Chapter 12: Tests

                Hong Jun paced the floor as he panicked. It had been 20 minutes, wasn’t she done already? The doorknob jiggled. His heart stopped. She came out of the bathroom. “Well?” he asked. She bit her lip, holding up the stick. It was negative.

                “My grandmother told me that I should go to the doctor in a couple weeks and get tested there, just in case.” He nodded.

                “Sounds like a good idea.” He shook his head. “How the hell…” Ga In blushed.

                “You got kinda wasted….and I didn’t bother to stop you.” Her face was cherry red. Hong Jun twirled about dramatically. If she weren’t a woman, he’d punch her in the face.

                “You, you  !” he cried, making fists. She shrugged.

                “Hey, you came onto me. I just, let it happen.” She said. His face grew red as anger bubbled up within him.

                “Whatever. I’m leaving.” He said, gathering up his things.

                “Wait! Hong Jun, don’t leave!” she pulled on his shirt. He took a deep breath, and grabbed her wrist, throwing it off of him.

                “No, leave me alone! I can’t believe you did that! You knew that wasn’t what I wanted, and you let it happen anyway. You are so….irresponsible!” he cried. Ga In bowed her head. “I have to go to school,” he said, slamming the door on his way out. Ga In sat upon her bed.

                She heard a knock at the door. Hopeful that it was Hong Jun, she jumped up. “Come in!” she called. Her sister, Eun Hye came in.

                “How are you doing?” she said, smoothing her hair as Ga In leaned on her shoulder. She sighed.

                “Not so great, he’s mad at me.” Her sister gave her a half smile.

                “Perhaps, you shouldn’t have done that then.” Ga In’s lip quivered.

                “At the time, I was just glad he wanted to be with me. He told me he liked me, and that he really did want to be with me. I just didn’t take into account the fact, that, that…”

                “That he was wasted out of his mind, that even though what he said might be true, that he might regret his actions the next morning if you two went too far?” she asked. Ga In burst into tears.

                “What if he leaves, and I am actually pregnant? I’ll be an unwed teenage mother, the laughingstock of Seoul!” she cried. Her sister patted her head.

                “I don’t think he’s like that. Besides, right now, the test is negative. You have nothing to worry about.” She said soothingly.

                “Except being alone!” Ga In lamented. Eun Hye rolled her eyes. Ga In could be so dramatic sometimes.

*****

                Hee Sun sat in her room sulking. She was to go out on another date with Junsu today. She loathed him. He was so polite. And nice. It irked her so. She wanted to punch him in the face, and see if he was still smiling then. A knock came to her door.

                “Come in.” she said. Baek Hi opened the door and entered, carrying a teal blue dress and a white sun hat.

                “Your mother said that you should get ready with your date with Mr. Park this afternoon.” She said. Hee Sun rolled her eyes.

                “I don’t wish to see him. He’s dreadfully boring, thank you very much.” Baek Hi sighed. She was slipping back into the chit of a girl she once knew. She set the dress on her desk and sat next to her.

                “My dear, pouting will do you no good.” She said. Hee Sun sighed. There was another knock on her door. Her little brother, Baekkyoung poked his head in the room.

                “Noona?” he asked. He stepped into her room, and stood at the door.

                “What is it, Baekkyoung?” she felt bad that she had not given him a second thought for months. She was so busy with her own life, she didn’t think twice about her little brother.

                “Where is that guy you were hanging out with all the time?” he asked. “He was cool.” Hee Sun rolled her eyes.

                “And what does that make me?” she asked.

                “…Lame.” He grinned sheepishly as he hid behind Baek Hi. Hee Sun grimaced and stuck out her tongue.

                “Real mature, Noona.” He shot back, sticking out his own tongue from behind the protection of Baek Hi. “Anyway, where is he?” he asked. She shrugged.

                “I made a mistake, and he won’t be coming around any longer.” She sighed. Baekkyoung thought for a moment.

                “Why don’t you just apologize?” he suggested. Hee Sun shook her head.

                “I already did that. I’m afraid that the damage I’ve done is un-fixable.” She bent her head in shame. She had been terrible. Whether Ji Yeon had done anything or not, she shouldn’t have gone off like that. She was his friend. She should have seen this coming. It’s probably what she had wanted anyway. And now, this new Lexy girl was in the mix. She was Heejun’s girlfriend now.  

She wished she had gone about things differently. She wished that she could turn back time, and take back everything that she had done at that moment, and the times that followed. She wanted to take it all back. She wanted him back.

Baek Hi ushered Baekkyoung out of the room, telling him it was best that he leave so that they could finish talking in private. She sat back down on the bed, patting Hee Sun on the shoulder.

Hee Sun turned to Baek Hi. “You were right Baek Hi, Karma’s a , and I’ve been dealt a heavy hand.” Baek Hi gave her a sad smile.

“Well, you were always rather unkind to Miss Yoo,” she said. “These repercussions are just a natural occurrence. Cause and effect, you might say.” Hee Sun rested her head in her hands.

“I don’t want to go,” she said, a tear trickling down her cheek.

“And I don’t want to force you, but if you don’t get ready, your mother will have both our heads.” She said, lifting the dress. Hee Sun sighed, and reluctantly stood up.

*****

Heejun sat in the hospital bed, still recovering from his injuries. Lexy had gone off to fetch them lunch. Ayaka, Ji Yeon and Yoon Jae sat in the room with him. Ayaka, Ji Yeon and Lexy had already been cleared to go home. He and Yoon Jae, on the other hand, were still stuck in the hospital for a few more days.

“What do you think F4 is up to?” asked Yoon Jae.

“Dying slow, horrible deaths, I hope.” Said Ji Yeon spitefully. Ayaka giggled, and then looked down at her feet.

“Sorry, that wasn’t quite appropriate.” She said. Yoon Jae shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s not like anything is going to happen to them anyway,” he said. “They’re F4, they do what they want, when they want, and no one reprimands them because of their parents’ money.” He said. A knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Heejun answered. Chaerin, Yuna and Ga In stepped into the room. The others sulked, looking away from them. Heejun, on the other hand, sat up tall.

“What do you want?” he asked. “Haven’t you guys done enough damage?” he asked. They all bowed their heads in shame.

“We came to apologize.” Said Chaerin. The others nodded.

“What we did was wrong, from the very beginning.” Yuna said. 

“You were right Heejun, we weren’t thinking for ourselves.” Ga In added.

“So what, now you’ve all turned over new leaves?” he scoffed. “A bit late, ain’t it?” he said, motioning to the damage they had done. Chaerin nodded.

“It’s true, we can’t undo what’s already been done, but we can prevent more from happening.” She said. Ji Yeon stood up, adjusting her arm. She came face to face with Chaerin, and slapped her across the face.

“If you go back on your word, and you hurt any of them ever again, I will set my own hench-people on you, and you’ll get a very bitter taste of your own medicine.” The three girls nodded. “Swear it!”

“We swear.” The mumbled in unison. “Wait!” cried Chaerin. Ji Yeon turned back around.

“Why were you plotting against Hee Sun? I heard you and her,” she said, motioning to Ayaka. “In Japan. Why would you do that to Heejun?” she turned to him, and she turned back to Chaerin.

“She was using him from the beginning. Did you see the way she pounced on me? From just a rumor, that I knew you’d tell her if I let something ‘suspicious’ slip. I knew very well what she would do. I just hoped she wouldn’t, that she actually had changed. But she hadn’t. She’s still the same spiteful girl she’s always been, and I’m not going to let her use my friends to get away from her mother.” She said, turning to Heejun.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you Heejun, but I’m not going to let her use you guys. She needs to learn to deal with her life on her own.” A tear ran down her face. “I’m not going to let her use you, or anyone else again.” She said.

Heejun nodded in understanding. He should be mad at Ji Yeon. Her lie ruined a relationship that he and Hee Sun were working very hard to keep together. But she had a point. She had been using him to get back at her mother. That, he thought, was her intention all along. But he wanted to know, did she really ever love him? Was all she told him a lie? Was it all for naught? Another knock rang at the door. Ga In opened it, to reveal Lexy, walking in with a tray of food.

“Um…hello~.” She said, rolling the cart in. she turned to Chaerin, and then Ji Yeon. Shooting her a look as if to say, ‘What the hell is going on here?’ Ji Yeon nodded her over to Heejun, shooting back a look as if to respond, ‘I’ll tell you later.’ Lexy nodded, and smiled as she wheeled the tray over to their other friends. Ji Yeon turned to the other girls.

“So, what are your intentions from here on out?” she asked. Yuna cleared .

“Well, right now, we’re just focused on protecting the other guys,” she said, looking over at Heejun. “We may not be willing to help Hee Sun if she has another spiteful whim, but there are plenty of other people who are.” Ji Yeon nodded.

“Fine then.” She turned to the others, and back to them. “Well, are you going to come and sit, or sit there looking like lawn ornaments?” she asked. Chaerin, Yuna and Ga In looked at each other and smiled. It was nice to know that they no longer had to worry about whether they had to hurt their new friends or not any longer. But what of Hee Sun?

*****

Taeyeon and Jaejoong sat awkwardly across from each other in the parlor of his parents’ mansion. They were supposed to be going through colors and such for their wedding. It was only a few weeks away.

“So, um…my mother suggested the puce, um…table covers.” Offered Taeyeon. Jaejoong nodded awkwardly. Taeyeon shook her head. This was getting ridiculous. “What kind of color is puce, anyway?” she asked. “Reminds me of vomit.” Jaejoong couldn’t stifle his giggle. “And it’s so bland, why not yellow, or blue?”

“Or heliotrope?” Jaejoong offered. Taeyeon laughed at the silliness of it all.

“What kind of color is that?” she asked.

“A reddish lavender.” He replied. She smiled broadly. Jaejoong thought it quite becoming of her. She looked at the list again. She began crossing things off and rewriting things.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Making this our wedding.” She said. He smiled. She was quite bold. He had never met another girl quite like her, and glad of it. One bold woman was all he could handle.

“So, what exactly are you changing?” he asked.

“I think the table covers should be yellow, and the flower arrangements should be, pink pansies, lilacs, bluebells, and tiger lilies. To brighten up the place. If it keeps going the way our parents’ want it, it’s going to be a frightfully dull wedding. I don’t need my friends thinking that I’ve become some sort of prude just because I’m marrying you.”

“You know what else you should change?” he asked, sternly. She looked up from her list, examining him quizzically.

“What?” she asked.

“A dj. I can’t stand classical piano. It’s such a bore.” She laughed as she wrote down his suggestion.

“Indeed. No better than violin.” She offered. They both laughed as they went through the list and changed what they pleased. As they finished, they gave the list one last looking-over. They smiled at each other.

“What do you think now?” asked Taeyeon. Jaejoong smiled.

“Lovely. This, will be a wedding worth talking about.” He said, gathering up his things.

“Where are we going now?” she asked. He smiled.

“To meet with my cousins, Changmin, Yunho and Yoochun. Don’t worry; they aren’t frightfully as boring as they seemed last. I did however fail to mention that you weren’t a prude,” she playfully punched him in the arm.

“I’ll gladly help you remember next time.” She chided as they walked off.

*****

Alex and Hyorin sat upon the grass, blowing dandelions across the lake. It was warm and sunny. Hyorin blushed as Alex picked a flower and placed it in her hair. “You look quite lovely, my lady,” she said, taking Hyorin’s hand in her own. Hyorin blushed.

“I can’t, my knight, for I am trapped by a horrid beast, whom cannot be vanquished.” She said, throwing her hand over her forehead dramatically.

“Tell me, fair maiden, what dost thou calleth this beast?”

“My mother.” They dissolved into a fit of giggles, rolling around on the grass until they are out of breath.

“That was an interesting wedding, wasn’t it?” asked Alex, speaking of Yuna’s. Hyorin nodded.

“I expected for something to go amiss, but I figured someone would slip on their dress, or pants would fall down. Not that the groom would run away with Yuna’s art instructor from Japan!” she cried. Alex held onto her hand.

“It’s nice though; that he didn’t trap them in a marriage and make either of the three of them suffer.” She said. Hyorin looked over at Alex.

“I’m sorry, I was 18, and what was I supposed to do?” she asked. Alex looked back at her.

“Fight for me. Tell her how much I meant to you, something. Anything. Anything you could have said or done, would have been better than the years I spent without you.” Hyorin turned over, kissing her gently.

“We’re together now, and that’s all that matters to me.” She said. Alex closed her eyes and gripped Hyorin’s hand.

“I hope it stays that way.” She said. Hyroin wrapped her arms around her.

“It will. I promise.”

“Promises can be broken,” Alex said, sitting up. Hyorin too sat up, picking grass out of her hair.

“You don’t trust me?” she asked. Alex shook her head.

“It’s not that, I just want a guarantee.” She said, reaching into her pocket. She opened a small box and set it into Hyorin’s hands. “Marry me.” Hyorin covered in surprise. Was this really happening?

“Really?” she asked. Alex nodded.

“I never want to lose you again.” She said, offering her the ring once more. Hyorin nodded.

“Of course I’ll marry you Alex!”  She let her slide the ring onto her finger, and then threw her arms around Alex’s neck, tossing them both onto the grass.

“I love you, Hyorin.”

“I love you too, Alex.”

*****

Chaerin and Yuna waited outside the door for Ga In to finish her appointment. They didn’t want to sit out in the waiting room, but Ga In wanted to do this alone, so they compromised.

“So, what do you think will happen if it’s positive?” she asked. Chaerin shrugged.

“I never asked. I don’t think she’d get an abortion. Do you think she’d put it up for adoption?” she asked. Yuna shrugged.

“It would be a pretty good excuse to marry Hong Jun.” Chaerin offered. “You know how sweet she is on him.” Yuna nodded. She didn’t think that would be the case, but who knows with Ga In, really?

“I never thought that she would be the first to get pregnant, to be honest. Or get pregnant at all.” She said, blinking in surprise. They jumped as the nurse opened the door.

“You may go in now,” she said. They came in cautiously. Ga In was looking down at the floor.

“Ga In, are you okay?” asked Yuna, coming around to look at her. She half looked about if she were about to cry and be sick at the same time.

“Ga In?” asked Chaerin, putting her hand on her shoulder.

“I’m pregnant.”

END OF CHAPTER 12