| Fan Fiction |
by shattered teardrops
“What are you doing?” Yi Jung’s voice sounded relentless and unforgiving.
As soon as Seung Hyun dropped Ga Eul by the porridge shop and left, he immediately grabbed her wrist and wordlessly dragged her to his car and drove away. All of this, done in less than a minute. Ga Eul was stupendously wide-eyed and shocked at Yi Jung’s unexpected demeanor. Silent and looking deeply aggravated, Yi Jung drove towards his work shop and dragged Ga Eul inside. Once inside, only then did he allow his composure to crumble and began prancing back and forth.
“Sunbae…” She spoke in pure wonder. She stood by the door as she eyed him.
“Tell me, what is this that you’re doing with that Seung Hyun?” Yi Jung cornered Ga Eul by the door, both his arms leaning on the door and Ga Eul in between. You could tell that Yi Jung’s mood was purely in rage. He was obviously mad… Well, other than being jealous, of course.
“Huh?” Ga Eul blinked twice. Then suddenly, her face suddenly brightened, completely ignoring the fact that Yi Jung looked like he was about to strangle someone out of jealousy. “Sunbae! I need a favor!” Her eyes looked round and cheerful that for a moment, Yi Jung found himself confused.
Ga Eul began itinerating Seung Hyun’s situation and the reason behind their date while Yi Jung simply listened and occasionally nodded. As he listened to her explanation, his anger was somehow miraculously eased out. He began to understand why Ga Eul had agreed to go on a date with Seung Hyun. This fact somehow toned down his aggravation and diverted his attention unto helping Seung Hyun instead… Well, Ga Eul wanted it that way…
Yi Jung immediately called up Woo Bin and bean devising a plan to help Choi Seung Hyun from his sticky situation with a small-time kkangpae group who undoubtedly had no match for Woo Bin’s extensive connections throughout South Korea. After the call, Yi Jung turned to Ga Eul and smile with ease and assurance.
“Consider it taken cared of. By the way, do you still have that mask I gave you? The one I brought from Macau?” He asked.
On the other hand, Seung Hyun was sitting on a long bench inside a medium-sized room as he placed on a bandage on his fist in preparation for his death match. Ga Eul’s laughter rung inside his ears as her smile lay imprinted inside his mind. He knew that tonight’s match would be a difficult one. But at least, he was able to spend some time making Ga Eul smile. At least, if he were to die, he’d die happy remembering Ga Eul’s smiling face.
Suddenly, a stout and burly man with a bushy beard entered the room and approached Seung Hyun. He was the promoter of the match and was also connected to the kkangpae group that got Seung Hyun cornered. He tapped Seung Hyun by the shoulder and looked at the younger man with sympathetic eyes. “Look here, kid… You’re a great fighter, aight? There’s no doubt about that… But tonight’s match… It ain’t anything you’ve experienced… I heard them big bosses comin’ down to watch’ya… Them big shots run tricks and treats around… Bigger than me and you… And when big shots come down here, they gotta be entertained… You gotta put up your best fight, ya hear me?” The man’s tone was thuggish as he spoke in a gangster-ish manner.
“Aight… I hear ‘ya loud and clear…” Seung Hyun replied in the same manner as the man spoke.
“Aight… That’s cool… Now, we need you out there…” The other man replied and went out ahead of Seung Hyun.
A nervous sigh escaped Seung Hyun’s lips. Somehow, he had some gut feel telling him that something big was about to happen. He just couldn’t figure out what it was that was bugging him. Without another word, Seung Hyun tightened the bandages on his knuckled and began bending his neck from left to right. He had been stretching for the past half-hour and he was no doubt, in top condition for the match. After a few more minutes, Seung Hyun walked out of the room to redeem his title as the ‘TOP Fighter’.
The small underground warehouse was unusually crowded that night. Usual patrons were there as well as big shot underground lords. Seung Hyun proceeded to enter the ring, where his opponent, a Thai national who was an expert in Muai Thai was already waiting. Whistles, shouts and cheers erupted from the crowd as the announcer announced TOP’s entrance. Some were cheering for TOP, other’s were cheering for his opponent.
Suddenly, the announced asked for a minute of silence as a special guest arrived. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Tonight, we have a very special guest coming. May I present to you the third generation leader of the Song household, Song Woo Bin-hyungnim!”
Three persons entered the warehouse. Specifically, two men and a woman in between them. All three of them were wearing masks so it was hard to tell which one of the two men was the real Song Woo Bin. As soon as they started walking towards the side of the ring, the crowed parted and gave way. The other man, the one dressed in leather jacket and denim pants stepped forwards and addressed everyone.
“Uh… Pardon the masks… We just got off from a masquerade party… Please carry on with the match…” He said and waved everyone to continue what it is that they were doing. After his signal, the match officially began.
Underneath the mask, Yi Jung, Ga Eul and Woo Bin were given the best seats inside the warehouse overlooking the ring as the match officially began. Ga Eul held unto Yi Jung’ arm as they took their seat and watched the match. To be honest, the match looked one-sided as Seung Hyun was obviously smaller in build compared to his bulky opponent. But as soon as the exchange of punches began, everyone’s doubt towards Seung Hyun’s capabilities as the TOP Fighter vanished. He proved himself worthy of his title. He was agile, swift and strong. His moves were quick and calculated.
“He’s pretty good…” Yi Jung commented beside Ga Eul.
She looked at him with a disgusted face beneath the mask. “Don’t tell me you’re enjoying this?” She asked in mocking tone.
“Well, it’s entertaining…” Woo Bin turned to answer.
“Ugh… When are we gonna stop the match?” She asked instead. Obviously, the two men on either of her sides were too preoccupied watching the interesting match that they seemed to have forgotten the reason why they were here in the first place. “Yah! Yi Jung-sunbae… Woo Bin-sunbae… Aren’t we going to stop them yet?” Ga Eul’s voice expressed deep worry.
Woo Bin sighed. “At this point in the match, Ga Eul… We can’t interrupt… You see your guy doing his best to win, right? You said so yourself, you made him promise to win this match. At least let him do what he can…” He replied coolly.
“At least let him prove to us that he’s worth saving… With the way he’s fighting, I’d say he’s pretty good. Woo Bin might even hire him as bodyguard... Or maybe a sparring partner perhaps?” Yi Jung seconded. “And for the record, he’s not Ga Eul’s guy…” He turned to Woo Bin and added, then focused his attention back to the match.
This made Woo Bin’s eyebrows perk up in pure interest. “Oh, really? So who’s Ga Eul’s guy then?” He asked with a teasing tone.
Yi Jung was about to reply but Ga Eul beat him in speaking. “Would you two please stop talking as if I’m not here?! Please!” She let out an exasperated tone to shut both guys up. It was obvious that she was the only one worried about Seung Hyun. Both guys on either side of her were either highly insensitive of her worry or simply utterly stupid.
The fight continued on for a few more minutes and both fighters were beginning to show signs of wearing out. Seung Hyun was beginning to move slower than when the match began. The opponent was also able to land a few solid punches on him. Every time a punch landed on Seung Hyun, Ga Eul turned her head sideways and buried her face on Yi Jung’s shoulder instead. She never liked bloody fights. Especially if it was happening in front of her.
“Sunbae… Can we stop it already?” She whimpered as she hid on Yi Jung’s shoulder.
“Yah… Don’t look away… At least watch how Seung Hyun is trying his best for you.” Yi Jung whispered and Ga Eul looked up to him. He only smiled at her beneath the mask. “What can I say? I’m a fair-fighter…” He shrugged. While it was true that he considered Seung Hyun his opponent when it came to Ga Eul, Yi Jung also knew that Seung Hyun was fighting for Ga Eul in the way he knew how. Of course, Yi Jung’s way was a lot different than Seung Hyun… But he would have to show that to Ga Eul some other time. Tonight was Seung Hyun’s turn.
“Yah, yah! Look! Seung Hyun’s about to win!” Woo Bin pointed unto the ring and surely, Seung Hyun was beating his opponent’s face into a pulp. His opponent was already looking groggy and half-conscious so it looked like the result of the match has been set.
All too suddenly, Ga Eul found herself unable to contain her happiness. She suddenly stood up from where they sat and shouted out loud. “SEUNG HYUN!!!” She shouted as she took off the mask that was covering her face.
Seung Hyun momentarily froze as he stared at Ga Eul. “Ga Eul-sshi…?” He muttered in confusion. By then, his opponent was already struggling to get up and lunged at Seung Hyun. The opponent was able to take down Seung Hyun and straddle him while he threw consecutive punches. This situation got Ga Eul worried even more.
Wordlessly, Woo Bin left his seat and approached the ring. As if by some coincidence, someone from the audience had handed Seung Hyun’s opponent with a knife. He was about to stab Seung Hyun by the chest when Woo Bin intervened in time and held the knife from stabbing Seung Hyun.
“Enough.” Woo Bin’s voice was rigid and dangerously low that it frightened even those who were below the ring. Sensing that no one was about to oppose him, Woo Bin lifted the knife off the fighter’s hand and smiled at everyone. “So… Shall we declare who the winner is?” He asked. There was a murmur of discontent among the audience but was soon hushed up when almost a band of fifty to one hundred men stood up by the audience and held the protesters by the collar. All of those men wore black suits and were obviously working for Song Woo Bin. “Aight, chill, people, chill! There ain’t no need to be so bloody! So… Who’s opposing my proposition to declare the winner now?” He asked. Of course, nobody dared to speak against him.
Suddenly, Seung Hyun’s opponent got up and was about to tackle Woo Bin. But Woo Bin, being a swift fighter himself, gave the guy a wicked turning long side kick on the side of his head which rendered him unconscious. “So… Any more objections?” Obviously, none came.
As a conclusion, Woo Bin declared Seung Hyun the winner. As a prize, he was able to pocket enough money to support him for his education and Woo Bin even personally hired him as his personal bodyguard and sparring partner. Although Seung Hyun looked embarrassed that Ga Eul was able to see him in such a condition, he still promised her that he would do his best to become a better man.
“Yah, So Yi Jung, remember my challenge… It’s still on.” Seung Hyun remarked as he stared intently at Yi Jung.
Yi Jung smirked. He leaned in closer towards Seung Hyun and whispered his reply. “You want me to take Ga Eul from you, you say? I doubt that. Ga Eul was mine to begin with.” He smugly spoke and tapped Seung Hyun’s shoulder, as if to console the latter for his defeat.
-oOo-
A few days after settling Seung Hyun’s business, another conflict came up. This time, in the form of Jun Pyo and Jae Kyung’s rushed wedding. Jun Pyo was obviously displeased with the news, however, he still seemed like he could do anything about it. On the other hand, Jan Di was another business. Ga Eul could swear that her friend was in deep pain. It was hard enough the Jun Pyo was getting married. What made it harder the fact that the person whom Jun Pyo was getting married to was Jan Di’s friend. And what was worse? Jae Kyung even requested Jan Di to be her maid of honor. Talk about being such an insensitive friend. Ga Eul wanted to personally talk about it with Jae Kyung but apparently, Jan Di withheld her from doing so.
As soon as they arrived at Jeju Island, while the others were unpacking, Ga Eul decided to take a walk by herself. She ended up taking a walk on a vast garden surrounded by yellow flowers. The scene was much like in a fairytale. Only this time, Ga Eul wasn’t in the mood to be imagining such silly fantasies. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to even bother about the flowers.
What she didn’t know was that, someone actually followed her.
“Strolling through a field of flowers, Isn’t the situation too urgent for that?”
Yi Jung saw Ga Eul walking through a thick bush of yellow flowers as soon as they arrived at Jeju Island for Jun Pyo’s wedding. He readily followed her, curious as to what she was up to in such a place. For most part, Yi Jung found himself wanting to know the kinds of thoughts running inside Ga Eul’s mind now that Jan Di was facing the brink of heartbreak due to Jun Pyo’s impending wedding.
On the other hand, Ga Eul gushed upon the sight of the Casanova walking behind her. However, she didn’t let him see her surprise. Instead, she looked away and sighed in deep contemplation. “At this day and age… To suddenly have an arranged marriage… It doesn’t seem like reality.” She spoke.
“Well, in our world, it’s nothing to be surprised about…” Yi Jung coolly replied, still following shortly behind her.
“Sunbae, are you just going to accept this kind of future as it is?” She couldn’t help but ask whether Yi Jung would also willingly allow himself to be bound in such a situation. He didn’t seem like the type to settle for something as foolish as an arrange marriage but Ga Eul still wanted to know.
“I don’t know… Whatever the future is, it still doesn’t make any difference to me.” He replied and this greatly infuriated Ga Eul.
“You only have one life to live, how can you be so irresponsible?” Ga Eul responded with passion and conviction in her voice. “You know what Sunbae? It’s because of this attitude that’s why one can stay with you…” She bravely spoke.
With her words, Yi Jung’s eyes widened in anger. “Now that you know a little about my life, my family, my weaknesses, you think you know everything?” He asked with a hint of heavy disbelief and acerbity on his voice. His expression also hinted aggravation. Without another word, Yi Jung turned his back on Ga Eul and was about to leave when she suddenly spoke.
“Why didn’t you meet her?” Ga Eul asked. “On Valentine’s Day… Three years ago… Why didn’t you meet her?”
“That… Well…” Yi Jung sighed. It would be a long story to tell but Yi Jung simply began with the words. “Because I was stupid…” After which, he began narrating the story of the one and only favor that Eun Jae asked of him. One small favor that he took for granted…
To Be Continued…
- - - - - - - - - - -Preview of Chapter Twenty-Seven: “Opening His Eyes”
Ga Eul slowly lifted her hands which covered Yi Jung’s eyes. It was time for him to know what Eun Jae had wanted to show him on Valentine’s Day three years ago. Although it’s three years late, Ga Eul didn’t Yi Jung to stop and wonder what could have happened if he came to Eun Jae’s invitation. This is the last step for Yi Jung to finally move on. And Ga Eul wanted him to face it bravely.
As the sun slowly rose up the horizon, its light somehow blinded Yi Jung. However, this wasn’t what caught his attention. It was the adjacent billboards in front of them. As soon as the sun rose up, its light somehow managed to hide a portion of the billboard and for a few minutes, those two billboards stood together in a simple message of love.
I love you Yi Jung.
-oOo-
Date Written: May3,’09
Date Posted: May4,’09
-oOo-