Yoona and Ga Eul went home. Yoona was happy. Ga Eul was not. She was straight-faced and looked occupied.

 

“Ga Eul, are you okay? Don’t worry, he’s just…he’s just…well, I didn’t like his attitude lately.”

 

Ga Eul didn’t answer.

 

Ga Eul’s POV

Here you go Ga Eul, this is what you wanted right? You think it’s better this way? No no… IT IS better this way… Yoona’s totally happy now. I just want her to be happy, that’s all. Don’t mind it, he’s just surprised to see you, that’s all. He just doesn’t know what to say.

END OF POV

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Ga Eul couldn’t sleep at night, she can’t forget what had just happen. She can’t stop thinking about him, she can’t forget him. Yoona, on the other hand was staring at her cell phone. Waiting for HIS call…

 

“You think he’ll call me?” Yoona said.

 

Ga Eul heard her. She smiled seeing her friend happy, it was Yoona’s first time to be in love. She got up and switched on the lights.

 

“My best friend is in love…scratch that, head-over-heels in love with Prince Song…” she smiled faintly.

 

“Ga Eul, I’ve never ever felt like this before. You know, I wanted to sleep but every time I close my eyes, he’s all I see, he’s all I can ever think of. I don’t know why…” she said smiling.

 

“I get it, you’re in love and he’s in love with you too.” Ga Eul replied coldly. She’s not in the mood, obviously.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Next day…

 

“Ga Eul, wake up! I’ll go ahead okay? I’ll be late for class.” Yoona said but Ga Eul didn’t even move a muscle.

 

Her class was 1 o’clock in the afternoon and it was already 12 noon when she woke up. She’s not even in the mood to go to school.

 

She lazily grabbed her towel and took a bath. She didn’t even care what time it is already. Not even a glance at the clock.

 

At school…

 

“Hey princess…”

 

Yoona stood frozen when she heard the voice calling behind her.

 

“What should I do…what should I do…” she murmured to herself.

 

She gathered all the confidence she needed and faced him.

 

“Hi, and you are?” she said. Woo Bin and Yi Jung gazed at each other.

 

“Nice joke, maknae.” She tapped Yoona’s head and walked away. Woo Bin, on the contrary, looked amused with Yoona’s baffled appearance. She was like what-are-you-staring-at kind of look.

 

“Mind if I tour you around?” Woo Bin charmingly offered.

 

Yoona just nodded.

 

Meanwhile… Ga Eul arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon and is very very late for her class. Pottery.

 

She hurriedly walked past the lobby to the studio. She can hear the reverberation of the wheels turning simultaneously, she can smell the clay being molded. She was thinking how Yi Jung would look like while molding clay.

 

She entered the door and seated at the very last available position near the cupboards. She can see everyone very busy with their own styles in making their piece, so she put on her apron and started doing her own. She looked all over the place for Eun Jae but she wasn’t there.

 

“Maybe she went out…” Ga Eul uttered.

 

She continued molding hers, she was a bit smiling, and she was trying to copy the pot in her painting (*which was made by the man who once held the pottery class in school).

 

(*if you don’t know remember, read the previous chapter)

 

“You need to work on that wrist.”

 

She stopped. She panicked. She knew it. She knows who said that. She knows it was HIM. There could be no other than HIM.

 

She looked at him.

 

“Sunbae…” she said warmly.

 

He looked at her for a moment and held both her hands, teaching her how to hold the clay without exerting too much pressure.

 

Instead of NOT EXERTING TOO MUCH FORCE, she was even more trembling when he touched her hand. She was out of words and just looked at him while he continued teaching her.

 

It was 3 o’clock.

 

“Okay everyone, that’s all for today, see you again tomorrow.”

 

Ga Eul was still sitting at her place trying to finish her work due to her distraction throughout the whole period. But she failed to do so, her mind wasn’t focused, she wasn’t even looking at her work but her eyes are fixed on one subject only – HIM.

 

Yi Jung was about to leave but she stopped him. YES, she stopped him.

 

“Sunbae…”

 

“Yes? Anything you want?” He replied immediately.

 

“Where’s Eun Jae-sunbae…”

 

“I forgot, I will handle this class from now on, since she’s not able to teach here anymore.”

 

Then he tried to turn back when she stopped him….AGAIN.

 

“Sunbae…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Why?”

 

Yi Jung stopped. He didn’t want to face her because if he did, he knew he’ll do it again. He’ll fall for her…again. He acted coldly.

 

“What do you mean why?”

 

“Why are you acting like this…”

 

Bang. That was it. That was the question he was trying to avoid. He was trying to get rid of his personal connections to Ga Eul, so that both of them won’t be hurt…again. But she opened it, she started it… He faced her, looked her in the eye.

 

“Why I’m acting like this? Is there anything you want to know?”

 

“Why are you acting like you actually don’t me? Like you never liked me… like you never loved me…”

 

She avoided his stare and looked at the other direction instead.

 

“Love? Ga Eul-yang, do you even know what that is?”

 

“Sunbae...i’m serious. Why? Woo Bin’s been entirely the same to Yoona. Whether she’s blind or not, he’s still that warm and sweet to her. But… I was wondering why you suddenly changed.”

 

“Ya, you should ask yourself why I’m acting like this. Did Yoona pushed him away when things were getting difficult? When we were in Macau, did she blame him for what had happened? I don’t think so, you want to know why? Because she trusted him…she fought for him. She was being true to her feelings.”

 

“Sunbae, I wasn’t trying to…”

 

“You’re the first one I ever fell TRULY in love with. You hurt me the most…” he meant that.

 

“Sunbae…I tried to tell you how I fe…”

 

“I gave my all Ga Eul, I fought for us…but you, never fought for me. I was afraid of committing the same mistake my father did. He never loved my mother until it was too late to say so. She died. My father regrets it and I don’t want to end up like him. I tried Ga Eul, I tried… It’s not even easy for me to say and open up myself in front of you. I did everything I could because I’m afraid that…maybe one day…it will…it will be too late for everything. I realized how stupid my father had been for hiding what he really felt for my mother and I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want to lose you Ga Eul, not now..not later…Not forever…”

 

His eyes where fixed on her. He sat down and so did she oppositely facing him. She held her unfinished project in her hand and looked at it…

 

“Sunbae, there was one person I could remember after hearing your point. It was kind of the same situation as your father. I took pottery class because he inspired me that much. He spent most of his time in the studio making the pot… for his wife.”

 

Yi Jung looked at her as she took something from her bag.

 

“Well, this is just a picture of it. The original painting is in the arts center. I thought it was a masterpiece. I really liked it. He wouldn’t let me paint it at first, but I insisted…”

 

Yi Jung eyed the picture, his eyes screaming with anger.

 

“Where did you get this.”

 

“Ya, are you even listening? I said I painted it.”

 

“The pot.” He said coldly, sounding impatient.

 

“I told you, I took the class because the man who made that inspired me but sadly after a few weeks after I enrolled in this class, he was replaced by Eun Jae-sunbae without any reason. He said that this pot was made of anger and regrets…and sorrows. He never had the chance to give it or even show it to his wife because she passed away. I know how you’re feeling sunbae… you’re afraid you’ll hurt the one you love…like your father…like that man who made this. Scared that one day, you’ll leave them or they’ll leave you…but that ahjussi told me that we should not hide from what we really feel because one day they might get tired looking for us. So you should tell them how you really feel before it’s too late…”

 

“Appa…”

 

“What?”

 

“The person who made this pot is my father…”

 

“Sunbae…”

 

“After mom passed away, he gave this to me but I broke it because of hatred and anger. He always hurts my mom and dated different women while she’s in the hospital. I hated him…so much. My brother abandoned our family and started on his own. But I knew he was just afraid that he can’t return back the love mom had given…”

 

“But…but how did that happen…how did…”

 

“Now I know why he sent me back here… to let me realize the mistakes he has done and for me to learn from his experience. But why of all people did it involve you?”

 

“Because…maybe He knows I can understand you and love you despite your differences in life.”

 

Yi Jung looked at her for a moment. She held his hand. She looked at him, smiling. His hands were cold.

 

“Ga Eul…”

 

“Sunbae…” she was waiting for this moment. To finally tell him she loves him.

 

“But Ga Eul…i…”

 

“Sunbae…”

 

“I stopped loving you already…”

 

“Sunbae… what are you talking about???” she felt a fist squeezing her heart for a moment.

 

“I stopped loving you already. I’m tired. But at least I don’t have anything to regret because I did everything, I gave my all… It’s just that…it’s never gonna work out. No matter how hard you try, it’s always up to the other person to accept or not your effort. But no matter what, you’re still a part of me...”

 

His words struck her like a lightning. She was dead. Not literally, but emotionally. Now her hands are even colder than his. He felt it. She was still holding his hand in his lap. He tried to squeez her hand but she refused and stood up instead. He knew how she was feeling as he can feel the pain twice than her.

 

It even doubled his pain when he saw that single tear flowing on her left cheek. Her eyes wandering around, trying to stop herself from breaking, trying to avoid his hurtful stares. He is really good in hiding, she can’t even tell if this is a joke or not. I guess it’s not.

 

But she failed. She cried in front of him. She can’t hold back her feelings. She’s just not good with it.

 

He hugged her. She cried even more.

 

“Don’t cry in front of me, I’m not worthy of your tears, I’m not your boyfriend.”

 

He left.

 

OUCH. It hurts but indeed it’s true. He is not her boyfriend and what is either way around. She didn’t even tell him she liked him…not once. It was all her fault. Too late, right? So what’s the point of crying now when in fact it was her choice to avoid him? Is she starting to feel something now?

 

Ga Eul’s POV

Is it too late now? I didn’t even expect the one regretting now is me. If only I realized earlier that I love him…wait…LOVE? Yes, I do. If only I told him I like him, I love him, I missed him. If only I swallowed my pride and confessed my feelings for him? Then it wouldn’t turn out like this. My heart is like breaking…into pieces. Sunbae…did you really stopped loving me? Or is it just a dream?

 

END OF POV
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Poster from AAC.^^ Thanks