Chapter 23

"I don't know what to do anymore. I feel like every course of action I take could ruin everything." Ga Eul said, huffing, leaning her chin on the handle of Jan Di's shopping cart.

"I honestly can't understand how you guys aren't together, yet." Jan Di replied, annoyed while putting a bottle of milk in the cart.

"We weren't like that from the start." Ga Eul argued. Following Jan Di around the supermarket, and helping her with grocery shopping.

"Yeah, right." Jan Di said, rolling her eyes. "Yi Jung's eyes always sought you around whenever we were together. He's always been interested in you. Maybe you didn't feel the same at first, but it's been obvious from the start that Yi Jung has this..fascination with you. You don't see the way he looks at you. It's intense."

"We've had this connection, so yes I can agree with what you're saying, but it's not what we both intended."

"But it is what was bound to happen. I didn't welcome this when I sensed it, but I couldn't stop it no matter how desperately I wanted to. Yi Jung's reputation was the worst. It still is." Jan Di said while pushing the cart. "It's true that he's been with far fewer women than before now that he spends so much time with you, but he didn't stop altogether, either. How can you handle that? I can't imagine Jun Pyo with someone else." Jan Di said.

"It's fine, I guess? For Yi Jung, it's more about playing games than actual relationships. It's kind of a relief honestly that he still hasn't realised his feelings, yet. It's not like we would start dating once he becomes aware of this." Ga Eul said, shrugging.

"Why not?"

"Look at me, Jan Di." Ga Eul said.

"I'm looking, and there's nothing wrong with what I see. You're wonderful."

"It's not like that, but I'm a mess. Not too long ago I had a public mental breakdown and ruined a huge corporate event singlehandedly. I'm not ready to date anyone. Especially Yi Jung. That would do us no good. It's better to keep things the way they are until we are both ready for such things. That is if those feelings still linger on."

"You can't decide these things on your own, Ga Eul. This includes Yi Jung, too, and you're leaving him out. He is naive for not knowing his feelings already, but it won't be that way forever."

"Why can't it be? Feelings are always complicated."

"That's life for you." Jan Di sighed. "You know I've been wondering about something." Jan Di said, waiting in line for the cashier. "If this thing between you and Yi Jung does go through, I highly doubt you would be invited to any of his public events."

Ga Eul and Jan Di chortled a bit too loudly, gaining eyes from everybody in line.

Ga Eul and Jan Di stood by the sidelines, ordering drinks for themselves by the bar while their friends were on the dance floor. And for the first time, Ga Eul was stunned by the presence of Ji Hoo with them. Ga Eul hadn't been too thrilled to go to a club, but she had been beaten by the force of the majority. Not wanting to be left alone, she had to join in. Being alone reminded her of Hong Joon, and she wanted to repress these memories.

"It's like they're trying to invade my ears with how loud this music is." Ga Eul shouted over the music.

"That's the exact point of a club, you spoilsport." Jan Di replied.

"You're supposed to be on my side."

"Not when you're being boring. Even Ji Hoo is having fun. That's how bad you look right now."

"Ouch. That hurt. Go on, then. Have fun dancing with your boyfriend." Ga Eul said.

"No need. It looks like they're already done." Jan Di said, and Ga Eul followed her trail of gaze. They were heading upstairs for their table.

Intoxicated Yi Jung wasn't Ga Eul's favourite, but as Jan Di had said, she had no right being a spoilsport. And right now, he was looking for the distractions he needed. He was playing with liquor in his glass, a winning smirk creeping up on his face. Ga Eul knew that look well enough to guess where the night was going.

"That girl from earlier is still looking at you." Woo Bin said, a little buzzed, over the table at Yi Jung.

"Like I told you guys she would." Yi Jung said, smug.

"Why don't you tell her to join us?" Jun Pyo suggested. That caught Ga Eul's attention. It was a little uncharacteristic of Jun Pyo to be welcoming to Yi Jung's conquests.

"Why not?" Yi Jung said before he left their table to go invite her.

The girl looked older than Ga Eul, and she looked agreeable enough. She had an interesting charm about her, and Ga Eul could tell why she cultivated Yi Jung's attention. Her eyes were playful as she inspected everyone over at their table, but it was respectful enough. Her presence showed quite a gap between her and Ga Eul and Jan Di. She had the aura of a woman when they were still just girls.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Sa Rang." She said, smiling. And everyone was quick to greet her back. When Woo Bin's eyes kept gazing between her and Ga Eul, Ga Eul began to realize what was going on and rolled her eyes.

"Are you Jan Di's friend?" Sa Rang asked Ga Eul, scooting over to sit between her and Yi Jung.

"Yes. Since Childhood." Jan Di replied for her, her eyes enraged. Ga Eul couldn't help smiling to herself, feeling Jan Di getting protective over her.

"Oh my, I'm jealous. I wish I had childhood friends like you and Yi Jung." Sa Rang said, her hand sliding over Yi Jung's arm. Yi Jung only gave her a charming smile, giving her permission to be his plus one.

"So you came here with Jan Di?" Sa Ran asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Not just Jan Di. Everyone here is my friend." Ga Eul replied. She knew what Sa Rang was trying to get out of her. And Ga Eul was by no means complaining. She was always by Yi Jung's side, and sometimes girls, or rather women, needed reassurance that she wasn't Yi Jung's girlfriend. Ga Eul had learned to subtly give them the get-go sign, hoping to be in no one's way.

"I've seen you with Jan Di by the bar, so I assumed you were here with her." Sa Rang clarified.

"Clubbing isn't always my scene."

"That's such a shame. Tonight is especially fun." Sa Rang said, glancing over at Yi Jung.

"I'm glad you guys are having fun." Ga Eul said, giving her an encouraging smile in return. She liked that Sa Rang respected her presence enough to give her a heads-up.

"Hey, Ga Eul. I think it's high time I found you a guy here tonight." Woo Bin said. Ga Eul gave him a threatening look. He wanted to set her jealousy first, but when it didn't work for her, he decided to go for Yi Jung's instead.

"I don't think that's necessary, Woo Bin. I'm comfortable like that." She replied, glaring at him.

"Don't you want to get a boyfriend? That means you could go on double dates together with me and Jan Di." Jun Pyo suggested. Ga Eul squeezed her jaw shut, understanding they were planning this together.

"Leave her to do what she wants, man." Yi Jung said, looking irked. Sa Rang saw Yi Jung's annoyed face and got confused.

"Let Ga Eul have fun. She's the only one here without a partner." Woo Bin said.

"What about Ji Hoo?" Yi Jung asked.

"Ji Hoo doesn't count. He's barely human." Woo Bin replied.

"It's true." Ji Hoo added.

"I think you're forgetting my opinion on this." Ga Eul said.

"See, she doesn't want to." Yi Jung said, his annoyance surfacing in his voice. Sa Rang squeezed his arm, calming him down.

"Too late to refuse anyway. I asked my friend to join us. Told him he has a date with Ga Eul." Woo Bin said, casually. Ga Eul's eyes bulged out of their pockets.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? That's not cool." Ga Eul shouted, vexed. Woo Bin only shrugged and gestured for her to look behind her. Following his request, she found someone looking over her shoulder. A guy. Who undoubtedly was Woo Bin's friend.

"Hi, I'm Ga Eul." Ga Eul said awkwardly, embarrassed about his timing.

"I'm Kang Min. Nice to meet you, Ga Eul. Everybody." He said, nonchalantly waving his hand.

"I just came here, and I'm parched. Would you mind joining me down to get some drinks?" He asked.

"Sure." Ga Eul replied.

"I don't think I made a good first impression on you." Kang Min said, sarcastically. He leaned his elbow on the bar, sipping his beer. He looked like the complete opposite of Yi Jung. With an approachable charm and casual, yet kempt, attire.

"No, that's my fault. Woo Bin took me by surprise, that's all."

"I'm glad, then." He said, grinning. He looked like a decent person, and Ga Eul felt bad he was dragged into this.

"How do you know Woo Bin?" She asked, attempting to be polite.

"I work for him."

"But you're so young. Mind if I ask what you do?" She asked.

"I'm in charge of his cars, you know. Maintaining them, making sure that they're all in good shape no matter how long they stay stored in his garage, untouched." He replied, and Ga Eul held her snort to herself. Woo Bin was diligent in his plan.

"That's funny because I work as a mechanic on the side." She said, ironically.

"Is your car the orange Hyundai Pony parked outside?" He asked.

"Yes! How did you know?" Ga Eul exclaimed.

"No one of these pretentious fuckers here would ride a Hyundai Pony. Nice work by the way." He said. Ga Eul chuckled.

"Thank you. It took me months to fix alone."

"Alone. Now, that's impressive."

"You're flattering me."

"I'm being a hundred percent serious. You know your stuff."

"That's an honour." Ga Eul said, and he smiled at her. He had an amiable toothy grin.

Ga Eul and Kang Min joined their table again after finishing their conversation. She looked over at Yi Jung who looked livid. His knuckles were white holding his glass. She was perplexed at first at his anger, but then she realized that he was jealous. She didn't think that Woo Bin's plan would be successful. Jealousy seemed like an immature emotion Yi Jung would never be bothered with. There had been hints before that he got mildly jealous, but it had been trivial. The Yi Jung before her was fuming.

The silence that roamed their table was so thick, and Ga Eul wanted to wipe that smug smile over Woo Bin's face.

"Why won't you drink, Ga Eul?" Kang Min asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"She doesn't drink." Yi Jung replied.

"And she has a mouth of her own." Ga Eul said, annoyed by his childish behaviour. Like someone stole his favourite candy. Everyone at their table shared awkward glances, feeling the rising tension.

"I was just telling Ga Eul how wonderful her skills are." Kang Min chimed in.

"Yeah, she's talented, isn't she?"

"Definitely so. Maybe one day you could visit my garage. It's still small, but we could learn so much from each other." He said.

"You have a garage?" Ga Eul asked, impressed.

"It's nothing fancy."

"Still. That's astonishing."

"You guys get along well." Woo Bin said.

"They just met." Yi Jung said, clenching his jaw.

"And you two were strangers once, but now look at you guys. The best of friends." Woo Bin said, raising his glass. "To new friends." Making a toast.

Yi Jung fidgeted with the collar of his shirt. "I think that's enough for today. I'm sure Ga Eul will call you another time, but we have to go." He said, getting up, and taking Ga Eul by the hand.

"Yi Jung, you're drunk. Let my hand go." Ga Eul hissed in his ear, struggling to keep up with his pace.

"Just for now. Please. Don't let go." He pleaded with her, his eyes genuine. Ga Eul found herself at a loss for words. How could she tell him no when he looked at her like that?

Ga Eul had to follow Yi Jung like an idiot down the stairs and out of the club, huffing and puffing. When he didn't let her hand go, she snatched hers away.

"Since we're out now, can you tell me what the hell has gotten over you back there, Yi Jung? Dragging me out of there in front of everyone?"

"Let's talk in my car, hm?

"Go home by yourself. I'll take Carolina home."

"We have to talk. I'll let Woo Bin take care of Carolina. Please." He pleaded.

"Fine." Ga Eul indulged him.

It wasn't a smooth car ride to the studio. Ga Eul couldn't keep her anger in check and lashed out at Yi Jung.

"What you did was completely disrespectful to Kang Min and Sa Rang." Ga Eul seethed.

"They will be fine. Why do you care so much about their feelings?" Yi Jung retaliated, his eyes barely on the road.

"I don't know. Maybe because you put everyone in an awkward situation."

"Oh, I did? You should be blaming Woo Bin for this. It would've been fine without that annoying pest hovering around. And the way he talks about you as if you're friends. He barely knows anything about you, and gushes like an idiot." Yi Jung said, exasperated, the veins on his neck popping out. He had never driven this fast before.

"Why do you care what he says about me? That's none of your business. You don't see Jan Di bitching about it like you do." Ga Eul shouted, secretly hoping he would just utter the words. She was sick of him acting betrayed.

"Because that's my place he's taking. It should be me by your side. Talking about you. Boasting about you. Not that pest." Yi Jung said, insinuating each word.

"You don't see me doing that whenever you get a new girlfriend. I give you your space."

"That's entirely different."

"How is that any different? Can you tell me?" Ga Eul argued.

"Because I don't see them like I see you. I don't feel for them." Yi Jung yelled. Ga Eul inhaled a sharp breath, looking into his infuriated eyes, searching her face for a reaction. He quickly broke eye contact to focus on the road again, neither of them uttering another word until they reached the studio.

Ga Eul got out of the car and slammed the door behind her when they arrived. Yi Jung followed her trail, "Yeah because giving me the cold shoulder would fix all our problems."

"Grow up, Yi Jung." Ga Eul said, not looking behind her as she opened the studio door to find someone there. Ga Eul gasped taking a step back when she saw a middle-aged man in a fine suit with a girl. An abhorrently much younger girl. He had a strand of her twirling it around with his fingers, his face uncomfortably close to hers. She felt Yi Jung's presence behind her when he caught up to her. His hand squeezed her shoulder.

"I didn't know the studio was overbooked tonight." The man said smirking, and Ga Eul recognized him right away. Ga Eul cursed under her breath.

"Let's continue our conversation another time." The girl said shyly, her head down while she made her way out of the studio in a hurry, shoving Ga Eul and Yi Jung to the side in the process.

Yi Jung's father's prying eyes were dead set on Ga Eul, and she felt like she could combust from the anger and the embarrassment.

"Hello. I'm Ga Eul. Yi Jung's friend." Ga Eul greeted him out of respect to Yi Jung who looked like he got frozen on the spot.

"I'm Yi Jung's father. Great to meet you." He replied, his tone mocking.

"As you can see, Father, I have a friend over. Let's converse another day." Yi Jung said.

"Friend?" He chuckled. "That's funny. Even for you."

"Please have some respect for my friend. She's in our company, after all."

"Yes, of course, where are my manners?" Yi Jung's father said. "Get comfortable while Yi Jung makes us something to drink. He makes the most wonderful cup of tea. Although I'm sure you know already." He said, smiling to himself.

"So how did you two get to know each other?" Yi Jung's father asked as they all sat down with tea presented to them.

"Mutual friends." Ga Eul replied since Yi Jung was beside her silent and unmoving. His hand was formed into a fist under the table.

"And how long have you been dating?"

"No, Yi Jung and I aren't dating. We're just close friends."

"You want to tell me Yi Jung still hasn't made a move on a lovely lady like yourself? Looks like I didn't teach him properly." He said laughing. Ga Eul offered him a weak smile. Her hands subtly reached out under the table to hold Yi Jung's fist. She wanted him to know it was okay. He didn't have to feel bad for her.

"Then how long have you been friends?"

"Almost a year." This time Yi Jung replied.

"Huh. Do you know that Yi Jung hasn't dated anyone over the four-week mark? You must be something special for him to chase after you for almost a year. I have to admit Yi Jung has always been more patient than me." He told Ga Eul.

"Okay, that's it. Either you treat Ga Eul with respect or leave. No one talks to her like that." Yi Jung said, standing up, slamming his fist on the table.

"Good grief, son. Chivalry doesn't suit you."

"I think I better go home." Ga Eul said, hoping that would settle the waters. His father only meant to rile him up, and Ga Eul was easy bait.

"No, you stay. If anyone has to leave, it'll be him." Yi Jung said.

"Alright. I'll let you play the part to the end." Yi Jung's father said, standing up and fixing his suit.

After he left, Yi Jung took one of the ceramic bowls on the table and smashed them on the ground.

"Why can't anything work out for me today?" He yelled and surrendered on the ground, his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Yi Jung. I'm so sorry." Ga Eul said, sitting by him, holding his shoulders.

"No, I'm sorry. I overreacted. For some reason, I keep fucking things up. I don't know how to do anything right." He said, his voice cracking.

"It's okay. People fight." Ga Eul said, leaning her head on these shoulders.

"I'm sorry for my father."

"Don't apologize for things out of your control. I'm sorry you have to face that."

"Don't be sorry. It's out of your control." He said, smiling at her. She offered him a smile back. "I wish things were different."

"Me too." Ga Eul replied. "One day, they will be. We'll do that together."