Chapter 8: Dreams and Promises

"I don't understand. This should be so easy. To just reach out my hand, and know the world is real…" ~ "When the Rain Falls" by the Zetabytes (Disney)

Ga Eul's P.O.V

My world was rocking back and forth. Everything seemed so weird. It was as if the entire world was disoriented. My head spun. I was remembering, according to Ji-hoo sunbae. It was a strange experience. People seemed to fade in and out like I was under water. How bizarre. Throughout the entire process though, Yi-Jung sunbae sat with me, holding my hand. I didn't quite understand it. Ji-hoo sunbae had said he was the closest to me out of the 4 of them. But exactly how close was he? And what did I think of him?

When I wrenched my eyes open, the water seemed to clear, I was sitting in a hospital bed. I breathed deeply than began to mutter under my breath.

"I was running from…Yi-Jung sunbae's pottery workshop. I'd asked him out, and he'd dismissed me as if I was a little girl. I ran. I ran so fast. Then I was in the road. I'd forgotten to look both ways; I had just wanted to run home, away from the frustration and the humiliation. And then there was a car. And I'd woken up in the hospital with lots of wires and Yi-Jung sunbae had been holding my hand."

"Ga Eul-yang?" A voice asked quietly. I raised my head slowly. I knew that voice.

"Yi-Jung sunbae, what are you still doing here? Have you stayed here all this time?" I was worried. What about his family obligations, his work for the museums? And on a side note, this was truly humiliating!

Yi-Jung's P.O.V

She'd awoken quite suddenly and alarmingly alert. Her first words were astonishing.

"Ga Eul, exactly how much do you remember?" She sighed lightly, her eyes closing relaxingly, before opening them again slowly, revealing clear dark chocolate eyes. I nearly jumped for joy. They looked normal. A brief glance at the charts and monitors behind her showed normal life signs.

Blushing, she gave the shy smile that I had missed so much.

"I remember everything sunbae. Every single little thing." I blanched. Oh boy.

"I'm so sorry Ga Eul-yang."

"It's not your fault sunbae; you weren't driving the car that hit me. You weren't the one running across busy roads." I winced again. Didn't she realize that she was only making me feel worse? Heaving a deep breath, I forced a grin.

"I'm glad you remember. I'll get a doctor to check you out, and then I'll call Jan Di. Oh, and I should probably send in the others."

"Others? What others?" Her voice was anxious. So she didn't remember what had taken place when her memory was gone. It was probably just as well. She'd feel immensely guilty for putting us through all this.

"Well the rest of the F4 of course. Minus Jun Pyo, he had to go to a business function for Shinwa Group this morning. Jan Di will be ecstatic that you're awake and unhurt." Raising a thin eyebrow, she nodded at the cast on her arm and the ankle wrapped in medical tape. "Ok, you're not completely unscathed. But you're feeling better, yes?" She gave a smile and a nod, which only made me happier. She was on the mend, and she remembered me. I think.

"Sunbae, what are you thinking about?"

"Ga Eul, this is going to seem incredibly stupid, but you received a small head trauma. We were supposed to ask you questions from time to time to make sure you remember us." She rolled her eyes slightly but gave a motion with her un-bandaged arm as if to say 'well get on with it then.'

"Take it away sunbae."

"Ga Eul, what do I do for a living?"

"You create gorgeous pots from clay, for museums, and are the heir to the So family." She said this all in one deep breath. Impressive.

"When did we both have an interesting day at a club?" She gave a nostalgic laugh. It reminded me of ringing bells.

"When my old boyfriend, I don't even remember his name now, was cheating on me. You'd brought me to your workshop and showed me that by enduring hardships, you made yourself stronger. You then took me all over town dressing me like a Barbie doll." I gave a weak smile, and was answered with a bright shining one from the girl next to me. "You took me to the club and pretended I'd stolen your heart." She flushed an appealing shade of pink. She had no idea that she had done exactly that. She had wrenched the heart out of me.

"Alright. That seems an apt description." I didn't want to mention my hand, or Eun Jae. That was just asking for trouble.

Ga Eul's P.O.V

No matter how ridiculous it was, sunbae was forgetting to ask me really important questions. Why did he not ask about his childhood love and my former pottery teacher, Eun Jae? Why did he not mention how I'd showed him the message she'd left for him so long ago? I stared at him inquiringly.

"What is it Ga Eul-yang?"

"Why do you not ask about the major things? The things that were so important?" His handsome face winced slightly. He'd clearly been having a hard time. His once beautiful eyes were darker, they no longer sparkled.

"Because they are irrelevant now." He chose his words carefully. "You don't need to worry about that anymore Ga Eul. Just focus on getting well." I just watched him, but he must have seen the acceptance in my eyes. "I'll go get the doctor." He managed to choke out before trotting briskly out of the room. I stared forlornly after him.

Jan Di's P.O.V

"Ga Eul-ah's awake?!" I practically screamed it. The few lingering customers in the porridge shop looked up, startled. "Are you sure?" I asked quietly, walking out to the back of the shop.

"Yes, I'm sure." The soothing voice of Ji-hoo sunbae was reassuring. He hadn't seemed so cheerful in a while. Then again, we'd all changed in the past couple days. It had seemed so long, but it really wasn't. "She's awake and remembers everything. Well, almost everything. She doesn't know what happened in between the slot where she lost her memory. She doesn't know what happened during that time period. But we all agreed it seemed a good idea not to tell her, she'd just feel guilty."

"Yes. That makes sense, thanks sunbae. I will be over shortly."

When I finally managed to get to the hospital, I raced toward Ga Eul's room, running head first into a solid tall object. Once I stood up, I could see that the solid object was rubbing its head. I'd banged right into Yi Jung sunbae. Oops. Nodding a quick apology, I ducked into the room.

"Jan Di-ah!" I was greeted excitedly by my friend who, after being given a short quiz, seemed bored in the hospital, and ready to leave. Something seemed to be bothering her though.

"What is it Ga Eul?" I shook her knee gently. She blinked sadly up at me.

"What's your dream Jan Di?"

"Huh?"

"I lived through an experience that was harsh. A lot of people may not be as lucky as I am. These things happen every day. I decided to think about what I really wanna do. What do you want to do with your life Jan Di-ah?" That took a lot of thought. We sat in silence as we both contemplated the heavy weight of the future.

"Ga Eul-ah?" I asked tentatively. She had fallen back asleep. I stroked her hair and put a blossom of the daisy behind her ear before leaving her.

Yi-Jung's P.O.V

I wasn't sure that I could handle this. She was back. Wasn't I supposed to be happy? I was. I felt like my heart was going to pop out of my chest I felt such ecstasy. But I would keep on hurting her. No matter how close to her I was; no matter if I admitted my true feelings, my life would bleed into hers. She would always be hurt. I couldn't let her be hurt again. Especially not like this. I had to keep her safe. So I would do the one thing that I least wanted to do. As I was leaving her room again after Jan Di's visit, I hear her murmur in her sleep.

"What's your dream?"

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