Lesson # 1
It's Just Heartbreak Not End of the World
[ This section is pretty much self explanatory but since on this stage your mind is still tangled with all the rush of emotions, you might not get the point so I'm here to elaborate our first lesson to your still clouded humble brain. Right after heartbreak, the first thing you will face is reality. You got dumped. That's it. You may feel the pain flowing through your whole being but trust me hon, your heart is still there beating inside your body, so no matter how many times you feel like it's broken it is not in the literal sense so scientifically speaking you're still alive and breathing – unless you do something to make that heart of yours stop for good. Which of course what we call stupidity. You know what they say, love is stupid ...or is that the other thing?]
"Now go to sleep. You might feel better tomorrow."
It didn't.
Ga Eul just felt worse.
Her heart feels so heavy. She finds it hard to breath and her eyes are so sore she just wants to curl up in the soft spacious bed beneath her.
Wait, I don't remember my bed this big and soft before.
She slowly gets up and scans the room until her eyes reached the sleeping form of a man under a blanket at the couch.
Her initial reaction is to scream because; one – that man is So Yi Jeong, the F4's Casanova, two – she's in a room that's not hers, three – it's probably his room, his house, four – memories of last night has not come back to her brain yet as to how she ended up here and lastly, when the man turn on his side, his face confirms that it is indeed Yi Jeong sunbae.
But she didn't make any sound, instead, she closes her heavy eyelids, rummaging her brain for a much-needed explanation.
"Oh you're awake now." Yi Jeong said after yawning.
As Ga Eul opens her eyes, his voice awakens the sleeping memories of the events last night. Her heart started hurting again, like it was being squeezed by big hands inside her chest.
Yi Jeong's sleepy eyes noticed the incoming danger. He stood up immediately, keeping the blanket around him. With one hand, he pulls Ga Eul up from his bed and guides her to his bathroom. "Take a shower, I'll make some coffee."
When she got out of the shower room, her bag is already placed at the bed. She took it and went to the kitchen. Yi Jeong offered her coffee and breads but she declines and insisted on going home. Yi Jeong oblige, when she closes her gates he let out a huge sigh of relief. He doesn't know how to take care a person with broken heart. He never had any experience with it and he's completely clueless what to do so as he drove out of Ga Eul's neighborhood, he let out some silent thanks that it's finally over.
****
There was a knock at Ga Eul's front door. Without giving it a thought, Ga Eul drags her body towards the door and opens it, revealing a cheerful looking Geum Jan Di.
"Hi Ga Eul!"
Jan Di's wide smile slowly turned upside down. It's been a week since her best friend found out that her boyfriend's cheating on her but Ga Eul still hasn't recovered.
"So this is what a zombie looks like. Now I know why they look horrible." She said, trying to bring some energy to her friend.
"Hi Jan Di-ah." She responded with the lowest energy she could ever muster.
"That's it! You're coming with me!" pulling her out of the dark house and into the road.
No matter how Jan Di insisted on revenging her friend, Ga Eul begged her not to do anything to Su Pyo. She made her promise so Jan Di had no choice but to keep that promise even though every time she sees Ga Eul all she wanted to do is skin the bastard that broke her heart until all the layers of his body will disappear.
"What are we doing here?" Ga Eul asks as they enter a familiar horse country club.
"Jun Pyo is holding a contest to the F3."
"Is he kicking another one of them again out of the group?" she asks, the memories' still fresh to her even though years had passed.
"Of course not! But this one is pretty crazy too. He's making the guys compete for the title of being his best man."
Ga Eul almost laughed at how childish Jun Pyo is, only him could turn this into a competition but the muscles in her face had probably forgotten how to smile so she ended up just blinking and nodding her head.
"Cheer up Ga Eul-yang, enjoy watching as I let these men eat my dust." says Woo Bin.
"Like that would ever happen." says Yi Jeong.
"I still don't get why we need to do this." Says Ji Hoo.
"Can't the three of you be the best man?" Ga Eul said, looking up at the towering F3 in front of her.
"That's what I've been telling this idiotic Jun Pyo." says Jan Di, her hands on her waist as she glares at her fiancée.
"It's called best man not best men." He answered, looking almighty with his brilliant idea.
They shook their heads.
"Are you going to race or what?!" he yells at his friends.
"Alright, alright." says Yi Jeong.
"It's showtime!" Woo Bin said with excitement and the three of them proceeded at the start line with their trusted horses.
Ga Eul let Jan Di cheer for the guys while Jun Pyo's telling her not to damage his eardrums and the guys will not hear her anyway, she looked for a comfortable seat. Ever since that unfaithful night, she had lost the energy to live life. She made him her world. Everything she does evolves around him. She had chosen to work at the club he manages just so she can be with him most of the time. In deciding what to wear she still have Su Pyo in mind, always trying to impress him. Giving most of her free time to him, her world became Su Pyo, work, Su Pyo, home, then back at Su Pyo again.
And now that he's out of the picture she feels like the sun had been taken out of her life. No light, just full of darkness.
"You're still sulking?"
Ga Eul doesn't need to look to know who invaded her miserable quality time with herself. The race had probably ended but she's not really interested to know the result. She remained staring down at the floor, interesting how for how long she's been staring at it she never realized the tiles were marble.
She felt the couch move beside her. Yi Jeong had sat next to her.
"This is reality, Ga Eul-yang. Deal with it. Nothing's going to change even if you pout for a week, a month, a year. It's over. Accept it."
This guy. Ga Eul thought he will cheer her up just like the rest but what he's doing is the complete opposite, burying her deeper than she already is.
"Stop sulking already. We're going to start planning for the wedding, Jan Di wants to be hands on in her own wedding, we've got lots of work to do. I'll pick you up tomorrow."
He stood up, leaving Ga Eul who haven't even processed what he said.
****
Ga Eul watch the soft bubbles around her. They look so peaceful, popping freely as they please, creating that sweet smell of her Lavender bath milk.
I wish I was just bubbles. Floating in water, not minding a single thing.
She submerges her head in the water, the warmness of the bath clearing all the thoughts in her brain.
I wish I can just be the water. Loved and needed.
Her lungs restricting a little bit, her throat started to feel weird.
I wish this is all just a nightmare and when I open my eyes, Su Pyo will still be with me.
Did she forget our meeting?!
Yi Jeong checks his phone again, Ga Eul's still not responding to his calls and texts. "Aish!" he hops out of his orange sports car and went to her gates, ringing the doorbell aggressively.
No answer. But the gate swung open when he tries to shake it.
Unlocked?
He knocks on the front door. Like he expected, there's no answer as well. He tried his luck on turning the doorknob.
It is then that he got suspicious. An unlocked gate and unlocked door doesn't feel right. With caution, he proceeded inside as quietly as he can even with the leather shoes. He was half expecting thieves or gangsters inside but the house seems to be empty the furniture are still intact. He made his way up the second floor where the rooms are. There was light coming from the gap between the flooring and the bathroom door.
His knocks echoes through the house.
"Ga Eul-yang?"
He waited for a moment to knock again, he can't hear any sound from inside. Had she fallen asleep in the bathtub?
A horrible realization hit him. Without hesitation, he back up from the door and kicked it, the door opens in one go.
"Ga Eul-yang!"
All the bubbles of the bathtub had gone, only the white creamy looking water was left and there submerge in the water is an unconscious Ga Eul.
Yi Jeong immediately pull Ga Eul's head up from the water. She's as pale as the water in the tub. Not minding if his clothes are getting wet, he lifts Ga Eul's naked form out of the water and put her down at the tiled floor.
"Ga Eul-yang! Ga Eul-yang!"
Shaking her body is not getting any reaction. He lowers his ear at her nose to feel any breathing but nothing.
He pulls up and press both of his palms on top of the other at her lower chest region and started pressing to 30. He lifts her chin up, opens her mouth and breathes two puffs of air. Then repeated pumping her chest again to 30 and giving her air.
"Come on Ga Eul-yang! Come on! Breath! Come on!"
After the third 30 Ga Eul finally moved. She started coughing water out of her mouth. Yi Jeong grabbed the towel from the rack and spread it to cover her body. His body slumped down at the tiles as Ga Eul catches her breath.
"Are you out of your mind?!" the yelling comes after Ga Eul had put some clothes on. Yi Jeong waited for her at the living room, his clothes are drenched in bath water but he doesn't care. He's all angry at the suicidal Ga Eul at the moment.
"I'm sorry." She said softly, her throat still feels weird, now she knows why.
"You're sorry for trying to waste your life for some pathetic guy?!"
"I wasn't trying to kill myself."
"Yeah right, Ga Eul-yang. You didn't just drown yourself back there! If I hadn't come, we'll be planning your funeral and not a wedding!" he's so angry he feels like wrecking something, his eyes fell to the vases and pots of Ga Eul's mother at the window but he refrained himself. It's not his to destroy.
"I'm sorry." The only thing Ga Eul can do right now is to apologize. She didn't really plan on ending her life, she's thankful that he came but he's so mad right now she doesn't think a thank you would cool him down. He probably hates me for ruining his expensive clothes.
Yi Jeong sighed. This had already gotten out of hand. He pulled out his phone and pressed Jun Pyo's contact number.
"Something came up, can we do the planning later in the afternoon?" he said through the phone. Ga Eul refuse to look at him in the eyes, aside from her near death experience, she's well aware that she had exposed her naked body to him back there at the bathroom.
"..Jan Di will kill me..." she can hear Jun Pyo's loud voice over the phone.
"Make something up. This is really important. Distract her if you can. Use that technique I was telling you about the other day to keep her occupied."
Jun Pyo's voice had somehow lessen its volume. Yi Jeong smirk then ended the call. He looks back at Ga Eul, her hair still dripping.
"Get your coat on, we're going somewhere."
"Why did you bring me here again, sunbae?"
Ga Eul can finally speak again. The people surrounding her made it hard to say even a single word. When they were finished doing God knows what in her face, they proceeded to her hair.
"Make over." Yi Jeong answered simply. He just came back from the shop next door, now with new clothes on, he took a seat at one of the waiting chairs near Ga Eul, he picks up a random magazine and flips it open.
"Why do you always think make over will solve everything?"
"I didn't say it will but it is the only way to make you human again. You were half dead earlier." He said nonchalantly, eyes still at the magazine.
Ga Eul sighs. I guess he's right. She didn't look at her self in the mirror before leaving the house. She must have looked a zombie again. Well, she almost became one.
After what felt like forever, they had finally announced that they were done with their 'magic' on her. They presented her to Yi Jeong like a doll they just finished playing with.
Yi Jeong stares at her from her feet up to her head. A smile and thumbs up from him declares that he likes it.
Why? How do I look?
Slowly she turns around and faced the full-length mirror.
A beautiful woman staring back at me. Wait, that is me?!
Impossible! She can't believe that simple country girl had turned into a beautiful lady. It was not the same from last time. Before, it was a crying teenager turn into a beautiful girl but now a crying girl turn into a woman. She can see the difference, she can feel the difference. The excitement in her eyes slowly faded. If only she looked like this while she's still with Su Pyo, he probably wouldn't cheat on her. Again.
From her pretty high heeled shoes, glossy revealing dress to the gorgeous curls of her hair, who would have thought she can transform like this. Almost as pretty as the girls who always surrounds her ex-boyfriend.
When her eyes met the sad eyes of the lady in the mirror, an idea came to life.
She turns around and almost run towards Yi Jeong.
"Yi Jeong sunbae ...let's go on a date."
*89*
This may sound Alternative Universe but it's not entirely. Everything from the series happened except Yi Jeong's promise before going to Sweden.