200 Balloons, 200 Days...

Finally, San San... you get a fic with your name in it with your darling Yoo Chun... tell me you love me!!! Hahaha! :P

**This short fanfic was nominated for Soompi's Fanfic of the Year in year 2007 under the category of One Shot**

200 Balloons, 200 Days... One for each day I've loved you...

Characters:
Sierra
Jun Jin (Shinhwa)
San San
Yoo Chun (TVXQ)



“Jun Jin!” I yelled as I ran up to him. He turned around and smiled as I caught up with him. “Where are you going without me?” I asked him.

“Going on a date with my other girlfriend,” he smiled mischievously and I smacked his arm. “Aahh!! Ap’a!”

“That’s what you get for disrespecting me,” I said as I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Who would dare disrespect you, the mighty Sierra?” he laughed.

“Come on,” I said as I linked arms with him, and we walked out of the gates.

******

Jun Jin and I were final year students at the Seoul National University. I was a dance major and he majored in music. I can remember back when we first met. We were performing for the Autumn Festival Concert and I was backstage putting on my costume when he walked into the changing room, which was actually a makeshift changing room made of cloth and screens.

“Aaaaaahhhh!!!” I yelled right at his face as I covered myself with the shirt I was holding.

“Aaaaaahhhh!!!” he yelled back at me, his eyes wide.

“Yah!! Pyeont’ae (pervert)! Why are you staring at me?” I shouted at him.

“Mian, I didn’t know there was anyone in here,” he said as he slowly backed away.

“You’re lying, pyeont’ae!” I shouted.

“Don’t!” he said as he quickly moved forward and covered my mouth with his hand. To do that, he had to put his other arm around me and he held me with my back against his chest. “If you yell again, the whole faculty’s gonna come in and find us here. Then we’d be laughing stocks!” he whispered urgently.

I could feel the warmth of his body through my bare back. Somehow, I felt comfortable in his arms; even though I felt uneasy standing there, half-naked, with some strange guy pressing against me. I could smell his aftershave when he whispered in my ear, and when he whispered, it sent this odd sensation running down my spine. I’ve never been this close to a guy before, and certainly not in such a compromising position with a guy before.

“I’m gonna let go now,” he said. “Don’t scream, okay?” he added, and I just nodded.

[Jun Jin’s POV]
I let go of the girl and she turned around. But before she turned, I saw her bare back, and I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. Who would have thought that the sight of a girl’s back could do this to a guy. It was elegant. Her skin looked so smooth and creamy. She had a small tribal motive tattooed near her shoulder, on the left, and it was downright sexy.

“Yah! Do you always go around peeking at people like this?” she asked me.

“No, I don’t. I told you it was an honest mistake,” I replied.

“Can you go out now? I need to get dressed,” she said.

“Umm.. yea… mian,” I said as I walked out.

As I walked out, I looked around to see if anyone had seen me go in there. No one was nearby, and thank god her shouting had not alerted anyone. It was far too noisy backstage anyway. My mind went back to the moment that had just passed, the moment where I held her in my arms. Her hair smelt fresh and her skin… I shut my eyes as I was reminded by the sight of her back.

“Yah!” She tapped me on the shoulder as she walked out.

She was now wearing her costume, a fitting sleeveless tank top which covered her butt, tights and leggings. Around her neck was a huge pendant with the motive of constellation of stars on it. I’m looking at her face now, and she did not have the features of most Korean girls. She looked exotic.

“Mian,” I said as I bowed. “I’ll leave now.”

“Didn’t you want to change?” she asked me.

“Oh yea, I did,” I laughed. Only now did I notice that the clothes I’d brought with me were dropped on the floor. She bent down and picked them up, and she dusted them off before handing them to me.

“If you didn’t have any clothes with you, it would’ve confirmed that you were trying to peek at me,” she smiled.

“Yea,” I laughed.

“Go change,” she said as she stepped aside so that I could walk into the changing room. I walked in quickly and started to undress. When I walked out, she was still standing here. She leant against the wall; one foot on the ground, one foot brought up so that the bottom was against the wall. She could’ve easily been doing a shot for a fashion magazine. Her hair was cropped short on top with long layered strands at the bottom, touching her shoulders, and streaks of red highlighted her hair. On any other day, if any of my friends asked me, I’d tell them she wasn’t my type. But after seeing her, talking to her for that short moment, I think I’m beginning to change my mind.

[Sierra’s POV]
It’s been more than 3 months since Jun Jin and I had gotten together, and today was our 100th day anniversary. I wonder if he remembered. I walked out of the dance studio with my friend, San San. We’d just finish a grueling 2 hours of jazz class. We had a recital coming up next month, and San San and I were performing as a duo. As we walked out, we were greeted by Yoo Chun, one of our seniors majoring in music.

“Yoo Chun oppa!” San San shouted in delight. San San had a crush on Yoo Chun and everyone knew about it. Yoo Chun welcomed her attention, since he loved attention. But at the end of the day, everyone knew he was a player. San San was not the only girl he’d lead on.

“Hey, Sannie,” Yoo Chun drawled.

“Yoo Chun oppa, let’s go watch a movie today,” San San said.

“Mian, baby. But oppa’s busy today. Tomorrow perhaps?” he said.

“Tomorrow? You promise? Yak sok!” she said as she held out her pinky.

“Nae, yak sok,” he said and hooked his pinky with hers. San San squealed with delight when he did.

“Hey Sierra,” he said as he walked up to me with San San still clinging onto his arm.

“Hey,” I replied curtly. Yoo Chun had hit on me months ago, but I’d rejected him. I think he was still a little pissed about it since no girl has ever rejected his advances. I walked off without looking back at him or San San. I couldn’t stand the sight of him and his shenanigans. San San was such a sweet girl and I’ve warned her many times about Yoo Chun, but she still wanted to throw herself at him. I’ve given up on telling her not to.

I walked out of the school gates to find Jun Jin standing beside his motorbike. My eyes widened when I saw what he’d done. There were balloons… pink balloons. About a hundred I think, and they were tied to his bike.

“Jun Jin,” I gasped.

“100 days,” he smiled. “I didn’t forget.”

“Yes, you didn’t” I smiled as I ran forward to hug him.

“One balloon for each day,” he said.

“I’d better count them to make sure you didn’t cheat,” I smiled cheekily.

“You don’t trust me?” he asked.

“Should I?” I asked him.

“Sierra, you’re so heartless. How can you not trust me?” he said sadly.

“Fine, I trust you,” I laughed as he started to act like a sad little puppy.

“Komawo,” he said and he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

I wrapped my arms around him as he pulled me tighter against him. The kiss went on and on, until I felt as if my head were spinning. If he wasn’t holding me against him, I probably would’ve crumpled up into a heap on the ground.

“Ahem…” someone cleared his throat. Jun Jin and I broke apart to see who it was. Yoo Chun.

“What do you want?” I asked him.

“If you remember, you’re right outside the university’s compound. Hardly an appropriate place to do this,” he smirked.

“Still, it’s none of your business,” I replied. Who was he to tell me about being appropriate when he’d probably done it all over the university grounds?

“Sierra,” Jun Jin said softly. He was signaling that I needed to control myself. “Thanks for your concern, Yoo Chun. We’ll take this elsewhere,” he smiled. “Let’s go,” he said as he got onto his bike and I got on behind him.

We rode for a short distance until we arrived at a huge field, about 2 kilometers from the university. We came here often to take strolls, and once, we even flew a kite.

“You ready?” Jun Jin asked me as he handed me a pair of scissors.

“Yep,” I replied.

We each grabbed a few balloons and started snipping at the strings, releasing them into the air. When we were done, I looked up into the sky and marveled at the sight of a hundred balloons, slowly floating up, higher and higher. A gust of wind blew, and they flew further and further away from us. I put my arms around Jun Jin’s waist, and had his around me, as we watched.

“Do I get 200 on our 200th day?” I smiled and he looked at me in horror. “I’m joking!” I laughed. “How can you tie 200 balloons to your bike? 100 was hard enough.”

“And I thought you’d gone mad,” he laughed, obviously relieved that I hadn’t meant what I said.

I regret that I’d mentioned the 200 balloons now. I regret that I had made that joke. I walked into the ward where Jun Jin lay, in a coma. He still looked like the handsome and strong Jun Jin I’d met in the changing room. But he was sleeping now, he was always sleeping.

Once, about a month after the accident, I’d cried tears of frustration and rage as I pounded on his bed.

“Wake up!” I shouted at him. “It’s been a month, you pig! Wake up!” I sobbed uncontrollably as I put my head on his arms. I looked up awhile later to see that his sleeve was soaked with my tears. “Mianhae,” I whispered as I brushed his sleeve, as if I could dry it by doing that.

Jun Jin had been trying to get the 200 balloons to me when he was hit by a truck. The balloons must have obstructed his vision, and he didn’t notice that he’d swerved onto the opposite lane until it was too late.

I stroked his hair as I watched him sleep. It’s been 3 months since the accident. It’s almost a year since we’ve gotten together. Even though we couldn’t speak to each other, he couldn’t tell me how much he loved me like he always did, I still felt connected to him. Some days, I’d lie down beside him on his bed, and talk to him about what we’d do when he woke up. But when he did wake up, I was bitterly disappointed.

I got a call from Jun Jin’s parents, telling me that he’d awaken and I ran as fast as I could to the hospital. As I walked in, I saw Jun Jin sitting up on the bed, eating.

“Jun Jin,” I shouted with joy as I hugged him. I was so happy that I’d forgotten that he was eating, and I caused him to choke a little. “Mian,” I said as he coughed. He held up his hand to signal it was okay, as he coughed. “Jun Jin…” I said as tears started to fill my eyes. I was so happy that the waiting was over. He was finally awake.

“Agashi,” he said. “Do I know you?”

The blood drained out of my face when I heard his question. Did he know me?

[Jun Jin’s POV]
“Jun Jin,” my mother said. “Don’t you remember Sierra? Your girlfriend?”

My girlfriend? I had a girlfriend? Why don’t I remember? I looked at the girl, she looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember anything about her.

“How long have we been together?” I asked her.

“Before your accident, 200 days,” she replied, her voice shaking as she tried to control her emotions. “Up till now, 9 months.”

“200 days?” I asked her.

“You were hit by a truck on our 200th day anniversary,” she explained.

“I was?”

“Yes, don’t you remember? Don’t you remember anything about me, Jun Jin?” she asked me.

“Mianhae, I really can’t recall now,” I replied.

“Omoni,” she looked at my mother. “Why can’t he remember?” she said, close to tears now.

My mother came up and put her arms around her. She must be my girlfriend if my mother was so close with her. Why can't I remember her? I clutched my head as a pain seared through it.

“Jun Jin,” my mother gasped. “Sierra, go get the doctor.”

[Sierra’s POV]
“You need to slow down, boy,” the doctor said after examining Jun Jin. “Your memory will return eventually. Just don’t try too hard, or you might lose it all.”

“Kamsahamnida,” Jun Jin’s mother bowed as the doctor left. “I’ll leave you two alone now,” she said as she started to walk out. “Be nice to her, Jun Jin,” she added before the closed the door.

“Are you alright?” I asked him. I sat nervously at the edge of his bed, looking at his expression for a sign. If he’d forgotten me, did he still love me?

“Sierra,” he started. “I can’t remember anything about us, but I do feel a connection with you,” he said.

“Then what do we do now?” I asked him.

“If we were what you said we were before this happened, I’m willing to make the effort,” he said.

“Huh?” I looked at him, puzzled by what he just said.

“If you are okay with it, let’s learn to love each other again. At least let me learn to love you again.”

I looked at him, my heart almost bursting with happiness. I hadn’t lost him after all. I moved forward so that I sat parallel to him, facing him. I put my hands on his face and traced it lovingly.

“Saranghae,” I said and I kissed him. I wasn’t sure if he would, but he kissed me back. When he did, tears streamed down my cheeks; tears of happiness.

******

As Jun Jin and I strolled out of the school gates, I looked up at the sky and saw a single pink balloon float past.

“Look,” I said as I pointed to the balloon.

“Someone must be copying our ritual,” he smiled.

“Yea, copycats,” I laughed as we got into his car.

As we drove past the field where we used to go to, I saw a couple in the middle of the field, releasing balloons. I squinted and smiled when I realized who they were… Yoo Chun and San San.