Lesson #4
There's More to Life Than Just Your Love Life
[ Look around you girl, 'nough said. ]
Yi Jeong woke up with a slight headache.
He massages his temples in circular motion with his palms. How much liquor did he drink last night? Maybe whiskey is not such a good idea. God, I need tea.
He gets up but regretted the idea.
Okay, I need something stronger than tea.
He hangs his head down, massaging his nape as he collects himself. If he's getting this headache, Ga Eul must have had it worse. A hand went to his left cheek. She slapped him last night. Chu Ga Eul slapped him three times.
Yi Jeong chuckles despite of his headache as he recalls her angered face the night before. Cute Ga Eul is adorable but feisty Ga Eul is terrifying.
He laughed again. Never in his life he would have thought he'll be afraid of a girl and he can't believe it's Ga Eul of all the women on Earth. If she had not fallen asleep on top of him, he's sure his cheeks would be beat up red this morning and who knows what else.
Yi Jeong is taking another sip on his black coffee when his friends joined him at the Breakfast Lounge. His eyes grew wide upon seeing Ga Eul laugh at something Jan Di was telling her as they make their way to his table. He almost chokes on his hot drink.
"Good morning sunbae. Did you sleep well last night?" Yi Jeong stares at her as she smiles at him, taking the seat on his right.
He swallowed the strong liquid before answering. "Uh yeah…did you?"
She gave him her usual radiant smile. "Yes. Though I don't remember going to bed last night."
"What do you mean you don't remember?" Jun Pyo asks as he spread some jam on his toast.
"I'm pretty sure I fell asleep elsewhere."
"Yah! Ga Eul! You should be careful where you fall asleep especially if you're in a different place." Says Jan Di.
Ga Eul apologetically nods her head as she grins at her overprotective best friend.
"Look who's talking! You sleep in the bus, you sleep on the train, you even sleep at the hospital lobby! I'm surprised you still have your cellphone and your wallet with you!" Jun Pyo's loud voice had probably woke up some sleepy guests around their table.
"That's different."
"How is it different?!"
Their bickering is just making Yi Jeong's head hurt even more. He glanced sideways to Ga Eul who's eating her pancake quietly, obviously untroubled by the usual argument of the couple.
Seriously?! No hangover at all?!
Ga Eul's eyes were not red as what he's expecting, her hair and her fresh lavender scent indicates that she had already taken a bath before going down for breakfast. Is she the girl I was drinking with last night?
And here he was getting worried she had worse when she doesn't even show any sign of being drunk from their drinking session last night. Maybe she's a frequent drinker?
No, I don't think so. But she used to work at a club though, it's possible that she's used to alcohol.
But NO! He's used to drinking too but he still got this damn hangover! And the thought of Ga Eul with stronger alcohol tolerance than him is unthinkable. In his eyes and mind, Ga Eul is still the same sweet innocent Ga Eul he knew even though some of the events last night indicates otherwise.
"Are you alright, Yi Jeong sunbae?"
Jun Pyo and Jan Di stopped from their 'normal talk' when Ga Eul asked him. He nodded his head, eyes half lidded. "Just …just a little headache."
"Do you need a medicine? I have one here." Ga Eul fished out a small bottle of unfamiliar medicine from her bag.
"He can't take medicine that is not prescribed by his doctor." Says Jun Pyo, eyeing the bottle of capsule with uncertainty.
"It's safe, I promise." Says Ga Eul, shaking the bottle.
Jan Di took the bottle from her hand. "This is a good headache reliever medicine, it's just a generic brand so you two may not have seen one before. It's safe to take."
"Don't take it Yi Jeong. You might get poisoned."
Jan Di shot him a death glare. "I am a doctor and I'm prescribing it to you Yi Jeong sunbae." She said with gritted teeth, still glaring at her fiancée.
Ga Eul took the bottle, and placed it at Yi Jeong's hand. "Thanks." He said, staring at the bottle.
"I thought I'm your only patient?" Jun Pyo pouts at Jan Di as she strikes her fork at her sausage like it's Jun Pyo's head she just loves poking.
The medicine did work.
By the time their private plane took off, Yi Jeong's headache had subsided. Ga Eul's sweet lavender scent is also helping his cause beside him. She put her notebook planner at the desk on top of her lap, she's about to write on it when she stopped her pen in midair and turned to look at Yi Jeong.
"I have a question, sunbae."
In my defense, I'm not really a whiskey kind of person.
"Yes?"
"What happened last night?"
The question didn't surprise him. He had foreseen Ga Eul asking about it since she said earlier she can't remember going back to her room, but it still didn't prepare him for this moment. His eyes going from left to right, thinking of ways how to explain this to her.
"I know we're drinking Jack Daniels and I think I was yelling at someone too?" Ga Eul looks up at the ceiling of the plane, rummaging her brain for the memory. She sighed because nothing is coming. "I don't really recall much but what I do know is I did not fell asleep in my room."
"I uh …I carried you there."
"Really?" her eyes widen in disbelieve. When he nodded, she clapped her hands in front of her. "Awww, thank you, sunbae. And also sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. Your room is right next to mine so no trouble at all."
Yi Jeong remained quiet after that. Maybe there's nothing to share anyway, so there's nothing to tell, she thought. Ga Eul returns her attention at her planner, putting a check beside the 'beach accommodation' and 'wedding reception', but half of her mind is still in a weird dazed.
Maybe it's the alcohol doing, 'cause I swear I thought I was slappingsomeone last night too.
Ga Eul's new life begun the following week. She had started her job at the hospital. She's a food attendant at the Pediatrics' Department. Her first few days at the hospital made her realize how big life is. Realized how lucky she is to have lived this long and in good health.
The children all have the same sad look in their eyes as Ga Eul tries to start up a conversation or tries to play with them. No matter how she tries to cheer them up everyday, some of them are unresponsive, some are rude, the best she can get is a simple nod. There's even one kid, Lee Min Jin, who refuses to eat anything if it's not her mother's cooking.
Sadness envelops Ga Eul's heart thinking of the situation the kids are in. She promised to herself to do anything to bring back the happiness in those kids' lives.
Maybe I should start by bringing small toys. Kids loves toys, I'm sure they'll start playing when they see the toys.
Ga Eul's busy thinking of ways to entertain the patients, she didn't catch Woo Bin's question.
"How about you Ga Eul-yang?"
By the mention of her name, Ga Eul lifts her eyes to look at Woo Bin.
"Huh?"
"I said what are you going to perform at the wedding?"
Ga Eul, Woo Bin and Yi Jeong were sitting at the pastry shop they usually visit even back when they were still in high school. The two gentlemen saw her walking at the street and asked her to join them eat their favorite bread.
"Perform?" Ga Eul has no idea what the two were talking about.
"Yeah. We are going to perform for the newly weds. What would be yours?" Yi Jeong raised his eyebrows, as if challenging Ga Eul.
"Oh I can't. I don't have any talent."
Woo Bin and Yi Jeong chuckles.
"Come on Ga Eul-yang, I know you have one." Woo Bin grins at her.
Shaking her head, Ga Eul bites her lips, just imagining herself alone in front of hundreds of people is making her nervous. She thinks she'll faint even before the MC will call her name.
"You can sing while Ji Hoo plays the piano, if you want." Woo Bin suggested.
"I don't sing."
"Violin?" Yi Jeong asks.
She shook her head.
"Ballet?" Woo Bin asks.
She shook her head again, sighing. It only shows how boring and untalented she is.
Woo Bin suddenly flicked his fingers. "Ah! How about we dance together?"
"Dance?" Yi Jeong and Ga Eul chorused.
"Oh no I don't dance too, Woo Bin sunbae." Shaking her hands in front of her.
"It's easy Ga Eul. I will teach you how. What do you wanna dance? Waltz? Jazz? Hip-hop? Or perhaps sexy dance." Woo Bin wiggles his eyebrows at her.
A mental image of Ga Eul and Woo Bin flashed through Yi Jeong's mind. Woo Bin guiding her to the dance, Woo Bin placing his hands on her hand and waist, Woo Bin pulling her body close to his.
"Yah! You can't do that to Ga Eul-yang!" The shocked expression on his friends' faces tells Yi Jeong that he had said that out loud.
"Why not? It's just a dance. It's not like someone will get mad. She's single and I'm always single. I don't see the problem." Woo Bin explains his point to his best friend while hiding a sly grin. He had predicted this reaction from his Casanova friend.
Yi Jeong can't take back what he said anymore. "I-It doesn't suit her."
"What suits me then, sunbae?"
Ga Eul stares at him questioningly as she waits for his opinion while Woo Bin is with an obvious grin of amusement on his face. How did he end up in this situation?
He cleared his throat, it had gone dry a few seconds ago. "Don't you have work today? Come on let's go, I'll drive you to the hospital. I have something to ask Ji Hoo anyway."
Woo Bin had to cover his mouth before a chuckle escapes his lips. He can't contain his amusement seeing his friend's flustered face at his extreme lame way of avoiding the topic at hand.
"Do I really need to perform, sunbae?" Ga Eul asks as they drive through the highway.
"Yes. It's our special gift to the couple." Yi Jeong is making sure to focus his eyes on the road and not to his passenger.
"But I don't know what to do, I don't sing, I don't dance, I can't play any musical instrument. I don't even know how to use a harmonica!"
Yi Jeong chuckles. "You're selling yourself short here, Ga Eul-yang. I'm sure we can find something you can perform alone."
Emphasizing the last part.
"How about you sunbae?" she turns her head towards him so she's facing the side of him. "Saxophone?"
"Too predictable, isn't? How about I sing for a change?"
Ga Eul's eyes grew wide from hearing this. "You can sing too?!"
Yi Jeong tilts his head sideways to flash her his signature smirk. "I'm a man of many talents, Ga Eul-yang."
She rolled her eyes, with raised eyebrow she challenged him. "Let's here it then."
"What?"
"Sing something right now."
"Don't you want it to be surprise?"
"But I'm really curious. I want to know if your claim is true." Now she's the one with a smirk.
"But Ga Eul-yang, if I sing to you ….you might fall in love with me."
Ga Eul started laughing. After being friends with Yi Jeong for some years now, Ga Eul doesn't see him as the F4 Casanova that he is. She sees him as Yi Jeong, a small lost puppy with a cute smile. If she didn't get rejected from him countless times before, she would have thought he's flirting with her.
"I've watched a lot of singers but haven't fallen in love with them. I think I'll survive."
"Yes, but you haven't heard So Yi Jeong sing."
"You know Yi Jeong sunbae, sometimes it's nice to be modest too."
Yi Jeong turn his head up, laughing out loud at her remark. Ga Eul got worried for a second because he's not looking at the road but then again Yi Jeong is a great driver, he can drive and get home safely even drunk.
"Come on, sunbae. Sing."
He shakes his head, calming his self from laughing.
But Ga Eul is not easy to shake off, something he knows well. "How about if I close my eyes? I'll pretend I'm just listening to the radio."
Yi Jeong looks at her. "You won't peek?"
She chuckles. Sometimes Yi Jeongsunbae is such a kid. She nodded her head and closes her eyes, waiting for him to start already.
And so he did. Seeing Ga Eul's face with her eyes closed is bringing back the memory of that night when they were by the beach. He doesn't want to linger on that thought so he just started singing the last song he had listened to on his phone. When he finished, she opened her eyes, bobbing her head slowly.
"Not bad, sunbae."
Yi Jeong laughs. "No need to pretend you're not impressed, you know." He said with a cocky grin.
"Oh I'm impressed. It's just …"
"It's just what?"
"I feel like something's missing." Her brows had a frown, thinking deeply.
Missing? Did he hit a flat note there? I got the lyrics right, right? "What's missing?"
"I don't know, emotion maybe? You're voice is really cool but warm at the same time but if feels like ….like it has no feelings. You know what I mean?"
He shook his head.
"It's like you're singing to impress and not to express."
Yi Jeong gasped quietly as he turns to look at her. Ga Eul described exactly what he did. He was not really focusing on the feeling and message of the song when he sang it, he was monitoring his vocals and when to hit the right notes of the song. Obviously, Ga Eul noticed it and saw through him. She always does.
"Well that's just what I think sunbae. Maybe you can ask Ji Hoo sunbae for some pointers if you're really planning on singing at the wedding." Ga Eul rolled down her window to let the morning air fill inside the car.
"Ji Hoo?"
"Yeah. He's very good at singing. Full of soul."
"When did you hear him sing?"
"The other day at the hospital. There was a patient of his, she's scared of needles and Ji Hoo sunbae sings to her to calm her. It's really sweet of him."
He might be the F4 Casanova but in all honesty, Ji Hoo has his special ways with the ladies. He's the odd one out of the four and the ladies dig for his mysterious aura. Ji Hoo rarely sings in front of an audience, he has good singing voice but he usually prefers playing the violin or the piano but back when they were in middle school at Shinwha, Ji Hoo serenades a girl out of a bet the four of them had. To say the least, that girl had become Ji Hoo's fans' club president up to this date. That's how good he is.
He glanced sideways to Ga Eul. She's smiling quietly as she gazes out at the window. Her smile, it's warm and light. Does this mean she likes Ji Hoo now?
Then she gasped and started tagging on his arm sleeve. "Sunbae let's take this road." She said, pointing at the next turn. "It's a shortcut Ji Hoo sunbae and I took yesterday."
And he gives her rides nowtoo?!
When they arrived at the hospital, Yi Jeong went straight to his best friend's office. Ji Hoo's not there yet but he waited inside, slightly playing with the pendulum and the gravity defying small globe Ji Hoo had on his desk.
Ji Hoo smiles upon seeing his visitor. "How is it going, best man?"
Yi Jeong sighed and shook his head, "Crazy. Jun Pyo's turning me into a wedding planner. Soon, Ga Eul and I can put up our own wedding events."
Ji Hoo laughs. Typical Jun Pyo.
He went to sit behind his desk and puts down the files he had in his hands. Since he got a visitor, might as well have a little break. Yi Jeong on the other hand is not really there for a chat. He cleared his throat and went straight to the purpose of his visit.
"Ji Hoo-ya, I want to ask you something."
Ji Hoo looks up from his papers and waited for the question.
"Is it possible for a person not to have hangover after heavy drinking the night before?"
Yi Jeong's been thinking about this since that day after his drinking session with a certain heartbroken girl. Ji Hoo's the safest person to ask, given that he is a doctor and out of his three pals he is the most sane one. He can't really ask Jan Di about it, she might add two and two and figure out who he was pertaining to.
Ji Hoo was confused for a second but the serious look on Yi Jeong's face tells him he means business. The look he's giving him makes him feel like this is a life and death matter so he gave the best answer he can.
"I'm not sure but I'll do a research about it."
Yi Jeong let out a sigh, like a big lump was lifted from his chest. He nods his head.
Ji Hoo removes his eyeglasses, puts it down on his table and crossed his fingers in front of him, surveying his friend intently. "It seems pretty important to you."
"Huh?"
"You personally went here just to ask that. Is it someone I know?"
"Oh it's nothing. I just got curious." He stood up and started going to the door. It's always not a good thing whenever Ji Hoo asks too many questions. That boy is a killer genius.
"Take your time researching, it's not really important. Just …just let me know if you find something interesting." He tried to end it coolly. He opens the door, smile to his friend and waves goodbye but before he closes the door he swings it open again, peeking his head inside.
"You're going to play the piano at the wedding….right?"
*89*