Next few days passed, without anything been spoken between Yi Jung and Woo Bin about the latter’s drunken confession. The Song heir did not remember wholly what had happened that night, after he reached his best friend’s house for comfort. And, Yi Jung did not know how to assimilate the fact that history was repeating itself, bringing love between friendship in the life of F4.

Yi Jung had been working on his masterpiece for days. It was coming out somewhat closer to what his had envisioned, yet something was conspicuously missing from it. He thanked his fate, that this would somehow keep him away from the disconcerting thoughts of his heart matters. With experience and maturity, Yi Jung had changed his way of working. Unlike old days, when he would flaunt his artistry to his admirers and be surrounded by girls swooning over him, now, he preferred to shut himself out of the world while giving form to his artistic imaginations.

“Oh no, not again!” he cried out in frustration, as the clay dough on the potter wheel came out in a different shape than the one he wanted.

He held his forehead and sighed. Maybe, he was not as unaffected by the thoughts lurking in the depth of his minds, as he was expecting them to be.

“Sir, you have a visitor,” announced his butler at the door.

“You know I do not meet anyone during my work hours,” muttered Yi Jung without looking up.

“Ok, I will ask the lady with the kid to leave then,” replied the butler bowing his head.

“What? Lady with a kid?” asked Yi Jung in surprise, and hurried out of his studio to the living area.

There he saw Ga Eul waiting with his nephew Young Jin. His face immediately brightened up.

“Ga Eul! Why didn’t you call me? I could have picked you and Young-ie,” he spoke, taking his nephew from her arms.

“Seo Hyun unnie and Il Hyun oppa dropped us here. They went to a movie, it was a last-minute plan. So, I asked them to drop us here. I hope we are not disturbing you?” she asked hesitantly.

“Of course not, Ga Eul. Please come in.”

He took them to his studio. Young Jin was excited to see all the artifacts strewn around. He almost clambered down from Yi Jung’s arms and picked up a small figurine from the floor and started playing with it.

“Whoa kiddo, you are very fast. But, have fun playing with it,” commented Yi Jung with a smile.

“As long as he does not put it in his mouth,” spoke Ga Eul and knelt beside the toddler.

Yi Jung quietly walked to his potter’s wheel and absorbed the view in front. Lately, this view was the closest to his heart. Ga Eul’s motherly affection towards his beloved nephew. When Young Jin’s tiny hands caressed Ga Eul’s soft cheeks while blabbering in gibberish, Yi Jung could not help but capture it in his phone. He would cherish this moment in his solitude.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

It had been almost a week since Ha Jin’s return from Cambodia. The first two days went out in haze. She did not know how she managed to come back home from the airport, and cooped herself in her bedroom. All she remembered was the ache in her heart and tears in her eyes.

Following her initial realization at the airport after Ji Hoo’s last words to her, that she had indeed fallen in love with Ji Hoo irrevocably, a severe quiver had passed down her body. His words kept ringing in her ears throughout the flight.

“And Ha Jin…it’s just that…let’s not fall in love…”

“…let’s not fall in love…”

“…let’s not fall in love…”

Could she have been more brazen than this to that perfect gentleman, who had always respected and cared for her as a friend? Could she have been more foolish than this to think all his generosities as ways of expressing his interest in her?

How could I be so stupid and shameless to throw myself to Ji Hoo, when he had repeatedly made it clear to me that none other than Jan Di could reside in his heart? Is this all because of my disobedience?

She recalled her parents’ words from her childhood.

“People who disobey their parents, god punishes them severely.”

“I am sorry Abeoji, Eomoni. I should have just followed your words and learnt to be happy with So Bin. How could I be so vicious to think of teaching So Bin a lesson for his insolence, when I was the one being disloyal to him? Forgive me Eomoni, Abeoji. Forgive me So Bin. Forgive me Ji Hoo. I am a mean, stupid and vicious human being. I don’t even deserve your forgiveness,” she babbled in her tears, before slowly surrendering to exhaustion and sleep.

On her third day of incessant lament and regret, she forced herself to wake up and get ready for work. At work, she barely spoke to anyone, and carried out all the orders of her manager, without any complaints. By the end of the week, her team members started calling her a zombie, as she moved around the office with an expressionless face.

Ha Jin drove back home after work, and on entering she looked around the empty house.

Come back home Eomoni-Abeoji. I am missing you.

She dropped her bag and keys and walked towards her room lifelessly, when her phone started ringing. She paused for a moment before taking her phone out of her bag. The screen flashed So Bin’s name.

“Hello,” she spoke softly.

“Hey, my sweetheart. It’s been quite long since we spoke last. How are you doing? Missing me?” spoke So Bin jovially.

Suddenly, his happy note struck Ha Jin hard. And, she broke down in tears.

“Ha Jin! What’s the matter Ha Jin? Are you ok?” asked So Bin, flustered by her response.

“I…I am just lonely. I miss mom and dad. I am sorry, So Bin. It’s nothing,” she mumbled, wiping her tears.

“Did you call them and ask them to come back?” he asked.

“No, they are with grandma, taking care of her,” she replied.

There was a long pause.

“I am sorry Ha Jin,” he spoke slowly.

“Sorry? For what?” she asked.

“For being hard on you and delaying our wedding. I…I miss you. It would have been so nice to have you with me here,” he spoke cautiously.

It had taken him only a couple of weeks to realize how foolish and headstrong he had been in mistreating Ha Jin and her family. Albeit, the realization came only after he felt how lonely he was in this foreign land, surrounded by strangers. But, his mammoth ego would not allow him to acknowledge that, until he heard Ha Jin’s quivering voice over the phone.

He could have enjoyed his time in New York a lot more, with Ha Jin by his side.

A lone tear rolled down Ha Jin’s cheek as she stared at the wall in front of her.

“Ha Jin, go to one of your friends’ place, or call them to come to you.”

“Ok, I will do that, So Bin. Take care of your health. See you soon,” she said and disconnected the call.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Young Jin had fallen asleep on Ga Eul’s lap, as she held him close to her. Soon, Seo Hyun and her husband came back from the movi