Chapter 10

Ga Eul woke up the next day late—too late that she had skipped breakfast. She went to bed awfully late the day before after getting caught up in games with the F4. Jan Di had tried waking her up early for breakfast, but that was like taking candy from a 3 year old with a sugar addiction. Her eyelids were barely open while she took her phone from the nightstand. Looking at the hour, she knew she had to get up no matter how hard it was to leave the cloud-like mattress.

After washing up, and changing into warm enough clothes, she decided to join them downstairs. Praying that the mysterious stranger she'd put a wager on last night wouldn't have already fallen to any of Woo Bin and Yi Jung's tricks. She was certain they were already hard at work since she left them yesterday, trying to prove their superior skills. She had put two lion heads' against each other last night with her bet. Riding on the high of winning, and the effects of an exhausted brain, she had found it too much fun putting them against each other. That lead her into making a poor choice on her behalf. While everyone was playing for the fun of it, Yi Jung had managed to cage Ga Eul into a trap of her own making. If she lost that bet, she'd have to tell Yi Jung or Woo Bin the truth, which could lead to Jan Di figuring out she was still in contact with Hong Joon.

She didn't know how much Woo Bin told Jun Pyo, but she didn't want to risk it. It was Yi Jung that represented the bigger obstacle. He could use this information for another favor. She thought that might've been revenge for shouting at him in the comfort of his own hideout. Or her misfortune of running into him at the worst possible times piqued his curiosity. He never spoke of what happened back at the porridge store, but he could have easily suspected that her "date" had something to do with it. And to an extent, it was true.

She was in the elevator alone waiting for it to go down, and after it did, she went looking for her only friend to find her on the deck. A cup of coffee was set pn the table before her, and Jan Di looked lost in thought. Ga Eul took the seat in front her friend, surprising her by the sudden approach.

"Are you even my friend? Why did you leave me all this time?" Jan Di complained.

"I couldn't get up. And I didn't leave you alone. Where's your boyfriend? You two have been gone almost all day yesterday."

"That's because he gave me this." Jan Di said as she took out a necklace, hidden under her oversized hoodie, and she showed it to Ga Eul. She leaned forward onto the table to get a better look, and her eyes kept moving from the necklace to Jan Di's burdened face.

"It looks pretty, and there's nothing wrong with it, so why are you making that face?" Ga Eul asked.

"He told me that there was only one of it in the world. He got it customized for me."

"That's so sweet of him. He might be an airhead, but an extremely whooped one. But that doesn't explain the face." Ga Eul said.

"It's too much. How can I take care of a necklace like that? What if it drops from me? He'll get pissed." Jan Di said. She did have reason to get anxious, but that shouldn't have been the first thing that came to her mind. Ga Eul sometimes felt bad that Jan Di had to grow up too quickly. While fear of losing the necklace was valid, it still shouldn't have worried her this much.

"Jun Pyo is always mad about something. He could get annoyed that you lost it, if that ever happens, but he won't stop loving you because of it. I'm sure nothing can ever make him fatally angry with you. So I say enjoy receiving such a gift, and stop worrying about something that might never happen." Ga Eul said. Taking a second look at the necklace, Ga Eul could tell how expensive it was. It was encrusted with tiny diamonds all over. Something like that could possibly pay for both their college tuitions combined. She didn't tell Jan Di that though. She was already freaking out as much as it is.

"Where is everyone?" Ga Eul said, trying to change the subject in hopes of cheering up her friend.

"I don't know where Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo are, but Yi Jung and Woo Bin have been following some woman around ever since I came down for breakfast. They're usually more subtle with their flirting, but they have been painfully obvious with this one. I think she's not giving them any face." Jan Di said. Ga Eul tried to hide a treacherous smile threatening to bust her in front of Jan Di, but she couldn't help feeling proud about choosing the right person.

"Hey, do you want to go skiing? Looks like everyone's busy, so we might as well go on our own."

"Let's go." Jan Di said, with an excited grin.

After gliding, or more correctly—falling, on the snow, Ga Eul and Jan Di decided to retire to their rooms. They had taken way too many falls for them to continue, and it was starting to get a little late. It was Jan Di, who took the most violent falls, that suggest they give up and Ga Eul was too willing. She would've joined Jan Di up to their rooms, had she not seen Woo Bin and Yi Jung, both dispirited and bitter, walking down the stairs, leading down to the middle of the lobby, with a sluggish pace. She let Jan Di go up on her own as she waited for them at the bottom landing of the stairs.

"Not so much luck?" Ga Eul asked them.

"Don't get too happy. I still have time." Woo Bin said.

"I didn't say anything. Just pointed out what I saw." Ga Eul said when her eyes locked with the woman coming down the stairs behind Yi Jung and Woo Bin. It was only for a brief second, but the feeling of recognition Ga Eul felt yesterday came back stronger. Ga Eul was now confident she had seen this woman before, and she could've sworn she saw the same recognition in the woman's eyes, but they both didn't say anything as she passed them. Yi Jung and Woo Bin's eyes followed her with irritated eyes. The sting of rejection was too visible in their eyes.

"Make them two pins of shame." Ga Eul said with a smirk before leaving them and going up to her room.

She had left her phone in the room, in fear of crashing it while skiing. So when she was opening her door, she could hear her phone ringing inside. When she took out her phone from its cage of covers, she saw Hong Joon's name on the screen. She should've blocked him after their last meeting. He hadn't tried contacting her after that day, so she had forgotten about him for a while. She looked through her messages, and he had sent her over a hundred texts and 15 missed calls. Disgusted, she blocked him and turned off her phone. She didn't want him to reach out to her in any way possible.

She had tolerated too much of his neediness, but now Ga Eul regretted ever spending a minute on him after what he had said to her. She should've heard Jan Di's advice two years ago and cut ties with him. If she couldn't do it then, she would have to do it now. Ga Eul had run out of excuses for his disturbing and obsessive behavior. She suspected if he had developed some feelings for her after spending time together, but that wasn't like him. Hong Joon was too loyal to Chun Ja to ever see Ga Eul in that light. And after insulting her like that, she was sure that was never the case.

She couldn't make sense of his behavior, but it wasn't like Hong Joon was a rational man from the start, and Chun Ja's death put him more over the edge. But it wasn't Ga Eul's job to help him. Not anymore.

She paced the room back in forth in agitation. Feeling suffocated and trapped, she took off her coat restlessly. Something flashy caught her eye as it dropped from her. Kneeling down on the floor, she picked up Jan Di's necklace. It must've fell during one of Jan Di's violent crashes on her. She hoped Jan Di hadn't noticed its absence yet, or she would've lost it. Luckily, Jan Di hadn't visited her, so she might still be oblivious. A quick trip to Jan Di's room would save her the trouble of going ape in this room alone. Opening the door, she glanced a small paper on the floor. She immediately recognized the handwriting.

I lost the necklace, and I went out to look for it. Don't worry if you don't find me.

It was too late. Jan Di had already figured it out. She could've come to her room or texted her. Only she couldn't because she turned off her phone. Ga Eul cursed herself as she went over to her phone, tossed on the mattress. When the bright screen welcomed her, she saw texts from Jan Di—freaking out. It was dark outside and cold. Bone numbing cold, and Jan Di was out all by herself searching for the damn necklace in Ga Eul's clutch. That was all her fault. She turned off her phone. No one could help out but the F4. Surely, they could do something.

Ga Eul found them in a lounge, missing Jun Pyo. They all looked tensed up and worried. While Ga Eul was approaching them with the note in her hand, her eyes travelled to their line of vision. A random lady on a massive tv screen was warning about a fierce blizzard. The situation got dire by the second. From their looks, it seemed like they had already known what had happened. She dropped the note onto the table and took a seat with them.

"You're an hour late. Jun Pyo's already out to find her." Yi Jung said.

"That's not enough. What can he do? There's a blizzard out there." Ga Eul said, impatient.

"What do you want us to do? There are already men out there looking for them."

"So, you don't know where Jun Pyo is?" Ga Eul asked.

"Jan Di left Ji Hoo a similar note, and he gave it to Jun Pyo. He went out immediately to look for her. We couldn't catch up with him, so we sent people to look for them." Yi Jung replied.

"That's two people out there on the mountain in the dark, and you want to tell me your people can magically find them." Ga Eul said.

"It's not ideal, but we can't do anything else. And our men are very capable of finding them. Don't worry. You're not the only one worried about your friend." Woo Bin said sympathetically.

Ga Eul felt her flames cool down a little but not enough to stop thinking about Jan Di. The worst possible scenarios kept flashing before her eyes as the ticking sound of the clock kept shredding the last strings of her patience little by little. She kept tapping her feet on the ground. She was feeling jittery, and her stomach was doing backflips, threatening to make her throw up. All she could see was gruesome images of a frost-bitten Jan Di buried in the snow while looking at the tv screen where, in a parallel universe, a couple was enjoying the fresh air of the country side. Ga Eul had never envied someone as she did now.

Not bearing any second of this nerve-wrecking turmoil, she went out to the deck, leaving them behind. The gust of wind hit her hard. The sharp winter air was biting. Instead of relishing in the fresh air, she wondered how hard it must be like for Jan Di. She couldn't lose her. Never. She was the only family Ga Eul had, and if she were gone, just like that, Ga Eul doubted she could hold on again. She had barely recovered from Chun Ja. But losing Jan Di would be like losing all the light and hope she ever had.

She didn't notice Yi Jung's presence until he spoke first. "Jan Di's not the only one out there. Jun Pyo is also looking out for her. Knowing them, he had already found her. The Shinhwa heir won't go down for something like this. Trust that they will return safely. No one could let any harm happen to Jun Pyo."

He was right. The chance of them surviving was high. But still, it was anguishing not knowing whether she was safe. He had a point, but Ga Eul couldn't make herself not to worry about her only family. She gave him a weak nod and stood in silence. Neither had the energy to talk. She appreciated that he stood by her side, not bothering her with mindless reassurance.

None of them had slept. They were all at the lobby, waiting. It was all they could do, hoping for even the sound of any hint of new information. It was already morning of the next day, and Ga Eul was feeling groggy. Her eyelids were barely open, but her mind was still alive with fear. She questioned her eyesight, and deemed it as hallucination when she saw the faint figure of Jan Di and Jun Pyo by the resort's entrance. She realized it wasn't a delusion when the guys' eyes were also plastered on the entrance. Ga Eul was the first to stand up and go up to Jan Di. Jun Pyo held both arms around her to steady her. Ga Eul quickly scanned her for any injuries, and when she found none, she crushed Jan Di into a hug. Finally, breathing a sigh of relief that her friend was okay. The guys swarmed around them check on the missing Jan Di and Jun Pyo. Ga Eul finally broke the hug.

"Don't you do that to me ever again. Do you understand? I was scared shitless."

"I'm sorry."

"I have something for you." Ga Eul said as she held out the necklace in her hand. Both Jun Pyo and Jan Di shared a knowing smile before Jan Di took it.

Ga Eul was in Jan Di's room helping her pack up. Their trip was more than over, and Ga Eul wanted nothing more than to get out. Jan Di was sitting on her bed while Ga Eul was pacing around the room packing her things.

"Why didn't you respond to my texts?" Jan Di asked.

"My phone died, I didn't realize. You should've come to my room first before you went out like that. You could've saved me from the worst scare of my life." Ga Eul said. She lied about her phone dying, and she felt guilty. If she had seen the texts, none of that would've happened.

"I didn't have time, and I wanted to start looking before it got dark."

"I'm sorry." Ga Eul said.

"You don't have to be. It's not like you hid the necklace from me. No one could have guessed." Jan Di said.

While Ga Eul zipped up Jan Di's suitcase, she saw Jan Di fidgeting with a loose string from the bed cover, looking hesitant.

"What do you want to say?" Ga Eul asked. Jan Di shot her a surprised glance.

"I was thinking that now you know how it felt like for me back then." Jan Di said. Ga Eul stopped in her tracks for a second before sitting next to Jan Di on the bed.

"I'm sorry." Ga Eul said, truly drowning in guilt.

"I'm not saying that for an apology. I wanted you to know that was how it was like for me for months. Always wondering if you were okay or not. Always dreading awful news about you. It was tough. So I want you to think of today whenever you think of being reckless again. Imagine how it was like for you." Jan Di said.

"Don't say that. You know I've been good for a long time now."

"I don't know what goes on in that head of yours. You're hard to predict sometimes, so I'm depending on you, okay?" Jan Di said

"Okay. I love you. You know that, right?" Ga Eul said.

"I know."

A/N: This is a little gift for Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy ;)