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Warning: Alternate Universe

Summary: Right after Jun Pyo regains his memory, Yi Jeong loses his in another car accident. But this time, he forgets that he doesn't date nice girls. What happens when Casanova thinks that he's a one woman man, and that Chu Ga Eul is the only girl for him?

REMEMBRANCE

VI. What Yi Jeong Wants

The bell rang and Ga Eul sighed as she put her textbooks away. Finally, school was over. A pencil escaped and fell to the floor, much to her annoyance. As she leaned down to pick it up, a chorus of screeches exploded outside the door, causing her to jump. "Ow!" she cried as she bumped her head against the table. Rubbing the tender blossoming lump on her forehead, Ga Eul dumped the offending piece of stationery into the depths of her cavernous school bag, wondering what on earth was happening outside. The screams had died down somewhat but the volume of chatter, predominantly female, had risen considerably.

Opening the door, she found the exit jammed with the bodies of her classmates. "Excuse me, coming through." She might as well have said "open sesame" for all the good it did. Right, there was only one option left. Bodily pushing her way through the crowd, Ga Eul had just gotten free of the crush of bodies when she heard a voice that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Ga Eul yang!"

All the blood rushed to her head and it seemed as though she would leap out of her skin. "No, he wouldn't," she thought. She was imagining things. And just in case she wasn't, Ga Eul picked up the pace.

"Wait! Chu Ga Eul!"

She didn't have to turn behind to know that everyone was staring at her when everyone else in her field of vision was gaping at her. Quick footsteps behind told her he was hot in pursuit and she knew it was a lost cause even as she tried to hurry down the narrow corridor.

"Where are you going sweetheart?" And then his hand closed over her wrist and he spun her around. Ga Eul gulped as she saw the positively wicked grin on Yi Jeong's face. "Or do you enjoy the thrill of the chase that much?"

She opened her mouth to hotly protest. Big mistake. Before she could react, Yi Jeong leaned down and kissed her swiftly. A subtle spicy scent filled her senses, his lips were warm and soft, there was the faintest brush of his tongue against her mouth that made her knees go weak, and then he withdrew and she came back to her senses. "So Yi Jeong you—"

"Owe me a talk," he finished smoothly as he started marching her down the corridor and around the corner. Behind them, the noise of the crowd was steadily increasing and as much as she didn't want to go with him, she realised she needed to get out of school.

"I know we agreed that you could pick me up from school but did you really have to do this?" she asked, completely exasperated even as she tried to free her hand from his.

"Not really, but I wanted to anyway." He looked down and flashed that dimpled smile she found to be one of her fatal weaknesses. Oh heck, who was she kidding? So Yi Jeong was fatal weakness personified as far as she was concerned. "Don't you think it was a good idea?"

The withering glare she sent him was response enough. "This way, everyone knows you're mine—"

"You pompous, pig-headed—"

"And that I'm yours."

There was just no reply to that. She closed and opened her mouth a couple of times before deciding silence was her best option. Refusing to look at him, she followed him to the car and reluctantly got in when he held open the door.

As he drove, she stole glances at him from the corner of her eye. To say he was in a strange mood would be an understatement. While he had been brash and charming and equally Cro-Magnon like yesterday evening, there had been traces of hesitance, a lack of sureness that had given her some room to manoeuvre. Today, there wasn't no sign of that at all and she felt like she was being swept away, out of control and as much as his public display of affection had horrified her and changed irrevocably her life at school, his statement about marking himself as hers had made her heart sing and try as she might, she could not shut it up. Something had changed, she realised.

"Who have you been talking to?"

He had been waiting for that question. Even though his eyes were on the road, he could feel her looking at him every now and then. "A friend gave me some good advice," he admitted. Said friend would remain anonymous of course. If Ga Eul complained, Jan Di would beat Jun Pyo and for once, Yi Jeong didn't think the latter deserved it because for once, he had said something useful.

"I'm going to kill Woo Bin sunbae," she muttered and Yi Jeong offered a silent apology to the maligned mafia prince. Still, it was for a good cause, even though Woo Bin might disagree. In this case, ignorance would be bliss unless, or rather, until Jun Pyo opened his big mouth to claim credit.

Deciding that she wasn't going to get anymore out of him until then, Ga Eul leaned back in the seat and looked out the window. To her surprise, she realised he was bringing her back to his house. "Why are we here?'

It was hard not to grin at the suspicion in her voice. "You've never seen the house beyond my studio. It's about time that changed." Driving past the huge gates that guarded the driveway, he came to a stop in front of the house. "Of course, if you want to spend time exploring other kinds of ground, I'd be more than happy to oblige you."

She blinked for a moment and then the full significance of what he said sank in. Ga Eul turned an unbelievable shade of crimson. Laughing, Yi Jeong ducked a swat aimed at his shoulder and escaped out of the car. "All in good time sweetheart," he teased.

"Never sounds like a good time to me!" she shot back, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut. "Don't you dare try anything Yi Jeong sunbae."

He had opened the door but she was stubbornly remaining in the driveway. Her cheeks were still pink and although her eyes were shining, she looked somewhat nervous, with her hands wrapped around the strap of her bag which she hugged protectively against her. "Ga Eul yang?"

She bit her lip and looked down. "Maybe this isn't a good idea…" She trailed off as he walked back towards her, and held his hand out. "Sunbae…"

"I promise to be a perfect gentleman," he said so softly yet clearly, his eyes never moving from hers. "You're not the only nervous one Ga Eul."

And just like that, her resolve crumbled. Stretching out her slightly shaking hand to him, she inhaled as his warm slender fingers slid over her skin, almost like a caress before lacing together with her fingers. Why did this man who was wrong for her feel so right?

As he led her through the house, stopping to point out some of the priceless treasures his family had collected over the years, Yi Jeong wondered if Ga Eul could feel the tempo of his pulse as he held her hand. But beyond the trappings of his house, the beautiful chandeliers and ornate banisters, what took her breath away was the enormous garden that came into view beyond the glass balcony doors. He felt a flush of pleasure when he heard her startled exclamation and let go of her hand as she walked ahead of him. Standing in the entrance, he watched as she made her way down the smooth stone path, moving amongst the beds of roses and lilacs, the carefully pruned trees, the crimson coloured leaves of a tree that caught the sun and looked as though it had burst into flame.

It had been his mother's project, one she had taken up to preoccupy herself when she had first discovered her husband's infidelity. She had abandoned it years ago but which still survived thanks to the gardeners who worked for them. It had been years since he stepped into this place. All he had ever seen was the sorrow that had given birth to the garden but with Ga Eul inside there, he could see some beauty again.

She was looking at the pond and admiring the fish that darted in and out beneath the water lily pads when she felt him come up behind her. "This is a beautiful place," she murmured. "I'm glad you brought me here."

"I'm glad you like it." How on earth had he not been serious about this woman? The thought flashed through his mind before he was even aware of it. "Come on, lunch is waiting."

"Eh?"

…………………………….

If there was one thing guaranteed to keep Ga Eul silent and happy, it was food. After all, a well timed tray had kept Jan Di and her on the plane to New Caledonia.

"I can't eat another bite." Putting down her fork, Ga Eul eyed the half-eaten mango mousse cake with deep regret. Wishing she could tug on the waistband of her uniform, she looked at Yi Jeong who was busy polishing off the remnants of his bread and butter pudding. She must have it bad to be swooning slightly at the sight of the man eating. Here, in the cool peace of the garden, sitting under the shade of the gazebo, it felt for a moment as though they were the only two people around. "So, are we going to talk now?"

The food had worked its magic. She was relaxed and if he wasn't mistaken, starting to feel just the littlest bit sleepy, if her yawn was anything to go by. "Why don't you tell me what you want first?"

More than anything, she wanted for this to be real. She wanted him to love her. Instead, she let logic wash over her heart and say what she knew they both needed. "I want for you to slow down. I want you to believe me when I say this isn't you. I know you, I remember us. It was never this way and it is not meant to be like this."

"Tell me what I was like then." She was so busy searching for the right words that she missed the dark determined glint in his eye, the slight set of his jaw. "How did you see me?"

He'd been the beautiful prince she had tried to put together again. She had wished him love, wished him well even if it had meant him happy in the arms of another woman. "We were good friends. You are a good person."

"That's not answering the question."

"That's all I can say!" She looked hotly at him, already regretting her outburst. There were too many buttons to push when it came to Yi Jeong and this version of him seemed determined to push them all.

"Did you want me?"

Did humans being need air to breathe? "Of course not," she replied primly.

"Your nose is getting longer," he teased. "I remember someone asking me out on a date." He couldn't remember what followed in the exchange after that but the way she tensed, the way she couldn't quite look him in eye told him everything he needed to know. "The rest is a blur but I do know that only an idiot would have refused you."

Before she could say anything, he forged ahead. "Do you like superficial shallow playboys Ga Eul?"

She was not answering that because she knew exactly where he was going with all these questions.

"Now here's the thing that puzzles me. If playboys aren't your cup of tea but you asked me out, doesn't that mean there is more to me? And let's just say that maybe, maybe there is." Threading his hands together, he slipped them behind his head and leaned back, a lazy grin on his face as he watched his Ga Eul yang squirm uncomfortably on the spot. She was utterly adorable and he was going to make her his if it was the last thing he did. "Don't you want to find out what we're like together?"

It was wrong to tempt her like this. Here she was, trying to do the ethical thing and also save herself from further heartache but he was dangling himself in front of her like a delectable piece of chocolate. He had shed his jacket and tie, rolled up his sleeves and loosened the top few buttons of his shirt. He looked like a delicious package begging to be unwrapped.

'Oh, you did not just think that,' she scolded herself inwardly. Great, he was turning her into a closet byuntae. "But sunbae, you don't want a relationship. You don't do relationships. Your nickname is Casanova and you're known as the Five Second Kill—"

Yi Jeong's eyebrow arched and Ga Eul stopped. Oops, she hadn't meant to say that last part. "At least that's what Jan Di told me. After Jun Pyo sunbae told her."

Maybe he would tell on Jun Pyo after all. The less Ga Eul knew about his previous exploits, the easier it would be to convince her to go out with him. "That's why you should go out with me. I need a good girl to reform me, someone to show me there's more to life than fast cars and easy women."

"Do I look like a tour guide or a girl scout? Besides, you know that already."

"You're right. It's all an excuse to just get to know you."

"Some excuse," she mumbled. How easily he tied her tongue up in knots. It just wasn't fair.

"And I think if I got to know you, I just might find the real me," he continued, ignoring the increasingly loud thumping of his heart. In spite of his relaxed demeanour, Yi Jeong was nervous. It was one thing to play games with a woman that meant nothing; it was another to go after one who held his heart in her hands. "Besides, I owe you three proper dates."

Her eyes widened and he knew what she was thinking. "No, I don't have those memories back yet and I don't need them. Not when I have you to make new memories with."

"I don't recall agreeing to this."

"Not even if it means helping me recover from my amnesia?" She paused and he could practically see her brain working. Then she stubbornly shook her head.

"I am not dating you." Inside, she was a pile of mush from his previous statement that sounded like an almost confession. She needed to get out of here, fast. "Can I go now?"

To her consternation, Yi Jeong shot her a smile that could only be described as smug. "Sure. But we are going to go on those dates. And we are going to spend lots of time together in the near future."

"Whatever happened to compromise?" Ga Eul said sarcastically.

"I've changed my mind. I think," he said, his intense gaze holding hers, "I prefer to take no prisoners. I'm not letting you run away Chu Ga Eul. And in spite of my Casanova reputation, you know there's more to me and I'm not letting you hide behind that fact and pretend that nothing is possible between us."

There was just no way to respond to that. Praying that her legs would keep her steady, she left the gazebo quickly, trying not to ignore his eyes on her.

His chauffeur would give her a lift home. After this encounter, he suspected she wanted some space and he would give that to her. But this wasn't over, not by a long shot. Still, Yi Jeong was already looking forward to winning this war.