Disclaimer: I do not own BOF- its original plot, characters, etc. I'm just a mere fan who loves the SoEul couple! :D
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Chapter 16: Mission: Stay Away from Psycho Girl
Yi Jung assisted Ga Eul towards the F4 lounge. Good thing, no one was inside. Ga Eul was still crying in Yi Jung's arms as they entered the lounge. He settled Ga Eul on the sofa while he went to the counter to get her something to drink.
"Drink this." Yi Jung handed a glass of water to her. He sat down beside Ga Eul and assisted her as she drank. Afterwards, Yi Jung pulled Ga Eul closer to him and wrapped her in his arms. Ga Eul was still sobbing Yi Jung caressed her cheek and hair. "Sssshh." He comforted her. "Stop crying. I'm here. I'll protect you."
Ga Eul wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his chest. Yi Jung tightened his grip onto her. "Are you better now?" Yi Jung asked her. She nodded. "I'm still afraid though." Ga Eul confessed.
"Don't worry. I'll be right here to protect you. From now on, you can call me your bodyguard."
Ga Eul chuckled at that. Yi Jung surely knows how to make her smile.
"You're laughing. I'm serious about that."
"Okay. Okay." she stopped and just closed her eyes to feel Yi Jung's warmth. "Sunbae, what is she talking about a while ago? About her being your bride."
"It doesn't matter. It's a complete nonsense."
"I still want to know." Ga Eul insisted.
"You sure?"
"Hmmmm."
"That happened twelve years ago, when I was a cute naïve little boy who doesn't know anything about love or marriage. I met her on our family's annual exhibit that year. I asked her to play with me, Il Hyun and Eun Jae. I must admit that she was a charming girl back then. But I still think you're cuter when young." He smiled at her. "Anyways, as we were playing, her father called her to leave the place. She was hesitant at first but her father sounded very eager to go. I promised her something I don't know anything about. I said that next time we meet, she'll be my bride. I don't actually mean it. I just want Il Hyun to hear it because I was jealous that he already has a bride- Eun Jae. I promised the same thing Il Hyun promised Eun Jae. However, I did not meet Rae Min again until this year when she entered Shinhwa. I heard, when I was young, that her family got into a scandal and was forced to leave Korea to save their reputation. That's all I could remember."
"You said that you can't imagine yourself engaged to anyone else but you promised to marry someone even before we got together." Ga Eul reasoned out.
"I was stupid that time, okay?" Yi Jung answered.
Ga Eul chuckled once more at her fiance's answer. "I'm just kidding. But come to think of it it's your fault in the first place. She must have held onto that promise for twelve years. She waited that long, only to find out that you're engaged to someone else. That hurts. Waiting isn't easy."
"She already hurt you, but here you are, defending Rae Min."
"She's my friend. I can tell that she's a nice girl. Only that, the man she loves, that promised to marry her, is engaged to someone else. She's heart- broken."
"But still, she has no reason to hurt you. If she wants to be my bride, then she should talk to me. I'm the one who deserves to be beaten, not you."
"How could she do that to you?" Ga Eul looked at him directly into his eyes. "Of course, she wants to appear as a perfect girl in front of you."
"Ga Eul- yang."
"Sunbae, you should talk to her and ask for an apology. At least, explain everything to her- just like what you did just now. That's the least you can do to her."
"Araso. I got it. I'll put it in my to- do list." Yi Jung promised. He pushed Ga Eul's head back to his chest and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"I've got one more thing to ask you." Ga Eul uttered.
"What's that?" Yi Jung closed his eyes and placed his chin over her shoulder.
"Did you mean what you said a while ago?"
"What did I say? I've told you many things."
"That… that… you…" Ga Eul was pausing after every word and stuttering.
"That I love you?"
"Yes." She whispered.
"I meant those three words. For your information, you're the only girl who heard and will hear those three words come out of my mouth- except Omma, of course. I've always wondered when I would be able to say those words to a person. I've always wondered what it feels to say and hear it. The feeling's actually overwhelming. I like it."
Ga Eul smirked at what she just heard. She also blushed at the same time and felt her heart thudding.
"'You love me, don't you?" Yi Jung asked her.
"I… I…"
"I know you do. You said it at the engagement party. Grandfather Chu also said to me that you've loved me for the past two years."
Ga Eul released herself from Yi Jung. Her eyes were wide and full of shock as she looked at him. "Wha… WHAT? My grandfather told you WHAATT?!"
"He said that you've loved me for the past two years." Yi Jung admitted. He held Ga Eul's hands to stop her from doing anything. "I must admit, I was shocked to find out. I didn't feel it. I didn't realize it. How come I had not known it? To tell you the truth, I was very bothered. I first thought that Grandfather Chu was just kidding. I think about it every moment until I realized why I was acting like that. I was bothered because I love you too. I was afraid that Grandfather Chu was lying. I really hoped that he's right anyways. And I guess, he's just plain correct about that."
"How could my… GRANDFATHER!" Ga Eul exclaimed.
"Don't hate him." Yi Jung pressed her hands to calm her down. "I owe your grandfather. If not for him, I would have stayed a fool and innocent guy who doesn't know he's in love with his fiancée."
"But still…" Ga Eul tried to argue but thought otherwise. Yi Jung is right. Her grandfather did help. "He's not really good in keeping secrets. Aish."
Yi Jung laughed. He brushed her hair away from her cheeks and cupped those chubby things. "You're much better now."
"Aha." Ga Eul answered.
Yi Jung leaned down to kiss her on the lips. Their eyes closed at the same time. Both were waiting to feel the other's lips. A few more inches. Centimeters. And then, "Yah Yi Jung! What are you doing to Ga Eul?" entered the lounge together with Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo, Jan Di and Jae Kyung.
Immediately, Yi Jung and Ga Eul broke apart. Yi Jung was chuckling to himself while Ga Eul was blushing.
"Aish. Moment ruined." Yi Jung muttered under his breath.
"Yah So Yi Jung! Even if you're my best friend's fiancé, please have some consideration on what you do!" Jan Di shouted.
"Jan Di- ah, you're being overprotective. Ga Eul can handle Yi Jung by herself." Jae Kyung said.
The others laughed at that while Ga Eul blushed once more.
"I just don't want her to get pregnant even before her marriage." Jan Di reasoned out, teasing her best friend.
"Jan Di- ah!" Ga Eul shouted.
"I don't want to be father before I get married too, Ga Eul- yang. Just so you know." Yi Jung added. "And I don't want to see your tummy big when you walk down the aisle."
"Aish. You guys!" Ga Eul was really turning red. Her friends surely make fun of her sometimes.
"What's that?" Ji Hoo asked out of nowhere. He pointed at Ga Eul's face.
"What do you mean what's that?" Ga Eul inquired.
"You have a small bruise on your left elbow. It must have hit something hard. And it's quite new." Ji Hoo answered.
Ga Eul looked at her left elbow and then, she finally realized that she has indeed a small bruise. "Aish."
"What happened to you?" Jan Di asked. Yi Jung went nearer to Ga Eul and checked her left elbow. "I didn't notice it a while ago." Yi Jung commented.
"Yah Yi Jung! Don't hurt Ga Eul- ah." Jun Pyo shouted at his friend.
"I did not hurt her." Yi Jung replied. He got up from his seat to get a pack of ice to put on Ga Eul's bruise.
"I fell on the floor a while ago. I hit it hard. Pabo. I didn't notice it." Ga Eul said.
"Ga Eul- ah, are you that clumsy?" Woo Bin asked.
"She's not." Yi Jung answered for his fiancée. He sat back on the sofa and slowly put the cold pack on Ga Eul's left elbow. "A psycho pushed her."
"WHAT?" Jan Di, Jae Kyung and Woo Bin chorused.
"Sunbae. Don't be like that." Ga Eul told Yi Jung.
"How can I not be?" Yi Jung answered, irritated. "She has no right to hurt to you."
"What are you two talking about?" Jan Di asked. "A psycho girl hurt Ga Eul? Tell me. Who's that girl?"
"Kang Rae Min." Yi Jung blurted out.
"Aah. She's really a psycho." Jae Kyung added.
"What? Did I hear that right? Why would she do that?" Jan Di asked. "I don't see any reason."
"Actually, there is." Yi Jung said as he put down the ice pack on top of the table. "Can you guys help me?"
"What would we do?" Jun Pyo asked.
"Just help me keep Ga Eul away from that woman. I don't want anything to happen again to her."
"What exactly happened?" Woo Bin asked.
"Sunbae." Ga Eul tried to stop him but Yi Jung shook his head.
"I saw her pulling Ga Eul's engagement ring and her hair a while go. Good thing I found them, if not, Ga Eul could have more bruises than this one." Yi Jung explained.
"Why is she doing that?" Woo Bin questioned.
"She's saying that she should be my bride and not Ga Eul. To make the long story short, I promised her something twelve years ago that if we ever meet again, she'll be my bride. I don't actually mean it though." Yi Jung confessed.
"Pabo, Yi Jung." Jae Kyung called him. "You shouldn't have done that. That girl has a very good memory. Aish. You got yourself involved to a big trouble. She'll do anything to fulfill that promise you gave her."
"I agree." Jun Pyo added.
"What do we do now?" Woo Bin asked.
"For now, let's just keep Ga Eul away from her. I'll talk to her and explain things." Yi Jung answered.
"Would she listen?" Ji Hoo asked. "I have a feeling that girl's one big spoiled brat. You heard Jae Kyung."
"That's all I could do for now. If it doesn't work, let's figure out another thing."
"Okay then. I like this one." Woo Bin commented. "Mission: Stay away from psycho girl."
"Woo Bin Sunbae." Ga Eul called him. "Don't say that about her."
"Ga Eul- ah. Sometimes, please don't be that nice." Jae Kyung said.
"I never thought she'd do that. Don't worry Ga Eul, with me by your side, she'll not be able to touch you." Jan Di assured her friend.
"That's my girlfriend!" Jun Pyo shouted.
"Pabo!" Jan Di told Jun Pyo. "Stop saying nonsense!"
"I'm right about her." Ji Hoo commented.
"We should be careful." Jae Kyung said. "Her family might get involved with this one."
"You guys will help, right?" Yi Jung asked the others.
"Of course, we will." Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo, Woo Bin, Jan Di and Jae Kyung promised Yi Jung.
"Thank you." Yi Jung said.
"I can always depend on you guys." Ga Eul told them.
"Of course, you can!" Woo Bin replied. "What are friends for, right?"
"Gaaah. Let's eat." Jan Di said out of the blue.
"Pabo, stop saying nonsense!" Jun Pyo exclaimed.
"Yah! You're shouting at me?!" Jan Di glared at her boyfriend. Jun Pyo closed his mouth and did not dare say another word.
"Let's have some plans going on." Jae Kyung said. All of them stood up from their respective seats and left the lounge.