"Once in a Lifetime"
(one-shot)
Setting: Namsan, Episode 19, When Yi Jung asked Ga Eul if they could talk about themselves and not about their friends
Warning: Spoilers and Alternate Ending
They were walking down a flight of stairs which seemed to him, as the longest flight of stairs he had ever walked down on. It wasn't exactly the stairs that was making anxious, and this, he knew perfectly. It was the woman walking alongside of him, the very person whose sole existence was a contradiction to his own. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, he finally found the courage to speak. Funny, he thought, how one woman could shut his trap and break his composure without doing anything.
With an unsure and troubled expression deeply etched on his face, the Casanova, So Yi Jung, abruptly took a halt from walking. "Ga Eul-yang… I…" He began. He tried to find the right words to tell her about how he felt but somehow, words became rudimentary and insufficient to describe whatever it was that he wanted to convey.
"I'll go first." Her tone was brave and courageous, daring to speak at such a critical moment. Her eyes were full of determination and seriousness as she bravely confronted, what she believed, was something worth giving her best. "You don't have to feel burdened by my presence anymore…" Her eyes refused to meet his as she spoke, mainly because she was afraid to find herself unable to finally let go of chasing an impossible love. "I've come to understand everything that you feel, Sunbae… So, I'm not going to go looking for you anymore…" As she spoke the last sentence, it was only then that she lifted her eyes to finally meet his piercing orbs. Apparently, for her, this was a form of good-bye. A farewell to a love that was impossible for her to achieve to begin with.
"Ga Eul-yang…" His voice greatly hinted uttered protest as his usually composed features were now filled with unease.
"My teacher – No, I mean, Eun Jae told me that she did everything her heart could withstand therefore she had no regrets." She narrated with a somehow acrid smile playing across her lips. "Thank you for giving me a chance to do everything I can…" She looked away and smiled, mustering enough courage to put up a brave front for him. "If Jan Di contacts me, I'll let you know…" She said and gave him a final nod before walking off, leaving the Casanova stunned rooted to the ground.
Yi Jung felt his chest tightening painfully upon the sight of Ga Eul's back retreating away from him. The sound of her footsteps reverberated inside his mind as she walked. It was an all-too painful image for him, yet, he knew that it was what he deserved. Ga Eul was a special kind of person. She was amazing beyond imagination. She can be annoying at times, but she was such a sweet burden that he couldn't help but welcome her presence. She was… the woman who was able to tame the Casanova.
For a few minutes, Yi Jung simple stood there, dumbfounded and unable to move an inch. Almost unconsciously, he felt trickles of wet tears suddenly fall down his eyes. 'Was this… going to be the end of it?' He asked himself bitterly. "Aniyo…" He spoke out loud and shook his head to answer the question that was playing inside his head. Something that was bound to happen only once in a life time, shouldn't be taken for granted. This was what Eun Jae, Ga Eul and even his philanderer of a Father, spoke of. So why was he going to just stand here and simply accept her words, when he could go after her and get her back?
With those thoughts and forms of reasoning inside his head, Yi Jung suddenly bolted into a speedy sprint. He made a mistake once, he wasn't going to let it happen again. Ga Eul was much too important for him to just allow her to walk off. He ran wildly, not caring if his appearance was ruined, not caring if he would look un-cool afterwards. He was chasing for his once in a life time chance.
He finally found Ga Eul standing among a small crowd of people waiting for the bus. He stopped running a few meters away from where she stood and slowly approached her with careful steps. She looked down-trodden and sad. Tears were uncontrollably falling from her eyes, yet, she tried her best to hastily wipe them off away. Yi Jung continued to approach her as she stood unaware of his actions.
Finally, he stood a foot away behind her. Almost too suddenly, Yi Jung encircled his arms around Ga Eul from behind, not allowing her to move or walk away. Not minding the people around them, he buried his face on her nape, between her head and shoulder as he held her tightly.
A faint gasp escaped Ga Eul's lips as she felt strong limbs encircling themselves around her. For a moment, she was stunned and surprised. Her mind blanked out for a few seconds until she realized that it was actually Yi Jung who was hugging her tightly.
"Yah… Who told you to walk away from me like that?" His voice was gruff yet soft. "Chu Ga Eul, you may be a country bumpkin, a naïve die-hard romantic who believed in soul mates and life time partners, an annoying burden and a highly spirited nice woman… But you are MY country bumpkin, MY soul mate, MY annoyingly sweet burden whom I cannot allow to just walk away…"
Yi Jung's words pierced through Ga Eul's heart as she realized that he was speaking sincerely from the bottom of his heart. She could feel his tears soak through the fabric of her clothes as he cried. She couldn't help but tear up as well and so, she allowed her long restrained tears to finally fall freely.
"You told me that if you find your soul mate, you'd love him wholeheartedly and wouldn't let him go… Ga Eul-yang, I've found mine… This time, let me do everything I can so I won't have regrets… Let me do my best to show you how much you mean to me…" His voice was pleading, almost begging.
"Pabo…" Ga Eul finally managed to speak as a smile creased on her lips. "Why did you just realize that now? I've been waiting so long…" She added. Her voice was soft and filled with gladness. She felt her chest being overwhelmed with so much emotion upon hearing Yi Jung's words.
Slowly, Yi Jung withdrew his arms around her. He held her by her arms and slowly turned her to face him. "Ga Eul-yang… I'm a big playboy, I'm selfish, I'm cruel, I'm not perfect, I'm not a good guy… Best of all, I'm a member of the F4 and you can't just leave me like that… Not now that I've… I've learned to love you…" He held her face with both his hands as he sincerely stared into her eyes. "Stay… Stay with me…"
Ga Eul smiled as fresh tears sprung from her eyes. This time, they were no longer tears of sadness, but rather, they were tears of so much happiness. "I'm here… I'll always be here…" She replied.
With that, a faint smile finally appeared on Yi Jung's lips. Her answer was short and brief but it conveyed everything that he needed to hear. He felt his chest being filled so much happiness. It was the first time in many, many years that he had felt this way. It was a euphoria far addictive than what his philandering ways brought him. And Ga Eul… was the sole reason for everything. She was… his happiness.
Slowly, Yi Jung brought his lips to her head and planted a soft and feathery kiss on her hair. Next, he planted a kiss on her forehead. Then he proceeded to plant a loving kiss on the bridge of her nose. Until finally, his gaze settled on her full and luscious lips, shortly followed by his own lips as he captured hers in a sweet and affectionate kiss.
-Fin
a/n:I wrote this one-shot because I felt that episode 19 in the series felt disappointing. To satiate my appetite for So Yi Jung and Chu Ga Eul romance, I weaved this alternate ending for the said scene. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.