Disclaimer: We don't own Boys over Flowers.
A/N: Thank you to all those who are still reading this story. We really appreciate the support. Special thanks to glorialopezgl534.03. We are so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Jae Kyung does get the stuffed lion cub. It happens off-screen though. We hope you all enjoy this chapter! One of the scenes gave us a fair bit of trouble and had to be rewritten a bunch. We are finally happy with it and hope you like it too.
Jun Pyo was Woo Bin's exception. Woo Bin once attempted to sneak a skeleton from biology class to check if the bones were real. When he spent a day at the hospital with Yi Jeong's mother, he strapped himself to a myriad of medical equipment. A few months ago, he plucked a strand of Ji Min's hair. Yet he didn't regret these choices. Or any others that people deemed ridiculous, impulsive, and reckless. Except when those decisions involved Jun Pyo. Maybe Yi Jeong was right, and Woo Bin did have some brain anomaly. That would explain why he defied all logic and common sense by asking Jun Pyo for help.
"I know that Yi Jeong is your go-to guy, but I was born for this." Jun Pyo's eyes shone brighter than the time he droned on about homemade potpourri. "I knew you had it in you. That the whole emotionally unavailable, commitment-phobic thing was all an act. That deep down, you were a diehard romantic."
Woo Bin rubbed his forehead. Gran was right. He needed to consider the consequences of his actions. In what world was asking Jun Pyo if he could borrow his hot-air balloon a good idea?
"Hold on one second. I'll be right back."
Jun Pyo dashed inside his F4 lounge bedroom. He returned carrying a thick, hardbound book with a glittery surface, and a cover picture of a couple kissing in the middle of traffic. Had Jan Di seen this book? And if she had, then why wasn't it burned to ashes? Because the pair looked an awful lot like the Gu-Geum couple.
Jun Pyo turned through the pages, all the while rambling. "This baby has everything you need to woo a lady. It helped me win Jan Di over."
Maybe he should jump out the window. The lounge was only two stories high. The fall wouldn't kill him. He might sustain some minor head trauma, or break a bone or two, but it couldn't possibly be worse than this.
"Not to sound cliche, but I find poetry to be the soul of real romance. Don't fret if you have never tried it before. I have several sample poems, personally composed by yours truly, to get you going."
He proceeded to show Woo Bin hits such as: My heart is an alarm clock, You are the Doctor of my soul, and Two couldn't fit on that door.
"I would rather jump off the N Seoul Tower and plummet to my death."
Jun Pyo looked like a kicked puppy. "I'm not offended. I know this isn't about me. You are feeling something real. Something raw for a girl after a long time, and you're scared. We'll start with something smaller. How about renting out a restaurant and hiring a string quartet to play the most romantic songs of the decade? I have the list right here."
"For the third time, Jun Pyo, there is no girl."
Jun Pyo winked. "Of course there isn't."
Why did Jun Pyo interpret everything as romantic? Couldn't a guy do something sweet for a friend without wanting to date her? Besides, he never said the hot-air balloon was for a girl. Chick-flick addict, rotted brain Jun Pyo assumed it.
"Have you asked her out yet? Can I plan your first date? I have so many ideas." He skimmed through that goddamn book again. "Ahh." He looked up at the ceiling. "New love. There is nothing like it."
"I told you. It's for Yi Jeong."
"Sure, 'Yi Jeong'." He chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't tell the others."
Woo Bin stormed out of the F4 lounge. He sat in his car and roared the engine to life. He couldn't deal with Jun Pyo any longer. The man had hardly two brain cells to rub together. He nearly drove as far away from the lounge as humanely possible but stopped at the last second.
He pictured her face, smiling brightly with the warmth of a bonfire crackling in a freezing winter's night. This would make her so happy. Especially after how hard that grouchy professor of hers made her work. She almost never made it home before eleven. She needed this. After a forlorn look at the open road, Woo Bin dragged himself back into the lounge.
_oOo_
Sweden was far away—too far away for Yi Jeong's comfort.
Two days ago, his old-time pottery contact, Kim Jong Dae, extended an invitation for Yi Jeong to work on a four-month project in Sweden. By now, he would be expecting a response. Maybe Yi Jeong should refuse? He would be isolated from everyone. And there was a considerable time difference. Seven hours. Not a laughing matter.
"Vietnam did the strangest thing today," said Ga Eul while she trimmed her pottery piece.
Yi Jeong nodded, only half-listening. But it would open up a whole new group of clients. One with deep pockets. Which would help him down the line, if he ever separated his business from his father's.
"And the water was squirting from his nose! That's not an exaggeration."
What if there was an emergency? Would his mother manage without him?
"But that isn't even the strangest thing that happened today."
Although, Il Hyun Hyung was back in Seoul. He could handle any issues that popped up in Yi Jeong's absence.
"I don't know why Woo Bin Sunbae had such a hard time finding Joshua. Ji Min found him in a day."
He jerked his head up. "Joshua, as in your eighth-grade crush?"
Ga Eul put her trimmer down. "Yeah. I had asked Woo Bin Sunbae to find him. For the next item on my list." She smiled. "Got something on your mind?"
He weighed his options. He could tell her about Sweden. A sensible young woman like her would know what to do. But what if the news of him leaving the country pushed her to date Joshua? Then again, it wasn't as if his presence deterred her. She just told him, point-blank, that she had tracked down Joshua with the sole purpose of confessing her old feelings. That wasn't something she would do if she had any romantic feelings for Yi Jeong. Sure, she hadn't dated anyone since that two-timing loser, but that probably had more to do with her being busy with her career.
Ga Eul squeezed his hand. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it. Just know that I'm here if you want to."
_oOo_
Yi Jeong tried Woo Bin's number again. Jun Pyo had a point. They all needed to work on their phone etiquette. Woo Bin in particular had a knack for disappearing precisely when someone needed him. After what felt like the tenth try, he answered.
"Sup, bro? I'm a little tied up at the moment."
Yi Jeong thought he heard traffic in the background, but it was hard to tell. Under normal circumstances, Yi Jeong would have quipped about not wanting to bother Woo Bin on his date. But since he needed his advice, he stayed mum.
"Remember I'd told you about my new project? The one in Sweden?"
"Yi Jeong, it's not that I wouldn't love another riveting lecture on the influence of culture on pottery style, but I'm in the middle of something."
"I agreed to go."
The silence stretched on for several seconds.
"I suppose that's a smart business decision," said Woo Bin. "Will probably keep your father off your back for a while. Don't worry about things on this end. I'll keep an eye out for everyone."
There were some rare moments when Woo Bin showed a glimmer of maturity and selflessness. Those moments were always fleeting.
"I'll check on your mom now and then, and I'll pick up Ga Eul from chef class. She is my sister-in-law after all."
Yi Jeong smirked. "Ga Eul does think of Jae Kyung as an older sister. So, I suppose that makes her your honorary sister-in-law."
"No. That's not. I meant Jesu."
The line went dead. Yi Jeong massaged his temples. He should have kept his mouth shut. That would've been the wiser choice. But Woo Bin handed him the opportunity on a silver platter. How could he possibly resist?
He redialed.
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
"Woo Bin. That's a terrible imitation of the recorded message. You're going to have to do a whole lot better if you want to fool anyone other than Jun Pyo.… Listen, Ga Eul found Joshua. She would be meeting him soon. I'll be in Sweden, though. So—"
"I tried to stall her. I'm sorry, bro." He paused. "I can't believe Ga Eul would do this to you. Use the fact that she is not actually your girlfriend to cheat on you? Low blow, man. Low blow." He snickered. "Sure, she has no way of knowing how you feel about her. Since you're too much of a wuss to profess your undying love. Still, that is no excuse."
"You know what they say about people in glass houses?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Yi Jeong heard another voice in the background say, "Master Song. We're here. There are no empty parking spaces. Do you want us to circle the block while you finish your call?"
"Sorry, bro. I've gotta go. Just follow your heart, okay?"
Follow your heart? What kind of dumb non-advice was that?
_oOo_
"Woo Bin." Jae stepped out of the car. "It's been half an hour. Tell me where we're going."
"Told you. It's a surprise."
"The kind of surprise where you get a nice box of chocolates? Or the kind where someone dumps fish water over your head? Because this is a nice dress."
Woo Bin shook his head. Sometimes, it was hard to tell if she spoke from experience or if it was a hypothetical cooked up by that brilliant brain of hers. Although, her clothes were nice. While she always dressed well, he was used to seeing her dressed up for work or university—still stylish but more formal. Today her outfit was more lax: a white and floral sundress, with a light summer coat, and her hair left open.
"There will be no throwing things." He smiled at her. "You'll see. It's just up ahead. We should be there in another five minutes."
They walked in relative silence, broken only by the clunking of her sandals against the pavement. Jae chewed her lower lip and drummed her fingertips against her leg.
"Still wondering where we're going? Give it another two minutes."
He jogged ahead until they reached an open field with a hot-air balloon at the center. He opened the gate and gestured for her to step in. But she didn't move. Only fiddled with the hem of her dress with her head bowed down.
"The balloon is Jun Pyo's. The only thing I bought is a bunch of maps."
She met his gaze. After few seconds of consideration, she stepped in after him.
As they gained height, Woo Bin took a minute to soak in the view. Seoul stretched beneath him, lusciously green intermixed with the occasional speck of white from yesterday's snowfall. Even the most mundane things looked extraordinary when viewed from above. The height transformed something as dull as the usual hustle-bustle of traffic into flashing strings of fairy-lights.
With the map of Europe spread out in front of them, he took Jae's hand and pointed it at Switzerland. "Close your eyes," he whispered.
Nestled between dozens of snow-covered, unbloomed cherry blossom trees, Lake Seokchon shimmered below. Glistening in the sunlight like uncut sapphires.
"Picture Zurich. Focus on the image, alright? Ready? Now open your eyes." He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the lake.
Jae stretched her neck out to get a good view. "It looks like Lake Zurich."
Woo Bin sprinkled her with fake snow. "Welcome to Switzerland."
She took some in the palm of her hand and tasted it. "Tastes like the real thing. Sprinkle some more on me."
As he sprayed her with snow, she twirled across the basket with her arms stretched wide and chanted, "Let it go. Let it go."
He enjoyed her performance. What she lacked in formal training, she more than made up for with her vivaciousness.
Bringing the two ends of her jacket together, she finished. "The cold never bothered me anyway."
He clapped. "Elsa would be proud."
She took a small bow.
Pointing to the sombrero peeking out from his bag she asked, "What's that for?"
He put it on her head. "With this as your guide, channel the feeling of Mexico."
She scrunched up her head in that adorable way she did when she was concentrating.
He peeled his eyes away and focused on the scene ahead. "That domed-shaped building over there could be that famous museum they have."
She took out her phone and played an upbeat tune. "Jorabe Tapatio is done in pairs. Join me. The steps are simple. It goes turn. Right, left, right left, tap your feet. Then same in reverse. Try it." Using her hand like a baton, she guided his movements. While he tried his best to follow along. "Like that. You got it. Now we turn around each other."
Fanning her skirt out, she spun around him, an endless ball of pure energy. They glided across the floor. Back-and-forth. Swaying to the music.
"It would look much better if my skirt had more flare."
"And I wasn't butchering the steps."
"Nonsense. You're a graceful dancer."
That was a gross exaggeration. Woo Bin had messed up around eighty percent of the steps. Not that it mattered. He was having a blast. Whatever Jae did in life, she did it with pure gusto. It was the thing he loved most about her.
She folded her hands on the railing and giggled. "That was fun. What else you got?"
He rummaged through his backpack and took out a bottle of wine and a plate of cheese. He poured the wine into a glass and handed it to her. "Let it transport you to Italy."
She pointed to a cylindrical building. "That kind of looks like the leaning Tower of Pisa."
"Now you're getting it."
He stuck his head out. A delicious gust of wind blew against his face, swirling his hair around. He rocked side-to-side, accidentally brushing Jae's arms. With her hair shaded orange in the sunlight and a radiant smile on her face, she turned towards him.
He averted his gaze. Shifted two steps back. Then put a cheese plate between them for good measure. "Bread and cheese? For France?"
She regarded him for a second. A painfully long second. And then took one.
_oOo_
Unable to get any help from Woo Bin, Yi Jeong turned to Jan Di. That wasn't entirely true. Ji Hoo was his next choice. But no matter how many times Yi Jeong tried, that man refused to answer his phone. Woo Bin was right, sometimes Ji Hoo could be a real asshole. This made Jan Di the next logical choice: level-headed, ambitious, and a closeted romantic (why else would she date Jun Pyo?). The only problem was that she was Ga Eul's best friend. Which meant he had to tread carefully.
"Jan Di," he began, "say you got this great opportunity to study medicine in Sweden, or any other foreign country, for a few months. Would you leave Jun Pyo and go?"
Jan Di tapped the desk. "It depends. Medicine is regional. Degrees from one country aren't always valid in another. It also depends on the point in my career and the nature of the program. If I'm a resident and it's an exchange program. Maybe? Right now, I'm not so sure. Why do you ask? Is Shinwa having some kind of exchange program? You can leave the details. I'll look into it."
"No. It was just a hypothetical."
Jan Di glared at him. "I've got a lot of work. Stop wasting my time with frivolities."
_oOo_
Yi Jeong sighed. He had one friend left. They say even fools give sound advice sometimes. With that in mind, he approached Jun Pyo, who was jolting something down in a glittery pink binder.
"Enjoyed the hot-air balloon ride?" asked Jun Pyo.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I knew it wasn't for you," he murmured. "Nothing. It's nothing. Leave it. What's up with you?"
Yi Jeong had a million questions but decided it could wait. He had more pressing matters to discuss. "Bro. Let's say Jan Di finally has an entire day free—"
"She does?" He got up from the bed. "What a wonderful surprise!"
"It's a hypothetical, Jun Pyo. She's actually very busy right now." Yi Jeong straightened his shirt. "I narrowly avoided one of her spin-kicks for daring to disturb her. Anyway. Let's say she has the entire day free and wants to meet up. But President Kang wants you to attend some Shinwa thing. What would you do?"
Jun Pyo pursed his lips. "There is nothing more important than Jan Di. I would skip a thousand work events for the mere chance to gaze upon her beautiful face." He took the photo frame of Jan Di in his palm and ran a finger down her face. "With that said, if I avoid the Shinwa thing, my mother will punish her. I'll have to attend. For her safety. But I'll sneak out at the first available opportunity and run to her."
Yi Jeong pondered that for a minute. There was some wisdom in what Jun Pyo said. His not going could affect the So business. Ga Eul had enough problems as is. She didn't need the menace that was his father breathing down her neck.
"Bro." Jun Pyo shifted closer. "What's Woo Bin up to these days? Anyone special in his life?"
_oOo_
Jae unlocked her apartment door and turned towards Woo Bin. "You're telling me you had Mosseto wine and Beaufort cheese lying around? My parents serve that at their 'intimate gatherings' with important clients."
"Not exactly. I had the fake snow lying around in the attic. Bought it for some prank, maybe? The wine and cheese, I stole from Yi Jeong. A thank-you gift from a client. Got the hat from Ji Hoo. Turns out—"
She flung her arms around him. His stomach gave a definite lurch. And his heartbeat shot up to 150 miles per hour. For a second, the whole world blurred—his only conscious thought was how soft, warm, and delicate she felt nuzzled up against him.
She untangled herself from him. "Thank you."
He took a deep breath. He was caught off guard. She practically threw herself at him. The suddenness of it must have spiked his adrenaline. Yeah. That made sense. That was all it was. It meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"You want to come inside? I'll make us some coffee."
"No. It's late. I wouldn't want to keep Gran up past"—He checked his watch. Damn. It was only 6 p.m. He rubbed the back of his neck—"Homework. I have so much homework to finish. Better get to it."
"Woo Bin, it's a Saturday. You feeling okay?"
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
Bless his phone.
"That must be Yi Jeong. You know how he is. He can't get through a day without me. I better see what he wants. Bye."
It wasn't until he was back in the safety of his home that he was able to check who had called.
He played the voicemail. "Hi, Woo Bin. It's Ji Ah. I had a lot of fun last time. I was wondering if—I was hoping we could hangout again. Maybe tomorrow? If you're not busy."
He put his phone down and paced the room. With all the touching and hair-flipping, she did last time, Ji Ah was as subtle as a giant pink teddy bear holding a heart with a sappy love quote. Despite what the voicemail claimed, she wasn't asking for a platonic hangout.
He flipped open his Career Search binder to the entry labeled circus. A picture of him and Jae stared back at him. She had her arms around Rambo the lion and a huge grin on her face. He snapped it shut. Then tucked it away in a desk drawer.
Picking up his phone again, he plopped himself on the couch. He had been single for over a year. It was driving him insane. Putting ridiculous ideas in his head. He needed to get back in the dating pool. Before he did something monumentally stupid. Something he couldn't undo. No matter how sorry he felt afterwards.
"Hi, Ji Ah. It's Woo Bin. I would love to see you again. How does next weekend sound? Great. See you then."
A/N: Hi Guys! Did you enjoy the chapter? Tell us in the reviews.
We are looking for a beta reader. We mainly need someone to go through a scene and tell us if it's coming across as intended and answer some basic questions regarding it. If anyone is interested, please PM us.