she had been feeling nervous before, she was downright intimidated now.

"I thought it would be good to make your acquaintance," he said in that smooth deep voice of his. She realised he was very well dressed, rather like Yi Jeong actually. Everything was there, from the jacket, to the vest and tie. "We need to have a discussion about Yi Jeong."

Her eyes widened. "Er, we do?"

He smiled and she thought it was more out of habit because the smile never made it all the way to those cool eyes that were openly appraising her. "Yes, my name is So Hyun Seung. I'm Yi Jeong's grandfather."

…………......

As a child, he had heard occasional gossip by eavesdropping. Eventually, as a teenager, he heard more from his father and mother, usually when they were drunk or suicidal respectively. By then he had concluded that his father had never loved his mother. Now, as an adult, he knew exactly why they had even gotten married.

Yi Jeong had never been close to his grandfather. Apart from hardly seeing the latter, he knew that what his grandfather prized the most about him was his talent. It accounted for the way Il Hyun had been ignored by him when it became clear that Yi Jeong was the more gifted potter. Still, he could hardly believe his ears as his father began reciting the list of measures that would be taken against him should he fail to comply with the marriage.

"Your grandfather will disown you in all but name. That would create too great a scandal but you can forget about working in any museum in Asia, let alone Korea. Even if you wanted to be an artist, he would make it impossible for you to earn a living. You'll be cut off from the So family funds, and also out of his will."

For a long moment there was a stunned silence as Yi Jeong struggled to digest the information. "Just because I want to marry a woman of my own choosing?" His voice rose in anger even though he knew his father was not the person responsible for this predicament.

"No. He'll do it because it's a matter of pride. He'll do it because he expects your obedience. No matter how he gets it." In spite his deceptively light tone, Hyun Sub's voice sounded bitter to his own ears but he didn't care.

Seconds later, Hyun Sub heard the next question that he had been expecting.

"Is Haraboji going to do anything to Ga Eul?"

………………

"Yi Jeong is engaged?" She ought to be screaming or panicked, or feel something when told the man she loved was being forced to marry someone else. But at that very moment, Ga Eul felt nothing. Somewhere in the back of her mind was a little niggling thought that some part of her brain and heart had shut down, probably out of self preservation. The breakdown would come later. For now, she could not fall apart in front of the deceptively benign looking, elderly man who sat before her.

"Yes, to the daughter of a business associate of mine. She is currently studying overseas but when they both return in two years, the wedding will take place."

"Does Yi Jeong's fiancée know about this marriage?"

"Her parents have said yes. She will agree to it."

"I see." Her tone was carefully neutral but her words conveyed her disapproval all the same.

"Different classes have different ideas about marriage Miss Chu."

Obviously she was meant to be the lower classes. Ga Eul gave a small shrug. "I suppose so. Marriage is about love and respect between two people, at least I think it should be. But why didn't you leave Yi Jeong to tell me the news? I don't understand why you had to trouble yourself and bring me here."

"Yi Jeong, as you may know, can be quite stubborn. I was hoping that you would persuade him."

"You think that he won't leave me."

Hyun Seung smiled, as though in approval. "You're very perceptive. There is a chance of that, yes. I have done some investigating into the matter and I am told that my grandson has been writing to you. But if you truly love him, you'll tell him to put his duties to his family before himself."

"And if he doesn't want to?"

"It's quite simple then. I'm going to disinherit him. He can forget about pursuing a career as an artist in Korea too, or anywhere else in Asia for that matter. If there is one thing I cannot condone, Miss Chu, it is a lack of filial piety to one's family. As the heir of the So family, it is his duty to make a marriage that will benefit the family."

Ga Eul would have wrapped her arms around herself if she could have. What turned her blood cold was the realisation that Yi Jeong's grandfather truly believed in everything he was saying.

…………………………

At least in this aspect, his son was luckier than he had been. "No, not because he doesn't want to, but because I don't think he can. Thanks to you, she has friends in high places. Also, she is not interested in working as an artist, at least I hope she isn't. She's talented, but not that good."

On any other occasion, Yi Jeong would have differed, to put it mildly. Now was not the time though, so he reined in his temper.

"If she wants to teach pottery classes to children, she'll be alright. As long as she keeps out of our world."

At least she was safe. He did not have to worry then. As it was, he wasn't even sure if he could look after himself now. "Is this why you let her go?" Yi Jeong asked suddenly.

"What?"

"The woman you loved. You mentioned her that night…Is this why you let her go?"

Hyun Sub looked away. "She was an artist; your grandfather would have destroyed her career before it had even begun."

"Where is she now?"

"I don't know. I never bothered to find out," he snapped with an irritated sigh. The truth was that he couldn't bear to find out. And one day, it ceased to matter. The only thing he had left of them was the day he had walked away from her. She had been such a proud woman but she had begged him to stay. Getting to his feet, he looked down at his son. "Think about it for the night. You can give me your reply in the morning before I leave."

……………..

"Think about it for as long as you want. My son has gone to visit Yi Jeong. I suspect my grandson will be contacting you shortly. I hope that you will advise him on the best course of action for him."

And with that, she knew she was being dismissed. It took all her strength just to stand, bow and bid him good-bye politely. During the car ride to the studio, she was numb. Thoughts raced around in her head and yet nothing truly registered. It was obvious that Yi Jeong's grandfather hoped to use her to make Yi Jeong give in but at the same time, she did not know if she could ask Yi Jeong not to. The price that he would have to pay was so terribly high.

"Stop the car."

"Miss Chu?"

"Here, stop it now please." Her hands were already pulling on the handle as the chauffeur hurriedly pulled over to the side of the street. "Thank you," she muttered quickly before closing the door. If she spent one more minute thinking about this, her head would burst.

There was one person she wanted to speak to. She had to share this with someone.

The class was midway through when she arrived. Quietly, Ga Eul pushed open the door, not entering, but just looking.

"Welcome…" The words faded as the woman's eyes widened. "Class, please excuse me for awhile." Hurriedly wiping her hands with a damp cloth, she walked over to where Ga Eul was waiting. "Ga Eul-ssi?"

"Eun Jae seon-saeng-nim, I'm sorry to interrupt. But I need to speak to you." And just like that, her eyes welled up with hot tears that spilled down her cheeks.

Without hesitation, Eun Jae wrapped an arm around the younger girl and led her to the pantry. Sitting her down on one of the chairs, she poured a drink for her and pushed it into her hands. "Wait here. I'll dismiss the class."

………………………..

To his immense irritation, whoever was at the door would not stop ringing the bell. After fifteen minutes of pretending not to be in, Nishikado Akira stomped out of his room, fully intending to kick whoever it was away from the doorstep.

"Can a potter not work in piece?" he complained loudly even as he undid the bolt, leaving the latch on. "What do you want?"

Yi Jeong could see that his teacher was surprised to see him but the man didn't miss a beat, or the chance to bite his student's head off. "I need to talk to you."

"I'm working. Come back tomorrow."

The door was about to close. Before he knew what he was doing, Yi Jeong had thrust his hand into the space between the door and the wall.

"Are you crazy? That's the hand that just recovered!"

"Please. I have to talk to someone. And there's no one else but you."

"I'm flattered," Akira said dryly. But there was a quiet desperation about Yi Jeong that he had never seen before. "Fine, take your hand out of the way. You can come in. This had better be worth it."