rattled
feeling nervous, worried, or irritated

Of all that was right and holy... He had never been affected so much acting opposite of anyone.

But then again, Ga Eul Chu had always turned his life all the way around and upside-down. Even since he first met her...

Four years ago...

"Sunbae... excuse me for being so forward, but your sound... It seems stiff."

Yi Jeong froze, turning to examine the girl before him. Stiff? STIFF?! No one dared call his music anything besides incredible. Or wonderful. Or awe-inspiring. He was, after all, the top pianist in the entire area. His technique was unmatched, even by the third-years. Even professional judges commended him.

But this arrogant, unseemly student—a junior high third-year, by the looks of her uniform—said his sound was STIFF.

"Excuse me if you don't know anything about music," he muttered, and turned back to the Yamaha grand.

"I just thought I should tell you," the junior higher said meekly. He could swear on Beethoven's grave that she was the ugliest human being he had ever laid eyes on. That stupid nose, those stupid eyes, that stupid chin, that stupid hair that looked so soft he wanted to touch i—

No. No, no, no, no, NO.

"You're a junior high student," he snorted. "What do you know?"

And she only bowed her head and went on her way.

But her comment pounded itself into his mind. It kept him up at night, replaying in his brain like a dirty CD. "Your sound... It seems stiff. Your sound... It seems stiff. Your sound... It seems stiff."

So he found her. It wasn't difficult, given his father's connections. He found her, and he cornered her.

"Tell me why my sound is stiff!" he demanded.

She only looked up at his face and gently touched the tips of her fingers against his chest.

"That," she said, "is why. Here... is cold."

And she bowed her head and went on her way.

He was still confused, so he decided to pay the junior high winter concert a visit. She was playing there, after all, and maybe he could figure out what she meant if he surveyed her playing.

He almost laughed aloud when her turn came. She obviously had no clue what she was talking about. She had only been playing the violin for a few years, so although she played the notes in tune and could use vibrato, she was no master of her instrument.

But then... something hit him.

Something within her playing was drawing him. Something he couldn't describe.

Something his playing had never given people...

Ga Eul refused to look up from her knees, even with Jan Di's prodding voice.

"You did really well, Ga Eul. The people were in." She could practically hear the comforting smile. "I didn't know you could ad lib."

Ga Eul said nothing.

"Ga Eul, at least get up from the hallway? People are going to be leaving soon."

Nothing.

"Let's go back to the dorms. Get something to eat?"

Nothing.

"What about drinking?"

Nothing.

"I even video-taped the thing, if you want to look at it—"

"Burn it."

"Ga Eul-ah!"

Nothing.

"Miss Geum, if I may?"

"Who are you?"

Ga Eul frowned at the unfamiliar voice, but didn't look up.

"Let me talk to her, please."

"Go ahead."

"...Alone?"

"Not a chance."

Ga Eul forced herself to lift her head. She was looking straight at a tousled head of brown hair and a set of warm eyes. 

"Hello, Miss Chu. Allow me to introduce myself." The newcomer gently took her hand and drew her to her feet. "I'm Woo Bin."

It was half an hour after the performance, and Yi Jeong had to keep on chanting It was acting, it was acting, it was just acting, holy cow I didn't even know Ga Eul could act, she even made me forget I was my character, but those words, she didn't mean it, it was acting, it was acting, it was acting...

To other people, her performance might have not been remarkable, but they hadn't been given such time-constraining ad lib before. She rolled with it like a pro... well, except for the very end. But that would come with experience.

Experience...

Yi Jeong slumped against the back of the auditorium, a hand cradling his forehead. He couldn't deny that, for the past two years, he'd started to feel something more for the petite freshman than just friendship. In fact, by this time, he might even go so far as to say he was... in like with her. Strongly in like with her. She was completely clueless, of course, but she was Ga Eul. So wise about some things, so innocent about others.

Yi Jeong wasn't even paying any attention to the stage. Auditionees came and went, blowing past like dandelion fluff on the wind. None stuck out in his mind; none except Ga Eul.

I can't take this.

He had to see how she was feeling. Having a nervous breakdown in front of so many people couldn't be healthy. 

Yi Jeong slipped out the door and strode down the hallway, softly whistling between his teeth. He should apologize for dragging her onstage... But he wasn't really sorry. Her true talents were all there, all out in the open, and there was no doubt Mrs. Kang would—

He stopped short.

There, right in front of him, was another boy.

A boy his age.

Who was one second away from kissing his Ga Eul.

(In case you haven't noticed already, the world is quite AU... Yi Jeong and Ga Eul have been best friends for three years, Jan Di and Jun Pyo hate each other, F4 doesn't exist... and Woo Bin is becoming a romantic competitor for Ga Eul. I actually like Woo Bin, but for the sake of this SoEul story there might be slight bashing, although I'll try to make him 3-D.)