Chapter 1

"Are you sure? Are you really really really sure about this?"

Jan Di sounded nervous. And concerned. Her eyebrows were curled at the center of her forehead and her cheeks were puffed up, Ga Eul was sure of it. She knew that much, even if Jan Di was only on the phone because, well, they've been best friends for as long as any of them could remember.

"You know I'm not sure," Ga Eul said dejectedly, as she tried to balance her phone on one hand, and her bag on the other arm while trying to scan her surroundings, looking at numbers on the gates of the houses, trying to find one specifically. "But, I don't know... I just want to try. If I get in trouble, I'll handle the consequences myself."

"Ga Eul, I know you want to show your parents that you're independent and whatnot, but this is black market!"

"It's not! The client sounded sane. Professional even," Ga Eul said, her attention divided to find the house and to contradict whatever Jan Di was telling her, and she wasn't doing a good job at the latter, because whatever Jan Di was saying was everything the back of her mind was telling her.

"You found this information on the internet," Jan Di said like it was the worst source of information in the world, and part of Ga Eul agreed, especially about jobs. Jobs found on the internet were more or less deceitful, with less information anyone would want to know, and to gain access to the information, you had to make direct contact with the person who posted the job, which was what Ga Eul did despite Jan Di's attempts to discourage her.

The man who met her looked far better than professional. He looked... immaculate, if that was even a proper term to describe a person in black. His eyes were calculating like he was analyzing her every move, and although he looked very secretive, Ga Eul knew that she wasn't applying to a hoax. Or at least, that's what she's been telling herself the last few days.

"I told you I'm fine. It'll take me, what? 2-3 hours in here and then I'll be off!" The second I know, or even suspect, something's out of place, I'll ran like an ostrich out of there," Ga Eul said, sounding more confident and determined than how she actually felt.

She could hear Jan Di's exasperation over the line. "Ga Eulie, you might be already shipped to Africa and you still wouldn't suspect anything as long as they'll be smiling at you."

Ga Eul rolled her eyes. "If you're referring to that one incident in third grade..."

"Exactly what I'm referring to!"

"We were in third grade!"

"You were this close to getting kidnapped and killed!"

"I was not!" Ga Eul countered, putting all the emphasis she could muster on a single word, but in the end, she knew Jan Di was right. "And you wouldn't have known they were going to kill me!" When Jan Di answered with silence, she added, "They had candy! And I was in third grade! Geum Jan Di, you've been bullying me for candy until high school!"

"Ga Eulie, I'm just saying..."

Ga Eul sighed, understanding Jan Di being the overprotective best friend that she is. "I know, Jan Di. But I'm a big girl now. I'll take care of myself, I promise." When Jan Di didn't answer, Ga Eul pulled the last ace she had from her cards. "I'll make you a deal. If today didn't work out well, I won't return on Wednesday."

"Define 'didn't work out well'," Jan Di said, but Ga Eul could already feel the nudge from her best friend's strong will.

"Like they don't give me snacks, or they don't smile too much. Or they negotiate for the pay. Or they are just really hard to teach. Or they offer me candy to get inside a suspicious-looking van."

"Or you get lost and don't find the house..."

Ga Eul frowned and began looking more earnestly for the house again. "Alright," she said slowly. "That works, too."

She could feel Jan Di cave when the heavy I-know-I-can't-convince-you-anymore sigh came. "Alright, Ga Eul. I put my full trust in you."

Ga Eul smiled, and turned the next street. "Is that a 'Deal'?"

"Yes," Jan Di said, although she sounded very dejected.

"You should have done that a long... wait, I think I found..."

Her voice trailed off when her eyes, although distracted, landed on the the three numbers that marked the gate of the house she was supposed to find. She narrowed her eyes at the gold-colored numbers which looked eerily like genuine gold-plated numbers, which would be stupid and a waste of...

She looked beyond the tall gates to find the house, Is that even a house, she was supposed to visit MWF every 5-7 pm to work.

"Ga Eulie?" Now she's got Jan Di even more worried. "Are you ok? Yah! Ga Eul! Chu Ga Eul!"

"I'm fine, Jan Di. I'm perfectly fine... But, I might have to call you back."

With that she, she shut her phone off and gaped at the mansion that stood in front of her. She wasn't sure how wide it was, but she was sure the gate and walls had taken almost the whole street, and the mansion stood behind it in all its glory, like the candy house Hansel and Gretel went to when they were lost.

It was amazing, and frightening at the same time.

She straightened the most formal clothes she found in her closet, and tried to stand higher and walked right to the gate. She checked her watch and found that she was still a bit early. The guards, after she introduced herself and gaining confirmation from the inside through invisible earpieces, opened the side gate where a car could have fit, and not a house if ever it would be needed to rolled in the garage.

Ga Eul couldn't even pay attention to the maids giving her directions from out to inside the mansion because of the grandeur of everything else. That's until she was already face-to-face with her client, a girl who looked no more than one or two years older than she was, with bright eyes and a pleasant smile that would make anyone take a second look if she would pass by the street, although Ga Eul suspected the girl didn't take the regular streets.

Ga Eul bowed deeply and introduced herself for the nth time that hour. "Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Chu Ga Eul, a European Languages Major sophomore of the Shin Hwa University."

The older girl also bowed and smiled at her. "A pleasure to meet you, Chu Ga Eul. I'm Cha Eun Jae," She looked at Ga Eul clothes and seemed to suppress a wider smile. "Shall we?" she asked as she pointed towards a spacious study room where there was a huge table that could have catered to a business meeting if it needed to, a whiteboard and some markers on the table. At the other side of the room were two smaller tables that Ga Eul could only guess as used for pottery with all the clay and earthy scent in the room.

Ga Eul's heart was pounding loudly, half looking out for something out of place, half blown away with everything she saw. She knew immediately with Eun Jae there was nothing really to be nervous about. She was as nice as she looked, and even lead her to the chairs and had snacks prepared for the two of them even when they haven't even started yet.

"Miss Eun Jae-"

"Please, just Eun Jae," Eun Jae said as they sat and she poured them some tea while Ga Eul laid down her notebooks and pens on the table. When Ga Eul looked surprised at the request, Eun Jae amended, "Unni then, if you think you'll be more comfortable that way."

"Eun Jae-unni, um, if you don't mind me asking, why not hire someone professional to teach you instead?" Ga Eul clamped her mouth immediately when the question left her lips, Jan Di's voice echoing in her mind saying, 'Oh, Ga Eulie. You're really too innocent.' It's as if she's asking Eun Jae to fire her... on her first day of work. But to her defense, she did feel out of place in the situation, and surely Eun Jae could have afforded a more expensive yet professional teacher.

Eun Jae only smiled as she took the liberty of browsing through Ga Eul's notes. "I want to give college students a chance. I'm pretty sure you need the money," she said, to which Ga Eul nodded slightly, unable to disagree. "And Jo Kwon said you were capable."

Jo Kwon was the person who met her for the 'interview' and gave her the address and everything else she needed to know. She wondered how that man was able to find out about Ga Eul's Swedish speaking capabilities.

"Jo Kwon is sharp. He recognizes confidence and strength even in little forms," Eun Jae said as if reading her mind. "And he said you looked very sure of yourself, especially when you talked about your major."

Ga Eul smiled. She didn't even realize that herself. She would have to thank Mr. Jo Kwon later for the ego boost and for putting in a good word for her to Eun Jae. With that Ga Eul realized that she should not disappoint Jo Kwon nor Eun Jae. She would be paid, and she would have to be worth it. "Shall we begin then, unni?" she asked with a smile that was more confident than the one she had when she got in the room.

Eun Jae was nodding, when there was a knock on the half-opened sliding door, and a smiling face peered in. "I was looking for you."

Ga Eul's jaw dropped open, and she couldn't even will it to close even after realizing it. It didn't matter, she supposed. He wasn't even looking at her.

But he was still there.

So Yi Jeong. F4 member. One of the top students of the Shin Hwa University. Majoring in Fine Arts. Third year. 5'11" in height without insoles. Virgo. Spoke four languages, and currently learning his fifth. Pottery prodigy. Received four national pottery awards and six world renowned international awards.

The information overloaded Ga Eul's brain.

Chu Ga Eul. Inactive member of the So Yi Jeong fans' club.

She cursed herself. She was an inactive member because she was already trying to get over So Yi Jeong because she knew there was not a slight chance for her to even just see him in person, but now that she had, up and personal even, she knew then and there she wasn't even that close to getting over him.

Somehow, Chu Ga Eul found her lungs again and managed to breath.

"Oh, I thought I told you I'd be getting tutored from today," Eun Jae said, with the same bright smile Yi Jeong had on his face. "Yi Jeongie, this is Chu Ga Eul. She's a Language Major. Guess from where."

The course of time Eun Jae was talking was the amount of time it took Yi Jeong to cross the room to where they were. Ga Eul stood up upon introduction but Yi Jeong barely looked at her, and it seemed that Eun Jae saw the lack of interest in his eyes which caused her to ask him to guess where Ga Eul's from.

Yi Jeong briefly, a part of a second, looked at her before placing his attention back to Eun Jae, but Ga Eul was surprised at, number one, the effect his quick gaze gave her knees which immediately felt like jelly, (she should not have stood up), and number two, his answer afterwards. "She's too young to be a professional, or a teacher, or maybe that's just me, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't hire anyone but someone in college, and she doesn't strike me as a Seoul U kind of girl. And since you asked... Ah," Yi Jeong laughed in realization. "Shin Hwa U, of course."

The F4 also attended Shin Hwa University, but they were rarely sighted by anyone ordinary, like Ga Eul.

"That's five points for Mr. So Yi Jeong," Eun Jae mimed writing down Yi Jeong's new recitation bonus, and Yi Jeong chuckled and kissed her on the cheeks.

Somehow, Ga Eul felt awkward standing there. Sure, she felt like she's intruding something extremely personal, and she did feel that way. A minor part of her that is. A major part of her is, like any fangirl in her shoes, shattered. She should have known that So Yi Jeong already had a girlfriend, maybe if she was still active, she should have, but now that she's seeing So Yi Jeong with his girlfriend in the flesh without prior knowledge, she felt stabbed and trampled on. And she congratulated herself because she was stabbed and trampled on with a smile on her face.

When Eun Jae pinched Yi Jeong to get him back his manners, Ga Eul took the chance to bow at So Yi Jeong (a rare chance for any fangirl out there), and check if he really did wear socks in his slippers like the rumors went and confirmed that he did not. He was wearing socks, and only socks.

"A pleasure," she said a little too breathlessly. "Mr. So."

Yi Jeong bowed slightly, giving her another part-of-a-second glance, and said, "Just Yi Jeong," before staring at Eun Jae again.

"Yi Jeong," Ga Eul repeated nonetheless, grabbing every opportunity God has blessed her with at the moment.

"Don't be to hard on Eun Jae too much," he said without looking at her. It should have been a disappointment since she did want to stare at his eyes for longer, but it was already a miracle that he was talking to her directly. "Her English is faulty. Swedish would be..."

"Yi Jeongie," Eun Jae complained as they watched Yi Jeong walk back to the door.

Yi Jeong had a mischievous smile on. He seemed to be enjoying teasing his girlfriend. "Love you."

Eun Jae scrunched up her nose, obviously annoyed at their display of affection in front of a stranger, but still said, "Love you, too."

The door was just about closing behind him when the miracle of all miracles happened, So Yi Jeong said, "Nice meeting you, Ga Eul-yang," and winked at Ga Eul as if they were sharing some sort of secret.

While Ga Eul's fangirl heart did a victory dance (-yang! He called me Ga Eul-yang!), her human heart strangled her fangirl heart for being... fangirl-y. So Yi Jeong was unavailable, so Operation: Move On was definitely a go, and if Eun Jae ever found out about Ga Eul's ultimate crush on her boyfriend, she would get fired. Might be fired. Whatever.

"Uh... Ga Eul?"

Ga Eul sat down immediately, only now realizing that she had been standing up for a time that was not socially acceptable. She found Eun Jae smiling too wildly at her, that she immediately went on to explain about her behavior. "I, um, I'm sorry... he's like a superstar at school... I'm a bit starstruck," she said, which was half true.

Eun Jae nodded but still had a knowing smile on her face as she turned back to the notes. "Whatever you say, Ga Eul."

Three hours later, Ga Eul found out that Yi Jeong was wrong. Eun Jae was fairly easy to teach because she was patient and she didn't call Ga Eul off every time she corrected her mistakes, (which was what other people usually did) but he was right when he said that her English was still a bit of a mess. Since most Swedish words were easier translated to English than Korean, Ga Eul suggested to incorporate some English lessons into their own which didn't bother Eun Jae at all. The pay was not even a question. As soon as Ga Eul suggested it, Eun Jae apologized and told her that she'd raise her pay. Ga Eul declined only to be frowned on by Eun Jae. In the end, she caved, because she also needed the money.

The whole time she was tutoring, she hoped she didn't look as hopeful as she felt. Hoping to get another glimpse of the So Yi Jeong of her dreams, but to no avail. She even tried to excuse herself to the bathroom still hoping that she'd bump into So Yi Jeong along the halls, but she figured that the mansion had too many halls for her to accidentally just bump into him.

Finally, she gave up and decided that her best bet on seeing So Yi Jeong again was to continue with her tutoring sessions, even if it was against Geum Jan Di's principles. When Eun Jae handed her the envelope that contained her pay, the older girl had hope in her eyes.

"See you Wednesday, Ga Eul?" she asked, not said, as if knowing she still had a decision to make, and yet, still not knowing that since So Yi Jeong showed up in the room, the choice was already eliminated. It was an automatic answer.

"Of course," Ga Eul said before bowing and taking her leave.

Jan Di wouldn't like it. But hey. A fangirl's gonna do, what a fangirl's got to do.

As she walked out of the mansion, surprising herself because she didn't get lost, a familiar man in black suit assisted her in opening the huge double doors. Her eyes lit up when she recognized him and she bowed immediately, "Jo Kwon-sshi."

Jo Kwon gave her the slightest of smiles as he bowed as well. "Ga Eul-sshi, I'm glad to see you tutoring Miss Eun Jae. Couldn't have her in anyone else's hands."

Ga Eul brightened and laughed. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for letting her."

"Oh no. I merely give her reports on the interviews I make. She's wise. She knows the best," he said.

Ga Eul's mouth shaped a little O as Jo Kwon spoke of his Miss. It wasn't hard to notice the admiration in his voice as he spoke. Then Ga Eul smiled. "I guess I'll be seeing you around," she said and stepped out of the door."

"I'll be looking forward everyday," he said and waved.

-chapter end-

A/N: Hi. Uh, hi? Hello...

So... uh, yeah... a plot bunny woke me up in the middle of the night... and uh, please don't hate me! *ugly wailing*

I know Reset's been on hiatus for a long time, and I think it's because the plot bunny that gave me the idea died a long time ago. Plot bunnies must always be fed with lots of words, and paragraphs or else they die before their time.

Anyway~ I'll try to finish this before Feb ends, as a sort-of-Happy-V-Day present to all you singles out there (like moi)! Thank you for passing by and I hope you liked it.