Chapter 4

Tae Joon was in the national team along with Eun Gyol; he was still maintaining his top form. But competition was becoming fierce with the new kid, who was very athletic and was giving Tae Joon a run for his money. Holidays were coming up and he was feeling very weird nowadays, it felt too long since he had seen her. Some how a distance seemed to have sprung up between them, they had become lovers before becoming friends and now Tae Joon did not know how to talk casually with her anymore. His heart hurt too much when he heard her voice and ached for days after that. Eun Gyol had shown a picture of her in his email, but all he could see was how familiar but different she looked.  Tae Joon’s father was coming today to the practice but even that was not cheering him up. Lately she had been mentioning some other guys name a little too frequently and that was like a prick of a thorn in his heart. His normally expressive eyes seemed dull; without realizing it he was pining for her.

Suddenly he felt a tug; it was Min Hyun Jae's sister. She was his smallest fan and they usually spent some time playing together with his dog!! “Where is Gu Jae Hee Oppa?” she asked in her cute lisping way. “I want to show him and Eun Gyol Oppa something. Last time she had made my hair so pretty I want him to do it again.... Where is she hiding”?

That was the last straw for Tae Joon, it had been so long since any one had even mentioned her name and now to hear about her from this cute little girl was too much for him to take and he just ran out of the gym. Unnoticed by him, his father had observed the whole exchange, after exchanging a few words with the coach, Tae Joon’s father slowly made his way to the dorm. His son was staring at a video - Intently, a young boy was playing on a football field: happy and smiling. So this was the girl, his father realized - one who had made his Tae Joona jump again and also helped him discover a new bond with his own son. Mentally preparing himself he sat down beside Tae Joon on his bed.

Tae Joon was startled when he felt his father sit down next to him,

Quickly he shut the phone off.  “Sorry Abujee, I was a little distracted. Let's go to the gym, I have been practicing some more”..... Saying this Tae Joon walked to the door. But his father gently led him back to a chair and sat down next to him. He took out a sheaf of papers and handed it to him saying.

“You have been getting some mail home. Some of it is from some university in California; I want you to go check it out.  I know she lives there.”

“Go, TaeJoon…..meet your girl. Lets consider this a present for all the birthday’s I missed. Let me book the ticket and talk to the university, you never know -you might like the program there.”

Tae Joon did not know how to react, his deepest desire was to see her again and it was coming true. He had been in touch with the university that Jae Hee was applying to, and the school she was studying in was quite good too 'Thanks you Abujeee I would love it so much. But wont my condition suffer if I go there for such a long time, we have to talk to the coach and…..” 

“Don’t worry I will arrange for it, leave it to me” promised his father. Already dreaming of a time when he could see Jae Hee and the both of them could be together again was making Tae Joon dizzy. “Komawoyo, Thank you soo much”. He cried out, “I have a months holidays coming up and I want to really go. But where do I stay”?

“ I will make all the preparations,” promised his father looking at his ecstatic son.  Tae Joon really felt like floating, but he wanted it to be complete surprise to Jae Hee, so he did not tell any one, especially not Cha Eun Gyol – Who, he was sure, would just follow him all the way to California.