Ga Eul closed her eyes as the too strong light of the sun hit her face. She was laying on a chaise long on the beach. It was only her and Jun Pyo while the others were in the water. She wasn't allowed near any water as she promised Jan Di. Well, she might've been okay if Ga Eul joined her since she was there if anything happened. Ga Eul knew that if she went into the water, Jan Di wouldn't be able to have fun, but instead would be looking over at Ga Eul every second to make sure she was alright. She stayed on the beach to save her friend the trouble.
She was also grateful that she didn't have to talk Yi Jung. Ga Eul excused herself from dinner the day before and stayed in her room. She had been avoiding him ever since that conversation, so a part of her stayed on the beach to take refugee from having to even look at him.
"You don't know how to swim?" Jun Pyo asked. She was surprised at his attempt to make a conversation. Ever since she met him, it seemed like he wasn't interested in anything other than Jan Di. He hadn't even bothered to introduce himself to her.
"Yeah, something like that." Ga Eul said.
"How long have you been friends with Jan Di?" He asked. Ga Eul almost laughed at the repeated question. She could tell he was trying, so she cut him some slack. "Since kindergarten."
"That's the same as me and the guys."
"Yeah." Ga Eul replied. There were a few minutes of awkward silence before he asked, "What does she tell you about me?"
"That's confidential, so I can't tell. I can tell you, however, that I'm rooting for you. Don't tell her, though, since I'm supposed to be as impartial as I can be." Ga Eul said.
"I know, right? I would also root for myself. Where would she find a guy that likes her as much as I do?" Jun Pyo said. A soft chuckle escaped her lips at his over confidence.
"Too much confidence won't be on your side. If you don't mess things up, I think you two would be together by the end of this trip." Ga Eul said.
Jun Pyo's eyes shined with excitement at her revelation."How can I do that?"
"Just don't follow any advice those two give you." Ga Eul said, looking at Yi Jung and Woo Bin. Jun Pyo followed her eyes and frowned. It was clear he was in a dilemma, but it wasn't Ga Eul's business. She had already done her part and warned him. The rest was up to him.
Later that day, Jun Pyo had put extra care into their dinner. Two tables were set on the sand filled with extravagant dishes. Ga Eul thought that their talk earlier made him go all out. Jun Pyo and Jan Di ate at the other table, leaving Ga Eul alone with the other F4 guys. For the first time since she met him, Ga Eul could get a read on Ji Hoo as she saw him peaking at Jan Di and Jun Pyo talking together. He looked a bit pissed. It wasn't long before he left their table. Ga Eul ate in silence while Woo Bin and Yi Jung were flirting with their girls. It felt like a couples only dinner, and she was imposing, so she finished early and left the table.
After taking a stroll by the water, she returned to them again. The dinner had been removed and replaced with desserts. While the others were talking, she stood by a small table laid with desserts, and she was helping herself with everything that caught her eye.
"You're going to eat all of this?" Yi Jung asked behind her, and Ga Eul was caught off guard. She had been trying all day to avoid him, and she had hoped he would do the same, but it looked like he wanted to bother her.
"You know Jun Pyo doesn't like chubby girls. You should watch what you eat. I'm only giving you advice. Right now, he's into Jan Di, but with his personality, nobody knows what will happen." Yi Jung said.
"I'll eat what I want to eat. That has nothing to do with you. And why would I care about Jun Pyo's type?" Ga Eul said, not liking where this conversation was heading.
"I'm telling you that you still have a chance. Guys that get rejected become weak. I believe you can compete against it." Yi Jung said.
"What on earth are you suggesting?" Ga Eul said. She was seeing red, and she fought the urge to slam his face across the table.
"I saw you flirting with him on the beach earlier today. I'm only helping you out." He said sarcastically. A side smile was plastered on his smug face.
"I was only talking with him. I didn't know that talking with a guy is considered flirting especially since he likes my friend. Now, excuse me." Ga Eul said pushing him a little as she made way to leave. She left them early and headed to her room.
She slept too early the day before and woke up just as the sun had risen the next day. She went to look at the water from her room. She had been too angry the day before to check up on Jan Di, and she decided to visit her room later. She knew that she had brought it upon herself when she heard his disgusting words. She was the one to insult him first, so she didn't put up much of a fight when he provoked her. She was the to fight dirty first. She had hoped that would give him the satisfaction he wanted and stop interacting with her altogether. He had clearly gotten what he wanted which was to humiliate her like she she did before.
Staring out at the ocean, she zoned out, and was alerted only when she heard banging on her door. Looked like Jan Di wanted to reach her out first. She opened the door to the waiting Jan Di, and she barged into the room not waiting for an invitation. She didn't need one.
"Why did you leave us so early yesterday?"
"I wasn't feeling well."
"Don't lie to me. I saw you talking with Yi Jung before you stormed out. What's the matter between you two anyway? He keeps on stealing glances at you ever since we came here."
"We just got into a small argument. He was probably looking at me because he was angry. I said some stupid things, so it's kind of my fault anyway."
"That's weird. You're not the type to start arguments. You usually brush things off." Jan Di said. She was right. That was unlike Ga Eul, and she knew why she was acting out of character that's why she had been trying to put an end to this.
"Yeah, you're right. But you didn't come here for me, right? Tell me what I missed yesterday." Ga Eul said. Jan Di got flustered by her friend's sudden change in the subject.
"Jun Pyo made a whole fireworks display. You missed out big time." Jan Di told her.
"An old move but effective." Ga Eul said as she saw the excited twinkle in Jan Di's eyes. A pissed Jan Di took a pillow from Ga Eul's bed and threw it at her.
"You have to stop throwing things when you're mad." Ga Eul said, laughing. Jan Di gave her a vicious look, and Ga Eul took it as her sign to stop.
"So you're going to accept his feelings, aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
"Please, you've been my friend for way too long now. Of course I know. I'm sure you didn't come to my room this early just to tell me about some fireworks."
"What do you think?"
"Finally, I can say it out loud although I'm certain you already know that I've been rooting for him all along. Ji Hoo's nice, but you're only your true self with Jun Pyo." Jan Di blushed furiously, and suddenly got up and went for the door.
"I'll take that as your approval. I'll be leaving now." She said as she shut the door behind her.
After breakfast, they all went for horse riding. With Jan Di being occupied with Jun Pyo, Ga Eul felt alone most of the time. It didn't matter much to her as she was glad that her friend finally made up her mind. Although it wouldn't appear to anyone since Jan Di was fighting and arguing with Jun Pyo the whole time, but Ga Eul knew that Jan Di was in love. Even more than what she held for Ji Hoo, and he was the only one who seemed to notice that. Ji Hoo was silent and aloof, so Ga Eul couldn't tell much about him at first. After further observation, though, she realized that he was jealous. Not specifically of Jan Di, but of Jan Di and Jun Pyo together. She found it suspicious that he gave up on his first love so quickly. Ga Eul was sure something had happened back in Paris, but she hoped it wouldn't affect Jan Di's blossoming relationship.
She found herself zoned out on the beach, worrying about her best friend. Jun Pyo and Jan Di had disappeared after horse riding, and Ga Eul spent what was left of her lonesome vacation with Woo Bin and Yi Jung, and their respective girlfriends, on the beach. After her failed attempt at a solo tour, she knew that she had no choice, but to spend time wherever the guys went, or she had to spent time in her room. Being stuck in a room, however luxurious it could be, wasn't Ga Eul's ideal way of spending a vacation. She always made sure to keep her distance with Yi Jung. A part of her was glad that he hadn't tried to approach her after their last conversation. That contentment didn't last long enough for her as she saw Yi Jung coming towards her on the sand.
"So I had a talk with Jun Pyo last night. You weren't flirting after all, but you did say some hurtful words about me and Woo Bin." Yi Jung said. That tattle tail, Ga Eul thought.
"It wasn't really hurtful. Just the truth."
"Fair enough." Yi Jung said. They shared a few moments of silence before Yi Jung tried to start open a new conversation. Ga Eul couldn't understand why he kept talking to her or even try. Sure she did provoke him first, but that wasn't enough for him to keep following her like that. Why would he want to ruin his fun by sitting with her? He didn't have to babysit her now.
"You told me before that it wasn't your business who Jan Di dates, but now you're giving Jun Pyo love advice?" Yi Jung said.
"Look at them now. They both obviously have feelings for each other, so I was giving him encouragement. When you visited me at the store, the relationship between them was too vague for me to intervene. That was solely their business. It still is their business, but me giving him a single bit of advice wouldn't affect how they feel about being together."
It doesn't even matter. It won't work out for them either way."
"That's for them to decide. Who knows maybe they could defeat the odds."
"Don't tell me you are a romantic?" Yi Jung scoffed.
"I can't be sure since I've never been in love. But what I do now is that love a different experience for everyone. Maybe to some it can defeat all."
"That is what the hopeful dreamers want to believe."
No, that is what you want to believe." Ga Eul said. He answered with an amused smile.
He didn't leave her side. They both stared at the water in shared silence. She knew that her last response hit a sensitive topic, but she couldn't understand why he didn't leave. Why he never left her side until the sun went down.
Jan Di and Jun Pyo joined them later at dinner. The one who bailed was Ji Hoo. It wasn't hard to figure out why as a newspaper, with headlights of Seo Hyun and a French political figure, was laid on their dinner table announcing their engagement. Ga Eul could see Jan Di's worried eyes skimming over the news. The F4 guys didn't take long before they returned to their normal selves, but Jan Di never stopped worrying. She was zoning out, and she kept shaking her legs underneath the table. She excused herself after indulging in her meal quickly, leaving a disappointed Jun Pyo behind. Ga Eul left shortly after her, but she went straight for her room. Somehow she knew where Jan Di was, and it wasn't her time to intervene.
While sleeping, the door to her room was shaking from Jan Di's violent banging on it. A disturbed Ga Eul opened the door to be welcomed by Jan Di. She never cried while she told Ga Eul what happened, but her eyes were watering up a bit. Ga Eul knew that Jun Pyo messing up was a huge possibility, but with everything going so smoothly, she had been hopeful. It wasn't like Jan Di cheated on him. She just merely hugged Ji Hoo who she considered as a friend. Ga Eul knew that Jan Di was just helping out a friend, but Jun Pyo couldn't get it into his thick skull. That day Jan Di stayed in Ga Eul's room as she tried to comfort her friend. It wasn't just a cheating speculation, but a huge misunderstanding between childhood friends, and Jan Di was feeling guilty. They both couldn't sleep that day.