Hey guys before I start this chapter I want to let you guys know that the longer trailer for Vulnerable heart will be up soon. I pulled an all nighter for it and I really do hope you guys watch it. Thank you for reading and enjoy.
***

    There’s a soft breeze. The sun is hardly out, and the day is neither hot nor cold. 
“Bunny.” Ariel speaks pointing up at the sky. Ga Eul looks to where her friend is pointing and nods.
“It looks more like a hat with ears.” Jae Ha speaks up with a sigh.
“I see cat.” Ga Eul announces before taking a of her ice pop. 
    Weekends were always the laziest for the trio and most of the time they spent it going out to eat ice-cream, watching movies, or going to the mall together. Currently they were sprawled out in Jae Ha’s back yard eating a cold popsicle and cloud watching. Their heads were resting against one another in a triangular form as they looked up at the sky.
“You always see cats Ga Eul.” Ariel points out.
“It’s my cat lady destiny calling out to me.” Ga Eul jokes.
“You just miss Cinnamon.” Jae Ha speaks.
“Speaking of dead animals. Where’s your hag Melon head?”
    Ga Eul refrains from laughing by biting her lip and she can practically picture Jae Ha frowning at Ariel’s comment before he sighs.
“My hags name is- I mean. My girlfriends name is Melanie, Ariel.” Jae Ha says.
“Tomato Potato Skunk boy.” Ariel says and this time Ga Eul does laugh and Jae Ha shakes his head at both of them though there is a smile on his lips.
“Why don’t you two ever like any of the girls I date?” Jae Ha questions.
“Me?” Ga Eul squeaks out.
“Must be that huge crush I have on you Pepé Le Pew” Ariel speaks sarcastically and this time Ga Eul has bit her pink lemonade flavored ice-pop that she sits up choking and wincing when the cold ice passes down rather roughly. Wincing Ga Eul still giggles while Jae Ha sits up and glares at Ariel.
“I’ll remind you that I wasn’t the only one that was sprayed by that skunk.” Jae Ha points out and Ariel laughs.
“I know but the smell didn’t fry my brain or Ga Eul’s.” Ariel retorts happily perching her head on Jae Ha’s lap and throwing her feet on Ga Eul’s. Jae Ha and Ariel go back and forth and Ga Eul smiles at them. She doesn’t have siblings but she supposed Ariel and Jae Ha came pretty close to that. They certainly argued like that and Ga Eul was always the peace maker between them.
    Watching as Jae Ha flicked Ariel in the forehead, Ga Eul laughed only to have Jae Ha pat her head. Scrunching her nose Ga Eul stuck her tongue out at Jae Ha who laughed. Gasping softly Ga Eul was startled when she was pulled back to the grass by Ariel who laughed, Jae Ha joining in the laughter. Sighing, Ga Eul then laid back down and they simultaneously shifted so that someone was lying their head on somebody. Ariel on Jae Ha, Jae Ha on Ga Eul and Ga Eul on Ariel. 
“We wouldn’t have a problem with your girlfriends if they liked us. Melanie’s been the worst so far.” Ariel points out her tone soft.
“You’re like our big brother. We should be allowed to talk to you without being glared at by some girl.” Ariel speaks.
“Yeah. Your right.” Jae Ha sighs.
“She and I broke up.” He tells them both.
“Sorry.” Ga Eul and Ariel both say and this time Jae Ha laughs, his tone light and letting both girls know that he’s alright.
“Yeah right.” He tells both of them prompting them all to laugh again.
“I should get more guy friends.” Jae Ha says to them jokingly.
    They all lay in the silence again enjoying each other’s company and occasionally someone pointing out another cloud; the afternoon is mostly calm. Ga Eul enjoys these times with their friends. The three of them aren’t very wild and they all enjoy the silence and each other’s company.
“Cinnamon.” Ariel suddenly speaks.
“Your contacting the dead?” Jae Ha jokes but Ariel seemingly ignores him and continues to speak.
“Ga Eul do you think I can borrow your dead cat?” Ariel questions.
“What?” Ga Eul questions confused.
“You’re not planning on making a potion with it’s body are you because I doubt dead cat smells any better than a skunk.” Jae Ha speaks.
“No. I just need a picture and your printer Jae Ha.” Ariel tells him.
“What for?” Jae Ha questions.
“So I can go find him.” Ariel says. Confused both Jae Ha and Ga Eul frown but neither speaks up knowing how eccentric Ariel can be.
“Alright.” They both tell her.
“Great!” Ariel speaks her voice filled with excitement.
    Ga Eul doesn’t question her friend and simply lets her mind wander away with the clouds. The cold drip on her hand reminds her of her ice-pop and Ga Eul the cold sticky substance from her hands and continues to eat her cold treat. A soft ding is heard and Ga Eul takes out her phone to see Yi Jeong’s name. She hasn’t forgotten about her plans with him but she wasn’t quite sure what time he would pick her up. 
“Ga Eul-yang. I’ll come pick you up at four. I hope you’ve decided where it is we’re going.”
“Is that Yi Jeong?” Ariel asks her tone teasing as she sits up along with Jae Ha who’s frowning.
    Already, Ga Eul can feel her cheeks flame but she nods knowing she’s a bad liar and Ariel squeals happily.
“How come you have no problem with Ga Eul dating a player but you hate all of my girlfriends.”
“Because.” Ariel speaks.
“Yi Jeong is nice and doesn’t have rabies like your girlfriends.” Ariel states causing Ga Eul to laugh softly while Jae Ha simply frowns at Ariel.
“Besides. I can just tell he’s good. Right Ga Eul?” Ariel says.
“Right.” Ga Eul agrees without any second thoughts. Although a lot has happened in the past week with her and Yi Jeong she’s never thought of the guy as bad and has nothing to think about when answering her friend.
“I still think he’s trouble.” Jae Ha mutters.
“Yeah. But you also date dead things so we can’t really trust your judgment.” Ariel tells him.
“Yah!” Jae Ha snaps.
“Wait until you get a boyfriend and I’ll be as annoying as you are with him.” Jae Ha snaps at her. 
“I told you. I’ll be in New York by then.” Ariel says with a sigh and a glazed look of love in her eyes that makes Ga Eul laugh and Jae Ha flick her in the forehead for it.
“I can’t win with you.” Jae Ha mutters under his breath.
“Anyways Ga Eul,” Ariel chirps out.
“What did Yi Jeong want?” 
“Oh.” Ga Eul answers feeling her cheeks flame.
“We’re. Going out.” She tells her.
“Like a date?” Ariel and Jae Ha speak though Ariel is practically bouncing with excitement as she speaks and Jae Ha is frowning.
“I.”
“What are you going to wear? You need to look perfect!” Ariel squeals.
“Where is he taking you?” She continues to ramble on.
    There’s no point in stopping Ariel from speaking at this point. Ga Eul feels like she’s now speaking to a hyper bunny who’s gotten high off chocolate watching the excitement in Ariel’s eyes. Jae Ha is frowning but seems amused by Ariel’s behavior as she goes on about what she thinks Ga Eul should wear.
“Come on then.” Ariel tells Ga Eul standing up.
“Where are we going?” Ga Eul questions.
“To your house. To pick out something for you to wear. You need to look nice come on.” Ariel tells Ga Eul dragging her up.
“Come on Jae Ha!” Ariel calls out to Jae Ha from across the street once she and Ga Eul are standing in front of Ga Eul’s house.
“This is girl stuff.” Jae Ha whines.
“So is cloud watching but you do it with us anyways.” Ariel points out to him.
“Besides we need a guys’ perspective on how she looks.” Ariel tells Jae Ha leaving Ga Eul to drag Jae Ha across the street.
“I thought you said I had poor judgment.”
“You do.” 
“But you also need to give Yi Jeong a talk before the date. Ga Eul will be less mortified if you talk to him instead of her father.” 
“Ariel.” Ga Eul squeaks out in embarrassment.
“What it’s true.” Ariel shrugs at her friend while Jae Ha laughs in agreement.
“Fine but I get to punch him again if he’s a jerk.” Jae Ha says.
    Ariel laughs and Ga Eul blanches at his words while Jae Ha joins Ariel in her laughter. The three of them end up in Ga Eul’s bedroom. Ariel has made Ga Eul shower first and when she gets back Ga Eul isn’t surprised at what she sees. Ariel is practically buried inside Ga Eul’s closet looking for something, for Ga Eul to wear while Jae Ha is sprawled on the bed with a look of boredom on his face. He’s throwing a pillow up in the air while biting the popsicle stick from earlier which no longer has bubblegum flavored ice on it.
“Ariel. Please don’t make a mess.” Ga Eul pleads.
“It’s fine. Can I have one of your dead cat’s old collars Ga Eul?” Ariel asks Ga Eul.
“Erm. Okay.” Ga Eul says going to her drawer to find a pink collar with a fish bone name tag and a bell.
“Perfect.” Ariel says to her placing the collar in her pocket.
“Now go try these outfits on Ga Eul” Ariel tells her before shoving piles of clothes neatly placed on hangers to Ga Eul.
    There isn’t much to say and Ga Eul knows she should get ready for her day out with Yi Jeong and does what Ariel says. They go through much of Ga Eul’s closet with Ariel putting the clothes back inside neatly as Ga Eul leaves to try on another pair of clothes. Each time Jae Ha continues to look on with a bored expression giving a “That looks fine” each and every single time until finally Ariel hits him in the face with a pillow. In the end, they settle for a black skirt a white turtle neck shirt and a white checkered coat. It’s the only thing Ga Eul will settle for after arguing with Ariel that this wasn’t a date. She was yet to break the news about her breakup with Yi Jeong but figured there was no point in explaining at this point. 
“Fine then Ga Eul you win,” Ariel had pouted just as Ga Eul’s phone beeped.
“He’s here!” Ariel spoke in excitement.
“Excellent.” Jae Ha spoke in amusement but not before flicking Ariel in the forehead and running off before she could say anything to him. Feeling like her insides were about to explode out Ga Eul tried to take a deep breath wondering why she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden.
***
    The sound of music playing in the F4 lounge is loud. Goo Jun Pyo and Yi Jeong are engaged in a game of pool while Woo Bin is busy playing darts. Geum Jan Di and Jae Kyung both sit on the couch watching some vampire movie they’ve brought and with each squeal the girl make Goo Jun Pyo sneers with a nasty retort.
“Keep you mouth shut Goo Jun Pyo before your head meets my foot!” Jan Di snaps and Goo Jun Pyo can only glare. 
“You could have just gone to our personal theatre to watch that crap! Why come here!” Goo Jun Pyo snaps back at his fiancé and Yi Jeong has to choke down a laugh at the glare Geum Jan Di sends the Shinwa heir’s way which immediately shut him up. Woo Bin however doesn’t hold back and makes a whipping sound rather loudly as he throws another dart his perfect streak of landing the dart in the middle crumbles however when Jae Kyung glares his way and the dart lands on the wall instead. 
    Unable to contain his laughter anymore Yi Jeong chuckles and imitates Woo Bin’s whip noise to both his friends.
“Shut up.” Woo Bin and Jun Pyo both say the latter coming over to where Goo Jun Pyo and he are playing pool.
“It’s funny.” Yi Jeong states.
“Whatever.” Jun Pyo and Woo Bin both reply.
“Have any of you talked to Ji Hoo?” Woo Bin asks and both Jan Di and Jae Kyung turn to look at them once again though both their eyes express sadness.
“We’ve only messaged him. But he hasn’t replied and we don’t want to push.” Jan Di states sadly.
“Just give him space.” Yi Jeong says.
“I can’t believe Seo Hyun did this to him.” Woo Bin mutters shaking his head.
“It should be fine. He’ll get through this eventually.” Yi Jeong tells them and they all silently nod.
    They continue to play pool this time, Woo Bin joins their game while the girls continue to watch movies. 
“So. Why didn’t you bring Ga Eul? You guys weren’t at school yesterday. Don’t tell me your done with her already?” Woo Bin questions.
Yi Jeong doesn’t understand what he feels at the moment but there’s something that rises in his chest and he frowns.
“What the hell is that suppose to mean?” He asks Woo Bin who raises his hands up.
“Hey. I’m just asking. When it comes to your… relationships things don’t last.” Woo Bin says.
“Ga Eul-yang and I aren’t like that.”
“So what are you?” Jun Pyo questions.
    For a moment there is quiet and Jun Pyo and Woo Bin silently exchange glances that Yi Jeong doesn’t quite understand.
“Do you like her?” Woo Bin and Jun Pyo both ask Yi Jeong.
It’s an odd feeling but Yi Jeong feels like something is crawling inside his stomach and he can feel embarrassment creep on his face which he chokes down quickly.
“What?”
“What makes you think that I like her?”
    Genuine laughter is heard from his friends and Yi Jeong can see that Jan Di and Jae Kyung have now invested themselves in their conversation.
“You asked her out.” Jun Pyo points out.
“Besides. We think she’ll be good for you. Ga Eul is different.” Woo Bin tells him with a smirk.
“But in all seriousness if you hurt her. We’ll kill you.” Jan Di speaks up.
    It surprised Yi Jeong how the amount of time his friends had spent with Ga Eul was very little and they seemed to take to her quite well.
“Aren’t you suppose to be my friends?” Yi Jeong questioned.
“We are your friends.” Woo Bin stated patting him on the shoulder.
“Which is why were looking out for your best interest. Ga Eul” Woo Bin says casually.
“You could have brought her here you know.” Jae Kyung tells him.
“You can ask her to come or go get her.” Jan Di adds.
“I think I’m going to go. Ga Eul and I made plans today.” Yi Jeong says feeling that sensation in his stomach again. His friends begin to smile and as he leaves Woo Bin and Jun Pyo are being rowdy.
“Don’t forget to invite Ga Eul and her friend to Caledonia with us tomorrow!” Jun Pyo shouts out. Shaking his head Yi Jeong heads out of the F4 lounge and heads back home.
    He sends a quick text to Ga Eul letting her know he’ll be picking her up just as he’s heading inside his house. He’s halfway up the stairs when he stops to see his father sitting in the living room. 
“What are you doing here?” Yi Jeong asks his father who is quietly nursing a drink in his hand. The man smirks his way before finally responding.
“My trip ended earlier than I expected.” He tells Yi Jeong.
“Your mother is upstairs being hysterical as usual and I want to avoid her. You know how she is.” His father tells him. There’s a glint in his eyes and his tone is kept in the same condescending and mocking matter it always is. It takes all of his will not to snap at his father but Yi Jeong keeps calm smiles fakely and heads upstairs to his room. 
    His mind pushes all thoughts of anything but today out of his mind and for the next few hours he tightens the last of his preparations for today. Yi Jeong doesn’t want to try too hard because this wasn’t exactly a date. Then again, he didn’t want to look like he didn’t care because his last date still made him cringe when he thought of how bad it had gone at that restaurant with Ga Eul. Settling for a black vest, white dress collared shirt, brown dress pants and a brown coat. Wanting things to be just a bit different he settled for a different hair style. Instead of his usual look his hair was styled in what he called the “good boy” look with his hair neatly combed to the side. Part of him felt a bit ridiculous and Yi Jeong wondered whether he really was trying to hard. Shaking his head, he headed out to meet Ga Eul. 
    There’s an unfamiliar feeling again, spreading through his entire body. Prickles. It’s a sensation that’s hard to describe but it only intensifies the closer Yi Jeong gets to Ga Eul’s house. When he arrives at her home, Yi Jeong is unsure of whether or not he should knock or not. The right thing to do would be to do just that; but the fact that her father might open the door unsettles him. Yi Jeong was pretty aware of the fact that this all had a very strange feeling of a date. However, he and Ga Eul had agreed it would be a friendly outing. Sending a quick message to let her know that he was there Yi Jeong waited outside his car. 
    It was less than a few seconds later that the door open and Ariel stood there waving happily and dragging Jae Ha with her as she giggled. The Prickly feeling that Yi Jeong had been feeling suddenly clouded by annoyance at the presence of that guy. Not that he was the only one feeling that way. In fact, the moment Jae Ha saw him there was a permanent scowl on his face.
“Hi Yi Jeong.” Ariel chirped out. Turning to look at the other girl Yi Jeong offered a kind smile.
“Ga Eul will be out in a few.” Ariel spoke and in deed Ga Eul was walking out of her house with a look of embarrassment and panic clearly written on her face. 
“Come on Jae Ha. I need you to help me print some missing posters out so I can go find Ga Eul’s dead cat.” Ariel spoke dragging Jae Ha away.
“I thought you said I could give him a talk.” Jae Ha spoke to Ariel while he was being dragged across the street.
“Yah!”
“Ga Eul should be back before midnight!” Jae Ha shouted.
    Shaking his head Yi Jeong turned to look at Ga Eul who was red as a tomato.
“Dead cat?” He questioned Ga Eul who shrugged.
“I.”
“Ariel is Ariel.” Ga Eul spoke causing Yi Jeong to chuckle lightly. Ga Eul seemed to relax with the light humor and Yi Jeong opened the car door for her and then went around to the other side of his car himself. 
“You look nice Ga Eul-yang.” Yi Jeong spoke with a soft smile. He watched as Ga Eul bit her lip and silently looked at her hands which were now placed on her lap.
“Thank you Sunbae. I like your hair.” She whispered softly her voice barely above a whisper.
    Prickles. The ride was quiet and his heart was running at an unusual speed. The grip on his steering wheel was rather tight. Part of him felt pressure to make this better. It hadn’t really occurred to him that they were yet to decide on a place to go until they stopped at a street light. Old habits die hard, and Yi Jeong was having trouble not plastering on a smile or driving them to the usual restaurant. But unless he wished to have Ga Eul never speak to him again, Yi Jeong knew he had to try.
“Where would you like to go Ga Eul-yang?” Yi Jeong asked.
“The mall. Maybe the ice rink.” She whispered.
“Right.” Yi Jeong spoke and silently he was happy that she’s chosen the ice rink. He’d already planned something before hand and hoped Ga Eul would like it.
***
    The world felt like it was closing in again. There were no words to describe the pain that he felt. The woman he had loved, for as long as Ji Hoo had, simply threw him away. In a few hours; she would be married. Seo Hyun would be married and with that, the bond they had created would be shattered completely. 
    There was nothing to do, nowhere to go. Ji Hoo didn’t really feel like going anywhere. He’d spent his day hauled up in his room and while he wanted to drink the house had suspiciously held no alcohol. Ji Hoo supposed that his grandfather had something to do with it. If he were really in the mood to go out he would have gone to buy alcohol or perhaps spend it at a bar. He was already wallowing in self-pity and at the moment there was a feeling of having given up that would not leave him.
    Ji Hoo was no idiot either. Outside of his room he could hear his grandfather pacing, much like he had been doing all day. As much as he cared for his grandfather, his hovering was getting quite annoying. All Ji Hoo wanted to do was be alone. Would he ever truly recover from this ache in his heart? Probably not. There was no one that would ever truly be good enough to replace such and important person in his life like Seo Hyun. 
With a sigh Ji Hoo decided that maybe he should go out and drown his sorrows in alcohol. A knock on his door was heard and Ji Hoo opened the door to see his grandfather with a neutral look on his face.
“You have a visitor.”
“Grandpa. Can you tell the guys to go away.”
“It’s not your friends.”
“Then tell Jan Di and Jae Kyung to-”
“There’s another young lady at the door. She says she was sent over here by your friends.” His grandfather tells Ji Hoo who frowns. 
    Wondering who is looking for him Ji Hoo walks out of his room and heads to the living room. It’s more of a shock to see the girl he had met a few days ago at the festival Ga Eul had invited them to. He can’t however, recall her name. Only that she loved photography and is carrying the same camera from the festival around her neck again. When she sees him, she stands up and offers him a bright smile. Her chestnut hair is in soft curls and she’s wearing a dark blue large button up coat, and a black skirt when she looks at him her eyes light up with excitement.
“Hi Sempai.” She says to him waving happily. 
“Erm.”
    He’s embarrassed to admit that he’s forgotten her name and she seems intuitive enough to notice because she blushes and fidgets where she stands.
“It’s Ariel.” She whispers quietly before she smiles again. There’s a pink bag beside her and she takes it and hold it out to him.
“I wanted to return the shoes to you from the festival.” She speaks to him.
“You can keep them. I don’t have use for those shoes.” Ji Hoo says to her calmly.
“It feels wrong to have them.” She tells him softly.
“Would you like to join us for a late lunch Ms. My grandson might have lost his manners but he’s been hauled up in his room all day moping.” 
    The voice of his grandfather startles both Ji Hoo and Ariel who both tense slightly before relaxing back again and turning to look at the old man who they both had not noticed was still there.
“It’s alright.” Ariel speaks up before Ji Hoo himself could protest.
“I just wanted to drop the shoes off and I wanted to ask Ji Hoo Sempai something.”
Confused as to what she would want Ji Hoo turned back to the girl who smiled.
“I lost my cat Cinnamon and Ga Eul promised to help me look but she had a date with Yi Jeong today. Everyone else is so busy. I was wondering if you could help me put posters up around the city and help me look for him?”
    At her words Ji Hoo notices a large pile of “Missing” posters that are placed on his living room coffee table. There’s a picture of a Garfield like looking cat that seems to be sitting on a red pillow and glaring more than looking at the camera. It looks a little creepy if Ji Hoo is honest though, it seems to fit the strange aura the girl carries with her. Ji Hoo wants to deny the girl help, mostly because he’s not really in the mood to do anything at this point in time. Then again, he hardly knows her and finds it odd that she would come to him. Before Ji Hoo can answer however his grandfather takes the initiative to answer for him.
“He’d be happy to help.” 
“Go on kid. Go get your motorcycle around and help her.”
    Stunned by his grandfather’s words Ji Hoo is left speechless as the old man calmly walks away and when he turns to Ariel she’s smiling rather brightly and Ji Hoo sighs.
“Damn it.” Ji Hoo thinks to himself.
***
    Walking around the mall was strange. Yi Jeong watched as several people, mainly couples walked hand in hand. It was strange for Yi Jeong to actually come here with a girl. Most of the time Yi Jeong would have someone buy a gift for his current fling, and when he had gone to the mall with a girl it didn’t count seeing as it was with his F4 friends and their girlfriends. For a moment, both he and Ga Eul both stood awkwardly beside each other until Yi Jeong decided to speak.
“Is there anywhere in particular you want to go to?” Ga Eul-yang.
“Can we walk around and window shop?” Ga Eul questioned a soft tint to her cheeks that only brought the prickles back to Yi Jeong’s body back again. 
“Come on.” Yi Jeong spoke to her extending his arm out for Ga Eul. 
    He watched as she bit her lip and shyly tangled her arm with his and together they walked. 
“This is kind of weird.” Ga Eul whispered causing Yi Jeong to chuckle nervously to himself.
“Maybe. But aren’t experiences like these always like that?” Yi Jeong questioned.
“Maybe.” Ga Eul whispered. They walked around watching many of the things out on display. Yi Jeong thinking about taking his cues for the time being from Ga Eul. He supposed he should buy her something should any dress, or bag catch her eye. He was however, surprised when Ga Eul pulled him inside a knickknack shop. Immediately, Ga Eul lets go of his arm as they enter and Yi Jeong observes her quietly. There’s a soft smile on Ga Eul’s face as she walks around the store and looks at pair of coin bears. 
    The soft smile and the innocence in Ga Eul’s eyes, bring a smile to Yi Jeong’s face and he walks toward Ga Eul.
“My mother loves these. She collects them. When I was younger she would always bring me to this store. Most of the things here are antiques.” Ga Eul tells him.
“I can see that.” Yi Jeong tells her. Reaching for a red toy airplane that is placed on one of the displays. For a moment, Yi Jeong wonders why Shinwa hasn’t gotten rid of the store but he can see a few expensive things here and there that he supposed people did come here to buy. There were giant glass chandeliers on the other side of the store which told Yi Jeong certain people did come to the store. 
“I should get this for her.” Ga Eul speaks interrupting Yi Jeong’s train of thought. Smiling Ga Eul takes the small pair of bears in her hand and heads to the register.
“Look Sunbae.” Ga Eul tells Yi Jeong pointing to a simple gold colored box. It’s rather ironic that on top of the box there is a small pumpkin coach carriage painted entirely of white and tinted with specks of gold the vines blend around the box seamlessly and Yi Jeong smiles when he thinks about how fitting it is for Ga Eul to like that.
“That box has been here for years. No one seems to buy it. I begged my mother to buy the box for me on my birthday when I was five but she said it was too old. I cried the entire day after.” Ga Eul spoke with a smile.
    Looking carefully at the box there was definite dust on it. Though if cleaned, it certainly would look prettier; the small chest had the corners of it scuffed and some of the paint from the carriage was chipping away.
“Oh well.” Ga Eul spoke, turning to the woman at the register and offering a smile to her.
“We’d like the box as well.” Yi Jeong spoke causing Ga Eul to gasp.
“Sunbae. It’s alright. I didn’t tell you that story so you could buy the box for me I.”
“It’s fine Ga Eul-yang. I want to buy it for you. We’re friends. Besides. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. The box isn’t expensive.” Yi Jeong spoke to her.
“If he wants to buy this for you then let him.” The woman at the register encourages throwing a kind smile to both Ga Eul and Yi Jeong.  The woman then quietly turns to reach for the small box lightly brushing away at the dust and placing it in a small bag.
“Do you have any paint. I’d like to fix it up a bit.” Ga Eul whispers and the woman smiles at her.
“I’ll pay for the bears and the paint then.” Ga Eul stubbornly says before Yi Jeong has a chance to speak.
“It’s the only way I’ll accept the box Sunbae.” Ga Eul tells him and Yi Jeong sighs in defeat causing the woman at the register to giggle.
“Young love.” She sighs handing Ga Eul her purchases. 
    The word love only makes both Yi Jeong and Ga Eul tense as they exit the store though the feeling slowly evaporates once they head elsewhere. Yi Jeong initially expected to be pulled around and into large boutiques inside the mall instead, Ga Eul takes him to candy shops and places where they sell stuffed animals. They even stop to have ice cream in a small shop.  There’s a pattern that Yi Jeong understands and at first he thinks Ga Eul is trying to avoid stores where he could buy her anything but the genuine smile on Ga Eul’s face makes him realize Ga Eul is genuinely enjoying herself and he relaxes.
    They enter a large store to Yi Jeong’s surprise next. The place is filled with hundreds of scents and perfume bottles and Ga Eul offers a smile to him.
“I don’t have much money and you bought me the box. I won’t feel comfortable until I’ve returned your gift.”  Ga Eul tells Yi Jeong.  
“Ga Eul-yang” Yi Jeong begins but Ga Eul instead smiles brightly in a way she’s never smiled at him before and she giggles, walking backwards and away from him slowly before she turns to look away she throws another smile his way.
*Bump*
     There’s a kink in his throat, the prickles return and Yi Jeong discretely coughs hitting his chest to calm whatever it is he’s feeling. Turning to look at Ga Eul she’s quietly looking around and just before she reaches a blue cologne bottle another hand reaches for the same one and instead takes hold of Ga Eul’s hand.
“Sorry.” The guy says with a smirk that makes Yi Jeong frown more so when Ga Eul awkwardly smiles back.
“It’s alright.” Ga Eul tells the guy wanting to walk away. 
“My name is Soo Pyo” He tells her with a smirk.
    It doesn’t take long for annoyance to come to Yi Jeong and before he can think, he’s already walking towards Ga Eul. With a charming smile he places an arm around Ga Eul who automatically leans close to him. The prickles return and Yi Jeong offers a genuine smile to Ga Eul.
“Excuse us.” Yi Jeong tells the guy with a subtle hard gaze as he sweeps Ga Eul away. His intent is to walk away from the store but Ga Eul is already moving to look at another display that’s been set at the far right end of the store.  Yi Jeong can feel the looks that the guy is giving and is glad to note Ga Eul has already forgotten about it.
“What about this one?” Ga Eul asks Yi Jeong smelling the cologne herself before spraying some at Yi Jeong who laughs. 
    Ga Eul’s eyes light up and they continue to browse around the store. 
“This one.” Ga Eul speaks reaching for a bottle that’s a bit to high for her. Before, Yi Jeong can reach it for her however, another hand reaches for it. Gasping Ga Eul lets it go and the bottle breaks on the floor with a harsh crack.
“Sorry about that.”
With a glare Yi Jeong feels like punching the guy in front of him. By the looks of him, he’s nothing but a guy who likes to fool around with women. 
“I guess great minds think alike.”
“Ga Eul-yang right?” Soo Pyo speaks and Yi Jeong watches as Ga Eul cringes at her name.
“I.”
“We should go.” Yi Jeong speaks moving his hand to reach for Ga Eul’s who takes his hand and squeezes it nervously.
“Ga Eul-yang.”
“Your making her uncomfortable.” Yi Jeong speaks up.
“I suggest you find something else to spend your time on. Instead of trying to pick up girls at the mall. It’s rather pathetic.” Yi Jeong speaks.
“Sunbae.” Ga Eul squeaks out in surprise. 
    Heading to the register while pulling Ga Eul along Yi Jeong takes out his credit card to pay for the broken cologne. Once his card is swiped, Yi Jeong takes it back and he pulls Ga Eul out of the store. His heart is racing, he’s angry, and there’s a lot floating inside his head that Yi Jeong doesn’t realize he’s still pulling Ga Eul along until she pulls her hand back from him.
    There’s a look in her eyes that Yi Jeong can’t really decipher as she bites her lip and looks down at the ground. A frown slowly makes her face and then Ga Eul speaks.
“I need to go the restroom.” She tells him a hint of a blush to her cheeks and before he can answer her she’s already off. At first, he doesn’t think much of it but five minutes turn into ten, then fifteen, and finally 30 minutes. The more time that passes, the more his thoughts wonder and in the end there’s this feeling inside his chest that seems to compress it so hard he feels like he can’t breathe. The prickles are back only in his hands numbing them and his only thoughts are simple. The first being that Ga Eul has probably gone home, and the second being a simple conclusion to come to.
“I messed up again.”
***
    
    The clock read 10 p.m. Ji Hoo’s feet felt like they were falling off. Even when he had been riding his motorcycle, he and that girl had spent most of the time on their feet placing posters all across Seoul in order to find her missing cat. It was a bit irritating to see how energized she was, reminding Ji Hoo of a child on a sugar high only sugar highs went down and this girl seemed to go up the more time passed. No matter what she was doing she was always smiling. It seemed from the amount of time they had spent together that day, that she smiled genuinely. 
“We should get something to eat. I’m starving and I’m sure you are to.” Ariel spoke to him a genuine smile on her face again.  Without being able to give her a reply Ji Hoo was already pulled into a small coffee shop. The smells of fresh baked bread and coffee reminding his stomach that he had not had anything to eat that day.
“Thank you for helping me. I would have never been able to get through town so fast without you.” Ariel tells him.
“I’ll buy you anything you like as a thank you.” She speaks with a smile.
    Ji Hoo doesn’t speak to her instead silently looks ahead looking at the menu as to what it is he wants to order. There’s a display of things laid out behind the counter and he thinks that a simple chocolate chip cookie should be enough. Maybe a coffee. 
“I still have a few flyers left and then we can go back.” Ariel tells him.
The line is extremely long and Ariel is already talking again, telling him about photography. She goes on to tell him about Peru. 
“I want to visit Macchu Pichu one day. Taking a picture from high up above to see the whole city. There’s so many places to visit.” She continues on to him.
    They’d spent the day with her chatting on about places she’d like to visit and things related to photography. Ji Hoo recalled meeting her at the festival and the way she’d chattered his ear off about New York. Though he found her a little odd, the fact that they’d spent the day running around putting missing posters up all over town was confusing enough, but she seemed more interested in taking pictures all day. They stopped more than once for her to take a photograph of a specific thing here and there. Ji Hoo thought she cared more about photography than her missing cat. He hadn’t asked about it but they’d even gone to a couple stores and asked to put pictures of the cat.
“What do you want Sempai?” Ariel asked once they’d reached the front of the line.
“A chocolate chip cookie and a coffee.”
“I’ll take a cinnamon bun and hot chocolate.” Ariel tells the man before turning to look at Ji Hoo with a sheepish smile.
“Coffee makes me jumpy and I can’t sleep when I drink it.” She tells him.
    Their things are handed to them on a small tray and Ariel leads him towards a window table. The fog of the night already starting to set and the girl once again takes out her camera to capture the night from the window seat. She’s smiling brightly again and then turns the camera to her food.
“Ariel. What is this?”
    There’s a woman standing in front of them with a confused look on her face and holding out the missing poster of the car. Ji Hoo watches the girl in front of him gasp before biting her lip.
“Hi Mrs. Chu.” Ariel speaks.
“What are you doing in this part of town?” Ariel asks quietly.
“My husband and I are running some errands. Wasn’t Ga Eul suppose to be with you tonight? That’s what you and Jae Ha told me.” Mrs. Chu speaks to her with a frown.
“I made other plans. Ga Eul is with Jae Ha.” 
“And what is this? Why are there missing pictures of Cinnamon in every shop I’ve entered today? You are aware that Cinnamon passed away a few years ago.”
    The woman’s’ words quickly catch Ji Hoo’s attention and Ariel’s eyes widen as she turns to look at Ji Hoo. There’s no point in hiding the anger he feels flare at being tricked in to whatever this was suppose to be and he walks out in anger not wanting to explode. Ji Hoo is about to hop on his motorcycle when Ariel catches up to him.
“Wait!”
“Sempai. I can explain. I just.”
“You lied to me!” Ji Hoo tells her angrily.
“You had me running around town with you for what?” Ji Hoo snaps angrily.
“I hope you had fun making a fool out of me!” He snaps at her before driving away.
    His mind is whirling with anger and when Ji Hoo comes to a stop her realizes that all buses have stopped at this point. He wants to forget about this incident, his rage a little more than he expected but he also knows he needs to send her back home knowing that should anything happen to her it’ll be his fault. With a sigh Ji Hoo turns back around to where he left her. The city lights are almost out and when he goes back to the coffee shop it’s closed. For a moment, Ji Hoo wants to think that maybe she’d gone home with Ga Eul’s mother but panic and a bit of worry ensues when he thinks that she might have tried to walk home.
    For the 30 minutes Ji Hoo finds himself wandering around the city again until he spots her. She’s walking along the street and behind her there’s a group of people laughing and calling her names.
“Come on witch! Where’s your broom stick?”
“Aren’t nights suppose to be when you come alive?”
    Confused as to what these people are talking about Ji Hoo remembers the festival and Ariel’s mother claiming to be a psychic.
“Leave me alone,” Ji Hoo hears Ariel say and at her words the crowd seems to get upset.
“What did you say to us freak.” A brunette haired girl speaks up angrily.
“You forget that even if we’re not in school you still have to hold your head down to us.”
Ariel ignores them and instead picks up her pace only angering the group of people behind her who run towards her and circle her.
“Didn’t you hear me !” 
    Ji Hoo doesn’t think twice before he’s pushed his way through the crowd of five people consisting of three girls and two boys. Stepping in front of the girl her shields her away from the crowd, the girl about to hit her stopping her hand when she see’s Ji Hoo. Recognition is clear on her face and soon everyone else gasps.
“Ji Hoo oppa!” A blonde speaks in shock.
There’s no need to speak if anything, Ji Hoo ignores their gaping and glares at them. Taking Ariel’s hand, he guides her away in silence. His plan is to get her to his motorcycle but she pulls her hand away from him and is sniffling. She walks across the street to sit at a bus stop and Ji Hoo follows her. He sits beside her and she continues to cry softly before speaking.
“I just. I’m sorry.” She tells him quietly.
“Your friends mentioned about today. I wanted to distract you so that the day would go by faster.”
    A car pulls up then and a boy exits from the old car glaring at Ji Hoo rather bluntly. Ariel stands up and faces Ji Hoo. Her eyes are red rimmed and glossy as she sniffles. She doesn’t look at him in the eyes but she bows.
“Jae Ha is here. I won’t bother you ever again.” She tells him before walking away.
Ji Hoo watches as the guy walks toward Ariel meeting her halfway and putting a reassuring arm around her shoulder. He seems to tell her something and then glares at Ji Hoo before gently pulling Ariel towards his car. He opens the car door quickly for her allowing Ariel to go in before they drive away the guy throws another glare his way. 
    The streets are dark and only a few cars pass by. Ji Hoo checks his clock and realizes it’s midnight. Two thoughts hit him then. One. “Seo Hyun is married.” Two. He had not thought of Seo Hyun from the moment Ariel went to his house. Pain filled his chest and he sat to wallow for the girl he’d lost today but somehow the pain had lessened just a bit. And he felt relief knowing he’d gotten through the day. 
***
“Eight thirty.” Yi Jeong muttered to himself. It was difficult for Yi Jeong to think. Frankly he was irritated with himself. He’d still had something planned but it seemed like Ga Eul had decided ditching him would be the best way to handle another disappointing time with him.
    Pacing where he stood Yi Jeong wondered if he should leave. He’d been waiting for Ga Eul for half an hour and was sure the girl had left. Taking his phone out he searched through his contacts lingering on Ga Eul’s name. He knew that calling her would lead to nothing, sure that Ga Eul would never pick up his call. Ironically he laughed dryly when he realized he did the same thing with women he no longer wanted. 
“Want?”
Did he want Ga Eul? The though came across as fleeting but froze him when he realized this was abnormal. Ga Eul was a nice girl. Genuine. Innocent. Fragile. 
    Yi Jeong had simply stood up for her when he knew that guy was making his innocent country bumpkin uncomfortable. 
“It doesn’t matter. It’s done. Time to forget.” Yi Jeong thought, about to erase Ga Eul’s number from his contacts.
“Sunbae!”
A cold air hit his chest when Yi Jeong heard his name and looked up. Ga Eul was walking toward him a bright smile on her face as she waved at him. In her hand were a couple of bags.
“Sorry about that. I got a call from my mom and she asked me to get a few things for her. Sorry for making you wait I should have sent you a text but I didn’t think it would take so long.
“It’s fine.” Yi Jeong heard himself say and Ga Eul offered another kind smile his way that caused the prickles to return to his body.
“Maybe we should head out now.” Yi Jeong suggested.
“I have a few places I want to take you to Ga Eul-yang.” Yi Jeong said.
“Where?” Ga Eul questioned, not batting an eye when Yi Jeong laced his arm with hers. 
“Somewhere.” Yi Jeong retorted back causing Ga Eul to laugh lightly her laughter causing Yi Jeong to smile as they made their way out of the mall and into the car.
    It didn’t take long to get where they were going and Ga Eul had seemed to catch on pretty quickly. The smile she wore on her face was the brightest, Yi Jeong had seen yet from Ga Eul.
“The skating rink!” Ga Eul speaks with a smile.
“You did give me two option and I guess I thought why not both.” Yi Jeong spoke to her once they were on the ice. Couples seemed to be around everywhere skating along side each other or simply holding hands. Ga Eul didn’t seem to have trouble skating and got on the ice gliding across the rink. She moved backwards looking at Yi Jeong as she did so with a bright smile as she giggled and then she turned moving past people quite gracefully. With a genuine smile Yi Jeong followed after Ga Eul. Their behavior feeling like a game with Ga Eul skating past people and Yi Jeong following behind her. A few children were out on the rink and a little boy went up to Ga Eul and took her hand.
“Your very pretty noona” The little boy spoke. Watching Yi Jeong couldn’t help but feel amused and Ga Eul seemed to be smiling at the small boy.
“Thank you. Your very cute.” Ga Eul replied with a smile.
“Can I marry you when I’m older?” The small boy asked Ga Eul who laughed lightly.
    Though she did not reply the little boy pulled Ga Eul along skating with her a full lap while Yi Jeong stood at the sidelines watching as Ga Eul offered a smile his way. Finally, Ga Eul and the boy came to a stop in front of him. The little boy frowning at him. Though his attention was already on him the boy took to tugging at Yi Jeong’s sleeve before speaking.
“Are you her boyfriend Mr.?” 
“We’re friends.” Yi Jeong replied when Ga Eul blushed. Though the question itself had made him just a tad uncomfortable the prickles returning only to his palms.
“Okay.” He spoke before turning back to Ga Eul.
“You can play with him again but you can’t marry him. Wait until I’m older then I’ll come get you.” The little boy spoke before skating away to his mother and leaving.
“It seems like you’re quite the catch tonight Ga Eul-yang.” Yi Jeong joked earning a blush from Ga Eul.
“He’s sweet. Too bad he’s only seven.” She joked back laughing lightly earning a chuckle from Yi Jeong.
“I suppose I should learn something from him.” Yi Jeong spoke taking Ga Eul’s hand in his and pulling her along. Yi Jeong doesn’t really want to analyze the situation and he forgets about it when Ga Eul speaks.
“Thank you for waiting Sunbae. I thought you might have left because I took so long.”
    For a moment, Yi Jeong thinks about lying and telling Ga Eul he would have never but he’s honest turning to face her as they skate. Both his hands now laced with Ga Eul’s as he pulls her along gently.
“I thought about it.”
“I’m sorry about my behavior at the store.”
A small laugh escapes Ga Eul, before she offers Yi Jeong another smile.
“I wasn’t upset. I’m glad you helped me Sunbae. That guy was making me feel uncomfortable with the way he was looking at me.” 
“You were like. A knight in shinning armor.” Ga Eul joked.
“Thank you Sunbae. Really.” Ga Eul tells him earnestly.
The prickles intensify and Yi Jeong thinks about letting go of Ga Eul’s hands but the smile she gives him stops him and causes him to smile back at her.
“Well. At least you’ve found a much better prospect Ga Eul-yang. Though you do have to wait for him to get out of diapers.” Yi Jeong jokes earning laughter from Ga Eul. 
“He was sweet. I love children.” Ga Eul tells him.
“They’re so honest and innocent. They’re minds grasp things so easily. I think I want to work with children once I finish school.”
“A teacher?” Yi Jeong asks and Ga Eul smiles at him.
“It fits you.” Yi Jeong tells her. 
“Really?” Ga Eul questions with a small smile that causes Yi Jeong to smile back at her.
“Really.”
    Yi Jeong enjoys Ga Eul’s company. There’s a peaceful nature that comes with her. An innocence which makes him feel human again and part of him knows that one day Ga Eul will have everything that she deserves when it comes to her happiness. Simple, and kindhearted people like Ga Eul, deserved to be untainted of anything dark around them. For now, Yi Jeong promised himself to keep all bad things away from Ga Eul. In the back of his mind the thought of only one week left continued to gnaw away at his mind. Unconsciously he lets go of Ga Eul’s hand and Yi Jeong can see the surprise of it. Ga Eul doesn’t say anything, instead offers Yi Jeong a kind smile. The air around them has gotten colder and people around are slowly starting to disappear and head back home. Ga Eul’s nose has turned a faint red and Yi Jeong offers her another smile. Taking his own coat off, he places it on Ga Eul’s shoulders. He’d worn a scarf and gently he wraps it around her neck. There’s a look in Ga Eul’s eyes that makes Yi Jeong want to look away when she smiles at him.
“Thank you Sunbae.” She whispers to him. Her words making him feel warm and Yi Jeong offers her a smile.
“I have one last thing to do here with you.” Yi Jeong says to Ga Eul who looks at him curiously.
“Do you want to see?” Yi Jeong asks. Checking his watch and realizing that it is almost time.
“Okay.” Ga Eul whispers.
“3”
“2”
“1”
*Snap*
    There are soft whistles in the air and then crinkled booms which ignite colorful fireworks in the sky. A gasp of amazement leaves Ga Eul’s lips and she’s smiling so bright. The night sky complementing her aura. 
“It’s beautiful Sunbae.” Ga Eul tells him. Around them people have stopped to look but it seems like it’s just the two of them and Yi Jeong is happy to see Ga Eul’s reaction. It’s the first time he’s ever done something like this for anyone. The first time that Yi Jeong has ever really wanted to impress someone. When the fireworks are done, and the bright colored lights in the sky have stopped leaving only the shimmer of the stars and the moon to shine, Yi Jeong and Ga Eul leave. 
***
    Was it possible to feel like floating in mid-air as you walked? Ga Eul certainly felt that way with the way things had gone. Yi Jeong had somehow worked his magic and Ga Eul had been quite literally swept off her feet in just a matter of hours. In the back of her mind, she realized that this wasn’t a date. But it was also the most perfect non-date or date she had ever been on. It was also clear to her that Yi Jeong had never once done this with anyone and that thought made butterflies float in her stomach. 
    This man was confusing and honestly speaking he was different from the man she had met at the beginning of the week and she liked him a lot better this way. 
“There’s one more thing.” Yi Jeong tells Ga Eul who nods.
“It’s not something I can top after the fireworks.” Yi Jeong tells her and Ga Eul finds herself laughing lightly as they drive through town. 
“It’s a place that. I only bring certain people to.” 
    Curiosity fills Ga Eul and she nods in Yi Jeong’s direction. The drive is calm and when they reach a large mansion Ga Eul’s nerves rise. Biting her lip, Ga Eul thinks of the possible scenarios and her heart races. Her mind wants to think about the worse case but a smile from Yi Jeong and the sincerity in his eyes which she had never quite seen reassures her that nothing bad will happen. They drive past the rather large mansion and then come to a stop at what looks to be a separate home. There’s a kiln outside and Ga Eul realizes what this place is.
    With a smile Yi Jeong gets out of the car and opens the door for Ga Eul. They head to the door and Yi Jeong takes out a key in order to open the door, allowing Ga Eul to walk in first. 
The warmth inside the large room is what Ga Eul notices first. There’s a wooden bench in one part of the room and a few things here and there around the place that add to decoration. But it is the potters wheel that stands at one side of the room and the various pieces of pottery that truly make the place glow with beauty.
“Would you like some tea Ga Eul-yang?” Yi Jeong asks and Ga Eul nods quietly watching Yi Jeong head to the back and disappear from sight. 
    Ga Eul finds herself drawn to each pottery piece that can only be described as beautiful art. There’s a beautiful tea set, the beautiful piece appears to be made of jade and shines with the light hitting it beautifully, there’s dozens of vases, bowls, all using different techniques that Ga Eul doesn’t really know about, but the hard work, love and care that each piece has is clear. Though, Ga Eul knows nothing about pottery, she’s sure that Yi Jeong is good, not only because of who his family is but, because he seems to have natural talent.
    Ga Eul drifts to the potters’ wheel, there is a chunk of clay on it, a small stool is beside it and hung on that an apron and a small towel with remnants of clay. Her explorations are interrupted when Yi Jeong comes back with a tray with tea. He offers Ga Eul a smile and they both walk to the bench and sit. Yi Jeong serves Ga Eul a small cup of tea and quietly Ga Eul reaches for the cup and takes a soft sip.
“This place is really magical.” Ga Eul tells Yi Jeong who chuckles at her words. Feeling a blush to her cheeks Ga Eul looks down at her hands but continues to speak. 
“I’ve never seen so many beautiful things in one place. Your really good Sunbae.” Ga Eul tells him. 
“Can I see?” Ga Eul blurts out before she can stop herself. There’s a questioning look on Yi Jeong’s face and Ga Eul can feel her cheeks flame again but she continues.
“How you mold the clay. I. You don’t have to I mean.”
“Sure.” Yi Jeong tells her with a smile. 
    Yi Jeong smiles placing the black apron on before moving to sit in front of the potters’ wheel. Using some water, he slowly begins to turn the potters wheel until the small mound of clay begins to transform. Yi Jeong is no longer aware of Ga Eul in the room but Ga Eul is too enthralled with what she is seeing. There’s a genuine smile on Yi Jeong’s face and it’s as if each layer of what shields him is stripped away. In that moment Ga Eul can see it. Yi Jeong’s heart. Her own heart flutter at how handsome and human Yi Jeong looks at the moment. There’s so many thoughts and emotions that seem to fill her entire body that cause an erratic beating of her heart. There’s no confusion only happiness that Ga Eul can pinpoint and she thinks of how honest and true Yi Jeong looks at the moment.
“Do you want to give it a try Ga Eul-yang?”
    Realizing she’d been caught staring Ga Eul can only nod dumbly, though it seemed like Yi Jeong had not been aware of what she’d been doing. Instead, Yi Jeong heads to the back room again and comes back with another large apron for Ga Eul that drags on the floor. She ties her hair and removes her coat and Yi Jeong begins to instruct her on what to do. It’s hard to work the potters wheel and her hands cause the vase that Yi Jeong was working on to flop and she blushes.
“Sorry Sunbae.”
“It’s alright. Try again.” Yi Jeong tells her. This time however his hands guide hers, the moment feels a bit too intimate for Ga Eul and she squeezes the clay a bit to hard making specks of clay fly their way. Her face is hit by it as is the apron. Yi Jeong who is beside her looks surprised, clay on his own face and apron. There’s a moment of silence between them and them Yi Jeong’s shoulders start to shake and he laughs wholeheartedly, his laughter is contagious because soon enough Ga Eul herself is laughing. They move to the sink where Ga Eul cleans her hands and dries them on  the towel that’s been laid out for her she reaches to wipe her face. 
    Without thinking she reaches to do the same to Yi Jeong who was cleaning his own hands and becomes still at Ga Eul’s actions. There’s a look that crosses his eyes that makes Ga Eul’s heart beat fast again and she looks down.
“What’s this?”
Jumping, both Ga Eul and Yi Jeong turn to the door. There’s a woman standing there around their age if not a just a little older. She’s tall, thin, and beautiful reminding Ga Eul of a model. The woman smiles at them and makes her way toward them.
“You must be Ga Eul-yang. Yi Jeong’s mentioned you before. Has he ever mentioned me?”
    Maybe it’s the way that she speaks, the way the warmth in the room disappears, or even the fact that Yi Jeong’s entire body goes rigid and he stands in front of her almost protectively and takes Ga Eul’s hand in his so tightly. Whatever it is, it makes Ga Eul cautious more so at the coldness in Yi Jeong’s voice that frightens her.
“Eun Jae. What are you doing in here?”
“Il Hyun. He’s in here. And he has a guest.” Eun Jae speaks brightly. 
    There’s another person that walks in, the hold on Ga Eul’s hand tightens. He’s tall, with dark hair and he’s wearing a kind smile. Maybe it’s his eyes or the way he looks in general that tells Ga Eul that this is someone related to Yi Jeong.
“Hyung.” Yi Jeong speaks and Ga Eul watches as the other man walks toward Eun Jae placing an arm around her waist.
“Yi Jeong. We’ve been looking for you all day. You haven’t picked up. But I can see that your busy.” There’s no malice in the mans words if anything Ga Eul can sense some teasing and her cheeks flame at it.
“Who might this be?”
The grip on her hand tightens and there’s a look in Yi Jeong’s eyes of fear, pain; wanting to protect. 
    Ga Eul doesn’t understand what’s going on but she squeezes Yi Jeong’s hand right back and he relaxes.
“This is Ga Eul-yang,” Yi Jeong speaks and Ga Eul can only bow politely at the people in front of her.
“You’ve never brought anyone here.” Il Hyun speaks up his eyes sparkling.
“Anyways. We came to invite you for dinner tomorrow. Eun Jae’s parents are coming and mother and father both agreed to be there as well.”
“Sorry. I’ve already made plans. Goo Jun Pyo invited Ga Eul-yang and I to Caledonia for the next few days.” Yi Jeong speaks.
“Oh.”
“It’s pretty late already. I should take Ga Eul home.” Yi Jeong speaks.
    He doesn’t really give anyone more time to speak before he’s practically pulling Ga Eul out the door who quickly gets rid of the apron and barely manages to grab her things on the way out.  There’s nothing Ga Eul can say at the moment and frankly, Ga Eul is glad Yi Jeong is driving at a legal speed limit as he takes her home. There’s so much that seems to be running through her head from Yi Jeong’s reaction, to the woman Eun Jae’s now obvious double meanings to things. Ga Eul really doesn’t want to pry, she really doesn’t want to come to any sort of conclusion and wants to give Yi Jeong time to explain. 
    They finally come to a stop at her house and they both linger in the quiet.
“I’m sorry Ga Eul-yang. Things were going well and I ruined it again.”
“No you didn’t”
“I had a really good time. Everything was perfect from beginning to end.” She speaks to him honestly.
“I’m sorry about them. That was my older brother and his fiancée” Yi Jeong tells her.
Nodding quietly Ga Eul simply thinks that whatever hurt or pain, has been caused to Yi Jeong by these two people she wants him to forget. There’s a pain that fills her heart as she sees the shield around Yi Jeong’s heart back up again. Now that she’s seen who he truly is. Ga Eul hopes he can somehow stay that way.
“About Caledonia.” Yi Jeong continues.
“Goo Jun Pyo wants to invite you and Ariel on the trip. We’re leaving early tomorrow and. I know it’s last minute.”
“I’d have to ask my parent Sunbae.” Ga Eul tells him knowing that her parents will probably be upset with her for being out this late anyway.
“But I’ll ask and let you know” She tells him, her bags are placed in her lap and she remembers something important.
“I lied to you about today though.” Ga Eul tells him.
“At the mall, I didn’t really go to run errands for my mother. I just.”
    Reaching for a small blue bag Ga Eul hands it to Yi Jeong.
“I wanted to thank you for buying me the box today. And I couldn’t leave without getting you something. It’s not expensive and pretty cheap but I thought maybe you’d like it.” Ga Eul tells Yi Jeong who looks surprised but otherwise pulls out the small item. 
    Ga Eul had gone back to the small antique shop and browsed around for something. Inside there was a small scene. A couple was ice skating embracing each other and when the snow globe shook specks of snow fell around them. It seemed to be quite fitting now with what they’d done today though Ga Eul now felt herself blush.
“It’s from an old Disney movie. I don’t know if.”
“I’ve seen it.” Yi Jeong tells her.
“Jan Di and Jae Kyung would make us watch it with them. Jun Pyo would spend most of his time pulling his hair out in annoyance.” Yi Jeong recalled with a smile that made Ga Eul laugh lightly.
“Thank you Ga Eul-yang.” Yi Jeong spoke with a smile.
    Her heart is racing for some unknown reason and Yi Jeong is unbuckling her seatbelt for her. Their eyes meet and Ga Eul can’t seem to look away until she feels her face burning hot.
“Good night Ga Eul-yang.” Yi Jeong speaks kissing her cheek softly. Though stunned Ga Eul nods and whispers back a good night getting out of the car, her bags tightly in hand. She looks back at Yi Jeong who’s smiling back at her genuinely and when he drives away she falls to the ground. There’s a lack of air inside her lungs and she feels the place where he kissed her cheek. The door to her home opens and both her mother and father are looking at her with a frown.
“Did you have fun today sweetheart?” Her mother asks.
“You were supposed to be home hours ago.” Her father speaks.
    Whatever it is her parents are saying, it’s hard to listen when her heart is pounding out any other sound. Shaking her head when her mind flashes Yi Jeong’s face again Ga Eul reminds herself that they are only friends. The fluttering soon stops when she tells herself only one more week with Yi Jeong is left. 
***
Thank you everyone for waiting. Next chapter will be up soon!