"I don't know."
"What?" Ga Eul thought she heard him wrong. Did he just say he didn't know where they were going?
"Well, I know where were going now. My studio. But, after that, I don't really know…"
"What?" she repeated, her eyes wide with rage. How could he not know?
"Well, you see, Woo Bin kind of set this up." He said, taking a glance at her face. Her eyes were wide and she looked like she couldn't quite comprehend his words. He didn't blame her. He never thought there'd be the day when he asked for Woo Bin's help regarding a girl. They were both fond of women but they had very different tastes when it comes to pleasing a girl. Woo Bin was more…out there.
"Woo Bin sunbae?!" she cleared, her eyes still not going back to its normal size.
"You're not exactly that easy to please anymore, Ga Eul yang. I had to ask for professional help." He explained. Woo Bin noticed him wracking his brains out for an idea yesterday and he offered help. Yi Jeong was hesitant at first but soon gave in when Don Juan promised he wouldn't go too far. He silently prayed that his best friend kept his word. They were quiet after that. Ga Eul didn't say anything else, Yi Jeong suspected she was mad. He didn't look at her anymore. If he did, he would've seen that she was smiling like a maniac. They parked in front of the studio and Yi Jeong looked at her, expecting to see an angry Ga Eul. What he got was a smirking one.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked.
"Casanova's losing his touch. Who knew you actually needed help pleasing a girl?" She teased, getting out of the car before he could respond. He quickly got out of the car and followed her to his studio's door.
"Yah, Chu Ga Eul, what kind of attitude is that? Outraged one second then smiling like an idiot the next." He teased back. She gave out a small laugh and Yi Jeong noticed she had her guard back up again.
"So, how would we know Woo Bin's plan?" she asked him, as they got into the studio. She was taking this better than he thought. He actually expected her to bail as soon as she heard Woo Bin's name.
"Here." He picked up a card that was lying on the counter. He read it quickly and handed it to Ga Eul. She read it. It was an unfamiliar address.
"Where is this?" she asked curiously. She hoped it wasn't some club with partying and everything. That was definitely not her scene.
"I don't know but he wants us to go there. Let's go?" he asked, debating with himself whether he should offer her his hand. He decided otherwise. Ga Eul would probably think it was too fast.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, sunbae?" she asked him, suddenly very hesitant about going she worried about the place they were about to go. She hated surprises. It would have been fine if Yi Jeong knew where they were going but that wasn't really the case.
"Yes. As twisted as it may sound, I trust Woo Bin's plan." He said, forgetting his 'no-touching' rule and pulled Ga Eul by the wrist. She pulled back.
"But what if Woo Bin sunbae didn't really hear you right? What if he thought you were taking another girl?" Oh, how horrible that would turn out. The place might be a club, or worse a hotel. He pulled again.
"You're just making excuses now, Ga Eul yang. C'mon." he couldn't help but think Ga Eul just didn't want to go out with him, period. But her next comment told him otherwise. She pulled again.
"Why don't we just stay here and order in? Or go to a movie or something?" he smirked. So she did want to spend time with him. Ga Eul noticed his smirking face. She frowned and demanded to know what was funny.
"You. You should really just give in, Ga Eul yang, you know how this little pulling game we have always ends up." He said, referring to their still touching hands. Ga Eul remembered all the times he got her to leave with him this way. She would pull back at first but he'll just manage to drag her wherever anyway. Like now. He was pulling her towards his car and she felt herself not resisting anymore. Instead, she went in the car and pouted. When he got in, he looked at her pouting face and he couldn't help but smile. He resisted the urge to pinch her cheeks, instead he just continued smiling.
"I win." He said, before driving to their destination.
"Where are we sunbae?" Ga Eul asked curiously as they entered what seemed to be an abandoned mansion. It was dark and she secretly wanted to hold on to Yi Jeong's arms for safety but she quickly stopped herself, Get a hold of yourself, Chu Ga Eul!
"I'm not sure. I'm quite certain I've seen this place before, I just don't remember. It's really dark." He answered. He glanced at her and he noticed that she looked scared. He wanted to put his arm around her but he knew he couldn't. He already broke the unspoken rule a while ago when he dragged her to his car; he wasn't going to push his luck. That still didn't stop him from imagining how it would feel with Ga Eul so close to him, he quickly shook the thought from his head, What's the matter with you Yi Jeong?
"There's a door over there," Ga Eul said, pointing to the door a few steps away from them. They walked to the door and noticed a note taped to it. 'Enjoy', it said. Ga Eul gulped as she read the note. Please let it be something decent, Woo Bin sunbae!
Yi Jeong opened the door and Ga Eul followed closely. Yi Jeong gave out a slight gasp of surprise as he realized where he was. Ga Eul felt her jaw drop as far as the floor. She couldn't believe how beautiful this place is. Behind the door was a garden with the most exquisite design. It had a fountain in the middle, not too big or flashy, just right. The garden was walled with pure green grass. Different kinds of flowers grew out of it and it reminded Ga Eul of fairytales. There was a elegant swing set in one of the corners and it, too, was covered with green and had flowers growing out. There was a small table right in front of the fountain; Ga Eul assumed it was their dinner. The whole thing looked like it came out of a fantasy book.
"I finally remember." He said, taking a look at Ga Eul and seeing her awed expression. He smiled at the sight. Her eyes were even brighter than the twinkle lights above them.
"What is this place?" she asked as soon as she recovered from her shock.
"Years ago, this house belonged to a rich family who was friends with our families. The mother was an architect, she designed this place. When we were about thirteen years old, they held a party for all their friends. Naturally, we were invited. The party got boring so Woo Bin and I snuck out and ended up here. I assume Woo Bin had people re-decorate this since the family has long since migrated to America. He probably had this planned before I even got back." He finished explaining, he could feel Ga Eul's eyes on him. He looked at her and noticed her still curious expression.
"Is there something else you want to know?" he asked.
"Why this place? I mean, the way you talk about it, this place must've been somewhat special to you. Why did Woo Bin sunbae pick this place?" she asked him, noticing the way his eyes smiled as he talked about that memory.
"Well, by that time, I have already vacationed to almost the whole world. But there was something about this place that made me stare in awe the first time I saw it. I didn't know what it was but it took my breath away. We were already very fond of girls then and I told Woo Bin that if I met someone who takes my breath away the way this place does, that's the only time I'll get serious." He walked to the swing and Ga Eul followed, he continued,
"Woo Bin told me that with the way my jaw dropped at that moment, it would be impossible for anyone to top that. He said I might have to search the whole world." He held the rope of the swing as Ga Eul sat on it, looking around and admiring it's simple beauty. Ga Eul looked up at him next and he looked straight at her.
"Who knew I'd only have to walk in the porridge shop down the street to find her?" he said, sincerity filling his eyes. Ga Eul felt herself turn to the deepest shade of red possible with his confession. She laughed and nervously and stood up.
"I'm starving, let's see what Woo Bin sunbae prepared." She led the way to the table and sat down. She waited for Yi Jeong to sit before opening the dish. It was normal korean food that both of them enjoyed eating. Yi Jeong noticed another note beside his plate. He opened it and read it out loud.
"Catch up," he said, "play twenty questions or something."
"Should we follow him?"
"We already followed him this far, might as well go through with his whole plan." He said. He was about to go first when Ga Eul spoke.
"I'll go first," she said, "why the porridge shop? You could've picked me up anywhere, I don't work there anymore."
"I suppose I was feeling sentimental. That's where we first met, or don't you remember?" he teased. Ga Eul blushed. How could she forget? The moment he walked in that shop and asked her about Jan Di, she felt like her whole world made sense by just looking at his face. Of course, all admiration disappeared as he dragged her to his studio and pissed her off.
"You really had some nerve that night." She said. Yi Jeong laughed as he remembered. It wasn't love at first sight with them; they despised each other at first. He, because he thought she had no class and was unsophisticated and she, because she thought he was nothing but a spoiled, rich kid who thought he could charm any girl with that face.
"You were had terrible manners, Ga Eul yang." He said, teasing her back. He wonders how someone so unlike him slowly wormed her way into his heart the way she did.
"Your turn."
"The day I arrived, your students said I was your boyfriend. You told them that?" Yes, he has been wondering about that. The students referred to a boyfriend from abroad so unless Ga Eul had some other friend in Sweden, they were without a doubt talking about him. Ga Eul almost choked on the water she was drinking when he asked the question. Damn, she forgot about that!
"Well, you see, uh, sunbae…" She didn't know if she should just lie and say the kids were just incredibly smart and possibly psychic. She decided to tell the truth, the lie would probably make her seem coo-coo.
"On their first day, of course they asked questions about me. They were incredibly nosy and they wouldn't take no for an answer. So I told them I had someone in Sweden, the term 'boyfriend' was all theirs." She explained. She suddenly wishes she hadn't agreed to play as she saw his smirking face. She stuffed her face with food, trying to hide her blush. How many times has this happened tonight?
"Okay, Ga Eul yang, last question. Hit me." He said. They were now completely done with their food and they were sitting next to each other on the ground, leaning on the fountain. They were having fun; Ga Eul forgot how nice it was to just hang out with him, minus all the drama. They were able to catch up. She asked about his life in Sweden and she talked about her studies here before becoming a teacher. They laughed as they told embarrassing stories from the last four years and they bickered as they were forced to remember some of their past. She propped her legs up to her chest and thought carefully if she would ask the question she had in mind. She's been wondering about this ever since they started the game. She didn't know if he would answer truthfully and she didn't think she'd like to hear the answer anyway. But she needed to know, so she asked,
"Were you with anyone in Sweden? And, sunbae, by 'with' I mean, 'with'" she asked awkwardly, staring at the ground. She heard Yi Jeong sigh at the question. He didn't answer for a while, not because he didn't want to tell the truth but because he didn't want to lose his last only chance with Ga Eul. He decided he'd be in more deep shit if he lied.
"One." He finally said, looking away, out of embarrassment. Ga Eul felt her heart break into little pieces at his confession.
"Let me explain first." He said, looking at her again with regret in his eyes. She nodded her head at him to continue.
"It was a after a particularly hard semester, some of my friends invited me out to party. I haven't had a sip of wine for months before that night. I got immensely drunk and woke up next to some girl. I promise I don't remember that night at all. If I could do it all over, you know I would. Forgive me, Ga Eul yang." He said, sincerity practically booming from his words. Instead of her heart breaking even more, Ga Eul felt herself relax as he explained. She has long accepted that Yi Jeong wasn't perfect, that was one of the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place. She wasn't going to hold a one night mistake against him, she wasn't that low. She knew that Yi Jeong regretted it and that he was trying and that was enough for her. Besides…
"Just one, sunbae? Wow, you really are losing your touch." She joked. Yi Jeong eyes turned to her smiling face and he immediately relaxed. Ga Eul was amazing.
"Then it's a good thing I'm a one-woman man now." He said, looking straight at her again. Ga Eul doesn't think she can blush any more. She laughed nervously and looked a way. Yi Jeong got the idea that she wasn't comfortable talking about this yet. So he changed the topic to his final question.
"Ga Eul yang, my turn." He started. Ga Eul looked at him as she waited for the question. It was getting easier now, looking at him and not immediately wanting to cry.
"Have you found your soulmate yet?"