CHAPTER 4--> six years later... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l *AhnChilHyun: Is a record producer--> 25 years old... *GyooHee: Is still in Korea...now 24 years old... *EunBi: 21 years old... *JungHye: EunBi's friend in America--> 21 years old... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l During the six years... EunBi and her parents move to Korea in search of GyooHee. Moving helps EunBi forget about Chilhyun, although she still carries an emotional scar. While they are in Korea, they have no luck in finding GyooHee... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "EunBi yah, sit down for a minute," EunBi's mom said, accompanied by EunBi's dad. "What is it, mom?" EunBi asked with a concerned tone of voice. EunBi's dad answered to her question. "EunBi yah...there is a problem with our house in America," he explained. "Your mother and I have talked to the landlord and he doesn't think he can hold it vacant anymore because people want to buy it." "Then what are we gonna do? All of our stuff is still in that house...and we can't leave without finding GyooHee unnie..." EunBi said to her parents. Her mother answered her this time. "Honey...your father and I were planning to-- to stay here for a while longer," she said, stuttering a bit. "Then what are we gonna do about the house? Are you gonna sell it then?" EunBi asked worriedly. "Oh, no no no...Well, if it's okay with you, we were planning for you to go to the house and watch it for us," EunBi's mom answered. "You're a big girl now and your father and I think you can handle it," EunBi's mom continued explaining. "Oh...I see...that could work," EunBi said. Then the thought of Chilhyun oppa made her think twice; she did not want bad memories of him to come back and haunt her. "Actually..." EunBi hesitated, but knew she could not turn her parents down. "Nevermind," she said reluctantly. "You're 21 years old now...your father and I think it's time for you to get a chance to live on your own for a change-- we know that you've wanted to move out on your own when you started going to college...but since you couldn't, you have an oppurtunity now," EunBi's mom explained in further detail. EunBi nodded thankfully. "I just can't believe that we still haven't found GyooHee unnie yet," EunBi said in puzzlement. "It's so weird..I know she's here somewhere, I know it!" she said confidently. She noticed her mom gripping her dad's hand tighter. "Don't worry EunBi...things will work out fine...as soon as we find your sister, we'll go to you...meanwhile, all you have to do is watch the house for us--we'll wire you money for bills and things," EunBi's dad said comfortingly. After a short silence, he continued, "But for now, we want you to go to the house as soon as possible." "Umm..how about Friday?" EunBi asked hopefully. "But that's only two days away.... can you handle it?" EunBi's mom asked a bit worried. "Yeah...don't worry mom...I'll be fine...besides, it's a more convenient time for me since it's a weekend," EunBi explained. Matters were settled, and it was arranged for EunBi to leave for the states in two days. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=Friday evening+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= EunBi finally got to the house she hasn't seen in years... EunBi paid the taxi driver, grabbed her luggage, and went through the familiar walkway. She got out the keys and slowly unlocked the doors. She opened them and stepped inside. Everything was the same except the furniture was covered with plastic sheets. 'Six years...six years since I've been in this house...so many memories with GyooHee unnie...' EunBi thought to herself. She headed up stairs and into her room. She uncovered her bed of the plastic sheets, and did the same for her dresser, desk, and stereo set. EunBi unpacked one of her suitcases and settled down in her room. When she was done cleaning, she headed downstairs to clean the rest of the house. ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:The Next Day~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ EunBi opened her eyes. She looked around and felt happy to have the feeling of finally living on her own. She secretly wished that her parents would not come for a long time, for that she liked being able to be independent, but she did miss her sister an awful lot. EunBi chuckled at her secret wish as she got up and headed for the bathroom to freshen up. EunBi came out humming as she searched one of her unpacked suitcases for some casual clothes to wear. She was putting her clothes on when she noticed her old address book on her bedstand and suddenly thought of her friends. 'Will they have the same phone numbers as the ones they had six years ago? I doubt it...but it's worth a try...' she thought to herself as she walked toward the address book. She flipped through it, and had a feeling of stupidity and hurt when she found the words:"I LOVE CHILHYUN OPPA" in big bold letters next to his phone number. She forced herself to ignore it as she picked up the phone to call her friend SooMi. "She's in college in New York," SooMi's mother informed EunBi. Disappointed, EunBi tried another friend's number. "The number you have dialed is no longer in service," a machine recording said. 'Who am I kidding? It's been six years...of course their numbers have changed', EunBi thought to herself, feeling a bit stupid. But she tried another number just in case...Kim JungHye's. EunBi's heart jumped when she heard it ringing. Once...twice... "Hello?" a voice answered. EunBi did not want to sound stupid but tried her luck anyway. "Uh..is JungHye there?" she asked hopefully. "Who is this?" the woman asked sternly. "This is EunBi...Lee EunBi," she answered. EunBi thought she kind of recognized the voice coming from the other end of the line. "JungHye moved out 2 years ago...are you a friend of hers?" she asked. "Yes...Do you remember me Mrs. Kim? I moved to Korea six years ago...and--" EunBi was cut off. "Wait...Lee-- Eun--Bi?" the woman asked slowly. Then EunBi heard her gasp. "Yes, of course I remember...how could I forget my daughter's best friend? It's good to hear from you! I thought you were dead!" JungHye's mom stifled a laugh, jokingly. JungHye's mom was always so funny. "So you're back?" she asked, calming herself down. "Uh...yes, for a while," EunBi answered, relieved that Mrs. Kim had remembered her. "EunBi yah...JungHye moved out to her own apartment two years ago...would you like her number?" Mrs. Kim asked. "Yes please," EunBi answered. She received the number, said her goodbye to Mrs. Kim, and hung up. A few seconds later, she dialed JungHye's number. She waited half nervously and half excitedly while the phone rang. "Hello?" a female voice picked up. "He--hello?" EunBi responded jibberishly. "JungHye?" "Yes...this is her," she answered back. Relieved and excited, EunBi nearly screamed, "JungHye yah! This is EunBi!!" JungHye gasped loudly. "EunBi?" she shrieked. "You're back? I thought you were dead!" she said playfully. "Haha..like mother like daughter..." EunBi laughed, thinking of what Mrs. Kim said to her earlier. "Huh?" JungHhye said puzzled. "Nevermind..." EunBi chuckled. "Okay...Welcome back! So are you staying long? When did you come? Did you find GyooHee unnie?" JungHye asked curiously. EunBi laughed. "Thanks...it's good to be back...and no--- no luck in finding GyooHee unnie..." EunBi answered a bit more quietly. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to--" JungHye was cut off. "Oh, no! Don't be sorry! I'm just glad to have gotten in touch with you again... I missed you so~~~ much! We got lotsa catching up to do!!!!!" EunBi said cheerfully. JungHye giggled happily. "Yeah...so how are your parents? No actually, how are you?" she asked. "Oh, where do I start?" EunBi said with an exaggerated sigh. The two friends caught up on each other's lives and talked endlessly for two hours. "Hey, let's meet today!" JungHye said. "I have an idea...I promised my sister that I'd take her to audition at a talent and modeling agency...you wanna come with me? My cousin works there...remember HeeJun oppa?" JungHye asked. "How could I forget! He's the one who always made us laugh, right?" EunBi laughed, reminiscing the times of her years as a teenager. "Yup...that's HeeJun oppa!" JungHye said proudly. "So you wanna come keep me company? We'll go shopping afterwards and stuff..." she said, trying to persuade EunBi. EunBi thought it would be good to get some fresh air, so she agreed. "Okay! It's a date!" she said. "Haha...you're juss as corny and weird as ever!" JungHye said with a laugh. "I'll pick you up at one then?" "Uh huh...that's fine with me," EunBi said. "Kay, then...One o'clock it is..." JungHye said as the two said goodbye and hung up. ---------------> Afternoon- 1:00 P.M. <--------------- EunBi waited on her porch for JungHye to come pick her up. She was all ready to go out and have some fun; she was wearing a black outfit and she looked like she was going to a party. Within 10 minutes, JungHye's car pulled into the driveway. As soon as she stopped the engine, she jumped out of the car and screamed as she gave EunBi a warm, welcoming hug. JungHye gasped. "WOW! EunBi! You look great!" she said, still excited. EunBi passed her friend a smile. She noticed JungHye's sister waiting in the car patiently. "Let's go!" EunBi said as she grabbed JungHye's hand. "Don't wanna keep your baby sis waiting!" she said thoughtfully. EunBi got into the backseat of the car. JungHye's sister MinJoo turned around and greeted, "Hi EunBi unnie! Remember me?" she said with an angelic smile, as JungHye sped into the streets. EunBi gasped. "Whoa! You changed! How old are you now, MinJoo?" EunBi asked curiously. MinJoo answered, "16! You changed too, unnie!" she said as ahe stared at EunBi admiringly. EunBi passed her a warm smile, but on the inside, EunBi felt sad. Seeing JungHye and MinJoo-- two happy sisters-- made EunBi feel sad. She sat silently, immersed in her own deep thoughts, thinking of GyooHee unnie. A Five-minute period of silence followed awkwardly. Trying to force herself to stop thinking about GyooHee unnie, EunBi broke the silence. "So MinJoo! You're auditioning for---?" EunBi asked, trying to make conversation and trying not to cry. "--For singing talent!" MinJoo responded immediately. "But only for fun...I'm not aiming to become famous or anything," she explained, as JungHye pulled into the parking lot of the agency. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- The three girls entered the fairly large, extremely clean building. They reached a receptionist at a desk. "Hi, may I help you?" she asked in a friendly tone. "Yes...my sister is auditioning...Is HeeJun in today?" JungHye asked politely. "Yes...his office is---" Already knowing where HeeJun oppa's office is, JungHye hurried further into the building with EunBi and MinJoo following from behind. They passed through a narrow hallway, and sounds of laughter got louder and louder as they approached two doors at the end of the hall labeled, "Audition Room". Recognizing HeeJun oppa's cute girly voice, JungHye barged in squealing, "HeeJun oppaaaahhh!!" The talking and laughter died down as curious heads turned towards the three girls. A man with purple-black hair stood up, walked over and ruffled MinJoo's hair. "Oh, gurae...wassuh (you're here)?" he said with a smile. JungHye nodded with a smile. "Oppa! You remember EunBi right?" she asked. HeeJun nodded and smiled cutely. "Hi, EunBi! Nice to see you again after a billion years!" he remarked with friendly sarcasm. EunBi smiled shyly. She looked around the room subtly. There were a number of guys sitting randomly around a table. HeeJun introduced each and every one of them: Tony, JaeWon, YoungJin, and WooHyuk...but when he pointed to the last guy, EunBi grew weak and lightheaded. "--And lastly, this is Ahn ChilHyun! My assistant in everything!" HeeJun introduced proudly. "Don't mind him if he doesn't say hi...he's busy writng a song right now...he writes like that everytime he has ideal lyrics in his head," HeeJun explained, as he turned away from ChilHyun. EunBi could not believe it...'ChilHyun oppa? Is that you? Is it really you? How come you're not even looking up to see who I am?' she thought to herself as she held onto her head. She longed for him to raise his head and greet her warmly. "EunBi unnie! Are you okay?" MinJoo asked, concerned. "Oh-- yeah...I'm okay...," EunBi stuttered. JungHye worriedly grabbed EunBi. "HeeJun oppa! Sign in MinJoo for an audition! EunBi yah...let me get you some food and water, kay?" JungHye said, as she led EunBi to a chair and scurried out of the room. In a sudden change to seriousness, HeeJun quickly filled out an audition form and said, "Okay...YoungJin hyung, JaeWon, WooHyuk, Tony...follow me to the stage. ChilHyun, if you're even listening, stay here and see if any more auditioners come," HeeJun ordered with authority. At the sound of ChilHyun's name, EunBi grew weaker. 'Why can't he look up just once and look at me?' EunBi thought silently. She was alone with him in the room and the only thing she heard was the sound of the pen scratching on the paper that ChilHyun was using. 'NahBbeunNohm,' she thought to herself. He was too busy, writing vigorously on the paper. 'Should I say something?' EunBi asked herself. Chilhyun had not even looked up once since EunBi, JungHye, and MinJoo entered the room. Trembling, EunBi spoke out in a tiny voice. "Op--oppa..." she said slowly, already regretting her word of recognition. Puzzled, ChilHyun looked up. He had yellow-brown hair, still with long bangs. He looked at her with questioning eyes. 'Don't you recognize me oppa? It's me...nayah...EunBi...' she said silently. His glare pierced through her heart. "It's me...oppa...nayah---Lee EunBi.." she spoke her thoughts aloud, as she lowered her head. EunBi could not see ChilHyun's face, but she heard a dull thud as ChilHyun's pen dropped to the floor... CHAPTER 5.... EunBi lfted her head to face Chilhyun. His eyes were as big and sparkly as ever and his bangs still fell to the sides of his face. EunBi felt a rush of happiness, yet had mixed emotions of anger and relief at the sight of his beautiful image that she had longed to see during those six long years. Chilhyun just sat there in awe and shock. "Gyoo......no......EunBi?" Chilhyun managed to say slowly. EunBi nodded stupidly. 'So you thought I was GyooHee unnie? Chi... You're still as clueless as ever', EunBi was tempted to say. Chilhyun finally got a hold of his voice."When did you come back?" he asked, still a bit in shock. "I just got back yesterday," EunBi answered quietly, putting her sweaty hands in her lap. ChilHyun smiled. "It's really good to see you again-- really," he said in a friendly tone as he put his hand out. EunBi left his hand hanging. She did not want to be friendly with him after what he said to her six years ago. Chilhyun retracted his arm and rested it on the table. "So umm...how have you been? Is GyooHee doing well?" Chilhyun asked the one question that EunBi did not want to hear. But fortunately, he ignored his own question. "Wow, EunBi...I didn't even recognize you at first," Chilhyun stifled a laugh. "Can you believe it? I thought you were GyooHee...you've changed a lot," he continued. EunBi had changed...and she knew it. She had gotten the double-eyelid surgery which made her eyes twice as big and round than before, she got her braces off, replaced her glasses with contacts, and had grown her hair down to her lower back which she dyed and high-lighted to a light golden brown- all of these changes made in six years. "EunBi...you look great," he complimented. EunBi smiled shyly, but she did not allow herself to be kind to him. She still held a grudge against him because of what he said to her six years ago, but she did not know why. She wanted to be kind, but something inside would not let her. She was about to blow him off, but JungHye came into the room panting for air. "Gosh..." she said with her chest heaving up and down. "Don't you guys keep any food or water in this building? I ran up and down two flights of stairs to find this donut and cup of water!" she complained as she headed towards EunBi and sat down. Chilhyun and EunBi did not move or say anything, still a little shocked from their unexpected meeting. "Is my sister done with her audition yet?" JungHye asked, not knowing what was going on between the two people sitting in front of her. Chilhyun shrugged his shoulders. "I think they're still in there," he said, pointing to a door labeled "Stage". "Do you think I can take a peek at what they're doing?" JungHye asked Chilhyun. He simply shrugged his shoulders. "I guess," he said, picking his pen up from the ground. JungHye gave the donut and cup of water to EunBi as she got up and disappeared through the door. Chilhyun sighed heavily as he looked at EunBi, who was nibbling on her donut. He smiled and went back to writing on the paper. Curiously, EunBi asked, "What are you writing that's so important?" Chilhyun set his pen down. "It's a song...I'm writing lyrics to a song," he repeated. "Is it a song for anyone special?" EunBi asked randomly. 'God, I am so stupid', EunBi thought to herself. "Umm...no not really. You mean am I writing this song for my girlfriend, right?" ChilHyun asked smiling. EunBi blushed with stupidity. She regretted asking such a question. "Well, just to let you know, I'm single at the time," ChilHyun said, as if he were proud of it. "Oh, I see," EunBi said, not knowing what else to say. "Do you have a boyfriend, EunBi?" he asked. EunBi remembered this same question that Chilhyun had asked her six years ago. She hesitated-- she wanted to say yes for her pride's sake, but something held her back. "Nope...no I don't," EunBi answered, while sipping her water from the cup. She felt so embarrassed, she wanted to run out of the room, but she knew very well that she couldn't. Fortunately for EunBi, Chilhyun changed the subject. "So do you still live in the same house?" he asked, trying to break the awkward silence. "Yeah...I'm living on my own for a while," EunBi responded. "My parents are still in Korea," she explained. ChilHyun nodded. "I see," he said. 'Please don't ask about GyooHee unnie,' EunBi pleaded silently. She did not want him to ask about GyooHee, so she asked, "Do you still live in the same house?" EunBi knew it was a dull question, but thought it would be better than talking about GyooHee unnie. "No...I moved to a bigger house with HeeJun hyung," Chilhyun answered. 'This is a boring conversation', he thought. "Don't you get lonely living by yourself, EunBi?" he asked, sounding worried. 'He's so cute', EunBi thought silently. "No- not really, I--" before she could get a chance to finish, ChilHyun cut her off. "How bout having dinner with me tonight?" he asked randomly. 'I'm not gonna let him get the best of me...I used to like you Ahn ChilHyun...but no... not anymore...I've gotten over you and I have moved on', EunBi reminded herself. "No, sorry, but I can't," EunBi blew him off coldly. "Oh, okay," Chilhyun said, trying to hide his disappointment. "Maybe next time then?" he continued hopefully. "No...maybe not," EunBi said coldly. "I don't date players," she heard herself saying. EunBi found her own words surprising. "Whoa...what's with the sudden bitchiness?" Chilhyun asked, a bit hurt. Before anything else could be said, the door opened and MinJoo came out, followed by JungHye, Tony, WooHyuk, JaeWon, YoungJin, and HeeJun. "Hey, you sing pretty well, MinJoo!" HeeJun said as he ruffled MinJoo's hair. "Thanks, oppa," MinJoo smiled, pleased with his compliment. "So, I see you two have gotten to know each other pretty well," HeeJun said, smiling at ChilHyun and EunBi. 'You don't even know the half of it', EunBi thought silently. EunBi smiled. "Let's go, JungHye...I'm getting tired," EunBi said, faking a yawn. "That's weird, cuz I am too," JungHye said fanning herself. "I think the summer heat is getting to me...or maybe it's from all of that running around," JungHye said, giving EunBi a look. "Juss kidding," she said, smiling. EunBi felt a rush of relief. Kowing JungHye, she would've protested to stay a while longer. EunBi was getting extremely paranoid about Chilhyun oppa: she hoped with all her heart that he wasn't suspecting anything about her attitude. 'Maybe I should've said yes...it was just a harmless dinner invitation...' EunBi regretted slightly. 'No...what am I thinking? He's still a player...I USED to like him...not anymore', EunBi repeated to herself again and again. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*. Three weeks had passed since EunBi saw ChilHyun oppa...she could not keep him off of her mind. EunBi sat thinking on her couch. It was a Friday night, and she did not have any plans to go out to keep herself busy, which gave her more time to think about ChilHyun oppa. Trying hard to stop thinking about him, EunBi clicked on the T.V. After channel surfing for a couple of seconds, EunBi landed on the movie channel. She drooled at the sight of Freddie Prinze Jr. in the movie "Down to You" (with Julia Stiles). Letting her imagination run wild, EunBi imagined Chilhyun oppa kissing her tenderly, just as how Freddie was kissing his girlfriend in the movie. EunBi shook her head. 'What the hell am I thinking? I don't even like Chilhyun oppa anymore', EunBi thought in denial. Just as she started to get absorbed into the movie, the phone rang. EunBi grunted; she hated being disturbed whenever she was watching something good on t.v. "Hello?" EunBi answered impatiently. "......." "Hello?" EunBi asked again, making her voice louder. "......." "Helloooooooooo? Excuse me, but if you're gonna fricken call someone, then at least fricken say something!" EunBi said frustratingly, as she slammed the cordless phone down. She unmuted the t.v. when the phone rang again. "Ugghhh!" EunBi grunted aloud as she picked up the phone again. "Hello?" EunBi answered with a snappy attitude. "......." EunBi hated getting crank calls. "God, what the fuck?" she said, sick and tired of the game someone was playing on her. 'Who could it be, though?' EunBi thought to herself. She froze and pressed the phone harder against her ear when she heard someone breathing...female breathing. "JungHye?" EunBi asked anxiously. "JungHye, is that you? Stop fucking around and say something!" EunBi nearly yelled into the phone. "......." the breathing became quieter; a second later, the mysterious caller hung up. Creeped out, EunBi hung up the phone and hugged her pillow tighter. 'Umma! Appa! Come fast', EunBi prayed, wishing for a moment that she wasn't alone in the house. EunBi nearly peed in her pants when the phone rang again. She hesitated to pick it up, but determined to find out who the crank caller was, she answered it. "He--hello?" EunBi asked, breathing heavily. "EunBi? It's me!" JungHye's voice came from the other end of the line. EunBi's heart eased. "Wae gu rae (what's wrong), EunBi? You sound terrible," JungHye said worriedly. "Oh...it's nothing. But hey JungHye...did you call earlier? Like...as in five minutes ago?" EunBi asked curiously. "No, I just got home," JungHye said honestly. "Why?" "Oh, no...nevermind. It's cuz I thought I heard the phone ringing earlier, but I couldn't reach it on time," EunBi lied, trying not to worry her friend. "Oh..I see. Well, just to answer your question, no, I didn't call earlier," JungHye reassured EunBi. "Okay...juss wondering," EunBi said, trying to sound casual. "Well, I just called to see if you wanna go clubbing tonight," JungHye asked hopefully. EunBi did not want to stay alone in the house, so she immediately agreed. "Okay," EunBi said without hesitation. "Great!" JungHye said excitedly. "I'll pick you up within an hour, kay?" "Okay," EunBi answered. As soon as they hung up, EunBi sat there, pondering insanely about who the crank caller was. 'It was probably just a wrong number', EunBi convinced herself, as she got up to get ready for a night out in the town.........