A/N: WHO'S READY FOR TALE OF THE NINE-TAILED 1938?! :D
It begins airing on May 6th, so don't miss it! Lee Rang already looks SO GOOD in the trailers!
(Admittedly, part of me is heartbroken that Rang has a different 'first love' in the new season, but I will just pretend it is an alternate universe and try to enjoy the romance for what it is [all while internally screaming 'Not allowed! You're supposed to be with Ga Eul!' - just kidding, kind of])
Okay, enough of my possessiveness over a fictional character that is not mine. On to the story!
Oh, and there's some really sexually suggestive stuff in the restaurant section, just to warn you. ;)
"This feels strange," Ga Eul commented.
Rang grinned at her from across their table in their café.
"What? Wearing clothes?" he teased.
"No." Ga Eul glanced around quickly, but no one seemed to have heard him. "Being outside of your apartment," she replied in a hushed tone.
"I know," Rang announced loudly, his eyes twinkling. "We should go back."
"No! It's been five days! That much of my vacation is gone already."
She'd wasted several days of her getting-to-ask-Rang-questions month as well.
"I can't give my parents any more excuses for not visiting them," Ga Eul persisted. "Besides, there's something I have to do this afternoon after we meet Shin Joo and Yu Ri at the park. I told you."
Rang stared glumly into his iced coffee but said nothing. Despite the childish pout, he looked casually dangerous even in the light green polo he was wearing over his jeans; the shirt had no buttons and opened into a v-neck, displaying his choker.
It was as hot outside of his apartment as Ga Eul remembered it being the previous Saturday—the day they'd had their argument.
The last day she'd been out in public.
She didn't feel like time had moved since then, as though she and Rang had been suspended in their own little bubble outside of it, and yet the weekday drama playing on the café's TV reminded her that it was Thursday of the following week.
Uncrossing her ankles, she leaned forward as she craned her neck towards the screen, and her purple dress swished daintily around her legs. The dress was an old one with a tiny ribbon around the waist, and she didn't wear it often, but she felt very girlish today, light and carefree. She'd even worn a purple headband, though it was digging uncomfortably into her scalp.
As she looked down from the TV, Ga Eul's gaze landed on the ssaeng-cream cakes they hadn't touched yet. Suddenly, she remembered something she'd wanted to show Rang.
"Want to see something cool?" Ga Eul asked.
"Does it involve turning down the noise in here?" Rang winced as he glanced around the overcrowded café.
"Not quite, but I think you'll like it." She gave him an encouraging smile.
He lifted his eyebrows doubtfully.
"Let's see it then."
Ga Eul reached for his slice of cake, and Rang reeled back in horror.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?" He covered his cake with his hand.
"Just trust me." Ga Eul made a wounded face.
Rang eyed Ga Eul suspiciously but eventually removed his hand and pushed his cake to the center of the table.
"Thank you."
Setting Rang's cake next to hers, she took her knife and cut each cake precisely down the center. Then she swapped half of Rang's cake with half of hers and pushed Rang's cake back over to him.
In confusion, he stared down at the slice that was half his and half hers.
"What was the point of that?"
"Don't you see?" Ga Eul explained. "We're sharing, but we both still have one whole piece. I figured out a way we can share." She smiled.
Rang glanced up at her, then back down at the cake. After a moment, he returned her smile.
"You're cute," he informed her. He picked up his fork and dug into the half of the cake that was his. Or hers. She couldn't remember which side was which.
Ga Eul took a few bites of her own cake, then brought up the other topic she'd been mulling over.
"So...I figured out who you were."
"Who I was?"
Ga Eul nodded.
"At my school. The last week of school. I haven't guessed yet, remember?"
"Oh, that." Rang laughed. "You haven't given up yet?"
"Nope." Ga Eul shook her head, wearing a confident smile. "I'm going to guess now, so don't be surprised when I get it."
"You've been saying that every week. Go ahead." Rang motioned carelessly, but Ga Eul only smiled wider.
This time, she had him pinned.
"The nurse I nearly bumped into on Thursday. You were her."
The over-confidence drained from Rang's face.
"Why would you say that? You think I would do something as obvious as bumping into you?"
"It's not that part that made me realize it. So you admit it? The nurse was you?"
"I admit nothing." Rang surveyed her warily. "Explain yourself."
"Gladly. The nurse...smelled faintly of pine. Now why would she smell like that, I wonder?" Ga Eul leaned forward, giving Rang a coy look.
"That's cheating!" he burst out.
Ga Eul giggled.
"No, it's not. All you said was I only get one guess per week. You never said how I had to figure it out. Now you owe me. I get to ask for anything I want."
"It's cheating," Rang insisted, smashing his cake with his fork.
Ga Eul kicked his leg.
"Anything I want. You promised."
Rang grumbled to himself, sulking. He sighed and scowled and shot her a dirty look, as though it were her fault he'd promised her anything.
Her pet fox and his wounded pride.
In answer, Ga Eul did something quite daring considering where they were. She lifted her foot and traced a seductive line down the outside of his leg with the point of her shoe.
"Anything I want," she drawled as she did so, and Rang jolted his leg away, briefly losing his composure. While he was caught off guard, she continued, coyly, "Rang...don't you want to give me what I want?"
He eyed her with suspicion, but she could tell she'd gotten to him. He was intrigued.
"And that would be?" he asked, attempting to feign disinterest and failing. When she poked his leg with the point of her shoe again, he swallowed.
Ga Eul let her smile linger, teasingly, before she sat up and leaned forward on her elbows, announcing, "Let's go to a cosplay convention!"
"Cosplay? Ooh, that sounds fun! I want to go too!" Yu Ri declared.
"No!" Rang protested, still grumpy over being roped into it hours later. To Ga Eul, he commanded, "Faster, faster! It's too hot out here. I need more wind."
You're hot? I'm the one doing all the work, Ga Eul internally grumbled. She grunted as she tried to push Rang a little higher on the swing he'd chosen beside Yu Ri. Soo-oh and his friend Ha Min Jae were on the swings further down, and Shin-joo stood next to Ga Eul, attending to Yu Ri.
"Higher, higher!" Rang urged. "I want to go higher than Yu Ri."
"Like you could!" Yu Ri stuck her tongue out at him as she flew past.
"You're really heavy, you know that?" Ga Eul informed Rang as he came barreling back, and she shoved him forward again with the force of her whole body.
"What is wrong with you?" Shin-joo chided Rang. "What type of soulmate are you, that you don't even offer to push your girlfriend?"
"I've never been pushed on swings before," Rang shot back defensively.
"I didn't get pushed on swings either when I was your age, but you don't hear me whining about it."
Rang blew a raspberry at Shin-joo.
Meanwhile, the literal kids they'd taken on this outing were chatting quite calmly.
Though she didn't actually mind pushing Rang, Ga Eul's arms were getting tired; the kids she normally pushed on swing sets were much lighter. Sensing her discomfort, Shin-joo offered to switch places with her, and she gratefully took him up on his offer.
"Wait, wait, no, Ga Eul, come back. I don't want him to push me!" Rang protested.
"He's a lot stronger than I am," Ga Eul explained. "You can go as high as you want."
"Yeah, as high as you want." Shin-joo gave Rang a look that was not entirely friendly, and terror flashed in Rang's face just before he was flung violently up into the air, nearly enough to make him wrap around the top pole. Rang leapt off the swing in mid-air and landed on his feet. As he dusted off his jeans, he scowled at Shin-joo.
"This is why I don't like him touching me," he complained to Yu Ri and Ga Eul, both of whom burst into a fit of giggles.
"Do me next!"
"Me! Me!"
Min Jae and Soo-oh came rushing over to Shin-joo, who explained that what 'Mister Lee Rang' had done was quite dangerous and should not be repeated by anyone ever. He pointed at Rang as though he were the culprit, and Rang rolled his eyes.
"Don't listen to him. Who wants to go next?" Rang grinned. "I'll push them."
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Ice cream! Let's go get ice cream," Shin-joo interrupted, herding the kids away. Once they'd gone, Rang slouched back down in the swing next to Yu Ri.
"Do we have to bring him everywhere this summer? He's always spoiling the fun," Rang complained.
"But then we won't be on a double date," Yu Ri protested.
"This isn't a date. We have Soo-oh and Min Jae."
"It's a date," Yu Ri insisted.
"Hey, move." Ga Eul nudged his shoulders. "I want a turn."
"No."
"You're supposed to push me. I pushed you."
Rang groaned and squinted up at the sun.
"Hey." Ga Eul wrapped her arms around Rang's neck and put her face up to his. "Push me." She implored him with her eyes, and that seemed to do the trick.
Rang stood with the visible effort of a hundred-year-old human but allowed her to sit in his spot.
"Do you want to go high?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I want to go…"—Ga Eul considered—"moderately high."
"Moderately?" he echoed.
"Well, not too high. I don't want to be scared."
"All right, all right, I understand, little human." Rang pulled Ga Eul backward, then released her. She smiled as she fell back towards him, and he pushed her forward with his palms. This was another thing she'd always wanted to do with her boyfriend—be pushed on a swing.
"You two are so cute," Yu Ri commented as Rang propelled her higher and higher—but not too high, per her request. "I can't believe you were together in a previous life."
"We weren't together. We happened to—"
"I know! Isn't it exciting?!" Ga Eul interrupted Rang's correction. "He saved my life just like in a romantic drama. He was so cool."
"Well...I suppose I was cool," Rang conceded behind her. "But I'm always cool, so is that really a surprise?"
At this vain declaration, Ga Eul mentally slapped herself for giving him the idea. Unfortunately, when she glanced behind her again, she saw that he had put on his aviator sunglasses, and she had to admit he did look rather cool with them on. His arm muscle flexed beneath his light green polo as he pushed her one-handed, and when he noticed her noticing him, he tipped his sunglasses down and winked.
Ga Eul turned her head, blushing and all too aware of the strength in his arm as he launched her forward.
It was going to be a very hot summer.
"If you're that cool, you'll invite me and Shin Joo and Soo-oh to go cosplaying with you." Yu Ri's words reminded Ga Eul of her presence.
"Of course you can go with us," Ga Eul said. "It is the summer of double dates after all."
"When did we decide that?" Rang asked, sounding offended by the idea.
"Just now," Ga Eul answered, not caring if he was offended. She needed some kind of buffer, or she felt that she would spend the entire summer plastered beneath Rang on every available surface, forgetting that anyone else existed. Which was very appealing but probably not healthy. Already, her muscles were crying out in protest.
Besides, not being able to touch Rang the way she wanted to all day only made her more excited for what was to come in the evening.
"Fine," Rang said, "but just don't invite my brother and make this the summer of triple dates."
"Well, now we have to invite him." Ga Eul shot Rang a teasing look, and he rolled his eyes but said nothing. He pushed her higher and higher, but not too high. Never too high.
Each time, Ga Eul fell securely back into his arms, excited for the summer ahead.
But first, she had to take care of one thing…
"Your best friend? Wasn't her name Geum…"
"Geum Jan Di."
"You don't see her anymore."
"Not much, no. Though now that I think about it, that's probably as much my fault as hers…"
"You should call your friend. Aren't you always telling me to call my friends?"
Ga Eul took a deep breath before entering the imposing Gu residence, where she'd been dropped off by taxi. Later tonight, she was meeting Rang for dinner at Gaonnuri, and he'd told her he had a surprise for her afterwards, but this afternoon, she was visiting Jan Di for the first time in four months. It was hard to believe there'd been a time when they saw each other every day, multiple times a day. It was even harder to remember the times when they'd told each other everything.
How had they gotten so distant? Ga Eul had been reflecting on the matter since her argument with Rang, since he'd accused her of staying silent when things bothered her, and she'd come to several conclusions.
The first reason they'd drifted apart was obvious. Jan Di had married Gu Jun Pyo, the heir to the Shinwa empire. She had a demanding husband, an overbearing mother-in-law, and a grueling medical school schedule. Ga Eul's busyness with her own work—and now romantic life—probably looked like a vacation in comparison.
The second reason was equally obvious, but Ga Eul had chosen not to acknowledge it, opting to fixate on how Jan Di never seemed to have time for her anymore when the truth was that she was the one who had started pulling away first. Maybe over time they'd both stopped trying as hard to stay in touch, but she could trace the first unraveled thread in their friendship all the way back to her second year of college when they'd vacationed with the F4 during Christmastime.
Ga Eul hadn't known what to expect out of Yi Jeong when she'd seen him in person for the first time in months, but the optimistic part of her had believed he would officially ask her to be his girlfriend since they'd been talking to each other so regularly over phone and video. To her disappointment, Yi Jeong made no such declaration. He was cordial to her, of course, and they always gravitated towards each other in group settings, but during every opportunity they had to be alone, he studiously avoided the subject of them. Despite her hopes for the trip, there were no secret rendezvous, no midnight kisses, and certainly no heartfelt declarations to the whole group that they were an item. By the end of the week, Ga Eul found herself crying on the balcony of her and Jan Di's shared room while Jan Di went on a date with Jun Pyo.
She hadn't meant for Jan Di to find her like that, but her best friend had slipped back in so quietly that Ga Eul hadn't noticed her until she was standing beside her, eyes wide with concern. Ga Eul hadn't wanted to get Yi Jeong in trouble—she'd wanted to believe that he was just waiting for the right time to ask her to be his girlfriend—and she hadn't wanted to spoil the rare drama-free trip Jan Di was having, so she'd told Jan Di a story about watching a romantic drama with a tragic ending, and Jan Di had scolded her for being too much of a romantic.
How unknowingly correct her best friend had been.
After Ga Eul told that first lie, she'd told another one, then another one, as she rode the highs and lows that came with having a special, somewhat secret, relationship with Yi Jeong; perhaps she'd spiraled further and further into denial as the months had gone by. By the time Yi Jeong had broken her heart, she'd felt like she truly couldn't say anything, having not said anything for so long. She'd felt guilty, too, for all the white lies she'd told along the way.
Which brought her to the third reason: by the time Jan Di started having less time for her, Ga Eul hadn't even tried hard to salvage their relationship. Not because she didn't care about her friend but because she hadn't wanted to be reminded of a stupid, stupid boy. All the things she hadn't said were still lodged in her chest, preventing her from speaking at all.
But today Ga Eul was going to be brave and spill everything out.
Taking one deep, final breath, she rang the doorbell.
"He did what?!"
Ga Eul opened her mouth to repeat her last sentence, but Jan Di interrupted her.
"Yi Jeong Sunbae did what? He did what?! When?! And you never told me?!" Horror and disbelief mingled in Jan Di's face. They were sitting side by side in her private office, a relatively simple room compared to the rest of the mansion, wherein Jan Di could study her medical books without disturbance. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him." Jan Di leapt up from her chair and began pacing back and forth between Ga Eul and her wood-paneled desk, talking with her fists as much as her mouth. "No, no. I'm going to fly to Sweden and personally smash all his precious pots! He's never going to be welcome in this house again! If Jun Pyo wants to see him, he'll have to go somewhere else!"
"Jan Di—"
"No, Ga Eul. Don't talk me out of it. That jerk took advantage of your kind heart."
"I know, I know, but it was a long time ago now. I didn't want to make things awkward for everyone by telling you, but I did want to explain why I might have seemed more distant the past few years. And also, I wanted to say I'm sorry for not telling you the truth about the situation before. I didn't want to burden you, and I thought Yi Jeong Sunbae really loved me, and he was just bad at showing it. But I know better now."
"Bad at showing it?!" Jan Di's eyes bulged out of her head. "Ga Eul, this went on for four years!"
"I know…" Ga Eul shook her head. "I must have really been crazy."
"When I get ahold of him, I'm going to…" Jan Di searched atop her desk and grabbed a half-full thermos of water. She unscrewed the top and held both parts of the thermos out in her hands. "I'm going to wring his neck until it pops off his body, just like this."
Ga Eul burst out laughing. She'd missed her friend's protectiveness, her championing of the underdog and the mistreated.
"I wish I would have told you everything sooner. Maybe you would have knocked some sense into me."
"I would have throttled some sense into you!"
Ga Eul smiled.
"Thank you...and I'm sorry again."
"Ga Eul"—Jan Di made a stopping motion with her palm—"don't apologize for anything. But you know, now that you're here…"
Jan Di set down the water bottle and smacked Ga Eul's arm—hard.
"What was that for?!" Ga Eul touched the tender spot.
"Don't ever do that again! It makes me so upset thinking I didn't know this whole time!"
"Don't worry, I promise." Ga Eul held out her pinky. "Never again."
Jan Di eyed Ga Eul's finger warily but hooked her own pinky around it.
"Still best friends?" Ga Eul asked.
"Of course, we're best friends. Even if we moved to different sides of the world, we'd be best friends." Jan Di tugged on her finger, and she tugged back.
"Oh, Jan Di, I missed you." Ga Eul stood up and threw her arms around her friend.
"I missed you too," Jan Di replied, squeezing Ga Eul back.
"We have to make more time for each other now," Ga Eul said, pulling away.
"Of course! I always have time for you, no matter how busy I am. I'll just tell Gu Jun Pyo to shove it."
Ga Eul giggled at a memory of her berating Jun Pyo in high school. Some things never changed.
"Deal?" Ga Eul asked.
"Deal." Jan Di nodded affirmatively.
They sat back down, and Ga Eul felt more at ease as they munched on macarons, enough to mention to Jan Di that she had a boyfriend. She pulled out her phone to show a picture of her and Rang at the park—one they'd taken during their picnic when she'd given him the couple rings. She was sitting between Rang's legs, and he had his arms around her.
Jan Di smacked her arm again.
"What was that one for?!"
"He looks like another playboy!" Jan Di tapped Ga Eul's phone screen, repeatedly hitting Rang's handsome face with a manicured fingernail that had to be Madam Kang's doing.
Rang wasn't even wearing anything flashy in the photo. If Jan Di thought he looked like a playboy there, Ga Eul could only imagine what Jan Di would think of him in his red suit.
"He is not!" Ga Eul snatched her phone out of Jan Di's reach and cradled it protectively.
"He's really very sweet to me," she assured her friend.
"So are playboys when they want something from you."
"Lee Rang isn't like that."
"Hmph. I don't trust him. You have horrible taste in men."
"Hey!"
"Well, it's true!"
"Jan Di, I promise you. He's totally obsessed with me." Ga Eul flinched when she realized how vain that sounded, but it was true. Rang was obsessed with her, in a very literal sense. "We've been dating for over half a year now, and he's been really good to me."
"He better be good to you! If he isn't, tell me right away! I'll kick his face so hard, the shoe print will never come off."
Ga Eul laughed again.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to let him know."
"When do I get to meet him? Tomorrow? I have to approve this guy with flying colors, or you're not allowed to date him. You're not even allowed to look at him. If I don't approve, you have to break up!" Jan Di crossed her arms and frowned sternly, like she was Ga Eul's mother instead of her friend.
"I don't think tomorrow will work, but we can decide on a day next week. I promise you'll like him." Ga Eul tried to sound confident in that statement. "He's actually the reason I'm here today. He told me I should talk to you more and that I should explain myself."
Jan Di didn't appear convinced, but she allowed the subject to pass, and soon they were also making plans for Ga Eul to visit Jan Di's family—her parents and quite-grown-up brother—whom she hadn't seen in a while either. Gradually, that idea transformed into a dinner for both of their families to be hosted at the Gu mansion. And then Jan Di spilled some news of her own—she'd just found out she was pregnant. Ga Eul's childhood friend was going to be a mom!
"I take it your meeting with your friend went well," Rang noted as he sat next to her in their plush red booth at Gaonnuri. He'd requested that Ga Eul wear the strapless black dress he'd been so attracted to her in the first time he'd seen her at the restaurant. Consequently, they were both wearing black, matching the restaurant's sumptuous color scheme of black, red, and gold. The lighting in the restaurant was dimmer at night, but a candle in the center of their table provided a warm, intimate glow to their cozy, half-obscured corner.
Suddenly, Ga Eul became aware that she'd been smiling down at her wine glass. She meekly took a sip of her cabernet sauvignon, then answered, "It did. Actually, I have you to thank for today. I asked to meet with her because of something you said."
"Me?"
"Mm." Ga Eul nodded, holding her wine glass aloft. "When you said I pretend I'm fine when I'm not. You were right. I pulled away from her because I didn't want to tell her the truth about Yi Jeong Sunbae. I told myself I didn't want to burden her, but as stupid as it sounds, I wanted to protect him, and I didn't want to think about him when I was with her. In the end, I hurt both of us with my silence. After that, it was hard for me to make friends with anyone else because I missed her. Her and our other friend Ha Jae Kyung. I think I was in some sort of grief for a long time. I thought it was just about Yi Jeong Sunbae, but maybe I was mourning that whole period of my life." Ga Eul smiled. "But I'm better now. I was finally honest with Jan Di, and I scheduled a video call with Jae Kyung Unnie on the weekend. I have you and Yu Ri and Shin-joo and Nam Ji Ah and Lee Yeon Hyungnim. I'm really grateful for my life right now."
Rang smiled and took a sip of his own wine.
"Oh, and um, Jan Di wants to meet you, so I said we could have dinner sometime next week if that's okay with you. It would just be with her, not her husband."
"Dinner? In that case, let's eat something good," Rang readily agreed, to Ga Eul's relief. She was afraid he'd be bothered by having to meet a new human, but she was probably being silly again. Rang usually went along with things if he thought they were important to her.
"Just be prepared," she warned him. "She doesn't trust you. She says I have horrible taste in men."
To her surprise, rather than getting offended, Rang chuckled.
"I like her already. Finally a human with some sense besides Nam Ji Ah." When Ga Eul frowned, he continued, "What? You do have horrible taste in men. If you weren't dating me, you'd be dating an imoogi," he stated smugly, his eyes flashing with amusement. Lifting his glass to his lips, he took another sip of wine, rolled it around in his mouth, then swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. She imagined the glass being filled with blood, and her skin tingled.
Ga Eul blinked the image away.
"An imoogi?" she scoffed. "You think I'd date an old dragon?"
"Of course you would." Rang set his wine glass down and traced the rim lazily, eyeing her as though he wanted to trace parts of her. "First the nation's playboy, then an evil fox spirit. It's obvious something like an imoogi would be next."
Rang swiped up a drop from inside the glass and brought it to his lips. He sucked the liquid off the tip of his finger, and Ga Eul's breaths shallowed. She imagined his lips closing around some of her body parts and sucking...sucking...
"If I wasn't dating you, I would be dating someone very nice," she replied, mostly to assure herself that she would.
She would, right? She could date someone nice. It shouldn't be that hard. All she had to do was find someone without a criminal record; someone who wasn't a self-declared evil spirit; someone who had similar interests, like teaching children or...being nice to people...
Rang's lips curled up in a delicious smirk, and she found herself hypnotized by his dark stare. He casually rested his hand on her thigh, its warmth burning straight through to her core; he looked like he was savoring his next words. Like he knew her better than she knew herself. When he spoke, he used his bedroom voice, a purr of warmth that started in her ear and washed over her skin until its surface crackled with electricity. Pure black velvet.
"Little human, if you were dating someone nice, you'd be incredibly bored. I'd give it a month tops." His gaze seared into her, and though she tried, she couldn't protest his accusation. It was all too true. Maybe the wine was getting to her, but she felt hot and stuffy in her dress. Her skin crawled with the need for him to touch it.
Kiss me, she wanted to say. Then maybe you could reach for the zipper at the back of my dress...and pull it down...ever so slightly…
Trying to calm herself, Ga Eul took a sip of water, then several gulps. What wildly inappropriate thoughts to be having in the middle of a restaurant! Their server would be back at any moment with their dinner.
Beside her, Rang was smiling to himself. He could probably tell he'd gotten her flustered, and he was enjoying it. Consequently, she enjoyed that he was enjoying it. She liked being caught in his web, being small and vulnerable, and he knew that she liked it, so he actively tried to capture her, which led to her allowing herself to be captured because that was what she'd wanted all along. It was a vicious cycle. How else had they ended up in bed for four straight days?
For example, she knew Rang's hand on her leg wasn't helping her to stay clearheaded, but she also craved its warmth and possessiveness, so she didn't try to remove it.
"Fine," she managed, setting her water glass down. She cleared her throat and glanced around at what little she could see of the other tables, forcing her awareness to the fact that they were in a restaurant. "I admit dating someone nice wouldn't be nearly as exciting, but anyway"—what had they even been talking about? oh, right—"when you meet my friend, could you...I mean, I want you to be yourself, but...could you try to be...somewhat polite?"
Rang twisted his mouth and swirled his wine around, appearing to consider it. Abruptly, he removed his hand from her thigh, but only to drape his arm around her shoulders.
"I have a better idea," he said in her ear. His manic-evil-mastermind voice had surfaced; it wasn't much better than his bedroom voice, but Ga Eul would take it. "I'll tell your friend I'm an awful being who would take advantage of you"—he trailed his finger along the side of her neck—"but I'm in love with you, so I can't do anything. Therefore, I'm quite harmless." Rang threaded his fingers into the hair at the base of her scalp. He tugged on it playfully, tickling her scalp and sending a shiver down her spine. Ga Eul dug her nails into the booth's leather cushion and gave a sharp intake of breath, only breathing properly again when Rang removed his hand and lounged back, his arm extended across the top of the booth.
Harmless, my foot, Ga Eul thought, too aware of how much of her chest was exposed. Honestly, he hadn't requested her to wear this revealing dress so much as he'd set the dress on her lap and said 'wear that to dinner.'
Admittedly, she hadn't protested the idea.
"Besides," Rang continued in a self-important manner, "I have to take care of you to make sure you don't actually end up with an imoogi. You're a totally clueless little human."
Ga Eul whipped her head around.
"I'm not totally clueless."
"Well, if you're not, you have me to thank, don't you?" He grinned.
"I—"
Ga Eul was interrupted by the server placing their authentic Japanese wagyu steaks in front of them. An extra bloody one for Rang.
He wasted no time cutting into his steak but, to her surprise, offered her the first bite.
She stared at it, not understanding; Rang never freely gave up his food.
"Try it," he urged.
"Don't I have the same thing?" She gestured to her plate.
"Just eat mine first."
"Um...okay…"
Ga Eul opened her mouth and let Rang slip his fork inside. The marbled steak was so tender, she hardly had to chew it; it fell apart on her tongue, buttery and juicy and sweet.
Once she'd swallowed, Rang dabbed at her mouth with his napkin.
"I'm going to take good care of you from now on, little human." He winked, looking quite pleased with himself.
Silly fox, you always take care of me, she mentally replied.
"Now I get a bite of yours," he said, cutting off a piece of her steak and returning to his childish manner. Ga Eul ducked her head to hide her smile.
"Not enough blood," Rang complained. "You should order more blood next time."
"I'll be sure to specify that," Ga Eul replied dryly.
"If you've wanted to know what it's like to eat a human heart, its texture is similar to that." Rang gestured to Ga Eul's steak. "The taste is more acidic, like kimchi, but this is the closest meat I can recommend to it."
Ga Eul had not, in fact, been wondering what it would be like to eat human organs, but she liked that Rang was opening up to her without her asking.
"Really? That's interesting," she encouraged. "It's delicious."
"See? It is, isn't it?!" Rang scoffed. "My brother doesn't know what he missed out on." Rang sliced off another piece of his own steak and speared it into his mouth.
Ga Eul giggled and sipped her wine. Maybe Rang was right. She could never be with someone nice. As it was, she was far too turned on by the flippant way he talked about eating people. He could cut her up and eat her for dinner; she wouldn't complain.
In any event, Ga Eul could date the nicest man in the world, but if he wasn't Rang, he'd be unforgivably flawed.
Scooting closer to Rang so that their thighs touched, she beamed when he paused his meal to brush her hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. Truthfully, this position wasn't the most comfortable one to eat in—they had no elbow room at all—but Ga Eul wanted to be as close as possible to Rang, and he didn't make her move.
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, but gradually Ga Eul noticed Rang paying attention to two of the other patrons—a couple seated at a table across from their booth. Rang kept glancing at the couple like he wanted to eat them for dinner instead of his steak, and she couldn't help but be intrigued.
Would he tell her what he was thinking if she asked?
She supposed there was only one way to find out.
"You're thinking about that couple over there," she commented. "Why?"
Rang shifted his attention to her, appearing startled by her question.
"What?"
"Um, I just...Can I know what you're thinking? Please." Ga Eul lightly touched his arm.
Rang stared at her.
He stared and stared, and eventually, he swallowed. Then, seeming to make up his mind about something, twisted his mouth into its usual smirk.
"First of all, they're not a couple. That's his mistress. One of them anyway. Secondly, he's having financial trouble." Rang rolled the words 'financial trouble' around in his mouth like he was salivating over them. "You can tell by the way they're ordering food," he explained. Rang rubbed his lip in thought, his eyes alight with mischief. His gaze slid back to the couple, where it lingered. Then he seemed to realize Ga Eul was still there and snapped out of his musings, appearing slightly guilty.
"Anyway…you asked what I was thinking."
"You can tell all that just by looking at them?"
"I'm not just looking at them. I can hear their conversation if I tune into it."
"Oh…" Ga Eul considered that; then, buoyed by the wine and Rang's willingness to answer her, further asked, "So what do you do next?"
"Next?" He arched an eyebrow.
"What do you usually do with that information?"
Rang shrugged.
"Sometimes nothing. I observe a lot of people. Whether I approach them depends on if I think they have something to offer me. Or if I'm bored and want to be entertained. Humans are fun to toy with."
"I see. Well...would you approach them? If I wasn't here."
"Maybe."
"Why?"
"If you weren't here, I'd be bored."
Ga Eul chuckled.
"I understand. But why them specifically? Out of everyone here?"
Rang regarded her uneasily for a second, but answered, "Isn't it obvious? People with money problems are more desperate for favors than other people. Especially if they need their money to maintain a certain appearance. You can charge higher interest that way."
"You sound like a loan shark."
"That's ridiculous and insulting. Could a loan shark listen in on a conversation happening way over there?" Rang pointed.
"They could if they planted a bug at the table," Ga Eul answered solemnly.
"That's not the same thing at all!"
"Yes, it is." Ga Eul laughed.
"No, it's not!" Rang bristled. "No one can scam unsuspecting people like a nine-tailed fox. If a fox scams you, you'll never see it coming."
"Okay, okay. I believe you." Ga Eul patted his arm. "Ooh, I have another question!"
"What?" Rang looked pained by this.
"Don't worry. It's just a general question." Ga Eul sliced into her steak. "If you want someone to do something for you, why do you get them to owe you a favor? If you can control their mind, why don't you just make them do it?"
"What kind of human are you? Aren't you supposed to be talking me out of these things?"
"Just answer the question. I'm curious." Ga Eul stuffed a bite of steak into her mouth, reveling in its rich taste.
"Well, first of all, you can't make just anything happen by controlling a human's mind. It has to be something that's in that human's power to do. It's also mentally taxing, so if you have long term plans, you're better off sticking with favors."
"Makes sense." Ga Eul nodded.
Rang paused, appearing as though he wanted to say more but was hesitant. He toyed with his steak, inspecting it.
"Anything else?" she prompted.
Rang dabbed his steak in the bloody juices covering his plate. He still didn't eat it.
After a moment, he eyed her carefully.
"I told you before. I like having power over people."
"Yes...I remember."
Rang paused again, his body tensed. She waited, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he gripped his fork tighter.
Daringly, Ga Eul reached out and pried Rang's fingers from the utensil; though he didn't protest, she felt his intense stare on her as she arranged the fork on his plate, then placed his hand on her thigh, where it belonged.
"I like you having power over me," she noted softly, her fingertips trailing up and down his knuckles. When he squeezed her thigh, she marveled at the veins on the back of his hand. At the length and strength of his fingers.
He tipped her chin up with his free hand, and she could tell from the manic gleam in his eyes that whatever mental block he'd been experiencing had been cleared away. His expressive face screamed that he was unhinged.
No.
Not unhinged.
Euphoric.
Passionate.
"Favors are more fun," he announced, his voice trembling with excitement. "Mind control is one thing, but it gets boring after a while, and it wears off. The real challenge, the real game, is to entice a human to do something of their own free will. That way, they have to live with that choice for the rest of their life. It's so amusing to watch humans make terrible choices." Rang leaned closer to Ga Eul and murmured in her ear, confessionally, "The real power is in manipulating someone so well that they show you who they really are, all their vulnerabilities. The choice they would make at the weakest, basest version of themselves. When someone surrenders to you of their own free will, when they do anything you want while having full knowledge of what they do, that's real power." Rang's breath tickled Ga Eul neck; he leaned back but only far enough to meet her eyes.
Her breathing had shallowed, and her nails were digging into the booth again, clawing at it because she really wanted to claw at his shirt. She knew he hadn't said anything sexual, but the way he had talked about manipulating humans had aroused her to no end. Partly because she could tell how powerful he was and partly because she felt that he'd let her peer into his soul. He'd allowed her to see his darkest desires, the things that thrilled him the way he thrilled her.
It was an act of trust, of intimacy and closeness.
How could anyone be so despicable and so lovable at once?
Ga Eul wanted to climb onto his lap and kiss him and kiss him and let him manipulate her into her basest self.
Rang didn't help her state by inching his hand up her thigh, then curling his fingers underneath her skirt. He dipped one finger further inside, brushing far enough up her thigh that she barely suppressed a whimper. She rubbed her thighs together unsatisfactorily.
Maybe her basest self was Rang's plaything.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the waiter returned, and Rang removed his hand faster than the man could turn the corner. He straightened up as though nothing had occurred, leaving Ga Eul alone in her hot and bothered state. Rang casually asked the waiter for more wine, and Ga Eul drained her water glass.
Though she hated being deprived of his touch, she also enjoyed it—how he so easily switched his seductive nature on and off. How he switched her on and off, heating her up and then leaving her desperate for more.
"Anyway, from a business standpoint," he continued when the waiter had left, "it's best to perform a favor first, make certain a human is indebted to you, then wait and see what they can do for you at a later time. Most people who are desperate for favors aren't plentiful in resources. You should wait to collect until you're certain to be paid well. So think of mind control as a short term solution and favors as a long term investment." As Rang continued speaking, Ga Eul found herself even more attracted to him. She loved how clever he was. Of course, she'd always known he was clever, but she could hear it more when he talked about how he conducted his business.
Rang waxed eloquently on the subject, then concluded, "So you might think controlling someone's mind is more expedient, but getting someone to owe you a favor gives you more power over them. Not just in the moment but for the rest of their lives. Besides, if you're concerned with the legality of it all, as you undoubtedly are, there's a rule among the gods that they don't interfere with favors between foxes and humans. That means I can extract any favor I want without consequence." Rang smirked.
Ga Eul raised her eyebrows.
"Any favor?"
"Any favor." Rang pecked her on the nose—he'd reverted to doting boyfriend mode. "Aren't you glad I don't make you owe me anything? You would have run up quite a tab." Draping his arm behind her, he looked her over and winked.
Ga Eul blushed.
"Well...what happens if a fox owes a human a favor?" Ga Eul teased, attempting to regain her footing. She must have struck a nerve, however, for Rang leaned back and turned his face away.
"Rather than being someone others take from, you should be someone who takes from others. If you're a smart fox, you don't let yourself owe humans anything." He picked his wine up and swirled it moodily.
"Well, obviously. But what happens if you do? Can the human ask you for anything?"
"Sure. The rule works both ways." His jaw hardened, then loosened imperceptibly. Abruptly, he gave her a teasing smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But don't get any ideas, little human." He tugged on her hair and raked his fingers through her delicate curls. "So, shall we order dessert?" He set down his wine.
"I thought you said we were having dessert in the hotel room." Ga Eul studied him curiously.
"Oh? You're right. I forgot." Rang nodded.
"Rang?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there something you're not telling me again?" Ga Eul squinted.
"Of course. I'm not telling you about your surprise later. It's in the hotel room, but I won't say what it is." He grinned.
"No...That isn't it. About the favors thing...did you ever owe a human something?"
The smile dropped from Rang's face. He shifted uneasily.
"You can tell me. Or not. If you don't want to. I just thought I'd ask."
Ga Eul waited a minute for Rang to answer, but when the silence became too awkward, she took several gulps of water. Maybe she was being too pushy; he'd already told her a lot that evening.
"Once," Rang admitted as she set her glass down. "It happened once."
She glanced up to find his eyes on her face.
"You know my scar?" he asked.
"You mean the one…?" Ga Eul pressed her hand to his stomach, right where she knew his scar to be.
"Yes, that one. I almost died from it, or I thought I was dying anyway, but then this human came along and saved me. After that, I owed him for several hundred years before I was able to break free of the favor. But don't worry. He's dead now."
Ga Eul blinked in surprise.
"Several hundred years? But that was...How old you were then?"
"About as old as you are now."
"Oh? I didn't realize your scar was that old. No wonder you don't like humans. If I was indebted to one for hundreds of years, I wouldn't like them either."
Rang laughed, seeming surprised by her response.
"If the human was you," he granted, "it wouldn't be so bad."
Ga Eul smiled when his gaze lingered on her appreciatively.
After some time, he took a large gulp of wine, glanced at her, took another gulp, then scrunched his face and muttered, "Damn it."
"You want to know how I got the scar, don't you?" he asked Ga Eul.
"Didn't you say it was a punishment for killing humans?"
Rang nodded.
"Yes...That's not the whole story of it though. Would you like to hear?"
He cocked his head, and Ga Eul's breath caught in her throat.
Was this it? Was he finally going to tell her about his life? She had no idea what had brought it on, but she wouldn't dissuade him.
Nodding, she placed her hand on his knee. His gaze drifted to her hand, where it lingered briefly before he began his tale, transporting her back hundreds of years to the first time he'd seen his brother after their separation.
By the time they'd finished their dinner, driven to the hotel, and reached the hotel lobby, Ga Eul was still processing Rang's epic tale about the bad blood between him and his brother and how that had led to recent events where both of them—and Nam Ji Ah—had almost died.
Of course, she'd known some of his story for a while, but it was different hearing it in his words instead of Yu Ri's or Shin Joo's.
The only part he'd left out was his mother; he hadn't mentioned her except to say that they'd been separated when he was young, and that was how he'd come to live with Lee Yeon. As she knew it must be a sensitive subject, she'd decided not to ask him about his mother but to let him tell her whenever he was ready. If he was ever ready.
Ah, but it was so wonderful to know that he trusted her even that much. To the point where he would tell her anything about his life unprompted. That was progress. She wanted to drag him up to their hotel room and smother him with kisses, but he'd told her to wait in one part of the lobby while he checked with the front desk to make sure her surprise had been taken care of.
She wondered what the surprise could be. It was probably one of those romance packages she used to look up online back when she'd daydreamed about Yi Jeong whisking her away to some exotic locale.
Flower petals on the bed, champagne, chocolates…
While Ga Eul waited on Rang, she mindlessly surveyed some old black-and-white photos hung on the lobby walls—photos of the hotel in its original layout, photos of the original owner along with some other businessmen at the groundbreaking…
Ga Eul paused by one photo and stepped closer to it, frowning in uncertainty until she couldn't be uncertain anymore.
Her lips parted in shock.
There was Rang, looking quite dapper in an old suit, his hair styled in a side part that was different from his current style but suited him all the same.
"Okay, they have our room ready," Rang informed her, reappearing.
"Rang, is that you?" Ga Eul pointed at the picture.
Rang squinted.
"Oh? So it is."
"Then…" Ga Eul glanced around the opulent lobby—the black-and-white checkered flooring, the check-in counter upholstered in crimson velvet, the elegant arches, the tall mirrors. "Do you know the owner of this hotel?"
Rang looked amused.
"I am the owner of this hotel."
"What?"
"The building. I own the building. I own a lot of property around Seoul."
"Pr-property?"
"I'm also a majority shareholder in a lot of companies," Rang said this so casually Ga Eul might have thought he was joking, except he continued, "I told you when we first met. I'm an investor. Some of my investments are longer term than others. What? Did you think one of my special powers is pulling money from out of my ass?" He snickered.
Ga Eul gawked at him.
She'd always known Rang had money, of course, but she had no idea where he got it from or how much he had, exactly. His attitude towards money was different from the F4's. Barring his guest room, he didn't force gifts on her that were too over-the-top. Sure, he liked to buy her presents sometimes, but they were things she could use in her everyday life, like cardigans or her black Chanel bag or that pricey planner; generally, he didn't care what she wore or where she'd gotten it from. He disliked plenty of things she liked to do, but not because they were 'commoner activities.'
Which was not to say he couldn't act vain or entitled, but...it was different. Flashiness was part of his persona, but he didn't actually care what humans thought of him, unless he wanted to intimidate them or involve them in his schemes. He wasn't beholden to humans like the F4 were; he considered himself above even the most wealthy and the most powerful and certainly above their opinions.
He wore nice clothes because he liked to be fashionable, and he had luxury items because he liked to be comfortable. He went shopping because he was bored. He didn't perform household chores because he liked for humans to serve him, and he felt he was owed that after six hundred years. He was wealthy, but in a lazy way. In a way that said I'm dressing this way because I'm a fox, so how could I not look seductive? I'm alluring and powerful because it's my nature. Whereas you, a human, are wearing that expensive suit to cover up all your weaknesses.
"I don't care...but for the sake of curiosity...would you say your net worth is comparable to the F4?" she couldn't help but ask.
"The F4?" Rang cocked his head, appearing to consider. "Maybe if you combine them," he offhandedly remarked and, turning on his heel, began sauntering away.
"C-combine…"
"Come on! Hurry up. Let's get there while the champagne's still cold."
Ga Eul took one last look at the black-and-white photo of Rang, then hurried after the fox that was rapidly walking away from her.
"Technically, I'm supposed to go to a lot of shareholder meetings, but those things are terribly boring," Rang explained tiredly as Ga Eul struggled to catch up with him. "Besides…if I don't like something, I just fix it later." He punctuated this statement by grabbing Ga Eul's wrist and tugging her into an elevator with him.
"B-but Shinwa," she stammered as the elevator doors closed, "and the Song corporation—"
"Yes, yes," Rang answered dismissively, "but I'm what you might call 'old money.' I'll be here long after they all go bankrupt." He tucked his hands into his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels in a self-satisfied manner.
Ga Eul watched the elevator buttons light up one by one until they reached the top floor.
Old money? Ga Eul turned the phrase over in her head. Did he mean he'd been wealthy since six hundred years ago?! If they got married, would Ga Eul have more money than Jan Di?!
Not that she cared, but...that would be sadly hilarious considering all the trouble Jan Di had gone through to marry Gu Jun Pyo.
Ga Eul felt light-headed, though maybe that was from the wine.
The elevator doors slid open, and Rang took her hand in his and tugged her forward.
"You can make a lot of money if you don't care how you do it," he explained. Then, as if it were a natural change in subject, he asked, "So...are you ready for your surprise?" He paused at a room and produced a key card from his pants pocket. His face lit up with excitement.
Ga Eul blinked up at him, dazed.
Another surprise? Another one that evening?
"I don't know. Am I?" she managed weakly.
"You'll like it," he assured her, winking. "I know what Ga Eul likes."
With that, he shoved open the door, and the two of them entered a vast sitting room decorated in an exquisite French design, and there was no other word to describe the room except to say that it was red.
Plush red carpets. Fringed red curtains. Furniture upholstered in red velvet. Red flowers patterning the wallpaper. Dark wood panels and warm golden light added to the seductive and intimate ambiance of the room. And there, in the center of the sitting room, was an elegant gold cart laden with chilled champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. An enormous bouquet of red roses sat in the center of a red coffee table; the table, like the loveseat and the two chairs, was upholstered in red velvet and fringed with red silk tassels.
"This room looks like you," Ga Eul teased, smiling. "But you know, you should have worn your red suit if you wanted to go here."
"Never mind that. Do you like the room or not? If not, they have other room styles."
"No, no, I like it a lot. It's really romantic," Ga Eul gushed, inspecting the flowers. "I like my surprise."
Rang scoffed.
"This isn't a surprise. This is the deluxe romance package. Close your eyes. I'll show you to your surprise."
"Huh?...Oh, um, okay," Ga Eul managed as Rang covered her eyes with one hand and began guiding her forward with his other hand. She had no idea what his surprise could be if it wasn't the room and the dessert and the flowers.
Oh god, was he about to propose to her? That would be a very Rang thing to do, plowing full speed ahead.
What would she say if he did?
'Yes,' of course. She would want to say 'yes,' but also...it was kind of soon after their argument in her opinion, and she didn't feel too level-headed after going from him almost breaking up with her to them physically clinging onto each other for days without interruption.
A latch clicked in front of her, and she sensed that Rang was swinging a door open. Nerves gripped her as she was ushered forward, as Rang uncovered her eyes and murmured that she could 'open them now.'
Ga Eul did, and her nerves melted away as quickly as they had surfaced. Instead, tears sprung to her eyes, and she burst into a smile of pure joy. Awe-struck, she stared at the beautiful scene before her: a pillow fort that stretched from wall to wall. Stacks upon stacks of cream satin pillows, elegantly lit by hundreds of string lights.
I know what Ga Eul likes, Rang had said when he'd opened the door.
Now Ga Eul realized what he'd meant.
Flowers? Chocolates? Anyone who could tell she was a silly romantic would have chosen that.
Only Rang would have turned an entire bedroom into a pillow fort. He knew her. He always made her feel seen.
I'm so glad Yi Jeong let go of me. The thought struck Ga Eul from out of nowhere, but the second she heard it, she felt it was true. She'd never thought of Yi Jeong letting go of her as a good thing before, just something to get over. But she couldn't imagine Yi Jeong treating her like Rang did, and it made her afraid, thinking that if she had gotten what she'd originally wanted, she would have never known this wonderful warmth she felt now. It made her chest hurt and her body cold, thinking that she might have never known Rang's love.
"It's the largest pillow fort in Korea," Rang assured her, gesturing animatedly. "I'm sorry for saying I hated you. Of course I don't hate you. I thought you would like this as an apology...Ga Eul? Do you like your present?"
It took a second for Ga Eul to come back to herself, but when she did, she realized she hadn't said anything, and of course, she was crying, and of course, Rang looked concerned.
"I love it," she assured him, her voice wavering. "It's so beautiful! I love it so much!" She flung her arms around him, sinking into the warmth of his body, and he hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "I didn't know hotels did this type of thing," she noted.
"Humans will do anything if you give them enough money." Rang chuckled. "Here. Let's sit down."
She reluctantly let go of him, and he led her to the center of the room, where pillows were propped up against the foot of the bed. There, they sat—him with his back to the bed and her between his legs.
"Don't cry," Rang said, swiping the tears from her cheeks. "I did all of this so you wouldn't cry. If you don't stop crying, I'll turn into a cat, I swear. I'll stay a cat the entire night."
"Sorry, I'm just...I'm just really happy." Ga Eul sniffled. Her stomach growled, and she slapped her hands over her face.
"They don't give you as much food at fancy restaurants," Ga Eul mumbled, mortified.
Rang laughed into her neck.
"Then shall we eat dessert first?"
"Um...well…if you don't mind." Ga Eul brightened, an idea sparking in her brain. She twisted around enthusiastically. "And then we can have a pillow fight!"
Rang raised a dubious eyebrow.
"Ga Eul, you think couples rent fancy hotel rooms so they can have pillow fights?"
Ga Eul lowered her eyes.
"Ah...well...n-no, but…"
"I'm kidding." Rang picked a pillow from behind his back. "What else would we do with this many pillows?!" Grinning, he smacked her shoulder with the pillow.
Ga Eul yelped in protest and tried to grab a pillow to defend herself, but Rang pinned her to his chest with an iron grip, binding her arms, and the blows kept coming, one after the other, until she collapsed helplessly into him, laughing.
Rang ripped the pillow open with his claws, and a cloud of fluffy stuffing rained down on her. He shook the pillow until it had been completely emptied; then he heaped the fluff on top of her head and body until she was covered with it and said, smugly, "That is for spilling popcorn on me."
A/N: Their hotel is based off the L' Escape Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. You should definitely look up some pictures because it is gorgeous and utterly Rang-esque.
In case you missed it, I posted two more chapters on Good Girl, Bad Fox since the last chapter of this main story.
KLSoEul has made a lovely poster for this story; it's pinned on my Instagram page jodimarie2910 , but you can also see it on the web version of this site.