| Fan Fiction |
by shattered teardrops
“Halmoni?!” Both Yi Jung and Jae Joong chorused in surprise as soon as they saw who the third person whom Ga Eul brought. Both Yi Jung and Jae Joong gaped at each other with wide eyes as they stared at the elderly woman in disbelief. She was carrying a bouquet of flowers for Ga Eul as she approached them.
Hearing how they both referred to the elderly woman, Ga Eul found herself surprised as well. “Halmoni?” Ga Eul repeated with a look of pure astonishment written on her beautiful face. “You both know Grandma Haejin?” She asked.
The elderly woman placed a concerned hand on Ga Eul’s shoulder as she smiled warmly while handling Ga Eul the flowers she brought. “Ga Eul, did I forget to mention to you that Yi Jung was the Grandson I was telling you about?” She winked at Yi Jung and nodded at Jae Joong. “Jae Joong-ah, you never came to visit me… I’m starting to think you don’t love your Grandmother anymore…” She turned to Jae Joong with a reprimanding look while Jae Joong only scratched the back of his head, looking like a child who was scolded.
Yi Jung gulped unsteadily as his eyes met Ga Eul’s. He had clearly remembered how his Grandmother told him that she’d be the one to court Ga Eul in behalf on him. He didn’t think she’d seriously do such a thing. What was making him more nervous was the fact that his Grandmother seemed to have developed a strong bond with Ga Eul. This fact could lead to serious complications later on. It even made the idea of being arranged to be married to Ga Eul possible.
“Halmoni… Is… Yi Jung-sunbae really your Grand son?” Ga Eul asked in uttered disbelief. “How come you never told me before?!” She pouted girlishly. She and Grandma Haejin familiarly squabbled in front of the two men, who could only look baffled. They both felt that they missed something utterly significant. And both also wondered why Ga Eul and Grandma Haejin seemed to be so close to each other.
“Both of them are my Grandsons…” Grandma clarified. “Well, since your performance is done, why don’t we all go out and have some refreshments, shall we?” Grandma Haejin familiarly linked arms with Ga Eul as they exited the auditorium while Yi Jung and Jae Joong could only follow. “Jae Joong, you ride with me. Ga Eul, you accompany Yi Jung in his car. I wouldn’t want to leave him alone. He might drive away and I want you to watch over him. And Yi Jung, be sure to follow my car. Araso? I don’t want you running out on me.” Grandma instructed strictly. Looks like Yi Jung and Jae Joong both have no choice but to obey.
Yi Jung heaved out a deep breath before he opened the passenger’s seat of his car and assisted Ga Eul. Deep inside his unconscious mind, he knew what his Grandmother was up to and he couldn’t help but cringed. However, it was also good that she allowed Ga Eul to be in his car. That way, they could talk about more important things, most especially how Ga Eul had come to know his own Grandmother.
As their drive began, Yi Jung couldn’t help but throw curious glances at Ga Eul who seemed to be chuckling all to herself. Finally, unable to hide his curiosity, he found the courage to speak. “What are you laughing at?” He asked, which only earned him a bigger and louder laugh from the girl beside him. She was laughing so hard that she clutched her stomach as she looked at him. “Yah… Are you making fun of me?” He asked, sounding annoyed.
“Hahahahaha! I can’t believe it! Hahahahaha!” She was still laughing so hard. “You peed on your pants up until you were ten years old?! Hahahahahaha!” Ga Eul burst out laughing some more while Yi Jung’s face turned a deep shade of crimson. That was one of the most embarrassing things from his childhood. His mind immediately wandered thinking of his Grandmother. It was no doubt that she was the one who told this little secret to Ga Eul. “Omo! Why aren’t you saying anything? It’s true then?! Hahahahaha!”
Still, no response from Yi Jung. He only looked annoyed as he concentrated on driving while his face was flushed red from deep embarrassment.
“Yah… Sunbae, I was just joking…” Ga Eul’s laughter finally ceased as she sat by the passenger’s seat. She looked at Yi Jung and couldn’t help but feel something warm inside her heart. It was hard to believe that the sweet little boy that Halmoni was talking about, was actually Yi Jung when he was younger. Ga Eul thought that he must have been a real sweetheart to Grandma Haejin when he was young.
“So you had your self entertained at the expense of me?” Yi Jung asked sarcastically, not hiding his annoyance and aggravation.
“Well, I didn’t know Halmoni was talking about you… I just didn’t realize you could be so…” What was the word? Ga Eul felt it at the tip of her tongue but couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
“Playful? Silly? Troublesome? Hard-headed?” Yi Jung supplied the apt words which he thought would complete Ga Eul’s statement.
“Aniyo... I didn’t realize you could be so… sweet…” She finally said. This suddenly silenced Yi Jung. “What I meant is, you could be sweet to your Grandmother, of course… In a non-romantic-sweetness kind of way… She really adored you, you know…” Ga Eul wishfully said realizing how much of Yi Jung’s childhood has been revealed to her by Grandma Haejin. It made her perceptions of Yi Jung a little different than the one being a Phantom and a Casanova. Indeed… He was just a little boy…
“Jan Di’s coming today…” Yi Jung decided to change the topic. Apparently, Ga Eul was beginning to solve the puzzles of his complex life. Yi Jung hated to admit it but Ga Eul was the closest one to unravel his long hidden flaws. She was becoming a little burdensome but one that he didn’t say he didn’t welcome. Ga Eul was a sweet burden he was willing to put up with. She was just as amusing as she was annoying, and so, he didn’t mind.
“Did she and Jun Pyo meet?” Ga Eul eagerly asked.
“Yes…” Yi Jung replied with a sullen tone. “But it didn’t turn out the way we expected it. Jun Pyo… He changed…” His voice sounded low, almost saddened, as he broke the news to Ga Eul. He hated to be the one to tell her this but it had to be done. “Right now, I think Jan Di would need your support… She has gone through a lot…”
Ga Eul was surprised to have heard concern clearly evident on Yi Jung’s voice. Looks like Jan Di and her colorful personality was able to win not only Jun Pyo but also the other F4. However, Ga Eul was still saddened by the news that Yi Jung had told her. She could only cringed imagining how broken Jan Di felt at the moment. And she mentally decided that she would give Jan Di her support whenever she needed it. “Don’t worry… I’ll be sure to assist her…” Ga Eul softly spoke.
“Also… I’ll keep in touch with you…” Yi Jung softly stated.
“For Jan Di and Jun Pyo… I understand… Of course…” Ga Eul added as she looked sadly out the window.
Yi Jung opened his mouth to say something but chose to keep it to himself instead. He didn’t mean it that way. The truth was, Ga Eul felt like a person he could count on. She has proven herself more than capable on several occasions. Though she looked sweet and innocent, she was a force to reckon with. She was charming, sensitive and a little childlike at times. She was naïve but Yi Jung thought that her naivety made her all the more special.
Yi Jung sighed. “Well, before we dampen our moods over Jan Di and Jun Pyo, I think it be best if we smile for Halmoni’s sake, wouldn’t it?” He smiled. “By the way, how did you and Halmoni knew each other?”
“Ehh? Uh… Well, she’s a regular customer at the porridge shop and she would request for me to serve her whenever she came around. She would tell me lots of stories… And when I mean stories, I mean, stories about… hahahaha!” Ga Eul wasn’t able to finish her sentence as her joyful laugh filled Yi Jung’s car. She laughed so carelessly and with such a vibrant face that even though Yi Jung guessed that his Grandmother was telling stories about him, he couldn’t find it in himself to get mad at the girl beside him.
Yi Jung, Jae Joong and Ga Eul were led by Grandma inside a lavish French Restaurant which she had been a valued customer over time, as proven by how the attendants came to assist and greet her warmly upon her entrance. She nodded and smiled at them as she passed by, followed by the three younger ones behind her. She was led by the attendants into what appeared as her usual table by the glass wall which allowed them a breathtaking view of the garden at the side of the restaurant.
“Will it be the usual order, Ma’am??” The plump head waitress asked familiarly as she waited for further orders.
“Ah, yes, Ae Hee, thank you… You remember my Grandsons? Yi Jung and Jae Joong?” Grandma Haejin asked as the head waitress led them to Grandma Haejin’s usual table.
The head waitress threw a thorough glance at both the young men and smiled. “Of course… They’ve grown up into such fine young men.” The head waitress replied politely.
Jae Joong was in the middle of taking a sip of hi glass of water when Grandma Haejin suddenly spoke once more. “Oh, and, I’d like you to meet Ga Eul-sshi… My future daughter-in-law…” Jae Joong suddenly coughed out the water he was drinking, his face full of shock, while Yi Jung’s eyes suddenly widened in surprise.
“Halmoni…” Jae Joong spoke. “You’re serious?!” He asked bewilderedly with a triumphant feeling inside his chest. He was pretty sure that Grandma Haejin intended Ga Eul for Yi Jung. However, for Yi Jung, his surprise was soon replaced by unuttered confusion on whether she was reserving Ga Eul for him or for Jae Joong.
-oOo-
“Ga Eul-yang…” The window of the screaming orange sports car slowly pulled down and revealed Yi Jung who was smiling as he looked expectantly at Ga Eul, who was walking bewilderedly on the side walk, minding her own business.
“Yi Jung… sunbae?” She asked. Surprise was clearly written on her face upon the sight of him. She was mentally wondering how Yi Jung could suddenly appear out of nowhere and be able to find her wherever she was. But then again, his superfluous reply came rather warmly to her. ‘I have a Chu Ga Eul GPS tracker.’ She recalled, remembering his words.
“Get in…” His invitation was soft as was his radiant smile, so Ga Eul opted to go.
He had brought her somewhere secluded but not enough to be dangerous. Just a place where there was some peace and quiet and where they could talk. Yi Jung wordlessly handed her a yellow-orange colored envelope as soon as the engine of his car stopped. She slowly opened it and inside, was in fact, an invitation for Goo Jun Pyo’s birthday.
“Goo Jun Pyo’s birthday party?” She asked, confirming the contents of the invitation.
“That’s right.” He replied nonchalantly.
“You want me to bring Jan Di here?” She asked, referring to the party stated on the invitation. Yi Jung only nodded in response. “Why? Why must I do that?” Her tone was appalled and mocking. “Jun Pyo- No… That person dumped Jan Di…” She stated, feeling anger rising up deep within her when she thought about how Jun Pyo had hurt her friend.
“There’s just something that’s bothering me. You may say that I want to make sure.” Yi Jung explained.
“If something goes wrong, it’s Jan Di who’s gonna get hurt.” Her tone was deeply displeased with Yi Jung’s idea.
“Ga Eul-yang, listen carefully. If Jun Pyo dumping Jan Di was an act, then that’s a relief. But if it’s the truth, then, it’s also necessary for Jan Di to have closure.” He further explained.
“It’s not killing her twice?”
“If it’s someone you need to erase in your heart, then not leaving a little bit of that person inside your heart is the wisest thing to do. Didn’t I teach you that before?” With that, Yi Jung suddenly got out of the car and went towards the back compartment. Ga Eul followed suit and what happened next, was something truly unexpected. Yi Jung began stacking three big boxes after another on Ga Eul’s arms.
“What’s all these?” She asked, her expression all too innocent and puzzled.
“If you want to go to a war, of course you’ll need weapons.” He said and added the fourth box to her load.
-oOo-
Ga Eul didn’t want to go to the party. She didn’t want to be surrounded by the filthy rich, let alone, be in the same room as the man who broke her best friend’s heart. However, since Jan Di decided to go, she also decided to stand by her friend and support her all the way. When they arrived at the venue of the birthday party, it wasn’t hard to spot where the F4 members were. They just had to see which place was crowded by squealing fan girls, and like the usual, the F4 members were there.
Ga Eul felt her heart skip a beat upon the sight of Yi Jung looking so dashingly handsome in his gray suit. Well, not that he wasn’t handsome, in fact, he was always constantly charming. The F4 members, most especially Ji Hoo, turned to talk to Jan Di. All the other girls backed off and threw envious stares at her friend. She couldn’t blame all the other women though. The F4 were all handsome and charming in their own way.
“You came…”Ji Hoo spoke out.
“I didn’t want to run away so I swallowed my pride and decided to come…” So typical of courageous Jan Di. “But I was thinking…Maybe it was a mistake for me to have come here…” She added sluggishly.
“Jan Di, since you’re here, you might as well eat dinner and go…” Woo Bin spoke.
“Besides, if you leave on your own like a coward, Ga Eul-yang will feel uneasy on her own for the whole night.” Yi Jung added. “Without your courage, Jan Di would me like a mere corpse, right? Isn’t that right, Ga Eul-yang?”
Ga Eul smiled uncomfortably at what Yi Jung said but spoke no more. Soon, the dinner began and Goo Jun Pyo stood rather sullenly up front. The witch, erm, Goo Jun Pyo’s mother even requested Jan Di for a piano performance. Ga Eul felt both rage and worry mix together inside her chest. Given the chance, she would really have wanted to stand up to Jun Pyo’s mother for her friend. On another, she was worried that Jan Di might embarrass herself. Her friend wasn’t exactly the type to play the piano.
However, Ga Eul was deeply surprised when Jan Di began playing a sweet yet sad tune as she sang. Ga Eul suddenly felt her heart breaking for her friend. She couldn’t help but tear up. Her friend was undoubtedly in a lot of pain right now. Somehow, Ga Eul felt so helpless and useless. She wanted to comfort her friend but couldn’t think of anything that she could do. Surprisingly, she felt a warm object landing on top of her hands as she balled them into fists on her lap. She looked at her hand and was surprised to have seen Yi Jung’s hand on top of hers. She wasn’t looking at her but knew that Yi Jung was trying to support her as they watched Jan Di.
As if the witch hadn’t been contented on attempting to humiliate Jan Di, she further added pain to Jan Di upon introducing Jun Pyo’s fiancé. Later that evening, Jan Di was confronted by Goo Jun Pyo, his mother and even his fiancé. She was pulled aside by Goo Jun Pyo’s mother for a ‘talk’, as she had put it, so Ga Eul was left on her own together with the F4. However, she was far too worried so she excused herself and went out to get some fresh air.
Ga Eul stood by the veranda, all alone and in deep thought. Jan Di had been pulled aside by Goo Jun Pyo’s mother for a talk, and now, she was all alone. She would have wanted to accompany her friend but Jan Di insisted that she should face it alone. She was deeply worried about what sort of trick Jun Pyo’s mother was up to this time. Ga Eul decided that she was in no mood to be mingling with other people while her friend was facing off a very hateful person. She decided to have some fresh air for herself to ease out whatever tension or worry that was building up inside her.
All too suddenly, her silent reverie was broken by a dearly familiar voice. “Stranger than you dream it… Can you even dare to look or bear to think of me? His loathsome gargoyle who burns in hell… But secretly yearns for heaven…” The voice began to recite the very lines from the Phantom of the Opera which he had memorized by heart.
When Ga Eul turned to look at who it was, she was surprised to see Yi Jung wearing an intricately designer silver mask with gold glitters and feathers. He held it in front of his face, as if he really was the Phantom. Upon seeing him, Ga Eul’s lips turned into a smile. “Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God, give me courage to show you, you are not alone…” She replied, taking a reference of Christine’s lines from the famous play.
Yi Jung slowly approached Ga Eul with steady steps and stood beside her. He slowly shed off the mask and handed it to her. “A gift… A souvenir from Macau. I forgot to give it to you when I first arrived it…” He explained.
To Be Continued…
- - - - - - - - - - -Preview of Chapter Nineteen: “A Date”
“I’ve seen all kinds of girls… But it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like that.” Yi Jung spoke with a terribly troubled expression on his face as he recalled how Jae Kyung, Jun Pyo’s fiancé, had behaved when he and Woo Bin tried to woo her. She was… an extreme sadist!
“But what are we going to do now? We’re unable to do anything with the girl too…” Ga Eul asked loudly. Although, she felt quite glad that Yi Jung had felt that way towards the woman, her worry over Jan Di still prevailed. Furthermore, what were they ought to do since such a complicated situation has risen?
“The it can’t be helped…” Woo Bin seriously spoke. “All we can do is use our last emergency plan…”
“Emergency plan?” Ga Eul repeated.
-oOo-
a/n: Sorry for the long wait! I’ve been busy with non-academic responsibilities such as my brother’s Graduation… ^_^