Fan Fiction 1: I LIKE YOU, KWON! – Chapter 15

Title: I Like You, Kwon!

CHAPTER 15

DAY 1, JEJU ISLAND

It was late morning when the plane touched down at Jeju International Airport. On the plane, the two had discussed their itinerary for their trip. The first thing they needed to do was to rent a car and then check-in at the hotel. They got that done quickly and were on their way to Haevichi Resort. The scenary that greeted them was fantastic. The sun was shining brightly, the weather wasn’t too chilly even though winter was fast approaching,the sea was in its full emerald glory. It was no small wonder that Jeju Island is famous for being the ideal honeymoon location.

“This feels so good!! Oppa, thanks for bringing me here!” Ga In lifted her face to the sun. It felt good to be out of the house and be able to enjoy walking around without being swarmed by fans or people pointing at her.

“Like I had a choice! You made all the decisions and never even consult me once! Overbearing brat!!” He said in his usual teasing manner but he was glad too. It’s really nice to be out and about, enjoying the freedom that they rarely get to enjoy as artistes.

“Ya! Im Seul Ong! Admit that you are enjoying it too!”

“I had better since I’m paying a whole lot of money for this trip!”

“Are you still harping on that? You are really a miser you know!”

The two of them looked at each other and both just broke out laughing.

“Ok, I’d admit. I’m enjoying it. Thanks for bringing me here. I know that this place is special to you and you have always wanted to come. But I remembered that you said you wanted to come here with your future partner so why did you ask me to bring you? You could have asked Kwonnie to bring you.”

“Oppa, like you said, this place is special to me and yes, I have mentioned that I wanted to come here with my future boyfriend or husband. But I realized that what I truly want is a fantastic memory of this place. And to be honest, no one has ever come close to providing me with the kind of stability that you have. And I know you would never do anything deliberately to hurt me. So I decided that I want to spend this special trip with you, my one and only oppa. Boyfriends come and go but I know you would always be by my side.”

Although Seul Ong could sense a little melancholy in Ga In’s voice, he was touched by what she said. The mood had gotten a little serious and he decided to lighten it.

“So you are determined to stick to me for the rest of your life? Aigoo, do I have to prepare a room for you in my marital home in the future? You had better start praying that you would get a good and understanding sister-in-law who could put up with you.”

Ga In knew Seul Ong was attempting to lighten the mood and decided to play along. “Why don’t you marry one of my BEG unnie? Since I have worked with them for the last 3 years, they knew my ways by now and they absolutely dote on me like their little sister. Who do you like more? Narsha unnie? MiRyo unnie? Or JeA unnie? Tell me then I can assist you.”

That got her a knock on her head. “What are you saying? You want me to marry one of the BEG noonas so as to make YOUR life easy? Such a selfish brat!”

“Where else can you find someone who would accommodate me in your marital house?

“I wasn’t serious about the offer.” Seul Ong’s tone turned serious, “In ah, much as I would not mind looking after you, I don’t think I can provide you with the happiness you want. If what I can give you was something you wanted, we could have been together a long time ago. I want you to find your happiness. Why do you sound so unsure when barely a week ago, you told me that you have found your happiness in Jo Kwon? Be honest with me, did something happen?”

“Maybe I got too happy too quickly. The fact that I felt so happy made me feel… insecure. What if one day I can’t find that amount of joy when I see Kwonnie’s face again? Oppa, I am scared. That’s why I needed some time alone away from everyone.”

Ga In took a breath to chase away her melancholy. She was determined to enjoy this trip and made the best out of it. “Ok! We shall not talk about this anymore! These two days, it’s just about you and me! The Great Siblings Tour!!!”

They arrived at the hotel after another 15 minutes. They checked into their room and freshen up. After a quick lunch and equipped with the map of Jeju Island, they started their tour. Today’s theme was “Be a Tourist”. They drove to all the famous attractions on Jeju Island – Jeju Teddy Bear Museum, Mini World and Miniature Theme Park, Submarine Tour, the three famous waterfalls and many others. Ga In took pictures everywhere they went. It was like she was trying to capture every single moment. When they were in less crowded areas, she would take off her sunglasses and Seul Ong would take off his moustache so that they could have some pictures of themselves without any disguises.

They ended their first day on Jeju Island at Mt. Sanbang. Though they did not climb to the top of the mountain given Ga In’s recent surgery, they were treated to the view of the spectacular sunset while they indulged in a luxurious dinner.

DAY 2, JEJU ISLAND

The duo had decided that they would go to the beach before they head back to Seoul in the afternoon. After breakfast, both went to change into their beachwear. When Ga In came out of the bathroom and Seul Ong saw what she was wearing, he literally shouted at her.

“SON GA IN!! GO PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!!”

“But we are going to the beach! This is appropriate beachwear!!”

“You call that APPROPRIATE beachwear?!! It barely covers ANYTHING. GO AND CHANGE!”

“Oppa!”

“Don’t ‘oppa’ me! Go and change right now!”

“What do you want me to wear? This is the only swim wear I brought along.”

“I don’t care. Whatever it is, you are NOT wearing that to the beach.”

Ga In stamped her foot but she knew that she would not be allowed to go anywhere if she did not listen to her Ong oppa. Irritating!! It’s just a two-piece bikini. I really don’t know what all the fuss was about. It was not like I didn’t wear a cover-all with it. She went in search of something more “appropriate” to wear.

Try as he might, Seul Ong could not shake off the image of Ga In in her chilli-red bikini. He was not joking when he said it barely covered the important areas. The white translucent cover-all was more like a flag waving people’s attention to what she was wearing inside. What was she thinking?!

“Is this APPROPRIATE enough?” Ga In came back, exchanging her white, translucent cover-all with a sleeveless tank-top and ultra-short shorts. She was still wearing her red bikini. It was only slightly better in Seul Ong’s opinion but at least she was more covered up.

“Yes, slightly better. Now we can go.”

They went to Geum Neung Beach as it was one of the quieter beaches and not as crowded. They spent the better part of the morning frolicking in the water – snokelling and water-jet skiing. As they wanted to avoid the noon sun, they returned to the hotel, washed up and went for lunch. After lunch, they came back to pack and prepare for their flight back to Seoul.

“Oppa, thank you for coming on this trip with me. I’ve got a present for you.”

Ga In took out a small box from her bag and gave it to Seul Ong. He opened it and found a silver bracelet that’s about half a centimeter in width. From far, it looked like a silver band. In the middle there was a half-diamond shaped link.

“It’s actually the symbol for the first syllable of your name ‘ㅅ’. I have a similar one.” She lifted up her hand to show it to her Ong oppa. Ga In’s bracelet was thinner and the shape in the middle also resembled that of a half-diamond as well but it’s set in a different way.

“Since the first syllable of my name is ‘ㄱ’, I’ve set it in a different manner. But if we were to join the two together, we would get a square. Since we are more like siblings, I thought of how when people draw a house, we could never escape from drawing a triangle for the roof and a square for the walls. So, there we have it, a symbol for siblings!”

Seul Ong was caught off-guard by this gesture from Ga In. He knew that beneath the brash exterior she shows everyone lies a very tender and loving soul. He knew she treasured the relationship that they have but he never expected such a gift from her. He stepped forward and gave Ga In a hug.

“In ah, that was…” He could not complete the sentence. Tears flowed and for a while, this pair of siblings just stood there in each other’s arms, grateful that they have found each other.

“Oppa, let me put it on for you.” Ga In stepped back, took the bracelet from Seul Ong and put it on his left wrist. They took a picture together, showing off the “sibling bracelet” that was exclusively theirs.

“I have a present for you too.” Seul Ong took out the teddy bear that she had set her eyes on the day before at the Teddy Bear Museum and gave it to her. Even though she did not say a word, not even a squeak about how much she liked it, he knew.

“Oppa… This is a little too much… You are already paying for this whole trip, why did you go and buy this teddy bear too?” Ga In would have bought the teddy bear herself but the price made her put it back on the shelf.

Seul Ong shrugged and said, “money is made to be spent. Since I have not gotten you a gift for Christmas, just treat this as an early Christmas gift. SO don’t come and pester me for one anymore!”

“Oppa! You make me sound like a brat!”

“But you are!” He knew she was about to retort and quickly added, “ok, we’d better go if we want to catch the flight back to Seoul.”

They picked up their bags and went to check out of the hotel. As they neared the airport, both knew that they were leaving the fantasy they have created for themselves the last two days and now they have to go back to face reality. When they reached the car rental, they looked at each other and smiled. No matter what, these two days had been really magical and they would definitely look back at Jeju Island with fond memories.

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